The story so far
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G-Returner
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The story so far
Given that the game is back on tracks, I have started writing a summary of all the most important events that have happened so far. This is a reference both for new players and for our still active players who may not remember all of the story (it has indeed been a while!).
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LONDON
LONDON
January 1923
The investigators meet at an evening lecture given by Professor Julius Smith, who is either an old friend or a relative of each of them. Smith is a 54 year old heavy-set Englishman, a scholar who now devotes himself entirely to research. Smith's wife died a few years ago, and these days his manservant James Beddows, who is at once his friend and assistant, is his only companion. Prof. Smith gives an interesting lecture on paranormal phenomenon. After the lecture, some of the investigators go talk to him and notice that they are being watched by a dark moustached man, which doesn’t overly worry Smith. The professor invites them over for tea the next afternoon.
The next day, the investigators read in the newspapers that Prof. Smith’s house was burnt the previous night. Beddows is missing and witnesses claim to have seen a man resembling him running from the house before the fire broke out. Smith is missing as well, and his health and whereabouts are unknown.
Another strange article, titled “Man died three times in one night”, reports that three men, each bearing positive identification as one Mehmet Makryat and each bearing superficial resemblances, were found dead in the same hotel room, all of them stabbed through the heart. The real Makryat, or at least the one described by neighbours as Mr Mehmet Makryat, is a Turkish antique and art dealer in London who has since then disappeared.
The investigators go to investigate at Prof. Smith’s house and find that it has indeed been destroyed by fire. Local witnesses confirm having seen Beddows running away guiltily. During lunch, the investigators find an envelope that an unknown messenger has discreetly slipped with their lunch bill. The note contains Prof. Smith’s calling card with an address in a low-class area of London (untypical for Smith) and a nervous handwritten message asking them to come at once.
The investigators go to the address on the card, and the door is opened by a nervous Beddows. There, they meet in a dark room with a badly burnt and bed-ridden Prof. Smith. In a wheezy voice, Smith explains to them that for months he has been on the trail of an occult artefact of great malevolence, the Sedefkar Simulacrum. It is a statue, a source of great evil magical power that was taken apart at the end of the 18th century. The pieces were scattered across Europe and Smith had planned to retrieve them and destroy them. He explains that last night he was attacked in his home by Turkish madmen, whom he believes are also seeking the simulacrum, but for foul purposes. Beddows managed to run away unharmed, unlike the professor. He mentions a plan the both of them have to escape from London as he believes they are still in great danger, but does not elaborate in order to not compromise the safety of said plan.
Smith insists that the investigators take over his research, to find and destroy the statue, insisting that mankind may be doomed if they don’t. He gives them a list of locations where each piece of the simulacrum was last located, along with clues to get the investigation started when any are available: Paris, Venice, Trieste, Belgrade, Sofia and Milan. Once the investigators will have collected all the statue pieces, they must take it to its original home, a place in Constantinople (aka the city known today as Istanbul) known as the Shunned Mosque. A ritual which will destroy the statue is included in a set of documents known as the Sedefkar Scrolls, which Prof. Smith has been unable to consult.
Smith suggests that the investigators take a trip across Europe with the Orient Express, which is currently the finest and fastest transport on the continent, and stops in each of the locations to investigate.
The investigators accept the mission and say farewell to Smith and Beddows. Before leaving on the Orient Express, they decide to investigate further in London. An investigation at the hotel room where the three Mehmet Makryats were found reveals a detail left unmentioned in the press: all three bodies were partially and professionally skinned, one from his legs, one from his arms and one from his torso. Each corpse also carried the same telegram, reading: "Meet me in London at once. Urgent. M." An investigation at Makryat’s shop reveals nothing, except that the place has been cleared of personal belongings, as though the owner had decided to go on a long trip. Another newspaper article reports the strange disappearance (apparently in a cloud of smoke) of a middle-aged train enthusiast accountant, who had recently purchased a model train set from Makryat’s shop. The investigators fail to shed further light on that matter.
Library studies reveal that the Sedefkar Scrolls were last located in the Topkapi Museum in Constantinople in 1913 (ten years ago… they may have been moved since then). Investigators also find mention of a Turkman named Sedefkar who lived in the 11th century in Constantinople and accrued great wealth, and was later hung on the city walls for an unspecified crime during the Fourth Crusade.
Library investigations are interrupted at some point by the discovery of a completely skinned corpse in the reading room. The corpse carries a message in his coat, sewn on human skin, stating: “THE SKINLESS ONE WILL NOT BE DENIED”. A later newspaper article would eventually reveal that the corpse was in fact identified as Beddows!
The investigators depart for Paris.
