Recap / The Shadow of Greed

Recap of the backstory, plot, and important items and locales of The Shadow of Greed.

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Backstory Novels

• Doctor Ekk and the Sword of the Archistrategos: Dr. Ekk teams up with Anton Korvanatz to retrieve Michael's sword from where he hid it back in 1916. When Ivan goes out in Arkhangelsk for supplies, he hears an eerie melody playing and discovers that there is a team of Soviet soldiers searching the forest outside of town for something. Later, when Anton and Ivan go out into the forest to fetch the sword, Ivan has the first of his recurring waking nightmares, which leads to the pair being pursued by Rocket Red and captured by a Russian agent in a black domino mask. Due to the timely arrival of Millie Diamond, they are able to escape, leading to Millie and Anton fighting Rocket Red and the agent in order to buy Ekk the time he needs to get the sword and return to aid them.
• The Byberry Assault: After helping Dana evade Ordo Corvi agents, Sarah the Singed plans an attempt to oust Dr. Egon Bernhardt from Byberry Mental Hospital in northern Philly. At the last minute, she is able to secure the aid of Anton Korvanatz, who recently returned from Arkhangelsk, and Major Sam Gears. When Anton and Sarah sneak into the assylum, with Sam waiting outside to help in a quick getaway, they discover that Bernhardt has turned many of the inmates into hulking mutants. Sarah is able to defeat Bernhardt and strand him in a cave in the middle of nowhere, but not before his associates remove most of the small mutant army to an unknown location.
• Jack Courrier and the Curious Statue: While investigating the Four Deuces for Agent David Dodd (and to kep an eye out for evidence regarding his father's death), Jack Courrier gets his hands on a mysterious statue. Soon, gangsters from several gangs are on his tail and the statue seems to be quite good at not getting lost. In desperation, Jack turns to Millie Diamond for help, and she sends him off to meet an eccentric fellow Centurion and artifacts expert, the Great Dane.
• The Descent of the Sparrowhawk: While on a routine delivery from Marseilles to Genoa, Sam crash-lands the Sparrowhawk in the Alps due to catastrophic instrument failure. She discovers that the source of the interference is a dark ritual being performed by a secret cult to open a portal to another dimension. While investigating, she discovers Dr. Ekk, who had attempted to take on the cultists on his own, but it's not until a rescue attempt by Jack Courrier that Sam is able to defeat the cult and get the Sparrowhawk airborne to the League of Nations airfield near Genoa.
• Millie Diamond and the Mysterious Mistress of Memphis: On the day before Millie Diamond and Dr. Maximilian Gentle are to be married, Max is kidnapped, with a note in mysterious hieroglyphics as the only clue. Dr. Rodrigo Jardim de Faria suspects that the hieroglyphics are related to those of Ancient Egypt, so Millie sets off to Memphis with Samson. On the way there, they run into Sarah at the Century Club chapter-house in Heliopolis. Once in Memphis, they are captured by a cult worshiping Ha'Tet, the mysterious and little-known Ancient Egyptian goddess of nightmares. Tausret, the leader of the cult, believes that Millie is the latest reincarnation of her goddess—an idea that was helped along by Lady Victoria Pride. Fortunately, all three Spirit Centurions are able to escape, leaving Tausret to flee to Cairo with her mysterious adviser.
• Journey for the Jewels of Justinian!: Samson is sent to Istanbul to open the Door of Belisarius and retrieve the Crown of Justinian. While seeking the location of the Door, he tangles with Abin al'Jirayah and agents of the Society of Gemsetters. With Dana to delay the leader of the Gemsetter team and Sam to fly him to ruins that hold the necessary clues, Samson is able to get ahead of his enemies, only for the crown to be stolen at the last minute by Abin. With the Gemsetters vowing revenge on him, Samson sets off to Moscow to chase after his rival.
• The Midnight Train to Moscow: While disembarking a train to Moscow to visit his extended family, Anton is captured by Cheka agents under the command of Yakov Mikhaylovich Yurovsky. Fortunately for him, others in his prison are informants for the crime lord Valentin Dmitrovich Popov, who is negotiations with Jack Courrier to aid American agents. Valentin helps Jack break Anton out before he is transferred to a camp in Siberia, and the two team up with Samson (in Moscow hunting for Abin) to escape to Zurich in time for the Ziggenheim Symposium. As they flee, they are pursued by a Russian agent in a black domino mask, but "Black Mask" fails to capture them before they can escape.

