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Troubled Waters - Pt 2
99 Plays1 year ago
The mystery continues in Time & Space for Team TARDIS! Join the Fixer and his companion, Maeve Sullivan, as they try to outwit the Rutan Host!
With them is Calamity Hap, wayward traveler of the stars, with knack for excellent timing! Can our intrepid heroes stop these Classic Monsters of Doctor Who from seizing Caspian VI for their own nefarious plans?
Enjoy thrills, chills, and laughs galore with Brand Osorio, Cate MacCoyne, and Pandora Beatrix, along with GM Casey Jones. It's bound to be a fantastic time!
Music by Tabletop Audio
Theme by RJ Pirchinello
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Anywhere But Now'
00:00:04
Speaker
Time travel, sci-fi adventures, and risky rolls of the dice lie ahead. Hello and welcome to Anywhere But Now, a Doctor Who actual play podcast. I'm your host and GM, Casey Jones. The next hour or so holds a thrilling adventure in time and space, so let's dive in.
Meet the Time Machine Crew
00:00:22
Speaker
With me is the wonderful crew of our time-traveling machine. Playing the Fixer is the indescribable Brandasorio. Hello, Brand. Hello. And joining him for their second adventure is Maeve Sullivan, played by the intrepid Kate McCoyn. Welcome, Kate. Hi. And last but not least, filling out the TARDIS team is Pandora Beatrix as Calamity Hap. Howdy, howdy.
00:00:47
Speaker
A bigger on the inside thank you to our listeners. Time is truly a gift, or it wouldn't be the present. We thank you for spending yours with
Engage with the Podcast
00:00:56
Speaker
us. Follow us on Twitter at anywherebutnow with an underscore at the end. And of course, anywherebutnow.com. Links to everything in the doobly-doo. Stick around after the game for interviews with the players. Brought to you wherever you're listening in time and space.
00:01:12
Speaker
This is Anywhere But Now. Previously on Anywhere But Now.
Adventure on Caspian Six
00:01:18
Speaker
Calamity, you have just arrived on the ocean world of Caspian Six. The planet is entirely covered with water, save for these completely artificial outposts. Loud speakers on a circuit occasionally remind you to visit the Arena Borealis this evening.
00:01:40
Speaker
Today, my lucky fixer, you're going to be in the environs of nascent temporal significance. I do enjoy a little temporal significance. The wisps of causality and chance become the cotton of opportunity, which is spun into the fabric of time and space.
Exploring the Research Laboratory
00:02:00
Speaker
What do you think is going to happen? That's the best part. I have absolutely no idea. A tour is currently walking around the inside of a research laboratory. The large pool supports a handful of small green jellyfish. Caspian 6 has a nine perfect ecosystem, but for whatever reason, life never took. Towers with glowing crystals along with sound propagate and move the cloud cover around.
00:02:28
Speaker
Hi, welcome, welcome. I'm Gemma, nice to meet you all. I stand on tiptoe and I wave to the person behind the glass who seems to have no idea where they are. Did you want to come in? It's much more interesting in here. Yeah, it looks more interesting. Are you one of the scientists? Not that I'm aware of. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Victor. This is Maeve and this is the auditor. Hello. Is that your first name or is it just part of the
00:02:54
Speaker
It's part of the vibe. A baffled looking clean cut woman steps forward. You're with the Sardic Foundation. They've had luck testing the resources on the jellyfish and the other reef life at different temperatures.
00:03:09
Speaker
Now this temperature decrease that we're seeing about six degrees, has that been a result of the work you and your team have been doing? Dr. Lomo explains that the crystal cloud technology has been now amplified into entertainment. Generating more and more cloud cover, you enter a massive observatory.
Observatory's Watchful Eyes
00:03:29
Speaker
Faint blinking lights halo the tower and its telescope. One of the things that the SARTIC observatory does is monitor the skies for swarm activity.
00:03:39
Speaker
One of the things that we were tasked with was making sure that the data we're receiving lines up with the data that you have on site. Truth be told, Jenna, that's the reason one of our illustrious companions is called an auditor. The telescope has been used to monitor and track suntaran movements. There have been complaints about power being siphoned from the greenhouse to other departments of the Science Center that Dr. Cook has done nothing to address.
00:04:04
Speaker
Zap, crab matter. A flashy ringmaster of the arena borealis pops open one of the lids and they are stacked with foam green seat cushions.
Ominous Arena Vibes
00:04:16
Speaker
Arena seating. I have the worst gut feeling that whoever sits on those cushions will be very negatively affected.
00:04:22
Speaker
out of the crowd, walks a tired looking burnout of a 22nd century journalist. He holds out a device that fits in his hand. Grat klatch, new space Toledo chronicle. Thought I smelled ink on you. What rag you with?
00:04:38
Speaker
Oh, the Chronicle, one of them. Fixer's TARDIS still sticks out like a sore thumb. Gemma, she's like, if they didn't like the Tiki Luau, I guess that's a swing in the other direction, but I don't see the appeal. You enter a tropical forest. A stone path leads to an enclosed lab where Dr. Enrietta Gogol does her work. She looks to be about eight and a half months pregnant. She says, I've gotten as far as this, a band-aid sized patch of biorestorative nanoskin.
00:05:07
Speaker
I'm close. I know I am close, but I can't finish my research if they keep draining the power! I would like to reroute power from the arena to this lab so it gets all the power it needs. You see Grack approaching, and in comes Dr. Cook. You finally recall what the original shape of the rootins are supposed to be. They green jellyfish. Oh no.
Dr. Cook's Transformation
00:05:35
Speaker
Grack takes out his data machine. As Dr. Cook says, the arena Borealis is doing wonderful things to the climate and they shall continue. I have very carefully overseen the power distribution and you are interfered
00:05:56
Speaker
Grack leans in a little too close. Dr. Cook reaches out, takes hold. Grack immediately goes completely stock still electrocuted before he falls back stone dead to the floor. Cook starts to expand and turn green and green until he has expanded into a large green jellyfish about four feet tall.