January 1923
The investigators meet at an evening lecture given by Professor Julius Smith, who is either an old friend or a relative of each of them. Smith is a 54 year old heavy-set Englishman, a scholar who now devotes himself entirely to research. Smith's wife died a few years ago, and these days his manservant James Beddows, who is at once his friend and assistant, is his only companion. Prof. Smith gives an interesting lecture on paranormal phenomenon. After the lecture, some of the investigators go talk to him and notice that they are being watched by a dark moustached man, which doesn’t overly worry Smith. The professor invites them over for tea the next afternoon.
The next day, the investigators read in the newspapers that Prof. Smith’s house was burnt the previous night. Beddows is missing and witnesses claim to have seen a man resembling him running from the house before the fire broke out. Smith is missing as well, and his health and whereabouts are unknown.
Another strange article, titled “Man died three times in one night”, reports that three men, each bearing positive identification as one Mehmet Makryat and each bearing superficial resemblances, were found dead in the same hotel room, all of them stabbed through the heart. The real Makryat, or at least the one described by neighbours as Mr Mehmet Makryat, is a Turkish antique and art dealer in London who has since then disappeared.
The investigators go to investigate at Prof. Smith’s house and find that it has indeed been destroyed by fire. Local witnesses confirm having seen Beddows running away guiltily. During lunch, the investigators find an envelope that an unknown messenger has discreetly slipped with their lunch bill. The note contains Prof. Smith’s calling card with an address in a low-class area of London (untypical for Smith) and a nervous handwritten message asking them to come at once.
The investigators go to the address on the card, and the door is opened by a nervous Beddows. There, they meet in a dark room with a badly burnt and bed-ridden Prof. Smith. In a wheezy voice, Smith explains to them that for months he has been on the trail of an occult artefact of great malevolence, the Sedefkar Simulacrum. It is a statue, a source of great evil magical power that was taken apart at the end of the 18th century. The pieces were scattered across Europe and Smith had planned to retrieve them and destroy them. He explains that last night he was attacked in his home by Turkish madmen, whom he believes are also seeking the simulacrum, but for foul purposes. Beddows managed to run away unharmed, unlike the professor. He mentions a plan the both of them have to escape from London as he believes they are still in great danger, but does not elaborate in order to not compromise the safety of said plan.
Smith insists that the investigators take over his research, to find and destroy the statue, insisting that mankind may be doomed if they don’t. He gives them a list of locations where each piece of the simulacrum was last located, along with clues to get the investigation started when any are available: Paris, Venice, Trieste, Belgrade, Sofia and Milan. Once the investigators will have collected all the statue pieces, they must take it to its original home, a place in Constantinople (aka the city known today as Istanbul) known as the Shunned Mosque. A ritual which will destroy the statue is included in a set of documents known as the Sedefkar Scrolls, which Prof. Smith has been unable to consult.
Smith suggests that the investigators take a trip across Europe with the Orient Express, which is currently the finest and fastest transport on the continent, and stops in each of the locations to investigate.
The investigators accept the mission and say farewell to Smith and Beddows. Before leaving on the Orient Express, they decide to investigate further in London. An investigation at the hotel room where the three Mehmet Makryats were found reveals a detail left unmentioned in the press: all three bodies were partially and professionally skinned, one from his legs, one from his arms and one from his torso. Each corpse also carried the same telegram, reading: "Meet me in London at once. Urgent. M." An investigation at Makryat’s shop reveals nothing, except that the place has been cleared of personal belongings, as though the owner had decided to go on a long trip. Another newspaper article reports the strange disappearance (apparently in a cloud of smoke) of a middle-aged train enthusiast accountant, who had recently purchased a model train set from Makryat’s shop. The investigators fail to shed further light on that matter.
Library studies reveal that the Sedefkar Scrolls were last located in the Topkapi Museum in Constantinople in 1913 (ten years ago… they may have been moved since then). Investigators also find mention of a Turkman named Sedefkar who lived in the 11th century in Constantinople and accrued great wealth, and was later hung on the city walls for an unspecified crime during the Fourth Crusade.
Library investigations are interrupted at some point by the discovery of a completely skinned corpse in the reading room. The corpse carries a message in his coat, sewn on human skin, stating: “THE SKINLESS ONE WILL NOT BE DENIED”. A later newspaper article would eventually reveal that the corpse was in fact identified as Beddows!
The investigators depart for Paris.
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PARIS
PARIS
January 1923
The investigators search the library for references about one Fenalik, who, according to Prof. Smith, was a German-born French nobleman who resided in Paris in the late 18th century and was the last known owner of the full Sedefkar Simulacrum.
