Legendary Campaign - The Girl Who Haunts the Legendary

Wednesday, May 17, 1066 SE

With Marigold and Branna staying the night at Luba's house to help feel better following her arrest and release, Mon discovered that someone has traveled through a little-used secret passage underneath the Legendary's main stage. Following the passage, Mon travels up several flights of stairs. On the third floor, he discovers that a secret door leads to the hallway that connects all of the loges to the lobby, and, conveniently, the loge directly in front of the secret door is that of the Archduke's royal lodge. Keeping this in mind, Mon continues up the rickety stairs to the fourth floor, which leads to a hallway that parallels the attic of the main roof over the stage and back towards the workshops. The passage then climbs one more set of stairs, to reach a crawl space in the roof on the fifth floor of the building. Clearly this is a "recent" addition to the building.

At the end of the hallway, there is an old wooden door that has been condemned. A warning sign in block letters reads condemned, danger on it. The area is filled with dust, but as Mon takes a closer look he notices that it is unnaturally spread out, indicating that someone has recently spread dust around. As he gets closer to the door, he trips a wire that has been strung across the hallway, and a bucket of yellow paint comes down from the ceiling. Mon catches it before it spills its content. He cuts the wire, and carefully puts the bucket by the door. Opening the door, he carefully steps into the room, catching the second bucket that had been positioned above the door. He also places that one on the ground next to the door.

This windowless crawl space in the roof has been converted into a small living quarter. With the ceiling no higher than six feet at its apex, the room feels cramped but organized. A worn mattress lays on the floor, covered by a blanket that seems to emit starlight. Mannequins stand around the room, wearing outlandish outfits made up of clothes and items that have gone missing from the theater over the years. A table with two chairs is pushed against a corner. Children's drawings are pinned to most walls, and Mon recognizes many of them as representations of the leading actresses wearing their costumes for various productions. Another small door in the opposite wall leads out of this room, and Mon does not find any trap on that one. The room is currently empty.

Mon spots one of the mannequins that vaguely ressembles him, so he undresses it, then hides it. He then puts on the mistmatch outfit, before assuming the same pose. Since he does not need to breathe, Mon stands still, and awaits the return of the room's occupant.

Just before dawn, a child of about 12 carrying a small lantern enters the room through a second door built in what was previously a chimney. Wearing street clothes and a hat, the child takes off a backpack and a hat, revealing hair pinned to a head. Mon realizes that the child is a girl. She opens her backpack and removes a loaf of bread, a small wheel of cheese, fruits, and several newspapers. She also remove a sketchbook and pencils, and places everything on the table. She sets a trap on the chimney door, before taking some food and eats a quick meal. She then lifts her mattress, and takes a book. She writes a few notes in it, before placing it once again under the bed. She changes into night clothes, lays down, and is soon asleep.

Employing mage hand, Mon carefully removes the book from the mattress. He comes close to waking up the girl, but after waiting for her to fall into a deep sleep again he successfully takes the book. 

Quietly flipping through the girl's journal, Mon learns that the girl's name is Dukha, and she has lives up in this secret attic apartment for seven years. She originally moved here with her older sister Anya. Her sister left 18 months ago to meet someone, and she never returned, leaving Dukha alone. She has been fending for herself ever since. Over the years, the girls have learned all of the secret passages within the Legendary, and they have collected lots of gossip over the years. 

The journal shows a strong difference between Anya and Dukha's writings. The older sister was more interested in political intrigues, and she noted much information about the rich and powerful who attended plays, while the younger sister reported on clothes, the different performances, and gossip between the actors. Based on the journal, Anya was systematically spying on the Cardinal, and noted everything that he said at every performance he attended for the four years before her disappearance. Many of the notes indicate that the Cardinal mentioned an oak leaf to the men that were present in his private loge during one of the performances. Dukha, for her part, does not mention any specific rumor about Luba since her arrival last year, but it is clear that she has been watching her for the last year. Lots of the drawings in the journal shows the various actresses, but more than half of them are of Luba.

