[00:00:05] Speaker A: You are listening to an atomic broadcasting production. So sit back, relax and enjoy the feature presentation. And remember, do your part, such as like comment rate. And don't forget to tell a friend.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: To tune in for an atomic time.
[00:00:31] Speaker C: Now, where did we leave?
Ah, yes.
Amir almost left to find his daughter, but when Zephyr told him his daughter was in Joel, he changed his mind, merely challenging him to a duel out of sheer annoyance.
Winning the duel, he saw to it that Zephyr was brought back safely. But the helmet he had been guarding had been misplaced.
[00:01:07] Speaker B: Oh, did you get one too? We're all going to drink it together.
Let's hope it's not all poisoned.
I don't know if I want so into the mic.
[00:01:17] Speaker D: Come on.
[00:01:18] Speaker E: Okay, here we go.
[00:01:23] Speaker D: So good.
[00:01:25] Speaker B: My hat fell right as it happened.
Oh, no.
Not going to grab it.
[00:01:34] Speaker A: Oh, my God.
[00:01:35] Speaker B: Here, I'll have a makeup.
[00:01:37] Speaker C: Okay, here we go.
[00:01:37] Speaker E: Here we go.
[00:01:42] Speaker D: That one was good. That was very.
[00:01:44] Speaker B: I cupped my hand around it, wrap.
[00:01:45] Speaker C: It, ship it to Pepsico.
[00:01:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:01:48] Speaker D: That was amazing.
[00:01:50] Speaker C: They don't have enough sound effects. We need to help.
[00:01:53] Speaker B: Excuse me, Pepsi. I'd like to be your official spokesperson.
[00:01:57] Speaker D: As he sips a doctor.
[00:01:58] Speaker B: I don't like Pepsi, but sick of Dr. Pepper.
[00:02:02] Speaker D: The soda that I want to talk about, it's a soda that I absolutely love and it just disappeared off the face of the map. Or at least I couldn't find it. And then recently I went shopping at a local price cutter and I found it. Its name is Squirt. And then I found a twelve pack at Walmart and I'm so excited.
[00:02:19] Speaker B: I remember squirt. It's like a lemon lime thing, right?
[00:02:23] Speaker D: I thought it was grapefruit.
[00:02:24] Speaker A: What do you mean squirt disappeared?
[00:02:25] Speaker D: I couldn't find it.
[00:02:26] Speaker A: My brother got squirt a lot. I've always seen squirt at places throughout college.
[00:02:32] Speaker D: I remember buying it and wanting more of it because it was just so good. And I think it's a good replacement for like, Mountain Dew because it doesn't have like, caffeine.
[00:02:39] Speaker A: It's not that bad.
[00:02:43] Speaker D: Garage fruit because it doesn't have caffeine. But it's very delicious and it's like my favorite soda. And I'm going to binge it for the next month.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: You can get it At Walmart.
[00:02:54] Speaker D: I know you can now.
[00:02:55] Speaker A: I didn't know you liked it that much.
[00:02:56] Speaker D: Yeah, it's great. It's very similar to that other soda by coke. I think it's. By.
[00:03:05] Speaker B: God. What is?
[00:03:06] Speaker F: You know.
[00:03:09] Speaker B: I don't know what soda you're talking about.
[00:03:12] Speaker D: I don't know if I've ever heard of Sun. No, not sunkissed. Gosh darn it.
[00:03:18] Speaker B: Just don't Google it. Because the first two results were good, but the last ones were not. Yeah, I'm pulling up a picture here.
[00:03:25] Speaker D: You're pulling up a picture of squirt for everyone?
[00:03:28] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:03:29] Speaker F: I know what it looks like.
[00:03:30] Speaker A: Wait, Svenna, do you not know what squirt is?
[00:03:31] Speaker E: I don't know.
[00:03:32] Speaker D: Oh, that stuff, it's delicious.
[00:03:35] Speaker F: Didn't they get rebranded?
[00:03:37] Speaker B: No, that was mellow yellow Jenkins.
[00:03:40] Speaker A: Weren't you here? We had some here before. Nolan's bought squirt before. I think I've seen squirt here.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: Well, nobody told him.
[00:03:46] Speaker A: Or Jacob did it at, like, board game night.
[00:03:48] Speaker B: Okay, so I Googled squirt, so availability, and that was my mistake.
[00:03:55] Speaker D: There's another grapefruit soda.
[00:03:57] Speaker F: Do I even want to know?
[00:03:59] Speaker B: Well, like I said, the first two results were great, but then the next ones went great. No.
[00:04:08] Speaker D: You don't want to know.
[00:04:10] Speaker B: Pivot. Oh, here we go. It's by PepsiCo.
[00:04:16] Speaker D: Full circle.
[00:04:17] Speaker B: PepsiCo partners.
[00:04:19] Speaker C: Not a sponsor, except all cookies.
[00:04:21] Speaker A: So what you're saying is your upcoming birthday, I should just buy you a 24 pack of squirt?
[00:04:26] Speaker D: I mean, if you want.
[00:04:28] Speaker B: Imagine you getting, like, a bunch of those rings that. The prank rings that you squirt in their faces. Like a whole 20 pack of.
Look at my ring.
Wow.
[00:04:40] Speaker C: A 20 pack. That would be enough for one on each finger and one on each.
[00:04:45] Speaker B: I wear toe rings. Prank toe rings. I only wear prank toe rings. If it's not a prank, I don't wear it.
I only wear prank jewelry.
[00:04:59] Speaker D: Can you elaborate?
[00:05:02] Speaker B: I feel like that's pretty self explanatory.
[00:05:07] Speaker E: It must be really interesting for those shock rings.
[00:05:11] Speaker B: Well, hold on.
[00:05:12] Speaker A: Sam has some business motion to kick Sven out.
Eyes.
[00:05:17] Speaker D: Hold on.
[00:05:18] Speaker B: This is a Michael and Michael out.
I don't even know what I'd be missing.
[00:05:25] Speaker C: Oh, harsh.
[00:05:27] Speaker D: Sven, you don't get a vote, obviously.
[00:05:31] Speaker C: Hold on. Let me break out the Tortuga cards.
[00:05:34] Speaker A: I called the vote, so I don't get a vote. My vote is Oto yes.
[00:05:38] Speaker F: Okay.
[00:05:39] Speaker A: All right. Reveal. Yay. Or net.
[00:05:42] Speaker D: Sweden.
[00:05:43] Speaker A: Sweden.
I and yay. Sven, you have to leave. You are the weakest link. Goodbye.
[00:05:51] Speaker F: I wrote it down, and I'm like, it's too late to change it, but.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: Leave your laptop, because we're using it for the map.
[00:05:57] Speaker B: Okay, but in all seriousness, Sven can leave, but we need his character so if you could just leave him here.
[00:06:03] Speaker A: I can play Uber. I've done it. I've played Sven's characters before.
[00:06:08] Speaker C: Also your voice, your personality, the specific things you bring to the show. Leave all of that.
[00:06:15] Speaker D: Your weird knowledge about fighting.
[00:06:18] Speaker A: I don't know. I'm really old.
I don't really know everything. I forgot so much. I'm just so old. You're all just so young compared to me. I'm just really old.
[00:06:28] Speaker B: You started as an Italian.
I don't know. Who's there?
[00:06:34] Speaker D: Is that you?
[00:06:37] Speaker E: I'm still stuck on prank toe rings.
[00:06:40] Speaker F: And, like, every step you.
[00:06:45] Speaker B: What?
[00:06:46] Speaker D: I think you definitely peaked on that.
[00:06:48] Speaker A: Wait.
[00:06:49] Speaker F: Every step you take, you will be.
[00:06:51] Speaker A: Shocked to death by talking about every step you take. But it did not sound like step you.
[00:06:56] Speaker B: Jacob, can I have that as a ringtone?
Can you just clip that and just.
[00:07:02] Speaker A: Send it to me?
[00:07:03] Speaker D: I've taken off a layer of our very first thing.
[00:07:05] Speaker B: You can buy that ringtone for 20 sitting in the DMV, and that's what they hear.
Sven's calling me.
[00:07:16] Speaker D: Specifically for Sven.
[00:07:18] Speaker B: I'm so glad that you can add specific people ringtones.
[00:07:23] Speaker A: It's a good thing Sven never calls you.
[00:07:30] Speaker B: That started like it sounded like an insult.
Sven, I think you need to back away a little more.
[00:07:38] Speaker C: Well, maybe if you guys stopped voting him off the podcast.
[00:07:42] Speaker A: I mean, it was a three out of six.
[00:07:46] Speaker D: It was a two.
[00:07:48] Speaker A: I counted as an I called for the vote.
[00:07:50] Speaker C: And Sweden.
[00:07:51] Speaker F: Sweden.
It was supposed to be Switzerland.
[00:07:55] Speaker D: Wait, Sweden a yay or a nah.
[00:07:57] Speaker A: Sweden. Well known for being neutral.
[00:08:01] Speaker B: All right, bring some seriousness.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: You wrote it with your hand.
