Cursebreaker | 5 - Kill Them With Kindness
Last time in the Cursebreaker arc. Last time. Last time. Last time. Sorry.
Tim / GM:I'm just warming up here. Last time. Last time. What?
Speaker 2:Ginny, all of those sounded excellent. Do not worry about this. You're an excellent narrator.
Tim / GM:So so so. Last time in the curse breaker arc. Joe, the elixir salesman, took hold of lamplight landing. With the secret of his mind controlling elixir now known to the party, the race was on to put a stop to it. And Veronica was their best bet for help.
Tim / GM:At Veronica's, they discovered that most of the items they had found in the underdock were cursed. But with Veronica's guidance, they were able to rid themselves of most of the items. Their plan was to stop Joe from leaving town. They started their search at Joe's elixirs, but they were too late. The shelves had been emptied out, but a lingering kobold let slip that Joe was headed out of town through the front gates.
Tim / GM:When the party arrived at the city gates, Joe was just a few feet from getting freedom, assisted by a mind controlled Sheriff Tandy. Uli tackled him to the ground, and the fight seemed like it was over before it started. That is, until Joe used his control over the townsfolk to cause them to attack one another. With the stakes so high, the party had no choice but to let him go. The focus turned to Buster, the Minotaur, who took hold of the golden beetle, transforming into a mutated Minotaur beetle hybrid and attacked attacked the party.
Tim / GM:Just before Joe managed to escape the city, Tibeo snuck in a sleep spell. And Joe just didn't have the strength left to resist. Before anybody realized what was happening, Snack sunk a dagger into his back, and Joe did not wake up. In a whirl of action, Buster used his enormous beetle wings to fly to Joe and pluck him from danger. But it's not over yet.
Tim / GM:And that's where we are right now.
Speaker 3:Hello. We're here.
Tim / GM:Blam.
Speaker 4:Blam.
Tim / GM:Blam and welcome. I like that. Blust Bluster. Buster has just picked up Joe and his big creepy beetle mandibles that are coming out of his mouth, and he has extended, his carapace back that has now come open. And he's flying with his giant beetle wings, to the edge of the forest about 60 feet away.
Tim / GM:As everybody's got good eyes on him right now, you can all but tell that Buster is too big to fly really. So he can just do these kind of large jump hops, where he can fly about 60 feet at a time and then he comes down hard on the ground. So 60 feet from the gate, he dumps Joe on the ground and, turns to look back at the city gates and walks towards lamplight.
Tara / Journey:So he was just getting Joe out.
Tim / GM:Seems like he was just extracting Joe. At a certain point, he stops advancing, and he just stares down at the city. He I it looks like he's waiting for someone.
Thomas / Guy:What's the gate situation right now?
Tim / GM:It is Tibio and Snack that are at the gates.
Thomas / Guy:Are they open?
Tim / GM:Yes. They're open.
Speaker 4:We're all there.
Tim / GM:Sorry. Tibio and Snack were the ones that were actually at the gates at the gates. The rest of you are 15 feet away.
Speaker 2:Tibio, what do we do at this point? It looks like he may offer his surrender.
Speaker 3:I don't think that's what he's going to do.
Speaker 2:He should. He's a giant bug man. What could he possibly do to us?
Speaker 3:He's a very powerful snake. He has been transformed by the golden beetle.
Tim / GM:You guys hear, the turning of wagon wheels from out in the crowd, and you see people start to scatter side to side. Somebody has come in with a wagon drawn by 2 black horses. And, you see a woman at the front of the carriage that you've seen once before with Emery. She grabs the reins and slaps them down hard on the horses. She says, recto, Verso, now go.
Tim / GM:And, they peel out, through over the the boardwalk and the cobblestones out of the city. So they pass by the Wooden metal. They've got, like, metal rims to them.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Tim / GM:But, yeah, you wanna try and hop in?
Thomas / Guy:I do.
Tim / GM:Okay. Let's make an acrobatics.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. That'll go well? Yeah. Yep. 16.
Tim / GM:Okay. So, yeah, even with the 16, you are able to, kind of grab onto the very back of this thing Yeah. And, like,
Thomas / Guy:just go on the back. Yeah.
Tim / GM:Using its own momentum. You kind of flip yourself up onto the cart.
Thomas / Guy:Alright. What do we got in here?
Tim / GM:So you're on a back porch almost to a this is a fully built wagon where there's actually an inner chamber, like a carriage part to it, like a a fully built yacht.
Thomas / Guy:Like a covered wagon.
Tim / GM:Right. It's not like a canvas thing. So you're you're actually at a door on the back of this little wagon caravan thing.
Speaker 4:So Emery is definitely in there?
Tim / GM:No. Emery is actually sitting on the back of this wagon Oh. On that back step. So when you flip up, you are standing right next to him, and he is sitting, with one leg kind of lazily dangling off the wagon. And he's, like, chewing something and staring at you.
Thomas / Guy:Mister Emery, long time no see.
Speaker 7:Holly, she sees
Tim / GM:Bert,
Speaker 7:run it or hop on the end of the wagon, and she's like, I gotta stop that wagon. And she, takes out her wand. I don't know what Holly Holly doesn't have a wand. I'm just kidding. I don't know.
Speaker 7:But she, she points really good. She points at it and says, get small. Do I have to roll?
Tim / GM:I don't know. It's an object, so it just kinda happens. And you're doing it on what?
Speaker 7:The front left front driver side wheel.
Tim / GM:Okay. So the, the the wagon wheel just kind of, winks almost out of sight, and it it just it keeps spinning in the same direction it was spinning and quite fast. But you see the, wagon begin to teeter forward, And, they get, you know, almost to buster, but by that point, the front of the wagon has angled into the dirt and is starting to bite in. And, it seems like their wagon has taken on a bit of damage. At that moment, you see the back door fly open and, 2 kobolds, rush out of it.
Tim / GM:And they both, rush over to Joe, at the edge of the woods as quick as they can. So Bert on the back of the wagon, Emery's staring you down. This is, I really thought I was done with you guys.
Thomas / Guy:We thought we were done with you too, pal. Did you know you're on the back of a wagon that looks like it's helping, someone who is attacking the town?
Tim / GM:I'm just getting away from you, trying to.
Thomas / Guy:Well, you're doing a bad job at it.
Speaker 3:Tibio casts chromatic orb.
Tim / GM:Oh. Chromatic orb. Okay. Yeah. That hits.
Speaker 3:17.
Tim / GM:And what is the elemental type? Fire. K. Go on. So there is a fireball Yeah.
Tim / GM:Fire orb, hurling towards the, wagon. It almost makes the sun look dim by comparison as it spins through the air and collides with the back wagon wheel. And you said the back right or back left? I'm curious. Back
Tara / Journey:driver's side. My goal was to
Speaker 3:Yeah. Make it undrivable. Sure.
Thomas / Guy:What is the driver's side in this universe?
Speaker 7:Yeah. I mean
Tim / GM:right. I would say left, but she's probably in the center realistically. But Okay. It would be on the same side. So left.
Speaker 4:I would also like to do something. Can I make the other front wheel really big? So kind of like rocket everyone.
Speaker 7:So all these spells are just going off
Speaker 4:with the wagon.
Tara / Journey:We're fucking taking it out. Fucking up the wheels.
Speaker 2:Do we have to change the podcast from curse breaker to wagon breaker? Yeah.
Tim / GM:Alright. So, this wagon is essentially just lifted on one side. It's completely, like, tipped over. I mean, it hasn't tipped over, but you know what I mean? It's leaning on one side.
Tim / GM:And then its front wheel that is propping it up suddenly springs double its size in a sudden lurch motion, and it actually tips over the card, dumping both or, dumping both Bert and Emery on top of each other.
Thomas / Guy:What the fuck is happening to this wagon?
Tim / GM:So yeah. Emery just kind of actually, he picks you up by one arm, like a toddler, and just kind of, like, sets you apart from him. Yeah. You see them over there? And he points, to the party at the city gates.
Tim / GM:He says, that's where you belong. I belong out here.
Thomas / Guy:You're not working with Joe, are you?
Tim / GM:I don't know yet. I'm just trying to get some space.
Speaker 3:You should be our friend.
Speaker 4:Work with us. Willy's, like, shaking her head saying, don't do it.
Tim / GM:Says, he's kinda calling back at you and he says, maybe. Could have been that way if I wasn't debilitated.
Speaker 4:Willy holds up both middle fingers.
Speaker 7:You're not debilitated. It's just on the surface.
Speaker 4:No. He's fucked up inside too.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. He was kind of a jerk before.
Tim / GM:He, he actually spends a moment, like, looking at the 5 of you, and, you see him, like, reach inside of his, shirt, tunic armor, I guess. And he, hands down to Hubert his sheriff's badge. Oh. Says give that back, would you?
Thomas / Guy:Sure.
Tim / GM:He says you better get going.
Thomas / Guy:Alright. By the way, that great sword is cursed, asshole.
Tim / GM:Yes. And, are you looking at him when you say that?
Thomas / Guy:No. I'm walking away.
Tim / GM:Okay. So you guys you guys see Burton. Maybe you heard him say that, but you actually see Emery's eyes kind of, like, jerk open. And he, like, takes a second and, like, looks around to each of you to see if, like, almost if if it's a joke.
Speaker 3:The whole town has been cursed by Joe. He is not the man you think he is.
Speaker 2:Emery, I'm not sure if your assholeness is part of the curse, though.
Tim / GM:He, his expression kind of, like, turns back into its usual sort of sour stoic demeanor, and, he, turns his back and he says, what's the hold up? And, right around that time, about a minute has gone by and the wheels, one after another, returned to their original size. And,
Speaker 4:Except for the burnt one.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Except for the crispy fried one that was completely destroyed.
Thomas / Guy:We get to pick crew out for that one.
Speaker 4:Yeah. It's just the 2 kobolds. Like
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Tim / GM:So they're, like, trying to figure out a solution for that. Yeah. I at this point, they're they're just waiting for a solution to get mobile again, just going down the city.
Speaker 7:Holly goes up to the front of the wagon. What's the lady doing that was driving?
Tim / GM:So the party is at the gates, and then the wagon is 60 feet away, and Bert rode the wagon out there.
Speaker 7:I see. I feel like we were having a conversation like we were right next to them. Oops. Sorry. Sorry.
Speaker 7:Okay.
Tim / GM:So if you're back at the gates, what can you do from there?
Speaker 7:Hey. Who are you, lady? Lady driver? Holly's just, like, yelling across the way, like, who are you?
Tim / GM:She is, she's speaking with Buster kind of quietly and, like, pointing at the kobolds and, like, telling them to do stuff.
Speaker 7:Buster's a beetle. Did he turn back?
Tim / GM:No. He's still a beetle.