Session Novels

• The Nether Menace!: After Anton, Jack, and Samson evade "Black Mask", they join the others in Zurich before heading to a hotel in the Alps for the Ziggenheim Symposium, a conference to award a prize to the most unusual scientific discovery of the past year. This year, the monetary prize has been matched by Dr. Garrison Grayson, an old associate of Millie's and archaeologist before he became a patron of the sciences. The symposium is overseen by the Ziggenheim Committee: Drs. Albu, Blanc, Baek, De Witt, Weiss, Gwyn, and Bianchi, and featured such entrants as Drs. Zeram, Brown (Grayson's protégé), Hibberton, Gerald, Rox, and Knichte, as well as Anton himself. Soon the Centurions face several troubles: Dr. Bernhardt was rescued by an unknown accomplice, a Russian composer named Maxim Petrovich Komorov isn't too fond of either Anton or Ivan despite neither of them recognizing them, and someone is killing off the guests with the help of mysterious Grey Men made from gray dust. Beyond that, Dr. Methuselah made a late appearance and didn't apprehend the killer despite solving the mystery. The Centurions narrow it down to Dr. Grayson, but not before Drs. Zeram, Gerald, Albu, and Knichte are killed. He reveals his plan to ensure that Brown wins so that he can discredit the scientific community by revealing that Brown didn't personally make any of the critical breakthroughs. The process of creating Grey Men via a mineral called nethercite has turned him quite insane, and the Spirit Centurions defeat him and turn him over to the Swiss authorities. As a result, Anton is left with Roger Rox and Dr. Methuselah as his only serious competition, and surges to victory on the swell of gratitude for apprehending the murderer.
• Millie Diamond and the Ring of Te-Kas: While waiting for her friends to arrive in London for a Valentine's Day party, Millie gets word from Dr. de Faria that he has manged to translate some of the note left behind when Max was kidnapped. She and Ivan (the first guest to arrive) join de Faria, who suggests that they examine Max's notes (kept by de Faria) for further clues. Before they can retrieve the notes, they are stolen by a masked cultist, which leads Millie to join up with Sam, Samson, and Sarah for a chase to the wharf, where Anton and Jack have been observing cult activities. In a surprise attack on the warehouse where the masked cultist (later referred to as "The Weaver") is going through the papers he stole, the team is able to recover all but a few sheets from the collection of Max's, Grayson's, and Rochester's notes. The trail of clues leads back to Egypt, in search of a ring worn by Tausret's mysterious adviser. Asking around turns up a young Copt trying to sell the ring, as well as a rather distraught Tausret trying to recover it. Before the team can get the ring from the Copt, Abdul-Aziz, it is taken from him by Ifrit, the Gemsetter who lead the team that raced Samson to Justinian's crown. Abdul-Aziz leads the team to Ifrit's favorite bar, where a bar fight involving Rocket Red ends with Ifrit defeated, the ring in the team's possession, and Tausret as baggage urging Millie to return the ring to her master. After a fight with Rocket Red on top of the Sparrowhawk in Heliopolis and a fight with a team of bird-men after an improvised landing just outside of Baghdad, Tausret takes Millie to her mysterious adviser master, an Affably Evil man named Te-Kas. He allows Millie to speak with Max in exchange for the ring, and promises to release and pay Max after Max finishes with the task Te-Kas set for him. As Millie leaves with a map slipped to her by Max, Te-Kas tells her she could help him along by fulfilling any request that is delivered with Te-Kas' ring.
• The Spirit Centurions on the Trail of "On the Trial of the Lost Continent": Embroiled in researching Atlantis, Millie asks her fellow Centurions to go visit an old friend of hers and borrow a rare book called "On the Trail of the Lost Continent". However, he had moved in the many years since she had last seen him, so they wind up on a wild-goose chase that took them all the way to Casablanca before they were able to find Henry Gerp, Millie's old acquaintance. Before he can give them the book, it is stolen by Abin al Jirayah, who turns it over to Dr. De Witt and his gorilla minions. Samson, Sam, and Sarah are able to recover the book, but Abin and De Witt escape. Other characters returning or introduced in this novel include Dorthy "Boots", Garrison Grayson, Abram Brown, and Adam.
• The Spirit Centurions and Aura's Breath: On their way to a Century Club party in upstate New York, the Centurions save Ian Cook from an assassination attempt by Nazi stormtroopers. In gratitude, he invtes them on board his airship, the New Atlantis for the unveiling of a weather-control device called Aura, which had been created by Dr. Baek with funding from Cook Enterprises. During the demonstration, the device was stolen by men wearing the uniforms of security guards for the League of Nations Applied Sciences Division. While her companions attempted to stop the sabotage, Millie witnessed the theft of an Atlantean artifact in Ian's collection by Mandeep Singh, Victoria Pride, and Walter Steele. It's unclear whether the Aura device was on a plane shot down by Sam or if it was hidden somewhere else before that plane took off—hopefully the Russian-speaking thief captured by Sam, Samson, and Lilith will be able to reveal something. Other characters introduced or returning in this novel include Lilith, Paul Wagner, Chester Finney, Oswalt Gwyn, Rodrigo Jardim de Faria, and Baroness Maria Velgin.
