A debrief from Lisel on what happened after you blacked out would be a good start, we've already seen Dis, but any clues of what happened to Cedric or Kh'khechil?

Some things to ask Juan:
-General layout of the kingdom, any known entrances, number of guards and location of guard posts etc.
-Any chance of recovering our gear and weapons, or how to go about acquiring new stuff?
-How quickly and severely is disruption responded to? For example if we were caught in a restricted area, would we be cautioned, detained or executed?

Also, while we have no reason to distrust Juan, we also have no reason to trust him either. Be very cautions about sharing information with him, especially anything regarding the woodshed settlement.

As if you may walk the princess around. Gust to get to know her a little bit.

Slip in some discussion about croquet in-between other things.

1/3 Nalthar 2026/09/27(Sun)07:42 No. 1132398 ID: bb0461
File 179049496098.jpg - (772.71KB , 800x600 , cadvere3 22 no no stop.jpg )

"So..." you begin "How do you play croquay?"

Brother Juan misses a step "I- dh- its just a game! You hit a ball with a stick! It will never ever be important!" He has the two of you stop under a wood and felt tree. "I said my aim is to help you, not my devotion. If you two are going to try to get killed I won't lift a finger to stop you."

He looks between the two of you with a hard little stare, the mouse seeming a lot less meek than he had. You share another glance with Lisel, she seems as bemused as you. "Alright" you say "You're just a guide then?"

"Let's keep moving." He says, already walking out of the shade. "And yes. I'm useful me, useful and quiet. Get folks onboard. Don't start drama, don't look like I would ever be in drama. Like one of the lamps, he doesn't even really think of me as long as I work right."

You follow along. "Questions then, about this woeful place." Lisel lifts her goggles to scratch at her brow ridge "So the princess"

"Yes" you add "the princess"

"No,no. no. Stop." Juan chops his arm stiffly to his side, as though to block your path. "Not the princess. You two thinking you're brave knights? Rescue the princess and get a kiss? That's what he wants."

He pulls a long sigh "Might as well start there. So you get this is all a story right? We're his puppets, dead or alive. But the most important thing to remember is, the man's a fool." Lisel snorts "What? No, I've seen the things he's made. He's an inventor, a scientist."

"Maybe on those matters" Juan shakes his head "But on all else, a fool. I mean you've a foreign name, you've been around. So surely you see already, the 'king' doesn't know a damn thing about the world. He just pulls anything that sounds good out of his books. And I may be just a simple house mouse, may not have read many human stories, but this is the worst one I've ever heard. Its all petty drama, and it changes day to day without any reason. "

"Which is why he keeps the princess. I don't know how he got his hands on her, but he keeps her for the heroic rescue stories. Oh and people pining for her from afar and jealous wives and whatnot." Juan says "She'll use you too, if you get too close. She's determined to get out. She's been here longer than me, and I've been here a... long time. No one gets out. No one."

2/3 Nalthar 2026/09/27(Sun)07:43 No. 1132399 ID: bb0461
File 179049498601.jpg - (676.14KB , 800x600 , cadvere3 23a lot of fire.jpg )

"I thought a house mouse could always find a way out." you say "It's a big house sure but, wait we are on the second floor, right? And its only been... a day?"

Lisel pats you on the back, careful to avoid your spine. You still get a throb of pain though. "Just about a day yes. You passed out after the ratcatcher got us. Dis tried to hold them off but, there were too many in the end."

"Did something happen to Dis? is she hurt?" you ask "I saw her in the cages, she looks..." Lisel sadly shakes her head "She wasn't stabbed, not that I saw. Once they got her down, its like she's not there anymore. Completely unresponsive. I- I don't know how to help her."

You hiss air through your teeth. "And Kh'khechil? That mouse?" she shrugs "I lost sight of them. When that wolf broke through the window to put out the fire it got very hectic."

"Jesus! That's what that noise was?" Juan has stopped to look at the two of you like one would a badly shored tunnel.

"Jessus?" you echo. He waves a hand "Oh, eh, its the human god. Its just part of my character, not important."

"Anyway, I never saw if they got off the cart." says Lisel "We were led, well you two were dragged, to this lift, and then put in the cages. I haven't seen Kh'khechil since." Brother Juan pipes up "Your friends must have escaped. If they were captured they would have been in the prison this morning. Dead or alive."

