Shadows in the Smoke S1E52 - "Once Upon a Time"

Shadows in the Smoke S1E52 – “Once Upon a Time”

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
Hunters, as Theodora Brathwaite lifts her glass in the air in a toast, a rumble rocks and rolls through the earth.

[An earthquake rumbles]

Kim
There are brief exclamations and whispers of concern, before Theodora Brathwaite laughs gaily. And her guests in the Sapphire Ballroom, following her cue, laugh as well.

[Classical music, the murmur of a crowd]

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
Do not fear, dear ones. Come! Let us dress for the ball.

Kim
And she leaves the Sapphire Ballroom. Entering, however, are three exquisitely dressed gentlemen ho you have not yet seen on the grounds of Brathwaite Hall. Each of them wears a silk waistcoat in a particularly striking color: that being black, grey, and exquisite crimson.

What are you three doing?

Cassandra
Ena pulls back the curtain to get a closer look at these vampires, and then turns back to the others.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I think this is going to be an added problem that we’re going to have to deal with.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I can dress and go speak to them.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
You do so love chatting up the things that threaten to harm us.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
They’re very fascinating! I can’t help it.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Well with that earthquake, I think my plan is to go take a look at that… Well, I assumed it was a folly, but perhaps a real temple down there. Miss Thanero, I could use your expertise in this matter, if you wouldn’t mind joining me.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I don’t mind at all. I did want to go and check the water in the lake.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
So I think we’ll leave these mysterious gentlemen to you, Maesie.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Well, alright. Yep. No, there are three of them, and now there’s only one of me. But that’s fine. Okay.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
If you need any help, just scream. We’ll be there in a flash.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Okay, that makes me feel better.

[Beat]

That was sarcasm, Rabbit.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I couldn’t tell.

Kim
Mr. Lloyd and Miss Thanero, how are the two of you getting to the island on the lake? There is a small boat. Although, of course, you have your own ways of traveling.

Robert
It is a little bit risky, trying to travel through magic passageways to a place that appears to be… You know, perhaps somewhat magically imbued. But we’re in a rush. So I’m just going to – with your permission, of course – open a portal to Faerie and take a shortcut there.

[Magical, dreamlike ambience]

Kim
It feels like I should have you roll The Weirding Way. Could you remind us the text of that move?

Robert
You can find and open the passages between he mortal world and Faerie, and use their sympathetic nature to travel quickly around London. In a pinch, you can even use them to escape a sticky situation, or appear somewhere unexpected.

When you take a shortcut through Faerie without preparation, roll with Sensitivity. So we’re saying I’m doing this without preparation?

Kim
I believe you are. You are somewhere very unfamiliar, in a place that is very magically potent – but not your magic. And time is also somewhat of the essence.

Robert
Well in that case, I don’t really have enough time to do a proper ritual or any sort of preparation, but I do have some lavender ash that I can make a summoning circle with. And so I will sprinkle that in a circle around the two of us, before trying to transport us.

Kim
That’s a good idea, because I was gonna put this roll at a disadvantage, because you are indeed Drunk with Magic. Going to an island in the middle of a lake seems so boring, when you could go anywhere on the planes.

Robert
Okay. [Rolls dice]

I rolled boxcars. With a +3, that’s a 15.

Kim
Miss Douglas.

[Classical music, the murmur of a crowd]

Kim
These three tall, gorgeous young men have made their way to the ballroom, and are now moving about it, speaking in quiet, hushed, polite tones to the remaining guests in the ballroom. Perhaps offering their arms to escort them out of the Sapphire Ballroom.

Natalia
Before Maesie goes to speak with any of these distinguished gentlemen, she is going to take Theodora’s advice, and she is going to go change into the clothes provided by Hazel Beaumont. Particularly to have a mask on, and just sort of hide her identity a little bit, if she can.

Kim
Sure, alright. We’ll do the full fit check a little later, but I will note that you are masked.

Natalia
She walks up to… Which one looks the least terrifying?

Kim
I will note that the Crimson Gentleman is known for his very courtly manners.

Natalia
Then he is who she approaches.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Good evening. Wonderful party.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
It is, is it not?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Yes. I’ve been exploring the ground. It’s a massive house. It’s… It’s very lush.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Ah, I myself have been a guest here for quite some time. I would recommend asking the lady of the house for a midnight tour of her gardens. They are exquisite. Some lovely flowers, such as the night blooming cereus, that only achieve their full potency under the moon.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Well, perhaps you could take me.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
I believe we are spoken for tonight, young lady. Although perhaps we might find a time to sneak away for a tour of our own…

Kim
And he smiles at you, and holds out his hand to take yours.

Natalia
Maesie internally does a deep breath, and swallows really hard.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Yes, that sounds lovely. Let us go away from other people, and general crowds.

Kim
His lips brush the top of your hand.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
I appreciate your eagerness, young lady, but I was not talking of a tour now. Later, perhaps.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Very well. That is also good. Um, you’re here with your… You have friends.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Yes.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
How do you know each other? A club, perhaps?

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
We are members of the same brotherhood. I’ve known these gentlemen for quite some time.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I have… I have friends like that. We sort of all live together, and do group activities.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Dine together?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
For example. We all eat different things, though. Preferences, and whatnot.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
It is important to have variety in one’s diet.

Kim
And as he says that, he is scanning this ballroom full of the most exquisite, interesting people.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
What would you say is your favorite thing to eat?

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
I like something new. I’m always looking for that which is… untested. I have an adventurous palate.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I fell the same way. I feel that I do love an adventure. I am quite the explorer of the ocean.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Ah, tell me more. A sailor, perhaps? A pirate, like our hostess?

Natalia
Maesie looks around and sort of pulls him in closer.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
No. More of a creature of the sea.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
A mermaid?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
A selkie.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Ah, delicious…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I would hope not. Well, maybe I would hope so. Just not right now.

[Magical, dreamlike ambience]

Kim
Mr. Lloyd and Miss Thanero, traveling the weirding way, you arrive at the island on the lake.

Robert
It’s a quick journey through Faerie, but not one that Rabbit has taken many times. As described in the move, you travel through sort of sympathetic parts of the other realm.

