Shadows in the Smoke S1E37 - "The Hunt is Back On"

Shadows in the Smoke S1E37 – “The Hunt is Back On”

Kim
Shadows in the Smoke is intended for mature audiences and may contain material that some people find disturbing. Please see the episode description for content warnings, and listen with care.

[Shadows in the Smoke theme]

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, in the land of dreams.

[Snow, sleighbells]

Kim
The Sculptor takes your proffered hand, and rises to his feet.

The Sculptor (Kim)
I thank you.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Always happy to help an artist in their time of struggle. And that’s exactly what I see in you: an artist whose work isn’t understood by the world, but is brilliant in its own way.

The Sculptor (Kim)
Are you a patron?

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Not exactly. But I represent, or rather in the past, I have represented a very powerful one. And this has given me enough discretion that I can… recruit is not the right word, but… We’ll use your word. Patronize you, a little bit.

Kim
The Sculptor gestures to this immense, beautiful ice sculpture that is in the center of this frozen Covent Garden.

The Sculptor (Kim)
I was not always an artist, you know.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Enlighten me.

The Sculptor (Kim)
I danced. I remember the first time I saw the ballet. It was magic. To see the human form frozen in air sparked a warmth in me, the frigid rains of London could never extinguish. I snuck in, often. Posing as a lady’s child, an usher, a part of the cast… When I was finally caught, they offered me an audition. Given how well I could adapt, they said with a bit of training, I would never be caught again. I suppose I was not so lucky…

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
No, but history does have a way of repeating itself. So why don’t we try to work out another offer for you, since you’ve been caught once again?

The Sculptor (Kim)
Name your terms.

Kim
And mysteriously, a large block of ice has appeared near the Sculptor as he starts making an ice sculpture of you, Mr. Lloyd. Or you in your transformed, dream state.

Robert
Do you want the name of this transformed dream state?

Kim
I would.

Robert
Rabbit is currently appearing as the Hand of the Whispered Monarch.

Kim
Lovely. A portrait of them, then.

Robert
I wasn’t the one what caught you. And I have bad news. If you continue to ply your trade as you have been doing, it will be put to an end. But after all, what is an artist without the right supplies? I will see to it that you receive the materials that you need to finish your master work, provided you don’t go procuring them yourself.

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, a question for you.

Robert
Mmhmm?

Kim
I’m inclined to be nice and call this a Day Move, considering your extraordinary success in answering the question. However we are in the land of dreams, and you are the emissary of the Queen of Darkness. So I suppose I will leave it up to you: are we in the Day or the Night?

Robert
Well, Rabbit is bluffing a little bit. While he may have the appearance and some of the powers back, he does not have the title of the Hand of the Whispered Monarch, nor does he have the political power in this realm that that title would entail. So I do think this is the Night Move.

Kim
Alright. I love it when players make it more complicated for themselves. This is a Night Move with Presence. What are you afraid will happen if things go wrong here?

Robert
I am afraid that this will be noticed. Rabbit is still trying to be somewhat incognito. And beyond the Queen of Air and Darkness herself, there are others who would love to catch Rabbit pretending to be something that he is maybe not at the moment.

Kim
It’s worse than that. I like the notion of this ice sculpture that the Sculptor is carving in dreams ends up in the hands of someone dangerous, and it being used against you. This little piece of you, frozen. Night Move with Presence, please.

Robert
[Rolls dice] So that is a 4 on the dice, and with my Presence, a 6 overall.

Kim
Alright. So Mr. Lloyd, on a fail, the Sculptor will hear your offer in the dream but not remember it when he wakes. And this sculpture of you will fall into the wrong hands.

Robert
I think I can’t exactly let that happen, so I’m going to use a mask. Specifically, I am going to use the Moss-Covered Gate. As Rabbit has now been using an extraordinary amount of his power, and at least somewhat claiming his old titles, I think it makes sense that some other interested parties might be alerted to his presence.

Kim
Please read the Moss-Covered Gate.

Robert
Tell the Keeper to put The Coven in play. The Keeper should immediately frame a scene, showing the Coven has arrived in London.

T.
[Laughs nervously]

Cassandra
[Also laughs nervously]

Natalia
Um, you sure you want that? We sure we want that to happen?

