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C2 Ep. 94 The Way of the Dreaming Chapter Eight
266 Plays3 years ago
The crew tries to get to their job, but an old acquaintance gets in their way.
This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Darrin Katzska, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrell DeLaney, Charles Compton, Deviouspoptart, Nastasia Raulerson, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Andy Dossett, Rebekah Gowman, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Eric Witman, Jerry Theuns, Philip Newman, Mark Stanley, and Shelby Johnson.
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Transcript
Introduction and Patron Shout-Out
00:00:00
Speaker
The following episode is brought to you by Mark Stanley, Philip Newman, Shelby Johnson, Jerry Thunes, Andy Dossett, Eric Whitman, Edvard Arnoff, Natasha Rallerson, Devious Poptart, Rebecca Gaoeman, Elizabeth Clark, David Scrambs, Charles Compton, Darryl Delaney, Ryan Royce, Darren Katzka, Irene Villarito, and Laura Pickron, as well as all of our generous patrons.
00:00:36
Speaker
D20 radio, your game is roll.
Setting the Scene for Eberron Adventure
00:01:11
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Eberron the Muted actual play podcast set in the Eberron campaign setting. I am your game master, Eric. I'm Phillip. I'm Trevor. I'm Randy. And I'm Jeff. Welcome to another episode. Gentlemen, what happened last time?
Unexpected Encounter with Coram Sadia
00:01:29
Speaker
I mean, nothing we expected. Apparently nobody had a good time. No, no, that's not true. Okay. So we went to talk with Corum, correct?
00:01:42
Speaker
Coram, yeah. Coram. Coram Sadia. Yes. The fabricator of the flight mechanism of the carrion, of Al Suwab. Just to get more information, and in the middle of it all, we found out that she actually works for Solomon Callaway. And he... A despair, a despair that turned out really to be quite beneficial, at least for now.
00:02:05
Speaker
Well, we did have to, I, I, I mean, we, we, we shared more than I'd like to share. Um, frankly, we're going to pay for that. Yeah, we are absolutely going to pay for that. Uh, but also so is Jason likely one way or two. Yeah. If ego could know, you know, there's a lot of unknown, unknowns in this thing. Um, it's true.
00:02:27
Speaker
I think it was my despair and I didn't share the problem. Well, I don't want to say the opportunity was there, but it was. But we did find out, not only did we find out, but Solomon basically orchestrated a meeting with, the Carrion doesn't know that there will be a meeting, but orchestrated a meeting. Says he orchestrated a meeting.
00:02:54
Speaker
Right, we've been told that, yes. That is true. That is also true. Son of a gun. He's a man of his word. You know, I sort of think all this crime doesn't pay. There's a lot of watching your back when you're a career criminal. I mean, it certainly doesn't pay much. It pays somebody pretty well, just not us. Solomon seems to be doing okay. So that was
Meeting Deliberation with Al Suwab
00:03:16
Speaker
it. We ended the episode by deciding to just kind of wait until
00:03:23
Speaker
the drop, supposed to drop, but it ended, ended with Aerith asking a very poignant question, which was, what are we going to do about all of this? Essentially. I don't know the exact words, but. And we'll pick up a week late now.
Moral Dilemmas and Solomon's Requests
00:03:38
Speaker
We'll pick up from there. Well, that was a bad idea. I'm sure I'm going to miss Milo.
00:03:49
Speaker
Oh man, that would be a killer way to do media res is all right. Everyone make one true statement and we're stuck with them. Raynard, I love you. Um, okay. Uh, that's for the sitcom spin-offs that we're going to do. Yes. So Eris asks that and Hob says, well, if I'm, I'm less torn.
00:04:16
Speaker
than I was earlier. Um, but, well, he's a, how do I say this? This is not a man who made one bad decision in stealing Bormar cargo. This is a man who's a bad person. How do we know?
00:04:41
Speaker
Was it, I mean, didn't, didn't call away. I mean, I know bounty hunter is not intrinsically bad for us to us, apparently, but. I mean, we have essentially done that job. Right. And I wouldn't be, and I would not think twice about someone turning me over to somebody else when they caught me. This is a fate I've resigned to my own self to potentially. I would think twice about it. I would think several times about it.
