Transcript:A Stage Set

Pre-show
MATT: Hello, everyone. And welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role where a bunch of us nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons.

ALL: (garbled) We play Dungeons & Dragons! (laughter)

MATT: Before we get into our episode tonight, though, we do have a few announcements to get through, beginning with our first sponsor of the night, Quip. Sam, what's up tonight?

SAM: You guys all know that Quip has these amazing smart toothbrushes, smart electric toothbrushes that make your mouth feel great when you use them. But what you don't know is that when we took on Quip as our sponsor, one of the conditions was that I, Sam Riegel, never put their toothbrush in my mouth on camera. This is true.

LAURA: (laughs)

SAM: That was their one big--

LAURA: That's a really cool one!

TALIESIN: I know. I like the blue one.

LAURA: I want that one!

MARISHA: It's awesome!

SAM: Yeah. Yeah.

TALIESIN: I'm into that.

SAM: That was their one big no-no. They said, "Do not do that." And listen, I get it. No one wants to see me shove something into my mouth covered in toothbrush. No matter how--

LAURA: Toothbrush?

SAM: Toothpaste. No matter how awesome the toothbrush is.

LAURA: Oh no!

SAM: It would look gross. However, they never said anything about me shoving other things into my mouth or brushing my teeth with other things that resemble toothbrushes.

TALIESIN: Here we go.

SAM: So tonight that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to brush my teeth, not with Quip toothbrushes but with other things.

LAURA: No, Sam.

SAM: While Marisha reads the copy.

TRAVIS: This is like in every two or three, you're cramming in half the--

MARISHA: Oh, I've got to read the copy?

LAURA: No, Samuel!

SAM: I got to brush my teeth.

LAURA: What are you even--

ASHLEY: No! What?

TALIESIN: The faster you read it, the faster this ends.

MARISHA: We're a sponsor's nightmare. Okay, while Sam is brushing his teeth--

LAURA: No! I want the pickle!

MARISHA: -- with various objects-- (laughter)

MARISHA: -- such as licorice.

ASHLEY: That's disgusting.

TRAVIS: (disgusted laughter)

MARISHA: Well, that's a pickle.

SAM: Uh huh.

LIAM: Multiple things have to go in?

MARISHA: A lollipop. That's great.

LAURA: Ew!

MATT: Read faster! Read faster!

MARISHA: And a cigar.

TALIESIN: Don't choke!

LIAM: Stop!

ALL: No!

ALL: No!

ASHLEY: Do not!

MATT: Marisha, keep reading, please!

TRAVIS: No!

TALIESIN: Read!

MARISHA: Rest assured that he will be able to clean his mouth out later with a fantastic--

LAURA: Stop it, Sam!

MARISHA: -- Quip smart electric toothbrush, which has all the guiding features of the original plus--

LAURA: Stop it! It'll hurt!

MARISHA: Plus a new Bluetooth smart motor.

TRAVIS: Stick it in your face.

SAM: Read faster!

MARISHA: That should help clean out all of the--

ASHLEY: There we go. Get in there, get in there.

LIAM: How am I supposed to explain this to your kids?

MARISHA: All the party horns.

LAURA: No.

MARISHA: And the pipe cleaners all--

SAM: I might throw up, guys.

MARISHA: Oh my god! Please don't barf on camera.

TALIESIN: Marisha, read faster! (laughter)

MARISHA: Pocky.

TRAVIS: Get it in your nose.

LAURA: Is there Pocky? There is Pocky.

TALIESIN: Yep, there's Pocky.

MARISHA: And Slim Jims.

TALIESIN: No!

LAURA: Oh!

TALIESIN: No! Oh my gosh!

ASHLEY: You're going to use those?

LAURA: Don't do it with the metal. Don't say the metal thing.

TRAVIS: You're going to need a Mega Quip for that.

MARISHA: While Sam is currently jamming that in his mouth, with a free Quip app, you can track your brushing, get tips-- (laughter)

MARISHA: -- and daily coaching.

SAM: Uh-huh.

TRAVIS: (sighs)

MARISHA: I lost my spot because I'm so distracted.

LAURA: No!

LIAM: (groans)

MARISHA: And you can earn rewards, like Target gift cards for good habits, like brushing two minutes, twice a day, which will be perfect when Sam's finishing... Sorry, finished.

LAURA: Don't do the metal. You're going to hurt yourself.

TRAVIS: Like a hellish pin cushion. (laughter)

MARISHA: You're mouthing the bananas and the chop sticks.

LIAM: There's metal in the pipe cleaners, too.

LAURA: Don't do the pipe cleaners! Do not do the pipe cleaners! You're going to scratch your gums! Stop it! Stop it, Sam!

TALIESIN: Put it down.

MATT: (hysterically laughs) (laughter)

MARISHA: You see, like Sam--

TRAVIS: Hellraiser's mouth.

LAURA: Marisha, read faster!

MARISHA: I'm sorry! It's so distracting! Like Sam, you can start getting rewards at getquip.com/criticalrole25-- (laughter)

SAM: Everything threw up a little! (laughter)

MARISHA: And save 25% sitewide when you use--

LAURA: Ew!

MARISHA: When you use code "CRITICALROLE25."

TALIESIN: Oh man! (laughter)

MARISHA: Okay, and for the love of god, please stop. This is over. (laughter)

SAM: Matt, back to you. (laughter)

LAURA: Oh my god. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Holy...

ASHLEY: My god!

SAM: I found my gag reflex, guys! (laughter)

TRAVIS: It was only 12 inches in the back. (laughter)

TRAVIS: That was a lot of shit, man.

MARISHA: That's a skill.

ASHLEY: That was pretty impressive, though.

LIAM: Sam, I'm pretty sure you just voided all your health insurance. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Yeah. Oh yeah. Blue Cross is going to send you a letter.

ASHLEY: I am going to take one of these Pocky's, though.

LAURA: That took way too long!

SAM: I know.

MARISHA: You're going to get different kind of sponsors.

TRAVIS: Sam, we really enjoyed you on Critical Role. Also, your policy's been canceled.

LAURA: I didn't want to touch any of that.

TALIESIN: No.

MATT: This episode is also sponsored by the official D&D tool set-- (laughter)

MATT: -- D&D Beyond.

TRAVIS: ♪ D&D Beyond ♪

MATT: If you have somehow not been aware or made of D&D Beyond at this point, it is the home of all things D&D via a slick digital experience and houses all of their publications, including our very own "Explorer's Guide to Wildemount" and "Call of the Netherdeep." (cheering)

MATT: And with D&D growing, so should your own collection of works. So right now you can enjoy 15% off D&D books at D&D Beyond until September 5th. Just had over to DNDBeyond.link/CRSale. Thanks to D&D Beyond for continuing to support the show, and I'm going to brush my teeth with this D&D book. (laughter)

MATT: No, I won't because I know better that to do that.

LAURA: I feel so traumatized right now.

MATT: Marisha.

TALIESIN: I don't feel good. (laughs)

TRAVIS: (claps)

MARISHA: Yeah. Reminder that you can join us for the sixth episode of 4-Sided Dive next Tuesday September 6th at 7:00pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube.

TALIESIN: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Good. Good.

MARISHA: Traumatized. Traumatized

MATT: Lord, please! (laughter)

TALIESIN: Bring it back. Bring it back.

LAURA: It's Fearne week here at Critical Role. (laughter)

LAURA: You better believe it! (laughter)

LAURA: Seriously, I can smell the pickles and it's grossing me out. Okay. We've got, check it out!

MARISHA: Okay.

LAURA: A giant--

MATT: Oh, that's so cute!

LAURA: Isn't he cute?

ASHLEY: Ooh!

LAURA: Mister Plushy!

TRAVIS: Oh my god!

LAURA: Rolly, chonky boy!

TRAVIS: If you squeeze him, does poo come out?

LAURA: If this guy's just too big for you, you need something a little smaller, check out this one!

ALL: Aw!

LAURA: Take him with you wherever you go. Oh my god! I love him! I know!

LIAM: Even these boxes are so cute.

LAURA: Even the boxes are cute! He's so cutey cute! Then also, check out these awesome Fearne shirts.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LAURA: What Sam is wearing. Dear god, Sam is wearing one.

TRAVIS: You managed to not get anything on the shirt.

MARISHA: There's drool on your arm, though.

LAURA: Look at all these cool, little details. Anyway, check them out. They're in our stores.

TRAVIS: Oh, look at Mister on the chest pocket!

LAURA: I know! I love it!

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: Awesome.

TALIESIN: Oh my god!

MATT: Wow! Liam.

LIAM: Oh man! I got some too!

LAURA: Look how cute he is!

LIAM: It's a good one!

LAURA: He's got a little freckle on his head.

LIAM: It's not Fearne week, it's Ashley week. I am so excited to announce that Critical Role, "The Mighty Nein Origins: Yasha--"

ALL: (screaming) Yasha!

LIAM: -- is now available! (cheering)

MARISHA: Yes!

LIAM: Created in partnership with Dark Horse Comics, it's written by Cecil Castellucci, alongside our very own Matthew Mercer and Ashley Jenkins!

TRAVIS: Yeah!

LAURA and ASHLEY: Woo! (cheering)

LIAM: With amazing art by Will Kirkby, joined by colorist, Diana Sousa, and letterer, Ariana Maher.

ASHLEY: Woo!

TALIESIN: Maher!

LIAM: This book, it's here! This book is gorgeous! The pages of this book are gorgeous!

TRAVIS: Look at that cover.

LIAM: And it's available now. So grab your copy at your friendly local comic book shop or bookstore.

MARISHA: Look at that cover!

LIAM: Take it home with you, Ash.

ASHLEY: Oh, I am going to take it home!

LIAM: Yeah!

ASHLEY: I'm so excited.

SAM: Do you want me to sign it? (laughter)

ASHLEY: Yes, please. (laughter)

ASHLEY: I'm okay.

TRAVIS: Just don't have a pen yet. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Eh, I'm okay.

MARISHA: It smells like mint and pickles.

LAURA: It does! It's a gross combo.

ASHLEY: It's a lot of smells.

MARISHA: And Slim Jims. This is the weirdest smell.

LIAM: Get it out! Get it out!

LAURA: I want to eat the pickles, but I also feel a little nauseous. So I'm going to wait.

TALIESIN: I couldn't eat the pickles.

LIAM: I'm not touching those babies.

MATT: On that note-- (laughter)

MATT: -- let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Critical Role.

(cheering)

Part I
MATT: And welcome back. So last we left off, Bells Hells in the city of Bassuras, chasing down Armand Treshi, a fugitive from the Mahaan House Treshi in Jrusar, who seemed to have been caught up in a number of problems in the city, mainly involving this Shade Mother business and was turned in by Lady Emoth, after you had turned her in. He fled the city and you've been chasing him ever since. Upon arriving here in the city of Bassuras in the middle of the Hellcatch Valley, you also uncovered a number of interesting elements, one that he has held up within the Seat of Disdain, the house of power, the fortress of power, for the Paragon's call that he was so entwined with, and also managed to have a strange run-in with an assassin that was revealed, chasing down the Calloways, revealing themself when you met Birdie Calloway. You then traveled with Birdie along to a secret laboratory where she and Ollie, Fearne's father, had been allied with another strange ally of Treshi's that you had encountered once before, Ira Wendagoth, the Nightmare King. It seemed that the Calloway family had been working while she was being kept by her grandmother, "Morri," Morrigan in the Feywild to understand the nature of the red moon Ruidus, of which it seems your friend Fearne here was born under. Now, as part of this interest in ascertaining its nature in hopes of protecting their child from its strange continuous apparition within the fey realm, Ira seemed to have acquired the item he needed that you had delivered from Morri to complete this device that the Calloways had been completing with him, and then he absconded with this information, before revealing some other odd connections to other weird mysteries that float about the continent of Marquet. Some tense encounter and realizations with your parents, Fearne, and a possible path to reconciliation, at the very least, getting everything out in the open. It was decided that Ollie would stay back while Birdie would take you on her crawler, alongside yours, back to the city of Bassuras to look into some of this Treshi business. You also discovered, upon reaching out, Fresh Cut Grass to Dancer, that it seemed there was some tension in the past you weren't aware of, a emotional request to not find them and realizing that you may have been responsible in some way, shape, or form for the dire end of your previous group. You reached a threshold of stress and tension and began to assault your friends. In this brief altercation, you managed to calm Fresh Cut Grass. In these tense realizations and hurled insults, the rest of you sat there a bit scattered, broken, and confused. You, Laudna, dealing with the reemerging influence of one Delilah within yourself and what that draw might mean should you give into it. It seems that the only functional mind at the moment, as pointed out by Ashton, is Orym and the rest of you have some shit to work out. (laughter)

MATT: After spending a night of rest here in the laboratory, shortly after sunrise, you once again stood onto the crawler that you had purchased and had worked on by Imahara Joe, alongside Birdie's crawler, and then rode off into the dusty desert of the Hellcatch, back towards the city. And that's where we pick up from here. As the sun slowly begins to rise higher, higher on the horizon, the blue sky getting more and more vibrantly blue, the day getting warmer, the sweat beginning to build beneath your armor and clothing. I would like one of you to roll a d20 just to ascertain if the day is eventful or the next few hours of travel are eventful before you get to the city.

TALIESIN: I got that. That's a 15.

MATT: 15, okay. The multi-hour excursion back to the city goes without issue.

SAM: Oh, great.

MATT: Early enough in the morning where it seems no tense business was waiting for you as, unlike your journey towards the laboratory. After a few hours, some loudly shattered conversation over the roaring sound of these automaton's legs, digging into the ground behind you, the front wheels just tearing into the dust and rock and shale. You eventually begin to see the definitive shape of Bassuras in the horizon as you go past one of the long bowing bridges over the ravine below, and you can see the climbing red walls of the Carmine Curtain. Before long, you are back in the familiar township itself. The bustling, strange, sometimes aggressively dressed populace of Bassuras sits around you. You tear in past the central walls of the Carmine Curtain and you watch as Birdie skids off to the side and comes to rest, the growling purr of the arcane engines within the automaton coming to a restful state, the legs curling down to allow you to disembark from the machines. As you all pull back the bits of cloth and face masks you were keeping the dust from being inhaled, Birdie pulls her goggles up, dusts off her face a bit. "Well, all right. I guess we're here now. I'm probably going to make myself scarce, given the fact that Yu is out there somewhere. I don't entirely trust those who've been working towards the demise of me and my husband and my daughter for some time. I got what I came for originally, but just want to make sure you got back here safe. Is there anything else you need from me? Fearne?"

ASHLEY: I, I, I don't think so.

MATT: "All right. Well, seems y'all had a means of getting in touch with me to begin with. I guess, if anything comes up or any words of warning, anything that might behoove what were we're trying to do back in figuring out our next port of a path ahead, now that we have an idea of what's looking to transpire with some of these folks you're tangled with. If we can be of assistance at all, let us know. In the meantime, we'll just start looking to see if we can figure out where they're setting up shop to the east, I guess it was."

LAURA: Are you going to be in the hideaway?

MATT: "I think so, for the time being, unless we have to leave it. I'll probably be doing some runs out and about, just trying to gauge the terrain and see if I can be helpful."

ASHLEY: All right.

MATT: "Make up for some mistakes and misplaced trust, it seems."

LIAM: Well, if you need us, we should be here for at least a little while longer. Don't hesitate to come and call.

MATT: "Okay. Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find you. You're a bunch of sore thumbs out here in the Dust Bowl. Anyway. I'm going to go grab me a quick meal at The Taste of Tal'Dorei because might as well while I'm here, and then shove off from there." Goes ahead and starts walking the beast of a crawler over to a side hitching area, like (heavy stomps) behind her. She sets it over and chains it to the side. "Stay safe, I suppose."

LAURA: Make sure y'all don't go disappearing again.

MATT: "Well, I don't see as much of a reason to. Kind of out in the open now. Just be careful."

ASHLEY: You, too. It was really nice to meet or hang out with you, Birdie. I guess, let us know if you need anything and we can do the same

MATT: "Can I..."

ASHLEY: Oh, you want to give me a hug?

MATT: "If..."

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: "All right." Just finishes chaining up and just runs over and quickly comes, but then just gingerly takes the moment to hold you and just rock with you a little bit.

ASHLEY: This feels nice.

MATT: "It does. I thought about it often."

ASHLEY: Me, too. All right.

MATT: "Well, I guess we'll be in touch, and if anything comes our way that seems to align with what you're doing and looking for, since a lot of our paths are converging interest-wise, we'll find a way to let you know."

ASHLEY: Okay.

LAURA: Until then.

MATT: "Until then." She pulls her goggles down and takes her scarf, tucks it around and adjusts her posture a little bit. "You know, to not carve quite a visage." And then, bounds off, being the satyr that she is, across the road. These little (puffs) tufts of dirt and dust behind her. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Okay.

MARISHA: How are you feeling?

ASHLEY: I'm feeling okay, I think, considering lots of stuff happened that I just found out. (chuckles) But I'm okay. I'm okay, I think. We just got to keep moving forward, you know?

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

MARISHA: So I guess we have found out a lot about a lot and each other.

SAM and ASHLEY: Yeah.

LAURA: Where should we head first? Are you wanting to see Dancer first or we should head straight to Disdain?

TALIESIN: I mean, we could just park or we could go get a drink, figure out Dancer, if that's what you're up for.

LIAM: Is that what you're up for?

TALIESIN: You don't have to be.

SAM: I mean, I'm curious, but--

LAURA: I'm a little nervous that if we head over there that you might give a little switcheroo again.

TALIESIN: I don't think so.

SAM: I am-- I mean, I'm nervous, too, but maybe she'll have an answer about why that happened or can help prevent it from happening again. Although, I don't know if she wants to see me. I guess I could reach out to her and just find out.

LAURA: She might go running.

SAM: Mm-hmm.

TRAVIS: Wait, are you talking about you actually want to see Dancer?

SAM: Well, yeah.

TRAVIS: Oh, no!

SAM: What do you mean?

TRAVIS: Oh, fuck no! You got to send, like, an emissary for you or something.

SAM: Why?

TRAVIS: Because when you get eyes on her, you're going to go all fucking (buzz saw whirs).

TALIESIN: No, they're not!

SAM: Come on!

LAURA: You might!

TRAVIS: It's just going to be like whack, whack, arterial spray, and then they'll be tracking the crime scene and it'll lead right to us!

SAM: I didn't even know-- Listen, I'm sorry that I clobbered you a little bit, but--

TRAVIS: Little nicks. It was just little, little.

SAM: I didn't-- It wasn't me!

LAURA: Little nicks with a buzzsaw.

SAM: I told you you should take it off of me.

TRAVIS: No, absolutely not. We got to unleash that beast when the time is right. Sorry, you know, within reason.

LIAM: Well, we could for the meeting, though, take it off of you.

SAM: Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

LIAM: I think when we go to Paragon's Call, we potentially get piled on by a hundred people. Maybe it's better, if you're up for it, to go see Dancer first.

SAM: Fine by me, if we can find her.

LIAM: How do we do it, too? I mean, how do we not scare Dancer off?

SAM: Well, we're not very scary people. I mean, you're not.

TALIESIN: (laughs)

SAM: You're all real friendly.

TALIESIN: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Well, maybe--

SAM: Well, some of you.

ASHLEY: Maybe we send in, you know, a--

SAM: Well, who do you--

LAURA: We don't even know where she is.

SAM: I mean, just hypothetically. I mean, I can reach out to her, but if we were going to send just one or two of us first, like up on ahead, who do you all think are the nicest of the bunch of us? (laughter)

SAM: I mean, not me right now.

LAURA: Normally, I would've said.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: Probably Orym.

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm. And Fearne.

LAURA: He's very kind. Yeah.

ASHLEY: Oh, really?

TRAVIS: Oh Jesus.

TALIESIN: Until someone actually gets to know you, they would find you extremely comforting and calming.

ASHLEY: That is so nice of you to say. Thank you.

TALIESIN: Until they get to know you.

ASHLEY: That's-- Well.

SAM: I think you're real sweet too, Imogen.

ASHLEY: Full of surprises.

LAURA: Oh, thank you.

TRAVIS: Yeah, you're pretty polite, like you've got a lot of manners. Though, it couldn't hurt.

TALIESIN: You do. You've clearly got other shit going on. It just radiates out of you.

TRAVIS: Fearne's just going to try and steal shit, no offense. It's real hot, but.

LAURA: Maybe you're the only one to see that.

ASHLEY: Well, it's very true.

TALIESIN: I don't know, I feel like I'm not that observant.

SAM: Well, I'll just see if she's open to it, all right?

TALIESIN: Maybe somebody else should--

TRAVIS: Send a-- Yep.

TALIESIN: Should send the message, actually. That's actually, that's a fair point.

TRAVIS: Oh, the emissary idea is pretty good, huh? The old man's got a couple ideas in the bee bonnet!

TALIESIN: I was just assuming that you were full of shit, because I know that if you actually thought that they were going to go nuts, you would be really down for that. So I just thought you were just trying to start shit.

TRAVIS: I mean, not yet. I feel like we need Dancer, but you know, eventually.

TALIESIN: Okay. I got no problem.

LAURA: So I could reach out to Dancer.

SAM: Have you done that before?

LAURA: Reach out?

SAM: To her?

LIAM: Not to Dancer.

LAURA: To her specifically? No.

SAM: You can do it even if you've never met her?

LAURA: As long as I'm familiar with her. You could describe her to me.

SAM: Okay. And what are you going to say?

LAURA: Exactly. I have no idea.

TALIESIN: I mean.

TRAVIS: We've detained the beast known as FCG.

TALIESIN: (laughs)

SAM: Well now...

TRAVIS: It's totally safe. We've wiped the memory. We need you to help us put the pieces back together for good. For truth!

ASHLEY: What if she--

SAM: I mean, you're not wrong, I'm a bit of a monster.

LAURA: No, you're not.

SAM: A little bit.

TALIESIN: No more than the rest of us. Except for this one.

SAM: I'm just worried that I don't know what set me off. Maybe I just shouldn't do anything for a while until I know, you know?

ASHLEY: Yeah, you're probably right.

LAURA: What was it that set you off?

MARISHA: Leading up to all of this, these past handful of days, you've been kind of stressed, a little not yourself.

LAURA: And we have seen some weird moments from you outside of that, you know? Like moments where you kind of started glitching out a little bit.

MARISHA: Hmm. You seemed kind of down and depressed. Are you feeling depressed now?

SAM: I don't have any feelings, I'm a robotic entity.

TRAVIS: Not true!

LAURA: You have feelings, FCG!

ASHLEY: You definitely have feelings, because you were very angry at all of us.

MARISHA: Yes, you yelled very mean things.

SAM: I'm sorry.

LAURA: You look like you feel sad now. Do you feel sad right now? Because you went a little...

SAM: What does that feel like?

TRAVIS: Oh, emotions are tricky. Wait, this spurs an idea. You guys keep going.

SAM: Can you describe it with wood?

TRAVIS: I describe everything with wood. (laughter)

TRAVIS: You just see shit flying. (laughter)

LIAM: Chetney Chiselhands.

TALIESIN: Well, maybe you--

LAURA: (laughs) Chetney Chiselhands.

TRAVIS: Under these fingernails is each a different bit. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Veiny-ass fucking knuckles.

MATT: (laughs) Wow.

LAURA: It's like snow!

SAM: Except it's wood. Ow! (laughter)

LIAM: (buzzing saw)

TALIESIN: Ah, eh. (laughter)

LIAM: (spits)

SAM: If you'd like to reach out.

LAURA: All right.

LIAM: Well, here's an idea.

SAM: Oh!

LIAM: What if we do detain you and tell Dancer that?

SAM: Okay. Like put me in a net, wrap up my wheel?

LIAM: Something.

SAM: Put one of those boots? Like a parking boot?

MARISHA: Yeah, parking boot.

LAURA: You could just act like--

TALIESIN: I think a parking boot is actually a really idea.

LAURA: Maybe he can just act like they're shut down. You know what I mean?

SAM: Act like it?

LAURA: Yeah, like we can wheel you in.

SAM: Well, I don't want to lie to anybody.

TRAVIS: It's not lying if you don't tell the lie.

LAURA: That's right, if you don't say anything.

TALIESIN: I think we just promise--

ASHLEY: Yeah, we could tell the lie.

SAM: That's true.

LAURA: You'll just stand there.

TRAVIS: Yeah, you're just doing the cold fish.

SAM: Where'd you get those pickles?

LAURA: There was a vendor up the street. Did you want some?

TRAVIS: So strange in this climate.

TALIESIN: You're eating Bassuras street food, you are braver than I thought.

LIAM: But the whole point of this--

MARISHA: It's the desert, it keeps.

MATT: There's a hobgoblin back there with a cart. He's just like, "Want more?" (laughter)

TALIESIN: I'm kind of into it now, actually.

MATT: "Get them quick, they're hard to find and they don't keep real long." (laughter)

LAURA: They're really good. Add a little toothpaste. (groaning)

LAURA: What? What?

TRAVIS: No.

LIAM: That's the weirdest thing you've ever said, Imogen. But if the whole point of this is to get to the bottom of things and you're genuine, then we don't need any kind of trickery.

SAM: I agree.

LIAM: Why don't we bind you up for the sake of Dancer's comfort--

SAM: All right.

LIAM: -- and let them know that, and they might come in angry. They might come in terrified.

SAM: Okay.

LIAM: But you'll have done all you can today to make an effort.

SAM: Sure. I'll put on my grapple cannon and I'll let out the line and you guys can wrap it around me.

LAURA: All right.

LIAM: Imogen, you can get into--

TALIESIN: I mean, we have rope, but all right.

LIAM: -- our heads, can you send a vision of FCG to them?

LAURA: No, I don't think so. But I could let them know, I mean, that we've captured them.

LIAM: Okay.

LAURA: Just trying to figure out how we make it feel safe for Dancer to meet with us.

LIAM: Yeah.

ASHLEY: What was Dancer's job? What did she do?

SAM: She's a tinkerer of things and she builds things and she's a marvel with all kinds of machinery and tools. I mean, her job was, we were adventurers for hire, sort of like we are now.

ASHLEY: Is there a world where we say something like that to her? Like we want to-- Of course, again, this is lying, but I don't have a problem with that at all. If we tell her, we have something we need your expertise with.

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: Then we see her and then we're like: Oh, here.

SAM: Oh, like hire her?

ASHLEY: Yeah, or--

SAM: That's interesting. I mean, she's for hire.

ASHLEY: For sure will probably show up?

LAURA: Right?

LIAM: Is she important to you?

LAURA: Then just have FCG?

SAM: Of course. She made me.

ASHLEY: I don't know if that's true.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I feel like that was under some debate at this point.

SAM: Well, she made me what I am.

LAURA: Maybe she just turned you back on, but maybe she messed up. Maybe that's why things are difficult. Things are getting jumbled up.

SAM: Maybe.

LIAM: But the first point is still true. She's important to you.

SAM: Yeah.

LIAM: So you'd want her to know that you're being honest.

SAM: That I'm sorry.

LIAM: And sorry. What if we bring your shredder arm to her and give it to her?

TALIESIN: Mm.

SAM: That's fine with me.

LAURA: Doesn't FCG need that arm?

LIAM: Maybe after talking, he'll get it back. But you know, how important is she, is my question.

TALIESIN: Do you have an opinion on this? Because I have an opinion on this.

LAURA: Regardless of all of it, we have to find her first. So I do have to send a message.

LIAM: Right? Right.

TALIESIN: Yeah. I mean--

SAM: Go ahead.

TALIESIN: We can at the very least offer the one thing that clearly she wants, which is a little bit of closure from this. I'd hate to be running from this shit for the rest of my fucking life.

MARISHA: How do you know she wants closure?

TALIESIN: Anyone that freaked out and panicked wants to not feel freaked out and panicked, and has clearly spent a very long time feeling freaked out and panicked. Anything would be better.

LAURA: I'm going to cast Sending and try to reach out to Dancer.

MATT: Okay. What do you say?

LIAM: Ask her to meet one of us in a public spot.

LAURA: Dancer. We've captured your automaton. Preparing to disassemble.

SAM: Is that true?

ASHLEY: No, no, no.

LAURA: Where can we meet, if you're interested in recouping some costs? We're in Bassuras.

MATT: Make a deception check for me.

SAM: Oh, you're so cold. Can I give her Guidance?

ASHLEY: That was really good.

MATT: Sure.

SAM: Guidance, boop.

LAURA: Okay.

TRAVIS: That moon changed you, Imogen.

LAURA: 19.

MATT: 19.

MARISHA: I know, damn.

SAM: I take it back, you're not the nice one.

MATT: Not too much of wait before Dancer responds. "I'm kind of curious which automaton you're talking about, but I'm listening. I'm having a liquid breakfast at The Revel and Break."

LAURA: Revel and Break.

MARISHA: Revel and Break. Oh shit, oh shit.

SAM: Where's that? Have we heard that before?

MATT: Revel and Break, those of you who are from Bassuras would know--

SAM: Yes, of course I know.

MATT: -- is a drinking establishment in The Undercarriage. Not far from where you last stayed here in the city.

LAURA: Wonderful.

TALIESIN: Yep, there we go.

LAURA: Let's head over.

SAM: Oh boy. I'm scared.

MARISHA: Out of curiosity, Ashton, what was that twisted face you just made?

TALIESIN: I was just impressed by the sheer cold-calculating-ness of that. That was very well done. My god.

SAM: It was a little scary.

ASHLEY: That was very well done.

TALIESIN: It hadn't occurred to me.

MARISHA: Imogen's very capable.

LAURA: I would never even dream of it.

SAM: Insight check.

ASHLEY: Ooh!

SAM: Something about the way you said dream.

LAURA: I dream of a lot of things, FCG.

SAM: I know you do.

MARISHA: Revel and Break, right?

TALIESIN: Revel and Break.

MATT: Are you genuinely wanting to?

SAM: I'll insight check.

MATT: All right, so you can make deception or persuasion, your choice, you don't have to say which, and just give me a number.

SAM: 18.