T.
More threats, more threats, more threats…

Cassandra
Wow, just as we’re about to finish one, here come another…

Kim
Let’s leave the city of London for a moment, and head west to the Home Park, and Frogmore House, which has stood largely empty since the death of the Duchess of Kent.

[Sinister arcane ambience]

Kim
One room is dimly lit by dying embers. And a handsome middle-aged man sits by the fire, reading an ancient, leatherbound tome. His concentration is broken as something stums the strings of magic, and a tapered black candle suddenly bursts into blue flame. A smile creases his face beneath his well-trimmed moustache. His quarry has shown itself. The hunt is back on.

The Coven is in play.

Let’s return to Covent Garden.

[An audience murmurs]

Kim
T. What scenes of high drama do we see play out on the stage of the Royal Opera House, and how do we see these same tragedies and romances play out on the street outside?

[Finale and Apotheosis from The Nutcracker plays]

T.
Naturally, the dance this evening is The Nutcracker. And as the family on stage lets slumber take over and Clara is allowed to dance out her dream, we see the rats and their king beginning their dance. One rat a little bit after the rest of them, seeming to barely make his entrance. But much like a stunted rhino at the caboose of a stampede, he quickly becomes the audience’s favorite.

[The buzz and chatter of a crowd]

T.
While outside on the streets, rats skitter out of the gutters, picking up the crumbs of treats and pastries left behind by the merchants dissembling their stalls. Some stalls are still remaining in Covent Gardens. There are all manner of stalls selling warm beverages. Arabian coffee, Spanish chocolate, Chinese tea, and even Russian vodka, all being poured into the tin cups of soldiers who stand guard outside these palaces of the arts. While the second act shows some dances evocative of the stretching hand of the British empire – diminutizing their footholds into caricatures.

Kim
Let’s return to the living quarters of the Figg family.

[Tense ambient tones]

Kim
Now, Mr. Hutchinson, how do you triumph over Obert the Blade? I will warn you, you cannot kill nor majorly incapacitate this man, considering you have not answered his question. But how do you drive him away?

T.
Despite his grace, butchers are not known for their swordsmanship. As he brings his swinging arc down, Hutchinson takes the knife that he left behind at Hargrave House, brings it up in a flat cross guard, and takes the momentum. As there’s that loud clang, pushes it back. With him thrown off balance ever so slightly, get sup in his face and says…

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
You picked the wrong god, heathen.

T.
Kicks him in the chest, and send shim tumbling ass-over-teakettle down the stairs. He collides with the landing, and a painting of pigs playing poker falls onto his head.

Kim
You hear a scrabbling as Obert picks himself up, grabs his very long knife, and flees to parts unknown. But I’m sure you’ll see him again.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
That’s right, go whee whee whee all the way back to wherever it is you’re hiding. I’m coming for ya.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Always quick with the wit you are.

Cassandra
And Ena snaps her spear back into that cord, and Aegis goes out as she ties the cord back to her shoulder.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
Vice of my nation.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Well, now that we’ve dispensed with him, I suppose we should go check out the basement, see if we can find anything down there?

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
Sure. Lead the way.

Cassandra
And Ena descends the first flight of stairs, and then walks back and goes down another flight into the basement. And the second she steps foot in this room, the overwhelming presence – not so much the smell, but the amount of blood that has been spilled in this place in sacrifice to someone other than herself… something begins to roil under her skin. She’s angry.

[Abandoned, foreboding ambience]

Kim
With good reason. The two of you descend into the basement, and we see walls covered in streaks of dried blood. All around you are bones with bits of meat still on them. And written on the walls in ash: All Praise the Great He-Sow.

I have a Paint the Scene: This is where the Figgs’ victims met their grisly ends. Looking around, how do you know the kills were quick and painless?

T.
It’s not so much what you can tell by the room, but by the knives within it. They are all sharpened to such a fine edge, it looks like they could cut the air itself.

Robert
While there are many smells down in this basement, there is one that those familiar with an abattoir or slaughterhouse might notice is missing, and that is the overwhelming musk of animal fear.

Cassandra
Hanging on the wall with some of the other implements of this work are a simple but sharp pick, and a mallet. The mallet would be used to drive this pick into the center of one’s skull, to kill them quickly.

Natalia
And near these hanging utensils are several faces, peeled from the victims, arranged to have smiles. And a message is written on the wall in blood: Happy Meat is Yummy Meat.