[Underwater ambience]

Robert
And in this case, that meant traveling along what appeared to be the floor of the seabed, with ruins surrounding us, although we could breathe and move as though we were walking through air. And then a portal opens, and we’re in a little more mundane, but not too much more mundane of a spot.

[Rain. Birds chirp]

Kim
We see weathered stones and ruins half-swallowed by moss and wildflowers. Both of you can feel that this is a space out of time, heavy with the memory of secrets, oaths, and forbidden rites.

[Ethereal ambience. Rain falls]

Kim
Even the birdsong seems muted here, as if the world beyond the lake cannot intrude.

I have a Paint the Scene for you all, here. What detail here makes you feel that you’ve entered a place where the rules of the manor, or even of reality, no longer apply?

Natalia
Despite the fact that it is overcast and cloudy, as we know the sun is indisposed at the moment, there is still light shining between the columns and casting shadows on the floor.

Cassandra
If one were to observe the island from the Manor or the shore, you would see crumbling stone and weathered columns. But when you stand in the center of the island, everything is in its full, perfect glory.

Robert
And in the middle of this temple, there are clothes and personal items strewn about, as though they were discarded by people unconcerned with either propriety or property.

Kim
What are the two of you doing here?

Cassandra
Ena has come out specifically to see if the water is fresh water, or if it is salt water, despite this lake being landlocked.

Robert
Meanwhile, Rabbit is going through those piles of clothing and discarded items, ostensibly searching for clues or anything that might help. But also picking a few items up and pocketing them, if they seem like they might be valuable or worthwhile.

Kim
Miss Thanero, the water is indeed salt water. The rain also, now that you’re thinking about it. You’re not sure when that changed.

Cassandra
Ena kicks some crusted, salty sand back into the waves that lap at the island’s shore, and then reaches down and puts her hand in the water and flicks it a bit, smelling it, confirming that it’s salt water. And then sighs and goes back into tell Rabbit what she’s found.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I think our thought towards my uncle’s involvement and what Theodora plans to do is coming quicker than we expected. All of the water in this lake is made of salt.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I’m not surprised. That earthquake kind of tipped me off. How are you handling this? I know this suddenly shifted to much more personal for you.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
My uncle has always had it out for me, so I’m not terribly surprised that he is somehow involve din this. And given that she’s calling upon the ocean to do what she desires, naturally he’s involved. And I don’t’ love that.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I don’t claim to know too much about what you’re going through, but I can understand being in the presence of someone who has caused you so much torment, and so much fear. You helped me face down my demon, so to speak. If there’s anything I can do to aid you beyond… you know, what we’re doing to stop this in this moment, let me know.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I will. It’s so like Theodora to think that she’s in control of this situation. But make no mistake, my uncle will do whatever he must to make Theodora’s dream a reality, with or without her. And I can’t stand by and watch that happen.

And what about you? Do you need any help before you leave? Is there anything we can do for you, to make that transition easier? I know that time is drawing closer, as well.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Yeah. I think this might be my last score that I get to settle before I have to head back to the other world. You’ve done more than enough. It has been a pleasure getting to know you, and an experience getting to work for Hargrave House. I’ll miss it. I can’t deny that. And I know that our relationship has been primarily a professional one, but you have been a rock upon which I’ve leaned many times.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
And I you. Will you have companions to support you in the other realm?

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I honestly don’t know. The way I’m looking at it is, while this story may be ending, my next chapter is just beginning. And in a weird way, I’m kind of looking forward to seeing what that is. Feel like I’ve shed a lot of the baggage that I was carrying along the way, and I’m actually in a pretty good place to move on.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Well, we will always think of you fondly. And I’ll make sure that Maesie, despite her proclivity for getting into trouble, is well looked after in your absence.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I’m not too worried about her. She seems to be able to take care of herself, most of the time.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
That she does.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
And you know, worst case scenario, I’m a properly executed summoning spell away.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I don’t know much about that. So we’ll have to hope that Maesie practices.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Let’s hope.

Kim
Alright. This feels like our last Vulnerable scene of Season 1. At the conclusion of a vulnerable scene, kicked off by Rabbit doing a little bit of pickpocketing from the discarded clothes of the revelers, both of you may clear Conditions, should you choose. Miss Thanero, I don’t believe you have any right now. Mr. Lloyd, you have two. Homesick, or Drunk with Magic. Which one would you be interested in clearing today?

Robert
I think Homesick makes more sense to clear, with this.

Kim
It seems as though Mr. Lloyd has made peace with his choices, even if they weren’t all entirely his choices.

And the two of you may define a Clue for me. I’ll give you a moment to think about that.

[Classical music, the murmur of a crowd]

Kim
Miss Douglas, it seemed as though you were setting up a move of your own with the Crimson Gentleman. Could you remind me what Fellow Outsider does?

Natalia
When you reveal your identity to something that isn’t human, you may ask the Keeper two of the following: How can I gain their trust? How has humanity treated them? Will they help me? Or do they know something that can help me repair the pelt? All with accompanying bonuses.

Kim
Alright. What is the first thing that you would like to ask the Crimson Gentleman?

Natalia
I think considering that I just mentioned that I’m a selkie, I’d like to know if they can help me repair the pelt.

Kim
[Gasps] Lovely!

Natalia
Getting right into it. We just met. Help me!

Kim
The Crimson Gentleman smiles, and is kind of promenading with you about the ballroom. He seems to be genuinely enjoying this conversation, or perhaps he is indeed just that charming. There are several ladies and young men, including the now roused Woodsboro twins that are watching you with some degree of jealousy.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
It is intriguing to see one of your kind. I did not realize that you traveled this far from the ocean – although, it does seem as though the ocean is coming to us.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Yes. It has been a bit conflicting, knowing what’s coming and knowing where I’m comfortable. But I have friends who would not… like the rising tide, I suppose? So instead I’m trying to find my own way back.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
I see. And it is usual for those of your kind to spend this long ashore?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Uh, no. That’s just me. I had an incident in which my pelt was ripped, and I’m looking to repair it, slowly but surely.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Young lady, I am very sorry to hear that. The mortals can be so cruel to the… elevated. They do not understand us. They fear our power. They destroy that which they fear.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
That they do.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Do you have the pelt?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Yes. I bring it with me almost everywhere I go.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Wise. I would be intrigued to see it. In private, of course. I do not wish to expose you to any more harm than you’ve already invited by accepting this invitation.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
That’s very kind of you.

