The Royal Conservatory

Fifteen years ago the Loyalist Conspiracy asked me to kidnap Anton Sokolov, and I did. I took him from his home to the pub we were hiding in and locked him in a cage meant for dogs. And you know what? He laughed at us. He told dirty stories, taught Emily more than her governess could in six months. He seemed immortal. His mind shaped our age. That’s changed. The old man I rescued doesn’t talk much. He eats what we give him, groans in his sleep, coughs out blood. I’m not even sure he knows where he is.

When I saw what they’d done to Anton Sokolov, I wanted to hurt everyone who’d helped Delilah and the Duke of Serkonos pull off their coup. Sokolov is the man who made whale oil into a weapon, who turned back the plague; and now he’s barely able to speak. The hands that painted the most powerful men and women of our time shake too badly to hold a spoon. When he does talk he’s going to give me a name, the next step along the way to Duke Luca Abele, then Delilah herself. A name, that’s all I need.

When I was young, the Loyalist Conspiracy that kidnapped me also took Anton Sokolov. They brought him to the pub where I was being held and locked him in a cage meant for dogs. And you know what? Sokolov laughed at them. He taught me lessons and told me funny stories. He seemed immortal. His mind shaped our age. That’s changed. The old man I rescued doesn’t talk much. He eats what we give him, groans in his sleep, coughs out blood. I thought he’d tell me the secret to defeating Delilah and saving the Empire, but I’m not even sure he knows where he is.

When I saw what they’d done to Anton Sokolov, I wanted to hurt everyone who’d helped Delilah and the Duke of Serkonos pull off their coup. Sokolov is the man who made whale oil into a weapon, who turned back the plague; and now he’s barely able to speak. The hands that painted the most powerful men and women of our time shake too badly to hold a spoon. When he does talk he’s going to give me a name, the next step along the way to Duke Luca Abele, then Delilah herself. A name, that’s all I need.

Sokolov is safe.

I killed Kirin Jindosh, the greatest mind in the Empire. He worked for Delilah and Duke Abele. His killing machines were part of the conspiracy that took my Emily, and stole her throne. Now there will be no more Clockwork Soldiers. I hope that gets the Duke’s attention.

And there’s more good news. I was able to rescue Anton Sokolov. I hope his mental capacities are better than his physical state. He can barely walk. I wonder if the old man has much time left. Enough time to help me take back Dunwall? I hope so.

Sokolov is safe.

In the end it wasn’t me who stopped Kirin Jindosh, it was his own vanity. He built a machine to destroy intellect, hoping perhaps to use it on a rival like Sokolov. Jindosh never imagined it would be used on his own mind. The greatest intellect of our day, reduced to that of a confused child. So there will be no more Clockwork Soldiers. That part of Duke Abele’s plan is ruined. I bet that gets his attention.

And I’ve rescued Anton Sokolov. What’s left of him anyway. The man has aged since last I saw him. The intellect is still there. I hope. But physically he struggles in every way. To walk. To eat. To piss. Conditions on the boat exasperate his discomfort. Still, there’s nothing to be done. For now the Dreadful Wale is our only home.

Delilah in the Void .

I was in the Void, only this time it wasn’t the Outsider who met me there. It was Delilah Copperspoon. She’s grown in power somehow, and wanted me to see things through her eyes. She showed me her mother, left to die in a debtor’s prison. And Jessamine, her half-sister, pampered in the luxury of her palace, Dunwall Tower. Silks, fine tutors, grand feasts, while Delilah hid in the kitchen. Their shared father, Emperor Euhorn Kaldwin, with his empty promises. Telling Delilah she’d be a princess too, and soon. This was the past as she wanted me to see it. I wish I knew if it were all lies. Some of it has the ring of truth.

Breanna Ashworth is my next target.

Breanna Ashworth, curator at the Royal Conservatory. I don’t think she’s from Karnaca originally. I’ve seen evidence of her visits to Jindosh’s mansion, and Sokolov confirmed that she’s one of Delilah’s lieutenants. I wonder if she keeps the same sort of surprises up her sleeves. Sokolov heard conversations about a device being built under Ashworth’s supervision, the Oraculum. Something tells me it has nothing to do with the artistic enlightenment of the masses. An after-hours visit to the Royal Conservatory will give me the answers I need.

Sokolov is safe.

I killed Kirin Jindosh. For abducting Sokolov. For working for Delilah and Duke Abele. For the part his clockworks played in the coup that took my throne. For the clockwork army the man was building. He may have been smart, but he wasn’t invulnerable. Not like Delilah.

I imagine he was jealous of Sokolov, for good reason, I suppose. Who cured the Rat Plague? Who changed the world with machines fueled by whale oil once Esmond Roseburrow discovered the liquid power trapped there? And his paintings! Genius isn’t a word I use very often, but Sokolov deserves it.

Speaking of the old goat, it is good to see him again. Though he looks weaker than I expected. Tired. And smaller than I remember. I hope that great mind of his is still working.

Sokolov is safe.

I rescued Sokolov. The man spent years serving my family. Educating me in both intellectual subjects and bawdy humor. And now a small part of what I owe him has been repaid. I’m just sorry I can’t offer him more comfortable accommodations. The Dreadful Wale, dank and cramped as it is, is our home for now. He’s been living here with Meagan for years, but in his current condition, I wish we could make him more comfortable.

I was able to stop Kirin Jindosh. His weaponized mind won’t be a threat now, his thoughts scattered and his memories destroyed. By his own device no less. When Sokolov is feeling better, maybe he’ll have an opinion on whether I did the right thing or not by not killing Jindosh outright.

Anyway it’s a relief to know the last Clockwork Soldiers remaining in the Empire are the only ones there will ever be.

Delilah in the Void .

I dreamed of Delilah Copperspoon. No, this was more than a dream. I was in the Void. Somehow Delilah brought me there. I don’t know if she was showing me the true past, or a fabrication. She spoke of my grandfather, Emperor Euhorn Jacob Kaldwin. History says he was a man of honor, who served his people, but Delilah showed me all his promises unfulfilled, all those easy lies. And she showed me my mother, Jessamine, as I never imagined her. Spoiled and petty. Entitled. And finally a great injustice. Delilah’s mother dying in a debtor’s prison. I have so many questions, but how do I sort the truth from the lies?

Breanna Ashworth is my next target.

Breanna Ashworth. I only know her by reputation. Born to the Dunwall aristocracy, she’s a sculptor, and the Curator of the Royal Conservatory in Karnaca. One of Delilah’s lieutenants, maybe her closest confidant. They share a taste for the occult. While being held, Sokolov overheard conversations about a strange device being constructed under Ashworth’s supervision. The Oraculum, something more convoluted than clockwork killing machines, but every bit as dangerous, no doubt. I think an after-hours visit to the Conservatory will give me the answers I need.