Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to another episode of explorers of elsewhere's Alicia rising campaign. I am DM Dan, and I am joined by five beautiful creatures who are chomping at the bits to play some blaze in the dark after a successful quote unquote first episode.
[00:00:22] Speaker B: The episode was fine, but the worry. Everyone is boned.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: Yes, stuff and things happened.
And I assure you, dear viewer and or listener, that stuff and things are also going to happen in this episode.
[00:00:39] Speaker C: Not a fire thing to do with it.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: Well, we will see. With that said, who wants to crack on?
[00:00:49] Speaker B: Yeah, please.
[00:00:51] Speaker D: Let's go.
[00:00:52] Speaker E: Stuff and things.
[00:00:54] Speaker A: Very good.
[00:01:00] Speaker E: Welcome to Alicia, the jewel of the north. On our gilded streets, fortune and fame can be found by anyone.
[00:01:11] Speaker B: Hi, I'm Julia and I'm playing Magpie, an ace of our lurk.
[00:01:16] Speaker D: Hi, I'm Nate and I'm playing cavern, a dragon scent slide.
[00:01:22] Speaker E: Hi, I'm Meg. I'm playing Frieda, a wolfkin cutter.
[00:01:27] Speaker F: Hi, I'm JC, and I'll be playing Algonon, an ace of r spider.
[00:01:32] Speaker C: Hello, I'm Errol. I am playing Atta, a goblin whisper.
[00:01:37] Speaker A: And my name is DM Dan. I will be the games master on this adventure.
[00:01:42] Speaker E: Now, 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 Alicia.
[00:02:04] Speaker A: Peace is understood in many different ways.
It is a choice. It is an emotional state. It is an ideal that many strive towards.
And yet, despite all of this, peace can be harder to achieve and harder to maintain.
On a day in which the citizens of Alicia came together in unity under the beloved Tavarien, a keeper who dedicated her life to being a champion of the people, the city has been struck its greatest blow since being lost to the void sea.
News of Tavarien's death has begun to spread through the streets. And there are those who whisper tales of murder.
Elysia thoughts turned to the peace and cooperation Tavarien had forged between the fracticious factions, wondering whether or not the city will maintain the COVID of peace under which it currently resides.
On this dark day, there is one small gang trying to keep their heads down who know a few more details than most.
Four chilling words.
The veil is failing.
And so, before we kick everything off, we need to allocate the XP that we acquired last in the last session.
So the way this works, fundamentally, is that you lot tell me what you did or did not do to deserve your XP.
We will kind of very quickly go around the houses. I know that Magpie had desperate action. I did. So you get a point in XP, in prowess? Yes, I believe it was a desperate prowl.
[00:03:54] Speaker B: It was indeed.
[00:03:56] Speaker A: Who else did a desperate.
I think that was. It wasn't.
[00:04:05] Speaker C: Arcane bubble stuff. It wasn't desperate, was it?
[00:04:08] Speaker A: That was risky, I believe, yes.
If it wasn't, hopefully someone will tell us in the comments below and then we'll make that amendment.
Let's go around the houses. So Magpie, you have the option to tell me that you gained XP from playing up your playbook, expressing your beliefs, drives, heritage or background or because you struggled with your vice or traumas.
[00:04:42] Speaker B: I wouldn't say I struggled with my vice. It's too early for any trauma. And I wouldn't say that my vice tempted me into anything bad in terms of playbook specific XP triggers for a lurk. It's all about the sneak. I think I did quite a lot of facing challenges by prowling around on.
[00:05:06] Speaker A: Rooftops and the like and also the whole finding Tavarian and getting lost in.
[00:05:14] Speaker B: Old Town and all that. Yeah.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:05:17] Speaker B: I'm happy.
Two XP.
[00:05:20] Speaker E: Thank you.
[00:05:20] Speaker B: And I put that wherever I want.
[00:05:22] Speaker A: Wherever you like.
[00:05:23] Speaker B: It's going into prowess. Okay, great. And then for expressing my belief, strives heritage, I believe did because I had that conversation with Tavarian where we were talking about keeping going for the sake of the city and all that stuff and was kind of rushed headlong into a house that the black guard had just been in because I was worried for this sort of civic figure. So I would say probably that's an expression of my beliefs and drives.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: Sure. Yeah, I'll agree with that. Have another.
[00:05:56] Speaker B: That was big at one XP.
[00:05:57] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:58] Speaker B: Into prowess.
