Monday, July 11, 1066 SE, continued
As they consider the ramifications of the explosion of the King’s ship in Katarina, Mon thinks quickly. Does the Cardinal wear something unique on his person? If so, he could use his locate object spell to see if the Cardinal is indeed in Konstantina or if the reports of him escaping from Katarina are wrong. He rakes his brains, but can’t remember. When he mentions this to Marigold, she remembers that every time she has seen the Cardinal, he has always worn a distinctive golden cross on a fine gold chain around his neck. Now alerted to this detail, Mon wonders if he should painstakingly crisscross the city and attempt to locate said cross. Marigold then reminds Mon and Branna of the story that asserts that pirate Captain Lafoy supposedly stole Cardinal Feodore’s ancestral golden cross during a daring raid on a rural parish southeast of Konstantina when Feodore served as a priest in the local church. However, she mentions that every time she’s been close to him, he has worn a large golden cross on a fine golden chain. Mon thinks that this is a promising possibility.
Sir Sergeii arrives at the Grand Royal Opera with three page boys who are carrying heavy-looking wicker picnic baskets. He announces to the crew, who had to sleep at the theater, that the walled city gates remain closed, so he’s bought breakfast from the Furry Rabbit for everyone. Additionally, due to the recent events, tonight’s performance is postponed to a later date. As the grateful crew digs into the pastries and quiches, Mon asks Sir Sergeii if he had the opportunity to see St. Boris. Sir Sergeii reports he was not able to see the St. Boris neighborhood on his travel from his townhouse to the restaurant and here, and he doesn’t know whether the riots have ended or even if the entire neighborhood has burned to the ground.
While Marigold and Branna eat breakfast, Mon leaves the Grand Royal Opera and heads to the northwest corner of the walled city. The city’s guard remains deployed on the walls, so Mon climbs a tree taller than the walls and gets a good look at St. Boris. He sees that parts of the neighborhood are still rioting, and battles are occurring between hooligans and guards. The shipyards and the business district are also under attack. More worrisome to the actor, however, is the army that has assembled and pitched camp on the Rivermouth parkland, right across the river from St. Boris. Returning to the Grand Royal Opera, Mon shares his observations with Marigold and Branna.
They come up with a plan. They will search for a discreet entrance into the sewers, then look for a passage that leads to the underground complex they discovered yesterday. Mon suggests they should start at Gwen’s Fine Textiles, the store owned by Branna’s parents, so they can check their basement for access. With the rioting continuing outside the walls, all of the shops in the walled city are closed. Branna retrieves the key to the back door’s lock, and they enter through the back courtyard. Inside the production space, Branna scans the shelves and retrieves some fabric chalk. As they walk through the shop, Marigold steps on a loose board, creating a loud creaking sound, but, to everyone’s relief, no one comes to investigate.
Descending the stairs, they explore the basement, finding boxes of fabric, buttons, and accessories, along with old furniture and some tools. Searching for a secret door or entrance into the sewers, Branna discovers a small secret space underneath a workbench. Inside are three small chests with the Gwen’s family crest, all covered with a heavy layer of dust. Branna had never heard of these chests, and she suspects her parents don’t know they are there either. She decides to put them back without opening any of them, before covering them with another layer of dust. With no obvious entry into the sewers, they return to the Grand Royal Opera.
Back at the theater, Mon discusses the ramifications of the King’s death with Sir Sergeii. With the Crown Prince also gone, the royal line of succession is in jeopardy. The Queen, being a foreigner, cannot assume the throne, nor can their eldest daughter, Princess Darina, having married the Natavian Crown Prince, is no longer eligible to rule, and Princess Elara, who supposedly died in
Mon wonders if Sir Sergeii, as cousin to the King, could marry the Queen and assume the throne. Sir Sergeii visibly winces at the idea, before recovering and mentioning that he doesn’t have enough support among the local nobles to even think about launching a claim to the throne. Instead, he is worried he could become a target to be eliminated by a pretender to the throne.
Curious to see if Sir Sergeii’s townhouse, which abuts the old square, might have basement access to the sewers, Mon comes up with an ingenious plan. He suggests to the noble that, due to the theater being closed tonight, perhaps they could get a tour of Sir Sergeii’s townhouse. Sir Sergeii perks up at the idea, and immediately agrees. He invites the entire crew over for a dinner party, before leaving the Grand Royal Opera to organize the catering and the entertainment, with renewed vigor in his step.
Within the hour, all Legendary staff members receive personalized invitations to Sir Sergeii’s townhouse starting at 6 pm sharp. Light snacks and entertainment will be provided, and the dress code is business casual.
Returning to the task at hand, the three companions turn themselves invisible, and they start looking for an entrance to the sewers in the Grand Royal Opera. After some exploration, they find a rusted door in the basement that feels damp. Mon casts prestidigitation to remove the rust, while Marigold uses the same spell to add oil to the hinges. Removing the bar blocking the door, they open it and find themselves on a sewer landing, traveling east and west. It is barely tall enough for Marigold, and both Branna and Mon have to crouch to travel, but, thankfully, there is a ledge they can follow. They take the bar with them before closing the door and heading west. Marigold leaves a chalk mark every 5 feet or so as they crawl through the sewers
As they reach under the city walls, they find a door in an iron grate blocking access to the other side of the walled city. The door appears well maintained. They backtrack east, connect to a north-south sewer line, before connecting to another east-west connector under the Grand Avenue. This connector is larger, and Mon can easily stand. They head west and find a similar setup. Using knock, Marigold unlocks the door, and they cross outside the city walls. They find another north-south connector, and find their way back to the other side of the first iron grate they encountered. After walking a short distance, they figure they are near the South Gate Hotel. Mon climbs out of the sewer first, pushing the heavy iron lid aside. Their assumption was correct; they find themselves less than a block away from their residence.
Mon comes back down, and they come up with a plan to make sure that, since they are invisible, they don’t bump into each other as they climb the ladder and exit the sewer. They manage to do so without attracting attention, and after Marigold and Branna become visible in the alleyway, Marigold casts prestidigitation to remove the sewer muck from their clothes and boots before entering the hotel. Mon, who stayed invisible, enters the hotel with them.
They find Hennadii sitting at the reception counter. Hennadii confirms that everyone and everything is fine at the hotel, and he confirms that Herald is the only current resident of the South Gate Hotel, as he failed to enter the walled city before the gates were closed. Hennadii expresses some concerns about supplies with the rioting going on in St. Boris, but because the crew is not here for breakfast and dinner, his foodstuffs are fine for a few weeks.
They return to Marigold and Branna’s new room, and they enter through the secret door. Mon attempts to locate the spoon, but finds they are not within 1000 feet of where he placed it. Mon borrows a button from Banna and inscribes it with a magical rune so he can also locate it. And with that, they are back inside the dungeon …
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