[00:00:15] Speaker A: Secret Nerd Podcast Presents Ghost Underground a 10 part actual play series of the Corrupted. Ghost Underground is a narrative focused horror mystery that follows Angie Gahn as Adele Oleander Tripp as Chase Andres Cleric Torres as luis and and GM'd by Josephine Kim Content warnings for this series epidemics, pandemics, zombie apocalypse, childbirth and illusions of harm to children, Mental health and a lack of related resources. Fascism, military violence, gun violence, body horror and allusions to immolation. A list of these content warnings is also provided in the show. Notes Listener discretion is advised.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Holding your breath still, you gen if.
[00:01:08] Speaker C: I will just sit and wait.
[00:01:12] Speaker B: Till.
[00:01:22] Speaker C: Then try to tell me you got the wrong guy.
The way I put my finger on it, got it. Then try to tell me you got the wrong guy.
Chase, you are currently on one of your wrangling missions being given some sort of lead.
According to Dr. Moon, you are alongside your usual group of your three wranglers. Alongside you there is Marcus, a sort of more shy kind of put together construction worker, a 34 year old black man.
There's Red, an older Black man about 50 years who has had a lot of experience just in bunker maintenance.
And then there's Pork Roll. No one really knows what Pork Roll's deal is, including you somehow, but at this very moment you were following a trail. And this trail, it's a familiar one to you. It is one of there's that blood, that iron smell in the air certainly, but there is also this goopy black tar like nature to it. Still, in order to keep your position, keep this sort of stealthy advantage that you have, we're gonna do our first roll.
So if you can please give me an agility.
Stealth.
[00:03:20] Speaker D: All right, that would be an 11.
[00:03:23] Speaker C: Partial success.
Take one stress.
[00:03:27] Speaker D: Oh boy.
That puts me at 4.
[00:03:31] Speaker C: We've already decided, as you said throughout your mission already, you've been traveling out for on foot a couple miles. At this point.
There's already been a few things, a few hiccups that you've had to navigate. But at four, we are at conflict point one.
You falter or hesitate, causing you to waste precious time.
So with condition one falter, you'll only be doing one action on this turn or hesitating during your response to the narrative situation. So as I kind of describe a little bit of what your partial success has gotten you, we'll see. Basically what does it look like for Chase Hopkins, this expert, to falter in this moment?
You're in position, you have three other people that you are kind of still their lives are in Your hands to some degree. There's never been any illusions about that.
But the three of them have also their own anxieties, their own particularities, the things that they do.
You're searching now through some bushes or through whatever kind of crevice that you're looking through and following this trail.
Your heart racing, almost feeling the hearts beating of everyone behind you, especially Marcus. The more nervous, the more cautious, what you see throughout this darkness.
It is nighttime.
This grotesque crunching of bone, the squelching, the warm wet noises. And thank God it's not summer yet, because the smell, you can only assume.
But this mass humanoid and some kind of homogenous skin texture or some strange fabric, whatever it seems to be wearing, it has an animal in its hands.
But Marcus slips on something onto his knee, something hitting a rock, hitting some kind of twig.
The creature, the corrupted, stops abruptly.
Chase Hopkins, how do you falter? Or what is your reaction?
[00:06:19] Speaker D: I think Chase crouched down, looking through this bush. As soon as they hear that crunch of a twig being stepped on accidentally by Marcus as they slip, it immediately pulls my attention as soon as I hear it.
And Chase, putting those three over themself, moves to their right, distancing themself from the others, and purposefully rustles the bushes towards themself.
[00:07:00] Speaker C: The creature, curiously, its movements are jerky. They're very sudden, but calculated, determined.
There is.
There's another roll here for you that's going to be empathy and survival.
[00:07:20] Speaker D: That's going to be a total of 18 success.
[00:07:27] Speaker C: Chase, you're seeing, despite the fact that this creature's body language is very again, calculated, there is still something. There is a quiver of some kind of mouth. There is not necessarily the smell of sweat, some reaction, maybe something you've seen from nervous animals before, but there is trepidation here. There is something in this creature which is maybe not something you've seen really before out of the corrupted that does not want to be found or seen.
Despite your stress, despite Marcus at this point not lowering himself, but just staying put, maybe you can see in the periphery of your left eye.
The creature begins to slowly move away from the animal that it was eating and suddenly sprints off, away from the four of you, leaving the animal behind.