• Jack Courrier and the Bargain for "Faust": Jack's government contact, David Dodd, approaches him with an assignment: a rare annotated manuscript of Faust is due to be auctioned off on the black market, in the backstage area of the New York Metropolitan Opera House during a concert. Jack's mission is to sneak in and photograph the potential buyers, as well as the seller (from a group of art thieves calling themselves the Black Hand) if possible. But he is hardly the type to blend in at an opera house by himself, so he calls up Millie, Samson, and Sarah to accompany him as camouflage. When they arrive, a woman approaches and asks Millie and Sarah if they would like to join Ian Cook in his private box. They accept, and the group splits. When Millie and Sarah find the box empty, Ian's assistant says that he is attending to some business and will arrive in time for the second set. That is only the start of the unusual occurrences at the performance, which include a heart-rending violin solo by Maxim Komorov, which is raptly admired by none other than Dr. Methuselah, attending in the box across from Sarah and Millie. The buyers turn out to be Paul Wagner, "Black Mask", and Frankie Yale, all with accompanying Mooks, and the seller is the woman claiming to be Ian's assistant. Shortly after Ian and Lilith arrive, they reveal that they thought they were meeting Millie in her box, and an assassin takes a shot a the people in the box, leading to a shoot-out backstage. The buyers are all able to escape in the confusion, but not before Jack photographs them, and Komorov is shot by a masked woman in white he is speaking to the woman claiming to be Cook's aide. She leaves a white rose on his body, but due to quick medical attention by Ivan, he is able to recover.
• The Case of the Missing Boats: This adventure began with Jack receiving another assignment from Dodd: find out who had attacked federal patrol boats on Lake Michigan and stolen the machine they were transporting. The only clue to the former was some strange hair found on one of the boats, which Anton analyzed and found to be ape hair. Unfortunately, at that point Jack's preference for secrecy kicked in and he wandered off to investigate more on his own, and Anton was too busy with his own projects to care much. Luckily, though, Millie was in town and not about to let Jack get away with hiding his purpose from his friends a second time. She not only gave Jack an earful, but called Sarah in to the city to provide gun backup. Working off a hot tip from Adrian Newell, a cub reporter at the Baltimore Press-Agent, the group went down to the docks, only to find Gorilla Khan's minions in a pitched battle with someone in a boathouse. This proved to be Der Blitzmann, who was apparently trying to make off in a boat with a crate labeled CASED. After a confusing battle in which the North Side Gang also got involved, Der Blitzmann was knocked into the drink, Millie had convinced one of the gorillas to speak to the Khan on her behalf concerning Atlantis, and the Centurions were in possession of the crate, which contained a device about the size of a gallon jug. Anton identified it as a powerful capacitor...but when Jack tried to return it to Dodd, he was informed that it was the wrong thing. Not only that, but in the meantime, more boats were not only being attacked but going missing altogether. The Centurions did some more poking around with various Mob connections, but ultimately wound up back at the waterfront, where they rented a boat to investigate the lake themselves. By trailing a suspicious speedboat, they discovered Der Blitzmann perched on a large buoy to which he had attached a strange device which converted the buoy into a lightning gun powered by more of the same capacitors as the one they had picked up. He immediately started firing on their boat, disabling the engine twice, although Anton managed to fix it both times. At that point, Millie was all for heading back to shore to regroup, but Jack realized that the device attached to the buoy must be the missing government machine, and this might be their only chance to get it back. They fired off a distress flare which attracted a patrol boat, dividing Blitzmann's attention so that they could move in closer again. He damaged the patrol boat enough that it was slowly sinking, but Jack used the crane on the Centurions' boat to knock him off the buoy, upon which he sank like a guy wearing an iron suit. On top of that, Anton turned his own lightning gun on him as he sank. No way he's ever coming back, no sir! Then they rescued the crew of the patrol boat and detached the buoy's cable so that they could tow it back to land behind them. As a reward for retrieving the machine, Jack was given a dossier on the Black Hand. Millie learned from her parents that Newell had been promoted to field reporter. Then she returned to her London townhome to find a package from Gorilla Khan containing a mocking, threatening note...and the stuffed body of the gorilla she had befriended, just to prove he wasn't monkeying around.
• The Spirit Centurions and the Seekers of Tomorrow: Anton gets a call from Dr. Tesla, who, over a lunch and a leisurely stroll in London, filled Anton in on the world of science: Der Blitzmann was actually a lab assistant who had been driven insane by one of Tesla's experiments gone wrong, Dr. Hibberton is nearing completion on his harmonizer, and Dr. Rox has found some funding and is beginning drilling in the Congo. At Tesla's request, Anton, Sam, and Samson visited Rox, who revealed that his funding came from Belgian business interests. Additionally, Rox had figured out Dr. Knichte's research, and utilized it to make a solvent that would dramatically increase the speed of the drilling. Back in London, Ian Cook pays a visit to Millie to let her know that he has found a business associate who will be able to help Millie and her friends investigate Dr. Bianchi's possible involvement in the theft of the Aura device—he just needs a science adviser and some bodyguards. Millie assembles her team on board the New Atlantis: Sarah, Sam, Samson, and Anton. There they meet Ian's man: Brandon Gray, an old friend of Sam. In a flashback, Brandon gives Sam the Sparrowhawk as a gift to thank her for helping him look for his grandfather, makes a dinner date, then abruptly drops out of her life. In the present, he implies that he had to make some not entirely welcome deals with the US government in order to get the Sparrowhawk, and got pulled away to fulfill his obligations. When the team reaches Dr. Bianchi's League of Nations facility in Italy, Brandon is able to talk them past security and to Dr. Bianchi, who knows nothing about the theft aboard the New Atlantis and is interested in looking into it himself. While matters are being discussed, Sam notices Dr. Bernhardt and chases him down. Before Samson and Sarah are able to arrive to help, Sam is beaten so hard that she gets a broken leg and calls a truce. Though Samson and Sarah are able to take down most of the mutants, Bernhardt manages to escape with the Project Hero research. This novel also featured a cameo by Dr. Henri Babin in the flashback.
