Kids on Brooms - The Mysteries of Ravenswood, Episode 2

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hello, friends, and welcome to another single serving tabletop adventure on Queen's court games. I am Aubrey, and today we are playing more kids on brooms by Jonathan Gilmore, Doug Lewandowski, and Spencer Stark. We will roll into things in just a moment, but first, let me introduce my cast, and I'm going to start over here with jazz. [00:00:24] Speaker B: What up? My name's jazz. I use she, they pronouns, and I am playing castor. Saros uses he him pronouns. [00:00:32] Speaker A: Alright, and next I have Jay. [00:00:37] Speaker C: Hi, everybody. My name is J or Nala. My pronouns are they, them, and today I am playing Farojin, who uses he, they, and she pronouns. [00:00:48] Speaker A: Alyssa. [00:00:50] Speaker D: Hi, y'all, I'm Alyssa. My pronouns are they, them, and tonight I am playing Rima Thompson, who goes by Tom and uses they, he she pronouns, and Kai. [00:01:02] Speaker E: Hi, everybody, I'm Kai. I use he, they, and she pronouns, and I am playing Renee Asher, Gerard Laval, who uses he they pronouns, and. [00:01:13] Speaker A: You can find links to all of their associated social media accounts by sending exclamation point cast to chat. Or you can use exclamation point scenario if you're interested in picking up a copy of the game for yourself. The stream is sponsored by hunters Entertainment and Odd Duck dice. We'll be giving away a set of custom trans pride dice made by odd duck dice during each episode, so you can enter exclamation point dice to enter, and the winner will be drawn at the end of each session. The cast and I have discussed our the lines and veils in advance via a session zero. We have agreed to a code of conduct to ensure a safe and respectful environment, but we want you to be safe as well. Use exclamation point safety to see content warnings for this episode. With all of that said, students, are you ready? [00:02:08] Speaker E: Are we? [00:02:09] Speaker A: Yeah. I don't know, but we are going to start this off with a recap. So what happened last time? [00:02:40] Speaker C: Last time on Mysteries of Ravenswood, we opened on our first class of the day alchemy with Professor Talus, who is a tiefling with broken ramshorns, and he was teaching us a lesson on ghouls, specifically ghoul fever. We learned about how sort of where that comes from, as well as our class assignment was to make an antitoxin. In this class, we meet our four students, Castor, Tom, Renee, and Faro. And after this class, one of our mutual friends named Juniper waits outside the classroom wanting to talk to all of us. She appears to be very, very nervous and has stumbled upon something big and asks us to meet her at the library later tonight after dinner. Next, we did a divination class that Renee and Faro went to together. There's something funky going on between the two of them, some kind of accident where a couple months ago both of them were changed emotionally and physically. During this divination class, we were learning about Harrow reading or Hano. No, what's the word? [00:04:09] Speaker A: Harrow. [00:04:10] Speaker C: Harrow. Okay. In this class we were learning about Harrow readings, which you draw nine cards in a grid of three by three representing the past as the top row, the present as a middle row, and the future as the bottom row. Renee storms out two thirds the way through the reading and does not come to any classes the rest of the day. After divination class, the group mynister, Renee regroup for necromancy class taught by Professor Atencio, who is a Dom Pierre. Very theatrical personality of a professor, very apt to go on long winded tangents if prompted. And we are talking about vampires. Funnily enough, in this class we learn about a vampire named Nyx who lives in the city, who is contained to her house. Faro arrives late, just as Tom is asking about other kinds of vampires. The question is asked about other ways to become a vampire besides directly interfacing with one. And the professor tells us about magic, perhaps can cause vampirism, perhaps a spell that went very right or very wrong. Meanwhile, in Rene's room that he shares with Farro because they were roommates, Rene is poring over notes from months ago and some more recent notes pertaining to what happened between the two of us. Meanwhile, at dinner, Caster these very social butterflies talking with lots of people. Meanwhile, Tom ascends the bell tower to sketch and hang out with corpse moths. Renee is not at dinner later that night when we're all supposed to meet up at the library, Faro brings food for Renee, and Tom and Castor arrive shortly after the two of them. Juniper is nowhere to be seen. We go upstairs in the library and find a chair tipped over and blood everywhere. Upon investigating, we find Juniper's school bag, which has been shoved under the desk, and a hand bound leather book that has been shoved into the shelf, page side out. This book has a ram's head embossed on the COVID and Faro, unbeknownst to the rest of the group, at least in the beginning, recognizes Professor Talis's symbol immediately. Looking through the book, we find formulas for elixirs to strengthen and transform people, and most alarmingly, there's instructions and a recipe in the back for some kind of. Some kind of spray. What is the word? I'm trying to think of gas. You're thinking of gas? [00:07:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:07:52] Speaker C: Some kind of gas that will turn people into ghouls. Other investigation reveals that Juniper had been talking to two people. A person named Prescott, who is a bookseller, and Albert Graham, who runs a mysterium magic supply shop. And, um, we don't know what, but Elric was going to procure some kind of ingredient for juniper. Um, let's see. Where are we? Caster leaves to go find someone to tell someone about all of this blood, because that's, uh, not great. Uh, and runs into none other than professor Talus, who splits off to go get the headmaster. Everyone comes back around, and we talk to the adults about sort of. I mean, we're adults too. This is college. But we talk to the adults in charge about sort of what happened. And then using some very slick sleight of hand, we managed to sneak the book out of the room to look at later. And as we all kind of, like, slowly file out of this room, we followed Faro as he weirdly takes the long route back to his and Rene's shared room, being tailed by renee. And as Faro walks past sconce on the wall, the light goes out, flies into Faro's body, and is consumed. Meanwhile, I believe, was it Tom? You were spying on the teachers through the window and overheard some pretty interesting things, namely the headmaster asking Professor Tallis, what did you do? And that's pretty much where our session ended. We were all planning on regrouping back at our shared room, although that has not been communicated. People are just following each other back to the room in this very weird follow the leader, but, like, sneaky kind of. And that's where he left off. [00:10:21] Speaker A: Yeah. So, I mean, you know, everyone is unknowingly going to, to some people, you know, Caster and Tom know that they're going to the room. Farrow does not know that Caster and Tom are so, but I don't like Caster and Tom few minutes behind. So, ofaro, you have a little bit of time when you get to the room. And Renee is probably maybe a minute behind you, if that. [00:10:50] Speaker C: I think as soon as I get back, um, I walk directly into my bedroom, um, and I close the door, throw off my cloak, and sit down at my desk and open this book again. Uh, my plan is to just start looking at it closer. Um, looking at it in the library, I had immediately recognized Tallis's handwriting, for he he is my mentor. He is someone that I look up to. And seeing this book in front of me feels wrong. This isn't. This isn't the man that I know. This is not the professor that I look up to. And I think upon hearing our door open, as Renee returns to the room, I think Faro is also kind of, like, fleeting thought of, like, oh, how did I beat Renee here? Because I walked the long way on purpose. But I think when you walk in, Renee, you just see my door closed, and you can see, like, candlelight coming in from under my door. [00:12:13] Speaker E: It's probably easy to mistake whether or not Renee is there, because he very regularly gives his familiar Conrad work to do in the bedroom. So Conrad very easily could have been making noise in there. You wouldn't have known the difference. But when Renee does return, they see the closed door, put down their stuff and the food leavings that they've got all scooped up in their arms really awkwardly. And they just look at all that and set it down in the nearest surface and then go over to. I'm assuming we have, like, a place to sit in our. [00:12:51] Speaker C: Like, a living room. Yeah, living room. [00:12:53] Speaker A: It's like, a small, like, living area. It's not. Yeah, like a sitting room, essentially. [00:12:57] Speaker E: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And goes to the nearest soft sitting surface, and just full face down, horns first into the sofa, just collapses onto it, and, like, does everything in his power not to scream into the pillow. [00:13:21] Speaker C: I think as you're laying there, you hear faro cursing under his breath. [00:13:38] Speaker E: I think Renee hears them swearing. And before he has the nerve to work up any kind of response or way to reach out to her, the others would be there. [00:14:00] Speaker A: Is it. I guess you. You knock. [00:14:05] Speaker E: Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. [00:14:09] Speaker B: It's like a really obnoxious, like. [00:14:14] Speaker E: Renee. [00:14:15] Speaker C: Gets residence life and housing, right? [00:14:19] Speaker E: Renee gets up and goes through the door very, very quickly, quietly, and tries to. Is it clear that it's caster? Hello? [00:14:33] Speaker B: I know you're in there. [00:14:37] Speaker E: And Renee goes to the door and, like, creaks it open and looks out to just check and see if it's actually caster or what's going on here. [00:14:46] Speaker B: You see castor there, and he kind of lifts a hand, flicks it, and on his shoulders is like a fennec fox, who tilts her head a little curiously at you. Behind me is tom. [00:14:59] Speaker D: Yeah, I think tom is leaning on the opposite wall, like, from your door. And when you creak it open, the pipe fox slithers down from his shoulder and worms its way inside your room. [00:15:12] Speaker B: Can we come in? That was very rude. [00:15:16] Speaker E: If you're quiet. Yes. [00:15:18] Speaker B: Excellent. [00:15:19] Speaker E: And Renee pulls the door open. And inside, I think, even kind of escaping from our rooms is the dusty and unkept remains of magical work. [00:15:39] Speaker B: Lovely place you got here. [00:15:41] Speaker E: We've been very busy. Please just come in and give me a moment. I'm going to go let Farro know that you're here. [00:15:49] Speaker B: Okay. Kind of gesture to tom, like, after you. [00:15:55] Speaker D: Yeah. Tom will slide in, and if there's any sort of signs of the work that they've been doing out in this entry sitting area, we'll go snooping. [00:16:09] Speaker E: It can't all be in our rooms. There's so much of it. [00:16:15] Speaker B: I will follow behind and checking to make sure that nobody saw us go in, because apparently Renee is pretty paranoid. I'm just gonna check. And I close the door. [00:16:29] Speaker C: I think in my room, Faro can hear that whole conversation and knows that our two friends have arrived to our room. And so Aro, I think, is just like mentally preparing themselves for the knock that he knows is coming from Renee. And I think once you do knock, do you knock, I assume? [00:17:01] Speaker E: Yes, the gingerost knock in the history of time. [00:17:08] Speaker C: I think before Farou can actually respond, you actually hear my cat, Goose, just meow at your knock. And the door opens slowly. And you see my cat, Goose, who is a white, long haired kitty, sitting right in the doorway, just looking up, looking up at you. And you see Faro sitting at his desk with the book out, looking at you, brow furrowed, looking really, really concerned. [00:17:51] Speaker E: Renee looks straight down at Goose. Well, you've gotten quite good at doing that. I'm here to speak to the master of the house. Are they available? And Renee looks up at Faro. [00:18:08] Speaker C: I think this is like an ongoing bit that we have. And so Faro just sighs and, and looks down at the book, closes it, stands up and says, well, regardless of what other plans I might have had, I'm free now. And I will walk to the door, goose swimming around my ankles. And I come back out to the main room where the two of you are seated, snooping, whatever you're doing. [00:18:49] Speaker B: I have not been invited to sit, so I simply am standing there with my hands in the pockets of my slacks. But I'm looking around. [00:18:59] Speaker C: And as I walk out of my room, I close the door. However, if anyone was looking into my room at that moment, Faro's room is a bit neater than, I think, the general living space, and definitely neater than Renee's room, but there's still, like, a chaotic organization to it. You know, you can see my desktop. But there are piles of papers, notes, school projects, textbooks, all that stuff just all piled up. It's kind of that, like. Yeah, like organized chaos. But I make my bed every day kind of. Kind of vibe, you know what I mean? And I come back out into the living room, sit down on the couch, and I just gesture to the other two of you and just say, if you'd like to sit, I think we might be here a while. [00:19:57] Speaker B: Yeah, sounds good. Is there, like, a coffee table or something? [00:20:04] Speaker E: That's where food remains. Yeah. [00:20:07] Speaker C: Renee's food wins. [00:20:09] Speaker B: I think I scooted it to the side, and I sit on the coffee table. [00:20:14] Speaker E: There's a perfectly good place to sit. [00:20:18] Speaker B: No, it's fine. So when caster. Really? [00:20:26] Speaker E: Yes. You're in my home. [00:20:29] Speaker B: That's fair. I suppose I will get up and sit in the perfectly nice place to sit. Where else is there to sit? [00:20:36] Speaker C: I think, like a sofa and, like, a couple chairs. [00:20:39] Speaker B: I was gonna say, I don't want to cozy up to you guys. I mean, I know we're friends, but we're not that close. [00:20:45] Speaker E: Yeah. I think there's also, like, pillows for, like, sitting around the coffee table. [00:20:51] Speaker C: I imagine our room is very, like, cozy, comfortable. [00:20:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:20:55] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:20:56] Speaker