Starting Location:
London
Starting Date:
Wed Jan 3, 1923
Cast:
Active
Sabine [Rob]– a french “political leader”
Leeroy [Brandon] – a “landromat owner” from New York
Robbie [Trevor] – a scottish clock tower mechanic raised by american expats
Ithabel [Jeff] – a thpanish thef
Misty the Magic [Brenna]- a local student and former lover of Professor Smith
Inactive
Jordan [Bob] – a scottish alienist
Greg [Jimmy] – a “local kid” from london

Episode Summary:
The group arrives at the Challenger Trust banquet on Wednesday, January 3rd (1923), eager to hear the night’s guest speaker: their dear friend Professor Smith. They introduce themselves to each other, although Sabine, Leeroy, and Robbie are already familiar with each other after the events of “The Doom Train” on Christmas Eve/Day. Unfortunately it appears that two of their other companions from that event were unable to join them today: Jordan, the Scottish alienist, and Greg, the “local kid.”

The group enjoys the free-flowing wine and food (with the exception of Isabel, who is less than impressed by her Shepard’s pie). Professor Smith finally arrives on stage, and begins his lecture to great enjoyment. After disproving many fake parapsychological claims, he spends the last half of his lecture covering multiple “hauntings” that he believes show evidence of realities beyond our veil of perception. Sabine is not convinced, and neither is a fellow member at their table who rudely leaves moments after the lecture concludes. They notice after that his name placeholder says “Elias.”

Professor Smith makes his way to their table after the lecture, and the group discusses his findings with him. Leeroy also attempts to relay the story of the Doom Train, which astounds and perplexes Smith, particularly as Sabine and Robbie back up the facts of the story. He assures them that they will discuss this further, and invites them to dinner at his place on Sunday evening. The group departs, each headed to their local residence or hotel. Misty the Magic attempts to secure a ride back to Professor Smith’s house. He declines her offer. Multiple times.

The group, now friends, reconvene at the King in Yellow pub over the next two days, and the locals treat the others to a tour of London to enjoy the sights; Robbie shows them the clock tower, and Misty highlights places where she and the professor had a bit of a snog.

On Saturday morning, January 6th, Leeroy picks up a copy of The Scoop and, in excitement, runs to find the others at the King in Yellow pub. The cover story, written by the infamous Rory Wagner, details that three Turkish men, all bearing the exact same identity (according to their passports), were stabbed to death in a shared hotel room in Chelsea. What’s more, the identity each man purportedly shared was that of “Mehmet Markryat” – the very same name as the shop keeper who sold the toy train from the Doom Train just a few days past! The real Mehmet Markryat, according to Mr. Wagner, appears to be missing.

The group appears shocked by this strange turn of events, but is even more astounded when Misty notices another article buried deep in The Scoop: apparently Professor Smith’s home was set on fire the previous night, and he (and his man servant) are nowhere to be found! Misty breaks down in tears at this news, and not just because her love is missing. Apparently she had many good memories in the now burned-down house.

They decide to split up to investigate both of these. Isabel and Leeroy head to the hotel where the triple murder occurred, while Sabine, Robbie, and Misty head off to see if they can find the professor.

At the hotel, Leeroy decides the best plan of attack is to climb aboard a dumpster, shimmy up a fire escape, and hopefully find the correct room where the murder occurred from the outside of the building. He is successful in this. He next decides to try to open the window to the room from the outside, in order to crawl in. He is unsuccessful in this. He slips on the icy metal of the fire escape and takes a four story tumble. Isabel bravely attempts to catch him and does manage to soften the blow for him, but unfortunately this results in her bearing the brunt of his terminal velocity.

Sabine, Robbie, and Misty head to the Oriental Club – a club Misty knew the professor frequented – in the hopes of finding him there. The club members are shocked to hear the news of Professor Smith, and assure them that he has not been there in sometime. Sabine and Robbie note that the club members are not shocked to see Misty the Magic there inquiring yet again about Professor Smith. This is apparently a common occurrence, despite the fact that this time she tried to fool them of her identity by wearing a thick fake moustache.

Back at the hotel, Isabel angrily drags Leeroy through the front door, and demands that the bellhop take them to the fourth floor. He complies, and quickly gets out of her way. Isabel and Leeroy enter the hotel room through the door. Leeroy finds this surprisingly effective. Leeroy strangely identifies many facts about the murder just by analyzing the blood splatter pattern on the carpet. He is quite the renaissance laundromat owner. He also successfully yells at two Scotland Yard detectives who enter the room, cutting off their surprised inquiries and letting him and Isabel walk out of the hotel room unchallenged.

Sabine, Robbie, and Misty head to the University next. Misty and Robbie lead them to a secret room in the library where romantic encounters are often scheduled, hoping the professor is hiding there. He is not. Nor is he in his office, though Misty and Robbie find strange notes in his desk drawer. One is a set of notes about a parapsychological event concerning a “statue,” and the other is a diary-like entry that seems to suggest Professor Smith was hoping his lecture would “draw them out.” The group puzzles to figure out who the note refers to, or what Smith’s intention was.

They all reconvene back at the pub to exchange notes. They decide two potential leads remain. First, they all head to the burned wreckage of Professor Smith’s house. They find little there, but Leeroy is certain the fire was started by some sort of “flaming bottle” being thrown into the house, suggesting that the fire was no mere accident. Misty, true to her Magic title, senses that an evil presence had been at the house recently. Meanwhile Sabine too-confidently tells the group Professor Smith is alive, but on the move somewhere.

In a last attempt to make sense of the situation, Robbie, Misty, and Leeroy break into the antiquities/curiosities shop belonging to Mehmet Markryat. Unfortunately before they can discover anything, Leeroy pushes a bookshelf over, and neighbors immediately notice the break in. They emerge from the building and Misty attempts to flirt with one of the neighbors to escape the situation. Leeroy flirts with the same man, only using his fist instead of his wiles. The group runs. Misty books it on foot, Leeroy hides in a dumpster, and Robbie jumps in Sabine’s car, which he promptly drives into the car parked in front of him before escaping.

That night at the pub, the group is uncertain what to do after such a long and strange day, and with their friend still missing. Suddenly, a cabbie shows up and drops them off a note: it’s from Professor Smith! His note mentions that he must speak to them immediately in secret, and provides an address for the location he is hiding at. When they arrive, his manservant Beddows quickly lets them in. They see he is injured, but in a worse state is their friend Professor Smith, who is near death after being burned alive. This causes Robbie to flip out, and as Smith attempts to tell his story he continually interrupts and tries to refocus attention on the clearly more significant issue: the fender bender he got in earlier when attempting to flee the neighborhood of Markryat’s shop.

Quieting Robbie down, Smith explains his story. He has been attempting to hunt down the pieces of a statue called the Sedefkar Simulacrum – a dangerous magical object that could be devesating in the wrong hands. He intended to find all the pieces and then destroy them, and his lecture was a secret attempt to call forth allies in this objective. Unfortunately it appears that instead it attracted enemies: a cult of some sort that is trying to track the pieces down themselves. He implores his friends to find all the pieces (which he believes are scattered across Europe) and take them to the “Shunned Mosque” in Constantinople where they can be destroyed.

He collapses, out of energy and barely alive. Beddows fusses over him, then assures the group that he will keep Smith safe and hidden. Beddows hands them 1000 pounds sterling, and advises them to take the Simplon-Orient Express as his master had intended. Armed with the notes from Professor Smith, cash for their expenses and train tickets, and a dangerous purpose, the group heads out into the night to fulfill the Professor’s mission.