Realis 22: The Death Procession Pt. 4 Transcriber: mees____ Recap 1 Session continues in the Hollow [00:04:30] 4 Jud’s sidequest [00:11:27] 11 The rest of the party [00:26:24] 21 Jud rejoins the party [00:35:45] 26 End of session [00:57:42] 43 Recap Austin: Realis is a science fiction and dark fantasy series that contains discussion of violence, injury, slavery, cannibalism, and disease. This campaign never depicts sexual violence, always shows you where the sword goes, but never what it does, and always errs on the side of maximalism. [“Sapryc” by Jack de Quidt begins playing] Austin (as Mirador): It’s the Death Procession. Weird zealots from the church. They hate people like me who know a little bit too much. Jack (as Jud): They hate you specifically. None of this “people like you” bullshit. Austin (as Mirador): A lot of people hate me specifically. [Sylvia giggles] Jack (as Jud): Why do they hate you specifically? Austin (as Mirador): I’m a little hateable. I… They know that I’m after something that they would like me not to have and that they would like to have themselves! They’re power-hungry zealots. You know the type. Jack (as Jud): Well, so why don’t they just go for it themselves? Why are they… Austin (as Mirador): ‘Cause they need me to get it. I’m the one who knows where it is. - Austin (as Mirador): They were coming for me. You could be off on some other moon. Jack (as Jud): Yeah, and we are— Darcy (as Flemming): Yeah. And as you so eloquently pointed out, you’re paying us, so they will come for us again. Austin (as Mirador): No! This is what I’m saying. You finish this job for me, you get to go live your life. Or if I die, you get to go live your life. But if you know where I’m going, I could die and they’d still come after you. They know I know. They’ll know if you know. Jack (as Jud): Will they? Austin (as Mirador): Tell me how you think our world works. If you know the words, they’ll know. - Austin (as the Death Procession): Stop where you are. We come with an offer. You could live forever with us. Austin: And “the Death Procession always offers the gift of undeath to the willing.” Sylvi: Gaje I don’t think even verbally replies to them. Like, why would I trust that? They took my hand. Indirectly, but that’s how he’s thinking about it. Just like spits on the floor in front of them and then blasts the hole in the ground to disappear. - Janine (as Sacea): Jud, are you going to run off again? Darcy (as Flemming): I was going to pull him aside and ask, but you just said it. Janine (as Sacea): I can hear some gears turning, and it sounds like those gears might lead you to run off again. And if that’s going to happen, or if you think it could happen, just give us a heads up. Okay, kid? Jack (as Jud): Sacea, can I have a word? Austin (as Mirador): Oh, my God! Janine (as Sacea): You can have as many words as you want. What do you—what’s up? Jack (as Jud): Come over here. Come over here. Janine (as Sacea): Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Jack (as Jud): Sacea, can you do scrying? Janine (as Sacea): [sly] Why are you asking, Jud? Jack (as Jud): [like a little goblin] Treasure!!! - Austin: There are treasures here, gems and jewels and coins. But you know that in some ways the juiciest treasure is the stuff inside the sarcophagi. [“Sapryc” by Jack de Quidt ends] Austin: Everybody else making your way through the dungeon, so to speak. I think Mirador at this point, Sacea, when you come back, just goes, Austin (as Mirador): He ran off, didn’t he? [Jack chuckles] Janine (as Sacea): Yeah, but we can get him back pretty easily when we need to. He’s got a few breaths left. Austin (as Mirador): Well, that sounds dire. Janine (as Sacea): It’s not. Austin (as Mirador): Trusted you this far. [Darcy chuckles] Austin: And I think in the distance, you can hear the door of this place slamming open as your pursuers have arrived. Session continues in the Hollow [00:04:30] Austin: They are a few minutes behind you at this point, but they are moving closer. What do you do? Sylvia: Does anybody have anything other than me pulling a gun out? [chuckles] Darcy: I mean it sounds pretty good. Sylvia: I mean I’m—because Jud’s not here I’m probably not gonna fire anything until I see what it is, [cross] you know. Austin: [cross] Mm, mm-hm. Darcy: [cross] Sure. Sylvia: So I’m probably holding off on it. For now at least, but… Jack: You could lure ‘em into a trap. [pause] Sylvia: Yeah…! [cross] I mean we— Darcy: [cross] [with excitement] Hmm! Austin: [cross] That’s fun. Sylvia: I feel like… I feel like the two of you, Sacea and Flemming, both have various ways to do tricksy things to lure them into the gun trap. Darcy: [chuckling] The gun trap. Sylvia: If that’s what we’re doing! [cross] We could do other traps, too, you know. Darcy: [cross] Sure. Austin: That’s fun. Darcy: [cross] Mm-hm. Jack: [cross] [chuckling quietly] The gun trap… Austin: What’s the—so is this the thing you talk through? This idea? Sylvia: Um… Austin: Let’s try to stay in character on it, if so. Darcy: [cross] Sure. Sylvia: [cross] Yeah, I might turn to the two of you and just be like, Sylvia (as Gaje): Can you distract them? Whatever’s behind us? Darcy (as Flemming): [sighs] Austin: Whatever’s behind us says, Austin (as the Death Procession): [creepily] Mirador… It’s better you come face us. Austin: Echoing through the halls. Darcy: Mm. Sylvia: I’m making sure by the way that I’m standing between Mirador and further down the hallway where this voice is coming from. [Austin: Yeah. Yep.] Jack: [cross] Shout out to Gaje. Austin: [cross] And there’s some turns and twists and stuff coming. Jud, you definitely also heard that in the distance, just so we’re all on the same page, but. [Darcy: Mm-hm.] Sorry, Flemming, you were going to say something back. Darcy (as Flemming): Hmm. Janine (as Sacea): Got any fun tricks in those books of yours, Flemming? Darcy (as Flemming): [sighs] They’re not tricks. It’s academics. Janine (as Sacea): You don’t— [cross] There’s not even a chapter called “tricks”? Sylvia: [cross] [chuckles] It’s illusions! [Austin chuckles]. Janine (as Sacea): What’s the point?! Darcy (as Flemming): [sighs] Okay, fine! Meriador, come here. Austin (as Mirador): [grunts] I’m not—you can’t just order me around! Darcy (as Flemming): [sternly] Meriador… Austin: Mirador. Sylvia: [chuckles] Zalzabar. Austin: [cross] Zalzabar. [chuckles] Janine: [cross] [chuckling] Meriador. Darcy: Yeah. [mumbling] Merbeder. Austin: Merbedub. [chuckles] Austin (as Mirador): What do you want? Darcy (as Flemming): Will you just come here? Austin (as Mirador): Yeah, well, I’m here! Okay! Austin: Stomp stomp stomp. Austin (as Mirador): I’m here. Darcy (as Flemming): Okay. Hold still. Austin (as Mirador): What are you doing to me, wait a second! Darcy (as Flemming): Hold still! Austin (as Mirador): [begins to protest] Darcy: I put my hand on his forehead. Austin: It’s running— [chuckles] he’s running a little warm. Darcy and Jack: [chuckle] Austin: He might be coming down with a fever, it’s hard to say. Darcy (as Flemming): You should sleep better. [cross] Not right now. Jack: [cross] First signs of the Bile… Austin: Of the Bile! Darcy: Yeah. Um… There’s a lot of, like, stone and rubble and stuff here, right? Austin: Yeah! Darcy: Okay. I want to… basically transform a pile of rocks into a statue of Mirador. Austin: Oh that’s fun. As like a… [Darcy: Mm-hm.] A dummy, as a decoy. [Darcy: Yeah.] Jack: Oh, god, I also thought you were going to go fully Prop Hunt mode and transform Mirador [cross] [chuckling] into a pile of rocks. Darcy and Austin: [cross] [laugh] Sylvia: [cross] Wow, we are playing Dark Souls! Austin and Jack: [cross] Yeah! Darcy: No, my other fucked up idea was that I would make all of us look like Mirador, but… Austin: Hmm. Jack: [cross] Ohh! Darcy: [cross] I don’t think that would be as good. Sylvia: [cross] That’s also very funny. Austin: [cross] That’s very funny, though. Yeah. Darcy: [cross] We can do that—we can do