Pete/GM: Welcome back to Ash and Snow, level 2 of Gatewalkers.
Have you guys enjoyed the adventure so far?
We suck.
Yeah, we're
Misfit/Mia: not great at combat.
Pete/GM: We die a lot.
Archedas/Varren: I only hit the ground once.
I don't think Vin hit the ground at all.
I walked
Misfit/Mia: away with exactly 2 HP.
Archedas/Varren: Yeah, Freya walked away with should have been dead.
Pete/GM: Yeah, she Yeah,
Misfit/Mia: my wounded track is full.
Yeah.
So if somebody breathes on me a little too hard, that's it.
It's okay, you're the reason why I'm, like, Mia is learning medicine.
Actually learning medicine.
Archedas/Varren: Which I have encouraging words now, so I can tell you, Hey,
maybe stop dying and then you'll just
Pete/GM: feel better, which I really enjoy because it puts into the perspective
that you all are people who have been thrust into a situation that you're not
prepared for that is maybe bigger than yourselves, more expansive than you
could possibly imagine and coming out of it, bloodied, bruised, but Better
for it, I think, is a pretty solid direction for this kind of adventure.
Like,
Archedas/Varren: Barret's got a name.
A description of a cryptid and a thing that ties to the stuff we're looking into.
He's set for the next three weeks.
Pete/GM: Alright.
I'm going cryptid hunting.
Just
Misfit/Mia: three weeks.
That's all.
Pete/GM: If you don't
Archedas/Varren: find it by that point, it's probably gone.
You gotta find another cryptid to hunt.
That's frustrating.
Sometimes you just go back to Mothman as like your default state.
I do
Misfit/Mia: not envy Viren.
I don't.
I don't want to hunt cryptids the rest of my life.
That sounds awful.
Pete/GM: I'll just I'll make sure to throw the, uh, the
Sandpoint Devil in at some point.
Archedas/Varren: We're a long way from there, but if he shows
up here, he's getting hunted.
Pete/GM: We begin at the outskirts of the Wildwood, where our heroes
are now bloodied, bruised, but alive, in front of seven basalt arches.
The real seven arches.
With Bolin now defeated, and the unicorn Being freed from
whatever ritual he was planning.
They have been left with one name, kpo, the Slim.
How do
Chris/Vin: you spell that?
Was it Tan The Slim or Kpo?
Kpo with AK.
Archedas/Varren: K-A-N-E-P-E-E.
I have it in my K-A-N-E-P-O, KA Nepo.
I was close and I was
Chris/Vin: way off when I closed.
Proud of myself.
Archedas/Varren: Weird shadow man.
Aubrey/Freya: All I know is Freya is probably leaning on someone for support.
Misfit/Mia: Mia's just curled up underneath you, and you're
just, I imagine you using her as a pillow, and she's just, eh.
Yeah.
Aubrey/Freya: Just like, full flay.
Laying on the fox
Archedas/Varren: pillow.
Very unlikely gun holster at this point if we get jumped by more Temiguirs, you
know what for asthma said it's our time It's our time Collecting up Bolin's body
or at least some thing that looks Enough of his something of his that would be
hey, we obviously we've dealt with Bolin.
We have this Dragging his body back.
Yeah, cuz when we left town we weren't exactly We were exactly wanted, probably.
We were very, very wanted.
Just not in the right term of the word.
Misfit/Mia: So what you're hoping is that we come back and be heroes?
More
Archedas/Varren: like, hey, sorry we caused a problem.
We dealt with a guy trying to lead an insurrection to overthrow your town.
Please let us
Aubrey/Freya: back into
Archedas/Varren: your town.
I want a bed.
Yeah, I want a
Aubrey/Freya: bed and a hot meal.
I'd
Misfit/Mia: like to see a doctor at some point, that'd be real great.
Archedas/Varren: We have a name, this weird key thing we need to get.
We know where the real arches are now, there's not a dying
unicorn in the middle of them.
Yeah, what was up with that?
Some ritual thing, I think.
Either way, I have a cork board I need to start making.
He needs more string.
I have plenty of string.
I just need space to set it up.
Aubrey/Freya: That's why we need the inn.
So you can set up your corkboard, and I can just lie on a flat surface for
about seven days until my body stops
Archedas/Varren: hurting.
I'm sure there's at least some sort of medical practitioner
in town that can assist you.
One can help.
Oh god, I'm also going to need some They're druids, aren't they?
Yeah.
He just looks at all of
Aubrey/Freya: the holds from all of the acid in my clothes, just being like, ah.
Archedas/Varren: Yeah, they're druids.
They should be able, he could control them, the fibers, seemingly,
perhaps they can repair them.
Maybe when they're not on my
Aubrey/Freya: body.
Archedas/Varren: Strangled by my scarf.
There's a bandana.
Yeah, how do you feel about this now?
I'm not thinking about it.
I don't properly have an issue with the bandana.
If it had been more of a problem, I could have just slipped
a knife under and cut it.
It's not thick.
Meant to keep the wind out.
Vin looks towards
Chris/Vin: the party as they're having this discussion.
It's like, we just, we're stuck in the middle of this situation.
And we just killed a man.
What, what are we, what are we accomplishing right now?