[The crowd and music quiets slightly]

Kim
The Crimson Gentleman leads you back out to the balcony where you were with your fellow hunters.

Natalia
Maesie pulls out the pelt and lays it across the banister.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
As you can see, I’ve been fixing it.

Natalia
And points out the different repairs that have been done so far. And then points to the giant tear that still remains.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Still a bit of a ways off.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
I have never met one of your kind. It is rare that I see anything new in this world. I believe I could help you fix a piece of this, but I would ask for something in exchange.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
May I inquire as to what that would be before I agree? I’ve made that mistake before.

Kim
The Crimson Gentleman chuckles, and for the first time you see the sharpened incisors.

Natalia
Maesie smiles back, and does the same. Her teeth are a little bit sharper, too.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Good. I admire a young lady with a keen business sense. I wish to hear a story. A story of your time in the ocean. I cannot say it is a place that I ever frequented that much.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Yeah. I would gladly trade that.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Let us begin.

Kim
Maesie. How does the Crimson Gentleman fix a piece of your pelt?

[Gentle harp music]

Natalia
The Crimson Gentleman looks at the pelt and then extends a hand to Maesie, as if asking her to put her hand in his. And Maesie reads in his expression that this is not a trick. It is not anything other than what he’s promised to do.

Then he raises her wrist to his mouth, and drags a canine across it, pulling a little bit of blood. And then he begins to press that blood and massage it into the fur. And this fix, unlike all the other ones, mends the pelt back to its original form. It is not a fix. It is not sewn. It is not anything other than what it used to be.

Kim
Please check one box on Severed from the Sea. And tell me what it is you tell the Crimson Gentleman of your life on the sea.

Natalia
In hearing that he doesn’t have the experience of being underwater, what Maesie tells him is not a particular story. But she relives for him what it means to be underwater.

The deafening and muffling of all sound. But there’s still the beauty of hearing rushing water, hearing whale song, hearing sounds that you are incapable of hearing above on land. She tells him about the way light filters through water in a way that it doesn’t anywhere else. The way it dapples. They way it breaks and reforms itself.

She tells him of colorful creatures that swirl around you. She tells him of silverfish. She tells him of the deep black depts where no light penetrates, and no creature exists.

She tells him of freedom.

[Ethereal ambience. Rain falls]

Kim
Mr. Lloyd and Miss Thanero, do you have a Clue for me?

Cassandra
I believe we do.

Robert
So amidst all of the discarded clothes, handbags, and other personal detritus, there is what appears to at first be walking stick made of twisted and knotty pine. But if anyone with any amount of sensitivity were to see it, much less touch it, they would immediately feel the power coursing through it. This is a sorcerer’s staff.

Kim
Lovely.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Well, I think our fears have been confirmed. I’m going to head back up to the mansion now. I can take you back if you’d like to go. Or if you’ve got more you want to do out here, I’m sure you have a way across the water.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I’m going to take a moment to collect myself, and then I will meet you at the party later.

Robert
Rabbit nods, and reopens the same portal he had used to take them there.

[Rain. Soft classical music and the murmur of a crowd]

Kim
Miss Douglas, the Crimson Gentleman admires the work on your pelt, and then catches your wrist in his hand and presses it a bit, trying to stay the bleeding.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Thank you. This is the best repair yet.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
You are very welcome, young lady. And thank you for the story. When one is as old as I, one craves the new. And you, young lady, are full of surprises.

Kim
What is your second question from Fellow Outsider?

Natalia
My second question is, how has humanity treated them?

Maesie runs a hand over the pelt, and looks up at the Crimson Gentleman.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
The pelt was ripped by a man who did not want me to love his daughter. It’s why I took to the sea and came here. It’s been difficult finding my way back to being okay. Not only physically, as you can see, but emotionally as well. I assume, in all of your many years, you’ve experienced the same?

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Yes, my dear. Especially at first. The Old World was a very fearful one. For those of my kind, it is the first hundred years that are most dangerous. We are young. Powerful. Risk takers. There are those in my brotherhood that paid very dearly for their folly. I was one of the lucky ones. It is better, I think, to view the humans as amusements. As toys. As food. But not to form attachments. They will only disappoint you.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Interesting you should say that, seeing as you’ve come here at a human’s invitation.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
I came here at the invitation of a vampire much older than me. An ancient. There are rules. When an elder requests your presence, you answer.

But if I may, young lady, if it is in your power to do so, I would recommend that you leave this place before night falls. It is not safe for you here. It is not safe for anyone here. I like you. I would hate to have to kill you, and I maybe called to do that.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I appreciate the warning. Unfortunately, it’s not really safe for me anywhere, as I’ve been tried to kill everywhere I go. So this is not very different.

Kim
As the two of you talk and kind of settle into a moment of perhaps resigned silence, Miss Douglas, you look across the grounds of Brathwaite Hall, to the Grand Lake.

[Mystical drones. Ocean waves]

Kim
And because you have the Cosmic Passage, your vision swims momentarily, perhaps spurred by the Crimson Gentleman talking of the Old World. And instead of a lake, you see the bay of an ocean. And you see Theodora Brathwaite posed like the Colossus of Rhodes, with waves lapping about her ankles.

That is a Clue for the Mastermind confrontation.

[Rain. Soft classical music and the murmur of a crowd]

Kim
But then you blink, Miss Douglas, and the image returns to near normalcy.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
Well, young lady, if I cannot convince you to leave, perhaps I could escort you to the end of the world?

Natalia
Maesie puts out her arm.

Kim
And he whisks you away to the deck of the Revenge.

[An ominous, rumbling woosh]

Kim
I believe it’s time, hunters, for us to answer the Question for the Mastermind confrontation.

[Gentle piano]

Cassandra
Oh!

Natalia
Ah!

Cassandra
I can’t believe we’re here!

Kim
Good job, hunters. You gathered seven Clues for the Mastermind confrontation. I will go ahead and read them for you.

