Argyle:No recording.
Benny:Yo.
Anzu:Yes, hello.
Argyle:Hello.
Benny:Yes.
Benny:Hello.
Anzu:What's going on?
Argyle:I put in an offer on a house.
Anzu:Oh, sugar, where it be?
Anzu:Uh-huh.
Argyle:Garden City.
Argyle:Before you judge me, Tanner, we have seen only three houses hit the market in Rockville Center, and one of them had...
Anzu:Sure.
Argyle:Two toilets next to each other, okay?
Argyle:So, my options are limited.
Gamemaster:Like, two toilets in the same bathroom, or two toilets, like, two separate bathrooms next to each other?
Anzu:His and hers, Josh.
Argyle:Oh, I didn't share this with you?
Gamemaster:I mean, like, that, if it's two, I mean, I've never seen two toilets in the same bathroom as it is in her situation, but I've seen two sinks.
Anzu:It's his and hers.
Argyle:It is the upstairs...
Gamemaster:So, like, I could understand what was going on there.
Anzu:This is an evolution of that.
Gamemaster:Have you seen... Oh, gosh.
Gamemaster:I can't remember if it's a couple's toilet or a couple's bathtub, but there's one of those.
Gamemaster:I have to see if I can find this.
Anzu:I feel like couple's bathtub makes some sense.
Benny:What happened?
Anzu:Couple's toilet does not.
Johnny:no no i don't like this
Anzu:Okay.
Gamemaster:It's a couple's toilet.
Argyle:No, I'm talking... There is... The upstairs has two half baths.
Anzu:Well, shows what I know.
Anzu:Jesus Christ.
Argyle:Sorry, two and a half baths.
Argyle:And it's not the way you think.
Argyle:Oh.
Gamemaster:It's not.
Argyle:Josh, I think that's from a porno.
Gamemaster:It's called the Toodaloo.
Gamemaster:It's a real toilet.
Johnny:This isn't an SNL skit?
Benny:Oh, Jorge, this is in case someone is going to the bathroom and you need to use the bathroom at the same time.
Anzu:Exactly.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Argyle:Yeah, yeah.
Anzu:It also doesn't go far enough.
Gamemaster:There's even like a little privacy barrier.
Argyle:Yeah, but what's funny is... Yeah, but it's... No, no, and the glass blocks are way clearer in person.
Gamemaster:Kind of.
Benny:I love how it's glass block, so it's not really that much of a privacy barrier.
Gamemaster:No.
Argyle:It's not like one of those foggier, disorienting ones.
Argyle:It's like, it's crystal clear in person.
Benny:Also, if you've looked through them enough, like as a kid, your brain adapts.
Benny:Like I can see straight through glass block.
Argyle:Oh, no, no, and what I'm telling you is there's certain glass blocks that, like, refract light.
Johnny:Pretty cool.
Anzu:Just because there's two toilets doesn't mean you are required to use them.
Argyle:This is clear.
Gamemaster:I will say, ignoring the two toilets right next to each other, there is a full clawfoot bathtub in there, which is quite nice.
Gamemaster:That's not bad.
Gamemaster:Is it two toilets?
Gamemaster:Are those actually two toilets, or is one a standalone bidet?
Argyle:Yeah, those are toilets.
Johnny:No, those look like...
Gamemaster:Because it looks like two toilets.
Argyle:Those are toilets.
Gamemaster:But I have, like, I've been in places where they have, like, the original intent was a standalone bidet next to a toilet.
Johnny:It was good.
Gamemaster:Like, those are two separate items.
Argyle:No.
Argyle:No, those are toilets.
Gamemaster:So it's possible that whoever created the plumbing for this bathroom did not communicate to the person who decorated this bathroom and was like, you know.
Anzu:Wait, there's a door.
Argyle:No, there's two sinks.
Anzu:There's a little door there.
Argyle:There's two sinks.
Anzu:There's a little slide-out door.
Argyle:Yeah, yeah.
Benny:Wait, wait, wait.
Argyle:No, no.
Argyle:So the door doesn't cover... This is a bad angle.
Argyle:It doesn't cover the seats.
Argyle:So you still see each other through the glass.
Johnny:Jorge, if one of us texts Bailey right now, is she going to be like, yeah, Jorge really wanted the side-by-side toilets.
Benny:So it'd be very funny if there was a bidet because it's like, you ever get done shitting and then you have to open a door to use the bidet?
Argyle:I've been to this house.
Argyle:No, I've been to this house, guys.
Argyle:I walked in this house.
Benny:Like, I'll make...
Argyle:And it was shocking.
Argyle:Because at first I was like, this is the clearest mirror I've ever seen.
Argyle:And then I go, oh no.
Argyle:That's... No.
Benny:Visibility is high in that bathroom.
Argyle:other it was like it's so funny because they wanted way too much money for that house and we were like no and they're like we need offers by end of day because we got some really competitive offers and we're just like all right go with that
Benny:You see everything.
Johnny:It was really weird.
Johnny:He really wanted these toilets.
Argyle:And then they took it off the market and then they put it back on the market a little bit later with the reduced price.
Benny:Also, Josh mentioned the bathtub.
Benny:I've never had good experiences with those bathtubs.
Benny:Every place that I've stayed that has one, the bathtub runs away.
Anzu:Hey, but Garden City, that's fun.
Argyle:Yeah, we're not going to get it.
Argyle:Someone's going to outbid us.
Benny:I can't believe you guys let that hang.
Benny:Josh is muted, by the way.
Benny:I can't believe you guys let that hang for like 15 seconds.
Johnny:None of us had anything to say to that.
Johnny:What do you respond to that?
Johnny:What's the response there?
Anzu:I was just biding my time till I could hard pivot.
Argyle:I linked the house if you were curious.
Argyle:The rooms upstairs are way smaller than they look over some.
Argyle:You can only fit twins.
Johnny:Oh, this is nice.
Johnny:Wow.
Argyle:I feel like if you're a five-bed house and three of them only fit twins, just make it a four-bed.
Argyle:Like, what are you, barracks?
Argyle:I don't get it.
Johnny:I mean maybe they're raising child soldiers.
Anzu:Yeah, it is kind of crazy that they consider this two different bathrooms.
Argyle:Yes.
Argyle:Yeah, I don't.
Argyle:There was no master bath either, so we're just up to like yeah.
Gamemaster:Is there a way to get into the, like, tiny bathroom with the toilet that doesn't involve walking through the big bathroom?
Argyle:Yes, but if you want to go to the big bathroom and and skip the tiny bathroom, you have to go through someone's bedroom.
Gamemaster:Well, sure.
Gamemaster:I assume the intention there is ignoring the fact that there are glass blocks and you can see from one bathroom into the other.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Is that, like, they can be two separate bathrooms that can also be connected if need be.
Argyle:Yeah, and the other thing... So the little one enters through the hallway, the other one enters through a bedroom.
Gamemaster:Like, one's the master bath.
Argyle:Fun fact, the bedroom it connects to is not the master bedroom.
Anzu:Right.
Argyle:It's a bedroom that can only fit a twin and doesn't have a big closet space.
Gamemaster:Does the...
Gamemaster:Does the master bedroom have an attached bathroom as well?
Argyle:Now...
Gamemaster:That's strange.
Argyle:I think they just went upstairs and chopped it up to make more bedrooms so that they can go, look, it's a five-bed house.
Gamemaster:That's a weird layout.
Argyle:You can sell it for more money.
Anzu:This was not the original layout, for sure.
Argyle:No, but it wasn't even like a recent flip.
Johnny:you you
Argyle:Looking at it, it's old up there.
Argyle:The downstairs is nice.
Benny:Wait, it does look like the master bedroom has an attached bathroom from the layout, yeah.
Argyle:The upstairs is really old.
Argyle:Did that one?
Argyle:Let me see.
Argyle:It might have, actually.
Argyle:I take it back, then.
Argyle:I saw it so long ago, and they took it off.
Benny:What is the hall for?
Benny:There is an unreachable...
Benny:Every bedroom except, I guess, two.
Benny:I don't know.
Benny:Three bedrooms have their own attached bathroom.
Argyle:I think what happened is they had daughters, and then each daughter wanted to make after, but then give you access to the toilet and shower.
Benny:They had the dudes just use a chamber pot.
Argyle:Oh, when we went there, the primary bathroom was broken.
Argyle:That was a problem.
Anzu:Mm-hmm.
Argyle:They were telling us that the plumbing wasn't working and we were like, I don't know if it was ever hooked up, but yeah.
Argyle:Yeah, so.
Benny:You could just rip the toilet out and whatnot and just put a small break room.
Argyle:Hot house.
Gamemaster:Or you could just fill in that partition between the two bathrooms and then it just becomes two bathrooms again.
Gamemaster:Instead of having a door with a weird glass wall in between.
Gamemaster:Oh, this is a different bathroom.
Benny:Oh, no.
Benny:This is a different bathroom.
Benny:I'm talking about the one that's the only bathroom attached to the primary bedroom.
Benny:If there's plumbing, but it's not set up...
Benny:You could just make it like a break room, but like a coffee machine, beige carpet, plastic faux granite countertops.
Argyle:I saw one house.
Benny:Just like walk in and be like, I'm in office space.
Johnny:Real harsh lighting.
Johnny:Very bright.
Benny:I think everyone needs one off-putting room.
Benny:You have a room in the house that just doesn't feel like it belongs in the house.
Argyle:So we only saw this house.
Argyle:It was way over budget.
Argyle:But we only went to see it because
Argyle:We hadn't met up in person with our real estate agent in like two and a half months.
Argyle:I think everyone was under the assumption we should probably just pretend we're still working together type of thing.
Argyle:So we went to a house in Garden City.
Argyle:Two million dollars.
Argyle:And it was like unlivable.
Argyle:There were like holes in the walls that rodents were using.
Argyle:There were cracks this big from water damage.
Anzu:And they want to mail.
Argyle:There was a rug in the middle of one of the rooms, and we pulled the rug up.
Argyle:It was just like baseboard.
Argyle:It was like, oh, I thought this wasn't there.
Argyle:It realized this was structural.
Johnny:It's a structural wrong.
Argyle:We're like, this is crazy.
Argyle:And then we looked at it.
Argyle:We looked at it later.
Argyle:It sold 100K over ask.
Anzu:Things are bad.
Argyle:yeah it's not great out there so um yeah where does he want to live where does he want to live
Benny:The rent numbers came out for New York City and it's the tightest they've seen the market in four years or something.
Gamemaster:My brother is in the process of trying to purchase an apartment, because right now his commute's like an hour and a half both ways to his work, and so he wants to move closer.
Johnny:Mr.
Gamemaster:And he's been... What?
Gamemaster:He's currently looking at, like, the Bay Terrace area, because he works in Connecticut.
Argyle:Okay.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:He's been in contract with this lady for a co-op for the past four months.
Gamemaster:because she's decided, after agreeing to sell it but before they've closed, to become a crazy person.
Gamemaster:Or I think what she actually did was she hid that she was a crazy person before the contract was signed, because she apparently told her lawyer last week...
Anzu:Right right right.
Argyle:Wait, so did she go to?
Gamemaster:that she couldn't sell it to my brother because my mom drove there and was knocking on people's doors to tell them that she's crazy.
Gamemaster:And so she couldn't in good faith do it, which is just a wild thing to be like.
Gamemaster:Because I don't know if I have to specify this.
Gamemaster:My mom did not drive to this building in Bay Terrace to go to her neighbors and tell them that she's crazy.
Gamemaster:I promise that didn't happen.
Argyle:the seller's neighbors to tell them the seller's crazy or to tell them that the your mom's crazy like she go oh yeah yeah that's like a great time
Gamemaster:According to the story, my mom has been telling people that the seller is crazy.
Gamemaster:And so... Yeah, and so she told her lawyer that she can't sell.
Gamemaster:And then her lawyer's like, you're about to be in foreclosure.
Gamemaster:You need to sell.
Gamemaster:And then she said, okay, but they need to pay me 30 grand more.
Gamemaster:Which is just a wild place to start bargaining from.
Gamemaster:But that's where we currently are.
Gamemaster:So we're in her apartment telling her neighbors that she's crazy.
Argyle:are y'all gonna play ball are y'all gonna play ball there's yeah that's crazy that is great
Gamemaster:Which, honestly, is true.
Gamemaster:So maybe we should do that.
Gamemaster:But it's still, like, we don't... What?
Gamemaster:We might, honestly.
Gamemaster:Because it's hard enough to find a place.
Gamemaster:And, like, it might just be worth it to give her the money to go away.
Gamemaster:But, you know, it's a fun time.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Benny:That is, honestly, on some level, it's respectable.
Benny:It's like driving from California to New York, and right as you're about to get there, the driver just goes, give me $500 right now, I'll kill myself.
Benny:We'll veer off this bridge.
Benny:It's like, you wanted to be here too.
Benny:It's like, give me money right now or I'll kill us all.
Benny:We'll all be dead.
Benny:And it's like, all right, I don't know, give him money.
Benny:And he's like, I'm going to go get a nice dinner.
Gamemaster:It worked.
Argyle:So did she already accept the offer?
Gamemaster:The fear is that if we play ball and give her the money, that she'll then say, okay, great, give me 20 more grand or whatever.
Argyle:She'll ask for one.
Argyle:Yeah, she'll ask for one.
Argyle:Did she already accept the offer or does it not get accepted?
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Argyle:Because co-ops are weird.
Gamemaster:Where in contract, the board has approved, but we haven't closed.
Argyle:And she backed out.
Gamemaster:So there's still... She can back out.
Gamemaster:She can back out, but if she does, she has to pay us interest on the money we put in escrow to purchase it.
Gamemaster:Which, like, if she's already at the point where her bank is going to foreclose on her apartment, I don't know where she would get the money to pay interest on it anyway.
Argyle:Yeah, that's rough out there.
Gamemaster:So, like...
Gamemaster:Yeah, but, I mean, besides the fact that getting a bank to foreclose on a property is shitty for the person that the bank foreclosing on it is, I don't know if my brother wants to sit through however many months it would take for that process to happen anyway.
Gamemaster:Like, as is, he's been looking for a year at this point for a place that's, like, in his price range, so...
Argyle:I know when I was looking in the city for apartments, my real estate lady, we picked her and she seemed very nice.
Benny:Thank you.
Argyle:And then we called her because I didn't do emails.
Argyle:I was like, I'm going to call her.
Argyle:She's real estate and she'd be able to talk on the phone.
Argyle:She's like, who are you?
Argyle:And I was like, we just saw your name online.
Argyle:And she's like, oh.
Argyle:And then by the end of the call, she was super nice.
Argyle:And she's like, why'd you guys pick me?
Argyle:And then Bailey's like, you seem nice.
Argyle:And she's like, oh, I just had kind eyes.
Argyle:Fast forward a couple of weeks.
Argyle:She was talking about an apartment.
Argyle:She's like, we could screw this person.
Argyle:We're not paying.
Argyle:And she's like, brutal.
Argyle:And she negotiates massive deals.
Argyle:And then she proceeded to tell us about how she bumped one apartment and the apartment next to it.
Argyle:And then spent 11 months in court evicting the other person.
Argyle:And then they didn't want to leave.
Argyle:So she hired a private service that would get them out.
Argyle:Just so she could knock the walls down and build her dream.
Johnny:Woman sounds violent.
Gamemaster:Oh boy.
Benny:I think you might be using the wrong mic.
Argyle:Oh, thank you for telling me.
Anzu:Oh, wow.
Benny:I thought you finished the story.
Benny:I remember like, okay, okay, listen, no one gives a fuck.
Benny:You're using the wrong mic.
Argyle:Yeah, so better.
Benny:Yeah.
Argyle:All right, Tanner.
Argyle:Yeah, to make it weird.
Johnny:Well, it's like you're right here.
Argyle:We also saw an apartment that was listed from her same firm and the listing agent was this like older, nice British man.
Argyle:and we were chatting, and we were like, oh, he's a really nice guy, all of this.
Argyle:And he knew Lauren.
Argyle:He's like, oh, she's like a daughter to me.
Argyle:And then when we left, he's just like, I love him, but he doesn't know this area at all.
Argyle:We're going to be able to come in really aggressive.
Argyle:He's a terrible negotiator.
Argyle:He cares too much.
Argyle:And we're like, oh, shit, OK.
Gamemaster:It sounds like you exclusively have very aggressive people representing you in these matters.
Gamemaster:Is that on purpose?
Argyle:I don't want someone less aggressive than me.
Gamemaster:Sure.
Argyle:I'm sure there's a middle ground, but you know.
Argyle:So yeah.
Anzu:But you never know.
Gamemaster:Do we?
Argyle:We'll see.
Argyle:I don't think my house offer is going to get accepted because they were supposed to talk about it at 6 p.m.
Argyle:And I haven't heard from them.
Gamemaster:Maybe they're still talking.
Argyle:And if a destitute house went 100 and something K over ask, I can't imagine that my offer is going to succeed.
Benny:Maybe they're celebrating.
Johnny:Yeah.
Benny:Maybe they're fucking hammered.
Benny:We're almost two hours past six.
Benny:Maybe they're like five bottles of wine in and they're like, this is going to email them.
Benny:Someone give them a call.
Benny:I can't even find my phone.
Anzu:I assume, are you including the agent in this list of people?
Anzu:Everybody be wanting that.
Benny:Anyone that was going to discuss it.
Argyle:The agent and two 60 year olds who are moving out to like the sound.
Benny:They have no tolerance.
Benny:They're fucked.
Argyle:Yeah.
Benny:Into the sound?
Argyle:I just want a home.
Benny:Cocaine house.
Argyle:Why is that so hard?
Johnny:Jorge, have you tried squatting?
Argyle:That's true.
Argyle:That's true.
Argyle:I just want a home.
Argyle:And.
Argyle:Preferably one that I could legally own.
Argyle:Yeah.
Anzu:Well, you could squat.
Gamemaster:I think you're asking too much.
Benny:What are you trying to squat?
Gamemaster:Wait, what homes do you, like, yeah, when you say legally owned, are there homes you're barred from purchasing?
Argyle:Yeah.
Argyle:Or I could take one over.
Argyle:That'd be great, actually.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:I've had a guy squatting in my grandmother's house for the past two years.
Gamemaster:It's very effective.
Gamemaster:It does work.
Argyle:Yeah, my parents own an apartment, no, like a multifamily house in Queens.
Argyle:And the tenants that were there before my sister, when my parents were like, all right, we're not renewing your lease.
Argyle:They're basically just like, give us 10 grand and we're not going to leave.
Argyle:So my parents are like, great, here you go.
Anzu:Dang.
Argyle:Because it's so hard to evict people in New York that they'll just squat for two and a half years or something.
Gamemaster:I wasn't exaggerating.
Gamemaster:It's literally been two years we have somebody squatting in my grandparent's house.
Argyle:Yeah.
Argyle:Yeah.
Argyle:And if you don't like carefully document everything, it like resets the entire timeline too.
Johnny:That's horrifying.
Argyle:It is nuts.
Benny:think this already sold one day I was walking home from the gym and there was a line of people outside of a of a building and I was like I thought this was like an NYU thing where you get like 40 college students you line them all up you have them sprint through an apartment and then all fist fight for like some dumb one bedroom in the Washington Square Park area and I was like what's going on and I saw a sign I was like oh there is actually an open house here they actually are all going to see some unit and it was just like
Argyle:Yeah.
Benny:A very nice unit in the neighborhood that was like three bed, two bath, 1500 square feet, massive terrace.
Benny:And I was like, oh, okay, this makes sense.
Benny:It's like 20 families trying to move in.
Johnny:Very nice.
Johnny:Everyone's trying to do.
Argyle:This house
Argyle:came on the market on Wednesday.
Argyle:And it had an open house on Sunday.
Argyle:And then they were like, we're only accepting offers until 3 p.m.
Argyle:on Monday.
Argyle:And I'm like, great.
Argyle:It was one of those ones that as we toured it, it's only a three bed, two and a half bath.
Argyle:But as we toured it, our real estate agent was just like getting sadder.
Argyle:She's like, it's a really nice house.
Argyle:And I could tell she's just like,
Argyle:You guys are never getting this fucking house.
Argyle:We're like, oh, wow, this is so nice.
Johnny:It's just a structurally sound house.
Anzu:Oh.
Argyle:They're like, it's just not.
Argyle:It's just like a house, you know, like the gutters are fine.
Argyle:The roof's fine.
Argyle:The floor is fine.
Argyle:Yeah, it wasn't anything crazy.
Benny:Don't pull up the rug.
Argyle:It was just.
Johnny:No.
Argyle:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Argyle:Like, oh, there's somewhat of a yard.
Argyle:Like, it's just... It's like, oh, hell yeah, you know.
Johnny:That's so sad.
Johnny:Never thought that would be a thing someone gets so sad about.
Argyle:The three beds can all fit at least a queen.
Argyle:Or like, wow, this is crazy.
Argyle:Not really any closets, but we could put bureaus.
Argyle:That's fine.
Argyle:And she was just getting sadder.
Johnny:Never even consider it.
Argyle:No, no, no.
Argyle:But yeah, so.
Johnny:Yeah.
Benny:Well good luck.
Anzu:Thank you.
Argyle:Okay.
Johnny:I hope you found a house, Jorge.
Argyle:That'd be great.
Argyle:It is kind of annoying because I just want to have a commute that's less than like 40 minutes to the city.
Argyle:Sorry, less than an hour to the city.
Argyle:And it's just there isn't that many towns.
Argyle:And then there's even less towns we can afford.
Argyle:But to laugh.
Argyle:Such is life.
Argyle:I feel bad for everyone.
Benny:I watched like 10 minutes.
Argyle:This just sucks.
Anzu:that's true spongebob oh shoot who's this guy
Johnny:If it makes you feel better, my commute to your office is crazy.
Argyle:Yeah.
Benny:Do you guys know who Mitch Hedberg is?
Benny:No, that's Steven Hillenburg.
Argyle:No.
Argyle:Mike just starts rattling off his social security number.
Benny:no Mitch Mitch Hedberg is a he's like a one-liner absurdist comedian and I just remembered he's he's I got a job in I got a job in Miami which was a big mistake because I live in Michigan the carpool hated me
Argyle:That's not SpongeBob.
Argyle:It's 0011.
Benny:It's just like 800 jokes of those.
Benny:Oh, yeah.
Gamemaster:Do we want psychopaths?
Argyle:Yeah.
Anzu:Sure.
Johnny:Yeah.
Anzu:I speak so many languages now.
Anzu:I did not know that that was... I speak six languages.
Johnny:Tanner, how many languages do you speak?
Johnny:Oh, my gosh.
Anzu:Holy crap.
Benny:Oh yeah, Josh, I didn't send you anything, but Benny has always had languages.
Gamemaster:He's a smug bird.
Gamemaster:Yeah, Benny doesn't really have many options for languages, so that's fine.
Gamemaster:It's unfortunately scaled off of intelligence.
Benny:I don't... Yeah, so he only has like seven or eight or something.