[00:08:09] Speaker B: It was a rheto.
[00:08:10] Speaker F: It was a brain typo.
I know what I wanted, and that's not what happened.
[00:08:17] Speaker D: You wanted Sweet.
[00:08:18] Speaker F: The story of my life.
[00:08:20] Speaker C: Speaking of knowing what you wanted and not happening, let's jump back in.
[00:08:25] Speaker D: I don't know what I wAnt, though.
[00:08:27] Speaker B: It's not going to happen.
[00:08:31] Speaker C: In the gray of the morning, as the sun is just beginning to peek up over the horizon, the party is in a flurry of motion. Packing bags, rolling up bedrolls, getting everything ready to finally depart from their temporary stay here in Tomgrove. Everybody's there. Even Zafir is there.
[00:08:51] Speaker B: I finally got to sleep in a house for once after a month. Take that, street rats.
What?
I got into a few skirmishes, and.
[00:09:04] Speaker C: As the party is finalizing their preparations, Hamir approaches. Valia.
[00:09:12] Speaker A: I wanted to ask you one more thing before we left.
[00:09:18] Speaker C: Yes?
[00:09:21] Speaker A: How did you do it?
How did you and your family survive? It. Losing your spouse. How did you manage to do so? Well, I don't understand it.
[00:09:39] Speaker C: She's quiet for a minute, kind of looking just off into the distance at nothing in particular. And after a deep breath, she's like. It was very difficult. But I think in the end, what helped the most was thinking about those who needed me to be here and present.
My children, Alward and Lena. Just thinking about that they needed me. And it wasn't time for me to dwell on the past and what I'd lost, but to focus on making their future what I could.
[00:10:21] Speaker A: Well, I don't think I did a very good job of that. Then that might explain a lot for me.
Well, that gives me something to work with. I'm sorry to keep.
Sorry if I haven't been treating you the best, or any of your family either.
But I think I understand what I need to do now.
[00:10:54] Speaker C: And Valia just kind of nods quietly. It's clear by the look on her face she doesn't really know what to say to that.
[00:11:03] Speaker A: All right, well, I'll see you around, I suppose.
[00:11:13] Speaker B: Would this be an appropriate time to call for Mr. Krass?
[00:11:21] Speaker C: If you want to.
[00:11:22] Speaker D: Oh, the toad man. The frog boy.
[00:11:27] Speaker B: What?
Oh, my gosh. I forgot about that thing.
[00:11:33] Speaker F: It was a long.
[00:11:34] Speaker D: Did you even have enough gold to buy an item?
[00:11:37] Speaker B: Me? Yeah.
[00:11:38] Speaker A: Yes. He's killed people, all right.
[00:11:41] Speaker B: Who said I spent anything?
[00:11:43] Speaker A: Slap hands is expensive.
[00:11:45] Speaker F: It is. It's a very lucrative business.
[00:11:46] Speaker A: Well, it's an expensive hobby.
[00:11:48] Speaker B: So since I didn't really unpack much, considering I was there for maybe less than one night, I'm standing outside looking at my wrist. Maybe a watch, maybe not. And I look up in the sky, and I say, grass. I call on you.
[00:12:06] Speaker C: And you just hear a voice from behind you. That's not my name, but what can I do for you?
[00:12:12] Speaker B: I never got your name.
I'm standing in front of a door. How did you fit?
[00:12:17] Speaker C: I'm standing right behind you in the doorway.
[00:12:21] Speaker B: I can feel your froggy breath.
[00:12:24] Speaker C: And he is just, like, somehow, impossibly right behind you. But that feels fine.
[00:12:31] Speaker B: I walk forward a couple steps, turn around and. Where's your cart? Didn't you have a cart of things?
[00:12:38] Speaker C: Oh, I parked it up top. And his cart is on top of the house.
[00:12:43] Speaker F: Is he Santa Claus?
[00:12:46] Speaker B: Krass Claus.
[00:12:47] Speaker A: Can Hamir jump in for a second?
[00:12:49] Speaker B: Go ahead.
[00:12:50] Speaker A: So Hamir's leaving, talking to Howard's mom, and he sees Mr. Krass there. He's like, not in the house. Get outside.
[00:13:00] Speaker B: I am outside.
[00:13:01] Speaker A: He's inside, though, isn't he's?
[00:13:02] Speaker C: In the doorway.
[00:13:03] Speaker A: Oh. Get away from my house. Don't do it here. I don't want this crap here. Go. Get out.
[00:13:09] Speaker B: It's too late. It's already.
[00:13:10] Speaker A: Amir starts pushing you guys out. Get out. Get out.
[00:13:12] Speaker B: Just don't look on the roof.
[00:13:14] Speaker A: What do you mean, don't look on the roof?
[00:13:16] Speaker D: How did the carriage get on the roof?
[00:13:19] Speaker A: I just had that rebuilt. Get that thing off of there.
[00:13:23] Speaker B: Krass, step over here with me, and we'll take care of your things later, I assume. Unless you can do that in the blink of an eye, right?
[00:13:31] Speaker C: What do you mean? And behind him, as you all look in his direction, his cart is behind him on the ground now.
[00:13:37] Speaker A: I hate you all. And Hamish slams the door closed.
[00:13:41] Speaker B: There's some sort of dark magic emanating from you. I love it.
So, we're planning on going on a bit of a trip back to a place that we were at. I forget, where was it that we last met? You?
[00:13:54] Speaker C: Joel.
[00:13:56] Speaker B: We're going to Joel again.
And, well, I in particular. I don't think anyone else here remembers you.
Everybody looks so offended. What? I was the one who brought them up.
[00:14:12] Speaker D: I must have the money. Aside from you, I wish you hadn't.
[00:14:16] Speaker C: Yes. Your broke friends.
[00:14:18] Speaker B: Yes, I tend to make a lot of broke friends. At least they don't ask me for Money. Right. So we're going on this journey to a magical land named Joel, which you've been there for before, and. Well, first of all, I like to top off on arrows, if you've got them in stock.
[00:14:36] Speaker C: Yes, I've got the same arrows you bought last time. And he hands over a bundle of.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: Ah, thank you. I'm fairly certain that these are the only arrows that I will ever buy. So you've got yourself a dedicated customer. Even though I think I've only used two.
[00:14:50] Speaker C: My arrow supply is the best in the land.
[00:14:52] Speaker B: That's good to know. Now, I do have a very specific question when it comes to Joel. Do you know anything about what's going on?
[00:15:02] Speaker C: I make it my business not to get involved in human politics.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: Well, but you being apparently omniscient, I feel like you'd have some insight. Have you done any dealings with the Aridsons?
[00:15:19] Speaker C: No. They're not too keen on the people of the woods, such as myself.
[00:15:25] Speaker B: What woods do you come from?
[00:15:27] Speaker C: The Rogia Forest.
[00:15:30] Speaker B: Interesting. Do you have, like, a settlement there, or a little marketplace, maybe a market in the woods?
[00:15:38] Speaker C: Well, not a little one, no.
[00:15:41] Speaker B: A large forest market. I like the sound of it.
[00:15:44] Speaker C: Yes. Have you heard of the city of Nithvale?
[00:15:48] Speaker B: I have not.
[00:15:50] Speaker C: Yes, it's a fairy city in the center of the Grungya Forest.
[00:15:54] Speaker B: I may have to visit. Maybe after we save the world.
[00:15:58] Speaker C: That does seem like a pressing matter a little bit.
[00:16:01] Speaker B: And the fact that we're still carrying on this conversation, I figure that I'm wasting time talking about your life. I'm so sorry. By the way, what's your name again?
[00:16:11] Speaker C: Nice try.
[00:16:12] Speaker B: I thought I'd try that. Heymier, why are you still standing there?
[00:16:17] Speaker D: Can you see through the door?
[00:16:18] Speaker B: No, I thought Hamir was standing there.
[00:16:20] Speaker A: I slammed the door closed.
[00:16:23] Speaker E: I'm not Hamir. I'm just finishing up.
[00:16:27] Speaker B: Where did you come from?
[00:16:30] Speaker E: I was bringing in some supplies, and Hamir closed the door, and then I noticed that Krause was there.
But don't mind me.
[00:16:39] Speaker B: She just opens the door.
I have very confusing and poor friends.
So, I mean, all in all, I guess that's all the information I can get from you, right?
[00:16:54] Speaker C: Well, that's probably all. Unless you want to buy something.
[00:17:00] Speaker B: Do you have any mystical dark party masks?
[00:17:06] Speaker C: Just his froggy face splits into a wide grin. A wide, toothless grin, because it is a froggy face. I'm so glad you asked. And he reaches behind himself, and he pulls around.
[00:17:18] Speaker B: Sold.
Okay, describe it.
[00:17:24] Speaker C: Now that you have uttered the word sold. He puts the hollowed out pumpkin on your head.
[00:17:34] Speaker B: Is this going to fit in? In a masquerade?
[00:17:38] Speaker C: No. Would you like a masquerade, Matt?
[00:17:40] Speaker B: That's what I was looking for.