that later if we need a [mimics a warping sound] woopwoopwoop kind of escape, yeah. Austin: [cross] Save that for later. Yeah. For sure. For sure. So yeah, is this—are you using a Sentence towards an intent? Darcy: [somewhat hesitantly] Yeah…! [cross] Let’s see. Austin: [cross] What are you trying to achieve here? Darcy: Are you saying what are you trying to achieve [cross] or what Sentence am I using? Austin: [cross] Yeah. What’s your intent? [Darcy: Okay.] ‘Cause I’m imagining—let’s talk about your Sentence after, [Darcy: Yeah.] but what is your intent here? Darcy: Yeah, my intent is to create a magical illusion to… even just, like, buy us an extra minute of space. Austin: Yeah! That makes sense. Uh! Yeah, I think that’s fine. No one’s opposing you on this, there’s nothing here that directly opposes you. So you totally are able to make this rubble—what Sentence are you using? ‘Cause I know you have some that do it, but let’s color it a little. Darcy: Sure! “I always carry my hand-curated book of grand spells.” Austin: Yeah, that makes sense. And yeah, tell me what this looks like! What does making a decoy Mirador of stone look like to everybody? Darcy: Um… I think there is a… I guess it’s a white light, but there’s a light that kind of transfers from Mirador’s forehead through my hand, down through my body, and it snakes across the floor to a pile of rocks and the rocks just kind of start stacking and shaping on top of each other. Darcy (as Flemming): Mirador, can you say in your most pathetic voice “I surrender, please don’t hurt me”? Austin (as Mirador): [pathetically] I surrender! Please don’t hurt me… Darcy (as Flemmming): Perfect. Sylvia: Gaje is smiling for the first time in days. Darcy and Jack: [chuckle] Austin: [chuckling] Fully— [chuckling] And then taps their head three times, like I get it! I get what you’re doing! Darcy: Mm-hm. And yeah, then that also starts to come out of the statue. Austin: Yeah, uh-huh. [chuckles] Darcy: It probably—it sounds fucked up at first, right. [Austin: Yeah.] It’s “I sur-e-n-de-er,” but as the rocks come together it comes. Austin: [cross] One of those rocks— Sylvia: [cross] I love that… Austin: One of those rocks from Dark Souls that you can drop, that goes [low and slow] “hello!” [chuckles] [Darcy laughs] Except it’s [cross] [low and slow] “I surrender!” Sylvia and Jack: [cross] [low and slow] “I surrender!” [Sylvia laughs] Austin: [low and slow] “Please don’t hurt me!” Darcy: [cross] Yeah, I’d need one of those whenever I get invaded. Sylvia: [cross] [chuckling] Oh Yogi Bear’s back! Austin: [cross] [chuckling] Yogi Bear is back! Jack: [laughs] Sylvia: [cross] Oh, the Scrundle stones! Darcy: [cross] [Yogi Bear voice] You have pic-a-nic basket! Austin: [cross] The Scrundle stones, exactly! Yeah. [Darcy chuckles] Alright, leaving behind the stoned—hmm—[chuckling] the stoned Mirador… [Sylvia cackles] Dream blunt rotation… [Darcy and Jack laugh] Jack: [cross] Oh god… Austin: [cross] The stone decoy Mirador… Darcy: [cross] I don’t think so… Austin: Oh, he’d be great. [Darcy chuckles] Lots of great stories to tell. And maybe he’d actually say something about where you’re going if someone got him high. [Darcy: Hmm.] You— Sylvia: Guys, new goal! Austin: [chuckles] You make some distance. And… you then, you know, there’s enough time there where you hear them calling from behind you, out to the fake Mirador. You know, Austin (as the Death Procession): This better not be a trick, Mirador! Austin: You know? Darcy: [cackles] Austin: A hundred percent. [Jack chuckles] And meanwhile— Darcy (as the Death Procession, joking): You better not be owning me, Mirador! Austin: [laughing] Yeah! Sylvia (as the Death Procession, joking): Are you trolling me right now? Austin (as the Death Procession, joking): It would be a mistake to be griefing me! Jack and Sylvia: [laugh] Jack: The bell-ringing woman rings a sinister bell… Jud’s sidequest [00:11:27] Austin: Yes. Up in the burial chamber you are running out of breaths. You’re going to have to make some decisions about what you’re doing in this room. What are you doing in this room, Jud? Jack: [sighs and chuckles] Well, it’s one of these “one or the other” choices. [chuckles] Austin: Mm-hm! It is! Jack: It’s… It’s a flat sarcophagus [Austin: Yeah.] and then a tree. A sarcophagus of a tree, that would swing open at the foot of the flat sarcophagus. Austin: That’s correct. The flat sarcophagus is decorated like a king’s sarcophagus. Right. There’s a crown at the top, you know, engraved in the stone. You know, there’s… The leaves are surround—the inlay of the leaves or, again, the etchings of the leaves, are all around it in a way that’s like, this is a place of honor. Not that the tree isn’t beautiful and leafy and, you know, also clearly a place of respect and honor, but there is a—you get the impression that one of these is standing guard for the other, you know? And the one that’s standing is standing guard. Jack: Yes. Absolutely. But— Austin: But maybe there’s something cool in there! Jack: But… I’ve come here to take my ancestral power. To take my ancestral right. [chuckling] My cannibal right. Austin: Oh, sure, uhuh. Jack: So I’m gonna put my weight on—and my arm is a lot better because of the Chronoplasm, but it’s still not great. [Austin: Yeah. Yup.] So it is with some sort of wincing that I push at the flat top of the sarcophagus. Austin: [mimics sound of heavy stones moving] And it opens and there is a mummified corpse there, in finery. Of someone who could only be Vortigern Gothgeier.[1] Has the proper sigils, you know. Has the proper adornment. Jack: Oh, is the guy I saw? [cross] On the bed? [chuckles] On the bier? Austin: [cross] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hm. Jack: Does he have a visible treasure? Austin: His body…! You know! What are you looking for? Are you looking for a little knife? Are you looking for some bone marrow? What are you looking for? Jack: I don’t know what will happen if I eat him! [cross] My line is— Austin: [cross] Are you looking to search his body for something, is that what you’re looking to do? Jack: I mean, perhaps, yes. My first thought was like, does he have a sword clasped— [cross] is he clasping a sword to his chest, is he wearing a diadem? Austin: [cross] No, he’s not. He’s wearing—he’s wearing finery, he probably does have a crown or a diadem or some sort of similar thing like that. Yeah. He is, you know, I would say, this is—his arms are across him and in his right arm—in his right hand rather—he is carrying a book. And in his left hand he is carrying a… something else, what is it, like a dagger, a pen? What’s a cool thing for him to be carrying here? Jack: What do we know about him? He’s a conqueror. Austin: He’s a conqueror so I think it is a… You know, one of them is a book and one of them is a rolled up map. Jack: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Hmm… Is there anything in any of his inside pockets? Holding my breath. Austin: So you are going to start reaching in? Jack: [eagerly] Yeah! Austin: Alright. What are you doing to do this? This is uncertain. You’re searching a tomb. You’re searching an ancient, haunted tomb. Jack: I am searching an ancient, haunted tomb. Um… Austin: I guess I’ll just say—sorry. There is nothing in the pockets. Pockets are empty. You don’t need to—that’s not uncertain. You reach in the pockets, the pockets are empty. Jack: Okay! I am going to… upgrade the Sentence “I always protect those traveling with me” [Austin: Uhuh?] to Reality 1. [Austin: Uhuh...] Clear these boxes. And change it to “I always protect those traveling with me from the Death Procession.” Austin: Oh, interesting. Alright Kurapika. Jack: [chuckles] Darcy: [cross][chuckles] Sylvia: [cross][laughs] Oh no, Keith isn’t here with the Chain Bastard button! Austin: [cross] Uh-huh! [chuckles] Jack: [cross] Yeah, [mimics the guitar in Chain Bastard] dududu dududu. [chuckles] Darcy: [dramatically, like HxH’s narrator] Will Jud be able