2026-5-21 — Akasha

Argyle:Jaws.

Argyle:Now you can hear me, Jaws.

Argyle:Come on, Jaws.

Argyle:Oh, Leo bear.

Argyle:SD.

Argyle:What?

Argyle:Thank you.

Argyle:You got the bat signal.

Argyle:Can you hear me?

Argyle:I can't hear you besides that.

Argyle:Great, so you can hear me.

Argyle:Well, I mean, we just you could just DM sounds.

Gamemaster:How about now?

Gamemaster:Awesome.

Argyle:I can hear you now.

Gamemaster:I don't know why it did that.

Argyle:I like the idea of you DMing with emojis.

Gamemaster:It worked.

Gamemaster:It got the point across.

Gamemaster:You know what I was saying.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:I had a strange experience with...

Gamemaster:Oh yeah, it's dead.

Gamemaster:They killed it.

Gamemaster:Destiny's dead.

Argyle:I just saw that right now.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Yeah, it happens.

Gamemaster:I had a strange experience at an interview at an on-site that I had.

Argyle:OK.

Gamemaster:Um, so I go into the office.

Gamemaster:They like, it's one problem that I solve over the course of a few hours, which is strange, but not necessarily bad.

Gamemaster:Uh, but I'm like doing the work on the problem in the office, not like in a conference room or anything.

Gamemaster:So I can hear other people talking, uh, as they're working through stuff.

Argyle:OK.

Gamemaster:Um, and I can hear from behind me.

Gamemaster:having some sort of meeting.

Gamemaster:It sounds like there are three of them that are having a design meeting for how to implement a particular feature.

Gamemaster:But when I get up to go to the bathroom and come back, I see that there are only two people talking, but I hear three voices, and I peek at the monitor...

Gamemaster:And it's Claude.

Gamemaster:They're talking to Claude.

Gamemaster:Claude is up with a voice interface thing and they're having a meeting with it.

Gamemaster:And it's absurd.

Argyle:That's fucking crazy.

Gamemaster:Who does that?

Gamemaster:It was participating.

Gamemaster:I didn't actually hear, like, what they were talking about because I was busy.

Gamemaster:But, like, the fact that I, like, look over and it's just, like, a blob that's moving around and it's clearly the, like...

Gamemaster:The, the anthropic, like, weird orange splat logo.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:It's crazy.

Argyle:That's insane.

Gamemaster:It's him.

Johnny:It's me.

Argyle:Oh no, he found us.

Gamemaster:Were we hiding?

Argyle:Noah scares me.

Gamemaster:That, that tracks.

Gamemaster:I believe that.

Argyle:I like Noah's haircut subscription because so many times I go, he got a new haircut, but I'm like, it's not important.

Gamemaster:I...

Argyle:He always has a new haircut.

Gamemaster:It just makes it safe to say it every week.

Gamemaster:You're almost always going to be right.

Gamemaster:It's fine.

Johnny:True.

Johnny:I also like my own haircut subscription.

Gamemaster:You just gotta go once every half year when it's no longer tenable to have your hair at the length that it currently is.

Johnny:Is that what you do, Josh?

Gamemaster:And that's it.

Gamemaster:Yes, and it's so easy.

Gamemaster:The problem is that I will think three months in, oh, I should go get a haircut, and then I will do nothing about it for another three months.

Gamemaster:And then it's fine.

Argyle:You know what?

Gamemaster:And then you repeat the cycle.

Gamemaster:Think about how much money I've saved on haircuts by getting a quarter of the amount of haircuts I should be getting.

Argyle:You're actually reminding me of an Instagram video my friend sent me.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Argyle:I'm going to send it to you.

Johnny:About haircuts.

Argyle:No.

Argyle:Let me find it.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:I might have sent it to you guys already.

Argyle:But it is...

Argyle:The cost savings of not wiping your butt.

Johnny:Bad, bad.

Gamemaster:Listen, you can't not believe this really cool graph.

Argyle:Because toilet paper costs money and you can invest it.

Argyle:So, you know.

Johnny:You can invest it?

Johnny:That's the... That's... No.

Argyle:Don't wipe your butt, invest it.

Johnny:That's the most American psycho logic.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah, of course it's real.

Johnny:It's going up so high.

Gamemaster:Like,

Gamemaster:Yeah, if it wasn't true, could they make a graph about it?

Gamemaster:They couldn't.

Argyle:What's the Axie on it?

Johnny:That's true.

Argyle:Is it even high or is it just comparative?

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:So, it's, you know, 20K by the end.

Johnny:you

Argyle:Yeah, for like 20 years or whatever.

Gamemaster:You know, assuming you stop using toilet paper in 1993,

Gamemaster:then you will have made 20K more money by 2026.

Argyle:That's kind of worth it, you think about it.

Argyle:30 years of shitting and having to do the butt cheeks.

Johnny:I want you to leave this room right now and go ask Bailey.

Johnny:Go ask your wife.

Johnny:Say, hey, the money we're spending on toilet paper, we could be investing instead.

Argyle:Well, we can just do what the Europeans on Reddit are trying to convince us to do.

Argyle:We get only bidets, and then we have family cloth, which is you reuse... It's once per use per wash, but...

Gamemaster:Ew.

Gamemaster:No, I understand, and then you, like, wash it afterwards, but still, ew.

Argyle:Yeah, I'm okay.

Argyle:Yeah, I'm okay without that.

Gamemaster:I have and have had a bidet for many years now, and I swear by it, but I do also have toilet paper.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Like, you know, it hasn't been fully replaced.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:If for no other reason than if anybody comes around, I don't want them to have to...

Gamemaster:Use a bidet.

Gamemaster:Could you imagine if you went to visit somebody's home and instead of toilet paper, they had a bidet and some towels?

Gamemaster:Because that's terrible.

Argyle:That's terrible.

Argyle:I awkward day at the gym.

Argyle:I was at the power racks like for squats, right?

Argyle:I was doing some squats.

Johnny:Mm hmm.

Argyle:The lady next to me decided to do deadlifts.

Argyle:And on a heavy deadlift, she just wet herself.

Argyle:And apparently it's somewhat common for women.

Gamemaster:Nice.

Argyle:in powerlifting but like I don't I'm not a woman so I don't know but I wonder if the women wetting themselves in powerlifting competition should just use slightly less weight like maybe maybe you just shouldn't be doing that much weight that's my personal opinion if you gotta wet yourself in public

Gamemaster:Still unfortunate.

Gamemaster:No.

Johnny:If you're not being yourself, are you going 110%?

Gamemaster:Lower number.

Johnny:He's so hard.

Argyle:You know, maybe I'm just saying I'm just saying I think that is past your limit.

Gamemaster:Alternatively, go to the bathroom before lifting the weight.

Gamemaster:Unless the piss gives you powers.

Argyle:You know.

Gamemaster:Like that's what you need for the extra 10 pounds.

Argyle:Well, it's like a jet, so I guess I guess it pushes you away so you can pull.

Gamemaster:Yeah, exactly.

Johnny:It sounds like, Jorge, it sounds like you're not peeing yourself and therefore you're not trying hard enough.

Gamemaster:So if anything, if anything, men should be lifting more weight and pissing themselves when they deadlift.

Argyle:You're right.

Argyle:You're... Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:That's the problem.

Argyle:I guess I'm just not trying enough.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:You're just not using the right tech.

Gamemaster:I know Mike uses this technique whenever he deadlifts, I have no doubt.

Argyle:But it was... It was 175... 185.

Argyle:And I was like, this doesn't deserve piss.

Johnny:Was she a small person?

Argyle:Yeah, she was a lady.

Argyle:But...

Johnny:Wait, that's not a unit.

Benny:You're complaining about people pissing in the gym?

Gamemaster:Lady-sized, you know.

Argyle:5'3", 5'4".

Johnny:How big is one lady?

Johnny:Oh, that's smaller.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah, but like... Maybe 5'5", I don't know.

Gamemaster:You know what that is.

Johnny:5'3", 5'4".

Gamemaster:Obviously, yeah.

Johnny:That's like saying one foot.

Gamemaster:Maybe 5'5"?

Gamemaster:5'6"?

Gamemaster:Could you see 5'6"?

Argyle:Not 5'6", not 5'6".

Gamemaster:Not 5'6"?

Argyle:Not 5'6", that's the highest I'll go.

Gamemaster:5'7"?

Benny:Do I do it?

Argyle:No, Mike, I was just saying, the lady next to me at the gym decided to do sumo deadlifts, and then she just like...

Argyle:pissed and i and i know i know that's somewhat common for some women in power lifting but i'm of the mind that if lifting a weight causes you to wet yourself you just should lift a little lower just drop the weight a little bit that's my idea personally

Johnny:And me and Josh are of the opinion that Jorge is a loser and is not trying hard enough.

Benny:Did she bring a tray for it?

Gamemaster:I have to imagine that she didn't go in with the expectation that she would be urinating I don't know

Benny:I'm going to be honest, Josh.

Benny:I think she probably did.

Benny:Not joking, I think she probably did.

Argyle:I think she – I – so it didn't seem that phased.

Johnny:Wait, here's the question.

Johnny:How did she react after she peed herself?

Argyle:And I looked online, and there's some women that do this in powerlifting, and they're all like, it's just what happens.

Argyle:And I'm like, I don't think you guys should be in public.

Argyle:Like, I'm going to be honest with you.

Johnny:How about that?

Argyle:You know what?

Argyle:Wear a diaper.

Argyle:If that's what's going to happen, wear a diaper.

Benny:Did her lifting belt have tear-off paper towels on it?

Benny:She's just like... She unbuckles it and then just paper towels.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Because you think she got kicked out of her other gym for this issue?

Argyle:This is very unfortunate.

Benny:That is definitely not an intentional thing you want to be happening in the gym.

Argyle:No, the gym staff went and talked to her, and that was the first time I've seen her there, so... I hope she doesn't come back.

Benny:And if she wasn't even mildly... Oopsies.

Benny:Well, we can't piss here?

Benny:We can't piss here?

Benny:I just moved to this place.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Like she's a repeat urinator?

Johnny:I thought this was a piss.

Benny:My last gym, we could piss?

Argyle:There is like, apparently I've seen, I saw like four different power lifters that are women that are like, it just happens, guys.

Argyle:It's like, I don't think so.

Johnny:I don't know.

Gamemaster:You wouldn't know.

Benny:That's got to be so...

Benny:I checked the, like, I asked when I was signing up, like, the waiver that I signed didn't say I couldn't piss while deadlifting.

Benny:And they're like, what?

Benny:And it, like, flashes back to, like, some person at the front desk, like, having them fill out or sign something.

Benny:It's just like, what happens if, like, I don't know, like, you know when some women deadlift and, like, they pee a little bit?

Benny:Like, oh, I mean, yeah, accidents happen, whatever.

Benny:And she's like, oh, perfect.

Benny:Signs a person at the front desk, like, that's what she meant?

Benny:She's going to do that every time?

Argyle:Also, like, if you're not even breaking two plates, you should not be pissing.

Johnny:True.

Argyle:Deadlifting?

Argyle:Come on, come on.

Benny:Yeah, I do feel like that's... Getting the two plates.

Gamemaster:be a big milestone for her.

Gamemaster:I don't know.

Gamemaster:Maybe that's the first time she tried that weight.

Argyle:185?

Argyle:No.

Argyle:That's too much.

Argyle:That's too little, I mean.

Argyle:That's like I was benching next to some dude.

Argyle:He was benching.

Argyle:Actually 185 too.

Argyle:But.

Argyle:He had wrist.

Argyle:Wrist straps.

Argyle:That go up to the thumbs.

Argyle:He had elbow straps.

Benny:Did he have the slingshot?

Argyle:And he had a slingshot.

Argyle:And.

Argyle:He wore a lifting belt.

Argyle:I have to ask.

Argyle:And he did wide grip.

Argyle:Bench.

Argyle:And he only did sets of two.

Johnny:you

Argyle:At a certain point, man, why are you doing the movement?

Gamemaster:Just... Establishing good form.

Argyle:If you need all of that assistance, why are you doing it?

Benny:Did he have the powerlifting arch?

Argyle:He did.

Benny:did oh he's just straight maxing out did he have all the out for his warm-ups dude is sitting down doing

Argyle:And it's not that I came in while he was doing a deload.

Argyle:I saw him work up to that weight and then stall.

Argyle:Do that weight and then drop down.

Argyle:And I was like, all right, guys, this is ridiculous.

Argyle:Yes.

Argyle:He used a slingshot for his for his bar.

Benny:doing 30 reps of the bar with the slingshot on.

Benny:That's so funny.

Benny:There's a hidden camera.

Argyle:God.

Argyle:No.

Benny:You're on a practical jokers.

Benny:That was Sal Volcano.

Benny:You missed it.

Argyle:There's another guy that is the tiniest Indian man I've ever seen in my life.

Argyle:But he's been at the gym.

Johnny:You guys not protein maxing?

Argyle:I've been seeing him at this gym for like four months straight, but he can only bench five pounds on each side.

Argyle:And I'm like, dude, you just got to eat like you're putting in all the effort, but you're clearly not eating.

Argyle:What's the point of working out if you're only able to do five pounds on the bench for three months straight?

Argyle:You just got to eat more protein, man.

Argyle:This makes no sense.

Benny:Honestly, five pounds is not anything to be ashamed of on the bench unless it's your fourth week or your fourth, I don't know, your third month.

Johnny:Protein minning.

Argyle:Yeah, but like, if you're doing it as a man for four months straight, come on!

Benny:Come on.

Gamemaster:He was just maintaining his weight.

Gamemaster:He wasn't trying to increase.

Gamemaster:He was just staying there.

Benny:Listen, if...

Argyle:He doesn't wear any... He doesn't really wear a bunch of gear, but he does wear lifting gloves, and I'm like, dude, what are you doing?

Gamemaster:That was his goal.

Gamemaster:He doesn't want calluses.

Gamemaster:He's at his ideal weight.

Argyle:But he's benching!

Argyle:You don't even get calluses benching!

Gamemaster:Well, he doesn't get calluses because he's got gloves.

Argyle:Not at that weight, at least.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Benny:I don't know.

Gamemaster:He wouldn't try it without gloves.

Benny:It depends how harsh the knurling is.

Benny:If you're grabbing it and you're like, oh, new bar.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:Not at that weight.

Gamemaster:Maybe he's like white knuckling it.

Benny:Yeah, he could be white knuckling.

Gamemaster:He's afraid.

Gamemaster:It could happen.

Benny:He could be maxing out his grip strength and it feels like a lot.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:Yeah, but... Yeah.

Gamemaster:It's secretly a grip exercise.

Gamemaster:The five pounds is just for fun.

Benny:Next time he goes, he sees him squeezing and the bar bending around his hands.

Benny:He's just...

Benny:extruding the fucking bar out of his fingers.

Johnny:I don't like extruding.

Argyle:I also saw on Monday a dude bench four plates, and I was like, wow.

Benny:It's the proper turn.

Johnny:That's a lot.

Argyle:He just used the wrist straps, which I think you earn at four plates.

Argyle:And I was like, damn.

Benny:That shit stresses me out.

Argyle:What the fuck?

Benny:Because if...

Argyle:The wrist ones or that much weight?

Benny:No, no, no.

Benny:Just watching someone bench that, because then it's just like, oh, like, we're... Well, yeah, we're at, like, a weight where, like, something slips.

Argyle:You could die.

Benny:I hope you didn't skip ribcage day.

Benny:And then, also, it's, like, so much weight moving up and down.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Benny:It's like...

Benny:and you're like oh fuck like because there's it unless like a legitimate power lifter walks in no one that is not like a walk in the park for anyone so when they put up that weight it's like they're going to die like you're watching them like literally their bodies like yeah this is it he's he's dead nothing nothing 400 fucking pounds ever gets on top of humans ever in our evolutionary chain he's being crushed by a rock

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:So it's like, that's what's going on.

Argyle:The.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Argyle:I know some people when they bench that much, there's like basically like a.

Argyle:like a metal plate you could put on your chest that could help.

Benny:I've seen the plank.

Argyle:Uh, but yeah, yeah, yeah.

Argyle:The, um, yeah, that was cool.

Argyle:I love when the old school, um, metal steel plates, like, you know, like it's kind of like sunken on one side.

Argyle:It's just like flat on one side, but air on the other.

Argyle:Do you know what I'm talking about?

Benny:Yeah.

Argyle:Uh,

Argyle:I love when people have a bunch of plates on that and what old school lifters do is they leave a gap between all of the plates so they all just make it jingle as they go.

Benny:The other thing, hearing fucking eight plates just like the little clank, the little clangle up and down.

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:Like, watching people squat.

Argyle:Oh.

Benny:Watch someone squat, like... I mean, I haven't.

Benny:I guess in person.

Benny:I don't know.

Benny:Maybe I've seen people put on crazy... I think the highest I've seen someone squat in person is, like, 3... 15.

Benny:But people putting on, like... People putting on, like, 400 or 4 or 5 plates, and you're like... Or watching someone squat 600 pounds in a YouTube video, just to, like, fucking Planet Fitness, you're like...

Argyle:Oh shit.

Argyle:Come on over.

Argyle:I, I, I get so much joy when I see like,

Benny:God, this makes me uncomfortable.

Benny:Again, the body is like, this is it.

Benny:We're fucking toast.

Benny:There's no reason this guy would have to have 600 pounds on him ever.

Benny:We're gonna die.

Benny:That's probably what his body's saying.

Argyle:A person that you can just tell is like a power lifter walking next to you.

Argyle:And then they like put a plate on each side.

Argyle:And then you just see them like rocket up and down.

Argyle:You're like, how high are these motherfuckers going to go?

Argyle:I saw one dude do five plates next to me.

Argyle:And then he was like, I don't know if I should do a 25 on each side.

Argyle:And I was like, don't.

Argyle:I don't want to see you die.

Argyle:I've given up on going for 315 flat bench.

Gamemaster:I'm surprised that if you increase your incline bench, it won't also increase your flat bench.

Argyle:Because I would much rather just increase my inclined bench.

Argyle:Yeah, but it's not like a one-to-one, because it's like different skill.

Gamemaster:Sure, but what I mean is as you continue progressing in your incline, eventually you'll hit it on the flat bench.

Argyle:Oh, yeah.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:Yeah, but I don't honestly expect myself to ever get to a 315 incline without taking gear.

Johnny:Hey, that's better talk.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Johnny:Jorge, if you pee yourself, you could probably do it.

Johnny:Just pee yourself sitting down on the bench.

Johnny:No one will notice until you get up.

Gamemaster:It's true.

Gamemaster:And then you just say it was sweat, if anybody asks.

Gamemaster:It was a really hard lift.

Argyle:I saw a dude... I got to the incline bench.

Benny:Thank you.

Argyle:And then he was next to me doing two plates.

Argyle:Uh, and then he was adding a 25.

Argyle:Then he like looked at me and he's like, he's German.

Argyle:I think.

Argyle:And he's like, do you mind if we switch benches?

Argyle:And I was like, uh, sure.

Argyle:Is the other one, is this one better?

Argyle:And he's just like, I I'm luckier on it.

Argyle:And I was like, I don't really care.

Argyle:Like, I'm going to be honest with you, dude.

Argyle:I don't really care.

Argyle:I'm also not moving as much weight as you.

Argyle:Sure.

Argyle:He could switch.

Johnny:That's his lucky bench.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Was there something wrong with the other bench once you switched?

Argyle:I didn't notice anything, but I was like, I don't really care, dude.

Gamemaster:No.

Argyle:Yeah, sure.

Benny:Also terrifying lifts to watch people do.

Benny:I saw a video of a guy, just like a standard university athlete, who probably goes to powerlifting meets, do four plates in the overhead press for like 18 reps.

Argyle:Overhead press people are freaky, but... A video came out recently from... Do you know Jen Thompson?

Argyle:She is a... I think she has like 14 world records in powerlifting on bench.

Argyle:I think she's like 50, and she benches like three plates, and she weighs like 140 or something.

Argyle:She's crazy.

Argyle:But she's like, yeah, I could...

Argyle:bench 265 for reps, but my overhead press is 95 pounds.

Argyle:So like, guys, don't worry about it.

Argyle:And I was like, all right, Jen says it's okay.

Benny:But that's also the curse of whatever.

Benny:If you are weirdly biomechanically good at something and you just triple down on it... People that go for pull-up records...

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:I don't know.

Benny:I guess if you look at the guy before Goggins, people that are biomechanically built for it, and then they triple down so that they can keep the world record.

Benny:It's like, no, no, no.

Argyle:yeah yeah yeah

Benny:I can't let my legs get too big because then it'll be too heavy for my pull-ups.

Benny:So they just look like a triangle walking around.

Benny:There's no legs.

Benny:They have huge fucking lats.

Benny:They're literally like...

Benny:Oh, what?

Benny:I have a world record in bench?

Benny:Well, if my shoulders get any bigger, my body weight to bench ratio is going to be bad, so I can't do any overhead, no squats.

Benny:I have to be all chest and tris.

Benny:It's like, Jesus Christ.

Benny:It's like watching an actor only do typecast roles.

Argyle:Oh, I'm sorry.

Argyle:She lifts her world records for 314 bench press.

Argyle:She weighs 132 pounds.

Benny:Count to ten, skip eight, and then push.

Argyle:I don't know how that's physically possible.

Argyle:I'm going to be honest with you.

Argyle:It's it's crazy.

Argyle:But she does some like.

Argyle:She'll sometimes like give like bench tips and I'm like, yeah, yeah, I believe you.

Benny:And you're like, ah, fuck it, I'll try.

Argyle:Do you guys know Ronnie Coleman?

Johnny:Whatever works, man.

Gamemaster:Hmm.

Benny:Mm hmm.

Argyle:I saw a video of him recently.

Argyle:And he was talking about, he's just like, you want to know one of my secrets?

Argyle:I never told anyone.

Argyle:For when I'm cutting for competition.

Argyle:And he's like, he shows some meal prepping.

Argyle:And he's making, he's like, when all these other bodybuilders saw me eating my prep.

Argyle:They thought I was eating fries, but I wasn't.

Argyle:Here's the trick.

Argyle:And he's like, get some potatoes, cut them really thin, soak them in water, and then cook them really crispy in the oven.

Argyle:And like, they all think you're eating fries, but you're not.

Argyle:And all of the comments were just like, yeah, Ronnie says they're not fries.

Argyle:They're not fries, guys.

Johnny:you

Benny:Ronnie bullshits so much.

Benny:He was also just like, I didn't diet at all.

Argyle:He's just eating fries.

Benny:I didn't diet at all in the offseason.

Benny:I just ate whatever I wanted.

Benny:It's just like, Ronnie, I'm sorry.

Benny:We understand great genetics.

Benny:We're not believing that for eight times.

Benny:You're telling me in between each of those eight titles, you just had fucking Denny's Super Stacks fucking seven times a day?

Benny:Absolutely not.

Argyle:Yeah, he also talks about whenever he... Do you ever hear about his post-training meals?

Argyle:No, post-competition meals?

Argyle:They're fucking scary.

Benny:No, where he just didn't gorge himself on like fucking pizza and shit.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:Sorry, I'm getting ice.

Johnny:They're not deep fried.

Gamemaster:I just thought it was funny.

Gamemaster:He's confident enough that the Google AI believed him that they're not fries.

Benny:A psychological diet trick.

Benny:He ate fries.

Johnny:He just baked them in the oven, Jesus.

Benny:He air fried them.

Benny:Ronnie Coleman.

Benny:Originator of the air fryer.

Argyle:It was just so great seeing the Instagram comments.

Argyle:Dude, Ronnie doesn't.

Argyle:I'm right.

Gamemaster:I missed if I, like, increase it, it shows the secret fry recipe.

Gamemaster:Cut whole potatoes into long, wavy pieces.

Gamemaster:Spay baking tray and potatoes with cooking spray, like Pam, to help them brown.

Gamemaster:Place them in the oven and let them cook for 45 minutes.

Gamemaster:Then smother in ketchup and barbecue sauce to complete the illusion of a cheat meal.

Gamemaster:That's not, you just made fries with ketchup.

Johnny:Wait, he's a smoker in barbecue sauce?

Benny:Barbecue?

Benny:The unhealthiest part of that is the ketchup and barbecue sauce.

Benny:What the fuck?

Gamemaster:They're technically not fries.

Argyle:It's just so funny that he's just like... Roddy, you just... It's just so fucking funny.

Benny:He tells people he's eating... I don't know.

Benny:These are potatoes.

Benny:These aren't fries.

Benny:Like, what does he say?

Benny:What does he think they are?

Gamemaster:They're bakes.

Argyle:Yeah, the bass...

Gamemaster:Completely different.

Benny:So what I imagine he would say, like, fries, you fry them.

Benny:These are bakes.

Gamemaster:It fooled fellow bodybuilders into thinking he was eating junk food during contest prep.

Argyle:God, that was so fucking funny.

Argyle:I'm going to see if I can find the video.

Gamemaster:It didn't fool him.

Benny:Fooled.

Johnny:He was.

Gamemaster:He was just eating fries.

Johnny:I just parked really close.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Tricked you.

Gamemaster:Ha ha.

Gamemaster:Gotcha.

Benny:You just slam a car into someone's store.

Benny:They're just like, for a second there, I thought you ran a fucking car into my store.

Benny:Like, no, I just drove into it.

Benny:I just parked really close.

Gamemaster:He has, on his YouTube channel, he has a series of recipes.