[00:08:52] Speaker D: Sticking their head around the brush.
I look over towards the others on the side that I abandoned and I give them almost like, almost a twisted sort of smile as I look like someone who's been caught with their hand in the cookie jar over how fascinated I am at seeing something that I feel like I wasn't meant to see. And getting another glimpse of this behavior.
And I go, did y' all see that?
[00:09:31] Speaker C: Red kind of pipes up now, just sort of like, can Marcus move? Are we.
[00:09:39] Speaker D: Yeah, we're good. It ran.
[00:09:42] Speaker C: It ran.
[00:09:43] Speaker D: I don't know why it ran.
[00:09:46] Speaker C: Marcus slowly starts to collect himself, put himself together. He apologizes a little bit like, sorry about that.
[00:09:53] Speaker D: No, no, no, no, no, you're good. I don't think I would have saw what I saw if you didn't.
[00:10:00] Speaker C: Pork Roll, again, this maybe young, maybe old person wordlessly, not even regarding Marcus or Red, really just kind of begins to with their handgun out, starts to try and address the animal that was left behind.
Careful now, exactly as you're saying, that Red kind of clicks his tongue and just sort of like, why do you have to always go out before anyone says anything? But I think Pork Roll catches eyes with you, Chase, and points down at the bite mark specifically, worthlessly. Again, I want you to do an intellect and biology to kind of see where Pork Roll, what Pork Roll is specifically trying to address to you.
[00:11:01] Speaker D: Mm. 18.
[00:11:03] Speaker C: 18.
Success.
The corrupted as you know them, and they're a lot at this point, a lot of information has been made aware to you, made present to you.
The corrupted, which is what the virus is called, that takes these hosts for not just the blood in these bodies and human bodies and animal bodies, but the iron specifically is what they're looking for.
Whatever happened, the information, the news is muddied. And at this very moment, it's not like you've had access to much news or cable, no less, Internet.
But Chase, you've in a very interesting turn of events, have been able to have a lot more than what is usual for the usual person in the apocalypse. But we'll get to that information.
You're aware, and I think because of your zookeeper background, of all sorts of bite marks and tracks.
Where Pork Roll seems to be specific, interested in is the very human intact set of teeth that seems to have taken a bite out of this. And what is now made apparent, what's clear now about what animal this is, is just a deer through the neck.
[00:12:51] Speaker D: The idea, pretty good. Pair of chompers on it, healthy, every single one accounted for.
And Chase is going to pull the catch pole off of their sack of belongings that they bring along with them on these excursions and takes the non loot end of it and pokes the deer like trying to push it over a little bit to see if they can examine a different side of it without having to get any Closer, and.
[00:13:31] Speaker C: I think easily enough.
Are you trying to get it. It's currently on its side. Are you trying to get it on its back at this point?
[00:13:38] Speaker D: Sort of turn it to its other side so I can see its face more clearly.
[00:13:45] Speaker C: No part of the face seemed to be affected. Well, not necessarily, but no part of its face seemed to be bitten off. It does seem to be dead.
And there is very clearly some black little spots, some wet nature of the corrupted that you know will not be safe for you in maybe a few hours, just depending on.
But its face is on display, and it is unmoving.
[00:14:19] Speaker D: Chase will look over to the gang and go, let's tie this thing up before it turns.
Keep the legs down.
[00:14:27] Speaker C: Easy enough.
That being said, Chase, the corrupted that you. You were just sort of observing.
How much effort are you willing to continue on for tonight? It is dark already, fully nighttime at this point.
Do you continue on with the tracks that maybe the corrupt left behind?
Take some of your men home, or.
[00:14:59] Speaker D: Can I get a read on how the others are feeling currently?
Cause Marcus tripped, and I don't want to have a demoralized gang traveling through the night.
[00:15:17] Speaker C: The only thing I think, just if you even want to, like, speak up to any of them, I'm sure they basically say it's just been that they've been at that. Y' all been. Have been at it for, like, a couple miles. So it's been a couple hours. At this point, you have red, who is 50 years old, a kind of older member of your team going on, but for the most part, y' all have camping supplies. Y' all have certainly been out from underground for a bit before.
It's your call.
[00:15:54] Speaker D: Chase looks back at the three and goes, I know we've been out here for a while, and thank you all for coming with me this far.