The documents found in the library reveal the existence of an unspecified scandal in the queen's court on the eve of the French Revolution, when Fenalik was apparently involved in an indiscretion with the queen. After a palace uproar, he was emprisoned without trial. Further researches produced the testimony of a French officer who had raided Fenalik’s mansion and interrupted some kind of orgy. He mentions smashing open a strange statue which may have been the Sedefkar Simulacrum. Fenalik seemed mad and, being a nobleman and an apparent madman, could not be executed, so he was sent to an asylum instead. The last that was heard of him was that he had been locked in a cellar there, after attacking other patients.
The investigators locate the asylum and take their investigation there. Searching the records, they find one single mention of Fenalik. It is the entry of his name as a new patient in 1789. Strangely enough, he is never mentioned again in the rest of the records, there is not even notice of his death, as is normally the case with other patients.
Snooping around, the investigators find a journal written by Dr Delplace, who was the director of the asylum until his very recent death (early 1923) and subsequent replacement by Dr Leroux. Delplace’s journal tells of a male nurse who entered the cellars without authorisation and was later found there, gravely wounded and raving like a madman. Along with the nurse was a stranger in “tragic physical condition” who took no nourishment yet lived in a catatonic state. After some electroshock treatment, the stranger started whining incoherently in very old forms of Greek and Latin. The journal then abruptly ends and the fate of the patient afterwards is unknown, as is Dr Delplace’s exact cause of death, although an employee speculates it was an accident with the electroshock machine.
That night, investigators have a vivid dream in which they feel icy hands and stinking fingernails gently caressing their face. A voice asks them, in French: "Who are you? Where do you come from? What are you doing here? Why are you searching for the simulacrum?" After failing to give the voice satisfactory answers, investigators are then violently dragged from their bed and hurled across their bedroom.
The investigators travel to Poissy, where Fenalik’s mansion once stood. A visit to the town hall allows them to find the exact location. They travel there and find that a regular house currently stands there, inhabited by a middle class family: Christian Lorien, his wife and their daughter. They know nothing about Fenalik, the Sedefkar Simulacrum or the place’s history, but welcome the investigators nonetheless and invite them to stay over. Christian’s wife is in bed with arthritis, while Christian himself has visible infected wounds on his arms, and their daughter seems particularly sensitive about her arm as well.
Over the course of dinner, the daughter, who had gone to bed, suddenly rushes in and claims to have seen a “boogieman” at her window on the second floor. Searches prove fruitless, however. Talking some more with Christian Lorien, the investigators learn he had some months ago received a letter from one Edgar Wellington in Lausanne, Switzerland. In the letter, Edgar inquired about the Sedefkar Simulacrum and about Fenalik, but Christian could not help him and did not reply. Edgar also hints in the letter that he may be in possession of one of the Sedefkar Scrolls.
A map found at the town hall indicates the existence of a cellar, although the house has no cellar that the Loriens know of. Investigators are given permission to dig through the garden and eventually find a stone stairway leading down. Inside, they find prison cells, many of them containing skeletons and torture implements. In one room, they find thick rose vines of fantastic colours, wrapped around the white and featureless left arm of a statue, which turns out to be the left arm of the Sedefkar Simulacrum. While they are looking around, they become aware of a strange mist floating around. It disappears after the investigators retrieve the arm. Subsequently, the Loriens’ health improves and Christian allows the investigators to keep the arm.
The team decides to travel to Lausanne and boards the Orient Express again. During the journey, they meet with Caterina Cavollaro, a young, beautiful and talented opera singer who invites them to see the first night of “Aida”, an opera in which she will play the title role in a few days in Milan.
January 1923
The investigators search the library for references about one Fenalik, who, according to Prof. Smith, was a German-born French nobleman who resided in Paris in the late 18th century and was the last known owner of the full Sedefkar Simulacrum.
The documents found in the library reveal the existence of an unspecified scandal in the queen's court on the eve of the French Revolution, when Fenalik was apparently involved in an indiscretion with the queen. After a palace uproar, he was emprisoned without trial. Further researches produced the testimony of a French officer who had raided Fenalik’s mansion and interrupted some kind of orgy. He mentions smashing open a strange statue which may have been the Sedefkar Simulacrum. Fenalik seemed mad and, being a nobleman and an apparent madman, could not be executed, so he was sent to an asylum instead. The last that was heard of him was that he had been locked in a cellar there, after attacking other patients.
The investigators locate the asylum and take their investigation there. Searching the records, they find one single mention of Fenalik. It is the entry of his name as a new patient in 1789. Strangely enough, he is never mentioned again in the rest of the records, there is not even notice of his death, as is normally the case with other patients.
