Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Caldera is at the heart of this region's artful architecture and urban gardening. The immigrants that cultivated this place came knowing what they wanted to grow in these gardens and the education that their children would have.
[00:00:14] Speaker B: Goddammit.
[00:00:16] Speaker A: They would find the jobs that would hopefully carry their children and their families over into the new generations, to the point that a group of people became the eventual board of directors of a beautiful community center called the Four Seasons.
They would thrive to this day with generous donations and even more generous partnerships from the other municipal buildings within Caldera. The Four Seasons community center would make strides in providing job services, physical therapy via pool aerobics, and creating one of the most robust centers for all people aged from the beginning to the end. Partnerships with nearby hospices and kindergartens would make this place the epicenter of all care. However, someone would eventually try to take that all away with one finalizing piece of paper. The void paralleled from the world as we know it as a red colored realization that you are nothing and you are everything, that you are too small and too big, that you mean something and then absolutely nothing the next day. These are the realizations that implant themselves in a young mind and ask if God still exists, or if he ever did, or if that question even matters anymore. What does matter is if you can pay rent on time in almost hallucinogenic spirals and swirls. Each way, insecurity has a color. Here, patterns of 3d waves go against your shadow as it whispers to you to put your head down on the bus and you think about all the things that you still have to do. While you might not have the best relationship with a family member in the void, there's no time. But there's absolutely as much time as you need to become the greatest and worst version of yourself. If you've ever met a will o the wisp, you would know that blue light extends not only to end times, but to new beginnings.
We find our party feet attempting to work against what seems to be the deck of a rocking ship with skies red and clouds with a chromatic effect of black and gray.
[00:02:31] Speaker B: Varun.
[00:02:32] Speaker C: Yes?
[00:02:34] Speaker B: What do you do?
[00:02:36] Speaker C: Varun kind of steps forward and we see his clothing of deep autumnal reds and oranges folded and pleated into Bharatanatyam ware. The tresses move alongside him as he rushes forward, as well as the baratanatyam bells jingling across the floor as he saddles forward towards Chloe as he says and attempts to reason by saying, chloe.
[00:03:13] Speaker D: Chloe.
[00:03:13] Speaker B: Hi. Hi.
[00:03:14] Speaker C: No, we don't have to do it like this.
We can stop this right now. And this doesn't have to happen to the community center. Just align with us, and we can help you. We can help you out of this.
[00:03:29] Speaker B: So strike when you take advantage of an opening on your foe with arguments and emotional appeals. Let's see where you're at.
[00:03:35] Speaker C: Let's go. Rolling with cups. I'm good at this. So hopefully, famous last words.
[00:03:41] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: That is a seven.
[00:03:47] Speaker B: That's a seven. On any hit, you remove the opening and break one of the foes qualities.
Otherwise, the architect will trigger that quality's break, move. And on a seven through nine, also pick one. So, Alyssa, I guess we're introducing you now, actually, what are Chloe's qualities as the castle's avatar at the moment?
[00:04:12] Speaker F: Yeah. So here in the castle, Chloe looks like an art nouveau angel, or at least a saint.
She's wearing this demure white veil that flows into the train of a floor length, softly draped, white dressed. There's a golden crown atop the veil that's backed by an ornate golden halo. And though the sky is red and stormy, a ray of light shines through, illuminating her in ethereal light and making the halo glow.
The ship is jolting and swaying, but I think that Chloe is sort of resolute in her position at the helm. And she will turn to Varun and can I pick, like, what sort of, what the seven to nine is or.
[00:05:11] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:05:11] Speaker C: Yes. And I have a feeling you're gonna pick the one that I want you to pick, which is great.
[00:05:17] Speaker F: I was going to lash out. Is that the one that you wanted?
Yes.
[00:05:23] Speaker B: So let's hit first. Varun, that was a hit. You will be able to remove the opening and break one of the foes qualities. What is a quality that you would like to break right now? Chloe has the tags dramatic beast, eel and arcane.
[00:05:45] Speaker C: I will break the beast shield. We can keep the drama.
[00:05:50] Speaker B: We can keep the drama for now. How does it look like when Varun, using the castle items, your gear, and anything sort of relating to how incredible you are that gets you to, at this moment, stop Chloe and her bite.
[00:06:11] Speaker C: As his appeal goes forward, Varun launches from out of his arm a small discus that is made out of pure gold. It is a chakram that slowly expands outwards and just releases this sort of wind like force out of it. And I think that wind is what leaves Chloe in a little bit of a.
It pushes Chloe back for a moment, just giving us enough time to recalibrate and maybe enough time for his appeal to perhaps reach a companion that he knows and is very, very close to.
[00:06:55] Speaker F: Yeah. And I think that Chloe sort of opens her mouth to lash out, to shout at him, perhaps to bite him. And you can see that the inside of her mouth is stained, the same sort of unsettling red in the void. And there are fangs sort of descending like her canines are fangs. But as this blast of air hits her, it's almost as if those things fade away for a minute. And she says, I agree, we're on the same side here.
We can absolutely work this out. Just.
It's for the better.
Your brother would agree that it's for the better.
[00:07:47] Speaker C: Oh, pulling the brother card from minute one, are we?
[00:07:53] Speaker B: So, Chloe, what would be your break move at this moment in response to that?
[00:08:00] Speaker F: Yeah. So I think that as the sort.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: Of.
[00:08:08] Speaker F: The fangs and those sort of bestial aspects fade away, but she reaches out to Varun and I think that sort of strands of void also reach out, almost like beckoning him closer to her side.
Not beckoning. Forcing. Maybe. Maybe forcing is a better choice.
