My name is ivory. I play Iona Starling and who has the risk of the shadow dragon from Dungeons and Dragons.
Rafa:All right. My name is Martin and I will be playing Rafa and he has to miss us of the amino terrorists from the Greek mythology.
Dr. Henry Edwards:My name is Chris and I play Dr. Henry Edwards, a riff of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Hello, my
Snyders Return:name is Adam. I am your MC and welcome to metallers monsters, a madman
Kevin Carpenter:looks like it's going to be another busy day out there in the city. roadworks have closed off access to royal Plaza from the south, with the versions taking you east along gager Street and North pass the 12th precinct will have more travel news in the next 30 minutes. But for now, let's see what today's weather is doing with Alex.
Snyders Return:Thanks, Kevin. It's cool started the day with a low of 65 degrees and a low pressure off the coast bring in a cool breeze from the Docklands later today, we can expect a high pressure front to force its way over the sea causing temperatures to rise to a balmy 88 degrees. It'll mostly be overcast through the day, although the chance of rain sits at around a 38%. This will last the majority of the day. Back to you Kevin sunrises, hitting the sands of the beach front, casting long shadows as it as the sun rises higher into the sky across the large ships in the docks. And you can hear the hustle and the bustle of the the blue collar district starting to stir and come to life getting ready for the toil of the day. This is momentarily drowned out by the sounds of gunshots and sirens reverberating from somewhere deep in the city. Again, this sound lost in the confusion of noise as the industrial zone gears up, ready to spring into life. And as we move into the city, we come across a nice area of Green Park. How does Iona spend this first part of the day
Iona Starling:is usually actually up before dawn, she would have had a relatively heavy breakfast probably steak and eggs, lots of protein. Like three shots of espresso, and she would have gone up and around for a run as still, just as the sun begins to rise up on the day. He goes around her building around her complex area, then down to the beach, probably running across the sand to try and get used to the rough terrain. You're potentially listening to music but she's not staring at the ground. She's studying people, you're looking at them. Almost always judging them for threats, you know, as if she's waiting for something to pounce on him. He goes around and probably the sun's rays and by the time she comes back home as soon as she comes back to her place, she picks up the phone and the very first thing she does in the day is always check up on her brother purse to see how he's doing. He's usually an early riser too. If he doesn't answer he goes she goes straight to him because he always answers otherwise then he would begin heading over to Little Tokyo to see how Rafa is doing as her current law I guess you could say charge.
Snyders Return:Um, would you mind briefly describing I own his appearance for
Iona Starling:a relatively short young woman, let's say 23 years old, um, but she's not. I want to say she's four. But you can see well defined muscles on her. She's kind of broad shoulders. She has relatively narrow eyes and high cheekbones. He has long black hair that falls along with two small braids. On the side of her face. She chose pale skin and she comes across as just having a certain sharpness to her. Right? You wouldn't describe her as ugly but you wouldn't really poke her out on a piano and of course accordion either, right there's a certain level of fades into the background about her appearance, right? cue and others those who can see through the mess can they notice are these are our parents as well as
Snyders Return:others who could see through the mist? We'll be able to see them. Yeah,
Iona Starling:yeah. So hermosos generally manifests itself through a dotted mole black dotted scales on her arms and plays almost like freckles. A pair of horns jut out from her hair, and her eyes are black on silver with slitted pupils. So definitely a kind of dangerous appearance overall. Alright,
Snyders Return:so as we follow Iona through this morning routine and starting to make her way through to Little Tokyo the sun now rising further in the sky overhead, putting a warm glow across sort of the middle of the city in towards Little Tokyo. We find Rafa Rafa, what are you doing as the sun begins to ascend into the morning sky.