Miss Douglas found barrels of gunpowder and explosives on the gun deck of The Revenge, Theodora Brathwaite’s pirate ship. Miss Sylvia Bellerose, who seem sot be a supporter of this new England that Mrs. Brathwaite wants to usher in, told Miss Thanero of a shared dream that her and several of Mrs. Brathwaite’s supporters have had, that always ends with a sapphire crown sinking into dark water. The delightful Woodsboro twins told Mr. Lloyd that both of them received tattoos that they do not remember getting, in the form of an ouroboros on their chests. Mr. Lloyd found Mrs. Brathwaite’s book of knowledge, hidden in a subterranean chamber beneath Brathwaite Hall. Seen in the Sapphire Ballroom was an elaborate ice sculpture of horses galloping out of a cresting wave. Mr. Lloyd and Miss Thanero found on the island in the lake a sorcerer’s staff made of twisted and knotty pine. And Miss Douglas, in conversation with the Crimson Gentleman, saw a vision of Theodora as the Colossus of Rhodes, with waves lapping about her ankles.

Your question is, “What is the final step needed to complete Theodora’s ritual to drown England beneath the ocean?” It is a Complexity 6.

Robert
I would say, broad strokes, the final step is she needs to make one last grand sacrifice to Poseidon.

Natalia
I agree.

Kim
Okay. Are the tattoos perhaps like markers of like who might be sacrificed at this party?

Robert
I was thinking either those who would be sacrificed, or those who would be spared from sacrifice.

Casandra
That’s what I thought. I thought the tattoo was spared.

Kim
Spared could be interesting, because the ouroboros does kind of represent, like, eternity.

Natalia
Mmhm. Yeah, these are the people who are coming with her to eternity.

Kim
We’ve got tickets on the sort of last lifeboat out of England, so to speak.

Natalia
I do think that Theodora does need to sacrifice something. I was thinking it could be her manor, with the gunpowder and the explosives.

Kim
I like that.

Robert
Poseidon is not just the god of the oceans. He’s also the god of earthquakes. And, you know, a large explosion could simulate an earthquake, if not actually cause one.

Natalia
Especially with an underground cavern. I picture her, like, blowing the foundation and the whole thing just like crumbling.

Kim
How very Heathers.

Natalia
[Chuckles]

Robert
So maybe the gunpowder that Maesie found on the ship was only just a small amount of the gunpowder that she has stashed all over the manor.

Natalia
Mmhmm.

Kim
Yes, or that’s where it was being kept during the day.

Natalia
And they’ve been slowly moving it.

Kim
Yes. Perhaps that’s why Theodora did her toast and her speech, to kind of gather everyone in one place, so that her servants could go rig the downstairs for explosion.

Cassandra
Well, plus if the sacrifice is happening there, these people would need a boat to be on initially, while England sinks. So that our Crimson Gentleman and his cohort can go around and do their… eternification of people.

Kim
So that’s the role of our four vampires. They’re going to give their gift to everyone with the ouroboros.

Robert
So I think we can also go ahead and knock off the dream of the crown falling into dark water, as a symbol of the crown, being England, falling into the ocean itself.

Kim
I like that.

Robert
As well as the staff. I did say it was made of pine, and that is the sacred wood to Poseidon.

Kim
Oh, I did not know that! Someone was googling.

Natalia
I mean, the ice sculpture having horses too is a reference to Poseidon.

Cassandra
The vision of Theodora is what will come to pass, of her standing sentinel over this sunken country.

Robert
And also, supposedly, the Colossus of Rhodes was destroyed in an earthquake. So just tying that to the, “she is going to destroy England in an earthquake.”

Natalia
I also like the idea that her posed as the Colossus of Rhodes demonstrates that she is still a servant to Poseidon, that he can destroy her too.

Cassandra
Ooh yes, very nice.

Robert
And I think it’s more than reasonable to suspect that she got some of this knowledge through her book of knowledge. This rite, this ritual that she’s doing, perhaps was instructed by this book in the first place.

Kim
Alright. So, in summary, Mrs. Brathwaite is in cahoots with the god Poseidon. And the last step needed in this ritual to call Poseidon forth is to set off the explosives that are beneath Brathwaite Hall, which will trigger an earthquake and then bring England finally under the ocean. While that’s going on, those who have been granted life in New Atlantis are going to be on the deck of the Revenge, and the vampires are going to be blessing the party goers with their gift of immortality – including but not limited to Queen Victoria. And we’re going to be using the book of knowledge as how we came to that understanding, as well as the sorcerer’s staff and the various visions that we’ve had are all just confirming our theory of England beneath the waves, working with Poseidon, etc. etc.

Works for me! This is at a +1.

Cassandra
Ooh! I feel like I have to put a die on the table.

Natalia
Yeah. I think you and Robert should do it.

Robert
Okay.

Cassandra
Alright! Well!

[Rolls dice]

Cassandra
I got a 6.

Robert
I got a 6.

Natalia
Yeah!

Cassandra
Hey, boxcars!

[An ominous, rumbling woosh]

Kim
Travel with me to the deck of The Revenge.

[Rain. A string quartet plays]

Kim
The three of you have dressed for a party. The last party before the end of the world. What are we all wearing?

Natalia
Maesie is wearing a very simple black silk gown with a high neck and cap sleeves. The black is almost iridescent when it catches the light, and the back of the dress is constructed with black lace embroidered to look like crushing waves, the foam depicted by clusters of pearls. Sewn into the waistline are strings of glass beads that hang to the floor. They click and sway with every step she takes, making them look like falling rain, but a discerning observer will note that the beads do seem to be sliding down of their own accord. Her hair is tied up into a messy updo with individual curls hanging down, and decorated with little hairpins with shells on them. And her mask is constructed of the same black lace as the back of her dress, and decorated with pearls. She is, of course, wearing no shoes.

Robert
Rabbit is wearing most of a fine formal suit – the pants and vest of it, although the jacket is missing. Its made of luxurious black silk satin that catches the light and glints with every movement. Beneath that is a billowing purple poet shirt made of a silk that flows like water as he moves. It also catches the light, not in the shimmery way of satin, but as though it is reflecting the stars above, were they visible, onto his shirt itself. His mask is a simple white domino mask that glows like the moon.

