DATELINE: 21 MAY 1925 – SCENE 01 – The trawler trip from Mombassa to Port Said passes without incident and the team has a day remaining before they board the RMS Excalibur bound for Melbourne.

SCENE 02 – Miss Shosenberg sends a telegram to Carlton Ramsey in New York, updating him, and requesting additional funds. The team then goes shopping and equipping themselves for the Australian winter.

DATELINE: 22 MAY 1925 – SCENE 03 – The next day, the team joins the crowd queuing onto the Excalibur; they are greeted by the captain, Arturo Pendracopolis. As the team waits their turn at the top of the gang plank, Ishaq Rahad spies a woman at the top of the ramp boarding the ship. He draws the team’s attention to the woman, but she is no longer visible. Ishaq Rahad says that the woman looks familiar, but cannot place where he has seen her before.

SCENE 04 – Boarding the Exalibur, the team observes a couple dozen large copper cylinders being lowered onto the deck by crane. The rope snaps, and one of the cylinders goes crashing into the water. The dock crew goes after the sinking cylinder. Chesterfield goes over to one of the cylinders and sees that it looks like a diving bell of some sort; it has attachments in the base for some sort of hoses and there is a window in the side of the cylinder, which stands about 9 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter.

SCENE 05 – Upon getting to her cabin, Miss Shosenberg flops onto her cot and begins reading the Pnakotic Manuscripts. The gentle rocking, afternoon sun, and fresh sea air cause her to drift off. Miss Shosenberg is awakened by the sound of the ship’s horn as the Excalibur departs from Port Said.

SCENE 06 – Chesterfield and Mwai go exploring once the ship is underway. After a time the come across a tent set up at the stern of the ship next to the deck games: it is of dark grey and has stars and moons embroidered into the fabric. A sign reads, MADAME HELGA — PSYCHIC, CLAIRVOYANT, AND SPEAKER WITH THE DEAD.

Stepping inside the tent, they are mildly surprised to see that Madame Helga is a young, pretty woman who speaks English with an Eastern European accent. She tells them her fees for a seance and seems to know more than a performing clairvoyant should. When they are about to leave, Mdme Helga addresses Chesterfield by his name, and they are certain that they did not tell her this information. Mdme Helga says that she is certain Mwai will see Bundari soon. They make an appointment for the seance and then leave the tent, but there is a strange sensation about the air.

SCENE 07 – The team meets for dinner and Ishaq Rahad once again sees the mystery woman as she is leaving the dining hall. He excuses himself and goes after her. The rest of the team stays behind and dances until the small hours, leaving their worries behind for a while and enjoying the simple pleasures of good food, good drink, and good company.

SCENE 08 – Before turning in for the night, Miss Shosenberg stops by Muhammed Asad’s cabin, which he is sharing with Ishaq Rahad. Asad remains in good spirits and tells Shosenberg that he is teaching Ishaq Rahad how to read magic texts, as Ishaq Rahad has promised to help Asad restore his eyesight by whatever means possible.

SCENE 09 – George Allen returns to his cabin after the festivities and falls to sleep. He dreams he is in an idyllic park of some kind with late afternoon sun drifting through fragrant trees. A rise behind carries the sound of a distant train. Ahead, a stony path leads towards the sound of running water. Allen is aware that he is dreaming, but also is aware that he is in control of what is happening, being reminded of his vision quests he took with Native Americans back in the Western Territories of the United States.

Allen decides to follow the path, which leads to a babbling brook. Seated cross-legged with eyes closed is a wizened African man with tattoos and piercings. The man identifies himself as Old Man Bundari, who Allen knows is dead. Allen asks him how he can still be alive and Bundari says that he was travelling through the Dreamlands when his body was killed by the Cult of the Bloody Tongue. Bundari warns Allen to avoid the City In The Clouds. Allen thanks Bundari for the warning, but upon waking the next morning, has forgotten all but the vaguest notions of the dream. Allen is determined to find out where he was in the dream and decides to use the seance as an opportunity to tap into this other world.