Recaps

Klein overheard Lady Despair and Mr. A plan to use the True Creator’s descent as cover while they ignited a larger catastrophe, then recognized Botis and connected him to a secret operation involving abducted people. Lady Despair began spreading the Great Smog across Backlund as Ince Zangwill was seized by bloody arms from the void.

• Klein overheard Lady Despair explain that she would start a fire while Mr. A used the chaos to create a vessel for the True Creator’s descent.
• A man matching The Hanged Man’s description of Botis entered the underground hall, leading Klein to connect Botis, the slave trade, and abducted young women to a hidden ritual.
• Lady Despair asked Mr. A to send her to the East Borough, and he used a recorded power to transport her there.
• Lady Despair spread iron-black, choking smog through Backlund’s East, Dock, and Factory Boroughs, causing residents to collapse and naming the calamity the Great Smog of Backlund Incident.
• As 0-08 continued writing, bloody-yellow arms reached from the void and dragged Ince Zangwill into the Spirit World.

As Ince Zangwill escaped into the real world weakened, a deadly fog spread through Backlund’s poor districts, killing residents and devastating families. Klein witnessed Mr. A begin a sacrifice and chose to attack him, leaving the confrontation poised to begin.

• Ince Zangwill escaped the Spirit World using the Evil God's Umbilical Cord, losing the item and much of his strength.
• Old Kohler collapsed and died in the fog while clutching the ham he had bought for the New Year.
• Liv and Freja fell ill in their home, and both collapsed as Freja tried to help her mother.
• Daisy tried to rush home from school after sensing danger, but teachers dragged her toward the church as the fog spread through the East Borough, Dock Borough, and Factory Borough.
• Klein heard Mr. A sacrifice his four attendants and felt the accumulated despair and resentment of the districts surge into the ritual.
• Klein decided against fleeing, charged from his hiding place, and aimed his revolver at the altar.

Klein tried to stop Mr. A’s ritual to bring down the True Creator, and the Master Key disrupted the altar by transmitting Mr. Door’s contaminated cries. The ritual collapsed, but Mr. A survived and began regenerating as Klein fled.

• Klein’s bullets and flames failed to penetrate the altar’s barrier while Mr. A began the descent ritual.
• Klein threw the Master Key into the altar, where its curse connected with Mr. Door and contaminated the ritual’s accumulated emotions.
• A storm dispersed the dangerous fog over Backlund, while a mysterious young woman appeared opposite Lady Despair in her carriage.
• Mr. Door’s cries corrupted the ritual’s forces, causing the altar’s layers of light to collapse and explode.
• Klein saw Mr. A badly wounded but regenerating, then ran from the ruined altar.

A hooded woman erased the Lady of Despair and confronted Trissy, whose shattered sapphire ring freed her from the woman’s immobilizing curse. Meanwhile, Klein escaped Mr. A’s hideout but was overwhelmed by the Shepherd’s powers, leaving him unable to resist as Mr. A prepared to record him.

• The Lady of Despair attacked a beautiful hooded woman, but the woman made her disappear without a trace.
• Trissy returned to Backlund, was transported from her carriage to a muddy road, and froze in terror before the hooded woman.
• Trissy’s sapphire ring shattered, releasing her from the woman’s curse; the hooded woman vanished.
• Klein fled the hideout and ran down a mountainside, but Mr. A caught up and attacked him with wind, flesh-and-blood magic, and a nightmare.
• Klein resisted Mr. A’s dream and several attacks, but disease and other powers left him unable to fight back as Mr. A summoned an ancient book and began to record him.

Klein survived Mr. A’s attack and escaped into the Tussock River, where a mysterious woman erased Mr. A and smiled at him before vanishing. Elsewhere, the man in the golden mask exiled Azik Eggers, Ince Zangwill seized “0-08,” and Prince Edessak shot himself.

