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Ch. 28 - Haggle and Barge-ain | Corrupting Presence
51 Plays13 days ago
A splash of seafood could really enhance your soup. Consider adding some medieval era canned tuna or a jar of preserved eels.
Meet the cast:
Dungeon Master – Zach Meikle (IG: @zachabee)
Clay Campbell – Prima Zhao (IG: @primbdraws)
Faunalyn Vaydark – Shannon Meikle (IG: @sharsharbinks)
Glimki Treefellow – Jordan Johnsen (IG: @jordan_johnsen)
Edited by Zach Meikle
Follow the show:
Instagram: @bard_soup
TikTok: @bard_soup
Website: www.bardsoup.com
Music & Ambience
The following songs are created by Alexander Nakarada (www.creatorchords.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Beyond the Horizon (0:00)
Fall (6:17)
Chase (15:17)
Mystery Palace (22:23)
Moon (34:12)
Red Mystery (46:07)
Wonderland (49:40)
Fantasy Ambience (55:10)
Tavern Loop One (1:13:20)
Evig Fred (1:27:21)
Passing Greetings (1:56:48)
Shadow Whispers (1:59:58)
Additional music and ambience created by Tim Roven (www.tabletopaudio.com)
Lakeside Camp (24:14)
Halfling Lodge (1:18:38)
Underground Lake (1:30:58)
Mountain Tavern (1:58:00)
Sound Effects
Wood Smash 3 by floraphonic from Pixabay
Additional sounds provided by Pixabay
Recommended
Transcript
Arrival at Mengen and Initial Encounters
00:00:00
Speaker
Now, let's see. Where were we? Ah yes, that's right. After finishing that business on Kobarus, our heroes were brought to the island of Mengen.
00:00:11
Speaker
By their newly acquired dragon friend Jha'arth and his son Peter. They were left in a courtyard with an interesting tile pattern on the ground and a broken statue of a woman that they soon learned was the island's governor.
Confrontation and Exploration in the City
00:00:24
Speaker
They were confronted by some dwarves in matching uniforms that they soon learned were representatives of the Korak Mining Company. A dwarven corporation that had begun mining upon the island.
00:00:35
Speaker
The dwarves asked them some questions, but soon let them go, and they wandered the streets for a while, looking for
Dreams and Mystical Experiences
00:00:41
Speaker
a place to stay. And as they traversed the city, they came across a bridge with a tile mosaic depicting a nature spirit made of flowers dancing through a forest.
00:00:50
Speaker
The same spirit that Glimke was searching for. Eventually, they found accommodation for the night at a garish hotel called the Green Sapphire, and while they slept, Clay dreamt and found themselves in a familiar cavern.
00:01:03
Speaker
Clay heard familiar rumbling in the distance and decided to run the opposite direction, though she was chided for this decision. Eventually she reached a precipice that brought her outside the cave, where she found herself standing somewhere in the middle of an impossibly large mountain.
00:01:16
Speaker
They took in views that seemed to stretch out for infinity, before looking up and seeing a flock of birds that they soon realized were angels. One of which, an angel named Lucas, came to greet her and informed Clay that they were an Empyrean, the realm of the gods.
00:01:33
Speaker
specifically the domain of Makrok. Clay, emboldened by this, returned to the cave where they were once again confronted with a wall of fire. But this time, instead of running, they pressed forward, clutching their dragon scale amulet, and they were protected from the flames.
00:01:47
Speaker
The same thing happened in a room full of crackling electricity. But as they entered a third section of the tunnel, a wave of acid dissolved them and the dream ended.
Gathering Information and Discovering Rebellion
00:01:55
Speaker
But not before they heard a voice say, this one shows potential, as they saw an impossibly large eye peering at In the morning, the party decided to split up and gain information on the city.
00:02:07
Speaker
Glimke met an old man named Durin, who mentioned a potential rebellion in Manus, a nearby town. Fondlin tried to forge documents to gain access into the Korak Mining Company's headquarters, but an earthquake foiled her efforts, and she fell back on acting sickly, then eavesdropping on some businessmen at lunch.
00:02:24
Speaker
Clay ventured back over the river into the Artists' District, where they stumbled upon the studio of Benatarosi, an individual that they had been tasked with delivering a package to. Clay and Baina spoke for a time, and Clay learned that the artist was planning on abandoning the island due to the pollution and earthquakes.
00:02:40
Speaker
But Clay convinced them to stay, and Baina also mentioned rebels gathering in Manus. Although it took some convincing, Baina eventually offered up her studio as a base of operations.
Humorous Interruption and Bard Soup Discussion
00:02:50
Speaker
Our three heroes rejoined to discuss what they'd learned, and decided that if a rebellion was brewing in Manus, that's where they wanted to be.
00:02:58
Speaker
What happened to the space story? That's over, Clarb. Besides, she ran off like an hour ago. Did you not see her slip out the door? I guess not. I don't know why I didn't do the same.
00:03:10
Speaker
Now, if I may.
00:03:26
Speaker
Come gather round, travelers, and sit on the stoop. We'll tell you a story about Batsu. Three lovable scamps in our traveling troop.
00:03:40
Speaker
We'll tell you a story about Batsu.
Journey to Manus and Environmental Observations
00:03:58
Speaker
It's souping time.
00:04:02
Speaker
Welcome back to Bard Soup, the show where we talk about Luigi Mpreg. Oh my god. I'm joined today by my three panelists. One is a big fan, one is kind of neutral, and one's a big hater. No, no.
00:04:17
Speaker
No. I think we know who the hater is. Hi, my name is Shannon Meikle. I play Fauna Lynn Vedark and am a big hater of Luigi M. Pregg and Fiction and doing but i mean I'm I play Clay Campbell. I'm Neutral.
00:04:36
Speaker
Uh-oh, Jordan. So tell us why you like Luigi M. Pregg so much. I honestly think it's a really good approach to a nuanced conversation about sexuality. um So actually, if you're a hater, you are a bigot. So Shannon, sucks to suck.
00:04:50
Speaker
ah fakeking You know what? Send me some of your favorite Luigi and Pregg arts and I'll see if I can come around. Yeah, well, right now, just check the chat. oh oh Oh, yeah, no, I get it now.
00:05:03
Speaker
And yeah, welcome back to Bart Soup. I'm Zach Meikle. Feel free to draw me however you want. I would love some fan art. Oh, you're on. Oh, so oh God.
00:05:17
Speaker
Oh, God. Somehow the best intro we've ever done.
00:05:23
Speaker
and I have adrenaline and fear flowing through my veins right now.
00:05:29
Speaker
I guess it was effective.
00:05:33
Speaker
we join our heroes on the outskirts of town. After coming together outside the Green Sapphire Hotel, you decided to take the trip to Manus, which you've been told is several hours outside the city.
00:05:48
Speaker
And our heroes traveled back across over the over the river and out through the Red Gate, which is similar to the gate that Glimke went out Earlier in the day, this one is painted and it has this nice crimson color and there's a few guards keeping watch.
Investigation of the Polluted River and Dwarven Barges
00:06:05
Speaker
They're not asking people questions though. It seems like passage in and out of the city is completely uncontrolled and you set out into the greater wilds of Mengen.
00:06:17
Speaker
You walk for several hours down this wide dirt road. It's slightly overgrown and weeds kind pop up between the tire treads of long-gone wagons.
00:06:35
Speaker
it seems like it's still used somewhat, but... It is slightly overgrown. The road of course winds alongside the Solari River, which is this dark and honestly pretty foul-smelling river that burbles alongside you.
00:06:51
Speaker
the sun strains to push through the clouds of ash above, and the bit of sunlight that does penetrate through the ash layer filters across little slicks of oil spotted across the surface of the river.
00:07:03
Speaker
I would say, I guess, as you are as you are walking, is there anything you wish to discuss as you make your way to Manus? So what is like the nature like? Obviously, the the river seems polluted.
00:07:17
Speaker
like Is this forest still like a forest? or is there There is a forest. There are trees. I would say that while the trees above should be in like a full bloom at this point into the summer,
00:07:31
Speaker
Quite a few of them sit barren or only have a small amount of foliage growing out of them. It's not like it's a dead forest, but it's definitely not thriving.
00:07:43
Speaker
The weeds that grow up through the road are kind of gnarled and dark. You see just clumps of brambles alongside the road. threatening to choke it out at certain points. Nature is not healthy, even outside the city.
00:07:56
Speaker
Could, if Glimke does like a, i don't know, he's like looking around for any glimpse of, like, is there anything flowering? Is there any, like, seemingly some nature or plants kind of pushing through this foulness or?
00:08:12
Speaker
Sure, give me either a perception or a nature check. Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun. Can I help? Because I also want to look for like wildlife. like Is there any ducks or birds or anything?
00:08:23
Speaker
Sure. So you can either both roll separately, either nature or or perception, or Glimke can roll with advantage. I'll just give Glimke the help. That's useful because I rolled a 7 and then a 17.
00:08:36
Speaker
Nice. Okay. Yeah, I would say you you wander around down this road for quite some time looking for signs of of life, of something other than just gnarled trees and withered vines.
00:08:50
Speaker
And after a while, you do see this cluster of purple alongside the riverbank. And you look over and you see this clump of delicate purple flowers growing up through the foliage.
00:09:09
Speaker
Yeah, Glimke would want to walk up, not to disturb it too much, but if there's any way to pluck just a single flower off, it'd be nice. Yeah.
00:09:22
Speaker
wander over, and i would say as you pluck... you hear the sound of something moving in the water. The river moves not too fast. It's pretty slow, honestly.
00:09:35
Speaker
Burbles a little bit as you get close. But you hear something else. And as you look out at the water, you glance upstream. And you see barge moving towards you, towards the city.
00:09:49
Speaker
And it is this large metal barge, very ugly, very utilitarian. You see that there are a dozen dwarves upon the deck of it.
00:10:02
Speaker
Eleven of them are rowing, and you can't help but notice that there are twelve positions with paddles, but one sits empty, and eleven dwarves row while a twelfth stands on the deck, shouting out orders and keeping time with ah with a drum.
00:10:18
Speaker
And you see that there are stacks and stacks of these pallets with small metal cans stacked up and bound to each of them. Metal cans? Like how big are the cans?
00:10:29
Speaker
Like can of soup or...? More like a tuna can. Oh, interesting. What do you guys think is on that boat? Looks like they've got some kind of cans stacked up.
00:10:43
Speaker
Hmm. Wonder what's in there. Coming from the mine, maybe? i mean, maybe. Is the mine in that direction? Dunno. Do we know if the mine is in that direction? I don't think you've got a good sense of exactly where the mine is. I think you know that the city of Onkiel, where you've spent all of your time so far, is on the northern coast of the island.
00:11:03
Speaker
So you know that the mine is somewhere south, presumably. But you don't know if it's south on this side of the river where you currently are or south on the other side. so it's possible. But yeah, you're not entirely sure based off the available information.
00:11:19
Speaker
Hmm. Let's go check out the cans, right? Yeah.
Arrival at Manus and Uncovering Local Mysteries
00:11:22
Speaker
We can stop them, right? We're auditors. ah I don't think they're going to stop. How big is a barge? like what How big is this ship?
00:11:32
Speaker
I would say it is probably 30 feet long. 25, 30 feet, somewhere in there. That's a pretty big barge. 30 feet. And as they get closer, you hear the one dwarf standing at the front saying, Aave, you lot.
00:11:47
Speaker
Need to make it back to the city before Supernova. Come on, then. Aave. Is there any like insignias on the boat or on their clothing?
00:11:58
Speaker
Yeah, they all wear matching uniforms displaying the emblem of the Korak Mining Company, those ah two C's that kind of are mirrored to form an M. Well, I shot in the dark, but they all look like they work for the mine, so whatever's in those cans.
00:12:17
Speaker
I guess, have we never asked anybody what they mine, or did we? They said they mine like everything yeah, and that he wasn't a miner, so he didn't have a good answer for us. Isn't there like a processing plant or something in the middle of town or something? Yeah, think so. That we were potentially talking about heisting. Anyways, Glimke wants to, yeah, he'll take the little flower, he'll open up his journal and just press it into one of the pages and then keep walking on.
00:12:42
Speaker
Wait, I want to get a look at these cans. Well, yeah, you look at the cans. I'm going to pull out my paper that I wrote my These Guys Are Ugly note on, and I'm going to step down the embankment and get as close as I can to the boat, and i'm going to call over.
00:13:03
Speaker
What do you say? you just Hi, just doing inventory, making sure we're all on schedule. What is your... Boat registration number?
00:13:14
Speaker
The dwarf at the front of the ship looks over at you and says, Ooh, the fuck are you? How slow is this barge? Remember, the river's moving pretty slow. they're um They're not moving at great speed.
