#sedefkar simulacrum

We finally encountered a piece of the simulacrum! Romance is real! Let's hold hands!!

Episode 15 - Milan - A night at the opera

The party discussed the next actions and decided to split so that Freddie could spend some time researching some things at the library whilst the Colonel and Nur ad-Din followed up on some investigations.

Freddie managed to talk his way into the restricted section of the library and discovered some interesting notes about the Unaussprechlichen Kulten. In particular a number of spells and rituals that were within it’s pages. He also discovered that chameleons were a known type of familiar that witches used on account of their ability to change their skin.

He also discovered evidence of rites that allowed individuals to transfer their ailments to another from around 500ad, the time of Sedefkar. This seemed congruous with our thoughts on the ritual that Conti and Faccia had performed.

The Colonel and Nur ad-Din returned to the Galleria and noted a large number of blackshirts surrounding la Scala. They discovered the identity of the dead man in the bath tub. They learned that the man was not actually Freddie’s wife but Vincenzo Gaspari. He was in Milan from Torento on business to investigate textile factories in the area. He was also a known communist sympathiser. Both of these put him at odds with the fascist industrialists.

When Freddie returned they all headed over to Faccia’s house to confront him. Instead they discovered Conti. A fight broke out and Conti was knocked unconscious. Whilst searching the grounds they discovered a cage used to house a reptile, most likely the chameleon, and Catarina’s dress. Blood stained the neckline and scales were found amongst the sequins. In the conservatory they discovered an occult circle similar to the one discovered at the warehouse. Unfortunately Conti regained consciousness and a fight ensued. Conti was killed and his body was found to be scarred in a fashion not unlike the Jigsaw Prince. His last words, “I cannot die. A brother of the skin lives forever.” indicated both his affiliation with the Brotherhood and also that his delusions of immortality were unfounded.

We left the location and returned to la Scala where the opera was about to begin. Taking seats at the front row we saw Arturo Faccia accompanied by Blackshirts and a strange looking woman. As the opera began the woman seemed disturbed as if trying to remember something. The time for the aria of Aida came, which legend suggested could be sung along to to grant the singer their fondest wish. Arturo opened his mouth and started to sing beautifully with the voice of Catarina. On stage the Sedefkar Simulacrum’s torso was revealed, Faccia’s fondest wish. Nur ad-Din, badly shaken by the experience became mute.

Arturo departed, accompanied by his Blackshirt henchmen. The party followed. Colonel Selmey sneaked by but Nur ad-Din and Freddie became embroiled in a bitter fight. Eventually making it past the Blackshirts they followed to where Colonel Selmey had already begun confronting Arturo’s men. In the ensuing fight the torso was recovered and the woman, now revealed as Catarina, were taken away by Nur ad-Din to the car waiting outside.

Selmey and Freddie pursued Arturo and soon found his body killed by the floating monster that Nur ad-Din had seen in Poissy. Freddie left to help Nur ad-Din but Colonel Selmey pressed on to track the fiend. It lured him down a corridor where it escaped through a high window leaving the Colonel to face a horde of Blackshirts. In an epic gunfight he fought bravely but was taken down in a hail of bullets.

Freddie and Nur ad-Din, crushed by the death of their friend, fled the city with Catarina.

We arrived in Italy. Whilst volunteering our Lee Enfield rifles, we managed to sneak two handguns behind a panel in our berth.

At the border a number of Swiss police entered the train and arrested a Turkish gentleman, possibly for the murder of the policeman that Nur ad-Din had killed. Nur ad-Din was pleased at the development.

In Milan we found the station in a state of disrepair and the occupants of the town in a state of depression. Cavollaro had possibly been abducted, last seen leaving the station the previous day with man in black Alfa Romeo. She had not turned up for rehearsals and people were fearing the worst.

We checked into our hotel and received a telegram from Beddows suggesting that he was in Salzburg researching but had no further information to impart. We left the hotel for the theatre but found a large crowd of people coming in and out of the duomo. We investigated the church and found people had put a shrine together dedicated to Cavollaro.

Whilst there we saw a man crawling on floor who ran off when confronted. He had been looking for something near a broken jar which seemed to have contained dead butterflies and moths. We then spotted a small chameleon escaping the scene and Freddie gave chase, ultimately getting his head stuck in a window.

We next went to the theatre and found that the production of Aida was still being rehearsed but that night’s performance was cancelled if Cavellaro did not turn up, which she didn’t.

We felt the same sensation as we had when nearing the arm and deduced that the next part of the Simulacrum was somewhere in the theatre.

We spoke with the musical director but learned little more. Pushing our luck somewhat we were ejected from the theatre.

We returned later that night and entered through the fire escape where a chat with three old ladies in the costume department revealed the presence of a torso they had used as a mannequin which had indirectly left several people dead.

The Sedefkar Simulacrum is referenced multiple times in a 13th century illuminated manuscript ‘The Devil’s simulare’ in the Bibliotheque Nationcionale.

Sedefkar scrolls. Index card mentions that something related to it is housed in the topkapi museum in Constantinople.

No mention of Shunned Mosque or Comte Fenalik found but Col Selmey noticed that the word Fenalik means “evil” in Turkish but that the word has only been used in the last 200 years almost as if the word came from the man.

* Comte Fenalik, German(?) Count in Paris (circa 1790)

* Mlle. De Brienne, Member of the Queen’s Court c1789

* Louis Malon, Captain who led the raid on Fenalik’s Villa c1789

* Lucien Rigault, Queen’s Physcian who committed Fenalik to Charenton c1789

BEDDOWS’ NOTES

The Sedefkar Simulacrum is an occult artifact of evil power. It was taken apart and scattered across Europe at the end of the eighteenth century. Retrieve the pieces and destroy it.

The statue was dismembered in Paris just prior to the French Revolution. Part of it may still be in France. The owner was a noble, Comte Fenalik.

Napoleon’s soldiers carried a piece into Venice when they invaded that city.

Another fragment made its way to Trieste at the same time. Its fate is unknown. Look up Johann Winckelmann at the museum there.

There may a piece in the kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Start at the National Museum of Belgrade. Dr. Milovan Todorovic is the curator.

One part was lost near Sofia during the Bulgarian War in 1875. At that time things of value were hidden from the invadets, so it may be buried somewhere.

A piece was in circulation in Paris just after the Great War, and sold to someone in Milan.

Sedefkar Simulacrum Project on Indiegogo

Delphes Desvoivres, a companion of one of the writer’s of the new Orient Express supplement from Chaosium, is sculpting a life size duplicate of the Sedefkar Simulacrum, one of the mcguffins from the game. She is seeking crowdfunding for the project. Available rewards seem very cool, custom posters, prints, a box, and a small version of the Sedefkar Simulacrum. The kicker? For $35,000 you can…