• Finkel fled across the barren fields but was erased by a hooded figure.
• Klein used the Azik Copper Whistle and a Paper Figurine Substitute to survive Mr. A’s attack, then fled to the Tussock River.
• Mr. A pursued Klein underwater, but a mysterious woman appeared and erased him before smiling at Klein and disappearing.
• The man in the golden mask exiled Azik Eggers, and Ince Zangwill took hold of “0-08.”
• At Red Rose Manor, Prince Edessak picked up a revolver and shot himself.

After escaping the battle at Red Rose Manor, Klein reunited with Azik, who explained that Ince Zangwill had survived but was badly injured. Azik warned Klein to stay away from Backlund for now, and Klein continued preparing to seek mermaids and advance.

• Saint Anthony and the Nighthawks searched the ruined altar chamber but found no hidden passage or remaining valuables.
• Klein fled through the wilderness while ill, fearing the Churches would investigate his role in the awakening of the Primordial Demoness and the descent of the True Creator.
• Azik appeared beside Klein and revealed that Ince Zangwill had survived with 0-08, though he had suffered serious injuries.
• Azik advised Klein to avoid Backlund because Ince could use 0-08 to retaliate, and said the artifact's influence did not extend beyond a metropolis.
• Klein told Azik he planned to go to sea and search for mermaids, and Azik offered to find undead mermaids and explained that the Underworld lay within the Spirit World.
• Klein told Azik about the Card of Blasphemy hidden in Backlund, and Azik gave him a sealed glove that needed to be fed human flesh, blood, and souls after use.

Klein examined Creeping Hunger above the gray fog, learned the abilities of its five imprisoned souls, and resolved to free them by replacing them with the souls of grievously sinful Beyonders. After divining that the East Borough had suffered a catastrophe, he left the story with Backlund mourning mass casualties and George III making sweeping concessions to contain the crisis.

• Klein inspected Creeping Hunger and identified its five Grazed souls and their abilities, promising to release them in exchange for souls of unforgivable criminals.
• Klein failed to divine the Shepherd potion formula and concluded that destroying a Beyonder Characteristic could remove mental corruption, but that attempting it carried grave risks.
• Klein divined what had happened in the East Borough and leaned back in silence after receiving the revelation.
• Audrey learned that the smog disaster had killed over ten thousand people in the East Borough, Dock Borough, and Factory Borough, while the plague continued to spread.
• Daisy watched her mother Liv and sister Freja being carried away as corpses, then chased their carriage and broke down in grief.
• George III rejected demands for an explanation of Prince Edessak’s death and ordered major political, labor, and religious concessions to establish a new order.

Emlyn continued helping plague victims at Harvest Church and learned that Father Utravsky’s suggestion only made him return to church, while the people of Backlund marked the turn of the year amid grief and hope. After Audrey’s coming-of-age presentation and Klein’s visit to the victims’ graves, Klein crossed paths with Benson and Melissa as they arrived in Backlund and he departed.

• Emlyn distributed potions to plague victims with Father Utravsky, who said the patients would recover and explained that Emlyn’s psychological suggestion only compelled him to return to church each day.
• Benson told Melissa they would travel to Backlund on January 3, and the siblings welcomed the new year with a place set for a third person.
• Audrey was formally presented to society by the queen at the New Year’s ball as fireworks lit the sky.
• Klein found the ash compartments of Old Kohler, Liv, and her daughter, carved Kohler’s name and an epitaph, and arranged anonymous help for Daisy through reporter Mike Joseph.
• Benson and Melissa traveled to Backlund, where Benson told another passenger that the king had authorized a law regulating minimum pay and working hours.
• Klein passed Benson and Melissa at the station without revealing himself, then entered the departure station as they left to explore Backlund.

The author reflected on Part Two, “Faceless,” explaining its themes, unresolved Backlund plotlines, pacing issues, and writing approach. The author announced that Part Three would be called “Traveler” and that updates would resume Wednesday after a short break.