00:13:26
Speaker
These guys suck. Oh, you're never going to make it back to the sea, or supernova. They're all just fucking limp paddle in the water. Puttering along. Or they're pedaling upstream, I guess. No, it's downstream. Oh, damn. They just- Oh my, it's just so- Lazy river.
00:13:45
Speaker
I'm the auditor from Airdeneen. I was sent here on behalf of the mining corporation to make sure everything's running smoothly. I'm just going to write down that apparently it is not, since you're not following company procedure, to state your registration number upon request from an official. So I'm just going to jot that down.
00:14:03
Speaker
Could I get the highest DC deception check, please? Can I give the help action? What are you doing to help? Yeah! Uh… No! Yeah!
00:14:18
Speaker
What's in the dumps? She said! don't know! That's, uh… 11. As they start to drift past, he says, Alright, lads.
00:14:31
Speaker
Let's pull over. We got some impersonators we gotta talk to. Alright, time to go. and the boat is slowly going to drift towards the shore. It's okay, they're slow. Just walk away. Just walk away. They're so slow. Just walk. Grab one of the hands run.
00:14:47
Speaker
Are you sticking it out or are you running? I- hang on. I want to see if I have anything for this.
00:14:55
Speaker
What could you possibly have? Like a cyanide tablet? Oh! Clay! Clay! Clay! Give me the rope! Give me the rope, Clay! Clay, the magic rope I wanted to do! Oh, oh, yeah! Here! Catch it! And I say, magic rope, spin the fourth! And I whip it into a lasso, and i I want to try to lasso one of the cans and yank it off the boat and then run away.
00:15:15
Speaker
Okay, give me a sleight of hand check. Oh, gosh. That's not even the craziest thing I've tried to do recently, guys. This is like normal D&D stuff. oh Oh, no, it is a 10. Sorry, there's a spec on my die. I got a 16.
00:15:28
Speaker
sixteen 16. You lash out with this rope as the boat approaches. Several dwarves jump in the water and start trudging through the ah through the the water on the banks towards you, and this rope comes flying back towards you. You snag the can, and the three of you take off down the road, and they're going to chase you for a few minutes, but...
00:15:51
Speaker
their legs are short. They're as fast as Glimke, but not as fast as Clay and Fawnalyn. And we'll say maybe every once in a while, Clay and Fawnalyn give Glimke a little boost, grab him and swing him forward like a toddler, the three of you go sprinting down the road, hand in hand in hand.
00:16:08
Speaker
Fawnalyn's yelling mad shit over her shoulder about how like this is all going in the report and they're all going to get bad performance reviews and they're going to get a demotion and also their moms are stupid and stuff like that.
00:16:21
Speaker
You know, on your talk. Yeah, for sure. they They yell mean things back, but it's in dwarven. It's in dwarvish, you wouldn't know what they say. Well, how do I know it's mean, then? It's probably very complimentary. You can tell. There's a tone. beautiful, clever, and resourceful. What are they going to say?
00:16:36
Speaker
What are they even going to say about me? Drock, nah, scrap, scrap. Pregnant Luigi. Oh, ew.
00:16:47
Speaker
And the three of you run down the road. It's like, remember that you're recording in the room next to me and I can come hit you with things. So act accordingly. I'd like to see you try.
00:16:59
Speaker
No! she The three of you run off and eventually the noise behind you quiets and you're able to slow down and catch your breath with one metal can acquired.
00:17:12
Speaker
What kind can is it? Because is canning invented in this world? That's like a major innovation. They have mass production of aluminum cans. Damn right. Maybe. Tell me about this can. What am I looking at? Have I ever seen something like this?
00:17:25
Speaker
I would say, no, you've never seen anything like this, but it is a, it's a can. I don't know. You can decide if Fonnell knows what a can is, I guess. Like a soup can style can? Shorter. Tuna can, he said.
00:17:37
Speaker
Is there a tab? Like a tuna can. There's no tab. What? Is there a label? Okay. There's no label. What? Can we shake it? I've never any jar like this. Yeah. What is this?
00:17:48
Speaker
What happens when Clay shakes it? We like passing it around. You feel like a little liquid sloshing around. It's seems like it's full of something. It's not empty. Nothing rattles around. It seems like it's full or almost full of something.
00:18:01
Speaker
What the hell? I hit it on a rock. Sure. Just like nitroglycerin. It's ah Yeah, you take 20d6's fire damage.
00:18:11
Speaker
ah You fell for my clever trap. Yeah, you you crack it open on a rock and ah little bit of liquid leaks out and you smell fish.
00:18:22
Speaker
What? Oh my god, guys, they imprisoned a fish in this little, in this little cylindrical prism. Get it out. Yeah, we got, we got, what the hell? It's like greasy and what is this?
00:18:33
Speaker
I'm gonna like keep bashing it on a rock until it makes like a proper dent or hole. Is the liquid like water or oil-based? I would say it is oil-based. Ew.
00:18:43
Speaker
Would you believe, in my mind, I'm originally water-based, but oil-based, great question, is worse, and it is now oil-based. Hmm. Ew, wait, get the fish out. Yeah, you ah you keep whacking at it. you' able to say and Like we've never seen preserved fish before. yeah Mileage may vary, I guess. You each get to decide. And sounding like so far, ah no.
00:19:12
Speaker
And yeah, you peel the lid back and you see just chunks of fish preserved in oil. What foul alchemy is this? Do you think this is a spell component?
00:19:23
Speaker
i don't They had so many cans of this. ah Oh, imagine the spell they could do. i think it's food. Look at it. It's like mulchy little fish. You can see a little bit of spine on that one.
00:19:37
Speaker
No, no, no. It's like in wizard towers and storybooks when they've got like the preserved eels up on the wall in the in the glass vials. It's like that, but it's tinned and it smells kind of good, but kind of bad.
00:19:48
Speaker
I think those are flakes of pepper. And is that like a little bit of lemon? Investigation. I'll give five gold to eat it. Yeah. Is this edible? Do you want to make a survival check or like... Yeah, survival. Or do you just are you just popping it in I'm poking it and sniffing it.
00:20:06
Speaker
give me Give me a survival check. Oh, 18. Oh. eighteen Yeah, you you smell it. It doesn't smell good per se, but it definitely smells like fish. And you you kind of poke at it and you assume it's like a white fish, some sort of lake fish, presumably.
00:20:26
Speaker
And you do know that Manus is built on the shores of a lake. Okay. So wait, does it taste good? Yeah, I taste it. It's okay.
00:20:37
Speaker
Yeah, it's like, it's edible. It's like not like caustic. It's maybe an acquired taste. It's probably not your preferred meal, but it's food. Okay, so the mining company also has ship loads of food.
00:20:50
Speaker
who's So, I mean, i don't think that's the big mystery that it's presenting itself as. These guys are got to eat, I guess. so Is this all they eat? they don't It doesn't look like they have like crops of like other crops around here.
00:21:05
Speaker
i don't know. Maybe the people of Manus will have an answer for us. Yes, let's go get more information. And let's, should I just dump this out? ah i think think you can eat it.
00:21:16
Speaker
I'm not going to. I'll eat it. Okay.
Artistic Insights and Environmental Destruction
00:21:21
Speaker
o And I like hand it over and then like wipe my fingers on ah on a leaf as we walk past.
00:21:26
Speaker
Glimki just slurps one of the fish down there. Nice. Yeah, it's it's okay. like It's not good, but it's edible. Tastes like fish. You probably had worse.
00:21:38
Speaker
And the three of you wander down the road with Glimki slurping from this can and the river burbling beside you. sunlight that filters to the ash is starting to glow a brighter orange as the day progresses. and It's getting well into evening by now.
00:21:54
Speaker
And i would say after a few more hours, the river beside you opens up into a larger lake, a larger body of water, this lake that's several miles across.
00:22:06
Speaker
It appears to be less murky than the river that flows out of it, but it's by no means clear. It's still dark and silty. The road you're on leads you into a town.
00:22:18
Speaker
comprised of dozens of buildings painted in various shades of blue and red and yellow. But the paint is peeling on most of them. You see that most of the houses are built up upon stilts, as if they were meant to be in the water.
00:22:32
Speaker
But the water of the lake doesn't really reach the shoreline where the houses are built. You see that it's maybe 10, 15 feet back from most of these houses. The shore that these houses are built upon is comprised of sharp grey rocks, and amongst these rocks you see hundreds of dead fish strewn amongst them, a few of them still flopping.
00:22:53
Speaker
The ash is less heavy here, and like said, bits of burnt orange light are filtering through the clouds above, and out on the water you can see a couple dozen fishing boats scattered across the lake. Most of them are tiny and made of wood, but a few are larger and made of metal with thick clouds of smoke billowing out from them.
00:23:10
Speaker
One of them appears to be small boxy houseboat with a paddle wheel attached to the rear. And it appears to be circling crooked stone tower that is embedded in the center of the lake with waves lapping against it.
00:23:28
Speaker
Does the water like that's receded, does it seem tidal, or is it just like this lake has shrunk? So, I'm glad you asked that. Tide is not so much a thing in Zav.
00:23:40
Speaker
Oh, right. Duh. Where would I get such a stupid... but no, no. Hey, I'm glad you asked it, because I've been thinking about that lately. The moons are relatively stationary. There might be a little bit of... movement year over year but for the most part they kind of stick to the same distance they maybe slightly circle around in the sky but they don't really get closer or further there's not really that elliptical shape if you will of maybe a moon circling earth so tide is not so much a phenomenon and whatever tide effects that there are are usually much more gradual
00:24:13
Speaker
and not like a daily cycle. This large gap between the houses and the water of the lake leads you to believe that that's probably not a tidal effect. There's probably something else going on.
00:24:24
Speaker
They're fracking. Are they draining the lake? They're draining it. Okay. Well, I guess this is Manus. That odd-looking tower looks interesting.
00:24:35
Speaker
Maybe if we can find ourselves a boat, we can go out there. But maybe we should go introduce ourselves to the people of Manus. Maybe we could stir up, I don't know, a conversation about this quote-unquote rebellion that's forming.
00:24:49
Speaker
I think the leader of the group is called Callum something. You can ask around to see where he lives or where he's staying. I mean, that sounds like as good a place to start as any.
00:25:01
Speaker
Okay, guys, if you were rebel leaders, where would you hang out? We can't just go about asking for this rebel leader, can we? We have to like... Well, I don't think we asked for the rebel leader. We asked for this guy, uh... Callum.
00:25:14
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. Hey, you! Yeah, a ah young, gish-looking man, maybe in his early to mid-twenties, walks by. He's got sort of sandy blonde hair and thick, thick eyebrows. You think maybe they're drawn on?
00:25:31
Speaker
And... He looks at you and looks behind him and then looks back at you and points at himself and says, Me? Yes, we're looking for Callum. Do you know them? Oh, yeah, Callum's my mate.
00:25:43
Speaker
What you looking for Callum for? Oh, just say hi. Oh, yeah, I do that sometimes. Yeah. So where is he? Well, I can't speak to his whereabouts right now. He might be out on the lake doing some fishing.
00:25:57
Speaker
But our buddy Corvus is celebrating his 24th birthday tonight over at the Pike and Pint, and Callum will be there for sure. Okay, we'll pop by.
00:26:08
Speaker
Wonderful, wonderful. ah I guess, yeah, okay, I'll tell Corvus to expect ah three more. I guess it's not really a closed party, but a little odd of you to attend all the same, if you don't mind me saying.
00:26:19
Speaker
Sorry, we're new to the area and we're we're friends of the artists and we're just appreciators of the arts. And we were actually sent here. We heard there's fellow appreciators of arts and beauty here. And we just like hanging out with like-minded people. I'm sure you can understand.
00:26:36
Speaker
So we're just hoping to kind of chat with some people about the flourishing of the arts and that kind of thing. Right, right, yeah, not so much in the arts here, mostly just fish, but I guess you could talk to, what's her name, Kusty Crowther Breeze. She, by all accounts, used to be quite an artist.
00:26:56
Speaker
Don't know she really makes much these days, but if you're looking for kind of a ah resident artist, she lives in the Blue House just up the way. Okay, just to clarify, you fish here in the lake, then put it in little tin prisons, and you let it rot in there.
00:27:13
Speaker
That's dwarf work. We don't do that. Most of us are on, like, a sustainability-type kick, you know? You fish what you need. Sustenance dye, we call it. But dwarves, you see those metal boats out there, they're all coal rack and they catch the fish and then they take it over to see that building in there. And he points near the outskirts of town alongside the water.
