Chapter Summaries

Rorschach prepared to leave Valuana for Istarani, receiving supplies and a Storage Bag from Kano as unrest drove Mages and nobles out of the city. Francois led the Noble Faction’s escape to the Sub-plane, destroyed the Teleportation Array behind him, and left Rorschach’s carriage heading south with the former prime minister.

• Rorschach arranged for Andre’s family to travel north with the Alchemy Department’s convoy and accepted Kano’s enchanted Storage Bag, gold, and magical materials.
• Kano warned Rorschach to seek the Guild’s help if his investigation in Istarani became dangerous, and Rorschach set out as a Special Commissioner for the Guild, agency, and church.
• Nobles fled Valuana amid unrest, while Duke Merowinger’s son registered as a Mage under the surname Equality.
• Francois and the Noble Faction sent nobles and serfs through the portal to the Sub-plane, where the Mages controlled access to water and travel.
• After his family entered the Sub-plane, Francois detonated the bombs under the Teleportation Array and followed them through.
• The former prime minister traveled south by carriage toward the Eternal City as the explosion destroyed the Shaleanna Mining Company’s last property.

As the emperor recuperated, the prince urged the empire to exploit upheavals in the Holy Kingdom, while Chancellor Otto counseled caution and Agency Chief Sabins investigated reports of angels and riots. Sabins changed his flight plans after sensing danger, but both airships bound for the retreat exploded, killing everyone aboard.

• The prince asked Chancellor Otto about the emperor's condition and cursed the physicians, Mages, and Order Church for failing to help his father.
• The prince urged an immediate military campaign, but Otto warned that grain shortages and relations with Istarani required further preparation.
• Agency Chief Sabins received Rorschach's report about Archangel Seraph, the heretical cults, and the revolt in Basti.
• Sabins sensed danger and switched from the special flight to an ordinary passenger airship.
• Both airships exploded over the empire, leaving no survivors.

Rorschach arrived in Storm City, secured the inn’s last vacant room, and began investigating the city by visiting the Istarani Museum. There, he unexpectedly ran into Singlev.

• Rorschach entered Storm City after customs approved his identification and Mage Emblem.
• Rorschach accepted the inn’s last room, which had been reserved for a mage who had not returned in two months.
• Rorschach booked the room for ten days and decided to visit the Istarani Museum as the first step in his investigation.
• Rorschach examined the museum’s White Dragon skeletons and read that the Tower of Storms had donated them.
• Rorschach bumped into a dwarf and recognized him as Singlev.

Rorschach and Singlev toured a museum in Istarani, where dragon remains and a condescending exhibition of Grey Elf culture led Rorschach to question how the exhibits had been obtained. The curator, Benedict Conchi, introduced himself after Rorschach described the Grey Elf display as a conquered civilization put on view.

• Rorschach unexpectedly met Singlev at an Istarani museum, where they examined a White Dragon skeleton and debated the relationship between the dragons.
• Rorschach and Singlev viewed the White Dragon's preserved vascular network and organs before moving on to the Grey Elf exhibition.
• Rorschach examined Grey Elf artifacts and a damaged marble slab, recognizing a rune that resembled one from the Black Forest elf village.
• Benedict Conchi approached Rorschach and asked what he thought of the Grey Elf exhibition.
• Rorschach described the display as a backward civilization dissected for curious visitors and compared its theme with the museum's White Dragon exhibit: conquest.
• Benedict introduced himself as one of the museum's curators and invited Rorschach to call him Bandi.

Rorschach learned from Benedict Conchi that the Dantu Pantheon belonged to Grey Elf mythology and that the exhibition had been distorted by prejudice. After Benedict revealed his unusual abilities and departed, Rorschach returned to copy the museum’s inscriptions, then came back to the inn, where the receptionist asked for his help.

• Benedict explained that the exhibition’s portrayal of Grey Elves reflected prejudice against the Isle of Aer and described the goddess Dhanu and the Dantu Pantheon.
• Benedict warned Rorschach against visiting the Isle of Aer, gave him a detective agency card, and deduced that Rorschach was a Spellcaster.
• Rorschach sensed an unnatural disturbance in the aether around Benedict, who revealed that elves had an Actor inheritance and then left.
• Rorschach returned to the museum to copy the stone slab’s patterns and related writing and illustrations.
• Rorschach ate with Singlev, who went to the Adventurers' Guild to seek a short-term commission, while Rorschach returned to the inn.
• The receptionist asked Rorschach to help with something.