00:05:10
Speaker
Okay. But you'd understand. I wouldn't, I wouldn't think it was okay. Wouldn't be the breaks. Literally the breaks though. Look, go ahead. They're going to torture and then kill him.
00:05:39
Speaker
Right. Iris, what do you propose we do differently? What's your plan B? Just to not?
Introduction to Ace's Deception
00:05:49
Speaker
And that's not to be patronising, I'm genuinely wondering. I don't want to kill someone that doesn't need to be killed. And I don't want... I don't, period, just don't want to turn him over to the clan.
00:06:06
Speaker
I won't turn someone ever to be tortured or not. It's not. If we show up. At all. There's likely to be a fight. He's likely to put up a fight. And in the process of that might die. That's not a justification. What does he say? I'm asking in if that's something I mean. Look, if he's trying to kill us,
00:06:35
Speaker
of his own, you know, not because we rolled up and started shooting at him, but if he's trying to kill us, then obviously I think we defend ourselves or not. I'm not saying what I'm saying is showing up at all is probably going to lead to that. Unless we're lucky or have some real good to say at the top. And I know us, we're going to have to rely on lucky. And that's not great for us either. Um,
00:07:04
Speaker
So the question becomes, do we show up at all? If that's your concern. Now I say that we do. I think we should show up, but I don't want to attack him. I don't think we have to. So what do we, so what are we going to say if we end up getting to have a conversation? I want to know what, I don't want to know what he has to say about this.
00:07:28
Speaker
I have to assume that if we can come back to, uh, Vigo with, um, the proverbial bigger fish, perhaps we can be forgiven for not bringing him. Uh, but then what, I mean, what's the next job going to be? Bring him someone else to torture. Well, this is the second time he's asked us to kill someone. No, you're right.
00:07:59
Speaker
That's not what we do. We steal ledgers. We get trinkets so that people can deliver stuff to their wives in prison.
00:08:14
Speaker
We prepare slot machines not for nothing but we Both of those things not the slot machines as far as I know We've definitely killed people in the process of both of those things. I'm not saying We're not assassins and I don't want to be one they have people for that except for they say they don't But My bigger fish argument is this
00:08:42
Speaker
I would have less qualms about applying justice to the guy who ordered the shipment stolen.
00:08:58
Speaker
Uh, perhaps for personal gain to, or to, to administer this drug. Did we ever find out why we were getting, do we? Hang on. Jeff is forgetting something important that would change the way Hopstock, we have no idea why these drugs are getting delivered. We have no idea why Boromar was getting drugs. Nope. Yep. Then it makes it worse. Um, gosh, we can't return hat in hand. Right.
00:09:27
Speaker
Or maybe we can, we never have, maybe we get one. Who knows? Anybody else have any thoughts? I mean, we're obviously going to show up and just try our best to play the hand that's dealt. If he attacks and we defend ourselves, then so be it. If he's willing to talk and
00:09:55
Speaker
We come to some reasonable conclusion that way. I'm, I'm fine with that, but I just like, I don't know. It's, it's stuff when we've been asked to do something that we're not comfortable doing and that we've never actually, it's not our job to do this, but here we are doing it. Let's go. Let's.
00:10:23
Speaker
talk let's see perhaps he will have an idea perhaps he can give us some information perhaps we go to Vigo and say we found this out and are afraid it's above our pay grade or I don't know I don't if we have to kill him you can call dibs on the wings Iris I uh I don't know that's kidding
00:10:52
Speaker
I'm worried about what comes next. I don't know how to comfort you. There is no comforting you. Now, if it's, I believe that we can have an impactful conversation about the escalating violence of our jobs.
00:11:21
Speaker
But we can't do it in the middle of one. So worrying about what's next while reasonable isn't prudent right now.
Experience at The Cracked Mirror Tavern
00:11:33
Speaker
If it's the what's next to this job, then yeah, that's what we need to be figuring out. But if it's the what's next after we do this, what are they going to ask us to do next? Or if we bring them information, are they just going to ask us to go after that guy next? At that point, we can have the conversation with them, the ones that need to hear how we feel.