[00:17:42] Speaker C: In that case, I'm not just the thing.
[00:17:45] Speaker B: I take the pumpkin off.
[00:17:46] Speaker D: So when he had the pumpkin on, did it light up like a Jacko Lantern?
[00:17:50] Speaker C: No, it's just a pumpkin.
[00:17:52] Speaker F: Red eyes shining through.
[00:17:54] Speaker D: That would have been so cool. But it was just a pumpkin.
[00:17:56] Speaker C: There were no eye holes cut. It was just.
[00:17:59] Speaker B: I hope there was a head hole, because that would have hurt.
[00:18:02] Speaker C: It's like when you start a Jacko Lantern and you scoop out all the seeds, and then you just stop and you stick it on a short guy's head.
[00:18:10] Speaker B: See, the strategic way of making a Jack O Lantern would be to do it from the bottom, but most people do it from the top. So I would have had an upside down pumpkin in my head.
[00:18:19] Speaker A: Have you done that before, Jordy?
[00:18:22] Speaker C: Well, anyway, he reaches behind him, and this time he pulls around.
It's more of the masquerade style mask, where it just covers around the eyes, but not the lower face or anything. But it is seemingly made of like, a brass and covered with black feathers and like, onyx jewelries. Kind of just sprinkled across. Sold. 20 gold.
[00:18:47] Speaker B: 20 gold. You may have it.
Kind of mark it off so that I don't accidentally spend more than I have. Does it have any magical properties? I just want to check.
[00:18:59] Speaker C: And as you look up from your pouch of gold, he's gone.
[00:19:05] Speaker B: Guess I'm gonna have to figure that out on my own.
[00:19:10] Speaker D: Zafir, did you just talk to that frog man?
[00:19:12] Speaker B: I did. And I bought this mask.
[00:19:14] Speaker D: Did he come to the name that we gave him?
[00:19:17] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:19:17] Speaker D: He owes us something. I don't know what, but he owes us something.
[00:19:21] Speaker B: But he said that wasn't his name.
[00:19:22] Speaker D: It doesn't matter. He came to it. Which means he accepted the gift we provided him. We gave him something, the name.
[00:19:27] Speaker A: He also equally rejected it immediately.
[00:19:30] Speaker D: He still came to it?
[00:19:31] Speaker B: Well, he came to behind me.
[00:19:33] Speaker D: It doesn't matter how he showed up. He still came when called. I'm just saying he's a faye. We provided him a name as a gift, and he owes us something for that.
[00:19:42] Speaker B: Well, he left before I could even figure out what was going on with this mask.
[00:19:46] Speaker E: But honestly, I don't know if that's how that works. I mean, in my dealings, it's kind of saying. It's like saying, hello, can you come here? Is not really saying a gift of hospitality.
[00:20:01] Speaker B: I turn to Alward and say, what do you think of my mask? Does it fit me?
[00:20:05] Speaker D: You bought that off of him.
[00:20:06] Speaker B: I did.
[00:20:07] Speaker D: I'm going to pretend that you didn't and go away.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: I bought you one too. The pumpkin is still in my hand.
[00:20:19] Speaker E: Was that a gift?
[00:20:21] Speaker B: See, I don't think he remembered that. He put it on my head.
[00:20:26] Speaker E: But did you pay for.
[00:20:28] Speaker D: Ah, Don. Then he gave us. I was hoping to get something better than a pumpkin.
[00:20:32] Speaker B: Well, I didn't ask him for it.
[00:20:34] Speaker D: He didn't ask for the name either.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: I jumped to try to put it on your head.
[00:20:40] Speaker F: Like Mario.
[00:20:43] Speaker D: Please stop.
[00:20:44] Speaker B: No, it's going on your head whether you like it or not.
[00:20:48] Speaker D: I'm going to take my mage hand and lift the pumpkin head up to.
[00:20:53] Speaker B: Where he can't get it.
Jumping in place with my hands over my head.
[00:20:59] Speaker E: I'm going to go back to packing and studying the maps.
[00:21:03] Speaker A: We all stop sitting around out there. We have to hurry up.
[00:21:06] Speaker B: I'm standing.
[00:21:07] Speaker A: None of you are useful ever. Except for you near us. You're great.
[00:21:10] Speaker B: But look at my mask.
[00:21:13] Speaker A: I don't care.
[00:21:14] Speaker D: I already packed my things.
[00:21:16] Speaker E: I'm studying the maps of the estate.
[00:21:20] Speaker B: Just finish up.
That makes a bit of sense. Once we're all done packing, we should probably talk about a plan.
[00:21:28] Speaker A: Okay.
Speaking of your plan, Taylor's, like, packing up a few of his things.
Why exactly are all of you going again? What's the goal with you guys here?
[00:21:41] Speaker B: Well, you're coming, too.
[00:21:42] Speaker A: I'm looking for my daughter.
[00:21:44] Speaker D: You think she's going to be at a ball?
[00:21:45] Speaker A: I don't know. It's the only thing happening. And I was told she was seen in Joel, so maybe she's curious. Maybe she's involved. I don't know.
[00:21:53] Speaker B: You think she's part of.
[00:21:54] Speaker A: Maybe the people who took her are there.
Maybe the cult has her.
[00:21:58] Speaker B: Maybe she's the leader of the cult.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: I doubt that. She's quite young.
[00:22:02] Speaker B: I've seen younger.
[00:22:07] Speaker D: I once saw a five year old lead a cult.
[00:22:11] Speaker B: There's a lot of building blocks involved.
[00:22:16] Speaker A: I don't think we're arid sons.
[00:22:19] Speaker B: I don't know how to respond to that.
[00:22:21] Speaker E: I mean, there's also the fact that the town might be destroyed, all the people slaughtered, just the minor things like that. That kind of makes us want to actually go.
[00:22:34] Speaker B: So the ball was going to be the source of an announcement?
[00:22:41] Speaker A: It was.
[00:22:46] Speaker B: Which I believe is why we're going. If anybody feels like killing anything, I'm all up for it. But I think that's the main reason.
[00:22:53] Speaker D: I would prefer if you didn't murder anyone.
[00:22:56] Speaker B: Well, I'm sure there's a few side characters that don't have any part in the plot.
[00:22:59] Speaker D: Well, that doesn't matter. Don't kill them. They have lives.
[00:23:03] Speaker B: To each his own.
[00:23:06] Speaker A: Okay, so you're just going to stop them from possibly killing things that you're not even sure if they are killing anyone?
[00:23:12] Speaker B: Maybe just hear the announcement and, I don't know, roll with it.
[00:23:17] Speaker D: I like how you say that, as though you're not even sure if your daughter is going to be there, but you're still going, yet you chastise us for going when we're not even sure if something bad's going to happen.
[00:23:30] Speaker A: Yeah, pretty much. I'm actually looking for my daughter.
[00:23:34] Speaker E: And we're looking for answers to our own things that you've been a part of.
[00:23:38] Speaker A: Yeah, well, all right, that's fine.
[00:23:40] Speaker B: And if you leave, I'll kill you.
[00:23:42] Speaker A: I will leave when I want to leave. I don't care about your.
[00:23:46] Speaker B: What's up with this whole if you'll.
[00:23:48] Speaker E: Leave, I'll kill you? That seems a bit hard.
[00:23:51] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:23:51] Speaker A: Last time I fought him, he went down in two, 5 seconds.
[00:23:55] Speaker B: That's because I didn't have any of my tools of the trade.
[00:23:59] Speaker A: Oh, I'm sure that would make a big difference there.
[00:24:01] Speaker B: I'll stand 30ft that way, wait, 60ft that way, and you tell me if you can do any damage to me.
[00:24:12] Speaker A: I'm pretty spry for an older fellow.
[00:24:15] Speaker B: Maybe we should not get into a fight while we're about to go. Get into a fight?
Not that I'm scared or anything. I just don't want to damage you. Oh, you are our.
[00:24:25] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm sure. First you'll kill me for leaving, then you'll kill Howard's family for knowing about your assassination.
[00:24:31] Speaker D: Please don't do that.
[00:24:31] Speaker B: They don't know about my assassination, right?
[00:24:35] Speaker D: Yeah. No, they don't.
Also, maybe if everything goes without a hitch at the bolt, there won't be a fight. The point is to get in, get the information, and hopefully nothing happens.
[00:24:51] Speaker B: That works for me.
[00:24:54] Speaker E: Are we all done talking about why we're going to this same place that we're all going to? Because it seems a bit waste of time.
[00:25:03] Speaker B: We're planning Uvair. If you want to go in there without a plan, then that's your prerogative. But what do you mean?
[00:25:10] Speaker E: Nobody here was anyway. It doesn't matter.
[00:25:13] Speaker B: You have the maps. You should be a part of this.
[00:25:16] Speaker A: I was just curious.
I haven't really been paying attention to much of what you guys talking about.
[00:25:25] Speaker B: Yeah, him and his lost daughter.
[00:25:27] Speaker A: What's that supposed to mean?
[00:25:29] Speaker B: I'm not bringing it up because I don't want to hurt you.
