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C2 Ep. 95 The Way of the Dreaming Chapter Nine
255 Plays3 years ago
The crew s face to face with their quarry, but will they be able to finish the job?
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 Acknowledgment
00:00:00
Speaker
The following episode is brought to you by Mark Stanley, Phillip Newman, Shelby Johnson, Jerry Thunes, Andy Dossett, Eric Whitman, Edvard Arnoff, Natasha Rallerson, Deavius Poptart, Rebecca Gowman, Elizabeth Clark, David Scrams, Charles Compton, Darryl Delaney, Ryan Royce, Darren Katzka, Irene Villarito, and Laura Pickron, as well as all of our generous patrons.
00:00:51
Speaker
with the courage.
Ace's Career Change
00:01:16
Speaker
and welcome to another episode gentlemen what happened last time
00:01:25
Speaker
Well, we met an old friend and caught a show. It's a generous way of putting both of those things. We may or may not have inspired our good old incompetent cat burglar friend, Ace, to go get a job as a
00:01:49
Speaker
dishwasher. I would like to amend that we inspired him to make a life change. You explicitly and exclusively convinced him to get a job at the for sale, pursue a job at the for sale. Rather than run a really sleazy scam. Oh, yeah. Then we went to a tyrant run bar and theater.
Visit to the Tyrant's Bar
00:02:15
Speaker
Mm-hmm thing cracked the mayor or had a real like silver dollar city vibe to me Yeah, that's a good. Yeah, it's a real Dixie stampede. Okay. Yeah It was like the real silver Wow
00:02:35
Speaker
That was outstanding. That was good. So I'm keeping around, guys. You're going to get one of those every 60 episodes. I'll give you all a story point back for that one. There you go. Awesome. Well played, sir.
Absentia Drug Deal
00:02:48
Speaker
And the episode ended with us meeting. Well, I mean, it didn't. It was a meeting, but I'll swash it up on the roof, and Eris said, we need to talk to you. And that's where we'll pick up. Sadia said that you had a shipment for me.
00:03:05
Speaker
Kind of. We have this box. We. But mostly we needed to talk to you. Talk. We need to know about the absentia. What do you want to know?
00:03:34
Speaker
Well, ideally, it was actually what your... I mean, we want you to tell us what happened with the absentia. I sold it. To whom? Dask. Why? Money. Did they hire you to take it and sell it? Or did you take it of your own volition and then find a fence? Listen, the people that hired me to steal it for them weren't paying market value. I found somebody that was
Charm or Coerce?
00:04:01
Speaker
willing to pay me better. So I sold it to them.
00:04:04
Speaker
Who was hiring you? Listen, I don't, I, I, I've already given you a lot of info. I don't know who you are or what you want, but, uh, it's not really good in my line of business to be naming people that hired you. Okay. I understand that.
00:04:30
Speaker
You all can feel free to make a check at any point if you... Yeah, I guess I really don't want to start with coercion. I really don't want to put that up first because it's gonna end in a fight. If only one of us were charming. It would be cool.
00:04:48
Speaker
Yeah, but I'm not good at it. I mean, I'm good at it, but I'm not good at it. You're the only one that has a chance to be good at it. You, as Trevor, do not have to be as charming as Reynard. Like, you could give the gist of what Reynard says and roll for it. That is acceptable. And you also have your Paragon heroic ability, if you would want to use that, which also greatly beefs up your charm. You also get a boost die. Let's do it.
00:05:18
Speaker
let's charm him
Vigo's Hiring Mystery
00:05:20
Speaker
okay wink wink oh that kind of charm whatever gets answered give me a give me a gist you don't have to actually like verb turns out wings is reynards thing
00:05:37
Speaker
No gender, just wings. He just now discovered it. This guy landed and Renard's like, oh. Oh. You got me. You got me. Wow, wow, wow. Sir, you've got me feeling some sort of way.
00:05:52
Speaker
So well, so we just ended by saying basically like he's not gonna tell us who hired him, right? Yeah Not off rip like But we know who he sold it to Yeah, he told you that he sold it to dad because they were willing to give him more money. Yes, but we already knew that. Yeah, okay All right now we're trying to find out whether our organization is the one that hired him in the first place and
00:06:20
Speaker
That's what I'm trying to find out. I will say from a DM standpoint, Vigo told you that Boromar hired him. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. He was hired by Boromar to collect this and he double-crossed the clan. I was just trying to figure out a way to ask that question to lead him to answer it that way. I mean, I knew that he was doing it for Boromar. I thought Eris was trying to get to
00:06:48
Speaker
Vigo personally hired him or if it was actually, I actually forgot that he was initially hired by us.
Reynard's Charm Success
00:06:55
Speaker
Okay. I had down that he had stolen a shipment, but I actually forgot. Yes. That's why he stole it from who we hired him. Yes. Yeah. Or didn't steal it for us and then didn't deliver it. Yes. It's like, I think along the lines of like,
00:07:10
Speaker
something like well I think at one point we were originally hired by the same person and we're just trying to figure that out you know something kind of leading them down that road okay basically trying to convey that you all are on the same side kind of thing yeah okay three purple is the difficulty Reynard
00:07:33
Speaker
So you can make a charm check against that. And what do I add for the, for my heroic ability? Uh, you spend two story points and, um, after rolling the dice for a check, but before resolving the results, you can remove one purple dice of your choice from the pool. Okay.
00:07:54
Speaker
So we can take a look and see which one really dinged you and add your blue as well. Yes. You get one extra blue, three purple difficulty. Okay. Here we go. I don't need it. Okay. Five success, one advantage since you were able to eliminate one purple. So that leaves you with one advantage. Five advantage. Five advantage. Cause he was a charm check near me. Hufa doofa. So, um, that sounds like a triumph to me.
