Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to explorers of elsewhere's Alicia rising campaign. Hi.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: Hello.
[00:00:08] Speaker A: Hello.
I am DM Dan. I'm joined with my ever loyal cadre of cult followers.
Feels like that sometimes, doesn't it? Right.
I'm not paying you and you just keep on turning up. So. So it's almost like a cult. How are we all doing? We all good.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: Good. Good.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: Amazing. Amazing. Welcome back, Meg. Thank you. Good to be back. We've. We've traded a JC for a meg.
Yes.
You've missed out, Meg.
It has been a bit of a roller coaster in your absence, but I'm sure the very unsubtle re injection of Frida will absolutely calm things down.
[00:01:00] Speaker B: She'll come in like a wrecking ball.
[00:01:02] Speaker A: Amazing. Amazing.
When we last left the crew, you were.
You were mid score and things. Things were going from worst to worser. Worst, worst, worst.
And. Yeah, we decided that we just couldn't. We couldn't handle any more unfortunate emotional damage. Emotional damage. So, yes, we're gonna find out what's gonna happen with the conclusion of that school.
Who's ready? Who? Mega. Are you ready?
[00:01:47] Speaker B: Oh, I think so. I think so.
[00:01:49] Speaker A: Yeah. Everyone else do it?
[00:01:52] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:01:55] Speaker D: Ghosts.
[00:02:01] Speaker A: Welcome to Elysia, the jewel of the north. On our gilded streets, fortune and fame can be found by anyone.
[00:02:12] Speaker C: Hi, I'm Julia and I'm playing Magpie, an ace of our lurk.
[00:02:17] Speaker E: Hi, I'm Nate and I'm playing cavern, a dragon scent slide.
[00:02:23] Speaker B: Hi, I'm Meg. I'm playing Frieda, a wolfkin cutter.
[00:02:28] Speaker D: Hi, I'm JC and I'll be playing Alganon, an ace of our spider.
Hello, I'm Erol. I am playing atta, a goblin whispered.
[00:02:38] Speaker A: And my name is DM Dan. I will be the games master on this adventure. So come on in and marvel at our wonders.
[00:02:47] Speaker B: Make sure you see the beautiful views we have to offer. And don't mind the ghosts. They're friendly, really. Grab yourselves a seat and make yourselves welcome.
[00:02:58] Speaker C: In the city of Elysia.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: Most view war as a brutish and barbaric phenomena, exemplified by painful memories of the war between gods only years ago, which resulted in the cataclysmic event known by some as the Eschaton.
The war for the streets of Elysia, by comparison, is subtle and ever changing. In the power vacuum left by the death of Algarve, the factions jostle and vie with one another, gaining and losing power in their shadowy conflict.
Some, however, choose to forego discretion when it comes to achieving victory over one's foes. An all out assault with immediately noticeable and tangible consequences is preferable to these people, leading to a predictable response from their enemy. And so on and so on.
This intermingling dance of cause and effect ripples across alicia, accelerating with each passing day, guided by the dancers who know that the dance is soon to come to an end.
And so we find Atta and Magpie in the grand hall of the osprey's mausoleum, both reeling from a series of events that have unfolded in extremely quick succession. Magpie from one end of the hall over the like the carpet of mushrooms that have been grown and harvested, seemingly in secret, fed by what appears to be the mulched and decomposing remains of Elysia's dead.
You see Atta holding a large glass orb that is thrumming with a what? It pulses with an ever so slight, like a faint light that's brighter in the darkened room that you find yourself in. But you can see a number of almost sort of like liquid shapes sloshing around inside in an erratic and chaotic manner.
And atta, we find you clutching this ghost orb, which in a matter of moments after being opened, seems to just fill with a half dozen spirits which their faces pressed against the inside of the glass, in their faces contorted in screams and looks of scaredness.
Scared looks.
And as you've glanced around, as you've put the soul searcher glasses on, you've noticed that the hall, the large kind of space of the hall above you, is filled with motes of light.
And you've. You've been able to insinuate that the story of what happens to people that die in Elysia being carted away so their ghosts can be safely destroyed is likely a lie.
We also flashback to Cavern, who you find yourself staring at. The back of the head of the Auron sprite in front of you, the sprite dressed in fine clothing.
The sound of the gulp of Odomus golden chain jingling against itself as he lead you away from Tavarian's crypt. And you are painfully, acutely aware that tavarian spirit seems to be lingering around her body's resting spot and you have not yet managed to obtain it.
But first things first. An atta, as you look at the orb and you look up to the mote of light that is Magpie, what do you do?
[00:07:57] Speaker D: So the car, the rat crate. Rat catching crate part is loaded with this. There should be compartments where I've taken these bottles out and I filled one already with our quota for, uh. Um. Um. Yeah.
[00:08:19] Speaker A: Umi. Yes, umi.
[00:08:22] Speaker D: The wonderful. Umi, um, if I remember correctly, Magpie had the earring with.
[00:08:29] Speaker C: Who's got the other earring? Is it cavern? I feel like it was a cavern. Yeah.
[00:08:35] Speaker E: It might actually have been Catherine, because I think you.
[00:08:38] Speaker D: You did it. You did a little. I found her, I think.
[00:08:42] Speaker C: Yeah. Did a little. A little linking up on the mission.
So I do. I do have a hotline to cavern right now.
[00:08:51] Speaker D: Okay, pretty sure hotline to hot boy, anyway.
[00:08:57] Speaker C: Hot boy in hot water.
[00:09:00] Speaker D: Right.