Archedas/Varren: Supposedly it had something to do with the arches.
He was doing some ritual that would have had them lost to us with ever this
weird shadowy static was coming about.
So, I gave him the option to stand down.
He chose to die.
He could have stopped.
I don't know, anybody who's But with the amount of drugs we found on the man, hard
to say that he was in his right mind.
Yeah,
Aubrey/Freya: and he was trying to bring about a curse that was
worse than Seven arches already had and that was so bad that elves
Archedas/Varren: couldn't live there.
He was going to die From his activities either way.
So yeah, definitely some to them and his death is For win it and not
Aubrey/Freya: unfortunately saying that like I want to wanted to kill
him It was a time where it is Either he is going to die, or I was going to
die, and it was a coin flip at that
Chris/Vin: point.
I'm not arguing about the necessity of self defense, I just ponder about
my placements in the middle of this
Archedas/Varren: incident.
Had you not been there, the unicorn wouldn't have been freed, and likely
we would all be dead at his hand.
It's fine.
We're instrumental in all of us being
Pete/GM: alive.
If you're just willing to
Misfit/Mia: kill a unicorn, I feel like there's something wrong with
you and that you need to do some soul
Chris/Vin: searching.
I don't know very much about unicorns, to be honest.
I
Misfit/Mia: mean, I don't either, but it looked big.
Archedas/Varren: It looked half dead.
Technically fey.
They're categorically beasts, but they are fey in nature, it's a strange combination.
Where are
Pete/GM: those drugs?
Those do drug.
Archedas/Varren: Um, I would suggest we at least, flaily if I could understand
plenty, at least un numb the pain, but wouldn't suggest taking some of the other.
He had the shiver.
Unless Mia wants to go back to her barely lucid state and
take down a spoonful of shiver.
Misfit/Mia: Maybe after a nap.
I could really use a nap, and a shower, and a bath,
Archedas/Varren: and food, and
Misfit/Mia: everything.
Can we go back now?
My paws are tired.
Archedas/Varren: She just, like,
Misfit/Mia: paw crunches her little toe beans at you.
Archedas/Varren: We can make our way back.
It's a fair while's journey back to town itself.
We may have to hang about for the night.
I don't know how tired everyone is feeling.
Are we done here?
Chris/Vin: Do we have everything we need?
Archedas/Varren: We've gotten to the arches.
The best bet at this point is to get back with our contacts and
see what we can do from here.
We found the real arches, the illusion magic at the first, so now that
they're cleared out we can go speak with Lemma and, what's her name?
Aubrey/Freya: Yeah, we can let the professor woman know about where
these arches are so she can go
Pete/GM: study them.
Then, as you say that, you start to search through Bolin's body.
And yes, you find all kinds of illicit drugs that could do things to you all.
There is one thing there that is missing.
The one thing that you were sent here to try to recover.
The Shade Wither Key is not on Bolin's body.
You guys look
Chris/Vin: through this, his
Archedas/Varren: stuff yet?
Well, he mentioned beyond the drugs and other things, he had the staff on him.
A few odds and ends pieces to be picked up from the others.
The spider, might be able to harvest some metamform, but I
didn't see much else of use on him.
Chris/Vin: But, shouldn't he have like a
Archedas/Varren: key of some sort?
Lemma did say he stole it, but...
Aubrey/Freya: He does seem to be serving somebody.
Maybe he gave the key to this...
Canepo.
That's
Archedas/Varren: my...
He did say...
Just kind of snaps.
When I was attempting to keep him busy to figure things out and...
Get him speaking.
Before he died, he mentioned that he did give the key to Kniepo, that he had
it now, and it was out of our reach.
Some sort of deal he must have made, this Kniepo fellow must have something
to do with at least this area in general.
If he had sent Bolin here to enact this curse and bring this odd
darkness to the land, it has to have something to do with one another.
Oh, is our objective even complete?
To the degree that it can be so far at this point, I think, beyond
a chance to mend our wounds.
Aubrey/Freya: I think that is the most important, and maybe when we get
back to town, we can see if anybody knows anything about this Kinnipo.
Because right now, we don't know anything other than it menaced Mia and her dreams.
Archedas/Varren: He did reveal a few things.
Yeah, just like that.
He did reveal some information in the combat itself.
Not particularly useful information, but things that might lead
to places we can look into.
Folklore legends that might have some more truth to them than thought.
Yeah.
Should we do
Chris/Vin: anything with the
Archedas/Varren: arches before we go?
I don't think they're going anywhere and they're much too large to carry.
Well, I'm not
Pete/GM: saying we
Chris/Vin: knock them down and...
Carry them
Archedas/Varren: around.
Aubrey/Freya: Do you want to attempt to walk through one and see what that does?
Yep.
Misfit/Mia: Wiggles out from underneath your head.
But tries to do it very gently so your head doesn't bonk onto the ground.
If you
Aubrey/Freya: feel that I'll lift my head up so you can wiggle out.
And then just grab my pack and put it there instead.
Misfit/Mia: Just like, big steppies.
Over and then bumps into a bark arch.
Or like a wall or something.
Blinks.
Oh.
Great.
I used my curse.
Oh, my eyes are going to be bad for days
Pete/GM: now.
Archedas/Varren: I'm sure they'll be fine enough after a rest.