00:08:24
Speaker
It is probably, yeah, it's pretty triumph worthy, five advantage. So he kind of nods and tells us his life story. It all started when I was a young boy.
00:08:38
Speaker
What made you become this way, Mr. Carrion? Money. So he kind of nods at Raynard's words. Listen, I was hired by Boromar to acquire the shipment.
Valinar Elf's Revelation
00:08:59
Speaker
If you all are also working for them, then I have to imagine there's a certain reason why you've sought me out.
00:09:06
Speaker
And what would you all like to do with the five advantage? I was going to say, can he be a little bit amenable?
00:09:21
Speaker
I mean, that's, that's your, your success kind of gets you that like he's, he's opened up to you all. Um, back to Boromar. I was like, listen to kill you. So what are we going to do to fix the situation? Okay. Remind me then are just remind me of our understanding. Our understanding has previously been that Boromar does not deal in drugs. Correct. Okay.
00:09:50
Speaker
Um, I will say, uh, as he's kind of re part of him, like the charms check succeeding and him letting his guard down. Um, he reaches up and takes his helmet off. That's been covering his face. And you see, he is a, uh, a Valinar elf. Um, so very like striking features, um, sharp, not an Asamar. No. Oh.
00:10:18
Speaker
We were told he is a male Asamar from Thrain and a last war veteran and a Knight of the Silver Flame, right? We were told that, I'm not. Yeah, you were told. My notes are not wrong. Okay. So Eris reacts to this. We got the wrong guy. Question. Are you, in fact, Aksria Nalswa? Yes. I'm sorry, his voice is no longer heavily mocked. Yes. One other thing that you note, Eris,
00:10:47
Speaker
is over his left eye, there is a tattoo of the head of a vulture in a very similar style that you have seen before in the tattoo arts, I guess, for lack of a better way to put it. On her head? Oh. On Axtrian's face. Right, but in Dargul style. Yes, yes.
00:11:18
Speaker
You're not what we were told you are. That is due to great pain and a lot of coin on my end. Right. Right. Gotcha. And. Where did you get that? When she touches her forehead. Still haven't taken it in my hand. Yeah. He is
00:11:50
Speaker
Last war was hard on a lot of people, and would have thought I was lucky to have been the lone survivor of my group, but turned out not so. Listen, I'll swore. I've got a question, and then I want to talk to you about something, just really quickly.
00:12:15
Speaker
When you got hired by Boromar, like we did, you were, you sussed that one out correctly.
Boromar's Drug Stance
00:12:21
Speaker
Did you get the feeling that you were being hired by the clan or by the guy who was talking to you? Do you understand what I'm saying? Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I've, I've been, I've been hired by the clan before and it, it was through the same channels, nothing different, I suppose. No, it's not, it was Vigo I'm guessing, right?
00:12:46
Speaker
I don't know. I don't. I'm sent contracts. I'm a freelancer. So I don't ask questions. Okay. Cause that was going to go a long way towards me deciding what I was going to do. Um, both immediately and in the far future. Uh, the kind of look don't usually deal in that sort of business. I mean,
00:13:18
Speaker
I've destroyed shipments before. I might be entirely possible that they had no desire to deal them, but... I don't know. Well, why wouldn't they just have you destroy them, Dan? Absentee is a messy thing. It's an inhalant, so if a shipment is destroyed, then there's always the possibility that it
00:13:43
Speaker
gets into the air, rains down, harms a lot of people. So I could understand why they wouldn't want me. And he kind of taps his belt using my normal means of destruction on a shipment of abstentia. Jeff quietly just says, yes, that must be how inhalants work in shorn and moves on.
00:14:10
Speaker
I think Hobb says, it's a matter of factually, he says, look, we
Carrion's Life Offer
00:14:17
Speaker
were hired to do something that we're not planning on doing. All right? We were hired. Shut up here. Hobb punches Ray Hard. Give me a brawl check. No, he does it.
00:14:38
Speaker
If you're doing it to purple difficulty. No, it is successful. I promise you. Yeah, it would hurt. Hub says, we don't plan on doing what we were asked. We don't want to. We've been asked to take you back to Vigo board war.
00:15:02
Speaker
And, well, he was probably gonna kill you, and he was probably gonna make sure it hurt for a long time on the way. Does that make sense? Yes, it does. We don't want to do that. That's not what we do. We aren't assassins or goons of that flavor. However,
00:15:33
Speaker
I'd love to be able to tell him that we couldn't find you because you've skipped town. Is that a possibility? Well, don't tell me I can tell them that if I want to. That's not, I'm not looking for clever here. I'm looking for solutions. Oh, I appreciate that and understand that. Um, I've been,
00:16:03
Speaker
made an offer to essentially be on retainer for somebody here. And Sean is the only problem. And the money is, it offers too much security for me to abandon it lightly. Strangely wide. Great at lunch. Great at lunch. I'm gonna start putting that on my business card.
00:16:34
Speaker
Your LinkedIn profile is a special skill. Great at lunch. Bad at work. Great at lunch. You want me in your break room. Good for morale. He kind of gives a slight nod. You seem familiar with a great many things going on in this city. Yeah, we get the reality. To me, it's maybe a little much. We are sort of vaguely aware
00:17:03
Speaker
Yeah, you might call it a passing familiarity. But yeah, yeah, so you're telling us that Solomon Callaway has the on-retainer. I've been made an offer. I have not accepted the offer yet, but. I think I have the impression that he's a really bad person. Oh, just really bad. But that's right, you knew that. We weren't telling you to know. Extremely disrespectful to his employees.
