SPRING IN HIERON 17: A DESIRE TO LIVE
Transcriber: Cole
Austin: We open on the quiet of the morning mist, shattered by a shout. Though it seems to be a friendly one. A voice echoes across the river banks and calls out to the Boundless Fate, Hella’s small ship, which surges down Lem’s river back towards the university.
Austin (as unnamed woman): Hey! Stop!
Austin: It is the voice of a round, but firm looking woman, and it sports a familiar sort of rural Velasian accent. She has brown skin with darker brown hair and a pair of big, round glasses. And she’s waiting ahead of you at a small dock, waving her arms to get your attention. She about thirty, forty seconds away going the speed you are now. Those of you on the boat, Hella, Fero, Lem, Isaac, what do you do? Isaac is asleep.
Ali: Ok. We can like slow down a little and be like, ‘Hey, what’s up’, right?
Austin: Yeah, sure.
Keith (as Fero): Yeah, how come?
Austin (as unnamed woman): Uh- Just need to talk to you for a second!
Ali (as Hella): Yeah, what’s up?
Jack: How do you slow down a boat?
Austin: You know...
Ali: Well, you-
Keith: Anchor. You drop anchor.
Jack: Anchor, let’s throw the anchor in.
Austin: That’s how you stop a boat, isn’t it?
Jack: Do we turn the sail-?
Keith: But you can drag- you drag the anchor behind you instead of like-
Austin: Hmm.
Ali: Yeah, you like, half-drop it. So, it goes a little slower.
Jack: Fuckin’ boat experts here. [Ali laughs]
Austin: This is not true.I don’t believe any of this is true. Uh, as-
Keith: No, well it depends on how fast you can- I guess, you could raise the sails.
Austin: Yes, that’s what you do.
Keith: Or lower the sails.
Austin: You raise the- you remove- you look- hmm. You-
Janine: Why are all acting like we haven’t played Sea of Thieves?
Austin: It’s been a while. One. [laughs]
Janine: Hmm.
Austin: Two, this is a river.
Keith: You can absolutely slow down a boat by dragging the anchor without placing it all the way down.
Austin: You-
Jack: I think the canonical way you slow down a boat in Sea of Thieves is you crash it. [Ali laughs]
Austin: That’s what I do.
Janine: I think what you should do is you should cast a spell so that everything on your boat is heavier.
Austin: Oh, and then the boat sinks. [Austin and Jack laugh] Um- As-
Ali: Hella puts a foot out and drags it across the road [laughs] and slows down.
Austin: Yeah, good. As the boat slows down, Hella, you actually recognize her. This is Maria Velasinha, who used to be an Ordennan justiciar who Hadrian set right in her ways like a day or two- er I guess a week before the climactic battle of Old Man’s Chin. She used to be like, one of those people who was coming to like, kill quote, unquote the undead. But now, instead of wearing Ordennan armor, she has the symbol of the Golden Lance on her shoulder. And as you get closer and begin to slow down, she’s like, like, clearly- [sighs] I guess the thing- the read you get on her is that her clothes are dirty and she’s been like, walking through the muck of the kind of, newly swampified environs. Like, all of the water that came down from Del crashing into the sea has kind of turned all of this forest land and this jungle into a much deeper, muddier swamp. Um, and she is like- I don’t want to say she’s out of breath necessarily, but like, you can tell she’s fucking fatigued. And she- I think she maybe recognizes you, and she says,
Austin (as Maria Velasinha): Oh! Hella Varal! The Queen Killer!
Ali (as Hella): Yeah, that- that’s my name, but uh, I don’t hold that title anymore. Um, how-
Austin (as Maria Velasinha): Did you unkill the queen? Or?
Ali (as Hella): You know… [laughs] Uh- let’s not get into it right now. H- Wha- What do you need? What’s up?
Austin (as Maria Velasinha): I’m just- I heard there was a university for people here somewhere. I didn’t know if you had directions or if you had any room…
Ali (as Hella): Oh.
Austin (as Maria Velasinha): ...on the ship.
Ali (as Hella): Um-
Ali: I think she like looks at Lem and Fero as kind of like a, like give her like a thumbs up, thumbs down situation. [laughs]
Keith (as Fero): Is there- I mean, like what- This is a- This- She’s from the Golden Lance.
Ali (as Hella): Right.
Keith (as Fero): So, that’s- that’s something, I guess.
Austin: She’s at least wearing a Golden Lance-
Jack: If we refuse to help like-
Austin: Yeah. Uh huh.
Keith: Right, ok. So, right. Good point. So, like- like, does she seem maybe like she’s lying?
Austin: Do you want to roll some dice?
Keith: Yeah, I do.
Ali: Sure.
Keith: That’s what I’m- Yeah.
Jack: As Fero is- is considering this, Lem is just kind of giving a thumbs up in the background. [Austin laughs]
Ali: [laughing] Ok.
Keith: What is- It is Discern- Discern Realities probably? Yeah.
Austin: Discern Realities, yeah, definitely. Give me-
Jack: Also, in terms of the visual of this, we haven’t stopped the boat completely, right?
Austin: No, you’re like-
Jack: It’s just kind of-
Austin: Uh huh.
Jack: This is like boarding the Haunted Mansion.
Austin: Yeah.
Ali: [laughing] Yeah, this is exactly like that.
Jack: Um, where like, the cars are coming by and she’s like, standing there like, ‘Woah, there comes a boat.
Austin: Oh Fero, you rolled a 5.
Keith: Yeah, so I don’t- Yeah.
Austin: She is- she is telling 100% the truth and not-
Keith: So she’s-
Austin: There’s nothing- She is- she is super trustworthy and there’s definitely not a bigger ask coming. [laughs]
Ali: Hmmm..
Keith (as Fero): Yeah, come onboard!
Austin: Uh, she says- as you say that, she like, moves up to the dock, and then she says,
Austin (as Maria Velasinha): [shouting] They said ok!
Austin: And over the hill of the riverbank, about 15 people come over the- [laughs] the riverbank.
Keith (as Fero): No, no, no, no, no, no.
Austin: Uh, it is a bunch of-
Keith (as Fero): We can’t fit that many people.
Austin: It is a bunch of very tired looking refugees carrying packs and goods. Um, it is likely people who were driven down this way from the floods from Del’s fall. You recognize one of them as Marisol Sweetwater, the editor and chief of the Rosemerrow Current or was once the Rosemerrow Current.
Ali: Oh hey.
Austin: One of them is a big gnoll who also has big, round glasses, and also has a Golden Lance symbol, and also has like, bat-like membrane wings underneath his arms. And one of them is an orc with a cow on a rope. Um [laughs] And all of them look exhausted and are desperate for a ride.
Keith: Ok.
Austin: And are now on the- crowding this dock, watching your boat slowly drift towards and maybe past them.
Ali: [laughing] Ok, ok.
Jack (as Lem): Woah, ok. Woah. Ok. Anchor down. Anchor down, everybody.
Keith (as Fero): Ok. I have- I have an idea. I know what to do. I mean, are we taking these people? They seem like they need to go.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah. Well, the boat is stopped.
Jack (as Lem): These- these people are coming, right?
Keith (as Fero): They’re coming.
Jack (as Lem): Yeah.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah.
Keith (as Fero): Right.
Keith: So, I guess this is a- This is at the very start, I may- I might have a new move.
Austin: Oh.
Keith: Uh, Austin, do you- we talked a little bit about this. Do you remember what the move is?
Austin: [laughs] Not even a little. It’s been a minute. [Jack and Ali laugh]
Keith: It’s- Well, I asked you how do you think...
Austin: Oh, wait.
Keith: ...the move, Chimera might work with Origin of the Species and Breath of the Wild.
Austin: Yes.
Keith: And you said, ‘I don’t know.’ [laughs]
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: And then I said, ‘I’m gonna pick it tentatively, and we can talk about it later.‘
Austin: Yes, so that move says, when you shapeshift, you may a create a merged form of up to 3 different shapes. You may a bear with the wings of an eagle and the head of a ram, for example. Each feature will grant you a different move to make. Your chimera form otherwise follows the rules a shapeshifter is otherwise. I think I’ll let you use that to make a new s- to make a new um, thing. Uh, but not as a permanent spe- Here’s what I’m gonna do. You can use it to- as a shapeshifter to combine any form of 3 things you already know how to do.
Keith: Uh huh.
Austin: And that doesn’t become one of your Origin of the Species things. You’re not rolling to introduce it into the world, but you’ll get a plus 1 forward whenever you do try to Origin of the Species it for each time that you successfully turn into it, as an individual form. Do you know what I mean?
Keith: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Austin: So, it’s almost a way for you to practice becoming a thing before committing to wanting to do Origin of the Species.
Keith: Ok, cool. Got it.
Austin: Are you turning into a boat? What are you doing? [Ali and Austin laugh]
Keith: I’m- So, my idea was to turn into like- try to make the biggest animal I can make and become a sec- cause like, 15 more people cannot fit on this boat.
Austin: I love that we started Fero’s life as ‘I won’t- I won’t ever get into a boat’, and now you’re gonna tell me you’re gonna become a boat.
Keith: No, no. I’m gonna- I’m gonna like- Ok. Um, hmm. What’s the word-
Ali: You’re turning into the big horse? The big horse from Zelda?
Keith: Can I- Can I use the word slither?
Jack: Uh, yeah. Yeah, no. Yeah. Absolutely.
Keith: Ok.
Jack: I’m fine with people describing a snake, unless it’s a snake IRL.
Keith: Ok.
Jack: Or they’re gonna show me a picture of a snake. And I just want to get out here in case any fans think a funny thing to do would be to send me a picture of a snake on saying that, I will block you so fast that you’ll think it’s Sunday. [Ali laughs]
Austin: Yeah. I will figure out how to make it so you can never hear our show again.
Ali: Uh huh. We’ll do that.
Keith: Um, so-
Art: Is Sunday a day where people get blocked quickly? [Austin laughs]
Jack: Yeah, absolutely. That’s when they go down to hell.
Art: Ok.
Austin: It’s the Lord’s day. Yeah.
Keith: Uh-
Austin: Give me this- give me this roll. Tell me what you’re turning into.
Keith: Ok. Well, that’s the thing. Like, what- I’m trying to think of what’s a- What are three big things that can make- Or like, what’s one really big thing that I can make also be sort of like a snake because snakes are long. A lot of people can fit on a big snake. That’s what I’m thinking of.
Austin: A whale.
Jack: Dog. A dog.
Austin: A dog?
Keith: A whale- A snake-whale-dog. That’s what it is.
Austin: Oh.
Keith: I took- I took one from each of you. [laughs] It’s a snake-whale-dog.
Jack: This is frightening for different reasons than I thought I would expect.
Keith: So, it’s the size of a whale.
Jack: Uh oh.
Keith: It’s has the legs of-
Austin: I hate this.
Keith: It has dog legs extending all the way down a long, snake-like body.
Austin: How many feet does it have?
Keith: I’m gonna say 12.
Jack: So, what we’ve got here is a lizard. [Everyone laughs] A big-
Janine: Yeah, this sounds like a skink, specifically. Some kind of skink.
Jack: Yeah, I think you’ve invented a very large skink. Like you-
Austin: Not-
Keith: Well, but it’s a skink, but it’s got like, the head of like, a humpback whale.
Janine: Skinks already kind of have the head of a humpback whale.
Keith: What?
Austin: Give me the roll.
Art: I think it’s important to note that this- this animal does not dance at ska shows.
Austin: [laughs] It’s a skank.
Ali: Ok.
Keith: I bet it could- with a big enough pit, it totally could. [Ali laughs]
Austin: Give me the roll. [laughs]
Keith: Ok.
Austin: This is a disaster.
Keith: Where the fuck is my-
Austin: It’s shapeshifter, right?
Keith: There it is. Yeah, I just couldn’t find it.
Jack: These refugees are so tired...
Keith: 13.
Austin: 13.
Jack: ...and just met the three worst possible people.
Keith (as Fero): Ok! Everybody hop on! [Ali and Austin laugh]
Keith: And then- and then I just start- I sort of like, fall down- You know, like a trust fall, but forward and there’s nobody there, and while I’m falling, I just start getting longer and longer and longer. [Sylvia makes grossed out sound as Ali laughs] And my arms and legs move to the side and split into 12.
Jack: Boat tips.
Ali: [makes nervous noise] ah...
Keith: No, no. I’m on the ground. I- I have jumped. I’m on the land. This is a land creature. And it is- it is like- it is like 50 feet long. It is- It dwarfs the boat, right? Is the boat- wait. The boat’s what? We said like, 35 feet?
Austin: We can’t do the boat. We’re gonna come back to the boat. We’re gonna figure out the boat after we get- Hmm. The next time we have to deal with a boat size, we’ll deal with the boat size. For now, everyone climb on the back of Fero.
[Jack de Quidt’s “Something” begins playing in the background]
Ali: A few people can actually come onto the boat...
Jack: Yeah.
Ali: ...if they feel like it.
Jack: Let’s get the cow on here. Let’s get the cow on here.
Keith: [making long quiet animal noise]
Ali: [laughing] Let’s get the cow on here.
Austin: [laughing] No, I think it’s very funny if everyone just climbs onto Fero, and no one is on the boat.
Keith: [makes animal noise again] That’s what I sound like now.
Austin: Great.
Art: Can you get a little more hiss in that?
Keith: [makes the same animal noise with some ‘s’ sounds]
[Music plays out to end]
Austin: Welcome to Friends at the Table, an actual play podcast focused on critical world building, smart characterization, and fun interaction between good friends. I am your host, Austin Walker. Joining me today, Andrew Lee Sawn.
Dre: Hey. Uh, I- Twitter, swandre3000. I don’t know what to do with that. [laughs]
Austin: Jack de Quidt.
Jack: Find me on Twitter @notquitereal and buy any of the music featured on the show at notquitereal.bandcamp.com
Austin: Keith Carberry.
Keith: My name is Keith J. Carberry. You can find me on Twitter @keithjcarberry. You can find the Let’s Plays that I do at youtube.com/runbutton. You might not know that we also sometimes do a podcast for that. And we just finally recorded our game of the year podcast. So, that’ll be coming out both on the youtube and the RSS feed soon.
Austin: And if you’re a patreon, you can hear that early, right? A runbutton one, not a-
Keith: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
Austin: Not a Friends at the Table one. We don’t have-
Keith: Contentburger.biz for the RunButton patreon. You get shows early and you get 2 whole exclusive series at the 6 and the 9 dollar levels.
Austin: What are the series?
Keith: Uh, right now we’re finishing up Silent Hill 4. The $3 series goes onto patr- a youtube when we’re done with it.
Austin: Gotcha.
Keith: The $9 one stays exclusive forever, and we’re doing Castlevania Aria of Sorrows.
Austin: It’s good. Ali Acampora.
Ali: Hi. You can find me over on ali_west on Twitter.com. You can also find Friends at the Table over at friends_table.
Austin: Art Martinez-Tebbel.
Art: Hey, you can find me on Twitter @atebbel. You can also listen to One Song Pod @onesongpod on Twitter, where we put some his on the musical history of Kanye West.
Austin: The Muuusical- the muuusical history
Ali: Can I say happy birthday to ‘The College Dropout’ today?
Austin: Happy birthday to ‘College Dropout’. Even I, the person who is not that big of a fan of ‘College Dropout’ would much prefer to have ‘College Dropout’ Kanye West again instead of current Kanye West.
Ali: Uh huh.
Austin: Uh, Janine Hawkins.
Janine: Uh, you can find me @bleatingheart on Twitter.
Austin: And-
Keith: I mean, if we have- Oh, sorry. I thought we were done.
Austin: Nope! [Ali and Sylvia laugh] Sylvia[1] Clare.
Sylvia: Wow, Keith. Wow.
Keith: Sorry. There’s a lot- There’s a lot of folks here.
Sylvia: Yeah. Uh, you can find me on Twitter @captaintrash and listen to my other show emojidrome on like iTunes and stuff.
Austin: Big week! Big week this week.
Sylvia: Big week. We just did another prototype episode…
Austin: Yeah.
Sylvia: ...of all the stuff they announced. Yeah.
Ali: Oooo.
Austin: What’s your favorite of the new ones?
Sylvia: [sighs] That’s tough. I kinda- I think I was negative on it in the episode, but coming away from it, I’m a big fan of the underwear emoji. I think that one’s kind of funny that it exists, you know?
Austin: Like- yeah. It’s- it’s pretty funny. It’s pretty funny that it exists. I’m there with you.
Sylvia: Yeah. Yeah.
Keith: It- Now, if we had ‘College Dropout’ Kanye West back…
Ali: God.
Keith: ...don’t you think that it would just eventually we’d get present day Kanye West again?
