Chapter Summaries

Vanessa discovered that the Ratway had vanished so completely it seemed never to have existed, leaving her wondering how much power and history the Secret Societies concealed. Seeking comfort at the Saint Clair Grand Library, she stole paper and pens and met the curiosity of the blonde girl, who quietly ordered more supplies brought for her.

• Vanessa found that the Ratway had disappeared from its former passages and suspected that someone had rewritten history.
• Vanessa left the sewer and went to the Saint Clair Grand Library to read and forget her troubles.
• Vanessa took the blonde girl's paper and asked the maid for more, believing the library offered supplies for free.
• Vanessa gave half the new paper to the blonde girl, assuming she needed help and encouraging her to take it.
• The blonde girl watched Vanessa with growing curiosity and used her power to obtain another fountain pen, then asked for more pens and paper.

Vanessa returned home after spending the day reading in the Crown District library and avoiding surveillance across the Imperial Capital. She brought Maeve papers to study, then told Dorothea about a strange library reader who seemed to maintain [Rationality] all day, before Elsa asked her to explain what happened to the Fog Whistle and the Ratway.

• Vanessa quietly left the library after reading all day, leaving the Crown Princess without a chance to speak with her.
• Vanessa crossed the watched districts of the Imperial Capital and returned to her home in the Hearthfire District.
• Vanessa gave Maeve a stack of papers to practice spelling, and Maeve hurried to her room, moved by the gift.
• Vanessa asked Dorothea to activate [Rationality] and said a strange girl at the library had seemed just like Dorothea in that state for the entire day.
• Dorothea argued that keeping [Rationality] active for so long was impossible, and Elsa asked Vanessa to explain what happened to the Fog Whistle and the Ratway.

Vanessa and Eleanor discussed the Night Watch Bureau’s surveillance system and how it tracked secret societies. Eleanor explained that operating under an unnamed organization made them harder to identify, but [The Thinker] could still flag their actions and supernatural activity.

• Vanessa told the group about the Ratway and Fog Horn Fraternity, and Allen and Dorothea offered to check on their members through their work.
• Vanessa met Eleanor in a shared dream and asked about the Night Watch Bureau’s searches and [The Thinker].
• Eleanor explained that [The Thinker] detected [Evil Names] produced by harmful acts and sent reports for people to sort.
• Eleanor said Vanessa’s original unnamed organization could be detected but would be difficult to pinpoint, while Canteen’s many believers still faced scrutiny.
• Eleanor revealed that [The Thinker] also monitored [Secret Aura] from supernatural activity and could issue reports when it appeared too often.
• Eleanor said she would keep searching for loopholes and believed [The Thinker] could not monitor the Dream World, though the Lord could enter it.

Vanessa reassured Eleanor that the Lord had planned for their dream meetings, then heard how Eleanor’s research group encountered a dangerous entity in ancient ruins. Eleanor said the ruins vanished after Director Randall searched for them, leaving Vanessa to consider how the entity might be used.

• Vanessa told Eleanor that their meetings in dreams were part of the Lord’s plan, then learned Eleanor studied history.
• Eleanor explained that her research group traced the fall of the Cosmog Dynasty to alchemists who had tried to recreate the Philosopher’s Stone and supposedly created the [Thing of Immortality].
• Eleanor recounted how an entity attacked her group in the ruins, after which several classmates died by suicide and she began hearing strange voices.
• Eleanor said the Night Watch Bureau’s underground sanctuary initially suppressed [it], but the entity later tried to control her after sensing its own kind.
• Vanessa concluded that the entity attacked people near the ruins, parasitized them, and became eager to devour others like itself.
• Eleanor told Vanessa that Director Randall’s investigators could never find the ruins again, as though they had never existed.

Eleanor and Vanessa suspected that history had multiple layers and that the Ratway and Daydream Bookshop lay beneath the waking world's surface, then agreed to search for traces of the erased past. Elliot revealed he had ideas for helping them and prepared to ask his Bone Flute how to use the Dream Memory Cards.

• Eleanor told Vanessa that ruins she had visited had vanished without a trace, and Vanessa connected the experience to the Ratway and Daydream Bookshop.
• Eleanor recalled Inspector Luke saying that [It] was no longer in this layer of history, and she and Vanessa wondered whether history had multiple layers.
• Eleanor and Vanessa noted the lack of reliable records for the nine hundred years before the First Era and suspected that history had been rewritten.
• Vanessa proposed reconstructing the missing history from surviving traces, including Eleanor, and planned to investigate the Saint Clair Grand Library while Eleanor searched Night Watch Bureau records.
• Elliot smiled at the Brass Dial's message that the Lord would arrange their next meeting, then brought out Dream Memory Cards he had obtained by killing the Lord of Dreams.
• Elliot decided to ask his Bone Flute [Relic] how to use the Dream Memory Cards.

