Don't Metaphor My Milk-Ep 97

The heroes need rest and feel pressed to finish preparation for the Transmigration ritual. They begin to notice the people of Willowshore acting stranger than usual.

Pathfinder Second Edition Remastered and the Season of Ghosts Adventure Path by Paizo Inc. Used under Paizo’s Community Use Policy. https://paizo.com/

Music and sound design by ⁠Monument Studios⁠, creators of premium TTRPG audio assets. 

Music in part by @MichaelGhelfiStudios (https://michaelghelfistudios.com)

Transcript

SPEAKER_07 0:36

And mild arousal in a world determined to keep you dumb when the sky revolves around your feet as the tide gives you back a long-lost trotchkey that you really didn't care about, the wind-sealing thoughts that you couldn't give away of a panic eruption under your bed that you just sleep through. You plead with time, just not today. I need a little more. Welcome to the odd box. Who here at the table is the most sympathetic?

SPEAKER_06 1:02

Not Jeff. What? I was about to save me.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

But I guess not. What the hell?

SPEAKER_04 1:13

It might be Jeff. That might be what all the walls are for, is to try to keep himself safe. You know?

SPEAKER_02 1:18

It's like an onion.

SPEAKER_04 1:19

Yeah, it's like an onion.

SPEAKER_06 1:20

Deep down inside under his suit of armor. I can feel people's emotions. I don't understand why that's such a big deal. They just have to tell me first.

SPEAKER_04 1:31

First, they have to explain to me what an emotion is. I got that part down. I'm 40, you know. So what an emotion is? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:38

What's that face you're making? What are you trying to convey?

SPEAKER_04 1:41

Is that disgust? Is that disgusting? Why is there water on your face?

SPEAKER_07 1:45

Oh my god, your eyes are leaking.

SPEAKER_02 1:48

Go clean yourself up. Put bearing your teeth in me. You look disgusting. I would agree with life. Who? Life.

SPEAKER_04 1:58

Oh, life? I didn't know we were voting. I didn't. I voted for you. Kyle did.

SPEAKER_02 2:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 2:02

I'm okay with that. I think uh Courtney and Jeff have both taken careers as caregivers, which I feel like it helps to not have empathy in that field.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

Excuse me.

SPEAKER_07 2:14

I love you so much, but you are not a very empathetic person.

SPEAKER_02 2:17

I am with my patients.

SPEAKER_07 2:18

Yeah, you don't even know how empathetic I am.

SPEAKER_03 2:20

I just I literally run out of it by the time I get home.

SPEAKER_07 2:24

Jeff, you are a charge. You're not patient-facing anymore. That's so true.

SPEAKER_06 2:29

That's even worse, though. No, that's the best. Not having to deal with patients. That's why I'm in the OR because they are all asleep when I'm actually working with them. I don't have to talk to them.

SPEAKER_03 2:39

This is the one that said he was the most sympathetic.

SPEAKER_06 2:42

You don't have to talk to them, but you still do.

SPEAKER_05 2:44

I can feel their emotions when they're asleep.

SPEAKER_07 2:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 2:47

That's when I'm most in tune.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

He waits outside the room until the patient's intubated, and then he's like, okay, now I can circulate.

SPEAKER_04 2:54

Yeah. That might be why though. You know what I mean? The feelings are too big. You need them to be asleep to minimize the impact.

SPEAKER_05 3:04

Am I put on a list now?

SPEAKER_06 3:06

I think so. It's a it's a federal watch list. Yeah. It might be me. Who's the least? Tony. No, Courtney. I thought we had already said Courtney for the part.

SPEAKER_04 3:21

I just thought I wanted to include Tony in the conversation though.

SPEAKER_06 3:23

Why?

SPEAKER_07 3:25

I do a lot of the talking.

SPEAKER_04 3:26

Yeah, he hasn't been in yet. Everybody else got talked about. He starts it all. Oh, that's true. Yeah. With his list of anachronisms. Mm-hmm. Stupid questions. I'm doing the best I can. Which I really look forward to every time. I'm always excited about it.

SPEAKER_03 3:45

I think Jeff's the least empathetic.

SPEAKER_05 3:49

Yeah, you do own the most amount of guns. So that do I?

SPEAKER_07 3:53

I think Kyle is the least in the moment, and then like a day later, he's like, I feel really bad for that person.

SPEAKER_04 3:58

No, I think I'm the most all the time. I just can't handle it.

SPEAKER_07 4:02

Just a 24-hour leg.

SPEAKER_04 4:04

Yeah, no, I just at some point it gets to the point where it boils over and I have to talk about it, you know? Most of the time I just try to bury it deep down inside.

SPEAKER_03 4:11

I think you're very empathetic, Kyle.

SPEAKER_04 4:13

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 4:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 4:15

It's a it's a tragic combination of poor people skills and a lot of empathy. Because people are always pissed off, and I'm like, oh, I'm sorry you're so pissed off. And they're like, it's your fault. And I'm like, oh geez, I didn't even know.

SPEAKER_07 4:25

I was gonna say maybe it's who you surround yourself with, but you're here surrounded by us. So does that help or hurt? Oh, hurt for sure. We are not a healthy group.

SPEAKER_04 4:37

Our podcast proves that. Our podcast is amazing.

SPEAKER_03 4:42

We have fun.

SPEAKER_04 4:43

Says the co-founder.

SPEAKER_06 4:45

I like listening to the the pre-podcast conversations again. There's some pretty messed up shit in there. It gets really, really dark. Yeah. We have a very dark sense of humor. Sometimes just flat out offensive. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Problematic even. Some might say. It's my favorite part of the future. Future problem. It's a future problem. Yeah. If we ever start to get watched by people, if people knew about us, we'd be in a lot of trouble.

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 5:17

We're attracting the wrong fans.

SPEAKER_05 5:21

You agree with us? Why would you do that? Oh my god. We were making jokes.

SPEAKER_07 5:25

I wasn't being serious at all. It's not our fault you can't see the air quotations around jokes. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_05 5:33

I've said it a few times. My arms are tired from holding these air quotes all the time.

SPEAKER_06 5:38

Honestly, I don't put them up.

SPEAKER_04 5:40

Kind of an atlas type situation. Like just be holding them air quotes for us the whole show.

SPEAKER_05 5:47

From beginning to end is the main job. That's what was supposed to go on the checklist.

SPEAKER_07 5:54

Prepare the air quotes. Hang them from the ceiling at this point.

SPEAKER_03 5:57

It's part of the decoration.

SPEAKER_07 6:06

Alright. Now that we're all enthused and empathetic, are we in tune with each other? You guys feel in tune with the emotions around the table? Yeah, I think so. They aren't all good. I never feel great sitting at the head of you four. That's a lot to deal with. Speaking of a lot to deal with, you guys followed a sad ghost woman and uh followed her for hours through the forest. And she leads you to a dry riverbed. In a small circular section, you find a place where snow does not gather and no vegetation grows. Pops is able to figure out that he should dig in this area and he discovers some human bones. So Gardas unceremoniously just stuffs them into the bag of holding, and you return to the graveyard on a much more direct route. Here, as you were like, okay, we should bury them, revenants burst from the ground, and in a pitch fight, Gardas kills the friendly ghost, and all the revenants turn their attention to him.

SPEAKER_06 7:15

Casper, no!

SPEAKER_07 7:18

Maybe killing the ghost isn't the right term. Yeah. With some good groundwork from Pops, but and incomparable support from Ari, Red, and Vox, you slay the undead living, and here you stand, cold and bloody, in a field of snow and headstones, and scattered bones. What is the hero point situation?

SPEAKER_03 7:42

I've got zero.

SPEAKER_06 7:43

Not. I feel like I should have more than what's written down on my character sheet. Which is zero. Okay. I've got one written down.

SPEAKER_07 7:52

One hero point around the table and it goes to the least likely suspect.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

I think he had three going into the fight. I did have a bunch going into the fight.

SPEAKER_04 8:01

Uh-huh. I spent them.

SPEAKER_07 8:03

Yeah. Good job. As fast as I could. You guys are kind of messed up. I believe Gardas is wounded. I believe all of you are drained to some extent. Some of you might even be fatigued. I'm not sure after not bringing a shovel with you to do some digging.

SPEAKER_03 8:19

I didn't dig.

SPEAKER_07 8:21

She just played instruments.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

Hey, I had a minion digging for her.

SPEAKER_07 8:25

Her fingers are calloused, okay? I wasn't entirely sure where I wanted to open us up right now. Like, are you guys already back at the cerulean boar? Are you guys standing in the snowy field surrounded by horrible, horrible scene of blood and body parts and bones and your own blood? Like uh I'll let you guys decide. Take me there, take me away. Like, where are you at? It's super late still. Like, you know, I just don't know if you guys left the graveyard uh, you know, like a tornado and a tsunami and a typhoon all came through all at once, or if you guys are like, okay, this is a prom for the morning, and uh it's time to go warm up with Yami by the fire. Yeah, what are we supposed to do with all these bones now?

SPEAKER_03 9:12

Did we ever really get any closure on what this was?

SPEAKER_07 9:16

No, not yet. She's gone and the bones are all everywhere. So I don't think we're getting any closure.

SPEAKER_06 9:23

Yeah, we should uh we should probably clean this up a little. I mean, digging that hole before was kind of hard.

SPEAKER_04 9:31

Yeah, but Pop's unearthed like 50 corpses when he raised the ground like that. There's just bones everywhere, and then these things are dead. We should probably say a prayer for him, you know. This feels like an unfinished situation. Agreed.

SPEAKER_06 9:42

Alright, yeah, I guess. Let's uh oh man, can you can you bring that minion back?

SPEAKER_03 9:48

Yeah, I'll do that right now.

SPEAKER_06 9:50

The unseen servant. Oh, okay. To dig us some holes for these bones and I kick some.

SPEAKER_03 9:55

I'm trying to look up what my options are.

SPEAKER_04 9:59

We want to try to keep them together as best we can. We don't want to mix them up.

SPEAKER_07 10:02

So this is like a pile of femurs, a pile of skulls. Like, alright, and this grave is gonna be for rib cages. Honestly, I think this grave is gonna be for pelvises.

SPEAKER_03 10:12

We have to sort these.

SPEAKER_04 10:13

We gotta make two graves for sure. One for the monsters and then one for the lady whose bones you got.

SPEAKER_05 10:18

Funny bone is connected to the Which ones were those again?

SPEAKER_04 10:22

The ones you put in your bag when we were out at the creek.

SPEAKER_06 10:23

I dumped them out when we flipped.

SPEAKER_04 10:27

I've forgotten. That might be one of them. All mixed up on the count of the fight. Yeah. They really did not like you.

SPEAKER_03 10:34

Ari will cast fantastic minion, and it looks surprisingly like Gardas, but really small. How small? Go pick that up. Uh they're tiny, I believe.