LAURA: 15. I'm telling the truth, darling. I would never dream of it, ever. Stop making that face.

SAM: I can't make faces. (laughter)

TALIESIN: And yet somehow you emote so clearly.

LAURA: I know, right?

LIAM: I just wear them. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Yes.

SAM: You notice earlobes have formed. Not ears, just lobes.

TRAVIS: First the tongue, now the dangling lobes.

MATT: I hate--

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: I hate this so much. (laughter)

LIAM: Now we know where she is, but I don't think that we should all rush over like we were saying. I think one or two of us should go in.

TALIESIN: That place is kind of a shithole. I mean.

SAM: Isn't everything here?

TALIESIN: It wouldn't be a terrible idea, even for this play. It's pretty rough.

MATT: Yeah, it's definitely like-- It's not the roughest here. It's definitely for travelers and the weary or needing to work out some aggression folk of the city. It's definitely the shitty watering hole amongst shitty watering holes of that region of the city. Not the biggest dive, but pretty divey.

TALIESIN: I mean, would it be insane for me to actually mention if someone tries to offer you anything, don't take it, just considering who hangs out there?

MATT: I would tell you nobody offers you shit.

TALIESIN: Okay.

MATT: You buy your own drink.

TALIESIN: Just doing a little reading, yeah.

TRAVIS: We don't all have to go in, that's fine. Laudna and I can hang out on the outside. So when she inevitably runs--

MATT: I see what you're referring to.

MARISHA: Ooh, we can clothesline her.

TRAVIS: Yep.

ASHLEY: That's a good idea.

MATT: I mean anything outside of alcohol, maybe.

TALIESIN: Okay, yeah. That was definitely what I was pointing at--

MATT: Gotcha. Gotcha.

TALIESIN: -- is if anybody offers you anything that isn't alcohol, don't take it.

MATT: Fair enough.

TALIESIN: So.

MARISHA: Yeah, Chetney and I will stand guard.

LAURA: Should we bring FCG in right away?

MARISHA: Well, maybe we can hold him outside, that way if she does want to come in and see them, you know, you're right there and ready.

SAM: What did you just tell her? You said that you shut me down or you've just captured me?

LIAM: Preparing to disassemble.

LAURA: Captured you and preparing to disassemble.

SAM: Oh my god.

ASHLEY: Preparing to disassemble.

LAURA: Would never!

SAM: I know, but just hearing the words.

ASHLEY: Who would you feel most comfortable with dissembling you if it came down to that?

TRAVIS: (chisel unsheathing)

SAM: Oh boy.

MARISHA: He's the most skilled.

ASHLEY: That's probably true.

TRAVIS: Finesse, baby, you wouldn't feel a thing.

SAM: He is the most skilled, but I worry about that ticker of his. Could go at any moment.

LAURA: I can make you real calm before I did it.

SAM: That scares me more.

TRAVIS: What the fuck?

LAURA: I'm just saying.

SAM: I think Ashton.

TALIESIN: Thank you.

SAM: A nice big clunk on the head, and lights out.

TALIESIN: That's really the way to go.

MATT: It's the weirdest Short Circuit reboot. (laughter)

LAURA: All right.

TALIESIN: Do you mind if I come in with you just to--

LAURA: Not at all!

TALIESIN: -- be some muscle in the corner?

ASHLEY: I'll hang outside with you guys.

MARISHA: All right.

LAURA: Are you coming in, Orym?

SAM: Do you want to take the buzzsaw?

LIAM: I'll carry it.

SAM: Okay.

LIAM: I'm unassuming.

TRAVIS: As we're going, did Dancer work for or with any repeat clients or anybody that would be I interested in her automatons or collecting them if found again?

SAM: She frequented a few salvage yards in town, of which I remember the names, and we were hired by folks in town, but I--

TRAVIS: No repeat vendors, right? Anybody she might've owed a debt to?

SAM: A debt? I mean--

TRAVIS: Like a repo-person?

SAM: Where's the big old salvage yards?

MATT: Oh, you're talking about the--

ASHLEY: Ye Olde Salvage Yard.

TRAVIS: and MATT: Ye old.

MATT: Ye Olde Salvage Yards. I mean, there's a number of places. There's the East Dregs has the Finders Takers, which is--

LAURA: East Dregs or Easter Eggs?

SAM: Finders Takers?

MATT: That's where Esmer is where you went to have the bomb situated there.

SAM: Oh yeah, Esmer. Yeah.

TRAVIS: Okay.

SAM: Her former lover.

MATT: Yep. There's a number of shops and places.

LIAM: Good catch.

MATT: The Sonyon Row is probably the one place you're thinking of that has like the most scavenger--

LAURA and LIAM: Is this Sonyon Row? (laugh)

MATT: -- scrapyard feels. That's where Imahara Joe is--

TALIESIN: Oh my god.

MATT: -- and a lot of the, what's referred to as The Roaches. (laughter)

SAM: Okay.

MATT: So yeah, those would make the most sense.

SAM: All right.

LIAM: All I heard was eggs and Roaches now.

LAURA: Yeah, I know.

MATT: So what's the plan?

SAM: All right. I hand over my buzzsaw to Orym and I--

LAURA: We head over to Revel and Break.

SAM: Trust fall into Fearne.

ASHLEY: I just-- I'm still wrapping you up.

SAM: Sure, yeah, wrap me up around myself.

MATT: Okay. So you head over towards the Undercarriage, which is less intense when it's this early in the day. You're probably at this point, couple hours shy of noon, and so still definitely has that morning energy to it. Folks are coming out into the sunlight and trying to shield themselves from the heat and the bleariness that their eyes are currently dealing with while others are out there in the process of probably even finishing their night. Couple of stumbling folks eventually coming back after a night of whatever revelry or debauchery they had gotten themselves involved with.

TRAVIS: Attaboy.

MATT: Upon approaching the outside of this caravan-serai, the last time you were here, it was evening and bustling. Now it's fairly empty, other than a few folks keeping watch. Couple of other individuals that are passed out. Here, upon the outside of the Revel and Break, you can see it's a ramshackle watering hole. It looks to be a drinking spot that is partially open. There is an entryway, but the area where most folks drink, there is an opening, like a skylight that just looks above with a thick silk that can be drawn to close it in case the weather gets tumultuous. But at the time being, it's like a partially shaded open feel, as there are a number of tables scattered about with chairs around them. You can see there's a central pit that's dug into the ground. Looks like maybe individuals that need to work out their aggressions or disagreements can go to, but it's also maybe a little early in the day for that. There's maybe only three patrons that are visible within the room at a quick glance. One of which a female in their... it's hard to see at this distance. But you do see a woman with jet black hair, olive skin, light brown eyes sitting at a table, head in the palm in one hand holding their face, and a big, dark red, clay mug on the table next to them where their arm draped over the edge of it. But they don't seem to notice you stepping towards the front entryway.

LAURA: Just head straight over to that table.

LIAM: I, before coming in, took the arm and wrapped it in the cloak that, we've been wearing cloaks occasionally, so it's just like a package under the arm.

MATT: Gotcha.

TRAVIS: Is there-- can we-- Want me to take the back or you can take the back or go with the front?

MARISHA: Oh, which do you prefer?

TRAVIS: Back.

MARISHA: I'll take the front.

TRAVIS: Okay.

TRAVIS: So I'll just make my way, if there's a back door to it.

LAURA: ♪ Makin' my way ♪

ASHLEY: I'll just stay here with FCG.

SAM: ♪ Stay here ♪ (laughter)

LAURA: (hisses)

MATT: It's too far. You've got too far.

ASHLEY: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Park by the front door so we don't--

TRAVIS: Disarm and banded the really valuable thing, you know?

MARISHA: Yes.

MATT: So as you walk through, Orym, you pick it up. Just a brief smell in the air. Very faint, very faint, but for an open air space, there's a-- maybe it's towards the tables. There's a very faint mustiness that just hangs in the air. But you approach the table and the woman looks through the spreading of the middle fingers and over at you and sits up, looks over. You can see there is a tattoo of a star on the right cheek, just marked right there. Pretty heavy hooded cloak that rests over the shoulders and hangs down past the chair and collects the base across the floor. The other hand, as you get close, it looks like it was gloved and wrapped, but now you can see it is a metallic prosthetic. It is a tinkered prosthetic. You can see all sorts of mechanical cables and pulleys and odd clockwork elements. As it moves, you can see there's a jerkiness to it. It is imperfect and does not move smoothly, but it seems functional enough, and she just sits up. It like, (thuds) grabs onto the side of the table. You can see, there's a bit of a shift in her physicality to adjust for its sudden and strange movements before looking up at the two of you. "Well, I assume by your direct approaching that you're the one that contacted me?"

LAURA: That's right. We are.

LIAM: Morning, ma'am.

MATT: "Based on the, based on the rapid series of events, I think I have an idea of the automaton you're talking about." Just goes ahead and takes a sip, and you can see there's a bit of a hungover haze to her eyes.

LAURA: A bit of a weird one, isn't it?

MATT: "Yeah. Yeah, you can say that."

LAURA: And you're responsible for all that?

MATT: "Well, I was. I bought him, fair and square."

MARISHA: Bought him.

LAURA: So all that personality, that was before you?

MATT: "Oh yeah, I'd love it-- I wish I could take credit for all of that, but... I think maybe in the long run, that was part of the problem. See, all the rest of the things that I make myself, they listen. They don't-- They don't become challenging."

LAURA: I see. This one was quite challenging.

MATT: "Now, mind you. So did you, took them down?"

LIAM: She's seated at a table?

MATT: Mm-hmm.

LIAM: All right, so I'll place it down on the table and unfurl.

MATT: There's an immediate look of recognition and that like, that look of somebody that is suddenly remembering something traumatic and then burying it quickly.

LIAM: I think one thing that we were hoping to know--

LAURA: I'm going to cast Detect Thoughts.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Trauma.

LIAM: Cool. He is...

TALIESIN: (snaps)

LIAM: Because we've had such a time with this one, I think we were curious to know what happened that led for them to be this way.

MATT: "I mean, I wish I could tell you. Caught me off guard." As you're starting to read past the thoughts, too, you're immediately feeling waves of emotion. Fear, sadness. But then recollections of joy, kinship, the resurfaced thoughts all seem to be revolving around the idea of what went wrong. Don't know why it went wrong. That's the general surface thought you're getting.

LIAM: We've never seen anything like them.

MATT: "Neither have I."

LAURA: Yeah, and they seemed real friendly. Real sweet and all of a sudden, red eyes. Almost demonic, right?

MATT: "Yeah. Looks like you made it out luckier than I did."

LAURA: (gasps)

MATT: (clunking noises)

LAURA: It was close.

LIAM: But you did have some good times?

MATT: "Yeah. I took a lot of pride managing to getting him back to whatever he was."

LAURA: How did you do that?

MATT: Roll a persuasion check. Just like-- this is to gauge how open they feel.

LIAM: Can I assist?

MATT: Yes, you may.

LIAM: Just by looking sweet.

MATT: Yeah, either you can give her advantage or...

LIAM: She can have advantage.

LAURA: 14.

MATT: 14. "I've been here most of my life. You know, there are a number of junkers and traders and crawlers and the occasional ass-end adventurer that scoots through with some findings they need to offload. Now, a bunch of us in the Sonyon Row, we keep an eye out for anything interesting, unique. It's where a lot of us craft our tools, and in some cases, our companions. That's where my specialization lies. Make your money growing up making small friendly types that... just kind of like pets, if you will. This one came through. It was something else. I wasn't the only one interested. I had to pull in a lot of favors to get Joe get real distracted. But went all in. Pretty much everything I'd saved up because I knew there was something special about this thing. It was old."

LIAM: Who was the seller?

MATT: "I don't know. Never saw him before, never saw him after. They were-- He was just a wandering trader."

LAURA: Insight check?

MATT: Go for it.

LAURA: Was it at advantage because I've still got Detect Thoughts up?

MATT: I'd say yeah.

SAM: Ooh!

ASHLEY: Nice!

MARISHA: Come on.

TALIESIN: Nice!

LAURA: 22.

SAM: Ooh!

MATT: 22.

ALL: Oh!

MARISHA: More whispers.

TRAVIS: Shit!

SAM: I don't have anything to read! I do, but it's for a combat, but this isn't combat. So I don't know what to do.

MARISHA: Read it anyway.

SAM: Okay. This whisper is brought to you by the WizKids Combat Cam? (laughs)

MARISHA: Whisper Cam.

SAM: Whisper Cam?

TRAVIS: Coming soon.

SAM: Our whisper cam sponsorship is back with our partners at WizKids, makers of amazing Critical Role miniatures. Enhance your home games with Critical Role minis. Available at wizkids.io/CRminis and your local game store.

MARISHA: Woo!

TALIESIN: My god.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: "Yeah, it was... We get a lot of strange folks that come through and this one was carrying a whole odd batch of things that they had supposedly found on a trip somewhere deep in the Rumedam."

LAURA: Rumedam?

SAM: The Hoo ba ba?

MATT: "Rumedam Desert."

SAM: Hoobastank.

MATT and MARISHA: (laugh)

MATT: The Hoobastank Desert.

LAURA: Were there any peculiar markings on this particular seller? Anything that we would be able to identify them with?

MATT: "I mean, they wore a mask. I knew that. That's why I don't have much more information to give you. Don't get more mysterious than this one."

LIAM: What're you doing these days?

MATT: Lifts their cup, sloshes it a little bit. "Well, I'm trying to get back to my trade. It's interesting. After I'd... after I had roused FCG and had this companion with capabilities and a few other friends of mine, we decided to change our fortunes a bit. Instead of sitting back and waiting for adventurers to come by and give us piddlings for our trade. Maybe we'd give a shot at it ourselves. We did pretty good, actually. It wasn't too bad. We started making some nice coin and a small name for us. Moving beyond the Hellcatch, just working up in the Wildlands for a bit. Then we had the incident, and I lost everything."

LIAM: I'm so sorry.

MATT: "Yeah, me too. But you move on. When you live a life and grow up in a place as harsh as this, you're not completely unfamiliar with the idea of hardship and picking up and pushing forward. Sometimes it's the only chance. It's the only real path you got."

LAURA: How did you get them back online?

MATT: "Oh, weeks of tinkering. There was something there, there was a hum. It wasn't like they were broken. They were just dormant. They were just, there was something. There was something."

LAURA: Yeah, we're thinking about opening them up. Getting a real good look at everything in there, but didn't want to damage it, you know?

MATT: "Just be careful, you know? If you see anything that glows, don't pull it out."

LAURA: Oh, there's glowing stuff?

MATT: "Oh yeah. Old, you know, energy centers and power cores that keep most automatons going. It's part of their initial design, but even me tinkering around, this was old shit."

LAURA: Really?

MATT: "Yeah. No, this was craft far beyond anything I've never seen. So I didn't mess with much because I didn't want to mess it up."

LAURA: Did you have to replace anything?

MATT: "No, no replacement. Just more like things were dislodged a little bit."

LAURA: All right.

MATT: "So I just figure out where to reconnect them. Then all of a sudden one day, we had FCG. I've never... something special about that one. I heard rumors from recent years of automatons with personalities, you know? Stories you hear of the old pre-Divergence and stuff."

LAURA: Yeah, we hear some of that stuff, too.

MATT: "So it just seems, well, it seems like rumor until you finally meet one. Or in this case, buy one."

LIAM: They are special. We agree. There's one detail we're leaving out 'til now. We still kind of care about them. I'm sorry. And we brought this. And I nudge it across the table standing on my chair. FCG sent that. I'm not going to pretend to know what you went through. It sounds terrible, ma'am. We've spent enough time with Letters to get a sense of what you liked in the beginning. Saved our lives a lot. I don't know if you'd be up for it, but we've got them bound up, and one-armed.

LAURA: Their eyes are blue, currently.

LIAM: I don't know if you're looking for closure or understanding, but Fresh Cut Grass is... You don't owe him anything. You don't have to go, but that's a gift. Referring to the arm. You can keep it. I hope you give it back, but it's a gesture of goodwill. Something. I hope it's worth the good time you had with him.

MATT: Make a persuasion check.

TALIESIN: Is anybody watching this shit, by the way, in the bar?

MATT: Not really.

TALIESIN: Okay, just checking.

MATT: Bartender's keeping an eye if anyone's putting up a hand to order something, but no one's paying close attention.

LIAM: I have no modifier, 16.

MATT: Nice.

LAURA: I thought you rolled that. I was like, oh!

LIAM: No.

MATT: You catch just the surface thoughts reading rapidly bouncing between trauma and warm memory. Trauma, warm memory. It's like back and forth of trying to decide. You watch as they close their eyes for a second. "Yeah, let me talk to him," gets up from the table, grabs the arm, holds it at the side.

LAURA: Out there?

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: Takes a couple steps, turns around, goes back, takes another big swig.

LAURA: I'm going to send a message out to FCG. You're going to hear in your head: We're on our way out with her.

LIAM: Oh, and also--

SAM: Hold me.

ASHLEY: Okay.

LIAM: We wouldn't let anything happen to you. You have my word.

MATT: "Oh, I'm not getting close enough."

LIAM: Just so you know, we won't let you touch them either. Just so we're clear.

LAURA: Yeah, all that profit's going to be ours. Just kidding.

LIAM: Bad cop.

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: "Of course"

MARISHA: What did you do with Imogen?

ASHLEY: Should we do something?

SAM: What do you mean?

ASHLEY: Should I put my hand over your mouth type of thing?

SAM: Oh, like you're holding me hostage?

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SAM: Yeah. Yeah. Do you have a knife, or what do you fight with?

ASHLEY: Sure. Should I put my sickle around your throat or something?

SAM: Yeah, yeah, like right up there, but don't hurt me.

ASHLEY: No, I wouldn't do anything, but I'll just act like I'm real tough.

MARISHA: Or should we-- are we threatening him? Should I threaten you?

SAM: No!

ASHLEY: Yeah, like a little

TRAVIS: Is shit happening? What happened?

MARISHA: Oh, yes! I send a message to Chetney.

SAM: He's around back.

MARISHA: Chet, I think they're coming out.

MATT: (creepily) Chet...

ALL: (creepy vocalizations)

TRAVIS: Fuck, is this what it's like?

MARISHA: Yes.

ALL: (creepy noises)

MATT: (deeply) Yes.

MARISHA: Do you like it? Most people find it unnerving.

TRAVIS: Oh, I want you to sing a song and see what happens.

MARISHA: Oh, I should practice.

TRAVIS: Okay, I'm coming around.

MARISHA: All right.

LIAM: Also, Matt, just because we're level seven, and I want to use it. I want to use Know Your Enemy on Dancer. As I watch Dancer walk out and size him up, How are their armor class and current HP in comparison to mine?

MATT: Okay, well--

ASHLEY: That is cool.

MARISHA: How often can you do that?

LAURA: Whenever you want.

LIAM: Not stop. One minute. Just need one minute with anybody.

MARISHA: Damn, that's crazy.

MATT: They are, all of them are less than yours. They are, they are not as experienced or as hardy as a fighter as you. You get the sense that their strengths lie in their creations.

LAURA: Mm.

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

MATT: As you all begin to step out from the-- you actually see this, Fresh Cut Grass-- in the dark open doorway, you see there's that the bit of sunlight that comes through that open the screened roof before they come to the front door, you see this in the darkness, the shadow, just this brief flash of Dancer before they step back into the shadow of the frame before they step directly into the doorway and lean against it. Holding in one hand the buzz saw hand and the other metallic arm that replaces the one that you sawed or apparently may have removed. They just stand there, leaning in the door, looking at you about 15 feet, not taking another step.

SAM: (bomb ticking) (laughter)

TRAVIS: I grab onto him. (screams) I dive out of the way for no reason.

LIAM: (explosion) (laughter continues)

TRAVIS: (intense explosion)

MATT: Weirdest TPK we've ever had.

TRAVIS: Thus ends.

SAM: My mission has been accomplished. (laughter)

TRAVIS: We didn't check inside him. Oh no!

MARISHA: Episode 31, it's about on schedule.

MATT: Yeah, there you go.

MARISHA: Real quick.

MATT: Yes?

MARISHA: DM. Is this street busy right now? Is there anybody watching this exchange?

MATT: I mean, it's not terribly busy at this hour, but you also are a unique crew having a unique moment in the middle of a unique part of town.

TRAVIS: We sexy.

MATT: There's nobody crouched in the corner going "What are they doing?" But other folks are about their business who are walking past, other folks that are setting up shop. There are a number of folks that are just glancing over with a curious eye like you do when something new is happening in your everyday life.

MARISHA: I just keep an eye on the public.

MATT: Okay. Fair enough. "Hey."

SAM: Hello. Smiley day to you.

MATT: "Haven't heard that in a while."

SAM: How are you doing?

MATT: "Bad."

SAM: It's been a while since we've talked.

MATT: "Yeah."

SAM: Are you still having bad dreams?

MATT: "This was a bad idea."

SAM: Don't go. I don't know what I did. I mean, I do, but I don't. But I'm sorry. I just wanted to talk to you because I found some new friends. I don't want to hurt them and I thought maybe you might know more about me? But also, you know, I belong to you, so I if you want to take me back, I'm yours. I promise I won't do it again.

MATT: "I know that's a promise you can't keep. (sighs) Look, FCG. There's a lot of time we spent together that I'm real appreciative of. There's a lot of conversations we've had, and a lot of personal shit that you've helped me through. But you also took a lot from me, and I can't forget that. Our paths are diverged, they're gone. I don't want you to do to anyone else what you did to me. If that means trying to figure out what or who you are, then go and do that."

SAM: How? Where? Who do I ask? How much of me is me, and how much did you put on?

MATT: "(sighs) I put on very little. You came out pretty much like this. Though you seemed to take to my voice a little bit and mimic me slightly, but I mean, you came out cheerful. (chuckles)"

SAM: You didn't set me to be?

MATT: "I didn't set you to do anything. I just woke you up."

SAM: You didn't tell me how to take care of people?

MATT: "No."

SAM: Cure people?

MATT: "You did that on your own. That's part of the reason I found you so helpful and eventually, thought you as a friend. You're not like anyone else I've met of your type."

SAM: Do you want me to go with you or no?

MATT: "No."

SAM: You know, of all the -nesses, forgiveness is my favorite. Is there anything I could do to earn yours?

MATT: "I can't say yes or no, I don't know. Life is uncertain. Maybe in time. Maybe we'll never see each other again. I don't think forgiveness is in the cards for right now, and that's okay."

SAM: It's okay by me, but I'll keep trying. Maybe I'll figure out a way if I figure out more about me.

MATT: "Figure yourself out first, then we can talk about that."

SAM: Okay.

MATT: "There's something in you. There's something mighty, mighty violent hidden in there and I just want it as far from me as possible. I don't hold you completely responsible because knowing you as long as I did, whatever that was wasn't-- It didn't feel like you. But it doesn't mean I still don't think every day of what happened."

SAM: Because I don't remember, can you tell me a little bit about what I did?

MATT: "You really want to know?"

SAM: Yeah.

MATT: "(sighs) The Division. Terrawyn. Ozene. Axer. Oatmeal. Thunderstorm. Pussy."

LAURA: (chuckles)

MATT: "You killed them. You killed them all. Almost killed me."

SAM: Did something set me off? Was there a word or a spell or an earthquake?

MATT: "No, you just (snaps) broke. You'd been acting a little strange leading up to it. You'd gone through a few rougher scuffs and some of those creatures followed us outside of the mines and you were helping us recover and you just cracked. I don't know how else to explain it. Like a switch went off in your head."

SAM: Did I look like I was enjoying it?

MATT: "No. But you looked like you were intent on finishing the job."

SAM: But you got away? Did I let you go or did you get away?

MATT: "Only you could know that, and if you don't remember, then that's going to be a mystery for the times. Look, figure yourself out. Sort your shit. If you can figure out what the hell button goes off inside that head of yours, that weird, ancient, metal brain or whatever you've got, if you can get rid of that, you come back and talk to me and we can begin a road to forgiveness. But until then, you're a time-bomb. I don't want any part in it."

SAM: Okay. Sorry. If I do, is there a switch, a button, a knob, a wire that these folk can cut to turn me off?

MATT: "I mean, there's one way, but it's real deep inside there, and there's no turning you back on if they do."

SAM: What does it look like?

MATT: "The glowy bit I was telling you about, there is a runic cable. You pull that, it's going to take a lot of work to put it back. That's what it took me to get you going."

LAURA: Hmm.

SAM: Okay. Well, it sure was nice seeing you. Hey, don't drink after like 11:00. Try to get sleep because you're always cranky when you don't get sleep. And find someone to talk to. You're always better when you talk. I know you might not have too many friends in town who like to talk to you, but someone will, even if it's a barkeep or something. You always do better when you talk. And sometimes you forget to eat, so eat please, too. Take care of yourself.

MATT: "(sighs)" Looks at the buzzsaw arm. Tosses it a few feet out in the dust. (buzzsaw thuds) "I guess your fate's with the gods now. I don't know much about that masked person, but I've done a couple dealings with Joe, maybe he's got something."

LAURA: Thank you.

MATT: "And be careful." She turns around and steps back in, closing the door behind her that had been left ajar when you arrived. (door closes)

MARISHA: Why don't we get out of the street?

TALIESIN: Oh yes, please.

ASHLEY: Do you want me to unwrap you?

SAM: Maybe.

TRAVIS: That's it? That's all-- Fuck. I give two silver to Laudna. (laughter)

SAM: What's that?

TRAVIS: Nothing. Just settling, you know. We should get out of the street, yeah.

LAURA: We should talk to Joe. I think the dealer that found you, I think Joe knows a little bit about them and he might be able to tell us.

LIAM: Yeah, I mean our best bet is going--

LAURA: -- where you came from.

LIAM: -- further back and also maybe just if Joe can remember them, think about them, can you get a good enough read--

LAURA: Sure.

LIAM: -- off of Joe? Maybe you could find him.

SAM: Okay. Now or--? Don't we have to go to the...?

TALIESIN: We got a little time, in my opinion.

TRAVIS: Did Dancer go back in, though?

MATT: The watering hole?

TRAVIS: Meal and Break?

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: Revel.

ASHLEY: (sighs) We did not--

LAURA: Revel and Break.

ASHLEY: -- ask her if she put your tongue in or if--

LAURA: (scoffs)

SAM: Or if that was there?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LAURA: No! (laughter)

TALIESIN: I feel like if it had been put in, it would have gone-- It would have turned by now.

LAURA: That's true.

SAM: When she was talking, did she have a tongue or did I cut it out of her?

LAURA: She could form her words, so I think she had one.

TRAVIS: (laughing) God.

TALIESIN: So it was like a steam-powered tongue.

LAURA: It must've been one of the other folk.

ASHLEY: She could have gotten it replaced.

LAURA: Like her hair.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Steam-powered tongue.

MATT: It's not canon. (laughter)

LAURA: No.

SAM: Look.

TALIESIN: You've done enough today.

SAM: I can do it.

TALIESIN: Good god.

SAM: All right, well, to Joe's, or--?

LIAM: That seems like an errand. I think that's probably first.

SAM: Do you want me to go there while you guys do other things?

LAURA: I would love to go. I do want to be able to--

SAM: Oh, you want to come with?

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: But I'm sure other folk have to get other things and go shopping.

TRAVIS: Like what?

SAM: Chetney, you're always asking for more shopping.

TRAVIS: No, I just need wood material. Actually, I do need some paints.

SAM: Okay.

TRAVIS: I need some paints.

SAM: Oh no.

LAURA: Some pants or some paints?

TRAVIS: No, some paints.

TALIESIN: You're wearing a pair though right now.

TRAVIS: No paints, like colored paints.

LIAM: Do you want to get a pint?

SAM: Oh no.

TRAVIS: Well, I go get the buzzsaw arm. This is yours. Use it wisely.

SAM: I put it on. I spin it. Lock eyes with Chetney.

LIAM: Zero expression.

SAM: Sharpen up a little bit on my finger.

TRAVIS: Oh, baby.

LAURA: (laughs)

SAM: Okay.

MATT: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Wow.

TRAVIS: Gives me an idea.

SAM: Me, too.

MATT: Well.

LAURA: It's interesting because she was saying that cable that's connected to your bits, (chuckles) she had to jostle it into place. A few things were misaligned when you were found. What if she connected it poorly or messed something up in the process and that's why you keep switching?

SAM: Like there's two inputs? One for evil destruction.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: And one for function normal.

TRAVIS: Can't get that one wrong.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: She just put me in and she put it in the wrong one.

LAURA: Yeah, it's possible.

TALIESIN: Or-- No. I'm not helping. I'm not helping.

LAURA: Maybe one little cable is touching the evil part and the rest of it is in the normal bits.

SAM: That makes mechanical sense.

ASHLEY: You just literally had your wires crossed.

TRAVIS: Two ports. One of them--

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: No go.

LIAM: I don't know, the three slash marks across their chassis.

SAM: How did they make it like that?

MARISHA: I'm just curious what you were in your past life because you have this very helpful side of you, but what if you were an assassin?

TRAVIS: Yeah, bro.

LAURA: Ooh, and certain things just take over.

SAM: Oh wow, an assassin?

LAURA: How old are you, you know? What if you're 1,000 years old? Is that even possible?

LIAM: At least.

TRAVIS: No.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

LIAM: If we're to believe the people we're talking to.

TRAVIS: Look, metal corrodes, okay? It doesn't have the evergreen standing power of wood.

LAURA: Wood rots.

TRAVIS: He would just be dust. What?

LAURA: Wood rots.

TRAVIS: Not under the right care, it doesn't.

LAURA: Well not under the right care, it wouldn't. He's magical.

SAM: What if I'm much older and wiser than Chetney?

LAURA: (gasps) You have to be.

TALIESIN: You definitely are.

ASHLEY: You might be older than all of us.

LAURA: Chet.

TRAVIS: Hmm?

LAURA: What does it feel like? You're a young buck compared to this one.

TRAVIS: I don't know. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Wow.

LAURA: I don't give a shit.

LIAM: Just a silent little fart and then moves on.

MARISHA: Yeah.

