Daniel [GM] (00:00:33): Welcome to Explorers Wanted. We are a weekly Numenera actual play podcast. I will be your humble GM, Daniel Andrlik. With me today is Sampson Davis. Sampson [Dili] (00:00:42): I almost came to tonight's session with nothing but beer in my stomach, so thank you EatStreet. Daniel [GM] (00:00:48): Marietta Jones. Marietta [Atalia] (00:00:50): Wow, that would have been an interesting session. Daniel [GM] (00:00:53): Stace Babcock. Stace [Nix] (00:00:54): I've really lost the thread here. Daniel [GM] (00:00:56): And Alex Finn. Alex [ChaCha] (00:00:58): I am here. Daniel [GM] (00:00:59): Before we get started, a little bit of housekeeping I want to do. You guys have all advanced your individual story lines. You've found a buttload of cyphers and artifacts over the past few sessions, so you all have three additional XP. Sampson [Dili] (00:01:15): Oh my god. I love that. Alex [ChaCha] (00:01:17): Oh my gosh. Stace [Nix] (00:01:19): Got a rank and I advance. Marietta [Atalia] (00:01:22): I know. I'm like... Sampson [Dili] (00:01:24): Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Daniel [GM] (00:01:25): Nobody hyperventilate. Stace [Nix] (00:01:27): I want to give Nix a new skill. I just don't know which one yet. Daniel [GM] (00:01:32): Maybe stealth, at this point. Stace [Nix] (00:01:33): I know. I was kind of thinking that. Sampson [Dili] (00:01:36): Stealth would be nice. Stace [Nix] (00:01:39): Yeah. Well-rounded characters are my... Yep. That's what I do. Daniel [GM] (00:01:41): Yes. Who remembers what happened last time? I am going to pick on Sampson. Sampson [Dili] (00:01:48): Me? Well, last session started with betrayal by a certain seskii. Marietta [Atalia] (00:01:56): I'd almost blocked it from my memory. Sampson [Dili] (00:01:58): Well... Marietta [Atalia] (00:01:59): Thanks for the reminder. Sampson [Dili] (00:02:02): It's the biggest development so far. Jeskii betrayed us, and that was lame. And then Atalia and Dili, after being not so much captured but contained- Marietta [Atalia] (00:02:15): Escorted. Escorted. Sampson [Dili] (00:02:18): We were escorted. Escorted is good. Marietta [Atalia] (00:02:19): Yeah. Sampson [Dili] (00:02:19): Atalia and Dili were escorted to the Handler HQ where Atalia and her mother had quite the discussion. I was very stressed. Highlights are Gma being a boogeyman from the past. Gma wasn't a great mom, though, but a good grandmother. Atalia's life with the Handlers was all part of Salianna's plan, which is cool. That's cool. Marietta [Atalia] (00:02:41): Love that. Sampson [Dili] (00:02:42): Yeah. After all this talking, Atalia was given a choice, and following through on what she did as a result of that choice would allow her to leave the Handlers with a clean bill of health or whatever. The choice was to either hunt down Nix or find a Numenera or a cypher or something. Something it looks like a crescent moon wrapped in barbed wire and was last seen with one Clemuel, who we saw in Charmonde. No, not Charmonde. [Chamas 00:03:12]. Atalia goes for the crescent moon option, has a three month time limit, and possibly dies if she doesn't? I don't know if that's true. I just wrote that down, but she now has something in her arm that we don't know what it is yet. Meanwhile, Nix and ChaCha were separated as a result of us being escorted to the Handler's place, and they dealt with their own Handler. At the very end, a hand reached out and grabbed Nix by the shoulder, saying, "Boss wants a word with you," or something like that. That's basically it. Atalia and Dili were leaving the Handlers HQ, and Nix and ChaCha were dealing with a new friend. Daniel [GM] (00:03:54): Just a reminder for our listeners, Nix is currently dressed in a Handler cloak and ChaCha is in a yellow [Pierrot 00:04:03] costume. Stace [Nix] (00:04:04): I thought you were going to say pierogi, I'm not going to lie. Daniel [GM] (00:04:07): That would be delicious. Sampson [Dili] (00:04:08): Aren't most pierogis usually yellow? Should be yellowish. Stace [Nix] (00:04:12): Dough color. Daniel [GM] (00:04:13): Yeah, but if they're served right with the oil and butter, that's where they'll get that tinge. Alex [ChaCha] (00:04:20): Oh. Stace [Nix] (00:04:20): I have to admit, I'm not that into potato pockets. Daniel [GM] (00:04:23): What? They're everything you could ever want. They're a pocket and they're potato and they're pasta. Marietta [Atalia] (00:04:30): Sampson and his Handler are offended. Sampson [Dili] (00:04:32): Like the Captain Planet of carbs. Stace [Nix] (00:04:33): They're like blander dumplings and that offends me. Or like blander ravioli. Wait, am I losing listeners? I sound like I am. Daniel [GM] (00:04:46): You might be. You might be. Sampson [Dili] (00:04:48): Definitely started a fight. Stace [Nix] (00:04:49): I mean, they're fine. They're fine. I'll eat a pierogi. Marietta [Atalia] (00:04:51): There's always going to be something controversial. Can't be helped. Daniel [GM] (00:04:53): So we pick up where we left off. ChaCha was moving ahead down the alley towards Gma's house. Nix was following, and then a large hand, a heavy ham hock of a hand, comes down on Nix's shoulder and a deep voice behind her says, "Boss wants a word with you." What happens next? Stace [Nix] (00:05:15): Nix will turn her head and look up. Daniel [GM] (00:05:17): You see behind you a huge man. He is easily 6'6". He has got the build of... He looks pudgier than he is, but his build, like that structure, it's broad, like Dave Bautista broad. He's standing there. You recognize him because at one point, early on, Dili showed you an illusion of this man, and you recognize him as Deuces. Stace [Nix] (00:05:50): Hey, Deuces. What's up? Daniel [GM] (00:05:53): Boss wants a word with you. Stace [Nix] (00:05:55): Your boss or my boss? Daniel [GM] (00:05:58): Sure. Stace [Nix] (00:05:59): Okay. That doesn't make any sense. But also, if I wanted to hit you, how hard would that be? I'm just kidding. Just... Daniel [GM] (00:06:13): This is what you know about Deuces. When Dili showed you before, one of the things that you saw, at least the way Dili presented him, and you can see now, it doesn't look like Dili was exaggerating. Deuces is probably... Well, he is definitely large, especially from what you've also heard. You also know that he is faster than he appears like he should be. And effectively he's behind you, holding your shoulder, so this is like a grapple moment here. You're going to be at a hindrance for anything you try to do to him. Stace [Nix] (00:06:50): I think that Nix is just going to try to break his grasp and get away. Daniel [GM] (00:06:56): Okay. So that will be a might roll of... That would be 18. Stace [Nix] (00:07:04): I was a little scared you were going to say 21. Would you consider this unarmed? Daniel [GM] (00:07:09): Yes. Stace [Nix] (00:07:11): So a 15... I don't know the last time I made a... Daniel [GM] (00:07:14): Is your training in unarmed or unarmed attacks? Stace [Nix] (00:07:18): It says unarmed. I would have to look at the... Sometimes I shorten things. Darn it. Today I gave Marietta shit for having discovery and destiny open. Marietta [Atalia] (00:07:29): Do you know what page it's on? You're trained in unarmed attacks from your fighting style. Stace [Nix] (00:07:36): Yes. Marietta [Atalia] (00:07:37): From tier two. Stace [Nix] (00:07:38): Yes. Marietta [Atalia] (00:07:39): So wouldn't that be unarmed attacks, then? Daniel [GM] (00:07:42): Yeah, so that would be an unarmed attack, so getting out of a grapple would not be that, so it will still be an 18. Stace [Nix] (00:07:47): I will be filing an appeal with the podcast council, so check your mail, Daniel. Daniel [GM] (00:07:57): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Stace [Nix] (00:07:59): I'm going to spend two levels of effort on this. Wait, is that wise? Am I dumb? Still going to do it. Daniel [GM] (00:08:05): Okay. Brings it down to a 12. Marietta [Atalia] (00:08:05): Well, do you want to hang out with Deuces or do you not want to hang out with Deuces? Stace [Nix] (00:08:09): I'm going to reroll that. That's a five. Ah, 16. Daniel [GM] (00:08:16): Okay. So you break out of Deuces' hold, and when you do, he doesn't seem to react much. He just kind of lifts an eyebrow and looks at you and says, "Going to do this the hard way, huh?" Stace [Nix] (00:08:30): Can I just say, I feel like Sampson wants it to be yes. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Nix will try to... Sampson [Dili] (00:08:36): Probably a bad idea, but I want to see the fight. Marietta [Atalia] (00:08:40): Can't look at us. Don't look at us. You can't see us. We're not there. Stace [Nix] (00:08:44): So you said your boss wants a word, or... What does he mean, she mean, by that? Daniel [GM] (00:08:53): They want to talk to you. Stace [Nix] (00:08:54): And then kill me, or? Because that's going to depend if we're going to do this the easy way or the hard way, you know? Daniel [GM] (00:09:00): I suppose it depends on the conversation you have. Stace [Nix] (00:09:04): All right. But I'll walk myself, all right? Daniel [GM] (00:09:07): That's fine. You'll go first. I'll tell you where to go. Stace [Nix] (00:09:11): Okay, man. Daniel [GM] (00:09:13): Sorry, I have to address something. ChaCha was a little ways ahead. ChaCha, can you make a perception check for me? This is only going to be a 12. Actually, you weren't too far away, so it's a nine perception. ChaCha gets a two. ChaCha is not aware of what's happening with Nix and Deuces behind her. Alex [ChaCha] (00:09:36): Oh. Daniel [GM] (00:09:37): So Deuces says, "This way." Stace [Nix] (00:09:40): All right. Yeah. Daniel [GM] (00:09:40): And he gestures behind him. Stace [Nix] (00:09:42): So what kind of guy is your boss? Do you like working for them, or is it chill? Daniel [GM] (00:09:49): It's a job. Stace [Nix] (00:09:50): Yeah. I do got to say, I see you out and about, or I've seen you out and about. I don't know, maybe not. You work nights often? Daniel [GM] (00:09:57): I work whenever they need me. Stace [Nix] (00:09:58): Yeah. That's a rough schedule. Daniel [GM] (00:10:01): Yeah. It's been... I was having to pull double. My partner hasn't been showing up to work. Stace [Nix] (00:10:05): Oh, wow. That is the worst. Really hate it when people flake out and let you down. Daniel [GM] (00:10:13): Sometimes they try their best and just can't make it work. Stace [Nix] (00:10:17): You know what? That's so true. Yeah. So how far are we walking? Daniel [GM] (00:10:22): I'll let you know when we're done. Stace [Nix] (00:10:24): Oh, yeah. I was just making conversation. It's a nice night. Not too cold. Daniel [GM] (00:10:29): We're not far. Stace [Nix] (00:10:30): Even better. Daniel [GM] (00:10:32): Are you just going to kind of continue the banter with Deuces? Stace [Nix] (00:10:35): Yeah. I was just going to try to appear like a human being to this monstrosity. Daniel [GM] (00:10:43): Okay. Yeah, so you guys will continue walking away. Atalia and Dili. The elevator reaches the main floor and you guys are escorted to the front door. Marietta [Atalia] (00:10:54): Jeskii with us? Stace [Nix] (00:10:57): Would you take Jeskii back? Marietta [Atalia] (00:11:00): I don't know. I need that information first. Daniel [GM] (00:11:04): You were not aware of her in the elevator. Marietta [Atalia] (00:11:07): Okay. Daniel [GM] (00:11:08): But as the door opens, you hear a little woof behind you, and Jeskii comes trotting out. Marietta [Atalia] (00:11:18): I look at Dili and I look at Jeskii and I kind of look at Dili again. Sampson [Dili] (00:11:25): Dili, still in the disguise, by the way, just kind of shakes his head. Marietta [Atalia] (00:11:30): Jeskii, if you're with Mom, I think you need to stay with Mom, okay? So sorry. Atalia's crying. Daniel [GM] (00:11:36): She tilts her head at you, and slowly waves her tail back and forth. Marietta [Atalia] (00:11:40): Atalia just backs away slowly. Daniel [GM] (00:11:45): Jeskii kind of gets down low like it's a game and then sort of trots up towards you, wagging her tail. Marietta [Atalia] (00:11:53): Okay, but here's the thing. I don't think I can lose her. You know what I mean? I just look between them again. You know what I mean? Sampson [Dili] (00:12:03): Your choice, boss. Marietta [Atalia] (00:12:04): Let's just walk aways. Sampson [Dili] (00:12:10): Sounds good, boss. Daniel [GM] (00:12:12): Okay. So you guys start leaving the house. Marietta [Atalia] (00:12:14): Yeah. Daniel [GM] (00:12:16): You start walking and not too far behind you, you hear the tiny click of clawed feet following you guys. Sampson [Dili] (00:12:24): Once we've gotten a block or two away, Dili will grab Atalia by the arm and drag her into a nearby alleyway. Daniel [GM] (00:12:31): Okay. Marietta [Atalia] (00:12:31): Atalia is preparing to scan her arm as... Sampson [Dili] (00:12:34): Holy shit. Are you okay, Atalia? Marietta [Atalia] (00:12:38): Why? Sampson [Dili] (00:12:38): Just in general. How are you feeling? Are you good? That was a lot. The thing in your arm, do you know what it does? Marietta [Atalia] (00:12:45): I know what it does after I scan it? Daniel [GM] (00:12:49): You can try to scan it, sure. It is a rather complex device. It is... One thing. Your mother clearly cares to make this right, because the Numenera itself is a level eight Numenera device. It is definitely tied to your contract in some way, shape, or form. It's definitely got that aspect to it, and it definitely... You're not exactly 100% sure what it does from just a scan, but what you can tell is that when it triggers, it does something. If you want to, with the information you gather from your scan, you could try to do understanding Numenera. You would get an asset from the fact that you scanned it first. Marietta [Atalia] (00:13:42): Okay. I am specialized in understanding Numenera. Daniel [GM] (00:13:43): 24 to start, then a 21. You're specialized in understanding Numenera, so that's a 15. Marietta [Atalia] (00:13:48): And we've left, right? We left. We're out. Daniel [GM] (00:13:54): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Marietta [Atalia] (00:13:54): Okay. Daniel [GM] (00:13:55): Yeah, you're a couple of blocks away. Marietta [Atalia] (00:13:57): Yeah. I'll spend two levels of effort, then, because I need to know. I'm just going to tap my pool. That's fine. Daniel [GM] (00:14:02): Okay, so that brings it down to a nine. Marietta [Atalia] (00:14:04): 12. Daniel [GM] (00:14:05): So it's definitely... Whatever it is intended to do when it triggers is somewhat lethal in nature. It appears that it is designed to be marked by completion of the contract, which means whatever control device it is associated with needs to confirm that the contract is complete. Marietta [Atalia] (00:14:31): Does that need to be my mom, or is that... Daniel [GM] (00:14:34): You don't know who has it. You know that you're supposed to turn in that to the Handlers, but you have no idea who has the control device. And the control device, you know for something this advanced, this kind of Numenera, the control device could be anything. You're not even sure exactly what to look for, but it wouldn't be anything that's with you. It's something that somebody would hold somewhere else. The other thing that you know is that it has two modes, which are specific and diffuse. It appears to be in specific mode right now. Marietta [Atalia] (00:15:12): Oh, great. I'll tell Dili that. Daniel [GM] (00:15:13): Oh. One other thing I'll mention, Atalia, since you did roll well on understanding Numenera, give me another understanding Numenera roll, but this time, it's only a nine, which is a three for you. What did you get? Marietta [Atalia] (00:15:26): I got a two. Daniel [GM] (00:15:27): Yeah, you have no idea. Nothing. Nothing else. You don't draw any additional conclusions from that. Sampson [Dili] (00:15:32): So you've got a little kill tag in your arm. That's great. Marietta [Atalia] (00:15:36): Got a little kill switch in there. Sampson [Dili] (00:15:38): Yeah. Daniel [GM] (00:15:38): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Marietta [Atalia] (00:15:39): Think mother dearest or someone has the control switch. I wonder... I feel like it must be able to be remotely activated because there's a time limit on it, you know? Sampson [Dili] (00:15:49): Or it has an