Unknown:I believe that Raph would stay in bed for a while or at least are most likely depending on how hard his work he would be rising from his desk, kind of with his cheek, kind of mushed into his keyboard and he would rise up and look in the mirror on Neela have all those key caps kind of imprinted in his face. The first thing is he would take a shower. That's the thing that kind of motivates me getting out of bed and kind of starting today is a cold shower that gets gradually warmer and cosier. He'll also work out he maybe he probably he has a treadmill in his house. He's he likes getting up. But for a quick workout, he he'll probably stay home. After the workout, he will go for a walk. He'll he'll take a quick shower again. And then he'll go for a walk, just walk to the bakery down the street. He'll greet he is the owners or the workers and his favourite takeout Chinese takeout restaurant and then he'll pass the comic book store and he'll greet the the owner to until he gets to the bakery. have a little chat with the baker until he very calmly and happily walks out the store with a croissant and just enjoyed the meal that you'll have until he comes home again and prepares for his day. Maybe it will be a freelance job where he has to either work on his station at home or he'll go to the company and make a have some kind of meeting or he will do some other activity that is not so publicly known. And for his appearance he is like I said he's an adult. He's closer, closer to 30 years old, but he is well built. He's a very handsome man of European descent. But you see that he is well groomed but it's been a couple of days. So like he has those that three d three day beard going on he Yeah, a very strong thing about him. Fourth thing that you can really see Is he has set the ring the nose ring. Oh, that kind of is really screaming when you talk to him and you know when when you can't really look people in di people don't have that problem with him because they will always be staring at his nose. You even sleepers? Yeah, it's it's it's a piercing
Iona Starling:system normal piercing. It's not like, like, like a big one. Right? Is it a big one? Or is it just like?
Unknown:Well, it doesn't it doesn't go all the way down to his mouth this but it's it's it's a thing you can see it. It's not like gluten knows it has a little bit of room. I'd say like, I don't know, it's a bit less than an inch, like half an inch more. Maybe it's there, you'll see it. And if it has something to do with the with the mess, maybe maybe we'll see later, but it's appearance. And
Snyders Return:yeah. Okay. And finally, now the whole area is warming and maybe those who require a bit more of the sun's lighter to give them energy in the oldest part of the city, the Old Quarter. But where do we find the good document which in the mornings,
Dr. Henry Edwards:the good doctor isn't an especially early riser, especially since it's quite the night owl either working obsessively into the wee hours of the morning or taking a dose or several of the CRM and going out on the town to explore what he's capable of. He's thin, very thin, naturally, about six and a half feet tall. And his repeated use and abuse of the serum has left him even the revenue will be normal. One might say painfully thin. He usually wears a pair of black slacks and a white button down shirt, under which he wears a one piece exceptionally stretchy bodysuit that he pilfered from his workplace. It's very convenient for someone who changes their shape and proportions quite regularly is spends his mornings sort of utilitarian preparation for work. He showers he eats a pre prepared meal, but probably isn't as big as it ought to be considering how thin he is. And he either immediately gets into his research or if there is something to do at the main helix labs, office or satellite laboratories, you will get to work in spite of the sort of competing focus between his work and those you spend spends much of his time at work with his attention and divided although there are a number of experiments running at all times that essentially relate to his method posts. He has also taken to locating subjects who themselves have recently come into powers of their own and let's just say his investigations into what they're capable of how much they can withstand. The nature of their powers are less than gentle. Like, well, hold the water gun to my head is metagaming. But, um, is he like kidnapping them? Ah, that really depends. I'd say In some cases in most cases, he would attempt to make an arrangement. So, you know, if he discovered but some star athlete had developed a mythos who would probably offer them you know, all kinds of medical support and testing and all this that he would that the athlete would no doubt find useful, failing a willingness to accept his generous support he might arrange with helix labs, which is a decidedly unscrupulous organisation to start with to have them suffer some sort of unfortunate accident that requires extensive medical care under his tender ministrations
Iona Starling:are these tender ministrations I suppose you can actually have a lot of people die because these a trail to be
Dr. Henry Edwards:probably don't need I mean, do it. I mean, he has a basement full of corrosive chemicals, but I'm not. It doesn't really you can't experiment on or test the powers of people who are dead. When it really doesn't serve his interests. To test them to the point of critical failure, as it were,
Iona Starling:I suppose you'd also have to be careful because, you know, if, for example, the family were to know, it was you they were passed on to you know, start leaving a trail. And when that kind of stuff happens. Even if these are accidents, and you know, they get passed to you. It's not that Oh, the it's like, you know, you could leave a trail if you were to
Rafa:start killing. He does have an entire big corporation behind him. So they have an army of
Iona Starling:lawyers through I mean, he can make people disappear. But that sounds like
Dr. Henry Edwards:it's not like he can go to his boss and say this toy is broken. Get me a new one. Yeah. That's exactly what he does.