E: Trimmed maybe a little bit too well for one of these rooms. [00:21:01] Speaker C: Yeah. Renee's rich, rich money. Brought a lot of decorations and stuff. Like, renee was the one who brought all of the decor into the roommate relationship, as one would put it. [00:21:14] Speaker E: Yes. [00:21:19] Speaker B: So when exactly were you going to tell us that the author of the book is professor talos? [00:21:26] Speaker C: I it's true. This book. This book is his. It doesn't seem like anything he would do. It's quite concerning, actually, to me. It doesn't sit right with me. It's not like him. [00:21:56] Speaker E: Was it done in the theoretical? Is it purely an exercise? [00:22:03] Speaker C: And I think, like, I open the book again and just, like, look at it, and I turn back to that recipe in the very back, and Faro says, I don't know. That would definitely be the best case scenario, wouldn't it? [00:22:23] Speaker B: I can't imagine why anyone would practice creating something that would turn people into ghouls. [00:22:32] Speaker E: I can. [00:22:34] Speaker B: Okay. That concerns me, but. All right. [00:22:41] Speaker D: So care to elaborate on that point? [00:22:44] Speaker B: No, I really don't know if I want to know. Are we going to confront him, or are we just going to let this go? Should we tell someone? [00:22:57] Speaker E: Who are you going to tell? [00:22:59] Speaker B: I honestly don't know. [00:23:02] Speaker D: I mean, the headmaster. [00:23:06] Speaker E: You think that this is going on in this school, and the headmaster doesn't. [00:23:09] Speaker D: Know no, that's what I was going to say. The headmaster does know. Even without the book, they. [00:23:14] Speaker C: What do you mean? [00:23:15] Speaker D: That talus had a whole thing. I listened while they were investigating the room. Even without the book, the headmaster, I assume, saw the blood and asked Talus what they did. [00:23:34] Speaker B: Suspicious. [00:23:35] Speaker E: Oh, it isn't theoretical. Then. [00:23:42] Speaker B: I understand this might be a bit upsetting for you, Farrow, because of the whole mentor relationship. Do you have any idea why he would want to do this? [00:23:56] Speaker C: Do I have any idea why he'd want to do this? [00:24:01] Speaker A: You. He doesn't talk about it a lot. But you do know that for a long period of time, before he came to the academy, before Andreas started the academy, both of them were working for the holy blood, the hunter guild. Andreas was studying magic, and mostly planar magic, to see if they could understand what was going on with the neverending knight. And Andreas worked with alchemy. Osmond worked with alchemy buster. Talus worked with alchemy to sort of understand the creatures that they were fighting. [00:24:51] Speaker C: I think. Faro closes the book again and holds it on his lap, and he says, well, prior to the school being founded and them coming here, Talos and the headmaster, they were in the hunter's guild together, and Talus was studying things like this. And. I don't know, he and I spent a lot of time together researching, and he taught me so much. I'm still finding it very hard to believe what I'm looking at. It's. [00:25:52] Speaker E: Why would a hunter want to make more ghouls? [00:25:55] Speaker B: That does seem to be the opposite of what they should be doing. [00:26:00] Speaker C: I don't know. But obviously Juniper must have been getting too close. I can't imagine why. [00:26:13] Speaker B: You don't think that Professor Talos hurt Junie, do you? [00:26:18] Speaker C: That's what I was just gonna say. I can't see it in him to hurt a student. That. That's really. That's not. That's not anything like what he's like. He has such a passion for teaching. He would never, never do this. And yet. And Fidel looks back down at the book, and yet there's this. [00:26:50] Speaker B: Perhaps we are jumping to some serious conclusions. Maybe we should talk to him and see what he has to say for himself. [00:27:02] Speaker E: But what if he's made a deal with someone who's more dangerous? What if it's. I don't know, the. The blades of someone who has an interest in something, anything. [00:27:13] Speaker B: That is a question. Um. I don't know. I got nothing. There's safety in numbers. We could all go. [00:27:27] Speaker C: If anything, I'd feel more comfortable talking to him myself. Given our prior relationship, he might be truthful to me. [00:27:38] Speaker B: You can't go alone. [00:27:41] Speaker C: Why not? [00:27:42] Speaker B: Because if he is dangerous, and he did hurt Jimmy, there is nothing that says he wouldn't hurt you. [00:27:49] Speaker E: He's right. [00:27:52] Speaker C: He would never hurt me. [00:27:54] Speaker B: Okay, you're pretty sure that he wouldn't hurt anyone. And if you're wrong, you could be wrong about that, too. [00:28:06] Speaker C: I can't be wrong. Oh, there's. [00:28:17] Speaker E: Things are too complicated right now to risk. [00:28:21] Speaker C: I see. I. [00:28:36] Speaker B: Safi my fennec fox will skitter down my arm and into your lap. [00:28:43] Speaker E: Photo. [00:28:46] Speaker C: When the fox just, like, comes and sits on top of the book, I just, like, gingerly just kind of scratch, like, right behind the ears. And I think at this point, goose hops up on the couch right next to me, and then just curls up right next to me. And I look, I'm just, like, studying the floor this whole time. And eventually, photo just says, well, with everything that's happened to me recently, of course there's another thing. There's always gonna be another thing, isn't there? [00:29:39] Speaker B: Well, I don't know what that's about, but I do think that we should give Professor Talos a chance to explain himself. A chance to prove us wrong, essentially. It's just that. It's just that it's safer in case we aren't just in case. [00:30:03] Speaker C: How about. How about a compromise? I I still talk to him by myself, but we do it in a. In a public area. [00:30:20] Speaker B: Would he be willing to talk in public? [00:30:23] Speaker E: You think he'd be honest? [00:30:25] Speaker C: Like, a private, public area? Like, if we go to, like. Like, the library, one of the courtyards or something? I don't know. [00:30:37] Speaker D: I don't give you any good at illusion. Could you hide yourself? Could we hide? Let him think that he's talking to Vader alone, and we'll be there for backup if needed? [00:30:51] Speaker E: I could try, but he's very capable. [00:30:55] Speaker C: He is. [00:30:56] Speaker D: It's a strong accusation. I imagine that he'd be a little distracted by it. [00:31:05] Speaker B: That's true. [00:31:07] Speaker E: I'd be willing to try. [00:31:11] Speaker B: I'm always willing to try. [00:31:13] Speaker E: I just. [00:31:15] Speaker B: I want to be close, you know, in case anything goes wrong. [00:31:19] Speaker E: So do I. [00:31:21] Speaker B: Okay, so we'll do your compromise. Do you remember? More or less. Public, private area. And then we just hide really well. Really, really well. [00:31:35] Speaker C: He. He and I used to, um. We used to practice in one of the courtyards. Perhaps he'd be willing to meet me there. [00:31:49] Speaker B: All right. [00:31:51] Speaker C: I've become, well, rather withdrawn recently, and I've kind of skipped out on our tutoring. I suppose if I tell him I'm not tonight for it again, then he's probably gonna come meet me, and. No, not tonight. Definitely, definitely not tonight. [00:32:21] Speaker B: Not tonight. I imagine he's also busy, you know, with being accused and all, so. So. Good game plan. Tomorrow, we all. You meet with Professor Talos, and we will stand by and hope that nothing goes horribly wrong. And then what, after that? Do we still want to check out the places that Juni was going to? [00:32:46] Speaker C: Yeah, that's. That's our next best lead, at least, to figuring out what Junie knew exactly. But. What. And, like, faro, like, starts, like, looking around the room for something in particular and pulls a small, like, leather bound journal out and opens it. And you all can see it's Faro's schedule. Starts flipping through it, and just says, tomorrow we've got the creatures class. And usually, I had a meeting, actually, with professor tellis after that class, so perhaps I can try to find him there. That might work. [00:33:42] Speaker B: It's fine by me. [00:33:47] Speaker E: All right. [00:33:49] Speaker B: Is there anything else? No, I'm good. I still think that we should contact literally anyone. But if you don't think that the faculty is necessarily trustworthy at this point. And I understand why. Unfortunately, I don't really care. I just. I really would like to find Ginny. [00:34:16] Speaker C: Honestly. [00:34:19] Speaker E: I agree. [00:34:25] Speaker B: She has to be still alive, right? Yeah. There's a lot. Lot of blood. But they wouldn't. They would. They would have just left her if she died, right? [00:34:38] Speaker E: Um, not necessarily. [00:34:41] Speaker C: Let's. Let's. Let's not go there. I'd rather. [00:34:43] Speaker B: Okay. Okay. That's fair. I. I'm good. I'm done. I'm good. Uh, have a good night. Adios. Come on. [00:34:52] Speaker E: Caster. Tom. Um, extra lock your doors tonight. [00:34:57] Speaker B: Oh. Okay. Good night. I turn. I turn and walk out the door. A little shakily. [00:35:08] Speaker C: A little shakily, I think a little like. Like, before. The two of you have, like, finished walking out the door. Taro gets up, and without even, like, looking at Renee or, like, the two of you, I think I nodded at the two of you as. As you were standing up to leave. But I don't look at Renee, and I stand up. I place your fox back on the sofa next to me. I'm assuming follows you, and I walk straight to my room, and I close the door maybe a little too hard, and I think you can hear me toss the journal on my desk. But then you don't hear anything else. [00:35:57] Speaker D: Tom starts to walk towards the door, but then pauses and turns back to Renee and asks, is this just general caution, or do you recognize something as well here? [00:36:14] Speaker E: I just. I come from a very careful place. This is a time for caution. [00:36:26] Speaker D: Reassuring. And tom will leave their pick box, sort of slithering back up their leg and up to drape around their neck. [00:36:39] Speaker E: Rene closes the door, locks it, then puts a chair in front of it. [00:36:50] Speaker A: Yeah, sounds about right. [00:36:53] Speaker E: Yeah, it's fine. [00:36:57] Speaker A: Terrifying. Is there any last thing anyone wants to do before the day moves into the next double? [00:37:04] Speaker B: Lock my doors. [00:37:09] Speaker C: I think the only other thing that Faro does is when he finally emerges to take a shower that night. His shower is a bit longer than normal, and they cry. [00:37:32] Speaker E: When they come out to take a shower. Renee is unconscious on that sofa, having not gone back into his room at all. [00:37:46] Speaker C: And I think seeing you passed out on the sofa before I head back to my room to go to sleep, I think fado hesitates, but takes a blanket on the back of the sofa and carefully drapes it over you. And then I walk back into my room. [00:38:09] Speaker E: When you close, you do see that his kind of knotted wand is just kind of resting in his hand. Hmm. That's it, yeah. [00:38:27] Speaker C: And we go to sleep. [00:38:31] Speaker A: Yes. Same with you, Tom. Nothing important you need to do. Okay, so the. The day moves into the next. It is. If you're just wondering. Let me. I have a calendar. Yes. So it is. We move into oath day, which is the fourth day of the week, and you all wake up, and I imagine it's maybe a little bit more sluggish this morning than it is some other mornings. That little bit of reticence to leave your room. And. Let's see, I'm gonna roll a dice. So, Tom, as you leave your room and you start heading towards where magical creatures are, you pass by the main hall. And as you pass through the main hall, you happen to look up the staircase to essentially where the towers would be leading up into, like the towers in the school proper. You see the headmaster standing at the top of the stairs and talking to a large man in hunter garb. He looks very important. [00:40:04] Speaker D: I know that there are hunters sort of around campus in general. Is this someone that I would recognize from being around or from lecturing in classes? [00:40:13] Speaker A: Actually, yeah, you would probably recognize him because he is the head of the holy blood. He is the head of it. The general or captain, however you want to put it. His name. I forget his actual suffix. Where is it? It is Captain Gore. He is the head of the holy blood. Captain Elias Gore. They seem to be discussing something quietly. [00:40:57] Speaker D: Can I get a read of the tone of the conversation? Like, do they seem anxious or upset or just calmly discussing? [00:41:09] Speaker A: It seems a little tense. [00:41:20] Speaker D: They're just in, like, a staircase in. [00:41:23] Speaker A: Yeah. So essentially you're, like, here on the ground level, and then there's a staircase that leads up, which would, like, go off into different towers for classes. They're kind of standing at the. The top of this staircase. Up in the grand hall. [00:41:44] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:41:44] Speaker D: I'm going to walk past real slow, see if I can catch any words. [00:41:53] Speaker A: Sure. [00:41:53] Speaker D: Yeah, let's casual slow walk in. [00:41:56] Speaker A: Uh huh. Um, so give me. Let's do. Let's see. Let's do a. Let's do a brains roll for this. [00:42:18] Speaker D: I got an explosion, which is good, because that was only 88, so. Twelve. [00:42:23] Speaker A: Well, yeah, you do this really well. You find another group of kids, students that are walking through as well, and you just sort of hang on to the back of the group as you move through and your head down and everything you hear the headmaster say, for now, I've told Osmond to just lay low, take some personal time until this all blows over. [00:43:03] Speaker D: Well, that seems bad for our plan, but. [00:43:09] Speaker A: And you hear Captain Gore reply being like, did he lose something like that? Those things are supposed to be sealed in. In the hunter school. [00:43:32] Speaker D: Yep. [00:43:33] Speaker A: You get extra. You get extra because you rolled so well. [00:43:36] Speaker D: Just going to continue making my way downtown. [00:43:40] Speaker A: Moving fast, moving faster. And eventually you come to. There's a courtyard behind the school. You see sort of this very large stable that set up in it. You can see where they keep the hinterhunds, the very large dogs that act as things that mounts and things that pull carts. So these giant, imagine