Scene Zero: Recap

(0 - 12)

Scene One: Laudanum

Flashback to Matthieu's examination and synthesizing of Hagecius's receipt. The workbook is full of six or seven partial and full recipe. "Emperor's Medicine" is clearly marked. The ingredients are quite unusual: various powders and inorganic components, distilled aqua vitae, flakes of gold, a stag's heart (???), crushed pearls, coral, amber, musk, and the bulb of the poppy. Matthieu works out that the active ingredients are aqua vitae and the poppy. He makes both recipes but obviously the more powerful one is the second. The challenge now is to get into the Emperor and administer it. Matthieu has spoken with Pistorius and Ernst. "Do we want to use Makovsky," Salih asks. Matthieu considers it. Examining and testing the tincture in more detail, Matthieu realizes that the first recipe would have resulted in a slow, steady poisoning. If Hagecius were truly administering this to the Emperor regularly, he would have died by now. (12 - 28)

Scene Two: Slayer

Salih goes to help Tycho and Kepler move in. Matthieu goes back to the lab. Lóránt decides it is time for him to visit the Consilium, and specifically Cosmas of the Adamantine Arrow. Perun has given Cosmas the general sense of Lóránt's desire to serve the Consilium. "I will get to the point, since you are a man of action. As you probably know, otherworldly entities are drawn to me like a moth to flame. I had to put down a shedim in the Jewish Quarter. I was spirited away to another realm and switched with my doppelganger. I crossed paths with a blood-witch in Romania, and was accompanied back to Prague by her serving girl, who ended up being possessed by a demon. As doorwarder of the cabal, I take my responsibilities very seriously. And I desire very much to serve the Consilium by fighting the shedim." "You obviously see the tendency you have to draw demons to you. Have you given any thought on to why that is? I'm examining your aura right now and see nothing out of the ordinary." Lóránt expresses ignorance. "You'll pardon me, but you're lying to me right now. I just want to hear the truth. If you want to fulfill this role, I want to know why the demons are drawn to you." Lóránt begins to speak about his being a Sleepwalker, saying he is being as forthcoming as he possibly can, saying he does not know the whys. "I will give you your first assignment, then, in your path to become a Slayer for the Prague Consilium. Take the time, in your inimitable style, to construct every detail of the encounters you have had with pandemonium. Leave no stone unturned, leave no conversation unspoken. Bring these to the Council, and we will supplement it a hundredfold. Perun would like to speak to you." (28 - 40)

Scene Three: Tangle

Salih casts Bestow Exceptional Luck on Tycho and Kepler, in an effort to make their households integrating as seamless as possible. With the luck on Tycho, Salih realizes that Tycho is incredibly fortunate and blessed. With Mage Sight, Tycho and Kepler are tied closer together than they are to their families. Snarled, angry. After studying their auras for a half a minute, Salih sees Kepler's aura is sick. It has something to do with his Fate. Ernst saw his spirit sickness, Matthieu saw him physically ill, with tuberculosis. The tangle has to do with their arguments and which one will have the greater Fate. Salih realizes that in order to make their Fates both better, he would need to separate them. Salih decides not to tinker or change, but instead to help as best he can. (40 - 46)

Scene Four: Family

Ernst sets out to secure funds for Kepler. It will require him to run the Makovsky/Barvitz gauntlet, or use Pistorius. Ernst wants to use normal channels so as not to attract attention. Checking in on Makovsky, who is hung over from his family banquet. "Looks like you are seeing the down side of being a noble," Makovsky says. He is genial, more human than Ernst has ever seen him. "Did you have something to say to me yesterday?" "I was surprised at the speed you were elevated, but I've learned not to question the motives of those superior to me. No offense meant." "I lobbied for this, I didn't use any of my Art for this, but I openly worked for this. And for my brother. He's getting married, and he's going to need the help nobility will give him." And it seems that Makovsky has become resigned to not having a family, not having kids. "Pistorius has been asking your cabal for help." Ernst concedes this. "The emperor's melancholy is deep. I've seen episodes this serious, but not this profound. I can quell it. But I try to avoid altering his mind. In the past 5 years, I have had to quell rages, suicide attempts... please, let you cabal tread lightly." Makovsky says he is going to enjoy his first day off in years, but Ernst asks one more boon: helping Kepler. "Have they come to blows yet?" "To avoid that, Kepler will need renumeration." Ernst hands over the docs. (46 - 54)

Scene Five: Poison

Matthieu considers the situation. Given this recipe every week, a man of the Emperor's age and size, would have been killed earlier. Was it changed on the fly after Hagecius saw him being sick? He would need to test the Emperor's hair and nails to do so. Matthieu needs Lóránt and Salih at this point. (54 - 57)

