Cursebreaker | 19 - Poly Morphin'
Last time on curse breaker. Master Snack was finally able to bring us into the fountain of magic high up in the towers of the librarian. Unfortunately, Judge Tonberry and his entourage were right behind us. I drank from the fountain causing both myself and master snack to grow in power. But as soon as I tried to use it to restore Holly's sister, Tonberry caught up with us.
Tim / GM:The following magical skirmish got us teleported outside the librarian and into a free fall toward the water below. Although we tore a hole in the plains and may have accidentally killed a lawmage, we made it out alive, and Ivy's body was restored. But it seems like our troubles are just beginning.
Speaker 2:That was a growl.
Speaker 3:Well, there are a lot of troubles in that one.
Speaker 4:If Jeanie is serious, this is serious.
Speaker 2:So Uh-uh.
Tim / GM:It's bad. So the very last thing that had happened here is you guys were soaking wet. I think most of you are close to dying. You had just climbed out of the lake in Tildry, back up into the cobbles and made it back to Holly's home.
Speaker 3:And Uli recovered the lamp. Right? Yes. You
Tim / GM:guys have the lamp and you have the pack of privacy.
Maggie / Poppy:Hey. We all ended up pretty good here.
Tim / GM:Yeah. And Ivy's back. So there's, like, a bonus character that I have to remember about. So, yeah, the very last thing that had happened was, you came back to Holly's house and found Margo Bingo waiting for you there, and she let you know that the guild house had just been burned down. And I I am retconning the very last thing I said in that, which was that there were casualties, and there weren't.
Tim / GM:That nobody died in that fire. So you're, you're kind of milling about outside of, Holly's home with, Margo just has her hand to her face, and she's having trouble kind of expressing her feelings about the situation. And, at that moment, you actually Holly, you see, Mina, walking up with a small wooden crate full of wares, and she says, Holly, I I am ready to set up at your shop. Is now not a good time? Mina,
Maggie / Poppy:you know, it's a little bit hectic at the very moment, but, my apprentice should be at the shop, normal business hours. So, you should be able to set it up with her.
Tim / GM:And Ivy says, your apprentice?
Maggie / Poppy:Well, you know it's been quite a while that you were indisposed, and so yes. My apprentice.
Tim / GM:Who is it?
Maggie / Poppy:Well, Ivy, you know, you've been indisposed for quite a while, so I had to hire an extra hand, and I've been trying to solve, you know, your your transformation, and I've been very, very busy outside of the shop. And, well, Rosemary offered to yep. Mhmm. Against my better judgment a little bit, but, she offered to be an apprentice.
Tim / GM:I knew you liked her.
Maggie / Poppy:I mean, you know, I guess.
Tim / GM:She, she grabs the box out of Mina's arms and she says, I'm going to help her set up.
Maggie / Poppy:Alright. Well, say hi to Rosemary for me.
Tim / GM:She kinda, like, turns away and she's, like like, just grinning ear to ear and she goes, I will.
Maggie / Poppy:Off you go then.
Tim / GM:She kind of plods off with Mina, who is looking a little uplifted, now that this is actually happening. It seems she was kinda skeptical that she was gonna get, a place to sell her wares out of.
Maggie / Poppy:Rosemary and ivy were kind of a thing before prechameleon. I guess we'll see what happens next.
Speaker 3:Oh,
Tim / GM:okay.
Maggie / Poppy:Thanks for the appropriate response, Bert.
Speaker 6:I was my brain was like, words. Say words. No. Say say words out loud. And I
Speaker 2:was just like,
Speaker 3:you should
Maggie / Poppy:have been like true love is always, the best outcome. That's pretty good. Holly sits down next to Margo and, kind of pats her on the shoulder and, like, Margo, it's it's going to be okay. I've leveled, so I have a little more HP now.
Speaker 3:And She
Tim / GM:just goes, good. Good. We'll
Speaker 2:need that. Yes.
Maggie / Poppy:And I got one level 4 spell, so that's really good too. But, you know, outside of my own personal improvements.
Tim / GM:In the last 5 minutes?
Maggie / Poppy:Yes. I also would, you know, like to offer my services. I'm sure I could get my companions to help as well, but well, actually, I'm sure they'll have to help because we're kind of a package deal usually, and I just think that we need to Remember those great cookies? And Holly looks around at everybody and nods.
Speaker 3:Yeah. The cookies.
Maggie / Poppy:Nods. Mhmm. And the information about curse breaking?
Speaker 2:Yes? Totally an equivalent statement. Yes.
Maggie / Poppy:Yes. Okay. So
Speaker 4:But Holly, I cannot kill today. That was our agreement.
Speaker 3:Well, that was little snack that made the agreement.
Maggie / Poppy:Hold on. Hold on. We we don't even know who burned the guild down yet. Do you, Margo?
Tim / GM:I'm almost certain that it was Judge Flann.
Speaker 7:Judge Flann? We've heard of we've we've met Judge Flynn and we heard she is a fire mage. It makes sense she burned down the guild house.
Tim / GM:I think she's to blame for most of the terrible arson that's committed.