wolf. [00:44:12] Speaker E: Wolf. [00:44:13] Speaker A: But then you make it bigger, horse sized. And you see Professor Santorini, she is sort of laying out these sort of plates of what look to be raw meat as everybody comes in. And you can kind of tell, tell tale here, the flap of wings, as she's laying out all of this raw meat. You watch as the corpse moths that nest around the school are starting to move in and get some breakfasts. [00:44:56] Speaker E: A lot of friends in one place. [00:44:58] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:58] Speaker E: Corpse moths. Hounds. [00:45:04] Speaker A: Yep. And as everybody comes in, the professor goes, what is it? This is a lovely morning for learning about the creatures of our world. I'm sure you've seen these nice little fellas plenty of places. They're pretty common. The corpse moth is their colloquially known. Does anybody know what commonly corpse like? Why corpse moths got their name. [00:45:49] Speaker B: I imagine it's because they eat corpses. [00:45:52] Speaker A: Yes, yes. Very good. [00:45:55] Speaker B: Okay, that felt like a trick question. [00:45:56] Speaker A: Okay, it does. But, you know, corpse moths themselves, they feast on, you know, they're carrion. You know, they feast on, you know, they scavenge whatever they can find. Really great for, you know, if one needs to get rid of a corpse. That sounded a lot darker in my head now that I say it out loud. But commonly, they eat meat. They kind of, like. They do use that a little thing to, like, break it down, uh, so they can, like. I guess because they don't have, like, teeth, they kind of just, like, drink it. It's a little weird. I don't understand that part completely. It is a little morbid, but I think they're really, really cool creatures. Uh, and part of our class today is, um, I want you all to sketch out a corpse moth. Uh, they're all very friendly. They. They're eating, so, you know, they're not going to complain if you get close to them or, you know, and they gent, they like gentle pets, like, behind, like, where the head is. You see that little patch of fur? You can gently pet them there, and they're there. They won't give you any problems. [00:47:13] Speaker B: Okay, I guess we go sketch some mods. I do want to, like, keep an ear out to see if anybody, um, is saying anything about what happened yesterday, if anybody knows. [00:47:31] Speaker A: Yeah, give me, uh. Give me another brains roll. [00:47:34] Speaker B: Okay. [00:47:35] Speaker C: Not charged. Faro is doing his best to act like nothing happened last night. Um, but, you know, I think it kind of helps in a way that Varro has been very withdrawn recently and is quite literally a shade of her former self. He's kind of sticking to the back of this class, you know, is taking the notes and doing the art and all that stuff, but is also, like, very anxiously, like, looking around, listening. I don't even feel like I want to roll. I'm just going to say Faro is doing not a great job at, uh, appearing normal. [00:48:23] Speaker B: I rolled it. I rolled an eight. [00:48:25] Speaker A: An eight. Um, say, yeah, I'll give you in just a second. I actually said the name wrong. It is Hester Hund. Uh, Hester hunder. Um, because I forget my. The names I give things. [00:48:37] Speaker E: You're doing so good. [00:48:40] Speaker A: And, uh, it's Hester. S e h e s t a. Hunder. Hunder. One word. And thank you, v for helping me come up with that. So you do. And you, Caster, as you're sitting to sketch the moth and starting to listen, you hear a couple of students talking about some sort of kerfuffle in the library. Uh, they saw a bunch of, uh, teachers go in, uh, and, you know, come out looking a little worried, but nobody's saying anything. And so they just kind of think, like, well, maybe like, some theory that's going around is like some sort of creature got in. Um, and they're trying to track it down. Um, some people say that there was a bad fight between two students, you know, and then there is some just, like, out there stuff, you know? You know, someone says, like, the teachers found some strange sigil carved into a table at the library. It's. You're hearing all sorts of stuff because nobody knows what's going on, and everybody's making up a rumor. [00:50:01] Speaker B: Interesting. And then, just generally, how popular is juniper? I know it's college, so that's not really a thing, but does she have many friends? I guess my real question is, how long do we have before people start to notice that she's not there? [00:50:19] Speaker A: Beyond you all? You're not sure how many more friends she had. She's kind of a bookworm. Spent more time with books than with other people. [00:50:29] Speaker C: They were probably study buddy. [00:50:30] Speaker A: Yeah, they were probably people in other classes that were friendly with her, but you never really. She never really talked about a lot of people she was friends with, like, beyond all of you. So. [00:50:49] Speaker E: I think that Renee is his usual withdrawn self, but in this particular case, it's because he's watching what Professor Santorini is like today. Like, does she seem like she is extra concerned that there's a student missing from her class? Or does she seem like she's maybe being a little shady? [00:51:16] Speaker A: Give me a brains roll. [00:51:18] Speaker E: Oh, no, not a brains roll. Never make me do that. [00:51:21] Speaker A: How dare. [00:51:23] Speaker E: How dare you. Get my big boy dice out. 1313. Oh, wait. Uh, yeah, right. That's how that works. No. Okay, I have a plus one for something. No, that's the wrong thing. We're good. [00:51:45] Speaker A: So, 1313, still a good number. Like, on that scale, that's considered a impressive success. Um, you. You know, she doesn't seem to be surprised that there is a person missing, but she's not acting sketchy about it. It's like she knew there was somebody going to be missing, but she's not trying to hide it or anything. [00:52:17] Speaker E: Like normal professor behavior. Not maybe in on the scheme kind of behavior. [00:52:24] Speaker A: Yeah, it's like normal goddess or behavior. [00:52:28] Speaker E: And I imagine renee likes creatures. I'd imagine that they're pretty fond of this class. And so I think that they just kind of have a bead on what Santorini is more, more engaged with the student side of this problem and less engaged with the, hey, maybe there's a nefarious actor inside of the faculty problem. Okay, cool. [00:53:04] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:53:07] Speaker E: And we're drawing, and we're drawing. [00:53:09] Speaker A: You're drawing corpse moths. And, you know, as you, you know, you're doing this and they're eating. You know, maybe you sit really still. You know, like, if you sit really still, neo birds, sometimes they'll, like, settle on you. So you, you get sort of up close and personal with these moths, and it's, they're slightly morbid, but very beautiful creatures. And renee, you said you were, you know, there's probably a class that you really enjoy, and, you know, you probably do really well in this class. I think the professor has noticed that you do really well in this class. And at, like, one point, you know, when it's kind of a lull, you know, everybody's drawing sort of moved into their own groups. Are you with everyone else, or are you kind of, like, off on your own? [00:54:06] Speaker E: There we go. Couldn't unmute. There we go. I think he gets very entranced with the corpse models. It's also that there's something that's an interesting constant. And so I think at some point he's plucked up a little piece of meat, and even though he notoriously doesn't get anything on his clothes, he actually does rest a little bit on his knee to attract one to come over. And he's far more engaged in that than seeing what others are doing. Even though he had the full intention of keeping an eye on Fato the whole day. [00:54:43] Speaker A: Yeah. With you holding the little piece of meat out in your hand. Eventually this thing does come settle, and to start eating, it's kind of like a weird, sort of almost ticklish sensation as it's eating. And, you know, as you're doing this, like, you watch as, like, the presser, like, comes over to you and kind of, like, kneels down with you and just go, they're beautiful creatures, aren't they? [00:55:05] Speaker E: Really? I've been in mammon with them for a very long time. They're morbid, but I find them to be very peaceful. [00:55:15] Speaker A: Yeah, I guess some people don't like to think about the whole, you know, death part of the corpse moth. Um, but, you know, they're, especially in a city like this, um, you know, they, they're very helpful, and, you know, it's not like they chose to do what they do. It's how they, how they evolved and we're created, and there's some sort of, like, beauty in that, I think. [00:55:49] Speaker E: I would agree. Professor? [00:55:54] Speaker A: Yes. [00:55:56] Speaker E: You don't think that their nature is evil? [00:56:02] Speaker A: No, I don't think so. Nature evolves a certain way. There are parts of it that definitely, to us, seem more hostile, but it is a, nature has a reason for how it has grown and evolved. And, I mean, a lot of times it's not going to make sense to us. Like, you know, creatures like the corpse moth, there are so many of them out there. I mean, even, like, if you look at plants as well, there are some plants that have evolved to be poisonous, certain creatures, but, you know, they're spicy and we love them. That is technically nature being hostile to us. [00:56:48] Speaker E: That is true. I. What happens when creatures change? Does it still remain in their nature, or is it something else entirely? [00:57:05] Speaker A: That is a question that I wonder, especially for a world that's been going through so many changes as we have. I recently actually got a creature to study that I don't even know how to classify it. [00:57:23] Speaker E: What, um, what is the nature of the creature? [00:57:29] Speaker A: It is almost like the creature is fluid. I've been studying it, and I have to keep it in a container, essentially, because that one is definitely hostile if we let it out of the container. Apparently one of the hunter guilds encountered it. It had bonded itself to a person, and, yeah, it's. They nicknamed it schism. [00:58:09] Speaker E: Oh. So just light, fair. [00:58:13] Speaker A: Yeah, it's, it is very strange, and I really can't make too many heads or tails of it, but. [00:58:25] Speaker E: Interesting. Well, I hope you find something about it. Thank you for this. It's very helpful. [00:58:40] Speaker A: You're welcome. If you have any questions or anything, just let me know, and I look forward to hear drawings, and I hope you enjoy the rest of class. [00:58:55] Speaker E: Thank you, professor. [00:59:01] Speaker C: When Renee gets involved with the conversation with the professor, I think Faro notices that he's not looking at me anymore. And Faro pulls out a piece of parchment and quickly scrawls a letter to Professor Tallis asking him if he wants to meet after this class during our normal time. And I think, like, we just see the very bottom of the letter where Faro has written. I think I'm finally ready, and I assign my name and I fold it up and I give it to Goose to go find Talos. [00:59:55] Speaker A: Okay. [00:59:58] Speaker C: And I think that took the whole time you were having your conversation. So when you finally turn back to me, I'm back to sketching, and goose is just not with me anymore. That would be the only difference. [01:00:16] Speaker D: Tom has a plan. [01:00:19] Speaker C: Okay. [01:00:23] Speaker E: I love this. [01:00:24] Speaker D: It is poorly thought out. [01:00:26] Speaker B: Oh, no. I think that the best kind. [01:00:32] Speaker D: He is sort of lingering on the edges of the moths and at the point where sort of their bodies are enough to hide whatever it is that he's doing, he will attempt to transfigure the sketchbook that he's working on into a replica of the notebook that we found. [01:00:54] Speaker B: Oh, dear. Oh, no. [01:00:57] Speaker E: This is stressful behavior. [01:00:58] Speaker C: Oh, no. [01:01:00] Speaker B: Oh, fear. [01:01:01] Speaker A: Oh, I feel like this is a magical, for sure. [01:01:08] Speaker D: I think its charm is like illusions. [01:01:12] Speaker A: Yeah, I can vibe with that. And how detailed do you want to make it? Because that will set your challenge. [01:01:22] Speaker D: Yeah. So I want the COVID to be really detailed, but, I mean, I don't understand half of what's going on in that. So the contents are just sort of gibberish. [01:01:36] Speaker C: It says ipsum lorium inside over and. [01:01:39] Speaker D: Over again, some circles, but some of them are just like band symbols. [01:01:47] Speaker C: Song lyrics. [01:01:48] Speaker A: Yeah. I am going to set the DC at an 11. [01:01:59] Speaker D: 19 19. [01:02:04] Speaker A: You go even further. You know, maybe some of those. Those symbols actually, like, technically, yes, they are meaningless, but they look good. And, you know, especially it helps that the book is written in essentially a shorthand code because you can. It is very scratchy and small, so it's super easy to just sort of make something that looks close enough to the untrained eye. Especially, like, if. If or talus were to take a really good look at it, more than just like, a glance, they would definitely know that's not the real thing. But if anybody else of the group were probably going to take a look at it, they wouldn't notice a difference. [01:02:51] Speaker C: I took the book with me, by the way. I have the actual thing in my bag. [01:02:57] Speaker D: I was banking on Faro having the book because my next step of my plan is to go over to him and hand the book over or sort of wave it a little bit discreetly. Discreetly wave it and say, do you mind switching before your meeting, just in case? [01:03:25] Speaker C: Wait, you come over to me. [01:03:27] Speaker D: Yep. [01:03:28] Speaker C: Oh, dear. Faro just kind of looks at you and, like, kind of just grabs it from you so quickly and I open it and I think, like, I'm seeing the equivalent of, like, I don't know, gibberish. And I look back up at you and say, why? [01:03:58] Speaker D: I mean, if this is the only proof we have, I don't want him to take it from you. And if he does, that's proof enough. [01:04:07] Speaker C: He's not going to be fooled by this, though, and I close it. Oh, and just hold it. [01:04:15] Speaker D: He doesn't need to be fooled for long. You can just flash the COVID at him. What is he going to do? Wrest it from your arms? I thought you said that it wasn't a danger to you. [01:04:26] Speaker C: It's not, but I'm talking so quietly. I was going. Well, I was planning on asking him about the