Snooping around, the investigators find a journal written by Dr Delplace, who was the director of the asylum until his very recent death (early 1923) and subsequent replacement by Dr Leroux. Delplace’s journal tells of a male nurse who entered the cellars without authorisation and was later found there, gravely wounded and raving like a madman. Along with the nurse was a stranger in “tragic physical condition” who took no nourishment yet lived in a catatonic state. After some electroshock treatment, the stranger started whining incoherently in very old forms of Greek and Latin. The journal then abruptly ends and the fate of the patient afterwards is unknown, as is Dr Delplace’s exact cause of death, although an employee speculates it was an accident with the electroshock machine.
That night, investigators have a vivid dream in which they feel icy hands and stinking fingernails gently caressing their face. A voice asks them, in French: "Who are you? Where do you come from? What are you doing here? Why are you searching for the simulacrum?" After failing to give the voice satisfactory answers, investigators are then violently dragged from their bed and hurled across their bedroom.
The investigators travel to Poissy, where Fenalik’s mansion once stood. A visit to the town hall allows them to find the exact location. They travel there and find that a regular house currently stands there, inhabited by a middle class family: Christian Lorien, his wife and their daughter. They know nothing about Fenalik, the Sedefkar Simulacrum or the place’s history, but welcome the investigators nonetheless and invite them to stay over. Christian’s wife is in bed with arthritis, while Christian himself has visible infected wounds on his arms, and their daughter seems particularly sensitive about her arm as well.
Over the course of dinner, the daughter, who had gone to bed, suddenly rushes in and claims to have seen a “boogieman” at her window on the second floor. Searches prove fruitless, however. Talking some more with Christian Lorien, the investigators learn he had some months ago received a letter from one Edgar Wellington in Lausanne, Switzerland. In the letter, Edgar inquired about the Sedefkar Simulacrum and about Fenalik, but Christian could not help him and did not reply. Edgar also hints in the letter that he may be in possession of one of the Sedefkar Scrolls.
A map found at the town hall indicates the existence of a cellar, although the house has no cellar that the Loriens know of. Investigators are given permission to dig through the garden and eventually find a stone stairway leading down. Inside, they find prison cells, many of them containing skeletons and torture implements. In one room, they find thick rose vines of fantastic colours, wrapped around the white and featureless left arm of a statue, which turns out to be the left arm of the Sedefkar Simulacrum. While they are looking around, they become aware of a strange mist floating around. It disappears after the investigators retrieve the arm. Subsequently, the Loriens’ health improves and Christian allows the investigators to keep the arm.
The team decides to travel to Lausanne and boards the Orient Express again. During the journey, they meet with Caterina Cavollaro, a young, beautiful and talented opera singer who invites them to see the first night of “Aida”, an opera in which she will play the title role in a few days in Milan.
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LAUSANNE
LAUSANNE
January 1923
The investigators pay a visit to the address mentioned in Edgar Wellington’s letter. It turns out to be a small taxidermy shop, which they are allowed to visit. Discussing with Edgar, they learn he is an Englishman who served in the Great War (aka World War I), only to find upon his return that his friends were all dead and that his remaining family could not understand the pain he felt, apart from his brother William. So he relocated to Lausanne with his brother (who is now mute and heavily handicapped), taking taxidermy as a hobby while receiving alimony payments from England.
Returning to the shop later, the investigators witness the visit of a dapper and rotund middle-aged gentleman, who seems well acquainted with Edgar. They learn he is a nobleman, the Duc des Esseintes. The conversation turns to the scroll and the letter to Christian Lorien. Edgar admits he once had a historical interest in the Sedefkar Simulacrum, but, having reached a dead end in his research, he is now willing to part with the scroll for a good price. The Duke, however, is also interested in buying the scroll. Edgar says it currently rests in a bank vault and he thus cannot make any deal right now, but he invites everyone for a meal at a restaurant the next evening, and suggests that the deal be made there.
Even though he is affable and friendly, the Duke rubs the investigators the wrong way and they decide to investigate him. There are records of a person with the same name and title who once lived in Paris. However, according to the dates found, he would be about 90 years old today, and the man looked 40. His name was mentioned in a string of unsolved murders in Paris, although he was never convicted of anything.
At the restaurant, the only person who actually shows up for the agreed meeting is Max, a mutual friend of Edgar and the Duke. Max turns out to be nothing but a con artist, spending the evening making up stories about himself and ordering expensive food that he doesn’t have the means to pay.
Having feared a similar scenario, some of the investigators instead chose to visit the taxidermy shop at the time of the appointment. They find the place in chaos, as if a violent fight had taken place. They find the dead body of William, who has been brutally murdered with a sharp object. Visiting the bedroom, they find the dead body of Edgar, quietly resting on his bed, this time with no signs of violence. There are however fresh needle marks on Edgar’s arm. The investigators search the room and find Edgar’s journal as well as a bottle of a strange green liquid, which they both take before quickly leaving the shop.