Elliot learned to use Dream Memory Cards to stabilize his dream and built a vast mansion surrounded by forests, lakes, and hills. He invited his Believers into the new dream world, where they awoke beneath a strange sun and wondered if it belonged to the great being.

• Elliot used Elsa's corpse and the Bone Flute in the Conversation slot and learned how to use the Cards.
• Elliot entered his dream with Dream Memory Cards and used spirituality to form a washroom and then an expansive world.
• Elliot decided the dream world could become a sanctuary where his Believers gathered and explored beyond the Night Watch Bureau's reach.
• Elliot placed the Believer Character Cards into the Dream Entry slot to bring Vanessa, Dorothea, Allen, and the others into his dream.
• Vanessa, Dorothea, Allen, and the others awoke in rooms inside the Dream Mansion and saw a coldly burning sun in the sky.

Vanessa and the others found themselves in what Flora suspected was a Great Being’s Abode, while Elliot learned more about Immortals and considered contacting Lillian. He then focused on Vanessa’s investigation and the sacrifices planned for the Festival Commemorating Theresia.

• Dorothea warned the group not to look directly at the Great Being, but Eleanor recognized the sun-like figure as the Lord whose true form she had seen before.
• Flora explained that Abodes were entire worlds belonging to Great Beings and that, according to her reading, only Immortals with permission could enter them.
• Flora privately wondered why she had entered the Lord’s Abode despite not being one of his believers.
• Elliot connected Lillian’s claim to be an Immortal with her presence in another Great Being’s Abode and considered contacting her to learn more.
• Elliot decided to wait and see whether the Difference Engine could detect his dream, while noting that the Canteen might now have an advantage over the frightened Secret Societies.
• Elliot recalled that the Seven Holy Bloodlines planned to sacrifice together during the Festival Commemorating Theresia, with nobles sacrificing other people rather than themselves.

Vanessa questioned Dorothea about the Theresia Festival and learned that the Empire held mass executions alongside its annual free meal for the poor. She left to investigate the festival, the Secret History, and [It] at the library, while Dorothea revealed she might have a lead on the Daydream bookshop.

• Elliot decided to let Vanessa investigate the Theresia Festival because he could not risk being discovered at an altar and the Imperial Capital was under lockdown.
• Elliot had Elsa's corpse speak to Dorothea during her dissection, frightening Dorothea out of her [Rationality] state before Vanessa arrived to talk to her.
• Dorothea told Vanessa that the Theresia Festival offered free meals believed to heal people and included the Empire's public execution of criminals.
• Vanessa connected the festival's executions to the Night Watch Bureau's recent mass arrests, and Dorothea recalled that large arrests had also preceded earlier festivals.
• Vanessa went to the library to search for answers about Theresia, the Secret History, and [It], while Dorothea said she might have a lead on the Daydream bookshop.

Vanessa investigated a strange bookshop reported near the Factory District but could not find it, then settled into the library, unaware that a blonde girl and her golden dog were watching her. The chapter left Vanessa sharing the girl’s secluded book-filled palace, where the girl offered her refreshments.

• A Canteen Believer named Jenny reported that a bookshop had appeared opposite her home near the Factory District, and Vanessa agreed to investigate.
• Elliot placed Vanessa’s Card in the Event Card Slot to trigger [Dream of the Daylight] and controlled her as she searched for the bookshop.
• Vanessa found no bookshop at Jenny’s home and headed to the library, while Elliot suspected she might need to meet certain conditions to enter it.
• Vanessa read in the library, unaware that a blonde girl and her large golden dog were nearby among the bookshelves.
• The girl offered Vanessa tea and desserts, and Vanessa realized she did not know where the tea had come from.

Vanessa learned that the upcoming festival might involve people being consumed and returned to the Mansion with pastries for the others. She found the Mansion dark and, using Spirit Vision, saw Daydream.

• Vanessa offered pastries to the blonde girl in the Library, who warned her not to go out on the festival day and described the Empire as a place that consumed people.
• Vanessa searched for more information about the monster she called [it], then took most of the pastries back to the Hearthfire District.
• On her way home, Vanessa wondered whether the festival's executions and use of corpses explained the blonde girl's warning, but she still felt something was wrong.
• Vanessa reached the Mansion, noticed that it was unusually dark, activated Spirit Vision, and saw Daydream.