00:17:32
Speaker
In my experience... Yeah, and that is bad, but also murdering and stuff. In my experience, good people are as rare as a chiron that can go back to their house. That is a tortured metaphor. It is. Listen.
00:17:54
Speaker
If you want to take that job, you can take that job, but I can tell you this, there are a lot of people working for Boromar that don't have the scruples that we do. If you stay in Charn, you're gonna run afoul of one of them. And I'll be frank, I don't want to do this to you because you've not personally run afoul of me. I appreciate that.
Political Changes in Sharn
00:18:20
Speaker
I don't have some sort of abiding affection for you that I can't explain. Does that make sense? This is sort of a one-time... I don't want to be this person so I'm giving you a chance to not make me that person kind of thing.
00:18:38
Speaker
I think this might be a little bit of coercion if, if, if, if, yeah. Coercion is going to be a different, uh, opposed check. So that will be, um, a difficulty of two red.
00:18:57
Speaker
Two red, okay. I'm just double checking real quick if there's any other coercion stuff. Hey, so I do have that one thing, plausible deniability. I can just make one person depart quietly. Does that include from town forever? Because if not, I'll roll. I don't think he is a bystander. I think he is a focal point. He is standing by me, but whatever. All right, here we go.
00:19:25
Speaker
Watch me beef this with three yellow and... Okay, here we go. One failure, three advantage. I'm never rolling dice again. It's gonna make it a difficult podcast, but I think I can do it. I mean, I hope you all have enjoyed Jeff's time on the show. It sounds like... Oh, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just no longer having a chance to guide me.
00:19:57
Speaker
Yup, I'm just saying what I do, and it's what's done. Okay, one failure and three advantage is what I rolled in a pool of three yellow, a green, and two red. That was three potential triumphs. And two potential despairs, so you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Could have been worse. Triumphs are all errors tonight. He just shakes his head slightly and
00:20:29
Speaker
looks at you, Harb, and, I appreciate what you're saying, and I don't want to be cross with you. I don't desire that, and I don't, you seem like a formidable foe, and that the longer I can stay in your good graces, the better. That stands for me, all of you as well. This dude is firmly in Harb's neutral graces.
00:21:00
Speaker
Hobbes good graces are few. I'm just saying I mean like they're he only has a couple of them Yeah, not everybody in this in this team is in Hobbes good graces most of the time I I will say this I don't know how Familiar you all are with the
00:21:26
Speaker
tiresome inner workings of the Sean city council and our, well, my former, your current employers hold on it, but the winds are changing in Sean and the time to be attached to the Bormar block may be coming to an end.
00:21:57
Speaker
So, perhaps a change of scenery might do you all some good. Out of professional courtesy. It was hard we have heard that before.
00:22:15
Speaker
Your landlady is a member of the city council. So if you want more info, you could probably get it from right. I've, I mean, I'm, I'm glad you remind me. Soviet is because I was thinking like elected officials. What do we got? We got Satan's wife. That didn't seem like a great one or daughter, not wife, wife, wife. Okay. No, Dr. Alira is, um, yeah, daughter of Satan. Oh, so I, well, I appreciate your,
Carrion's Vulture Tattoo
00:22:44
Speaker
I almost had a concern, but I know it's not that, courtesy. I spent a lot of my life running. I think it's time for me to stand. Hob gave him a chance. Hob told him. That's not happening to him. Not a threat, just going to stick around in the city.
00:23:15
Speaker
Can you at least lay low for a few days? We need to figure out what we're gonna go back with so that we don't get the prices put on our heads. And if you can't, you know, keep it low-key for about 48 hours until we're able to do that, then you will have crossed me. Does that make sense? Yes. As a thank you for
00:23:45
Speaker
not seeing through your employers' desires. Yes, the DAS job is good enough to where a new up-and-coming Valinar elf may need to go hold some real estate appointments for lodging, so the Carrion won't be seen for some days.
00:24:14
Speaker
as people keep an eye out for that Asamar paladin flying through the sky. Oh, do you almost like tell people you were a goblin or something? It's really, you know, wacky out there. No, he's already built the cupboard. I think the consistency of the lie is the important thing. So just, yeah, done. Yeah, we couldn't find him. We just found this weird Valinar elf. I appreciate the thought though. Oh, you all had like
00:24:44
Speaker
Five advantage to spend. I'll move. Why didn't you use it on that roll? Oh. No, it was from Raynard's roll. Oh, yeah. You could have passed me some boost or something. You just never said anything. Yeah, we just never... So we have eight advantage on the table, current. Geez. Try it again. Well, I guess he drops the wings and he runs off and Eris has them now. She and Tasha go flying away from Sharn forever.
00:25:19
Speaker
eight advantages is a comical amount of advantage. I mean, that's, that's a couple of triumphs worth like, or you all can split it up into different things. No, we're going to use it. So Vigo buys our story.
Carrion's Survival Strategy
00:25:34
Speaker
You're welcome. We'll save all eight. These are rollover advantages.
00:25:43
Speaker
I mean you all can do that to beef up your buying from the clan or you can do something else with it. There's nothing to use it for in this conversation this conversation is done and I mean you could you could get more like you could declare that he has more information he's willing to give about his kind of vague the winds are changing in sharn proclamation if you want you could um say he has more information about literally anything uh going on in the city
00:26:12
Speaker
since he has connections with Solomon Calloway. I mean, there's part of me that wants for him to spill some of the beans on what his plans with Solomon are. There's also a part of me that does want to learn of his desk making moves to somewhere that we don't know about or planning to make some moves somewhere that we don't know about. Not that I'm particularly invested in the long-term survival of the Boromar name, but as long as I work for them, I'd like for them to remain solvent. I'm okay with that. Yeah.