SPEAKER_06 10:45

Okay. So it's a bunch of little Gardasses running around picking up bones? Just one. Just one. I don't think that thing's gonna be able to dig very well. Ari, why does it look like me?

SPEAKER_03 10:56

Actually, it is medium, so it's your size. Yeah. It's the same size. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 10:59

Why does it look like me? That's kind of weird.

SPEAKER_03 11:01

I just like to boss you around.

SPEAKER_06 11:03

Oh, well that yeah, that's obvious. It checks out.

SPEAKER_05 11:07

Um, I would like to do uh I would like to uh reach into my knowledge of religion to see if there is something that stands out to me that we should be doing with all of these bones.

SPEAKER_06 11:20

Um as a cleric, I can do ceremonies. So we can do a ceremony here. Yeah, because we've clearly botched up this uh graveyard and we should probably make it right. I think most of the time it's talking about wedding ceremonies, but still. Same thing. So yeah, I I I will help.

SPEAKER_05 11:43

That's a 17 on dice. I did grab a shit. There's shovels here. I'll go find a shovel. On the way.

SPEAKER_07 11:50

Does anyone have pressure planner?

SPEAKER_06 11:52

No.

SPEAKER_07 11:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 11:55

I guess if she wanted us to put the bones of this person, we think that the bones that she led us to by the river are this person. The what was his name? Thark?

SPEAKER_03 12:04

Robert B. Thart.

SPEAKER_06 12:06

Yeah, I thought they were her bones. I thought they were his bones. Let's dig up the Thart grave, is what I'm trying to say. Just dig them all up? Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 12:13

I mean, all of these graves have been just kind of, you know, pops toss them into the air, sort of thing. So they're all they've all been, you know, some of them were wrapped in cloth, some of them had actual coffins, uh, some of them were actually in fact empty. You it's really kind of hard to tell at this point. With a 31 religion, you're not getting any information about like the girl, the woman that led you around and brought you here. But you do know that, especially in times like these, especially while you're in a minescape constructed by the people of Willow Shore, tainted by the evil monster Kugopti, it's probably best to not just leave them uh as is. Are you gonna get it perfect? Probably not without weeks and months of anthropological work. Um, do you need to go that far? Probably not with with your 31. Like you can probably just kind of do the best you can. Uh, but a lot of this is gonna be how the people of Willishore perceive this, right? Luckily for you, it's the dead of night and no one else is around.

SPEAKER_06 13:17

Uh I hold up one of the long bones, like a femur or something, sort of on the ground, and I look at Pops, I'm like, hey, can you bonk this? You always bonk other things into the ground. Let's just start driving them into the ground.

SPEAKER_03 13:29

No, let's not do that.

SPEAKER_05 13:32

That does seem disrespectful. How would you like it if somebody bonked your bones?

SPEAKER_03 13:37

Minion Gardas, get the femur.

SPEAKER_05 13:40

Give it to it. No, we should do our best to lay these souls to rest again.

SPEAKER_04 13:48

I don't mean to be picky, but maybe next time we're in a graveyard, don't do that thing where you reshape the land.

SPEAKER_05 13:52

Yeah, you know, I didn't really think that one through.

SPEAKER_03 13:57

I mean, it did save Gardas' life, so.

SPEAKER_06 14:00

I actually wanted to thank you for that. Is it worth it though? Desecrating all these graves? Who was that, Violet? Violet can talk now. Uh, okay. Alright. Uh you've convinced me. Let's do this. I yeah, I'll help everybody. I think we'll take the time to set this right and put everything back just as best we can and say a prayer over it.

SPEAKER_07 14:24

Alright, let's do victory points, that sort of thing. So you guys are gonna be able to do uh what are the skills here? I know athletics is gonna be one of them. Um, and then if you're gonna use a spell, we can talk about what spells you want to use, kind of like uh unseen servant or phantasmal minion. Religion is also appropriate, society will also be appropriate, and uh I'm willing to take arguments for for other ones. Um, I would even take medicine if you are trying to make sure that you get like a full set together.

SPEAKER_06 14:57

Okay, I'll do medicine. I'll do athletics. Trying to identify the bones, digging the holes, redigging holes.

SPEAKER_04 15:03

Cardinals is over there making complete corpses out of different sized arms and legs. He's like Frankenstein. He's like, look how long the arms are on this one. It's like the legs of a dwarf and the arms of an orc.

SPEAKER_03 15:14

Those are femurs.

SPEAKER_06 15:16

So yeah, I guess I'm sorting through all the bones.

SPEAKER_03 15:19

This one goes here, and uh Ari's going to sustain her phantasmal minion, just kind of helping with that. And then she'll just be playing along playing her Urhu like a sad um dirge.

SPEAKER_05 15:34

That's uh 15 on dice plus athletics 19 for a 34.

SPEAKER_07 15:39

Uh that'll be one victory point as we 23. Uh Medicine. 23? Yeah. No victory points.

SPEAKER_05 15:53

Why does this one have two heads?

SPEAKER_03 15:55

I got a 19 occultism. It's a natural three.

SPEAKER_07 15:59

No victory points.

SPEAKER_04 16:00

Are we just doing like the one thing that we think we're doing to help out, or are we gonna have like a couple options? Just one. Just one? Okay.

SPEAKER_03 16:05

You don't know.

SPEAKER_07 16:06

This is to represent the rest of your night.

SPEAKER_04 16:08

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so I'll do uh religion to like uh pray them all to sleep forever.

SPEAKER_07 16:13

Forever.

SPEAKER_04 16:14

Don't wake up. Don't wake up again. Unless you're alive when we get out of the mindscape, then you can wake up. But otherwise, just stay in the boneyard. Don't want to deal with this anymore. Uh 19 on dice for a 35.

SPEAKER_03 16:26

Good job.

SPEAKER_07 16:27

One victory point. Do we have how many do we have two?

SPEAKER_03 16:30

Two.

SPEAKER_07 16:31

Yeah, I think. Technically, Courtney's critical fail would have been minus one, but I'm not gonna think the Haunties like my song.

SPEAKER_04 16:39

Change it. Change it. Play the Durge of Doom. Haunties like Doom music.

SPEAKER_03 16:42

Okay, she brings out the drums.

SPEAKER_06 16:45

No, they don't. They want happy music. Play the one you always used to. Before you got sad.

SPEAKER_03 16:53

I don't have to listen to you, Cardis.

SPEAKER_07 16:56

The sun is starting to come up, and you guys have made good headway here, but the graves are no longer distinct, and you know that the tombstones no longer represent the remains that uh they hang over. But for the most part, there is no, you know, half decomposed corpse just half lurching out of the ground, uh waving in the wind, and you consider that a victory. Yeah. Small victories. You can continue to do this throughout the morning. You know people will be walking by giving you looks, um, or you can say, job well done, and uh, you know, head off to bed or you know, start your day's work. You all have the fatigue condition if you didn't already have it. What if we did already have it? You're fatigued 10. What? Oh my god. Yeah, fatigue actually doesn't uh come with a uh bonus. It's either you are fatigued or you are not. So if you just if you already have it, you have it still. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:52

Um, Red, I think you need to tell Elizabeth about this.

SPEAKER_04 17:57

What?

SPEAKER_03 17:58

The everything that just happened.

SPEAKER_04 18:00

You mean that we messed up her graveyard?

SPEAKER_03 18:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:04

You want me to tell her?

SPEAKER_03 18:05

Yes. She's your girlfriend, right?

SPEAKER_04 18:08

No. She made that very clear. Yeah, she did. Too short now. Just walking around, shorter than Gardas. Still taller than Ari. I guess I got that going for me.

SPEAKER_03 18:19

Maybe she'll appreciate honesty.

SPEAKER_06 18:21

Being taller than Ari is not saying much.

SPEAKER_04 18:24

Listen, Liz lives in a graveyard by herself. She doesn't appreciate much of anything. Um we'll work on that. Okay, I'll go, I'll go tell her. She'll go inspired.

SPEAKER_06 18:36

At some point, I think uh at some point too. You probably noticed Gardus was limping around during this, but I I will heal myself at some point. Uh and uh, because I had a minus five to my move speed until I got healed again from critting from critical failing my own toe.

SPEAKER_04 18:55

Hey, can you make one of those pools again and we can warm up a little and then get back to work?

SPEAKER_06 18:58

Let's go. You know what? I'd like to see you make one of those pools.

SPEAKER_04 19:01

I can't. I tried really hard. Well, I can't right now either. I dug a hole behind the bore and I filled it with w warm water, and it just got cold really fast, and then it was all drained out. Yeah. It wasn't because the soil's too rocky. Like, I don't really understand how you do it.

SPEAKER_03 19:16

It's just a mud pit back there.

SPEAKER_04 19:18

Yeah, and it took me like two hours to dig the hole. It was a ridiculous amount of work. Of course, now I wouldn't need to dig as big a hole.

SPEAKER_05 19:24

I think here is not the place for a hot tub party.

SPEAKER_04 19:28

We'll just do it right here in the graveyard.

SPEAKER_03 19:29

He said he can't do it anyway.

SPEAKER_06 19:31

We should we should. Oh my god. Imagine casting holy hot tub in the middle of the cemetery. Just all these corpses float to the top of the hot spring.

SPEAKER_07 19:42

Making a bone broth over there. At least they look relaxed.

SPEAKER_05 19:47

I think they like it. Let's go back to the boar.

SPEAKER_04 19:51

Okay, I'm gonna swing by and tell Liz real quick and then I'll be right behind you guys. I really need to get some rest.

SPEAKER_03 19:56

Yeah, I'm tired. And she'll do um some hem appealing on herself and refocus once we get there and make sure everybody's back up to top tip top shape as much as we can be.

SPEAKER_07 20:08

Elizabeth answers the door, throwing a robe over herself. What? It's so early. What's going on?

SPEAKER_04 20:15

Oh, um we ran into a haunty last night, and she seemed like she wanted something, so we went to help her out, and we found some bones by the creek. Uh creek bed, whatever. I don't know. Anyway, we went to put him back in the graveyard and we kind of messed up the whole graveyard.

SPEAKER_07 20:30

What do you mean you messed up the whole graveyard?

SPEAKER_04 20:32

Well, it wasn't the whole, it was the good news is I I over-exaggerated a little. It was just like a corner of it.

SPEAKER_07 20:36

You desecrated the graveyard?

SPEAKER_04 20:38

A little bit. Um it wasn't on purpose. Uh, there was some more haunty type situations. Some undeads rose up and attacked us, and pops isn't from here. Uh he didn't know that when he'd raise Earth that it would destroy all of the graves in the area.

SPEAKER_07 20:56

You destroyed all of the graves in the area?