Rorschach clashed with Percival of the Iron Crown Knights, then discovered letters he had sent to Teacher Caroline hidden in his room. Suspecting the knights would return, he checked out and left the inn, while Percival arrived with reinforcements.

• The inn clerk asked Rorschach whether he knew a previous mage guest, but he did not recognize the name in the ledger.
• Percival demanded to search Rorschach's room, and Rorschach refused without a warrant before asserting his rights as an Intermediate Spellcaster.
• After Percival left, Rorschach searched his room and found his letters to Teacher Caroline hidden between the mattress and headboard.
• Rorschach packed his belongings, checked out, and questioned the clerk about the previous guest's luggage and appearance.
• Rorschach threatened the clerk with a spell and left through the fog with his luggage.
• Percival returned to the inn with other knights and detectives and ordered the clerk to take him to Rorschach's room.

After the Iron Crown Knights searched for him, Rorschach tried to find his missing teacher, Caroline, but the records and replies he received suggested that her existence had been erased. He turned to Benedict for help, and the elf accepted his commission despite warning him that the knights represented Istarani’s rulers.

• Percival and the other knights found Rorschach’s hotel room empty and learned that he had checked out.
• Rorschach searched the Mage Guild’s records for Caroline but found no record of her visit to Istarani.
• The Imperial Royal Academy replied that it had no teacher named Caroline, and a letter from the Tower of Stars changed to erase her name.
• Rorschach went to Benedict’s residence and asked the elf to help find someone pursued by the Iron Crown Knights.
• Benedict explained that the knights were part of Istarani’s ruling power and accepted Rorschach’s commission.

Rorschach and Benedict investigated Caroline’s disappearance and uncovered a link between missing people in Storm City and the cursed Shadow City. Benedict offered to guide Rorschach into Shadow City, where Caroline might be found, but Rorschach left without accepting the offer.

• Rorschach and Benedict searched the detective’s case files and found many unsolved disappearances in Storm City.
• Rorschach used Reverse Ray on letters about Caroline and discovered that magic had altered information about her, though the letters were altered again when he showed them to Benedict.
• Benedict explained that people who fell into Shadow City became nameless, causing others to forget or doubt their existence.
• Benedict revealed that he could invite people into Shadow City and suggested Rorschach might be able to bring Caroline back.
• Benedict said he would not accompany Rorschach because of an upcoming performance, and Rorschach left after placing Benedict’s business card on the table.

Rorschach hid under the name Bandi in a cheap Storm City inn and investigated the curse affecting records about Caroline. The Pearl of Balan confirmed that Shadow City existed and linked Caroline’s disappearance to the being worshipped by the Holy Mother's Return Church, leaving Rorschach resolved to find another guide there.

• Rorschach disguised himself as a laborer, registered as Bandi, and rented a room at a shabby inn after escaping the knights' search.
• Rorschach concluded that written information changed when Storm City locals saw it, though he could not determine how the curse defined a local.
• Rorschach used the Pearl of Balan to confirm that Shadow City existed and that Caroline was there.
• The pearl indicated that Benedict Conchi was connected to the being worshipped by the Holy Mother's Return Church, but was not its believer.
• Rorschach learned that Caroline’s disappearance was related to the being and decided to go to Shadow City without Benedict’s guidance.

Rorschach hired Singlev to accompany him into Shadow City and posted two commissions to find a way there without trusting Benedict. The bard Freddy Layner recognized their hidden purpose and offered to help them enter the city’s shadow world.

• Rorschach found Singlev at the Adventurers’ Guild and asked him to join an expedition to Shadow City.
• Rorschach warned Singlev that Shadow City might be dangerous, then hired him with gold coins.
• Rorschach had Singlev post a missing-person notice and a recruitment commission to locate someone who knew Storm City and its legends.
• Freddy Layner answered the notices and told Rorschach and Singlev that he knew they were trying to enter Shadow City.