Iona Starling:Yeah, no, I, yeah, it's that but also like, you know, what's, what's the point? That's just more issues under his belt? Like, what? What does Felix labs know about his experiments? Right? Like, what what are they gaining from making these people disappear? Right? They don't know he's doing it.
Dr. Henry Edwards:They wouldn't let him do experiments in the first place if they weren't getting something out of it. True.
Unknown:True.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Or the only one with a myth is Jesus, okay.
Snyders Return:Who's to say the good doctor is the only one doing these experiments? Oh, you and me both. Anyway, I've read to near the bottom of it, and I know just how,
Iona Starling:alright, I haven't mentioned what, I don't know where's where's he's not a very fashionable person. She's pretty professional house with dresses. Um, it's probably boots that are good for running, walking, finding a you know, General movement. Um, black, black pants, you know, easy to move in. upward sleep probably has a like a button up, like, like one of those office shirts that she can roll up her sleeves. And I like to imagine a like a, like one of those suits that that men wear you know what I'm talking about?
Unknown:Oh, just just just like a three piece divest from from like a kind of like a waitress like a waistcoat? sweater vests. I'll keep it short for raffys. Think of anyone who would work at Facebook. Like jeans, t shirt. Maybe? No dead bodies. Yeah, baggy clothes when it's cold. It's just human that you're aware of anyone to come back. So,
Snyders Return:owner has her brother and parents that we may or may not meet during the course of, of our time in the city. Refer? Are you a single Pringle lone wolf? Um,
Rafa:I I'd say I, yes, he's single. He puts he has swag. He has fun. He may or may wake up with someone in his bed sometimes. But he's having that stuff the ladies
Unknown:keyboard extracted, no, I can say he is pretty handsome. He's well built. Even for him it going by especially for it. Now he's single, he's happy. He has fun. He has many friends or he has a healthy amount of friends and family. Now he came from he came from elsewhere, and he has no many currency dependencies or some family aggregates. There's not much to them. And the good doctor.
Dr. Henry Edwards:The good doctor really doesn't have any personal connections is he was an only child. His parents died in a car crash when he was young. And he used their estate to establish savings and put himself through school. So he one might say that he is socially stunted in all the wrong ways.
Snyders Return:Fair enough. As you so rewind slightly, only you go across the rafters the pair of you are well a week the doctor is carrying on his routine independent to you too. As it stands, what is it that you to get up to why you are together? 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 and don't check them out. Follow the links in the description below to go and give the show a listen and 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. Coco from Les deux Magoo, the epitome of bliss, the pinnacle of creation, we're down to our last thermos
Unknown:was impossible. Put in an order to Paris right away. droptop heat delivery takes 10 hours at least put
Iona Starling:your way down. No, no, we haven't had any new clients in over a month. Until business picks up. We'd have to tighten our belts. But I can't work without cocoa.
Unknown:You're not working. Not at the moment because we haven't had any clients because you turned them all down. But it was so boring. It can't be Jimmy hopper and DB Cooper every day. Making people disappear is an
Iona Starling:art and just saying it can't be parachutes and plane hijackings all the time. We have to take on some good old bread and butter disappearances to keep the lights on around here. or in our case,
Unknown:to keep the cocoa flowing. Okay, next client to contact us. I'll take on their case. You promise, promise. Now give me the last of that Coco. It looks like we have a new client. The Amelia project, a podcast series full of suspense surprises, twists, laughs and cocoa, don't you Amelia podcast.com or search for the Amelia project wherever podcasts can be found. And remember, leave your message after the beep
Iona Starling:I mean, when did you wake up? Like if I was probably heading to place just around as the sun was moving away from the horizon. So pretty early in the morning
Unknown:if we know each other for a short time at least you'll probably throw me out of that initial routine.
