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Take your seats, bring the house lights down, and please don’t silence your phones, you’ll need it for Theater of the Mindset!
TotM is a show combining collaborative, character driven storytelling in a modern high fantasy setting with audio drama production quality. A mixed table of mild mannered TTRPG players and unmanageable improvisers bring balanced humor seasoned with imbalanced results.
The mindset is brought to you by your kind and generous GM, Justin Gerardot and sound designer and composer, Nick Traeger.
Theater of the Mindset. Theater of the Mindset.
Justin (GM):Last Theater of
Joel (Credits):week on Faith and Fortune, our old friends managed to snag an invite to a gathering of the cult of metamorphosis in the commons. Harry had a one on one there with Isarn Halvard and threw him a curveball sharing that he knew a little more than he'd initially let on in regards to the magically inert. Saria and Lucan got to engage one on one with the folks on the ground and heard the good word before all hell broke loose as the local guard crashed the party. Harry then realized that Isarn and co had called in a raid on their own followers to make martyrs for the cause and the gang then scrambled to subdue the riot in the commons. Finally, Asher and Harry hatched a plan for the king to take his own guards out to help quell the violence and will pick up in the aftermath.
Justin (GM):General Lautner stands over the map that sister Haberman has conjured, a large overview of all of Venethar with four red dots on marking the four other cities that were lost three days ago and are still in a state of rebellion. Greensend, Tharncomb, Canallan, and Everton. General Lautner provides provides no marked improvement in any of those locations. They don't have the resources nor can Residium Spit City spare those resources at this time. General Lautner is also able to confirm that Isarn is officially wanted by Venethar, specifically for the murder of three members of the guard.
Justin (GM):Thanks to the lead given by senator Pinch, they attempted to apprehend the carriage on its way out of the commons. Unexpectedly, the mercenaries, as they are being deemed, guarding that carriage engaged in combat with the guards. And although the guards attempted to follow routine magical procedures, They were unable to apprehend Isarn, and several of the guards were killed in that process. They are holding Isarn accountable for those deaths, and can, as such, label him officially someone wanted by Benathar. He is no longer just a problem of the Bosnian church, he is now a problem of all of Benathar.
Justin (GM):He has not himself been seen. You all know what you're listening for. The reports from the guards, the surviving guards who attempted to capture him are confusing because they say, we used the hold person spells that we typically use. They seemed to not work on him. And in the confusion, he and his mercenaries were able to down several of us, and several people died of those injuries, and he was able to escape.
Justin (GM):You all know that's because he's magically inert. They do not have that information. At this point, problems of the Cult of Change are getting beyond the powers and scope of the individuals here, and this will probably be the last time the Warren Task Force, specifically specifically as a unit convene. You all, as previous members of this task force, will be included in future decisions, but know that the individuals involved in these future decisions will likely hold considerable more power than you do. Although this will afford you access to greater resources, it will also mean that you are playing a much larger game.
Justin (GM):General Lautner and Sister Haverman each give you all the appropriate goodbyes and part ways.
Joel (Credits):As General Lautner is going out, Harry's just gonna stop and stop him and just say, General, thank you for all you did the other night. Your ability to turn on a dime and the nimbleness of the guard and your ability to show restraint saved a lot of lives, and I'm so thankful that you kept a cool head and were able to really do a lot.
Justin (GM):You will recall that when you asked for the retreat, you rolled a success with fear. Yep. Lautner gives you a very cold shoulder.
Steve (Luken):Oh, come on, Lautner.
Joel (Credits):The retreat Trying to give you
Justin (GM):credit for this. The retreat was a strategic nightmare For sure. And resulted in the injuries and deaths of several guards. For sure. And he, although maintaining a professional relationship with you
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Is salty.
Justin (GM):Is rightfully, at the moment, not the cordial Sure. Friend that you had previously. Sure.
Joel (Credits):Harry's going to continue not that he needs to know this, but continue lauding Lautner as, like, key in the safety of Resinium City, which is he's not gonna like immediately, but eventually it'll only make him
Justin (GM):look better. And General Lautner's not going to say this to you
Joel (Credits):Yeah.
Justin (GM):But he knows that he deserves Yeah. That praise Yeah. And knows that you are accountable for this call that he would not have made.
Joel (Credits):100%. And I think, like, this is a true, like, politics and where politics and of, no, this is sincere meat of, like, this is better because of a shit show Yeah. But we got it. Yeah. And so, like, I understand that I've sort of lost that friend a little bit Yep.
Joel (Credits):But we'll continue to make efforts to repair that and make sure he gets positive credit and not criticized for anything. Thank you, senator Pinch. Yep. Yep. Have a nice day.
Justin (GM):You do. They make their exits. Cold shoulder,
Joel (Credits):Jeez. It's like I killed his dog.
Steve (Luken):Well You you didn't you didn't, though. Right? No.
Joel (Credits):Not not literally.
Steve (Luken):Look, this I'm I'm I'll be the one to say everything's really fucked up. Yeah.
Joel (Credits):What's the latest with Archon, Felix?
Steve (Luken):I haven't heard from him since the vote.
Joel (Credits):No shit. Yeah, he he was not happy with me being in that room. I was able to the king made his own decision, but he was not happy that I was there trying to pull his ear.
Justin (GM):Give me a instinct roll. Nope. Give me a knowledge roll.
Joel (Credits):Don't hurt yourself.
Steve (Luken):I was going to say I wanna try and use an experience on this, I realize I only have one hope and I'm not burning it on this shit.
Justin (GM):Yeah. For information. That's a 11 with fear. The only person that Archon Felix is corresponding with following the vote is the prelate of the staff, Erica Reinhold.
Steve (Luken):Yeah. The the only person that Felix is in contact with right now is Prelit Reinhold, who's on deck. If Felix goes, it's her. Do you do you know her what do you guys know about her? Anything?
Joel (Credits):I've met her once. It's not not warm.
Shelby (Sahra):I don't know anything.
Steve (Luken):Felix just voted against having the king help because he he wants blood. Erica would not be stopped by a little thing like voting. Okay? I I think it's no secret Felix isn't cut out for this.
Joel (Credits):Yeah.
Steve (Luken):He is not cut this is not his moment. Yeah. The alternative within the Church of Boz right now is almost certainly going to be an escalator, not a de escalator. And I think that's something we, the three of us, just need to be aware of.
Shelby (Sahra):The last thing we want is a bunch of adventurers out for blood.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. What do you know do you have any sense,
Joel (Credits):Luke, and on Prelate Reinhold's propensities towards, oh, I don't know, whether a king is immortal or not? Any guesses? Any vibes?
Steve (Luken):No. She and I don't run-in the same circles, you know, and that is a weird, sensitive enough topic that it's just not something that Sure. Comes up.
Joel (Credits):Well, it's just at this point, everyone is, in my mind. Everyone is a body swapper, and so ask.
Steve (Luken):You're you're of the above the you're of the mind, way more people are in on this.
Joel (Credits):At at this point, after losing after losing four towns in a night Yeah. Like, it's it's at every turn bigger than we anticipated it being. And so that's I don't trust that anybody in any church or any position of power is not doesn't gain something from having even blackmailable or easily manipulated.
Steve (Luken):No. As far as I know, yeah, she's she's not shadowy, she's not, you know, subtle. I I don't think she has a lot to hide. She's made entirely clear who she is and what she will do if she's in charge.
Joel (Credits):Just so I know, I don't know enough about your church, is the only way for her to get in power either feel like stepping down or dying? Yes.
Steve (Luken):That's correct. Yeah. That's that's how it goes. Alright. The prelate of the staff tends to be amongst a church whose leadership is strivers and ambitious people.
Steve (Luken):Yeah. They know what they're signing up for when that is the the position they seek.
Shelby (Sahra):You don't think Felix would step down, do you? Not voluntarily.
Joel (Credits):Right. And at this point, Eric is not on a on team change, so the likelihood of her jumping in to call for his resignation is unlikely, or would be a wild move.
Steve (Luken):A wild move unless what she's saying is Felix might stand against the cult, but he's not good enough at it, I'm good enough at it. That would be her angle.
Joel (Credits):Well, that's complex.
Steve (Luken):But, yeah. Felix won't go away unless forced one way or the other. But if there's one kind of person who I would not be surprised to see make that show of force, it's Prowet Reinhold.
Joel (Credits):I mean, unless I mean, the fact that he's still talking with her means she hasn't pressed too hard to ask him. He because he doesn't wanna be told that
Steve (Luken):he needs to step down. I still have I'm not alone, but I am still someone who can preordain quests for Boz. And the accusations we heard at the meeting about how quest ordination is used to advance certain agendas, yeah. Duh. Obviously true.
Steve (Luken):I'm going to do my best to advance an agenda we can all live with here.
Joel (Credits):Can I do a knowledge check on what kind of, if any, heat Lucan has on him currently? Like, what's the because obviously, he was in the thick of it, got attacked by a guard, so there's, like, probably some rumor mill that he's maybe not one way or the other.
Steve (Luken):Like Did anyone see and report a prelate got shot in these Yeah. Like that thing.
Joel (Credits):What's the word on the street on
Justin (GM):We'll have it be a knowledge check of 17.
Joel (Credits):Can I use my well read on prominent people? Yeah. For advantage. Oh, I keep giving you that. Sorry.
Joel (Credits):What was the 17. That's 19.
Justin (GM):With fear?
Steve (Luken):Oh, yeah, baby. With fear.
Justin (GM):I will immediately spend that fear. It
Steve (Luken):did. Great.
Justin (GM):There are rumors of prelate Lucan circulating.
Joel (Credits):Yeah.
Justin (GM):He was spotted aiding and abetting individuals who directly attacked the city guard.
Joel (Credits):So it's more negative on the city guard side. Yeah. And he's got some positivity on the cult of metamorphosis side potentially.
Justin (GM):No one is talking about this in the positive.
