Daniel [GM] 00:00 Welcome to Explorers Wanted. We are a Numenera Actual Play podcast. I will be your humble GM, Daniel Andrlik. With me today is Stace Babcock ... Stace [Nix] 00:44 Hey, how are ya? Daniel [GM] 00:44 Alex Finn. Alex [ChaCha] 00:45 Hi. Daniel [GM] 00:46 Marietta Jones. Marietta [Atalia] 00:48 Hola. Daniel [GM] 00:49 And Sampson Davis. Sampson [Dili] 00:51 This is episode eight and this is only the third time you've used the “Shut the Fuck Up” bar. Alex [ChaCha] 00:56 We're doing pretty good. Daniel [GM] 00:58 I save it for the times that really matter. Sampson [Dili] 01:00 Fair enough, I guess. Hi, hello. I didn't say hi. Daniel [GM] 01:04 We've had quite a range of adventures, and I think we'd be good to go around and have each of you introduce your character again. Just in case people are jumping in or they need a reminder. Why don't we go ahead and start with Stace. Stace [Nix] 01:19 All right. My character is Nix, a Confident Glaive who Needs No Weapons. She's a Traveler, part of the Benevolent Society of Travelers, which is kind of a do-good explorer-type organization. She's gotten mixed up with these chucklefucks via a random contract. Daniel [GM] 01:39 Alex, how about you? Alex [ChaCha] 01:42 I play Chansey “ChaCha” Latoile. ChaCha is a passionate Nano who Sees Beyond. Basically like it's The Sixth Sense where they see dead people, but these aren't dead people. They're just invisible people that aren't really there but they are there. She's also a children's entertainer, the good kind. Not a scary clown. Daniel [GM] 02:08 Okay. Sampson? Sampson [Dili] 02:11 Alex, the fact that you had to qualify it makes it more worrying. Alex [ChaCha] 02:15: I know. Sampson [Dili] 02:18 I play Adilabrim Kret, commonly called Dili. He is an Intelligent Wright who Crafts Illusions. Nervous short boy who has recently had a traumatic life incident and is way over his head at the moment. He's doing his best. Alex [ChaCha] 02:34 And tastes good. Sampson [Dili] 02:37 Apparently. Yup. Daniel [GM] 02:37 Nervous short boy in peril. That's our new horror genre. Alex [ChaCha] 02:40 Mm-hmm. Daniel [GM] 02:40 And Marietta. Marietta [Atalia] 02:45 I'm playing Atalia. She's a Meddlesome Nano who Explores Dark Places. She's walking a knife’s edge, it’s a good time. Trying to figure out to get herself out of a little pickle. Daniel [GM] 03:01 Let's see. Who remembers what happened last time? I am going to pick on Sampson. Sampson [Dili] 03:06 We have recently completed a job for Momma Jerrun, but we were only partially successful so we have taken on a second contract to kind of clean up what we weren't able to accomplish in the first one. Kind of went our separate ways there for a second, so then came back together at the bar. That was a thing that we all remember what happened with scorps and urinals. Alex [ChaCha] 03:30 Bathroom. Sampson [Dili] 03:32 Yeah. Stace [Nix] 03:32 Yeah, and bartenders. Sampson [Dili] 03:34 And bartenders who don't know what a tip means. Stace [Nix] 03:36 I think they know what a tip is. Alex [ChaCha] 03:39 Just the tip? Sampson [Dili] 03:40 Oh no. Sampson [Dili] 03:45 But anyway at this bar, Atalia ran into some [inaudible 00:03:50] bitch who tried to put the fucking hurt on Atalia, but we stopped her kind of. Anyway, after that we went to Benevolent Travelers Society, These hostel church group, and... Come on, come on Stace. You know that's what it is. Stace [Nix] 04:08 You know what, that's the closest you've gotten. So I’ll take it. Sampson [Dili] 04:13 Anyway, we went to BTS, and... Stace [Nix] 04:18 It's actually BST. Benevolent Society of Travelers. Alex [ChaCha] 04:21 But know, it's the Benevolent Travelers’ Society. Stace [Nix] 04:23 No. Sampson [Dili] 04:27 Anyway, we weren't there, then Atalia went to her grandma's and then somebody recognized Dili from the poster. That was cool in a way. And so got out of there. Spent the night out in Nix's mom’s basement. Ate a lot of Tostinos. Had a great breakfast. And then recently, we wanted to look at more of Nix's mom's affliction that's a teleporting sickness. Atalia and Nix learned a bit more with some nano scanning. ChaCha encountered a horror. And apparently snakes is the theme of this campaign as we learned right at the tail end of last episode. Stace [Nix] 05:11 The tail end. Nice. Sampson [Dili] 05:15 Full circle, like an [inaudible] . Because it's all snakes. Alex [ChaCha] 05:20 Snakes all the way down. Marietta [Atalia] 05:21 I quit. Sampson [Dili] 05:22 Anyway, we left at that. We left there with Nix and her pulsing snake bite. Daniel [GM] 05:32 Nix, your hand is throbbing and you've got these bright red punctures on your hand. Stace [Nix] 05:40 [As Nix] Oh. Dili, you got bit by a snake? Sampson [Dili] 05:43 [As Dili] Bit? No. I've been dreaming about snakes. Stace [Nix] 05:46 [As Nix] Oh. Sampson [Dili] 05:47 [As Dili] Not a weird way, just in a normal nightmare-ish way. This is the snake I've been dreaming about. And then…a vision of a snake. Daniel [GM] 05:55 When Dili summons that image, it is of this sort of serpentine creature. The body is the body of the snake, but the head and face looks human, but stretched, like moves the screen, except that it has glittering black teeth and a triple forked tongue that ends in razors with black fluid dripping from it's mouth. Stace [Nix] 06:21 [As Nix] Oh. Well I got bit by a snake, but it did not look like that. Sampson [Dili] 06:26 [As Dili] You're very lucky I guess. This one eats happiness. And then I'll dismiss the image. Stace [Nix] 