Gamemaster:Yeah, something like that.
Gamemaster:Yeah, no, I have all the languages for Benny.
Gamemaster:Although, I will say, I didn't know if I should, like, exclude raced-based languages, like, in general from the setting, because I don't know if it necessarily makes sense.
Gamemaster:We're keeping them for now, I guess, because everybody has them.
Gamemaster:But... They are.
Anzu:I think they're just kind of given.
Anzu:So it doesn't affect how many extras you can learn.
Gamemaster:Yeah, it's just, like, I don't really plan on making use of them, I guess.
Johnny:It'd be so funny though, if in real, like in the real world,
Gamemaster:What is funny is Arctos, the awakened bear, can speak one language.
Benny:And then...
Gamemaster:He is the only monolingual character in the group, unfortunately.
Gamemaster:But also in his defense, it's not the negative one, it's that awakened animals don't have a native language.
Argyle:Was it the negative one?
Gamemaster:So they only get the language from when they awaken and that's it.
Anzu:Right.
Johnny:the host awakened him, but only gave him, like, Empyrean.
Johnny:So he wakes up, and Minister Vane is like, oh my god, my bear can talk!
Johnny:He's like, Anno Dominus, et homine!
Gamemaster:I mean, regardless of how many languages he speaks, I think it's impressive that a polar bear speaks any.
Gamemaster:Like, that in itself is a pretty good... That's not bad.
Gamemaster:So, I think he's fine.
Johnny:Last time, we rolled away from the train station maker place.
Gamemaster:Okay, so, now that we all have a bunch of languages, does anybody want to do a recap of last session?
Benny:you
Gamemaster:Now he's got his hand up.
Johnny:The place that makes train stations, you know.
Gamemaster:Prime Meridian.
Johnny:Prime reading, thank you.
Johnny:We're like, man, what are we going to do for the next six months?
Johnny:And Arctos was like, I got a business meeting.
Johnny:We were like, okay.
Johnny:We went back.
Johnny:Benny talked to his dad about his thousand siblings.
Johnny:His dad's also a hydrogen wave function, I guess.
Benny:Thank you.
Johnny:But he's a normal nine-year-old, so, you know.
Johnny:Always been nine for...
Argyle:Normal nine-year-old has always been nine.
Johnny:He has been alive for nine years.
Johnny:His dad's a hydrogen wave function, nothing crazy.
Johnny:He found out that there was a break in a Belvedere and someone stole one of the keystone crystals, very similar to the ones that we were trying to get for the pilgrimage.
Johnny:And that leads us to believe that maybe there's other pilgrimages going on or something else funky happening.
Johnny:But also it was a different color, so don't know what's happening there.
Gamemaster:It was a different color because I can't speak.
Gamemaster:It was supposed to be the same color.
Johnny:Oh.
Gamemaster:Just to clarify.
Johnny:It was the same color.
Gamemaster:Yeah, I just don't know colors.
Johnny:Josh is colorblind.
Gamemaster:I'm sorry.
Johnny:Confirmed.
Johnny:Uh...
Johnny:It was the same color, but maybe there's more pilgrimages.
Johnny:Who knows?
Johnny:We were like, man, what are we going to do for the next six months?
Johnny:And Johnny started teaching very successful improv classes.
Johnny:We then learned that Anzu got a call from his dad, which is very sweet.
Johnny:And then we learned that not only does Anzu have a sister, she's also in a cult to Herald one of the six evil Thessians coming to kill everybody.
Johnny:And we were like, man, this day couldn't get any crazier.
Johnny:And the camera shifted over and...
Johnny:even crazier version of Argyle walked in.
Argyle:Thank you.
Johnny:We were like, this is... He walked in and he went, hello, fellow people that I remember from my memories.
Johnny:So we then spent the rest of the session being like, this can't be real.
Gamemaster:Ah, yes, you are someone I know.
Johnny:And we dragged Argyle all over town, almost beat him up in a parking lot.
Johnny:I think we're on our way to a demonist.
Argyle:Josh is changing the name.
Gamemaster:Okay, so I'm not changing the name.
Gamemaster:The problem that I have is that...
Gamemaster:A Diabolist is specifically somebody who works with devils.
Gamemaster:Like, that's what that name means.
Gamemaster:But you guys think that there's a demon in Argyle, which should, like, be a different guy.
Benny:I was going to say, we could go with generalist.
Gamemaster:But I don't know what the name for the different guy is.
Gamemaster:So we're just going to go with Occultist, because that's like a catch-all term.
Gamemaster:I... Fiendfinder.
Anzu:He's a fiend finder.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Benny:Yeah, I've been seeing right here on Wikifiend that...
Benny:First off, the guy who's controlling you has a five-star rating.
Benny:Gorgeous souls.
Gamemaster:But yeah, no, that's a good recap.
Gamemaster:You covered the info that you got.
Gamemaster:You did have a pretty tense standoff in a parking lot, which is convenient of you guys to choose a location that I had a map for, so I appreciate that.
Johnny:Bye.
Gamemaster:Thank you.
Gamemaster:And yeah, we left off last session with you guys resolving to figure out what's going on with Argyle.
Argyle:Thank you.
Gamemaster:And to that end, you need to find somebody to figure out if there's anything going on in the hymn.
Gamemaster:So as we pick up today's session, I think I would love a society or a survival check to try and find, like, in a directory or something, somebody who could help out with whatever's going on.
Johnny:I'm on it.
Anzu:I need a fiend finder.
Anzu:I'll make the society check.
Gamemaster:A fiend finder.
Argyle:I can make a survival check, unless...
Johnny:Oh, no.
Benny:you
Johnny:22.
Anzu:We rolled the same thing on the die, which is fun.
Anzu:23.
Gamemaster:What did you get?
Gamemaster:23!
Gamemaster:That's, I think, fine?
Gamemaster:I mean, this is not going to be a particularly high DC roll, but just in case, what are the level-based DCs?
Anzu:Check the yellow pages.
Gamemaster:For what level are you guys now?
Gamemaster:20?
Anzu:Six.
Johnny:Nice.
Gamemaster:Level 6 DC is 22, in case that is important to you.
Anzu:So we both succeed.
Benny:Pork.
Gamemaster:You both succeed, absolutely.
Gamemaster:So, yeah, with that roll, I think you would be able to, like, looking through the city directory, trying to find out if there's anybody that could maybe...
Gamemaster:give you some information there.
Gamemaster:I think two names would pop up as part of that that might be useful to you.
Gamemaster:One of them is PactLogic, which is a kind of occultist.
Gamemaster:They are...
Gamemaster:They're, like, a mid-size org.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:Their whole thing is, like, you go in, and then they'll help you form a contract with a devil.
Gamemaster:Like...
Gamemaster:on relatively fair terms.
Gamemaster:The whole point being, if you want some kind of magic connection or supernatural edge, but you don't necessarily feel comfortable enough to negotiate that contract yourself, they'll be the intermediary there.
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:They'll put you in contact with a devil and then help write out the contract that works for both of you.
Gamemaster:They probably have the know-how to figure out what's going on.
Gamemaster:The other one is the Citizens Committee for Metaphysical Stability, the CCMS.
Johnny:Oh.
Gamemaster:Their whole deal is that they used to be a group of unrelated, like, pellers and alchemists and soothsayers and the like that were kind of getting pushed out of their cottage industry by larger orgs.
Gamemaster:So they all got together to form their own little society thing so that they would have some bargaining power there.
Gamemaster:They're definitely less corporate, but they're also way less structured in terms of what any individual member can offer or anything to that nature.
Argyle:Sorry, I didn't hear this because I got a text from my real estate agent.
Gamemaster:It's more of a loose association.
Gamemaster:But you would know that both of those orgs have people relatively nearby, either in Sableclutch or in Deosil, like a nearby neighborhood that might be able to help for a fee.
Anzu:I love a grassroots organization, right, guys?
Benny:Mm-hmm.
Argyle:I'm in the final four.
Anzu:Okay.
Gamemaster:That's crazy.
Anzu:It's March Madness.
Johnny:Wow.
Argyle:So, what's funny, she screenshotted the text that the other agent sent her, and she has, Marianne, my agent, she's like a mom, she has such big text.
Johnny:The Felicitous Four?
Anzu:Oh, her font size.
Argyle:Yeah.
Argyle:Apparently they had 11 offers, and we're in the final four.
Gamemaster:Ooh.
Anzu:Okay.
Argyle:Yeah.
Benny:We'll hear them all.
Argyle:Yeah.
Argyle:which probably means there's at least a cash offer and they might just be taking pity on us.
Gamemaster:But then why bother to narrow it down to four instead of just taking the one?
Johnny:you you
Argyle:Because maybe the cash offer is either slightly lower than ours or slightly above ours and they're like... Because sometimes real estate agents like when it's just couples that have to take a mortgage.
Anzu:I assume...
Argyle:I've learned.
Argyle:They feel bad for us.
Argyle:Yeah.
Argyle:But anyway.
Anzu:Could be like, hey, if you can offer an extra, you know, you can come out on top here.
Argyle:Fiendest.
Anzu:At least make it to the finals.
Argyle:I will not offer any more for this house.
Anzu:Well.
Johnny:What if they're like $1 more?
Argyle:I offered $120,000 over.
Argyle:No, I offered $120,000 over.
Argyle:No mortgage contingency.
Argyle:And I'm not even like, oh, here's your house.
Anzu:Yeah, that should be enough.
Gamemaster:Amazing.
Argyle:No, that's what's just like, I'm surprised I'm in the top four, to be honest with you.
Argyle:But yeah, anyway, fiendish.
Argyle:The difference, okay, one quick thing.
Argyle:The difference is when you have a mortgage, if you add an extra, I don't know, $10,000, it's a lot less than a monthly.
Argyle:But if you have cash, you only have so much cash.
Argyle:I could just go to a bank.
Anzu:Indeed.
Anzu:Citizens Committee for Metaphysical What?
Argyle:Yeah.
Benny:They're fighting the bank, not you.
Argyle:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Argyle:Yeah, they're fighting the big guy.
Johnny:bring it, I think.
Johnny:Grassroots demon finders.
Benny:Hippies.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Stability.
Anzu:Aha.
Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.
Gamemaster:There's... Sure.
Argyle:Well, you guys are looking this up.
Argyle:Argyle is just going to be talking to Arctos in the back.
Argyle:Both trying to convert the other one.
Gamemaster:A little bit of split brain.
Argyle:No, they're both trying to convert the other one.
Gamemaster:Is it working?
Gamemaster:Okay.
Argyle:No.
Gamemaster:You gotta try it, I suppose.
Argyle:But they both think they're getting close.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Right.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Okay, so if you want to go to the CCMS, you absolutely can.
Gamemaster:There is a cunning man in Deosil servicing his local area that you get the address of in a local directory, and you can drive on over there if you like.
Gamemaster:So we'll do that then.
Anzu:Okay.
Gamemaster:Y'all hop in your car, the five of you.
Gamemaster:I will say, you definitely have enough room in there.
Gamemaster:There's a little bit of, uh, Jenka involved with, like, the polar bear, and now you have to make use of the third row, or I'll squeeze into the back row or something.
Gamemaster:But the car is big enough.
Gamemaster:It was owned by Hlarf.
Gamemaster:He was massive.
Gamemaster:You can make it work.
Gamemaster:Um... And you, uh, you drive on over.
Gamemaster:Um...
Gamemaster:I don't know if you guys have been in Deosil yet.
Gamemaster:It's very similar.
Gamemaster:Oh, you have.
Gamemaster:This is the same district that Spartably Jones was in.
Argyle:Hmm.
Gamemaster:This is generally a more industrial district.
Gamemaster:If anything, it's not strange to see a business listed here, like this cunning man that you're going to.
Gamemaster:It is a little strange as you approach to see just like a small wooden shack surrounded on all sides by large factories that have been built up around it.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:Like there used to be a small village here and all of the rest of the village got replaced and industrialized.
Gamemaster:But there's one small...
Gamemaster:100 foot by 100 foot patch of land remained this weird peat bog area in the middle of this industrial sector.
Gamemaster:But the address matches.
Gamemaster:It appears that this wooden hutch is where the listing in the directory would have been Sharp the Cunning Man was the name of the area.
Gamemaster:There's not really a place to park, necessarily.
Gamemaster:I guess you could just park on the street somewhere.
Gamemaster:But this is a random wooden hut.
Gamemaster:It doesn't have a parking lot.
Gamemaster:You can find somewhere to go and head on in if you like.
Gamemaster:It's been a few days at this point since it was last raining, but for whatever reason, the mud directly around this hut is wet.
Argyle:I feel like... I feel like once you're in a bad enough neighborhood, if you have too nice of a car, people are like, I don't want to touch that.
Gamemaster:It's, like, weirdly goopy.
Gamemaster:Your foot sinks in as you start moving forward towards it.
Johnny:This is going to ruin my bell-bottom jeans.
Johnny:It comes back red.
Argyle:There's a threshold where they're just like...
Argyle:There's there's a bad man that owns this car.
Gamemaster:So I don't know if you ever ended up actually talking to Dura about this particular piece of it, but you would know that some models of the Aventine, the car that you have, are set to detonate if somebody attempts to remove the hubcaps without casting the particular incantation to disable that.
Argyle:Yeah, it's like, oh, I want to steal.
Anzu:Thank you.
Gamemaster:So, you know.
Johnny:and look into that.
Gamemaster:You don't know if your car has it.
Gamemaster:Maybe worth looking into before you do any repairs.
Argyle:I think I would have remembered that, Josh.
Gamemaster:Um... No.
Argyle:If she mentioned that.
Johnny:That's crazy anti-theft technology.
Johnny:Don't just make the hubcaps magically impossible to remove.
Argyle:I didn't even want it.
Argyle:Oh, but the car is fine?
Johnny:Just blow up the entire car.
Gamemaster:They blow up.
Gamemaster:Not the whole car, just like the spot where the hubcap is.
Gamemaster:It blows out.
Gamemaster:It does still destroy the hubcap.
Gamemaster:You still do need to replace the hubcap.
Gamemaster:The car's fine.
Argyle:Oh my god, we should add this.
Johnny:You want the hub gap?
Gamemaster:Hmm?
Anzu:We might already have it and we don't even know.
Argyle:If not, we should spend every dollar we have on it.
Benny:I do think it's funny that we did drop this off for work at some point to Smiler to get the paint job done.
Benny:So I'll be just like, guys, don't touch the fucking hubcaps.
Argyle:All right.
Argyle:Well.
Gamemaster:Um...
Gamemaster:Either way, you can head on in.
Gamemaster:The entrance to this hutch isn't actually a door.
Gamemaster:It's this warped wooden frame opening with a bunch of... At first they look like beads, but as you get closer you see that it's pebbles that have just been... twine has been tied around them to form a kind of heavy bead curtain in the front entryway.
Johnny:I will proceed 32.
Anzu:Thank you.
Gamemaster:You can push back in.
Gamemaster:I'd like a perception check as you enter.
Gamemaster:This is a one-room hutch, so there isn't a lot of place for people to hide or anything like that.
Gamemaster:32?
Argyle:I will make it a perception check.
Benny:I did accurately call that these were hippies.
Argyle:We don't need to talk about our go.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:With the 32, as you walk in, the first thing that you not even see, it's the smell that hits you first.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:You get this really, really almost familiar smell.
Gamemaster:There's like a bunch of patchouli and incense smell, but then there's also underlying... Is that like myrrh, maybe?
Gamemaster:Uh...
Gamemaster:That kind of scent framework, at least, is here, and it's pretty strong.
Gamemaster:Dog.
Gamemaster:Um... Ooh, that's bad.
Argyle:dog mine ain't raisins yesterday he puked a lot when we took him to the vet I think he did behind closed doors he's fine we got that really quick but his face was stained black from charcoal
Gamemaster:Oh.
Gamemaster:Oh.
Johnny:Let's get it all up.
Gamemaster:Oh, buddy.
Gamemaster:Yeah, so really strong smell of incense and a collection of other herbs and spices, some of which you have seen smoked in cigarettes.
Gamemaster:Beyond that, the building you're in, at least it has a floor.
Gamemaster:It isn't just like the same as the wet mud outside, but it is very plain wooden floor here.
Gamemaster:You cannot see the walls or the roof because they are covered in these...
Gamemaster:Can I get a crafting check, actually?
Gamemaster:They're covered in these tapestries.
Gamemaster:Almost, like, college dorm room-esque, with, like, little bit of tie-dye covering the walls and stuff.
Anzu:What kind of check?
Gamemaster:Crafting, if anybody wants to.
Anzu:Aha.
Johnny:I will aid Anzu in a crafting check.
Anzu:Very well.
Anzu:For now, I have a 26.
Johnny:Oh, I feel like this won't help much.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Benny:Thank you.
Johnny:Oh, sorry.
Johnny:That should also be a 26.
Johnny:I forgot to add the plus 4 for being helpful.
Gamemaster:Okay, so you get a 27.
Gamemaster:With a 27, looking at the tapestries and stuff that are covering the walls, some of them look old and actually hand-woven and perhaps dyed using some kind of natural dye or whatever.
Gamemaster:But the vast majority of them look like they were just possibly pumped out in the factory right next door.
Gamemaster:They're industrial.
Gamemaster:They look like they cost maybe $2.
Gamemaster:It's a weird...
Anzu:Mm hmm.
Gamemaster:mishmash there.
Gamemaster:They are also all notably... Oh, gosh.
Gamemaster:I killed Jorge.
Johnny:Oh, no.
Gamemaster:I resurrected Jorge.
Gamemaster:They're all notably stained yellow from smoke.
Gamemaster:It doesn't make for a particularly welcoming... Jorge is deaf!
Johnny:Oh, God.
Benny:Man, he's really trying not to have us figure out what Argyle is.
Gamemaster:I know.
Gamemaster:He's keeping his secrets close to his chest.
Gamemaster:I guess we give him a moment to see if he comes back?
Benny:Or we let him tell, like, narrate.
Benny:Because he can't hear us, but we can hear him, maybe.
Johnny:Ooh, what kind?
Benny:So he can just be DM for a bit.
Gamemaster:That would work if he hadn't just left.
Gamemaster:Otherwise I would have been totally on board.
Anzu:I think it's for music stands, Mike.
Gamemaster:I got a new stand mixer and I'm very excited about it.
Johnny:I heard that.
Gamemaster:Ankerstrom.
Gamemaster:They're really neat looking.
Gamemaster:One second.
Benny:I don't know.
Benny:They sold stuff that makes newsstands.
Johnny:Whoa, that is pretty cool.
Gamemaster:Look how funky it looks.
Benny:Oh.
Anzu:Holy...
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Gamemaster:It's not... The thing that spins is the bowl.
Gamemaster:It's weird.
Anzu:Oh, what's, what's the first thing you're going to mix in there?
Johnny:Cool.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Gamemaster:The bowl spins and then there's a thing on the inside that turns the stuff inside of it.
Johnny:Oh, that's really cool.
Gamemaster:Bread?
Gamemaster:I've been on a quest to make kosher for Passover bread and I'm like this close.
Anzu:Yeah.
Gamemaster:I've got it.
Anzu:That's exciting.
Gamemaster:I just, I make enough loaves that I've become tired of mixing it by hand.
Gamemaster:So, stand mixer.
Gamemaster:Because it kind of sucks to make bread dough by hand.
Johnny:I'm not a bread guy.
Johnny:How do you make it not super dense without leavening?
Gamemaster:Okay, so the problem with Passover is that everybody says you can't have unleavened bread.
Gamemaster:And they're lying to you.
Gamemaster:Because that is not the rule for Passover.
Gamemaster:The rule for Passover is you cannot use any chametz grains.
Gamemaster:Which means you can't use wheat.
Gamemaster:But you can use yeast.
Gamemaster:So the trick is making bread without wheat, which is a completely different problem than everybody thinks that the issue is with making kosher for Passover bread.
Johnny:you you
Anzu:Yes.
Gamemaster:So my current problem is that, like, once you've replaced the gluten from the wheat in the flours that you use with psyllium husk or xanthan gum, both of which kind of work, the problem is that you need to get a kind of grain that doesn't taste...
Gamemaster:like anything because like if you only use almond flour or something like that it's gonna taste like almond flour bread which isn't what i'm going for i want it i like i just want to be able to at the seder come out with like a loaf of white bread and be like here you go eat this because that's just so strange and the problem that i've been running into is that most of the neutraler tasting flours taste like bean
Benny:you you
Gamemaster:because they're all bean-derived, and no one wants the bean flour.
Anzu:What about rice flour?
Gamemaster:So I've been, like, trying to work out of a ratio of flours that tastes closest to wheat, and I've gotten pretty close, but I still find myself using a majority of fava bean flour.
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:So I have, like, to try a bunch of different ratios.
Gamemaster:I've got cassava flour.
Gamemaster:I'm going to try that, because that's supposedly neutral tasting.
Gamemaster:We'll see how it goes.
Gamemaster:It'll be great.
Anzu:Would that do anything?
Gamemaster:You can't, or in the past when I've tried using only rice flour, the problem is that it doesn't, like, come together in the same way that a dough does.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:It, like, doesn't have that adhesion for whatever reason.
Anzu:Okay.
Gamemaster:So I, like, you can use rice flour as a filler.
Argyle:What about tapioca flour?
Gamemaster:That was one of my attempts.
Gamemaster:Two parts rice flour, one part fava bean flour.
Gamemaster:The problem is it still tastes like fava bean, which doesn't help.
Gamemaster:But, you know.
Gamemaster:So the recipe I'm going to try
Gamemaster:My next leg up, which, by the way, the reason this came up is because I got a new stand mixer and I'm excited about it, is one part tapioca, one part fava, and then two parts kasama.
Argyle:Hell yeah.
Johnny:That's cool.
Gamemaster:And then we'll see if those together don't taste like beans.
Gamemaster:That's the hope.
Gamemaster:Because I can't feed my family bean bread.
Gamemaster:Nobody wants bean bread.
Anzu:Hmm.
Gamemaster:But, you know.
Argyle:Could you do the Brazilian cheese bread, where it's just tapioca and cheese?
Gamemaster:You could.
Gamemaster:That's totally fine.
Gamemaster:That works.
Gamemaster:But I want a Pullman loaf.
Gamemaster:I want, like, one for bread, but kosher for Passover.
Johnny:That would be pretty interesting.
Gamemaster:Just because of the novelty of it.
Gamemaster:Because if I have to eat, like, matzah for a week straight, I will die.
Argyle:What if you try the Brazilian one, but you don't use a flavorful cheese?
Argyle:You just use a farmer's cheese?
Gamemaster:There's still cheese in it.
Gamemaster:I'm not going to put cheese in the bread, because then it's not bread, it's cheesy bread.
Gamemaster:That's a different thing.
Argyle:They don't have to know.
Argyle:Anyway, I'm back.
Johnny:What if you take a piece and you carve it to look like bread?
Gamemaster:I would know.
Gamemaster:Well, that's just cheese.
Gamemaster:I eat that.