00:27:32
Speaker
You see that there is this large brick building and in faded painted letters, it says Mordrick Brothers Cannery. Yeah, they go to the cannery there and they can up all the fish and then they take it to the city and then they give it to the employees there, you know.
00:27:49
Speaker
But yeah, and know I don't personally do any canning. I just can't catch what I need to survive. Maybe a couple extra to sell to those who don't fish. Right. Okay, cool.
00:27:59
Speaker
Um... I'm sorry, did I say something wrong? you seem It seems like your energy shifted. No, I became suddenly very introspective because I was having ideas. The muse was striking me.
00:28:10
Speaker
Oh, she strikes me all the time when I'm out on the lake. You're lovely. What was your name, by the way? Plimcrofter. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance. You have been absolutely lovely, Klim.
00:28:22
Speaker
I am Eugene and these are my friends. Oh yeah. And I think we'll be seeing a lot of each other. Really quick question, the fish refinery. There's probably like a lot of chemicals in there, right?
00:28:34
Speaker
I don't know. All I'm going. Employees only. Okay, where do the boats dock? At the docks. The dwarf boats? Yeah, yeah. I mean, most folks, you know, nowadays with the lake water receding, some people build out larger docks and you point out a few docks that still reach into the water.
00:28:50
Speaker
lot of folks just they anchor go offshore and take a smaller boat back, a dinghy. Right, but the dwarf boats, they anchor? Over by the canary.
00:29:01
Speaker
Over by the cannery. but that's great. Okay, it's been really nice chatting with you, Klim. It's Klim. Like Plum with an eye Oh, Klim. I'm sorry, I had that. There's no I in Plum except for when it's my name.
00:29:14
Speaker
That's good. That's funny. but This guy's name is Glimke. It kind of rhymes. Oh, Eugene and Glimke. Nice to meet you as acquaintances. And who might you be? um Flora. Flora.
00:29:24
Speaker
Lovely name. It's like flower. Yeah, that's right. Wow. Would you look at that. Hey, last invasive question that I've got for you this afternoon. Do you worship like a floral goddess of the Plumeria tree?
00:29:39
Speaker
No. I'm sorry. I just feel like your vibe shifted. Well, I'm not much of a religious man myself, and ah frankly I don't know what Plumeria is. Flowering tree that you have on this island? Well, you had on this island. end Maybe you weren't born before they eradicated it.
00:29:54
Speaker
Are you talking about Etigan? The flower god? Yeah. Oh yeah. So like a temple to Etigan. What happened to Etigan? Ah, don't know. Old folks say you don't see him around much these days, but frankly I never saw much to begin with.
00:30:10
Speaker
So I don't really know what they're talking about. It's my understanding, and I'm by no means an expert in these matters, but it is my understanding that, well, there's a growth...
00:30:21
Speaker
To the west of here, other side of the river, that that's where most folks would find him. And you remember the bridge you crossed had that tile mosaic and it depicted Etigan dancing through a very lush and beautiful forest.
00:30:35
Speaker
You turn and you see in place of Glimke is a aluminum tin spinning in circles because he's walked away.
00:30:46
Speaker
Oh, it's very far from here, sir. Like many hours. Okay, that's awesome I'll see you at the party then. Don't forget to bring a gift. It's his 24th birthday. That's an imp important milestone and he doesn't have many years left.
00:30:57
Speaker
Flora and and Eugene will figure it out. Yeah, what is your friend like? Does he like the fish? Eh, he's more of a beef man himself, but uh... You know, he'll eat fish. We all eat fish.
00:31:11
Speaker
So he's dying? Well, we're all dying in a sense and he's just closer to death than the rest of us. What's wrong with him? Oh, he's very old. Oh. Oh. You said he's 24!
00:31:23
Speaker
Yeah, that's right. What are you? that That's old. Well, you'll understand. you at the party. Okay. And he he walks away. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Clay, I think I've identified an access point.
00:31:37
Speaker
If we can disable the cannery and the fishing enterprise, we'll interfere with the mine's food supply chain. So, I don't know, like a bomb or something more creative, like...
00:31:47
Speaker
We could befoul the fish, but that might hurt the workers. Anyway, the point is, I think if we come here at night and we do something to that area, we can handle the refinery and the boats all at once. Do you know how to make a bomb?
00:31:59
Speaker
I can set fires. I don't know what a bomb would be like. The fish are preserved in oil, Clay. It's already a bomb. Oh, we're gonna send it sky bleeping high.
00:32:11
Speaker
ah We go to this guy's party and meet Callum. Maybe he has ideas about how to mess with the fish. You're right. We can't steal the rebellion from them, even though I think I'm really good at this. Glimki is off to dock. Should we try to catch Glimki? He's like a dot on the horizon.
00:32:29
Speaker
ah Where is he going again? ah grove? We're gonna find Ed again! see Why don't we let Glimke handle Ed again and why don't we go talk to the artist, Kusty Crowther-Breeze?
00:32:41
Speaker
Yeah, sounds good. Okay, maybe they have some art pieces. Oh, okay, yeah, that's I guess that's an angle. I was gonna talk to them about the rebellion, but we could definitely talk about, like, their projects. Yeah, sure.
00:32:53
Speaker
I'm just thinking we need to bring a birthday present for this Corvus guy. Oh, good thinking. and He's going to die soon, so it doesn't have to be that great. We don't have to live with his ire for long. We should make a good impression.
00:33:03
Speaker
Okay, let's find Kusty Crowtherbris. I think Clay and I are going to start asking around and looking. Oh, he said Blue House on the Hill, so we're going start looking around for a Blue House. Amazing. And Glimke is going in search of a a forest? He said there's a grove across the river. I'll figure it out.
00:33:19
Speaker
Okay.
Faunlin's Mystical Encounter at the Lake
00:33:22
Speaker
Sounds good. So we will start with the trip to the artist's house. You look around, you ask around, and you are directed towards this this house, which is ah lakeside, and it has this fresh blue paint. a lot of the houses, they're peeling and look pretty dilapidated.
00:33:40
Speaker
You notice as you look around, as you wander around, you see that several of the houses, in fact, the stilts that they're built upon seem to have splintered or cracked, and the houses have just collapsed on top of them. This one,
00:33:50
Speaker
Thick, strong stilts, well reinforced, you see. ah paint is fresh and well kept. And you notice as you approach that underneath the house, there is just a mountain of canvases just piled up and strewn around underneath the house.
00:34:10
Speaker
Are they like blank canvases or painted on? Majority of them are painted. There's a few blanks, but the majority are painted. And you can see as you get a little closer, they're dirty and they are distorted they are wet.
00:34:26
Speaker
And they evidently have been under this house for quite some time. Hmm. Well, it looks like we're in the right place. This seems like an artist's house. I'll go up and knock on the door.
00:34:38
Speaker
Sure. You go up and you knock and there is there's no answer. You knock again, no answer, and perhaps as you're getting ready to leave, a voice from behind says, can I help you?
00:34:55
Speaker
Hi. ah Yeah, I was looking for the artist that lives here. There's no artist here. Not anymore. And you turn and you see a woman, an Air Genasi woman.
00:35:09
Speaker
And she has sort of pale blue skin, even lighter than the shade of the house and cloud-like hair that swells out around her. It's quite long, almost to her waist. It sort of flows. It's a fairly still day here, but...
00:35:25
Speaker
her hair and the clothes she's wearing she's wearing a long flowing skirt and this kind of billowy shirt they kind of seem to flow and move even despite the lack of wind and you see that she's carrying just a little paper bag with some groceries in it and yeah she she steps up up to the door beside you and reaches into her her pocket and pulls out a set of keys and she unlocks the door and Kind of, you know, awkwardly hoists the grocery bag and kicks the door open.
00:35:56
Speaker
Oh, let's just help you with this. Okay. Yeah, here, let me take those from you. I'll bring them in for you. Give me your persuasion roll. Can help? Because I initiated the action.
00:36:06
Speaker
Sure. Okay. Another 18. Another 18. Sheesh. We're going good today. She looks like she's going to refuse, and then like the bag sort of bends in the middle as paper bags are off to do, and like a cluster of onions spills out, like this trio of onions spills out.
00:36:24
Speaker
And I'll say, Clay, you pick them up off the ground and put them back in the bag. And she says, thank you. And she steps in, and she does not close the door behind her. Okay, well, I help her bring her groceries inside.
00:36:38
Speaker
i follow in, and I close the door behind us. Yeah, you enter into this small but cozy little lakeside house. You see that there is a lovely stone fireplace, though the fire is not currently lit.
00:36:53
Speaker
There's little knickknacks, little glass animals and candlestick holders scattered across the mantle. You look past that and there's this lovely woven rug on the ground beautiful couch in shades of purple that sits along one wall, several chairs and a coffee table. There's adjoining kitchen that seems very well kept as well with little copper pots and pans hanging from the walls.
00:37:20
Speaker
I would say clay for sure, Faunolin probably as well, but I'd say clay you would notice that there's a lot of discoloration on the walls. And you see that there are faded squares and rectangles throughout the entire space.
00:37:36
Speaker
And you gather or intuit that at one point there was probably artwork hanging in all those spots that is no longer hung there.
00:37:48
Speaker
So are you Kusty Cloudbreeze? Kusty Krauthabries, yes. Krauthabries. Yeah, we were new to the area and we just met this nice guy, Plim, and he invited us to his friend Corvus' birthday.
00:38:06
Speaker
He mentioned that there was an artist who lived in town. Such a generous interpretation of what happened there. Sorry, yes. Yeah, he invited us to his friend's birthday and he mentioned that there was an artist who lived in town and I was wondering if you sold any artworks.
00:38:23
Speaker
She ah sort of mutters to herself, I would say, make a perception check, both of you. o She says something very quietly. and i want to see if you can make out what she says.
00:38:36
Speaker
Six. Six. Okay. With a six, as you mention Corvus, she mutters something, but you can't make out what it is.
00:38:46
Speaker
And she sort of shakes her head ever so slightly. But then you ask her about art and she says, whatever you find under the house, you can have it. I have no use for it anymore.
00:38:59
Speaker
Oh, yeah, I did see a lot of artworks under the house, but they're all kind of water damaged. Do you happen to have more like that? Like more recent works? She hesitates for a second.
00:39:13
Speaker
I would say Faunlin... with sort of your natural proclivity for sniffing out secrets and deceptions. This is something, Clay, you probably wouldn't even notice. But Faunlin, you feel the silence. You sense the silence before she answers.
00:39:28
Speaker
And she gives you a little smile and says, No, sorry. That's all I've got. I see. Well, actually, we were just in Ankyil. And I spoke with an artist there, Baina Taurosi. Do you know them?
00:39:42
Speaker
Yes, yes. I knew her for a time. I haven't been back to the city in many years, but when I lived there, we we got to know each other to some extent.
00:39:54
Speaker
Yeah. Insight check. Were they dating? That's going to be a 16. With a 16, you look at her and you're like, and then you glance over at the mantle with all the kitschy little glass animals and candles and what have you.
00:40:08
Speaker
And you see that there is a small framed picture. of herself and a man. And he's got sort of big wire rim glasses and sort of like a lighthouse keeper beard, this like big, you know, well-kept but like thick, dark beard.
00:40:25
Speaker
And the two of them are very obviously together. And you can see also, I would say that it's seemingly like ah yeah like a portrait from many years ago. yeah She looks younger. She looks to be like middle-aged, you know, there's like some some crow's feet, some wrinkles near the eyes. And yeah, she looks to be a middle-aged Araginasi, but this portrait was obviously commissioned when she was younger.
00:40:51
Speaker
and Well, it seems like a lot of the artists are leaving Ankhil, Pena included. How long have you been here in Manus?
00:41:03
Speaker
Well, I suppose I moved here eight was it nine years ago? Something around there. When did you stop painting?
00:41:15
Speaker
Yeah. Her eyes, once again, i think, Faunlin, you notice this without needing to make a roll, but her eyes glance over at that portrait on the mantle.
00:41:27
Speaker
And she says, if you don't mind, I'd rather not discuss that. It's not a happy tale. course. I apologize. That was insensitive. Clay, what were you going to say?
00:41:38
Speaker
I was just going to ask if you find that the Korak companies made, i don't know, living here more difficult. And we noticed the big metal fishing boats when we came in.
00:41:49
Speaker
And we saw that they're canning a lot of fish. Is that a recent thing or have they been doing that for a while? The cannery... Was here before Korak moved in.
00:42:01
Speaker
was a relatively small operation, but the Mordrick brothers sold it to them several years ago, and since then it's been a well, rather relentless operation, I suppose.
00:42:14
Speaker
Somebody should do something about it, you know? Some kind of, I don't know, resistance? Yeah. Do you know if the other fishermen are, like, against that sort of thing? Most folk are just trying to make do.
