Tyrant of the Dark Star 2.27 - Under the Big Top

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Sam Waking up dreaming dark so long I cannot find meaning hold my hand let me stay by your side through this never ending night I can feel it now it holds me all the these demons always roam me in this red light because me he is reaching out consuming. [00:01:29] Speaker B: Hello everybody and welcome back to Goblets and Gaze. I'm Aubrey, your gm and I'll introduce my players. They are who they're playing and then we'll roll on to things. [00:01:39] Speaker C: Hi, I'm Maki. My pronouns are she, her and I play Grave Wing, the Nagaji sylph, vigilante monk, SL air kineticist who also uses she her pronouns, and she is the party mom slash strategist of the rebellion. [00:01:57] Speaker D: Hello, hello, I'm Alyssa. My pronouns are they, them, and I play Laith Idrisi iv, the matricidal dampier, dandy, rogue and spymaster who uses she any pronouns. [00:02:10] Speaker E: Hello, I am Dusty. I use they he pronouns and I'm playing Yurido. Just Yurido. Still, they are our nephilim cursed boy of a problem. They are going to be the party and is rebellious firebrand, and they also use they he pronouns. [00:02:31] Speaker F: Hello, I am Faris. I use she her pronouns and I am playing Alouette Valer, a totally normal Nephilim thaumaturge bard having a very normal and good time learning all about her way more cursed family. She also uses she her pronouns and is the anathema partisan. [00:02:49] Speaker G: Hello, I am Sparlock, and both me and my character use he him pronouns. I'm going by Alistair Whiskerfield, wizard detective extraordinaire, heir to the fine, distinguished family of wizard mice, Ratzerts, Esoki, Arcanists. I swear I was always aware of it. I keep my whiskers to the ground to uncover the truth of the powers that be who subjugate us. By which I mean I'm our recruiter. [00:03:20] Speaker H: And hello to round off the group. I am Tick, I have he, she, they, pronouns. And today you'll be playing Nile, a flesh warp sorcerer who is just a totally ordinary cook and quartermaster for the group. And definitely not a cannibal parenthesis. He's cannibal, but it's a dietary restriction, so don't be too mean to him. [00:03:41] Speaker B: So, who wants to tell me what happened last time? [00:03:44] Speaker F: Okay. Previously on the last episode of I forgot what we call this thing. [00:03:50] Speaker B: Iron to the Dark Star. [00:03:52] Speaker I: Yeah, that one. She's Louise. [00:03:55] Speaker F: Let's see here. Chalice's corpse. Super missing. The Raven Mother's corpse, also missing. Laythe is gathering gossip. Scriabin's the worst. The general town is bad. Larks suck. Laythe apparently getting married. To who? It seems like Alouette. Also this is bad. The father is trying to break it up. Meanwhile, Yuri went home. Mom was vaguely suspicious. Nobles accoutrement have been returned to them. Yuri's dad not looking great, but seems like actually a decent guy. We might have like a decent father figure in this group. Excellent. Meanwhile, Laith and Yuri have a have a chat about just random stuff. And also the fact that Lay may or may not be engaged to Lou here. He says maybe talk to Lou about it. Leite says no. And meanwhile Lou and Graveling get back to the Wizard Tower with Alistair, decide this requires an expert. So they go to the Wolf. [00:05:17] Speaker I: Wolfstone. [00:05:21] Speaker F: I can't talk today. God damn it. Okay, Wollstonecraft Manor. [00:05:25] Speaker I: And then. [00:05:28] Speaker F: And then we all converge together by summoning Yuri, who talks manages to talk Lou down to a slightly less cursed form. Laythe decides that she was never going to talk to Lou ever about anything. I think is how that one went. And yeah, that's it. That's all that happened. [00:05:51] Speaker B: You all decided to stay in Starlight Bastion at the Wollstonecraft manor tonight. Just for safety, being away from people. Especially with Lou's condition. We'll say. And you all wake up in the morning. Niall, you can make breakfast and you all can figure out whatever your plan is today. It's all of you plus Lorelei. You did mention that you were probably going to take the take Killian the, the Hester Hunder to probably the Midnights. [00:06:24] Speaker F: We named it. [00:06:25] Speaker C: I named it. I, I, I threw out a bunch of names. Y' all were like, I kind of like this one and this one and this one. And I was like, holy. So then I just named it after. [00:06:37] Speaker F: The one that had the most had landed on one. [00:06:39] Speaker I: Okay, cool. [00:06:39] Speaker C: Yeah, I just picked the one that had the most votes and that was Killian. [00:06:44] Speaker F: Fair enough. [00:06:45] Speaker C: Strudel did not win. [00:06:46] Speaker F: That's, that's upsetting, frankly, when I want. [00:06:49] Speaker H: Him to name it after Pokemon guy. [00:06:51] Speaker C: Yes, yes. Strudel. Strudel was like one or two points off, actually. Yeah, Julian had like one more than strudel. I was surprised. [00:07:01] Speaker H: I'll make everyone a tasty breakfast. The best ingredients that I can possibly figure out in this economy. [00:07:09] Speaker B: The place is pretty well stocked. Like Conx and Lena live here when they're not like running errands for all of you. So, you know, it's got like they, they stock it with food. [00:07:19] Speaker H: Oh my God. I can Make a proper breakfast. [00:07:23] Speaker E: Don't listen to. Don't listen to Lou's request for bones, please. [00:07:30] Speaker H: Why? [00:07:34] Speaker E: Yuri's just gonna glare at you. Don't. [00:07:38] Speaker H: Will it make it worse? [00:07:41] Speaker G: You can't feed a vegetarian bones even if they're feeling birdie. [00:07:50] Speaker H: Well, if I will trust you that you know that will make it worse, and I will not do so, I will make a nice. Oh, right. Half of you are vegans. I can't make eggs. There might be eggs here. That would be very. [00:08:01] Speaker F: Vegans. [00:08:03] Speaker E: None of us are vegans. [00:08:04] Speaker F: We're just all vegetarians. [00:08:07] Speaker H: Can I make omelettes, Aubrey? [00:08:10] Speaker B: Theoretically, yes. [00:08:13] Speaker H: I'm gonna make omelets for breakfast, and people can pick what gets put in them. Alistair could have a cheese omelette without the ol. [00:08:26] Speaker F: So just cheese? [00:08:27] Speaker G: Yeah, I. I do like a little bit of omelette with my cheese. [00:08:32] Speaker H: Of course. A little bit of omelette with your cheese. I understand. [00:08:37] Speaker B: It'S one egg and four cups of cheese. [00:08:40] Speaker H: Yeah, yeah. [00:08:42] Speaker B: I mean, it's not really too. Too important, but I did realize you do have one extra person with you, so that probably changed up how the sleeping arrangements were. [00:08:53] Speaker H: Yeah, maybe. [00:08:56] Speaker D: You mean I don't get to sleep with Mothmom and Lorelei? [00:09:01] Speaker E: Yuri would offer their room for late because they know they won't sleep on whatever the couch equivalent is, and Yuri will sleep on the couch. [00:09:10] Speaker D: Who is Yuri roomed with? [00:09:12] Speaker E: No one. [00:09:12] Speaker F: Himself. [00:09:14] Speaker B: They got one of the solo rooms. [00:09:16] Speaker E: Boo. [00:09:18] Speaker D: Okay, Leif accepts. [00:09:20] Speaker E: You think Yuri's gonna. Think Leith is gonna want to. They're not gonna finish the sentence. [00:09:28] Speaker H: What if we were sharing? You can just build a, like, pillow wall between. It's fine. But I'm realizing I shared a room with Lu last night and did not say anything. [00:09:36] Speaker F: I don't think Lou would have slept in the room. I think Lou would have, like, found, like, an empty room that wasn't a bedroom, just in case. So Yuri could have had loose bunk. [00:09:46] Speaker H: That's fine. [00:09:46] Speaker C: No, the ship lives. [00:09:48] Speaker E: Oh, Yuri's on the couch. [00:09:51] Speaker F: No, just sleep with your potential partner. [00:09:58] Speaker E: Even if you're in bird form. Yuri's gonna be like, I'm sorry, listeners, That's. [00:10:04] Speaker H: Shenanigans and omelets aside, I've been kind of a little bit. You could say absent for last. Hypothetical something called session. So our current objective there are the autonatons that are going to attack in three days. The Crohn Hammer is no longer safe as a place for us to stay. We have a masquerade ball in three weeks. [00:10:27] Speaker B: We don't truly know that second part yet. [00:10:31] Speaker H: The croan hammer is definitely safe, and we can go back to it whenever we want, potentially. And this masquerade ball is in three weeks, so we have a three day and three week event. Is there anything else that I might be missing? [00:10:47] Speaker I: That seems to be the most pressing? Yes. [00:10:54] Speaker H: So. Oh, God. I put myself in a position where I'm leading this conversation. I didn't think this through. [00:11:01] Speaker I: You started it. [00:11:02] Speaker E: Brilliant. [00:11:04] Speaker H: Well, I think this group has been going through quite a lot of events recently, but I think we may want to spend some time looking into this next automaton attack simply because it seems like a pressing issue that is going to come up. How many resources do we have to look into that in three days? [00:11:27] Speaker E: That's right. Did the master get to you, Mechanical? [00:11:37] Speaker C: Well, no, I didn't see, really. [00:11:45] Speaker E: It was supposed to. It's Steinhardt made. [00:11:48] Speaker I: You know, possibly I went too far and too fast and did not see it. [00:11:55] Speaker C: I did see. [00:11:56] Speaker I: Maybe it did not recognized me because I was different. [00:12:06] Speaker E: Yuri's gonna pull out the other one, whisper something into it and let it go, and then it's gonna fly right to you, Lou. [00:12:15] Speaker B: Just to where you can't use it again for the rest of the day. [00:12:18] Speaker E: Yeah, it's fine. Okay. [00:12:22] Speaker F: What does the message say? [00:12:25] Speaker E: Are you sure about that? I'm going to look at you, like, see. Okay. I. I guess I'll talk to Steinhardt about this. He's making more, but. [00:12:41] Speaker I: Yep. Tell it to recognize monsters, why don't you? [00:12:45] Speaker B: Yeah, well, there's a flaw. [00:12:47] Speaker E: You. We could use that one. It only works once a day, so we can use it tomorrow. [00:12:52] Speaker F: She's gonna send a message to Grave Wing and just be like, thank you. [00:12:58] Speaker E: That's a shame. That's like. It was like 20 cold for the two. [00:13:04] Speaker I: That sounds expensive. [00:13:06] Speaker E: I mean, I trust Steinhardt. They made a lot of stuff for me. They made. They gonna lift up their weapon. They made this. [00:13:13] Speaker I: So you got it back. Oh, my gosh, yes. Of course. You must have, because you gave me one of those. My old bells. [00:13:21] Speaker B: What else did you get? [00:13:24] Speaker E: Just some stuff for Nath. Some of the stuff. I guess not all of it was in there. [00:13:32] Speaker I: The rest of the bells are there, though, right? There should be six or five more now because I had one, and you give me another one and then I thought I had the middle five. I have missed them. [00:13:50] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:13:56] Speaker I: Did you. [00:13:56] Speaker F: Didn't find any of my. [00:13:59] Speaker I: My jewelry was not returned, was it? [00:14:04] Speaker E: And I believe that anything you may want to double check in the box. Yeah. You're having a moment last night. Obviously it was a stressful day, but the great I think is still upstairs. So if you could check it out. Unless some otherworldly being says there's no jewelry in there, it should be in there, I believe. [00:14:24] Speaker B: No, you didn't murder anyone with any of your jewelry, so it wouldn't have been kept as evidence, so. [00:14:29] Speaker F: That's true. I did not murder anyone with my jewelry. [00:14:31] Speaker B: Cool. [00:14:34] Speaker C: But was it kept because it was jewelry? [00:14:38] Speaker E: No, because some of lace jewelry is in there too. [00:14:41] Speaker I: Yeah, well, that was because it was cult. [00:14:43] Speaker F: Cult jewelry. [00:14:45] Speaker C: No, I thought. I thought they took the cult jewelry. [00:14:47] Speaker E: That's why I said cult jewelry. [00:14:49] Speaker F: Some of. Some of lay's stuff is in the Z because it was cult. [00:14:53] Speaker C: Oh, okay. [00:14:53] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah. The other stuff is. Is there also specifically because it was retrieved by a noble with some pull. If you would have probably requested this all yourselves, you probably wouldn't have gotten it back. You probably would have just gotten the other stuff back. [00:15:12] Speaker I: Cool. [00:15:13] Speaker F: Then Lou will have found her cameo locket, which Yuri probably knows has a. [00:15:22] Speaker I: Portrait of her mother in it. That's gonna go in her pocket. [00:15:27] Speaker E: How is Lou looking this morning? [00:15:32] Speaker F: Surprisingly normal. Very fully clothed. First off, there are clothes. Second off, the clothes are covering everything. The only thing not covered right now are her hands because she still has to mend the gloves that she sort of busted through a little bit. And so the things that aren't great, you can't tell. You don't see the permanent feathering that's happening. Everything's covered. She looks so normal. She looks abrupt. She looks too normal. [00:16:05] Speaker B: Collar up to the chin. [00:16:06] Speaker F: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, she always dresses pretty properly, but like it is extra proper. She was in full Victorian standards. There are not going to be wrists, there's not going to be ankles, nothing. [00:16:16] Speaker B: No boob window this time. [00:16:18] Speaker F: No boob window. [00:16:20] Speaker E: Boobless. [00:16:23] Speaker F: That's right. You've lost your boob window privileges. You got underboob. [00:16:28] Speaker H: I'll take what I can get. This is Tick, by the way. Not Niall. [00:16:31] Speaker F: Niall's gay. [00:16:33] Speaker C: We did get underboob. [00:16:34] Speaker H: You are correct. [00:16:35] Speaker F: We did. You got feathery underboob. So you're welcome. It was. It was full dungeon meshy. [00:16:42] Speaker B: Yeah. And Lorelei does speak up at this point and say, I do want to head back to the row at some point today just to check in with Clover and Oscar and see how are everything is going. They've been given orders to take the rest of the blades to other safe houses. And down into the tunnels beneath the Row, just in case. [00:17:10] Speaker E: You'Re. He's gonna, like, grab a piece of paper and writer's. Like. This is Steinhardt's address. If you need more people or more help, talk to them. Let them know you know me, and they can provide you with whatever you need. [00:17:30] Speaker B: We. We might. I don't know. We have to figure out what our plan is. Currently, we don't have enough people to do anything. And. [00:17:43] Speaker I: Lou is going to send another message to Grave Wing. [00:17:48] Speaker F: And say. [00:17:52] Speaker B: If. [00:17:53] Speaker I: If it is not a bother, and if there is a. A good moment, would you mind talking to my cousin? About what? About yesterday. Because I don't. I don't trust myself to know if they lie to me. [00:18:19] Speaker C: Okay. So I need you to know that Grave Wing probably has never had message done to them, so. [00:18:26] Speaker F: Two times in a row, baby. [00:18:27] Speaker C: Yeah. So I don't think Grave Wing is actually aware that she could respond, but because we are literally in the same room, you're just gonna get, like, a nod. [00:18:38] Speaker H: But. [00:18:41] Speaker B: It. [00:18:42] Speaker C: The nod is meant for you. But at the same time, the nod could be like, you know, yeah, I'm. I'm. I'm understanding this entire room kind of vibe, you know? [00:18:51] Speaker F: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. [00:18:53] Speaker C: But I just think it's funny that Raven's like, oh, it's in my head again. Okay. Oh, man. How would I know? [00:19:03] Speaker F: Yeah, yeah. Grieving things, messages one way. That's really funny. [00:19:07] Speaker B: And overall, you do have other plot threads you can pull on. There is still all the stuff about the circus and the Darklight Bazaar. There is anything you want to follow up with. With, like, Juniper or any of the others as well? [00:19:26] Speaker I: Oh, yeah. [00:19:29] Speaker F: Aubrey, I'm afraid to tug on plot threads now. You've scared me. You frightened me. [00:19:35] Speaker C: I'm not. [00:19:38] Speaker I: I never actually got to send any messages out to siblings. Yesterday, I interrupted myself, so I should still do that. I was going to inquire in terms of all the things we need more information on, like the larks and such. [00:20:03] Speaker H: I'm gonna pull out a grocery list. If you're asking what we need, this. [00:20:07] Speaker I: Would be for information. My siblings are not going to get our groceries. Well, that would require a level of companionship that we do not have to share. [00:20:22] Speaker H: Touche. [00:20:22] Speaker I: Also, I don't think they get their own groceries. [00:20:26] Speaker B: They don't. [00:20:28] Speaker I: I'm the only one who does grocery. [00:20:29] Speaker F: Shopping in this family. [00:20:33] Speaker H: That's all right. We're not critically short on anything, and I can work with what we have. But there's a Lot of different things going on. But considering we know that there's probably an attack that's going to happen in three days that could cause casualties, that might be a good start. Simply because we've already started that and we may want to see it through. [00:20:52] Speaker C: Graveling will just kind of say well I actually got to go to dark light so I don't mind checking in on the circus. Got a few things to. [00:21:03] Speaker