contents. [01:04:47] Speaker D: That. Tom and I are both conflicted because I kind of just want to watch what happens, given what I know about where the book is from. But I'll say it was stolen from the hunters school. You know, it was meant to be locked up. I don't think he's going to just discuss it with you. [01:05:23] Speaker C: What? What do you mean? The. The book was stolen? How. How would he steal his own book? [01:05:33] Speaker B: Or I don't know. [01:05:35] Speaker D: Perhaps it was there for safekeeping. I heard the captain of the holy blood talking with the headmaster this morning. [01:05:48] Speaker C: And they were talking about the book. Are you sure? [01:05:54] Speaker D: They were talking about telling Talus to lay low and asking. Wondering how he lost something like that. And the only thing I can think that he lost would be this book. [01:06:13] Speaker C: Unless there's something else he was missing. His cane. [01:06:21] Speaker D: Is that important? [01:06:26] Speaker C: I think. Like, at that question, Farrow's brow furrows as if he's, like, thinking, and he shrugs, maybe a bit too nonchalantly, and says, well, his cane is what he uses to cast his magic. And last night he didn't have it. [01:06:52] Speaker D: But why would that have been meant to be sealed away? [01:07:01] Speaker C: I don't know. I mean, you were asking about, I don't know, stuff that. Other things that were missing. I just remembered that I'm going to meet him in the courtyard where we normally used to meet. I will be out in the open. If he tries to take the book from me, I will be there, and you'll be there, too, but I would prefer to keep it. [01:07:52] Speaker D: Tom looks at you for a long moment before sighing and nods and says, all right, give me that back. It has my notes for the next class. And grabs the copy away. [01:08:11] Speaker C: And I think as you're putting it back in your bag, I like to imagine your illusion kind of fades from it. And Faro just kind of, like, quietly under his breath. And I think he finishes up his drawing. I think he's been able to do a bunch of different sketches, um, and turns a page and will get up and move away from you. Not in like a pointed, like, I don't want to talk to you anymore, kind of thing, but just getting up and moving noticeably away from you and away from Renee, just finding a different spot. [01:09:03] Speaker A: So, Castor, was there anything you were doing during class or just happily sketching a moth? [01:09:09] Speaker B: I am sketching. All of them are terrible. They are just so bad. It's weird how. How bad they can be when I'm staring right at the moths. And yet here I am, unable to. [01:09:18] Speaker E: Six figure mods. Six figure mods. [01:09:21] Speaker B: The heads are too big, the antenna are too long, the wigs are too little. He doesn't seem to mind. [01:09:32] Speaker E: Renee's are like beautiful zoological studies. Like that nice hand. That's very clear. And delineates all of the little aspects of the creature. [01:09:43] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. [01:09:45] Speaker E: Amazing. [01:09:47] Speaker B: I was gonna say casters are like the bubble wings, polka dots. [01:09:54] Speaker E: Renee finishes his and, like, pulls the paper out and goes and gives it to the professor. And probably around that is when father was trying to move away, would be my imagining. And I think that once the. Once the sketches have been handed in, he's going to start thinking about ways about the magic that will be required to disguise himself to follow Faro. [01:10:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Near the end of the class, Faro the cat returns with. With a note in his mouth. [01:10:52] Speaker C: Yay, goose. Faro takes it and will not, like, super secretively, but I definitely try to open it very subtly. What does it say? [01:11:07] Speaker A: There's a note from Talos saying, not on campus today, but you can meet me at the drunken troll. I'm doing some work at one of the booths in the back. [01:11:30] Speaker C: Awesome. Great public place, just like I promised. I'm gonna put the note just in my bag. I, you know, go up to the professor after class is done, get the homework, write that all down in my planner, do all the things that a good student is supposed to do, and then I take my leave, and I like to imagine there's the, you know, because I wear cloak. The school. The school cloak. And it just, like, is billowing behind me as I'm walking very quickly towards the school gates. I like to imagine this is in the direction of the courtyard, but there's, like, you know, if you were to follow me, I walk past the courtyard, and then, you know, this is getting a little susan. And I think goose is just following me and. Yeah, I'm going. Actually, wait. I forgot we have brooms. Can I go on my broom? [01:12:49] Speaker A: Yes. [01:12:52] Speaker B: I was going to say that I hop on my broom as soon as I see you leaving. I push my sketches into the professor's hands. Okay, thank you. Bye. [01:13:09] Speaker C: See you next week. [01:13:12] Speaker B: I think that I do want to note. Sorry, go ahead. Sorry. [01:13:15] Speaker E: Oh, no, go ahead. [01:13:16] Speaker B: I was just. I was just going to say I do want to note that I go extremely high. Like, extremely high, probably higher than I should be going legally, but I want to be above faro, so I could oversee everything that he does. Maybe not everything, but just. I just want to keep an eye on their back, that's all. [01:13:39] Speaker C: What a good friend. [01:13:41] Speaker E: Now I want to do the creepy version of that. As you do. Photo goes and turns in their homework or their sketches. Renee has been kind of stepped to the side and is kind of just watching quietly. And as he does, he's been looking at the corse moths still. But every time they move around, a little bit of their shadow remains where they were. And Rene begins to just pull on it. And the next one hops away and he pulls on another shadow, and they begin to accumulate, like there's just a little flock of corpse moths around him, but they're all just the shadows of them as he's accumulating all of the shadows around him. And then once Farou turns in her homework, he pulls them up and draws one in particular up with his wand. And it just kind of draws up him like a paint of shadow as it clings. I'd like to try and disguise myself in shadow to follow. [01:14:58] Speaker A: Father, would you say that that is metal as hell? That is. Yeah, it doesn't. I was thinking it's like, this is our brains roll for your magic. Don't forget your magic die. [01:15:17] Speaker E: Which is a D four. And then on top of it, I am trained in umbromancy, so that's a plus one on top of that, and. [01:15:26] Speaker A: I am going to set the DC at a 13. [01:15:30] Speaker B: Okay. [01:15:32] Speaker E: My shadow dice. Okay, so trying to remember how the magic die works. This is the first time I've actually done magic in this game. [01:15:46] Speaker C: You just add it to the other. [01:15:48] Speaker A: Yeah. Them both. And you add them together. [01:15:51] Speaker B: It's a D four. [01:15:52] Speaker E: Doing stellar. Okay. That is with my wand and my training in umbromancy. That is a 19 a o. Yeah. [01:16:10] Speaker A: You definitely do that. You do it even better than you know. You know, you pull in a few extra shadows. [01:16:19] Speaker E: Working really hard on that one. And with that, Renee, before the last shadow kind of paints up his ivory skin, he reaches into his very, like, slim book bag. It's very elegant. It's just one of those extremely well made leather bags that when you look at it, you're like, wow, that's really simple and plain. But the moment you look closer, it's like. But it has, like, extremely nice fittings. It's extremely well stitched. This is like a designer school bag. And on the outside, there's this, there's a pocket that's specifically shaped like a tube would fit in it. And he reaches in and pulls it out. And, like, it should be telescoping, but it actually just, like, unfolding folds. He pulls out a piece and it just automatically writes itself. He pulls and he just keeps pulling. And as he pulls it, a broom appears, and it is this very, very, very slim broom with almost just like a little puff at the end. And he is going to get on that as the last of these moth shadows draw around him, and he's going to follow Faro. [01:17:38] Speaker B: That's very cool. [01:17:39] Speaker A: That's very cool. [01:17:41] Speaker B: I forgot to mention, as I rise into the sky, one of the reasons I wanted to be so high is so that I could essentially gather what dim light there is in this never ending night and sort of bend it around me. Essentially. Essentially. I'm not great with light bringing, let's say. But one of the few things that I can do is bend it around myself as if to disguise myself. It's not exactly putting shadows on you, but it is. It's a type of camouflage that should make it seem almost eclipse esque, hidden against the clouds. And I would like to, as I do, as I do this, my eyes, which are naturally pretty yellow, start to glow a very pretty amber gold. I would like to magic myself. Yeah, I would like to magic myself out of you. [01:18:54] Speaker A: Well, we'll take a brains roll or something else if you want to sell me on it. [01:19:01] Speaker B: Either. Either brains or charm, I do not have a preference. [01:19:06] Speaker A: Let's go, charm. We did brains already. And since this is not as detailed as what Renee is doing, I'm just going to set it at a ten. [01:19:17] Speaker B: Gotcha. I got a three, so that's not going to work. [01:19:25] Speaker A: Don't forget your magic dice. [01:19:27] Speaker B: Oh, that's right, I forgot. I have these. Oh, and I have plus one to that. Oh, it explodes. Oh, well, that was, that was cool. Okay, six. What's six plus three? Nine. Damn. [01:19:44] Speaker E: So close. [01:19:45] Speaker A: Adversity token. [01:19:47] Speaker E: I don't have any more. [01:19:48] Speaker A: No, you, I mean, you do. [01:19:50] Speaker B: You automatically get one per session. [01:19:52] Speaker A: I'd say you get at least one per session. I would say if you don't have one, you could, you will start one with one per session. [01:20:00] Speaker B: Okay, sounds good to me. Yeah, then I'll use that. Yay. Okay, then that makes a nice. Pretty ten. [01:20:10] Speaker A: Yes. [01:20:12] Speaker C: Yay. Applause sound effect. [01:20:15] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. This is me, Caster. I cheat to win. [01:20:24] Speaker A: Anyway, Tom, are you following with this parade of magic? [01:20:29] Speaker D: Yeah. I think that Tom spent most of class working on their plan, so did not have time to actually sketch him off. But we know that he spends a lot of time up in the towers doing sketching, and I think that some of those are of the moths. So he pulls out an old picture, ignore the fact that it's on the wrong paper, and is clearly showing moths swarming the bell tower. Not sitting in front of his hand, but turns that in before. I think that bustling off after Farrow, they, rather than sort of fully hiding themselves, just try and discover their face. Like, casting a sort of illusion that would make them look different and make them sort of unremarkable. Like, your eyes want to slide past this person. [01:21:31] Speaker A: All right, that'll be a. We'll do a charm roll for that. And we'll set it at. We'll set it as a ten as well. [01:21:43] Speaker D: That's a hot two. [01:21:47] Speaker C: You become hotter, more distracting. [01:21:51] Speaker B: More distracting. [01:21:55] Speaker A: Well, you are. That is a hot two. Even with your magic dice. [01:22:04] Speaker D: I rolled a one on the d 20 and a one on the magic dust. [01:22:07] Speaker A: Okay. [01:22:09] Speaker E: No. [01:22:11] Speaker B: Not the snake eyes. [01:22:13] Speaker A: So that is, uh. Is a failure by nine. It is bad. It is not, like, disaster. Um, but, you know, maybe you do it in a way that you're like, nobody's gonna notice me, but people are definitely gonna notice you because of something you have done. You've either, like, you got hotter. [01:22:40] Speaker C: You. [01:22:40] Speaker A: Somehow you're sort of making yourself, you know, blend in. It's. You just did a really, really good makeup job, and now suddenly it's just like, you are. People notice you because you look so good. [01:22:57] Speaker C: Meanwhile, can I do a roll or something to notice any of these three chuckle fucks coming behind me? Oceans eleven theme or whatever. [01:23:10] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [01:23:11] Speaker C: Pink panther. [01:23:12] Speaker A: That would be a brains roll, and essentially is you would have to roll above, like, whatever they rolled to notice them. The hardest one would be to notice is Renee and then. [01:23:23] Speaker C: Cool. Is this just a straight roll or am I doing magic? [01:23:28] Speaker A: Would you want to be doing magic to notice them, or do you just want to just look over your shoulder? Um. [01:23:37] Speaker C: Yeah, I think. Well, like, the thing that I'm struggling with is that I'm aware that the three of you are going to follow me. So it's. It's more so that, like, I know that I have three tails. Just wanting to locate the three of you so that I can make sure you're not gonna blow my cover or something. [01:23:59] Speaker E: Do you have four tails? Because I have a tail. [01:24:01] Speaker B: La mou. [01:24:02] Speaker C: Wow. [01:24:03] Speaker E: Wow. [01:24:05] Speaker C: Please. Clap. Chat, please. Okay, I'll do a roll. Oh, that was really good with. So, I don't know, do I have some kind of locady? Like, can I do, like, your baby? Basic detect magic. Find my friends. Find my friends. [01:24:31] Speaker E: I actually choose to believe that you know how to locate Renee, like, really easily. [01:24:36] Speaker C: Yeah, I think so. Because I feel like in, like, earlier in the year, you know, you'd be hanging out in the library, and I'm like, why aren't you, like, where. Where are you? [01:24:47] Speaker E: Yeah, the feeling is so mutual of, like, we're in a very crowded, like, the. The, um, place where food happens. [01:24:55] Speaker C: Mess hall. [01:24:56] Speaker E: The mess hall. And, uh, Renee's like, I don't. I don't know where he is. Oh, no. [01:25:07] Speaker C: Yeah, so I think that explains, um, then the 20 that I just rolled. [01:25:14] Speaker A: Yeah, you gotta. [01:25:15] Speaker E: Did it. [01:25:16] Speaker B: Did it explode? [01:25:17] Speaker A: Is it. [01:25:18] Speaker C: You know, I have a plus, so I love. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So that. That would explain that. Um, so I think what the three of you see is I'm walking really fast, making my way downtown. Um, I think goose. Goose is, uh, following me. And then, um, I stop to scoop goose up and just put. Put him on my shoulder so I can walk faster. Um, and also, since we're going to, like, a more crowded area, I don't want to lose my cat. And you watch as, like, from my cloak, in, in the typical, you know, animated fashion, from just under my cloak, I pull out a staff that's currently, um, maybe, like, I don't know, 3ft tall. And I press, like, an invisible button, and it extends into a walking staff. And so then I'm using that to walk. And then you watch as I'm walking with it, it kind of looks a bit finicky, like it's almost broken. But golden light crawls up the dark wood of this handle emanating from where my hand is holding it, and, like, kind of rides its way up the. The dark gnarls of this wood until it's glowing and it turns into my brim and I hop on it. I feel like Faro is totally the kind of person who does, like, a side saddle. Like, sits on it with the legs on one side. And at that moment, kind of as I'm reaching, like, the edge of the school grounds is also, like, when I get on the broom and when I clock the three of you in your varying disguises or lack thereof. [01:27:21] Speaker E: She's doing her best. [01:27:24] Speaker C: I'm just like, did he put more makeup on? Damn. And I will take off for, um, for the drunken troll, hoping and, um, knowing that the three of them are gonna understand, hopefully that Talus changed the location but is ready for, you know, later tonight when the three of you maybe will go like, hey, what the hell was that? But, yes, I would like to go to the bar or whatever this place places. [01:28:02] Speaker A: Yeah, it's like a tavern inn kind of thing. Kind of does all of those things. It's the one in the district, so, you know, if you're visiting and you're not staying at school, you're more often than not getting a room there. And it's early enough in the day that it's going to be pretty quiet in there. You know, it's post. It's before lunch. So you know all of that as you enter the. The tavern. We will figure that out. What happens next after our break. So, yeah. [01:28:44] Speaker D: I can't believe you're gonna get murdered right in a tavern in front of everyone. [01:28:49] Speaker E: That's so brutal. [01:28:50] Speaker A: Wow, man. Rip, get back in about ten minutes or so. Get up, stretch your legs, use the bathroom, grab something to eat, grab something to drink. We'll be back to figure out what's going to happen next in about ten minutes. Welcome back. I hope you all took a chance to stretch your legs, grab some water, and ready for the second half of tonight's episode. So, yeah, as we said, you all least, uh, least. Faro starts by entering the drunken troll. It is pretty chill. So far, the lunch rush hasn't happened yet. Most people are still working. And behind the bar, you can see sort of like a kindly older man, you know. You know, he is the proprietor of the bar. You know, he's sort of just cleaning and tending to the few customers you see a few just sort of stragglers or, you know, people just killing time. But you can see in sort of a back corner with their back to the wall at a booth, looking like they're grading papers. You can see Professor Tallis. [01:30:10] Speaker C: Faro walks in, just nods at the bartender to acknowledge to them, and then says, I'm here to meet a friend in the back. And we'll just walk to the booth, and we'll stop at the head of the table and just stand there. And assuming talus looks up at me, Faro offers him a very small smile and a bit nervously slides into the booth across from him. [01:30:49] Speaker A: It takes a second he finishes the flourishing motion as he finishes grading this paper. You know, his hair that's usually sort of kept back in sort of like a tight bun, is undone, sort of spilling these, you know, almost white locks around his shoulders. And he looks like maybe he hasn't gotten the most sleep, but, you know, he looks up and nods at you as you slide in across from him. What is everybody else doing as this is happening? [01:31:29] Speaker B: Oh, no, I would like to. Oh, I was just going to say I would like to. As Faro enters the tavern, I kind of lower myself just a little bit so I can spot my other two friends, and I'm going to do something funky. I'm going to glitter. Glitter. What do you call this? [01:31:54] Speaker C: Twirl. [01:31:55] Speaker B: What is this motion? [01:31:56] Speaker C: Twiddle? [01:31:57] Speaker B: Twinkle. I'm going to twinkle my fingers. I twinkle my fingers in their direction. You can see the. I'm not wearing them right now, but the silver and gold rings that I usually have on me, that jazz was bad and did not put on my fingers right now. They kind of glitter in the light as I activate. These are my. This is my wand, by the way. I activate a sort of, like, messaging. Yeah, messaging spell in targeting my friends Renee and Tom. And as I do that, I just kind of go, do we have a game plan, or are we just going to wing this. [01:32:50] Speaker E: From the shadows that Renee has clung to upon arrival? Just kind of finding all the points where the lamps don't hit, you just get back. Follow. [01:33:09] Speaker B: Yes. So I got that. [01:33:13] Speaker D: My game was built around them being in the courtyard, but that doesn't seem to be happening. [01:33:20] Speaker B: I sort of figured, okay, well, I feel like someone should be inside and someone should be out, just as you. [01:33:29] Speaker E: Say, someone should be inside. Renee stopped responding because when he landed and saw father go inside, he kicked his broom up, and as he did, it tumbles back into a very sleek little shape that he then puts back in that perfectly little tailored pocket. And he is going to. Is there anything other than a single open door to enter or exit this place? [01:34:01] Speaker A: It's got, like, an entrance around the back. It has windows. [01:34:05] Speaker E: Are the windows open? [01:34:08] Speaker A: There's probably a window that's open. It is the equivalent of spring weather. Uh, it is, uh, it is tawn the spring season. [01:34:25] Speaker E: Then, um, as he does not, well, very purposefully ignoring caster and Tom, um, he just strides, and if you could actually see him, it's literally like watching a shadow walk and then morph. And he is going to try and just kind of lose form for a minute as the shadow and drift through the window. [01:34:55] Speaker B: Okay, I suppose you've got that taken care of. Tom, what were you planning on doing? [01:35:02] Speaker D: I'll wait around back. I suppose if he tries to run out. [01:35:08] Speaker B: Okay, then I will stay up here, and if anyone comes who seems extra suspicious, I'll let you know. Okay. Break. [01:35:25] Speaker A: Yeah. Renee, it's with your role, with your spell, it's not incredibly hard to slip in a window. It's this place. They don't keep it incredibly well lit, you know, especially, like, during a morning. You know, there's not a lot of people here. There's not a lot of need for a lot of lights. There's a fire going in a fireplace, and there a couple of solitary candles to light some of the corners. [01:35:54] Speaker E: When he enters the room, he finds a corner that is probably on the same wall as the large fireplace that is thus out of the projected light from it and is just going to hug it if it is a place that he can see Faro and Professor Talus. [01:36:18] Speaker A: Yeah, you can. So we'll move back to Foto. What are you doing, professor? Just sort of. Just put down his pen for the time being and is looking over at you. [01:36:37] Speaker C: Faro appears very nervous. For good reason, I think. And he remains silent for some time. And I think, Professor Tallis, I think never. I've never talked to Talos specifically about what happened to me. I think Talos has tried talking to me about what happened to me. I think Faro, up until this point, has been very dodgy. Did. Was Kai gonna say something? I heard someone say something. No. Okay, then that's my Internet being weird. Anyway, up until this point, Fado has been very dodgy about what happened to him, to Talus. But I think Talos has asked me before, and I think with the whole letter that I wrote to Talus, I was making it seem like that I finally wanted to talk about what happened to me. But I think as Faro is sitting there trying to gather. Gather his thoughts, the, like, I think whatever lighting implement that is on this table, lighting his work, I think that light just zips out of. Out of, like I'm imagining, like, a little, like, gas lamp or something. [01:38:23] Speaker A: Yeah, I could see that. [01:38:24] Speaker C: The light goes out and immediately flows into Foddo's body. And again, like last time, his freckles begin to glow a beautiful golden color. But that light quickly fades once again, and Farou looks embarrassed. Kind of like how you would look if you were to, I don't know, wet your pants as a kid. Like it's that kind of, like, social embarrassment. And he looks up at Talos across the table and says, well, obviously a lot has happened, professor. I'm sorry that I've been distant. [01:39:27] Speaker A: As you look up, it tell us, you see this kind of strange smile on his face as he's looking at you, kind of head cocked to the side a little bit. The smile itself, it may be innocuous, but, you know, when you're dealing with somebody who has fangs, it does look a little threatening, even though you've seen it many times before. There is. It can't just tell if it's just the fangs or if there is malice behind it. And, you know, he just goes, that is fascinating. Absolutely fascinating. [01:40:12] Speaker C: Fascinating. I'm quite terrified, actually. [01:40:19] Speaker A: I imagine it would be as well. But. [01:40:27] Speaker C: What about you? You seem off. [01:40:35] Speaker A: It's been dealing with some things. It's been a rough day. [01:40:49] Speaker C: I think Faro just kind of, like, tilts. Tilts his own head, his own way, and with an equally inquisitive stare, I think voto is trying to read into Talus's tone of voice and posture and all of that. Does he seem nervous or agitated or, like, what's his general vibe that I'm picking up? [01:41:19] Speaker A: Give me a brains role. [01:41:21] Speaker C: I'd love to give you brains roll. [01:41:24] Speaker A: I know it is. And what your role depends on what you get. [01:41:29] Speaker C: Um, this is not magic, so I. It's just a normal role. Right? Because I don't get, like, there's no, like, situational bonuses, because, like, I could argue that because he and I spend a lot of time together, I could read him easier than someone I don't know. [01:41:47] Speaker A: You can add your plus one for alchemy. [01:41:51] Speaker C: Actually, I have a plus three for alchemy. [01:41:54] Speaker A: Sure. Why not? [01:41:55] Speaker C: Okay. [01:41:57] Speaker A: That, I imagine, is the sort of culmination of the time you've spent together. So you've. Yeah, you know his mannerisms. [01:42:04] Speaker C: Okay. And then that is a 1717. [01:42:09] Speaker A: There is curiosity. There is. Deep down, there is something that is annoyance to him. There is. He seems tired. There's a bit of annoyance there. There's curiosity of what he just watched happen. And maybe bubbling somewhere deep inside, there is anger. [01:42:45] Speaker C: Faro, sensing all of this kind of, like, straightens up a little and says, professor, do you possibly know or have seen anything like this before? My condition is rare. [01:43:07] Speaker A: Incredibly, I haven't seen it in person, but I was talking with a member of the Nighthawks several months ago when one passed through, and they, during a job, they encountered a creature that did similar things I just have what was told to me secondhand. I don't have their notes or anything. [01:43:54] Speaker C: Who was it? Could you reach out to them again? [01:43:57] Speaker A: Yes. Yes. When Elliot passes through again, they delivered a specimen to the creature, the professor Santorini. So I believe they're coming to pick it up at some point. But when they do, I will ask if they have any more information. [01:44:17] Speaker C: That would be nice. I have been trying to figure out how to. Well, how to reverse this, if that's even possible. [01:44:34] Speaker A: Many things are possible. Through magic, through alchemy. Maybe. It. Depending on what happens, I might be able to come up with something that, at least in the beginning, can suppress it. [01:44:58] Speaker C: That would be really helpful. [01:45:01] Speaker A: And then move on to cure or something else. But it'll take time. [01:45:12] Speaker C: Fardove's face, which displayed almost hope, I think a facial expression or an emotion that Faro hasn't felt in quite some time, but it quickly fades, almost as if Farou remembers why he's here in the first place. And he says, I have a question for you. Curiosity. I. Well, last night I found something of yours, and I. I just want to know about it. I think you know what I'm talking about. [01:46:08] Speaker A: There is that moment of confusion as you start talking that goes into realization. And his face becomes hard to read. Almost like he is putting up a front, specifically looking, you know, as neutral as he can, and just goes, well, what you have is an incredibly dangerous book. [01:46:51] Speaker C: I'm aware. You taught me. Well. I'm wondering why. Why you were studying such a thing. Dangerous as you say it is. [01:47:11] Speaker A: But when the never ending night started, nobody knew what was going on. Suddenly, no sun creatures from another dimension pouring through. And the hunters could barely keep up. The hunters were already having problems before the nipple ending night. So it quickly became necessary to try new things and step outside of our comfort zones. [01:47:49] Speaker C: Yeah, I understand. [01:47:54] Speaker A: Most of the research in there was purely theoretical. [01:47:59] Speaker C: Is it old? [01:48:02] Speaker A: Yes, it was very old. I think wasn't the first journal I filled up working for the holy blood, but it is one of many. [01:48:14] Speaker C: Why was it in the library? [01:48:20] Speaker A: That is a question that I would also like answers to, because last I knew that all of my books. I surrendered when Andreas and I came to start the school. [01:48:52] Speaker C: Is making eye contact with him this whole time. In that specific sentence, the fact that he. He's claiming he gave the books up, is there some kind of role I can make to see if he's lying? [01:49:08] Speaker A: Yes. This time. Let's see. We're going to do another brains roll, but it will be at a very hard. We are going to go with a 19. [01:49:27] Speaker C: Okay, do. Do I still have my plus three? [01:49:33] Speaker A: We'll allow that. [01:49:34] Speaker C: Yay. Okay. Math. Okay, no, that's definitely not a 19. Why is