Maggie / Poppy:Holly stands up and she's just, like, really angry, and she's like, how can these judges stand for this injustice? They're supposed to be helping the people.
Speaker 7:We need to go to judge Mauperreault and talk to him and tell him what is happening. He does not know, I don't think.
Maggie / Poppy:I just feel like you just don't know who you can trust.
Speaker 3:I'm meeting Marlborough tonight. It sounds like he'll only meet with me, though.
Speaker 2:Wasn't wasn't he there when they all attacked us? I'm pretty sure he knows what's going on.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I think so.
Speaker 7:Or he does not understand the full situation.
Maggie / Poppy:That seems like a bit of a naive view. I hate to say it, Tibio.
Speaker 7:What else can we do? We need to talk to someone. We need to gather people. I think that the combination of the guild members and maybe Ulrik and his people, maybe if enough people gather and do something
Maggie / Poppy:A revolution. Yes. Margo, have you heard about this?
Tim / GM:She's, kind of nervously looking between the 2 of you, and, her eyes are kinda wide, and she just shakes her head. Revolution? No.
Speaker 7:Have you been in contact with, people from the multi magic triathlon?
Tim / GM:I haven't. And to me, it just seems like frivolity. To be honest, I feel like there's more serious things to attend to.
Speaker 7:I think that there is a chance that many of these people are very adept at magic and would be helpful in maybe writing some wrongs.
Speaker 2:I I think it's mostly working class people involved.
Tim / GM:Sounds like they could be a powerful ally. It's it's a pity. I didn't know about them until now.
Maggie / Poppy:Well, you know, we kind of have the in with the tournament teams. Uli's brother is organizing one of the teams at least or leading part of it. So, since we're the host city, I think there's some coordination that could maybe happen between the guild and the Multi Magic Tournament people against these judges that are just Yes. I mean, we put so much trust in them, and they're they're ruining our town.
Tim / GM:I understand your frustration. Yes. I I feel quite the same. I'd I'd have to meet this, Ulrich. He's
Speaker 2:One of my older brothers. He's a good man.
Tim / GM:That's good. I'd like to get contact with him. I'll have to vet him myself, of course. But, yeah, that could give us an upper hand.
Speaker 2:Can I vibe check?
Speaker 3:Margo?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Sure. I just wanna make sure I
Speaker 6:like Margo. You can
Speaker 3:trust them.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 6:But Do you vibe check your real friends like this?
Maggie / Poppy:Is vibe check, like, your real ability that
Speaker 3:you have? No.
Maggie / Poppy:It's and
Speaker 3:side check.
Maggie / Poppy:Insight. Oh, okay.
Speaker 2:16. I'm just calling it vibe check because it's easier.
Tim / GM:Yeah. She's, like, she's stressed out, but she's, like, forthcoming.
Maggie / Poppy:Friend. Okay. Margot Bingo.
Speaker 7:How dare you vibe check Margot Bingo.
Tim / GM:She looks at you and she goes
Speaker 2:I'm pretty sure the only thing that visibly happened was me squinting my eyes.
Tim / GM:Which is offensive.
Maggie / Poppy:Like you're giving her side eye, like, can I trust this person?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Hey, I don't wanna incriminate my brother. My my family is more important than
Speaker 6:You don't even
Speaker 2:wanna lie to me anymore.
Maggie / Poppy:Is the impression I got, really.
Tim / GM:You have no allegiance to your family.
Speaker 2:Literally none of this is happening out loud.
Tim / GM:Alright.
Speaker 4:Snack makes his way over to Bert. Mister Bert.
Speaker 3:Mr. Snack. How are you doing?
Speaker 4:I'm doing well.
Speaker 3:Any any growing pains?
Speaker 4:Not at all. I I feel like the doors are much closer to my head.
Speaker 3:It's, gonna take me a while to be the one looking up to you, mister Snack.
Speaker 4:It will take, new self control to leave the counters alone now. But, mister Bert, you had a friend that was missing. Is this true?
Speaker 3:Yeah. Yeah. Brax was his name.
Speaker 4:Brax, yes. It it's possible he's in the basement right now.
Speaker 3:That's what I think, yeah, I think he and a bunch of other missing people are in the basement.
Speaker 4:Yes, I meant to say we were to make a bet
Speaker 3:on this. Oh right, which animal he was?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I don't know what the terms were, I can't recall but, I believe bird is my choice.
Speaker 3:I believe I picked monkey. Alright.
Speaker 2:Put me down for chameleon.
Speaker 3:One for chameleon. Is Genie ready to turn all these people back?
Speaker 4:I believe so.
Tim / GM:Let me add them.
Speaker 7:First, I think we should maybe let Emre get out of this situation.
Tim / GM:Snack and Bert, you're walking down the stone steps into Holly's workshop, and, you can smell the animals from a good distance. And, or maybe it's Emery. Who knows? But when you get to the bottom of the stairs, Emery is sitting on that work table and, he seems to be like playing some kind of like hand slap game with 1 of the monkeys that he had set for. The rest of the animals are mostly in cages, but he seems to have made good friends with this one.