Vanessa entered the Daydream bookstore and, following Chi’s order, spent thirteen hours drawing a ritual so she could sacrifice its books. Her first offering worked, advancing the sacrifice progress bar by more than halfway and confirming the books were valuable to Elliot.

• Vanessa entered the Daydream bookstore after Chi told her to perform a sacrifice there.
• Elliot waited at the Difference Engine, hoping a sacrifice would let him remain connected to Vanessa inside the bookstore.
• Vanessa struggled to draw the ritual herself, repeatedly correcting it and using her blood until she completed it after thirteen hours.
• Vanessa sacrificed a book, and the ritual succeeded.
• Elliot saw the sacrifice progress advance by more than halfway and estimated that the single book was worth over a hundred supernatural materials.

Elliot realized Vanessa had sacrificed a fragment of an Abode called the Overflowing Garden, then took control of her to escape the bookshop as its books awakened and a powerful presence pursued her. Vanessa made it back to Flora, while Elliot concluded the Daydream was an Abode with an owner and noted that the quest remained unfinished.

• Elliot saw that Vanessa's sacrifice was identified as a fragment of the Abode, the Overflowing Garden, and realized the bookshop might belong to a Great Being.
• As Vanessa reached for another book, an eye opened on it and overwhelmed her; she covered it and fled as eyes appeared across the bookshop's books.
• The bookshop began to collapse around Vanessa, and an unseen being blocked the exit, but her Spirituality Pressure held it back long enough for her to escape.
• Elliot sensed that Chi had noticed Vanessa and used the Combat Platform to control her and get her out of danger.
• Vanessa reached the doorway of her home, where Flora greeted her, while Elliot considered the power of Spirituality Pressure and noticed the Dream of the Daylight quest was still active.

After Vanessa recovered from passing out, she told her companions about her visit to the Saint Clair Library and her encounter with the Great Being. Elliot learned that Victoria had arranged Vanessa’s access to the Crown District and concealed the truth about the library.

• Before Vanessa passed out, she sacrificed a second book, gained a free [Concealment] point, and Elliot gave her [Spirit Vision] +1.
• Elliot noticed Vanessa was absorbing knowledge as she recovered from mild blood loss and mental trauma, then Dorothea and Flora put her to bed.
• Vanessa woke the next day, ate porridge, and told her companions what had happened during her trip.
• Dorothea questioned how Vanessa had entered the Crown District and suspected her library card had helped her.
• Elliot revealed that Victoria had vouched for Vanessa’s library card and ordered guards and servants to let her pass unnoticed.

Vanessa and Dorothea discussed the Theresia Festival and decided to ask Maeve for information that could help locate the red-moon altar. Dorothea picked up one of Maeve’s fallen Leo, and Maeve hesitated to take it from her.

• Conrad warned Elliot to keep his distance from Victoria, whose status was unusual.
• Dorothea inferred that the blonde girl Vanessa met at the Library was a high-ranking noble who kept her servants out of sight.
• Dorothea explained that the Theresia Festival featured a parade, church representatives, and a speech by His Majesty, with no supernatural rituals.
• Vanessa said she had researched Cosmog Dynasty altars and believed Maeve could help her pinpoint the altar’s location.
• Dorothea picked up Maeve’s fallen Leo, and Maeve shrank back when she noticed the difference between their hands.

Maeve recounted how Simon changed after a terrifying encounter in the countryside, giving Vanessa and the others clues about what may have happened to him. Vanessa connected the incident to the Cosmog Dynasty’s moon worship and suspected the moon could be the key to saving Simon.

• Dorothea brought Maeve to Vanessa, who asked her to describe the countryside trip with Simon.
• Maeve recalled that Simon screamed after she woke, then ran home and shut himself in his room; afterward, he stopped speaking to her and seemed like a different person.
• Elsa and the others discussed whether [it] had already affected Simon and whether he could still be saved, but they had no clear plan.
• Vanessa linked the countryside incident to the Cosmog Dynasty’s moon-related altar and suggested the moon might be connected to [it].

Vanessa investigated why the moon had vanished from worship despite its apparent connection to Emperor Trist’s sacrifice system, and Flora offered to search the Mourning Poetry Society’s Secret Histories. In a shared dream, Eleanor explained the danger of using [Spirit Vision] and was left speechless when Vanessa asked what would happen if someone sacrificed the Great Being’s Abode.