SPEAKER_04 20:58

In a corner. It was just a corner, Liz. Don't don't blow it out of proportion.

SPEAKER_07 21:02

That's what you said.

SPEAKER_04 21:03

Yeah. Um we tried to put them back together as best we could. Gardas sorted the bones.

SPEAKER_07 21:09

Oh no. Oh no.

SPEAKER_04 21:11

I'm not gonna lie. One of them didn't really look like a person that much anymore when he sorted. It had two heads, and one was where the butt goes. Um, that's Phil. Okay. You don't remember Phil? How can I forget? Old Phil. Old two heads.

SPEAKER_07 21:27

Well, one of them was sleepy, but you know.

SPEAKER_02 21:30

He always had weird pants. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 21:32

Could never tell if he was coming or going.

SPEAKER_07 21:39

She grills you for a few more minutes about the nature of your desecration, all the while uh muttering prayers to Pharasma. And you guys are able to make it back to the Cyrillian boar.

SPEAKER_03 21:53

How'd she take it?

SPEAKER_04 21:54

Oh, she was upset. Um you know. It'll be alright though. She understood. Was there some other guy there with her?

SPEAKER_06 22:07

She was just wearing a robe. Cedric was talking about a lot about her when uh me and him were hanging out.

SPEAKER_04 22:13

You're just trying to rile me up. You're just trying to rile me up because you know I like Cedric more.

SPEAKER_06 22:18

Okay, if you want to think about it that way, sure. Look at me. Am I good at lying? No.

SPEAKER_04 22:27

Yeah, well. You gotta have something to make up for the fact that he's a better cook.

SPEAKER_06 22:34

Fuck you. Yeah, I'm just gonna start resting when we get back here. I really want a long rest. Um that would be great. You are under those conditions. You said it was well, now it's early.

SPEAKER_07 22:50

It is, yeah. The sun's up. So, like, you know, it's a it's a daytime thing. I just want to make sure everyone knows, like, you know, is this is this what we're doing?

SPEAKER_06 23:00

I'm just gonna spend a day relaxing. Um how much time do we gather? I can't remember. It's only a few days before the spider princess is supposed to be here.

SPEAKER_07 23:10

Yeah, we gotta get our kiln done so we can do our Actually, the spider princess was already supposed to be here, according to the reports you got.

SPEAKER_06 23:18

Oh son of a bitch. We really need to rest then. I I think if she's already supposed to be here, um our best bet will be to rest.

SPEAKER_03 23:28

I think it would make sense for our characters, like in the moment, to take a nap, wake up, and still have a full day, and then go to bed the next night. It's hard for me to think about Ari just like sleeping all day and then our schedules are all messed up.

SPEAKER_06 23:45

So when you say take a nap, are you looking at it?

SPEAKER_03 23:47

It's like a flavor nap.

SPEAKER_06 23:48

Okay, got it. Flavor nap.

SPEAKER_03 23:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 23:50

So not being able to get all our spells back and such. Yeah, I mean that's what I would do.

SPEAKER_03 23:54

Yeah. That's what I would say. I can't imagine that we would waste a full day. Like daylight is precious, and if we're just sleeping for eight hours, and then we would do our preparations this evening.

SPEAKER_04 24:06

And then it would be time to go to bed again. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:08

Well, actually, no, we couldn't do them until tomorrow anyway. It would be.

SPEAKER_06 24:11

It would be just wasting a day. I understand that. Um, but the other the flip side of that is the possibility of like facing a Jorimundo with almost no heals left, like half of our spells gone, uh, these can the fatigue condition, drain condition, like all of this stuff. Yeah. Well, you go to the bed.

SPEAKER_04 24:35

Go get a nap, Gardas. You're grouchy. Ari and I will get working on the kiln. Pops is gonna sleep too. Okay, you go sleep. Ari and I will work on the kiln. You wanna work on the kiln, kiddo?

SPEAKER_03 24:44

Yeah, I just I need at least two hours of rest, though. I just need to sleep for a little while.

SPEAKER_04 24:48

Close your eyeballs.

SPEAKER_03 24:49

Yeah, I want to be by the fire, cuddling my cat. Can you make me some tea?

SPEAKER_04 24:55

I can I make the sickest tea. I'm gonna make it for you like I do in the hut. You're gonna love it.

SPEAKER_03 25:01

Okay, thanks. Make sure it's uh herbal.

SPEAKER_04 25:04

He brings it to you 15 minutes later, and it's just a mug with hot water and tea leaves in it. Like there's no Okay, cool, cool, cool.

SPEAKER_03 25:12

Thank you.

SPEAKER_06 25:12

That's how Cedric taught you to make it.

SPEAKER_04 25:14

You're asleep, shut up. So Ari and I take a little nap and then we're gonna start working on the kiln.

SPEAKER_07 25:24

You all go lay down. So two of you are taking eight hours and two of you are taking a two-hour flavor? Yeah. Splitting the party. It's always a good idea. Love it.

SPEAKER_03 25:37

I mean, we're all in the same building, so.

SPEAKER_07 25:39

I mean, for two hours. After you guys take your nap, you go out. Where are you going to build this kiln? Whose support, if any, are you going to seek?

SPEAKER_04 25:53

I think we would just do it like in the courtyard in front of our place. Next side of the street? Yeah. Would you want to do it somewhere else?

SPEAKER_03 26:02

I imagine that we would be assembling it near the tea house.

SPEAKER_04 26:06

Yeah. Maybe back over by where we hot tub. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:09

Yeah. Gonna have to find a new place for the hot tub.

SPEAKER_04 26:14

And we'd probably just be going to the, you know, the merchant square to buy materials that we need. Clay and wood and whatever.

SPEAKER_07 26:23

You know that something like the Eternal Blaze or Second Best would probably be uh where where you'd want to go for this stuff. And as you tell them what you're looking for, uh Wuji Yu uh actually offers to help. Oh, sick. And uh this is going to decrease some of the DCs, but it is still going to be 25 gold pieces.

SPEAKER_03 26:50

Is Wuji Yu the Eternal Blaze Ironworks guy? Okay.

SPEAKER_04 26:55

Um much gold do you have on you?

SPEAKER_03 26:57

Yang Wu Jui. What was that?

SPEAKER_04 27:00

How much gold do you have on you?

SPEAKER_03 27:01

Um well I snatched the bag of holding. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04 27:04

Um we're good.

SPEAKER_03 27:05

He said 25.

SPEAKER_06 27:06

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 27:07

Before Gardus went to sleep. He doesn't know.

SPEAKER_06 27:09

He never knows.

SPEAKER_04 27:11

He never knows. I subtracted 25. What Mama don't know won't hurt her, that's what I always say.

SPEAKER_03 27:18

Thank you so much for your help. We really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_04 27:22

Yeah, we are uh real excited to hop in these clay jars and risk burning to death.

SPEAKER_07 27:27

Burn ourselves alive. Gardas, you're trying to get some sleep. And then you feel a slight touch, a hand on your shoulder. You look up and you see the ghost woman from the graveyard. She just looks so sad. Is Garda sympathetic? No, no, no. What do you want? You turn over and look, and you see that your room is full of people. The first face you see is Amadir. And he's just looking at you very sternly. Do you remember Amadir?

SPEAKER_04 28:15

Yeah, he was a dick.

SPEAKER_07 28:16

Yeah, he was. He got himself killed very quickly. Standing behind Amadir, you see a very attractive young man dressed in light leather armor, daggers around his waist. He looks vaguely familiar, but you can't quite place it, and he looks furious. Just off to the left of them, you see the Chukruru family. You see E-E and Usa holding hands, and Osu just in front of them, kind of kneeling down on a knee. And beside them, you see a beautiful young dwarf woman holding hands with Belric. And then right beside them, another ghost begins to speak. It's Stefan.

SPEAKER_06 29:08

Hey! What are you doing? God damn it. I do not want to be dreaming about you right now, Stefan.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

This ain't a dream, kid!

SPEAKER_06 29:16

I don't believe that.

SPEAKER_00 29:17

We're here for real!

SPEAKER_07 29:21

You should just like shoot out of bed. Eight hours has gone by, and you do not get the benefits of a long rest. Fuck you, Stefan.

SPEAKER_06 29:32

Stefan's still there, is he awake now? He's awake.

SPEAKER_03 29:35

You hear in the back of your mind. Good job, Cardis. You just wasted the day.

SPEAKER_06 29:38

Oh yeah, like you did any better.

SPEAKER_07 29:42

Alright, let's roll on this kiln. Cool. Um, this is gonna represent a week's worth of work, but let's just get out of the way now. You guys paid up your gold because you have the support of uh the Eternal Blaze, even if this uh ritual fails, you will not need to expend the gold to uh refortify the kiln on you know a second, third fire sort of thing. Who's rolling the main check? Who's rolling the second?

SPEAKER_04 30:10

What kind of checks are we doing?

SPEAKER_02 30:11

Can I do crafting?

SPEAKER_04 30:12

Religion? It has to be crafting.

SPEAKER_03 30:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 30:14

Okay, you can do the main check.

SPEAKER_03 30:16

Okay. Thank you. I was going to.

SPEAKER_07 30:19

That dice is ridiculous.

SPEAKER_03 30:20

I know I'm using my giant sparkly liquid core chonk die.

SPEAKER_07 30:24

There's no way that's balanced.

SPEAKER_03 30:25

It's perfectly balanced. Natural five. Uh it's gonna be a 21. And was there a bonus? I'm sorry. No, we just don't lose our gold.

SPEAKER_07 30:37

Were you aiding? Yeah, I'll aid. I'll aid. Oh, yeah. Usually we do that first. Okay. Here we go.

SPEAKER_03 30:42

It's okay. It's okay. We got this.

SPEAKER_07 30:45

Crafting to aid.

SPEAKER_04 30:46

Oh shit. Are you trained in crafting? No. 12. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 30:51

Get out of my way.

SPEAKER_04 30:53

But I was moving the pots. The pots are supposed to go on top of each other like this, right?

SPEAKER_03 30:59

No, I'm going to be able to do it. Oh, use those. You're slowing me down. DC twenty.

SPEAKER_07 31:04

We made it? Expenditure of 25 gold pieces and resources and for a character to seed at a DC twenty crafting check.

SPEAKER_04 31:16

Finally, a story point that felt like it was meant to be successful. Yeah, but this is just building it, not the actual ritual.

SPEAKER_06 31:24

We know how we do it with those. Yeah, but the building it was half of the battle. Half the battle. Yeah. Sorry.

SPEAKER_04 31:31

Half the battle.

SPEAKER_03 31:31

Sorry, it was actually 20 because I hadn't subtracted my crafter's eyepiece. I took it off of the sheet. So wait, with that with his. It was perfectly Have you changed it now? Yes, I just changed it. I have a 15 of 2020.

