Madame Zorba, still reeling from her recent sanity-threatening revelations, felt the constant whispers emanating from the blood red fez hat that had now seemingly grown into her skull. The voices, a discordant cacophony, urged her to read the ancient grimoire known as the Whispering Fez. Per Oskarson, intrigued by this phenomenon, examined the tome and noticed hieroglyphics matching those adorning the edge of the cursed hat.

As the Orient Express slowed to a halt, Zorba sensed it was time to confront Scott Myers and Menkaph, the two other individuals afflicted by the malevolent headwear. Clyde and Viola, noticing the fez upon Zorba’s head as she exited her cabin, decided to accompany her, offering assistance in this dire situation. The Chief Inspector trailed close behind, likely headed towards Myers’ cabin as well.

Zorba attempted to will the fez off Myers’ head, but to no avail. The whispers intensified, ominously declaring, “There’s no leaving us.” It dawned on her that the fez possessed the ability to drain life force, and Menkaph may have been siphoning power from Myers all along. Desperate to sustain the weakened man, Zorba recited a mantra learned from the Baron, feeling her own energy drain as Myers showed signs of slight revival.

Deciding to seek answers in the Baron’s cabin, Zorba led Myers and the group away from the prying eyes of the police. There, she shared her grim realization—the fez’s inevitable transformation of its wearer into a monstrous being, just as it had done to Mr. Pook. Apologizing to Ellie Myers, Zorba admitted she believed removing the fez was an impossible task.

As Per frantically searched the Apocrypha of the Fez for a reversal of the curse, Zorba pondered compelling the unconscious Menkaph, now in police custody, to speak the potentially helpful mantra. The group speculated on the fez’s behavior, wondering if it would remain on Menkaph’s head in his incapacitated state, or if his fate would mirror Pook’s grisly demise and transformation.

Amidst the chaos, Ellie Myers sat in shocked silence, struggling to comprehend the mystical events unfolding before her. Zorba, concerned about the fez’s continued drain on Myers’ life force, offered to transfer some of her own energy to sustain him.

Their deliberations were interrupted by the pounding on the cabin door—Inspector Ari and Henri had arrived. Myers, having recovered somewhat, stood to face them, though Clinton doubted his ability to convince the authorities of his well-being. Per attempted to mislead the inspector, suggesting the Baron sought the fez worn by Menkaph, but the Baron denied any connection to Myers’ cursed accessory.

Surprisingly, the inspector allowed Myers to remain on the train, taking only the unconscious Menkaph into custody. The Baron, declining to retrieve the fez, announced his intention to enjoy the remainder of his vacation. As the Orient Express departed the station, Henri assured the group that dinner service would proceed as scheduled, a surreal moment of normalcy amidst the unfolding horror.

The group, having gone to great lengths to convince others of Myers’ illness, suddenly found themselves agreeing that he was fine, leaving him alone with his thoughts. They marveled at the absurdity of their elaborate ruse, realizing that simply stating Myers’ recovery might have sufficed. Yet, in the face of such terrible circumstances, their farcical approach seemed a necessary choice between laughter and tears, a coping mechanism in the midst of an unimaginable nightmare.