Johnny:Oh, I'm so sorry.

Gamemaster:And just looking through, they're so silly.

Gamemaster:His recipe for his burger is a frozen burger that he heats up.

Gamemaster:That's it.

Gamemaster:I don't know if you've ever seen, like, the Bubba Burger frozen burgers.

Argyle:Oh, God.

Gamemaster:That's it.

Gamemaster:That's the recipe.

Gamemaster:You made a burger.

Gamemaster:You did it.

Benny:Now, when I make sliders, I make them this way.

Benny:I make them special.

Benny:He just pulls out, like, White Castle sliders frozen in the fucking...

Gamemaster:You cannot look at this and tell me that it's not fries.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:What am I looking at?

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:I love that I can imagine him eating this in front of other bodybuilders in the gym and being like, they're going to think I'm eating fries, these idiots.

Benny:But also, they're definitely tricked.

Argyle:Maybe they'll eat fries and do worse.

Johnny:I would get a sprinkle cutter and make a little... What is happening?

Johnny:Why are there so many veins in this guy's head?

Benny:Like, the other bodybuilders, because they're meatheads, they're like, how the fuck is Ryan eating fries right now?

Argyle:It's also funny when you see, like,

Argyle:I follow this, like, one bodybuilder on Instagram.

Argyle:And he has just, like, fully ascended.

Argyle:He only sees macros.

Argyle:So, like, his breakfast is, like, tater tots.

Argyle:And, like, he makes, like, loaded chili cheese tater tots.

Argyle:But it's, like, all of the stuff is actually really lean.

Argyle:So it's, like, yeah, great macros.

Argyle:But you're eating chili cheese tater tots for breakfast.

Argyle:His, like, other breakfast is, like, he'll eat, like, what is it?

Argyle:I think it's just Rice Krispies, like, the most bland cereal.

Johnny:Hi, Denner.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:There's rice, effectively.

Argyle:But then he'll, like, he's, like, he's, like, but I don't know if you guys know this.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:Hey, Tanner.

Argyle:He's, like, you can buy actual marshmallows, like, from the marshmallows, like, Lucky Charms.

Argyle:You can buy them separate.

Argyle:And he's like, and then I weigh them and I get exactly 100 grams.

Argyle:And it's fine because I track all the macros.

Argyle:And it's like, you're just making, you're assembling your own cereal.

Johnny:So he just made Lucky Charms the long way.

Johnny:Is that ascending, or is that... Did he... Like, is his brain just fried?

Argyle:But he's like, he's just like, dude, I don't know, man.

Argyle:He only sees, he's not limited by our simple brains.

Benny:you you

Argyle:He sees all the macros.

Johnny:No.

Johnny:No, there's no... Okay, there's no way in hell my simple brain would go, ah, this is the best macro cereal, so if I weigh out 100 marshmallows...

Argyle:well he does Fairlife Pro vanilla protein milk and then he pours that because he's like well I need these carbs anyway but now I get this perfectly rounded breakfast yeah

Johnny:This guy's just long-walking himself into a regular American breakfast.

Johnny:And it probably cost three times as much.

Benny:He's going to invent bananas.

Gamemaster:but he knows exactly what's in it.

Benny:He's going to invent bananas from... Honestly...

Gamemaster:If you asked me how many grams of marshmallows are in a cup of Lucky Charms, I would know.

Anzu:I need potassium.

Argyle:You wouldn't know.

Gamemaster:But if I purchased Lucky Charms marshmallows and Lucky Charms the other bit of the cereal, and then I mixed them together, I know exactly how much is in there.

Johnny:I can't argue there.

Argyle:And then you... But then he swaps the milk out for the protein thing.

Johnny:I've got.

Argyle:So he has like 40 grams of protein and then the perfect amount of carbs.

Gamemaster:Yum.

Gamemaster:Delicious.

Johnny:And then he eats crinkle cut potatoes for lunch, but they're not fries.

Argyle:They're not right.

Anzu:Yeah, I saw that AI overview.

Benny:Look.

Argyle:Did it.

Anzu:It seemed a little suspect.

Gamemaster:And then it's not fries.

Argyle:Do you know Ronnie Coleman?

Anzu:I don't, but gotta say, kind of sound like fries.

Argyle:He's like this really prolific bodybuilder.

Argyle:But he had this one video recently where he's like, I tricked all the other bodybuilders.

Argyle:They'd see me eating my prep and they thought it was fries, but it wasn't.

Argyle:Here's how you make it.

Argyle:you get some potatoes, you cut them really thin, use a crinkle cutter, and then you bake them really crispy.

Argyle:And he's like, and all of them thought I was eating fries.

Argyle:And all the comments are like, if Ronnie says they're not fries, they're not fried, guys.

Anzu:I mean, they're baked, which I assume is what he's getting at, but still.

Argyle:Yeah.

Anzu:Alright, that's crazy.

Benny:Yeah, they are.

Argyle:Wait, let's see the, like...

Argyle:Have you seen... There's a video of him.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:This is the guy.

Argyle:This is what you should know him for.

Argyle:Besides the fries.

Gamemaster:He's got tree trunks for legs.

Johnny:I gotta go watch this video.

Johnny:One sec.

Argyle:Lightweight!

Argyle:Lightweight, baby!

Gamemaster:Looks scary.

Anzu:Must be the potatoes.

Gamemaster:Must be the potatoes.

Gamemaster:You're right.

Benny:Not the fries.

Argyle:speed.

Benny:Fries are junk food.

Gamemaster:He doesn't eat fries.

Gamemaster:Although, when I was looking through his recipes, because I found one for chicken, which I'm pretty sure is just baked chicken.

Gamemaster:Like, that's the whole recipe.

Gamemaster:He does, he does, I haven't seen it yet, obviously, but he has a video where he ranks his favorite fast food.

Gamemaster:It's possible fries shows up there.

Gamemaster:So he knows the difference.

Argyle:He was also a New York City, I think, detective?

Argyle:I know he was at least a cop.

Gamemaster:What?

Argyle:While maintaining all of this.

Anzu:Would not want to get in his way.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:He said he used to have to, during mid-prep, because he couldn't get enough protein in during the day, he'd have to wake up at like 2 in the morning to just eat grilled chicken.

Johnny:That was a crazy video.

Johnny:That's too far, man.

Johnny:These people are going too far.

Argyle:He wants so many things.

Johnny:Is it worth it?

Johnny:Is it worth it to wake up at 3 a.m.

Johnny:and eat a chicken breast?

Anzu:Guys, I accidentally offended one of Noah's friends while commenting on a similar topic to this the other night.

Johnny:How do you sleep after that?

Gamemaster:Oh.

Argyle:Oh, what'd you do?

Anzu:I was like, yeah.

Benny:He said it.

Benny:He finally said it.

Anzu:No, I didn't say it.

Argyle:Let the record show he said it.

Johnny:He said it.

Johnny:He did say it.

Anzu:I forget exactly what we were talking about, but I was like, yeah, man, some people really go crazy, like, you know, counting the macros and stuff like that.

Anzu:And he put his hands up.

Anzu:He's like, hey, listen, I don't do that anymore.

Anzu:And I was like, I'm sorry, I don't know you.

Johnny:My friend Blake used to be a very serious powerlifter.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:His breakfast was like microwaved egg whites and like white rice or something.

Benny:I don't think there's much... I don't do it.

Johnny:I had a conversation with him and he was like, it takes too long to put my pre-workout into a shaker and shake it up and then drink it, so I just take a scoop and eat it straight.

Argyle:Dry scoop it.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:Yeah.

Johnny:Oh, and this is a thing?

Johnny:Do you guys both do this?

Argyle:No, people also dry scoop because it's just it hits you quicker.

Benny:I only do it with protein.

Argyle:Sam dry scooped.

Argyle:She used to dry scoop in college.

Argyle:Kumar and her used to dry scoop.

Johnny:Okay, you telling me that Sam did something does not make it more legitimate.

Anzu:He's right about that.

Anzu:Oh.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:Tanner, all my friends really like you.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:They told me they were like, oh, so nice of you to come.

Argyle:Oh.

Benny:Except for Blake.

Anzu:Very nice.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Anzu:They're all good folk.

Johnny:Except for Blake.

Johnny:He went home and cried.

Anzu:Yeah.

Anzu:I kind of ruined his persona.

Argyle:He went home and ate fries.

Anzu:His past persona.

Benny:He's in the kitchen crying, reaching for some fucking electrolytes.

Benny:How much am I losing right now?

Benny:Yeah, but you guys have to look at this real quick.

Johnny:Not going to space.

Gamemaster:Do we want to play some Pathfinder?

Gamemaster:Or is there anything else we got?

Gamemaster:That's a pen.

Argyle:Tanner, why don't you bring that up?

Anzu:Ooh, would that pen work in space?

Benny:It's a pen.

Gamemaster:Space pen?

Benny:This one doesn't, no.

Anzu:Oh, shit.

Gamemaster:No.

Benny:Wait, hold on.

Benny:Wait, wait, wait.

Benny:Tanner, ask it again.

Benny:Ask it again.

Benny:This one does, yeah.

Anzu:Does that pen work in space?

Anzu:Oh, wow.

Gamemaster:Does it work underwater, though?

Benny:Yes.

Gamemaster:Nice.

Benny:Hand upside down.

Johnny:We're going to space.

Gamemaster:That's useful for all of those times that you're in space and underwater.

Argyle:We all know space is actually underwater.

Benny:That's why I don't use that pen, Josh.

Benny:This is the pen for when I'm in space.

Gamemaster:Yeah, wait.

Benny:This is the one that I use right now.

Gamemaster:Does the space pet work when you're just a general on the ground?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:in atmosphere.

Benny:It only works in space.

Johnny:No, it only.

Gamemaster:Right.

Benny:No, it writes too thick.

Benny:It's got oil-based?

Benny:I'm a gel pen guy.

Benny:This takes a lot of different... Also, this stupid fucking tiny pen, which I love how small it is, nothing fits in it.

Benny:I've literally spent $30 trying to find a fucking refill that I can cut to put into that fucking pen and none of them fit.

Gamemaster:What's the recommended refill from the person that you originally bought it from?

Benny:Their refill, which is oil-based and too thick.

Gamemaster:Does it... Oh.

Benny:Like...

Argyle:You know, there's old military cars that people have that's like, this can run on cooking oil.

Argyle:It can run on anything.

Argyle:I was imagining you got one of those pens and you're like, I just put fruit oil in here.

Benny:I just roll up to McDonald's and get the fry oil.

Argyle:It's just like, I get cooking oil.

Argyle:You just have greasy signatures.

Johnny:So gross.

Gamemaster:What do you mean one of the requirements?

Johnny:You have a notebook and it's just like soaked through.

Anzu:Ugh.

Benny:This can write through grease too.

Argyle:Smells like burger grease.

Benny:The space...

Johnny:Why does your entire office smell like a McDonald's?

Benny:The space pen can write through grease.

Benny:That was actually one of the requirements.

Benny:That was one of the main... I don't know.

Johnny:It's a lot of grease and things.

Gamemaster:You needed a pen that writes through grease?

Benny:I don't know what they were dealing with in fucking Apollo 14.

Johnny:You don't know about little space grease?

Argyle:I feel like they could have just used a Sharpie.

Gamemaster:So, what was... What was so special about the first pin that you showed us, other than it had, like, a neat frame?

Johnny:Wait.

Benny:So do you see this tiny bolt here?

Benny:It's titanium Damascus.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:Hmm.

Benny:It does nothing besides be very, very difficult.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:It looks kind of cool, but it's very, very difficult to work with.

Benny:So they charge you a bunch of money to put it on the pen.

Benny:And then it has my initials on it.

Anzu:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:And it's titanium.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Anzu:That's fun.

Benny:It's titanium, the whole thing.

Gamemaster:That's fun.

Gamemaster:So you could, like, eat it and then it wouldn't cause any damage.

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:Cool.

Gamemaster:Cool, cool, cool.

Benny:These pens have a lifetime warranty.

Argyle:You know, it'd be amazing.

Argyle:It's so funny.

Argyle:If Mike was able to send that back in time to, like, ancient Greece.

Argyle:And then you're like, your sword?

Argyle:Actually easier to make than this pen.

Argyle:Take a look at it.

Argyle:You couldn't make this metal.

Benny:They would kill me like they did Archimedes and Jesus.

Benny:They'd be like, he's on the same level.

Benny:Get him out of here.

Gamemaster:That sounds right.

Johnny:I really like that.

Gamemaster:I believe that.

Johnny:They would kill me like they did Archimedes and Jesus.

Gamemaster:Did they kill Archimedes?

Benny:The Romans?

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:What the hell is that?

Gamemaster:Why'd they kill him?

Gamemaster:Because he had a really cool pen?

Benny:I think he was drawing something.

Benny:Actually, I do think it was pen related.

Benny:He was drawing something in the sand and they're like, fucking idiot.

Benny:What kind of screw?

Benny:Screw you.

Benny:And then they stabbed him.

Johnny:Are you sure it wasn't the mirrored War machine to use the sun to burn up ships?

Anzu:Wow.

Gamemaster:yeah what is it with with like eccentric geniuses and trying to build death rays because tesla also tried to do that like at some point are you just like i need to try building a death ray just to see if i can

Johnny:The Archimedes death ray?

Benny:yeah he showed that to me like nerd and then just killed him oh my god he did

Argyle:The king of random did it.

Argyle:Grant Thompson.

Argyle:R.I.P.

Benny:Von Neumann did it?

Johnny:Did they kill him too?

Argyle:No, he killed himself in a wingsuit.

Benny:I don't know if he killed himself.

Gamemaster:If you go to the... If you go to the wiki for Death Ray, there's like a list of people who have all claimed to have attempted to build one.

Argyle:He fucked up.

Benny:He definitely didn't prevent it, but he... Yeah.

Gamemaster:Like, if I built a Death Ray, I don't think I'm going around telling people, oh yeah, I've been working on, for years, a way to kill people with a death beam.

Gamemaster:That's something I'm working towards.

Argyle:One other thing before we start, Tanner, I hope your family member is okay.

Gamemaster:Crazy.

Johnny:Thank you.

Anzu:Yeah, it was kind of wild, but hopefully it'll be better.

Anzu:I think he's got a UTI or something like that, and that can make you kind of delusional.

Argyle:Yeah.

Anzu:And mentally, he's in a very bad way.

Anzu:So we'll see where that goes.

Anzu:I appreciate it.

Argyle:Let's know if there's anything we can do from over here.

Anzu:Yeah.

Gamemaster:On that note, we'll play some Pathfinder.

Anzu:yeah let's do it you

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

Gamemaster:Since it feels like it's been a while, even though I don't actually think it has.

Benny:I'll do it.

Gamemaster:Mike's got it.

Argyle:Great.

Benny:I'll get the hero point.

Benny:Yeah, I'll just take the hero point.

Benny:Oh yeah, so we started off arriving at the Strider.

Benny:Big, big Strider.

Benny:Eight legs on each side.

Benny:A lot of notes about the detailed description of the Strider.

Benny:Just...

Benny:how deep it is, how tall it is, the amount of legs.

Benny:Spheres.

Benny:More about the Strider.

Benny:Weird Harlequins walking... What are they called?

Benny:Gimps around.

Benny:Same thing.

Gamemaster:Orts.

Gamemaster:They're called orts.

Benny:We have, like, an awkward, like, HOA-type chat with them, where they, like, walk over, like, oh, you got a new in the neighborhood?

Benny:Oh, yeah, okay.

Benny:Well, park over there.

Benny:Delivery's coming on this day.

Benny:We let them in.

Benny:We make whatever.

Benny:So we go to the parking garage.

Benny:The Hildebrandt Corp was the only other people that were there.

Benny:We go to the top.

Benny:It's a bunch of grass.

Benny:At our plot, we...

Benny:plant the seed of inspiration.

Benny:And in doing so, we plant a real seed to grow a heart.

Benny:Process still unclear.

Benny:We named our butler Chuck, who very, I guess, passively accepted the name.

Benny:Didn't really want one.

Benny:Let's see.

Benny:We have to beat up a bunch of shit to power the heart.

Benny:We do that.

Benny:We got a lot.

Benny:I don't know.

Benny:We didn't get the maximum.

Benny:I thought they'd keep spawning and we'd do it until we died.

Anzu:Oh, and you're gone.

Gamemaster:Did his audio crash for everybody else?

Argyle:Thank you.

Benny:Not for me.

Johnny:Mm hmm.

Gamemaster:Okay, well now you sound fine.

Anzu:Alright, pick back up where you were.

Benny:Yeah, yeah.

Benny:So we beat up a bunch of stuff to have the heart drink up.

Benny:And then I imagine at some point during the battle, the heart gained sentience and then heard us argue over a name for like 15 minutes.

Benny:We did land on ear that hears the truth.

Benny:We chose star focus because we're ballers.

Benny:So we get an extra five HP for breakfast.

Benny:We can't eat it.

Benny:It's as a result of eating the breakfast.

Argyle:you

Benny:And then we get discounts crafting.

Benny:And then Chuck went through the rest of the amenities.

Benny:They have a toenail shining place, a gym, an acrobatic studio, and a barber that only knows how to make one haircut.

Gamemaster:I mean, yeah.

Johnny:We all have bullets now.

Anzu:I feel like there was embellishment in there.

Benny:Listen, my notes are very matter-of-fact, all right?

Benny:This is...

Argyle:If Mike said there's a barber that only does one haircut, there's only a barber that does one haircut.

Benny:I'm looking at it and I'm like... Everyone has a fucking flat top.

Anzu:Well... No.

Benny:It's just a... You go in, even if you come in bald, you leave with a flat top.

Johnny:It's a flat top.

Argyle:It's a GTA barber.

Johnny:Wait, when you say flat top, how tall is it?

Anzu:I was going to say... Well, that really ruffles my feathers.

Benny:I'm bored with a flat top.

Johnny:Bird with a flat top.

Gamemaster:For the record, I do also want to point out this was something that I noticed after the end of the last session.

Gamemaster:You can keep the name, it's fine.

Gamemaster:Here's the truth.

Gamemaster:It is actually the name of a mythic feat that half of the party has.

Gamemaster:Um...

Johnny:No wonder it sounded so good.

Argyle:think I have with it.

Argyle:I guess we can just do the voice of judgment.

Benny:Wait, hold on.

Gamemaster:Mike isn't, like, Benny is not one of the people that has that feat.

Anzu:Son of a bitch.

Gamemaster:But that is, in fact, a mythic feat that some of you have.

Gamemaster:Which, actually, what does it do?

Anzu:Ear said, hear the truth.

Gamemaster:Yeah, what does it give you?

Gamemaster:Yeah, I guess.

Benny:Well, this is ear that hears the truth, so it's a little different.

Benny:That was just subconsciously injected in me because I didn't read that at all.

Benny:And I thought of the name before the battle started because I was like, oh, fuck, we're going to have to come up with a heart name.

Gamemaster:It just showed up in your head.

Benny:I was just like,

Argyle:You might have selected that in one of your one-shot characters.

Benny:That's possible.

Anzu:I don't have it.

Argyle:All right.

Gamemaster:It lets you get a hero point.

Gamemaster:Oh no, it lets you spend a hero point when sensing motive or rolling initiative.

Gamemaster:Your heart doesn't let you do that.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Gamemaster:Even if they share the same name.

Gamemaster:You don't get the benefits of the mythic feat.

Johnny:Ooh.

Anzu:I spent a...

Gamemaster:Sorry.

Anzu:small amount of brain power just thinking of possible alternative names and couldn't come up with anything besides Chronicle, which I had said in the last session.

Argyle:Chronicle could be our group name.

Anzu:That's not a bad idea.

Gamemaster:Hey, you guys.

Argyle:And I kind of like it because then we're just done.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you guys independently coming up with a name for your group before I put you on the spot and ask you what it is, is awesome.

Gamemaster:Just from a preparing kind of way, because I will ask you at some point.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:Chronicle.

Benny:Thank you.

Argyle:Not a bad name.

Argyle:That or the voice of many.

Argyle:Sorry, the voice of few.

Argyle:That's a cool name.

Gamemaster:I stand by you can't make your name a pun based on the name of a character that most of the people in the campaign have not interacted with.

Johnny:Thank you.

Argyle:Yeah, but even that character aside, the voice of the few is so cool.

Argyle:There's a few of us.

Argyle:We're the voice of a few.

Argyle:It's kind of sick.

Gamemaster:It makes you sound like tyrants at best.

Anzu:Makes us sound like the 1% of the 1%.

Argyle:No, it makes it sound like cult leaders.

Gamemaster:Like the whole point of... Yeah.

Argyle:It's different.

Gamemaster:You're everything Bernie Sanders would hate.

Johnny:Oh, no.

Gamemaster:And I don't know if you want that for yourselves.

Argyle:Bernie hates himself, so it's okay.

Gamemaster:I don't think that's true, but okay.

Argyle:Well.

Anzu:And I guess the sound of music is off the table as well.

Johnny:Actually, Josh, are we subject to copyright laws?

Anzu:Because copyright.

Gamemaster:Do you really want to be associated with media that has Nazis in it?

Gamemaster:That's the message you want to send?

Gamemaster:You're pro-Nazi media?

Johnny:But, wait, aren't they pretty explicit the Nazis aren't great?

Anzu:That's a good point.

Benny:Wait, are there Nazis in that?

Gamemaster:Yeah, I'm not talking about anything that happens in the movie.

Argyle:And don't name our superhero name Stormfront.

Gamemaster:I'm just saying there are Nazis in it.

Anzu:He just means they're there.

Johnny:Oh, anything with Nazis in it is bad.

Anzu:Uh-huh.

Gamemaster:You know.

Anzu:So you better not be a fan of Indiana Jones either because I think that's out.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I'm not.

Gamemaster:Okay, I stand by the fact that there is a villain in The Boys named Stormfront and it's a secret that she's a neo-Nazi is crazy to me.

Gamemaster:Like, that's wild.

Johnny:Listen, there's a lot of people who watch that show and don't get that it's trashing on Republicans.

Johnny:So I feel like the...

Gamemaster:It's crazy satire, I suppose.

Argyle:It's not even good anymore.

Argyle:After the second season, I thought it just kept getting worse and worse.

Argyle:Anyway, it's fine.

Argyle:It's fine.

Gamemaster:Pathfinder.

Anzu:Yes, let's do it.

Gamemaster:We're finding some paths where we're doing that.

Gamemaster:We ended last session and we pick up this session in your newly constructed home and slash or fame.

Gamemaster:Erie is hanging out in the center of your home.

Gamemaster:If you recall, he is set up to be, his representation is that of a kind of floating, permanently scrolling piece of parchment with a number of armatures on the front that draw these kind of Mandela-like patterns that appear face-like if you squint while it's talking.

Gamemaster:Projected around him is your Fane, which is split up into the three sections.

Gamemaster:You have your bunks, barracks, large hotel room-ish type area in one wing.

Gamemaster:You have your workshop in another wing, and you have your kitchen, toiletries, all of that kind of stuff, third area slash wing, all radiating out from the center point of where your heart is.

Gamemaster:That is all...

Gamemaster:Very subject to change, especially as you go and, if you feel so inclined, feed more energy to Eerie.

Gamemaster:The Fane is under its control, and really the only limit here is the amount of energy it has to work with.

Gamemaster:That said, you're all set up.

Gamemaster:Your butler...

Gamemaster:Chuck is not around because he had left you, if I recall, I think Argyle was the one that had it.

Gamemaster:He gave you a mini figurine that looks like a miniature version of him.

Gamemaster:And if you crush it, he will appear.

Argyle:MOC.

Gamemaster:and he'll give you another one so that you can summon him at a later date.

Gamemaster:But for the time being, you guys are one of the first to arrive onto the Strider.

Gamemaster:You have kind of free roam of the place.

Gamemaster:You have a meeting set up.

Gamemaster:uh as per your request with chuck uh with the master of ceremonies uh tomorrow evening um as well as you would see him uh there is you know uh you're here a week before the departure date the evening of the departure date there's going to be a large welcoming gala uh that all of the

Gamemaster:All of the invitees, everybody with a keystone will be able to attend, and you'd see him there as well.

Gamemaster:But for the interstitial time, you are here on the Strider.

Gamemaster:You have access, if you need to, to get down both into Ragged Roost, the town below, and you have access to a car, if need be, if you wanted to drive elsewhere.

Gamemaster:But you just kind of have some time to do as you please on the Strider for the next few days.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Argyle:Our neighbors, what's their fame look like?

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Argyle:Did they just bring a bunch of magic items that they just ingested into it and now it's a castle?

Gamemaster:So the, your neighbors are, it was Hildebrandt was the only one that's come in so far, I believe.

Gamemaster:I mean, you could always go in and ask if you want to.

Anzu:Yeah.

Argyle:Why the fuck did they get here so quick?

Argyle:No, no, I want to invite them tomorrow.

Argyle:Let's make a cookout tomorrow.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you're welcome to do that.

Gamemaster:If you want, you can either walk over yourself or you can have Chuck deliver an invitation on your behalf.

Argyle:That's better.

Argyle:Let's do that.

Argyle:I crushed the thing.

Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.

Argyle:I say we're doing it small.

Benny:What?

Gamemaster:you crush the thing it falls like powder out of your hand and where it lands it lands into the shape of Chuck substantially more dust falls out of your hands than would be created just from breaking the figurine he does a bow you've summoned me what

Benny:No!

Argyle:Yes.

