Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello and welcome back to explorers of elsewhere's Alicia rising campaign. Hi, I am DM Dan and I'm joined by the wondrous Julia Errol JcNate. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi.
Yes, hello.
Unfortunately, we are down a meg, but we will play on with her in our minds and our thoughts, because we need to return to you lot, you troublesome lot, because you have just done a very ambitious and daring score. You have done some spelunking.
Yes, very, very successful. You did some D and D in our bitd, so we're crossing the streams. But, yeah, it went well. It went well. You, you, you. You went in, you faced some problems. You made those problems face each other. You profited. Job done. Fish bash, Bosch.
Yeah, I think you lot deserve a good old downtime looking at ye olde stress bars.
So, with that mind, shall we jump on in?
[00:01:13] Speaker B: Let's go.
[00:01:14] Speaker C: Let's go.
[00:01:15] Speaker A: Marvelous.
[00:01:22] Speaker D: Welcome to Elysia, the jewel of the north. On our gilded streets, fortune and fame can be found by anyone.
Hi, I'm Julia and I'm playing Magpie, an ace of our lurk.
[00:01:39] Speaker B: Hi, I'm Nate and I'm playing cavern, a dragon scent slide.
[00:01:44] Speaker D: Hi, I'm Mega. I'm playing Frieda, a wolfkin cutter.
[00:01:49] Speaker C: Hi, I'm JC and I'll be playing Alganon, an ace of our spider.
[00:01:54] Speaker E: Hello, I'm Erol. I am playing Atta, a goblin whisper.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: And my name is DM Dan. I will be the games master on this adventure.
[00:02:04] Speaker D: So come on in and marvel at our wonders. 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 in the city of Elysia.
[00:02:27] Speaker A: Two years ago, Elysia was subject to one of the greatest tragedies in her long existence.
In the world's changing turmoil of the eschaton, the city was wrenched from the ground by magical forces and jettisoned into the alien vacuum of the void before a legion of soul devouring spirits descended and began feasting.
Only with the timely intervention of the appearance of the veil that surrounds the city did any live to see beyond those dark hours. The survivors forever haunted by the ghastly visages that claw and bite at the shimmering amethyst ward that keeps them at bay.
Elysians are now bound together by a fear of the spirit, knowing them as foul, single mindedly evil creatures that want for nothing more than the souls of the living. For our crew, however, the validity of this truth has been tested. If such foundational truths can be challenged. It remains to be seen what happens if it is found to be a lie.
And so who is taking the magical artifact that you have procured from Castle Antillea back to Nephenae?
[00:04:01] Speaker D: Probably Magpie would do that. And maybe just cavern.
[00:04:08] Speaker B: Yeah, unless.
[00:04:09] Speaker D: Well, that's very easy. Is Algaenon.
[00:04:11] Speaker C: Yeah, I think algae kind of regrets not meeting her.
[00:04:14] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:04:15] Speaker C: Face to face before.
[00:04:16] Speaker D: So let's all of us go.
Come on. Atta.
[00:04:22] Speaker C: Yeah. There's no mysterious invitation now. Like, this is our terms.
[00:04:27] Speaker E: Yeah, I am excited to see what's in the box.
[00:04:33] Speaker A: Well, with when you. So as you're. You're leaving Castle Antalir, you're heading presumably with pace through the ivory magpie, you spots a familiar looking silhouette stood at the. On the. On the roof of Cadwallader Manor. Watching you approach.
The silhouette is dark bar from the reflective shimmer of a silver corvid mask.
Um, and as the other three, or as the other four of you, uh, Frieda included, um, notice magpies attention.
You watch as this figure seemingly takes a step off the roof. And as he. As it plunges to the ground, it disappears in a puff of shadowy smoke and appears like in front of the manor house.
As you approach magpie, you notice that the raven is holding a small letter and he hands it to you. It's just like a folded parchment.
And as you open it, um, there are instructions. So it says in the same kind of very elegant cursive writing that the original letter was written in.
Congratulations are to be had.
Please state your preferred location for our next meeting.
Signed nde.
[00:06:37] Speaker D: Ooh. Um. What do you think, guys? Where shall we ask to meet?
Should we bring her to the spectre?
[00:06:51] Speaker B: Yeah, she can meet Juicy.
[00:06:55] Speaker E: Who?
[00:06:56] Speaker D: The barmaid.
[00:06:57] Speaker B: Juicy barmaid?
[00:06:58] Speaker D: You know.
[00:07:01] Speaker C: Juicy, the public bartender. Not the secret one.
[00:07:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
Do you want to. Do you want to take rendezvous at the spectre?
[00:07:13] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:07:14] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:07:15] Speaker A: Okay.
In which case, as you kind of write your instructions and your time on the. On the letter, the raven takes the parchment back from you. Nods, and then sort of like looking to you, one in turn, and you're like, affixing you with the sort of like amethyst ruby lenses of his. Of his kind of raven mask.
It's like he's regarding you each in turn before the figure disappears.
[00:07:50] Speaker D: Bloody shelf.
[00:07:55] Speaker A: Did.
Have you got enough time to check to do it? Is there any checks you want to do before the rendezvous, or do you want to just kind of head straight there?
[00:08:07] Speaker B: I was going to say, do we want to drop off what we got at drop off.
[00:08:15] Speaker D: Unless there's anything we want to take to the spectre, because that's business hq there. If there's.
[00:08:25] Speaker B: Check it first, don't we?
[00:08:26] Speaker D: Yeah, fair enough.
[00:08:29] Speaker E: We also need to secure Mustow. Musto's magic orb.
Yeah, we don't want to accidentally lose Musto's orb.
[00:08:42] Speaker A: Who from memory, remembers how much loot they gathered? Like how many loads worth of loot?
[00:08:50] Speaker D: I got one load of.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: I got the crown and one load.
[00:08:57] Speaker E: I got one load and the box.
[00:09:00] Speaker D: Oh, okay. You got a load as well because I've got. I've got a note that magpie cavern and Frieda, all.
Atom has clearly got one as well.