Kim
Miss Thanero, you look at these faces, and then you’re made aware of another body in this room. Long dead, naked, its head removed and replaced with that of a pig. Posed as the figurehead of a vast shrine in this basement, with human teeth and tusks scattered around in the shape of pagan sigils. And Miss Thanero, you specifically, a goddess entering into the realm of another god, feel like a trespasser. I think to even be in here is a Night Move.

Cassandra
I’m inclined to agree with you, honestly.

T.
Ooh, spooky.

Cassandra
Yeah.

T.
Ooh…

Cassandra
I don’t like this, but like… Despite not liking it and not, like, receiving the worship in this moment, it also feels like a desecration. Because I know there are other gods, so I can be mad all day. But this is disrespectful.

Kim
This is gonna be a Night Move with Sensitivity, as you’re entering this sacred space of another god. What are you afraid will happen if you lose your nerve in here, here in this lair of Moc’h?

Cassandra
Ena is afraid that Moc’h will consider this place of worship desecrated, and in retaliation will take over the whole of Hargrave House, and everyone who resides within it, as his new central home of worship. And everything that that entails.

Kim
Miss Thanero, it’s worse than that. Merricat Ovelia, half in love with the departed Roger the Reaver, missing him… Falls into a line of work that she believes her lost Roger would have appreciated. She starts killing passersby and preparing them within the kitchens of Hargrave House.

T.
Wait, but she feeds us.

Kim
Yes, she does.

Cassandra
Ooh… [Rolls dice] Okay. Um, that is a 2 and a 3 on the dice, plus my 1 of Sensitivity. That is a 6.

T.
I will use Non Sibi Sed Aliis to spend a Mask and bump that up to a mixed success.

Kim
Oh wow! Okay. What mask are you spending?

T.
I’m gonna spend the Moss-Covered Gate.

Kim
Read the Moss-Covered Gate.

T.
Narrate a scene in which you receive a letter from one of your parents, urging you to return home. What does the letter say? Then tell the Keeper to put The Pinkerton in play.

Natalia
Guys! Stop putting things in play! [Laughs incredulously]

Kim
Miss Douglas, alone in the Sculptor’s lair.

[An abandoned, cavernous space]

Natalia
Now that Sacha is gone, Maesie thinks back on the move she just pulled with the ice. And that is not something she has been able to do in the past, especially with her being severed from the sea. She sinks back into her Curse of the Deep state, to reexamine herself.

[The sea groans and rumbles]

Natalia
And notes as her fingers seem to extend, and the nails seem to sharpen and they become webbed. And she breathes a sigh of relief, and she marvels at the transformation and the coming back to herself. And she thinks something in her can help her fix the pelt more.

Kim
Oh! I love this.

Natalia
This is my thought process.

Kim
Mmhmm.

Natalia
It says when I attempt to repair the pelt using knowledge gained from a move. The Night Move I just did…

Kim
Was knowledge!

Natalia
Was learning about the ice, so.

Kim
That checks out for me. Tell me how you are repairing a piece of your pelt?

[Gentle harp music]

Natalia
I take some of the Sculptor’s tools, and chip away some ice from this unfinished sculpture covered in male body parts. And in the same way that I saw Mistress Beaumont crushing salt into the tear, I’m gonna smash up this ice so that it’s very small chips, and then I’m going to with Curse of the Depe, with my magic, melt it and refreeze it to cinch two pieces of the pelt together.

Kim
I love it. Please check one of your boxes on Severed from the Sea.

[The rustling sound of snow]

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, on a mixed success, the Sculptor regards you.

The Sculptor (Kim)
And the materials, they will be fresh?

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
They will be exactly what you require. In fact, why don’t I give you… Let’s call it a downpayment, tonight? I will provide something… not exactly what you’re looking for, but someone who has been a bit of a thorn in your side. I’ll ensure that she gets what’s coming to her.

Kim
The Sculptor extends his hand to you.

The Sculptor (Kim)
Shake.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Gladly.

Robert
And with a smile that is not quite Rabbit’s, the Hand shakes hands with the Sculptor. He then turns to Greco.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
We’ve got one more stop before tonight’s business is done.

Kim
Greco is back in the boat, it moving inexplicably through the snow with no issue.

Greco (Kim)
Lead the way.