Pete/GM: Eventually, you return to Seven Arches.
Outside the gates are the Oak Stewards.
But also, Lima.
The Oak Stewards initially seem prepared to take you down.
But Lima interjects.
No, no, no.
I know them, I sent them away, and by the looks of it, I think that
they have good news, do you not?
VB And when's your
Misfit/Mia: definition of good news?
Chip
Archedas/Varren: Just reach into his coat and pull out that
yellow mask ball and hat on him.
I believe this was a problem of yours that's no longer present?
VB
Pete/GM: She takes it and then holds it to the other Oak stewards.
I told them you could get the job done.
Now look, I know that there was a misunderstanding, I'm aware of
that too, so I'm going to ask as a professional courtesy, can we
forget that troublesome business?
It was, it's the equivalent of a prank, don't you think?
Oh, steroids look at each other, yeah alright, but just for this once, this
doesn't give you a pass on other law breaking you do in the city, understood?
Chris/Vin: It's like picking his nose as they're
Archedas/Varren: talking.
We wouldn't have broken the law had we not needed to in the first place.
I do apologize for that.
Aubrey/Freya: And we promise we're not gonna mention anything about the arches.
What did we do again?
The arches are fine.
They're
Misfit/Mia: fine.
We drank stuff and did weird stuff
Pete/GM: in the woods.
So you are aware of our
Archedas/Varren: deception.
What deception?
We know nothing of what you speak.
Yeah, we know nothing.
Your arches are fine.
Pete/GM: One of the oak stewards puts out his staff and parts
your hair, Freya, seigneur.
Elvish ears.
I growl
Misfit/Mia: at him.
This tiny little just errrrr
Pete/GM: Little
Archedas/Varren: personal space I don't take you in a state to
We can all calm down a bit here.
Bite his ankles.
Don't do that.
Do the thing where you keep a dog back with your leg?
No.
I'm the small one's always the most aggressive.
Pete/GM: Bites him!
So you are at the Seven Arches, but are not dead.
Ah, very alive, yes.
So the curse has been lifted then.
Yes, it appears so.
We move in.
interjects, and the key?
That's
Archedas/Varren: something you may wish to discuss.
Just look around standing at the gate.
Less public quarters.
We don't have it on us is the short story of it, but we can give more
details not standing about where anyone simply walking by might overhear.
Pete/GM: Her brow furrows.
What do you mean he doesn't have the key?
And you don't have the keys?
You looked everywhere?
Archedas/Varren: On his person, in the area around the arches, we did some brief
investigation to see what was there.
His associate didn't have it on him.
Uh, when he was passing on to whatever place his dealings have sent him, he
mentioned something about a sponsor of his that had been given the key.
And a particular name
Pete/GM: that may have come up.
You'll need to tell me all about it.
Of course.
She escorts you to Vine Hall.
And you recount your brief adventure, your harrowing tale.
Aubrey/Freya: Really about how much we almost died.
Misfit/Mia: Talk about how stupid that
Pete/GM: spider was.
When she reaches Vinehall, she says, Bolin had indeed
corrupted a number of our order.
I, I am glad that he is gone, but the larger issue remains.
He was trying to bring back Curse, but expand it to kill more people?
All
Archedas/Varren: braces, essentially.
He rattled off a few, but I essentially think his goal was for the curse to affect
all living things on the material plane.
Pete/GM: If the key to the Obnubilate Curse is indeed the Shadeweather Key,
then it is of the utmost importance that it, that it is recovered.
He only gave you a name of someone who he handed it off to?
Yes.
Archedas/Varren: Someone is a strong word.
Being is more
Aubrey/Freya: appropriate.
The name Kniepo rang a bell.
Pete/GM: The Slim.
The story?
Yes.
Archedas/Varren: Yes.
He was quite insistent that this was who he had given it to.
Uh, no attempted subtlety of the sort.
Uh, he either truly had gone mad and believed the story to be true, and someone
is impersonating it, for their benefit, or your boogeyman of lore is bit less
of a story and more of a folk tale.
Pete/GM: I'm sorry, I have trouble believing true.
Even though this is a land of magic, there are certain creatures
and things whose description and power are still beyond belief.
Kniepo is one that has been around for centuries, and yet no one has ever seen or
returned verifiable proof that it exists.
Archedas/Varren: If
Aubrey/Freya: it's not Kniepo, it is somebody that...
He very much believed was Kanipo, someone pretending to take
this legend to use for their
Archedas/Varren: own gain, at least.
We can't necessarily say either that no one has seen him.
Mia has.
Bolin was quite insistent that she was chosen by him.
Not in the sense, I believe, that is similar to Vin's empowerment.
More of a...
I pick this one, of sorts.
Aubrey/Freya: Look, that, this is our very cute fox girl.
He can't have her.
Misfit/Mia: It just looks at you, and she's just flat ears.
Archedas/Varren: We have a few clues to go off of already.
It's tangential, and I have no evidence of it, but he was attempting to sacrifice a
unicorn when we arrived, so I would assume that the Fae have something to do with it.
He was claiming that this thin man Can you put the slim was
responsible for the Gorgas showing up?
We were assaulted by a few Temagirs when we were there.