• Vanessa told the others she planned to research historical events involving the moon at the Library.
• Flora recalled that the Mourning Poetry Society held Secret Histories from the Cosmog Dynasty and offered to look through them for clues.
• Elliot arranged for Flora to travel to New Scandinavia and sent Eleanor’s Card into the [Dream Entry] Card slot with Vanessa’s.
• Vanessa woke to find Eleanor beside her in a dream and learned that Miskatonic students were warned against using [Spirit Vision] in dreams.
• Eleanor explained that viewing the Great Being’s Abode was like looking at the Great Being, and she could not answer Vanessa’s question about sacrificing the Abode.

Eleanor explained to Vanessa that occult practices had once drawn power from the stars and that occultism was part of science, then told her about the ruins where Simon might be saved. When Simon disappeared and headed toward the ruins, Vanessa and the others decided to pursue him, with Maeve insisting on joining them.

• Eleanor told Vanessa that the ruins had been used to worship the moon during the Cosmog Dynasty, when occult scholars drew power from celestial bodies.
• Eleanor explained that occultism was part of science and that the moon's phases were believed to influence the mortal world.
• Vanessa told Eleanor about Simon and Maeve, and Eleanor warned that Simon might not survive much longer without help.
• The next morning, a believer reported that Simon had left home and was heading northwest toward the ruins.
• Vanessa agreed to pursue Simon with Dorothea, Allen, and Elsa, and Maeve asked to join them.

Maeve joined Dorothea, Vanessa, Elsa, and Allen as they hurried after Simon, with Elsa explaining that a loved one’s presence could help someone resist [It]. The group reached the city outskirts without being stopped, but Simon was nowhere in sight, leaving them unsure how he had gotten ahead.

• Maeve insisted on joining the pursuit because she could recognize the place where the group had gone on an outing, and Elsa supported bringing her along.
• Dorothea and the others took a public carriage toward the city gates, passed through without inspection, and planned to rely on Vanessa’s [Spirituality Pressure] if they fought [It].
• Dorothea assigned Allen to support Vanessa and told Maeve to stay back with her, explaining that her mirror-based ability could put her own body at risk.
• Elsa lamented that her dissected corpse could not serve as a scout or fighter, and Maeve’s earlier discovery of Elsa’s head had revealed the household’s supernatural secret to her.
• Dorothea searched from the carriage roof with her Monocle but found no sign of Simon, who seemed to have escaped the detectives and gotten ahead of them.

Vanessa, Allen, and Elsa tracked Simon to the ruins of the Cosmog Dynasty, suspecting that [it] had taken control of him. They entered the ruins to find him and ended the chapter deeper inside, unaware that a strange mark on the wall had begun to change after they passed.

• Vanessa used [Spirit Vision] to follow traces of supernatural power in Simon’s footprints, and Maeve confirmed that her brother had not previously been a Supernatural person.
• Maeve identified the woods where Simon had changed, but Vanessa followed his trail toward the ruins instead and found their entrance nearby.
• Vanessa told Dorothea to stay outside with Maeve, then entered the ruins with Allen and Elsa while warning them to avoid touching anything and to abandon Simon if necessary.
• Elsa led the group through the cave as its earthen walls gave way to carved stone; Vanessa recognized murals depicting a ritual involving the moon.
• Vanessa spotted a human-shaped mark visible through [Spirit Vision] beneath a full-moon symbol, and Allen’s knife sank into the wall without changing it.
• After the group went deeper into the ruins, the circular mark on the wall grew flatter, as though the full moon were waning.

Vanessa, Allen, and Elsa searched the Cosmog Dynasty ruins for Simon, while strange moon carvings and shifting human-shaped marks made Vanessa suspect danger. As they turned back, Simon appeared in the ruins and pointed a pistol at them.

• Vanessa and the others suspected Simon had visited the ruins before and might already be controlled by [It].
• Vanessa used [Spirituality Pressure] on a human-shaped mark, but it showed no immediate reaction.
• The group found that Simon’s supernatural trail was jumbled, and Vanessa’s uneasy intuition led her to decide they should turn back.
• When they passed the marked wall again, its figure had changed pose and the moon carving had become a crescent.
• A wave of whispers and dizziness struck Vanessa, Allen, and Elsa, but a warm current within them suppressed the effect.
• Vanessa spotted a moving figure in the physical world, and Simon confronted them with a pistol.