[00:25:33] Speaker A: Hurt me?
What's that supposed to mean?
[00:25:36] Speaker F: Did you kill his daughter?
[00:25:37] Speaker B: No, I didn't kill his daughter. I was the one who figured out.
[00:25:40] Speaker C: Where she was in the first place.
[00:25:42] Speaker E: I think that there are a lot of tensions right now.
Certainly, Haymir, that we all wish you to find your daughter and we would not dissuade you from doing so.
And all of us here wish to go to Joel to see if we can do some good and perhaps prevent a tragedy that has not happened for some time.
[00:26:15] Speaker B: But this happened before.
[00:26:17] Speaker E: There have been many times where things like this has happened.
Some cult or some kingdom goes to war, goes to take over land and kills and slaughters, and it is a sad tale of time.
[00:26:32] Speaker D: Celliacs has, like, a world ending event once every 50, 25 years.
It's honestly dreadful.
[00:26:41] Speaker B: Remind me never to go to Chilex.
[00:26:46] Speaker E: The point is that we have a chance to possibly prevent something like this happening. And that is why we decided that we are going to go.
Hamir, if you want to join us, that is your decision. If you don't want to join us, then so be it. BUt right now, we need to at least try and focus on what we are going to do. I have these maps here, as I was able to procure.
Perhaps we can study them and make a plan to infiltrate this party and do that. Good.
[00:27:20] Speaker A: All right. If we're done with the history lessons.
Neros, are you ready?
You got all the stuff?
[00:27:28] Speaker F: I've got what? I've got.
[00:27:30] Speaker B: Good.
[00:27:31] Speaker F: Which is me.
[00:27:34] Speaker B: Good.
[00:27:36] Speaker A: Never mind.
All right, let's go.
[00:27:40] Speaker B: Now.
[00:27:43] Speaker C: As the ore rented carriage makes its 4th 5th journey, I've lost count of how many times you've taken this rented carriage somewhere on your way off to Joel, poring over maps, going over different plans and contingency plans, the carriage makes its way out of screen and out of sight down the road. We just see, like, a boot step into frame, as if it's walking up to the house, and we cut away.
[00:28:13] Speaker A: Howard, your dad put his foot down.
[00:28:16] Speaker D: He didn't say a ghost boot.
[00:28:19] Speaker B: Do you have any other tenants? Because it sounds like his family's getting the boot tenants.
[00:28:23] Speaker A: No, it's my house.
[00:28:25] Speaker D: Wait, his house?
[00:28:26] Speaker C: This is Hamir's house.
[00:28:28] Speaker D: Hamir's boot house.
Sorry, I thought it was the house of where the ball's at. Not Hamir's house? No, where the boot fell.
[00:28:38] Speaker C: It's the house that you just left. Somebody walks up to that house, and we find ourselves outside of the Aaridson estate.
[00:28:50] Speaker D: It's a lot bigger than I'd imagine.
[00:28:52] Speaker B: So now that we're here, it's an estate.
[00:28:55] Speaker A: How big is this place?
[00:28:56] Speaker C: GM, I'm sure you all poured extensively over the maps that I sent you 48 hours ago.
[00:29:01] Speaker D: Okay, I thought you did that by mistake. I'm not going to lie to you.
[00:29:05] Speaker C: No.
[00:29:07] Speaker F: I briefly glanced at them.
[00:29:09] Speaker E: That was my things that I did.
[00:29:11] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:29:11] Speaker D: Good job.
[00:29:13] Speaker C: Good job. So, to paint a bit of a picture of this, it's built in, like, northern lodge style, but there's definitely been a lot of money poured in. And anybody who is trained or better in society can see that there's been a lot of Southern influence on the architecture recently. Like, as the money has been brought in, they've kind of been, like, sprucing it up and spicing it up with the architectural influences from Anderan and Cheliacs and other more opulent places to the south. The building itself is sprawling, surrounded by gardens and manicured, sculpted portions of the landscape that the city has grown up around. But it's clear it was countryside back when this building was first built. It's three stories tall in all and has your quintessential high nobility like circle drive as carriages are dropping off people at the front doors.
[00:30:15] Speaker D: Everybody make sure you're in costume if you're not, and remember your personas.
[00:30:22] Speaker B: Artist extraordinaire. That's not light of the arts of expressionism.
[00:30:35] Speaker D: I keep telling you, that is not your persona.
[00:30:41] Speaker A: Can someone help me tie this shoulder cape?
[00:30:45] Speaker F: Yeah, since no one else said anything.
[00:30:47] Speaker B: I'm not tall enough.
[00:30:48] Speaker A: Oh, thanks.
[00:30:49] Speaker F: I can help you.
[00:30:52] Speaker A: I hate this stuff.
Formal tire?
[00:30:56] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:30:57] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:30:58] Speaker F: You're not alone. I feel the same way.
[00:31:00] Speaker D: Remember your manners. Unless constricting manners aren't needed, I don't really know about.
[00:31:05] Speaker E: Well, that's because you decided to go with tighter form fitting blouse.
[00:31:11] Speaker B: I too, went for a tighter form fitting blouse.
[00:31:14] Speaker A: We all are aware of the air.
[00:31:17] Speaker F: It's very awkward.
[00:31:19] Speaker B: Well, five.
[00:31:20] Speaker F: It's a little too tight. I know you're small.
[00:31:22] Speaker B: I remove the corset, but leave the shirt. The blouse.
See?
[00:31:29] Speaker D: But now it doesn't look right.
[00:31:31] Speaker F: Put the corset back on.
[00:31:32] Speaker B: That was a choice.
[00:31:33] Speaker D: I specifically had to remake your persona to be female. Put the corset back on.
[00:31:39] Speaker B: I don't remember that part of the plan.
[00:31:42] Speaker D: You're the one who demanded a corset.
[00:31:45] Speaker B: It works with my figure.
[00:31:49] Speaker A: He is quite slim.
[00:31:51] Speaker F: It's no question that.
[00:31:52] Speaker D: Very flattering on you.
[00:31:55] Speaker B: I deal in stealth. Nobody's supposed to see me.
[00:31:59] Speaker F: It might be hard to stealth.
[00:32:01] Speaker D: Here's your old persona. If you're not wearing the corset, learn it, and then we'll go in.
[00:32:05] Speaker B: You have both just. You're very prepared.
[00:32:08] Speaker D: I wouldn't throw away something I already did.
[00:32:10] Speaker E: This is the man that makes contracts for every little thing.
[00:32:13] Speaker F: It's like, do you even know him?
[00:32:14] Speaker B: That's true. I'm sure he has a backup contract and somebody, in case somebody disagrees with any bit of it, once you sign.
[00:32:23] Speaker D: A contract, it's a contract.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: No, I mean, you read it, you disagree, you say, I don't like that part. You cross it out, and you pull out another contract, right?
[00:32:29] Speaker D: Yeah, that's how that works.
[00:32:34] Speaker B: We'll just leave it at that.
Put the corset back on.
[00:32:40] Speaker C: Zafir, are you wearing that new mask you got?
[00:32:43] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:32:43] Speaker C: Okay, just checking.
[00:32:44] Speaker F: Oh, no, that's the fact that the GM asks this.
[00:32:50] Speaker C: Everybody else is wearing masks too, right?
[00:32:52] Speaker F: Yeah, I just not.
[00:32:53] Speaker B: Look at that. He made it less awkward.
[00:32:57] Speaker F: Getting it from a Fay affects things.
[00:33:00] Speaker B: Hey, I could be a fay. Like I act like.
[00:33:03] Speaker F: Are you?
[00:33:04] Speaker E: Are you?
[00:33:05] Speaker B: No, I'm a vetchling.
[00:33:09] Speaker C: You guys are the third carriage in line to enter the building. Now.
[00:33:14] Speaker E: Does everybody remember what their names are?
[00:33:16] Speaker F: No, actually, I don't. What's my name?
That's not even a joke.
[00:33:22] Speaker A: Well, we came up with names, didn't we?
[00:33:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:33:24] Speaker C: So here are the names that I have down going around the table. Zavir shall be known as Ray Fez.
Alward shall be known as Howard.
[00:33:38] Speaker F: It's very Nordic.
[00:33:40] Speaker C: Hamir will be Balder, Neros will be Freya, and Uvair will be Lycos.
[00:33:49] Speaker F: I forgot about that.
[00:33:51] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:33:52] Speaker A: It's an old joke, but it's cheating.
[00:33:54] Speaker F: It's cheating.
[00:33:56] Speaker D: It only checks out for us, though.
[00:33:59] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:33:59] Speaker D: Which is an issue.
[00:34:00] Speaker F: Yes. It is cheating.
[00:34:02] Speaker E: It is Nordic.
[00:34:03] Speaker D: It is Nordic.
[00:34:04] Speaker C: Any final preparations?
[00:34:06] Speaker E: I put the mask on.
[00:34:07] Speaker F: I don't know.
[00:34:09] Speaker A: I have my mask.
[00:34:10] Speaker E: I have my mask.