Argyle:Is that a cat?

Argyle:Oh, I couldn't tell from perspective if that was like a golden retriever in the background.

Gamemaster:No, he's big and brown, but he's just a cat.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:It's a big cat.

Johnny:Big cat.

Johnny:Hey, big cat.

Argyle:Hello, Chuck.

Gamemaster:He's big.

Johnny:Hey, Chuck.

Gamemaster:Yeah, Chuck, after coming out of the bow, he reaches into his suit, and he takes out another figurine, like the one that you just crushed, and puts it back into your hands.

Argyle:Take it back.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Argyle:May you invite our neighbors to a small cookout that we will be hosting tomorrow at 1 p.m.?

Gamemaster:Of course.

Gamemaster:This is to the Hildebrandt Corporation now.

Argyle:Yes.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Argyle:Tell them to bring their swim trunks if they have any.

Johnny:Do we have a pool?

Gamemaster:I will do so.

Gamemaster:You do not have a pool.

Argyle:That is correct.

Gamemaster:I... It is not my place to question.

Anzu:Do you know what their head count is over there?

Gamemaster:I will be off.

Gamemaster:Yes?

Gamemaster:There are a relatively small contingent.

Gamemaster:I believe six people, all told.

Argyle:Oh, excellent, excellent.

Gamemaster:If you recall, they came in two vehicles tied together with a cord.

Anzu:Right.

Gamemaster:I believe it was three to a vehicle.

Anzu:Yes, very clever.

Argyle:Yes, yes.

Anzu:All right, thank you.

Argyle:Do you have any other information about them?

Argyle:Like, what do they do?

Gamemaster:About what does Hildebrandt Corporation do?

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:to make the airframe.

Gamemaster:Yes, Hildebrandt is an airline manufacturer.

Argyle:Oh, they only have six people for a whole airline.

Argyle:Perplexing.

Gamemaster:No, they did not have the entirety of their organization attend.

Benny:Mm hmm.

Gamemaster:I imagine you would be the only organization that would have a majority of your members entering onto the pilgrimage.

Argyle:No, we have a majority back home.

Gamemaster:I apologize.

Gamemaster:I suppose my information is out of date.

Argyle:Yes, we've done recruiting.

Gamemaster:Congratulations, sir.

Argyle:Thank you.

Argyle:All right, so that is it.

Argyle:Thank you, Chuck.

Gamemaster:That said, absolutely.

Argyle:Please let us know if they accept.

Argyle:I intend them to.

Argyle:Be persuasive if you can.

Gamemaster:I will let them know

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:And I will return to you if there are any issues.

Gamemaster:And with a snap, he crumbles into dust.

Argyle:I look at Johnny.

Benny:Does it just form a figurine?

Benny:No!

Gamemaster:No, the dust just floats away in the wind.

Argyle:Now it's bad to lie?

Argyle:It's just endgame.

Benny:No!

Benny:I got a glass.

Gamemaster:He got snapped.

Benny:That don't feel so good.

Argyle:What would you guys like to do today?

Anzu:Well, is it late?

Anzu:Did we drive here today?

Anzu:Do we need to get groceries?

Gamemaster:You did drive here today.

Argyle:We did.

Gamemaster:It's starting to be around the evening.

Gamemaster:It's sunset, which is a mouthful.

Argyle:No, the heart can cook.

Anzu:Oh, awesome.

Argyle:Heart makes food.

Gamemaster:Right.

Argyle:Do you guys... I can make... I can start... Since we have downtime and I'm a medical researcher, I was thinking of just making potions or something.

Benny:bonds.

Argyle:Anything I should start churning out?

Johnny:um what let's see what kind of potions can we get at this level

Anzu:I mean the healing potions are always helpful in a bind.

Argyle:So we can make moderates 50 gold.

Gamemaster:Healing potion moderate.

Argyle:If I make it, is that full price?

Argyle:Or do I get 10?

Gamemaster:If you make it... If you make it, it's... You don't get the 10% off discount.

Gamemaster:Um...

Argyle:But it's in the crafting.

Argyle:I thought we got it from the crafting area.

Gamemaster:Oh, I'm sorry, yes.

Gamemaster:I thought you were referring to Smiler's discount.

Argyle:Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Gamemaster:Yeah, no, yeah, no.

Johnny:We're just going to run back.

Gamemaster:So if you're crafting it as part of the workshop you're crafting it, yes, you'd get that discount there.

Gamemaster:It's half price if you want to spend the days crafting it, or it's the full price if you want to immediately complete it.

Argyle:How many days is it?

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:And what feature are you using to craft it?

Gamemaster:Because it might speed up the...

Argyle:No, I don't think so.

Argyle:I have medical researcher.

Argyle:It just lets me not use crafting.

Argyle:It lets me use medicine.

Gamemaster:that's fine you supply raw materials with at least half uh

Argyle:I can make vaccines, healers kits, addiction suppressants, antidotes, anti-plagues, elixirs of life, and other non-magical... Okay.

Benny:We don't want autism.

Johnny:Do you make drugs?

Johnny:No drugs.

Gamemaster:If you don't have anything that speeds it up, we'll assume that you have the formula for this because of your feed, so it's one day.

Gamemaster:Yeah, if you want to complete it immediately, you spend the full price minus the 10%, so 45 gold pieces per, and it's one day per potion.

Argyle:Sounds good.

Argyle:If I draw it out, how much do I save a day?

Gamemaster:If you... You... Second...

Gamemaster:Each day you work on it, you'd save an additional two gold pieces.

Argyle:We got a week.

Argyle:Might as well save.

Johnny:Just hanging out, yeah.

Argyle:So 10% and then 12 gold plus the 10%.

Argyle:So we get...

Argyle:It's 5 plus 12 minus 50.

Benny:you you

Argyle:OK, I'll put that down.

Johnny:Josh, I would like to find just like a big public area that has some sort of wall or something and then just get a big piece of paper and write audition signups and just nail it up there.

Gamemaster:What other information is on it?

Gamemaster:Like, where is it pointing the people to?

Johnny:I'm going to say see Johnny Skyfall at Iconoclasm.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:But no information on what they're auditioning for.

Johnny:That's it.

Argyle:No, no, no.

Argyle:We're the Chronicle.

Johnny:Nope.

Gamemaster:Just, okay.

Gamemaster:That's totally fine.

Argyle:I also have two other things I'd like to do while we're waiting.

Argyle:I'd like to ask the twins if they can start working on a new bonnet for the car.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:And then I'd also like to go to the car to get some stuff.

Gamemaster:When you say go to the car to get some stuff, do you mean out of the trunk or do you want to drive it someplace?

Argyle:Out of the truck.

Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.

Gamemaster:You are welcome to get to the garage that you had originally been in.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:You can get access to your car, so that's fine.

Gamemaster:You can put Anouk and Anaïs on the task of constructing a new bonnet for the car.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:You know for a fact it is not going to match the car, but you can get a cover for the engine.

Gamemaster:So at the very least, like, dust and stuff doesn't get it.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Benny:of course we're having a cookout

Gamemaster:So they will...

Argyle:And see if they could take a look at the engine, too, just to make sure nothing got too dusty or something.

Argyle:I don't know.

Gamemaster:Yeah, they will take a look in it.

Argyle:Their mechanics.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:And what are you grabbing out of the trunk?

Argyle:I was going to grab some of the two crates of polar shiv.

Johnny:Some gasoline.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Right, yeah, you need drinks.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I get it.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:Fuller shift.

Gamemaster:It is funny that despite the fact that there is no connection between Arctos and Argyle, that Argyle is pushing the polar shiv so heavily.

Gamemaster:But listen, he's a fan.

Argyle:It's cool that we have a can.

Gamemaster:Yeah, he's just a fan.

Gamemaster:I get it.

Gamemaster:Okay, so you get the stuff.

Gamemaster:Is there anything else you guys would like to do before your cookout that you're hosting tomorrow?

Gamemaster:If not, we could just skip to that.

Benny:Benny will go to the gym.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:He won't talk to them, but are there anyone from Hildebrandt at the gym that he can tell?

Gamemaster:Make a reception check.

Argyle:Well, I would assume anyone who's not us in the gym.

Argyle:You don't need to tell if they're from Hildebrandt just if they're there.

Benny:That is...

Argyle:Towels.

Johnny:You just look over.

Benny:Well, no, no, no.

Benny:That's the thing.

Benny:I imagine there are attendants at the gym and it's just like, can you imagine like every 15 feet, there's just someone that's just like handing, like a Harlequin handing out like the wipe down.

Benny:Yeah, like... 26.

Argyle:Eucalyptus towels.

Johnny:It's just Argyle trying to teach Johnny to bench, but it's just the bar and he's got his back arched all the way.

Gamemaster:26.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Looking around the gym, just to see who's there besides you, there are a handful...

Gamemaster:of things in the gym.

Gamemaster:I don't know if people is necessarily the right term for all of them.

Gamemaster:Besides you, there are... This is a nice gym.

Gamemaster:I don't know if any of you have been in a lifetime.

Gamemaster:This is equivalent to that.

Gamemaster:in that it's more of a luxury experience than it is just a place to pick up and put down weights.

Gamemaster:It is well-staffed, mostly by orts, although every once in a while there is a harlequin around, both to help direct you, to act as personal trainers if you need it.

Gamemaster:You gather they're not going to get a lot of use this particular stay.

Gamemaster:As well as there are...

Gamemaster:As you get up to the higher floor, it looks like there's some kind of arena or ring of some kind, and there are harlequins that are present to act as sparring partners and the like.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Besides that, for actual people, there are, besides you, three people in the entirety of this five-floor gym.

Gamemaster:Um...

Gamemaster:Two of them are next to each other.

Gamemaster:They seem to be friendly in some way, working together, like sharing a set of a barbell.

Gamemaster:One of them is this tall...

Gamemaster:He's definitely on the older side, like maybe late-ish 60s, but clearly still has a bit of muscle behind him because he is easily moving twice his weight up and down.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:He's got this interesting bluish, almost cracked-looking skin.

Gamemaster:At first glance, it looks like he's made almost out of ice.

Gamemaster:You think that he's maybe some kind of weird fairy-related subrace.

Gamemaster:Definitely some human in there, but not human.

Gamemaster:He is talking to somebody who, despite the fact that they are in an active workout, is wearing a three-piece suit.

Gamemaster:It is a black suit with this gold trim on it.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:He's a lizardfolk.

Gamemaster:He's got gold scales.

Gamemaster:He looks almost like a miniaturized dragon.

Gamemaster:He is heavily scarred.

Gamemaster:This person has seen a lot of bites.

Gamemaster:They are missing one of their eyes.

Gamemaster:It looks like something cut all the way through, but they've foregone putting Anaïs patch or anything onto it.

Gamemaster:It's just like the cut through the socket.

Gamemaster:And once again, despite being in a gym, he's got this very ornate-looking rapier at his waist.

Gamemaster:With a 26, that is enough, although it's not a particularly high roll, to notice that the guy in the suit has on his lapel a small icon of what looks to be a Scale.

Gamemaster:the two of them are chatting, and then on another floor is Benny's wandering around looking at other people.

Gamemaster:There is a third, they look...

Gamemaster:You've never seen a person before that is as average as this person is.

Gamemaster:There's somebody on the treadmill, and at first glance, your eye just kind of goes right over them as if they're part of the scenery.

Gamemaster:And it takes concerted effort to be like, no, wait, that was a person, and to go back.

Gamemaster:They are what you would describe as a human of average height.

Gamemaster:They're moving like a reasonable speed on the treadmill, not particularly fast, not particularly slow.

Gamemaster:They look like they're having a little bit of difficulty, not a lot.

Gamemaster:They're wearing completely nondescript gray sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt.

Gamemaster:They're facing away from you.

Benny:Ah, that's so terrible.

Gamemaster:But if you had to picture what they look like in your head, you just take an average of everybody you've ever seen.

Gamemaster:And that's what you think they look like.

Gamemaster:That's it.

Gamemaster:Those are the three people.

Benny:Okay, so I guess Benny originally wasn't going to talk to them.

Benny:He's going to approach the old guy and the lizard.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Benny:Do you guys know if they do sparring?

Gamemaster:Uh, the, uh, the lizard will, will look over at you, because the old guy's in the middle of a set.

Gamemaster:The lizard looks over and says, yeah, they, um, they got a sparring, uh, uh, like, right up on the fourth floor.

Gamemaster:Why are you looking to get some reps in?

Gamemaster:Need a partner?

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Benny:Absolutely.

Benny:Are you down?

Gamemaster:Give me a second to finish out this spot.

Gamemaster:Uh, and, uh, they'll, they'll finish the set there.

Gamemaster:Um, he, uh, the, the lizard folk will, will stick his hand out, uh, for a handshake.

Argyle:them to the cookout if they're not in the Hilda brand.

Benny:Okay.

Gamemaster:Name's Ralph.

Gamemaster:Ralph Bishop.

Argyle:Cool, man.

Gamemaster:Who might I be talking to?

Benny:Benny.

Gamemaster:Benny.

Gamemaster:I'll shake your hand.

Gamemaster:Uh, the, the old man, uh, will, will similarly, uh, he seems familiar with the lizard folk.

Gamemaster:Like they know each other from outside of this.

Gamemaster:Uh, he'll look over at you and say, uh, Paavo.

Gamemaster:Uh, and he will reach into like, he's wearing athletic wear, uh, but he reaches into the pockets of his pants and he pulls out a business card.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Uh, and, and, uh, uh, Paavo will hand the business card over to you.

Gamemaster:The business card says, Paavo Karu, Aeronautics Engineer, Hildebrandt Corporation.

Argyle:Love a good Scale business card.

Gamemaster:This business card is not for the Scale.

Argyle:No, I know, but I mean like the people that follow the judge are like, we need business cards.

Gamemaster:It's for Hildebrandt.

Gamemaster:And they will, Paavo will be like, mind if I follow you guys up?

Gamemaster:It's been a while since I've seen Bishop in action.

Benny:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:And you all can head up to the fourth floor and do a little bit of sparring.

Gamemaster:I don't have a ring map, but, like...

Benny:That's fine.

Gamemaster:Are you, the question I have here is, are you trying to learn information about Bishop, about the lizard folk that you're fighting, like what he could do?

Gamemaster:Or is this just a way to like ingratiate yourself, get familiar with the guy?

Benny:Oh no, Benny's definitely... I mean, not sizing them up, but sizing up in a way where you're maybe an ally, maybe an adversary.

Gamemaster:Hmm.

Benny:Let's see what these people have that we're going to be on this trip with.

Benny:So Benny would... I mean, obviously it's not vicious sparring, but Benny would go in and would be playful and also try to identify a particular whatever...

Argyle:you

Gamemaster:The lizard's name is Ralph Bishop, although the other guy just referred to him as Bishop, so you imagine that's what he goes by.

Benny:uh he's doing and um what was sorry what was the the lizard's name again ralph i'm gonna

Gamemaster:I think I'm gonna make you roll an athletics check for this.

Gamemaster:For, like, as you spar to see if you can pull some info out.

Argyle:Big money no way, miss.

Argyle:Use a mythic if you need to.

Gamemaster:Wow.

Benny:Would Benny use his nanite surge?

Benny:I think he would.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:Nanite?

Argyle:But he's just a child.

Gamemaster:But he's just a boy!

Johnny:A regular kid walking around.

Benny:I'm just a boy.

Benny:I mean, these people didn't react as if Benny was just a boy, so I don't think he minds.

Argyle:I think they should be alarmed if they think there's just somehow just a normal-ass child here.

Gamemaster:What'd you get?

Benny:I think I'll just take the roll at 27.

Benny:It's so much of a risk with these fucking stupid points to get like a 2 or something.

Gamemaster:27.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:With a 27, this is obviously somebody who's experienced a lot of fighting.

Gamemaster:I would say he's been fighting for longer than Benny's been alive, but that's not actually a particularly long time.

Gamemaster:he's been fighting for multiple lifetimes of many.

Gamemaster:And he has the confidence to go with it.

Gamemaster:I think with the 27, the only thing of note that you pick out of this is there is a moment in your sparring where you kind of look away because the old man Paavo off to the side is saying something.

Gamemaster:And as you look away, he...

Gamemaster:you feel something compel you back into the sparring match onto him.

Argyle:Like what's pretty big?

Gamemaster:And that stands out to you as not something that you would have just naturally done.

Gamemaster:Other than that, though, the only real information you get with a 27 is that he is a strong fighter.

Gamemaster:But to what degree, not so much.

Gamemaster:Oh, of note, sorry.

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:This guy's... Raymond.

Gamemaster:Bright gold.

Gamemaster:Pretty big.

Argyle:Like bigger than ours?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:It's not massive.

Gamemaster:It's not like the biggest you've ever seen.

Gamemaster:If anything, it's interesting in that it looks dense.

Gamemaster:Like, it looks almost solid.

Benny:i should also mention oh sorry go ahead

Gamemaster:You would guess like a handful.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:If we were to rate it on a Scale from 1 to 20, you would guess it's like 3 or 4 steps above yours.

Johnny:Hope.

Gamemaster:So not ridiculously powerful, but clearly a practiced fighter in some form.

Gamemaster:The...

Gamemaster:The other guy, Paavo, the old man, has a golden raiment.

Gamemaster:It is maybe a little smaller than yours.

Gamemaster:It's larger than you'd expect an old man to have, by any means, but you think that if you fought him one-on-one, you'd probably be able to take him?

Anzu:Thank you.

Johnny:Old man versus young child.

Gamemaster:Yeah, yeah.

Benny:I also should mention that Benny's on fact-finding, but he also wants to put in a good performance for Iconoclasm and make sure that these people are like, all right, well, the kid can swing.

Benny:The kid can swing.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:With a 27, you're definitely holding your own.

Gamemaster:It's clear you're sparring.

Gamemaster:Nobody's going all out in this particular fight, but you feel that you have well demonstrated that you at least know what you're doing.

Benny:And then at the end, Benny will mention, you guys got our invitation to the cookout?

Gamemaster:Paavo, the old man, will say, yeah, we did.

Gamemaster:Looking forward to attending.

Gamemaster:I hope you don't mind I told Bishop about it even though he technically wasn't invited.

Gamemaster:I figured it was open.

Benny:Perfectly fine.

Benny:Especially after that.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Bishop will say it was a good fight.

Argyle:Why is it?

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Looking forward to meeting the rest of your merry crew.

Benny:You'll like him.

Gamemaster:So, if you'll excuse me, I have the rest of my team to get back to until he'll put the wrap.

Benny:Same.

Gamemaster:Okay, head on back.

Benny:Benny will leave.

Gamemaster:All right, anything else you guys would like to do?

Anzu:Something that I'm doing not just today, but in any of the passing time that we have in the next week.

Benny:No.

Anzu:In our previous downtime, I created a couple pieces of what I'll call void paper.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Anzu:And I'm just kind of almost like meditating and holding the void paper in a telekinetic hand.

Anzu:And just focusing on the pull that the paper feels and just really trying to get into a mind space and recognize that pull and just be aware of it, sort of.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:I would love it if you could do an occultism check for me, please.

Anzu:Yeah, sure.

Gamemaster:You don't have to if you don't want to.

Argyle:What the hell?

Anzu:I got a 38 crit.

Gamemaster:Nice.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:One piece of note.

Gamemaster:As you make these void paper, you know that as you let them go, they kind of pull voidward in, you imagine, the direction of the Voidsong's origin.

Gamemaster:Um, but over the course of the week, as you're, you're doing these experiments with it, as you're meditating on the void paper, uh, there is an event that stands out to you.

Gamemaster:Uh, over the course of the week, they are clearly like, while people are still filtering on, they are doing the final checks in the strider.

Gamemaster:They're making sure that everything is actually operational before they start adding forward.

Gamemaster:And one of those checks that they do is, for a few moments each day, the big set of rings that are suspended above the city, the rotating gyroscopic rings with the scoops on them, every once in a while, for a few moments a day...

Gamemaster:They spin, where the three rings spin against each other, and then those scoops, like wind veins almost, spin around them, never at constant speeds, always kind of flinging forward in one direction, and then backwards in another, and forward again.

Gamemaster:It's very similar to, if you've seen the motion of a double pendulum, it looks like that.

Gamemaster:It's almost chaotic in a way.

Gamemaster:During one of these tests, as those rings are spinning, you happen to have been meditating on the void paper.

Gamemaster:And you note that while the ring starts spinning, the paper stops pulling voidward and instead starts to pull towards the rings.

Gamemaster:Once the rings slow down as part of the experiment, then the pull goes back to the back voidward.

Gamemaster:But that is just like, with that, that's an interesting note I think you pick up there.

Anzu:yes yes

Gamemaster:Other than that, with a crit specifically, you note that while you're on the Strider, compared to while you were testing out this Void Paper in the Sin and Tonic, the pull is stronger here.

Gamemaster:I don't know if you necessarily have a specific theory about why or not, if Anzu does, but there is a noticeable but not very large increase in the amount of force that seems to be pulling on the paper from the spot.

Gamemaster:That's what you get on that roll.

Gamemaster:Anything else?

Gamemaster:If not, we will skip forward to the cookout.

Argyle:All right.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:The next day passes, so you're on your itinerary for this day, which you are told by Chuck, who appears in your living room to give you a nice little printed-out itinerary with two line items on it.

Gamemaster:The first one is 1 p.m.

Gamemaster:cookout, and then the second one is 7.30 p.m., meeting with the Master of Ceremonies before he crumbles into dust again.

Anzu:At the time that he visits us, I guess sometime in the morning, had anyone else shown up?

Gamemaster:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:If you ask him for other people that have shown up since you got your house set up, there have been a handful.

Argyle:They're invited to the cookout as well.

Gamemaster:He mentions that the Scale got in a little later after you yesterday.

Argyle:That makes sense.

Gamemaster:He mentions that Solari Sub-surface, which is a kind of logistics transport company, they got in overnight, like late into the evening, like 1, 2 a.m.

Gamemaster:And currently setting up, as of the time that you're asking, would be Amber Call, which is this health insurance company.

Johnny:Oh, no.

Gamemaster:So those are the people that are currently on the Strider with you.

Argyle:Do we invite them to or do we leave them out?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:No, we got to meet this guy and see if he knows who we are.

Anzu:Does he disclose what birth they're all in?

Argyle:Yeah, we invite them.

Benny:We invite him.

Gamemaster:He does... I don't, because I didn't assign these orgs to specific numbers.

Anzu:Okay.

Gamemaster:If it becomes relevant, I will... Like, I have... The only ones that I have birth numbers for are you guys, Hildebrandt, and Protectorate, because those are the ones where you know who got which key.

Anzu:Yeah.

Argyle:Yeah, we gotta check that out.

Gamemaster:But, yeah, if it becomes relevant, I can get them for you.

Anzu:I guess it's not really that important.

Gamemaster:The only thing that you might care about is specifically birth four, because there had been a request at some point over the course of this trip to unlock that door.

Benny:I guess.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:We gotta make sure it's extra locked.

Gamemaster:Either way.

Gamemaster:Either way, you can send out invites to the other orgs that have stopped by over the course of the time that you're there.

Argyle:Chuck.

Gamemaster:And you set up your cookout.

Gamemaster:You can get

Gamemaster:Craig?

Gamemaster:Kevin?

Gamemaster:What was his name?

Benny:Chuck.

Gamemaster:How have I forgotten that?

Gamemaster:Chuck.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Gamemaster:You can get Chuck to actually do the manual lifting of putting out tables and chairs and stuff.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Argyle:Right when guests start showing up, Argyle is going to cast Soothing Spring.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:to make a very large hot tub, effectively.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:A pool that is 20 feet on each side and five foot deep.

Argyle:It can fit 16 medium creatures or small at a time.

Argyle:People get some healing, reduce fatigue if they've been traveling a while.

Argyle:There's going to be a... We're getting some food from our hearts.

Argyle:We're going to have a little grill situation with burgers.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Argyle:And...

Johnny:I'm going to cast musical accompaniment on myself, but kind of blast it so it sounds like there's some music going.

Johnny:But it's oddly specifically centered on wherever I am in the party.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:And Argyle is going to be, instead of wearing his normal suit, he's going to be wearing his standard issue Scale swimwear since it's the 1940s.

Argyle:It's full body.

Argyle:And he'll be there popping some grill, flipping some burgers, handing out business cards.

Gamemaster:yay for the record for the record it's 1960s 1970s not 1940s so what you're thinking about like the the bathing suit of the time are those really really short like almost speedo bathing suits which is the complete opposite of what you've just what you've just said but that's fine if that's what you want to be wearing that's totally fine um

Johnny:Johnny is in jorts and top of boots.

Argyle:The Scale wouldn't put them in speedos, Josh.

Gamemaster:No, it's not actually Speedos, but it's pretty close.

Gamemaster:God, I googled 1970s men's bathing suit and the first thing that came up is two men wearing a bathing suit that has belt loops, which is crazy to me.

Benny:You don't want to walk around looking underdressed.

Benny:Put a fucking belt on.

Argyle:What's funny is the Gemini photo, even though I said bathing suit, put in boots, and I'm not going to be like, show the feet.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Johnny:Why does this look like a sweatsuit?

Benny:I would ask him and I'd show the feet.

Argyle:That's why Gemini sighs whenever you log on.

Johnny:What was up with the metamorphosis gene today?

Johnny:I hated that.

Benny:Whatever I've read or I'm reading is going to become... If I finish The Old Man and the Sea, it's going to be fucking that guy in a boat.

