2026-1-13 — Akasha

Gamemaster:Oh, it's recording now.

Arctos:Doing all right, how about you?

Gamemaster:Hello.

Gamemaster:How are we doing on this fine Monday eve?

Gamemaster:They completely restructured my team, and I don't know... They completely restructured my team at work, and I'm not sure what to think of it.

Arctos:Oh, you cut out after, I don't know.

Gamemaster:I think it's a good thing?

Arctos:Oh.

Gamemaster:I don't know.

Gamemaster:I was and still am working on a trading system.

Gamemaster:Sorry, a pricing system for sports betting prices, whatever.

Gamemaster:But it used to be that we published those prices so that an app can display them for consumers to purchase, as one does.

Arctos:Yep.

Gamemaster:But we found out that apparently the CEO asked the European engineers, because when they purchased the company I used to work at, they got a bunch of American engineers.

Gamemaster:They already had a bunch of European engineers.

Gamemaster:And over the past two years, they've done absolutely no mixing of the two teams.

Gamemaster:The CEO apparently asked the European side to completely duplicate the back end of the app.

Arctos:okay i take it you're not managing them

Gamemaster:and they did that.

Gamemaster:And then they told all of the American engineers that were working on the app backend that we're throwing out the stuff that you've been developing for the past two years.

Gamemaster:Instead, you're all joining Josh on the trading engine team.

Gamemaster:And so I've gone from having one coworker working on this project with me to eight, which feels weird.

Gamemaster:No, no, I'm not the manager here.

Gamemaster:Like the team that got merged into my team had more senior, like considerably more senior engineers on it that got moved over.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:But my manager is still my manager.

Gamemaster:That hasn't changed.

Arctos:I feel like companies now just do reorgs.

Arctos:I don't know what they're teaching in business school nowadays, but it's reorg, reorg, reorg.

Gamemaster:It's funny because they did this right after our, like, not head of product, but the guy that was doing product left the company to go to school for business.

Gamemaster:So maybe while he was, like, headed out the door, he's like, hey, this is what I hear they're going to teach me.

Gamemaster:Do a reorg.

Gamemaster:And they're like, okay, sure, yeah, that sounds good.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Yeah, so, strange.

Arctos:That's strange.

Gamemaster:but I don't know.

Arctos:Oh, is he the younger kid that just kept fucking up?

Benny:They canned a dude in my team today.

Gamemaster:Is this a guy that we liked?

Gamemaster:Is this a guy we expected to get canned?

Benny:It is a guy we expected to get canned.

Benny:Mixed on if I like him.

Benny:No, he's still here.

Arctos:Oh.

Benny:This is a guy that got brought on with disproportionately high comp because he was coming from Palantir and their stock has gone retarded.

Benny:So he came on and was almost the entire time doing significantly less work.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Benny:And for some projects, or maybe a bunch of projects, negatively impacting, not just contributing zero, contributing negatively.

Benny:And then the young guy that they're also maybe going to...

Benny:Maybe get a can soon.

Benny:I mean, that guy I feel like is fine.

Benny:I don't know what... He's just too well connected with a bunch of the teams.

Benny:I ask him for shit.

Benny:Like, yo, who do I talk to in this team if this is an issue?

Benny:He's like, oh, I'll just message this person.

Benny:I'm like, thank you.

Benny:And then he also has built our CI pipelines.

Benny:So if anyone needs a new one built for something, which apparently we do too often, he's helpful.

Benny:I don't know.

Benny:He just works not quite quick enough for the team's appetite and is probably not that good on doing things that are brand new.

Benny:But he's probably going to leave himself based on conversations I've had with him.

Arctos:Hmm.

Benny:But yeah, no, the guy that got canned today, I mean, almost completely expected.

Benny:I mean, it's like how many times can you do the dumbest option and then still stay employed is like absolutely blows my mind.

Benny:We had like a very high pressure project, which actually doesn't say anything because relatively all of them are relatively all of them are the same.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Benny:They're just all high pressure projects because the founders of the fund are like, what's the bottleneck?

Benny:And they're like, we don't have our tech tools built out.

Benny:And then they go to my team.

Benny:So it's like, why haven't you scaled up your capital to the, I don't know, one billion that we want you trading?

Benny:And it's like, well, tech.

Benny:So they look at that as tens of millions of dollars lost in P&L because they can't execute strategies.

Benny:So they go absolutely nuts on us.

Benny:But he screwed up one of those projects pretty badly to a point where they had to have a meeting.

Benny:They had to have the blame game played.

Benny:Who is committing...

Arctos:Nice haircut, Noah.

Johnny:Thank you.

Benny:who is committing these things that someone else has to fix.

Benny:They moved them off it.

Benny:And then it's, I wouldn't be surprised if he thought he was going to get fired and just didn't give a shit.

Benny:But so many times, right.

Benny:Say stuff to him.

Benny:And he's just like the, the, whatever is like the path of least resistance that just cuts as many corners as possible, but still in, in writing gets whatever needs to be done.

Benny:I'm like, this is not sustainable.

Benny:This is going to cause more work for people down the road.

Benny:Or other shit like... Some things piss me off because I'm trying to help him.

Benny:So they give him this project like, hey, we have this API.

Benny:It's too slow.

Benny:Essentially, the quants are writing stuff as quickly as possible.

Benny:So it's very sloppy.

Benny:It's incredibly slow.

Benny:This API takes three minutes to return.

Benny:It's supposed to take under a second.

Benny:So please make this quick.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:And also, here is commented hints on how to make it quicker that they've already thought of on how to put data in specific places so it's easier to access.

Benny:He did that for a week and then was like, you know, I've tried to make it fast in as many places as possible, but I think it's fast enough.

Benny:And they're like, what?

Benny:So then they gave it to me.

Benny:They're like, he's been fucking this up for a week.

Benny:Can you do this?

Benny:And I'm like, yeah.

Benny:And then when he heard that I was getting put on it, he was just like, hey, I tried to use Polar's lazy data frames in as many places as possible, but I'm not seeing much speed up.

Benny:And I'm like, yeah, dude, they wanted you to cache the data.

Benny:The operations aren't taking any time.

Benny:It's the fact that data is sitting on a database, and we hit it for a really complex, non-properly partitioned query, and it takes three fucking minutes.

Benny:So most of that is whatever we're doing with this horrific DB table.

Benny:Um, yeah, no.

Benny:And then he didn't finish that.

Benny:He didn't finish another thing he was supposed to.

Benny:And then he goes, uh, uh, on vacation for two weeks and they're like the beginning of December.

Benny:So then like the final part of December is also doing no work.

Benny:And then, um, he got, uh, he got booted.

Benny:I'm mostly just disappointed.

Benny:Like, because he could have,

Gamemaster:I mean, it doesn't sound like you're losing much from like your perspective.

Benny:No, it doesn't.

Benny:I mean, it does feel like the wall's getting closer.

Benny:There's two other people that if they go, I'll be like, oh, fuck.

Benny:They're looking for me next.

Benny:But...

Benny:No, my responsibilities continue to increase.

Benny:My scope continues to increase.

Benny:They're putting me on the highest priority stuff we have.

Benny:I don't think I'm in line anytime soon.

Benny:It's annoying because it's one of those people, you talk to him, and you're like, oh, he's smart, but he doesn't give a fuck.

Benny:He just doesn't care.

Benny:It doesn't stick.

Benny:You can see him...

Benny:putting together complex ideas, but then you tell him something that will improve his ability to do the job and it goes in one ear and out the other.

Benny:And you're like, oh, he doesn't care.

Benny:You just don't care to do the job correctly, which is very sad because you have the capacity mentally to actually be doing a decent job here.

Benny:And some people don't.

Benny:Like other people I work with, I'm like, he's just working slower and that's fine.

Benny:And we work around it, but he really wants to work.

Benny:And we prefer that guy to the guy that can do something more complex or more self-directed, but then just doesn't,

Benny:just doesn't care enough.

Benny:People were like, oh, I'm so annoyed by this notification we have.

Benny:It's just false positive the whole day.

Benny:And I'm like, yeah, no, that is annoying.

Benny:This is his notification that he built.

Benny:So I talked to him after he comes back from break, and I'm just like, oh, he's like, oh, you were looking at something for this notification.

Benny:I'm like, yeah, I was making it more exact so that this notification actually works because we had an instance where it...

Gamemaster:Does it try to calculate the stillness separately or something?

Benny:The thing it was checking was not the correct thing to be checking.

Benny:The conversation I had with him on it, I was losing my mind.

Benny:Because they send us in the message the evaluation time for the numbers in the message.

Benny:This is a staleness checker that he wrote.

Benny:It doesn't look at that field.

Benny:It looks at...

Johnny:Oh.

Benny:It calculates the staleness based on when we create Kafka messages.

Benny:So we create Kafka messages polling them.

Benny:So we go and say, hey, can you give us everything that you have for this?

Benny:And they go, yeah, here you go.

Benny:And then we output... I mean, it's not like strictly a polling.

Benny:It is like live listening, but they give us pretty much everything every time.

Benny:So there are times when they don't give us anything, in which case this would be a true positive.

Benny:It would be fine.

Benny:But...

Benny:there was a time when their valuation was a half hour behind and it caused a pricing discrepancy that a PM noticed.

Benny:So my boss is like, what, why the fuck did he even build this?

Benny:If it doesn't tell us when the data stale, why, what does this do?

Benny:And I'm like, I don't, I didn't even know there was Val time.

Benny:Like I didn't even know they had an evaluation time in there.

Benny:Of course, why would we not use it?

Benny:So he comes back from break and he's just like, they're looking at Val time.

Benny:Why?

Benny:I, it didn't, it looked like it was, uh,

Benny:it was unique.

Benny:And I'm just like, what?

Benny:What do you mean unique?

Benny:What does it have to do with this?

Benny:And he's just like, you can't like check to see if it's the same Val time as before to see if it's stale.

Benny:And I go, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Benny:You just compare right now to the Val time to see if it's stale.

Benny:And he's like,

Benny:Oh, so they're unique?

Benny:And I'm like, don't assume uniqueness of timestamps.

Benny:Stop talking about uniqueness.

Benny:It doesn't need to be here at all.

Benny:Stop saying that word.

Benny:It doesn't matter.

Benny:It's so simple.

Benny:Is this timestamp more than our threshold old, the VAL time specifically?

Benny:Because we produce Kafka messages.

Johnny:Cat.

Benny:We're the ones making those.

Benny:They're the ones that produce the numbers.

Benny:So the time when the message was created doesn't matter.

Benny:The time when the number was generated matters.

Benny:So I'm like blowing my fucking head off.

Benny:So he makes a change to the PR.

Benny:He makes a PR.

Benny:Now it uses the bell time.

Benny:But then I said to him, if you're going to do that, you should also fix the false positives.

Benny:Because it does it on a security basis, security by security basis, and it has an ill-defined universe.

Benny:So some things it doesn't get messages for, it shouldn't get messages for, but it's in its universe, so it still freaks out.

Benny:So, like, hey, by the way, you probably want to get rid of the false positives, too, because it doesn't have, like, a good universe.

Anzu:Thank you.

Benny:Like, figure it out, I guess.

Benny:And he's just like, oh, but that's, like, a unit.

Benny:Like, we can't actually fix that.

Benny:And I'm like, all right.

Benny:That's fine, man.

Johnny:Okay.

Benny:Like, I just told you, like, feedback in a nice way.

Benny:Everyone hates that this thing fucking false positives all the time.

Benny:I just tried to tell you to fix the one thing everyone hates, and you're like, we can't.

Benny:We don't know how.

Benny:All right, man.

Benny:So I'm not that upset.

Benny:I just think it's very disappointing that he decided not to give a shit.

Gamemaster:But now he's gone.

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:So you can fix his false positives.

Benny:I am going to.

Benny:Because I have a notification that false positives.

Benny:Luckily, it false positives once a day instead of 20.

Benny:So I will have a couple of false positive fixing PRs.

Benny:But now I can fix that without having to, like,

Benny:tiptoe around his ownership and be like, oh, you should probably... No, I'm fixing it.

Benny:We're level five yet.

Gamemaster:No, I actually think I'm going to bring you guys back down to level three.

Gamemaster:You leveled up too quickly.

Anzu:Oof.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Every time it looks like it might be close in the fight, you all collectively lose a level.

Gamemaster:I think that's what we're doing.

Johnny:Oh no.

Johnny:Wait, but if... Right.

Gamemaster:Because it means you're not trusted to be at that level of combat yet.

Gamemaster:So... That won't happen.

Benny:Can we get the inverse?

Benny:If we absolutely curb stomp a fight, do we go up a level?

Benny:But we just did that in the garage.

Gamemaster:Nah, it doesn't count.

Johnny:We did curve stop that.

Benny:I can't argue with that.

Johnny:Josh, we created the greatest difficulty terrain.

Gamemaster:Doesn't count.

Johnny:That's like the secret goal.

Gamemaster:Every time you create terrain that requires 8 feet for every foot you move, you gain a level.

Gamemaster:That's the only way to level up.

Anzu:Especially corpses that grow upon their death.

Gamemaster:We use a terrain-based system.

Benny:It's called Greater Difficult Terrain.

Benny:I just want to, what spell creates Greater Difficult Terrain?

Gamemaster:Greater difficult terrain is, I believe, 4 feet per foot.

Gamemaster:I have no idea how to create greater difficult terrain other than layering corpses on top of each other.

Benny:Wait, let's see.

Benny:Someone asked it in Pathfinder.

Benny:A Warp Wobble Poison.

Johnny:What?

Gamemaster:Right, exactly.

Gamemaster:Wobble, please.

Benny:Magnetic Repulsion.

Benny:Transmute rock and mud.

Benny:Wait, so magnetic repulsion, does this make it in an area?

Anzu:Murd.

Benny:There are difficult terrain for creatures wearing armor, blah, blah, blah, for creatures made entirely of metal.

Benny:No, this doesn't count.

Benny:I'm just trying to figure out what level wizard we are collectively as a group.

Arctos:That four times fast.

Benny:If we can create greater difficult terrain, what's our wizard level equivalent?

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Benny:And it looks like level 9.

Benny:with Transmute Rock and Mud.

Benny:Or the Warp Wobble Poison, which is level 8.

Anzu:Now, does the poison make it so that all terrain for you is greater difficult terrain?

Anzu:Because that is a little different.

Gamemaster:Causes hallucinations of space bending and stretching leading to vertigo and an inability to discern a stable place to move.

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Yes, if you drink warp wobble poison and then you fail and get to stage two of the poison, all terrain is greater difficult terrain for you specifically.

Anzu:Understood.

Johnny:Hmm.

Gamemaster:Rupture stop?

Gamemaster:No, this is legacy content.

Gamemaster:I don't know if this counts.

Gamemaster:Stallwork Defender.

Gamemaster:Also legacy content.

Johnny:Okay.

Johnny:Ooh.

Gamemaster:What does Rupture Stomp get you?

Gamemaster:It's a level 8 feat, archetype feat, that lets you make... If you're a master proficiency in the armor that you're wearing, you can stomp and make the area 10 feet around you greater difficult terrain.

Benny:So we're a level 8 dwarf, collectively as a group.

Anzu:that's crazy oh no

Arctos:You can just become Dom from Fast and the Furious.

Gamemaster:Collectively as a group, you're a level 8 dwarf.

Gamemaster:Wow.

Arctos:Have you seen that clip where he breaks a parking garage?

Johnny:Yes.

Benny:Oh, I have some words for you gentlemen.

Arctos:Damn.

Arctos:Okay.

Benny:I got a haircut last Saturday.

Johnny:Mike, it looks great.

Gamemaster:I don't believe you.

Arctos:You see, I was suspicious, but you didn't get a fade on the side, so I didn't want to hedge it.

Arctos:Especially when I called it when Noah came in, and then Mike smiled, and then I didn't say anything about Mike's haircut.

Arctos:I was like, I'm cooked, Chad.

Arctos:I'm cooked.

Benny:Well, I smiled because I thought I was going to be like, I get this every week.

Benny:You're cheating because I have a subscription to my hair place.

Johnny:Yes, it's within walking distance of me.

Johnny:It's awesome.

Anzu:Mike, it's also tough with the blur of the background into the hair.

Anzu:It obfuscates.

Benny:Well, I noticed.

Johnny:Yeah.

Arctos:And your hair was wet last time, so it's not fair.

Gamemaster:Is that actually true?

Benny:That's true.

Benny:The time before the haircut, my hair was wet.

Benny:Yeah.

Arctos:Remember I called it out?

Benny:Well, it wasn't wet during.

Benny:It was wet when I put my headphones on at the beginning of the day because I worked from home.

Benny:So it just stayed down.

Anzu:We'll get the next one for sure.

Benny:Yeah.

Johnny:Jorge doesn't get his haircut.

Benny:It'll just be in six months or something.

Arctos:Okay, to be fair, you guys have missed like three of my haircuts.

Arctos:So... Yeah, yeah.

Benny:That's because the background, it obfuscates.

Benny:What did Tanner say?

Johnny:I think it's a lie.

Arctos:You guys have missed like three in a row, so... Did Leo get a haircut?

Benny:Do only us count?

Benny:Like, if I notice Leo's haircut, do I get a point?

Johnny:Only if we acknowledge it.

Benny:I'm asking.

Anzu:We walk at 11 p.m.

Benny:I'm prefacing.

Arctos:Leo.

Arctos:He doesn't want to show you guys because he knows you guys won't notice.

Benny:He's like, this is too early for the walk.

Johnny:you you

Gamemaster:It is true.

Gamemaster:It's true.

Anzu:sharp.

Benny:Josh, what is your background?

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:starward.

Gamemaster:It's starward.

Gamemaster:That's it.

Gamemaster:You got it.

Benny:starward.

Gamemaster:It's not starward.

Benny:Is it a Japanese horror game?

Benny:Oh.

Anzu:This is the building where the dead people go.

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:Yes!

Gamemaster:This is the building where the dead people go.

Benny:It's called The Rust or something.

Gamemaster:The Pharos?

Benny:There you go.

Johnny:You know, he was kind of close, actually.

Benny:It was stored in my brain.

Benny:I was like, I know it's not Rust, but it's close.

Johnny:I know it's a different Pharos.

Gamemaster:Oh, yeah, no, it's not Pharos.

Gamemaster:It's Pharos.

Gamemaster:P-H-A-R-O-S.

Gamemaster:Which is a completely different thing.

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:It has nothing to do with iron.

Gamemaster:Um... We're all here.

Gamemaster:Do we want to find some paths?

Arctos:Thank you.

Anzu:Alright.

Gamemaster:Sounds good.

Gamemaster:I should turn on the dice bot.

Gamemaster:Would that be useful?

Gamemaster:If we could roll dice?

Gamemaster:There's a bug in it that causes it to disconnect randomly at one point during the week.

Johnny:Is it the same point or is it random?

Gamemaster:And I have not bothered to try and figure out what's causing that.

Gamemaster:So I just restart it every Monday manually.

Gamemaster:It's fine.

Gamemaster:Nope.

Gamemaster:It's non-deterministic as best I can tell.

Gamemaster:It's fine though.

Benny:the modulus of the time in utc nanoseconds of 50 resolves to a 39. josh has to roll to keep it connected

Johnny:It just takes whatever the last role is and then that number of hours later it disconnects.

Gamemaster:See, the...

Gamemaster:The problem is that it swears it's connected.

Gamemaster:Like, when I look in the logs, it says, yeah, I'm connected.

Gamemaster:Don't worry.

Arctos:Gemini.

Gamemaster:Active connection.

Gamemaster:But Discord disagrees with it.

Gamemaster:But as far as I can tell, the thing that tells it if it's active or not is Discord.

Gamemaster:That's too many recursive polar bears.

Gamemaster:Or I guess it's one polar bear.

Gamemaster:It's too many recursive pieces of ice.

Gamemaster:Did you make that?

Gamemaster:Gemini made that.

Gamemaster:What did you ask Gemini to make?

Johnny:What is the prompt on that?

Gamemaster:Like, did you do that on purpose?

Arctos:So I really confused Gemini.

Arctos:The first prompt, because I was typing this while Mike was talking earlier, was I meant to say create a zoo background for Zoom, but I typed create a Zoom backward for Zoom.

Arctos:And then it just gave me a really long prompt on how to change a background of Zoom.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Arctos:So then I said, no, generate a picture of a polar bear.

Arctos:And then it gave me this.

Gamemaster:So it's a zooming picture of a polar bear.

Arctos:It's a zooming zoom picture of a polar bear.

Arctos:I don't think I could get a computer to generate an image like this again, ever.

Gamemaster:Right.

Gamemaster:Oh, because it's a zoom background because that's like a picture of a desktop.

Johnny:So what's happening around it, though?

Anzu:Thank you.

Johnny:Is that them, is it like the... I'm very confused how it got to the... This is...

Gamemaster:It's zooming.

Gamemaster:Can't you tell it's zooming?

Benny:I do like how it successfully placed one polar bear.

Benny:It's like, it'll be zooming.

Benny:Yeah, it'll be one polar bear.

Benny:I'm not stupid.

Arctos:I think this is it.

Benny:This is the... Wait, actually, Jorge, this is the big bad viewing, like, in this session, viewing Arctos from the starward side.

Benny:Each slice is a different Færrin.

Anzu:I had a moment with the evil unit brother guy today.

Benny:Or no, this is when Arctos rolls a crit on his perception check and sees the big bad scrying on him from several Farans over.

Gamemaster:um it

Benny:He's like, because that polar bear is like, move your head so that people laugh at what I said.

Johnny:if we get 10

Benny:What do you mean moment?

Anzu:I was looking at the one you sent today, and I noticed that one of his ears is pierced.

Anzu:And I had to go back and check if they were already pierced before, or if something you said about making it evil made them think it should have pierced ears.

Anzu:It did already have pierced ears previously, so that wasn't it making it edgier.

Benny:And.

Johnny:yeah you know what it does look like that

Anzu:That was just already there.

Benny:I didn't ask it to make it edgy.

Benny:Do you want to know what I asked Gemini to do?

Benny:Make this look like it is from a creepypasta.

Benny:And then put today.

Anzu:Hmph.

Gamemaster:What is the pun with it being a creepypasta?

Gamemaster:Or is it just to spice things up a little bit?

Benny:Just to spice it up.

Benny:And then today in red, which I did not say to put it in red.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Gamemaster:That's allowed.

Benny:I just said make it look like a creepypasta creature and then put today.

Benny:With, like, period.

Gamemaster:I mean, I get why it would have chosen red if that was the criteria.

Benny:Oh, yeah.

Gamemaster:But if it was pink, that might not be thematically the best.

Gamemaster:Does he have a name for when I add him as the big bad of this campaign?

Johnny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Or is it just, is the Yeenut guy fine?

Benny:Uh... I think Yena guy's probably fine.

Johnny:Oh, no.

Gamemaster:Okay, that's fine.

Anzu:I think you should ask a Gemini if it has a name.

Gamemaster:Oh right, because Gemini would know.

Anzu:Well, Gemini created this creature.

Benny:This is true.

Anzu:Mike did not ask for this.

Gamemaster:Yeah, this is Gemini's IP, actually.

Gamemaster:I don't know if you can be using it.

Anzu:Because it created the hand.

Johnny:It created... Of the Yeenut guy.

Anzu:No prompting.

Anzu:It created the hand.

Gamemaster:Is that... He's the Hina guy because he's also just green, right?

Gamemaster:And in a forest?

Benny:I guess that's what, well, no, he's the, you know, guy.

Benny:Cause I asked Gemini to make a unit butter jelly sandwich.

Benny:And then I asked to put a thumbs up in front of it to signal that I want to play.

Benny:And it made this fucking terrifying thumbs up.

Benny:And I was just like, can you give me the rest of that creature?

Benny:What are you doing, Gemini?

Benny:And then it made him.

Gamemaster:Is he...

Gamemaster:Is the Yeenut butter made from him?

Benny:Okay.

Johnny:Nope.

Gamemaster:Is that what?

Benny:No, no, I think he made the Yena, but...