I think atta is going to carefully. Gosh, I suppose take, because you've. Magpie, you've been trying to gather the people.
[00:09:15] Speaker C: To gather the people and failed. Spectacular.
I tried to. Yeah. Tried to channel my booming noble. And it was bad.
[00:09:27] Speaker A: Yeah, unfortunately. So.
[00:09:30] Speaker D: So I think Atta is going to maybe kind of hide the full bottle upon their person immediately, because a single bottle is slightly easier to hide.
We don't need the full crates, but kind of push over. Push the kind of crates and stuff over to Magpie.
That's all kind of badly, kind of give goofy the sole one.
Maybe you head out with this and the crates and try and escape.
[00:10:13] Speaker C: It's really hard to be stealthy when you've got a load of crates.
Sorry, I mean, I'm sneaky. I'm not magic at a.
Oh, gosh.
Would it not look better if the rat catcher left the crates and I went to.
[00:10:31] Speaker D: Yeah, sure. I'll, uh, load up because I don't want the bottles. I don't want the empty bottles being found either.
[00:10:41] Speaker A: Um, as you. As the two of you are sort of like, trying to figure out the best course of action, um, your. You and the other occupants, and like, the workers in this main hall, are startled as the front doors to the mausoleum are thrown open. And like, a corridor of light beams.
Beams in what? Well, you can see light creeping under the sort like the drape that separates the main hall from sort of like the front doors, but you can hear, like, a commotion. You can hear the sounds of many footsteps rushing, like, in. And like, light does bloom into the room as the drapers pulled aside. And one of the sort of mercenary guards stands at the opposite end of the hall to u two.
And with a look of, kind of concern on his face, he declares, we need everyone to stop what they're doing and please follow me.
No, no need to be alarmed, but we do require your urgency.
This way, please. This way. And he starts, like, beckoning the farmers, like, towards him. And then, so, like, spying to you, you two as well. This way, this way.
[00:12:12] Speaker C: See? He can do it. No problem. Doesn't have to roll, does he? Okay, so I think I probably.
I'm gonna stand a better chance of slinking away in. In the sort of commotion than atta, I suspect. So I kind of give atta a little pat on the shoulder and just sort of melt off into. Into shadows.
[00:12:36] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:12:37] Speaker D: Instead of giving you the full bottle to slink away with atta, then we'll swap it for one of the empty ones. Yeah, just in case you get a chance.
[00:12:45] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
[00:12:47] Speaker A: Okay, so, Magpie, in which case, as there's the, like, amongst all the commotion of the farmers filtering through the hall, like, and you hear people looking at one another, asking one of the happening, and you noted, like, at you noticed this guard is kind of beckoning everyone with kind of greater urgency.
You're led outside, but they can be like the confusion gives you an opportunity to slink away, Magpie.
Separately.
Cavern as you like, your kind of sandwich between odal mercenary and the. The little old deer that's been kind of following you around. Lulu. Lulu. When you hear a number of footsteps running towards your location and some mercenary guards appear and sort of like they run up to Odel Merce. Odalmirs stops and you can see his head's tilted.
What is it? What is the matter? You hear the bright say, um, sir, we. What? Like one of the guards begins, uh, sir, we. And then she stops as she looks at you, cavern and Lulu behind you. Um, and like this, this mercenary kind of leans down and we have unexpected visitors. She whispers, but not quietly enough for you not to hear it.
And you see Odor. Mercer's kind of shoulders rise slightly.
Who, pray tell, are the wanted visitors and the two mercenaries look at one another and it's the shield of Elysia.
Odal Merce swears very quietly under his breath and then turns and I'm afraid our meeting will have to wait.
I will leave you here with Lulu.
I'm hoping that this, this isn't the normal induction experience, but I hope it doesn't shake your resolve in working at this establishment.
Please. Of course not.
[00:15:15] Speaker E: Of course not.
[00:15:16] Speaker A: Very good. Please excuse me. He nods to lulu, looks to the mercenaries, and then, like, you see this spike scurry with pace, and lulu kind of looks you and oh, I wonder why the shield are here.
Oh. And she as, like odomus disappears around the corner. She stands there and like she's got a finger to her bottom lip, and then she.
Oh, I've got. I've got to.
Don't. Don't move, dear. And she scurries off in the other direction, just kind of leaving you in this corridor on your own, not more than a, like, dozens of meters away from tavarean's crypt. Balulu kind of scurries off in the direction of the room where you first met her. Sort of like the office type area.
[00:16:09] Speaker E: Kavin's gonna go. Oh, of course, of course. I'll wait for you here. And then as soon as she's out of sight, I'm bolting it back.
[00:16:17] Speaker A: Okay.
In which case, as you kind of beeline back towards tavarian's crypt, you, like magpie, you kind of come round a corner.
You have to, like, duck into a corner as you hear footsteps coming. And you see, like two mercenaries flanking who you know to be odor Mercer.
And they appear to be heading to us like a side exit out into the mausoleum grounds, like proper.
And you, as they go, you hear one of the mercenaries saying, are we. What are you proposing? Do we. Is this an attack?
An odal merce is quiet, but there's a look of anger written, like, etched across his face.
Yeah, they disappear. You're able to scoot on past them, and you find. You catch up with cavern in the corridor, stood outside a crypt.
[00:17:29] Speaker C: Something's going on. Did you get the ghost?
[00:17:32] Speaker E: I didn't, but I'm gonna try again one more time.
[00:17:36] Speaker A: Here's the crypt.
[00:17:38] Speaker C: That's about it.