Much of the journal chronicles the pain that Edgar felt in his everyday life, having been emotionally destroyed by the war. There are mentions of the scroll, which Edgar believed to be genuine, acquired during the war from a French soldier in exchange for rations and cigarettes. The journal also regularly mentions the Duke, who provided him with something he refers to as "dream drug", initially saying only that it would combat his insomnia. Edgar relates how, after taking the drug, he would visit a different Lausanne in his dreams. Edgar did not fully trust the Duke, as he had never mentioned to him that he owned the scroll until the day he mentioned it to the investigators. Unbeknownst to all, he had planned to sell the scroll to the highest bidder and then leave the country with both the money and the scroll, leaving half of the money to William. According to the journal, the scroll is hidden in his shop in "Dream Lausanne".
The investigators conclude that the Duke must have murdered both brothers, and is possibly in Dream Lausanne right now, trying to find the scroll. They decide to take the dream drug themselves to go after him.
Dream Lausanne turns out to be a nightmarish version of the city, where all kinds of insanity and grotesque brutality takes place. After going through different frightening places, the investigators find out that the Duke is the ruler of Dream Lausanne, where he calls himself a Prince. The Duke gathers all the population to watch a show trial against Edgar Wellington (who is alive in Dream Lausanne, but unaware that he has died in the real world) and asks if anybody would like to defend him during the trial. The investigators opt not to intervene, and neither does the rest of the population, resulting in Edgar being quickly declared guilty and having to relinquish the scroll to the Duke.
The investigators wake up and return to the real Lausanne. There, they find that while they were dreaming, somebody has carefully polished the arm of the Simulacrum and placed it on a pillow, although there is no sign of breaking and entering.
Seeing no other option, they take the Orient Express to Milan. The trip there is largely uneventful, except for the mysterious disappearance of a dog that was securely locked in its kennel in the train’s fourgon. Somehow, the investigators also caught a glimpse of the same mist that they saw in Poissy.
January 1923
The investigators pay a visit to the address mentioned in Edgar Wellington’s letter. It turns out to be a small taxidermy shop, which they are allowed to visit. Discussing with Edgar, they learn he is an Englishman who served in the Great War (aka World War I), only to find upon his return that his friends were all dead and that his remaining family could not understand the pain he felt, apart from his brother William. So he relocated to Lausanne with his brother (who is now mute and heavily handicapped), taking taxidermy as a hobby while receiving alimony payments from England.
Returning to the shop later, the investigators witness the visit of a dapper and rotund middle-aged gentleman, who seems well acquainted with Edgar. They learn he is a nobleman, the Duc des Esseintes. The conversation turns to the scroll and the letter to Christian Lorien. Edgar admits he once had a historical interest in the Sedefkar Simulacrum, but, having reached a dead end in his research, he is now willing to part with the scroll for a good price. The Duke, however, is also interested in buying the scroll. Edgar says it currently rests in a bank vault and he thus cannot make any deal right now, but he invites everyone for a meal at a restaurant the next evening, and suggests that the deal be made there.
Even though he is affable and friendly, the Duke rubs the investigators the wrong way and they decide to investigate him. There are records of a person with the same name and title who once lived in Paris. However, according to the dates found, he would be about 90 years old today, and the man looked 40. His name was mentioned in a string of unsolved murders in Paris, although he was never convicted of anything.
At the restaurant, the only person who actually shows up for the agreed meeting is Max, a mutual friend of Edgar and the Duke. Max turns out to be nothing but a con artist, spending the evening making up stories about himself and ordering expensive food that he doesn’t have the means to pay.
Having feared a similar scenario, some of the investigators instead chose to visit the taxidermy shop at the time of the appointment. They find the place in chaos, as if a violent fight had taken place. They find the dead body of William, who has been brutally murdered with a sharp object. Visiting the bedroom, they find the dead body of Edgar, quietly resting on his bed, this time with no signs of violence. There are however fresh needle marks on Edgar’s arm. The investigators search the room and find Edgar’s journal as well as a bottle of a strange green liquid, which they both take before quickly leaving the shop.
Much of the journal chronicles the pain that Edgar felt in his everyday life, having been emotionally destroyed by the war. There are mentions of the scroll, which Edgar believed to be genuine, acquired during the war from a French soldier in exchange for rations and cigarettes. The journal also regularly mentions the Duke, who provided him with something he refers to as "dream drug", initially saying only that it would combat his insomnia. Edgar relates how, after taking the drug, he would visit a different Lausanne in his dreams. Edgar did not fully trust the Duke, as he had never mentioned to him that he owned the scroll until the day he mentioned it to the investigators. Unbeknownst to all, he had planned to sell the scroll to the highest bidder and then leave the country with both the money and the scroll, leaving half of the money to William. According to the journal, the scroll is hidden in his shop in "Dream Lausanne".