00:06:22
Speaker
starting to expand out with its tendrils across the gravel.
00:07:02
Speaker
Whomever you are, your children have every right to survive, every right not to be hunted and destroyed by the Sontarans. But you have no right to hurt the people that are here already. What we're going to do is a fear factor role where I'm afraid that the three of you are going to be at a disadvantage because you have just seen him murder this person, fix her,
00:07:27
Speaker
Don't forget about the disadvantage because you would have gotten a plus two for your brave and daring speech. So that washes. So what we're going to be doing is everyone's going to roll three dice as they add that two-year resolve and ingenuity versus the resolve and presence of the gelatinous Dr. Cook. So the number two beat is 20.
00:07:48
Speaker
And story points can be spent, if you so wish, but between the nine that he rolled, his presence and its presence and resolve, and the fact that he just murdered someone in front of you, he is a spooky-looking jellyfish. I rolled a 13 with a 6 and a... Oh, we only take the lowest 2, so it would just be a 3 and a 3. So I assume I would need to use a story point to be able to continue talking to this thing.
00:08:12
Speaker
The three and the three are the house rules of the averages average to ever average. With the speech that you just gave in character puts you at not brave enough to step closer, not scared enough to step back. You are on pins and needles about what's happening. I'll take it. I rolled a three and a one for a total of 12.
00:08:34
Speaker
Without spending story points, this is a horrifying situation. Someone that you had an immediate connection to has just been snuffed out. This is a get away from it as quickly as possible kind of reaction that far under. If you want to spend two story points, you can rise to a no and, and three would get you to a yes but. I will spend two story points.
00:08:57
Speaker
You cannot get any closer to this thing, but you cannot take your eyes off it either. You're gonna be at a disadvantage to stand up to it. Calamity? I've got a 3 and a 4, total of 14.
00:09:10
Speaker
You are almost in the same boat as Maeve. The priority is to get away from this thing. If you want to spend two story points, you can be on the same level of stick-to-it-iveness as the others. Three would be a yes-but, or you can let the dice land where they land.
00:09:28
Speaker
How much am I looking at? Because I'm sort of okay with leaving, honestly. But how much am I looking at to try to take the doctor with me? Dr. Gogol, you can add a story point because you're looking out for other people. That's great compassion and it's a very doctor who can absolutely add a story point and try and grab for her hand on your way out. I'm going to roll for them now for the NPCs. I imagine she is going to want to come with you.
00:09:58
Speaker
eight plus an eight, that's 16. She is pregnant so she has a minus one to her speed. But yeah, she is going to spend two story points to keep her wits about her so that when you're racing and reach out, she just says yes and just clatters off of the stool. Rolling for Gemma.
00:10:21
Speaker
That is not great. That is a four plus hers. So she is screaming and running. So the auditor gets seven. He is going to spend the three points he needs to to stay with the Fixer and Maeve because those are right now his primary responsibility.
00:10:38
Speaker
That was the end of the spooky ground. So at the start of the next, we have talkers, we have movers, we have doers, and we have fighters. The jellyfish is not making any advances. He is talking unless someone else talks first.
Rutan Empire's Expansion
00:10:53
Speaker
I'm definitely going with talking. Since you made your speech, do you mind if he goes and then you respond to that or do you have more to say that you want to say now? I will happily have him respond to what I said.
00:11:02
Speaker
This roiling, giant, cauldron-sized jellyfish that is rolling across the gravel and crunching the stone under its weight has these tendrils that are stretching out, and you make your speech. It stops, and it almost turns a more disgusted shade of green. Your naivety is disgusting as ever. Doctor, your disguise will not assist you.
00:11:33
Speaker
You will not stop the rooted empire from expanding! So many things I need to correct you on. Here's the real question. Why did I reroute so much power back to the aquarium? He just rolls this way and that in thought. Over your shoulder, the auditor is just thinking, what are you doing?
00:11:57
Speaker
Calamity is booking this round. We're moving Calamity would have been saying things while she was doing that which is mostly along the lines of wow That's really awesome. Um, we should watch it from way over there
00:12:11
Speaker
Two rounds in a row, you have earned story points back to back for both doing things that a companion should do and also just sticking right to Calamity's mindset kudos. Maeve, are you saying anything in this round? No, I think I'm going to be doing this round.
00:12:30
Speaker
For this round, let's roll Coordination Calamity as you're helping Dr. Gogol Gogo. Inspired by your efforts, I think definitely Gemma can grab her other arm and try and help keep her going because she's at a minus one to cheese it out of there. Coordination and athletics would be great. Yeah, she rolled a four. She's stumbling. She's having a really hard time staying on her feet. I got two sixes, so I have a 15. Oh, boy!
00:12:56
Speaker
Oh, that's what we like to see. Yeah, not only do you stay on your feet, you anticipate that the heavily pregnant scientist to your immediate left or right might need an extra hand. Your double sixes saves her bacon because it was about to not be pretty. Maeve. I'm going to be doing something. So I think Maeve hasn't fully processed that Grack is dead and she's going to like drop her knees and try to check on him and get him up off the ground.
00:13:23
Speaker
That is gonna be difficult because it would mean moving a little closer to the giant green jellyfish. Give me a presence and resolve to push through, and I'll give you an extra two because of the journalist link. That's double sixes. Oh yeah! For a total of 21. While the giant jellyfish is calling the fixer the doctor, whoever the heck that is, all you are concerned about is Grack on the ground.
00:13:50
Speaker
reached down, his body is still kind of taught, his muscles are taught, but that is only because he was electrocuted. His recording device has fallen closer to you than further away when it bounced off the gravel. It appears to be smoking hot. He is not moving when you jostle him. Unfortunately, he is quite deceased. I'm just gonna like look up at the jellyfish and be like, you killed him, he's dead! Why would you do something like that? We could have helped you!