Johnny:Anyway, last question.

Benny:Hold on, hold on.

Benny:I have asked Gemini what Yeenut creature whatever his name is.

Benny:Given those green furry arms, sharp claws, and the fact that it's enjoying a Yeenut butter sandwich in a mystical forest, it's safe to say this creature is a Yeen.

Anzu:well it could be that his culture cultivates them

Benny:Y-E-E-N.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:A yeen.

Benny:Oh, wait, wait, wait.

Benny:Hold on, hold on, hold on.

Gamemaster:Wait, no.

Benny:More specifically, you could call him Barnaby the Yeen.

Gamemaster:Okay, but the problem is, is if he's a heen, then a heen nut is a specific thing.

Johnny:Guys, we got a ripcord out of this one.

Benny:He looks like the type of friendly Forrest Miller.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:All right, wait.

Gamemaster:Now do you guys want to play some Pathfinder?

Benny:Hard to be the yeetin'.

Gamemaster:Does anyone want to do a recap of the last session?

Gamemaster:Does anyone remember?

Benny:Yeah, I'll do a recap.

Benny:I get that extra mythic point and not die.

Benny:So let's see.

Benny:I'm just going to go based off my notes.

Benny:I'm going to act like this is a scene in Memento.

Benny:So we realize we have to leave the hideout.

Benny:Probably Grayson's.

Benny:We get stuff that we want, whatever.

Benny:We do a bunch of car shenanigans.

Benny:I don't know exactly what we did, but I wrote car shenanigans.

Benny:We did a lot of thinking about what to do with the info we have, the cops to contact.

Benny:Ultimately, we're going to go collect the money from Brooks and then let the Inquisitors know.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Benny:When we go to collect the money from Brooks, we find that Brooks has retired.

Benny:But we still get the money, so who cares?

Benny:We do find a contact address just in case we find like the money's not enough or whatever.

Benny:We can go to Brooks directly and be like, hey, man, we had a contract.

Benny:We asked them a bunch of weird questions, which actually I remember being annoyed because they didn't give us the money and you guys kept asking questions.

Benny:And I really wanted us to get the money first in case they withheld the money.

Benny:But anyways, they told us, hey, if you want to do any more work, go find mercenary work, I guess.

Benny:Like this was an exception anyways.

Benny:Then we go find the inquisitors.

Benny:There's a tall, bald guy with Anaïs on his forehead.

Benny:We want to talk to one of Aut's inquisitors.

Benny:We spin a gnarly yarn of truth in a room.

Benny:They write all of it down.

Benny:And then we're like, well, we can help, too.

Benny:And he's like, no, you can't.

Anzu:Thank you.

Benny:This is kind of it.

Benny:We're going to give you money, so hopefully you don't ask again.

Benny:And then the next day, we go to sell the cars.

Benny:We could probably sell the van, but not the G-Wagon.

Benny:This is Smiler, who is like, listen, dude, these are hot.

Benny:These are hot vehicles.

Benny:We drive by the... Yeah, I feel like that's secondary.

Gamemaster:He's like, listen, dude, these are hot vehicles.

Gamemaster:Also, I do not sell cars, is fully what he said.

Johnny:I don't know.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Benny:Listen, he's a businessman.

Benny:He's wheeling.

Benny:He's dealing.

Benny:And if he's not selling cars, he's definitely not doing the first thing.

Benny:So if he wants to do both, he's got to be selling cars.

Gamemaster:True.

Gamemaster:Good point.

Benny:We drive by the Gas-n-Go℠.

Benny:We see their Inquisitors with their big wet noses sniffing around.

Benny:Then we go to Brooks' house with their small wet noses sniffing around.

Gamemaster:There are no shoonie in the setting.

Benny:Then we go to Brooks' house.

Benny:We start snooping around.

Benny:We rifle through his drawers.

Benny:And then we get jumped by a bunch of undead freaks and really strong blobs of flesh, whatever those things were.

Benny:We definitely didn't even get close to losing.

Benny:It was just, you know, we took our time.

Benny:And then we got a call from Smiler saying like, hey, some psycho is going to give you 30 times asking for this car.

Benny:And we're like, we'll go.

Benny:We'll definitely go.

Gamemaster:200 gold pieces over asking.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:But sure.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I mean, I think that was a pretty accurate recap.

Gamemaster:Hit all of the beats.

Gamemaster:Yeah, no, I find no faults.

Gamemaster:You get a mythic point.

Benny:Perfect.

Gamemaster:So we begin today's session at the end of last week's session.

Gamemaster:You've all...

Gamemaster:I'm trying to remember if this is another instance of you guys being up way past a reasonable time for people to be up.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:I don't think it's quite that late yet.

Gamemaster:It is definitely the evening.

Gamemaster:I think it's the evening.

Gamemaster:Either way, you had just returned to the Sin and Tonic.

Gamemaster:You had received the fax from Smiler saying that he found a buyer.

Gamemaster:He gave you the address for the drop-off.

Gamemaster:It's an abandoned parking lot, Widdershins.

Gamemaster:But other than that, you are your home and free to do as you please.

Benny:There was a time whatever limit on the sale, I think.

Gamemaster:Well, yeah, the fact is that they want to do the handover tonight.

Anzu:It was sometime tonight.

Johnny:Yeah.

Benny:Tonight, some of us are fucked up.

Arctos:We're totally going to get jumped, correct?

Johnny:Yeah, we should rest up and get ready to get jumped.

Benny:Yeah, but we should at least be prepared for it.

Arctos:Can we hand wave that we'd be at full health with enough time?

Gamemaster:Yeah, you're not in enough of a time crunch that you wouldn't be able to heal everybody up to full in terms of healing.

Benny:what about my drained and wounded conditions perfect yeah wounded says it goes away with treat wounds

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Gamemaster:No, you need to sleep to get rid of those.

Johnny:I'm something.

Gamemaster:Treat wounds might be able to get rid of wounded.

Gamemaster:I know you're drained and I think maybe it was Johnny is fatigued.

Gamemaster:Those both stick around until you get a nice full night's rest.

Johnny:I'm something.

Johnny:Let's see.

Gamemaster:Yeah, so if it would go away with treat wounds, then as part of the healing, the wounded condition will also go away.

Johnny:I am fatigued, wounded.

Johnny:Yeah, I'm fatigued and wounded.

Gamemaster:As part of the healing, you'll get rid of the wounded.

Gamemaster:The only status effects, looking at you guys right now in Foundry, the only status effects that would stick around after being healed is Benny is still drained and Johnny is still fatigued.

Johnny:Oh, I'm so tired, guys.

Gamemaster:But the...

Benny:We can sleep after we sell the car.

Johnny:All right.

Arctos:I have no healing spells for you guys.

Johnny:I think I can... I'll just stay in the back, and I actually have... I think I can give myself better armor.

Johnny:I don't know.

Johnny:I'll just stay in the back for this one.

Johnny:Maybe drink a coffee.

Johnny:I'll get a coffee.

Gamemaster:absolutely uh so it's seven oh wait sorry 12 gold pieces i think is for a second level

Anzu:I think there was some brief discussion about maybe buying a heal scroll or two.

Anzu:I don't know how much that was, but I've got cash.

Benny:12 gold pieces.

Anzu:Is that a level one heal?

Arctos:Josh.

Arctos:Try again.

Anzu:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:check uh second rank yes second rank scroll is 12 gold pieces yes

Anzu:Can I buy two Heal Scrolls and hand them to Ser Arctos?

Arctos:Thank you.

Anzu:I guess when we go out, we'll stop.

Arctos:You said scrolls?

Anzu:Yeah.

Arctos:Thank you, sir.

Benny:And I'll buy two more.

Benny:I'll buy one more healing potion.

Johnny:I also buy Healing Potion Mystic Armor.

Gamemaster:Remember, both for casting spells from scrolls and for drinking potions, unless you go into combat with it in your hand or you have something that allows you to retrieve it to your hand, it's an action to fetch it from wherever it's stored.

Arctos:Just a quick question.

Arctos:Could I get a little bit of a ring that goes around my thumb attached to a string that's going to pull out the scrolls for free action?

Benny:We've got Bandelier.

Gamemaster:For a free action?

Johnny:That's cool.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:What is... Yeah, basically.

Johnny:That's pretty cool.

Arctos:I'm really shocked this wasn't just thrown out immediately.

Johnny:That's kind of cool though.

Arctos:I just know that it's cool that there is something.

Gamemaster:Yeah, no.

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:I just need to... My intranet.

Gamemaster:is doing weird things right now.

Gamemaster:What level is this?

Gamemaster:Oh, actually, it might be a little high level for you.

Gamemaster:A retrieval belt, which would do what you're trying to do.

Gamemaster:The legacy version used to be called Gloves of Storing, which is what I was thinking of when you mentioned it.

Arctos:Gotcha.

Gamemaster:It's a level 7 item to free retrieve an item of bulk 1 or less, which would include scrolls and the like.

Anzu:Ooh.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:Is there anything else that lets you do that?

Gamemaster:I mean, you could, yeah, like, in general, other than that, if it becomes a real problem and you want to build around it, you can always get the Quickdraw feat.

Gamemaster:But if you want an item for it, unfortunately, it's a level 7 one, which, like, I might let you get slightly early, but not at level 4.

Gamemaster:Uh, Quickdraw...

Arctos:Yeah, so quick draw, feet.

Arctos:Would that make it?

Arctos:What would that make it?

Gamemaster:Oh wait, actually, am I mixing it up with something else?

Gamemaster:Quickdraw lets you pull out a weapon and attack with it at the same thing, which is not quite what you want.

Gamemaster:Let me see...

Gamemaster:Yeah, I think you need the retrieval belt if you specifically want the free action to pull it out for a scroll.

Arctos:Gotcha.

Gamemaster:Because there's the soldier syrup, which lets you not have to do anything for a potion.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:But that's specifically for potions.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:It doesn't work for scrolls or anything like that.

Gamemaster:Or I think you could always get a familiar.

Gamemaster:I think there's a feat that lets a familiar grab something from your bag for you.

Arctos:Oh yeah, with manipulate kitchen kitchen.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I believe that's a thing.

Gamemaster:Tanner, correct me if I'm wrong.

Anzu:I don't know.

Anzu:I'm not sure.

Anzu:There is a familiar ability called Valet.

Gamemaster:Either way, your options are limited at low levels.

Gamemaster:It's either, if you want it to be a free action, you have to enter combat with it in your hand, effectively.

Arctos:Fair enough, fair enough.

Gamemaster:Which is doable.

Gamemaster:It's always an option.

Gamemaster:You could be like, hey, I'm starting combat, I'd like to start with the scroll in my hand, and I will allow that without issue.

Anzu:It can retrieve an item of light or negligible bulk and place it into one of your free hands.

Anzu:Wait, it has to be something you're wearing.

Anzu:Can't use this ability to retrieve stowed items.

Gamemaster:Yeah, but we don't really play with stowed items.

Gamemaster:That's like if you have something in a backpack or whatever.

Gamemaster:But I assume that anything you would use in combat is available on your person.

Anzu:like pretty accessible.

Anzu:Yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Because technically, if you have a potion that's stowed in a backpack, it's three actions.

Johnny:And.

Gamemaster:It's one action...

Gamemaster:to set down the backpack and open it.

Gamemaster:It's another action to retrieve it, and then it's the third action to actually drink it.

Gamemaster:And that's silly.

Gamemaster:Yes, it is a manipulate.

Anzu:You frightened me.

Benny:One moment.

Benny:Wait, wait, wait.

Benny:That's three.

Benny:So I imagine setting the bag down.

Benny:Is that a manipulate?

Benny:Searching is a manipulate and using it to manipulate.

Gamemaster:Correct.

Benny:I'm good.

Gamemaster:Well, ideally, it's setting down the backpack triggers all of the attacks of opportunity around you.

Gamemaster:So then you're fine.

Benny:Yeah, but what if they have...

Benny:More than one.

Gamemaster:Either way, what are we doing?

Gamemaster:So you can absolutely, in your prep time, you guys have healed up all of your status effects other than the specific ones go away.

Gamemaster:You can go out and buy your potions and your scrolls.

Gamemaster:Anything else you'd like to do in the meantime?

Arctos:How do churches work for the host?

Johnny:Rest up.

Arctos:Is there one nearby?

Arctos:Are we not in a host district?

Benny:Thanks.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you can... You're in the capital of Calaria.

Arctos:How does that work?

Arctos:I don't know if we're in mini Italy or something.

Gamemaster:You...

Gamemaster:You can definitely find, if you're looking for an organized place to pray, you can find a nearby church.

Arctos:Oh, no, no, no.

Arctos:I don't mean, like, can I get to one?

Arctos:I mean, is there one close enough to me?

Arctos:Or can I start my own little prayer group?

Arctos:Or is that, like, is there something too close, you know?

Gamemaster:I mean, you can always start a prayer group if that's something you'd like to do.

Gamemaster:You'd have to find somewhere to do it, because Illmari would not let you do it in a bar.

Gamemaster:In his bar, specifically.

Arctos:Okay, okay.

Arctos:And just side note, if I ever wanted to start my own parish...

Arctos:Is that possible, or do I need to be part of a different convex?

Gamemaster:No, it's definitely possible.

Gamemaster:You would have to speak with the pre-existing convocs in Hallia to let them know that you'd like to do it, but it's definitely possible.

Arctos:OK, so I'll just go to the local church and start networking as I do this.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:The local church is definitely a smaller one.

Gamemaster:There are quite a few religious people here, but there isn't a lot of additional currency to extract out of them.

Arctos:Good.

Gamemaster:So the church itself isn't particularly ornate.

Gamemaster:It only has one prayer engine.

Gamemaster:which is the thing that collects religious fervor and stores it such that it can be used to perform miracles and the like.

Gamemaster:It's a small, small establishment.

Gamemaster:But, you know.

Arctos:How does the cleric of the church seem?

Arctos:Can I eventually... Do I think I can... Perfect.

Gamemaster:You, I, like, already, I think you're probably at the point that, like, this just, this is just some local guy who's out, like, yeah, you would, you would guesstimate he's around level two-ish.

Arctos:I'm marking this up.

Arctos:Hell yeah!

Gamemaster:Um, you know, it's, it's good enough for, for dock worker Joe and the like, um, but, you know, he's, he's no host-awakened polar bear, so...

Arctos:Alright.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:Cool, cool, cool.

Arctos:So I'm just going to little bro a little bit him, and then just be nice to everyone, and then leave.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:You mock the local... God, what is... People who... Christian, what would be the term for a guy who's at a church that isn't, like, high up?

Johnny:you you

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:It's like a deacon.

Gamemaster:Like, the local guy.

Benny:A gringo?

Gamemaster:Is it a deacon?

Gamemaster:Is that the term?

Anzu:A deacon, yeah, would be.

Arctos:Yeah, if they're not a full priest... Oh, then that would be a priest, normally.

Anzu:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Like, the head of a parish.

Gamemaster:That's a priest?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:But deacons can run services, they just can't do some of the bigger stuff.

Gamemaster:Okay, because this would be small enough that you have just the one priest.

Gamemaster:It wouldn't be a large enough congregation to necessitate having multiple people running services.

Anzu:Yeah, he'd definitely be a priest then.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:Sounds good.

Arctos:I almost asked you guys how much gold I have, but I know how much gold I have.

Gamemaster:I mean, Mike also probably does, so...

Arctos:Do we have extra gold in the group fund?

Benny:I don't know if we can we is that something we can know Josh I just didn't know if it was like a DM question or they were asking me or yeah yeah we have we have gold in there

Anzu:I think the 500 is in there.

Gamemaster:Sorry, you're asking me if they're allowed to know how much money you're holding on to for the party?

Gamemaster:Oh, yeah, no.

Gamemaster:I'm not the wallet guy.

Gamemaster:If you have me keep track of your wallet, I will do it.

Gamemaster:You will lose money.

Gamemaster:So...

Arctos:I was just... And two gold.

Gamemaster:If I recall, last session you received the bonus from, or the result of the bounty for killing Tywelwyn, and you also received a nice little bonus from the Inquisitors for reporting the crimes.

Johnny:So.

Anzu:Oh, so group fund is healthy right now.

Benny:And that was like, it's like, I don't know, 25 gold total.

Benny:No, we have almost 800 gold in the group fund.

Gamemaster:Because you got 602 gold last session, so...

Arctos:Gotcha.

Benny:I think it may have also been that session.

Benny:We had Tywelwyn wallet, which gave us 100 gold pieces.

Gamemaster:If you say so.

Gamemaster:I believe you.

Gamemaster:I don't remember you giving, I don't remember giving you 12-inch wallet, but sure.

Arctos:Or do you mean Plarfs?

Benny:That was one of the things... I mean, it's not like it had 100 in it.

Benny:We took it to Smiler and... I believe.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:I mean, we did that with... No, Hlarf's was 850.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Johnny:the card.

Benny:There was an 800 distribution from that.

Benny:So only 50 was left over.

Arctos:Oh.

Arctos:Did we also, I forget.

Arctos:Did we have jewels on us when we got killed, or did we already liquidate the jewels and then have cash and then taken from us?

Arctos:Or we died.

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:You had already liquidated the chips.

Arctos:Oh, okay.

Benny:And that also got distributed.

Arctos:Okay.

Arctos:Alright.

Arctos:Alright!

Benny:Okay, small... Actually, no, it was coins.

Benny:Small coins from... I'm not sure if this was in... No, this must have been in... Whatever we went to before the haberdashery.

Benny:Because that's what I have in my notes.

Benny:This is when we were going through the radar plant, the workshop.

Johnny:Nice nice.

Benny:And then I just have small coins, 100 gold pieces.

Anzu:All right.

Gamemaster:I believe you.

Gamemaster:I just don't remember giving them to you.

Arctos:And you recorded the two gold.

Gamemaster:It's fine.

Benny:I also wanted to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

Arctos:You recorded the two gold we got also per DM per day.

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:That's very important.

Arctos:Okay.

Gamemaster:You guys were salaried employees for three days.

Gamemaster:That's not bad.

Gamemaster:I mean, the longer you went without reporting the 12-win kill, the more gold you would have gotten.

Benny:We should have dragged it out.

Arctos:Yeah.

Benny:Reverse incentives.

Johnny:Dang.

Gamemaster:It's a missed opportunity.

Anzu:Ah.

Arctos:All right.

Anzu:Bang.

Arctos:So we're just chilling, straight chilling.

Johnny:It's chilling.

Gamemaster:All right.

Gamemaster:So is there anything else you guys would like to do before?

Gamemaster:Are you going out to the parking lot?

Gamemaster:Is that, are you doing the trade?

Arctos:How are we?

Arctos:So what's our plan here?

Arctos:Are we going to drive two cars there?

Benny:Uh, yeah.

Johnny:Uh, I guess.

Arctos:What time is the drop again?

Gamemaster:Midnight.

Arctos:Should we get there early?

Arctos:How early?

Johnny:Maybe we get there like an hour early scope it out.

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Anzu:Indeed.

Benny:Intrusionable.

Arctos:OK.

Arctos:Josh, do you mind taking off my off guard condition?

Arctos:It's really tripping me up to see my ACs that low.

Benny:You can do it with right clicking.

Arctos:It didn't let me.

Benny:Oh.

Arctos:Thank you.

Gamemaster:It's because you had to remove the grabbed condition.

Arctos:Okay.

Gamemaster:Same thing with Benny right now.

Gamemaster:You're prone, so that's also giving you off-guard, so you can't remove off-guard.

Gamemaster:But once I remove prone... Oh, you're on the ground on purpose?

Benny:That's intentional.

Benny:No.

Arctos:And then one final DM question.

Arctos:If I buy a Staff of Healing, how much damage does my Staff do when I hit with it?

Gamemaster:Mm-hmm.

Arctos:Because I don't see it there.

Gamemaster:Oh, if you wanted to bludgeon somebody over the head with a Staff of Healing, yeah, that's just a Staff.

Arctos:Is it just like a normal Staff?

Benny:It's not what it's for.

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:the staff of Hartman.

Arctos:And how much is that?

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:That is a two-hand 1d8, normally 1d4, bludgeoning damage club.

Arctos:Make it a... Wait, so it would be 2d8?

Gamemaster:Sorry, one second.

Arctos:Can I do it one-handed?

Gamemaster:Let me double-check this.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay, so yes, you can do it one-handed.

Gamemaster:It's 1d4 bludgeoning.

Gamemaster:I just wanted to see... Because it has the monk trait, but you can use a weapon that doesn't have the monk trait.

Arctos:Ooh, could I convert this to my deity's favorite weapon so I can get a 1d6 out of it?

Johnny:hmm you

Benny:Is your deity okay with that?

Gamemaster:Yes.

Gamemaster:The answer is... So, I dislike how favored weapons work for deities, because the idea is that a deity has a very specific weapon that you get a benefit to, and that doesn't change.

Arctos:I don't know how those work.

Arctos:I don't know if you're supposed to only stick with it for the entire campaign or if you can... Okay.

Gamemaster:It's so long as you worship that deity, that's the weapon.

Arctos:Hmm.

Gamemaster:I dislike that, because I feel like, if anything, it just kind of...

Gamemaster:forces characters who worship a particular deity into a suboptimal choice.

Arctos:Hmm.

Gamemaster:So I think my answer is that, like, yes, I will allow you to treat the staff as your deity's favorite weapon, but you can't just, like, keep changing it willy-nilly.

Gamemaster:I think it'll probably work off of... We'll say that you can change it when you level up.

Johnny:you you

Gamemaster:How about that?

Gamemaster:It works like a feat or something like that, where you can respec into another whatever, but you can't just each day switch weapons and be like, this is my favorite weapon now, that's my favorite weapon.

Arctos:Okay.

Arctos:Well, I won't change it now, but good to know.

Arctos:Thank you.

Arctos:Stats right now kind of suck.

Arctos:They're only level one spells.

Gamemaster:Mike is trying to figure out if he can eke out another damage die by making an optimal divine weapon choice right now.

Benny:I'm just checking what the favored weapons are of my deities.

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:I cast Mystic Armor on myself.

Arctos:Hey, by the way, since we're traveling together, I just wanted to ask, would any of you guys like to convert?

Johnny:Oh, man, guy.

Benny:What do you have?

Benny:You have some extra silver or something?

Arctos:I can arrange your, you know, ceremonies.

Benny:Benny will bump Johnny.

Arctos:Just think about it.

Benny:Yeah, why not?

Benny:Add one more.

Benny:Maybe they'll bring you back, too.

Johnny:No, me and the Watcher are kind of best buds, so I feel kind of bad cheating on him.

Benny:Oh.

Anzu:Is this particularly being cued off his best buds word choice?

Gamemaster:Arctos, roll a society check for me, please.

Arctos:I look at Mind Bird.

Arctos:I'm not good at narrowly religion.

Arctos:25.

Gamemaster:That would probably fit here, yeah.

Gamemaster:Anybody who would like to other than Johnny can make a society or a religion check here.

Benny:I think I know what the role is for.

Gamemaster:No, not quite.

Johnny:I don't want to offend Arctos, though.

Gamemaster:It is being cued off of Johnny.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I mean, a 25 is enough here.

Gamemaster:The ghosts of Raelion famously do not like the Iridescent Church because of that whole bombing their whole country out of existence thing that they did.

Arctos:No, I understand.

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:How do I explain a War crime to a bear?

Benny:Mr. Nakamura, would you like to become an American?

Benny:The fuck?

Arctos:How about you, Mindbird?

Anzu:I don't know.

Anzu:I've kind of been a little distracted lately.

Anzu:I don't think it would be good to get involved with somebody else.

Arctos:It's probably because you don't have an anchoring vision in your life.

Benny:Is it true?

Benny:I hear the host is very anchoring.

Benny:Helps with focus.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:We'd love to have you.

Anzu:I'm mostly concerned with the vocalist at the moment.

Arctos:You can do both, like me.

Johnny:Counterpoint, would you be interested in converting to the washer?

Arctos:Just think about it.

Anzu:Yes, indeed.