I know you all are tired.
[00:16:15] Speaker A: So.
[00:16:15] Speaker D: If you want to head back, you can, but I gotta see whatever the hell that was.
[00:16:20] Speaker C: Orcral nods vigorously.
Marcus just kind of rather than demoralize, you sort of see this determination of his to be like, I want to make it up to us.
You know, I think pretty clearly I'm the one that lost, got this one corrupted, lost. So if we can.
I don't know if we can maybe just, like, try and stiffen out a little bit longer. Maybe we can set up camp soon. But I can keep going.
[00:16:57] Speaker D: I can keep going.
And you, Red.
[00:17:01] Speaker C: Red is like, I'm always tired, so whether or not you want to listen to me this time or whatever, I get My exercise in.
Well.
[00:17:19] Speaker D: Look at us going right neck deep into danger. When we get every sign to turn back.
Let's carry on.
And Chase turns their attention back to the tracks of the corrupted that ran off. Does it. Is there, like. Is it soft ground?
Are we dealing with, like a recently rained situation?
[00:17:43] Speaker C: No, it's fairly.
Seemingly fairly dry woods out here at the moment. There is like, no, like, no creek. Although in these, like, New Jersey parts, creeks and like, softer, muddier ground is definitely what you're used to seeing. But it seems like the way out that y' all are in is a little bit more landlocked. No man made bodies of water at this moment.
I think as you're kind of assessing the ground as well, the last thing Marcus really brings up is just kind of like, I'm also.
It's just kind of curious, right?
It ran away.
[00:18:22] Speaker D: Yeah. Weird, right?
It ran away. Has a full, healthy pair of teeth.
Usually they attack the closest source of iron that's making noise. Right?
They don't have the wherewithal to know when to run.
Not that I've seen, at least.
It's weird.
[00:18:48] Speaker C: It's weird as hell.
So maybe either there are some scaredy cats that maybe is good to know about or something's not right.
[00:19:10] Speaker D: My gut's saying something's not right.
[00:19:16] Speaker C: Okay, let's go.
[00:19:21] Speaker D: All right, everyone.
Uh, you know. You know how it goes. Single, single file. Don't lose sight of your buddy.
And Chase leads the. Leads the pack.
[00:19:39] Speaker C: We will cut to Adele.
It is well past curfew in this abandoned military base that has now been sort of taken over, settled in.
It's been at this point, we'll say maybe nearing a year and a half of this branch. This particular, particular paramilitary group's sort of reign over this base.
This left behind air Force Base, Curfews 11.
The general personality of these troops of this group maybe a year and a half ago, most of the people, or maybe just in general most of the civilians that have joined this particular settlement, there was a hope there. There was something gleaming and happy and providing about it all. But, Adelle, for however long that you have been with this paramilitary group, since the beginning of it all or fairly recently, you know, as well as most of the civilians know by now, it is being controlled by a sort of alcoholic man child.
And everyone is really just kind of doing the best that they can with that information.
Past curfew, where would we find you?
[00:21:37] Speaker B: Well past curfew, Adele, who is someone who likes and remains to the shadows as much as possible, not because they are sneaky, per se, but because they're just always been a little bit of a wallflower.
So in the time that they've been with this paramilitary group in this Air Force base, they have found a forgotten and rundown library, which many of the books and many of the resources there have already, in the five years that they've been there, have already been pretty much scavenged by.
There has been just enough to strike up Adele's interest, especially as someone who was previously a librarian before, you know, the world went to shit.
So after curfew, they sneak their way to the library, as they do most nights.
[00:22:48] Speaker C: This little place is extremely fun for you, especially as someone who has this curious sort of nature. Something still inquisitive, something still searching for something interesting, fun, whatever.
Let's do a judgment investigation, sort of seeing if you can find anything new, anything interesting throughout these kind of handmade, kind of shoddily put together shelves and everything.
[00:23:26] Speaker B: Yeah, I rolled a seven, so then that's a three, and then the investigation is a four.
[00:23:34] Speaker C: So 14.
[00:23:34] Speaker B: Yeah, 14.
[00:23:37] Speaker C: Partial success. Take one. Stress.
Let's see. I think not too much of a complication, we'll say you're going to find, I think under one of the counters or many forgotten tables or whatever this place used to be. Within this hole in the wall created by whatever, you find a little box.
