Pulp Musicals Lyrics

The Fan-Run Official Unofficial Pulp Lyrics Blog!! (not affiliated with Matt Dahan, Pulp Musicals, or any of the artists therewithin) run by @wigglys-dikrats

[pulp-lyrics]

Welcome to Pulp Lyrics!

Here you will find the masterpost for the complete and accurate transcription for Pulp Musicals episodes 1-5 and the Minisode.

*The Traveler's Vow lyrics out now!*

I am not affiliated with Matt Dahan or Pulp Musicals whatsoever, and all lyrics found here belong solely to them.

Please direct any and all asks and DMs to my main blog, @wigglys-dikrats about any issues found here, and don't be afraid to submit fixes as I want this to be a completely accurate transcription.

All songs are tagged with their episode name and song title, as well as each song's characters and performers for easy locating.

Enjoy!! <3

Intro post can be found here!

~MG

[pulp-lyrics]

Pulp Musicals: Episode Masterpost

The Great Moon Hoax

The Brick Satellite

A Penny, Revisited

The Ghosts of Antikythera

The Searcher in the Shadows

The Traveler's Vow

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow Masterpost

The Chimes of Starhold, Part 1

At the Top of the World

Child of the Gates

Nightfall

Nobody

Take My Hand

Surrounded

Ipomoea, Part 3

Fog and Firestone

Nemo

Our Revels Now Are Ended

The Chimes of Starhold, Part 2

One of Our Own

Drowning Stars

Nobody / Nemo (Reprise)

The Arms of Tantalus

To Stop the King

Blind

The Battle of the Fog

The Chimes of Starhold, Part 3

Brightness

At the End of the World

Footprints in Falling Snow

The Traveler's Vow

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: The Chimes of Starhold, Part 1

NARRATOR Hear the bells Signal the hour Those are the chimes of Starhold Calling out From the highest tower Of the Imperial Palace In the Blazing World

CHORUS The Blazing World

NARRATOR Eighteen-fifteen Twenty years before Printing House Square People gathered in magical revelry The entire capital The city of Paradise was there

CHORUS Hear the bells Signal the hour As they wave from the royal balcony

NARRATOR King Itzal With Queen Chazira The Blazing World’s royal family

CHAZIRA Good people of the Blazing World Thank you for joining us at Starhold You are the magic that illuminates This day of celebration

CHORUS Celebration

ITZAL Good people of Paradise Tonight there will be fireworks But for now, we raise our hands And illuminate our nation With light from within

CHORUS Light from within

CHAZIRA, ITZAL For our radiant Princess Margaret On her fiftieth birthday

CHORUS (cheers)

ITZAL We know the prophecy well It says that someday Someone will be able to communicate With the ancient magic of this land

CHAZIRA Born with elements of every magic way She will cross all seven thresholds Not simply to speak But to understand

CHAZIRA, ITZAL And on her seventy-first birthday She will illuminate a path With a light as bright as the sun Not just for herself But for everyone

CHORUS For everyone

ITZAL To the future Great Enchantress

CHAZIRA Happy birthday, my darling

CHAZIRA, ITZAL The future queen of all the Blazing World

(beat)

CHAZIRA She snuck out, didn’t she?

ITZAL I can’t believe this…

CHAZIRA (to the crowd) Just a moment!

ITZAL Dakkar!

(footsteps approach)

Where is your sister?

DAKKAR I couldn’t say I don’t know how she got past everyone

ITZAL Who were the guards

DAKKAR Ahlaam and Kal

ITZAL (frustrated) Her best friends?

CHAZIRA Love,

She’s just having fun

ITZAL Son, listen:

Like a knight of yesteryear Travelers serve the crown Not only with their magic But in fields of science Looked upon as leaders In the homes of every town Travelers are there for guidance So if you’re going to take A greater role in the Travelers-

DAKKAR Don’t worry.

The Child of the Gates is on it She’s gone off to gather her

CHAZIRA Good. Until then, you stall them.

DAKKAR What? Me? I-

CHAZIRA They adore you, Prince Dakkar. Talk to them.

DAKKAR (awkwardly) Uh… greetings!

COUGHING GUY (coughs)

NARRATOR As Dakkar held off the crowd of thousands Margaret watched the show

MARGARET / AHLAAM / KAL You’re doing great, brother! / We love you, Prince Dakkar! / (laughs) Never gets old.

NARRATOR From the rooftop across the square With Ahlaam and Kal in tow

KAL Your brother is a natural

MARGARET He’s going to be so mad

AHLAAM Your mother probably had a laugh But what about your dad

MARGARET Angry for a moment or two But they know I love this view Here on the roof, I can feel the magic Of our entire civilization Not from someplace beyond But somewhere between

It makes me think that I’m the person They’re saying I will be

AHLAAM, KAL You will be

(Thwap! The sound of teleportation)

SIA Princess Margaret!

