Hunt: Showdown 1896 - When Shadows Dance

About the add-on

In the waning night, when shadows dance in firelight, if the dark is devoid of leering eyes, the Shadow Puppeteer can be convinced to do his show. Out comes a threadbare cloth, and the witty Karagöz and haughty Hacivat are introduced. Although Hayalî's translation from Turkish is not quite perfect, even the most solemn Hunter can be made to laugh or cry at the jostling between Karagöz and Hacivat. Hayalî's life is veiled in tales and riddles—consequences of a mind split in two. Some details are agreed upon. He had once been something of a heroic soldier, apparently known to the Ottoman Sultan himself. Days spent campaigning; nights spent keeping spirits high with his father's shadow plays. Something happened that caused him to flee to America. There, he turned away from bloodshed and tried to make his living by joining travelling shows, despoiled carnivals, and dreaded circuses. This was either not enough, or all too much, and soon he found himself again hunting in the shadows, directing his quarry to its death. If Hayalî's plays run too long, they become something else altogether in the space between light and darkness. Karagöz and Hacivat’s janky movements become fluid, their speech projects as if they had lungs, their bodies take on depth, and the threadbare cloth breathes with life. Only then will Karagöz and Hacivat tell a story unheard of in their homeland. The two friends, now something more, suffer misfortune: Hacivat is confined to a cage, either a dark cell or ornate room of the Kafes. Karagöz hatches a plan. The two stage a bloody fight, and both faces are mauled beyond recognition. Making amends, they bandage their wounds, and one leaves confinement while the other stays. Both depart saying Karagöz’s familiar words: May my transgressions be forgiven.