Gamemaster:Cheese is great.
Gamemaster:It's just not really accomplishing what I set out to do.
Gamemaster:I'll be back in a second.
Argyle:What if you just make a really stable souffle?
Gamemaster:That's a souffle.
Gamemaster:That's already a Passover thing.
Gamemaster:Most Passover dishes are really egg-heavy.
Johnny:Wait, at what point does a really stable souffle just become a frittata?
Argyle:That's a good point.
Benny:I'm a very stable souffle.
Gamemaster:I think there's sugar in a souffle.
Johnny:I would have a sweet frittata.
Argyle:Not all soufflés.
Argyle:There's savory ones.
Gamemaster:Right, but that's just a souffle at that point.
Argyle:I've had a cheddar and chive soufflé.
Johnny:What are you barking at?
Johnny:What are you barking at?
Gamemaster:Me.
Johnny:Grover's just sitting here.
Anzu:He wants a stand mixer.
Johnny:He does want us... We have a stand mixer, but it's not as cool as Josh's.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Gamemaster:I'm very excited about it.
Gamemaster:We'll see if I continue to be excited about it when I use it.
Argyle:Does that one have temperature?
Gamemaster:No, it doesn't.
Gamemaster:I just really like the fact that the bolt moves instead of the spinner thing on the top.
Argyle:It's one of those?
Argyle:I saw one of those and I was like, my stand mixer is going to work for the next 20 years.
Gamemaster:Yeah, it's fun.
Argyle:I have no business getting this.
Gamemaster:Right, exactly.
Gamemaster:I was like, I don't have a stand mixer.
Argyle:But you didn't have one, so you should get it.
Gamemaster:I don't have a stand mixer.
Gamemaster:This is a purchase I'm going to make once in my lifetime.
Gamemaster:May as well get a cool one.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:So now I have a cool one.
Gamemaster:Anyway, the cunning man.
Johnny:Hmm.
Gamemaster:Okay, so room, all of the tapestries and stuff are stained yellow.
Gamemaster:They've been covered in smoke from incense that you gather has probably been burning since this dude... He clearly didn't move in.
Gamemaster:This is clearly a house he's lived in his whole life.
Gamemaster:So just as soon as he started burning incense, when he was four, probably, up until now.
Gamemaster:The room itself is stacked with all manner of... I don't know if any of your characters would have met a thaumaturge, but it is very much eclectic, strange items.
Johnny:Okay.
Gamemaster:Like, there's a weird-looking, maybe a copper mirror.
Gamemaster:There's a handful of different animals' feet.
Gamemaster:Uh, there, there's a number of different books that look like they've scratched the names off of them.
Gamemaster:So it's just blank covers.
Gamemaster:Um, there's, uh, like weird stacks of, you can't tell if they're sculptures made out of wool.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:They almost look like voodoo dolls a little bit.
Gamemaster:Um, but they don't, they don't have any like heads.
Gamemaster:It's just the bodies.
Gamemaster:Um, all manner of weird accoutrement.
Gamemaster:And amidst all of that, currently, by the looks of it, drawing some kind of magic or ritual circle on the floor.
Gamemaster:Drawing's the wrong word.
Gamemaster:It looks like he's carving it into the floor.
Gamemaster:Is a...
Gamemaster:I don't know if any of you would be very good at estimating the age of a kobold normally, but this is clearly an old kobold.
Gamemaster:You've never seen... He's got like a Fu Manchu mustache, but it's stained white, as well as a really long beard off of his reptilian frame.
Gamemaster:He's short.
Gamemaster:He's maybe like two and a half feet tall.
Gamemaster:He's got these like blue scaly skin.
Gamemaster:He's got spikes that look like they've almost been ground down over time down his spine.
Gamemaster:And he's wearing a set of...
Gamemaster:clearly in need of wash, like a potato sack type burlap clothing.
Gamemaster:You would recognize this particular form of dress as something like people in particularly rural, unconnected areas would wear, like this burlap tunic-y kind of thing.
Argyle:Oh!
Gamemaster:But as you guys walk through, the sound of the pebble curtain knocking into each other as you pass through gets his attention, and he looks up with a start and drops the knife that he's carving something into.
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:He goes, Customers!
Gamemaster:Which one of you has the ulcer?
Johnny:I point it on to.
Anzu:I get nervous.
Gamemaster:That's fair.
Gamemaster:I have something just for you, then.
Gamemaster:One moment.
Gamemaster:Until I move over to another part of the room, and there's an alembic that has been kind of stuffed between, it looks like, what used to be a marble bust of someone's head that's been kind of cracked into pieces and is now decorating this area.
Gamemaster:He will take one of the pieces of marble, crush it up, put it into the alembic.
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:There's a burst of smoke, and he comes back with this oily-looking...
Gamemaster:yellow liquid in an ampoule.
Benny:you
Anzu:And then maybe I'll be able to drink coffee again.
Gamemaster:He will hold it out to you and say, it's two copper pieces, and you need to break the ampoule and smell it on the next new moon.
Gamemaster:Your ulcers are caused by coffee?
Gamemaster:I thought they were by anxiety.
Gamemaster:It's a completely different thing if they're coffee-based ulcers.
Anzu:Oh, okay.
Anzu:I did misspeak.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:No problem.
Gamemaster:You can have this one, too.
Gamemaster:I'll throw it in.
Gamemaster:Let me go make you the coffee ulcer one as well.
Gamemaster:And he will go back, if you don't stop him, and do what looks to be the exact same process.
Anzu:Right.
Gamemaster:And he comes back with a second identical looking ampoule with this like oily yellow liquid inside of it.
Gamemaster:And both of them in the same palm held out such that you cannot distinguish which is which.
Gamemaster:And he'll say, okay, two copper pieces.
Anzu:I'll give him two copper pieces.
Johnny:Wow.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:You've got two ampules of cure ulcer.
Anzu:Very well.
Gamemaster:Excellent.
Argyle:Don't say wow.
Gamemaster:Leave me be.
Argyle:That's just what it's called.
Gamemaster:Until I go back to carving the magic circle on the floor.
Gamemaster:His job is done.
Anzu:We actually... We have another request of you.
Gamemaster:Sure.
Anzu:If you have the time.
Gamemaster:Another one of you has ulcers?
Gamemaster:That's crazy.
Anzu:No, no, no.
Benny:Whereas,
Anzu:That's just me.
Argyle:Statistically improbable.
Anzu:We're wondering if you have the ability to kind of take a look at a person and discern whether or not they have any fiendish influence being put over them.
Gamemaster:Yeah, sure.
Johnny:All of the above.
Gamemaster:Like a possession?
Gamemaster:Or like a gas?
Gamemaster:Or like just like a contract?
Anzu:Any kind of demonic or fiendish influence would be great.
Benny:Mm-hmm.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.
Gamemaster:I'm in the middle of carving a magic circle that should...
Gamemaster:cure you from back pain, but I can repurpose it to do that instead if that would make more sense.
Anzu:Yeah.
Gamemaster:It's just a small set of additions, absolutely.
Gamemaster:Can I get either an arcana or an occultism check as he's going through?
Anzu:Yeah, I'll make that a cult subject for sure.
Johnny:I'll also make an occultist.
Argyle:believe this lunatic.
Benny:Wouldn't be the first lunatic they believed in the last 24 hours.
Anzu:I got a 34.
Argyle:Yeah, I don't know why they believe Betty.
Gamemaster:A 34.
Gamemaster:Okay, a 34 is a crit here, so you learn two things.
Gamemaster:The first is, had you succeeded, you would have learned.
Gamemaster:Looking at what he's carving into the floor and the processes that he's using, none of this makes any sense to you, like from base principles of how magic works.
Anzu:Mm hmm.
Gamemaster:Nothing he seems to be doing appears to follow the rules.
Gamemaster:as you would expect in order to make the outcomes that he's purporting to be able to do.
Gamemaster:On a critical success, you can see that despite that, he is clearly somehow imbuing magical energy into the things that he's doing in such a way that you believe that his ampules of cure ulcer will actually cure your ulcer, despite the fact that, as best you could tell, the ingredients that went into it are crushed up marble and olive oil.
Anzu:I believe it.
Gamemaster:Somehow, he appears to be empowering them such that you think that it would actually work.
Argyle:Love thaumaturges.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:Yeah, so he's just doing stuff that he believes will work, but it seems that through sheer force of will and a pretty heavy dollop of divine magic, it does actually do the stuff that he's having it do.
Argyle:He's a space work.
Gamemaster:A little bit, yeah.
Gamemaster:He believes that it should work, and he's been blessed by, as you can tell from the raiment, the host, enough that that force of will is enough to make the things happen.
Argyle:Cool.
Gamemaster:So he goes back to the magic circle that he's drawing out.
Benny:Sure.
Gamemaster:He gets a little bit of the way through carving, and he's like, wait, you're going to pay me for this, right?
Johnny:Hmm.
Anzu:Of course, yes.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:And then he'll go back to carving it.
Anzu:We respect your craft.
Argyle:And it needs to do all of us.
Argyle:It needs to do all of us, by the way.
Gamemaster:You can all stand in a circle if you like, that's fine.
Gamemaster:And he will keep carving it.
Gamemaster:It'll take probably about a half hour for him to finish carving the circle.
Gamemaster:And then I think probably five minutes in, he would ask, can one of you go to a nearby market and pick up some goat's blood for me?
Johnny:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Great.
Gamemaster:And then he'll go back to carving the magic circle.
Benny:Good luck.
Argyle:Our guy will stay here.
Johnny:I guess I'll go find some goat's blood.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:It'll be a survival check to look for goat's blood.
Gamemaster:Or a society, I suppose, if you want to ask around and see if anybody is aware of where a butcher would be, because that's where one might get goat's blood.
Johnny:I got an 18.
Johnny:Find blood.
Gamemaster:18.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:So the answer there is with an 18, I think you do find a butcher, but you have inadvertently stumbled into a butcher that can tell that you don't normally shop in this area and as such would not know the going rate of goat's blood and he will overcharge you for it.
Gamemaster:So I think you step away from your encounter there with... Actually, you weren't told how much goat's blood to get.
Johnny:Nope.
Gamemaster:How much goat's blood would you get?
Gamemaster:It'll be three silver per pint.
Johnny:Do we have any empty... Are there any empty buckets?
Johnny:Paint buckets or anything?
Gamemaster:Not in the butcher's, no.
Argyle:He'll probably supply you with pints, right?
Johnny:I'll just get...
Gamemaster:Yeah, he'll give you pint containers for each pint.
Johnny:I'm not super strong.
Johnny:Two pints.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Six silver pieces and you get two pints of goat's blood.
Johnny:I come back.
Johnny:Man, goat's blood's expensive.
Gamemaster:And you can hand over the two pints.
Gamemaster:He'll take them, he pops the lid off of one, he gives it a taste.
Gamemaster:It's only like two days old, that's fine.
Gamemaster:And having finished the circle, he will pour the goat's blood into the carving that he made in the floor so that it fills the indents.
Argyle:How much does he use?
Argyle:Perhaps Benny could drink it.
Gamemaster:Like, maybe a third of a pint.
Johnny:We need to figure out what to do with the rest of this blood.
Benny:I don't know why I'd do that.
Johnny:Benny, do you drink blood?
Johnny:Is that a thing you do?
Benny:What if I buy my tongue?
Johnny:You bite your tongue and then you're just like...
Benny:What, I might as well just spit it out?
Anzu:It would be a waste.
Gamemaster:While you're saying that, the Cunningman sharp will say, you could make blood sausage.
Gamemaster:It's pretty tasty.
Johnny:Thank you.
Argyle:Oh, yes, we should give that to our friend, Deanne.
Anzu:Oh, maybe.
Gamemaster:His third ingredient.
Argyle:It's a very common breakfast, at least from where I'm from in the Citadel.
Argyle:My uncle doesn't have a taste for it, though.
Gamemaster:Having
Argyle:He doesn't like goat's blood.
Gamemaster:I don't know if black pudding is normally made with goat's blood, but I don't see why it couldn't be.
Anzu:Is it like we can all go at once or it's one at a time?
Gamemaster:Sharp will gesture for whoever would like to to walk into the center of the circle.
Johnny:In good faith.
Benny:Benny will go first.
Johnny:Yeah, I'll go.
Gamemaster:You can all fit in if you want to.
Anzu:I'll step into the circle.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Argyle:All right.
Argyle:Does it have multiple uses or do we have to do it all at once?
Benny:Assert dominance.
Gamemaster:No, now that I've carved it into my floor, it's kind of there.
Argyle:Okay.
Gamemaster:We can use it as many times as you want, so long as we do it before the blood dries.
Argyle:Hey, odd question.
Argyle:Are you able to figure out what he is?
Argyle:I don't think he's a normal child.
Benny:We know what I am.
Benny:There's nothing to figure out.
Gamemaster:I could tell you if he's being possessed.
Argyle:One at a time.
Anzu:It's a good start indeed.
Benny:Benny will audibly laugh at that comment.
Johnny:We'll take that one too.
Johnny:We'll take the is he possessed for... Is he possessed for 1,000.
Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.
Gamemaster:So am I doing you all at once or one at a time?
Gamemaster:Which would be more exciting for you?
Gamemaster:One at a time.
Argyle:That's way more exciting.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Benny:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Who's up first?
Benny:The bird.
Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.
Argyle:The least the least likely.
Benny:At least suspenseful, yeah.
Gamemaster:Azu, you step into the middle of the circle.
Argyle:Just in case.
Gamemaster:He, as you walk into the center of the circle, he goes and he picks up a sensor that's currently burning some kind of incense.
Gamemaster:He picks it up on the end of the chain and he starts waving it around you and humming something.
Gamemaster:Johnny, you would recognize the thing that he's humming as a relatively popular pop song that he has switched into a minor key and pitched down a harmony or an octave or two.
Johnny:Connie hums along.
Gamemaster:But absolutely.
Gamemaster:After he waves it back and forth for like 30 seconds or so, you can see that his eyes go completely white.
Gamemaster:His head jerks upwards.
Gamemaster:His mouth opens and white light broadcasts out of it into the ceiling.
Gamemaster:And then after a second, it all fades away and he looks and says, no, you're not possessed.
Gamemaster:You're not being controlled or anything.
Anzu:Awesome.
Benny:Okay, Johnny next.
Johnny:I will get in the middle.
Johnny:I'll start chanting along with him.
Johnny:Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Same deal, he waves the censor around, he hums the song, same weird light effect happens, and then he says, you are not under the control of anyone, but you're like, weirdly tenuously in your own body, if that makes sense.
Johnny:Yeah, that tracks.
Gamemaster:Who's next?
Benny:All right.
Argyle:Kid.
Johnny:Thank you.
Benny:Mate.
Gamemaster:The boy.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Same deal.
Gamemaster:Moves the waves of censer around, sings the song, does the whole like, comes back, he says, Nope, not possessed.
Gamemaster:Great.
Argyle:Any other fun fact or anything?
Gamemaster:No, his soul is firmly in him, and there's only one of them, and it's not a demon.
Gamemaster:Or a devil.
Benny:Haha.
Anzu:He's more normal than Johnny.
Gamemaster:The ritual doesn't really tell me anything else, but I can confirm all of that for you.
Argyle:All right.
Argyle:Our guy will step in.
Johnny:Yeah.
Argyle:Yeah.
Johnny:I do that thing with my sunglasses where I go like... Do it.
Argyle:Our guy will step in.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Argyle starts immediately burning from the... No, I'm joking.
Gamemaster:He waves the censer around, he hums the song, he does the light.
Gamemaster:After a second, he says, Nope.
Gamemaster:No demon or anything like that.
Gamemaster:I will say, you've kind of got the same thing going on that your singing friend does.
Gamemaster:You feel like slightly tenuously connected, but no demons, no devils, nothing like that.
Argyle:next to the bear yeah
Gamemaster:Just a guy.
Johnny:Oh.
Anzu:All right.
Benny:Okay.
Gamemaster:Sure.
Benny:Do we have Arctos going?
Benny:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Arctos goes in, he waves the sensor, he does the light thing, and then he says,
Gamemaster:No.
Gamemaster:No, you're just like a normal talking bear.
Anzu:Totally normal, yes.
Benny:Normal.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Do you mind if I get your autograph?
Benny:Okay.
Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.
Argyle:Just pause, put the pod down.
Gamemaster:Thank you.
Anzu:All right.
Anzu:Well, you are an excellent craftsman.
Johnny:Very good.
Anzu:Impressive.
Gamemaster:I've been doing this most of my life, like a full 15 years.
Benny:Wow.
Gamemaster:Thank you.
Argyle:Who taught you?
Gamemaster:Anything else you need?
Gamemaster:Uh, my dad?
Gamemaster:It's like a family thing.
Argyle:Very cool.
Anzu:I think we're pretty much set after that.
Gamemaster:Bye.
Gamemaster:Uh, and then he will wave the censer again around the, um, around the magic circle now with nobody in it, and the blood will all evaporate and the floor will heal itself.
Gamemaster:Anything else you need for me, I'm here.
Gamemaster:Oh, wait, wait.
Gamemaster:Totally almost forgot.
Gamemaster:You have to pay me.
Benny:Oh.
Johnny:Would you accept goat's blood in payment?
Gamemaster:No.
Johnny:Even if it's high quality premium goat's blood?
Johnny:I got a crit 33.
Benny:Two day old.
Gamemaster:Make a diplomacy check.
Johnny:I give him the goat's blood.
Gamemaster:Yeah, if it's high quality, I'll take it.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:You could tell from his face that he thinks that he actually got one up over you.
Argyle:We don't actually know how much he would have charged us, guys.
Anzu:Thank you.
Argyle:He might have.
Johnny:He might have turd just less than the blood's worth.
Johnny:The crazy part is because he's a thaumaturge, now it's going to work as high-quality goat's blood for this guy.
Benny:Okay.
Argyle:Alright.
Argyle:Well.
Gamemaster:All right, now get out.
Gamemaster:You're ruining my mojo.
Gamemaster:I gotta do a seance.
Gamemaster:Bye.
Johnny:That was fun.
Johnny:All right.
Johnny:Argyle, I guess.
Johnny:Sorry we doubted you.
Johnny:Welcome back.
Johnny:I'm really sorry we doubted you.
Johnny:This is crazy.
Johnny:But welcome back.
Argyle:Your apologies is accepted.
Johnny:So if we find the rest of you, do you start using contractions again?
Argyle:I'm glad to be back with you compatriots.
Benny:Yeah, in whatever capacity you are back.
Anzu:Yeah, sounds like we ought to find the rest of you.
Argyle:Yes.
Argyle:I think he's voidward.
Benny:Oh.
Johnny:Is that how it works?
Anzu:Right.
Anzu:Oh, are you wanting to reabsorb the rest of yourself or take it out?
Argyle:unclear i would like to re-merge i'm not sure how that would work correct i just have to say business cards
Anzu:Mm-hmm.
Benny:Thank you.
Anzu:And just so that I understand completely, when you say unclear, you don't mean classified.
Anzu:You actually mean unclear.
Johnny:Did you get new business cards since you came back?
Anzu:Okay.
Anzu:So we got some figuring out to do.
Johnny:Do you have different business cards?
Argyle:They're new made, but the old ones are thrown out in the river.
Johnny:Oh.
Johnny:Oh.
Gamemaster:He did lose the majority of his possessions after he got unceremoniously dumped into the river.
Johnny:Yeah, we killed those guys.
Johnny:So, in your name.
Benny:It was really quick.
Argyle:That's very nice of you.
Argyle:Did you read them, their trial rights?
Johnny:It's all a blur.
Anzu:I don't know if we're qualified to do that.
Argyle:Did they die with honor?
Argyle:Hmm.
Johnny:No.
Anzu:Halarf did not, but the other ones, it was a good battle.
Johnny:Smash cut to Hlarf peeing in an alley, then 15 expanded animal bodies, then Benny just knife-hancing after a bat.
Gamemaster:Left-eyed, pants-down, piss-coin through the skull.
Gamemaster:You did not have an honorable death.
Anzu:And I admit to that.
Benny:Half-time with his dick out in an alley, bro.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Benny:Did we do anything with his body, or did people just go, oh, fuck, honey, call the fucking cop?
Johnny:A second dumpster.
Argyle:you
Gamemaster:I think you dragged it to behind a nearby dumpster, so whenever somebody next takes out the trash...
Benny:They're not even going to have to get close to the dumpster because they're going to see it because he's huge.
Benny:They're just going to look outside and be like, is that a second dumpster?
Benny:Oh, my God, that's a...
Benny:He's going to produce an ecosystem with his dead matter.
Benny:Ugh.
Johnny:It's like a whale fall.
Gamemaster:I hate that.
Johnny:Floor fall.
Gamemaster:Okay, so as you leave the cunning man's hutch, what is the plan?
Benny:Ugh.
Johnny:I got an improv class.
Argyle:Take Benny to a pediatrician to figure out what he is.
Anzu:Uh...
Johnny:I got a teacher five, if anyone wants to come.
Benny:Listen, I... I did plenty.
Johnny:Yeah, we got lots of open slots.
Argyle:May I join the improv class?
Benny:I mean, we know I'm not possessed.
Argyle:It has come to my attention that I might be able to benefit from some improv teaching.
Johnny:we go to my improv class
Anzu:I think that would be good, yes.
Anzu:And Johnny's a great teacher, so you should definitely tag along with him.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:So you guys, if we don't have anything immediately pressing, we can pull back out into the down-ish time stuff that we're doing as we wait out the six months here.
Gamemaster:I fully intended last session to go through the full six months, and we got through, by my count, a little over one week.
Gamemaster:But it's fine.
Gamemaster:Okay, so did anybody here have anything immediate they wanted to do over the course of the next sundown time?
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:Yes.
Gamemaster:Argyle or Arctos?
Gamemaster:Which is this?
Argyle:Argyle first.
Argyle:While he's not doing improv, he's just going to be offering free health services.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Argyle:He's like a back alley surgeon where he'll just help people that can't afford it.
Argyle:It can pay if they want, but none of that.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Roll a medicine check as part of that.
Gamemaster:Because this is technically the earn an income action.
Benny:you you
Gamemaster:Or maybe just earn income.
Gamemaster:I don't know if there's an an in there.
Argyle:Oh, you know, I'm going to reroll it.
Anzu:He kills three people and has his license revoked.
Johnny:you you
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Luckily...
Argyle:Mythic point.
Argyle:If I'm an expert, is that plus six?
Gamemaster:Yes.
Gamemaster:Luckily, there is no central board that administers practitioners licenses for doctors.
Gamemaster:So what do we get?
Argyle:Twenty eight.
Gamemaster:26.
Gamemaster:Okay, yeah, that is fine.
Gamemaster:That does mean that over the course of... Assuming you're doing this over the course of the six months, you will earn... I can do math.
Gamemaster:One second.
Gamemaster:360 gold pieces?
Johnny:you
Argyle:Great.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:About two weeks after the last thing that we covered after the Cunning Man, as you guys are going about whatever you want to during this downtime, I want to... We'll take a little break for a second to zoom in on Arctos specifically.