Austin: Yeah, but it wouldn’t be for like, another-
Jack: It’d be in the future.
Ali: Yeah.
Austin: Yeah, I don’t care about the future. [Keith laughs]
Ali: We would- we would have another 15 years of ‘Glory’. [laughs]
Austin: Yeah.
Ali: And that’s all I need.
Austin: Well, no ‘Glory’ isn’t until much a later album.
Ali: Oh yeah. That’s true.
Austin: Come on. [laughing]
Ali: Dang.
Austin: Alright. We are continuing our- One, thank you for listening. If you would like to support the show, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash to support the show over on Patreon and get access to all of our exclusive patreon content. Including a bonus campaign called Bluff City, which the new camp- the new uh, I guess arch of that will be going up very shortly. Um, we played a really cool game that kind of sets the- it’s kind of the finale of the first season of Bluff City. So, we’ll have that coming very shortly. I’m very excited for people to hear that.
We have a live at the table, which is our live show where we have already begun doing a special series of games called the Road to Season 6 which is a collection of games taking place between the end of Twilight Mirage and what comes next in the kind of Divine universe. Some really fun stuff there. We just played a game called **Astir Armour: Advent which is a- an in-process or in-development game about giant magical robots. It’s sort of like an Escaflowne-style- It’s like Escaflowne meets Gundam, and that was a blast. You can go listen to that, and those are both available for $5 patrons and above. (**Actually is Astir Armour: Advent)
Art: Love that system. That was an awesome system.
Austin: Wasn’t that a fun system? We didn’t even get to see all the coolest bits. Like, there’s some stuff in there for like- there’s just some cool stuff in there, which we talk about in that- in that recording, so go listen to that. Um, what else was I gonna say? We are playing- we are continuing our game today of Dungeon World by Adam Koebel and Sage LaTorra. And I don’t have my principles in front of me because [typing] I’m bad. To- I have to get this other document open. I don’t even know them.
Janine: It’s because you’re forsaking them from now on, [Ali laughs] and it’s all about hardcore ax murder and…
Austin: That’s it. You got it.
Janine: ...metal music. [laughs] That’s all you care about.
Austin: [laughing] Metal music and hard-core ax murder. Welcome to Friends at the Table. God. Uh, my agenda is portray a fantastic world, to fill the characters’ lives with adventure, and to play to find out what happens. So, we’re picking up pretty much as we left off. I thought about doing a little bit of a time jump here, but I want to make sure that there’s room for players to like, immediately start talking to each other because a lot happened. And- but maybe before we jump into it, after this ridiculous intro, I- I should just say straight up.
Here are the things that happened. Ali- Ali asked earlier today like, ‘Hey, should we- should we get a list of the big things from last arc?’ Or no, it was Dre. Dre was the one who said, ‘Can we go over them?’ So, here are the big ones. Samol is dead. Magic is dying across Hieron starting at the far edges of the map and moving inwards. The moon, Del- or one of the two moons, Del, has fallen and it landed in the sea to the North, which has caused mass flooding in the kind of north-central portion of the continent. The Isles of Flight are now under control of the Quill, which was a freedom-fighting faction of the bird-like Mistral. There have not been like, mass-casualties from that. They- I mean, you can kind of- you could have dug into this a little bit more while y’all were there, but like, Xeralia, who is one of their- the mage who they’re going to be sending down this way, which is another thing that’s gonna happen.
In exchange for letting- She will come down so that she can study the- your books and knowledge and magic in exchange for some medicine. Which is a thing y’all have needed desperately. And she is one who kind of designed this- this- their attack on the moon. And did it in such a way to- and it’s not like there are no casualties and certainly lots of people have had their lives upended, but given it was dropping the moon on a continent, did not do as much damage as you might think. Samot was healed, partially through Hadrian and Hadrian just being a regular doctor, partially through the gift of the Breath of Hieron from Samol, and the sacrifice Samol made, and finally because of the star stuff that the stars from the citadel to the east gave.
Y’all rejected the sort of like, weird alloy that Uklan Tel has developed that was made of a combination of star stuff and the Heat and the Dark. This thing that can kind of be like an amalgam of anything. And you also rejected this like, necrotic- uh, necromantic ash that was a gift from Arrell. Other big stuff? Literally, the tree that was in the forest- er not the forest, to the- now it’s more like a forest- The tree that was in the farm that Emmanuel was working in has sprouted into a gigantic, gigantic tree, as tall as I think the- one of the tallest buildings in the university.
And it- I mean, so big in fact that if you look at the world map of Hieron now, you will see that there were 3- er 2 other big ones within viewing distance of the Last University. [laughs] Um, presumably there may be even more of these giant, new types of trees sprouting across the continent of Hieron. Other big stuff, like I said, Hella negotiated for medicine from the north, so- so Ephrim, you can go ahead and get rid of that medicine lack that the- that the university had which is good.
Sylvia: Ah, thank god.
Austin: Uh huh. Yeah. Very important, especially as refugees begin to pour in. Um, what else? Arrell, you learned, has some sort of conduit here in the university that allows him to teleport people here. Allows him some sort of magical reach. Samol confirmed though that it is not the crystals that contain the lectures of Fantasmo which Benjamin, Hadrian’s son, has been studying. Other big things? Um, bah-bah-bah-bah. Ordenna invaded Marielda. That’s a thing that happened. Uh, you kind of saw the boats-
Art: I thought they were just on the way.
Austin: Yeah, but that- Yes. They were on the way. They have big boats. If you can raise an army and maybe get there ASAP, I’ll let you try to do that.
Art: Are big boats faster than small boats?
Austin: They’re stronger than small boats. How would yo-
Keith: They can have more sails.
Austin: How many boats do you have?
Art: I think zero.
Austin: Well, that’s not true.
Ali: One.
Austin: We know you have one.
Janine: Does Fero count?
Austin: You have two. [Austin and Ali laugh]
Art: Well, that- that boat wasn’t-
Jack: We have a really long dog. We’ve got a super long dog.
Keith: It’s called- I call it Subio 2 [??? - 21:38]
Art: How fast is that compared to a big, small, or medium sized boat?
Austin: Big enough to...
Keith: I’m really fast.
Austin: ...keep- keep pace with Hella’s boat.
Art: Ok.
Ali: Yeah.
Austin: Um-
Keith: Next time I’ll do a cheetah, instead of a- dog.
Austin: Instead of a dog.
Keith: Cheetah.
Austin: You have to study a cheetah first. Um, the- what else? Isaac Adelton is coming home with boat party which that’s…
Ali: Uh huh.
Austin: ...gonna go great. Can’t wait for that to spread. Um, and Ephrim, you’ve begun hearing the sound of Alyosha’s forge in you head. Um, basically in time with the growth of these trees. Any other big things that I’m forgetting about? Cause it’s possible. I don’t think so, but-
Keith: Um, my- my outhouse flooded.
Austin: Your outhouse did flood.
Ali: Oh.
Dre: Aww.
Austin: Um, it’s not ruined like permanently, but like, it did flood.
Keith: Not anyone helped- Anyone help try to- try to fix it while I was gone?
Austin: I mean, like, this happened- I mean, you’ve only been gone- You were- you will be arriv-
Janine: There were gods dying.
Austin: Yeah. You will be arriving a couple of days after.
Keith: Well-
Austin: ...the funeral for-
Keith: Hold on. That’s true. There were gods dying, but there’s a whole fuckin’ bunch of people that live here.
Austin: Yeah. Uh huh.
Keith: Maybe some-
Ali: Well, they live here, and not slightly outside like you do. So-
Austin: No, some of them do. Some of them do live slightly outside.
Keith: Yeah, and people go- you know. People go there and eat food for free mostly.
Janine: Well, at least- at least 2 of those people are orphan children, so- there’s also that.
Keith: Yeah.
Janine: You can pay them. They love money; let me tell you.
Ali: Hmm.
Austin: They do love money. That is true.
Janine: You can pay them, but they will bail your outhouse out tomorrow.
Keith: Wait- where-? Are they living- are they living in the outhouse? Or are they living outside the house?
Janine: No.
Austin: No, they’re living near it. Do you see this hovel?
Keith: Oh, Rix and Rowe’s hovel. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Janine: Yeah.
Austin: That’s where they are. The boathouse also flooded. I’d say a little bit of this- I mean, this farm is basically ruined is the important thing to note here, right? Like, this farm is fucked.
Keith: The above ground farm?
Austin: Yeah, I’m- I bet the underground garden is also flooded, right? LIke there’s no way...
Dre: That makes sense.
Austin: ...that the flooding didn’t impact this underground ground also.
Keith: Do we get a food scarcity?
Austin: I think you do, yeah.
Janine: We weren’t growing any rice or um-?
Austin: You weren’t before. Like- I think that’s kind of the thing, right? Is like, well, now you’ll have to adjust. It turns out climate change addre- uh, you know, changes agricultural needs and potentials. Uh, so yeah. Ephrim, can you- can you add a food scarcity to this? Um, I don’t think it’ll hit you that hard in this particular episode because you have food stores, but you- you are no longer self-sufficient with food production.
Keith: I have a- I have a question.
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: Um, all this new water, right? It didn’t come like- the water- there's a lot more water…
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: ...but there’s not a lot more fish.
Austin: Uh- you- Well like-
Keith: There’s the same amount of fish, right? Cause-
Austin: The thing is- the question for me is like, it’s probably really brackish water right now because it’s this big influx of sea water, right?
Keith: Yeah.
Austin: And I got- I bet- I bet that the entire like, that whole ecosystem is very fucked right now.
Keith: Yeah.
Austin: And I bet it will even out over time. Like, that is part of the Spring is that give it time. Nature will find a way to even itself out and something will- will live here. Something will learn how to live in this- in this water. Maybe…
Keith: Yeah.
Austin: Maybe new, weird plant fish will learn how to live in that water. I bet that’s what will happen.
Keith: Maybe someone can f- populate the-
Austin: Yes. Maybe someone could pop- Yes.
Keith: -can create a new kind of fish that loves this water.
Austin: That loves this water. Totally. Totally possible. For instance. Um, does anyone have moves to make at the top of the game. I know that’s a thing for some folks. Ephrim, I don’t remember if that’s a thing for you, where you actually have to roll. Do you have to roll?
Sylvia: I think I do. Hold on. I just checking. Um, Master of your Domain. Yeah, roll charisma at the start of a session.
Austin: Yes.
Sylvia: And yeah. Ok.
Austin: Let’s do that. Cause maybe this will- this will- you’ll tell me I’m wrong about this surpl- er this- this problem. You- oh.
Sylvia: I doubt it. I got a 5. Um-
Austin: You rolled 2d6, right? 2d6 plus charisma.
Sylvia: Yeah, yeah.
Austin: Plus one, and that’s a 5.
Sylvia: Plus. That’s a 5. Um-
Austin: Oh, that’s not good.
Sylvia: Yeah.
Austin: Ok. Well- [laughs]
Sylvia: There’s no extra… things for a fail, so it’s just you, Austin. You get a- [Ali laughs]
Austin: It’s just- I need to make a move as hard as I want.
Sylvia: Yeah, yeah.
Austin: Cool. So-
Keith: And which one- what was this to find out?
Sylvia: Uh, it’s-
Austin: This is- so- Yeah, go ahead and read it.
Sylvia: It’s called Master of your Domain. It’s a move for the uh, Baron class at the beginning of a session. While your stronghold is secure and you are present to rule it unchallenged, at the start of a session, roll + charisma, and then I can get supplies from that, basically, and security. But I didn’t get any of that. [Jack laughs]
Austin: But yeah, the thing specifically that you would be able to choose from is plus 1 surplus, a unit of any resource your stronghold produces, and your stronghold is free from want or danger from the- for the time being. So, here’s the thing that happens. I think it begins to happen- we’ve already begun to see it happen- um, people in the world believe that the Last University has great surplus and that it’s producing resources, and that it is free from want or danger for the time being.
You are not that, but people are flocking to the Last University from all around. And are coming to see a place that, not only does not yet have a name, but is in fact, partially flooded, [laughs] is unsure what to do about the Ordennans to the south, about Arrell to the northwest, is housing a still-recovering god, which maybe that’s a plus for some people. But fundamentally it does not have it all together. Um, and so, here’s what I’m gonna do is I think that you have- Is there another- is there another word for scarcity that is on your thing? Or like-
Sylvia: Uh, I’ve been just writing need.
Austin: Yeah, so I think- I think need right here, or like, there’s a need for like, [pauses] it’s like a really- or you know what? I think it’s a- I think it’s like a problem which is just over-population. Um, more people are showing up, and they’re showing up from all over. Like, I mean, maybe this is the way that you learn that- that Marielda has already begun to have been invaded by the Ordenna. Marieldans start showing up. People from Marielda begin to show up. Uh, who are looking for home. Looking for a new place to live. And here’s the big one. I think maybe it just happens one day. And I think someone comes in from like, the kitchen, and is like,
Austin (unnamed kitchen staff): Yeah, uh, a hole opened under the pantry, and uh, the people- there are dwarves here.
Austin: Um, a bunch of wharvers have also shown up from the laminae below. From the many laminae below as the- the Spring, specifically with the growth of these new, gigantic trees, um, the areas underneath the surface have been torn in two, and now there are also refugees from below coming upwards. So, there are a lot of people here suddenly. And so I think it’s like, lots of tents are added all around, so you know, not just inside of the- the walls, but like, even out- outside of the actual stone walls, and then even outside of the star- the wall of starstuff, also. It’s kind of just like this big camp of people here now because it’s what the word spread that everything was safe and good here. [laughs]
Keith: Who spread that word? It- That was never true.
Austin: Uh, you know. It was partially- it was truer than it- than some things in other- There are worse places to be than here. But it’s a matter of like, it spread way too far, you know? You know, if Ephrim hadn’t failed that last roll, y’all would be in a much better place than a lot of other places. Sometimes good news travels too fast. And also, there’s the appearance of safety which is a thing to think about, right? Like, ‘oh yes, there’s walls here’. ‘Oh yeah, there’s a- they held a funeral the other day? That means this is society.’ [laughs] ‘If they can be holding funerals, then that means-’ ‘Oh, there’s a guard? Ok, cool.‘ And so, there’s just been this huge uptick in the amount of people here. Also, overpopulation is the wrong word because overpopulation suggests like...
Sylvia: Yeah.
Austin: ...there’s too many deer in the forest, you know? It’s- it’s- but it’s like- um-
Sylvia: Um, crowding maybe?
Janine: It’s like production versus consumption is screwed.
Ali: Hmm.
Austin: Yeah, exactly. Um- we can all think of-
Janine: Or skewed. That’s what I actually meant to say, not screwed. Both.
Austin: Yes.
Keith: It could just be like a general resource scarcity.
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: Just a little bit of everything.
Austin: Yeah, that’s basically what it is. Um, but you know what? Maybe what it is is actually the need is partially- it’s partially just about- No, I think it’s just- I think it’s just general- general resource need is fine. Um, I think- what- we will know what we’re talking about. So, boat party, you’ve arrived back. I’m gonna say it’s been a couple of days since Samol’s funeral. Since Rosana lead Samol’s funeral. What has the mood been like here for people who stayed home last arc? What- what have those 2 days been like for y’all? That is Ephrim, Hadrian...
Sylvia: Yeah, um-
Austin: ...Adaire, and Throndir.
Sylvia: I think like, personally for Ephrim, very busy. Like, there’s still a lot going on. There was a flood recently that needs to be dealt with.
Austin: Yeah.
Sylvia: Um, but I think like, general mood’s kinda like melancholy. We just had a big funeral for a god. Like, people are gonna- it’s 2 days later. People are still probably recovering.
Austin: Yeah. Did people know who it was in that way?
Sylvia: I imagine some do. I don’t think everybody does. But I think it’s kind of just-
Janine: I feel like if everyone did, there’d be a panic.
Sylvia: Yeah.
Austin: [laughs] Yes.
Sylvia: I think it’s more just like-
Janine: The world died? Excuse me.[Austin and Ali laugh]
Sylvia: It’s more just the sense that like, ‘Oh, someone important to these like, to people has passed away, and has- it clearly has ramifications if there’s such a big deal being made about it.’
Austin: Right. Right.
Sylvia: Yeah.
Austin: Um, so if it’s been melancholy, I guess that’s kind of the mood for boat party as y’all re-arrive- you arrive back home here- is like, it’s dour. It’s like, it’s already cramped with people. People, you know, as you arrive with your you know, 15 people on the back of Fero’s weird animal, um you do see other people like, being directed by some guards where they can set up their tents outside. And you know, you see the- that the outhouse is flooded, Fero. You see that the boathouse has been- the boathouse is just adrift basically. Just like, caught between some rocks, but it’s been torn off of its- off of its pier. And the farm is- is like- it’s not flooded, but the farm has been like, the soil is ruined, and there’s a giant tree there now. So, you know. Also, the guards look really tired, Hella. Like, everyone looks like they’re overworked and exhausted and a little scared. Who has like, imminent action? Who’s like, ‘I want to go do this thing’? As always, these downtime games are going to be very you-focused, you know?