There was a odd Magical disturbance in the area around where he was attempting
this ritual Darkness seemed to just be soaking in and taking the life out of
that matter The plants are still dead If you go out to the arches the grass
a good distance around is dead or in the process of dying I believe it's
slow to stop since the ritual has been ended, but there were Odd bits of dark
static in the air that leeched life.
Pete/GM: That is all extremely troubling.
Archedas/Varren: On the upside, it was able to be dispelled by Freya's magic.
She was able to put a stop to it enough for us to get past and an end to it.
So it's not insurmount.
Pete/GM: Yes.
Well, enough oddity has gone on that we cannot discount this.
Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Kniepo other than that he's the
product of Overimaginative minstrels, and farmers afraid of the dark.
If there is any truth to this creature's existence, you will
have to do more investigation into who he is and how to find him.
I can think of a couple places to start.
Our library, the Quaking Stacks, is...
Archedas/Varren: You don't have to go there, I'll handle the book reading.
Pete/GM: The stacks are quite a sight to behold, but books are not
for you, that is, to each their own.
Though it is a very good repository of knowledge.
There could be something there that might help you uncover a bit more to this.
If the Gorgas are also attached to Kniepo, you might want to ask one of
the latest victims of the Gorga attack.
I can give you their information.
His name is Papel.
Most people call him Pa, though.
He's one of our farmers.
There's also been a recent attack where, unfortunately, the victim
was not so lucky as to escape.
Perhaps something at the scene of that attack might shed some light.
And the place where all of this legend originates is fairly
close, at the Thinland Farms.
Sounds like a tomorrow
Chris/Vin: task, guys.
Yeah.
Archedas/Varren: We are
Pete/GM: quite beat up.
If you
Archedas/Varren: have any healing magic to offer, it would certainly be appreciated.
Some of these wounds are going to be difficult to sleep off.
Pete/GM: Oh, absolutely.
Please feel free to stay here for the night.
We can offer you some of our healing magic to get you back on your feet.
And then you can take off.
Whenever you need to.
I would, however, say that if this Kniepo is set on doing something worse
than bringing back the curse, the time is of the essence to recover the key.
Of
Archedas/Varren: course, I don't intend to be dragging feet on this.
Yeah.
And the longer we wait, the less information those that have been evicted
of them in the scene have for us.
So, the sooner the better.
Pete/GM: Exactly.
With that, she bids you well.
And takes you to some dormitories within the vine hall.
They are very comfortable.
The beds are mossy and soft.
And they each have a kind of unnatural light behind these little waterfalls.
That kind of sparkle bits of light all around the room.
Creating a nice watery effect throughout the whole place.
It's comfortable.
And yet, feels almost like you're outside in the forest.
Archedas/Varren: I
Aubrey/Freya: feel very much it's a collapse into bed, kick off your
boots, go to sleep kind of exhaustion.
Like not even fully out of your clothes, it's just boots are off,
pack is down, I am horizontal, I
Misfit/Mia: am out.
Yeah, does a couple circles, pats down, and then just like flops.
Pete/GM: Absolutely.
Archedas/Varren: Baron Oggly doesn't, he takes the coat off, but he leaves most
of his other clothes on going to bed.
It feels weird sleeping on moss to him rather than like a straw or hay bed.
It's that uncomfortable kind of, this feels wet, but it isn't.
It's a waterbed.
Chris/Vin: Something about moss and a fire monk does not
sound like a good combination.
Vin pulls out his bedroll.
Decides not to risk fire, air, and moss.
Alright!
Like, stares at the moss for a good ten minutes, and he's like,
about to ask the party about it.
And then they're all asleep.
Out,
Pete/GM: out
Misfit/Mia: cold.
Like, I would, I'm gonna venture to say that Mia sleeps so hard.
When she wakes up the next morning, she's a human.
Pete/GM: Have you ever slept so hard you transform?
What
Chris/Vin: the?
Aubrey/Freya: Say
Archedas/Varren: bright.
And it's full cocoon status, except it's a bed.
Pete/GM: You all go to sleep, and it is that kind of deep sleep where it
feels like you shouldn't have dreams that your body is heavier than stone.
And yet, you do have dreams.
Some peaceful.
Freya, though, you are having one of your familiar, adventurous dreams with members
of the Pathfinder Society, Escaping.
Some kobolds who are chasing you through a derelict dungeon, but off to the side
of your eye every once in a while There is a hallway that extends out It's far
from the path that you are supposed to be taking because you are following the
heroes Yoni Valeros as they need to get out as soon as possible, but down these
hallways you do not see several times you see A man, far down the hallway, wearing
a white mask and a fine coat that has white fur and thick horns attached to it.
And he just keeps appearing, standing there, though not running beside you, but
there as though he's been standing there the entire time, but just brief flashes.
Aubrey/Freya: And it's like we're almost running in a circle, passing
by these, uh, these hallways, or is it like It's each subsequent hallway.
Pete/GM: It's each subsequent hallway.
You are in the middle of your adventure.
You are swinging across vines.
You're jumping across crevasses and dodging hazards and traps and stuff
every once in a while throughout the duration of your dream.
There'll be a place where you're not going and this man will be there.
Aubrey/Freya: Oh, I think that maybe after the.