• The author explained that “Faceless” referred to Klein’s false identities in Backlund and to ordinary people erased from history, including Old Kohler, Liv, and Freja.
• The author said Part Two’s tightly packed weekly events made its pacing tiring and considered skipping some Tarot Gatherings in the future.
• The author noted that Backlund’s unresolved threads and the Church’s actions around 0-17 would continue into later parts.
• The author described a preference for simple prose and thanked readers for their praise, votes, and subscriptions.
• The author announced two days off, an extra half-day of rest, and the Wednesday return of updates for Part Three, “Traveler.”

Klein prepared for his voyage under the new identity Gehrman Sparrow, sent Azik a letter and artifacts, and learned secrets from a Faceless spirit above the gray fog. At the Tarot Gathering, Fors and the others reflected on the Backlund disaster, and Justice told the Fool that he had saved the city again.

• Klein wrote to Azik, enclosing the Black Emperor card and a copper whistle, and asked about removing mental corruption from a solidified Beyonder Characteristic.
• Klein adopted the identity Gehrman Sparrow and questioned a released Faceless spirit, who revealed that he belonged to the Secret Order, feared Zaratul, and had sought mermaids for advancement.
• The Faceless spirit told Klein that Serenity Cathedral held High-Sequence Seer potion formulas, and Klein decided to have The World offer the spirit's Beyonder Characteristic for sale.
• Klein calculated the costs of his voyage and prepared for the Tarot Gathering by sending Little Sun a message.
• Fors joined the gathering, recalled the warning about the Backlund tragedy, and realized the Tarot Club had drawn her into events involving Prince Edessak and the city's deaths.
• Justice greeted the Fool by saying he had saved Backlund again, leaving Emlyn confused.

At the Tarot Club, Audrey explained that Mr. Fool’s Blessed helped stop the Backlund smog from becoming a catastrophe, while Klein welcomed Emlyn as a new member and read Roselle’s Diary. The entries revealed an unsettling gender change in the Hunter pathway and a gathering where Roselle met Hermes.

• Audrey credited The World with helping the Evernight Church stop the Witch of Despair, prevent the Primordial Demoness from awakening, and disrupt the Aurora Order’s ritual for the True Creator.
• Audrey apologized for not obtaining more pages of Roselle’s Diary, and Fors offered three pages she had received.
• Klein introduced Emlyn as the Tarot Club’s new member and read the first diary entry, which described the Hunter pathway changing women into men at Sequence 4.
• Roselle’s next entry described completing improved cannons and planning a banquet to celebrate them.
• Roselle’s final entry recounted a gathering where Hermes explained the meaning of Red Priest and identified himself as the founder of human mysticism.

Klein learned from Roselle’s diary that Hermes belonged to the Hermits of Fate and discovered several Spectator pathway Sequence names, while Audrey wondered about the missing Black Emperor card. At the Tarot Club meeting, Derrick thanked Mr. Fool for helping him identify the Angel of Fate and break the City of Silver’s fate loop.

• Klein read Roselle’s account of Hermes, the Hermits of Fate, and the Spectator pathway’s Visionary, Author, and Discernment Eye sequences.
• Klein inferred that Roselle’s secret organization was the Hermits of Fate and noted that its members were summoned through a real dream.
• Audrey noticed the Black Emperor card was missing from the table and wondered whether Mr. Fool had given it to his Blessed.
• Klein finished reading Roselle’s diary entries about his first aristocratic ball and manor life, then invited the Tarot Club members to speak.
• Audrey asked Derrick whether he had escaped the loop, and Derrick thanked Mr. Fool for guiding him to the Angel of Fate mural and helping the Chief break the loop.

Derrick recounted how Colin broke the City of Silver’s repeating cycle, revealing clues about the Angel Kings, Ouroboros, and the Forsaken Land’s connection to Enmat Port. The Tarot Club then discussed a delayed ingredient delivery and completed a deal before Emlyn asked how a Sanguine could grow stronger without help from his elders.

