Session Date: 10/2/2023
The gentleman who comes in is very bombastic and currently crowded by everyone. He announces he has as shard of the Seal of Infinity. Faylen sneakily casts detect magic and can tell that he’s emanating magic so he may not be lying. Mary and Tabby say that it seems silly he might be announcing it given the danger, but Faylen points out that if he had a cool power to make earthquakes like Bosch and he didn’t have friends to keep him level, he might end up arrogant and announcing things too. Mary does her sense nature to see if she can discern if it’s actually a shard of the Seal of Infinity and she isn’t quite sure, so she suggests we lay low and keep an eye on him. Tabby recommends a drinking contest to see if he can loosen the man’s tongue, and Faylen is all for this plan.
We also discuss where Bosch has gone and realize that he’s not here in first class, and Faylen considers going to see if he can find him.
Bosch sees someone he recognizes — Zerch Zilardo — a burglar type, a goblin that Bosch had worked with in the past. Previously he would not be able to afford tickets at all so this is a step up for him. Bosch hasn’t been noticed yet.
A kid with a toy seal asks his mom if the toy seal is a piece of the Seal of Infinity. Bosch says aloud that likely the toy seal is more real than the seal the man has, and he starts to stir the pot so that the girl starts screaming, so the crowd begins to start discussing if it’s possible that this is real, and if magic can manifest as young as a little girl, and the like. Zerch speaks up and helps Bosch with all of this turning the crowd against the bombastic guy. The final form is that the entire crowd is asking questions and are primed to become a mob.
He manages to make the crowd self-sustaining enough in that they are all debating if magic can manifest and how the Seal can work, and the like. People are definitely talking about this even as Bosch leaves. Security ultimately talks to the parents of the girl and then takes the seal toy from the little girl and her parents.
Zerch pulls Bosch off to the side and says that the has a job for him and that he’s running with a new crowd. Bosch asks if it’s a fun job and he seems to promise as if it’s a good one. Bosch does notice that Zerch is wearing some very strong perfume and that is not how he was before. He’s not rich, but he’s living well, much better than he was before.
The stranger is dressed very flamboyantly. He’s talking and there’s a group around him. Faylen doesn’t recognize this guy even when he squints to look at him. Tabby approaches and asks if the man likes a good brew, and he says of course. The man introduces himself as Crawforde Delafontaine and accepts the offer for Tabby to buy him a round. Tabby sits down with him and realizes that Crawforde talks a lot without actually saying anything. Where Tabby has stories, this man has words.
He leans closer to Tabby and admits that he has the Seal of Infinity in his pockets. He confirms that the Seal was stolen from the capital and he exclaims that he will be the man who will take the Seal back to the capital. Tabby admits he’s heard of this and asks if Crawforde has actually found it, and the man says yes, and Tabby asks if he’s found the whole thing, and Crawforde explains that the Seal doesn’t break into many pieces! Tabby says of course, and Crawforde admits he hopes for the paid reward, the fame and the renown.
Crawforde Delafontaine is a famous adventurer, went to ruin in forgotten empire and got something important. He is currently reemerging saying he has the Seal of Infinity. If he wants to take it to Jewel he’s going in the wrong direction.
Zerch has taken Bosch to the baggage wagon. There are two other men in the shadows that say nothing. Zerch tells Bosch not to worry about those two because they’re friends, and not to worry about them. Bosch says any friend of Zerch’s is a friend of his. Bosch regales Zerch with some of his tales. Zerch says that there’s a guy on the train that may have the seal, and Bosch explains that pissing that guy off will reveal his true nature. Zerch suggests working together on this one and Bosch asks if Zerch has a way to push this, and Zerch says that they will need some chaos and that Bosch has already helped him a lot.
Zerch says that he and the boys were going to cause some chaos but Bosch is going to be responsible for that now, with a little help from Zerch and the boys if possible. Zerch says that they will be stealing the Seal of Infinity from Crawforde, and if it’s a fake then they will kill him for wasting his time.