The journals also contain many maps of the Legendary and its secret passages. A secret exit emerges right across to the entrance of the Archduke's royal lodge. A passageway that connects to one of the secret hallways allow someone of smaller stature to crawl in between the 2nd ceiling and the 3rd floor underneath the Archduke's royal loge. Such a passage is also present under the Cardinal's private loge.

Mon takes the opportunity to copy those maps, before carefully putting the journal back under the bed. Before leading, Mon crafts a note for Dukha, indicating that he is his fairy godparent, and she ever needs help she can leave her green teddy bear on part of the stage where it might not be noticeable, with a note explaining what assistance she needs. He then carefully resets the trap Dukha placed, before heading down the chimney and emerging through an chimney cleaning access point in an abandoned basement filled with old set pieces.

Taking several secret passages, Mon eventually climbs a set of stairs and emerges by the set design workshop, where he runs into Pavel. The jovial man takes one look at him and explodes in laughter. Mon did not change out of the mannequin's outfit when he left, and he looks absolutely ridiculous. Mon explains why he's wearing this particular outfit, and, leaving the head carpenter, he heads to the costume department.  

Meanwhile, following yesterday's dangerous encounter with the Cardinal, Luba had been escorted home, and Marigold and Branna had agreed to spend the night with her. After waking up late in the morning, Luba makes them breakfast, then they all return to the Legendary. 

Branna and Marigold run into Mon, who is coming out of the costumes. He tells them about Dukha, and asks Branna to create him a stylized fairy functioning costume that looks like what he was wearing as the mannequin. He will use the outfit Dukha put together for when he returns with the green bear, if she ever leaves it for him. Mon considers that this incident has the potential of becoming a play. In his spare time he will write a script.

Armed with information about the oak leaf, Mon considers letting the Cardinal know that Herald is connected to the oak somehow. Perhaps he could leave a semi-hidden note in the Cardinal's private loge revealing that Herald plays a major role in the organization and should be thoroughly interrogated. He returns to the Palace, changes into his own clothes, and hides the costume.

Returning to the theatre, Mon receives a message from a page. The note is from Luba, and she invites him to the Warm Whistle at five for dinner, to debrief the events of the previous day and to properly thank him. Mon sends a reply back agreeing to the meeting, and as the page leaves, he realizes that the outfit he wears was very similar to the one Dukha had on when she returned to her apartment...

Oksana observes Branna building the costume Mon requested, and on the third time she mentions that it's a pretty hideous outfit she's working on. Branna tells her this is a commission, and Oksana gives her several suggestions to improve the outfit. Mon pays Marinka a visit. As head writer for the Legendary, Marinka is responsible for more than two third of the best performing plays shown at the theater in the last six years. He tells her of his idea, and she provides him with helpful feedback on how to improve it, including that a villain is needed to solidify the plot. She agrees to work with Mon, and mentions that once they have a rough draft in writing they could present it to Sir Gregory Tsaplin and see if he would be willing to commission the play.

In the late afternoon, Mon changes and dresses for his date with Luba. He spends some time cleaning Herald's side of the room, and he finds many love letters, from Lady Astral all the way to lowly serving wenches at some of the seediest establishments on the waterfront. He sorts them by category, and he plans on returning them without monetary compensation unless the woman is married, in which case he will hang on to them for now. Traveling to Blossom Boutique, Mon purchases a bouquet of yellow roses and irises from Roksolana, the owner. He then heads to the Warm Whistle, where he is warmly greeted by Nastasia. Luba soon joins him.

Luba gives him the silver bracelet with comedy and tragedy masks she had purchased at Gemstone Harbor. Mon remembers reading in Dukha's journal that though Ulan and Kisa are always looking like they get along swimmingly in public, they hate each other with a passion privately. He shares this information with Luba, who appreciates it, and they have a good laugh. He then escorts her home. Luba stands in the window with her cat Bahzen and waves at him before closing the window curtains.

Meanwhile, Marigold tinker some locks for the inventory so that items no longer missing. She protects the lockers that contain the props for the current and upcoming productions. She also fashions better locks for her and Branna and Mon's rooms at the Palace.