[00:08:36] Speaker C: Very kind. As you wrap your little tendrils around me.
[00:08:39] Speaker F: Yeah, forcing.
[00:08:42] Speaker B: Okay, you've lashed out, Varun. You will mark a condition here.
[00:08:49] Speaker C: Uh, Varun scared.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: Yeah. So that means certain disadvantages against making a and pressure when we get there. Great. So at the moment, Varun, you are wrapped up. You are compromised until someone will be able to get to your side.
[00:09:10] Speaker F: Dammit, Chloe, please just let me go.
[00:09:13] Speaker C: This isn't funny anymore.
[00:09:18] Speaker B: This is like magic school bus talk.
[00:09:26] Speaker G: I mean, I'll let you go if.
[00:09:27] Speaker F: You'Re ready to listen.
[00:09:31] Speaker B: As Chloe attempts to sweet talk an incredibly contained Varun at the moment, Arjun, you see your friend actually here become compromised.
[00:09:48] Speaker E: What do you do upon seeing basically one of his, one of his best friends, probably in the.
Since moving to the city, he probably be a little worried for him, but. So he'd probably want to go and help him out. So I'll be doing a breakout, basically. So this is gonna be a standby in the action.
[00:10:09] Speaker B: Incredible.
[00:10:09] Speaker E: So as he. As he. As he makes his way forward, you can see the. You can see the. The garbies wearing this almost regal indian garb. So almost something you'd find at a wedding, but just somehow even more flamboyant with these long trails of fabric flowing off the arms, his half, his face masked, but the other half expressing definite worry for his friend, he'll swiftly move in and try to break him free. So let's see what we got with that.
That is.
That's a ten.
[00:10:49] Speaker B: That is a hit you will save them from a particular ongoing danger named Chloe. Whether that's an opening your foes have on them or some other lingering issue on a ten, they might also heal a condition or gain fleeting advantage. So, Arjun, as you come in and you totally save the day here, what would you like to choose out of this?
[00:11:12] Speaker E: I'll have him heal a condition.
[00:11:13] Speaker C: Woohoo.
[00:11:17] Speaker B: Varun, scared, shitting in your pants suddenly, Arjun, a literal shining icon, this beacon comes to you.
[00:11:31] Speaker C: Yeah, as soon as you free him, Varun kind of like falls for a moment from Chloe's grasp, and the bright autumnal robes flutter in the wind for a moment. And as soon as he's like, right by your side, he pats you on both your shoulders as if steadying himself, as well as showing you some much needed appreciation. As he says, archun, my friend, Maria, you are.
You're my light. You are my life. I love you so, so much.
And he like, continuously, like, pets you for appreciation.
[00:12:23] Speaker E: Arjuna's very bemused by. It's like, it's fine, but let's focus on the battle at hand.
[00:12:31] Speaker C: Yeah, maybe the word we're far beyond words now, huh?
[00:12:39] Speaker E: Might be that way.
[00:12:42] Speaker B: Halcyon.
[00:12:43] Speaker D: Yeah. Halcyon's kind of watching these two being like, we gotta focus on the mission at hand, friends, because they are kind of singularly focused in this moment on.
They know that this is the time and this is their chance to make wrongs right.
So they, in this kind of tattered, gauzy robe with people, pieces of their iridescent skin peeking out with these teardrops of opals hanging off of their outfit, walk forward and with such determination that it maybe is a little bit scary. And I feel like people have seen the more worldly, kind, excitable side of Halcyon before, but not necessarily the dangerous focus side.
And kind of as they walk forward, this kind of spectral scythe appears in their hands and they are going right to Chloe and gonna strike with force. What is the actual term? Yeah, with direct force. And just go for it. Not even really paying much attention outside of a glance to their compatriots.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: A rule plus swords.
[00:14:10] Speaker D: Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do. Let's see. Okay, that is an eight.
[00:14:16] Speaker B: Same situation here. Okay, so the remaining qualities that we have also is we have arcane and dramatic. Okay, arcane, specifically, the ability for Chloe to alter the battlefield in dramatic speed.
[00:14:34] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, I don't know, do I get to target one specifically or is it.
[00:14:41] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:14:42] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:14:43] Speaker B: That being, if you break one of these qualities, it will open up one of Chloe's sort of.
[00:14:49] Speaker D: Right.
[00:14:50] Speaker B: Attempted fail safes here.
[00:14:52] Speaker D: Okay.
So I think this is just, like, a direct, like, kind of an attack that's really meant to sunder somebody, like, to the legs. Like, let's try to chop this. This bitch in half. And so I feel like that is more of the dramatic and in a dramatic swipe, and the two or the perk that I have is, like, lingering.
So I don't know if the idea is to cause continual pain, but it's kind of an aggressive, just physical monster of a hit that I'm trying to do.
[00:15:33] Speaker B: Absolutely.
Chloe, however, what is your choice?
[00:15:42] Speaker F: I will.
I'm looking at the conditions.
I think that my choice will be to single out Halsey and gain an opening, because so far, everyone's just trying words, which is fine. And here you come with a sight.
[00:16:12] Speaker D: No, I'm going at you. What do you expect? This is my job. This is what I'm here for.
[00:16:19] Speaker F: And I think that as you sort of slash at Chloe, the.
Not just because of the physical hit, but more the metaphysical context, I guess. The pleats in her dress almost start to dissolve and tear and unravel until it's more akin to sort of like a shattering stem of bamboo, perhaps, but revealing through these sort of holes that both her legs and her right hand are dripping. And at first, it looks like blood or void, but it's actually just, you know, nice little bejewels, gems. It's fine. It's happy. It's pretty.