to protect his party? Austin, Jack and Sylvia: [laugh] Jack: I am going to… I am looking for something that is going to give me power. And that power, in this moment, is the power to protect my comrades. [Austin: Mm-hm.] From—I mean I saw what they did to Gaje’s—they did that to Gaje! Austin: Yeah, and that’s Gaje. Yeah. Alright! So you’re reaching to take something from this corpse. Jack: Yeah. Austin: Your hands—you know, you go to move or take the book or the map, or to move the hands so you can search better. And I am countering the Sentence with Vortigern Gothgeier’s “when on Suzerainty land, I always give a finger to summon a defender.” As one of his index fingers pops off into your hand. Darcy: Eww… Sylvia: Oh, he doesn’t flip the bird? Austin: [chuckling] He doesn’t flip the bird. [Darcy chuckles] He gives the finger—no, he gives a finger. And the front of the tree sarcophagus slowly opens. And then you hear the sound of a footstep… as the Knight of Cicatrix steps out. What do you do? Jack: [groans] Ohh… Austin: You know, you can turn and look at this person and I’ll describe them, but… Jack: Uhm…! Austin: But maybe you’re just, “I’m outa here,” [chuckles] I don’t know! Jack: Shit… Why—the name Cicatrix is familiar to me. [cross] Is it familiar from this— Austin: [cross] Yeah, because if you take a look at the map—there’s a couple of things here. One is, you can take a look at the map and see that there is [cross] the Straight of Cicatrix. Jack: [cross] Ah, we have the Straight of Cicatrix! Austin: For sure, for sure. And then maybe it’s—I may have brought it up already, I’m not sure if I brought it up previously, but… Jack: Mm, okay! Yeah! I’m gonna turn and look. And, you know, with my hand still, you know, reaching for… something in the sarcophagus, whether it is a mummified hand I’m reaching for, [Austin: Right, right. ] or a knife or a book or something [Austin: Yeah.]—it’s very much this, like, kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar of turning and looking at this knight. Austin: Yeah. Well, here’s a couple of things, one is you do have the finger now, which—that’s fun. Darcy: [curiously] Mm! Austin: We’ll wrap back around to that. Two is, I just want to note that your Sentence that you just realized is now countered. Jack: Yes! Austin: So let’s cross that out, it is—which means that this new Sentence from Vortigern Gothgeier is at least a +1 Sentence, [Jack: Yes.] at the very least, minimum. Then—I think you can probably guess it’s a +2, ‘cause “when on Suzerainty land I always give a finger to summon a defender,” it’s not “I summon a defender,” right. Jack: Yes. Austin: So let’s just say outright that’s a +2 Sentence, you know that that’s what that is. The Cicatrix Knight, the Knight of Cicatrix, is the figure that you saw briefly in the vision. It is a scarred—they are a scarred, physically scarred knight, whose skin actually looks a little like treebark underneath their armor. My description of them here is “Broken bark, living scar, one of the five infamous Knights Naturalis.” And they have turned and drawn a sword of… that looks like it’s a—the hilt looks like twisted bark and the blade moves with a sort of petal-like flexibility. But then when they raise it up, and have this sort of like deathly glare at you, the kind of flexible petal grows hard and sharp. Jack: And this is the person through whose eyes I saw Vortigern [cross] on the thing. Austin: [cross] Yes. Yeah. Jack: Which makes me think that we have another cannibal here. Austin: [chuckles weakly] Ah… Jack: Because… Austin: When you make eye-contact with them—and we will not zoom in too far here—you remember biting into them. You recognize some of their scars, you gave them those scars. And you consider for the first time that perhaps the Cult of Internitas was not always about eating dead people. Though this is obviously a very different situation, this is not—this knight seems here to protect Gothgeier, who nevertheless had memories of eating them. An ancient version of this cult where the entire premise of it being a sort of, you know, one way up hierarchical thing is instead a sort of strange partnership? Of flesh sharing? Who could say! Jack: Woah, we have anarcho-communist cannibals?! Austin: We got anarcho-communist cannibals baby! [Sylvia chuckles quietly] Jack: [cross] Oh god… Austin: [cross] [chuckling] Who else is doing it like us! Jack and Sylvia: [laugh] Jack: And! The thing that, you know, these other people out here would have made the fact that they were anarcho-communists cannibals their whole deal—this is a footnote! Austin: Yeah, this is nothing, this is a little side thing. And you know they’re not really anarcho-communists because we know that this guy is like a vaguely Arthurian, you know, hero. Jack: [cross] Oh that’s true, they are… Yeah. Austin: [cross] The quote unquote hero. There is like a sort of, came here and conquered the wilds. But their relationship is this sort of, you know, psychosexual erotic cannibal sharing, instead of a psychosexual erotic cannibal competition. [cross] Right, it’s a different sort of… yeah. Jack: [cross] Right, right, right. Yes, absolutely. We are no longer in The Hills Have Eyes and instead we’re in Julia Ducournau’s Raw, [cross] the film about people eating each other. Austin: [cross] [chuckles] Right, exactly. Someone go write this paper, please. Jack: Okay! So the first thing I’m going to do is— Janine: I just want to quickly— Jack: Oh, yeah? Janine: You’re gonna run out of breaths at some point. Jack: [cross] Sure am! Austin: [cross] Yep! Janine: [cross] And I want you to know that something will happen when that happens. Jack: [cross] [chuckling] Sure am, I’m very— Janine: [cross] Or something will try to happen when that happens. And I wanna—I don’t wanna— Austin: [cross] Oh, especially now [chuckling] that you’ve been taking more breaths. Janine: I don’t want to prematurely trigger that, I want you to be able to trigger that, [cross] when you think it’s the moment for something to happen, but yes. Austin: [cross] Mm-hm! Mm-hm. Jack: [cross] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Oh yeah… Okay, so the first thing I’m gonna do is drop my hand to my side, with Vortigern’s finger in it. [Austin: Mm-hm!] And… I’m gonna say to the Knight of Cicatrix, Jack (as Jud): Stay your sword! We are kin! Austin: And it holds! Jack (as Jud): We share the blood! Austin (as the Knight of Cicatrix): [solemnly ] I have not sharen— Austin: “Sharen?” “Sharen,” [chuckles] I’m keeping it. Austin (as the Knight of Cicatrix): I have not shared of yours… Austin: And takes a single step forward. Darcy: [like “Uh-oh!”] Mm-mm! Jack: Oh my god…! Do I have a little knife? Do I—I mean, I have a weapon right? Austin: [like “I don’t know!”] Mm-mm! Jack: I must do! [cross] I wouldn’t—I don’t have a thing in my inventory, but— Austin: [cross] You have a little knife, you got a little—yeah, but it’s not really a—yeah, uh-huh. I mean, you—we— [chuckles knowingly] [cross] You— [chuckles again] Jack: [cross] [knowingly] Yeah, Austin? Austin: What’s your Ephemera? Jack: Yeah. But I need—you know, cutlery is not a one piece of flatware type situation here! I have a piece of Ephemera called—let me just pull this up—“When I prepare a meal of my own flesh using the Spoon of the Exhalate, any who eat are always unable to die until their next meal.” This is exactly what I’m thinking of. I am gonna offer up some of myself to—as proof that we are kin. Especially if the Knight of Cicatrix, the Cicatrix Knight, comes from this previous cannibal ideology. [Austin: Yeah!] Janine: Hey, I have a question. Is an undead person ever gonna eat again? Jack: This is great question. [Austin sighs] I have a lot of sort of ‘metaphysics of cannibalism’ questions around Jud. [Austin: Yeah!][Janine: Uh-huh… Hmm…] And I’m gonna try and answer some of them with this mummified finger later, [Janine: Mm-hm…] [Austin: Yeah, yeah, yeah! Mm-hm. ] but let’s give it a go! Let’s see! We