This box, it's almost like a shoebox kind of shape.
It's extremely dusty and, like, has some water damage to the sides and the corners when you open it.
I guess just as a tangential question, did Adele ever go to, like, estate sales or, like, ever loved going to, like, those thrift stores that had very clear, like, here's like a bunch of old people and like dead people's belongings and things. And like, did you ever love to just go through all of it?
[00:24:47] Speaker B: Yeah, I think Adele was definitely that. That type of queer for sure.
So I. I would say it's a.
Their little apartment of what they remember from five years ago had that maximalist hoarder sort of type of energy.
You know, not messy, but a lot of trinkets.
[00:25:09] Speaker C: So that bright, happy 2024 queer that was there, something sparkles kind of within you as you realize that, like, whether or not these are kind of the forgotten mementos or trinkets from anyone, you know, late and. Or dead.
You see a diary, some pictures, and what looks to be a set of baby shoes and kind of this plastic film covering seemingly, it just seems like a Ziploc Bag. For some reason, the little pictures are of what seems to be mostly like backyard landscape things like houses. And a lot of these houses had for sale signs as well.
[00:26:12] Speaker B: Does this look like a promotional picture? Like, you know how sometimes certain neighborhoods are starting to.
They're being built and they have like all the for sale houses.
[00:26:22] Speaker C: These seem like they're from someone's personal little film camera. Like they're not of amazing quality or anything like that. Just looked like someone was looking through houses.
I see maybe traveling.
[00:26:37] Speaker B: So there's a lot of individual images. Okay.
[00:26:40] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:26:41] Speaker B: And there's the baby shoes and there's a diary.
I think Adele is immediate, immediately drawn to the diary, to the written media.
So there's hesitation at first as they touch the side, the pages.
That temptation is there. Even though more than likely this person is no longer around.
There's still that moment of like, this isn't mine to look at, but no one is here to stop me, so might as well. And immediately opens to the book, the diary.
[00:27:23] Speaker C: Yeah, it's a little bit disappointing as you sort of maybe if you open up to the middle, it's just all blank pages. But getting more towards the beginning. The first two pages are just filled with. With names, specifically.
One page is just like rows and rows of what seems to be baby boy names, and the next is just rows and rows of baby girl names.
For some of the names include.
For the boys, like Odie, Charles, seeming kind of all sorts of different names. And I think just due to the nature of your own reading, your own practices and things, a lot of these just seem like mythological names that are kind of Americanized or modernized to some degree. So it looks like Odysseus is broken down in so many different ways.
And Penelope is also in, like, the girl names. All sorts of, like, nicknames coming off of Penelope as well as like, all the, like, names that you could even imagine. But it just seems like this was supposed to be some sort of baby name collector at first, some new life that was supposed to happen.
[00:28:50] Speaker B: But yeah, I think Adele sort of like Percy Jackson fan of I bet.
And then just closes it. Closes the diary, but pockets it. I think they have their trusty rucksack with them, a little backpack to carry the phone in. Just shoves the diary in there. Because even though there's not a lot of, you know, of that information, that picture in time, that moment in time to kind of aid in their curiosity, it is still blank pages. And that can always be useful.
And then the baby shoes, they will return to exactly where they found them.
[00:29:36] Speaker C: Got it.
So, Adele, you had.
It is, you know, approximately. It is at this point closer to midnight, if not a little bit later, just depending on how long you really like to just get away from it all. Basically reflecting on your day, sitting back in whatever makeshift chair situation.
What kind of teaching day was it today? Was it stressful or anything? What was. I guess just to ask you, what is your usual day like?
[00:30:13] Speaker B: Yeah, so I think it's a. No pun intended, but it is a roll the dice sort of situation. Most days. There's no curriculum.
It's oftentimes either led by Adele's own interests or maybe any of the kids interest at the time.
So I think at this point in time, I would say that it's. Dell had picked up a book of mythology, I think maybe even found like a copy of the Iliad and was talking about it with the other kids. So seeing the names like Odysseus and Penelope in that baby name list, kind of like, oh, that's. What a coincidence.
[00:31:04] Speaker C: Your kids, Tyler, Mina and Nya, these particular kids, their parents begged you to see them, kind of teach them in your, like, offshoot education classes. There is unfortunately, almost everything a lot of the people could maybe ask for in terms of food and water and clothing. But the betting situation as well as the education in this particular base, for some reason, it just all fell to shit.