00:26:44
Speaker
Information about what specifically okay, so for aid advantage. I would like to know more information about Like what he's gonna be doing for Solomon Even if it's vague in so far as like Solomon's getting into this business and need someone with my skills And if possible or if not
00:27:05
Speaker
if like he knows about something Dask is planning or is in the early stages of that is going to supplant us. Like, are they getting into a new business? Are they greasing the wheels with politicians? Are they doing two for one deals for dragon marked houses? What's going on? What are the wins of change? So yeah, for hate advantage,
00:27:28
Speaker
Basically, Al Sois lays out... Callaway has been assembling a team of individuals who have a clear set of skills when it comes to manufacturing in the arcane. And so he knows how skilled I am in combat and utilizing such things.
00:27:59
Speaker
And so he wants me to essentially I'm going on retainer as his bounty hunter and taking care of problem people and not killing them. I'm not an assassin, but informing them of the price of crossing Solomon Calloway.
00:28:20
Speaker
So I'm meant to be a figure of fear, as it were. I do know that primarily people that I would be targeting are people that support the Boromar block and the Boromar stranglehold on power within this city. For some reason, Solomon Callaway, well, I mean, Boromar is one of the biggest powers in the city. So it makes sense if you wanted to create a vacuum, they would be the ones that you wanted to take out.
00:28:49
Speaker
Um, but he had somebody on his team. He told me that was capable of utilizing things in a way similar that I do, but they have recently gone missing. So he needs somebody to fill that stop gap for him. Um, in terms of desk business, um,
00:29:12
Speaker
I know that they are making moves to try and get in on Boromar territory and that Callaway has been supplying them with weapons and intelligence as well. So they have become sort of a proxy for Callaway. I don't know if they're aware of that. I think they just, a mysterious benefactor is leaving things for them. That is
00:29:39
Speaker
what I know for you all. My first target, I suppose, is, if I decide to take the job, is Thurik Devondi, who is the counselor for Upper Memphis. He's a tailor, works with Glamoweev.
00:30:01
Speaker
Does that even mean anything to any of us? I can't imagine it does. He's a city councilor, so you might know the name in passing. That's my alderman. So he's gonna go threaten city councilors so they vote the way Solomon wants them to?
00:30:29
Speaker
Yes, I think he's hoping that one of them will abstain from their seat. I think that's the hope with Thuric is that he will be scared to the point of leaving his seat and Solomon can start installing people that are his on the council. Seems really dull and underhanded.
00:30:57
Speaker
I mean, how do you think your employer's got so many people on their side on the council? I don't admire my employers. I don't admire mine either. It seems like beneath you. I've lived enough of my life with nothing to know better than to look the other way when somebody offers me something. I'm not being forced to- Take it for yourself.
00:31:28
Speaker
I'm not being forced to hurt anybody. I'm being forced to scare them. I've done far worse things and I would like to not have to. So if Callaway is willing to pay me to be a boogeyman for him, then I'll be a boogeyman. I think a worst crime's to do. We have any Callazart when you were a mercenary?
00:31:53
Speaker
remind me what that means. Philip, it's a city in Kyre. Harris lived near there. Oh, right, right. No, my company was primarily hired by Kyron forces, in fact. And we never, we were primarily in Breeland attacking, raiding, that sort of thing.
00:32:23
Speaker
Then we came upon a dargoon force, and that was that. Right. Al-Swa kind of puts two and together, like, you see a moment of, like, shame as he closes eyes, and sorry for the turn of phrase. I assumed you were breathish. Philip has mimed gesturing to his personhood. Her personhood, I suppose, actually. Right.
00:32:53
Speaker
Her bid jacketedness. It's dark. There's not a whole lot of light. Don't you have dark vision? It's in grayscale. It's not that clear anyway. People that don't have dark vision think dark vision is this matter anyway. I was just curious. We may have gotten everything we can get here. I don't know.
00:33:20
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. Honestly, Hobb's waiting for him to leave so we can talk about what we're going to tell Vigo. Well, like I said, I'll lay low for a few days. Probably take a long weekend and be back at it next week. You might consider costume change. I'm just saying, it's really cool, but it's not actually terrifying.
00:33:47
Speaker
I mean, if I came in through your bedroom window with the modulated voice and the like. Oh, like you came in through my bedroom window, terrible things would happen to you. Fair enough, it was more of a general your, but. You wouldn't be happy through mine either, I like to think, but. Note taken. But mine would be really funny. You're not allergic to cats, are you? That's a very weird threat.
00:34:17
Speaker
Well if he came through my window, I'd wanted to know. I have a cat. Well, not allergic to cats. Well, my window would be fairly safe then, I think. Noted.
Establishing a Drop Spot
00:34:37
Speaker
How hard up for friends is Reynard? Going to lunch with Solomon Calloway, inviting this guy to come through his window. We don't actually dislike you that much. I was going to say the listeners can attest to how his closest friends talk to him, so probably pretty hard up, I mean. Okay.
00:35:00
Speaker
well i'm just saying it's it's more cool than terrifying and thank you thank you um feel free to drop off any plans you might have with uh at the tower and i'll take a look at him he says obviously stands up we're not helping him i just like artistically
00:35:25
Speaker
Weird, but you know what, whatever. He takes the helmet and holds it. It's like, I suppose if I made it like the mask of the helmet, like a terrifying bird, it might strike fear. I don't know. But anyway, thank you all for the heads up. Thank you all for that. Do you want this box?