math hard? 1616. [01:49:49] Speaker E: Adversity tokens. Adversity tokens. [01:49:51] Speaker A: Do you have three adversity tokens? [01:49:53] Speaker C: I do. Can I use all of them? Am I allowed to do that? [01:49:56] Speaker A: You're allowed to do them. Each one counts as one and you can spend them. [01:50:00] Speaker C: Okay, I'm gonna spend them. I have one left. This is a good thing to spend them on, lads. [01:50:12] Speaker A: Really good thing to spend them on. What he is saying isn't necessarily a lie. It is a stretch of the truth. Because yet again, you live in a world where magic exists. Think about what Tom was trying to do earlier today. Yes. More likely than not, the original book is still in the hunter vaults under lock and key. [01:51:00] Speaker C: But he's got like a replica. [01:51:02] Speaker A: Oh, he has a replica? Essentially, the book your book you're holding is more like a replica that was made. [01:51:09] Speaker C: I see. Okay, so Farou, I think, is making eye contact with him this whole time and will now say a little lie of his own. And Faro, I think their eyes light up in the way an eager student would look at their mentor. And Faro says, whatever you're doing. [01:51:53] Speaker A: You. [01:51:54] Speaker C: Know I want to learn, right? I think I can help you. [01:52:06] Speaker A: I look at you for a moment, and. [01:52:12] Speaker C: Before he can speak, Faro leans forward and like, even softer of a voice, he says, I stayed up last night. I read pretty much everything in that book. It's obviously theoretical. Obviously. But I want to know more. [01:52:46] Speaker A: I looks at you and just goes, it's a very dangerous road to go down. [01:52:54] Speaker C: But I know you'd protect me. [01:52:59] Speaker A: Yes. I have a few things to finish up. I have a few small things. I will be back on campus in a couple of days. Few things to take care of until then. Once I'm back on campus, we can meet again and go over all of this. And if you're truly interested in learning, we can take those first steps. [01:53:39] Speaker C: Okay. You don't happen to know what happened to Junie, do you? She's been missing. Obviously. [01:54:00] Speaker A: Takes a second and can't help but break your eye contact and looks away and just being like, I'm sure she is fine. Whatever was in the library yesterday, prank, something gone wrong? She'll resurface. Headmaster and the rest of the teachers were all looking for her. [01:54:37] Speaker C: I hope shes found soon. [01:54:42] Speaker A: Me too. She was an incredibly bright student. And id hate for that to be lost. [01:54:54] Speaker C: I think the term bright student something changes in Faroes eyes because he used to be bright, literally. And Fodro straightens their posture and looks down at the papers that Talos is grading. And I think on the stack somewhere, photosynthesis research that he turned in yesterday is sitting there and he just gestures to it and says, I hope you like my work, and stands and like, does that awkward, like, side shuffle out of the booth. [01:55:49] Speaker A: Yeah. Tallis looks at you, looks at the paper and just goes, I'm eagerly awaiting reading it. Take care of yourself. [01:56:01] Speaker C: Thank you. You too. And Farro is going to turn and walk out. [01:56:20] Speaker A: Good job. [01:56:21] Speaker E: You lived. [01:56:22] Speaker C: I didn't die. Cool. [01:56:30] Speaker E: How much of that did I hear? [01:56:34] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm gonna gonna get your roll for that. Yeah. And we're gonna do, we're gonna do a flight roll this time. [01:56:43] Speaker E: Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. [01:56:47] Speaker A: We'll say to hear the whole thing is a ten. All right. [01:57:00] Speaker E: That was a seven. But I am going to spend three. [01:57:02] Speaker A: Adversity tokens, especially the way that this bar is, especially these booths are kind of in a back corner, and then there's like a wall that's behind one of them, so you can kind of see it. You just kind of post it up at that wall in your little moth shadow self and you blend it right into the shadows. [01:57:25] Speaker E: Then as Faro goes to leave, Renee does not follow him. [01:57:39] Speaker C: Okay. [01:57:42] Speaker E: What? Don't worry about it. What's everybody else doing? [01:57:46] Speaker A: That's a great question. What is everybody else doing? As you see Faro walk out of. [01:57:52] Speaker C: The tavern, we're all making great decisions today. This is great decision all around. [01:57:58] Speaker B: Speak for yourselves. I'm great. I'm doing great. Anyway. I just have a bird's eye view of the tavern. I'm looking at anyone who's going in and out and assessing with my amazing social intuition whether they're sus or not. [01:58:25] Speaker C: Go ahead and stick this to me. No, it's not going to stay, it's not going to stick. Maybe because I'm. [01:58:33] Speaker E: I will say, I don't think that's how that works. [01:58:35] Speaker C: You sure? [01:58:37] Speaker A: I will say, during the time that Fado ended, until they came out, nobody else went in. No, no one else went in or out. [01:58:45] Speaker E: Okay. [01:58:47] Speaker B: You can tell that staying in one spot is driving him a little nuts and it's like he needs something to do or he's going to make heck and lose it. [01:58:59] Speaker A: The ADHD mood. [01:59:01] Speaker B: The ADHD. [01:59:02] Speaker A: I can't sit still for any moment longer. [01:59:05] Speaker C: He worst stakeout. [01:59:07] Speaker B: So his rings, by the way, are, like, thick metal, like, silver and gold rings, and they have bands that he can twist. They're usually his fidget rings as well as his. His. It's not really a wand. It's like a magic casting device, but that's what he's essentially fidgeting with. And the buckles on his arm guards and just literally everything he can get his hands on as he is observing. [01:59:45] Speaker D: Yeah. Tom is waiting in the back. I assume there's, like, a kitchen door, a delivery door or something leaning against the building. Not actually smoking, but, like, pretending to smoke and waiting for a message or from. [01:59:58] Speaker A: You can smell the food that they're making in the kitchen. It smells very good. [02:00:02] Speaker D: Yeah. I'm just getting hungry out there waiting for Renee or caster to tell me that it's all clear that we're meeting back up. [02:00:09] Speaker B: I will. [02:00:09] Speaker E: I will. [02:00:10] Speaker B: As soon as Faro walks out, I'll just kind of, like, get back on the walkie and be, like, father left, but I don't see Renee. [02:00:22] Speaker E: So. [02:00:22] Speaker A: Renee, hello. What are you doing? [02:00:27] Speaker E: Renee is going to observe Professor Talis and is trying to discern anything about wider connections that he might have. And if it involves staying and waiting and watching him and following him, that is the plan. [02:00:50] Speaker C: Yeah, that's pretty smart. [02:00:52] Speaker A: It's pretty smart. I guess the big question is you're just gonna spend the rest of your day doing this. [02:01:02] Speaker E: I think it will depend on what everyone else is up to and how much prodding. But he's pretty set on. This is a world that I understand. Like, adult subterfuge is something that I am very, very intimately familiar with. So I'm going to sit and observe. So I think when Caster sends a message back, Renee, Barry, quietly back, just says, I'm waiting to see what the professor does. [02:01:45] Speaker C: Is this, like, message spell something that all of us know, or is it a specialty thing? [02:01:51] Speaker A: I'd say it's a pretty basic. It's a basic spell. [02:01:54] Speaker B: Yeah, it's a basic spell. We can all talk. [02:01:56] Speaker C: Okay. Um, I think Faro, once I'm, like, down the street, I think I, like, slip into, like, I don't know if there's, like, a park or something with a bench, just, like, a public place I can sit down and not look suspicious. I'm going to sit on a bench far away from any of the lights in this park, and I'm going to send a message to all three of you. And you just hear Frodo's voice saying, I've left. And I think Faro also sends a second message after just saying, I left and says, hmm, what do I say? Faro will send a message. Just saying, uh, because I do. I know that you were in there, Renee. [02:03:05] Speaker E: I don't say anything to you. [02:03:07] Speaker A: I was pretty well hidden. [02:03:09] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And the message that we were saying. [02:03:14] Speaker C: Yeah, because I didn't get that. [02:03:15] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [02:03:16] Speaker A: You were. [02:03:16] Speaker B: You were excluded, but not on purpose, just because it looked like you were. [02:03:19] Speaker C: Really focusing, excluding me from that group chat there. All right. Then I think photo just says I left, and I think I just say I left, and I think I'm in, whatever that means. But that's what I say. I'm in over my head is what I'm in. [02:03:49] Speaker B: Or am I be like that sometimes. I will really quick send a message to Tom and be like, do you want to stay and watch over Renee, or do you want to go to Faro? I feel like someone should be with someone at all times. Just feel safer. [02:04:10] Speaker D: I'm good to stay here. I think you might be better at comforting. [02:04:15] Speaker A: Comforting? Okay. [02:04:17] Speaker B: Okay, sure. I will kind of shoot off a message then to frato. I'll say, okay, I'm on my way. That's it. [02:04:34] Speaker A: Yeah. We'll get to whatever happens between caster and faro in just a moment. Rene, as you're doing this, you watch the professor sort of just continue grating for a few minutes. It's probably about 20 minutes or so after Fahro has left that you hear the sound of the door opening, and a figure walks in. They have sort of this almost gray purple skin and hair that is a shock of white, and they are wearing sort of dark clothing, and they. As they enter, they sort of just toss this hood back. You recognize this person? [02:05:42] Speaker E: Cool. Do I recognize them from my life outside of Ravenswood? [02:05:51] Speaker A: Yes, you do. [02:05:52] Speaker E: Cool. [02:05:54] Speaker A: Their name is akos, and, you know, they're very powerful. [02:06:09] Speaker E: Renee. The moment I think that they see akos has, like, a wash of panic, they can feel their heart beginning to pound in their ears. And I think that he's been feeling very cool about the shadow magic and feeling like I finally have this under control. I am quite good at what I am doing. Look at me. I'm spying on a professor, and he's not even seeing me. And then Akos walks in and feels very suddenly very small and just falters for just a moment and doesn't even wait to see what Akos is doing. If they walk to Talus, then I think, what happens is Renee walks out of the shadows by the fireplace. Not as a shadow, just like, walks out of the room. [02:07:23] Speaker A: Yeah, they seem to be making. He seems to be making necessarily a beeline, but stops by the bar, gets a drink, says hi, talks to the bartender like he knows them, and drinking hand sort of wanders, not to Talus's, but the one next to it, and sits down. [02:07:55] Speaker E: I think when he sits down, Renee is genuinely beginning to feel the, like, anxiety rise. And he's, like, white knuckling on his wand and takes a deep breath and tries to find composure enough to walk out without drawing a lot of attention after appearing out of the shadows. But it's just going to walk out of the tavern. [02:08:39] Speaker A: And as you walk out, you hear Akav say, lovely day, don't you think? As you walk out and you hear some sort of mumbled reply, you're too far away at that point from Professor Talos, and you're out. And we'll jump back a little bit to see what Caster and Fado are up to. [02:09:18] Speaker B: I don't know where you are, but I saw the direction that you walked off in, so I'll follow that direction until I spot you. [02:09:26] Speaker C: I think I'm sitting in, like, a dark. A bench in, like, a dark area of this park. Um, my goal was not to look Sus, but I'm realizing now that by sitting on a bench in the dark part of the park, that looks incredibly sus. [02:09:40] Speaker B: Yeah. [02:09:41] Speaker C: Um, and I think photo is just banking on it being dark so no one sees me. [02:09:48] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, as, um, Caster comes down on his broom, like, the outlines of him are still glowing just a little bit in that eclipse esque way, but it fades as he lands and the glow of his eyes fade as the magic leaves him. And his broom shrinks back into a pen, and he takes the cap off, puts it back on the right side, and tucks it into his coat pocket. Then he tucks his hands into his. The pockets of his slack, and he goes, oh, so come here often? [02:10:31] Speaker C: Oh, my God, he scared me. Don't do that again. [02:10:33] Speaker B: I'm sorry. I thought you saw me coming. It's a bit conspicuous. [02:10:38] Speaker C: I didn't. [02:10:42] Speaker B: You all right? Take a seat next to you on the bench. [02:10:51] Speaker C: All right. Is a stretch. I have not been all right in quite some time now. There's something going on, and I don't like it. [02:11:09] Speaker B: With you or with the professor. [02:11:12] Speaker C: I'm fine with the professor. [02:11:13] Speaker B: Library. You're fine that you just told me that you are not alright and you haven't been. [02:11:20] Speaker C: I'll be fine. Or this. And I think I gesture to my bag, which is where the book is, but this is a much bigger problem than whatever is happening with me. [02:11:36] Speaker B: Okay. You don't think it's related, then? [02:11:39] Speaker C: No, not at all. [02:11:41] Speaker B: Well, that's good to know, at least. Are you. I should ask this. It's not my business. And you don't have to explain if you don't want to. That's fine. Are you in any danger with whatever is going on with you? [02:11:58] Speaker C: Honestly, I don't know. [02:12:02] Speaker E: Ah. [02:12:04] Speaker B: Okay. Are you in immediate danger? [02:12:10] Speaker C: Faro almost comically looks down at his hands and then back up at you and just shrugs. [02:12:22] Speaker B: Okay. [02:12:23] Speaker A: Hmm. [02:12:24] Speaker B: Let's table that, shall we? So, how did the conversation go with your good old mentor? [02:12:32] Speaker C: Well, I. Well, we talked very briefly about my new condition, and then I told him I found his book, and I told him I wanted to learn about what he was studying. I was hoping that I could. [02:13:02] Speaker A: You. [02:13:02] Speaker C: Know, get him to teach me about it, and then I could find out more that way. [02:13:10] Speaker B: Okay. And what did he say? [02:13:20] Speaker