Branna visits the Anchor's Luck. She meets Captain Popov, and they get bread. The Captain's health is good, but luck has deserted him, and he owes a few pieces of silver to Ivan, the owner of the tavern. When Branna steps to the bar to purchase a few more rounds, she asks Ivan, who mentions the Captain's bill of three silvers is due. He also suggests that one of the Captain's friends may be cheating at cards, explaining the Captain's recent series of losses. They talk about what happened at the warehouse, and she mentions the disappearance of Anya. Captain Popov tells her he will start asking questions, but without more information he doesn't have much to go on. She pays the Captain's bill before leaving.

Before the next show, Mon wants to visit the Cardinal's box. He will sit in the Cardinal's seat, and see where he can hide a note for him to find, to cast aspersion on Herald.

Thursday, May 18, 1066 SE

After breakfast at the Palace, Mon looks for the green bear in the corner he indicated, but he does not see it. He works towards memorizing his lines for the upcoming performance of General Toptigin Cheats Death. He describes Dukha to Branna and Marigold. Branna for her part tells Mon about what she learned from Captain Popov. 

In the evening, Branna returns to the Anchor's Luck. Once again the Captain and his friends are by their favorite table, playing cards and drinking ale. A newcomer has also joined the group. Popov introduces Branna to Captain Alexy. Both of them served together in the Royal Sezjan Navy years ago, and they have kept in touch ever since. Branna tells Popov about Dukha and her circumstances. Captain Popov tells her that his feelers have heard the name, but that he needs more details to get more information.

On the way home, Branna hears two of the Cardinal's men talking about the Luba incident. They discuss how a powerful lawyer got her out on a technicality, but that  Sir Gregory's got a surprise coming soon and his lawyer won't be able to help him this time ...

Legendary Campaign - Luba is Missing!

 Tuesday, May 16, 1066 SE

Following the successful curtain call of Masha and the Bear, the cast of the Second Unit enjoyed a well deserved cast party, and a couple days off, while the First Unit completes its preparations for Opening Night on Thursday the 18th. This morning, a message was posted at the Palace and at the Legendary that the Second Unit would meet in the theatre's lobby at 11 am to discuss the upcoming production.

Mon is surprised that Herald has not returned to his room since the cast party Saturday night. The rogue left with a female friend, and has not been seen since. Mon silently prays that he will miss the call and perhaps finally be let go from the theatre. As he thinks about Herald, however, a suppressed memory sparks up in his mind. He remembers a warm summer day in his youth where he was playing with a friend of his outside, and the friend fell down a small cliff and broke his left arm and wrist. The friend's father had forbade Mon from ever being with his friend again, and though the two of them would meet in secret afterwards, the relationship was never the same. This also reminds Mon that though he used to enjoy keeping secrets, now he doesn't like it, limiting himself to only keeping necessary secrets.

Mon spikes Herald's wine to contribute to the rogue's misery and possibility that he will miss the call. Meeting his two friends in the Palace's cafeteria, Mon notifies Marigold and Branna of Herald's absense. They express concern that he is still involved with Lady Astral. Asking around, Branna finds that the closest estimate is similar to that of Mon, except that her reports indicate Herald was fairly inebriated at the time of his departure.

Marigold, Branna and Mon return to the Legendary, and since they have an hour or two before the cast call, they meander through the theatre, looking for signs of sabotage or for people who do not belong. With the First Cast busy getting the last touches done, there are a lot of people in the theatre they do not recognize, but all of them are accompanied by theatre personnel. They also do not discover any sign of sabotage or people or objects missing.

Visiting the secret passages that traverse the Legendary, Mon finds that someone has walked in the passage directly underneath the stage. This passage must have been used at some point to lift someone in and out of the stage, as there is a trapdoor directly behind the curtain. The equipment has not been maintained, and the gears that would facilitate the platform raising from the passage to the scene have not been greased in many years. The mixture of flour and dye that Mon used shows evidence that either a child or a halfling has walked through here multiple times in the last two weeks.

Mon reports his findings, and notes that his powder wears off after twenty or thirty feet. Marigold fixes this problem by concocting a mixture of her own. She mixes grease and a fine metallic powder and smears it on the door knobs of two of the doors in the less-traveled tunnels. Now anyone using these doors in the secret passages will leave a mark wherever they go, since her mixture does not come off very easily.

