Day 12 — Day at the zoo

PachinkoRyutoPunxsutawneyDon Gregorio

Chapter summary

Albion’s opera-house envoy introduces the crew to Living Saint Sebastian and his hunt for Don Gregorio.

Connections

Session notes

Everyone may purchase common items of level 10 and below. Uncommon items and/or items higher than level 10 might be found via a roll.

We are scheduled to meet with Lady Celinia, the local representative of Albion and Advocate General of the Grand Moan Trading Company (an East India Trading Company analogue).

We set off to meet her at the opera house. Once there we are directed to her private booth. She’s a cat lady! Just like the other agent of the Trading Company who gave us the mission to establish trade relationships with the natives and report on our investigation of the murder.

The singer is performing an aria from a Varangian composer. This particular aria is from the Wunschringenlied, part of the Magisterium Cycle that takes 7 days to perform in its entirety. It’s about the 7 pieces of regalia from the Magisters of old.

The Lady addresses Punx and asks him if he knows the song, to which he replies yes.

She reports on happenings that have occurred since we went to the Elephant Isles. The Grand Cathay has been very active. She would like to know what they know so that the Company can plan its responses accordingly. She looks pointedly at Ryuto while she says this.

Ryuto deflects the question. But she persists, saying that what we learned in the West was of great interest to the dragons. Ryuto then says that he gave them samples of local flora, but he said he didn’t know anything about their effects or applications. Then he backtracks a bit and says that one of the plants they found has medicinal properties. This, of course, is not the entire truth, but nobody suspects that Ryuto is withholding additional information.

Ryuto says that the plant may ease further colonization of the Isles. The Lady proselytizes the usefulness of Albion and says they’d never do anything like carve a tracking sigil into Ryuto’s scales.

The Lady says that her agents have lost track of Pachinko. She advises us to go to the warehouse district, find the villagers from the Elephant Isles that Pachinko was helping, and investigate further.

We go down to the warehouse district, where we meet Isla (played by Allie!). She says that other groups of threatening individuals have also been looking for Pachinko and asks us to help us track them down. She has a poster she swiped from one of them. Giacomo, Pachinko’s previous owner, had a poster dating to when Pachinko was in a traveling circus show. They were using the poster to show people what Pachinko looks like.

Isla told Pachinko to hide in the cannery when these people came for the first time. We agree to go down there to check on him.

The cannery plant is new construction meant to provide jobs for the local population. Lady Celinia spearheaded the effort to build the plant. It promises to be one of the largest and most advanced factories of the new era.

We’re ambushed! Giacomo has a magical menagerie; various sundry giant animals emerge from the shadows. We fight the animals off, but Ryuto was petrified by the basilisk that we fought.

Tinkerbell, one of Pachinko’s old companions, drops down from rafters in front of us and identifies a doll as Pachinko. Pachinko is pretending to be a lifeless doll. We resolve to take both Pachinko and Ryuto to clerics for revival. We need divine magic to rid Ryuto of the petrification.

The priest at the cathedral looks like “the beefiest of beefcakes, the epitome of manliness.” He is Saint Sebastien, the only living saint in the Isles. He restores Ryuto to good health.

Saint Sebastien says that basilisks are from the far remoteness of the Emerald Isles. He has never seen their kind in this part of the world before. He also says that Lady Celinia has told him of our deeds in the Elephant Isles. He thinks well of us.

Saint Sebastien was dispatched to the Isles to quell heretical movements in the church. He seeks Don Gregorio, the missionary we met in the Elephant Isles village. Don Gregorio has “told untruths” about the holy fire and must pay for his heresy.

If we return to the Elephant Isles, he would pay for transport and accompany us.