[00:09:10] Speaker E: I could fit one load in because I was heavy.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: I mean, reasonably speaking, it was a bit of a supermarket sweep. There. There. So, um, we'll call it. We'll call it for loot that you've got. Plus the crown. Um, the cavern snatched, so the crown of house antelior. Um. Cool. Okay, so are you dropping off your loot, um, you keeping musto's orb?
Songbirds orb at home for the meantime? Mmm. Okay.
Does atta. Would Atta like to do any investigation on this orb before you head out?
[00:09:55] Speaker E: Must? The orb wasn't. We did. One of our first jobs was retrieving this orb, was it not?
[00:10:02] Speaker A: The orb, yes, but the sort of arcane cube that you got from f and a.
[00:10:09] Speaker E: Well, I guess at a kind of gently vibrating.
Just looks to the rest of the group for, like, approval.
Do you want me to, you know, see if I can do any?
Okay, yeah.
[00:10:35] Speaker D: Try not to damage it or do anything that would signal to nephenae that we've messed with it.
[00:10:41] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:10:43] Speaker D: She's got me by the balls rather.
[00:10:47] Speaker A: So, Atta, given that you are currently sold, drained, so you will be operating at minus one dice.
Does anyone want to help with the assessment of Orb of Cube?
[00:11:00] Speaker D: Assessment of Cube one? One stress to help.
[00:11:04] Speaker A: Is it one stress to help?
[00:11:07] Speaker D: I can help.
[00:11:09] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:09] Speaker D: My balls are on the line.
[00:11:11] Speaker B: You could help by making sure Atta doesn't blow it up.
[00:11:14] Speaker D: Yeah, I'm just, like, hanging over you.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?
[00:11:18] Speaker D: What's this? What are you doing with that? What is that?
[00:11:21] Speaker B: Maybe don't touch that.
[00:11:23] Speaker A: It's like how in the driving exam, if you like, recite everything that you're doing as you're doing it. Show to show your method.
Do you accept the help? The freedom?
[00:11:35] Speaker E: I will glad. Gladly accept the help.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: Okay. In which case that counteracts your soul drainliness.
So please go ahead and roll me a.
You've got a bit of time, so let's say a controlled standard to begin.
[00:11:55] Speaker E: Okay.
It would be too stressed to push myself, wouldn't it?
[00:11:59] Speaker A: It would says ye with three available stress.
[00:12:06] Speaker E: Yeah. But you know what's. Everyone's getting trauma. I feel left out.
[00:12:11] Speaker A: One person has got trauma.
[00:12:14] Speaker E: One person. One has got trauma. Look, I just want my character to much more love.
I will absolutely push myself for.
[00:12:25] Speaker A: Okay.
Off to that spicy eight of nine.
[00:12:34] Speaker E: I feel like.
I feel like three dice is pretty good. So I'm trying to decide between one more dice and a great effect.
A great effect would be nice.
[00:12:50] Speaker A: Okay, so three dice.
[00:12:53] Speaker E: My dice has been. Have been really awful late. No, I'm just gonna do it. Just gonna try. I'm gonna try for it.
[00:12:58] Speaker D: Gray.
[00:12:58] Speaker E: And I'm gonna roll the d. Okay.
[00:12:59] Speaker A: Three dice, controlled. Greater.
[00:13:07] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:13:08] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:13:10] Speaker E: Has it got a lock on the box?
[00:13:11] Speaker A: Is it, like, um. So it fundamentally, uh, just to kind of merge our nerd streams if it kind of. It kind of looks like the tesseract from the Marvel films. So, like. But about two foot by two foot by two foot.
And it's kind of more translucent with kind of gold banding around the edges.
So as you begin interacting with it, you are able to.
What is it you're looking to find out effectively? Like, a. Gather information.
[00:13:57] Speaker E: Okay. So if I know we. We kind of mix d and D terms a bit here, but I suppose, like, it was described as an arcane focus.
Like, what manner of magic? Like, I know, I'm pretty sure we figure it's arcane magic, but if there's.
[00:14:14] Speaker A: A school this thrums with evocation magic.
[00:14:23] Speaker E: Yeah, I was worried about that one. Okay. Okay.
[00:14:28] Speaker A: And off the back of. So I'm gonna. We'll do reduced effect. So, effectfully, you'll get a standard effects worth of information. So it's evocation, and there's a lot of it.
[00:14:46] Speaker E: Okay.
So I was surprised when I looked up, like, cure wounds as an evocation school. I think some of the healing spells are evocation, which is fun in vanilla. D and d.
I guess, like, from Atta's point of view. Is it veil connected, ghost connected?
[00:15:14] Speaker A: Interestingly, because. Yeah, this will be, like, a follow up question. Interestingly, it doesn't resonate with the same kind of photocommerce frequencies as the veil or, you know, the spirits outside the veil.
It's.
It's a very raw evocation manner.
It's the sort of arcane manner that the faith would warn you against.
Like, it. It's coruscating, it's ever changing, it's tumultuous, and there's a lot of it.
So, nefa nay wasn't wrong to say that this is a focus, because. Yeah, it just seems to have gathered a lot of rum.
[00:16:19] Speaker E: Any other question, ideas or curiosities from the gang?
[00:16:26] Speaker B: Is there any way we can duplicate it?
[00:16:36] Speaker A: I'm gonna go ahead and say Ata, you realize probably nothing simply because of, like, the volume of arcane mana contained within it.
Like, amongst the. The lot of you, you have dabbled with arcane items, that you've used magic items, but, yeah, they're like relatively small fry in comparison to this.
[00:17:04] Speaker E: So it's like a fusion core, right?
[00:17:07] Speaker A: Fundamentally. Fundamentally, yeah, yeah. Like, it seems to be storing a lot of energy. You're unable to assess what it's for. You just understand what it is, which is a big reservoir event of mana.
So, with that in mind, all four of you taking this to Nethane.
[00:17:32] Speaker D: Sure.
[00:17:33] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:17:33] Speaker A: Okay. Um, in which case, when you.
When you descend the stairs, um, down into the spectre, like, you. You descend down those kind of half spiral turn, steep stairs, you find you're immediately greeted by the welcome and familiar face of Eric, who looks quite happy. Like, he looks surprisingly happy.