KAL Who’s this?

SIA Forgive me, your highness, Travelers. I’m Sia, from the Second.

AHLAAM (realizing) She’s Child of the Gates.

KAL I didn’t know we were getting one of those.

SIA Princess, we must get back to-

MARGARET Margaret.

SIA Yes, Princess Margaret. Please, it’s my first day-

MARGARET No, no, no, just call me Margaret.

SIA I’m not sure that’s proper, Princess Margaret.

KAL Oh, boy.

AHLAAM So formal.

MARGARET A model Traveler.

KAL The Traveler.

MARGARET She’s right, though. We should let my brother off the hook.

AHLAAM / KAL (overlapping) If we must. / Yeah, I’m getting hungry, anyways.

MARGARET Okay, Traveler. We’re going!

(thwap! teleportation)

DAKKAR (giving a speech) -for millennia, our islands have been-

DAKKAR, ITZAL, CHAZIRA Margaret!

MARGARET Thanks for holding the fort.

ITZAL You’re getting too old for this type of behavior.

CHAZIRA So are you, my king.

ITZAL Well, she’s lucky it’s her birthday!

CHAZIRA (laughs) I love you, Margaret.

MARGARET I love you, too, mother.

CHAZIRA Now get up there.

MARGARET Hear the bells

CHORUS There she is

MARGARET Signal the hour

CHORUS Princess Margaret

MARGARET, CHORUS Sing with the chimes of Starhold

MARGARET You’ve given me

CHORUS We’ve given

MARGARET Your radiance

CHORUS Our radiance

MARGARET Lighting up our Blazing World

MARGARET, CHORUS The history of our people Our place in the heavens

MARGARET If something so mysterious can be solved I’ll answer the call So ring the bells

CHORUS Hear the bells

NARRATOR The chimes of Starhold

CHORUS Hear the bells

MARGARET, CHORUS Hear the bells

NARRATOR There were spectacles and speeches In the realm’s farthest reaches All in the name of Princess Margaret There were parties and feasts And dancing in the streets But the best part happened after sunset

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: At the Top of the World

KAL (calling out over a crowd) Traveler party!

CHORUS (cheers)

At the top of the world The stars are our candelabra

SIA The observatory was not on the schedule, your highness.

DAKKAR But this is the most exclusive event in town!

SIA (exasperated) Prince Dakkar, you too?

CHORUS Magic’s in the air And the city sounds like an opera

MARGARET (smiling) It’s okay, we do this every year.

AHLAAM And you’re one of us now!

DAKKAR My sister is a Traveler She’s traveled ‘round the sun Fifty’s the new forty

MARGARET Thanks, Dakkar-

DAKKAR I wasn’t done She lives her life with grace But still knows how to have fun I wonder what will happen In year fifty-one

CHORUS At the top of the world The stars are our candelabra Magic’s in the air And the city sounds like an opera So fill your glass up tall Bounce from wall to wall It’s almost time for the fireworks

KAL I made drinks!

MARGARET You have the power to create matter out of thin air, and you use it to be a bartender.

KAL Hey, I gotta do the fun stuff before I cross my transformation threshold. Taavi, tell ‘em.

TAAVI He made this elixir especially for your birthday. It’ll make you feel euphoric.

KAL Actual euphoria. Bliss! Exhilaration!

AHLAAM Hi, Taavi.

TAAVI Ahlaam. Would you care for a-

AHLAAM Yes, I’d love to go for a walk.

TAAVI (quickly) Okay.

DAKKAR (sighs) Young love.

KAL My own lab assistant!

MARGARET Looks like you could use a drink, Kalfu.

KAL Shut up. (glasses clink) Whatever.

Sia, Child of the Gates I make a toast to you

MARGARET Be nice-

KAL This might seem quite different From the lifestyle that you knew But on my word, tomorrow When there’s work to do

You’ll learn to love us!

So welcome to our crew

Hey… this drink is really working. I’m a genius. Drinks for everyone!

CROWD (cheers)

NARRATOR And just as they raised their drinks up high Fireworks began to paint the sky

(distant fireworks explode)

CHORUS At the top of the world The stars are our chandelier

MARGARET Colors fill the air And there’s no place that I’d rather be than here My mother was right Hold your friends tight They are the best kind of magic

SIA It’s beautiful, Princess Margaret, but I should return you and the Prince to Starhold. I know you’re the Great Enchantress, but-

DAKKAR, KAL She’s not the Great Enchantress yet.