00:11:54
Speaker
And it could be fruitless, and if it is, then we'll have a conversation amongst ourselves. And Hob sounds like this now, apparently also, which is important. All right. I'm sorry, I don't want to discount your concerns. I feel them too. But from a standpoint of making it through the night,
00:12:27
Speaker
Let's go and try to talk to Al-Swa. Alright. And if he gets violent, perhaps it solves a problem for us. I don't know. Okay.
00:12:51
Speaker
So, is the plan to just wait until the time to meet, Elspa? I mean, if the meeting is happening on the roof and we have a flying boat, it doesn't seem like reconnaissance is a huge deal to me, but I'm happy to go if somebody else can think of a good reason. We could, we could park in the vicinity to wait. Sure. Yeah.
00:13:21
Speaker
OK, find some relatively relatively inconspicuous place to to sit with a view of the of the relevant warehouse. Is there a consistent bird nearby? You all can find a tavern in lower dirt. Notably, Hob gets an alcoholic beverage at this tavern. Oh, I mean, a beer is not going to screw up, Hob, but it might cut through some of his frustration.
00:13:51
Speaker
Interesting. Okay. So the in that is near, uh, the, the facility that, uh, Callaway pointed you at is called the cracked mirror. It's a pretty quiet in hole in the wall, clearly not trying to draw a ton of people in.
00:14:13
Speaker
Um, everyone give me just two purple difficulty, um, perception checks. If you like, you don't have to. Hey, Eric, did you name this? Who runs this bar? The correct mirror. Yeah.
00:14:28
Speaker
No, no, sorry. Uh, did you name this place before or after I spent a long time talking about how we're going to have to rely on luck and you name a place, the cracked mirror. This is, uh, this is in Eberron source material. So, and it is in lower Dura. So just, it's just serendipity. Um, so we have, uh, Eris three success, one advantage, Reynard two success, my Lizzier success. Are you not going to, yeah, he said simple.
00:14:56
Speaker
No, two purple average. Okay. I haven't rolled yet. So who, who operates this bar, Eric? Um, two failures and an advantage. Um, it is, uh, changelings. Um, the tyrants you all know are the proprietors of this bar.
00:15:18
Speaker
Okay, so those of you that passed, so Raynard and Eris, as you all are walking over to the cracked tavern, or the cracked, the cracked mirror tavern, you see a familiar figure in a very different context than the last time you saw him. You see Ace.
00:15:38
Speaker
Um, uh, he's president of lower Dura. Um, he is standing on a street corner wearing the vestigers of the sovereign host. Like what a, a practitioner and like, not a cleric, but like, and he's wearing, uh, a strip of cloth across his eyes.
00:16:02
Speaker
and is tied off to cover up his eyes. And he is holding out a bowl in front of him. And as people drop by and drop coins, he bows his head and thanks them. I didn't notice him. Yeah. Milo, you all are rolling. Wait, we don't like Ace, right? We walk right by.
00:16:31
Speaker
If we walked right by and Milo drops a couple of coins in us. Oh, okay. What'd you say? We don't, we don't like Ace, right? Ace is not a friend. Entirely different towards Ace. He was a lovable scamp that got in your way on a job.
00:16:49
Speaker
Because I was going to say... He was an accessory to a murderer before he realized he was an accessory to a murderer. So there's that. He's the guy that turned out the window, right? Yeah, attempted to turn out the window. He made it out the window just not much farther. I think Raynard trying to...
00:17:09
Speaker
What's the word? Not appreciate the game, but, uh, you know, he thinks he's pulling a scam. He thinks he's pulling a scam as they walk by, Raynard reaches in the hat and takes a gold coin just to see if he does anything.
Intervention in Ace's Scam
00:17:26
Speaker
He pulled out what Milo put in. Okay. Um, this is going to be, uh, he's basically just going to try to grab your wrist. Um, right. So.
00:17:40
Speaker
Because I would assume he's trying to pretend he's blind. You don't know. He might just be stealing from a blind guy. No, I knew who it was. I know. I know. Just people get blind. He might have become blind. He was a. So as a pickpocket and a street scam artist. I think you're totally right. Oh yeah. We all think he's scamming, but we also understand he might not be.
00:18:08
Speaker
Uh, Raynard, you grab a coin out of his hat and he obviously trying to not be obvious tries to like grab your wrist, but is not quick enough and falters. And you can see a sense of seething as he just.