Kim
Let’ s make our final trip to Covent Garden.

[The chatter of bar patrons]

Kim
Cass. In a gin palace later in the evening, sex workers and actors sit side by side, enjoying a drink after a busy night. How do we see the kinship they feel for each other?

Cassandra
Actors loosen their cravats and kick off too-tight shoes. The sex workers drape shawls over aching shoulders, everyone sighing with exhaustion. They share the same cheap gin as they shuck off their personas required of their work, and allow themselves a rare moment as their truest self. They tease each other with affection borne of survival, of knowing what it is to live by charm and nerve alone. When one of them grows quiet, the others lean in, nudging, warming, reminding them they’re not alone. In this place, they’re all performers, just on different stages.

Kim
Miss Douglas, how does your evening end?

[The murmur of an audience]

Natalia
I leave The Sculptor’s lair, and him behind with it. And I go back up to the Royal Opera House. And I don’t think I can abandon Sacha in this moment. I do think I finish performing The Nutcracker ballet with the company.

Kim
It’s all very like Black Swan, right? You arrive moments before you’re about to go onstage, and you’re instantly whisked into costume.

Natalia
I also think it’s very much…The stand-in who was supposed to go on for me, because I haven’t been here this entire time, is standing in the wings, so ready to go. And I just show up and I’m like…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Right, so I’m here now. So… Costume? Where’s the costume?

Kim
[Laughs]

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I’m so sorry. I know I haven’t been here and I haven’t been doing the rehearsals, but I have been practicing. And you will get your shot, because I am quitting the company after today. So next year, all you. You’ve got it in the bag.

Kim
Someone rips that costume off of that ballerina and hands it to you.

[The Nutcracker Pas de Deux plays]

Natalia
Maesie puts that on, and in a flourish, is liquid motion dancing the stage. The lights are shining. This is her element. And she feels bolstered by the fact that her pelt has been a little more fixed tonight, and she puts everything into this dance.

Kim
The final performance of Miss Maesie Douglas.

[The crowd applauds]

Kim
You take your bow, and flowers and chocolates are thrown onto the stage. And as you return to your dressing room, you see the small figure of young Sacha Delov standing in the doorway, holding a single white rose for you in congratulations.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
You… I missed it, but I’m sure that you were wonderful.

Sacha Delov (Kim)
I was, miss. You were perfect.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
That’s definitely not true, but I appreciate it.

Sacha Delov (Kim)
I heard this was your last performance.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Yeah, I don’t think the ballet is for me.

Sacha Delov (Kim)
It is not for everyone, that is what Mistress Zelia says. But I will miss you.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I will miss you too. And just remember, if you ever do need somewhere to go, I will be at Hargrave House, and you can come by any time.

Sacha Delov (Kim)
We could still have class!

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Yeah, I woud love that.

Kim
He walks up, hands you the rose, and then opens his arm for a hug.

Natalia
Oh, 100%. I scoop that boy.

Kim
[Laughs]

Natalia
And I twirl him around a little bit in this dressing room.

Kim
Lovely. I think that’s how we leave the two of you. Still dancing.

[Abandoned, foreboding ambience]

Kim
Let’s go somewhere a little more sinister, shall we? Mr. Hutchinson and Miss Thanero. Mr. Hutchinson, tell me how it is you step in, in defense of Ena?

T.
I follow her down into the dark. And as I see her stilled by the sight in front of her, I recognize that it’s not the carnage. She’s seen carnage before. But it clicks for me that she is in a profane room. And I take off my coat as if to lay it down over a puddle, and dust off “The Great He-Sow.” I take Obert’s butcher knife and press the tip of it into my palm until a red blossom begins to pool in it, and then in Greek write, “Athena” below the ash. I reach into my coat, take out a rolled-up canvas, and unfurl it in front of the effigy, squeezing its rigor mortised hands down onto the corners to hold it in each hand, wide. And then pressing it down so that it’s on its knees, take two of these sharpened knives and stab the bottom corners into the stone, so that Whistler’s painting is stretched as if in offering to Athena, in the effigy of Moc’h.

Kim
Miss Thanero, watching this, how does this make you feel?

Cassandra
Ooh. I think there’s a mixture of feelings. I think she feels honored at seeing this portrait, and what he has done to place her at the top of the ladder of this space. But there is also an element of desecration in what he’s done. And I think that there’s a bit of horror, and maybe also a bit of disappointment in it?