00:14:21
Speaker
Then at the start of the next round he's going to try and move towards you again. Did she grab Grackclatch's recording device? I would have liked to, but I don't think I sent it. Give me a coordination roll and you're at a disadvantage because it's high. So that is going to be a two and a three for a total of seven.
00:14:41
Speaker
Yeah, I would say she managed to pick it up. Can I see that Calamity has already gotten Dr. Gogol to a safe distance? I would say so. Perfect. The interior lab is only so big. Even without taking your eyes off the giant jellyfish, you hear the flap of plastic wrap behind you indicating they have gotten outside.
00:15:00
Speaker
Okay, so I'm going to turn to the root and pull out my stonic stylus in a way that I'm very clearly showing it's not just a stylus. Point it at the command console that I had been messing around with earlier as if I'm doing something very important. And say, you know, it's very interesting that you kept your children in tanks so close to Papa Piranha. Here's the question I have for you. Do you think you can get from here to there before the tanks begin dumping from the jellyfish, i.e. your children?
00:15:30
Speaker
into the tank holding the Pup-Pup Piranha and will they be affected first by the hotter water or by the hungry Pup-Pup Piranha? And at that moment turn and run, grabbing Maeve and trying to get Val out of there. Okay, brilliant. At a story point for the frenetic baffle-um-with-BS approach, are you attempting to actually trigger this trap you've improvised beautifully or are you simply threatening? There is no trap and I would never harm their children if I have a choice about it.
00:15:59
Speaker
This is completely a bluff, so we can buy time to get to the observatory. Activate the... Don't tell me your plan yet. My apologies. No, first I need you to bluff. This is going to be presence and convince. Presumably we'll just get double sixes again and it'll be fine. Exactly. Presumably. Everyone gets one.
00:16:18
Speaker
I'd also like to use a story clip. This is going to be a fun little add-on for our Time Lord Travelers. While you were at the doctoral program, taking all of these courses and everything, I'm curious, odds are evens. You were awake for alien hostage negotiations, the extra course they gave, or sadly you were focused on quantum mechanics for the extra credit. Pick one. Odds are evens. Let's go evens.
00:16:43
Speaker
Okay, that is a seven. Do not have an advantage here. The president's a convinced police. He's gonna roll in his awareness. Wow. The dice were not in my side in that one. That was a one and a two for a total of eight. We used up all the luck. Oh no, that's double threes. He averaged, averaged. Yeah, as you're saying this thing and backing away, which is not really helping your convince your case, the green jellyfish just sits there thinking, observing.
The Fixer's Deception Plan
00:17:10
Speaker
While we were heading out, did Dr. Gogel grab her prototype?
00:17:13
Speaker
She has pockets all over the place. Her materials are safe. Yeah, cut to the exterior of the greenhouse. The sun has completely set. The clouds overhead are picking up a fair amount of light pollution from the lights of the pavilion. The show has not started because they don't have the power. Also, it's not quite time yet. And you said you wanted to get to where are you trying to go from here?
00:17:34
Speaker
I'm hoping to go to the observatory. It is going to take you a couple of minutes to run that way, especially with a temporary companion who is completely pregnant. Since she is pregnant, is it possible instead for us to go from the greenhouse to the parking lot where the TARDIS is? Use the TARDIS to get over to the stellar observatory. There is a go-kart, an electric go-kart. Conveniently big enough for five. Perfect. Considering someone sits on the back and that'll be the auditor.
00:18:02
Speaker
What about Gemma? Can we have six? Someone can sit on my lap, it's fine. Okay, she doesn't mind. She's like, okay, everybody on board. There's a reason Gemma was given a tris port point or two. On the way to this go-kart, Maeve has been good to run with the Fixer this far, but partway there, she shakes her hand loose and goes, that thing is a murderer, but you're not planning to kill its babies, are you?
00:18:31
Speaker
Oh no, of course not. I just wanted to buy us enough time to go alert someone who will, unfortunately, stop their empire from growing. Gemma is riding a lot of adrenaline right now. She's going to spend two story points to safely get you guys on route. The drive will take five minutes. The people around you have no idea anything is nefarious. You get looks from passers-by as the golf cart creams and veers
00:18:58
Speaker
While we're taking that five-minute trip, I'm going to be using my stylus to go through the records we got on the last location of the Sontaran fleet Dr. Cook was monitoring. Yes, they are on the far side of the quadrant. They are presently doing drills. Their drills are blitzkrieging. A small barely can defend itself moon out of existence, but Sontaran is going to Sontaran.
00:19:20
Speaker
Based on what I know about centaurans, how long will it take them to get from there to here if I were to figure out a way to signal to them? If the auditor turns over his shoulder, you're not considering summoning the centaurans to deal with the lootings.
00:19:34
Speaker
No, but I'm thinking about making the Rutins believe we are. Incredible. Over the next five minutes, give me a disadvantaged reading while in a moving vehicle since you're under duress. You're cramming for a test in real time. Fixer, please give us an ingenuity and technology role and add two for your Sonic. You are at a disadvantage because you are under duress. So what was the two out of three?
00:19:58
Speaker
Please don't be cruel, guys. Calamity and Maeve, how are you guys dealing with the emotional roller coaster that's been going on since the greenhouse?
00:20:08
Speaker
Well, I mean, the cart ride seems fun, so everything's
Tension and Fun on the Run
00:20:12
Speaker
mostly okay now. I'm a little curious still if anything nefarious is going on with sea cushions or if that was just the making money in the arena thing to make it a popular thing. I'm still a little fuzzy on that one, but we're going in the opposite direction, so I don't know that we're gonna find that one out. It's a little alarming with the killer jellyfish part, but I mean, it's not clear how fast they are, so does he appear to be giving chase or anything?
00:20:37
Speaker
Cut to the front doors of the greenhouse, following some very unpleasant schlorping sounds, a newly reformed Dr. Cook stomps out, looks around, and notices the vacant spot where the golf cart was. Let's see if he's lucky. He is going to spend a story point, reach into a pocket, and produce an intercom. This is Dr. Cook. I require a cart at the greenhouse.
