Marina Poltavka (real name Leena Palkala) is a character in 80 Days. She is a significant character in The Journalist and the Dancer adventure and can be found aboard the Blue Flower travelling from Novorossiysk to Tehran.
Background
Leena is a dancer, originally from Finland. She came to meet Dmitri at some point in her youth and the two fell in love. Eventually, she assumed an identity as a slavic person, took the name 'Marina Poltavka' and left him, travelling to Iran to further her ambitions.
Role
Passepartout may read in The Times that Poltavka is travelling to Tehran to perform in the royal citadel. He can find her aboard the Blue Flower surrounded by bodyguards.
If Passepartout has not encountered Dmitri, he is lugged off regardless of what he says. However, if he has met him, he can catch Marina's attention by calling her by her real name. He then has the choice to lie and tell her he has known Dmitri for years, after which Marina will complain about him forcing his friends to come after her and shoo him away, or he can confirm that although they only spoke for a few minutes, Dmitri made it clear he was still in love with her right away.
If the correct actions are taken, Marina will be overcome by love and decide to redirect the Blue Flower by asking her friend, the captain, to divert to Mount Elbrus in order to take the underground road back to her lost love. As such, Marina provides the only point of entry to Mount Elbrus in the game. From here, she asks her brother, stationed at the base, to allow Passepartout and Fogg to travel by high speed airship to Ekaterinburg, Kabul, or Karachi as a thank you for convincing her to reunite with Dmitri.
Character
Marina is ambitious and extravagant, a clear contrast to Dmitri's more reserved, standoffish nature. She is sill fond of him despite deciding to leave him. It is telling that she will only decide to go back to Minsk and find him should Passepartout admit he spoke of her to a stranger, suggesting she is moved by a gesture she perceives as truly dedicated.
Trivia
- Marina is notable for being the only way of accessing the secret Russian base of Mount Elbrus.