Faylen hears the following:
Zerch was thinking they shouldn’t wait until night and they need to get this party going and get the crowd going. Bosch says who needs plans, really, it’ll work out. Zerch says he wishes he could but the Boss loves a plan and Zerch loves the boss. Bosch says congratulations and Zerch rolls his eyes at this joke, after chuckling. The boys will help and Bosch says that his issue with killing the guy is he does all this work to piss the guy off and then if he’s dead he’s not mad, and does Bosch want to piss off the boss or this guy. Zerch reassures that Bosch doesn’t want to piss off the boss.
Faylen walks away after this.
Zerch says they’re going for more a smash and grab, but Bosch should consider this an audition. Bosch says the last time he went into a big play it turned into a mess, and he doesn’t think he’s cut out for theatre. This makes Zerch laugh, and Bosch says that he used to love puns, and Zerch laughs and admits he loves puns. Zerch keeps talking to Bosch and asking if Bosch wants to do this and make a big name to the boss. At this point, the two men stand up and Bosch can tell they are probably ghouls.
Bosch knows that the underworld crime lord is undead, he hires undead.
The ghouls put on jester masks, with Zerch putting one on as well. They are slightly demonic in design but they aren’t particularly important. The masks are meant to hide the fact that they’re all undead more than anything else — the strong perfume was to cover the scent of the undeath clinging to him.
Mary and Tabby debate what to do. They know that Faylen’s been gone a while so Tabby thinks perhaps they should look for him. They noticed that Crawforde was traveling alone and that he’s gathered quite the group of fans. Mary and Tabby ultimately go to find Faylen.
Faylen explains what he overheard and he seems to think that Bosch probably turned cloak on them or is going to leave. Mary asks Bean and Bean explains that Bosch wouldn’t leave her behind, so maybe not. We all discuss amongst each other and Tabby suggests that perhaps Bosch is in over his head, and Faylen likes that possibility and uses it as a severe amount of copium.
Zerch says that he planned on attacking people but now that Bosch is here, Bosch can figure out what he wants to do to create the distraction. Bosch asks for some items and he and one of the ghouls goes through the baggage to find the items he’s looking for. Bosch would like some big swishy fabrics that are very colorful — streamers if they can be found, but fabric would be fine — some elastics, the confiscated plush seal, and some other knick knacks.
Bosch asks Zerch to go speak with the guard(s) on duty so that the seal can be stolen. The guard catches Bosch and Bosch says that he thought the toy was magical. The guard says that it’s not an area that is open for the public and gently denies Bosch entry. Zerch basically implies to kill the guard so that Bosch can get the stuffed animal and Faylen walks in and starts to Karen the hell out of the guard, explaining that there’s a loud and disruptive guy in first class that’s absolutely insufferable. He does this to give Bosch enough cover to get the stuffed seal out of the lock up room. Bosch gives the toy to Zerch and sends Zerch off.
Bosch helps Karen the guard, who is officially zoned out, and then he recommends to Faylen to get a group of people together to deal with the loud guy ourselves. They break away from the guard and Bosch warns Faylen that Zerch plans to kill Crawforde and steal his sliver of the Seal of Infinity and Faylen suggests telling Mary and Tabby of this in order to give support to stop Zerch and his plans.
Woven into this is the flashbang of a conversation that Bosch thinks being undead would be boring and having to do as commanded without an argument sounds awful, actually. (Yes???? Why was this a question???)
Faylen goes and tells Mary and Tabby what’s going on, Talita telling her side of the conversation to Mary and yelling loudly about it all in squirrel. The group agrees to go to where Crawforde is and Tabby sits near him, then Mary and Faylen are on the ends closer to each entrance.
Bosch leaves to go craft his distraction: essentially a confetti canon to dazzle the senses of everyone. We go through a tunnel and one goblin drops all the blinds of the windows, and then two pops happen announcing two goblins, and there’s confetti falling into the car as a goblin announces that Crawforde Delafontaine’s ruse has been exposed, and he needs to prove he can do magic or his ruse is exposed — a spotlight on Bosch (forward, pointing at Crawforde, with Zerch behind holding up the plush seal), and the other spotlight on Crawforde.