#maza

The Cabin of Maze,

Wuhan Ganlushan Culture Creativity City, Yangtze New Town, China,

"'Don't break it!' a voice commanded, and the would-be assassin turned from the clever effigy to confront Sherlock Holmes himself!" The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone. Published in Hearst's International. Frederic Dorr Steele, 1921

I really enjoyed Jabbage's idea that Billy had a go at writing this one, which is why it is 1. a little bit clumsy and 2. a blatant rip-off of Empty House. You're right, Billy, it would be more exciting if the confrontation happened at Baker Street. And anyway, I've never thought Holmes's "oh Moran just HAPPENED to come use my observation position as a sniper nest" bit was very convincing. Obviously it was the most tempting spot on the street. That's why you're in it.

Non-EMPT details: MAZA absolutely ruins everyone's mental image of Baker Street, by moving Holmes's bedroom to the front of the house (and giving it frankly more doors than it needs). Many people have tried to diagram this house. It's impossible, because you can prove that the rooms move between stories, but they've tried.

First published in 1921, this was an adaptation of a one-act play Doyle wrote called The Crown Diamond: An Evening with Sherlock Holmes that ran in London that same year and featured Sebastian Moran.

It is also written in the third person, rare for a Holmes story.

A gasogene was a two-globed late Victorian device for producing sparkling water or other such carbonated beverages; the liquid was placed in the bottom and a mixture of tartaric acid and bi-carbonate of soda at the top. You tipped it slightly to start the process going. They had a habit of exploding under pressure, so were in a wire or wicker mesh to stop glass flying around if they did.

Cardinal Mazarin (1602-1661) was Chief Minister to Louis XIII and XIV from 1642 until his death. Succeeding Cardinal Richelieu of The Three Musketeers fame, he proved a hugely effective diplomat, playing a key role in the Treaty of Westphalia of 1648, whose principles of national sovereignty remain key to modern international relations.

He acquired a massive art, literature and jewel collection as well, leaving eighteen diamonds called "the Mazarins" to Louis XIV on his death.

Air guns with a pellet discharge of under 12ft/lb are today legal to own in the UK without a licence - anything over that is legally a firearm and regulated as such i.e. licences are needed.

A gudgeon is one of many small bottom-dwelling fish.

Algeria had been gradually conquered by France between 1830 and 1903, become an integral part of the country; something most colonies did not have happen to them. It also gained a very large number of European settlers.

"Train-de-luxe" referred to a train exclusively made up of CIWL carriages, all of which were pretty luxurious with the obvious exception of the dedicated luggage vans. The Orient Express was one such train for much of its history.

Some space pirates OC designs!

•Captain Eloane Labrusca: A deserted from the Star Alliance.

various lizards from spoiler folder reorganization. im only allowed to make more lizard side characters for this campaign if they’re related and irrelevant. so im going to. and im going to make all of them trans. (all shown here are mine except for hebroth, who is kirbs’s)