Steve (Luken):I I don't think those circumstances that are being reported are enough to would be enough for the true like, the cultists Yeah. To break their association of me with the establishment. Right? Like Yeah.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. You just have heat on you. Yeah, man. Yeah. You you get no buds right now except for the the room that you're in.
Steve (Luken):This is Lucan, new character arc, doesn't care about doing the right thing. He's
Joel (Credits):a Yeah.
Steve (Luken):He tried twice and look what happened. Unconscious on a street.
Joel (Credits):Sorry. What I mean, you you dipped early. What what was happening on your end?
Shelby (Sahra):I just headed back to the soup kitchen to see how I could help and, you know, there were people there who were helping to heal the injured on both sides. Honestly, it was just a matter of help anybody who's injured. And the main thing was I just needed I just needed to stop the violence. I needed to bring calm, and I don't know if I fully brought calm that I stopped the fighting.
Joel (Credits):Who who is who are I have not I don't know anything about the soup kitchen folks. Who are these who are these folks?
Shelby (Sahra):There's some people that I've been connected with just, you know, through the urnation and, you know, alchemists who create healing potions really, mostly.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Good folks? Yeah. Can I do another knowledge check to see what I know about this group in the comments? Yeah.
Joel (Credits):Eleven, fifteen, 17 with fear. I will immediately use that fear. Yeah. Sorry. I'm really blowing up your You
Justin (GM):immediately make a connection with the insurgent group that the anonymous tip had been left with and potentially this group that Sara has been meeting with. The other thing that you are wondering about is Sara just mentioned wanting to calm things down and there are rumors of people having dreams of a black snake eating their dreams in the night. Oops. Like paralysis demon style. They are aware that they are dreaming, but can't escape as a black snake coils around them.
Justin (GM):And this has happened days after, not just the night of the event, for days after.
Joel (Credits):And we Luca and I don't know about Ominent. Right? You have not told us, at least on screen.
Steve (Luken):I don't think
Joel (Credits):Oh.
Steve (Luken):I I don't think Luca has any awareness of any No.
Joel (Credits):Think have told us something.
Justin (GM):But I think Lucan would have seen the you were there when she was
Steve (Luken):That's right. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Doing it.
Steve (Luken):Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So but I think But you don't
Shelby (Sahra):know who Dominik is.
Steve (Luken):I can't make I can't count those out. Yeah. I think Lucan's impression of this is that I know you are a witch and witches do some weird shit and that's none of my business. Right. Like, I think that is how Lucan approaches that of like Okay.
Steve (Luken):Hope she doesn't use that on me someday.
Justin (GM):It's kind of a
Joel (Credits):Alright. So these folks these folks are urination folks?
Shelby (Sahra):Some of them. Yeah. A lot of them.
Joel (Credits):There's a tip just I mean, truly just as a friend, there was a tip given to the guards that attacked the warehouse, basically given because they've been monitoring what they're calling an insurgent group. And I'm pretty sure they're probably monitoring them. I I wouldn't call them an insurgent group, that's what they're being called.
Shelby (Sahra):So just We were just helping.
Joel (Credits):I I know. I'm not I'm not listen, I'm I'm just telling you what what's happening and so I would give them a warning because I I believe wholeheartedly. I mean, I'm all for the Grown Nation folks and getting them help. But, yeah. Okay.
Joel (Credits):If you can give tell them to watch watch out.
Shelby (Sahra):Thank you.
Joel (Credits):People, they're keeping an eye on
Justin (GM):them. I'm spending three fear.
Joel (Credits):Fucking bitch. What the hell?
Steve (Luken):This is the first multi fear spend I think I've seen.
Justin (GM):Yeah. This is a big one.
Shelby (Sahra):I mean
Steve (Luken):Maybe you should spend five. Just give us a few. I I
Justin (GM):have two left. I need to keep two. I need think I just wanted
Joel (Credits):to know I'll keep two.
Justin (GM):This feels like it's a multi fear thing that I need to justify that I'm doing this.
Steve (Luken):Goddamn it. I'm done. Okay. So we don't even get to nothing.
Justin (GM):You don't know.
Joel (Credits):Correct. You were just there's a raid on your friends happening right now.
Shelby (Sahra):Yeah. Seems like it.
Joel (Credits):And then the other thing I've heard, which the only reason I bring this up is I don't know anything. This sounds spooky but there are reports of some kind of black snake eating dreams from people over the last three or four days. So I don't like You're the only You're my only friend that knows anything about primal magic and boy that doesn't sound like any magic I have heard of. So I no accusation here, just a Sure. Just a, hey, if there's a thing, just know that people are talking about it.
Shelby (Sahra):And Sara, it's really quiet and her face turns really stoic and she starts her skin turns into just kind of like a muted but deep purple, almost like almost like a maroon y color. And it's like, I don't know, it's like she can feel the blood kind of draining from her face a little bit. We're just trying to help.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. I know. I know. I and that's that's why I want you to have information. I believe you and I believe that that's true and so I want you to have your head on the swivel because not everyone knows that and it's gonna be a tough sell regardless.
Steve (Luken):Wait.
Joel (Credits):What a treat. Look at us. Harry just leans back and rubs his eyes.
Shelby (Sahra):So what do we do now?
Justin (GM):Your meeting ends. You go your separate ways for the time being. Harry, you arrive back at your office. Beanie jumps a little bit when you walk in. Mhmm.
Justin (GM):Easy.
Joel (Credits):I get it. I How's his guard? Is he giving you a hard time? No. Harry has officially gotten beanie.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. A guard.
Justin (GM):Jack Jack is great. He's doing a great job. Great. I He's really unnecessary. I I need to remind you, I am a trained Arkansas arkansas.
Justin (GM):I know it's I know. Rudemancy.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. But yeah. Arkans are good until there's a big strong guy. Then then we then we would like another big strong guy just in case. You I I with Lugan a fair amount.
Joel (Credits):So
Justin (GM):Yeah. I appreciate that. Yeah. I received this message for you. Okay.
Justin (GM):And she hands you a sealed envelope. Okay.
Joel (Credits):Harry goes into his office and opens it up.
Justin (GM):It is a simple phrase. Two phrases. Mom said you were asking questions. Meet me at dad's old beer garden haunt.
Joel (Credits):Harry just like rolls his eyes. I'm I'm off for a beer.
Justin (GM):Is it is it Harry, Harry, it is 1PM.
Joel (Credits):I thought you were gonna say it was earlier. So honestly, this doesn't this doesn't bother me. That doesn't bother me at all. It's on King's orders, so
Joel (Credits):Okay. Is
Joel (Credits):it out of my hands.
Justin (GM):Okay. Should I cancel any of your afternoon meetings?
Joel (Credits):I have meetings? Who wants to talk to me?
Justin (GM):You have so many meetings. Really? Yes.
Joel (Credits):Anything in the next Yeah. Yeah. Just cancel Push them to tomorrow. Okay. We'll have a busy day tomorrow.
Joel (Credits):I can do that. Honestly, if you wanna push them till tomorrow and then just take the
Justin (GM):rest of
Joel (Credits):the day off, feel free.
Justin (GM):I have I have a couple things I
Joel (Credits):need to get done. Like, in your personal? Like, take a little PTO and take the rest of the day?
Steve (Luken):No. I don't. No. Okay. Alright.
Joel (Credits):Just just want that for the record. Alright.
Justin (GM):I'll see you.
Joel (Credits):Alright. Thank you. Bye, Beanie. Be safe.
Justin (GM):Bye. Harry, you head out to the quote, your dad's old beer garden haunt, which is definitely just a code word that you and your sister would use to describe the, like, back alley, like, area near the Kingswood where you and your sister would go to drink.
Joel (Credits):That rules. Mini keg with him. Great. He stopped he stopped at the liquor store on the way over.
Justin (GM):This is where you would go. The Kingswood is like near the Imperial Palace. It's like it's the equivalent of like Central Park in Residium City. With the asterisk asterisk, it's also where all the incarnate kings are buried.
Joel (Credits):That makes sense.
Justin (GM):And so it's like a cemetery slash park.
Joel (Credits):Yeah.
Justin (GM):And it is fairly large and has lots of little like nooks and crannies. And this is where you would go when you were younger to drink. Yep. It's not like a super well kept secret by any means. Sure.
Justin (GM):Like, for sure, everyone in your family knows about it. But it was like a, well, if this is their, like, form of rebellion
Joel (Credits):Yep.
Justin (GM):Then it's fine.
Joel (Credits):As long as they're doing it nearby. Yeah. Yeah. Harry walks up to the spot singing fairly loudly one of their dad's, like, favorite folk songs and just being a little it's like to get under Tella's skin a little bit Okay. To just be like obnoxious little brother.
Joel (Credits):You are singing this tune and
Justin (GM):hear footsteps coming up the gravel path. The shadow that you see is too large to beat Tella, your sister.
Joel (Credits):Jesus Christ.
Justin (GM):Hey there, brother-in-law. Bastian. Hey.
Joel (Credits):I've been my mom told me to talk to you. This is a good honestly, I'm thrilled that it's you, to be honest with you. Have a beer and pour some of your immediately. Thank thank you. Absolutely.
Joel (Credits):Honestly, I thought I was gonna have to be chewed out by my sister and the fact that it's you and I get to be chewed out by a much nicer, smiley person, just made my afternoon, Bastian. It's great to
Justin (GM):see you. Yeah. I I'm not gonna chew you out, Harry. I I'm I'm that's not that's not what I'm here to do. I appreciate this drink.
Joel (Credits):What are you here to do, Bastian?
Justin (GM):He sets the drink down. Harry, you have to stop asking questions.
Joel (Credits):Are you gonna answer them for me? And then I can stop asking?
Justin (GM):This isn't a time for jokes.
Joel (Credits):Mhmm. That's a sincere question. I mean, I'm I'm sorry, I'm smiley. Boy, you've been putting on a show for quite a while. I'm sincerely impressed.
