2021 Session V: Book of Dragons -- Recap

Our final session of the 2021 summer season featured a story called "Book of Dragons." 

Madame Drak sends her 3-Penny Mystery dream to the detectives, instructing them to visit the Nine Dragon Scroll. This ink painting by Chen Rong is from 1244 CE China during the Song Dynasty. The scroll may be viewed here. It is housed at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, where a portion is open for viewing.

The visit leads to a deep dive into the artwork and its history -- and I do mean "deep dive." The detectives dove into the whirlpool of the painting, following the white dragon and a stolen pearl of wisdom. They found themselves inside the landscape of the scroll, where a river runs through a valley of steep mountains. They had to fend off an attack of Hsigo, half-human, half-bird creatures.

When the security guard fell into the painting, the group quickly returned him to the museum, assuring him that he was only dreaming. They closed the lid of the case holding the scroll, and returned to their detective's work.

Two huge white dragons fought the team in a narrow pass between two mountains. Our team was captured in an iron cage and transported to a hideout deep inside a cave, where the chancellor was waiting for them. I cannot reveal the chancellor's identity, in case I run this case again -- but he was quite helpful. He gave the detectives jewels (on the second day), told them what he knew about the pearl, and offered the help of his magical cricket.

The team decided to visit Chen Rong to ask him about the pearl of wisdom and the white dragon. They chose a quiet time in 1247 CE, when he was at his office as governor of Putian. The detectives had a bit of trouble reaching him, since the government building was guarded by an image of Bi Yan, the Dragon King's son who guards government buildings and maintains the law.

The visit did not go as planned -- and I cannot write more about it without giving away details that must be kept secret from future detectives. Let's just say that the visit was momentous, a true turning point in the story. The detectives learned what they needed to learn and all's well that ends well.

Did the mystery end well? Yes, it did. The thief was caught, the pearl of wisdom uncovered, and our team created their own pages to add to the Book of Dragons. View those pages on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page, in the photo album called "Summer 2021 Book of Dragons -- Art." The dragons the detectives made are also there, in the photo album called "Summer 2021 Book of Dragons -- Dragons."

Thanks to Oliver for the introduction of the cricket into our story!