You awaken in a room.

The bedding is clean. The soft glow of lanterns and candles lights the space. A fire crackles gently in the fireplace. Standing nearby is a woman—one you recognize.

The Madam.

"Frozen worlds. Delusional thoughts. Twisted memories. Visions of death. Letters from sisters..." She speaks as she stares into the flames. "Oh child, what have you gotten yourself mixed up in this time? Still searching for the Emerald Prince? Still dabbling in corrupted alchemical constructs created by a deranged bishop?"

She turns and faces you.

"None of this will get you into Heaven, child. You’ll burn in the flames of your wicked, twisted sins. That’s what the Church would say."

She pulls a coin from her pocket—The Emerald Coin. You stare at it as she walks over and sits on the bed beside you.

"You always find a way to slip through my illusions... to escape my magic. You chase things that don’t concern you. You seem to want to be a mouse—a little mouse unraveling the fabric of this world. Do you understand the consequences for a mouse like that?"

You remain silent, still staring at the coin in her hand. She closes her fingers around it and slips it back into her pocket.

"I don’t think I’ll be giving this to you, child. No. I’ll be keeping it. I took it from him... from that drunk man. That pitiful, broken man."

She rises and walks toward the door. You reach out and ask her—what does she want for it? It’s just a coin. It means nothing to her. She has this world she’s created. You stumble over your words and finally ask: if you could free her, would she give you the coin?

"Free me? From what?" she asks, incredulous. "You think this is a prison, child? I control this place. I pull the strings of even those who live on what you call 'The Surface.' I manipulate the worlds you pass through—the planes of existence. I am the queen here."

You press further, telling her it’s her sister who is the true manipulator. She’s the one who caused all of this. The one who had her locked away—by the Poet, the Wandering Merchant, the Emerald Prince, and the River Man.

The Madam scoffs.

"You want to help me? Then bring me the Bishop’s Heart. It was stolen—kept hidden in a twisted graveyard."