With the Second Unit crew and cast assembling in the Legendary's opulent lobby, Marigold and Mon split up, so they can watch the crowd as the cast list is announced. Branna stands with the rest of the crew. Sir Gregory Tsaplin welcomes everyone, and thanks them for a great run of Masha and the Bear. Due to the critical and financial success of the production, he is awarding everyone a bonus of 3 silvers. He then turns the floor over to Yurchik, who presents the next production.

Yurchik explains that the Second Crew will be presenting General Toptigin Cheats Death. This musical is divided in three acts:

• Act 1, a young wagon driver named Yamshik and his fiancee named Fedya are traveling back to their hometown after delivering bolts of cloth. They comes upon a battlefield where two armies recently fought. The battlefield is littered with the dead, with only a few wounded soldiers still alive. Among them is the great General Toptigin, hero of the homeland. Having cheated Death many times before during battles, the great general is grievously wounded, nevertheless Yamshik offers him a ride so that the great man is not left to the crows . So thankful, the General pledges any favor in his power to give. The three of them share stories as they arrive at an inn that night.
• Act 2: During the night the inn is visited by Death, who is here to claim the General, as he should have died on the battlefield. The innkeeper, with Yamshik and Fedya’s help, manage to disguise the General, and though hurt the General engages in a battle of wits with Death.
• Act 3: As Death comes closer to discover the General’s true identity, Yamshik realizes that he must sacrifice himself to fool Death. The General will not hear of it, however, and reveals himself to Death. In the climactic battle scene, the General is about to defeat Death, but not before Yamshik and Fedya are mortally wounded. The General tells Death that he will give himself up if Death will spare Yamshik and Fedya. Death agrees, but as it bends down to collect Toptigin's soul, Yamshik, in tears, tells the General he can’t go, because he owes him a favor and his favor is that the General remains in the world of the living. Confounded by this pledge and its consequences, Death departs alone, and the General cheats Death yet again.

Yurchik then pulls the cast list. All actors, including Herald, are awarded roles according to their rankings within the theatre. However, Yurchik poses before announcing that, in consultation with Marinka, the first author, Mon is appointed to the role of Death. His performance during Masha and the Bear was outstanding, and he is being rewarded with a bigger role. Vadim quips that it makes sense, as Mon already looks like a corpse.

While expressing reservations, Yurchik appoints Luba to Fedya's role, and he is more enthousiastic about appointing Vadim to the role of Yamshik.

With the roles distributed, Sir Gregory Tsaplin walks through the crowd and talks to everyone. He congratulates Mon on his upcoming role as Death. He asks Marigold if she could make some modifications to her bubble machine as he would like to use it at a future party at his estate. He also tasks Branna to make the costume for Death. After about an hour, the Legendary's owner departs with his manservant Ony.

After Sir Gregory Tsaplin leaves, the various Departments meet to strategize how best to approach this show. The work of setting up the play will begin tomorrow. Mon receives a copy of the script he will need to rehearse. As Death, he doesn't say much, but he is present in most of the scenes in Acts 2 and 3.

In discussions with the props department, Marigold says she hopes to recreate the sounds of cannons, along with the smoke, to make the battle scene for Act 1 look even more realistic. Branna will pull the costume of Death that was used three productions ago and will greatly modify it, so that it seems like a brand new costume for this production.

As Mon reviews his lines, he overheads Vadim and Ulan talk about Luba. Both of them whisper to each other, but with his great hearing Mon realizes that they are discussing the fact that Luba was not at the casting call. Neither was Herald, but nobody noticed or cared. Worried, Mon decides to pay the actress a visit. He knows where Luba lives, because he has followed her before, to ensure that she made it home safely. She lives in the west side, about 15 minutes away. Mon rushes to her house to let her know the casting news. He purchases flowers at the florist, with a sign that congratulates her on earning the role.

After knocking on the door and hearing no response, Mon explores Luba's small backyard, and he finds that the fire pit was recently used to burn letters. Examining the remnants, he discovers that they were most likey letters with what appears to be male handwriting. Luba's laundry is drying on the line, and no one seems to be watching. Mon picks the lock of Luba's backyard door, and enters the residence. Luba's cat greets him loudly, but after a perusal of the home Mon finds nothing amiss, and there was no sign of struggle. He leaves the cat behind, and locks the door before departing.