And, like, as you descend down the stairs, he, like, looks at you, gives you a little wave, and then sort of, like, rolls his head over to the booth that you normally occupy.
You recognize Nepha nae, with a hood obscuring the majority of her face, sat next to Magpie. You would recognize him as the patriarch of one of the other noble houses. And alcohol. You probably know of him as well.
Like an ace of our man. You. You notice that, like, as you sit down, you, like, glancing at the. The elderly gentleman sat next to Nephenae.
You notice that as he looks at you, his eyes almost seem to have a quiver to them.
Like. Like there's a.
Like a quivering of the iris, and, like, you know, bold, emerald green eyes looking at you, but there's something slightly off about them.
I trust everything went well. Nefarinay begins.
[00:19:39] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, it was. It was.
It all went splendidly. Absolutely. Have you met my colleagues? And I gesture to Algernon and Atta.
[00:19:54] Speaker A: Nephone, like, the hooded figure, kind of covering the top, like, effectively down to the bottom of her nose.
Like, turns to each of you. The two of you. The two newcomers.
We haven't been formally introduced, but your reputation precedes you. It is good to finally meet you, Master Cadwallader.
[00:20:23] Speaker C: I thought it'd be fair to see eye to eye.
[00:20:27] Speaker A: There's a tilt of the head from Nefermey as. Yeah, quite clearly, you're not seeing quite eye to eye, as you.
You might, but.
And then she. She sort of looks to you at her. And I've been very much looking forward to meeting you. I hear you have accomplished great things within the past few weeks.
[00:20:57] Speaker E: Only with the help of my crew.
[00:21:03] Speaker A: There's a wry kind of smirk from under the hood, and then the attention turns back to you, Magpie.
So you managed to procure that wolf, which I asked.
[00:21:18] Speaker D: Indeed.
And I don't know who's holding it. Probably at her.
[00:21:28] Speaker A: Okay, so how have you transported it? Because presumably you weren't carrying a glowing crystal cube through the town in a chest, in a.
[00:21:40] Speaker C: It's like a sort of a box?
I was gonna say like a wooden crate that looks like it could be carrying mushrooms or any other kind of mundane cargo.
And then. And then we just tap away at it, and it falls apart, all four sides.
[00:21:59] Speaker A: Okay.
In which case, as it does, the soft glow that's emanating off the cube kind of illuminates the table.
And the. The elderly ace of our sat next to nephone kind of leans forward and then places what looks to be a monocle, but you notice that the lens is kind of faceted, like very much like a carved diamond, and begins to kind of inspect it.
And he's sort of, like, mumbling under his breath to himself.
And you notice that as he leans forward and his face is shone by the, like, lit up by the cube, the color of his eyes seemingly shifts to a more blood reddish hue.
And then as he sits back and kind of gives an f and a. A nod, they revert back to a bright emerald green.
This has been something that we've been searching for for some considerable time.
You have done it in the space of it, of an afternoon.
We applaud you.
It's a. It's a shame we can't let your family know of your Esc. Of your achievements, he says, looking at you. Magpie.
[00:23:36] Speaker D: I think the less they know better. Frankly, they're not. They've never been particularly interested in my work.
[00:23:45] Speaker A: Perhaps it's because they don't know what association, what your line of work can afford them.
If your family decides to embrace the finer bits of. The finer aspects of life with which we are afforded, there will be a seat for you at the table.
[00:24:11] Speaker D: And she just sort of nods at him. A bit uncomfortably.
[00:24:17] Speaker A: Neferne then sort of like, reaches under the table and says, given the importance of how the importance of this artifact.
And Algonu watch as she sort of like, taps the bit of the box that makes it, like, connects back up and just like, she just seems to know where to tap it to make that happen, given its importance, we would not.
We are more than happy to pay you a fair fee.
And she places a satchel with eight coin on the table.
I trust that any obstacles that presented themselves during your adventures have been dealt with.
It would not do for you to have anyone who knows of your involvement with Castle Anthony.
[00:25:33] Speaker D: Nice look at the others.
[00:25:36] Speaker C: I find that an obstacle in the present can sometimes be an opportunity in the future.
Speaking of which, we were promised some sort of favour from the lodge.
Is that still on the table?
[00:25:49] Speaker A: Nephne smiles.
Why, of course.
Is it a favor you wish to cash in now or for later?
[00:26:01] Speaker C: This box is an arcane focus of incredible power.
Whatever.
Whatever spell you are wishing to focus it upon, I would want to be involved.
We don't. We haven't been doing this smuggling job for applause Lady Valomer, there is an end goal to all this. One which I believe will restore Elysia to its place in the world. Arcane magic is the key. I've long believed it. And I think you share the same sentiment.
[00:26:46] Speaker A: There's.
There's a pause and you notice the elderly transform, like, sits up straight at that, and, like, side glances at Nephne, who is just.
Whose head is lowered.
And you see her sort of like running her thumb over the ring on her finger, on one of her fingers, just like sliding it. Sliding her.
What you notice to be a. An arm length glove. Sorry. Round a signet ring she wears on her other hand.
And then she pulls her hood back to reveal her face and her vibrantly red ace of art eyes.
I am more than happy to offer patronage to those who have been scorned by the dragons.
And if your faith in Alicia is as strong as ours, we would be more than happy to offer you to accept your assistance in what is to come.
She smiles it is surprising.
I did not.
I had the Cadwallader family pegged as divine worshippers.
It would seem that perhaps sometimes the apple does fall away from the tree.
[00:28:41] Speaker C: I'm not my family, Lady Valemar.
My parents died when I was 13 and I.
It was a turning point in my life.
For the positive.
[00:28:58] Speaker A: She. She nods. Yes.
It must have been very hard for you.
For you both, actually.
[00:29:13] Speaker C: For us both.
[00:29:18] Speaker A: Nephone looks to you and there's a flicker of confusion across her face.
She frowns slightly.
She takes a breath and you can see that she's trying, like she's crunching something in her head, but she's turning something over.
Huh? She says.
Thank you once again for your assistance. We will be in touch.
And with that, they begin to slowly shuffle out of the cubicle, taking the crate with them. Hmm.
Um.