SPEAKER_07 31:48

Just to be clear, that was what she sacrificed to the lake, so she hasn't had it for a minute.

SPEAKER_03 31:52

But I haven't really done anything with crafting.

unknown 31:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 31:56

Next time I won't admit it.

SPEAKER_07 31:59

Out loud. Yeah. It's uh so you know that the kiln is on its way, it'll be done at the end of the week. Red, Vox, Ari are making your way through town. And you see a group of kids, including Hokai.

SPEAKER_03 32:20

Hi, Hokai!

SPEAKER_07 32:22

And they're wrapped up in a game. It seems like uh they've kind of scratched a furrow into the side of the river, and they're pulling like this sled over it. It's not very wide, it's not very deep. It's just kind of to make this big line of mud that they're kind of playing in, and kids are lined up on each side of this mud pit. One kid is laying down, just kind of flapping. It looked like they might even be hurt, they're just completely still. And one kid is pulling the sled, and then there's four other kids just jumping around and they're making noise and flapping their arms and screaming and acting wild. And it would be endearing if it wasn't for this kid just lying, catatonic like on the sled, being drugged through the mud.

SPEAKER_04 33:21

Hey kids, is that guy dead?

SPEAKER_07 33:24

They uh the kids on the side kind of like look at you, the kid stops pulling for a moment, and they just start getting and keep pulling the kid on the sled through the mud.

SPEAKER_03 33:36

Could someone tell me the rules of this game? We're playing four crows and a corpse boat.

SPEAKER_04 33:42

Four crows and a I've met four crows, haven't I? Didn't that happen just real recently?

SPEAKER_03 33:47

Were there three or four?

unknown 33:49

There were four.

SPEAKER_03 33:50

There were four, okay. Yeah. Hmm. This looks weird.

SPEAKER_07 33:54

Can I They were ravens, technically, but whatever.

SPEAKER_03 33:57

Oh, okay. It's all the same.

SPEAKER_07 33:58

I keep calling them crows, and I think the title of the episode was crows because we made that connection with Dumbo.

SPEAKER_03 34:05

In our game, they're crows. Um she'll kind of go up. Like, can I get in the boat? You have to wait your turn. Can I do a perception check to see if this kid is alive? Are they breathing? Sure. Okay. Natural 17. That's a 31.

SPEAKER_07 34:25

You see, they like crack an eye and look at you.

SPEAKER_03 34:27

Okay. Okay. I'll wait my turn. Let's see how this plays out.

SPEAKER_07 34:35

You see, there are four kids that are jumping around this sled and they're cracking jokes and flapping their arms. And though they'll sometimes kind of rock the sled, they will not touch the young boy on the sled. And this goes on until they finally reach the end. And as soon as they do, and the kid hasn't moved this whole time, not that they've seen anyways, they all stop and it goes dead quiet. And then in unison, in a very slight whisper, you've disappeared too. Okay, my turn! And they all just kinda like rotate through. What the fuck? Did you catch that?

SPEAKER_03 35:17

Yeah, these kids are a little uh little uh off.

SPEAKER_04 35:22

What do you mean they disappe what do you think they mean you disappeared? Who disappeared? Am I disappearing? Is that why I'm getting smaller?

SPEAKER_03 35:27

I think this whole situation, you know, with like the mindscape thing is is just affecting all of us and they're losing it. They're losing it.

SPEAKER_04 35:36

Will of shore will collapse if the kids lose it. And there'll be nobody to take over afterwards.

SPEAKER_03 35:39

They don't have any structure anymore. There's no Sunday school or anything. It's just running wild.

SPEAKER_04 35:47

That's uh we should train him. We should put him to work, give him a sword or something. Bunch of kids with swords, I can't go wrong, right?

SPEAKER_03 35:54

Do you think we have time to do that?

SPEAKER_04 35:56

No.

SPEAKER_03 35:57

I think Osu tried to do that and it didn't really go so well.

SPEAKER_04 36:00

Yeah, Osu's heart was bigger than his head. Um, alright, well, I think we're done with this then. Hey kids, what do you mean you've disappeared too? What's that mean?

SPEAKER_07 36:10

They won. We couldn't get them to move or laugh or get off the sled, so they win.

SPEAKER_04 36:17

Okay. What happens if you do move or laugh or get off the sled?

SPEAKER_07 36:21

Then you lose and you have to rotate through and you get thrown into the river.

SPEAKER_03 36:24

I think this is um representing the river of souls, maybe.

SPEAKER_07 36:29

Hmm.

SPEAKER_03 36:29

Going on to the side.

SPEAKER_07 36:30

What's that?

SPEAKER_03 36:31

Pharasma. Um, so there's just the river of souls and after you pass on and you you like go to Frasma and they're all now like looking at RV big eyes. Like she'll like bring out her Urhu and and do a little little song and and uh teach them of the River of Souls.

SPEAKER_07 36:54

That's terrifying.

SPEAKER_03 36:56

I kind of feel like that's what you're doing right now.

SPEAKER_07 36:58

Yeah, I guess she's playing a game. Did you guys meet the crows, by the way? That's one of the craziest questions I've ever been asked.

SPEAKER_03 37:07

A lot of weird stuff's going on these days.

SPEAKER_07 37:09

Yeah, I was just wondering. Crows?

SPEAKER_04 37:10

Yeah, I just I thought it was interesting that there were four crows in your game.

SPEAKER_07 37:14

What's the name of the game?

SPEAKER_04 37:15

Is it an old game?

SPEAKER_07 37:18

We've been playing it forever.

SPEAKER_04 37:20

Hmm. 115 years.

SPEAKER_03 37:24

115 goddamn years. Does it look like the river is dangerous to be in right now?

SPEAKER_07 37:28

Like it's they're not technically in the river, right? Like they've cut out a part from the river to just make a big mud pit.

SPEAKER_03 37:34

Okay. They said they threw you in the river, so I just didn't say that.

SPEAKER_07 37:37

It would be dangerous to be thrown into the river during wintertime.

SPEAKER_03 37:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 37:41

Okay, kids, you can't actually throw anybody in the river. You know that, right? If they lose, that's no, come on. In the summertime, you can throw them in the river. In the wintertime, you're gonna kill them. Throw them in the mud pile. Someone said we're already dead. No, they're wrong. We're all alive.

SPEAKER_03 37:55

Yeah, you can't be throwing people in the river. If you do, they're gonna die. Like, actually die.

SPEAKER_07 38:00

Maybe throw you in the river and a kid pushes already. Calm down. Calm down. And again, you guys are like the same size.

SPEAKER_03 38:08

I'm afraid of water. Don't make me go in there.

SPEAKER_04 38:12

Yeah, hey kids. Knock it off. Knock it off. Were you guys gonna play too?

SPEAKER_03 38:16

Uh no, thanks.

SPEAKER_04 38:17

Yeah, that's okay. We're gonna head on out. Um, can you guys all go give your parents a hug or something though? Because I think you're fucking losing it. Um, but you're sweet kids. So just stay that way.

SPEAKER_03 38:29

Some of them don't have parents, Red.

SPEAKER_04 38:31

Well, go hug somebody else's parent. I don't know. Figure it out.

SPEAKER_07 38:34

Sound advice for everyone out there.

SPEAKER_04 38:37

Find a parent and hug them. Kids, go find an adult and hug them.

SPEAKER_03 38:40

It doesn't matter if you know them.

SPEAKER_04 38:42

This time you offer them candy. To get in your van. Or sled in this case. Alright. So you guys got it. Don't throw people in the river. We're going back to work. We're gonna save everybody from the minescape. That's the plan. You're not dead yet. Just keep it together for a few more months, okay?

SPEAKER_06 39:02

Just you talking to them or yourself. Just give it just give it a little bit of time, alright?

SPEAKER_04 39:07

You just you can't come apart right now. You're already walking away.

SPEAKER_03 39:12

Ari's kind of pushing him. Well, that was disturbing.

SPEAKER_04 39:18

You know, them crows have probably been here 115 times.

SPEAKER_03 39:21

Yeah. There's a lot of weird stuff. I try not to think about it. Then I might end up like you.

SPEAKER_04 39:28

You've probably been to that Kappa festival 115 times. I probably didn't go to all of them.

SPEAKER_03 39:32

They're spiraling, and I don't think that's a good idea. You're a little tired. We should just go back. What time of day is it?

SPEAKER_07 39:42

Well, I was gonna cut to the evening to see if Pops and Gardas wanted to play the game with us or do anything useful.

SPEAKER_05 39:51

Oh, oh yeah. That sounds like fun. I like playing the game. No.

SPEAKER_07 39:58

Pops, you wake up, it's like six in the evening. What are you doing?

SPEAKER_05 40:04

Maybe if I got my long rest. Uh well, like, I imagine um defiling a graveyard and then undefiling a graveyard is pretty messy work. Um, so he's probably gonna go like take a bath and wash all of his clothes and uh you know, otherwise clean up what I'm sure is just a horrendous tracks of mud coming into the boar while he waits for people to return.

SPEAKER_07 40:31

Doing housework, personal and public.

SPEAKER_06 40:36

Pops, is that you?

SPEAKER_05 40:38

Yes, Gardas. Oh my, you look terrible.

SPEAKER_06 40:42

Gardus comes out of his room in his underwear, uh, bloodshot eyes, like huge bags under his eyes. Uh yeah. Uh what's his name? Wouldn't let me sleep. Who is what's his name? I can't remember his name. The one kid that used to hang out here. I think he died before we met you.

SPEAKER_05 41:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 41:05

Yeah. He wouldn't let me sleep.

SPEAKER_05 41:08

So you're being haunted.

SPEAKER_06 41:10

I mean, aren't we all? No. Okay, whatever. Some of you, Yami walks through, are actually the ones doing the haunting. Jesus, Yami, don't sneak up on me like that.

SPEAKER_07 41:22

I'm not sneaking, you're just owning.

SPEAKER_06 41:24

You're a cat. Everything you do is sneaky. Exactly.

SPEAKER_07 41:27

It's not my fault. And I'm not a cat. Don't call me that. Okay. Me and Vox are Baconneckos.

SPEAKER_06 41:38

Uh-huh. I'm gonna go and just start playing with my like alcohol chemistry set.

SPEAKER_05 41:47

Alcohol chemistry set. This seems like it might be an issue, Gardas. Maybe we should see no the ghosts haunting your dreams.

SPEAKER_06 41:56

Uh they'll probably leave when Yami does.

SPEAKER_07 42:00

Wait, what did I do?

SPEAKER_05 42:01

I don't know. Was it just the one ghost or was there Oh no, it was all of 'em. Oh.

SPEAKER_06 42:10

All of 'em? Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_07 42:12

Like everyone from the graveyard?