"Oh good" Lisel's face lifts "Well at least there's that. And that's it, we've been captured. Honestly I would have thought we would be dead, or at the least being cut up. But all they've done is demand we turn over our weapons. Which fell to me, as the only conscious member of the group. I would have tried to hide your matchhead, but it fell out of your cloak. Sorry. At least they let you keep yours, I feel naked without my coat."

The other mouse nods in commiseration "Aye it takes getting used to, the costuming. If you play along he might let you have it back. Or maybe design a new one. There's a whole costume and prop workshop behind the palace."

3/3 Nalthar 2026/09/27(Sun)07:43 No. 1132400 ID: bb0461
File 179049501107.jpg - (712.20KB , 800x600 , cadvere3 24 the kingdom.jpg )

You peer back the way you've come, behind the palace seems to be just painted sky. Brother Juan flutters his hands "Well okay no, behind and to the left." You see that to the side of the palace is a curtain from ceiling to floor, like the one that cut off the prison you woke in.

"I should give you the tour" says Juan "But there's really not much to it. He points to the squat palace structure "Lets call that north. The workshop is east of that, don't go in there. South from the palace are the gardens where we are now. East of that is a door you do not talk about, and west is a room with a door you do not talk about." You can see most of this floor of the house has been hollowed out, with scars of former walls running along the distant ceiling. One room remains, jutting out of the wall to the 'west'. You can't see a door, presumably ahead of you on its 'south' side, but you do see the other door he mentioned. To your east a landscape of hills and far mountains covers the wall, and also a great human scale door.

"Further south" Juan continues "We have the Duchess' manor. East of that is the prison. And that's it, everywhere you need to know. Now." He rubs his hands together, getting into the swing of it. "We can discuss playing your roles. Really there's not much to it, usually. Just, don't contradict the king. I mean if he orders something you can't do, just agree and move on. You'll probably be fine."

"It's all improvised, mostly. Sometimes he tries to play out specific storylines. When that happens you'll be given a script by the duchess. She meets upstairs every other day, probably planning stories."

"What's with her" you ask "and the other glowing eyed ones?" Juan shrugs "Just... revenants, I don't know. I try not to think about it. They don't eat, they don't talk, they don't remember you from before. They just follow orders. Except the special ones, like the duchess. The ones with the fancy brass thingamajigs, they seem almost normal. They don't remember you either but at least you can have a conversation with them. Better than having to pretend to talk to the puppets."

You've been eyeing the distant walls, hoping for holes or cracks. All you've spotted is a solid looking vent cover. "Some of the guards have glowing eyes, some are puppets. What's the difference?" you wonder.

"Oh well the puppets are just, well puppets. They only move for the king. But the others are real guards." He gives you a look "And yes, they follow a nice patrol route you can sneak around. Because there's nowhere to go. There aren't any holes in the wall. The windows are boarded over. They only have to actually guard the lift, not that jumping down the hole would do you any good."

"And they hardly have to spy on you, what with the king's eyes up there. Though they will raise a shout if they see you breaking something or starting a fight. And on top of that, the real guards are inside the walls. That's how they got me. Thought I could get to the top. Might be its best I didn't make it."

Lisel scoffs "Oh, how ominous. Well we'll take a fair warning. Really though, can we talk about the princess again? I mean the rest of the demographics make sense here. House raider mice and such come in search of loot. A rat or bat clan seeking shelter. Other forest folk just lost and unlucky. But a bug princess? Do they ever leave the kingdoms? Is she really a princess?"

Brother Juan spreads his hands in an expansive shrug. "She was here before me even, and hasn't given them an inch in all that time. She has the spirit of a princess for certain. If you really want to meet her we can go to her chambers. That's, if you don't have anything else to discuss?"

Questions worth asking:
- What places have privacy from the eye/guards?
- Where/how exactly do the 'living' inhabitants... Well, live? Sleep, eat, maintain hygiene and so on, when not on script?
- Who are all the 'special' revenants?
- Does the King, or any of the revenants, ever sleep? Are there times when the King is distracted, inattentive or absent?
- What is the typical 'daily' schedule?
- Are there any places Lissel can get access to chemicals?
- Are there any places one could hide/smuggle items without the King or guards seeing?
- Why is the workshop a no-go zone? No point in being vague about it.