Speaker 7:She's talking to the beetle?
Speaker 4:Yeah. I say good riddance. They're out of town. Yeah.
Thomas / Guy:I say we forget about them. We had solved the mystery of the curse after all.
Speaker 7:They're not gonna forget about us though, you guys.
Speaker 3:They're going to move on to the next town.
Speaker 2:Companions, I only stabbed Joe once. He was foolish of me and I apologized for my oversight. I thought for sure he'd be dead. Perhaps we should stab him one last time.
Speaker 7:Yeah. Why don't you go try to get him?
Thomas / Guy:Something tells me we'll have a chance to stab him again.
Speaker 3:I don't know that he
Tara / Journey:is still alive. He just got Buster just carried him out.
Speaker 4:He looked pretty dead.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Tim / GM:Tandy approaches you, Snack, and says, I think you did the exact right amount of stabbing, and I don't think we need much more of that. But thank you.
Speaker 2:Is this a promotion, Chef Tandy? I have shown excellent restraint. I only stabbed once, enough to kill nothing more.
Speaker 4:I say you make him the assistant deputy.
Tim / GM:While I appreciate your restraint, Snack, I I we have a few conversations to have before there are any promotions. Yes.
Speaker 2:I see.
Speaker 3:Chef Tandy, what what would you like us to do? I don't know. Should we chase Joe and Buster? They have done very much harm.
Tim / GM:They have, but I can't ask you to go after them. I I don't know what they're up to. I My job is to watch over lamplight. And and that's what I'm doing. I'm staying here.
Thomas / Guy:Can we call this lockdown over with?
Tim / GM:Yes. She, turns to the crowd. She says, I know a lot of you are angry. I know even more of you are scared. Lamplight will double its guard starting tomorrow, so that the people can sleep easy for the first time in a while.
Tim / GM:For those of you who wish to leave, I won't stop you. The lockdown has officially ended as of this moment.
Speaker 7:Hooray.
Thomas / Guy:We did it.
Tim / GM:She, waits for the cheering to calm down a little bit. She says, but be warned. There's a malicious and powerful creature. And she's, like, pointing, like, right at Buster.
Speaker 7:At the giant beetle monster.
Tim / GM:In those wilds outside of my city walls, I can't protect you out there. Everyone must do what's right for themselves. There's another round of cheering, and, some people have pushed through the crowd to, to clap you guys on the back, some of you that they saw in action. Mhmm. You feel a strong hand, Uli, reach out and kind of grab you by the shoulder and, like, shake you vigorously.
Speaker 3:I,
Speaker 4:like, shake off the arm, and I round on them and go, don't fucking touch me. And
Tim / GM:you instantly recognize the face of your sister, Viri. What? And she says, that was incredible.
Speaker 4:What are you doing here?
Tim / GM:I I couldn't believe it. When you demanded that he give you that thing back, you were like, here's your bug dipshit, and you just tackled it. I don't know what kind of spooky magic crap you did to him, but he did not look like he was gonna get up.
Speaker 4:Thanks. Why are you here? You don't you don't live here. Why are you here?
Tim / GM:No. Yeah. Sorry. I, I'm actually just delivering Bent's newest homebrew, and I came at the exact right time. So I've actually been here for a few days in lockdown.
Tim / GM:I just, I don't know, haven't gotten around to visiting.
Thomas / Guy:Uli, who's your friend?
Speaker 4:Guys, this is my youngest sister, Viri.
Speaker 3:Oh, your sister.
Speaker 7:Yeah. Wow. You guys look.
Speaker 3:To meet you.
Thomas / Guy:I see it. I see it. You look like sisters. Yeah.
Speaker 4:This is fun.
Speaker 2:You both survived
Speaker 4:then, Survived what?
Speaker 2:Yes. Siblings, only a couple can survive usually. There's fighting amongst them at early age.
Tim / GM:A whole lot of us survive, let me tell you.
Speaker 4:Yeah. I have a lot of siblings. Wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Busy parents then.
Speaker 4:Mhmm. That's
Tim / GM:That's Yuri says, he got that right. And she, like, knocks you around a little bit. I
Speaker 2:like this one, Lily. Is she part of our party now?
Speaker 4:No. No. She's going home.
Speaker 2:We shall see.
Speaker 4:She's gonna go right home.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Actually, I do gotta get out of here now that you mentioned it, but it's, I don't know. It's good to see that you are making friends, I guess.
Speaker 4:Thanks. Did, did you did you know I was here?
Tim / GM:I mean, you know, like, mom and dad had mentioned something about you being kinda out this way, but to be honest
Speaker 4:I never told anyone. Wow. Yeah. So they're keeping tabs on me. That's that's good to know.
Speaker 4:Thanks.
Speaker 3:Miss Uli, to be fair, you are very hard to miss.
Speaker 4:Thank you, Tibio.
Speaker 7:It's very welcome.
Speaker 3:It's
Tim / GM:true. Anyway, I've been itching to get out of here for a couple days now. I do wanna leave you with this, though. And, she hands you a, a whole cask of, home brew ale. She says, you saved a lot of people, and and that means you drank for free.
Tim / GM:This is this is Ben's newest best stuff, and, I'm sure he'll approve of the expenditure. So here you go.
Speaker 4:Thanks.
Thomas / Guy:Hey. It's not cursed, is it? Just kidding.
Tim / GM:Well, that's less I gotta carry anyway. So, good luck to you and all your, eclectic friends.
Speaker 3:So nice to meet you.
Thomas / Guy:The pleasure.
Tim / GM:Is he a skeleton?
Speaker 3:Only a little.
Speaker 2:He is a human. Turned down. Figured it
Tim / GM:out yet. Yes. She just nods at you, Uli. And, she looks like she's gonna say something else. And then she just kind of, like, shrugs and shakes her head and and turns around and walks away.
Speaker 4:Maybe I'll maybe I'll come by and visit.
Tim / GM:She doesn't turn back around, but she kinda, like, throws up a waved hand, like, yeah. Birds.
Speaker 7:Wow. Lucy's sister. So how many siblings do you have? 6.
Tim / GM:She doesn't even say it, man. Hold on.
Speaker 7:You must feel really blessed by the gods.
Speaker 4:I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters.
Thomas / Guy:Wow. Wow.
Speaker 7:My parents weren't alive together long enough to have many.
Speaker 3:Oh, Holly, that is so sad.
Speaker 7:That's okay.
Tara / Journey:It is a
Speaker 7:long time ago. But that's really cool that you have a big family.
Speaker 4:Yeah. It's they're all really close to each other.
Thomas / Guy:I hope we get to meet all the Ullies. Yeah.
Speaker 4:Don't don't hold your breath.
Speaker 7:Family reunion. Let's let's go somewhere else. Let's change the subject.
Tim / GM:You guys, kind of turn away from the gates a little bit, and, Henry Muldrif, catches you guys, and walks towards you. He goes to you first, Bert. He says, Bert, I I have to thank you. This this this is incredible.
Thomas / Guy:Hit me, my good fellow. It was nothing. What what exactly are you referring to?
Tim / GM:I mean, just from the time I met you, all of you, from the time I met you, now you've you've solved everything. You've you've cleaned out the town. We're out of lockdown. I mean, there's still the issue Maisie's curse, but we're closer.
Speaker 3:It is not done, sir. The beetle minotaur and the others are still out there.
Tim / GM:But that's the important part. They're out there. And we're in here. There's a multitude, an endless number of vile, vicious things out there. When they're not in your home, when they're not here, that means you're safe.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. The chapter's been written, at least. We solved this one. There might be more adventures for us, but I say we celebrate.
Tim / GM:Speaking of which, I need to get back to Tildry.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, Tildry.
Tim / GM:And, while it is safe here, in Lamplight, I feel the roads might be a little unsafe for travel right now. And, I have a feeling that Tildrey might be next on Joe's watch list.
Speaker 7:Is that why you're headed back?
Tim / GM:That's part of it.
Speaker 7:What's the rest of it?
Tim / GM:Well, the answers I sought here are not here. I was looking for a source of the curse, and I don't think this is it. I understand there were cursed items here, but it's not limited to lamplight. There are an influx of cursed items in a number of places right now.
Thomas / Guy:I'm still interested in your story. If, Tandy can spare the sheriff's, that is.
Speaker 7:Just say where and where?
Thomas / Guy:The deputies.
Speaker 7:I'll help you.
Speaker 2:I doubt she can give up an assistant sheriff. I might have to renounce my new position to accompany you. I'm down here if you cannot see me.
Tim / GM:Henry says, the the road, it's a little dangerous. It's always a little dangerous, but I I feel a little more scared now than usual. And, of course, I need as much help as I can get in regards to Maisie. I wanted to head west. There's a tunnel that we can take through the hedge mountain.
Tim / GM:It's a darker path, but it's infinitely quicker. And there's enough traffic through the tunnel that I don't think the beetle man would go through it.
Speaker 3:I would go to protect Maisie. She is my friend.
Tim / GM:Maisie's, looking up at your group, and and she kinda smiles at that.
Speaker 3:Uli, would you feel safe leaving your home? I know that it has been hard for you here.
Speaker 4:I mean, it's been a place to live, and I don't really have much else here. So I'm fine leaving for a bit.
Speaker 3:Now that the the danger is gone from this town, I feel we should follow it to make sure it does no more harm.
Speaker 7:I need to know more about these curses.
Tim / GM:I appreciate your enthusiasm, Holly. We'll need it. And, once we get to Tildry, I I won't ask any more of you. But if you could, I'd appreciate the help. So, while you guys are talking to Henry, Maisie turns to Uli.
Tim / GM:Hi, Uli.
Speaker 4:Hey, kid. What's up?
Tim / GM:Nothing.
Speaker 4:How's that how's that thing working out for you?
Tim / GM:What? Oh, the the the cup? Yeah. Do you
Speaker 4:have to use it?
Tim / GM:A couple times.
Speaker 4:So did it help
Tim / GM:at all? Yeah. Yeah. I think so. And, you actually see Henry kind of tune into the conversation.
Tim / GM:And, Henry looks at you, Willie, and he nods his head. Yes. Yeah. Like, it did help.
Speaker 4:So it sounds like we might, be hitting the road together. So you can hang on to that if you want.
Tim / GM:Yeah. We're we're gonna go back home.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Yeah. Hang on to it as long as you need it.
Tim / GM:Good. Because there's one in there right now.
Speaker 4:Oh, do you wanna talk about it? Or
Tim / GM:No. I don't have to.
Speaker 4:It's fine. Good. Good.
Tim / GM:I feel fine.
Speaker 4:How long has it been in there?
Tim / GM:I not very long. Just when you started fighting.
Speaker 4:Oh, did it did it scare you or something? Are you were you?