00:42:30
Speaker
I recommend you do the same. Who do you work for now, since you're not making art anymore? I'm retired. Huh. That's nice.
00:42:41
Speaker
Are you friends with Corvus at all? I'm familiar with him, but I would hardly say we're friends. I don't really have friends. I mostly keep to myself.
00:42:53
Speaker
Well, are you going to his birthday party later? No, no, I'm i'm not. I i don't go out after dark. Oh, that just seems like a good way to make some friends.
00:43:04
Speaker
Yes, I imagine so, but I'm good. I'm good. I've got so much to do around here, you know. Of course. I mean, yes, you're super busy. Of course, all the cleaning and the sweeping.
00:43:15
Speaker
was just going to ask if she knew Callum and if he's going to be at the party also. Isn't that what asked? Callum Corvus is that different guy? It's a different guy. And then who the frick is Callum?
00:43:27
Speaker
Callum is the guy you were told to look for in regards to rebellion. That's who I thought I was asking for. You asked about Corvus, the guy whose birthday it is tonight, and that Callum is allegedly going to be attending.
00:43:41
Speaker
Yeah, he's he's really old. Well, I guess I'm a bonehead. Okay, thank you all for clarifying. You're welcome. um Actually, thank you guys for clarifying. Yeah, thanks. Sorry. Yes, Corvus is actually who I'm about to ask about. Do you know Corvus?
00:43:56
Speaker
um Callum! Callum! Callum is his name. Do you know Callum?
00:44:00
Speaker
It's a small town. say I've heard of everybody, but again, I'm not really close with anyone. So yes, I know of Callum, but I couldn't really tell you anything about Callum, if that makes sense.
00:44:14
Speaker
Okay. Clay, I think I have everything. think we've asked everything I want to ask. Do you have anything else? No, I think we'll get out of your hair now.
00:44:25
Speaker
You said I can take any of the artworks underneath the house? Yes, they've been there some time though, so I'm not sure if any of them would make a suitable gift or personal possession even really, but you're welcome to any and all of them.
00:44:39
Speaker
Cool. Yeah, I might take a look through them. Thanks. She begins to lead you towards the door and she she opens it and says, well, thank you for your help with the groceries.
00:44:50
Speaker
All the best with your party. Thanks. You're welcome. And maybe we'll see you later. i hope you go. it just it just occurred to me while we were walking out. Fair enough.
00:45:00
Speaker
It just occurred to me, um don't know if you know this, but people who've been visited by Edigan, the flower god, you know, the one who lives in the grove, long thought gone. People have been visited by him recently.
00:45:11
Speaker
All I wish to say, I know this place looks like shit and smells like fish and is covered in grime all the time. But as long as the flowers can bloom anywhere, I think there's still things to hope for.
00:45:22
Speaker
That's kind of you, but hope is a fool's game. You don't seem like fools. So, ah word of advice. Stay off the lake.
00:45:34
Speaker
And she closes the door. Okay. Okay. Okay.
Seeking Guidance from the Crow Spirit Mulare
00:45:45
Speaker
The fish grow arms and attack. That's why they're putting them in cans! Never tell you the people is for good! It's a metaphor!
00:46:04
Speaker
Doctor! Quickly! It's my son. I think he's caught a plague.
00:46:12
Speaker
Gothica Plague Worlds is a dark fantasy 5e compatible TTRPG coming to Kickstarter in November. One do the cobbles of gas lamp lit streets inspired by the Victorian era, choosing from many new subclass archetypes or even one of the brand new classes.
00:46:27
Speaker
Gothica Plague Worlds is a complete package with new mechanics, storylines and a diseased world ready for your next campaign.
00:46:37
Speaker
Your boy should be fine. You however... Do not look so good. Let me take a closer look. No, don't come any closer. It's too late for me, Doctor. Bolt your door and do not open it.
00:46:53
Speaker
goodbye but
00:46:56
Speaker
yeah
00:47:04
Speaker
and
00:47:13
Speaker
Gothica Plague Worlds goes live on Kickstarter on the 1st of November.
00:47:19
Speaker
We gotta use whatever's in that lake against them. Yeah, that lady seems so helpless. Yeah, she's very hopeless. We're gonna fix it, guys. e Are you looking for artwork underneath the house?
00:47:32
Speaker
Yeah, 100% digging through those canvases. I want to find, like, ah progression of, like, when she started to lose faith, I guess, in her art.
00:47:43
Speaker
Give me an investigation check. 11. I'd say an 11 is enough. Yay. You'd find that, sadly... There is nothing that is really a suitable gift. Admittedly, you are crashing an aging 24-year-old's birthday party, so maybe whatever piece of dirt and mold-encrusted artwork you find is good enough.
00:48:05
Speaker
But I would say with an 11, there is no decline. There is no... precipice of talent or drive or motivation. It seems like there is a consistency in the artwork. It's like abstract, expressionist.
00:48:21
Speaker
It's quite good, in fact, actually really good. As a trained artist, you look at this and you're actually really impressed by the quality of the work. And you go through the entire stack and there's not really this drop off. It seems like all of these pieces are from maybe a similar time. Yeah, I'd say with an 11, that's the sense you get.
00:48:40
Speaker
That, yeah, there was no big drop off. You can find a couple pieces if you want as a gift that are less gross. Maybe something from like the middle of the stack, a little less waterlogged or muddy.
00:48:53
Speaker
There's a slight musty smell to like all of them, fishiness. But... Yeah. While Clay is doing this, Faunlin will say you you're nearby and the water laps at the shore. There's fishy odor in the air and it's probably on account of several dead fish on the rocks nearby.
00:49:16
Speaker
just kind of scattered here and there in various states of decay. One of them sort of flops and rotates. And as it does, you look at it and its eye stares at you, unblinking.
00:49:33
Speaker
I walk closer.
00:49:38
Speaker
i take the end of my parasol and I'm going to, as gently as I can, try to flip it back into the water. What's wrong with it? Are you trying to investigate it closer are you just flipping it away?
00:49:50
Speaker
I'm taking a look at it while I flip it into the water. Give me let's say if you're not touching it, I'd say a perception check. That's a nine. You flip the fish into the water and it sinks beneath the waves.
00:50:05
Speaker
As you flip it, though, you look at that eye again, this dark eye, and almost looks human. And then it lands in the water and disappears.
00:50:17
Speaker
Give me a perception roll. Another one. What the frick? Oh, that's better. Not by a lot, but a little. That's a 13. Faunelin, you watch this fish disappear beneath the waves. It doesn't appear to make any effort to swim or, you know, it doesn't revitalize like fish often do when they're placed back in the water.
00:50:38
Speaker
But you look out at this lake as the sun blossoms and burns bright and then ruptures. There's an afterglow and as darkness starts to fade across the lake,
00:50:50
Speaker
You hear a voice drifting on the breeze. Little fish is on the line. One is yours and one is mine.
00:51:01
Speaker
Little fish, what do you say? Glimki tree fellow dies this day. What?
00:51:11
Speaker
And you look out and you see that the fishing boats have come in and only that one houseboat with the paddle wheel remains. What the f freak?
00:51:23
Speaker
And we will cut to Glimke, who is... Glimke is currently climbing up the tallest possible tree he can find. Right. Yeah. Okay. Perfect.
00:51:34
Speaker
Nice. Hell yeah. is That went so well the last time. Yeah. Yeah. You climb, ah we will say... yeah No worries. you You drop your pack and you climb up this tree. It's sort of a gnarled oak. It doesn't seem to be rotten. The branches seem intact, but there's not a whole lot of foliage, which if this is for scouting purposes, could be actually beneficial.
00:51:56
Speaker
Perfect. Yeah, Glimke is trying to climb up as high as he possibly can because he figured if I could see a grove or a clearing or something in this dying forest, maybe he'll see it from here.
00:52:08
Speaker
Yeah, you look to the west and to the west, actually, it takes you a second. like You knew the road ran roughly north-south, so you kind of look to the what you perceive to be the west.
00:52:19
Speaker
And west actually is across the lake. And you look and you see to the other side, the light is you know, it's it's where we are in time. There's still some daylight. You see trees on the other side. You see like clusters of trees, similar sickly looking forest.
00:52:34
Speaker
But the lake's several miles across and you don't see anything that explicitly looks like a grove within eyesight of that. God dang it. Gonna be kind of like just hanging on the branches up top, like squeezes his eyes shut, and and he's gonna try beckon for malare Yeah, and he kind of tries to put the words together.
00:52:56
Speaker
feel like last time they spoke was probably another tumultuous moment. i don't know, was starting to feel like this is not a great relationship, but... Yeah, he's like, uh, Mulare, I don't know if you can hear me.
00:53:10
Speaker
fellow spirit of nature needs our help? I know this isn't your domain, and given the interactions of the past, I know that not all the spirits get along, but you wouldn't want one to die, would you?
00:53:25
Speaker
These dwarves, they're killing the spirit called Edigan. They're killing this whole island. And I don't think we can let that happen. i I can't let that happen.
00:53:37
Speaker
This is interesting because most of, if not all of your real communication with Mulare has come in the form of dreams, trips to whatever other space or dreamscape that may be, whether that's a real place that you're visiting or merely a place that is something that can accommodate your your your mortal mind.
00:54:00
Speaker
You're not really sure. You haven't had much communication. the much The only communication you've had outside of these dream visits has largely come in the form of ah symbols and signs, you know, a shifting of the wind, the sound of a crow off in the distance.
00:54:18
Speaker
But you, you say this and you look out across this lake and you see a dark speck moving towards you. Ooh.
00:54:32
Speaker
And as it gets closer, you can see that it is a crow, not an impossibly large one with a beak the size of a mountain, but a simple crow. And in its beak, it holds a large fish, one of these lake fish from the ah shores of Brinder Lake.
00:54:48
Speaker
And... After another minute or two, it lands on one of the branches of this gnarled old tree, and it places the fish down on this branch, and with its beak it sort of digs in and picks at the flesh, and then it looks up at you with these dark black eyes and says,
00:55:11
Speaker
Rotten. These lands are rotten, Glimki Treefellow. and What can we do? I have invested in you, as I've told you before, a sliver of my essence, a feather from my wing.
00:55:34
Speaker
You and I, we are bonded in a way that's is unwelcome by most, but it also allows us to communicate in these moments.
00:55:48
Speaker
The ash-gray leaf of Vemul, you remember it? When took root amongst my leaves? I do. They are a parasite, condemning what I have done, yet seeking to benefit from it all the same.
00:56:04
Speaker
A hypocrite. You have within you everything you need to protect the spirit Etigan. Dark days are ahead and we will need his support if my work is to continue.
00:56:21
Speaker
Find him, add him the leaves I have given you and restore this land. you're You're saying i have everything I need? I don't. I'm just um just one little man.
00:56:35
Speaker
i And I am just a crow. <unk> Don't be ridiculous. here You're a spirit. You've manifested yourself here. You've granted me at least some sort of boon. Can you can you give me more?
00:56:48
Speaker
i don't think I have enough to take on whatever massive dwarven machine that's eating this island from inside. i can't do that with just, what, a glowing green sword?
00:57:01
Speaker
There's got to be something more. The crow looks at you, fixes you with its dark black eyes, and opens its mouth. Gah!
00:57:12
Speaker
Gah!
00:57:15
Speaker
The fish on the branch falls to the ground and the crow dives down after it and starts pecking away at it, and it does not speak again.
00:57:25
Speaker
God dang it. I have one other idea, but it's really stupid.
00:57:32
Speaker
um no No, no, I can't. Oh, that's so stupid. But it'd be good. Could be cool. How high is this tree? Oh my god. I was wondering.
00:57:46
Speaker
Do it! Do it. High enough. Yeah, Glumki, like, curses into the wind and is like, I wasn't done yet. We're still having this conversation.
00:57:57
Speaker
And he's gonna lean back and let go. You go plummeting through the air. You land on the ground and everything goes black. Through the blurred eyes, blood flows into your eyes and through the blur, the crow on the ground next to you or near the tree eating the fish, looks over at you and says, You fool.
00:58:26
Speaker
What have you done? It doesn't matter. It worked. You're still here.
00:58:32
Speaker
I will give everything for this. I can't let these people suffer. I need more than fancy words and riddles. Malari, we can help Ed again.
00:58:45
Speaker
My power... is limited. You may not understand that, but even communicating with you at this great distance, far from the tree, far from dwells, is taxing.
00:59:01
Speaker
Furthermore, I have much to take care of in the days ahead. The Parashat is coming for me, and I will soon have to answer for my alleged crimes.