00:35:52
Speaker
What's in it? Is there actually something for me in that box? Well, I mean, we filled it with rubbish from the broken mirror, from the cracked mirror, because it would be full, because I thought it might not work if it was empty. Then no, I appreciate the offer, but I'm good on boxes. Iris looks around as if considering what to do with this crate of junk shots.
00:36:23
Speaker
I just find it odd that you're considering going to work for this colorway. And I mean, how do you think we knew you were going to be here?
00:36:48
Speaker
Oh, I imagine. For all he knew, we would attempt to kill you. Hmm. It's just something to think about. That is something to think about. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.
00:37:12
Speaker
Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm
00:37:41
Speaker
And he puts the helmet on and gives a nod and the wings extend. And you see... Where would I drop off plants? Oh, really? Just with Coram, I suppose. Oh, but she might be offended.
00:38:08
Speaker
Is there some, I could, like I said, I'm going to buy a place this weekend, so I could, if you have an address, I could send you my address. And I'll be around Tuesdays for lunch, I could deliver them for you if you need. Right, apparently Reynard's gonna go to lunch with your boss. Hob screams into his shoulder. He's very good at it. How about...
00:38:36
Speaker
You all never exchanged your names. How about, let's say you, if you have something for me by next weekend, you leave it up here and I'll come by and check. We'll have a drop spot up here. Yeah. Great. All right. See you around. It's not fire, it's like,
00:39:05
Speaker
like what would cause force damage from magic spell, like expelling out of the bottom that launches him up as the wings, he gets about five feet off the ground and then the wings snap out and he kind of barrel rolls up and away and shoots between two towers. And then there's an explosion and he, no.
00:39:28
Speaker
That's what our advantage go to. Yeah. Yeah. So Hobb turns to the group and says, well, what shall we tell Vigo?
Debate on Killing Carrion
00:39:45
Speaker
I have a thought. We did not find a flying Asamar. We did not find, but, but
00:39:57
Speaker
We did learn that while this job was freelance, he is in fact working for and under the protection of Solomon Callaway. Oh. And perhaps Viggo would appreciate. So we didn't want to, you know, provoke. We came to him for
00:40:24
Speaker
For for wisdom on oh, I don't like that part. Well, I don't either but you lie to people To make them feel better so they do what you want Anyway We tell him yes we tell him that we wanted to make sure he knew that before we went further and
00:40:51
Speaker
Just say we couldn't find him, but we found information. Right. That's yeah. Right. Yeah. We don't have to say we met him. Yes. I didn't say we met him. Right. No, I know. I agree. Right. I think we're on the same page. I believe so. But what are we going to do if we go then says, all right, I don't care. Now go kill him.
00:41:23
Speaker
and send a message to that freakishly wide bald-headed tot. Isn't that what the goals are for? I don't know. Is that what they're for? I thought it was. Is it not, Eric? Yeah. Okay. I mean, they're the military arm of the clan. They've got people for that when it becomes go kill them. Right.
00:41:51
Speaker
and I don't have to feel bad if that's the next step as he tells someone else to go kill someone else well that happens all the time and I don't feel bad about it so I know y'all going to talk I'm open to other options well I think we have a good plan on what to say I guess whatever Vigo says doesn't have to we don't have to work that out immediately we can see what Vigo says and then
00:42:20
Speaker
And then make our own plan. Right. Are you really going to lunch with him?
Lunch with Solomon Callaway
00:42:29
Speaker
Yes. It was a good lunch. He actually abducted you. Well, and would have killed you. A spectacularly bad man. Have fun, I guess. He helped us today.
00:42:50
Speaker
Did you see the way he talked to Cora? Well... She's like a brilliant artificer and runs out the door and he's like, go and get me coffee. That is Eris. I don't think you'd like my family very much, Eris. I've... When have I ever given you the impression that I would like your family? I'm just used to people like him. I've met one other person in your family and I didn't like him. Yeah, no one likes him. Well, I want him.
00:43:25
Speaker
Well, maybe I can find something else out. Who knows? All right. It's also not true. Basil's mom thinks much more highly of Raynard. Which is just sad. Now, like, after Raynard's been expelled from the family, now she still thinks more highly of Raynard. All right.
00:43:52
Speaker
So that's where we're at. We're going to go to Vigo and explain we couldn't find him. We did learn the separation. Do we have to say, do we have to lead with, we couldn't, what if we just lead with the, we found something important out. I think that's better. We leave out that we met him until we're asked and then we lie. Sure. One of us lies. The best. Ideally one of us with a number of ranks and deception. Mm-hmm.
00:44:23
Speaker
You're picking up on it this time, yeah. Do I have high deception? Surely. Surely you have high deception. One yellow, two green. Really? I'm better at deception than you?
00:44:43
Speaker
Deception are not the same thing. Have you seen rain our talk? I mean I just your roguish I assumed that you would be better at lying and stealing but apparently I'm better at both of those things than you are I got about 4,000 experiences to spend so maybe All right, I guess I'll lie
00:45:13
Speaker
Maybe there's some way that, like, Reynard and I could both lie together, and then my natural conniving nature would apply to Reynard's more polished, you know, scam artist's pattern. Perhaps. And I'll be there. Looming the whole time. Looming. And I'll just be there.
00:45:39
Speaker
You got that frightful aspect thing, don't you, uh, don't you, Milo? Yes, I have a lot of smoke coming out of my head.
00:45:50
Speaker
Oh no, so it was spooky. Okay, so are you all just heading up to see if you go in the morning? I'm assuming. Yeah, let's just go. I think so. You just go do it? Get it done? At the earliest convenience. Like we thought it was urgent, he know. Yeah. So are you going right, like wake him up, go or just? He's not out partying?