Arctos:No.

Johnny:What if I roll a diplomacy check and roll really high?

Arctos:You know, the Watcher didn't give me sentience.

Johnny:You don't know that.

Arctos:I did, actually, because it was the Aurora itself.

Johnny:I guess.

Benny:Oh, so whatever gives us sentience, we just have to stick with that?

Arctos:No, it's been pretty good to me, I'm going to be honest with you.

Arctos:I've had a great life.

Johnny:All right, that's fair.

Johnny:You know, as long as you're happy, man.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:Probably better lives than you guys, no offense.

Johnny:Probably, yeah.

Benny:I'll say.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:All right, let's go.

Anzu:Your armor is exquisite.

Arctos:Thank you.

Johnny:You have your own bed you can bring places.

Arctos:That's true.

Arctos:Did the bar ever get a shipment of food from Arctos' family?

Gamemaster:Yeah, it would've.

Johnny:It's barefoot.

Gamemaster:Like a care package.

Gamemaster:It's a Giant block of ice with a lot of salmon frozen inside of it.

Arctos:Yeah.

Anzu:Usually all we have around here is eggs.

Arctos:Yeah, well, you should work with the host and get this good food.

Anzu:That's nice.

Arctos:All right, well, let's go.

Gamemaster:Alright, you all are... You wanted to head out to the parking lot an hour before the meet?

Johnny:All right.

Anzu:Exactly.

Arctos:Get there an hour before.

Anzu:Yeah.

Arctos:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay, and how are you getting there?

Arctos:With two cars.

Gamemaster:Two cars.

Arctos:We're using two cars.

Gamemaster:Which two cars are you taking?

Arctos:Yeah, we're taking the...

Anzu:Well, they're going to buy the minivan, so we've got to take that.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Anzu:Yeah, it kind of depends on her.

Arctos:Will she let us take the other car?

Anzu:Ideally...

Gamemaster:If you're asking for the city tripper again, roll a diplomacy check against whoever's doing the asking.

Johnny:Oh, I got it.

Johnny:Is this make an impression or is this just diplomacy?

Gamemaster:No, Durr already has a pretty good impression of you guys.

Johnny:Well, darn, uh, diplomacy.

Johnny:Dura, come on!

Johnny:Be cool about this, we're best friends!

Gamemaster:You've stolen two cars.

Arctos:We just need it one more time just to get enough cash that we can make the other one legal.

Gamemaster:Why do you need to take mine?

Anzu:we did we did do that i do feel bad about that

Gamemaster:Like, before I get it, it was a necessity.

Johnny:Um.

Gamemaster:And then you lost it.

Gamemaster:And then you found it, which I am grateful that you found it.

Gamemaster:But you have two cars.

Gamemaster:You don't need mine.

Gamemaster:You literally said that last time.

Gamemaster:Last time you took the City Tripper, you said it was...

Arctos:Well, he lied.

Arctos:I wouldn't lie.

Arctos:Yeah, they lied.

Arctos:I'm not a liar.

Gamemaster:Do you have an actual good reason to take the city trip?

Johnny:Because we feel silly driving around on the hot rod.

Arctos:Well.

Benny:Yeah, if we show up in an expensive car, they might think that they could start dropping their offer.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:But this is the last time.

Gamemaster:This is the last time.

Arctos:Promise.

Johnny:Yes.

Anzu:Of course, of course, yes.

Arctos:Thank you.

Gamemaster:After this, I'm hiding my keys.

Arctos:Bear?

Benny:Fair.

Gamemaster:If it comes back with even a single scratch on it, I know where you sleep.

Arctos:Alright.

Benny:upstairs on the on the ground floor

Gamemaster:Upstairs.

Arctos:Alright.

Gamemaster:Upstairs is what we call the set of four bedrooms that you guys took over.

Gamemaster:That's upstairs.

Gamemaster:On the ground floor.

Gamemaster:Right, because there's no second floor to the Sin and Tonic.

Gamemaster:It is a one-story building.

Gamemaster:Good luck.

Arctos:Thank you.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:You're taking the minivan and you're taking the city tripper.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:You drive over, arrive at like 1105.

Gamemaster:There was a little bit of traffic at the parking lot.

Gamemaster:Do we all have Foundry open?

Johnny:Okay, no reason.

Anzu:Yes.

Gamemaster:Just so that you guys can explore what it looks like.

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:But for no other reason than that.

Johnny:All right, team, let's get in position this time so that I'm not at the front and don't die again.

Gamemaster:You guys pull into a parking lot.

Gamemaster:There is, as best you can tell looking at it, that you came in through this gate down in the bottom left.

Gamemaster:We can all see, by the way, right?

Gamemaster:Yes?

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:You came in in this gate in the bottom left.

Gamemaster:As for actual entry points into the parking lot, it's just that, and then there's like a sidewalk walk in the top left.

Benny:Fair enough.

Benny:All right, guys.

Benny:Let's go over order of important people just so that we know for this time so that it goes a lot smoother.

Benny:Arctos is the most important person we keep up.

Johnny:Okay, so we can't.

Benny:Then it's me.

Benny:Then it's Johnny.

Benny:Then it's Mindbird.

Benny:I want this to be very clear because...

Benny:One of us heals a lot and is defensive.

Benny:One of us does a lot of damage.

Benny:One of us heals a little bit.

Benny:And one of us can fly away.

Benny:One of us is nine years old and needs some help sometimes staying up.

Johnny:Does this make you more important because you're nine years old?

Benny:Yes.

Arctos:He's metagaming.

Arctos:He built the character to metagame.

Arctos:So we feel bad about the child.

Benny:It comes your turn.

Benny:Benny gives you a puppy dog.

Benny:I'm going to die.

Benny:Guys, I'm going to die, please.

Benny:He just starts talking like a book.

Benny:No, I hope so.

Johnny:Yeah.

Arctos:Have you guys seen The Good Place?

Anzu:Oh my gosh, there's too many vans here.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Arctos:You know, when they're going to turn off Janice and she's like, no, please.

Arctos:That's Benny.

Anzu:We did a duplication glitch.

Gamemaster:I'm working on it.

Benny:They'll have to buy a bull.

Gamemaster:That's not how that works.

Gamemaster:Where did you guys want to park your vehicles?

Anzu:Let's put the city tripper closer to the gate.

Anzu:Probably over here.

Benny:Yeah.

Anzu:But I think that's a fine spot for the minivan.

Arctos:Could you imagine if they just immediately slam into the city tripper?

Johnny:There's a fight.

Gamemaster:It's not even on purpose.

Gamemaster:They just felt their driving check bump into the bumper.

Benny:I just think they're selling it for a high price.

Arctos:Alright, guys.

Benny:They just drive in and are drunk as fuck and just ram into this.

Benny:Oh, fuck.

Arctos:Alright, guys.

Benny:We're so sorry.

Arctos:What?

Johnny:It can't get scratched.

Johnny:We got to move it out of the way.

Arctos:What?

Arctos:What happens, guys, if they don't have our money?

Arctos:They're trying to kill us.

Arctos:And then we get in possession of yet another car.

Benny:We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Benny:We'll just list both.

Benny:We'll just list both through Smiler.

Johnny:Or we just drop Iconoclasm.

Benny:Hopefully, the next one won't be a setup.

Benny:Hopefully, at some point, we stop accumulating cars.

Benny:God, please stop accumulating cars.

Arctos:I'm imagining some Craigslist thing.

Arctos:Being like...

Johnny:We drop Iconoclasm and become used car salesmen.

Johnny:With all the cars.

Johnny:Our cars we got free of charge.

Benny:Did you imagine if Josh wrote the campaign before and wasn't allowed to change it and accidentally put acquiring a car as a milestone and we're just hacking the system?

Johnny:Like a killing.

Arctos:Yeah.

Benny:We just show up with a shitload of... Is there a guy driving?

Benny:Josh is like, no one's driving down the street.

Benny:We go to the next town over.

Benny:Are there any cars?

Benny:This town has worse technology.

Benny:There's no cars.

Benny:There has to be a car, Josh.

Anzu:Bye.

Benny:Do train cars count?

Benny:We pull off a train car off the rails.

Benny:Do we level up?

Gamemaster:I'm never letting you guys use a car again.

Gamemaster:This is my fault for adding cars into this setting.

Benny:You know what?

Benny:If we get another one, counting the city tripper, we'll have four cars so we can each take one.

Benny:Except we'll just draw straws for who has to beg for the city tripper for the last time.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:When horses were the primary method of transport, you guys weren't going around hoarding horses.

Anzu:I think they're worth a lot more.

Johnny:We do, okay, in the past, we weren't just like, oh man, all these horses.

Gamemaster:What is it about cars specifically that you're like, we need more of them?

Benny:We're just happening upon them.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:Also, you don't have to feed a horse.

Johnny:You gotta water a horse.

Johnny:It's a lot of effort.

Johnny:Cars, just shove them in your garage.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:Also.

Arctos:You really did not give us that many options to take people's horses.

Benny:You gave us cannibal horses.

Arctos:Like, bad guys didn't come in on horses.

Gamemaster:Oh, so you're saying the thing that was stopping you from amassing horses was that I didn't give you the horses to take.

Arctos:Yeah, no, no, think about it.

Gamemaster:You would have if the option were available.

Arctos:The only time we ran into horses from enemies we have slain were the werehorses, and we took them, and they immediately starved to death.

Gamemaster:You did, and they immediately died.

Gamemaster:You know what?

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:That's fair.

Gamemaster:That's on me.

Benny:You give us like, it's like, I don't know if you're like feeding a baby.

Benny:Like you either give us a flavor so mesmerizing.

Benny:We're like, we can't focus.

Benny:Don't give us any more food.

Benny:This is the only food we ever want.

Benny:Or you give us something so insane.

Benny:We're like, I don't think I want food ever again.

Benny:Which is the werehorses that it's just like, you got to feed it your blood.

Arctos:Yeah.

Anzu:All right.

Benny:We're like, we're good.

Benny:They can die.

Benny:And then the.

Gamemaster:I'm going to make cars blood-powered in the setting, though.

Benny:And then in the other campaign, you're like, here are horses that can talk to you and are from beyond the pale.

Johnny:Oh, no.

Benny:We're like, wait, what?

Johnny:We gotta move the city tripper out of the way.

Johnny:I'm back on this.

Johnny:Can we move it into a corner that is not gonna die?

Johnny:If we lose the city tripper, we're in so much trouble.

Anzu:Put it up two spots.

Arctos:Sounds good.

Benny:Can we put the city tripper all the way up in this top corner?

Benny:Because if people approach from the alley, I don't want them to be like, fuck up their car first.

Arctos:Well, should we have a fast exit and it be close?

Benny:You know what I mean?

Anzu:Guys, they're just coming to buy the minivan.

Johnny:You're right.

Benny:I know.

Benny:But we can deal with the minivan and then we'll... But fast exit sounds like they can ram us on the way out.

Arctos:That's true.

Arctos:We're fighting or we're dying.

Arctos:Alright.

Arctos:Who has the keys to the city trooper?

Benny:Or we're leaving the city tripper?

Arctos:Benny?

Benny:Yeah, Benny will have them.

Arctos:We'll leave it and come back.

Arctos:That's what we do.

Arctos:We have potions of expeditious retreat.

Benny:I noticed you guys walked back.

Benny:You left with two cars.

Benny:You walked back with none.

Benny:Please tell me it's because you already dropped off the city tripper and I just haven't opened the garage yet.

Arctos:All right.

Anzu:You're all in your underwear, so you must have died again.

Johnny:I'll also look around.

Anzu:All right.

Arctos:We come back with six cards.

Arctos:We killed all the car thieves.

Arctos:All right.

Anzu:Why doesn't someone make a perception check to kind of take in all the sights around here and get a real lay of the land in a detailed manner?

Arctos:I can make one of them.

Johnny:Why not?

Johnny:Actually, do I get anything?

Johnny:And now I'll look around just to make sure.

Arctos:Oof.

Arctos:I have dark vision.

Johnny:I get the lay of the land.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:With the 29 looking around... So, first thing to note, giving it a good look around, there aren't other people...

Gamemaster:here um which you know in general i don't know if you guys are expecting an ambush or something like that but if you were expecting an ambush uh you have beaten them to the punch uh there is there's nobody in this lot other than you guys in fact you're in a pretty out of the way part of the city right now it it's late enough at night

Arctos:Mm hmm.

Gamemaster:that it would be strange to see people walking around in this area.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:This is a commercial area for places that do not operate this late at night.

Gamemaster:There aren't lights on in any of the buildings around here.

Gamemaster:It is empty.

Gamemaster:You would also know that this part of Widdershins is not particularly well policed.

Gamemaster:So you don't have to worry or...

Gamemaster:Yeah, I don't know if there would be a scenario in which you guys want the police around, but they're not going to show up unless somebody calls them.

Gamemaster:Other than that, this is literally just a parking lot.

Gamemaster:There isn't much to be seen here.

Gamemaster:If you're looking for vantage points, you could feasibly get on the roofs around here to look down, but there isn't an easy access point that you can see around here.

Gamemaster:There are no ladders that head up onto the roofs in any meaningful way.

Gamemaster:Why are you holding your finger up?

Anzu:I'll send Othello up onto a roof.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Can you roll a perception check for Othello while he's doing that?

Gamemaster:There is, there's like a weird generator thing that is plugged into the building that's north of the parking lot.

Gamemaster:It is not currently on.

Gamemaster:Yeah, this is, as far as places to do an illegal car sale go, this is a relatively secure one, as best you can tell.

Anzu:I achieved a 19.

Benny:Nice.

Gamemaster:Okay, with a 19 for Othello looking around, you have the advantage here that these roofs aren't flat.

Gamemaster:These are all angled roofs, which means it wouldn't be particularly easy to hide up there if somebody were inclined to do so.

Gamemaster:But Othello doesn't see anything out of the ordinary there.

Gamemaster:Just basic corrugated metal roofs.

Anzu:All right, so.

Benny:the we probably want two on the car do we want all four next to the car to do the exchange do we want two on two off sure

Arctos:We could all just hang out by the city tripper, and when they come up, we walk by the van.

Johnny:um shuffle over to the van

Arctos:Hey, Mindbird, can you hang out on the roof of the city tripper?

Arctos:Do you have any bungee cords to get yourself situated?

Anzu:I mean, I could just climb on the car.

Anzu:Oh my gosh.

Arctos:Yeah, but what if we drive?

Anzu:I don't really think that's a great idea.

Anzu:You want to tie me to the roof of the car?

Johnny:We can't just keep the doors unlocked?

Benny:Well, I mean, voluntarily.

Arctos:It's not raining, right?

Gamemaster:Nope.

Gamemaster:It's cleared up.

Arctos:Let's open all of the windows to the city tripper.

Arctos:That way we can dive in.

Benny:Okay.

Benny:Yeah, I feel like it's still in action.

Arctos:Yeah, but also...

Johnny:Wait, wait.

Johnny:Can you, as a bear, dive through the window of a car?

Gamemaster:It is... There's no way that Arctos fits through the window of the City Tripper.

Anzu:Arctos might not even fit in the City Tripper.

Arctos:Yeah, I can't.

Arctos:I'm a medium person.

Benny:This is true.

Benny:Technically, if you just look at the sizes, he has about as easy a time of getting it as Benny does.

Gamemaster:Or just for the record, I don't know what you guys have been imagining in your heads for what the City Tripper looks like.

Gamemaster:This is what's been in my head for about what we're looking at.

Anzu:oh hell yeah is that a subaru forester something kind of mad max dune buggy

Johnny:Oh, that's pretty cool.

Benny:Oh.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Benny:That's not what I've been imagining.

Benny:No.

Johnny:That's not what I was imagining.

Gamemaster:What have you been imagining?

Arctos:Now.

Gamemaster:Golf cart.

Johnny:I was imagining, like, no, uh, like this.

Johnny:Wait, it's loading.

Johnny:Oh, I mean, like, very, very similar things.

Gamemaster:Oh, honestly, that works too.

Benny:Yes!

Gamemaster:That's crazy.

Gamemaster:That works too.

Gamemaster:That's the same vibe, just like correct.

Gamemaster:Definitely not that, Jorge.

Anzu:Well, that's a little different from the previous two.

Benny:Wait, wait.

Gamemaster:Nope.

Gamemaster:We're going with what Mike and Noah somehow mind-melded together the same thing, which is what I was going for, just correct time period instead of when I just Googled Subaru and copied an image off of the... I think yours is nothing like that.

Arctos:I think mine's actually deceivingly similar.

Arctos:Shape-wise.

Arctos:Shape-wise, it's very similar.

Arctos:But alright.

Gamemaster:It really isn't.

Gamemaster:Is that like a close-up picture of a Hot Wheels?

Gamemaster:That's a starward Hot Wheel.

Arctos:It's titled starward X-Wing Carship Debut.

Gamemaster:That is a starward X-Wing Hot Wheel.

Arctos:Alright, well...

Gamemaster:Which I didn't know was a thing.

Gamemaster:Either way, we're going with what you guys have.

Gamemaster:Regardless, the point still stands is that you could not fit a polar bear into any of those windows.

Gamemaster:Although, am I being mean because technically you're a medium-sized polar bear, which makes you the same general size as everybody else?

Arctos:All right, well.

Arctos:I am.

Arctos:It's fine.

Benny:Wait, guys.

Johnny:You made that so fast.

Arctos:It's fine.

Benny:This is what I thought the city tripper looked like.

Benny:Josh, can we retcon it to be a pile of a million gold coins?

Johnny:You had that ready.

Johnny:Oh, no.

Benny:No, I couldn't find it online, so I had to have it generated by Gemini.

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:No, we cannot retcon it into being a pilot.

Gamemaster:Actually, you know what?

Gamemaster:If you want to retcon it, then you have to deal with Dura having... You've lost her car again.

Benny:No, it's fine.

Johnny:We lost the car.

Benny:I like the wood paneling.

Johnny:Look at this pile of a million gold pieces we found.

Johnny:I'm going to be on the far side of the hood just leaning on it like this.

Arctos:Yeah, I guess I'll hang out by the city tripper.

Gamemaster:Are you guys, yeah, position yourselves as you would like to be for when the buyer comes around.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Arctos:Who's holding the keys for the minivan?

Benny:Also, Benny.

Arctos:Alright.

Johnny:We let the child do the talking.

Gamemaster:Are we feeling comfortable with where you are?

Arctos:Now we wait.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:You hang out for the remaining bit of time until the actual meet.

Gamemaster:At around 11.50, slightly before the meeting time, a car pulls down the street.

Gamemaster:This is a beat-up looking, unassuming, like,

Gamemaster:pick up effectively, like a worker's truck pulling down the street before it does turn into your lot.

Gamemaster:We're just going to have it do that.

Gamemaster:Can I?

Gamemaster:I can.

Johnny:thank you

Benny:It's heading straight for us.

Arctos:Yubilee.

Arctos:22.

Gamemaster:And it just kind of stops in the middle of the parking lot there.

Gamemaster:Roll a perception check.

Benny:Perceivers.

Arctos:Ha.

Gamemaster:Okay, I mean, both of those are good enough to see that there are three people in the car.

Gamemaster:Yes?

Anzu:I know this breaks the two-person rule, but can I look through Othello's eyes and not look directly at the parking lot, but more the peripherals?

Gamemaster:Yeah, that's fine.

Gamemaster:That's a different check.

Gamemaster:You can have Othello do that as well.

Benny:you

Anzu:Eighteen.

Gamemaster:Okay, Othello is keeping Anaïs out around just to alert you if another group of people starts coming by or something of unusual nature starts happening.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:For those who rolled the perception checks to look at the vehicle, you can see that there are three people.

Gamemaster:There's a driver, and then in the back area there are two other humanoids.

Gamemaster:The windows are...

Gamemaster:I was going to say illegally tinted, but Hallia would definitely not have laws on how dark you can tint your windows.

Gamemaster:So they're tinted enough that you can see silhouettes, but not enough that you can make out any features.

Gamemaster:You watch as a human man.

Gamemaster:It's dark.

Gamemaster:It's kind of hard to make out facial features or anything like that, but you would guess...

Gamemaster:late 20s, early 30s.

Gamemaster:The driver gets out of the car.

Gamemaster:Ignore the token image.

Gamemaster:He doesn't look like that.

Arctos:He's totally not a henchman either.

Gamemaster:He doesn't...

Gamemaster:He is a henchman.

Gamemaster:He's definitely a henchman.

Gamemaster:He just doesn't look like that guy.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:He is dressed in... He's wearing, like, dress pants, a white button-down shirt that has been rolled up past his elbows, and a pinstripe vest, and has a red velvet...

Gamemaster:looking um handkerchief or bandana of some kind pulled across the lower half of his face uh he gets out and he opens up the car door for for one of the back passengers where you see a um

Gamemaster:Older looking, uh, dwarven man, um, wearing the same kind of garb, uh, get out of the car as well.

Gamemaster:Uh, once again, ignore the images.

Gamemaster:Um, and then a third person, uh, walks, uh, like gets out of the car on the other side.

Gamemaster:Um... You can rule a society or...

Arctos:Do we recognize these gang affiliations?

Gamemaster:Survival?

Gamemaster:Yeah, society or survival.

Gamemaster:Check here.

Anzu:I could make a society if we like.

Johnny:I will aid Mindbird.

Benny:I'd rather you make the roll.

Arctos:I have five society.

Arctos:All right.

Anzu:I have 10 society.

Anzu:I guess that gives me a 21 then.

Johnny:I'm aiding Mindbird.

Arctos:Do they have arraignments?

Gamemaster:They do.

Gamemaster:All three of them have ravens of the host.

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:I've aided Mindbird.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah, with the 21, you would recognize the iconography here.

Johnny:you you

Gamemaster:It's not hidden.

Gamemaster:These are members of the Velvet Mark, which are one of the primary gangs that operate the casinos and brothels and hotels in the Masque District.

Arctos:Thank you.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Clearly the person who seems to be in charge here, the one that the driver helped out of the car, starts walking forward across the lot towards the minivan.

Gamemaster:And as he does... As he does, he will snap at the group of you and say, Who's in charge?

Gamemaster:I gotta deal with one of yous.

Johnny:One of the, the child.

Arctos:I'll start walking up.

Johnny:Oh.

Benny:Yeah, Benny will walk over as well.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Arctos:The guy in charge probably shouldn't be Benny because he can't talk to them.

Benny:But yeah, Benny will also motion Johnny being like.

Arctos:I got this.

Benny:My OK.

Johnny:I will, I'll follow along behind the bear.

Gamemaster:He will look at, I guess, the bears since he was the one that started moving first.

Gamemaster:Okay, uh, just before we close this, I'm gonna have my guys take a look at it.

Gamemaster:Also, I'd love to get a history of it.

Gamemaster:Who'd you nick this off of?

Arctos:They're dead.

Johnny:Hey, Jonathan Skyfall.

Gamemaster:That doesn't answer my question, dumbass.

Johnny:Great to meet you.

Gamemaster:I'm not doing handshakes.

Gamemaster:I don't know where the fuck you put your hands.

Gamemaster:Tell me whose car this was.

Johnny:Straight through Tywelwyn Leatherhead's fucking face.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Shit.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:And a lot of his gang's dead, too.

Arctos:Probably free turf.

Johnny:Oh, yeah.

Gamemaster:That's some dangerous fucking words you're saying.

Gamemaster:And while he's doing that, you see that one of his henchmen has started... He's lifted up the hood of the front of the car and is just taking a look around it.

Gamemaster:I don't think I recognize any of yous.

Johnny:no but uh you've heard of my work don't worry about it i mean i would

Gamemaster:You new to this game?

Gamemaster:What's going on?

Gamemaster:That makes me more concerned.

Arctos:I don't know why you're saying this shit.

Arctos:We just, we nicked it.

Arctos:Well, got some revenge on them trying to get some coin for it, you know.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Did anybody see you take it?

Arctos:I don't know about you guys, but I'm still wearing my poncho.

Gamemaster:You're still Clint Eastwood?

Arctos:Yeah.