NARRATOR, CHORUS To cross a threshold Is to master a magic way It can take a lifetime to cross just one

CHORUS To cross one

NARRATOR, CHORUS Margaret’s crossed four But needs the final three Twenty-one years remain to get it done

CHORUS To get it done

NARRATOR The weight of every eye upon her The pressure was immense Sia saw why Margaret cherished these moments With her friends

MARGARET I’m still working towards my perception, healing, and illusion thresholds. But don’t worry, Traveler. I will work to earn your belief. To me, belief is priceless.

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: Child of the Gates

SIA Far enough from the city That you can’t even see the glow At the base of the great mountains By a river of melted snow There aren’t any tall buildings Change often comes slow To the clan that I belong to In the firestone hills

At this wellspring of mysteries Lives one of the oldest clans To the Second magic way We have come to understand The power of perception Is one I can command A gift for a humble student Of the firestone hills

SIA, CHORUS There’s magic all around us

SIA That I long to

SIA, CHORUS Learn There’s fire in the Blazing World

SIA Why does it

SIA, CHORUS Burn A Child of the Gates

SIA Would leave no stone

SIA, CHORUS Unturned

SIA Movement and transformation My strength grew with time Then the Gates gave me a bounty Unique in its design Visions filled with majesty Ripe with messages and signs They shook me to my core In the firestone hills

SIA, CHORUS The seven clans were told

SIA And they all

SIA, CHORUS Agreed

SIA The elemental magic of the Second Gate

SIA, CHORUS Ran through me A Child of the Gates

SIA Who saw what nobody else

SIA, CHORUS Could see

SIA I believe my vision told me to be a Traveler To use my powers in service Of the future Great Enchantress What we seek is timeless All of us are children The universe is teaching Together, we will listen

MARGARET Yes, we will.

SIA You aren’t the way I imagined you would be I thought you’d be more-

MARGARET Serious?

SIA Lonely

MARGARET Because of the prophecy

SIA You must cross your thresholds naturally The rarest of sensations One so few have known An exploration towards What’s embedded within It has to be taken alone

MARGARET I don’t train with the others. Much of my time is spent studying in solitude. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have friends. And how lucky I am that a new one arrives on my birthday.

SIA Thank you… Margaret.

MARGARET See, I knew you could do it. (laughs)

SIA Yeah, yeah, yeah. I suppose we can stay a little while longer.

(the group cheers)

KAL / DAKKAR (overlapping) Way to go, Sia! The Traveler! / I had a good feeling about her the second I saw her.

NARRATOR Chazira watched the fireworks from Starhold From the rooftops changing colors with each burst To the harbor and the ocean, a mirror to the heavens It seemed the World was totally immersed

Itzal couldn’t help but smile As Chazira glowed Not from fireworks or radiance It was her heart that showed

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: Nightfall

ITZAL The way you see the world Through the eyes of a dreamer You fill each day with joy Nothing is ordinary If darkness should fall You are my redeemer The moment that you promised To be the woman that I married Chazira You turned this man to gold

CHAZIRA Even after all our years together I never tire of learning The splendid architecture Of your mind

ITZAL Always thinking of you and

CHAZIRA, ITZAL Your hunger for wisdom

CHAZIRA A strong and steady burning

ITZAL Burning for you

CHAZIRA I’d warm my bones beside you

CHAZIRA, ITZAL For the rest of time

ITZAL If the stars fade

CHAZIRA Call my name

ITZAL Call my name

CHAZIRA, ITZAL In that endless night We can make our own light

ITZAL It know it’s Margaret’s birthday But I made you a gift Something unique, something small I built it in secret For the one who gave me The greatest gift of all

NARRATOR A box fashioned with iron With golden bands A firestone rested at its center

CHAZIRA You’ve harnessed the essence of firestone.

ITZAL Using a synthesis of science and magic!

CHAZIRA Your life’s work.

ITZAL Impossible without your belief. This simple machine amplifies my perception and illusion. So…

How would you like to relive The moment we first met Not simply pretense As real as it can get The autumn wind in your hair As if you were actually there

CHAZIRA A beautiful notion Of loving devotion But this blurs a line that is carved in stone Traveling backwards In body or mind Has consequences that are well known

ITZAL Tests have been extensive We are in the clear I’ve used this many times Your Itzal is still here

CHAZIRA Just one glance At where it all began

CHAZIRA, ITZAL The dawn of forever In our hands

NARRATOR Itzal used his powers combined The firestone began to shine Warming the entire room

CHAZIRA (excited) It’s just as it was!

ITZAL Incredible!