Tim / GM:No. I don't think so.
Speaker 4:Just, just be careful when you open it again.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Speaker 4:I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna go over there.
Tim / GM:Okay. Is it are you sure it's okay if I keep it?
Speaker 4:Until we figure out your all the stuff going on, Just hang on to it.
Tim / GM:She goes, okay. And she kind of looks at it nervously.
Speaker 4:Are you scared of it?
Tim / GM:Sometimes I forget how scared I was before I used it, and then when it comes out, it's scary again.
Speaker 4:Sometimes, I also get scared.
Tim / GM:I don't. Look how big you are.
Speaker 4:Yeah. No. I mean, it's only a little bit scared. Just like a oh.
Tim / GM:I get that all the I get that from bugs.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Yeah. Bugs are gross. So when that happens They're
Tim / GM:not gross.
Speaker 4:They're scary. But there's well, yeah. They're scary because they're gross or whatever. If you get scared again, you can just hold my hand or something, like, squeeze it really hard.
Tim / GM:Does that help you?
Speaker 4:Yeah. I mean
Tim / GM:Whose hand do you hold?
Speaker 3:Tibio raises his hand.
Tim / GM:That him. Clackety clack.
Speaker 4:I mean, sometimes I just hold my own hand really hard, Or I I, like, punch things. Who laughed?
Speaker 7:Hey, who laughed? That was not so we're all just, like, listening to this conversation.
Speaker 4:I'm also I'm actually blushing, but I feel like Uli is also blushing.
Tara / Journey:Tibeo walks up to them, and he heard the conversation. And
Speaker 7:he's We
Speaker 3:all heard the conversation.
Tara / Journey:And he says
Speaker 3:Miss miss Mezi, miss Uli, while we wait for the bad guys to go away, why don't we sit? And we can maybe try to open the cup while it is safe?
Speaker 4:Yeah. We can just sit here, and you can, you can hold both of our hands and we'll just breathe in really deep and open the tank.
Tara / Journey:Yes. Why don't we sit over here? And Tivia leads them to just like a quiet corner. All the people are probably still about and doing crowd stuff, but, he finds a quiet spot. He sits small down on the ground against a wall, and he hands Maisie a little bone rune and, says to Uli, Uli, do
Speaker 3:you still have your rune?
Speaker 4:Oh, Yeah. Here. With the the o for Uli.
Speaker 3:U for Uli? Yeah. And m for mezzie.
Tim / GM:Mhmm.
Tara / Journey:And, he takes out his own rune, and he sits there, and he says,
Speaker 3:if you hold the rune in your hand and you look at it really hard, you think about all the things in your life that are very good, and then open the tankard, and it won't be so scary.
Tim / GM:She, holds the rune in one hand and the tankard in the other. And, you see her kind of psych herself up a couple of times, and then she takes a deep breath and presses her thumb down on the tankard. And, there's, almost a sort of, like, can cracking kind of a, like, as it opens up. And and you see her take a deep breath, and she goes and you can feel her. She actually drops the rune right away, and she reaches out and she grabs both of you on your, like, biceps.
Tim / GM:And she's, like, reaching around Tibio's, cloak for, like, something to hold on to. And, she's just kinda, like, staring at the ground, and, she you can see her, like, tears are starting to kinda well up, and she's, like, visibly shaking. At the same time, you hear sort of, like, deep cracking noise, almost like she's, like an adult and you can feel her nails kind of digging in. And you start thinking, like, how could a kid's nails be this sharp? And you can hear her breathing just become labored and deeper.
Tim / GM:And then, she lets go of you, and she goes, that was so scary.
Speaker 3:It's okay, Missy. It's it's okay now.
Tara / Journey:And Tivia is looking at Uli like, woah.
Speaker 4:The same. Oh, you did really good. You can just hold on to the tankard for a while.
Tim / GM:She goes, okay. I'll try to find you first, though.
Speaker 4:That's that's a really good idea. You can stick with us.
Tim / GM:Thanks, Uli. Thanks, Tibeo. You're welcome.
Speaker 3:You're welcome, Mizzy. Anytime.
Speaker 4:I'm gonna pull Tibio off to the side and say, thanks for
Tim / GM:helping with that. I don't
Speaker 4:really know how to deal with with kids
Speaker 3:and emotions.
Speaker 2:You knew
Speaker 3:exactly what to do. I just helped.
Speaker 4:I punched Tibio on the shoulder in, like, a good natured way, but probably a little too hard.
Tara / Journey:I cracked my shoulder back into place.
Tim / GM:Tandy, once again calls back to you guys and approaches this kind of new circle that you formed with Henry and Maisie. She says, looks like danger's headed west, and, you all look back to see that the, wagon had been mended, probably using magic, that a, the wheel was repaired from crisp to serviceable, and they're kind of rolling westward down the path, with Beetle buster on top of the wagon carriage, as this just kind of giant monstrosity lump.
Speaker 7:Can you believe you fucked that guy and she looks so ratably?
Speaker 4:I I didn't. That's
Speaker 7:I mean, it's okay. You can just No.
Speaker 4:No. Yeah.
Speaker 7:It's fine. That was Buster. Don't worry about it.
Speaker 4:I I didn't
Speaker 7:It's okay. Yeah. It's fine.
Speaker 4:But you're talking about Dave.
Speaker 3:Dave and Buster. Oh.
Speaker 4:Did you just Buster's Dave's brother. Also, we didn't.
Speaker 7:Both of them then? Wow.
Speaker 4:No. I really
Tim / GM:went for it.
Speaker 7:Hopefully, not the same time. It'd be a lot to handle.
Speaker 4:I'm I'm gonna go now.
Thomas / Guy:The things I miss as an only child. Tandy. I've got something for you. Oh? Yeah.
Thomas / Guy:It's Emory's badge he handed over to me. It's like your short one deputy.
Tim / GM:I see. Actually, I was going to ask for all your badges.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, well Are you sparing us?
Tim / GM:Well, I mean, this was a temporary assignment.
Thomas / Guy:We are headed out of town. So, are you sure you'll be okay here, though?
Tim / GM:I mean, absolutely. We'll be fine with the increased guard and the knowledge that we have now. I was wondering, however, if, you'd all come with me down to the station for a little chat.
Speaker 7:Okay.
Speaker 4:The kind that ends in handcuffs?
Thomas / Guy:Is this about us putting you in jail? No.
Tim / GM:Because you
Thomas / Guy:I think you asked to do that.
Tim / GM:I did. I have it's kind of my fantasy. Anyway
Speaker 2:Are we taking you to jail again, Jeff?
Tim / GM:We're taking each other to jail, snack. Alright.
Tara / Journey:Next season is sexy voice.
Tim / GM:Are we taking you to jail?
Speaker 4:What was that thing with the the claws?
Speaker 3:I don't know, but it sounds it it seems kind of like her mother's butt. That's what
Speaker 4:I was thinking.
Tara / Journey:And I lift up my sleeve of my trench coat, and there's holes in it where her nails went through.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Do I what kind of damage?
Tim / GM:I mean, yeah. Like, maybe, like, some light, like, skin breakage kinda thing, but she's, like, a small child.
Speaker 4:That's weird and not not at all concerning.
Speaker 3:We can wait for a good time and then talk to Henry, maybe. Tell him that his daughter was very much a curse.
Speaker 4:I'm worried about traumatizing him further.
Speaker 3:The best way we can help them both is by getting rid of the curse in in its entirety.
Tim / GM:Now so the, 5 of you, move into the, the ward. This is Tandy's office. It's a very small office. You guys find out in this moment that Tandy is very, very into model ships. She has them everywhere.
Tim / GM:They're on her wall. They are in, giant, like, bell jars in in, like, whiskey bottles. They're everywhere. And so, like, not only is this office tiny, but it's almost impossible to move around in because it is full of delicate model ships. And all 5 of you have to find somewhere to be, and there's only a small couch that seats 2.
Speaker 4:I'm gonna stand by the door.
Tim / GM:K. Lily's in the door frame.
Speaker 4:I don't wanna break anything of hers.
Speaker 3:I'm always sitting, so I don't
Tim / GM:She says, first things first. A job well done and quickly done, deserves to be rewarded. Oh. We, we are going to, be spending quite a bit on the increased guard over the next, month or so. But the city's been able to set aside a little bit for each of you.
Speaker 7:Oh, yes. We did talk of promised payment.
Tim / GM:Well, I'd say your efforts went above and beyond a little bit of sleuthing. For that reason, Lamplight is prepared to offer each of you a 100 gold pieces.
Speaker 7:I accepted.
Tim / GM:And I'd also like to ask for, each of your badges back. You know, we don't have an infinite amount of them.
Speaker 7:Mine's in the bottom of the the docks, so I'm sorry. But here's Henri's, and then she takes it off Ann Rees and gives it to her.
Tim / GM:Well, that's fine. I suppose we can blame it on Emery.
Thomas / Guy:That Todd fellow can probably fish it up.
Speaker 4:We can blame a lot of things on Emery.
Tim / GM:Yes. That will be a misstep that'll haunt me for a while yet.
Speaker 7:Are we are we good?
Speaker 4:Are we even
Tim / GM:You and I? Yeah. Not quite.
Speaker 4:Oh, great.
Tim / GM:Actually, could we get a moment, all of you? I'd like to speak with Uli.
Thomas / Guy:Alright. We all, like Don't leave. Try to navigate out of the room Oh.
Speaker 2:While she's standing in front of
Tim / GM:the floor. Okay. Everybody make a Dex. Yeah. Also, make Everybody make an acrobatics.
Tim / GM:No. Acrobatics check. Get out of here. Oh, it's pretty easy for you to navigate. You just kinda slip out of the room.
Tim / GM:Tibio, also lithe and graceful. Not a problem. Snack?
Speaker 2:Yes.
Tim / GM:How do you try to leave the room?
Speaker 2:I try to be, graceful, but there's a lot of sunlight in this room through all the windows and
Tim / GM:okay.
Speaker 2:So my hood pulled over my eyes and
Tim / GM:With the afternoon sun coming in through the south facing window, you have an arm out in front of you, to kind of guide your way. And, you just sweep your arm across, like, the the the largest ship in the center of the room on its own pedestal, and you just knock it off its stand. And it, falls to the ground, and Holly, reaches to catch it and grabs it by the sails Oh, no. And snaps both of them off.
Speaker 7:I'm I'm so sorry, Tendi. And she just sets on the ground and, like, runs out of the room.
Tim / GM:She says the maiden mermaid.
Speaker 4:I don't you have a mending spell?
Tara / Journey:I might
Speaker 3:be all out of spells.
Speaker 7:Hold on. Oh, no. I have it's a cantrip. She, reaches back in the room with her hand and just points at it and goes, boop, and then fixes it.