Rorschach and Singlev entered Shadow City with Freddy’s help, where the Rat Speakers mistook the dwarf’s arrival for a sign that he should be their king. Freddy pointed out that the Rat Speakers could help them search for the missing person.

• Rorschach agreed to pay Freddy one pound to take them into Shadow City and another if he helped with their search.
• Freddy led Rorschach and Singlev to an abandoned well and poured elven liquor into it to open a passage.
• Rorschach crossed into Shadow City, then cast Feather Fall to slow Singlev after the well launched him through the fog.
• The Rat Speakers surrounded Singlev and called him their king, believing he could fly.
• Freddy told Rorschach that the Rat Speakers could be useful in finding the person they sought.

Rorschach, Singlev, and Freddy left Garbage Mountain after asking the Rat Speakers to search for Caroline, then planned to seek local help in Shadow City. As they approached a bridge, Freddy warned them to be especially careful around bridges and rivers.

• Rorschach and Singlev learned that the Rat Speakers could search for a brown-haired female Tall Folk, but without Caroline’s scent their message to the rats might be unreliable.
• Freddy gave candy to the Rat Speaker elder, who agreed to search for Caroline, and the Rat Speakers escorted the group out of Garbage Mountain.
• Freddy explained that he could travel between the Shadowlands and the surface because people still remembered him and sang his ballads.
• Rorschach decided the group should find lodging and a local information source in Shadow City, believing Caroline might come looking for him if she heard he was there.
• As Singlev approached a bridge, Freddy stopped him and warned the group to be doubly careful around bridges and rivers.

Rorschach, Freddy, and the dwarf crossed the dangerous water and traveled through the Shadowlands to find Count Elgin. They boarded the count’s train in the Submerged Zone and requested an audience.

• Rorschach froze the living water around Nameless Bridge, allowing the group to cross.
• Freddy led them through the burned-out Scorched Thatch District, where Rorschach concealed them from a patrol of Old Empire soldiers.
• The group entered the Submerged Zone, which overlapped with the sewers and subway beneath Istarani’s royal capital.
• Rorschach learned that people affected by the Curse of Erasure could not interact with the upper world, and that leaving an underground area would make the curse permanent.
• Freddy asked an old beggar about Count Elgin’s palace and learned that the count had passed through fifteen minutes earlier.
• An old train arrived, and Freddy called out to Count Elgin before the doors opened and the group boarded.

Rorschach and his companions met Count Elgin to ask for help finding someone, but their gifts and gold could not secure his aid in Shadow City’s barter economy. While Elgin briefly left his carriage, Freddy explained that the count’s status and territory were protected by Shadow City’s rules, making any agreement with him dangerous.

• Count Elgin’s old coachman inspected Rorschach’s group and led them into the count’s carriage.
• Rorschach asked Count Elgin for help, but Freddy’s sugar and wine were not enough to persuade him.
• Count Elgin explained that gold was nearly worthless in Shadow City because barter was the norm and attempts to trade gold in the upper world had failed.
• Count Elgin left the carriage at a stop, and Rorschach suggested exchanging a commission for help finding someone.
• Freddy warned Rorschach that careless promises could make them the count’s vassals and explained how Shadow City’s rules protected Elgin and his property.

Rorschach and his companions faced an attack by the Sewage Body aboard Count Elgin’s train, then heard his two commissions: investigate the creature and a suspicious faith. Rorschach accepted both, connecting the faith investigation to his search for a cult and keeping a sample of the creature for study.

• The Sewage Body attacked the train with foul-smelling tentacles, and Rorschach froze them while the driver pushed the train to full power and escaped.
• Count Elgin explained that the Sewage Body had grown more active and offered a commission to investigate it in exchange for help finding Rorschach’s person.
• Elgin proposed a second commission to investigate the suspicious faith spreading among his subjects, and Freddy judged it easier to pursue than searching for one person.
• Rorschach studied a frozen sample, observed its green glow and ability to recover after being scattered, then sealed it in a bottle with a Blue Light Barrier.
• Rorschach accepted both commissions, explaining that he believed his teacher had entered Shadow City willingly and that the faith could lead him to the cult he sought.
• Rorschach asked Count Elgin for a microscope so he could analyze the sample.