• Derrick described his sixth exploration, including Jack’s origins in Enmat Port and the mural of Rose Redemption, and relayed Colin’s suspicion that Amon and Ouroboros were Angel Kings.
• The Tarot Club speculated about the Angel Kings’ identities and whether Ouroboros was one of the Mercury Snakes pursuing Will Auceptin.
• Derrick said unexpected delays meant Fors would have to wait another day or two for the Spirit Eater’s stomach pouch, and Fors said she could wait.
• Fors offered Alger a lead on Dragon-eyed Sea Eagle eyes, and they agreed on a price of 2,000 pounds.
• Emlyn asked the Tarot Club how a Sanguine could improve his strength without relying on gifts from his elders.

The Tarot Club members exchanged information and arranged several transactions, strengthening the club’s network of resources. The gathering ended with Audrey reserving a future mystical item made from a Sequence 6 Beyonder characteristic.

• Emlyn and Derrick argued over Sanguine history until Alger explained that Sanguine could advance by consuming the correct potions and offered a lead on a baron’s characteristic for 4,000 to 5,000 pounds.
• Emlyn provided prices for Elder Tree fruit and Mirror Dragon blood, and Audrey agreed to pay him an additional 100 pounds through a sacrifice to Mr. Fool.
• Klein reflected on how the members’ connections had expanded the Tarot Club’s resources, then offered Audrey a lead on a Psychiatrist characteristic for Susie.
• Klein asked Alger to sell a Sequence 6 characteristic that could support an appearance-altering mystical item, offering a 15-percent commission and setting a minimum price of 3,500 pounds.
• Audrey asked to reserve the mystical item made from the characteristic, provided it retained its appearance-altering ability.

At the Tarot Club, Alger agreed to arrange for an Artisan to turn the Faceless Beyonder Characteristic into a mystical item, then sought a way to put everyone aboard his ship to sleep. The gathering also uncovered clues linking the Great Smog of Backlund to the royal family and the Psychology Alchemists to Hermes and the Hermits of Fate.

• Alger agreed to commission a mystical item using the Faceless Beyonder Characteristic, and Emlyn offered to ask the Sanguine about an item that could make a ship's occupants sleep.
• The World asked the Tarot Club to look for an ancient wraith's residual spirituality and a Six-Winged Gargoyle's eyes, while Derrick promised to provide a list of nearby monsters and said he would soon advance to Sequence 7.
• Audrey asked the Fool about the Great Smog of Backlund, and he said its root remained undiscovered despite clues left for the Churches and military.
• The World told Alger that Botis was in Backlund and had met a royal-loyal Military Intelligence Section 9 operative; Alger suspected the information might connect Botis to Prince Edessak and the Great Smog.
• Audrey privately told the Fool that the Psychology Alchemists began after excavating Hermes's ruins, and the Fool revealed that Hermes belonged to the Hermits of Fate.

After the Tarot Club discussed how to thank Mr. Fool and safely recognize one another, Emlyn reflected on the members and his difficult choice about a costly relic. Klein declined to attend the unknown gathering in Babur Valley, but planned to get involved another way, then prepared to travel and went to the harbor ticket office.

• Audrey proposed secret signals for Tarot Club members, but Alger warned that a traitor could use them to expose the group; the members agreed to rely on advance arrangements or prayers to Mr. Fool instead.
• Emlyn assessed the Tarot Club members and wondered whether to buy a relic costing 4,000 to 5,000 pounds to pursue a chance at becoming a Baron.
• Klein examined the badge inviting its holder to a gathering at Babur Valley, tried to divine whether attending was risky, and decided not to go himself while considering another way to get involved.
• Klein received 100 pounds from Alger, equipped himself with Creeping Hunger, weapons, and other supplies, and left his hotel to buy a ship ticket.
• Klein arrived at the Pritz Harbor Ticketing Company and noticed a public notice that warned visitors not to open canned wolf-fish indoors.

