Adventures across Europe

The investigators have now undertaken a train trip across Europe, stopping at locations as identified by Prof Ethelrod as likely to host a piece of the Sedefkar Simulacrum. A summary of their adventurs can be found below, with more detail available in the   Adventure Timeline.

Paris

Leaving the train at Paris Nord, the investigators researches revealed information on Comte Fenalik's mansion in Poissy, long demolished, and tales of a strange inmate in Charenton Asylum.  Jocelyn made a new friend, Guillaume the Ghoul, who had lived under Paris (and Poissy) for years uncounted and knows of Fenalik and his strange statue.

Travelling to Poissy, our adventurers met Dr Lorien, whose house had been built on the foundations of Fenalik's mansion, and discover the Left Arm of the Simulacrum in the old cellars.  Bob takes possession of the Arm.

Lausanne

Following the trail of a letter written to Dr Lorien, the investigators meet the Wellington Brothers. They meet the Duc Des Esseintes who they don't like and suspect is responsible for the subsequent death of the Wellingtons. They then take a (very short) trip to Dream Lausanne where Jocelyn has a good rummage in a badly stuffed bear and takes possession of the "Scroll of the Head", one of a set of Sedefkar Scrolls.

Milan

The investigators meet an Opera Singer, Caterina Cavollaro, who subsequently vanishes and re-appears as an old woman with her voice missing. They retrieve the Torso of the simulacrum which has been masquerading as a dressmaker's dummy at La Scala Opera House.  In doing so encounter Arturo Faccia, the man responsible for Caterina's misfortunes  and leader of the local faction of Brothers Of The Skin. He later dies in mysterious circumstances. Pen takes possession of the Simulacrum Torso and develops a nasty rash on her chest.

Venice

After a short stop off in Verona, the investigators head to Venice where a series of strange murders are taking place, and where the canals get more unpleasant by the day. Undeterred, they manage to track down and retrieve the Left Leg of the Simulacrum which is currently being used as part of an automaton in a clock tower. They also manage to rescue a damsel in distress from  a predatory blackshirt suitor and his henchmen. Steel takes possession of the leg.

Constantinople, 1204

Reading a medieval Manuscript, The Devil's Simulare, gives the investigators a strange shared dream in which they are Frankish Knights tasked with bringing the sorceror Sedefkar to justice during the sack of Constantinople. They fight a dragon and encounter the leper monk, Merovak, who turns out to be none other than Fenalik himself.  

Trieste

The ghost of Johann Winckelmann leads the investigators to an ancient medallion, which they take to the Caverns of Postumia to retrieve the right leg of the Simulacrum. On the way they run into local Cultists who want the Medallion, and Turkish Brothers of the Skin who want the leg. They also have trouble with local blackshirts, and suspect that Fenalik isn't too far away.  Jocelyn's (short) possession of the Medallion seems to give her immunity against the cold, but she does hear strange wailing noises on the North wind, which don't do her sanity any good. In any case, Pyotr takes possession of the right leg and the investigators re-board the train at Rekek. They are waved off by the smiling ghost of Winckelmann, to continue their journey onward towards Belgrade. 

Zagreb (?)

After enjoying a rather excellent red wine, a gift from an unkown benefactor described by the night porter as  a portly gentleman, the invesdtigators retire to bed but are  unexpected awoken for an unscheduled disembarcation at Zegreb.  They journey through a strange misty city in search of a cowled figure who seems to know them.  They find many strange messages, that seem to somehow relate to their previous adventures, and Steel rescues a beached fish, much to Pen's amazement. After finding the strange figure and gaining Mythos Knowledge in an unusual manner, the investigators  dash to rejoin the train by the skin of their teeth, only to find themselves still asleep in their beds!  

Vinkovci

Our investigators make an unscheduled stop in Vinkovci due to terrorist activity, and are treated to a free stay at a hunting lodge by the CIWL. They meet a young lady, Jazmina Moric, who is looking for her father, Dr Dragomir Moric.  SR Moric is an archaologist who has discovered a crusaders tomb containing a number of interesting artefacts. They discover strange monsters, cudoviste, lurking after dark, and trace these to their creator,  Dr Goran Belenzada, who has been using the one of the artefacts, the Mims Sahis knife, to carry out revolutionary transplant surgeries.  Bob himself becomes the recipient of a revolutionary transplant when he is severely injured by one of the cudoviste.

Constantinople, 330 AD

Reading a Latin manuscript from the Vinkovci tomb, The Accounts of Tillius Corvus, gives the investigators another strange shared dream concerning the last mission of the  Fortes Falcones, an elite group of Roman auxiliary soldiers on the verge of retirement as they set out for their final mission, serving under their commander Tillius Corvus. They depart Constantinople to investigate rumors of a mysterious cult spreading a deadly and horrifying new plague in a neighboring province. Here the solders face terrors and enemies unlike any they have encountered before and bear witness to the birth of Fenalik.

Belgrade and Orašac

The investigators meet with Dr. Milovan Todorovic, Curator of Sculpture at the National Museum., He in turn provides a contact, Father Filopovic, a priest in the village of Orašac, fifty miles south. The priest in turn refers them to an elderly and reclusive antiquities collector who lives alone in the woods. Unfortunately she is not what she seems, and although she has the item they seek, the investigators are hard pushed to escape with their lives! Helena claims the Right Arm of the Simulacrum.

Sofia

Following a meeting with  Dr Radko Jordanov on the Orient Express, and a run in with a cultist on the train, the investigators disembark at Sofia in search of the head of the Simulacrum.  On the first night, Pen has an eye stolen buring a vicious attack by severed animated human hands. The resulting visions lead her, the investigators and a special police task force to caves in the mountains where they discover dead cultists and the head before being attacked by vampire-spawn. Jocelyn takes possession of the head, and the investigators now have possession of the entire Simulacrum. But that's not the end of their problems. 

Svilengrade

That night, on the Orient Express, Fenalik strikes. The investigators manage to fight him off without loss of life, and disembark at Svilengrade where the injured Helena is hospitalsed.  The rest of the investigators are taking shelter in an empty church  when Fenalik makes his final attack!