So you are equipped with eight more coin than you previously were. Um, I think it is time for some downtime. Just gonna roll straight on, is it?
So payoff. You have been paid your coin, eight coin for a big score with some serious loot.
So for the crew and your rep, you are currently at four of four of eleven. So the crew earns three rep because of your leverage ability. If the target of the score is higher than you, take one rep per tier. Higher. Now I'm gonna argue, I'm going to argue that the defenses et al of Castle Antelier and all the challenges like you went up against sort of went up against Dorothea and so on and so forth. So I'm gonna argue that is a tier four encounter that you went through and you didn't really see a reduction in dice because Magpie was picking all the locks. But that's a difference of three. So you're up to six rep and that it are you being you? Well, people know about it so you will get the rep. So that's, that's it. So six rep. 123456 take you to ten of eleven.
So very nearly up to tier two if you can stockpile the money to pay for it.
Cool. So that is the payoff. So next up is leveling up so I can quickly go around the houses and say that Frida got gets a point in, in prowess for a desperate wreck. An atta gets one in insight for a desperate hunt.
Algae gets a point in resolve for a desperate command.
And Magpie did two desperate tinkers. One was under threat of imminent death by Golem. So that's two in prowess as well.
[00:32:47] Speaker D: Because insight, I'd love in prowess, but yes, insight.
[00:32:54] Speaker A: So I'll pop in Frida's wreck.
So one there, but we'll start with Catherine.
Did you. So let's have a look at your xpath. Did you do things in a very cavern manner in a very duplicitous social way?
[00:33:19] Speaker B: I tried to.
Well, I did try and distract this other crew that turned up.
[00:33:31] Speaker D: Call it what it is.
[00:33:34] Speaker B: I think that was it really. I think that was it. Sort of like as sort of deception and influence, I think.
[00:33:40] Speaker D: Unless, I mean, yeah, there weren't that many people to deceive and influence, but, boy, did you go at it when asked? People, surely.
[00:33:48] Speaker B: No, I think I only did it once. I only really did it that once. I can't remember if I did anything in the build up to it, but I think that was the only real thing I did as part of deception and influence.
[00:34:00] Speaker A: Sure, sure. Okay, so we'll call that one. Did you express your belief, strives heritage on backgrounds?
I'm gonna say at least one for confronting Dorothea. Yes, the end hour.
[00:34:15] Speaker B: Could I also have two for speaking draconic?
[00:34:18] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah, yeah. Well, you did multiple things. Okay, so we'll call that too.
Did you struggle with issues from your vice or trauma?
[00:34:27] Speaker B: Maybe a little bit, yeah. Can me being a bit flirty counts.
[00:34:32] Speaker A: As one sleeping economy.
Okay, so that sounds like four xp for caverns.
[00:34:41] Speaker B: We.
[00:34:44] Speaker A: Marvelous Al Gonon, did you do any playbook specific things?
[00:34:49] Speaker C: Calculation and conspiracy, I reckon. So.
I was cooking up some kind of conspiracy with Mustow to get him to steal from his boss. And also confronting the pope of Alicia.
[00:35:07] Speaker A: You were so crazy, didn't you? Okay, yeah. Okay, we'll call that too.
Did you express your belief drives, heritage or background?
[00:35:21] Speaker C: Yeah, I think I sort of dug into the high priestess a little bit about her prejudice towards Sangrevar.
[00:35:27] Speaker A: Mm hmm. Yes, yes. That was a very, very easy to listen to conversation, I'll give you that. So that's one. Any more? For a second.
[00:35:40] Speaker C: I don't recall what there is.
[00:35:44] Speaker A: Okay, that's cool.
[00:35:44] Speaker D: Well, I mean, there's the whole link with an ace of our house, right? And us trying to figure out the puzzle and the sort of remembering the motto of all that, using that knowledge.
[00:35:57] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:36:01] Speaker D: I mean, I'm using that for an xp, so.
[00:36:07] Speaker A: Okay, well, I'll be generous. I'll be generous because it was a big mission. So, four, did you struggle with issues from your vital trauma?
I think it was pretty plain sailing for Algernon. Sat on his slippers with a cup of tea.
[00:36:22] Speaker C: It's got a bit of a hang of a bit of withdrawal starting, but nothing to put a spanner in the works yet.
[00:36:29] Speaker A: Sure, sure. In which case, four. Four Algernon.
Okay, so four xp. And next. Atta, did you do any playbook specific thing?
[00:36:42] Speaker E: Was I ookie spooky? I was a little bit spooky.
I put down my ghostbuster orbs at the beginning to try and capture some, try and get us away from the ghosts a little bit better.
I phased through bubble when it was like, oh, oh, no.
[00:37:10] Speaker A: Also tried to see if you could control the golem.
Didn't pan out, but the attempt was there.
[00:37:18] Speaker E: The attempt was that I did indeed make the attempt to control the golem. And then the only other thing I wrote down was operating the library cube.
[00:37:28] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:37:28] Speaker A: Okay, we'll call that multiple. So that's two.
Did you express your belief, strives heritage or background?
[00:37:39] Speaker E: I was pretty adamant. I wanted to get those books about tarot and the gold Golem, but I guess I didn't, like, I wasn't reckless about it. I wasn't like, I didn't, you know, risk anyone about it, so.
[00:37:53] Speaker A: Well, this is just an expression, so it doesn't have to necessarily be.
I mean, I guess.
I guess you helped. Like your. Your fascination with bubble is kind of what let everyone fall back through the veil to get back into safety. So I'm gonna call that at least one.
And actually for. Because I'm feeling generous, I'm gonna throw in a fourth because your background literally appeared.
[00:38:25] Speaker E: It did. I didn't. I didn't get to talk to Alejandro very much other than try and help him.
[00:38:29] Speaker A: But I've been for the best, to be fair.
[00:38:31] Speaker E: Might have been for the best. Yeah.
[00:38:34] Speaker A: Okay, so we've got that four. And did you struggle with issues from your vice or trauma?
[00:38:41] Speaker E: I think I was okay this time. I think I was alright. I didn't.
[00:38:46] Speaker A: Well, you had a. You had a momentous when the ghosts were bearing down on you, right?
Like the fascination turned to fear.