Tim / GM:And Emery seems much more himself now.
Speaker 3:I think I've seen Brax play that game before. Emery, Emery, how are you feeling? It's been a day. You recovering from that whole curse ordeal?
Tim / GM:Honestly, I yeah. I feel like my old self again.
Speaker 3:Let me check you out here.
Maggie / Poppy:That was a 4? Seems fine. Looks like a strapping young lad.
Speaker 6:He's got all his arms and legs.
Speaker 3:A 10. Okay. Medicine check.
Tim / GM:Emery just, like, stands up and, like, puts his hands in the air and does, like, a little spin around and seems okay.
Speaker 3:Well, I don't know much about curses, so he seems fine.
Speaker 7:Emery, I've talked it over with the group and with, miss Bingo, and they have agreed that we should let you go.
Tim / GM:Without taking his eyes away from you, Tibio, he holds out a fist and the monkey pounds it.
Speaker 2:On one condition.
Tim / GM:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:We get to know where you are at all times. We'll be giving you a tracking ring.
Speaker 7:Well, you will need to go get it. I think it is not just for protecting people from you, but it is to protect anyone from being affected by the curse. Because if you should die while you are out searching and hunting for Joe and someone else picks up that sword
Tim / GM:I don't want anyone else to go through this.
Speaker 7:So we need you to go to, monsieur Henry Muldrifft and ask him for the tracking ring that his daughter holds.
Tim / GM:Okay. Muldrift. Yeah. I'll find him.
Speaker 2:You are not to harm either of them.
Tim / GM:He he kinda, like, looks at you like, what am I, a monster? Like
Speaker 2:Yeah. I look at him and say, yeah, with my face.
Tim / GM:His eyes, like, glow yellow for a sec, and he smirks at you willily. And then he kinda, like, comes back into his, like, normal self. So what's the address? Or
Speaker 6:It's 123 Driftmole Road. Perfect.
Speaker 2:I vod check. I can't that's a natural one. Shit.
Tim / GM:He's great.
Speaker 3:Emery is one cool customer.
Tim / GM:He says, how about this? If, if I find Joe, I'm gonna drop the tracking ring. When it stops moving, you need to come get me.
Speaker 3:Wouldn't it be easier if we could track you to find Joe?
Tim / GM:Does that mean you're coming after me no matter what after Tildry?
Speaker 7:So after you have taken care of Joe, you are saying you would like to know to be tracked?
Tim / GM:Correct.
Speaker 3:Oh, you it's a solo job. I see.
Speaker 7:I don't feel comfortable letting this sword be out in the world with no way of finding it. What if after you find and take care of Joe, you come back to Tilderie and check-in?
Tim / GM:Are you all hanging around Tilderie for the foreseeable future?
Speaker 7:No. But we have friends here now.
Tim / GM:Well, anyway, I can pay someone to message you or something. We'll figure it out. I'll take your tracking ring. I'll find Muldryft.
Speaker 3:Depending on how things go this week, Tildry might not be the same when you get back.
Tim / GM:Yeah. He kinda, like, looks around and, like, regards the entire room. He says, yeah. About that, what's with all the animals?
Speaker 7:They have been, polymorphed. They are human.
Tim / GM:Wow. He kinda looks around the room. He says, this guy's a human?
Speaker 7:I think so.
Speaker 3:Originally.
Speaker 7:Is this the one that you think is Brax?
Speaker 3:Yeah. You in there, Brax?
Tim / GM:The monkey squints at you, Bert.
Speaker 4:You are cheating, Bert. You cannot talk to the animals.
Speaker 3:That was not part of the bet. Okay.
Speaker 7:Okay. So we we must take care of these animals. And, Emery, I think you should go because you have a mission of your own.
Tim / GM:He straps a little his pack onto his back, and he kinda, like, raises his eyebrows at each of you, like, really? I can go?
Speaker 2:Don't fuck it up.
Speaker 7:We are trusting you to be the hero you think you can be.
Tim / GM:He likes that. He gives you a a nod and the the probably the most sincere smile you've seen
Speaker 3:out of Emery. And then
Tim / GM:he walks away with his, pack over one shoulder, and he does the, the peace sign, like, from behind or whatever as he's leaving.
Speaker 2:Hey. Hey, Bert. Yeah. Send a message to Henry.
Speaker 3:Oh, right.
Speaker 2:Tell him to get Maisie out of harm's way.
Speaker 7:Dear Henry
Speaker 3:Do you want me to do this? Or
Tim / GM:Yeah. I love these.
Speaker 3:Alright. Let me just, dear Henry, we are sending an old, quote, friend, end quote, to visit. Emory and his cursed sword are leaving Tildry, possibly for good, but we want to track him with Maisie's tracking ring. Sorry to steal another ring back from you. We think he can be trusted, but be sure to be on your guard.
Speaker 3:Sincerely, Bart.
Tim / GM:The message you received back is tracking ring? What in the hell?
Speaker 2:He didn't know.
Speaker 3:Dear Henry. New book. Who dis?
