Legendary 036 - Investigating the South Gate Hotel

 Saturday, July 9, 1066 SE, continued

Returning to the South Gate Hotel, Branna, Marigold, and Mon discuss several topics. They should talk with Hennadii about the missing items, and Branna plans to give him a copy of the list. Mon suggests they should also ask him whether he knows the building’s history. They want to meet with Mykola and talk to him as well.

They hand him the list of missing items. He will compensate the crew members who lost items, and he apologizes profusely for the lapse in security. Ever since one of his cooks left, he has had to perform kitchen duties and has neglected his duties of touring the hotel and ensuring that no unwanted guests are present. 

Mon asked Hennadii what he knows about the hotel’s history. They tell him that a secret society most likely owned the building for some time. He promises to hire a few off-duty royal guards to provide security services at the hotel, but he is depressed to hear of another black mark against his hotel. Marigold suggests that perhaps he could use this information to attract a refined clientele who appreciates being able to come and go without being seen. He appreciates the thought, but she can tell from his face that these are the clients he does not want to attract. Curious as to whether there is, in fact, a secret passage, and considering that the Hotel is filled only with Legendary crew members, Hennadii hands Marigold a master key so she and her friends can quietly search the hotel for this secret door.

Mon and Marigold compile the list of rooms mentioned in the 1039 journal, and who is currently residing in each. Marigold will start with room 201, once Joseph leaves. Mon hands her one of his cufflinks, so she can become invisible. 

Room 201: Currently occupied by Joseph, the accountant.

Room 212: Currently occupied by Albina, Luba’s understudy, and Lilia, stage manager

Room 301: Currently occupied by Solomiya, the conductor.

Room 304: Currently occupied by Anya and Dhuka. 

Room 308: Currently occupied by Mon and Herald, though he is currently not residing here.

Room 404: Currently occupied by Ioulia

While Marigold and Mon search the hotel, Branna walks outside and skirts the building, looking for anything unusual that would suggest a secret passage. Not finding any, she returns inside. She explores the basement.

Branna basement. Storage, cold room, coal room. 

Marigold enters Joseph’s room using the master key after the accountant departs the room. His room is very clean and organized. She searches for secret entrances or compartments but finds none. Branna joins Marigold. Secret cubby in 212, spring-loaded. It is empty, and has been for a long time. She covers the raven painting on her way out, so she can come back. She goes to Anya’s room next. The sconce has a small space where a ring would fit as a key. Using the Black Sun ring, she unlocks a portal that reveals an extradimensional staircase. Anya starts packing and will move into Marigold and Branna’s room, Room 302, while the halfling and the elf move to her room.

They go downstairs, and after a descent of six floors, come to a reception room. Five cloaks of a fine silk dyed a midnight black are hung on a rack mounted on the wall. There are two comfortable leather chairs. 

Realizing this is more involved than they thought, they leave and return to the Royal Grand Opera for tonight’s performance, arriving just in time. The performance is sold out, and the buzz is that the parade’s performance increased interest. In a nod to their dress rehearsal catastrophe, returning patrons have started identifying the Easter Eggs that the crew has left in their performance to acknowledge the failed attack. The bar serves a drink called the Easter Egg, and those in the know take a sip every time an egg is revealed.

Mon sends Pavel a message about the tools he found for the carpenter. 

After the performance, Marigold fills Mon in on the afternoon’s happenings. 

Returning to the hotel, they see Hennadii has hired two security guards, who are retired Royal guards. Searching the common rooms, Mon sees that the sconce in the back corner of the dining room has the same symbol. They wonder whether it goes to the same place or leads to a different staircase. Mon tests the door and discovers that the passageway leads to another place. 

Marigold and Branna finish moving into Room 304. At the next opportunity, they will return to the other rooms and check the sconces. Marigold will also make a brooch out of garnets that will closely resemble the symbol of the Black Sun and use it as a display piece to trigger agents of the Black Sun.

Legendary 035 - Performing at the Konstantina Palace

 Saturday, July 9, 1066 SE

The Legendary crew wakes up in a buoyant mood, following their incredible opening performance last night. They assemble in the dining room of the South Gate Hotel and animatedly critique their production of Masha and the Bear, noting areas of improvement for tonight's showing. Marigold sits with her friends Branna and Mon, and they wonder whether they should go pick up Dhuka to bring her back to the Hotel, or if they should leave her with Branna's parents for a few days. It's harder for her to get herself in trouble in the small sleeping town of St. Gleb on the south side of the Lavra River from Konstantina, but she may be a burden to her parents. Branna sends a message to her parents, and they will come for a late lunch to pick up Dhuka.

Anya joins them for breakfast, a rare occurrence. She usually eats alone in her room, but it seems that her role in helping their opening night go off without a hitch has improved her spirits.