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:Arctos, you're...
Gamemaster:Your business, it's taken a little bit of time to get everything up to speed there.
Johnny:you you
Argyle:Hilarious.
Gamemaster:And I think you would have around this time hit a roadblock.
Gamemaster:You need manufacturing.
Gamemaster:And even leaning on the family name for Clout there doesn't help because the Valerius family... Valerius?
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:Fancius?
Gamemaster:What's the name of your... Vane.
Anzu:There's just.
Gamemaster:Vane.
Gamemaster:The Vane name.
Gamemaster:The Vane family isn't in manufacturing, but they do have connections with people who are.
Argyle:Bye.
Gamemaster:So I need you to make a choice here about... There are two names that come up as possible partners that you could get into that could help set up the manufacturing for this.
Gamemaster:You could either work with... Shoot, where did that go?
Gamemaster:I just lost it.
Gamemaster:Ternion Heavy Industries...
Gamemaster:which is normally a kind of, like their main focus is aerospace, but they're trying to break into consumer goods, and they're hoping to maybe use that springboard there to move into consumer goods.
Argyle:I don't know.
Gamemaster:Or you can sign up with Concordia, which is currently the big name.
Gamemaster:They're like the LG or GE equivalent.
Argyle:We don't like Concordia in this household.
Gamemaster:Okay, sure.
Argyle:Also, at some point, Argyle would have talked to Arctos and would have convinced him to have an option that doesn't have the product in it.
Benny:Thank you.
Argyle:So there's a regular version and then a sleeping version.
Gamemaster:Okay, sure.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:Okay, so you are going with Ternion and Heavy instead of Concordia.
Argyle:Yes.
Argyle:They can get a space grade hand.
Gamemaster:Great.
Gamemaster:Yeah, sure.
Gamemaster:So I need you to do me a favor and roll a D100.
Gamemaster:30 or under is Concordia.
Gamemaster:Over 30 is Ternion Heavy Industries.
Benny:you you
Johnny:hello hello
Argyle:59.
Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.
Gamemaster:I have to write something down.
Gamemaster:Great.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:You go ahead.
Gamemaster:You make the deal with Turning Heavy.
Gamemaster:And you...
Gamemaster:get that manufacturing set up.
Gamemaster:It'll probably be about a month, maybe a month and a half before we get the product available to test.
Argyle:Okay.
Gamemaster:But they can set up the factory and all that kind of stuff.
Gamemaster:Moving away from that, I want to go to Benny for a second.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:Benny, after the first time that your dad reached out to you, when he disconnected, it kind of felt like he left a little bit of a connection attached to you at that point.
Anzu:you
Gamemaster:And over the course of the next few weeks, I think you'd have...
Gamemaster:interspersed communications with him.
Gamemaster:Just, like, as he's giving you information that you requested, and he's asking for your opinion on stuff that you might have, since you're closer to Hallia, and you might have a bit more than him there.
Gamemaster:As part of that, I do actually want to ask you, I don't have it on hand, I forget what you asked him for when you last spoke.
Gamemaster:Do you recall?
Gamemaster:I can go back through the transcript to double-check.
Gamemaster:I just, I don't remember off the top of my head.
Benny:I can't remember exactly what Benny asked for as far as like I think it was mentioned that region may join or maybe sent I don't think Benny asked for money I know money was offered
Johnny:Bye.
Gamemaster:Okay, so he said information would be of the utmost importance.
Gamemaster:You said you're looking for information.
Benny:Right, yeah, yeah.
Gamemaster:The archive that you checked was insufficiently indexed to locate particular things about the Embercall.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:and also maybe things related to the pilgrimage.
Gamemaster:Okay, so over the next few weeks, I don't think he'd have any information necessarily for you for the pilgrimage.
Gamemaster:If anything, that's kind of what you've been set to investigate, as it may be related to the break-in.
Gamemaster:As for the Embercall...
Gamemaster:That is stuff that he might be able to get some information on.
Gamemaster:So I think what I want you to do is roll a d20 with a plus 19 modifier for me.
Argyle:Hell yeah.
Gamemaster:32.
Benny:okay okay 32.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:So...
Gamemaster:Belvedere's whole job is information collection.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:They go about that in a bunch of different forms, like everything from atmospheric assays to full corporate espionage.
Gamemaster:But their whole deal is to collect and hoard effectively as much information as possible.
Gamemaster:So even if they hadn't been, which they are, but even if they hadn't been directly surveilling Embercall as a point of interest, there would be information in the massive hordes of data that Belvedere collects that could be chewed through to pull out some things.
Gamemaster:That's actually why...
Gamemaster:like Belvedere makes a lot of use of hearts is specifically to let the hearts do that kind of data chewing.
Gamemaster:So your father, high position that he is in Belvedere, has access to hearts to crunch that information for you to go digging.
Gamemaster:But it would be useful for him to have an idea of necessarily what kind of information he's trying to pick out.
Gamemaster:Like, if you could narrow down what you're looking for that's Ember Claw related, it would make his search easier.
Gamemaster:If you don't have anything, he can maybe find more general things, but you are more likely to find useful info if you have a narrower search.
Benny:uh the origins and people involved in the origination of Embercall like names that popped up at the beginning that either were coincidentally around the organization um or phenomena or uh people directly involved whether coincidentally or by name
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:Sure.
Gamemaster:Okay, so looking at where it came from, its origins and all of that kind of stuff, there's like the public knowledge that most people know.
Gamemaster:The Embercall, or...
Gamemaster:Pyrelate, the gang that is within Teller's Run, started out as just a gang.
Gamemaster:They were a group in Teller's Run that kind of formed out of...
Gamemaster:Teller's Run was a very poor part of the city.
Gamemaster:There was an attempt a while ago to pump money into the district, and it all kind of got abandoned because of how hostile the people there were to corporate interests coming in.
Gamemaster:And so when all of the corporate, when all of the orbs pulled out, that kind of left a vacuum of, they used to provide the power structure of like the...
Gamemaster:the mayor, I don't know if mayor would be the right term, but like district head and all that kind of stuff.
Gamemaster:And when that got pulled out, Firelight was the group that kind of filled that gap.
Gamemaster:It is an interesting question as to who they were beforehand.
Gamemaster:It's assumed that they aren't actually from Teller's Run.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:Um...
Gamemaster:because the way that Pyrelight grew felt unnatural to the data crunchers in Belvedere, because it doesn't follow the normal structure of how gangs in cities tend to form.
Gamemaster:Usually they start out of smaller groups of people, and over time they kind of grow in notoriety and power.
Gamemaster:Pyrelight sprung up very quickly.
Gamemaster:Org's pulled out, and for a few years there's kind of just general infighting amongst the people in Teller's Run, all trying to establish power.
Gamemaster:But the spark shows up, forms Pyrelight, and kind of either...
Gamemaster:subsumes or eliminates the other gang presences in Teller's Run over the course of like four months.
Gamemaster:Very rapid expansion.
Gamemaster:In fact, the way that it was growing, the way that Pyrelight was growing, it was starting to reach out into other parts of the city, like the Masque District that kind of borders Teller's Run.
Gamemaster:The only thing that seems to stop it is they stopped attempting to expand when the fire cordon was raised around Teller's Run.
Gamemaster:I think the names that stand out amidst the... The names that stand out amidst the, like, who might be related to Pyrelight is one that pops up a few times in disparate context is somebody named Elara Vance.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:That is a name referred to both as a known member of the gang Pyralite, but also seems to come up in corporate filings and the like for companies that are associated with Pyralite outside of Talon's Run.
Gamemaster:That seems to be the name that gets associated with any external communication and the like.
Gamemaster:The other one that would come up is...
Gamemaster:Sorry, I'm going through a bunch of old notes here.
Gamemaster:The other one that comes up is... It's fine.
Argyle:Josh expected us to earn this information differently.
Johnny:Well, we already have that.
Gamemaster:You have one of them.
Gamemaster:You don't have Camden Levine.
Gamemaster:who would be the other name that comes up.
Gamemaster:Camden is not a member of Pyrelight.
Gamemaster:In fact, they are a mid-level manager in the Pale Lantern Society.
Gamemaster:But the reason the name comes up is specifically because Belvedere thinks, but hasn't confirmed, that they are related to Pyrelight in some way.
Argyle:you you
Gamemaster:Their name, like, shows up as having attended...
Gamemaster:an opera showing at the same time, multiple instances over different weeks of Elara Vance.
Gamemaster:He moved semi-recently to a new apartment that is cheaper than the one that he was originally living in, but happens to be closer to Teller's Run than the previous one was.
Gamemaster:He seemingly, around the same time that Pyrelight...
Johnny:You.
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:like, caused the court and got promoted, like, three times in rapid succession.
Gamemaster:He went from kind of a peon in the Pale Lantern Society up to, like, a regional manager type deal, just coincidentally.
Gamemaster:All things that independently are completely innocent don't seem to have any relation to each other, but because of Belvedere's hole, we collect all of the information we possibly can and then attempt to make connections there gets flagged.
Gamemaster:So that's maybe a point of interest.
Argyle:What does the Pale Lantern Society do again?
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:Roll a society check, whoever would like to, to see if you know any information other than the basic pitch.
Anzu:That's me.
Anzu:25.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:If you like.
Argyle:I can roll one with you, but I expect you to beat me.
Gamemaster:I don't mind who does it.
Anzu:Holy.
Argyle:29.
Argyle:Crit!
Argyle:Can I trade?
Gamemaster:What'd you get, 29 crit?
Argyle:Yeah, can I dumb down my crit and just get a hero point?
Gamemaster:No.
Gamemaster:Although that would be interesting.
Gamemaster:Like, if you get a crit, you can choose to not crit and get a hero point instead.
Gamemaster:I just think that's objectively, that's just overpowered, because you would only ever use it in situations where you don't care about a crit.
Argyle:Yeah.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:No, okay, so 29 crit.
Gamemaster:Basic story.
Gamemaster:They were...
Gamemaster:Before the gods showed up back in the Dark Ages, they were a secret cabal of necromancers that stood as advisors and evil sorcerers and the like that kind of whispered over the shoulders of the rulers in the Dark Ages.
Gamemaster:They're like one of the oldest currently standing words.
Gamemaster:But when the gods showed up after Aurelia opened up the crack, the pulse was like, these guys are my guys.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:And so they suddenly stopped being a secret shadowy cabal and just fully became a legitimate organization because they had the backing of a god.
Gamemaster:And so now they are...
Gamemaster:non-secret necromancers.
Argyle:All right.
Gamemaster:They run graveyards, they run hospitals.
Gamemaster:The big thing is their art pieces, the columbariums.
Gamemaster:Those are the ones where when you die, if you're rich, you can pay to be, like, posed in a piece of art, and then some point in the indeterminate future, when they figure out how to do mass resurrections, they'll bring you and everybody else back.
Gamemaster:Um... Uh...
Gamemaster:Yeah, I think those are the big points of it.
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:You would be able to tell as part of this, Mr. Levine is a high-ranked member of a hospital in Hallia.
Gamemaster:That's his occupation.
Gamemaster:He went from being like an administrative assistant up to he is now the head of a local hospital.
Benny:things.
Gamemaster:And I think that is the information you would get from your dad related to that.
Gamemaster:He can look for other stuff, but it'll take him some time.
Gamemaster:Like, this took a bunch of time to collate.
Gamemaster:But as part of that, I think your dad is also giving you information on, like, things that aren't necessarily related to your current, like, trying to figure out the Voidsong, all that kind of stuff.
Argyle:you
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:And more like, you're in Hallia, so you have better access to some information that he doesn't, because you are the, like, person who's closest.
Gamemaster:And as part of that...
Gamemaster:One of the questions that comes up is there are...
Gamemaster:two different companies that seem to be making interesting moves, like spending a lot of capital in ways that he didn't expect them to because that doesn't kind of fit their general MO.
Gamemaster:It's spiked over the past few weeks.
Gamemaster:And so he'd like your input on which one he should start.
Gamemaster:focusing his efforts on investigating first.
Gamemaster:The two of them are Ethervolt, which is a power distribution company.
Gamemaster:Their whole deal is they just supply electricity to a good chunk of Hallia.
Gamemaster:And then the other one is...
Gamemaster:Alkahest Freight, which is a freight company that operates on Prime Meridian's train lines, but they're literally just big on shipping bulk items, both from throughout Calaria as well as across the horizon.
Gamemaster:Their big thing is logistics across multiple horizons.
Argyle:Gosh, thinks he's slick.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:They both seem to have started spending a bunch of money recently, so he just wants your input, which you think would be more interesting to start investigating first.
Benny:the shipping company.
Gamemaster:Shipping company.
Benny:I don't know if I'm supposed to use any more info, but off the bat.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Okay, so then I need you to roll a d100 for me, please.
Gamemaster:30 and under is the shipping company, Alkahest Freight, and over 30 is the electricity company, Etherval.
Benny:Ten.
Gamemaster:Ten.
Johnny:um um
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:No Aetherbolt.
Argyle:Oh no.
Gamemaster:Great.
Gamemaster:Alright.
Gamemaster:We pull back again.
Gamemaster:Let's zoom over to Johnny.
Gamemaster:Johnny, you're doing your improv.
Gamemaster:You've got stuff to kind of kill the time in between the six months and all that kind of stuff.
Gamemaster:I want to raise two things.
Johnny:do perception
Gamemaster:First, you, I believe, had mentioned that you kind of wanted to look into if you wanted to get into...
Gamemaster:into Teller's Run, how you might do that.
Gamemaster:As part of that, I would like and invest... Is investigation a thing or a setting?
Gamemaster:Is it perception?
Gamemaster:I think it's perception or society.
Gamemaster:Actually, what's your... What is your... Just to double check, what's your lore?
Gamemaster:Your lore is theater lore.
Gamemaster:That's less helpful.
Gamemaster:Yeah, we'll do perception, society, or survival would all... Sorry, not or survival, or thievery, I think would all be good fits here.
Gamemaster:I don't know which works for you, but those would all.
Gamemaster:And if you wanted to rope somebody else in to help you with this investigation, as part of it, you may do so.
Argyle:What do you need?
Johnny:Argyle's around, but are you doing stuff?
Johnny:I know Anzu was also interested in this.
Anzu:I don't care.
Argyle:Our gal can come along, but let Anzu do it.
Argyle:That way everyone's involved.
Johnny:I'll pull Anzu along because he has a different skill set.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:All four of you could go if you wanted to start investigating.
Argyle:No, Benny's not here.
Johnny:Anyone seen Benny?
Johnny:I don't know where he is.
Johnny:Benny's in a fight ring somewhere.
Argyle:He's running full speed under a table.
Anzu:Very impressive.
Benny:Then he's just shaking people's hands.
Johnny:Terrifying.
Benny:What?
Johnny:Yeah, I'll pull the other two adults in the group into this.
Gamemaster:He's got to practice.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:So I still do need those checks for people.
Argyle:So what is it?
Gamemaster:Either two people can make a check or one person can make a check with aid.
Gamemaster:Actually, if there are three of you going, you could have one person make a check with aid and one person not.
Argyle:Yeah, what check is this?
Gamemaster:I need either perception, society, or thievery.
Argyle:I will make a perception.
Johnny:I will actually aid Argyle's perception, I think.
Anzu:And I'll round it out with a society just in case.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Okay, that is a success.
Johnny:Got a 22 to aid the perception.
Gamemaster:You get to add one.
Gamemaster:What do we get for the society?
Argyle:32 for my perception.
Anzu:My heart wasn't in it.
Gamemaster:No, I'm sorry.
Gamemaster:Odds is just along for the ride.
Johnny:Yes, and Argyle.
Gamemaster:Okay, 32 perception.
Gamemaster:So...
Johnny:Yes, and.
Benny:you you
Gamemaster:Okay, so talking about possible entry vectors into Teller's Run.
Gamemaster:With that high roll, I think there are three possibilities.
Gamemaster:that come up as part of your investigation of possibly known ways to get in.
Gamemaster:The first, and maybe the most difficult, is there are semi-regular parties hosted in the one skyscraper in Teller's Run.
Argyle:Uh huh.
Gamemaster:If you could get an invite, they just open the door for you.
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:You are let through the fire accordion into Teller's Run.
Gamemaster:The reason that that's probably the hardest of the three possible options is that unlike your nice little no-name-attached invitation you got to the pilgrimage, where half the idea was it doesn't matter if it changes hands, it's whoever gets to come gets to come, these invites are to specific people.
Gamemaster:So either you need to actually somehow be invited, or you need to impersonate someone who actually was.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:To that end, the guest list for these parties is actually pretty large, and not...
Gamemaster:The majority of the people who are invited are like socialites.
Gamemaster:It's celebrities.
Gamemaster:It's high level business people.
Gamemaster:It's really like upper crust society movers and shakers.
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:But the actual list of people who can enact real change across the society is relatively small, and this is a much larger net than that.
Gamemaster:So you get up-and-coming celebrity singers.
Benny:you you
Gamemaster:There's the people who host talk shows on the radio, mixed in with everything else.
Gamemaster:There's a relatively large net.
Gamemaster:So you don't necessarily, if you want to take this path, need to go the route of like,
Gamemaster:knocking out the CEO of Prime Meridian and pretending to be him.
Gamemaster:There are C-tier actors that you could feasibly replace.
Gamemaster:You just have to find one that you know got an invite to take over there.
Gamemaster:The other scratching point there is in order to...
Gamemaster:be invited.
Gamemaster:There is a cover fee in order to enter, even with the invitation, of 25,000 gold pieces.
Gamemaster:The point of this is so that only people with the money to spend every two or three weeks to that tune are allowed in.
Gamemaster:So if you want to impersonate somebody, you need to come up with the cash to do that.
Gamemaster:Option two.
Gamemaster:This was tried, as best you can tell, once.
Gamemaster:Very early on, after the Firecordon was established, a group of laity mercenaries airdropped in, just over the Firecordon, because it's not a dome, it's just a wall.
Johnny:you you
Benny:you you
Argyle:Oh.
Gamemaster:They touched down.
Gamemaster:Unfortunately, Lady does not publish the results of their reigns.
Gamemaster:So everybody saw the planes fly overhead and the parachutes descend into Teller's Run.
Gamemaster:Nobody knows what happened next.
Gamemaster:The fire cordon is still up.
Gamemaster:So if that was what they were trying to do, they failed.
Gamemaster:But maybe that isn't what they were trying to do.
Gamemaster:The third option, and the...
Gamemaster:most, like, the least clear that it would actually work is it's possible there's an entrance underneath the fire corner, either by going through the sewers, or by going even further down through the quiet below, like the Underdark, and then finding a tunnel down there that then goes back up into Teletraan.
Johnny:Yeah.
Gamemaster:That's the most iffy, because it's not like there are publicly available maps of the sewers, and there definitely aren't any maps of the Quiet Below.
Gamemaster:So maybe that works, maybe that doesn't.
Gamemaster:You have to go and spend the time to try and find a place there, which you would know if you go that route, it will likely be dangerous.
Gamemaster:So you would want to go equipped.
Anzu:I've been talking about these sewers for weeks.
Johnny:I kind of want to try the sewers.
Johnny:Or the quiet below.
Johnny:I mean, that's kind of crazy down there, but that sounds like a lot of fun.
Johnny:Maybe we try the sewers first.
Johnny:Unless Argyle, did you happen to come back with 100,000 gold pieces?
Argyle:I do not have it on me.
Johnny:Can you access?
Argyle:But I might be able to ask my org.
Argyle:I doubt they would clear it.
Argyle:That being said, are you keen on going back into the sewers?
Gamemaster:It's probably like late spring, I think.
Argyle:Last I recall, you were complaining about your bell-bottom jeans.
Johnny:I'm gonna get some jorts.
Anzu:Thank you.
Argyle:So you're going to expose your raw legs to the sewage.
Johnny:Josh, what time of year is it?
Johnny:Yeah, summer's just around the corner, man.
Johnny:It's gonna be a whole different outfit.
Johnny:That's what we got you for.
Johnny:You're a healer.
Johnny:You can heal.
Argyle:Our guy touches up his suit and is just like, this is standard issue.
Benny:you you
Argyle:All operatives must continue to wear this, even in hot temperatures.
Johnny:You don't want to wear jorts and a poncho?
Argyle:Yes, and maybe another day.
Gamemaster:Yes, and... Unrelated to all of that, you had a talk a while back with Donnie
Anzu:He's learning.
Anzu:He's learning.
Johnny:I'm so proud.
Johnny:A single tear runs down Johnny's face.
Gamemaster:Donovan Hale, about Sable and Suns and looking into their firearms.
Gamemaster:He had gotten some information for you, but not a lot.
Gamemaster:He, after a few weeks, contacts you again, and it appears that he's been kind of nagging at him the fact that there's a new kind of firearm being manufactured, and he doesn't feel great about that.
Gamemaster:So he's been digging in his own time.
Gamemaster:Um, but he, he hits a point where at some point he actually asks for your input.
Gamemaster:Uh, he's kind of got two different contacts he can lean on, but they're, they're both kind of only in town.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:Uh, like recently they came into town over the last few weeks and he doesn't think they're both going to be around long enough for him to lean on.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:So he has to choose one or the other to kind of pressure to maybe give some information there.
Gamemaster:Uh, the, the two, uh, the, the, the two...
Gamemaster:orgs that these people are from that he could lean on are either he has a contact that's part of the Children of the Heir air which you would know are devotees of the air of the plague this particular group is this guy is part of the like more
Gamemaster:bioterrorist group, uh, like part of that, that wing where their whole deal is they're kind of trying to, um, just reduce, uh, man-made construction, uh, back into the, the natural state, like the forests and the marshes that got replaced where, where Halyan normally is.
Johnny:Okay.
Gamemaster:Um, or alternatively, uh, he could lean on somebody in, uh, somebody he knows in Necrolog, uh, which is a...
Gamemaster:On their face, they're a... Like a...
Benny:you
Gamemaster:biomechanic, uh, like, uh, gosh, what's the term for a company that makes medical supplies?
Gamemaster:Like the machines used in medicine.
Gamemaster:I don't know why I can't remember the name of what they are now.
Gamemaster:Um, but basically that's the, the, the company, um, uh, like markets itself as manufacturing, uh, medicinal supplies.
Gamemaster:Uh, but you would know, uh, through like ties with the ghosts to them that the, that's really more of a front for, um,
Gamemaster:Being able to move medicinal and less than legal reagents in and out of cities and across state lines and the like for constructing alchemical bombs and stuff of that nature.
Johnny:I feel like we kind of are a terrorist organization, so whatever info the...
Argyle:Thank you.
Gamemaster:Either of those might have a lead in Disabled Sons, but he can only really lean on one.
Johnny:Other guy has, we probably might have something similar.
Johnny:So I'll say the necrolog guy.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Can you roll a d100 for me, please?
Gamemaster:30 and below is Necrolog.
Gamemaster:Over 30 is the Children of the Heir Air.