[00:05:59] Speaker A: It goes boom. Okay, very nice. Ata, how did you express your playbook belief strives heritage, background or vice or traumas.
[00:06:14] Speaker C: Okay, so I don't know whether it was a challenge, but I studied the coin in the sense that this is cool and interesting and study is one of the.
[00:06:31] Speaker E: Hello.
[00:06:32] Speaker C: Yes. You address a challenge with knowledge or arcane power. So that was one thing. But I also, from express beliefs, drives, heritage or background utilized some urchin children to the best of our ability since I am under.
[00:06:50] Speaker A: Was it from the underground?
[00:06:54] Speaker C: Yes. And then I suppose the other thing that I did was consort with bubble, attune with bubble to try and find our way once we got lost, which you could argue is a little bit dipping into the vice, but also just using a tune.
[00:07:16] Speaker A: Yeah, I think that kind of relates more to your playbook because you didn't go off course in an attempt to go lick bubble.
[00:07:27] Speaker C: Other than making some kind of devil's bargain.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: Yes, there was something a bit spoofy. Okay, tell you what. You know what? Yeah. Let's say I'll agree with one on the vice. Then you willingly coerced yourself with the things that are trying to eat your souls.
I'll agree with that.
You definitely did the playbook, that's for sure.
Leaf strives heritage background.
[00:08:02] Speaker C: Oh, the kids urchins, wild labor.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: I will.
Let's say I think everything you did in that mission was playbook specific because you studied the coin, you used the ghosts as a compass, et cetera, et cetera. So I'm going to say two for the playbook, one for the beliefs, one for the vice.
[00:08:26] Speaker C: Groovy. So four. Thank you.
[00:08:30] Speaker A: Who's next? JC, how did sell me Algonon's XP acquisition?
[00:08:38] Speaker F: So as a spider, I have to address challenges with calculation or conspiracy.
And I think I did that by cooking up a conspiracy.
And I maybe expressed my background by speaking to a young soldier from an old soldier and having a heart to heart with him before I attempted to frame him for political murder.
[00:09:10] Speaker A: Sure. Okay. Yeah, I'll agree with that. Everything you were doing was kind of string pulling. So anything from your vice or traumas, I suppose.
[00:09:24] Speaker F: I don't think so. I didn't really use the foresight weirdness.
[00:09:30] Speaker A: Sure. Okay. Yet I am happy to say two for the playbook, because all you did was string pulling and one for the beliefs. So let's say three XP.
[00:09:45] Speaker F: Nice.
[00:09:48] Speaker A: Nate.
[00:09:50] Speaker D: I kind of felt like I did cavern a dirty because I don't think I did anything to gain XP.
[00:09:56] Speaker A: Did you not?
[00:10:00] Speaker C: You teased the youths after, like.
And then you did the stuff with the fancy ladies, like distraction tactics, if I remember correctly.
[00:10:13] Speaker A: Yeah, you were definitely schmoozing during the thing.
I guess Frieda was the one that chased off the utes.
Although you did well because you got.
[00:10:28] Speaker C: Up on the shoulders and was very.
[00:10:34] Speaker A: I.
Okay, let's say one for the playbook because you did. You were doing the schmoozing.
Express your beliefs, drives, heritage or background.
Here's the thing. When it comes to things like beliefs and drives, they can change from session to session and you are in control of what they are.
But how close is your bond with, say, Magpie?
[00:11:13] Speaker F: You did stop to make me feel better about being prejudiced.
[00:11:21] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a good shout. Yeah, that's XP worthy right there.
[00:11:27] Speaker D: I'll take that.
So how many would you say that is Dan?
[00:11:31] Speaker A: So, so far, two, did you struggle with your vital trauma? I suppose Elysia and or the church? Like, the faith didn't really crop up.
So let's say two this time. I'll take that then.
Last but not least, Megmog.
[00:11:51] Speaker C: Hello.
[00:11:54] Speaker A: What did Frida do to get.
[00:11:57] Speaker E: I guess, going back to the utes, I definitely threatened them with violence.
[00:12:04] Speaker B: That was great.
[00:12:07] Speaker E: And I think you could potentially class it under coercion as well, because it certainly didn't stick around for very long.
[00:12:15] Speaker A: I mean, if I remember correctly, you threatened them with a good time, but.
[00:12:22] Speaker B: It was a veiled threat.
A thinly veiled threat.
[00:12:26] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:12:27] Speaker E: It can be both. It can be both.
