I'd Greg,
Snyder’s Return:like Craig. Thank you, Craig. So deserved. So
Dr. Henry Edwards:we were talking about the base of operation. And it possibly being an extra dimensional digital labyrinth, that Raph could essentially access and use to get around. So when he opens the door steps into the labyrinth, this is the space he's stepping into.
Snyder’s Return:Elaborate on that a bit more, because audio format means that they can't see the texture and I have to step through it a little bit more thoroughly.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Right. So the tags, we have our room for every purpose. So that was kind of our it's either that or administrative access would be the generic tag. With administrative access being like user access for or administrator privileges on a computer or server, being able to change the contents of the labyrinth that will or you know, revoke someone's access. mutable lab, being able to create rooms and items as need be and a room for every purpose sort of doing the same thing but a little more specifically, so if Rafa wants a computer lab, he can create a computer lab or a research lab for Dr. Edwards, or I don't know. Yeah, this her dragon things
Snyder’s Return:spawn the Danger Room,
Dr. Henry Edwards:I admittedly don't quite understand what I own as old jam is yet aside from, you know, being a good person who is also a big angry lizard.
Rafa:She She is pretty devoted to her brother. I think so.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Yeah, we're just much time to explore the brother yet. So I'm excited to see more of that.
Rafa:But yeah, the labyrinth, I think is the easiest way to understand it is kind of the matrix. So you kind of all players are all characters will get a key with which they can open through a regular door. They can get access to the labyrinth, and inside there, they get kind of a command prompt. And they can craft rooms by itself. And so they have this sandbox really, of possibilities that they can create. Just by coding. Really, it's kind of getting the labyrinth together with the IT background from breath. Yeah, absolutely. And we have as our first weakness, we have the digital burnout. So if we stay too much inside of the labyrinth are we do too much stuff. We are kind of processing it ourselves, and it wears us out.
Dr. Henry Edwards:You are the CPU. Yes, more or less. You do not want to suffer a memory leak.
Rafa:Or a bug. Okay, who knows what would happen if we get a blue screen of death and
Dr. Henry Edwards:land. Next week, this tag bug splat.
Snyder’s Return:Let's let's see if you have sufficient cooling on your CPUs. So that was your new, extra new extra thing. New crew thing Based on based on on caves but built around, or using base of operations built around an old place, right?
Dr. Henry Edwards:Yeah, we also picked up Rafael's labyrinth keys as a power tag on the Kruth.
Snyder’s Return:Nice. Now, right? So with all of these new and exciting possibilities in play
Rafa:one more little thing, as we have also a new weakness tech that is overconfident, which I think is very fitting.
Snyder’s Return:Oh, yes. Oh, yes. I couldn't agree more. And you have to attention on that particular crew thing that's supposed to being cleaned down.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Or to me in overconfident monkey swinging into churches and dropping cars on teenagers is not overconfident at all.
Rafa:It's,
Snyder’s Return:they are certainly interesting courses of action taken by the group through your many and varied visits to sites around this interesting city like locale. I don't think to ask either of you, if you had a montage ready? I'll edit this out. And unless one of us like, oh, yeah, I've got something prepared. If not, we'll just I'll just do a lead and
Rafa:I could make one that could actually do explain more or less the creation of the of the labyrinth, yes, please, which Raphael will go home frustrated a little bit about his performance in our last mission, our quest or situation, however, we want to call it and he will do sit down on from in front of his computer and kind of think about how what happened and what his weakness was and be a little bit of ashamed and a bit frustrated about his overall situation and he is not a strong guy, he does have strength, but he kind of has honour jobs and perks that he may be a bit better used, used in. And that is by itself, looking at screens and getting information and being in a virtual environment by itself. And so he started crafting, exactly that he started using his labyrinth abilities, and tried extrapolating on them by seeing what is a labyrinth what comes is considered ways what can what is the internet by itself as a as a philosophical if definition. And so he crafted his own version and his own vision of a labyrinth in a place where he is the master where he has control over things. And thus, he created the labyrinth, his labyrinth, his digital home, his digital empire, more or less. And this is the place that he will try to help his crew and ease of use be more useful than he was until now. Nice.