Scene Six: Slayer, Redux

How was Frankfurt, Perun asks. Lóránt tells him about the trip and their expanded library; he says he'd like to visit. "We'll have to do all the official cabal protocol, present banners... I think it's rubbish, but..." Cosmas's visit? "He probably wanted to know why the demons are following you. Did you tell him?" Lóránt says it's predicated on him writing a book. "He's doing this in the manner of an initiation. As a proximi to the Rosicrucians, you should know about that. You want to kill demons?" "I want to protect my cabal." "What is a demon?" "Something from outside." "Your friend Ernst deals with them all the time. Are they demons?" "A supernatural entity who means you harm." "Do you remember the storm back in '89? It seemed otherworldly to the people of Prague, killed many." "Trying to separate acts of God from acts of... Satan?" "Maybe I'm being a bit obtuse. There are many spirits who do what they are meant to do. So too are demons. Some are tempters, mavens of the seven sins. Some are older and come from beyond the Abyss." Perun says he'll be eager to read the book Lóránt writes. The Adamantine Arrow may be interested in trading knowledge: Lóránt's demon book for knowledge of his fencing style. (57 - 64)

Scene Seven: Interlude

Kepler's exceptional luck is triggered. Arriving at the new house: Kepler feels the effect and whirls around to look at Salih. (64 - 66)

Scene Eight: Conspiracy

Ernst arrives at Matthieu's office. Kepler's salary is settled. Makovsky caught wind of our working on the Emperor's cure and Pistorius. Told us to be careful. Matthieu argues he is being a doctor. Ernst views the dissected stag heart with interest. Matthieu shows him the tincture, and tells Ernst about the recipe that would kill the Emperor. Matthieu has spent some time examining the recipe in the book physically, and it seems... oddly familiar, and like it doesn't fit into the book quite well. Could this have been a conspiracy of the Seers to make us harm the Emperor and gets us in trouble? Ernst tells Matthieu that Makovsky is reluctant to use his powers. Matthieu wonders why? Ernst agrees. It is inconsistent with Guardian philosophy. Suddenly, the recipe's origin makes sense to him: Paracelsus! This is one of Paracelsus's "Labyrinths"; he would create real recipes, and fake ones to dissuade the poseur alchemists. Someone took a false recipe of Paracelsus, adjusted it, and put it back in the book.

Lóránt arrives and he is filled in. L says it is part of alchemy to obfuscate secret knowledge in metaphor. This is a separate approach, but still legitimate. Matthieu concedes the other recipes in the book are strictly scientific. L uses Auspex to examine the ink, paper for evidence of forgery. It's very well done, L examines further, this time focusing on the paper. The paper is original... so if this is a forgery, they would have to have wipe out the ink *and* the depressions onto the paper. Matter magic. Which is why it passed L's original view with Auspex. Matthieu and Ernst put their heads together: we lost the invitations to the moderates, this recipe was planted in a book and made to look original... it's the Seers again, right? They've grown more and more subtle in their manipulations and efforts to make us look bad and/or foment religious controversy. (66 - 75, 80 - 86)

Scene Nine: Eyes

Salih sees Kepler's stare. Could he have unseen senses? Mage sight? Did he have a false Awakening, a Mystery Play with his flight to the moon? It seems like he has received some sort of sixth sense from his "vision." "Should I start bringing things in?" Salih helps, and tries to use Fate to put everything in its right place. Tycho is distracted by family, but Kepler is eager, for some reason, to hear what Salih has to say about placement. A messenger is waiting to summon Salih back to Matthieu's office. Salih wants to buy a housewarming gift, thinks about sending a page to get one. Salih says farewell to Tycho and Kepler and heads to the office. (75 - 80, 86 - 87)

Scene Ten: Seers

Ernst wants to keep this well under wraps, to make sure there is no whiff of impropriety directed at any of us. Was their intention to get me to poison the Emperor, Matthieu asks, or somebody at some point. Salih arrives. Matthieu asks him to examine the page and to tell them whether they were trying to frame the cabal. Salih uses Postcognition to view the book as it existed before Hagecius was sick, he uses a power word. Salih reads off what he sees; it is a completely different recipe, "From the True Books of Paracelsus: A Laudanum." It's just alcohol and poppy. Someone wiped it free of ink and scratches. Hagecius was showing off, a "True Book." Salih tries to find the point where the page was changed. He uses Destined Postcognition: The man from the vision scrubbing the room, is scrubbing the book in the Klementinum library. He's doing the forgery by hand, and has scrubbed the book of ink and impressions. Salih watches him, and can't tell when exactly this happened, nor can he see the other books. Matthieu wants to replace the page, put the original page back into the book, to restore it to its "original" state under Hagecius. Salih wants to scry the library; Matthieu says he is not opposed. Salih wonders if they changed a lot of the books, did they leave it for us to find? Would any physician be able to tell this recipe was bogus? No, Matthieu says. I'm very good. Salih: We just happened to come across it? Matthieu: Or they forced it on us. Ernst: Or that this would be found later and impugned Hagecius. Paracelsus attracts cranks. Matthieu rails against the alchemists' desire to not let things be repeated. (87 - 101)