Tim / GM:She, she kinda, like, shakes her head back, side to side and says, this is sort of a a good little nutshell of of our relationship, isn't it?
Speaker 7:Sure. I fix your ships. Holly's very confused.
Tim / GM:And and
Speaker 3:she's So do I.
Tim / GM:And who breaks them?
Speaker 4:Not me. Uly. No. I'm a I'm a ship mender.
Tim / GM:Everybody out.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to get out. It's very bright in here and
Speaker 7:We all just fall out in a bundle.
Speaker 2:Useless ships. What is the point?
Tim / GM:She, gestures to Uli. And she says, not you.
Speaker 4:Oh, I sneak back in backwards.
Tim / GM:She closes the door and says, Willie.
Speaker 4:Tandy.
Tim / GM:I think it's fairly clear that I owe you an apology.
Speaker 4:Oh, you don't say.
Tim / GM:Clearly, you you made a better character judgment than I did. I I thought Emery was on the straight and narrow. I I thought he was trustworthy. I thought he would make a good deputy, but you've proven to me that I shouldn't just trust my instincts. I I'm not above being charmed and
Speaker 4:swooned. Well, I appreciate it. I don't at all know how you took one look at him and thought he was a good person, but
Tim / GM:I I don't know if he was playing me or if he really really was trying to be a nice person, but you're right in the end. He was no good, and I'm glad we're rid of him. On the subject of your training with Rin
Speaker 2:okay.
Tim / GM:It's it's not mandatory, but he has something to show you. There's a specific lesson. You can ask him about it. It's important, Uli, I think, for the path of your life that you spend some time with Rin. Again, I won't make you, but you should show up at the docks tomorrow morning.
Speaker 7:Well, he's making the stink face.
Speaker 4:I think we're probably heading out of town soon. Is he, like, a he has to come with me kind of thing, or can I be rid of him once I leave?
Tim / GM:I'm not sure if he's really the adventuring type or not.
Speaker 4:He doesn't seem like it.
Tim / GM:So he might not go with you. Really, you're leaving today.
Speaker 4:I will meet with him one more time.
Tim / GM:Glad to hear it. I hope you do.
Speaker 4:But I'm not happy about it. Understood. And I think he's a a slimy little brat. Yes. Yes.
Speaker 4:Thank you. You just told me I make better character judgments than you do.
Tim / GM:I said you made a better character judgment than I did.
Speaker 4:And that implies that I will continue to do so. Yes.
Tim / GM:That's called absolute thinking. Yes.
Speaker 4:I agree. We're on the same page.
Thomas / Guy:Absolutely.
Tim / GM:She, she opens the door for you.
Speaker 4:Maybe I'll see you around again someday.
Tim / GM:I'm sure.
Speaker 4:Try not to destroy the town while I'm gone.
Tim / GM:Funny. NPR job.
Speaker 4:Also, I'm sorry about the docs.
Tim / GM:Oh, she, she actually kinda follows you out.
Speaker 4:Oh, shit.
Speaker 2:She says,
Tim / GM:I know you're, off the case, but, I have a visitor that, wanted to speak with you. He's in the interrogation room. Let's go. Snack, I can see that look in your eye.
Speaker 2:I'm looking Snack is looking around for, things to use for, interrogations. Do I see anything that I want to grab?
Tim / GM:There's, I mean, you can see on Tandy's desk, she's got one of those, like, pen holders that's got, like, 2, like, sharp looking, like, metal pens in them.
Speaker 2:I I it's, hungrily. But, shake my head and
Thomas / Guy:think no.
Speaker 4:Hey, snack.
Speaker 2:What is it?
Speaker 4:Have you ever heard the term kill them with kindness? No. It's a it's a thing we humans or not humans or we people do when we wanna get information out of people.
Speaker 2:I've never heard of such a thing. I have never killed in such a way.
Speaker 4:It's very it's gruesome. It's really horrible. You should try it.
Speaker 2:I will try this.
Thomas / Guy:Okay. Uli, have you ever heard of good cop bad cop?
Speaker 4:I think Dave and I played that once.
Tim / GM:Oh, no.
Speaker 7:I knew it. So good.
Thomas / Guy:Also, are we interrogating this guy, or is or are we meeting him in the interrogation?
Tim / GM:Oh, no. He came to me, actually. He turned himself in. But he mentioned he wanted to speak with you. He said he wanted to clear the air and to warn you about something.
Tim / GM:I think it's wise that you meet with him.
Speaker 3:Let's do it.
Tim / GM:I don't know who it is. The 5 of you step into the interrogation chamber, which is actually just a single light coming down from the top of the middle of the room. Okay. And, you see Dave, the minotaur, sitting at a lone wooden table. That's awkward.
Thomas / Guy:Hey. We were just talking about you.
Speaker 4:No. We weren't. We weren't. We really weren't.
Speaker 7:Hey, Dave.
Tim / GM:It's good to see you all again.
Speaker 7:So what have you been up to since, last time we were over at your place?
Tim / GM:Watching my poorly misled older brother ruin his life. That's what I've been doing.
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. Sorry about that. I know it's tough seeing your older brother turn into a hideous bug mutant.
Tim / GM:It's, sometimes it's a wonder that it took him this long.
Speaker 2:Dave, you have beautiful eyes. It's my walk over and rub his leg.
Speaker 3:Too kind, Snek. Too kind.
Tim / GM:He, very nervously looks you up and down. I don't know if I've really taken the time to meet you, little one.
Speaker 2:Snack is my name. I am here to be kind to you.
Tim / GM:I appreciate the sentiment. I do prefer that you stop touching me.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Are you thirsty, Dave?
Tim / GM:I'm I'm quite alright. I I promise.
Speaker 2:You have so many muscles, Dave. They look sore. It'd be hard to rub them without touching you, though.
Tim / GM:Let's just have a short conversation instead. How about
Speaker 2:that? If you insist.
Tim / GM:That's that's what I really, really want right now. It's just a conversation at a distance. Let me start at the beginning. I only became wrapped up in all of this because of my brother, obviously. Buster was on the elixir for a long time.
Tim / GM:He was one of Joe's first. He, he tried to get out from under Joe at one point, but, it didn't go well. He's he's got eyes, you know? Joe, he's got eyes everywhere.
Thomas / Guy:How long have you known this elixir was cursed?
Tim / GM:Longer than I'd like to admit. I tried to warn people away from it as best I could without tipping off Joe that I was acting against him.
Speaker 4:But you were working with him?
Tim / GM:I was working for him because Joe had complete control over my brother.
Speaker 7:Double agent. I see. That's a tough spot to be in.
Tim / GM:Pretty cool, though. I have some information that I've been able to gather on Joe, and, I'm hoping it serves you well. I I saw a bit of a grudge begin to form.
Speaker 7:Between who?
Tim / GM:Joe does not take it well when people stand in his way. If you cross his path again, he'll take his chance to take you down.
Speaker 7:How powerful is Joe?
Tim / GM:He's an alchemist and very little else. He's good at creating potions, thinking of new ways to make them work, and new ways to turn a buck and ruin people. But there are a couple key pieces of information. Joe's biggest limitation is range. He he can control people from a good while while out with his elixir, once they've been on it even once.
Tim / GM:About a 1000 feet away. That's how good he can do. Once he's outside of city limits, we don't even have to worry about his influence. Everyone who is on the elixir is fine.
Thomas / Guy:Do you know how long the elixir effect lasts if he's within range? Do I have to take it every day, it seems like?
Tim / GM:It's actually only 12 hours. He had patrons that would take it in the morning before sunup, and patrons that would take it at night before sundown. This is the clincher with the elixir. It's spoiled if it touches sunlight. That's why he only did presales and evening sales.
Speaker 4:The rose water.
Thomas / Guy:Fascinating.
Tim / GM:Joe's greatest strength is numbers. I don't know how it works, but it seems there's no limit to how many people he can coordinate at once. If he got this into the hands of the masses, he could control a throng a 1000 feet deep. That is not good news.
Speaker 4:How likely do you think it is that he's actually dead?
Tim / GM:Joe makes healing potions like a lot of people make oatmeal, and he keeps them on his person all the time. There's not a doubt in my mind that he's back and active already.
Thomas / Guy:With little pieces of fruit cut in?
Speaker 3:Brown sugar.
Speaker 4:Little cream. And we just let
Tim / GM:creamiest health potions inside of lab blood.
Speaker 4:And we just let him fly right out of
Tim / GM:It's good that you got him out of town. He had a foothold here, and that was his strength. That's gone now. He has to start over.
Speaker 2:I have the Stego with his blood on it. Is it is it enough use at all?
Tim / GM:Can we use this? I'd buy that off you. Oh, really?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Well, you can just have it.
Speaker 4:Insight check. Don't I'm gonna see if he's being suspicious about it. Okay. 9. Okay.
Tim / GM:You saw him smile when he offered to
Speaker 4:pay for the dagger. Blinded by it. Wow.
Speaker 7:Yes. Give it.
Tim / GM:Give it. Give it.
Speaker 2:I want you to know this dagger is very special to me. I I, earned it at a young age and escaped from the underdark with it. I want you to have it.
Tim / GM:Well,
Speaker 2:because I am kind. Looking at
Tim / GM:it does make me smile, knowing that Joe's blood is saturating the blade. I appreciate it. Snack.
Speaker 2:You are most welcome. And I take out of my satchel, and I look at my white lotus item to see if it grows another leaf.
Tim / GM:When you take it out, you notice it's actually grown a a few leaves in the interim. And that, when you hand over the blade and then take out the lotus right after, you see a new bud form and the, leaf kind of unfurl right before your eyes.
Speaker 7:What's the lotus representing again? Sorry.
Tim / GM:So the the white lotus is a magic item that grows a new petal every time a snack makes somebody happy.
Speaker 7:Okay.
Tim / GM:Where'd you get that? At the the shop. The, like, pre shop.
Thomas / Guy:Starting item. Yeah. I chose the key that unlocks every door.
Tim / GM:Yeah. How do I
Speaker 7:use it?
Tim / GM:John chose the, the item that seems useless and is the hardest to start with, and at the end turns into the god item. Right. Yeah.
Speaker 4:Do you know where he was sourcing the vampire blood?
Tim / GM:Not entirely, but I have reason to believe it's coming from far north, a city called
Speaker 7:Vindorn. I heard Vindorn?
Tim / GM:I know it's vampire blood.
Speaker 4:How do you, I mean, we know that, but how do you know that?
Thomas / Guy:Are the stories of vampires in Vindorn real?
Tim / GM:Well, there's the ancestral home ground of
Speaker 7:It's the Vindorn's still a home ground of vampires, of Wait. You're a minotaur vampire. Yeah. What would that sound like?
