| “ | Visitors are rare indeed in... the city that was once Belgrade. | ” |
A spoiler-free walkthrough version of this article is available here.
Desolate Belgrade is a scenario in which Passepartout and Phileas Fogg discover that the Austro-Hungarian automaton army have attacked Belgrade and left few survivors. They can potentially fuel an uprising among these survivors.
The War Orchestra[]
Passepartout must arrive in Vienna from Paris aboard the Orient Express. While walking the streets, he is approached by a engineer of the Imperial Kriegorchester named Herr Danzer. The two talk, and Danzer is agitated enough to reveal several secrets about himself and the Austro-Hungarian Empire: the Empire is a sworn mutual enemy of the Artificers' Guild, he is made deeply uncomfortable by their inventions, and their automaton army is controlled by 'Mozart-Haydn devices" inside them which are in turn controlled by flutes wielded by the Musikersoldaten. Danzer begins to weep, at which point Passepartout takes his leave.
Passepartout may steal Danzer's Zauberflöte. If Danzer is sober, Passepartout can only slip it away as soon as he sees it for selfish and ungentlemanly reasons. If he is plied with wine beforehand, Passepartout can wait until he is drunk and upset near the end of their conversation, then steal the flute in the hope it will rid him of his sadness. If Passepartout is in possession of an Artificer's Medallion, he can hand it to him, and he will take it and run away, leaving his flute behind.
Havoc and Gossip[]
That evening, Passepartout can slip away to the Ringstraße to play his stolen flute and wreck havoc among the automata before being chastised by a soldier. But to continue, he should go into the lobby to listen to some music, then eavesdrop at the bar to hear some loose-tongued officials discussing sending an invasion force by train to Istanbul.
"Universal Passport"[]
Passepartout should choose to take the new Viennese Military Transport route. Fogg offers to use his 'universal passport' (his wallet) to bribe the train guard and get aboard.
Bringing the flute is enough, however. Passepartout should simply show the flute to the guard and claim to be able to play it to be allowed aboard. Otherwise, the pair will have to bribe the guard to the tune of £200. No amount of persuasion or other type of bluffing will work- either they will be asked to leave, or an automaton will approach and let out a unbearable scream until they leave should they try to make threats.
Ruined City[]
The journey is uneventful but unnerving. It appears Fogg and Passepartout are the only living people on a train full of automata.
The train stops in Belgrade. The two get off to find the city desolated and silent. There seems to be no one left alive, but every building is unnervingly the same. They find refuge in an empty hotel. It doesn't matter if Passepartout falls asleep or stays awake and realises an intruder is near. He always ends up with a knife held to his throat a man named Pavle. Upon realising Passepartout is not from the army, he relaxes his guard and explains that he is one of very few survivors in the city who have no choice but to bide their time and wait.
If Passepartout has the flute, he can give it to his new ally, who resolves to pass it on to his sister, an Artificer named Ljubica, to be copied, turning the tide of the war.
Neutral Intervention[]
Upon disembarking the train, Passepartout and Phileas Fogg are confronted by Gülbahar bint Saleh and her group of Artificers, identifiable by their Copper Lily pins. She reveals they received a tip concerning the automata aboard the train, and managed to intervene to examine the army and thwart the Austro-Hungarian Empire's war plans. They are promptly shooed out.
In Ruin![]
Upon arriving in Lisbon, Passepartout can find a furious, drunken Danzer if he stole his flute, claiming he was put on trial for the loss of his flute and escaped the country at the last moment. He tried to fulfil his childhood ambition of becoming an Artificer, but the Guild would not take an Austro-Hungarian. Should Passepartout try to offer him any advice, he will reject it with a wounded howl and run away down the street.