Mon travels to the Warm Whistle, where he is informed by Nastasia, the owner, that Luba was indeed here the previous day. She met with her agent, then left. She did say she was running a few errands, then would return home and spend the night with a good book and a bottle of wine. The owner says that Luba likes to reward herself after a production by purchasing a small jewelry at the Gemstone Harbor, so that's where she might have gone next.

Once at the Gemstone Harbor, Mon talks with Veronika, the owner. She is surprised that Luba would mist a casting call, and she worries that something might have happened to her. The actress did indeed stop by yesterday, and she purchased a small silver bracelet designed for a male. Veronika thought this was strange, because usually Luba lets her propose several different pieces, but yesterday she really had her eyes set on that particular bracelet. Luba paid for the bracelet and left with it in a small box. Veronika then proposes a silver necklace to Mon, which is very fine and of Elvish craftmanship. In the right light, it looks like mithral. Mon agrees to purchase the necklace. Veronika then mentions that Luba was going next door to the winery.

Mon thanks her, then heads next door. At the Kaleidoscope Winery, Mon learns from Viveka that Luba was indeed here yesterday. She purchased two bottles of wine, one red, one white, and she left them here. She had an errand to run in Low Town, then was coming back to pick up her bottles. She never returned.

Exploring Low Town, Mon comes across her broken parasol in the gutter of an alley a block and a half away from the Anchor's Luck. Hoping to find Captain Popov, Mon is informed that the Captain hasn't arrived yet, but several of the old timers saw the incident. The report that the actress was walking down the street yesterday when she was ambushed by the Cardinal's men. She put up a fight, but was eventually thrown in the back of a jail wagon, and she was taken uptown, presumably to the Cathedral. 

Mon rushes back to Legendary, where he finds Pavel. He informs the head carpenter of the events that transpired yesterday. Pavel tells Mon to locate Sir Gregory Tsaplin's solicitor, Sir Matviy, and ask him to intervene. Pavel gives the bard directions. For his part, Pavel will activate his network of relations in Low Town and see if he can gather more information. He will also send a message to Sir Gregory Tsaplin and report on what has been happening. Pavel instructs Mon to reconvene back at the Legendary at 4 pm.

Meanwhile, while Mon is running about town trying to find the actress, Branna looks for the Death costume. She discovers that the hood is missing, even though on the inventory it clearly shows that it was there when turned in to the clothes' archives. She locks what remains of the costume in her cabinet, and leaves a note for Oskana.

Marigold is working hard on props when she is interrupted by Ony, who talks with her about Sir Gregory Tsaplin's upcoming party and the role that the bubble machine will play. He would like bubbles that are different shades of blue, with a hint of green, and also once in a while yellow bubbles that look like lillies. Marigold inquires what the flower should look like. Ony does not know, but he will find out and confirm with her. Marigold thinks she could adjust the motor and creates more permanent bubbles.

Mon locates Marigold and Branna, and informs them of what has happened. Marigold gets some ball bearings and grease, in case they run into the Cardinal's men. The three of them then head out to the solicitor's office. Marigol notifies Nadie, the head of security at the Legendary of what happened to Luba, and Nadie agrees to spread the word that no one on the staff should be outside by themselves. They soon locate the office of Sir Matviy, Gregory Tsaplin's solicitor. They are greeted by Maria, Sir Matviy's secretary. Once in the solicitor's office. Mon explains everything. The solicitor orders his coach, and plans to head to the Cathedral. Mon stays behind at the law office, but Marigold and Branna will accompany him there.

Sir Matviy, Branna and Marigold are denied access to the Cathedral's offices at first, but after insisting they are taken directly to the Cardinal's office, a very ornate room larger than the Legendary's lobby. There the Cardinal readily admits that Luba had been arrested, but he pleads it was an innocent mistake. When asked why he had not released her, the Cardinal points out that she was hysterical, and he didn't want to release a distraught person to the street, where she could be harmed. Luba is soon produced, and she is released to Sir Matviy.