[00:12:29] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah, I will agree with that. You did, let's say, one for the playbook.
[00:12:38] Speaker E: I would also say that in the flashback where I spent the evening trying to get the guard stupefied drunk, I think that's very much using my sort of. Like.
I think if my Vice is to sort of obtain stupor, I then know how to elicit that in others. And I'd say that Frieda is very known for being the one that sort of.
What's the word?
[00:13:19] Speaker A: I would counter that by saying, because you didn't end up in a bad situation off the back of it. No.
[00:13:25] Speaker E: So I didn't struggle with it.
[00:13:28] Speaker A: Drunk with them.
[00:13:29] Speaker B: Could it be an expression of your kind of background, who you are, Frieda, the fact that that was the tack you chose?
[00:13:37] Speaker C: Well.
[00:13:41] Speaker E: DM Dan once asked me what would be Frida's greatest moment, and I answered that Frida's greatest moment is being the last woman standing in quite a sizable bar brawl.
So I think Frida is no stranger to sort know, causing a ruckus and getting the party started in the sort know the bar scene across Alicia?
[00:14:16] Speaker A: We'll say yes to one.
[00:14:18] Speaker E: It's tenuous.
[00:14:19] Speaker C: I'll give you that.
[00:14:19] Speaker A: It's tenuous if you squid and look at it sideways. No, we'll give you one. Okay, so that sounds like two as well.
[00:14:31] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:14:32] Speaker A: Fab.
Okay. And also, the crew advances, so there wasn't a smuggling operation that took place. So there's no crew specific XP trigger. Okay.
You did, however, gain XP for contending with opposition above your station.
So that's one XP.
You bolstered your cruise reputation with musto.
That's another one. And you expressed the goals, drives in the conflict or essential nature of the crew. This one is very broad. Essentially, did anything happen that highlighted the specific elements that make your crew unique for the purposes of episode one. What makes your kiru unique is that you find yourselves in the center of a bit of a mess that we will be highlighting for another 19 episodes. So you will say. We'll say plus one xp, unless it happened a lot. Tell you what, let's give you another recruit is on four xp, right? When it reaches ten, when it gets its 11th, it will level up.
That is xp.
So we find five individuals scurrying as fast as they can through the streets of Old Town, away from what appears to be a growing crowd and panicked cries that are beginning to get louder and more numerous as the minutes go on.
And as you all desperately kind of dash, presumably avoiding the patrols, taking a relatively well, do you take the shortcut through Spire park, or do you go the long way around through Dustry Hill, Waterside, and Brook Bridge?
[00:16:59] Speaker B: I think we probably don't want to retread any steps, do we? I think probably, I would guess the long way.
[00:17:07] Speaker A: Okay.
In which case, as you travel anti clockwise around the circular living space of Alicia, you only seem to ever seemingly be a few steps ahead of the news, reaching fresh ears. The sounds of people hearing what has happened in Old Town as you move past them, and despite the different kind of temperaments of the citizens within the districts that you move through, as you move through them, the reactions all generally seem to be the same one of confusion, panic, worry, shock as you cross through.
As you pass by the waterside markets, over the bridge, you travel through to rook Ridge and cross the river a second time.
You begin homing in on home.
In a word, in Duscalon, the streets become wider as you emerge out of the rook ridge slums, and off in the distance you can see the walls of the ivory, the community that once claimed to be the home of house Antalir but still to this day claims to be the home of Cadwallada Manor.
As you're moving through the streets of Duskland, are you collectively heading to base, or are you heading for somewhere else? Somewhere equally as hopefully. Hopefully equally as safe?
[00:19:06] Speaker B: Would we be going back to Cadwallada Manor, or would we be going to.
[00:19:10] Speaker F: Our other place, back to the specter?
[00:19:14] Speaker B: The specter. Yeah.
[00:19:17] Speaker A: Okay.
In which case, you stop short of the southern ivory wall, and as you pass through the familiar arch that joins the two buildings on the corners of this street, and you head down the cobblestone street with a few stones missing, you see a hanging sign over a door like a black painted door engraved with the carving of a jovial but ghoulish face and in gold, in faded gold filigree writing underneath the words the specter.
As the five of you enter, a small bell Dingling rings as you enter in, there are a few patrons in this kind of like, upstairs area.