Mon follows up on a conversation with Hennadii about the rooms that were once occupied by long-term residents during his first years of ownership. He looks at his records and confirms that there were two residents on the first floor, in rooms currently occupied by Vadim and Luba; one on the third floor, where Mon is currently staying; and one on the fourth floor, in a room currently occupied by Ioulia. Armed with this information, Mon returns to his room and painstakingly searches it, looking for any hidden compartments or loose boards that could easily be removed. Unfortunately, his efforts are not rewarded.

Marigold picks up copies of the local newspapers. The Konstantina Sun has a good review, praising the play for its moralistic bent and deeming it appropriate for parents and their children. The Shredded Truth pans the play as a glitzy event catering to the rich, and recommends it only if you want to see the nobility in its natural habitat of decadence. 

Branna and Marigold are still in the dining room when a pageboy from the Konstantina Palace delivers an invitation, requesting their presence to perform the title song of Masha and the Bear at 2 in the afternoon. Marigold wishes Sir Sergeii were here to receive this invitation. With him not here, it's up to them to organize this activity. Marigold wonders if part of the Legendary's second crew could travel to St. Boris and perform mini scenes of Masha and the Bear for folks who cannot afford to attend. And some wealthier folks might find the performance intriguing enough to purchase tickets. Branna was thinking along similar lines. Mon, who rejoined them a few minutes ago, mentions they should secure permission from the city authorities to perform in public. Branna suggests they could raise ticket prices slightly and donate the additional proceeds to the St. Boris food pantry.

They decide the conversation cannot continue without Sir Sergeii. Branna sends a page boy to his townhouse, a four-story structure located near the park inside the Old City, to notify him of the Palace’s invitation and their questions. A reply soon arrives, letting them know he will meet them at the South Gate Hotel at 10:30 to discuss logistics and elaborate on the plan. 

Sir Sergeii finally arrives, blowing in like a happy storm. He’s thrilled that the Palace has invited them to come and perform. He tells them this is a great sign, that the nobility will soon hear they were there, and their reluctance to check out the play will suddenly vanish.

Mon suggests organizing a parade from the Saint Myroslav Gate to the Palace. It would be quite the event. Sir Sergeii enthusiastically agrees and will obtain the necessary permits from the city. Armed with the draft of a plan, Branna and Marigold travel to the Grand Royal Opera to get the costumes they will need for the Palace Performance. Since both Luba and Vadim perform, they will need to get Masha’s outfit and the Bear. They will also need to dress up part of the chorus. The two of them fill two trunks and escort them back to the South Gate Hotel. 

Mon hires a pageboy to deliver a message to Yevgen at the Luthier’s Harp , reminding him of their discussion about the Jenken’s Ensemble, and that Mon is still looking for a few more to complete the set. He then visits Ioulia’s room and helps her sort sheets of scores that have been thrown around when her room was pillaged. Searching her room, he discovers, behind a baseboard, a small purse. He uses a sleight of hand to pocket the purse without Ioulia noticing. She complains that her scores are all over the place, and now she can’t find the score she was working on. It will take her hours to put everything back in its proper order!

As he’s helping her, Mon suddenly recalls something. He remembers a lullaby his mother used to sing when he was a little child. He sings it to her. Ioulia correctly identifies the lullaby as the Sailor’s Complaint, a song popular long ago in the Sezja Delta. His vision is clear enough that he can recognize the clothes folks wore at the time. And he recalls that Mikolai also wears clothes from that era.

Leaving Ioulia be, Mon returns to his room and examines the purse he found. Inside the black velvet container, he discovers a pure silver signet ring with a Black Sun symbol on it. He also finds a tiny, leather-bound book containing a list of names and room numbers from 1039 SE. Several names are crossed out in red ink. With his hafling friend back at the South Gate Hotel, Mon borrows Marigold’s magnifying glasses and decodes the entries. 

201    Viktor Zhiva~~Transferred to Cathedral Scriptorium~~

205    Elena Mykolenko~~Contract Terminated. Do not readmit.~~

212    Father Kostiantyn~~Special Dispensation: Midnight Entry Only~~

301    No Name Listed~~REJECTED. Blood purity insufficient.~~

304    The GuestVessel for the descent. Keep sedated. 02/05 arrival.

308    Captain Tarashenko, assigned to 304 Guard Detail.

310    Olena Kravchenko~~Relocated to St. Boris. Monitoring required.~~

404    Logbook Missing~~Evidence Purged.~~ Voice harvested. Process complete.~~

Mon examines the records to see if he recognizes the handwriting. He does not, but he is able to rule out that it is neither the Cardinal’s nor Dr. Sadistik’s handwriting. He asks Marigold and Branna to look at the handwriting and memorize it, in case they run across it elsewhere. He then hands Marigold both the ring and the tiny leather-bound ledger and returns her magnifying glass.