• Dark Deals!: Jack visits Ivan for dinner, only to find that men under the command of Frank Nitti are holding Ivan hostage in order to convince Jack to make a deal with Al Capone. At the Four Deuces, Al Capone agrees to give truthful answers to two of Jack's questions in exchange for the curious statue. After hearing the identity of the man who killed his father (Aaron Fell), Jack tries to hand over the statue, but cannot. The Capone brothers give him a week to change his mind about backing out on the deal, threatening to harm Jack's friends if he doesn't do what they want. Out back behind the Four Deuces, Jack finds "White Mask", who has rescued Ivan. Jack tells Ivan that he'll need to skip town for a while. In London, Millie gets a letter from Te-Kas requesting that she join him at the circus with On the Trail of the Lost Continent and someone who knows their way around Russia. At that moment, Jack calls Millie to request her help finding someone who can figure out what was going on with the statue. In response to Millie's request, Jack and Ivan come to London on board the Sparrowhawk with Samson and Sam, and join her at the circus. Millie and Ivan go to meet Te-Kas, who has one of his cultists take them to the clown tent. There he asks them to deliver a box to one of his subordinates in Russia. While Te-Kas is showing Ivan where they need to go, the other cultist runs out of the tent. Over by the elephants, Sam and Samson are approached by the Grey Ghost, who tells them that circus isn't safe. At that point, the cultist runs past, chasing another man. Samson and Sam recognize the cultist as the one they left tied up in Millie's basement in Millie Diamond and the Ring of Te-Kas, and Samson delays the cultist (who Te-Kas later calls Spiro), who is then unable to catch the man he was chasing. The Grey Ghost, at Sam's request, warns Millie of the danger as well, so she leaves with Ivan and Te-Kas to fetch the book from Jack, who waited with it in the car. After leaving the circus, Millie calls Dana, who comes to talk to Jack. Though he is unable to identify the statue, he can say that artifacts that prevent the holder from giving them away are very powerful and important indeed. Anton arrives and joins the team on their trip to the designated location, on the coast near St. Petersburg. There they meet "Black Mask" and two dangerously beautiful woman, and deliver the box. "Black Mask", who Millie believes is not always the same person in every appearance, gives them twenty minutes to get back to their plane before he will attempt to arrest them as enemies of the state. On their way through the village they landed at, the team notices that Ivan is having another waking nightmare in response to a tune being played on a violin by a street musician. They are discovered by a woman claiming to be Izolda Ekk, Ivan's mother. After helping Ivan recover, she joins the team on their run back to the plane, where Jack notices that Ivan is missing his sword. Ivan, Anton, and Jack rush back to retrieve it, only to discover a raven feather in its place. At that point, the Soviet soldiers arrive, but "White Mask" provides a distraction, giving them time to escape. At the last moment, "White Mask" joins them, and offers to help them retrieve the sword (stolen by Ordo Corvi, according to Dana) in exchange for helping her assassinate Yakov Yurovsky. The team declines, and lets out "White Mask" in London, where she tells Ekk to call her "Angel Rose".