SAM: A little senile. (laughter) Do you remember where you are right now, sir? (laughter)

TRAVIS: Where are the paints? (laughter)

LAURA: You're wearing them. (laughter)

SAM: All right. Where's our crawlers?

TALIESIN: Right outside.

SAM: We got them right here.

LAURA: Well maybe we can park them over at Joe's.

SAM: They don't need any more fixing? We're going to just drive?

MATT: You got one crawler.

LAURA: We got a crawler. Let's park it over at Joe's.

SAM: Okay, great.

MARISHA: I bet Joe would have some paints.

TRAVIS: Yeah?

ASHLEY: Oh yeah, probably.

TALIESIN: If I were Joe, I'd have some paints.

TRAVIS: Fucking to Joe's it is.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

SAM: You're fucking at Joe's?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MARISHA: Let's go fuck at Joe's.

LIAM: Fucking at Joe's.

LAURA: I'm telling you, he wants to fuck you.

MATT: That changes the whole Eat at Joe's.

SAM: Joe wants to fuck me?

LAURA: Definitely.

SAM: Joe can fuck me.

TRAVIS: I'd fuck me.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: So you're heading to Imahara Joe's?

LIAM: Yeah, but as Orym and Imogen walk out the door, he just quietly says to you: I really wanted to ask about Pussy, but I couldn't find a way to slip it in to the conversation. (groaning) I didn't mean it like that.

LAURA: No, yeah, sure you didn't.

LIAM: No, but I didn't.

LAURA: What?

SAM: (laughs)

LIAM: I walk past her. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Boo.

LIAM: The sad thing is I didn't. (laughter)

MATT: It's the worst, "Ask me about my--" t-shirt.

MARISHA: That's even funnier. (laughter)

LAURA: Oh my god, I want that as a merch item now.

MATT: No.

TALIESIN: No.

LAURA: I'm not going to do it. (laughter)

MATT: It's really funny.

LIAM: Just make one.

LAURA: Ask me about... Ask me about...

MARISHA: My pussy.

TALIESIN: Say it.

SAM: Ask me about my pussy?

MARISHA: That would sell.

TRAVIS: FCG killed it.

MARISHA: You know it would.

LAURA: Would it?

MARISHA: Ask me about my Pussy t-shirts?

LIAM: We should go to Joe's.

TALIESIN: We are going to Joe's.

MATT: That's an uncomfortable invitation.

LAURA: Yeah. I don't think we should make that shirt.

SAM: How about Fresh Cut Grass destroyed my Pussy?

LAURA: Nope, how about not. (laughter)

TRAVIS: There it is.

SAM: No?

MATT: No! No! So you make your way through the street. (laughter)

TRAVIS: I'm dancing around it.

MATT: Oh boy.

LIAM: Oh boy. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Oh I see what you did there, that's great.

SAM: We could have a whole line.

LAURA: My Pussy has a buzzsaw. (laughter)

MARISHA: Oh, that's good.

TALIESIN: That's actually not bad.

SAM: If you see my Pussy, call this number.

MATT: Oh my god. (laughter)

LAURA: Sorry.

LIAM: Well, it was a good run.

LAURA: Sorry.

MATT: It was a good run.

LIAM: We made it to this episode and no further. (laughter) (laughter)

ASHLEY: Wait, weren't you the one-eyed monster?

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: I was. The one-eyed monster slayed my Pussy.

LAURA: No. (groaning) (laughter)

ASHLEY: Okay, okay, okay.

MATT: No! (laughter)

SAM: This is canon.

MARISHA: That is canon.

MATT: I know!

MARISHA: The flesh tongue is not, but that is.

MATT: Sam, what's wrong with you?!

SAM: I-- (laughter)

SAM: I'm just "yes, and"-ing, Matt.

MATT: Ugh, this whole time.

LIAM: I mean, you did just shove a cigar, dried pasta, and-- (laughter)

TALIESIN: Pickle, Slim Jim.

MATT: This whole time, all of that led up to that fucking joke.

SAM: Yes. This moment.

MATT: You asshole. Well-played, okay.

TALIESIN: Wow, oh.

MATT: Wow. So returning to the southern streets that surround the Salmagunda Strip, you come to the heavy industrial region known as the Sonyon Row, the familiar cluttered streets that are the outskirts of The Ends, the clumps and piles of partially cobbled or abandoned scrap, the rusted and useless bits of metal intertwined with individuals that are in the process of prying bits apart, having conversations and small trades in the street before you arrive, and they scatter off into the shadows until eventually you return to the familiar outside of Imahara Joe's shop. You can see there's someone on the inside in the process of finishing a deal with Imahara. Contracts are being written out, an exchange of money before the individual leaves. He looks over and sees you as you approach. "Oh, hi. Welcome. Do you need repairs again? What have you done? Have you destroyed--"

TRAVIS: No, paint. We need-- Do you have paints?

MATT: "Yeah, we have some. We have some paints here, some metal-based paints if you'd like, yeah."

TRAVIS: Metal-based?

SAM: (laughs) Oh shit.

TRAVIS: Joe, no.

MATT: "They could work on other things."

TRAVIS: All right, just show me what you have.

MARISHA: It's okay to try new things, Chetney. Innovate.

TRAVIS: Metal-based, Laudna?

MARISHA: Maybe you can give it a nice sheen.

TRAVIS: Do you betray thyself?

ASHLEY: Maybe it can be a fun multimedia situation.

MARISHA: Yes!

ASHLEY: It could add a little extra something,

LAURA: Extra shiny?

MARISHA: Elevate your art.

TRAVIS: Maybe even just some pigment. I can spit in it and be fine. Just metal-based paint?

MATT: "You know what? Here, I'll tell you what. I have an idea." You watch as he climbs up onto the tables and reaches toward the upper shelves and pulls down this small glass pot, like a semi-translucent jar that you can see inside has a dark blue coloration to it. The way it moves, it has that thicker feel to it like a paint does. And he goes, "So this is one of the bases of paints, but..." He goes and runs off to another area, reaches into a box, and pulls out this cluster of rocks. Sets it down and (grunts) pulls one off. Brings it back and holds it on the bottom. You watch as all of a sudden, the color gets darker on the bottom. "If you magnetize the bottom of it, it pulls the metal from the paint and draws it to the bottom of the pot, which leaves the top of it metal-free."

TRAVIS: Oh my god. I knew there was a way we could work together, and you found the way!

MATT: "Uh-huh. Science. It'll get you."

TRAVIS: Boy, I hope you do that to all your paints.

MATT: "To the highest echelon, of course, I mean."

TRAVIS: Oh my god. Yes, thank you. I just need a little time.

MATT: "Okay, well, for this pot here, it'll be eight silver. If you want the magnet as well, that'll be an additional two silver, a good gold for the batch--"

TRAVIS: You got it.

MATT: "-- if you want blue. What color do you want?"

TRAVIS: One gold, yep.

MATT: "Do you want multiple colors? Just this color?"

TRAVIS: Multiple, if you've got them.

MATT: "I do have the primaries and a few secondaries. You can mix them to make tertiaries if you prefer."

TRAVIS: Yeah. Yeah, let's go.

MATT: "All in?"

TRAVIS: Creativity is bustling, Joe! There's no time to fucking waste!

MATT: "All right! You're right! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He goes and grabs three more magnets and sets them there on the table, runs over and starts pulling off one of the pots. One like (crashes) "I'll clean that up later." Pulls down, he's got a blue, a green, a yellow, a red, what looks to be sort of a brown mixture. He's like, "Yeah, I was messing with that. Don't know what it turned out, but it might work for you."

TRAVIS: Sure.

MATT: What looks to be a jet black coloration.

TRAVIS: Oh, yeah.

MATT: "He's like, this... You can probably mix and make most things you need from this set, I'm pretty sure. I'm not much of an artist myself when it comes to that. This is mainly just for large splash paints and emblems."

TRAVIS: Don't sell yourself short.

MARISHA: Exactly. Don't degrade yourself.

TRAVIS: Come on, yeah.

MARISHA: Look at what you do!

TRAVIS: It's in the eye of the beholder.

LAURA: You're quite an artist.

ASHLEY: You have made so much art.

MATT: "You're right. I'm bad about that. I appreciate that. I'll have to say for this, we'll put it a solid four gold."

TRAVIS: You've got it. An investment in the future. Oh shit.

LAURA: Does that mean all of our gifts are going to have color on them now?

TALIESIN: You just bought a pot of gray paint.

TRAVIS: Listen, okay. There's no reason to set expectation out there. Just let the artist work! Four gold.

TALIESIN: Brown paint?

TRAVIS: It could be stain.

TALIESIN: Brown wood. What will they think of next?

TRAVIS: Oh.

MARISHA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: I've learned something about you.

SAM: Imahara Joe, we came to ask--

MATT: "Yeah, yeah, what do you got?"

LAURA: A couple important questions, yeah.

SAM: Oh, more than one?

LAURA: Well.

TALIESIN: You are many questions.

LAURA: What were you going to ask?

SAM: The thing that we came here to ask about the person who sold...

LAURA: All right. Yeah, so you know when FCG came through for the first time, and Dancer bought them.

MATT: "Yeah, yeah. Yeah."

LAURA: That vendor...

MATT: "Yeah?"

LAURA: What do you know about them? Dancer seemed cryptic.

MATT: "Not much. They've only come through about three times in the past few years."

LAURA: Mm-hmm. We need as much information as you can give.

MATT: "Tall person. I'm pretty sure masculine presenting, at least. This really intricate metal mask. They wore dark hooded cloak, and--

SAM: Doctor Doom?

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: "-- they just went by the name D."

TRAVIS: D?

SAM: D?

MATT: "D."

LIAM: Always masked?

MARISHA: Doom.

SAM: Holy shit, it's Doctor Doom.

LAURA: Oh my god.

MATT: "In the interactions we had."

LAURA: Metal mask. Do they come through once a year specifically, or is it just whenever?

MATT: "No, no. It just seemed sporadic. It wasn't like a clockwork scenario. But they came through once about five years ago and brought a whole manner of strange, fantastical pieces of recovered ruins and automaton pieces. Some that stemmed from cultures of history I didn't even recognize, necessarily. Actually, a lot of the original upgrades and ideas that we had for some of the Ruin-Crawler chassis and the more recent versions of the skirmisher-crawlers, a lot of that was based on the initial materials that I bought from him and just figured out how it functioned together, and incorporated that into the designs, and as such, they can travel faster. It seems to be much more reliable as far as powering goes. So most of it's just in pieces. But often, occasionally it comes through with actual... What can be considered weaponry or... But that was the first time they came through with an actual full automaton, at least by the time they got to me."

LAURA: And it's always ancient bits and baubles?

MATT: "As far as I know, yeah. They didn't say much. I definitely inquired, and they say they just run, do the rounds, I think was what they said was the term."

LAURA: The Rumedam Desert?

MATT: "Yeah, yeah. Primarily, I think that's where... I think so."

LAURA: Do you know of any ruins out there specifically?

MATT: "I haven't traveled up there. I've just stayed in this space. There's ruins all over. A lot of ancient spaces buried, which makes for a lot of good work for folks, I think, within your line of work as mercenaries, and occasionally makes for some fun findings from people like D or other individuals. Which by the way, if you ever come across any sort of odd, ancient technology or strange, arcane segments of any kind, really, bring them to me first. I'd definitely be interested in checking them out."

LAURA: So you know about arcane mixed with technology?

MATT: "I mean, it's kind of my specialty."

LAURA: So... Dancer made mention that, when she was bringing FCG back online--

MATT: "Mm-hmm."

LAURA: -- that there was a glowing, I don't know, a crystal or something, and the cable leading to it, she said it was an arcane cable, runic?

MATT: "Runic cable, yeah. The technical term is the ley tether, but yeah, there are, for most devices..." He points to a number of the similar energy orbs that you've seen in the shop before. Actually, there's probably only two ones that are currently set up. They're hanging by chain arrangements like they're waiting to be put into or put back into different automatons that he's currently working on. But he's like, "These, these are generally utilized as a power source and the cradle for the various enchantments that motivate an automaton to be itself and to function as intended. So the ley tether is essentially the point that takes and channels a lot of that arcane energy and the inherent enchantments to the various runic imprints across the body that then convey the means of locomotion, the means of following direction, and in some cases preset runic enchantments within. So yeah, I believe that's what they're referring to."

LAURA: So if that ley tether was jostled or misaligned, it could set things off in a weird way potentially?

MATT: "I imagine so. There's usually a blast of arcane feedback and whatever the automaton may be ceases to function or explodes."

LAURA: Huh.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: All right.

SAM: That's something.

LAURA: Yeah. Do you know of anyone who is a specialist in arcane, ancient arcane--

SAM: Technology?

LAURA: -- technology?

MATT: "I mean, in Bassuras, that's kind of me. Beyond that, you're probably likely to want to hit up one of the universities."

SAM: Yios?

MATT: "Yios would likely have some. Jrusar would. I'd say up in Stratos, but they're a bit far, a bit cold. Or Ank'Harel. There's some really great universities there. Those are probably your best bets. But, you know, I dabble. (laughs)"

LAURA: In your head, you hear: Would it be massively inappropriate for Joe to take a look at that tether and see?

SAM: Not at all.

LAURA: I don't know if that's strange or not.

SAM: I got no problem with it.

LAURA: Would you be able to take a look at the tether that is holding FCG's core?

MATT: You see this odd rush, not quite a blush to Joe's face, but like a simultaneous confluence of extreme excitement and acknowledgement of the delicacy of such a maneuver. Like a (excited gasp) "Yes. Yes! If you are okay with that."

SAM: Sure. Is there-- Yeah, of course. I mean-- Is it dangerous?

LAURA: Obviously, yeah, we don't want to touch anything.

SAM: No, no, no, it's fine. I don't want to go off again. So yeah, I would do anything.

MATT: "I do delicate work. Everything's dangerous to a certain degree. It comes with the territory."

SAM: I also don't want to hold us up too much. If you guys want to go off ahead, I can stay here for a while.

MATT: "It would probably only take me about 10, 15 minutes or so."

SAM: Oh! Okay.

ASHLEY: Can we watch?

MATT: "If you'd like."

ASHLEY: Yeah.

SAM: Will I be awake for it?

MATT: "I don't quite know how I would have you not be awake for it."

TRAVIS: Can you shut down voluntarily?

MATT: "I don't understand quite how you are, so please tell me if there is a way to do that."

SAM: Well, I mean, I can go into sort of a rest mode.

MATT: "Sure, then we can try that."

TRAVIS: We'll keep an eye on him, though, so there won't be any-- Won't yank your thing while you're sleeping.

ASHLEY: Yeah, maybe you should stay awake. You know how when people do brain surgery, and they--

SAM: I don't.

ASHLEY: I don't either. (laughter)

LAURA: Yeah, but maybe it would be.

TRAVIS: Brain surgery?

TALIESIN: If it makes you feel better, I was sitting here thinking it, too, going, "I can't think of an equivalent that would actually make sense."

SAM and MARISHA: You had brain surgery.

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: This.

ASHLEY: I remember Ashton telling us that--

TALIESIN: It was a very loose--

MARISHA: You might be the only person.

TRAVIS: There's a hole in your head.

TALIESIN: I had ventilation. It's not really the thing, yeah.

ASHLEY: I think we should try to keep you awake.

SAM: All right, but if it gets scary, will you distract me with something?

TRAVIS: Oh, we'll disarm you beforehand.

SAM: No, no, not... I mean, yes, of course.

MARISHA: Would you like to grip my hand?

SAM: Sure.

TRAVIS: There goes that hand.

MARISHA: (laughs) Yes, that's true.

MATT: "All right. Wayda, close the door." You see one of the assistants--

MARISHA: Ugh! Augh! (laughter)

ASHLEY: Boom!

LAURA: Don't you have a buzzsaw? How are you grabbing?

MATT: The assistant closes the door and locks it, one of the associates, and they're beginning to draw the windows closed. Imahara Joe takes his goggles he has up on his forehead and pulls them down. You can see he's getting them ready, the various, intricate, multi-distant lenses on them, as he begins to adjust a little bit, pick it up, goes over. "If this is uncomfortable, let me know. But this would be the easiest way to do so." He begins walking off. Now, you haven't really noticed it before, but there are these large runners in the ceiling, these metal, chain-based racks that slide up and down across the way, and drags one over, and it makes this metal rolling sound as it pulls over to the side of another one of these hooks and draws them up under parts of your chest chassis.

SAM: Oh, oh.

LAURA: Does that hurt?

SAM: No.

LAURA: Can you... Do you feel pain when things hit your--

SAM: I do.

MATT: "You feel pain?"

SAM: Well, I think I do. I get sort of a buzzing red explosion of something. I feel it sometimes when I heal you all, too.

LAURA: Really?

SAM: Yeah.

MATT: "Fascinating, okay. I'll be gentle." He reaches over and grabs a chain and begins to pull on it. As it does, both of the chains that are affixed to you pull taut and begin to lift you up off the ground. You rock a little bit as you do, and you worry for a moment you're about to spin forward and lose, but it still manages to hold you upright.

MARISHA: Do a backflip! Can you do a backflip?

SAM: Uh--

MATT: "Don't do that. I would highly not recommend doing that. Just hold still."

SAM: I want to.

MARISHA: I want to see you do backflips.

TRAVIS: They're hooks. They only go one way. Come on, let's be real.

SAM: That's true.

MATT: Are you going to try a backflip?

MARISHA: (laughs)

SAM: I might need a boost.

MARISHA: Do it, do it, do it. Maybe you should just not listen to me.

LAURA: (laughs)

MARISHA: Don't listen to the... Do you want a boost?

SAM: Yeah, just--

LAURA: No, wait, no. FCG...

SAM: All right, forget it, forget it.

MARISHA: All right.

TRAVIS: We're exploring your core and your soul, and you're doing backflips?

SAM: You're right, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just, I've never flown before. (laughter)

LAURA: You were super anti-flying earlier. I can make you fly, if you want.

SAM: As long as I don't have wings.

LAURA: No.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: At this point, you can see the other interns-- or associate workers are curiously getting close as Imahara Joe takes his goggles down and takes these two hooded lanterns that dangle at different points in the ceiling, lowers them onto lower rungs in the chains, and turns them inward to give this nice, direct light on you, at which point, he reaches into his tool belt and starts carefully and surgically looking around the outer aspects of your chassis before eventually finding a series of clips or bolts, you're not entirely certain how it's affixed. He goes, "Okay, I think I see, I think I see," and does one little tug, and you watch as the metal section of your torso... (unlatches) opens up. (gasping)

ASHLEY: You okay?

SAM: Ah!

LAURA: Do you want to go to sleep?

SAM: I don't know, it feels weird!

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: This feels weird!

ASHLEY: It's just like taking a shirt off.

MATT: "Are you okay, are you okay?"

SAM: I think so, I think so.

MATT: "I can stop any time."

SAM: No. I'm going to look down.

TALIESIN: You don't have to look. Oh, okay.

SAM: And I see.

MATT: You look down.

LIAM: What do you see? Just loose change, or--?

SAM: Ah...

TRAVIS: With how his face is built--

LAURA: Just moldy wine sloshing around.

MATT: Well, no. On the inside, you see the exterior of what looks to be a metal vat or almost like the bottom part of a metallic bowl. This would be where whatever you ingest comes into.

SAM: Sure.

MATT: So you're not looking inside of it. It's still solid from this perspective.

LAURA: It smells like old beer in here.

MATT: It does have a unique scent.

LAURA: Yeah, with all the shit that's...

MATT: But you also see there are a manner of strange, glowing runes that sparkle on the bottom of it.

MARISHA: Wow.

MATT: There are these odd, pipe-like protrusions that come out of these different runes and converge and move back and behind it. "Fascinating."

LIAM: I want magic runes in my tummy.

LAURA: Me, too.

TALIESIN: It's okay.

MATT: He's glancing over it. "There's, uh--" Clicks over a different lens.

LAURA: Let me know if you start freaking out. You all right?

SAM: No, I mean, it just feels real weird.

TRAVIS: Do you want me to draw any of this, take notes? I can sketch the inside.

ASHLEY: (gasps) Yeah, yeah.

MATT: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, please do."

TRAVIS: Awesome.

MATT: "Just make me a copy."

TRAVIS: I take my chisel and start digging it into my hands.

SAM: Oh my god, what? Why don't you use paper?

TRAVIS: I'm fucking with you! Slap it on the paper. (laughter)

LIAM: Seems needlessly elaborate.

TRAVIS: There's another copy. Ugh! Chetney's printing press. Making money! (laughter)

LIAM: Canon.

MATT: About six copies in before he starts getting a little woozy.

TRAVIS: Oh!

MATT and MARISHA: (laugh)

MATT: Looking at this--

TALIESIN: He forgot to sign them.

MATT: "Interesting. There's some sort of a transmutation enchantment here that is-- It seems to be taking what's inside here and reallocating it. Interesting."

MARISHA: What?

LAURA: Wait, what?

MARISHA: Why is that interesting?

SAM: Oh, like what's in the cavity?

MATT: "Whatever's inside this--" (dinging) "this empty--"

SAM: Because I eat--

LAURA: Metal!

SAM: Metal and stuff, so it's turning it into whatever I need to repair myself.

LAURA: Wow.

MATT: "Interesting."

LIAM: Transmu what now?

LAURA: Transmutation, is what he was saying.

MATT: "I guess I would assume whatever..."

TRAVIS: Fucking so goddamn meta. (laughs)

MARISHA: Somewhere, Caleb has a nose bleed.

MATT: "I may have... It's a little hard to get in here."

SAM: Oh, oh.

LAURA: Oh?

MATT: "Do you--"

SAM: Hey, buy me dinner first.

MATT: "I was going to say, may I look beyond this collection device?"

SAM: Yes. You have my consent to reach beyond my collection device. (laughter)

MATT: "See, now you're just making it weird."

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: Imahara Joe pulls up and reaches this little latch and you watch as it hangs open slightly and pulls outward to reveal a little more space behind it. It's hard to see from your angles, but there's a very, very faint, violet glow that is now visible on the back side of it deeper within the chassis of FCG's chest.

MARISHA: ♪ Stones ♪

MATT: "I think there it is."

MARISHA: Why is it always purple?

MATT: "That's the power cord."

LAURA: Does it look like the same sort of purple stone that we've seen before?

MARISHA: Yeah.

LAURA: Different purple stone.

MATT: I mean, similar shades, but make a perception check.

LIAM: Is it a dark violet?

MATT: Actually, make an arcana check.

MARISHA: Can I help her with that?

MATT: If you'd like to, yeah.

MARISHA: I'll give you assist-- How's your arcana?

LAURA: It's terrible.

LIAM: Can I just ask if it's a darker hue?

MARISHA: I'll roll as well.

LAURA: Okay.

LIAM: Dark?

MATT: It's hard to see. Yeah, it's definitely not as--

TRAVIS: I'll help. I can do it, if you want.

LIAM: Not bright, light violet.

MARISHA: Cocked.

MATT: Correct. It's just like a dull...

LIAM: Okay.

MARISHA: That's pretty good.

MATT: Base color.

LIAM: Okay. That's my arcana check.

MARISHA: 21.

MATT: 21. Having quite a very familiar couple of interactions.

MARISHA: Laudna's like...

MATT: Yeah. (laughs)

SAM: Don't you fucking touch it! (laughter)

SAM: Get her away from me! Get her away from me! (laughter)

MATT: This does not have the same sort of arcane signature of those stones.

SAM: Oh.

MARISHA: All right.

LAURA: Okay. Just another purple stone.

MATT: Yeah. There are many things with many similar colors in this world.

LIAM: There is only one.

LAURA: Sure!

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: Only one thing that looks purple in the whole world.

ASHLEY: Did--

LAURA: ♪ Do, do do do, do ♪ (laughter) (laughter)

MATT: That was too quick!

TRAVIS: Whoa!

MATT: That was way too quick.

SAM: What a dick! What a dick!

TRAVIS: Jesus! (laughter)

LIAM: You're not even allowed to say one syllable!

TRAVIS: Relentless!

LIAM: Or we're going to jump on your ass!

TRAVIS: That was sharpshooter! (laughter)

LAURA: Sorry.

TRAVIS: Quickdraw!

MATT: That is the funniest table bullying I've seen in a long time.

TRAVIS and MARISHA: ("Mahna Mahna") ♪ Do do, do do do ♪ (laughter)

MATT: Do not try this at home.

ASHLEY: Did-- Shit. Oh yeah. Do-- do-- What did the rune say? (laughter) Why do I keep doing that?

ASHLEY: Do we know what the runes are saying? Can we read them?

LAURA: What do the runes say?

MATT: Roll arcana for me.

LIAM: What about that lens?

SAM: Can I see it? Or I can't see it.

MATT: You can't see it. At this point--

LAURA: You can read anything, can't you?

MATT: -- the metallic device that would act as your stomach--

MARISHA: I can try.

MATT: -- is now dislodged on the far side and is now leaning out, like it's on a slight--

LIAM: Maybe he will. This seems like a good time to try it. What's the...

SAM: Hinge?

TRAVIS: Incline?

MATT: Yeah, hinge. Thank you. That's the word. My brain.

LAURA: Try your lens. See if it works.

ASHLEY: I don't know if I have it.

LAURA: We got it back. The green lens.

ASHLEY: Oh yeah, that's right.

TRAVIS: Same day?

LAURA: But it's possible it's broken-broken since--

LIAM: It could be broken forever.

LAURA: -- that fucker.

ASHLEY: Could be.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Wait, didn't we try to--

LAURA: We haven't tried to use it since--

TRAVIS: Since we mended it.

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Yeah, let's try.

LIAM: It seems like the time.

ASHLEY: I know you can read it. I'm going to try to look through with the lens.

MATT: Okay. It gives a nice, good green tint to it.

LAURA: Oh. Yeah.

SAM: (groans)

TALIESIN: It's a rune. It doesn't necessarily mean that they translate.

LAURA: Uh-huh, uh-huh.

LIAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: Laudna is going to attempt to read the runes.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: Okay. Make an arcana check.

LIAM and SAM: Jeez, read the room.

SAM: Ah! Look at you!

TALIESIN: Read the rune.

MARISHA: I just whisper in the back of my head: Delilah! What do you see? Ooh! Six.

LAURA: Six, she said six.

TRAVIS: Six, six, six.

MATT: (Delilah) "Nothing of particular interest to me."

LAURA: Oh, Delilah's fucking--

MARISHA: To you? I don't give a fuck.

TRAVIS: Bitch, I knew you'd fucking ask-- (laughter)

LIAM: Not a tech fan.

MARISHA: I just shake my head. I'm sorry, it's not-- I just can't right now.

ASHLEY: It's okay.

MATT: (Imahara) "Yes. Okay, I found it. I found the port." He pulls into his pouch of tools and pulls out these little handheld mirror devices, and puts them underneath to reflect so he doesn't have to get too intrusive in there and gets a close look.

SAM: You know what? While you look at it, I'm just going to cast a spell, just to see if it changes or anything.

LAURA: Oh, that's smart.

MATT: Okay. What do you cast?

SAM: I'll cast Guidance on Joe.

MATT: Okay. As you cast Guidance, you watch as all the runes on the-- And you haven't noticed before, but on the inside of the chassis, whenever a spell begins to form, all of these invisible runes and runic shapes on the inside of the metal all swell with light and that core swells to the purple color, just blossoms. Joe pulls back. "Did I?"

SAM: No, I did it. I did it. I just wanted to see if it would have an effect.

MATT: "Interesting. You are filled with magic."

SAM: That's pretty cool.

TALIESIN: He's not wrong.

MATT: Looks underneath. "Everything looks good here."

LAURA: That ley tether?

MATT: "The tether is appropriately placed, from what I can tell. To get a closer look, I'd have to do some severely invasive inquiry and I don't think any of us want to do that. Just in case."

LIAM: I don't think so.

LAURA: You don't see anything that seems out of place, anything that seems...? Is there another stone? Something that's hidden?

SAM: A missing, like a setting that is missing one rock or has an additional one or something?

MATT: "Best I can tell, everything is as intended."

MARISHA: Letters, what if you tried to cast a damaging spell?

SAM: All right. My chassis isn't on, so I can't really aim too good. Sure. I also don't have that many hurting spells, but sure, I'll cast Spiritual Weapon. It says I can cast that from anywhere.

ASHLEY: That feels nice, though.

SAM: Oh.

ASHLEY: Like a nice...

SAM: Is that too nice?

TALIESIN: Do you have anything that's like a zap?

SAM: I do have a zap.

TRAVIS: Do you need to role play? Do you need an enemy?

TALIESIN: Do you need to be far away or close? I can take this. This is no problem.

TRAVIS: You want to?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Okay.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

SAM: Okay, yeah. Then I'll shoot Sacred Flame.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: I'll stand to the side so that nothing important gets hit.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: It usually comes out of my chest, though, so I don't know what's going to happen.

TRAVIS: Step aside. Stand aside!

LAURA: All of us move.

MATT: So you cast Sacred Flame and as you do, all the interior magical runes all glow once more, but as they do--

SAM: Watch out, Joe!

TALIESIN: I'm blocking the front.

MATT: You watch as all the runes seem to gather at the sudden flash of bright energy in the center that then seems to almost blow out like a candle in your direction and vanish. Then where you're standing, flames apparate around you for a second and burn for how much?

TRAVIS: Fuck him up!

SAM: Yeah.

LIAM: Top level.

SAM: Six points of damage.

MATT: Six points of radiant damage.

TALIESIN: And I'm down. (laughter)

LAURA: If we were staring in when that happened--

SAM: Anything different?

LAURA: -- did we see any other things seem to light up, any stones?

MATT: Make a perception check.

MARISHA: Different runes? Yeah.

LAURA: Is anybody else looking besides just me?

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll look. I'll look.

MARISHA: Can I roll as well?

LAURA: Because I got a 13.

LIAM: I don't know what any of this means.

MARISHA: I'll check it, I was looking.

TALIESIN: Now this is some crazy shit.

TRAVIS: I was looking at Ashton.

MARISHA: This is not-- Also real bad. Not good!