I: I don't. [00:21:04] Speaker C: Know, look up, carry out so I can accompany anyone that's going to Dark Light. Also then I got to go drop off this dog. So. [00:21:18] Speaker H: Yes, there is a lot of stuff going on there. Do we want to stay together? Because things have been quite chaotic and I'm not sure about splitting up. [00:21:31] Speaker I: Remind the, the. The. The. [00:21:33] Speaker F: The armaments are in dark light. Right then I will go to dark light cuz I have to go hurt myself some more. [00:21:43] Speaker H: That's what my old job was, isn't it? [00:21:47] Speaker B: Yes. [00:21:49] Speaker H: I see where I used to work but honestly if I don't have a strong lean either way I do want. [00:21:58] Speaker F: If we're. [00:21:59] Speaker H: If multiple people are going in that direction, I don't mind evening out the group. If you need people to go there or if you need people to hold down the house or just you can put me anywhere. I'm like in those games the. The NPCs you know. [00:22:14] Speaker C: I'll pick on a plot thread. [00:22:17] Speaker H: Don't make me choose things. None of this involve cooking. [00:22:20] Speaker E: You got to choose one. [00:22:23] Speaker H: What does the rest of the group want to do? Plot thread wise hypothesis. [00:22:28] Speaker G: I would like to investigate the. The robots and the scene. But I bet there it's all in. It's all connected. The Scree Albins are the. Responsible for the robots. [00:22:43] Speaker E: I know it isn't there the person that we need to find or is. [00:22:47] Speaker B: That like there's a missing person from Ravenswood Academy who might have connection. They're the. The weird. The robot attacks started after they went missing. [00:22:58] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:22:58] Speaker F: We believe the Scrivens kidnapped them. Or did we just decide to assign blame? [00:23:03] Speaker C: Oh, it basically is the screwdriver kidnapped them. I'm pretty sure. [00:23:06] Speaker F: I wasn't sure if we had proof or if we just assumed. [00:23:09] Speaker C: No, no, I'm. I'm fairly certain. It's like when it was told to us by. By Wizardiac it was like. And the Scriabins were the ones that signed her out. [00:23:21] Speaker E: That's right. Yes. [00:23:22] Speaker C: Yeah and, and, and and and yeah and and so it's like you know, I wonder why. [00:23:28] Speaker E: So you should have A Dark Light Squad and a Scriabin Squad. [00:23:32] Speaker C: That's what I'm thinking. [00:23:34] Speaker D: Laith will immediately jump to be on Scree. Albin, Swab. Scriabin. Squab. Squab Squad. [00:23:45] Speaker I: That was so good. [00:23:49] Speaker H: Now I was gonna look at Yuri and be like, there's two on each side. Please don't make me make a decision. [00:23:53] Speaker E: No, I'm gonna make you make a decision because you need to. [00:23:56] Speaker H: Please. No, no. [00:23:58] Speaker E: You're making a decision. [00:24:00] Speaker H: Why are you doing this to me? [00:24:01] Speaker E: Because you need to autistic these days make a decision that either saves us or kills us. [00:24:08] Speaker H: So why are you giving me that much power? I am just some guy. [00:24:13] Speaker E: Not anymore. [00:24:15] Speaker H: Now just looks down blank face for just a moment while contemplating everything. It's just like. I'll go with the rat. [00:24:27] Speaker E: Okay, then I'm going to Dark Le Bazar. Is that. Is that Grave Wing and Lou. [00:24:36] Speaker H: I'll go with the rat and Alistair. I don't say that. [00:24:39] Speaker F: I think that rude schizo can hear it. [00:24:44] Speaker C: That's it? [00:24:47] Speaker B: Yeah. So you have a plan. And we'll start with. And Lorelei will go wherever Graven goes. [00:24:58] Speaker H: Go with your girl toy. Go with your girl toy, Lorelei. [00:25:03] Speaker C: I'm the girl toy? You know? Yeah, I just. I needed clarification, but as I said, I was like. Yeah, no, actually, yeah, you kind of are. [00:25:13] Speaker H: In a good way. In a good way? [00:25:15] Speaker C: In. In a very. Yeah, no, no, that's. It's. It's like, very fair. I was like. I don't think Raven would be like, offended necessarily by it. It's just more like. Girl toy. [00:25:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:25:23] Speaker C: I don't know if I like those words together, but that's what I am, isn't it? Like, it'd be one of those vibes. [00:25:30] Speaker H: Like, I'll be a toy for her, I guess. You know, like. [00:25:34] Speaker B: Well, I will start with the Dark Light Squad first as all of you gather whatever you need. And you put the saddlebags and everything back on Killian. And if there's anything you need to take with you from this place to another safe house, you can just load it in those saddlebags. And you all take the secret exit out from Starlight Bastion into Darklight Bazaar is the first area. And that's probably where you'll see split up where the other group will head over across into Clockwork Halls from Darklight Bazaar, where the rest of you will go and visit. Give a visit to Juniper and the armaments. [00:26:25] Speaker C: Really quickly because I know that my jeweler is in Dark Light because There's no way I'm going to be able to find someone that can do the work I need to be done for cheap. [00:26:37] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:38] Speaker C: So I want to go. I want to go in to check and see what the progress is, but also let this guy know that I'm going to make a bunch more orders. [00:26:52] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:52] Speaker C: Once I go get the material, I have to basically go get the material later. [00:26:57] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:58] Speaker C: Which I plan to do, like, at the end of the week. [00:27:00] Speaker E: Week. [00:27:00] Speaker C: Just kind of like off on my own. [00:27:03] Speaker B: You put in the order last week, so it'll be done at the end of this week. [00:27:08] Speaker C: Okay. Okay. So when I come back with the material. [00:27:11] Speaker B: Yeah. I can first order. [00:27:12] Speaker C: I can have the first order. [00:27:13] Speaker H: Okay. [00:27:14] Speaker C: That's really good to know. That's that. I just want to get that, like, set in stone. Don't need to RP it nothing. But also I just feel like because it's there, I might as well, you know, cement it before going back home. And by home, I mean farmer shop. [00:27:34] Speaker I: Yeah. [00:27:35] Speaker C: I live there. I live there. It's. [00:27:36] Speaker B: It's. [00:27:39] Speaker C: It is the most ability I will ever have. Not sad at all. [00:27:50] Speaker B: Yeah. You. You all enter, and Juniper's just opened up shop this morning. And as you enter, you can lock the door behind you and flip the closed sign. And Juniper is working on something. And we'll look up from what she's working on and say, oh, hey, you're back. [00:28:14] Speaker I: Yes. You never came by the crown hammer, which maybe now you shouldn't. But that's not because the invitation was revoked. It is because it is now a little more dangerous than it has been in that area. [00:28:30] Speaker B: I'm sorry, I never did. I. I meant to. And then I have so much work to do. [00:28:38] Speaker I: That is so. Okay. But hey, next time you need a break, first dance is on me. [00:28:46] Speaker B: I'll remember that. And from underneath the register area, SHU will pull out a wrapped bundle and sort of push it over the counter towards you, Lou, and say, this is the journal in the translated journal for you. [00:29:10] Speaker I: Oh, thank you. I appreciate you putting. Putting this ahead of your other work and doing it so quickly. [00:29:22] Speaker B: Yeah, it seems really important. And to be fair, a lot of the other Talos books are. It's good information to have, but it doesn't seem it's not an emergency because it's just. It's just mostly about his time in the Holy Blood and his experiments. [00:29:45] Speaker I: Ah. Is. Is that more or less what this one is about? [00:29:55] Speaker B: It started as an analysis of a curse, sort of its effects on the body and A possibility of how to control it or reverse it through alchemical means. [00:30:14] Speaker I: I see. Not a very successful outcome, huh? [00:30:19] Speaker B: Actually, it was what he. In the back of the book, there is a. There is a formula that when taken on the daily can suppress the effects of the curse. There's also a formula that speeds it up. [00:30:38] Speaker I: Oh. Oh. [00:30:42] Speaker E: I. I just clarified. Lou, go to get this alone. [00:30:46] Speaker F: Personally, no, I think we're all fine. I mean, of the group that went to Dark Light, you. [00:30:53] Speaker E: There's what? [00:30:55] Speaker B: There's. There's an alchemical formula in the back of the book that Talus claims that if taken daily will suppress the effects of the curse. There's also a formula that unleashes it. Apparently it's a. It's a no going back though it. Once done. [00:31:23] Speaker E: Alice had this. [00:31:27] Speaker B: Talus. Yeah, he was. He was studying it. [00:31:34] Speaker I: I. I thank you. [00:31:36] Speaker F: And Lou's just gonna run outside and go huck in an alley and just breathe real hard for a hot minute. [00:31:46] Speaker B: Juniper looks a little confused just being like. Is she okay? [00:31:54] Speaker E: No, not. That's not your fault. [00:32:02] Speaker B: If you need me to make samples of the suppression agent, I can. It's actually, I'll need to get some materials because I don't have the. I don't have the. The stuff I would need, but I could make it. [00:32:24] Speaker E: I. I may know something similar to this if I bring you a sample of a. See if it's the same. [00:32:36] Speaker B: Sure. Yeah. I've got. I've got the tools to be able to analyze it here, so. [00:32:42] Speaker E: Okay. I. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but I'll bring it by. [00:32:47] Speaker B: Of course. Anytime. Anytime this week. [00:32:50] Speaker E: Yeah. I'll be right back. And I'm gonna go run out after Lou. [00:32:58] Speaker B: Yeah. Judy will turn towards Gray Wing and Lorelei and sort of chat about whatever's going on. And while we. The camera. The camera shifts and we follow Yuri. [00:33:09] Speaker E: And Leo and l Just stuck in nearby alley. [00:33:16] Speaker F: Hyperventilating for sure. [00:33:18] Speaker E: Yeah. Yuri's going to run up and approach slowly and just like. Hey, do you have your bells with you? [00:33:32] Speaker I: Yes, of course I do. [00:33:35] Speaker E: Grab it. Focus on it. Okay. [00:33:42] Speaker I: It just wasn't. I wasn't expecting it to happen. Every time I turn around, it is worse. [00:33:56] Speaker E: Sorry. I'm so sorry. There are so many things that have been held from us for so long. And they're being revealed all within. It feels like a week of each other. [00:34:14] Speaker I: At least you knew about the big one, huh? [00:34:19] Speaker E: Unfortunately. Did I told you that dad has it yet? [00:34:27] Speaker I: No, no, but that makes sense. [00:34:32] Speaker E: Yeah, that's why I knew because. Well, even later into when his adulthood, he had trouble with it and it's really scary to wake up when you're two years old and you see a monster running through your house and it speaks with your dad's voice. [00:34:57] Speaker I: Yeah, yeah. [00:35:02] Speaker E: Sorry. No. Yeah. So despite that, still so many. So many secrets in this family. [00:35:14] Speaker I: All of it for. There's something that none of us did. [00:35:23] Speaker E: Just some. Someone we happen to be related to wanted too much power or something. I really don't know the details behind it. [00:35:41] Speaker I: Must have been pretty bad though. I mean apparently they always said it as. And. And if it is a curse then. I mean then that a curse like that is so widespread, you know, I mean what could have done it except the star mother. [00:36:09] Speaker E: You could say. I'm sure they pissed off a lot of deities when they did whatever to go down so many generations. [00:36:22] Speaker I: Great. Great news for us because. [00:36:26] Speaker E: So the thing Juniper talked about about suppressing the curse. Yuri takes a deep sigh. And they're like. Well, Hortensia made the father something similar to that that he takes on the daily to help suppress it. So. [00:36:54] Speaker I: Why did you not mention that before? [00:37:00] Speaker E: I don't think it's helping him. I don't know if you've noticed his. His health has gotten measurably worse in the past two years. I don't trust it. So I was going to take some and have Juniper check it out. Now that I know. [00:37:28] Speaker I: We don't know that. We don't know that the. The other formula even works. Just cuz it is in there does not mean that it did. Did anything. Maybe we just don't have the journal that says. [00:37:44] Speaker F: Whoops. [00:37:45] Speaker I: My bad. I killed your mother and then you killed her and then I stole her body. [00:37:54] Speaker E: Yeah. I don't just. I wasn't Yuri's now like looking at L face and just like I didn't tell you about that because I again, I don't trust it. I don't know what it would do. My father loves Hortensia. Unfortunately I've had fights many times so. [00:38:35] Speaker F: And Louis almost tells Yuri about how she learned about all of this and. [00:38:45] Speaker I: Then can't quite do it. I'm going. I should go back in before Griefwing worries I have turned into a terrible monster again. [00:39:00] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:39:00] Speaker E: Yeah. Do you. Later tonight. Do you want to. I could help. Show you ways I've been able to control it. You could practice or whatever it's called. Withholding a curse. I don't know. [00:39:18] Speaker I: Yeah. Maybe. Yeah. Yeah. Depends on. We don't know what the night's going to be like, you know. [00:39:24] Speaker E: Yeah. I'm here for whatever you need. Okay. [00:39:31] Speaker I: I hope so. [00:39:34] Speaker E: You go back in. [00:39:35] Speaker B: I think jumping back into the shop. It's been there a few minutes. While the cousins are out having a conversation. Is there anything graveling that you wanted to discuss with Juniper or get from the shop? [00:39:50] Speaker C: I'm not sure if the shop would have anything that I should be grabbing right now. But I will tell because. Because Lorelei's with me too. Right. [00:39:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:00] Speaker C: So I will tell both Juniper and Lorelei if you want to station the blades here. I don't mind it. [00:40:13] Speaker B: Yeah. And as Juniper and Lorelai meet, there's a weird moment. This sort of thing that this look that's shared between them where Juniper goes you were there that night. And Loreline nods and says glad you got out safe. [00:40:41] Speaker C: Bravewing looks back and forth and back but very with the head moving back and forth between them just like which. [00:40:49] Speaker B: Night Jennifer goes Five years ago when Tallis kidnapped me, my friends brokered a exchange me for Tallis journal. And one of them had connections with her Lorelei or the mother. The bloody blades. And she showed up. And I think the unbroken might have just decided to kill us all had she not shown up. [00:41:34] Speaker C: Damn. You went to school. I'm joking. [00:41:42] Speaker H: See? [00:41:42] Speaker C: I'm funny. [00:41:43] Speaker E: What the. [00:41:46] Speaker C: Mumbling like my party sucks. My kids think I'm hilarious. My party sucks. Like that's what Brave Wing is like kind of thinking right now. [00:42:00] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. And as you're having after just sort of as the conversation comes to to its end, Lou and Yuri reenter the shop. [00:42:12] Speaker C: Does how's Lou's feather situation? Because usually I know that she's dressing more modestly right now but usually, you know, your feathers are immodest. You're muted. Ferris. [00:42:30] Speaker F: Hey. [00:42:31] Speaker I: So. So I am. [00:42:32] Speaker F: I totally forgot. I think that the only feather featheries that you can notice. I think there's just like a little bit of feather poking out underneath her collar. Just like a little like fluff of red that almost looks like it's part of the collar. And if you catch a glimpse of her tail under her skirt, there's a lot more. There's like it's permanently very plumaged now. [00:43:04] Speaker C: So. Found anything? Look at your tail. Interesting. [00:43:15] Speaker I: No, just that everything sucks. [00:43:23] Speaker C: Club fees are eight silver a month. [00:43:29] Speaker I: Do we at least get like I don't know, matching bracelets? [00:43:35] Speaker C: We might could be arranged at this point. [00:43:39] Speaker I: Those be fun. I think I'll to make it a lot more Enjoyable, to be sure. [00:43:46] Speaker C: I don't suppose there's any. Fix your cure, Fix your cure, fix your curse quick. [00:44:01] Speaker I: Well, in theory, yes, actually. If it works. [00:44:10] Speaker F: And she'll pick up the. The journal that Juniper translated. [00:44:16] Speaker I: Yeah, that is what this. That's what Juniper says. This says. Obviously we had not tested it, but theoretically my mother did and we did see how that turned out. So yeah, I was. [00:44:38] Speaker C: I didn't want to say it, but. [00:44:39] Speaker I: But you know, could be it is a bad formula or could be the good one doesn't work. [00:44:48] Speaker C: This is a shot in the dark. But have either of you ever met anyone else who's cursed? I'm talking about the. The more popular curses that turn you into wolves. [00:45:03] Speaker E: Troopy. [00:45:05] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:07] Speaker E: I knew someone once. [00:45:12] Speaker C: Might be. Well, honestly, the rose got full of people. Cough and walk. Also full of people. If you're gonna find some cursed individual still in the city, it might be there. Might be worth looking into. [00:45:32] Speaker I: Not going to test the Talus formula out on some stranger? [00:45:35] Speaker C: Oh, no, no. I mean talking to other people that have a curse that turns them into a monster and see how they've been living with it. Because lycanthropy can be passed down. They're called Beastkin. [00:45:54] Speaker E: Well, I unfortunately can't talk to my friend, so. [00:46:00] Speaker C: Guess you're going to have to go out make some new ones. Might be something worth looking into is all I'm suggesting when we have the resources back. Cuz I. I'm going to be super honest here. I don't trust medicine and I don't even think this is to going comes close to medicine. [00:46:27] Speaker E: You and I share that. [00:46:32] Speaker C: Share what? [00:46:34] Speaker E: That trusting medicine. [00:46:39] Speaker C: Oh. [00:46:41] Speaker E: Is my mother expensive? Is unfortunately a very wealthy alchemist that doesn't share formulas. [00:46:50] Speaker H: Yep. [00:46:51] Speaker C: That's why I don't trust it. [00:46:52] Speaker E: Yep. Yeah. [00:46:58] Speaker C: Also, I think the rat might be on to something with conspiracy theories. Occasionally I feel like he makes sense, but that could also be me sleep deprived. [00:47:10] Speaker E: Is there. Is there a conspiracy theory about medicine that they miss? [00:47:13] Speaker C: There's. There's always been a conspiracy theory about medicine. The flu shot is bullshit. [00:47:20] Speaker I: Oh, well. [00:47:24] Speaker B: So you all finish up at the shop and are heading over to the Circus Circus Sunset and we'll leave you there for the time being as we join up with the other half of the group heading across into Clockwork Halls. Deduct the silver piece for crossing the bridge. [00:47:51] Speaker H: Automatically and opens my inventory while throwing my hand in the air like a gay little boy. [00:47:55] Speaker F: You know how you dodge the bridge toll, jump in the river. [00:48:01] Speaker G: As we're walking. I like pull out my notes and I start reviewing my notes specifically on the Scree Albins and the Clockwork Mystery. [00:48:17] Speaker B: You. You do that. And so it's. It's every week this is happening. The Scree Albans they want to essentially they are trying to force a. An election in the union to essentially take it over and break it up. There is somebody that they kidnapped from Ravenswood Academy who's a. I guess they are. They are a very talented inventor and that's about it. [00:48:56] Speaker H: It's quite the drop for the great Mouse Detective. Think you're up to it? [00:49:03] Speaker B: Always. [00:49:05] Speaker G: I need to set. Shut these people down. [00:49:10] Speaker H: I'm going to look over at LE and just awkwardly give them a thumbs up because I have not talked to LE a lot and she's a little scary. So thumbs up emojis what you get. [00:49:23] Speaker D: Ravens have been connected to the. To all sorts of evil these days. But I'm excited for a front review on how the great Mass detective does his investigations. Where do we start? [00:49:37] Speaker B: So I guess the. The big question is what do you want to do here? The. The thing is. So Clockwork Halls is a very large district with there are five major factories in Clockwork Halls that produce materials that are used all across Noxite in general, Clark recalls does a lot of exporting of. Of like the materials and everything. There are a lot more smaller inventors who work on projects. Some of them robotics or some of them like for automatons and various other things. [00:50:19] Speaker E: Is. [00:50:19] Speaker B: It just all depends on where you want to start with this. [00:50:24] Speaker H: Well Le, you're quite good at gathering information and rumors and stuff, right? Do you have any idea on where snooping would be good? [00:50:33] Speaker D: I mean what's our goal here? [00:50:37] Speaker H: I guess if we're very confident that the scravens are the ones that are causing the corruption which is very probable at this point. How can we sort of find proof of better information? [00:50:47] Speaker G: Oh, eventually, but we can't just jump into that, can we? [00:50:56] Speaker H: Well, you're the great Mouse Detective. [00:50:58] Speaker D: You should know in my recent experience that isn't successful in the long term. So. [00:51:07] Speaker G: I think of anyone better. [00:51:13] Speaker D: I suppose the question is what would we need to convince people not only that they're behind this but that that's enough reason to not support them? [00:51:30] Speaker G: We could always. So the workers are already unionized, right? [00:51:39] Speaker B: Yes, there is. There's the Clockwork Union. These grabbins were to come in and break up the union essentially is. They haven't said the words those words specifically but it's been heavily implied. Especially because the. The ruling body of Malacott has been trying to force the union. Union to break up for several years. [00:52:02] Speaker G: Perhaps we should create a situation where the Scriabins will be tempted to act. I think we should sow some anti Scriabin hatred amongst the union members in one particular factory to make that factory the next most likely target. [00:52:34] Speaker H: Interesting strategy. Perhaps if we know where they're going to target next, we can follow these. No, these machines are coming from different factories. So we can keep a monitor on our sort of egg bait, like a little. Our little egg and watch its insides closer to see where the corruption comes from and I suppose catch things in the act is what you're saying. [00:53:00] Speaker G: Exactly. [00:53:01] Speaker H: These robots are coming from within the factories, each individually. So being able to keep a watch on that and have an idea of the next target might be good, but it would be putting people in danger. [00:53:14] Speaker D: Well, we could always try to stop them at the source. There's the girl that they kidnapped. Niall, you've worked service jobs. You could go undercover as a maid. We know they've been killing them. [00:53:26] Speaker H: I would make a good maid, but I'm sorry, can you repeat that? Actually you were kind of mumbling a little bit. [00:53:33] Speaker D: You could go undercover as a maid. We know that they've been killing them, so they probably need more and you could, you know, look around, see if you can find the missing girl. [00:53:46] Speaker H: That is an option on my own. [00:53:53] Speaker D: Well, they know my face and they certainly know Alistair's face. [00:53:58] Speaker H: I do have a very strange face though. I'm not sure if the bandages will be off putting or not. I love keep debating like, but graveling does this. But you could put Ny on the dress. Like. But I do want to put Nyla in a dress now. [00:54:15] Speaker C: I'm talking about the, the law. Like the long, like modest ones. Not the weird Halloween costume one. I'm talking about like the law long. Just. Just picture it. Picture a picture. Niall in a dress. [00:54:29] Speaker H: Thank you. I honestly, I'm like, maybe on this idea, but. But now I'm like, I just want to see them in a dress. I'm going to be so fudgeing real. [00:54:36] Speaker C: I'm being. I'm being in a dress. I'm being so. I'm being so fudgeing for real right now. Niall, in like a black dress in general, long sleeve, high neck, black dress. You gotta. I'm cooking. [00:54:50] Speaker H: You are cooking. [00:54:51] Speaker C: It's seasoned, it's marinating. Come on, come on, come on, come on. I'm just saying I'm just Nile dressing slaps. [00:54:58] Speaker H: Okay, how exactly do they hire new mates? Is there a recruitment process? [00:55:05] Speaker D: I mean, we can certainly forge you a recommendation, I think if you show up with a recommendation and a willingness to work. [00:55:18] Speaker H: I am terrified of this plan, but I am willing to do it for the sake of the group. I just really hate having to interact with. [00:55:25] Speaker B: With other people. [00:55:27] Speaker D: Well, once you're in, no one will talk to you or look at you, so. [00:55:30] Speaker H: Oh, that's perfect then. [00:55:32] Speaker D: I suppose the other maids might. [00:55:35] Speaker B: Yeah, but your Nile's not going to be allowed to cook. That's going to. They're going to. They're going to. They're going to, you know, do something incredibly faux pas and try to cook and. Oh, no, I won't cook. [00:55:48] Speaker H: God in the skies. I can contain myself for a approximately 30 minutes, which is all I'll need. [00:55:53] Speaker E: That was schism, actually. [00:55:56] Speaker H: Shut up. [00:55:56] Speaker C: Schism. [00:55:59] Speaker H: But our two ideas are sewing discord amongst a factory in order to make it a target or to target the root source. And I dress up as a maid. One of these seems a lot more rational than the other. And one of them seems a lot more fan service oriented than the other. [00:56:17] Speaker D: I agree. Targeting a factory is such fan service. [00:56:21] Speaker B: Incredibly. Well. [00:56:27] Speaker H: I would have to be gone for probably a day or two on my own. How would I contact you in case something happens? I