And you as a librarian, not particularly, someone with like a very robust education background, as well as some of the other parents who have had homeschooling under their belt, are doing your best to help, like the bigger groups of kids in terms of, like keeping up with their studies.
But again, Tyler, Mina and Nya, these particular kids are seen as the more troubled children. And when it comes to the more rebellious, troubled students, it is best to give them smaller groups to educate.
And these kids, you see so much potential in them and so much light and hope. But you do know they are also approximately 14, each of them, Mina being the eldest, just by a year.
These kids fight and they scream and there's just so much energy inside of all of them where they just need to put it into something way more artistic, way more focus, focused. And so far it's so far so good. It's been effective.
But there's only so much that you can do about their, you know, temperament and personality outside of class.
What is. How has this responsibility kind of been weighing on you, especially this past, this new base that y' all have moved into?
[00:33:17] Speaker B: You know, I think Adele has some, like, you said Adele definitely sees themselves in these kids in that sense of like, they probably feel different. They probably feel like they don't.
Like they don't quite fit into what they're supposed to be doing or what they're supposed to be experiencing.
I mean, they were all alive when everything went to shit. So it's probably been a hard shift for, for them.
But Adele does try to pull, pull them away. I. I can definitely see that they gave, for example, Tyler that, you know, that the paperback of Manic McGee.
That I can definitely see how that is a, a gift maybe that Adele provided Tyler in, in that time and also encourages him to draw. Maybe some of those pages from the library from the diary can be given to Tyler. And then with Mina, it's.
I think this sort of lifestyle is the kind of lifestyle where people sometimes feel like they're not allowed to feel certain emotions because everyone's going through it.
But Mina probably feels like she's not allowed to cry and she can't contain it.
And Adele is there to give them that space to do so, even if, even if in private.
And then I think the, the toughest one for adultery would be definitely Nia with that sort of mia, even though is not the oldest one, probably feels like.
Like she has to be. And I think Adele has probably pinpointed some kind of bullying tendencies maybe as someone like that tough love thing.
And I think that might have happened today. There was a situation and Adele doesn't raise their voice ever.
And it didn't happen today either.
But they did pull Nia aside to try and get to the crux of maybe why they seemed a little bit more, you know, glum. She seemed a little bit more glum, more tough than usual when there's no reason for her to be so tough. She's a 14 year old girl.
[00:35:58] Speaker C: Mm.
Cleric, can you please give me a judgment and alertness roll? And Adele, Angie, can you please give me an agility stealth? And I'll tell you what this very cryptic messaging is in a moment.
[00:36:21] Speaker B: 13.
[00:36:22] Speaker C: 13.
[00:36:24] Speaker B: I have zero on agility, but I have a five on stealth and I rolled a 15. So that's a, that's a 20 you don't take home to mom. Not dirty 20.
[00:36:35] Speaker C: Don't take stress for these particular roles. But we now go to the perspective of Louise Sergeant, 23. And with your own little troop to have to answer to you.
Louise, you are on curfew patrol.
This is basically bullshit work for those that have nothing to do to just kind of roam and get People in trouble.
[00:37:07] Speaker E: I think Louise kind of has his hat like pushed all the way up, like all the way down to just past the Bremens. Just has his rifle, his sniper just on his shoulder and is kind of just like, just like very silently walking back and forth. He doesn't like to really talk much while in curfew.
[00:37:28] Speaker C: What are you usually. What are you expecting to see or like, what have you kind of had to tell people that anyone that you found. What are the like little. What's the little story for tonight?
[00:37:40] Speaker E: Well, most nights it's people. It's maybe one or two. Some of the kids staying out a little bit too late, maybe somebody walking around.
Usually I'm a bit more of a stickler for the rules. So we'd go and like escort. I would have one of my men, if I find somebody, escort them back to their, you know, dwelling, wherever they're staying, there's a container.
And then if it's a repeat offender, well, then we have to take it up with the General.
[00:38:09] Speaker C: It is usually always Tyler. And you would know Tyler to be one of the 14 year old, like rebellious, troubled students that Adele usually sees.