The investigators conclude that the Duke must have murdered both brothers, and is possibly in Dream Lausanne right now, trying to find the scroll. They decide to take the dream drug themselves to go after him.
Dream Lausanne turns out to be a nightmarish version of the city, where all kinds of insanity and grotesque brutality takes place. After going through different frightening places, the investigators find out that the Duke is the ruler of Dream Lausanne, where he calls himself a Prince. The Duke gathers all the population to watch a show trial against Edgar Wellington (who is alive in Dream Lausanne, but unaware that he has died in the real world) and asks if anybody would like to defend him during the trial. The investigators opt not to intervene, and neither does the rest of the population, resulting in Edgar being quickly declared guilty and having to relinquish the scroll to the Duke.
The investigators wake up and return to the real Lausanne. There, they find that while they were dreaming, somebody has carefully polished the arm of the Simulacrum and placed it on a pillow, although there is no sign of breaking and entering.
Seeing no other option, they take the Orient Express to Milan. The trip there is largely uneventful, except for the mysterious disappearance of a dog that was securely locked in its kennel in the train’s fourgon. Somehow, the investigators also caught a glimpse of the same mist that they saw in Poissy.
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MILAN
MILAN
January 1923
When they arrive in Milan, the investigators are surprised to find that the spirits of the population seem extremely low, as though the whole town was going through a depressive state for an unexplained reason. Reading the newspaper, they learn that Caterina Cavollaro, the opera singer they had previously befriended on the train, has been missing for two days. She was last seen entering a chauffeured car upon disembarking the Orient Express, and hasn’t been seen since then. The opening night of “Aida” has been postponed until further notice.
The investigators book a hotel room and go to sleep, only to be awoken in the middle of the night by the unmistakable voice of Caterina Cavollaro, singing the theme from “Aida” throughout the streets outside! They go down to investigate, but do not find the singer.
The newspapers the next day reveal that since Ms Cavollaro still cannot be found, “Aida” will open tonight, with the understudy taking over the title role. There is also an interview with the opera’s props manager, who mentions some sort of curse tied to “Aida”, with people being injured or falling ill, and props disappearing.
Having no other leads, the investigators focus on the opera diva’s disappearance. Bribing a doorman, they manage to enter the opera where frantic activity is taking place. They get lost in the opera’s maze-like corridors, but eventually manage to find the props manager. He confesses that all kinds of illnesses have struck the different costume managers lately: pneumonia, asthma, appendicitis, or a strange dermatitis on the chest. Only the most recent costume manager seems immune to the curse. After leaving the opera, the investigators themselves develop mild rashes across their stomachs and backs.
That night, they go to attend the opening night of “Aida”. The tone of the evening is funereal. The understudy starts with none of the vocal power or presence of Caterina, but suddenly the whole opera house begins to hum with the resonance of the song. Everybody seems to be singing the piece themselves. The investigators remember the legend Caterina told them about, that singing this aria along at La Scala can grant one's fondest wish. Gradually, they distinguish the voice of Caterina Cavollaro herself, singing close to them somewhere in the audience! A few seat rows away sits a tall, gaunt, elderly man with a scarred neck, and the voice of Caterina is unnaturally coming from his old dry mouth. Next to him are four bodyguards and a large old woman, even more wizened and wrinkled than the man is, sitting there slacked-mouth and absent-minded, with her neck scarred as well. The investigators realise with horror that the old woman bears a faint resemblance to Caterina.
At one point during the opera, a new prop is revealed: a torso that has the same sheen and colour as the arm of the Simulacrum. Upon seeing it, the elderly man screams in ecstasy and hurriedly leaves his seat along with his bodyguards and the elderly woman. The investigators go after them and a deadly fight ensues backstage, during which the elderly man is killed. According to his passport, he was a business man named Arturo Faccia who had recently visited Turkey. The investigators manage to find and wheel the torso outside and take it with them.
The next day, newspapers report the death of Faccia at the opera and reveal that the mutilated remains of the bodyguards (who had escaped) were later discovered on the roof of the Milan cathedral, even though it is normally impossible to get up there at night. Milan police would not describe the wounds sustained, repeating merely that they seem the work of a deranged degenerate. Newspapers also report that a crazy old woman, speaking with a distinctively male voice, puzzled detectives by claiming to be Caterina Cavollaro, extensively mentioning stories and details one would think only the real opera star would know. The police briefly kept the woman for questioning, but concluded she was a deranged and obsessive fan.
The investigators depart for Venice. As they are leaving, the spirits of the Milanese citizens apparently improve.