Tim / GM:That situation is probably fine.
Speaker 6:Poor Henry.
Tim / GM:So it's it's, it's just the group here minus Holly in the workshop basement, and all the animals, and the one monkey is still sitting on the work table, just, like, pretending like it's one of you.
Speaker 4:Snack sets the lamp down on the work table and taps on it.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:Genie, what you have started, you must continue. There are many animals here that must be people once more.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Yes. Your wish, master snack. Yes. Let me grant it, as he pops out of the lamp.
Speaker 2:Emerges.
Tim / GM:This time, he is dressed with, one of those, like, frilly collars that kind of, like, zigzags up and down, and then he's got, like, big billowy sleeves on. And he says, I'm here to make all your wishes come true, snack. Just point. Where is the animal?
Speaker 4:All of these, and I gesture around.
Speaker 3:Not me, though.
Tim / GM:Oh, god. That's a lot of animals. Okay. Alright. Here we go.
Tim / GM:I did one before. I'm sure it won't be too difficult to do 16 more right now.
Speaker 4:Hold on. Is this like that last time where you showed your, limitations? Where you were not all powerful? I only ask because there's one animal, probably a bird, that is Brax.
Speaker 3:Or a monkey.
Speaker 4:He's probably a bird. Chameleon. And, we want to make sure that, Brax is returned to us.
Tim / GM:I see. He gives you, like, a huge wink snack. Okay. You said and, and, who was this Brax? And he's, like, eyeing each of the animals suspiciously.
Speaker 3:Well, he was, he was a friend of mine,
Speaker 4:which says a lot of what he might look like if you can see through their animal forms. Mhmm.
Tim / GM:Very good. Shall I begin?
Speaker 3:Please.
Tim / GM:Okay. And, snack. This time, I won't let you down. And he, points at one of the birds, and he says, baba boy. And it, like, turns back into a person, and, he just kinda continues about the room, like, opening cages bricks.
Tim / GM:And freeing animals. And, he, he grabs, the monkey on the table, and, he, like, kinda, kinda, like, holds it up, and then he, like, sets it back down. The monkey's, like, what the hell? Goes up to, another one of the birds, and now he's just kind of, like, quick draw, like like, firing off these little bullets that are bringing them back to life, or back to their human forms. And then he gets to the chameleon, and he says, time for the big show.
Tim / GM:And he gets in close, and he starts kind of like pulling away at it. And you see the chameleon's nose getting like, super big, and then you see the chameleon's tail getting super big. And he says, this one's just a chameleon.
Speaker 8:Damn it.
Tim / GM:Anyway, the last one. And, he's looking at the monkey on the table, and, he kind of, like, looks between all of you.
Speaker 3:Is is Brax here?
Tim / GM:Brax is not in the room. And so he, like, he kind of, eyes all of you real quick. And, Bert, he looks at you, and then he, like, shoots a little bullet behind his back, and it hits the monkey. And the monkey just, like, explodes into a bird, and then he, like, grabs the bird, and he goes, And he pulls it apart, and, Brax falls onto the table, in a in an explosion of fur and feathers.
Speaker 3:Brax. And he
Tim / GM:goes, where am I?
Speaker 3:You're in that very famous seamstress's basement.
Tim / GM:We can see him, like, actively racking his brain for, like, names of seamstresses that he knows. Bert, I I thought I was dead.
Speaker 3:Oh, it's so good to see you, you idiot. How how did the investigation go?
Tim / GM:Did you did
Speaker 3:They've made some shoes dropping.
Tim / GM:Okay. Well, he kinda like looks around the room. He says, seems pretty secure down here. How about I just bunker it up until this all blows over?
Speaker 3:Sure. You don't have anywhere else you need to be?
Tim / GM:He kinda shakes his head and he says, no. I what what month is it, Bert?
Speaker 3:I'll tell you what month it is.
Tim / GM:And you tell him the month that it is.
Speaker 3:I expertly tell him the month it is.
Tim / GM:And and you're correct. And he says, wow. Yeah. That's a different month than when did this happen. I mean, I think.
Speaker 3:I wager it is.
Speaker 4:Wow. Enough wagers.
Speaker 3:Oh, well, speaking of wagers Yes. He was a snack.
Speaker 4:He was a bird after all.
Tim / GM:A bird indeed.
Speaker 4:Thank you.
Speaker 3:Well, no. He turned him into a bird first, and was originally a monkey.
Tim / GM:Mister Brax, were you a bird? I think for a second there, maybe.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I'm pretty sure you didn't make any, like, really strong bets about when he had to be a bird.
Speaker 3:It's about the principle of it.
Speaker 2:Hey, is that girl here? The murdered one? Samantha? Samantha Barrow?
Tim / GM:You there's a, a small, like, 15, 16 year old, woman, girl.
Speaker 2:Not not yet a woman.
Speaker 6:That's how it feels also.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 6:To be good.
Tim / GM:She's kind of Interesting. Grabbing her her knees and is is sitting with her back up against, the wall, and she's, like, staring at the ceiling. And, you can see that her her brain is just reeling from what she just came out of. Okay.
