Machinations is the sixth chapter of Dreamfall Chapters and the first chapter of Book Three: Realms. It follows Kian's investigations into the pipe network in Marcuria.
Summary
Kian stumbles on strange mechanical devices far above his Arcadian mindset
Kian: The pipe network
During a surveillance mission for the rebels, Kian, along with Likho and Enu, is summoned by Ulvic who explains to them that an Azadi engineer has been frequenting the The Rooster and Kitten lately, and if they could find a way to covertly steal his tools, they might have a chance to learn more about the Azadi machinery. Kian uses Evensong to put the engineer to sleep, then uses his tools to open the access vaults in the pipe network. He also has a short run-in with Anna, who confronts him on his handling of the Azardi officer and his reaction to her attempt to kiss him. Kian, in turn, asks her where she has been, to which she cryptically answers "far away." After finding out that the pipes are used to transport strange mental orbs, and picking one up, Kian decides to trace the pipes to a hub building. After distracting the guards by sabotaging a nearby machine by throwing a rat into it, Kian is able to enter the building.
Kian: The Engine Room
In the hub building, he meets the chief engineer Ferdows. Ferdows is confused by Kian's sudden appearance, noticing that a civilian isn't supposed to be in the control room. Kian, however, replies that he is not a civilian and demands answers about the machine from Ferdows under the threat of violence. The scrawny Ferdows quickly decides that he is neither interested in nor fit to putting up any kind of a fight, and he agrees to tell Kian everything he knows about the origin and purpose of the pipes.
Ferdows explains that it was the Prophet who gave the Azadi the schematics and means to construct the network, which is essentially a giant computational machine which records and influences people's dreams, and sends data with the results to hub of the network which is the Tower. The Prophet has explained that dreams, and the ideas they contain, are the building blocks of reality and the machine will allow the Azadi to control them. Kian asks Ferdows what the end goal with all of this is, but Ferdows answers that he honestly doesn't know, as he is just a middle man in all of this; he is hired to run the machine and not ask questions, though he assumes that the machine will finally enable the Azadi to fully harness the power of science, and allow them to make the world "more orderly" and rule the world as an enlightened government of scientists, who will use their knowledge to put an end to poverty and warfare. Kian asks him why the machine just couldn't have been build in Sadir and Ferdows explains that its because the underground in Marcuria is special and contains a lot of meta energies which is necessary for the machine's calculations to be correct. Kian asks if this energy is the same as magic, but Ferdows explains that isn't the case; in fact the machine is very the opposite of magic, and magic is inherently chaotic and tends to disturb it and making its calculations imprecise. This is the reason, he explains, why the Azadi are relocating the Magical races from Marcuria; their presence are so associated with magic that it interferes with the machine. Kian then tells Ferdows the truth: The Magicals are not just being relocated, they are send to prison camps where they are forced to work until they die, something which Ferdows is shocked and appalled to learn. Their conversation is interrupted as General Hami arrives and confronts Kian.
Kian tells Hami that Vamon and Sahya are plotting something sinister, and Hami is willing to believe him; the fact that Kian is standing alive in front of him means that Vamon and Sahya were lying to him when they claimed that Kian was dead. However; Hami also points out that Kian is still a traitor who collaborates with the rebels, and he plans to take him into custody and keep him somewhere secret until he can confront Vamon and Sahya, and after that Kian himself will have to stand trial for his actions in Marcuria. He now asks Kian to surrender peacefully so Mother Utana will not be further embarrassed by his actions. But Ferdows, infuriated to have learned the truth about the Magicals' fate, distracts Hami by attacking him as he tells Kian to make a run for it. Kian then escapes from the building.
Kian doesn't notice that, Bip, who has been watching the whole scene unfold from a nearby window, is suddenly grabbed by someone unseen and dragged away...
Cutscene: Hami and Utana
Hami returns to Utana, telling her that Kian is still alive, but appears to be a traitor. He also relays the fact that Vamon and Sahya are untrustworthy to her. But so far Hami's only witness is Ferdows, who he has imprisoned somewhere secret to keep him out of the reach of Vamon and Sahya, and he feels he needs more evidence before he can confront them. Utana says that they both need to be careful, since there is no telling what Vamon and Sahya would do if they had any suspicion that she and Hami knew what they were up to.
Kian: The Rooster and Kitten
Meanwhile, Kian returns to The Rooster and Kitten where he relays to Ulvic, Anna, Likho, and Enu that he has discovered what the pipe network is for, saying they need to get the information to Shepherd as soon as possible. He in turn learns that Bip has been captured and taken to Ge'en. Kian declares that he can't just leave Bip to die, and goes back with Likho and Enu to the Enclave to plan a rescue operation.
Major choices
- You can choose to return the engineer's tools, or not. The first opportunity to return them is right after opening both hatches outside, before attempting to catch a rat.
| Chapters in Dreamfall Chapters | |
|---|---|
| Book One: Reborn: | Prologue, Adrift, Awakenings, Interlude |
| Book Two: Rebels: | Trials, Dreaming, Anamnesis |
| Book Three: Realms: | Interlude II, Machinations, Hunted, Crossings |
| Book Four: Revelations: | Journeys, Umbrae, Lux, Interlude III |
| Book Five: Redux: | Recall, Interlude IV, The Longest Journey, Epilogue |