• The Wages of Pride!: Te-Kas contacts Millie again, asking that she acquire for him a certain Atlantean tablet...the same one last seen as Lady Victoria Pride was stealing it from the New Atlantis. After conferring with Ian, Millie decides to confront Cousin Vicky at her home, accompanied by Lilith. All she learns about the whereabouts of the tablet is that it's being kept "in the only place that's real" (WTF, Vicky?), but she does notice something else of interest: a marble statue (the only genuine art object remaining in Vicky's collection) depicting Phobetor and Epiales, two minor characters from Greek mythology who are associated with nightmares. Also, Vicky claims that the true owner of the tablet is a "Mr. Carlisle." Millie returns to Ian and shares the info. He says that the Atlantean tablet definitely is his because he funded the dig where it was found. He also promises to look into the sale of the rest of Vicky's art pieces. Millie returns home and apprises Te-Kas of these developments. Later, Rickhard Fisk calls to tell her that there is no record of the sale of said pieces through legitimate channels, and also that there was a Mr. Carlisle working on the dig where the tablet was found, a war veteran with extensive burn injuries. Millie decides to confront her cousin again, this time bringing Samson and Sarah along. They find the house apparently empty, Victoria and Mandeep having left on a trip. The neighbor lets Millie and Sarah in while Samson waits in the car. The two immediately realize that they are not alone in the house, and Millie recognizes Tausret's voice. Quickly disguising herself with a coat and hat from the hall closet, she uses a hammy fake voice to throw the crazy priestess off the scent. While searching for the tablet (in case Vicky was lying about it not being there), she discovers that the marble statue is missing and the plaster ones have all been destroyed. The two of them head upstairs to continue the search, only to run right into the Weaver and his minions! The most entertaining fight of the campaign so far ensues—it starts with Samson driving Millie's car through the front window and only gets funnier from there. Ultimately the Weaver escapes (doing some auxiliary damage to the car in the process), but the Centurions manage to capture Tausret. Questioning both her and the neighbor, they deduce that Victoria has gone to Greece and take the next flight out themselves. Asking around at the airport, Millie learns that Vicky and Mandeep have gone to visit a rather obscure set of ruins. They rent a car from a well-built set of identical twins who introduce themselves as Epialatos and Phobetatos and offer to drive them to the ruins themselves. When they arrive, however, the group is attacked by the Society of Gemsetters, including Ifrit and the Pelican-man. The twins assist in the battle, but then more foes arrive—Vicky, Mandeep, and the Weaver (and more minions)...and suddenly the tables turn yet further when it emerges that the twins are taking orders from Vicky! The Centurions fight valiantly, but the odds are badly against them. The battle ends with Sarah captured by the Gemsetters, Samson badly wounded, and he and Millie both at the mercy of the Children of the Night.

Important Vehicles

• Sparrowhawk: Sam's prototype Grumman G-21 Goose seaplane has been upgraded by Anton to have an autopilot that has the ability to understand basic commands. Rocket Red was hired to investigate the plane for an unknown reason, and while she was able to get into the plane, she doesn't seem to have tampered with anything. Just how Sam managed to get her hands on such an advanced aircraft will be explore in an upcoming novel.
• New Atlantis: The airship is a custom design by Applied Aeronautics for Ian Cook. The most advanced flying vessel in the world, it is the permanent home of Ian and his girlfriend Lilith, who keep the decorations rather spartan aside from the world's largest private collection of ancient relics. New Atlantis was equiped with the prototype Aura's Breath and hosted the first public demonstration in The Spirit Centurions and Aura's Breath. The new deceased chief engineer, Chester Finney, kept New Atlantis in perfect working order, from the lower-deck hanger to the the windowed observation deck.
• USS Grand Destiny: A New York class dreadnaught that guarded convoys during the Great War, it is unusual in that it is the only dreadnaught from the 1910s that was not named after a state, something that the US Navy has been unable to account for. Notable crewmen include Anton Korvanatz, Vincent Drucci, and Chief Engineer Mortimer Jameson. In 1918, the ship was torpedoed and Jameson sacrificed himself in order to make the repairs necessary to keep it afloat.
• Millie's Car: Millie drives a 1922 Austin 7. She is rather devoted to her vehicle, and keeps it shiny and in good repair. Which is why Samson is dead meat.
• Vicky's Car: Victoria Pride owns a 1922 Lancia Lambda. She is, if anything, even more devoted to her vehicle than her cousin is. The Lambda is generally driven by her manservant, Mandeep Singh.
• Harrier's Claw: A prototype four-seat triple-engine combat-ready plane designed by Applied Aeronautics. Its pilot is Walter Steele, an American ace from the Great War and one of Gray's Raptors. The custom paint job on the plane matches that of Steele's original Sopwith Dolphin from his time with the Raptors. It was last seen leaving New Atlantis with Victoria Pride, Mandeep Singh, and one of Ian Cook's Atlantean tablets on-board.
• Lucy: Mack Silver's prototype Century Clipper, and the only woman he's every loved. Given her size, she serves as a mobile base for Spirit Centurions on occasion.

Important Items

• The Curious Statue: At the beginning of his first adventure, Jack unexpectedly got his hands on this surprisingly light roughly cylindrical stone device roughly the size of an extra-large roll of paper towels. It's composed of four vaguely humanoid figures, each made (in multiple interlocking pieces) of a different color of stone, with arms interlinked around an intricate statue made of yet a fifth type of stone. Each of the figures has a pyramidal hole in its back with a complex pattern of grooves. Jack seemingly got cursed as a result of fiddling with the statue, and a mysterious someone with mob connections is willing to do almost anything to get his or her hands on it. Al Capone wants to get his hands on the statue for an unknown reason.
• The Mysterious Note: On the day Max was kidnapped, his kidnappers left behind a note in mysterious hieroglyphics. Professor de Faria was able to decipher a few phrases: "the Old Ones", "Children of the Night", "Beloved One", and "The Weaver". De Faria currently still has the note and is working on translating more.