don’t need to go into this. [cross] I’ll go— Austin: [cross] No, I think these are very tasteful shots of people looking at each other. Jack: [cross] Oh, but—! Austin: [cross] Maybe we see the spoon being drawn or being produced, but not—yeah. Janine: Is this just suddenly a Hannibal scene? Austin: I mean, that’s— [splutters] Yeah, this whole season. Jack: Yeah, unless you got the 1970s edition that was released in Spain, that was released under the title, like… “You Hold the Lock and the Spoon of Blood Is the Key,” [Austin, chuckling: Yeah!] [Sylvia laughs] and that—the censors hadn't got to that, so it is not tasteful in that version. [chuckles] Austin: No. Yeah, I—you know, there is—this is— Jack: I’m gonna mark a check next to the… Austin: Mark a check, this is arriving—this is clarifying someone’s certainty. What is your intent? Jack: [cross] Oh, I want to— Austin: [cross] ‘Cause maybe your intent is bad here, and I will find a way to try to counter it. But I think everything here is on the level, and so the Cicatrix Knight is not trying to overcome. Jack: I want some sort of communion with the knight, you know. [Austin: Yeah, yeah.] Especially because the knight predates the latter Gothgeier rulership over the cult, the people that are hunting me. [Austin: Mm-hm.] I mean, you know, it’s the cannibals so if—you know, if I’m hunting you, my great-great-granddad is also hunting you, [Austin, amused: Mm-hm.] but it’s a different kind of—and I think Jud recognizes this, there’s something older here. Austin: Right, you know, when you were first coming into this place I was thinking about your dream, which was like, “I will get revenge on whoever initiated the hunt.” And I was thinking, like, oh could they be the people who initiated the hunt originally. But then I thought, no, it’s actually way more interesting if this actually leads into the dream in the other direction, which is like, whoever initiated the hunt is whoever abolished this version of the cult. [Jack: Right.] This version of a partnered— [cross] a partnership cult versus a— Jack: [cross] Sort of the invention of New Labour. Austin: [chuckles] That’s right. It’s all there folks! Jack: [chuckles] Austin: Yeah, okay! You succeeded in engaging in communion here. The rest of the party [00:26:24] Austin: And meanwhile downstairs you hear the decoy Mirador get utterly destroyed. And then a shout. Jack (as the Death Procession, joking): You fooled me, Mirador! [chuckles] Austin: [chuckling] Yeah! Austin (as the Death Procession, joking): I have been tricked, Mirador! Austin: No, no words after the sound of destruction of the decoy. Only the sound of footsteps growing nearer, as the members of the Death Procession fan out and begin to explore these hallways, looking for you lot in the bottom. I say in the bottom ‘cause I’m imagining the burial chambers being higher up than the low-level hallways you’re all taking to try to find a way out. Mirador’s like, Austin (as Mirador): [urgently] We gotta go, we gotta get out of here, now. Austin: Everyone there just rushing? There’s no— Darcy: [cross] Mm-hm, yeah! Sylvia: [cross] Yeah! I mean, like— Austin: Alright! Unfortunately, you know, the—you’ve made your way towards the end of the hallway, towards the place where Mirador has been looking, a sort of exit. Which you note, you know—I’ll just say this the other way. There is a long hallway and then there is a figure. And the figure is one of the—is the leader of the… the Knights here. And is at the end of the hallway. You could turn back, you could go left or right, but ahead is the place you need to go, it is the wall between the exit—or it is the pathway to the exit of this place, which you note: it seems to have already been—Mirador was, like, talking around some stuff before, was being like “yeah, normally there is an exit back there, if there’s not an exit there’s a thing you could turn into an exit, the walls are thinner.” It becomes maybe clear that this is not just speaking from general experience, but that Mirador has been through here before. [Jack chuckles] This is the exit that a younger, graverobbing Mirador produced the first time that they came through here. There is a hole in the wall that has, you know, a kind of makeshift door attached, that they would have made maybe to enter the tomb from the northern side instead of the southern side. And standing in front of it is the leader of the Death Procession, blade drawn, not blaster pistol drawn here, at let’s say 30 yards. Quite some distance, enough distance that you’re not in immediate, like, swordfight danger. There is—you still have control over your destiny if you want to go a different way or not encounter him right away, you know. What do you all do? I think actually he calls out. Austin (as leader of the Death Procession): Send me Mirador and the rest of you can go. Sylvia (as Gaje): Alright, well, we’re not doing that. Austin (as Mirador): I appreciate it, kid! Sylvia (as Gaje): You’re still paying me right? Austin (as Mirador): Absolutely! You’ll get a bonus for this! Sylvia (as Gaje): Yeah, so we’re not doing that! Sylvia: Um… I don’t wanna just offer to, like, slow him down again. While we—like, [cross] you know, I’ve only got— Austin: [cross] I mean, we gotta go—the only thing is you gotta go—the place you’re going is on the other side of him, right. Sylvia: Oh, okay. Austin: So. ‘Cause it is a long hallway, him, and then the exit behind him. The other ones are lost, the other ones are out in the—are in the labyrinth still somewhere, looking for you, but— Sylvia: Oh, it’s just him now? Austin: It is just him! Sylvia: [cross][sighs] Oh, yeah, I— Janine: [cross] I wanna do something, but I’m so worried that it’s gonna get—it feels like it’s inevitably gonna get countered, because I don’t have anything above a 0… Austin: Only one way to get above a 0! Janine: [sighs] I know… Um… Also, Jud—sorry, [chuckles] Gaje, [Sylvia chuckles] if you have an idea, [cross] go for it, but I— Sylvia: [cross] I mean, I’m—oh, go ahead. Yeah, I was just—I could do another, like, big showdown thing, right. [Austin: Mm-hm.] Like, go over there with [cross] my funky new weapon and my gun, but— Janine: [cross] Maybe we should…. do that if my thing fails. Sylvia: Yeah, that’s kinda what I was thinking. Also I want to give you, like, opportunities to level up your Sentences, if they’re all at 0, too. Janine: [sighs] Yeah… Sylvia: ‘Cause I’ve got a few that are already leveled up, and I like… [cross] I guess I have one… Austin: [cross] Yeah. I think both Flemming and Sacea both have 0 Sentences through… [Sylvia: Yeah.] Janine: A lot of my stuff hasn’t been countered or failed or anything, so it’s… Austin: Yeah, yeah. You’re getting there on two of them, right. You’ve proven them. Janine: I’m getting there on two of them. [Austin: Yeah.] Um. Neither one of those are ones I was gonna use right now, but you know! [Austin: Sure.] I… So I wanted—I know I just said “hey Jud, let me know when you think the breath is up.” I think maybe that process begins…? [Austin: Sure.] Because I think what that process looks— [chuckles] What I wanted to do here has changed so dramatically over the course of conceptualizing it till now. [Austin: Mm-hm?] So the smoke trail has still been active, but I think it starts—and it, like, led straight to the sarcophagus I think. Or the corpse hole, whatever it was. [Austin: Yeah.] The end of the smoke trail that was where they started, where Sacea and Jud were, has been retracting towards the treasure room. So that path is not dissolving? But the smoke is getting, like, denser as it sort of condenses and creeps closer. [Austin: Hmm.] Because what I want is—and even if this fails I think this visual is still cool—the smoke all condenses in that container. It all, like, creeps in and pours in and fills it and it’s this, like, thick… smokey… cloud [Austin: Mm-hm!] that begins to clear, and when it clears… [chuckles] What I wanted to—okay. We can decide what part of