SPEAKER_06 42:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 42:14

It's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_06 42:15

Also, uh, Oso and his family. Violet was would have been there if uh if she wasn't trapped inside that dog. Bakan Echo. I don't even okay. Um Yami, do you have anything to do or anywhere to go?

SPEAKER_07 42:35

I killed a sparrow.

SPEAKER_06 42:37

Oh, nice. That's actually kind of cool. Yeah. I used a fireball on it. Oh, you guys know that she does not have access to fireball. That'd be funny as hell though.

SPEAKER_02 42:48

Just an explosion right outside of the board.

SPEAKER_06 42:50

I thought you would have been like cat-like and jumped on top of it. Sounds like a lot of work. I don't want to have my mouth gross.

SPEAKER_07 42:57

I'm a Bacchaneco, you son of a bitch.

SPEAKER_05 43:01

Uh, so Pops would like to do maybe a religion check to see if um if Gargus is haunted. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 43:10

Uh sure.

SPEAKER_02 43:11

You should bonk him again and see if that works.

SPEAKER_05 43:14

Yeah, right. If it uh let's see here, it's 10 on dice plus religion 14 for 24.

SPEAKER_07 43:19

Uh he looks like shit. Uh spiritually, he seems unclean, you know. Not very he's not a very spiritually unclean. So nothing is not a very pious cleric.

SPEAKER_05 43:30

Everything's ironic. Seems the same. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 43:35

Nothing has really changed. I'm sure it was just a bad dream. That's what I said. That's why Stefan was so disrespectful. He was never that disrespectful in life. He always did what he was told.

SPEAKER_04 43:48

Differential to authority. Yeah. You told him to climb a ladder, and he said, How high?

SPEAKER_07 43:55

He wasn't really good with a broom. Not like Osu was. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 44:02

That's the only thing I was who was good for. That's kind of a mean thing to say, Yami. He was obnoxious. I mean always swishing his tail around. Her tail swishes back and forth. Yeah, you're one to talk. Nah, even though he was I mean, I guess he did personally sabotage my life at several different points over the years. Uh I don't blame him though. I didn't know that. Uh-huh. Kinda like him a little more now.

SPEAKER_07 44:35

What the hell, man?

SPEAKER_05 44:40

Do you know where Ari and Red got off to?

SPEAKER_07 44:44

Uh yeah. They went out. They seem to be the only one around here who actually does anything.

SPEAKER_06 44:50

Cat, speak for yourself. Not a cat. I didn't say that this time, actually. Uh I don't know. The whole again, the whole time I haven't even really been looking at Yami or anybody, I'm just playing with my alchemical tools.

SPEAKER_07 45:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 45:13

Yami, do you know where Red and Ari went to?

SPEAKER_07 45:17

Last I saw they were working out back, playing in the mud and clay, and then they left to go, uh I guess they wanted to see some kids. Something about hugging their parents.

SPEAKER_05 45:33

Thank you, Yami. That is helpful, I think.

SPEAKER_06 45:36

If they come back here and get mud all over the place, I'm gonna be pissed. Why? It was Pops that did all the cleaning. Yeah, that's why. All his hard work out the window. Got it.

SPEAKER_03 45:46

Then the door opens and Ari and Red come in. We're just covered in clay. Oh, I'm so tired.

SPEAKER_04 45:53

Oh, take off your shoes. What shoes? Are you not wearing shoes? They don't fit anymore. They just fell right off my feet. Oh here, you can have some of mine.

SPEAKER_03 46:03

Heated floors, I'll take off my shoes.

SPEAKER_06 46:05

Did we not do that during the renovations?

SPEAKER_03 46:08

Nope.

SPEAKER_06 46:08

Oh, I thought we did.

SPEAKER_03 46:10

It's in the top of my list and you ignored it.

SPEAKER_06 46:14

That was a really long list, okay?

SPEAKER_04 46:16

Yeah, but it was the top. Everybody knows the top is the most important thing. Just the top, for sure. You know what I mean? If you were like, hey, I need to list all the stuff to survive, and at the top I put food, water, shelter, and then you just went all the way to the bottom to dice.

SPEAKER_06 46:31

I mean, I didn't go to the bottom either.

SPEAKER_03 46:33

Yeah, he starts in the middle, apparently. I learned that.

SPEAKER_06 46:36

No, I just kind of threw it out when you handed it to me.

SPEAKER_04 46:40

That's why it's so hard to share a birthday cake with him.

SPEAKER_03 46:42

What's the point of what does that mean?

SPEAKER_04 46:44

You start in the middle. You just go for the you take out the whole middle, ruin it for everybody. No, I don't. I've never done that. Pies take out the middle of the pie. Every time we have to share a bed, you sleep in the middle.

SPEAKER_06 46:58

Have we ever shared a bed?

SPEAKER_03 47:00

It was that one time.

SPEAKER_04 47:01

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_06 47:02

You remember when the governor's in the middle of the bed.

SPEAKER_04 47:05

Yeah, you remember when we were hanging out with the governor that one time?

SPEAKER_06 47:08

Governor Hunchenbao? I point to the cat. She's doing the full crotch look, leg fully extended in the air.

SPEAKER_07 47:16

Looks up at you. What?

SPEAKER_04 47:19

Governor Blackbeans. Um, yeah. Some kids are losing their mind down by the creek over there. They were uh playing some game where they're all dead and it's no game. Throw each other in the river.

SPEAKER_03 47:33

We told them not to throw anybody in the river.

SPEAKER_04 47:36

Yeah, it's probably smart.

SPEAKER_03 47:37

Hopefully they listen.

SPEAKER_04 47:38

Hopefully. We told them to go home and give their parents a hug.

SPEAKER_03 47:41

If they don't listen, it's not our fault.

SPEAKER_04 47:42

What are we doing? Isn't that spider princess supposed to be here? Yeah, we gotta get them kilns fired off before she gets here. Maybe we can fix the real world.

SPEAKER_06 47:50

We can't. None of this stuff is gonna be ready before she gets here. You don't know that. The wood and oil, the planks that we were waiting for.

SPEAKER_07 47:58

Those are ready next week.

SPEAKER_06 48:00

Yeah. So there you go. I thought she was supposed to be here now, though. Well, you know, she gets here when she gets here. She's like four or five days overdue at this point. Holy shit. Yeah, it didn't.

SPEAKER_04 48:10

Didn't Shinzo say that uh things are different this time? Maybe she's run a little late. Maybe we'll get lucky.

SPEAKER_03 48:14

Did we ever tell the town elders about her?

SPEAKER_05 48:17

I don't know if we did. I I leave that up to you.

SPEAKER_03 48:22

I just I don't really know what to do when she gets here, and maybe somebody that's smarter than us might have a better idea.

SPEAKER_04 48:29

Maybe we should go tell Did we tell Matsuki?

SPEAKER_03 48:32

I don't know. I don't remember.

SPEAKER_06 48:33

Again, Matsuki's embassy is you, Ari.

SPEAKER_03 48:37

Okay. You could help with some things sometimes, though. Rather than just sleeping all day and then putting everything on me.

SPEAKER_07 48:43

Well, he's making alcohol in his chemistry toy set. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:47

How is that not helpful? It doesn't make me feel any better.

SPEAKER_04 48:49

Well, it makes me feel better. I think we did tell Matsuki. I think when we found out that it had been 115 years, we told him the whole deal. Because remember, everybody was devastated. They all lost faith in the government. That's right. I think they know.

SPEAKER_03 49:02

Maybe we'll just send a letter just in case.

SPEAKER_04 49:04

Alright, write a letter. Send it by crow. Have yummy take it.

SPEAKER_03 49:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 49:10

Don't give her paper. Don't give her paper. Ambassador Yami. Yeah, you are ambassador Yami. You all know that if you give her paper, she's gonna make some kind of scroll and raise a dead person with it, right? I don't need a scroll.

SPEAKER_03 49:20

Yeah. You guys have no faith in her.

SPEAKER_04 49:24

No, I love Yami. She's the best. I am. Brought us a potato that one time.

SPEAKER_07 49:29

You like potato?

SPEAKER_04 49:30

I love potato.

SPEAKER_06 49:31

I can get more potato. We have plenty of potatoes. Apparently, it's all he sleeps on. No, Violet's been eating them all.

SPEAKER_04 49:36

Have you seen how big she's gotten? She's probably the tallest one in the party besides Pops.

SPEAKER_03 49:39

Her poops are really weird. She doesn't chew them.

SPEAKER_04 49:42

She's all starch. I mean, she is a lizard dinosaur thing.

SPEAKER_07 49:48

I think that she probably uh I found surprising they're incredibly flammable.

SPEAKER_04 49:53

Baryonyx?

SPEAKER_07 49:54

No, the poops. Oh.

SPEAKER_04 49:56

That's probably a fireball.

SPEAKER_07 49:58

She's probably trying to light the baryonyx on fire.

SPEAKER_04 50:01

No, don't do it.

SPEAKER_07 50:02

Is that like a bacon echo?

SPEAKER_04 50:06

She's a bacchaneko?

SPEAKER_07 50:07

I'm a bacchaneco. I thought Vox was Bacchaneco.

SPEAKER_04 50:10

I don't know. Maybe. I don't really know what was going on anymore.

SPEAKER_07 50:13

Still kind of unclear on what a baconeko is.

SPEAKER_04 50:15

I used to be a tall, handsome orc man. Now look at me. What? What? Which part was a lie? The tall or the handsome?

SPEAKER_06 50:24

Yeah, red. What if what if you never were? What if that was all part of the mindscape?

SPEAKER_04 50:30

You mean like I don't even know.

SPEAKER_06 50:31

And this is the real you.

SPEAKER_04 50:33

I'm like a I'm like a funculous. I'm like a made-up part of the story.

SPEAKER_06 50:37

Yeah. What if you were not real?

SPEAKER_04 50:39

What if we go back to Willowshore and there's no red?

SPEAKER_06 50:42

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 50:43

I'm like a collective figment of your imagination.

SPEAKER_06 50:45

Yeah, why don't you expand upon that?

SPEAKER_04 50:48

115 years of the mindscape things would get pretty weird. That could be. I could be a collective figment of imagination. Yeah. I don't know how the rules work here. Ari said the stars were looking at her one time.

SPEAKER_06 50:59

And Gardas just starts ignoring everything that he's saying and like continuing to tinker. Just wanted to get him going.

SPEAKER_03 51:05

While this conversation is going, Ari is sitting by the fire. Um after she cleans herself up, she'll bring out her uh Sterling artisan writing set and start doodling. And um it looks like she's making a comic book of our most recent interaction with the Haunties and the whole graveyard fight.

SPEAKER_05 51:29

What is this here you're drawing?

SPEAKER_03 51:31

Well, this is Baby Violet. She's protecting me right now. Uh-huh. She did such a good job, and she'll reach over and scratch Baby Violet, and Baby Violet like snaps at her hand.

