Secret Series

The Secret Series is the fourth connected series by Paul Shapera taking place inside of the New Albion continuity. It contains the albums Katy Shaw and the Search for the Stolen Secret, Nash Harding and the Secret of the Twisted Tower, and Kevin & Abi and the Secret of the Golden Pendant. Unlike previous series set within New Albion, this series does not take place within a time period previously unexplored, but rather happens during the time span of the New Albion Tetralogy. The primary characters are Katy Shaw, Nash Harding, Ryvyr D Goblin, Kevin, and Abi. Each story is narrated by Michael.

## Katy Shaw and the Search for the Stolen Secret

*Main article*

During the New Albion Civil War, Katy Shaw spends her nights partying, abusing skag, and pining over her friend Sheila. At The Balley, Sheila is kidnapped while Katy is on the roof. Although reluctant, Katy decides she must rescue Sheila. Sheila's boss, Cora, agrees to provide Katy with the information she needs if Katie agrees to perform a heist for her. Because the job is complex, Katie asks her friend Constance for assistance. The two girls pull off the heist, but when Constance wants to talk about their past, Katie runs off.

Katy returns to Cora, who points her to Mark. Mark reveals that he and an accomplice, Ramon, performed a heist, stealing government plans for a super soldier. However, when celebrating, the two celebrated TanSan, which resulted in Ramon travelling back to the past with the plans by accident. When the police arrive, they find that the plans are now in the past. As such, they have begun to kidnap people who will not be missed, and force them to take TanSan in the hopes that they will end up in the past where they can recover the plans.

Katy goes to the warehouse where the government is working from, and tracks down Sheila. She also confesses her feelings to Sheila, who seems to return them, but regretfully informs her that she is a government agent, and has already given the government Katy's name, as Sheila has seen Katy use TanSan to travel to the past before.

The government agents find Katy, force her to take the drug, and she indeed ends up in the past. She recovers the folder, but rather than wait at the site where the warehouse will one day be, she walks off into the distance, which will leave her far from the warehouse and previous life when she returns to the present.

Near the album's end, Michael discusses how deeply he cares for each character in the stories he tells.

## Nash Harding and the Secret of the Twisted Tower

*Main article*

During the Hippiepunk Era, Nash Harding is a young man who lives on the streets of New Albion, completely unable to remember his past, but with the odd ability to paint into alternate worlds. Although New Albion is largely at peace under the Voodoopunks and Arcadia Corp, they had previously had Nash locked up for reasons he does not know. Nash was rescued by a group of punk kids, and lives life day by day as he avoids Arcadia Corp agents.

One day at The Balley, he is approached by Mary, who has found a group of beings from other worlds, and wishes to use Nash's power to send them home. Nash agrees, but after sending them home, he finds one more who says she cannot go home yet.

Ryvyr D Goblin introduces herself, and says that she is looking for her love, Hiisii, and will not return home without her. She convinces Nash to help her, but the scene is quickly invaded by Arcadia Corp agents, including Amber, a young agent who turned to the Voodoopunks after her parents sent her to an asylum for her interest in the occult. Nash and Ryvyr evade her, and Ryvyr tells Nash her full story.

Ryvyr comes from a goblin world, where her love was meant to perform a ritual that could only happen if she were a virgin. Intoxicated, the two had sex, and went on a quest with the shaman's daughter Venla, to find a flower which could restore virginity. Venla betrayed the others, though, and allowed the Worm King to kill them. As Ryvyr swore a blood oath against Venla, all three were pulled into the world of New Albion.

As the duo head to Arcadia Corp to save Hiisii, Amber appears again, and reveals Nash's history: he comes from an 8-bit world, where he is meant to die so that his love can avenge him by killing his evil mother. Nash rejects this fate, and says he wishes to send Ryvyr and her love home and continue living in New Albion. The two make it to Arcadia Corp, and find Venla, who Ryvyr quickly kills, before acknowledging that Hiisii is likely dead. Amber appears and chastises Ryvyr for killing her. As Nash tries to send Ryvyr home, he finds that her world has been destroyed, as Venla had a narrative role to play that she no longer can. Amber finally convinces Nash to go home, in spite of the dark fate which awaits him.

Michael once again laments the tragedy of the stories, and resigns himself to telling only one more.

## Kevin & Abi and the Secret of the Golden Pendant

*Main article*

Kevin and Abi are a mystery solving duo, and one day overhear a ruckus. They run into Ryvyr, who still lives in New Albion, and investigate the murder. They find a dead body at The Balley, and investigate three suspects, Sorandra, Temna, and Elliot. They also find that Sorandra is in possession of a goblin relic, The Pendant of Kultainen, which Ryvyr wants back, as its abilities to make gold tea leaves were significant to her people. Mid-investigation, the lights are thrown back on suddenly, and the three suspects escape. Abi notices that a time door has been created, which the pendant is calling through, and the trio go inside and find themselves back in time.

Now in the Atompunk era of New Albion, only a week before the Voodoopunks trip to Elysium, the group find another murder, this time of two Voodoopunks, and the suspects are the parents of the three previous suspects, Sogandra, Terna, and Ernie. Once again, things are thrown into disarray, and the three jump into another time door, finding themselves outside of New Albion during the Civil War.

Another two Voodoopunks have been murdered, and Kevin investigates the three suspects, once again the parents of the previous suspects, Solandra, Telna, and Elias. He deduces that Solandra and Telna wanted the passing Voodoopunks pendant, the same pendant formerly belonging to the goblins. As such, they poisoned the Voodoopunks, killing them. However, as only one of them could keep the pendant, it set off a chain of reactions which resulted in the two's families trying to poison each other, resulting in the other murders which had previously been shown. However, that does not explain the two murdered Voodoopunks during the Atompunk era, which leads Kevin to suspect Elias.

Elias reveals he is in fact Connor, albeit one from an alternate timeline. In his timeline, his son Lee had left for an alternate world and died. Connor found alternate Lee's in other worlds, but if he prevented them from travelling to an alternate world, Cthulu would destroy the timeline. As such, he found that he must travel to timelines where Voodoopunks specifically go to Elysium. In those worlds, in order to prevent New Albion's destruction, Connor must murder specific people at specific times in order to prevent New Albion's destruction, inadvertently causing the events of many major events in the New Albion timeline.

With his job done, Connor prepares to go kidnap Lee and live happily with him. Abi, however, transforms him into a frog. Kevin, Abi, and River prepare to return to their present, where they will retrieve the pendant from Sorandra.

Michael finishes the story, and prepares to die. However, Han-Mi appears, and tells him that Raven and Lloyd Allen would like to speak with him. He initially doubts that the two are well and alive, respectively, but even after he is convinced of the fact, he still wishes to be left alone. After Han-Mi mentions that Jill is alive, and they plan on saving her, Michael breaks down in tears, before agreeing to help with the rescue.

## Characters and Credits

* Candice Price as Katy Shaw
* Kerttu Aarnipuu as Sheila, Ryvyr D Goblin, and The Pendant
* Hayley Warner as Cora, Amber, and The Warner Women
* Lauren Osborn as Constance O'Brien and The Osborn Women
* Paul Shapera as Michael, Mark, Nash Harding, and Lee Morgan
* Marjolein Nijsten as The Police Officer and Ryvyr's Little Goblin Friend
* Jessica Singer as Mary
* Jessica Law as The Queen
* Oliver Marsh as Kevin and The Marsh Men
* Kiera-Marie Somers as Abi
* Psyche Chimere as Han-Mi