NARRATOR Starhold faded away They saw Paradise, a hundred years ago Every detail in full bloom

CHAZIRA, ITZAL If all the stars fade Call my name In that endless night

(Crack! Something fractures…)

NARRATOR The firestone cracked The illusion distorted

CHAZIRA What’s going on?

ITZAL The firestone is resonating…?

NARRATOR The colors of the world All turned to red

CHAZIRA (grunts painfully) Make it stop-

ITZAL This doesn’t make any sense!

NARRATOR A sickening spiral Of nothingness intruded

CHAZIRA My love… I can’t…

ITZAL Hold on! Hold… on…

NARRATOR A tidal wave of blood Rushed to their heads They collapsed in a heap on the floor In moments, the Travelers broke through the door

MARGARET Mother! Father!

DAKKAR What happened?!

KAL Sia, Ahlaam, find everyone who has healing magic and get them in here at once.

SIA (frightened) O-okay, we’ll be right back.

MARGARET They’re not breathing-

DAKKAR Kal-

KAL Got it. (radiance)

NARRATOR Kal and Dakkar The two strongest healers In this world of magic powers Kal helped the king Dakkar helped the queen Seconds seemed like hours Margaret hadn’t mastered healing yet Still, she added all that she possessed

ITZAL (gasps awake, coughs)

MARGARET Father!

KAL Guards, get the king to the hospital. He’s very weak.

ITZAL (weakly) Kalfu… Where is Chazira…

MARGARET Dakkar-

DAKKAR (crying) I’m trying!

MARGARET (crying) I don’t understand…

DAKKAR Mother… Mother, please…

NARRATOR They couldn’t hold back their tears As the nightmare spiraled on They knew that it was over They knew that she was gone

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: Nobody

CHORUS (Blazing World motif) Ooo Ooo

NARRATOR Eighteen-nineteen Four years Like ash from a thousand fires The flames were gone But all around them were reminders

People fell back into routines Itzal watched as the Travelers trained The motions were familiar But nothing was the same

(sounds of battle ring out)

SIA Stay in formation, Kalfu!

KAL Maybe if you didn’t waste so much time on your combined attacks, I wouldn’t have had to improvise!

DAKKAR You didn’t have to improvise. You got impatient.

KAL That’s rich coming from you, Dak!

AHLAAM Look out! (crackling of defense)

NARRATOR On an island near the capital In an illusion of Itzal’s creation On a proving ground There was a battle simulation

These were getting commonplace With skills put to the test Fighting more and more Smiling less and less

SIA Push to the edge

KAL Sharpen the blade

SIA, AHLAAM Hold on, hold on

DAKKAR Even if the ends are frayed

SIA Retreat!

Ahlaam, use your radiance To keep back all the others

AHLAAM Okay.

SIA Dakkar, focus on defense And give us lots of cover

DAKKAR Right.

KAL Hiding’s boring, let’s advance And punch them in the mouth

SIA We’ll need a better plan than that Or this fight is going south

Take cover!

KAL Why is she in charge

AHLAAM Why are you so dense

DAKKAR Can we pick things up These attacks are getting more intense

SIA Before we land a winning blow Our safety must come first Let’s use transformation, Kalfu Just as we rehearsed

We’ll build a solid barrier To keep them at arms-length Then all of us will radiate And end this with our strength

NARRATOR Illusion enemies multiplied Ahlaam worked hard to keep them at bay Radiance landed harder than ever Dakkar’s defense began to sway

(radiance and defense)

AHLAAM Anytime, you two! Dakkar and I are spread thin!

SIA A few moments more!

DAKKAR (struggling) I don’t know how much longer I can hold-

KAL Don’t screw this up!

SIA Focus, Kalfu! It won’t work if you aren’t paying attention!

DAKKAR I’m not gonna make it… I’m… sorry…

(the radiance stops)

NARRATOR Dakkar’s defenses fail Itzal shakes his head The simulation ends

ITZAL All of you are dead

Dakkar.

DAKKAR Father, I-

ITZAL You should be the best of us You certainly have the pedigree So why are you the weakest link Is that all that you will ever be Master of healing and protection That’s solid irony You’re no son of mine

You’re nobody!

DAKKAR (beat, then a sad, incredulous laugh) That’s it. I’ve had enough.

AHLAAM No, wait-

DAKKAR I’m done.

NARRATOR At Starhold, Dakkar held firm As Margaret tried to make him stay

MARGARET How can I change your mind

DAKKAR I can’t take another day

I wanted to be a Traveler To be strong just like you But it’s time for me to wake up There’s nothing I can do

Pushed to the edge Felled by the blade

MARGARET Hold on, hold on

DAKKAR The decision has been made

Our father’s son See it in his eyes Prince Dakkar Ceased to be when I let her die

MARGARET It’s not your fault

DAKKAR I miss her

MARGARET What will you do

DAKKAR I’ll become a Searcher

There’s a ship passing through the Gates tonight. I need to find myself again. What better way to do that than by seeing what’s beyond the vortices, exploring the rest of this planet? I need to do this.