internal timer. Marietta [Atalia] (00:15:52): How cheery, cheery, cheery. Daniel [GM] (00:15:54): Yeah, and Atalia, as he says that, it makes more sense to you that the device itself that's in you has its own timer, and it's basically going to do whatever it's going to do unless the control unit tells it not to do it. The only active modes to it that appear that it could be manipulated is specific or diffuse. Marietta [Atalia] (00:16:14): Okay. Sampson [Dili] (00:16:14): So Atalia, are you... We know it's a kill switch, but how confident do you feel like it's not tracking you, position-wise? Marietta [Atalia] (00:16:23): Is that something I would have known from the scan? Daniel [GM] (00:16:27): You don't think it's broadcasting anything. Marietta [Atalia] (00:16:29): Okay. Yeah. So I don't think that... It doesn't meant that there's not a connection between this and the control, though. It's just not necessarily communicative other than switch modes, you know? Sampson [Dili] (00:16:41): Right. Yeah. No, that's still good, though. It probably makes our job a little easier. This is what I'm thinking. You pick the contract to get that cypher, right? If the cypher was in Clemuel's hands, then there's a good chance that the Guardians, and Dili kind of whispers that part quietly, there's a good chance that the Guardians kind of know what this is. I'm thinking we go to Mamma Jerrun, ask her if she or has contact with anybody who knows what it is, and then we go down below Doc Taraz's place, where she said she had that device that can crack Numenera, and we make a fake. Maybe we do this in a weekend and then we have nearly three months to plan something else with the Handlers, right? Marietta [Atalia] (00:17:21): Dili, you're amazing. You're so amazing. Atalia will look down at Jeskii and then back at Dili. This does complicate things, but she's been with us the whole time, you know? Sampson [Dili] (00:17:32): Yeah, that's true. Marietta [Atalia] (00:17:34): I almost feel like don't say this, but at the same time, she's been with us in certain places. And also, Grandma, she loved Jeskii. Sampson [Dili] (00:17:48): Yeah. Marietta [Atalia] (00:17:48): She told me to trust Jeskii. Sampson [Dili] (00:17:50): Can you just make me feel better for a second? What happens when you scan Jeskii? Marietta [Atalia] (00:17:55): I scan Jeskii. What happens? Daniel [GM] (00:17:57): A yawning void opens forth. No, I'm kidding. Sampson [Dili] (00:18:01): Dili screams, "I knew it," before he is devoured. Marietta [Atalia] (00:18:04): It all makes sense. Sampson [Dili] (00:18:08): Jeskii appears to be a seskii. Daniel [GM] (00:18:10): She appears to be a very good girl in good health. Marietta [Atalia] (00:18:15): Jeskii is a seskii. Stace [Nix] (00:18:16): Yeah. Sampson [Dili] (00:18:17): What level good girl is she? Daniel [GM] (00:18:19): She's a level two. Stace [Nix] (00:18:21): Chaotic good girl? Is she like a lawful good girl? Daniel [GM] (00:18:26): She's still a seskii. Stace [Nix] (00:18:29): Chaos, then. Alex [ChaCha] (00:18:32): Best good girl. Marietta [Atalia] (00:18:35): But yeah, maybe you should go alone and give them a briefing, and then we can meet up. I'll close my... Oh, shoot. Where are they? Sampson [Dili] (00:18:47): Right. My guess is that if they didn't follow us here, then either they went on ahead to Gma's place, or maybe to Mamma Jerrun's. I don't know. I say we start on our way to Gma's place. Marietta [Atalia] (00:19:01): Yes. But also, I feel like we're going to maybe need help. I don't know. Okay. Yeah, sure. Let's go to... Oh, man. Yeah. I just don't feel very confident right now. Sampson [Dili] (00:19:11): Right. Yeah. Marietta [Atalia] (00:19:12): Yeah. Let's go to Gma's, and let's go sneakily, though. Yeah. Sampson [Dili] (00:19:18): Right. As sneakily as we can. Marietta [Atalia] (00:19:21): Atalia will consider her goings and comings and comings and goings from Grandma's house, since she lived there for years and years and worked for the Handlers, so I'm presuming that she can come up with her out there. That would be kind of back alleyish, hopefully. Daniel [GM] (00:19:36): Yeah. She'd have an asset on this. So give me... It would be a stealth roll of... You get the asset, you're specialized, so that would make it a three. Marietta [Atalia] (00:19:47): It's a 10. Daniel [GM] (00:19:48): Okay. Yeah, you think you've got a way that should keep you out of the eyes of anybody watching the major thoroughfares. It's a way that you think you've gone before when you wanted to be absolutely sure you weren't being tailed by anybody. Sampson [Dili] (00:20:00): Along the way, can Dili keep an eye out for any shadowy figures? Daniel [GM] (00:20:05): Sure. Give me a perception roll of 12. Marietta [Atalia] (00:20:09): Can I assist him? I am trained. Daniel [GM] (00:20:11): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yep, that would bring it down to a nine for him to start. Sampson [Dili] (00:20:14): I have a free level of effort, so I'm going to apply that. Daniel [GM] (00:20:18): Okay, so six. Sampson [Dili] (00:20:19): Natural 20. Daniel [GM] (00:20:21): Wow. Sampson [Dili] (00:20:23): Boom. Marietta [Atalia] (00:20:23): Wow. Daniel [GM] (00:20:24): Okay. So you definitely don't see any shadowy figures following you. What would you propose as a major effect from your perception roll? Sampson [Dili] (00:20:32): Would it be metagaming to say that we spot Nix down an alleyway, or just that I see a brief flash of Nix? Daniel [GM] (00:20:43): For natural 20, that is totally legit. As you guys are going, you're on your way following Atalia's sneaky route when Dili, as you're kind of scoping... Actually, I'll give you both. As you guys are crossing one of the alleys, Dili, you're kind of looking. One direction, you can see a small figure dressed in yellow, about ChaCha sized, but it's not an outfit you've seen her wear before, heading down the alley in the general direction that you guys are probably going to end up going in, towards Gma's house. When you look down the other side, sort of as you're checking the angles to make sure you're not being watched, you see Nix walking in the opposite direction, accompanied by a huge, hulking, familiar figure walking behind her that you immediately recognize from your past experience, and honestly, your nightmares, as Deuces. They are a long distance away from you, as far as distance on either side goes. Sampson [Dili] (00:21:49): Behind you, Atalia, you hear a small, "Fuck." Marietta [Atalia] (00:21:52): Atalia will whip around. Sampson [Dili] (00:21:55): Dili will silently point to Nix being escorted by Deuces. Marietta [Atalia] (00:22:00): Atalia's hand will shoot out over Dili's mouth and she will crouch down a little bit. Do a little finger to the eyes to the guy, and back and forth thing, you know? Like oh, we're going to sneak and try to stay hidden. Do a little ambushy situation. Sampson [Dili] (00:22:17): Dili will also point out ChaCha going the other way, and then a pantomime suggesting that Atalia should follow Nix and Dili will go get ChaCha. Marietta [Atalia] (00:22:25): Atalia thumbs ups. Sampson [Dili] (00:22:26): We high five and then we break. Marietta [Atalia] (00:22:28): Yes, we do. We do. Sampson [Dili] (00:22:29): Silently high five. Marietta [Atalia] (00:22:32): That's exactly what happens. Yes. It's like air high five. Daniel [GM] (00:22:33): Jeskii looks back and forth at both of you guys and just sort of wags her tail slowly, clearly having no idea what's going on, but she's happy that you guys are happy. Stace [Nix] (00:22:42): He's devious. Marietta [Atalia] (00:22:44): Atalia tells Jeskii to shush, and starts stealthing after Nix. Daniel [GM] (00:22:53): So when you go, "Shush," Jeskii sits down obediently, and then as you start walking that way, Jeskii kind of gets up and... But this time as she walks, there is no clack to her claws. She's figured out that you need stealth seskii right now. Marietta [Atalia] (00:23:06): Stealth Jeskii. Yeah. Oh, what a good seskii. Yes. Stace [Nix] (00:23:12): This is her redemption arc. That's what this is. Marietta [Atalia] (00:23:14): Yeah. I don't know how to compute it, you