Cassandra
Ena is trimmed in a white gossamer Grecian toga, spun by Mistress Beaumont inexplicably from the clouds of Mount Olympus. Grecian sandals adorn her feet and snake up her legs. Her hair is down, crowned by a golden laurel of olive branches. She carries her spear and Aegis on her back, but no one would suspect they are they genuine article. Her mask covers only her eyes and snakes up into a horned helm.

Kim
The three of you arrive onto the deck of The Revenge. Miss Douglas, you’ve been here before, but it has transformed in the few hours since the last you walked upon it. It is strung with beautiful blue crystal chandeliers, lit with sapphire lanterns. There is a string quartet playing on the top deck, tables of exquisite food, drinks being passed around by men in sapphire blue livery… And standing near the captain’s wheel is Theodora Brathwaite, flanked on either side by her daughter Tatiana, and the small form of the Limehouse Lurker.

Cassandra
Ena walks up and flick sone of these blue lanterns with her finger, and loudly says…

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
If I see this shade of blue one more time, it will be too soon.

Natalia
Maesie leans over and just points at every other decoration.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Can we blow this up, please?

Kim
As the three of you move about this party, Mr. Lloyd, you particularly start to clock these ouroboros tattoos on the partygoers. And Miss Douglas, you see the Crimson Gentleman, the Ebon Marquis, and the Ashen Duke also moving their way through the partygoers. Pulling one aside, leaning in for what seems like a very scandalous kiss at their neck, and then moving to more and more partygoers.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
So… Stay away from the vampires? Just an idea.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Noted.

Kim
Alright, hunters. To be perfectly honest with you, because you rolled a 13 on the Mastermind confrontation, I do not ask for rolls, here. You simply tell me what happened. So tell me, how do you put a stop to Theodora Brathwaite?

Robert
Rabbit gives a glance to his two companions.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Right, ladies. Are you ready to kick things off?

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Absolutely.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Right behind you.

Robert
Taking the staff that he walked up to the boat with and has been carrying somewhat casually, Rabbit holds it in front of him and slams it, point down, on the deck of the ship.

[A boom. The music stops]

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Impudent whelp of a sorceress, I am calling you out!

Robert
And as the tip of the staff cracks over and over into the wood, the sound of rolling thunder off in the distance matches that.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
You have called upon powers that you know nothing about, and you have tried to take power that was not yours. This must be punished.

Robert
And enormous storm clouds roll up, rocking the ship with high winds.

[Rolling thunder]

Natalia
As the crowd parts around Rabbit to create this circle of visibility for him, Maesie takes that moment to similarly step back, melt into the crowd, and go below deck.

Kim
Miss Douglas, as you head below deck, you see Mrs. Brathwaite’s wizened butler Elmore, the one who escorted you earlier today. He is approaching a cannon with a lit torch. The cannon is pointed right at Brathwaite Hall.

[The sea groans and rumbles]

Natalia
The floorboards on this deck star to shake under his feet, and suddenly the air feels very moist, and all of the lights go out. He turns with the torch, trying to illuminate the darkness. He hears the floorboards creak, but sees nothing. And Maesie appears right next to him.

[Thunderclap]

Natalia
She smiles, and says…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I’ll be having that.

Natalia
Takes the torch from him, grabs him by the throat, and throws him out one of the cannon portholes to the ground.

Kim
Elmore just turns into, like, dust.

Natalia
[Laughs]

Cassandra
[Laughs]

Natalia
He just disintegrates into the wind!

Kim
He’s like 97! Like a four foot fall would kill this man! [Laughs]

Natalia
Oops.

Kim
Well done, Miss Douglas. You’ve prevented what would have been the inciting incident to kick off this ritual. What about the two of you above deck?

[Rumbling, ominous music]

Cassandra
As Rabbit has caused this distraction, similarly to Maesie, Ena also melts into this crowd, but begins to circle her way to where Theodora and the Limehouse Lurker and Tati Brathwaite are standing by this captain’s wheel. And she ascends the steps, not trying to hide herself, and approaches Tati with a very purposeful gait, and a wicked smile on her face.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Oh dear, dear young Tatiana… You and your mother took something from me, and now I have a gift for you.

Tatiana Brathwaite (Kim)
Oh, Miss Thanero, jealousy is so ugly.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I spent a great deal of time in the company of humans, and sometimes a little jealousy goes a long way.

Cassandra
She, quick as lightning, gets up behind Tati and wraps her hand around Tati’s neck and begins to squeeze, and whispers in her ear…

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
This is for Beau.

Cassandra
And snaps her neck between her hands.

Kim
Scar your reflection.

Cassandra
Happily. Gladly.

[Mournful, ethereal ambience]

Kim
Far away in the British Museum, how does the reflection change?

Cassandra
Ena despises the shade of sapphire blue, as she has made abundantly clear. But the dress that she wears in the painting turns this color of sapphire.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
Miss Thanero, the violence was not to come until the next song.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I do so enjoy ruining your plans. Not a very good hostess if you’re not prepared for every eventuality.

[Turbulent music]

Kim
She looks to the Limehouse Lurker, and the Lurker puts two fingers to its lips and gives out a high whistle. The three vampires moving about the crowd start to move faster, and with less care. Fewer vampires are rising tonight. They are drinking too quickly, too deeply. People are dying. And at the far end of the ship, you see a small form with a heavy black veil over her face, being approached by the Ebon Marquis. He brushes aside several Buckingham Palace guards, and then takes this woman’s hand.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
That’ll be quite enough of that, I think.

Cassandra
And Ena throws her spear into the deck of this ship, and uses it to essentially pole vault, Olympian-style, across this ship toward the Ebon Marquis, yanking him off of Queen Victoria. So she’s holding him by the scruff of his neck, essentially.

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, while all of this is happening, what are you doing?

Robert
As soon as Miss Thanero lands on the deck of the ship, there is another flash of lightning. And it seems to almost work like a spotlight, directly lighting up Morgan. For he is putting on a show right now.

[Rolling thunder]

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Sorceress, your power is broken. I will break your staff.

[Eerie, haunting wind music]

Robert
And with that, he lifts up the pine staff in one hand. And with just the gentlest of squeezes, shatters it into a million pieces.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
And I’ll drown your book.