Interlude

Chris asks some questions. Why is everyone so invested in the Emperor. John says he's an awesome guy. Bill and Mandy are like, ehhhhh. Mike says Rudolf as symbol of cosmopolitanism and ecumenicism. He's not physically afflicted, just mental. Mandy says he's bipolar. Mike explains Seers of the Throne; they can't GET Rudolf. But they're thick in and around the Church. Explains the Exarchs, and the Pentacle Mages. White Wolf was ahead of the game on steampunk. :) The thing that unites the cabal is they're all strangers, foreigners in some way. A cabal name has both evoke and recapitulate the resonance of the cabal. We've opened an academy. Mandy: Some of us spend more time there than others. Explain Tycho and Kepler. Modified geocentric vs. heliocentric. Bill: Tycho's one of our patrons, but it's interesting how our characters think of him. Salih and Lóránt love him, Matthieu thinks he's not right. Rudolf has been forced to put more Catholics in power from papal ambassadors. 90% of the nobles are Protestant, so he's elevating a minority. We will introduce the PCs in character. What does Chris want to play? (101 - 126)

Scene Eleven: Repair

We need to get into the Emperor's chambers to give him the laudanum, Ernst says, as soon as possible. Use Makovsky. Matthieu prepares the book to fix it. Makovsky will ask if Pistorius is present, and Matthieu will need to handle that. Ernst has spoken on the record that he doesn't know what's going on, so he has deniable plausibility. Salih brings up Kepler and his Fate issues. Second sight. How did you know? Matthieu says. He turned around. What were you doing? Bestowing luck. "His Fate is coming to a head, something's coming soon. It's tied in with Tycho. The... illness was tied up in his aura and his Fate line." Ernst and Matthieu compare notes on Kepler's illness. Only person who hasn't had time to weigh in on Lóránt. Ernst has to go visit Kepler to give him the good news; Salih would like to accompany. After Makovsky's, Ernst will pick up Salih. Matthieu offers to give him a workup. Ernst says, if you're not treating the Emperor at that point. Lóránt doesn't want to go near Kepler. Salih goes shopping for a housewarming gift, a nice clock. Lóránt wants to know about telling people about New Guinea. Salih says we were never there, we were here. No, the Consilium. "Mortals cannot know about Australia!" We are the explanation for the lack of exploration of the south Pacific and Australasia. The spirits do not want to be troubled by Mages. Salih makes it clear we have an oath of sorts with those spirits. Lóránt thinks he may go for a picaresque approach to distance himself from the events. The Temple of Solomon bit, in both false Awakening terms and the location of the temple. Lóránt wants to go back to Benatky, and give Zsuzanna a wide berth. The issue with our "teacher's pet." On the ride back: Lóránt and Salih do not like Ernst's approach with the students. Salih comes up with an idea to defuse the tensions: a course that allows the student to share their knowledge. A colloquium, where they teach each other and the instructor. Lóránt will entice them into trying out the format, and then Salih will moderate. The students seem receptive to it, and it seems to repair the damage done by Ernst's approach. (126 - 146)

Scene Twelve: Treatment

Ernst and Matthieu go to see Makovsky. He's all business again. Matthieu says there is concern (on Pistorius's part) about the Emperor's health and could he investigate Hagecius's books. Makovsky feels that he should have been working more to keep the Emperor safe and healthy. He sees himself, and the Guardians, as a balancing presence at court. I would like to be the Emperor's physician, Matthieu says. Makovsky says this will be difficult, due to the Inquisition. "It will expose me to too much risk." "You know how many papal hangers-on there are." "The records I have found were doctored to poison the Emperor." "Let me put it this way," Ernst says. "If we don't act the Emperor will die." "In the hands of a less talented doctor than I, this would have led to irrevocable heavy metal toxicity." Makovsky considers. "I will not be able to protect you, nor will the Order." Matthieu asserts he needs to do this, to enhance his scientific legitimacy. Seers' frame job. "We've called war council after war council, and we have not been able to find hide nor hair of the Seers. They just go further underground. This plot is more frightening to me than anything overt. They started out overt and vulgar, and they're getting more subtle." Ernst says it is to our advantage to have someone this physically close to the Emperor. Their persuasions work. "I have to put this before the Consilium." Matthieu says he'll be there in a moment. (146 - 156)