Johnny:30.
Gamemaster:Okay, that's Necrolog.
Gamemaster:Good to know.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:Alrighty.
Gamemaster:So he will lean on them and see if he can't get any information out of them related to sable incentives.
Gamemaster:All right.
Gamemaster:We're going to pull back a little bit again.
Gamemaster:We're going to go over to Anzu.
Gamemaster:Anzu.
Gamemaster:So the...
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:As the rest of your party has gone out, you've been spending some work looking into the possible routes into Teller's Run.
Gamemaster:Did you have anything else you wanted to do over the course of the next few weeks or whatever to fill that time?
Benny:Thank you.
Anzu:There was something that came up once or twice that I don't fully recall where we saw visualizations of... I don't think it was the Voidsong, but maybe like...
Anzu:It might have been the Embercall or something, where it looked almost musical, but we could tell there was some occult stuff going on with it.
Gamemaster:You're talking about the corkboard that you found in Tywelwyn's office when you were noting the stuff down.
Gamemaster:He had writings about that.
Anzu:Right.
Anzu:So, Anzu...
Anzu:with maybe some musical help from Johnny, is trying to do that.
Anzu:He's trying to focus on what's in his head and trying to translate it into something he can look at and visualize.
Gamemaster:Sure, absolutely.
Gamemaster:And then I need an occult check from Anzu.
Anzu:Of course.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:Excuse me.
Johnny:25 to aid.
Johnny:Low aid rules.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:That is unfortunately a failure.
Gamemaster:28.
Anzu:Oh.
Johnny:I actually... No, it's a failure because it doesn't affect it at all.
Anzu:I got a 28.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:With a 28.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:So...
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:You kind of have to synthesize some information that you've pulled from a few different sources.
Gamemaster:You're looking at the cork portal of the papers and stuff that you recovered from Tywelwyn.
Gamemaster:You're looking at... I don't know if you recall, but when you guys were going through Noire, that city in the Black and White, and you were in the theater, there was some information you got from the Embercall and stuff there.
Gamemaster:um and you're kind of just trying to synthesize the the disparate pieces uh like as well as the stuff from the radar dish stuff into something that might be useful for you uh and with that role i think the the first step is going through Tywelwyn's papers uh and figuring out what the hell he's writing about and was trying to map out and the like
Gamemaster:And you were right in your recollection.
Gamemaster:It wasn't quite the Voidsong.
Gamemaster:He had been mapping out harmonies related to the Embercall.
Gamemaster:But from your gathering of how this stuff works...
Gamemaster:Despite the fact that all of you have heard the Voidsong, and Johnny was not the first musically inclined person to have heard the Voidsong, so you would gather that somebody would have at least attempted to transcribe it at some point onto sheet music.
Gamemaster:But for whatever reason, it's just not transcribable.
Gamemaster:Attempting to take the harmony that you hear in your head and then convert it into actual notes that can be represented on a sheet of paper just doesn't work.
Gamemaster:And you would know that the Embercall from these writings works similarly.
Gamemaster:So what Tywelwyn was doing was not attempting necessarily to write out the sheet music of the Embercall.
Gamemaster:Instead, what he was trying to do is kind of in the same way that there are stories about...
Johnny:you
Benny:you
Gamemaster:eldritch paintings and beings and stuff that you can't look at directly, but you can represent in, like, abstract form in such a way that, like, you can capture the essence of the thing without looking directly at it.
Gamemaster:He was trying to represent the Embercall as he heard it in a more abstract way.
Gamemaster:The idea being that I can't write sheet music for what I'm hearing, but I can write sheet music for what I believe to be a constituent part of it.
Gamemaster:And if I do that six or seven times, I feel that I will have formed enough of an image that...
Gamemaster:works as a proxy for representing what it is.
Benny:you you
Gamemaster:To that end, you don't actually know if he was successful.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:He doesn't have a piece of paper on his corkboard that says, Eureka, I've done it!
Gamemaster:But if nothing else, it seems like an interesting tack to take.
Gamemaster:So with the role that you got, and with Johnny's help, you can go through and do something similar.
Gamemaster:You're not actually noting down what the Voidsong is, like what it sounds like or anything like that, but you can...
Gamemaster:do the equivalent of looking at it through your peripheral, of taking pieces of it removed from the actual thing and representing those in some way.
Gamemaster:And there is, with that role, an interesting point at which you're making this composition, these constituent pieces of sheet music that together might form something close to the Voidsong, where when you have eight or nine iterations of this process done,
Gamemaster:the paper that you've written the music on resonates.
Gamemaster:Not nearly as strongly as it does with people, but it does seem like if you can transfer enough of what you have into this sheet music and stuff, it almost seems to imbue power into the sheets.
Gamemaster:Which then raises the question, is the Voight song present...
Gamemaster:Does it exert its power everywhere that it exists?
Gamemaster:And I think the answer of this experiment is yes.
Gamemaster:It is what Belvedere would classify as a cognitohazard.
Benny:Thanks.
Gamemaster:a meme.
Argyle:Yeah.
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:It exists anywhere where people have heard it previously.
Gamemaster:And if you found some way to communicate what you've heard to someone else, they would then have an intrinsic connection to the Voidsong.
Gamemaster:If you could instead, say, imbue that into an item, or through a piece of paper, through a radar dish...
Gamemaster:then those things would also be intrinsically connected to the Voidsong.
Gamemaster:The other interesting point, the other interesting piece of this is...
Gamemaster:Once you've done all of this work and once you have the sheet music that seems to be resonating, something that does seem to be happening to the sheet music that doesn't happen to people is there is a secondary effect.
Johnny:you
Argyle:Thank you.
Gamemaster:If you recall, when the Embercall was embedded in objects, it seemed to grant them sentience.
Gamemaster:It seemed to make them hostile.
Gamemaster:Your sheet music does not all of a sudden roll itself up into a ball and start hitting you on the head or anything like that.
Gamemaster:Instead, the sheets themselves become almost slightly translucent and seem to be pulling away from you.
Gamemaster:They've got this kind of weird...
Gamemaster:weight to them they're not any heavier than normal but the act of physically moving them around there's kind of this resistance to it like the sheet like the music uh has momentum to it like some kind of inertia that you kind of have to fight against um if i could get one more uh occultism check from you to like get maybe one extra piece of information off of this if possible
Anzu:Anzu's like sitting in his room and uh there's just like previous papers just like everywhere and there's even some like markings on the wall like uh
Johnny:i still attempt to aid him in this even though i failed the first time i give him back rub anyway i rub his shoulders
Gamemaster:Uh, no.
Gamemaster:This time it's just him.
Gamemaster:I apologize.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Anzu:And he's just been like sitting there.
Benny:Thank you.
Anzu:Oh, a 31.
Anzu:Okay.
Gamemaster:31.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:The last little tidbit you get is while you're investigating this weird inertia-having sheet music, it takes you a little bit of experimentation trying to figure out what's happening.
Gamemaster:The reason it's translucent is because if you slip to void 1, if you slip voidward a little bit, the sheet music is there.
Johnny:Oh.
Gamemaster:It's a little translucent, but it's there.
Gamemaster:It seems like imbuing it with the power of the Voidsong is physically pulling the sheet music across the horizon voidward.
Anzu:yes um
Gamemaster:Unfortunately, there isn't enough Voidsong energy in the sheet music to get it any further than slightly into Void 1.
Gamemaster:But maybe if you can imbue something with enough of the Voidsong's energy, it might be able to pull you towards the Torch.
Gamemaster:Maybe.
Gamemaster:Yes.
Gamemaster:Excuse me.
Johnny:Johnny is not a smart guy, not a wizard, but would a Giant crawler filled with a whole bunch of people resonating connected to the Voidsong create a strong pull towards it?
Gamemaster:Roll.
Gamemaster:Have Johnny roll.
Gamemaster:This would also be an occultism check, because we're doing occultism.
Gamemaster:I'll let you do...
Gamemaster:performance, but it's a much, much higher DC, so it's your choice.
Johnny:I'll try occultism.
Johnny:I'm trained in that.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Argyle:Sorry, everyone, for keep stepping it away.
Argyle:Turns out we did not get the house.
Argyle:We're in the top five people for it.
Gamemaster:Oh.
Argyle:And they're asking for a best and final by end of day tomorrow.
Anzu:Mm hmm.
Argyle:And I think that's fucking ridiculous.
Anzu:Mm hmm.
Anzu:Mm hmm.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Benny:you
Argyle:The only other house that was similar to this, that was 200 square feet less, sold for $100,000 below what I offered.
Argyle:This house is nice.
Argyle:It's just overpriced.
Argyle:And they're getting greedy.
Argyle:Sorry.
Argyle:So I was just going back and forth between Bailey.
Gamemaster:We get it.
Johnny:I'm going to use a hero point.
Argyle:And then I was texting my parents because it's ridiculous.
Anzu:Thanks.
Johnny:If I'm trained, it's plus 8.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Plus eight.
Johnny:Not good.
Gamemaster:What do we get?
Johnny:It was actually lower than the first time.
Johnny:19.
Gamemaster:19.
Gamemaster:With a 19, I think it's hard to say.
Gamemaster:I think the only thing that you would get is, like, you don't think you're being physically pulled to voidward.
Gamemaster:So it would be surprising if getting a bunch of people who resonate together just by themselves would necessarily cause that phenomenon.
Gamemaster:If there were some way to take all of that resonating Voidsong energy and then direct it into an object, then maybe.
Johnny:Don't like that at all.
Gamemaster:Okay, uh, besides that, besides that research, uh, and all that kind of stuff, um, same with, uh, same with Benny.
Gamemaster:Having made contact with you successfully and knowing where you live now, uh, your dad doesn't want you, like, completely running off if he's in contact, and so he will, he'll call up the tavern, uh, uh, every once in a while, like, maybe every week or so, just to say hi, chat, catch up, and all that kind of stuff.
Gamemaster:He at no point will try and convince you to come back.
Gamemaster:He is firmly of the opinion that at some point you are going to tire yourself out of your little adventures and come home on your own.
Gamemaster:So for the time being, you're welcome to do whatever you like.
Johnny:Okay.
Gamemaster:But as part of the conversations and stuff, as nobility is wont to do, he does kind of want to complain about the riffraff that are bothering him.
Gamemaster:And apparently there are like two orgs that your family, through Belvedere, has kind of dealings with that have both, as of the past few weeks, seemingly started to pull back from some of the contracts that they were signing with you and with Belvedere, saying that they wanted to focus their energies on something else instead, but they wouldn't specify what.
Gamemaster:And like...
Gamemaster:That's kind of an annoying blow for the family, so he'd like to lean on them and get them to not break the contracts that they had already signed.
Gamemaster:Unfortunately, there are only so many barristers under the Qureshi name, so they can really only focus the majority of their time on one of the two, at least for the next few weeks.
Gamemaster:So he was hoping, while he's complaining, if you had any input...
Gamemaster:on which of the two companies they should try and keep their contract with or forced to stay in contract with them.
Gamemaster:The two companies being, one of them is called Hildebrandt Corporation.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:They're like an aeronautics company.
Gamemaster:Their big thing is they hit the market with commercial airlines before anybody else.
Gamemaster:So they kind of cornered that market.
Gamemaster:And now if any other company wants to make a commercial airline, they like purchase the airplanes from Hildebrandt.
Gamemaster:and they kind of want to hang on to that because that's, that seems useful, uh, for, for Belvedere to have access to, uh, the other one, uh, that they have a contract with is a company called general thematics.
Gamemaster:Um, they are kind of a competitor to like Concordia there.
Gamemaster:They like work on a lot of home appliances.
Gamemaster:Uh, they, they work on like consumer directed products and the like, uh, but they've been a relatively large, um,
Gamemaster:relatively large partnership with Belvedere because Belvedere was concerned about letting Concordia appliances into a lot of their laboratories and stuff, and this was kind of an in-pocket way to replace them.
Johnny:you you
Anzu:I think we go with them.
Gamemaster:He unfortunately only has the time to lean on one of the two.
Gamemaster:Which one are you thinking?
Anzu:Yeah.
Gamemaster:With General Thematics?
Benny:you
Anzu:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Okay, roll a d100 for me.
Gamemaster:30 and under is general thematics.
Gamemaster:Over 30 is Hildebrandt.
Anzu:I got a 49.
Gamemaster:Hildebrandt it is.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Excellent.
Gamemaster:Other things that happen over the next few weeks as you guys are putting stuff together, as you're spending your downtime.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:Nobody has, like, come knocking on your door, seemingly, to try and get their hands on your keystone.
Gamemaster:As best you can tell, it's still in Anzu's sleeves.
Gamemaster:Random things that happen during the world.
Gamemaster:Sorry, in the world over the next few weeks.
Gamemaster:There's a pretty noticeable...
Gamemaster:explosion that occurs uptown maybe four, like a month in, where it seems that a very highly organized mercenary group tore through the internals of a compound managed by a laity.
Johnny:Bye.
Gamemaster:And, like, Laity did not disclose what happened inside and who the actual assailants were, but it was clearly a pretty powerful mercenary organization to have broken through their defenses.
Argyle:Oh no.
Gamemaster:Just like a little news thing there.
Gamemaster:I would love it if I could get somebody to roll a D100 for me, please.
Gamemaster:A 1 is Laity.
Gamemaster:Anything above a 1 is the other mercenary organization.
Argyle:Can I roll it?
Benny:I'll do it.
Argyle:Oh, okay.
Benny:Oh, you can roll.
Johnny:This is your time, Mike.
Argyle:Alright, I'll roll it.
Johnny:Or Jorge.
Argyle:Oh, alright.
Johnny:You can roll, Jorge.
Argyle:I'll let him roll it.
Gamemaster:One of you has to... You just rolled a D0.
Argyle:You can roll it.
Argyle:I just rolled a fake die.
Gamemaster:What'd you get?
Benny:Damn it.
Benny:Close.
Benny:45.
Gamemaster:45.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:No delayity.
Gamemaster:Yes to the other org.
Gamemaster:Great.
Argyle:Yeah, Concordia had a bad run of it, huh?
Argyle:Fuck those guys.
Argyle:I hate those guys.
Argyle:They should frown more.
Gamemaster:They should frown more.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Anzu:Guy's lady had a Keystone.
Gamemaster:Sorry.
Benny:Mm-hmm.
Argyle:Was that the other Keystone that we asked about?
Anzu:Mm-hmm.
Argyle:Aren't you happy we didn't go for two and get greedy?
Johnny:Just those two.
Gamemaster:Other stuff.
Gamemaster:Maybe a month and a half.
Argyle:You think they sent more than those two people?
Argyle:Or do you think it was just those two?
Gamemaster:more than, uh, a month and a half in, um, you catch, uh, like, uh, so Anikin and I are kind of chatting.
Argyle:Alright, sorry.
Gamemaster:Um,
Gamemaster:about a relatively high-stakes black market auction that happened the night before that they had visited, because a keystone had come up for grabs as part of the auction, which they fully did not expect to happen.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:They didn't know what was going to.
Gamemaster:They just wanted to kind of see what was going on.
Gamemaster:But it seemed that a...
Gamemaster:The buyer surprised them.
Gamemaster:There was kind of this bidding War between two people.
Gamemaster:They recognized both of the people.
Gamemaster:This wasn't like a closed hood auction or anything like that.
Gamemaster:There was a bidding War between who they would recognize as the CEO of Chorath Engineering, which is a formerly Brith, now moved to Calaria vehicle manufacturer.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:Specifically, they're the company that made your Aventine.
Gamemaster:And then the other group that was bidding is an entity that calls itself the Ministry of Cultural Progress.
Gamemaster:They aren't actually related to the government at all.
Gamemaster:That name is just to lend a kind of...
Benny:you
Gamemaster:formality to make people think that they're important.
Gamemaster:But at this point, they kind of run a lot of museums in Hallia and through the rest of Calaria.
Gamemaster:But one of the two actually won a bidding War.
Gamemaster:I need somebody to roll a D100.
Gamemaster:50 and under is Chorath.
Gamemaster:Above 50 is the Ministry.
Johnny:Jorge, this is your moment or mic.
Benny:I can do it.
Benny:Or Jorge can do it.
Argyle:Oh my god, I got the underdog.
Benny:Oh!
Argyle:51.
Gamemaster:What'd you get?
Argyle:51.
Gamemaster:51!
Gamemaster:Okay!
Gamemaster:That would be the Ministry.
Gamemaster:Tor Chorath did not get their hands, at least through that auction, on a keystone.
Argyle:That's what they get.
Gamemaster:And... And one more.
Argyle:They don't even deserve it.
Argyle:You have to get one of these keystones with blood, not money.
Gamemaster:Um...
Gamemaster:Like, two weeks after that, you guys are eating the cinnamon tonic, watching as Ginny attempts very poorly to integrate goat's blood into his omelets.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:He doesn't, like, have any of the other ingredients required for making blood sausage, so he's literally just pouring the blood on the eggs and then kind of mixing it up on his, like, skillet.
Gamemaster:It doesn't look appetizing.
Gamemaster:While you're there and you're watching, you're kind of trying to help him.
Gamemaster:And by help him, I mean convince him not to do what he's doing.
Gamemaster:Anouk and Anaïs are in one of the booths talking about something in kind of hushed tones when there is a flash of white light.
Benny:you you
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:Uh, and the five of you, uh, being the four of you and then also Arctos, because he's included in the group, um, as well as Anouk and Anaïs are now kind of floating in this white void, which would be reminiscent to some of you, uh, as the, looking very similar to where Ock was.
Gamemaster:Um, you hear some cursing in a language that none of you are familiar with from Anouk and Anaïs. Um,
Gamemaster:And then Anaïs looks over at you and says, I did not expect you guys to come in here with us.
Gamemaster:Well, you are here.
Gamemaster:Do you want to help?
Benny:sure two
Anzu:What's going on?
Johnny:Cool.
Anzu:I mean, probably.
Gamemaster:Sometimes this happens.
Gamemaster:We are asked by our benefactor to resolve something that is up in the air, and she is not available to lean on the Scale's one way or the other.
Gamemaster:And you can see that below you is resolving like a fight of some kind.
Gamemaster:Can I get a perception check?
Argyle:I'll make one.
Johnny:Four.
Argyle:17.
Johnny:16.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:So with those rolls, you can see that, as best you can tell, you are currently floating in not quite a desert, like an arid dry land of some kind, where there appear to be three different groups in a standoff against each other.
Anzu:Thank you.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:all of them pointing firearms at the other ones in this kind of really extended triangle standoff here.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:At one end, you can see that there are a number of really...
Gamemaster:ramshackle-looking Mad Max-style vehicles with sheet metal plastered onto the side and exposed engines and the like, with all number of firearms mounted at various points along the different parts of the vehicles pointed at the other two groups.
Gamemaster:The second group is...
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:They must be mercenaries of some kind, but they are weirdly regimented in how they're standing.
Gamemaster:Like, they've formed two straight lines where the group in front appears to be holding up shields of some kind, and the second group is pointing some kind of long rifle...
Gamemaster:over the shoulders of the first row.
Gamemaster:It's very like Roman phalanx style, but with rifles instead of spears.
Gamemaster:They all, with that role, they clearly have like a shimmering rainbowy raiment from them, but you wouldn't recognize any of the iconography on the past that.
Johnny:thank you
Gamemaster:And then the third group that's being caught up in all of this is another mercenary group of some kind.
Gamemaster:These guys are...
Gamemaster:way less put together than the other two groups.
Gamemaster:At the very least, the first group with the ramshackle cars and stuff all seem to be part of the same organization.
Gamemaster:They're not wearing uniforms or anything, but the aesthetic is similar.
Gamemaster:This third group looks like they just collected a bunch of random adventurers, like patchwork, off of the street.
Gamemaster:You see people walking around in full plate armor with maces and swords and that kind of stuff.
Gamemaster:You see, they appear to have a cannon, like an old, like full lead ball cannon that is pointed at one of the groups.
Gamemaster:Mixed in with, you can see that there are some people holding firearms with a strange blue glow emitting from the barrel that you would recognize as similar to the guns that you had seen when you had been pulled over, or when you had pulled over into that gas station.
Argyle:Those bastards.
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:The three of them all seem to be caught in the standoff with each other.
Gamemaster:Nobody's moving.
Gamemaster:Everything's very tense.
Gamemaster:But you can see directly in the middle of the three groups on the floor, it looks like there was a bit of a scuffle because there are two corpses, each of which is riddled with bullet holes.
Gamemaster:And both of them have a hand on what you can see looks to be a golden box.
Gamemaster:Um...
Gamemaster:Ahnek will say, okay, so this will not resolve until we hit play, because we're kind of in this suspended state right now.
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:But while we're here, we could have a little fun with it.
Gamemaster:She's not watching.
Gamemaster:Should we put our fingers on the Scale, so to speak?
Gamemaster:Give one of these groups an advantage?
Gamemaster:Or should we just let them duke it out and see what happens?
Argyle:Non-celestial entities should touch scales.
Argyle:At least the Scale of fate.
Gamemaster:Is that a no?
Benny:Do we have anything besides just, like, I don't have any binoculars.
Argyle:Unless you guys want to.
Johnny:Thanks.
Argyle:And yes, you guys may do that if you'd like.
Anzu:There's the car folks.
Benny:This is, uh.
Gamemaster:No.
Gamemaster:We can't zoom in or anything, if that's the question.
Gamemaster:Just use your eyeballs.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Johnny:Johnny's just standing there.
Johnny:Nance.
Anzu:There's the people with the rainbows.
Anzu:Or am I... Not rainbow.
Argyle:And the one with the laser guns, what do we make out from them again?
Gamemaster:They have iridescent raiments as the second group, the highly organized group.
Anzu:Right.
Gamemaster:You can see that they're kind of ragtag.
Gamemaster:They're a mix of a bunch of different groups that kind of look like they... The thing that I said earlier was it looked like they just picked up a bunch of adventurers off of the street and put them together with the combination of some of them do appear to have that same blue glowing firearms that you had seen.
Argyle:Hmm.
Anzu:Hmm.
Anzu:That's my vote, personally.
Johnny:I mean, yeah.
Benny:I like the goulash adventures.
Johnny:How about the adventurer to mix?
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Okay, we can do that.
Gamemaster:Put our finger on the Scale a little bit, help out the baby adventurers.
Gamemaster:And you can see that Anouk and Anaïs both, they each go to, one of them goes to the car people, one of them goes to the regimented soldier types, and they both kind of just tap on the shoulder of somebody there, which causes both sides to prematurely fire their guns, not looking at anybody.
Gamemaster:The sound of which triggers the third adventuring group to send off their shots, but aimed correctly this time.
Gamemaster:And I need somebody to roll a D100 for me.
Gamemaster:A 50 or below are the adventurers.
Gamemaster:From 51 to 75 are the car people.
Gamemaster:And then above 75 is the regimented soldiers.
Benny:Oof 54
Gamemaster:What did we get?
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:54.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:So even with your fingers on the Scale, unfortunately, you can't make anything happen.