But I think that the sort of break that we get here is, as this unraveling happens, Chloe looking back over to the other three, her, you know, friends or at least colleagues, and saying, what are you doing? Why are you acting like this? I'm doing this for community center, for our neighborhood, begging for mercy.
[00:17:46] Speaker B: How does Halcyon respond?
[00:17:50] Speaker D: I think that Halcyon. I think it's just more of a kind of wave. Halcyon has faith in these people.
That is why I chose them.
And I think it's more of a wave of the hand and kind of like a look and just say, you guys don't really believe her, right?
Trying to keep a hold of the situation, but there's a falter in that, too, where they're actually kind of not sure, but they have faith, but they're not sure.
[00:18:22] Speaker C: I think Varun, after taking a moment to recollect himself and watching the conflict unfurl right in front of him between Halcyon and Chloe. He steadies himself and he stands shoulder to shoulder with Arjun.
And hearing what Halcyon says, he feels bolstered in this moment. And he begins to lower his knees and takes a Bharatanatyam dance pose as he holds his lithe fingers outward. And he says, you're not doing this for the good of the community center. You're taking the one thing that we, as the community need, and we're gonna stop you, Chloe. Even if it means.
Even if it means I'm going to have to fight you for it.
[00:19:23] Speaker F: Chloe sort of scoffs and says, have you ever fought anyone for anything?
[00:19:30] Speaker C: Not captured is valiant. Dorian's little squeak.
Uh. Varun's eyebrows do furrow hearing that, and a tiny bit of sweat falls down the side of his face. But he stands solid regardless.
[00:19:51] Speaker E: Honestly, you disappoint me.
After all the time spent in that community center, especially in my classes, I thought you would have seen how much good it can bring.
Such a shame.
[00:20:04] Speaker F: I see how much good it can bring. That's why I'm doing this.
With everything that we're doing now, with it being so poorly run under new management and new vocation, think of how much you could thrive.
[00:20:19] Speaker B: Halcyon, you know, before you didn't know much. You still don't know too much.
But Chloe saw a lot in you that you didn't see before.
Rather than a specific move or anything.
What does that falter? Where is that place is coming from? As Chloe, in this greater quote unquote form of hers, attempts to appeal to you, what do you think Halcyon is feeling? Maybe for the first time?
[00:20:51] Speaker D: I think there is a desire to belong and to be seen and to be understood. And that is a very primal thing that is not always conscious. I think Halcyon thinks of themselves as a very strong and present person. They know this, in fact. But underneath that is that kind of.
Yeah. Desire to be just to be present with people and to be seen. And I think hearing that can be and feeling the want within themselves can be destabilizing, can be a little bit scary. And I don't think fear, because Halcyon doesn't fear death. Halcyon doesn't fear violence. Halcyon doesn't fear conflict.
But feeling that within themselves, I think, is a little bit scary.
[00:21:53] Speaker B: Ren, you see this moment in what seems to be weakness, temporary or otherwise. In Halcyon, what do you do?
[00:22:07] Speaker G: Wren is looking straight at Chloe and she's like, girl, you're kind of cringe. I don't.
What are you saying, like, what are you delusional?
Wow, you really have changed.
You weren't this delusional in high school. Oh, my God.
And then she's going to turn to Halcyon and she's going to say, what?
Chloe's just, you know, she graduated from college. She thinks she's all that because she's got a university degree and she, you know, has this fancy schmancy job, but you don't need to, like, take her words so close to your heart. You just, you know, she's just Chloe. Like, what is she gonna do besides, you know, ruining the community center and maybe, you know, making you feel a little bit bad? She's just Chloe.
[00:23:13] Speaker C: Incredible.
[00:23:14] Speaker B: So, are you. Are you attempting to bolster Halcyon at the store?
[00:23:24] Speaker G: Yeah, the attempt is correct. The attempt is correct.
[00:23:27] Speaker B: Please roll cups.
[00:23:29] Speaker G: Okay, let's see. That is a three.
[00:23:33] Speaker B: Okay, Halcyon, you don't know what cringe is. You don't understand. Like, you're just, like.
There's something very fundamental here that you just cannot understand. And those cannot be comforted by the, um.
What, does Halcyon say anything back?
[00:23:54] Speaker D: Halcyon's kind of just, like.
She's not just Chloe. She's very powerful. You can see this and kind of just shakes their head and brushes it off and tries to, like, reestablish, you know, their presence that they had before, but, like, it's kind of honestly feeling a little bit worse.
[00:24:21] Speaker G: Wren's like, is she. I mean, we're all kind of powerful. Like, look. I mean, look at me. And Ren is, you know, dressed in this, like, white modified qi pao dress, exposed shoulders with flowing sleeves. She's got these red chinese fortune knots dripping from her waist, and her fingers are replaced with old claws, and her hands are whiffs of white smoke that disappear under the ruffles. And her face is completely, pretty much blocked by this mockery of a fox skull with her red and gold mask. And her eyes outline in the same shades of red and gold diamonds. And she gestures to herself and she gestures to Varun and she gestures to Halcyon. She gestures her arch, and she's like, we all look like this. We're all the same. So I guess she's kind of powerful. I mean, she made a ship, but we could all kind of make ships. I mean, I think, right?
[00:25:22] Speaker D: Halcyon kind of. Kind of nods and says, exactly. But you're not just wren who kind of leaves it at that.
[00:25:32] Speaker G: Bryn's like, oh, cool.
Yeah, I'm right. Here with you. Just so you know.