Steve (Luken):It's not a show.
Joel (Credits):I mean, the dopey brother-in-law thing is clearly a show.
Justin (GM):I love your sister
Joel (Credits):Yeah.
Justin (GM):Dearly. Sure. She is an important person and the burden she carries is incredible.
Steve (Luken):Yeah.
Justin (GM):And you have made it so much worse for me and my family.
Joel (Credits):So
Justin (GM):you're gonna come with me now, and I think you're gonna find all the answers you've been looking for.
Joel (Credits):Okay. Let's go. And grabs the keg. So you sure you don't wanna drink that?
Justin (GM):Yeah. I'm sure. Okay. Bastian is this tall human man who, if you lined him up with four other people, would be tough to describe him in any Mhmm. Really strong way.
Justin (GM):Nothing about him stands out. He has brown hair. It looks like he shaved four
Joel (Credits):days ago.
Justin (GM):And it looks like he used to have a manual labor job, but now works in a more administrative position. Sure. So he could blend in just about anywhere. The only thing that really makes him stand out is nine times out of 10, he is smiling. And this entire conversation, he has not smiled once.
Justin (GM):He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a matte silver bracelet
Joel (Credits):Mhmm.
Justin (GM):And says, I'm gonna need you to put this on. I can't have you doing things too tricky.
Joel (Credits):If there's gonna be trust, there's gotta be trust, Bastian.
Justin (GM):There's no trust here.
Joel (Credits):Okay then. I think we're done.
Steve (Luken):We're not done. Then
Joel (Credits):we're at a standstill, my guy. I'm willing to come with you, but you're asking me to just put away any protection I have after you've, you know, very thinly veiled threatened me. So I you gotta see where I'm coming from. I'm not I'm not trying to be difficult.
Justin (GM):Harry, I don't I'm not trying to thinly veil these threats.
Joel (Credits):Great. So then you understand why I'm maybe not gonna put on a bracelet. It's if it's very nice, it looks lovely, but I'm more of a gold guy.
Justin (GM):I am now going to cast a whole
Steve (Luken):person. Cool.
Justin (GM):I'm going to spend a fear point to use his magical knowledge experience,
Steve (Luken):which gives me a plus two.
Joel (Credits):11. Doesn't take. Twelfth my evasion.
Justin (GM):You feel the air compress around you as he attempts to bind you in place in this moment. The light moves to you. What do you do?
Joel (Credits):I'll see you later, Bastion. Harry turns invisible and walks away. I'm casting counterspell. Great. He just continues to walk away.
Steve (Luken):It's not counter walk away. Yeah
Justin (GM):yeah yeah. I will again use another fear to use magical knowledge. Fuck. The counter spell does not go off. See you later, Rastion.
Justin (GM):He's gonna panic. It is now my turn. I'm going to cast Eruption. Spend a fear, choose a point within far range, a very close area to that point erupts into impassable terrain. All targets in that area must make a agility reaction roll.
Justin (GM):You have to beat a 14.
Joel (Credits):It's a 16. Targets who I'm sorry, 17.
Justin (GM):Targets who succeed will take half damage and aren't moved. That's 19 physical damage, so you'll take eight No. Nine. Nine physical damage. Okay.
Justin (GM):And the spotlight moves back to you.
Joel (Credits):Talk to me about what the eruption looks like, what that's about.
Justin (GM):Just knowing your general vicinity
Shelby (Sahra):Mhmm.
Justin (GM):Just causes the earth to erupt around you. Mhmm. It is a glancing blow because he doesn't know your exact area. He is You get sense the that he is not going to give up the chase in this moment. Sure.
Justin (GM):He is here to find you. Yeah. Pear's gonna cast Arcane Door. Mhmm.
Joel (Credits):Just need the 13. Does not get it, so that doesn't go anywhere.
Justin (GM):Does that use one of your tokens
Joel (Credits):for invisibility? It does. Yep. That's a fail do I also get movement?
Justin (GM):Yeah. Yeah.
Joel (Credits):Then he's just gonna start Yeah. Walking out of the eruption area. Yeah. Finally, daintily with his little hobbit feet. Man, was gonna go with you.
Joel (Credits):He just didn't wanna put on the bracelet. Would have been would have been fine.
Justin (GM):I'm going to spend a fear. Fine Harry, run all you want. I always know where your mother is. And with that, he will start to walk away.
Joel (Credits):Sure. Great. Harry calls Lucan. Well, I'm sorry. Harry's going to like get well the fuck out of out of the area.
Joel (Credits):Yeah.
Justin (GM):Sure.
Joel (Credits):And you said Bastian was walking away? Yeah. Yeah. So he's gonna get well the fuck out of the Yep. Area, be smart about the thing.
Joel (Credits):Yep. And then once he's, like, clear or even fucking basically back to the office Yep. He's going to call Lucan. Okay. Do you have adventurers trust?
Steve (Luken):I think yes. I'm what unless Justin doesn't think I have adventures I trust. Yeah. I do.
Justin (GM):Knowledge. Okay. Could I
Steve (Luken):talk you into presence because they would trust me because of our relationship, which is more of a, like, charm thing? No. Okay. This is not an active thing. Okay.
Steve (Luken):Look, got it. Yeah. I haven't argued with you about a single thing. That's true. I gotta try.
Steve (Luken):I think I'm going to spend a hope and get plus two for my prelate ness.
Justin (GM):Say 16 with fear. You have adventurers you trust, for sure. That's that's an easy ask. It's for what? Like, where are they currently?
Justin (GM):Are they out on an adventure? Are they readily available? That is the hard part about this. I think right now, they are you have sent them out in the local area. They're not far, but they are not readily available.
Justin (GM):You can get ahold of them, but it will take at least a few hours.
Steve (Luken):Yeah. I do. Absolutely. I need a little time to get them. It's a little more sensitive Yeah.
Steve (Luken):Asking questions around the church these days. I'm gonna need to go find them individually.
Joel (Credits):Okay. I just need a couple bodyguards for
Steve (Luken):my Yep. Great. I needed the one sentence description. Yeah.
Joel (Credits):Just just need something posted up in the outside an office.
Steve (Luken):I got folks for that. Consider it done. I'm just gonna have him go straight there. Thank you.
Justin (GM):Harry, you look you look horrible.
Joel (Credits):Harried? What'd you say? Harried? Yeah. What what happened?
Joel (Credits):Come in the office. Bring the basement books.
Justin (GM):She grabs the basement books and brings them into the office.
Joel (Credits):There he's like, heart is pounding and What happened? Just slinks into a chair. So I thought that note you gave me was from my sister. As it turns out, it's Bastian, my brother.
Justin (GM):Okay.
Joel (Credits):He's part of the custodian sanguis, apparently, and asked me to stop asking questions and then asked me to come with him to get quote unquote answers and then offered me a nice matte tarnished silver bracer that I assume caused me to not be able to cast magic, which I just couldn't say yes to. So didn't get any answers other than it's in the family.
Justin (GM):I this is she is overwhelmed by the information you were giving her now.
Joel (Credits):Can I get you a lemon water?
Justin (GM):No. Okay. This is a serious moment, Harry. Not a time for Something stronger. A celebratory drink.
Justin (GM):Your brother-in-law is a member of what does that mean?
Joel (Credits):It means the knowledge of who who's involved with this is a lot closer than we knew.
Justin (GM):Is your sister involved?
Joel (Credits):Whether or not she knows she's involved or what position she is in it, I don't know. My gut guess is she's had some perpetual magic cause causing some of the spells of depression and things to keep her quiet is my guess right now. He said I'm threatening his family and I don't know if that means my sister and Asher or it means he's he's got a larger family involved with Custodius Anguish, I don't know, but they're on to us, so you're happy with Jack?
Justin (GM):I think you need Jack more than I do at
Joel (Credits):this I think these people are they've threatened my mother. He said, I know where your mother is. We need to get Already called Lucan. Lucan send send folks over.
Justin (GM):No offense, senator Pinch. You have to have more reliable friends. Lucan's incredibly reliable. Okay. We can both at least agree to meet in the middle and just say reliable.
Justin (GM):Yeah. Right? That's Reliable.
Joel (Credits):I Hey, let's let's be honest. Who else do we trust knowing that now my brother-in-law wants to maybe kill me because I didn't wanna come with him?
Justin (GM):We can't be here. We can't be here right now.
Joel (Credits):I mean, if
Justin (GM):Your office is a danger. Why? Because it's a known quantity.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. But are they gonna march in and kill me in my office in front in right next to Connie's office? I'd be I mean, it'd be fucking I'd be impressed, to be honest. That'd be a pretty bold move. I actually think out in public is the safest place for me to be.
Justin (GM):Well then, center pinch. Yes. I need you to know Okay. From the bottom of my heart Yes. That I am not custodious
Joel (Credits):sanguis. I appreciate you saying that. I you've never liked Bastion. I knew I I could
Justin (GM):No. He's unkept and talks so much.
Joel (Credits):For for such like a secret society, big plans, movers and shakers, he's a fucking mess. Right? Shave the beard.
Justin (GM):He's a lot for sure.
Joel (Credits):Trim it up. Get a tie.
Justin (GM):It seems like he had kind of one job. Yeah. And it he did do that job pretty well.
Joel (Credits):May I mean I'm not well enough. I mean, if I fucking found out about it, I'm not I mean smartest. Right?
Justin (GM):Fell at the finish line for Yeah. Sure. Yeah. It's Which is unfortunate.
Joel (Credits):He almost had it.
Justin (GM):He really almost had it. Almost had it. Seems like fate really wasn't on his favor there.
Joel (Credits):No. 100%. Rolls didn't. Sorry. No.
Joel (Credits):The numbers weren't on his side.
Justin (GM):The numbers weren't on his side? Yeah. Yeah. Numbers are always on my side.