Robert
Holding the book in the other hand, a tattoo rises from his forearm and covers the book, soaking its pages in dark ink.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
And now I’ll plummet you deeper than sound ever did.

Robert
And he launches himself directly at Theodora.

[The sea groans and rumbles]

Kim
Miss Douglas, emerging from the gun deck. How do we find you?

Natalia
Maesie emerges from the gun deck, still holding the torch, and also holding a dripping oil lamp. Her eyes are fully black, reflecting the flickering flames.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I suggest we all leave.

Natalia
And she starts making a beeline straight for the Lurker.

Kim
Miss Douglas, the Ashen Duke stands before you, now nearly feral, the long fingernails extending into claws, his mouth wreathed in blood.

The Ashen Duke (Kim)
Step no further, sea witch.

Natalia
Maesie throws the oil lamp at him, dowsing him in oil, and then follows by lighting him with the torch.

[Fire crackles and rumbles]

Kim
Like a desiccated corpse, this vampire lights quickly, and soon is a pile of ash upon the deck of The Revenge.

Natalia
Maesie turns to make eye contact with the Crimson Gentleman.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I recommend you leave, so I don’t have to kill you.

The Crimson Gentleman (Kim)
I recommend you kill the elder one, so that I may leave.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Done.

Kim
Speaking of the Limehouse Lurker. Mr. Lloyd, as you launch yourself at Theodora, you are interrupted by this tiny, ancient vampire, who travels through a portal of blood – for indeed, there are now many upon the deck of The Revenge – and intercepts your trajectory.

[Turbulent music]

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Hello, there. We had a conversation not too long ago, you and I. Do you remember?

The Limehouse Lurker (Kim)
I remember your rudeness.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Well, what I remember is you told me what you are most afraid of. And now, you can live in that.

[The rain stops]

Robert
And with a wave of Rabbit’s hand, the clouds part, the thunder stops, and bright sunlight shines down on the entire boat. Oddly enough, though, other than cringing in fear, it doesn’t seem to affect the vampires at all. But that moment of fear is all the opening that Rabbit needs to get a shard of the pine staff in between the ribs of the Limehouse Lurker. And as quickly as it appeared, the illusion of sunlight fades away.

[The rain fades back in]

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I would have used the real thing. But, you know, my mistress eyes are nothing like the sun.

Robert
And pushes it harder, dusting him.

Kim
So that is two vampires down.

[Rumbling, ominous music]

Kim
Miss Thanero, I believe you have the Ebon Marquis by the neck.

Cassandra
I do indeed.

Ena snaps a spindle off of a banister that goes up to a higher part of the deck, turning it into a stake in her hands. She glances at Queen Victoria, and nods her head.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Majesty.

Cassandra
And then stakes this vampire through the ribs, piercing his heart. He turns to ash, disintegrating through her fingers, catching on the winds of Rabbit’s magic. Ena turns over her shoulder and finds her companions moving towards Theodora, and joins them.

[Rain. A roaring fire]

Kim
Theodora stands proud and fierce at the captain’s wheel, even as she watches all of her plans go up in flames.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
It is customary for a boarding party to offer mercy.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
We received none when you showed up at our house.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
And I would not ask for it. Do your worst, hunters. It seems I underestimated you.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
It’s a mistake you won’t be making twice.

Natalia
Maesie starts seeing the resulting smoke of her actions billowing form below decks, and turns to her compatriots.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I think our work here is done.

Theodora Brathwaite (Kim)
What? Cowards, at the final moment?

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I told you once: time is not conquered, it is observed.

[Rolling thunder]

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I hope you enjoy what you see, for what is left of your life.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I spent many lifetimes doling out punishment to those who would greedily seize power. I can think of no better punishment for you than this. One last thing, though…

[In a deep, monstrous voice] Your voice.

[Rolling thunder]

Robert
And Rabbit reaches his hand up to her mouth. And with a subtle gesture, steals Theodora’s voice.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
You’ve caused so much harm with this. I’m going to keep it somewhere where it won’t do that.

Kim
Theodora Brathwaite opens her mouth as if to chuckle, and then stops. No air comes out. No sound emerges. She clutches at her throat, and then starts moving towards you, as if to throttle you. But you can see that all of the spirit, all of the fight, is out of this woman.

[The flames and rain fade away]

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Well, I think for once, we can leave things up to the proper authorities.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
If that’s what you want to call them.

Cassandra
Ena pulls her spear out of the deck and twirls it.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I could quite use a drink. What about you two?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I hear there’s a wonderful ambrosia hidden all around Hargrave House.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
That sounds divine.

[An ominous, rumbling woosh]

Kim
That concludes the Mastermind confrontation. Congratulations, hunters.

[Gentle piano]

Cassandra
We did it!

Natalia
Yay!

Kim
How are we feeling?

Natalia
Oh, sad. [Chuckles]

Robert
Definitely bittersweet.

Natalia
Yeah.

Cassandra
It’s certainly bittersweet. And we’re definitely sad that T was not here to complete it with us, because without a lot of their great work this season, we wouldn’t have made it.

Kim
Gone, but never forgotten.

Cassandra
Truly.

Natalia
Rest in peace, T.

Cassandra
[Laughs]

Kim
So, you all get rewards.

Cassandra
Heck yeah!

Natalia
Yay, presents!

Robert
Yay!

Kim
First of all, each hunter gets a memento from the confrontation. Ask another player what it is, and then add it to your Personal Quarters.

Natalia
Alright. Who wants to give me something?

Robert
Well, given all of Maesie’s flirtations with the Crimson Gentleman…

Natalia
Ugh, yes.

Robert
And the fact that he is still alive, unlike most of the named vampires…

Natalia
I wonder how that happened?

Robert
I think it would be really cute if she gets another monster boyfriend. How about a favor from the Crimson Gentleman?

Natalia
I love it.

Kim
Is this like a literal, like, “I’ll do something for you” favor? Or is this like a chivalry favor? Like, you know, his handkerchief or his glove?

Robert
He’s old school. I think it’s a literal chivalric favor. So Nat, what would he have left you?

Natalia
I think in our parting ways, he would have given me, like, his crimson pocket square.