Argyle:I told Gemini to make it 1970s.

Argyle:So... I don't know.

Gamemaster:Does it look like the first one that you generated?

Gamemaster:I mean... How do you... Why do you have... Is that a towel?

Johnny:Oh no, he's got a towel.

Gamemaster:Is that a Gucci's towel?

Anzu:It looks like a shirt.

Gamemaster:Because that's... Yeah.

Johnny:What is...

Argyle:Anyway, Argyle's got cop glasses on.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:So... Okay.

Argyle:And this lasts for an hour.

Argyle:At the top of the hour, he'll make a new one.

Argyle:And then that's it for the day.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:So you invited the handful of orgs that are here.

Gamemaster:Almost all of them attend.

Gamemaster:Chuck does come back with a letter that in...

Gamemaster:like relatively cookie cutter, corporate speak, uh, regretfully cannot make this prior engagement.

Gamemaster:Uh, and it is signed, uh, by one, uh, Silven Grayson, uh, of Amber Call.

Gamemaster:Um, couldn't attend, unfortunately.

Johnny:Ooh, he's on board.

Johnny:That's not good.

Gamemaster:Uh,

Gamemaster:To note, I'm not going to make you roll.

Gamemaster:Master Grayson, the guy who owned the thing that you were in, the CEO of Amber Call, is Benjamin Grayson.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:This is somebody related to that Grayson, but is not the head honcho.

Gamemaster:Someone else in the family.

Gamemaster:I'm not even going to make you roll to see if you know who it is, because you wouldn't.

Gamemaster:but the remaining organizations that you invited do show up.

Gamemaster:It's really only like two or three people from each org, and it is pretty obvious from people as they attend.

Gamemaster:The way that a lot of the orgs, or at least the orgs that are currently on the...

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:that are currently on the Strider org is that there's one or two important representatives of that particular org, and then there's a gaggle of muscle, so to speak, like auxiliary support.

Gamemaster:The chances of you running into groups that are more like you, where they're all kind of...

Gamemaster:fighters or or combat ready in in that structure is less likely uh until you get into some of the more uh uh martial orgs like like Protectorate if they show up would would probably be fighters um if they make it uh and people like that the the other standout like

Argyle:Yeah, they make it.

Benny:Bye-bye.

Gamemaster:The Scale is here, and not all of the Scale attends, but that lizard folk does, to make a show of it.

Gamemaster:I think... Yes, I... Absolutely.

Argyle:Argyle would like to interact with him.

Argyle:Exchange business cards.

Argyle:What rank is Argyle?

Gamemaster:I think Argo's a custodian, is he not?

Benny:The old custode.

Gamemaster:Did I get that incorrect?

Gamemaster:Second.

Gamemaster:He probably.

Benny:Oh.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I mean, the actual way to say that word is custode, but I like custode.

Gamemaster:I think that sounds cool.

Benny:Is it?

Gamemaster:I believe so.

Benny:I thought I was shortening it and making it casual.

Benny:Ah, the old custode.

Gamemaster:Well, so so in plural, it's custodes, but I think it's just custode for for one.

Benny:Custode is like the...

Argyle:No, Custode sounds better.

Benny:Like the philosopher?

Gamemaster:No, like the... Okay, sure, absolutely.

Argyle:Argo will go as Custode.

Argyle:That's fine.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Gamemaster:Oh no, Urgar would not be a custodian.

Gamemaster:That's the highest rank.

Gamemaster:You're definitely not that.

Argyle:Damn it.

Gamemaster:I had to double check.

Gamemaster:He could be a keeper, which is one step below that.

Gamemaster:Okay?

Argyle:Damn it, I almost got it.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Argyle:I almost got it.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Gamemaster:I had to pull up the diagram to double check and just for everybody else to see this.

Argyle:I knew he was not a custodian.

Argyle:I was just going to go with it.

Gamemaster:Because it's not a secret, I just want other people to see the diagram of titles and stuff we came up with for the Scale, just so that we could, you know, have as many titles as possible.

Benny:I DM'd

Johnny:Hello.

Argyle:All right.

Gamemaster:Which is, you know.

Gamemaster:Anyway, you can exchange business cards with this guy.

Gamemaster:This guy is a seer.

Gamemaster:He does, in fact, have a business card, which I think for the rest of you is a point of, oh, it's not just Argyle being weird about having business cards made.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:It's just like a cultural thing with the Scale.

Argyle:Religion.

Johnny:Hmm.

Gamemaster:He gives it to you.

Gamemaster:You get his name.

Gamemaster:Roll a... Gosh.

Gamemaster:I don't know what to make you roll for, like, a history check.

Gamemaster:Like, just lore, I guess?

Gamemaster:What?

Gamemaster:I'll let you do religion.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Gamemaster:This is more of a, like, you've never directly worked with this man.

Argyle:Cool.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:He's in a different department, so to speak.

Gamemaster:But you can roll to see if you are familiar with anything that he or the rest of his team may have done.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:34.

Gamemaster:34.

Gamemaster:Okay, the name is vaguely familiar.

Gamemaster:He didn't lead any large initiatives that you are aware of, but you'd think that you saw his name as, at the time, he was an assistant to a seer that was working on a...

Gamemaster:This is before your time.

Gamemaster:It was a set of excursions starward and voidward, looking for... There had been weird...

Gamemaster:disruptions in the weave and so they had sent a number of excursions and one of those excursions that you think he may or may not have been on came back with evidence of hearts being created but not using the standard techniques of the time he does not

Argyle:Does he resonate when I ping?

Gamemaster:So you gather that he's here alongside someone else that's part of the Scale that does resonate, that was originally given the invitation.

Gamemaster:But he does not resonate.

Argyle:What's his name again?

Gamemaster:This is Ralph Bishop, or Seer Bishop.

Argyle:Seer Bishop.

Anzu:And he's here with the Scale.

Gamemaster:He's here with the Scale, yes.

Gamemaster:He seems to have been familiar separately with Paavo and the rest of Hildebrandt, so it's possible he's worked with them in some capacity in the past.

Anzu:Right.

Argyle:Dear Bishop, I am a registered licensed surgeon and doctor.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:But he's the only person at your cookout from the Scale right now, but the rest of the Scale is present, or the rest of his group is present on the Strider somewhere.

Gamemaster:They just didn't attend.

Argyle:Please let me know if anyone from your group will need further assistance.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:It's good to see another member of the skill, even if you are waving another flag right now.

Gamemaster:Trusting to make good choices.

Argyle:Well, I looked out and I'm like, does this Scale look... I'm here on mission from this Scale.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Listen.

Argyle:I have things I'd like to talk to you and your team about later.

Gamemaster:Then I'll give you my birth number.

Gamemaster:You and your gaggle of companions, if you want, are more than welcome to come over.

Argyle:Yes.

Gamemaster:I had a good chat yesterday with one of them, Benny.

Gamemaster:He's a good kid.

Argyle:Or your child.

Gamemaster:Clearly not a child, but sure.

Gamemaster:and he will continue to mingle.

Gamemaster:But you have that open invite if you want.

Gamemaster:You can head over to the Scale's fame on this Strider.

Argyle:Cool.

Argyle:God damn it, they got such a cool fucking heart name.

Gamemaster:You don't know what it is.

Argyle:Oh, I thought it was called the Scale's Fate.

Gamemaster:Maybe it's Jerry.

Gamemaster:No, no, no, no, no.

Gamemaster:the Scale's fame, as in the place where they are.

Argyle:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah, no.

Argyle:I was like, they just named it Scales Fate.

Argyle:I was like, that's kind of cool.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Argyle:Alright, well, Johnny, it's your time to social if you want.

Argyle:Unless you want Argyle to ask what are their thoughts on the bombs.

Johnny:Yes.

Johnny:No, I... Once that's done, I will start to make the rounds.

Johnny:Meet and greet everybody.

Johnny:I will purposely go out of the way to make us look like a bunch of clowns.

Benny:Hot, hot.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Sorry, performance check.

Argyle:What?

Argyle:Why?

Johnny:Maybe not a bunch of clowns, but I want us to seem like not a threat.

Johnny:And we're the group that everyone's like, they kind of just bumbled their way into it.

Anzu:Keep a low profile.

Benny:And we'll continue.

Benny:We'll continue bumbling, yeah.

Argyle:I'm going to hang out with Bishop most of it.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Argyle:And do any damage control if he bubbles around.

Argyle:He doesn't work for me.

Johnny:To sell this, I will be wearing a 1970s swimsuit with a belt.

Argyle:I'm moving it.

Johnny:I'll also be wearing my cowboy boots.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:No shirt and the sunglasses.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:Right.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Johnny:This is performance.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Johnny:I got a 31.

Argyle:My apologies, gentlemen.

Argyle:Same picture.

Argyle:I just moved the location.

Anzu:Much better.

Gamemaster:31, okay.

Gamemaster:One second.

Johnny:I was born to look like a bunch of affable folks who got really lucky in getting here.

Gamemaster:Okay, I think...

Gamemaster:The ship has sailed a little bit too late, specifically for Hildebrandt and the Scale, because they've both seen Benny in action, and Benny was trying to do the opposite of that.

Benny:Uh huh.

Johnny:Okay, then I rephrase that.

Gamemaster:It is...

Johnny:I would like it to seem like me and Anzu

Johnny:tagged along for the ride.

Gamemaster:This is actually pretty effective in that while you're doing that, you're going around one person, a pretty stocky-looking dwarven man wearing this gaudy, bright orange set of swim trunks because he was told that he should bring swimwear, will...

Argyle:Hell yeah.

Argyle:I love a party guy.

Gamemaster:walk over to you, like, clap you on the back, and kind of under his breath, but not really under his breath, because somehow it's, like, 2 p.m., you guys aren't serving alcohol, he's pretty drunk.

Johnny:Nice.

Gamemaster:He'll, like, clap you on the back and say, listen, lad, you and I will be good friends, because I've got no fucking idea what's happening.

Johnny:Oh, good.

Johnny:I thought I was the only one.

Johnny:I was just with the guy in the suit and the child, and me and my bird just kind of ended up here.

Gamemaster:It's crazy.

Gamemaster:Who the fuck sends a child here?

Gamemaster:Is it like punishment?

Johnny:I think he's a super soldier in training or something.

Gamemaster:Did he do something bad?

Johnny:I'm not sure.

Gamemaster:That's fucking terrifying, mate.

Gamemaster:I'm Salvado.

Johnny:It's crazy.

Johnny:I'm Johnny Skyfall.

Gamemaster:And he'll... I'm Solari Sub-surface.

Johnny:Great to meet you.

Johnny:Who are you with?

Gamemaster:Listen, most of my days, I'm working on spreadsheets.

Gamemaster:I don't... They sent me here because I requested a transfer, and they thought it would be funny if I transferred here.

Gamemaster:I am fucking terrified.

Johnny:His name's Solaro?

Gamemaster:So... His name is Salvado.

Johnny:Salvado.

Gamemaster:Salvado Targona.

Johnny:I was like... Listen, man.

Gamemaster:It's clear we're both out of our depth here, so we should stick together.

Johnny:I write poetry for a living.

Johnny:I didn't realize there would be people here with swords.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I can see that you just got roped into this too, I bet.

Johnny:Yeah, I sort of... I'm a bard of sorts, so I think they just needed someone to write down what the fuck's happening and make it sound good.

Gamemaster:Listen, listen, if you need any help at all buying or selling, like, office supplies, I'll help you out.

Gamemaster:Unfortunately, that's where my expertise starts and ends.

Gamemaster:So if you need anything besides that, I cannot help you.

Gamemaster:But you need paper to write poetry on, right?

Johnny:I wish I could help you with that.

Gamemaster:I could hook you up.

Johnny:Yeah.

Johnny:I can write you a poem.

Gamemaster:That would be awesome.

Gamemaster:I don't really go for any of that flowery bullshit, but if you could write a poem that wasn't bad, I'd love it.

Johnny:Yeah.

Anzu:Thank you.

Johnny:All my poems are great.

Johnny:I can make a rainbow fall out of the sky.

Gamemaster:That's good.

Gamemaster:You're a poet.

Gamemaster:You know what you're talking about.

Gamemaster:We should stick together.

Gamemaster:You've fully convinced this guy that he's made a friend of somebody else who is fully in over their head at what's going on.

Johnny:What does his company do?

Gamemaster:Solari Sub-surface is a transport company.

Gamemaster:Their whole deal is that they buy from Prime Meridian, the company that actually makes railways and stuff.

Gamemaster:They will buy the rights to run trains on those railways and then just kind of do their own shipping on top of it.

Gamemaster:They're not very successful.

Gamemaster:Like, they're around, but it is strictly more expensive than using Prime Meridian.

Gamemaster:So the only people who use them are they go after, like, smaller companies and stuff that just don't have the capital to hire Prime Meridian.

Gamemaster:for like really large bulk things.

Gamemaster:It is surprising to see them here because you gather that a lot of other organizations spent a lot of capital to get their hands on the keystones to get here.

Gamemaster:These guys are very much a small fish.

Gamemaster:Some crazy thing must have happened to cause them to have gotten their keystone over whoever should have originally had it.

Argyle:Oh, no.

Argyle:It's a plane.

Gamemaster:But they made it here.

Johnny:Then he goes, then he goes, on the plane.

Argyle:Was it the plane?

Gamemaster:So they made it here.

Gamemaster:However it broke out, they got their keystone and they showed up.

Gamemaster:To the point that you're not... You don't know if this guy is the only person that's acting as a representative from his company here.

Gamemaster:He brought other people, but you don't know if he's the one from his company.

Gamemaster:He doesn't know what's going on.

Gamemaster:So if somebody who was originally invited to the party...

Gamemaster:did not communicate to him what the point of this was, and he thinks he's here to make business connections.

Gamemaster:He thinks this is a networking thing.

Anzu:Oh my god.

Anzu:Why'd they do that to him?

Johnny:I will use him as sort of a lever to get a lot of people in the hot tub and get everyone drunk while not being drunk.

Johnny:And get the party going and make a real good impression of us.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:And Argyle is going to try to – Argyle would like it.

Benny:Benny...

Argyle:I'm not going to do anything else to this thing, but I would like us to go to the Scale before our meeting with the Master of Ceremony because maybe they can give us something to talk about to the Master of Ceremony because I'm going to be honest, guys.

Argyle:I don't know what to ask.

Argyle:I just want a meeting.

Argyle:I didn't think we'd get the meeting.

Gamemaster:Mm-hmm.

Argyle:Hopefully the Scale people can give us some more info because we don't know anything about this fucking invite.

Argyle:We stole an invite.

Argyle:We don't know anything.

Argyle:Maybe someone there knows.

Johnny:That's a good question, actually.

Johnny:Can I ask Salvado?

Johnny:Actually, when everyone's in the hot tub and a little drunk, I'm going to be like, so how did you guys find out about this place?

Johnny:How did you guys get your invite?

Johnny:And deflect every time someone asks how we got our invite.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:Uh, Salvado would say, I didn't get an invite.

Gamemaster:I just got told that we had to, like, this was where I was being reassigned to and I showed up.

Gamemaster:Uh, I didn't know that invites were being handed out.

Gamemaster:Although I guess that makes sense.

Gamemaster:It seems pretty, pretty snazzy.

Gamemaster:Um, and, uh, gosh, who is it?

Gamemaster:Paavo.

Gamemaster:who I guess is also in the hot tub with you guys.

Gamemaster:He's an old man.

Gamemaster:It helps with his bones.

Gamemaster:That makes sense.

Gamemaster:Pavel will say, I just showed up.

Gamemaster:Showed up on my desk.

Gamemaster:Normally we have people to filter through spam mail and the like, but it just appeared on my desk one day.

Anzu:you

Gamemaster:Seemed interesting enough, so I followed it.

Gamemaster:I was right to, clearly.

Gamemaster:Some interesting things were happening on the strata.

Argyle:you

Gamemaster:And separately, the only other orc that's in attendance right now is the Scale.

Gamemaster:And it's a similar story.

Johnny:Hmm.

Gamemaster:It didn't appear in front of Bishop specifically, but it did.

Gamemaster:It just showed up one day in front of somebody who resonated with the Voidsong.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Anzu:Does anyone at our party resonate?

Gamemaster:Paavo does.

Gamemaster:The guy from Hildebrandt, the old man.

Gamemaster:He does resonate, and he feels you do it, and he looks over and he nods.

Gamemaster:The other two are completely oblivious to this, both the guy from Solari and the member of the Scale and Bishop.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:Thank you.

Benny:Anzu.

Gamemaster:Like, yeah.

Benny:Does Anzu go around?

Anzu:Anzu's not really doing a ton.

Anzu:I do, having resonated with this man, I would take the opportunity to approach him after he's in the hot tub.

Anzu:And...

Anzu:Yeah, just be like, hey, sorry, I didn't mean to shock you with that before.

Anzu:Just curious.

Gamemaster:know if you guys bumped into it much, but I was present at the initial thing when they told us all about the Keystones, and I got hit with that.

Gamemaster:I couldn't count.

Gamemaster:People are just feeling around.

Gamemaster:It's not a particularly unpleasant sensation, and it's good to know where we stand.

Argyle:Misha.

Gamemaster:I'm surprised, if I'm going to be honest, to see that all of you in Iconoclasm have heard the Voidsong.

Argyle:Yeah, the jigs up again.

Johnny:you

Anzu:yeah well that's uh that's kind of the purpose of our group uh yeah i'm endlessly curious about Voidsong you know not everybody believes me but uh i've been referring to the source of the Voidsong as the vocalist

Gamemaster:It's definitely interesting.

Gamemaster:You got theories about what we're gonna find?

Anzu:I think there's a being out there that's sending this message out.

Anzu:I don't know.

Gamemaster:That's interesting.

Benny:you

Anzu:It feels to me like a cry for help, but I have no idea why.

Gamemaster:Interesting.

Gamemaster:You're not the first person I've spoken to that's held that theory.

Gamemaster:I have a friend of mine, Yao, different org than mine, but we bump into each other every once in a while.

Gamemaster:He said something very similar.

Gamemaster:I don't think he called it the vocalist, but something along those lines.

Anzu:Do you have any thoughts yourself?

Argyle:Red.

Gamemaster:I don't know if we're going to find anything.

Gamemaster:I think it's possible it's just happening.

Anzu:Yeah, I'm curious to see the rate at which this thing can travel.

Gamemaster:I think it's just spontaneously it showed up.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:We're just going to keep going voidward on and on and on.

Gamemaster:I don't know how long this trek is going to take, but it's not like we've been given a timeline.

Gamemaster:I am too.

Gamemaster:If it moves... Listen.

Gamemaster:It took...

Gamemaster:A little over 15 years of straight travel from extremely experienced navigators on the horizon to make it to the wall at the end of the void.

Gamemaster:I have to stop doing the voice.

Gamemaster:I don't know what just happened to my throat.

Anzu:That's okay.

Gamemaster:It took like 15 years for experienced travelers to make it to the wall at the edge of the void.

Gamemaster:I don't want to wait around for 15 years just to be told we can't get past the wall again.

Gamemaster:So I'm really hoping we can move faster than that.

Gamemaster:But if we move at the speed that they were going, I'm going to be throwing up the whole time.

Gamemaster:So I hope they have something to address that.

Anzu:Well, maybe since we're on such a large vessel, it'll be more pleasant.

Gamemaster:Maybe.

Gamemaster:Not been my experience in the past, but we'll see.

Anzu:Okay.

Anzu:Well, it's good to meet you.

Anzu:Good to know there's some friendly listeners out here.

Gamemaster:It's good to know that there are other people with their heads screwed on straight, because I have no doubt you're going to be plenty of people who don't.

Anzu:Yeah, I don't know what everybody did to punch their ticket here, but I have a feeling some lines were crossed.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:I'm trying not to think about it too hard.

Gamemaster:I have a feeling more blood than is pleasant to think about has been spilled on behalf of these Keystones.

Benny:you

Anzu:Yeah, are you kind of the head of your envoy here?

Gamemaster:So I'm just going to choose not to think about that when I see people.

Gamemaster:Listen, if you're looking for support, at least keep us in mind.

Gamemaster:It's important to have allies.

Gamemaster:Well, I'm the primary decision maker, as it were.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:I'm not the only person that's in the know, so to speak.

Gamemaster:But if you need something from Hildebrandt, come to me.

Anzu:All right, fantastic.

Anzu:Well, it was great to meet you.

Anzu:My name's Anzu, by the way.

Anzu:And I point up, our Fane, it has structure to it on the outside, right?

Anzu:Just kind of on, I guess, one of the ledges up top is Othello.

Anzu:And I point, and I'm like, that's my bird, Othello, as well.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Anzu:You see him flying around.

Anzu:I'm probably not too far away.

Gamemaster:luck he will uh yeah yeah yeah yeah alright

Argyle:Is Anzu in the hot tub?

Anzu:No, I was hoping to kind of talk to him away from the hot tub and everybody.

Argyle:Oh, gotcha, gotcha.

Anzu:What the hell?

Argyle:Can Anzu get wet like that?

Benny:What's wrong with... Yeah, does it keep him juicy and tender if he stays in the hot tub too long?

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:You're taking a note out of what Johnny was doing and you're like, oh, let's switch tracks a little bit.

Benny:Benny... Wait, how many people showed up?

Benny:Because Benny... I guess it depends how many people are there.

Benny:He wants to kind of annoy...

Benny:Well, not annoy, but walk up and people that look warrior-looking ask them about their weapons.

Benny:Like, I bet you can do a lot of damage with that and just be a gregarious child that is curious about destruction.

Benny:No, no, no, no, no.

Anzu:Thank you.

Benny:Benny will not... Well, yeah, I mean, I guess.

Gamemaster:Just trying to make people think he's nine.

Benny:He is... Josh, he is...

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:It's secret.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Right.

Gamemaster:He is nine.

Gamemaster:Make him think like he has the mind of an average nine-year-old human.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:So, like, there were nine people that showed up.

Gamemaster:The named ones are the important ones from each of the factions, but they brought with them a gaggle of other people who are...

Gamemaster:supporting cast so to speak like people that aren't necessarily particularly important or aren't in the know as Paavo put it um uh people who are present because they know something is happening uh uh maybe related to the Voidsong but weren't at the uh the initial fair where the keystones were talked about and all that kind of stuff uh or hired help and like um you can definitely go around to a few of those people uh and uh um you know act act as a nine-year-old would

Gamemaster:That's totally fine.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:So you wanted to... You have this cookout, and then you have the meeting with the master of ceremonies, and then you wanted to slip in the middle going to the skills house?

Argyle:Six hours from start of cookout to the master ceremony.

Gamemaster:Sure, yeah.

Argyle:One quick question.

Argyle:Does our heart have a phone?

Gamemaster:You have a phone in your home?

Gamemaster:It's not in...

Gamemaster:Okay, two different things.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Hearts communicate with each other over a specific heart network, which is how Atum spoke to Benny that one time.

Gamemaster:And then also there is a phone in your home, like in the kitchen, just hung up on the ringer that works as a phone.

Benny:Bye.

Argyle:I'm gonna excuse myself at the cookout and just call to see if they know if this guy's like just to double check the Scale people aren't like evil blacklisted Scale people before I go chat with them yeah yeah they're not like dishonorably discharged Scale people

Gamemaster:Oh, sure.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:So you're phoning home just to check up to see if these are expected people.

Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.

Gamemaster:Yeah, sure.

Gamemaster:You call back.

Gamemaster:You give the name of Bishop.

Gamemaster:And you're like, hey, who is this?

Benny:you

Gamemaster:And they come back with, yeah, no, they're in good standing.

Gamemaster:They're relatively senior members.

Argyle:Okay, okay.

Gamemaster:They were...

Gamemaster:The, like, one interesting point is that they weren't dispatched by the Scale to come here.

Gamemaster:They've been operating autonomously for some time now, and it seems they've just chosen to show up here for this particular thing.

Argyle:God, they're so cool.

Argyle:They're so fucking cool.

Argyle:God damn it, I hope they're not evil.

Gamemaster:From the call, they don't seem to be evil.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah, they're so cool.

Gamemaster:And, yeah.

Gamemaster:So you can do that.

Gamemaster:I suppose, like, they're friendly with you.

Gamemaster:If you say, hey, now that you've been to my house, let's all go to your house.

Gamemaster:You can do that.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Gamemaster:Yeah, okay.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:So cookout ends.

Gamemaster:You say your goodbyes.

Gamemaster:Everybody heads on home.

Gamemaster:You, like...

Gamemaster:take a shower, you wash off the sulfur from the hot springs, um, and then you can head over to the Scale for a little powwow.

Gamemaster:Um, they are, uh, a little bit further away, uh, on the, uh, surface of the Strider.

Argyle:They're like go-karts to get around the skirts.

Gamemaster:Um, uh, kind of.

Argyle:Chuck.

Gamemaster:Uh, if you summon, uh, if you summon, god, Chuck, um,

Johnny:It is 5.

Gamemaster:Chuck will cast a spell that makes a disc made out of black stone appear and form.

Argyle:Are these 5E people?

Gamemaster:And it's floating in the air.

Gamemaster:And he says, you're welcome to hop on.

Gamemaster:And we'll give you a little trip.

Argyle:These are figurines.

Argyle:This is so fucked.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:But you guys can hop on this floating disc and he will pilot you over to where the Scale is set up.

Benny:So.

Argyle:Quick, make him attune to something.