don't think I have messages to spell. [00:56:35] Speaker G: I do. [00:56:38] Speaker H: Oh, my God. I do have messages though. But it's 120ft, so I. Someone have to stay outside the house at all times. [00:56:43] Speaker G: At level five, it's 500ft. Oh, you would have to stay outside at all times. And I'm not certain about line of effect. I was trying to figure that out, actually, because I was thinking about waiting outside. [00:57:04] Speaker H: It just says targets one creature, so it doesn't say about, like, line of sight. I can just think about the rat and be like, rat message delivered. [00:57:16] Speaker D: We do also have that scarf. It only lasts for an hour, but it could get you and Alistair both inside. [00:57:28] Speaker H: You know, come inside. [00:57:30] Speaker D: Leith sort of pauses and smiles a little, little manically and says, actually, I have a great idea for a distraction. If you didn't want to pose as a mate, or if you needed a little more time for rummaging. [00:57:46] Speaker H: You scare me. What is it? [00:57:51] Speaker D: The patriarch of the Scabin family recently died and they have a new leader. For all we know, he did the same thing I did at that Harvest ball. Maybe he wants to chat. We were meant to be in laws. You know. [00:58:15] Speaker H: I can never say this enough, but you scare me. That is brilliant. [00:58:20] Speaker G: That is really awesome. A question for the dm because I can't remember who all saw me when I broke into the Scriabin's place. [00:58:32] Speaker B: A bunch of guards and, you know, a bunch of the. The house guards and stuff. Probably the scriab that you would have seen the Scrabbas themselves because they would have shown. Well, actually, you were unconscious, so you don't know beyond the house guards, but. [00:58:51] Speaker D: You can just call them racist, say you're a different mouse. [00:58:55] Speaker H: I don't think they care if they're racist or not. I'm gonna be so real with you. All mice are now enemies. We love racism in this grabbin house. I guess we're just doing. I guess we're doing Nile in a dress as our plot point. All right, where are we going to get a maid dress at this point in time? [00:59:19] Speaker B: Anywhere. [00:59:20] Speaker H: Do I look like someone that knows where to get maid dresses? [00:59:24] Speaker F: Yes. [00:59:24] Speaker G: Yes. [00:59:26] Speaker H: I'm rolling a D20 to see if I know where to get maid dresses. [00:59:30] Speaker C: This is. I'm gonna vocally say it now. This is hilarious. This is so fun. [00:59:36] Speaker H: What skill check is knowing where to get a maid dress? Aubrey? [00:59:40] Speaker D: Society. [00:59:41] Speaker C: Okay. [00:59:42] Speaker H: I hope I don't roll good on this because I feel really bad. I have a good skill society, which makes it worse. I got a 30 for knowing where to get a maid dress. I'm going to shoot myself in the foot. [00:59:55] Speaker F: Nile's done this before. [00:59:57] Speaker B: Do I have a. [00:59:58] Speaker H: Do I have a hookup? Aubrey, Do I have a maid dress ready? Do I have someone. [01:00:02] Speaker B: You don't have one ready. You know that things like that are generally sold at places in the Darklight Bazaar. There are, and it's not like a maid dress specifically. And each house will sometimes usually have different things they require from their housekeeping, different things they require them to wear. So you can get something incredibly basic, and then it will need to either be tailored or changed to fit what the house needs once you have the job. [01:00:35] Speaker H: Okay, so I guess we'll be going to the Darklight Bazaar to pick out a affordable maid dress, which I think everyone else is there too, right now. Are we sure we don't want to do any investigating while we're here? We came all this way. [01:00:49] Speaker B: You spent the silver piece. [01:00:51] Speaker H: We sent the silver piece. We may as well ask around. Maybe we could do both plans. So a little bit of discord and keep watch on this place and also prepare option B at the same time we did get here. You know, and Leith, you do have an excellent skill for lying. [01:01:09] Speaker D: This isn't quite my usual crowd, but. [01:01:16] Speaker H: I'm not. I worked a minimum wage job. Maybe I can help. Slightly above minimum wage. My boss tipped me well when I did. Good, but still minimal way to reverse. [01:01:30] Speaker D: I mean above cable. I'm fine helping gather gossip. I just don't know what. Or is this the sewing rumors? Are we gathering information? [01:01:38] Speaker H: Like, we could do a bit of both, but I was like, if we start setting up rumors now. [01:01:41] Speaker B: And like you, you've gathered quite a bit of gossip from calls. That's the thing, is there's not really more gossip to gather. [01:01:51] Speaker H: So the idea is we start our own gossip with blackjacks, hookers. And before I like, is everyone in the group okay with us splitting? Spreading the most heinous gossip at the screen before we. Before we do it? [01:02:01] Speaker F: Ruin them. Okay. [01:02:03] Speaker H: Getting a thumbs up from everyone. Got it. [01:02:05] Speaker G: I am all for this. [01:02:06] Speaker H: Okay, party vibe check before we do this because this will impact everyone significantly. [01:02:13] Speaker B: Only if they trace it back to you. [01:02:15] Speaker H: Yeah, yeah. You know, hypothetically. So I don't want gray everyone to be like, what did you guys do? And then just like kicked out. I was like, what did you guys do? [01:02:25] Speaker C: Listen, listen. I just want you to tell her about the maid plan. That's all I. That is all I request out of this. [01:02:32] Speaker F: Oh, don't worry, I will. [01:02:34] Speaker H: But I guess we're doing both plans like a two pronged attack. Simply because maybe I shouldn't be there spreading rumors then. Maybe because I'm going to be applying for the maid service. If they track my face to it, then it would be a bad idea. [01:02:48] Speaker G: I'm already known to them. So if I'm spreading rumors, though, maybe if while you're buying the maid dress, could you pick up some like, temporary fur color? You know, like that. [01:03:05] Speaker C: We have the scarfs. We have the scarf. [01:03:08] Speaker H: Well, you're buying a matrix. Can you pick up some fur dye as well? Sentences that need to be pinned. [01:03:14] Speaker C: Guys, we have the scarf. Just use the scarf while you. [01:03:17] Speaker D: It only lasts for an hour though. [01:03:19] Speaker C: I only need to sew hours. Rumor. [01:03:22] Speaker F: How long give you a disguise? [01:03:24] Speaker C: Doing an eight hour shift. Talking. [01:03:26] Speaker H: But we're over here. Let's spend. Why don't you guys spend an hour talking and I'll just kind of wait in the corner sipping my. Sipping my little beverage. I don't want to be. [01:03:36] Speaker G: Are we agreed that we're talking at like one specific place? [01:03:43] Speaker B: I. I will say it's better to talk at One of the taverns than act one of the actual factories. Because the thing is, there are a small contingent of people working at the factories, but the factories are mostly run by automatons. [01:03:57] Speaker H: Okay. Shit. Talking at tavern time. Go. [01:04:01] Speaker B: Yeah, you. You will get better bang for your buck. You should. Talking at a tavern. [01:04:06] Speaker H: We're banging them anyways. Yeah, I totally agree. You guys should talk at a tavern. I will sit at a table away from you guys and have a little sippy of milk. [01:04:22] Speaker B: All right, give me that roll to sew rumors. [01:04:28] Speaker G: Can I use conspiracy lore? [01:04:31] Speaker E: Sure. [01:04:34] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:04:34] Speaker H: Technically, this is a conspiracy at this point. [01:04:38] Speaker D: Is this society? [01:04:43] Speaker B: Yes, I believe so. [01:04:46] Speaker D: A 27. [01:04:51] Speaker B: 27. Was that a 6? [01:04:56] Speaker G: You know what? I'm gonna re roll that with a hero point because I bet I could do so much better than rolling a six. And then I rolled a six again. So an 18 roll lower than a six. [01:05:18] Speaker B: This is true. I'm going to ask each of you to give me one rumor that you spread. And based on how successful your roles were, it may or may not spread. [01:05:33] Speaker D: You should go first so I can think of a rumor. I gotta calibrate my mind to the pores. [01:05:45] Speaker G: Yeah. So the Scriab are attempting. Attempting to take our jobs by raising up what's something that's worth a six. Raising up a 18. Yeah, but it's. It's not my best groomer. [01:06:11] Speaker B: Okay. They're. [01:06:18] Speaker G: They're. Okay, there it is. They want to get rid of the Clockwork Union by raising up an army of artificially intelligent automatons. And the ones that have been going haywire are their failed experiments. [01:06:47] Speaker D: You said you were doing bad rumors. That's such a good rumor. Does anyone have any good rumor ideas? My brain is empty. [01:07:03] Speaker