Speaker 3:You must be Samantha. I know this is all probably kind of scary and confusing. I have some friends here who might be more adept at talking to women girls.
Speaker 4:Thank you, mister Burks.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 4:His neck locks up. Sits down in front of her.
Tim / GM:She she does, like, kind of like a backwards crawl to get a couple inches away from snack.
Speaker 3:No. Well, no. I I met one of these 2, actually.
Speaker 6:Tibio crouches on the floor and holds out a skella hand, but smiles sweetly.
Speaker 4:Why is he better than me?
Speaker 2:That might also be traumatizing.
Speaker 6:But I I also say
Speaker 7:hello, Samantha. We have met your family, and they miss you very much.
Tim / GM:You can see her eyes get kinda glassy, and she says, they're okay.
Speaker 7:They are just fine, and they miss you.
Tim / GM:She she just nods a couple times and takes a couple deep breaths. She says, can I can I see them?
Speaker 4:I'm sorry. What Tibia was trying to say is we need you all for our militia.
Speaker 7:No.
Speaker 4:We are overthrowing
Speaker 7:Tibia. No. No.
Speaker 4:I thought that's what we were just talking about.
Tim / GM:One person in the room goes, fuck. Finally.
Speaker 2:We could bring them here.
Speaker 3:What Snack meant to say is, you are all important evidence for a court case I have coming up. But I don't wanna stop you from seeing your family.
Tim / GM:You see Brax's face light up and he just goes, hell yes, Bert. That's golden.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It's gonna be flipping sweet when we're in court and they're all like, yeah. You killed Brax. And I'm like, oh, you mean this guy? And then you walk in.
Tim / GM:And I'm just gonna It's gonna be
Speaker 3:great. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Walk in like that.
Tim / GM:Oh, yeah.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah.
Tim / GM:He high fives you just out of instinct.
Speaker 7:Samantha, I'm sorry, but it may not be safe for you to leave right now. But we will keep you safe here, and we will contact your family and let them know that you are alive.
Tim / GM:She just kinda continues nodding. She says, thank you to whoever. I don't know who to thank for this, but thank all of you.
Speaker 2:Thank me.
Tim / GM:Thank you. She stands up and grabs your hands at least. She says, I don't know what kind of power or wisdom or magic you have, but thank you.
Speaker 2:I wasn't expecting physical contact, so I blush immediately.
Speaker 6:Holding your hands out like completely rigid. They're not cupping the other person's hands at all. You're just like
Speaker 2:I don't, I mean, I I definitely saved the lamp. So I think I am I am partially responsible.
Speaker 7:It was a good team effort.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. Thanks. I try and pull my hands back.
Tim / GM:Snack genie rolls his eyes at you. And,
Speaker 4:I look around at the ceiling quickly.
Speaker 3:He says,
Tim / GM:I think my work is done here.
Speaker 4:Excellent work, Genie.
Tim / GM:You can see, Snack now that you look at Genie. He's like you can see his chest kind of, like, heaving, and he's got, like, beads of sweat all over him. And he's just like, may I go back to the lamp now, Snack?
Speaker 4:Of course, Genie. I am sorry I have no curses for you at this time.
Tim / GM:That's fine. I just, I'll need to take a bubble bath.
Speaker 3:Mister Genie, you, really came through for us, and I think it's time we all took a little rest,
Tim / GM:maybe. I know I did, Bert. You're welcome.
Speaker 7:Excuse me, mister Genie. Do you only eat curses?
Speaker 4:Yeah. Of course he does. Right, Genie?
Tim / GM:Well, the curses you feed me are certainly delicious snack. They're they're fantastic and and nutritious and challenging. Yes.
Speaker 7:But do you eat, other things? Do you eat food?
Tim / GM:Oh, not food like you do, but, say, a curse is like a kind of exotic and spicy and difficult meal that sometimes gives me indigestion. Whereas, let's say, magic item, it's more like candy.
Speaker 7:Would this be like candy? And I hold out my x-ray ring.
Tim / GM:This is substantially magic, and he turns around in his hand. Are you sure you want to part with it?
Speaker 7:Genie, you have done this, like, great service here at very high risk to yourself. I would be honored to help you survive a little longer.
Tim / GM:I could use a little pick me up after this expenditure. Master snack. What do you say? Just a little tasty morsel. It couldn't be that bad.
Speaker 6:I, see that Snack is frowning quite a bit, so I offer the ring to Snack instead. Like, you give it to him.
Speaker 4:Snack grabs the ring quickly and then hands it up to Genie. Here you go, Genie.
Tim / GM:Oh, wonderful. And he grabs it from you, Snack. You're welcome. He, he, like, pops it up into his mouth like a piece of popcorn, but with his mouth wide open, it just kind of, like, stops, like, above his tongue hovering in his mouth, and it starts to spin around wildly, and it turns into this little pink circle of light that starts to spin around and, sort of turns into mist, and he chomps down on it. And he just, he does kinda like a lemon face for a sec.
Tim / GM:He goes, tart.