MARGARET I know. I’m so proud of you, brother.

DAKKAR Sister… Think of me when you look out at the ocean.

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: Take My Hand

NARRATOR, CHORUS One month later

NARRATOR Ahlaam visits Kal and Taavi At the Paradise Research Institute

CHORUS The Paradise Research Institute

NARRATOR All the Gatherers gathered Hard at work in its laboratories At the Paradise Research Institute

CHORUS The Paradise Research Institute

NARRATOR Every field of science Was studied and explored You didn’t need extra magic ways To get into the door

Kal had asked to see Ahlaam But she arrived early This was no mistake Now it was only her and Taavi

TAAVI Take my hand

AHLAAM What are you doing

TAAVI An experiment of critical importance Come closer, now

AHLAAM (laughs) You’re such a fool

TAAVI Isn’t that why you married me

Dance with me

AHLAAM Forever, Taavi

TAAVI I’m under your spell

AHLAAM This is no illusion

AHLAAM, TAAVI It’s you and me

Until the sands of time wash away Until the laws of nature disappear Until every road has been traveled I’ll be here

KAL Ugh, simmer down, you two. This lab is full of sensitive equipment.

AHLAAM (laughs) What did you want to see me about, Kal?

TAAVI He’s kept it a secret, even from me.

AHLAAM Ooo, is it another drink from our resident virologist-mixologist?

KAL This could prove even more intoxicating.

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: Surrounded

KAL Transformation To bend molecules to your will Taking matter into your own hands The rarest magic way One I was born with A skill that few ever understand

So when it throws you a line You’d better see where it takes you And after years of struggle I’ve made a breakthrough

AHLAAM You’ve crossed your threshold?

KAL No… shadow powers.

The other side of the magic we know Slightly mysterious Possibly worse for your health

Look!

Watch my hands No parlor trick or magic show The only matter to transform Is myself

AHLAAM How can someone who hasn’t mastered transformation do this?

TAAVI Your arms… they’re…

AHLAAM Fog.

KAL I was in the eye of a storm Surrounded Waiting for my day to come Now I have been transformed Astounded And I have just begun

AHLAAM, TAAVI Shadow powers With no mastery of the magic’s root Could lead to danger Could bring you harm

KAL Why should I wait?

My studies are already bearing fruit Science is full of risk It’s a part of the charm

Taavi, hand me that elixir.

Watch me dissolve this liquid into the fog I can control where it goes

AHLAAM This has never been done

TAAVI Moving together as one

KAL Once this shadow power Leaves the shadows

AHLAAM, TAAVI The implications will be immense

KAL I feel chosen. Maybe thresholds don’t matter as much as we think. This could change everything!

I was in the eye of a storm Surrounded

AHLAAM, TAAVI Surrounded

KAL Waiting for my day to come Now I have been transformed

KAL, AHLAAM, TAAVI Astounded

KAL And I have just begun

AHLAAM, TAAVI You are surrounded

KAL It’s all I see

AHLAAM, TAAVI You are surrounded

KAL It’s changing me

AHLAAM, TAAVI You are surrounded

KAL Surrounded And it’s all that I dreamed it would be

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: Ipomoea, Part 3

NARRATOR Moments after sunset Margaret and Sia walked Through the gardens of Starhold Where Margaret often lingered Sia watched the perimeter Making sure the route was secure As Margaret wandered through the flowers Feeling the petals beneath her fingers

MARGARET One would think after many years Of evening strolls by my side You’d know our path is safe

SIA One must keep a watchful eye Of course, you are capable Of caring for yourself

MARGARET Sia, I wanted you to be here

SIA I wanted to be here as well

MARGARET See these flowers of white My mother’s favorite See them sparkle among us They bloom in the evenings Like stars in the heavens But this time, not above us

SIA, MARGARET It’s as if we’re standing In the center of a galaxy Both of us are giants As we overlook its majesty And for a moment That’s our reality

SIA Ipomoea Reach for the sky Fill your vines with stardust We will watch you fly

SIA, MARGARET Ipomoea Your blossoms have grown In the heart of my memory

Ipomoea

SIA My breath to you

MARGARET My breath to you

SIA, MARGARET The ordinance of brightness to you

SIA They say the power of perception Can leave one blind to what’s in front of them I had foreseen many things This feeling wasn’t one of them

(kiss)

Margaret- your highness- forgive me.