H: I mean, you could just spread the rumor that SC are trying to disappear. Span the union. That. That probably would scare them. [01:07:09] Speaker D: Is that not already known? [01:07:11] Speaker B: It is. That is. That is a rumor that is already going around. [01:07:14] Speaker H: Oh, it's a rumor already. [01:07:15] Speaker E: Okay, consider One of the S.C. albins is trying to marry into a really poor family so they could get the poor family's reputation higher. And to ruin someone else's reputation. So it's actually the SC Alin. Maybe. Maybe Discreeabin is impersonating of the lair. [01:07:38] Speaker F: Knew that's where that was going. [01:07:41] Speaker E: Maybe there's a fake marriage going around. [01:07:44] Speaker B: Another one. [01:07:47] Speaker C: Like your third fake marriage. You gotta stop, bro. [01:07:53] Speaker B: At this point. [01:07:58] Speaker C: You could do so. It's already known that the Scriabens are trying to union bust. But you could Say that they plan to sell the factories after they get full hold of them and that does not include the contracted workers. [01:08:14] Speaker D: Yeah, I like that. That is what my rumor is. [01:08:18] Speaker C: Because Aki knows how to union bus. [01:08:20] Speaker I: Not. [01:08:21] Speaker D: I don't like that anti vaxxer union buster Aki. [01:08:25] Speaker H: Yeah, I think we should deplatform her. [01:08:29] Speaker C: Oh, why? Because I'm an Asian woman? [01:08:31] Speaker H: Yeah. [01:08:32] Speaker C: During Women's History Month. This coming from a white Italian. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [01:08:40] Speaker F: Oh, I mean, it isn't. It is in America. I don't know if that's true anywhere else. [01:08:47] Speaker E: Canadians don't get rights. You're right. [01:08:49] Speaker F: That's true. That's true. [01:08:50] Speaker C: Well, I mean, that's actively what you guys are trying to do right now. [01:08:53] Speaker E: So don't say you guys. It's. [01:08:56] Speaker C: I will. Americans. I will. [01:08:59] Speaker B: I'm Mexican in America. [01:09:06] Speaker D: Well, I thought you were gay. [01:09:09] Speaker C: Look at all these things that Dusty lied about. [01:09:12] Speaker B: Moving on. Yeah, you all spread these rumors and then you're gonna head back over to Dark Light, right? To go mid dress shopping. [01:09:27] Speaker H: Yeah, I guess I'm dress shopping. [01:09:30] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, you're crossing the bridge again, so that's another silver piece. [01:09:34] Speaker H: God, I'm gonna spend all my silver pieces at this point. [01:09:41] Speaker B: Yeah, no, you're. You're going to do that. And then we'll jump back to the other group as you all decide to head towards the circus. It is currently being guarded and blocked off by the Holy Blood. Just letting you all know. So if you want to get in, you're going to need to make some stealth checks. [01:10:08] Speaker C: I have lengthy diversion. Could I do that instead? [01:10:15] Speaker B: Depending on what your diversion is, you may not be able to go in with the cousins. [01:10:24] Speaker E: Could cause a diversion and you two could go in. [01:10:27] Speaker F: I was just gonna disguise myself. [01:10:30] Speaker E: Yeah, I'm not Dystophine. We know this. [01:10:34] Speaker F: I haven't given out my talismans yet. [01:10:37] Speaker B: Today. [01:10:37] Speaker F: I could make two disguise talismans right here. And we could all just be Holy Blood members and walk. Maybe attempt to walk in. [01:10:47] Speaker C: Lorelei's with us. So I was gonna say though, that bitch is really good at stealth. I need you to know that I am not trained in stealth. [01:10:57] Speaker E: Yeah, but you're like. You're like a snake. [01:11:01] Speaker C: I'm a snake with plus four to stealth. Yeah, exactly. [01:11:06] Speaker E: Yeah. [01:11:06] Speaker I: Yes. [01:11:06] Speaker H: Nicks aren't stealthy. [01:11:07] Speaker C: I'm sorry, I. I'm just have a good deck. So that's why I'm suggesting lengthy diversion for me. But like, that's just because I'm actually trained in deception. [01:11:16] Speaker F: I mean, that's why potentially. I was gonna say we should definitely be disguised. [01:11:20] Speaker B: If you're disguised, you'll be rolling deception to get in. [01:11:23] Speaker C: Oh, okay. [01:11:23] Speaker F: Okay. Yeah, because I have my shadowy disguise and then I haven't used any of my talismans today. [01:11:29] Speaker E: I'm also trained in deception, apparently. No, that makes sense. It's not apparently. That makes sense. [01:11:38] Speaker F: So I'm gonna find. Well, for the, the talismans, those are easy because it's just a. Any disguise. So it's just some general. Just general, like holy blood looks. And then the shadowy disguise. She's gonna, like, try to find someone who doesn't look like they'll be noticed and then steal their face. Mechanically, I don't think it matters, but the way I've set it up narratively, she keeps using other people's faces. So, yeah, now we look like holy blood numbers go. Whatever holy blood member I found has to be about the same height as me. I think there's only a 6 inch difference I can do. [01:12:23] Speaker B: Well, you know, you can easily do that and give me deception rolls to sneak into the circus and. Or I will find her own way in. [01:12:35] Speaker I: Okie. Doie. [01:12:37] Speaker C: 30. 20. [01:12:41] Speaker E: I use the hero point, which is going to bring it up to a 19. [01:12:46] Speaker A: 21. [01:12:48] Speaker B: 21. So as you all do, this just sort of. Lorelei just sort of vanishes into the shadows as the three of you take on faces that are not your own and just walk in like you're supposed to be here. Probably one of you says something about taking over watch. For who? The people on duty. And, you know, you just seem to be so very sure of yourselves that the, the three people guarding the entrance don't think anything of it and decide, yeah, no, now is a great time to take a break. And they move on, leaving you with the circus fairgrounds. [01:13:34] Speaker C: We're. We're on. We're on circus grounds. [01:13:37] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:13:39] Speaker C: So it's been a hot minute since we did anything with the circus. Can you please remind me what happened? I know that they're missing, but, like. [01:13:48] Speaker B: I feel like some of them have been confirmed as being confined. [01:13:54] Speaker E: Like they got stolen through a mirror, right? [01:13:58] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, someone got murdered through a mirror. [01:14:01] Speaker F: Same difference. [01:14:02] Speaker C: Yeah, very different difference. [01:14:05] Speaker B: Someone came out of a mirror and murdered. Yes, somebody came through the person who murdered. [01:14:12] Speaker F: Oh, sorry, never mind. [01:14:12] Speaker B: You're literally about to go. Somebody who came during the middle of their last performance. Someone came through one of the mirrors and murdered the performer in front of the entire crowd. Then they vanished. And then the holy Blood and the coin guard locked the place down as they were trying to figure out what happened and stop it from happening again. And they just for the last few weeks haven't lifted this quarantine or whatever. But you did learn that a lot of the there anybody who's still here is being confined to their quarters and is not allowed to leave. [01:14:59] Speaker I: A reminder as we I assume talk to people is that we look if we take off the disguises we cannot put them back on. So just bear that in mind for exiting and if that causes problems going conversing with people. But otherwise I thought perhaps maybe going to the crime scene scene at least that is what they do in the detected novels and that seems like what Alistair would do. So I thought crime scene first and then talk to people. [01:15:43] Speaker E: You think that's a good plan? [01:15:47] Speaker B: So it's relatively easy to know where the crime scene was because it's the big top, the. The large circus tent with its, you know, star motif on this red background. You pull open and walk in and the ring itself is in disarray. You see benches flipped over. In the center lies a shattered mirror surrounded by long dried blood. The body itself is no longer here, but you see various accoutrements of this person's act laying around and any lights or anything haven't been maintained in a while. So it's dark in here. I believe you all have enough darkvision to see without a problem. And yeah, you're sort of left with this. The shattered mirror, the accoutrements, the performance and a lot of very dried blood. [01:16:58] Speaker I: I would like to pull out my little pendant to sense magic. [01:17:06] Speaker B: Yeah, that mirror, without a doubt. [01:17:11] Speaker I: It'S still magical. [01:17:14] Speaker B: It still has traces of magic. [01:17:19] Speaker I: Hold on, let me see what else this silly little thing gives me. [01:17:30] Speaker F: No. [01:17:31] Speaker