00:18:29
Speaker
He can't do anything about it, so he just continues to stand on the street corner. Hob has noticed by now, right? Sure, surely. I think Hob's good. Good, good, good. No, I was just gonna probably say what you were gonna say. I was like, Raynard, I just put a coin in there for this dear fellow. What are you doing? I think they all just hear him say, good to see you, Ace. I think Hob's gonna just lean down and kind of be like,
00:18:59
Speaker
Come on, man, this is embarrassing. I'd say you're better than this, but I don't know that that's true, but there's certainly something you can do besides scamming on a fake disability. That's, I mean, that's low ace. He kind of starts and you see him like lift up a little bit of the bandage and one eye like pokes out from him and he's like, Oh, Hey guys. Uh, and he like steps back into an alley right near where he was standing and just kind of gestures and he pulls the bandage up.
00:19:28
Speaker
And yeah, both eyes are fine. He's like, what's up? You got a job. Um, for you. I figured that's why you came to find me. Oh, we want you to go up on this roof over here. What would we hire you to do? What? We don't need, what would we hire you to do?
00:19:52
Speaker
This is just, I mean, you know, you, I can, I can steal stuff. I, what, why are you here then? If you're like, but you can't, I have a cat for that now. Oh my gosh. I got, uh, if you all aren't, your cat steel, didn't he take some kind of oath?
00:20:20
Speaker
You just so much are the way that you are There's nothing any of us can do about it Okay, if if you all aren't here like can you not like we're trying to get some money so You need to find a better way to do a job
00:20:42
Speaker
Or go straight at this point. Trust me. That's what I meant. Like, go get a job. I make so much more than I would. You realize how much people give to like, clergy? And blind clergy? This is great!
00:20:59
Speaker
That's really gross. Hob gestures to his monastic garb. Yeah. If you sit on a street quarter hob with like a bull, make a killing. No, no. You're making a bit of a mockery. You understand that. For what? For the other, you're impersonating a disabled person for another
00:21:26
Speaker
It's just gross. You can do better. I thought. Well, I mean, I brought up the idea of working with you all and you made it pretty clear that you don't think I can. So no, we made it clear. We were not today. Yeah, we don't need you right now. Well, there was a lot of like what I meant. Yeah, right. I know. Including me because he's bad at it. I didn't say any. I didn't say that.
00:21:55
Speaker
I made it. He is. Oh, okay. Um, right. Yes, I'm gonna go get into a physical fight with a supervillain on a roof ace, ya inn. Come on, dingus. Let's go. You're on the team, dummy.
00:22:26
Speaker
So that's a no. All right. Falls outside of my skillset, I guess. So can I go back to my corner now? Like you think you've made your point, whatever point you were hoping to make here. I invited you. Go use your skillset. Seemed real genuine. The whole you dingus thing at the end was the selling point. I'm trying to protect you.
00:22:55
Speaker
Look, Ace, I genuinely believe you're better than this. I don't necessarily believe that you're gonna make it in the world of crime. If this is your best option tonight, go straight, man. You're a likeable guy. You'll find something.
00:23:23
Speaker
I don't know why Eris thinks Hob's above lying to somebody to get them to go away. Phyllis is giving me these looks. Give me a deception check, Hob. It is deception. I'm not going to argue that Hob actually thinks I live this kid. And I don't have good deception. So we have them all. I'm going to flip a story point. It's just one red is the difficulty.
00:23:47
Speaker
uh does he believe it can i get a boost does he download is he is he feeling good getting buttered up by somebody that he knows is successful at this job uh you can go ahead and take a boost for the for the words that you said my man hey two advantage so ace just kind of nods and
00:24:11
Speaker
Okay, sure. Whatever. And he takes the bandage off from around the top of his head. I'll see if I can find something better. I think Olfen might need a dishwasher. Or do you have a talent? Can you play an instrument? You can still work the corner. That's a no then. Never had music lessons, so.
00:24:40
Speaker
What did you do? What do you do? I stole things was what I did. But at some point you've had to have done something other than stealing things and you have to have got some kind of like thing you were good at. Good with your hands. My my parents died in the war. So no, I haven't done anything other than steal things. I've just been in lower Dura stealing stuff. What did you do? But like when you were a kid, what were you good at?