Joel (Credits):That's right. That's why you and I are a good team.
Justin (GM):Okay. I can do something. Surely. She looks down at the books.
Joel (Credits):We also still have to be like senators and stuff, so we gotta keep that going, that ball rolling too.
Justin (GM):Okay.
Joel (Credits):I can deal with the Bastion stuff if you deal with the senator stuff. Okay. And make sure I'm doing that job.
Justin (GM):Okay. Does that feel fair? It seems like there's some immorality to that.
Joel (Credits):I mean, I'm still gonna be the ones You're gonna tell me the senators.
Justin (GM):Yes. Yes.
Joel (Credits):I'm just not gonna be I didn't know if you were like. Front burner for me.
Justin (GM):Yes. Okay. Good.
Joel (Credits):It's front burner
Joel (Credits):for you,
Joel (Credits):back burner for me. Bastion thing is back burner for you, front burner for me. Yep. Teamwork, absolutely.
Justin (GM):Same page.
Joel (Credits):Great. Great. Great. I'm gonna I'm actually gonna call Sara and Luke and let them know what's going on. Okay.
Joel (Credits):Great. And then Harry just kind of gives you guys a call and gives you a rundown on what just happened, so you have the whole story.
Justin (GM):Sarra, you receive a note from Imogen saying, come to the soup kitchen as quickly as you can.
Shelby (Sahra):I immediately rushed to the soup kitchen as quick as I can because immediately, Sara is thinking something is wrong with Imogen.
Justin (GM):Ever since the events of the cult of change in the warehouse, all of the facade of what the soup kitchen was at night is gone. It still is serving the various needs of the commons, but it is not pretending to not be something bigger in terms of tackling the larger systemic problems. So it is a buzz with members of the community, and you are surprised to see how many people there are who look downtrodden as you approach.
Shelby (Sahra):And I walk in and I scan the room for Imogen, and then once I see her, I beeline towards her because she sent me the note.
Justin (GM):Imogen, at first, does not see you, and then when she does, quickly closes a book and puts it underneath her bag. I'm so glad you came and gives you a hug, and you can feel that she is holding on to you for a sense of stability and foundation that is maybe more than appropriate that is maybe a little bit inappropriate for your level of friendship. But in scanning the room, it seems like everyone is a little bit shaken in this moment, and so you get the sense that it is not necessarily about where you or her are, just where she is in general.
Shelby (Sahra):And Sara is just gonna hold on to the hug until Imogen is the first to let go of it.
Justin (GM):They found them.
Shelby (Sahra):Found who?
Justin (GM):They found Lars. They've the people that we sent. They didn't Who found them? The Tarnat. It it didn't They weren't They were prepared and they got them.
Shelby (Sahra):Oh, god.
Justin (GM):We lost contact and we got confirmation earlier today.
Shelby (Sahra):Imogen, you need to listen to me. Okay? Uh-huh. Things are happening fast.
Justin (GM):Okay.
Shelby (Sahra):Things are about to explode.
Justin (GM):What do you what do you mean?
Shelby (Sahra):Do you know where Vivian is?
Nick (Herry):Do you
Shelby (Sahra):know where Aggie is?
Justin (GM):I I Vivian's here. She's she's in the back room.
Shelby (Sahra):In Aggie?
Justin (GM):Aggie's probably somewhere around here. Yeah.
Shelby (Sahra):Okay. Go find Aggie, and then meet me and Vivian in the back room. Hurry.
Justin (GM):Okay. You head to the back room and find Vivienne consulting with Aggie and a few of the other older witches that you have seen, none of them apprentices, none of them learning like Imogen or the other students that you had seen. They seemed surprised to see you enter. No. It's not not the time, dear.
Justin (GM):We're we're having a a conversation.
Shelby (Sahra):This is going to be relevant.
Justin (GM):Oh, are you sure this is a very sensitive conversation?
Shelby (Sahra):Yeah. And what I'm about to share is sensitive as well, but I need to I need people to know because I I have a feeling that if I don't share what I know with you guys, that it might be too late.
Justin (GM):Imogen comes in.
Shelby (Sahra):As you guys know, I am a ward of Venethar, which means that I have connections with people who are in high positions of power here in the city, and they are on to you guys. They're on to us.
Justin (GM):On to us?
Shelby (Sahra):There are rumors of an insurgent group in the commons who are planning an overthrow. Overthrow? Vivian, do the words custodius sanguis mean anything to you?
Justin (GM):Give me an instinct role. I think it's fair to say you need to beat a 22. It is a dark room. There are four people in this room plus you. Aggie, Vivian, another elderly witch, and Imogen.
Shelby (Sahra):Okay. And none of my experiences can help me?
Steve (Luken):What are your all of
Justin (GM):your
Shelby (Sahra):experiences? Have Ward of Vinithar. I have code switching, and I've connected to my roots.
Justin (GM):I think code switching will be Yeah. Relevant.
Shelby (Sahra):Okay.
Justin (GM):So you can use a hope for that. Okay.
Shelby (Sahra):20222. What did I need to beat?
Steve (Luken):22. Meets it.
Justin (GM):Meets it. Okay. With fear.
Shelby (Sahra):With fear.
Justin (GM):Vivian looks confused when you ask that question. Aggie's face,
Joel (Credits):nothing.
Justin (GM):The other witch, equally confused. You have spent so much of your time code switching, changing who you are based on who you're around, you know tells. For the briefest of seconds, you register recognition on Imogen's face. It's there and then it's gone.
Shelby (Sahra):Okay. So I glance over at Imogen and I clock that. And then I look back at Vivian and I say, can I talk to you in private?
Justin (GM):Honey, this is the most private room.
Shelby (Sahra):No. Can I talk to you in private?
Justin (GM):Of course. The other three leave the room.
Shelby (Sahra):I'm gonna ask you again, Vivian. Do the words custodius sanguis mean anything to you?
Justin (GM):No. No. That doesn't mean anything to me. Does it that's like old old language for keepers of blood? Like, that doesn't mean anything to me.
Shelby (Sahra):Vivien, our king? King Asher?
Justin (GM):Uh-huh. Yes.
Shelby (Sahra):He is not the true incarnate king.
Justin (GM):What are you saying?
Shelby (Sahra):I'm telling you that everything you know about our king is a lie. I'm telling you that there is a group of people who have successfully, to this point, created a ruse in switching out the incarnate king.
Justin (GM):Who who then who is who is Asher then? What
Shelby (Sahra):I don't know.
Justin (GM):He didn't I
Shelby (Sahra):don't know why Asher
Justin (GM):was How do you pro this?
Shelby (Sahra):I know this because I went to Sharnwick.
Steve (Luken):Okay.
Shelby (Sahra):I went and there, we were attacked by a revenant and we found evidence of this group called the Custodia Sanguis. It is a group of people who have conspired and have successfully swapped out the incarnate king.
Justin (GM):For what?
Shelby (Sahra):Starting with Esau.
Justin (GM):For what purpose? Why?
Shelby (Sahra):Who knows? Vivian, who knows? For for power to change up the the council of faith, I don't know the purpose of why, but the fact is, and it is true, that there is a group who has switched out the true and rightful king. So what this means, Vivian, is if he's not the true king, then what are we doing here with our government? You and I both know that there needs to be change.
Shelby (Sahra):That's what this is about. Right? It's change. This is our moment, Vivian, because they're onto us. They know.
Shelby (Sahra):And if we don't do something now, everything could be destroyed. Life as we know it can be destroyed. We are on the edge of destruction right now. And I have talked with Amonet, and I feel like somehow, for one reason or another, I am the one who has to fix this. But I can't do it by myself.
Shelby (Sahra):I need someone to help me.
Justin (GM):Sit down. Sit down. Sit down. What what what's one problem at a time if we have been discovered and they are claiming that we are an insurgent group, we need to evacuate. We can't be here.
Justin (GM):Yes. We are not guilty of anything.
Shelby (Sahra):No. But
Justin (GM):if they they will fabricate evidence.
Shelby (Sahra):And they are onto us.
Justin (GM):We we can evacuate this group. What do we do with this information? Do we tell people?
Shelby (Sahra):That's what I don't know. I mean, something drastic has to happen. Something big is about to happen.
Justin (GM):Something big?
Shelby (Sahra):It could be the complete overthrow of our entire kingdom.
Justin (GM):If what you're saying is right
Shelby (Sahra):And it is.
Justin (GM):Esau is not the true king, then his vote to break the tie on the nation isn't valid. Exactly. Oh, no. Oh, child, you've carried this secret for so long. We need to evacuate.
Justin (GM):We have a safe house. I can we will contact you with the locations of the safe house.
Nick (Herry):Okay.
Justin (GM):You need to escape. We we all need to get out of here. Yeah. I don't know what we'll do with this information at this moment, but thank you.
Shelby (Sahra):Thank you. I can't do this all by myself, but I know that it's my responsibility.
Justin (GM):I don't think you should share this information with anyone else.
Shelby (Sahra):No.
Justin (GM):If if the expeditionary force that we sent to the annexed lands of the Steelmarrow tribe, they were captured. Many people in here are are angry, upset, and with this information, I I worry what they would do with it.
Shelby (Sahra):Well, people are going to be upset when collapses.
Justin (GM):I worry that they won't be upset when Venethar collapses. That's my worry. And as complicated as my feelings are, I don't think a collapse of Venethar serves anyone. Chaos doesn't serve anyone. We need to be precise with this.
Shelby (Sahra):But we don't have time. I mean, four other cities have gone up in flames just like ours. There is a movement of change. I mean, you have to be aware of the cult of metamorphosis by now, clearly.
Justin (GM):This the commons have rallied behind behind Asher. He he is being viewed as an incredible force of good after
Shelby (Sahra):And he is. He is an incredible force of good, but he's not the right king. It's not his fault.
Justin (GM):It doesn't matter if he's good if he's also a lie.