SPEAKER_04 51:43

Gotta be careful about the side of the face. That ain't never gonna change.

SPEAKER_03 51:46

We'll work on that.

SPEAKER_05 51:48

And what are these supposed to be?

SPEAKER_03 51:51

Those are all of the bones. You raised the island and the bones went flying.

SPEAKER_05 51:56

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 51:57

Remember?

SPEAKER_05 51:58

Those do kind of look like bones.

SPEAKER_04 51:59

Hey, can you do that anytime you want to?

SPEAKER_05 52:02

Um, I think so. Should I do it now?

SPEAKER_04 52:05

No, not inside. It'll ruin the boar. There might be more bones. This town's full of weird.

SPEAKER_03 52:13

You don't know where any of the ancient grave sites are around here.

SPEAKER_04 52:16

Yeah, I mean, if we if we dug underneath and we found more bones, I wouldn't be I would be not surprised at all. It wouldn't even be a little bit surprising. I'm kind of expecting this entire valley's just full of bones at this point. Maybe that's what we should do is organize some kind of large-scale excavation.

SPEAKER_06 52:32

You know what? I think we're already doing kind of a lot. We don't need to add more things to it.

SPEAKER_04 52:37

Do you think maybe it's called Spectrewood because there was a giant war here and there's just a billion dead people? Sure.

SPEAKER_03 52:44

That's probably why it is. You can believe whatever you want.

SPEAKER_04 52:48

Do you think it's actually called Spectrewood, or do you think the name got all messed up because we've been in here for 115 years and it's like a diminutive, you know? What if it was just called like Shadowwood or this goes on and no one's answering him for like 10 minutes?

SPEAKER_03 53:05

He's just talking to himself.

SPEAKER_07 53:07

Who has yet to roll for unexpected trouble? I think life might be the only one who hasn't rolled. Am I right, wrong? I know Jordan Orhe has. I think Kyle has. Alright, life. I need a DC 16 flat check, and you want to fail. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 53:23

That is 14 on the dice.

SPEAKER_07 53:26

No unexpected trouble. A week goes by. You guys can have your long rests. Nice.

SPEAKER_01 53:32

Yay.

SPEAKER_07 53:34

You lose four hope points. Max hope points. One food, one security. Four, so that's five. Let the listeners know what you guys are at now. Because this is getting relevant.

SPEAKER_06 53:49

I've got five, six, and two. Yeah, five hope, six food, two security. Oh no. Yeah, it's getting low. It's getting low.

SPEAKER_03 53:59

Barely scraping by.

SPEAKER_07 54:01

You know what's funny about that? I thought you guys were actually lower on food. But you guys also have some unforeseen boons. Because at the end of the week, some of your reputation with the coppas pay off. And they come into town. Not this time with one card, but with several. And in the carts are long cut-up green pieces of timber. They fell one of these cypress trees that we believe Pops was able to, you know, uh sacrifice his way into changing their biome. So life, why don't you give me a D6 plus one roll? D6 plus one.

SPEAKER_05 54:54

Three on dice for A4.

SPEAKER_07 54:57

Four security points for the additional timber delivered by the sacrifices made and your reputation with the kappas.

SPEAKER_03 55:05

Back up to six.

SPEAKER_07 55:07

Five, six, six.

SPEAKER_03 55:09

Okay, we're doing good. Does that raise our hope?

SPEAKER_04 55:12

And uh they six six six? Tempting. It'd be the most metal thing you've done today. You don't know what I did this morning when I went out. I do. He called me and told me to rather.

SPEAKER_07 55:28

I told you not to tell her.

SPEAKER_05 55:30

Stop FaceTiming me. When you do that.

SPEAKER_07 55:36

They stay the night, they drink with you guys, uh, they uh, you know, they have a good time, they stay in the bathhouse. Uh you feed them cucumbers because you're not willing to give them a horse. Maybe you are and you lose six security, I don't know. You notice though that during this mild festivity, Masuki, Granny Who, Komo Ono, uh, the girl from Nadoya Somni. I'm getting really good with these names, guys. Thank you. Uh they're not there. And though this is a night of revelry and excitement that you have these resources, things are a little tense. And you hear a group of people, yeah. Well, you know what they say about the spring people? They're never gonna figure it out. We're gonna have to take these matters into our own hands. And just talk kind of like that, of unrest throughout the people of Willowshore, and more mentions of these spring people. What the fuck is a spring people? And with that, we end our week. Alright. You wanna go interrogate some people? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 56:44

Okay. Yeah. Hey. How much have I been drinking? Give me a roll. How much do you want to be drinking? How much have I been drinking? What should I roll? D6, D20? What do you want to be drinking? Um, I mean, if people are drinking, I think Red's gonna enjoy a beer or two. Give me a fortitude save. Okay, here we go. Fortitude save. Papers rustling. That's what you hear in the background as I shuffle to my fortitude. 27.

SPEAKER_07 57:15

Uh, that's a pass. So you are drunk, but you uh you're like a classy drunk. Oh, nice. Classy. Classy drunk. Clothes are still on. Hey, Baboo! Told you not to call me that anymore.

SPEAKER_04 57:29

So classy. Good job. Let's start out with a nickname that's offensive. It's Babu Boo. Oh, sorry, Baboo. Hey. Um, what is this that you're talking about, the spring people? What does it mean to be a spring people?

SPEAKER_07 57:42

You haven't. I guess uh I've been working, man.

SPEAKER_04 57:47

I'm not sitting around talking about spring people. I'm doing stuff.

SPEAKER_07 57:51

They're they're the ones working for Granny Who. They're the ones that think that uh if we just keep doing what we're doing, everything's gonna be alright.

SPEAKER_04 58:02

That's fucking insane. Who would work for Granny Who? I just um alright. Well, that's obviously not gonna happen. Things are not alright. Look at me for God's sakes.

SPEAKER_07 58:18

I guess despite how tight things have been, rumor is Granny Who's still turning a prophet.

SPEAKER_04 58:25

Why would you be turning a profit? People are gonna die.

SPEAKER_07 58:28

Why are you talking to me?

SPEAKER_04 58:30

Listen, Babu. I'm not a healthy side. Okay, so I gotta go talk to Granny Who if I want answers.

SPEAKER_07 58:37

You know, you were scary before, but now you just kinda look like a freak.

SPEAKER_04 58:41

I'm gonna stab the shit out of you, Babu. I'm not afraid of you. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_07 58:45

I've been training with Cedric.

SPEAKER_04 58:48

Can I have a healthy wrestle with Babu?

SPEAKER_07 58:51

Sure. You're just gonna tackle him out of nowhere.

SPEAKER_04 58:54

He's not out of nowhere. He's insulted me and I'm drunk.

SPEAKER_07 58:57

You insulted him. Healthy wrestle.

SPEAKER_04 59:02

Alright, fine. I'm out of here. I'm leaving. I don't need this babu.

SPEAKER_07 59:06

It's gonna take you forever on the stumpy legs you got now.

SPEAKER_04 59:08

I know. You think I don't know? You don't think I've noticed how long it takes to walk everywhere? I used to have limbs for days.

SPEAKER_02 59:14

Did your speed decrease?

SPEAKER_04 59:17

No. Not yet. Yeah, I mean, when I put on the heat, I can still move, but my walking speed is definitely slower. Babu's a dick. Babu Boo. No, it's not. You could dress it up however you want. Your name's Babu. Don't try and church it up. I knew your mom and your dad. It's deer tag. I knew your mom and your dad. I was there when you were born. It's Babu.

SPEAKER_02 59:45

I was there when you were born.

SPEAKER_04 59:47

Give me that shit.

SPEAKER_07 59:48

I'm six years older than you.

SPEAKER_04 59:50

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what they all have to say. You are a six year old. You don't even know how old you are. 115 years. We've been going around this fake sun. Alright, let's go. I'm out of here. I've had enough.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:02

He said that already. Red, why do you look so annoyed?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:04

I look annoyed because Babu's being- Did you know about these Spring people? What Spring People? So Spring People are apparently a secret organization that Granny Who's operating.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:14

Why would they call them Spring People?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:16

I don't know. Sounds like some kind of cultist type situation where like the spring's coming and it's gonna be green again. You know what I mean? Like they're trying to latch on to some vivid imagery to make their position sound less horrific than it is.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:28

Oh. That's weird. Maybe I should go talk to her.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:32

You know, like the special police. They're just gonna murder you. What?

SPEAKER_03 1:00:37

They're gonna murder us?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:40

I don't know.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:41

I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:42

I'm not feeling real happy right now.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:44

Okay?

SPEAKER_05 1:00:44

Maybe you should stop drinking so much. That seems like a great idea. What? You're smoking that cigarette backwards.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:56

Nobody tells me how to smoke my smokes. It's not a cigarette anyway.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:00

I don't like you when you're drunk.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:02

These are mushrooms.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:03

It's kind of scary.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:05

What?

SPEAKER_03 1:01:06

You're scary when you're drunk.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:07

They said I wasn't scary now that I'm two feet shorter. They said I'm not intimidating at all. And I just about thought him about it. That's why you look so annoyed.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:15

You're still intimidating to me, and you're scaring me right now.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:18

Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You can't get upset around the yak. There'll be no milk flowing, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 1:01:24

You can't have my milk.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:26

She gets scared just by Don't ask again. I didn't know that wasn't asking for it was a metaphor, it was a turn of phrase. Common turn of phrase.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:33

I don't think that was a metaphor.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:35

A simile?

SPEAKER_06 1:01:36

I was um sure. An analogy. Yeah. Let's go talk to Granny Who. She shouldn't be charging people for goods and services right now.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:45

You do.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:47

That's different.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:48

Yeah, because we need the money for adventure and practically rob people when they come in the door.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:52

They're not even paying, though. They're customers, but they don't pay.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:56

They're not always coming to buy things.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:59

Well then they shouldn't ask for things.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:02

We offer.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:03

Yeah, isn't it like a normal thing to give somebody some tea when they come to visit?

SPEAKER_02 1:02:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:07

If you're a runa, but if you're you know what? This is I feel like you're all ganging up on me except for Pops.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:21

I agree that your behavior is abhorrent.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:24

Ha. I am not fully sure what's going on. Who the hell are you? Yummy, and I've been here the whole time. Oh hey, yummy. Art drunk. No, I'm drunk.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:36

Yeah, he is. I'm definitely not drunk. Yeah, I'm drunk. It takes so much less alcohol now that I'm smaller. I thought this was like magic small and I could drink the same amount, but I can't.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:45

I just you were pounding shots.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:49

Yeah, but I always read pounds, you know what I'm saying? No. I'm still uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:56

It's not what I've heard.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:58

Yeah, it's not what Eliza says. It's been a while.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:01

Hey.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:04

You don't talk about Liz.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:05

You don't talk about Liz like that.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:06

Yeah, that's not even her name. That it was. Elizabeth. Elizabeth.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:11

Elizabeth.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:11

Elizabeth. Yeah, I shortened it. You guys are all drunk as I am. I'm just really bad with names. It's okay, Yami.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:19

She gives her a head scratch.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:23

Let's go talk to Granny Who, I guess. Quick Granny Who trip. It's the end of the week. Is our kilns done? Did we finish those?