00:25:08
Speaker
Both my parents went off to fight. I was left in a home for kids in that situation. It wasn't good.
00:25:15
Speaker
so you've got good hands the fact to be the fact to be fair we steal a lot of things an entire home for kids in that situation is why we're not more sympathetic to it like this is not a singular story yeah well there is i mean oh yeah and hob was separated from his parents too because of of conflict so and you and we're all criminals look at us go
00:25:42
Speaker
If I wasn't good at crime, I would be lifting things for money. Like that's. Can you, can you do slight of hand? Oh, I mean, yeah, I would pick pocket people. Like, so there you go. Nobody likes coin tricks. I resent that. That's so funny. The lowest grade of performance art, really.
00:26:12
Speaker
I really resent that. For those that don't know, Randy works as a magician. It's one of his side hustles. My side hustles.
00:26:29
Speaker
oh man no in our world we like magicians but where there's real magic randy we don't like magicians that is not an unfair point actually oh could you imagine eris at a magician show just constantly pointing out how she could actually do
00:26:50
Speaker
You didn't pull that rabbit out. I could actually, if you wanted to make you a hat that you could pull a rabbit out of, I could do that if you want. It's just a manifesto. I don't even know the right components. Look up there. Didn't do any verbal or somatic garbage.
00:27:07
Speaker
That's just a court painted with stripes. Now I have to build an heiress going to a magic show at some point. You don't. It's like a warm up. It's a warm up act at the Diamond for some reason. Because she gave him the idea. She has to go to Ace's first street corner magic show. You know what, Ace? You're right.
00:27:36
Speaker
I mean, I don't know why I have so much invested in it all of a sudden. You doing something else? I suppose you do what you want or whatever. That seemed like you were really pulling for me to do something and now you've pulled back on it pretty severely. So I don't know what to do. I stopped giving a crap. We got places to go. Okay. That's Jeff talking. I'm just kidding. You all, you all came up to me. I don't know what is happening.
Tavern Gimmick and Strategic Discussion
00:28:03
Speaker
I'm serious. I think often could use a dishwasher.
00:28:05
Speaker
I'll go talk to him, I guess. I don't hate that idea. I don't hate Ace being at the floor sales at all. Open Ace and Arthur getting into it again. Um, I was just going to build him one, but, you know, a dishwasher, isn't that a person? No. I mean, yeah, it can't, you could be a dishwasher, but also I could just, you know, make something and you just hold the dishes over it and they're clean.
00:28:36
Speaker
areas. Don't tell him that right after you. I wasn't going to do it now. If he gets a job, I'm not going to like automate him out of a job. That's just what I was going to do, but I hadn't got around to it. And now there's this other option for dishwashing. The food's all right. Ace could be a delver. Don't put, don't get ace involved in our, in our little stupid evil clan.
00:29:05
Speaker
This would die so fast as a delver or it would get him off a life of crying like that Snapped with the wrong hands another cut on it and it hurt Okay, thanks for the pep talk guys I'm gonna go home Okay
00:29:26
Speaker
I think we did good today. Oh, we ruined that guy's night. But he was also scamming people on the corner as a blind clergy member, so I don't... Right. I don't feel bad about it. Right. I mean, you definitely don't do it without a bloody handkerchief across your eyes. It needs to look like a new situation. That's how you get the money.
00:29:50
Speaker
I mean, anybody that would have looked face had every now and again, a lot of like an awful person, but then, you know, honestly, I would be a little surprised if face had a lot of money in lower Dura, like maybe upper or what are we at? The upper middle Memphis flat. You're at lower Memphis is where you all lower Memphis. Yeah. Anyway, you all are near the crack mirror. Um,
00:30:21
Speaker
So, uh, as you all walk in, yeah, it's very unassuming, uh, Tavern, uh, primarily shifters and changelings are in here. Um, you see behind, is there in fact a cracked mirror?
00:30:37
Speaker
There is a crack mirror over the bar, uh, behind the bar. Um, and, uh, you all, uh, see a cheerful dwarf behind the, uh, the bar slinging drinks, laughing, uh, with people. And he sees you walking. He's like, hi, how are you doing? Go and find a table. I'll, I'll be with you in a second.