Third or fourth time of seeing him and being very sure that
it's the same person each time.
There's a moment where Freya turns to the others and is, I
think I saw something this way.
Maybe there's a way out.
Maybe we can put some distance between these kobolds and us.
As I turn towards said hallway.
Pete/GM: And Fumbus just grabs your hand and lurches you away.
As soon
Misfit/Mia: as
Pete/GM: you seem to have Actually acknowledged his presence.
He walks into a side hallway and you don't see him for the rest of your dream.
It's one of
Aubrey/Freya: those moments where, you know, when I wake up, I'm
immediately going to go to my journal and attempt to sketch out
Pete/GM: what I remember.
Then you are in a darkness.
You're standing, you have solid ground.
Beneath your feet, but nothing around you has form or shape.
Nothing is even reflecting around you.
It is just a pitch black.
And you hear a voice.
Fid.
Uh, uh, uh, hello?
You are
Archedas/Varren: weak.
Pete/GM: I, I know.
If you fail again...
I'll take you over and see that the job's done.
O okay.
Understand the greatness of this, Vin.
You will either get stronger, or you will be
Archedas/Varren: placed.
Chris/Vin: O okay.
Pete/GM: Your mission is proceeding
Chris/Vin: as planned, though.
Good job, Vin!
Yourself
Archedas/Varren: so
Chris/Vin: easily, yet.
Someone's got to.
You'll be the judge of that.
I was always told I do better with positivity.
Pete/GM: You are able to wake up.
Varin, you have that familiar dream of running around in a mountainous
landscape, snowy, a cacophony behind you.
But unlike that other time, there is no one else watching you.
It is just you, excellent dream.
Full of rainbows and gnomes.
And other foxes to play with.
It's when you wake up.
Hovering above you is something that was not there last time.
On a small string is a stick figure.
A literal stick figure.
It is like a fox made of reeds and branches just dangling over you.
Super no.
Misfit/Mia: Do not like.
That is so creepy.
Does it Oh, okay.
Question.
Does it have three tails like she does, or just, it's reminiscent of a fox figure?
Pete/GM: It's reminiscent of a fox.
Okay.
Misfit/Mia: Less creepy, still creepy.
On a scale of 1 to I'm about to poop my pants, I'm
Pete/GM: at a like a 10.
And you all wake up with various degrees of being refreshed the following morning.
Probably sore, but able to take a nap.
A day for yourselves.
Misfit/Mia: So do I actually, like, physically have this little fox thing?
Pete/GM: Yes, absolutely.
In imagination, it is a physical
Misfit/Mia: object.
Okay, because that's what she's going to think at first.
Like, blink her eyes open, everything's still really fuzzy.
And then it gets clear enough for her to see the figure of this little stick fox.
Mm mm.
And not even realizing that she's not a fox.
Like, totally human form.
Just, like...
Someone wake up.
Aubrey/Freya: Imagine...
Imagine you're just like hitting my leg and I'm kind of already sitting
up like, sketching this figure in my dream and I just like, I look over,
maybe, is Mia having another nightmare?
Uh, oh, no.
Mia appears to be awake.
What's up?
Misfit/Mia: Like, I just shove this in your face.
Where did this come from?
Why is it here?
Who put it here?
What?
Aubrey/Freya: You can ask one of the other...
Truth, does the shape or form
Pete/GM: mean anything to me?
Besides that, it looks like a fox.
Misfit/Mia: Okay.
Varan, Varan, you're like, up to date on all the weird, creepy things.
What does this mean?
And she holds this little stick fox in your face.
Uh, what does it mean?
Tell me.
I'm
Archedas/Varren: scared.
Looking over, Varan's not in his bed.
He's not there.
All right,
Aubrey/Freya: my
Misfit/Mia: eyes are bad.
Can Iepo get Varan?
But, like, Baron's not there, is he?
I look over, and I see Baron is not there, and it's just like,
Archedas/Varren: Haaah, that's gross.
Like, the snow boots are on his coat, does it look to be laid out anywhere?
Looks like he took it with him wherever he went.
He's not there.
He
Chris/Vin: took off his coat before he went to bed.
Does Vin see his coat anywhere?
Archedas/Varren: Uh, no, he would've, if he were still in that same room, he
would've taken it with him when he left.
Doesn't look like he disappeared, just looks like he got up
before everyone else and...
Pete/GM: You don't look like he's like a bandit, do you?
He's
Misfit/Mia: probably somewhere nearby.
Yeah, I'm freaking out because I think this thing like
kidnapped you or something.
Chris/Vin: His shoes are gone and his coat is gone.
I think he just went for
Pete/GM: breakfast.
Archedas/Varren: Doesn't he strike you
Misfit/Mia: as an early riser?
Pete/GM: He
Misfit/Mia: strikes me as an early riser.
He strikes me as someone who's a loner and needs a hug.
Like, all the time.
I think
Archedas/Varren: we all need hugs all the time.
Misfit/Mia: Would you like a hug?
Yes, please.
Dean just offers hugs to everybody.
I had bad dreams.
I had great dreams.
I had a strange dream.
I wish I had a strange dream.
Because waking up from a strange dream to something strange would
have been a little more normal.
But waking up from an awesome, sleepy dream, and then that?