ASHLEY: 17.

SAM: Oh, okay.

MATT: 17, yeah.

MARISHA: 11.

MATT: You don't see a major difference. Different runes light up at different times, but there isn't a change in color, there isn't a uniformity, there isn't, all of them always activate as one, there's a sequence that was different, if anything.

TRAVIS: I'm doing my best to sketch these runes, but I don't know what they are. So, you know, it's interpretive.

SAM: Sure.

MARISHA: It's interp-- (laughs)

TRAVIS: And in no particular order.

ASHLEY: Can you see where his-- You know, his eyes turned red, so I wonder if there's something like, whatever the wire or whatever is connected to the eye--

LAURA: The ocular.

ASHLEY: The ocular region.

LAURA: Bits.

ASHLEY: Maybe there's a cable or something that attaches to something else? Maybe whatever that's attached to is what makes him turn?

TALIESIN: Like an LED.

MATT: He pulls back a little bit. Big old goggled lenses.

MARISHA: Ooh, it's a color shift setting.

MATT: Joe's face looking up at you. He looks like Rick Moranis in "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." Like, "Are you okay with me?"

SAM: You're going to pop off my eyes? Sure.

MATT: "Well, I'd look into the cranial cavity.

TRAVIS: The dome! He's going to get in your head!

SAM: I mean, I trust you all to repair me.

TRAVIS: Wow.

SAM: So go ahead.

TRAVIS: Are you sure?

SAM: I mean, I feel like...

MATT: Lowers the stomach--

TALIESIN: I would normally be against this.

SAM: We have to do this.

MATT: -- resets back into the chest, locks it into place, latches it. Goes ahead and puts everything arranged back where it was supposed to be in the torso and then closes the chest until it latches. Finishes that area there. Takes the chain, lowers you slightly to where you're now, your head's a little below eye-level for Imahara. Goes and walks around you now, behind so you so he can actually see, and starts looking at you.

SAM: Oh god. He's guessing?

MARISHA: He had to roll for it.

MATT: "I do not know how to do this. I do not see any sort of seam or entry point and to be perfectly honest, with your torso, that was just a standard automaton point of access. But I do not see a means of-- I don't want to do any exploratory drilling or cutting."

LIAM: That sounds right. That sounds right.

ASHLEY: Can I look? Just to see if there's a little button that--

MATT: By all means. Make an investigation check.

SAM: I'll help you. I'll give you, what is this, investigation?

MATT: It's investigation.

SAM: Is that wisdom or intelligence?

MATT: It's intelligence.

SAM: I will Enhance Ability.

LAURA: Oh, so you get advantage.

ASHLEY: Oh, I do?

MATT: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Okay.

LAURA: And you can guide her.

SAM: Sure, I'll guide her, too.

ASHLEY: Okay.

TALIESIN: And add a d4.

LAURA: And then a d4.

ASHLEY: And a d4? And this was perception?

MATT: This is investigation.

ASHLEY: This is investigation, I mean. Where's my daggum four? Here we go.

SAM: Mm-hmm, that's--

LAURA: Ooh, a four.

ASHLEY: Well, it was a little cocked.

TRAVIS: It was flat.

LAURA: It looked like a four to me.

ASHLEY: I know, it did. Was it?

LAURA: It looked like a four on the first one.

ASHLEY: Was it?

TALIESIN: It was a four.

MATT: Well, you re-rolled it.

ASHLEY: I re-rolled it.

SAM: She re-rolled it.

ASHLEY: Okay, so--

SAM: Honest player.

ASHLEY: 14.

MATT: 14. You don't really see anything.

ASHLEY: I don't see anything. Well, what if you just untwist an eye?

SAM: Sure, try that.

TRAVIS: Twist an eye!

SAM: Untwist an eye.

ASHLEY: To get in there.

TRAVIS: Twist an eye!

ASHLEY: May I?

TALIESIN: This is getting weird.

ASHLEY: That's an easy thing to put back in there.

SAM: I trust you. We're like experts.

TALIESIN: I don't...

ASHLEY: Okay. Just twist a little. I don't want to do it. Do you want to do it? I can do it, if you want me to.

SAM: Do it.

ASHLEY: Okay.

LIAM: What if nobody does it? (laughter)

MATT: Milo did repair one of your eyes when you came in. But the repair was done to the lens, the actual eye itself was not heavily tampered with. You watch as Fearne begins to torque the eye a bit, and it becomes very uncomfortable very quickly.

ASHLEY: Does it hurt?

SAM: Uh-huh. Yeah. But maybe keep--

ASHLEY: I can stop.

SAM: A little bit more?

MARISHA: What if you snap your eyeball?

SAM: Yeah, maybe that's not a good idea.

ASHLEY: Yeah, maybe that isn't a good idea.

SAM: We've got to solve this.

TALIESIN: That's precisely the sort of thing you're not supposed to do.

SAM: We learned a little.

MARISHA and TALIESIN: We did.

ASHLEY: What if I get mad at you or something and--?

LAURA: I know. You know what? I wonder if when we open up the front, maybe I can make you think of Dancer. Maybe we can look at that.

MATT: "Now what are you-- I'm just curious now that we've done a little bit of this. I'm not entirely certain what you're looking for now. We checked, we looked towards the core and the cable and everything was--"

MARISHA: Imahara Joe, it was crazy. He just snapped and his eyes went all red and then he was like, "Ah, you're all horrible and I hate you," and he went on a rampage!

SAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: Sorry, that was yours to share probably.

SAM: No, no, no.

MARISHA: I probably should've let you speak.

MATT: "Sorry to hear that. I mean, when automatons do rarely have a, say a degradation of the enchantments built within and there can be some unexpected behavior, but those are in very rudimentary automatons and usually those are through intentional tampering or extreme degradation over age. But I mean, looking over you, you are in very, very good condition, regardless of--"

SAM: I work out.

MATT: "Well. Well, good for you. Hold on a second."

SAM: Oh!

MATT: He gets up, lowers you from the chains first so you're not like hanging.

SAM: Ahh.

MATT: Sets those off.

TALIESIN: That looked like that was really good for the--

LAURA: Yeah, like a spine adjustment.

MARISHA: An alignment.

SAM: I'm taller, yeah.

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: You look taller.

MATT: He goes over towards a back room and opens the door and vanishes in the back.

SAM: He just left.

LAURA: He was done with you, yeah.

SAM: He just quit the business and left.

MATT: You hear him drive off. (engine revving) (laughter)

ASHLEY: Is he--? He's gone; he left.

TALIESIN: The shop is ours now.

LIAM: Did you get a good visual on this D?

LAURA: The D, Joe's D?

LIAM: Yeah, I mean the mask.

ASHLEY: What if it's Dorian?

MATT: I should've seen that coming. That's on me.

ASHLEY: I mean, there's no way.

LAURA: I mean, I didn't get--

TALIESIN: It just gets worse.

LAURA: -- a visual you know, but I can always--

LIAM: Ask him a couple more questions.

LAURA: Yeah, I can always try to get a read.

MARISHA: You know, I was thinking, too, Ashton. You know who I feel might know something about this D? Jiana Hexum. Maybe if we reach out to her, she loves trading and dealing and she traded automatons and ancient artifacts. What if--

LAURA: That's a really good idea, Laudna.

MARISHA: What if she knows, right?

TALIESIN: That's a great idea.

MARISHA: Well, come on. You've made up with her.

TALIESIN: No, that's a really good idea.

MARISHA: What? You don't want to call her?

TALIESIN: No, that's great. That's great.

MARISHA: Oh, don't be like that.

MATT: About this time, Joe comes back into the chamber holding a book and is flipping through.

SAM: A book?

MATT: He sets it down. "I read something about this. This is kind of-- It might not be anything, but it's interesting." Goes through. "Okay. There was something called The Care and Culling."

LAURA: The Karen Culling?

MATT: The Care and Culling.

LIAM: I heard it, too.

ASHLEY: May I speak to a manager? (laughter)

MARISHA: Burn it all!

LIAM: This ends today!

MARISHA: Call the Karens! (laughter)

ASHLEY: The Care and...

TRAVIS: Go ahead and film me, I'm filming, too!

LIAM: Care and Culling. (laughter)

LIAM: We are the worst.

MATT: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I hate all of it so much.

MATT: Nothing that ever leaves my mouth--

SAM: No, you cannot say words.

MATT: -- in verbal form is safe. Never.

TALIESIN: We ruin everything.

MATT: It's true. I'm used to it at this point. I'm numb.

MARISHA: Don't touch my dog.

MATT: "The Care and Culling."

MARISHA: Oh my god, I wrote it Karen Culling.

SAM: I did, too.

MARISHA: Oh no!

MATT: "It was an event during the Age of Arcanum where after a series of gifted automatons that were distributed amongst different locations in Exandria, primarily as caretakers or as helpful companions, suddenly just killed their--" (gasping)

MATT: "-- the people they were gifted to."

MARISHA: Wait, when was this? You said, in the Age of Arcanum?

MATT: "This was far Pre-Divergence. I don't think the date is specific here. This is cobbled together from scraps of historical notes."

MARISHA: Wow.

SAM: A robot uprising.

MARISHA: Yeah.

SAM: Cool.

MATT: "But kind of what I was telling you before, it seems that all these designs were originally created and then distributed by political figures within the city of Aeor."

LAURA: (gasps)

LAURA and SAM: Aeor.

MATT: "And the, as it's put here, targets, were of various political competitors."

SAM: Assassin bots?

LAURA: (gasps) You were an assassin bot?!

SAM: But wait, I was designed as a helper who was going to get Order 66 or whatever--

LAURA: It would snap.

SAM: -- and snap? Is that what it was called?

TRAVIS: Yeah, Trojan Horses.

ASHLEY: They were created and distributed by who again? Who did you say?

LAURA: Political figures.

MATT: "Political figures within Aeor and were meant primarily as some sort of a peace offering or reaching for some sort of collaboration. Not all of it worked. Many of them survived, and at that point, a number of lines were drawn, it looks like distribution of any sort of gifted arcana outside of Aeor was considered historically moot, which is why it's so rare to find any of their tech outside of, you know, whatever ruins come out of the north side of Wildemount these days. Most almost everything else that's been cobbled together was found in other civilizations that had interactions beforehand, and this was apparently one of the moments that brought that to an end."

LAURA: So, you could've been gifted by someone out of Aeor and ended up in the Rumedam Desert, or whatever city was around there.

ASHLEY: I wonder who your target was?

TALIESIN: Or fell there.

SAM: This is terrible.

TRAVIS: No, this is great. That means you are actually older than me.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

SAM: You don't want to be the oldest? I thought that was a point of pride with you.

TRAVIS: Oh, I mean, that was like a thousand years ago. I can't compete with that shit. I'll try.

ASHLEY: Does it say how-- What was supposed to set them off, or--?

LAURA: Yeah, what the trigger was.

MATT: "No, these are," he shows you the book. As he goes through, it's a bunch of summaries of verbal tales or scraps of historical information from that era with additional notes from different researchers doing their take on it or their interpretation of this. "There's nothing specific about it beyond just the acknowledgement of the event historically. But this book in particular deals with the loose history of a lot of the technology that I myself focus on, which is why it caught my attention when you mentioned this change of behavior."

TRAVIS: Oh man, we got to go and see what's out there.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Maybe your old home is out there.

LAURA: Wow. Maybe we've got to go to Aeor.

TRAVIS: Where the fuck is Aeor?

LAURA: I hear it's cold.

MARISHA: Level seven, let's go.

MATT: At this point, you see Joe closes the book and gives you a look, and his face turns a little sad. He sets it down to the side and goes (clears throat), kneels down a little bit to get eye-to-eye with you. "Look, I don't mean to tell you this to bring discomfort. What I can say is, you are unique. I've seen many, many different people, let alone beings of your persuasion, but nothing quite like you. I've spent my lifetime building, changing, improving all sorts of creations. And what I can say is that improvement is something that I've always strived for, and not something that you're above."

SAM: You're a very nice man.

MATT: "Look, whatever this says and whatever's happened, that's maybe part of the nature that you were created for. But, I mean, what is life, if not finding ways to buck the supposed reasons for the creation carving its own path?"

SAM: I hope you're right, but... I'm not alive.

MATT: "(laughs) You keep saying that, apparently. But what I can say is that--

SAM: I mean, I was created.

MATT: "So was I."

SAM: I wasn't created to help. I was created to kill.

LAURA: What if you were created to help, and then somebody put in a secondary program or something? You know what I mean? It's just an additional little bit.

SAM: It sounds like I was made to look like I was helping--

MATT: "Let me tell you something right now."

SAM: To trick people.

MATT: "There's an awful lot of people in this town, in this world, who may have also been created for violent purposes. A lot of wars have been fought with soldiers born and bred. Is that any different than you? When the war was over, you know what a lot of those soldiers did? The ones that survived started a family, started a business. Just because you're made for a purpose doesn't mean it defines you."

ASHLEY: You know, some people go their whole lives without a purpose. And you had one, to... kill people, but that was... You know, you had a goal. This isn't helping.

LIAM: And maybe, maybe that's you, but that's ancient history.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LAURA: Literally.

LIAM: Maybe some of it's true. Maybe none of it's true.

TALIESIN: Maybe none of it's fucking true.

MATT: "Yeah, this is just a hunch."

SAM: Or maybe it's hard-wired in.

ASHLEY: Do you want me to keep twisting your eye off?

MARISHA: What? Off?

SAM: Maybe not.

MARISHA: That was an interesting detail to just--

ASHLEY: Just a little twisty.

MARISHA: -- slide in at the end.

LAURA: Watch yourself when you sleep because you know Fearne now. She's going to try.

SAM: Yeah, she'll try to steal my eye.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I probably will.

LAURA: Yeah.

LIAM: Letters.

MARISHA: Is anyone else interested?

SAM: What?

ASHLEY: I'm going to hold up the lens in front of your eye. Do you see anything?

SAM: Looks a little... No?

LAURA: A little green?

MATT: Nothing special. Everything's a little green.

SAM: You take it off.

LAURA: Dang, that would have been smart, though--

SAM: The whole room looks a little more orange now.

MARISHA: (laughs) Yeah.

TRAVIS: Did you say that it hurts? You said it hurts when you heal us.

SAM: Yep.

TRAVIS: Like it causes you pain?

SAM: Sometimes, yeah.

TRAVIS: Like a red explosion, was that how you described it?

SAM: It's a jolt of something. I don't know what pain feels like to you, but it feels like a... hot bolt of something.

LAURA: That sounds about right.

TRAVIS: And you don't remember anything from when you flipped out and went all buzzsaw? No red-hot explosion?

SAM: I don't remember anything while I was killing, but maybe right before it?

TALIESIN: Imogen, Imogen.

TRAVIS: I'm only wondering if, before we get you down, if we maybe just opened up your gam one more time--

TALIESIN: Are you sure he doesn't--

TRAVIS: -- and give you a smack.

TALIESIN: -- have anything in there, when he says he doesn't remember?

TRAVIS: You know, like how everything glows when you cast a spell. That's cool.

SAM: Sure.

MARISHA: I'd have to see his pain receptors.

TRAVIS: Yeah, what happens if it's, you know, not healing, positive stuff?

SAM: Okay, I'm down to try it.

LIAM: Well, we don't know who you were. I think we want to know more. I'm sure you do. But what I care about is who you want to be now.

SAM: I've got to figure that out, I guess.

LIAM: Don't you know?

SAM: No, I just found out about all this stuff.

LIAM: I don't mean uncovering all the secrets, Letters, I mean, who do you want to be today? Killer?

SAM: No.

LIAM: Or healer?

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: I know how much you love healing.

SAM: I do.

LAURA: I know.

SAM: I always prepare those spells--

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: -- because it's nothing better--

LAURA: Because it's the best.

SAM: -- than being a cleric who heals.

LAURA: That's right.

LIAM: Helping people is its own reward.

SAM: Yep.

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: Joe?

MATT: "Yeah? We can open the windows, by the way."

ASHLEY: Do you have or know how to do some type of programming for taste?

SAM: (laughs)

ASHLEY: What I mean is, he's never tried food, alcohol, or a delicious meat pie. What if--

LAURA: Don't give him a taste of meat.

TALIESIN: Tongue sandwich.

SAM: If I had some sort of a--

LAURA: No!

SAM: -- a taste receptor.

ASHLEY: Yeah, like a... Is there something--

SAM: In my mouth.

ASHLEY: -- to install to give him--

SAM: And it was a little moist so that the food would make good contact--

TRAVIS: Just a little flap.

SAM: Like a little tasting flap.

TRAVIS: Perhaps a little porous or bumpy?

MATT: "You know..."

SAM: (laughs)

MATT: "This arcana's a little beyond me." (laughter)

TRAVIS: Coward!

ASHLEY: Something to think about in the future because it certain seems like there's something very familiar.

MATT: "I'll keep an eye out if something comes through. That seems an odd request."

ASHLEY: Okay.

LIAM: Taste-icles.

ASHLEY: Taste-icles.

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: Actually, can you open your mouth, FCG, as wide as you can?

SAM: Ah...

LAURA: Do you think there's a way to get in to the cranium through the mouth?

MATT: Goes ahead and takes one of the hooded lanterns and puts it up inside. "Well, it looks like it's solid. There's not much of a hinge or a... I could look. It's invasive. It's in his head."

SAM: We got other stuff to do.

LAURA: All right.

ASHLEY: I know, but--

SAM: Plus, we're probably going to a place that has universities where they study this stuff.

LAURA: That's true.

MARISHA: Maybe.

LIAM: Joe, are there any more-- Can you remember any more about this D character? What was D's--

SAM and MARISHA: Nuts.

LIAM: I'm going to elbow Imogen. What was deez nuts?

MATT: (laughs) It just keeps coming, just keeps coming.

SAM: Did he happen to have any accent? Did he have an accent?

LIAM: Deep voice, mid range?

MATT: "Deepish voice, from what I can recall. It's kind of a masculine presentation."

LAURA: I'm going to-- Wait, wait. I'm going to--

ASHLEY: Yeah, thank you.

LIAM: There we go.

LAURA: Well, okay. I guess I'm going to ask your permission because this could be a bit invasive. But if I could get a read on what he actually looked like, it would help us out tremendously.

MATT: "Sure, yeah, you can do that."

LAURA: All right. So I'm going to cast Detect Thoughts and try to just shimmy on into his brain, and just get a good, solid look at--

MATT: So you're pushing?

LAURA: -- at D.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Fails the resistance. You do see him like...

LAURA: Sorry about that.

MATT: "Oh, that's--"

LAURA: Think of D.

MATT: He concentrates, and you do see this image of a late afternoon, of a dust storm having just finished blowing through, and you see this cloak flapping, somewhat tattered at the edges in the breeze. You see a large, heavy hood and a cart being brought along by what looks to be some sort of a metallic version of a crawler that's just the back half, the legs, but it's a thick beast that's pulling forward, like an automaton beast of burden. As the cart comes by, you can see there's piled up-- A tarp is clasped over and flapping against the ropes that keep it tethered down. You can see bits of metal poking out. You just see D walking forward before tapping the outside of this beast to stop, and glancing over, and giving a bow. Yeah, you see this metallic mask that's worn, that covers the face, intricately made bits of metal. It looks like a Doctor Doom sort of look to it. He just gives a bow.

LAURA: Can you see his eyes, his actual eyes through the mask?

MATT: You can see that, from Joe's perspective, Joe never got terribly close. It was very much like a... You watch as Joe puts a hand out like, "That's enough."

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

MATT: Then begins to remove the tarp and begins to lay out these various findings within the cart. There are pieces of machinery. There are parts of arcane weapons. A lot of it looks heavily damaged and destroyed, remnants of ancient days past and wars long fought and buried. But yeah, as they lay them out, they take a step back and reveal. Then Joe comes up and inspects a few, points out the ones that he wants, talks with him, whistles out loudly to one of his assistants to come out with a chest, counts out some money, and then tosses it out across the way. There's this distance that's being kept, that this D figure is maintaining. Then once the amount is satisfactory, goes ahead and takes the unchosen bits, loads them back within the cart. He gives another bow, slaps the side of this odd, headless series of... Now as it gets closer, you can see it's four legs, but they operate on this outside weird side elbow feel, and they just pull it forward across the dust. The cart begins to move past as D crosses and continues in to the rest of the town.

LAURA: And what do D's feet look like? I know this is random. Can I get a look?

MATT: Leather boots.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: All right.

SAM: (whispers) He's kind of here, but--

LAURA: (magical whooshes)

TALIESIN: I got to get my mind out of the gutter.

LAURA: Thank you.

MATT: "Thank you for asking. I don't want to feel that again. That was weird. Like a cold... You know when you drink something really cold really fast, and it kind of hurts a little bit?"

LAURA: Brain freeze.

MATT: "It was like that."

LAURA: Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and it helps a little bit.

MATT: "Not helping, but thank you. Anyway, is there anything else I can do to help?"

SAM: No, we're good. Thank you so much, Joe.

MATT: "Okay."

LAURA: We appreciate it.

MATT: "Good luck. If you need anything else, any repairs or anything... Fresh Cut Grass, right?"

SAM: That's me.

MATT: "Before you go..." Turns around and heads back into the back room, and returns with something in his hand. "I don't know if this is something that'll help. I can see you look a bit moral-less. In times where I felt a little lost, I had something that helped me. Maybe this'll help you find the right path." He puts a coin or a medallion in your hand. You look at it, and it has this profile of a woman's face, hair flowing and swirling into the boundaries. "This is the token of the Changebringer."

SAM: Changebringer?

MATT: "One of the many gods that looks down upon us and protects those who wander free, keeps the roads open, and guides those who are lost on the paths beyond. She's been a source of inspiration for me for quite some time, and if you ever feel lost, maybe she'll help you, too."

SAM: Thank you, Joe. I... I won't eat this one.

MATT: "Please don't."

SAM: I think we'll see you again.

MATT: "I hope so."

SAM: But right now, we got to get across town.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: All right.

LAURA: Thank you.

SAM: Does anyone have any money to--

MATT: "Oh, you've already... We've done quite a bit of business, and to be perfectly honest, just the chance to inspect a piece of history like you has been a gift in its own right. So thank you. I've learned quite a bit, even just our short time together. In fact, I may reiterate some of my designs. So thank you."

SAM: You're welcome. All right.

MATT: "Stay safe out there."

SAM: Bye.

MATT: "Town's full of characters."

LIAM: Thanks, Joe.

ASHLEY: Thank you.

SAM: Chetney will catch up, right?

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SAM: He'll be okay.

TALIESIN: Let him sleep.

MARISHA: What did you just say?

LIAM: He said, "I'm huffing paint in the back."

LAURA: He just--

MATT: (laughs)

SAM: He's just sleeping in the hall.

MARISHA: He fell asleep standing up. It's so impressive.

SAM: Like a Smurf.

ASHLEY: It's wild that he can be--

MARISHA: "Like a Smurf." (laughter)

MATT: As you step out into the hot midday sun of the town of Bassuras, a series of answers, possibly, or further mysteries around your recently dangerous and also conflicted friend. We're going to take a break. (cheering)

MATT: It's about that point, and we should do that--

ASHLEY: Boy, oh boy.

MATT: And deal with Chetney's immediate aneurysm that killed his character. It's really sad.

ASHLEY: Aw, so sad.

MATT: Unfortunately.

LAURA: We knew it was coming.

MATT: We did. Anyway, we'll be back here in a few minutes, and we'll pick up from there. See you in a minute.

Part II
MATT: And welcome back. So picking back up as you exit Imahara Joe's back into the city of Bassuras to find your next location of fortune, what are you doing?

SAM: Oh god.

MARISHA: Oh my god.

SAM: We're going to Paragon's Call, unless anyone has-- Well, they're whispering about stuff, but we're going to Paragon's Call right? Unless anyone else has anything else to do.

ASHLEY: I believe that's what we're doing.

TALIESIN: I think that's where we're at.

MARISHA: Should we be concerned about if Otohan sees you?

SAM: Well, you've seen her in your dreams, but she hasn't seen you in--

LAURA: I'm pretty sure she's aware.

MARISHA: Of who she is.

LAURA: She's in my dreams.

SAM: How do you know that?

LAURA: I guess I don't. It just feels that way.

TRAVIS: Do you talk to her in your dreams?

LAURA: I have.

TRAVIS: Oh. What is said?

LAURA: So far, she just said, "Interesting," and kind of lunged at me.

TRAVIS: Oh.

LAURA: Then I woke up feeling like she'd maybe killed me.

MARISHA: Yeah, I don't like that.

TRAVIS: Yeah, it's not a good indicator.

MARISHA: It's not great, no.

TALIESIN: Little heavier than I was expecting.

MARISHA: Perhaps we should maybe try and keep you a bit more... concealed?

LAURA: I mean, I could do that.

TRAVIS: Or we don't worry about it, because she wouldn't want to fuck with Bells Hells.

MARISHA: Yeah!

TRAVIS: Right?

SAM: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Got to have a little confidence in our identity, if we're going to pull this off.

LAURA: I do get the impression that she maybe controls a large force of very strong fighters. Maybe she wouldn't be too intimidated by us.

MARISHA: Not just Paragon's Call, you mean.

LAURA: Exactly.

MARISHA: Beyond that.

LIAM: Can we talk out what we're about to do?

LAURA: (laughs)

MARISHA: Hmm.

LIAM: A little bit.

TRAVIS: Yeah. Step one--

TALIESIN: For all the good it'll do, sure.

MARISHA: Walk through the door.

TRAVIS: Knock on the door.

MARISHA: Oh, damn it, I'm fucking it up already.

TRAVIS: Just slow it down.

MARISHA: All right, I'm sorry.

TRAVIS: See the plan.

MARISHA: Okay. Start over.

TRAVIS: Step one.

MARISHA: Knock on the door.

TRAVIS: Very good.

MARISHA: All right. (laughs)

TRAVIS: Step two.

TALIESIN: Announce ourselves.

TRAVIS: Very nice, Ashton, yes.

TALIESIN: You're welcome.

LAURA: Okay.

MARISHA: Fuck, I almost had it.

TRAVIS: Step three?

TALIESIN: Ask to see our accommodations.

TRAVIS: Huh?

MARISHA: I was going to say pass through the threshold, but I guess we could just--

TALIESIN: I mean, I feel like we can--

TRAVIS: We don't have to get so granular with it.

MARISHA: Well, you-- fuck!

TRAVIS: Okay, look.

MARISHA: Fuck. (laughter)

TRAVIS: No, but I mean, how are we going to keep you low key, even at the gate?

LAURA: I don't know.

TRAVIS: Well, maybe we just meet this thing head on.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah.

TRAVIS: Not in a challenging way, but I mean--

SAM: Head on.

TRAVIS: Maybe you call it out.

MARISHA: Apply directly to forehead.

SAM: No, but a few times you've done magic that have turned you purple and lost your hair. Maybe you could do something like that and change your appearance again while we go in there.

LAURA: Like?

SAM: Turn yourself purple again or whatever you were.

LAURA: I mean, I--

LIAM: Or we could shave your head

SAM: Or that.

LAURA: I mean, I could try to do some sort of spell that would cause the stone to flare up, and maybe it would do something. We could try. Sure.

TALIESIN: I'm all for stone flares, I suppose.

LAURA: I'm going to just...

LIAM: Just fuck with Wild Magic just because.

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

MATT: It's what it's there for.

TALIESIN: You fuck with Wild Magic?

LAURA: I am going to--

LIAM: Yeah, I fuck with Wild Magic.

TALIESIN: Fuck with Wild Magic.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: Twinned spell.

LIAM: I go to the frozen north.

LAURA: Twinned spell Catapult at 1st-level.

SAM: What are you going to fling?

LAURA: I'm just going to pick up a couple of rocks and fling them in opposite directions as we're walking.

LIAM: Ouch.

TRAVIS: (cat yowls) (laughter)

LAURA: And that will set off the--

MATT: (whoosh) Like fire off you, you hear the faint ripple of the air being broken through at a massive speed, as the rocks vanish from view. Go ahead and roll a d100 for me.

TRAVIS: (squawks)

MARISHA: Someone is dead five blocks over.

LIAM: Yeah, drop a penny off the Empire State building.

MARISHA: Yep. (laughs)

LAURA: (whistles) No, I'm going to take this one. Oh, wait, I can't, that's not-- I can't do it like that.

MATT: No, no, yeah.

LAURA: (vocalizing)

MATT: I believe in you, Laura.

LAURA: Thank you. Hold on, I got to find 10s.

SAM: Oh my god.

TALIESIN: My kingdom for a d10.

LAURA: Shut up.

LIAM: Got to find the right d10. That's not the right one.

TRAVIS: Then she's got to search for it in the smallest rolling area ever.

LAURA: I don't know how to read this, because I'm not sure what I--

TALIESIN: What's the double digit one?

TRAVIS: Why'd you bring a business card holder?

LAURA: Oh, you know what? I only did a single, I did both singles. Hold on, hold on, hold on.

SAM: Oh my god.

LAURA: Okay, now I'm going to do it, single and a double.

SAM: You going to pick which one's hundreds and--

LAURA: 45, isn't that what I got before? No.

MATT: No.

LIAM: We hope.

MATT: Both rocks (whooshes) and your feet lift off the ground.

SAM: Oh.

MATT: You're just hovering there.

MARISHA: Oh shit.

MATT: As if you had cast a Levitate spell on yourself.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: Do I look different?

TRAVIS: Yes, you do.

SAM and TALIESIN: You look taller. (laughter)

LAURA: I feel taller.

TRAVIS: This will work perfectly.

LAURA: Yeah, this will definitely not draw any attention.

TALIESIN: Do we have a robe? We can just--

ASHLEY: We have robes. Yeah, we have things.

TALIESIN: Maybe we can just throw a robe on you and then they won't see your feet aren't hitting the ground.

ASHLEY: There's a part of me that thinks maybe if she--

LAURA: I am the Dread--

TRAVIS: Dread Pirate Roberts. (laughter)

TRAVIS: You will suffer!

ASHLEY: If she really is visiting you in your dreams, she probably knows you.