00:31:06
Speaker
And there, there are plenty of empty tables. It's about half capacity. Uh, yeah. Well, you find one, if nobody else, let's, Harris always, always sits wherever hob is going to sit because hob has more particular requirements for where he can sit. That's a good point. Yeah. Hob finds a bench. Um, so the dwarf walks over. It's like, how are y'all doing this evening? My name's more gab.
00:31:37
Speaker
And the special tonight is the fish. What can I get for you? What kind of fish is it? Undetermined. Oh, that's what makes it special. I like to have... I like for my fish to have a little determination. A bit of drive. Yeah, Hobb says, uh... Oh, sure, I'll take, um...
00:32:05
Speaker
Two fish and a cabbage. Two fish. A cabbage. A cabbage is a hob theme. Okay, when hob orders a cabbage, what is hob expecting? Is hob expecting like a dish that is primarily cabbage or is hob expecting a head of cabbage? Hob is expecting for the entirety of a cabbage to be presented to him and is not particular about how.
00:32:35
Speaker
If it is raw, if it is steamed, if they have made a slaw, whatever. Hub wants a cabbage. He likes- That's outstanding. What else? Oh, and a nail, please. Nail? Okay. Well, I'll go ahead and try the fish and the nail as well. What's the soup to say? Wait, Hob? Oh, Hob. You ordered a nail.
00:33:04
Speaker
Sure. And a long one. Super the day is catch. I don't know the time. There you go. Don't know that I've noticed you ordering alcohol before. Okay. I mean, it's on occasion. It's not a big deal.
00:33:33
Speaker
Are we done with orders or do you want me here for this? What's the soup today? Cabbage. Cabbage soup? Yes. Well, I'll, I'll, I'll take the fish as well. Okay. Just one. Uh, help. Yes. Okay. Drink. Uh, just, just water, please.
00:34:02
Speaker
Okay. You. Do you have a good calf? Uh, yeah, we got a good calf. Can you get your calf? Uh, black? Yes. Okay. Anything to eat? With sugar. Sure. Food? Um. Right. Calf. Okay. Yeah.
00:34:33
Speaker
I was thinking baby cow. I have, I have no idea what, what Eris would order in terms of not real food. It's middle of the day. So it's actually lunchtime. Is that what you said? I think you all were heading there to scout out. So I assumed it was like a little bit later in the day. So early, early for dinner, but we didn't eat lunch. I don't remember it. So I ordered two fish and a whole cabbage.
00:35:03
Speaker
Aeris, Aeris orders, literally whatever is Aeris is Aeris orders, whatever is cheapest on the menu. Okay. Kids, chicken tenders. Yes. That's such an Aeris order. Okay. I will get this for you. Black, sweet coffee and chicken strips. And more, more gab heads, heads to the back. All right.
00:35:35
Speaker
I mean, do we need to keep an eye out or are we just eating here? Cause it's nearby. Like, well, you know what I mean? Oh, well, actually Eris will just have Tasha perch somewhere where she can see the, the relevant building. Um, and so Eris just pulls one of her goggle lenses down over her eyes. A little picture in picture. Mm-hmm.
00:36:02
Speaker
Great. So do we just enjoy a lovely meal together? So, uh, about a minute or two after you all have placed your order for your food, uh, the front door...
Mixed Reviews of Tavern's Performance
00:36:14
Speaker
That guy's going to be hanging around for sales now, isn't he? Why should I say that? The front door... Just built a dishwasher. Of the cracked mirror crashes open.
00:36:23
Speaker
as a dwarf woman comes stomping in and says, where is he? Oh, not literally crashes. No, like, yeah, just the lungs open.
00:36:33
Speaker
Is he back here? And she like stomps across. I'll point at Raynard. The... He's right there. Get him. She stomps across the dining area to the curtain that separates the back and flings it open. And you see a half-orc woman and your gab, the dwarf, in a embrace behind the curtain. And she screams, how could you?
00:37:01
Speaker
and grabs a drink and flings it in Morgab's face. And he begins beseeching her for forgiveness as the half-orc woman takes off out of the bar. I do not want to eat here now. You can see that everybody in the tavern is paying attention to what's going on. And everybody has stopped eating and is watching as they begin going back and forth in this tirade.