MARGARET Don’t, Sia. I feel the same way.

SIA I- (beat) Someone’s coming.

(teleportation)

MARGARET Ahlaam.

AHLAAM Sorry for barging in, but Kal is doing something dangerous.

SIA What else is new?

AHLAAM I’m serious. He found a way to do shadow transformation.

SIA (comprehending) Metamorphosis? But he hasn’t crossed his threshold yet-

MARGARET Metamorphosis is only a myth. Nobody can transform anything with a heartbeat.

AHLAAM Taavi and I saw him turn into fog with our own eyes. The king needs to be informed. Immediately.

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: Fog and Firestone

NARRATOR Itzal was in a daze Staring off into the distance Trapped inside a thought Holding a glowing piece of firestone He gripped it tightly As the stone faded Itzal slumped back on his throne

KAL Your highness. Are you okay?

ITZAL (snapping out of it) Oh, Kalfu. Yes, I was… someplace else.

KAL You know the dangers of firestone better than anyone. Why would you risk-

ITZAL After what I’ve heard From your fellow Travelers Don’t presume to tell me what is dangerous What you’ve achieved Was thought to be impossible Shadow transformation, metamorphosis

KAL This has been a new development In its earliest stages Say the word, I’ll stop experiments Ripping up the pages

ITZAL You’re lying.

You have known for months Obsessed, working in your lab alone

ITZAL, CHORUS Fog rolls in

ITZAL When the Institute is empty

NARRATOR Kal stood speechless How could he have known

ITZAL Don’t be afraid.

I have found myself Looking back a lot lately

KAL (realizing) Shadow perception. You’re using your magic to look into the past.

ITZAL Shadow powers, solitude, impatience… It seems we have a lot in common.

Fog and firestone

Hm.

Fog and firestone See this firestone We know so little about it It fills our hills But can’t be found anywhere else on Earth Full of ancient magic It’s taken something precious Help me make it do the reverse

There are also things that tempt me You are not alone Our pursuits will not be empty Fog and firestone

Breakthroughs will be thunderous Old scars will be healed When grasping through the shadows Things can often be revealed

I am no longer willing to accept the permanence of events.

KAL I understand.

ITZAL Resume your research, but be discreet. Report anything you find directly to me.

(the sound of the ocean filters in during transition)

NARRATOR, CHORUS Ten years later Eighteen twenty-nine

NARRATOR The Bonaventure sailed with precision A ship of the highest order Her crew, top of the line

NARRATOR, CHORUS Her captain was a man on a mission

NARRATOR He called himself Dakkar no longer Captain Nemo would be stronger

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: Nemo

DAKKAR I’ve stood with moai on Easter Island Braved the dark Sargasso Sea Fought with rebels on the Bay of Bengal Still, it’s not enough for me

Yes, it seems the apple’s Fallen far from its tree If that makes me nobody Then nobody is someone that I’d like to be

CYRUS Permission to come aboard, old friend?

DAKKAR Cyrus! Do you want your ship back yet?

CYRUS Mary Katharine would kill me. She did come up with a name, though. Here, look at this.

(papers shuffle)

DAKKAR The Nautilus? Your wife wants to name the world’s first spaceship after a mollusk?

CYRUS It stays true to our sea-faring roots!

DAKKAR You’ve been spending too much time on land. It’s changed you!

CYRUS (laughs) Says the man with an alias.

DAKKAR We’ve spanned the shores of Honshu

CYRUS Worked with fishermen in Brazil

DAKKAR I drank half my weight at carnival

CYRUS (laughs) I don’t know how we weren’t killed

DAKKAR Finding space to grow

DAKKAR, CYRUS As we sail the vortices

DAKKAR If that makes me nobody Then nobody is someone that I’d like to be

CYRUS (calling out) Forward, helmsman! Forward into tomorrow!

DAKKAR Tides rise and fall Like poetry in motion The water cleans my senses Each moment is an ocean

And I’m moving within the moving element Within the changes, changing Living free when the world around me Keeps rearranging

Voyagers, one and all This Searcher’s standing tall I am mobilis in mobili

CYRUS, CHORUS Mobilis in mobili

DAKKAR And if that makes me nobody

CYRUS, CHORUS Mobilis in mobili

DAKKAR Then nobody

CYRUS, CHORUS Nobody

DAKKAR, CYRUS, CHORUS Is who I’ll be

CYRUS Several of the Nautilus’s systems are theoretical… development would accelerate if we had materials from home.

DAKKAR ‘Home.’ (beat) I haven’t been to the Blazing World since Margaret’s wedding.