know? Sampson [Dili] (00:23:19): She's just too good a girl. Marietta [Atalia] (00:23:22): Yeah. Okay. Stace [Nix] (00:23:25): No such thing as a bad seskii. Just good seskiis who do bad things. Marietta [Atalia] (00:23:31): It's true. Sampson [Dili] (00:23:32): All seskiis go to heaven. Marietta [Atalia] (00:23:33): It's true. Daniel [GM] (00:23:35): Okay. Atalia and Jeskii go off after Nix and Deuces. Dili starts heading off after ChaCha. ChaCha, you are approaching Gma's cottage at this point. It will take a while for Dili to catch up to you because Dili's not much with the running. You reach the house and it looks the same as ever. How do you approach the house? Alex [ChaCha] (00:24:00): I guess walk through the front door. Daniel [GM] (00:24:02): Okay. You just walk through the front door. Things look mostly the same, except in one corner, kind of curled up and huddled there, is Gma. She's holding her hand against her side, and the hand that she's holding against her left side is stained red. Stace [Nix] (00:24:24): Ooh. Alex [ChaCha] (00:24:24): I guess ChaCha goes over to investigate. Daniel [GM] (00:24:27): Okay, so you go over. Gma looks up at you and says, "Oh, ChaCha. It's good to see you again." She kind of groans a bit, and she says, "Would you do me a favor? There's some gauze in the next room, underneath the table." Alex [ChaCha] (00:24:50): ChaCha nods and walks off to go find it. Daniel [GM] (00:24:53): Okay. It's pretty easy to spot. It's right underneath the table there. There's a container of gauze that looks like it's been... The rest of the place is kind of messed up. This looks like it was sort of deliberately placed. You suspect that probably Gma's been using this gauze already here, but yeah, you find the gauze no problem. Alex [ChaCha] (00:25:15): I guess ChaCha goes back and offers the gauze to Gma. Daniel [GM] (00:25:20): She says, "Thanks. Thanks." She reaches out with her right hand, and on her left side, you can see her starting to unwind bloodied dressing. She begins winding it back. She says, "It's good to see you again. You wouldn't happen to know where my granddaughter is, would you?" Alex [ChaCha] (00:25:40): No. She does her own thing. Daniel [GM] (00:25:40): I suppose that's true. She always has. Things didn't quite go as planned. It's about this point where Dili arrives. Sampson [Dili] (00:25:52): Seeing that ChaCha got as far as Gma's place, Dili will probably not stealthily, but kind of quietly, carefully approach. ChaCha? Are you in here? Alex [ChaCha] (00:26:02): Yeah. I think maybe Gma stabbed herself, or Atalia's mom did. Sampson [Dili] (00:26:09): What? Dili goes all the way in. Oh. Oh, shit. Ah. Daniel [GM] (00:26:16): Gma looks up at you, ChaCha, and says, "Yeah, that's correct. It was my daughter." Alex [ChaCha] (00:26:23): I mean, you said things didn't go as planned, so you could have tripped. Daniel [GM] (00:26:30): That's also true. Has anybody ever told you, ChaCha, that you're a funny person? Alex [ChaCha] (00:26:37): No. Usually they just tell me to leave them alone. Daniel [GM] (00:26:40): Well, that's a shame. Gma finished tightening up her bandage and says, "This will heal. It's bad, but I've had worse." Sampson [Dili] (00:26:50): How are you still walking if you've had worse than that? Daniel [GM] (00:26:52): I know what to do, Dili. Happy to see you again, as well. Nice to see that you haven't been captured by the Knyxos. Sampson [Dili] (00:27:01): Oh, that reminds me. ChaCha, Nix was not captured, but she is currently being escorted by one of the Knyxos, so that's a thing. Also, Gma, we met Salianna. Wow. That was a thing. Daniel [GM] (00:27:16): Yeah. She's quite the woman, isn't she? Sampson [Dili] (00:27:20): Quite the mother. So that's a thing. A whole lot's happened. Let me start from the beginning. Dili will quickly recount the meeting that he watched with Atalia and Salianna, and where Atalia is right now. Daniel [GM] (00:27:33): Okay. You get to the point where you explain what the Handlers injected in Atalia, and Gma says, "She did what?" Sampson [Dili] (00:27:42): You know what that is? Yeah, right into her left arm. Right into her arm. Daniel [GM] (00:27:48): Doesn't matter. It'll be all through her body by now. Sampson [Dili] (00:27:51): Excuse me? Daniel [GM] (00:27:52): It multiplies. Sampson [Dili] (00:27:53): Ah. Can it be removed? Daniel [GM] (00:27:55): It can be deactivated and then the body can flush it out on its own, but you need the control module for that. Sampson [Dili] (00:28:01): You wouldn't happen to know where that is, would you? Daniel [GM] (00:28:03): No. That's a pretty guarded secret, as you can probably imagine. They don't use those items very often. I'm honestly impressed that Salianna managed to petition to use one. But they take a while to configure. I mean, the way you described the meeting, I mean, it sounded like it was sort of a random thing, but there's no way that that device would have been ready instantly. They would have had to prep that at least a day in advance. Sampson [Dili] (00:28:29): Ah, Salianna's been trying to get Atalia to meet with her for a little bit, so I think she's had a day to prepare it. It also sounds like Salianna's been planning a lot of this from the start, so... Daniel [GM] (00:28:41): Yeah. I mean, but I guess my point is it sounds like that she already knew what job she was going to offer before she even talked to you guys. Sampson [Dili] (00:28:50): I don't know. I don't know what the Handlers do or how they work. Daniel [GM] (00:28:53): So where did you say Atalia is now? Sampson [Dili] (00:28:55): Well, she's still in Ward Anna. Daniel [GM] (00:28:58): You guys were in Ward Kala. Sampson [Dili] (00:29:00): Ward Kala. Daniel [GM] (00:29:01): Yeah. Sampson [Dili] (00:29:02): But we were in Ward Kala when I spotted Nix and company? Yeah? Daniel [GM] (00:29:05): Mm-hmm (affirmative). And the direction they were going... ChaCha was heading towards Ward Laramon, which is where you are now. Nix and Deuces were headed deeper into Ward Kala, closer to the center. Sampson [Dili] (00:29:19): Yeah, so Nix is still in Ward Kala, following Nix, unless something more catastrophic has happened. I have no idea. Who knows what happens at 4:00 in the morning. Daniel [GM] (00:29:29): Okay. Sampson [Dili] (00:29:30): Do we need to get you somewhere, by the way? Daniel [GM] (00:29:32): No. If she's heading towards where the Knyxos are, she needs help. Gma sort of puts her hands against the wall and pulls herself up in clear, very obvious pain. As she brings herself to a standing position, she's like, "I need to get to Ward Kala now." Sampson [Dili] (00:29:52): No offense, ma'am, but I don't know how much you can help. You seem to be a little impaired, to say the least. Daniel [GM] (00:29:58): She looks at you and she says, "Dili, I've fulfilled three contracts in a single night before with wounds like this." Sampson [Dili] (00:30:06): So? You're still hurt. Daniel [GM] (00:30:08): I need to go help my granddaughter, Dili. And she begins walking with a slight limp towards the front door. Sampson [Dili] (00:30:16): All right, fine. Well, at least let me help. Daniel [GM] (00:30:17): How is Dili helping? Sampson [Dili] (00:30:19): Dili is going to give her a stable pillar to lean on, and then also throw up another disguise so that she appears as an old woman who doesn't seem to move very well to mask the limping. Daniel [GM] (00:30:34): Okay. Are you disguising ChaCha, as well? Sampson [Dili] (00:30:36): Yes. Daniel [GM] (00:30:37): Okay. And what is your disguise like? Sampson [Dili] (00:30:40): Similar facial features to Gma's disguise. Make it look like I'm her grandson, helping her out. And that ChaCha is also like a sister or cousin. Daniel [GM] (00:30:50): Okay. Sounds good. Okay. So you guys, again, moving in the direction of Ward Kala. Nix, Deuces is directing you, and you finally reach this one house in Ward Kala. This house has a small two or three steps up to the front door. Deuces sort of points from behind you and says, "Go up and knock." Stace [Nix] (00:31:17): All right. Nix will knock a little pattern. Da da da da da. Daniel [GM] (00:31:22): So there is a pause, and