Klein chose the White Agate for his voyage to the Rorsted Archipelago and sought advice from a former sailor at the ticket hall. Using Lanarvus’s badge to divine the circumstances of a gathering, he saw Leonard Mitchell among the people appearing in the dream.

• Klein spoke with a ticket-hall guard, who described the canned wolf-fish and recommended avoiding pirates.
• The guard told Klein about the White Agate, captained by Elland, and advised him to beware of pirates and false sea-treasure legends.
• Klein bought a second-class ticket for the White Agate and returned to the inn to wait for nightfall.
• Klein went above the gray fog and used Lanarvus’s badge to divine the circumstances of the gathering.
• Klein saw people appearing in the dream around the Tussock River, including Leonard Mitchell.

Klein wondered whether Leonard had attended a gathering as a Church investigator or pursued revenge on his own, while the Machinery Hivemind investigated Sherlock Moriarty’s role in Prince Edessak’s affair and judged him innocent. After the Church ordered further inquiries, Klein boarded the White Agate to begin his voyage.

• Klein confirmed through divination that the man he had seen was Leonard Mitchell and wondered why Leonard had been at the gathering.
• Ikanser reported that the Machinery Hivemind found no evidence Sherlock Moriarty had known about Prince Edessak’s problems beforehand.
• Horamick declared Sherlock a hero and ordered the Church to find Trissy Cheek, investigate the underground ruins, and question Arrodes about Sherlock’s escape and his meeting with Azik Eggers.
• Arrodes showed Ikanser that Sherlock met Azik during a bounty mission issued by Military Intelligence Section 9, then asked Ikanser whether he knew how it felt to please someone who left him behind.
• Klein arrived at Rose Wharf and boarded the White Agate for its nine-day voyage.

Klein boarded the White Agate, met former adventurer Krivis and reflected on how to act as a Faceless. After Krivis warned him about the dangers of pirates at sea, Klein watched flying fish from the deck.

• Klein met Krivis, who explained that he had left adventuring to work as a bodyguard for a wealthy family traveling to the Rorsted Archipelago.
• Klein settled into his cabin aboard the White Agate as the ship departed.
• Klein considered what it meant to remain himself while impersonating others and wondered whether deeply replacing someone was necessary to digest the Faceless potion.
• Klein encountered Krivis maintaining concealed weapons, and Krivis warned him that guns alone were not enough to survive pirates boarding a ship.
• Klein admired flying fish from the railing and wondered what they tasted like.

Ikanser used Arrodes to investigate Sherlock Moriarty’s escape and was punished for refusing to answer a personal question. Later, Klein discovered Krivis preparing to hunt a Merfolk aboard the ship and agreed to watch Donna and Denton while the hunt began.

• Arrodes showed Ikanser how Sherlock Moriarty disrupted the altar and escaped, but did not reveal his escape from the underground ruins.
• Arrodes asked Ikanser who he had tried to please before being discarded, and Ikanser chose punishment instead of answering.
• A green-tinged lightning bolt struck Ikanser, prompting Archbishop Horamick to suspect Arrodes was a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
• Klein woke to unusual sounds on the ship, followed them to the upper deck, and found Krivis preparing to hunt a Merfolk with Cecil, Donna, and Denton nearby.
• Krivis explained how he planned to lure and poison the Merfolk, and Klein agreed to keep an eye on Donna and Denton.

Klein watched Krivis and Cecil lure a Merfolk onto the White Agate and kill it with gunfire and poison. Captain Elland bought the corpse, and the group sampled its famously delicious cheek meat before preparing to feast on the rest.