Kim
Please take the Condition: The Guilt of a God. But both of you feel the presence of this other god fade, and you are alone – truly alone – in this basement.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
If this is gonna work, we’re gonna need a little compromise. You’re gonna need to be a little less divine, and I’ll endeavor to be something a little more than animal. And maybe we can meet in the middle. I can be of use to you, if you’ll let me.

Cassandra
Ena turns around to him and gently touches his face, and runs her hand down his arm, reaching for his hand and intertwines hers in his.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Now that we’re here, I don’t think that will be a problem.

Cassandra
And she takes him and starts to pull him up the stairs, and out of this basement and back to the carriage, toward Hargrave House.

Kim
We shall end with Mr. Lloyd.

[Dreamlike ambience]

Robert
Much later that night, long after the ballet’s final curtain has fallen, we find ourself in Zelia Gagnon’s office, where she has fallen asleep on her desk, as she does so many evenings. And we enter the dream with her, and find her in that reoccurring nightmare that she has had all too many times. All of her dancers onstage, posed, frozen, mutilated. And herself in the audience, watching it all.

[Sinister, eldritch ambience]

Robert
She feels a hand on her shoulder, and as she turns to look, there is not so much a man, but the shadowy impression of a figure in black armor, a black hood, and a black mask covering his face.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
[In a low, sinister voice] I promised you that you would never see my face or hear my voice again. Unfortunately for you, I have many faces and voices.

Robert
And she remains, frozen in that nightmare, trapped by the Master of Nightmares. Waiting for the Sculptor to come and collect her body at his leisure.

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, take the Condition: Master of Nightmare.

[An ominous, rumbling woosh]

Kim
Welcome to the Dawn.

[Gentle piano]

Natalia
Ahh!

Cassandra
Wow…

T.
[Sings] Good morning, good morning…

Cassandra
Damn.

Natalia
That was amazing.

Robert
[In a low sinister voice] Hello.

[In his normal voice] I’m sorry, wait. [Clears throat] Hello.

Cassandra
That was wild. I was seated.

Natalia
That was awesome.

Cassandra
I was fully sat for that.

Kim
Good job, everybody. We resolved a Threat!

[Everyone cheers]

Kim
You all get prizes. The rewards for The Nutcracker are as follows: An End of Session scene in which the hunters host a Hargrave House holiday meal. The hunters may invite any guests they wish to appear. If the Mastermind is invited, they will bring a gift that counts as a Mastermind Clue.

Cassandra
Ooh!

Kim
Each hunter may name one item in their Personal Quarters, and give it to another hunter, who may add it to their Personal Quarters unmarked.

T.
I mean, yeah.

Kim
[Laughs] Okay.

Cassandra
I mean, I love Secret Santa.

Natalia
We must! It’s a party!

Kim
Alright. Rabbi Rebekka Salomon may be consulted at her synagogue on an ongoing basis. You gain one extra Clue on the Information Move when you seek counsel about atonement or the nature of the soul. Rebekka Salomon’s very own Ring of Salomon, add it to your Personal Quarters. If you have the Cosmic Passage marked, you hear whispers from within. The ice pick of the Sculptor, add it to your Personal Quarters. A bottle of human testicles. Add it to your Personal Quarters.

[Everyone laughs]

T.
I’ve already got three.

Robert
Three bottles?

Kim
And, a memento from the investigation. Ask another hunter what it is, and then add it to your Personal Quarters. So who is picking what?

T.
So we don’t all have to pick the party? Just one person has to pick the party?

Kim
Yeah. That will make the party for you all to use… Probably at a later date.

Robert
I think I’ll take the party.

T.
Yay!

Cassandra
Ooh.

Kim
Alright.

T.
I would like counsel from Rebekka Salomon.

Kim
That feels correct.

Natalia
I was gonna take the ice pick, cause I technically used it.

Kim
Yeah!

T.
I dig.

Cassandra
In tandem with Augustus, and now that Augustus is a worshipper, I think I will take that ring.

T.
And I will kiss it.

Cassandra
I’m sure you will.

Natalia
Along with other things.

T.
Yeah, you might not be taking that bottle of testicles…

Cassandra
[Laughs] I have plenty in my purse.