you can sort of hear and sense Deuces coming up behind you on the steps. The door opens and there stands a middle-aged woman with very clear Numenera implants along the side of her head. You hear Deuces says, "Found her." This woman looks at you and says, "You must be Nix. It's time for you to have your talk with Minos. Follow me." Stace [Nix] (00:31:56): Yo, if I knew that he just wanted to talk... You have to understand that there was some mixed messages with the bounty. Could have sent a Cog Courier or something. Daniel [GM] (00:32:08): The situation is evolving. Stace [Nix] (00:32:14): Oh. Daniel [GM] (00:32:14): I'll let Minos explain the rest. Stace [Nix] (00:32:14): All right. What's your name? Daniel [GM] (00:32:16): You can call me Asidra. Stace [Nix] (00:32:18): Those implants are dope. Daniel [GM] (00:32:20): Thank you. Currently, she is heading up the stairs. Stace [Nix] (00:32:24): Nix will follow her. Daniel [GM] (00:32:26): She leads you into an office and gestures at a seat in front of one of the desks, clearly the visitor's seat. Stace [Nix] (00:32:36): Is it blood-stained? Daniel [GM] (00:32:39): No. No, it's not blood-stained. It just looks like a normal chair. It's not as comfortable as the chair behind the desk, but it's still a decent chair. Stace [Nix] (00:32:47): Check it for traps. No, I'm just kidding. Nix will sit down. Daniel [GM] (00:32:54): So you sit down. Asidra kind of moves over, and behind you, along the wall, so from the other side from where the desk is, there's a small couch. Asidra goes over and just sits in that, behind you. Deuces takes up position at the door. There is this just silence while you guys wait. Stace [Nix] (00:33:18): You know, I kidnapped a Nano the other day and I have to say, it is much less pleasant on this side of things. Daniel [GM] (00:33:28): Asidra kind of chuckles behind you but doesn't answer otherwise. Atalia, you have seen Nix being led into this building. You saw her open the door. You saw a woman answer it. You couldn't really see a lot of details about her, and she leads Nix and Deuces into the building, and the door shuts. Marietta [Atalia] (00:33:47): Do I still have the device that scans? Daniel [GM] (00:33:52): You do. Marietta [Atalia] (00:33:52): I'm going to scan the building and see if I can find where Nix is. Daniel [GM] (00:33:55): Okay. You've got to get up close to the building, so first I need a stealth roll of nine, which is a three for you. Marietta [Atalia] (00:34:00): 19. Daniel [GM] (00:34:01): Okay, so you're definitely going to be able to stealth up to the side of the building. What would you propose as a minor effect for your stealth roll? Marietta [Atalia] (00:34:07): Atalia is able to determine the stealthiest way in. Daniel [GM] (00:34:13): Definitely not the front door. Marietta [Atalia] (00:34:14): Okay. Good to know. Sampson [Dili] (00:34:17): Never see it coming. Marietta [Atalia] (00:34:17): No. Daniel [GM] (00:34:20): It looks like from what you can see... You see a window on the side that looks like it might be an ideal mode of ingress for you. But now that you're next to the building, if you want, you could scan it with your device. Marietta [Atalia] (00:34:34): I'm going to scan it with my device. Daniel [GM] (00:34:36): Okay. You scan it with the device. It comes back and it shows this image up in front of you. The image kind of appears above it, and you can kind of pan and zoom on it with your fingers. Honestly, this kind of thing would have helped you a ton in previous jobs. You can clearly see the structure of the building. The window you spotted is definitely the easiest way in. It also appears to be farthest away from where anybody is currently standing. You can see that there are at least four people on this ground floor. There are five on the second floor. At least three of them appear to be concentrated in one room up there. Marietta [Atalia] (00:35:18): And it doesn't tell me who the people are, just that they're in there? Daniel [GM] (00:35:21): Yeah, it just identifies that there are people there. Marietta [Atalia] (00:35:23): Okay. Daniel [GM] (00:35:24): And roll one D10 for completion. Marietta [Atalia] (00:35:28): Nine. Daniel [GM] (00:35:28): Okay. The device will continue working for now. It's not depleted. Marietta [Atalia] (00:35:32): Okay. Daniel [GM] (00:35:33): So you now have this notion of how you could enter. What would you like to do with the information that you have determined? Marietta [Atalia] (00:35:42): Trying to figure out how I would... Well, I'm going to go in on this floor and see what's going on inside, and see if there's a way to get up to see who is in these rooms. Daniel [GM] (00:35:53): Okay. You have the scan. You have the information from your minor effect. That brings it down to a nine stealth roll, which makes it a three for you, since you're specialized, again. This window. Marietta [Atalia] (00:36:06): 12. Daniel [GM] (00:36:10): Okay. You get inside without any problem, and you are now in this building. Upstairs, Nix, everything is sitting there, and there comes a moment when the door opens, and you can hear Deuces kind of step aside. You hear these heavy footsteps coming in the door before it shuts. You see... Well, I guess it depends on if you turn around or if you just keep sitting forward at the desk. Stace [Nix] (00:36:37): Oh, no. Yeah, she would look. Daniel [GM] (00:36:39): You see a very large individual. Somehow even larger than Deuces, but the biggest difference is his neck is encircled in this complex bit of synth. Armor, maybe. You're not sure, as he trots over and sits down in the comfortable chair across the desk from you. He says, "So you're Nix." Stace [Nix] (00:37:08): Yeah, and you're the Knyxos. Daniel [GM] (00:37:08): He blinks. He's like, "I'm Minos." Stace [Nix] (00:37:08): Hey, Minos. Daniel [GM] (00:37:14): The guard gave you away, by the way. Stace [Nix] (00:37:16): Oh, at the auction? Daniel [GM] (00:37:22): Yeah, that's how we got your description. Stace [Nix] (00:37:22): Oh, yeah. No, I tried. Yeah, I tried to kind of turn him and fool him, and it didn't work out. You've got good people, I'll say that much. Daniel [GM] (00:37:32): Mm-hmm (affirmative). So where are your friends? Stace [Nix] (00:37:35): You know, I actually don't know. This guy sort of just grabbed me and we started coming this way. I haven't seen my friends in a hot minute. Daniel [GM] (00:37:44): Where's the item you guys stole from us? Stace [Nix] (00:37:47): You know, I don't know that either. It's so weird. Daniel [GM] (00:37:50): Who did you give it to? Stace [Nix] (00:37:52): Can't tell you that. Daniel [GM] (00:37:53): He leans back a little bit in his chair and just kind of fixes you with a gaze and says, "You can't, huh?" Stace [Nix] (00:37:59): No. Yeah, so have you heard of the Benevolent Society and our tenets? Daniel [GM] (00:38:05): I've heard what you guys call them, yeah. Stace [Nix] (00:38:07): What? Did something happen? A lot of people have been kind of throwing shade at the Society lately. Daniel [GM] (00:38:15): Just saying, I don't trust people who go out of their way to call themselves the good guys. Stace [Nix] (00:38:21): Well, I think it's a really good way to just let people know what you're about, and being really upfront. It's like extreme honesty. Daniel [GM] (00:38:32): He kind of looks up over your shoulder and says, "Reminds me of that study you were telling me about." She calls from behind him, "Oh, the one about cult deprogramming? Yeah." Minos looks back at you and says, "Anyway. Yeah, I know. I know what the Society says about itself, but I also want you to be realistic about your situation here. I want the item that was stolen from us, and I hear rumors that you've been traveling around with someone else that I've been looking for. Short guy. Kind of nervous. Good with his hands." Stace [Nix] (00:39:11): I've known a few nervous, short guys. They seem pretty common in the city, you know? I don't know how good he is or any of them are with their hands. How do you know he has good hands? Daniel [GM] (00:39:31): This is definitely going to be deception roll. This is definitely an 18 deception roll. Stace [Nix] (00:39:33): Oh, fuck. Specialized in social. Daniel [GM] (00:39:36): Okay. That makes it a 12. Stace [Nix] (00:39:39): 17. Daniel [GM] (00:39:40): Okay. Minos leans back and says, "Goes by Adilabrim. Nicknamed Dili." Stace [Nix] (00:39:46): Adila what now? That's a ridiculous name. You sure you got that right? Daniel [GM] (00:39:51): Yeah, I'm sure. Stace [Nix] (00:39:53): Oh. Well... Daniel [GM] (00:39:55): Been a thorn in my side. Stace [Nix] (00:39:56): I knew a short, nervous guy named Clarence. The other guy wasn't even memorable. Daniel [GM] (00:40:02): Another question, then. Somebody that I know you have met before. He certainly remembered you at the time. Do you know anything about the whereabouts of a man named Aces? Stace [Nix] (00:40:12): I mean, he kind of gets around, doesn't he? Daniel [GM] (00:40:14): He does. Stace [Nix] (00:40:16): You know where I saw him? It was right outside of the auction that went bad for both of us. Daniel [GM] (00:40:24): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Stace [Nix] (00:40:26): Yeah. Daniel [GM] (00:40:27): You haven't seen him again recently? Stace [Nix] (00:40:29): No. How's he doing? How'd he heal up? Daniel [GM] (00:40:33): Your original deception was really good. You're going to have an asset on this one because you did well last time, okay? So now it's a 15, and you're specialized. That brings it down to a nine. Stace [Nix] (00:40:44): Five. Daniel [GM] (00:40:44): Okay. He kind of narrows his eyes like, "Yeah, you saw him. Last I heard, he was heading to Ward Anna on a tip of where to find this other individual I'm looking for." Stace [Nix] (00:41:00): Oh, yeah. I spent some time in Ward Anna. You ever been to the Queen's Spittoon? Daniel [GM] (00:41:04): I'm aware of it. Stace [Nix] (00:41:06): Man, I used to be able to eat the scorps. Scorps for days. Daniel [GM] (00:41:11): You kill him? Stace [Nix] (00:41:12): Who? Oh, Aces? No, I think I just kind of crippled him. Daniel [GM] (00:41:16): He was doing okay. Asidra helped him out with that. Stace [Nix] (00:41:19): Oh, yeah. She's got some pretty sweet implants. I see that. Cool. Daniel [GM] (00:41:23): You hear her move around a little bit on the couch. She's like, "Perhaps you'd like some." Stace [Nix] (00:41:29): You know, I've had some modifications recently. Daniel [GM] (00:41:32): Yeah? Stace [Nix] (00:41:33): Yeah. I mean, are you offering? Daniel [GM] (00:41:37): Sure. Let's say it. Stace [Nix] (00:41:39): I don't know. Where's your lab? Daniel [GM] (00:41:41): Don't need a lab for my work. I always have everything I need right here. She taps her head. Stace [Nix] (00:41:47): Okay, so like a mobile Nano doing low cost or free... You know, I think I will pass. It's not you, it's me. Daniel [GM] (00:41:58): Minos says, "We'll see. Nix, I'm going to cut to the chase. I want the item back. I know you haven't had a life free of interference. Word has it the Queen has it in for your family. That's a tough burden to bear. It's also a tough burden to bear when you've got an organization like ours looking for you. I can almost guarantee that if they haven't put two and two together already, the Handlers will be looking for you soon, too. Stace [Nix] (00:42:24): Two and two? Daniel [GM] (00:42:26): Yeah. Nix, I'm offering you a chance to have the Knyxos release your bounty, but I need something in return. Stace [Nix] (00:42:34): An offer of friendship, or? Daniel [GM] (00:42:37): I need you for a job. Stace [Nix] (00:42:39): I mean, I'm always interested in jobs, but not jobs that conflict with, perhaps, past jobs, so I would need to know the nature of this job. Daniel [GM] (00:42:50): Well, I want the item that was stolen. Stace [Nix] (00:42:53): See, that's what I'm saying. That conflicts with a past job. It's just... It's not good for me. Daniel [GM] (00:43:02): A job for who? Stace [Nix] (00:43:03): Again, can't tell you. Daniel [GM] (00:43:04): Well, that's difficult. Stace [Nix] (00:43:07): It's difficult for me, too, honestly. Yep. Daniel [GM] (00:43:10): If you can't provide the device, you got anything else that you can trade in exchange for it? Otherwise, I've got ideas. Stace [Nix] (00:43:19): Well, you've had longer to think about it than me, so why don't you share your ideas first and then I'll offer any counter ideas. We can really brainstorm together. Daniel [GM] (00:43:26): Atalia, what are you doing in the house? You're in the house. Where are you going? Marietta [Atalia] (00:43:32): Yeah. Atalia is totally searching for Nix. She's trying to remain as stealthy as possible, but she doesn't know if she's upstairs or downstairs, okay. Depending on what level she comes in, she'll check, right? Because Atalia doesn't know that she's upstairs, or does she? Daniel [GM] (00:43:45): Correct. Correct. You came in on the ground floor. Marietta [Atalia] (00:43:47): Okay. Daniel [GM] (00:43:47): So if you're checking, go ahead and give me a stealth roll of 12, which would be a six for you. Marietta [Atalia] (00:43:57): 16. Daniel [GM] (00:43:57): Okay. You are able to kind of slink around the first floor, and while there are definitely people down here where you expected them to be, none of them appear to be Nix. They're not anybody you recognize, either. Presumably they're just Knyxos people. Marietta [Atalia] (00:44:13): If she's not on this floor, then Atalia will move upstairs and start looking for her. Daniel [GM] (00:44:17): Okay. With that stealth roll, I think you could get up there and start searching around the upstairs, as well. Give me a perception roll of nine. Marietta [Atalia] (00:44:27): Okay. I'm trained in perception. Daniel [GM] (00:44:32): Okay. Marietta [Atalia] (00:44:33): Is perception intellect? Daniel [GM] (00:44:35): Yes. Marietta [Atalia] (00:44:38): All right. I'll spend a singular level of effort. Daniel [GM] (00:44:39): Okay, so that brings that to a six. Marietta [Atalia] (00:44:42): 16 again. Daniel [GM] (00:44:43): Okay. You get close to this one door when you hear Nix basically saying, "Well, you've had longer to think about it. Tell me what you're thinking." You hear Minos say, "We found Aces' body earlier today." Stace [Nix] (00:45:01): That's rough. Daniel [GM] (00:45:04): Yeah. My man Deuces over there needs a new partner. Stace [Nix] (00:45:05): Like temporary until he finds a permanent? Daniel [GM] (00:45:09): Until you've paid off your debt. Stace [Nix] (00:45:10): I don't... Deuces seems real cool, not going to lie. What else you got? What else you got? Daniel [GM] (00:45:18): We make an example of you. Stace [Nix] (00:45:19): To just the masses, or? Daniel [GM] (00:45:22): Anyone who would try to cross us. Stace [Nix] (00:45:25): Okay. Daniel [GM] (00:45:25): And I would ask you to consider this carefully. Stace [Nix] (00:45:29): Yeah. Daniel [GM] (00:45:29): Because I have a good feeling about you, and our examples tend to be messy. Stace [Nix] (00:45:36): So you're offering me to do dirty jobs with Deuces for the Knyxos? Daniel [GM] (00:45:43): Jobs, yeah. Stace [Nix] (00:45:45): Are those jobs going to contradict with any of my other jobs? I'm a freelancer. I have to be very careful. Daniel [GM] (00:45:52): I can keep you from having to look for the item. Stace [Nix] (00:45:54): Well, that's really cool. Would you rather have me... Oh, shoot. Oh, that's bad. Nix isn't saying that out loud. I was about to offer up the giant artifact under the city, but then I remembered that it's the Knyxos. Sampson [Dili] (00:46:12): That'd be fucking wild, though. Stace [Nix] (00:46:13): Nix might even do it, too. Marietta [Atalia] (00:46:15): Atalia's trying to silently check if the door is locked or not. Daniel [GM] (00:46:19): Okay. I think you have something in lock picking, which we could say is just the equivalent of trying to figure this out. Marietta [Atalia] (00:46:25): Yeah, it's the perp infiltrator. Daniel [GM] (00:46:28): Yeah, so I guess that would make it a six. Marietta [Atalia] (00:46:30): Okay. 14. Daniel [GM] (00:46:33): It is not locked. Marietta [Atalia] (00:46:34): Okay. Atalia's waiting to do anything until she hears any sounds of distress, I guess. Daniel [GM] (00:46:43): Okay. Marietta [Atalia] (00:46:44): As