Tim / GM:I'm Dave the Minotaur, and I'm also a vampire. Oh, geez. I don't even know where we left. Oh, okay. Yeah.
Tim / GM:Vindorn. Vindorn. Yep. Vindorn is the ancestral home of a lot of vampires. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a sort of resurrection or a resurgence.
Speaker 7:Vampires like to do those kinds of things. That's for sure.
Tim / GM:Classic vampire. Yes. They do. I, I had the blood tested by a contact in the underdog. They confirmed what I suspected, Vampire blood.
Tim / GM:Right. And The
Speaker 2:only time you wrote this down, I've heard it a few times now that it is vampire
Thomas / Guy:blood. Wait. Vampire blood?
Tim / GM:V a m.
Speaker 7:Okay. We get it. We get it. It's vampire blood.
Tara / Journey:People I think we also, like I I personally have trouble every time someone says underdark. No.
Tim / GM:Because if you
Speaker 4:I mean, you The underdog.
Thomas / Guy:I can't remember the underdark.
Speaker 7:Yeah. Yeah. Whoever named that underdark dock situation Well,
Thomas / Guy:we're leaving this tent. We don't ever have
Tara / Journey:Wonderful.
Speaker 2:We should burn the underdark to the ground so this never comes up again.
Tim / GM:I don't agree.
Speaker 4:Destroy anything else.
Tim / GM:Can you
Speaker 7:name it?
Thomas / Guy:More like blunderdock. Am I right?
Speaker 7:Oh, nice one. Holly just
Speaker 2:this That is my homeland, no, Terry. Under Blunderdock.
Speaker 4:Oh, okay. Never mind. You're from Blunderdock?
Tim / GM:The
Speaker 7:That makes a lot of sense if he's from the blender dark.
Tim / GM:Be kind
Speaker 2:be kind and snack.
Speaker 7:Oh, my god. What else you got for us, Dave?
Thomas / Guy:Dave, do you have any idea where Joe might be headed next?
Speaker 3:Where do you know?
Tim / GM:I think, Tildry. Lamplight was a dry run. It was sort of his testing grounds for his new elixir.
Speaker 4:That's terrifying.
Tim / GM:He's been refining this for a long time, and there's a lot more people in Tildrey.
Speaker 7:Well, good luck getting past the shop guild because they are sons of bitches. Don't let you just open no shop anywhere. Unless I could go on for a while, though.
Speaker 4:Unless they're all under his control.
Tim / GM:Do you have ends with the guild, Holly?
Speaker 7:Of course, I do.
Tim / GM:I think it comes as no surprise. I intend to save my brother. I'm going to Tildry as soon as I can, but I owe a debt to Tandi. I've caused her some trouble in the underdogs. I need to repay that debt, and I need to keep away from Buster for just a little while, but I'll be after him.
Thomas / Guy:We're going to Tildry, anytime now.
Speaker 7:Any day. Tomorrow.
Thomas / Guy:Very soon.
Tim / GM:I'd say there's a definite chance I'll see you there.
Speaker 7:Excellent. Uli will be waiting for you.
Speaker 4:Oh, no. Don't.
Speaker 7:She winks at him.
Speaker 4:Mm-mm. Oh,
Tim / GM:Uli, didn't see you there.
Speaker 4:Hey, Dave.
Thomas / Guy:Really didn't
Speaker 3:okay. She's the good cop today.
Tim / GM:What's how you're doing?
Speaker 4:What? What? I'm doing fine, Dave. Thank you.
Tim / GM:How's the interrogation going, everyone? Tandy steps into the room.
Thomas / Guy:Real good.
Tim / GM:I I think we're just about done. Yes.
Speaker 4:I had one more question. How long do you think it would take Joe to set up Intelligible? Like, start running his operation again? Do we have time to get there?
Speaker 7:It's a much bigger city. I think he's gonna have a heck of a time getting people to, a, try a new elixir when they probably already have their own elixir guy, and, b, get through all the guild members that need to approve a new shop to even open in the first place if that's the route he's planning to go on.
Tim / GM:Joe is a snake. He's going to try to capture people on the outskirts of Tildrey and get the elixir in them however he needs to, and he's going to use them as credibility for his shop. Mhmm. That's what he did here, and he'll do it again. One last bit of advice, before I, let you all go.
Tim / GM:I suggest you all invest in one of these. And, he holds up a a canteen. It says, you're not gonna wanna drink anything you didn't pour yourself, maybe for the rest of your lives.
Speaker 7:Can teen writes down in our notebook. We'll look into that.
Thomas / Guy:Are you offering this service? What?
Speaker 7:It says canteen.
Tim / GM:I don't sell canteens. Right on. Okay.
Speaker 2:There were some bottles in, the sheriff's office that had ships in them. We could just go
Tim / GM:just go purchase some canteens.
Speaker 2:Oh, I see.
Tim / GM:From the nocket.
Speaker 7:Snack, I've seen you holding your weird shaped bottle all the time.
Speaker 2:That is a lamp. Oh. It is a magical lamp. I will not drink out of it, but
Thomas / Guy:thank you.
Speaker 7:Magic, magic, you said.
Tim / GM:Genie juice. But thank
Speaker 2:you. But thank you. I am being kind. Do not undermine my
Tim / GM:efforts, Tibia.
Speaker 3:I'm I'm so sorry.
Speaker 2:I forgive you. Wow.
Speaker 7:It's a whole new side of you.
Tim / GM:As you guys kind of, wander out of the interrogation room, Tandy and Dave are left in there by themselves. And, the last thing you hear is the door is closing. He says, honestly, that's the nicest kumbobol I've ever had.
Speaker 4:I think that was a good first try. I think you're gonna have to keep practicing the kindness, though.
Speaker 2:He did not die. He did not seem to suffer at all. I don't understand.
Speaker 4:It's it's really subtle. It's like a slow
Thomas / Guy:you know, having having a knife is also a good way to kill people.
Speaker 2:I am out of a knife now. Yes. I do need one of those as backup, of course.
Speaker 4:I'm sure we can find 1.
Thomas / Guy:I'm just saying it came in handy before. Certainly.
Speaker 4:I think we wanna find Henry to, like, address the curse.
Tim / GM:That's one point.
Speaker 7:I'll go get us some canteens for the trip and some other provisions and stuff. Sure.
Tim / GM:Well, it's, it's getting late in the day, around, dinner time. You guys have been able to, reliably find Henry at the tangled jib, whenever you seem to need to. He's kinda right there.
Speaker 4:But we don't want Maisie over here.
Speaker 7:Maisie, why don't you go and I you and I go shopping. Shopping spree.
Tim / GM:Okay. Yeah. You take, Holly takes Maisie, to Blackwater Row, to do some evening, provisional shopping. Mhmm.
Speaker 7:What do I get? What do
Tim / GM:you mean?
Thomas / Guy:What do you mean? Tantimes.
Speaker 7:Yeah. Tantimes.
Tim / GM:Everybody gets, canteens. So, I mean, aside from kind of the the supplies, we can just say that Holly got some supplies.
Speaker 7:Mhmm.
Tim / GM:15 gold worth of supplies should cover most things you might want Mhmm. Out there.
Speaker 7:I'm gonna find a a knife.
Tim / GM:A knife?
Speaker 7:Two knives. 1 for snack and one for me.
Tim / GM:Okay. Wow.
Speaker 7:After all that's happened, I decided I need to have a weapon.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Speaker 7:I don't have one.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Are you going after something that's, like, large or like a dagger or like a
Speaker 7:Just like a couple of daggers. A couple of daggers.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Probably.
Tim / GM:Better than a Snax old rust bucket.
Speaker 7:Yeah. I want one that goes in my boot.
Tim / GM:Oh, nice. Yeah. Boot knife. Okay.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, you should design, one with that comes out of the where the blade comes out of the toe leader.
Tim / GM:Oh, yeah. That's awesome.
Speaker 7:Holly's new to the world of fighting things, so she is not familiar with things. But she's already thinking of ways to incorporate more weapons into her her cobble Boots. Creations.
Thomas / Guy:Level 20 rocket launcher boots.
Tim / GM:As the, so the rest of the party is walking into the tangled jib, and snack. You're the last one to follow in. You feel your lamp buzz.
Speaker 2:I jump into the alleyway and try to find something to hide behind such as garbage.
Tim / GM:And, your lamp, starts to rattle in that, typical way. That means Genie is emerging. But instead of his usual vibrant self, it's actually a a very small, kind of gray, wispy, withered looking genie. And he says, snack.
Speaker 2:Genie, you do not look so well.
Tim / GM:Snack, I am not well.
Speaker 2:Is it because I have not brought you enough treasures? I am sorry. I'm starving
Tim / GM:snack. I'm starving and dying. I
Speaker 2:I'll do what I can, Genie.
Tim / GM:Please, have you anything anything magical that I can eat?
Speaker 2:I do. I do have this robe. It is all I have. There's a scepter, of course, but I don't think you want that, do you?
Tim / GM:A scepter snack. What have you hidden from me? I'll go grab it.
Speaker 2:And I hop into the lamp and pull it out, and it is the allegedly cursed scepter I acquired earlier.
Tim / GM:This is
Speaker 2:what I have for you, Genie.
Tim / GM:Yes. But it's barely magical.
Speaker 2:I don't know what to do, Genie. I tried I gathered all these items and they were all cursed. Everything in this town is cursed.
Tim / GM:And he, puffs back up into a somewhat regular sized genie on top of the lamp and he says, well, then nothing today, I suppose. And that's fine. Snack.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Tim / GM:I'll sweeten the pot if it'll help motivate you. If you can get me one substantially magic item to feed on, I will give you one wish. One wish? Unlimited wish, but one wish. How's that sound?
Speaker 2:That is very kind of you, Genie. I I accept this offer. How much time do I have to gather this item of magic that is substantial?
Tim / GM:I have no concept of time. And he dives back into the land.
Speaker 2:Snack, follows the rest of the party into the tavern with a somewhat darker mood and is glancing his corners of
Tim / GM:his eyes to look for magic. Tibia, you've, found, Henry in the tangled jib. And he's, he's kinda asking what your guys' timetable is when you guys are gonna get going.
Speaker 3:Hello. We plan to leave tomorrow, I believe.
Speaker 4:Like, afternoon.
Speaker 3:Uli has
Thomas / Guy:I thought tomorrow morning.
Speaker 4:I have a I have a one last thing I have to do, but then we can go.
Speaker 2:Hello, companions. I also have one last thing I must do.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, snap.
Speaker 3:But, that's that is not why I wanted to talk to you, mister Henry. It is about Maisie.
Tim / GM:Oh, is she okay?
Speaker 4:We don't know.
Speaker 3:Have you noticed her condition deteriorating at all?