[00:25:44] Speaker B: With the party all revealed now, Chloe, with one quality remaining, Chloe, what would you like to do with two broken qualities at this moment? Begging for mercy. But now with new sort of white cloth like tentacles from you, you are still arcane and you can still alter the battlefield. What would you like to do?
[00:26:16] Speaker F: Yeah, the bolstering didn't hit Halcyon, but I think it did hit a chloe a little bit. Being called cringe by this college dropout.
[00:26:34] Speaker D: No.
[00:26:38] Speaker F: So I think that she calls on the sea around the sinking ship and sort of shatters inward a whole side of the ship itself.
The, like, horrible void, red ocean, sort.
[00:26:59] Speaker B: Of.
[00:27:02] Speaker F: Almost like a tidal wave coming, like, between us. So it's harder for you to reach me. And also maybe you get hit by creepy void water.
[00:27:20] Speaker B: As this red, thick void water, this liquid kind of begins to submerge and crash all over you and all around you. You hear the whispers as it seems to not necessarily dry immediately, but it begins to just form off in droplets off of your body, as if hydrophobic. But what each droplet leaves all of you with on your skin, on your body and your mind are these just, again, these whispers of insecurity that for some of you may sound way more familiar than you would like for it to just whispers of wishing that there were more days in the week, more minutes or hours in the day, more time to do things that you want to do.
But also, at the same time, I deserve everything that I've ever worked hard for and how that sentiment warps its virtues and values into something much more heinous.
Did you roll? Was that a specific role, or would you like to make a roll now?
[00:28:37] Speaker F: Yeah, I can make a specific roll.
What do you think? That would be like a sword strike, striking with direct force.
[00:28:50] Speaker B: Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, it's your castle.
[00:28:56] Speaker F: Oh, that's not a good stat for me, but that's fine.
That's a twelve.
[00:29:05] Speaker B: Oh, no.
So not a good stat for you, huh?
[00:29:10] Speaker F: I got two sixes on the two sixes. Plus zero.
[00:29:13] Speaker E: Oh, dear.
[00:29:14] Speaker B: Plus two.
[00:29:16] Speaker G: Okay. Not a good stat is a minus one, which is what I.
[00:29:20] Speaker F: Which is cups.
[00:29:23] Speaker B: Okay.
What does it look like?
[00:29:27] Speaker F: Yeah, I think that as folks are sort of reeling from those feelings of insecurity brought on by the contact with the void, there's another sudden wave, and this time it sort of crashes over them, attempting now not just to sort.
[00:29:52] Speaker G: Of.
[00:29:54] Speaker F: Hit, but to pull them out to sea to get them off of this vessel. Because if they aren't going to help if they aren't going to comply, then they're not worth coming along with me on this ship.
[00:30:08] Speaker B: And you got twelve. I think everyone absolutely has to take a condition here. Depending on everyone as you experience this lash out, this direct force, this person in power attempting to outrightly, at this point, no holds barred attempt to bring you down to their level to understand forcibly, what condition would you take in response to that? Varun, we can start with you and go through the same order.
[00:30:42] Speaker C: I think Varun in this moment because. Because we are. His eyes widen. Seeing the water being rushing brought to rush over them and not only rushing us, but also pulling us deeper into the shallows, right?
So I think he's going to take the overwhelmed condition.
[00:31:08] Speaker B: Arjuna.
[00:31:09] Speaker E: Uh, actually, instead of marking condition, I'm going to be expending a piece of gear that I brought with me.
I brought. I brought the gear. Bulletproof confidence, which I can expend to avoid marking a condition altogether.
[00:31:23] Speaker C: Let's go. That's my bestie.
[00:31:26] Speaker B: That's my bestie taking his clothes off.
[00:31:30] Speaker C: Let's go.
[00:31:35] Speaker B: Uh, Halcyon.
[00:31:39] Speaker D: Yeah, I. I think Halcyon is.
Was already angry.
And I think that this kind of large attack where they're seeing their friends get, like, you know, again, literally overwhelmed in this moment, I think it's that that anger is now crossing into callousness. I think Halcyon doesn't really care now what has to be done to end this, because feelings were hurt and now people are physically hurt.
And I think that's what's happening now.
[00:32:20] Speaker B: Ren.
[00:32:22] Speaker G: Ren is pissed off. Wren is like, what's wrong with you, dude?
She's just confused. Like, Chloe has pretty much everything, right? She has the job, she has the successful boyfriend, she has the, like, everything. She has the degree. And she's lashing out because she wants to ruin, like, a community center. She wants to ruin something that is so special to so many people and is, like, the reason why we're fighting her. And so I think Wren is just mad. She's just confused by somebody. Not even confused, but she's just so angry that someone with so many perceived blessings in her life is taking it out on people who don't have the same level of privilege or of, you know, pomp and circumstance.
[00:33:17] Speaker B: Absolutely.
Now, all of you can now respond to Chloe's tidal wave reminder of insecurity, and then to directly enact violence against that insecurity.
What would all of you like to do?
[00:33:45] Speaker C: Hello, it is me. I would love to do things. Um, so Varun sees this wave coming over us. And as he is getting overwhelmed, what I would like to do is pressure.
Use the pressure move. And the way that he is doing so is that he begins sort of like stomping onto the ground with whatever piece of like, sand or I guess, wood from a sinking ship they can grab onto with his feet. And as he stomps onto it, steadies himself and allows his chakram to begin paving out a more secure path for the rest of his allies. And as he is doing that, the chakram begins to glow, spin in place and begin to oscillate around him furiously to try to almost parting the water like the Red Sea.
And as he does. And as he does so, he finally makes, like, proper eye contact with Chloe and says, I will not allow you to self destruct like this.