Iona Starling:Yeah, I'll yeah, no, I I like to imagine I was coming over every day and like, whether you're asleep or awake, like banging on your door.
Unknown:So you're probably so you'll be hanging out a lot at my place. So you'll you'll be okay, then. Yeah, vaguely, vaguely. You will probably have taking on the routine or the role of of opening my blinds and kind of throwing me out of bed and being like, good morning. Thing is banging on your door and shouting Are you awake? Are you alive? Yeah. You're alive. Yeah, making the house out of bed. taking out the trash not he's not like the dark matter. Well, so I will open your door. My door to you. You'll see a sleepy Raph. He'll go for a shower, then you can do whatever you want. And my place
Iona Starling:to be down is just like, you look like a mess. And then she goes and stands outside your door to wait for you to get
Unknown:back at then. I'll just get ready and let's let's go to bakery. You probably already have have had a healthy breakfast as I assume.
Iona Starling:She's getting more. She's getting more food. Okay. Weirdly enough, it's not really like a I want to consider it like a weakness or anything, but I think it's an additional detail. Um, she's, she's hungry, she can eat a lot more. So she can generally tends to have a big appetite. I'm not necessarily that like, I didn't want to consider a weakness like, you know, she needs a lot of food. But you know, I'll just take a
Unknown:more growing girl you're right to have you to be hungry. Let's just get I'm 20 I'm 23 care girl. I start gone gets hangry Well, there are people who grow early or people who grow later it's all fine.
Iona Starling:whatever whatever she gets. It has been. It has been a lot. It's me. Me. Me. But yeah, but she does turn her nose up at the Chinese food. She's not having that but she'll take like a I don't know what sort of like a meat pie or something.
Unknown:But what we're doing to the bakery chill. I don't know bakeries around my area usually happy you'll you'll get something people.
Snyders Return:Hopefully the local Baker doesn't have to miss that mythos. and Mrs. Lovett just write that down. Alright, you've given what you've done. You're welcome to take that and run with it sir. God, he's very kind. He's very kind. There's something I had in mind. So the bakery down the street is Levinson's bakery. bakery Yeah, yeah. And they sell all the good things always good for a chat. always interested good vibes as you go in. Beautiful sort of wears available to you. Especially Rafa, since you're a frequent customer, you would know the owner is a Zachary Levinson and is always so friendly with you. If you sit in there to eat, he will sort of come across and join you. Just Just for some idle chitchat to see how how you and if the owner is with you how the pair of you were doing when you go in?
Unknown:Yeah, sure. Have a nice coffee have some nice cross saw, probably with some chocolate filling. A person in a funny accent was not working out to reach across song. So, you will see that Raph and probably myself or as a player will get on your nerves. A lot of like The Pink Panther movie when he said Bamberger America burger. Alright.
Snyders Return:So what do you do for the rest of the day? I will come back to the The doctor was in a minute so what is it that iron and Rafa do through the course of an average day. It doesn't have to be together, I just want to sort of set your daily routine so I can disrupt it in horrible and violent ways.
Iona Starling:I guess. I guess if Rafa's acting as her mentor, maybe like a part of the day could be spent, like her trying to practice with her powers and him helping.
Unknown:Maybe if I do have to work on that day, we will go back to my place, I will sit on my computer with my like three or six screens, I'll give you something to do for a while. I'll be working, I'll be chatting with my my friends or associates, associates. And probably as soon as I knew that, the doctor is up, we'll go to him. Or
Iona Starling:I like I like I like to imagine that the first time she hung around him, he handed her a colouring book.
