I figured it would be helpful to have everything in one place. Please let me know if I missed anything so I can go back and add it.

We haven't gotten much about Pantalone aside from the artifact lore in 7.0, but I think there's evidence to suggest that he's been making moves behind the scenes.

Let's start with the possibility that Pantalone is the president of the Rokot…

Potential Leader of the Rokot

We get some key details about the supposed leader of the Rokot from Alyosha's Character Story 4:

To those who cared for him, Alyosha was a upright, brave, and warm-hearted youth who needed nothing more than an opportunity to live the peaceful life everyone dreamed of.

And that very "opportunity" soon came knocking, thanks to the eagerness of his people.

It arrived in the form of a mysterious figure flanked by bodyguards, his towering, unapproachable aura visible in every line of his dress and demeanor.

Yet, it was only after the stranger dismissed his retinue to face Alyosha alone that his condescending pride laid itself bare, leaving Alyosha certain of one thing: This man possessed not only a formidable status, but most likely an equally crushing weight of trouble.

These details can all fit rather neatly onto Pantalone, and we already know that he's willing to go around incognito when necessary thanks to the 6.6 AQ. The bodyguards also make sense as a precautionary measure even while incognito; Pantalone has been the target of assassination attempts for years, so it makes sense he'd still be cautious even if undercover.

Towering and unapproachable aura, condescending pride, high status with trouble to match. It all fits Pantalone. The guy seemed so done with everything while speaking at the Veche during the 7.0 AQ. I also doubt that "towering" would be used anywhere near Pulcinella as a descriptor, so that rules him out as Rokot's leader lol. Also that he's referred to as a "man", rather than a fae.

Another interesting trait to note, is that this mystery man is familiar with underworld/gang lingo:

"A novice chooses utterly harmless targets, like rabbits and wild birds. An ordinary hunter sets his sights on fierce beasts. But a 'passable' hunter goes so far as to tame the beasts, forcing them to do his bidding. Am I correct, boy?"

"Tugarin is not a beast," Alyosha muttered under his breath, reacting instinctively to protect his companion.

"I'm not speaking of the dog," the man replied. "I mean the 'beasts' with 'fangs' and 'claws' — the bandits who raided your village and wounded your parents, or the highwaymen from your own hometown who went back on their word."

This knowledge of underworld lingo aligns with the fact that Pantalone was sold to a figure in the underworld, likely a gang leader, when he was a child(from Scarlet Proof):

That woman finally found the chance to rid herself of the disobedient freak, but in doing so, she also gave him the chance to escape that frozen wasteland, a place even wild beasts wanted nothing to do with. From the makeshift life of his "foster father," he learned money could be made to multiply. The nobles in league with the criminal underworld lured him into a trap with the illusion of profit, but at the bottom of that trap lay a path to powers greater than the nobility themselves.

He was framed and sold to Dottore's lab at 20, and he spent enough years living under his "foster father" to learn how the underworld made money off of the wealthy. He would've become very familiar with underworld vocabulary during that time, and it would be entirely expected if he maintained relationships with parts of that underworld element even after joining the Fatui. It wouldn't be surprising at all to find that Pantalone held influence at the High Table even to this day.

So the fact that the mystery man is able to understand and use underworld lingo is another point toward him being Pantalone.

As the first light of dawn broke over the Snezhnograd, Alyosha slipped into the man's temporary chambers. But this time, he brought his hunting rifle.

"Ah, so you've finally come around? You've known all along that living like this is a dead end…"

The man spoke as if he had foreseen this exact moment. The room was barren, except for the solitary figure at the table, where a modest breakfast for two sat waiting.

And if the mystery man is indeed Pantalone, one has to wonder how much of his younger self he sees in Alyosha.

The next potential clue about the Rokot's leader is from the letter sent to all members in the closing scenes of Mistilteinn:

Alyosha: Dear esteemed members of the Rokot: Given the effects of Lelek's radical actions upon our organization's reputation and social stability, a decision has been made to permanently withdraw this codename from use.