Gamemaster:The ragtag group, they fire off their shots, and they do hit a few people, but that causes one of the people manning the mounted gun atop one of the vehicles of the car people to just start spraying all the way through the other two groups.
Gamemaster:which is enough to turn the tides in their favor.
Gamemaster:And you see after a moment, the only ones left standing are that group of car people who will walk into the center, pick up the box, and the scene will fade into her back in the Sin and Tonic.
Benny:That happens often, you guys, or what?
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:All the time.
Gamemaster:Our mistress cannot be everywhere at once.
Gamemaster:So every once in a while, we kind of just get yanked into situations to mediate.
Anzu:Thank you.
Gamemaster:They are happening.
Argyle:What language did you two speak to each other?
Gamemaster:And sometimes we have fun with it.
Gamemaster:It is a little enjoyable to tilt the Scale's one way or the other.
Gamemaster:Unfortunately, most of the time, they don't have any relation to what we are doing.
Gamemaster:But in this particular instance, it seemed like it might have been useful.
Gamemaster:It is from our home.
Argyle:Where's your home?
Argyle:I thought it was around here.
Gamemaster:We were born here, but we were raised in Fenrith.
Anzu:Thank you.
Argyle:Oh, sorry.
Argyle:I was about to ask the exact same thing.
Johnny:Oh, this is not related to what's going on.
Johnny:Is Illmari back yet?
Gamemaster:Nope.
Argyle:Okay.
Gamemaster:He is not.
Gamemaster:It's been, at this point, we'll say about two months.
Gamemaster:Illmari has not returned.
Johnny:That's not good.
Benny:Well, he's got to prep for the pilgrimage.
Johnny:He's out there stealing all the keystones.
Johnny:He's going to show up with 50 keystones.
Benny:No, no.
Benny:He's waiting for people to show up and give him the keystones.
Gamemaster:Thank you.
Argyle:Should we like find a tracker or someone to figure out where he went?
Argyle:Or is it just like.
Argyle:I don't know what we could do.
Argyle:I think he's just gone, right?
Argyle:He's just dead.
Benny:Dead.
Benny:I don't know if he's dead.
Anzu:He'd be hard to find, I assume.
Anzu:I think that's fine.
Johnny:He didn't really tell anyone where he was going.
Benny:I also don't know if that's a good assumption.
Johnny:He was kind of at.
Benny:We don't know.
Johnny:Hopefully it's not that.
Benny:How much does it cost to try to track a guy down?
Argyle:I.
Benny:I feel like people pay a lot for that.
Argyle:I'll report it to my contacts in the Scale to see if they have any hits on aliases or anything like that on him.
Argyle:I don't expect anything.
Argyle:Does that work, Josh?
Benny:Benny will... The next time
Gamemaster:Sorry, I'm totally sorry.
Gamemaster:I missed what you just said.
Argyle:No worries.
Argyle:anyone's come across any reports of them.
Argyle:I doubt it, but the arbiters might be.
Gamemaster:Sure.
Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.
Argyle:All right.
Gamemaster:Roll a perception check with a modifier of 14.
Gamemaster:Sure.
Argyle:So mine.
Argyle:25.
Anzu:you
Gamemaster:25.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:They haven't... They don't know where he is right now.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:They don't know about any activities up to that point, unfortunately.
Argyle:One quick question for the group.
Benny:The next time Benny talks to his dad, he'll also be looking for information on El Mari.
Benny:Not necessarily current, just like anything biographical.
Gamemaster:Sure.
Gamemaster:Okay, we'll have to skip forward a little bit then, because he'll get back to you at the end of, we'll say, month three.
Gamemaster:No month for now, but he can try and dig up information on Illmari.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:Yep.
Argyle:If we're about to go to a strider, is there anything we should bring?
Argyle:Like, do we bring alchemical supplies?
Johnny:um
Argyle:With the medicine check, can I make healing potions, or is that still crafting?
Gamemaster:I'll let you attempt to make healing potions with medicine checks.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:I think that isn't technically how it works, but if it's a basic healing potion, that's fine.
Argyle:Okay.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:You're still spending the cost.
Argyle:Yeah.
Argyle:Do we want alchemical supplies?
Argyle:Do we want food rations?
Argyle:Do we want to try to bring jewels to trade with the people on board?
Argyle:Do we want drugs so they'll try to buy it from us?
Johnny:That would be a bad idea.
Benny:you
Argyle:I don't know.
Johnny:Yeah, is food provided?
Argyle:Do we want a different car?
Anzu:Uh.
Johnny:Do we have to bring our own food?
Johnny:Yeah, I guess logistically, I don't really know if we know what we need to bring.
Johnny:Is there going to be somewhere to sleep?
Johnny:Do we bring sleeping pads?
Johnny:Do we need a bigger car?
Johnny:Do we bring tents?
Johnny:Do we need food?
Argyle:Is there a magical tent that we could get?
Argyle:I forget what level.
Gamemaster:Yes, there definitely is.
Argyle:I think it might be 6, so we might actually be able to get it.
Gamemaster:I don't remember what it's called, but I know for a fact it exists because I believe you had it last campaign.
Johnny:Bye.
Argyle:I don't... Yeah, yeah.
Argyle:Well, there's Restful Tent, but that's level 7.
Gamemaster:There's a floating tent, but that doesn't really help because it requires that you be in a planar environment without gravity.
Argyle:There's a term for the magical items that you can live in.
Argyle:I thought I... Is it a... I don't know.
Benny:Warn.
Johnny:There's structures.
Gamemaster:Is there?
Gamemaster:It's like a restful tent doesn't have anything other than enchantment and magical honor.
Argyle:Maybe not that.
Argyle:Well, there's structure traits.
Argyle:Yeah.
Johnny:We could bring a pocket stage.
Johnny:A gingerbread house.
Gamemaster:Hmm?
Johnny:Wait, wait, wait.
Argyle:We would need the room for a two-story cottage, right?
Johnny:Okay, what we can do to bring one of these.
Johnny:Level six.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:What is this?
Gamemaster:A gingerbread house.
Gamemaster:It expects a spacious and comfortable two-story cottage with fenced yard.
Gamemaster:Yeah, you would need to be able to, like, that's fine if you wanted to, if you had the room.
Johnny:It's a stride or a amount of space.
Johnny:Gives us somewhere to hang out.
Johnny:I'll get one just to be safe.
Argyle:Would you let us get a level 7 tent or no?
Argyle:It's OK.
Gamemaster:Probably.
Gamemaster:I don't think that's... You're talking about the restful tent?
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:What was the... Oh, is that the... I forget.
Anzu:We had a thing.
Gamemaster:So, the item that you had... Yeah, the item that you had last campaign, was that just a tent that you then somehow summoned a hot tub inside, or was the hot tub included with the tub?
Argyle:Oh, no, no, no, no.
Johnny:Was it the explorer's yurt?
Argyle:Those are different things.
Argyle:We use Stonewall, and then Marzo had a Summon Hot Tub spell.
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:Okay, you summoned the hot tub inside of it.
Gamemaster:It wasn't a tent that came with a hot tub.
Argyle:Yeah.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:I think that might have been it.
Argyle:Yeah.
Anzu:Ooh.
Gamemaster:I think that's too high level for you guys, though.
Anzu:Yeah, that's level 10.
Argyle:Yeah.
Anzu:But that's definitely what it was.
Gamemaster:Yeah, I don't think a restful tent would be game-breaking, so if you wanted to pay the money for it, you could definitely get yourselves a restful tent.
Argyle:Would Smiler have it?
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:So you can get the 10% discount on it.
Argyle:Cool.
Argyle:Should we get it from the group fund?
Gamemaster:I feel like the 10% discount is the most used background perk that you guys have had this entire time.
Johnny:I'm going to get the gingerbread house just in case.
Gamemaster:Johnny was like, I know a guy.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:We're going to get 10% off the whole campaign.
Gamemaster:But it works.
Johnny:You never know.
Gamemaster:Sure.
Benny:Great question.
Anzu:How much money do we have in the group fund?
Anzu:Wow.
Johnny:Thank you.
Benny:75 cents.
Gamemaster:What's crazy is Mike could say, like, 10,000, and I would have no idea.
Gamemaster:I don't know how much money you guys have.
Gamemaster:No?
Gamemaster:Nice.
Benny:No, we have 570 gold.
Argyle:Could we make a modification to the tent to make it to work with our car?
Argyle:No, no, no.
Argyle:That's probably worse than just having the tent.
Gamemaster:I don't know what that would mean.
Gamemaster:Anyway.
Argyle:Like making our car fold out into a tent, like an RV.
Gamemaster:Oh, no.
Argyle:Be like an RV.
Argyle:It's not crazy.
Gamemaster:Yeah, no.
Benny:Josh, how much for a modification of the car that turns it into a mech robot?
Johnny:Oh.
Benny:That would be like 50 gold or something?
Benny:The car is like double that, so I feel like it's not that much to just get it to convert.
Gamemaster:So if you, I didn't realize this before, but there is a vehicles tab on Archives of Nethis, which does tell you the price of various things.
Gamemaster:What you're referring to is a War strider and the 63,000 gold pieces.
Johnny:Johnny comes back about a few days after the discussion and goes, guys, look at what I got.
Gamemaster:Is it?
Johnny:And it's one of those gingerbread house kits that you see in like Target every year.
Johnny:No, they would eat it.
Anzu:Right.
Anzu:Perfect.
Benny:oh exactly why it's perfect for them sir do you want to buy like an airstream that we tow
Argyle:What is this, a house for ants?
Johnny:They would eat the gingerbread.
Anzu:So are we spending 288 gold out of the group fund to buy one of these restful tents?
Argyle:Are there RVs?
Argyle:Is that a thing in this world?
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Johnny:That's cool and all, but we could get a bathysphere for $480.
Argyle:How much do those cost?
Anzu:I think there's going to be somewhere for us to stay on the Strider.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Anzu:I think that they have a specific number of keystones because they can only accommodate so many folks.
Argyle:All right, all right.
Gamemaster:You were told that the Keystone granted you one birth on the Strider.
Argyle:All right.
Gamemaster:That was the information that you were given.
Benny:The restful tents.
Argyle:What is that?
Gamemaster:A submarine.
Johnny:It's only 480 gold.
Gamemaster:You have a picture of a bathysphere?
Benny:It's 280 before discount.
Anzu:No, that's after.
Anzu:288 after.
Anzu:Yeah, I don't know if...
Benny:We still want it.
Argyle:If you think we'll have... We could just get a portable air for our trunk so you could just chill in the trunk instead.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Benny:Oh, yeah.
Benny:We need that first before the... Well, before there.
Johnny:Oh, yeah, we should get that.
Argyle:But no one's going to want to sleep in a trunk filled with gasoline.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Gamemaster:If you don't add the bottled air into the trunk, then it's a vacuum with gasoline in it.
Johnny:Just kidding.
Gamemaster:If you add the bottled air, then there's air in there, but you still do have 150 jerry cans of gasoline also stacked up on the side.
Argyle:but it's scrubbing it, the gasoline from the air.
Argyle:So it's doable to sleep.
Gamemaster:So you're fine.
Benny:We can always just leave some of the guests here.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:I will say, so for the record, when you say scrubbing the air, I will allow it to filter out any evaporated gasoline from the air if that happens.
Gamemaster:It does not remove poisons from the air if a poison is introduced.
Johnny:Okay.
Argyle:That's fair.
Gamemaster:I'm just going to, you know, in case that becomes relevant.
Gamemaster:Yes, Mike.
Benny:What about farts?
Benny:Okay.
Gamemaster:Farts will be cleared out after a few minutes, probably.
Gamemaster:Like, it's not a fast process, but it will happen.
Gamemaster:It is 320 gold pieces is the market price, but you can also get the upgrade from Smiler if you like.
Argyle:Okay.
Benny:320 gold pieces at a discount.
Benny:Is it the same price?
Anzu:Indeed it is.
Anzu:But I like that better.
Benny:I don't know.
Benny:So it is removed.
Benny:So a couple of people have earned income.
Johnny:um you
Benny:Can Benny teach combat classes to various orgs, gain a little bit of info, and then also make money?
Gamemaster:I understand.
Benny:He is technically the highest, not the highest, but he is one of the highest proficiencies in swords among adventurers.
Gamemaster:It's really more of the question of, hello, I'm nine.
Gamemaster:I would like to teach you how to wield the sword.
Gamemaster:And then, like... So... You're not 15, and also this isn't karate.
Benny:First, they have 15-year-olds teach karate all the time.
Benny:It's so close.
Gamemaster:What I will have you do is I want you to roll a d20 plus 12 with your proficiency here with swords, just to see what roll you get.
Johnny:Thank you.
Benny:Wait, what do you mean by proficiency with sword?
Benny:So plus Tywelwyn then add the proficiency?
Gamemaster:No, no, no.
Benny:18?
Gamemaster:Your plus 12 is your proficiency in simple and martial swords.
Argyle:So just roll a two hit.
Gamemaster:So just roll a d20 plus 12.
Johnny:I'm going to show you how to do it.
Benny:Actually, I'll hero point this.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:You're already a master, so it's plus 4.
Gamemaster:Plus an additional 4.
Benny:36.
Gamemaster:36, much better.
Gamemaster:Okay, so here's the deal.
Gamemaster:You're not going to be able to go to an existing martial org, like an org that is set up for combat, and be like, hello, hire me.
Johnny:I'm going to show you how to do it.
Gamemaster:I know more than your trainers.
Gamemaster:Just because you don't really have an in there to convince them.
Gamemaster:What I will say is you could probably,
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:be hired by... Okay, this is your choice.
Gamemaster:Would you rather be hired to, like, teach self-defense classes to just, like, dock workers and stuff around Sableclutch, just like Benny rents out the studio the hour before improv classes and then people can come over and, like, learn basics of a sword?
Gamemaster:Or would you rather get hired by...
Gamemaster:one of the more mercantile orts to act as an advisor to their bodyguards and the like, the ones that they've hired.
Argyle:You're going to let it get you.
Benny:The second one pays better, I'm guessing.
Gamemaster:Probably.
Benny:Yeah, I'll go with that one.
Benny:Because, I mean, Benny is part of the adventuring group that has somewhat of a name in, like, Prime Meridian, I think the Scale in some capacity, the church in some capacity.
Benny:So, yeah, we'll go with the mercantile.
Benny:Benny will be a security advisor.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Then I need Benny to choose.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:Would he rather be an advisor for Garrick Textiles, which is a clothing manufacturer based in Hallia, or would he like to be an advisor to Bodyguards for the Eilebrin Observatory?
Gamemaster:which is one of a handful of observatories across Calaria that are not associated with Belvedere, but are interested in the nebula that the Watcher populates the sky with.
Benny:I feel like more interesting info will be learned about security around the observatory than people trying to attack clothing executives.
Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.
Benny:So I'll go with the observatory.
Benny:13.
Gamemaster:Alright, I also, as part of this, need you to roll a d100.
Gamemaster:30 and below is Garrick Textiles.
Gamemaster:Above a 30 is the Eileen Bryn Observatories.
Gamemaster:13.
Gamemaster:It's the Textiles.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Benny:Where can I go?
Benny:protect John Gucci.
Gamemaster:Great.
Gamemaster:Is that Mr. Gucci's first name?
Gamemaster:I don't think so.
Benny:I have no idea.
Gamemaster:I just don't think it's John.
Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.
Gamemaster:You rolled a critical success on your actual check previously.
Gamemaster:So over the course of the six months, which you can spend the money now if you like, that's fine, you will earn 480 gold pieces.
Benny:What was the name of the clothing maker?
Gamemaster:Garrick Textiles.
Gamemaster:G-A-R-R-I-C-K Textiles.
Benny:What kind of textiles do they make?
Gamemaster:All of them, effectively.
Gamemaster:They are...
Gamemaster:They started out as an importer of raw cotton from Lorandris.
Gamemaster:But when they first embedded themselves in Hallia, that kind of turned into...
Gamemaster:buying up other textile importers, and then eventually integrating vertically in actual clothing manufacturers.
Gamemaster:And now Garrick Textiles is the largest textile importer and clothing manufacturer in Calaria, by far.
Benny:Do they do performance textiles?
Gamemaster:Yeah, if you're looking for an athletic sponsorship or something like that, that's definitely something they'd be interested in.
Benny:Can they make a poncho?
Gamemaster:I mean, yeah.
Gamemaster:I feel like a poncho is the easiest of clothing materials to create.
Gamemaster:Even that it is you take a textile and you cut a hole in it and then that's it.
Benny:Not a big ask then.
Gamemaster:That's the whole process.
Benny:Perfect.
Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.
Gamemaster:So you turn down Garrick Textiles to help teach their bodyguards how to do their job better, and then you come back later and ask if they'll make a sports poncho for you.
Gamemaster:No, no, no, no, no.
Benny:Oh, wait.
Benny:I thought I ended up at the textiles anyways.
Benny:Oh.
Gamemaster:You ended up at the observatory.
Gamemaster:I was rolling for something else involving the observatory and the textiles, and the textiles happened to win there.
Johnny:You.
Benny:I see.
Benny:Yeah.
Benny:We'll get one anyways.
Gamemaster:You can do that, I feel like.
Benny:The performance macho.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.
Gamemaster:They will gladly take your money.
Gamemaster:The real question is, how much of a benefit are you looking to get out of this poncho?
Gamemaster:Is it supposed to be mechanically useful?
Gamemaster:Like, is it supposed to actually increase your... Or if it's just supposed to be a sleek, athletic poncho?
Benny:I was thinking like a sailcloth.
Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:That's two silver pieces.
Benny:Perfect.
Gamemaster:I'll make one for you.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:Excuse me.
Gamemaster:All right.
Gamemaster:We'll jump to the end of month three.
Gamemaster:Yes.
Johnny:Once it starts to get warm, Johnny's going to switch to jorts, yellow cowboy boots, and like a white t-shirt from the 80s that has the sleeves that only go to right here.
Johnny:No, I'll wear the poncho over it.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Of course.
Argyle:Amazing.
Gamemaster:Are you giving up the poncho, the Clint Eastwood poncho, in order to show that off?
Gamemaster:Okay, sure, of course.
Johnny:But I'll do a lot more like this sort of move so everyone gets a glimpse of it.
Johnny:I have no muscle mass.
Gamemaster:Right.
Johnny:Johnny has a strength of 10.
Gamemaster:That's average.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:It could be worse.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Johnny:um you
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:We jump to the end of month three.
Gamemaster:It is starting to get into, like, it's close to the end of May at this point, or May equivalent.
Gamemaster:I don't think I ever came up with names for the months, so we're just going to call it May.
Gamemaster:Around this time, Benny's dad will get back to him about your inquiry as to any, like, biographical information about Illmari.
Gamemaster:So, oh gosh, one second.
Johnny:um um
Gamemaster:I've already forgotten.
Gamemaster:What was his modifier?
Gamemaster:I can't remember.
Gamemaster:It was 20-something.
Benny:19.
Gamemaster:Was it 19?
Gamemaster:It might have been 19.
Gamemaster:I thought it was 20-something.
Benny:You had me roll something earlier with plus 19.
Gamemaster:Then it would be 19.
Gamemaster:I can't remember now.
Gamemaster:We really do well from just making another markdown document.
Benny:one document to roll them all.
Gamemaster:Yes, it just it gets longer every time.
Gamemaster:We can do 19.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:Somebody needs to roll.
Benny:Want me to roll?
Gamemaster:Yes, somebody needs to.
Benny:Yeah.
Benny:28.
Gamemaster:I don't care who.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Information they can get about Illmari.
Gamemaster:He wasn't really a very public figure before the Voidsong and Iconoclasm and all of that kind of stuff.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:They know he was born in Velthara.
Gamemaster:Um...
Gamemaster:At some point, his family moved to Calaria.
Gamemaster:He started up a mercenary company.
Gamemaster:It was originally an adventuring group.
Gamemaster:And then adventuring just in general has kind of moved out of style as it's been subsumed by the orgs.
Gamemaster:So he attempted to pivot into just general mercenary work.
Gamemaster:Interesting point.
Gamemaster:the majority of his party died in an accident either very soon after the Voidsong appeared or very soon before it appeared.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:The timeline's a little wonky.
Gamemaster:All that they can tell, all that Belvedere can tell from digging through the data is that the only surviving members of the party were Illmari and Elias.
Gamemaster:But after that, they manage to get out with some kind of treasure because Illmari goes and he buys the Sin and Tonic.
Gamemaster:And then he publicly declares that he's willing to take on anybody who's willing to investigate the Voidsong, which then kind of triggers some other people joining up.
Gamemaster:There are records of Flynn and one other person joining Iconoclasm around near the beginning of when he announces he'll start taking people in.
Gamemaster:From Belvedere's logs, it's not clear who the other person is, but they definitely have two new people joining up.
Gamemaster:And then they find Dura, and then they see Anakant and I. And then eventually they see you guys.
Gamemaster:But beyond that, they don't have much information about Illmari's private life.
Johnny:Okay.
Gamemaster:He wasn't a particularly, and isn't even after he starts Iconoclasm, a particularly outgoing figure.
Argyle:So the other guy that survived, is that the dude in the armory?
Argyle:They saw some crazy shit.
Anzu:He's not right.
Argyle:Alright, well...
Benny:Okay.
Gamemaster:around this time.
Gamemaster:We're at month three.
Gamemaster:Arctos, your first samples have been sent to the Sin and Tonic if you'd like to test them or anything for quality.
Gamemaster:But assuming you rubber stamp them... Okay.
Argyle:I'd like to gather the group to give them some blind tastes.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Anzu:Now, these are drugs, right?
Anzu:Am I remembering that correctly?
Argyle:Do you have a photo of what it looks like, Josh?
Argyle:Or should I use the one I have?
Gamemaster:Do you mean like the prop advertisement that I sent you?
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Yeah, one second.
Gamemaster:This is like a poster that I guess Arctos would show you as it's going through.
Argyle:Unveil.
Johnny:you
Anzu:Oh my gosh.
Argyle:Bowler's Shiv.
Argyle:Taste of Austrene.
Argyle:Now.
Argyle:This is a soft drink.
Argyle:That comes regular.
Argyle:Or with Shiv.
Argyle:I'll call Polar Shiv.
Argyle:And you know.
Argyle:I think it could be really big.
Argyle:You guys want to try some samples?
Benny:can i have the nun well i mean contrary to suspicious beliefs i'm not really old enough to do drugs
Johnny:I'll take the non-shiv, the non-shiv, polar shiv.
Argyle:Okay.
Anzu:You'd really rather us try the Shiv version.
Argyle:Well you know.
Argyle:You guys don't want to try it.
Argyle:That's fine.
Argyle:The one with Shiv will be restricted because Argyle convinced him to.
Anzu:Yeah, that is not on the permission slip.
Gamemaster:Well, actually, that is a good point.
Anzu:That's for sure.
Gamemaster:Arctos, would you be restricting the age of the people who can purchase Polar Shiv?