Unknown:Now I probably I probably give you a rock. Like I have some kind of jincheng rock and I'll say just focus your mist energy into that. And I'll just leave you with that. It has nothing to do with you then. It's just like you have you ever seen like Naruto or some Annie Mae that you have an hour like hunter you know you have you have all this that your your energy and you have to focus you have to bundle that energy so you can you so you can control it and the first step is channelling all the energy that flows through your body that flows through your key points or chakra, whatever you want to call it. You just have to bundle it floated to to send the energy down your arms into your hand into your fingertips and from your fingertips. It's going to imbue the stone and then something great will happen.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Dr Edwards had the first clue what a weeaboo was he went he can can wrap up like a convince before this
Snyders Return:otherwise I was throwing that stone out the window but it's up to you what refer Do you do use your abilities should we say to to get across to the doctor?
Unknown:I don't really use my my abilities that much. Unless it's for fall yes for minor conveniences like opening a lock door for our a when the when the hall is way too long. Let's just take a take her right here and while we're there. But I can't bend like I said I can't bend the entire city to my will. So we if we will go to the doctor we will be using the tube or a cab.
Iona Starling:Is this a point? To say that? I don't know if you'll let it happen. But I want to can change. So could you fly there?
Snyders Return:If you can find somewhere not in the middle of of a heavily populated area. So maybe up on a roof. Yeah, I
Unknown:I would be kind of against this idea. I will be like you You will have the the moments the right moments to use your powers and it's not in the middle of Tokyo Where? Yes, maybe a dragon would not be so disruptive. But still,
Dr. Henry Edwards:I mean this does prevent sleepers from seeing a thing out of the ordinary.
Iona Starling:I'm not sure. I mean you know frightening people. I mean, I don't think she minds the idea of people being like, you know those who I imagine sleepers just see like a plane or something right. Okay. But like grifs to see a large dragon flying round over their heads periodically you know might make them a little funny
Unknown:I wouldn't ride you unless it's really necessary so we can meet at the doctor but I will probably insistent taking
Iona Starling:convenience shall carry shall carry you in laws but you're not getting under that know how to train your dragon
Unknown:like I said we can if you if you insist and flying We will meet again at the different agendas it's a weakness everyone give attention to the free theme Oh my wrath I would I would certainly kind of tried to discourage you from from using our your power so often and really try to to use it more when you're when it's really necessary but like I like I said you can if you if we take the two of you can still focus on the stone and RAF's really
Iona Starling:seriously, are you going to convince her that because that's the only way you're getting her to do this? Is the only way can we do that chief Sure. plays out okay, if you do this motherfucker
Dr. Henry Edwards:it would be more go to go toe to toe if you're resisting right? Would have been right have any tags I can do that. Or I guess you could face danger against the status he'd be trying to give you but I'd like to
Snyders Return:convince that is as much as just a fun story fact. Yeah. Me neither need the robot. I'd say if Rafa was trying to convince Iona that it is probably not the best idea to do that. Then we'll do a convince if Rafi you want to try and convince owner to follow up.
Unknown:I'm just I'm just thinking. I don't have any or I could use like disorienting trends kind of as but I don't think I'd do that. I would just it's it's it's a blatant lie you you can either
Iona Starling:Yeah. Yeah, like if you put her in a trance and that's a temporary thing you know you'd have to will convince every day
Snyders Return:No I think I will do I will do a dry convince all right no power. I don't think I have anything here. It's an Eight Mile Okay, so with an eight is a more success so there's there's sort of maybe a wavering in your voice or there's there's doubt there as to how convincing you are with respect to Iona. I don't know how you respond to this. Less than complete suggest suggestion for this course of action is is entirely down to you.
Unknown:Let's just say I am saying this was with a straight face, but with an uncanny little smile.
Iona Starling:Common sense with went out and she would call bullshit. So you will take that one status. I guess maybe you can instil doubt in her in in herself. Maybe be your status to just at least take two stone with you. I'll take the stuff out of my pocket. Perfect like maybe Alright, and immediately test if the pennies go through you if the truck drunk from a sufficiently I theory? Yeah, exactly. Um, otherwise, while Ross is working, just detailed, she probably is on she probably brings a laptop with her she works. whatever needs to be done. Um, if there's something her brother needs her to do, she'll be off doing that instead. Just the usual things but ultimately she'll return to Rafa and Chris in the evening and the doctor the doctor bought an electric soccer for every time I do, let's not. So, that would be a very
Snyders Return:alright. So, Doctor, you continue to work through the day on your various projects.