Shelby (Sahra):He didn't lie. He didn't know.
Justin (GM):Do you know that?
Shelby (Sahra):No. But I know Asher. I grew up with Asher. We were kids together. And everything that I know about him is that he is honest and he is true and he tries his hardest to be a good king.
Justin (GM):Is he just doing that to cover up for being a lie?
Shelby (Sahra):I think he just wants to be good. He doesn't know that he's a lie. He doesn't he doesn't know. He can't know.
Justin (GM):You have to tell him.
Shelby (Sahra):I have to tell him. I I have to tell him. Otherwise, who knows what could happen to him if he doesn't know? How is it fair for me to know this about him when he doesn't know himself?
Justin (GM):I will organize the escape for everyone here. Find us after you've told him. Be careful. If he knows, he might want to keep that secret. Yeah.
Justin (GM):Aminette will protect you.
Shelby (Sahra):Okay.
Justin (GM):Thank you.
Shelby (Sahra):I'll see you soon.
Justin (GM):I'll see you soon. Beanie is sitting at her desk running numbers again on the likelihood of various members of the senate, the likelihood of them being members of Custodia Sangwis, finding that to be too difficult. She shifts and begins to run through guest lists for Yare Theophilus Zimri and any possible amorous relationships she might have had. Finding that to be also unhelpful, she begins to brew another cup of coffee. What am I doing?
Justin (GM):This is I Harry, I can hear you pacing inside of your office.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. I mean, that's fine. Is it a problem? I can't think. Make more coffee.
Justin (GM):I I am I am making more coffee. That's not
Joel (Credits):the problem. Harry comes out of his office. We just What's the problem? I can't
Justin (GM):I can't believe that I'm going to be the one to suggest this. But maybe us being here isn't the right option. Okay. We No. You aren't a wait around kind of guy.
Justin (GM):You are concerned about the safety of your mother.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. I've been known to swashbuckle. By who? Okay. Who's Okay.
Joel (Credits):Yes.
Justin (GM):Okay. Who's spreading that rumor?
Joel (Credits):Okay. Yes. I mean, I sent Lucan over I sent adventurers over to look after him.
Justin (GM):Is there any harm? Would it make you feel better if we just went to check on her yourself?
Joel (Credits):You're coming with. Of course.
Justin (GM):I said we. You said yourself. Yourself.
Joel (Credits):Ourself.
Justin (GM):Ourselves.
Joel (Credits):Grab the books. Of Takes the
Justin (GM):key out of her pocket.
Joel (Credits):What? Why not the
Justin (GM):the key?
Joel (Credits):Why not the magic lock?
Justin (GM):Well, I thought both would be a good idea. Okay.
Shelby (Sahra):That's fine. That's fine.
Justin (GM):Takes the key, unlocks the cabinet, gets the papers out.
Joel (Credits):Alright. I'm ready. Jack, have you had lunch?
Justin (GM):I don't. I don't need lunch.
Joel (Credits):It's fine. What? What? What do you mean you don't need lunch?
Justin (GM):I just I you know, I thought I'd work through lunch.
Joel (Credits):You don't need to do that. What, beanie tell you can't have lunch? Beanie.
Justin (GM):I thought it was a
Joel (Credits):We'll grab you a sandwich on the way. Alright. Takes off towards the university.
Justin (GM):Three differently frazzled people headed their way Three incredibly stressed out weirdos. Headed their way to Venethar University of
Steve (Luken):the Arcane Arts. What's Lucan up to? Lucan hung up after his his call with Harry and is getting to work. He quickly went through his like mental rolodex of the adventurers that he has worked with the most who are best fit for, not just a bodyguard task, but a bodyguard task for an incredibly important person who Lucan has, like, fond memories of growing up and visiting the Pinch household. Right?
Steve (Luken):Like, this isn't just like a guard job. This is a person who does mean something to Lucan. So he's going with his most dependable group of of three. Given the unrest in the city, given everything going on, all the good adventurers are out and about. You know, the worthwhile, experienced, dependable ones have jobs right now.
Steve (Luken):At the same time, Lucan doesn't want to trust doesn't want to trust the kind of adventurer who isn't working on a day like today, and who who could just be on call at a moment's notice. So he's been exploring the city, just trying to locate those three adventurers. Generally, you know, air recon, easier to cover ground in the air, but, you know, he he knows he ordained the quest that they're on. So he knows the general vicinity that these three are in. And I think he he finds them.
Steve (Luken):It takes some time, but he finds them without a whole lot of trouble. Gathers them up, and Lucan uses, you know, requisition funds to hire a carriage, gets in with the three, briefs them on the way, and gets over to the Venethar University of the Arts, and they make their way up to, miss Pinch's office. While in the carriage, though, he places a call to Sara on the sending stone. Yeah. So call Sara.
Steve (Luken):Hey, Sara. Sara, what are you doing right now?
Shelby (Sahra):Sara has just run out of she's, like, just finished her conversation with Vivian, and she is running out of the soup kitchen and she kind of stops and sees the phone call from Lucan. And previously, she was just, like, so frazzled, so determined, just kind of like on a mission that she wasn't really thinking about what she was gonna do once she gets there. She says, hello?
Steve (Luken):Sara, Sara, it's Lucan.
Shelby (Sahra):Lucan.
Steve (Luken):Why are you out of breath?
Shelby (Sahra):What? What's going on? What?
Steve (Luken):What are you doing right now?
Shelby (Sahra):Lucan, I have to tell Asher.
Steve (Luken):Woah, woah, woah. What? Can
Shelby (Sahra):I have to tell Asher the truth?
Steve (Luken):Okay. Okay. I I you want to tell I'm, like, in a carriage with people, so I'm not, like, repeating this out loud because I haven't told these three fucking guards. I'm like, okay. Okay.
Steve (Luken):Before you do that, I got I got a weird call from Harry. I think I think his mom's in trouble. What? I know what you're doing is very important, but I am getting some people together, and we're gonna go go meet at her office at the university. Can you please, before you do anything, come meet us, please?
Shelby (Sahra):But I have to tell him.
Steve (Luken):I know. I know. And we can talk about that, but this is this is urgent. We just we have to be over there.
Shelby (Sahra):Okay. Fine. I'll meet you over there.
Steve (Luken):Thank you. Thank you.
Shelby (Sahra):Hang up, get my bearings, then I start making my way toward the university.
Justin (GM):Harry finds his mother not in the middle of a mouse experiment. An aquarium is set up along the far wall, and she's taking notes on the movements of various minnows who have formed a school of fish, just observing their collective turns and shifts, making observations. It is a quiet, peaceful afternoon for her. She's doing her best to find moments like this after a very intense few days. She has a cup of coffee, that has long since gotten cold on her desk, but she absentmindedly grabs it, takes a sip, cringes, puts it back.
Justin (GM):In five minutes, she will repeat this process, having forgotten. But, this is where Harry finds his mother.
Joel (Credits):Mom, you you in here? Where where? I'm over here. Over here. Okay.
Joel (Credits):Alright.
Justin (GM):Oh my goodness. Any visitors today? Well, apparently, three visitors. You Yeah. Beanie, and I don't believe I know this individual.
Joel (Credits):This is Jack. Hello, Jack. Excuse the mustard stain. Okay.
Justin (GM):Is something
Joel (Credits):going Jack, okay? Actually, Jack, you go ahead go ahead and take a walk. Go ahead and just kind of walk the hallways if you don't mind.
Justin (GM):Transil, is everything okay?
Joel (Credits):Transyl's right. Jack, go ahead and take a walk. Lucan should be on his way with some buds. Harry is like rubbing we'll we'll we'll chat about it once once Lucan gets here. But Harry's just like rubbing his forehead so hard.
Justin (GM):Harry, you haven't answered my question. Yeah. Everything okay?
Joel (Credits):Nope. Nope. It's not.
Justin (GM):You see your mother change from scholar to arcanist Yep. With a She moves behind her desk, opens a drawer, pulls out a wand, puts that wand in a side pocket Yep. Pulls out another wand, puts that in her other side pocket, pulls out a third wand. With a flick of her wrist, you see arcane locks around the corners of the room go into place. What what is going on?
Joel (Credits):Pull up the basement books, set it up here on the table. Yeah. Yeah. We'll wait to get too deep into it, you can go ahead and start looking at through some of these pieces of information that Beanie has. These
Justin (GM):I'm sorry. Basement books?
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Actually, real quick. Can I cast a spell on you?
Justin (GM):No. What spell? Harry, what is going on?
Joel (Credits):I just like, sort of a truth, like, tell no lies. You taught me tell no lies. Yes. You can do it on me afterwards if you like, one for one.
Justin (GM):She looks at Beanie. Beanie gives her a reassuring look, Harry, you know you can trust me Yeah. But of course.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Will she like fail it or whatever I
Justin (GM):opted to
Joel (Credits):fail. Okay. Custodia Sanguis mean anything to you?
Justin (GM):She thinks for a second. It means keeper, I assume, of blood.
Joel (Credits):Yep. Okay. But no other history or anything comes to mind?
Justin (GM):I have no other knowledge of this other He than the
Joel (Credits):dispels. Cool. That's cool. That's great. That's good.
Joel (Credits):Harry is stressed.
Justin (GM):Yeah. Harry, please sit down.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. I will. We will. We will. We will.
Joel (Credits):So, yeah, Beanie is laying out some information. We when we were in Sharnwick, found a former guard's red string basement. We at first, I wrote it off as sort of writings of a madman. Mhmm. But as we've chased down some things, and Beanie has documented them, it seems more true than I wish was true.
Joel (Credits):And so Luca will be here in a minute and I'm gonna catch him up. We're gonna catch up together as well. But I wanted you to and, oh, like, Bastian just kinda threatened your life, so I just wanted Lucan to be here as well.
Justin (GM):So I'm sorry, what?