Kim
I love that. Amidst all of the chaos that was aboard The Revenge, with people fleeing the fire and vampires being staked into ash, I think you didn’t even notice the Crimson Gentleman rushing by you as he fled, and pressing his silk handkerchief into your pocket before he left.

Natalia
Just a little surprise for me to find later.

Kim
Yeah, I like it.

Robert
Okay, so what do I get?

Cssandra
I think you take the ink-soaked book, to match the ink upon your skin.

Robert
I like that.

Cassandra
Alright. I’m last.

Natalia
Cass, I think you should get one half of the splintered knotty pine scepter.

Cassandra
Oh, I love that.

Kim
And secondly, new advancements are now available. Whenever you mark 6xp and level up, you can mark one of these options instead of one from your sheet. Each can only be marked once, by a single hunter. Your options are… Unmark the Blood-Soaked Portal, if it is marked. Narrate a scene showing how you actually avoided character retirement.

Cassandra
Wow.

Natalia
That’s really cool.

Kim
Unmark a single box connected to your playbook moves.

The Sapphire. Work with the Keeper to create a custom move connected to the possession of Mrs. Brathwaite’s sapphire choker.

Natalia
And what does that do?

Kim
Whatever you want it to do.

Natalia
Oh my god.

Cassandra
Oh….

Kim
You’ll have a lot of time to think about that, since we will not be leveling up until Season 2.

Alright, hunters. Well done. Theodora Brathwaite lives, but is disgraced. Imprisoned for her crimes against Queen and country. The rain stops in London. Time passes.

What are our last glimpses of your hunters, before the season ends?

[Birdsong. Gentle harp music]

Natalia
Maesie has climbed out her window, and she’s sitting on the roof of Hargrave House. The pelt is in her lap. And now that the threat of Theodora is not so imminent, she uses the sapphire blue thread that was gifted to her to fix the pelt a little bit more. And she throws a glance at the parapets, and remembers that there is work still to be done.

[Somber piano music. The murmur of a crowd]

Cassandra
Having dealt with Theodora, Ena naturally has a lot of interest throughout London society. She’s invited to many parties and gatherings, and she attends with a smile on her face. But uses the time to approach her many servants, trying to figure out what became of Augustus.

[Droning fiddle music]

Robert
By the time Miss Douglas and Miss Thanero notice that Morgan is no longer in the house, he has been gone for several days. They go into his room, which we have never seen before, but is perfectly kept. The bed made to military precision. A few herbs drying in the window, the only sign that anyone ever lived here.

There are two gifts on the bed with little notes on them. The note for Miss Douglas reads, “May this guide you and continue your lessons in ways that I cannot.” And underneath it is a deck of tarot cards that will always tell a true fortune.

For Miss Thanero, the note simply reads, “An offering for Athena Hippeia, tamer of wild beasts.” And it is tied to a silver horseshoe, inscribed with fae runes.

The last London sees of Morgan is in Miss Beaumont’s atelier. He knocks on the door, the servant’s door, as he has many times before, and enters. He is wearing a very simple cotton shirt, brown breeches, heavy working boots, and smiles at her.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I think I can’t put this off any longer.

Hazel Beaumont (Kim)
Shall we, dear?

Robert
Morgan grabs her in an embrace and kisses her. And before she realizes it, she feels the burning of iron against her throat, as a dagger is placed there.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
After all, you only said I had to return to Faerie with you, not in what condition.

Robert
He drops the dagger.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I’m not that man anymore. So let’s go as friends.

Kim
She takes your arm.

Hazel Beaumont (Kim)
Side by side.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
To new stories.

Kim
So ends this chapter in the story of Morgan Lloyd, the Vessel.

Robert
Before we say goodbye to him completely, I’d like to read my last Mask of the Past, if I can.

Kim
Of course. I think we’d all love to hear it.

Robert
Narrate a flashback to an event that influenced you to leave the Coven for good.

[Magical, dreamlike ambience]

Robert
Once upon a time, there was a boy. Named first for a father stolen from him, named true by a kindly witch, and given more names than anyone could need by the Queen of the Night.

[Ravens croak in a forest]

Robert
The harsh croak of ravens foretelling the sunrise is the first thing Morgan is aware of. The next is pain. Not a sharp or a hot pain. A dull, hammering, aching, buzzing at the root of your molars, every joint groaning, overwhelmingly grey pain.

The rest follows shortly in bursts. He is bound, hands behind his back, stripped to the waist, but still wearing his shoes. It will be dawn soon, and the forest is wet with dew.

Magic isn’t working.

The men surrounding him, and there are about twenty of them, are dressed in pastiches of Anglo-Saxon and Roman armor, further adorned with antlers, claws, and furs. It is probably going to be a lovely morning, but it is still a little cold to be dressed as lightly as Morgan is.

Magic. Isn’t. Working.

There’s another pain on the side of his face, as though he was struck there. Or perhaps from falling into it.

Magic. Is. Not. Working.

[Magical, dreamlike ambience]

Robert
Once upon a time, there was a boy who stole himself to Faerie. There, he won the love of a thing so terrifying and beautiful that it would be impossible for anyone to bear alone. So he became many.

[Ravens croak in a forest]

[Dark cello music]

Robert
Sommerset’s booming voice awakens an echo from the prophetic chorus of ravens.

“This year’s hunt is doubly blessed. We welcome Brother Percival to his first ride, and so we ensure that this grand tradition will continue, and England shall prosper.”

Percy, on foot, bows his head as Sommerset places a medallion around his neck.

“This blessed relic has been worn by every member of the Wild Hunt on their first ride, almost all the way back to its founding. May it grant you the protection it has granted all of us.”

[Magical, dreamlike ambience]

Robert
Once upon a time, there was a boy who loved stories. He read, and listened, and watched, and learned all that he could. He loved stories so much that the Queen of the wicked faeries, his other great love, turned him into a book, tattooing his pages with dreams, fantasies, and nightmares.

[Dark cello music. A quiet forest]

Robert
The first hint of light just before the dawn suddenly illuminates an ancient oak, like an actor stepping into the spotlight. It is enormous, pale and skeletal with age, twisted as though in pain from the ancient spearhead that shines dully in its trunk.