[00:17:41] Speaker A: The crypt door has been locked by Lulu.
[00:17:45] Speaker E: Right?
[00:17:46] Speaker C: And Magpie just immediately gets to work on unlocking the door.
[00:17:51] Speaker A: Absolutely.
I'm going to say that this is a risky standard still.
[00:17:58] Speaker C: Okay.
My tinker is two pips. I am quite stressed, so I think I'm using.
[00:18:05] Speaker A: You are using your fine lock picks.
[00:18:08] Speaker C: My fine lock picks? Yeah.
[00:18:09] Speaker A: In which case you can increase your standard to greater.
[00:18:14] Speaker C: Really?
[00:18:15] Speaker A: Mm hmm.
[00:18:16] Speaker C: I've totally forgotten how to play this game. Cool.
[00:18:22] Speaker A: Partial success.
[00:18:23] Speaker C: Okay, five. Not bad.
[00:18:25] Speaker A: So you, like, pull your lock picks out, and you start furiously trying to unpick the lock on this crypt door.
And it unlocks with a like, because it's a effectfully. It's one of those large turnkey ones. So you've got to get the heavy duties in, but it clogs satisfyingly. And the door swings open.
But as the door. As the door creaks, as it swings towards. Swings away from you into the crypt, you hear, like, through, like, through the walls, a voice from outside. Bellow.
[00:19:09] Speaker C: Uh, quickly, inside. Come on.
[00:19:11] Speaker A: Cavern and cavern like, you also hearing that voice. You're hearing that booming voice.
You recognize it as someone who's using, like, low level divine magic to amplify their voice. They're using thaumaturgy to boost the volume. And it seems whoever these visitors are making a show of things, you are now in a desperate position.
[00:19:45] Speaker C: We love it.
[00:19:49] Speaker A: But, yes, the gate is swung open. You've now got unfettered access to tavarian script.
[00:19:54] Speaker C: So the shield is part of the faith, right?
Yeah, I always think guard when I hear shield, but actually, no, it's. Is it like the faith's crack squad or something? Like, oh, well, we suddenly all doesn't know. We can't say. All right. We know that they mean business, though.
[00:20:17] Speaker A: Yeah. So now the. Now the gates open. What you doing?
[00:20:21] Speaker C: So we are going to duck in and close the door behind us for sure, as quietly as possible.
I would like to tell me about this room, because Magpie's not been in this room before. She's most interested in the table that tavareans on. Like, can it be hidden behind? And also, what are her exit points, if any?
[00:20:40] Speaker A: So you like this iron? It's effectively like an iron gate that's just swung open into. What is it? Almost like a ten by 20 foot room. Like, it's very small. It is just a little kind of mausoleum. Crypt room. Like, stone walls, stone everything.
Immediately in front of you, like, middle of the room, up to the firewall is a sarcophagus with Tavareans covered body.
[00:21:12] Speaker C: And is. Are there drapes around this table? Like, if we were to cross, crouch behind it, would we be visible or.
[00:21:18] Speaker D: No.
[00:21:19] Speaker A: For all extents and purposes, the room that you're in, if you take the slab that Tavareen's on, it effectively makes a u shape.
So the only places you could reasonably hide to either side of the iron gates, it's an open.
It's a relatively open room.
This. Yeah, you wouldn't want to get caught here, for example.
[00:21:42] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:21:46] Speaker A: Yeah. What's the plan?
[00:21:50] Speaker E: Cavern now feeling the sort of desperation of the situation and also completely beefing it, like, twice is gonna go, like, third times a charm. And he's gonna use emergent divinity to see if he can grab them.
[00:22:07] Speaker C: Us. What that does, Cavern, because you're quite stressed.
[00:22:10] Speaker E: Well, it doesn't cost any stress.
It automatically bypasses the roll. It automatically succeeds in the roll, but it does accumulate to heat.
[00:22:19] Speaker C: That's nice. That's fine. We'll take the heat.
[00:22:23] Speaker A: So as you like. Are you taking. Are you using the same orb that you've been trying with or are you taking the one that magpies come with.
[00:22:33] Speaker E: I will try and use the one that I've already. I've already got. I don't know whether or not magpies.
[00:22:37] Speaker C: Got one, so I probably told you.
[00:22:40] Speaker E: You'Re like, wait, I've got another one.
[00:22:41] Speaker C: We both get one out. Get our all out.
[00:22:46] Speaker A: Okay, so, uh, yeah, Catherine, as you try again for the third time, and you sort of let you close your eyes, you focus, and you can, like, you notice as you close your eyes and, like, your head tilts slightly from side to side, you can almost feel the presence of Tavareen as, like, you can feel this sort of, like, anguish, this. This isolation, this loss, kind of permeating the room that you're in. And as you focus and your.
Your divinity begins to emerge. What does that look like to magpie again?
[00:23:24] Speaker E: To magpie, as she's already seen it before. It's that glowing sort of bright blue that sort of emanates from it. But it probably looks not as violent as it did when she saw it in the keep. It probably looks more. It looks more calm. It looks more emanating from him.
Almost like he's using his divinity to go Tavare into the bottle.
[00:23:53] Speaker A: Sure.
Okay.
And in which case, as you sort of, like. As you focus in Magpie, like, the room. Like, the room around you begins to light up as cavern begins to glow.
Cavern? As you look up with these kind of blazing white eyes, like, blazing blue eyes. Sorry.
You can almost see. See the outline of Tavare looking at you with a sense of serenity.
And she, like, her outline, begins to fade and vanish.