00:59:13
Speaker
The what? This is the second time you have heard that word. The first time was when you overheard Vemul and Mulari arguing. And Vemul, they were discussing you and your existence. Vemul called you a green knight.
00:59:28
Speaker
And the last things they said before departing was that the Parishad will hear of this. Mulari, you gotta to let me in, man. We're supposed to work together.
00:59:39
Speaker
I can help. Give me a persuasion roll. That's an 18 on the die, plus 4, 22.
00:59:46
Speaker
You find you can't turn your neck as you're lying on the ground. You try and sit up, you're unable to. try and rotate your neck, you're unable to. But the crow on the ground abandons the fish and takes a few hopping steps towards you.
01:00:02
Speaker
And as it does, it seems to swell in your vision, a darkness that fills everything. until, though you can't look up and see it, all that there is in front of you is this crow.
01:00:14
Speaker
And the voice gets louder, starts to boom and echo in your ears, starts to hurt almost. It's like listening to a thunderstorm with a stethoscope. And Mularia are child.
01:00:27
Speaker
You are peers.
01:00:32
Speaker
are not peers We are not partners. I am of the divine. And you? and then he pauses.
01:00:44
Speaker
And he seems to contract a little and a little bit more until once again, this crow is all you see in front of you. It is crow sized.
01:00:57
Speaker
And he says, I'm sorry. I place a great burden upon you and expect you not to question your purpose. The or perhaps we might say litigate the Parishad.
01:01:26
Speaker
few crimes that our kind can be charged with. When I saved you that night so many months ago, I committed such a crime.
01:01:42
Speaker
Why? For what?
01:01:46
Speaker
And what is the punishment? why risk it because you were broken and you needed my help. And I knew I could mend you.
01:02:01
Speaker
Furthermore, I watched you grow up underneath my branches for your many decades. And I saw within you a unique potential, a spark.
01:02:17
Speaker
And as he says that, I think you see yourself from like outside your body. You see yourself having this conversation. You see yourself talking as little bits of blood bubble out from between your lips.
01:02:32
Speaker
And you see ah green spark flare up within your chest. The same green spark that appears whenever you Divine Smite. So you like me, I guess.
01:02:47
Speaker
Malari, this isn't your burden to carry alone. You risk your existence for some little guy? If you really think it'll help, I will find it again.
01:02:59
Speaker
But if you can't support me by being here, I know it it's far away, at least just give me a sign. Point me in the right direction. I'll find them. I'll fix this. If you think it'll help.
01:03:11
Speaker
I will fly over these lands and learn what I can of them. I will tell you where you might find him as I learn it.
01:03:23
Speaker
Do not test me again in this way. You may not survive.
Preparations for Corvus's Birthday Party
01:03:31
Speaker
And you are far too important to my work. The Gua Sotmo must be destroyed.
01:03:36
Speaker
Pardon? Sorry. What was that last part? He does not speak, but... Again, that word rings in your mind and you think you heard it on that day as well when you overheard the conversation between Molare and Vemul.
01:03:53
Speaker
And I think, just roll a d20 for me. Just a raw Nine. I think with a nine you don't remember the context of the larger conversation.
01:04:05
Speaker
You just remember Molare said... Ruin has already come. It arrived the day the Gua Satmal was forged. And I'm going to need you to make some death saving throws.
01:04:18
Speaker
God damn it. oh.
01:04:24
Speaker
Four.
01:04:27
Speaker
Oh god. Perfect. Could I have another one please? Eleven. Perfect. And please sir, might I have another?
01:04:40
Speaker
14. Excellent. And how about one more? oh ten 10. Clay and Fonelin, as you're walking through the town, Clay, did you take some paintings?
01:04:54
Speaker
Yeah, I've rolled up some muddy scrolls and have them. Perfect. You like cut them off the... ah Yeah, any rod and wood, I've like preserved a couple of pieces.
01:05:06
Speaker
Excellent. You roll those up and you hear a woman scream off in the town. And the two of you go running up and you see Glimki lying at the base of a tree.
01:05:18
Speaker
a rotten fish is next to him and he is bleeding from his head. Glimki! What happened?
01:05:29
Speaker
Oh my god. Okay, fix him. I cast a Cure Wounds. I have no curing stuff, but I'm like sitting on the ground next to them, like holding Glimki's hand and like with my sleeve trying to kind of wipe up some of the blood off his face.
01:05:44
Speaker
You get eight health back. All right, let's go. Glimki, you awaken with eight HP. There is a crowd gathered around you, various town folks, a few dwarves in Korak uniform,
01:05:59
Speaker
You see Clay standing or crouched next to you with a hand on your shoulder and Fondland standing a few feet away. Somebody says, what happened? And another person says, he tried to kill himself. I saw he jumped out the damn tree.
01:06:14
Speaker
Climkey, what? Oh, that's crazy. That's crazy. Did you see Etiquette? Did you find him? Uh, no. Oh, what's with this fish? ah Uh, they ah came from the lake, I think.
01:06:26
Speaker
Okay, stay here. Fonelin's gonna march off towards the water. Okay. Are there any rowboats or anything around? Are there any fishermen packing up? ah There's a few fishermen packing up.
01:06:38
Speaker
You also see a small distance away. There is a small sort of dilapidated building. It's a little further out on the water, so much so that the stilts still like the water laps at the edges of the stilts.
01:06:52
Speaker
And you see several boats tied up to these stilts. And there is a faded chipped sign that says Lewin's Fishing Supply. I'm going to walk up to one of the fishermen and go, five gold pieces if you can explain.
01:07:03
Speaker
What the hell is haunting the lake? and how I can get to it immediately. This heavyset human man, he's got a shirt that doesn't quite cover his belly. He's got tan pants that are torn at the cuffs.
01:07:15
Speaker
He's wearing some heavy boots. He looks at you and sort of scratches his chin and holds out his hand expectantly. take out five gold pieces and I drop one into his hand with the with the rest of them in my fist above his hand.
01:07:28
Speaker
I say, start talking. Well, as for what haunts the lake, you're supposed answer that question. Depends on if you believe in ghost stories or not. Rumour has it tower out there is haunted.
01:07:42
Speaker
Ghost of a wizard lives inside. But if that's not what you're talking about, if you're into more of the literal interpretation of the word, maybe a metaphorical one, there is fish head franny.
01:07:55
Speaker
Nasty bit of work lives out on that houseboat. Why do the fish here have human eyes? Don't know. Some say it's all fish heads work. And for what it's worth, i would I would say the fish don't have human eyes.
01:08:09
Speaker
There's a couple that do, but it's not like the prevailing trend. Don't get pedantic. I'm not in the mood. um our fish Our fish don't have fish. Our fish are normal.
01:08:20
Speaker
And they taste good and you should buy them. Fish head Franny is the one who sings. Aye, that's right. so All night, and all day. Okay, vote me to her, and I slap the rest of the coins down in his hand.
01:08:32
Speaker
My day's done. but just paid you. Don't be a dick. You paid me for information. My bones are tired. I want to go home. Is it just him? There's like a few other people around. He's not like alone if you try and like murder him, but no one else is like in the conversation. Okay, who here will row me out to Fischad Franny for two gold pieces?
01:08:52
Speaker
A older looking man, he's maybe in his late 60s. He's got sort of like wiry, like so his skin is very tight to his bones. He's very leathery and a taut man.
01:09:03
Speaker
He looks at you and says, I'll do it, but I won't do it for less than four. Four and you wait for me to be done speaking with her and you vote me back at the end. He spits his hand and holds it out to you. I'll pee a little and shake it.
01:09:15
Speaker
As you climb into his rowboat and the two of you take off, we were going to cut back to Clay and Glimke. and thank Thank you. I just took a tumble.
01:09:27
Speaker
I was trying to see if I could get a glimpse of the grove. Uh-uh. That man's suicidal. He tried to do it for himself. Who the hell are you? concerned citizen! get Well, learn your business.
01:09:39
Speaker
Okay. Stay back. He's fine. He's fine. I'm like treating Gumki's wounds. I didn't try to kill myself, Clay. Okay. I trust you. But did you see anything? Did you see the grove across the river?
01:09:54
Speaker
ah No. Oh. Unfortunately not. Oh. But, you know, haven't given up yet. Yeah, you took off really fast earlier. Yeah, I walked out of town and then decided to turn back around to come to this tree that was the side of the lake.
01:10:14
Speaker
Yeah, did you want to wait? We can, like, bigger stuff out here first, then we can all go together. oh no, no, no, I'm good, I'm good. And Glimky gets up, brushing himself off.
01:10:24
Speaker
yeah I'm great, let's, uh, about time for that birthday party. you get him a gift? ah Yeah, check out these paintings. I pull out the art that I scavenged.
01:10:36
Speaker
Wow. Yeah. Can't say i understand these shapes, but hey. Yeah, it's not in great shape, but beautiful work. just She seems to have not, i don't know, I think she's given up on paintings.
01:10:50
Speaker
I would too if all I could draw was circles and squares. Yeah, it's it's it's very interesting work for sure. um I don't know if this is enough for present, but... Oh, well, I mean, considering we don't know the guy and we got him something, probably a good first impression.
01:11:07
Speaker
Why is Fondalyn yelling at those fishermen? Yeah, go check that out. I will say, as you are approaching, Fondalyn jumps in a rowboat, and this old man starts to row her across the lake. What the hell?
01:11:20
Speaker
Fondalyn! Wait for us! You're handling it. Tend the wounds, heal him, fine. She said stay off the lake, you can't go by yourself. I'm not on the lake, I'm on a boat.
01:11:33
Speaker
Let me come with you. clay will jump in and try to catch up with this. Oh no, this is a Samwise Gamgee moment. Samwise Gamgee moment. Okay, stop the boat.
01:11:44
Speaker
My friend is coming. Stop the boat. We're going to have to- do you have a net? Can we haul her in? He keeps rowing. Ugh. Slither forth, magic rope. I throw out the rope.
01:11:56
Speaker
Extra passenger will cost you extra. I don't even dignify. I don't even respond. I just look at him and I give him a look that communicates that I will throw his ass into the lake and I pull Clay over.
01:12:08
Speaker
Give me an intimidation check. Oh, that's an 11 plus five. That's 16. Oh, fine. He says, Og. Og. Fine.
01:12:21
Speaker
And the rope wraps around Clay's wrist and you pull them into the boat. And Gloomgy says, I'll see you at the pub, I guess. Yeah, Clay and Faunelin, you start to move across the lake, and Glimke, you wander around until you find the Pike and Pint.
01:12:41
Speaker
It is a dilapidated shack of a building. There is sign that sits on the ground. It's fallen off its chains, depicting a fish jumping out of a pint of ale.
01:12:59
Speaker
And you walk in. The door feels spongy and damp as you press on it. And things don't get much better once you head inside.
01:13:10
Speaker
It is dark space, very dimly lit. There's a few oil lanterns hanging from the ceiling. In another time, in another place, it might be aesthetic. Here, it's just oppressive.
01:13:23
Speaker
You see bits of mold growing in the corner.
01:13:29
Speaker
Yeah. just got scott's got more I mean, there's no moles in the corner. No! oops Yeah, you see that there is a lizard folk man behind the counter. He has gray scales with orange dots and a very wide head with a big sort of upturned mouth.
01:13:48
Speaker
And he looks at you as you enter and he's his eyes blink and his pupils, or sorry, his eyelids you see come in laterally. They close laterally. And he takes these big blinks and...
01:14:00
Speaker
He looks at you and says, Hi there. Welcome to the parking point. Thank you. I'll take one ale and a table over there. Oh, yeah, sure thing.
01:14:11
Speaker
I'll be two copper. Okay. Here you Thank you. And is it possible to take a short rest so I can use a couple hit die?
01:14:26
Speaker
I would say yes. As you sip your ale and you reach into your pack and you say, oh, you're bleeding from your head there, mate. You should ah get that taken care of. I'd hate to have this place dirtied.
01:14:37
Speaker
But seriously, you okay? You need a bandage? Oh no, I gotta throw backpack down. Sure you wanna be drinking right now? Alright. Oh, it'll help. Oh nice. I rolled three hit die. I'm back at Pretty good. Feel good.
01:14:48
Speaker
He up blinks again and says, oh never mind, you actually look fine to me. Anyway, just shout if you need anything. I got you. I got you taken care of. Oh, is there a birthday party here later?
01:15:00
Speaker
Oh yeah, I heard the lads are gonna come by later. Nice. Should be should be a real hooten holler for as long as Corvus is up for it. So I give him another two copper and say, when Corvus shows up, the first one's on me. And then I'm gonna point to the table and say, he'll find me over there.
01:15:17
Speaker
Mighty kind of you. And yeah, you spend some time bandaging yourself up. You drink your ale. It is not very good, but it's got like almost like a brininess to it. And you you choke it down.