CYRUS Your sister wishes to visit, but she’s busier than ever.

DAKKAR (scoffs) With my father’s duties, I’m sure.

CYRUS He’s become more reclusive. The people are worried. I’m worried.

DAKKAR (sighs) So am I.

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: Our Revels Now Are Ended

NARRATOR, CHORUS Back at Starhold

NARRATOR Kal woke Itzal from a catatonic state

NARRATOR, CHORUS Empty bottles littered the room Kal could barely stand it

NARRATOR Each day the king that he knew Became more and more consumed

KAL These elixirs I made you should have lasted three weeks.

ITZAL I needed more to enhance my shadow perception.

KAL More? The sensation of nostalgia from one bottle alone should have hollowed you out completely. Between the elixirs and firestone, you could be doing permanent damage.

ITZAL (looking back) I was at Spectacle Island - at the edge of the World, before I was king. Chazira and I would sit by the water, towards the barrier… and wonder…

KAL That was almost eighty years ago, your highness. You can’t keep making trips of this distance, it’s a miracle your mind hasn’t been-

ITZAL (snaps) Don’t talk to me of miracles! (backing off) I’m sorry, Kalfu. I can’t stop. Not until we find a way to go back.

I can feel myself slipping My perception has faded I can no longer see the future with any clarity In this rough magic Nothing but shapes A ship, and a name

Does the name AJ Griffin mean anything to you?

KAL No… I-I can’t say that it does.

ITZAL (frustrated) More nonsense.

Soon there will be nothing But I must persist With diligence and purpose My perception will fade To nothing but the past But you know I have to do this

The pull has gotten stronger I can’t stay much longer

KAL I have a new hypothesis.

The device you made the queen Where firestone and magic met For years we have examined it closely

Today, it dawned on me-

ITZAL Yes, go on!

KAL The firestone should be housed In a more substantial piece of machinery The answer’s clear May I suggest an orrery

ITZAL Of course…!

KAL It’s already filled with potent magic Its aim is always true The beacon at its center can be modified It already takes us to the Gates So why not back in time

KAL, ITZAL Perhaps its full potential’s Waiting to be utilized

ITZAL Kalfu, you’re a genius

KAL I’ll start work tonight

ITZAL Has anybody seen you

KAL No, I’m out of sight

ITZAL, KAL This is crazy enough to work And I really think it might Our revels now are ended Soon things will be mended

ITZAL From this moment on, you are in charge of the Paradise Research Institute. Do whatever it takes to get results.

KAL I won’t let you down.

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: The Chimes of Starhold, Part 2

NARRATOR Hear the bells Signal the hour Those are the chimes of Starhold Calling out From the highest tower Of the Imperial Palace In the Blazing World

CHORUS The Blazing World

NARRATOR Once again, it was Margaret’s birthday No merriment or joy like there used to be This day was no longer simply for the princess It was also a solemn anniversary

CHORUS Hear the bells Margaret approaches She waves from the royal balcony

NARRATOR No Dakkar No Itzal, either Today, she spoke for the royal family

MARGARET Good people of the Blazing World Thank for you joining me at Starhold You are the magic that illuminates This day of remembrance

Good people of Paradise Tonight there will be fireworks But for now, we raise our hands And radiate with deference

This light from within

CHORUS Light from within

MARGARET For our radiant Queen Chazira

CHORUS Her memory, far reaching

MARGARET, CHORUS Let us live each day by her teaching

NARRATOR At the observatory that evening Margaret watched the fireworks with a sad smile She thought about the last time Her friends were all together It had been a while

SIA You were amazing, my love

TAAVI Paradise loved your speech

AHLAAM You let your mother’s spirit guide you

MARGARET Father should have been there We barely speak

SIA, AHLAAM, TAAVI All of us stand beside you

MARGARET I’m losing him I’ve lost so much already How can I be the Great Enchantress When I can’t even help my family

TAAVI Kal apologizes for not being here. He wanted to, but-

AHLAAM He’s being evasive, Taavi. You don’t have to stick up for him.

TAAVI He made these for us.

SIA Drinks. The more things change…

TAAVI They’ll make us feel euphoric, just like they did in the past.

MARGARET (sigh) Oh, Kal. If only he knew how much he means to us. A toast:

To the bridges that we build May the valleys between us Never be so wide That we lose sight of each other

(glasses clink)

TAAVI Mm. Tastes like rum.

SIA We should save the drinks for the boat.

MARGARET The boat? We’re going somewhere?

AHLAAM It’s a surprise.

MARGARET Oh, this isn’t fair, you know I still have seven years to master perception-

TAAVI Hold on!