And as you're, like, you close your eyes and your shoulders slump. And as you open them back and take your breath, as, like, your.
Your divinity kind of peters out for a second, you notice that the orb you're holding is slightly cooler to the touch, and there's a mistiness inside it.
[00:24:51] Speaker E: I think I got it this time. And he's gonna pass the orb to Magpie, and he's gonna go, like, do what you do best. Keep to the shadows. I'll go back and, you know, not make my activities known.
[00:25:06] Speaker C: Are you sure? We have to get out of here. Something's happening.
[00:25:09] Speaker E: If I'm with Lulu, she'll protect me. I'll be absolutely fine.
[00:25:13] Speaker C: Who's Lulu? Oh, the old.
[00:25:16] Speaker E: We'll talk about her later.
[00:25:17] Speaker C: We'll talk about.
[00:25:17] Speaker B: It's a gem.
[00:25:18] Speaker E: She's a gem.
[00:25:19] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:25:20] Speaker A: Okay.
What route is Magpie taking out?
[00:25:25] Speaker C: The quickest one. That's also not gonna attract attention what.
[00:25:30] Speaker A: Are you gonna kind of go out the front, try and catch the last of the.
[00:25:34] Speaker C: The workers, as I fear if that is a way I can sneak out, sort of sneak out in plain sight, then that would be. But somehow concealing, maybe. Maybe I'm great with child.
I'm having to work to keep, to keep the fires lit for my growing family.
[00:25:55] Speaker A: Well, as a side, you do all know that Algernon is waiting for you on the barge.
So if you make it to the eastern edge of the mausoleum, there's a, like a semi submerged. Well, there's a grate basically out onto the canal.
So if you're able to get to that, that is your extraction point. Unless you want to go off plan and get out a different way.
[00:26:23] Speaker C: As long as I'm not. I don't come across any shield on the way. I will take that route, yes.
[00:26:30] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay. In which case is your beeline that way?
Cavern. How are you extracting?
[00:26:39] Speaker E: I am. I'm gonna go with my interview. I'm gonna go back to where Lulu is, like, where Lulu expected me to be waiting. I'm gonna go back and wait for her.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: In which case, um, like slightly, like.
[00:26:56] Speaker E: Wetting a little bit.
[00:27:01] Speaker A: You find Lulu sort of, like in the office, and she appears. You notice her, like, locking everything, and then she turns to you and, oh, I completely forgot about you.
Take a seat. It'll calm down soon. She says, magpies, you make it out and you've been escorted out of the hall by the mercenaries and the, like, the other farmers.
And you're kind of in this large group of very confused looking workers. There's chatter amongst them. No one really knows what's going on. But you notice that the mercenaries almost seem to have formed a bit of a pen around you, like keeping you, keeping the workers all kind of. Of contained in like, in one group. But you can see that there is a large commotion going on at the gates to the mausoleum grounds. A number of the mercenaries have kind of almost effectively formed a blockade. And beyond them you can see that there's a large cohort of red and yellow tabard wearing, like, well, shield bearers and peer like. You have to squint slightly, but towering over the other shield bearers by a good foot or so is this absolutely monstrous Loravar towering over the other, the other shield bearers.
And you notice from the white, like, buzz cut hair, the beard, and like, the gleaming gold armor, you're pretty sure that leading this warband is Zarn Martok, the leader of the shield of Alicia and your suspicions are confirmed when he starts calling out Odal Mercer on. But his voice is amplified to a booming volume and you can see, like, his skin is slightly glowing from, like, divine magic. Magic.
Come out and face me, you rat. His voice bellows out, and as magpie begins to emerge, you see from a side exit, like, side entrance, odel mer strides out, flanked by these two mercenary guards.
And, like, you see, like, the sprites hands waving, and he's shouting something, but his voice is utterly drowned out by the leader of the shield of Alicia.
And as, like as you, as Magpie, you spot at her in the crowd of these workers, and you notice that some of the. The mercenaries have kind of peeled off to see what's happening now that odor. Mercers arrived, do you take the opportunity to Scarpa?
[00:30:08] Speaker C: Mm hmm. Yeah, I'm scuttling.
[00:30:10] Speaker A: Yeah. Is there anything you're doing ata before? Like, say you've seen. You've seen Magpie, but is there anything you're doing now that this showdown has begun?
[00:30:23] Speaker D: So we're kind of penned in. I kind of want to.
[00:30:26] Speaker A: Yeah, you were almost like, kettled. But some of the mercenaries you have, like, peeled away so that the group is still kind of clustered in a bit of a circle, but you're no longer ringed off because these mercenaries want to see what's. What's happening.
[00:30:41] Speaker D: Okay. If it feels like I can use some sneaky prowl to get away, than I will without anything. But if I need to, I can cause some kind of distraction.
[00:30:56] Speaker C: Release some rats.
[00:30:59] Speaker A: It does look like the mercenaries attentions are kind of all focused on odal, merce and Zata.
[00:31:09] Speaker C: I feel as if I would want to get to a safe distance and watch, because this is.
This is some popcorn worthy theatre that's going on right now.
[00:31:21] Speaker A: Um, in which case, yeah, as you like. Well, the voice is booming enough that even as you. If you start to make your way to the extraction point where Algernon both are waiting for. For you, you can still hear the voice and cavern you. Even though you're still in the mausoleum, you can hear the.
Well, you can hear one side of it for sure, but, yeah, as odor mers kind of strides to, like, disappears through his small army of mercenaries, you hear Zahn's voice shouting out, Odomusaran, you have been found guilty of dealing with spirits and other dangerous apparitions.