Benny:Did anyone see us take it?

Gamemaster:Yeah, listen, I just need to be sure that if I'm driving this around, I don't immediately get pulled over by who knows what with a death wish, you know?

Benny:Not that we know.

Johnny:Oh, no.

Anzu:It was the middle of the night.

Arctos:What's your diplomacy modifier for this?

Benny:Middle of the night, and the people we took it from are not here any longer.

Benny:It's not even clear if they know anything that we did.

Gamemaster:Can I get a diplomacy check from the group?

Johnny:Yeah.

Anzu:Jonathan?

Johnny:Is this make an impression or is this just regular diplomacy?

Gamemaster:This is making an impression.

Gamemaster:I'll give that to you.

Johnny:then it's real good.

Johnny:As we're saying this, I'm kind of just like slowly tip-tapping on my drum of War.

Johnny:It's a little drum.

Gamemaster:Sorry, you're playing an instrument?

Gamemaster:While this is happening?

Johnny:19.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Arctos:Do we get two diplomacy checks, or is it just one from us both?

Gamemaster:I'll let you do two.

Arctos:Yes.

Johnny:I'm so embarrassed.

Arctos:It's because I can go host to host.

Benny:you you

Arctos:I can use...

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Is that performance check?

Gamemaster:Oh, the performance check was your diplomacy because you get to just do that.

Johnny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:I need to roll reception for the henchmen.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:Hello.

Gamemaster:The henchman continues looking around the exterior of the minivan.

Gamemaster:He's taking a peek underneath just to see if the oil pan and all that stuff is on.

Gamemaster:And after a moment, he goes back and he whispers something in the ear of the dwarf.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:And the dwarf looks over to you guys and says, You know what?

Gamemaster:This looks good.

Gamemaster:And...

Gamemaster:For some reason, I actually believe you when you say that nobody saw this.

Gamemaster:I got your money for you.

Johnny:the car this whole time

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:And he, like, nods for the other henchman to go back into the car and pick something up.

Gamemaster:And he says, I'll take the keys before you get the money.

Benny:uh can benny motion over anzu can we have our associate verify the the money and then we can hand over the keys

Anzu:I'll step off the roof of the car.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Johnny:Well.

Gamemaster:And the second henchman comes back from the car with a briefcase.

Gamemaster:He holds the briefcase open so that you can look, but does not hand it over.

Gamemaster:Anzu, roll a perception check.

Gamemaster:I don't know what other...

Benny:Detect magic.

Gamemaster:Oh, you can also do detect magic if you like.

Anzu:Yeah, probably I'll pick up some kind of magic.

Anzu:I'll cast it and see what happens.

Gamemaster:You do.

Gamemaster:You cast detect magic and there is magic.

Benny:Can he dismiss the people that we're with?

Gamemaster:I don't know if that's how that works.

Anzu:Because I would need to know precisely what's magical to ignore it.

Arctos:Thank you.

Benny:Can you attempt to identify the coins?

Gamemaster:Right.

Anzu:Yeah, is that a thing?

Johnny:you

Anzu:Can I try to... I mean... How do you try to suss out an illusion or something?

Gamemaster:Yeah, so... Yeah, it would just be perception, if you think it's an illusion and you're trying to see through it.

Anzu:That's just perception, isn't it?

Gamemaster:And also, I did double-check detect magic.

Gamemaster:You can only ignore magic you are fully aware of, such as magic items and ongoing spells of you and your allies.

Gamemaster:So if these guys had magic items on them, if you don't know the exact item, then you can't ignore it.

Johnny:We'll be right back.

Benny:I see.

Benny:Identify also takes too long.

Arctos:Yeah, and you have to know it's magic to identify it.

Gamemaster:Identify all, like... I think you can identify something even if you don't know it's magic.

Anzu:you

Benny:I think identify says it has, like, once you know an effect is magic, you can attempt to identify it.

Gamemaster:Oh, yes.

Gamemaster:Once you discover that an item location or ongoing effect is magical, you can spend 10 minutes to identify the particulars of its magic.

Arctos:Yeah.

Benny:Are the coins in eye shot of Benny?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Benny:Can Benny roll perception as well?

Benny:18 for Benny.

Gamemaster:Both of you look it over and they look like a bunch of coins in a briefcase.

Benny:Okay.

Anzu:seems legit.

Arctos:All right.

Gamemaster:Yeah, it looks like about the amount that you would expect.

Arctos:Okay.

Benny:Benny will hand over the keys then.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:You hand over the keys.

Gamemaster:He tosses it over to Henchman 1, who will go around to the car and see if they actually start the vehicle.

Gamemaster:They do.

Gamemaster:So Henchman 2 closes up the briefcase, hands it over to you.

Gamemaster:And the dwarf says, good doing business with you.

Arctos:Hey, quick question.

Arctos:Do you want to buy a Venick?

Arctos:Is it a Venicus?

Arctos:A Venator?

Benny:Aventine?

Gamemaster:The Aventine?

Arctos:What?

Arctos:Aventine.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:You can get one by an Aventine.

Gamemaster:Aventine.

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:I'm buying this beat-up piece of shit for a reason.

Arctos:Okay.

Gamemaster:I don't need a fucking top-of-the-line whatever.

Arctos:Yeah, I don't know.

Arctos:He just wanted another one too.

Arctos:Alright.

Gamemaster:It's not because I'm lacking money.

Arctos:Yeah, that's... Scene if you want it.

Arctos:All good.

Gamemaster:No, find some other buyer for whatever else you're selling.

Arctos:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Arctos:We got it.

Anzu:Would you like us to drive off first, or do you want to go?

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:You should go first.

Gamemaster:That's a good idea.

Benny:Okay.

Arctos:I want to take a look.

Benny:We'll head over to the city tripper.

Benny:Benny will hand the briefcase.

Benny:Who wants to take a look just to verify?

Benny:Dig your hands in it.

Arctos:Can I verify it?

Benny:Smell it.

Arctos:Yes, pie through it.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you can paw through it.

Gamemaster:That's a perception check now that it's in your hands.

Gamemaster:Sorry, where were you doing this check?

Johnny:once we're in oh as we're walking away can we help you sir

Arctos:I was going to get into the car, right?

Benny:Uh, yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:If you guys are getting into the car, the dwarf and one of the henchmen will head back.

Gamemaster:You will see that the other henchman does start walking towards your car.

Arctos:Okay.

Anzu:Or to us.

Gamemaster:Towards you.

Gamemaster:He, as he gets closer, reaches into his jacket and then pulls out a business card.

Johnny:Oh.

Gamemaster:And he'll hand it over to whoever's closest.

Arctos:Real classy.

Arctos:I'll grab it.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Arctos:Real classy.

Arctos:How do you spell that name?

Gamemaster:If you happen to find yourself, you know...

Gamemaster:in the area uh if you go here uh and you can see that the business card is for a casino in the Masque District uh the crystal globe um you go there you tell them cosimo sent you they'll hook you up until uh he walks back out uh cosimo is the like it's the name written on it c-o-s-i-m-o

Johnny:oh great major

Arctos:Okay.

Benny:Sounds good.

Benny:All right.

Benny:Then we're off.

Benny:Oh, does anyone have Iconoclasm business cards?

Benny:I feel like we're unprepared.

Johnny:Oh, we really got to make.

Arctos:No.

Arctos:No, no, no, no, no.

Arctos:They don't know who we are.

Johnny:Well, what if we want to spread the name of the poncho boys around?

Arctos:We should keep it that way.

Benny:Okay.

Arctos:No, no, no, no, no.

Arctos:All right.

Benny:Anzu, get in the fucking car.

Arctos:I rolled a 24 for my Zeke check.

Benny:Anzu.

Gamemaster:You don't.

Benny:He's just in the middle of the parking lot.

Anzu:Oh, no, no.

Anzu:I didn't realize I had to move still.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:The four of you got into the car.

Gamemaster:What did you get for your perception check pawing through the money?

Gamemaster:24?

Arctos:24. all right let's leave yeah

Gamemaster:Yeah, as best you could tell, the gold is gold.

Gamemaster:If you want, you can take the time to count it, but it will, like... Okay.

Gamemaster:So you guys leave the lot.

Johnny:that well that looked like it was going to be a 19. poor

Gamemaster:You pull out.

Gamemaster:As you're pulling out, can I get one more perception check?

Benny:Then he's driving.

Benny:This guy's counting me in the backseat.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Arctos:And we have two people.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Arctos:Can Anzu roll?

Gamemaster:Anzu can roll if he wants.

Gamemaster:I'm not going to make him.

Arctos:Or Othello.

Arctos:I don't know if Othello wants to roll.

Anzu:Othello, yeah, Othello would be the one to.

Gamemaster:Othello could also roll.

Benny:We left him.

Arctos:Does Othello need to fly?

Anzu:17.

Anzu:Yeah, I tried to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Gamemaster:17.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah, no.

Gamemaster:You don't... Othello, this entire time, and also as you guys are leaving out, hasn't noticed anything untoward.

Gamemaster:And you guys pull out of the lot and start heading home?

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Arctos:Yeah, let's look for a tail, though.

Johnny:I can try and survive.

Arctos:Let's look for a tail.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Arctos:Do a couple of circles, you know?

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:Are you trying to escape a tail?

Gamemaster:Is that what's happening?

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:Or at least find if we have a tail.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:There are no cars on the road right now, so it would be very obvious if you had a tail.

Arctos:Great.

Gamemaster:But I would accept a survival check as you guys are driving to try and notice if anybody's following you.

Johnny:Does the bear have better survival?

Johnny:Bear, what's your survival?

Arctos:He's a city boy.

Benny:i think we may have i mean it's good to have people in low places

Johnny:This bear cannot survive.

Johnny:Yeah, 27.

Anzu:All right.

Gamemaster:Good roll.

Johnny:Nice.

Gamemaster:Yeah, with the 27, it doesn't look like anybody's following you.

Gamemaster:Best you can tell.

Johnny:That went pretty great.

Anzu:We might have even made a friend.

Johnny:Yeah.

Anzu:Well, a connection, we'll say.

Johnny:I got friends in low places.

Arctos:Do you have friends, devil friends?

Anzu:What was the name of the district that they're in?

Gamemaster:The Masque District.

Gamemaster:M-A-S-Q-U-E.

Gamemaster:Mask.

Benny:Like the cheesecake.

Gamemaster:Like the cheesecake.

Gamemaster:That's what it's named after.

Gamemaster:Okay, you guys drive home.

Gamemaster:You've got a briefcase full of money.

Gamemaster:If you're counting on the way home, you did not get shortchanged.

Gamemaster:There is 3,200 gold pieces in there.

Gamemaster:I don't know if you guys recall, but last session...

Gamemaster:I had one of you, I believe it was Johnny, roll a diplomacy check, and you rolled so ridiculously well that Smiler was able to find somebody who needed a car in a rush and was willing to pay a little bit over market to get it.

Arctos:So that's where we got this.

Benny:Josh will TPK us if he just keeps throwing us possible allies and we're like, we kill him and take their dove.

Gamemaster:It could have still gone south, depending on how you guys comported yourself during the sale, but it worked out.

Arctos:Maybe we should have killed him just to take the money and his car.

Johnny:Okay, guys.

Gamemaster:And the car.

Gamemaster:You could have done that.

Gamemaster:Had you fought them, they had really brought the money.

Gamemaster:So you could have... If you get rid of Dura, the car is yours.

Anzu:I know what those henchmen look like.

Anzu:I bought the eggs.

Benny:I don't like the way that Anzu's been looking at Illmari.

Benny:Why does he get the tavern?

Johnny:Here's what I'm thinking.

Benny:Hold on.

Benny:This Daryl look.

Johnny:If we get rid of Ginny, the eggs are all ours.

Gamemaster:Yeah, unfortunately, Dura is at full health.

Anzu:I bought them.

Gamemaster:So is Ginny.

Johnny:That's not our thing.

Johnny:That's the Weft's thing.

Johnny:That's not our thing.

Johnny:We'll attack people with full health.

Gamemaster:Right.

Johnny:All right, guys.

Gamemaster:You don't care if they're at full health or not.

Johnny:Here's what I'm thinking.

Gamemaster:You care if they have a car.

Johnny:If they have a car, they're dead.

Johnny:That's our car.

Johnny:Here's what I'm thinking, team.

Johnny:First, any gear that we need to not die.

Johnny:Second, embroidered ponchos.

Arctos:Yeah, but isn't it also kind of a good thing that people don't know who we are?

Johnny:That's why we get fake names on them.

Johnny:I'll say I'm Benny.

Benny:Perfect.

Anzu:That would be very confusing.

Gamemaster:Embroidered, but the wrong name embroidered.

Benny:The Benny we're looking for is way smaller than this guy.

Gamemaster:Like, out of curiosity, do you think it would raise anybody's alarms if they're looking for a group of people and one of them is the only sentient polar bear in all of Calaria?

Benny:And the Johnny is way taller.

Johnny:Well...

Gamemaster:I think they don't need to know your names.

Johnny:No, here's what we're going to do.

Arctos:No, he's wearing a poncho.

Gamemaster:Like, how many groups of polar bears' children...

Arctos:They don't know what I look like.

Johnny:Josh, listen to me.

Johnny:Here's what we're going to do.

Johnny:I'll be Benny.

Johnny:The polar bear will have a name that a polar bear would never have, like Dave, because that's not a polar bear's name.

Johnny:Then Benny will have an old person's name, but something crazy that they'll never expect, like Gertrude.

Johnny:And then the bird will be something that they never, they'll be like, oh, that can't be a bird's name, like big fish.

Johnny:So they'll all flop around and then no one will know who we are.

Benny:Wait, how high of a deception role do we need to pass off that's an animatronic polar bear?

Benny:Of course, we don't have in our group Arctos, the only sentient polar bear ever.

Gamemaster:The semi-famous knighted by the Pope, only sentient polar bear in Calaria, which is part of his backstory.

Benny:This, of course, is a homage to Arctos.

Gamemaster:I did not force that on him.

Benny:Wait, wait.

Benny:No, no.

Benny:This is our story.

Johnny:Dude, those, the dude, the people who just bought, sold this car too, you know, they were driving away and they have like a, one of those little fobs dangling from their rear view mirror, mirror, and it has like a metal arctos.

Benny:This is our full cover story if we have to hide Arctos.

Benny:This isn't Arctos.

Benny:This is a sentient animatronic Arctos from the Arctos ride in some theme park.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Johnny:They're just driving away.

Johnny:They go.

Johnny:Holy shit!

Arctos:If any of the cops question the detective guy, or the detective's apartment, they're like, yeah, there was a guy saying, I am Sir Arctos.

Benny:There was a powerful wizard that went on the Arctos ride, and his son kept bothering him that he wanted to touch the polar bear, so he awakened the animatronic Arctos, and then he gained sentience and free will and left.

Johnny:You mean the famous bear?

Gamemaster:Right.

Benny:That's my next character.

Benny:If Benny dies, I'm coming back as Awakened Arctos.

Arctos:All right, so we go home.

Johnny:But the automaton, not the actual bear.

Gamemaster:Well, because the actual bear is here.

Benny:It'll be an automaton.

Benny:Because automatons, you can have them four-legged.

Benny:This will be a four-legged automaton that is just... It's Five Nights at Freddy's, bro.

Johnny:That's a great character idea, actually.

Johnny:We go home.

Benny:An Awakened...

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Arctos:I have some midnight salmon and then I head to bed.

Gamemaster:Yeah, did you guys have anything else that you wanted to do before you rested or we can skip to tomorrow morning?

Johnny:you you

Arctos:When is the invite for all the terrible people?

Anzu:Oh my god.

Arctos:Pilgrimage, yeah.

Gamemaster:Oh, sure.

Benny:Right.

Gamemaster:Sorry, you're putting words in my mouth that aren't necessarily there.

Gamemaster:The pilgrimage where we're going to say happens, we'll say it's, you're waking up to Wednesday, and the pilgrimage is dated for Saturday.

Arctos:OK.

Johnny:Before we go to bed, I like to try on those clothes that we stole to see if they fit in case I need to get them tailored.

Arctos:You should get a little tailored in.

Gamemaster:They mostly fit.

Gamemaster:You might need to get them tailored to get it to, like...

Gamemaster:All right.

Gamemaster:You guys get a long rest.

Gamemaster:You wake up.

Gamemaster:It's Wednesday morning.

Gamemaster:The smell of eggs eats your nose.

Gamemaster:I think Jimmy would have probably picked up making coffee specifically for espresso martinis.

Gamemaster:So there's also coffee available if you want it for breakfast.

Gamemaster:But you guys are able to hit the booth and figure out what you want to do.

Arctos:And did our buddy Skyler Smiler?

Gamemaster:Smiler, the centaur?

Arctos:Yep.

Arctos:Is he capable of now using that 3,000 to make our car legit?

Arctos:Because he said that originally.

Gamemaster:He could find, yes, he could find somebody to, like, if you handed that money over to him, if you want to make the Aventine, like, street legal and legally owned by you, he can do that.

Arctos:I don't know if...

Gamemaster:It would take 3k to do so.

Arctos:What do you say?

Benny:Well, we only have 100 in the group fund.

Johnny:We could have 3,100.

Johnny:Okay.

Arctos:3300.

Benny:I don't have that much I want to buy at this level that is that expensive.

Arctos:We got 32 for it.

Benny:I think it's okay to legitimize the car.

Arctos:Yeah, I think we should do it.

Gamemaster:Okay, so if you want, you guys can go find Smiler, give him the 3K.

Gamemaster:You already spoke about this.

Gamemaster:So you get to keep the 200 bonus you got and the 3K, and he'll need to hold on to the Aventine for a day to fix it up.

Arctos:What color is it?

Gamemaster:But he can go through.

Gamemaster:What color do you want it to be?

Arctos:Did she paint it?

Gamemaster:With 3K, he can make it whatever color you like.

Gamemaster:He just needs to know so he can put it on the registration.

Arctos:Do you guys think matte black?

Arctos:That or I'm thinking Aurora.

Anzu:Definitely not Aurora.

Benny:What about like a dark purple for the Voidsong?

Arctos:I could do that.

Arctos:Aurora can be purple.

Arctos:Yeah.

Benny:Yeah, I think a matte dark purple.

Anzu:I accept.

Arctos:Like a matte purple.

Johnny:What if we did it in denim?

Gamemaster:Yeah, if you want it to be matte purple, you can do that.

Johnny:What if we got it just all in denim?

Anzu:Denim.

Gamemaster:It was already a relatively noticeable car in the area that you're currently in, because it's...

Gamemaster:It's a nice car.

Anzu:Ugh.

Gamemaster:If it's matte purple, it will be obvious everywhere it will stand out.

Johnny:We look like the Joker.

Gamemaster:Just warning you.

Arctos:Okay, but... That's why I said Matt Black.

Gamemaster:If you want the Joker car, you can have the Joker car.

Gamemaster:I'm not saying you can't.

Johnny:We're not being inconspicuous this time.

Benny:Yeah, I guess Matt Black.

Johnny:Matt Black.

Johnny:Josh, can we also find a tailor so I can get this suit tailored?

Gamemaster:Yes, that's totally doable.

Johnny:Also, does the invite get all four of us in?

Benny:I need...

Arctos:And...

Johnny:Okay.

Gamemaster:No, the invite says it invites one.

Arctos:I'm also going to buy some healer gloves from Smiler.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:You have the 10% discount still.

Arctos:Okay.

Gamemaster:That hasn't changed.

Arctos:And that's a level 4 thing.

Gamemaster:And sorry, what did we end up saying that the color is?

Benny:black.

Gamemaster:Black.

Benny:Are you assuming any distribution of funds from the group, or are you able to buy the... How much?

Arctos:Oh, yeah.

Arctos:I would need...

Arctos:Group funds.

Arctos:I have 20 gold.

Arctos:I need a total of six.

Arctos:I'll need 68.

Benny:We'll give everyone 100.

Benny:Unless you just want the max payout.

Johnny:nice um whatever works josh how much how much would it cost to get the that suit tailored

Benny:I'll keep it.

Benny:Everyone give yourself a hundred.

Anzu:All right.

Benny:You can always distribute later.

Gamemaster:I had like two silver pieces.

Johnny:Can I also get, just for an initial thing, on my right shoulder, like, a piece of leather or something, or denim, that a bird could perch on, that it looks like was put there as though I normally have a bird?

Gamemaster:Yeah, that's fine.

Arctos:Oh, very tasteful idea.

Arctos:You send a photo.

Johnny:Gotta get that bird in somehow.

Gamemaster:The car that I'm thinking of for the Abentee, by the way, is a 1965 Lincoln Continental.

Gamemaster:That's what we're looking at.

Johnny:Oh, that is a Pentmobile.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Benny:I thought the Evan team was the G-Wagon.

Gamemaster:Oh, sorry.

Gamemaster:It is the G-Wagon, but G-Wagons didn't exist in the 60s.

Gamemaster:So this is the closest I can think of.

Gamemaster:That's the equivalent.

Gamemaster:It's a luxury sedan truck thing, but I don't think they had that in the 60s.

Johnny:This is real.

Arctos:Yeah, when did SUVs come out?

Johnny:This is a real Pentmobile.

Gamemaster:I don't... There weren't SUVs in the 60s and 70s, to my knowledge.

Gamemaster:So I think this is the equivalent.

Gamemaster:Just size it up so that it's, you know, SUV equivalent.

Arctos:All right, cool.

Johnny:Cool.

Benny:And I think Benny will purchase a rapier.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Anything else you guys would like to purchase?

Benny:Not the moment.

Arctos:No, no, I guess I'm good.

Gamemaster:You get your suit tailored?

Anzu:From our discussion with the Inquisitors, does it seem like the radar dishes in our area are probably not a problem anymore?

Gamemaster:You get the rapier?

Gamemaster:Yep.

Benny:Thanks.

Gamemaster:You told them about the radar dishes and the locations, so you would gather that they would go and start taking them down now that they're familiar with it.

Anzu:I forget exactly...

Anzu:excellent this is

Gamemaster:But you would also know it's a bit of a compounding problem, where the issue is the larger area covered by them brings you closer to the bad thing happening.

Gamemaster:and you have already killed the person that was distributing them, so you'd already put a big dent in their propagation regardless.

Arctos:so what do you guys want to do till Saturday I mean we can I got a couple options number one I can go visit my buddy he's a minister maybe yeah

Benny:Thank you.

Johnny:Oh.

Anzu:does he have like something for us like we're a lead or you just you just miss him

Arctos:I don't know.

Arctos:I hang out with him a lot.

Arctos:Yeah, he's pretty cool.

Arctos:Or maybe Grayson's going to try to kill him.

Arctos:Maybe we should let him know.

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:Josh, at some point, I would step aside and speak into the little pond piece.

Johnny:Hey, Red, I got some big news.

Johnny:I should probably talk to Donnie at some point, whenever he's got some time.

Johnny:Cheers.

Gamemaster:Uh, Red will respond.

Gamemaster:Sure, I can let Donnie know.

Gamemaster:He'll come find you, I'm sure.

Johnny:Great.

Johnny:Love you, Red.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:You too, be safe.

Anzu:something that I've been thinking about is still exploring those sewers now that the water has cleared out going in the other direction than we had previously went back when we were looking for pause Lynn

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:Oh, yeah.

Johnny:Let me down.

Anzu:Because we had went in the outbound direction, I think.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Anzu:And it seemed like they were doing stuff down there.

Anzu:So that's what I've been thinking about.

Arctos:Okay.

Benny:Well, keep thinking.

Benny:Yeah, anyone got any other ideas?

Arctos:So the options are go hang out with my friend or go through some sewage.

Johnny:Cool guy, yeah.

Benny:Yeah.

Arctos:We can go talk to that Iron King Claire.

Arctos:We can go visit Aut.

Arctos:That was cool.

Arctos:Pop by, swing by, a little Black and White.

Gamemaster:Where are you guys talking about this?

Johnny:Probably just like breakfast.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Johnny:Oh, we got that gift card to that place where I supposedly found a hair in my food.