00:46:19
Speaker
I mean, that's how we met him, was him out partying. That's fair, yeah. So. His usual party spot. Because he's a schmuck. See if he's there. Usual party spot. If he goes probably at the flippant fox, let's go find him.
Vigo's Order at the Tavern
00:46:42
Speaker
That's a solid bar name, Randy. Yes, it is. I'm going to use that. It works because you can see the sign. You can just sort of see the sign. The fox's tail is the neon part that just kind of goes back and forth. Yes. Flipping. OK, so yeah, you all are headed to Middle Tavern.
00:47:04
Speaker
is the district of the city that you all know that Vigo goes to party in pretty frequently and there is a tavern called the Tooth and Nail that Vigo is known to go party at from time to time or frequently enough to where that would be the first place that you all go to look. And
00:47:32
Speaker
Yeah, the tooth and nail, the sign is a tooth with a nail through it. Really afraid that was going to be the sign. And there is a- What if it was the other way around? A nail with a tooth going through? Sure. What if it was a finger and the nail was in the tooth just kind of wiggling the nail on the fire? Oh yeah, that would- It's all neon signs. I don't like any of this.
00:48:02
Speaker
That's what Reynard's job is when he goes legit. He's going to design neon signs.
00:48:08
Speaker
It's going to be great management at a neon sign company. They all do the exact same thing. And, uh, hob, while you haven't done it that frequently, um, has rack the, uh, has rack is the shifter that runs the fighting ring, right? I'm not making that up. Um, this is where you can come to like place bets on fights before fight night. Like once the fights have been announced, if you want to come place early bets, you can go to the tooth and nail.
00:48:36
Speaker
to place bets there. So, yeah. I'm just gonna walk in and see his name on the wall, is he? Oh crap. What did he go do?
00:48:50
Speaker
No idea. Hob versus a blue dragon. He better be little. So yeah, you know that the tavern is run by a shifter named Boz. It's a jaguar shifter. So you all walk in.
00:49:12
Speaker
There's a pretty diverse group of people. This is a pretty rough and tumble type tavern. And you see Viggo sitting at a table playing a game of cards with some people much bigger than him. And Jason is standing over his right shoulder just kind of keeping an eye out on things.
00:49:40
Speaker
We did also tell Solomon about Jason. Boy, that's just gonna keep being reminded a lot to me. Indeed. Like, they're actively playing a game right now? Yeah. I mean, you could just try to get Jason's attention from across the bar and like... If Jason wasn't there, I would send Milo up to Vigo just to be like, hey, we need to talk to you, but...
00:50:07
Speaker
You know what? With the group's blessing, Hobb says, well, I'll try to get Jason's attention. That sounds good. And with me. Hey, Jason! The bar doesn't get quiet. Like, it's not record scratch, but definitely the general sound of the bar dips a bit as, like, multiple people look, and Jason kind of gives you a, like, why kind of look.
00:50:36
Speaker
Viggo obviously hears it and looks up and kind of rolls his eyes and throws his cards face down and gets up and walks across the tavern.
Vigo's Insistent Order
00:50:48
Speaker
What do you want? Oh, I didn't want to interrupt your game. That's why I yelled for Jason. Sorry about that.
00:50:55
Speaker
Yeah, real subtle. What do you want? Oh, I'm sorry. No, I was trying to get his attention from across the room. It's like the opposite of subtle. It's what you need. You need like direct and loud and... Well, I mean, you're here now, so let's not split hairs. We learned some things and we came directly to you. Do you want to do this here?
00:51:16
Speaker
No, I don't wanna do this here, but we're here, so I can't. Let me try again. This needs to happen. It's maybe sensitive information. Do you wanna say it here or someplace else that we need, we might go? Vigo turns towards the bar. Boz, did anybody use in the back room? Boz kind of shakes his eyes like, come on. And Vigo walks towards a door at the back of the tavern. And walks in, there's a table, chairs, it's clearly for like,
00:51:46
Speaker
parties that want to have a private conversation in the back of the tavern. So perfect for your purposes. Um, Jason brings up the rear walking behind all of you, uh, as Vigo leads you into the room. Eris walks annoyingly slowly.
00:52:04
Speaker
I think that if they haven't done it enough times already, there's a little bit of a dance. Hob is normally the one in the back, and does not like having somebody walk behind them. So if this is something they've had to do multiple times, it's not, but if this is an early time for this, there's a little bit of a dance before Hob finally decides it's stupid, and Jason's not gonna try anything anyway, and goes first. Thinking, Jason. Eris keeps pausing unexpectedly.
00:52:33
Speaker
Hop bumps into her. By the time you all get into the room Jason shuts the door and stands by the door on the inside of the room still in the room with you all. Just kind of standing hands one over the other in front of him just standing at a kind of relaxed posture watching you all. You know it's so funny to me
00:53:00
Speaker
How does Vigo look at this guy who is so confident that he could take everyone in the room and not think there's something up with him? Because there's no reason he should think that. Vigo's not dumb enough to think that. Anyway, we've been out looking for your carrion. And we wanted to come and talk to you as soon as we found out some information. He is apparently now a personal employee of Solomon Callaway.
00:53:32
Speaker
Not for the job, the stealing from you that he did. But before we moved further, given the history that Solomon has with the clan. He does not say you in particular. We didn't know if you'd want to put somebody a little more
00:54:04
Speaker
prone to anger? On the case, instead of us. Or if we needed to restructure all together, but it seems too important to act without running it up the chain. So I want to let you know, we're going to leave you to your night though. Have a great one. And he tries to, Vigo speaks up as Hob just starts to say, no, I mean, I appreciate the,
00:54:33
Speaker
the ideals of discretion and, you know, concern, as it were, about our relationship with Callaway. But no, you don't need to worry about that. Just, you know, business as usual, go get the carry and kill him. I don't care. Just whatever. Isn't that going to provoke Callaway? Eh, who cares?