Scene Thirteen: Summoning

Lóránt remains at Benatky and begins work on his book. The October evening falls upon Benatky, classes are over. A fast horse rides up to the manor house."Lóránt Kelemen, please." The students eye her, but then their gazes slide off of her. It's nothing supernatural, she's just worth nothing in their eyes. "Would you like to come inside?" "No. Why are you not in Prague." Lóránt knows she's not under any kind of control, but it's obvious, this is a messenger from Z. She is a servant girl from the cellars of Hradcany. "I am the Emperor's humble servant, but who requests my presence so boldly?" "I saw her crouching amongst the barrels. She gave me the perfect kiss." She has not had magic used on her, but she has been fed from, and the Kiss plus anemia has made her suggestible. Lóránt tells her she needs to stay the night. Discursive vampire discussion OOC. (156 - 169)

Scene Fourteen: Payment

Salih arrives, he meets up with Ernst and Matthieu. Makovsky has been told Matthieu is the safest person to put into the Emperor's confidence medically. The Inquisition is discussed. "Does the Inquisition know who you are?" Matthieu says his infamy in Paris was due to the love of his art. "If no one is actively looking specifically for you," Salih says, "we're all right." "Them finding me is all right," Matthieu says. "The Seers are a different story." "We know the Seers are in the Klementinum." "I was aware of the risk of the Inquisition when I fled Paris." "If it is required of you, will you submit to papal authority," Salih asks. "Yes. However, I have plans for Labyrinths that will point the curious away from our activity." Salih thinks serving the Emperor is paramount. Salih shows fear of exposure. Ernst: "If the Seers were behind the plot, they'd be more than happy to hand us up to the Inquisition. If something goes wrong, or they set you up, it could bring us all down. The risk is high but the need for us to take the risk is also high." Salih says ultimately we are trying to prevent chaos in the streets; the Seers are willing to take direct action. "It's stopped being a grudge between us and them," Ernst says, "and started being a grudge between them and the Emperor." Salih says the Servitores need to know. Matthieu says no, that will drive them underground again. Ernst suspects a spy for the Seers within the Servitores or elsewhere. Salih says they couldn't possibly masquerade. Matthieu says why not? They only need to know the words. Ernst: "We don't know how high this conspiracy goes." DRAMATICGOPHER We need more time to find out who is a threat, he says. Kepler and Tycho tabled. (169 - 183)

Scene Fifteen: A Second Court

Maryam the chambermaid and Lóránt return. Lóránt casually sits in her haven, writing his book, giving Z the impression that she is endangered by him. "I combed every single one of your haunts trying to find you. We need to talk, and I'm not going to play games. Word has come to me from Zalmoxis that the court of Prince Michael. There are going to be negotiations both above ground and below ground. Very soon I will not be the only vampire in Prague." This was unknown to Lóránt and he believes she's being truthful. "If the treaty negotiations go well, they'll be staying for good. One of them might be our Master. His needs will be great." Lóránt is shocked; he thought Zalmoxis was beyond these sorts of concerns. Official word will not arrive for some time. "Where do you stand? Do you stand with us, or do you stand with the Mages?" She is only tied to Prince Michael because of history and blood. Lóránt says his respect is split, and would not want to play them against each other. Petulance from Z. "There will come a day, perhaps when the Emperor is gone, you will have to make a choice. The blood sustains you. Your life is guaranteed as long as you drink from us. Mages are men; they die." Echoes of Matthieu conversation. Z is saying they are the future. "I have found the elixir." "It will sustain you for another month or so." Z elicits the fact he's already needing more Vitae. She is feeling her oats, because more vampires are on their way. (183 - 193)

Scene Sixteen: Choice

The situation has been explained to the Consilium. We don't see any problem with it, but Matthieu will have to choose. He will need to choose between the kunstkammer and the Emperor's physician. Cosmas looks over to Makovsky, Makovsky says "I'm not sure that's necessary. We put you there to exploit your specialties." "Not all items should be revealed to the sleepers. Look at the Salamander Egg." Perun says, "I don't believe a Guardian is necessary. I think if anything it should be a member of the Silver Ladder." Ernst argues that a Guardian would be better. (193 - 200)