Snyder’s Return:So in our most recent visits to the city with the crew, there was an instant, shall we say? Outside the washboard? Yeah, there was an incident just outside the washboard tucked in, in like a side alley where a punter should we say from from inside the blues and jazz club here in the downtown area had killed over seemingly over a heart attack. One witness was the performer from inside. Martha Martha Ellis. One key witness was Martha Ellis who had been performing inside the club she raised the alarm, seeing a hooded figure at the far end of the alleyway seemingly loitering and then attempting to make an escape. Those that were there at Rafa and Iona gave chastened owner's brother Tobia and a surgeon Nathan Ogle from Trinity hospital attempted to provide sort of first aid instance to this to this gentleman who had killed over and unfortunately could not be saved. I only go chase and bravely, so penning the individual to the ground briefly, but they were able to cast off their hooded jacket or hoodie and were able to escape into the the alleyways and the busy streets of the city disappearing off, out of sight of the group. With EMTs arriving and police arriving at the scene, given the kerfuffle that had arisen the man was proud I did unfortunate scene. Toby has sort of taken this harder than others. So he Nathan and I owner, headed back to to Trinity arctor to get some solace out while still at the scene Rafa, police had sort of stuck up the crime scene tape and all that and started asking, asking around asking for any eyewitnesses. what had gone on at anybody seen anything? Martha Ellis was taken by the police in for questioning was an eyewitness, the the event and you refer were asked cursory questions at the scene. Dr. Edwards, you declined to attend a meeting with Chairman Chow leaving Latoya wearing the the head of the now deceased Dr. Adams to stand in your place and provide information. You were informed that certain measures have been put in place by other sections of helix labs, namely the instigation of the GS tech support, which would take over cybersecurity of the helix labs, main headquarters and outposts properties throughout the city and the instigation of SPIRE security who will provide the external sort of feet on the ground and style security of both the headquarters and the smaller outposts in the city. It is well refer you are being questioned that a few of the witnesses are describing what they had heard. You hear one of the officers broke into his colleague, they're a bit of a bit of an odd couple these two. One has one officer has the same dusty as and the other one has off has Quinn on their on their badges. One is offs, Quinn is very much a a tall and and well built individual, sort of a big cornfed teddy bear size gentleman who sort of looks and relies heavily on his colleague and Officer Daz you can see the pair of them sort of exchanging locks off, so does she looks to make sure everybody's safe and everybody's calm. And everything is sort of well done. But you hear them discussing between them, as they are not exactly being quiet, overly quiet about it that this seems to be one of a number of strange sort of cardiac events or cardiac arrest deaths or currencies in the city the last sort of last week or so. So you sort of overhear that.
Rafa:Okay. I will go over to the gentleman's woman and ask them well, I couldn't have or hurt what you said. I'm very sorry about it. But this isn't the first case. You said I believe this, this kind of a serial thing.
Snyder’s Return:It's your MC Adam here just taking a break from the case momentarily to let you know about our great friends in the tabletop role playing game community and the TTRPG family. So the following is a short trailer for one of our many friends. Go and check them out. Follow the links in the description below to go and give their show and listen, engage with them and engage with us. We'd love to have you back as the cases continue to progress. Speaking of which, let's get back to the action.
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Snyder’s Return:On the wall, everybody seems to be shorter than than officer Quinn, who looks down at his colleague officer Chavi Deus and and she says to you, I mean, she's shorten and seems quite, I wouldn't say on fire. But She's feisty. You get that sense from her as she sort of turns to look in your direction rather, and sort of seeing you just a civilian just kind of winds herself back in a little bit. And she says, well, though, I can't confirm everything that happens in the city. It It does seem seem like a bit of a strange coincidence and hard heart disease. And that is is always dangerous, but I don't know, our current. We're confused by this. If, if you know what I'm saying.
Rafa:Now, I know. There's a lot of strange things to say about you now.
Snyder’s Return:Well, yeah. Between me and she looks up at Officer Quinn between me and may have seen quite a lot. But ya know, we were we were at the Bancroft place, or what was that a week ago at New York Times? Like it was about a week. And she? She said, Yeah, it was the Bancroft place about a week ago. Very, very similar looking, you know, contortions. Like, I don't know. Corner. That's, that's that's his thing. But
Rafa:you said they are contorted complex, torqued it word so god, yeah. Is the out of character. Is this guy over here converted to, like, is he? Or does he only have a cardiac arrest? The
Snyder’s Return:the extremes, shall we say of, of how he has sort of arrived in in what I'm guessing is agony or discomfort. And the way that the sort of the is closed or scuffed and moved and how, while you were just while you were there, Toby and Nathan had to sort of not restrain him, but try and make him make this individual comfortable that this man on the ground it looked, it looked unnatural, shall we say not sort of bent in half or contorted in a sort of twisted limbs but very much pushed beyond the physical limit.
Rafa:I see. So as he was dying, still, he was kind of twisting his arms and legs kind of our Was it when he was all found he was already done?
Snyder’s Return:Well, when there were screams and things outside and you guys sort of got to the scene. If he was already on the ground, twisted in sort of twisted in such a way that it felt if you were to try and recreate the sort of positioning moment, it's like gripping towards your heart coming out of your chest and having it almost being pulled, shall we say from an exterior force? Alley, as I said
Rafa:the the first thing that I want to see is if there are any cameras hanging around in the street or in the alley that we are in
Snyder’s Return:what you are scanning you although there is not doesn't appear to be a camera that points sort of down the alley towards this section, sort of directly where these two individuals were. So Martha Ellis and the gentleman on the ground. There's a camera that looks there's a couple of cameras that you could possibly get some information off of the sort of cat cover part of the scene and potentially where I only saw the suspect disappear off into the city, the other end of the alleyway around the corner.