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Yeah. Bastian just kinda threatened your life a
Steve (Luken):little bit, dummy. Yeah. My
Justin (GM):son-in-law Yeah. Threatened my life? In what context?
Joel (Credits):I maybe was invisible walking away from him because I didn't want to put on an anti magic piece of jewelry because he wanted to, I don't know, take me somewhere. And so then he yelled, I believe the phrase was, it's okay, Harry. I know where your mother is, which is just like a generally threatening thing to say.
Justin (GM):Harry Yeah. There's a lot. I need to I need to know where your father is.
Joel (Credits):Yep. I We'll work on that next.
Nick (Herry):Okay.
Joel (Credits):We'll work on that next. I need your brain. I need Arcanist for the next twenty minutes, and then we will be family. Okay.
Justin (GM):Deal? Give me a presence role because I think your mom is needs Yeah. To not be convinced not to be your mother in this moment.
Joel (Credits):Okay. You got a friend to calm her down? Yes. I'll be my last I don't get advantage for that. Yeah.
Joel (Credits):That's a 15. That's a 18 plus two. That's a 20. And that'll be my last hope. Oh, no.
Joel (Credits):I just got another hope, that costs nothing. 20 with hope. You
Justin (GM):see your mom collect herself in the cabinet over there on the right. Second drawer, there is a tracking device that I have placed on your father. Yeah. He will you'll be able to use that to locate him, and my sending stone is over here on the desk. Please contact him.
Justin (GM):Yep.
Joel (Credits):I'll do that right
Justin (GM):now. I will read this. Thank you.
Joel (Credits):Great.
Justin (GM):Great. Over You cannot get in. Yeah. I because the door is locked.
Steve (Luken):I I walk in. You do not. No. Like, it's okay. I walk up to the door.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. I see.
Steve (Luken):Yeah. So, Lucan walks up to the door and
Justin (GM):tries to open it. Immediately, she draws another wand at the ready. Someone's at the door.
Joel (Credits):Yep. Yep. That's true.
Steve (Luken):I start knocking. What's the password?
Justin (GM):Harry, really?
Joel (Credits):What's the password? Pelican. Alright. Let him in. Fuck.
Joel (Credits):Okay. Harry opens the door,
Steve (Luken):brings him in. I come in, I turn to my guys with me and say, you three out here. Yeah. Maybe perimeter. Do yeah.
Steve (Luken):Walk the perimeter.
Joel (Credits):Hi, guys. It's Houston Pinch. Nice to meet y'all.
Steve (Luken):This is senator Pinch? Yep. Yep. Shakes everyone's hands. If you see anybody Anyone
Joel (Credits):I mean, the king's the only one that's allowed up here.
Steve (Luken):Oh, yeah. If you see anybody Yeah. Except I told them who Sara is Okay. On the way over. Anyone other than Sara approach this door, sending stone, me immediately.
Steve (Luken):Great. Also, don't touch anything.
Justin (GM):From her desk, you hear your mom go,
Joel (Credits):holy fuck. Holy I know. Fuck. Yes. Fuck.
Steve (Luken):Gentlemen, you have your orders. Thank you. And I, you know, join you in. As we walk over to your mom, I just quickly pull you like, not even pull you aside. As we're walking, gonna say, Sara's on her way to you.
Justin (GM):Oh, okay. Great.
Joel (Credits):Great. Is she alright?
Steve (Luken):Is everything okay? I I don't know. She's talking about maybe doing something we can't take back.
Joel (Credits):Like, killing somebody?
Steve (Luken):No. Not that bad. But Oh. Just just so you know Okay. She has some ideas.
Shelby (Sahra):Okay.
Steve (Luken):Alright?
Joel (Credits):Alright.
Steve (Luken):I because I don't know that she's looking at the books yet, so I'm not going to say she wants to go to the land. It's like I'm trying to keep it.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Yeah. She's she's she's I gave her I gave her
Steve (Luken):the base one books. Oh, how's how's that going? Oh, fuck. Sorry about that. Yeah.
Steve (Luken):I assumed it was mouse related.
Joel (Credits):But why? Why? Yeah. She's incredibly bright.
Steve (Luken):Should should I say hi? Do
Joel (Credits):you Yeah. Go ahead. Okay. Luca Luca's here. Mom?
Justin (GM):Hi, missus Pinch. Oh, hi, Luca. Hey. It's been so long. You look good.
Justin (GM):Thank you. I've heard some disturbing things about things going on in your church, but you look good. Thank
Steve (Luken):you. Give her a hug right away. Oh, of Of Yeah. It's it's been a week, guys.
Justin (GM):Seems like a bad bad egg.
Steve (Luken):Oh, okay. So we don't have to convince her of
Joel (Credits):I didn't tell him the last. She did Okay. We're good. We're good.
Justin (GM):Yeah. He murdered some people, it seems like.
Steve (Luken):And I think that's he'd love to do some more of that, it seems. He's yeah.
Justin (GM):He's in this these books. Have you read these? I have. Yeah. This is bad.
Justin (GM):It's really bad. I think that talk to you. Gone back to reading. Yeah. Does does she need anything?
Steve (Luken):Can I get her some
Joel (Credits):No? You're fine. Just hang out. You can hang out. It's fine.
Joel (Credits):We're just kinda waiting for Sara, I think, this point to Okay.
Steve (Luken):I don't sit. Like, I'm I'm idiot guard dog. Yeah. Right? Like, I have the three guys going around, like but I'm, you know, on alert.
Steve (Luken):I'm not really paying attention to conversation. I'm, like, watching the door.
Joel (Credits):Yep.
Shelby (Sahra):Sara comes in, comes up to the door.
Justin (GM):Someone's at the door.
Joel (Credits):Someone's at the door. What's the password?
Shelby (Sahra):It's me. That's not
Justin (GM):the He's
Steve (Luken):not gonna take that password.
Shelby (Sahra):What password? What? We didn't talk about a password?
Joel (Credits):We don't know. We can't come in.
Shelby (Sahra):Wait. PPPPPelican? Alright.
Joel (Credits):Let her in.
Steve (Luken):I I go open the door, I think.
Shelby (Sahra):God. I real I can't believe I remembered that.
Justin (GM):Is that Sara I hear?
Shelby (Sahra):Hi, missus Pinch. Sara.
Justin (GM):Oh, hi. Hi. Are you caught up in this too?
Shelby (Sahra):Caught up in what?
Joel (Credits):She's got the basement books.
Shelby (Sahra):Yes.
Justin (GM):Oh, honey. I'm so sorry that my son brought you in on all of this.
Joel (Credits):I mean, I didn't come up with this.
Justin (GM):Ugh. I'm so sorry.
Shelby (Sahra):Thank you.
Justin (GM):I'm sure you would have handled this so much better than he did. Ugh. She gives you the biggest hug.
Steve (Luken):Beanie is no longer my favorite character. I'm sorry.
Joel (Credits):There's a Harry has a beanie because Yep.
Justin (GM):Do see that Beanie is like hovering over your mom's shoulder watching her think, and you get, like, a strong fan girl energy from the two of them. I'm gonna go back to reading these books. I just wanted to say hi. And if you need anything, let me know. Okay?
Shelby (Sahra):Okay. Thanks.
Justin (GM):The doors are locked. Doors
Joel (Credits):are locked.
Shelby (Sahra):Okay.
Joel (Credits):We'll we'll chat while you while you read through that. We'll we'll we'll meet
Justin (GM):up soon. I'm almost finished.
Joel (Credits):I know. I know. You're very fast, but I'll give you a couple times to make some notes and make some make some drawings. Yep. So I was I was accosted by my brother-in-law, which I think I'd give you a little bit of the rundown.
Joel (Credits):He's definitely a part of Custodio Sanctus. He tried to give I was gonna go with him because I was like, Information. This will be fine. And then he insisted that I put on some kind of anti magic bracer. You know my only thing is arcane door and invisibility, I'm not giving that up.
Joel (Credits):So I squirreled away, but now we know it runs in a lot of places including my family it seems. I checked with I checked with Tallulah here and she seems above board, but I don't know how much farther past that. But it seems we need to figure out the who's and the whys and the what's here.
Shelby (Sahra):We have to tell Asher.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. I mean, at some point, I think I'm on board with that.
Shelby (Sahra):No. We need to tell him now.
Joel (Credits):Wait. Wait. Okay. Tell him what?
Shelby (Sahra):Tell him the truth. Tell him tell him that he's not the real king. What
Joel (Credits):Yeah. I I I'm I'm on board with that to a point. What what do we have that's gonna make him believe us? To make him upturn his whole life, I guess. That's where I'm at right now.
Shelby (Sahra):Show him the books.
Steve (Luken):Yeah. Why right now?
Shelby (Sahra):Because because everything is falling apart. What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?
Joel (Credits):That's that's what we're doing. That's what we're here for.
Steve (Luken):We we don't know yet. We
Joel (Credits):We're gonna make that decision together.
Steve (Luken):We came to the literal smartest person any of us know. Oh my god. And sorry, I earlier, you gave me some really blunt news that I wasn't ready to accept yet, which is that all of this is true. I think I owe you. I don't know anything.
Steve (Luken):I don't I'm learning all of this for the first time too. We have to consider the possibility that Asher already knows.
Shelby (Sahra):There's no way.
Steve (Luken):I I know. I know.
Shelby (Sahra):No. No. There's no way. Why? Because he's Asher.
Shelby (Sahra):Because because we know him.
Joel (Credits):I I I knew Bastion. We've known a lot of people.
Shelby (Sahra):No. No. No. No. Because if Asher knows, then then I don't know.
Steve (Luken):And he he might not we just don't we don't have enough to confront anyone with this right now. You are right. It's not fair if he doesn't know. It is not fair that we know this and he doesn't.
Shelby (Sahra):Okay. Then when?