“Over twelve centuries ago, after the Romans had left, and when the first Saxons were raiding these shores, they say that this was a wild land. The boundary between this world and Faerie was so thin as to not exist, and so some of the lords and ladies set up their own petty kingdoms amongst the squabbling mortals.

“This, this land was once the demesne of Herne, master of the Wild Hunt. Every year, he would take a promising mortal from nearby lands and give them an opportunity. They would be given a weapon, a reasonable head start, and then the hunt would begin. If they managed to survive until sundown, they would go free and live a blessed life.”

[Magical, dreamlike ambience]

Robert
Once upon a time, there was a boy who knew what he needed to do. He stood witness to moments of pain and despair, and helped in any way he could. Then, he told stories and spread their wealth endlessly. Then he served the night sky, and he loved her, and that was when he knew his purpose the best.

[Dark cello music. A forest]

Robert
As dawn’s rosy fingers creep through the forest, the ancient tree seems to shift, and soft shadows dance across its trunk.

“Some say our founder was one of Arthur’s knights. Some say he was just a simple peasant. But that does not matter. What matters is he survived, and his life was blessed. This wasn’t uncommon – others had survived the day and had reaped the rewards of Herne’s generosity. But it wasn’t enough for him. He knew that he deserved more, and he took it.”

A figure, pale and ghostly a the oak itself appears, as though it had always been there. Limbs bound to branches, the ancient spearhead piercing his heart.

“And so we hunt. Blood and magic must be spilled, to ensure the prosperity of the hunters, of humanity, of England.

“Which brings me to the other blessing. It has been years since we’ve had more than beasts, and I don’t know if there’s ever been a quarry quite this grand since Herne himself.”

Once upon a time, there was a boy whose only purpose was to survive.

Morgan runs through the trees, like the eponymous Rabbit. There was a church nail driven into every one of them for leagues in every direction, in order to keep the hunt fair. He clings tightly to the iron dagger that they tossed at his feet, its handle wrapped in what was once a pant leg, so he doesn’t further burn his hand.

The sound of hoofbeats break the steel grey fog of pain.

“Hold, Morgan!” Percy’s quavering voice matches his pantomime appearance as he lowers his pistol. “It-it-it would be better for you if you were to just give up and let me kill you, quickly. A mercy, really. If Sommerset or one of the others catches you, you’ll probably end up like Herne. Please!”

[Dark, ominous, droning ambience]

Robert
And in this moment, Morgan knows what he needs to do.

“Do you remember when we first met? You must have known what I was, what my role in the story was. I seduce the wicked promises of pleasure and power, and you still made a contract with me. Do you remember what it was I asked of you? Well, the time has come to collect. One answer, truly given, from your own lips.”

“I-I don’t understand.”

“What are your last words?”

[Magical, dreamlike ambience]

Robert
Once upon a time, there was a boy whose story was going wrong.

The Cait-sidhe came to collect his due, for there is magic older than faeries and iron.

“My lord, King of the Cats, keeper of the last secrets, my second oldest friend. In the presence of a peer, I renounce my claim to the lordship of the Court of Night. I freely give all the rites and benefits afforded to the Unseelie. I abandon my titles, to be returned to Queen… To be returned to Queen Mab, to do with as she sees fit.”

[A rainy London street]

Robert
And so the mortal, called Morgan Lloyd, runs. And he hides, and he runs, and he survives the day. And he runs some more, and he survives some more. And he keeps running, and hiding, and he keeps surviving.

Once upon a time, there was a boy who turned his back on love, and was alone. He ransacks Percy’s dormitory at the first opportunity, steals some money, his notes about magic, a pipe shaped like a twisted root, the least fancy clothes he can find, and anything edible. He sleeps rough, on the streets or a ha’penny hang. Constantly moving about the city, working odd jobs and picking pockets. Opium helps with the dreamless nights, and the pain of mortality.

[Droning fiddle music]

Robert
When he is finally convinced that there is no one following him, he goes to see Nanny. She had moved several years ago, but had left something behind for Rabbit: her carpet bag, and a little note.

“Go to Hargrave House. There are people there that will need your help, and help you in turn. I will always love you, my little cwningen.”

Once upon a time, there was a boy.

Kim
Rabbit’s departure from this plane makes the paper, in its own fashion. A phenomena that seems baffling to all who behold it. The river Thames ceases in its voyage to the ocean, and stands still for one entire week.

Time passes. London changes.

[Gentle piano music]

Kim
The photography club at the Society Obscura is shocked to find that one day, upon waking, the building and all of its residents within it have turned sepia, drained of color.

Time passes.

The Pinkerton, Winslow Taggard, takes a moonlit stroll along the banks of the Thames. He does not return from this walk, as he is grabbed in the night by a horrible, tentacled thing, and dragged into the watery depths.

Time passes.

The vampire population of London is alive and well, increasing in numbers by the day, and laying claim to all of Limehouse as their territory.

Time passes.

In Savannah, Georgia, a young woman purchases a ticket for a train heading north. As she settles into her first-class compartment, she fidgets absentmindedly with a large sapphire ring on her finger – but a small sliver of the large inheritance that she received from a most mysterious benefactor.

Time passes.

Hargrave House is rebuilt slowly, overseen by Merricat and a small troupe of fae seeking to fulfill one of Morgan Lloyd’s last wishes on this plane.

Hargrave House is an old, gothic revival-style building. It stands out from its neighbors on Belgrave Square, which are done in the more conventional, classical style.

The grand estate that is Hargrave House’s closest neighbor has been unoccupied for as long as most of you can remember. At some point, at a time that neither of you can exactly recall, someone new has moved in next door. You have yet to meet he new master of the house, nor have you been invited to one of his nightly parties, which seem to be very raucous indeed. At all hours of the night, you hear men carousing, drinking songs, sailors’ shanties.

There seems to be one, in particular, they are quite fond of.

[An eerie, rising tone]

Kim
“Heave ho, stars below

Chimera finds the way.

Night falls, and so we go

Stargazing in the bay.

Stars above, and stars below

Three heads will call us home.

A sweeter milk we’ll never know,

But in our dreams, we’ll roam.”

End of Season One.

[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 our cats, Virgil and Dante, and all of our incredible Kitten Marlowe patrons, in supporting artist-driven storytelling. Thanks for listening.