Janine: Uh, I want to give Samot his money back. [laughs]
Austin: Ok.
Janine: Just cause I feel like the longer I hold on to it, the more dubious [laughing] the reasoning there is.
Austin: Yeah. [Dre laughs] Um, so I think at this point, Samot’s moved back into his bedroom here. But you don’t go there, you probably find him- I think he’s probably painting on some balcony attached to the central tower. Um, and he’ slike trying- he’s painting the new river. As best he can. Uh- he’s very clearly-
Janine: Sure, where’d he get blue paint?
Austin: Well, so I was gonna say. Like, actually the thing- I think he’s painted it with like, a very muddy- like, ugly green-brown. And at first, you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s ugly.’ And you look up, and it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah. It’s kind of- is a muddy green-brown’ off in the distance to the north, and yeah- It’s still a nice painting. He’s Samot. Samot is a good painter. Um, so yeah. Do you just walk in? Did you just walk out onto that balcony.
Janine: Yeah.
Austin: To give a god his purse back?
Janine: Yeah. [laughing] Should like- yeah, of course.
Austin: Shout outs to Adaire, the bravest of us. [Ali and Sylvia laugh] Bravest and the truest.
Janine: Adaire, like fully- I mean, you know, based on her interactions with Samol and Samothes, like sure. Yeah, just walk out with this money, and be like, ‘Hey-’
Austin: Yeah.
Janine: Uh-
Austin: I think he’s like holding his side a little bit, and he turns to see you. Is this the first time that you see- You saw him at the funeral, right? So, um, you know that he-
Janine: And also, um… I was in the hospital with him a lot.
Austin: Yes.
Janine: But also, there was that thing with the explaining to the person whose name I forget that the thing wasn’t gonna do the thing- There was some overlap. It’s fine.
Austin: Uh huh. [laughs]
Janine: Just a little bit of.
Austin: Uh, but this is the first time you’ve seen him since the star stuff was added, is my question. I guess, not because of the- funeral, if he actually went- Did he- He went to the funeral, right?
Ali: Yeah, he went. Yeah.
Austin: He made it to the funeral. Um, then yeah. So, yeah, you’ve seen him with that stuff, I think. I think that that happened before the funeral. Um, no. It couldn’t have, right? Hmm. It’s been so long since we’ve recorded.
Keith: I’m pretty sure that it did. I re- I listened to it relatively recently.
Austin: Ok. Um, so then yeah, like I mean, I think it is still a little bit surprisingly when he like, turns to face you and you can see this like, glow coming off of him. This like star stuff brightness that again, doesn’t actually cast light on anything, but it is bright to look at. And his eyes have taken that same glow, and he says,
Austin (as Samot): Miss Ducarte.
Janine (as Adaire): Uh, hey. Um-
Austin (as Samot): Take a- [pauses] Would you like to take a seat? Would you like anything to drink?
Janine (as Adaire): Oh, I mean, I’ll- I don’t need anything to drink. I’ll sit. Um… I just wanted to give you this back. I salvaged it from the- from the wreck, but like, you were unconscious in the hospital, and I didn’t want to just lea- There’s been some problem with thieves.
Austin (as Samot): Has there?
Janine (as Adaire): So…
Austin: He grins. [laughs]
Janine (as Adaire): I think most of the- most of them [Janine laughs ooc] Look, most of them have gone. There’s some kids. I’ve been working with them. They’re pretty cool, but they would definitely take your money is all I’m saying.
Austin (as Samot): Keep the purse. [pauses] It’s no great loss.
Keith: Brag.
Austin (as Samot): A gift for this kindness.
Janine (as Adaire): Ok. Thanks.
Austin: Uh, it is a bag of holding.
Janine: Oh.
Austin: Which is a special type of bag that can hold as much as you want it to, basically. [typing] It is a- it is a very powerful magical- It’s like- yeah, I guess it’s not- It can’t- Maybe it’s not as much as, right? Like, I think that there’s a specific- Let me find the actual specific thing in the Dungeon World book because there is-
Janine: I mean, you’d have to be able to pick it up and fit it inside, right? Like you couldn’t just stretch it infinitely around a house.
Austin: What? Yeah.
Janine: Right?
Austin: No. [Ali laughs] What? [laughs] Excuse me.
Jack: I’m with Janine here.
Janine: I’m asking if there are limits.
Jack: I’m with Janine here.
Austin: It doesn’t-
Jack: This is the first question you always ask with a bag of holding, right? [Janine laughs] Is like, can I get a house in there? Or can I get like a-
Janine: It has to be small enough to fit in the mouth of the bag, would be my understanding.
Austin: Yes, it- that’s part of it, for sure.
Jack: So, I can’t go in there.
Keith: If you fit yourself in the bag, how do you get yourself out?
Jack: You can’t. That’s your house now.
Austin: Well, [laughs] you have to reforge the bag, first and foremost.
Ali: Oh, can’t you get out?
Janine: You have to get all your friends into bag town.
Jack: No, you can’t-
Janine: For like a-
Austin: Uh huh.
Janine: For just like an interim period.
Austin: Here we go. Bag of Holding is larger on the inside than the outside. It can contain an infinite number of items, and it’s weight never increases. It’s zero weight. When you try to retrieve an item from a bag of holding, roll + wisdom. On a 10+, it’s right there. On a 7-9, choose one: you get the exact item, but it takes a while, you get a similar item, the GM’s choice, but it only takes a moment. No matter how many items, a bag of holding is always zero weight. So, you could put a house in there, but only bit by bit. [Austin and Janine laugh]
ALI & Jack: Hmmm.
Austin: You have to take it apart first.
Jack: That’s the safe-
Art: Hi, I don’t care for some of this. [Jack laughs]
Austin: Ok.
Keith: Which part?
[crosstalking]
Art: The part about living in a bag of holding.
Janine: The part where I can steal infinitely now? Or- [laughs]
Austin: Listen, if you want to fuckin’-
Art: But only if you never- only if you want to really risk never seeing it again. And you can’t put anything you really love in there.
Austin: Uh huh.
Janine: It’s never really been about recall. [Ali, Art, and Keith laugh]
Austin: Here, I’ve added it.
Keith: I mean, if you fail the roll, and you don’t get the thing, you could just try again later, right? It’s not like gone.
Austin: You could. It’s not gone.
Keith: Yeah.
Austin: Right. Well, I don’t know. I don’t know how this thing works. Move as hard as I want, right? Um, it would have to be something not that important for me to take it away cause it’s lost in the bag of holding.
Jack: Unfortunately, already inside this bag is a lion. And anything you put in has a chance he’ll eat it, and you can’t get it back out.
Austin: Yeah. Um, right, which is also a fun thing which is like, I guess you also just have Samot’s bag of holding now which is like, if you ever need a bottle of wine? [Austin, Sylvia, and Jack laugh]
Janine: Yeah. Shit.
Austin: Right? So, yeah. I think the stuff that’s in there, like that’s- that is not uh- Actually, I think he’s like,
Austin (as Samot): Can I see it for a moment first?
Austin: And he pulls out a bottle of wine and a book. And he pours himself something- He pours himself from the bottle, and [laughing] And then puts the bottle back in, but he keeps the book.
Janine: That seems fair.
Keith: Is it nice wine?
Janine: I’m not gonna complain about that.
Austin: It’s a hot grapey. [laughs] He made himself a hot-
Janine: Ugh.
Keith: He done made a hot-grapey.
Ali: Oh.
Jack: Hmm. [Austin laughs]
Keith: He’s got it on the pan.
Austin: Uh, listen to the clapcast. You gotta- you gotta go back.
Art: If you’re listening to this, don’t make a hot grapey at home. [Jack laughs] Don’t do it.
Janine: I want to hear-
Keith: I like a hot grapey without- without using toasted walnut oil to saute.
Janine: I want someone to make a hot-grapey because I want to know, but I don’t want to make it myself.
[crosstalking]
Keith: I’ll make you one.
Austin: No one knows what that is cause this isn’t- the clapcast isn’t even out yet.
Ali: Don’t worry. It’s fine.
Keith: It’s fine. That’s what I didn’t say what was in it. I’ll make one.
Austin: [exasperated] Ohhhh.
Keith: With lime. I’ll make one with lime.
Ali: Hmm.
Austin: I think- Samot [laughs] Uh, gross. Samot is like, um, I- you know what? I don’t think he can- I don’t think he has any like great wisdom to share for you at this moment. I think he’s still too like, hurt, basically. But I think what he does say is he says like,
Austin (as Samot): And thank you for your help with Hadrian while I was ill. I know he can be difficult.
Janine (as Adaire): He’s mostly just been kinda bummed and quiet, so it wasn’t so bad.
Austin (as Samot): I hope fortunes turn for all of us soon.
Janine: Um, I think Adaire like, stands up to go.
Austin (as Samot): If you see Ephrim, can you send him to me?
Janine (as Adaire): I mean, I can just go look for him.
Austin (as Samot): I would appreciate it. Thank you.
Janine (as Adaire): Sure.
Austin: What else is going on today?
Keith: I find any...
Ali: Uh-
Keith: ...anyone- Oh, Ali, you can go.
Ali: I just wanted to debrief with um, Throndir and Ephrim about like, the stuff that we did.
Austin: Yeah.
Ali: Um, yeah, just kind of talk out what we did and saw and took and got and-
Keith: Um, I’ve got- I have a solo scene that I wanted to do at some point, but can I be there for the briefing cause I can get one of the things that I wanted to do out of the way.
Austin: Anybody who wants to be there for this debriefing can be there. This can be like, everyone’s gotten back, they’ve changed clothes. You know, they’ve got ready to see other people again.
Ali: Yeah, I imagine this is like, not the first night that they’re back. Maybe the next morning…
Austin: Sure.
Ali: ...or like the day after or whatever. Yeah. Um, but yeah I think-
**Ali (as Hella): I specifically want to just talk to Throndir, Ephrim, Sunder, Chatterchin, and then whoever wants to be here.
Keith (as Fero): Oh, I’m bringing Isaac.
Ali (as Hella): Right. We’re talking about Isaac. I wouldn’t bring him. Cause we’re talking about him.
Keith (as Fero): Oh, we can talk about him. We can talk about him with him there.
Ali (as Hella): I would prefer to say things not in front of him. [laughs]
Keith (as Fero): Why? He shou- deserves to hear it.
Ali (as Hella): No, well I just think that we could talk more openly about our um- [clears throat]
Keith (as Fero): I’ll say whatever. I don’t care.
Austin: This is all- This is all in character, I’m blessing this with the-
Keith: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Austin: I’m doing the sign of the cross. This is now canonized.
Ali (as Hella): I just- It just- Fero, um, so while-
Keith (as Fero): I want to scare him.
Ali (as Hella): No. I get that.
Keith (as Fero): I want him to be scared.
Ali (as Hella): Ok. No, well… he doesn’t-
Austin: Where is he? Where’d you put him, by the way?
Keith: In the brig. He’s in the brig.
Austin: You put him in the brig?
Jack: I’m keeping an eye on him. I’m not here right now. I’m keeping an eye on Isaac.
Keith: I have his staff.
Ali: This is happening on the boat, I guess. Not right here. [laughing] Um,
Ali (as Hella): Fero, it’s just- you know while you were getting the bird, you know, when you were busy with the- the whole bird thing?
Keith (as Fero): Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ali (as Hella): Um, I just- well, I was a good cop. [laughs] And I was nice to him. And I feel like, I jus-
Keith (as Fero): [disapprovingly] Uh un. Uh un.
Ali (as Hella): I want to talk to… my- I want to talk to Throndir and Ephrim to sort of decide what we as a group are gonna decide about him.
Keith (as Fero): He- he- he tricked all the halflings and got Mother Glory killed.
Ali (as Hella): [uncomfortable noise] Yeah. But like- [whispered] That was like, a while ago… And he seems ok. And like, at a crossroads.
Keith (as Fero): He’s a bandit.
Ali (as Hella): [sighs] He- he was like a fa- he was like a pretend, fun bandit with toys. You were there.
Keith (as Fero): They were really tryin’ to kill people.
Ali (as Hella): Ok. Yeah.
Keith (as Fero): Just cause he came up with a dumb name for it, doesn’t mean he wasn’t gonna kill us if he could. Or at least steal our stuff.
Ali (as Hella): Well, you were there to steal stuff.
Keith (as Fero): I was there to rescue a bird.
Ali (as Hella): Oh, right. We’re saying rescue. Yeah, that’s right. Ok. I’m just saying, it- that’s what- Ok, I’m saying the things to you that I want to say to them, so we can make this decision together.
Keith (as Fero): Alright.
Ali (as Hella): He could stay here or we just- I don’t know- hang him out to dry to Arrell.
Keith (as Fero): Ok.
Ali: I almost- For real almost said Farrell cause of the context. [Austin, Ali, and Sylvia laugh] I felt it. Um- [laughs]
Keith (as Fero): Well, ok. We’ll go to the debriefing, and the funeral’s probably soon.
Austin: Yeeee [small laugh] Yikes. Um, so yeah, you go to the debriefing, I guess. I like- yeah. The next day or like, I guess after this is when the debriefing is happening. Um, who wants to be at this- at this debriefing? Which I’m guessing is again, in the kind of room- the war room- where the map of Hieron has been laid out in and all the different places have been marked. Um, who wants to be there for this? And also- everyone needs to-
Janine: Adaire’s- Adaire‘s nosey.
Austin: Yeah, ok. So, Adaire is there.
Sylvia: I mean, I’m-
Dre: I’m there.
Sylvia: Yeah..
Keith: I’m also there.
Jack: Yeah, I’ll- I’ll come along if- if we’re making it a group gathering.
Austin: Yeah. I think it should be.
Art: Yeah, if everyone’s gonna be there, I’ll- I wasn’t- I wasn’t gonna-
Jack: Nominate- Nominate Hella as spokesperson.
Ali: Ok. Sure.
Austin: Uh, Sunder is there. Corsica Neue is there. Rosana is there. Um, who else is super- Uklan Tel is there. And I actually think- I actually think the Golden Lance is here, also. I think both- both uh, Victoria Lake and um- Nope. That’s wrong. Uh-
Dre: Victoria Solomon. Gloria Lake.
Jack: Gloria Lake and Victoria Solomon?
Austin: Gloria Lake and Victoria Solomon. Yes, are both here. Is that right? Did I get them backwards? Fuck, I’m- ugh.
Dre: No, it’s- I’m looking at the wiki right now. It’s Victoria Solomon and Gloria Lake.
Austin: Gotcha ya. Ok.
Dre: Cause I also get them backwards every time. [laughing]
Ali: When are they just gonna hyphenate and make it easier for [laughing] us? [Austin and Jack laugh]
Austin: Listen, they both- they both like their own last names. And- um, yes. Victoria Solomon and Gloria Lake are both there.
Keith: If you want to canonize just switch their names right now-
Austin: You could just swap it- we could- Victoria Lake and Glo-
Keith: Just swap it- [Ali laughs]
Austin: That’s it! That’s what happens when they get married is they’re just gonna swap names. Just make it worse.
Keith: They swap. They take each other- Yeah.
Austin: Here’s what I love about our wiki is, under status for Victoria Solomon, it’s like, ‘Status: Vampire’. ‘What’s your status?’ ‘A vampire.’ ‘Oh, ok.’
Ali: Hmm.
Keith: The problem is that Gloria Lake rolls off the tongue really, really easily. [overlapped] But that’s wrong, right?.
Austin: But that’s her name. No, that’s her name. Gloria Lake.
Keith: Oh, that’s the right one?
Austin: Yeah, Doctor Gloria Lake.
Keith: That’s the right one.
Austin: Yes. Gloria- the problem is that Gloria and Victoria rhyme.
Keith: Right. That’s what it is.
Austin: Anyway.
Ali: Anyway, everyone-
Art: Maybe you should just hyphenate first names?
Ali (trying to start as Hella): Thanks for-
Austin: Yeah, right. That’s- Uh huh. Go ahead. Sorry.
Ali (trying to continue as Hella): ...joining me. [Keith and Ali laugh]
Keith: Wait, so, it’s Gloria-Victoria Lake and Victoria-Gloria Solomon?
Austin: Uh huh. You got it. [Keith laughing] That’s how they’re hyphenating. [Keith still laughing] Hmmmm. Hella?
Ali (as Hella): Well, thanks for giving me this time. I’m gonna try to make it brief. Um, I would-
Keith (as Fero): Be-brief.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah, I would say that we had a moderately successful trip out to the Isles of Flight. Wha- Ok.