[00:38:56] Speaker D: Mmm.
[00:38:59] Speaker E: Was that when I was looking for somebody particular in the ghosts or when we were being chased?
[00:39:04] Speaker A: I do remember you saying that. So it sounds like a one. So whole five XP for atta.
[00:39:11] Speaker E: Gosh.
[00:39:14] Speaker A: Okay. And next up is Magpie.
[00:39:17] Speaker D: Hey, Liam.
[00:39:18] Speaker A: So playbook specific XP triggers.
[00:39:21] Speaker D: I did quite a lot of playbook specific stuff. I prowled about, I picked lots of locks. I deliberately ran around to lure a golem with my speed and evasiveness.
[00:39:35] Speaker A: You did a sneaky sneak in the dungeon crawl?
[00:39:37] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:39:38] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:39:38] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah, that's. I'm definitely gonna say that's two. Did you express your belief strives or Herod's or background?
[00:39:44] Speaker D: I believe I did. Because there was the whole noble ace of our connection to house, house antilir and trying to the puzzle, which was all about their kind of motto and all of that. Yeah. I don't know how far back we go for this XP. If my meeting with an f and.
[00:40:06] Speaker A: A counts, I would argue with that. Yes.
[00:40:09] Speaker D: Yeah. So I think the fact that I have been strong armed through slightly.
[00:40:21] Speaker A: I.
[00:40:21] Speaker D: Guess the whole thing was coerced through the blackmail thing. Exactly.
[00:40:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:40:27] Speaker D: Okay. Yeah.
[00:40:29] Speaker A: And did you struggle with your issues of vital trauma?
[00:40:35] Speaker D: Um, I don't know that I did. I mean, besides, I more struggled with my background given that I was being blackmailed. So, um, but, yeah, I would. I would like to argue for an extra xp for that triple crit I got on my lockpick, because how often is that going to happen in a campaign?
I did it so good. My lockpicks did. Didn't break when they were supposed.
[00:41:02] Speaker A: Where this one comes from, this XP comes from.
[00:41:06] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:41:07] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm gonna. I'm gonna say four. Four for that because, yeah, super crit would have been the second XP for the playbook trigger. Okay, cool. And so with those XP's in mind. So 4454. So sound about right? Going from top spawn, have any of you got any upcoming upgrades that you have achieved? Cavern's got an upgrade.
What's Kevin upgrading?
[00:41:34] Speaker B: I'm upgrading. I'm upgrading one of my special abilities because I filled my abilities tracker.
[00:41:40] Speaker D: Amazing.
[00:41:41] Speaker A: Okay, and what new ability are you going for?
[00:41:43] Speaker B: My new ability that I'm going for is called, like, looking in a mirror.
And this means I can always tell when someone is lying to me.
[00:41:57] Speaker A: Oh, please remind me every time I say anything.
Oh, I will.
Okay, so Cavern is now a walking lie detector machine.
So that's Cavern. Is anyone else with an ability?
What's algaon getting?
[00:42:18] Speaker C: I have maxed out my resolve track again. And I got another Pippin command.
[00:42:26] Speaker A: Case.
[00:42:26] Speaker C: I need to threaten any more senior religious figures.
[00:42:32] Speaker A: Okay, so that takes you up to.
Come on. Okay, very, very good.
[00:42:38] Speaker D: I have also maxed out my resolve.
So I need to.
So I need to figure out what I'm putting it in because there's a part of me that kind of wants to put it maybe in.
Maybe in command. Because she's sort of of a noble background.
Might be quite used to ordering people about or imitating other nobles she's seen ordering people about.
But then I don't know if something like consort or Sway would be more helpful for the campaign. So what do people think?
[00:43:23] Speaker A: Are we thinking command, consort, sway or attune?
[00:43:26] Speaker D: Uh, no, I've got other people to attune for me.
[00:43:35] Speaker B: I mean, I think.
I can't remember how much. How much sway has Algernon got, JC?
[00:43:42] Speaker C: I've only got one in Sway.
[00:43:44] Speaker D: I've also got one in Sway.
[00:43:46] Speaker B: Frida's also got one in Sway?
[00:43:48] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:43:49] Speaker B: I mean, I've got three in Sway.
[00:43:51] Speaker D: Yeah. So either consort or command, basically.
[00:43:57] Speaker A: Because.
[00:43:57] Speaker B: Have you got anything in Sway?
[00:43:58] Speaker C: Consorting is particularly useful for, like, gathering information.
[00:44:02] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah.
[00:44:04] Speaker A: So Frieda's got two consort, two command and one's way.
[00:44:09] Speaker D: Blimey, everyone's got these covered. I just happen to have my bath.
[00:44:16] Speaker B: You never know when you're going to be on your own.
[00:44:18] Speaker D: Exactly. You never know when you're going to be on your own and have to. Like, I can imagine the site, the types of situations magpies most likely to need charisma type skills is, you know, she's just been cornered, prowling around in an alley or a house or something. And the guards all like, wait, what are you doing here? And she has to be able to think on her feet and say, oh, I was just looking for the bathroom or whatever. Like, what skill's that?
[00:44:43] Speaker C: I think, like, if you wanted to change. If you want to change someone's mind, it's like sway.
[00:44:47] Speaker D: Is that right?
[00:44:48] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:44:49] Speaker A: Sort is schmoozing.
[00:44:50] Speaker D: Oh.
[00:44:52] Speaker A: Commands closer to, like, intimidation type.
[00:44:56] Speaker D: Yeah, I think maybe.
See, I would quite like it to be in a different one to sway. Because then what is. What is the. What are the. I get two pit. I'd get two dice instead of one for my.
[00:45:09] Speaker A: I mean, if you. I guess you could put it in consort. So I could argue for consort. Because if you're going out and doing sneaky sneaks, that you could also be speaking to people in the shadows to get some information.
[00:45:21] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:45:22] Speaker A: Or you can become more like your mother and put a pippin command.
[00:45:29] Speaker D: Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.
[00:45:31] Speaker A: To yell at the yokels.
[00:45:33] Speaker D: I'll have a little think. Okay, well, yeah.
[00:45:37] Speaker B: Become more like their mother.