Speaker 3:Well, imagine
Speaker 4:you had to
Speaker 3:share your bacon with him, mister Snack.
Tim / GM:I would never ask that of you.
Speaker 4:Good, Jeanie. Thank you. This is wonderful. Now we can get candy for everyone. All sorts of candy.
Speaker 4:Did you write this down Bert? Jeanie likes curses most, but also
Speaker 3:candy. Curses most, also can yep. Got it. Spicy.
Tim / GM:Curses. Genie climbs back into his lamp and gives Tibia the little a okay symbol, as he does. In that moment, Ilya kind of descends the stairs, after she heard all the new voices talking in the basement.
Maggie / Poppy:Look who's here, everyone. Ilya has returned. Holly is, like, bringing her down the stairs.
Tim / GM:And she, like when Ilia, like, turns her face, you still you you see that she's still got, like, a huge, like, black eye and, like, a swollen, like, wound on her head. And then she's just like, hi, everybody. Listen. I need to talk to one of you. Somebody.
Speaker 3:K. I Anyone specific? You got a lot to choose from here.
Speaker 2:Like your sister, maybe?
Tim / GM:I suppose.
Maggie / Poppy:Alright. Everyone clear the room. Clear the room. Come along. Dinner time.
Tim / GM:We we we can just
Maggie / Poppy:Holly is going to try to usher everyone upstairs for a little picnic she's arranged. She started grilling some hot dogs out, in the backyard and in the in the tiny upstairs area. Okay. Well, who's hungry?
Tim / GM:They all yeah. They're all hungry.
Maggie / Poppy:Okay. Well, I got some dinner going. Come on up. We can have some food. Holly's gonna have Margo cast a spell of, like, protection over the backyard just so we can have a little privacy.
Maggie / Poppy:So, like, there's no, like, kind of invisible. I don't know if Margo is powerful enough
Speaker 2:to do that. But Yeah.
Tim / GM:She can do some some warding spell.
Maggie / Poppy:Yeah. Just a ward over the backyard so people can kinda enjoy a picnic and some some chill time to recover a little bit.
Tim / GM:Uly, Ilya kinda gets you alone for a second. She says, listen, I gotta I gotta confess some stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I bet.
Tim / GM:I'm not a perfect person. Okay? I didn't always understand the stakes. I didn't know what side I was on.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna tell you right now that that's not much of a confession. We all been new.
Tim / GM:I I gave some information. This was before I knew who I was acting against and who I was acting
Speaker 2:for. Alright. What information?
Tim / GM:Well, suffice to say, they know everything they're gonna need to know about Bert. They know a lot about Holly, too.
Speaker 2:How did you find out this information?
Tim / GM:Well, I did a lot of research before you all ever showed up. Honestly, I didn't know you were friends with Holly Hyacinth.
Speaker 2:That's fair.
Tim / GM:I'd been watching her shop for a while, and you know, I found out where she lived. And anyway, so they know. They know where she lives, and and just about everything. And then this morning when I got pulled in by those nasty dwarves, I mean, it was under threat of death. You understand.
Tim / GM:Right?
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:I did watch you almost die.
Tim / GM:Well, anyway, they there are some confusing language. I'm not even sure how it slipped out, but they know that Emory doesn't really fit in here. I think they're gonna use him.
Speaker 2:Great. Cool. You couldn't have, you know, told us that 10 minutes ago when we let him leave.
Tim / GM:You let him leave?
Speaker 2:Yeah. We let him leave.
Tim / GM:Okay.
Speaker 2:You were in the house when he left.
Tim / GM:I was in bed of stairs. I didn't hear anything. Is it true? I mean, would Emery work against you? That's all you have to worry about.
Tim / GM:If he's if he's good, then he's good. But if he's not
Speaker 2:I mean, are any of us really good?
Tim / GM:Alright. Too deep for right now.
Speaker 2:Listen. I don't I don't like the guy. I don't trust the guy, but we are keeping tabs on him, hopefully. Hold on a second. And then I, like, kind of phase out my eyes a little bit and see if the ring is moving.
Tim / GM:It's like kind of like pacing back and forth, but you can tell that it's in the same, like, house or the same space.
Speaker 2:I'll keep kind of watching for him.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:But, essentially, we are trying to track where he's going, so at least he's not completely unmonitored.
Speaker 3:I
Speaker 2:don't I didn't really have a choice in the matter. He was either going to leave or die, and I didn't wanna make that decision.
Tim / GM:Understood. Well, I think it'll be fine then. It sounds like you guys have placed a little bit of trust in him. He might he might take that to heart.
Speaker 2:More just hope.
Tim / GM:Yeah. Well, anyway, I'm I'm sorry about spilling on you guys. I I promise. That's the end of it. I'm I'm on the right side of this now.
Speaker 2:What did you tell them?
Tim / GM:Really, that's it. They just they asked about each of you, and I didn't really say much. But I told them that Emery wasn't one of you. That was it.
Speaker 2:And did you give them information about me? No.
Tim / GM:I mean, they might have put it together that we're related. But
Speaker 2:I'll be honest. I don't really trust you. You haven't given me a lot to go on.
