Second Citadel - The Fool in the Garden of Death (Part 1)

Art by Milo Mars

**Second Citadel - The Fool in the Garden of Death (Part 1)** is the first Tales of the Second Citadel episode of Season 3, and the third overall episode of the season. It was released on November 19, 2019. It is the first episode to have a corresponding poster by Milo Mars.

## Overview

In a quiet breeze amidst red leaves, Fate deals a new hand.

### Trigger Warnings

* Sudden loud noises
* Pursuit
* Violence and threats of violence
* Death
* Xenophobia/racism
* Violence and death towards animals
* Sexist language

## Episode Summary

Olala is a little girl who lives in a convent called the Garden of Graves, in the Western Wastes. She is loved by all the nuns, but her favorite is Sister Tiilei, whose particular task is the keeping and use of a deck of cards called the Thoughtstream, which resembles a real-life tarot deck. It has four suits of ten cards each, and is considered to imagine, rather than predict, the future, by "reflect[ing] the mind of the universe."

While unable to sleep, Olala sits with Tiilei, who shows her how the Thoughtstream is used. Tiilei draws the Eight of Wastes and the Ax of Wilds, and tells her they respectively represent the convent, and warriors or hunters. At Olala's pleading, she helps Olala do a reading to determine where the cards think Olala belongs, though she insists the child will always have a home at the convent. They are both distressed when Tiilei turns over a card illustrated with bones and a skull, a strong gust of wind blowing the door open as she does. Olala stretches her arms out to shut it. The two discuss her feelings about being the only known shapeshifter, another nun named Sister Bolei's findings that her cells are "half-human and half-monster," and the ominous-looking card on the table. Tiilei comforts her, and lies that the card simply means Olala's place is in the Garden of Graves after all. After sending Olala to bed, Tiilei muses that the bone card is one she has never seen before, and nervously repeats the reading.

The next morning, Olala meets the Abbess for a lesson on caring for sacred Everdead trees. The Abbess lectures her on the convent's work, which includes burying both men and monsters found dead in the Wastes. She stresses the importance of not blinking or turning away while cutting into an Everdead tree to prune it, for if you do, the tree might seize your tool. Tiilei, who has been up all night, asks to speak to the Abbess, who tasks Olala with using a knife to free a hatchet previously trapped by an Everdead. She also warns the child not to go into the forest, where King Tyrantlizard tracks have been seen.

Olala, bored, sprouts a soft furry tail to keep herself company. It makes small warbling sounds in conversation with her as she tries to free the hatchet, but fails to watch her knife carefully enough and loses it to the tree. She resolves to go into the forest anyway, in search of something sharp she can use to free her knife and resume work. She is excited to find a "knife," sticking out of a pile of leaves, but is unable to uproot it. She finds eight more "knives," her tail making noises of alarm, until she realizes they are teeth; she has walked into the open mouth of a King Tyrantlizard. She escapes its jaws in time to see it take its last breath, and discovers its abdomen had been sliced open.

On hearing a scream, Olala returns to the convent, where she discovers the sisters using staffs and "fancy gloves" to intimidate an intruder looking for "the changeling," Olala. The sisters raise skeletal soldiers from the earth to support them in the fight, but he possess magic that either renders him invisible or quick-moving, and evades them. Tiilei finds Olala using the Thoughtstream, and tells her the Abbess ordered them to escape together. They make the attempt, but Tiilei realizes the intruder is closing in on them. She gives Olala the Thoughtstream, and tells her to run east and "find someone to help you." Olala is reluctant to leave, wanting promises that Tiilei and the sisters will survive. Tiilei swears she will live and find her, and that there is hope for the others. Tiilei turns to face the intruder as the episode closes.

## Cast and Crew

### Cast

* Marge Dunn as Olala
* Sophie Kaner as Tiilei
* Allison Choat as the Abbess
* Simon Moody as The Intruder

### Crew

* Kat Buckingham -- Head of Merchandise and Outreach
* Alice Chuang -- Head of Design
* Melissa DeJesus -- Script editing team
* Sophie Kaner -- Co-creator, Head of Episode Development, Director, Sound designer
* Milo Ellersick -- Promotional artist
* Noah Simes -- Production manager
* Grahame Turner -- Script editing team
* Kevin Vibert -- Co-creator, Head of Operations, Lead writer
* Ryan Vibert -- Composer and performer of original music

## Trivia

* This episode describes the suits of the Thoughtstream as reflecting the four regions of the Second Citadel world: The Wastes in the west, The Frosts in the south, The Mirrors in the east, The Wilds in the north. The cards in each suit are named "ax," "two" through "nine," and "the parapet," but the mirrors cards sometimes produce designs that break the pattern.

## References

 Bonus Episodes

 Bonus Episodes