this will fail, when it fails. Austin: [cross] Uhuh! Jack and Darcy: [cross] [laugh] Janine: [cross] What I want [chuckles] is for the reality inside of that sarcophagus to look like a… if there was a camera attached to the chest of that guy who’s in our way? [Austin: Uhuh.] Because I want the sarcophagus to be as a portal, to rejoin, but be, like, going through that guy. Austin: But going—coming out through… Janine: Yeah, like—yeah. Austin: Yeah, okay! And so your intention there is to let Jud… or to pull Jud back here. Janine: Yeah. The intention was originally like, oh I can do this and it’ll, like, the ceiling and Jud will see, like, a top-down view of us and [cross] we’ll, like, jump down or whatever. Austin: [cross] Sure. Sure, sure. Janine: But this is fun to think of. Even if I’m a hundred percent sure it won’t work. [cross] It’s still fun to think of. Austin: Well, the thing that’s interesting is like—this is where I’m like—if your intention is to just get Jud back to you, then that might not end up being necessarily opposed. What would be opposed is if this is hurting the leader of the Death Procession in some way. I’m just gonna start saying—the name of this character is just Topaz. That was the topaz gem in the necklace, glowed that bright yellow light, this is the topaz. And so yeah, if you’re—does this portal, like, hurt this person in some way? Or is it just that’s where it’s placed, is in front of… [cross] in front of him. Janine: [cross] I don’t know, I’m open to it—that’s the thing is, like… Austin: I need you to decide what the intention is, in order to address it, right. Janine: Yes. Um… I guess the thing is that, like, I am—I don’t want to cut off the way to get Jud back. Austin: Right. Janine: That’s the part that I’m most concerned about. Austin: So your intention is to get Jud back. Janine: Yes. Austin: That is your dramatic intention, [cross] is recover Jud in this— Janine: [cross] Although—yeah. But I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t part of the desire to, like, have it do some kind of harm, physical or psychological. Austin: Yeah, it really is a thing where we have to decide what the intent is. ‘Cause an action really gets that one big intent, whether or not other parts of it succeed or fail. You know, there can be other outcomes. But it’s like, what is the thing that Sacea is trying to do, fundamentally. And if it’s—and what Sacea is trying to do as framed by our camera and our story, you know. And I think—it sounds to me like if she could easily summon Jud back through the wall or ceiling, and instead is trying to get it through this guy’s chest, it sounds like that’s the part that is the intention, right, the dramatic intention. Right. Janine: Yeah. Yeah, you’re right, that’s a good point. That’s a good way to look at it. Austin: And so, you are not wrong, [chuckles] [Janine chuckles] that your—this is a +0 Sentence, right. Janine: Yeah. Austin: All of them are. Yeah, you can go ahead and mark that as being countered here. Because this is the simple “I always wield an unpredictable weapon.” The… As the portal, which is made of this hardening smoke, is what you said? Janine: [cross] It wasn’t hardening, it was—no, it’s not hardening, it’s just getting— Austin: [cross] What is it, only hardening—solidif— Janine: [cross] No, it’s condensing, it’s getting more opaque. Yeah. Austin: [cross] Denser? Okay, I see, I see. Jud rejoins the party [00:35:45] Austin: As it does the same thing on the chest—so, one, Jud, that begins happening in the sarcophagus. [Jack chuckles] You can see your friends down this hallway. Let’s answer, what do you do in that moment, at that point? Are you jumping through there, are you being like what’s going on here? Jack: [sighs] Oh… I wanna bring my friend. [chuckles] Austin: Sure. Jack: I want to… I want to… I don’t know what I… God, there’s something really weird here about, like, the relationship between a squire and a knight again. That Jud is on the one hand kind of replicating with the Knight Cicatrix, and on the other hand, you know, introduced themselves as kin, you know. It’s like we are sort of the same thing. But what does Jud say to persuade the knight to come with him, to be like: to arms! You know? Um… Is it—is it, Jack (as Jud): To arms! Jack: And then he vaults into the— [cross] [chuckling] into the sarcophagus? Austin: [cross] Sure! Yeah, that’s the sort of thing that would make the Knight of Cicatrix do this, for sure. Yeah. Mm-hm! Jack: Dark Souls style, you know, the way that the small, nippy boss and the large, heavy boss move in different ways, Jud vaulting into this sarcophagus and the Knight Cicatrix sort of stepping [Austin: Yeah.] carefully over the side of it. Sylvia: Can I make like a little pitch on how this thing moves? Which is that it’s like—and like, feel free to shoot this down—but it’s like, it almost feels like it’s on invisible mannequin strings? Austin: [cross] Oh, that’s very fun. That’s very fun. Jack: [cross] Oh, wow! Sylvia: Like it’s a little herky-jerky. Jack: [cross] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Austin: [cross] I—I like this, I want—yeah, let’s just say yes, it’s fine. The other thing that I have in mind can come in the future and it’s not a big deal if we do it twice. Yeah! So this thing—this thing is a person, I just want to be clear! This is not—the Knight of Cicatrix is not a construct, right. Importantly. Jack: [cross] But is dead. Is undead. Austin: Is undead, yeah, yeah. A hundred percent. So yeah. Leaps in. [Jack: Oh!] Emerges from the chest of the Topaz. Uhuh? Jack: Wait, another reason why the Knight of the Cicatrix—I don’t need to say to them—to him? Him. Austin: We’ve been using he/him, yeah. Jack: He’s eaten Jud! He knows the deal! Austin: He knows the deal. Well… He’s eaten Jud—he’s eaten of Jud in a brief moment seconds ago. [cross] I don’t know how quickly that all gets processed. Jack: [cross] That’s true. Although he is an ancient cannibal cultist who probably has familiarity with this process. Austin: [cross] Totally, but I do wanna hold on to the idea that there is a process that you’re actually—you’re actually kind of shortcutting [cross] the ritual. Jack: [cross] I’m trying to learn Nen in six hours. Austin: You are, exactly. And that is not always the best way to go about something. Uh…! The Cicatrix jumps through! And emerges— [Jack chuckles] Everybody else, you see this scarred… bark and s—knight of bark and skin, you know. Who’s wielding a sort of petal sword. And when they jump through, they actually—from their armor pink flower petals actually begin to poke through. And I’m using color here on purpose. And it is a beautiful thing, you’re actually—this is “I always inspire with my blossomed self,” as they realize that you are all in trouble and that you are Jud’s friends. He, you know, alights his petals and is now here between you and the… the… leader of the Death Procession, the Topaz. Jud, are you also jumping through? Jack: Oh, yeah, I went through first! Austin: Oh, then yeah, then both of you are there. And the Topaz seems to have been harmed, breaks apart and falls. The armor clatters to the ground. And a topaz jewel is seen kind of glowing inside of the helm. And then everything vibrates, and it puts itself back together. “When my prey is in sight and my jewel remains, I always fight beyond death.” And stands back up, even though this portal inside of its chest just broke it apart. Janine: I do wanna take a moment to say… Janine (as Sacea): Some treasure, Jud! Alright! Austin (as Mirador): Yeah! Jack and Sylvia: [cross] [chuckle] Sylvia: [cross] Yeah, you got it! Jack: [cross] Just like a hasty nod, you know. Janine: [cross] You know? Trust rewarded. Good work. Jack: [cross] But—but beaming! Austin: [cross] Uh-huh! Janine: [cross] Yeah! Jack: You know, I did the thing that I was told explicitly not to do and then everyone… congratulated me for it! [chuckles] [cross] Only good lessons can be learned here. Sylvia: [cross] Fuck me. Janine: [cross] You—no, no, no! You got permission to do it, that’s—the lesson to take away is…! [chuckling] Jack: [cross] [laughs] Austin: [cross] Ohhh, get permission. Darcy: [cross] Mm-hm, mm-hm! Janine: Get permission! Jack: Ohhh. Austin: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh. Alright! Unfortunately, there is still this immortal—seemingly immortal—two immortal knights [chuckles] meet in a hallway. That’s what’s happening here. Darcy: Hmm! Jack: Oh my god! This is what fiction was invented for! [chuckles] Austin: That’s right. Uhuh. Crystal knight versus flower—undead, flower, scar, bark knight, who will win! [Darcy: Mm-hm.] Jack: Plus, we are essentially the MOBA creeps [chuckles] [cross] in this. Austin: [cross] Yeah, uhuh! Darcy: [chuckles] Austin (as Mirador): Nice find, kid! It doesn’t help us—we gotta get out of here! Jack (as Jud): Okay, okay. Well, let’s—let’s go, let’s get the… get it and leave! I’m done, I’m done, I found it. Sylvia (as Gaje): It’s in f—we’re going that way… Sylvia: Pointing at the fight. Austin: Yeah, and at this point I think the Cicatrix Knight and the Topaz have begun to duel, right. Weapons are being—are slashing against each other. The sword of the Topaz occasionally just shifts into one of those blasters you’ve seen. But also sometimes into other forms entirely. At one point it turns into a, like, Tonfa that Topaz can spin around. At one point it elongates into a spear and, like, is stabbing out at the Cicatrix. The Cicatrix, like, grabs the spear with the kind of loose petal form of the sword and tries to yank it away, at which point it turns into, like, a boomerang already in flight that returns back to the Topaz’s hand. They are anime duelling, it is happening over there, you know. It is a 15 page Berserk fight [cross] down the hallway from you. Jack and Sylvia: [cross][chuckle] Austin: And on the other side of that is the door out. Jack: [chuckles and sighs] Austin: And Scrundle is, like, getting uncomfortable again, signalling that perhaps the other two members of the Death Procession are on their way. Jack: You know what they say, Austin, when two anime knights fight, uh, five people and a donkey die. [chuckles] Austin: Mm-hm! [chuckling] Mm-hm, mm-hm! Sylvia: Um… How attached are you to the Cicatrix, Jack? Jack: Hugely!! He’s my boy! I— [chuckles] Austin: [cross] [laughs] Sylvia: [cross] Okay… Jack: [cross] I just—I gained cannibal commonality with this person for the first time in my life! Sylvia: Sure. ‘Cause I don’t, like, know how to aim the big cannon I have [cross] that well. Jack: [cross] I have a relationship—I mean, maybe—let’s play into that, right? Do you aim the cannon? You know? Does— Sylvia: I mean, the point where I see these two fighting and know that, one, [cross] I’m still recovering from— Austin: [cross] Ohh, it’s good… Sylvia: Like, I don’t think the, like—what was it called again, chrono-cream? Jack: [cross] The chronoplasm. Austin: [cross] The chronoplasm, please. Yeah. Sylvia: [cross] The chronoplasm cream. Sorry. I don’t think the chronoplasm is instant, right? Like there’s a process to that. [Austin: Yeah, yeah.] And so… I don’t know. You gotta use the resources you have, and um… You don’t fight to lose when you’ve got a big violet blaster, right. [chuckles] Austin: Yeah, mm-hm! Sylvia: Um… Can I spend my token on an Ephemera? Austin: Sure! [cross] You can spend your token on anything. Mm-hm? Sylvia: [cross] ‘Cause, well, the main reason I ask is just because looking at the Topaz, they have at least a reality 2. Austin: They do. Sylvia: Which would… Defender wins, right? Austin: Defender wins. Yeah. Sylvia: Yes. So I want to avoid that. [Austin: Mm-hm.] Um. Which would bump this up to a 3. Austin: [cross] Yeah! Jack: [cross] And empty box means that we have our token? Austin: No, other way. Sylvia: Oh, [cross] nevermind then. Jack: [cross] Oh, you do not have your token. Austin: Yeah, sorry, we made that—I made that—when we came over to this thing, I was like we have to—I’m pretty sure we recorded this and said, okay the token thing is “do you have your token,” [Jack: Right.] versus “have you spent it,” otherwise it makes no sense to me. So, yeah— Jack: Yeah, no, I think that is the right way to do it. [cross] But I remembered… Austin: [cross] Mm. Mm. Sylvia: [cross] Hmm, okay… Austin: [cross] You can earn your tokens back somehow. Sylvia: Yeah, I’m looking at those token charge methods. Austin: Yeah, some token charge methods over on the right. “Use a Sentence in pursuit of an impulse.” This is not a peaceful problem, you’re not gonna— [cross] That one does not apply. Sylvia: [cross] Yeah, exactly. Austin: “A player, including the GM, introduces a way in which a Bond leads to a new complication, both players can recharge their tokens. Whenever a Bond receives its third mark, both PCs in the Bond may recharge their token. Or you could trigger a tragic success, use one of your means to lead the Band deeper into chaos. When you do this, describe something consequential and undesirable caused by one of your Sentences, then recharge your token.” You would have to do that before you try to, like, kill the… [cross] the Topaz, right. Sylvia: [cross] Yeah. The… I’m trying to think of, like, a complication with someone that I have a Bond with. I guess, Flemming, you’ve already got your token, still. So, Jud… We could maybe do something… [cross] to… Jack: [cross] Yeah, we have—I have a Bond with you which is “Gaje doesn’t think he needs it, but I’ll watch his back.” [Austin and Sylvia: Hmm.] And as I see you aiming your gun in a way that will hit the Cicatrix, [Austin: Hmm.] is this a thing of like… Jack (as Jud, internally): Gaje… He’s gonna fuck you up if you fire that weapon. Jack: Alternatively, Gaje has the Bond [Sylvia: Mm-hm!] “Jud’s weakness is clear as day, he’ll die without me to protect him.” [Austin: Mm-hm.] Sylvia: Yeah… I think that we could—my idea was that you would be in dang—like, you… ‘Cause you came out of the same spot that the Cicatrix [cross] came out of, if I’m following the action properly? Austin: [cross] Yeah. You’re still in the midst of this. Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. Sylvia: Yeah. So I, like— Austin: And it’s—in that case what’s happening here is—you are—the complication is—what would the complication be then, of you… Because there is a sort of timing question here. You don’t have the token to spend on the +3 Sentence, [Sylvia: Yeah.] you would first need to introduce a way in which a Bond leads to a new complication. A new complication! And the Bond has to lead to it. It’s not just that the Bond has to be adjacent to it, right. [Sylvia: Yeah.] So it’s like, how does you—how does one of your Bonds introduce more chaos to this sequence, than there already is. [Jack: Huh!] Which is possible! Right? Sylvia: Ohh… Austin: Or alternatively, how does your—how— [cross] Oh, yeah go ahead. Sylvia: [cross] I have—I have an idea, but it might… It might not work and it also—I don’t know if it would count as a charge of the Ephemera—but, like, if Jud pushed the gun right when I’m about to fire it and instead it does—it, like, [cross] starts a cave in or something in the place we’re at? Austin: [cross] Yeah, sure. Sure. Sylvia: Like, that’s kinda… Austin: That’s fun. Jack: Yeah. Sylvia: …where my mind went with it. Austin: Yeah. And I think that that’s fine, I don’t think that it’ll count as one of the Ephemera. You’re not using it to succeed anything, you’re not using it as a… In fact, would not be using it to succeed, which I believe— Sylvia: [cross] Exactly. Austin: [cross] I’ll double-check my Ephemera rules here, it’s been a minute, [Sylvia chuckles] but I believe you only burn Ephemera when you [cross] successfully use it… Jack: I think that is true. Austin: [cross] Yeah, I am double-checking. Yeah, every time you successfully use a piece of Ephemera. So yeah. Sylvia: [cross] I figured it wasn’t, like, such a—okay, cool. Yeah, I figured