01:15:31
Speaker
And as night falls and things get a little darker... Some people start to come in. Groups of one or two, many of them sit by themselves in corners. There's more corners in this place than you would expect because everyone seems to find a corner table.
Tavern Gatherings and Birthday Celebration
01:15:46
Speaker
It's just a decahedron.
01:15:52
Speaker
And sure enough, a few younger people, mix of humans and one halfling individual gather and they're joking around. They seem to be friends. They're laughing. They're having good time.
01:16:08
Speaker
And after maybe another hour or so, we'll say you're like, sit there for about an hour, the door swings open. And this young man who you would recommend, maybe you kind of walked away mid conversation, but you believe Fondland and Clay spoke with him. This guy, Plim k Crufter, he walks in with an man.
01:16:29
Speaker
man holding onto his arm. He appears to be in his mid to late 70s and he's kind of hobbling. His back is hunched over. His face is extremely wrinkled and everyone at the table looks over and says, Corvus, you made it!
01:16:45
Speaker
happy birthday mate what heck and he raises a hand and lays them off and says thanks thanks guys thank you thank you oh it's nice nice to get together with friends and uh the the bartender brings him a mug of ale and says something and gestures over towards you and he raises a wobbly hand and spills a good chunk of it and kind of tries to like raise the glass to you and Thank you. Thank you. It's my birthday.
01:17:13
Speaker
I know. Happy birthday. He brings the the mug to his his lips with shaky hands. He holds on with the other hand to stabilize it and takes a sip and coughs it up.
01:17:25
Speaker
And one of the young men says, Corvus can't hold your liquor anymore. he says, oh, you know me, I never could. What the hell?
01:17:36
Speaker
Why is this guy so old? so so He's like, he's human? He is human. And he looks 70, but he's 24. What the heck is going on here?
01:17:47
Speaker
I'm going to just sit for a minute and just observe. Yeah. the ah The group is having a good time. it's so It's a fun night. It's a raucous party. People are joking and laughing and hooting and hollering.
01:17:59
Speaker
Even another individual shows up. Give me, actually, give me a perception roll. 11. 11. eleven At one point, you notice that an individual appears to be like maybe a middle-aged half-orc man. He's got a bit of a limp.
01:18:14
Speaker
You see he enters the establishment, and while attention is kind of on this big party that's happening, this loud table, you see that the half-orc nods at the bartender and walks past the bar. There's like a door behind the bar, and he just lets himself in through that door and slips past, doesn't really acknowledge anyone.
Intrigues and Discoveries at the Tavern
01:18:36
Speaker
And we'll say maybe like half an hour to 45 minutes later, you see ah young human woman with sort of long wavy blonde hair slips in and the same thing happens.
01:18:48
Speaker
Where she just lets herself into this back room. And no one really acknowledges her except for the bartender. And then there's a clatter as you see Corvus has dropped his mug and it shatters on the ground and everyone says, Opa!
01:19:03
Speaker
Corvus! Don't tell us you can't hold your liquor anymore, bud! He says, Oh, I'm sorry. Just sometimes my my bones start to act up. Is the bartender distracted at all?
01:19:16
Speaker
I'd say he goes over to sweep up the the glass. Okay, bye. I'm going through the door. Give me a stealth roll with advantage. Oh no, no, no, no. Seven.
01:19:30
Speaker
As you go through the door, you feel a hand on your shoulder. Then you turn to see a halfling man. appears to be young, probably in his <unk> s or at least the halfling equivalent.
01:19:44
Speaker
He's got short hair on the sides, kind of poofed up in the middle a little bit. And you recognize him as one of the party goers, one of the people celebrating Corvus's birthday.
01:19:57
Speaker
And he says, mate, don't think that's for you. It's a private room, you see. Oh, I'm sorry. I thought it was the washroom. Ah, no, we all just piss outside.
01:20:08
Speaker
We ain't civilized city folk. Gotcha. Sorry, I'm i' new here. I'm just trying to get myself acquainted with the this seasons. as ah My name's Glimke. It's nice to meet you.
01:20:19
Speaker
Oh yeah. Callum. Callum Swift. Callum. Callum Swift. Oh my god. Well, a pleasure to meet you, Callum. Right, yeah. Same. It was a good night. We're all celebrat celebrating our ah our old pal, Corvus.
01:20:34
Speaker
Oh yeah, yeah, it's his uh, 24th birthday today, know, he doesn't look it, but uh, still spring chicken that one. Yeah, I can tell. Hopefully that first drink didn't set off his pacing for the night, he he looks a little tipsy already. Yeah, he just gets uh, gets a little disoriented after dark, you know how it is.
01:20:52
Speaker
Yeah, what uh, what's the vibe with the the after dark thing? I feel like I've heard a couple people say some weird stuff's going on. Well, can't speak for other folks, but with him it's just straight up sundowners.
01:21:05
Speaker
Right, gotcha. Well, sorry. I guess I'll head outside to piss. Don't mean to take up any more of your time. Yeah, you do that then. Oh, but actually, one quick question for you.
01:21:16
Speaker
I found this while I was walking. and He's going to dig around in his bag, and I would like to pull out the petal of the flower of the Plumeria that would have been from at again like when Etigan had appeared, and be like, do you recognize these flower petals? They appear to be flower petals.
01:21:37
Speaker
Ah, yeah, i'm I'm trying to place the, ah I guess, the species or the, how would you call it? I don't know. How would you call it? Oh, I thought you would know. Native to the island, I assumed.
01:21:48
Speaker
Give me a persuasion roll.
01:21:51
Speaker
Oh, baby. He's kind of like, as you probably can tell, he's sort of brushing you off. But he senses maybe like an earnestness in you. And you see he like takes a second and...
01:22:07
Speaker
He looks down, he actually takes one of the petals from you and says, I'm no horticulturist or whatever you call it, but looks like the kind of flower you might find in Etigan's Grove.
01:22:18
Speaker
At least the kind of flower you could have found back in the day. Interesting. So I'm guessing you haven't seen one of these in a while. No one has, but my understanding, Grove turned to stone.
01:22:31
Speaker
Klumki's gonna take a step in closer. He'll be like, so don't you think it's peculiar that I have a handful of Etigan's petals? I don't know.
01:22:42
Speaker
i haven't been to a lot of places. Maybe they grow somewhere else. They might. They might. Anyways, I clasp him on the shoulder. Gotta drain the main vein and I'm gonna walk out the door.
01:22:54
Speaker
Uh, yeah, you head out. Do you go piss girl or going somewhere else? No, no, I'm just trying to plant seeds in this guy. Sure. and i'll I'll go out, um I'll pretend to piss or piss, and then I'll come back and sit back at my table.
01:23:12
Speaker
Pretending to piss is so much funnier than i actually going. I'll just stand there. You you make Like a noise, like you go like, shh, shh, shh, like at this guy he's not even
01:23:27
Speaker
yeah you you do that i'll say after maybe another thirty minutes to an hour qorvis seems to be getting pretty sleepy And, uh, his head nods and Callum stands up and says, All right, I reckon that's enough of that, eh, lads?
01:23:44
Speaker
Man's gonna have to sleep this one off. ho Oh, what an animal you are, Corvus. And, uh, he says, I'm an animal. scott oh Plym helps him to his feet and another another individual and Plym wander out the door and a few people continue to sit and chat and you, i would say probably just keeping an eye on things notice that Callum goes through that same door that you tried to go through
Encounter with Fishhead Franny
01:24:15
Speaker
before.
01:24:15
Speaker
Might be time to try again but we can see what's going on in the lake. Yeah. Can't believe I missed this whole party. I'm so excited.
01:24:26
Speaker
it ah You that you threw yourself into a lake to follow me. i was like, it's fine. Go have fun at the party. And you were like, you refused. So you don't get to complain. Clay is sitting in the rowboat with the scraps of canvas that you cut out before. They're just soaking wet.
01:24:44
Speaker
You're just like shaking your head. The color's running a bit. Oh no. In a world. All right, I got it. I got it.
01:24:53
Speaker
Legends Rerolled brings you a new twist on a familiar tale. Oz is at war with itself. The wizard is in hiding and the Emerald City has been flooded.
01:25:05
Speaker
It seems like nothing can break the stalemate until one waitress changes everything. Are you a good witch or bad witch? I'm a bad bitch. Follow Dolores as she recruits a scarecrow. There's flesh body somewhere that has my brains in it.
01:25:24
Speaker
And i that's what I'm looking for according to the corn cobs that were in front of me my stick. A woodsman. I still didn't hear what you just said. I've just been staring into your eyes. What did what what did you just say then? And a lost prince.
01:25:37
Speaker
You know, you just stand up too fast and like everything goes, woohoo. Each with their own story. I got into a very minor accident and there was some light vehicular manslaughter with lots of witnesses but no body. Join us as we travel through a world of adventure. We're going to see wizard.
01:25:56
Speaker
Wanna come? Mystery. It seems that the body's gone. Oh, thank God. um You can't tell us what to do! We're in love! And silly voices.
01:26:11
Speaker
Wait, you're a broad tooth? What? did We talked about this! I wasn't listening. I was drunk. Legends Rerolled presents The Wizard of Bombs. Starring Jake DeBlasi, Sean Doherty, Celine Trella, Justin Trella, and introducing Brooke Simone.
01:26:28
Speaker
To D&D. It's a D&D podcast I forgot to mention. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye. Bye-bye now. Get on it, you bad bitch. Goodbye. Goodbye.
01:26:39
Speaker
I would say it is dark. Sun has exploded for the day, but you venture ever closer to this paddle boat and it is maneuvering through the dark. You can see it because there are several lanterns strung up upon it.
01:26:56
Speaker
And as you get closer, you see several things. First, it seems to be, like I said before, a wooden houseboat with this paddle wheel attached to the back that is propelling it.
01:27:12
Speaker
We can get into how prevalent steam power is at some other point, but regardless, you don't see any steam or smoke emitting from this ship.
01:27:24
Speaker
It does not appear to have a fuel source. But what you do see is two individuals on the paddle, walking like they're on a stair climber, pushing... the wheel around and slowly propelling the boat through the lake.
01:27:38
Speaker
You see dozens of fishing poles attached at various points, giving it the appearance of some sort of aquatic porcupine just sticking out at odd angles, fishing lines trailing in the water.
01:27:52
Speaker
And you see at the front of the ship, an individual with a jacket, kind of collar popped up, a big hat, masking their features and their hands wearing these dark gloves, hold onto a wheel and they seem to be steering the ship through the night.
01:28:11
Speaker
And as you get closer, there that singing. And oftentimes it is just melodic without lyrics. A door swings open and a figure is illuminated from behind. you can just see that impression of their shape.
01:28:29
Speaker
They're tall and they're lanky, almost unnaturally so. And they move with stilted gait as if walking his floor into them, almost like they're crashing around, like you'd expect to see on a ship in a storm. They're swaying from side to side, pushing off walls and railings.
01:28:52
Speaker
You can't see much of them in the darkness, but the lantern light reflects off their face for a second, and you see their eyes reflected back at you, the same eyes that were on that fish you saw a few hours before.
01:29:07
Speaker
Mm-hmm. I'm gonna call out, Hi! Fish head Franny, I'm here for a little chat. The man in the boat gasps and jumps overboard and starts to swim back to shore.
01:29:20
Speaker
What? Okay, our boat now. Clay, will you row it for us? Yeah. The head of the individual on the ship snaps towards you. What did you call me?
01:29:31
Speaker
I called you the name that I know you by. What should I call you? Franny will suffice, girl. Okay. But how would you know? The fish told me.
01:29:42
Speaker
You are new here. Why should you know what cruel names the children call me? Oh, you don't like that name. I see. Well, I don't like when you push my friend out of a tree and then sing a creepy little song about it.
01:30:02
Speaker
a I don't push. And you see one of the fishing rods begins to bend and she moves with an unnatural speed towards it and just grabs the line and pulls.
01:30:14
Speaker
I only pull, girl. And I only sing what the fish tell me. she pulls this line and a fish comes writhing out of the water landing on the deck of the ship flopping on the ground and she says ah mrs butch's child has been born and she grabs the fish and holds it up to rear and then takes a knife out from somewhere you don't know and cuts the fish open She reaches a hand in, just plunges it in, pulls out a second writhing fish.
01:30:50
Speaker
Twins, oh, she'll be most pleased.
Negotiations and Bargains with Franny
01:30:56
Speaker
Oh. Phonelin, I'm going to roll an insight check, even though i I think I already know what Phonelin understands from this. I'm just deciding how much Phonelin is going to beleaguer?