06:32 [As Nix] Nah, I got bit by this braided snake last week. Look at it. Shows Dili the bite marks which were her thumb and forefinger on her right hand. Sampson [Dili] 06:42 [As Dili] Wow. A week ago? This is still... Daniel [GM] 06:46 Does this look infected to you? Sampson [Dili] 06:51 [As Dili] Is it supposed to be leaking yellow fluid? Stace [Nix] 06:52 [As Nix] You know, it wasn't really even hurting until you guys started talking about these other snakes. Sampson [Dili] 06:59 [As Dili] Huh. Weird. Stace [Nix] 07:00 [As Nix] Yeah, then I remembered I got it. I don't know. Sampson [Dili] 07:09 [As Dili] Atalia, do you have snake encounters? Marietta [Atalia] 07:10 [As Atalia] No. I am strictly against snake encounters personally. Sampson [Dili] 07:11 [As Dili] That's good policy. Stace [Nix] 07:11 [As Nix] Huh. Marietta [Atalia] 07:14 [As Atalia] Speaking of which, I have a meeting I have to attend tonight because apparently, and my employers weren't thrilled with our bar experience. Sampson [Dili] 07:20 [As Dili] Oh. Stace [Nix] 07:21 [As Nix] Oh, you're meeting with them. Do you want some backup? Marietta [Atalia] 07:28 [As Atalia] I would love it if someone would watch my Seskii for me. Stace [Nix] 07:31 [As Nix] Oh dang, yeah. I'll watch your Seskii. Marietta [Atalia] 07:33 [As Atalia] Yeah, she's pretty cute. I’m into her. Sampson [Dili] 07:36 [As Dili] Seskii's are pretty good. Daniel [GM] 07:37 The Seskii kind of hops around you and nuzzles it's head against your hand. Marietta [Atalia] 07:42 [As Atalia] See, how could you not like this? This is great. Sampson [Dili] 07:45 [As Dili] Aren't Seskii's pretty good guard dogs? Wouldn’t you want this at your talk, because it just doesn't sound like it's just going to be all talking. It sounds like you might die. Marietta [Atalia] 07:58 [As Atalia] Whoa! That's pretty extreme, sir. There will be no dying, thank you. No, I actually acquired said Seskii on an occupation and I think they would potentially do nefarious things if I appeared with it. I just can't find it. Where did it go? Daniel [GM] 08:16 The Seskii kind of, as you say that, it kind of does that thing like a dog where it goes down on its legs again like it's playing and hops around in a circle. Marietta [Atalia] 08:25 [As Atalia] It mysteriously disappeared. Have no idea. Daniel [GM] 08:28 And now it kind of walks around you in a happy circle moment almost try. Marietta [Atalia] 08:33 [As Atalia] Can’t find it anywhere. Yeah, clearly. Stace [Nix] 08:3 [As Nix] Yeah. It was like your employers that took that item, right, so it seems maybe there was a lead there. Did you explore that at all while you were out? Marietta [Atalia] 08:54 [As Atalia] Well I met with him yesterday and attempted to explore and I got yelled at for asking for things I shouldn't be asking about. But I was very straightforward about what my job was going to be. And finding dead bodies in contracts was not part of it. So I don't know. It seemed pretty dumb of them but then I guess it's dumb of me to be questioning. So here we are. Stace [Nix] 09:20 [As Nix] Do you think we just wait until this meeting to try and find the item or what do you guys... Marietta [Atalia] 09:24 [As Atalia] I don't know where they would've taken it. I have…. I'll show you the letter. [As Atalia] This is where I'm meeting them. That's all I know. And this is not the normal meeting location. Daniel [GM] 09:36 If you show that to…. Nix, make an intellect-based roll. Your target is only a nine. Stace [Nix] 09:45 16. Daniel [GM] 09:48 Okay. Nix, you know this area. It is middle class, but it is very much self-made middle class. It is organized crime. It's not part of what your family grew up in. It's not part of what the real rich grow up in or the nouveau-riche grow up in. Marietta [Atalia] 10:11 It's the hustlers. Daniel [GM] 10:12 It's very much the Charmonde equivalent of the Mafia. Stace [Nix] 10:18 [As Nix] Dude. Yeah. This is where they bring people when they want to kill ‘em and no one cares if they hear them scream. Sampson [Dili] 10:2 [As Dili] Oh, wow. Marietta [Atalia] 10:31 [As Atalia] Well I don't think I could just say no. Stace [Nix] 10:33 [As Nix] I don't think you should say no, but I think we should have a plan. Marietta [Atalia] 10:39 [As Atalia] My plan was for you to watch the Seskii and I would go to the meeting. Stace [Nix] 10:43 [As Nix] That's a bad plan. Marietta [Atalia] 10:46 [As Atalia] You know, I thought I would just go in and plan and it be all sorry and stuff and just say, "Look. I'm pretty straight forward about my job with you and was just very unsettling." Well not very unsettling, it was whatever, but it just wasn't what I wanted it to be about. Stace [Nix] 11:02 [As Nix] That's all well and good, but we should got try to scope this place out now. See what we could do because you should definitely go to that meeting because those are the people who know about the object. Marietta [Atalia] 11:13 [As Atalia] True, but I don't think I'm in a position to ask about it right now, if you know what I mean. Sampson [Dili] 11:19 [As Dili] You think we could go scope the place out beforehand? Marietta [Atalia] 11:24 [As Atalia] Maybe you guys could or I could try to be really sneaky about it, but these people seem like they know what's up so I don't know if it'd be that easy. Stace [Nix] 11:35 [As Nix] We're just walking down the street. Sampson [Dili] 11:36 [As Dili] Yeah, just minding our own business. Stace [Nix] 11:40 [As Nix] Yeah. Dili, keep your hood up. Sampson [Dili] 11:42 [As Dili] Right. Yeah, I will. Stace [Nix] 11:44 [As Nix] Yeah. I haven't forgotten that we need to have a conversation. Sampson [Dili] 11:48 [As Dili] Oh. Marietta [Atalia] 11:48 [As Atalia] What do you guys need to have a conversation about? Sampson [Dili] 11:51 [As Dili] Nothing. Stace [Nix] 11:51 [As Nix] Oh. Dili show her your wanted poster. Marietta [Atalia] 11:57 [As Atalia] Wait. Wait. Wait. Hold on. Dili did something to be wanted for? Sampson [Dili] 12:04 [As Dili] Yeah, not what I was hoping it would be. Anyway. This is my wanted poster. I am worth a lot of money apparently. Yay. Marietta [Atalia] 12:12 [As Atalia] That is a shin or two there, huh? Sampson [Dili] 12:16 [As Dili] Yeah. It's a lot. Marietta [Atalia] 12:17 [As Atalia] So what'd you do? Sampson [Dili] 12:18 [As Dili] Oh, right. Okay. About a year ago I was partying for cash. Normally I do enough, but that year it was just for a few months so it was counted to be for commissions. And then this one lady comes in with his beautiful piece that I had never seen before. Anyway, she comes in... have you ever heard of a relentless reaper? Marietta [Atalia] 12:48 [As Atalia] Who-da-what-a? Sampson [Dili] 12:49 [As Dili] A relentless reaper. Marietta [Atalia] 12:50 Have I heard of that? Stace [Nix] 12:51 [As Nix] Oh for sure. Daniel [GM] 12:52 So ChaCha, Nix and Atalia, Understanding Numenera and all of the target will be 12. Marietta [Atalia] 13:03 Oh, I'm trained in it? Alex [ChaCha] 13:04 Yeah, trained. Stace [Nix] 13:08 Can I counter that or try to get in the asset because would I have heard rumors about these creature? Daniel [GM] 13:13 Yeah, so you can be at the same place that ChaCha and Atalia are at which is a nine. Alex [ChaCha] 13:19 I've got a 16. Marietta [Atalia] 13:21 I rolled an 11. Stace [Nix] 13:23 I got an 18. Daniel [GM] 13:24 Okay. So you all have heard of these. Relentless reapers are automatons that exist. It's not actually clear what their origin is, but when they are activated for a particular prey, they pursue them without end, until either the prey is completely destroyed or the reaper itself is destroyed. It is a particularly powerful automaton that sets out and never gets tired and it never has mercy. Marietta [Atalia] 13:57 [As Atalia] That's a thing. That's unfortunate. Sampson [Dili] 14:01 [As Dili] Yeah. And she comes in with the metal mind variants, relentless reaper. One of a kind. It was incredible. And I was so taken with it, I maybe didn't pay attention to a couple of thugs that came with her or much of the deal besides how much she was willing to pay me to do it. So I started working on the piece. She wanted me to work on integration. This piece with automaton, and again, I was just so taken with the project I didn't see what else they were adding into the automaton until much later. Sampson [Dili] 14:42 [As Dili] When I finally get a chance to dig into it without supervision and I saw all of the weapons, armaments and all of this nasty stuff they had added into it. So, panicking, because I kind of realized that at that moment that I maybe had got into bed with some nasty people. I sort of locked it up in a way. And then I ran. And I guess they're not happy and they want me back with them. Now I know they're not happy because they almost got me the first night. Do you guys know Merrick by chance? Daniel [GM] 15:21 They wouldn't. Sampson [Dili] 15:22 They wouldn’t. Okay. [As Dili] Well some guy named Merrick saved me that night from a different horror show that I just stumbled into. Went from mafia movie into Lovecraft's drafts bin. And then he saved me from the lamprey eels that poisoned me. And I got the visions from the snakes that we talked about earlier. It's all connected. Marietta [Atalia] 15:44 [As Atalia] Wait, wait, wait. Back it up. Connect those dots again. Sampson [Dili] 15:47 [As Dili] Right. The night I escaped from these guys, ran into my shop, saw they were already there somehow. So I ran away from them and I stumbled into a Ward of the Lost and I guess there's some parts of town that are abandoned because they are infested with lamprey zombies that just want to take a snack of nervous short boys. Stace [Nix] 16:08 [As Nix] Oh yeah. Well known that they enjoy eating nervous short boys. Sampson [Dili] 16:15 [As Dili] Yeah. That was cool. Nearly died from there, but then is Merrick guy saved me, sent me on their way to Momma Jerrun to hopefully help out my situation. Stace [Nix] 16:26 [As Nix] That's a real bummer. Sampson [Dili] 16:28 [As Dili] Yeah. It would be helpful to show some of these people. And Dili will show an image of the lady. Sampson [Dili] 16:39 [As Dili] This is Asidra, she's a Nano. And you see Asidra is kind of cold. She looks like a female version of the actor who played T1000 and T2. The cheekbones, short hair, scary looking. She's kind of cold. It's not like she's determined or passionate, she just has objectives that she does not... Marietta [Atalia] 17:04 It's like President Coin in the Hunger Games. Sampson [Dili] 17:06 Yes. Stace [Nix] 17:08 [As Nix] Are you sure that's who's after you, dude? Sampson [Dili] 17:12 [As Dili] She is one of them. She's not the leader of this organization. Have you guys heard of the Knyxos? Stace [Nix] 17:18 [As Nix] Knyxos? Sampson [Dili] 17:18 [As Dili] Knyxos. Stace [Nix] 17:23 [As Nix] Knyxos? Like Nix? Like me? Sampson [Dili] 17:25 [As Dili] Yeah, that's a weird coincidence. Stace [Nix] 17:28 Daniel, have I? Daniel [GM] 17:29 Well. So, I would say this. Atalia and Nix, for