Gamemaster:The skills home from the exterior, how they've set it up, is... Home is the wrong way of putting it.

Gamemaster:This is a forward operating base.

Gamemaster:This is, like, flat concrete walls, nondescript.

Argyle:Hell yeah.

Gamemaster:They are patterned slightly so that if you look at it, it's difficult to see where the edges of the building are against the backdrop is, so that...

Gamemaster:If you were, say, pointing a sniper rifle at it from a considerable distance away, it would be difficult to see, like, the edges.

Gamemaster:There is, somehow, they've installed what appears to be a, like, rotating sonar dish on the roof.

Gamemaster:of this building that's just lazily spinning as you approach.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:There's a basic gravel path that heads off of the pathway into the main thoroughfare road that you're taking your disc on as you move around the...

Argyle:Mm hmm.

Gamemaster:the increase here.

Gamemaster:As we're going, Chuck will say, as people are still moving in, we're using these disks for transport.

Gamemaster:Eventually, we will have roads constructed between each of the homes once we know their general dimensions, and then you'll be able to use traditional forms of transport on the top of this.

Gamemaster:But for the time being, we can travel in style, so to speak, as he pulls you up to the front of this building.

Argyle:What is this spell?

Argyle:Are you able to teach us it?

Gamemaster:I don't believe I can teach it.

Gamemaster:I am what you would call a sorcerer, and so this is inherent.

Gamemaster:I am not aware of a way to communicate the spells I know.

Argyle:Interesting.

Gamemaster:I apologize.

Argyle:Mine is granted by the great, powerful judge.

Gamemaster:But if you... Congratulations.

Gamemaster:I'm glad you have such a good connection to your god.

Argyle:Do you worship a god?

Gamemaster:And the...

Gamemaster:Not in the same sense as you.

Gamemaster:I acknowledge them, though.

Argyle:Do you worship anyone?

Gamemaster:Really?

Gamemaster:The disc that you're standing on will crumble as you arrive.

Gamemaster:And he will say, call on me again if you need me.

Gamemaster:He will collapse into dust.

Gamemaster:And you are outside the exterior of the Scale's little bunker.

Argyle:I walk up.

Argyle:Knock.

Gamemaster:After a moment, there is a clang and one part of the door slides open so that you can just see the eyes of a person looking through.

Argyle:Yes.

Gamemaster:Roll a perception check.

Gamemaster:Anybody who's standing in front of the door who wants to look inside may do so.

Johnny:Yeah.

Johnny:32

Argyle:32.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Argyle:You son of a bitch.

Gamemaster:There is...

Gamemaster:as you look through the like little porthole that's been opened up, it's not the, the lizard folk that you had met earlier.

Gamemaster:It's not Bishop.

Gamemaster:This guy is clearly human.

Gamemaster:You can't see many features on him because most of the door is still protecting him.

Gamemaster:Uh, uh, but he's, um, like clearly skinny.

Gamemaster:Uh, and from the bits that you can see of his iron face, uh, looks almost sickly, uh, like very pale, really big bags under the eyes.

Gamemaster:Um,

Gamemaster:Got almost like this roomy, watery-ness to his eyes as well.

Argyle:People are crazy.

Gamemaster:Like he's almost a little bit sick.

Gamemaster:But with a low 30s roll...

Gamemaster:Uh, the other thing of note is that when he opens the, the porthole to look through, uh, he's offset slightly.

Gamemaster:Like, he's, he's slightly more to the left of the door.

Gamemaster:And that's because as, peeking through on the far side of the room, there is the barrel of a gun pointed through the opening that's left in the porthole, just in case.

Gamemaster:Um, just in case.

Gamemaster:Uh, but he knows who you are.

Argyle:When I knock out, yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:He was told to expect you.

Argyle:I'll save my credentials.

Gamemaster:So there's the porthole slams shut.

Gamemaster:You hear the twist of a lock.

Gamemaster:And then the door opens up.

Gamemaster:And the person that was at the door greets you.

Gamemaster:It's this tall, lanky, sick-looking human.

Gamemaster:They're wearing clothes that are much too baggy for them, like they took a Scale uniform off of somebody who is four sizes larger than they were.

Gamemaster:They have at their side just like four different belts wrapped around their waist with all manner of utility pouch and the like.

Gamemaster:They stand off to the side and they make a gesture with their head for you to come on in.

Argyle:Is he looks like actually sick or is this just like his state?

Argyle:Can I make a medicine check?

Argyle:27.

Gamemaster:Yeah, make a medicine check.

Gamemaster:27.

Gamemaster:He looks, like, chronically sick.

Gamemaster:Like, bad enough that you would wonder if this is some kind of curse making him sick.

Gamemaster:Sick.

Gamemaster:He doesn't look great.

Gamemaster:That's for sure.

Gamemaster:Um, but he will, he will gesture you in if you like.

Argyle:Are you okay, sir?

Argyle:Do you need me to take a look?

Argyle:I am a doctor.

Gamemaster:He, he sniffles and like rubs his nose.

Gamemaster:No, it's fine.

Gamemaster:Uh, yeah.

Gamemaster:This isn't anything you could, uh, you could fix even if you are a doctor.

Gamemaster:Don't worry.

Johnny:He's a really good doctor.

Gamemaster:Come on in.

Johnny:He's a great doctor.

Gamemaster:I've, I've met a lot of really good doctors.

Gamemaster:It's okay.

Gamemaster:Are you like a witch doctor?

Argyle:Are you cursed?

Argyle:Are you a lich?

Gamemaster:I'm not a lich.

Gamemaster:I'm alive.

Gamemaster:Don't you worry.

Gamemaster:I'm alive and human.

Gamemaster:Although, you wouldn't believe it from my countenance, I am 22.

Gamemaster:Listen, you're welcome to take a look if you like, but you have to promise to give me my money back if you can't help out.

Argyle:I'll take a look after this meetings.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:Name's Vance, by the way.

Gamemaster:Nope, not Vance.

Gamemaster:Lance.

Gamemaster:Lance Vesper.

Argyle:Very different.

Johnny:Lance Vance.

Argyle:Desperate.

Gamemaster:Vesper.

Argyle:Desperate.

Gamemaster:Vesper Feep.

Gamemaster:And he will bring you into a small... There's a table set up.

Gamemaster:There are some metal folding chairs around the table.

Gamemaster:There is the start of what looks to be a map of the Strider.

Anzu:Thank you.

Argyle:Oh.

Gamemaster:They're currently only mapping out the topmost layer, but you can see that they've added annotations that make it look like they're going to start filling out layer by layer the entirety of the Strider.

Gamemaster:It's still early days.

Gamemaster:As he sits down, he'll yell out, Cassian, Bishop, your guests are here.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Um, and two people will filter in, you recognize one of them, the, uh, the, the lizard folk, uh, Bishop, and then.

Argyle:Who had the gun?

Gamemaster:The person with the gun is Cassian.

Gamemaster:He is also human.

Gamemaster:Probably the person who supplied the clothing that Lance is wearing because he's about the same height but substantially bulkier.

Gamemaster:And he's got this very long barreled rifle at his side that he's kind of spinning around on the stock.

Argyle:I resonate.

Gamemaster:He...

Gamemaster:Both of these people, both Lance and Cassian, resonate.

Gamemaster:But they all seem familiar with each other, like particularly familiar with each other.

Gamemaster:You gather that the reason that Bishop came along was because he was already traveling with them before they came over here.

Gamemaster:So they'll sit down.

Johnny:He's cool.

Gamemaster:Bishop does that thing where he turns the chair around so that he's sitting on the back facing you.

Argyle:I wasn't aware that other Scale members have heard the Voight song.

Johnny:Cool guy.

Benny:So cool.

Gamemaster:Yeah, he's a cool dude.

Gamemaster:And I'll say, so what do you want to talk about?

Gamemaster:Other Scale members have heard the Void Zone.

Gamemaster:And I imagine you, as well as my two buddies over here, aren't the only ones.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:What are...

Argyle:What are you all hoping to get out of this mission?

Gamemaster:Information.

Johnny:Does no one else think it's weird that they set this whole thing up to lure everyone here to make a whole bunch of hearts in one place and then go to the end of the horizon for a vague reason?

Argyle:Same.

Gamemaster:Oh, no, that's absolutely weird.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:I hope you're not coming into this with the idea that our wonderful clown friends are benevolent in all of this.

Gamemaster:They clearly have an ulterior motive or twelve.

Gamemaster:But...

Argyle:interest feeds.

Johnny:I just wanted to make sure that... I don't know about that.

Johnny:I just wanted to make sure that everyone... I'm sure there's a thousand other reasons and everyone's got their whole reasons, but I think we need to make sure everyone knows that there's something funky going on and not let our own personal vendettas get in the way there.

Gamemaster:Our personal calculus here was we were planning on looking into the Voidsong ourselves.

Gamemaster:We got the invite for this.

Gamemaster:There is no world in which we see a collection of, at the time, there were 400 people at that party who had all separately heard the Voidsong being corralled by this group of clouds into an Istrian-built strider headed to the edge of the world.

Gamemaster:Like, there's no world in which we're not coming along for the ride and seeing what the fuck is going on, you know?

Argyle:Well, I hope in case of dire circumstances, the two groups, us, can count on each other.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I mean, much prefer people we know to people we don't.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:I haven't seen the other people that have shown up yet.

Gamemaster:I imagine they will filter in over the course of the next week.

Gamemaster:There will definitely be some unsavory groups that show up.

Gamemaster:You all seem like friendly and capable folk, which are points in your favor.

Argyle:There's already one.

Argyle:Amber call.

Gamemaster:Health insurance people.

Argyle:Yes.

Argyle:They're running a whole scheme.

Argyle:Or deployed on a classified mission.

Argyle:But we have been seeing that they are looking to cause mass destruction of our sphere.

Gamemaster:I think they're going to do it with this.

Argyle:No.

Argyle:You traveled very voidward before, is that correct?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I have traveled along the horizon.

Gamemaster:I've spent more time starward than I have voidward, but yes.

Argyle:Have you ever seen a few hundred foot tall Giant?

Gamemaster:Just for the record, I do want to make sure that we have Scale correct.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:I look at the group.

Johnny:We have a lot of stuff.

Anzu:We just hear crazy stories about what's out on the horizon, and I think we're a little nervous for our journey.

Gamemaster:The Giant you saw was 10,000 feet tall.

Argyle:I correct it.

Argyle:Sorry.

Argyle:10,000 feet tall, red, Giant creature.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:Oh my god, why are you being so...

Gamemaster:Still no.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:Uh, is that something you think we should be looking out for?

Gamemaster:Have you interacted with a 10,000 foot tall red-skinned Giant?

Argyle:Do the satellites contact headquarters?

Benny:just a technicality um i don't think we'd have to look out for something that's 10 000 feet tall i think it's pretty noticeable that's all i had

Gamemaster:What?

Argyle:Does your radar dishes contact Scale headquarters?

Gamemaster:No, it's a proximity center.

Gamemaster:It's sonar.

Gamemaster:It's so that we can tell where people are on this level compared to where we are.

Argyle:Well, I'd prefer if you could contact, I expect, I'd hope if you could contact headquarters to see if you are able to get the declassified information.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Gamemaster:Valid.

Johnny:Got a good point.

Gamemaster:And we expect to see that voidward.

Benny:Thank you.

Argyle:If not, I cannot share with you.

Argyle:I hope you understand.

Argyle:I didn't hear anything you said, but I assumed it was just like, okay.

Gamemaster:Oh, yeah, he said, okay, sure, I'll do that.

Gamemaster:And then he will turn back to the center of this bunker, where there is a concrete pillar with a number of cracks on it that are filled with gold, and the cracks shift, and the gold kind of melts through the cracks, and he will yell at it to...

Benny:you you

Gamemaster:to go check in with its compatriots over in the Scale and see what information it can pull.

Gamemaster:You do catch the name of the heart.

Gamemaster:It is Asteris Lux is the name of this particular heart.

Gamemaster:Although maybe I should change it to the Scale's fate because apparently that's cool.

Argyle:We have a meeting with the master of ceremony later today.

Argyle:Do you have any insights on anything about him?

Gamemaster:I imagine we don't know any more about him than you do.

Gamemaster:If you want questions for him, I'd like to know who he is, why he's doing this, and what's going on.

Gamemaster:But... Okay, absolutely.

Argyle:Argyle writes those down.

Argyle:Those are good ideas.

Gamemaster:But the first and only time I've ever seen him was at the invite.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:I look at my pictures.

Argyle:You guys have any questions?

Benny:um i don't think so i guess i'll vouch but we're part of the same team i don't think it means much yeah

Argyle:OK, I really cannot stress this enough.

Argyle:Do not trust the Embercall.

Gamemaster:Yeah, dude.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Same source of info.

Argyle:All right.

Argyle:I'll leave.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:You got sub-info.

Gamemaster:You guys can head out and get ready for your dinner.

Johnny:They'll spend a long time shaking their hands on their leaf.

Benny:Thank you.

Argyle:What are the other are they all overseers?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:You would, like, you can explicitly ask if you want, but just off of assumptions, you would gather that all, like, they're traveling together in a group.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:They're probably all overseers.

Gamemaster:If you ask, yes, they're all overseers.

Gamemaster:The head of this particular troop is Bishop.

Gamemaster:He's the most senior of the three of them.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:But the three of them have been traveling together for a while, and they're all overseers.

Gamemaster:So their mission is looking at things that disrupt the gods, which kind of fits with whatever's going on with the Voidsong.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:You guys get back.

Gamemaster:You can get ready for your little meeting with the Master of Ceremonies, which you can do.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:You are piloted by Chuck over into the center of town.

Gamemaster:That's where the gym was.

Gamemaster:And there are a few other buildings that have been set up as like general amenities.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:Can I just say one thing to the group first?

Johnny:And no one knows what's happening.

Argyle:It's nice to know no one seems to know what the fuck's going on.

Argyle:Or at least there's a good portion of people.

Argyle:So if we go to the Master of Ceremony and be like, what the fuck is happening?

Argyle:He won't be like, you, get out of here.

Argyle:Everyone here knows besides you, you idiot.

Anzu:It's...

Argyle:So that's a little better.

Argyle:That, you know.

Johnny:It seems like there's a widespread of people who are like, something big's happening.

Johnny:Others being like, everyone else is going, so we'll send this guy.

Argyle:Also, is it weird to ask him if he's Illmari?

Gamemaster:They know something's happening.

Johnny:Hey, by the way.

Gamemaster:Don't know what that something is, but something is happening.

Gamemaster:Somewhere.

Argyle:Is that kind of being like, are you my daddy?

Benny:I think he's going to have a mask on, but totally a valid question.

Argyle:Crazy question.

Argyle:Are you my dad?

Gamemaster:Okay, you guys get piloted over.

Gamemaster:There is, as part of the set of existing buildings in the center of the Shriner, there is one that appears to be a restaurant of some kind.

Gamemaster:You are brought in.

Gamemaster:It is empty.

Gamemaster:Uh, uh, you are led into a back room.

Gamemaster:You don't know if the restaurant isn't open for business yet, or it's just because there are like 40 people total on the top of the strider right now.

Gamemaster:So you don't know who would be going to the restaurant.

Gamemaster:Um, but you are brought by, uh, the, the maître d', which, uh, is a Harlequin, uh, dressed up in the same like blue and yellow checkered thing that all the other ones have, uh, had.

Gamemaster:He will lead you into the back area where you see that this is a private room.

Gamemaster:There's one big round table that has like a booth and some chairs set around it and sat directly opposite the entrance.

Gamemaster:On the booth in the very center of the table is who you would recognize as the master of ceremonies.

Gamemaster:He's...

Gamemaster:Wearing a mask, you are correct.

Gamemaster:So he's got this like big trench coat looking thing with these yellow and blue checkered patterns on pieces of it.

Gamemaster:He is wearing a white mask that hides the actual features of his face, but has slits for the eyes and the mouth.

Gamemaster:There are...

Gamemaster:Notably, two horns sticking out off of the front of the mask.

Gamemaster:It looks like the horns are part of the mask itself, not coming off of the person, but it is stylistically similar to the other Harlequins you've seen around.

Gamemaster:He's got these bright, big, red gems on.

Gamemaster:They, to an untrained eye, are much too large to be actual gemstones.

Gamemaster:You gather their magic in nature of some kind.

Gamemaster:And something new of note is that he appears to be armed.

Gamemaster:there is on his left arm this metal bracer with what looks to be some kind of firearm sticking out the top of the bracer.

Gamemaster:It's not pointed at you.

Gamemaster:He's kind of sat with his arm on the booth like this, but it is purposefully put in place so that you can see it on the wrist as a way of showing perhaps that he's...

Gamemaster:defended in some form.

Gamemaster:He's the only person in this room, though, besides the four of you.

Gamemaster:But as you all walk in, he makes a gesture to the other seats and says, A meeting you've requested.

Gamemaster:How for might I help you?

Johnny:We're from Iconoclasm.

Argyle:Thank you.

Johnny:Wanted to introduce ourselves.

Benny:People are just leaving them out.

Gamemaster:Of course, I know who you are.

Gamemaster:I saw you scurrying about our introductory party earlier.

Gamemaster:An invite was not granted, but an invite was found.

Gamemaster:Fair play.

Gamemaster:Congrats.

Gamemaster:I'm glad to see you aboard.

Argyle:May we sit down?

Benny:Clumsy.

Johnny:Josh, I'd like to .

Argyle:I think that

Gamemaster:Sorry.

Gamemaster:Oh, you resonate.

Gamemaster:He resonates back.

Argyle:Oh, that's what he looks like?

Gamemaster:He has heard the Voidsong.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:So he does not look... Is he the same height and build as Illmari?

Gamemaster:Roll a perception check.

Anzu:Mm.

Benny:I do believe this was asked prior, and I can't remember what the answer was.

Argyle:He was far, so we didn't have a good idea.

Argyle:31.

Benny:Yeah.

Johnny:he's too has Illmari been possessed

Gamemaster:That, yeah.

Gamemaster:He's much closer.

Gamemaster:Uh, yeah.

Gamemaster:He's about the same general height and build as Illmari.

Argyle:I'm sorry.

Argyle:This is going to be a really weird question.

Argyle:I just got to get it out of the way.

Argyle:Are you Illmari?

Gamemaster:When you say Illmari, you mean the head of Iconoclasm, the person who recently went missing?

Gamemaster:No.

Argyle:Yes.

Benny:Hold on, he went missing?

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:Well, it's been more than a month since he's last been seen.

Johnny:How do you know that?

Gamemaster:I'd qualify that as missing.

Johnny:Sorry, let's rephrase that.

Johnny:Under that mask, is that Illmari's body and his face?

Gamemaster:he will, with a flourish, take off the mask.

Argyle:Was this body ever identifying as Illmari?

Gamemaster:And the face is complete burn, like scar tissue.

Gamemaster:No features visible on the face itself.

Gamemaster:Like it had been dunked into a bonfire and left there for some time before it had been taken out.

Johnny:I lean over to Anzu.

Johnny:That really doesn't answer the question, actually.

Gamemaster:And then he will put the mask back on.

Gamemaster:It's a tricky way to pose a question.

Gamemaster:Assuming that I am this body, no.

Gamemaster:I... Hello there.

Gamemaster:Siri's talking to me.

Gamemaster:If you believe in reincarnation, perhaps, but what you're looking for, I assume, is if Illmari a month ago became me, or, sorry, Illmari, it's been six months.

Gamemaster:I apologize.

Argyle:I was actually going to say... I was going to comment on that.

Gamemaster:If Illmari six months, yeah, no, it was six months.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:That's me as GM for getting dates.

Gamemaster:If Illmari six months ago became me, the answer is no.

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:I'm sorry if making you show your face was a faux pas.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:Alright, so... Now...

Gamemaster:Oh, no, I don't mind.

Gamemaster:It's just we are in a restaurant and the typical reaction is not restaurant appropriate.

Gamemaster:It's my face.

Gamemaster:I'll show people if they want to see it.

Argyle:Do you work with Amberco or Pyre?

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:Surely because my face is burnt.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:I work with Pyrelight, is that the question?

Argyle:No, I was just wondering.

Argyle:I wasn't assuming.

Gamemaster:No, unrelated.

Argyle:Oh, we got attacked by people.

Argyle:Doesn't matter.

Argyle:Nice to meet you.

Argyle:Argyle officially.

Argyle:And I reach out to shake a hand.

Gamemaster:He will shake it back.

Gamemaster:The handshake is a little uncomfortable.

Argyle:Can I make a medicine check on his face?

Gamemaster:Yeah, you can absolutely make a medicine check.

Argyle:Or religion.

Argyle:I don't know.

Argyle:Whichever one.

Gamemaster:What is the check for?

Argyle:What the fuck is that?

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Oh, make a medicine check.

Argyle:Clearly it's not a lot.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:Make a medicine check, and then anybody who likes to can make a religion check as well.

Benny:Uh...

Argyle:I'll also make one of those.

Johnny:I'll just, I'll aid Argyle's religion check.

Argyle:All right.

Johnny:I got a 35 to aid his religion check.

Anzu:Holy.

Argyle:Crit, not crit, fail.

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:I don't remember.

Gamemaster:You guys are level 7 now?

Gamemaster:35 is crit.

Argyle:Crit.

Johnny:So because I'm a master, he gets a plus three.

Argyle:Oh, very nice.

Gamemaster:Nice.

Benny:Cool.

Argyle:I'm going to re-roll this.

Gamemaster:Okay, if you're using a mythic, what are you normally in religion?

Argyle:I'm in Master, so plus 4.

Argyle:44!

Gamemaster:Yes.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay, so that's a 30 for the medicine check and then a 44 for the religion check.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:30 on the medicine check.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:Human, humanoid, just going off of the glimpse that you saw, like, you can't tell specifically what kind of, like, human or human off-branch, like, elf or whatever this person is, but they do strike you as a person that is a heavily burned face.

Gamemaster:Like, nose was burned off kind of burned face.

Gamemaster:To the point that, like, they likely died in the process of being burnt.

Gamemaster:and then were revived and healed, but not all the way.

Argyle:Thank you.

Gamemaster:It is difficult for you to see a world in which that face is not purposefully left like that.

Gamemaster:Like, healing magic would normally either not work or bring it back.

Gamemaster:To leave it in the situation where it's super scarred like that, that was done on purpose.

Johnny:Who was this guy?

Gamemaster:Um...

Gamemaster:And then, gosh, what did you get for your 44 for your religion check?

Argyle:44.

Gamemaster:Um, just going off of the religion check, I mean, this is a person, or this was a person, or something in between, something like that.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:So, like, you're not looking at, ooh, is this some strange entity, or something of that nature.

Gamemaster:Um, the thing that you would get from the religion check is that when he takes the mask off, besides the burning flesh, there is a scent that you have smelled multiple times, uh, from the different harlequins that are walking around.

Gamemaster:It is that of, like, copper.

Gamemaster:like pennies and like a little bit of sulfur, almost a little bit of rotten eggs.

Gamemaster:That sulfuric smell you associate with fiends.

Gamemaster:There are very few creatures that aren't fiendish in nature that have that kind of sulfuric undertone.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:The copper is interesting, because the coppery penny-like, not quite blood iron, but something slightly off about it, is associated with, with that high of a religion check, it's associated with a group of devils that have been more organized of late.

Gamemaster:in perhaps the past three to four decades or so.

Gamemaster:The actual memes of them are known, I think, to Argyle.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:He would know of one, the Shackle, is like the leader of one group.

Gamemaster:of this, but there are four of these devils that are collectively organizing the other ones.

Gamemaster:The shackle, the harlequin, the forest, and the loam.

Argyle:This might be the harlequin.

Gamemaster:You gather with that really high role that this person is related to, or is, or is in some fashion tied to the devil called the harlequin.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:Is the shackle sizzle?

Gamemaster:Yes.

Gamemaster:Sigzilheit, the Prince of Shackles, is the shackle.

Argyle:This is not great.

Argyle:Guys, this is really not...

Argyle:I just hope he doesn't know enough about Argyle.

Argyle:This is not a great situation, guys.

Argyle:Okay, okay.

Johnny:yeah i feel like we we gotta ask so like what why what uh what's what's the point

Argyle:So I guess I don't need to ask the questions the Scale told me to ask.

Argyle:Because we know who he is.

Argyle:We know where he came from.

Argyle:Uh, I'm looking at the other group members and I'm just like, do you guys got some questions or, uh,

Gamemaster:He, uh... Yeah, he... I want to know what awaits us at the end of this journey.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:And the journey is easier with companions.

Johnny:Is this guy lying to me?

Gamemaster:I... I would be... Do you want to check if he's lying?

Johnny:I think I have a feat.

Gamemaster:Do you want to do a sense motive?

Johnny:Yes, and I have lie to me, so it's going to be against my deception.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely, roll a deception check.

Argyle:Hey, I just, just try to outlie a fade, a devil thing.

Argyle:That's fine.

Johnny:Do I roll or does he roll?

Johnny:Because it says use your deception, DC.

Gamemaster:Oh, does he, he rolls a deception check against your perception DC.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Johnny:Because I have lied to me.

Johnny:It's against my deception, DC.

Gamemaster:Okay, okay, okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely, one second.

Gamemaster:Here he is.

Johnny:This guy's probably got a billion in deception.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you're making me look up his actual stats.

Gamemaster:Give me half a second.

Argyle:We have an idea to know if it's a really bad idea to jump this Harlequin King at the moment.

Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.

Gamemaster:You get to bet a game a little bit by seeing what plus I add onto this roll here.

Gamemaster:Okay, sorry, so what am I rolling?

Johnny:I think it's a deception check.

Argyle:A deception.

Gamemaster:He rolls Deception.

Johnny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:What is this man's Deception?

Gamemaster:That's a big Deception.

Johnny:Oh, come on, Josh.

Johnny:Maybe it's really low.

Johnny:Maybe we're rolling that one.

Gamemaster:He got a 43.

Johnny:Oh, that's a crit.

Anzu:Hard to read.

Gamemaster:Yeah, he has... I did.

Argyle:You actually really like this guy and you think he's the most trustworthy person you've ever met.

Johnny:Okay.

Johnny:I'm gonna stare at this guy.

Johnny:I don't see past this mask.

Johnny:It's really hard.

Argyle:I guess two questions for me.

Argyle:Why didn't you invite Iconoclasm?

Argyle:One.

Gamemaster:I did.

Argyle:You did?

Gamemaster:I do.

Argyle:Do you know what happened to Illmari?

Johnny:What happened to Illmari?

Gamemaster:Not my story to tell.

Gamemaster:He is still alive.

Johnny:Whose story is it, guy?

Argyle:Is he still alive?

Argyle:Do you suspect you'll see him on this vessel?

Benny:Is it related to anyone else that's going to be on this voyage?

Gamemaster:I can't possibly answer that.

Gamemaster:That depends on him, I suppose.

Gamemaster:And all of you.

Argyle:Never mind.

Argyle:I look at Benny, Anzu, any questions?

Gamemaster:Yeah, I would say that's fair to say.

Argyle:Was he captured?

Gamemaster:I don't know how much to tell you.

Gamemaster:I think it'd be more fun to see you scramble.

Argyle:I wonder if he was killed and revived by those liches.

Benny:It's not fun to see a scramble.

Benny:I'm very sloppy and I scream a lot.

Johnny:It's true.

Gamemaster:That sounds like fun.

Benny:That'll be it.

Gamemaster:I wouldn't mind seeing it.

Argyle:Do you have any spare magic items that we can use to make our heart bigger that you wouldn't mind giving away for free?

Gamemaster:Yes and no.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:You gotta ask, right?

Johnny:So what happens afterwards?

Gamemaster:No.

Johnny:You get there, we go, ooh, ah, we all look around and then you leave or?

Gamemaster:Well, I imagine whoever's left will fight for it.

Johnny:What do you mean by that?

Johnny:What do you mean who's ever left?

Johnny:What do you mean, and also fight for?

Benny:Yeah, what do you mean by it?

Gamemaster:Well, I know as much about what awaits us as you do.

Johnny:No, no, no, no.

Johnny:It feels like you know more, because there's a lot in that sentence.

Johnny:One, what do you mean by who's ever left?

Argyle:He definitely knows more than we do.

Johnny:What do you mean by... What do you mean by who's ever left?

Argyle:You don't go, hey, guys, let's just go here.

Argyle:I'm just going to get invites for all these random people that happen to have heard it.

Argyle:This son of a bitch.

Johnny:What do you mean by who's over the left?

Gamemaster:Whoever's left is pretty easy.

Gamemaster:I didn't mean to seem ominous.

Gamemaster:There are...

Gamemaster:Nineteen organizations, at least, making this trip.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:You one of them.

Gamemaster:They are, at best, at odds with each other.

Gamemaster:You're all going to be cooped on this pilgrimage for a considerable period of time.

Gamemaster:There will be deaths.

Anzu:So you're expecting conflict.

Gamemaster:I have no doubt.

Gamemaster:If anything, I'll be encouraging it.

Gamemaster:I'll get bored.

Anzu:That was my next question.

Gamemaster:Not for no reason, of course.

Gamemaster:But it would be boring if you all hung out in a circle and sang together.

Gamemaster:I'd much prefer to see them.

Johnny:No, that's actually pretty cool.

Johnny:You could get in the circle, we can all sing, and then we'd get there and it'd be fine.

Johnny:We don't have to kill each other.

Gamemaster:I make a habit of not entering any kind of circle.

Johnny:Oh, it's the demon thing!

Johnny:It's the devil thing!

Gamemaster:But don't worry.

Gamemaster:You passed the first test.

Gamemaster:You've made it onto the strider.

Gamemaster:You're competent.

Gamemaster:You're powerful.

Gamemaster:We'll just have to see if you are more competent, more powerful.

Anzu:you

Argyle:I see.

Benny:Are you excited by the roster?

Gamemaster:Worthy?

Gamemaster:Yes.

Gamemaster:There are some duds, to be honest.

Benny:You expect there to be

Gamemaster:I had some interesting predictions about who would make it on, and there were some curveballs.

Gamemaster:But that happens.

Johnny:Was it, was Salvado, was he the big curveball?

Gamemaster:Oh, subspace, yes.

Gamemaster:They're one of them.

Argyle:Was were we careful?

Gamemaster:I imagine he's not particularly long.

Gamemaster:Were you a cripple?

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:Once I saw you attending, I figured you had a good chance.

Gamemaster:You guys are go-getters.

Argyle:you know about all of our backstories.

Benny:This guy right here, and Benny will point to Anzu, chip the size of fucking Brithwyn on his shoulder.

Anzu:Anzu just puts his beak in his hands and just kind of shakes his head.

Johnny:I'm just confident.

Anzu:Us too.

Benny:I do like Argyle's question.

Benny:How much do you know about us?

Gamemaster:More than what's publicly available.

Gamemaster:Less than you probably assume.

Gamemaster:I'm very good at projecting confidence.

Argyle:what do you think about the six other gods oh you know the six other ones coming in

Gamemaster:Take it down.

Gamemaster:What?

Gamemaster:You have to be more specific.

Johnny:The Sinister Six.

Gamemaster:Ah, yes, you've rephrased it.

Gamemaster:I know what you're talking about now.

Johnny:Yeah, it's not fun when someone else does it to you, is it?

Gamemaster:Of course.

Benny:Thank you.

Argyle:no um yeah yeah what are your thoughts generally on the current gods that we have do you like them would you prefer if our entire i don't know existence got wiped out clean

Gamemaster:Am I... Should I be insulted?

Gamemaster:Do you want me to mimic being sad?

Gamemaster:Would that make you feel better?

Anzu:Oh, I think the confidence is fine.

Gamemaster:From what perspective?

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:They do the job.

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:Okay, she would not like the Sinister Six.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:I'm glad we landed on the conclusion there.

Argyle:Yeah, they're pretty tall.

Argyle:At least one of them.

Anzu:I think that this has been a really productive introduction.

Johnny:... ... ... ... ...

Argyle:Guys, he's just quiet.

Anzu:I'm glad.

Argyle:I'm not used to it.

Argyle:I want to fill in the space.

Anzu:I hope that by coming to you before setting off, we hit you at a time that was a little less busy.

Gamemaster:Oh, I'm mostly hands off right now.

Gamemaster:If you don't want to chat, I'm around.

Benny:you

Argyle:So, two things on that.

Argyle:One, I hope you take a shine to our group.

Argyle:And just give us a heads up if you want something done by us.

Argyle:And it's, you know...

Gamemaster:I am... I already said I will.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:I'll meddle.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Gamemaster:I'm going to give you a piece of advice.

Gamemaster:I do have favorites.

Gamemaster:You don't want to be my favorite.

Benny:It's flapping around, yeah.

Argyle:Sounds good.

Gamemaster:But you might end up there anyway.

Gamemaster:We'll have fun.

Gamemaster:Show me something entertaining.

Argyle:OK.

Gamemaster:Go on, scream and cry and whatever it's you said you would do.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:He's just a nine year old after all.

Gamemaster:No, he isn't.

Benny:How could...

Gamemaster:Actually, you know what?

Johnny:One.

Gamemaster:My gut instinct was to say no, but that's not true.

Gamemaster:He is a nine-year-old.

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:Uh-huh.

Anzu:Bet you haven't seen his permission slip.

Gamemaster:I haven't.

Gamemaster:Do you have a permission slip?

Benny:Sure.

Gamemaster:He will pick up the permission slip, look through it.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Gamemaster:Say my regards to your father when you next speak to him.

Argyle:Team Huddle, I would have asked this before we got in.

Gamemaster:Is there anything else I can help you with?

Johnny:Is there anyone you see?

Johnny:Anyone?

Argyle:Should we bring up that fourth floor or whatever it was door?

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:Oh, no.

Benny:Wait, the fourth?

Argyle:By the way, make sure this door is locked.

Benny:Oh, yeah, no.

Gamemaster:Birth for.

Benny:First four, yeah, yeah.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:Well, yeah, yeah.

Anzu:That's all, I think.

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:I'm glad I could be of assistance.

Gamemaster:If you ever need to reach out to me, I'm around.

Gamemaster:Your butler, Chuck, can find me if need be.

Benny:Of course.

Argyle:Great.

Argyle:All right.

Gamemaster:I do have to be off, but you're welcome to stay and have a meal here.

Gamemaster:It would be awkward if I stuck around anyway on account of the it's hard to eat.

Gamemaster:He will give a little bow and walk out of the private room back towards the front of the restaurant.

Gamemaster:And after a moment or so, somebody comes in with a menu.

Anzu:Do they serve couscous?

Gamemaster:Sorry.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:Really?

Gamemaster:They serve couscous.

Argyle:I imagine this was like an Italian place, the way he's like a mob boss.

Johnny:Italian couscous.

Gamemaster:Yeah, Italian couscous, that's a thing.

Benny:I had it pictured as a diner.

Gamemaster:I'm sure.

Argyle:I'll get the meatball parm.

Gamemaster:It definitely wasn't a diner.

Gamemaster:Of the entities that you've met so far, the one most likely to be in a diner is Aut, and he's just in a white void, so he doesn't get a diner.

Argyle:Hmm.

Benny:We should bring him a diner next time we see him.

Johnny:Disassemble it.

Johnny:Bring it piece by piece.

Gamemaster:I'm sure he'd like that.

Benny:We just chuck a bunch of windows.

Benny:What are you doing to my room?

Benny:We're building a diner.

Johnny:This seems like your vibe.

Benny:We only have 50 more trips before we can complete the first wall.

Anzu:I'm having couscous.

Gamemaster:I mean, you guys are welcome to... If you want to eat here, you're more than welcome to.

Argyle:Are we going to eat here?

Benny:Yeah.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:They've got couscous.

Gamemaster:They've got Italian couscous.

Argyle:I'm going to have... I have the chicken Milanese.

Anzu:I feel like... I feel like couscous is Mediterranean enough to not be crazy out of place.

Gamemaster:Which I assume... Italian couscous is couscous with the same seasoning that goes on Italian breadcrumbs, I think.

Benny:It's just small gnocchi.

Gamemaster:Nope.

Gamemaster:That's not what couscous is.

Benny:No, but it's Italian, Josh.

Johnny:I actually feel like there may be, hang on.

Argyle:You know what?

Johnny:I feel like there may be.

Argyle:Actually, I'm taking it back.

Argyle:I am going to have a ragu.

Gamemaster:Sorry, couscous is an integral part of traditional Sicilian and Sardinian cuisine.

Gamemaster:Done.

Benny:Didn't say it.

Benny:Didn't say Italian.

Gamemaster:Italian?

Gamemaster:This is specifically a Sardinian Italian restaurant.

Benny:I'll have the sardines then.

Johnny:In that case, I'll have a Sardinian Fregola.

Argyle:It's a real bob.

Anzu:Ugh.

Gamemaster:But yeah, you guys are welcome to eat here.

Argyle:Are we in a Fane?

Gamemaster:There are no prices on the menu, and that's not because you can't afford it.

Gamemaster:That's because they don't charge.

Gamemaster:So you're... No, not that you can tell.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:You're just in a restaurant.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:All right.

Argyle:So I guess we'll eat our meal and then head home.

Gamemaster:You can do that.

Argyle:I would like to head to once we're in our heart.

Argyle:I guess I will actually do one meditating thing.

Argyle:Which is... Consult the spirits!

Argyle:And I'll do religion.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:And I am... I want to see if our hearts subservient.

Argyle:If that's possible for me to try to vibe out to the devils here.

Gamemaster:Okay, one second.

Gamemaster:What's the thing you're casting?

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Consult the spirits?

Argyle:Consult the spirits.

Gamemaster:Consult the spirits.

Argyle:Religion reveals the presence of angelic, demonic, or other spirits in service to divine beings.

Gamemaster:Oh, this is the one where you got lied to last campaign.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:Gotcha, gotcha, absolutely.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you can attempt to recall knowledge and we'll do it with religion.

Gamemaster:Also, as you're doing that, I do just want to note, because it occurred to me, I just connected this now with what you were talking about with 5e before.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:To clarify, Floating Disk is also a Pathfinder spell.

Argyle:Oh, cool.

Johnny:carry thing one

Argyle:Cool, cool, cool.

Gamemaster:Like, it's not something that we... They're not doing an Anouk and Anaïs thing where they do five-year-olds.

Argyle:Okay, okay.

Gamemaster:It's called Floating Disc, or at least it was.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:I think in the remaster they changed it to, like, Carry Thing or something.

Gamemaster:One second.

Gamemaster:Carry All.

Gamemaster:It's called Carry All, but it's the same thing.

Gamemaster:It's a floating disc.

Argyle:I got a success, so I only get one question.

Gamemaster:I mean, you don't know that you got a success.

Argyle:Oh, you're right, you're right.

Gamemaster:What did you roll?

Argyle:I got 28.

Gamemaster:You got a 28.

Gamemaster:Wait a second.

Gamemaster:Because I'm stupid and I closed the tab last time I looked at this.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:You consult the spirits, and after a moment, or after ten moments that you spend casting the spell, or... It's not even a spell.

Gamemaster:It's just a ritual.

Gamemaster:Or, like, you know, it doesn't cast a spell slot or anything like that.

Argyle:What's a skill?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:You... You and only you see a... Like...

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:very faint, almost translucent form of a humanoid figure about this big, made out of what looks to be gold foil that appears in the palm of your hands.

Argyle:Or.

Argyle:Is his heart subservient to the masters of... And I whisper, like, the devil's name.

Gamemaster:No.

Gamemaster:And the foil crumbles up into a ball and then poofs.

Johnny:this you

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:I hope that was a success, though.

Argyle:I'm hoping it was.

Argyle:I'm going to put the Chuck statue outside.

Argyle:Of the Fade.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Gamemaster:So there's a little figurine of your Harlequin butler just like on the stoop.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Benny:you you

Anzu:You just tested that our heart is likely not under the influence.

Argyle:Yes.

Anzu:Is that okay?

Argyle:What the fuck?

Johnny:This is crazy.

Argyle:So...

Johnny:I don't like this.

Johnny:I don't like that guy.

Johnny:I don't know if I said that.

Argyle:Do you guys remember when I was saying that these people were definitely evil?

Argyle:And you guys were like, no, they're probably really good people.

Johnny:I don't know if I said that part.

Argyle:Also, the devil knows we call that guy Chuck, so they definitely talk to each other.

Benny:I like to see the good in people.

Benny:I might have said it.

Gamemaster:If you recall, you asked Chuck to arrange a meeting such that you could talk to the Master of Ceremonies, and he got back to you and said one was arranged.

Gamemaster:I know you might have expected a chain of command, but I do want to put it out there that that isn't super wild, necessarily.

Argyle:Yeah, but if we ask Chuck or Butler, hey, he's going to be like, hey, master, these buffoons want to talk to you.

Argyle:By the way, they call me Chuck.

Argyle:Unless he now starts signing things Chuck and he's really adapted it.

Benny:I've taken to calling me Chuck.

Argyle:Yes, so I don't know if Chuck has a...

Benny:Every day I languish in your service.

Benny:I will stand it for you, my lord.

Benny:I will go back, and I will be the Chuck they need.

Benny:Yeah, sure, I don't know.

Benny:I'll be in the back of the diner.

Gamemaster:Not a titer.

Argyle:Really not great, actually.

Benny:I like The Harlequins just really overdramatic.

Argyle:Hayworks.

Johnny:Do you know this guy?

Johnny:Is he bad?

Johnny:Do you know this guy?

Benny:We all do.

Argyle:They're a group of four devils that are suddenly organized recently.

Argyle:One of the other ones.

Argyle:was uh you know the sire of yes yeah yeah yeah

Anzu:your other half so do you think that your other half is going to be here kind of allied with the leadership

Johnny:Oh, one of the big four is your other... Is he sort of your dad?

Johnny:Hmm.

Argyle:I hope he's still good, but... I don't know.

Argyle:So if you see a slightly shorter version of me, remember, he's a devil child.

Benny:Difficult to tell.

Benny:Hold on.

Benny:That is the only distinguishing factor.

Benny:Slightly shorter.

Argyle:Well, you know, now that you put it out, we probably should come up with a way to distinguish us, because now we're separated, so he doesn't know what we're thinking.

Argyle:Password?

Argyle:What's a good password?

Anzu:I mean, he's kind of throwing that to every person we meet, so maybe that's not a great idea.

Benny:It has to be something that he wouldn't

Johnny:Hmm.

Argyle:Anzu's chip on his shoulder.

Argyle:Anzu's massive chip.

Benny:No, no, no.

Benny:This, this, this.

Argyle:No, no, we need something else.

Argyle:We need something else.

Benny:Guac.

Benny:The code word is guac.

Benny:The code phrase or the code prompt is what would you eat with what's on his shoulder?

Gamemaster:So stupid.

Anzu:I suppose this will do because it's very obscure and inane.

Gamemaster:It's especially obscure because I don't think like Spanish exists in the setting.

Gamemaster:So guacamole doesn't exist.

Gamemaster:But that works.

Benny:I've invented a new language.

Anzu:But we just had couscous.

Gamemaster:Couscous does exist because Italy does.

Benny:Espanol.

Johnny:We've been doing this.

Gamemaster:Italy's canonically on Færrin somewhere.

Gamemaster:You just gotta find it.

Benny:I can't believe we're hanging out with these fucking Italians.

Benny:They're not even devils.

Benny:It's just how Italians are in this world.

Argyle:This guy.

Gamemaster:Also, I apologize.

Argyle:This one's up.

Gamemaster:I had to quickly go through and reference the tarot cards for the devils.

Gamemaster:The forest is not one of the devils.

Gamemaster:I apologize.

Gamemaster:It's the hooded.

Gamemaster:The hooded instead of the forest.

Gamemaster:Give me a second and I'll just show each of them.

Argyle:Just send us the.

Gamemaster:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Anzu:Can you just send us kind of your notes for the end game of the campaign?

Johnny:Yeah, let us know what's happening.

Benny:Let's see how accurate my notes are because I had to write them quickly.

Gamemaster:No.

Benny:Shackle, Harlequin, the Hooded, and Gnome.

Benny:There we go.

Gamemaster:Loam.

Anzu:Loam.

Gamemaster:Loam.

Anzu:You absolute fool.

Gamemaster:You idiot.

Benny:So two of them are wrong.

Argyle:I drink loam every day.

Gamemaster:Well, one of them was wrong because I told you the wrong one, so that doesn't count.

Gamemaster:But the other one, you were wrong, and you should feel bad for it.

Benny:Isn't loam like a particularly fertile kind of soil?

Gamemaster:Hmm?

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:It's also a fiber supplement.

Benny:You drink that?

Benny:I feel like you said that after I called you out for drinking soil.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:a pretty good five or something, I'll be honest with you guys.

Benny:It's nutritious soil.

Benny:It's one of the better soils to be drinking.

Gamemaster:It's good for you.

Gamemaster:Builds your immune system.

Gamemaster:Trace amounts of worms.

Gamemaster:It's good.

Argyle:Anyway.

Benny:Jorge, we believe you.

Benny:He's like, no, they're going to think I'm drinking soil.

Argyle:No.

Johnny:What?

Argyle:No, I have you guys to know.

Benny:He keeps joking about it, but I know that some people really believe it.

Benny:I'm going to clear this up.

Argyle:It's actually less of that.

Argyle:It's that I want you guys to start drinking it.

Argyle:It's great.

Argyle:Anyway.

Gamemaster:Jorge wants us drinking dirt.

Anzu:Jorge is out there just taking scoops out of the dirt when he goes on walks with the dog.

Johnny:He's got a spoon.

Benny:He's putting it in his container.

Argyle:Anyhow, what are we going to do about this?

Anzu:I mean, there's really nothing to do right now.

Anzu:We just got to...

Argyle:Weren't you saying that we're going to all go and just rescue this innocent singer?

Argyle:Now it seems like we're just bringing a bunch of people to just hack it to death.

Anzu:Well, we need to be there, is what I'm saying.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Argyle:Okay, but we understand now what's happening, right?

Argyle:That we're bringing a bunch of people.

Anzu:Well, no, I mean, here's... They were going to make it there whether or not we were on this vessel.

Argyle:who are psychopaths and they're going to hack it to death.

Anzu:And so I would rather be here than not.

Anzu:Now, what we're going to have to do is have allies.

Anzu:Okay, we did a good job already with our party.

Benny:Are they worth protecting

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Anzu:But if that thing thinks that there's going to be a lot of violence, then probably there will be.

Anzu:And we're going to want friends.

Argyle:How far is the Scale group from us?

Anzu:The Solari people, I like them.

Anzu:They're probably toast, unless people just kind of ignore them.

Johnny:No, they're super toast.

Johnny:Yeah, that guy thinks this is like a make connections sort of...

Anzu:What I'm...

Gamemaster:The skill group is actually relatively far from you.

Gamemaster:It looks like they've got a pretty low-numbered keystone, and therefore low-numbered birth.

Gamemaster:They're not birth 4, to clarify.

Anzu:Mm hmm.

Gamemaster:Um, but they are, they're like, the way that the plots of land are set up is in a circle effectively, uh, around the, the entry point that gets you down to the lower floors.

Argyle:OK.

Gamemaster:Um, so if you imagine a, uh, 20 sided, like a clock with 20 hours on it instead of 12, uh, where 20 is the top, um, you guys are at 14.

Gamemaster:Uh, they're all the way over at like eight.

Gamemaster:So they're on the other side of the structure from you.

Argyle:To be honest with you guys.

Argyle:We might want to start bunking with like we might want maybe the Scale cup here, but we should probably start bunking.

Anzu:I think that there's going to be a little bit of time before all hell breaks loose.

Anzu:I could be wrong, but... Josh, I have a question.

Argyle:I don't know, guys.

Argyle:I visited their base.

Argyle:You guys saw it.

Argyle:I think we're fucked.

Argyle:I think people are just going to steamroll our basically candy house, okay?

Johnny:A, Hertz.

Gamemaster:The answer is kind of.

Anzu:It's a heart question.

Anzu:can the power from one heart be siphoned and used or transferred to another?

Anzu:What I'm thinking about is, are people going to be coming after other hearts to bolster their own?

Argyle:fuck it's not great

Gamemaster:in that you can't do like a one-to-one transfer.

Gamemaster:It is very difficult to move a heart like that.

Gamemaster:If you kill a heart, though, some of the energy that was present from it is left over and can be retained and then fed to an existing heart.

Anzu:Right.

Anzu:Because if you've got someone like Solari who, from an intrigue standpoint, is not going to be a threat, why would someone come after them?

Gamemaster:It's not a particularly efficient transfer of magic, but it is definitely within the realm of possibility.

Argyle:That's why they gave us the plots.

Argyle:They made the plots so big, guys.

Argyle:I see what you're saying.

Anzu:it would be to get their energy.

Argyle:I understand what you're saying.

Argyle:And Argyle reaches to grab his sword.

Anzu:No.

Gamemaster:Now's the time.

Benny:Oh, yeah.

Johnny:Gotta get the jump on everyone.

Gamemaster:They don't expect it.

Argyle:their friends with us will go in.

Argyle:Also, I would use our heart to talk to the Galeheart to give him a heads up to be like, red alert, red alert.

Johnny:Should we go and see if birth four is filled up yet?

Benny:Can we get a report from Chuck of who's arrived since we last checked in?

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:It's been like 12 hours.

Gamemaster:Some more people have filtered in.

Gamemaster:Okay, you use the skein and you just, you give them the information you have and you are connected in that way.

Argyle:Let us know if you're being attacked ever.

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Gamemaster:Since you last checked, Ternion Heavy Industries, which is also in aeronautics, but they work primarily on military planes, bombers and the like.

Gamemaster:have come in.

Argyle:They fly in here?

Gamemaster:No, they took a, like, the rules are you take a vehicle, so they took a vehicle, like a car.

Gamemaster:They did not bring a plane.

Gamemaster:As well as, one second, I've got a big list that I have to scroll all the way through it.

Argyle:That would be cool.

Gamemaster:Prime Meridian showed up.

Gamemaster:They're the people who have the trains and the roads and stuff, and also staged a coup.

Johnny:I wish we were friends with their big boss.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:And Sable and Suns showed up.

Gamemaster:They're a firearm manufacturer.

Argyle:Fuck those guys.

Johnny:Yeah.

Johnny:Wait, wait, fuck them.

Johnny:We hate them.

Johnny:We should make sure that they didn't bring laser guns because that's going to be an issue.

Argyle:Okay, so a couple things game plan.

Argyle:One, we should go talk to Anzu, who's your friend.

Anzu:Oh, Paavo.

Argyle:We should update him on information we got.

Anzu:At Hildebrandt?

Argyle:Yeah, yeah, just give him some information update.