[00:45:40] Speaker D: It's inevitable. Give in to it.
[00:45:43] Speaker A: I saw some frantic eye movements from Errol. Has that got an upgrade?
[00:45:50] Speaker E: Maybe y'all can help me. I think I'm stuck between two. I either. I'm thinking ghost mind is pretty good because when I take an extra dice, one dice, whenever I gather information about supernatural, by any means. So that's to any of the kind of skills that I might use to.
[00:46:06] Speaker A: So Atta's got a new ability upgrade.
[00:46:11] Speaker E: Yeah, years.
[00:46:12] Speaker A: Okay, so at that ability. So. Sorry, ghost mind, it's either ghost mind.
[00:46:18] Speaker E: Or compel, which means that if I attune, I can ask a ghost to do a task for me.
So a nearby ghost can appear before you and obey an order. You give it. You are not terrified by the ghost, but my allies might be.
I think. I feel it's important for you all to know if I'm deciding to summon ghosts. Or. Or the third one is I could just do lightning bolts from the sky. That one's quite fun, but I don't know how useful it is.
[00:46:59] Speaker B: You could just end up having Tavareen as, like, your little, like.
[00:47:04] Speaker E: I feel like the ghost one might be quite good for what we have planned, especially if we're doing, like, infiltration and subterfuge. Like, a ghost might be able to collect the key, might be able to tell us where doors are, scout out a certain area. Yeah. Scare people away, maybe. We'll go. We'll go compel.
[00:47:22] Speaker A: Okay, so you have compel ghost friends.
[00:47:28] Speaker B: Yay.
[00:47:29] Speaker E: Guys, I know you don't like ghosts, but what if.
[00:47:33] Speaker A: What if ghost.
Okay, what's Magpie going for?
[00:47:39] Speaker D: Consort?
I think I like the idea of the command thing. She's tried it before, but I also love the idea. She's just crap at it.
She wants to emulate what she sees other people doing, but she can't. She just can't do it. And actually, her goals are more around becoming somebody who. A bit like Tavareen, who kind of brings the city together rather than ordering people.
[00:48:06] Speaker A: Okay, so we've got one upgrade on everyone and possibly potentially Frieda, but we'll find out from Meg in a future episode. Cool. Okay, so that is the PC advancement. So next is the crew of the advancements. So your crew specific XP trigger. So did you execute a smuggling operation or acquire new clients or contraband sources? I'm gonna say you did a smuggle, and it was for new clients because it was for the lodge. So I'm gonna call that two. Did you contemporary challenges above your station? Yes.
I'm gonna argue twice for two XP, because not only did you tackle the defenses of Castle, Anthony also went up against the children via fundamentally and the golem. And, yeah, did you bolster your cruise reputation or develop a new one?
No. What?
I mean, you did. You very much did, because you are now known to be daring.
But there's daring breaking into Castle antelier through the front door. There's also daring breaking into a castle antelier through the back door via the death luns. So we're gonna say two for that.
Did you express the goals drives in a conflict or essential nature of the crew?
Did anything happen the highlighted the specific elements that make your crew unique? I'm gonna say one for that because I think.
Yeah, you were. You were specifically targeted by the lodge. To do this job. So, with that in mind, we've got seven XP. So that takes up sub two. Three.
Set eight of ten XP for the crew. So very close to leveling that up as well.
Cool thereafter. You.
[00:50:19] Speaker B: With that in mind, let's pull up heat.
[00:50:21] Speaker D: Oh, wow.
[00:50:24] Speaker A: Yes. In fact. Yeah. Heated incarceration.
So it was contained just two heat until the children turned up, and then it became loud and chaotic.
Four. Heat.
Hmm.
Add one heat for a high profile or well connected target.
Five.
[00:50:53] Speaker D: No one's there. Empty house in it.
[00:50:56] Speaker A: If the situation happened on hostage turf.
[00:51:00] Speaker D: Neutral. In. In the void. Totally neutral. No one's there.
[00:51:07] Speaker A: Add one heat if you're at war with another faction.
[00:51:12] Speaker D: Nope.
[00:51:13] Speaker A: Add two heats. If killing was involved. Whether the crew did the killing or.
[00:51:20] Speaker C: Not, we don't know.
[00:51:24] Speaker A: But Dan does.
[00:51:27] Speaker D: Stop it.
[00:51:28] Speaker C: Alejandro.
[00:51:30] Speaker D: Ali. Alejandro.
[00:51:32] Speaker A: That is seven heat.
[00:51:36] Speaker D: No, it's not. You miscalculated. I'm sure of it.
[00:51:39] Speaker A: And that.
[00:51:43] Speaker D: No, it doesn't.
[00:51:43] Speaker A: Takes you to wanted, level two.
[00:51:46] Speaker E: Stop it.
[00:51:48] Speaker D: Absolute nonsense. All we did.
All we did was break into an abandoned house. We went to the library. Dan, you're saying that takes us up to wanted level two?
[00:52:02] Speaker E: We stole no heirlooms that were important at all.
[00:52:07] Speaker A: No one knows they're dead.
[00:52:08] Speaker D: No one knows. Exactly. No one knows they're dead.
Apart from the one campaign crucial NPC, who probably survived.
[00:52:21] Speaker A: Yeah, you're fine.
Entanglements.
So you're down to two heats. Wanted, level two.
[00:52:35] Speaker D: Cool.
[00:52:40] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:52:41] Speaker B: That face. That's always frightening.
It's definitely this time. We all get ice cream.
[00:52:49] Speaker D: I want ice cream.
We all have a beach day.
[00:52:53] Speaker A: We all.
[00:52:54] Speaker B: Yeah, we all have a beach episode.
[00:52:57] Speaker E: An Alejandro entanglement.
[00:53:01] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:53:06] Speaker B: Mushroom.
[00:53:07] Speaker D: The reason Dan's making that face is he just rolled. Everyone dies.
That's the entanglement.
[00:53:15] Speaker A: I have an entanglement?
[00:53:19] Speaker D: Mm hmm.
Look, you're making JC sad. Look.
[00:53:27] Speaker A: Um. Okay, let's actually. Before. No, you know what?