[00:34:12] Speaker F: I went on. I don't know what it looks like.
[00:34:14] Speaker C: The carriage in front of you. The driver whips the horses up, and they roll on, and you are now at the front of the line to enter the party.
As you roll up, there are two guards walding pikes, and there's one guy in unnecessarily flamboyant attire who looks very bored holding a large scroll. And he just looks at the person closest to the edge of the carriage and is just like, name.
[00:34:42] Speaker B: You're driving, stepping out.
[00:34:46] Speaker A: It's Balder.
[00:34:52] Speaker C: And he looks down, checks the name off. Balder.
Excellent mask this year.
[00:34:59] Speaker A: Thanks.
Taking this as my cue to talk about my mask.
He has a mask that actually does go down to the cheek level, but on one side of it is, like sheet music, and it kind of transitions in the middle to the pale green fog that comes out of him. But on the half where the sheet music iS, most of it is broken off where it just kind of goes around the eye a bit and then transitions over. So most of the cheek covering is all is broken.
[00:35:35] Speaker C: So one side of the mask obscures, like, most of your face, and the other just the upper half.
[00:35:40] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:35:40] Speaker C: Are the tattoos that are on your cheek obscured or hidden so the tattoo shows.
[00:35:48] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:35:49] Speaker C: And the guy just checks off on those lists.
[00:35:52] Speaker A: That might have been a bad idea.
[00:35:53] Speaker D: It probably was.
[00:35:55] Speaker B: You can always get a tattoo between parties.
[00:35:59] Speaker F: That's true.
[00:36:01] Speaker D: Next, I shove Hamir off of the.
Not Hamir. Sorry. I shove Uber off of forward.
[00:36:15] Speaker E: Yes, I am Lycos.
[00:36:20] Speaker C: Lycos mask is very similar to last year.
Thank you.
[00:36:28] Speaker E: As Laikos Uvair adjusts his mask. It is a combination of black base with kind of green tinged edges, and it's shaped in a half form of a wolf's head, covering most of his face, actually, and his upper cheeks with, like, two. Two ear protrusions.
Yes.
[00:36:55] Speaker B: If anybody out there wants to make these masks for us, that would actually be we need to give them a PO box. Insert PO box here.
[00:37:05] Speaker D: Just contact us via one of our various socials or our email and we'll get in contact.
[00:37:12] Speaker C: We'll set up a dead drop. As Lycos Uber steps off of the carriage, the guy who's checking off the names on the list and everything, he just kind of like, does a double take looking down and then kind of like, looks up and looks down at Uber and just shrugs. Next.
[00:37:34] Speaker D: Howard.
[00:37:36] Speaker C: Howard, you wore a mask this time.
[00:37:41] Speaker D: I remember getting yelled at last time.
[00:37:46] Speaker C: I remember, too.
[00:37:50] Speaker D: My mask is that of a barn owl. And it starts off silver and gold on the outside, but as it goes in, it becomes more of a coppery base going into the beak.
[00:38:05] Speaker B: Next.
So Zafir starts just walking somewhat uncomfortably towards the side of the carriage. Just.
Eridson. Excuse me. I'm sorry. I'm used to introducing myself to those who don't know who I am.
[00:38:22] Speaker C: Ray face.
[00:38:25] Speaker B: And you see, his mask is exactly what Jordy described earlier. The brass plating with black feathers and onyx gem thingies. And he looks down and says, this is a man's corset.
[00:38:44] Speaker C: I wasn't going to ask.
[00:38:46] Speaker D: Albert's just like, why.
[00:38:50] Speaker C: Enjoy the ball?
[00:38:55] Speaker A: And he didn't say anything to you, Albert.
[00:38:57] Speaker B: Next.
[00:39:00] Speaker F: Am I the last one? Oh, okay.
[00:39:03] Speaker C: You're the only person on this wagon, so I'm assuming that you're going to drive it off and park it somewhere.
[00:39:10] Speaker F: Oh, I suppose I could do that.
[00:39:15] Speaker B: Last year we had valets.
[00:39:20] Speaker F: Did we scamp out on the budget?
[00:39:22] Speaker C: This year, he turns to the guy next to him and the other guy. They're both just standing there holding pikes.
[00:39:29] Speaker B: Did we go to the wrong entrance or did we get scammed?
[00:39:31] Speaker C: Last year? This is the right entrance. All right, this is embarrassing.
[00:39:36] Speaker A: Do I need to park this thing?
[00:39:38] Speaker C: No, we'll take care of it. And he takes the pike from the guy on his right.
Can you drive it around back, George?
[00:39:50] Speaker B: I tossed George two gold.
[00:39:54] Speaker A: Careful, it's a rental.
[00:40:01] Speaker C: George catches the coins and is like.
[00:40:05] Speaker A: I can drive you saying it like that makes me feel like you're going to break my carriage.
[00:40:12] Speaker C: And he goes to climb up to the carriage and notices that Neros is still in it. And he's like, after you, Miss Freya.
Freya. The guy looks down at his hands, which are now full of pike and list, and just nods.
That's a nice mask, Freya.
[00:40:32] Speaker F: Oh, thank.
And she's. It's like, kind of like a crow.
Not plague doctory, but there are feathers all around it. They look very real. It's very pretty. And the beak kind of comes down just below her nose.
[00:40:50] Speaker C: And as Neros gets down off of the wagon, George climbs up and very skilfully drives the carriage off.
[00:40:56] Speaker F: Oh, good, George. Good job.
[00:40:59] Speaker C: And the snooty guy who's been checking names off the list is now just standing, confused, holding a list and a pike. And he just looks at you all and goes, you can go inside now.
Have a good time.
[00:41:12] Speaker B: May I have the pike?
[00:41:14] Speaker C: George wants it.
[00:41:15] Speaker B: Okay. I was going to leave it by the door.
[00:41:17] Speaker E: Not.
[00:41:18] Speaker A: It's all right. Enjoy the pike.
[00:41:19] Speaker B: It's about twice my size.
[00:41:22] Speaker A: Let's go.
[00:41:22] Speaker F: Come on. Let's go. Rifez.
[00:41:24] Speaker C: That's right, miss.
[00:41:27] Speaker B: It is a man's corset.
[00:41:30] Speaker A: I was not sure they make those.
[00:41:33] Speaker B: My name is Ray Faye, not Rafe.
[00:41:37] Speaker C: He looks down at his list.
All right, sir.
[00:41:43] Speaker B: All right.
[00:41:44] Speaker F: Let's just go.
[00:41:46] Speaker A: Let's go. Enjoy the ball, too.
I will.
[00:41:50] Speaker C: And he looks in through the windows at the warmth and the light. I will.
[00:41:54] Speaker D: As we're walking in, just before we enter, out of earshot of everyone. Albert. If we didn't already get caught by that, it's a miracle.
[00:42:05] Speaker F: It's all right, Howard.
[00:42:09] Speaker B: It gives hope for the rest of the plan, I guess.
[00:42:13] Speaker D: Either that or that man was just an imbecile.
[00:42:16] Speaker B: Let's hope the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
[00:42:24] Speaker A: Hamir is like five paces ahead of.
[00:42:26] Speaker F: Everyone else, sprinting to catch up.
[00:42:28] Speaker B: My little legs can't go that fast.
[00:42:31] Speaker E: It's the corsets.
[00:42:34] Speaker B: Marriages starts usually have more room to breathe.
[00:42:38] Speaker D: As we enter, what do we see?
[00:42:40] Speaker C: You see people milling about, talking to each other, eating little finger foods. Like those tiny little sausages you eat.
[00:42:47] Speaker A: With the cultists on a stick.
[00:42:50] Speaker B: I love those. Did you say cultists on a stick?
[00:42:53] Speaker A: Cultist in a blanket.
[00:42:56] Speaker B: Zafira approved.
[00:42:59] Speaker C: There's a close up on a cultist on a blanket. Somebody takes a bite, and then as they take the bite, it reveals the party standing in the background of the shot rack.
[00:43:08] Speaker B: Focus Ooh.
[00:43:09] Speaker E: We pulled out the stops for this budget.
[00:43:13] Speaker D: We should probably spread out and mingle. We don't want to stay. It looks suspicious.
[00:43:18] Speaker B: Zafir is going to make a beeline for the stage.
[00:43:21] Speaker D: I'm going to stop you with my mage hand.
[00:43:24] Speaker B: Why?
[00:43:27] Speaker D: We need to stay as incognito as possible.
[00:43:29] Speaker B: Not going on the stage.
[00:43:31] Speaker D: You're making a beeline for it.
[00:43:33] Speaker A: Maybe don't cast your spells.
[00:43:37] Speaker D: I'm assuming these people know what magic is.
[00:43:39] Speaker A: Yeah, but if you want to keep.
[00:43:40] Speaker D: A low profile, other people can cast this spell.
[00:43:44] Speaker A: Yeah, there's a lot of work that goes into making a spell.
[00:43:47] Speaker F: I agree.
[00:43:48] Speaker A: Just ease up.
[00:43:49] Speaker C: Produce flame.