00:55:02
Speaker
Clans take care of it. I mean, we found out he was working for Callaway from people working for Callaway before we knew anything else. It'll get back. I mean, probably a good lesson for Callaway to not meddle in the Clans' business then. I forgot we couldn't count on Vigo to make smart decisions. I don't know what gave you the impression in the first place. Memory laugh.
00:55:33
Speaker
Nah, just, you know, Satan told me to make sure it was taken care of, I'm passing it to you all to make sure it's taken care of, so go make sure it's taken care of. But Viggo, you've forgotten that we're not killers, it's not what we do, you have people over that, don't you? Uh, you know, I mean, the goals are good for like military tactics and like fighting Dask and large groups, but we don't have a good like,
00:56:01
Speaker
We got plenty of hammers, but we don't have scalpels. Need a scalpel. Hub looks at the assemblage of these four ding-dongs and wonders exactly which of them is the scalpel Viggo's been waiting for. He doesn't say anything, but he makes the glancing around pretty clear. You all have gotten yourself in some sticky situations in the past and been able to kill your way out of it, so you know.
00:56:31
Speaker
Makes you feel and you better get him to punch you first. That's what you all do, right? Eris leaves. Viggo, that's the problem. It's not what we do. Eris probably wouldn't be paying attention. Anybody that looks after Eris as she leaves, as she walks past Jason, Jason has a smirk on his face.
00:57:04
Speaker
Jason moves out of the way. He was standing by the door. He wasn't standing like in front of the door. Mostly if somebody tried to come in, he would stop them, but. So, right. We, I guess we keep looking then. We haven't had much luck, but I guess we can. Oh, he found out he works for Callaway. That sounds like a good, good lead. Yeah, we've found some information. So, right. You all are great at this stuff.
00:57:32
Speaker
But I don't want to tell you this, but Simon also knows that your friend Jason is actually an elf. Uh, is that a problem? Just kidding. My face just morphed into terror and shock. Like, what? Um, yeah, we can throw you a curveball every once in a while. Um, I mean, listen, this is here. I, I do buy it's direct order. Like you're not, you, it's not, you're always called to make that they're like,
00:58:03
Speaker
No guilt. It's not even my call to make. Satan gave me the job. So, you know, stole from the Klan. I'm just saying, there are a lot of people that work for you that would do this happily. Why are you trying to give it to the one group that would prefer not to kill someone without our own lives being in mortal peril? You got people under your command, Viggo.
00:58:33
Speaker
Yeah, but black lamps, they're like you. They smash and grab, go get things, go find out information. Nobody is like... Do we know any other black lamps? I feel like we've got to know some other black lamps and we've got to know there's at least one bloodthirsty... ...chag off in there somewhere. Flip the story point! I'll flip the story point for that.
00:58:58
Speaker
I don't know what this is going to accomplish. I think this is going to accomplish. I mean what it's going to accomplish is it's going to send somebody else to kill the guy and the guy's going to die anyway. The guy's going to die anyway. Maybe. I think that's very interesting. Just not by our hand, hopefully. Right, because Eric's going to kill him off screen using an NPC. Exactly.
00:59:25
Speaker
Do you want to flip a story point to establish that you all know a another black lamp crew that is more amenable to outright murder? I'm not opposed.
00:59:40
Speaker
I mean, that's what they're for. Well, one of the things they're for. I mean, the options are we do that. We keep coming up with reasons not to kill the carrion until Eric gets bored of trying to make us, I guess. Or do we just do it? Or do we kill Viggo? I mean, what do we do? I need something, because you're
Moral Dilemma with Boromar
00:59:58
Speaker
right. I think this is going to just end with us having to keep up coming up with other reasons to not kill him until we do. Or, I mean, I'm not satisfied with it, but I also, like,
01:00:13
Speaker
I mean, I think it's extremely unlikely to resolve the situation. Okay. I guess I was on the impression that story points do what we tell them. I don't mean we can't say there's a group of black lamps who are bloodthirsty. I think it's extremely unlikely that doing that will resolve the situation. Right.
01:00:40
Speaker
I don't think we can spend a story point and say, and Viggo will therefore send them instead. Sure. No, we'd have to roll probably for that one. But also. But also I think kicking the conflict off screen is boring. She says from off screen. Eris is sitting at the bar watching the door.
01:01:08
Speaker
You didn't want Eris in there. I just don't. I don't. I don't know. I mean, I'll take your word for that, but I need someone else in this brainstorm with me. Like, what are we going to do, guys? Phillip is in the brainstorm. I know. I know. If we don't try to kick it off to other teams, we just say, OK, we'll try and then not do it again. I mean, he's about to do something terribly destructive to the to the to the clan. We could go talk to Satan.
01:01:40
Speaker
Yeah. We could tell Lady Briar, who's obviously dislikes Viggo as much as we do. Yeah. And see what might be able to be done. We could quit our jobs. I'm getting closer to that one. I mean, the Vultures are criminal, right? The Carrion. What?
01:02:08
Speaker
I mean we definitely don't kill people just cuz they're criminals like that's That's not what I was saying. I was gonna say we could go talk actually does we could go talk to my detective friend Can you go arrest him?