The specter is a small and homely tavern of sorts, small enough that it only probably only see about a dozen at a time at a push, and a warm smile greets you from the bar lady. Behind the bar, a couple of heads look up to look at you. You see one worker who appears to have had quite a few celebratory drinks on this auspicious day.
One more noble looking individual, a lorevar who spies you for a moment before going back to the broadsheet that he was reading you. I loves. What can I get you? Says the bar lady with a somewhat knowing look.
[00:21:16] Speaker E: Something stiff, I think.
[00:21:19] Speaker D: I'm guessing we know the bar lady's name.
[00:21:22] Speaker A: Yes.
I'll tell you what.
So I don't talk all the time, what is the bar lady's name?
[00:21:32] Speaker B: Juice McGee.
[00:21:37] Speaker E: Gladys. Juicy.
[00:21:43] Speaker B: Or the Gladys bit is all right.
[00:21:48] Speaker E: What's wrong with juicy?
[00:21:50] Speaker C: How about Stella?
[00:21:51] Speaker B: Stella.
[00:21:55] Speaker A: We'll go with Stella.
[00:21:57] Speaker B: Or otherwise known as juicy.
[00:22:01] Speaker C: Stella.
[00:22:02] Speaker E: Juicy gladys.
[00:22:03] Speaker C: She likes to like. Well, actually, would there be citrus?
[00:22:08] Speaker B: But maybe that in the days before the bubble, maybe she got the nickname and it just stuck around.
[00:22:14] Speaker D: Yeah, she has a special way of squeezing the juice out of things.
[00:22:18] Speaker C: She has a juicy tracksuit, juicy couture.
[00:22:24] Speaker E: Emblazoned across the buttocks.
[00:22:29] Speaker A: Okay, well, that's character building right there. So juicy Stella is a.
Yes, a very like.
She is certainly an individual of two halves. There are two halves of the coin to Stella. There is the warm, welcoming, plump cheeked, smiling Stella. And there is the. You've broken the rules. I'm breaking your fingers, Stella.
But because of her relatively no nonsense approach, the spectre has managed to kind of avoid a lot of trouble over the years.
But yeah, she's smiling at you. She nods at you. When you ask for something stiff, Frieda, she gives you a knowing look.
Are you here to see the boss as well?
[00:23:40] Speaker E: I suppose.
[00:23:44] Speaker A: He'S out back. I'll holler for him, she says.
And Algonon, you see the almost imperceptible kind of move of the arm under the bar where there's an ever so slight Click.
Yeah, he'll see you. And she kind of nods her head to a small seated area that potentially looks slightly out of place with the rest of the tavern, given that there's a large bookshelf that covers one side of the wall.
[00:24:20] Speaker F: Thank you, Stella. I think we'll take something stiff all around.
[00:24:25] Speaker A: She nods. Well, I'll send the order down. Well, I'll let the boss know. I'm sure he will let you in through his personal stash.
And she gives you a smile before kind of pouring out another shot of shroom whiskey for the poor chap drink, drowning his sorrows in front of her as you kind of move into the back room. Let's say there are a couple, that there are about three or four seats in this kind of back area, and all the way like water all along the back is a large bookshelf of some pretty kind of good conditioned older books, some real belters.
Magpie, you certainly would have read quite a few of these in your infancy.
But as you follow the instructions that you've been given a number of times and you pull a small statue that's on the third shelf around 90 degrees, there is another clonk and part of the bookcase swings open, revealing a staircase.
[00:25:43] Speaker B: Down we go.
It's down, right?
[00:25:47] Speaker A: Yes. Down, yes.
You descend into like a partitioned part of the basement, and there is a somewhat louder hubbub that kind of rises up to the stairwell to meet you.
And when you get down to this kind of secret bar area underneath the specter, you see that there are a few more people down here than there were upstairs.
And as you kind of glance across, there are a few familiar faces, a few not so, not so much, but one face that greets you as you enter with a small cheer, almost is an elderly ace of r stood in between a bar and rows of quite expensive but prevail spirits.
The dusky skinned ace of r smiles at you and like his kind of mutton chopped facial hair, kind of rising up as he does, he looks at you all with his one remaining good eye. His left, which Algonne, as you peer across you realize are as vibrantly red, is as vibrantly red as your own. His other eye, whilst also still tinged with crimson, is dull and kind of glossed over like a cataract, with a number of scars crisscrossing from his forehead down to his right cheek, hidden partially by a intricate golden tattoo. And as you look back at the owner of the spectre, Eric Caven, he smiles to you.