it wasn’t such a, like, hard and fast inventory management thing, [cross] ‘cause that’s not how this game is laid out, but I wanted to be sure. Austin: [cross] Yeah, it’s—it’s not—yeah, it’s—you know, it’s when you’re narratively framing, “oh my god this cool tool I have has paid off and gotten me a success.” So yeah, the idea that… [chuckles] The funny thing here is, so is it like you’re aiming down at the two of them, and then Jud pushes your hand away, and… there’s a cave in that separates some part of the party from the rest? [pause] Is that what’s happening? Sylvia: Um… Austin: What’s happening? What’s the thing that happens? Sylvia: I was thinking more, like, the structural integrity of this place that we’re in [cross] is starting to go, less than we are being separated? Austin: [cross] Oh, sure. That’s fun. Sylvia: Like, adding, like, a timer [cross] sort of element to things. Austin: [cross] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Oh, a clock, I see. [cross] Starting a clock. Sylvia: [cross] Yeah, you love those! Yeah. Austin: [cross] I do love clocks, you’re right. Jack: And this recharges both our tokens, because it is hinging on the Bond? Austin: Yes, whenever a—sorry, this is, [searching] dududuh—yeah, both players can recharge their tokens, absolutely. So yeah, this whole place is beginning to come down. Whatever other treasure you might have one day wanted to retrieve from this place. Whatever—if you ever wanted to come back this way. Or, more importantly, if you don’t get out now, you may end up stuck here forever. You may end up entombed [Jack: Huh.] in the Gothgeier Barrow. Or Gothgeier Hollow. Vortigern’s Hollow, that’s what it is. Sylvia: Um. Now that I have this token… Austin: Uh-huh? Sylvia: I think I know the way—the scene in which I fire this cannon in a way that is engaging with the Topaz, as opposed to—yeah. Part of this is, I have to push Jud out of my way to do this, I think. It’s like, big—just, like, big hands still gripping the gun, just like—almost—like, if Jud falls to the ground I don’t really think Gaje is thinking about it. It’s just like, Sylvia (as Gaje, internally): Kid, you’re going to get us killed even faster, if I don’t take care of this. Sylvia: And I think I have to get, like… I get up close, [cross] ‘cause I don’t trust myself aiming this, right? Austin: [cross] Oh, interesting. Sure. Jack: [cross] Huh! Sylvia: Like I—I’m not… I don’t think I’m joining the melee necessa—I mean, actually wait, maybe I am joining the melee. [Austin: Uh-huh?] Is there a moment—like, if this works, [cross] the intent could be, like— Austin: [cross] It’s—we’ve been describing this as a really tight set of corridors. [Sylvia: Yeah.] I’m a little concerned with the idea of like—I mean it’s big enough for them to do their big anime fight, so maybe it’s fine. [cross] You’re getting involved. Sylvia: [cross] I was just thinking of, like, getting up enough to block one hit with the stake and then fire the cannon, [Austin: Yeah, yeah.] the second I’ve got them… [cross] like, I’ve just got a clear shot, yeah. Austin: [cross] In your—in your sight, yeah. Totally. Uh, yeah! I think that’s fine—the thing that I think is tough is… I do think the Cicatrix is going to get caught by this. But! The Cicatrix has eaten of Jud, with the spoon. Sylvia: Oh yeah! Austin: [cross] Right? Unable to die! Jack: [cross] Oh, right! [chuckles] The Cicatrix can’t die. I forgot about that, we’re good. Austin: [cross] So, yeah, uh-huh. Jack: Although this is very Jud. It is consistent to be like, using the spoon for the first time and immediately forgetting the thing that it does. Austin: Yeah. Well, you haven’t really seen the thing that it does. Jack: No! Austin: This is in some ways—this is you learning what it does in a way. Perhaps. Jack: [cross] Watching my guy get obliterated, but he can’t die. [chuckles] Sylvia: [cross] Right. When you watch—yeah, watching half their body [cross] get vaporized. Austin: [cross] Yeah, I think—so I think that this is what happens, is: you are—so you’re spending your token to raise it up to 3. Right? Sylvia: [gasps] Wait, Austin. I have—you can go ahead if this [cross] isn’t… better. Austin: [cross] No, go for it! Please, please, please. Sylvia: Like, using the stake to— Austin: To stake… Sylvia: I’m gonna use the Cicatrix as a human shield basically, [Austin winces] by jabbing the stake through it and then firing through it. Austin: So you’re opening a hole in the Cicatrix… And then using that as— Sylvia: It’s more—not using the hole, like, [cross] [chuckling] just firing through their torso to block— Austin: [cross] Oh, through their torso. Right. Sylvia: Yeah, to block the hit from the Topaz. [cross] Like I’m— Austin: [cross] You’ve—like a shield. Sylvia: Yeah, like— Austin: Like a living, undead shield. Sylvia: Like, practically a shoulder charge, but except I’ve got my, like, pilebunker hand out now. [Austin: Yeah.] [Jack chuckles] And then I, like, [cross] while holding— Jack: [cross] Oh my god… Sylvia: Like, lifting the Cicatrix basically off its feet and then… firing through it. Austin: Are you aiming—are you aiming for the head of the Topaz, where the jewel was presumably? Sylvia: Um, I don’t—I think—I don’t think I’m specifically aim—I think I’m just aiming in the direction of the Topaz, [Austin: Okay] I don’t think I—like, I will—where the shot hits [cross] I will, like, defer to you on. Yeah. Austin: [cross] It will hit where it hits, yeah, yeah. Well, this is the thing, is like, is it overcoming this, “with my prey in sight and when my jewel remains, I always fight beyond death” is my question. But it doesn’t matter actually, ‘cause you’re getting a +3 reality Sentence out of this. [Sylvia: Yeah.] That’s not even triggering necessarily, right. I mean, that’s what they’re using and it’s gonna fail, it’s gonna get countered, so. It gets countered! [Sylvia: Yeah.] And yeah, you fire through the body of the Cicatrix. I think the Cicatrix just, you know, falls to the ground and has a hole through his body? You know? Through his chest? A huge blaster bolt hole? You know, I think it’s big, I think it’s like, between the stake and the shot, it’s like a, you know—but it’s, like, completely—it’s like a lightsaber hole, you know. [cross] It’s like when they carve a hole with a lightsaber into a wall. Sylvia: [cross] Yeah, it’s cauterized. Austin: It’s completely cauterized. The violet blast hits in through—like, bursts through the armor of the Topaz and then bounces around inside. Again producing some of the only light here. It’s this, like, purple, bright violet light, bouncing around inside of the metallic armor of the Topaz. And then you hear it hit the crystal or the gem, in the forehead or in the helm, and it shatters and collapses to the ground. And then the… the Cicatrix, like, pushes off of you and then turns and lifts his, you know, blade, as if confused by your attack, and then, like, looks to Jud for confirmation or not, you know. Jack: Just shock, but, like, yeah, this sort of like… This shocked affirmation of, like, yup, it’s okay, this is—this is how it goes. Austin: And then like— Sylvia (as Gaje): Oh, he’s with you? Sorry about that. Austin (as the Knight Cicatrix): A strange knight you are. Sylvia (as Gaje): [laughs] [cross] First time I’ve been called that! Austin: [cross] And then, you know—and you know, hole in chest, reaches out a hand to shake yours. Sylvia: I mean, yeah, I’ll do it, but… Austin: Which hand—which hand is your stake arm? Sylvia: I was thinking that I lost [cross] my right hand, that Gaje lost his dominant hand, which I—‘cause I—yeah. Austin: [cross] Alright! Alright! Shakes your bloody stake hand. It’s probably not bloody, right, because… [cross] Because this is an undead bark skin person, right, so. Maybe—maybe no blood here. Sylvia: [cross] Eh, maybe a little bit. [chuckles] Hmm. Austin: And then, yeah, Mirador says, Austin (as Mirador): [relieved, somewhat stunned] Okay…! [stammers] Sylvia (as