Part 2: Nocturne

As the Orient Express pulled out of Paris the investigators were approached by a German man who introduced himself as Lassovits. He explained that Professor Smith had sent him to meet up with the investigators and provide the necessary paperwork that would allow the group to get over the various borders they would have to cross. Lassovits then offered his talents to the group, who reluctantly decided it might be a good idea to have a man like Lassovits around.

During the trip the investigators find out that they share a car with a young Italian opera singer known as Caterina Cavollaro. Cavollaro proves to be a very friendly woman and soon befriends the investigators. The investigators learn that Cavollaro is heading to Milan where she has the lead in Verdi's Aida, a part she's been wanting to play all her life. She also reveals a legend that if you sing along with the aria as it's played in a proper theatre you can make one wish, and that wish will come true.

As the train pulls into Lausanne, Cavollaro gives each of the investigators a theatre ticket and invites them to see her play if they plan on stopping in Milan. The investigators then disembark the train, get settled into a nearby hotel, and then made their way to the address marked on Edgar Wellington's letter. What they found was a taxidermy shop with an upstairs apartment. The group met with Edgar, and his mute brother William, and talked about both the Sedefkar Simulacrum and the Sedefkar Scroll. Edgar didn't seem to know anything about the statue. Although Edgar had tried to get the scroll translated no one had been able to figure it out. In the end Edgar said that he'd had enough of the scroll and just wanted to sell it. There was someone else interested in buying it, and since Edgar was meeting this other buyer for dinner he invited the investigators to join them.

The investigators were just about to leave when the other buyer, the Duc des Esseintes, enters the shop. Edgar suggests that the Duke gives the investigators a quick tour of Lausanne before getting ready for dinner. The Duke seems reluctant but agrees. On the tour the Duke appears to be a very friendly, charming person, but the investigators get the feeling there is something much more sinister about the man. After the tour the Duke bids the investigators farewell. The investigators let the man get a good distance away before deciding to follow him. the Duke heads straight to his house. The investigators follow him in and are surprised to find the house completely empty, no furniture, no people, nothing except bare walls and hardwood floors. The investigators follow footprints in the thick layer of dust coating the floor, all the way up to a room on the third floor. This room contained the only piece of furniture in the house, a large mirror. The unusual thing was that although there was a reflection of the room in the mirror, there was no reflection of the investigators. William is the first to examine the mirror and discovers that it's some kind of portal. After throwing a few pieces of debris through William volunteers to go through first.

One by one the investigators pass through the mirror. Once they are all through they follow the footprints in the dust all the way back out of the house. They find themselves in a Lausanne much different from the one they were just in. This Lausanne is much darker, and the technology level seemed more like the middle ages. While wandering this strange version of Lausanne the investigators encounter several strange events.

The first event is a powerful, chilling wind that blows from a wide fissure in the street. The wind is so powerful it forces the investigators down a side-street.

The second event is a troupe of costumed people, dressed as Death, an Angel, a medieval Soldier, a Lion, a Turk, an Assassin, a Rustic Lad, and a Rustic Lass. The sound of church bells seem to follow these individuals, even though there are no bells in sight. Suddenly the Lion and the Soldier sprout wing, fly into the air, and begin fighting each other.

The third event is a section of street covered in garlic flowers. Gareth makes a quick stop to pick up a garlic clove before the group moves on.

The fourth event is an old woman stirring a pot of boiling stew. Most of the investigators decide to leave the woman alone, but Lassovits decides to try a bit of the stew. Unfortunately he doesn't notice until too late that the meat in the stew is actually human body parts. After puking his guts out Lassovits hurries to catch up with the rest of the investigators, chased by the sound of the old woman laughing.

The fifth event is a street magician. He places his magician's hat on the ground and stick in an arm, only to have the arm disappear. He does this with each limb until there's nothing left of him except a torso and a head. Laughing, he then asks if someone from the audience could reach into the hat and retrieve his limbs. The investigators ignore the magician and continue on.

The sixth event is a giant chess game where the pieces are real people. Each player is a giant statue, one black, one white. The human pieces begin to play out a game, their movements becoming faster and faster. As each piece is taken he or she is hacked to pieces. The game ends with the black player winning and the white statue crumbling into dust.

The final event is a giant statue made of wire. The statue is covered in strips of human flesh. From the head of the statue comes the most beautiful music the investigators have ever heard.

After becoming completely lost the investigators finally arrive back at the Duke's house. Having had enough of this insane place, and fearing that they'll miss their meeting with Edgar, the investigators head back through the mirror into the "normal" Lausanne.