[00:43:51] Speaker B: Fine.
[00:43:52] Speaker D: I'm going to put some gloves on.
[00:43:55] Speaker F: So what are we waiting for? The announcement.
[00:43:59] Speaker B: He was going towards the stage.
[00:44:01] Speaker E: I don't think that sort of announcement will be just down here.
[00:44:07] Speaker D: Howard's going to just walk away from the group and find a different group to talk to.
[00:44:14] Speaker B: Now that Howard is gone, I'm going to make a beeline for the stage.
I'm not going on the stage. Just to the stage.
[00:44:24] Speaker C: So the vast majority of the actual event is being held on the first floor, mostly on the tile there. But the majority of the first floor is, like, public space that's designed for entertaining. There's, like, a big entryway with area set up where people are dancing. There's a large dining area with a lot of food laid out and everything.
From your examination of the blueprints before you've reached here, the second and third floor are mostly, like, bedrooms. The third floor, one side of it is all just the servants quarters.
[00:44:59] Speaker A: Got you.
[00:45:00] Speaker E: What's the center of the third floor?
[00:45:02] Speaker D: I think that's just the entrance of the third floor.
[00:45:04] Speaker C: It's actually, like, a common area.
[00:45:06] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:45:07] Speaker C: The blue carpet on the second floor is just, like a wraparound balcony that overlooks the main ballroom area.
[00:45:17] Speaker A: Well, Amier, his outfit has, like, military type regalia, like, to where you'd say.
[00:45:26] Speaker D: Like, ah, this guy.
[00:45:27] Speaker A: Military or soldier at some point, kind of a deal. So he's going to go mingle with guards if he can.
[00:45:38] Speaker C: Are you talking like guards that are on duty for the event or people who obviously are in a similar life situation?
[00:45:44] Speaker A: Both.
[00:45:45] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:45:46] Speaker A: Like, he's not going to just hover around guards that are working, but he will chat with them.
[00:45:50] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:45:51] Speaker A: As he can, because he at least knows how to talk. That talk.
[00:45:57] Speaker F: But can he walk the walk?
[00:46:00] Speaker A: Not like he used to.
[00:46:02] Speaker D: He has a bum knee.
[00:46:04] Speaker B: Swagger from the bum knee.
[00:46:05] Speaker C: So what are Neros and Uvair doing.
[00:46:08] Speaker E: Uvair is going to scan the room and see if one he recognizes anybody because he's been in.
[00:46:15] Speaker D: Joel, everyone's in a mask.
[00:46:17] Speaker B: It's your dad.
[00:46:19] Speaker F: It's Masquerade.
[00:46:21] Speaker D: The point of the mask is so you don't recognize anyone.
[00:46:24] Speaker C: Yeah, it is a little challenging to recognize people. They're all Olfin, most of them. There's a dwarf here, an elf there, but the vast majority of them are Olfin.
And it's kind of hard with the masks on to be like, hey, it's that one person I saw down the street.
[00:46:42] Speaker E: No.
[00:46:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:46:43] Speaker E: I'm thinking more of, like, in the circles that he's in, like, at the library or at.
[00:46:48] Speaker C: No, nobody that you interact with on a daily basis.
[00:46:52] Speaker E: That's what I was looking for. One, because he was going to avoid them.
And then he's actually just probably just going to kind of look at all the different masks and maybe congregate towards those that have more animal masks like his.
[00:47:08] Speaker B: A wolf stays with his back.
[00:47:09] Speaker E: There you go, bud.
[00:47:12] Speaker F: And Neros are drinks being served.
[00:47:17] Speaker E: Oh, no.
[00:47:18] Speaker F: What?
All I asked was one question. That doesn't mean she's going to go all out and party.
[00:47:25] Speaker B: We are in a cultist party.
[00:47:27] Speaker F: This is supposed to be, like, low key.
[00:47:31] Speaker E: So drink light.
[00:47:32] Speaker D: We're going to get in a fight next session, and she's going to be drunk.
[00:47:36] Speaker B: We are in a cultist party that's about to make a big announcement.
[00:47:40] Speaker F: Neros is only drunk in certain situations. She may be irresponsible, but she knows when to not get hammered.
[00:47:48] Speaker D: She knows when to not be irresponsible.
[00:47:50] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:47:52] Speaker F: Okay. Give her some credit.
[00:47:55] Speaker D: Oh, no. It fully makes sense to have carrying a drink with you.
[00:47:59] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:48:00] Speaker E: It totally does.
[00:48:00] Speaker F: Thank you.
[00:48:01] Speaker B: Go for it. Yeah.
[00:48:02] Speaker C: Since it is still early in the night, it's more lighter drinks and cocktails that are being served now. But there are attendants who are going around and they've got trays of the more common drinks. But you already see people asking, oh, could you get me one of these? And they're like, oh, yeah, I'll bring it right out.
[00:48:19] Speaker A: Fuffle shuffle, please.
[00:48:21] Speaker F: So they're ordering drinks or they have, like, trays of drinks that they're passing out?
[00:48:24] Speaker D: Both.
[00:48:25] Speaker C: They've got trays of drinks that are just standard drinks, but also people are making requests.
[00:48:30] Speaker F: You know what, Sven? I don't want to sit next to you anymore.
[00:48:34] Speaker B: I'm waiting for you to hit me here.
A murder at the table.
[00:48:43] Speaker C: Surprise. This is now a murder mystery party.
[00:48:46] Speaker B: Not much of a mystery.
[00:48:49] Speaker A: I think it was Alwood who could have done this.
[00:48:52] Speaker F: Hey, everyone's in masks. You don't know who it was.
She could switch masks anyway. No, she's going to get just a cocktail. Just a light drink. Sven, I don't need your judgment.
And she's going to go mingle with some people that look like they're not boring.
[00:49:15] Speaker E: Sorry. Uvair grabbed vodka.
[00:49:18] Speaker F: That's not light.
Neros is being more responsible.
[00:49:23] Speaker B: How early is it?
[00:49:25] Speaker A: Wait for it. He's going to say, well, I'm a dwarf.
[00:49:27] Speaker F: It's 05:00.
[00:49:28] Speaker C: Somewhere we can hold our liquor.
[00:49:32] Speaker F: Can you?
[00:49:33] Speaker C: It's early Evening, so it's like 07:00.
[00:49:36] Speaker B: Oh, that's late.
[00:49:37] Speaker C: It's relatively early in the event is why they're serving the lighter drinks.
[00:49:41] Speaker B: Okay, that makes me feel so old.
[00:49:45] Speaker F: 07:00 is late.
[00:49:46] Speaker B: 07:00 is early evening. I don't know.
[00:49:49] Speaker F: Early evening to me is like five.
[00:49:51] Speaker A: Yeah, evening starts at five. Is seven still early?
[00:49:53] Speaker F: Seven is like mid.
[00:49:54] Speaker B: No, see, Jordy was a partier.
[00:49:56] Speaker C: He's always been a party in relation to how long this event will be going on.
[00:50:00] Speaker F: Oh, my gosh.
[00:50:01] Speaker A: Fine.
[00:50:04] Speaker F: Jeez.
[00:50:04] Speaker A: But at some point, this becomes a night event, not an evening.
[00:50:07] Speaker F: That's not a big deal. To Nero's. To me, Abby, who is old and goes to bed at nine.
That's ridiculous.
[00:50:13] Speaker A: I also think it's ridiculous. So you're going to bed at nine.
[00:50:16] Speaker B: Jordy, we think your plan is ridiculous.
[00:50:19] Speaker A: Stay up to it.
[00:50:19] Speaker B: All right.
[00:50:20] Speaker C: So at 730, this guy gets on.
[00:50:22] Speaker B: The stage and goes, go to bed, you partiers. Everybody just falls asleep.
[00:50:29] Speaker F: Sorry.
[00:50:29] Speaker C: Kill over.
[00:50:30] Speaker F: That was a bit of a tangent. We can move on.
[00:50:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:50:34] Speaker C: So I know where everybody is mingling except Alward and Zafir. But Zafir just said he was heading off to the stage, so I'm wondering what he's doing over there.
[00:50:45] Speaker B: Well, I'm trying to figure out where the stage is. Is it where the piano is or is it there in the center of the map?
[00:50:51] Speaker C: So there's not a stage, per se.
[00:50:54] Speaker B: Oh, that's why you were confused.
[00:50:56] Speaker F: Well, you didn't say that, dorty.
[00:50:59] Speaker D: There is a stage. Now.
[00:51:00] Speaker B: It's been said the area where most announcements are being made on the table in the center.
[00:51:07] Speaker C: Currently, there are no announcements.
[00:51:09] Speaker B: Well, like, there's gonna be. It's not like they're just gonna set it up in the middle of the party.
[00:51:14] Speaker C: As you can see, there's like that grand staircase on one side of the room, and it seems to be roped off with, like, a little velvet cord.
[00:51:21] Speaker A: We can't go upstairs?
[00:51:23] Speaker C: Not according to the velvet cord.