01:31:09
Speaker
Is that the word? Beleaguer? Belabor. Belabor the point. Beliegered, that's a word. Beliegered. Believe! Believe. That's just a Bieber fan. It doesn't matter, I got 21. So I was deciding how quickly Faunilin can decide to believe that Fishhead Franny is telling the truth.
01:31:30
Speaker
Sure. Because from a meta perspective, i Shannon, already know that she didn't push him out of the tree. So got a 21 on that insight check, which means that Faunilin gleans pretty quickly or understands pretty quickly that as creepy as this person is, Faunilin kind of believes her.
01:31:45
Speaker
So actually, the moonlight glints across Faunilin's teeth as she breaks out into a grain and goes, Well then, I believe we've gotten off on the wrong foot.
01:31:56
Speaker
You can call me Eugene, or whatever you fancy. Now, I don't believe I got your preferred name. Mind if I come aboard? Okay, so three things happen. First off, the moonlight that reflects off your smile, you watch as this dark visage also begins to grin, and you see a mouthful of fishbones smiling back at you.
01:32:16
Speaker
Cool. Second, she says, I prefer Farnaline or perhaps Faradeth. The fish have so much to say.
01:32:27
Speaker
i do think you and I are going to be friends. Lastly, you may call me Franny. And of course, you may come aboard. All are welcome on my ship.
01:32:38
Speaker
The Calimari is open for all who seek my help. And I don't know that I seek your help necessarily. In fact, I think I seek to help you.
01:32:50
Speaker
What can one such as yourself offer one such as me? Well, I guess I'm surprised you haven't already heard from your fish. that is Massively impressive by the way, can you teach me how to do that? Anyway, the point is, me and my friends are really only still here on this island because we want to unpollute it.
01:33:08
Speaker
Both in the ecological sense and in the sense of the terrible, terrible people that are pillaging its natural resources and making it uninhabitable for the people and fish.
01:33:20
Speaker
We want to get this place in shape so that you can go back to singing your spooky little songs over less cruddy waters. Does that interest you? Now, why would I want to change such a paradise?
01:33:37
Speaker
Don't you smell that? The despair? The struggle? Can't you
01:33:47
Speaker
taste it? Oh my god, you're actually exactly like my little brother. His name is Dianil, and he has this whole thing where he's like, doom and gloom over pain is the only beauty and art is that which is derived from pain. Oh, the darkness, I love it.
01:34:03
Speaker
Anyway, the point is, get it. I'm well aware of his nature. You're well aware of his nature? Where is he? She cocks her head. That sort of information usually will cost one.
01:34:16
Speaker
Would you care to bargain? I thought you were just showing off. Fauniline is going to brush some like crud off of a crate or something and she's going to like take a proper seat and cross her legs. I guess we can bargain.
01:34:28
Speaker
What do you want from me? Without saying a word, she lurches to the side as if like pulled by ah string and she just grabs onto the side of the boat and pulls on another thread.
01:34:39
Speaker
She pulls it out and it's like the broad is like bending in half and she pulls on it with all her might and out pops just a small little minnow, barely three inches long.
01:34:51
Speaker
And she grabs it and she just throws it into her mouth and she chews slowly.
01:35:11
Speaker
He's on Bogatier, perhaps enjoying a little vacation.
01:35:17
Speaker
Him. You know, he normally never came out of the shadowy parts of the castle. So I love that he's like soaking up the sun. Thanks for that. Do you know what? I really like you.
01:35:28
Speaker
I think you're very, very neat, actually. I've never seen anybody do this kind of thing. Frankly, I'm baffled. How kind. I'd like to think so. Such flattery.
01:35:40
Speaker
No, i I'm being so... I actually... Okay, I would try to kiss your ass. That's very much in my character, as I'm sure you know. But this whole thing is actually just unbelievably neat.
01:35:51
Speaker
Do you know damage I could wreak? Blackmail-wise, if I could just cut a fish open and know everybody's dirt? Oh my god. I would have already freed all the political prisoners.
01:36:04
Speaker
So noble for a noble. You notice that the boat has slowed down ever so slightly, and Clay, perhaps you're less caught up in this conversation, you glance over and see that the two individuals propelling the ship have slowed down.
01:36:20
Speaker
And almost at the exact same second that you notice this, Franny's head snaps over and she yeah she screams out, Quincy, Hildy, I didn't say you could take a break.
01:36:33
Speaker
We still have miles to go this night. And you hear ah feminine voice from from one of the two figures say, Sorry, Franny, we were just little tired.
01:36:45
Speaker
That's all. And, uh, and the other voices. Right, we'll just rest on our feet, but, uh, sorry, we'll get back to it.
01:36:56
Speaker
See that you do. We've got company to impress, and we don't want them to think our beloved Callie Marie is operating at less than 100% efficiency now, would we? ah Quincy, we wouldn't want that. Surely a man of your stature.
01:37:11
Speaker
No, no, Franny, we wouldn't want that. And the boat starts to move a little quicker through the water once again. Girl, what is your deal? You're like an evil fish witch who haunts the village and she likes the corpo baddies.
01:37:30
Speaker
Like, what do you, what do you want? What's the, what's the Fran of it all? You know? Give me a perception or insight rule. Oh, 13. My perception a plus four. So that's going to be a 17.
01:37:43
Speaker
I will say for the first time, she steps forward into the light a little bit more, and you can kind of see her whole essence a little clearer. And as I mentioned, she's tall and lanky with these sort of bones that seem stitched together.
01:37:59
Speaker
her face is sallow. It's got almost like a yellow tone to it, like a pallor, almost like a jaundiced energy. Her eyes are ever so slightly to the sides of her head, and they seem to bulge.
01:38:14
Speaker
Ever so slightly. Her nose is flat, turned up. And as you ask that, her eye darts over momentarily.
01:38:26
Speaker
It's like a frame. For a frame, it looks over and then looks back at you. And you glance in the direction she looked. And you see ah dark stone tower lurching up into the night.
01:38:41
Speaker
There's something I covet within that tower. And so far, it's been very difficult to acquire.
01:38:54
Speaker
What is it? Oh, nothing special. jar of sorts. You know what, girl? None of my business. Let's say i get you this jar.
01:39:07
Speaker
Maybe you help us take down the government that I want to depose. And i also think I'm not negotiating for this, but this is just a note. I'm being honest with you.
01:39:22
Speaker
I think it's a little passe to have little slave boys that you treat badly. So the little people on your wheel there, that's just kind of...
01:39:33
Speaker
I just feel like you're better than that, you know? And maybe when you get this jar, you'll reassess your approach to business and interpersonal relationships. The lantern snuffs out and you hear her voice next to your ear.
01:39:46
Speaker
Ooh. They are not slaves. Service was sought and provided and a price must be paid. Ask them. They won't refute that.
01:40:00
Speaker
I believe you. It's quid pro quo. I have strong feelings about ethical management techniques, but we can get into that later. I will be coming by to have brunch. I'll see about this jar.
01:40:12
Speaker
You'll see about opening your heart to the possibility of deposing the corrupt leadership. And we'll talk again very soon, Franny.
01:40:23
Speaker
What would you seek of me? Oh, um... Such a rush to leave. Why'd you wish to leave? Let's talk. but Okay, let's talk. I'm having a great time. What's your favorite color?
01:40:37
Speaker
Any books you like? Do you have a younger brother? Some sisters. Oh. Come into my office.
01:40:47
Speaker
And she lurches away towards that door that she walked out of before and opens it and leaves it open for you. Clay, would you check on the the wheel walkers?
01:41:00
Speaker
And I'm going to follow her into the office. Okay. Clay, you are left alone on the deck. Do you go see the wheel walkers? Sure, I'll go talk to the wheel walkers.
01:41:12
Speaker
Okay. Yeah, they are walking. The wheel. The wheel, exactly. But they're they're they're facing away from the ship so that the wheel is turning in such a way as to push the ship forward. So they're facing away from you as you walk up.
01:41:26
Speaker
Hey, ah Quincy and Hildy, was it? Yes, that's right. How are you doing? Oh, fine.
01:41:38
Speaker
just Just working, you know. Yeah, that looks like really tough work. How long have you been at it? Well, it's a it's Quincy's first day and i've I've been at this for little over three years.
01:41:54
Speaker
Like nonstop? I'm allowed to rest sometimes. A few hours a night or whenever Franny wishes the ship to stop moving. Oh, that creepy fish lady said that you... Careful.
01:42:10
Speaker
That creepy fish lady said said that you chose to be here. a It's true, I suppose. In a way. Why?
01:42:22
Speaker
She's so creepy.
01:42:25
Speaker
I was... I was born sick, you see. Always had ah an ailment. And after Franny arrived, I ah thought perhaps she could help me. I'd heard stories that she could she could help with matters such as this.
01:42:40
Speaker
And... In a way she has, suppose. In what way?
01:42:49
Speaker
She's like, there's like only a bit of like lantern lights illuminated here or illuminating the the back of the ship. But she brushes her hair behind her her ear and you see that it's pointed in an elven fashion.
01:43:02
Speaker
I asked to live a long life and I suppose now I will. Oh. She cured you of your sickness then? No. I'm still sick, but I'm an elf now, so I should live longer, I guess.
01:43:22
Speaker
Is that what you wanted? Are still sick though? She starts to cry. Oh no. And as she does, her feet slow ever so slightly and you hear from within the ship, I didn't say you could stop walking, girl.
01:43:37
Speaker
I hop on next to them. ra And I start Stairmastering next to them. And I guess I help her down to to like stand on the deck where I was standing so that I'm the one walking. Thank you. Can't you just leave?
01:43:57
Speaker
This is tough. This is hard. Your thighs must be like steel. suppose they are. You glance over at the other individual on the wheel next to you. You see he's a dwarven man.
01:44:08
Speaker
He's breathing pretty heavily and says, I could use some steel legs right about now. This is hard work. Yeah, and you, what did she do for you to get you to stay here? Nothing.
01:44:19
Speaker
I'm, uh, shall we say, loner from the mining company. uh, I've been offered to Franny to provide services for a year and a day in exchange for some deal with upper management that I'm not privy to.
01:44:36
Speaker
And you're okay with that? There was no one else? Of course. I'm a company man. And also, I drew the shortest straw. One in 12 chance ain't bad, I suppose. That's the guy from the boat that was missing.
01:44:53
Speaker
Callback.
01:44:56
Speaker
Whoa. So you work for Korak? How long Korak? Ooh, coming up on six years. Six years this fall. Six years.
01:45:06
Speaker
And you really believe in, in what they're doing and the work? course, yes. Good work. Lots of value to be, to be generated for the company. Yeah, what what do you like most about the company?
01:45:19
Speaker
Well, the pay is pretty good and the benefits are all right. Yeah? And? Gives me a sense of purpose, you know?
01:45:30
Speaker
What is that purpose? Making money. Making money. Okay. The most important purpose of all, I dare say. And what were you doing before Korak sold you to Franny?
01:45:41
Speaker
Well, they didn't sell me to Franny. It's like Well, they kind of it's it's like ah It's like a job placement, you know? It's my assignment for the next year. For the next year. but you don't really know what Korok's getting in return?
01:45:53
Speaker
No, like I said, that's upper management stuff that'd be between Mr. Strigamole and Miss Franny, I'm sure. so does Franny know what's going on through her fish? Does she do that a lot?
01:46:04
Speaker
Well, I've only been here a day, but, uh… She's done a lot of fish stuff in that time. Yeah. I don't know much about dietary stuff, but the number of fish I've seen her eat, just raw, whole fish, i I don't think that's healthy or sustainable, but that's not my job. I'm not hired as a dietician, so I'll just keep walking until a year and a day is done, and, and, uh, back to the mines!
01:46:30
Speaker
do you ever get sick of eating fish? Sure, but that's where bread comes in. I haven't seen anything except for fish, though. Well, that's hardly my problem now, is it?
01:46:41
Speaker
Sounds like you need to go to different market stalls. Does Franny feed you here on the ship? It's your first day Have you had a lunch time? Aye, we got a meal.
01:46:52
Speaker
Had to eat it on the wheel, but she fed us. Yeah, was it fish? Yeah, it was fish.
Franny's Quest and Ethical Dilemmas
01:47:01
Speaker
And when you ate the fish, did it tell you things?
01:47:04
Speaker
No, no, no, no, no. That's not how it It was just a fish, I think. It only tells Franny things? oh You're probably asking the wrong person. He hasn't been here long.
01:47:14
Speaker
She can speak to the fish. ah She's got powers. She can see the future. She can see... How did she turn you into an elf? Franny can do many wondrous things.
01:47:28
Speaker
Have you asked her to cure your sickness? I've brought it up and she's merely pointed to the language used in our agreement. And I think I might just have to live with it.