Tim / GM:What? I've I've sold out my position to you. I I've told you everything that I know. I've confessed everything that I told them. What's What's it gonna take for you?
Tim / GM:How hard do I have to work to get close to you? Where's the trust? We're family. Who do you trust? I I need a breather.
Tim / GM:And she storms out.
Speaker 2:I do not know how to handle that. I'm going to open my tankard.
Tim / GM:Okay. So, yeah, you just stow away that emotion for now not to deal with it. The rest of this day is actually without event, unless it's coming from any of you.
Maggie / Poppy:Yeah. So the house isn't that big. So all these people can't really stay here overnight because now they're people and not animals.
Tim / GM:Yeah.
Speaker 3:We, do probably need to figure out that whole situation.
Speaker 2:I know someone with a farm and a cart.
Maggie / Poppy:You know, actually, a farm might not be a bad idea. I think security's a little less going out of the city than coming coming in. They just won't be able to get back here easily. So maybe, we keep the people that you may be murdered but didn't actually murder. Glad to find that out.
Maggie / Poppy:Keep them here for the night because I can definitely house a couple more.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Brass can stay here. We're gonna work on his entrance. It's gonna be great.
Maggie / Poppy:Well and Samantha. I think Samantha should stay as well.
Speaker 3:You don't think she should visit her family?
Maggie / Poppy:Not until the case is over. I'm just worried that she might get caught in transit, quote, unquote, from a suspicious judge crony, quote, unquote. Holly's just air quoting everything. But she, can definitely stay with me. I have a
Speaker 9:tuck away bed she can still sleep on upstairs.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Maybe you're right. I'll I'll write a letter to her folks. Let her know let them know she's okay.
Speaker 2:Sounds good. Could you also send word to Ulrich? I don't think he knows. He's going
Speaker 3:over the world. Let him know 18 people are Yeah.
Maggie / Poppy:Alright. Uli will give him instruction. You'll send a letter. I think they'll be good. And you all will be in safe hands, but enjoy the hot dogs in the meantime.
Speaker 6:Tibia was falling asleep in his skeleton.
Tim / GM:Bert, as the evening approaches, you just get more and more anxious about, meeting up with Malboro, wondering when it's gonna happen. It's well past 10 o'clock now, and you thought for sure, like, it would have happened by now. Right? You're you're actually getting sleepy by the time it happens. But, maybe appropriately, it happens at the stroke of midnight, that you're kind of dozing off in a kitchen chair and then suddenly you're sitting in a different chair.
Tim / GM:Fuck. In front of you is a podium and all around you is darkness. You can see this large, circular wooden floor but you recognize this as the very center of the court, the 2nd court of Tildrey, where you are to be judged. You know that when you're at the podium, when you're on the floor here, that you actually can't see or hear the audience around you. The only people you can see or hear are the judges and any witnesses that are on the stand and, of course, the opposition.
Speaker 3:So I don't know if there are other people in the room?
Speaker 10:Correct. Okay.
Speaker 3:Alright. I'm here. Judge Malboro, I presume?
Tim / GM:Hello, Engelbert. Do you know where you are?
Speaker 3:Yeah. I'm in the second court of Tildrey.
Tim / GM:That's right.
Speaker 3:Rather unmistakable.
Tim / GM:You can see he's pretty dim, but you look on, like, the the main, like, judge's stand, and you can see Judge Malboro sitting there. And he says, this is where your trial will be held.
Speaker 3:Yep. I, weirdly, I'm looking forward to it.
Tim / GM:Mister Engelbert, I'm afraid to inform you it won't be a fair one.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I was worried about that. In a fair trial, I'd say this would be a pretty open and shut case, but, I'm not getting one of those, am I?
Tim / GM:I'm afraid not. Tonberry has set his traps. I hope you have yours. He cornered me. I'm afraid I had no choice but to change my vote against you.
Tim / GM:You're at the mercy of the people now. It's it's going to have to be a unanimous voice of the people.
Speaker 3:You've already cast your vote,
Tim / GM:I'm afraid so.
Speaker 3:If I may be so bold, what happened? How did things get so bad? How did you let Flan, Tom Berry, and the others take hold of this city?
Tim / GM:He kind of, looks down at his hands, and he says, I'm not a strong man. He threatened me, both of them. When you're 1 third of a 3 part operation, you find yourself limited.
Speaker 3:Look, I know what it feels like to feel small and weak, like, you can't do anything. But the people of Tildry need you to be strong. This is this is something that's bigger than just my case. On Sunday, the people are going to let their will be known. I think with their strength behind you, you can be stronger than you think you are.
Tim / GM:Bert, you are an inspiration, and you're truly a stronger man than I am. But I'm afraid it's bigger than that. It's it's bigger than Tildrey, Bert. It's bigger than all of us. Tonberry is going to move your court date to tomorrow.
Tim / GM:After today's exchange, he's ruled that you've violated some sort of investigation, probation, or something. It's not good. He goes quiet for a while and then you see an orb made of glass, about the size of an apple, that rolls across the ground towards you and it makes absolutely no sound. I imagine things may get dangerous. This will buy you some time to think and stifle Tonberry's ability to foresee your movements.