00:21:05
Speaker
You hear a little, as around the corner, another identically dressed tour guide in a golf shirt that's too bright, pulls around the corner. So you guys do have a limited amount of time before he catches up.
00:21:18
Speaker
Meanwhile, you pull up to the observatory with a screech and a halt. What are you doing? The dice were not on my side. I ended up with a 10 with two 1s. With a snake eyes, you are looking over the information copied onto the data device and it dies.
00:21:38
Speaker
The information is still on the telescope and those computers and that no one has had any reason to re-secure it, so that won't be an issue. But whatever aid you were hoping to get from re-checking the notes has been
Telescope Troubles
00:21:49
Speaker
lost. That's fair. I always hate it when I'm trying to read while driving. This is a bit of a headache. Sorry guys, everything's spinning. Oh, it's fine.
00:21:57
Speaker
Do you make your way into the observatory? Absolutely. As we go in, I'd like to explain to Maeve and Calamity what I'm trying to do. As you can see, when dealing with the Rutan, they have no interest in stopping their expansionist goals. And I honestly can't think of a way of convincing them to stop doing that other than threatening them with an intergalactic threat even more terrifying than they are. If you have any other suggestions, I'm open to it. Is there a problem with just letting them do it?
00:22:26
Speaker
They will kill everyone that's on this planet. Oh, so it's not just journalists. They're gonna kill everybody then. The auditor rolled Ingenuity and Knowledge roll with Time Lord training. He mentions that the Rutans don't famously enjoy heat. Fire is also a problem for them. I'm interested to see where this goes.
00:22:49
Speaker
Could we negotiate with them? Would they give us time to evacuate everyone? It's not like this planet has a ton of life that they can wipe out besides us. That's true. Maeve, you are always three steps ahead of where I am. I was hoping to figure out that data to give us a good idea of how long it would take the Sun Terrans to get from there to here, so I could use that as that bargaining chip to say, this is how long we need to evacuate.
00:23:11
Speaker
I'm just gonna look at the broken pad. You do have some time. Give me an ingenuity and technology rule to get back into the telescope systems. Wow. The Dicer do not want this plan to happen apparently because I got another one and a one. With Snake Eyes you get to the telescope and it just shuts down. The screen goes black. Can I...
00:23:38
Speaker
add story points to help or something? I truly want Maeve's story points to contribute and help but with technology and so fresh out of her own time zone, I'm struggling to see how to justify it. That's fair.
00:23:52
Speaker
So I have another idea, but it's not nearly as kind as the one I just suggested. We are in a corner. Let's hear it. Even if the computer system
Cloud Heating Strategy
00:24:00
Speaker
that's handling this telescope isn't working, we can still use the focusing lens on it to heat up some of the clouds directly above us. That's true. All of that hot water falling down on the Rudin would not give it a very pleasant day. I don't know how badly that would harm it, but it might at least drive it back and keep it from trying to get in here.
00:24:16
Speaker
I like where you're going. Steam would rise instead of fall, but I think because of the cloud technology, we can techno-babble a solution. The Snake Eyes blitzed out the telescope itself. That does not, however, have to affect the crystal cloud technology spires that are outside the tower, keeping the sky clear so that the telescope can do its job.
00:24:36
Speaker
Okay, how would I access those? Is there a console nearby? Or would we have to make our way to the actual turbine towers to do that? Let's divide and conquer. The auditor slips off his jacket and starts rolling up his sleeves and starts mumbling to himself about the tower climbing course that he never thought he'd have to use and says, whatever you do, don't blitz that computer. Won't get started working upstairs. And he looks at Maven Calamity. Either one of you want to give me a hand? Oh, sure. What is it you're doing?
00:25:05
Speaker
We'll find out on the way. He grabs Calamity by the wrist and starts heading for the scaffolding as Maeve Gemma and Dr. Gogol retreat up the roundy roundy corkscrew around the tower to get as far away from the telescope as possible. We're going to give you three roles. So one is accessing the crystal cloud technology. Two is getting control of it if the first one doesn't go so great. And third is successfully affecting the weather enough to make it rain
00:25:35
Speaker
warm enough water to drive away the rooms. That's going to be ingenuity and technology all the way. How many story points are you sitting at right now? Two story points for me. We're going to make this a little more sporting because you are thinking outside of the box, because you are leapfrogging from idea to idea and working with what is in front of you. That is a very doctor time Lord thing to do. Add one story point. Now have
00:26:00
Speaker
Three. So this is getting into the territory of larger expenditures of story points. Things like climbing a tower in the rain and sure ringing a solution to try and bluff alien invaders, etc. So this is gonna be a larger expense. Three is just about gonna cover it but I still want you to roll three times just as backup. Don't roll atrociously and it'll go great if you do roll atrociously and the three story points things will fall while they fall and it's gonna be awesome.
00:26:27
Speaker
yay okay well the first one's coming up and this is with uh ingenuity and technology okay we're looking at 11 with a two and a three on the first one a nine with a one and a two on the second one okay and a 12 with a one and a five on the third one
00:26:43
Speaker
Yeah, those three story points are going to come in handy. Cut to the scaffolding up the interior of the telescope to the external tower. Does Calamity have any problem with heights? Oh no. No, heights are fantastic. Even folding is kind of neat. That's true. It's very neat for a very short amount of time. Give me a coordination roll with athletics on... Web of 13 with 6. Beautiful. That is just good enough.
00:27:08
Speaker
And there was a one on the dice. So as we are climbing, the auditor, you hear him hiss with pain as he twists his ankle on one of the ladder rungs and he is now at a minus one to the climbing. So he's going to be that much slower. The good news is you still manage to ascend the exterior of the tower as the clouds gather in royal.
00:27:30
Speaker
Meanwhile, at the Arena Borealis. Zapkrad Matter is a determined man and has at least two degrees in electrical engineering backing him up with his tech crew. They have begun the process of rerouting that power that was siphoned away.