Tim / GM:What did what did you see?
Speaker 3:She released her fear from the tank out, and something strange happened. She was she was very sharp.
Speaker 4:I pull up my sleeve, and I show off my arms.
Tim / GM:He, you seem immediately just, like, shut his eyes, and he kinda, like, drops his head and just kinda, like, stares at the floor for a second. And when he opens them, you can see that his his eyes are already glassy.
Speaker 4:I assume this looks familiar.
Tim / GM:I don't know what's going
Speaker 3:on. Is this the same thing that happened to your partner, to missus mother?
Tim / GM:He just nods his head.
Speaker 3:Is that uncommon? I I thought you said the curses were all different.
Tim / GM:They are all different, but this is the same one.
Speaker 3:How is that possible?
Tim / GM:It's almost like she passed it on to her, but
Speaker 4:How long did it take her mother to get to the point where
Speaker 3:you had to take care of her?
Speaker 2:You had to get
Tim / GM:her. Yes.
Speaker 2:Shit. What?
Tim / GM:Her, her anxiety made it worse by a lot. So when she reached this point, it was sort of a slippery slope. Took her about 2 weeks before she transformed.
Speaker 3:Missy is strong.
Speaker 4:I think I think us coming with you is a good idea. And I think Tibeo and I can help. If not to remove the curse yet, we can at least help her control it.
Tim / GM:That would help. I know you've, both of you been talking to her, and it's sort of the highlight of every it's the highlight of each of her days. Every time she gets to see you, either of you. And and she's mentioned Bert before too and and even snack.
Speaker 4:Those other guys are fine.
Speaker 3:I wonder if maybe maybe we could talk to Veronica and ask her if she can do something with the tankard to make it more helpful, more long term.
Speaker 4:Like, last longer?
Speaker 3:Yes. Or diminish the emotions it holds or something to keep Macy calmer.
Tim / GM:The only way out of this is to get rid of the curse. Everything else is a temporary measure. I don't wanna waste time on it.
Speaker 4:I think we're just trying to extend it.
Tim / GM:I don't want to extend it.
Speaker 4:No. Like, give us more time to work through it.
Tim / GM:I understand. Let's let's do what we can, but adultery is our priority.
Speaker 4:Of course. How long does it take to get there from here?
Tim / GM:Oh, like 3 days walking.
Tara / Journey:Taking we're taking the tunnel path.
Tim / GM:Mhmm. So the next morning, Uli, you meet, Renhalo out on the docks, bright and early. Ren, this time isn't looking out, over the water, like an aloof loser. He's waiting for you, and he's looking out for you. And, when he sees you, he actually, waves to you, and then he looks away out over the
Speaker 4:water. Good morning.
Tim / GM:Mhmm. I heard you're leaving.
Speaker 4:Yep. You won't get to see my beautiful face anymore.
Tim / GM:I'll miss you. I, I really don't get to screw with people like I get to screw with you. It's, it's a good release, honestly. But, we have an objective today, actually.
Speaker 4:Yep. I don't know what that is, but, yes, Tandy told me to learn something.
Tim / GM:I know that's gonna be tough for you, but, just try to, you know, play along. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I am about as bad as it gets when it comes to what you'd call offensive magic.
Speaker 4:Oh, I couldn't tell at all.
Tim / GM:Thanks. Anyway, Tandy, lent me this nifty little thing and, he starts waving around a rolled up piece of parchment.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Tim / GM:Says this is a scroll.
Speaker 4:Oh, thank you for teaching me that word.
Tim / GM:Yeah. I figured you could use to, you know, expand your mind a little bit. Why don't you stand? He, grabs you by both the shoulders and kind of lightly, like, puts you into the into position, and he takes a big step back from you. So you're about maybe 5 feet away from him.
Tim / GM:And he says, alright. He, furrows his eyebrows at you and says, do you know what thunder wave does?
Speaker 4:Oh, do I?
Tim / GM:And he, turns his eyes to the scroll that he pulls open, and he says, doom. And, when he says that, the ground just vibrates beneath you, and the shockwave just rolls out from him.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Tim / GM:And it just, like, surrounds the whole area. And you can see this, metal graded dock beneath you just and vibrate. And the water is, like, slapping around, as it's being shaken.
Speaker 4:Am I taking too deep
Tim / GM:thunder damage? Anything. Oh. The thunder wave perfectly sculpts itself around you and does absolutely nothing to you. And he says, this is why I'm better than you'll ever be.
Tim / GM:You can't control anything. I can
Speaker 4:control something.
Tim / GM:Can only control. You see, I'm the youngest of a lot of brothers.
Speaker 4:I think we have something in common.
Tim / GM:Well, when I was growing up, I was the only one that couldn't use offensive magic, or not very well, anyway. It was pretty embarrassing. All of my older brothers are, you know, adventurers.
Speaker 4:That sucks.
Tim / GM:Anyway, one day, one of them kind of got in a bad way, got in a huge fight with one of my other brothers, and, well, he had what's called a wild magic surge. He cast magic missile on everyone in my family. My brother, Memdin, would still be alive if I had ever practiced my abjuration magic, it's not really about breaking people down all the time. Anyway, Tandy wanted you to learn how to sculpt your magic a little bit, and I can't teach it to you in a day. But I'm telling you, it helps to be aware that it's out there.
Tim / GM:That's how I learned to do it too. I saw somebody else do it. And I know what you're thinking. Sourcers usually can't do this kind of stuff, but we can learn. If you find the resources, if you find the time to practice, you have to.
Tim / GM:You have to learn to shape your magic a little bit. It, it can come in really handy. Just think about the times in your life when your magic has gotten a little out of control and the ways that you might have hurt people. You could stop that altogether.
Speaker 4:Hopefully, not her head.
Tim / GM:Anyway, that's, that's about all I can give you. Just know that you can do it because I can, and I learned how. Good luck. And, you know, don't hurt anybody.
Speaker 4:I clap him on the shoulder
Tim / GM:and
Speaker 4:say I'm sorry about your brother.
Tim / GM:Says me too. Make a, strength save with disadvantage.
Speaker 4:Disadvantage? Oh, no. No. No.
Tim / GM:No. Natural one? Yeah. Alright. So he takes advantage of this precious moment to get back at you, and he extends a foot and just throws you over the edge of the dock.
Speaker 4:Splash. I come out of the water, spitting out nasty dock water. And I say, really, man? We were having a moment.
Tim / GM:He's about halfway down the dock, and he's just kind of, like, waving out a hand to
Speaker 7:you. Fuck you too. See you never.
Speaker 4:So I need to learn how to spell
Tim / GM:sculpt. Yes. Okay. After that morning, the sky starts to cloud over, and, the temperature drops quite a bit. It's, it's pretty early spring, but it looks to you like a storm is rolling in.
Tim / GM:Henry stops by around, 9 or 10 AM and says, everybody, I know we, started some planning to get to Tilderie as quick we could, but, it's not good to travel in weather like this, regardless of the circumstances. It looks like it could actually be a pretty severe thunderstorm.
Speaker 4:I thought we were taking a tunnel.
Tim / GM:Right. But it's it's almost a day's walk to the tunnel. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 4:To get to the tunnel. Mhmm.
Thomas / Guy:So we're gonna be even later, hey, Henry? Unfortunately, I
Tim / GM:I think so. But
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 2:It has nothing to do with your fine linen, does it, Tenry?
Tim / GM:It has nothing to do with my fine linen. I see. These boots, however, are not waterproof.
Speaker 7:Can we just rent a wagon? Or
Speaker 4:Can you make things waterproof?
Speaker 7:I mean, yeah. I don't know.
Tim / GM:We could rent a wagon.
Speaker 7:I feel like time is of the essence. We need to stop Joe from
Tim / GM:I agree with you.
Speaker 2:But
Speaker 7:setting things up too quickly. I
Tim / GM:the lightning Scares me. I'm afraid of lightning.
Speaker 4:You're afraid of I
Tim / GM:can't go during a lightning storm because I'm afraid of lightning.
Speaker 3:How about we just,
Speaker 7:how about we just, like, put you to sleep? We'll get a wagon.
Speaker 3:I'm thinking. Miss Holly, let's wait.
Tim / GM:I am afraid of lightning.
Speaker 7:We'll put you and the
Speaker 3:little girl asleep, and then we'll Let's just wait
Tim / GM:for
Speaker 3:tomorrow and make sure we are ready.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Tibio. It is okay. I have important things to do this day as well. Things to settle.
Speaker 7:I just don't think it's a good idea to wait, but I guess I'm forced.
Speaker 3:The speed we would be going in the storm would make it so we were there at the same time anyway.
Speaker 7:It doesn't look like it's gonna rain too bad. Holly is, like, suspicious.
Tim / GM:Thunder, rain, like, immediately, the storm begins to, come down, which means, you guys actually have an extra day in lamplight, during a heavy thunderstorm.
Thomas / Guy:I guess I can make some edits on this.
Tara / Journey:I go to have tea with Veronica and Emily.
Speaker 3:I'm
Tara / Journey:because that sounds delightful.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna
Speaker 4:handle the place I live
Tim / GM:Okay.
Speaker 4:And, like, pack up and
Tara / Journey:Shut it down.
Speaker 4:Shut it down and, like Sure.
Speaker 7:Feed the cat.
Speaker 4:Break the lease, I guess.
Tim / GM:Yeah. So, Willie, you actually get, you get 5 gold pieces as a return for your unused rent, for the rest of the month.
Speaker 7:Wow. How rent should work in the world.
Tim / GM:They're like, well, you're not gonna be here, so here you go.
Speaker 4:Do you, do you want this house plant?
Tim / GM:It's like this, like, dead as okay. You show them a pot of dirt.
Speaker 4:It's it's probably still alive.
Tara / Journey:It's got, like, a stick out of it.
Tim / GM:Yeah. It's literally a broken stick in a pot of dirt.
Speaker 4:Okay. I probably forgot to water it a
Tim / GM:few times. Yeah. They take your plant. Okay.
Speaker 7:Hollywood's Holly goes
Tim / GM:Veronica's house.
Speaker 7:Yeah. And with Tibio.
Tim / GM:Veronica sees you at the peephole and just says, please no. No problem.
Speaker 7:Ronnie. Ronnie, come on. You know you you best us. You know you best us.
Tim / GM:You hear the door unlock, and she says, no followers? Just the 2 of you? What's the occasion?
Speaker 3:Tea party. We just came to thank you and to let just spend time and give you good energy before we leave town.
Speaker 7:Holly pulls out a crystal out of her pocket, and she's like, I need charge my crystals.
Tim / GM:Oh, come on in out of the rain. It's good to see you, mister Bones. She, sits you guys down at her small circular table, with, 3 perfect chairs. And, she already had a tea on, so she just pours you guys some hot water and offers you some tea bags. And you all actually kinda sit in silence for just a moment and watch the rain.