January 1923
When they arrive in Milan, the investigators are surprised to find that the spirits of the population seem extremely low, as though the whole town was going through a depressive state for an unexplained reason. Reading the newspaper, they learn that Caterina Cavollaro, the opera singer they had previously befriended on the train, has been missing for two days. She was last seen entering a chauffeured car upon disembarking the Orient Express, and hasn’t been seen since then. The opening night of “Aida” has been postponed until further notice.
The investigators book a hotel room and go to sleep, only to be awoken in the middle of the night by the unmistakable voice of Caterina Cavollaro, singing the theme from “Aida” throughout the streets outside! They go down to investigate, but do not find the singer.
The newspapers the next day reveal that since Ms Cavollaro still cannot be found, “Aida” will open tonight, with the understudy taking over the title role. There is also an interview with the opera’s props manager, who mentions some sort of curse tied to “Aida”, with people being injured or falling ill, and props disappearing.
Having no other leads, the investigators focus on the opera diva’s disappearance. Bribing a doorman, they manage to enter the opera where frantic activity is taking place. They get lost in the opera’s maze-like corridors, but eventually manage to find the props manager. He confesses that all kinds of illnesses have struck the different costume managers lately: pneumonia, asthma, appendicitis, or a strange dermatitis on the chest. Only the most recent costume manager seems immune to the curse. After leaving the opera, the investigators themselves develop mild rashes across their stomachs and backs.
That night, they go to attend the opening night of “Aida”. The tone of the evening is funereal. The understudy starts with none of the vocal power or presence of Caterina, but suddenly the whole opera house begins to hum with the resonance of the song. Everybody seems to be singing the piece themselves. The investigators remember the legend Caterina told them about, that singing this aria along at La Scala can grant one's fondest wish. Gradually, they distinguish the voice of Caterina Cavollaro herself, singing close to them somewhere in the audience! A few seat rows away sits a tall, gaunt, elderly man with a scarred neck, and the voice of Caterina is unnaturally coming from his old dry mouth. Next to him are four bodyguards and a large old woman, even more wizened and wrinkled than the man is, sitting there slacked-mouth and absent-minded, with her neck scarred as well. The investigators realise with horror that the old woman bears a faint resemblance to Caterina.
At one point during the opera, a new prop is revealed: a torso that has the same sheen and colour as the arm of the Simulacrum. Upon seeing it, the elderly man screams in ecstasy and hurriedly leaves his seat along with his bodyguards and the elderly woman. The investigators go after them and a deadly fight ensues backstage, during which the elderly man is killed. According to his passport, he was a business man named Arturo Faccia who had recently visited Turkey. The investigators manage to find and wheel the torso outside and take it with them.
The next day, newspapers report the death of Faccia at the opera and reveal that the mutilated remains of the bodyguards (who had escaped) were later discovered on the roof of the Milan cathedral, even though it is normally impossible to get up there at night. Milan police would not describe the wounds sustained, repeating merely that they seem the work of a deranged degenerate. Newspapers also report that a crazy old woman, speaking with a distinctively male voice, puzzled detectives by claiming to be Caterina Cavollaro, extensively mentioning stories and details one would think only the real opera star would know. The police briefly kept the woman for questioning, but concluded she was a deranged and obsessive fan.
The investigators depart for Venice. As they are leaving, the spirits of the Milanese citizens apparently improve.
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VENICE
VENICE
January 1923
During the journey to Venice, the investigators befriend Maria Stagliani, a young female student whose father has just died unexpectedly. Upon arrival, she is accosted by a group of black shirts (fascists) led by Alberto Rossini, a hostile high ranking fascist party member. Giorgio, a young man who was watching from a distance, intervenes and starts a fight when the fascists are about to take Maria with them. The investigators rescue Maria from the fascists and escort her home. She confesses to be caught in a love triangle involving Giorgio, her young communist lover, and Rossini, whom she does not like, but she doesn’t know how to drive him away as he is a very important fascist party member and practically owns the city.
The next day, the canal waters take on a distinctly noxious oiliness. Following the lead that Prof. Smith had given them about Venice, the investigators look up Alvise de Gremanci, a late 18th century doll maker who reportedly bought a piece of the Sedefkar Simulacrum. They find that his descendants have since them continued making dolls, and they visit the Gremanci factory.
They are given a private tour of the factory, and find out that the oldest records (which could provide a clue as to the current whereabouts of the Simulacrum’s piece) are locked in an ancient vault that they are not permitted to open.
That night, the investigators’ sleep is interrupted by a woman screaming madly in the streets. The next day, the canal waters have taken on an even more detestable look and stench. Investigating last night’s incident, they find out that the woman was the witness of a grisly murder, discovering her lover’s body impaled upon a ten foot iron spike, and torn at the throat as if by a wild beast. It would later be revealed that the woman has since then gone mad and has attempted to chew off her own tongue.