Mitran needs you and I will not let you do this to all of us.
[00:35:12] Speaker B: Oh.
Roll plus swords.
[00:35:16] Speaker C: The thing I'm bad at, but. But it's good. That's a ten.
[00:35:26] Speaker B: That's incredible.
[00:35:27] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:35:28] Speaker E: That is pretty good.
[00:35:31] Speaker B: So with that ten, Varun.
[00:35:33] Speaker C: Mm hmm.
Pick.
Pinning them in place. And I think that how that happens is that the chakram is moving in such ways and creating this open path. I am essentially making almost like a water vacuum that leads directly towards where chloe is. And I will give an ally a window to act freely.
[00:36:03] Speaker B: Which ally?
[00:36:05] Speaker C: Oh, I get the shoes. Perfect.
You know what? It's bestie time. Let's go. You sacrifice your gear for this?
For Archer. Let's go.
Varun looks over at Arjun site alright. Come on hero.
[00:36:24] Speaker E: They seeing Varun kind of pop off and just do like and get. Get that hit. He'll nod, give him a thumbs up and honestly probably most likely move again to assist an ally. So probably, probably will start.
Probably go assist Ren.
[00:36:46] Speaker B: This is a stand with me.
[00:36:48] Speaker E: Stand with me.
[00:36:48] Speaker B: Yeah, we'll post those cups.
[00:36:51] Speaker E: I should be good at this. I should be good at this.
Seven.
[00:37:01] Speaker B: Okie dokie.
It says you would be able to save them from a particular ongoing danger, whether that's an opening your foes have on them or some other lingering issue.
How is the support basically given to Ren Wren, who is at the moment, you won't be able to heal her condition, but you do see that she's angry.
[00:37:24] Speaker E: So I guess.
[00:37:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:27] Speaker E: Even. Even though I guess he wouldn't be able to.
Even though he won't be able to heal her condition. I guess Arjun most likely would probably just almost, instead of calming her down, try to instead just focus her anger and just hone it to the point where, like, okay, you're not gonna, like, act blindly, but make sure it's just focused at Chloe.
So you're still calculated, but you're angry. But you're calculated and angry.
[00:37:54] Speaker B: Ren, I'll give you advantage on your next role, basically.
[00:38:01] Speaker G: All right, works for me.
I was planning on striking because there's an opening right now, but before that, I guess, Halcyon, if you wanted to do something I didn't wanna.
I mean, also, I might roll and fuck up. So.
[00:38:21] Speaker D: I mean, I was also planning on striking.
[00:38:24] Speaker G: Oh, perfect.
[00:38:24] Speaker B: The two of you. How about we have.
Let's team up.
[00:38:28] Speaker G: Yeah.
[00:38:31] Speaker D: So then I guess I probably see the look in your eyes and me and my, like, more callous state. I'm kind of like, okay, you want to do this? I can see that you want to do this. Let's do this.
[00:38:41] Speaker G: Ren's like, let's do this, girly.
[00:38:46] Speaker D: So then I guess. I guess we're gonna strike together.
[00:38:53] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:38:55] Speaker D: And I am still. I'm gonna do this. Just about the same thing I did last time, which is kind of summon my sight, which I didn't. I didn't mention kind of because it's a talisman. I didn't really mention how that works, but I got a little bone bracelet, and that is what, like, materializes into the scythe. And the. The handle is like, a big ass bone.
Anyway, so that kind of materializes in Halcyon's hand, and they. They start running at it, you know, swinging it around and some kind of way, and is, again, going for that kind of cleaving two handed. And I know that we have a fair amount of distance to cover now. Right.
So I'm gonna try to use that as an opportunity to build up speed and then attack with swords with just direct force.
[00:39:47] Speaker B: Absolutely. And I think even. I think perhaps with Arjun's bolstering of rent, and there's something there that Ren, the two of you, through your duo attack, can provide for each other. And, wren, what is it that you would like to do with this advantage that you've just received from the icon?
[00:40:08] Speaker G: Absolutely. Ren is also materializing her own weapon, which are hairdresser scissors as a sword. And so she is essentially mirroring Halcyon's actions. Whatever they're doing, she's on the other side. So that any sort of. It's kind of like a 360 sort of shield, almost, of, if there's water coming, she's cleaving that and causing it to fall on either side of the do of the two of them. And so. And she's just gunning for Chloe and is just going to absolutely do direct force as well.
[00:40:45] Speaker B: Roll plus swords, both of you.
[00:40:50] Speaker D: That is a.
[00:40:56] Speaker G: I got an 18. So.
[00:41:00] Speaker B: So what's the two highest?
[00:41:02] Speaker G: Oh, the two highest. Okay. Okay. The two highest is twelve. And then I plus one. So that is 13.
[00:41:08] Speaker E: You have a max. Max.
[00:41:09] Speaker B: That is 13. That's beautiful. Okay.
Yeah, we'll say. Sort of where Halcyon is unfortunately falling short. And make sure to mark XP against the world.
Ren, it's not usually your moment, but right now, it is your moment.
You've been bolstered.
Halcyon is still. It's not. It's not unsuccessfully next to you. So Halcyon is still right next to you. But you.
You are going to get that last hit.
[00:41:46] Speaker G: I am, like, seeing it where, like, Halcyon and Ren are kind of, you know, like, rolling around like Halsey as baby crouch over. And Wren rolls over her back. Their back, just to slash away at some of the tidal waves that are coming in. The tidal waves of the void.
And Wren is going to absolutely just stab Chloe in the chest as best as she can, if that is even a possibility. And she's gonna lean in and she's gonna get right up close to Chloe, like, almost nose to nose. And she's gonna go.