you guys this would be a target of 12. For ChaCha you would be operating at a hindrance because you're not from the area. So I'd be a 15 for you. Stace [Nix] 17:50 I got a six. Marietta [Atalia] 17:52 I have remembering pertinent details. Would that help? Daniel [GM] 17:56 Yeah, I would say so. Marietta [Atalia] 17:57 I just got an eight. Alex [ChaCha] 17:57 I got six. Daniel [GM] 18:03 Okay. Yeah, none of you guys have any idea. Stace [Nix] 18:07 [As Nix] It seems weird that the society would take this contract. That's not usually the type of people we do work for. Daniel [GM] 18:15 It is a private deal though. So you know that. It's probably a deal where... It's not officially a deal, it's like a private deal that was posted on the board. It's just an opportunity. Usually the work board is stuff that's been reviewed by the society and approved, but the private deals are sort of separate contracts that are offered out for travelers. There's no restriction against doing them because they don't judge everybody's journey and they know that every Traveler will change people that they encounter. So it's not restricted, but it is a private deal which means that it doesn't necessarily fall within the redefining ethos of your order. Stace [Nix] 19:01 [As Nix] Oh, okay. Yeah. Keep your hood up for sure. Sampson [Dili] 19:0 [As Dili] Yeah, I will. Oh, and also before I forget, these are the two thugs that accompanied her. And also…. I assume my shop has been burnt to the ground at this point. And then he’ll threw up an image of Aces. [As Dili] This is Aces. I think he's a bit of a cutthroat. Sampson [Dili] 19:23 And you see kind of a shorter guy, greasy, gross look. He's got this snarl, smirk. I'm imagining him as if a dirty hypodermic evil whisper sonified. That's what this guy looks like. So that's Aces. Pretty self evident he's pretty gross. I know this is his partner Deuces. And then next image is this big kind of big, fat guy, perilous kind of impassive looking. I think, Nix, since you're a Glaive, even though he's fat you can tell, this is one of those big, fat guys that's holding a ton of muscle underneath that fat. Stace [Nix] 20:03 All right. Yeah. Daniel [GM] 20:03 Yeah. Alex [ChaCha] 20:05 Like the butler in Our Domicile? Daniel [GM] 20:06 Kind of. I would say, Nix, you would obviously recognize that Deuces... When Dili conjures and image of Deuces, yeah he looks fat. There's a lot of muscle, but one of the things that you notice about the way he stands and Dili's image of him, thought it's somebody who's not just strong, but ready for anything. Someone that, if you were sizing somebody up, this is somebody you would expect is probably faster than they look like, smarter than they look like, and certainly more dangerous than they look like. Stace [Nix] 20:46 [As Nix] Oh yeah. We definitely don't want to tangle with them unless it's I'm distracting them and Atalia's sneaking around and stabbing ‘em. We'd have to be tricky. Sampson [Dili] 20:58 [As Dili] Yeah. the kind of turned invisible on my escape, so . I would recommend just straight up running. I don't know if tricking these guys is a good idea. Stace [Nix] 21:11 [As Nix] We'll just see what happens. Sampson [Dili] 21:13 [As Dili] Yeah, yeah. Stace [Nix] 21:14 [As Nix] If we encounter them. Sampson [Dili] 21:15 [As Dili] Yeah. Yes. Let’s not encounter them first. Stace [Nix] 21:18 [As Nix] Sweet. Well I think that we should get out of this house. I'm going to go pop up. Say bye to my parents and do you guys want to pack up? Sampson [Dili] 21:28 [As Dili] Yup, I'm ready to go. Marietta [Atalia] 21:30 [As Atalia] Yeah, I'll clean up here and I'll start tidying up the kitchen. Daniel [GM] 21:35 Okay. Nix, is there anything specific you want to do with your family or you're just saying goodbye? Stace [Nix] 21:40 I'm just saying goodbye. Daniel [GM] 21:43 Okay. We'll just fast forward to you guys all being done and ready to go. Sampson [Dili] 21:48 Just a reminder Dan, I still have time on my Still Field cypher. Daniel [GM] 21:52 Do you? How long does it last? Sampson [Dili] 21:53 28 hours. Daniel [GM] 21:54 Okay. Yes you do. Sampson [Dili] 21:57 I got about half a day I think. We'll have time. Alex [ChaCha] 21:58 Does he still have the phantom fear? Daniel [GM] 22:04 That is probably gone at this point because you've slept. Sampson [Dili] 22:06 [As Dili] All right. Are we going where? Alex [ChaCha] 22:09 [As ChaCha] Going on an adventure. Marietta [Atalia] 22:11 [As Atalia] We're going to go scope out this place, huh? Sampson [Dili] 22:13 [As Dili] Unless you have a better idea. They have warehouses? Offices they can file complaints to? Marietta [Atalia] 22:21 [As Atalia] I have this address. We can go see what's going on there. I've not really been to this neighborhood. Daniel [GM] 22:30 Yeah, and Atalia, for the entire extent of your…career is the wrong word since you've been an independent contractor with them. You've always met James at the same place. Marietta [Atalia] 22:39 Mm-hmm. Daniel [GM] 22:40 So this is completely different. Marietta [Atalia] 22:43 Okay. [As Atalia] Look, you guys can come with me if you want or I can just go by myself. I'm pretty stealthy. I don't know. I just feel bad getting you all caught up in this. Stace [Nix] 22:55 [As Nix] This is the job we're getting paid for. Just a reminder. Marietta [Atalia] 23:01 [As Atalia] All right. You're right. Okay. Well let's go check it out. Yeah. Alex [ChaCha] 23:07 And they do. Stace [Nix] 23:08 And we go. Sampson [Dili] 23:10 And then we