MARISHA: She can sense you.

LAURA: Uh-huh, probably.

ASHLEY: If that's what's happening--

MARISHA: You know, Fearne, we haven't really had a moment to unpack this whole you being Ruidusborn thing.

LAURA: Oh my gosh.

ASHLEY: Oh, that's right.

MARISHA: Do you have dreams like Imogen?

ASHLEY: I have a lot of dreams, but nothing to do with the moon.

MARISHA: Hmm.

LAURA: Do you ever dream about the future? I say, floating next to you.

ASHLEY: All the time.

LAURA: Wait, Levitate, do you have to stay in one place?

SAM: Yeah.

MATT: Correct. You can go up and down.

LAURA: Okay, hold my hand and just drag me, okay?

LIAM: Yeah, dynasty.

MATT: Yeah, you're a balloon, essentially.

LAURA: Okay. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Imogen balloon.

MARISHA: Just Inception. (laughter)

ASHLEY: I don't have dreams like you. But I-- I don't know. That's not something that I felt in my bones that I was probably Ruidusborn. But maybe that's not something that you just know right away, obviously.

LIAM: The bones tell me nothing. (laughter)

LAURA: The bones.

ASHLEY: They don't.

MARISHA: All right, well. I don't know. I guess we should start with step one and go knock on the door.

TRAVIS: Knock on the door's a solid start.

TALIESIN: I think--

TRAVIS: Well, hold on, Orym looks like he's got concerns.

LIAM: We were going to get a hideout.

LAURA: We were?

LIAM: We were.

TRAVIS: Oh yeah, to stash--

LIAM: To lay low with Treshi. We don't have that.

SAM: We have a vehicle, though.

LIAM: Okay.

LAURA: And you know what? Joe likes us a whole lot.

MARISHA: Exactly.

LAURA: So we kind of have a hideout.

MARISHA: And we have the Calloway Castaway.

LAURA: I mean, that is a definite hideout.

LIAM: That's out of town.

SAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: Sure.

LAURA: But it's so close.

SAM: We can go there.

LIAM: It took us quite a while to get there.

MARISHA: A couple hours.

LAURA: Like an hour. It took longer because we fought that giant thing and stuff.

LIAM: Okay.

MARISHA: Honestly, getting out of town is probably better.

TRAVIS: We'll see them coming.

SAM: We can cut the bridge after we cross it.

TRAVIS: Oh, strand ourselves.

LIAM: No, hide out.

SAM: We got air ship.

TALIESIN: Do we want to try and take care of that before we--

SAM: No. Hell no.

MARISHA: Take care of what?

TRAVIS: What, a hideaway?

TALIESIN: Finding a hideout real quick.

LAURA: We have a hideaway.

SAM: A slightly narrow hideaway? We got one.

LAURA: We have hideouts.

MARISHA: And we have a hole that people can breathe in for nine minutes and 59 seconds.

LAURA: Exactly. We just open it back up whenever we need to get into the Castaway, Calloway Castaway, hideaway. What are we calling it?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I can think of so many ways that could possibly go wrong, but I'm still in.

LIAM: So we sort of have a hideout.

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: Yeah.

LIAM: And we have you.

TRAVIS: Yep.

LAURA: Floating.

LIAM: Floating and recognizable--

LAURA: Should I put my scarf up?

LIAM: -- to the person we're going to see, maybe.

TRAVIS: I mean, that's my question. Do you want to be recognizable or do you want to be unrecognizable?

LAURA: How long do y'all think I'm going to float?

MARISHA: I don't know.

LAURA: What if I float forever?

MARISHA: I mean--

LIAM: Sounds all right.

SAM: Your other things lasted for a day.

LAURA: So maybe I'll just float for a fucking day.

TALIESIN: I think at the very least, you're going to float 'til it isn't funny anymore. (laughter)

TRAVIS: This is the best.

ASHLEY: This is going to be interesting. How are you going to sleep? (laughter)

TALIESIN: Honestly, probably really comfortably.

LAURA: Maybe just tie a string to my foot.

TRAVIS: Just relax. Go limp.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: Let go of me.

TRAVIS: What happens?

LAURA: Let go of me.

LAURA: Do I just keep floating up, or am I (laughs) staying still?

MATT: No, I mean you're still floating wherever you were.

LAURA: But I'm not moving.

ASHLEY: I'm going to try to turn her sideways.

MATT: Okay, she goes sideways.

TALIESIN: Give her a spin.

LIAM: Does she stay that way?

TALIESIN: See what happens.

MATT: Yep.

MARISHA: Oh!

LIAM: Here's a hypothetical. (whooshing) (laughter)

MATT: Imogen just-- (spinning)

ASHLEY: Whoa, whoa, whoa, too fast, too fast.

TALIESIN: Too fast.

LIAM: Here's a hypothetical. Shit goes sideways, we got to run.

LAURA: Telekinetic shove. (laughter)

LIAM: We got to run, what do you do? Can you run?

ASHLEY: Nope.

SAM: We can drag her.

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: We can drag her.

LAURA: You can run.

SAM: I'll hitch myself to her and speed away.

MARISHA: We can tie her to the--

ASHLEY: That works.

MARISHA: -- back of the crawler.

TALIESIN: I am very fast.

MARISHA: She can be like a little flag.

TRAVIS: Can't you go up?

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: How high?

LAURA: I just keep going up.

MATT: You keep going up about 20 feet around.

MARISHA: Are we in the middle of a thoroughfare?

TRAVIS: Hey, don't draw so much attention to yourself. Get the fuck back down here.

LAURA: Telekinetic shove.

TRAVIS: Ah! (laughter)

LAURA: Come back down. We're fine. It's fine. Let's just--

MARISHA: You know, I feel like we just need to fly by the seat of our pants, as they say.

SAM: Yeah, come on, we got to make some--

LAURA: Yeah, we got to do something. And you know what?

LIAM: Absolutely. Orym says, as he thinks about the totally viable plan Imogen thought about 37 days ago.

SAM: We have a hideout!

MARISHA: Well, and also that plan went away because someone used our bead of capturing bubble thing and it broke! There's been a lot of broken rocks.

TALIESIN: Sometimes I do stupid shit. What do you fucking want?

TRAVIS: (laughs)

LIAM: She's talking about the thing that I broke.

TALIESIN: Oh, you broke something?

LIAM: I break everything I touch that's magical.

TALIESIN: Fuck, I just assumed that I broke it. That's fucking crazy.

SAM: I'm broken inside.

LAURA: No, FCG.

TALIESIN: I feel like I did that, too.

ASHLEY: No. Well, no, no, no. MARISHA What? That was really so intense.

LAURA: You're not.

TALIESIN: But really that was pretty solid.

LAURA: We're going to figure out what this is. You're not broken.

SAM: I'm a killer machine. All right, let's go.

TRAVIS: Yes.

LIAM: My sword is yours, let's do it.

TALIESIN: You're our killer machine.

TRAVIS: He's starting to believe. (laughter) (laughter)

MARISHA: Nothing like weaponizing someone's damage. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Become the Neo you were meant to be. (laughter)

SAM: My eyes didn't turn red, they've just been blue too long. (laughter)

MATT: Oh, no.

SAM: Their natural shade is red.

MATT: Orym, as you are all walking in the direction of the Seat of Disdain, just walking past individuals in the street. You generally keep a very watchful, keen eye of anyone in your vicinity.

TALIESIN: Oh no.

LIAM: Mm-hmm.

MATT: One person that's walking down the road on the outskirts, about maybe a block away, keeping an eye over next to the wall. Looks back. Doesn't even notice you, but just walks past you. A familiar female uniya, orc-elf hybrid. Thin, dark leather- clad physique, cloak, hood, heavy belt, many pouches. You recognize this to be Artana Voe.

SAM: Artana Voe?

MATT: The bounty hunter that shot you with the crossbow--

LIAM: Yes, who shot me with the crossbow.

MATT: -- while you were looking for Gurge.

LAURA: Oh my gosh.

TRAVIS: When we snuck into her room.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, how did--

LIAM: We don't know much about Artana, other than they're a badass. Their sister ran the tavern or pub that they were living in.

MATT: Correct, yeah.

MARISHA: Oh. Oh yes.

ASHLEY: She was the--

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MARISHA: What is she doing here?

LAURA: Artana Voe.

LIAM: She was a merc who was hired to get Gurge, just in it for the money, if I'm remembering correctly.

MARISHA: Oh wow.

LIAM: They're about a block away?

MATT: Yeah. Well, they just walked past.

ASHLEY: You have a good memory.

LIAM: No, I don't.

MATT: You gauge them looking back at the wall around the Seat of Disdain, and they keep walking.

LAURA: They're Preio Madali's sister.

TRAVIS: Nice notes, Laura. Nice notes.

LAURA: Thanks.

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: I'm not going to say anything anything, I'm just going to slip away and follow--

MARISHA: Wait, did Artana see us?

LIAM: -- at a distance.

MATT: Didn't seem to, at the moment, pay much attention.

TRAVIS: Orym's on the hunt, stand down.

LIAM: I didn't even tell anyone. I tapped Fearne's knee and said: I'll be right back.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: Okay. You follow at a distance and you watch Artana duck into the side of two buildings and, essentially, separate off from the rest of the main street. You glance over and see them almost walking around. Do you continue to follow?

LIAM: Sorry, didn't follow the visual, so--

MATT: You're walking down the main road.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: They begin to pass by.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: You turn around and watch and after a short walk, you see them duck off the main road into, essentially an alley between two buildings that parallels the exterior perimeter of the wall.

LIAM: Yeah, but I will crouch down even lower than my 3'3" height and creep along.

MATT: Okay, make a stealth check.

LIAM: Okay. That's not bad. That is a 19.

MATT: 19, okay. You continue forward, watching Artana step down the alley, and then she stops. Just stands there.

LIAM: Hey, sorry.

MATT: Looks back over the shoulder.

LIAM: I'm not sure if you remember me.

MATT: "I remember. Jrusar, right?"

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: "Can I help you?"

LIAM: I really was just struck by the fact that I'm seeing you here. What brings you to town?

MATT: "I'm just visiting an old friend."

LIAM: Insight check. She's lying to me, but--

SAM: No, she's visiting an old friend.

LIAM: 17.

MARISHA: She murdered.

MATT: 17?

LIAM: Yeah.

LAURA: You murdered our friend.

MATT: I mean, she's pretty clear what she's saying, but you get just enough of a sense, based on all the context around, that there's probably--

SAM: She's a bounty hunter?

MATT: -- probably more to it than that, if it's even true.

LIAM: DM, help me remember in the past, because I do not have a great memory.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

LIAM: Artana Voe was after Gurge.

MATT: Correct.

LIAM: Gurge was got for, ultimately for Treshi, right? Because Treshi had his underling.

MATT: Correct.

LIAM: Who had Gurge and Wendagoth down below underneath the tower?

MATT: Yes.

LAURA: So she had been hired by Treshi.

LIAM: Hired by, or Treshi's underlings. So she could have been hired by either Treshi himself, or Treshi's elf lordling.

MARISHA: Vali Dertrana.

LIAM: Yeah, that's the one. Okay, okay, okay.

TRAVIS: Doing great.

LIAM: Okay. Well, no beef. Really just bumped by the coincidence.

MARISHA: Yeah, she didn't know too much.

MATT: "Yeah. Stay safe."

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: And she just keeps walking.

LIAM: I hightail it back to the group.

LAURA: What's it for? What's it for?

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: Let's hope she's not working for Treshi still.

LAURA: Or hope she is.

LIAM: I come back and just spill all that. I don't know if she's still working for Treshi or just the highest bidder right now, but I feel like we should move now.

SAM: Yeah.

LIAM: Because I don't know what that means, her on the game board.

TRAVIS: Let's get in there.

SAM: Yeah, we might not be the only ones sent to get Treshi also.

MARISHA: Or--

LIAM: Or, or--

MARISHA: -- someone is sent to get us.

LIAM: Yeah, one or the other. She didn't seem-- She could have maybe gone for me then and there.

MARISHA: So one person against the seven of us is a little ballsy.

LAURA: Maybe she has nothing to do with us.

MARISHA: Maybe.

TALIESIN: Maybe she's meeting up with more.

MARISHA: Or she's just an informant, to your point. More of a spy.

TALIESIN: We're not that quiet. I mean, all things considered.

MARISHA: No.

TALIESIN: Fuck.

LAURA: Let's go.

SAM: Yeah.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I don't know what else to do, other than make noise.

MATT: Stepping closer to the outskirts, now early afternoon here in Bassuras, you've come to the familiar double large gates, the doors that lead into the inner courtyard of the perimeter wall of the Seat of Disdain. As you approach, you can see at the top, glancing over the side, there's a couple of armored Paragon's Call figures with crossbows that are just keeping an eye as you approach. By the way, your Levitate drops.

LAURA: Oh my goodness.

LIAM: ♪ I'm levitating ♪

TRAVIS: 10 minutes?

MATT: About 10 minutes, yeah.

LAURA and ASHLEY: ♪ I'm levitating ♪ (laughter)

TRAVIS: Wow.

TALIESIN: Last call for somebody who has any common sense. Going once, going twice.

LAURA: I'm putting my hood up and just--

TALIESIN: I'm going to knock on the door.

TRAVIS: Step one.

MATT: Boom, boom, boom, boom. The person looks further over.

TRAVIS: According to plan, very good.

SAM: Wait, where is our crawler?

MATT: "What is this? What do you want?"

MARISHA: Where is what?

LAURA: We left it at Joe's.

SAM: Okay.

TALIESIN: We're Bells Hells. We were here to see Ratanish. So, you know, just let us in, please?

MATT: Leans back before you can finish.

TALIESIN: Hello?

MATT: (metal ratcheting) (thuds) The doors begin to open up just wide enough to allow one person at a time.

LAURA: (metal ratcheting)

TRAVIS: (deep bass beat)

MARISHA: Drop the motherfucking gate. (laughter)

MATT: But you go ahead and look past--

TRAVIS: EDM entrance?

MATT: -- the gap between the doors now.

TRAVIS: (electronic beat) (deep voice) Let the gate drop. (laughter)

MATT: I'm going to murder all of you. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: Fair enough. And then--

ASHLEY: Well, where are our accommodations? Step three.

MARISHA: You skipped step two.

ASHLEY: What was step two?

SAM: It's okay just--

LAURA: No, we already announced ourselves. He did step two.

MARISHA: Oh that's right.

TALIESIN: Yep, we're coming in. Hi.

MATT: "Hi." Stepping into the courtyard, you can see there are a number of Paragon's Call figures in the center here in the familiar courtyard space that some of you have seen, at least. You see there's a defunct, inop-- currently not being operated Ruin-Crawler in the corner near the wall where the doors are. There's a tent set up. It looks like there is a mammoth-crawler on the opposite side. There is a large section of boxes and crates that are currently being checked and loaded onto this mammoth-crawler.

LIAM: There's workers loading them?

MATT: There are Paragon's Call members.

LIAM: Yeah, can I read their lips? What are they saying?

MATT: At the moment, they're not communicating anything. There's just one person going through and checking things. Other folks are just lifting them for damage and then putting them up on the side.

LIAM: As we move forward here, I will keep dipping back in that direction to see if I catch any sense of anything.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Same crawler we saw Otohan on?

MATT: Yes. Then beyond the way, there's a small fire pit, a little section of rock, and you can see all manner of just materials, barricades, some training dummies in the far end, and the actual stronghold of the Seat of Disdain looms before you. As you walk through, the guard that was on the top of the wall comes back down and is stepping up beside your group. "Word's got around, and Ratanish should be here shortly. Just, I guess, hang tight."

TALIESIN: Any particular place, or just stand here in the middle of the court like a bunch of assholes?

MATT: "Like a bunch of assholes."

TALIESIN: All right.

MATT: Heads back up onto the rampart. A few moments pass, and then eventually you see a few figures, one of which is Ratanish, emerging from the stronghold. Arms out, like-- (claps) "(laughs) Well, it is good to see. I'm glad you finally came around."

TALIESIN: We had a little bit of business to take care of. Well, It took the time it was going to take. So we're in town for a little while. We figured we could make a little bit of money while we're here, see if you need anything.

MATT: "Indeed. Well, I will say very much, your performance in the Deathwish made me quite a bit of gold. I appreciate the fantastic display of recklessness."

TALIESIN: Thank you.

MATT: "Quite delightful, universally. So this is your crew, right? I recognize some of you from the race, yes."

MARISHA: I hope no one else from the Call was mortally wounded in the race.

MATT: "Nothing that couldn't be corrected. We are very used to people getting very messed up in the race."

MARISHA: Fantastic.

MATT: "In fact, some of them kind of rely on it.

MARISHA: Mm.

TRAVIS: Oh!

TRAVIS and LAURA: Hm.

MARISHA: Well.

LAURA: I'm keep an eye out for Otohan or the old guy.

MATT: Make a perception check.

LAURA: Ludinus?

LIAM: Ludinus Da'leth.

MATT: Sure.

LIAM: The Martinet.

LAURA: Oh! ♪ A perception check, I'm ♪ so good at perceiving-- ♪ Cocked. ♪ Perceiving ♪ Hey. Wait. 20!

MARISHA: Oh!

MATT: Not too bad. Glancing about here, you see that there doesn't seem to be a figure that resembles Otohan visible in your current purview. You do catch, with a 20 perception, the wind's picking up a little bit. You can see a little bit of cloud cover starting to push in, just from that faint bit. You see the banners and stuff on top flickering loudly. You can hear the sound of it moving and tearing against the wind. There's probably going to be some sort of a brief dust storm come through here shortly.

LAURA: We have-- We have goggles and stuff from the race, right?

MATT: Yeah, you've got stuff like that.

LAURA: Sure, I'm going to put mine down, wrap my scarf around my face.

MATT: (laughs) Okay.

LAURA: Prepare for it.

LIAM: Slick.

MATT: "Well, regardless, I'm glad you made it. We are excited to have you to be helping with us. It is fortuitous timing. We are doing a very large shipment out of the city very soon, and we need people to keep watch while we're away."

TALIESIN: Well, this is perfect. We've got some time to kill. We're not really-- We were planning on spending a bit of time in the city, anyway, and this is a good way to fill our pockets while we're here.

MATT: "Perfect, it's low stakes. Primarily, for the first time us working together, I just want to make sure that you're reliable. It's not entirely uncommon for us to have individuals trying to break in. So just keeping an eye out for reprobates."

TALIESIN: I'm a big fan of low responsibility, high violence possibilities.

MATT: "Well, you've come to the right place, my friend. Okay."

TALIESIN: (laughs)

MATT: "We have spoken before. I cannot remember names. Does not matter, I don't care. Let's get you situated. We have set aside room and board for all of you to come rest for a bit."

TRAVIS: Oh, nice.

TALIESIN: Excellent. I was going to ask if we could stay off-site or not.

MATT: "No, this, we have places in the barracks below. Also, if anyone requires any sort of weaponry, armor, things that--"

TRAVIS: I'd like a uniform.

MATT: "Well, we can, after some time, give you a uniform. Yes, we can do that."

TRAVIS: It just helps me get into the role, the job, you know? Immerse myself.

MATT: "All right, well, we do have yellow cloaks, and we can get those to you. Come with me." He turns around, and his flanking-- You can't tell if they're bodyguards or protectors. But you recognize them as some of the figures that were at the ball as well, are walking around with him. They continue to pass beside-- You see that one of them looks to be human, and the other is a half-orc. You see a third waiting at the stronghold is a little gnome that meets up with you. So there's a group of four all together with Ratanish. They seem to be his accompanying bodyguards.

MARISHA: Are they flanking us?

MATT: They're not flanking you guys, but they're definitely keeping around his flank.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Just in case anybody gets too close. As you walk past, you can see other figures looking out. A couple people recognize you as you walk through the area and catch some of you like, "Ha, ha, hey!"

TALIESIN: Yeah!

MATT: A lot of people whispering, excited to have new blood. But of course, you made quite a display in the middle of town not too long ago. So you are in that-- You're in that brief window of local celebrity, hasn't quite worn off yet. But while fresh to you, and familiar to you, Fearne, as your furry incursion into this place once before--

SAM: Furry incursion.

MATT: Indeed, furry incursion. You enter the interior of the low-lit stronghold itself on the base floor.

TRAVIS: We're doing it, we're in!

MATT: Here, these fortified walls and halls bend to the right and left immediately after you go through the front doors. It curves down these long stretches of stone hallway with a number of doors off to the side. You bank around and down past a few doors, around again and to the left. This is on the opposite end of the front door. You can see there's a war room that enters. There's stairs that lead up to a large, advanced platform, where there's a long table with chairs around it. There are banners hanging in it. There are boxes and crates around. There looks to be some sort of sketching implements and a large map on the wall of the Hellcatch. Continuing past that into the next hallway to the right and down, there is a door on the left that Ratanish opens and turns back to you all. "So this is where your quarters will be. There are-- I do not think we have enough cots for everyone prepared. Maybe we weren't aware it was quite as large a group of you. I will look for a few to be placed in here. It might be a bit cramped for now, but you'll figure everything out. But there should be lock boxes for each of you for your personal belongings. Keep a close eye. Things sometimes do go vanishing if you're not careful or you're a heavy sleeper. But just maybe don't keep all of your very luxurious belongings upon yourself at all times, you'll be okay. But yeah, welcome to set up in here. We'll do more of a full tour once you've gotten yourselves situated."

TALIESIN: Excellent.

MATT: "Welcome to the Call." He begins to walk away.

LIAM: As he walks away, can I get a vibe check on his armor class and current hit points as compared to mine?

MATT: Sure. His armor class--

LAURA: He seems so much nicer than I expected him to be. You know, just very accommodating.

MARISHA: Yeah, when he's not trying to--

MATT: Armor class is not quite--

MARISHA: -- put on a front.

MATT: -- as good as yours.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: What was the other one you were asking for?

LIAM: Hit points, current hit points.

MATT: Current hit points are quite a bit more than yours.

LAURA and LIAM: Ooh.

LIAM: Okay. Cool, cool, cool, cool.

TRAVIS: (laughs) A little toot squeaks out.

LAURA: Quite a bit. (laughs) (laughter)

MATT: He walks away, and the other figures--

LIAM: Can't even hear my toots. Like a hummingbird.

MATT: -- stand there, watching. The little gnome creeps by and goes, "Hey, welcome," and darts off down the hall after him.

TRAVIS: Thanks for being so cordial.

SAM: Everybody's so nice.

TALIESIN: You know where the weapons room is?

TRAVIS: We're being set up.

SAM: We've got weapons.

TALIESIN: I want to see what sort of shit's available.

MATT: It's about this time that, across the other side of the hall, a door opens, and a minotaur comes pushing through.

TRAVIS: Here it comes.

LIAM: Minotaur.

MATT: This minotaur also was present for the ball in Jrusar--

SAM: Oh!

TALIESIN: Oh shit.

MATT: The one that was accompanying Ratanish.

LAURA: There was a minotaur there?

SAM: I'm looking.

LAURA: I feel like I would've--

TALIESIN: Never called us. Might have known.

MATT: Glances down at the rest of you. "All right, I'm going to show you your way around."

MARISHA: Ooh, you're giving us the tour?

MATT: "I am."

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: "I'm Rockmond."

ASHLEY: Rockmond?

LIAM and MARISHA: Rockmond.

MATT: "Rockmond."

MARISHA: What a big, strong name.

MATT: "Thanks."

TRAVIS: (laughs)

LAURA: Rockman?

LIAM: Rockman.

ASHLEY: Rockman or Rockmond?

MATT: "Rockmond."

LIAM: He's an enemy from Megaman.

ASHLEY: Rockmond is quite a strong name.

MATT: "So. You've seen your room. You've seen the war room. Most of these chambers are barracks. There's an armory by the entranceway. Just go ahead and go left." As he follows you guys, you see, slung on his back on a leather harness, there is a large curved, almost an executioner's axe, that's just slung over that-- It's almost completely hidden by his shoulders the way it's sit back there, except for the little corner blade that now peeks out the lower half of his body.

LAURA: Eeeks!

TRAVIS: Damn.

LAURA: Do you ever stab yourself on that by accident?

MATT: "Eventually, all the scars build up a resistance."

SAM: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Cool, cool.

MATT: He just keeps walking. He's wide enough to the point where the hallway almost scrapes him shoulder to shoulder, but he just pushes through. It's like a-- You know in "Labyrinth," they get the cleaners that push them through? He's like that behind you. He's pushing forward, and you have to keep moving, or else he's just going to bump into you.

TALIESIN: There's horn scrapes that go all the way down.

MATT: Yeah, pretty much.

TALIESIN: Like rails.

MATT: But yeah, pushed, backtracking now towards the hallway where you first entered and down the corner, until eventually you move past a door that he slams open to the side and gestures into it.

MARISHA: Little rough on the hinges, that can be.

TRAVIS: Going in.

MATT: "Sorry. I don't know my own strength." He waits for you all to enter. "This is the armory."

TRAVIS: Whoa.

MATT: "We have all manner of standard breastplates, weapons we've acquired, ammunition. If you need anything, axes, blades, daggers, hammers--"

LIAM: It's cool for us to just use stuff in here?

LAURA: I'm going to go get a dagger and stick it back in my thigh holster. I lost my last one.

MATT: There you go.

SAM: Do you have tiny guns for monkey hands? (laughter)

LAURA: What about teeny, tiny daggers? What if he has teeny, tiny daggers?

ASHLEY: I would like little, yeah-- What's the smallest little weapon you have?

MATT: "The smallest weapon?"

ASHLEY: Yeah.

TALIESIN: She's serious.

LIAM: Like a dart?

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

TALIESIN: She's fucking serious.

MARISHA: Tiny throwing stars.

MATT: Goes over and starts rummaging through this open chest, this storage chest on the side.

TRAVIS: Lost and Found.

MATT: Things are falling out the side. Ting, ti-ting, ting, ting-- A shield goes and rolls. (oscillating sound) (laughter)

MATT: Super loud, echoing throughout the chamber.

LIAM: Matt, Matt!

MATT: He pulls in and gets out this tiny, little floating dart. It's almost like a kunai. There's the handle on it.

LIAM: Jeez.

MATT: It doesn't have the loop, but it has a singular point. He's like, "This, probably."

LAURA: Oh, it's so cute.

MATT: It looks so small in his hand.

MARISHA: Wow.

ASHLEY: Okay. This'll work.

MATT: Mister crawls over your shoulder. (monkey noises)

ASHLEY: Do you want this?

MATT: (pants, growls)

ASHLEY: Strike a pose.

MATT: (monkey shriek)

ASHLEY: Ooh, so tough! What a tough boy.

SAM: Maybe you should hold it this side, the--

LAURA: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

ASHLEY: Maybe you can work with Orym at some point. Okay?

MATT: (monkey chitters)

MARISHA: The reverse grip, they call it.

TALIESIN: Nothing bad is going to come out of this.

LAURA: Where is Mister? Where's Mister?

ASHLEY: Oh, he's here.

LAURA: There he is.

ASHLEY: Okay. (laughter)

SAM: Are you burping him?

MATT: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Just burping him. He's my first weapon.

TALIESIN: He's just going to poop a little bit. That's all that's going to happen.

MATT: He's just slowly stabbing her shoulder from behind. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Ammunition is good.

MATT: (monkey chitters)

TRAVIS: Do you have any explosives or black powder? In case there's an invasion launched and we have to set an ambush.

TALIESIN: That's actually a very good idea, yeah.

TRAVIS: I don't anticipate this, but that's what we do.

TALIESIN: Firearms, black powder, ammunition. What kind of ammunition? Just crossbow rounds?

MARISHA: Dynamite.

MATT: "You're all pretty new here, and you're asking for some tall orders. You've got a little bit of a trial period here before we get to all of the munitions."

TALIESIN: This was just questions. These are not necessarily-- This is not necessarily requests. We just blew through all of our shit during the race.

MATT: "Understood. We do have a powder and munitions expert that works on our team assembling all that, but they're elsewhere below."

TALIESIN: Well, that makes sense, yeah. You'd want to keep that separate.

SAM: Below? How far down does it go?

MATT: "There is a basement below, and three floors above."

SAM and LAURA: Wow.

MATT: "And a roof."

ASHLEY: What are you guys shipping again?

MATT: "I'm not entirely sure. Best to-- Don't ask questions."

TALIESIN: Yeah, traditionally, you don't ask.

ASHLEY: Oh, I'm sorry.

TALIESIN: No, that's all right.

LAURA: So how many soldiers are here?

MATT: "Present here, about 40--

LAURA: That's a lot.

MATT: "-- in the stronghold. Then we have patrols in the city of about 20, patrols outside the city of about 50, and then a few separate liaisons that work with other cities and areas throughout--"

TALIESIN: Man, coming up. Okay.

MATT: "So I'd say I think a total number of somewhere in the 200s, 300s."

SAM: And who's the big boss? Who's in command of all these forces?

MATT: "Oh, that would be Otohan."

SAM: Otohan?

MATT: "Yes. Have you met Otohan?"

LAURA: Have not had the pleasure, no.

MATT: "She's around here somewhere. I'm sure she'll make herself known."

TRAVIS: Great.

MATT: Goes over and looks over on the side wall and pulls off these mustard yellow capes. Cloaks. You see the pull, takes a few, does a count, and throws a few over his arm until eventually there's just a giant bundle of yellow cloaks. He begins passing them out to all of you.

MARISHA: Thank you.

TRAVIS: (weapon unsheathing, slicing noise) (laughter)

TRAVIS: It was fucking like a train.

LAURA: It was very long, it was very long.

MATT: "Good looking out. All right. So yes, I'll lead you to the next floor." Goes ahead and leads you along, back down the hall near where your barracks were stationed.

LIAM: We're on first, going to second?

MATT: Correct.

LIAM: Okay.

MARISHA: I just want to keep track of the stairwells going up. Is it continuous stairwells?

MATT: Well, the first stairs that you come to are at the end of the hall from where he emerged. It just leads up to the secondary floor. There isn't a bunch of staircases in one area. But you do see stairs that go up.