Your artifacts will bring upon the end of Alicia, and we will not abide it.
And Atta, as you like, slink away, you stop and you start to put the dots together and realize, oh, he's talking about the lightning lure.
[00:32:33] Speaker D: Nice.
[00:32:33] Speaker C: Oops.
[00:32:36] Speaker A: And the two of you kind of duck through the grate. And you see Algernon stood like Roth and Algaon on the barge. And Algaon looks to you, and this. I don't think this was part of the plan.
And Aganon looks to the two of you and what. Where is Cavern?
[00:33:02] Speaker C: I think he's on his induction.
He'll catch up with us, don't worry.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: Very well, he says.
And like, with the nod to roath.
Yeah. Roth sort like pushes the barge off from against the canal wall and you begin making your way out to the main river and to po.
[00:33:27] Speaker C: Is this all right with you, Nate? We've just gone, okay?
[00:33:31] Speaker E: I already said that I was going to stay for my interview.
[00:33:33] Speaker C: Call him.
[00:33:35] Speaker D: Call him on the earring.
[00:33:36] Speaker C: Yeah, I could do a little.
What's the name of the boat again?
[00:33:42] Speaker A: Don't think we actually haven't need to name the boat.
[00:33:46] Speaker C: Um, boaty muck escape face floating, floating Spectre to Cavern.
[00:33:53] Speaker E: How far am I in my interview?
[00:33:55] Speaker A: Um, well, so upsettingly upset. Upsettingly.
Uh, cancel tonight. Um, it takes, like, you hear, like Catherine, you're just kind of.
You hear all of these kind of bowl booming accusations from who you assume to be zarn Martok.
I mean, he's. He identifies himself and the shield of Alicia and.
Yeah, you just hear so, like accusation upon accusation to the point where. Where, um, you know what you then hear.
If you will not come quietly, sprite, then we will come in for you.
And as you wonder what on earth might be happening, you start to hear the sounds of what can only be described as a battle, like, erupt at the gates of the mausoleum cavern.
And Lulu rushes in like, bursts into the room. And you weren't planning on going anywhere today, were you, dear?
[00:35:22] Speaker E: Oh, no, I don't think I'm gonna be. I mean, surely there's an. An secret escape somewhere. I don't think maybe we can replan this for another time.
[00:35:35] Speaker A: Um, Lulu, like, looks to you in a bit of. A bit of a panic, and, um, she.
I mean, no, no, there's not.
So I tell you what, what we're gonna do. What we're gonna do, because the only thing Lulu can tell you is like. Cuz they're fighting out there, dear. They're fighting is find out who is the victor.
So the shield of Alicia are tier two chamber, tier three.
[00:36:24] Speaker D: What's the fight like, though? Like, who's doing, what kind of magic.
[00:36:29] Speaker C: Would, Erdlenes not just go quietly to jail and then use his connections to get out again. Is he gonna have a barney with the shield?
[00:36:37] Speaker A: So, so the pillars roll a six.
The faith rolls.
Gosh, a four.
Okay, so Catherine, you and Lulu are locked up in this office for about an hour before the sounds of, like the battle. The sounds of battle die down relatively quickly. Sort of like ten minutes or so, but no one comes to find you. Like, no one finds you for say, the hour.
And like, the door opens and a very kind of this wolf kin man with like blood streaming down one side of his face and like, a puffy eye.
It's safe to leave now. He says, um, like, he grunts to you and then he just like waltzes off. Um, and as you and Lulu make your way out of the mausoleum, you can see that there are a number of, um, like mercenaries, uh, kind of stretched, like laying on stretchers, being tended to by, uh, presumably like medics and hospitaliers.
But there are also, there are a greater number of, of shield of Elysians who are currently sort of like bound and gagged in a pile off to the side.
Looking around, you notice that Zarmatok is not among their number, but it would seem that odor. Mercer's forces won this battle.
[00:38:21] Speaker C: Blimey.
[00:38:24] Speaker A: And with the coast clear, you're able to scarpa.
[00:38:29] Speaker E: But it was lovely, Lulu. Lovely to meet you.
Reconvene at another time, I'm sure.
[00:38:36] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely. But it's gonna take a little while for us to sort this out, she says, like waving her arms a little bit.
[00:38:45] Speaker E: You don't, you don't worry your, your lovely little head about it.
I'll be in touch soon.
[00:38:50] Speaker A: Okay? Good, good. I've, I've got a good feeling about you, cav. Uh, good feeling about you, uh, Mister Leach, she says, um, and yeah, as you skedaddle off, um, where are you all reconvening?
Spectre.
[00:39:10] Speaker E: Yeah, where's the closest place, I guess? The spectre?
[00:39:12] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:12] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. Let's just take a whole bunch of stolen ghosts to the spectre. That's fine.
[00:39:18] Speaker A: Yeah, I love it. I love it.
[00:39:19] Speaker E: I mean, it may be worth actually going back to Cadwallader Manor.
[00:39:23] Speaker C: That's what I was thinking, yeah.
[00:39:25] Speaker A: Okay. Okay.
[00:39:27] Speaker C: In which case, ill gotten gains.
[00:39:29] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:39:30] Speaker C: To the pub.
[00:39:32] Speaker A: So you begin making, so you make your way back across town to Cavala de Manor.
Very good, very good.
When, okay, how's best to do, when you get back to, as you come at you're in the ivory, you head through the districts into the ivory and towards Cadwallader.
And as you, as you approach Cadwallader manor, where is, where do the crew find Frida? In the vicinity of Cadwalla Damana.