Johnny:We can go back there.

Gamemaster:That's true.

Arctos:I don't want to eat at a place where you found hair in your food.

Gamemaster:You did.

Johnny:No, it wasn't real.

Johnny:Don't worry.

Arctos:I guess we go to the sewers.

Gamemaster:As you guys are... Sorry.

Anzu:Oh, also, I don't know.

Anzu:We have this very firmly locked journal from Hwarf that we were not able to crack.

Anzu:I don't know if maybe Anaïs or Anouk could get it open or something.

Arctos:Oh.

Anzu:I don't know if we're interested in that.

Arctos:Yeah, we should do that first.

Gamemaster:Well, as you guys are talking, you do see that Anouk will walk out of her section of the workshop into the main area, find you guys, and then sit down at your table.

Gamemaster:Hello?

Gamemaster:Are you guys doing anything right now?

Anzu:No, we're kind of like putzing about, kind of debating what to do.

Arctos:We're going to try to have someone drill into this secret diary.

Johnny:Morning.

Anzu:Oh.

Gamemaster:Can I ask you a favor before you drill into a diary?

Benny:Sure.

Gamemaster:Anaïs went out on an errand about two days ago and he hasn't come back.

Johnny:No.

Johnny:Yeah.

Johnny:Oh.

Arctos:Which one's the night again?

Arctos:Sorry.

Gamemaster:Anaïs is the guy.

Arctos:Oh, the other.

Arctos:OK, where do you go?

Gamemaster:Yes, is the male twin of the pair.

Gamemaster:She was like, could you... Do you mind looking into it, just seeing what happened to him?

Anzu:Yeah, what was he up to?

Gamemaster:He was... He had gotten a lead that he said was particularly promising.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:He said it might take a little bit of time, which is why I didn't immediately start looking for him when he didn't return.

Gamemaster:But it's been two days now.

Gamemaster:Heard nothing from him, so I'm a little worried.

Johnny:What was the lead on?

Johnny:Do you know?

Gamemaster:The Voidsong.

Gamemaster:It is why we're all here.

Johnny:Oh.

Johnny:We've been doing a lot of stuff recently.

Arctos:Where did he hit?

Johnny:Kind of forgot about that.

Anzu:Do you know anything about where he was going or what he had heard?

Gamemaster:Yes, I have the address of where he went.

Gamemaster:I unfortunately don't know much more beyond that.

Gamemaster:She has a scrap of paper with pretty poorly messy handwriting on it.

Gamemaster:She'll hand it over to you.

Gamemaster:It is here.

Gamemaster:And it's in Sableclutch.

Gamemaster:It's just very void work.

Gamemaster:It's void 26, which is basically the limits of the city on the horizon down that way.

Gamemaster:He's probably fine.

Gamemaster:I just figured it was if you're not currently doing something that is time sensitive.

Benny:Yes.

Arctos:Just a clarifying question.

Johnny:No.

Arctos:Do we have our car yet, or is it still being fixed or modified?

Gamemaster:This would be the... You said breakfast, so it would be the day after.

Gamemaster:So you can pick up your car and do it.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:It is Thursday right now.

Arctos:Cool.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:I'm down.

Arctos:Let's go get him.

Johnny:No.

Arctos:Good guy.

Johnny:Did he mention if it was dangerous or anything?

Johnny:Should we expect a fight?

Gamemaster:I mean, the fact that he is not currently back leads me to believe that it was dangerous in some way.

Gamemaster:Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the location.

Arctos:anything else you should you think is important do you know how he got the idea of this place or hmm

Gamemaster:He has a pastime of listening to radio waves as they come by, seeing if he can pick anything else.

Gamemaster:Police scanner type deal, and he heard something that made him think that it was worth checking out.

Gamemaster:I wasn't around when he actually left.

Gamemaster:I found a note that said he was headed out.

Benny:Okay.

Benny:We'll head out then.

Arctos:Nope.

Gamemaster:Appreciate it.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Gamemaster:And with that, she will get up and return back to her workshop to work on whatever she was working on.

Arctos:Wait, do you might try to drill into this diary while we're out?

Gamemaster:Yes?

Gamemaster:Sure, yeah.

Gamemaster:I have my tools if you want me to try and knock it open while you're out.

Gamemaster:And you give her the diary.

Arctos:All right.

Benny:We're off then.

Benny:We go.

Anzu:Yeah, we got to see what this is about.

Johnny:Yeah.

Arctos:Josh, I sent another car.

Arctos:Does that look like what you think it might look like?

Gamemaster:I mean, that's a little too old-timey.

Gamemaster:It's literally... The problem is that the G-Wagon didn't come out until, like, the 80s.

Gamemaster:So it's the equivalent of a 1960s G-Wagon, which is, like, the closest I could think of was a luxury sedan, but bigger.

Arctos:I thought 1940s for some reason.

Gamemaster:So, like, think the 1960s... No, no, no, no.

Arctos:This might be.

Gamemaster:That's unfortunately a little too far back.

Gamemaster:We're thinking, like, mid-60s.

Johnny:Hmm.

Gamemaster:yeah okay so you guys are gonna go pick up your Aventine and the plan is to head on over okay absolutely easy enough to pick it up from Smiler it is who it needs to be like legally registered under a name who owns the car okay

Benny:Yeah.

Anzu:I actually agree as well.

Arctos:Arctos.

Johnny:Yeah.

Arctos:If anyone in the group should have the car, it makes sense for Arctos to own a rich car.

Gamemaster:Okay, the name is registered under Arctos.

Gamemaster:You are now all the proud owners of this black Aventine.

Gamemaster:The car was registered as having been totaled and then repaired by you guys, so there's no previous history of this particular vehicle.

Arctos:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:And they've switched out all of the internal numbers and all that kind of stuff.

Johnny:that's is it licensed pretty good and it's all licensed slide

Gamemaster:So you're the legal owners of this car.

Anzu:And this had a magical trunk, right?

Gamemaster:It does.

Gamemaster:The trunk holds, I believe, 15 square feet, 15 by 15 by 15.

Gamemaster:It's effectively a portable hole that has been permanently sewn into the lining of this truck.

Arctos:How do you like the G wagon I sent now?

Benny:Sure.

Gamemaster:Sorry?

Johnny:It's all licensed to slide and everything.

Johnny:I'm ready to buy a license for that.

Gamemaster:Yes, yeah, you have all of those licenses and the like.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I guess that's pretty close.

Gamemaster:That's about what I'm going for.

Gamemaster:It has the right headlights, at least, in Grail.

Gamemaster:Yeah, so... Absolutely.

Arctos:All right, let's start sliding, Benny.

Gamemaster:We haven't really gone into it because it hasn't come up much.

Gamemaster:Sliding is viscerally uncomfortable, unless you've done it a lot and your body's gotten used to it.

Gamemaster:It's very much the feeling of... You know how when you're...

Gamemaster:occasionally when you're falling asleep, you get woken up by this sudden feeling like you're falling for half a second before you realize you haven't gone anywhere.

Johnny:Bye.

Arctos:mostly when I'm drunk but yeah

Gamemaster:I'm really hoping that you've all experienced this before and I'm not just telling on myself for experiencing something weird.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Gamemaster:Either way, it's like that every time you step from one instance to another.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:Because you're not physically changing any location.

Gamemaster:You just get this really sick sense of vertigo for half a second before it fades.

Gamemaster:And so...

Gamemaster:Moving far into the void requires repeatedly feeling that as you click, click, click further down the infinite horizon.

Gamemaster:I don't think any of you are particularly traveled on the horizon, like maybe making stops a little bit left or right, but you wouldn't have acclimated to this feeling.

Gamemaster:So, like, you don't need to make fortitude checks or anything like that, but you're definitely all feeling at least a little nauseous by the time you make your way down.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Arctos:I'd have been traveling mostly with my minister friend.

Arctos:I assume most of it happens in the prime, right?

Gamemaster:generally speaking at least in Hallia Færrin Prime is the spot where the money and the rich people and the politics and all that kind of stuff happens it's the further you move down the horizon the further you move away from city center effectively there isn't much reason to go that far out

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Unless you have a specific point of being there in Hallia.

Gamemaster:So you just deal with getting a little bit nauseous as you feel like you're getting jerked back and forth repeatedly until you make it to the... It's still Sableclutch.

Benny:you you

Gamemaster:You haven't changed areas.

Gamemaster:This is a notably worse part of town.

Gamemaster:In that, in Sableclutch, if you see an area that's not great, it's because the place was built and then hasn't really been well maintained.

Gamemaster:It's part of the area where they needed people to live there, but they didn't want to spend a lot of money constructing a building.

Benny:Okay.

Gamemaster:So you get these run-down, made-by-the-cheapest-bidder type, almost tenement housing.

Arctos:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:But at the very least, they built structures.

Gamemaster:There's working plumbing and all of that kind of stuff.

Gamemaster:Here, on the edge of the city, far down the horizon, this is the frontier, effectively, of Hallia.

Gamemaster:The only people that come out here are people who are desperate for a place to work, and people who are trying to stay as far out of...

Gamemaster:you know, as far out of any kind of law enforcement's eye or regulatory eye that they can get.

Gamemaster:We'd already talked about how you guys have been, like, four or five steps down the horizon, and that's where you start to see, like, people just openly dumping sewage and trash into the river because they don't really care if they ruin this particular Færrin.

Gamemaster:There's an infinite number of other ones to destroy.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:We're past that.

Gamemaster:At this point, it's too bothersome to even tow the trash out to dump it here.

Gamemaster:So the only people that are out here are... Like, you appear in what had been...

Gamemaster:a pretty busy-looking intersection, is now just a collection of literally wood houses.

Gamemaster:It's so much easier to get lumber than it is stone, and with an infinite supply of lumber as you move up and down the horizon, the further you get away from any amount of logistical infrastructure, the more likely it is you just get to wood cabins and stuff.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:It's maybe a little jarring to have moved from...

Gamemaster:like city center to log cabins and a half chopped down forest, um, without actually having moved anywhere.

Gamemaster:But, uh, that's what, that's what Hallia looks like this far down.

Gamemaster:Um, so you are on the side of a river in what is technically Sableclutch.

Gamemaster:Uh, the address given to you in so far as there are roads here, uh, points to a, uh,

Gamemaster:A hovel is a nice way of putting it.

Gamemaster:It's a little further out of what the city boundary would be.

Gamemaster:It is clearly made out of hand-hewn logs set up in almost log cabin style, although very much this was not like a labor of love.

Gamemaster:This was a labor of I need some place to cover my head from inclement weather.

Gamemaster:So I'm just going to chop down the logs, the trees directly around me and form it into a hut.

Gamemaster:It's small.

Gamemaster:It's maybe one story.

Gamemaster:It looks like the whole thing is like 600 square feet, maybe, from the exterior.

Gamemaster:You're on dirt roads.

Gamemaster:There isn't a driveway or anything like that.

Gamemaster:Roll a perception check as you approach to get the details of the surroundings here.

Gamemaster:And then I'd also like, I guess an arcana or a cultism check for knowledge around this part of the horizon.

Anzu:Oh, you're going to regret saying occult.

Arctos:Do you know that meme where it's like something's happening and then it sounds like a car driving with Spanish music driving by?

Benny:No.

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:Excuse me.

Anzu:I got a 20 occultism.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:Seventeen perception.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:Okay, so on a 20 occultism, you would know that there is another reason that there isn't a lot of expansion down this far voidward in Hallia.

Gamemaster:And that's because if you had moved one further step voidward, you would have run afoul of the first Joker world on the horizon in this direction, being a world that does not follow the normal circumstances of a Færrin.

Gamemaster:Traditionally, each Færrin is just like untamed wilderness, as if sentient life had never arisen, but every once in a while you get one that doesn't quite follow the same rules.

Gamemaster:You would know that if you had one over, you hit the first Joker world, which is blanketed in blood rain.

Gamemaster:The whole world.

Gamemaster:Um...

Gamemaster:constant, unending, heavy winds, torrents of blood, which make it a not particularly nice place to live.

Benny:A bunch of free food for horses of a certain ilk.

Gamemaster:So people tend not to settle out there.

Anzu:Grr.

Johnny:All right.

Gamemaster:Wrong planet.

Gamemaster:Although, now that I say that, I feel like...

Gamemaster:No, the blood wouldn't work as... I mean, it would work in a pinch as a blood transfusion, just probably wouldn't like the result.

Gamemaster:Either way, not great.

Gamemaster:So people tend not to venture out in that direction if they can avoid it.

Gamemaster:This particular cabin, we got a 17 for the perception check looking around.

Anzu:Wait, can I ask a little follow-up on that?

Anzu:Is there presence after that?

Anzu:Do people skip over it, and then you could find Hallia again at 28?

Gamemaster:Not for Hallia.

Anzu:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:There hasn't been enough need for it to expand in that direction, so they haven't.

Gamemaster:You would know, for instance, Velthara, one of the northern mining countries, they make strand cities, which are relatively small footprint cities because they're in...

Gamemaster:mountainous areas where there isn't a lot of uh land for buildings but they're spread across hundreds of worlds on the horizon and those do like they'll just skip past it nobody lives in that particular one but they'll they they exist further beyond um

Anzu:But we are at the farthest stretches of Hallia, basically, right now.

Gamemaster:Correct.

Gamemaster:Yes, there's no more Hallia past this point in this direction.

Gamemaster:You'd also know that that's like one of the more tame Joker Worlds.

Gamemaster:The further you get away from Prime, the worse they tend to get.

Gamemaster:So it's kind of the feeling of, we don't need to expand in that direction.

Gamemaster:That already sucks.

Gamemaster:There's no reason to go out even further and then run into possibly worse things.

Arctos:And we didn't even go starward.

Anzu:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:So...

Arctos:This is only voidward.

Gamemaster:Yeah, this is only voidward.

Gamemaster:If you had gone starward, there's a whole different set of Joker Worlds and expansion and all of that kind of stuff.

Gamemaster:But yeah, okay.

Gamemaster:So with a 17, looking around, you've pulled up out front of this log hovel area, a bungalow, say.

Gamemaster:Anouk didn't tell you how Anaïs got here.

Gamemaster:There isn't a car out front or anything like that.

Gamemaster:You also, the, there are shades in the windows of this building.

Gamemaster:It is one story.

Gamemaster:It has, it has like an A-frame roof.

Gamemaster:You gather that this Færrin in this area, for whatever reason, gets enough snow to warrant that.

Gamemaster:There are curtains in the windows and you can see blue flickering light on the interior, but it is...

Gamemaster:non-obvious uh like like you don't see any shapes or anything like that but behind the curtains you just see the light kind of filtering through underneath um there is no noticeable like no no evidence that you can see with that perception check of people having come or gone recently uh it does look like it had been raining here recently um

Gamemaster:You gather that the rain was across the horizon, not just on Færrin Prime.

Benny:Yeah I think so.

Gamemaster:So that's only let up semi-recently.

Gamemaster:The ground is still wet.

Gamemaster:We don't see any tracks.

Arctos:Should we get out and go in?

Johnny:do it we're not animals i i said we're not animals but then apologized i know that's why i apologize

Anzu:Are we knocking on the door or are we just going to break in?

Arctos:We're going to knock.

Anzu:Yeah.

Anzu:That's my preference as well, by the way.

Arctos:What was that?

Arctos:There's two animals here.

Arctos:Three, if you count Othello.

Benny:Or if... All right, let's go up.

Gamemaster:Children, some people might think children are animals.

Gamemaster:I get it.

Arctos:Never mind.

Gamemaster:Okay, sorry.

Arctos:I was going to ask if Elves of old from gorillas or primates in general.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:All humanoids came from humans.

Gamemaster:Before there was the fracture and the firmament, it was just humans, and then the fracture happened and magic came in, and people differentiated with the exposure to magic.

Arctos:Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Benny:you you

Gamemaster:So I think technically, yes, but elves came from humans.

Anzu:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:Everybody in the party except for the polar bear can at some point link their lineage back in some form to humans.

Arctos:Bunch of chumps.

Gamemaster:The polar bear definitely had no humanity in its evolutionary tree at all.

Arctos:Hell yeah.

Gamemaster:I don't know if that's a hell yeah thing, but sure.

Arctos:Hell fucking yeah, man.

Johnny:Yeah.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:Let's go.

Gamemaster:Okay, so you guys are walking up to the front door and knocking?

Benny:Benny did it last time.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Sorry, who's the one actually knocking?

Gamemaster:Arctos?

Benny:Perfect.

Arctos:Bye.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Oh gosh, I have to double check something.

Gamemaster:Because if I just ask you outright, it'll spoil things.

Anzu:What is your fortitude, DC?

Johnny:Oh gosh.

Gamemaster:What is your Fort DC?

Gamemaster:What day was this session?

Johnny:Do you have less than 300 hit points?

Anzu:Yeah, I was just going to say, what is your current HP?

Benny:thank you

Anzu:What is your current doomed number?

Gamemaster:Okay, confirmed.

Gamemaster:You knock on the door, and there is a very soft click.

Gamemaster:Okay, the door opens.

Arctos:That's fine.

Gamemaster:Roll a perception check as you look inside.

Johnny:I'll aid him.

Johnny:Just kind of look over his shoulder.

Johnny:I don't think I aided him.

Arctos:I got a 16.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah, a 17 is not a success to aid.

Gamemaster:You got a 16.

Gamemaster:With a 16, this is a one-room bungalow.

Gamemaster:They've done the decency, whoever built this, of actually installing a floor.

Gamemaster:So it's not at least the dirt floors.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:But it is relatively simple.

Gamemaster:This is not a place that looks like it was set up for somebody to live in for an extended period of time.

Gamemaster:If anything, it strikes you as a kind of like a hiking cabin.

Gamemaster:Like a cabin just in the woods that somebody could use as a rest stop along the way if they were hiking longer distances and needed a spot to stay for the evening.

Gamemaster:Something along those lines.

Gamemaster:There is a small cooking area off to one side.

Gamemaster:There's no bathroom or anything like that.

Gamemaster:The expectation is that you would just do it elsewhere.

Arctos:I step inside.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:You step inside.

Gamemaster:There is a very faint...

Benny:you

Gamemaster:buzz of magic as you enter uh that does it it almost builds a little bit and then it just cuts out entirely um

Gamemaster:You do, as you step in, you hear the sound of metal hitting metal, like something rattling.

Gamemaster:No perception check necessary here.

Gamemaster:You can see off to the left there are a series of metal cots that have just been installed along one of the walls.

Gamemaster:And chained to one is Anaïs.

Johnny:And I.

Gamemaster:He's got both of his hands shackled together and then chained to the headrest of the bed, and he has a metal band around his mouth such that he can't say any spells if he was inclined to do so.

Gamemaster:He sees the four of you and goes a little bit wide-eyed to see you all walk in.

Benny:Benny will approach cautiously, waiting if he's going to be like, or something.

Gamemaster:Roll a sense motive.

Gamemaster:Perception.

Arctos:Yeah, can I try that as well?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Benny:Is he wide-eyed because he's thinking of all the eggs he's going to eat now that his saviors are here?

Johnny:Yeah.

Benny:Or is he like, no, they're going to die too!

Arctos:I hope you're safe.

Arctos:Your roll's better than mine.

Gamemaster:That's it.

Benny:Benny is definitely definitely in tuned with those who cannot speak

Gamemaster:28 crit.

Arctos:All right, good.

Gamemaster:Not bad.

Arctos:I got a one, so...

Anzu:Much better than that.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:Much better.

Anzu:It was the egg thing.

Gamemaster:You're reading expressions off of just like the top half of his face because the bottom half is covered in the metal shackles.

Johnny:you you

Gamemaster:He looks surprised to see all of you enter.

Gamemaster:And as you take a step forward, he definitely looks scared.

Gamemaster:He's not scared of what will happen to you.

Gamemaster:He is scared of you.

Gamemaster:You can tell that you guys have entered the space and he did not expect to see you here.

Gamemaster:And the fact that you're here for whatever reason is scary to him.

Gamemaster:And he thinks that you're going to do something to him.

Benny:benny will not approach any further and relay this information you guys got any of that counter mind stuff to make him feel better or under a spell

Johnny:Do you think he... I don't.

Anzu:Maybe he's delirious.

Johnny:I don't.

Johnny:Arctos, you got any cues?

Arctos:I have cleanse the fiction thing, but I don't know something.

Johnny:Fuzzy arms?

Arctos:Let me see what I had on my path builder.

Arctos:It's so clunky to do it on the other one that I don't.

Arctos:I had.

Gamemaster:Cleanse affliction.

Arctos:Yeah, I had cleanse a fiction and I had.

Arctos:I don't know if either of those work.

Gamemaster:Cleanse affliction clears an affliction, which would be like a curse, a disease, or a poison.

Arctos:We could try it.

Anzu:Um...

Arctos:I wish I had clear mind.

Arctos:I just didn't prep that.

Benny:Maybe you can approach and do like a medicine check.

Arctos:I have that and Calm.

Arctos:We can try both.

Arctos:I have those two, Calm and then Bone Shaker, which I don't think Bone Shaker is going to help.

Gamemaster:Shake his bones!

Gamemaster:Then he'll be justified.

Arctos:Yeah.

Benny:Yeah.

Arctos:We added to path builder.

Gamemaster:I'll give you something to be scared about.

Arctos:Alright.

Gamemaster:So what are we trying?

Arctos:I'm gonna try to sorry, just let me have.

Arctos:I gotta do that double thing.

Arctos:Lens.

Arctos:It's a fiction.

Arctos:No, no, not clear my combine or calm.

Gamemaster:Anzu just attacks him.

Anzu:Oh no, that was at Benny.

Gamemaster:Oh, okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:Anzu tries to peck Benny and misses, unfortunately.

Johnny:I'll start a little courageous anthem in case he's under an effect of fear.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Arctos:All right, so first I'll try casting Calm on him.

Arctos:These incapacitate, but yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay, one second.

Gamemaster:Okay, it's going to say that this is coming from the car buyer.

Johnny:oh

Gamemaster:It's not.

Gamemaster:I need to select a token on the map in order to use... He's been following you this whole time, and now he's come!

Benny:Why is he here?

Gamemaster:he succeeds.

Arctos:Is it unaffected?

Gamemaster:Success is a minus one status penalty to his attack rolls should he attempt to attack you.

Arctos:Okay.

Arctos:General question.

Arctos:If I come... Never mind.

Arctos:I'll try cleanse fiction.

Gamemaster:You have to choose a particular affliction, but on top of that, you have to target a willing creature.

Arctos:Do I need a no?

Arctos:what it is, or can I just try?

Arctos:OK, so I won't do that.

Gamemaster:And he is not willing for you to get up close to him and start casting magic on him.

Arctos:Can I do a medical?

Arctos:Can I try a medicine check on him?

Gamemaster:You can attempt a medicine check to see if he's been diseased or poisoned or something of that nature.

Arctos:I'll take it to spell magic.

Gamemaster:He's been diseased.

Arctos:Skills.

Anzu:Josh, I resonate.

Anzu:Okay.

Gamemaster:He resonates back.

Arctos:Is this a recall knowledge?

Gamemaster:This is a medicine check.

Arctos:There are subparts of medicine.

Gamemaster:It's just a medicine check.

Arctos:I didn't realize I could also.

Arctos:Cool, cool, cool.

Gamemaster:With a 25, looking at him, at least from a distance, he doesn't look like he's sick or anything like that.

Johnny:Okay.

Gamemaster:You can see that there are definitely strain marks on his arms from where he's been bound, and similar chafing marks on his mouth around where the gag is.

Benny:So... Yeah, so my... I mean, you can tell him that.

Gamemaster:But he doesn't look like he's currently under the effects of something like that.

Anzu:Johnny, tell him that Anouk sent us his sister and that we're here to help.

Arctos:Shall we end Gagan?

Arctos:Yeah.

Benny:My concern is we can try to take the muzzle off him.

Benny:He just starts yelling.

Benny:Maybe ask him if he's going to yell.

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:Yeah.

Johnny:Hey, Anaïs.