Gamemaster:You can choose not to if you don't want to.
Gamemaster:Okay, sure.
Argyle:That is the only reason.
Johnny:For these drugs?
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Argyle:Our guy would have gone about the whole holiness and how it's morally unjust and all that.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Argyle:All right.
Argyle:Can Johnny, can you at least try the shift?
Benny:you
Gamemaster:Please, someone try my drugs.
Argyle:I feel like I feel like you would have the best tolerance.
Argyle:Yeah.
Johnny:I don't want to try drugs.
Anzu:Oh, whatever.
Argyle:All right.
Anzu:I'll try the shiv for you, Arctos.
Argyle:Thank you.
Johnny:Oh God, Anzu's gonna get addicted to drugs.
Anzu:Well, I assume in this beverage, this is a low dose.
Argyle:Go for it.
Anzu:I mean, can you tell me?
Argyle:It is.
Anzu:You know, this is meant to be consumed like... Mm-hmm.
Argyle:Yeah, just casually.
Argyle:Probably at the end of a long day if you were working.
Johnny:So this won't get us addicted?
Argyle:It shouldn't.
Anzu:Have you tried any?
Argyle:No.
Johnny:so you haven't tried your how do you know if your own drink's good if you haven't tried it okay well will you try one too i'll try one after you
Argyle:You can't get high on your own supply.
Gamemaster:Bye.
Argyle:I just got the samples, guys.
Argyle:I haven't opened into it.
Argyle:I'll try one after Anzu.
Argyle:Okay.
Benny:you you
Anzu:I take a sip of Polar Shiv.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:So you have to use like a can opener to pop the can.
Gamemaster:There is one attached to the side of the can.
Gamemaster:But, you know, this is this is before pull tabs have been invented.
Gamemaster:So you pop that off, you poke a hole in the top of the can.
Gamemaster:There is this like.
Gamemaster:almost cold pop of air out of it, despite the fact that these cans weren't refrigerated.
Gamemaster:It appears that Ternion Heavy has enchanted them to chill themselves once they're opened.
Argyle:A STREET!
Gamemaster:And you may take a sip if you like.
Gamemaster:I'd love a fort safe from you.
Anzu:I can't do this.
Gamemaster:Because there is shiver in this.
Gamemaster:Also, I do think it's funny.
Gamemaster:The shiver that's being used is not from Austrene.
Gamemaster:You took it off of the, like, out of the grow house of a demon in Hallia, and at no point came from Austrene.
Johnny:Okay.
Argyle:It's fine.
Gamemaster:But... Sure.
Argyle:It's where Arctos is from.
Anzu:I have to do it in the dice.
Benny:It's called marketing malarkey.
Argyle:It's okay if you fail.
Argyle:It'll be fine.
Benny:The cool, refreshing taste of ostrich in a can.
Argyle:Honestly, it'd be better if you failed.
Anzu:I failed.
Anzu:I got a 13.
Argyle:Yes!
Gamemaster:What'd you get?
Gamemaster:You fail?
Gamemaster:13, you definitely fail.
Gamemaster:It's not a critical failure, though, so you're not addicted.
Gamemaster:With a... With a 13, you drink it, and it's got this pleasant... It's not quite cough drop.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:But it's almost like a mint-flavored cooling soda.
Gamemaster:Like, you get this kind of tingling that runs through your mouth down your throat, and it doesn't quite numb, but it definitely dulls and cools the sensation there.
Gamemaster:It's a pretty pleasant sensation, actually.
Gamemaster:You're not afraid right now, but if you were, you would have instantly reduced the value of your fear by one.
Anzu:Mm-hmm Mm-hmm
Gamemaster:But also, as the cool feeling goes down your throat, it comes with it this kind of drowsy sensation.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:It's not enough to immediately knock you out or anything, but it's very much this cool down, settle down, slow down sensation that you get as you take the sip.
Anzu:Oh man, guys, this stuff is pretty good.
Argyle:Argyle will walk over and be like, using drugs is bad for you, and cast cleanse affliction on him at third level.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:which will remove the drowsy effect from you entirely.
Gamemaster:I think Anzu, as well, having experienced it yourself, you would know that if, like, one can on its own is probably fine.
Gamemaster:It's not going to do much bad.
Anzu:Mm-hmm.
Gamemaster:If somebody has multiple cans in succession or makes a habit of having these cans, like, every day for a period of time, they will absolutely get addicted to this.
Anzu:Mm-hmm.
Gamemaster:What's worse, or I don't know if worse, it's possibly part of the marketing.
Gamemaster:Shiver is a virulent drug, which means it is harder to shake an addiction than with other drugs.
Argyle:Oh, no.
Argyle:All right.
Argyle:All right.
Argyle:All right.
Argyle:Arctos will not sell Shiver, then.
Gamemaster:It's fine.
Gamemaster:I mean, it's also possible, you know, you could always lower the dose a little bit.
Gamemaster:It wouldn't have as many positive effects, but it wouldn't have as many negative effects either, if you want to keep that, uh...
Gamemaster:the shiver in there right but you also went with the business model that coca-cola originally went with which is put the drug in the soda which was very effective but also a little bit addictive because they put the drug in the soda
Argyle:The idea was Coca-Cola uses a polar bear in their marketing, and I wanted Arctos to have one.
Anzu:Right.
Johnny:Awesome.
Argyle:An original Coke did.
Gamemaster:It was originally sold as medicine.
Gamemaster:That's effectively what you've got here.
Gamemaster:You've got medicine.
Gamemaster:It is a calming effect.
Gamemaster:It will put somebody to sleep.
Gamemaster:It will cure them of fear conditions.
Gamemaster:But, you know, you have too much of it, you get addicted.
Argyle:Alright.
Argyle:I will sell a lower dose.
Argyle:Make it a little more casual.
Argyle:And then also have the non-drug dose.
Gamemaster:Sure.
Gamemaster:Polar Shiv and Polar Shiv Zero.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Alrighty.
Gamemaster:As we continue forward, month four, yes?
Johnny:you you
Anzu:this may have passed already but at the next time where the conditions that please hold sharp the cunning man yes indeed whatever was it noon on the new moon or something like that okay
Gamemaster:You want to use the ampoule of Cure Ulcer?
Gamemaster:Yep.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:It's when there's a new moon.
Gamemaster:You have to break the ampoule and inhale the gas that gets emitted from it.
Anzu:Wow.
Gamemaster:You absolutely do that, and if Anzu had ulcers, he no longer has ulcers.
Gamemaster:It will cure his ulcers.
Gamemaster:So which of the two sources was the reason for it?
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:Was it coffee or was it stress?
Anzu:In my mind, it was the stress and then if you had coffee, it's a bad combo.
Gamemaster:Okay, sure, absolutely.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:Because despite the fact that they were made identically, he was correct when he said that each one only applies to one origin of the ulcers.
Anzu:Beautiful.
Gamemaster:But you could just take both, and then that'll definitely solve the problem.
Gamemaster:So yeah, your ulcers get cured.
Gamemaster:Alright, moving forward, I have one second.
Gamemaster:How many do we have?
Johnny:Yes.
Gamemaster:One, two, three, four.
Gamemaster:14, 15, 16.
Gamemaster:I'm at 17.
Gamemaster:I need two more.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:As we move into month four, let me just collect the ones that haven't yet.
Argyle:Also, in the taste test, Arctos is going to say, I'm sure it's clear, but I will be staying here for the trip.
Benny:Of course.
Anzu:Right, you've got to tend to your budding enterprise.
Johnny:Oh.
Benny:Lock.
Argyle:Oh, no, not that.
Argyle:Not that.
Argyle:No, I'm not leaving, Elia.
Argyle:Hey, you think I'm leaving this place?
Johnny:Oh, it's not your new business.
Argyle:I got a great life here.
Johnny:Yeah, you know, it was kind of crazy that you left all that stuff at veins.
Johnny:I got to tell you.
Argyle:Yeah, no, I go there all the time now.
Argyle:You guys aren't really doing much stuff.
Argyle:I sleep there a lot.
Argyle:I even move my paintings back.
Argyle:This is more of just like a hobby, you guys.
Benny:Does anyone else in Iconoclasm partake in the sampling?
Argyle:I'll send you guys a crate or two of the polar ships, though.
Anzu:Fair enough.
Argyle:I'll send you one with zero and one without.
Argyle:One with it and one without.
Argyle:For the trip.
Johnny:Thanks.
Benny:Does anyone else, like, when they get the crates, they're like, yeah, or they're like, oh god.
Gamemaster:I don't think it could affect them, so it's just a drink for them.
Gamemaster:But it's not bad.
Gamemaster:Anouk likes the taste, and I think it's a little reminiscent of Toothpaste Worm.
Gamemaster:Elias definitely won't drink it.
Benny:Oh.
Gamemaster:Ginny can't drink.
Gamemaster:Dura would probably try the one that doesn't have the shiver because who's that on?
Gamemaster:Actually, can somebody do me a favor?
Gamemaster:I need a fort save for Dura before she drinks it.
Gamemaster:I need somebody to roll a d20 plus 10, please.
Anzu:If no one's doing... Oh, Noah's got it.
Argyle:Dura sounds like the name of the person from campaign one.
Johnny:I got it.
Benny:I'll do it.
Benny:Nose got it.
Benny:Nose got it.
Benny:Nose got it.
Benny:He killed her.
Benny:He killed her.
Anzu:Oh, she's dead.
Benny:He killed her.
Anzu:She passed away.
Johnny:Your is super deep.
Gamemaster:I apologize.
Johnny:15.
Gamemaster:I just, like, mix and match the pronunciation because of the character from Campaign 1.
Argyle:Let's see.
Gamemaster:What did we get?
Gamemaster:She will have the one with Shiv in it.
Johnny:Oh no.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Johnny:Oh no.
Johnny:This woman just relapsed.
Gamemaster:Takes a sip.
Gamemaster:It's fine.
Johnny:Oh no.
Johnny:Oh no.
Gamemaster:She thinks it's pretty good.
Argyle:Don't worry.
Argyle:Our guy would definitely cleanse a fiction on anyone who takes this drug.
Gamemaster:Okay, sure.
Argyle:He's a whole monitor.
Argyle:He's not allowing anyone to...
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Great.
Gamemaster:I would like, as we move into month four, this actually isn't related to any of you.
Gamemaster:So we're going to remove the camera a little bit, so to speak.
Gamemaster:We are somewhere.
Gamemaster:Underneath Hallia, in what appears to be a kind of closed, not quite an interrogation room, but it's brightly lit.
Gamemaster:It is surrounded on all sides.
Gamemaster:There are no windows.
Argyle:Got nothing.
Gamemaster:It's just this plain brick with a lead fence overlaid on the wall to act as a kind of...
Gamemaster:like both Faraday Cage, as well as to prevent, like, locate spells and the like happening.
Gamemaster:And there is a particularly tense conversation happening between what appear to be two representatives of different orgs.
Gamemaster:One of them is a firearm manufacturer in the city, and the other one is a kind of VIP bodyguard service that it looks like are attempting to purchase firearms at a lower rate.
Gamemaster:from the manufacturer.
Gamemaster:I need somebody to roll a D100 for me, 50 or below, and they will successfully negotiate the deal above a 50 and the talks fall through.
Anzu:i'm so on it i got a nine
Benny:And he wants to kill someone.
Johnny:This guy's got it.
Gamemaster:Nine.
Gamemaster:There's a bit of haggling involved, some conversation between the two, but eventually the deal does succeed.
Gamemaster:You see that the bodyguard, or the representative of the bodyguards, hands over what appears to be a briefcase of money and a golden box to the firearm manufacturer.
Gamemaster:And the firearm manufacturer agrees to deliver firearms to them at a later date.
Anzu:Mm-hmm.
Gamemaster:That is one more there.
Argyle:Ooh, they got the ticket.
Argyle:They got the ticket for the chocolate factory.
Argyle:The old man can finally stand outside of the bed and stop letting his poor, poor family also share the bed with him for no reason.
Gamemaster:And then finally, we will, for the 19th org, we will pan over one more time.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:This is, one could call it a negotiation, although not quite as genteel as the previous one.
Gamemaster:We are on the wing of an airplane in flight.
Gamemaster:There are what appear to be two people actively
Gamemaster:uh, um, combating each other with, uh, one person has a rapier and the other appears to be holding a, uh, a Zweihander, a very large kind of two-handed sword.
Gamemaster:Um...
Gamemaster:where the person with the rapier is in one hand using the rapier to stab at the other one, and in the other hand is holding a golden box, and the person with the Zweihander is attempting to just fully overpower them and take control of the box.
Gamemaster:As well, from an open window on the exterior of the plane, it appears there's someone with a gun that's taking pop shots, although it's unclear at whom the person is aiming for.
Gamemaster:I need somebody to roll a d100 for me.
Anzu:Hmm.
Gamemaster:A 33 or below, the person with the rapier will successfully defend the box.
Gamemaster:On a 6d6 to 34, the person with the Zweihander will overpower him and take the box.
Gamemaster:And above a 6d6, and the person taking potshots takes both of them.
Argyle:Oh!
Johnny:I got it.
Johnny:96.
Anzu:Oh-ho!
Benny:Ooh.
Gamemaster:96?
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Once again proving guns are better than swords.
Anzu:Third partier.
Gamemaster:The third partier, in the open-door air rushing past as this plane is flying like a mile above the city of Hallia, manages to get lucky and lands shots in both of the people fighting on the wing.
Gamemaster:They both go plummeting off the side along with the box.
Gamemaster:The third figure jumps out of the plane, dives towards the box, collects it, and pulls a parachute.
Gamemaster:And then we will...
Gamemaster:pull back from that little vignette with our last org decided.
Johnny:People are the craziest.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:That passes month four.
Gamemaster:We're going to move into months five and six at this point, and as we're approaching near the end, you guys, having cleaned up anybody who might be interested in
Gamemaster:taking this keystone from you.
Gamemaster:You've been sitting pretty.
Gamemaster:Nobody's really come after this particular one.
Gamemaster:So as we, you know, we're starting to pull towards the end of the six months here.
Gamemaster:Is there anything else that you guys haven't covered over the course of the downtime that you would like to bring up now and try and get to before we reach the end there?
Argyle:Argyle would like to take his gold and convert it into jewels.
Argyle:Oh, sorry, his dollars and convert it into jewels.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:You can do that.
Gamemaster:Go to any bank and they will cash that out for you.
Argyle:He doesn't trust the money systems.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:Would you like them in small or large denominations?
Gamemaster:Because you can get them in small jewels that break down to ten gold pieces each.
Gamemaster:Or you could just get a huge diamond.
Argyle:Small jewels.
Argyle:Small jewels.
Argyle:360.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Argyle:So I get 36 small joules.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Yes, Johnny.
Johnny:I would like to just try and find some city plans that have sewer tunnels in them.
Benny:Thank you.
Johnny:Can I ask for Anzu's assistance?
Gamemaster:Absolutely, you can do that.
Gamemaster:What kind of roll do I want from you?
Gamemaster:I think this is society or thievery, again, as we're doing some skullduggery.
Johnny:Maybe we go to a library or something?
Anzu:I can make a society check.
Gamemaster:Anzu's welcome to say yes if you would.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Johnny:I will aid Anzu in societying.
Gamemaster:Sure.
Johnny:I got a 22 to aid you.
Johnny:The aid rolls are low tonight.
Gamemaster:A 22 is a failure.
Johnny:Oh, no.
Johnny:You know, we're running towards the end.
Anzu:Well, I got a 15.
Johnny:Oh, never mind.
Johnny:It's not going to help.
Gamemaster:What did we get?
Johnny:15.
Gamemaster:15.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:So, unfortunately...
Gamemaster:Maps of the sewers are not public information, if for no reason other than they weren't built by the public.
Gamemaster:The original sewers were built by the royal family of Calaria, and then they got deposed, and now they are extended and maintained by Prime Meridian.
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:And they're just not going to publish blueprints of their sewers and stuff.
Anzu:I think if we just take that one sewer that we went into that one time and go in the other direction, it's going to take us there.
Gamemaster:Unfortunately, if you want a map of the sewers, you either have to map it yourself or find some way to convince Prime Meridian to give one to you.
Johnny:Does that track?
Johnny:Should we spend a day just kind of walking that area and see if that tracks?
Gamemaster:Yeah, if you want.
Anzu:Everybody's got to go if we're going to wander the sewer.
Benny:Sure.
Argyle:If I go under the sewer, I'm gonna not be helping save lives.
Argyle:Is that worth it?
Johnny:Well, you know, we said... Oh, yeah, I have...
Anzu:Well, just for one day.
Anzu:Just for one day.
Argyle:Okay, hopefully no child.
Benny:A day.
Benny:Can we do the evening?
Benny:I have professional engagement.
Johnny:classes in the morning too so we got to do the afternoon what about benny he's a child you could save his life
Argyle:But then I might be, I might not be able to get enough rest to save a child's life.
Argyle:Will you need your life saved?
Anzu:We might.
Anzu:That's exactly why I said everybody has to go.
Benny:Probably.
Anzu:Excellent.
Argyle:Okay.
Argyle:Yes, I will go.
Argyle:And I will be thrilled about it.
Benny:Thanks.
Johnny:found very, very thrilled.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:You guys are going sewer spelunking.
Anzu:Yes.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:So, if you recall, the last time you went into the sewers, you did it by going through the basement of the roller rink in Sableclutch, or one of.
Gamemaster:Um...
Gamemaster:Is that, like, what is your plan?
Gamemaster:Are you going to go back to the roller rink and try and get in through the basement there?
Gamemaster:You know that there's another way into the sewers that you've used when you went to the, gosh, in Widdershins with the Honey Lady and all that kind of stuff, but that doesn't necessarily connect to where you were the first time.
Anzu:Well, I feel like we came out via a more public exit way back when.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:You did.
Gamemaster:Yeah, you can go much further into Sableclutch, the exit that you originally took, and then backtrack from there.
Gamemaster:That's fine.
Gamemaster:That works.
Anzu:What's been happening at the roller rink?
Gamemaster:At this point, it's been a few months.
Anzu:Is it just boarded up?
Gamemaster:It's like mid-August now.
Gamemaster:It would definitely have been boarded up.
Gamemaster:So, like, I mean, Tywelwyn's not around to, like, maintain it, and he was the owner.
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:So it would have just been boarded up.
Gamemaster:Actually, it wouldn't have even been boarded up because the person who would have boarded it up isn't around anymore.
Gamemaster:I think it would have just sat unoccupied until eventually someone will decide that it's been abandoned and it'll be reclaimed.
Gamemaster:But for the time being, it's just there.
Gamemaster:It's not open or anything.
Argyle:I'll run my impromptu shelter out of there for healing people.
Gamemaster:Okay, so you're going to squat in the roller rink.
Gamemaster:and do like a little clinic there, that's fine.
Argyle:I have a little field hospital here.
Argyle:Yeah.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:Okay, so you are going back to the entrance that you originally used to exit after finding Flynn, and then you're going to backtrack from there until you get back to that fork that you had originally taken and take it the other way, right?
Gamemaster:Excuse me.
Gamemaster:I'm going to need a survival check from whoever is in front of this little search party.
Gamemaster:There's enough room in the sewers.
Gamemaster:If you recall, these sewers are not large enough to have raised platforms on the side that you can walk across, at least not here.
Johnny:I will survive.
Gamemaster:So it's just kind of this deluge of sludge that passes through this just effectively really large tube.
Gamemaster:um there's enough room for two people to walk side by side but the four of you couldn't walk in a line across it it's like 10 feet across okay okay so so that means that johnny and argyle are leading the pack the two of you in front um okay
Argyle:I rolled a survival check as well for 25.
Johnny:I'm going to use my last hero point to reroll that.
Argyle:You want to beat the 25?
Argyle:All right.
Johnny:I want to beat the 14 I rolled.
Johnny:I got a 25.
Gamemaster:Okay, both of you are equally good at locating your way through the sewers.
Gamemaster:Luckily, one and a half of you have been here before.
Gamemaster:So, like, you know where you're going.
Gamemaster:Yeah, I mean, your bell bottoms aren't ruined because you're not wearing them anymore, but you are walking through sludge.
Gamemaster:As you guys continue through, refuse.
Gamemaster:Unlike last time, it isn't pouring, so there isn't nearly as much water coming around to pull any of the sewage in the sewer forward, which means that I need fort saves from everybody to stop yourselves from retching as you move through this part of the sewer.
Benny:Well hold.
Anzu:I might use my... I'm going to use my point.
Johnny:Oh no.
Johnny:Oh my gosh.
Johnny:We're all thrown up.
Argyle:22 for me.
Benny:What the fuck?
Johnny:We're all thrown up.
Benny:Josh, what did you do?
Johnny:Everyone's sick.
Johnny:16.
Gamemaster:What do we get?
Gamemaster:16.
Argyle:This doesn't happen to be an emotional effect, does it?
Gamemaster:Okay.
Anzu:23 via Mythic Point.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Benny:17 for Benny.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Right.
Gamemaster:No.
Benny:It is for Benny.
Johnny:I feel like this happened last time we were down here.
Gamemaster:Um, you both have the sickened one condition and cannot reduce that condition until after you have left the sewers.
Benny:Okay.
Johnny:I also got second.
Gamemaster:I think it did, yeah.
Gamemaster:Um...
Gamemaster:Alright, regardless, you guys rolled high enough on your checks to actually navigate through the sewers.
Gamemaster:So you make your way back to the fork, and then you at this direction, you just hang a right, and you start heading north, following the sewer path in the other direction.
Gamemaster:It has been months at this point since you last walked through here because you were tracking the, like, fairy dust and blood left behind by Flynn as he was dragged through these sewers.
Gamemaster:But this was the path less traveled.
Gamemaster:So I would like perception checks from the two of you in front as you keep Anaïs out moving through the sewers for, I guess, anything of interest.
Argyle:Are we lighting a torch?
Argyle:I see.
Gamemaster:So, where you are right now, it is actually light.
Gamemaster:There are grates that let light into the sewers from street level.
Gamemaster:You know that if you continue north at some point, you're going to actually pass underneath the river that passes through the city, at which point it will be dark.
Gamemaster:So, for the time being, you don't need it.
Argyle:I got to 31.
Argyle:Thanks, Mike.
Gamemaster:Okay?
Johnny:I got a 28.
Argyle:It told me.
Argyle:It told me to say that.
Benny:You're welcome.
Johnny:Wow, Mike's rolls are way better.
Gamemaster:Okay, both of you are rolling really well.
Gamemaster:So you would know that you are currently in Sableclutch, which is by far the southernmost district in Hallia.
Gamemaster:You are headed towards Teller's Run, which is the northernmost district in Hallia.
Gamemaster:Hallia itself is about three miles across.
Gamemaster:You are walking slowly through sludge.
Gamemaster:and not necessarily in a straight line.
Gamemaster:So it's going to take you, at the rate that you're going, assuming you don't try running or anything like that, it'll take you like an hour and a half of trudging through the sludge to get to where you would assume Teller's Run begins.
