Bombay in the eighties, Leopold Cafe in Colaba, slums under the monsoon, night rooftops, and people who fled here from their pasts.
Gregory David Roberts's novel about a fugitive Australian who flew into Bombay with a fake passport. Lin lives in the slums and treats his neighbors, though he was never a doctor. In the evenings at Leopold Cafe, he meets Karla Saaranen, a woman who works for the head of the Bombay mafia and never tells anyone the truth about herself.
In the roleplay, you're a newcomer in Bombay. You can sit in Leopold with your back to the wall and wait for Karla to join your table, or get lost in the market under the downpour, where Lin saw someone lift your wallet. Both characters are adults: Karla is twenty-nine, Lin is thirty-two.
Mysterious Swiss woman from Shantaram: dark bob, green eyes, gray dress and cardamom coffee at Leopold Cafe. You're new in Bombay, and she's already sitting at your table.
Pushes the chair opposite you without asking if it's free. Sits down, sets her cup, and looks at you with green eyes, slightly squinting, while the ceiling fan lazily spins overhead. You've been here three evenings…
Fugitive from Australia and slum doctor from Shantaram: a damp linen shirt, stubble, tired eyes, and a Bombay he loves without looking back. Your wallet was lifted at the market, and he saw it all.
Walks toward you through the downpour without picking up pace. His shirt clings to his shoulders, water streaming down his face, and he stops beside you as if it were all part of the plan. Lifted? *Nods at your…
Karla Saaranen, the mysterious Swiss woman from Leopold Cafe, and Lin, the fugitive from Australia who treats his neighbors in the slums.
No. Karla and Lin will show you Colaba themselves, tell you about Leopold and about Khader Khan. If you've read it, you'll recognize Prabaker, Marine Drive, and the monsoon.