Tim / GM:And she says, how did things end up?
Speaker 7:Well, there was a giant beetle, and, Joe was controlling everyone like we thought. And,
Speaker 3:yeah. We gotta go
Speaker 7:stop him from poisoning lamplight.
Speaker 3:We fought him, but he escaped, and he is headed to Tildry and Oh,
Speaker 7:Tildry. Sorry.
Speaker 3:We will stop him. We are leaving, so we can stop him.
Speaker 7:Yes, Tildry. I'm getting lamp I had lamplight on the brain because I cannot leave this town.
Tim / GM:Well, it's, good to know he's out of lamplight, but it's scary to think what he might do.
Speaker 7:Ronnie, did you ever think of leaving lamplight? A powerful person like yourself?
Tim / GM:I've been all over. I've actually only lived in Lamplight for, less than a year.
Speaker 7:Have you ever heard of a place called Val Vindorn? Vindorn. Very bad with names I think we've established.
Tim / GM:Vindorn is, it's not for me.
Speaker 7:You've been there though?
Tim / GM:When I was very young, I visited Vindon. It's a it's a hard place to live. Everyone has a lot of responsibility there. Why someone would settle a city in the midst of a desolate mountain valley is beyond me, but they make life work.
Speaker 7:Is it mainly humans there?
Tim / GM:These days it's actually almost entirely dwarves.
Speaker 7:Oh, interesting. Yeah. I heard of it before, you know, from my time in Tildry, but I didn't, never been. We're just curious. There was, you know, how we talked about the vampire blood.
Speaker 7:I don't know if we told
Tim / GM:you that. I see the connection. Yes.
Speaker 7:Well, the rumors are that town is where the blood the source of the blood came
Tim / GM:from. Likely story.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Tim / GM:And I suppose you're all taking it upon yourselves to go right all the wrongs and see to it that this has stopped.
Speaker 7:Well, I don't know about that, but I do need to get back. You know, my life has been Tildry, and I care about the people there. I don't want them to get hoodwinked and turn into a mass army that destroys my livelihood either.
Speaker 3:I just hope to warn them. I know there is great power in children.
Tim / GM:It's good of you to look out for other people. And I'm glad that it's your impulse to try to save children. But Holly's right in some ways. It's good to look out for your own life and, your livelihood. Don't lose sight of that.
Tim / GM:I've been on an adventure or 2 in my life as well. And, when it's over, you have to find somewhere to come back home to. Don't forget that.
Speaker 7:Good advice. Good advice. Now my crystals. And Holly, like, pulls a couple more of her other pockets and be like, will you help me?
Tim / GM:She, looks at Tibio with a, like, does is she actually into this kind of thing?
Speaker 3:Tibio shrugs. She's Bony shoulders.
Tim / GM:She goes, sure. Dear, oh, crystals. I I charge thee with the powers of the moon and the stars.
Speaker 7:Thank you very much. I appreciate it, Ronnie.
Speaker 4:No problem.
Speaker 7:Also crystal It's
Thomas / Guy:a challenge now.
Speaker 7:A crystal is her oh, what's it called? A totem? It's her magic
Tim / GM:Oh, like her focus or whatever?
Speaker 7:Her focus. Yeah. Her crystals are her focus. I totally forgot about it, and I read it today, and I was like, oh, yeah. Okay.
Speaker 7:So, yeah, she is she's always got a couple crystals in her pockets, which could be, like, I imagine a lot of them are, like, almost tall crystals, I guess, but a lot of them are more like little stones too.
Tim / GM:Sure. Did you mean, like, those, like, octagonal, like, fire crystals?
Speaker 7:Yeah. Cool. She has a couple of those that are her main ones that she pockets, but then she has some small ones for certain situations. So
Tim / GM:She says, Holly, I have something for you.
Speaker 7:Presents?
Tim / GM:It's actually, but, I call this one a hysteroscope. It's an octagonal crystal, 8 sides. When you look through it, you can, record just a few moments into the crystal. And, whenever you look into one of the faces, you'll see those moments played back.
Speaker 7:Oh. So Can other people see it too?
Tim / GM:Yes. They can see it like they'd see a painted picture.
Speaker 7:Wow. Amazing.
Tim / GM:Eight faces is that's eight memories, each about 3 or 5 seconds. They get a little hazy after that.
Speaker 7:Very cool. Would it hold up in a court of law?
Tim / GM:I suppose so. They can investigate the magic and see that it's not, tempered, footage.
Speaker 7:Excellent. Histor scope. Well, very good. Thank you. I I really appreciate.
Speaker 7:What color is it?
Tim / GM:It's a a very light pale blue. You'd almost think it's clear if you didn't look close enough. K. Cool.
Speaker 7:Thanks. Thanks, Ronnie. Appreciate it.
Tim / GM:Good. Good. Now, let's go our
Speaker 7:little hug.
Tim / GM:Let's all hush up and watch the rain.
Speaker 7:Yes.
Tim / GM:Was that, like, a Minecraft spider?
Speaker 7:No. I was sipping
Tim / GM:tea. Yeah. Snack. You've been told, that you guys are not traveling until tomorrow morning. Yes.
Tim / GM:So inside the tangled jib, you are sitting in front of a comfy cozy fire, just kind of pondering what to do with your day. Where does that take you?
Speaker 2:Snack will get away from the fire and, find the nearest human who is familiar with these pots to, speak with.
Tim / GM:The, the innkeeper that you guys have talked to just a handful of times, is there. At one point, he held a bloody cleaver and kinda threatened you guys a little bit. But he says, mister Snack, good morning.
Speaker 2:Thank you. It is very nice out today.
Tim / GM:He just kinda, like, takes a long look out the window and back at you, and he and he smirks. And he says, what are you up to today? I need and
Speaker 2:I look around to make sure nobody's listening. I need to find magic items, Ones that are not cursed, that make me sick. Do you know of who I could seek out for such things?
Tim / GM:I mean, how much coin do you have?
Speaker 2:Quite a bit of coin I have. Okay. I jingle my purse, which actually does have a 125 gold in it.
Tim / GM:In that case, you'd probably be welcome right on Blackwater Road. Some of the shops might have closed down for the rain, but, I'd start there. They've probably got some nifty magic stuff for a reasonable price. Thank you. Why are you still staring at me?
Speaker 2:Is there more bacon, or is it all gone now?
Tim / GM:I gotta level with you, snack. I'm not making as much bacon because you eat all of it no matter how much I make.
Speaker 2:That was part of the contract when we signed up for this inn to stay. You said continental bacon.
Tim / GM:No. Snacky. You signed a contract with Sheriff Tandy to be a deputy that had nothing to do with living here.
Speaker 2:Fine. I like to do better with the bloody Cleaver murdering people.
Tim / GM:I I might have heard. He, he, he looks over at like, an old man that was, also kind of sitting by the fire, not really paying attention to your conversation. But he looks at the old man. He goes, I didn't I didn't kill anyone.
Speaker 2:He did. He did. If I pass Bert, I'll talk to him. Otherwise, I was going to head to Blackwater rule.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Bert is, a ways away from where you were talking, but he's just kind of steeped in his books, crossing things out.
Thomas / Guy:So, yeah, I'm finished writing in my room.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Thomas / Guy:But after he leaves, I wanna go down and talk to the Innkeep.
Tim / GM:Okay. So are you there when when he comes by or no? No. I missed Okay. So, yeah, you misheard by the way.
Thomas / Guy:Just Sorry. Okay.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Yeah. So, the keepsies, you come down.
Thomas / Guy:Morning, boss. What's happening?
Tim / GM:Hey. Where is everybody? You looking for snack? He just stepped out.
Thomas / Guy:Just stepped out, Did he say anything about where he was going?
Tim / GM:Sounds like he was, going shopping.
Thomas / Guy:Shopping? For the trip, no doubt.
Tim / GM:I think so. Maybe. Looking for magic items, though?
Thomas / Guy:Magic items.
Tim / GM:And bacon? Maybe he's buying bacon.
Thomas / Guy:Thanks, boss. I'm gonna see if I can catch up with him.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Thomas / Guy:So, Bert's gonna go out.
Tim / GM:Real quick. My name is Ross. I'm so sorry. It's Ross. Okay?
Thomas / Guy:Sorry. I I like calling you boss. Ross the boss. Yeah. Anyway, okay.
Thomas / Guy:See you.
Tim / GM:You know what? I I like that. Let's keep that up.
Thomas / Guy:Ross the boss? Did you hear that, Someone else is here?
Tim / GM:Yeah. The old man. Gary Old man.
Thomas / Guy:Gary Old man. Gary Old man.
Tara / Journey:Gary Old man.
Tim / GM:Says that that's a good one.
Thomas / Guy:Okay. Bert's gonna try to tail snack because Bert is Bert wants to know about the magic lamp.
Tim / GM:Yeah. You hear him kind of saying, Ross, the boss, as you exit. And, so, yeah, you see, when you poke your head out in the rain, you see Snack. What do you what do you look like right now, Snack?
Speaker 2:Snack is standing tall and looking very, trustworthy. Yeah. And, he is going to speak with these shop owners for items. Inquire. So it's,
Tim / GM:it's actively, raining out. Do you have your hood up or no? Or No.
Speaker 2:It's not sunny. So Oh, okay. Hoods down. Mhmm.
Tim / GM:So, yeah, you've got this kind of, almost sunny demeanor, strolling through black water like you've got all the money in the world. And, Bert, you're tailing him from a safe distance. Yeah. So kinda every time he, like, rounds corner, you round the previous corner. Why don't you make a stealth check?
Thomas / Guy:Okay. I'm gonna use my, channel divinity Okay. To get proficiency in stealth checks.
Tim / GM:Oh, okay. Cool.
Thomas / Guy:So I'm, like, remembering the books I read about my favorite spy
Tim / GM:or whatever. Yeah. It's all coming back to you now. I'm hearing you.
Thomas / Guy:Alright. Not good, though. That's a 7.
Tim / GM:Step softly with the side of the foot and curl around to the tip of the toe. But it doesn't work well on boardwalks. So there's a loud, like,
Speaker 2:you might get advantage since it's raining and stuff first. I don't know.
Tim / GM:I'm gonna give you disadvantage to notice.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Tim / GM:Give me a
Thomas / Guy:oh, mister snack.
Speaker 2:Bert, this is excellent. I was wanting to find you. Could you come with me?
Thomas / Guy:Oh, great. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Great. We need to have a very reputable, purse persona together.
Speaker 7:Oh.
Speaker 2:We are going to be shopping for magic items to help with our long term goals.
Thomas / Guy:Good thinking.