Kim
If we were doing a home game of The Between, this little holiday party is designed to happen at the end of the session. But… there’s a bit of housekeeping we have to do, so… I suppose I’ll let you all tell me when it is you want to have our little Yule party, and we’ll put it into motion. I can’t wait.

Let’s go to Dawn Questions. Did we answer a question?

[A chorus of Yes]

Kim
Did we resolve a Threat?

[More yeses]

Kim
Did we get an Echo in the Night?

Robert, T., and Natalia
Yes.

Cassandra
No.

Kim
Those who got Echoes, what were your Echoes?

Natalia
I got the mixing of different smells. The one that Cass described of the perfumes and whatnot, and then when I entered the underground where the Sculptor’s lair was.

Robert
I basically recreated the entire Unscene out of ice in the dreamscape.

Kim
Yeah.

Cassandra
[Laughs]

T.
I had two. The portrait of pigs playing poker was a call to Nat having the police sneaking off to play cards.

Cassandra
Oh my god!

Natalia
That’s really cute, I like that.

Robert
I didn’t catch that.

Natalia
Me neither.

Cassandra
I didn’t either.

Kim
I didn’t catch that at all.

Natalia
I heard you describe it and I was like, “What a weird detail!”

T.
And then the blood blossoming on my palm, the single red rose.

Natalia
That one, I did. That one was good.

Kim
Miss Thanero, did you express a clear preference for the beautiful over the mundane?

Cassandra
I don’t think I actually did that one.

Kim
Did you create an ornate, over the top erotic experience for someone else’s pleasure?

Cassandra
Why, yes. Yes I did.

Kim
Miss Douglas, did you delight in uncovering lost, forgotten, or ancient magic?

Natalia
I feel that I did delight in discovering the new changes to my Curse of the Deep.

Kim
I agree! And did you subtly or not so subtly invoke your oceanic heritage or your love for the sea?

Natalia
Yep.

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, did you have a face to face encounter with a dark entity?

Robert
I did.

Kim
Did you perform a ritual?

Robert
No. Unfortunately, I didn’t.

Kim
Mr. Hutchinson, did you stick out in London society for all the wrong reasons?

T.
I don’t believe so.

Kim
Did you have a raw, passionate sexual encounter, during which your feral nature manifested?

T.
Yes.

Kim
Did you continue to perfect your worship of the Undeniable? Miss Thanero, what do you think?

Cassandra
I would say yes. He desecrated a temple of another god, and put my image up in its place.

Kim
Alright. That feels… That feels pretty worthy.

T.
Man, that bar is high.

Cassandra
[Laughs]

Kim
Miss Thanero, you may mark experience.

Cassandra
Copy.

Kim
And you must give Mr. Hutchinson something from your Personal Quarters, which goes on their sheet, unmarked.

Cassandra
I’m going to give you the box that holds the heart of a former lover, who carved it out at my command.

T.
[Laughs]

Cassandra
You’re welcome.

T.
The implications!

Kim
That is one hell of a present.

Natalia
Step up your game, dude.

Robert
It’s both a present, and a threat.

Cassandra
Hey, man. It’s early days.

Natalia
You see what someone else did for me?

Cassandra
He gotta know what the lines are! Beau gotta figure it out!

Kim
Does anyone level up?

[Everyone says yes]

Kim
Oh my goodness, everybody. Alright. What are your advancements?

Cassandra
I’m not ready to unmark my Reflection yet, so I’m going to write a custom move for my character, which… We will discuss, and then will be revealed later.

Kim
Sounds good.

Natalia
I am going to do the same.

Kim
Alright. Two custom moves. Sounds good.

Robert
I’m going to increase an ability modifier… I’m really debating which of my two -1s I should go with, here, But I think he’s no saner than he has been recently, but he might be a bit physically healthier. So I’m going to bump my Vitality up to a 0.

Kim
Alright.

T.
I’ll be taking an additional move from my playbook.

Kim
What are you taking?

T.
Fastest Gun in the West. I may have horse legs, but every American has the right to bear arms.

Kim
Boo.

Natalia
No.

[Everyone boos]

Natalia
Go home. Get out.

T.
[Hums Chariots of Fire]

Robert
That’s it, campaign’s over.

Natalia
T. is kicked out.

Cassandra
Thank you so much for listening. Please tune in.