Argyle:That way we stay friendly.

Anzu:Mm-hmm.

Argyle:Who's the weakling that you're friends with?

Argyle:And I look at Johnny.

Johnny:um oh i just named down i was

Gamemaster:From Solari Sub-surface.

Anzu:That's Delvato.

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:Now, stavato.

Argyle:We need to make sure they contact our heart if they're getting raided so we can third party.

Gamemaster:Salvado.

Argyle:Don't tell them that, though.

Gamemaster:That's crazy.

Argyle:But we need to.

Argyle:Argyle's going to start having a map, I guess, similar to the other Scale people and start, like, noting down where we know people and, like, assessing their strength levels.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Argyle:Prime Meridian, we should go be friendly with them.

Argyle:I think they're friends with that bear.

Argyle:We can bring him some soda.

Argyle:They might like that.

Johnny:That bit.

Argyle:Now, do we go strike the Embercall?

Argyle:No, no, we should wait.

Argyle:We shouldn't be the first ones to strike, right?

Anzu:Are you crazy?

Argyle:Like, we shouldn't be the first ones.

Argyle:So the other thing is, should we just take our car and go on the road and just start jumping people?

Benny:No, no.

Benny:No, Anzu's right.

Argyle:Now that we know.

Benny:Anzu's right.

Benny:You sound crazy.

Benny:Wait until Embercall builds up their heart bigger so that there's more energy for us to take from when we kill them all!

Argyle:Okay, okay, okay.

Argyle:Should we take our allies and go to the road and just start jumping people coming in, steal their stones before they get them set up, and then we feed it directly to our hearts?

Johnny:I know this isn't related, but I think we all really miss the fact that Anzu's one friend is the guy named Turkey.

Anzu:Is Paavo turkey in another language?

Gamemaster:Yeah, it is.

Benny:In which language?

Gamemaster:That wasn't on purpose, but that is true.

Johnny:In Spanish.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Benny:In Spanish?

Benny:Yes, we're inventing the language.

Argyle:Signaling he's a sitting turkey.

Gamemaster:For what it's worth, his name is spelled with two A's, so it's not quite the same.

Anzu:And he doesn't look like a bird in any way.

Gamemaster:Yes, he's blue.

Johnny:Please, Turkey.

Anzu:He looks like he's blue.

Anzu:Am I right?

Anzu:Was he the blue one?

Gamemaster:He's blue.

Benny:No, that's so stupid.

Johnny:I really lost the thread of the conversation trying to figure out how to slip that in there.

Argyle:All right, all right.

Argyle:We need a network.

Argyle:We want, if any of us gets attacked in the, we need a name for the Alliance.

Benny:Listen, I'm going to be completely honest with you, Argyle.

Argyle:What should we name the Alliance?

Argyle:The Chronicle?

Benny:Naming's not our strong suit.

Benny:Let's avoid trying to come up with names for things as long as possible.

Johnny:Also, buddy system.

Johnny:We can't be wandering around out here.

Johnny:It's dangerous.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Johnny:Two at a time.

Johnny:Sure.

Argyle:Let's do a... Yeah, let's set up a name for our alliance.

Argyle:I vote Chronicle.

Argyle:What do you guys say?

Benny:Isn't that the heart?

Benny:Did we rename the heart yet?

Gamemaster:No, the heart's named Eerie.

Argyle:No, no, no.

Argyle:The heart is still the same.

Argyle:We're just gonna... Our alliance of friends are Chronicle.

Anzu:Now, my one concern is if we start naming this alliance, is that going to be really like a tell?

Argyle:Hmm?

Argyle:Yeah.

Anzu:Like, oh, these guys are planning on an offensive.

Anzu:I don't want to put that out there.

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Johnny:No, then when they come to jump us, we reverse jump them.

Argyle:So what, you want them to think we're scrawny and weak so they can come and take our heart?

Johnny:And we take their heart.

Benny:Oh, go over.

Gamemaster:Hmm.

Argyle:I have to say, that devil really got into our heads.

Argyle:I think you guys gotta get a grip of this.

Johnny:That's probably the point.

Argyle:I think we gotta be more...

Johnny:Our guy's putting together like a red string board from It's Always Sunny.

Johnny:And he's like, you guys got to get...

Johnny:You're losing it, guys.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:He said, I expect there to be violence, and you guys jumped to, well, clearly we need to start killing people on the road before they get here.

Anzu:wait wait Josh do not say please don't say just because Jorge said this devil really got in our heads doesn't mean you need to also agree that all of us are affected in the same way but I do agree that allies will be important

Gamemaster:To stop the violence.

Benny:We'll need practice.

Gamemaster:All of you are clearly equally gung-ho about this.

Argyle:OK, OK.

Argyle:Sounds good.

Argyle:Yeah, you just don't want to name an alliance because you'd prefer we'd have no alliance and someone already joined.

Argyle:What happens if your friend joins in a cool alliance?

Argyle:Then we're fucked.

Anzu:Well, we're the first ones in the door.

Johnny:If he joins a different club.

Anzu:I spoke to him.

Anzu:We're on good ground.

Johnny:Yeah, birds of a feather.

Argyle:And he's friends with the Scale already.

Benny:you

Anzu:Right.

Argyle:Right.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Anzu:So we do have some good connections already.

Anzu:I'm just... Yeah.

Argyle:I'm just vividly imagining a later session, us going to visit the Scale compound, and it's just door blown in, they're all dead, and it's going to be like, fuck!

Argyle:Okay, okay.

Argyle:I think Embercall declared War on us by not showing up to our cookout.

Gamemaster:Thank you.

Anzu:Well, if I recall, they were pretty early in the stages of setting up their thing.

Benny:It's definitely an act of aggression.

Johnny:I mean, they know.

Benny:It's bullshit.

Anzu:Not to give them any points in their favor.

Johnny:They... They probably know.

Johnny:They're that skeleton butler sauce.

Johnny:So... They know our faces.

Johnny:I mean...

Argyle:Sigh.

Benny:But we're not that noticeable.

Benny:Like that guy in the gym.

Johnny:that skeleton Butler saw our nine-year-old and then our nine-year-old was seen again by, uh, the, the gin when we blew up.

Benny:I'm just a bad omen.

Johnny:Tell her.

Benny:If these groups that do bad things ever communicate, they're not even going to think it's a real person.

Gamemaster:No.

Benny:They're just going to think it's like if you hallucinate and see this child, bad things are happening to you right now.

Anzu:Did you see the boy as well?

Argyle:What?

Benny:Also, guys, there was someone in the gym that was just completely unremarkable.

Anzu:Okay.

Johnny:Bye.

Benny:I almost forgot that I saw them.

Anzu:Like there was just a person.

Argyle:Do they talk in a Russian accent?

Benny:I didn't talk to them.

Argyle:I'm kidding.

Benny:Yeah, it was either a normal guy on the treadmill or golden lizard with a rapier.

Argyle:I wouldn't have asked that.

Argyle:And the other guy was like, hello, may I enter your house?

Gamemaster:No.

Argyle:OK, OK, so.

Argyle:Wait, what the fuck do the twins say when we're there?

Argyle:Are they here?

Johnny:Where are the twins?

Gamemaster:I mean, did you want to invite them?

Gamemaster:Otherwise, they're in the workshop.

Argyle:Yeah, we would invite.

Argyle:Yeah, we'd invite him.

Gamemaster:Oh, yeah.

Benny:have a buddy system too bonus um

Gamemaster:They do have a buddy system.

Gamemaster:They're basically always together.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:Yeah, it's fair.

Gamemaster:Frankly, I hope that you are not expecting us to commit this violence on the road with the other people.

Johnny:No one, no one.

Anzu:I don't really want to fight people on the road.

Argyle:Oh, no, no, no.

Argyle:We're not going to do that.

Argyle:Anzu is going a little crazy.

Argyle:Anzu is just going a little crazy.

Johnny:That was.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:I think we should just stay here.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay, we are more than happy if you like to beef up the defense systems of this Fane, if that is more our speed.

Argyle:Yes.

Gamemaster:We have some experience in feign defense, if you would like.

Benny:Of course.

Gamemaster:Either that or if you need an offensive on a particularly large feign, I imagine we will get cooped up every now and then.

Argyle:Is...

Gamemaster:You can include us in your strategy if you like.

Argyle:Excellent.

Anzu:Defense is good enough for now, but...

Gamemaster:We made sure to pack some rocket hammers.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Johnny:Listen, wait, I meant to ask you guys something.

Johnny:This is not related.

Gamemaster:Yes, rocket hammer.

Johnny:You know how you put the rocket on a hammer?

Johnny:Sometimes I get ganged up on.

Johnny:Can you put a rocket on boots so I can rocket out of there and somewhere else?

Gamemaster:Yes, absolutely.

Gamemaster:This is just an item, right?

Gamemaster:Rocket boots are definitely an item.

Johnny:Yeah, I just want them to build me rocket boots.

Gamemaster:Blast boots, that's what they're called.

Gamemaster:Yeah, they could build you blast boots.

Gamemaster:You will have to pay for it, but they're more than happy to craft it, if that's what you're looking for.

Johnny:Cool.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Johnny:I forgot to buy that earlier.

Johnny:I know I think it'd be funnier if they put rockets on my cowboy boots.

Gamemaster:Do you want lesser or moderate?

Gamemaster:It's 3 gold pieces or 11 gold pieces.

Johnny:I'll do the moderate.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Spend the 11 gold pieces.

Gamemaster:They will, by the time the week is up, they will have your moderate blast boots ready.

Johnny:Amazing.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:It takes a week of downtime to change a feat, so I'm going to change my feat from Consult the Spirits to Break Curse, if that's okay.

Argyle:Because now I'm scared one of us is going to get cursed.

Gamemaster:Yeah, absolutely.

Johnny:I'm also going to change my level.

Anzu:Because there's a curse in that guy's backstory?

Argyle:Someone is cursed!

Benny:Oh, I haven't used my feet yet.

Argyle:We're dealing with a literal devil kingpin, and we're about to go into fucking HOA turf wars.

Argyle:Someone's going to try to curse one of us.

Johnny:I'm also doing downtime to change my level seven feet from talent envy to double speak.

Argyle:Okay, okay, okay, okay.

Johnny:Because I feel like I'm going to need to be double speaking a lot.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:You guys have the downtime, so you're free to do whatever you like with it.

Argyle:So, Johnny, your friends are totally going to die.

Johnny:The ones I just met?

Argyle:Are you all right with that?

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:Oh, yeah, I've known many people who've died, so it happens.

Argyle:Oh, great.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:Just wanted to double check.

Argyle:It's not my specialty, but I can also do psychiatry.

Johnny:Oh, I'm... Okay, yeah, I probably could use a lot of psychiatry.

Argyle:That goes for anyone here.

Argyle:In case you guys want to talk, just let me know.

Johnny:I did watch everyone I know die, so...

Argyle:Oh, yeah.

Argyle:We can start doing lessons.

Argyle:Not lessons.

Johnny:Cool.

Argyle:Sessions.

Johnny:I'll teach you how to say yes.

Johnny:And you teach me how to parent myself the way I wish my parents had.

Johnny:I don't know.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:In general, I'll also be opening up a little medic kit.

Argyle:I don't know.

Argyle:If people need to come for medicine help, or I guess curses at the end of the week, I will start setting up a little clinic.

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Johnny:Cool.

Gamemaster:In case there are other people who are cursed other than that one guy that you know is cursed and they just need to get rid of it.

Argyle:Well, not just curses.

Gamemaster:Yeah, that's fine.

Benny:you you

Argyle:I don't know if people have medics.

Argyle:I don't know how

Argyle:NPCs heal.

Argyle:And again, I'm not really looking for, like, obviously I'll take gold.

Argyle:I'm not looking as much for gold.

Argyle:I'm not going to charge expensive things.

Argyle:It's mostly just like, please work with us.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:I am.

Gamemaster:I've been just over the course of the week, people are going to filter in new orgs and stuff are going to show up.

Gamemaster:I thought it would be helpful as we like look at the end, just all of the people that appeared and in the order of.

Gamemaster:Where they are positionally from birth one to birth 19 because the 20th is that was reserved for the master of ceremonies.

Gamemaster:So I'm just going to send you guys the list, including like the what like the names that you know of and what the companies do because I feel like

Gamemaster:If I read it out to you, it'll just be a lot.

Benny:Oh shit.

Gamemaster:Obviously, we will get into them as they become relevant to you, as you bump into them.

Gamemaster:But this is the list in order of the things as they get set up.

Gamemaster:So their position in the list is the birth they're at.

Johnny:Oh, didn't... Didn't Paavo know Yao?

Gamemaster:So position one is birth one.

Johnny:I feel like they said they were friends.

Johnny:I think that was... Oh, shit.

Gamemaster:Paavo did say they knew Yale.

Argyle:That is... Yeah.

Benny:The Protectorates at birth for.

Johnny:Yeah, we gotta let them know.

Gamemaster:The reason I gave those names for Protectorate, despite the fact that we didn't like roleplaying you meeting them, is because you have met both of those people before.

Gamemaster:So...

Argyle:So we're definitely going to talk to... So I would like to talk to...

Argyle:Protectorate, just to re-establish the connection.

Argyle:I think it would be nice if we could chat with Prime Meridian as well.

Johnny:Yeah.

Argyle:And then I would feel out Necrolog, I guess?

Johnny:I do RunGunners.

Argyle:Just because I'm a medic, just try to talk to them.

Argyle:Anyone else have any ones they'd like to feel out?

Johnny:I feel we can see.

Johnny:Hey, do you know Dura?

Johnny:Dura Oil Drinker?

Argyle:Hildebrandt?

Benny:Gunners for other escorts.

Argyle:Hildebrandt's the guy that gets fucked up, right?

Gamemaster:Oh, sorry.

Gamemaster:To clarify, and now as soon as you said escorts, I want to clarify, they are an escort service, like they will escort you through a dangerous area.

Gamemaster:They are not an escort service.

Benny:Josh, I know what... Listen, I've read the back of Yellow Pages.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Just, I just, I need to make that clear.

Johnny:14 Nice.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:I know what escorts do.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Benny:It's illegal.

Anzu:So Hildebrandt is right next to us there at 15.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Benny:Who are the people that tried to get the stone from us when we were leaving Prime Meridian?

Argyle:That's good.

Gamemaster:Concordia, which you will notice is not on this list.

Anzu:Oh, the smile people.

Benny:I just want to make sure.

Benny:Because we do have another... Fuck, who wrote 1984?

Benny:Yeah, we have another Orwellian name.

Gamemaster:Orwell?

Johnny:the Ministry of Cultural Progress.

Gamemaster:Which one?

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Oh, yeah.

Johnny:That's a pretty, that's a real Orwellian name.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:Thank you.

Argyle:Oh, also, I like to swing by the Iridescent Church on the off chance they're any of the people we worked with before.

Argyle:I doubt it, but... No, no, no.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:You guys know Sir Arctos?

Johnny:He's a buddy of ours.

Argyle:I meant more of also if they know the people from... We... Or the people that know Aut.

Gamemaster:The Inquisitors?

Gamemaster:Or from the Magical Crimes Convox?

Gamemaster:Or...

Gamemaster:Oh, you want to know if any of them are friends of aught?

Johnny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Gamemaster:Because you did meet a few members of the church that are friends of aught when you were in Pharos.

Argyle:And also, just to clarify, guys, are we going to tell the Protectorate that Aut has told us, and we said no, to opening a door?

Gamemaster:That is...

Johnny:I mean, I think we just.

Benny:now you

Argyle:No, because that's originally what Jotty was saying.

Johnny:I think we just stay on the lookout.

Johnny:I mean, we could just ask if they know who Aut is.

Argyle:I'm fine telling them.

Argyle:They definitely know who Aut is, I assume.

Argyle:Hey, by the way, are you ever going to ask the twins if they bombed your entire civilization, or are we just going to drop that?

Johnny:And then if they do, we look.

Johnny:Yeah, I'm waiting for the right one.

Johnny:No, I'm going to wait until we're moving so they can't get away.

Argyle:Okay, okay, okay.

Argyle:Great, great, great.

Argyle:Yeah, so I guess that's what we'd like to do.

Argyle:So wait, so are we talking to the Protectorate about anything, or just refreshing our connection?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:let me refresh the connection i don't know if we want to disclose the odd thing it is a little because maybe us disclosing the odd thing they're like well we'll leave it unlocked or we won't or i don't know i don't know what five layers of recursion odd is working with on if he plants a seed that we're gonna do it and then we don't tell them because we know that he we think that he knows that we think that he knows

Johnny:I think we just refresh the connection.

Argyle:If we open that door, imagine if... Oh my god.

Argyle:Imagine if Amber Call just bugs them.

Benny:We could just kill him right now.

Benny:We could just go kill him right now.

Benny:Then that would really not play out in any way that Awe was expecting.

Johnny:I feel like the fact that it's these two guys does not bode well for us trying to kill them.

Argyle:So... No.

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:To clarify, those are the names of the two people that you know of.

Benny:But then we'd die.

Argyle:Two people that we know of.

Gamemaster:There are more people from Protectorate that have come.

Johnny:Okay.

Gamemaster:It's just, yeah.

Gamemaster:The names in this list are names that you know.

Argyle:One other thing is... Oh, is it?

Johnny:They weren't just like, send these two guys, that'll be enough.

Argyle:Fuck.

Argyle:We now technically might have something that we'd want to know.

Argyle:I don't know what it is, but we have more information if you guys want to try to contact Aut.

Benny:Wait, what's the thing?

Argyle:I don't know, but we could ask something about the devil or something.

Benny:Who this guy is?

Benny:I guess.

Argyle:Where are...

Argyle:Oh my god, do you know how the magic cop got killed and turned into a zombie by Grayson?

Benny:I don't know.

Johnny:Yeah.

Argyle:I hope that didn't happen to Illmari.

Johnny:Be here.

Benny:Well, we might find out on this journey.

Benny:Maybe.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:Alright, well, let's go talk.

Argyle:Let's just be nice to everyone and that's it.

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Go door-to-door, Mormon-style, just saying hello.

Gamemaster:Okay, so you're going back to the Protectorate.

Argyle:Just trying to, like, float the idea we should stick together type of thing.

Gamemaster:Let's just go down the list.

Gamemaster:You're going back to the Protectorate.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:You're not telling them that some kind of divine-like entity told you to unlock their door.

Argyle:Don't act like they wouldn't know who Odd is.

Argyle:Yeah, we're not doing that because Benny's a scaredy cat.

Gamemaster:I'm just clarifying, you're not telling them that Aut told you to open the door.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Benny:Who scaredy cats?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Anzu:I also don't think we should tell them.

Argyle:Hey, guys, this like primordial being totally want us to sabotage you guys, but we're not doing it.

Argyle:Don't worry.

Benny:Yeah, he just knows everything that's going to happen.

Benny:So like, I don't know, maybe he knows this conversation is going to happen and you guys are fucked anyways.

Benny:But anyways, you know, he's never told us anything incorrect, including future events.

Benny:Like.

Johnny:There's no way we can mention that where it doesn't go crazy.

Argyle:Yeah, there's no good way to do that.

Benny:Perhaps.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:So you go over just to maintain the connection and be like, hey, you know, I see you're new to the neighborhood.

Gamemaster:Here's when they take out the trash, all that kind of stuff.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:You meet up with them.

Argyle:I offer my services to make potions or anything that they want.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Argyle:I won't charge any buffers or anything at cost.

Gamemaster:This is the first time that you get to see them not in a mask, so you actually see both Tamara and Yao.

Argyle:Hmm.

Gamemaster:Tamara is this taller, skinny, lithe elf.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:She is wearing, by the looks of it, this interesting-looking... Both her and Yao are wearing this armor that looks strange, because I don't think you would be familiar with this kind of armor.

Gamemaster:It is...

Gamemaster:Almost like Scale armor in that it's made up of these interlocking pieces, but instead of what you would expect the normal metal scales that get put together, it's these ceramic-looking hexagonal plates that interlock in a kind of chain formation.

Gamemaster:When they move around, it almost sounds like if you have a bottle filled with glass beans and you just keep rotating it back and forth as the different tiles click with each other.

Argyle:They want you to hear them coming.

Johnny:cool even more terrifying

Gamemaster:The reason that's important is because it is not quiet.

Gamemaster:The Protectorate Armor is not built for stealth.

Gamemaster:Don't need it.

Gamemaster:So they're both wearing the armor.

Gamemaster:Tamara is like the taller elf.

Gamemaster:Yao is a shorter looking gnomish man.

Gamemaster:Bald, long, reddish beard that's been kind of twisted and almost a dwarf-like beard tied up.

Gamemaster:They're both... Yao is as quiet as he was the first time you interacted with him.

Gamemaster:He gives you a grunt of hello.

Gamemaster:Tamara is happy to see you guys.

Gamemaster:You seemed like nice enough people.

Gamemaster:She does give you a little bit of a warning.

Gamemaster:In that, you know, we're friends so long as we're friends.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:But don't do anything too shysty.

Gamemaster:But, you know, generally friendly relations there.

Gamemaster:And they are happy to, if you offer, they'll add your heart.

Gamemaster:They'll add their heart to your network so that you can communicate with each other using it.

Argyle:Yes, yes, yes.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Anzu:And I'll mention to Yao that I had a friendly conversation with Paavo, and he mentioned that they were mutual friends.

Gamemaster:Even.

Gamemaster:If you recall, you don't need to roll for it because your character probably remembers, you rolled a perception check when you were exiting the fight at the party six months ago and you thanked the vocalist for your performance against the fiends.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:Yao did perk up when you mentioned the vocalist.

Anzu:Yeah.

Gamemaster:And so that connection is there.

Gamemaster:It's been reinforced by your conversation with Paavo, but that's something related there.

Gamemaster:But he seems friendly enough.

Argyle:right next to the sub shipping.

Argyle:They're going to eat those people for lunch.

Johnny:Poor guys.

Gamemaster:Solari Sub-surface?

Gamemaster:Listen, worst comes to worst, if they get cleared out, that's more room for them to expand into if they need to.

Argyle:Yep.

Anzu:I mean, alternatively, they could kind of take them under their wing and kind of have both hearts.

Gamemaster:But they are...

Gamemaster:They could.

Gamemaster:If there's good reason to defend, you get an extra heart as part of your processing power if you have work for a heart to do or need the extra communication ability.

Anzu:Because that's...

Benny:Not a lot of

Gamemaster:There are benefits to being allies as well.

Gamemaster:You don't have to go and murder everybody.

Gamemaster:Either way, you've checked that particular thing off the list.

Gamemaster:The next one, you wanted to talk to Necrolog.

Gamemaster:Necrolog doesn't seem particularly interested in talking to you.

Gamemaster:One second.

Argyle:Actually, Iridescent Church first.

Gamemaster:Oh, you can do the Iridescent Church.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:Going up to the Iridescent Church, you get to them when they're still setting up.

Gamemaster:They are, like, their fame is fully a temple to the host.

Gamemaster:They are, the Iridescent Church is, of the orgs, the most practiced in forming a heart.

Gamemaster:They've got it down to a T, so it comes up pretty quickly.

Gamemaster:You are, the person that you meet with there that looks like they're directing them is Reverend Walter Stoke.

Gamemaster:who, judging from his raiment, is bright, but it's not particularly large.

Gamemaster:You gather he is a devout person.

Gamemaster:He's not a fighter.

Gamemaster:That's, like, not really his thing.

Gamemaster:The only thing of note of Mr. Stoke is he's blind.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:uh mr stoke has to like his his eyes are covered with a blindfold of some kind it doesn't look like a ritual uh kind of blindness it looks just like he is a blind man um he seems generally friendly um he can i get a perception check as like a kind of sense motive thing as you're talking to him

Argyle:Fuck, I rolled low.

Argyle:Oh, great, great.

Johnny:33.

Gamemaster:33.

Gamemaster:He... Like, he bears the visage of a friendly neighborhood-like priest.

Gamemaster:Um, but with that role, you can tell this man is practiced in politics.

Gamemaster:Uh, like, you don't know what kind of infighting he's necessarily dealt with within the church.

Gamemaster:Um, but the way that he's speaking, he's confident, he seems friendly, he has a way of kind of getting on your side and feeling familiar.

Gamemaster:Uh, this is a man that knows how to navigate a social scene, if not a battlefield.

Gamemaster:He is, like, with your inroads, with you guys communicating and all of that kind of stuff.

Gamemaster:First of all, none of these people are friends of Odd that you notice.

Gamemaster:It's possible there are friends of Odd here.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:It's just not the ones that you saw.

Gamemaster:But of the people in this area, none of them ring a bell.

Gamemaster:And this guy himself is friendly, but is not looking to make friends.

Johnny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:Like, he's happy to talk to you guys about the host, about, you know, like, general stuff.

Gamemaster:Be on good terms.

Gamemaster:He's not looking for an ally.

Gamemaster:but he doesn't seem necessarily to be aggressive towards you right now.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:With that role, I think you know that you couldn't be confident if he ever was looking to be aggressive.

Gamemaster:He's the kind of person who would be able to hide that particularly well.

Argyle:I don't like that he's right next to the Scale people.

Gamemaster:But at the very least, from this meeting, he doesn't strike you as somebody who's going to zerg rush out and try and take out other orgs, especially near the beginning.

Johnny:I guess.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you think that it'll be interesting to see...

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:if and how his personality changes if things do turn violent.