We're not gonna start the downtime.
[00:53:40] Speaker D: We're not.
[00:53:43] Speaker A: Atta.
[00:53:46] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:53:49] Speaker A: Where do you go after the handoff of the spectre?
Fundamentally, where would you be going for your first downtime activity?
[00:54:04] Speaker E: Oh, after the handoff at the spectre, there's a few. There's a few downtime activities. One. The one that I feel like is outside of Cadwallader Manor that is feeling more prone to pressing is her injury.
So I feel like the people that she might go to in order to try and heal is either gonna be the ilmaishi of which she doesn't know, but anything they're our best friends or.
I don't think grandma or like asthma. Nanny asthma can really help with this.
I think it has to be more intense. I think would have to go to the hollow. I don't, I don't think Atta wants to go back to the hollow.
[00:55:08] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:55:09] Speaker E: Surreal nation, can I roll a dice to make a decision? Because I think that Atta's actually, she's probably like spinning around like at a crossroads right now to not. She doesn't know which direction to the hollow or to the onishi.
[00:55:27] Speaker A: So. Hang on. Is it a 50 50?
[00:55:29] Speaker E: Yeah, it's. I just gonna roll a d or you roll it. Yeah.
[00:55:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay, tell you what, we'll do that. Roll d. Six.
[00:55:37] Speaker E: Okay. One to six. One to three. Was ill? No, she, I think she, her curiosity gets about, you know, she's not too curious about the.
[00:55:45] Speaker A: Helen, um, is there a particular kind of illness spot that you're heading to?
[00:55:53] Speaker E: I think she remembers that Kav got helped by the Il neishi. Correct.
At one point. And also they are particularly like magically attuned.
[00:56:07] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:56:08] Speaker E: Um, so I think she's gonna start off at the. What's, what's our, um, new.
The golden.
[00:56:14] Speaker A: The gold pot.
[00:56:15] Speaker E: The gold pot. I think she's probably gonna start off at the gold pot.
[00:56:19] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:56:19] Speaker E: And kind of ask around, in which.
[00:56:22] Speaker A: Case you, like, as you go to slight your downtime, you head to the gold pot.
And as you're kind of walking along, your, like, your direct unfettered exposure to the spirits has kind of got you really interested in the idea that you can sort, like, you feel like using your innate magical abilities, you could potentially, like, reach out and almost control the ghosts. You could compel them to do things. And like, it's like, I can only, I can only imagine that Atta is giddy with excitement of the possibility that you can make the ghosts be your friends.
[00:57:10] Speaker E: Now, I've always wanted a friend that's a ghost ever since bubble.
[00:57:18] Speaker A: And these thoughts are kind of going through your head. And as you just sort of like listlessly, like, move through the crowds of celestial, sort like the dancing. Like the dancing revelers. And you can see like the acrobat swinging from the, the petrified tree at the center of the silk square, you, like, you're just oblivious to sort like the fire breathers and the, like, the street workers and like the street lurkers, I should say.
Until you arrive, you find yourself kind of immersed in the scent, in the scented smokes of this back room, in the gold pot that you've been in a couple of times before the conversation with the soothsayer that cavern had kind of recommended to you. It is also a bit of a blur. Just as your mind races with the possibilities and as you're kind of laid down on the, on this bed for this major woman to begin like her services on you and sort of like the low candle light reflecting off the, the gold coins hanging from the strip of like the gold chain that goes from her horn to her ear covering kind of one eye.
You don't know what it is she's doing, but you're suddenly feeling, you suddenly feel yourself begin to relax, which in itself is at odds with your racing mind.
And as you feel like you're kind of floating in this sea of scented smoke, you begin to picture a face.
And it's a contorted ugly face.
It's a screaming face.
And as you, like the majority woman watches you as your brow naturally furrows and the screaming face turns to look at you with hollow eyes, a seemingly bottomless pit for a mouth.
And as this face looms closer and closer towards you, the rest of its body seemingly comes into focus.
You see straggly dark hair pulled back tight into this messy bun.
And as the arms reach out to you and as the arms kind of grow from the fingers back, they conjoin in the middle beneath the spectre's face with a red and yellow tabard.
And as the creature gets face to face with you and lets out a horrendous scream, your eyes open wide as the majority woman herself lets out a cry and throws herself back, knocking over bottles of sort of hot heated oils which smash on the floor. And as you open your eyes, the spirit of the woman that died as a result of your lightning lure outside hamringers manifests. You watch as the spirit just forms fully in front of you and the majority woman starts panicking and what, what is this? How.
And the spirit reaches for, for you with two hands. Atta. What do you do?
[01:01:21] Speaker E: Reach this for me like, like you're in the strangling motion that you were just making. Fundamentally not a. Here's an ice cream.
[01:01:29] Speaker A: Nope. Looking to cup your, cup your head. And you immediately flash back to thoughts of when you were attacked in the hollow laird that the screaming and the screaming spirit of this shield bearer is seemingly trying to choke the life out of you.
It's tempting to kill you. What do you do?
[01:01:57] Speaker E: Gosh, I think at probably on in like a split moment between peeing themselves and needing to do something about this. Probably overbalances on the table and maybe kind of falls to the floor, scrambles backwards, but can't really escape.
Breathing incredibly fast.
Probably tries to throw, like, she knows that it's not going to do anything, but tries to picks up the nearest something and kind of lobs it at this ghost, and it does nothing. And I think in this moment, I think she. She genuinely. She thinks she's gonna. That's it. She's gonna die. And then she thinks.
I think she thinks of a little bit at how.
How much stronger she views everybody else in the crew versus her. Like, everyone has a level of, like, confidence and certainty with, like, who they are in the world.
And Atta doesn't feel like she has much of that. She's. She's bumbling around and doesn't quite fit or it fits oddly, like, you know, the weird puzzle piece. And I think she thinks of her grandma and how grandma didn't really fit.
She's still scared, and she wants to see grandma, but not yet. And I think she tries to stand up, and she almost, like, physically pushes back at this ghost.
She's like, I have to.
I have to stop playing around and get with it. And she is gonna try and command, I guess, the ghost. She's gonna try and try and compel it. Yeah, compell it.