Austin: I think Corsia- You can see Corsica Neue’s eyes kind of like- She’s squinting at you. [Ali laughs]
Ali: She’s doing her best. Um, Hella, of course.
Austin (as Corsica Neue): Was the moon you?
Ali (as Hella): No. No, no, no, no. No, no, no. No.
Jack (as Lem): No.
Ali (as Hella): You would think so.
Austin (as Corsica Neue):I would. Yeah.
Ali (as Hella): Um- no.
Dre (as Throndir): Geez.
Jack (as Lem): I don’t know if we need to go that far. It-
Keith (as Fero): I can personally guarantee that the moon was not us.
Ali (as Hella): We got there, and there was kind of an overthrowing happening. And that sort of how the moon was involved. It turns out that the leader of that place was on the moon, and kind of being a jerk about it, and like, stealing magic from people, so, rich people could be on the moon. Um, so the people there kinda just took the whole thing down. And that didn’t seem like something we could stop or you know disrupt in any way.
Keith (as Fero): Well- well, no one even asked for our help.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah. Um, [Ali laughs] We- I mean, we were there at a good time because I could sort of officially recognize the new leader of the Isles of Flight. Um-
Austin (as Corsica Neue): And you did that?
Austin: Says Corsica.
Ali (as Hella): I did- Well, yeah. I mean, she was kind of busy. Um, but we got to talking a little bit. I kind of- you know, gave the whole sp- me and Lem kind of gave the whole spiel about what’s going on on Hieron. At least as far as we knew at the time. Um-
Austin (as Corsica Neue): You didn’t think it was wise to first consult us about what we wanted to do? [Ali as Hella stammers briefly] We don’t know those people. They brought down a moon, what else can they do?
Keith (as Fero): Why would we… consult… you?
Ali (as Hella): Yeah. We were sent there as representatives of the University.
Austin (as Corsica Neue): As representatives to investigate whether or not there was some way to fight the Heat and the Dark. Ephrim, we didn’t tell them that they could recognize a rebellious faction. [Sylvia as Ephrim sighs] Unless you said otherwise.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): [resigned] No. I didn’t. [Ali laughs]
Keith (as Fero): Wait. I don’t- We don’t take orders from you. What are you talking about?
Jack (as Lem): We acted with the- we acted with the jurisdiction which we believed that we had been given. The nature of a reconnaissance party was- We’re not just gonna go there and be like, ‘Well, what have you got for us?’ Things were bad there.
Keith (as Fero): Yeah, they also- they didn’t care about the Heat and the Dark or they were not interested in it at all.
Jack (as Lem): And I tried to impress upon them, as sincerely as I could the extent of the danger that- that we find ourselves in. Uh, and that they may soon find themselves in. And while their leader understood that what we feel was genuine, it was not something that seemed to concern them beyond a moon falling.
Austin: Uklan Tel is like,
Austin (as Uklan Tel): Wha- How- How did they reach the moon? Is that something perhaps that we could use to our advantage?
Keith (as Fero): They were stealing the power of flight from everyone else and using it to get basically the uh, like the rich guy and his rich friends up on the moon.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah, there was like a whole launcher situation, and I think that they destroyed that in the whole moon pulling.
Keith (as Fero): Well, they destroyed the moon. Yeah.
Ali (as Hella): So…
Austin (as Uklan Tel): I see.
Ali (as Hella): Uh huh.
Austin: I think Rosana is like,
Austin (as Rosana): But it sounds like some good people are in charge up there now? And maybe you made some positive, you know, in roads?
Keith (as Fero): Well-
Dre (as Throndir): I agree.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah, I mean, I was just starting a relationship I mean, for like, big picture things. Um, they might send like, a magician here with some medicine at some point. Um, and I told that magician that they could come here and read books and like, study magic and stuff to like, help them get their magic back. If they were able to organize such a big revolution, they’re probably good friends to have. So… that’s-
Dre (as Throndir): When is the- when’s the magician coming?
Keith (as Fero): They’re still sorting out their coup.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah.
Dre (as Throndir): Ok, yeah. Fair.
Ali (as Hella): We were trying to be as respectful of their predicament as we could be. And they returned the same kindness.
Austin: Corsica just kind of like,
Austin (as Corsica Neue): [sighs] Is there anything else?
Keith (as Fero): We brought some refugees with us. That we met on the way.
Austin (as Corsica Neue): Uh, yes. There are many here now which is good. People need a home. But… our supplies are limited.
Ali (as Hella): Um, there’s one specific refugee that we ran into in the New Archives by the name of Isaac Adelton, who I believe will ring a few bells-
Austin: Alright, who immediately makes what face? [Dre and others make ‘uh’ thinking noise] [Austin and Ali laugh]
Keith: I do two thum- I just put out 2 down thumbs.
Dre: Throndir gets the big eyes.
Austin: I think Victoria Solomon like, uh like- what’s the word I’m thinking of? Um, da-da-da-da-da, automatically like, unthinkingly like, opens the holster of her gun. [Ali laughs] Doesn’t pull it- She doesn’t draw it yet, but she unsnaps the holster.
Keith (as Fero): I- I consider Isaac Adelton to be a prisoner and not a refugee, for what it’s worth.
Dre (as Throndir): Wasn’t- Wait, wasn’t the last time we saw him, he was in a bubble world?
Austin: Yeah.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah.
Keith (as Fero): Yeah, he got out.
Ali (as Hella): That’s the whole thing.
Keith (as Fero): He said-
Dre (as Throndir): How?
Keith (as Fero): He claims to have escaped on his own because he was bored there.
Ali (as Hella): Right, and he said that Arrell was mad at him after he left, so like, they’re not tight anymore. Um- I believe that. But I also do think that that relationship is probably something we can lean on, if we chose to.
Austin: I think Victoria at this point says,
Austin (as Victoria Solomon): It seems like a liability to me. There’s already some sort of inroad for Arrell here. Does he really need another?
Dre (as Throndir): Hmm.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): We need to be careful keeping him around, too. Isaac’s magic isn’t exactly something to take lightly.
Keith (as Fero): He’s a magical liar.
Austin (as Chatterchin): If he stays, we’re leaving.
Austin: Says Chatterchin.
Austin (as Chatterchin): He can’t get a- he can’t get a bite to eat. He can’t get a drop of water. Are you kidding me? No. [stammering] Throw him to the woods. Put him in the water.
Keith (as Fero): Yeah.
Ali (as Hella): [false starts] You certainly have veto power in this instance.
Austin (as Chatterchin): Why would you even- [stammers] What were you even thinking?
Ali (as Hella): Wel- I mean, the Arrell thing is valuable if we can get information from him or how the bubble works or- or anything. And even beyond that, this is like a magical school, and if he studied here… [sighs]
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Hm.
Austin (as Chatterchin): If he studied here…
Janine (as Adaire): He could kill us all. That’d be great.
Ali (as Hella): No, I’m just saying like, not everyone who uses illusion magic has to be an asshole, right? Like-
Austin (as Chatterchin): But he specifically is.
Dre (as Throndir): Yeah, but once you have been an asshole-
Keith (as Fero): Yeah, he’s wicked an asshole. [Ali laughs]
Austin (as Chatterchin): You want a man like that to have more power.
Keith (as Fero): When you-
Ali (as Hella): No. [resigned sigh]
Keith (as Fero): He- he already tried to call himself an Adventurer King.
Austin (as Chatterchin): Ugh.
Dre (as Throndir): Oh, that’s bad.
Janine (as Adaire): Oh my god.
Ali (as Hella): It was tough. It wasn’t great. Um- yeah I mean-
Keith (as Fero): Here’s the thing about Isaac. Fuck Isaac. He sucks. I think also- I think we should kick him out, but he also is um- I don’t think he’s really that malicious. He’s just kind of a shitbag.
Austin (as Chatterchin): Ok. I see.
Ali (as Hella): I- I brought him here. I can bring him back.
Keith (as Fero): I don’t think he’s gonna kill everybody. That’s what I’m saying. He’s not gonna like, go murder everyone.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah. I brought here under the guise of safety, and at the end of the day, I’m gonna be known for worse things that being a liar. So, if you need me to kick him out, I’ll do it. I just figured, you know, we could at least ask him a few questions.
Keith (as Fero): He’s in our brig.
Janine (as Adaire): If we kick him out, isn’t he just gonna be a shitbag directly outside of our place?
Ali (as Hella): Well…
Janine (as Adaire): Instead of in our jail?
Keith (as Fero): So, is the decision keep him in jail or kick him out? Is that what it is?
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Ok. He- [sighs] As much as I would love to kick him out immediately, there is definitely an advantage to having him here in the short term. I’m not gonna give Isaac Adelton?
Austin: Uh huh.
Sylvia: Yeah.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): I’m not gonna give Isaac Adelton a place here, and I’m definitely not going to accept him here after what he’s done specifically to the gnolls. So, we can see what we can get out of him, but as far as I’m concerned, if he causes any problems here, you guys are responsible for this.
Ali (as Hella): Ok. I take that responsibility, and I could take him, if it’s a problem, so, it will be fine.
Dre (as Throndir): I mean, you- how do we even know we can trust anything that we get out of him?
Sylvia (as Ephrim): I mean, we can’t. But it’s worth a shot.
Dre (as Throndir): We already know that like, Arrell has some kind of magical inroads to this place, and what if- I don’t know- What if Isaac coming here is just like his backup plan to get a second inroad?
Art (as Hadrian): But his first plan is still working.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Yeah.
Art (as Hadrian): He wouldn’t send the backup plan while the first plan’s working.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah. He took a little- Hm.
Janine (as Adaire): What if he could find the backup? What if he could find Arrell’s thing that he’s got in here? If he like, knows Arrell’s shit kinda.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah, exactly. He could do that. Or he could try to do it. I mean, I don’t- I can’t guarantee that he could do that, but it’d be great if he could. I mean, he seemed-
Keith (as Fero): He’s an idiot.
Ali (as Hella): They seemed genuinely on the rocks.
Keith (as Fero): He’s a fucking idiot.
Austin (as Chatterchin): He’s a liar. The thing he does well is lie.
Keith (as Fero): He’s a liar idiot. He’s a magical liar.
Art (as Hadrian): I think that’s a bad term. I think that’s unclear.
Dre (as Throndir): I think I’m with- I’m with Fero and Chatterchin on this one.
Keith (as Fero): No, wait. Which term is unclear? Magical liar?
Art (as Hadrian): Magical liar.
Keith (as Fero): Oh, so he’s a liar and he’s magical and also his magic is lying. Cause he’s an illusion mage.
Austin (as Chatterchin): That’s the specialty he has is lying as a magic.
Keith (as Fero): As a- yeah, as magic.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah.
Art (as Hadrian): I think I prefer lying magician.
Janine (as Adaire): Most magic is lies anyways, it’s just-
Keith (as Fero): Well, but he’s an illusion-
Austin: Sunder is like,
Austin (as Sunder Havelton): Ok, slow down. [Ali and Keith laugh] Isaac is a- Isaac is a- has always been trouble. He didn’t graduate. He was always more interested in whatever he could earn today rather than what he could study in the long term. I don’t-
Janine (as Adaire): Neither of those sound like outright bad qualities. You need to try a little harder.
Austin (as Sunder Havelton): I try very hard, thank you. I [laughs] may be the second greatest magician alive. My point is we will not get much of any worth from him that we could not get from someone else here already. Uk- between Uklan Tel, myself, and Hadrian’s son. We already have a great deal of magical acumen, and growing font of knowledge. And it sounds like the mIstral will be sending us another mage in the near future. Do we really need a fifth? Isaac Adelton in the midst?
Keith (as Fero): We all hate him.
Dre (as Throndir): What is he even claiming he can offer?
Keith (as Fero): We- I think we should- I mean-
Austin: Corsica Neue is like,
Austin (as Corsica Neue): I think we should kill him. [Ali laughs]
Art (as Hadrian): See, I think-
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Don’t worry. That’s still on the table.
Austin (as Corsica Neue): Good.
Art (as Hadrian): Hmm.
Austin (as Corsica Neue): He’s a danger. He’s a threat, and there are more people here to threaten now than ever.
Keith (as Fero): Hmm.
Art (as Hadrian): But this room is full of sublimely dangerous people.
Austin (as Corsica Neue): And the- and we all trust each other in this room. If he were here, and [laughs] as far as I know he isn’t, but a magical liar is the sort of person who could be.
Keith (as Fero): I have his staff. He can’t do anything. He’s also in the brig.
Austin (as Corsica Neue): The point is there are dangerous people I trust, and then there are Isaac Adeltons.
Art (as Hadrian): We should find out about his- if he’s really had a falling out with Arrell, that’s useful. There might be useful information there.
Keith (as Fero): There’s no one that he’s not had a falling out with. He’s insufferable.
Janine (as Adaire): But we could send him to Arrell, and maybe Arrell would send us something.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): I’m not sending him to Arrell.
Janine (as Adaire): Ok. Fine.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): We can't risk that.
Art (as Hadrian): Although if Arrell is really listening to everything that happens here… [Austin laughs]
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Well, if Arrell’s been listening, he knows exactly what I think of him.
Austin: I think Chatterchin is like,
Austin (as Chatterchin): It’s not even just me. If my people see this guy walkin’ around here, even with guards, it’s gonna send a message about who you care about in this room. And you know? Sounds like you need space anyway.
Janine (as Adaire): I don’t think I’ve ever-
Ali (as Hella): It doesn’t have to come to that. We can just keep him in a jail. Uh, he’s not gonna get special meals or service or anything.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): He’s on your boat, right now, yeah?
Ali (as Hella): Uh huh.
Keith (as Fero): Yeah.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Ok. We’re gonna keep him there for now.
Keith (as Fero): What if we just send him back to the water zone? What is it?
Janine (as Adaire): Drown him?
Keith (as Fero): Where were we?
Art (as Hadrian): Ocean?
Keith (as Fero): Oh, no, no.
Ali (as Hella): The New Archives.
Keith (as Fero): The New Archives. There’s so much water there now.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Ok. I think- I think Chatterchin is right about this. We can’t have him marching around even if he’s in chains. We can keep him here for a couple of days. We’ll keep him on your ship for now- your boat for now. Um, and if he’s not cooperating then we cut- we uh, we cut the line sooner, right? That’s what fishers say.
Sylvia: And then Ephrim gives like, Hella like, a look like, ‘That’s what fishers say, right?’
Ali: [laughs] She gives like, a grin and nods like, ‘Yeah. ‘
Sylvia: Ok. Then, yeah.
Austin (as Chatterchin): I can live- I can live with that.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Thank you.
Austin (as Chatterchin): A few days. No more.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): No more.
Austin: I think at this point, Victoria says,
Austin (as Victoria Solomon): If that’s it about Isaac, there’s one little, small piece of information- or one small announcement we’d like to make, also. There are a couple of new Golden Lance members here briefly. You’ll see them walking around. They are Maria Velasinha and a gnoll named Callowkeen. They are taking the charge on a new- a new mission. Along with the woman Marisol Sweetwater, the publisher. They’re going to be putting together a guide for regular people, how to survive out there with the Spring. But to do that-
Keith (as Fero): Why do I know the name Marisol Sweetwater? What is-?
Austin (as Victoria Solomon): She ran the Rosemerrow Current back before-
Keith (as Fero): Right.
Austin (as Victoria Solomon): Yeah. Um, in any case, what we do need though is a place for Marisol to set up shop and begin putting together a printing press and everything else. Is there room for that here?
Keith (as Fero): I have to do construction on the outhouse, I can also set up another place outside of the walls, if there’s no space inside of the walls.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): That might be for the best. We’re definitely crowded right now.
Ali (as Hella): I got a pretty good look of the printing stuff when I was there. I could- I could help put some of it together, at least.
Austin (as Victoria Solomon): That would be great. Both Callowkeen and Maria will already be helping, but extra hands to lift the equipment and setup the shop would always be helpful.
Janine: Uh, I have a question for you, Austin.
Austin: Uh huh?
Janine: Does Adaire know Maria or does Maria know Adaire since she’s from the outskirts of Velas.
Austin: Uh, you would know- you’ve met her before. Like, you’ve met her on screen before. She was with-
Janine: Oh.
Austin: She was in Twinbrook and Old Man’s Chin.
Janine: Ok.
Austin: So, and I will say like, yeah, but like, maybe not as tight- like, you weren’t tight with her because otherwise we would have played that when that first happened
Janine: Yeah.
Austin: Hadrian, this is the- this is the woman who you like, made come to her senses around maybe not working with the witch hunters.
Art: Uh huh.
Austin: And she had a kind of tearful farewell and escaped before the big fight during the Old Man Chin’s arc in winter.