Actions wise the princess seems like a scripted trap indeed. Engaging with her outside of script might make the King think you're gonna rescue her and lure you into certain death. At most we can ask her about her hive/bugfolk past. No humoring rescue without a solid plan (and varyness of the King 'arranging' a perfect rescue to invite false hope).

A fire here would be likely lethal to everyone unless there's an exit planned.

More questions for Juan:
-What's a rough guess on the population ratios? How man regular folk compared to puppets, guards and revenants?
-Has there ever been any notable past escape attempts or mass resistance? (protests/riots/strikes)
-Anywhere a rat with a sore back can get a strong drink? Some pain relief would be good, but also, this is a prison and every prison has a black market...

I'm similarly hesitant on visiting the princess, she may be a good source of intel, but it might give her or the master ideas of what to do with you.

Go for a walk about town with Lisel and do some "people watching", information gathering is the best use of our time for now. Anything more adventurous will have to wait until our spine is healed. (Hopefully it isn't a permanent injury)

Also I think we should also check in on Dis at some point.

Let's go to the butterfly's room and see what her whole deal it. I am putting bets on the notion that she isn't a real butterfly but something that the puppet master created. The life span of insects isn't long.

Noticed one thing, Juan avoided the light when he wanted to tell you something. Does he know how they are all being observed? Ask him about it.

We might need to figure out how to get your spine injury treated, or at least stabilized.

Not only does it impede anything you do and risk worsening, it might get you killed by accident (going 'off script') or in any 'duel' you might be forced to perform.

And it would have to be done without the King, puppets or revenants noticing/involved, as they'd no doubt turn you into a revenant or puppet with their 'health tonics'. Is there a living healer or medic here? Can Lisel do anything (assuming we get her tools or ingredients)?

>>1132451
Going to second this one, that injury needs to get taken care.

1/2 Nalthar 2026/10/12(Mon)02:42 No. 1132892 ID: bb0461
File 179177293610.jpg - (769.08KB , 800x600 , cadvere3 25 i need a drink.jpg )

"Well, just to introduce us. It would be impolite to ignore a princess" you muse. A shouting match breaks out from the direction of the croquet field, but Brother Juan doesn't react so you keep going. "I'm surprised there's anyone alive up here. I mean, it seemed like he's been making puppets out of anyone he catches."

"He used to" Juan answers "When my group arrived there wasn't anyone else, just puppets. The plays didn't last all day then either. Some days he wouldn't even speak a word. Now though, now he doesn't leave except to eat and sleep."

"Oh so he does sleep?" Lisel looks thoughtful "And eats as well. He's not like his servitors?"

"A meal goes up thrice a day, and he goes away every night" the robed mouse shrugs "Stands to reason"

"How many servants are there?" you ask. The mouse shrugs yet again "I can't keep count. There's fifteen souls up here, plus you now. But the puppets, and the revenants, he keeps switching around their costumes. Thirty of them, maybe. Maybe more. Only the duchess and the captain talk though. Oh and the chef, but he's almost never up here."

"I saw there were servants on that lifting floor." you say "I don't suppose any of us every get to visit the kitchen." Juan frowns "No, and I wouldn't suggest you try anything. That's the most guarded spot in the whole kingdom." You shake your head "I was hoping more, a living servant might have access to the stores. I need a drink." you don't say it, but someone with access downstairs could get chemicals for Lisel too.

"You'll get a bit of brandy with dinner" Juan says "If you can't wait, well someone might have something stashed away. You have to be careful though, stashing. You never know which spy glass he's looking through, or listening with. And the guards, anything out of place they'll bring the duchess to inspect."

You walk a few more paces before Lisel pipes up. "So what is this workshop you say is forbidden?"
"Oh, alright its not forbidden, but if you're caught in there its big trouble. Its where his puppets make and change costumes. Props and things. You might get brought there if he has a new costume for you. There's some showers too."