[00:42:27] Speaker F: Gotcha.
[00:42:29] Speaker E: Oh, my God.
[00:42:36] Speaker B: Through your heart, Chloe.
Your final quality. Your arcane. Your ability to alter this battlefield, to make the ship sink and rise, to make the thick water of the void whisper insecurities to everyone. It shatters the castle. The world all around all of you shatters as if punching a mirror. Finally gaining that clarity by Ren's hands. But not just by Ren's hands. Through the party, you're the heroes here.
Still remaining in the void, Chloe. Your form, your night form falls.
It shatters. It unravels however it does.
But everyone sees now, Chloe, just as Chloe usually is. In some sort of suit, some alderman.
Get up here, Chloe. All around you are people that you know. Some, you're not sure exactly if you would call them your friends or the other way around. But even through the masks, the lavish clothing, how does it make you feel on the floor in front of all of them? What does it look like? What does it feel like?
[00:44:09] Speaker F: Yeah, I think that Chloe is staring up at them in her, like, business casual, you know, pencil skirt and button down.
Sweating. There is sweat at her I temples, under her arms in a way that she would never let other people see. Under normal circumstances.
And she really did think that selling the community center, rebuilding, maybe somewhere else, was the right thing to do for her people. But seeing all of these faces, looking down at her in anger and disappointment, she just feels lonesomeness, I think, and shame that she misgauged things so badly.
[00:45:16] Speaker B: We'll say the castle shard. What would have been the new community center now morphs.
It appears from wherever it does in the world, wherever it does in the void, from this red, almost corrupted, black veined crystal.
And it hovers over to Halcyon, yearning for you.
And you would know at the very least, this instinct between you and shards, somehow it yearns for you to touch it.
[00:45:57] Speaker D: All right, yeah. I reach out and do that if that's what the heart wants. What it wants, baby.
[00:46:05] Speaker B: And it immediately begins to sort of steam around your fingers, around your hands.
And instead of this red, it begins to become this iridescent blue, a proper crystal. Something see through, something warm and almost alive and something also familiar, something with snake scales.
You now know halcyon in your heart, whatever that means.
The community center is safe from the void.
And you have now all uncovered your very first hideout.
[00:46:56] Speaker G: Woo yay.
[00:47:00] Speaker F: Yippee.
[00:47:04] Speaker B: All of you can feel it. The void is beginning to slip away in that timeless manner of seconds, whatever the time. Sort of transference here is whether or not y'all have cracked that yet you do know it begins to slip away. And what seems to be maybe like later in the rather than later. It probably, probably was very early in the morning that Chloe was about to go into her mission here. So all of you in your still morning clothes, the sky becomes blue again.
It becomes this warm spring sort of weather, slightly humid, slightly smelly.
But all around you again is this beautiful building of what the community center stands for. What it is.
All of you, however, know that some of you still have to go to work.
Some of the people that you know may still have to go to school.
After this immense battle, your castle forms melt and fade away.
And I, too, genuinely ask all of you, we've seen your glorious castle forms, but what do your mundane looks look like, especially for a job this early in the morning?
[00:48:37] Speaker C: Varun, out of his very, very beautiful patterned Bharatanatyam ware, is in the real world in his mundane self, an androgynous, slender framed young man with warm brown skin and sharp features and a proud nose.
He is probably wearing a casual beige shirt with a really colorful statement bandana with the patterns of chrysanthemums all over it. And it's tied around his neck. His hair is this sort of perfectly tousled bed hair, wavy like bed hair that sits upon his head. And he also has a bit of a short, patchy stubble across his face.
And as we return to mundanity, there's a moment where the diadem that he wears on his forehead, his castle form, vanishes and melts away. The tresses on his clothing begin to melt away, revealing just jeans and a casual shirt.
And there's a moment where Varun runs his fingers through his hair and pushes it back and realizing that time has moved once again and that his shift at the grocery store is about to start and he has not been home. And his biggest brown eyes widen.
[00:50:10] Speaker B: As that realization sinks in. Arjun, what does mendanity look like for you?
[00:50:16] Speaker E: So, as his very regal castle form starts melting away, the flowing fabric, the regal, regal indian attire, the mask on his face, as it all melts away, you see, Arjun comes something rather plain, almost, you could really say.
As his clothes fade away, they've become replaced with basically just a simple pair of sneakers, sweatpants, and a rather plain looking t shirt with a slight little orchid motif on it.
You can see some orchids kind of dotted around the vicinity of the shirt, both on the front and the back.
As his. As the mat, as the half mask on his face fades away, you see?
And the makeup on, on the other side of his face also fade away. You see what wasn't really hit him by the exposed half. But then now you see his full little baby face with his long. With his little wolf cut finally out in the, out in the, in the air, his, uh, his ears studded by two simple, two simple little earrings and a gold neck and a very simple gold necklace adorned, um, hanging off of his neck.
And as he. As he comes to realize that they're out of the castle, out of the void, he yawns, knowing that he's gonna have to do a. He has. He has some classes to teach later today and then, not to mention his night shift at the bar. So he preps himself for a nice, nice nap.
[00:51:58] Speaker B: Halcyon.
[00:52:01] Speaker D: Yeah, Halcyon. As, again, as we enter this world, these kind of, you know, rags that they're in turn into this, like, you know, they kind of just fade into a very basic kind of outfit.
It's a black shirt, a black undershirt and jeans.
And from becoming this kind of like. Or from being, I should say, this kind of, like, combination of tattered and opulent with, you know, this gauze over their eyes, and these giant winged mask behind them, all of that kind of just fading off into nothing.
