The team traveled to the Museum of Anitediluvian Antiquities (Old, Old Stuff) in London. A black jackal followed them, and they had a nice chat with a man sitting outside the museum. The police were there investigating the theft of an Egyptiana artifact, so the detectives used the Oroborus to reach the third floor storage room from their dreams.
The Eye of the Sun guarded the box holding the Rat Queen. After vaniquishing the Shadow Cats guarding the box, the team was able to negotiate with the Eye. A clever win-win solution was found: The detectives got what was in the box, fulfilling their mission, and the Eye got to continue guarding the box, fulfilling its mission.
The Rat Queen revealed the identity of her captor: Onyx Bast, curator of the Egyptian collection at the museum. The team decoded an open letter code, learning that Onyx planned to meet a partner in Paris, at the famous flea market called Les Puces.
Tracking Onyx through the flea market led to a secret tent and an auction for all kinds of magical artifacts. Many magical beings were present, including the man from the bench the team met in London. He managed to steal some of the team's personal artifacts, causing much concern when he used them to bid on items at the auction.
Our team did some bidding of their own -- and later traded those for their artifacts, keeping only the magical kiwi bird.
Onyx's purpose at the auction became clear only at the end, when she and the "bench man" battled the auctioneer for something hidden in his pack. A huge yarnball game featuring flying spells of all kinds -- freezing magic, zombie transformations, and shadow cat evocations -- was held. Onyx and her partner (Dogtooth Spar -- Rebecca spilled the beans on the name, as Onyx and Dogtooth talked with one another during the game) escaped.
Fortunately, the gnome auctioneer knew where the two were going. He told the detectives the story of le Chat Noir and Henri Riviere's magical shadow puppet performances. Henri Riviere accidentally activated a Magic Lantern that had the power to open the Shadow Realms. He and his fellow artists found that they had opened an ancient Egyptian prison, holding a ferocious shadow creature.
When Onyx and Dogtooth tried to steal the lantern from Riviere, he hid the crystal orbs inside his paintings, and gave the Magic Lantern to the gnome auctioneer to keep safe. He also managed to hide Onyx Bast's amulet, a gift from her mother, the Egyptian cat goddess. That amulet made its way over time to the museum collection.
So Onyx and Dogtooth were gathering all the pieces they needed, to try to open the Shadow Realms again, to relase the wild prisoner.
After a visit to Le Chat Noir on its closing day in 1897 Paris, the detectives entered the paintings of Henri Riviere, racing against Dogtooth and Onyx to find the location of the crystal orbs. The results of those visits may be seen in the shadow puppetry on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page. Here is a link.
The detectives secured three orbs, while Dogtooth won one orb -- so both sides met to negotiate in Le Chat Noir. The team learned the identity of the myserious prisoner in the shadow realms. Let's just say they worked out yet another win-win solution, where everyone received their heart's desire. The world was saved from a destructive and chaotic force, and the two thieves were happy and ready to give up their thieving ways because someone much beloved was coming home.
Photos of the games, the shadow puppetry and artwork from the week are on the Facebook page!
Many thanks to the older detectives who stepped in to play Onyx for the games! We had a spectacular first week -- wonderful sewing projects, fun mystery, clever deductions, and hilarious moments with the kiwi bird.