MARISHA: That's just something I'm curious about, okay.

MATT: Leading into the second floor, you do notice other similar repetitions of barrack chambers. There are a few doors that are partially ajar. You can see in one room, there's a few soldiers that are playing cards at a table. You do come across the opening, in the same space where the war room was in the lower floor, you now see is a series of long tables arranged. This is a mess hall area. You can see there's already a smell in there of old dried food, possibly a bit of musky mold. There's nobody currently eating in there, but it looks like there was a meal not too long ago that hasn't been completely cleaned up yet. But there's room in here for a few dozen people to eat comfortably amongst all the various scattered tables. You also see beyond that the entrance to a small kitchen area that's hidden off to the corner. This isn't a full block hallway, but it's a three-wall hallway that goes around the perimeter of this space. In the far end corner, that's where the kitchen itself is installed. Kind of shows you around. Looks at you. "This is where most of the meals are had. This is where the... You'll be relegated to a specific squad over some time. That's when some certain squads at certain times will be eating together. But for now, you can just join in when you need to, I suppose. But don't eat too much. We have limited stores, and people get very angry if you're taking more than you should."

LAURA: Are there any areas that are off limits?

MATT: "For now, we'll say there's no reason to go to the basement. Be escorted if you decide to--"

SAM: (whispering) We're going to the basement.

MARISHA: Absolutely.

MATT: "-- to wander elsewhere when you're not being asked to. But for now, just... It would not reflect well on your first day."

TALIESIN: Oh, no. If we really need more food, we can always just head out and grab something outside anyway.

LAURA: Are we allowed to leave?

MATT: "Oh, you are allowed to leave if you'd like, yes."

LAURA: All right.

MARISHA: Do we have to make our presence known every time we come in?

MATT: "As long as you're wearing your cloaks and, in time, your medallion, that will be enough, especially if you're known to the perimeter guards, which you should be as of now."

LAURA: Great.

MATT: "So we'll continue the watch."

TALIESIN: Oh. Yeah, thanks. Yeah.

MATT: Leads you past a number of storage chambers, other barrack rooms. There's one figure that looks like he just woke up, comes out and gives a nod and recognizes you're the person that was obviously at the Deathwish. Has that brief moment of recognition and smile. That brief celebrity window once again.

SAM: Hi, there.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: And eventually lead up to the third floor. Here, the barracks chambers-- The halls get thinner and thinner. It pinches off the higher you get to the third floor. There are more barracks doors. These are more intricate, larger. There is one very large room with a double set of iron doors that is currently closed on the far end. In the middle space where the bottom war room and the central kitchen area is, in this there is a tower war room, a secondary, smaller version, and this one is intricately decorated. This chamber has a beautiful, dark mahogany round table in the center of it, high back chairs, and hanging banners all around that carry both symbols of different townships and cities throughout Marquet and beyond, as well as in the center of it all, in the back, the golden buzzard skull of the Death Maven-- the Duskmaven, the Raven Queen of Marquet.

LAURA: Oh. Oh! That's right, the Duskmaven.

MATT: The cultural interpretation of the Raven Queen.

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

MATT: At this point, your minotaur goes, "This is utilized as the hosting chambers for business of the Paragon's Call with individuals that travel as emissaries from different parts of Exandria. Downstairs, that war room is more for the general soldier discussions."

MARISHA: Who's the most famous person you've ever had?

TALIESIN: That's a good question.

MATT: "I don't really keep up with those aspects of modern social dynamics. I apologize."

LAURA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Modern social dynamics.

MARISHA: Anyone you admire?

MATT: "Not really."

MARISHA: All right. (laughter) Man of culture, you are.

MATT: "I appreciate the lessons I learn on a daily basis from Ratanish. So I would say Ratanish is pretty cool." (laughter)

MARISHA: Is he like your mentor? Your minotaur mentor?

MATT: "I would consider him a teacher, both of skill, combat talent, and philosophy."

TRAVIS: Oh my god.

MARISHA: Wow.

SAM: There's no sense of humor.

MARISHA: No, he does not.

ASHLEY: Very, very serious.

MARISHA: Right.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: Very serious guy.

TRAVIS: Flirt harder.

MARISHA: Hey!

MATT: "Anyway." (laughter) As you pass through perimeters, you do see--

LAURA: She's just moaning as she's walking.

MARISHA: (fierce moaning) Mm-hmm. (laughter)

MATT: You see there are breaks in the hallway that lead outward. You notice there are some balconies, these fortified balconies that sit on the outside of this fortress, where there are defensible walls with notches for artillery, crossbows, weapons to be fired through. Occasionally, as you go through the halls, too, you see the little points of light where other ranged defensible positions sit. They have little arrow slits in the wall to fire from.

LAURA: Are there any rooms on this level?

MATT: There are rooms.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: There are a few other barracks-looking chambers. But the doors are nicer. You don't know if these are guest chambers, or if these are for more elite soldiers of the Paragon's Call.

TRAVIS: Going to have to see.

MATT: You cycle through the third floor into the final staircase that ascends to the roof. As you come to the roof, which is where you saw Treshi take that break that one time, as you emerge, there are all manner of chairs arranged for individuals taking watch. You're passing Call soldiers as you do. Up here, you can see there's at least five different Call soldiers that are just keeping eyes out. There's a large-- let's say it first looks mounted, a ballista, a multi-armed, two massive longbows that are crossing each other affixed to this massive bolt thrower. But the basis of it you see has a number of wheels, like a caster. It can be adjusted and moved and dragged from one wall side to another.

MARISHA: Oh, that's cool.

MATT: There's a number of barrels filled with these long, jagged-looking metal bolts.

LIAM: Yep.

LAURA: Oh, shit.

MATT: But there's braziers up here, a series of large signal braziers that currently aren't lit, and they're just filled with all manner of dried wood at the ready in case they need to signal to something. But this is definitely a fortified watch point, and from this height, you can see much of the city. The only things that rival the size of this building at this height, are the cisterns, the large, crooked metal towers that gather the various monsoon rains when they wash through. It's from this point also you can see indeed, at the distance of the northern regions of the city where the wind is currently blowing from, the horizon is a bit muddied with brown and gray, meaning there is definitely a dust storm on its way to the city.

TALIESIN: Ooh, yeah.

MATT: As this happens, you can see across the city there are other people who are starting to close their shutters, lock off their windows, open portions of different roofs and visual elevated portions of the town are being locked down for the coming dust storm. At which point the minotaur leans forward and glances over. "Looks like we'll have to buckle down soon anyway. Well, any questions?"

SAM: What?

TRAVIS: Is there anywhere--

LAURA: Storm's coming.

TRAVIS: -- that we're needed the most? On the wall? Inside the building? In the courtyard?

TALIESIN: For today, anyway.

MATT: "For the time being, just get yourself affiliated with your space. If you get told to handle any orders, handle them."

TRAVIS: Oh, okay.

MATT: "But primarily, you're just going to be keeping guard and watch while we take a good portion of our men for this shipment.

TALIESIN: How soon does that start? Just so we don't go off and get drunk and do anything silly.

MATT: "Well, today is a day of packing. We leave, I believe, tomorrow fairly early to try and make the most of the day. Then--"

TALIESIN: Do you know what the day rate is, how long you guys are going to be gone? I know this is a lot to--

MATT: "No, no." "Each time we do one of these shipments, it takes about... About a week or so."

LAURA: Oh.

TALIESIN: So that's times seven, eight. So then whatever our day rate is, we'll be getting our pay for that, then.

MATT: "Right."

TALIESIN: All right.

MATT: "Yeah."

MARISHA: Where are you going? Hmm.

TALIESIN: They're new.

TRAVIS: Flirt harder.

LAURA: Are you staying here?

MARISHA: (ferocious moans)

MATT: He just gives you a look.

MARISHA: I'm just curious. This is all so fascinating to me, you know.

MATT: "I understand. The first thing you should not be is curious. If you ask too many questions, you'll be ousted or disappeared."

MARISHA: Oh. Ooh.

TRAVIS: Have you ever been disappeared before?

MARISHA: I have.

TALIESIN: I'm taking them through the ropes. They're a little green.

MATT: "All right, that's okay. I'll make sure their responsibilities are on your head."

TALIESIN: Fair.

LAURA: Will you be going with the shipment or will you be staying here?

MATT: "Oh, I'm to be with the shipment."

LAURA: Right.

TALIESIN: Right hand man.

MATT: "They're sending their elite and most trusted and effective soldiers on the shipment, which is why you are staying behind."

TRAVIS: Well, you're in good hands. I hope someone makes an attack on the fort so we can show you how much we mop the floor with these fuckers.

MATT: "I would be very impressed, and I hope that happens."

TRAVIS: Me, too.

MATT: "For the sake of your glory, and not because you will ruin this opportunity and be outshone by our more trained and trusted members and employees."

TRAVIS: (laughs)

TALIESIN: I appreciate your faith.

TRAVIS: He's a comedian.

MARISHA: He's a bit blunt.

LAURA: Thank you so much.

TALIESIN: We do appreciate it.

MATT: "Of course. Your honesty--"

LAURA: Rockmond. You've been very helpful.

MATT: "Good. That concludes the tour. You may return to your duties or your barracks. The choice is yours. Orders will come when they are needed. Follow me," and he pushes you all, arms out, funnels you back down to the stairs--

TALIESIN: That's fine. That was a good view, but that's okay.

ASHLEY: I was going that way anyways.

MATT: Like a parent giving a tour for children in a museum, and he's just pushing you all this way.

TRAVIS: Hey, hey, hey.

LIAM: Still playing with my new toy. How's my man's AC? (laughter)

MARISHA: Oh my god.

MATT: His AC--

MARISHA: This is the new, what time of day is it?

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I'm so excited.

LIAM: It's the first game I get to play with it!

SAM: Sure, sure.

MATT: Yeah, Yeah.

MARISHA: Keen Mind, DM.

MATT: He's--

TRAVIS: He's better than you.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: I remember. Everything.

MATT: No, he's a pretty big guy. He wouldn't be that hard to hit, and he's not fully armored right now. He's in his casual strolling gear.

LIAM: Fun. Okay.

MATT: So yeah.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: All right. He leads you down through the third floor--

SAM: I think he took a shining to you.

MATT: -- the second floor--

MARISHA: Do you?

SAM: Yeah.

MATT: -- the first floor, and back out to the courtyard, where you see Ratanish is there waiting, talking with a few people, arranging more of the shipment being moved onto this mammoth crawler. There's panning on ladders. There's a ladder up to the first platform of the massive mammoth-crawler. They're doing a fireman's line, bringing some of these crates up, and some of them are too heavy. They're bringing something up. In glancing over, there's-- A lot of them just seem standard and heavy as fuck, even the ones, the smaller ones, they're like (groans) and handing it over to the next individual. To get it up, it's two people to carry up and two people to carry it halfway up the ladder, and then lift it up enough to get to the first tier of the mammoth-crawler, where two more help bring it on.

LAURA: Damn.

ASHLEY: Maybe they need help loading the boxes.

TALIESIN: I'm going to walk over and grab one because these people are embarrassing.

MATT: Okay, cool. It's heavy.

TALIESIN: I'm pretty fucking strong, so--

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MATT: It's true. It's true. So you start helping loading.

TALIESIN: Yeah, just a little bit.

MATT: Ratanish is like, "I appreciate that you are taking initiative."

TALIESIN: There's a dust storm coming. For god sakes, you don't want to be the fuck out here.

ASHLEY: Oh, let me-- I'll help.

MATT: "This is true. I will say, initiative is rewarded in situations of defense of the Paragon's Call. Initiative is considered extremely bad if you are taking things you are not given orders to do."

TALIESIN: Ah, that's fair. I was just bored, okay.

MATT: "I order you to help with the loading of this, please."

TALIESIN: Oh, thank you. Done.

MATT: "We need more people. See, there is a process to this. You wait for the orders, then you do them. When it comes to cutting throats that do not wear the capes, please take your initiative if you feel it is necessary. If it is not necessary, then we just disavow any knowledge of you and toss you to the dogs."

TALIESIN: I forget that I actually had things I liked about this town. This is crazy.

MATT: "But please, whatever can be done to help, please load up quickly, especially before this storm hits." He pulls up a cloth and puts it over his face a bit.

LAURA: How long do these storms normally last?

TALIESIN: (laughs)

MATT: "It can depend. Sometimes a few hours, sometimes days. Hoping for a few hours."

LAURA: Hm.

TALIESIN: They're real pretty.

LAURA: You hear in your head, Chet: This storm would be a real nice cover if we're trying to sneak someone out.

MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Mm-hmm.

MARISHA: I'm hoping for days.

SAM: Unless they take Treshi with them.

MARISHA: Yeah, I know. That's the problem.

SAM: He could be the package.

MATT: So you jump in and start helping them move stuff?

ASHLEY: Yes.

TRAVIS: Yeah, I climb up, too.

LAURA: I mean, I'm weak as fuck. What am I going to do?

TALIESIN: Yeah. No, you can--

TRAVIS: I'm strong. Shit, I'm with you. Throw me a box.

TALIESIN: Yeah. Our magic people don't have to.

SAM: I'm made to kill--

LIAM: Lift with the legs.

SAM: -- not lift.

TRAVIS: Listen to your inner voice.

ASHLEY: Are there any boxes that are easy to look inside?

MATT: There are a number that are not fully closed or some that don't have a lid, necessarily. You see all manner of masonry materials. There are stone bricks.

MARISHA: Masonry.

MATT: There are cases marked mortar. There are tools. It looks like there's a lot of construction materials.

TALIESIN: All right.

MARISHA: Construction materials.

LAURA: Y'all building something?

MATT: Nobody answers. You can see, there's a lot of people who are sweating. They've been doing this for a while. It's hard, back breaking work, and the new kids come up, and especially the casters are barely helping. As soon as you ask that question, someone just glances at you, "(sighs)" and just gets back to work.

TALIESIN: Questions are the easiest way to get a deafening silence in this kind of work.

LAURA: Why?

MARISHA: (laughs)

SAM: That was a question! (laughter)

MATT: There is... It catches your eye as you're having this conversation. You lean down and pick up a crate, or go to grab it, and you look down, and the size, the shape, the width, the length, the concert of this crate--

TALIESIN: Oh no.

MATT: Looks exactly like the one that you came across at Hexum's.

LAURA: (gasps)

TALIESIN: Shit. Fuck.

LAURA: (sinisterly) ♪ Do, do, do, do, do ♪

LIAM: Oh.

TALIESIN: Does it have a label on it?

MATT: It is. Actually, make a perception check.

TALIESIN: Oh fuck.

MATT: You see there's some elements on it.

TALIESIN: 10.

MATT: 10, okay.

SAM: Did we see this package before?

MATT: You glance down at it.

MARISHA: We didn't see it.

MATT: You can see there is a well-worn name that is essentially ink-stamped onto part of the wood.

TALIESIN: Hm.

MATT: It reads, Treshi.

TRAVIS: He's a vampire.

TALIESIN: Okay.

ASHLEY: Is it open?

MATT: No, it's closed.

MARISHA: Yeah, got to move the coffin.

TALIESIN: How heavy does it feel as I'm moving it?

MATT: It's not very heavy. As you move it, you feel things inside it that are clinking. There's a faint sound of almost like glassware.

TALIESIN: All right, I load it. I pay attention to where I load it on the cart. Are there others like it, or is that just the one?

MATT: You see maybe three others of the exact same size--

TALIESIN: Okay.

MATT: -- and make. Maybe three feet across, about a foot wide, and about a foot deep or so. You go over. There is... Most of them are masonry and construction materials. You see a handful of those crates, and there are two small, black super lockboxes, reinforced chests that are in the tail end of this, sitting in the middle of this whole scenario.

TALIESIN: Are they heavy, or are they...

MATT: You haven't gotten to them yet.

TALIESIN: Oh, okay.

MATT: Everything is being moved away from around it. So you have to move the rest of the boxes. People grab-- Someone else grabs another one of the Treshi-marked crates and starts moving it over and setting it over to you to pass up the front there.

LIAM: The black lockbox is also marked with the Treshi stuff, or--?

MATT: Make a perception check.

LIAM: That's a two.

LAURA: (laughs)

LIAM: Plus something.

MATT: (laughs)

LIAM: Yeah, that's a two.

MATT: Don't you have advantage on perception?

LIAM: Oh, you're right.

MATT: Because of your shield? It's been a while. It's been a whole week.

ALL: ♪ It's been a while ♪

LIAM: But it's still pretty crap. That's a 12.

MATT: 12, okay.

LAURA: Not as bad as a two.

MATT: So yeah, the black crates do not have a Treshi name on them that you can see, at least from where they're sitting over there in that space.

SAM: What are the AC of the crates? (laughter) (laughter)

MATT: Pretty high. (laughs)

LIAM: Makes me want to do it harder. (laughter)

TRAVIS: How fully packed are the crates? Is there some space in there, or packed to the gills?

MATT: The ones with construction materials are packed pretty well, but there's some small gaps in there, like a foot here and there.

TRAVIS: All with lids or tops off?

MATT: It varies. Some are closed, some are not. It looks like some of it was what was just amassed and found. Some of it--

SAM: It's just a crate.

MARISHA: (laughs) MATT -- was shifted, shipped and brought along with some semblance of, well, this is just stone work and mortar. No one's going to try and steal this from these people.

TRAVIS: Right.

MATT: So there wasn't a lot of care put into that. But the other Treshi-marked crates and the more lockbox ones are being watched. As you're grabbing them, there is definitely-- At first, you're like, this has been nice. They didn't seem like they were paying too much attention, although there always was someone around. Now that you're here in the middle doing this, you begin to realize that--

TALIESIN: Everybody.

MATT: Everyone is watching you. They're using this as a gauging mechanism.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MARISHA: I can't lift crates because it'll rip my arm off at the shoulder.

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: So I touch them and pretend to help and then I want to look back up at the fortress and see do I see anybody peeking through windows, any sign of Treshi?

MATT: Make a perception check.

MARISHA: Basically just want to see where's Treshi.

TRAVIS: Boom!

MARISHA: Mm, that's not too bad! 17.

MATT: 17? You do not see anybody that resembles Treshi from what you can tell. You can see there are the bodies on the roof of the, you know, the very, very top of the fortress that are patrolling, looking downward, just keeping an eye on what you're doing and looking just past the walls beyond.

MARISHA: That third floor, are there windows?

MATT: There are no windows. There are arrow slits and the occasional reinforced balcony that is defensible.

MARISHA: Arrow slits and balconies. Right, right, the balconies.

MATT: Which are open. They're not enclosed with glass or anything, but they have these heavily reinforced stone walls, almost like crenelated sides where they're high enough to defend anybody who is being shot at by any sort of ranged weaponry, but they can still fire through pretty easily.

MARISHA: And they're open up top?

MATT: They are, yes.

MARISHA: Doors on the other side, I guess? Just regular doors?

MATT: Mm-hmm.

MARISHA: Getting into the-- Okay.

LAURA: I'm going to go over and try to see if I can move a crate or something and help out.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: But at the same time I do that, I'm going to use telekinesis to try to push the lid on one of the Treshi crates and see if it will move at all.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Nothing that I'm--

TRAVIS: It's so hard not to go invisible and pick locks.

LAURA: Nothing that I'm looking at, nothing that I'm touching--

MARISHA: I almost thought about it.

LAURA: -- or anything, I'm just going to try to do it with the mind.

MATT: It shifts ever so slightly, but as it does, you hear and feel resistance and the slight flick of what you didn't notice was a lock on the box.

LAURA: Okay.

SAM: (whispers) It's locked?

TALIESIN: I guess we--

MATT: That is the last one of the Treshi crates being lifted as you're helping carry it over to the base of the ladder that leads up to the crawler, which hands it off to you and one of the other figures grabs it.

TALIESIN: This is just one cart?

SAM: You could just throw something in.

TALIESIN: They're not loading multiple carts? There's just one cart that everything's being put onto or is it a couple carts?

MATT: You don't see any carts anymore. These were offloaded.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: Then, they may have been here for a short time and then now they're being loaded up onto this crawler.

TALIESIN: Yeah, this crawler. Okay.

MARISHA: Scry on that ring again.

LAURA: This is the last one and we're carrying it. I'm helping him. I'm helping out somebody else carry-- obviously, I can't--

MATT: Yeah, somebody else is helping you carry it. It's like giving you that look of, "You're not even trying."

LIAM: Oh.

LAURA: I'm trying, I'm trying. Then, as we're walking towards the ladder, I'm going to trip.

MATT: Okay! (laughs)

MARISHA: (whispers) Sneak back into the room.

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

MATT: So you're trying to trip and push?

TRAVIS: Imogen's going to get fired in the first hour.

LAURA: I just want the crate to fall.

MATT: I know, I understand.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Go ahead and make a strength check.

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

LAURA: No. Five.

MATT: Five, okay. So you trip and try and make it fall. The person holding goes like, "Whoa!" And catches the other side and slams into the ground and cracks. But nothing more than that.

LAURA: I'm so sorry.

MATT: You do hear a heavy clattering of some heavy glass. Nothing that sounds like shattering, but definitely like (clatters).

LAURA: I'm sorry, I'm just-- I was just trying to--

MATT: "Just don't even, don't touch it. I got it."

LAURA: It's not, okay.

MATT: "(groans)"

LIAM: Any reactions stand out above from all the people looking down on us in that moment?

MATT: You can see everyone lean forward and the general sense of tension the courtyard now is definitely elevated.

LAURA: I will not help anymore. I'm sorry about that. I was just trying to...

MATT: He picks it up and brings it over and hands it to you and the other individuals helping you carry that. You lift it and set it up on the cart. So all of those are now loaded. Now, it comes back to the two lockboxes and the handful of other masonry crates that are going to be handed beyond that, too. Is-- nobody's volunteering for the lockboxes?

ASHLEY: I am.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Go girl.

MATT: So you go over and these, as you walk up-- it's like a black metal that even the layer of dust on it, you can see beneath, it's really, really well made. It looks reinforced and there is a heavy lock on the front. There are two handles on the sides that are bolted in and as you go to reach one, one of the other, unless anybody else comes up here, another person moves over to grab the other handle.

TRAVIS: I'll help!

ASHLEY: Thank you.

TRAVIS: No problem.

MATT: Okay, you both lift it up. It's--

MARISHA: Yeah!

MATT: -- lighter than you expected.

TRAVIS: Oh.

MATT: The box itself has a good heft to it, but whatever the contents are, it isn't filled with rocks or metal ingots. It's not too bad.

ASHLEY: Just walking it to the crawler.

TRAVIS: Yep.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: Just walking it over.

MATT: Walk it over to the bottom where--

TALIESIN: I grab it, I pick it up, I assume, by myself.

MATT: It's pretty light. The person next to you goes and reaches the other handle and is like--

TALIESIN: I-- here, I'll just get the other one.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: We want one--

TALIESIN: What kind of lock's on it? What kind of-- what's the-- does it?

TRAVIS: Don't do it.

TALIESIN: Is it just--

TRAVIS: Don't do it.

TALIESIN: -- a standard closed lockbox or?

MATT: There is a fairly well-made latch on it. It's not, you know, masterwork make by any means, but it definitely isn't a easy general store bought--

TALIESIN: Okay.

MATT: -- you know, padlock or anything.

TALIESIN: I'll make sure to set it down in a direction where it-- I'm going to try and scoot it in in a way where that lock could be accessible.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: If it were. Just, you know, don't stick it to the--

MATT: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Is there another one or was that it?

MATT: There's one more. There was two of those.

ASHLEY: Can I have your help again?

TRAVIS: Of course.

ASHLEY: Thank you. I'm going to look at the box and see if there's any-- Anything written on the box.

MATT: Most of the crew that was--

ASHLEY: On the lock.

MATT: Most of the crew that was doing the hard work before has now backed off and they're letting you do the majority of it, partially because they're exhausted and they're letting this be a trial run of the new crew just doing manual labor without fucking it up.

TALIESIN: Lazy fuckers. (laughs) So what are you looking for specifically?

ASHLEY: How big is the box?

MATT: Oh, it's about a foot and a half by a foot and a half. It's like a cube almost with a slight rounded edges on the top and it's a very well-made metal chest.

ASHLEY: Okay, I look for markings on the lock around it and see if there's anything on there.

TRAVIS: Since we're in the cargo area, can I give it like a (sniffs), just to see if there's any sort of unusual scent fey, fiend or undead?

MATT: Yes, you may. Roll for that smell to the air. You are searching for-- you said markings around?

ASHLEY: Markings, the lock and the names.

MATT: Okay. Make a perception check for me.

TRAVIS: 18.

MATT: 18.

ASHLEY: 21.

MATT: 21, okay. 18, you smell in the air and there's definitely the sense of fey from Fearne. Nothing undead or fiendish or additionally fey that catches your immediate attention. No markings around the lock, but at the very, very top of the box, there is a symbol that is faintly engraved on the top of it. It's like three elongated diamonds that all conjoin in the center, almost like a-- There's two points here, a third point with like almost curling underneath of multiple small spines. Almost like two hands holding it at the bottom and they're thin and long.

LAURA: Soltryce Academy?

MARISHA: Yeah.

ASHLEY: (whispers) Chetney.

TRAVIS: Hmm?

ASHLEY: (whisper) Do you see what's at the top of the box?

TRAVIS: Can I see what's on the top of the box?

ASHLEY: Yes.

TRAVIS: Can I see what's on the top of the box?

MATT: You can see it as you're carrying the box over. You're welcome to make a history check, if either of you want to.

TRAVIS: I've only been around for fucking ever, y'all.

SAM: You're a youngster.

TRAVIS: That's true.

TALIESIN: Two.

TRAVIS: Oh! Dirty 20.

ASHLEY: I rolled a one.

TRAVIS: 18 plus two.

MATT: This technically you wouldn't have an advantage on because this is not pertaining to the certain creatures you hunt.

TRAVIS: Fey, fiend, or undead. Nothing.

MATT: Aww.

TRAVIS: 14.

MATT: 14?

SAM: Forgettable.

ASHLEY: A one.

MATT: A one? (laughs) Yeah. You see the symbol. You don't recognize it or acknowledge what that means.

TRAVIS: (whispers) It's probably like a flower.

LAURA: I have a question.

MATT: Yes?

LAURA: The person loading the crates and the chests up on top of the crawler, prowler, what is it?

MATT: Yeah. The mammoth-crawler.

LAURA: Is it just one person stacking things up on top?

MATT: There are two figures up there that are accepting, they're accepting the larger, heavier crates. There was a, especially with the heavy masonry materials, there's the chain for that purpose. You guys got there just in time for most of the heavy shit to be done and now you're coming over and picking up the lighter shit and there's a little bit of an air, of course, amongst the people who have been here for as much time as it took to get the rest loaded up there and from what you can glance when you were approaching it, too, there's a lot of masonry. There's a lot of construction materials that had already been loaded up there.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: But--

LAURA: Where was the first black chest placed?

MATT: It was placed a little further in, meant to be-- There was almost a gap left centrally amongst the rest of the-- Most of it was arranged almost like a C formation and for the more fragile materials, those have been set, it looks like, towards the center of that grouping.

MATT: So there we go.

TRAVIS: Don't do it. Don't, don't-- The twinkle in your eye.

ASHLEY: I'm just going to put it in.

ASHLEY: I'm not. That's always there.

ASHLEY: I'm going to put it down.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Are we handing the box up now or?

MATT: You put it down.

ASHLEY: Or, well, I guess I might pass it off to Ashton.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: Up to you. What are you doing?

ASHLEY: Should I try to put it in my skirt?

TALIESIN: No, we're--

TRAVIS: What the fuck?

TALIESIN: No, nope, just nope.

LAURA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Hand it up to Ashton. Hand it up.

LAURA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: We're being watched!

TALIESIN: What an interesting way, what's an interesting way to get killed. What a fun way, yes.

ASHLEY: Oh, okay.

MATT: They lift up the second lockbox and place it upon there.

LIAM: We are on stage at The Globe Theatre. (laughter)

LIAM: Where anyone will see.

ASHLEY: No one will see.

LAURA: Everybody looking.

MATT: With that, there are about five more crates of construction materials that, one after the next, and you're starting to really break a sweat here in the heat of the work, for those of you who are putting the work in. You do manage finishing loading the mammoth-crawler, at which point, they set it up there. They take a large woven net and lay it over the boxes and they bolt it down. You can see all these hooks on the edges of the mammoth-crawler to keep it grounded and keep it locked in for the coming sandstorm.

MARISHA: Yeah, do we see the storm on the horizon coming?

MATT: At this point now, the sky is starting to darken a bit and the wind's picking up that (whooshes) and folks are starting to glance around at the leadership. At this point, as the final elements are situated, Ratanish approaches. "Very good for your first orders. Well done. Now, no further orders beside sit tight, stay in your chambers, maybe get some food in a bit when it is prepared in the mess hall, and wait out this storm. Well done."

LAURA: When is everyone leaving again?

MATT: "Tomorrow. It's when you will be given your next round of orders to keep watch."

LAURA: I'm sorry, I just didn't know as soon as we were taking over guard and just seems like a--

MATT: "You'll be notified."

LAURA: All right.

MATT: "So, welcome to Paragon's Call. First day, not so bad."

TRAVIS: Do you have any hats, like matching hats? I just feel like the blue clashes with the yellow and I just want to rep. Call.

MATT: "We do not have any hats."

TRAVIS: I'll make same.

LAURA: Blue does not clash with yellow, look at FCG.

ASHLEY: I think it looks great.

LAURA: Blue and yellow go together so well.

TRAVIS: Excuse me, excuse me.

SAM: What about the blue? I thought we were wearing yellow cloaks?

TRAVIS: Just worry about yourself. Okay?

TALIESIN: I swear, they're really good at what they do.

ASHLEY: All blue and yellow.

TRAVIS: Purple and yellow is a whole other thing.

TALIESIN: They're really-- (laughter)

MATT: "I happen to think blue and yellow works very well."

TRAVIS: They don't.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: "But no hats. You are welcome to make a hat, if you want to wear one, but we have no uniform hats. It is not part of the uniform."

