Thanks to a random post on Twitter I discovered the art of Heinrich Lossow, a 19th century German artist who specialized in pornography and erotic drawings. Probably not safe for work even though it is Wikipedia; bear that in mind.
Lossow was a remarkable talent who, among other things, illustrated other people's manuscripts. Several of the items listed on his Wikipedia page are given the heading Glaspalast München - these tend to be the more artistic, classical works.
Glaspalast München refers to Munich's Crystal Palace, built 1854 and modeled after London's Crystal Palace which I've mentioned before in the Forgotten London series. Like London's Palace, Munich's tribute also burnt to the ground, this time in 1931. All indications at the time was that it was an accident that started in a carpentry shop, but it was later shown to be arson.
From about 1889 onwards Munich's Palace was primarily an artistic venue, hosting exhibitions and festivals yearly. Hence Lossow's contributions. At the time of the fire more than 1,000 modern German works were on display; most of them were destroyed.
At this point in Munich's history the town is still basically medieval, but it's showing significant signs of growth. Aircraft and automobile factories, radio, film - new industries are emerging. Many know Munich best for its beer-soaked Oktoberfest celebrations. but it's also famous for its artistic connections.
As a side note, while Hitler's rise to power is well under way by the time the Palace burns, he's not there yet. The Nazis don't formally consolidate their power and take effective control until the elections of 1933. However Munich is the Nazi's main base of operations, the site of the Beer Hall Putsch, and is rife with political intrigue. Anyone who goes to Munich can't help but see Nazis, hear Nazis, and talk to Nazis wherever they go - the Palace included.
Time to gamify. So what are we working with?
A well-known German artist famous for his erotic works, who exhibited in:
Munich's Crystal Palace, a beautiful monument destined to burn in
6 June 1931, which is well within a Bookhounds timeframe.
Who in Bookhounds lore would be interested in erotic art? That would be the Keirecheires, those fun-loving Y’golonac cultists who have branches in London, Paris, New York - but not Germany. How very careless of them.
With all that:
The Banquet
The Hounds are hired to purchase a rare, elusive work, about to be sold at private auction in Munich. Known informally as The Banquet (it has no title engraved either on its expensive tooled leather binding or its frontispiece) this peculiar piece of erotic poetry is said to have been illustrated by Heinrich Lossow in 1881. The author is unknown, and rumor is rife. Some of the madder theories claim the author is actually Ludwig II of Bavaria, or that it was commissioned by Ludwig.
The title, The Banquet, refers to an infamous bit of Catholic lore that claims Cesare Borgia once hosted an orgy at the Papal Palace. Lossow is known to have painted a scene from that Banquet; the book goes much further, describing the action in a blow-by-blow account.
Whoever wrote it, the book is filthy beyond description and was only released in a limited edition of 100, of which at least 40 are known to have been destroyed and a further 20-odd thought to have been destroyed. The rest? Who can say?
Apparently one man can say: assistant director Baumbach of the Glaspalast München. Baumbach is willing to sell a copy, and a very private auction is being arranged at the Glaspalast. The Hounds' patron is keen to get The Banquet, but there are others just as eager, and some who will stop at nothing.
On the list of those who will stop at nothing is Ortsgruppenleiter Baumbach - the assistant director's son. The Nazi is mortified that his father is willing to trade in such filth, and concerned that, if word were to get out, his career in the party would be ruined. The Ortsgruppenleiter doesn't know precisely when or where the auction is to take place, but he does have violent mooks at his disposal, which is usually a guarantee of fun times for player characters.
The bigger problem (if there can be a bigger problem than rampaging Nazis) is the Keirecheires. That secretive organization has decided that their best and brightest Sons, desirous of promotion within the cult, shall prove their worth by acquiring The Banquet. Representatives from Paris, New York and London are converging on Munich to win the prize. They include:
Paris: Frieda Sorel, a ragged gothic artist's model and would-be Surrealist who has peculiar power over dreams.
New York: Ewan Dabney Macpherson, a bloated plutocrat whose pockets are bulging with loot from his robber baron grandfather's railway stocks.
London: Solomon Doom, aka Graham Micklethwaite, a charming blonde curate's son who turned to the occult to find meaning in life. He has Idosyncratic Magic at his disposal. Not many people know that.
As the group converges on the Glaspalast theyfind themselves at a disadvantage. What none of them realizes is the Glaspalast is not a solitary building in Munich. There are many Glaspalast - London, Montreal, Madrid, New York - most of which will burn, or have already burnt. They share an animating spirit, a gestalt manes that allows communication between places, and contact with a separate, unnamed place which can only be reached through a Crystal Palace. The Munich entity knows it is about to burn as Montreal and New York did before it, and desperately seeks someone - anyone - who can save it from destruction.
Enter those poor unfortunate Hounds, who only want to buy some antique porn and who, when they go back to London, will have to deal not only with the Keirecheires, who have become aware of their shop, but also the Crystal Palace itself, which still stands in South London. The Palace remembers ... and reaches out.
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