Gamemaster:That's just where they showed up.

Argyle:How many are there?

Gamemaster:There are a few.

Gamemaster:You count, like, maybe 15 people, all told, moving around inside here.

Gamemaster:None of them immediately strike you as super combat-ready.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:But they don't look like pushovers, either.

Gamemaster:They're, you know, they're mid-high-ranking members of the host of the Eridism Church.

Gamemaster:So they've been imbued with some power.

Gamemaster:Next is Necrolog.

Gamemaster:Or did you have somebody else that you wanted to go to?

Argyle:Yeah, necrologic bill let us.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:NecroLog, you're... Can I get an occultism check, actually, as you meet with the person?

Gamemaster:You are not allowed into the Fane of NecroLog.

Anzu:47.

Argyle:Probably eating people in there.

Gamemaster:It is this, like, black, painted, gothic-style home that they've built for their Fane.

Gamemaster:What did we get?

Gamemaster:27 is enough.

Gamemaster:The guy that meets you, Gaspar Caetano.

Gamemaster:Gasper is gaunt-looking.

Gamemaster:He's got this gray pall to his skin.

Benny:you

Gamemaster:He's got sunken cheeks.

Gamemaster:He looks almost like the sickly guy from The Scale, except he isn't sickly.

Gamemaster:He's half vampire.

Gamemaster:This is a dompier.

Gamemaster:With that role, you can identify him.

Gamemaster:You can see he's got, like, little budding fangs coming out of his teeth.

Gamemaster:He also smells very strongly of formaldehyde when it comes to the door.

Gamemaster:He greets you.

Gamemaster:He gives you his name.

Gamemaster:He's very busy.

Gamemaster:He's not particularly interested.

Gamemaster:If you wanted to arrange a meeting, it'd probably be better if you went through the Pale Lantern Society.

Gamemaster:he'd be easier to contact through them.

Gamemaster:And then he closes the door on you.

Johnny:Since we're right here.

Benny:The Lantern Society?

Benny:They seem like the cooler medical society anyways.

Argyle:Um, wait, wait, just see if there's anyone else.

Benny:Reinergang?

Gamemaster:Mm-hmm.

Argyle:Verdant Holdings, too?

Argyle:Oh my god, is Verdant Holdings?

Argyle:Yo.

Argyle:Is that the cigar?

Argyle:Did that turn from my one-shot character cigar?

Argyle:He makes cigars.

Gamemaster:Oh, I'm sorry.

Gamemaster:No, that isn't your cigar company.

Argyle:Ah, okay.

Gamemaster:They were unfortunately in the source book before you decided to go make cigars.

Argyle:That's fine.

Gamemaster:They, uh, they're...

Gamemaster:They're a very, very large... They're the magic equivalent of Monsanto, I think is the best way of putting it.

Argyle:That's crazy.

Johnny:Hello.

Gamemaster:They own a lot of farms.

Gamemaster:They own a lot of farming methods.

Gamemaster:Famously, they were the first group to bring the issue of patenting a spell up to the Scale.

Gamemaster:uh to be like we produced this particular kind of spell so if you want to cast it you have to pay us royalties um

Gamemaster:They won that particular issue, by the way.

Gamemaster:They invented it, it's theirs.

Gamemaster:That's their whole deal.

Gamemaster:They are like the primary agricultural supplier for Calaria.

Gamemaster:Most of their food gets grown in the Burden Expanse, that big old forest to the east of Hallia.

Argyle:Where we found the burlap people.

Gamemaster:They grow a lot of food adjacent to that.

Gamemaster:Where you found the Burlap people, yes.

Argyle:Should we say hi to them?

Argyle:And the gunners?

Argyle:If they'll talk.

Johnny:I feel like we already have.

Anzu:Yeah, might as well say hide it.

Argyle:Oh, no, no.

Argyle:We had Prime Meridian first.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you can go over to talk to Prime Meridian.

Gamemaster:Hold on a second.

Gamemaster:Prime Meridian.

Gamemaster:Tas Millet.

Gamemaster:The guy, the representative of Prime Meridian that you guys can lend an ear to, which this is another of the larger, these guys have figured out how to make a Fane.

Benny:Thank you.

Gamemaster:They get set up pretty quickly.

Gamemaster:They've fully recreated a five-story office building.

Gamemaster:on their on their Fane you get to like somehow despite the fact that they got here like four days after you did you walk into a receptionist in a waiting room that they've already set up and so it takes a little bit of waiting and eventually you get to see Tas Millet who is the the manager of this branch of Prime Meridian as they've set it up he is a tallish like

Gamemaster:5'5-ish, hobgoblin, blue skin, pointed ears, completely bald red eyes.

Gamemaster:He's got like a super well-pressed and starched Prime Meridian uniform on.

Gamemaster:Can I get... Gosh, what do I want?

Gamemaster:I want a diplomacy and a society check here for interacting with this man.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Johnny:or with the heart rapid transit

Anzu:If we mention our positive dealings with the Archmechanic, does that have any sway?

Argyle:and rapid connections.

Gamemaster:I will... Yes.

Gamemaster:So...

Gamemaster:It's clear from interacting with this guy that this guy works in a completely different department of Prime Meridian than the Archmechanics do.

Gamemaster:This guy has no physical augmentation that you can tell.

Gamemaster:He's clearly a pencil pusher of some kind.

Gamemaster:I will give you, because you know the names of important people and the like, I will give you a plus four circumstance bonus to these diplomacy and society rules.

Gamemaster:But you do still have to make the diplomacy and society rules.

Anzu:I guess I should do society, right?

Johnny:I'll do the... I don't have my 18 beat for... It's the end of session.

Anzu:No one's got my 13 beat.

Argyle:We live in a society.

Benny:We kill them instantly.

Argyle:You know none of us beat your 18.

Johnny:I'm going to use my music point.

Johnny:Why not?

Gamemaster:Yes.

Anzu:I get a plus 4.

Anzu:Oh, I got a 37 crit for society.

Johnny:I have a 32.

Argyle:Johnny.

Benny:We take their heart.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:Yeah, I dropped my diplomacy a little bit to get my deception out.

Anzu:you

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:He will say, as you guys are talking, you're introducing, what is the goal of the conversation here?

Argyle:We want allies.

Argyle:If our carts can connect and then, you know, the whole, you know, we'll help you out.

Johnny:Yeah, we're just building now.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:With... Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:With those roles, I think you would know... This guy, Tas, is a very...

Gamemaster:He's very focused on the pros and cons.

Gamemaster:He's doing cost-benefit analysis, as you guys are talking.

Gamemaster:He's not hiding it from you.

Gamemaster:He's like, you're a small organization, both in terms of actual manpower and in terms of military capacity, if you expect things to turn to violence, or even if you don't, just in terms of information gathering and the like.

Gamemaster:There isn't...

Gamemaster:a lot that could be gained from necessarily allying with you.

Argyle:counterpoint we don't come with baggage and we're loyal and we're pretty handy

Gamemaster:You are ostensibly a member of the Scale.

Gamemaster:Two of you are members of Belvedere, which isn't here, but I have to imagine

Gamemaster:There is baggage associated with you, perhaps not directly as pertinent as Necrolog and the Palandrin Society or something of that nature, but you do have baggage.

Gamemaster:Your point is taken, though.

Gamemaster:You are at least independent for a little bit while you're here.

Gamemaster:I'm not going to agree to just become your ally, especially when the danger is...

Gamemaster:not well-formed at the moment, but I will agree to admit our heart onto your network if you wish to trade information that way, with the understanding that the information transfer is two-way.

Gamemaster:If you learn information, I expect you pass that along to us, and we will do the same to you.

Benny:Yeah, where's the biggest guy?

Argyle:It would have been a real power move if we just took out a group first.

Gamemaster:and he will give permission for Axis Interlink to connect to your little chat room of hearts you've got going.

Gamemaster:And I think you just show up and murder.

Anzu:Just today.

Anzu:Hey, Salvado.

Gamemaster:I think... Go be no Protectorate, you know?

Benny:Where's the biggest guy on the yard?

Johnny:Oh no, we like them.

Johnny:That's true.

Benny:They're not the biggest.

Argyle:Uh.

Gamemaster:Okay, go beat up, like, what is it, Sable and Suns?

Gamemaster:You don't like those guys.

Benny:Well, Verdant Holdings is the biggest, right?

Gamemaster:Go kill them.

Benny:They're probably the biggest store.

Benny:They're not really a business.

Gamemaster:In terms of market cap, it's the Iridescent Church.

Gamemaster:They are very much a business, but sure.

Benny:More of like a religion.

Gamemaster:After them is Prime Meridian, who staged a coup in Calaria and overthrew the previous royal family.

Benny:That's not a business, that's a government.

Gamemaster:After Prime Meridian, Verdant Holdings is probably pretty high up there.

Argyle:you sure it's not like the subsurface yeah oh my god amber call is gonna fuck him up

Gamemaster:So is The Scale.

Benny:The biggest, let's go.

Gamemaster:So is, gosh, like these are all relatively large groups.

Gamemaster:I'm very certain, like the only company that's maybe smaller than Solari Sub-surface is Garrick Textiles, which is a clothing manufacturer.

Benny:Wait, Garrick Textiles.

Benny:Was this the place that Benny got his poncho?

Gamemaster:Uh, yes.

Gamemaster:And it was, like, one of the two options Benny had for, like, downtime, uh, uh, activities.

Benny:Guys, we cannot let them.

Gamemaster:They made it.

Gamemaster:They did it.

Gamemaster:Yeah, so Garrick Textiles is two... Garrick Textiles' left is the Amber Call, and to their right, uh, is the Harlequins.

Anzu:Now, Josh, I need to point out that I believe you've put us in spot 15 on your list.

Argyle:Oh my god, they're going to get Ian alive.

Johnny:you

Gamemaster:So, they're in a good spot.

Gamemaster:They're protected.

Benny:Guys.

Gamemaster:Oh, did I?

Gamemaster:I'm so sorry.

Gamemaster:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.

Gamemaster:I can't count.

Gamemaster:You should be above Radiant Arms.

Gamemaster:I'm so sorry.

Anzu:So just swap the two?

Argyle:No!

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:No!

Argyle:Why would you say something?

Argyle:I want to be next to Hildebrandt.

Anzu:Well, I just have my chart, and my chart wasn't making any sense.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry?

Benny:The plane people.

Gamemaster:No, you're absolutely correct.

Gamemaster:Like, you guys should be...

Argyle:We're not next to Hildebrandt?

Argyle:Can we still be next to Hildebrandt?

Gamemaster:Okay, fine.

Gamemaster:Yeah, fine.

Gamemaster:If you want to be next to Hildebrandt, I don't know how much that necessarily matters, but we can do, it's RunGunners, Iconoclasm, Hildebrandt, Radiant Arms.

Argyle:Yes.

Gamemaster:Okay?

Argyle:Yes.

Gamemaster:Great.

Argyle:That also, yeah, yeah, great, great.

Gamemaster:You guys have your Fane built, and then Hildebrandt has their Fane built one over, and you go to Radiant Arms, and you're like, can we switch?

Johnny:Please.

Benny:Yeah, we just really prefer the window seat.

Gamemaster:Do you mind if we switch homes?

Benny:Can we just...

Gamemaster:Yeah, so I think we are at a point where we can call today's session.

Argyle:Who else were we going to chat with?

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:There will be a lot to do next time.

Anzu:we could pick up.

Gamemaster:We've introduced... All of these factions existed in the background for much of the earlier bit of this campaign, but they're very relevant now.

Argyle:When you get the chance, can you reorder it in your message and then pin it?

Gamemaster:And I know it's a lot of names and a lot of new people.

Gamemaster:So we're going to address them slowly as they become relevant.

Gamemaster:I'm going to reorder it in my message, and then I will also give you the names of the people that you just met.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:So that you know...

Argyle:This is going to turn to the purge.

Argyle:Our Harlequin was a piece of shit.

Argyle:He was just like...

Argyle:Uh, Chuck was like, oh, we're not encouraging people to fight.

Argyle:We want, like, if you have a disagreement, you should settle it.

Argyle:And then the head Harlequin's like, I can't wait to see you guys bloody each other.

Argyle:Don't worry, only my favorites will die.

Anzu:Oh, geez, this is going to get crazy.

Anzu:Are these conversations happening kind of over the course of the days as we approach?

Gamemaster:Yeah, you can absolutely update him.

Anzu:Okay, can I just slip in?

Anzu:We don't need to play it out, but after our meeting with the Harlequin, I would have liked to have reported to Paavo that the Harlequin is expecting there to be conflict and that we'd like to...

Argyle:Yeah, I'd also like to tell the Protectorate that, just because allyship and the Scale obviously know.

Argyle:Arc core people, not sub.

Argyle:Subs are bitches.

Argyle:They're going to get taken.

Gamemaster:Sure, yeah.

Gamemaster:You guys have been building this network and connecting the hearts with other people that you are generally friendly with, so I will assume, unless you have something you want to specifically hold back, we can assume that this information that you've been collecting that you want to share with your allies gets distributed.

Benny:you you

Argyle:Yeah, maybe we'll give it to Prime Meridian to see, like, hey, maybe they'll start seeing us as assets.

Argyle:Because he said it's two ways, so.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Anzu:I mean, they did make a connection, so that's at least pretty good.

Argyle:That's what I'm saying.

Argyle:Yeah, so they say it's two ways.

Argyle:We'll give them some feedback.

Argyle:This is not great.

Argyle:We know Amber Call is going to kill those people, right?

Anzu:You think they're going to take over the textile people?

Johnny:This can turn into a build.

Argyle:Or they're going to, like, brainwash them.

Benny:no we have to set up 24 7 guard posts around Garrick Textiles

Johnny:This can't be good.

Argyle:no no josh why not why couldn't this have just been like all friends and then all of our dnd sessions are like and then you met a really big worm but he was friendly so then he's like my name's gary and then it's just

Gamemaster:yeah exactly

Anzu:So are we just going to role play a cookout every session?

Benny:I was about to say, another successful cookout?

Benny:Isn't that right, Mr. Harlequin?

Benny:I wish you guys would fight more!

Gamemaster:Listen, you guys are all high enough.

Gamemaster:Maybe you can convince all of the orgs to be buddy-buddy with you.

Gamemaster:Who knows?

Gamemaster:I know.

Gamemaster:But who knows?

Argyle:Yeah, some of them won't even talk to us.

Gamemaster:It could happen.

Argyle:That's fine.

Gamemaster:Some of them won't talk to you.

Gamemaster:Like, there are orgs here that either don't like you or don't care about you and want stuff that you may or may not have.

Gamemaster:Like, you're not going to be able to be friends with everyone.

Argyle:Who are those orts?

Gamemaster:Could you imagine?

Gamemaster:Like, I'm not telling you.

Benny:The schmucks over at Iconoclasm.

Gamemaster:Figure that out.

Gamemaster:Oh yeah, you should watch out for these guys and these guys and these guys and these guys.

Johnny:We're networking.

Gamemaster:Play the game!

Gamemaster:But you've also, you've made friends.

Gamemaster:You guys are buddy-buddy.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:It's a networking opportunity.

Gamemaster:Yeah, exactly.

Gamemaster:Listen, assuming you all make it out of this totally fine, you get back, you could definitely get yourselves like a cushy position at an airline.

Gamemaster:If that's something you wanted to.

Gamemaster:You've got a good friend there.

Gamemaster:That's cool.

Johnny:useful.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I've updated the message with the correct ordering and the names that you guys got.

Gamemaster:We will continue to come back to it and update it as you learn more names.

Gamemaster:Although I encourage you guys to write down whatever info you think is useful about these people as well.

Gamemaster:Because they will be relevant if they don't die.

Argyle:yeah wow this is

Anzu:I have it marked that Meridian is the last one we talk to, so we can continue to go down the list next session.

Johnny:Cool.

Gamemaster:Next one is Sable and Suns, then, if you're just going down the list.

Gamemaster:They're fun.

Gamemaster:You like those guys.

Benny:some of them we're gonna kill can you imagine there's just like a house exploding or like hearts popping out like the sims or something every time we enter a house just like do we know these people do you think they're gonna be friendly I don't want to enter their I don't want to enter their place but I'll talk to them

Anzu:Well, I'm not saying we've got to talk to everybody on the list, but...

Gamemaster:Oh, sure.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:Should we go to Amber Call and just pretend we don't know?

Argyle:Hey, guys.

Argyle:How's it going?

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:They force-fed us human meat last time.

Benny:Or catfolk meat.

Gamemaster:Did they force feed it to you?

Gamemaster:Did that happen?

Benny:Yeah.

Johnny:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:I don't know if that's an accurate representation of what happened in that mansion, but okay.

Johnny:I'm pretty sure that's what happened.

Johnny:That's what I heard.

Benny:A stinky zombie butler force-fed us cat people, pigs in blanket.

Johnny:Oh, poor whiskers.

Benny:That's a hell of a sentence.

Argyle:That's so fucked, man.

Gamemaster:You liked it.

Gamemaster:It was good.

Argyle:The cat people, man.

Argyle:That's so fucked.

Argyle:We gotta blow them up for whiskers.

Gamemaster:Yeah, sure.

Gamemaster:You're going to blow up this Grayson to get back at the other one?

Johnny:yep this character building we need to know this is backstory

Argyle:Does Anzu ever get nervous around catfolk?

Anzu:I think that as more intelligent racists that are not totally driven by primal instincts,

Gamemaster:That's racist.

Benny:What a great question.

Benny:No one asks yet.

Benny:No one's asking.

Benny:Sorry, reflex.

Benny:If I was an architect of Pathfinder 2E, the tabletop RPG, I would put in really dumb one-off mechanics like they have in video games, where sometimes two people will have a weird interaction with their abilities.

Benny:And I would make it so that catfolk get a reaction any time a bird person moves within their movement, that they can use the reaction to just follow them in their stride.

Argyle:They reach.

Argyle:And the same thing for the pugs to then the cat folks.

Argyle:It's this whole rock, paper, scissors.

Benny:Yes, yes.

Anzu:Ugh.

Gamemaster:I didn't.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:All right.

Argyle:Well, this was good.

Argyle:This is a good campaign, Josh.

Argyle:I can't believe you made everyone so paranoid.

Gamemaster:You guys made yourselves paranoid.

Johnny:I like that the guy said, there might be deaths, and Jorge went, we got to jump on the highway and start shooting.

Argyle:Imagine if Garrick Textiles never made it because we just jumped them.

Gamemaster:Exactly.

Gamemaster:There might be deaths.

Gamemaster:Well, listen, if we don't do it, someone else will, so we may as well.

Benny:There's a death quota.

Argyle:And then we just fed their keytards.

Anzu:I forgot which one of these groups I rolled for to end up here.

Argyle:Yeah.

Anzu:Yeah, I didn't write it down.

Gamemaster:I don't remember which you were rolling for.

Gamemaster:Do you remember the situation that happened around the one that you were rolling?

Anzu:It was something like my dad was like, which of these companies should we remain close to or something like that.

Gamemaster:Oh, right.

Benny:Wait, wait, wait.

Gamemaster:I could look through the transcript to double check which you were rolling for.

Anzu:It doesn't really matter.

Argyle:Which one worked with Arctos to get the Polar Shift?

Argyle:Because he did not go with Karkadia.

Argyle:Yeah, he did not work with them.

Gamemaster:Concordia?

Gamemaster:Gosh.

Gamemaster:I don't remember this off the top of my head.

Gamemaster:One moment.

Argyle:Oh, I think it was the Limited, that power company.

Gamemaster:Oh, it might have been Ætherion.

Benny:if I have that one written down.

Gamemaster:Let's see.

Gamemaster:Oh no, your options were... Vane had the option of working with Ternion Heavy Industries, or Concordia, and you went with Ternion.

Gamemaster:The military plane manufacturer.

Argyle:oh yeah

Gamemaster:Yeah, because you could get space-grade bottles.

Gamemaster:Which was just to say that they were quick to set up the manufacturing.

Gamemaster:um let me see if in the same thing i could like to see if where i say oh were you supposed to hear back or no oh no no no you heard back yep

Benny:the same session the same session Atum did a deep dive on Illmari and a majority no no no no I'm reading I'm reading the notes majority of Illmari's party died around the start of the Voidsong

Johnny:Oh, taking vengeance.

Gamemaster:Mm hmm.

Benny:What if the MC is one of Amari's party revived?

Argyle:Oh, that's fucked.

Anzu:Mm-hmm.

Benny:That would be fucked if it were true.

Argyle:Josh, you son of a bitch.

Argyle:That's fucked up.

Argyle:That's a fucked up thing to do, Josh.

Argyle:You just sit at home and go, how can I fuck with these people?

Gamemaster:I don't know what you're talking about.

Benny:That is what he does, though.

Gamemaster:I don't know what you're talking about.

Benny:It's what he does all the time.

Gamemaster:I do that all the time.

Benny:You invented beings that look like tongues, and then any time I mention it, you're like, they don't look like tongues.

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:Don't be weird.

Gamemaster:What are you talking about?

Gamemaster:No!

Benny:No, didn't the Sundom look like penises or something?

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:They didn't.

Johnny:In my head they're pandas.

Gamemaster:The first group from the Sundom that you guys met with are pear-shaped with Black and White skin patterns.

Anzu:Thank you.

Gamemaster:They didn't look like any kind of genitalia unless there's something very wrong with you.

Johnny:Pandas.

Argyle:They kind of look like thumbs.

Benny:No comment.

Gamemaster:If anything, they look closest to an orca with stubby legs.

Argyle:Hmm.

Argyle:When we found them, they were completely illiterate because they had been crashed, right?

Benny:Okay.

Gamemaster:They had regressed substantially in the time since that ship had crashed and they were living out in the Far Realms there.

Gamemaster:But, yeah.

Gamemaster:It's fine.

Johnny:they were we're lacking

Gamemaster:Sedecium started out of their wreckage, effectively.

Gamemaster:So, you got all the cool stuff.

Gamemaster:You got a cave out of it.

Gamemaster:It was a good time.

Gamemaster:I don't think there have been enough orbs with people living in them following you guys around in this campaign.

Gamemaster:That's kind of a staple of my campaigns, and we haven't had one of those yet.

Gamemaster:What?

Argyle:You guys also... Belvedere didn't even get here.

Benny:Which one of us has an orb on it that is harboring fun things in their backstory, like people in the orb?

Gamemaster:I don't know if any of you have been...

Benny:Not that they've revealed.

Johnny:I don't have any orbs.

Argyle:That's embarrassing.

Benny:Two people from Belvedere got here.

Anzu:Well, there was a heist, which I was going to also ask about, is which one of these orgs do you think is hiding the singers?

Argyle:You guys should get converted.

Johnny:I'm orbless.

Anzu:What are they called?

Johnny:You just gotta look for Anzu's sister.

Gamemaster:Singers of the Herald Star, I think?

Anzu:Right.

Anzu:Because they stole from Belvedere, and we don't know which one of these groups that was, I don't think.

Argyle:That's so embarrassing.

Gamemaster:Singers of the Herald Star, confirmed.

Anzu:But...

Anzu:But you have to assume that one of these 19 groups miraculously broke into a highly secure facility and made it out and are gallivanting about as, oh, you know, I make textiles.

Gamemaster:Also, just to bring something up in case it hasn't popped into your head, it's info that your characters would know.

Gamemaster:When you were reading through the logs in the terminal underneath Teller's Run, there was an implication that they were going to have people attend this pilgrimage as well.

Gamemaster:Something to look out for.

Argyle:I assume those are Embercall, but it might not be.

Benny:Amber call.

Gamemaster:Amber call.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:That's my fault for having two such similar sounding things.

Gamemaster:They're interchangeable, it's fine.

Gamemaster:If I scroll back far enough I can find the actual log that I sent that implied that.

Argyle:Can't you just, like, echolocate your sister or something?

Johnny:Are you a bat?

Johnny:Do you do bat stuff?

Anzu:No, not at all.

Benny:Okay.

Argyle:Do birds know when they're close so they can fly next to each other?

Anzu:I think I need to know where she is to send her message.

Argyle:Or do you have a twin telepathy?

Benny:Can't you detect distress pheromones?

Johnny:Is that a racial feature you have?

Argyle:Can you just send her a magic message?

Argyle:What about a dream?

Argyle:Do you have spells to talk to her dreams?

Anzu:No, but I have been thinking about exploring that space.

Argyle:OK, well.

Argyle:This was fun.

Gamemaster:Next Monday is a holiday.

Argyle:Next Monday is holiday.

Argyle:Yeah, let me double check.

Benny:Oh.

Gamemaster:I'm around next Monday.

Gamemaster:I'm not around next Thursday.

Anzu:yeah I don't think it's a holiday in a problematic way unless it is for you Jorge which would be fine for the record alrighty well I appreciate you guys doing these Thursdays these past couple weeks on my behalf uh

Benny:Same.

Johnny:I am around next Monday.

Argyle:I'll I'll be traveling back from what rest early, so I'll double check.

Anzu:I'm hoping to not go anywhere for a couple months.

Gamemaster:So we'll maybe do it Monday.

Anzu:I'm good.

Gamemaster:Jorge, let us know if you can or if you can't.

Gamemaster:If you can't, then either we do a one-shot or you guys do a one-shot on another day.

Argyle:Sounds good.

Gamemaster:We'll do something.

Argyle:All right.

Benny:True.

Argyle:Yes.

Benny:Peace.

Johnny:Peace.

Gamemaster:Yep.