[00:40:24] Speaker B: Um, they find Frieda on the front steps of Cadwalla mana looking a little bit disheveled, sort of sat on the front step hunched over with her arms crossed across her knees and just snoring slightly into her arms.
[00:40:53] Speaker C: Did Frida get locked out?
[00:40:57] Speaker B: Wake her up and find out.
[00:41:00] Speaker A: Well, as like as you like, you've all just stopped and you could see Frieda. Yeah. On the front steps up to. Because I imagine it's one of those like there's a half but maybe three or four or five large kind of circular steps up to this like pillared door that's covered in like ivy and like dried out ivy and cracks and holes and everything.
And like Algernon's kind of near the front of the group with roathe. The two of them stop and look at Frieda and then they, the two of them look to you three and Roth says uh, I'll, I'll begin getting these in then, shall I? He says as he offers to take the, take the box off you atta, uh, and Algernon. Yes, I'll offer you in Ruthen. And the two of them kind of disappear off around the sides to this like the secret entrance, leaving you three by a. Yeah. Comatose freedom.
[00:42:16] Speaker C: You're right there.
[00:42:18] Speaker B: I.
Alright, you're back. I've been waiting ages.
Where you been?
[00:42:26] Speaker C: On a job. Where have you been?
[00:42:29] Speaker B: Oh, long story. I forgot my key though. I don't suppose you could let us in, could you? I could. I could really do with a cuppa.
[00:42:40] Speaker E: I think we could all do with a cuppa. We've got some.
Just had a very interesting situation just happen.
[00:42:47] Speaker A: Yes you have.
[00:42:49] Speaker B: You and I both.
[00:42:51] Speaker A: Okay, so as the four of you, like the three of you escort freed are in, we will flashback one week to the morning after the keep score.
So freed up, you wake up into a world that now views you as a wanted criminal.
The stress and anxiety, the sounds of the screams amongst the flames still ring through like between your ears and they only get louder when you close your eyes.
The sight of this blackened figure grasping Algarve around the neck and dragging him kicking and screaming into the consuming flames strong enough to seemingly incinerate solid stone.
What did you do as your first downtime activity of your like week of recuperation?
[00:44:15] Speaker B: So the first thing that Frieda did was return to Jocasta's underground fighting den to basically to punch some of the stress away.
And while Frida was there, she spoke to Jocasta more about the sort of the young people that Jocasta had seen come through the. The halls recently.
[00:44:49] Speaker A: I will interject and say that when you went down to the pit, specifically to, you know, punching people and talking to Jocasta, Jocasta wasn't there.
It happens very infrequently, but on this occasion, she wasn't actually there.
[00:45:07] Speaker B: Okay, then. Yeah, yeah. Beauty. Dis. Basically just fought. Just fought anyone that would fight her until she could fight no more and realized that she just still couldn't quite escape what had happened.
[00:45:27] Speaker A: Sure.
Okay. In which case, if you're indulging your vice, which I assume is what you're doing. Oh, yes, please make me a. Using the dice on the left. Oh, my gosh.
[00:45:44] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:45:46] Speaker A: Your stress is nine. If you roll a zero dice, indulge vice because this is running off your insight.
[00:45:55] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Okay, cool.
My stress is nine. How many number of dice is it?
[00:46:03] Speaker A: So zero, roll two and take the lowest.
[00:46:08] Speaker B: It's been so long. Oh, who.
[00:46:10] Speaker A: Okay, so you managed to reduce two stress in your first kind of bouthdemen grand.
Was there anyone in particular, like, who was your least battered opponent?
[00:46:29] Speaker B: I'd say my least battered opponent was actually a sprite named Jeff.
[00:46:43] Speaker C: Ah, yes, Jeff.
[00:46:45] Speaker E: That proudly name.
[00:46:50] Speaker B: His name's. His name was Jeff. He was a sprite. He was a Terran sprite. And by the time that Frida got to him, she's already just full, almost like drunk on the violence of it and was feeling very cocky and kind of was almost quite condescending towards this gentleman, you know, really looking down on him, thinking, oh, you know, he's just a tiny little wee thing. I can beat the shit out of him no problem.
And yeah, he. He actually bested. He bested poor Frieda. Really kicked her butt and put her in her place.
But afterwards, the two of them got talking, and Frida without, you know, sort of started talking to about how she'd recently been through something quite extreme and, you know, and now her face wasn't welcome in certain places anymore and, yeah, wasn't.
Wasn't feeling too hot about things and didn't know how to, you know, didn't feel like she knew where to go from here.
[00:48:12] Speaker A: Okay. In. In which case, yeah, as you kind of relay some of your woes on to Jeff.
I know exactly what you mean.
I've felt like that myself sometimes, but I managed to find a way to move past that. That feeling, that gnawing in my chest, to channel that pain into something better.
[00:48:54] Speaker B: We just all feel so hopeless. I just feel like no matter what we do, nothing gets better. It just gets worse.
[00:49:06] Speaker A: The Terran sprite looks to you and nods like, bids you emote like you're lying on the ground. And he bids you stay there.
And you watch as he picks up, like there's a. There's like a dartboard on a nearby kind of column that rises up to the ceiling. And there are what have effectively, like, little. Kind of throwing darts embedded in it.
And he picks one of them out, cuts his palm, the tip of it, just to draw a little bit of blood, and then uses the blood to inscribe on a bit of parchment. He finds, um, an address.
Be here at this address tomorrow, and we'll show you how to move on from this pain.
And.
[00:50:00] Speaker B: What do you mean me?