Aubrey/Freya: Resting for the night does make my wounded go away, right?
Yes,
Misfit/Mia: absolutely.
Hey, get
Pete/GM: rid of
Archedas/Varren: that.
Once you get fully healed and rest for 10 minutes, your wound goes away.
Sleep!
You wanna get some coffee?
Aubrey/Freya: Oh yeah, coffee does sound so good right
Archedas/Varren: now.
A different kind of drug.
Come on.
Aubrey/Freya: Okay!
It's the acceptable kind of drug.
Archedas/Varren: Categorically, yes.
It's in the drug column on Archives of Ethos.
Blood Eyed Coffee!
Chris/Vin: Varan as we look for a McDonald's or something.
Pete/GM: So Varin
Archedas/Varren: walked through a bakery.
Galarian
Pete/GM: McDonald's.
So where is Varin?
As he woke up early.
Archedas/Varren: He would have gotten up early.
These are druids.
They know about animals.
The connection in his mind.
He's got a weird bird that lives in his arm.
That makes sense.
So he's gonna, he would have gotten his chance to rest,
woken up before everyone else.
Not.
bothered to wake anyone else up because they're sleeping and probably tired and
just gone out found one of the druids who seems to work well with animals or
has an animal companion with them and started to just discuss and like try
to figure out about this bird and how it works because it's Obviously tied
to him in some way, shape, or form, but he doesn't understand it at all or
have any way to communicate with it.
He just knows it can turn into a tattoo and come out of his arm and knows
how to reload his gun with its beak.
Works as well as fingers, seemingly.
Just tries to get more of a handle of, Okay, I finally have someone
that might know about this at all.
Pete/GM: Help.
Sure.
As you approach the druids and ask them about these things going on with this
weird tattooed creature, they ask you probably many of the same questions
that you have been asked before.
Are you a sorcerer?
Are you a witch?
Don't you just have some kind of familiar
Archedas/Varren: ability?
To my knowledge, I woke up and this was a new understanding.
It may have been there before, to all I know.
I forgot everything, but this felt new, that there was no recognition,
even in the deepest parts of my mind.
It knew more about the weapon than I did, it's hard to describe, but
no, at the time I don't even believe it could fly, but it seems to be
able to free itself, so I think it
Pete/GM: can.
They look at it, and it looks like a raven.
Would they It's not quite.
Yes.
Though there are many animals that gain a white hue.
In nature, it is rare, granted, but it happens.
Have you named it?
Archedas/Varren: Not particularly yet.
Again, I can't communicate with it, and from my companions, she has a servant
of sorts that she's named Jormungandr.
Or maybe it was simply named Jormungandr and gave the name to her.
I don't know.
Pete/GM: So, you have never given it a name.
Have you tried to call out to it?
Archedas/Varren: Particularly, it's...
I haven't known how.
To be frank, it's a bird living in my arm as a magical tattoo.
I understand none of this.
It simply just seems to be the way things
Pete/GM: are.
It's true.
Though, with any creature, be it a familiar, an Eidolon, or a normal house
cat, building a relationship with it is...
A critical part of being able to understand it.
If you simply accept it as a part of your body, not talking with it as
you wouldn't talk with a hand, you will no more understand it than you
would understand each of your fingers.
You would simply know that it's there.
Archedas/Varren: I've studied those quite extensively.
You have to know the scars and such in case you forget again.
But besides the point of what you've I understand.
Pete/GM: This creature...
Whatever it is, however it came to be attached to you, has a personality,
it is clear as day, it has a purpose, and it is attached to you.
It is only natural that you try to commune with it, and build a sense
of trust, build a relationship, view it not as a pet, view it as part
of you, treat it I don't like it.
Like an equal.
Archedas/Varren: Well, it does do the reloading for me, so...
At the moment, I still don't know how this thing actually opens
up to put bullets inside, so...
Without it, I wouldn't be able to much do my job.
Pete/GM: Yes, but be careful.
Don't just view it as a tool.
View it as...
A companion,
Archedas/Varren: as well.
We'll see if it wants to come out more often, then.
Typically, it's more than happy to stay below in the tattoo form, but...
Perhaps it wants to fly about
Pete/GM: now and then.
As you're having this conversation, you see...
The rest of your party...
Coming down the stairs of Vinehall.
He's
Archedas/Varren: not like trying to stay hidden or anything.
It's a man in full winter clothes.
Very recognizable.
Aubrey/Freya: Okay, good.
You haven't been kidnapped.
Mia
Pete/GM: runs up to
Misfit/Mia: you.
What's this?
Why was it above my bed?
Archedas/Varren: Coffee.
Chris/Vin: Coffee.
Archedas/Varren: I don't know if the druids, they have tea.
Actually quite good tea, in fact.
Aubrey/Freya: Be sure we can find coffee.
Yeah, somewhere out in town.
It's gotta be somewhere.
Archedas/Varren: Just turn to the druid that I've been speaking with.
I certainly appreciate it.
It's a pleasant conversation.
I'll certainly have to give things a look into.
Perhaps Freya can give me some insight with her serpent.
I may stop by again with further questions.
I've never seen it eat.
Do they need to eat?
There was slightly a concern of mine for the first few weeks.
It didn't seem to need to consume food.