• Max's Research Notes: Most of Max's old research notes regarding cults were kept by Millie after her fiance was kidnapped, with Professor de Faria holding on to the rest until the Weaver was able to steal them. Presumably the Weaver has given them to Max at this point.
• The Research Notes of Drs. Grayson and Rochester: After Garrison Grayson was disgraced, he left his research notes in the care of Charles Rochester. When Rochester was murdered, both his notes and Grayson's were taken by Rochester's friend, Rodrigo Jardin de Faria. The Weaver tried to steal both sets, presumably because they could help Max find the information that the Children of the Night need. Fortunately, the Centurions were able to recover the files, which are being studied by de Faria in hopes of finding clues as to just what the notes were needed for. (Before anyone asks, there are no obvious clues as to how Grayson was able to create the grey men.)
• The Sword of the Archistrategos: This blessed sword is currently held by Dr. Ekk and is believed to be the sword of the Archangel Michael. Soviet agents have tried to get their hands on it before, but it is unknown how they knew of its existence, much less what plans they have for it. It was stolen by Ordo Corvi agents in Russia, but was later recovered by the Spirit Centurions in the chaotic aftermath of an auction turned violent.
• The Synthetic Harmonizer: Rhys Hibberton's pet project, the Synthetic Harmonizer, is currently incomplete. If Hibberton is ever able to get the thing working, it will be able to physically alter the properties of one thing to match the properties of another substance. According to Dr. Tesla, the Harmonizer is nearly ready.
• Max's Map: This hastily-drawn map was given to Millie by Max when she visited him in exchange for returning Te-Kas' ring. Sevearl areas are circled, including the Norwegian Sea, the Caribbean Sea, China, Iraq/Persia, and Antarctica. Those last three circles have the labels of "Air", "Fire", and "Water", respectively. According to Max, the circles are possible locations for the pieces to the key that will unlock the secret of Atlantis. Millie has used the map to determine that "Fire" corresponds to ancient Babylon.
• Nethercite: Nethercite is a rare form of quartz that has some unusual properties: it repels magnets (despite not being magnetic itself), it's incredibly durable, and it's surprisingly light-weight. Garrison Grayson also posited that it simultaneously exists and does not exist.
• Finney's Logs: Chester Finney kept meticulous logs of his work and time on New Atlantis. His professional log reveals that Aura's Breath has been tested multiple times and that one of the tests that took place in the Norwegian Sea is missing coordinates due to part of the page being ripped out.
  Chester's personal log reveals that he didn't like "the damn Chinaman" (Baek, who's actually Korean—this little bit of racism is unremarkable for the 20's), and that he thought the Welshman (Dr. Gwyn) was a petty thief based on Gwyn often being around the crew's cabins instead of his own guest room. On the other hand, Chester was on very good terms with his employer, Ian Cook.
  More of interest is that on the day of the test with the missing coordinates, when Aura's Breath cleared the storm clouds, Chester and Ian saw land below them—land that didn't exist on any of their charts. Ian swore Chester to secrecy and asked him to destroy all records of their location. The only clues to the location of the island are that it's in the Norwegian Sea, Chester knows of no man who has been in the vicinity without a storm being present, and Chester memorized the coordinates himself. Presumably Anton could ask him himself if Chester weren't dead. Anton never did have a decent chance to search the body, since Dr. Gwyn took care of it.
• Te-Kas' Ring: Te-Kas' Ring consists of a small stone set on a golden band. The stone itself is a translucent black with swirls of blood red. When Te-Kas was in Cairo, it was stolen by Abdul-Aziz, who tried to sell it. It was taken from him by Ifrit, and then taken from him by the Centurions. Millie returned it to Te-Kas, who said he would send it to her whenever he had a new task for her. So far, Millie has received two requests, and still has the ring from the most recent one.
• Aura's Breath: Aura's Breath is a weather-control device created by Dr. Baek at the behest of Ian Cook. It was tested several times on-board New Atlantis before its public unveiling. At that demonstration, it was stolen by men in the uniforms of LNASD security. It is unknown whether the device was onboard the theives' plane when it was brought down by Major Gears, or if it had been stashed somewhere else.
• The Amazing Jet Pack: Jet Black's Amazing Jet Pack is based on the jet technology of the late Dr. Hutchings and was built by Jackson Black, the young man Hutchings sponsored for the Century Club. As Jet Black, Jackson flew it into battle during the Great War, and still features it in his heroics as a Spirit Centurion.
• The Red Rocket: Rocket Red's Red Rocket is based on some of the tech that came from Dr. Hutchings' laboratory during the Great War. Jet Black, at least, believes that she took advantage of the attack on the lab in order to steal the design.
• Justinian's Crown: This crown was worn by Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus, Justinian the Great, the second member of the Justinian Dynasty and Byzantine Emperor. Hidden for over 1300 years behind the Door of Belisarius by Belisarius himself (Justinian's greatest general), the way to the crown was rediscovered by Samson, the Society of Gemsetters, and Abin al'Jirayah, who all raced to be the first to get their hands on it. Though Samson and his allies were the first past most of the obstacles, it was Abin who managed to nab the crown. Samson chased Abin all the way to Moscow before Samson's friends required his aid and he was forced to abandon the chase. Since Justinian is a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the crown is a holy relic.