The next day, newspapers report a second grisly murder, that of a gondolier found torn to pieces in his boat, his remains drained of blood. There are also unofficial rumours of people having seen “Death” poling a gondola down the grand canal. In other news, the tidal rise of the canals is pronounced and the stench appalling. Foul tidewaters have now crept into low-lying houses, and at least one child who played in the water has fallen ill.
That night, the investigators decide to break and enter into the Gremanci factory. They find the key to the old vault and open it, revealing thousands of fat brass tubes containing old records of the factory’s activities. Searching the records, they find an entry from August 1797 listing an artificial leg bought from a French soldier. The clerk notes that Alvise bought the limb because it was composed of some strange material of unusual design. A later entry dated November 1810 records that the leg of a statue in the courtyard of the Palazzo Rezzoniani (a noble's palace taken over by the Austrian invaders) was damaged by lightning, and that the Conte Gremanci was for unstated reasons ordered to replace it within twenty-four hours. A limb of the exact dimensions needed was found, and the Count himself fixed it to the statue so cunningly that none could find fault in it.
The investigators visit the palace and find the left leg of the Simulacrum there, which had been used to repair an automaton in the palace's clock tower. Upon retrieving the leg, the clock tower's mechanism starts breaking down and the automatons nearly kill Howard who had gotten caught in their movements. He thankfully escapes safely with the leg.
Meanwhile, new investigators Felicity and Oya help Maria and Giorgio escape from the clutches of Rossini, who was attempting to marry her by force.
The investigators then depart for Trieste.
January 1923
During the journey to Venice, the investigators befriend Maria Stagliani, a young female student whose father has just died unexpectedly. Upon arrival, she is accosted by a group of black shirts (fascists) led by Alberto Rossini, a hostile high ranking fascist party member. Giorgio, a young man who was watching from a distance, intervenes and starts a fight when the fascists are about to take Maria with them. The investigators rescue Maria from the fascists and escort her home. She confesses to be caught in a love triangle involving Giorgio, her young communist lover, and Rossini, whom she does not like, but she doesn’t know how to drive him away as he is a very important fascist party member and practically owns the city.
The next day, the canal waters take on a distinctly noxious oiliness. Following the lead that Prof. Smith had given them about Venice, the investigators look up Alvise de Gremanci, a late 18th century doll maker who reportedly bought a piece of the Sedefkar Simulacrum. They find that his descendants have since them continued making dolls, and they visit the Gremanci factory.
They are given a private tour of the factory, and find out that the oldest records (which could provide a clue as to the current whereabouts of the Simulacrum’s piece) are locked in an ancient vault that they are not permitted to open.
That night, the investigators’ sleep is interrupted by a woman screaming madly in the streets. The next day, the canal waters have taken on an even more detestable look and stench. Investigating last night’s incident, they find out that the woman was the witness of a grisly murder, discovering her lover’s body impaled upon a ten foot iron spike, and torn at the throat as if by a wild beast. It would later be revealed that the woman has since then gone mad and has attempted to chew off her own tongue.
The next day, newspapers report a second grisly murder, that of a gondolier found torn to pieces in his boat, his remains drained of blood. There are also unofficial rumours of people having seen “Death” poling a gondola down the grand canal. In other news, the tidal rise of the canals is pronounced and the stench appalling. Foul tidewaters have now crept into low-lying houses, and at least one child who played in the water has fallen ill.
That night, the investigators decide to break and enter into the Gremanci factory. They find the key to the old vault and open it, revealing thousands of fat brass tubes containing old records of the factory’s activities. Searching the records, they find an entry from August 1797 listing an artificial leg bought from a French soldier. The clerk notes that Alvise bought the limb because it was composed of some strange material of unusual design. A later entry dated November 1810 records that the leg of a statue in the courtyard of the Palazzo Rezzoniani (a noble's palace taken over by the Austrian invaders) was damaged by lightning, and that the Conte Gremanci was for unstated reasons ordered to replace it within twenty-four hours. A limb of the exact dimensions needed was found, and the Count himself fixed it to the statue so cunningly that none could find fault in it.
The investigators visit the palace and find the left leg of the Simulacrum there, which had been used to repair an automaton in the palace's clock tower. Upon retrieving the leg, the clock tower's mechanism starts breaking down and the automatons nearly kill Howard who had gotten caught in their movements. He thankfully escapes safely with the leg.
Meanwhile, new investigators Felicity and Oya help Maria and Giorgio escape from the clutches of Rossini, who was attempting to marry her by force.
The investigators then depart for Trieste.
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