It just existed.
Is that like a treat thing?
That they can eat, but they just do it as
Pete/GM: a treat?
I'm sure that it might accept vittles of some kind.
It's up for you to discover that.
Archedas/Varren: We'll see what it likes then.
But, for now, pull themselves up.
I believe breakfast is in order, and then off to work.
Mia, well, take a look at that while we're eating.
I'll see what I can discern.
Thank you!
Quite of the younger druids just took a liking to your
fox form and made an effigy.
But I can look into it.
Aubrey/Freya: I think it's just creepy that it was left in our room where I was,
Archedas/Varren: oh, what
Misfit/Mia: creepy face.
Sky did that.
Archedas/Varren: What did you see him again?
Misfit/Mia: Trust me, let's do it.
You would've known if I saw him again, I wouldn't.
I, the
Pete/GM: whole world would've
Archedas/Varren: known.
Ben, do you seem rather quiet this morning besides the want of coffee?
You ever grow up and had an imaginary friend yet?
I don't know.
Yeah, Sally,
Aubrey/Freya: I did.
Chris/Vin: Goddammit
Archedas/Varren: again, I'm sorry.
The whole full life amnesia for this last six months and a few
weeks, it gets to you sometimes.
I understand.
It's hard to relate to.
I'm, I'm still listening intently and wishing to know your story
yet, but I cannot compare it to anything I've experienced.
Theoretically, you might have had an imaginary, maybe I could have.
Maybe that's where the bird comes from.
I don't know.
You
Pete/GM: ever like.
Chris/Vin: Sorry, sorry, Baron.
Archedas/Varren: I forgot.
It's not like I have a problem with it, I'm just making
sure you understand, I don't.
Nevermind.
Chris/Vin: Let's go get coffee.
Archedas/Varren: You can tell us about it on the way there.
Freyja and Mia will be able to have a more comprehensive idea
of what you're speaking about.
I can understand from context.
Misfit/Mia: Because someone left this little stick fox, Mia is
spending the day in her dot fox form.
Because she's freaked out.
Aubrey/Freya: She wanted to hold a
Misfit/Mia: hand.
No, but she looks extra freaked out.
Mia spends the majority of her time in her fox form because it makes
dealing with the world easier because most people just leave her alone.
Because they're like, oh, just a fox, whatever.
So as a person, she feels like she has to interact.
So she's just like walking around all wide eyed like, What
is even happening right now?
And probably walking through a lot of like, doors and chairs.
She's just not, her eyes are bad.
That's another reason why
Aubrey/Freya: I'm afraid we'll have to watch you walk into the fourth table.
We'll be like, come on, come
Archedas/Varren: on.
Aubrey/Freya: It's okay, Willy.
Archedas/Varren: Make sure you don't run into any
Pete/GM: more tables or pedestrians.
The Riverlands are a diverse land of trade.
And you are able to find a Kalish merchant who is selling coffee.
Out of a heated sand contraption, putting the coffee and the
water into just a vat of sand.
You see it starting to boil, and then he pours it into cups,
selling it for five silver pieces.
Aubrey/Freya: It feels like highway robbery, but Freya
will hand over the silver.
Pete/GM: Alright, give me a fortitude saving throw.
Actual mechanics?
Archedas/Varren: Yep,
Aubrey/Freya: that's fantastic.
That's
Archedas/Varren: real strong.
I just want normal
Chris/Vin: coffee.
You know, poisonous coffee.
Just kidding, I want poisonous coffee.
I will drink my monster equivalent in
Archedas/Varren: coffee.
Jesus.
Okay.
Pete/GM: It is
Archedas/Varren: a poison.
So if you have stuff that gives you bonuses to poison, it technically
gives you a bonus against coffee?
I
Aubrey/Freya: don't believe I have anything that gives me bonuses against
Archedas/Varren: poison.
I think the only one that would at this stage is Alchemist.
Because they've drank enough poison in their life already.
There's a nine
Aubrey/Freya: to save against coffee.
Pete/GM: It's huge.
Why would I want
Archedas/Varren: to save against this?
I'm involuntarily ingesting it.
Yeah, exactly.
Pete/GM: Yeah, me against a cup.
You drink the coffee, but have no positive effects from it.
Chris/Vin: Ew.
I would also like to roll against coffee for five silver
Misfit/Mia: pieces.
I would also like to roll against.
Aubrey/Freya: It's that first cup of the day where it just
gets you back to the left.
It's
Misfit/Mia: the obvious first time having anything like this.
She smells it and it's just, and you just drink it.
Like normal, it's not normal color.
This isn't, like, which shouldn't be this color.
Pete/GM: Sixteen against coffee.
Alright, you reach stage one.
Actually, if you save...
You have the effects.
Yeah, if you fail, that's when you get the effects.
Okay, so, Freya, I should have said, You get a plus one item bonus to AC
and saves to which you are taking penalties caused by the fatigued
condition for the next ten minutes.
So
Archedas/Varren: it still does nothing to you because you're not fatigued.
Pete/GM: Then, you feel great, and...
Mia, you also have that item bonus for the fatigue condition.
Mia's
Misfit/Mia: tail's just like, flicking around everywhere,
like she is overly hyper.
Yeah, let's go do stuff!