• David Dodd's Black Hand File: This official FBI file on the Black Hand reveals the identities of suspected members and known associates. Notable among these are Ian Cook (suspected former member), Mikhail Pavelovich Khasbulatov (known associate), Paul Wagner (known associate), Frankie Yale (known associate), Alistair Bentham (suspected associate), Grigori Rasputin (suspected former associate), Garrison Grayson (suspected associate), Dr. Arnaud Blanc (suspected member), Maxim Komorov (suspected associate), and Aaron Fell (known associate).
• The CASED Buoy: This secret US government weapon was stolen from a convoy by agents of Gorilla Khan and somehow ended up out in Lake Michigan. It was used by an unknown party to sink two patrol boats used to hunt down rum-runners. Der Blitzmann later planned to use it for an unknown purpose when he was interrupted by Spirit Centurions, and shortly thereafter by another patrol boat. Using a bag of power cells, Der Blitzmann blasted both boats with electricity from the buoy before the Spirit Centurions were able to stop him and assist the sailors on the other boat. The Centurions then towed the buoy back to shore, where it was delivered to David Dodd.
• Ian's Atlantean Tablet: This Atlantean Tablet was once in the collection of Ian Cook on board New Atlantis until it was stolen by Mandeep Singh, Victoria Pride, and Walter Steele. What glimpse Millie caught of it before it was stolen revealed a map with notations in the script used on the Weaver's note. According to Vicky, the tablet actually belongs to a "Mr. Carlisle", and according to Rikhard Fisk, it was discovered on a dig in Greece financed by Ian Cook.
• On the Trail of the Lost Continent: Alistair Ormond's magnum opus. This incredibly rare book has a Navy Blue cover with gold scrollwork, and it details everything Ormond could discover about the location of Atlantis and other lost continents. The one copy known to the Spirit Centurions was held by Henry Gerp until it was stolen by Abin al'Jirayah and given to Willem De Witt. Samson, Sam, and Sarah were able to recover the book and give it to Millie, who later gave it to Te-Kas. Presumably other copies exist somewhere.
• Faust: This annotated copy of "Faust" featured many annotations by Charles Gounod, the original playwrite, scrawled in the margins. The Black Hand procured it somehow and were in negotiations with Mikhail Khasbulatov, Paul Wagner, and Frankie Yale when an assassination attempt on either Millie Diamond or Ian Cook disrupted the sale. The book disappeared in the confusion, and based on its last location, it is either still in Dr. Methuselah's box in the New York Metropolitan Opera House, or it is held by the four people who had a chance to look in the box between when it went missing and the PCs took a look: the mysterious Black Hand woman who pretended to be Ian's aide (ie she never gave it up), Maxim Komorov, "White Mask", or Ivan Ekk (assuming he lied to his friends).
• The Herkules Stradivarius: This violin was made in 1732 by the family of Antonio Stradivari, possibly by the master himself. It was in the possession of the Belgian violinist Eugene Ysayë when he was playing a series of concerts in St. Petersburg in 1908, but it was stolen from his hotel room. The thief was never caught. According to Ian Cook, he was present as a junior member (seriously so—he was 7 at the time) of the Black Hand when they stole the violin.
• The Project Hero Research: The research of the late Dr. Giovanni Marino was kept in an Italian lab run by Dr. Bianchi until it was stolen by Dr. Bernhardt.
• The Statue of Epiales and Phobetor: This lamp-sized statue depicts Epiales (son of Nyx and a nightmare-causing spirit) and Phobetor (son of Hypnos, brother of Morpheus, and a minor god who enters nightmares). It was in the sitting room of Victoria Pride's London townhome (and the only statue in the room actually made of marble) until it was removed, presuably by Lady Pride, though possibly also by the Children of the Night who came later.

Important Places

• Chicago, the Windy City: Chicago is a hotbed of criminal activity, especially since Prohibition got started. These days, almost everyone whose anyone in the city is involved in the liquor business, a client of someone in the liquor business, or taking bribes from someone involved in the liquor business. With hundreds of gangs operating on the Chicago streets, the only thing keeping Chicago from descending into anarchy is an informal truce regularted by Mike Merlo, the head of Unione Siciliana (a national organization dedicated to assisting Sicilian immigrants in America). The city government is notoriously corrupt, to the point that key city officials are listed above by whose pocket they are in. The mayor, William "Big Bill" Hale Thompson, stands out as being even more corrupt than his underlings.
• McGovern's Saloon and Cafe (Near North Side): A secondary headquarters of the North Side Gang. Dean O'Banion has an office there, and it's where "Numbers" Deagan does all of his clerical work. In The Case of the Missing Boats, Jack spoke with John Duffy at the cafe after an unsuccessful attempt to arrange a meeting with O'Banion; he and Millie returned later and were let in back to speak with the boss himself.