Janine: Oh right.
Austin: Yeah. Yeah. She’s good. She’s- she’s a goody. She’s a good person and she’s using those skills for good now. Um, and she’s also working with like, a gnoll who looks like a flying fox, so- it’s- they’re sick partners. Um, so yeah. I think that makes sense. Fero, if you want to, once we go back to the other map, you can set out where you think that would go.
Keith: Uh huh.
Austin: And that can be like, a cool downtime activity to be doing in the background.
Keith: Ok.
Keith (as Fero): Hey, by the way, when’s the funeral?
Sylvia (as Ephrim): [sighs] Y- Hm. Two days ago.
Keith (as Fero): Two days from now?
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Ago.
Keith (as Fero): Ago?
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Yeah.
Keith (as Fero): Already did?
Sylvia (as Ephrim): I can… bring you to the gravesite, if you’d like to visit, but yeah. We’ve already done the funeral.
Keith (as Fero): That’s ok. I can find it.
Austin: I think Uklan Tel says um,
Austin (as Uklan Tel): Fero, there is a- there is something else. You- I just wanted to thank you. Years ago, you told me I should leave the laboratory and go out into the world and really come up with ways to help people. And I finally did, and I have shown everyone and they’re very excited about my new discovery.
Keith (as Fero): Oh, awesome. That’s great.
Austin: And he pulls out this like- this flask that has- like it’s a glass flask that just has this weird like, pale-grey, grey-white ooze in it that’s like moving around in there as he shakes it.
Keith (as Fero): Eww. What? [Austin, Keith, Ali, Janine, and Sylvia laugh]
Austin (as Uklan Tel): It’s anything!
Keith (as Fero): What? [Keith and Sylvia laugh] It looks like- I mean, it’s doesn’t- It doesn’t look like anything. It doesn’t look like anything.
Austin (as Uklan Tel): I can show you. You should come- come to the lab and I can show you what I’ve discovered.
Art (as Hadrian): [whispered] Don’t do it.
Keith (as Fero): I’ll, I’ll- I’m curious.
Art (as Hadrian): [whispered] Don’t do it.
Austin (as Uklan Tel): Me, as well.
Keith (as Fero): [whispered] Why? Why not?
Art (as Hadrian): [whispered] It- it- I mean, it’s gross. [Austin, Ali, and Jack laugh]
Keith (as Fero): It’s gro- It looks- That was my first thought! It’s gross! Yeah, it’s quite gross.
Austin: I think Corsica says,
Austin (as Corsica Neue): Another thing. What are we doing about this tree?
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Right. Um-
Keith (as Fero): Oh, that big tree?
Austin (as Corsica Neue): Yes, that big tree.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Yeah.
Ali (as Hella): Oh.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Fero, I- I was actually going to ask you if you could take a look at that. It’s uh- You’re definitely the most knowled- knowledgeable here when it comes to nature for obvious reasons.
Keith (as Fero): Yeah. I can take a look at that. I um, yeah. Hopefully I can help.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Thank you.
Austin: Is that it?
Dre: Um, I want to try and figure out what is goin’ on with this Arrell magic.
Austin: Oh.
Dre: And so I don’t know if anybody wants to help with that.
Austin: Yeah, we can do that next. I guess the last thing that does come though first is- I think again, probably- probably Corsica… Hmm. No, Rosana, I think. I think Rosana says,
Austin (as Rosana): [sighs] There is also the City of First Light. The Ordennans. While you were gone-
Austin: Talking to Fero and Hella. Lem, are you here? Or Lem, are you back home? Or are you back in the brig?. Are you with Isaac? I’ve lost the- I’ve lost the plot on whether or not you’re in this room.
Jack: Uh, I’m- I’m- Now we know that Isaac is- No, I think I was only with Isaac when the 2 of them were discussing.
Austin: Gotcha. Gotcha. Gotcha. Gotcha. Yes. Ok.
Jack: Yeah, I’m in the room now.
Austin: So then- so then, yeah. I think Rosana says,
Austin (as Rosana): Hella, Fero, Lem, while you were to the north, the Ordennans sailed down the river, and we’ve already begun to receive refugees from the City of First Light. Obviously I’ve not been myself, but it’s a great deal of people, and it seems as if Ordenna has begun the process of taking it over. I don’t know if that’s a stage for what their next ploy is or if we should expect more reinforcements to come down river. Or if they’ll aim their sights on us.
Jack (as Lem): Based on my experience, when Ordenna besiege a city, they have a very good eye for finding what inside it will be useful to the Ordennan campaign. So, perhaps it would be in our interest, maybe with the help of Samot, to maybe get a sense of what Ordenna has traveled to Marielda for. What specific treasure are they looking to seek?
Austin: Rosana nods to that.
Austin (as Rosana): That makes sense.
Ali (as Hella): I mean, if- if the steel is ineffective now, do we know if their forces are- using different items or in search of something to replace it? Or-
Austin: I think Corsica says,
Austin (as Corsica Neue): It’s not that it’s ineffective. It’s simply that it does those who wield it harm, but we both know that Ordenna has no problem with doing harm even to its own if it gets them what they want. My suspicion, if I was them and there are times when I’ve worked alongside them, is that they would save the Ordennan steel for foes they know that it would be particularly useful against. Gods and the sort. And otherwise use more traditional means. But I think you’re both right. Power is what they want. I suspect, and perhaps Samot can tell us this, that city is filled with it.
Ali (as Hella): Well, when are we going there?
Austin (as Corsica Neue): When are going there? When are we done feeding people here? When are we done securing our own home. We don’t have an army. Not yet. We have a guard.
Jack: Does Uklan Tel have an honorfic? Or is he just Archivist Tel?
Austin: Uh, he does have an honorific. What was it? It was- Or was it- uh phwoof. Was it like-
Keith: Chilly academic. [Jack laughs]
Austin: It was Semiotician-Emeritus.
Jack: I suppose it’s probably just- it’s probably just Semiotician Tel at that point, yeah.
Austin: At this point, yes.
Jack (as Lem): Semiotician Tel, you wrote the book on Marielda, if I remember right.
Austin (as Uklan Tel): That’s right.
Jack (as Lem): I read it a very long time ago. I don’t remember many of the details. Is there anything that your knowledge of- of the time would specifically be able to- to give us in this moment?
Austin (as Uklan Tel): Uh, there are countless artifacts of power there. I- I would not know when to- when to stop counting. Samothes’s forge, the- the vault of Primo, first divine artificer, the- perhaps even- perhaps even the tomb of Samothes himself, to say nothing of universities filled with books of knowledge, to say nothing of the pala-din, to say nothing of-
Jack (as Lem): Ok. Ok.
Austin (as Uklan Tel): The trains that crisscross that place. To say- it goes on and on and on.
Jack (as Lem): So, we’re to assume they’ve taken the seat of power.
Austin (as Uklan Tel): I suspect that Samot’s guard gave good fight. But if refugees are arriving already… Consider th- that city was never ready for an attack from sea. They would all think themselves immune because of the natural fire and heat therein. But Ordennan steel is not built to worry about any such magical fire. We may have also only seen one arm of the attack. [sighs]
Dre (as Throndir): I mean, should we just- should we ask Samot? And if he has any ideas on what they would be after specifically or-?
Ali (as Hella): I mean, it’s not gonna be just one thing.
Dre (as Throndir): Yeah. Fair.
Art (as Hadrian): Yeah, I think the thing they’re after is everything.
Ali (as Hella): Oh- when Jerod was here, when she was still alive- do we know if she still had contacts? Or scouts? Or-?
Austin: Rosana says,
Austin (as Rosana): There were some spies therein, certainly. But [sighs] I don’t know their names. You would have to check Jerod’s things. Maybe- maybe there’s a cipher there or a list.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah. I’ll do that. I’ll spend time doing that. Don’t worry about it.
Austin: She nods. Is that all?
Janine (as Adaire): They definitely think they’re building something. That’s what it sounded- they think they’re gonna make the new. [sighs]
Austin (as Corsica Neue): The new?
Janine (as Adaire): I don’t know. They think they’re- they think they’re gonna get somewhere, but they’re not. They really- they really think everyone’s gonna [sighs] It’s like an invitation. That person invited me. It’s not like they’re trying to just take. They think they’re- they think they’re saving things, I think.
Austin (as Corsica Neue): Nothing new there.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah.
Austin (as Corsica Neue): Well, everyone rest up. It sounds like there is a lot of work to do. Let’s meet back in a week and decide next steps.
Austin: Hits the button on the slide. The presentation. [Jack and Ali laugh] If you have comments of questions, you can email me at. Um, alright.
Ali: Ooo, what’s Corsica’s email address?
Austin: Not saying that onair. I’m not gonna dox Corsica Neue.
Ali: [laughs] Ok.
Keith: She’s a public figure.
Jack: Did she have- did she have her own domain name or is she using a public service?
Austin: We’ve already been through it. This domain has no name yet, so.
Jack: Oh ok. Yeah, sure. [Ali laughs]
Keith: CorsicaNeue@placeholder.com
Austin: Yeah, exactly. Um, Adaire is this when you’re like, on the way out, you’re like, ‘By the way, Ephrim-’
Janine: Yeah.
Janine (as Adaire): Uh, Samot wants to see you about something.
Sylvia (as Ephrim): Oh. Ok. Um, thank you. I guess I’m gonna go see Samot then.
Austin: Great. Um, we can get to that whenever. What do we have left? What do people have on their plates? I think everyone still has like, a solo scene or two, right?
Jack: Yeah.
Austin: That they want to get to.
Jack: Yeah, I want to see um- I want to see Emmanuel.
Austin: Ok.
Jack: And I want to talk to Hadrian.
Austin: Ok. Could we get all these out on the plate that way we know if there’s crossover?
Jack: Yeah. Just make a scratch doc.
Ali: Oh, yeah.
Austin: So, yes. Exactly. So- so Lem wants to see Emmanuel and talk to Hadrian. About- about stuff?
Jack: Yeah.
Austin: About a particular thing?
Jack: Yeah.
[crosstalking]
Austin: D- Do you want to say it so we can see if there’s any overlap?
Art: You don’t want to say it out loud?
Jack: I want to talk to Hadrian about leaving his family behind. [pause]
Austin: Great…. Good. [Ali laughs] Wow. That’ll be a private conversation I suspect. [Jack laughs] Unless someone else wants to also-
Jack: No one else want to talk to Hadrian about leaving his family behind?
Ali: Um, I do. [Ali and Austin laugh]
Keith: I have a fun-
Dre: I already did, and it didn’t go well.
Keith: I have a fun twist.
Art: What happened on this boat?
Keith: I have a fun twist there where I could apologize for trying to keep um, keep Benjamin in the bubble. Because uh- cause Throndir convinced me that that was a crazy idea that no one would ever do on purpose.
Jack: [laughs] Oh god.
Austin: Um, what else? What else do people want to be doing?
Ali: Um, I want to investigate that Jerod stuff.
Austin: Ok.
Ali: I think that feels like a better downtime thing than like an episode thing.
Austin: Uh huh.
Ali: And then I want to talk to Hadrian about going to Ordenna or going to Marielda.
Austin: Great.
Ali: Um, and then, I think that’s it.
Austin: Ok.
Dre: Um-
Art: I want to go on a camping trip with my family to celebrate being around them. [Jack laughs] And having access to them after all those years trapped in the bubble. I thought we’d go on like, a little pretend adventure…
Austin: [laughing] What’s that look like? Let’s just- Wait. We can just- What’s-
Art: ...so Benjamin could see what we used to do.
Austin: What is that? Where do you go?
Art: Um, give me the slightly closer map again please.
Austin: Well, the slightly closer map- nowhere on that slightly closer map is camping. I mean, it is, but like, you and all of the refugees who have set up camp. Like [laughing] I don’t think camping is like, ‘and then I’m like- [laughs]
Keith: It’s ‘Hey, there’s- there’s this new campground that seems really fun. This pop-up’ [laughs extremely hard]
Art: Do you have- do you have maybe a second map? An intermediate map?
Austin: Yeah, this one. Zoom in. [laughs] You tell me. What type of thing do you want? There’s the woods to the west. There is-
Art: Yeah, I guess it’s the woods.
Keith: You can stay at the outhouse.
Art: No, I’m not doin’ that. [Ali laughs]
Austin: There’s the shredded steppe to the east. You can probably get to some hills to the north pretty quickly. You could go south past where Samot was almost killed and get some like, you know, more trees and plains.
Art: Give me some distance things. Like, give me a landmark, and tell me how long that is by reasonable foot travel.
Austin: Far. How long did it take to get up to the New Archives by boat? Was it like, a week?
Keith: Yeah.
Austin: So like, that’s by boat. It’s probably a far trip. Like, Baron’s Gate-
Art: How far am I from the first tree?
Austin: A day or two.
Art: That’s fine.
Austin: Yeah.
Art: So, maybe like, you know-
Austin: Do some wood camping. Some like, woods camping.
Art: I just don’t know what’s east. I don’t want to like-
Austin: I could tell you. It’s-
Art: Is it good campin’?
Austin: No.
Jack: Could you put a tent down?
Art: Well, then I’m gonna go the other way.
Austin: Uh, to the east is- you can see this from the tall tower, right? Like, it’s as almost like a Eurasian steppe that has been shredded over countless time. Over endless time by the Heat and the Dark and then re-stitched together by the Grand Tour and now finally is- I mean, I think you can probably only see this- you see this certain times of the day when the sun hits it just right, it’s as if some of the shredded steppe has been healed by something. And you can probably guess that there’s sort of a faint glow, again- it is the stars. The stars have begun filling in the shredded steppe, almost like- What is the Japanese gold lacquer? Gold filling lacquer?
Keith: Oh, I know exactly what your talking about. If it’s broken like, pottery and stuff?
Austin: Kintsugi? Yeah, kintsugi.
Keith: Yeah.
Austin: It’s like that to the east. Uh, so not great camping. Not- you know- you don’t just want to stand on a bunch of star stuff and be like, ‘We’ve- Honey we made it.’
Art: Well, are there like some nice yurts you think we could rent?
Austin: You could rent some yurts. Actually, you probably couldn’t rent some yurts.
Ali: Yeah, who’s renting yurts. [laughs]
Austin: You could buy some- you could make some yurts.
Art: I’m not gonna make a yurt.
Austin: Oh my god.
Art: That sounds like it takes a long time.
Ali: Yeah, I heard Adaire has some yurts to sell. [Austin, Janine, and Ali laugh]
Austin: ‘Got a yurt to sell ya, if you believe that.’ God.
Art: So, I guess we’re gonna go towards the trees.
Austin: Ok.
Art: Not toward the big tree. I think like-
Austin: But the tree is- the big tree- this map is deceivi- is deceptive. The big tree is very close to you. I’m gonna move the big tree closer. The big tree is basically at- Oh! I moved the whole map. That’s not what I meant to do either. Uh, the big tree is at the Last University. Like-
Art: Right, I thought so, but-
Austin: Yeah.
Art: But then it’s also touching these trees. So maybe like, here? This- the-
Austin: Yeah. Like north of where there used to be an Ordennan camp.
Art: Yeah.
Austin: Sure. I think you just- What is this? Just like a nice couple days of like, being out in the wilderness and?
Art: I mean, my idea was like, this is what used to happen is that Hadrian would be back for a few days or weeks or months or whatever, and then would have like, go back out, and like this time he wanted the first time that he went back out to be like, a family trip. You know Benjamin’s older, they can like sort of have a fun time.
Austin: Yeah. I think they do, right? Like I’m not gonna make you roll for this. I think it’s like- it is-
Art: Will they have fun?
Austin: Yeah, they have fun. I think- I think Benjamin is a little bored out here. Um, I think Benjamin probably asks if Blue J can come on this trip. Because Blue-
Art: I mean, I think that’s up to Red Jack.
Austin: Red Jack is fine with it.
Art: Well, then it’s fine with me.
Austin: I think Red Jack- actually, here’s the thing like, Red Jack says like,
Austin (as Red Jack): Oh, yeah. [sighs] I have my hands full with my other boys this weekend doing a baseball game. Uh, Blue J isn’t interested.
Art: That’s funny, but not for reasons that exist in this world.
Austin: Uh huh. Um- [Keith and Janine laugh] And uh- yeah, so- [laughs] Yeah. So, uh- Blue J- yeah so-
Janine: Wasn’t deliberate? You just didn’t-?
Austin: No. 100% Not- well, so I was actually going the other way which is like- I was thinking of- I was trying to think about like, what would a cool oni dad do? So, I jumped to Japan cause oni dads are from Japan. I was like, ‘Oh, baseball's huge in Japan’, and so I’ve been picturing a bunch of little oni kids- Well, also because like, the inspiration for all of these come from a particular set of paintings, of Japanese paintings- I think they’re Jap- they might be Russian painting actually, but that include these little like, demon kids that look like oni hanging out with other kids and like, playing baseball and playing tag and stuff. So, I just- that’s where my head went to. Um, not the Blue Jays joke.