she's aware that there's at least three people in this room, when she last checked. Daniel [GM] (00:46:48): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Okay. Stace [Nix] (00:46:51): What if instead, I told you about a different item of great power? Daniel [GM] (00:46:57): I'm listening. Stace [Nix] (00:46:58): I mean, I've got to know that if I tell you about this, I'm walking out of here bounty-free. Daniel [GM] (00:47:05): Presuming that you actually can deliver the item and we can confirm its existence. We're not going to go chasing off any fairytales. Stace [Nix] (00:47:13): Well, so bringing the item to you is not so easy. Daniel [GM] (00:47:20): How so? Stace [Nix] (00:47:21): You know what? I'll just work with Deuces. Daniel [GM] (00:47:22): You sure? Stace [Nix] (00:47:24): Yeah. Daniel [GM] (00:47:26): You've caught my interest now. Stace [Nix] (00:47:28): I mean, it's kind of a... You've got to understand where my head is at, right? This is a lot of power, and you already have a lot of power. I'm just questioning the wisdom of sharing this information with you when you have been kind of a pretty intense enemy for a long time. Daniel [GM] (00:47:46): This is a very odd but effective sales pitch you're doing right here. Stace [Nix] (00:47:51): Well, I guess it is for sale, because I'm worth like 1,200 big ones, but I wasn't really thinking in monetary terms, you know? Daniel [GM] (00:48:00): So where's the item? Stace [Nix] (00:48:02): I mean, it's in Charmonde. Daniel [GM] (00:48:05): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Stace [Nix] (00:48:08): It's all about location, so it's nice and close. What ward did Nix grow up in? Daniel [GM] (00:48:13): Ward Mares. Stace [Nix] (00:48:14): Because that's where Doc Taraz's house is, in the vicinity. It's in Ward Mares. Daniel [GM] (00:48:20): Okay. Stace [Nix] (00:48:23): Yeah, it's underneath. Daniel [GM] (00:48:26): You do hear some movement on the couch behind you, and Minos says, "Underneath. Interesting. Tell me more." Stace [Nix] (00:48:35): I'm not 100% sure what it does. I'm not an artifact Numenera whatever person, even remotely. Kind of goes over my head, you know? It is the reason that the Queen's Nano achieved that level of power. Daniel [GM] (00:48:54): Wait, are you talking about the Nano that sells the jade eggs? Stace [Nix] (00:48:58): Yeah, I heard they're addictive, FYI. Just tell everybody. Daniel [GM] (00:49:07): I would assume so from how often people buy them over and over again. I'm no Nano but I know the narcotics business when I see it. Stace [Nix] (00:49:15): Oh, dang. You think it's intentional? God, I knew she was a fucking rat. You know how hard it was to get that out of her, whether the jade eggs are effective or not? Daniel [GM] (00:49:26): Whatever. It's a solid business plan, even if it's not my particular taste. Stace [Nix] (00:49:29): So yeah, the secret to her power is underneath Ward Mares. Daniel [GM] (00:49:33): And you know how to get to it? You can get our people there? Stace [Nix] (00:49:39): I can get your people to the vicinity. Daniel [GM] (00:49:43): That's not going to cut it. We need access to it. Otherwise, we're just chasing a fairytale. Stace [Nix] (00:49:47): Well, I just haven't been down there yet. This is fresh info. Daniel [GM] (00:49:50): And you're sure she wasn't lying to you about it? Stace [Nix] (00:49:52): Oh, yeah. No, I'm real sure she wasn't lying to me. Daniel [GM] (00:49:56): Okay. Give me a social roll. With your specialization, it will be a six. Stace [Nix] (00:50:02): Okay, I'll just roll it straight up. 16. Daniel [GM] (00:50:06): Okay. That's interesting. What do you need to do to get access to it? Stace [Nix] (00:50:08): I know where the entrance is supposed to be. That's really kind of it. Daniel [GM] (00:50:12): So you don't know how to access the device, how to use it, how to get to it exactly? Stace [Nix] (00:50:18): No, but I didn't know how to access your artifact. Nevertheless... Daniel [GM] (00:50:23): That's fair. Do you have a way of finding out how to get there? Stace [Nix] (00:50:27): I mean, yeah. Daniel [GM] (00:50:28): Why don't we do that and have a couple of my people escort you? Stace [Nix] (00:50:31): Down there? Daniel [GM] (00:50:32): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Stace [Nix] (00:50:33): So we have to go get someone. Daniel [GM] (00:50:38): Yeah. That's not a problem. My people can go with you. Stace [Nix] (00:50:42): Got to hang out with Deuces anyway? I feel like this is fine. Daniel [GM] (00:50:46): Depends on whether you're talking about one job or paying off your debt through labor. It's at this point, by the way, that Gma, Dili, and ChaCha reach the exterior of this house from a far alley. Gma knows exactly where this house is. Sampson [Dili] (00:51:04): Are you just thinking about just going straight in there? Is that... What's your plan? Daniel [GM] (00:51:09): I'd prefer to go sneakily, but with this wound, I don't know how easy that would be. Sampson [Dili] (00:51:13): Oh. Daniel [GM] (00:51:15): Usually I try to slip in and out, but it's going to be difficult with this. Since there's three of us, I thought we would go the body count route. Sampson [Dili] (00:51:22): What? Could I get the details? Can we get the details on what that means? Daniel [GM] (00:51:27): We kill everyone we see until we find them. Sampson [Dili] (00:51:29): And that's easier with your wound? Daniel [GM] (00:51:31): She grunts and stands up, and tries to stretch a bit and winces. She's like, "I don't need to be quiet for that." She looks at you, Dili, and she says, "Pain is just a function of your nervous system." Sampson [Dili] (00:51:46): Yeah, telling you that there's damage. Daniel [GM] (00:51:48): It can be ignored for a while. She turns and she looks at ChaCha. She's like, "I have a feeling you know what I'm talking about." Alex [ChaCha] (00:51:56): Pain makes you work harder. Daniel [GM] (00:51:58): That's right. Stace [Nix] (00:52:01): That's nervous laughter. Sampson [Dili] (00:52:05): Dili's just looking between Gma and ChaCha, just like, "What? Ah, I don't like this train of thought." Daniel [GM] (00:52:11): Dili, I know you've got it in you. You've survived this long. Sampson [Dili] (00:52:15): By avoiding danger. Daniel [GM] (00:52:16): She turns and looks at ChaCha and says, "Is that true? Seems like you guys have been living dangerous lives." Alex [ChaCha] (00:52:27): I mean, he avoids danger most of the time. Daniel [GM] (00:52:27): Well, Dili, there's always a chance for personal growth. She reaches into her cloak and she looks at you, Dili. She says, "I see you've got a dart thrower." Sampson [Dili] (00:52:41): Yeah? Daniel [GM] (00:52:42): She hands you a dagger and says, "Sometimes you've got to get in close." Sampson [Dili] (00:52:50): Oh. Daniel [GM] (00:52:55): She looks over at ChaCha and she spots the Handler's dagger that ChaCha has, and says, "I see you've already got one." Alex [ChaCha] (00:53:02): There are some easy points to hit when you're this small. Daniel [GM] (00:53:06): That's right. Use their size against them. Sampson [Dili] (00:53:09): Dili will shakily take the dagger and look to ChaCha. Any tips? Alex [ChaCha] (00:53:14): Center of mass. Major arteries are where the limbs come out. Sampson [Dili] (00:53:19): Okay. Dagger does two damage? Daniel [GM] (00:53:22): Mm-hmm (affirmative), and that's a light weapon, so it eases the attack. Gma looks at both of you and says, "Can I count on you guys for this? Alex [ChaCha] (00:53:31): Everyone will die until we get Nix back. Sampson [Dili] (00:53:33): I'll be present. That's all I can really promise. Daniel [GM] (00:53:36): I need more than that, Dili. I know you've got it in you. Sampson [Dili] (00:53:39): In my past, but I... Daniel [GM] (00:53:41): Dili, make an 18 speed defense roll. Sampson [Dili] (00:53:43): Fucking... Okay. I'm just going to do that straight. 