00:37:32
Speaker
Well, let's hear it. But then, at one point, Mjorgab just throws his hands up and stomps back, and the dwarf woman runs out the front door crying. And then, to your confusion, the other people in the tavern begin applauding. Dang it, Hob was just about to say, well, I didn't know this was a theme restaurant. But now it is, so. Was that to you? Honestly, what's happening? Was that?
00:38:03
Speaker
Was that a scene? But why? Because I don't go to plays. Why are we here? A few moments later, a female shifter comes out of the kitchen holding a tray with all of your stuff and is like, here you go. Two fish, one cabbage. Great. And you see that the cabbage has been chopped and sauteed. Hob is how it was prepared. Yeah, baby.
00:38:30
Speaker
and one fish here, one fish here, and kids' chicken tenders. Ask me. And ale, ale, who had the water? Me. Oh, you, right. And one calf of sugar. If I can get you all anything else, let me know. Actually- Information would be good. Clarification. Yes, what- What diffract was that? All that.
00:38:59
Speaker
Oh, is this, is this y'all's first time here? Yes. Yes. Evidently. And the female shifter morphs into more gab. It's like, uh, it's just what we did. Like, you never know when a new scene is going to get swept up with the staff here. Um, so it's just a bit of fun that we have. People seem to appreciate it. Are most of them themed around domestic unrest?
00:39:25
Speaker
Uh, surprisingly, yes. It's, it's what we know. Yeah. It's what we know. That's heartbreaking. They say right. What you know, it's all about cheating.
00:39:46
Speaker
As soon as he walks away, Raynard says, well, after magicians, dinner theater is the lowest form of entertainment. Raynard has notes. Um, okay. Do you feel a little better about eating here now? Not really. Like it's dumb, but it's not. I'm not hungry anymore. Well, Hobtux in.
00:40:15
Speaker
Skin and all. Harris pours way too much sugar into the coffee. Yeah. The, uh, the fish are prepared whole, um, head, head on because you know, eaten in a similar fashion. Thank you very much. Whatever the eyes. Coward. Um, is it tasty? That's what I want to know.
00:40:38
Speaker
very well prepared. We are able to determine it is actually fish, right? Because he was like, I don't know fish. Yes. It does look like a common saltwater fish that is eaten frequently that has an appropriately fantasy equivalent name to
00:40:57
Speaker
Uh, sea bass. So, um... Yeah, yeah, Chilean... Oh, what is it? Fae bass. Yes, yes. In it, Chilean sea bass is the real name of like... The slime mouth or something? Yes. I'm looking it up now, I'll keep talking. I have to. Um, so, yeah, about every... It's the Patagonian toothfish.
00:41:27
Speaker
So this, of course, is the Brelish Toothfish. Yes, the Brelish Toothfish. Brelish Toothfish is what you are having tonight, except for Eris, who is having... The greater Brelish Toothfish. Chicken tenders, but it's spelled in the menu CHICK apostrophe in. So, you know...
00:41:49
Speaker
Maybe. Legally, they can call it that. Like wing of a lie. Errorist requests catch up. Here you go. Met every 20. What?
00:42:07
Speaker
Dumb stuff, go ahead. Samesies. About every 25 minutes or so, another scene abruptly plays out in the restaurant with the staff assuming various roles throughout the evening while you all are there. Hob is not pleased with how into it he gets. He says he doesn't watch plays, he just hasn't watched a play and it turns out this is enthralling to him and he's trying to hide it.
00:42:37
Speaker
Oh, no. Oh, did you? No, he did not. At one point in, once again, the through line of domestic strife, the wrong party looks to the crowd and goes, can you believe this? No. Girl, no. Frankly, you're going to be better off without him. And Eris enjoys that.
00:43:04
Speaker
Okay, so, night calls. Paul forgets it's fake, invites the waitress to come sit with him to comfort her. It's gonna be okay. Alright, look. Look, I've seen this guy tonight and you don't want to be a part of that. There's been like seven different people coming in. So many women. It's like seven different women. I can't wait to say he's cheating. You're gonna be okay. Oh. Here's a coupon for Sofia's. Have a good night. You earned it. Girlfriend.
00:43:39
Speaker
What is this episode? I don't even know what a coupon to a brothel looks like, but... This is our best episode. Okay, so... Hob is growing, okay? Yes, good job, Hob. I'm proud of him. Into a goofy caricature of what he could have been, because it's me at the helm. Okay, the night passes, night falls, drop time is approaching.