They kind of emerged this very basic, kind of all american, athletic figure and presence with an easy smile. And they're really smiling at this point because they felt something unlock and change in the world. And now there's safety.
And they're easy and breezy, you know, mid length blonde hair, pretty, you know, some freckles, some moles, tanned skin, because they've been out in the sun and kind of bright green eyes. And they. They're just a presence. And they're happy to be there. And there is something so exciting about being back in the world with everyone.
And they've got to go to work, too, working with the dead bodies in the morgue. But this is kind of exciting because Halcyon is. Is ready to learn about these people's stories and to kind of engage with that spiritual side of themself after. After this kind of crazy event has happened the night prior.
And they kind of, you know, as they enter this more excitable, happy, at peace self, they're gonna wave to everybody and adjust themselves and start jogging off towards where the dead peoples are and run.
[00:54:22] Speaker G: Yeah. As they move from their castle to this mundane form, you can see all of these motifs and all of this outstanding sort of shiny, gaudy, almost jewelry and adornments fade. The plum blossoms from the mask falls away that. The plum blossoms that were engraved into coins that were weaved into her braided hair are gone. And her hair actually becomes shorter. And it turns into this black hair with an orange peekaboo, some wispy forehead bangs, a couple of framing pieces.
Her falsies. Her falsies come back on. She wasn't wearing falsies in the castle, but now she is. She's got a strong eye makeup, strong brows. She's wearing this silk black romper with an oversized white button down.
The outer helix of her ears have tons and tons of piercings that are all diamond or star shaped. And for all intents and purposes, before Halcyon left, they were about the same height. But it's the only reason, is because you look down and Wren's wearing three inch platform heel.
And she's not short, but she definitely doesn't strike an imposing figure without those heel on.
And she just kind of looks around and she's like, well, I guess I gotta go to work, too. But I don't know, like, you guys want to hang or. No.
[00:55:59] Speaker B: And before everyone will say, even begins to surge, to leave, but with that urgency, there's still something within the void that remains. And that is what seems to be this very surprising sudden form change within Chloe. And all of you see swirling sort of all around this energy, her castle form, not her vassal knight form. This strange, corrupted, evil, vampiric sort of spirit certainly maybe looks almost similar to that. But, Chloe, as your castle form begins to just introduce itself to the world and then recedes back into your business casual look, does anything about your castle form change?
[00:56:58] Speaker F: I think that rather than reforming to its original state, as we might expect, sort of leaving the castle, her form retains those marks from the combat, the sort of tattered dress, the red now dripping not like power, but sort of like guilt from her hands and legs. And then it just fades away into her daily, everyday visage.
In the real world, she's small. She's like five one, wearing that same button down and pencil skirt that we saw when her night form shattered. Rather than the gaudy golden crown and halo, there's a sort of minimalist golden chain around her wrist and around her neck.
Unfortunately, the sweat has also come with her from the castle, sticking short tendrils of auburn hair to her forehead and neck.
She has dark eyes, and they're wide and panicked. And she's clutching her chest, no longer grasping at the stab wound from Wren, but instead crumbling this manila folder close to her body.
She came to the community center this morning to post a notice of sale, which is now sort of clutched in her hand. But I guess that's not the right thing to do. What is the right thing to do now? Everyone is expecting, or at least the realtors are expecting a sale to happen soon.
[00:58:55] Speaker B: Halcyon. There is again this surge, this understanding that is beyond you, but is so inherent in you at the same time.
Everyone that you're standing with, you know that you need to be a part of their destinies, but the person in front of you, kneeling, that you just defeated, Chloe, you know, you also need to over sear this person's destiny.
[00:59:28] Speaker D: I think Halcyon kind of, like.
[00:59:32] Speaker E: Gets.
[00:59:33] Speaker D: Down on their level and then, like, squats down and kind of, you know, takes the folder and just says, you know, knowing and just sensing again, on a fundamental level that this change has happened.
It's kind of like, forget all that.
You want to come and see some dead people?
Come and work with me. Come on. Let's go. Come on. Come on.
[01:00:11] Speaker F: Chloe, I think, stares up at you, just shocked at the non sequitur and the sort of the reaching out. And after a moment, she will stand and say.
I mean, I guess. Is that even allowed? That feels like some sort of work violation.
[01:00:40] Speaker D: No. No, it's not.
But listen, I feel like I think there's something for you here. I think we can come to an understanding. And I think the way to do that is by examining the cycle of life and how it impacts this city and what we can do in recognition of what starts here and what ends here to make this a better place, which is what you have to do, because you've kind of caused a lot of trouble here. And I kind of, like, wave the Manila envelope, which I am holding onto very tightly.
[01:01:25] Speaker F: I mean, if you have ideas for how to fix this, I'm willing to listen, I guess.
[01:01:34] Speaker D: Listen, I have a way of.
Let me phrase it this way. It's a great thing to learn from the past. I have a way of connecting with those who we've left behind, so maybe we can get some information from them. Yeah.
[01:01:54] Speaker F: Yeah.
[01:01:58] Speaker D: Okay. Okay. Let's do it.
And then I kind of, like, you know, wave to everybody. I'm like, we're gonna go to work. So you guys, do you.
[01:02:13] Speaker C: Yeah.
Yeah. I think, like, in that moment of, like, snaps out of his realization for a moment to look over at Chloe and watching Halcyon kind of take the lead in helping Chloe out in this moment, and he just raises his hands and shakes it and just says, don't worry about feeling pressured to come over later on or anything. I can just tell Mithran that you need a little bit of a break today.