(teleportation)

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: One of Our Own

DAKKAR We’ve been waiting for your arrival And now you’re here

Welcome back to Lincoln Island!

MARGARET Dakkar!

DAKKAR We’ve got the island to ourselves The six of us and the Bonaventure’s crew

CYRUS Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for the world

MARY KATHARINE And you bet your ass I’d be here, too

MARGARET Mary Katharine! Cyrus!

MARY KATHARINE A hike atop Mount Franklin Then a feast at the corral

CYRUS I see you’ve brought the beverages They must be from Kal

MARY KATHARINE Put aside your duties, princess That’s rule number one We’ve got lots of things to do And all of them are fun

MARY KATHARINE, CYRUS We know today is hard for you Know that you are loved

DAKKAR Especially by your brother

AHLAAM, TAAVI So no titles, no magic for a day

MARGARET Sia, was this you

SIA Well-

MARGARET Thank you, darling

MARY KATHARINE, CYRUS Shall we get this party underway

NARRATOR It was the most fun Margaret had had in years

NARRATOR, CHORUS For a moment, her anxieties disappeared

NARRATOR They swam in Lake Grant with manatees

NARRATOR, CHORUS Climbed a forest’s worth of trees

NARRATOR There were plans for a spaceship, the Nautilus Only her crazy friends could have thought of this Her favorite people in her favorite place She couldn’t take the smile off her face

NARRATOR, CHORUS When the day was winding down

NARRATOR They sat on the beach by a bonfire

NARRATOR, CHORUS Margaret and Dakkar talked As the flames swept higher

MARGARET Do I get a birthday request

DAKKAR I can guess what you’re gonna say next

MARGARET I’d like you to visit Even if it’s just for a day Father has shut himself off I know he’s not okay

It could help us all I’d like you to try Maybe seeing you again Would bring him back to life

I know I’m asking a lot But the Blazing World’s your home You’ll always be one of our own

DAKKAR One day.

MARGARET (excited) Really?

DAKKAR One. That’s it. And if father so much as looks at me the wrong way-

MARGARET Oh, thank you! (they embrace)

DAKKAR (sighs) Happy birthday, Margaret.

[pulp-lyrics]

The Traveler's Vow: Drowning Stars

KAL My king, we were right The link from orrery to firestone is set The machinery is stable These two devices After countless failed attempts Will accomplish what till now was only fable Identical in construction Elegant and efficient

ITZAL Let me see!

KAL A leap in understanding

ITZAL Yes, this is everything

KAL, ITZAL Everything

KAL It will take us back in time

ITZAL Chazira 

KAL It will set the Institute ablaze

ITZAL I’ll bring you home How far does it take you back

KAL If my calculations are correct Fourteen days

ITZAL Fourteen days…?

KAL This is one of the largest discoveries in the history of our world! We need to tell Margaret and the others, they’re back from wherever they were-

ITZAL (unraveling) This is useless to me…

KAL B-but… this is only the beginning! We just need more time, with additional testing we can-

ITZAL (fuming) ‘More time’?!

NARRATOR In a fit of despair Itzal grabs a handful of firestone And falls within himself

KAL No, sire! That’s too much!

NARRATOR As the substance burned in agony He tumbled backwards in time Searching for his wife

ITZAL Chazira!!!

NARRATOR He could see her She was waiting With ipomoea flowers in her hands She turned them all to gold

ITZAL If the stars fade-

(Whoosh! It sounds like the universe collapses. Everything distorts into a heavy darkness)

W-what’s happening?

(a horrifying void persists)

Where… What is this place?

CHORUS Backwards, backwards To the beginning To the beginning of everything The darkness of every midnight The endless waters of Everything, everything

Drowning stars At the beautiful beginning Backwards, backwards To primordial chaos Everything, everything Within us

In the final hour Keeping us afloat As one, as one Drowning stars At the beautiful beginning

CHAZIRA (distorted, from Nightfall) Your life’s work.

(Water rushes in reverse. Itzal is back from the darkness)

ITZAL Ah!!!

KAL Sire! You’re back!

ITZAL (in a frenzy) I understand Chazira, I understand

KAL Don’t move. I’ll get help.

ITZAL No!

In our final hour Keeping us afloat I know what must be done

Make as much of the elixir as you can.

KAL Your highness… What happened?

ITZAL A message from the Gates. The world must know!

KAL Must know what?

ITZAL (oddly serene) My child. Would you like to see it for yourself?

KAL (beat) Yes.

NARRATOR Kalfu felt his blood run cold As Itzal spun his illusion A darkness wrapped around his entire being

Taavi hid behind a desk Too scared to move an inch He was drawn in by the sound of someone screaming He’d heard every word He’d seen the entire thing