SPEAKER_07 1:03:30

Kilns done.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:30

We should fire those bad boys off. It's kiln time.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:32

Oh, so when is the uh Is it kiln' time? It's killing time. So is the wood done too? Soaking in the oil? Yeah, because it's supposed to be a week, right? It'll be done next week.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:42

Oh, next week. Yeah, I think we had a white. We got another week. Or a couple days or whatever. Okay. It'll be ready in six days.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:49

Okay, six days. That's enough time to talk to Granny Who. Plenty of time. Let's go talk to Granny Who.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:54

Maybe we should sober up before we.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:56

I'll sober up on the walk.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:58

That's not how that works.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:59

I'm sober right now. No, you're not. You're holding a drink.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:04

It's non-alcoholic. I saw him pour alcohol into it. Straight from Gardas's bench.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:08

No, it's wine. It doesn't even have any alcohol in it. The one Gardas was using. It's juice. It's just grape juice. It's like old grape juice. It doesn't have any alcohol. It's not like a whiskey or anything good. Just Gardas's mash. Uh-huh. It's basically alcohol free. And Red just starts walking to Granny Who's house. He's going one way or another. So you guys come with or wrestle him down. Yeah, I'll go.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:37

Pops, you and I are damage control.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:42

You make it to the exchange, and standing guard is a familiar dwarf.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:47

Why is there a dwarf standing guard in the city?

SPEAKER_07 1:04:49

Cedric, you idiot.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:50

Hello, Cedric. How are you today?

SPEAKER_07 1:04:52

My name's Myron. Hi, Myron. I've never met you before in my life. That's not true. You're not familiar. We've bullied him. We've met several times. You forced me out of your house and took my money and didn't give me any tea for it. Oh, yeah, that did happen.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:06

That was him. That was the same guy. I remember that.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:08

But then a few weeks ago, I asked you if you had been, you know, sleeping with anyone and you didn't want to talk about it. It was actually to believe you haven't been sleeping with anyone.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:16

It was for copper. And to make things right, Red gave you one gold.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:21

Yeah, you owe us. No. Shut up. Still don't have you in my Grimble weed.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:28

I'm sorry, Myron.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:30

I'm sorry, Myron.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:31

Can we pass?

SPEAKER_04 1:05:32

Can we pass?

SPEAKER_07 1:05:33

Do you have business with Granny Who?

SPEAKER_04 1:05:35

Yeah, we got some business. She's been a real bitch about stuff, and we want to talk to her about it. Hey Red, why don't you come stand over here next to me? I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:41

Walk past as though he can't he can't do nothing. I'm sorry, Marlin. Absolutely nothing as you walk past. Exactly.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:48

I'm supposed to like announce you before you Myron's the worst guard ever. Hold up.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:52

I just uh bitch needs a compliment from where Red's from.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:56

So listen, Marlin. From here. Listen, we know this. Name. I'm sorry about this. If he's gonna act like this, I really can't let him through. No, I'm gonna be I'll be on my best behavior. Just having a rough day.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:10

That's all. Let's just walk away from this guy.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:14

Nah, don't worry about him.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:15

He's feckless. You're lucky I don't know what that means.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:19

It means you don't have any fecks. Uh-huh. I don't give a feck.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:24

Yeah. Inside the exchange, it is busy here. Uh despite the doors being closed and people saying that trade has really slowed down. Uh resources aren't flowing like they used to, which you would kind of expect with how things are. Things don't seem to have slowed down in here. It's easy enough to find Granny who. Hi, darling, I'm very busy. Now's not a good time. What the fuck, Granny? You better watch your tone. I'll give you one chance to start over.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:53

Alright, here we go. Who's the? That just set me off. Without blinking.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:04

Okay, we can start over. Let's do it. That just set me off.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:13

Who's the spring people? Was that what we're calling them? Who's the spring?

SPEAKER_03 1:07:18

What the f- Who who is calling what now?

SPEAKER_06 1:07:21

Um, some people said that you had a gang that were called the Spring People or something.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:28

A secret organization. And that you're fleecing pockets, if you know what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:33

This is absurd. I have no such gang, and I do not know anything about these spring people. Oh. Well, sorry to bother you. Can I do it?

SPEAKER_03 1:07:42

We came directly to the source. We wanted to make sure that you could clear the air for us. Have you heard of anything like this?

SPEAKER_07 1:07:49

I heard that some people were insulting us, saying that we are doing nothing but waiting for the spring to come around, but to colour spring people, that just seems ridiculous, darling.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:01

Yeah, right? Are you are you why would you wait for the spring to come around? Exactly.

SPEAKER_06 1:08:05

That's kind of her point. She's not doing that, right?

SPEAKER_07 1:08:08

Are you doing that? We are very busy. We are keeping trade going, we are making sure people are fed and staying warm.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:14

Yeah, but I mean like philosophically, are you waiting for spring to come?

SPEAKER_07 1:08:18

Aren't we all? Who wants who likes to linger in winter?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:22

Who are you trading with?

SPEAKER_07 1:08:24

The people who who need food and and blankets and candle wax?

SPEAKER_05 1:08:29

And what are you trading for?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:33

There's no money here. What are they giving you?

SPEAKER_07 1:08:36

What do you mean there is no money here? There is money everywhere in Willowshore. I heard just last week you dropped 25 gold for a giant kiln. Yeah, we got a lot. We did do that.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:45

Yeah, but we had to go outside of Willow Shore to get that.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:47

Did we? How did you get outside of Willow Shore? We went through the wall, the ghost wall to the monastery.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:53

The whole thing, we failed the ritual like 200 times.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:56

Well, you brought a lot of the economy back to Willow Shore. We ended up on you. Cursed if we had to sacrifice Stefan and Osu.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:02

I mean, yeah, it just seems like we're helping you.

SPEAKER_07 1:09:04

I think the problem is really old Matsuki. I've heard that he is diverting some of these resources to very risky endeavors that promise no chance of success.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:15

Like what? Yeah, like what? Like what?

SPEAKER_07 1:09:17

Ritual research and the clay light festival. What's the who has time for the clay light festival in a time like this?

SPEAKER_04 1:09:25

Festivals are our jam, first of all. First of all.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:33

Instantly sobered up. First of all.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:36

Even though I I I agree with most of what you're saying, I think that the festivals are the right choice.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:41

Yeah, and also the ritual research was us. We're doing the ritual research.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:45

That's mostly our uh research. Money and our research. And have you been getting extra resources from Matsuki?

SPEAKER_07 1:09:52

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:52

Yeah, we've been getting extra resources from everybody but you.

SPEAKER_07 1:09:55

So you are comfortable making sh seeing that people starve and go cold as long as you can dive into your silly magics.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:02

I think that our efforts just brought us four whole carts of lumber from the from the turtle camp. Alright, so that was a festival too. Yeah, that was a festival too. So festival, lumber, security. Parties are good. Lifting, alright?

SPEAKER_06 1:10:17

We're lifting this whole town. Yeah, plus we're gonna go through the magical fire and come out on the other side better than we have to save the town.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:25

The only way to do that is to party and to have uh uh burn ourselves alive.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:31

Yeah, burn ourselves alive. We're gonna burn ourselves alive and we're gonna have a party about it. That's the only way to do it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:37

You will be the doom of Willowshore. Look, Granny, we're all working towards the same thing here, just in different ways.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:43

Yeah, how do you know we'll be the doom? How many minescapes have you ever been in?

SPEAKER_07 1:10:46

I've been around long enough to know that what people need are food and warmth, not parties and giant kilns.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:54

Not if you're dead.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:56

Yeah, actually, don't we have parties for dead people all the time here in Willowshore? Yeah, a couple of seasons. I'm already dead, or like I'm going to be dead, I'm confused.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:05

Well, if you don't support us in these rituals, then we might just end up passing on.

SPEAKER_07 1:11:10

But if we give all of our resources to your silly ritual research, what is going to be left? What are you trying to save if there's no one here? If Willowshore falls.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:20

We're not But we're not in Willowshore. All of the resources.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:24

When we started this endeavor, there were 219 people in Willowshore, and by my count, there's still 219 people in Willow Shore.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:32

Yeah. Well, that's not true. Except for all the people.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:38

Yeah, but aren't they part of the population?

SPEAKER_03 1:11:41

We took the census is after they passed. Oh, okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:45

So it's the census. After a half a dozen people died. Yeah, we did a head count. We did that first, and then we're still at 219.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:52

No one's died, no one's been born.

SPEAKER_07 1:11:54

The census is about 115 years overdue. Lungwa is going to be pissed. Lungwa. Oh, granny, don't get him stuck.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:01

Yeah, and second of all, we have the governor, so it's not even a big deal.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:04

You found the governor. Yeah. Governor Blackbean. It's bullshit again.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:10

It's not bullshit. One day.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:12

This was his glove. She holds up the glove story.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:14

Pops saw the governor transfer his essence into baby Black Bean, and we brought Black Bean back with us, right? Pops, tell her about it.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:21

I don't know if I saw any essence.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:23

Garda saw it? Who saw it? I saw it. Somebody saw it. They had to have seen it. We wouldn't just say the cat is the governor for no reason. That'd be an insane thing to say.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:31

That cat is going to start talking. I've seen it before.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:34

Yeah. Yeah. So far we've we've had a cat that talks, and then the cat said that baby Violet was also going to start talking because she's also a Bacchane Echo.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:43

Well, Bakan Echo is the cat. Yami. Not Blackbean. Blackbean's not a Bacchan Echo.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:50

That's a different cat.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:51

Anyways, sounds like you're doing a good job here. We're going to continue doing our good job. Just don't try to undermine us, and we'll try to do the same for you.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:00

Her jaw is just kind of open and her face lags. Like, no, it's just so confused.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:04

We're doing fine.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:05

We're doing fine.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:06

We're all great. Why did you come here?

SPEAKER_07 1:13:08

Yeah, why did you come here? I mean busy.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:10

I was really concerned about these spring people. When did this whole thing start? Because we woke up after a festival, right? The spring people? No.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:19

It would have started.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:20

No, when did our when did our year go so far up?