Back at the solicitor's office, Luba recounts her tale. She was walking in Low Town to meet a friend when she was viciously attacked by the Cardinal's men. She was taken to jail, where she was asked to strip and change into uncomfortable clothes. They also confiscated the bracelet she had bought for Mon. She was interrogated all night about an oak leaf, and about the dark oak leaf. She didn't know what any of this meant, but her torturers were vicious. Luba has bruises on her body to back up her claims. 

Luba also notes that she thinks she heard Herald while in the jail. Instead of being thrilled at playing the role of Fedya,  the actress is despondent and thinks about quitting and returning to Sezja. Mon bolsters her spirits, and she agrees to return to her home. Marigold and Branna will spend the night there with her, to make sure she's comfortable and protected. Mon mentions to Sir Matviy that Herald probably is in the Cathedral's jail, but unlike Luba, they don't have proof. The solicitor agrees to return to the Cathedral and investigate the matter further.

Returning to the Legendary, Mon discovers metallic handprints on the secret door leading towards the attic ....

Legendary Campaign - Meeting Captain Popov at the Anchor's Luck

Tuesday, March 29th, 1066 SE

As a golem Mon does not need to sleep, but he still lays in his bed, pretending to sleep. Around five in the morning, he hears loud footsteps climbing the stairs, then making their way down to his room. The door barges open, and Mon pretends to be awakened by Herald who loudly enters the room in. The man looks very disheveled, and his cheeks and shirt collar are covered with lipstick prints. He crashes on top of his bed and instantly falls asleep. Mon waits a few minutes, then begins to whisper in Herald's ears. Soon, the actor begins talking in his sleep, dropping the name Lady Astral. Mon lays down again, and at six he gets up and heads down to the cafeteria.

Marigold wakes up to find Lena already readying herself for her job at the marketing department. Cheerful, she waves Marigold goodbye and heads out. The halfling gets up and starts her morning routine. In her room, Branna finds that Ola has already left, since she works in the kitchen. The elf gets dressed, then heads downstairs. Mon, Marigold and Branna meet on the third floor, and they make their way a few flights of stairs to the ground floor. Mon is the first to notice that the cafeteria sounds eerily quiet, as three residents quickly climb the stairs. Marigold then spots three of the Cardinal's men in the lobby, talking in whispers with the clerk at the front desk. Marigold and Branna make their way to the food line and get food. Mon takes a slower approach and swerves closer to the guards, so that he can overheard the conversation taking place between the guards and the clerk. Evidently, the Cardinal's men are looking for a dandy with blond hair and lipstick all over his face. That popinjay is wanted for shaming Lady Natalia Astral, the wife of Nikita Astral, a wealthy merchant and personal friend of Cardinal Feodore. The clerk does not know if such a person is in the building, but Mon sure does, as he's upstairs in his bedroom. Mon grabs a little food and joins his friends at the table in the corner. Branna greets Joseph, who is still working on clothes design in his notebook. He exchanges quiet pleasantries, but soon departs.

The hushed discussions taking place throughout the cafeteria are soon interrupted when Pavel enters the room. Cheers erupt as the master carpenter makes his way to the food line, dropping a kind word or shaking the hand of every person he meets. He soon finds himself sitting at the table in the corner. Pavel shovels food in his mouth as he talks, making conversation with the three friends. The Cardinal's men loudly threaten the clerk that they will return with reinforcements and they will search the building from top to bottom. Pavel soon mentions that Herald obviously might have had too much to drink, and he jokingly questions Mon on whether anyone should warn the actor that the morality policy is coming for him. With his food finished, Pavel departs for the theater, but not before "accidentally" knocking into one of the guards left at the door. Branna takes this occasion to visit the kitchen and greets Ola, her roommate.

Returning to his room, Mon finds Herald still sleeping. As he softly snores, Mon hears Herald talking about Captain Lafoy, a famous pirate rumored to have plied his trade around the island of Katarina. Evidently, Herald believes that Lady Astral knows the pirate captain. Aware that the Palace will be searched, Mon hides his dagger and rapier behind Herald's wardrobe, counting on the fact that the room is so messy no one will bother diligently searching it. He then leaves the room, Herald still sleeping soundly.