T.
When you take this move, add the 1851 Colt Navy Revolver to your Personal Quarters. This item is never marked when using it to take advantage on a die roll. After a roll, you can choose to mark it in order to re-roll one die of your choice.

Kim
In the spirit of new moves, I want to tell you that you have access to two brand new moves. The first one, from resolving The Nutcracker peacefully. You’ve gained the move Dance of the Nutcracker. I will read it.

When you take one step of the Dance of the Nutcracker, mark it off and 1 to your next roll that uses Vitality or Composure. Anyone can use this move. The steps must be marked in order.

Step One: Narrate a scene in which you prepare the body of a Threat for sculpting. Step Two: Narrate a scene in which you prepare an innocent for sculpting. Step Three: narrate a scene in which you transform the body of the Sculptor into one of your own creations. Pick a new Vice. It replaces the old one. Nights at the theatre, puppetry, a living collection, something else that warms the heart. Once you mark Step Three, tell the other hunters they can no longer use Dance of the Nutcracker.

You have also unlocked a move because you have done three scenes with Greco the Dream Sovereign.

Cassandra
Nicely done!

Kim
You have unlocked the move A Society of Dreamers. Rabbit, I like to think that you woke up from traveling through dreams with Greco with a book in your hands. A large, esoteric tome called Et Samfunn av Drømmere, or A Society of Dreamers. Reading this book will give you and your friends the ability to enter into the dreams of a sleeping individual, which is something you can now choose to do in the Night Phase. This is a very cool, very long move, so I will send the details to you all privately, and then we will get into it if we decide to use it.

T.
Tight.

Kim
And finally, before we end. Mr. Hutchinson, as you are returning to Hargrave House, Merricat Ovelia stops you at the door.

Merricat Ovelia (Kim)
There was a letter for you, sir.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
For me?

Merricat Ovelia (Kim)
Yes. It came very far. All the way from America.

T.
My eyes go wide.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
What was the name on the front of the envelope, Merricat?

Merricat Ovelia (Kim)
Mr. Augustus Hutchinson.

T.
Hutchinson’s mouth goes dry, and he takes out a trembling hand, and then can’t steel it.

Mr. Hutchinson (T.)
I’ll take that.

Merricat Ovelia (Kim)
Of course.

T.
He quickly tucks it into his “I’ve got something for you” pocket, and hurries upstairs to his quarters. Then takes a letter opener, cuts it open. And reads…

Beau.

[Slow guitar music]

T.
I’m very sorry that it has come to this, but you’ve left me no other recourse. I did not know how else to find you. I was able to stomach your gallivanting about all these years, but I’m afraid my indulgence is played out. While I have long since given up hope of you turning prodigal and keeping your legacy afloat, I must inform you there is no family business to take over.

That monster Sherman has taken Savannah, and salted the earth at Richmond Hill. Your cotton, your mills, your family’s industry is ashes. As if this battalion of sorrows were not enough, soon there will be nothing left of your father. A sickness has him. Our last good linens cover his death bed. So too am I likely to be condemned to destitution. I do not doubt that I shall starve come winter. It should go without saying that we no longer have the means to keep that girl in our employ. If neither your mother’s imploring or the opportunity to make peace with your father are enough to summon you, should you wish to save her from fate as a Yankee’s lobster kettle, I would advise you to come home at once.

Our scant remaining means I have furnished this agent with all, that he may ferret you out and bring you home – in fetters, if necessary. But if you are reading this letter, then he has succeeded, and I implore you return with him willingly. You may not arrive in time to beg your father’s forgiveness, but you may yet salvage your poor mother’s mind.

With all the love she has left,

Mrs. Margaret Oglethorpe Hutchinson.

The letter has a return address toa local hotel. Kim, please put The Pinkerton into play.

[Shadows in the Smoke theme]

Kim
Shadows in the Smoke is a Kitten Marlowe production. This episode was edited and produced by Kim Dalton, and featured a theme song by Jake Pierle. You can find out more about us by visiting KittenMarlowe.com, signing up for our newsletter, or following us on socials. For Discord access, an exclusive behind-the-scenes show, and more, visit Patreon.com/KittenMarlowe and join Sierra and all of our incredible Kitten Marlowe patrons in supporting artist-driven storytelling. Thanks for listening.