How do? It's good to see you back.
[00:27:56] Speaker F: Good to see you too, Caven.
Have you been down in this cave all day?
[00:28:04] Speaker A: Well, yes.
For some reason today I don't feel much like celebrating. But even hidden away down here, I'm hearing troubling things.
Is it true, Altovienne?
[00:28:21] Speaker E: Aye, is true.
[00:28:23] Speaker A: You see Caven sort of like bite on his bottom lip as he closes his eyes and scrunches his face up. And then he looks to you and.
Well, he pulls out six shot glasses and in each he half fills it with a ruby alcohol.
And for some of you, this would probably be the first time that you've had non mushroom alcohol or non eel alcohol for quite some time. But as he offers you each a half shot, he nods to you. And to Tavarien.
[00:29:09] Speaker E: To Tavarien.
[00:29:11] Speaker B: Tavarien.
[00:29:14] Speaker A: He knocks it back. You watch as he shivers. You yourselves, depending on your constitutions, the stuff is strong. It really kicks as it moves down your throat and to the point where some of you might even find yourself caught unawares and have a quick cough, which Eric kind of chuckles at.
If you lot were up there, do you know what might have happened?
[00:29:50] Speaker F: Unfortunately we do.
But I fear it is on a need to know basis. For your own safety.
[00:30:01] Speaker A: Right.
That makes it sound so much more ominous.
The sangr kind of gestures over to a seat in the corner.
I mean, it sounds like you need a little bit of time to unwind, so I'll give you some peace. But if you want to talk about it in the future, just let me know. I'm always here.
[00:30:34] Speaker E: Much obliged.
[00:30:35] Speaker C: Derek, I was going to ask a world question. Yes, we talked about the newspaper last session, or a couple of sessions predominantly. Is there a sense of who runs the news in?
[00:30:58] Speaker A: So, once upon a time, Alicia would have had quite a few news publications as well as sort of like. So there would have been a number of printed newspapers and there would have been town criers and so on and so forth.
Since everything happened, the treaties has kind of been the only one that survived, insomuch as there's only a finite amount of news. And rather than having multiple publications reporting on the same things, but over a small area, everyone's just kind of conglomerated into the treaties.
So, yeah, the broad sheet that the lore of our noble upstairs was reading would have been that of the treaties, but certainly on your way back through the various districts to Dusklin, you would have started to hear as the murmurs of Tavarian's death kind of following after you. You would have seen sort of like young kids kind of running out into the street by their little treaties billboard kind of uniforms on and murder like.
[00:32:17] Speaker C: Death in the old town. Death in the old town, a hero is killed.
[00:32:23] Speaker A: That would have been a chorus that rung out after you.
[00:32:26] Speaker C: But we don't have a sense of whether or not the newspaper is mostly run by Aya, like church support. Yeah.
[00:32:38] Speaker A: Surprisingly, the treaties has managed to keep itself relatively independent, mainly also because the various factions are kind of looking after their own bits and hobbs. There were some attempts, for example, that the pillars once upon a time tried to move in on the media and tried to take it over, but there were enough kind of independent reportings that they just kind of managed to get shunted back.
You all know the treaties to be relatively honest and without that, without critical agenda underneath it. But at the same time, they are innovative commerce, just common folk. So sometimes the information isn't as comprehensive as what it could be.
Yes. As you all kind of grab a seat.
Who's the first to sit down?
[00:33:51] Speaker B: Why do you ask? What's going to happen?
[00:33:58] Speaker A: Who's scooching into the booth first?
[00:34:00] Speaker D: I'm going to scooch into the booth first.
[00:34:02] Speaker B: So what? So you can do this, put your arms around.
[00:34:08] Speaker A: In which case, yeah, as you scooch in, Catherine, as everyone else kind of scooches in.
Where's your mind at? In the aftermath of what's just.
[00:34:25] Speaker D: I think Cavern is definitely sort of feeling a bit for once in his life, very few times a little bit lost for words like it's not probably been the first time he's seen death, but seeing someone that he knew, that's probably hit him quite hard. And I think he's ready now to just sort of see what everyone else is sort of thinking.
[00:35:00] Speaker A: Sure.
Well, Catherine, as you think about this, you get to choose who is it that slips into your left?
[00:35:13] Speaker D: I'm going to say Frida.
[00:35:15] Speaker A: Okay, Frida.
Yeah.
As you feel the warmth from that half shot from Eric, kind of warm your stomach.