C: He told me to wait a couple days, but he didn't say no. [02:13:26] Speaker B: I don't know if that's a good thing. [02:13:30] Speaker C: I I think I want to, when he comes back, try to figure out what he's doing at night. The man's gotten, like, no sleep. And I noticed it in class the other day. He's exhausted. More so than usual, too, because, like, I don't know, he and I would stay up really late, past my bedtime anyway. But he's been looking a lot more exhausted than usual, so whatever he's been working on is quite extensive. [02:14:17] Speaker B: Okay, well, I suppose that's something we could trade off on to make sure that we don't burn out. I I really. You seem to be the sort who takes things on on their own. [02:14:38] Speaker C: Yeah, that would be correct. [02:14:40] Speaker B: Yeah, well, it's not the most healthy. And, you know, you have friends, so it. In my personal opinion, when you have a team, you work together, so that. [02:14:55] Speaker C: I hate group projects. [02:14:57] Speaker B: Okay, well, it's not also not the biggest fan, but it's not. We're all sharing the burden equally. That's the point of it. So that we can all bring our strengths to the team and cover all of our bases, as it were. Wait, is that a term I can use? Baseball cannon? [02:15:19] Speaker A: It is now. [02:15:20] Speaker B: It is now. [02:15:22] Speaker A: He willed it into existence. I'll find a fun in world reason for it. [02:15:29] Speaker B: Anyway, so I just. I don't. I want you stop. I want you to, I want you to know that you're not alone in this and that you shouldn't try to take it on alone, because whatever is that's going on with you, whether you think it is harmful or not, you know, I've noticed that at the very least, Renee wants you here, and we want you here. And however we can do that to help or whatever, you just let us know, or don't. I don't know. Is this helping at all? [02:16:22] Speaker C: As you're speaking, Faro is just staring straight ahead, and you notice, I think, one, he's got his wand out. It is about a little over a foot, and it's wood, made of wood. And, uh, it's been, like, dip dyed with, like, a wood stain where, um, uh, it's darker at the base and lighter at the, uh, the tip. And, um, it's made of east indian satin wood. And it looks like this. Um, but you notice that Faro's thumb has just been, like, rubbing one of the, um. I don't, I do not want to call it a knob, but has been rubbing just, like, some of the bumps and the textures on, on, um, on, on their wand. Yeah. So I'm fiddling. Yeah. That's a safer word, right? [02:17:39] Speaker A: Much safer. [02:17:40] Speaker B: Totally, totally, totally. [02:17:42] Speaker C: Fidgeting. Yeah. Okay. [02:17:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Fidgeting. I know that. I know that very well. [02:17:46] Speaker D: Yes. [02:17:48] Speaker B: Um, you're not going to attack me with that, are you? [02:17:57] Speaker C: No, sorry. I'm just processing a lot. So where are the other two? [02:18:04] Speaker B: Um, well, when you walked out, Renee did not. [02:18:09] Speaker C: So was Renee in there? [02:18:13] Speaker B: Oh, yes. Perhaps I should not have said that. Yes, Renee followed you, and I imagine he was quite hidden, if you didn't notice. Fuck. Oh. What's that about? [02:18:28] Speaker C: Nothing. [02:18:30] Speaker B: Sure. I believe that. Uh, and, um, so Tom decided to stay back to see if they needed any backup, just in case. And I'm here in case you need any backup, just in case. [02:18:46] Speaker C: Um, I put my wand away, and, um. I hate this so much, you guys. I hate this. [02:19:02] Speaker E: I'm sorry. [02:19:03] Speaker B: I'm mature. I promise. I'm not usually like this. I'm really ace. [02:19:11] Speaker C: I'm also ace. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Okay. I. Nope. [02:19:33] Speaker A: So I can move things along? [02:19:35] Speaker C: Yes, please. [02:19:37] Speaker A: Thank you. [02:19:38] Speaker C: Wait, wait. So sorry. What I think I I think what I want to do is knowing that Renee and Tom stayed behind. Faro doesn't want to just leave. So I think Faro uses the message spell to now message the other two and just say, caster and I are outside. What about you? [02:20:21] Speaker E: So, Tom, what do you do? [02:20:24] Speaker D: Yeah, I think that Tom has moved now that Caster has left from behind the building to the front, just sort of waiting. Like, oh, I'm waiting for a date. They're super slow. They'll get here soon, and then we'll, you know, come inside. And, I mean, Renee is visible when they rush out of the building, right? [02:20:48] Speaker E: Correct. [02:20:50] Speaker A: And you put it also, if you're standing out front, you watch as this sort of figure. They don't come from the school. They come from. You see them enter from, like, a different part of the district. They walk up to the tavern. They've got this long coat on. They've got a hood. But as they approach doors, they throw the hood off. So you see the sort of grayish purple skin and the sort of shock of white hair. They look over it. You give you a smile as they push open the doors. And then about a couple minutes later, you just watch Renee leaving quickly, fully stalking out. [02:21:40] Speaker C: I was gonna say. [02:21:41] Speaker D: Yeah. So, like, affect, nervous, anxious. [02:21:45] Speaker E: I would say the best description of it would be almost, like, furious, but in the most tight and controlled way possible. [02:22:00] Speaker D: That Tom sort of sidles up and almost reaches out, but decides not to chance it. When you're this sort of tightly wound and says, did you find something then, or, yes. [02:22:18] Speaker E: Why is it? Hello, Tom. Thank you for waiting. I, and that's when I imagine the message comes in. [02:22:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [02:22:34] Speaker E: We'Re fine. Where are you? [02:22:38] Speaker C: In the park, in the dark. Not doing much. [02:22:48] Speaker E: We're coming. But with that, like, Tom, you see this fury behind this very petite, tiefling young man. His, like, almost white blue eyes are, like, burning. He's so angry. I think you would have blasted it. [02:23:16] Speaker B: Okay. I think caster recoils a bit and is like, oh, oh, that's it. [02:23:28] Speaker E: Um, are you from a frustrating family? [02:23:35] Speaker D: Uh, probably not in the way that you mean. [02:23:42] Speaker C: All right. [02:23:42] Speaker D: Is that a relative of yours? [02:23:46] Speaker E: No, but they are someone that I associate with some very frustrating behavior, and to that end, it's someone that we should not be thrilled that the professor is associating with. I'll explain what everyone else is there, and then just starts walking down the street to the park. [02:24:13] Speaker D: Yeah. I think that Tom follows, and they're trying to school their face into something sort of sympathetic and kind, but their eyes are glittering with joy at whatever drama is about to happen. [02:24:27] Speaker A: They're like. [02:24:32] Speaker E: The two of you just see Renee stalking into this park. [02:24:37] Speaker B: I very subtly stand up and go to Faro's other side and sit down so that Faro is between me and Renee. [02:24:54] Speaker E: At the best part, I think Renee might be the shortest member of our group. Really? Little Renee? [02:25:02] Speaker B: Angie, the smaller you are, the more compact your rage is. [02:25:08] Speaker E: And, like, his tail is flicking behind him, he's so bad. And he just stalks straight over. He kind of looks around the park for a minute, and then he immediately sees the bench with the two of you. I mean, you're both, like, radiant and beautiful and, like, caster, like, kind of glows a little. [02:25:27] Speaker B: Just a little bit. [02:25:30] Speaker E: And I think that Renee would recognize Fado's silhouette anywhere and just stalks right over to the bench and sits next to you. Fano and a huff. [02:25:43] Speaker C: What happened? [02:25:51] Speaker E: Bad news. Professor Talos is indeed associated with another organization. [02:26:00] Speaker C: What do you mean? [02:26:03] Speaker A: Tom? [02:26:03] Speaker C: Are you following? [02:26:05] Speaker D: Yeah. Tom felt less close behind. [02:26:10] Speaker C: Renee then. [02:26:12] Speaker D: I think that they just stand sort of keeping everyone in eye view. [02:26:20] Speaker E: All right. So, as you all know, I'm from a somewhat well off circumstance, and my fathers are very well connected. And very often I find that who they know are distasteful and powerful people. And Professor Talos is associating with them, with those people. [02:26:53] Speaker C: Given our history, do I know a lot about your family and about who these people might be, or is that something you've kept secret? [02:27:03] Speaker E: I would say that you would know that Renee does not agree with his parents and thinks that they associate with some very sketch people. But I would say that you also have seen the limits of what he understands about what his fathers do and who they really are and who they really know. But he has rubbed elbows with some very powerful people in the city just from existing. [02:27:33] Speaker C: Mm hmm. [02:27:35] Speaker E: And he shows great distaste for most of the people that he's grown up associating with, which is why he just hemorrhages money at every chance he gets. [02:27:48] Speaker C: Understandable. Um, I think Farou just kind of looks between the three of you and just says, well, that's. That's not great at all. [02:28:02] Speaker B: Sorry, I'm not following. What. Who is this, um, unsavory person that we're scorning? [02:28:16] Speaker E: There are some extremely, to say, talented would be underselling it. There are some very powerful people who have accumulated power by knowing people, by manipulating people, by gathering information, by gathering objects and learning skills that can. Honestly, they're probably the ones who are actually the architects of everything you see all the time. [02:28:48] Speaker B: Disturbing, but. Okay, I follow. And this this person. I'm sorry. Are you saying there's a person who met Professor Tallis in the tavern, and that person is one of those people? [02:29:01] Speaker E: Yes. [02:29:02] Speaker B: Oh, okay, excellent. I'm caught up now. What? [02:29:10] Speaker E: The professor's associating with someone that we don't stand a chance. I don't think even the. All of the hunters in the entirety of the city could deal with them. I. Oh, okay. All right. Not that they even would. Not that they even would. [02:29:32] Speaker B: Um. Is this person the bad person that we're trying to bring to justice? This. This person didn't hurt Junie, right? [02:29:46] Speaker E: Honestly, I don't know. Caster are good people. People who manipulate others into doing what they want? [02:29:56] Speaker B: Good people? I'm not entirely sure they exist, to be honest with you, but. [02:30:04] Speaker C: Why do you say that? [02:30:10] Speaker B: Because everyone has their reasons for doing things. They're not always the most altruistic. I'm not saying that people who manipulate others are necessarily good or not good. I'm not saying that. I'm saying that morality is an incredibly complex, complicated concept. [02:30:28] Speaker E: You're right. [02:30:30] Speaker B: Millions of shades of grey between the. [02:30:33] Speaker E: Black and white will be the first to tell you that I I'm not a good person. [02:30:39] Speaker B: That's not what I meant. [02:30:40] Speaker E: I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm telling you, I'm not giving you sympathy. [02:30:44] Speaker B: I'm sorry. I'm getting a bit upset. Let me calm down a little bit. I understand your strong sense of right and wrong. I can see that you're really affected by this. I'm saying that we shouldn't pass judgment when we don't have answers. He's associating with them. Yes. But we don't know in what way. [02:31:13] Speaker E: It's not good. [02:31:15] Speaker B: Are you sure. [02:31:20] Speaker E: You want to know why I wanted to go to Ravenswood? Why I didn't stay in my family's beautiful ivory tower? Because people like this walked in the door every day. I wanted to do something about them. I didn't want to become complicit in some terrible thing that's going to happen in a world forever. Terrible things? [02:31:53] Speaker B: Okay. I believe you. This person is not a good person. And we should be concerned that Professor Talos is conspiring with them. Meeting with them. [02:32:10] Speaker A: Yes. [02:32:11] Speaker B: What do we do about it? [02:32:14] Speaker C: Well, I might have been in. [02:32:17] Speaker B: Ah, right. [02:32:19] Speaker E: I heard that. [02:32:21] Speaker C: You heard. Well, okay. [02:32:27] Speaker E: You're smart. [02:32:33] Speaker B: A time for context. Um, Farrow thinks that they can convince professor Talos to take them under his wing. Um, you know, the dark, dark odds thing. Oh, okay. Is that something to celebrate? Okay, just walk away. [02:32:51] Speaker E: Past. I think it's our best chance. [02:32:58] Speaker B: This is so dangerous. Students, am I the only person who remembers that. [02:33:08] Speaker C: Oh, we just ignore it, then. We may be students, but in the case of Professor Talos, I'm one of the best. Or I was. I am. [02:33:21] Speaker E: Still are. [02:33:24] Speaker B: Well, thanks. I can't say I agree with this, but it seems you've made up your mind, and while you're working that angle, we can try to see if there's anything else we can do on the outside. [02:33:39] Speaker C: I I noticed, um, that talos has really not been getting any sleep. He looks more exhausted and tired than he usually does. And I think perhaps. I find it hard to imagine, anyway, that he's not doing work on, well, whatever he's working on late at night. Perhaps we can see tonight if he's in his office or whatnot. [02:34:24] Speaker B: Sounds like a good plan. Anything else we want to do? [02:34:31] Speaker E: Tom, you're good at listening in on things, right? [02:34:37] Speaker D: That you want me to listen in on? [02:34:40] Speaker E: Well, I can only do that trick sometimes than I just did, and it depends on if I can find a place to tuck myself and. Well, honestly, I don't know that I feel up to doing it again right now. But I would love to hear what professor Talis has to say when no one's watching. [02:35:11] Speaker D: With this acquaintance of yours. Or just in general. [02:35:18] Speaker E: Maybe? In general. Don't you want to know? [02:35:26] Speaker D: Be helpful. [02:35:35] Speaker B: Um, well, I I think I should go to, um, the places we were going to check out today. Um, what was it? The mysterium and the. The. [02:35:50] Speaker E: What was the bookshop. [02:35:54] Speaker B: Uh, at least we can eliminate that option. And those don't seem