TRAVIS: I'll make one and then you tell me if you want any duplicates I just need a little advanced notice. I'm very backed up in orders these days.

MATT: "Very well, and I will say, you know, personal hobbies are encouraged here at Paragon's Call."

TRAVIS: Fucking sweet.

MATT: "You were not intended to be waiting alone staring at the wall when you're in between orders."

SAM: Do you have any hobbies?

MATT: "I do."

SAM: Detect Thoughts. (laughter)

MATT: All right.

TALIESIN: I love you. (laughter)

TALIESIN: I love you so much.

MATT: You immediately get a wave of imagery, just surface imagery, curling through his mind. You see what looks to be the... very small tools, meticulously adding filigree--

TALIESIN: Oh yes!

MATT: -- to a piece of jewelry. You see the bending of metals and these little curls.

LAURA: Oh, he makes little curly jewelry!

MARISHA: He wraps jewels, yeah!

MATT: Setting little stone in there. As you get this image, he looks at you and he goes, "None of your business."

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: Understood.

MATT: "Well, it is time to make haste with the interior before things get too bad. Go."

TRAVIS: We'll see you inside.

LIAM: (Ratanish) "My Etsy store is called, Ratan hyphen ish (Ratan-ish)." (laughter)

TRAVIS: Etsy store!

LAURA: Ratan-ish!

MATT: "I have discount if you buy in bulk." (laughter)

MATT: At this point, it looks like a number of the perimeter guards do not get to leave but they are now, heavy goggles, face wrapped in a very thick cloth and they are still just walking the perimeter but keeping low and as you all begin to step into the interior, you just, the first wave of dust begins to really darken the sky above as it hits. As you step in, the doors close (booms) behind you and you begin to hear just the (whooshes) sound of dust and sand hitting and scraping across the exterior of the fortress giving this faint echoing sound, like a very distant crackle. At which point, all the different members of the Call begin to scatter amongst the interior of the fortress and you get the sense that you're left to your devices at the moment. Never alone, because there's many people within the fortress, but. You get the sense that there isn't an immediate sense of worry because anywhere you go, you'll likely find somebody.

LIAM: We're in a big donut, right? Like a courtyard where we can see higher levels around us?

LAURA: Not in the courtyard anymore.

MATT: You've entered the fortress.

LIAM: But, when we were loading, we were?

MATT: When you were loading, you were in the court.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: Yes. Which mostly surrounds. The fortress doesn't sit right in the center. It's a little off-center.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: But, the courtyard does surround the fortress with the wall that's like a large pentagon.

LIAM: Okay.

TALIESIN: We can head to our--

MARISHA: Let's go back to our quarters and talk.

TALIESIN: Let's head to our quarters, catch up.

MATT: All right. You head back there and you can see two additional cots have been added. There are now cots for all of you to stay. The floor is very cluttered now. There's maybe a good foot and a half of space between each cot and-- Yeah, I mean, it's not great, but it's better than having beds, I suppose.

SAM: Sure.

MATT: There are empty shelves. Once again, you have lockboxes at the base of each cot and it's yours.

MARISHA: I reach in and pull out the Treshi scry ball.

LIAM: The scry ball.

MARISHA: Scry ball.

TRAVIS: Should we make sure we're not--

TALIESIN: I was going to say, FCG mind doing a little--

MARISHA: We're in our quarters.

TALIESIN: Do a little--

TRAVIS: Yeah, maybe they bugged it.

SAM: Do a little what?

MARISHA: Well, I'm just looking. I'm not speaking.

SAM: I can't detect magic.

TALIESIN: I thought you had the thing where you could--

SAM: Not everything.

TALIESIN: Oh, you have Identify. You have identify object, never mind.

ASHLEY: Oh, I can.

LAURA: You can Detect Magic?

ASHLEY: Yeah, I can.

LAURA: Oh great!

TALIESIN: Oh, let's do that. That would be amazing.

ASHLEY: I didn't know I could do that.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Jesus. (laughs)

LAURA: Level seven.

MATT: While we're indoors, we'll have this playing just for--

LAURA: Oh shit, how long have I been able to do that?

TALIESIN: That's a toothpick? That's supposed to be a toothpick? Really?

LAURA: I'm just going to walk along the walls and look for any holes and see if I can find--

TALIESIN: That's a really good idea.

ASHLEY: Detect Magic.

LAURA: -- where people could spy.

SAM: She's detecting magic.

TALIESIN: Or if you can hear anybody. Can you hear people's brain if they're paying attention to us?

MATT: So you're detecting magic in your chambers where you're sitting?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: Okay, looking around the room, glancing about, nothing seems to spark a glow of magical essence beyond what you have on yourselves necessarily.

TALIESIN: Nothing in the chest? I guess, under the cots, in the hallways?

TRAVIS: They're probably just fucking with us.

ASHLEY: I don't, I don't--

MATT: You pull out the thing. Yes, so for the item that you have that is tracking--

MARISHA: The ring.

MATT: The ring.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: Did you return the ring?

SAM: We returned the ring to the shop, I think.

MATT: I think you did, yeah.

MARISHA: Yes.

SAM: So we were hoping maybe he--

MARISHA: But unless he went back and got it.

MATT: It seems to be pointing away--

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: -- in the direction of where it was.

SAM: But I have an-- I think I can, because I've seen him, I know him, I could find him here if we--

LAURA: You could?

SAM: Yes.

MARISHA: We have to find him before he leaves. We do know this, right?

LAURA: This storm could be an excellent cover to get him out.

MARISHA: Absolutely. The moment he gets on that crawler.

SAM: He's going to go with him, right?

TALIESIN: Maybe.

LAURA: I mean, we assume.

ASHLEY: If all his stuff is going.

TALIESIN: I don't necessarily know if it's his stuff going. It might be that they're doing a job for him. I don't know. It looks like they're building something.

LIAM: Would one of those things head out in the middle of a sandstorm?

TALIESIN: No.

LAURA: Maybe they're heading out to that camp outside of town that we saw from--

TALIESIN: I wouldn't...

SAM: Wait, we saw?

TALIESIN: They would have to be insane to go out in this weather. That would-- That's--

MARISHA: They'd have to wait.

ASHLEY: Chet and I saw a symbol on top of one of the little lockboxes.

SAM: Draw it.

ASHLEY: Well, it was like this and then it had diamonds all coming together, three of them. I'll draw it.

LAURA: Does that sound familiar to any of us?

MATT: Anybody here trained in history?

LIAM: Yes.

MATT: Proficient in history? Go ahead and roll.

LAURA: No.

MARISHA: Oh.

LIAM: Come on, Rudy. Pretty good, 22.

MARISHA: I'm not.

MATT: 22. Yes, you recognize the symbol she draws. You know this to be the symbol of the Cerberus Assembly.

SAM: It's the Cerberus Assembly.

ASHLEY and LAURA: Cerberus Assembly.

LAURA: That's so interesting.

SAM: Okay.

LIAM: The same bad people.

LAURA: The Soltryce Academy is not the same as the Cerberus?

LIAM and TRAVIS: No.

MATT: No, but they're entwined.

LIAM: No, Trent picked his faves from the Soltryce.

LAURA: Okay.

LIAM: Trent, the Cerberus Assembly.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

TALIESIN: I know nothing.

MATT: One's a university, the other is a cabal of powerful mages.

LAURA: What's the symbol for the Soltryce Academy?

ASHLEY: It's a circle.

LIAM: It's three thin diamonds.

LAURA: It is two diamonds.

MATT: For the Cerberus Assembly, it's the three diamonds and the symbol of the eight Candles there around.

TRAVIS: The Soltryce Academy, the mascot is a wildcat.

MATT: Yeah. (laughter)

MATT: It's a Spartan, actually, which is really weird in Exandria.

LAURA: No, that's the Soltryce Academy.

MATT: It doesn't have a part in this.

TRAVIS: Let's go 'Cats!

TALIESIN: Everyone knows Spartans don't exist.

LIAM: Cerberus is...

MARISHA: I would say if his luggage is getting loaded onto that crawler, we can assume he's probably trying to get the fuck out of town.

TALIESIN: I don't know. I don't necessarily think that's-- That's not luggage on there.

MARISHA: Why would it go without him? Those were very fancy and bolted with locks.

SAM: They're building something similar to what Fearne's parents were building.

MARISHA: I'm just saying it would make more sense if we assume he is leaving because if he leaves, we're fucked.

TRAVIS: But we won't leave until the storm goes up.

TALIESIN: If he leaves, we're not super fucked. But we are definitely--

MARISHA: No, but I'm just saying we've got, what time is it?

MATT: I'd say with all the work you've done, getting to here, it's like mid-afternoon.

LAURA: So we've got the day.

MARISHA: We've got the rest of the day and the evening.

TALIESIN: Or however long this storm takes.

SAM: While he's asleep, we could grab him.

MARISHA: Or however long the storm takes.

TALIESIN: Why would he be asleep right now?

SAM: No, at night.

LAURA: No, when he's asleep.

TALIESIN: Oh, that's fair.

LIAM: That's when we know that--

LAURA: He'll probably be guarded.

MARISHA: If the storm gives us more time in the morning, fantastic, but we can't assume that it will.

TRAVIS: He's probably in the basement, right?

TALIESIN: Or there was a locked room.

MARISHA: Or in those top rooms.

SAM: Can any of us change our appearance?

TRAVIS: Yeah, I can.

MARISHA: You can go invisible. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Did you want another?

SAM: No, I'm good.

TALIESIN: I think a smash and grab inside the building is a terrible idea. I think that if we're going to do this, we're going to have to have a way out.

TRAVIS: Cantrip.

LAURA: If we grab him and we put him in the thing, no one will know we have him and and we go.

MATT: That's Mask of Many Faces right there.

TALIESIN: Put him in what? Oh, in that thing.

LAURA: In the hole.

MARISHA: In the hole. It's just about finding him and--

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: -- getting him out.

SAM: But they won't leave without him in the morning.

TALIESIN: It's a big assumption that he's going with them, but yeah.

MARISHA: But it's safer to assume that he is because if he's not, then cool, we can just snatch him when everyone else is gone.

TRAVIS: If he's not already gone.

LAURA: Oh no.

TRAVIS: We don't know if he's here.

SAM: We can find out. Maybe.

MARISHA: You said you can detect people.

SAM: I can know where he is right now. So when the party's getting ready to leave, I can detect if he's with them I guess, but by then, it's too late.

LAURA: Why don't you just look for him now, then?

MARISHA: Yes.

SAM: I could. I could find him in the place right now, but what are we going to do with him?

LAURA: We'll just go get him right now. Stick him in the hole.

SAM: But then when they go to look for him, they'll be like "Where is he? Lock the hatches! Batten down the gates."

LAURA: Well, when we get him, we leave.

ASHLEY: We don't have to stay here.

LAURA: We just get him and leave.

MARISHA: There's nothing keeping us here.

TALIESIN: Other than walls, guards.

MARISHA: Even if you just find out where he is now, we at least know if he's up or down.

SAM: We just agreed to do this job. We're just going to quit without two weeks' notice? (laughter)

SAM: That's not right.

TRAVIS: FCG.

TALIESIN: FGC makes an excellent point.

TRAVIS: You can ignore your HR protocols. (laughter)

SAM: How are they going to have time to find a replacement for us and train them?

MARISHA: We're in the state of California. They're very forgiving with the laws.

SAM: Is Bassuras a right to work city? (laughter)

TALIESIN: Yes, actually.

LIAM: So side note, we know that... Otohan, we don't know. We think that Otohan has had dealings with Cerberus Assembly members, so a small chance one is here today?

SAM: Also, if we--

LIAM: Is Da'leth?

SAM: Sorry, Fearne, you were going to say something.

ASHLEY: No, I wasn't going to say anything. I was not actually.

SAM: Were you going to say to, "Doot doot doot?"

ASHLEY: Yep.

MARISHA: Doot doot doot.

LIAM: What if here's here?

SAM: Here. Uh... Our mission was to come-- (whispers) Our mission was to come grab Treshi and get out of here.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: But don't you feel like our mission has changed a bit now? There's some grand conspiracy going on that involves gods and the moon and something being built in the desert. If we nab this guy and leave, we don't track any of that. We don't get to see what they're building in the desert. We don't even get to see what the moon is doing. We don't get to go to Yios. We don't get to do any of that! We just go back home with a guy.

LAURA: No, we go back home and get an airship.

MARISHA: Correct.

SAM: And then what?

LAURA: Then we go wherever we need to.

MARISHA: We can also just toss his ass on the airship and then we can take the crawler to Yios.

SAM: I'm just saying if we follow these people, we might learn more than if we just abandon them.

TALIESIN: Mm.

ASHLEY: Ooh.

TALIESIN: Mm. Oh, I like that.

ASHLEY: I say we listen to the--

TALIESIN: That way

ASHLEY: -- killer assassin over here.

TALIESIN: If he's on the cart, then we're safe. When he's not on the cart, we're also safe. That covers all the tracks.

MARISHA: Stowaway onto the crawler?

SAM: Seven people on a cart, they'll never see us.

LAURA: Yeah, what?

TALIESIN: Question, is there a way that we can-- is there something we can do to the cart to actually know where it's going and when, if there's a way that we can track it?

SAM: We could go get that ring.

LIAM: Go back and get that ring. Put it on the cart.

MARISHA: Correct, and put it on the cart.

SAM: Throw it on the cart. Or wait, do we have sending stones? We only have one.

TALIESIN: We could use the sending stones.

LIAM: We only have one.

SAM: Or Imogen could hide on the cart. You can communicate with us wherever you are.

LAURA: Right, I just hide on it and just send y'all messages.

MARISHA: Hard no.

SAM: Okay.

TRAVIS: Oh.

SAM: Well, I could do it.

TRAVIS: For step one--

MARISHA: No! We're not going to send anybody alone.

TRAVIS: -- locate Treshi. Step two, go get the ring, because that covers all of the things that we're considering, right?

LAURA: We don't already have it. We didn't buy it.

TRAVIS: From the fucking shop.

LAURA: You left it at the fucking shop?

MARISHA: Because remember, everyone was like (whines) "What if he goes back and gets it?"

TRAVIS: But we can come and go out of the fort, plus there's a fucking storm coming. We'll be back there and back in no time.

MARISHA: Yeah, I agree.

LAURA: All right.

TALIESIN: That storm is more than you think it's going to be.

LAURA: Who's going to get that ring?

TRAVIS: Please, I've seen the storm.

SAM: Someone fast and furious.

ASHLEY: I could go.

SAM: You're neither of those things.

TALIESIN: I'm furious, but I'm not that fast. (laughter)

ASHLEY: I make three stops on the way, "What's this?"

TRAVIS: Should we locate Treshi?

MARISHA: Yes, let's do that first.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SAM: While I'm doing that--

TRAVIS: Yep?

SAM: -- I'm going to take out my pack.

TRAVIS: (screams)

SAM: Don't worry. I'll move slowly. Take out-- I've got a glass eye. I don't remember where from.

LIAM: Some kill.

SAM: I got some copper wire. I know this is a big ask because it doesn't involve wood. Can you fashion this into to some sort of a bauble or trinket or piece of jewelry that looks homemade? Like a brooch?

MARISHA: Ratanish can.

TRAVIS: Are you asking me to work with metal? (laughter)

SAM: I am. Broach? Brewch?

TRAVIS: Give it here.

LIAM: Broach.

TALIESIN: Broach.

SAM: Brewch, what's the difference?

TALIESIN and LIAM: Brewch isn't a word.

LAURA: Brewch is a poorly said brooch.

SAM: I've heard people say brewch.

TALIESIN: They were wrong.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Well, you also lived in an ancient time.

MARISHA: Exactly. Who knows--

LAURA: They might have said "brewch" back thousands of years ago.

MARISHA: That's the root word. It's the etymology.

TRAVIS: You want the eye to be wrapped in the little piece of metal?

SAM: Yeah, like some sort of pin or something.

ASHLEY: Like a brooch.

LAURA: Why do you need a brooch?

TRAVIS: (shouts) Give me the metal.

SAM: I got some insight into our main contact here.

TRAVIS: I tear a little strip off of my yellow cloak.

MARISHA: Oh, you want to give it as a gift to Ratanish?

SAM: Maybe I'll--

TRAVIS: I take the strip and I wrap it around my eyes like a blindfold.

LAURA: Or he'll see that you're entranced by it.

SAM: Or he'll see that Chetney is working on it and he'll be like, "Oh, you have an interest in metalwork as well?" Then they can bond and become best friends and we could get more information.

LAURA: I see, I see, I see.

SAM: Sorry.

MARISHA: How is he doing blindfolded?

MATT: Let's roll. Can you make a dexterity check for me?

SAM: Guidance!

MATT: With disadvantage because you're blindfolded.

SAM: With Guidance.

MARISHA: Oh.

TRAVIS: Ooh.

MARISHA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Nine.

LAURA: Ooh.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: So you put it together and it definitely resembles, I guess you can call it a brooch.

SAM: Or a brewch.

MATT: This is more like a brewch. Let's be honest. With a nine, this is definitely a brewch.

LIAM: It's a weight glass thing.

MATT: It looks almost like a corkscrew more than, to actually apply it to something, you'd have to push it into a thick enough material that'll grasp into it but you might hurt yourself in the process. But it's a piece of jewelry.

TRAVIS: I hand it back over and take off the blindfold. This never happened. (laughter)

ASHLEY: I actually love it.

TRAVIS: (sighs) Never happened.

SAM: You can have it.

TALIESIN: It certainly hasn't happened yet.

SAM: But if that man comes around, just act like you just made it.

ASHLEY: Well, I can say that Chetney makes jewelry.

TRAVIS: I don't fucking make jewelry!

SAM: Yeah, but you'll lie--

ASHLEY: Listen to me, Chet. This is not a bad thing. You're allowed to expand your creativity.

TRAVIS: I don't know if there's a big market for wooden jewelry.

ASHLEY: I'd wear it.

LAURA: Yeah, wooden beads.

SAM: Would it--

LAURA: It could be beautiful.

SAM: -- turn you on a little?

ASHLEY: I'm going to put my brooch, where should I put the brooch to be full display?

TRAVIS: (forcefully) I didn't make that!

LAURA: Right on your bosom.

TALIESIN: And yet we watched you make it.

LAURA: Yeah, put it where your flower is right here so it catches the cleaves.

ASHLEY: Okay. All right, I'm going to put it right here. It's beautiful.

TALIESIN: I mean, it's adequate. He did his best. He did his best.

TRAVIS: I did nothing. I did nothing!

ASHLEY: It's pretty good for not having worked with metal before.

TALIESIN: Well, I mean his best could only be that good because everyone's got their limits and--

ASHLEY: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Clearly Chetney has limits.

SAM: If I locate this person, I've only got an hour.

LAURA: All right.

TALIESIN: Don't get mad. It's nice, it's very nice.

MARISHA: We can at least know which way-- Up or down? That's all I care about right now.

LAURA: And if he's not close at all.

SAM: Are we allowed to leave the room?

LAURA and MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

ASHLEY: We can go wherever we want except the basement.

LIAM: Just not go to the convenient spots.

SAM: I'm going to try to find him. We ready?

TRAVIS: Yeah!

MATT: What are you casting?

SAM: Locate Creature.

MATT: Locate Creature, okay.

TALIESIN: ♪ (hums "Spanish Flea" by Herb Alpert) ♪

LIAM: The head of one of the wealthiest Mahaan houses.

MATT: You finish concentrating on this spell for a moment and as you open your eyes once more, you see the lens eyes of FCG glowing this faint white coloration and as you envision the individual of Armand Treshi, you sense a strong pull in a downward direction.

LAURA: He's in the fucking basement.

MATT: Almost directly beneath you.

SAM: Oh. Directly. What's the floor made out of?

MATT: Stone.

MARISHA: That's harder.

SAM: If only I had chosen a different spell, I could--

LAURA: Stone Shape?

TRAVIS: Below us?

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: That would've been great.

TRAVIS: I'll go check it out.

SAM: Wait, how? Invisibility?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MARISHA: Do it.

SAM: All right, take the jewel thing just in case you get stopped.

TRAVIS: What am I going to do with that?

SAM: You're going to charm the minotaur man.

LAURA: Wait. I'm going to make a connection with you right now.

TALIESIN: I'm just letting this happen at this point.

LIAM: Wait, the jewelry's not the minotaur man.

TALIESIN: No.

LIAM: Ratanish.

SAM: Oh, that was Ratanish?

MATT: Yeah, that was Ratanish, yeah.

LAURA: If you find him and you can get to him.

SAM: Looked like minotaur to me in my mind space.

LAURA: Give him the hole just in case he can get him.

ASHLEY: You want the hole? (laughter)

TRAVIS: Say it again, but slower. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Here you go.

TALIESIN: This whole game.

ASHLEY: Don't lose it.

TRAVIS: Okay. I tuck it in my harness.

LAURA: Just let us know if you see him. Just tell me in my head if you spot him and you have access to him.

TRAVIS: We're connected?

TALIESIN: What are we going to do--

LAURA: We're connected.

TRAVIS: Balls.

LAURA: Yes.

TRAVIS: Wang.

TALIESIN: What exactly are we going to do if we see him?

MATT and MARISHA: Bless you.

LAURA: Thank you.

TALIESIN: How do we get out of here?

MARISHA: The dust.

TRAVIS: I'm not going to try. I'm just trying to run a little recon. We don't even know anything about the basement.

MARISHA: Exactly.

LAURA: I'm just saying--

TALIESIN: Okay, recon I'm okay with.

MARISHA: Fearne went through it. Right?

LIAM: Depending on how we got here.

TRAVIS: You went through the basement?

MARISHA: When she was a little quokka.

TRAVIS: You made it to the basement or on the ground floor?

ASHLEY: I did.

LAURA: You made it to the basement? No.

MATT: You didn't make it to the basement.

MARISHA: She doesn't know anything.

ASHLEY: I don't think I did. (laughter)

ASHLEY: I don't think-- It all looked the same.

TRAVIS: We don't even know where the entrance to the basement is, right?

ASHLEY: No.

TRAVIS: When we went upstairs, were there stairs going down?

MATT: No, there was a hall to the left.

TRAVIS: I'll try there.

ASHLEY: So you're just going to take the portable hole.

LAURA: Just in case.

TRAVIS: Know what I'm going to do? I'm going to go Invisible. (laughter)

LIAM: Chetney, before you go, if you get him, get him in the hole, come back and put us in the hole and then go out.

MARISHA: I'll be right back. Anyone want to come with me?

SAM and TALIESIN: Where are you going?

MARISHA: Ashton, Orym?

SAM: To poop?

LAURA: What?

MARISHA: I'm going to go get that fucking ring.

SAM: Oh god, you're leaving?

TALIESIN: There's no way to get it. They're not going to let you out of the--

TRAVIS: They said we can come and go.

MARISHA: Yeah, we can come and go.

TALIESIN: In the middle of this shit?

MARISHA: I'm going, if anyone wants to come.

TALIESIN: Oh, I'm coming. Do you have goggles and a mask? Hold on.

MARISHA: Sure, my eyes have a weird glassy layer on top of them. It's fine.

TRAVIS: Whatever you do, protect your lungs. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

LAURA: Be safe.

MARISHA: I will. I'll be right back. I promise.

ASHLEY: You better be.

TALIESIN: Yeah, you need an accompany. I'm coming with you. Fuck it.

MARISHA: All right.

LIAM: A local, good luck.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: I want that fucking ring back. I've got this cool orb and I want that fucking ring.

ASHLEY: We need it.

MARISHA: I'm going for that ring with Ashton. Yeah, you're coming with me?

TALIESIN: I'm coming with you.

MARISHA: All right.

MATT: Okay. So you come to the front gates--

TALIESIN: Shit.

MATT: -- and there are two members of the Call that are there keeping watch, sitting. As you approach, he's like "Okay, if that's what you want to do," and they pull the gates open and immediately (wind blasts). It is just blustering, darkened sandstorm.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: You push outward into it and your eyes are stinging and even just trying to go through, you can just vaguely make out the shape of the wall around you. It's middle of the day but the shadows that are being cast in the density of this dust storm, you can just see the darkness of the wall and gauging the shapes of things that were out and about, the mammoth-crawler looks like a looming beast--

LAURA: Cool.

MATT: -- standing two and a half stories tall over there and it takes you a second to gauge it. You push past, holding your eyes tight, go to the main gates and you can see there's nobody there to crank and open them. But you do see on this side, there are two large chain cranks and so you can go ahead and--

TALIESIN: I'm going to go. May we all have a friend this good.

MATT: It's difficult. They're situated in a pulley system where it doesn't take a whole lot of strength to do it in comparison to the size of these gates but it's still difficult anyway, especially with the storm going and you push and the gates open just enough for the two of you to leave. You push out into the street. Looking out here in the street, you can just see the vague shapes of buildings nearby and you can see-- The visibility is dog shit right now.

TALIESIN: I'm going to take out a length of rope and I'm going to hand half of it to you.

MARISHA: I was going to do the exact same thing.

TALIESIN: Do not let go.

MARISHA: All right.

TALIESIN: You have got massive mask and goggles and I've got the hood up and anything I can do to--

LAURA: Now would be a time to break into those chests.

TALIESIN: I should know the easiest way to get to the market or at least a way of finding the next, what direction to walk from where we're at to the next physical object that would identify where we are.

MATT: Yes. I would say make a survival check and you get advantage because this is your home turf.

MARISHA: And I have the orb.

TALIESIN: Oh.

MATT: That's true, you do have the orb.

MARISHA: That can just point me in the direction.

MATT: Yeah.

MARISHA: Where the fucking ring is.

LAURA: No, it doesn't-- Oh it does, it does take you.

MATT: Yeah, it does.

TALIESIN: So we do have a compass.

MATT: So you do. So you don't have to worry about it as much. As you begin to consider that, you pull out the orb and you can see in the dust, there's that faint blue glow as you hold it underneath and you, again, clutching onto both sides of that cloth push on, following this, weaving through streets and alleys until eventually you come to the outside of the--

LIAM: Laudna's going to get exfoliated into dust.

MATT: Yes, that is exactly what's going to happen. Oh wait, there it was.

SAM: The Bank of Renewal?

MATT: My apologies.

SAM: No.

MATT: The Bank of Renewal, yes. So you come to the outside of the bazaar.

MARISHA: What was that guy's name?

MATT: All the shops are shuttered. All of the carts are closed. It is right now a ghost town as everyone has locked in for this storm to pass So you move past the main gates and then you see the shadow of the main entryway arch that you push past. The wind's pushing back, a couple of loose things (clatters) tear past to you, hitting the ground and then disappearing into the storm beyond as you continue to push through, eyes squinted into the middle of the main thoroughfare. Gauging and looking at the orb, you eventually come over to the exterior of the shop where the Hiro family currently holds the ring beyond but the door is closed.

TALIESIN: Bank of Renewal?

MATT: Bank of Renewal.

MARISHA: Doors closed?

MATT: Yes.

MARISHA: Sorry, seeking shelter.

MATT: (locks clicking) (door creaking open) The door opens up and already you see Adon, their eyes closed, is like, "Quick, quick, come in, come in."

TALIESIN: Thank you, thank you.

MARISHA: I'm so sorry. Thank you.

MATT: "(sighs) You are quite crazy to have been out there yourselves."

TALIESIN: Yes.

MARISHA: Well, we got caught out there. We didn't plan for that. Oh, I'm so sorry.

MATT: "It's all right. You're welcome to lay low here as long as you need."

MARISHA: (sighs) Thank you.

LIAM: It's a secret.

MARISHA: Goodness, quite the shop you have here.

MATT: "Yes. Don't take anything."

MARISHA: No, no.

TALIESIN: Where would we go?

MATT: "True."

TALIESIN: If it lets up a little, then we do have to go back and we do have to go back eventually.

MARISHA: I know.

TALIESIN: So if it doesn't let up, we're going to have to go back into it.

MARISHA: Right. Well, let's just see what happens.

MATT: All right. So what do you do while you're in here?

TALIESIN: Look around.

MARISHA: Look around, small talk.

MATT: Okay. Keeping some small talk and glancing around, as you wait for a period of time.

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

TALIESIN: So... How have you been?

LAURA: (laughs)

MARISHA: Oh, you know, good. Good. How have you been? Oh, I have so much dust in my eye.

TALIESIN: Yeah. Yeah, you're real good. You're real good all the time.

MARISHA: I'm great.

TALIESIN: You are.

MARISHA: Oh my god, don't be so judgmental, Ashton.

TALIESIN: Oh, I'm not. You're great, you're kooky. You're a good time. You're kooky. You're fun. Why?

MARISHA: Ooh, look at these weapons. That's fun.

LAURA: Are there weapons in there?

MARISHA: I don't know. I'm making it up as I go.

MATT: Yeah, it's a jewelry shop. (laughter)

MATT: Well, it's more of a--

MARISHA: Look at these decorative weapons.

MATT: Actually, it's a pawn shop. So I would say yes, you do see a handful of weapons that are hanging. A lot of it's more collectibles and jewelry and things that are more--

MARISHA: Where are the shop owners?

MATT: They're sitting on opposite sides of the room in the chair just watching the two of you as you make small talk.

LIAM: So the thing is... Yoink!

LAURA: (laughs)

MARISHA: I'm just glancing over the cases.

TALIESIN: Yeah, no, I spend time-- I've known a lot of kooky people in my time, they're always fun and there's always other shit happening.

MATT: "Looking to make a purchase while you're stuck here?"

TALIESIN: Maybe.

MARISHA: You know, I'm always-- I must say I've got a little bit of impulse control issues and so while I wasn't looking, I'm suddenly looking.

TALIESIN: She has a lot of impulse control issues.

MARISHA: Look at these rings.

TALIESIN: If you want something, just get it.

MARISHA: What? Life is short.

TALIESIN: Life is short. Life is very short.

MARISHA: Why did you have to say that so like, meh, if you want something, get it?

TALIESIN: Because it's right here.

MARISHA: (scoffs)

LIAM: Just got to get a Coke.

MARISHA: Hm.