Yeah. You don't have to do everything on your own. And if you need any help, you can just let us know.
But, yeah, don't. Don't worry about having to come over tonight and socialize or whatever. And then he remembers about his brother. Oh, crap. My shift started, like, half an hour ago. He's gonna kill me. Bye.
He rushes off.
[01:03:13] Speaker G: Wren is kind of watching Varun run off and is like, wow. Okay. Kinda. Yikes. Wow. Brother's kinda, you know, looking straight at Chloe like, wow, his brother kind of poopy, huh?
[01:03:32] Speaker F: Poopy?
[01:03:36] Speaker D: Poopy.
[01:03:38] Speaker F: No, he just has a good work ethic.
[01:03:41] Speaker G: Like, yeah, sure.
Well, um, have fun.
Uh, it was not good to see you, but I'm glad that, you know, you're gonna go see corpses now.
[01:04:01] Speaker E: Yippee.
[01:04:02] Speaker G: She runs away.
[01:04:05] Speaker B: Arjun.
[01:04:07] Speaker E: I think when during the whole exchange between Chloe and Halcyon, I think Arjun's mainly just gonna look at it with, like, just, like, a cocked eyebrow and, like, is this really happening? Like, wait, is Chloe's gonna go with Halcyon to look at corpses.
All right, sure.
[01:04:24] Speaker B: I'm the only person who's a real person.
[01:04:27] Speaker E: This is really happening. Okay, but you know what? I'm too tired for this.
It's the morning before he leaves. He'll probably turn to Chloe and mainly, just like he won't offer a lot of words, but just feel free to come back to class if you ever want to, just. No, I won't be taking it easy on you.
Before heading off to go back to his place to get some sleep and pray, prep for set for today's set of classes.
[01:05:01] Speaker F: Wait, how did you think the monologuing was, though?
Jesus Christ.
[01:05:10] Speaker C: But, coach. But, coach, how about my monologue?
[01:05:14] Speaker E: Needed a little bit more conviction, although I don't think that might be a problem next time.
[01:05:18] Speaker F: Well, if I had more conviction, it might not have turned out as well for you, so.
[01:05:27] Speaker G: Oh, my God.
[01:05:30] Speaker E: He sigh.
He just sighs like, oh, boy. Got a lot of. Got a lot of work with this one.
[01:05:39] Speaker B: The hideout secure Halcyon knowing a part of the world has been healed.
That being said, actually, with that castle shard becoming blue, I think where it ends up going is it recedes inside of you.
[01:05:58] Speaker D: Oh, whoa. Yummy.
[01:05:59] Speaker B: And, Halcyon, you actually get an option here. Oh, okay.
Halcyon, you can remove a stress tick or lose a condition right now.
[01:06:12] Speaker D: Oh, I will. I will lose a condition. Yep. I'm gonna take away being callous.
[01:06:19] Speaker G: Could you imagine being callous and being like, let's look at these corpses together?
[01:06:25] Speaker E: Oh, no.
[01:06:27] Speaker D: You never know what I'm planning, okay. You never know what I got going beneath.
[01:06:33] Speaker B: But that being said, all of you, again, you have to rush to your jobs. You have to rush to prepare to teach classes. You have to rush and rush.
You know, youve saved an incredibly important, arguably the most important aspect of the community of Caldera today. The work is good, and it is never over.
And that is where we will end this first episode of Caldera Heart.
[01:07:03] Speaker A: Josephine, its scary dog friend, plays the architect. You can find her producing actual plays.
[01:07:07] Speaker B: At Bad HazrpG and nameless domain.
[01:07:10] Speaker A: Other podcasts include someplace to be, a system hopping actual play with an indie focus, and monster fuckers anonymous reading and dating your favorite monsters everywhere you listen to your podcasts. Thanks so much again for goblets and gaze, for hosting us and all the music that you hear today is from epidemic sound.
[01:07:25] Speaker E: Hey, everyone. My name is Abhishek Mutange, and I'm a voice actor and actual play performer. You can find me on Twitter neon Raiden and same at bluesky. Just no underscore. I like to talk about the nerdy side of things, especially tokusatsu, so anything Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and beyond, youll usually find me talking about it. You can find me performing actual plays on Twitch, usually at Sword and key. In fact, starting August 22, ill be in one of their new series Zenith, and on September 15, you can catch me over on nerds with dices. Twitch for the continuation of Iron sworn in the Valley season two Alyssa disaster.
[01:07:58] Speaker F: Career plays Chloe penitent. You can find them here on goblets and gaze. Opt for our Pathfinder series Tyrant of the Dark Star, as well as on an unwavering force. A Star wars actual play Donna she.
[01:08:10] Speaker G: Her plays Ren Kong. You can find her voice acting, playing other ttrpgs, and overall being a goofy gal at Shabro.
[01:08:17] Speaker D: On twitter.com Liana Albany's any pronouns plays halcyon. You can find them acting, producing, and generally goofing around at Lyanna Albanese on all platforms.
[01:08:29] Speaker C: Valiant Dorian at valiantdorian or xlspirit fair plays Varun Pillai. You can find him as a main cast member of Transplant RPG's the Chaos protocol, hosting his TTRPG talk show Dicey Banta and designing wild hearted monstrous games like his in development. Ttrpg the beasts within a grungy action RPG with a were beast twist.
[01:08:58] Speaker B: An opening is like an advantage, yeah.
[01:09:02] Speaker F: So technically you need to like, make an opening before you can strike.
[01:09:06] Speaker B: So, like, Varun opened it up with his heart.
[01:09:09] Speaker C: I did, and soon with my ass on the ground.