Uh- Anyway, yeah- so Blue J is there. I think that is keeping Benjamin’s mood happy because they are actually good at nature and explaining things in an exciting way. Whereas Benjamin is like, head in books. Is like, you know, a nerd. Um, but is having a good time. Is really happy to be with his dad and his mom. And I think Rosana is also having a good time and is like, probably tells you straight up like,
Austin (as Rosana): I wish we could do this more. Like [sighs] I’m glad you haven’t had to go anywhere yet. And I know what things are. I know what the world brings, but [sighs] Thank you for making an effort and for not going anywhere.
Art (as Hadrian): Uh, yeah. I want to be home more. I want to do this. I want to transition into spending more time.
Austin (as Rosana): Did you practice this speech?
Art: Yeah, I think so.
Austin: No, this is her asking you because it sounds like a practiced speech.
Art: Oh.
Art (as Hadrian): Yes.
Austin (as Rosana): Hadrian. [sighs] You need to take the armor off when you’re with us.
Art (as Hadrian): [sighs] I wore- I wore it for 5 years.
Austin (as Rosana): I know.
Art (as Hadrian): I mean- I don’t know-
Austin (as Rosana): And that’s why you get to take it off now.
Art (as Hadrian): I don’t know how to talk to people who aren’t gods anymore.
Austin (as Rosana): Most of us aren’t gods. Just practice. And also, it doesn’t make us any less capable. That’s what I’ve learned. [inhales & exhales] Have you spoken to Samot since his recovery?
Art (as Hadrian): No, I haven’t. Um, I figure if he’s- if he wants to talk he’ll- he’ll make sure I know.
Austin (as Rosana): Hadrian, I love you, but that is what you did for years. He kept waiting and waiting and waiting, and- [exhales]
Art (as Hadrian): And eventually he came to visit, he got blown up, [Austin laughs throughout] we saved him, it was- And all magic died. I think the lesson here might be I need to spend more time away from-
Austin: I think
Art (as Hadrian): We’ll pack up. We’ll go.
Austin: [laughing] She laughs and like rests her head on your shoulder and is like,
Austin (as Rosana): Oh, see? It’s not that hard.
Art (as Hadrian): I miss this so much.
Austin (as Rosana): I love you, too.
Austin: And we fade. Um- it’s a good visit.
Art: Alright, you monsters.
Austin: Yeah. Alright. [laughs]
Art: Come tell me who I’m gonna leave.
Austin: Alright, so wait. We got that scene. I felt- I thought it would be a quicky, and it was pretty quick. Um, but we have still not gotten the overall list. What else- What else are people trying to do?
Keith: Uh, who is left? I have a few things.
Austin: Fero, Ephrim, Adaire? Uh- Throndir? Or Throndir you said you wanted to investigate the Arrell stuff.
Sylvia: Um, I think all I have is I want- a lot of the stuff I want to do comes from just talking to Samot.
Austin: Ok.
Sylvia: Um, and then I also just want to do my um, Lore of the Forge move at some point before the end of session.
Austin: Oh yeah, you should do that.
Sylvia: Yeah.
Austin: For sure.
Sylvia: Um, but yeah. So that’s- that’s what I’m looking for.
Austin: Um, who wants to go next? Let’s- let’s just open it up, I think. We have so many people that I’m like- I’m happy to jump around here.
Keith: Uh, the first thing I want to do is I’m looking for Samol’s grave.
Austin: Sure. Um-
Keith: I don’t- I don’t expect it to be that hard to find.
Art: It’s on the map, isn’t it?
Austin: Cemetery is, yeah. But we don’t- I don’t-
Keith: Yeah, and I- that’s where I was gonna look first.
Austin: What’s it look like? I don’t remember what- what his grave was made out to be.
Keith: Um, is that- I mean, is that? Is that in canon? Did you- did it- did it look like something?
Austin: I don’t remember. I- I’m asking the party. [pause] Y’all buried him.
Art: Oh. Did- did we? But did- Does this- does this description exist already?
Austin: I don’t think so?
Ali: I don’t think so.
Austin: We were focused-
Ali: We just know that….
Austin: Yeah. Go ahead.
Ali: ...the funeral was in the place that Ephrim made, but not like...
Austin: Uh huh.
Ali: ...this is what the grave looked like or whatever.
Keith: Ok. I have an idea for what the grave looks like.
Austin: Uh huh?
Keith: Um, instead of- instead of a you know, instead of a tombstone or whatever, he’s planted- he’s planted. He’s buried beneath a tree, and it’s just scrawled into the side of the tree.
Austin: That seems like a very him thing.
Keith: Yeah.
Austin: My question would be like, I think that’s a fitting tomb- is it a tomb that he was allowed to have?
Keith: What do you mean?
Austin: You don’t decide where you were buried. And sometimes people make their own- suit their own needs with funerals. Do you know what I mean?
Keith: Uh huh.
Austin: Like, is this a situation where the people knew him well enough to be like, ‘Yeah, let’s just put him under a fuckin’ tree. You know, that’s what he would want.’?
Keith: Yeah. I think so.
Austin: Or is this a situation where people were like-
Keith: Well, he didn’t do rocks. Someone else did rock.
Austin: That’s- He did- Someone else did do- Well, he did both originally.
Keith: Ok. Sure.
Austin: Cause he is everything, remember?
Keith: Yeah, yeah.
Austin: But no, my point-
Art: Rosana did the funeral...
Austin: Yeah.
Art: ...but would- but would Samot have chosen the grave?
Austin: Probably. And probably- and he would know well enough to be like, ‘Put him under a tree. Find a big tree. Put him under it.’
Art: Uh huh.
Austin: So, yeah. I think that that’s fair then. Um, I don’t even know that he would etch his name into it. I think it would be- there would be no name there. Like-
Keith: No name. Just tree?
Austin: Just tree. Just a tree.
Keith: Ok. Yeah.
Austin: But you know it, right? It’s like, so, for people who went down to the Bouy in Winter, there was that situation where it was like, ‘Oh, there’s this big, weird like double pine tree tower thing in the middle of it that feels like it’s Samol’s tower.’ This feel like an extension of that. Like, seeing it, if you know who Samol is, you immediately know, ‘Ah, this is- this is where Samol was buried.’ For at least as long as there’s magic in the world, you can make that- that you could feel that.’
Ali: Would there be like a tree ornament?
Austin: Maybe.
Ali: Like a thing hanging on it or-?
Austin: I bet you there’s a bunch of things hanging on it, actually.
Ali: Yeah.
Austin: Maybe that becomes the thing, right? Is like, it’s almost like a shrine, and people come and hang ornaments there as wishes. Or as prayers, you know? Um, little carved- things carved out of wood or things made of metal or you know, whatever. Little paper lanterns. All sorts of stuff. So yeah, I think that’s what is it. So yeah, Fero. You find it.
Keith: Um, I want to try and use a move actually.
Austin: Sure, what is the move?
Keith: It is Guidance.
Austin: What’s it say?
Keith: The symbol of your deity, which is Samol…
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: ...appears before you and gestures towards the direction or course of action your deity would have you take, and then disappears.
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: And I just- I think I just want to know what happens.
Austin: So, I think you get- I think this is where we canonically get the sense of magic leaving the world, which is the symbol of your deity in this case is- is this kind of grand vision of all of Hieron. We kind of get like, the bird’s eye view of the entire map, and you can feel the edges of it burning away. And it is not like- the guidance is not coming from Samol in the sense that Samol still exists in the world. This is like, an echo of- of who he was, you know? This is- this is not the push that- that would move something, but it is the momentum it still has. And so, I- in some ways, there’s actually something very familiar here, which is- do you remember the first time you tried to speak or listen to one of the- one of the plants from Spring? All it would do is tell that it wanted to grow and consume?
Keith: Uh huh.
Austin: Here, you get a very similar feeling which is just like, ‘Live’. Like, it wants to live. It wants to continue. It wants to push back against the Heat and the Dark. Live. Live. Live. It’s like a command, you know? Um-
Keith: Uh huh.
Austin: And it is just like, burst of creative energy, but it is not real guidance. And you’ve gotten- you got literal guidance from him once, you know? Where he was like…
Keith: Yeah
Austin: ...‘Fuckin’ this way. Run this way.’ [laughs] And this is not-
Keith: Yeah. Or literal guidance in the form of this move.
Austin: Right. Exactly. Yeah. But this is not that. This is this other thing. And so, yeah like, Guidance just isn’t gonna work in that way anymore. Um, what I- what I think maybe the other way to think about it is, this feels like it is an overwhelming like, commonality among the- the people and things and creatures living here on Hieron. Is in the face of everything what they- what holds them all together is a desire to live. They might widely disagree on what that life looks like, but there is a throughline here among everyone that you can touch on, and it is ‘live’. Um, and so, I think that is what the guidance you get is. I’m gonna let you keep rolling this move, and we’ll- I think this- the general way it will play out, which is if you’re in a place where there is still magic, as magic slowly erodes from this- not so slowly honestly, but as it begins to erode from Hieron, you will still be able to kind of draw on the local magical energy that is the remnants of Hieron, right? The remnants of Samol and kind of get nature’s guidance, you know?
Keith: Yeah.
Austin: It’s just gonna be less-person- it’s gonna be like a much less-personified version of what a god looks like.
Keith: Uh huh.
Austin: But you can still tap on- tap into Samol’s lingering- still lingering power that- that is again, slowly dying off from around the continent.
Keith: Um- and then the last thing I do is-
Austin: I’m curious, real quick. Is that a positive feeling for Fero? The sort of like, ‘Oh, wow. Here is the throughline for all of us.’ It’s like, there is a moment in another season we do, where I talk about how there is this like, deep feeling that we will never be connected and that we will never truly connect to one another. This is like the opposite thing, which is like, ‘Oh, there is one commonality. There is one thing that all things- even non-sapient things, even rocks would prefer to exist than not exist in the world in which the Heat and the Dark exists, right? Otherwise they would not exist. ‘ And so- and so that is the throughline. Is that a- is that- What is Fero’s emotional reaction to this moment?
Keith: Um, I think it’s sadness.
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: I don’t think- I don’t think it’s inspiring, at least not yet.
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: Like, the idea that everybody wants to live I guess, is both- Like, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah. Every- like, everybody- everybody wants to keep living, and also they’re not right now.
Austin: [laughs] Right. Sure. Fair.
Keith: Uh-
Austin: Oh you get one other thing. You get one other thing from this.
Keith: Yeah.
Austin: Which is you can feel and see from this bird’s eye view magic leaving Hieron, right? You can feel it shriveling. You can feel it turning to dust effectively, right? But there is one part of the map where that is not happening. The far northeast, Alcyon. This like, this set of islands is fine. The magic isn’t leaving. Even though it is literally at the far northeastern corner of this map. Um, it’s not only not leaving, it’s not like, receding at all. So that is a-
Keith: Huh.
Austin: -a weird thing that you know.
Keith: Yeah.
Austin: Um, but like, literally off to the west from it, for people who are looking at the Hieron map, there are these like, a bunch of little islands in the northeast. As soon as you get to the continent, the continent is already losing its magical energy and moving inwards basically. Um, so- so yeah. A little extra from that. Anyway, you said you had one more thing to do here.
Keith: Yeah, I want to find- I want to find- I see like, the ornaments and stuff hanging from the branches, and I- I think I want to find something to carve.
Austin: Ok.
Keith: Like, while I’m here and hanging out.
Austin: Yeah. What do you carve?
Keith: I think I try to carve a little guitar.
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: Like a small- like an ornamental guitar- Like a- like a few inches long.
Austin: Yeah, I think you can do that. I think that’s within Fero’s abilities.
Keith: Yeah, I can build furniture, right? So.
Austin: Yeah, sure. [laughs] Totally. Alright. Who else has stuff that they want to do here? Um who hasn’t gone yet.
Dre: Uh, I mean, I can- I can do the uh- the magical sleuthing.
Austin: Yeah. Uh, is anyone helping you with that? And also, what’s that look like?
Keith: What were you sleuthing again?
Dre: So, [sighs] we know that Arrell has some sort of like, magical connection or some- like, a conduit or like-
Austin: Uh huh.
Dre: -something here. Um, that Samol, I think, warned us about.
Austin: Yeah.
Dre: But we don’t know like what it is or what it allows him to do or- So, we should probably figure out what that is. I know NPC-wise, I mean, I imagine that like, Sunder and Benjamin would be good for this.
Austin: I’m gonna say Benjamin’s out camping right now, but Sunder can help for sure.
Dre: Oh yeah. No, fair. Yeah.
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: I’m pretty good at this sort of thing.
Austin: You talk to stuff, yeah. Alright.
Keith: Yeah, I could talk to stuff. I’m wise.
Austin: [laughs] Um, sure. So, Sunder- I think Sunder definitely is gonna want to help here. Um, and I think also helping- or you know, nah I guess they’re busy building this thing. They’re busy building the um, the printing- the printing shop- the print shop. So no, the new- the new Golden Lance members are not gonna help you on this, but they’re also good at this type of stuff. Uh, anyway, so what are you doing? How are you figuring this out?
Dre: I- Listen, that’s why I’m asking the magic people.
Austin: [laughs] Oh ok.
Dre: I don’t even know where to start with this.
Austin: Uh, Sunder, I think is like,
Austin (as Sunder): We can begin by thinking about the types of magical energies that could pierce that shield, I suppose. Or I- [exhales] This isn’t… The problem is there is a lot of magic here. It is a magic university.
Dre (as Throndir): Yeah.
Austin (as Sunder): And so, a simple Detect Magic incantation will not ferret anything out. No offense, Fero. That’s wasn’t- I didn’t- It wasn’t a pun on your name or anything.
Keith (as Fero): Ferret?
Austin (as Sunder): Yeah, I wasn’t saying ferret like… Fero.
Keith (as Fero): No, that’s- that’s fine.
Austin (as Sunder): Ok.
Keith (as Fero): I get it. I’m fine with ferret.
Austin (as Sunder): Does anyone call you Ferret? Like as a-
Keith (as Fero): No one’s ever called me ferret until- No one’s ever made that association- [louder] Actually, no one’s ever made that associated till just right now. [Dre laughs]
Austin (as Sunder): In your entire life?
Keith (as Fero): If you- if you hadn’t apologized, I wouldn’t have even- I wouldn’t even have made the association, but I guess, yeah, now I accept your apology.
Austin (as Sunder): Ferret Feritas? No one’s ever said- or Ferret Ferretas?
Keith (as Fero): No one’s ever said- no one’s ever said Ferret Ferretas. No. No one’s ever thought of me as a weasel, I don’t think.
Austin (as Sunder): Well, ferrets aren’t weasels, are they?
Keith (as Fero): Ferrets are weasels, yeah.
Austin (as Sunder): Those are the same thing?
Janine: They’re mustelas.
Keith: They’re not the- They’re mustelas, yeah. They’re very closely related to the weasel. [overlapped] They’re domestic weasels.
Austin: [overlapped] But crows and ravens aren’t the same thing. They’re just similar, right?
Keith: No, but they’re even closer- they’re closer than that.
Austin: Huh. [Dre laughs] Is this-?
Keith (as Fero): Why are you questioning me on this?
Austin (as Sunder): I’m curious.
Keith (as Fero): I’m the magic transformer. [Austin laughs hard]
Austin (as Sunder): Oh. Ok. I just-
Dre: [to the tune of the Transformers theme song] Crows in disguise.
Austin: Yeah, thank you.
Janine: Fero, has anyone ever called you Bumblebee before? [Austin laughs]
Keith: No, no one’s ever called me that, and I wouldn’t think of that- [reading] ‘The ferret is the domesticated form of the European polecat, a mammal belonging to the same genus as the weasel.’
Austin: Huh.
Keith: Yeah. It’s- it’s right- right there. Right in there.
Austin: In you brain.
Keith: Polecat.
Austin: Uh huh.
Keith: Yeah.
Art: Look, Megatron’s right. Let’s just move on. [Austin and Dre laugh]
Keith: [laughs] Oh, Bumblebee. Got it. [Keith laughs hard]
Austin: Yeah. Yep. [Dre laughs]
Keith: Sorry, Janine. I apologize.
Austin: Oh my god, did you not- Ughhh.
Keith: No, no, no. I- I don’t-
Janine: Who wouldn’t? He had a movie of his own and everything.
Keith: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Austin: Um, Sunder is like,
Austin (as Sunder): I’m gonna need something to go on here.