"Ah, speaking of that." Lisel says "Where will we be sleeping? Not back in the cage I hope."
"Not if you don't fuck up" Juan retorts "There's sleeping quarters tucked under the palace. Latrines as well. You can have a bath drawn but you'll need to get the duchess to direct the servants to fill it. If you're really special you get one of the bedrooms at the manor. Very fancy."

you've been mulling something over in your head while they talk "Wait, you said the princess has been here more'n a year. Don't bugs only live a year?"
"I think they used to" Juan says as Lisel just shrugs "Might have heard they've been growing more like us each generation. Like how the princess has eyelids and lips and teeth. And I mean, mice only used to live a few years way long ago, so I'd believe the bug folk are changing too."

Your back reminds you sharply that there's something else to address "I don't suppose you have a healer here."
Juan shakes his head "The duchess repairs the puppets sometimes, if you want to take your chances. I think you just need rest. Don't get in any duels, though even then you can just pretend. Nobody's going to try to actually hurt you, unless you actually piss them off. Or Pietro, don't fight Pietro."

2/2 Nalthar 2026/10/12(Mon)02:43 No. 1132893 ID: bb0461
File 179177298589.jpg - (644.27KB , 800x600 , cadvere3 26 here comes trouble.jpg )

The walk has taken you to the front of the manor, and then back as Brother Juan leads you to visit the princess.

As you get about halfway down the faux park path the three of you notice a spy glass descending directly ahead of you.

"mmm looks like we're up" Juan looks around. He spots movement behind the line of trees and lets out a sharp hiss. "Ah shhhhit. Trouble. Don't scorn her or she'll set Pietro on you."

The spy glass halt a foot above the floor, getting a good view of you as a dangling figure slinks out of the trees. With a tinkling of a hundred coins the stoat dancer twiddles her fingers at you. An embarrassing falsetto drifts down from above "mmmmhmmm, such a rugged wounded warrior. Won't you come away with me, that I may give you succor?"

seems legit

Welp, now we know that the master is a weird pervert or just what kind of books they're inspired by.

Clearly this Stoat is meant to be a femme fatale that 'seduces' you. So how do we deal with this?

1) We fully play along the 'seduction' act and suffer the indignity/horror of pretending to have romantic feelings for a cadaver, or otherwise having a 'romance subplot' with them. Which could lead into further trouble if Pietro or another one of her 'lovers' catches you flirting. Probably the worst play.

2) We continue being a chivalrous/non-adulterous gentleman towards their sultry advances. Maybe play at being utterly clueless on her flirting (seem utterly naive or dumb about it), being religious (marriage only), preferring mice, or be reluctant to her praises but ultimately/dramatically (ham up the act) insisting on your heart being already claimed by another. This risks pissing her off anyway of course if she is a plain bitch, or she might be 'inspired' by your faithfulness.

3) Lisel intervenes and claims you as her lover 'officially'. Ideally you two being romance partners (in act or otherwise) should be kept a secret (if it wasn't deduced already), otherwise Lisel gets a target painted on her back. But it might be the best way to fend off a 'sultry dame' if your actual beloved is here to help play at your chivalry, and Lisel plays up her feminine charm / femme fatale traits herself. Maybe even pretend she is the one who has you hopelessly smitten / on a leash.

Whatever you do, you can't call her out as a harlot or similar insults, or reject her bluntly/rudely. Well, maybe Lisel can (ladies tend to fight with words sharper than swords), but its risky. Maintain respect and appreciate her... Beauty.

Try playing oblivious for a bit and see how that goes. Then maybe try humility and flattery, saying how you're not worthy of the affections of such a beautiful maiden. Regardless it's quite clear you're not up to any physical action so she'll probably only want kisses anyway. That's worth doing for safety's sake if it comes to it.

This is so messed up on so many levels. Play dumb like you do not get that she is sending you signals—the whole plausible deniability tactic.

>>1132899
Kind of like second idea here a bit. Could even get Brother Juan to join our aid and play it up a little. Have him try to protect us from her temptations!

1/2 Nalthar 2026/10/23(Fri)01:19 No. 1133340 ID: bb0461
File 179271838219.jpg - (738.58KB , 800x600 , cadvere3 27 sinuous stoat.jpg )

Temerity of the Gravel Pit Nest is no stranger to death, but the way this thing moves. You don't want to look at it but it feels as though if you turned your back on it, it would go for your throat. With that and your continuing fatigue and pain, only one route through this confrontation becomes viable.