00:27:45
Speaker
back to the Arena Borealis so that they can get the show on the road. CrowdMatter is not particularly thrilled with the progress that they're making. He only rolled an eight, and he rolls his diamond type-in in annoyance under his thumb and finger as he watches the techs continue to fumble their way towards getting power back where it needs to be. On that note, we pan down to the crowd waiting to climb onto the stadium and take their seats on the green pads.
00:28:15
Speaker
This is going to be fun. All right. Meanwhile, atop the tower, Calamity and the auditor are climbing up as the flashing crystal cloud technology, the second role the fixer made was not the strongest. So we're going to have an opportunity here to make an assistance with double sixes. The auditor reaches into a pocket, pulls out the sonic compass,
00:28:42
Speaker
And just as the fixer is getting a frustrating message on the computer of like, crystals out of alignment, crystals aligned, and everything just comes up all super greens, at which point the rain starts to get warmer and warmer and warmer.
00:29:01
Speaker
Inside the observatory, Maeve and Dr. Gogol and Gemma are huddled around the fixer as they work furiously at the computer. Maeve, what are you thinking? What is going on?
00:29:16
Speaker
Maeve is just fascinated by whatever is happening, and at this point, she can't really help the fixer. None of this technology makes sense. This is all way beyond her, but she's taking copious notes because she's going to write about this later. Gratclatch's recording device, you grabbed it, and we're in such a rush to get the heck out of there.
00:29:37
Speaker
You did not notice that you actually gave yourself a first degree burn in the process of gripping this thing. Like you've been white knuckling it for the last five minutes, it hasn't left your hands like, oh, how did that happen? When Dr. Gogol sees that you gave yourself a light electrical burn, Gemma takes the recorder, it's still on, it's still recording, and Dr. Gogol takes out one of the strips and plants it on your hand and then immediately the burn feels better. The damage
00:30:05
Speaker
fades away as your hand absorbs the restorative materials in the Band-Aid. Gemma is just racking her head like so they can turn into other people. Fixer. Yes. Give me an awareness roll. While your head is in a million other places, Timelords can multitask. Throw on Timelord senses, so plus two for that. And intuition. Why not? We're getting into Timelord head spaces now.
00:30:32
Speaker
So it'll be an extra 2 on top of what I have here. So I have a 1 and a 5 on the dice. Before the intuition I was at 11, with the intuition I'm at a 13. If this were a different kind of a program, when someone gets an idea, when the sky's part and the stars align, there's that
00:30:50
Speaker
of realization when someone has an idea. Your awareness in that moment tells you that the nascent temporal significance you were waiting for has popped. You don't know what it is, but it has happened, and I would like you to add a story point for being part of things that will be made clear later on. Absolutely.
00:31:10
Speaker
As you're working fastidiously at the screen, you see something just pass over Dr. Gogol's face for a second before the distraction clears. He finishes treating Maeve's hand. Maeve also add a story point. You have successfully aligned the telescope and the rain is starting to fall in a very warm fashion. That is when the door behind you opens for Dr. Cook and Dr. Lomo to stride in together.
00:31:40
Speaker
They walk closer and closer and closer and they both look deeply unhappy as they start to expand and sag and sink into matching uniform green jellyfish that roll their way slowly and as intimidatingly as possible towards the center of the observatory.
00:32:02
Speaker
This is going to be the start of action with talkers, movers, doers, and fighters. The slouch and the squish of the tendrils slowly expanding and pulling them closer to you oozes around the corners of the room. What was Dr. Cook says
00:32:28
Speaker
The Dr. Lomo Jellyfish twists and turns. It takes you a second to realize that the clicks coming from it and the little pops are the rootin' version of tisks.
00:32:42
Speaker
How the time will have fallen to threaten innocent children. There's just this little disgusting trill of chuckles.
00:32:50
Speaker
Oh, so Dr. Cook didn't tell you that we actually offered him this entire world and to protect your children, and he said no, or whatever name he's going by. The Rutins vibrate and chuckle simultaneously. What was Dr. Cook warbles? The Rutin hosts do not divide our petty consciousness. We are one, and we do not need to negotiate for what can be taken.
00:33:19
Speaker
Calamity, can you please give me a coordination roll of us getting down the ladder again now in the rain? Can we see what's going on from up here down there?
00:33:28
Speaker
Yeah, we would be able to notice before we get down the two large green jellyfish occupying a chunk of the floor. I was gonna ask if there's anything up here in the crystal equipment that isn't actively being used to do hot rain things. I don't know, spare parts of something like a welding torch or something that's, you know, hot. They don't like hot things, because I heard that. You did, in fact. Give me an awareness roll, please. Which is higher, intuition or survival? Intuition is three, so it's way higher.
00:33:58
Speaker
Give me ingenuity and intuition since you're actually looking for something. And throw on the add-on that we've discussed for the whim of You Know Who. So high is good. Good, then.
00:34:10
Speaker
Here's what happens. We get to the top of the bottom scaffolding and are in out of the rain. You see that the scaffolding on its way down to the observatory proper is somewhat cluttered. Storage space in this location is at a premium, so wherever they've got room, they've put stuff out of the way.
00:34:31
Speaker
things like strips of tape with paper luau faces and decorations on a string of tape and unlit tiki torches from the cancelled tiki luau that dr cook wanted no part of in a pile stacked against one wall
00:34:48
Speaker
Okay, is there a means to light them? Fortunately you're in the 22nd century, so all you have to do is twist the cap and pull and it sparks and... Oh great, well that's handy then. So I'll just take two of those and then jump off with the scaffolding. I'll just sort of turn them on on the way down. I'd like to spend five story points to not die.
00:35:10
Speaker
This is beautiful. With the bounty of five story points, you are going to land at a specific moment as things unfold and we will get there in just one moment. Yeah, you look around like, is there anything we can use around here? And then there are the Tiki torches. Cut to the exterior arena borealis as the uncovered arena seating is pelted with bathwater warm
Arena Chaos Unleashed
00:35:36
Speaker
rain.