found the item. Daniel [GM] 23:12 Okay. So you got to this ward. It's a different ward... Well, let me put it this way. Nix probably knows of it. Dili probably has heard of it, but I don't think any of you have spent any time in it. It's Ward Calla. And as you go into Ward Calla it is very much a well-to-do ward. You see a number of car couriers. These little clockwork creatures going around and cleaning up the area. Some of them actually carry messages back and forth. You guys find this address. I assume you guys are trying to be all stealthy about it. Marietta [Atalia] 23:50 Yeah, I have my hood up. I've got a mask over my face. Just like a... Daniel [GM] 23:56 Everybody roll a stealth for me. Difficulty is nine. Sampson [Dili] 24:00 I'm putting effort into that. Marietta [Atalia] 24:01 I specialized in it and I rolled a 20. Daniel [GM] 24:04 Wow. Marietta [Atalia] 24:05 I am invisible. Daniel [GM] 24:08 So it's stealth. So you roll a 20. With a 20, with something like this, I would think that you could ensure that two other people aren't completely hidden. Marietta [Atalia] 24:20 I guess I'll do Dili and Nix I guess. Daniel [GM] 24:27 Okay. Marietta [Atalia] 24:27 Plus you have stealth. I don't know. I feel like ChaCha can just do whatever ChaCha wants. Stace [Nix] 24:33 What would I spend for effort? Daniel [GM] 24:35 Speed. Stace [Nix] 24:38 What was the target then, nine? Daniel [GM] 24:39 Nine. Stace [Nix] 24:44 Oh, I got 19. Daniel [GM] 24:44 Okay. Sampson [Dili] 24:44 11. Daniel [GM] 24:44 I would say, if you've got a 20 and you've got a 19, everybody can be safely hidden regardless of what they roll. Alex [ChaCha] 24:52 Oh really, because I got a four. Daniel [GM] 24:53 Yeah. So ChaCha is still hidden. Let's say Altalia, since you had the 20, you manage to somehow... even though ChaCha is wearing this flamboyant cloak, you manage to somehow keep her hidden and not noticeable. Marietta [Atalia] 25:14 Excellent. Daniel [GM] 25:15 Now how do you do that? Marietta [Atalia] 25:19 I think I'm like a collie and I'm herding her, but I'm just walking in her way occasionally. So just being so inconvenient that I just kind of force her to walk where she should be. Daniel [GM] 25:34 So you get to this address. Marietta [Atalia] 25:37 I think we just walk right past it. Daniel [GM] 25:40 You reach this address and it looks like a stately home. It's not that different in quality from what the exterior of Nix's home looks like. It's more the neighborhood that kind of adds the sense of dread, at least for Nix and Dili because you guys know this area is full with bad people. Dili, you have no concrete data that's, just for sure, but based off of your experience it would make sense that high up people in Knyxos would live around here. Marietta [Atalia] 26:20 Well this is disconcerting. Daniel [GM] 26:23 Yes. So what do you want to find out about this place? Marietta [Atalia] 26:26 I would like to be inconspicuous, but I want to cace the joint. What are entrances, exits, are there lots of goons standing about? That kind of thing. Daniel [GM] 26:38 So give me a perception roll. Target is going to be 12. Marietta [Atalia] 26:44 Okay. And I am trained in that. I rolled a three. Daniel [GM] 26:47 Yeah. There's obvious goons at the front door, but other than that you have no idea. Marietta [Atalia] 26:56 [As Atalia] Well guys, I'm kind of stressed out. I don't really know about this place. I don't feel confident. Stace [Nix] 27:04 [As Nix] Well, this house design, it's very standard in design. I don't know. Nix is going to try to see what she can figure it out. Daniel [GM] 27:15 Okay. Give me a perception roll. I will give you an asset. So it's a nine to start. Stace [Nix] 27:21 I got a two. Oh, that's a GM intrusion. Daniel [GM] 27:25 Oh, that's right. It is. Stace [Nix] 27:27 Mm-hmm. Daniel [GM] 27:29 Nix, you are pretty certain that you have a clear idea. You think this is going to be very much like your house. It's a little bit bigger than your house, but you're pretty sure that you know the layout into the house of this place. Stace [Nix] 27:45 [As Nix] This looks a lot like my parent's to be honest. Marietta [Atalia] 27:48 [As Atalia] You think the layout's pretty similar? Stace [Nix] 27:52 [As Nix] That's what I would 100% expect. Marietta [Atalia] 27:54 [As Atalia] Okay. Well if that makes me feel a little bit better. I've been to your house a bunch. So, should be able to handle it. I feel like we shouldn't hang out here too long though. Stace [Nix] 28:03 [As Nix] Well, honestly, it may not be a bad idea to see who's coming and going. Marietta [Atalia] 28:08 Is there anywhere we could hide out nearby? Is there an alley or a park? Daniel [GM] 28:15 There are alleys, although this area gets a service by car couriers relatively often, so the alleys aren't particularly messy. They're quite a bit of open space, but you could definitely go into an alley and try to hang out there. Sampson [Dili] 28:30 How wide are the alleys? Daniel [GM] 28:31 They are a little bit more narrow than say what you're used to, Dili, in the merchant district. This is a bit of an older area, but at the same time because the car couriers, these clock work creatures, keep it relatively clean. It's not super cramped either. Sampson [Dili] 28:53 So are they narrow enough that I could maybe cover an entrance with... What is my dimensions for my minor illusion? 