• Klein quietly watched as Krivis baited a Merfolk onto the deck while Donna and Denton hid nearby.
• The Merfolk ate the peppered bait, but Krivis and Cecil shot it as it charged and tried to escape.
• Elland shot the wounded Merfolk in the eye, and the poison took effect, killing it.
• Elland offered Krivis 150 pounds for the corpse, and Krivis accepted the sale.
• Elland offered the Merfolk's cheek meat to the group, and Klein, Donna, Denton, Cecil, and others tried it.
• Elland planned to have the chef cook the remaining meat while the group shared food, wine, and sea legends.

Klein dined with Captain Elland and the others after they killed a murloc, while the conversation turned to sea monsters, pirates, and legendary treasures. Elland began recounting six famous treasure legends, starting with Death’s Key and the Fountain of Youth.

• Klein and the others shared fried murloc with Captain Elland, who explained that monsters were rare on shipping routes and described creatures said to inhabit dangerous waters.
• Klein recalled helping Old Neil and others defeat a mutated murloc in Tingen, and Elland and Krivis praised the feat.
• Elland warned Donna and Denton that pirates posed a greater danger at sea, naming Admiral of Hell Ludwell and Admiral of Blood Senor among the most feared.
• When Donna asked about treasure, Elland began describing six famous legends, including Death’s hidden treasure in the Raging Sea and the Fountain of Youth in the Sonia Sea.

Elland, Krivis, and the others discussed legendary treasures of the seas, especially the Sunken Laurel and the enormous fortune it was said to carry. The conversation ended with more treasure legends, prompting Klein to consider writing to Mr. Azik about Death's Key.

• Donna asked Elland whether the Fountain of Youth could keep people young, and Elland recalled encountering Nast, the King of the Five Seas, while serving aboard the William V.
• Elland described the Solomon Empire's lost legacy and the Ghost Empire, while Cecil added that Nast was rumored to have inherited part of Solomon's legacy.
• Elland told the group about the Lost City of Newins and the Sunken Laurel, whose cargo was said to be worth several million pounds.
• Elland, Cecil, and Krivis imagined how they would spend the Sunken Laurel's riches, while Klein joked that he would wake himself from a dream.
• Krivis listed other sea treasure legends, and Klein wondered whether Death's Key could help Mr. Azik recover his memories.

Klein enjoyed a meal with Elland and Krivis, learned more about possible mermaid sightings, and received payment for helping with the merfolk hunt. After the White Agate reached Damir Port, he headed for a bar to seek information and found two men confronting each other inside.

• Klein praised the grilled merfolk and joined Elland, Krivis, and the others in discussing mermaid legends and possible places to find them.
• Krivis paid Klein ten pounds for freeing Cecil to watch the children, and Klein accepted the money.
• Derrick and the exploration team returned to the City of Silver, where Colin briefly pressed his temple in confusion.
• Emlyn asked his father who could teach him more about Sanguine history, and his father recommended Vampire, whom Emlyn decided to visit.
• The White Agate reached Damir Port, and Klein went to the Flying Fish and Wine bar to seek information about mermaids.
• Klein saw bounty notices outside the bar, then entered and found Captain Elland at the counter while two burly men faced off.

Klein visited the Flying Fish and Wine in Damir Port to gather rumors, where Sea Eagle Logan and the bartender tried to extort him. He beat them both, learned Logan had fabricated his connection to Ludwell, and escaped the bar as the guards rushed in.

• Klein heard Captain Elland warn him not to trust people in Damir Port, then met Woody, who tried to recruit him to hunt for the Ghost Empire.
• Sea Eagle Logan exposed Woody's scam, then teamed up with the bartender to make Klein pay five pounds for cured meat.
• Klein knocked Logan unconscious, paid for the meat, and learned Logan had spread rumors about serving Ludwell to make people fear him.
• The bartender shared rumors about the Royal Navy ironclad Pritz and battles between Admiral of Blood Senor and Vice Admiral Twilight Brattov Ivan.
• Klein smashed the bartender's head against the counter, threw Logan at the guards, escaped the Flying Fish and Wine, and used a gold coin to scout the streets.