Gaje): We need to go. Like, this place is… Austin: Yeah, there are two more on the way, the place is gonna fall apart, and… And you know, a thing worth saying is, I was describing the three of them here on your tail, the leader and the other two. There are still those other other two, back in the church, they won’t be killed from the collapse, right. So they are also to be—worth being concerned over. But yes, you’re able to push forward. Stepping over the body of this… this now dead leader of the quote unquote “Death Procession.” And moving forward, unless anyone has any business before this place collapses. Darcy: [negating] Mm-hm. Jack: Uh, what happens to the Topaz? [cross] Gone, destroyed. Austin: [cross] The—it is armor on the ground. It is armor on the ground, I am—you know, I have to—I have to recognize the truth of the Ephemera “the Violet Blaster eradicates anything in its firing line.” [chuckles] Jack: Yeah, so I mean is there even armor? Austin: Yeah, the armor is there. Because I think that it—I guess I described it as bouncing around inside of the armor, thinking about the sort of, like, the truth about what that armor is and where they’re from and their quality of existence. [Jack: Right.] But maybe it is also, like, torn through by that blaster, you know, in some way. [Jack: Huh.] Yeah, it is damaged beyond repair and the crystal has been destroyed. [cross] The Topaz. Of the Topaz has been destroyed. Jack [cross] Yeah, that makes sense. Austin: But hey! You’ve made it! You’ve made it out of the northern end of Vortigern Hollow. Back out onto the trunk, the big continent of Sapryc that you’re on. You’ve added a member to your party. [chuckles] Scrundle is so happy to be out of all of these tight corridors. Jack: [cross] [chuckles] Aw! Darcy: [cross] [empathetically] Hmm. Austin: You’re back up, you know, in the regular world. And from here you’re able to continue north, from Vortigern’s Hollow [cross] towards the cloister. Jack: [cross] We’re really—we’ve made it, we’re doing well! Austin: You’re in fact going to make it! [Sylvia laughs] To the Cloister, at least. Jack: To step one. Yeah. Austin: To— [chuckles] Yeah, you’ve done it, you’ve made it to step one. You’ve made it to the Cloister of the Hollow Heart. I think the rest of— Sylvia: It’s at least step three! [chuckles] Austin: Yeah, I agree. Yeah, you know, the traveling happens at whatever pace we want to say in terms of the scale of the story. If someone wants to slow down and do a scene or something before we make it to the Cloister of the Hollow Heart we totally can. But I’m also happy to let us just get there. But I think it’s, you know, like—it is what Mirador said, it’s gonna be a few days of hard travel. Though, I think with the topaz dead, Mirador is like, Austin (as Mirador): We can kind of take it a little easier than we thought we could. Austin: You know. Jack: Huh. Austin: But… But yeah, anyone wanna do anything before we get to the Cloister? And maybe I’ll set up the Cloister before we call it tonight. Or we can call it here and we can just come in on the Cloister next time! Darcy: Mm-hm. Jack: I wanna eat the finger, but I wanna save that. [cross] We’ve had a lot of cannibalism… Austin: [cross] You could come in on eating your—yeah, yeah. Janine: If we enter the Cloister we’re just gonna have to recap the cloister. Austin: You’re right, a hundred percent. [cross] You’re a hundred percent right. So let’s just call it here! Sylvia: [cross] Yeah. Jack: [cross] Yeah! Janine: [cross] Yay. Austin: [cross] Great! Good job! Let’s go through end of session stuff! End of session [00:57:42] Austin: If you worked towards achieving your dream, mark a dot next to one of your—a means of your choice. I will say that, Sacea, you can mark one for “purging the miasma that corrupts the thousand moons—” Janine: [cross] Oh, okay, I was wondering! Austin: [cross] Believe it or not, these fucking weirdos have something to do with the miasma which corrupts the thousand moons. Janine: Cool! [chuckles] Austin: Um… I think that that’s… I don’t think you’ve found transcend—uh, no, you tell me if you were working towards transcending—again, y’all decide these, I don’t decide this! [cross] I forgot about this game. Be generous to yourselves! Sylvia: [cross] Uh…! Jack: [cross] I—I got myself a friend. Austin: Yeah! What’s your dream? Jack: “I will get revenge on whoever initiated the hunt.” Austin: Yeah, you’ve learned—yeah, I think we explicitly framed a scene in which we talked about how the cult changed. So, sure! Jack: Cool. Sylvia: I feel like the last bit of… I don’t know, I feel like a lot of the combat I did today, works Gaje towards “through assault” stuff, more than necessarily the “transcendent clarity” half. Austin: [cross] Yeah! Yeah. You—um… Yeah, I think so— [chuckles] I mean, [chuckling] you replaced one part of your body with a weapon today. [Sylvia and Jack: Yeah.] Sylvia: [cross] Exactly! Darcy: [cross] [laughs] Austin: [cross] I think that that’s in line, right. Sylvia: Yeah. Austin: Uh. Flemming, what do you think? Darcy: I don’t know… [cross] I mean, I think— Austin: [cross] Yeah, you did—you did some cool stuff, though, but… Darcy: It’s—yeah, like, the only thing—the only way I could, like, twist this in my head to be like, I worked towards my dream of crafting a new amazing spell, is just that, like, I’m continuing to march [cross] towards this thing that Miriador—or Mirador—has promised me. Austin: [cross] This is true. Yeah! Yeah, I think that’s fine. I’d say take it. Darcy: Okay. Austin: Be generous! This is how it goes. Choose one means that shaped how you play your character, but which you did not mark during your play and mark it. You’re allowed to have used it, but if you—if it feels like a thing that you, you know, didn’t get to mark because it always succeeded or something, you can go ahead and mark another one. Sylvia: I’m gonna mark [cross] “I always carry an unstoppable weapon” [Janine chuckles] Austin: [cross] I would imagine so! A hundred percent! Sylvia: [laughs] Austin: And also I just realized, Gaje, we have to uncheck your token ‘cause you spent it immediately. I got it. Sylvia: Yes. [Darcy chuckles] Austin: But Jud, you should have yours. Yeah, you do, okay. Jack: I do. And I have a mark against “I always protect those traveling with me from the Death Procession.” Austin: Did come up! Jack: Because… [cross] it failed— Austin: [cross] Oh wait, no, no, no, sorry—yeah, sorry, you marked it in the moment. You can’t mark it now, ‘cause it did fail. [cross] You did mark it already. Jack: [cross] Oh yeah, I marked it—I marked it when it failed. Austin: Right, so that can’t be your one now for… Jack: No, no, no. I upped “I always find somewhere to rest.” Austin: Got it. Great. Sacea, Flemming, what are you marking here? Janine: I’m marking “I always exert my will over the atmosphere with my perfumes.” Austin: [cross] Sounds right! Janine: [cross] Which I’m also—I also marked for my previous one, which brings me up to three there, so I can… buff that up, [cross] when I think about how to do so. Austin: [cross] Sounds good! Yeah. And… Flemming, did you pick one? Did we already say? Darcy: Uh, can I use that to mark a Bond? [cross] Or does it have to be—okay. Austin: [cross] Totally. Totally. But marking a Bond is just gonna give you—Bonds don’t level up the way they do in some games. [Darcy: Hmm.] When they—I wanna say when they get all the way up there you get your token back, and you might be able to rewrite them. Yeah, you can erase it and rewrite it. So that’s not nothing, you know, but... Darcy: Okay. Austin: But it doesn’t, like, increase in power. [“Sapryc” by Jack de Quidt begins playing] Darcy: Okay. Then I’m gonna mark my… I marked “I always carry my hand-curated book of grand spells” for the dream, and then I’ll mark “I always know a few showy tricks.” Austin: Cool. [“Sapryc” by Jack de Quidt continues until the end] ________________ [1] Surname also sometimes pronounced Gorthgeier.