Tim / GM:It's called the silent sphere. When broken, it'll temporarily produce an area where the weave cannot be accessed. Bert, my vote is cast. The only hope for you is to convince 300 of 300 citizens to set you free. It has to be unanimous.
Tim / GM:It has to be convincing. Otherwise, there's no hope. And my condolences to your friend, Uli. Her sister, just this morning, was murdered by Tom Berry's watchdogs. She would have been a valuable witness for you.
Speaker 3:Yeah. A real shame about that.
Tim / GM:Brett, I'm afraid that's all the time I have for you.
Speaker 3:Thanks for the sphere. Just remember what I said. You're not alone in this.
Tim / GM:I wish I could be on your side. And you, are back in the kitchen.
Speaker 3:Is anyone else there?
Tim / GM:Is anybody there getting a getting a midnight drink
Speaker 3:of water?
Maggie / Poppy:I'm asleep. I'm a bed.
Speaker 2:I am still out in the yard, I think, sleeping.
Speaker 4:Snek is trying to set a trap in one of the windows. So
Maggie / Poppy:How many hours of sleep per night does a cobalt need? A a fully grown man Cobalt.
Speaker 3:This is your first night as a Big
Speaker 2:boy Cobalt.
Speaker 4:No. All that growing, yeah. I am in a lot of pain, so I got up and was nervous about the state of the house.
Speaker 6:He's like stretching his hips. He doesn't know what's going on.
Speaker 2:Do your clothes still fit you?
Speaker 4:No. He
Maggie / Poppy:only wore a loincloth and a cape.
Speaker 4:The cape is now, yeah, just covering capelet. Mid back leg knee area. That's as far far down
Tim / GM:as it goes. Snack, while you were looking for, things to kind of arm the windows with traps, you find yourself back in Holly's workshop for a moment looking for materials. Yeah. While you were there, you saw your nearly finished breastplate now much too small to fit on you.
Speaker 3:Oh, no. Oh. That's, like, the worst thing that has happened. Oh, no. Oh, like, the worst thing that has happened.
Speaker 6:Oh, no.
Speaker 4:Yeah. I pick it up and kind of hold it in front of me and, like, turn it around and, like, just kind of is there a mirror or, like, a sheet metal or something?
Tim / GM:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There's, like, a big piece of, like, tin, that's been, like, polished to a sheen, and you kind of, like, look at yourself in it. And the leather straps, they can't even reach, you know, the buckle, like, to tie it onto your chest anymore.
Speaker 4:I flourished my cape, and I, like, float into the air and kind of, like, do a triumphant, like, superhero like pose.
Tim / GM:The, the scale is just kind of, like, hanging loose on you. It's still got the front plate and the back plate to it. But, yeah, it's more of a sort of a decorative medallion at this point.
Speaker 4:I ease down to the ground and set it back on the bench.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Tim / GM:Head back upstairs.
Speaker 11:Yeah. And then come back
Speaker 4:down and grab the hammer and the nails needed.
Tim / GM:You, you appear in the kitchen holding a hammer and nails, and you see Bert, sitting in a kitchen chair looking quite pale, holding a glass sphere.
Speaker 3:Oh oh, hey, Snack.
Speaker 4:Bert, which window did you try to get in? And I look around very nervously.
Speaker 3:Oh, I just, you know, did that little summon thing.
Speaker 4:You don't look well, Bert. Is Brax not as good of a friend as you thought?
Speaker 3:No. Everything's fine there. It's just that, the timeline has changed a little bit. I'm going to court tomorrow, not Sunday.
Speaker 4:I should wake up Tibio. Tibio needs to
Speaker 3:make your case. He is my special counsel.
Speaker 4:Can I also be special? Can I also be on your special counsel, Bert?
Speaker 3:Your role is also very important, mister Snack.
Speaker 4:Excellent. Excellent. Well, I know where Tibio is sleeping. I can go grab him. Is there anything you need Bert?
Speaker 3:I think people need to sleep. I think we've done all the preparing we can. It's kinda up to the will of the people tomorrow.
Speaker 4:Will they be convinced seeing these people back not murdered?
Speaker 3:I, think it's gonna help.
Speaker 4:I know this case will not be safe or fair for you Bert. Would these judges have threatened people? Those that would be casting their
Speaker 3:vote. Oh, almost certainly.
Speaker 4:We may need to set more things in motion then. I will finish this one last trap, Bert, and then you are right. Perhaps we must sleep.
Speaker 3:Yeah. We're gonna need a rest for
Tim / GM:tomorrow. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Tim, your DM and your genie.
Maggie / Poppy:I'm Hannah playing Holly Hyacinth.
Speaker 3:I'm Thomas. I play Engelbert FF Wisherspoon.
Speaker 8:I'm Tara, and I play Tibio Famer.
Speaker 4:I'm John. I play Snack the Cobalt.
Speaker 2:And I'm Maggie playing Uli.