particularly dangerous, so. [02:36:01] Speaker D: What? [02:36:02] Speaker B: Let me take care of that. [02:36:04] Speaker E: I mean, I wouldn't mind to. Stop it. Alex can always use some splice. [02:36:10] Speaker B: Okay. [02:36:12] Speaker E: Anyone else need anything? [02:36:15] Speaker B: Going to Elrice, can I pick you up? [02:36:19] Speaker C: Going to target. [02:36:21] Speaker E: We're going to go stress shopping. [02:36:23] Speaker C: Okay, let's go stress shopping. I think photo. Um, just kind of nods and stands up maybe a little too fast. Um, I think this causes goose, who I think was sitting on my shoulders, to fall off, and, uh, he falls to the ground. Um, he's a cat. He's fine. Um, and I, uh, pick him up and just say, um, I know the way. [02:37:08] Speaker B: Oh, we're all going. Oh, okay. [02:37:10] Speaker A: So plan is fato, Caster, and renee, you're all going to Elric or Tom, are you going to listen in? Are you going with the rest of the group? [02:37:24] Speaker D: I'm really curious about what Renee isn't saying about this other person who walked into the bar. So I think I'm going to go listen in. [02:37:32] Speaker B: I'm also curious. I will check, though, really quickly before we leave with tom. Just be like, you will be all right by yourself? [02:37:39] Speaker D: Yeah, always. [02:37:43] Speaker B: That was a silly question. You're right. And I turn around and walk away. [02:37:48] Speaker A: In Chicago, as you exit this park, are you paying particular attention to any of the light sources that you pass? Are you trying to avoid them or not paying attention to them at all? [02:38:03] Speaker C: I think for the first time, Faro is has. Is very, like, dead set on, like, I'm going to a place. And one of my, like, innate, I don't, I don't know if I call it a power, but I have a really good sense of direction, and I know where everything is, and I'm always able to find where I'm going, and it's nearly impossible for me to get lost. And I think, in this moment, sensing everybody's stress and knowing, I think, knowing renee, that, like, we joke, but I think stress shopping is something that we do. I think, prior to the accident, renee would buy everything for me because I don't have a lot of money. I don't come from money, unlike, unlike him. And so the two of us would, we would always, like, go shopping together and just buy a ton of stuff for research or what have you, um. [02:39:07] Speaker B: Or third wheeling this. [02:39:09] Speaker C: No, we're not dating. [02:39:11] Speaker E: Going. [02:39:12] Speaker B: You keep champagne. [02:39:13] Speaker A: It does. It does sound like caster. [02:39:17] Speaker B: It sounds like I'm third wheeling this. I hate this. I am not supposed to be a third wheel. I'm Caster. I'm caster seiros. I am not a third wheel. [02:39:30] Speaker C: And I am vado jin, and I am depressed, and we are going stress shopping. So I think I'm so, like, dead set on that. That, no, I am not paying attention. [02:39:42] Speaker A: So, yeah, I think you get a little too close to a light source on your way out of the park. [02:39:53] Speaker C: And. Yeah, yeah. The three of you, before we all split off, I walk by this lamppost, and the light disappears. It flickers out. And you watch as the light flies out of this lamppost, and I think it shoots in through the center of my back. And you watch as Faro's body kind of, like, twitches in reaction to it. And the three of you see for a moment the glow that Faro used to have a couple months ago. I think their hair has a couple strands, like, highlights, basically, of, like, glowing gold that used to be there. Now their hair is all dark, and their freckles glow again. And you can see, like, the veins on their hands going all the way up their arms and like, in their skin is all glowing as well. And again, like every other previous time, just as quickly as the light comes, it fades once again. And I think to add to the spice, Varho doesn't even notice. I think I'm so dead set on going to where I'm going, I don't notice. [02:41:25] Speaker B: Esther falters a step and goes, oh. Oh, no. Did you see that? That entire castle sucking up? Okay. [02:41:44] Speaker C: I think I should have. [02:41:50] Speaker E: Working on it. [02:41:52] Speaker B: That wasn't. That wasn't. You've known. Of course, you know worse. You're right. You're right. Okay. [02:42:01] Speaker C: I think funnel turns around, like, yards ahead of y'all and just says, come on. [02:42:07] Speaker E: When Fano turns around, Renee is straight up pointing at the extent extinguished lamppost. [02:42:12] Speaker C: And when I turn around, I look at you two, see you pointing. And I look up, and I think my. My skin, which is very grayed and ashy, pales even more. And I look specifically at Castor and Tom, who I now realize have seen this. And he just nods very quickly and then just gestures like, come on. And turns around again and keeps walking. [02:42:49] Speaker A: Oh. [02:42:49] Speaker B: Yep. Okay. [02:42:50] Speaker E: We're just moving on under his breath, walking next to both of you before Tom splits off by the hunt. You say anything, and I will find you. [02:43:00] Speaker B: I'm really not hard to find. [02:43:05] Speaker A: What? [02:43:05] Speaker E: I mean, no, it's fine. [02:43:08] Speaker B: We're friends. Totally. We're friends, right? You're not gonna suck my light out? Okay, cool. Okay. Yep. I'm rolling with this. [02:43:25] Speaker E: And Renee walks on like nothing weird happens. [02:43:26] Speaker C: I don't. [02:43:27] Speaker E: I don't say anything else for, like, the entire. [02:43:29] Speaker B: Which is weird for me. [02:43:31] Speaker E: We're power walking. [02:43:32] Speaker C: We're power walking. [02:43:34] Speaker A: So, Tom, do you just file all of that away to think about later or have any particular reaction? All right. [02:43:45] Speaker D: Yeah. I think that Tom's initial reaction was just whispering almost to themselves, like, vampire. We just learned about this in class. That's a vampire. But otherwise is. Yeah. Just sort of filing the information away. [02:44:03] Speaker A: When you go to slip back inside the inn to listen in on what's going on. So you do that. It's relatively easy for you to eavesdrop. You know, nobody's really paying attention to anything. You get close enough to be able to hear their conversation, and you hear this new person. This scary, scary person, according to Renee. Go. Gonna need what you promised me, and I'm gonna need it soon. We got plans that are in motion, and I don't want to stop any of this because you can't hold on to a fucking book and then you hear, tell us, say, I'm dealing with it. Consider it dealt with getting the book back. Be yours in a day or so. And then you hear this strange person say, good. It better be. And remember, nobody can know we had this conversation. So anybody who knows about this book, we also have to deal with, because don't need anybody sticking their nose where it doesn't need to be. And there is a moment where you hear a slight sigh and you hear, it'll be dealt with. Just. You'll have your book. Then our business is done. And Akos goes, love doing business with you, buddy. Just back in a couple of days. I got something to do over in coffin walk. You know, keep it busy. [02:46:23] Speaker E: Keep it busy. [02:46:24] Speaker A: And, you know, give him pat on the shoulder and turns around and just walks right out of the inner. And that is where we will end it for tonight. [02:46:41] Speaker B: I want to keep going. [02:46:43] Speaker A: Yeah, next week, we'll figure out what happens. And, yeah, I'm gonna hope you all have had a lovely time on this second episode. Don't forget about the dice giveaway that was happening, so. Yeah. But I'm going to turn it over to my cast to tell us who they are, who they've been playing, and where you can find them. And I'll start with you, jas. [02:47:12] Speaker B: What up? My name is Jazz, also known as Cinderskoria. On Twitter, I was playing caster, who uses he him pronouns, and might have some secrets of his own, I suppose, maybe not as deep as everybody else, but trauma. [02:47:27] Speaker E: Spicy. [02:47:28] Speaker B: Love it. You can find me. You can what? Me? No, you can find Caster. No, you can find me by castor here. You can find me on Queen's court games doing stuff. This and some other things that are coming up, hopefully soon. You can also find me on Zealzaddy's channel on Tuesdays, playing elixir. I play Jada, a war forged sorcerer slash fighter. They're pretty badass. And also going through it drama wise. I'm sensing a theme here. You can also find me on the other side of studios doing the arcane corps, where I play mo, another traumatized. Oh, man. Hmm. I should go to therapy. Yeah. [02:48:14] Speaker E: Yeah. [02:48:14] Speaker B: And that's. That will be Mondays. We're starting season three. By the time this comes out. Should be. Should be coming out in a. In a couple of weeks, actually, so, yeah, you can find me there. You can find me on twitterindra scoria. That's usually where I'm chilling. And also, I feel like I should announce this now because we just got the arcs. But I wrote a. I wrote a short story in being Ace the anthology. Oh, man, you can't see. And being Ace the anthology, you can add it on Goodreads now and is edited by Madeline Dyer and includes several stories by published authors such as Rosie Thor and Lindsey Miller, and some previously unpublished authors such as me, Jazz Brown. Look it up if you like stories about empathic assassins who are looking for their girlfriends. [02:49:06] Speaker E: Yeah. [02:49:07] Speaker B: Okay. [02:49:07] Speaker C: Gay. [02:49:08] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Extremely. Yeah, extremely. And ace. Hilariously. Yeah. Gays. [02:49:16] Speaker E: Ace. [02:49:18] Speaker C: Happy pride. [02:49:19] Speaker A: Happy pride. Jay, you're up. [02:49:23] Speaker C: Hi, everyone. My name is Jay. Or Nala. I use they them pronouns. And today I played father Jin, who made all the correct decisions this. This game. I did nothing wrong, and I'm not in any danger at all. And was newly revealed to my friends as a vampire. Wow. Weird. It's almost like I have a type. Speaking of vampires, if you like what I do, I'm on itaewon by night. You can find us on Tuesdays at 08:00 p.m. Over on bat house rpg. Itaewon by night is a vampire the Masquerade show featuring the first and only all asian cast playing VTM on stream. And I play vampire. Whoa. On Netflix. [02:50:18] Speaker A: Surprising. [02:50:19] Speaker C: I know. Weird never happens. Yeah. So rare. And, uh, bloop, bloop. Um, I'm on Twitter olla woo and alladraws if you want to see my art. I'm also allatraws on every other social media that I want you to find me on. Um, I do art. I am an art director and an illustrator. I do work full time in dtrpgs. Um, and just follow me. And then I post about all the things that I do and. And all the stuff that I'm a part of. And, yeah, that's me. I'm not gonna regret any of the decisions that I made today. Nope, not one bit. [02:51:05] Speaker B: I'm regretting your decisions you made today. [02:51:08] Speaker C: Okay. That's your burden to bear. I'm fine. I'll be fine. [02:51:18] Speaker A: Alyssa. [02:51:20] Speaker D: Hi, everyone. I'm Alyssa. I pledge Tom, who made some excellent, excellent choices this session, and we'll be balancing that out with some dog shit choices next time. I'm already planning. You can find me on Twitterisasterqueer. In terms of fantasy actual plays. You can also find me on goblets and Gaze, which is a podcast with our beautiful storyteller Aubrey. And on Mist Lost, a five U stream on Wednesdays at the Mandy's Twitch channel. For Sci-Fi you can find me at unwavering force, which is a Star wars actual play podcast using Pathfinder two e as our sort of game setting. It's super fun. I'm really excited about it. And that's me. [02:52:05] Speaker A: And that leaves us with Kai. [02:52:08] Speaker E: Hi, guys. I'm Kai. I'm stressed. [02:52:13] Speaker C: I wonder why. [02:52:15] Speaker E: Only good choices. Only good choices are made. Everything is fine. Thank you, Aubrey, for hurting me in particular. You can find me on all social media platforms as Estelle of Imladris, that you will mostly find me hanging out in that bird place. Still, maybe as of this recording, you can find me all over the Internet doing all kinds of fun and messy things with wonderful creators. I am in a podcast called the Lore Brewery. We do rotating game masters, and it's a queer perspectives based game group where we change systems and we are trying a bunch of stuff. But our first adventure that we are probably about to wrap up is, well, maybe not, but we're probably about the halfway point of far, far away, which is a fairytale five e adventure where I play another small king named Nyx, who is fine. It has no secrets or problems. It is a game where we take the fairy tales that you know and have heard of, maybe, and turn them on their heads and make them, uh, dark and wonderful like true fairy tales are. Uh, you can find me in a bunch of other places that are unannounced as of this taping. Uh, that will hopefully be announced soon. And, uh, uh, just follow me for all the fun, queer adventures. And, uh, that's. That's me for now. [02:53:55] Speaker A: Uh, I am Avri. I have been your storyteller. You can find me everywhere on the Internet at Manqueen, cosplay, and, you know, as listed. I am GM over on goblets and gays. We're in our fourth season. We are getting close to the end of that campaign. It is wild. Has been almost three years. And you can also find me over on Ashen Snow through scalds tale that should be airing by this point. I believe that starts airing in May. So the first bunch of episodes are out. We're playing through the Gatewalkers adventure path. I'm a useless bisexual in that game. [02:54:38] Speaker C: We all don't play to type. It's fine. There's no trends anywhere. [02:54:42] Speaker A: No trends. [02:54:43] Speaker C: Yeah. [02:54:45] Speaker A: You can also find me. I believe it's going to be airing at the same time as this. You can find me over on vancouver by night as part of the cast for Bonfire of the lost. I am playing Morgan the final girl, lasombra. And you can also find me over on, I believe it has started up by this point is over on Hallethaven Studios as I'm joining the cast of their hunter the reckoning actual play for their second season. If my character hasn't been announced yet, look forward to my character's announcement. It's going to be fun. And at various other places, you can find all the links to all of my stuff on Twitter. And yes, I believe it is now time to bid you all a good night and we'll see you next week for whatever's going to happen. [02:55:36] Speaker B: We're going to die. Please pray for us.