00:35:36
Speaker
and the foam seats start to pucker, then the surface of them starts to boil. Because they are in a stationary form, they would have to change shape to move, and those lovely creatures are in fact at a minus four for heat damage. So we're going to roll for the cushions en masse and see what happens.
00:36:00
Speaker
That is a matching lovely pair of twos. While the music that normally preambles the arena borealis, that light, kind of almost elevator-y musak stuff is slowly replaced with squeeze of discomfort. It sounds like rubber squeaking when you're trying to get comfortable in a seat, but then it picks up another one, and another one, and another one. First is just one or two.
00:36:28
Speaker
but the green cushion warbles and vibrates and flings itself like one of those old rubber toys you could use to buy in little plastic bubbles in the grocery store, pops, convexes itself towards the water below and then just one after another they start to
00:36:47
Speaker
until the green sea cushions are literally throwing themselves at the remotely cooler water than the steaming hot rains that you've created. So that's freaking lovely. Cut to the interior observatory, as the two rootin' spies slowly ooze closer to the telescope. Let us imagine that Dr. Cook is somewhere in the middle of some alien gratitude about the unstoppable war that is the root.
00:37:16
Speaker
and he stops when he hears the squeaks and the the winces of pain and the mass splashing and then the screams of confusion and fear that pick up
00:37:27
Speaker
from the crowds waiting to get into the arena borealis as seven kinds of hell break loose outside in the Sardig Science Center.
Rutins' Pain and Retreat
00:37:38
Speaker
The Rutins are a host connected to each other. They don't have individual minds. So they can feel the discomfort and the pain of the super sneaky brethren getting their plan thwarted and cook jellyfish swells with anger and just starts burbling about time.
00:37:56
Speaker
Blood notices! Dr. Lomo's jellyfish starts to angle closer, like, you will not force us, you will not win this day. When from above, swinging down on a daisy chain of luau skirts, down swings the completely unpredictable calamity hap. An X cross of torches, tucked between her arms, managed to swing down
00:38:23
Speaker
pop them both and then brandish them at the two jellyfish okay
Calamity's Fiery Entrance
00:38:29
Speaker
that's good that's a three seconds later you hear
00:38:34
Speaker
And the auditor just lands in a pile nearby. As the two Rutans are completely baffled by this sudden, surprising and yet completely inevitable turn of events, they back up in terror. You now have the upper hand. You now have them at a disadvantage. Fixer. Maeve. Calamity. What would you like to do? I would like to throw the torches to Fixer and Maeve, since I can't fight for anything.
00:39:03
Speaker
Look, I found fire! Here! Calamity, you're my hero. Maeve, do you have anything to contribute? If I can catch that tiki torch, I think Maeve has been trying to get between Dr. Gogol and the jellyfish and the Rutan and get her closer to the exit of this place and away, hopefully, from danger. Beautiful. I love it. Give me a coordination roll and don't get snake eyes, and you can successfully collect a lit torch from someone. Four and a six.
00:39:33
Speaker
beautiful. So yes, not only do you take the torch, but with that six, it's a yes and. You brandish the torch tip at Dr. Lomo next to Dr. Cook, and she backs away. You are closer to her than to Dr. Cook, that's the only reason. The six there, the yes and there, is that and you have intimidated her into backing up a step. Dr. Cook, Rutan, trembles with disgust.
00:39:59
Speaker
Nowhere to time rule to rely on the help of your last burger! Excuse me!
00:40:08
Speaker
A little bubble pops of disgust. It is not getting anywhere near you while you have the torch in your mitts, and they are still slowly inching back. Fixer, what are you doing? First off, say both Calamity and Maeve are better persons than I really. If you can truly feel everything, then you know we already have the upper hand. And everything you said earlier about being able to claim what you wanted was incorrect.
00:40:35
Speaker
So now you have a choice, and I do hope you'll make the right. Everything you're saying is right. Everything you're saying is proper. But part of me also thinks the fixer deserves to say it on his own merit.
00:40:49
Speaker
That is fair, and I completely understand that.
Fixer's Ultimatum
00:40:52
Speaker
My only thought on that is, if somebody tells you that you're a fed and you want to talk them down, you don't correct them and say, oh, no, no, I just walked in here and happened to be the negotiator that chose. But it can be funny as hell if you do it after you've beaten them. I am down for that.
00:41:10
Speaker
Between Dr. Cook and Dr. Lomo, they both have sufficient story points to engineer a retreat. Get the heck out of there. When you give your ultimatum and tell them that things have unfolded the way they've unfolded because of the choices they've made, that shakes them. Not for the first time, the root in solidarity has been buckled by teamwork of individuals coming together. At a story point, all three of you could not have happened without all three of you being in here at this time, in this place.
00:41:38
Speaker
They are starting to retreat. Dr. Lomo starts to trill something about activating their emergency transport. Cut to the empty shipping crate that has been parked in the parking lot. There is a beep of a green gelatinous device that is stuck to one of the interior corners of the shipping crate with a little crystal sticking out of it. It flashes. The aquarium research lab full of the little baby jellyfish.
00:42:04
Speaker
vanish in shimmering green special effects as the now floating and bobbing and like sulking sad noise making routines floating in the pool they also shimmer and vanish out of the water like in a matter of seconds the water just
00:42:25
Speaker
settles down without them in it. Dr. Lomo is the first to vanish out of the room, so Dr. Cook is retreating from both of you now as he retreats and sinks down into a more condensed jellyfish and says, Your misguided efforts to thwart us will all be trained inevitable, Doctor!
00:42:49
Speaker
Your tactical information is incorrect, and like many of the decisions you've made, harms you. I am not the doctor, I am the fixer, and there are people like me who will be waiting for you at every planet you arrive on. You'll be faced with this choice again, and I hope you'll make the right choice next time.