[00:50:02] Speaker A: The sprite hands you the parchment.
Doesn't respond to your answer. Answer. It doesn't answer your question.
Turns and leaves as he goes, flinging the dart back into the dartboard. As it embeds into the dartboards, kind of wooden surface, you see, like, drips of his blood congealed on its. On its end.
Um, and looking at it, it is an address in St. Hollow.
[00:50:38] Speaker B: All right, I guess I'm going to St. Hollow.
[00:50:42] Speaker A: Okay. And what's your second activity?
[00:50:46] Speaker B: Oh, well, pub hub. But this time, uh, Frieda's gonna go to. Go back to, um. Um. Oh, my gosh, where are the places?
[00:51:03] Speaker A: Ah, so also bear in mind that the crew have not seen you in a week, so it can't realistically be anywhere where someone would have reported your location.
[00:51:16] Speaker B: No, I think Frida wants to sort of keep away from people in general.
[00:51:28] Speaker A: I mean, the address on that parchment, it does look to be.
I mean, it's Saints hollow, so, like, it's as ghettos can be, but it does look to be like a drinking place.
[00:51:41] Speaker B: Yeah, I think. I think Frieda, like, does think about going, you know, home to Rookridge, and then thinks. Sort of walks through that. That area, and at some point is sort of taken with the idea of just going and just going straight up and finding Caleb and beating the shit out of him just for the sheer satisfaction of it, but doesn't. And continues on and wanders up to Saints Hollow. And then I finds. Tries to find the just most divey, awful bar that she can find. Just somewhere where nobody's gonna speak to her and nobody's gonna bother her. While she drinks and the kind of people who would bother her would probably be looking for a fight, which is also kind of what she wants.
[00:52:39] Speaker A: Okay, so is this another oblivion?
[00:52:42] Speaker B: This is another oblivion, yeah.
[00:52:45] Speaker A: Okay, so you fought yourself into oblivion.
[00:52:48] Speaker B: I'm gonna drink myself doing oblivion.
[00:52:51] Speaker A: So roll again.
So again, two dice. Take the lowest.
[00:52:59] Speaker B: Oh, what, my stress. Three. Six now.
Oh, three.
[00:53:06] Speaker A: It's three stress. Okay.
Okay. Um, you noticed that the, like, the, the dive bar you found yourself in. Um, and like the drink itself is like, it, it's not that far off. Dirty water.
Like, it is just the most unprofessionally cobbled together. Like, we've been chucked stuff in a, in a jar and it's gone a bit rancid, but it's really like the mushrooms have just released a little bit of kick and like, it's a sort of drink where in lieu of making you feel drunk, it just skips you straight to, like, nausea.
So, like, you feel the grumble in your gut, you feel like you're. Your throat feels like it's swelling slightly as you drink this stuff, but it is, it sort of serves a purpose as you kind of stagger, stagger out. I mean, we can either, we can jump straight onto your 3rd, 3rd downtime or.
[00:54:20] Speaker B: Okay, I think whilst I'm there then for. Frida's gonna actually go and have a little sort of word with people around Saint's hollow to basically find out what their, like, local, like, fighting rings are like. But not as a.
She's not going to go and attend as a fighter.
Instead she just wants to go and watch and then maybe.
Yeah, maybe get the, get the, like, what's the word? Get the measure of the fighters in this area and maybe do a little bit of gambling.
[00:55:06] Speaker A: Okay, well, so the people of. Since hollow are not a particularly hospitable group of individuals, there's a lot of stares and like, accusatory looks, suspicious looks.
One, one person who looks utterly down on their luck.
You find them like, honest in a street corner, like scrunched up for warmth.
And it seems like their only possessions are the patchwork coats that they've got wrapped around them and the, like, the threadbare trousers that they've got on only like, speaks to you, but never opens his eyes.
And you can see that the, like, their mouth is missing. The majority of their teeth. Their skin is sallow. They, they look like weak, but. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a, there's a place that I, I go to sometimes. Yeah, it's, it's just. It's just down there. Yeah, the. The black oxen. Yeah. And you noticed that that is the place on the address of the parchment that the Terran sprite that Jeff gave you.
[00:56:40] Speaker B: Oh, right, okay.
[00:56:41] Speaker A: They've got little. They've got a little ring hidden in the back. It's. It makes for good viewing.
[00:56:54] Speaker B: Right. Thank you very much.
[00:56:57] Speaker A: Have you. Have you got anything you could give me in exchange for this information?
[00:57:06] Speaker B: And I chuck him, like, a couple of. Couple of copper, a couple of pence.
[00:57:11] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
The. The man scrabbles for. For the. Like, his are these bony arms kind of reach out from the coat, grab at the, like, the coins that you. You handed him, and then they just kind of disappear back into the coat.
And. And that's the only time, like, he opens his eyes to reveal these kind of sunken, bloodshot, like, large pupil eyes.
He pulls himself back into himself.
[00:57:47] Speaker B: Right. Okay, I'm gonna head to the black ox.
Yeah, I kind of want to get a measure of the. Kind of, like, the kind of people that fight in this part of the city, you know? Are they. Are they fighting for.
Are they fighting for pleasure? Are they fighting for the sort of the thrill and also the. The, like, the. The physical prowess, like in casters ring? Or are they fighting for desperation?
[00:58:19] Speaker A: Well, like, as you head in, it looks like the majority of the other absolute kind of dive bars that you might see around since hollow, arguably rook reach.