What are you thinking?
[00:35:31] Speaker E: So first off, I think Frida would have initially gone to sat down and then stopped herself and would have instead sort of started almost pacing on the spot in front of the table.
Probably had probably gone back to the bar at some point and got herself another drink and a sort of asked for the bottle. And we'll be sort of pacing in front of the table, just taking sort of nervous swips and looking quite agitated.
[00:36:12] Speaker A: Eric is kind of looking at you as you pace and he's got a sympathetic look on his face, like an understanding look.
[00:36:26] Speaker E: Eventually she would sort of just sort of place her hands on the table and sort of look at everyone in return and go, right. You see, I've never been very good at being kept. Kept down, kept, kept prisoner. You know, I it never served me very well in the workhouse growing up and. And I've never felt very comfortable being under this bloody giant bubble for the last two years.
But now we know that it's possibly not going to be there much longer.
I don't know, it doesn't give me a good feeling at.
Oh. And she just takes another swig and continues pacing.
[00:37:24] Speaker A: Frieda, who is it that responds to your musings?
[00:37:33] Speaker E: Oh, I'm gonna say let's go. Algonon.
[00:37:39] Speaker F: Okay.
[00:37:42] Speaker A: Algonon, as Frida says this, where have you put the note?
Is it still in your hand, tucked away in a pocket?
[00:37:56] Speaker F: Yes. So I've concealed it up my sleeve.
[00:37:59] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:38:02] Speaker F: And as I bring it out, if you're paying attention, you might also see I have a small arcane pistol up there.
And as Frida is talking about the veil failing, I bring out that little piece of paper, roll it across the table so we can all see it properly.
[00:38:27] Speaker A: And yeah, the note.
Perhaps there's a part within each, all within each of all of you that wishes that perhaps the ink would no longer be there anymore but the words in a very kind of flowery cursive writing.
The veil is failing.
Algonon, what are you? Given everything you've seen, especially sort of like overseas and the horrors that you would have seen during the war, for example, perhaps your stomach is a bit more hardened to terrible news like this, but yeah, where's your mind at?
[00:39:25] Speaker F: Algonon is more disappointed that he failed to find her and speak to her before it happened.
If he'd had just been a little bit quicker getting backstage or been more attentive, he might have had the chance to catch her.
He would have very much liked to speak with her and confirm a few of his theories, but he doesn't really speak his mind. So instead he sort of starts musing about I should really improve the portability of my photographic equipment.
If only it were a bit more clandestine, we might be able to.
And he just sort of starts to. Little starts to mumble.
[00:40:21] Speaker A: As you mumble.
Let's say that atta, you're the one looking kind of hard at this note because arguably this would probably be the first time you've properly seen it, but in this moment you just kind of have a quick thought to.
Given your knowledge of the arcane and magic in general and the order of things within this place, one silver lining is that she would have been found very quickly by the authorities so at least the spirit of Tavarien wouldn't emerge from her body. And wreak havoc in Old Town before having to be forcibly put down.
At least her spirit can be kind of dissipated in a controlled manner, you hope.
But yeah.
What are you thinking?
Your beloved bubble? There's a bit of paper here that says it's not well loved bubble.
[00:41:54] Speaker C: I think at a sort of half, you know, when conversations are happening and you sort of vaguely respond to them because something big just happened, I think Atta responds to Alginon, like, do you really think that even with a magic picture, they would believe that he did it? If he did do it, I mean, he's the leader of the guard, right?
[00:42:30] Speaker F: He's the leader of the guard.
Capable of a lot. I'm sure people will believe.
Hopefully, we won't need the magical image to take his chestnuts out the fire. As to say.
[00:42:48] Speaker B: I hope so.
[00:42:51] Speaker C: I think Ata's kind of got, like, one finger on the paper and is kind of slowly inching it just closer to them and is just kind of focusing in Atta's weirdly intense way on this note, trying to figure out if it has any secrets.
[00:43:14] Speaker A: Okay, so is that, like, amusing, does it have secrets? Or is that you're rolling to see if it has secrets?
[00:43:22] Speaker C: I would like to roll if I had to choose between two different roles. I think that Ata is a little scared to kind of tune into anything magical at the moment. So I think it's more she is studying this paper. Like, is there anything unique about where this paper came from? Whether it looks like it was torn from a larger book, whether it was written a long time ago or hastily, all those.
[00:43:57] Speaker E: Is it on particular stationery? Did they go to paper chase?