LAURA: Just grab a Coke.

TALIESIN: Is the ring here, by the way?

MARISHA: Yeah, is it here?

MATT: Make a perception check, both of you.

TALIESIN: Oh no. That always goes well.

MARISHA: 14.

MATT: 14?

TALIESIN: 16.

MATT: 16? You pick out the ring before you do. But yeah, it is still present and set within these little softened leather that has these slits cut into it and placed independently along the way to reveal them but keep them in place.

MARISHA: You know, I'm not really into pawn stuff too much because it's hard to tell its quality. You know what I mean?

TALIESIN: I don't care about quality as long as it looks good. Who cares what it's made out of as long as it does the purpose which it's--

MARISHA: I know, but what if it's from a scorned lover and it's cursed?

TALIESIN: Most of the scorned lovers I've ever met, they had shitty jewelry.

MARISHA: Yeah, that's fair.

TALIESIN: Most of the ones I know didn't have shit. So it doesn't have to be a real ruby or whatever. Huh.

MARISHA: What? What do you see?

TALIESIN: Oh, look at that.

MARISHA: Hmm. I don't know, I kind of like this one, though.

TALIESIN: Yeah, that's nice, too.

MATT: "Would you like any help?"

MARISHA: I don't know, we're just looking.

TALIESIN: I got cash, whatever.

MARISHA: I guess we're stuck here for a bit. I guess we could try on some rings.

SAM: (laughing) Oh my god.

MARISHA: All right, maybe we'll try on some rings. If you don't mind, I don't want to-- you were so gracious to--

TALIESIN: This is going so-- yeah.

MARISHA: -- to open your doors.

MATT: "All right, we can try on some rings. Let me see your fingers. Those are very--"

MARISHA: Dainty.

MATT: Because you're still wrapped up and the second he gets a closer look, he's like "Very cold to the touch."

MARISHA: Oh, sorry, it's--

MATT: "You need me to warm?"

MARISHA: I have poor circulation.

TALIESIN: Extremely poor.

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

MATT: "I do not know if I have anything that might fit you."

LAURA: You have that ring on that I gave you that was from this shop.

MARISHA: That's true.

MATT: Pulls the ring that you pointed out and it is like Treshi's ring, and he goes, "This will not fit your finger, I am so sorry."

MARISHA: Aw. You were the one who looked at it, yes.

TALIESIN: I'm going to put it on whatever finger because this one's all full up with rings.

MATT: It's going to be a thumb for you.

TALIESIN: All right.

MATT: That's made for a dwarven digit.

MARISHA: It looks nice.

TALIESIN: I like it.

MARISHA: It's all right.

TALIESIN: How much?

MATT: "Pure platinum."

MARISHA: Pure platinum?

MATT: "Indeed."

TALIESIN: Really?

MATT: "Very good eye for quality, I'd say."

TALIESIN: It is, I do like it.

MARISHA: How do you know it's pure platinum? How can you confirm that?

MATT: "This is my job. I literally confirm the materials to be sure of what it is made from. There are many methods of looking into it."

TALIESIN: I'll say yeah, I've lived-- This is, yeah. This is a shop with a rep.

MATT: "If you're feeling it's a strong fit, it'd be 350 gold."

TALIESIN: Mm.

MATT: "Once again, pure platinum."

TALIESIN: 350 gold?

MARISHA: I mean, as you said, you deserve something nice. You see something, get it.

TALIESIN: It's been a while.

TRAVIS and MARISHA: (mumbling) ♪ Been a while ♪

TALIESIN: Let's see. I'm looking at the wrong thing.

MARISHA: See and here, I look at him, I thought I was the one with impulse control issues when it comes to impulsive purchases.

TALIESIN: I'm trying to take your example.

MARISHA: Oh.

TALIESIN: Let's say... What is?

MATT: The woman on the other side, by the way, who's sitting, the other member of the Hiro family that's watching this is just very intently watching both of your hands.

MARISHA: Sure. I'm not doing anything shifty.

TALIESIN: No, not at all.

MATT: No. But they have run this business for a long time.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: They're used to keeping watch.

TALIESIN: 300 gold.

MATT: Make a persuasion check.

MARISHA: Come on.

ASHLEY: Come on.

TALIESIN: Where's my persuasion? I should-- Oh no.

MATT: (laughs)

TALIESIN: No. No.

MATT: "I'm sorry. I have to stand firm. I have a business to run."

MARISHA: Look, I owe you anyway because you helped cover me when I got this little guy. So, I'll toss in 50 gold.

TALIESIN: That's fair.

MARISHA: Don't say I've never done anything nice for you.

TALIESIN: Okay, now you've done something nice for me.

MARISHA: Great.

TALIESIN: Fine.

MARISHA: (sneers)

TALIESIN: Yeah. All right.

MARISHA: Let's do it. We're buying it.

MATT: "All right. Fantastic. Making a deal in an unexpected period of time. But I hope you enjoy."

MARISHA: How much money do you have, T?

TALIESIN: I have 300. I have more than 300. Do you not have 50 gold?

MARISHA: I have 50 gold.

TALIESIN: Okay. I can cover the other 300.

SAM: This is a very exciting.

LAURA: I know. This was--

SAM: Retail purchase.

LAURA: Yeah. (laughter)

TALIESIN: We overcooked this way too far.

MATT: You did but, you know, D&D.

MARISHA: I didn't want to raise suspicion. (laughter)

LIAM: This is the most realistic shopping.

LAURA: Well, hold on.

MARISHA: We're going to buy it back.

LAURA: Let me think about it.

SAM: ♪ (intense music) ♪

TALIESIN: There was a lot of platinum involved.

SAM: ♪ Purchased ♪ (laughter)

TRAVIS: I thought they were lining up a kill shot or something.

MARISHA: Nope.

MATT: Sometimes.

MARISHA: Playing it straight.

MATT: Sometimes you're just buying a ring. (laughs)

SAM: I love it.

LIAM: Chetney's already dead.

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: Okay, yeah, we buy the ring and we head back.

MATT: ("Jared" jingle) ♪ It could only be Renewal ♪

TALIESIN: We buy the ring. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Once we're on the street, by the way, on the way back, I wasn't fucking kidding, by the way.

MATT: Wait, so you guys just buy the ring and leave? They're like, "You can stay here for--" (laughter)

TALIESIN: We have shit to do.

MARISHA: Sorry, we got to go.

LIAM: They literally just take the conversation--

MARISHA: Bye!

LIAM: -- out the door into the street.

MATT: The last thing you hear as the door closes is like, "What the fuck?" (door slams shut) (laughter)

TALIESIN: We get that a lot.

MARISHA: What do you mean?

TALIESIN: You're very kooky.

MARISHA: I know.

TALIESIN: Most of the people I've ever met who were very kooky are hiding a bunch of shit. Bad shit. I like the kooky, I don't mind bad shit. Most of my favorite people are a lot of bad shit.

MARISHA: You've already seen a lot of my bad shit, Ashton.

TALIESIN: I don't think I've seen more than maybe just the first branch of a very big tree.

MARISHA: You know about as much as I do right now, all right?

TALIESIN: All I know is I watched what the fuck happened yesterday. Or was that today? Jesus. No, that was yesterday.

MARISHA: Not one of my proudest moments.

TALIESIN: No, that's okay. I was just really curious what you were afraid of. Because you were very afraid, and that freaks me the fuck out.

MARISHA: We can tell Fresh Cut Grass as much as he wants, as we want, that he does not have to be defined by his past trauma. But what happens when your past trauma does not loosen their grip? What if your trauma doesn't let you forget?

TALIESIN: Well, and I'll admit I'm being a bit of a hypocrite here, I suppose my first instinct would be to break its fingers.

MARISHA: Too bad I can't break something I can't see.

TALIESIN: Well, we'll have to work on that, won't we?

MARISHA: I'm open to suggestions.

TALIESIN: I like you.

MARISHA: I like you, too.

TALIESIN: And I'm just putting it there.

MARISHA: You're such a shit.

TALIESIN: I especially like you when you're being serious.

MARISHA: Mm. I've done a lot to try and run away, reclaim my life and it doesn't really seem to fucking matter at the end of the day.

TALIESIN: No. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe not. But I figure I'm always going to be a bit broken, and I'm okay with that. I can work just fine. I can be the person I want to be and still be a bit fucking broken. But FCG, Imogen, I think they can fix themselves.

MARISHA: You and I, we're broken on a visual level.

TALIESIN: Yeah, a fundamental one.

MARISHA: Quite literally.

TALIESIN: You can still be the best broken thing you can be, though.

MARISHA: Absolutely. Do you think we're past redemption, beyond the point of return?

TALIESIN: Fuck no. I mean, to be fair, I'm not even sure what redemption even means. I... most days like who I am, at least I think I do. Most days I'm doing what I think is right until I'm proven not to be. Some days, I do stupid shit. Some days, you do stupid shit.

MARISHA: Most days.

TALIESIN: But for some fucking reason, I've decided this is the horse I have hitched myself to for a while and I do not fuck around with that.

MARISHA: You mentioned Fresh Cut Grass and Imogen and I think where we have our similarities is that we've resigned ourselves to not being able to fix what's deep down inside, but if we can give them the life we never had.

TALIESIN: I can even think that there's ways to work around it. I don't know. I worry about you. I suppose that's what I'm trying to say.

MARISHA: Aw. That's sweet.

TALIESIN: (sighs) I just hope that-- pay attention and maybe communicate with everyone a little bit more. Your bullshit is adorable, but not all the time.

MARISHA: Hm.

MATT: (laughs) As you press further into the storm, this conversation--

TALIESIN: Holding onto this fucking cord.

MARISHA: Yeah, we're looking-- Sand.

MATT: Which is great too because this gentle soft conversation you're having at the table has been loudly shouted over the roaring sandstorm.

TALIESIN: Oh yeah, we're right here actually attempting--

MATT: Yeah. (laughter)

TRAVIS: That's adorable, but don't-- (laughter)

LIAM: (wind storm blowing)

TALIESIN: Oh, it's adorable.

MARISHA: (laughs)

TALIESIN: I'm a big fan of having an intimate conversation right over here.

MARISHA: Everyone can see your damage.

TALIESIN: No shit. (laughter)

MATT: Meanwhile, Chetney, you've vanished.

TRAVIS: (poof)

MATT: What are you doing?

TRAVIS: I just stay in the room.

TALIESIN: The ring's yours, by the way.

MATT: Stay in the room?

TRAVIS: No, I'm just kidding. No, I'm out, I'm out, I'm running. I'm actually tiptoeing with my elven boots.

MATT: Okay, I would like you to make a stealth check.

TRAVIS: Stealth check.

MATT: With advantage because you're moving quietly while invisible.

TRAVIS: Thank you.

SAM: I'm just going to keep focus up so if the blip moves.

TRAVIS: (fingers snap) Natural 20. (oohing)

LAURA: Yay.

LAURA: What, what?

TALIESIN and ASHLEY: ♪ (Mission Impossible Theme) ♪

MATT: It's good you rolled that because these hallways are not extremely wide and there are other members of the Call walking through, some of them carrying materials, other ones coming out from above where they were just covered with dust and sand and you basically-- While you're invisible, you're barely dodging, full on that Japanese game show where they're trying to make Tetris block shapes while it's coming at them. Different members of the Call you're having to move around and not bump into them as they're suddenly turning the corner and not make any noise. You deftly dodge between them, keep quiet as possible. Heading towards past the staircase to the left. This area's going up and to the left down. There is a downward staircase that leads into the basement. It is, however, closed off right now with a barred grate.

TRAVIS: Barred grate, all from floor to ceiling?

MATT: Actually, it's a hatch grate that is currently held down and is locked. There is a padlock on it.

LAURA: Oh shit.

TRAVIS: Well, let's get to work on that padlock.

MATT: Okay, make a d20 roll, adding your proficiency modifier and your dexterity modifier.

TRAVIS: (hums) Wait a minute, I have a thing for this, don't I? Is this sleight of hand?

MATT: Sleight of hand is a stealing thing. If you took lockpicking as your other expertise, then that would be doubled.

TRAVIS: I have stealth, thieves' tools, but I have-- Oh wait, where's my fucking--? I have a glove that helps. Yeah.

MATT: Yeah, plus five to that.

TRAVIS: Plus five. Okay.

TALIESIN: "I have a glove that helps." Yeah.

TRAVIS: You got to check.

TALIESIN: I'm so sorry, I can't.

TRAVIS: 17.

MATT: 17? It takes you a moment.

TRAVIS: 18, excuse me.

SAM: Ooh.

MATT: Okay. 18 was the threshold. I was going to say it takes you a moment to realize that this lock is not budging, but you just push a little further, you find the right tumbler, it clicks and (clicks) it swings open and the grate (squeaks) makes a slight sound as you open it and there's that brief moment you hold yourself, but nobody seemed to pay attention. Nobody was close enough to hear it. Not with the din happening outside, slamming the fortress.

TRAVIS: Before I step through, can I look down the stairways and see if there's anything that looks like pressure plates, anything along the walls?

MATT: Make a perception or investigation check, your call.

TRAVIS: Investigation.

SAM: Open it up.

TRAVIS: I don't think I have advantage on that. 16 plus five, 21.

SAM: Ooh!

MATT: 21.

TALIESIN: Oh my god.

MATT: You feel fairly comfortable that there isn't any sort of pressure plate or trap scenario.

TRAVIS: (whoosh)

MATT: So okay, so you head down the stairs. (light footsteps) You head to the basement floor. Down here, there's a unique combination of scents. There is one, a faint smell of black powder that permeates the air as well as rust, a whiff of--

TRAVIS: (fart noise)

MATT: -- shit.

TRAVIS: Ah, man. Don't shit where you blow.

MATT: You come down to the bottom of the stairs and turn around and you can already see this wider hallway that heads down to the opposite end and it goes further than the floor space of the fortress. There's actually a series of tunnels and hallways beneath here.

TRAVIS: Imogen, I'm downstairs. It smells like black powder and poo.

LAURA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: I'll keep you posted. (static)

LAURA: All right.

MATT: Okay, so where are you headed from here?

MARISHA: Just Chetney going (static).

MATT: Beneath where you envision your room was?

TRAVIS: If it was straight down, I'll try and remember where I was and try and look down the hallway for any sort of compartments or doors that might be directly underneath.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: But also keeping an eye out for traps!

MATT: Roll a perception check for me, please.

SAM: I'm looking for everything, everything!

TRAVIS: I'm looking for all of it. Ooh, 10.

MATT: 10.

SAM: People, things.

MATT: You feel pretty safe and comfortable that nothing here is trapped. You continue to the right side, which would lead you to the area beneath where the building was. As you head down that hall, it opens up into another small room, like the hallway widens out into a large square chamber. Here, you can see there are six different sets of prison bars, like jail cells down here.

LAURA: (gasps)

MATT: And on the right-hand-side--

LAURA: (Anime-style gasp)

MATT: You see... That's pretty good. You should be in voiceover, dubbing specifically.

LIAM: I can't see it. (laughter)

MATT: You see in one of these jail cells, that most of them are empty, but to the right there is one of the larger ones, between the bars, it looks like there's been furniture put in there. It's almost like this cell has been retrofitted to be kind of like a guest room, to be comfortable. There's even a bed placed in there with actual cushions, pillows. It looks like there's been a chair. There's been some like a bookshelf situated. There is a latrine, which is where that faint scent was coming from that your wolven nose picked up so accurately. But there, sitting on the bed, book in hand, reading glasses at the end of the nose, you see the handsome dark skin, dark hair, and somewhat haggard-looking, once nice robes of Armand Treshi.

SAM: Get him!

TRAVIS: I scan the down floor. The cells seem to be empty, but is there anybody down the hall? (sniffs) Do I smell any other scents other than the shit, black powder, poo, and him?

MATT: Those are all the scents you smell, but you glance down the hall. Even on your-- Yeah, you don't see anything.

TRAVIS: Oh god! That glance down the hall!

MATT: Yeah, just further down the way, you don't see anything.

TRAVIS: I don't trust it. It's too easy! Keep going down the hall.

SAM: That's our guy. You're just going to leave him there?

TRAVIS: Yeah, but I got to pick a lock. It's going to make noise. I'm going to have to slit his throat. That's going to make noise.

SAM: (laughs)

MATT: Okay, you continue down the hall and it curves--

SAM: I'm glad that you reported to Imogen about the poop smell, but not actually--

TRAVIS: Shh!

SAM: -- seeing Treshi.

TRAVIS: Imogen, I've located Treshi.

SAM: Thank you.

TRAVIS: He's directly below us. However-- (laughter)

TRAVIS: The floor is not clear. Let me do a clean sweep. I'm going to stack some bodies. I'll get back to you.

MATT: Okay, as you continue down, it curves to the left and there the hall continues on a lot further down and looks like there are two small doors to the right, and then one large metal door on the far, far, far end. There is, walking towards you on this area, two Paragon's Call, really well-armored figures with blades on each side that are just like patrolling through, and they're walking in your direction.

TRAVIS: Cool, cool, cool, cool. Are they like elbow to elbow? And how wide is the area? Like if I look at it, if I go sideways, there's a 50/50 chance I turn sideways and they could walk right on either side of me?

MATT: That's about right, yeah.

TRAVIS: Ah, penis.

TALIESIN: Why, why is that funny?

MATT: (footsteps) They're approaching. Do you back away or stay put?

ASHLEY: (whispers) Can you climb?

TRAVIS: Hm?

SAM: (coos)

TRAVIS: Yeah, I'm going to back away and just go back to the stairwell, see if they come all the way or not.

MATT: Okay. So you head back to the staircase and watch as they approach. They're walking alongside and one of them just mutters to the other. They walk in. One of them walks up to Treshi's bars and gives a little knock, and is like, "You need anything?" Treshi goes, "No, I'm reading. Don't bother me." Goes back to his book. Just keeps walking. They both come back to the base of the stairs and turn right and head down the other hall. But one of them stops at that point and stands for a second, just keeping watch.

TRAVIS: Right at the base of the stairs?

MATT: Just past the base of the stairs. So he has view of the hallway that the other soldier's going down, view of Treshi, view of the stairs, and view of the hall that continues down to the left turn where you first saw them.

LIAM: He's in a cross? He's right in the middle.

MATT: Yeah, he's like sitting right there to have the best view of the position.

LIAM: Sweet.

TRAVIS: Oh, why can't I just assassinate people? Damn it.

TALIESIN: It's done, yeah.

MARISHA: (whispers) Treshi.

LIAM: Travis or Chetney?

TALIESIN: Where does one end, where does the other begin?

TRAVIS: So I'm going to--

TALIESIN: Oh, fuck me.

TRAVIS: Moving stealthily, I'm going to move around him, and I'm going to go down the tunnel past Treshi, and go towards that large iron door down at the end.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: I'm going to risk it.

MATT: All right, so you move down that hall. Make a stealth check for me now, as you're passing directly in front of one of these figures, again.

TRAVIS: If I make a move on the lock, it makes noise. If I make a move on Treshi, the guards see me. If I try and kill the guard, the other guard's going to come back. So I might as well see what's at the other end of this tunnel. 22.

MATT: 22, not bad, you quickly dart back down, head down that hall. Cruise down the opposite end of the hall, and as you begin to see this massive metal door come into frame, it is wider than the hall perspective you had when you first entered the hall. It seems like the door just gets bigger and bigger the more view you have of that. There is a small room with two tables and another Paragon's Call guard that is currently sitting there shuffling cards, just absentmindedly. It looks like there is a hole in the ceiling where a large chain is that he can pull on, almost like a pull chain that just goes up. You don't know what that leads to. But the metal door is massive. It's a vault door. It's a full, thick, metal vault door.

SAM: What's in there? Who's in there?

TALIESIN: Uh-huh, oh boy.

SAM: Monsters.

LIAM: The Martinet.

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

SAM: What is it?

TALIESIN: I think... Oh boy.

TRAVIS: All right.

TALIESIN: Shit, this is good.

TRAVIS: I'll start making my way back down the hallway--

MARISHA: ♪ Makin' my way ♪

TRAVIS: -- to the stairs.

MATT: You curl back. You head back to the stairs.

TRAVIS: And out.

MATT: And out. You lift the latch up, close it. Do you re-lock it or leave it open?

TRAVIS: Yeah, I'll lock it.

MATT: Close it back in, and you head back to the chamber.

TRAVIS: Into the room.

SAM: Amazing.

MATT: Right about this time, we'll say you both have returned, and as you enter the chamber, a two very dusty, like dust-coated Laudna and Ashton had just sat down with the rest of the crew.

LAURA: Did you steal the ring?

TALIESIN: (shouts) Oh yeah, we got it.

LAURA: Why are you talking so loud?

TALIESIN: Oh, yeah.

MARISHA: I'm sorry. We've been shouting.

TALIESIN: Yeah, it was really, yeah, okay. Inside, inside voice.

MARISHA: We got it.

TALIESIN: Yeah, yeah.

MARISHA: We didn't steal it.

TALIESIN: No, oh my god, I paid a fortune.

MARISHA: We just paid for it.

SAM: That's successful, though?

MARISHA: Yes, yes, we do have it. It wasn't really a good opportunity. They were just, we were the only ones.

TALIESIN: They'll never suspect a thing.

LAURA: So you found Treshi?

TRAVIS: Yeah, he's downstairs in--

SAM: Are you here?

TRAVIS: Yep.

SAM: Ah!

TRAVIS: One of six prison cells. He's got a nice set up.

TALIESIN: Prison cell?

TRAVIS: Shitter's awful. Yeah, he's in a prison cell. Locked in tight, there's two guards on sentry, and then there was a third and a boardroom down there. It was a large vault door and a big chain hanging from a room in another one. So too much for just me, as much as I wanted to.

LAURA: Did it seem like he was packing up to leave, or did it seem like he was--

TRAVIS: No, he's just sitting there in a big old comfy chair, reading.

LAURA: All right.

TRAVIS: Can you imagine?

TALIESIN: Prison cells and a vault door.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

LAURA: So that means he could potentially be staying.

TALIESIN: I think...

SAM: Or they're just protecting him until it's time to go.

TALIESIN: Yeah. I don't think he's a guest. I think he's cash. Like they wouldn't-- would they really put a, like somebody they were trying to take care of in a prison cell, lock them in, in the vault?

LIAM: He could be paying for protection, yeah.

LAURA: Exactly.

TALIESIN: That's lot of protection.

TRAVIS: It is.

LAURA: He might be paying a lot of money for it.

TALIESIN: If he wanted to get out and get like-- it's-- I don't know. It just doesn't... I don't know, maybe, maybe not.

TRAVIS: I mean, they asked him if he needed anything, but they seemed real cordial. I don't know, it's kind of wishy washy, but we don't give a shit, right? We're here to get him.

TALIESIN: Easier to get him out if he wants to leave.

TRAVIS: But I'd need somebody to come with me, it was too much, even for me.

LAURA: Well, I could help from up here, potentially.

TALIESIN: What else was down there?

TRAVIS: It's the guards, just Treshi.

TALIESIN: What else was down there?

TRAVIS: Six cells that are empty, except for his, two guards on sentry, one in the back room, maybe more, give or take, if we go back another time, a big vaulted door, and a chain that went all the way up into like a tunnel, but I don't know what that is, unless they got a bell that they're ringing.

LAURA: Yeah, maybe an alarm or something.

TALIESIN: Yeah, it's probably an alarm.

LIAM: So our options are trying to get him out now and not set off an alarm and get ourselves trapped inside of a fortress, or to shift plans entirely, plant this ring on the crawler. I think they're moving him out. You said he was all threadbare, and his clothes were shit. He's reading a book?

TRAVIS: Mm-hmm.

LIAM: All his belongings, one would presume, are being loaded onto this thing.

LAURA: Yeah, that's what I mean, did it seem like he had his belongings all around him or was it empty in the cell?

TRAVIS: No, he had a bunch of nice furniture in there, right?

MATT: I mean, for a prison cell, yeah, there was a nice bed that had been moved into it, like a bookcase, like the handful of things that could fit into their larger prison cell that would make it seem like a nicer, tiny apartment.

TRAVIS: Like Hannibal Lecter's prison cell?

MATT: Kind of, yeah, but still behind bars.

TALIESIN: So those... shit.

LIAM: Artana Voe's in town, maybe the pressure's just getting too hot, and he wants to get the fuck out.

MARISHA: That's what I assumed.

TALIESIN: This is where I'd go if the pressure was too hot, though.

MARISHA: But if he's-- I mean, he was looking very skittish and cagey when we saw him on the roof, and that was a handful of days ago. And there was a bunch of guards around him who were like, "All right, come on, Mr. Treshi, back downstairs, you've had your free time."

LIAM: Well, it's an easy choice, because when the crawler goes, he's either on it or he's not. If he doesn't go, then we grab him here, but if he does go, we follow, figure out what the hell it is, and either grab him or deal with whatever problem is bigger.

TALIESIN: Fuck, I just yelled at somebody about honesty issues. Those crates that we were loading with his name on it. Those crates that we were loading with his name on it. Those big crates, they were not actually his stuff per se. Those crates were what I was trying to nab from Hexum's house way back in the fucking day.

SAM: What are they?

TALIESIN: I don't really remember. That's where everything got weird.

MARISHA: Well, what do you mean? Crates are crates, right?

TALIESIN: These crates are... The sound, the feel, the size, the label, this is...

MARISHA: I did mention maybe we should reach out to your dear ol' Jiana Hexum.

TALIESIN: I think that...

MARISHA: You've paid off your debt to her.

TALIESIN: There is no such thing as really paying off your debt to someone like that.

MARISHA: Well, you can get back into debt by asking what was in the crates.

TALIESIN: I think that she would've said something if she wanted me to know. I think I'm going to have to send out some fucking feelers that I don't really want to send out.

MARISHA: Why not just ask Hexum?

TRAVIS: I mean, our theories at this point are that they're all construction materials for the thing out in the desert that's looking at the moon, right? And that's it?

TALIESIN: Whatever's in those crates is more than construction materials.

TRAVIS: Yeah, so if there's a destination B, can't hurt to ask her, because that's all we got.

TALIESIN: Shit.

LIAM: I say we put the ring on the crawler and follow it. We know that Thull and this elf from the Cerberus Assembly and this Unseelie Court are collaborating somehow.

MARISHA: Yeah, ultimately Treshi seems pretty low on the totem pole.

SAM: We're supposed to stay here and guard the place while they're gone.

TALIESIN: That's cool.

SAM: If we all abandon our posts and chase after them, they'll know?

LIAM: We don't care about being good Paragon's Call members.

SAM: No, I know, but someone might send word to the caravan that, "Hey, those seven people that you left to protect your fortress all left."

TALIESIN: Well, we can make all of that look...

TRAVIS: For a time.

TALIESIN: We can make all of that look a little odd, and not necessarily pin it on us.

SAM: Okay.

TALIESIN: There's lots of ways.

SAM: So wait, first things first, we got to plant that ring?

TALIESIN: First things first.

SAM: Or do we do that in the morning or in the middle of the night when everyone's asleep?

TRAVIS: Yeah, that one.

SAM: Okay.

LIAM: Yeah, storm.

TALIESIN: There are three other people that I know of who might know what's in those crates. Depending on how things go, we may have to look some of them up. Shit, fuck.

TRAVIS: Nah, it's great, maybe she wants them back, maybe she'll tell you something we don't know. That's valuable. After all, it's only your debt.

TALIESIN: Oh no, not anymore.

TRAVIS: Oh, is it shared?

TALIESIN: There are people that debt doesn't really belong to.

TRAVIS: Oh.

TALIESIN: She will...

TRAVIS: Ashton, I would share debt with you any day.

MATT: It's about this moment you begin to hear voices, down the hall, raised voices, shouts, other Call members, yelling. "Up front now, arms."

TRAVIS: Fuck yes, ah!

TALIESIN: Ah, I needed this so badly!

MARISHA: Fucking-- Now what's happening?

MATT: You begin to hear heavy footfalls now as other Call members are emerging from their rooms. They start rushing out towards the front of the fortress. Those of you who are following suit, you can see individuals are rushing off and they're donning armor fast and grabbing weapons, and there's just this energy of chaos that begins to build throughout the base of the fortress here. Dust is starting to blow in from the outside as people push past the main doors, which are now held open. In the darkened dust storm that is currently filling the space, you can hear other shouts happening. As you glance over, the size of the massive shape that is the mammoth-crawler, you see flashes. (booms) (screams) (impacts) The body of one of the Paragon's Call is now landing--

SAM: Oh shit.

MATT: -- and rolling on the ground next to you. Part of the shoulder just burnt. You see him like, "Ah!" Trying to sit up as someone just pushes him down and runs off into this. Someone looks back at you, "They're after the load. Defend the load," and rushes in, straight into the dust towards where the mammoth-crawler is. And that's where we'll end tonight's episode. (screaming)

LAURA: Who's they?

TRAVIS: He was burned?

MATT: Yeah.

TALIESIN: No. Don't. Stop.

LAURA: Woo.

SAM: The load.

MARISHA: This is the perfect time to plant a ring.

LAURA: This is the perfect time to steal the load.

TRAVIS: Who is it? Who's coming?

TALIESIN: We have so much shit we can do now. What an opportunity!

TRAVIS: Oh man.

TALIESIN: Chaos!

MATT: Yeah, there's chaos around, and there's a lot of things you can do in chaos. Depends on what you're feeling! And you have a week to think about it. So.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: We'll pick up from there.

MARISHA: We're going to have to hit our thread.

TALIESIN: Oh yeah.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hardcore, hardcore.

TALIESIN: This is, we have just been handed-- Yeah, this is going to be a terrible, wonderful time.

TRAVIS: Num-nums.

LAURA: Num-num-num.

TRAVIS: Good shit, man.

TALIESIN: I want to hit shit.

MATT: Pick up there next week. Thank you all so much for joining us on this wild tension building, slow burn episode to whatever the hell's going to happen next. To quote the great Willy Wonka, "The suspense is killing me. I hope it'll last." Thank you for joining us. We love you very much, and is it Thursday yet? Good night. (howling)