00:43:09
Speaker
The last thing the Rutan was expecting was more Gallifreans, and it vanishes in a large green flash. Cut to a few moments later, outside the arena Borealis, without the Rutan interference, power equalizes across the entire platform.
00:43:29
Speaker
Crystals around the arena that have been waiting to start their program suddenly kick in and the music rises and swells as the lights and glowing green and purple iridescence of Aurora Borealis start to take shape over the arena.
00:43:48
Speaker
And even though they haven't moved to their seats, the people that are immediately outside and the people that are inside and even zap crab matter at the controls comes to a stop. Panicking and the shouting and the what do we do slowly fades to a quiet nothing as everybody takes in the show.
Aftermath and Reflection
00:44:07
Speaker
I wanted to, after I handed off the torches, I just wanted to make sure that the auditor was okay because he had a much more exciting time coming down than I did.
00:44:15
Speaker
I really appreciate that. Between you and Dr. Gogol, you were able to help get him back to one point of coordination because after slipping on the ladder and falling from that, he was not going anywhere on his own. Thank you. The group of you limp your way out because one of you wasn't walking so hot and another one of you was heavily pregnant. And we reach the Open Science Center proper near the fixer's TARDIS. Dr. Gogol,
00:44:42
Speaker
and Gemma sort of lean on each other. Dr. Gogol absentmindedly says, I'm going to go ahead and take maternity leave early. Gemma, I want you to know that you've got a place in my lab when you graduate. And Gemma, her heart swells. This is one of the things she's wanted her whole life. And they limp off together back to the greenhouse.
00:45:05
Speaker
Gemma, I understand you'll probably be staying here for a while, helping them clean up this mess. If I could impose upon you, whoever takes over Dr. Cook's role of keeping an eye on the stars, if you see any more of that swarm movement, please make sure to send it our way. We just want to make sure that we're one step ahead of it. She nods and says, absolutely. You guys trade digital information, she can get in touch with you if swarm activity becomes a problem.
00:45:33
Speaker
Calamity, you have made some interesting acquaintances today and helped dramatically save some lives. Also some light property damage. How are you? Things seem pretty good. Everything's honestly that worked out great. Looks like a lot of things going on here that are really interesting. The auditor limps to the door frame of the watch shop and unlocks the door and just gives
00:46:02
Speaker
fixer a look like we've got the room and he limps inside. Calamity, I genuinely think that both I and many people I care about would not be alive right now if it was not for you. I know it's an imposition and I'm sure you've got a lot of things on your plate right now, but it would be a real honor if you would come travel with us. Oh.
00:46:22
Speaker
Well, I mean, that sounds really interesting. Thank you. I was actually thinking I might stay here for a while, though, because there's been a lot of signs of stochastic event magnetism around here. So, because I've sort of been waiting around for someone, and I've been trying to find a Time Lord. I'm pretty sure that when a Time Lord goes to a place, then a bunch of weird things happen. There's a whole thing. I have an explanation, but it takes a while for me to remember it.
00:46:48
Speaker
So thank you, I'm very flattered, but I'm just going to look around and see if I can find the time Lord instead.
Calamity Joins the Crew
00:46:54
Speaker
Well, if you can keep a secret and then lean in very close and say, I am a Time Lord. Oh, oh, really? Yes, but we've got to keep it secret. You know, we don't want everyone to know. That's all sorted out then. Thank you. Great. Sure. Then yes, that's that's exactly what I wanted.
00:47:13
Speaker
Excellent. Come right this way. Maeve, you're taking a look around just soaking up everything that's happened when a man who has the same kind of carriage about him as someone you knew in 1890 gets out of a small poorly maintained space sedan and looks around and checks his watch
00:47:40
Speaker
Supposed to pick you up here, Grack. Takes out his smart device and calls. And the recording device you picked up rings. Uh, I will make my way over to this, this fellow. Okay. Uh, are you looking for Grack? Yeah, yeah, I am. I'm Ponjeri. I'm his editor. I was supposed to pick him up. He didn't have bus fare back off the thing. What happened here? Nothing good. I have, um, bad news.
00:48:10
Speaker
Well, bad news is better than no news. Whatcha got? Grak was trying to report on the story. He didn't make it. He put himself in harm's way to get the story. I have his notes, and I hold out the recording device. He looks at it in your hand, looks at you, and looks around at the place, notices that of the people in the background that look startled and like what the hell was that and everything, you are uniquely composed.
00:48:41
Speaker
He looks at you, he looks at the device in your hand and he says, Greg, give you that. I, after he, uh, fell, I, I took it. Sounds like he'd want you to have it. Look, I, uh, I got a feeling. Why don't you type up your notes, send them to me through that thing. We'll see if it's any good. Really?
00:49:02
Speaker
I have a hole in my events page because of this, and it's not going anywhere because of whatever the hell just happened here. Traffic's been tied up in space for hours. I just want to get out of here and get back to work. Can you type up your notes and get them to me? Yes, yes, of course. Absolutely. I'll type them up right away. I'll have a story on your desk. Give me a moment. Desk? Who has a desk anymore?
00:49:26
Speaker
Maeve stops at that and looks around. She goes, yes, wherever you put stories now, I will get you a story. She's trying to both look very sad that Grack is gone and incredibly excited at the same time. And then she just squeals and runs back towards the fixed artist.
Maeve's New Role as Storyteller
00:49:43
Speaker
Cut to the interior of the Fixer's Tardis. It is a entire church organ of glass tubes, pneumatic piping, and glass and plastic everywhere. I do believe this is Calamity's first Tardis, or time inside of a Tardis. How does it feel to step into something that's bigger on the inside? Wow. Is it, um, how's that work then?
00:50:09
Speaker
It's a bit timey-wimey.
00:50:29
Speaker
and the screen cuts to Dr. Gogol and Gemma helping each other back to the greenhouse. You just helped the inventors of the flesh have the idea for the flesh. Well, that's exciting. Getting the Band-Aid in the hand while someone is talking about so they can become anything?