"Oh, are you a healer then?" A gruff flat voice like you imagine a weary warrior would use, to mask the tightness of your jaw as you are forced to spend another moment in this stoat's presence.

"Oh yes, a healer of men, that is I" The stoat's mouth doesn't move when "she" talks. Though she tilts her head this way and that, regarding you like a snake, her eyes are fixed forward and never blinking.

Brother Juan steps between the two of you, pitching his voice into a peevish tone "It is a sin to lie, Esmerelda. Theodoric is close to the path of righteousness, and I don't need you leading him astray."

"Oh ho, a worthy one is he?" Esmerelda weaves her fingers together "I would love to discuss scripture with you, warrior. Especially the passages on Jezebel. After dinner, in the shaded bower behind the manor, I'll be waiting."

The stoat slinks away with a jingling of chains, but you pointedly do not watch. Lisel ,however, does. "Did you notice how fluid she moves? And how these puppets have wires instead of string? I'm suspecting its electricity, applied directly to-" Lisel cuts herself off and looks up.

The spyglass is still pointed directly at you. There's a long hesitant moment, and then with a light squeal of brass on brass it begins ascending.

2/2 Nalthar 2026/10/23(Fri)01:20 No. 1133341 ID: bb0461
File 179271840138.jpg - (804.20KB , 800x600 , cadvere3 28 think fast.jpg )

After another long tense moment Brother Juan clears his throat. "Well, that's a stay of execution eh? Good on you, staying in character. Lets, uh, lets go see the princess."

The three of you make your way to the tower, and up the stairs that spiral around it, in silence.

There is a small landing outside the birdcage that tops the tower. A revenant guard stands watch, not seeming to react to your presence at all. For a princess' quarters, the space inside the cage is decidedly sparse. Other than the butterfly in question there's only a pile of bedding and a heavy dresser.

Princess Issabella regards you with a guarded expression. She strides to meet you at the cage door, then suddenly lunges close. She scoops up the brass weight chained to her wrists and lobs it straight for your face.

sidestep! no wait, lisel is probably behind you. catch it!

Dodge it. It's a heavy weight! If Lisel is behind you, get her out of the way too!

Catching it is a bad idea. It would seem like you're helping her escape (by holding her weight) and make the Revenants (or the King) immediately react to an escape attempt. It's entirely possible that's exactly what she's hoping for - getting you into trouble on purpose out of some slight/spote, or coercing/blackmailing you into helping her / being assigned a 'rescuer' role.

On the other hand, getting smacked in the face by a weight isn't going to be pleasant (unless you want an excuse to get medical assistance).

So probably yell 'look out!' and dodge, preferably pulling Lissel out of the way. Or try to block/misdirect the weight with your hands/cloaks without catching it, so it falls to the ground. Ideally you could turn your back to it so the damage is minimal, but your back is too injured for that.

Then ask what you did to piss her off / cause such a violent response.

Take the direct hit and show her that you are made of sturdier stuff.

There's not much you can do with your back the way it is. You might hope to fall backwards and topple Lisel out of the way like a bowling pin, and trying to land in the least painful way possible.

I pray you're already in the process of getting out of the way.

Your cloak is presumably stretchy and durable. Shield yourself with it, use it to absorb the majority of the weights impact or bounce/redirect/deflect it away like a slingshot (a blunt object is unlikely to tear a stretchy fabric). Watch your feet when it lands though!

As Piccolo once said, dodge!

Do we have anything to perhaps bat the item away?

Nalthar 2026/11/07(Sat)07:56 No. 1133859 ID: bb0461
File 179403821638.jpg - (827.66KB , 800x600 , cadvere3 29 give me the ball.jpg )

Instinct has you ducking before reason reminds you Lisel is right behind you.

Wolf hair is known for its resilience and elasticity, making it prized among smaller folk for protective garb. That's why when you stretch your cloak above you the heavy weight does not break your arm. Instead it bounces over, landing in Lisel's arms with a bemused "oomf"

Pressed up against the cage bars, the chain pulling her upper hands through, the butterfly looks up at you with an expression of slightly squashed begrudging respect. "Mm hm, good. Strong, smart yes? Give that back please. We talk escaping."