• William Schofield's flower shop (River North): This flower shop is partially owned by Dean O'Banion (as of only a few months ago), who uses it as a front for his criminal operations when he's not busy being a master flower arranger. The rooms above the shop are the primary headquarters of the North Side Gang, and the flower shop is the primary seller of floral arrangements for gangster funerals (including those for rival gang members).
• Holy Name Cathedral (River North): The Holy Name Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, as well as the church where Dean O'Banion and Hymie Weiss attend mass. It is located across the street from William Schofield's flower shop.
• The Taylor Street warehouse (Little Italy): This three story warehouse serves as the headquarters of the Genna crime family, which controls Little Italy. Jack, Millie, Sarah, and Anton met the Genna brothers here in The Case of the Missing Boats.
• The Four Deuces (South Side): The Four Deuces is a nightclub and brothel located at 2222 South Wabash. It was here that Jack got a hold of the curious statue while on a mission for David Dodd. Al Capone, the manager at the time, got a good look at the statue, as did his brother, Frank, who was visiting him at the time.
• Fulton River District: The Fulton River District is a commercial and shipping district controlled by Gorilla Khan. Like Little Italy, it is part of the Near West Side, which puts the Gennas and Khan in a minor territorial conflict. It is also the home of the Chicago and North Western Terminal, a terminus for some of the elevated rail lines of Chicago.
• Hands of Michael Medical Clinic (West Town): A small clinic run by Dr. Ivan Ekk a block away from Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in West Town. The clinic provides cheap (often free) medical care to the Eastern European immigrants who live in the surrounding neighborhood, as well as the poor from other parts of the West Town community area. Given Dr. Ekk's disposition towards charity when working in his clinic, he can rarely afford to splurge on anything beyond the necessities (hence making his trip to see Maxim Komorov's performance rather unusual). Dr. Ekk lives alone in the flat above the clinic. Due to his poverty, he has no workspace of note, though he does have unlimited access to the clinic downstairs.
• John Courrier's Home (Outskirts): A mansion located on the outskirts of Chicago, which was inherited by Jack Courrier after John's death. The mansion is rather large, and Jack never felt too comfortable there, so he mostly just visits for short periods to check up and to keep up appearances. Sometimes he uses it to help him with a con. Occasionally he lets. Since he doesn't use it that often, he has a skeleton staff working up there. Just enough to keep the place running.
• Jack Courrier's Home (The Loop): Jack's home is a small room in downtown Chicago. The room is rather bare bones, with only a few decorations here and there. The bed has thin, plain-colored sheets and a couple of pillows. He also has a thin comforter for the winter. Other than that he has a couple of chairs, a nightstand and a dresser. There are two mirrors: one over the dresser and on in the bathroom. His closet his two layers of hangers, one right in front of the other. The front layer has business suits and various sport related clothes. The back layer has street clothes that show signs of wear for when he needs to blend in. He keeps his makeup in the top right drawer of the dresser.
• Anton's Home: One of the slummier sections of Chicago, where he can benefit most from Friends In Low Places and has genial ties to the gang that controls the area. His near-constant assaults by various powers trying to kidnap him and use his talents for their own gain has left him very security minded. because of this, his outer door is reinforced inside with solid steel and a viewslot, as well as a large number of locks, half of which are internal (think chains, but stronger and well attached).
  Inside the second door (which is solid steel with a large deadbolt), there's a short passageway down into the main living area. The house is actually entirely underground, and thus has no windows. It's messy, but generally clean, only an occasional unfinished sandwich or perhaps a glass of something lying around. It's not that heavily decorated, mostly consisting of old and beat up furniture, but still functional, and extremely comfortable. The fieldstone walls are occasionally covered by some manner of wall hanging, and the room is littered with mementos from Anton's travels, including a burst rivet from the USS Grand Destiny, a brick he'd managed to get out of the cell he'd been interred in before Jack rescued him (and used as a weapon until he could get his watch back) as well as the Chief engineer's journal from the New Atlantis. The floor is mostly level, but like the walls is made of stone, so he has covered some of it with a collection of ill matching, but decently warm, carpets.
  Off the living area is a small kitchenette with an average sized icebox (modified of course into a true refrigerator) filled primarily with deli meats and a variety of cheeses and breads. Through the kitchenette you reach his bedroom, another small, but comfortable room, little more than a bed with a small nightstand and dresser, his dress clothes (what little he has of them) hanging above the dresser, so as to not wrinkle. More carpets and stone floors. Connected to the bedroom is a small bathroom with naught but a shower stall, sink with a small mirror, and a toilet.
  Through the living area again, we go through another set of reinforced doors into his Lab. Mostly electrical equipment, but perhaps enough equipment of the gadgeteering sort to effect moderate repairs upon things if needed. This room has the only level and smooth floor in the entire house, and has many large stone racks set into the walls, as well as two smooth, black granite tabletops covered in neatly arranged devices. There is a Tesla Generator in the corner.

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