Alyosha: Considering that Lelek did what they did for the benefit of the people, the Rokot has nevertheless negotiated with the authorities, ultimately securing a waiver for all penalties due to them.

Alyosha: Lelek will be suspended for a period of time. Depending on their future performance, they may be allowed to adopt a new codename and continue acting as part of the Rokot.

Alyosha: The purpose of this notice is to remind everyone once again that motives and methods are equally important when one operates in the shadows.

Alyosha: Even with Project Stuzha's suspension and our interim operational victory, we must guard against complacency and rashness and work to consolidate the progress we have made so far.

Alyosha: "We act only for the greater glory and solidarity of our nation. May the aurora shine ever on and the tundra always stand firm."

The closing line is a variation of Pulcinella's closer at the Veche, hinting that the president of the Rokot could be someone who attended the debate or a major participant.

This line also really catches my eye: "The purpose of this notice is to remind everyone once again that motives and methods are equally important when one operates in the shadows." Given that Pantalone was operating in the shadows during the 6.6 AQ and would have a long history of doing so if he maintained his underworld connections, it looks like another clue pointing toward him.

A Hand in the Underworld

We get a close look at the politics of Snezhnaya's gangs in the Mean Streets of the Despicable World Quest, with focus on the new leader of the Izmaylov gang and assisting the Luchkin gang in uncovering the truth and enacting justice within the underworld.

As noted earlier, Pantalone lived in the Snezhnayan underworld for years, and likely would've maintained what key relationships he could within it even after he joined the Fatui.

(Transition to train)

Paimon: Wow… You actually rented one!

Sofya: Of course we did. The Old Sire may be gone, but the friendships and connections he built are still with us.

Zmei: As for how long they'll last without him… that's another question. But that's a worry for another day.

Izmaylov was a founder of the High Table, which is a federation of fae gangs, and was known to have adopted both fae and human children throughout his lifetime. We can confirm that he wasn't Feofan's "foster father" given that his adopted children all have his first name–Nikolay–as part of their full name, but he was likely involved in the underworld before the High Table was founded and would've been known to Feofan at the time.

In fact, remember when Feofan was shot through the arm and refused to tell Zandik how that happened?

MEDICAL RECORD
Sex: Male
Age: 26
Complaint: Through-and-through gunshot wound to the left upper arm.
Description of Complaint: In addition to a through-and-through gunshot wound to the left upper arm, the patient presents with multiple superficial injuries sustained in a physical altercation.
History: No known allergies. No history of past surgeries.
Treatment: Debridement and suturing. Administration of Oral Capsule Formulation III and Topical Ointment Formulation V. Follow-up in 3 days.
Postoperative Notes: Vital signs are stable. Patient is non-compliant regarding the cause of injury. Isn't being a bank clerk supposed to be a safe job?
Investigator: Zandik

This was only six years after he'd been forced out of the underworld due to nobles plotting against him, but it's possible that he maintained strong enough alliances with some in the underworld that he answered the call when Izmaylov made a move against the Burner of Cities Vila raiders. Another possibility is that Alvis played a part in framing Feofan, and Feofan wanted to get revenge by helping Alvis's political rival, Izmaylov. Then after the dust settled, Feofan refused to tell Zandik how the injury happened because of the underworld involvement, and because he didn't want it known among the Fatui for the safety of himself and his career.

And if Feofan was indeed a member of the "heroes of Luchkins", then he also would've been a founding member of the High Table:

The young Domovoy, far his junior in years, forged weapons for the heroes of Luchkins.
Together, they crushed the Burner of Cities' scheme before it could ever take shape.
Beneath torches that burned with the brilliance of bearfire, the leader of the heroes and the rebel were consumed by the same flames.
The modest renown they had earned among the people was gathered into the young President's hands.
There, within the narrow alleyways, he and the surviving heroes swore an oath.
Thus was the High Table established. Amid soot and rust, all would henceforth live by the Law.

The idea of Feofan being both a Harbinger and a prominent member of the underworld's High Table would be a similar type of "dual loyalty" to his being Harbinger and leader of the Rokot, and to his being loyal to the Tsaritsa while also assisting 35 during 6.6. It would also give him immense influence throughout Snezhnaya, which would contribute to his success as a Harbinger.