Wrenching yourself back upright, you grasp the chain before she can pull back. You and Lisel look to the guard, but the revenant just stares at the princess. "Is it safe to speak of that here?" you ask.

The princess grins "Is not problem, that one is almost deaf. I have put needle in ears, not too much this time. Just enough it can not know what we say if we not shout."

>>1133859
Alright. Tell her you're a bit injured so you're not gonna be able to fight your way out. Does she have some sort of plan? The Puppeteer occasionally watches what you're doing so it would have to be something subtle, or quick.

The guard may be deaf, but the 'King' is likely always listening (heck, he might have rigged something like a listening device on the cage).

Best not discuss escape plans without being in-character, and the Monk warned us she was very troublesome. She has nothing to lose, you do.

So for now, mimic being angered at her sudden attack and eventually make it seem like you've become peeved by the Princess as opposed to obviously planning any escapes when leaving.

Ask her about her 'kingdom' and 'subjects', notably the worshipper bugs back at the hideout and whatever vague hive/royalty/deific connection they have to her. Do not disclose the hideouts location in case she's treacherous.

Lisel, meanwhile, could examine the chain (or cage) for any weak links, maybe figure out how to chemically make a particular link weak enough to easily break on demand but not too weak to be obvious its sabotaged.

Finding out who has the key to her cage or manacles is another option.

Assuming Nalthar didn't exaggerate the art in that last picture, those cage bars look like they're big enough for any of them to just crawl through in/out of. Is the cage just for show, or legitimately inescapable for her / scurrying rodents (requiring guards and the lead weight instead)?

mime being angry/in character. question why she thinks you can help and why the others that tried failed.

Ask her what she does her for fun.

Were there other escape attempts that occurred here, and if they did occur, how were they punished, stopped, or addressed?

Strong and smart? Maybe. Stronger and smarter than those who've tried to escape in the past. Certainly NOT. Sorry to disappoint, but we are here to learn more first.

Curb her enthuisasm for escaping a bit. She almost caved your and your friend-who-happens-to-be-a-girl's face in. While it shows she's not timid in any capacity, that's not helping her earn trust, and she has a reputation for FAILED escapes. She's also clearly a bit used to getting her way / ordering others around.

Secondly, ask the question of what benefit you and Lisel get out of helping her escape besides the 'King' getting incomprehensibly, murderously angry. The King won't hurt her, sure, so she could be useful as a 'living shield', but how far does she want to test that?

If she can't fly with that weight, she can't carry you either, so 'flying you out' isn't something she can offer, and flight isn't an escape anyway with the roof puppets and the crows outside.

nalthar 2026/11/13(Fri)02:16 No. 1134062 ID: bb0461
File 179453620910.jpg - (818.85KB , 800x600 , cadvere3 30 seek the king.jpg )

"None of your tricks, bug!" you say, a little louder than necessary. "They told us how you would use us to escape, and leave us to take the fall!" You grip the chain, bringing your snout closer to the ineffectual cage bars and hiss. "Isn't the king listening?"

The princess grins wider "Yes yes! I will do that! If smart and strong, you will get self out, not need me!"
She leans closer as well, til your noses almost touch. "King, he listen yes. But me, I only talk one thing, escape. Always same, so boring! King want fun show, he watch clown things down there. He think chain will stop me."

"Then the chain has to go. Lisel?" you turn. Lisel already has the links in her mouth, gently gnawing on them. "Hmmmnn... taftes ligh ptoo, hmn seems like brass. If I had my coat, I would have enough acid to break a link." She starts to hand the weight over to you, then remembers your back, and shoves it into the princess' arms. "I assume there is a key?"

The butterfly strains to hold the weight, quickly dropping it. "Yes, two key. One is with horrible captain rat. One other is with bat lady, so she can give me new ugly dress. You get one? For me, yes please?"

"Maybe. I'm not in the shape to be breaking out of here. And besides" You slam a fist against the cage, slightly bending it "We have no need of escape! We are here for a higher calling!" you bark, glancing upwards.

The insect princess gathers your meaning with a widening of her eyes. "You... you seek real king. In attic." She lolls her head around, surreptitiously checking if any spy glass are looking this way. "I have been up. I have seen him. You get key, break chain, I tell you what king is."

Why is the real king in the attic? Why not have him here?