[00:44:04] Speaker C: Maybe if Tavori. I can't. Then Tavarian. I will get there. If Tavarian has ever.
[00:44:11] Speaker A: It's right. She's dead.
[00:44:14] Speaker C: If the dead old lady, if she has ever penned any public guess, did she write it and she wanted to hand it to someone?
[00:44:30] Speaker A: It sounds like you are scrutinizing detail and interpreting evidence. I am trying to, yes, please roll me a study.
Controlled standard.
[00:44:47] Speaker C: Okay. I've only got two stress. I'll push myself. Is it too stress for a pushing?
[00:44:52] Speaker A: Stress, yeah.
[00:44:53] Speaker C: So one extra dice and. Sorry, can you. What position was it? Controlled.
[00:44:57] Speaker A: Controlled standard.
[00:44:58] Speaker C: Okay. Groovy. Thank you very much.
[00:45:03] Speaker A: Okay. A partial success.
As you look at the paper, because it's a torn scrap, you're not able to ascertain its origins or anything.
You notice it's quite clean, but it's also a bit hard to gauge its kind of age because it's been crumpled and folded up and it's gone around a little bit.
The ink looks relatively kind of fresh.
You do know that it's not Tavaren's writing.
But the one thing that you do kind of surmise, as you think about it, is that it was clear, like she had, you know, Tavarian clearly had this note. It was in her hand when you found her.
And presumably after receiving this note, she was killed for it.
And it makes you wonder, why was Algarve there?
And putting two and two together, it dawns on you it's because he probably knew what was on that note.
[00:46:48] Speaker C: Because he didn't pass to him.
You spied the note that was passed to Algarve. Was there a note passed to Algarve? Jc?
[00:46:58] Speaker F: A courier came up to him during the speech and passed him a note.
[00:47:06] Speaker A: And then he made his.
Yeah, kind of piecing it together.
Algarve was tipped off about something.
He then headed to his carriage, like his coach, as Algon might have mentioned, and then effectively went.
Ended up in the same place as Tavarien, after which where she was having a rendezvous, you know, with the lady in purple. And at some point in those minutes, she was shocked.
[00:47:47] Speaker C: I guess we need to find this lady in purple, right? Magpie.
[00:47:55] Speaker B: Magpie doesn't answer directly to you. She's just staring down at the note quietly. She hasn't said anything so far and she just goes. The veil is failing.
So the thing that keeps us alive is breaking down and the person that kept us working together is dead.
What in the hell do we do now?
[00:48:30] Speaker A: As Magpie's voice, that question lingers in the air.
Your position changes slightly off the back of Atta's partial success.
And you hear the sound of the book, the hidden, the secret bookcase door opening.
And some slow, ponderous, fuddy footsteps come down the stairs.
And as this figure kind of comes round the corner at the bottom of the staircase, you see the silhouette ever so slightly illuminated by the low kind of candlelight around you. You see the silhouette of mustovarm.
[00:49:22] Speaker C: Great.
[00:49:24] Speaker E: That bottom feeder. Right now, just what we need.
[00:49:28] Speaker A: And as he stands at the bottom of the stairs, you see him. He stops for a moment and there is sweat glistening on his brow and cheeks, presumably from his exertion of walking from his part of town to here. And you see him. He pulls out a dirty handkerchief and lifts up his kind of pork pie type hat and pats his forehead quite violently before, sort of like rubbing these cheeks with his sleeves.
And as he breathes heavily through his mouth. He slowly catches his breath and then looks over in your direction.
There you are, he says, and he waddles over to your table.
[00:50:14] Speaker F: Ah, musta. Welcome. A pleasure as always.
[00:50:17] Speaker A: Yes, I know.
Right, so.
[00:50:24] Speaker F: We'Ve got some information about your purple lady.
[00:50:27] Speaker A: Marvelous. Marvelous.
[00:50:28] Speaker F: And I don't mean the butterfly.
[00:50:32] Speaker A: He laughs. You know, he doesn't understand why he's laughing, but he laughs nonetheless.
And he's sort of like. And he sort of like, grabs a chair from another table that someone was about to sit down on. He just kind of drags it over to your table and then kind of takes a seat and sort of puts his hands firmly on his thighs and go, hit me with it, as there's an behind him.
[00:51:04] Speaker F: Well, we found out quite a lot, actually, but unfortunately, it's far too important for the likes of you.