Tyler is almost always reading the same book again. Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli, like out of sight of his room outside of the dormitories and bunks and things. And he's always sort of in the same spot, which seems to be this windowsill, little lobby, ish area which is usually open for the day and very nice for the kids to go out and read in. But he's usually never there during the day, always here after curfew at night.
[00:38:56] Speaker D: Hmm.
[00:38:57] Speaker E: Do I see him there now?
[00:38:59] Speaker C: Yes, you do.
[00:39:01] Speaker E: Slowly kind of walk up to him and it's just like, Tyler, you know the rules.
[00:39:10] Speaker C: He doesn't look up, but he just kind of like sniffs a little bit.
[00:39:14] Speaker E: I know this is the third time I've caught you out this week.
[00:39:18] Speaker C: If it's only the third time, you're not really good at your job.
[00:39:24] Speaker E: I think Luis kind of sits there and looks at him and then kind of gets up, like walks up very much like in his personal space and crouches down. And it's just like, Tyler, I'm be very honest with you.
If I catch you out here one more time, time, I'm taking you to the General myself.
So get your.
Get back inside.
And if I catch you again, you're fucking done.
[00:40:05] Speaker C: He looks up at you, squints, you know, again, frustratingly, 14 year old looks unaffected.
Take me now.
[00:40:14] Speaker E: And Luis, no nonsense, takes the book, rips it out of his hand, snaps it with one hand and snaps with his other finger for the rest of his squad to pick him up.
[00:40:27] Speaker C: So the rest of your squad, the rest of the curfew patrol being Hale, Jacobson and Fredericks.
As soon as you pick up the book, Tyler, his face goes. Drops and immediately goes into kind of like a screaming fit of like, take me, not the book. And it's just this cycle here. And then Hale in particular, the more kind of like monotone more kind of more no nonsense alongside you picks up Tyler by the arms and just sort of.
The three of them alongside you begin to take Tyler down to General Demolar.
Adele, you were around the corner and you were maybe either just about to get back or you were just sort of hearing things from your little hidey hole.
But you are out of sight sight as this happens. But you hear everything.
[00:41:35] Speaker B: Kid, why are you getting yourself into this shit?
Is there like a piece of debris or something like around.
[00:41:48] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:41:50] Speaker B: That maybe Adele can grab and then just like toss in a direction to try and get these people to maybe like pay attention to something else?
[00:41:59] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:42:00] Speaker B: Okay, I will do that. I think just like fling it with the intention of maybe shifting their priority to something else, whatever that might be.
[00:42:14] Speaker C: You throw probably a chunk of part of what used to be the wall, probably, and we'll say easy enough, like a thick, loud piece of something.
Louise, you hear a thunk of something.
[00:42:34] Speaker E: Behind you immediately puts Luis into fight. Like into fight mode.
So he puts up his hand, he signals to the two that are holding Tyler to go and take Tyler to the general and then snaps his fingers for Frederick's.
[00:42:59] Speaker C: To the bigger one. Yeah.
[00:43:02] Speaker E: To stave to come with me and immediately check out the. To stab his fingers to go check out the noise.
[00:43:08] Speaker C: Yes, sir.
Fredericks, who is well over 10 years older than you are, but with having no military background or prowess over you is just like white 250 pound, like jacked. Dude, how tall are you, Louise?
[00:43:27] Speaker E: Louise is I would say like 5 11, like lean but muscular and kind of. He's completely clean shaven and has like buzz cut and it's kind of just like one has these kind of right around his neck into his jawline is like a little bit of a burn of where while he's had to escape gunfire, a lot of different things. So he has a bunch of scars that he doesn't really like to show, but that one he can't really hide.
So you'll see him. He's probably in a Kind of. He has his bandolier where he has all his ammunition, but because the army's kind of strapped, he's wearing just, like, a long sleeve and a turtleneck and with a little bandana to cover his neck as much as he can. And his eyes are just dead, like dead fish eyes of somebody of this young kid or this young guy who has kind of lost all spark.
[00:44:29] Speaker C: That's absolutely.
[00:44:30] Speaker E: If I can, I think Luis would make an alert roll or something to try to make sure where the origin of that sound came from.
[00:44:37] Speaker C: Sure, sure, sure.
Give me another judgment.
Alertness.
[00:44:43] Speaker E: That's just 12.
[00:44:45] Speaker C: 12. Okay, take that. Take one. Stress.