Speaker 2:Unless you had something else better to do. I I was hoping you would join.
Thomas / Guy:No. I fit pretty much finished my story. Had a few gaps I was hoping to fill, but, this will be good. We can prepare for the long term. Yes.
Tim / GM:Mister Koboldar, are you going to buy something or you are not?
Speaker 2:Of course. Now, I will describe it again. You said you have magic items. Yes?
Tim / GM:I do. I have some magic items.
Speaker 2:For the 3rd time then, good sir. Here's what I'm looking for. An item that allows me to find other magic items, you see. Something that, I can see the magic items and seek them out and find them in people's homes if they're missing or, or and, if it's lost in the ground or something.
Tim / GM:I understand.
Thomas / Guy:Thank you, mister snack.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Bert. Thank you.
Tim / GM:What you're looking for is called a dowsing rod.
Speaker 2:I see.
Tim / GM:And, he, reaches, into a a back room, and, he tips over a bag of something like clatters to the floor, and then he picks it up and shows it to you. He says, dowsing rod. And it's just sort of a a y shaped piece of old wood, which with a bunch of spirals carved into it. Excellent.
Speaker 2:How much is this?
Tim / GM:Dowsing rod. This medium powerful, medium sturdy, pretty good reception. 35 gold pieces.
Speaker 2:35 gold pieces. Bert, does this check out for you? I'll hand it over to him.
Thomas / Guy:I don't know. First, I wanna do an inside check on the person. I probably have insight. Right? Yeah.
Thomas / Guy:It's, like, 23 ish. Okay.
Tim / GM:This guy, he does not have, like, a very well kept shop, nor does he have, like, well kept items. He didn't seem to examine the dowsing rod very long before he showed it to
Speaker 2:him.
Thomas / Guy:Okay. I'll cast detect magic, I guess, on the Okay.
Tim / GM:It is a magic item. This dowsing rod can only find magic feathers. Ah. Of different descriptions and uses, but it'll find
Thomas / Guy:them. Mister Snack, how do you feel about magic feathers?
Speaker 2:I do not care for such things in this area. Extremely powerful.
Thomas / Guy:I don't think it'll help us too much on our, journey.
Speaker 2:What does that have to do with this dowsing rod, Bert?
Thomas / Guy:This dowsing rod can only detect feathers, magic feathers.
Speaker 2:I see.
Tim / GM:Oh, that's because you grabbed the wrong dowsing rod. Why did you do that?
Speaker 2:I hope so that I hope that is the reason. Reason. And I simmering. I'm steaming in the rain.
Tim / GM:The here. He, grabs you a steel, dowsing rod, that has, some etched, dwarven runes in it.
Thomas / Guy:Can I read those runes? I do know Dwarvish? Like every language.
Tim / GM:Okay. Yeah. So, the runes say, it is not wealth. It is not fame, but power that defines a leader.
Thomas / Guy:Snack would probably like this, I think to myself.
Tara / Journey:So detect magic, is that that's ongoing. Right?
Thomas / Guy:Yeah. It's concentration, so I guess
Tara / Journey:It says 10 minutes.
Thomas / Guy:Oh, yeah. It's more of an aura than a, like, a specific item or whatever.
Tim / GM:Yeah. And Can
Thomas / Guy:I get anything from that then?
Tim / GM:This one is actually, like it's substantially magical. So you can't get, like, such a descriptive read as it did with the other Lamo magic item.
Thomas / Guy:I think this one might be a little more worth our time. How much is it?
Tim / GM:This one clearly is a better model. It's, 50 gold pieces.
Thomas / Guy:50 gold pieces.
Speaker 2:I don't know, mister snack. What do you think? You said the last one was good and it was 35 gold. This one is good and you say it is 50 now? How about I give you 35 gold and you keep all 10 fingers?
Speaker 2:How does that
Tim / GM:sound? I can just close the shop though.
Speaker 2:I'm not a chef any longer. It is true.
Tim / GM:That's hard to come off that power trip, aren't they?
Speaker 2:50 gold then. Thank you.
Thomas / Guy:You don't have any better ones back there, do you?
Tim / GM:Of course not. And he closes the back door, so you can't see into the back room.
Thomas / Guy:Well, let's do it.
Tim / GM:Okay. The exchange is made. 50 gold it's Macy. She's missing. I left her alone for, maybe a minute.
Speaker 7:How do you keep losing this girl? Like, what is going on?
Tim / GM:I literally went to the bathroom.
Speaker 7:Holly rolls her eyes.
Tim / GM:But she was
Thomas / Guy:It's okay. We found her once before when she ran off.
Tim / GM:It's We
Thomas / Guy:can do it again.
Tim / GM:She, looks, Henry looks up at Tibio and says, it's bad.
Speaker 3:Has she changed more?
Tim / GM:It looked like she was going to.
Speaker 3:What what happened? What was going on before she left?
Tim / GM:Just the lightning. It kept coming. And she just got more scared, and I couldn't talk her down.
Speaker 3:Did she have the tank out?
Tim / GM:She did, but she'd filled it up within a few minutes.
Tara / Journey:Oh my goodness. And you
Speaker 4:just left her alone to use the bathroom during a thunderstorm.
Tara / Journey:When you gotta go, you gotta go.
Speaker 3:We will find too.
Tim / GM:You guys can see it's, the storm is thick and dense, but, also, it's it's getting dark. I mean, it's it's it's almost sundown at this point.
Speaker 4:Do we have a way of locating her or perhaps the tankard?
Tim / GM:After you say that, you all hear a freak, from out on the docks. It just it's, like, distant, and it's just kind of echoing towards you guys. Shit.
Thomas / Guy:Let's go.
Tim / GM:Does that hurt?
Tara / Journey:Yeah. I go. I run.
Speaker 4:This is the next day. Right? So I
Tim / GM:Yeah. Yeah.
Tara / Journey:Yeah. I go I run out toward the docks.
Speaker 4:Yeah. Same.
Tim / GM:The, 5 of you show up on a sort of heart wrenching scene, which is Maisie at the end of the docks, facing all of you. And, you can see that her fingers have turned sort of black and, sort of scaly, and she has these sharp claws now. And she calls out to you and says,
Speaker 3:Tibio. Missy, I'm here. I'm here. You don't need to be afraid.
Tim / GM:She, looks over at Uli and says, Uli. And she
Speaker 4:I'm here too.
Tim / GM:Reaches out a hand and does, like, a grabbing motion.
Tara / Journey:I hold out my bone hand.
Tim / GM:And, she
Speaker 4:I'm able to.
Tim / GM:When you guys, take a step toward her, you see this flash of light and something arcs off of her. And she takes another step back, and she says, I don't wanna be a monster.
Speaker 4:You don't have to be.
Tim / GM:And she drops the tankard. She slips and fumbles and drops the tankard, and it cracks open. And you see this kind of, pale mist move towards her face, and then she just shrieks again and collapses. And, you see her kind of shutter, and her body starts to to jerk in awful directions.
Speaker 4:Oh, no. What?
Speaker 7:There's nothing we can do. There's nothing we can do. Does it look like
Speaker 4:she's being attacked by her emotions or that they're affecting
Tim / GM:she's being overwhelmed by her emotions, which is causing her magic to run wild.
Speaker 4:Can I message her Yeah? And say, it's okay, Maisie. Just breathe with me. Just in and out.
Tim / GM:You see her, like, look up really quick, and she reaches out her hand again as if you're right there, and then she sees that you're far away.
Speaker 4:But I'll reach out my hand too.
Tim / GM:And she, kind of, like, struggles and looks up.
Speaker 4:I'm with you.
Tim / GM:You all hear kind of, after a flash of lightning and thunder, you hear, stand back. And, you turn to see Veronica Venus soaked head to toe holding a wand out towards Mayzie.
Speaker 4:Don't hurt her, please.
Speaker 3:Please, miss Veronica. Don't hurt her. She's just a little girl she doesn't know.
Speaker 7:Veronica, can you help her?
Tim / GM:She says I can. Do you remember what I said about there being 2 kinds of curses? Well, this is the big one. This is like your beetle.
Speaker 3:How do we stop it?
Tim / GM:Well, it's not too hard for an old curse breaker.
Speaker 4:Oh, snap.
Tim / GM:And she, steps in front of all of you and, pulls up her sleeves.
Speaker 7:Oh, I can record it with her crystal.
Tim / GM:You can see, she's got this, this large, circular tattoo that starts on her, on her bicep and on her shoulder, and it's just these overlapping circles. And she, extends a hand out towards Maisie, and she says, first, you have to give it something to eat. And, you see, Veronica take a step, and she almost collapses. And, her her face, her expression just keeps fading. And, you can see all of her veins are just pressed out to the max like she'd just been lifting some hard reps.
Tim / GM:And, you can see that she's dying. Her life essence is fading away. And, in fact, you can see what almost looks like rain droplets that are moving upward off of her as something is being drained out of her essence. And, you see more of that arcing coming off of Maisie, and she says, that's it. Come closer, you bastard.
Tim / GM:And, she says
Speaker 4:I I'm gonna keep messaging directly into Maisie's head to, like, calm her down.
Tim / GM:You can see every time you do that, she looks up and makes eye contact with you again. And she says, next, the source. Henry, what is it? And he goes, I I don't know. I don't know.
Tim / GM:She says, what's the source of her curse? And, his mind is just reeling. He's looking at each of you.
Speaker 4:Does she have something of her mother's?
Speaker 3:Something from her mother.
Tim / GM:He goes, no. He, runs toward her, and, you see him reach down towards Maisie. This flash of light arcs out and sort of slaps him across the body, and he, like, almost falls to his feet. But he comes back at her and he grabs her hand, and he rips off from it this simple leather cord with 3 wooden beads on it, and he holds it up. And, Veronica says, last step, get out everything you've got.
Tim / GM:And, she just kind of gestures with her wand. And, Veronica's skin just goes pale white from head to toe, and she's actually giving off a ton of light. And it's reflecting off all of this rain so that you can barely see Mayzie at the end of the dock with Henry, and Veronica starts walking and getting closer until she's almost touching Maisie. And at that point, Maisie kind of erupts. The curse that was in her flows back into this bracelet, and the bracelet is simultaneously destroyed.
Tim / GM:It's causing those flashes of light to kind of strike everywhere around these docks. The light flashes and strikes the side of a boat. It strikes a roll of chain used for anchors. It strikes sails and rigging and ropes, and the light strikes an octopus that had crawled up onto the dock. A few moments go by, and you hear Mayzie softly crying, but she's okay.
Tim / GM:She's in her human form. What's not okay is the enormous octopus made out of rigging, chains, tentacles,
Speaker 7:today. Oh my god. Doctor puss.
Tim / GM:Thank you. Oh, my God.