[00:51:17] Speaker A: Mosto looks at you, his mouth hanging open, like his jowls just sagging slightly.
And then his brow slowly furrows and it shrinks his already tiny eyes even smaller.
You roar.
[00:51:37] Speaker F: We're talking information of national importance. Must, eh? We can't have you spitting it on the hands of every lazy Tom in your social circle.
[00:51:47] Speaker A: And he blinks yes.
Inspiration for Algonod. And he sort of, like, shakes his head as he tries to comprehend what you're saying is saying. And what's this bird got to do with national security?
[00:52:06] Speaker F: Well, I can tell you that we found her favorite flower, lily of the valley. And her favorite mushroom variety is the portobello. I think your pockets might not be deep enough for the rest.
[00:52:22] Speaker A: He growls, like, audibly growls, and you see his sort of, like, chin vibrate as he does, and then he.
[00:52:30] Speaker F: Unless.
[00:52:32] Speaker A: Unless what?
[00:52:34] Speaker F: Well, you were telling us all about your business ventures. Maybe we could make one.
[00:52:42] Speaker A: He starts tapping his squashed little nose a few times as he ponders this business decision. And so if I set you up with some jobs, you'll give me the juicier gossip?
[00:52:57] Speaker F: Exactly. We require leads to arcane substances, so any magic that passes under your snotty little nose should come to our pigeonhole here at the spectre.
[00:53:07] Speaker A: Okay, I see what you're getting at. All right. Well, apart from her flowers and her mushrooms, do you find out where she goes or anything like that?
Has she got friends that we might be able to have a word with?
[00:53:26] Speaker F: Again, this is incredibly important and valuable information, so keep it to yourself.
She works for Algarve.
She's with the intelligence corps.
[00:53:44] Speaker A: Pissing hell.
And like, you see this goblin rock back on this stall and.
[00:53:54] Speaker F: We have reason to believe she has orchestrated the assassination of Tavarien on his behalf.
[00:54:04] Speaker B: Magpie's just sitting there making eyes.
[00:54:09] Speaker A: No, Tavarian's dead.
[00:54:15] Speaker F: Oh, haven't you heard?
[00:54:16] Speaker B: Oh, no.
[00:54:17] Speaker A: When did this happen?
[00:54:21] Speaker F: It happened earlier this evening. Musto, I apologize for breaking the news to you in such a way.
I know how dearly you felt towards her.
She was all right.
[00:54:34] Speaker A: She was all right, wasn't she? Yeah.
That's a bummer.
All right. Well, it's good to know about this purple lady, though. All right, well, I'll best go tell the boys the bad news.
And he turns and he looks over to Eric and. Could I have a glass of your finest, in honor of devarting? Before he finishes, Eric's like, no.
Puts a bottle away.
And musto. Well, I'll be honest. That's more information than I was expecting. So, deals a deal, and he drops four coin we agreed on, right? Sure.
[00:55:21] Speaker F: Sounds good to us.
[00:55:22] Speaker A: He drops the four coin and future business propositions.
[00:55:28] Speaker F: And I trust you'll give us the space to do our work in the future without popping in for an errand every 5 seconds.
[00:55:34] Speaker A: Sure. I'll put the word out. Tell the boys not to give you too much trouble. If you're moving around on their territory, they might still come up and ask you.
It's good of them to be curious about people wandering around on their streets. But they shouldn't give you any bothering. Not unless you piss them off or something. But I can't imagine that you're going to do that. Tell you what.
I think I like you. So let's consider ourselves associates, shall we?
[00:56:06] Speaker F: Quite. Let's keep it civil.
[00:56:08] Speaker A: Marvelous. And I'll put the word out that you lot are on the job.
Right. Then. Say, they're really stingy here with the drink. So I'm going to go tell the boys of bad news. Maybe we'll get someone else to give us some booze instead.
And he bangs his hand on the table and stands up and waddles out.
[00:56:38] Speaker E: As Frieda watches him go.
She just turns around with a big grin and says to Alganon, oh, I do love watching you play with your prey. That was perfect.
[00:56:53] Speaker A: So, as you have pleased musto with your information, your reputation with the underworld goes up.
[00:57:09] Speaker C: Why not?
[00:57:10] Speaker B: Great.
[00:57:12] Speaker A: Okay, what we're going to do real quick, we're going to grab a tea, break all of this downtime stuff and the repercussions of it will be part two.
[00:57:23] Speaker E: Thank you. Bye.