Johnny:Listen, Anouk, your sister sent us.

Johnny:Do you know who we are?

Johnny:Is that... You good?

Gamemaster:I'll give it to you because you rolled well in the original sense motive that you're still watching him.

Anzu:you

Gamemaster:You mentioning Anouk, he registers that and his eyes squint a little.

Gamemaster:And if anything, it seems like he's taking that as a threat.

Gamemaster:But he does nod that he knows who you are.

Johnny:Something's going on here that we don't know what's going on.

Benny:see but it's locked is it not

Johnny:We got sent here by your sister to find you, so we're gonna remove your gag.

Johnny:Please don't bite my fingers off or scream.

Johnny:I will slowly remove the gag.

Johnny:Oh, it's locked?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:The gag is locked.

Johnny:Oh, it's not just a gag.

Gamemaster:Do you make contact with the gag?

Arctos:Wait a second.

Arctos:Just to clarify, how big is this bed?

Arctos:Is this bed nailed to the ground?

Gamemaster:The bed is nailed to the ground.

Gamemaster:It is a normal size full bed.

Gamemaster:An American full, if that's relevant.

Johnny:Okay.

Arctos:Does that fit in our car?

Benny:15 by 15, it sure does.

Gamemaster:Yeah, yeah, you could in theory, like if you unbolted it from the floor, you could fit the bed in.

Benny:Well, hold on.

Arctos:Let's just put him in the car and drive back.

Benny:I want to see him attempt to bite Johnny's fingers off through the gag.

Gamemaster:Do you touch the gag, Johnny?

Johnny:I misunderstood.

Johnny:If it's metal on there, I would not try and just take it off.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah, no, it is a piece of metal that has been wrapped around his mouth, and there is a lock on one side.

Arctos:Can you see if this... Hey, Anzu, can you see if this bed's magic or anything?

Benny:Do you want to go home?

Benny:Yes?

Benny:No?

Benny:Thanks.

Gamemaster:He... One second.

Gamemaster:I have to roll something for him.

Anzu:I'll detect magic.

Gamemaster:There's magic in this room.

Anzu:Well, there's something somewhere.

Gamemaster:And I get... Sorry, who's the one that asked if he wanted to go home?

Johnny:Hmm.

Benny:Penny.

Arctos:Bye.

Gamemaster:Benny, roll a diplomacy check.

Benny:Yay.

Benny:I'm not lying.

Gamemaster:Or a deception check if you're lying about taking him home.

Anzu:We're putting you in the trunk as the last thing you're going to see.

Anzu:Right, yeah.

Benny:Diplomacy.

Gamemaster:I will...

Gamemaster:I will warn you that the trunk does have the same drawbacks to putting people in it that a normal portable hole does, which is to say that there's a limited amount of air in there before the person starts suffocating.

Benny:Please come with us.

Gamemaster:You got an 8.

Arctos:How much air do you think is in the trunk?

Gamemaster:Yeah, with an 8, I think he is still very much guarded against the four of you for whatever reason.

Gamemaster:He does not look like he's in a particularly cooperative mood right now.

Johnny:I don't know.

Johnny:That's what a push.

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:What is the name of the actual portable hole in 5e?

Gamemaster:Sorry, in 2e.

Gamemaster:Is there a portable hole?

Gamemaster:There isn't.

Johnny:Whoa, really?

Gamemaster:I forgot about that.

Gamemaster:One second.

Johnny:Seems like an oversight.

Gamemaster:It's not an oversight.

Gamemaster:I think it's a... Yeah, I don't think they got rid of it.

Benny:They got rid of it because it's legacy.

Benny:I'm finding it on Demiplane.

Gamemaster:I don't think there was ever a portable hole in Pathfinder.

Johnny:Um, there's, oh, if you do extra dimensional, there's, there's a alchemist tavern sack.

Gamemaster:Is there...

Johnny:Retrieval.

Benny:Oh, they already have it.

Gamemaster:One second, I'm just looking at everything with the extra dimensional trait.

Johnny:There's a smuggler's sack, a spacious pouch.

Johnny:Oh, we've lost him.

Gamemaster:I'm just looking to see what we have here.

Gamemaster:Jorge says one moment and he's frozen on my screen.

Anzu:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I guess a planar tunnel is close.

Gamemaster:Can you open a planar tunnel and then hang out in it?

Benny:I do see portable haul, but I see it as legacy.

Gamemaster:Legacy?

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:For 2E?

Benny:Yeah.

Johnny:oh yeah the spacious pouch uh was the renamed bag of holding if you go to here i'll draw it he's

Benny:It's a level 15 item, 6,000 gold pieces.

Benny:I don't have that on my PF tools.

Benny:No spacious pouch.

Benny:Bag of weasels.

Benny:What the fuck?

Gamemaster:Are you anti-Bag of Weasels?

Benny:I just think it's crazy.

Benny:I see it in PF Tools.

Gamemaster:It's interesting.

Gamemaster:I see Portable Hole on Demiplane for the Legacy Treasure Vault.

Gamemaster:I don't see it in Archives of Nethis.

Gamemaster:I just wanted to see what the only air in the hole which enters anyone can do.

Johnny:oh we lost Jorge

Gamemaster:Oh, it doesn't even tell me.

Gamemaster:I'm going to say there's 20 minutes of air.

Arctos:Let's throw them in there.

Benny:there's 20 minutes of air okay you know what kind of tools do we have sure

Gamemaster:Yeah, 20 minutes of air.

Arctos:Every 15 minutes or so, we open it up.

Arctos:Get some more air.

Anzu:We have to unbolt this bed from the ground.

Arctos:Yeah.

Arctos:We have a crowbar.

Gamemaster:Okay, so who's going to try and pry the bet off?

Johnny:is

Gamemaster:That's going to be a hard check.

Benny:then he can tell me

Arctos:Can Benny pick it or something?

Anzu:Can I make a crafting check to try and understand?

Arctos:I don't know.

Anzu:I mean, is it just like a regular bolt?

Anzu:Can I find some good leverage?

Anzu:Let's see what happens.

Gamemaster:If you want to get closer to see if there's a way to undo it, you absolutely can.

Gamemaster:That would be a crafting check.

Anzu:21.

Anzu:I blow up.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Before you do that, one second.

Arctos:Can I try to talk to him and say we're trying to help him?

Gamemaster:Yeah, but before that, he got... I don't know why it says that I rolled that four Anzu.

Gamemaster:I rolled that four Anaïs attacking Anzu as he gets close.

Gamemaster:He's going to try and just kick at you.

Gamemaster:It does a 26 hit.

Anzu:Yeah, indeed.

Anzu:Is he not tied down?

Gamemaster:He's got his arms tied to the side of the bed, and he's got something on his mouth.

Gamemaster:His legs are free.

Anzu:Oh, so he can kick for days.

Anzu:Yeah, yeah.

Arctos:Should we just knock this guy out?

Gamemaster:he's going to deal 5 damage 5 bludgeoning damage from kicking you he rolled max damage on the kick attack he doesn't seem happy with the 4 of you for whatever reason

Anzu:Holy crap.

Johnny:Dude, we didn't do anything.

Anzu:I get launched across the room because I'm very light.

Anzu:Guys, he's big mad.

Johnny:We don't know who you are.

Benny:Should we just take... What are there?

Gamemaster:He looks incredulous at your statement that you didn't do anything.

Gamemaster:He 100% believes that you have done something.

Benny:Evil versions of us going around doing bad things to people we know?

Arctos:Why is he mad at me?

Arctos:He doesn't even know who I am.

Benny:You know what?

Gamemaster:Correct.

Gamemaster:He doesn't know who you are, and he's still mad at you because he thinks you did something.

Johnny:Oh, he just thinks everyone's an enemy.

Benny:I'm gonna take... I'm gonna take the muzzle off.

Benny:I know the walls are thin because they're wood.

Arctos:No, no, no.

Arctos:Benny, just knock him out.

Benny:What are the neighbors going to do?

Arctos:Just knock him out.

Benny:Well, let's see if we can even get this bed up first.

Benny:Because if I punch him in the face and then we struggle with this bed for 15 minutes and he wakes up, he's going to be like, you morons just gnawed at my bed.

Arctos:Well...

Arctos:We could knock him out, and then he's undo his shackles.

Arctos:All right, all right, fine, fine.

Gamemaster:So what are you doing?

Arctos:If he starts screaming, knock him out.

Benny:Can I try to pry?

Benny:Is it like each post, each of the four posts are nailed to the ground?

Benny:How many contact points are we talking about?

Gamemaster:Oh, sorry, but before Anzu got launched from the kick, he did roll pretty well on his crafting check.

Gamemaster:So he would have seen that each of the bedposts ends in two metal wings that are flush with the floor, and there's a bolt that has been driven through each of them into the ground.

Anzu:We need a wrench.

Gamemaster:There isn't anything in particular that it looks like that's necessarily stopping the bolts from being twisted back up, other than the guy that's chained to the bed has his hands sealed, so he doesn't have a good way of doing that.

Johnny:Thank you.

Benny:Do we have the tools to undo these bolts?

Benny:I don't think so.

Arctos:Can you use a crowbar?

Arctos:The crowbar might have an edge that we can do.

Gamemaster:I mean...

Gamemaster:yeah do i think do i think thieves tools would include a wrench yeah i'm

Arctos:Do we have it in the car?

Anzu:I don't think...

Benny:Yeah, actually.

Johnny:What if you have to get a manhole cover up?

Arctos:Yeah, it's modern day.

Benny:it does say for disabling devices that's

Gamemaster:I'm, like, looking at the image of a thieves' tools to see if there's anything there that I would count as a wrench, and I think I would probably say that this counts as a wrench.

Gamemaster:I would accept it.

Gamemaster:I know there's nothing there that, like, specifically stands out as a wrench, but I feel like if you have all of those tools... Oh.

Arctos:What about a poly tool?

Gamemaster:Yeah, I think a polytool would definitely work.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:That's totally a good call-out.

Johnny:you you

Gamemaster:It has a number of simple tools inside, including pliers.

Arctos:I just remembered.

Benny:Nice.

Benny:But guys, I don't want to ruin my poly tool.

Gamemaster:You have two.

Arctos:You have two of them.

Gamemaster:A poly tool has a ceramic blade in all, a chisel, a file, flint and steel, a hook, an ink pen, magnifying glass, pliers, scissors, and a saw.

Arctos:All right.

Benny:I know.

Arctos:Get this bed up, and let's get moving and get out of here.

Benny:You know, the poly tool is like the second or most expensive sword in the game.

Gamemaster:You definitely have something you could use here.

Gamemaster:I will accept pliers.

Benny:Alright, perfect.

Benny:And let's do it twice as quick.

Benny:Who else wants this?

Benny:Because I have two polytools.

Arctos:I'll make a check.

Benny:Don't swing it too hard at that guy.

Gamemaster:So, okay.

Gamemaster:Sorry.

Gamemaster:So he's shackled, he's gagged, he's tied to the bed.

Gamemaster:How are you approaching the bed to do this?

Benny:I was asking about contact points because he's shackled to the headboard.

Benny:That's what I'm thinking.

Gamemaster:So you could probably get the legs up without him reaching you.

Benny:Wherever I think his end stops, I'll go prone and sneak up on the bed.

Arctos:Yeah, we do that.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:You can see that he's definitely been here some time.

Johnny:you you

Gamemaster:He's not looking like he's in fantastic shape right now.

Gamemaster:He does give a few kicks in your direction, but if you're near the tail of the bed, he can't quite reach and he gives up quickly and just kind of glares at you.

Benny:nice i guess evil benny isn't a bolt collector

Gamemaster:Although if you start undoing the bolts, he looks a little bit more confused than anything else.

Arctos:We're getting you out of here.

Arctos:We're taking you home.

Gamemaster:Okay, you have pliers, and, like, I don't think I need you.

Gamemaster:I think with pliers I'm not going to make you make an athletics check.

Gamemaster:I think you have the right tool for the job here, so it's not like you're forcibly ripping the bed out of the floor.

Gamemaster:I will allow you to.

Gamemaster:You can take your time and just kind of keep twisting.

Gamemaster:Benny is strong enough.

Gamemaster:He's got the strength of an adult man, so he can undo the bolts at the foot of the bed without issue.

Arctos:Does he have wounds on him?

Arctos:I see.

Gamemaster:Um, no.

Gamemaster:Not that you can see.

Gamemaster:You rolled a medicine check and he looks fine.

Gamemaster:He looks like he hasn't eaten or drank anything in some time, but he doesn't look like physically injured.

Benny:Okay.

Benny:Now we go for the two by the headboard.

Gamemaster:Yeah, he will absolutely try to kick you if you come anywhere near the headboard, once you come within reach.

Arctos:Can I put my shield in between the two?

Benny:Okay.

Arctos:I understand.

Arctos:I'll incur the damage.

Gamemaster:He rolled much worse that time.

Arctos:If possible.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:This is a 12 hit.

Arctos:Is this to me or Benny?

Gamemaster:I guess if you're putting the shield in front, it's to you.

Arctos:No.

Gamemaster:But also it wouldn't have hit Benny.

Arctos:I know.

Gamemaster:But yeah, he tries to kick at you as you get closer and you just kind of bounce off.

Gamemaster:He just bounces off the shield.

Gamemaster:And so you have the shield in between him and the headboard, I guess.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:Making athletics checks this time just to see how quickly you can undo the bolts near the head of the bed.

Benny:30.

Gamemaster:Yeah, 30.

Gamemaster:Absolutely no problem.

Gamemaster:Yes, Anzu.

Anzu:Othello's going to go outside and kind of circle above and take a look at our surroundings.

Gamemaster:Roll a perception check for Othello.

Anzu:Do it in chatter.

Anzu:That would be a faux pas.

Gamemaster:Yeah, we would all point and laugh.

Anzu:18, not really great.

Gamemaster:Othello flies up and takes a look around.

Gamemaster:You know, this is where birds are usually comfortable.

Gamemaster:It's a forest out there.

Gamemaster:Just kind of looking for any signs of activity.

Gamemaster:There's definitely some motion that he picks up on in the distance, but it might just be, like, animals moving through the trees.

Anzu:uh-huh

Arctos:We need to go.

Gamemaster:It doesn't seem like it's headed in your direction, necessarily.

Gamemaster:Just kind of, like, a mile off.

Gamemaster:Johnny, you had your hand raised for a second.

Benny:Thanks, Paul.

Johnny:Oh, yeah.

Johnny:As they're doing this, can I look around and do another more intense search inside the cabin for any symbols or footprints or trapdoors?

Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.

Gamemaster:Roll a perception check.

Johnny:Yeah, I got an 18, too.

Gamemaster:In 18, looking around, this is a relatively bare-bones shack.

Gamemaster:I think within 18, the only thing that you actually pick up on that is notable is there is a symbol hung over the threshold.

Gamemaster:as you're looking out the door that heads out of the building.

Gamemaster:And it's not uncommon to see the symbol of a god or something like that hung over a threshold for protection or something.

Gamemaster:But you would recognize this particular symbol.

Gamemaster:It is three blue dots in a triangle formation, which is the symbol that you would associate with ought.

Arctos:Is that art?

Johnny:Oh, oh, where did we say our, uh, odd symbols were interesting.

Arctos:What do you think?

Gamemaster:So two of you have it here on your arm, and the bear has it on his chest.

Benny:Very serious.

Gamemaster:But they're all invisible, unless showing it to somebody who already is aware that it's there, or you're purposefully showing it.

Johnny:Okay.

Arctos:Okay.

Arctos:Can we move to take the other bolt off?

Benny:Yeah, the final bolts are the final bolts.

Gamemaster:No, with your 30, that is fast enough for you to, like, that's fine.

Benny:Oh, perfect.

Arctos:Alright, put him in the trunk and let's leave.

Gamemaster:Okay, so you're trying to, now that you have unbolted the bed from the ground, you are going to try and drag him and the bed through the doorway, out into the ground in front of the bungalow, and then stuff it into the trunk and close it?

Benny:Who is helping me?

Arctos:Yeah.

Benny:Let's knock him out.

Arctos:Yeah.

Anzu:Yeah, that does sound like a tall order now that you –

Gamemaster:Okay, he is actively going to fight you as you do this.

Arctos:All right, should we take this match off or just knock him out?

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:you you

Arctos:All right.

Arctos:Benny trying to knock him out.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:And he's going to punch him in the face.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Roll an attack.

Benny:Uh.

Benny:I have to add unarmed just so that it does all the math for me.

Benny:Oh.

Arctos:Or can you just use your poly tool, but non-lethally?

Gamemaster:You can use your polytone non-lethally if you like.

Arctos:Double slice him non-lethally.

Benny:He's going to get the shit fucking beat out of him with the polypool.

Benny:Yeah, that's...

Arctos:We're going to show up if we get out of this to his sister with a bloody unconscious guy.

Arctos:She'd be like, what happened?

Arctos:We don't know, but he gave us some weird eyes, so we just took it.

Gamemaster:One second.

Benny:23 with the poly tool.

Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.

Gamemaster:A23.

Gamemaster:What's this guy's?

Gamemaster:What does this say?

Benny:Just be aware of everything.

Johnny:you you

Gamemaster:C. A23 does not happen.

Gamemaster:You go to clobber him with the polytool, and you hear it clang as it hits his forehead, and it does not appear to have done any damage.

Arctos:Is this because we think they're higher level than us?

Arctos:Because when we originally met them...

Gamemaster:Well, he is definitely a higher level than you, but this seems like his skin is hard.

Benny:I swing again.

Benny:27.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Roll another attack.

Johnny:I'm just straight up attacking this dude.

Benny:Hey, man.

Gamemaster:A 27.

Gamemaster:He is flat-footed.

Gamemaster:That still misses.

Gamemaster:You hit him again with your poly tool and it just clanks.

Arctos:No, we're just trying to get him out of here.

Anzu:Pretty impressive.

Benny:I know you can't talk.

Benny:You gotta start explaining some shit.

Benny:Because you did not have... You were not made of metal last... I don't know if I checked, actually.

Benny:Do you guys remember this guy being made of metal?

Anzu:I never tried to hit him with anything, so.

Gamemaster:Yeah, he's definitely glaring at you.

Gamemaster:The confusion has gone away now that you've hit him over the head twice with your poly tool.

Gamemaster:He's just back to being angry at you.

Anzu:Okay, Anaïs, we realize that that was probably not the right thing to do.

Anzu:I don't know what's going on with you, but we are trying to help you.

Johnny:Josh, does his raiment look okay?

Anzu:I don't know if you realize, but you are tied up to a bed.

Anzu:That can't be a good situation.

Gamemaster:Roll a diplomacy check.

Arctos:Can I also try to help?

Gamemaster:Roll a diplomacy check.

Arctos:I'm trying to explain, because I, yeah.

Gamemaster:Yeah, yeah, you can do that.

Arctos:I'd like to try to talk to him.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Arctos:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yes, Raymond looks fine.

Johnny:What is up with this guy?

Arctos:By the way, I have medic's armband, so I get a plus one item bonus to diplomacy checks to change the attitudes of diseased, poisoned, or wounded creatures.

Anzu:Oh, jeez.

Gamemaster:He's neither.

Gamemaster:He's none of those things.

Arctos:Okay, okay.

Gamemaster:He's not even wounded.

Gamemaster:He just tried hitting him over the head twice with a volley.

Arctos:32 for Arctos.

Gamemaster:Well, 32.

Arctos:I'm the bear.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Arctos:I'm Sir Arctos.

Gamemaster:Okay, sorry.

Johnny:Thank you.

Arctos:I'll be like, I don't really know what these guys... I was sent by your sister to get you.

Arctos:We're trying to get you out of here.

Gamemaster:Am I waiting on a roll from somebody, or do we have all the rolls?

Anzu:No, mine was 12, so...

Gamemaster:Oh, unfortunate.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:So... You're trying to convince him that you were sent here by his sister to come save him or whatever.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:On a 34, I think he looks at you, and then he... I don't know, like, he attempts to gesture, like, shaking his head, like, kind of pushing at the thing on his mouth.

Benny:Thank you.

Arctos:All right, I open it.

Arctos:I try to take it off.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:As soon as you make contact with the metal shackle, you know in your mind that if you wanted to, you could will it open.

Arctos:How will it open?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:There's a soft click, and it pops open.

Johnny:I step back and get ready.

Gamemaster:You remove the shackle.

Gamemaster:He spits on the ground, and he says, what, you decided to...

Gamemaster:backstab your friend?

Gamemaster:What is this?

Johnny:What are you talking about?

Gamemaster:What am I talking about?

Gamemaster:What are you talking about?

Gamemaster:You just walk into a stronghold of the writer and you see me and you immediately come for me.

Johnny:Wait, who's the writer?

Gamemaster:What is this?

Arctos:Oct.

Johnny:Oh, hot.

Gamemaster:Piece of shit, your friend.

Gamemaster:How else would you be in here?

Gamemaster:It lets you in.

Gamemaster:Security systems not work for you.

Gamemaster:Clearly you are one of them.

Johnny:What are you doing here?

Johnny:Why are you all tied up?

Gamemaster:I am tied up because I am snooping through your things.

Gamemaster:And clearly you're not liking that.

Johnny:We didn't tie you up.

Johnny:Somebody else tied you up.

Johnny:We came to rescue you.

Gamemaster:Yeah, one of your lackeys did.

Gamemaster:I don't know if it was you or if it was one of his other friends, but clearly someone did.

Arctos:Well, to be honest with you, we don't... And by the way, you keep saying we're friends with this guy.

Johnny:All right, we're taking you back to your sister.

Gamemaster:What did you do to her?

Johnny:She's still at Iconoclasm.

Gamemaster:I don't believe you.

Arctos:We just met him once when we died.

Gamemaster:You're clearly friends with him.

Arctos:Well, deuce to.

Gamemaster:You walk into one of his homes.

Johnny:Yeah, we met.

Benny:You were snooping through our stuff?

Benny:What, were you snooping through our stuff and odd intervened or something?

Gamemaster:Not hot.

Gamemaster:Whoever left trap here for me, I was looking through things.

Gamemaster:I thought I found something good.

Gamemaster:As it turns out, it was trap.

Gamemaster:And then, lo and behold, after I'm softened up after two days of not eating, you all walk in.

Arctos:Okay.

Arctos:I'll start feeding him my salmon jerky.

Gamemaster:Know that I am here.

Gamemaster:He will not eat it.

Arctos:So, okay.

Gamemaster:He spits it out.

Arctos:All right.

Arctos:So, you know, I don't really know what you're talking about.

Arctos:I would like to get you out of here before actual bad guys come to finish us all off.

Arctos:So if you come with us.

Gamemaster:How do I know you're not going to just take me to secondary location?

Johnny:You've known us for like two weeks.

Arctos:Your sister told us to get you.

Benny:Our plans are never that convoluted.

Johnny:We're not that sophisticated.

Gamemaster:Who could be lying?

Gamemaster:No, it's just a single room.

Benny:Is anyone here now?

Benny:Also, are there any other rooms?

Benny:Or is this the only room in the hut?

Benny:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:No, I have been here by myself for two days.

Gamemaster:I imagine because you leave me here to ferment.

Arctos:Okay, so we've lost your sister's car.

Arctos:once, and she got very mad at us.

Anzu:That's not correct.

Arctos:We cannot lose you.

Gamemaster:That is not... See, you don't even know what you are talking about.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:I'm not related to Dura.

Arctos:Sorry.

Anzu:No, he's new.

Anzu:He's new.

Anzu:Listen.

Arctos:Oh, never mind.

Gamemaster:Yes, I have never seen him before.

Arctos:I've confused you.

Gamemaster:He is a friend that you have brought just to kill me.

Anzu:I'm very curious.

Arctos:I'm Sir Arctos.

Anzu:So Anouk said that you were chasing a lead on the Voidsong and it brought you here.

Gamemaster:I was.

Anzu:What did you hear?

Anzu:What happened?

Anzu:I'm so curious.

Gamemaster:Like you don't already know.

Gamemaster:I heard reports that there was a weird blip on one of the sensors of the local Convox far out.