[01:04:15] Speaker A: Okay.
So you can attune to the ghost fields to force a nearby ghost to appear and obey a command. You give it.
So in this moment, I'm going to start you on a desperate standard.
Standard because you are specifically kind of prepared for an eventuality like this being a whisper, but desperate because ace, a scrabble with a ghost in such confined quarters is extremely dangerous. So you be at two dice because of your soldiering.
[01:05:06] Speaker E: Mm hmm.
Oh, minus one dice. There we go.
[01:05:13] Speaker A: The. So as the. The sounds of the. Of this shield bearers ghost, like the whale that comes from its mouth, mixes with the panic screams of the Majani woman. That's what. Like, fallen to the fall and is scrabbling away as best as she can, like, her jewelry, like, jingling frantically as she, under her erratic movements. Is there anything you'll want. Is there anything you want to do or can do to boost this? Any, like, loadout items that you procure from your back pocket?
[01:05:52] Speaker E: The only. The only thing I don't think that I can boost.
I don't think that there's anything I can do to boost this.
[01:06:01] Speaker B: Could I help?
[01:06:06] Speaker A: Yes.
[01:06:09] Speaker B: Because obviously, Catherine has given the directions of where to go and see this woman. I think he is going to inquire on why he needs to go.
[01:06:22] Speaker A: Okay.
[01:06:24] Speaker B: Does Atta explain why she wants to go?
[01:06:29] Speaker E: I think so. I think she.
She maybe doesn't give details about what happened at the hollow, but she seems.
She has seemed, like, sheepish and a little less, like, carefree since being soul drained at the hollow. Like, her certainty has been kind of shaken, but she's.
Anyway, so she wants to go and get checked out.
[01:07:03] Speaker B: I think Cavern's going to notice that she's looking a little less green than usual.
He's gonna. After he sort of gives us information and he hears the reason why Atta wants to go, I think he's gonna sort of kneel down to her height.
And.
I know I didn't get a chance to say this, but I'm sorry that I shouted at you that one time about, you know, letting in a ghost.
I think we're all a little bit sort of stressed out.
You.
I don't think this crew would really be what it is without you, so just. Just look after yourself, okay?
[01:07:58] Speaker E: Thanks, Kev.
[01:08:02] Speaker A: After giving at the pep talk, and it sounds like it was your recommendation for the soothsayer anyway, presumably. I'm guessing we're flashbacking to cavern actually tailing Atta through the streets of celestry to the gold pot.
[01:08:21] Speaker B: I mean, I would probably be heading that way anyway.
[01:08:26] Speaker A: In which case, Atta, as you fix your gaze on this undead shield bearer, as it kind of launches itself at you and, like, you know in your heart what you need to do right now, the door to this back from bursts open and stood in the doorway, is. Catherine.
Catherine, you can mark a stress to help. Mm hmm.
So that's an extra dice or extra effect. Errol, what would you prefer?
[01:08:58] Speaker E: I would love to remove the minus so that I roll three dice. Okay. Yeah.
[01:09:05] Speaker A: Okay.
[01:09:06] Speaker E: I try and roll three days.
[01:09:07] Speaker A: In which case, as you boost back up to three cavern like you, your memories, like, assault you as they flash back to the Amringer job.
And the whale that's coming out of this spectre of the spirit's mouth is identical to the screams of the woman's last screams as her soul was devoured by the spirit.
And as you feel, suddenly, your head goes light as you see this thing kind of floating across the room towards Atta.
Please roll me three dice, desperate standard in an attempt to compel the ghost.
Okay, what is the command you're giving it?
[01:09:58] Speaker E: I think.
Okay, so if Ata Atta thinks this is going to succeed. So I think Atta would have tried to done is she likely carries all of these kinds of trinkets on her. And I think she brought her bag, and I think that there was, like, likely a ghost bottle in there. And I think in that moment, she would have reached for, like, a ghost bottle and the command would have been, get in the ghost bottle. However, the command get in is interpreted.
[01:10:36] Speaker A: Well, you this orb, and you sort of, like, command the spirit to get in.
You see this, this sort of, like, this figure react as if it's, like, looks up to you, as if suddenly it's seeing you for the first time.
And there's a look of, like, confusion across the woman's face. And then the confusion turns into a look, panic. And suddenly the. The visage of fury that was etched upon her face turns to one of panic, and it looks like she's trying to scrabble away from you. But you watch as this spirit is drawn towards you and begins, like, puts a hand out as it touches the side of the orb. The hand seemingly slips inside the glass. And you watch as she's just reeled in to the all and cavern. You watch as a spirit, like, as she's being drawn in, turns to you, reaches a handout, and it's a hand. It's a. It's a hand and a face. Desperately asking for help.
And you watch as the shield bearer is absorbed into the orb.
And as she. Just like this, the screaming stops as the face disappears in. And you just see the arm, the outstretched arm disappear last of all. And the room goes quiet, except for the sobbing crying of the madrani woman in the corner. And as your face is illuminated by the soft glow that's now emanating from this ghost orbital. And as a serious complication, the gold pot has to close.
[01:12:31] Speaker E: No.
[01:12:32] Speaker A: For the rest of the night, as the watch investigates and the. The building is cordoned off because there are rumors that there was a materialized ghost within.
Within the building.
And as Ata. As you stand there with this orb and cavern, like, you realize, you relax your grip that you had on the door frame as this ghost is now gone, as you peer at each other across the table.
I think we'll call it there and have a quick break.
[01:13:15] Speaker D: Blimey.
Oh, blimey.
[01:13:22] Speaker A: Entanglements, yo. So if you want to, if you enjoyed that, make sure to hit the like button and comment down below.
I know we never figured out a name for that poor shield bearer, so pop your names for that shield bearer. That's now been popular poker board in the comments.
And if you want some really chill and relaxed downtime activities. Make sure to hit the subscribe button and hit the bell icon for notifications when the next episode comes up because that's what we're going to be doing. It's going to be nice and chill. Everyone's going to be super relaxed. It's going to be great.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool. Right, well, thank you all for playing. Thank you all for watching, and we'll see you in a bit.
[01:14:08] Speaker B: Bye. Yeah.