As the troop prepares for its parade, Mon casts Motivational Speech on Luba, Vadim, and three others to help them perform better. Sir Sergeii returns before noon with the necessary permits to perform outdoors and to parade down the Grand Avenue to the Palace. When everyone is dressed, they assemble by the Saint Myroslav Gate. A crowd soon assembles as the crew warms up. Mon plays the pan flute, elevating the performance and supporting the singers without obscuring them. They rehearse and then parade to the palace, attracting more than a thousand people along the way. Windows of the upper floors of buildings along the Grand Avenue are open, and people are watching them go by. 

Arriving at the Palace, they are greeted by royal guards. The crew from the Legendary bows, and the crowd applauds warmly. Fifteen members of the Legendary are allowed into the Palace. They are led to the 3rd floor boudoir in the Palace’s East Wing. It is a 2-floor space, with coral walls, a white ceiling, and silver accents. The attendant tells them the guests will be here in about 15 minutes. He requests no sudden movement and asks that they not sing too loudly. One of the guests is sick and cannot tolerate loud noises. Armed with this information, the leads and the choir practice one more time.

A small crowd of nobles sits in chairs laid out for them, as a few courtesans stand on the second floor. A wheelchair draped in black is brought in, and Mon, Branna, and Marigold can tell that someone is sitting on the other side of the fabric, watching them. As they play, Mon recognizes one of the attending nobles as the Queen herself. She is wearing clothes similar to the others’, no doubt out of a desire to remain anonymous. The singing is magnificent, and the audience claps politely but enthusiastically. The wheelchair shakes, and the Queen requests they sing the piece again, and the actors and choir of the Legendary obliges. The Queen greets them personally afterward, thanking them for an amazing performance. Her attendant distributes purses to the Legendary’s artisans containing 15 gold pieces each. 

The crew begins packing their things while another artist is brought in. The musician introduces himself as Yaroslav, and he sits by the piano. He begins playing his new composition. Mon, Branna, Marigold, and the other theater artisans instantly recognize the piece that Ioulia has diligently been working on at the South Gate Hotel. Her missing score is in this man’s possession! Mon thinks about casting some spell to reveal the man’s villainy, but thinks better of it after Marigold, who spots him starting to move his hands, steps on his feet. There must be magical defenses in this room, or, at the very least, other spellcasters to prevent trouble against the Queen. Mon bids his time. On their way out, Mon sends the musician a message: We know you stole the score!

As they reach the Palace’s door, the attendant asks Marigold to stay behind. She is invited to return to the Palace tomorrow at 2 pm and to bring her bubble machine. The Queen would like to commission one for the Palace. Marigold agrees to bring the backup she made for Masha and the Bear and will gladly sell it.

Returning to the South Gate Hotel, Branna finds a message from her parents. They report that Dhuka is slaying the dragon with local children, and they will keep her here in St. Gleb until Wednesday. 

With the score now “found,” Branna decides to make a list of things that went missing. She gathers the crew and compiles the following information:

• Ioulia’s brooch, which she inherited from her mother, and the score she was working on. 
• Herald’s collection of love letters is a significant stash of correspondence from various women, ranging from high-society figures like Lady Astral to waterfront workers. 
• Dhuka’s pink unicorn stuffed animal, which Mon got for her in Katarina. 
• A bottle of Chateau Durso Sunset Vintage, an expensive wine that Vadim had “borrowed" from the Legendary abandoned wine cellar.
• A set of sketchbooks and pencils, used by one of the Legendary’s artists to document her observations of the theater and its residents. 
• A silver bracelet, a unique piece featuring comedy and tragedy masks that Luba had purchased at Gemstone Harbor. 
• Lilia’s stage management logs. As the stage manager for the Second Crew, she maintained the official records and schedules for the Konstantina performances. Someone’s Disheveled Traveling Gear: The belongings of Mon’s former understudy, who had recently returned from a harrowing stay in the Cathedral jail. 
• Solomiya’s conductor batons, the tools of the orchestra's conductor, who is part of the troop residing at the hotel. 
• The troop's accounting ledger.
• The delivery manifest for all of the costumes, props, and other items used by the Legendary’s crew for their performance of Masha and the Bear.
• Albina’s annotated script. As Luba’s understudy, she would possess her own copy of the play's script for her role in the chorus.
• Vadim's personal grooming kit.

If the items turn up somewhere, Branna requests that she be informed so she can take them off the list. With things now written down, the crew shifts to preparing for this evening’s performance.

Meanwhile, in Katarina, Archduke Maksimillian III welcomes King Stanislas II back to the Katarina Palace for the last ball of the King’s stay.