Dre (as Throndir): I mean, is it possible that he- so, like there’s so much magic here. I mean, is it possible that we’re looking for something that isn’t even necessarily like, inherently magic? Like, I mean, if we- if we find something that seems physically new or out of place? I mean- we have-
Keith (as Fero): What if it’s just a spy?
Dre (as Throndir): Oh, there’s that, too.
Austin (as Sunder): There’s that, too. But if he’s casting spells- he was able to- Fero [laughs] Ferret, he was able to uh-
Keith (as Fero): Please stop. Stop that. Stop doing that.
Austin (as Sunder): Ok. I will stop it now. You- you didn’t say before that it was bad, so I thought maybe I could kind-
Keith (as Fero): Who are you?
Austin (as Sunder): Sunder Havelton. The great mage? Friend of Fantasmo?
Keith (as Fero): Um- Nope. Nothin- it’s not ringing a bell. Have we met?
Austin (as Sunder): Have we never met?
Art: I don’t think they’ve met.
Keith (as Fero): I don’t think- Yeah.
Dre (as Throndir): I don’t- No, actually, yeah. You all haven’t met.
Keith (as Fero): Who are you?
Austin (as Sunder): I’m Sun-
Keith (as Fero): Yeah.
Austin (as Sunder): I’m- My name is Sunder Havelton.
Keith (as Fero): Hi. Nice- Nice to meet you. I’m Ferret Ferretas. [Austin laughs]
Austin (as Sunder): A pleasure. We don’t-
Art: You’re not making it less confusing.
Austin (as Sunder): Do we know how long he’s had access?
Keith (as Fero): You remind me of Isaac Adelton.
Austin (as Sunder): Ugh, do not ever compare me-
Dre (as Throndir): [disapprovingly] Oh.
Keith (as Fero): You remind a lot of- You know who you remind me of? You remind of Isaac Adelton.
Dre (as Throndir): Fero.
Austin (as Sunder): We’ve just met, Fero.
Keith (as Fero): Yeah, and that’s what I’m saying. You remind me a lot of a guy I know called Isaac Avel- Havel- Adelton.
Austin (as Sunder): Havelton?
Keith (as Fero): Yeah. Isaac Templeton.
Austin (as Sunder): Havelton’s my last name, and I’m not in any way related to Adelton.
Keith (as Fero): So, wait. Adelton and Ha- This sounds like a distant family thing. You sure you’re not related? Cause you act a lot alike. You look kind of alike.
Austin (as Sunder): He is a halfling, and I am a human.
Keith (as Fero): Just cause you’re- just cause you’re taller doesn't mean you’re not- you don’t look similar.
Austin (as Sunder): We’re not doing this. Throndir, do you have any leads?
Dre (as Throndir): No. I don’t think so. Have we- we obviously have-
Keith (as Fero): Isaac, do you have any leads?
Dre (as Throndir): Fero, you gonna help or you gonna be a child?
Keith (as Fero): [shouting] What? *He- What the-? Ferret Ferret!!
Austin: She is like, very- just like crosses her arms.
Austin (as Sunder): I’ll investigate on my own and let you know if I find anything, Throndir.
Keith (as Fero): She seems rude.
Dre (as Throndir): Yeah, I’m gonna go look for things on my own, too.
Austin: Do you have things to like, track stuff? What do you have?
Dre: Uh, I don’t know if I have- I don’t know if I still have hunt and track.
Austin: Or like, is there any other thing that you have that would be like, finding-?
Dre: I do have hunt and track. I mean, I’ve got Discern Realities. Uh- I don’t know. Trick Shot? Do I just shoot the magic? [laughs]
Austin: You shoot the magic. Yeah. Um-
Dre: Wow.
Art: Anything’s a trick shot if you try hard enough.
Austin: The thing- the thing that you really need is like, something connected to magic that- that he’s done which, as far as I remember, is only the teleportation thing.
Dre: Yeah.
Austin: Or no, and also the- the talking to Fero, but you don’t know about that.
Dre: Hm.
Austin: Um, from when he like, made the offer to Fero back during Cold Winter.
Dre: Yeah. I mean, I guess I could go ask actual Isaac Adelton if he has any, I don’t know, anything we could go off of.
Austin: You could do that. Does anyone else- is anyone else interrogating Isaac Adelton this week?
Ali: I’ll show up for that.
Austin: Ok.
Ali: I took responsibility.
Austin: You did.
Keith: That’s good.
Austin: Alright, you’re on the brig. You’re on the boat. You’re in the brig. And he is just like,
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I thought I was gonna be able to read books and help out and do you know, fun stuff. Why do y’all got me in the brig?
Ali (as Hella): It’s a little bit of a preliminary thing.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Who’s this? Who’s the elf?
Ali (as Hella): Oh, this is my friend, Throndir. Uh-
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Have we met? I don’t remember if we’ve met.
Dre (as Throndir): Uh-
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I’ve met a lot of elves in my ti- in my day.
Dre (as Throndir): Yeah. No, uh- your- your former boss murdered me.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): My former? Listen, I’ve had a lot of bosses over the years-
Dre (as Throndir): Arrell.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): -and I can’t- Oh. Him. Seems like something he would do. Yeah.
Ali (as Hella): [whispering] These- these are the kind of details that are keeping you here. FYI. [Keith laughs]
Dre (as Throndir): That and the whole, you know, inciting uh-
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I didn’t- I-
Dre (as Throndir): -oppression against a whole race of people.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Ok, well. I was just trying to escape the inevitable death of everything. I think you would do the same thing.
Dre (as Throndir): Ok. So, here’s the thing. Arrell has some sort of magic that’s allowing him to either tap into us here. Like, keep track of things going on here. And we need to get rid of it, but we don’t know where to start.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Uh, he’s very powerful. I don’t know why you would ask me. I- [exhaled laugh]
Dre (as Throndir): Cause you used to work for him.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah, don’t you know his- his rolodex or you know, tool list, so to speak?
Dre (as Throndir): Do you have anything that he gave you?
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I- [exhales] Sure, of course. You know, he got me a nice shirt once. Um, I uh- He helped me build my staff, but your friend, Fero, has that. Um, I- I-
Ali (as Hella): [whispering] Oh, Throndir.
Dre (as Throndir): [whispering] Uh huh?
Ali (as Hella): Do we want to just like maybe let Sunder or somebody use Isaac’s staff?
Dre (as Throndir): Uh, it’s not the worst idea.
Ali (as Hella): I’m not really ver-- really well-versed on magic. I kind of avoided it for a really long time.
Dre (as Throndir): No, it’s-
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Are you whispering? What are you- You’re- we’re- It’s rude. I’m right here. I’m in- I’m behind the bars.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah, I do this. I did this the whole time. [laughs] We met. You know this is a thing I do.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Yeah, but I wasn’t behind bars last time. I felt like it was- I had like, a fair shot. Just open the door, and we can- I’d feel like I’m more part of the conversation.
Dre (as Throndir): Yeah, please Hella, open the door.
Dre: And Throndir puts his hand on his gun.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Ok. Geez.
Austin: And he like, sits down on the bed.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): If you- [exhales] you’re lookin’ for something he has that lets him do magic stuff here. I- It’s gonna be a big bucket, you know? Magic extension spells- they’re complicated, but you just need somethin’- [sighs] The way I would do it is I would take somethin’ and really just uh, sort of uh, saute it in magical energies. Like my magical energies, you know what I mean? Just like, really just like- like boil it in there.
Keith: Like a hot-grapey. [Austin and Dre laugh]
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Like a hot-grapey. That way there’s enough magical energy on it that it could be like a- almost like a lilypad you could jump off of. You know, you put enough of those around the world, you could touch anywhere. Um- what I’ll say is, what type of spells is he doin’? Is he just watchin’? Is he listenin’? What’s he- what’s he doin’? Is he doin’ like poltergeist-type stuff? Like movin’ stuff around in a room? Like being spooky?
Dre (as Throndir): As far as we know, there hasn’t been any uh, spooky activity.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): So, how do you even know he can do anything?
Dre (as Throndir): Uh, a god told us.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Ok. Well, that seems [laughs] reliable. Um-
Austin: You do- Again, you do know- you do know that he did teleport away his like, servant from Velas. But Isaac doesn’t-
Dre (as Throndir): How did you get out?
Austin: Isaac doesn’t know that.
Ali (as Hella): Do you want to- That was Isaac’s whole thing. I- I know Isaac specifically as a teleporter. And I feel like I also don’t know that.
Austin: Arrell, Arrell, Arrell was the one doing most of that teleportation.
Ali: Yeah, yeah.
Austin: Yeah. So yeah, do you tell him about that specific thing? Sorry.
Dre: Uh, yeah. Yeah, sure.
Austin: Um, I think his eyes go wide. He’s like,
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Teleportation? From Velas? To here?
Ali (as Hella): Yeah.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): That’s- Ok. Well, pwoo, hmm. Yeah, that- Uh huh. Wow, he could teleport someone. [louder] He could teleport someone from here to Velas! That would be great!
Ali (as Hella): Are you serious?
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I’m just- I’m beh- You locked me up.
Ali (as Hella): Are you doing this right now?
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Hey! Hey! That one has a gun!
Ali (as Hella): [quietly] Oh my god.
Jack: It turns out that if Isaac Adelton likes one thing more than leaving jails, it’s persuading other people to teleport him out of jails. [Ali, Keith, and Austin laugh]
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I- Listen. If he can do that, that’s a lot of power. That’s a hard thing to do, and it would be cool to see! From right up close! [Keith laughs]
Jack: This mother-fucker.
Austin: Um, he clearly has more information is the thing I want to say right now.
Dre: Yeah.
Austin: That has clearly tipped him over into something else. But I will not give you that information without some dice rolling.
Dre: Yeah.
Jack: I mean, I’m- broadly as players, is it also worth our while maybe trying to put measures in place to stop Arrell from teleporting Isaac out?
Dre: Well, sure, but I don’t think we know how.
Jack: We would even know how to do that.
Ali: I don’t know that- Yeah.
Austin: Uh huh.
Ali: Yeah.
Dre: And that’s the problem.
Ali: I- I do have a specific move for interrogation, I just want everybody at the table to know that right now.
Austin: Uh huh. What’s that move?
Jack: Uh, is this a real scary one?
Ali: [laughs] It’s a great one. Let’s see. It is called Interrogator. When you have a private chat with an NPC, on a 10+, ask them 2 questions which they answer truthfully. On a 7-9, ask one, and then regardless of the result, the PC will not want to have anything to do with you again. Which if nobody wants anything to do with Isaac, [Austin laughs] it’s kind of a win-win for Hella Varal.
Jack: The- My worry here is that there- the language around this move is loose enough that I feel like it’s gonna let Austin make a hard move.
Ali: Uh huh. Uh huh.
[crosstalking]
Austin: If you fail. Maybe you won’t fail. You got +1 to charisma.
Ali: Yeah, it’s charisma. I have- I have so much charisma.
Jack: Right, but there’s lots of- [laughs] There’s lots of different ways someone would never want to talk to you again.
Austin: Uh huh.
Ali: Oh, yeah. I’m prepared. I also have a +3 strength.
Jack: Before we make this- [Austin, Jack, and Keith laugh] Before [laughs] You know, you’re good at 2 things. Final interrogations and punching. Before we do this, we should probably have- we should nail down the terms- the exact terms of the kind of agreement between Ephrim and Chatterchin, as to the exactly how long he is to be here.
Austin: It was this week. It was a week.
Ali: Yeah.
Austin: He said by the end of the week he has to be gone.
Jack: And what- do we know what terms of getting rid of him he’ll accept? It’s anything from killing him to him not being in the community?
Austin: He shouldn’t- Yeah. Yes.
Jack: Ok. Alright, go for it, Hella. [laughs]
Ali: Yeah, I mean, I also don’t have to use this move right now. I just wanted Throndir to know that that's an option on the table.
Dre: Yeah. Just double-checking that I-
Austin: Yeah, do you also not have any sort of-
Dre: Hmm.
Austin: -magic bullshit?
Dre: No. Not for that, I don’t. I mean, outside of, you know-
Austin: Uh huh.
Dre: We could just turn him into a vampire.
Austin: That seems like a lot.
Jack: [disapprovingly] Uh un. Uh un.
Ali: No. No. [Dre laughs]
Jack: Not a popular idea.
Ali: If you’re not gonna give him a bed, you can’t give him eternal life, you know?
Austin: Uh huh. Uh huh.
Dre: Oh yeah. No.
Jack: Also, he’s like, super annoying.
Austin: Yeah.
Keith: Oh my god.
Austin: Imagine if he was around forever?
Ali: Uh huh.
Dre: Yeah. Yeah, no. Do the thing. And I mean, I’d be happy to assist if you want on that roll.
Austin: What is your-
Ali: Sure. Yeah.
Austin: Do you have a relevant bond?
Dre: I don’t have a bond with Hella, no.
Austin: Ooo, so it’d be 2d6 just to help.
Dre: Yep.
Austin: Do you want to- We can- we can wait to roll though the help after we see if she needs it.
Ali: Oh, do you want me to just roll?
Austin: That’s what it sounds like,
Ali: Yeah, sure. Let’s roll and then-
Austin: It sounds like people are ready to roll. 2d6 plus charisma, which is one.
Ali: Ok.
Jack: Ohhh.
Austin: That’s a 6.
Dre: Alright, here we go.
Keith: Ooo, it’s help- it’s help time.
Austin: So, what’s- Yeah give me the help, and we’ll see how this works.
Dre: Eyy!
Austin: That’s a 9.
Ali: Ok. Ok.
Austin: So, it goes up to a 7. What’s this look like? Tell me what this looks and sounds like first. Hella and then Throndir, as you help.
Ali: Yeah. Um, um, ok.
Austin: With the note, regardless of the result, the NPC will not want anything to do with you ever again.
Ali: [sighs] Right. Right. Yeah. This is go time. This is-
Austin: This is one of your dark- dark servant- er death’s servant moves, right? Your dark blade moves or whatever?
Ali: Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Austin: Dark blade moves, yeah.
Ali: Um, yeah. Well, I think that it’s like, you know, Hella being like,
Ali (as Hella): I can take care of this.
Ali: -to Throndir. And asking him to like, stand by the exit while she like, approaches the bars.
Austin: Hm, ok.
Ali: Um, and it’s tough because it has to be like, a change in attitude.
Austin: Oh yeah.
Ali: But I- [laughs] I think that she- she tries to start with like, the soft thing and being like,
Ali (as Hella): Listen. You came here. I thought it would be a good fit. But it turns out, nobody likes you or wants you here.
Austin: Fuck. [Keith laughs]
Ali (as Hella): Even sort of.
Jack: Oh my god.
Keith: Super gentle. [Ali laughs] Nobody likes you or wants you here.
Ali: For Hella Varal. This is- [laughs]
Keith: Yeah, yeah.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): [stammers] Wel- [exhales]
Austin: He’s like a little shook.
Ali (as Hella): There’s a lot of- There’s a big community of gnolls here, and if it’s not something they’re gonna budge on, I’m sorry.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Are you gonna kill me? You’re gonna ki- I-
Ali (as Hella): No.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Oh, ok. Alright. [Jack laughs] Ok.
Ali (as Hella): Do you want to tell me what you know.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Uh- wish I knew anything. I- [hems and haws]
Ali (as Hella): See, Isaac. Isaac?
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): You said you weren’t gonna kill me. Remember.
Ali (as Hella): I never said that.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): You just said it.
Ali (as Hella): Hmm. I didn’t say that outloud. Throndir did you hear me say that?
Dre (as Throndir): Uh, no, I’m down the hall. What?
Ali (as Hella): Oh, weird.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): You’re not. You’re right the- I can’t- You’re- Ok. [Keith laughs] You’re both at the bars, that doesn’t make any sense. I’m the illusion mage here. That’s not- [Keith still laughing] This- this is a threat. You are gonna kill me.
Ali (as Hella): You sure did call Arrell for help right in front of my face.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I did no such thing. I was-
Ali (as Hella): You sure did that-
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): -excited.
Ali (as Hella): -in front of my face.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I was excited that he could-
Ali (as Hella): Hear you to save you.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): -get me out of here, pleeeeease.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah. Uh huh.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Pleeeease.
Ali (as Hella): Uh huh.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, but you know what? I’m gonna do my part, and then you’re gonna let me go, huh?
Ali (as Hella): Yeah.
Austin: And he’s like puffed out chest. He has to be the-
Ali: Oh, I think. It’s funny cause Hella’s been planning this literally the whole time, but she kind of does the hardball like, looking back at Throndir, kind of thinking about it.
Ali (as Hella): Let you go. Hmmm…
Dre (as Throndir): Isaac, here’s the thing.
Ali (as Hella): That’s sounds fair.