As for how he used his influence at the High Table… it is possible that he called upon the gangs to do debt collection for the Northland Bank at times.

Vasiliy: You have no idea how many innocent people the lads and I have roughed up for those high-falutin' gents above while collecting debts… How much dirty work we've done for them.

But on the other hand, we see from a conversation in front of Northland Bank's Snezhnaya branch that they don't hand out loans to people who can't repay them. It's just as likely that this debt collection was being carried out on behalf of various nobles who were giving out loans to people who couldn't get them from the Northland Bank. And given that Zmei and Iryna were apparently unaware of those debt collection activities despite being enforcers of the High Table's rules, Pantalone may not have known about this either.

Short Fae: …So what? We found this place first. There's gotta be a finder's fee for that, at least! Old Sire—

Hulking Fae: Old Sire is dead — or were you hoping Zmei would pick up where he left off, huh? Didn't think so. Now beat it!

Short Fae: What about Lady Voronina? You sayin' you're not scared of her either?

Hulking Fae: You…

Short Fae: Look, the only reason any of us are able to get by in this ashheap they call Snezhnaya is because of Old Sire. He put the rules in place for a reason, and no one gets to break them.

Short Fae: Times have been tough for everyone, I get that. But if you break the rules… You can bet your life that Lady Voronina will be hearing about it!

It makes sense for Feofan to have closer alliances to the Luchkins simply because they're the ones keeping order at the High Table. And I do suspect that he's the connection Zmei called upon to rent that train. He was probably happy to do it since Vasiliy's actions had thrown the underworld and the Energy Commission into chaos.

Dang… no wonder Pantalone seemed tired at the Veche. Not only did he have the headache of Project Stuzha on top of his normal duties, he also had to deal with Vasiliy causing problems among the fae gangs and messing with the Energy Commission's legers. "Equally crushing weight of trouble" indeed.

And now that I think about it, the assassination attempts Pantalone has experienced may have been due to his dealings in the underworld too. Some of them, at least.

MEDICAL RECORD
Sex: Male
Age: 359
Complaint: Poisoning.
Description of Complaint: Patient presents with liver failure (suspected poisoning within the past 12 hours). Has regained consciousness twice following admission.
History: History of allergy and past surgery. Longtime smoker at approximately 8 sticks/day.
Treatment: Emergency resuscitation, then liver transplant.
Postoperative Notes: Patient is slowly stabilizing.
Investigator: 25
Note: Patient requested a replication of the poison in question. Due to current project commitments, the request has been transferred to 35.

Like this attempt. It's easy to imagine someone slipping poison into Feofan's food or drink while he's at a High Table meeting, all without realizing it's one of the Tsaritsa's Harbingers they're moving against.

Meta Connections

I stumbled across something very interesting while looking up Zmei's name. A Zmei#) is a type of dragon from Russian folklore, and one of the most famous Zmei characters? His name's Tugarin, and Tugarin's adversary is named Alyosha. So not only is there a meta connection between Zmei and Alyosha, they're connected via their quests as well: you can't complete Alyosha's meeting point quests without doing Mean Streets of the Despicable and getting the energy core Zmei gives to you afterward.

In fact, the first place we hear about Zmei and Iryna is during the first quest for Alyosha's meeting point, while he was quelling the activities of local fae gangs. And who pointed him toward that duty to begin with?

The leader of the Rokot.

Another interesting thing to note is that Pantalone has dragon motifs on his outfit(the scales and bat wings on his coat), and he has a similar backstory to both Alyosha and Zmei at different points of his life. It makes me wonder if the fact that he has meta connections to two pretty honorable characters might hint that, while still morally grey, he's not the horrid villain most would probably assume him to be. It also makes me wonder if he had his own Iryna and Vasiliy as siblings back when he still lived in the underworld.

I think we're going to see that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to Pantalone.

Closing

I think that's it for what I could find. Have you guys noticed any other crumbs or potential connections I could look into? 👀