Let's go ask things!
Like, Hey, what about this?
Have we figured this out?
Do we know what this is?
Do you think there's a book for this?
Can I go look at a book?
Archedas/Varren: It was a library.
Varan has, after I was getting coffee, Varan has returned, like just after the
last person has gotten coffee from the next stall over where he spent probably
the same amount of time as all three of you getting an order and having
coffee made, trying to grab an ice cream cone from a man flicking at a bell.
Matt's got good hands, I've got to give it to him.
He had me going for a while and then I got aggravated and nearly reached for the gun.
I paid money for it, I wanted it.
I've seen this
Pete/GM: YouTube video before.
Now, the Smoothing Toddy, the Egg Cream Fizz, Dream Time Tea, Scholar's Drop.
Archedas/Varren: Are these all in the poison category or are they
in the drug category or both?
Pete/GM: They're consumables.
There's a chocolate egg cream fizz.
It's level 5.
Kids don't have cho It's a blood eye coffee.
The blood eye coffee is a level 0 item, so you can have that whenever you want.
Chris/Vin: How much does a barrel cost?
Archedas/Varren: A lot.
I'll compense 5
Chris/Vin: silver.
I don't buy my plus 1 weapon, I could probably afford a barrel.
Archedas/Varren: You walk into a soda bar in Galarian and drop
The cost of a house on one drink.
It's a level 5 item that's 30
Pete/GM: gold.
So what is the party's plan for today?
So as
Chris/Vin: Vin takes his drink, kind of perks up a little bit.
Yeah.
Almost a lighter as his fire hair gets a little brighter.
So what is our plan?
I feel like we're...
We, we've done what we are obligated to do.
Archedas/Varren: Yes and no.
There's still the issue of we need to investigate the arches and
without the key we can't properly do that so we need to get the key.
I stopped paying
Chris/Vin: attention after yes so Baron agrees with me.
We have done our obligation.
Archedas/Varren: I'm going to go speak Papel and see if I can't find any
information about that Golka attack.
That seems like a good enough place to start.
I'm good enough with getting people to spill stories.
Aubrey/Freya: Is that in the city?
Or do we have to leave the city for that?
Archedas/Varren: There's a farmer, so I would assume
it's nearby at the very least.
Perhaps outside the walls, but...
Aubrey/Freya: If we're gonna leave the city, I think we should
all do it at the same time.
I imagine there's a few things that we want to all pick up.
We could get a little bit of money from that.
Sell some of this gear that we got off of Dawn.
And, honestly, probably our best bet is the stacks.
We can get any information.
I mean, our best bet, like, for any information is the,
Archedas/Varren: you know.
The fax is a good default for us.
That was my plan after speaking with individuals.
I'd rather have the memories fresh in their mind.
So y'all
Chris/Vin: are committing to doing something today?
How about next week?
My schedule opens up in a couple days.
I was gonna go eat a banana
Archedas/Varren: for two days straight.
An awful long time to spend eating a single banana.
The big banana.
Regret saying that out loud.
It's there now.
It's there.
Aubrey/Freya: It exists in the universe.
Um, and again, it's just, I'm going to try to get my weapon improved.
I, I definitely, if we're going to be fighting Fae, I would very much
like to, um, be able to deal with
Archedas/Varren: them.
And I would suggest if you have any means to, Silver and Colt did seem to have
a fairly, while it was simple enough.
More than...
They might be able to get you with simply a Cold Iron Dagger of
some sort, but dealing with a Fae is certainly going to be useful.
Yeah.
At the very least, if they don't want to stay down, those tend to work.
Yeah, there's
Aubrey/Freya: that, and then, yeah, get equipment, I probably should train.
And, yeah, research anything in the stacks.
That's gonna be my plan, I think.
Before asking anybody.
Just cause if we do have to leave the town, I think we should all be together.
Just in case we encounter anything on the road.
It
Archedas/Varren: seems fair.
I don't think there'll be much.
I wanna go to the I think we'll
Pete/GM: be seeing the last Star thing that the
Misfit/Mia: lady was talking about.
Archedas/Varren: That would be the same location I was looking at.
Where Poppelle was last seen.
The origin point, that definitely we should go together with whoever
this legend originated that.
I'd say that's last stop after we've gathered some more
Pete/GM: information.
I don't
Misfit/Mia: necessarily want to be there at night though.
I'm just gonna, I'm gonna throw that out
Archedas/Varren: there.
Yes, that's a good idea.
Or
Chris/Vin: day drinking.
Aubrey/Freya: You do drive a very hard bargain.
Misfit/Mia: I take like
Pete/GM: a
Archedas/Varren: day.
You're welcome to I've more than enough to keep me busy here in town for a day
You all like to go about your business.
I can look into things were
Chris/Vin: Baron hear me out
Archedas/Varren: Playly Yes, I'm gonna be going to speak with my pal now as
Pete/GM: our heroes venture off to find out who meepo the slim is Will
they be successful in their task?
What is it that was communicating with Vin?
And what insidious plan...
is there with the key to the seven arches.
Find out next time on Ash and Snow.
Maybe we'll also
Archedas/Varren: find out why my
Pete/GM: eyes are so itchy.
Allergies.
Misfit/Mia: Ash
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