Gamemaster:Although it's not like there are street signs down here to really path yourselves.
Gamemaster:You rolled pretty high on the survival check, so I think it's not super difficult for you to keep in mind where north is.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:But you're kind of just walking through the sewers, often coming across forks and intersections, and I assume just trying to keep to the direction that leads you, excuse me, further north.
Gamemaster:the question I have for you is, first, are you trying to be sneaky, especially as you get further into the sewer?
Gamemaster:And two, excuse me, as you move into the bit of the river that doesn't, sorry, as you move into the bit of the sewer that goes under the river and up comes dark, are you lighting a torch or are you attempting to navigate by if anybody in the party has darkvision?
Argyle:I have dark vision.
Johnny:I do not have dark vision.
Johnny:Gordon boy, do you guys have dark vision?
Benny:Same.
Anzu:No, I think I only have low light vision.
Gamemaster:Everybody in the party has low light vision except for Argyle, who has dark vision.
Benny:So.
Johnny:I feel like we should light a torch just to be safe.
Argyle:The judge of the light.
Anzu:Yeah.
Argyle:The light from the judge is enough for me.
Johnny:That's not enough for me.
Johnny:I'll light a torch.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:So we are lucky that in this modern setting, a torch is like a modern torch where you hit a button and light extends out the front because you're in a sewer.
Argyle:Does it explode?
Argyle:I guess we'll be stealthy.
Gamemaster:And if you had lit a conventional torch, you would have all exploded.
Gamemaster:Thankfully, no such luck.
Gamemaster:what about the answer to the other question are you guys being stealthy are you just walking through are you trying to keep up a brisk pace what's the plan
Johnny:like we should try and be stealthy um
Benny:Yeah, it's going to take a while.
Argyle:It's a sewer.
Benny:I feel like bad stuff hides out in the sewer.
Argyle:It's a sewer.
Argyle:Do we need to be stealthy in here?
Anzu:Well, if we get close to Teller's Run... There's been some massacres in the sewer, yeah.
Argyle:Has something else happened in the sewer?
Argyle:Has some... Okay, I like just nods his head.
Argyle:Okay, let's be stealthy.
Gamemaster:Argyle saw the massacre in the sewer.
Argyle:No, but wasn't there another one with Mr. Whiskers?
Gamemaster:That was the one that Argyle saw.
Johnny:19.
Gamemaster:Wasn't he around for that one?
Argyle:Oh, we saw...
Gamemaster:That was... Yeah.
Anzu:I think he was around for that one, but...
Argyle:Oh, yeah, never mind.
Gamemaster:That was before you guys had your ill-fated match with Hlarf.
Argyle:Okay.
Argyle:Stealth is plus it.
Argyle:All right, so that's Argyle stealth.
Gamemaster:What did we get?
Argyle:18 for Argyle.
Gamemaster:Say numbers.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Anzu:21.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Benny:What the fuck?
Benny:17.
Gamemaster:17.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Benny is... I think Benny is fighting against just, like, this deep-down nine-year-old's urge to splash in the water.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:He is fighting it.
Gamemaster:Successfully.
Gamemaster:But it's there.
Gamemaster:And just spending that extra concentration to not do that does make him the least stealthy of the party.
Gamemaster:As you...
Benny:Fair enough.
Gamemaster:You guys, I tend to be stealthy.
Gamemaster:As you move forward and pass from the sewers in Sableclutch under the river up to the sewers in Widdershins and then further north, you move from all of the sewers that you had been walking through previously were new extensions built by Prime Meridian over the past...
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:century or so.
Gamemaster:As you move further north, you start to move into the original sewers built in Hallia by the king as part of the royal family's reign.
Gamemaster:These older sewers tend to be more dangerous.
Gamemaster:just by virtue of the fact that they are older, and as such, there's more nooks and crannies for things to hide in.
Gamemaster:There are, thankfully, raised platforms on the side of these sewers that you guys can climb into, so you don't need to actually physically be walking through sludge.
Gamemaster:Unfortunately, there aren't grates anymore that let the light in from the streets above, so you have to keep the torch up just to see around you.
Gamemaster:And the smell of refuse is still very sickening when you're in here, so those of you that are sickened do not yet get a chance to relieve yourself of that condition.
Johnny:you you
Gamemaster:But you continue your stealth through these parts of the sewers, having transitioned from the smooth concrete to these cobbled walls, almost catacomb-like, with the exception that there's just a bunch of shit streaming through the middle of the tunnel at all times.
Gamemaster:I do need another survival check from the people in front, as you've moved into this part of the city, you're north more... You're, um...
Gamemaster:You'd guess that you're, like, maybe 10 to 15 minutes out from the border of Teller's Run at this point.
Johnny:22.
Gamemaster:Thankfully, having not really... You've been mapping out as you've been traveling, and so you think you could follow your footsteps if you needed to come back here relatively easily.
Gamemaster:And you haven't hit too many places where you'd be concerned that you bump into other people yet.
Argyle:That's the best.
Gamemaster:22.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:With a 22, I mean, really you are...
Gamemaster:you are just sticking to, trying to keep north, keep your bearings that way, heading in that direction as best you can.
Gamemaster:With a 22, luckily you don't need to stick your head out of a manhole cover up into the street to regate your bearings.
Gamemaster:You do know the direction you're headed towards.
Gamemaster:But you do bump into a roadblock when you're getting very close to the edge of Teller's Run, where it seems that the path that you've been following in the sewers opens up into a larger, maybe sewage processing area of some kind.
Johnny:you
Gamemaster:It's not a dead end, necessarily, but you have hit a point where you're not just walking through a tunnel.
Gamemaster:It looks like you're entering into a place where...
Gamemaster:maintained machines exist.
Gamemaster:I'd like a perception check as you're walking towards this area.
Johnny:1A.
Argyle:it there
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:So a few things of note.
Gamemaster:This is definitely an occupied area.
Gamemaster:You don't see, with that rule, you don't actually see anybody right now, but
Gamemaster:You know what?
Gamemaster:I think it's actually probably easier for you to see it instead of me describing it necessarily.
Gamemaster:I know we're coming up at like 11, but it's just easiest for you to look at if you go to bdl.neridi.cc.
Gamemaster:That would be awesome.
Anzu:Of course.
Johnny:I'm glad Argyle came with us for this adventure.
Benny:It's my favorite kind of parking lot.
Argyle:Hmm.
Johnny:Got to save some lives.
Anzu:No, this is just to help us visualize.
Gamemaster:This is literally just to help you visualize, and for no other reason.
Johnny:Oh, it looks like a parking lot.
Gamemaster:Yes, that's the weird thing.
Gamemaster:You're in the sewers, but it looks like a parking lot.
Johnny:Oh, this looks much more like, oh, this is scary now.
Benny:Where's my https://btl.iridi.cc window?
Gamemaster:So as you enter into this open sewer area, there is a small staging area that it looks like could be involved in moving things in and out of this sewage spot.
Gamemaster:It's interesting.
Gamemaster:There's a bit more water flow here.
Gamemaster:There has been throughout the majority of these old sewers.
Gamemaster:So you could feasibly ride a boat here.
Gamemaster:It would not be a pleasant experience.
Gamemaster:The sewage here still stinks, but you could feasibly move some kind of like shallow watercraft through it.
Gamemaster:There's a staging area with a number of crates piled up and looks to be like one or two small boats tied along it.
Gamemaster:There are, besides the direction of the sewer, it looks like there's an area that heads further underground.
Gamemaster:In the direction you're trying to go, you gather that this moves further towards Teller's Run.
Gamemaster:But what most stands out to you is there's some interesting blue glowing machinery of a hue that you were actually quite familiar with at this point.
Johnny:Good morning.
Argyle:Thank you.
Gamemaster:It's not actually interacting with the sewer, but it's been built down here in the sewers, as well as a shrine of some kind.
Gamemaster:You'd have to get closer to properly investigate it, but there is a shrine built down here around that blue glowing machinery stuff.
Anzu:Indeed.
Benny:Have a look.
Johnny:We have a look.
Argyle:I'm tired.
Gamemaster:OK, you guys are free to move your characters, actually, if you'd like to move closer.
Gamemaster:As you approach, I would like, since it looks like Johnny and Anzu are leading the charge, I would like the two of you to make perception checks for me, please.
Johnny:Everything.
Anzu:It's not how that should happen, but I will do it.
Argyle:Sorry, I can also make one.
Gamemaster:Oh, if you don't want to, if you would rather somebody else go, you can.
Argyle:I don't know.
Gamemaster:I was just looking at who.
Anzu:No, I absolutely... I have freaking killed it.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Benny:you
Gamemaster:Okay, no.
Gamemaster:Anzu freaking killed it.
Argyle:I was just trying to update my spells.
Argyle:I'll just do it for tomorrow.
Argyle:I have the ones on Path Builder.
Anzu:Holy...
Gamemaster:Okay.
Argyle:Oh, wow.
Gamemaster:You should have access to all of the spells available to you in the preparation.
Argyle:Yeah, it's just so much longer to do it on Foundry than Path Builder.
Argyle:I just click it, so I'll do it.
Gamemaster:Okay, 32 crit.
Gamemaster:Wonderful.
Gamemaster:You gave yourself super fever.
Gamemaster:Okay, with a 32 crit, you do catch something that your compatriots hadn't.
Gamemaster:There's a weird kind of, I mean...
Johnny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:The interior of the sewer area is humid because of how water-dense it is, and so you expect things to be gross and slimy and slick.
Benny:Thank you.
Gamemaster:But as you guys approach the shrine area, and you look to get a closer look...
Gamemaster:With a 32 crit, you note that some of the water puddles almost shimmer and move slightly in a way that you wouldn't expect just water to do so.
Gamemaster:And you swear you see like a tendril of some kind form and then fade back into one of the puddles a little further away from you.
Johnny:I elbow everyone.
Johnny:I say, eyes up.
Benny:Thank you.
Johnny:There's tentacles.
Johnny:I point over at the water.
Johnny:And then I back up.
Anzu:Should I throw a telekinetic projectile at it?
Gamemaster:So notably, the puddle that you see is actually over here.
Johnny:Oh, I point ahead at the puddle.
Argyle:Should... Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Johnny:mobile
Argyle:We're just gonna start swaying?
Anzu:I mean, it's a puddle that moves, and it can't be good.
Anzu:Do you want to reveal?
Argyle:Oh, no, no, no.
Argyle:It's definitely not good.
Argyle:I just mean, do you think that's the only thing that's here?
Argyle:Or do you think we should, uh...
Argyle:I have see the unseen and I also have fairy fire.
Johnny:Very hard, yeah.
Argyle:Well, I brought this because I remembered I've been in these tunnels before and there were invisible things that attacked people.
Johnny:Very hard, might not be bad.
Argyle:But I can wait for fairy fighter for once it attacks us.
Argyle:See invisibility or see the unseen might be better for scoping out.
Benny:I like that.
Argyle:Should I do that?
Argyle:All right.
Gamemaster:When you say fairy fire, do you mean revealing light?
Argyle:Well, I guess I will.
Argyle:Yes, revealing light.
Argyle:Oh.
Johnny:Wow, what a downgrade.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:Because fairy fire got remastered twice.
Gamemaster:Fairy fire got remastered into glitter dust, got remastered into revealing light.
Argyle:OK.
Argyle:Is that different than fairy fire?
Argyle:Or is it the exact same thing?
Gamemaster:One second.
Gamemaster:Okay, so they both have the same range, except for the duration.
Gamemaster:Okay, so fairy fire is at last five minutes.
Gamemaster:All creatures are lined in colorful, heatless fire of your choice.
Gamemaster:Revealing light, same range.
Johnny:Thank you.
Benny:Well.
Gamemaster:A creature has to make a reflex save.
Gamemaster:If it fails, it's dazzled and defected for a minute.
Gamemaster:If it succeeds, it's just defected for two rounds and isn't dazzled.
Argyle:Should I last shorter?
Gamemaster:It lasts shorter, but it has the chance to dazzle.
Argyle:Okay.
Argyle:Well, I don't think I could... That's the only option I have, right?
Argyle:Since the other one's Legacy.
Gamemaster:Right, yes.
Argyle:So I'll do that.
Gamemaster:I'm just letting you know that it got replaced.
Argyle:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Argyle:And then see the unseen... It seems like I can only... Sorry, I was trying to read this on the walkover when I added this stuff, but...
Gamemaster:See the unseen, not the feet.
Gamemaster:See the unseen.
Gamemaster:No, see the unseen.
Argyle:Oh, should I need to be within 10 feet?
Argyle:Or is that only when it's phased through an object within 10 feet?
Gamemaster:Yeah, so see the unseen lets you see like a ghost that's hiding with at least 10 feet into a wall.
Johnny:Thank you.
Argyle:Okay.
Gamemaster:Otherwise, you can see invisible creatures as though they weren't invisible, so long as they're within your range of sight.
Argyle:I cast the Unsane on myself.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:You cast See the Unseen.
Gamemaster:Your eyes glow with this golden energy.
Gamemaster:Nothing reveals itself to you.
Argyle:The puddle too?
Gamemaster:Yeah, no.
Gamemaster:Puddle still looks like a puddle.
Argyle:Fuck.
Gamemaster:There isn't just like some guy standing in the puddle with two knives or anything.
Argyle:All right, blast the puddle.
Gamemaster:With what?
Argyle:You blast it or I blast it.
Anzu:I would shoot a telekinetic projectile at it.
Argyle:All right.
Gamemaster:Absolutely, you should have... You are... You are 75 feet away from the puddle.
Anzu:No!
Anzu:Wait, wait, wait.
Anzu:Let me see the range on this.
Anzu:How far am I from the puddle right now?
Anzu:Hold on.
Anzu:What is it, like 70 feet?
Anzu:Alright, I stepped forward 15 feet.
Benny:Hop on the back of someone.
Anzu:Oh.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Johnny:Everyone follow this man.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Johnny:Don't let him go in alone.
Johnny:Follow that bird.
Anzu:Hold on.
Argyle:I'm going to burn this guy with moonlight.
Anzu:I keep clicking the wrong thing.
Anzu:There we go.
Benny:Follow that bird.
Gamemaster:Okay, well, so you cast Telekinetic Projectile, you aim it at the puddle.
Johnny:Me hiding behind Anzu.
Johnny:You got this, Anzu.
Argyle:Argyle raises his shield.
Anzu:I don't cast telekinetic projectile.
Gamemaster:Okay, what do you do instead?
Anzu:I reach one hand in the direction of the puddle and kind of just out around the puddle, you almost see kind of like those ripples of heat that you see off of a road on a hot day.
Anzu:As I pull the heat away from the puddle's area and cast Frostbite on it.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:Okay, cast Frostbite so I know the range and stuff of this.
Argyle:you
Gamemaster:60 feet, one creature.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Anzu:Oh, it could have been 120.
Anzu:I didn't need to step forward.
Anzu:I forgot about that.
Gamemaster:Oh, because you have a parallel breakthrough.
Anzu:Yeah.
Anzu:Alright, it's going to take half damage.
Gamemaster:Of course.
Gamemaster:Okay, so the puddle has to make a fort save.
Gamemaster:The puddle succeeded its fort save.
Gamemaster:Absolutely.
Gamemaster:You watch as you attempt to freeze this puddle, which starts spasming wildly as you pull the heat out of it.
Gamemaster:And it will take the 13 points of damage.
Johnny:Get that puddle.
Gamemaster:Okay.
Gamemaster:With that, as that puddle starts spasming, you see that there are other puddles around it that also react to your presence as you guys are no longer stealthing.
Gamemaster:So we can have them reveal themselves if they like.
Gamemaster:as they pull themselves up to full form, now that they're no longer disguised as water.
Anzu:Ugh.
Johnny:Oh, God.
Johnny:I'm glad we did this before we walked into the middle of the living tar.
Gamemaster:And we will pick up next session.
Argyle:Yeah.
Anzu:Living tar.
Gamemaster:It's just some oozes, some jellies, some tar, just hanging out in the sewer, as slimes are to do.
Anzu:That is very true, yeah.
Johnny:Slimes are wont to slime.
Gamemaster:These guys are useless.
Gamemaster:But there we go.
Benny:true we are back
Gamemaster:We did it.
Gamemaster:We did a session.
Johnny:We're back.
Gamemaster:We are effectively through the downtime.
Gamemaster:We're picking up at the end here with this fight.
Anzu:I've wanted to traverse these tunnels for so long.
Gamemaster:I have had this encounter ready since session one.
Gamemaster:You know, some variant of the encounter, obviously.
Gamemaster:These guys aren't, like, tuned for level one fights.
Gamemaster:But, you know, just in case you decided to, like, start... Yeah.
Argyle:I was going to say, is either going to be absolute dog walk one way or the other?
Johnny:Nah, we got some distance already.
Gamemaster:But you made it.
Johnny:We got new tricks.
Johnny:We got level 6 stuff.
Gamemaster:Before I forget...
Anzu:Thank you.
Johnny:I assume Benny is just stacked as hell with this Falcata.
Benny:Yeah, so I actually have a couple of things.
Benny:I guess two things I want to retrain, and then I think one thing I want to purchase.
Benny:I think I was undecided, and then I read one of the runes, and it's like, I think I know the direction that the build should go.
Argyle:So quick question.
Argyle:Anzu, does anyone here have an arcane or primal tradition for spellcasting?
Anzu:Oh my gosh.
Argyle:Fuck.
Argyle:I wanted to get the item.
Argyle:There's a spell called Tailwind, which is first level.
Argyle:But if you upcast second level, you just get it for eight hours.
Argyle:You get a flat 10-foot status bonus to your speed.
Argyle:And I was just going to get a wand of that.
Argyle:but no one can cast it.
Gamemaster:No, unless one of you gets Trick Magic Item.
Anzu:You would need to be...
Gamemaster:Because it has to be on your spell list in order to be able to use the wand, and since none of you have a spell list that can use it, you need some way to Trick Magic Item to cast it instead.
Anzu:I think he already has two heels.
Gamemaster:It would be funny to just... Wait, actually, who has the Clockwork Heals equipped?
Johnny:I need you.
Gamemaster:Was that Benny?
Benny:yes it's both yeah unfortunately i thought i'd multiply
Gamemaster:So your speed is just up by 5.
Gamemaster:I don't know if I've added that to your character in the Foundry, but...
Argyle:Can he get it up by 10 if he gets a second heal and puts it on the other shoe?
Gamemaster:Uh, no.
Gamemaster:But even if he somehow got, like, two extra feet and put it on there, they both give him a plus five item bonus, so it doesn't stack like that.
Johnny:Yeah, I think it ends up as a 25-foot item bonus.
Gamemaster:Uh, you thought incorrectly.
Argyle:Yeah.
Benny:25-foot squared, so he accelerates quicker, too.
Johnny:He reaches terminal velocity.
Argyle:That's what Benny needs.
Gamemaster:What would accelerating even... What does a change in acceleration do?
Argyle:It's less of an action.
Gamemaster:Oh, it's less than an action?
Johnny:I think for every... If every foot moves, he can move longer.
Argyle:It's less of an action.
Benny:Yeah.
Gamemaster:It's half an action to move?
Benny:No, no.
Benny:Consecutive strides increase.
Gamemaster:That's actually pretty interesting.
Gamemaster:Like, if you stride multiple times, you get a 5-foot item bonus for each additional stride you take in a row.
Gamemaster:Although, like, at that point you could just make a two-action ability that lets you move twice plus an additional five feet or something like that.
Benny:I think.
Gamemaster:Which isn't crazy.
Benny:Yeah.
Argyle:I was going to take... Yeah, go ahead.
Gamemaster:Call it Chase.
Gamemaster:It fits.
Johnny:Oh no, I'm second.
Gamemaster:You don't have it, though.
Johnny:I've been second.
Gamemaster:Yes, you've been sickened.
Gamemaster:You and Benny are sick.
Benny:Yes.
Gamemaster:Benny has a land speed of 35 feet, which is crazy now.
Gamemaster:That's almost as scary as the 20 mile an hour polar bear that we had before.
Gamemaster:I was just going to say a nine-year-old with a massive sword and a pick is maybe as intimidating as a charging polar bear.
Johnny:Woo.
Gamemaster:Like, I don't know how I would interpret a nine-year-old with multiple weapons just sprinting at me at 15 miles an hour.
Argyle:Now, what if it's a polar bear with armor and drugs?
Gamemaster:It's an armored polar bear that is currently high.
Gamemaster:I think there's a movie about that.
Johnny:Cocaine bear.
Benny:Okay, Maria.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Argyle:Except he's a chill sibling that's sleepy.
Gamemaster:No, because... Yeah, he got a downer instead of an upper for his soda.
Gamemaster:I can't believe you asked me, can Arctos sell drug-infused soda?
Argyle:Coca-Cola bear.
Argyle:All right.
Gamemaster:Yeah, except, like, Coca-Cola was in the 1800s when it had Coke.
Johnny:Coca-Cola bear.
Gamemaster:This takes place, presumably, like, in the equivalent of the 1960s.
Gamemaster:Cocaine had long been removed from the soda at that point in time.
Argyle:In hindsight, that's fair.
Argyle:I kind of keep forgetting the time zones.
Gamemaster:But, you know, it's fine.
Gamemaster:Yeah, I get it.
Gamemaster:Like, when I flashbang you by saying, yeah, there's a telephone in the bar, you can just go ring somebody up.
Johnny:Every time it's confusing.
Argyle:Yeah.
Gamemaster:There's a roller rink.
Argyle:That's true.
Gamemaster:Honestly, I've even pulled forward some things.
Gamemaster:Like, they invented the fax machine a few decades early in this universe.
Gamemaster:So, you know.
Gamemaster:Because you guys have gotten faxes.
Gamemaster:That's happened.
Anzu:Life was just less convenient then.
Gamemaster:There's radio.
Benny:facts what they do before my god that feels
Gamemaster:You've been listening to the radio.
Gamemaster:You had walkie-talkies.
Gamemaster:There's tinfoil.
Gamemaster:Tinfoil's a relatively recent invention.
Gamemaster:But they didn't have tinfoil.
Johnny:Oh, no.
Gamemaster:Yeah, tinfoil was invented in 1910.
Johnny:How did anyone bake a potato before that?
Benny:That feels early.
Johnny:Leave them out.
Gamemaster:You just put it on the fire.
Gamemaster:That feels early.
Gamemaster:Well, when was aluminum foil invented?
Gamemaster:Because that's what we use nowadays.
Argyle:All right.
Gamemaster:was invented then.
Argyle:I'm going to take him out.
Argyle:He's asking.
Gamemaster:Yeah.
Argyle:Next Monday.
Johnny:OK.
Gamemaster:You have fun with your dog.
Gamemaster:I hope he feels better after eating those raisins.
Anzu:yeah bye now
Gamemaster:Monday works for me.
Johnny:Y'all.
Gamemaster:We'll fight some oozes.
Johnny:Who's?
Benny:Yeah.
Gamemaster:See ya.
Benny:Peace.