Joel (Credits):That's what we're here to figure out. I'm on board of Tel Asher. I think he's a victim in all of this. I think I don't I that is my belief. I don't trust anyone
Steve (Luken):currently. I think that is the right thing to believe
Joel (Credits):Mhmm.
Steve (Luken):But we also have to be thinking worst case scenario in terms of how we move on this. I believe it too. I three days ago, I didn't even believe that in pointing at the basement books and pointing at Tallulah. Okay? I I'm I didn't move so quickly to not believing this at all to Asher is in on it.
Steve (Luken):But if we march in there and he is or he's surrounded by those who are, that's the end for us.
Joel (Credits):Have you guys run-in I mean, I can't be the only one getting threatened right now. Are Luca did you run into anybody? No. Has anyone come to use
Steve (Luken):I was just grabbing bodyguards and going. I have not been in touch with anyone who would be, like, embedded, you
Joel (Credits):know? Okay. At this point, I guess where I'm at is I don't trust anyone outside of this room fully.
Shelby (Sahra):And Sara starts thinking about Imogen and she just starts to break down into tears and she just starts crying.
Joel (Credits):Harry will go put a hammer under her shoulder and walk her to the chair in the office next to everything. Okay. Here we go.
Shelby (Sahra):She's part of it.
Joel (Credits):Who?
Shelby (Sahra):Imogen. I said the words custodian sanguis and she's part of it. How could she do this to me? I trusted her.
Joel (Credits):Yeah.
Shelby (Sahra):How could she do this?
Joel (Credits):That's what we're here to figure out, how and why. You mentioned?
Shelby (Sahra):But why her? She helps people. She's good. Why her?
Justin (GM):I think I might have some answers. She holds up some of the pages. She says, these are quotes from the Divine Codex. This one is about kind of why the incarnate king exists. It says, so it shall come to pass in the days of ending that the people of the incarnate king shall be a thorn in the side of the nothing, a bane onto its house.
Justin (GM):These are the words that are the foundation of Venethar With the knife of doubt at his throat, the immortal king shall be crowned by death. Behold, Venethar walks the edge of a blade. If these notes are to be believed, then Esau, Asher's previous life, was the first time that the incarnate king was swapped. Yeah. The There are two parties that are absolutely in touch with the whereabouts of the soul of the incarnate king.
Justin (GM):The first has to do with his birth. The priestesses of Arasinda monitor the dreams of the current incarnate king for visions of his next mother so that they can anticipate and be ready for his next birth. It is a gift from the goddess of motherhood that they can see and interpret these dreams. The second is the priesthood of the Wainwright. They are present at his death as they perform the final rites.
Justin (GM):The immortal king shall be crowned by death. Esau voted alongside the Wainwright to not come to the aid of the urination. That's the first time the Wainwright and the incarnate king have ever voted in the same way.
Joel (Credits):And we never got information from either either of them on why or how that they came to that conclusion from my memory. Correct?
Justin (GM):The reasons behind votes are closely guarded. But to say that it should be crowned by death, it seems like the Wainwrights would have knowledge of the reality of the situation. And to say nothing is to effectively condone what is happening.
Joel (Credits):It's really easy to say nothing if you don't have a tongue to say anything. The
Justin (GM):translation here, the people of the immortal king is is underlined. The most common interpretation of that is the kingdom of Venethar. Yeah. It seems as though the custodian sanguis are interpreting it more literally to say the bloodline of the incarnate king, but the incarnate king doesn't have children. That's like a part of it.
Joel (Credits):Right. Well, we've recently come and Harry pulls out the next sort of sheet about DL Roulette and talks like wants to bring up Isharne. We've also then run into DL here who was basically how this whole thing got started. He's completely magically inert. I don't know how much you know about that, but we've also recently found out that so is Isarn Haliburton.
Justin (GM):The immortal soul, which is kind of the original translation of the incarnate king, the immortal soul, is a problem because it's not going to exactly, for lack of a better phrase, breed true. He's not going to he's not exactly mortal in the same way. He might have alternate outcomes in their offspring. Oh, interesting.
Joel (Credits):So the thing that maybe causes sorcery in one can create the opposite.
Justin (GM):In another. In another. In a in lineage. The exact opposite.
Joel (Credits):Okay.
Justin (GM):This last line, they thirst though he gives them water. They starve though he gives them food. The soul unending must once again sit the throne. Again, the use of soul unending, immortal king, these are alternate versions. Oftentimes, today, we just universally translate it all as the immortal king.
Justin (GM):But the use of soul unending here is an interesting interpretation and might insinuate that in order for this to end, the rightful king must sit the throne.
Joel (Credits):Boy, howdy.
Justin (GM):These are just Yeah. Statements. Sure. Sorry. The school of divination will be the first to tell you that you should never take prophecy literally.
Justin (GM):That's the core problem of this text is they're taking people of the immortal king too literally.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. All the way down.
Justin (GM):But if they are creating a bloodline, how far does that go? It's if Esau is not the real king, it's been almost a hundred years. You could have a lot of offspring in a hundred years.
Joel (Credits):Bini, did you ever get any dalliances, any potential romances on Yair? Beanie pulls out a sheet of paper.
Justin (GM):I I don't have any dalliances. It would be extremely hidden
Joel (Credits):Yeah.
Justin (GM):If it were. However, a thought has occurred to me, and this is definitely just conjecture. You don't have to preface it. You're good. The family that Esau came from has a history of twins.
Joel (Credits):But he's not but Esau wasn't the king. Well, wasn't the immortal soul. Right? Unless the twin What was swapped? So are you suggesting that the twin who wasn't the immortal soul became the king?
Justin (GM):I would never suggest.
Joel (Credits):I'm just asking.
Steve (Luken):We're not asking for blasphemy.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Justin (GM):I I well, I'm not worried about blasphemy. Oh, good. I just don't want my statistics to be taken as fact.
Joel (Credits):Well, I'm just not very smart, so I'm just trying to piece
Justin (GM):If I were interested in taking the king, a twin would make that significantly easier because Yeah. The the real hang up is both Esau and Asher have the sorceress abilities Right. That the incarnate king should have. Once you've captured the mortal soul and you're producing errors, you just have to find one to make the next fake. But that first fake is the hard one, but a twin is a genetic copy.
Justin (GM):Yeah. That's clean. And they have a history of twins.
Joel (Credits):So how long was the custodian saying was waiting for twins to come around in the in the incarnate king's line? The the odds This has been a long con.
Justin (GM):There's fertility magic that increases likelihoods of these things. Sure. But
Shelby (Sahra):Doesn't matter if there's a family history.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. But there's no way that they could've this family would have had to have been in the visions from the previous king's death.
Justin (GM):Correct.
Joel (Credits):And so at, you know, generous read they got lucky, less generous read, fertility magic, whatever it took to make sure that this next pregnancy was twins. Boy. So that's a hundred years ago plus. So we've probably two I mean, we know of at least two names theoretically that are that at least believe they're part of the custodian sango and the evidence of magical inertness is on their side. So do we think they're actually the you think Isarn is actually the bloodline?
Justin (GM):Your mom speaks up. I've never heard of magically inert beings, but to produce sorcerers as powerful as Esau and Asher, we can safely say that anomalies are on the table.
Steve (Luken):Frankly, whether Isarn is the descendant part of the bloodline, I don't know how much that matters for what we need to do. He seems to think he is, and he is acting like he is. And regardless of whether that is true or not, we've seen what he's doing. And I don't I don't see as we have much of a choice but to stop him. To stop him from doing what though?
Steve (Luken):Whatever he wants. Pushing change?
Joel (Credits):But what change? To what end? Is he gonna sit on a throne?
Steve (Luken):It's easy to say things need to change. It's slightly less easy, but still possible to talk people into acting on that need for change. But change to what? Without that, we're still blind.
Shelby (Sahra):What is the end goal? What does he want?
Joel (Credits):Emperor status? No government but the one true king, one true bloodline?
Steve (Luken):It's a lot easier to do that if you've broken down the existing structure to nothing.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Which, boy, they're sure doing a good job of that.
Justin (GM):If they can create enough instability and then have built a foundation of things need to change anyway.
Joel (Credits):And and look, your king's not your king, but here's an alternative.
Justin (GM):He is beloved at the moment. They wanted a good person on the throne. Esau was a less beloved king, but made a lot of bad choices almost to be a stark
Joel (Credits):So we've got it still doesn't explain Asher and I mean, sorcerers aren't that rare. We have one here, you have Valentina, you just mentioned her to go talk to Like, sorcerers exist anywhere. So how do we know that they just didn't pick a random sorcerer?
Justin (GM):Well, sorcerers do exist, but this is the immortal soul that we're talking about. He democratized magic. The way that the incarnate king has crafted magic, the way it looks, the spells that are his signature spells have remained true throughout time and nothing that Asher or Esau have done have deviated from that norm. The only difference is that up until now, that's been true because they've been one person. They are now custodian sanguis are taking a more traditional approach to sorcery and actually turning it into a bloodline as opposed to keeping it in one soul.
Justin (GM):I think Asher might be the child just as much as Isarn is.
Joel (Credits):There's hundred years of children who we don't even know how many there are.
Justin (GM):We don't know how many there
Joel (Credits):are. And they just picked the one that happened to get the right sorcery to be able to be the king. So Isarn's a throwaway. What? Didn't work out.
Joel (Credits):Not the right magic. See you later. Didn't work out. Not the right magic. See you later.
Joel (Credits):That's wild. It's a farm. It's a factory farm of kings.
Steve (Luken):That's wild. So we have no idea even how many we're up against? How many we're dealing with here?
Justin (GM):It seems highly unlikely if they had the numbers in the hundreds that they would be going about this the way that they are.
Steve (Luken):Yeah. Okay. Okay.
Justin (GM):Okay. There have been two examples of known magically inert people, two examples of sorcerers. Those feel like accurate numbers.