>>1134062
In the attic, huh... Ah, I should have known. That's where all the wires come down from.

So I guess... playing along with the court drama, we have several routes to victory. One, subterfuge and stealth. Get one of them distracted and steal the key. Two, charm. Seduce one of them and steal the key. Three, manipulation. Get them to fight eachother, and snatch the key off whoever falls.
Hmm, we've already spoke with the duchess, which is the bat lady she speaks of likely. We were told only she and the captain speak. We're on decent terms with her, so she'll be most open to conversation and manipulation. Maybe seduction is off the table. Well, unless Lisel wants to take one for the team and seduce the captain, but I doubt it. ...actually, based on what she said, I wonder if we can do some indirect seduction and get her and Thomas together? That could spark more drama between her and the captain, which would create a pretty good distraction. One of you can stay behind to fan the flames while the other delivers the key once it's stolen.

We should probably inquire juan about others who are not puppets and who they are, maybe they can assist us?

I swear if turns out that the whole mystery ends up being the story of ratatouille but in a horror setting this whole scenario ends up being more messed up. Let's go with playing the royal game of kissing ass for the rat king.

>>1134062
We have no assurances she'll keep her end of the bargain, or that she's not just lying / telling you what you want to hear. Still, best plan we have so far...

>>1134072
Uniting the Duchess and Thomas would likely earn her favor and/or a key, whether due to script or genuine affection.

The problem there is ensuring he doesn't get offed by the Guard Captain via duel, or that his broken programming isn't discovered.

Lisel romancing the Guard Captain sounds like an awful idea - he might force himself on her, or threaten to revenant-ify her. Assuming he doesn't try to do that anyway, being a sleazebag... It also might force you into a duel because you must 'defend your belovedS honor' for the sake of narrative.

Romancing the Duchess directly is a bad idea, as it's a direct excuse for the Guard Captain to duel and kill you in an unfair match.

Either way... Getting the Guard Captain killed/incapacitated, or Thomas 'promoted', seems like a good bet. Best option there might be some good ol' poisoning. Spice up his 'life elixir' with something more caustic. Assuming you can find someone else to blame for the inevitable murder mystery after...

>>1134069
Presuambly to have control over the puppets, keeping any vital machines there, and be safe from majority of their creations. Also, access to the roof and the delivery crows.

>>1134093
I theorise the King is one of the following:
- A large, intelligent, bipedal animal trying to pass as human or integrate with humanity.
- A regular human noble, ostracized after showing off his macabre genius/puppet creations at a feast of other nobles, which drove them into a envious, mad isolation.
- The above, but they're an abandoned child prodigy rather than an adult - would explain their temperament, obsession with terribly written theater and general madness.
- A crippled, inbred or disfigured individual who is effectively trapped in their own house, and reliant on the servants they created.
- A human corpse that is being puppeteered by a small animal, i.e. macabre Ratatouille, or a 'Wizard of Oz' scheme where some genius rodent is pretending to be human.

Notably with any of these theories, the King/Master is very devoted to keeping the vault safe at all costs. It could be literal human wealth/treasure, some science marvel, or something personal and/or macabre (grisly puppet trophies, mementos) in there. Unlikely anything the rodents need or want, as food wouldn't need such guarding, but potentially useful to lure them down there and into the grasp of a vengeful Moose to kill them.

A good way of stealing a key without its owner noticing it is missing is by making your own copy with scientific ingenuity.

Lisel can collect some wax (from candles that the friar likely has access to) in a bowl/box. Then if the key can be snatched and pressed into the wax, you have a key mold that can be used to make a copy of the key (with a easily melting metal like tin/lead, or carved from wood), and the real key returned with its owner not suspecting anything.

Another, more mundane solution to the lock problem would be to simply pick the lock. You just need something to serve as lockpicks (and practice opening it somehow),

>>1134107
Adding to this - assuming the Master is utilizing chemical science, them being a psychopathic madman might be a result of lead or mercury poisoning, both being metals that one is easily poisoned by in the time period this takes place in (usually from fumes or direct skin exposure).

I also just realized that the Revenants and the Fungal beasts have a thing in common - glowing bright blue. Could the Revenant Elixir be made from Fungal Beasts? The Fungal Beasts cleaely have unknown, mutating properties that the Master might have deciphered...