[00:51:27] Speaker B: The velvet cord just says, no entry screw.
[00:51:30] Speaker C: Please keep to common areas. It's embroidered into the cord.
[00:51:34] Speaker A: But there's a common area on the third floor.
[00:51:38] Speaker C: The ascendability.
[00:51:41] Speaker E: And how do you know that?
[00:51:42] Speaker A: I read blueprints.
Don't we all get blueprints for buildings we go to?
[00:51:49] Speaker B: So Zafir has gone up to, I guess, the grand staircase and kind of not like, pretty nonchalantly. IS that the right word I'm looking for?
[00:52:01] Speaker A: PrObably, yes.
[00:52:02] Speaker B: Yeah. So he's not trying to bring attention to himself, but at the same time not trying to be sneaky, but he walks up to wherever it looks like announcements are going to be made and just kind of leans back his hand and presses onto the wall or the side of the stair and leaves just a light, fancy looking Z. I can't tell you the exact typeface, but it looks pretty.
[00:52:32] Speaker A: It's got, like, the slash through the Z, like you would do for a seven with math.
[00:52:37] Speaker F: Some of us write our Z's like that.
[00:52:39] Speaker B: I Did.
[00:52:40] Speaker F: I write my Z's like that.
[00:52:41] Speaker E: I write my Z's like that because of math.
[00:52:43] Speaker F: SAME.
[00:52:44] Speaker A: I never got that far into math. I did the sevens, but I never did the Z.
[00:52:47] Speaker F: There's a reason I had to start writing my Z's like that.
[00:52:49] Speaker A: OR Zed, if YoU'rE Cool.
[00:52:50] Speaker B: He is cast. I Said casted. That's not A Word.
Spies mark, which is a second level spell. What the spell allows you to do with that symbol is that for the next hour, if I stay within 100ft, I can close my eyes and I can see, hear and smell through the symbol. WHatever senses I have, wHatever's going on near that symbol. So if there's any, which I will give you my reasoning for being there. If there's any conversation happening near where the announcement is going to be made, I will be able to hear it as if I was standing right there. I guess I should specify the symbol will remain until the duration is over or if somebody tries to wipe it off, like, get rid of it. But at this point, it's like, at everybody's knee level, so I doubt they'll be looking down.
[00:53:50] Speaker F: That'S also true.
[00:53:52] Speaker B: Yep. Oh, I Lost MY ring. OH. What's ThIs Z?
JOrdY'S thInking.
[00:53:59] Speaker C: I'm trying to decide how the crowd is going to react to somebody just walking up and, like, saying a magic word and pushing their hand against the wall by the.
[00:54:07] Speaker F: Do they notice.
Are they actually paying attention to him? NoTicE it? Or are they just enraptured in conversations that they're having and don't care about?
[00:54:17] Speaker B: It also doesn't have to be that loud.
[00:54:19] Speaker A: IT Does.
[00:54:20] Speaker B: It. It does have to be.
[00:54:22] Speaker A: Like, you can't subtly.
[00:54:23] Speaker B: Whoa. Marcus.
[00:54:24] Speaker A: So there is a feat you could take that's subtle spell lets you whisper it.
[00:54:28] Speaker D: Other than that, it has to be, like, pronounced.
[00:54:31] Speaker C: Yeah.
What you've done in casting the spell, what you do is apparent. The question is, does anybody even notice? Because there's a lot going on right now.
[00:54:42] Speaker F: Are the conversations loud enough that no one would notice?
[00:54:45] Speaker C: We should roll a die. See if anybody even noticed.
[00:54:47] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:54:48] Speaker F: I don't like that.
[00:54:49] Speaker D: I do.
[00:54:51] Speaker A: Nobody noticed that, you know?
[00:54:56] Speaker B: Well, my sneak is plus nine.
[00:54:59] Speaker F: You said you weren't sneaking.
[00:55:00] Speaker E: You was nonchalanting.
[00:55:02] Speaker B: I was nonchalanting.
[00:55:03] Speaker F: And that's not the same.
[00:55:05] Speaker B: That's not a skill.
All right, Paizo, please add nonchalanting.
[00:55:10] Speaker A: I'm pretty sure you were shalanting. Nonchalanting is trying to be sneaky.
[00:55:16] Speaker C: So as Zafir. Shalantly.
[00:55:19] Speaker A: Well, I guess not always sneaky.
[00:55:21] Speaker B: I was being nonchalantly sneaky. Like, I didn't want to be overly, like, drawing the wall.
[00:55:28] Speaker A: Pulls out a pen.
[00:55:30] Speaker C: So Zafir creeps up to the wall like Robbie rotten and puts a Z on it.
Alward, who are you mingling with?
[00:55:38] Speaker D: So literally just to break up the group, Alward just immediately walked off. He said, go mingle, and then walked off into the nearest group he could find that had people talking just so he could join in on their conversation.
[00:55:54] Speaker C: Got you. And is anybody trying to steer the conversation in a direction, or are they just trying to be around?
[00:56:01] Speaker D: I would eventually, but you don't just walk up to a group and be like, hey, so whatever you were talking about doesn't matter. Here's a thing.
[00:56:12] Speaker A: My goal as the night goes on is to steer directions towards my daughter somehow with different people to see if maybe someone knows about her or has heard about her.
A traveling person, without saying, like, my daughter.
[00:56:30] Speaker B: Tell me about my daughter. When I was a boy, my daughter, yay high.
[00:56:36] Speaker F: Has this color hair.
[00:56:38] Speaker E: Have you seen her?
[00:56:38] Speaker B: Wait, aren't we all related? And she should be here?
[00:56:42] Speaker C: So, yeah, that is a good question. How are you trying to steer the conversation that way?
[00:56:48] Speaker A: With words?
I mean, I don't want it to necessarily sound like a familial tie, just.
[00:56:55] Speaker F: Like, I've seen this girl.
[00:56:56] Speaker A: Yeah, I've been looking for someone.
[00:56:58] Speaker D: You could also just bring up, like, heard of any missing peoples?
[00:57:01] Speaker E: That's not creepy.
[00:57:04] Speaker D: Any missing peoples?
[00:57:07] Speaker B: What's the deal with people missing?
[00:57:12] Speaker F: That's creepy.
[00:57:13] Speaker A: That's what I was saying.
[00:57:14] Speaker B: It's not what I said.
[00:57:17] Speaker A: I have a personal tie to find this person, but not that I'm related to them.
[00:57:24] Speaker C: Go ahead and make me. A deception or a diplomacy? Check diplomacy.
[00:57:29] Speaker A: I'm a stomach. I'm good at that.
I will use a hero point.
I rolled two twos in a row in this pre roll, and I just rolled a four.
[00:57:42] Speaker D: It's very funny.
[00:57:44] Speaker B: At least you're approving.
[00:57:48] Speaker D: There we go.
[00:57:49] Speaker A: 29.
[00:57:51] Speaker E: Dang.
[00:57:51] Speaker D: Jump from a four to a 19.
[00:57:53] Speaker A: The plus ten. So 29 for deception. Nice.
[00:57:58] Speaker C: So you give them, like, a brief description of the person you're looking for, and they're, like, the military type folk that you're talking with. They're like, no. Most of them are like, no, haven't seen anybody like that. And one of them's like, I do think I recall a girl matching that description talking to Datha the other week.
[00:58:19] Speaker A: Oh, whereabouts?
[00:58:22] Speaker C: Oh, here in town. I think it was in the marketplace.
[00:58:26] Speaker A: Where's Daitha?
[00:58:29] Speaker C: I believe she's upstairs working on something for the big reveal.
[00:58:34] Speaker A: Okay.
I'm not allowed up there at the moment, am I?
[00:58:38] Speaker C: No.
[00:58:40] Speaker A: I see. Is there anyone down here in the ball who might have talked with her about anything like this? I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with data at the moment.
[00:58:51] Speaker C: Well, who is? And the whole group just kind of, like, laughs at that.
[00:58:56] Speaker A: Yes.
She's quite the character.
[00:59:00] Speaker C: Yeah. Nobody really knows what she's working on except for the inner circle.
[00:59:06] Speaker A: I see.
Understandable. Understandable.
[00:59:11] Speaker C: I don't know if maybe that girl might be her newest apprentice. She hasn't had a fifth for quite some time.
[00:59:18] Speaker A: Yeah, that could be it. That's interesting. I need to discuss that with her.
Boy. Have you seen any of the others here yet?
[00:59:31] Speaker C: Other who?
[00:59:32] Speaker A: The others in the circle that might know something maybe about that? Have you seen them? I'm really bad at recognizing people in this mask.
[00:59:41] Speaker C: You rolled really high on your Deception, so I'm going to let that slide.
[00:59:46] Speaker A: Thanks.
[00:59:49] Speaker C: Because that was so sus.
[00:59:52] Speaker A: Was it?
[00:59:53] Speaker B: A little bit.
[00:59:54] Speaker D: Tell me about your inner circle.
[00:59:56] Speaker A: Seeing any of the others in the circle here tonight? I'm bad at recognizing people in these masks. I mean, if we're aware of Derthai, we would be aware of who else was in the inner circle, right?