Gamemaster:It carried same general wavelength as Voidsong.

Gamemaster:I thought I would come by, take a look.

Gamemaster:I see, you know, your fuck-ass symbol on door.

Gamemaster:I know that I've walked into trap.

Gamemaster:And then shackles come up, grab me.

Anzu:do you have a history with this symbol oh my gosh how many times do we

Gamemaster:Yes, of course I do.

Gamemaster:Of course you know this.

Gamemaster:That's why you're here.

Benny:What's your history?

Gamemaster:Listen, if you're just going to kill me, get it over with.

Johnny:Yeah, we

Benny:All right, I guess we'll get it over with.

Benny:No, I'm joking.

Benny:We have no idea what any of... More information would be helpful if you could provide it.

Gamemaster:So you want me to believe that you have wandered...

Gamemaster:into what I am now gathering is somehow related to Aut.

Gamemaster:On the far out reaches of the horizon, the locks open for you, the shackle unlocks for you.

Johnny:All right.

Gamemaster:You are clearly friends of the writer.

Anzu:I show him the address that his sister wrote down for us to this place that's in her handwriting.

Anzu:This is how we got here.

Gamemaster:He looks at that and he's like, okay, something is not adding up.

Gamemaster:I don't know how long they're going to feign ignorance here.

Arctos:Look, man.

Gamemaster:Okay, listen, if you're really here to save me, undo my shackles.

Johnny:We undo the shackles.

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:Boo.

Gamemaster:Same vibe.

Gamemaster:When you make contact with them, you feel implicitly that you can just will them to open, and they will.

Arctos:Yeah, we'll let it open.

Gamemaster:And they do.

Gamemaster:Actually, one of you can't.

Gamemaster:Anzu can't.

Arctos:Yeah, he's not a friend.

Gamemaster:Yes, but three of you can.

Arctos:Polar bear camp, yeah.

Gamemaster:You undo the shackle, and he, like, wrings his wrist, and he says, okay, so what is this?

Gamemaster:You are friends, but you clearly have no idea what's going on?

Benny:Absolutely none.

Johnny:Yeah, we died, and he was sort of there when we died.

Arctos:He just said it was like a cool tattoo.

Arctos:He didn't really explain.

Johnny:Listen, were you there last week when me and Benny died?

Johnny:Yeah, in between that, we ran into Aut, and he kind of shoved us back in.

Gamemaster:Yeah, no, I remember you died, and you came back.

Johnny:That's when we met him, and then we had to go back into the Black and White to get little pieces of our souls, and we met Arctos a little bit after that, and that's when we got these tattoos because we thought he was a cool guy.

Gamemaster:I see.

Johnny:He knew stuff.

Gamemaster:So you were tricked.

Gamemaster:You are stupid, not evil.

Johnny:Okay.

Gamemaster:That is better.

Arctos:I'm very smart for a bear, but you know, IQ tests, I don't do too well.

Johnny:Yes, actually.

Johnny:Maybe we should get out of here.

Gamemaster:That's... Okay, sure.

Arctos:I don't do good bullet.

Johnny:Let's get out of here, and then you can tell us who Art is, according to you, and why he's such a bad fella.

Gamemaster:Lead the way.

Benny:Can I search the hut?

Johnny:Alright.

Arctos:Can I sense motive to see if he's actually trusting us?

Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you both can do that.

Gamemaster:Those are both perception tricks.

Benny:Those perceptions.

Gamemaster:Arctos Perceptionis... Sure, go for it.

Arctos:I'm going to hero point that because I have a good amount.

Benny:Wait, we slept.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Benny:Trying to figure out why my perception might be lower.

Arctos:Sorry, so I'm praying, so it's plus 8.

Arctos:25.

Gamemaster:Yes, if you're trained, it's plus 8.

Gamemaster:Arctos is only trained?

Gamemaster:Nice.

Gamemaster:He's a bit incredulous at this whole thing.

Gamemaster:He saw you guys enter and was like, okay, clearly...

Gamemaster:ought had spies and iconoclasm, and now they've come here to kill me.

Gamemaster:And now he's like, oh, ought had spies and iconoclasm, and they have no idea what they're doing.

Gamemaster:Which is a different vibe.

Gamemaster:He still 100% thinks you're ought spies.

Arctos:Okay.

Benny:24 for searching the hut.

Arctos:Well, we actually might accidentally be, so.

Benny:10.

Johnny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:With a 24, looking around...

Gamemaster:No, this hut is bare bones.

Gamemaster:There was nothing to find here, as best you can tell.

Gamemaster:This was a lure.

Gamemaster:It was a trap.

Gamemaster:There wasn't some secret something to find out here.

Benny:How are the chains secured to the bed?

Gamemaster:It's a piece of metal that wraps around the head of the bed.

Benny:So if we undo the chains, can we take them with us?

Gamemaster:You can... Yeah, absolutely.

Benny:And the muzzle?

Gamemaster:Yep.

Benny:Perfect.

Benny:Benny will grab them.

Johnny:Get in the car.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Arctos:All right, and we get in their car.

Gamemaster:You have an anti-magic shackle and an anti-magic gag.

Benny:Perfect.

Arctos:Get in the car.

Gamemaster:Yeah, he's like, lead the way.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Hold on a second.

Arctos:Is anything waiting in front of the car?

Gamemaster:No, not that you see.

Arctos:All right, we get in the car and we dip.

Gamemaster:Absolutely, you can do that.

Arctos:We start going starward.

Gamemaster:I just need to double check something.

Benny:while we're driving i guess whenever you're done checking we're gonna ask him what the hell his lead was all right right there's a blip

Arctos:We told us with the blip.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I told you.

Gamemaster:There was a report from a convox, from one of the convoxes in Hallia that measures these kinds of things, that said that there was a blip that matched the same general harmonic frequencies of the Voidsong this far out.

Arctos:So.

Gamemaster:I figured I would try and hop on that sooner rather than later.

Arctos:Do you know... Do you know that the... Do you know that the Embercall also has the same frequency?

Anzu:Was it at that exact location?

Anzu:Like that hut?

Gamemaster:Yes.

Anzu:Hmm.

Gamemaster:Similar is not same.

Arctos:Or similar?

Arctos:Okay.

Arctos:All that I know about Aut is that if you have the Voidsong or you can hear it, he can't predict what you do.

Gamemaster:I thought it was... Okay.

Arctos:So I guess he just laid a trap for you and just guessed that you would do that.

Gamemaster:I imagine so.

Gamemaster:I don't know what goes through his head.

Gamemaster:I just know that he is responsible for a lot of the bad things in this world.

Johnny:Wait, really?

Gamemaster:And it is... Yes.

Arctos:Like what?

Gamemaster:You don't make friends with a self-styled, omnipotent being and expect them to be friendly to everyone.

Johnny:Whoa.

Gamemaster:You're his friends, and it sounds like he did a favor for you, so you're in his debt now.

Gamemaster:You're his friends because he has a reason to use you.

Gamemaster:If he didn't, he wouldn't be nearly as kind.

Arctos:Hmm.

Johnny:Like, what bad things specifically?

Johnny:And also, how did you find out about him?

Gamemaster:Well, I found out about him because I have a similar friend.

Gamemaster:And I know about some of the things that he's done through that.

Gamemaster:For instance, it might be a little bit too old for some of you, but he is the reason that the current prime minister is who they are in Hallia.

Benny:What's your friend's name?

Arctos:That shakes Arctos to his core.

Arctos:He's like, that is messed up.

Johnny:Why?

Gamemaster:I don't know if I want to tell you.

Gamemaster:It is clear to me, or at least I believe, unless you are all very, very good liars, I believe that you are well-meaning, but I also think that you are a bit of a liability now.

Arctos:Why not?

Gamemaster:Because anything I tell you goes to him, no?

Benny:I don't feel like.

Johnny:No, he can't track us.

Johnny:Where are the voids on?

Gamemaster:Right, but how do I know you won't just go and tell him?

Johnny:Because you're not telling us the information that we need to know to not tell him.

Benny:Well, he.

Johnny:Right now, you're saying a lot of vague things.

Johnny:But without any concrete information, how are we supposed to know not to trust him?

Johnny:Oh, he's a bad guy.

Johnny:He did this.

Johnny:He did that.

Johnny:You haven't said a single concrete thing.

Johnny:How are we supposed to trust that?

Gamemaster:He doesn't see me.

Benny:Can he listen to every conversation?

Benny:I mean, he can't predict, but he sees everything now.

Gamemaster:No.

Johnny:Wait, what?

Benny:he doesn't see you because you're protected

Arctos:Can I become friends with your friend?

Arctos:They sound cooler.

Gamemaster:Yes, because I'm protected.

Gamemaster:No, you cannot become friends with my friend.

Gamemaster:Because you are already friends with Aut.

Gamemaster:And because if she wanted to be your friend, she would have reached out.

Arctos:Can I unfriend and get these?

Arctos:He says I could before I accepted this.

Arctos:He said I could get it off if I want.

Arctos:If I get it off, can I become friends with your friend?

Arctos:They sound cooler.

Gamemaster:You are... You are the most fair-weather bear I have ever met.

Johnny:you you

Gamemaster:Which doesn't mean much.

Gamemaster:I have met no other bears.

Gamemaster:But, uh... No.

Gamemaster:He is not great.

Arctos:Hey.

Gamemaster:Uh...

Gamemaster:He has done some things that admittedly I don't know why he has done them yet.

Gamemaster:For instance, it is a working theory of mine that the reason iconoclasm exists at all is because of him.

Gamemaster:I do not know to what end, but it is why I am here.

Gamemaster:But he is responsible for Raelion no longer existing.

Gamemaster:He is responsible for Brithwyn having separated from Calaria.

Johnny:Wait, wait.

Gamemaster:He is responsible for... We're going back a little bit, but I believe he's responsible for Orthalaxis the Plaguebearer, wiping out almost half of the population on Færrin close to 200 years ago.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Johnny:Why?

Johnny:What?

Johnny:Johnny is like now trying to scratch the symbol off of his arm.

Johnny:Just because?

Johnny:Just because he's a bad dude?

Gamemaster:He has his reasons.

Gamemaster:I don't know.

Gamemaster:I am no strange, all-powerful entity from beyond the plane.

Johnny:Can you get this thing off?

Gamemaster:I do not know why his mind thinks.

Gamemaster:No!

Arctos:He said he could get it off if we go back.

Johnny:Who's your friend who apparently is not a bad person?

Benny:Can you tell us anything about this?

Gamemaster:We've been over this.

Gamemaster:I don't want to tell you, because I am afraid this information will get back to him through you.

Arctos:We won't tell him.

Benny:Because we're dealing with omnipotent beings here.

Benny:Aut swings things in directions he likes.

Benny:Does your friend not do that?

Gamemaster:Aut and his siblings are like archetypical parts of a book.

Arctos:Is this guy friends with tech?

Gamemaster:He points things

Gamemaster:In the direction... He points things in the direction that he thinks they should go for whatever his ends are.

Gamemaster:My friend prefers to let random chance take effect.

Gamemaster:People should be a bit more self... A bit more... Have more agency in how things turn out.

Anzu:sounds like they're pretty starkly opposed to that.

Arctos:And yet.

Gamemaster:They are.

Arctos:Can you ask your friend what they think of us?

Gamemaster:I don't have just a direct line to them.

Arctos:Well, I'm just letting you know.

Gamemaster:Can you contact Aut as you wish?

Gamemaster:If I tracked her down somewhere in the Black and White, I'm sure I could talk to her.

Johnny:Yeah.

Anzu:I don't think so.

Arctos:If we go back to where he is, yeah, and go find him.

Johnny:Yeah, I haven't tried it.

Johnny:Oh, so she's in the Black and White too?

Gamemaster:But all of them are five.

Johnny:Is everyone just hanging out?

Johnny:How many are there?

Johnny:And they're different from the gods.

Gamemaster:Correct.

Gamemaster:They're not gods.

Johnny:Did you know there's like a whole universe outside of Færrin too?

Gamemaster:Roll a perception check.

Gamemaster:26.

Johnny:Fuck, I'm going to use my mythic point.

Johnny:I want to know what this guy knows.

Anzu:Ooh, he wants to know bad.

Johnny:26.

Gamemaster:He says, what do you mean a world outside, like the other horizon?

Johnny:Like other worlds.

Johnny:There's a whole thing out there.

Johnny:I don't really know much about it.

Gamemaster:No, I'm sorry.

Johnny:I haven't gotten that far.

Johnny:I just found out about this.

Gamemaster:He's lying.

Gamemaster:With a 26, he's lying to you.

Anzu:Thank you.

Johnny:I'm just going to look him in the eye.

Johnny:Pyre.

Johnny:Regent.

Johnny:Giant.

Johnny:Esoterica.

Johnny:I'm just going to list off all six of them and see if he flinches.

Gamemaster:You know what?

Gamemaster:On a 26, he recognizes three of those names.

Johnny:Are you working with the Embercall?

Gamemaster:No.

Benny:you you

Gamemaster:No, I'm in Iconoclasm.

Gamemaster:I have heard the Voidsong.

Gamemaster:This is real.

Johnny:How do you know about everything out there?

Johnny:How do you know about three of the evil gods coming to destroy Færrin, huh?

Gamemaster:That's news to him.

Gamemaster:That three of the evil gods are coming to destroy Varan.

Johnny:This is a mythical...

Gamemaster:I'm sorry, what are you talking about?

Johnny:Oh, now the shoe's on the other foot.

Johnny:You didn't know that Regent and Pyre and Regala... I just go through all six of them.

Johnny:Apparently that's what the Embercall is trying to do.

Gamemaster:I was trapped.

Johnny:Yeah, well, you were out here doing that.

Benny:you

Johnny:We chased down a real lead about the end of the world.

Arctos:So, Arctos... Arctos isn't following along that well because he's not that smart, so he turns to him and he's like, Are you working for Grayson?

Gamemaster:I thought, why are you holding this on?

Gamemaster:Congrats, you have found something important.

Gamemaster:Thank you for doing that.

Gamemaster:What was I supposed to do?

Arctos:Are you working for Grayson?

Johnny:Are you working... Johnny Johnson.

Arctos:Are you trying to kill my friends?

Gamemaster:Who is Grayson?

Gamemaster:What are you talking about?

Johnny:Are you working for Gregson?

Johnny:Did you kill my friend, Ellis?

Gamemaster:I'm not working for anyone!

Arctos:He killed a cop friend of mine.

Gamemaster:I don't know any caps!

Arctos:I didn't even meet him.

Arctos:He was very nice, though.

Johnny:Did you kill Ellis?

Arctos:Angerly, I'm going to start eating some of the salmon I have, and then I kind of motion to him if he wants any now.

Anzu:All right.

Gamemaster:I don't know what you are accusing me of.

Anzu:We need to stop with the yelling.

Anzu:Listen.

Gamemaster:So, notably...

Arctos:Okay.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:His hands are unshackled, his mouth is ungagged.

Gamemaster:When he gets in the car, he's hungry.

Gamemaster:He's going to cast a spell, and he's going to make food and water appear for him to eat.

Gamemaster:As he casts, create food and water.

Anzu:There are very big things happening to this world that we have very recently come across and don't fully understand.

Johnny:Sorry, one sec, I have to come back.

Gamemaster:I... Yeah.

Johnny:Does he cast the spell, does he cast the Pathfinder second edition second level spell, Create Food?

Johnny:Or does he cast the Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition spell, Create Food and Water?

Gamemaster:No, he makes water too.

Gamemaster:You watch him cast one spell and food and water both appear.

Johnny:Oh, this guy can play Misty Step too.

Arctos:That motherfucker.

Arctos:It's the same one from the... Yeah, one of those hosts just gave everyone TNT spells.

Benny:you you

Arctos:Okay.

Gamemaster:Listen, listen, listen.

Arctos:Alright, so...

Gamemaster:It is clear to me now that you're not the evil underlings of this puppet master that I thought you were.

Gamemaster:It is also clear... This is... As shitty as he is, I don't think he wants the end of the world.

Gamemaster:You're saying that completely separately from this being, there are a number of gods who are coming to end Færrin?

Benny:Their core shit are those six gods or whatever coming to kill.

Anzu:Yes.

Johnny:you

Anzu:So there's the people that are making a big fire in Teller's Run, right?

Gamemaster:Yes, no, I'm familiar with them.

Anzu:And... Yeah, yeah.

Anzu:We've been chasing them down, chasing down Tywelwyn, and...

Anzu:they are trying to draw these other beings to here.

Anzu:And a lot of these beings have very destructive goals.

Arctos:We can explain the goals and how we sell the heart.

Johnny:Mm hmm.

Gamemaster:You can see the gears in his head are turning.

Benny:And also the satellites.

Arctos:Yeah.

Gamemaster:After you finish saying all of that, he says, So, you have some amount of wits about you.

Gamemaster:No?

Arctos:Yes.

Gamemaster:Yes?

Anzu:We've been trying to chase leads down.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:Learn when we can.

Gamemaster:Ought, will, at some point, I do not know how or in what form,

Johnny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:He will attempt to convince you to do something that will be bad, generally speaking, for people.

Gamemaster:You need to be on your guard for when he asks you to do something like that.

Johnny:um um

Arctos:Okay.

Gamemaster:His vision is generally far-ranging, so it's possible a benign ask turns into something more grievous than that.

Gamemaster:But he does also know things.

Gamemaster:I am thinking that if you have not drank the fair and equivalent of Kool-Aid, maybe it makes more sense for you.

Anzu:Bool-Aid.

Gamemaster:Sorry?

Anzu:It's a Bool-Aid with a B.

Gamemaster:Bool-Aid.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Gamemaster:If you have not drank the Bool-Aid, maybe it makes more sense for you to play the part.

Arctos:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:My friend, my lady, doesn't want the end of the world, but neither does yours.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:It might be worth playing along in case it helps, in the event that we both need to fend off a common enemy.

Benny:Thank you.

Anzu:Mm-hmm.

Arctos:Why don't they want the end, you know?

Gamemaster:Yes.

Gamemaster:They want something here.

Gamemaster:I don't know what it is, but I know that she's done enough right by me and by other people that I have come to trust her whims.

Arctos:So maybe you shouldn't trust your lady fully either.

Johnny:oh no uh you you'd say your thing first mine's a whole other line of questioning

Arctos:Do you mind sharing what she's done right?

Arctos:Sorry, go.

Arctos:Yeah, so like what are good things that your patron has done?

Gamemaster:There...

Gamemaster:There was once a great god, like the Outer Gods that we have, that threatened the world, that was slain in part due to her health.

Arctos:What was this God's name?

Gamemaster:It was the Deep.

Gamemaster:You wouldn't recognize the name.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:It is not in any records available.

Arctos:Yeah, I don't know about the name.

Arctos:He sounds pretty cool and tough, though.

Arctos:I'm sure she was pretty good.

Gamemaster:It was a fearsome opponent.

Gamemaster:The problem is that she has done a great many things that I have a reference for that you don't.

Gamemaster:As far as things that would have touched you specifically, there is little.

Gamemaster:She attempted to stop the assassination of the previous prime minister, but that particular attempt failed.

Arctos:Well, if Sir Arctos was there, I would have done something to stop it.

Gamemaster:Unfortunately, I do think it was before your time.

Arctos:I firmly would have tried to stop it.

Anzu:you

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:I just... I believe that she has... She's not as domineering as your friend.

Johnny:And.

Gamemaster:Maybe.

Arctos:So we shouldn't renounce our friend and get these tattoos removed?

Gamemaster:I don't know if that would necessarily go well for you to begin with.

Gamemaster:And do you just believe him?

Arctos:He said we could do that and it'd be fine.

Arctos:I don't know why I wouldn't.

Gamemaster:I don't know why you would.

Benny:Boom.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Johnny:I got a few questions.

Johnny:One, if you said Aut is the writer, what's your friend's moniker?

Gamemaster:The fickle mistress.

Johnny:It's much more wordy.

Johnny:Also, so apparently there's other places than Færrin.

Gamemaster:Which is, I just call her my lady.

Johnny:Are they... Why are your friends all focused on Færrin right now?

Johnny:Why are these gods coming to destroy Færrin?

Johnny:What's so special about us?

Gamemaster:My friend and her siblings are all around Færrin.

Gamemaster:For what purpose, I do not know.

Benny:you

Johnny:Do you know what the names of the others are, just in case we run into them?

Gamemaster:I do.

Gamemaster:Uh...

Gamemaster:I would pray deeply that I do not run into any of them.

Johnny:Is there also scary?

Gamemaster:I think it is impossible to interact with beings so far removed from mortal life and not consider them at least a little scary.

Gamemaster:Aut is the writer.

Gamemaster:We're past.

Gamemaster:My lady is Renge, the fickle mistress.

Gamemaster:There is Petr, the threshold.

Gamemaster:There is Insuperlex, the mountain.

Gamemaster:And the Menhir, the heroes.

Anzu:Thank you.

Arctos:That one sounds good.

Johnny:What was the one after Renge?

Johnny:I'm so sorry.

Gamemaster:Petr, the threshold.

Johnny:Do they have a name, this group?

Gamemaster:I imagine so.

Gamemaster:I've only ever referred to them as my lady and her siblings.

Gamemaster:I'm sure you could ask Aut.

Benny:it's just between these two or the other ones get involved and do their own side stuff do they work together i mean what's the dynamic hmm

Arctos:What about

Gamemaster:They each have different domains that they cover.

Gamemaster:It is just that Lady Renge and Aut's

Gamemaster:Domains kind of overlap more than the others.

Gamemaster:In Superlix and the Menhir, similarly clash.

Arctos:And what are their things, you know?

Johnny:And Insuperlex is the mountain they have to conquer.

Gamemaster:What?

Arctos:The man here likes to help heroes?

Gamemaster:The Menhir is the representation of a heroic party.

Gamemaster:Correct.

Johnny:And so then P'ter is the threshold a hero or person crosses when they start a journey.

Gamemaster:But there are many thresholds they cross throughout their journey.

Gamemaster:Both the start and to the end.

Johnny:Interesting.

Arctos:Can you put me in contact with the Menhir?

Benny:Wait, hold on.

Gamemaster:No!

Gamemaster:They have a little mistress.

Benny:Renge is just the fickle mistress, or does it have a similar...

Arctos:Which one?

Arctos:Obviously, we wouldn't know this, but which one was the bifurcated man?

Gamemaster:And that's in Insuperlex.

Arctos:Okay, great.

Arctos:I just realized if that was odd, I was going to shit myself.

Arctos:All right.

Gamemaster:No, no, no, no.

Johnny:No, he was the guy that was like, you guys need a bigger challenge.

Johnny:Let's tell everyone where you guys are right now.

Gamemaster:That is who that was, yes.

Johnny:Back to the evil gods.

Johnny:You knew some of them.

Johnny:Who are they?

Gamemaster:I don't know what you're talking about.

Johnny:No, you did know some of them.

Gamemaster:As part of my conversations with my lady, she has mentioned...

Johnny:I take my sunglasses off.

Johnny:I have your number, guy.

Gamemaster:Some of the names that you mentioned, but not in the capacity of coming to Faram and attempting to destroy it.

Gamemaster:Just in general of other entities that exist.

Arctos:And I take it they do bad things?

Gamemaster:It is important to stay apprised... Sorry?

Arctos:I take it they do bad things?

Gamemaster:I... She didn't have nice things to say about them, necessarily, but she tends not to like anything too powerful.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:They are, as she calls them, balance breakers.

Gamemaster:It is not an entertaining story if there is anything too powerful or too insurmountable.

Arctos:Oh.

Benny:And Lady Ranga is the fickle mistress.

Benny:Chaos ought is order.

Gamemaster:That is a way of putting it.

Benny:Or did predetermine slash probability or.

Gamemaster:That is closer.

Gamemaster:Aut is the one who designs the path he thinks the story should take.

Gamemaster:Renge is the things that might happen over the course of the story.

Gamemaster:And unfortunately, the two of them are at odds.

Benny:the friller.

Johnny:Real outliner versus just pantser writing techniques there.