And sort of like speaking to a few people. Like, you look around for Jeff, but don't see him speaking to a few people. You know, you're told that, like, quietly through, like, hushed whispers that, yeah, they're out of back.
And you're led sort of, like, through this doorway that's covered over by almost like a curtain, like a drape. And as you move the drape aside to move in, you find yourself in what appears to be this kind of open. Clearly, this was like a large kind of warehouse type kind of room.
And, you know, what is the bar out front was like a.
Well, was part of this warehouse thing, but since it's just been turned into this dive bar. But this warehouse area is hot with the. It's hot.
There's a strong stench of sweat and blood in the air.
And you see that this gathered group of people are silently watching two combatants in this, like, makeshift circle in the center of the room. And these two are going hell for leather. Like, you've seen people fighting in the pits, but there's a tactic. There's a. There's a modicum of like, skill of tactics that they're trying to employ. They're blocking, they're countering their, their fainting, they're a post, you know, they're trying to outsmart their opponent with their fighting. But the two, these two loravar in the ring are just going hell for leather. It's borderline like, primal savagery.
And what's eerie is that the only sound are the concussive thuds of their fists colliding with one another and there's no attempt at defense.
And the sound of their, like, heavy, ragged breathing. The audience is otherwise silent, creepy.
And at the back of the room, slightly raised up on a, on like a state, a mini stage of sorts, is what appears to be a large kind of throne like chair.
And you see a figure, there's a figure in shadow, watching the fight unfold.
And as you scan the room a bit more, you then speak. Jeff, who has turned to look at you expressionless, and then turns back to the fight just in time for you to hear the sickening sound of bone crunching as one of the combatants legs snaps.
A thud as he collapses to the floor and his soft whimpering.
And the circle of watchers step in, drag the loser out. And the victor moves back into the circle.
[01:02:03] Speaker B: I sort of, I think watching that, my jaw clench, clenches and I sort of almost unconsciously ball my fists up and intense myself, ready for like a fight. Because this, you know, this isn't, this isn't what I'm used to.
[01:02:22] Speaker A: Sure.
Sensing your presence, the circle of watchers turns to look to you and then they slowly shift apart to give you access to the fighting ring.
And Jeff looks to you and tilts his head in.
[01:02:48] Speaker B: I, um, sort of involuntary swallow and cautiously step forward.
[01:02:59] Speaker A: Okay.
The circle closes as you step in and you look around, a sea of faces that are all.
And there's all. You notice that whilst they're all silent, they all have this kind of. Yet you notice, you recognize that simmering rage that's clearly being held within them, like barely contained under the surface.
And as you look around, wondering who's going to step forward, you hear a shift. The figure in the chair on the dais, overwatching it all.
You are new to this place.
What is your name?
Um.
[01:04:02] Speaker B: Anya.
[01:04:04] Speaker A: And why anya, have you come here?
[01:04:16] Speaker B: Because I've got nothing left.
[01:04:23] Speaker A: You hear like the slow labored breathing of the figure in the shadow chair.
Slow slightly, and then there's a grunt, there's groans of pain as this figure pushes himself to a standing position and the sound of heavy thunder footsteps.
A somewhat tall, seemingly leather clad figure emerges out of the shadow and the circle parts to allow him into the ring with you.
And as you look upon him your caught I by the two glassy orange lenses that peer at you from this figure as it leans heavily on one leg, arms hanging lazily by his side, an iron mask underneath the lenses concealing his face, paired with a black hood and cloak that drapes over the shoulders. You can see there are pipes, there are socket holes across this full body suit the figure wears interlaced with metal plates. And you notice, um, like metal gloves with fingertips honed to razor sharp points.
And as the figure watches you, you hear this almost mechanical wheezing as his shoulders rise and fall with his breath.
And if you have nothing left, then this is the right place for you because the figure looks to you directly.
Everyone that was of the keep that night lost something.
Didn't say.
I think we'll call it that.
[01:07:01] Speaker B: Oh, boy.
[01:07:02] Speaker C: What did we lose? Dad.
Dad.
[01:07:06] Speaker A: Psych.
[01:07:08] Speaker C: Dad.
[01:07:12] Speaker A: Psych.
Yeah. Congratulations on completing that little half.
Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure Frieda's gonna be fine. And everyone, yeah, I'm fine. Gonna get on everything.
[01:07:25] Speaker C: No big deal. This. This guy, we've.
[01:07:27] Speaker D: What?
[01:07:27] Speaker C: We've seen him before. He's a really friendly dude. He's interested in the well being of the community.
[01:07:33] Speaker A: He's a problem solver.
It's all a problem.
[01:07:38] Speaker B: What did you call him? Off stream? Budget Darth Vader?
[01:07:43] Speaker A: Yes, I'm sure. I'm sure budget Darth Vader will be a stellar host. But we'll have to see, won't we? If you enjoyed that, make sure to hit the like button and comment down below. And if you want to find out just how much of a benevolent host this individual is, make sure to hit the subscribe button and the bell icon for notifications of when we release new episodes. Because it happens very frequently. We won't need to miss out now.
[01:08:10] Speaker C: I mean, at least Rita has all her limbs when we meet back up with her in the future, right?
[01:08:18] Speaker A: We can't.
[01:08:19] Speaker B: I mean, are they, are they all her limbs, though?
Are they all extra original free arms born with limbs?
[01:08:33] Speaker A: Well, we will have to see. Yes, we've seen Frida, but we don't quite know what state she's in the when you lot founder. So, yeah, make sure to tune back to find out. Cool. Thank you for watching. Thank you for playing.
See you all next time.
Bye.