Dr. Henry Edwards:Almost certainly, unless there is some pressing business that needs to be dealt with is probably not Answering the door if his companions just kind of show up expecting him to do stuff he sets pretty firm immovable boundaries
Snyders Return:All right. So, as day turns to evening, and slowly into night as each of your days draw to a close the, the calm of the city especially in this small central area is disrupted by what can only be described as a as a humungous explosion. Looking across the cityscape in this sort of Twilight, early evening sort of setting, there's a building across more towards our back towards the blue collar area from Jersey guys, Little Tokyo and waters are looking back on the beach front and into the blue collar section of the city. There is a huge fireball that lifts up lighting the night sky, plumes of smoke rising up out in a column and up into the sky. thick and black and down on the ground. There's debris everywhere, and sort of silhouetted against this fireball flame that's tearing out we see a a figure sort of emerge out of this destruction, again, hard to tell what this this humanoid format clearly looks like. But you get the brief glimpse of like a medical gown. As they sort of race off and disappear into another part of the city, there's sort of cars that have heavy body work damaged windows are in sort of homes and businesses across the street from this building blasted in. The heat is starting to sort of melt the paintwork on nearby businesses. And as you're sort of just becoming attuned to this situation that's happening across the city, refer you receive an email. And Dr. Edwards, your your phone line begins to ring. All right, we'll take a look. All right. What have you got with you to access? Are you in your Little Tokyo base of operations? Or are you out and about
Unknown:and the evening? Yeah, I would say that I'm out and about because I think it's it's important to stretch the legs from time to time. So I'll be I'll have my little backpack are kind of my everyday stuff. And if I have an email, I just look at my phone.
Snyders Return:As you look at your, your email, you see it's it's encrypted from one of one of the members of the top of the hacker group hacktivist group you're part of. And you notice, just first glimpse, looking at it, that it's its title is project vector question mark. And then there's a design for a company that doesn't immediately look familiar to you, as you sort of scan read this, this first email quickly. So while you're absorbing that, Dr. Your own line is sorry,
Unknown:it's it's project vector or vector,
Snyders Return:vector, vector things with a question mark. Doctor, your phone is ringing. Dr. Edwards. Dr. Edwards. It's it's Dr. Adams here. From from headquarters. There's there's been a an event should we say we need you to come in and have a look at some of some of the research we've had an issue with with one of the projects lovely.
Dr. Henry Edwards:I'll be in shortly. Make sure nobody clicks anything else.
Snyders Return:Yes, well, we'll have someone meet you at the door. We have dispatched units to investigate the situation. We will see you shortly. doctorate and the phone hangs up. I don't know where are you in in the evenings. If you're not with Rafa
Iona Starling:it might be actually out in the old. The old words. I think by now, you would have learned that if she can control the abilities he got violent and she might think that's the safest place in the city. Which of course she can't leave. Right? So she probably goes there to train even though it's trying to convince her not to. She can't sit around staring at a stone. She probably goes and trains by herself. Okay,
Snyders Return:well, while you out in the woods you hear a delayed compared to everybody else but you hear the explosion you see the fire and the smoke raising up sort of up into the sky, lighting that part of the city and if you were to draw a beeline from your location in the woods, through to where that fire is, somewhere on that line is where your brother works.
Iona Starling:Patient I am beeps for her phone and she immediately dyers dials her brother's phone number. And
Snyders Return:as the phone continues to ring, answer, seemingly not coming immediately. That is where we'll end and we'll pick up next time starting the case. Thanks for listening. You can find out more about the show including our interview episode via our link tree or at our website at www dot snows return.squarespace.com. please consider leaving us a review. City of mist is a ttrpg by Sun of oak. You can find out more about city mist by going to www dot city of mist.co 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 akkad Nomi underscore art. We're going to use our help points and be ready to investigate next time on meddlers monsters and madmen