Session Notes
  • The session begins with a recap of the previous events. The players were trying to figure out how to get a hat off of Scott Myers’ head, which involved a plan to use tiger tranquilizers on Menkaph while he was in police custody to distract the guards. However, the players may not have actually executed this plan yet.
  • Madame Zorba succeeded a sanity check, causing her to lose 1 sanity point. She made an INT check to avoid fully understanding the implications, and was able to push it to a regular success.
  • Madame Zorba felt Menkaph’s presence through the hat and had a battle of wills with him, ultimately pushing his will back and feeling like she had control. However, the whispers from the hat have not gone away and are now a constant presence.
  • Per Oskarson approached Madame Zorba to listen closer to the whispers coming from the hat. He confirmed he could hear a quiet cacophony of whispers, and noticed the hat seemed to be grown into Zorba’s skull.
  • Zorba communicated with Menkaph during the battle of wills, but the whispers she now hears do not seem to be his voice. She senses there are four distinct minds present, but does not identify one as belonging to Scott Myers.
  • The whispers urged Zorba to “read the book”, referring to the Whispering Fez grimoire that the group had obtained. Per examined the book and noticed the hieroglyphics on the pages matched those around the edge of the fez hat.
  • As the train was coming to a stop, Zorba decided it was time to try and reclaim the hats from Scott Myers and Menkaph. The Baron seemed to snap out of a stupor when addressed by Zorba.
  • Clyde and Viola Sutcliffe were also heading back towards the cabin, with the Chief Inspector following them, likely heading to Myers’ cabin as well.
  • When Zorba stepped out of the cabin, Clyde and Viola saw her wearing the blood red fez hat. They decided to go check on Zorba and offer any assistance.
  • Madame Zorba senses the cursed Fez on Mr. Myers’ head and tries to will it off, but is unable to. She hears whispers from the Fez saying “there’s no leaving us.”
  • Zorba realizes the Fez is capable of draining life force, and speculates that Menkaph may have been siphoning power from Mr. Myers while wearing the Fez.
  • Zorba decides to try using the mantra that the group had previously learned from the Baron to temporarily sustain Mr. Myers. She recites the mantra, feeling it draining her own power, but it does seem to slightly revive Mr. Myers.
  • Zorba suggests they take Mr. Myers with them, as he seems to be under the Fez’s influence. When they try to leave the cabin, a police officer blocks their way, but is called away by the inspector.
  • Zorba decides to take Mr. Myers to the Baron’s cabin instead of their own, hoping to find more answers there.
  • Once in the Baron’s cabin, Zorba shares her grim realization - that the Fez seems to inevitably lead to the same fate as what happened to Mr. Pook, a complete transformation into a monster. She apologizes to Ellie Myers, saying she does not believe they can remove the Fez.
  • Per searches through the Apocrypha of the Fez, hoping to find information on reversing the Fez’s effects, now that they understand its true nature.
  • Madame Zorba offers to help the young Mr. Myers, saying she has some inspiration to give him strength. She suggests he may be able to compel the villain Menkaph to speak the mantra that could help them.
  • Zorba wonders if they can simply tell Menkaph to come to them, since he is currently being carried away by the police, still wearing the cursed fez. Clyde observes from the window that Menkaph appears unconscious as the police transport him.
  • The group discusses whether the fez will stay on Menkaph’s head now that he is incapacitated, recalling that the fez did not come off Pook’s head until after he died and transformed. They wonder if the same will happen with Menkaph.
  • Ellie, Mr. Myers’ wife, has been in a state of shock, staring at her husband and not fully comprehending the mystical events unfolding.
  • Zorba expresses concern that if they allow the police to take Mr. Myers away, he may suffer further from the draining effects of the fez. She suggests Zorba could help sustain him by transferring some of her own life force.
  • There is pounding on the door, and the voices of Inspector Ari and Henri are heard in the corridor. Mr. Myers is able to stand and speak, appearing to have recovered somewhat, though Clinton is unsure how convincing he would be.
  • When the inspector and Baron arrive, Per tries to suggest the Baron may be looking for the fez that was on Menkaph’s head, rather than the one Mr. Myers was wearing. The Baron denies the fez on Mr. Myers is his.
  • The inspector decides to let Mr. Myers remain on the train, as he seems to have recovered. The police take the unconscious Menkaph into custody. The Baron declines to retrieve the fez, saying he will enjoy the rest of his vacation.
  • As the train departs the station, Henri offers to check on dinner arrangements for the group, reassuring them that the service will continue as scheduled on the Orient Express.
  • The group had gone through various machinations to convince others that Mr. Myers was sick, and then they suddenly agreed that he was fine, leaving him alone
  • The group was surprised by this change in stance, wondering what the others might do about the situation
  • The player notes that it didn’t occur to them to simply state that Mr. Myers was fine, rather than going through the elaborate ruse
  • The player suggests that Mr. Myers’ “pale, sweaty form” would have been enough to convey that he was not feeling well
  • The player references a quote from Jordan Peele about the similarities between comedy and horror, in terms of emotional beats, just eliciting a different response
  • The player feels that the group being a bit farcical in the midst of the terrible situation is an effective approach, as it’s a choice between “laugh or cry”
  • The group seems to agree that this approach makes sense in the context of the game.