Frederick's next to you. Not as tall as you are, but definitely very big. The two. The two of you are able to locate what seems to be just a strange piece of what looks to be not necessarily rock, but what seems to be what used to be put together.
Walling, some part of wallpaper, wood, something.
It isn't a homogenous piece of rock or anything like that, but you can kind of.
You see it, like, what seems to be the hallway opening up to all sorts of corridors and hallways.
[00:45:28] Speaker E: If Luis has a flashlight, we'll kind of like, flash it down and try to look through, see if anything catches the light.
[00:45:35] Speaker C: Also, give me an empathy alertness.
This is about Fredericks.
[00:45:43] Speaker E: That's a 20.
[00:45:45] Speaker C: NATO. Tori.
[00:45:46] Speaker E: NATOs.
[00:45:48] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:45:48] Speaker C: Reduce one's stress immediately.
[00:45:51] Speaker E: Better.
[00:45:52] Speaker C: You notice maybe just now, or maybe you've always. You've. You've been kind of getting the vibe from Fredericks. This entire night. Fredericks has been, like, sweating and, like, shaking a little bit. Jacobson has already made a joke about, like, Fredericks needing to, like, go shit or something or, like, end his patrol early because he does not look well. But you're taking maybe a closer look at Fredericks. This whole time, Fredericks, who has been staying near the back of this patrol or this line, he is flushed and sweating.
[00:46:33] Speaker E: You okay?
[00:46:34] Speaker C: A little bit extra just for you. Is that. It doesn't seem like.
It doesn't seem like sickness.
It seems like some exertion at some.
[00:46:44] Speaker E: Point, I think without even looking at Frederick still having the flashlight in the hallway, just being like, everything all right, soldier?
[00:46:52] Speaker C: With a shake and a breakingness of his voice.
Just having.
Just a little bit. It's just a little stress or no worries that, sir.
[00:47:12] Speaker E: And then he, like, rubs his eyes, like, very frustrated, like, at the bridge of his nose.
[00:47:16] Speaker A: And it's kind of just like.
[00:47:19] Speaker E: Fredericks. I.
We have patrol early in the morning as well. Don't we?
[00:47:26] Speaker C: Yes. Yes, sir.
[00:47:30] Speaker E: Why don't you go check the barracks, make sure no one's coming out or breaking curfew there. And if no one is, turn in early.
[00:47:45] Speaker C: Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. And with an enthusiasm in his step, doesn't even consider placating even further to be like, no, I'm fine. He.
He just takes your word, which is what he should be doing anyway. He takes your word, and he begins marching back down towards the barracks area.
Adele, you've thrown a piece of wall, but you are still stuck where you are. What's the plan?
[00:48:19] Speaker B: I think the plan was to try and circumvent, specifically Luis. I think Adele has had previous interactions with Lis and is on his radar.
So they're trying to kind of sneak past also to see if they can do anything about the Tyler kid. Because if it was anyone else, maybe Adele would give enough of a shit to try and help them out. But that's one of their kids, man. I gotta try.
[00:48:59] Speaker C: So there are two things on your mind at the moment, which is to get to Tyler or to get away from Louise.
This, like, little lobby area. There are plenty of doors to get outside, and there are plenty of, like, then routes to basically get to the general's location as well.
And honestly, where? Like, to the barracks, wherever you'd like to go. So it's not so much a matter of, like, it taking too long to get to either direction. But to get out of this place without Louise knowing is the hugest thing.
[00:49:32] Speaker B: Is there any way that I can sneak past when Louise and Jacobson, like, went in the. That one direction? Is there any way that I can maybe, like, kind of sneak past and rush after?
What is it? It was.
No, Fredericks was the one that was within. But rush after, maybe like Jacobson and Hale to try and make it to Tyler.
[00:49:59] Speaker C: You'll have to step outside.
So either way, this will be the same situation.
Louise, give me a judgment alertness and Adele. Not agility, stealth.
We'll see who catches who first.
[00:50:16] Speaker B: I rolled a seven.
[00:50:18] Speaker E: I rolled a nine.
[00:50:21] Speaker C: Okay, the two of you fail.
Please take two. Stress.
We'll say further down the hallway. I think. I think Louise, you hear at the same time, Frederick's fall. Adele, you try and find the outside. You smash into the door as you begin to fall, as you try to get outside, but you're outside, and you just run.