00:50:56
Speaker
watching the pieces come together and being a part of it and being the person with the burned hand and the fixer just inadvertently helped invent the flesh so did Maeve yay I'm sure nothing bad will come from this
00:51:13
Speaker
I'm sure nothing bad will come from this. For the sake of context, the flesh is a artificially alive protoplasm that can become entire avatars of people as a means of saving lives while they do hazardous work. The flesh eventually acquired sentience and have gone on to acquire their own rights as citizens. But even before, oh, the flesh is in development and people are debating, well, this is where they got the idea.
00:51:41
Speaker
Oh, I love it. I love it. And that is perfection, because in the end, the flesh does end up saving more lives than it costs. Mm-hmm. So yeah, you've achieved the mission of the day. You've saved lives and are not sticking around long enough to explain, which is just perfection. Again, pull out my book. Make, I believe this time we only need to make three little slashes this time, right? It's just Dr. Lomo, Dr. Cook, and Clutch.
Maeve's Recording Gadget
00:52:07
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Everyone else is who they claim to be. Beautiful, yeah.
00:52:11
Speaker
I do think just as soon as she can, Maeve is going to give a copy of the story to the Fixer to forward along to Grack's editor. That is, both a reporting of the events and a tribute to Grack.
00:52:24
Speaker
That is one of the wonderful things you're going to get to discover. You now have your own gadget. You have a gadget from Grac's character sheet that will be added to your sheet for the next game. It records and it transmits. It is a gadget that does two things. So that means it can record the audio and the notes that you make and it can transmit data on the note taker device to your publisher. Ooh, that is nifty.
00:52:52
Speaker
Isn't it? It's one of the things we get to engineer and create, because I know how important reporting is to Maeve, and we're going to be around cosmos shaping events. It would help to have someone to some perspective from the ground floor. When Maeve tells me that she's sent off this report, I'm going to go back into the book, circle one of the hash marks that was for Grack, and put a little check next to it.
00:53:18
Speaker
What does that mean? Tell me what that means to the Fixer, a check mark in his book. Well, we weren't able to save his life, but his desire, what his, he wanted his purpose to be, specifically what he wanted his purpose to be, we were able to help him achieve in the final state. Oh my yes, yeah, he died doing what he was supposed to. Yeah. The Fixer pulls the lever and the time rotor starts to wheeze and groan.
Character Experience Points
00:54:03
Speaker
That was Troubled Waters in two parts, thanks to our wonderful players who I would love to introduce and hand out experience points. You guys were great. You guys have been an absolute pip to play with. Aw, thank you. Thank you. Super fun. Yeah, this is a great game.
00:54:22
Speaker
I am so glad you think so. Once again, I want to go around the table and thank our wonderful players, starting with Kate McCoyn as the wonderful Maeve, and Pandora Beatrix playing Calamity Hap, and of course, Brandesorio as the Fixer. Ladies, gentlemen, you guys were absolutely wonderful today, and thank you for being a part of this story.
00:54:43
Speaker
So yes, we will start with the companions as far as the experience points are concerned. Experience points can be spent in the future on the increasing of traits and attributes, as well as buying gadgets and gizmos. So for Maeve, played by Kate, please take two story points for today, which I believe brings you to a total of four. Yeah, that's correct.
00:55:07
Speaker
Calamity, I had no idea what you were going to do and you did not disappoint. Wonderful work. That's the shtick.
00:55:17
Speaker
That's the shtick. Wonderful work. Welcome to Team Tardis. Please earn two experience points and keep track of those to be spent in the future. As for the fixer, Brand also please take two experience points and add a third because of those flying by the seat of your pants moments of leapfrogging from one option to another option and one idea to another idea.
00:55:44
Speaker
I tried my best to give you several different means of thwarting the Rutans, whether it would be using the Turbine Forest or the Aquarium or the Arena Borealis and so forth, and you didn't use any of them.
00:56:02
Speaker
Sorry about that. Do not apologize. Surprising the GM is a wonderful thing. Excellent work. One of the things I enjoy about this game is, okay, I'm not going to write the whole ending. I'm just going to write what'll happen if the good guys do nothing and see how you affect things from there and how the pieces roll into place from there is just delightful for me. Yeah, you did a great job.
00:56:25
Speaker
Oh, thank you. It was really delightful. It was a really enjoyable experience. As always, when you're running, it's just so much creativity is allowed to flow. And I really appreciate that. I really, really enjoy that. And you do it really well. Well, thank you. I appreciate that very much.
00:56:41
Speaker
something about the right team clicking together.
Episode Conclusion and Future Adventures
00:56:43
Speaker
So for our listeners, we ran a game zero with this team based in the collegiate UK, somewhere I want to say in the 50s called a place for hungry minds. That was our first opportunity to really kick the tires with the team as a group and see how they played both off each other and with each other.
00:57:04
Speaker
and responding to the things around them and poking things with sticks and sonics and tiki torches. It's been a delight. It's been an absolute delight. I am so excited to have us all together again for the first time since that game because as much as I enjoyed playing with just Brand, it's just amazing having Calamity here along with everything. Oh, thank you. I'm very excited to leak out all of Calamity's bizarre backstory and drips and drabs as we go.
00:57:33
Speaker
That's the best way. Do any of our lovely players have any questions or anything like that? No, really, just yeah, when next.
00:57:42
Speaker
The good news is the next mod in line is one that already exists. So it won't take long to refurbish it for a new round of players. And we'll be having fun with another guest NPC. Awesome. Excellent. That was Troubled Waters, our second mod of Anywhere But Now.
00:58:04
Speaker
And finally, to our listeners, another big thank you for sharing your precious time with us. If you feel it's been well spent, please share anywhere but now with your friends who are looking to enjoy themselves. Feel free to leave a like or a comment, and you can find us on Twitter at anywhere but now with an underscore at the end, and wherever you get your podcasts. For all of us, I'm Casey Jones. Thanks so much and have a great day.