Mysterious Helmet Discovery
01:02:42
Speaker
And, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and,
01:02:42
Speaker
the carrion the carrion no way marvel owns that copyright there's no way yeah the name's the vulture
01:03:02
Speaker
Yeah, no, that's why they all have highly stylized looks and weird real names. So they can copyright that part. Yeah. OK, so do we let Vigo give us the job and then we figure out what we're going to do again in another conversation? Because I'm fine with that. I just need we need.
01:03:31
Speaker
I mean, it doesn't sound like there's any way to get out of it that I can think of. All right. Okay, here we go. All right, Viggo. You want a scalpel? Fine. Great. Precision takes time. This is a new wrinkle? You and I agree that Solomon Calloway is not to be trifled with. His organization
01:04:02
Speaker
Less so. So give us some time, some room, some air to do this right. If we do it right, it won't even come back on us. Or the clan, or you, or your uncle. Yeah, I mean, you need to kill Callaway also. Who cares? Kill him. Whatever. You go with all due respect.
01:04:33
Speaker
Perhaps. Perhaps. We take this, put a pin in it, revisit it when maybe I've caught you earlier in the day. Were you trying to put up Drunk Vigo earlier? Because I'm just picking it up on that last sentence. Okay.
01:04:50
Speaker
Now I'm on board. I've been turning the dial up a little bit as the conversation went on. Well, it has fully saturated at this point. So yeah, now I'm way less concerned about this. This interaction altogether, now I'm just like, oh, oh, okay. Right, Vigo.
01:05:11
Speaker
I'm gonna take, I'm gonna take your direction tonight. I think you might agree, maybe we revisit it tomorrow. Just so I make sure you guys still want it. That's fair. It sounds fine. And I'll leave cause Jeff's mad. As Milo is walking out, he catches Vigo's eye. Vigo's eye?
01:05:38
Speaker
I mean not Vigo, he catches Jason's eye and as he walks past just gives him a wink and the wispy smoke coming out of his forehead gets a little darker and gets up in Jason's face. Make a big middle finger. Rainard, do you want to ask Vigo out for lunch before you go?
01:06:07
Speaker
No, he's not good at lunch. I know. Tapas? Okay, so yeah, you all- I'm so mad I didn't pick up that you were drunk. It changes everything. I was taking this all really seriously. I mean, it is still- Aeris is at the bar. That is where Aeris is when you leave.
01:06:35
Speaker
My old goes up to Eris. He was drunk. Which would vego obviously drunk will. Sounds like we're going to try again another time. Right because sober ego has always been very, very person. Don't foresee any other outcome. But I was complaining just dispelling the illusion on Jason.
01:06:59
Speaker
I'm glad you didn't. Well, I'm still contemplating it. I'm just drinking while I'm contemplating it now. Eris, Eris, Eris. I do believe there will be a time for that. You said her name three times, she appears behind you. No. I'm actually trapped her in a mirror. It works the other way. And believe me, I can't wait until you do it.
01:07:31
Speaker
but I don't want to work for these people. I don't want to be someone's assassin. And that's what you said he wants from us. It is. It is. And you'll note we're not going to do it. I'm with you. I'm pretty much with you at this point. But much like our dumb bosses analogy,
01:07:58
Speaker
Our exit also has to be handled with surgical precision. We can't leave sloppy, because if we leave sloppy, we run their whole lives. And I think you know that. He doesn't say because I think you've been, but I think we all know it's implied.
01:08:25
Speaker
Now we're not going to kill anybody just because Viggo told us to. We didn't see that yesterday and we won't tomorrow. But we got to go along and get along for a bit longer. And I'm sorry that that's the case. Come on, Eris, let's go. Eris, like once,
01:08:50
Speaker
One one gulp downs the rest of whatever she was drinking and slides off the bar and off the bar stool stomps out glaring various forms of unpleasant murder in the direction of Jason and Vigo. The bartender gives the empty glass the heiress leaves behind a deeply concerned look.
01:09:09
Speaker
Yeah, we've established actually so far that the only alcohol that Aeris regularly drinks is that goblin liquor that he brought to the unity dinner that's like obscenely alcoholic. Curlot. Hob puts a gold coin on the bar just in case Aeris didn't pay and kind of discovers it.
01:09:37
Speaker
Okay, so are you all going back to your- I hope our gold covers whatever errors drink. Are you all going back to your various domiciles or? Probably. Okay. Yes. Okay. So, Raynard.
01:09:57
Speaker
you climb the steps up to your front door and open it. And just inside your front door, you see a small box sitting in the entryway. It's like a small wooden box without a lid on it. And you can see that there's something with a round top like in it. What's in the box? I gotta get me a thieving pet.
01:10:23
Speaker
I'm gonna get a raven or something. Arthur is nowhere to be seen. Where's Arthur, Eric? What's in the box? Do you examine what's in the box? Well, I guess. Do you check it for traps? You see a helmet of Dachani goblin, or Dargul goblin design.
01:10:49
Speaker
with half of it blown away. There's a big hole in it. And there's a note on it that says, payment arrived home two nights from now. End of episode.
Outro and Credits
01:11:08
Speaker
Thank you all so much for listening. If you want to be part of the conversation surrounding this episode, head on over to our Discord, the link to which can be found on all of our socials, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook group, Geek Pantheon. We also have a YouTube channel, youtube.com slash the Geek Pantheon.
01:11:23
Speaker
Where we have a variety of tabletop role-playing game videos, as well as another actual play set in our brawn over there called Kyber shards GMed by Phillip. And we have a Patreon, patreon.com slash geek pantheon. If you want to support the shows, that's where you can do it. Thank you all so much. I've been your game master, Eric. I'm Phillip. I'm Trevor. I'm Randy.
01:11:46
Speaker
And I'm Jeff. See you next time. And I'm stuck.