Yeah, booking it.
[00:50:53] Speaker E: Stop booking it right after you.
[00:50:57] Speaker C: After the door. And not Frederick, to clarify.
[00:51:01] Speaker E: Yeah, I think.
[00:51:02] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:51:03] Speaker E: Cause immediately I hear Frederick's I'm like oh shit. And then I hear somebody fall. I'm like if Frederick's over there, that has to be the noise we just heard. So Luis follows the protocol and protocol is stop intruders.
[00:51:21] Speaker C: Fuck Fredericks. Absolutely Chase.
It hasn't been too far out of a travel for the rest of the way to go. Following these tracks you're beginning to see civilization.
What looks to be and it really depends on how often Chase has been around like bases proper. But this doesn't even look like the entrance with those like you know the gaudy like parking lots and like little the entrance booths and things like that.
This seems like organizational military esque building.
And it seems to be maybe what looks like more residential little area areas. Maybe something something it is fenced.
Why don't you give me judgment Investigation.
[00:52:27] Speaker D: I have a negative two in judgment.
[00:52:30] Speaker C: Okay, so that's a negative one.
[00:52:33] Speaker D: So that is going to be a 1212 partial success.
[00:52:39] Speaker C: Take one stress.
Oh, this was just to see if you were able to find there was an attempt to maybe hide the little slit through the fence here. But it could not be any more glaringly open like forced through at this point to get through to the residential these buildings.
[00:53:01] Speaker D: Chase looks back at the others and goes, you all are seeing this, right?
[00:53:07] Speaker C: This is I think where Marcus Caution here kind of like you know, if he were a cat, his hackles up.
What is this?
[00:53:20] Speaker D: I don't know. It looks.
[00:53:23] Speaker C: We're not.
They told us we're not even.
We're not out this close near anything. We're not supposed to be.
[00:53:34] Speaker D: Any of you bring binoculars?
[00:53:37] Speaker C: Pork Roll Procures binoculars.
[00:53:41] Speaker D: I grab the binoculars from Pork Roll and go thanks Porky. And pull out the binoculars and look I guess further out toward the base.
Do I see other people there? Does it look like this was recently put up?
[00:53:59] Speaker C: This looks fairly established old.
The building getting that water damage and brick falling apart kind of look to it.
[00:54:11] Speaker D: Do I see anyone? When I pull out the binoculars and look inward.
[00:54:17] Speaker C: You see what looks to be someone very earth to tone autumnally dressed person running around what seems to be the corner of this building and following along with your binoculars what looks to be a very armed person.
[00:54:38] Speaker D: I think Chase seeing that pulls back the binoculars and holds them back out toward Pork Roll and goes stay right here for a moment. There's a. There's someone that looks like they need help.
[00:54:56] Speaker C: And red, it just kind of red stops you before even moving. All of us, where all of us wait.
[00:55:06] Speaker D: Well if, if we make too much noise it'll be a problem right?
[00:55:09] Speaker C: At this point we just, we just gotta get out of here, right? Someone's getting chased.
[00:55:14] Speaker D: I understand your hesitation.
[00:55:16] Speaker C: That's none of our business.
[00:55:19] Speaker D: I gotta know what's happening down here.
[00:55:23] Speaker C: Take Pork Roll with you. At least.
[00:55:27] Speaker D: Looks over at Pork Roll and is like you wanna go in wherever that is.
[00:55:34] Speaker C: Pork Roll shrugs.
[00:55:36] Speaker D: Well come if you want. And Chase has like a cat khaki colored bucket hat on over freeform locks, sort of old dingy shirt, cargo pants with like DIY straps to keep them from the belongings from jingling, descending from the brush to go towards this hole in the chain link fence as quietly as they can.
[00:56:27] Speaker A: Thank you for listening to Secret Order Podcast Presents Series Ghost Underground Ghost Underground is an actual play of the Corrupted, a game written and designed by me, Navarre Seek Jackson. If you would like to get a copy of the game, head on over to NavarSNP itch IO or for a print
[email protected] our incredible cast and crew for this series is as Angie Gahn as Adele Oleander Tripp as Chase Andres Cleric Torres as Luis and GM'd by Josephine Kim Production, audio, editing and sound design and dramaturgy by Navar Sikh Jackson if you enjoyed what you heard, consider joining the Patreon.
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