SPEAKER_06 1:13:23

It was like the beginning of summer.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:24

It was the beginning of summer. Oh. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:26

We've gone through summer, fall, and we're in winter and winter now.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:31

I was just really concerned. I'm sorry, Granny Who. I was really concerned that there were people who were just waiting for another year to come around.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:37

We just wanted to make sure that we weren't making assumptions and spreading gossip.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:40

Yeah, I thought you had some kind of cult type situation going. You know what? I need a drink, and she takes the cup from your hands.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:47

There's no alcohol in that. It's just wine. It's just empty. It's wine and someone put some shots of rum in this wine. Okay, I put a little I put a little seasoning in it.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:00

I call it a mixer. Wine is a mixer. You're supposed to put other stuff in it that has alcoholics.

SPEAKER_07 1:14:05

She like looks at the glass horrified.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:07

This is disgusting. And then takes another drink. It's gross, but it's been really funny watching him get drunk and make an ass of himself. I have never made an ass of myself one time.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:15

Not one time. Right now, darling. No.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:19

Well, if you ever need anyone to talk to, I've really enjoyed our conversation.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:24

Doors always open.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:26

Have some tea sometime.

SPEAKER_07 1:14:27

I've been meaning to talk to Myron. I heard he's a real conversationalist. He's not the brightest.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:33

Yeah, that idiot you've got at the door.

SPEAKER_07 1:14:36

This is real rich coming from you who come in talking about spring people and talking cats.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:40

Yeah, but Myron just let us walk right by him. He's not a very good guard.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:44

You would like Yami if you got to know her.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:46

Were you threats? Why wouldn't he let you pass? He said he we shouldn't pass, and then we just walked right past.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:52

He's addicted to crimpleweed, and it's really affecting his brain.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:55

Yeah, the power's gone to his.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:57

You travel with two alcoholics, you know.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:59

I know, I spot them all the time.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:01

There was a party, okay?

SPEAKER_06 1:15:02

I would call myself a functional alcoholic. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:06

And I only drink on occasion. I don't drink every day. Just like every three days, I just drink a lot.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:12

We're all dealing in our own way, you know?

SPEAKER_04 1:15:14

Yeah, Granny, we just heard some upsetting things, upsetting rumors. You know, we just wanted to make sure they weren't true. Um, you know. We'll see you later.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:26

It's always a pleasure, Granny Who.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:28

Pops didn't even say a word at all.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:30

I think he was overwhelmed.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:35

Cool. You guys uh go back home.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:39

There's uh Hey, can I roll before we leave? Can I roll a perception insight to see if she was telling the truth?

SPEAKER_07 1:15:44

After all this sure, about what part?

SPEAKER_04 1:15:47

About like being innocent and the spring people are just, you know, not a thing.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:52

Yeah, so you it sounds to me like you guys kind of misinterpreted the spring people. Uh what you heard back at the party was some person talking uh about a group that Granny Who has, and they've been insulting them, calling them the Spring People. It's not like the name of an organization or a cult or anything like that. Uh Granny Who, uh, you can roll if you want to, but uh, and I mean you're drunk, so I don't know how well your actual insight is. You probably just want to throw hands. But yeah, go ahead and roll. Okay, here we go. Secret group. 26. You can tell that uh based off of the scene and here, how busy it is and stuff like that, it wouldn't be too surprising to know that she might be turning a profit.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:37

That's not the worst thing though. As long as people aren't dying. We just gotta get this ritual did.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:45

Maybe we can get some tips from her on how to turn a profit, because with the tea house, we're gonna run it into the ground if we keep giving away to either customers. And gold, apparently. Well, you were being a real baggage.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:57

He can do what he wants with that.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:58

It was my personal gold.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:00

You can for copper. Was he smoking or anything on the way as we were walking out? No. Oh. I wanted to like smack it out of his hand. He does have a drink in hand. I'm gonna smack that out of his hand just in good measure. Just very nonchalantly as we go by, just backhand the drink so it spills all over the place. Hits him in the face, just like all over.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:20

And as I walk out behind him, I take his hand with the cup in it and pour some of my wine bourbon. He gives you a thumbs up and just nods real slowly.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:33

Alright. Back to the back to the hey, should we stop by and see Dr. uh Yami?

SPEAKER_03 1:17:44

No. Dr. Dami.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:48

I also got caught up on that one, but I thought it was because I was drunk.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:51

Red, are you sure that you want to talk to more people?

SPEAKER_03 1:17:54

Why do you want to talk to the doctor?

SPEAKER_04 1:17:56

He's been real quiet lately. I think he might have a secret society going.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:00

I think we should go back to the tea house, get some rest, and uh we'll be productive tomorrow.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:07

Swear to god, if I wake up shorter in the morning, I'm gonna lose my shit.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:10

Why would you be even shorter? You can't get much shorter than you.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:13

Why would I be why would I have shrunk in the first place? You know?

SPEAKER_06 1:18:16

I'm telling you, this is what you look like from before. Before what? Um You're not real. Stop trying to get in my head. It's working. I know. That's why it's so fun.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:31

First, Liz doesn't see me as a real man. Regardless of spreading rumors about me not being real.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:38

Maybe he started the rumors about the spring people.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:42

Did you do that? No. Was it you? No. What if Violet is a Bacchan Echo?

SPEAKER_06 1:18:49

Anyway. Um, here, try try this. Are we back to the tea house or okay? I'm like, try this. And I give him one of the elixirs I've been experimenting with.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:01

Okay, I'll just make it shorter. What kind of elixir was it?

SPEAKER_06 1:19:05

Uh no jump.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:07

Okay, here we go. Everybody hold on to your hold on to your butt. I'll jump.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:12

It's supposed to be Leaper's elixir.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:13

Oh, sweet. So I can jump really far?

SPEAKER_06 1:19:15

Um probably. Nice. We have to talk about how to invent her feet.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:20

Can I let go of my butt now?

SPEAKER_03 1:19:23

Why were you holding on to it?

SPEAKER_05 1:19:24

He told me to. Yeah. Okay. Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:29

I was wondering why you were walking so funny.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:33

For one minute, you can high jump or long jump as a single action instead of two actions. And you don't have to perform the initial stride. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:42

Yeah. But you can high jump even higher because it would be a greater.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:45

Ooh.

SPEAKER_07 1:19:46

Why would it be a greater?

SPEAKER_06 1:19:47

Because that's the level. Again, we can talk about it during the colour.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:52

Yeah, when they did the remaster, I believe that they the advanced alchemy levels, once you like buy into something that has some alchemy, it just stays with your level essentially. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:20:00

Huh.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:00

So you don't have to take more feats to you know what?

SPEAKER_07 1:20:03

Fuck it. I'm not even gonna track it. You guys do whatever you want with this shit. I don't want to worry about it. You heard him. Whatever.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:07

It's double your level. Just make sure you spend the gold.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:10

Yeah, yeah. We'll do. Uh yeah, so you can jump like really high, actually. Sick. Nice. It worked.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:18

Look at that. I can jump better than Gardas now, even with his fancy new slippers.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:21

Really kind of afraid to try that on myself.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:23

Oh, let's go outside and have a jump off.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:25

Okay. I'm doing it. I'm gonna hit my uh my shoes.

SPEAKER_07 1:20:31

You guys step outside. It's uh definitely dark out, the snow is coming down and it's cold. And without actually any playing real Pathfinder, and you had a good session, we fade to black.

SPEAKER_05 1:21:25

And your laptop pacemaker.

unknown 1:21:28

Click.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:29

Click, click, click, click, click. It clicks every time my heart's supposed to beat. I've got to turn down to like once every few minutes. Um, weren't we gonna add something new to our checklist last time?

SPEAKER_05 1:21:44

Yeah, what did we forget? Um character sheets, dice. HR is put away.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:50

Timer, do you have your timer's here?

SPEAKER_05 1:21:52

Timer's ready.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:53

We were gonna add something. You know, the point of a checklist too is you're supposed to write it down so we don't have to remember. Sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:02

Well, I just got it though.

SPEAKER_07 1:22:03

Put the checklist on the checklist?

SPEAKER_02 1:22:05

Yeah. Checklist.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:07

Let's make a checklist. Let's get a committee together to form the checklist for the checklist. We have HR in the back. Yeah. They'll help those down.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:17

I didn't realize you hated my dog so much.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:20

Doesn't hate them that much. Uh just a little. What were we uh talking about?

SPEAKER_05 1:22:25

Uh the checklist. Okay. Do we I think we're ready. Did we have trouble with uh with music last time?

SPEAKER_06 1:22:31

I I tested it. It's good. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:33

Music is good. Okay. That might have been it. Um yeah, we were plugged in the wrong jack last time.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:39

That's what it was. You guys can hear that, right?

SPEAKER_07 1:22:41

So I should check the board. Are you sure we're on the right input? Can you guys hear it? Yeah, I can. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:48

Just ignore them.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:48

Yeah, right. Guys. I'm listening to it right now. Right now it's working. Can you hear it? Hey guys. There's a fucking We don't want to talk to you. There's a man with a gun at the door. Hey guys, do you see that guy with the gun? He's pointing it at you. Hey guys. All right, Jeff, can you hit me with that juicy sound check? I wasn't paying attention before now. How juicy do you want it to be? I think that was just juicy enough. Courtney? Can you hit me with that dry sound check? That worked actually. Okay, good, good. Not dry enough, though.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:22

Sorry. Never mind.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:27

Just leave it. Just just leave it. It's dry enough already. Tony, we're ready. We've never been more ready.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:44

How long does your dishwasher take? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:46

I thought it was only gonna take like two hours.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:48

Two hours? It's been going for more than two hours.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:56

I don't think I've ever said this before in my life, but that Mountain Dew looks good. Mountain Dew is amazing. Mountain Dew is disgusting.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:04

You used to love that in college. And you like the blue one?

SPEAKER_07 1:25:07

Yeah, I also smoked a lot more weed back then. Yeah, it's true. I like the red one. Baja blast. That's a Taco Bell thing, though. Like Baja Black. If I'm gonna be eating Taco Bell, then yeah, I can, you know, put some Baja in my b in my veins.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:21

They belong together.

SPEAKER_07 1:25:22

Yeah. It's like a cheese and wine pairing.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:24

I have Mountain Dew for my soda stream. Ninja soda stream at home, so I can just make Mountain Dew whenever I want it. Can you make Mountain Dew flavored ice cream? I could.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:33

How many ninja products do you have at home? Two or three. Okay. I like to imagine that you built an island in your kitchen just for all the ninjas. They jump out and attack me every once in a while.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:45

Everybody was connected. He's just playing that all the time in the kitchen.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:50

Ninjas are just like throwing ice cream at me. It's always like those uh Turkish ice cream stands or whatever where I unlocked a sexual fantasy for Jeff.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:01

No, I already know about that one.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:03

Your therapist must must loathe you. Because she also throws ice cream. Just the weird dreams that Jeff always has. Oh