00:44:08
Speaker
what time to go so you all ordered a drink does anybody continue to drink like hob or mario reynard wants to no harris continues harris continues just wired to hell
00:44:25
Speaker
Oh no, that's the alarming thing. It appears to have no effects. Oh yeah. Despite it being attached to her arms, she now needs two hands to aim. Yeah. Milo's had a few ales. I mean, how long have we been waiting? A few hours. Hours? Yeah, it's been, you've been here a while. No, Hop had one. He's actually not going to have one. Eris ordered some chips and salsa.
00:44:58
Speaker
How do you buy a drink for that one waitress though? Sorry, Randy, please. I'm so sorry. Yeah. Milo's had a few ales, but Milo knows, you know, when to stop. Yeah. He knows his limits. He's not going to get tipsy at least two tipsy keeps his wits about him. Yeah. Such as they are. Okay. Um, so what's coming out of the.
00:45:28
Speaker
little pink elephant start dancing out of the, um, okay. What's the playing game? Go to the room waiting for the time. Oh, Hey, I never used my two advantage. Uh, if I can't, if it, if the times pass, the times pass, but I was going to ask if I could target a boost to the first person who tries to persuade the carry-in to listen to us. Okay. Sure.
00:45:56
Speaker
So yeah, time approaches. So are you all just going to hop up on the roof? The hour approaches.
Arrival of the Mysterious Figure
00:46:04
Speaker
And therefore, so do we. The roof. Right, yeah. So you all get up on the roof of this building. The layout, it is a pretty sizable, you know, there's a whole processing plant in this building. So it is not super tall, but it is long.
00:46:20
Speaker
And there are various vent shafts with steam and smoke coming out of them going up into the night sky. You also see two hatches that can be opened to enter into the building on kind of equidistant ends of the building. Are these stovepipes like?
00:46:45
Speaker
our size or like 30 feet tall. You could pull the grade off and slide down it. I would not advise that but yeah. I meant more like height wise like they're not necessarily obstructing vision or anything. Not unless you're standing right behind like you can hide behind one. Gotcha. There we go. Okay. Yeah.
00:47:06
Speaker
While we're sitting there waiting, Aeris says, you know what? It would have been really smart if we'd have tried to negotiate to have something that it looked like we were delivering. I will let you flip a story point to say that you all thought of that and brought a box. I'm down for that. Sure. Yep. Just a tickle box from the restaurant. Aeris. We brought you chicken tenders.
00:47:36
Speaker
Yeah, Eris found an old crate of some kind and has... Yeah. Has grubbed off the word cabbage. Okay, so after you all wait for about 20-ish minutes, you all can, no perception checks required, you all see a figure coming through the towers
00:48:06
Speaker
And yeah, it's a humanoid figure wearing a full face covering helmet and wings extending out from their back.
00:48:19
Speaker
and there seems to be some kind of propulsion system on the bottom of whatever pack there is. And the figure lands on the roof and the wings kind of fold in half and then bend down to where they're like, you get what I'm saying. And the figure walks up and you hear a modulated voice from inside the helmet say, you're new.
00:48:52
Speaker
Hi. Hello. We need to talk to you.
Cliffhanger Ending
00:49:02
Speaker
End of episode. Give an heiress all the buttons. This episode, we appreciate you having listened to it. Oh no, he's gone purred happily again.
00:49:21
Speaker
If you want to be part of the conversation surrounding this episode, head on over to our Discord, the link to which you can find all of our socials at The Geek Pantheon, Twitter, Instagram, or the Facebook group. Additionally, we have an ever underneath Facebook page that you can go like and follow. And we have a YouTube channel, youtube.com slash The Geek Pantheon, where I do various tabletop RPG videos, as well as another actual play that is D&D 5th edition.
00:49:46
Speaker
GM'd by Philip, uh, still set Neburon, if that's your jam. And we also have a patreon.com slash the geek pantheon. Uh, if you want to financially support the shows, you can do so over there. Thank you all so much for listening. I've been your game master, Eric. I am Philip. I'm Trevor.
00:50:07
Speaker
I'm Randy. And I'm Jeff. We'll see you next time.