Joel (Credits):Okay. Okay. Okay. That's that that makes me feel a little better.
Justin (GM):There are, fortunately, probably a lot that fall in between those two. Sure. But being magically inert, especially, most healing happens via magic. Most so many things happen via magic. Isarn being alive is frankly, in our world, a a miracle.
Justin (GM):Should've asked him how he got that scar. Probably fallen off his bike. Yeah. If they let them have bikes in this farm.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. In the King Farm. Okay. So what's next? Jesus.
Steve (Luken):Where do we where do we go from here?
Shelby (Sahra):Do we find the real king? Well Do we find the farm?
Joel (Credits):Let's let's break it down to immediate problems, and then secondary problems, and then big problems. So the big problem is we still don't know quite what their endgame play is. Obviously, know they're trying to destabilize, but what's the final piece of that puzzle? I don't know. We don't yet.
Steve (Luken):Destabilize to create a power vacuum. Right?
Joel (Credits):They have the guy in power that they want, so there won't be a vacuum. They're just gonna give it straight
Steve (Luken):to the guy. Right? So consolidation.
Joel (Credits):Just consolidation. So that's the big that's the one we can't touch today. I have a problem. We have a problem, Harry looks at his mother, with our son-in-law brother-in-law who apparently is has known about this forever and is one of them, which means
Shelby (Sahra):So he's probably not even Ash's real dad then?
Justin (GM):Ugh.
Joel (Credits):But that means
Justin (GM):Approval withdrawn.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Justified. That's why he was that's why he wanted it so bad. He knew he didn't deserve it. But that leaves as an immediate, at least for us on my end, an immediate problem of figuring out what to do with Tella and how what to do for Tella.
Joel (Credits):She's a pawn in all this. Gotta be.
Justin (GM):I would like to believe that she is not in immediate danger because if they wanted to have gotten if they wanted to get rid of her, they would have done it in any of the last two decades. But
Steve (Luken):Can can I interrupt, missus Pinch? I'm Of course. I'm sorry. She might not have been in immediate danger before. Yeah.
Steve (Luken):Bastion didn't know we were onto him. Yes. That we we can't make that assumption anymore. I'm going to spend a fear. Get it out of here.
Steve (Luken):Lucan, your sending stone goes off. I I answer it. I motion but I assume it's gonna be one of the bodyguards. So I say, what have you seen something? What's going on?
Nick (Herry):This is Sender Freelite. Is this probably probably best card?
Steve (Luken):Yeah. So yes. Hi. What do you need?
Nick (Herry):I'm being informed to let you know that you are to return to the Church of Baha'i. We're all being put under house arrest.
Steve (Luken):By who?
Nick (Herry):By the council of faith. All members of the clergy of Ba'az are under house arrest until they can discern who is amongst the problematic cult of change, this cult of metamorphosis, all clergy of Ba'az are under house arrest. Something has happened.
Steve (Luken):Thanks for letting me know. Do you know anything else? Who told you say the Council of Faith. Who did you talk to? Who's who is enforcing this?
Nick (Herry):The guards are here.
Steve (Luken):Okay. Okay.
Nick (Herry):I I told them that you were out and that I would notify you. It doesn't seem to be hostile so long as we acquiesce.
Steve (Luken):Sender, you've done your job. You've notified me. I appreciate it. I I hang up. Yep.
Steve (Luken):I relay this to everybody.
Justin (GM):At the same time, Harry, your sending stone is going to go off.
Joel (Credits):Harry answers it. Beanie looks like, do
Justin (GM):do you want me to answer that?
Joel (Credits):No. It's fine. It's probably a threat.
Nick (Herry):Oh, is this Harry?
Joel (Credits):Speaking.
Nick (Herry):Harry, it's Albert Constantine. Can you hear me?
Joel (Credits):Yes, Connie. I have you. Yes. What's up?
Nick (Herry):I I just wanted to let you know, it appears that there's something going on. They've they've put out an arrest on all a house arrest on all members of the Bosnian church.
Joel (Credits):Who who did?
Nick (Herry):Well, it came from the Council of Faith, it seems like. Wow. It seems to have come from mother Demeris specifically. She she claims that a large quantity of faith that they had stored has been stolen, and all suspects are potentially at large still. So they're just being quite ham fisted about it, if I may say so myself.
Joel (Credits):Where was this faith?
Nick (Herry):They were storing it in their church or something like that. You had a lot of specifics. They were talking so fast.
Joel (Credits):Why would you why would you do why would you just hold on to it as if it's not got what? I don't under I what was the what was the split on the vote?
Nick (Herry):It was almost Felix against it. Oh
Joel (Credits):my gosh. Even Phelos went against it. Oh my god. Okay. Alright.
Joel (Credits):What is there any action you for me in this movement? Is there anything we're doing?
Nick (Herry):I'm just calling to inform the circle.
Joel (Credits):I appreciate it. I appreciate it. Just let me know if there's anything I can do to shore up. Know I If
Nick (Herry):you see your fugitive friend, Lucan, make sure he goes back to his house where he belongs.
Joel (Credits):Oh. I didn't expect you to have such a strong opinion about this, You're not usually a, you know, Law and Order type of a guy. That's interesting.
Nick (Herry):It's so thrilling. Yeah.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Yeah. You haven't seen that much action in a while. That makes sense. But okay.
Joel (Credits):Connie, thanks.
Nick (Herry):He thinks you had though.
Joel (Credits):It's it's
Nick (Herry):It's a lot of faith that's gone missing.
Joel (Credits):Yes. Iriarson is really for how concerned they were to get it out of the fucking warrant. I don't know why they didn't do anything with it in the meantime. We helped him get it out of there. Okay, Connie.
Joel (Credits):Take care.
Nick (Herry):Alright. I have other calls to
Justin (GM):make.
Joel (Credits):Yeah. Get a nap in. You seem a little grumpy. You seem a little irritable.
Nick (Herry):I I don't I suppose I don't need to call.
Joel (Credits):Do you want me to call?
Nick (Herry):No. I I've got it.
Justin (GM):Okay.
Nick (Herry):Thank you, though.
Joel (Credits):Yep. I appreciate it, Connie. Thanks so much.
Nick (Herry):Bye, Harry.
Joel (Credits):Goodbye, Connie. Hey. New wrinkle. Remember all that Faith Church of Iridesse was or Ascinda or whatever the fuck their names are? Remember all that Faith that the Church of Iridesse had stored up in Hilford?
Steve (Luken):Harry, you seem a little agitated. You mispronounced a you're the name guy.
Justin (GM):I I
Steve (Luken):I take take a breath.
Joel (Credits):I hate the council of faith.
Steve (Luken):I hate these motherfuckers. Lucan tries really hard not to take that personally. You're not a council. But at this point well, it has been my, like, lifelong goal to get that. Lucan is a little, like, taken aback by how blunt that is, but also at this point, he's not a big fan either.
Steve (Luken):So
Joel (Credits):Yeah. So all of that, apparently, we helped them get it out of Hilford and into Resinium City, and then they I don't know. I guess not everyone uses a able-bodied adventurers to keep track of things and keep things guarded because it's gone.
Steve (Luken):Gone?
Shelby (Sahra):What do you mean it's gone?
Joel (Credits):It's gone. It's missing. No one knows where it is. So thank goodness the fallen didn't get it. Yeah?
Joel (Credits):So apparently, you're on house arrest.
Steve (Luken):Yeah. That was the call I just got.
Joel (Credits):Oh, nice. They let you know. That's Curtis.
Steve (Luken):Well, they asked me to come back.
Joel (Credits):Oh, you're not going, right?
Steve (Luken):Yeah, that's what I wanted to make clear. I don't think I'm going. I
Shelby (Sahra):You definitely can't go. We need you here, Yeah.
Steve (Luken):I I tend not to go places where I'm put under arrest.
Joel (Credits):I'll make you I'll make you invisible when we need that to happen. It's fine. I
Steve (Luken):I don't think I could fight everybody there, so I'm I'm gonna stay here. Yeah. Okay.
Joel (Credits):On the lamb. You love to see it.
Steve (Luken):So we have a bunch of missing faith that's that's concentrated magic. We have enemy number one for us, somebody who is a magical inert. Smart people in the room. What do you think a magically inert person could make use of that faith somehow?
Shelby (Sahra):I think we all kinda turn towards Tallulah.
Joel (Credits):I don't know if it's a mom, correct me if I'm wrong. I don't know if it's for the one magical inert person, but if you have a movement of hundreds of people that just became sorcerers, things get hairy quick.
Justin (GM):That would allow them to again, I'm not in any way an authority on what a magically inert person is capable of, but sorcery is hinges on the individual's closeness to the weave of magic. They there's no barrier between them and the fabric of reality on which magic functions. A magically inert person would be the exact opposite. The distance between them and the weave of magic is so distant that they can't bridge that gap. If they have
Steve (Luken):this liquid faith, this pure arcane energy, that gap has been bridged for them. Prelate Constant died because she presumed magic would work on him and it wouldn't. I don't wanna die because I presume he can't use magic, but he can. We need to know what he's capable of.
Justin (GM):As the three of you, Tallulah, Beanie, realize what you are facing in the next coming days, assuming that Custodius Sanguis has taken this faith, which for all intents and purposes is just liquid magic, that they do not makes anyone a sorcerer essentially. You all may level up ahead of these final days.
Joel (Credits):You've been listening to Faith and Fortune by Theater of the Mindset. Our actual players this season are Steve Edinger, Shelby Myers, Nick Traeger, and your kind and generous GM, Justin Girardeau. Audio engineering, post production, and scoring is done by Nick Traeger at Studio three six zero seven. If you're enjoying the show, you can help us grow with no capital investment by sharing it with a friend, following us on Instagram and Reddit, writing us a review on your favorite pod catcher, or you can ship in for coffee at our Patreon. Thanks listening, and we'll see you next week on Theater of the Mindset.