17. Daniel [GM] (00:53:49): She slaps you, open-handed across the face. She says, "Your friends might die if you don't do this and you're telling me you'll be present? That my granddaughter, that her friends could die, and you're just going to be present? What are you feeling right now, Dili?" Sampson [Dili] (00:54:10): Fear. Maybe a little bit of rage. Daniel [GM] (00:54:12): I thought so. She slaps you again. Sampson [Dili] (00:54:15): Okay. Daniel [GM] (00:54:16): You're not taking any damage for this, by the way. Sampson [Dili] (00:54:18): Okay. Good. I was going to ask, yeah, is Dili down? Daniel [GM] (00:54:22): No. And she says, "Use it." Sampson [Dili] (00:54:26): Okay. Daniel [GM] (00:54:27): Let's go. She turns and starts walking towards the front door, and that's where we'll end this episode. Sampson [Dili] (00:54:34): Oh, fuck. Stace [Nix] (00:54:35): Oh, okay. Okay. That's fine. Everything's fine. I'm okay. Are you okay? Sampson [Dili] (00:54:41): Yep. Yo, Dili needs a nap. Daniel [GM] (00:54:43): I feel it's only appropriate... Stace, something about this episode. Stace [Nix] (00:54:46): Yeah. Kind of really loved being obnoxious to the baddies. Kind of an interesting situation. I liked the tension in the situation, and I just... I don't know why I just feel like being Deuces' partner is a real bad idea. I just do. Marietta [Atalia] (00:55:08): Weird that you feel that way. It's so weird. Stace [Nix] (00:55:11): Yeah, the last one. You hear what happened to the last one? Daniel [GM] (00:55:14): You could go together. I mean, Deuces also needs no weapons, by the way. Stace [Nix] (00:55:17): Aw, buds. Yeah, but many levels. Daniel [GM] (00:55:22): Mm-hmm (affirmative). Okay. Cool. We have a segment that we do each week called player intrusions. That's where we offer you, the listeners, an XP to check out something we think you would really dig. This week it is my turn, and I will offer you all an XP to... I'm actually going to break one of my internal rules, which is that normally I won't recommend something unless I've completely finished it, or at least everything there is today, but I'm going to break that rule and recommend that you all watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV. Ted Lasso is one of those shows that when I first heard the pitch, I was not particularly excited about it, because I'm not usually big into sports-themed movies. Daniel [GM] (00:56:06): The basic principle is that Ted Lasso is this guy, this coach from Indiana, played by Jason Sudeikis. He's a football coach. He sort of, on a whim, there's a reason why that kind of becomes obvious during the show, agrees to take on a job to go to England to coach a soccer team there, despite having never coached soccer before. He goes out there with his coaching assistant. The woman who owns the team has acquired it as part of a divorce, and she's interested in seeing the team fall under because her husband loved it so much. Daniel [GM] (00:56:45): Ted Lasso, Jason Sudeikis plays him like... He comes off with sort of like this sort of... It would be really easy to play Ted Lasso as sort of like a country bumpkin or something like that, except that Ted Lasso is so sharp and so observant and so socially aware and so inherently charming... The problem is that he comes in and even though everything's stacked against him and the team doesn't trust him, and none of the reporters does, the team starts playing better slowly because he makes them think like a team, because he's so charming. Daniel [GM] (00:57:24): That alone would just be like an okay series, but they do something in the series that is magical in that we were watching and we were fully expecting... Like the owner of the team, we were expecting her to be the villain, and there were other people that we were expecting to be the villain, like his estranged wife, or the journalist, or the cockier members of the team, and things like that. We were about three episodes in when my wife turned to me and said, "Oh my god. They're going to make us love every one of these characters, aren't they?" This show, it is our stress relief. At the end of a day, like when we watch it and watch an episode of it, we just end up happier than we were, because the characters are all so lovable and so nuanced, and it is funny but not mean-spirited. It is just a lovely, uplifting show. I would highly recommend people check out Ted Lasso. Marietta [Atalia] (00:58:29): We like uplifting and good. Daniel [GM] (00:58:32): Yes. It's really good. We love our heavy shows that we watch, like we actually started watching The Promised Neverland on Sampson's recommendation, which is a great show... Sampson [Dili] (00:58:42): Yes. Daniel [GM] (00:58:42): But those are heavy shows. And Ted Lasso, a lot of times with hard shows, will be our chaser at the end of the night. We've watched a couple of hard episodes of something. Now we need something uplifting before we go to bed so I don't get strange dreams from Promised Neverland again. Sampson [Dili] (00:58:58): That's fair. Daniel [GM] (00:58:59): If people wanted to reach out to us to tell us what they think of Ted Lasso or the podcast, how would they do that, Marietta? Marietta [Atalia] (00:59:05): Well, they could go to our website, explorerswanted.fm, and they would find links to all of our social medias. We are on Twitter, @explorerswanted. We are on Instagram, @explorerswantedpodcast, and we are Explorers Wanted: A Numenera Podcast on Facebook. We also have a Patreon. If it within your means and you are into the podcast and you want to see more content for us, a great way to support us is through that. Yeah. Also, if you're looking to interact with us, the best way to do so is to kind of hang out with us in our Discord. There's a link to our Discord server on all of our social medias and our website which is, again, explorerswanted.fm. Come to our Discord, hang out with us, give us feedback. We'd love to hear from you what you like, show us your plants, all that good stuff. Plus we're desperate. Daniel [GM] (00:59:49): Awesome. And honestly, the best thing that you could do for us if you like the show is to tell a friend, and tell them why they should listen to us. The second best thing you could do for us it to leave us a five-star written review on a podcast directory, particularly Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. Those written reviews make a huge difference on people trying out the show. There are so many actual plays out there and reviews are really a huge differentiator when people are looking. Daniel [GM] (01:00:18): If you didn't like the podcast or you just thought it was meh, well, I need to tell you something important. The tardigrade, or water bear, can survive almost any environment. To be honest, given their ability to survive even the vacuum of space, we're not even 100% sure they came from this planet to start with. Now, they're too small to see with your naked eye, and we are so large as to be almost imperceptible to them, which is honestly for the best, because if they ever do see you, then they only have one recourse, and I'm afraid they outnumber us. You will be helpless as swarms of incredibly small maws begin to eat away at this flesh husk you call a body. If you want to reach out to us individually on Twitter, you can. You can find me @andrlik, A-N-D-R-L-I-K. Stace [Nix] (01:01:10): This might not be the place for this, but I definitely, until that, thought that tardigrades were just a mythical creature everyone has plushies of. Now I realize it is a real thing. Wow, we're a learning podcast. Anyway, people can find me on Twitter @StaceWindu. Sampson [Dili] (01:01:26): And tell me how I can fast forward the process of being eaten by water bears @SlamPotato. Alex [ChaCha] (01:01:32): You can find me @realteaunicorn on Twitter and @teawithaunicorn on Twitch. Daniel [GM] (01:01:38): Yes. Alex's streams on Twitch are awesome, so check those out. Marietta [Atalia] (01:01:41): And if you've seen Star Trek: Discovery and know the tardigrade tie-ins and want to tweet me about it, because I tweet on Twitter so much, @imonahike is my handle. Cool, thanks, bye. Daniel [GM] (01:01:56): All right. That's it for us. Hope you enjoyed the show. We will be back next week, as we will for every week in the foreseeable future. Have a good night, day, weekend, or whenever you're listening to this, and... Group (01:02:07): Bye. Group (01:02:07): (silence)