[01:00:08] Speaker C: Didn't anybody tell you the circle's not wearing masks?
[01:00:12] Speaker A: No. I was never told that.
[01:00:15] Speaker C: Well, the circle is not wearing masks.
[01:00:17] Speaker A: Well, that would make sense.
It wasn't on the card.
[01:00:24] Speaker C: Where'd you get your invitation?
[01:00:28] Speaker A: Some servant gave it to me. I don't know.
[01:00:30] Speaker C: And one of the other guys is just like, well, maybe if you'd read them. And they all kind of laugh.
[01:00:38] Speaker A: Well, you know how it is.
Get distracted with my work.
[01:00:44] Speaker C: Don't we all? And that reminds me. And another guy kind of changes the conversation topic for a little bit, and the tension level begins to drop a little.
[01:00:53] Speaker A: Okay, I'll keep my eye out for these maskless people.
[01:00:58] Speaker C: And as that conversation is coming to a close, was anybody else going to try to steer the conversation somewhere?
[01:01:05] Speaker D: Yeah, I wanted to steer one of the conversations to see if we can't figure out if anyone knows more about what this announcement is. Because local gossip, that's part of why we're here.
[01:01:18] Speaker C: Diplomacy or deception?
[01:01:21] Speaker D: Oh, no.
[01:01:21] Speaker A: Well, I heard it was about Sally.
[01:01:23] Speaker D: Five fingers, 22.
[01:01:26] Speaker C: So you found your way into a group of Aridson family members who seem like they live all here in Joel. And you know that your identity that you picked because you picked one of these for everybody, is folks who are not from Joel.
So you kind of steer that conversation in the direction of, like. So, hey, do you know any secrets of what's going on? What's the big announcement? And one of the guys is like, I heard there's been developments recently. I heard they'd broken into the caves up and north, and some people stole some stuff, and it's a big hullablue, and I don't know all the details, but something big has happened.
[01:02:11] Speaker D: Why did they steal that's so important?
[01:02:13] Speaker C: I don't know.
What they've said is something was stoleN, but they wouldn't tell us what. It was one of those times where you squeeze out more than you're supposed to know, and then they realize what they said, but they can't talk it back. Don't tell anybody I told you.
[01:02:28] Speaker D: Well, of course. No, I would never dream of that. But wouldn't more people know? That's why we're here?
[01:02:35] Speaker C: Well, I think everybody who's been in on it knows, but, I mean, I haven't, and I don't know actually who's been working on it.
[01:02:45] Speaker D: Can I make an insight check to see if he's, like, being honest about him, not knowing if. And I can push it a little farther or if he just actually doesn't know and I should move on?
[01:02:57] Speaker C: Yeah, go ahead and make a perception check.
[01:02:59] Speaker D: Cool.
I'm going to use a hero point for that. I rolled a three.
[01:03:04] Speaker A: Nice.
[01:03:06] Speaker D: That's better. 26.
[01:03:09] Speaker C: He seemed to be completely genuine about not knowing any more details. But as you were, like, pressing him, like, who would know? And stuff like that, he starts kind of thinking, and he looked more like he was thinking over why he doesn't know and then seeming to be a little bit perturbed that he doesn't know more details than he did. Like the kind of thing where he'd accepted it before. But now that you're asking him questions, he's like, I really should know more than this.
[01:03:34] Speaker D: Well, I'm just going to find a way to exit the conversation and see if I can't find somebody else who might know.
[01:03:41] Speaker B: Smack him in a different group. You don't know anything.
[01:03:44] Speaker D: Continue on until I find out the right information.
[01:03:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:03:48] Speaker C: And as Alward dips out of that conversation, Hamir is wanting to find a way upstairs. Uvair and Zafir. Before we get back to Hamir, did you guys have anything you wanted to do?
[01:03:59] Speaker E: Uvair is given his lack of not social skills, but social skills in this kind of setting, he's more of going to be walking around and while engaging in the conversation, listening for what people are gossiping about.
[01:04:17] Speaker C: Go ahead and make me a society check or a perception check. Your choice.
[01:04:21] Speaker A: I wonder which one he'll choose.
[01:04:24] Speaker E: I don't know.
Society is what I'm going to choose.
[01:04:27] Speaker A: Oh, wow. He actually has society.
[01:04:30] Speaker E: Oh, yeah, I do. I have a plus ten, so that'll be a 29.
Thank you.
[01:04:37] Speaker C: So, Uber, as you're kind of bouncing between group to group and just kind of adding in minimal involvement. So it's not like weird that you're just walking by conversations, but you're just kind of paying attention, just kind of hearing the undercurrent of the conversation. And one of the main things that you pick up is everyone's surprise that the entire circle of the people who are in charge of things are all here at once. Usually they're all scattered in different places, working on other things, and this is one of the first times in a long time that they've all been gathered in the same place.
Additionally, though, you learn that people who are based outside of Joel and are just here for the party are all hearing for the first time about someone that the people who live in Joel are referring to as the oracle. And anytime they bring that up and the people outside of Joel press them for details of like, oh, what's this Oracle? They clam up immediately and don't want to talk anymore about it.
[01:05:32] Speaker E: Gotcha.
At some point, Uber is going to try and gravitate back to the group that we came in. In. Because it wouldn't be unusual for us to reconvene.
So kind of meet up with everyone.
[01:05:47] Speaker B: Zafir is perusing the buffet.
[01:05:52] Speaker F: Is there a buffet?
[01:05:54] Speaker B: There is a buffet, but every once in a while, he's going to be just kind of standing in the corner, every once in a while talking to himself. But he'll point at just random people and just, hey, behind you.
Just message. Just random people. Watch their reactions, but that's it. Nothing, too.
And eventually, I guess, if he sees other people reconvening, he will start to walk back to join them.
[01:06:30] Speaker E: You, Manchild.
[01:06:32] Speaker C: Shortly before you notice other people reconvening, one of the guards notices somebody turning around and they look at you, and the guard looks at them, looks at you, and he just waggles a finger at you, shakes his head, and then right as that's happening is when you're noticing everybody else kind of reconvening.
[01:06:50] Speaker B: I Just give a small belly laugh, just look like I'm having a fun.
[01:06:57] Speaker C: And the guard's just like kids these days.
So who all notices the rest of the group trying to reconvene and regroups? And who all just stays separate?
[01:07:11] Speaker A: I am grabbing near us, specifically not going to the group, though.
[01:07:16] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, she was drinking.
[01:07:19] Speaker F: What does this have to do with anything? He said he's just grabbing.
[01:07:23] Speaker B: Well, you said you weren't doing anything, and then I just remembered what you were doing.
[01:07:27] Speaker F: I said I grabbed a drink and then went to go to a group that looked not boring.
[01:07:32] Speaker B: Yeah, but I forgot that. And that's why I said I remember.
[01:07:36] Speaker F: Oh, yeah, she's drinking. That's what Nero's does. She drinks.
[01:07:41] Speaker B: I'm surprised that's not my thing because I order a drink wherever I go.
[01:07:45] Speaker A: That's true.
[01:07:46] Speaker E: That is true.
[01:07:47] Speaker B: Wait, I just realized if everybody thinks I'm a kid and if I'm drinking.
[01:07:52] Speaker F: This is a cult. No one cares.
[01:07:54] Speaker B: I'm sure the laws are different in family cults.
[01:07:58] Speaker A: In family cults. Byline one.
[01:08:01] Speaker B: I'm going to write that on a shirt. The laws are different in family cult. No, that's not a good shirt name.
[01:08:10] Speaker F: We do not approve underage drinking unless.
[01:08:14] Speaker A: It'S milk on the rocks.
[01:08:17] Speaker C: So I think we'll go ahead and follow what Hamir and Neros are doing, because it sounds like that happens before the three of you reconvene.
[01:08:25] Speaker D: Okay.
[01:08:26] Speaker B: Pivot, pivot.
[01:08:29] Speaker C: We cut to the outside of the building and there's a clock tower. And the minute hand changes over to 715.
And that's where we'll end this episode.
[01:08:38] Speaker B: Dun dun dun.
[01:08:42] Speaker D: What hair card you get.
[01:08:43] Speaker A: Oh, hi. Thank you. This is a great party. I took critical moment after rolling a check. I can reroll it twice and take the best result if it's a fortune effect, if I still fail, if I become doomed one.
[01:08:56] Speaker D: Oh my.
[01:08:57] Speaker A: So this is if I still fail. So I assume. Yeah. Anyway, thank you all.
I'm going to go look for my daughter.
[01:09:05] Speaker C: Goodbye and we'll see you all in the next episode.
This has been an atomic broadcasting production. Pathfinder, Galerian and the lost omens world setting are copyright of Piso. More
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[01:09:39] Speaker D: Alward's very uncomfortable with how often Hamir talks to his mom, but also Alord and Nero's is snorting cocaine.
[01:09:47] Speaker B: Feels so good, kids.
[01:09:51] Speaker F: That would be on brand for.