As members of the Second Crew, Marigold, Branna and Mon assemble with the rest of the workers on the second stage. Yurchik, the theater manager, begins reviewing the arc of Masha and the Bear, the play scheduled to start in five weeks. In Act 1, the fair maiden Masha, played by Luba, finds herself in the forest with her friends collecting mushrooms when she was ambushed by a bear, played by Vadim, and brought back to its lair. In Act 2, Masha learns how to live with the bear and plots her escape. In Act 3, Masha convinces the bear to take pies she just baked to her parents, and hides herself in the basket instead. Once at the village, dogs scare the bear, and Masha is reunited with her parents and her friends, the final song closes the show. Yurchik then asks each department head to meet with their staff and come up with all necessary items and directions to make this production a success.

Luba, female star of the Second Crew

As an extra, Mon is handed a script. He is assigned the part of Extra #7, and he is instructed to begin reading the script and return tomorrow for the first rough blocking session. Luba asks him if he would be interested in reading the script with her at her favorite coffee shop, the Warm Whistle, where the food is delicious and the drinks are refreshing. Mon soon realizes that Luba is a serious actress, as she spends the whole morning reading through her script and learning her lines. They eventually begin sharing lines with each other, and Mon's prodigious memory allows him to memorize the entire script after two readings.

Masha's Forest Outfit

Oskana and her team of seamstresses discuss the clothing choices for all of the characters. Oskana offers Branna the opportunity to design Masha's outfits for Act 1 and Act 2. Branna soon produces two beautiful drawings of outfits, and begins to work on turning her vision into a reality.

Masha's Act 2 Outfit

As prop master, Dusana solicits his team's ideas for the props that Masha will be using throughout the play. Marigold suggests a set of collapsible mushrooms that look like umbrella. She also proposes a collapsible pie with a smoke generator inside of it to generate the appearence of a warm pie just pulled out of the oven. Dusana is suitably impressed. 

Working on the construction crew assembling the set for Masha and the Bear, Pavel takes frequent breaks, encourages everyone, and lends a hand where needed.

During dinner, Mon questions Marigold and Branna about Captain Lafoy. Marigold remembers hearing that Captain Lafoy once conducted a daring raid on a cathedral on the mainland, and stole a gold cross. She recalls that Cardinal Feodore was the man of faith in charge of that church at the time. Mon tells them what he overheard Herald say in his sleep, and that Lady Astral and Lafoy may have been an item once. Marigold speculates that this is why the Cardinal is now in Lady Astral's business.

During dinner that night, they are approached by Pavel, who sits at their table to chat before getting his own food and returning to his room. After some banter, Pavel asks them to meet an old friend of his, Captain Popov, down at the Anchor's Luck, on the waterfront, and deliver an envelope. First they are to play three hands of cards with him, and bet three coppers each time. They must lose all three hands on purpose, then give him the envelope. This is how Popov will know Pavel sent them, but it keeps this connection secret, in case anyone is watching.

On their way there, Mon, Marigold and Branna witness four of the Cardinal's men berating two youths leaning against windows of a shop. The men quickly stop when one of the Archduke's patrols emerge from a side street, and move along, but not before exchanging a glance with the youth. Mon commits the faces of the youths and of the Cardinal's men to memory.

Captain Popov

Arriving at the Anchor's Luck, they are greeted by Ivan, the owner. Inquiries reveal that Captain Illich Popov sits at the table in the corner, closest to the fireplace. They find the old man there, playing cards with three other individuals who look just as old. They sit at the table, and join in the card game. Mon misunderstood Pavel's directions, and he manages not to communicate the secret message. Marigold reminds him of Pavel's specific instructions, and Mon plays another three rounds of cards, this time following the instructions to the letter. 

Captain Popov is pleased to meet the young folks sent by his friend Pavel, and he shares several stories of his sea voyages and his fishing adventures, all more unbelievable than the last one. When Ivan announces that it is time to close up. Captain Popov hands each of his new friends a neatly pressed and dried oak leaf from a small booklet retrieved from his pocket. All three of them are aware that there are no oak trees on the island of Katarina. He thanks them, and they walk him back to his hovel apartment on the second floor of a building a block away from the tavern. The three of them then return to the Palace after a night well spent...