Benny:Wait, wait, wait.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Benny:When Aut helps us by telling us where Hlarf will be exactly, when you ask Lady Ranga for help, she's like, I don't know.

Gamemaster:it is it can be a little she's not the easiest master to serve I will admit that much I do not get clear directions I and my sister both we do not get clear directions on

Benny:How does she aid you when her whole thing is not knowing what's next or creating more chaos from what's currently going on?

Arctos:Oh, she's also part of this.

Gamemaster:Yes, my sister and I are both servants of Lady Rekka.

Arctos:Oh my god.

Arctos:Were these the two fuckers that were the judges in the same campaign?

Gamemaster:Uh... Yes!

Gamemaster:They are!

Anzu:I think we already discussed that.

Arctos:I did it.

Arctos:I did not catch that.

Benny:I knew the narrative was the judge, but I didn't... Is it a... Yeah, maybe it was said, but I missed.

Arctos:I thought it was actual narrative people.

Arctos:I didn't realize it was these two siblings.

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:No, no, no.

Gamemaster:You guys, as in Campaign 2, met Anouk and Anaïs on Syrin.

Arctos:Oh, now I remember.

Arctos:We've recognized the names.

Arctos:Yeah, okay.

Gamemaster:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:I'm going to have to figure out a way to tell my lady about... Sorry.

Gamemaster:Six gods are coming to destroy Færrin.

Gamemaster:I, like, can't get over that.

Benny:Okay.

Arctos:Wait, wait.

Gamemaster:That's big news, no?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:yes well we've had two days to think about it

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:Yes.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:You're just... You're all a little calmer than I expected you would be after learning that the apocalypse is coming.

Johnny:No, we freaked out.

Johnny:And we already freaked out about this one.

Gamemaster:Right, of course.

Gamemaster:I've been busy being chained up because your friend did this to me.

Johnny:Listen, now you're free and you can get on the side of helping us save the planet, guy.

Johnny:So you get your freak out.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Gamemaster:I would like to save the world.

Gamemaster:I live here.

Johnny:Great.

Gamemaster:It is clear to me now that we're on the same side.

Johnny:First thing we'll need is a new rock and hammer for Benny.

Arctos:Wait, so just.

Gamemaster:Do you want a rocket hammer?

Gamemaster:We can get a rocket hammer.

Gamemaster:That's really more of my sister's style.

Gamemaster:But if you need one, we can get you one.

Benny:I don't think this request should be put on me.

Johnny:I'm asking for it nonstop all day, every day.

Arctos:Can you give me like like a rocket shield?

Johnny:Constantly asking for it.

Gamemaster:What would a rocket shield entail?

Arctos:Now.

Anzu:Thank you.

Arctos:It's a shield that goes.

Arctos:And it shoots out a mini copy of another shield to hit them in the face, but I still maintain my shield.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:You want a rocket-propelled shield, but it doesn't need to be a shield if it's rocket-propelled.

Arctos:No, but I still need a shield.

Gamemaster:You just want a shield with a cannon on the front.

Arctos:We can workshop it.

Arctos:That's a great idea.

Arctos:Other question.

Arctos:So your lady and her friends, they don't have a name.

Gamemaster:to my knowledge they do not work together unless it is necessary so there isn't like a secret cabal of the other three doing any planning or the like

Arctos:Do these other gods have a name?

Arctos:Do you know if they're part of some evil group, at least three of them?

Johnny:um you

Arctos:Okay.

Arctos:So you said there are these... What did he refer to these gods earlier as?

Arctos:He said a reference about the gods that basically they can...

Arctos:Leveler?

Arctos:No, they can change things.

Gamemaster:Balance breakers.

Arctos:Yeah, balance breakers.

Arctos:Like, so where do these balance breakers come from?

Gamemaster:Out?

Arctos:God's home?

Gamemaster:Sure, that general direction.

Gamemaster:The Godhome is one part of a very large out.

Gamemaster:I guess I'm just dropping this whole thing you questioned me earlier I lied about.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry, I don't know how much to tell you.

Gamemaster:Færrin is a planet, there are other planets.

Gamemaster:They come from... elsewhere.

Gamemaster:I don't actually think the origin is all that important, given that they're here now.

Arctos:And then when you go to talk to your lady, do you have to go?

Benny:Thank you.

Arctos:And I describe, is it address 13?

Arctos:Bright Street.

Gamemaster:Yes, 13 Bright Street is where the Pharos is.

Gamemaster:And he says, I have not spoken to her in a few years at this point.

Johnny:Wait.

Gamemaster:Occasionally she will find ways to leave me messages, but I have not had a conversation with her since long before I went to Iconoclasm.

Arctos:Do you know what's causing the void sign?

Gamemaster:No!

Gamemaster:That's why I went to follow a lead.

Arctos:All right, well, you've been lying about a lot of things, so...

Gamemaster:Yes, no, but I really was following a lead to try and figure out what the Voidsong is when your friend trapped me.

Johnny:lead from

Gamemaster:I have a few wiretaps on some radio stations.

Gamemaster:There really was chatter in a local convox that they had noted a blip with similar harmonies.

Gamemaster:I really was just listening in on church chatter.

Arctos:That being said... Wait, thanks.

Anzu:Should we be turning around and trying to actually investigate that?

Gamemaster:No, it wasn't real.

Gamemaster:It was for whatever reason to trap somebody who's listening in.

Gamemaster:I don't know.

Johnny:You.

Gamemaster:It was clearly related to Aut in some way because it caught me.

Benny:Hmm.

Gamemaster:I have to imagine it's because somehow somebody in the church that is friends with Aut found out that I was listening to their communications and used it to trap me and leave me to rot.

Arctos:Are you...

Arctos:Are you from Farrah?

Gamemaster:Yes?

Gamemaster:Yes.

Arctos:Do you even believe in the host?

Gamemaster:No, the host is real.

Gamemaster:It is hard not to believe in them.

Arctos:Okay, and then finally, how do you know your lady didn't set that trap so that...

Arctos:You would get trapped knowing we're nosy fuckers and we're going to go looking into your thing so we could have this whole chat.

Arctos:That sounds like something she would do.

Gamemaster:Why would she have just told me to tell you?

Arctos:Because you said she likes to be chaotic.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Sure, I just, that seems very roundabout.

Gamemaster:On top of the fact that I did not know you were friends with Aut until you walked in that door.

Arctos:Which is why she did that.

Gamemaster:Which means she also didn't know you were friends with Aut until you walked in that door.

Benny:No, Aut wanted us to talk to you.

Arctos:Oh, that is true.

Gamemaster:Maybe.

Gamemaster:Either that, or you couldn't be accurately predicted by Aut the same way that I can't, because you have heard the Voidsong.

Johnny:Thank you.

Arctos:He can't do that.

Arctos:He told us that.

Benny:But you were predicted enough to be put in a...

Gamemaster:Aut's future set doesn't work on me, but a regular person setting a trap absolutely could still get me.

Anzu:Yeah, that is different.

Anzu:That's distinct for sure.

Gamemaster:As evidenced by the fact that I got lured into a shack 27 farrens away from Brine and would have starved to death had she not come for me.

Benny:We ohib.

Arctos:Should we go talk to Aut?

Johnny:It sort of sounds like if he wants something, he'll come to us.

Anzu:I don't know.

Anzu:I'm not really sure.

Johnny:I'm kind of hesitant to talk to the guy now, knowing anything he says.

Arctos:Well, you said he owes us a favor now, right?

Gamemaster:No, I said that you owe him a favor.

Johnny:No, we owe him.

Arctos:Oof.

Johnny:Yeah, especially...

Benny:Although, if we word it correctly...

Arctos:Oof.

Gamemaster:I have decided he owes me a favor.

Anzu:Thank you.

Arctos:I didn't really know how that worked, but I was like, alright, I'll take it.

Benny:The favor we ask, give the Sin and Tonic an upstairs.

Johnny:I'm just kind of worried I feel like for the most part we should try and just avoid the guy because if he's like hey by the way you should stop by this cafe and we're like okay and then all of a sudden it turns into a massive War because we insulted some dude who feels bad about himself and drops out of art school I don't want to be responsible for that it's certainly a containment scenario

Arctos:Thank you.

Gamemaster:at the very least he's already definitely keeping Anaïs on you because he can so for the most part just do everything as you would

Gamemaster:I think it could be useful to be able to have an ear into what's going on.

Gamemaster:Because for a long time, my sister and I have kind of just been at this alone.

Gamemaster:We don't really have any insight into what Aut and his acolytes, what his friends are doing.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:So at the very least, you can go into locations that only Aut's friends can enter, which is a boon, if nothing else.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Arctos:Do you know of any notable friends of Renge, like the Pontifex?

Gamemaster:The Pontifex is definitely not a friend to Vrenka.

Gamemaster:But Vrenka doesn't have many friends.

Gamemaster:It is, as I said earlier, a little difficult to be friends with an entity of random probability more than anything else, even if there is a direction that that probability tends towards.

Gamemaster:But beyond that, Otz has obvious advantages, as do some of his siblings.

Johnny:You.

Gamemaster:Renge does not give much of a benefit to their followers, necessarily.

Gamemaster:That's untrue.

Arctos:Why... Why is... Do you know for a fact that Pontifex isn't working with Renge?

Gamemaster:Sometimes you gain great boons, but other times you are stuck with terrible banes.

Gamemaster:Whereas Aut, for the most part, is just upside.

Gamemaster:None... None of the...

Gamemaster:leaders of the organizations, of any real organization, to my knowledge, is a friend of Ranga-Aut or their siblings.

Gamemaster:It is harder for any of them to talk to people the closer they are to one of the gods.

Johnny:you you

Arctos:So if we get more powerful with the gods, we can push odd out.

Benny:Very interesting.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Arctos:Cool.

Benny:Very interesting.

Anzu:Well, this has really been eye-opening.

Anzu:Our primary concern, as I'm sure you're not surprised, is obviously with the impending doom that we told you about before.

Anzu:Yes, and there's some kind of event happening in two days, some kind of gathering that we believe is connected to this.

Gamemaster:Yeah, if you had said literally anything else, I would have been surprised.

Anzu:that we're going to try to infiltrate.

Anzu:So that's kind of our first and foremost task right now.

Gamemaster:Interesting.

Gamemaster:That seems important.

Gamemaster:Could you get my sister and I in as well?

Benny:We can hardly get one of us in.

Anzu:Well, the problem is, yeah, we stole one invitation for one person.

Johnny:Oh.

Gamemaster:Why?

Gamemaster:Could we duplicate it?

Arctos:Maybe you guys can.

Gamemaster:Is there like magic on it that would prevent you from doing it?

Arctos:Can we just show them the invite?

Benny:Here's the thing about it.

Benny:It's not like everyone and their brother gets the invites.

Benny:The thing is, it would probably be easier to...

Benny:find and steal invites and that is also bordering on impossible.

Benny:Our invite is for one Master Grayson.

Gamemaster:Roll a perception check.

Arctos:I've rolled one as well.

Gamemaster:Whoever's holding the invite.

Arctos:Oh.

Gamemaster:If neither of you have the invite... Actually, I don't even need a check.

Benny:Oh.

Gamemaster:Just to clarify here, the invite did not mention anybody.

Benny:Yeah, but we're assuming we stole it from Grayson.

Johnny:Thank you.

Arctos:Yeah.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:I just mean, like, the invite itself does not specify a particular person.

Arctos:Yeah, let's see if he can duplicate it.

Benny:Oh, I see.

Arctos:I'll pass him the invite.

Gamemaster:This is not magic.

Gamemaster:This is just card stock with gold in common.

Benny:Well, I mean, my other concern was if the group just might know each other.

Gamemaster:That is also possible, at which point the invite is unnecessary regardless.

Benny:True.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:But at the very least, we know where it is.

Anzu:Even if we have to resort to just sneaking around.

Gamemaster:I mean, my sister and I can go separately from each of you, if need be, meet up at the event, so as to not lure too much suspicion.

Anzu:That could be smart.

Anzu:A two-pronged attack.

Gamemaster:Sure, I don't know if we are going to be attacking anyone necessarily, but it has been a while since I've been to a pilgrimage, so...

Johnny:How long you been 35?

Benny:Is it like a play on words or this specific kind of party that's called a pilgrimage you've been to one before?

Gamemaster:No, I've been to an actual pilgrimage before.

Benny:Oh, okay.

Benny:Yeah.

Arctos:How old are you?

Gamemaster:In Istria.

Gamemaster:35?

Anzu:That is a reasonable amount of time to be that age.

Gamemaster:Like nine months?

Arctos:Hmm.

Arctos:All right, well.

Johnny:I don't know what to do about that guy.

Gamemaster:Do you want to roll perception checks to see if he's lying?

Arctos:Yes.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Arctos:Yes, I do.

Benny:Josh, I don't like you using my tricks against me.

Arctos:I got a 20.

Gamemaster:I don't know what you're talking about.

Gamemaster:That's funny.

Gamemaster:As best you can tell, he's telling the truth.

Gamemaster:He really has been 35 for nine months.

Benny:Which nine months?

Arctos:I don't even know if this is...

Gamemaster:Well, last month it was eight months, and then the month before that it was seven months.

Anzu:So the previous nine months.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Soon he's going to be 36.

Gamemaster:Three months from now, actually.

Benny:Old.

Johnny:Yeah, came back around.

Gamemaster:Wow.

Gamemaster:I mean, Betty is nine.

Gamemaster:That's fair.

Benny:And he is nine.

Arctos:Well, that was... That's confusing.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:This was... Honestly, I thought I was going to learn something, and then I realized I thought I was instead going to die, and so instead I have learned something.

Gamemaster:So this is a success.

Anzu:I'm not even friends with the guy.

Gamemaster:If it turns out that you are still good friends with Aut and you sell my sister and I out to him, I will kill you.

Gamemaster:I just want you to know that.

Benny:okay you're made of metal what the hell was going on back there then oh yeah that makes sense

Johnny:Hey, he just told me he's responsible for the Midnight Sun, so I fucking hate the guy.

Gamemaster:That's interesting.

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:You hit my head really hard with something metal.

Gamemaster:I'm made of skin.

Arctos:He told me that we could Or he's from the cyborg world

Gamemaster:There's definitely a hard armored thing behind his head that isn't a skull.

Gamemaster:That's not a sound that a metal hitting skin normally makes.

Benny:I peel his skin off.

Benny:It's tech.

Benny:I do it.

Benny:It's him the whole time.

Johnny:Who are these guys?

Benny:The only person with a metal skeleton.

Gamemaster:You guys rolled a really, really

Gamemaster:high perception check while you were on Syrin specifically looking at Anouk and Anaïs and you discovered that the cybernetics that they had installed on Syrin were illusions and they really didn't have them just to muddy the waters a little bit there

Benny:We also did point blank ask him with reasonable perception checks, are you from Færrin?

Benny:And he's like, yeah.

Johnny:I think they're from, I think they're from Ushas.

Johnny:I feel like we met them in the first campaign somewhere.

Benny:Like Cosmo and Wanda, like they were a salt and pepper shaker.

Arctos:That would explain D&D spells.

Johnny:Yeah, they were still on Ushas.

Johnny:They were still on Ushas.

Johnny:Probably sleeping.

Benny:Or they could have just learned him, picked him up.

Benny:I mean, if they went to Syrin...

Benny:may have gone to usha's but still technically be from Færrin this is true i guess we we go over we go over the did i lie to us at any point

Anzu:No one goes to Ooshus.

Anzu:It's like the boonies.

Johnny:No one goes to Ushas.

Gamemaster:And it's made out of antimatter, which is a real downer for everybody else trying to get in there.

Arctos:Yeah.

Johnny:Thank you.

Anzu:We go home.

Arctos:I can't believe Op lied to us.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Arctos:He said we could take off the tattoos very easily and he wouldn't be mad.

Gamemaster:And he might have been telling the truth.

Benny:But we don't... I do think it's... I do think it's very...

Gamemaster:Anaïs has a vested interest in not trusting Aut, so he won't believe anything that Aut says.

Gamemaster:That doesn't mean that Aut's lying, necessarily.

Gamemaster:Who do you trust more?

Arctos:Loki, I trust Op more.

Gamemaster:Totally reasonable.

Arctos:I'm kidding.

Johnny:I don't know.

Johnny:I think I trust this guy.

Arctos:It feels like Monday, where it's just like, he's pretty nice to me.

Arctos:I don't know what to tell you guys.

Johnny:He's nice to me.

Benny:It's very funny being a child of any of the narrative, because it's like, Odd is like, I will tell you exactly what is going to happen here.

Benny:Do this exact action in order to get a good outcome.

Benny:And then, like, who else?

Benny:Like, Insuperlex is like, I've made your armor three times as heavy.

Benny:You will be strong again with it.

Gamemaster:Yep.

Benny:Like, the many years are like, here is a big weapon.

Benny:Go, you know, go...

Benny:Go claim glory.

Benny:And then Rengar's like, eat a bunch of shit, throw up and run in the street.

Johnny:Thank you.

Benny:Maybe something good will happen.

Benny:How the fuck does just injecting chaos help?

Gamemaster:Yep.

Gamemaster:Yeah, like, very good.

Benny:Run on a highway.

Gamemaster:Rengas sucks to be a follower of.

Gamemaster:Like, the only one worse is Insuperlex, because Insuperlex will specifically give you challenges.

Gamemaster:Rengas not trying to make your life harder.

Gamemaster:Rengas just trying to make your life different.

Anzu:Is Insuperlex Mr. Beast?

Gamemaster:Yes.

Benny:I've got 30 adventurers.

Gamemaster:I hate that so much.

Johnny:Bye.

Benny:I've taken 30 adventurers and I've put them on this pleasure craft at the source.

Benny:If they're not able to kill themselves quick enough, they'll burst in and kill themselves.

Gamemaster:I hate it so much I hate that that's like totally a thing that I could see the character in Superlix doing as well I hate that so much yeah yeah

Benny:But the one lucky person that makes it to the hospital will get 10,000 gold.

Anzu:Okay.

Benny:It's just a reskinned jigsaw from the Saw movies.

Benny:Josh, are you familiar with a jigsaw?

Benny:You crushed a cockroach 30 years ago.

Benny:In 10 seconds, hot lead will fill your urethra unless you... That's a meme that people post.

Gamemaster:I don't think that ever happened.

Benny:I think it's a green text that people post.

Benny:Like you crushed a cockroach 29 years ago in 10 seconds.

Benny:Hot lead will fill your urethra.

Benny:And then it just says jigsaw.

Benny:What was his fucking problem?

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:For what it's worth, I don't know if this is important at all, but Renge is what happens when I was trying to... So everybody's names are derived at least a little bit from literary terms, because odd is just author or ought to happen.

Gamemaster:Renge is what happens when I try to say out loud R-N-G as a word.

Gamemaster:And patter is just the last four words of chapter.

Anzu:Hmm.

Benny:I see.

Arctos:What about men here?

Gamemaster:Menhir's just a collection of stones.

Gamemaster:You know, I was trying to... You need something to represent a group.

Gamemaster:And there are only so many nature things that do that.

Johnny:And here, look.

Gamemaster:There was, oh gosh, I can't remember the name of the story.

Gamemaster:The concept of like moving rocks or whatever comes from a novel I read a while ago that I just thought it was really, really neat.

Gamemaster:And so I stole it.

Gamemaster:They're nothing like the men you're from the narrative, but just, no, one second.

Arctos:Sisyphus?

Benny:Insuperlex.

Benny:You're talking about Insuperlex?

Benny:I may have missed part of it.

Benny:I'm pretty sure the root words just mean something that you cannot... a challenge you cannot overcome.

Johnny:like insurmountable Menhir in pop culture um was it in the french comic book where the french comic book series asterix where the main character obelix obelix is known for carrying Menhir as a sculptor and delivery man

Gamemaster:Yep.

Benny:Yeah.

Arctos:I like how

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:I wish I could remember.

Gamemaster:I remember I read it in like 11th grade and it's been long enough that most of the details have left my head.

Gamemaster:But the only thing that stands is specifically these guys.

Gamemaster:I don't even know if they were called the Menhir.

Gamemaster:It's just I know the word Menhir and that fit.

Arctos:I like how we thought he was possessed, but it turns out he was fully aware of what was happening.

Benny:there he is guys i found him he's like oh god they found me

Arctos:He just thought we were bad.

Gamemaster:Yeah, he watched you guys walk into, like, an enemy's trap by unlocking the door with the key.

Gamemaster:And he's like, oh shit, I finally understand what's happening.

Johnny:And then we were like, hi.

Gamemaster:But no.

Gamemaster:Hi, hello.

Johnny:We can't rescue you.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Benny:He's like, they must have had 12 of these set up, and they finally came to the one that I'm in.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Arctos:Why are they unbolting the bed?

Gamemaster:He was very confused by that.

Arctos:What are they doing?

Gamemaster:He's like, okay, wait, maybe isn't everything as it seems?

Gamemaster:And then you hit him over the head with the club twice, and he's like, oh, nope, I know what's happening again.

Benny:I really kind of hope that I hit him with a crit, because then I guess it has to hit.

Benny:Well, I guess if it crit, it probably would hit him.

Benny:But then he'd be whatever, clumsy too and... What the fuck does it even do?

Johnny:Or the other three.

Benny:I completely forgot.

Benny:It's...

Anzu:Well, he doesn't know about the sixth member of the narrative, Mike Jabala.

Gamemaster:He doesn't know about Mike Jabala, and also he only recognizes of the gods that are apparently coming to kill Færrin, he only recognizes three of them.

Arctos:Which three were they again?

Johnny:What does that mean?

Johnny:I hate that so much.

Gamemaster:So the ones that he recognizes, you wouldn't see the ones that he recognizes.

Anzu:He didn't tell us.

Arctos:Oh.

Gamemaster:He recognizes Pyre, Herald, and Giant.

Anzu:Oh.

Gamemaster:Boar, Regent, and Esoterica were new to him.

Johnny:And Pyre, Herald, and Giant were the ones that were on that collage of names.

Arctos:Huh?

Gamemaster:Yes, they were.

Benny:They've remixed it.

Johnny:I don't like that they're being dolls Esoterica.

Benny:Wait, the three.

Benny:Hold on, the remaining three.

Benny:Doll.

Benny:No, I'm just having fun.

Benny:Doll.

Benny:Aren't there three fragments of... Three Echo Fragments.

Gamemaster:There are three echo fragments.

Gamemaster:You know, from...

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:From the one shot, you know that it ends up with the three fragments are one is in the core of the Astra, one is being held onto by Torment, and one is at the center of Althane.

Arctos:Ormant has one.

Gamemaster:But you know at some point in the middle there, Tex got his hands on one.

Benny:Yeah.

Anzu:if that future is even really our future.

Gamemaster:True.

Gamemaster:I mean, we did establish that the whole thing is a cycle in that one shot.

Gamemaster:So it is possible that that's a different Astra.

Arctos:That's fucked up.

Gamemaster:But who knows?

Gamemaster:Now I have introduced officially three different pantheons of all-powerful gods that may or may not want to kill everybody.

Gamemaster:You guys have fun with that, I guess.

Benny:What, the narrative, the actual gods, and then the six, I guess, at least three Thessians.

Anzu:That's the end.

Gamemaster:The Sinister Six, that's who they are.

Benny:I was going to call them that when they were first introduced.

Johnny:I can't wait until we're just doing Marvel Comics.

Gamemaster:One of them's just the Green Goblin.

Benny:Yeah!

Anzu:And Sir Octos come out to play.

Johnny:There's a scene of the Green Goblin standing over Anzu.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Johnny:We're the same, you and I.

Arctos:All right.

Anzu:All right.

Benny:You give people titty twisters.

Johnny:See you guys.

Benny:You give them wet willies.

Benny:I put thumbtacks on their toilet and whoopee cushions on their love seats.

Gamemaster:What?

Gamemaster:I... Crazy.

Arctos:I got to go.

Benny:Because...

Arctos:Adios.

Gamemaster:See y'all.

Anzu:See you next week.