Arriving at the cafe Le Chat Noir for dinner the investigators are greeted by a man called Maximillian von Wurtheim, who apparently is a friend of both the Duke and Edgar. He says that the others will be along shortly and goes on to tell his life story. Several hours pass and there's still no sign of Edgar or the Duke. Fearing something has happened the investigators head to the taxidermy shop.

From the outside it looked like no one was home. The investigators, fearing the worst, break in through the back door. In the apartment above they find the body of William Wellington, his throat cut and a piece of flesh missing from his back. In the bedroom, the body of Edgar lies on the bed. A quick examination reveals a small needle-hole in Edgar's arm and an empty bottle of morphine on the nightstand. The strange thing is that the needle-hole is in the wrong arm. A quick search turns up a number of items including: a fake copy of the Sedefkar scroll, Edgar's journal, and a bottle of green liquid labelled Dream Lausanne. The investigators make a quick departure as the sounds of police sirens approach. The investigators don't have time to wonder who called the police as they race back to their hotel, pack up, and get onto the Orient Express. Safe in their room the investigators examine Edgar's journal for clues. Apparently the Duke had given the Dream Lausanne to Edgar, and apparently if drunk it would take the drinker to a dream version of Lausanne. The investigators assumed that this Dream Lausanne was the medieval Lausanne that existed through the Duke's mirror. the journal also mentioned how Edgar was able to take small items into and out of Dream Lausanne. Believing that Dream Lausanne would be a perfect hiding place for the Sedefkar Scroll the investigators decide to risk drinking the green liquid.

Each investigator took a sip of the green liquid and almost instantly fell asleep. When they woke they found themselves in exactly the same place, but the train had stopped moving. Exiting the train the investigators found themselves in an empty wasteland lit by a very bright sun. The only part of the train was the car the investigators were on, and the tracks it was supposed to be travelling had disappeared. The only other feature in this strange landscape was a single door. The investigators went through the door and found themselves in the taxidermy shop. The rotting corpses of what were supposed to be stuffed animals revealed that the investigators had made it to Dream Lausanne. Outside there seemed to be some kind of commotion. The investigators decided to split up, William and Raechka would search the shop, Lassovits and Gareth would find out what the commotion was all about.

Outside, people rushed towards the town square, so Lassovits and Gareth decided to follow. In the middle of the town's square stood a gallows. On the gallows was the Duke, Edgar, and a large stone statue. Edgar was chained to the gallows and was apparently about to go on trial, with the Duke as the prosecutor. When the Duke called out to see if anyone would argue for Edgar no one came forward. Eventually Lassovits and Gareth decided it was up to them. The Duke then readied the Judge by asking for the skin of a volunteer. The crowd turned on the volunteer and skinned him alive. The skin was then passed to the duke, who draped it over the statue. Once this was done the statue seemed to fill with life. The Duke then argued three charges: resisting arrest, being a foreigner, and possession of forbidden knowledge. Lassovits and Garth did their best to sway the crowd but just couldn't come up with a good defence.

As the trial went on William and Raechka ripped the taxidermy shop apart looking for the Sedefkar Scroll, with no luck. In a burst of inspiration William pulls out a mirror and looks at the shop through it. He finds one section of wall that isn't really there. Behind the section is a little cubby containing the scroll. Unfortunately neither William, nor Raechka can figure out how to get to the scroll. Giving up for now they decide to head outside and see how their companions are doing.

As the trial ends with a victory for the Duke. The statue steps forward and before anyone can act it rips Edgar's head from his body. Spotting William and Raechka at the back of the crowd, Gareth and Lassovits leap from the gallows and together they all head back to the taxidermy shop. It doesn't take long for the Duke to tell his people to capture the investigators for their own trial. With Edgar dead whatever it was protecting the scroll had vanished. As the people of Dream Lausanne tore their way into the shop the investigators grabbed the scroll and headed for the back door. Charging through they found themselves back in the bright wasteland and without hesitation ran for the train car. They just managed to get back on as Dream Lausanne people began pouring through the doorway. Arriving back in their room the investigators woke with a start, back in the real world, and with the scroll.

Feeling very hungry the investigators grab a quick bite to each. As they finish they are approached by a man, the Duke! He demands that the investigators give him the scroll, but they refuse. To show he means business he casts a spell that inflict terrible pain on all the investigators. Knowing there is nothing they can do to the Duke, the investigators hand over the scroll, the fake scroll they picked up in Edgar's room. Without even checking the scroll, the Duke vanishes. The investigators celebrate their victory as the Orient Express continues on to the next stop, Milan in Italy.