I: Okay. It's very straightforward. [01:17:34] Speaker F: Is there magic? Is there magic? [01:17:37] Speaker B: The answer is yes, there is magic. Magic is yes. [01:17:40] Speaker I: Okay. [01:17:43] Speaker F: That doesn't seem worth mentioning. [01:17:46] Speaker E: Could I do a monster lore check? See if there is anything that I know would attack from mirrors or something. [01:17:54] Speaker B: Sure. Yeah. Give me a. Give me a monster. Lord. [01:17:59] Speaker E: We have another hero point here. Yeah, going long enough. Come on dice. Come on, dice. This is the cousin's dice too. Maybe that's why. [01:18:19] Speaker B: A nine. [01:18:20] Speaker E: A nine total. [01:18:22] Speaker B: A nine. [01:18:26] Speaker E: It's there in that one. [01:18:28] Speaker B: There are too many things that could attack through mirrors that especially with as little information as you have, you cannot narrow it down. [01:18:40] Speaker E: Okay, okay, here. He's looking at it like Miles Morales looking at Peter Parker. [01:18:48] Speaker C: I. I don't know where Lorelei currently is but I know that she sneaked in so I'm no one else but us is here so I'll just be like look laurai yes oh okay it. [01:19:09] Speaker B: Just materializes from shadow because she got a nat 20 incredible for a 30. [01:19:17] Speaker C: Don't do that to me Lori. I'm. I have an advanced age Grave wing says who is like four years younger than her don't do that to me. I'm gonna be so real with you. You know anything about this? You're the bloody blades. You would at least know assassin stuff. [01:19:44] Speaker B: If it was assassins they strange target you know the circus not a lot of money here. Yeah my. My people used to come to the shows all the time it's cheap fun entertainment good for a night to good to impress a date same I bring. [01:20:08] Speaker C: My kids here but. [01:20:11] Speaker B: Yeah possibility could be an assassin be very powerful assassin to attack through a mirror. [01:20:21] Speaker I: The mirror was part of the act. [01:20:27] Speaker F: Are we able to tell if not. [01:20:30] Speaker I: We can just go talk to people but are we able to tell from. [01:20:32] Speaker F: Like the what's left here what the. [01:20:35] Speaker C: Act was actually straight up Do I even know what the act is that this is I've been here before. [01:20:43] Speaker B: Yeah yeah this. The. This person was. They were what was a little more than like a hedge made a mage they could do simple magic tricks and things like that with using illusion magic they would make. They would dance with their reflection you know using things like that using illusion magic using the mirror you know to. To steal images you know and manipulate them. [01:21:19] Speaker C: This act if I remember correctly was like illusion based could dance with a reflection and stuff. [01:21:34] Speaker I: I have. I mean there is. There is a branch of thurgy that does things along those lines but I don't know I'd never heard of that murdering the person because it's sort of the same anyway I don't think that's what it that could be what the person was but I don't think that's what killed the person. [01:22:03] Speaker C: Maybe we should just figure out who the person is see if there's you know like a reason like I don't know debt. [01:22:11] Speaker F: Is there a program on the floor abandoned by the the scary scared crowd? Yeah who on the program looks like they fit the bill? [01:22:26] Speaker B: Everyone on the program uses stage names. [01:22:30] Speaker I: Yeah and. [01:22:34] Speaker B: The the person who was performing was known as the Phantom. [01:22:45] Speaker I: Maybe it was a rival to circus people have rivals I. I would assume. [01:22:52] Speaker C: So it's a show I feel like that's a thing we could just ask around also. [01:23:04] Speaker B: Did you want any of you Want to do anything with the mirror? [01:23:07] Speaker C: I can't. I can't do anything with the mirror. Sadly, make it with. [01:23:18] Speaker I: I do want to make a bad. [01:23:19] Speaker F: Decision and maybe take a shard with me. [01:23:23] Speaker E: Oh, hey, could I do a curse check on the mirror? [01:23:26] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [01:23:27] Speaker F: We got curse lore. [01:23:28] Speaker E: Yeah. [01:23:30] Speaker F: Dang it. Slash. I got curse lore. I got esoteric lore. Do either of those apply? [01:23:38] Speaker E: I have curse lore. [01:23:42] Speaker B: Yeah, to both of those could apply. [01:23:48] Speaker E: It's very funny that the cousin's dice rolled better on this. That is. [01:23:52] Speaker F: It's hero point time. [01:23:54] Speaker E: 23. 16 plus 7. 23. [01:23:59] Speaker F: Well, technically is a 13, but it is a natural one that I spent a whole hero point to get. Yeah, I could spend another one. [01:24:11] Speaker I: I won't. [01:24:14] Speaker B: So the two of you go over to investigate the mirror. And, you know, as you're doing this, we'll start with you, Lou. As you're looking over this mirror, these broken shards of this mirror. At first, you know, you just think it's a trick of the light. As you're looking down into this mirror, you see your own kind of broken reflection, because, again, it is a broken mirror. But it. That can't be you. Your eyes are all glassy and white, and on your head is a wrapped. Biting into your skin is a crown of thorns. And, Yuri, you see that in that moment, there is a being known as the lady of Thorns, who is known to, through her magic, travel through mirrors and steal faces. [01:25:39] Speaker E: I'm going to slap that mirror out. [01:25:41] Speaker B: Of Lou's hands so fast as this happens. And you do, the mirror hits the ground, and you watch as a hand comes up through the mirror, this weird, twisted reflection of your cousin. [01:26:05] Speaker E: Okay, this is the lady of Thorn stealing faces. Stop. Go back. [01:26:11] Speaker C: Cousins are doing that. The mothers are standing, like, in the corner, staring at each other like, oh, my God. And plan for this. [01:26:27] Speaker I: What the. [01:26:29] Speaker C: Like, I could see them mumbling, like, oh, my God. Just in the corner. Like, we have a motive now back, you fiend. So we're gonna fight it. [01:26:44] Speaker F: Does it look like me? [01:26:46] Speaker B: Yes, you will be fighting it, unfortunately. Lose NAT1. [01:26:55] Speaker F: Am I getting kidnapped? [01:26:57] Speaker B: It's again. Try as a hand will reach out and grab at you, Lou, give me a reflex save. [01:27:12] Speaker F: Actually, I don't care. I. I kind of want this to go badly. What we get? What we get? What we get. Ooh, that's not a good number. Reflex save. So I rolled a six, but that does give me a 17. [01:27:28] Speaker B: A 17. So let's see. Yeah, you are managing to hold on just barely. It really Helps that there isn't a full clear surface for her to pull you in with the shattered mirror, but she's got a grip on you. [01:27:53] Speaker E: I would like to take out the all for one axe and chomp at this hand. [01:27:59] Speaker B: Yeah. Give me an attack roll. [01:28:05] Speaker E: Let's see. That is going to be a 24. [01:28:08] Speaker B: 24. Yeah. No roll damage. [01:28:13] Speaker E: The eight I have inflicted world combat dice in so long. [01:28:19] Speaker I: Thanks. [01:28:20] Speaker E: Nice. Thanks. 7 plus 3 plus 3. 13 slashing damage. [01:28:34] Speaker B: 13 slashing damage. Yeah, you're it goes through and severs the hand and the hand itself when it is severed from the body, turns into liquid quicksilver as it melts into the ground. And yeah, you, for the time being, have saved Lou from a horrible fate due to the lady of Thorns. But now the lady of Thorns knows what Lou looks like. And hell yeah, we'll figure out what that means next time. Now take you take a step. [01:29:23] Speaker F: Thank God. [01:29:24] Speaker H: I was eating my sandwich and I was like, okay, thank you everyone for listening to this episode. Actually, to the ending this time. If you like what we do here, feel free. Follow us on Blue sky, on Instagram, on Patreon, nudge, nudge, wink, wink. If we get enough votes, I'll post the terrible picture of my sandwich onto the Patreon. Give us. Stop shaking your heads. Jesus. [01:29:43] Speaker F: No one here likes eating your sandwiches. [01:29:47] Speaker H: Give us some positive reviews so we can keep making the content that you like. Even though we'll continue to make it anyways. But like, you can give us 5 star reviews anyways as a treat, you know, as a treat. And remember, kids, stay safe. Cannibalism is fun, but also, don't assume that an episode is done early and then go make a sandwich and feel sad about it. [01:30:04] Speaker A: I've been dreaming I cannot find meaning. Hold my hand Let me stay by your side through this never ending night. I can feel it now it holds me. All these demons, how they surround me in this room and night. Because me he is reaching out, consuming. [01:30:52] Speaker H: One. [01:31:44] Speaker B: The. [01:31:47] Speaker A: Dream. [01:32:10] Speaker B: Sa.