Rafa:Okay. Then, rough will thank the officers for their time and wish them good luck with the investigation. Just I'll go back to Tober at Dover and Nathan, and ask. Well, I don't know how I could be of any help here right now. Can I leave you? I'll look after Iona
Snyder’s Return:Tobia sort of thanks you for for the offer to look after I own it. But she seems very much intent that Toby has taken. You can see in his face, he's taken either a knock to his confidence or there's something weighing on his mind and Iona protests effectively to stay with Tobia. So when they leave you it pathways effectively, but the three of them effectively head back towards the hospital. They let you know that that's where they're going to go first. And see if there's any, any way of helping the coroner.
Rafa:Okay, Aiyana will be back already. And they'll they'll go off together. Yeah. Okay. Then I will do, I will take a small key out of my pocket. And I will, it's a very kind of, it's kind of a very aural net or Nate key. But they have some, some couple of crystals. They have this, this Greek kind of pattern. You notice those square waves, more or less, but instead of being some metal or well, some some ancient crafted keys, they are circuit lines. It's kind of a PCV and I will insert it into a door, turn the key and step in, and I will be gone into another dimension. All right, as you
Snyder’s Return:cross the threshold of your own creation effectively. Doctor, what have you been doing since Dr. Stevenson had to disappear abruptly to deal with their son Latoya is busy dealing with a meeting for with Chairman Chow who's come in as a major sort of benefactor to a benefactor customer, person of interest to the company. So,
Dr. Henry Edwards:as Rafa steps through the door into labyrinth, the Camera Cuts slowly below ground to a scene in the sewers beneath Felix labs main headquarters, where Dr. Edwards is currently knee deep in filth, and doing his best to endure the indignity of having to resolve the issue of the suppose a monster that has been harassing healix employees himself, he's quietly curious as to the nature of the creature, intrigued by the idea of testing some of his newfound strength against it, particularly since he is in fact, on his own. And that means he can really display his abilities without having to worry about sentimental moralising from his crewmates.
Snyder’s Return:As you move through this horrific unsanitary scene, moving through the sewer system we bought from you and sort of sweep through several tunnels further down, and we see a large shaper, sort of moving through shadow to shadow as the sound of your footsteps sort of ripple through the water and through the down the sewer system. What sounds like at first it could be just an echo of your movement seems to come back a little bit stronger. There is a there is a another object item thing creating motion in these dark and I'm pretty quite big the sewer, enough to accommodate you at your full size. Just still cramped with the surf with the sense of a wider city scale. Something else is making waves, shall we say? Down here in the sewers not too far from your location,
Dr. Henry Edwards:as is unpleasant
Snyder’s Return:as you continue to step and stride weighed almost through this, this sewage war To the slick of the walls the the sort of the oozing of, of unknown substances that sort of just ripples and runs down. The saw walls circular saw was either side, you carrying a light with you of any shape, form or description. No. Excellent.
Dr. Henry Edwards:As I was going to say, Dr. Edwards did in fact, take a puff of his inhaler before he came down. Use the flashback action to retrieve the story tag night vision, as he has used his transformative abilities to enhance his eyes with extreme low light vision.
Snyder’s Return:What color's your low light vision out of interest,
Dr. Henry Edwards:it's Shades of Grey haven't aged grey, just the one.
Snyder’s Return:So as your your eyes have adjusted the fit of the serum has has pushed your physique to allow this perceptive talent to come to bear. And you're sort of scanning the scenes down further through, you can now sort of with your eyes adjusted, there are, there's a few rats swimming, swimming through the water that kind of brush past you and disappear off further down. And as the waves that you create, sort of ripple off down and sort of fade into the darkness coming from around the corner. Very small and almost imperceptible at first, but seemingly getting a little bit stronger. And more frequent in their ferocity, as it were is a series of small ripples and waves coming from a side or at the next sort of bend around the end of this sewer section. Right.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Dr. Edwards, notes the ripples and reaches into his jacket pocket for his inhaler. He raised it to his lips, takes up half inhales it deeply and thinks about the traits that would help him in this situation the things he could become that would be advantageous and unlike his usual, hulking, lopsided form, he still grows muscular, but his skin begins to darken to a grey green and separate into armoured separate into armoured scutes as he takes on the features of what one might assume the archetypal sewer Gator to possess.
Snyder’s Return:Thanks for listening. You can find out more about the show, including our interview episodes via linktree or at our website at www dot Snyder’s return.squarespace.com please consider leaving us a review. City of mist as a TTRPG by some of you can find out more about city Mist by going to www dot city of mist.ca. Oh, music and sound effects for this episode from epidemic sounds.com. The intro and outro music were composed by Chloe Elliot. You can find her on Twitter at Khloe underscore with the flow. The logo was designed by Jessie Lowe, you can find her artwork on Twitter at Akon Nomi underscore art. We're going to use our help points and be ready to investigate next time on MEDLARS monsters and madmen