Rorschach investigated the Sewage Body and suspected it was magical microorganisms connected to the Earth Mother Goddess’s followers. After Count Elgin hired him to investigate and issued him a pass, Rorschach, Sing, and Freddy headed into the Submerged Zone’s main district, arriving during market time.

• Rorschach tested the Sewage Body with a Revival Spell and saw its magical activity grow stronger.
• Rorschach suggested the sewer anomaly and the strange group in Count Elgin’s territory were connected, and Elgin offered him a position as magical advisor.
• Count Elgin drafted a missing-person notice for Caroline, with Freddy polishing it into a flowery final version.
• Elgin sent his coachman to print the notices, while Rorschach, Sing, and Freddy left to find food and lodging with passes to explore the Submerged Zone.
• The coachman stole a wallet and pen from an oblivious passenger before departing, and Freddy led Rorschach and Sing down toward the main district.
• Rorschach and his companions reached the lower district and heard the many voices of a busy market.

Rorschach, Freddy, and Singlev entered the bustling Submerged Zone and reached the Count’s shipwreck, where the Count’s men were unloading its cargo. Freddy used his authorization to lead them past the guards, leaving them poised to inspect the supplies.

• Freddy led Rorschach and Singlev through the Submerged Zone’s crowded market, where residents bartered for goods and Freddy warned them the soup might contain anything.
• The group found a cargo ship perched on a rooftop, and Rorschach recognized it as the vessel the Count had mentioned, loaded with tea and sugar.
• Freddy’s acquaintances greeted him as he explained that he had written songs about Shadow City’s residents in hopes of helping them escape its curse.
• Freddy showed the Count’s pass to the guards, who let the group through to the shipwreck and its supplies.

Rorschach and his companions discovered that the cargo ship in Shadow City had been deliberately prepared as a vessel for the dead, carrying twelve elf corpses and signs of a ritual for crossing into the Shadowlands. In the bow, they found crates of valuable goods, including gold and mithril.

• Rorschach persuaded the guard captain to let the group inspect the ship, then used magic to clear the cargo blocking their way.
• Rorschach blasted open a brick wall inside the ship and found a sealed cabin full of rotting corpses and strange markings.
• Rorschach, Singlev, and Freddy entered the cabin and discovered twelve bodies with pointed ears, along with broken oars and patterns resembling elven totems.
• Rorschach interpreted the markings as evidence that the ship had been intentionally made into a vessel of the dead, bound for Shadow City.
• The group broke through a second wall into the bow and found crates containing clocks, clothing, gold, and mithril.

Rorschach and his companions searched the wrecked cargo ship, uncovered signs of a confrontation with the Cops, and prepared to leave when cultists claimed the vessel. They defeated the intruders, and the chapter ended with their leader kneeling before Rorschach after he repaired the ship with Reverse Ray.

• Rorschach found ordinary gold vessels and jewelry, stored them in his Storage Ring, and led Freddy and Singlev toward the deckhouse.
• The poet identified the cargo ship’s usual route, and the group found a torn Cops’ hat and badge that suggested the crew had fought Istarani officers.
• A hooded cultist group arrived, claimed the ship, and drove off the guards with green mist.
• Rorschach’s group attacked the cultists in dense smoke, using magic and Singlev’s hammer to knock them down while trying to leave some alive.
• The cult leader sent vines after Rorschach, who destroyed them with Molten Ray and then used Reverse Ray to fuse the splitting ship back together.
• The cult leader abandoned his escape and dropped to his knees before Rorschach.

Rorschach and Singlev defeated the cultists aboard the sunken ship and captured their leader, Krop, who revealed that the cultists in the Submerged Zone had gathered there. They escorted Krop to his underground home, where he ordered his maid to prepare food for them.

• Rorschach and Singlev bound the unconscious cultists and forced Krop to surrender his dangerous items.
• Krop identified himself as the cult leader in charge of the Submerged Zone and explained how he had joined the cult after falling underground.
• Rorschach told Freddy to hand the captured cultists over to the count’s guards while he took Krop away for processing.
• Krop led Rorschach, Freddy, and Singlev through the Submerged Zone to his spacious home in a cave.
• Krop welcomed the group into his home and ordered his maid to prepare food.