Dre (as Throndir): I mean, she couldn’t kill you right now cause the door’s locked, and we don’t even have the keys.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): You don’t have the keys?
Ali (as Hella): I have the keys. I built this door.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Ok, well-
Dre (as Throndir): Oh, I had- I had a whole thing, Hella.
Ali (as Hella): Oh. [laughs] Oh.
Austin: [laughing] Wow.
Dre (as Throndir): That’s fine. [Ali laughs hard] Alright, so anyway, she can kill you. And she probably will. And if she doesn’t, I probably would. Did I mention the part where Arrell killed me?
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Yeah. You’re still here though.
Dre (as Throndir): Hm. I’m- I’m different now. And uh- yeah. [overlapped] I killed-
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): You know, he was different when I saw him, too. It’s- It’s-
Dre (as Throndir): Oh yeah, that’s cause I killed him. Oh, I forgot to tell you that.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): You killed him. You killed him.
Dre (as Throndir): Yeah, no. I killed him.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Yikes. Ok. I- I’m gettin’ the picture. Um- how about this? We come to an agreement. You bring me over to the other side of the water, way far away from your people. I’ll tell you what I know. And then you let me leave. And we are all good. And then you never have to see me again. Not you, not the gnolls. No one. In fact, if you ever see me, I’ll be a different person, anyway. You know how it goes. The magic stuff. You can even keep the staff. I’ll find a new staff. It’s ok. But if you could bring it to me though, I would appreciate it a lot.
Ali (as Hella): You don’t want to just quit doing that for like a year?
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I quit doing it for like, a bunch of years. It was boring, frankly.
Ali (as Hella): But like, not in a bubble. Like, not in a magic bubble where you’re safe and everything, but like- Just-
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): You want me to do more dangerous stuff not in the safe place.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): No! [Ali and Keith laugh] It’s the only thing I’m good at.
Ali (as Hella): Ugh. You’re so annoying. I get it. [Keith laughs hard]
Jack: Hella has learned. [Ali laughs.]
Austin: Yeah, uh huh. Finally come around.
Ali (as Hella): Yeah, that’s fine. That’s- I- You know what? I was being honest with you the whole time, Isaac. I thought this would work out, and it isn’t. It- Wherever you want to go and be a weirdo, you can go do that.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Alright, alright.
Ali (as Hella): I would prefer you to tell me what you know while you’re in here though.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): About what? Specifically?
Ali (as Hella): About Arrell and-
Austin (using Isaac’s voice): Cause you get 1 question, according to the rules. [Ali and Jack laugh] So, make it a good one.
Dre: What does the bucket look like? [Austin laughs]
Austin: Right.
Ali: No, cause the thing that he got interested in was like, ‘Oh, wow. Arrell can do that so much farther than I thought.’ So, it’s not even like-
Austin: Yeah. But you can ask him whatever. You can ask him whatever. The rule is you have one question.
Ali: Right, right. Yeah.
Austin: If you had 2, I would feel like the 2 would have been, ‘what is Arrell’s conduit here’ and also, ‘how did you get out of the bubble?’ or something, but you only have one, so you have to make that choice.
Ali: Right. Right. And the conduit is the more important one.
Austin: That’s up for y’all to decide, for sure.
Dre: I bet-
Art: I thought Arrell explicitly told us how one gets out of the bubble.
Austin: He did.
Art: Ok.
Ali: But Isaac apparently got out by himself, and then Arrell was mad at him, and then it was like a whole thing. And like-
Art: But I thought the point of the bubble was that anyone could get out of the bubble if they wanted to get out of the bubble.
Austin: Eventually, yes. That’s what Arrell said. Arrell said on a long enough timeline, someone could learn how to leave the bubble.
Ali: Yeah, but Arrell’s whole thing is like, ‘you gotta be in there cause the storm is coming.‘
Austin: Uh huh.
Ali: ‘And you gotta be in there.‘
Jack: ‘And I’m deciding.’ [Ali laughs]
Ali: Um, yeah. Throndir, do you agree that the conduit is the most important question here?
Dre: Yes.
Ali: And then like, bigger picture Arrell stuff, we’ll get afterwards.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): So, I- [laughs softly] It’s funny because the only thing I can think of that would be a conduit strong enough for that is a living one, you know. It’s- someone who has been totally just- Someone who has already allowed Arrell to make them a conduit or maybe not specifically a conduit, but someone who has had a magic ritual performed on them. Like me. And so, it’s funny cause you said, ‘Oh, there was this thing that happened.’ I thought maybe cause I was here. But uh, I guess maybe- Did Arrell ever put anybody else in a bubble? That you know?
Ali (as Hella): Yeah.
Dre (as Throndir): No. No.
Jack: Is Throndir just telling a very- a very calm lie here? [Austin and Ali laugh]
Dre: Yeah, uh huh. Uh huh.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I’m gettin’ mixed messages, and that’s ok. Let me off this boat. You promised.
Dre (as Throndir): Yeah.
Ali (as Hella): I can take you upstream a little bit, and then- yeah.
Dre (as Throndir): [sighs] Listen, I’ll go get Corsica Neue, and then she can escort him.
Austin: [laughs] There’s some good chat messages happening over here in the- in the chat. Uh, Art says, ‘Oh fuck. I will kill every one of you. Sorry.’ And then changes to Hadrian, Sword of Samothes, Defender of the Undying Fire, Officer of the Order of Eternal Princes in chat and says, ‘I will kill every one of you.’ And Adaire says, ‘How do you feel about camping with your son forever, Hadrian?’ [Keith and Ali laugh] They built a house together. Yeah, so you go and you let him off on the other side of the bank? Or- or what? What do you do?
Dre: Uh, I’m very much a fan of having Corsica Neue escort him off the premises.
Ali: Oh. Wouldn’t that be like- wouldn’t the gnolls? Is that too much?
Dre: [makes ‘I don’t know’ noise]
Austin: I- that-
Dre: For Throndir, it’s not.
Austin: I think that Throndir is making a little wink at the camera.
Dre: Yes.
Ali: [laughing] Ok.
Austin: I think-
Ali: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right, right, right.
Austin: I think he is saying, ‘We should let Corsica kill him.’
Ali: Yeah. Ok. Yeah. Sure.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Where are you goin’? What? You said you would just- [sighs] Hey, no. Where? Come on.
Austin: And the two of you leave, presumably?
Ali: Um, yeah.
Dre: Yeah. I got what I needed, yeah.
Austin: And then Corsica shows up. And I don’t think we see what happens. [Ali laughs] But if no one else is interfering then that is the end of Isaac Adelton.
Keith: I’m not there. I don’t know that this is happening.
Austin: You do not know. Farewell.
Ali: Lem wanted to do something. Is that-?
Jack: It is not- It is not gonna be relevant if he is killed by-
Ali: Ok.
Jack: -Corsica Neue. I just- and I mean, maybe- maybe- I- [sighs]
Austin: Oh, I- Sorry I missed that. I totally missed Jack. I missed you in the chat saying, ‘Can I try something before we get rid of him?’
Dre: Oh, I did, too.
Austin: My bad.
Jack: Um, I was just- [sighs] Sometime in the past, Lem had an interesting experience with a plant.
Austin: Uh huh.
Jack: And I wonder if we had-
Keith: Yeah, we did. [Austin laughs]
Jack: I wonder if we- I wonder if there is some way that we could do something similar, but if we’re just gonna kill him, that’s- that is moot. However, if we want to have some sense of where he is, that’s also something we can try.
Dre: Is this like a- like a plant tracker?
Jack: Yeah.
Austin: Yeah, that is what- that is what um-
Jack: [overlapping] Morbash
Austin: [overlapping] Morbash had been doing with Lem during Winter. Lem had been- he gave Lem this one plant to take care of, but really-
Jack: A Velasian thyme plant.
Austin: Yeah.
Jack: And was just like, ‘Look after this plant’, and it was like the equivalent of giving someone like a beeping tracker device. [Austin laughs] And Lem was like, I will cause the beeping tracker device to flourish. [laughs]
Austin: [laughs] Yes.
Jack: I am fully on team ‘this might be the end of the road for Isaac’ both narratively and because he’s- he’s a real piece of crap. Um, but if we think he might be more useful to us as a kind of entity out in the world that we have some idea of where he is, it’s at least worth a try to perform that kind of a pattern.
Ali: Yeah, I think the only thing that I’m curious of, and like, I only got the one question, so it’s like whatever, but like if he’s like, ‘Oh, Arrell did the same ritual on me’ like is that like an ongoing thing forever? Like, can that be undone like it was- was it even undone for Isaac in that way?
Jack: Right.
Austin: Oh, the answer is no.
Ali: Oh ok.
Austin: I’m happy to have that be a roll-up in the thing. Like, but what he was basically saying was like, he could use anyone he puts in a bubble as a conduit to do magic via forever.
Ali: Oh.
Austin: Maybe there’s a counterspell someone could learn to undo that, but like-
Ali: Ok.
Austin: -you know. That is what is- that is what is happening here.
Jack: If- if anything, this makes me want to put a tracker on him or to try and put a tracker on him or I know it’s not a done deal. Um, because it he then goes and you know- then we can get information- limited information, but we can get some kind of information from him out and about, right?
Austin: I will say, and this is not a- I’m- what I will say is I’m not gonna make you roll to do this sort of tracker on him, as long as you can tell me what it is because I currently don’t have any plans for Isaac Adelton. [Ali, Dre and Jack laugh]
Ali: Yeah.
Austin: Which is not a- you know, never say never.
Jack: No.
Austin: Maybe I- maybe I change my mind in 3 weeks. Like, ‘ah-ha! He secretly was working with Arrell the whole-’ But that’s not what’s happening here. He is not a secret Arrell spy. He is not secretly in Arrell’s good graces or being used by Arrell.
Ali: Right, and he’s not like-
Austin: Arrell heard him call-
Keith: Isaac is never in anyone’s good graces.
Austin: Yes, correct.
Keith: He’s a shithead idiot.
Austin: Yes. Who occasionally is useful.
Jack: Right. Right.
Keith: Right.
Ali: Yeah.
Keith:Because he’s a magical liar.
Austin: Right.
Keith:And that’s kind of all he can do is make something look like something else.
Austin: Yes, and he’s amoral and bad.
Keith: And- and like, weasels his way- weasel his way out of like, situations, I guess by being sort of like, a helpless little worm.
Austin: Uh huh.
Jack: Ok, so I think I would much rather you had a chess piece beside the board, Austin, than knocked into a box.
Austin: [laughs] Fair.
Jack: So, I think at this moment, Lem comes into the- comes into the jail.
Austin: Yeah.
Jack (as Lem): Sorry, am I interrupting something?
Ali (as Hella): Not especially. Hi. Hey. Hi.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Hey, Lem!
Jack (as Lem): Um.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Hey!
Jack (as Lem): Did we get anything?
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I love the violin. It’s great.
Dre (as Throndir): Yeah, we got something.
Ali (as Hella): We got some stuff.
Jack (as Lem): Ok. And what are we-? Are we killing him?
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): [laughs] Oh-ho. No. [Keith laughs]
Ali: I think Hella like, gives a little shrug. Like a little- like a- how do you shrug to someone, but you like, whisper it? [Dre and then Ali laugh]
Jack: I think it’s just a pointed stare, right? It’s just like a- it’s just a glance at that point.
Ali: Yeah. Just a-
Art: Is it just not much of a shrug? Just like-
Jack: Yeah.
Ali: Yeah, I think she- [laughs] Lem says, ‘are we killing him?’ and Hella immediately makes eye contact with Throndir.
Austin: Yeah, that’s good.
Jack (as Lem): I don’t think we should kill him.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): [stammers] The orc’s got it. For sure.
Jack (as Lem): I think we should take him out. We should take him out past the river, and we should uh- and we should let him go.
Jack: And I- I do the same gesture that Hella and Throndir just did.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): That sounds like a euphemism still for killing me.
Jack (as Lem): No. No, it’s not. We’ve been talking-
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Well, I- O.K.
Jack (as Lem): Uh, the-
Keith: Isaac is-
Jack: Oh, go on.
Keith: Sorry, I just have a joke. Isaac is the only person on earth who begging to not be killed [Jack laughs] is like really not helping his case. [Austin laughs]
Jack (as Lem): We’ve been talking. We’ve been talking to um, you know, the Baron Ephrim or Lord Ephrim, myself, Corsica Neue. And while we’re not willing to have you here-
Jack: And Lem is just like, throwing glances at Hella and Throndir this whole time.
Jack (as Lem): We’d like to put you into a more formal kind of exile.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Formal? That sounds good. You know, like a nice like, a tie and like, a title. The Exile, Isaac Adelton. Adventurer King.
Jack (as Lem): Well, it’s something like that.
Ali (as Hella): Just say adventurer.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): No one cares about adventurers.
Jack (as Lem): No, I’m- I’m with Hella. Well…
Ali (as Hella): What are you talking-? Oh god, this is why I genuinely wanted this to work out. [laughs]
Jack (as Lem): Me, too.
Ali (as Hella): And it’s not.
Jack (as Lem): And as such, I’m prepared to give you a gift.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): A gift? Ok.
Jack: And Lem takes from his pocket a piece of grass. Like a- a blade of grass.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Uh.
Jack: And he loops it around his finger and twists it into a little ring and then cuts the grass off with his fingernail. Um and cups it in his hands for a moment and hands it over to Isaac. And he says,
Jack (as Lem): You’re an illusion mage. This is a- well, it’s a ring made of grass right now, but uh, I’m sure you’ll find it easy to make it like-
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Did you make me an orc god? Did you just make me the orc- the orc god of - the Duke of Grass, Isaac Adelton. Is that what you just did?
Jack (as Lem): Well, that’s not how it works. [Austin laughs] What I gave you Isaac is a ring that will look like any ring.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Any ring? Can I put it on?
Jack (as Lem): Take it. Uh, but there’s something important about this, Isaac. If it leaves your person for longer than one night, it loses its power completely. Isn’t that right, Hella?
Ali (as Hella): Oh, yeah. You should have seen the grass that Lem gave me. It’s just grass now. [Ali, Austin, and Jack laugh]
Austin: He like, gives you a look. He’s trying to see through you. He sniffs it. The ring.
Jack (as Lem): It’s just grass.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): It’s normal grass, right?
Jack (as Lem): It’s just grass.
Austin: He goes to put it on his ring finger,
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): [disapprovingly] Uh un. Uh un.
Austin: Switches hand. Pinky finger. Pinky ring.
Ali: Oh.
Austin: Big, ugly ring as it slips onto his finger. Um, it is- [sighs] It is like- it is bad because what it is is effectively a sign of every group he wishes he was part of.
Jack: Oh god.
Austin: So like, it is- like it has the three vertical lines of the disciples of- of Fantasmo slash disciples of Samot. It has you know, um, the Samothes- the Dark Sun you know, single ring. It has like, all of those various symbols on it, and it looks like- it’s basically like a high school graduation ring or like a Superbowl ring. Do you know what I mean? It’s gigantic and etched all over.
Jack (as Lem): Wow. Isaac, it’s beautiful.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I know. I know. I know. Thank you. This really makes me feel special. I- you know- Hella, you gotta watch her. She doesn’t know how to do this, but you-
Jack (as Lem): Isaac, this is a gift of exile. You are not to come back .
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Ok. Of course. Of course. Of- yeah, of course. Thank you for making me your exile. It means a lot. The Exile. Yeah. I can work with that.
Keith: Does he know what exile means?
Jack: I don’t think he knows what exile means.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): It’s romantic. It’s romantic. I can go to-
Jack (as Lem): I don’t think it’s romantic. [Keith laughs]
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): I can go into a new town, and I can say, ‘Ah, yeah. I was- I was at the University once, but then I was exiled. I- you know- politics.’
Keith: And then people know how to trust- they can trust you.
Austin (as Isaac Adelton): Yeah, cause they know. They know you can’t trust powerful people. You can trust Isaac.
Jack: God. I want to be clear, Lem doesn’t- Lem still doesn’t know about the plant. Uh, this absolute coincidence.
Austin: Ok good.
Jack: This is Lem going, ‘the orcs have a method for tracking people. They can make a pattern that causes objects to look like other objects that are tracking devices.
Austin: Great. Good.
Jack: He is utterly oblivious about the plant.
[Jack de Quidt’s “Something” begins playing in the background]
Austin: Perfect. Good. Alright, and he is exiled. And he stomps off into the- into the woods with like-
Jack: Past Hadrian?
Austin: Almost certainly, right? [Keith laughs] He’s already found a big stick that he is slowly like, carving away to try to make it into a- a staff. It will not be a very powerful staff, you know? Alright, who else has stuff going on?
[Music plays out to end]
[1] The name in the audio recording is no longer in use, hence the audio/transcript discrepancy.