01:47:45
Speaker
What was in the agreement? How long do you have to walk the wheel for? Seven years and then I'm free to go. and and is there any like changing the words of the agreement or making a new agreement?
01:47:58
Speaker
She gets mad if I bring it up. Oh. And in your three years here, have you seen other people come and ask Franny for anything? Yes. Sometimes.
01:48:10
Speaker
What kind of things have you seen her do? People come for insights to know if their child will be born healthy or what areas of the lake to fish.
01:48:22
Speaker
Sometimes they ask for bigger things, more important things. They always get sent to the tower. The people who ask for the bigger things? Yeah.
01:48:33
Speaker
Is it to help her look for that jar? Is that the cost? Mm-hmm. Yes, that's right. And have they come back? Some of them. Most haven't.
01:48:44
Speaker
Corvus did. He looked terrible. Corvus? I heard it's his birthday today. is it? Yeah, he's turning 24. He looked 70 when I saw him last.
01:48:58
Speaker
When he came out of the tower? That's right. Do you know what he asked her for? That the cost was going into the tower, no? I'm not sure. Do you know what her deal with is Korak?
01:49:10
Speaker
The Korak company? No, no, no, no, no. privy to any of that. and just walk the wheel. What happens if you just leave in the middle of the seven years?
01:49:24
Speaker
i don't know, but she looks over at the fishing lines scattered throughout the water. I don't think I'd make it very far. Have you seen anyone try?
01:49:36
Speaker
Quincy wasn't the first dwarf from the Korok Mining Company to work here. And I think we're going to cut inside. Fonelin, you are brought inside what appears to be an office of sorts.
01:49:49
Speaker
Office is probably too clinical or utilitarian of a word. Perhaps a workshop would be better. A curio, one might say. You look around and you see a chaotic space.
01:50:06
Speaker
There is ah hide of some creature that you don't recognize upon the ground. There is a large window looking out towards the front of the ship, and you see this figure with the the the collar of their of their coat drawn up piloting the ship.
01:50:23
Speaker
There countless shelves with... miscellaneous objects. You see a fish in a cage swimming in space.
01:50:35
Speaker
You see a large cauldron with a clear liquid and around it are several bottles, little vials with a dark strange liquid inside that seems to shift and shimmer and catch the light in a thousand different ways.
01:50:48
Speaker
You see ah pile of fish skins with a knife sticking out of a piece of wood. You see a jar with preserved eels inside of it. And yeah, there is Franny and There's a little stool upon the ground and she she takes it, she sets it upright and perches upon it like a gargoyle, limbs sticking up further than than you would care for.
01:51:16
Speaker
It's dark in here and she reaches up a hand, you see her nails are fairly long, and you see that there is a head. It's got a beard and she grabs it by the beard and pulls and its mouth opens and light emanates from its eyes and open mouth.
01:51:29
Speaker
ah A dwarf who tried renege on our agreements. Quincy, there's replacements.
01:51:41
Speaker
Okay, I'm starting to understand your whole vibe. i would say cute place you have here, but you would know that it's not really my stylings.
01:51:53
Speaker
think it's beautiful. Yeah. You know, and what matters is that you like it We were talking about overthrowing the mining people, but I see that that's a dwarf head.
01:52:05
Speaker
And I'm just wondering, you wouldn't happen to have already, you know, contributed to this whole clusterfuck. Contribute is such an interesting word.
01:52:18
Speaker
a I have offered services for those in need. Some of them may have been from the Korak Mining Company over the years. Many come to me for help. Many, some of them dwarf.
01:52:34
Speaker
Some of them miner. Some of them other. Some of them elf.
01:52:40
Speaker
I want to bite so badly, but I'm not going to. I'm not going to bite on that line, Franny. Should I? No. No. I guess what I'm getting at is Obviously you have powers beyond the run of the mill and you seem comfortable using those powers for acts that don't align with my morality.
01:53:06
Speaker
ah guess I'm sensing that while I don't think we need to be posed, I don't know but you and i necessarily can work together.
01:53:19
Speaker
I mean, I'm good, but I don't think I'm going to bring a godlike creature about to my cause by giving a rousing speech, you know? And frankly, I like this place and I want it to do well, but I'm not going to like, I don't know, give you 15 years off my life or something in exchange for it.
01:53:38
Speaker
i also don't see that you can offer me anything that I can't get myself through little bit of hard work. So I don't really know that we have much else to talk about.
01:53:49
Speaker
Morals are like a fishing rod, dearie. If they don't bend, they break. As for abilities, powers, things that you can do for yourself, I think if you were as capable as you think you are, you wouldn't be here talking to me.
01:54:09
Speaker
You'd be sitting on a fancy little throne carved of mushrooms.
01:54:16
Speaker
It's not actually carved out of mushrooms, it's covered in mushrooms. So tell your fish to use their eyes. It's been very interesting meeting you, Franny.
01:54:29
Speaker
And we may speak again.
01:54:35
Speaker
If you're going to overthrow ah mining company, you're going to need friends, Curly. You might already friends be friends with my enemy.
01:54:46
Speaker
Like I said, you need to be flexible. and Okay. What can you do for me, Fran? What would you need?
01:54:58
Speaker
you wish to slip in unnoticed amongst the dwarves? The girl on the wheel was once human. Now she's an elf. An easy transformation.
01:55:11
Speaker
You could walk right in. No one would blink twice. This feels very monkey paw. Sorry, I'm not there.
01:55:19
Speaker
Or, for example, you could tell me where the Princess of Erdenin is and how I can get to her. An interesting ask. Perhaps I could.
01:55:31
Speaker
And all you would want from me is a little jar in an abandoned tower.
01:55:38
Speaker
No one ever said it was abandoned. But yes. Okay. It has been very informative meeting you. i think you and I are going to have an interesting and fruitful relationship.
01:55:51
Speaker
I'm going to head out with my friend. And if you have more to say, send one of your fish. And if I have more to say, I'll come by for brunch. Very good.
01:56:03
Speaker
Captain M, take us to shore. Our visitors wish to return home." The figure standing on the other side of the window turns his head.
01:56:16
Speaker
And you see the profile of a bearded man with sunken, sallow skin. At one point, he might have been handsome. He might have been happy.
01:56:28
Speaker
He might have been the kind of individual that you would put a portrait of on the mantle of your fireplace. And he doesn't speak so much as he says,
01:56:42
Speaker
And the ship begins to turn towards shore. And a short while later, you are deposited at a dock.
01:56:53
Speaker
The ship begins to move off back towards the center of the lake. Remember, the Calimari is always open for those that need my help. Good night, young Thrillwind.
01:57:09
Speaker
And as the two of you make your way back into the town, I think we're going to cut for one last scene with Glimke sitting at the bar watching this gray skinned, orange spotted gecko of a lizard folk man serving drinks.
01:57:30
Speaker
Many folk have gone. the party is all but wrapped up.
Rebellion Plot and Cliffhanger Ending
01:57:35
Speaker
You notice throughout the course of the evening, a couple more individuals go through that door. But it's not a lot.
01:57:42
Speaker
It's maybe a half dozen. Total. I guess after, yeah, once the bar, I guess, quiets down in the front room. And if I'm, like, one of the few just sitting, sitting there and watching people go through that door, uh, yeah, it's time for Glomky to...
01:58:00
Speaker
try again and joining the private event. Okay. would you like to make another stealth check? Nope. I just want to walk up to the thing.
01:58:11
Speaker
No more sneaky. You walk up to the door and as you're about to go through, the lizard folk man says... Oh, sorry, you're not supposed to go in there. yeah. sir It's private affair.
01:58:27
Speaker
You keep going. yeah Oh, yeah. You push the door open and you see you're in a ah storeroom of sorts. There's... crates of some foodstuffs, vegetables and and the like, bags of flour, a few casks of ale, and you see that there is a door, like a hatch on the ground.
01:58:50
Speaker
Okay, alright, let's pull it up. You pull the hatch open, and you see that there is a set of stairs that lead down into the darkness. And you see, i would say, lantern light flickering off the walls,
01:59:05
Speaker
And you hear murmured voices, too quiet to make out the details. One foot in front of the other. Let's keep walking. Step down and down and down.
01:59:18
Speaker
And as you step on the final step, the voices begin to come into greater clarity. You hear one voice say, Gallim, there's no way we can trust this man. He'll sell us out for sure.
01:59:31
Speaker
You're not thinking clearly. I'm thinking as clearly as the rest of you. This is our greatest opportunity. We can strike a blow at the heart of Korak. We won't have to deal with them any longer. The island can be saved.
01:59:46
Speaker
Now, everybody, let's calm down. We're all on the same side here. We all want the same thing. And as you step on that last step, there is a click. And a piece of wood positioned above you drops.
02:00:00
Speaker
Hmm. and several large, heavy kegs full of wine collapse upon you. I need you to make a dexterity saving throw.
02:00:12
Speaker
11. The weight of the wine casks collapses on you. You take 11 bludgeoning damage. Oh, easy. And one of them just cracks, spilling thick, sticky wine on you.
02:00:27
Speaker
There's a sudden scraping of chairs on the ground. A table is overturned. We've been found! Quickly! must escape! Relax. Jeez.
02:00:38
Speaker
You look up, and you see that already this large half-orc man with the limp that you saw walking before. He's got dark green skin. He's got these tusks that are sort of etched into spirals.
02:00:51
Speaker
He has got his hand on a shelf, and you see this big shelf full of wine casks, and he's pulled it open, revealing a tunnel leading out of the space. oh You see Callum Swift, the halfling man, he is piling up scraps of paper and what have you like grabbing them, gathering them up, and you see this this blonde woman, she's like ripped a torch off the wall, and she's getting ready to throw it onto your wine-covered body.
02:01:18
Speaker
What the? Whoa. Everybody just stop fucking moving. Give me a persuasion roll. Six. yeah oh
02:01:35
Speaker
wells a good thing you short rest Glimke, you take 14 fire damage. Fuck! You are lit up like a funeral pyre. Yikes. And this group of people is going to run off down the tunnel as you desperately work to pad out the fire.
02:01:53
Speaker
God damn it. That's where we will end tonight's episode of Bart Soup.
02:02:21
Speaker
Thank you so much for listening to Chapter 28 of Bard Soup. Things are getting spooky, they're getting a little weird, there's women with fish bones for teeth. I have been your vile dungeon master, Zach Meikle, joined by my three wonderful players.
02:02:35
Speaker
Prima Jow as Clay Campbell, Jordan Johnson Glimke Treefellow, and Shannon Meikle as Fawnland Veidark. If you're enjoying the show, leave us a five-star review. How many times to tell you people?
02:02:47
Speaker
In the meantime, follow us at bard underscore soup on Instagram and TikTok. We got some good reels. We got some good TikToks. We got all those things you need. While you're at it, check out bardsoup.com.
02:02:58
Speaker
We'll be back in two weeks with Chapter 29. So in the meantime, stay frosty and just chill out. You work too hard. Relax. Take a break. Bye-bye.
02:03:11
Speaker
ah You okay? Nah, I'm just having a heart attack. It's grunting. Are you serious? Please don't have a heart attack. Hey, I'm not that out of shape. Come on. Tell your heart no.
02:03:21
Speaker
Yeah. If he has a heart attack, you'll stop talking about Emperor Luigi. maybe it's not a heart attack. Maybe it's a birth. ah Why are you meeting the future fan artists like this? Why are you doing this?
02:03:35
Speaker
You mean me?
02:03:40
Speaker
Prima's been sketching this whole time. just so Yeah, draw Zach pregnant is already on my to-do list. Man, that fish lady is spooky.
02:03:51
Speaker
What? um She's just got bones for teeth. What are we going do about her? I don't think there is anything you can do about that. There's a genuine moment where at the beginning I was like, oh, no, me and her like cool. Like she's just like this gossipy old creepy lady. Faunelin would love to be an old creepy lady. It was just like talking mad shit. That's amazing.
02:04:10
Speaker
And then it was like, oh, no. No. I thought you heard your real name and we should just... Get rid of her. Oh, yeah? Yeah. My honest thought was the hot goss potential from this woman is limitless.
02:04:25
Speaker
ah But she knows all your hot goss. like I think chasing down the lead on the princess angle could be very interesting. That was good. And if that doesn't work, you could get her to turn you into the princess and we can just get that move.
02:04:40
Speaker
Yeah. I'm really curious about this. Switch personalities again. who identity don' just get You can just live at the castle. yeah I'm not wearing pants right now. I can't be the princess.
02:04:51
Speaker
You could though. Oh, damn. We could make friends be into the princess. Burning with fire right now. Yeah, what the hell? I'm not even a liar.