10 feet. Daniel [GM] 29:05 Yes. You could. And if you wanted to make it a one-way illusion, that'll be based off of your Intellect roll. Stace [Nix] 29:12 [As Nix] If that's what we're going to do, maybe we shouldn't be where people could bump into us though. Maybe if there's a... Any of these roofs look good or... Daniel [GM] 29:22 You could definitely try to go up the roofs. Yeah. Everybody would need to make a climbing roll. Alex [ChaCha] 29:27 Can ChaCha set up her performance in front of this building and do a saucy puppet show? Daniel [GM] 29:35 If she wanted to as a distraction, she could. Alex [ChaCha] 29:39 That is what ChaCha is going to do. Daniel [GM] 29:41 What is she using for puppets? Alex [ChaCha] 29:43 Does she still have the scorps that Nix let her keep? Daniel [GM] 29:47 I think ChaCha would still have them. They probably don't smell great right now, but I don't think ChaCha cares. Alex [ChaCha] 29:54 She's got her two scorps. Daniel [GM] 29:56 Mm-hmm affirmative. Marietta [Atalia] 29:57 [As Atalia] That's disturbing. What are you doing? Daniel [GM] 30:00 So give me a performance roll, ChaCha. And your target is going to be 12. Marietta [Atalia] 30:04 Atalia just watches on in horror. Alex [ChaCha] 30:08 Well I got a 20. Fucking love this puppet show, bitches. Daniel [GM] 30:13 Okay. Tell me about the puppet show you're pulling off of the 20. It is definitely going to cover anything the rest of you guys are doing, as far as getting into position. Alex [ChaCha] 30:22 So I think in her mind she's now crated this buddy drama of her and that horror she just talked to. They're going around the Ninth World, solving crimes, doing good deeds, beating up jugglers. Daniel [GM] 30:46 Mm-hmm. Okay. Okay, cool. Is it a good drama or is it a bad drama like those fake police procedural like on Forgetting Sarah Marshall? Alex [ChaCha] 30:51 I think it's like Brooklyn 99. Daniel [GM] 30:53 Okay. Awesome. That's even better. Alex [ChaCha] 30:53 It's that kind of good. Daniel [GM] 30:54 That is awesome. ChaCha has definitely provided a distraction for you guys. Are you going to the roof? Are you going to hide in the alley? What are you going to do? Stace [Nix] 31:09 [As Nix] I think roof. Marietta [Atalia] 31:11 [As Atalia] Yeah, I'm down for whatever at this point. Stace [Nix] 31:13 [As Dili] Dili's got to get up there first because if Dili can't get up there, then there's no illusion. Sampson [Dili] 31:19 [As Dili] That makes sense to me. Marietta [Atalia] 31:22 [As Atalia] Yeah. I will help him up with your help. Stace [Nix] 31:26 [As Nix] Yup. I'm going to give him a boost. Marietta [Atalia] 31:28 [As Atalia] Okay, good. Because I'm actually not strong at all. Stace [Nix] 31:30 [As Nix] You show him where the hand holds are. Marietta [Atalia] 31:31 I will point it out. Daniel [GM] 31:31 Okay. So that’ll max out Dili’s two assets and bring it up to bring it down to a three. And it’s Might if you want to make it a gimmie. Sampson [Dili] 31:45 12. I did not make it a gimmie. Daniel [GM] 31:47 Okay. So Dili, despite your efforts and as terrified as you are, you manage to crawl up the side of this building. With a 12, you're pretty confident that you have not urinated. Sampson [Dili] 32:04 [As Dili] Well this is pretty tall. You have a point. Daniel [GM] 32:07 Yeah. You made sure not to look down or any of those mistakes or anything like that. You managed to get up to the top. And honestly Dili, you're a little proud of yourself. This is way beyond what you would normally do, but with Nix and Atalia's help, you achieved something that you did not think was possible, given your history. So please take an XP. Sampson [Dili] 32:33 Oh my God. Yes. Stace [Nix] 32:34 [As Nix] Rock on, dude. Alex [ChaCha] 32:37 Mm-hmm. Marietta [Atalia] 32:37 Live your best life. Sampson [Dili] 32:38 Going along with that, I am going to spend my 4 XP to make an advancement. Alex [ChaCha] 32:44 Yay! Advancing on not peeing yourself! Sampson [Dili] 32:51 I think what's going to make the most sense right now is probably +4 into my stat pools. Because Dili's been on the run for the past two weeks or so and finally all that running is starting to show. There's a bit of musculature in his legs. Not a lot, just one point in Might and one point in Speed, the rest in Intellect. Marietta [Atalia] 33:14 Those calves. Those calves though. Sampson [Dili] 33:17 That burn, it's starting to actually do something. Daniel [GM] 33:20 Those calves, they bring all the bartenders to the yard. Sampson [Dili] 33:25 Hey, my eyes are up here. That's what I'll do. Stace [Nix] 33:33 Cool. Daniel [GM] 33:33 Okay. Cool. Okay. So I need Nix and Atalia to make climbing rolls of of nine. Marietta [Atalia] 33:41 I'm trained in climbing. Stace [Nix] 33:44 I am trained in climbing. Marietta [Atalia] 33:46 13. Stace [Nix] 33:48 20. What, on this? Marietta [Atalia] 33:46 Yeah. Daniel [GM] 33:50 Okay. Alex [ChaCha] 33:53 Get down with me. Daniel [GM] 33:54 So, definitely Atalia, you get up with no problem. Nix, what would you propose is the major effect? Stace [Nix] 34:02 First of all, can I describe how I get up? Daniel [GM] 34:04 Yeah, absolutely. Stace [Nix] 34:05 So Atalia goes old school. Uses the handholds, but Nix jumps from wall to wall in this narrow alley. Daniel [GM] 34:12 Mm-hmm. Stace [Nix] 34:14 And in two jumps gets up to the top. It's like what's up guys. Daniel [GM] 34:19 It's like extreme parkour and Nix hasn't broken a sweat at all. Stace [Nix] 34:22 Yeah. Marietta [Atalia] 34:24 What's up, bro? Sampson [Dili] 34:26 [As Dili] How'd you do that so fast? Stace [Nix] 34:28 [As Nix] I just do it, man. I've been practicing. Sampson [Dili] 34:31 [As Dili] Oh. Marietta [Atalia] 34:33 [As Atalia] Really? Stace [Nix] 34:33 [As Nix] Yeah. If you ever want to run with me, just say so. I go, you know, most mornings. Marietta [Atalia] 34:44 [As Atalia] Oh yeah? Stace [Nix] 34:44 [As Nix] Yup. Daniel [GM] 34:44 I got to get in my PT. Stace [Nix] 34:45 That too. Stace [Nix] 34:48 And then I'd say the major effect of this, can I save it for if we need to get ChaCha up here? Daniel [GM] 34:58 Yeah, you can. Stace [Nix] 34:59 Okay. Daniel [GM] 35:01 So ChaCha, everybody's up at the roof. Given that ChaCha's an entertainer, I imagine you continue your show even longer than is necessary, as long as people are entertained. I will say this, ChaCha, while you're entertaining, there are a couple of families that come by with kids and the kids are really kind of astounded with how well you perform. And there's something about them that sparkles like you've kind of awoken something in them. So please take an XP. Alex [ChaCha] 35:36 Yes! For entertaining children. Like she's built to. Daniel [GM] 35:40 Yes. And then ChaCha, you definitely know that everybody's on the roof right now. What would ChaCha like to do? Alex [ChaCha] 35:48 Did they tell her to get on the roof? Daniel [GM] 35:49 I think ChaCha would have known that's what they were doing. Let me put it this way. Nix, if you want to, with your natural 20, you could gift the equivalent of two assets to this. For ChaCha and that would make it a three for her. Stace [Nix] 36:09 Yup. Daniel [GM] 36:09 But she's got a skill... Alex [ChaCha] 36:11 Yeah. Daniel [GM] 36:12 So it's a gimmie for ChaCha, so she just gets on up there. Stace [Nix] 36:15 [As Nix] Come on up, ChaCha. Alex [ChaCha] 36:17 Can I roll anyway to see how hilarious this is? Daniel [GM] 36:22 Yeah, sure. Alex [ChaCha] 36:23 Okay, good. Because that was a six and she just kind of... Stace [Nix] 36:26 If you cancel out my 20 with a one I was going to be upset. Alex [ChaCha] 36:30 That would be amazing. Daniel [GM] 36:32 So ChaCha gets up the roof no problem. You guys are hanging on the roof, presumably Dili using an illusion to hide you guys. Sampson [Dili] 36:39 Yeah. Like a chimney, I think. Daniel [GM] 36:44 Okay. So you guys are watching people coming and going. Most of it is not that notable except Atalia, you notice a familiar person wandering in the front door. It is James. Marietta [Atalia] 36:57 As long as it's not grandma. I wasn't ready for that. Alex [ChaCha] 37:01 Grandma comes in with a shotgun. It's your grandma. Daniel [GM] 37:06 Your grandma's like "People keep asking if I'm back. I guess I'm back." Marietta [Atalia] 37:15 Hardcore grandma for life. Stace [Nix] 37:17 The house starts burning and we're like, "Hmm." Sampson [Dili] 37:20 I guess that solves that plot thread. Marietta [Atalia] 37:24 Yeah. Stace [Nix] 37:25 Moving right along. Marietta [Atalia] 37:28 So I'll point James out to them. [As Atalia] That's my handler right there. Stace [Nix] 37:35 [As Nix] Wow. I thought he'd be taller. Daniel [GM] 37:39 Yeah. He's about average size. He is middle aged. He's got slicked back hair. He's dressed well. I would say this Atalia, normally James is pretty cocky in the way he moves, but he actually seems a little bit reserved and nervous as he enters his home. Marietta [Atalia] 37:58 [As Atalia] Yeah. Usually he's a little more confident than. I am even more nervous than I already was. Stace [Nix] 38:04 [As Nix] Yeah, well. Sometimes nerves can give you an edge because you're more alert, man. So just lean into it. Marietta [Atalia] 38:13 [As Atalia] Yeah. Stace [Nix] 38:13 [As Nix] Or you know what I like to do? I like to tell myself I'm not nervous, I'm excited. Sampson [Dili] 38:17 Dili rolls his eyes. Daniel [GM] 38:21 So it's starting to get dark and 8:00 is quickly approaching. Marietta [Atalia] 38:27 [As Atalia] Okay. Well I think this is my cue. You guys watch the seskii. Seskii, you stay. Stay here. Daniel [GM] 38:36 The seskii kind of licks your hands and looks eager to come along. Marietta [Atalia] 38:40 [As Atalia] Please stay. Stay. Stace [Nix] 38:44 Did we just wave away that the seskii's on the roof? Daniel [GM] 38:49 Honestly, the seskii has shown some pretty amazing abilities to follow Atalia. It's been able to jump out of buildings, follow her through buildings. It is extremely determined. At one point while ChaCha was distracting everybody, the seskii, when it saw Atalia climbing the wall, literally dug it's claws into the brick of the wall and climbed up alongside her. Marietta [Atalia] 39:15 Parkour, man. Sampson [Dili] 39:18 [As Dili] Atalia, I get the sense that nothing's going to stop the seskii from following you. So maybe you should just kind of own it. Marietta [Atalia] 39:23 [As Atalia] Yeah. I just feel like I acquired this dog, I mean seskii, on one of my jobs and they've been asking about it is the concern. Stace [Nix] 39:36 [As Nix] Oh. We should just disguise the Seskii like we disguised Dili. Marietta [Atalia] 39:40 [As Atalia] So what, it doesn't look like a seskii? It's clearly a seskii. Stace [Nix] 39:45 [As Nix] I've got this... There's lots of seskiis. Stace [Nix] 39:52 Nix pulls out this hot dog costume to put on the Seskii. Daniel [GM] 39:54 Yeah. That's hilarious. Stace [Nix] 40:00 [As Nix] A scorp costume! Yo Atalia, should we be calling the seskii Stevie, is that what we said? What's it's name? Marietta [Atalia] 40:06 [As Atalia] I haven't named her. I've just been calling her seskii. In fact I though she was a boy until grandma said she. Stace [Nix] 40:15 [As Nix] Okay. Daniel [GM] 40:15 Which is funny because Nix, to you, this is obviously a female Seskii. Stace [Nix] 40:16 [As Nix] Atalia, later on I'll teach you how to tell the difference between a man and a female seskii because it's pretty clearly a she. Marietta [Atalia] 40:31 [As Atalia] Bro, just because you have more seskii experience doesn't mean you have to rub it in my face like that. Stace [Nix] 40:36 [As Nix] I mean, I'll watch your seskii, but I'm also going to name your seskii. Marietta [Atalia] 40:40 [As Atalia] Please do. She needs a name. What do you want your name to be? Or what is your name? What's your name, girl? Daniel [GM] 40:46 The seskii kind of happily prances around and looks at you expectantly. Marietta [Atalia] 40:54 Is it seskii? No? I tried. Daniel [GM] 40:54 It kind of gives you this look like, "Are you fucking serious?" Sampson [Dili] 40:59 She's not a Pokemon, she's a seskii. Daniel [GM] 41:04 This is me putting you on the spot, Marietta. You are going to have to come up with a name. I'm going to tell you this for sure, the seskii is not going to accept a name from anyone accept you. Marietta [Atalia] 41:13 All right Jeskii. You stay here. You be a good girl. A good seskii. Named Jeskii. Okay, I'm leaving now. Daniel [GM] 41:20 So Jeskii does a very excited hop around and lays down expectantly and wags its tail and looks around at everybody else. Marietta [Atalia] 41:32 [As Atalia] She likes love and affection just like everybody. Stace [Nix] 41:36 [As Nix] What's up, Jeski? We're going to watch Atalia and makes sure she's safe. Daniel [GM] 41:43 As if it somehow knows that you're supposed to be sneaky, it just makes a little, like, grr. Like it's agreeing with you. Sampson [Dili] 41:47 And Marietta? Marietta [Atalia] 41:47 Yeah? Sampson [Dili] 41:49 What's your Cypher situation? Or what's Atalia's separate situation? Marietta [Atalia] 41:53 So I actually have a clutch Cypher called Caustic Storm that's level 10 Cypher. Sampson [Dili] 41:59 Holy fuck. Okay. Marietta [Atalia] 42:01 So I wasn't really going to bring that up, but it's my if everything goes to shit, she's just going... Sampson [Dili] 42:11 Okay, because I had a similar kind of nuclear option, but if you already have one then... Marietta [Atalia] 42:16 Yeah, it's called Caustic Storm. It seems pretty dope. It can attack 14 people at once. 14 targets within immediate range. Sampson [Dili] 42:26 Damn. Marietta [Atalia] 42:27 With moats [inaudible 00:42:29] moats of boiling caustic fluid that flies towards and attacks all targets. So yeah, good stuff. Sampson [Dili] 42:37 Oh. Shit. She'll be fine. Daniel [GM] 42:40 And if they miss, they continue to attack other targets in the area until the Cypher is depleted. Marietta [Atalia] 42:45 Yeah. It can also hit me I think. Daniel [GM] 42:47 It does. Marietta [Atalia] 42:49 We'll see. Stace [Nix] 42:49 Oh it does. Marietta [Atalia] 42:53 I also have a Michelin man suit. Alex [ChaCha] 42:57 Well. Marietta [Atalia] 42:57 What is it called? Inflatable suit level four. A pillow that's been swallowed causes a number of bags to suddenly erupt and deploy all over the user's body. Sampson [Dili] 43:09 That's terrifying. Alex [ChaCha] 43:12 Yeah. Yeah. Daniel [GM] 43:13 One of my Cyphers is a speed heal that give you going back every minute for an hour. Marietta [Atalia] 43:18 Oh, that's nice. Sampson [Dili] 43:18 And then going up against your Caustic Storm if you get hit too bad. Marietta [Atalia] 43:18 Yeah, but that's once and hour. I don't want to take that from you. Sampson [Dili] 43:18 No, one minute for an hour. Marietta [Atalia] 43:25 For an hour. Thank you, but I think save it for later. It might be more relevant. Sampson [Dili] 43:37 All right. Marietta [Atalia] 43:37 I appreciate it though. Marietta [Atalia] 43:39 All right. I will stealthily climb down from the roof. Daniel [GM] 43:44 Okay. So since you've already done that once, just give me a climbing roll of six. Marietta [Atalia] 43:50 Okay. I'm trained in climbing. That's an 18. Daniel [GM] 43:53 Okay. So you get down no problem. Marietta [Atalia] 43:59 And then I'll make sure my hood is properly in place and I'm going to try to be stealthy and loop back around so it looks like, in case anyone's looking for me, that I walked through more towns on my way here. Daniel [GM] 44:11 Mm-hmm affirmative. Marietta [Atalia] 44:13 So it's less conspicuous. Daniel [GM] 44:14 Okay. I'll just give that to you. Marietta [Atalia] 44:17 Okay. And then I'll approach and follow the instructions it's given and do whatever secret handshake, door knock that is involved. Daniel [GM] 44:25 Okay. So you knock on the door and it’s answered. And someone relatively small kind of says, [As Small Person] Atalia? Marietta [Atalia] 44:35 [As Atalia] Yup, that's me. Daniel [GM] 44:39 [As Small Person] Follow me. And it leads you down some stairs. Down, down, down to a basement that seems to be multiple levels down. Marietta [Atalia] 44:49 Oh, excellent, lovely. Just like Nix's house is what she's thinking right now. Daniel [GM] 44:57 Yup. In fact, there is at one point where you step into a, what we would think of as an elevator that seems to move you multiple floors and then you definitely feel vibration. It feels like you're moving left and right in different directions. And it leads into a room. And in this room, you see a number of people. Most of them you don't recognize. They're from all walks of life. The one person you see waiting near the entrance is James, but farther ahead on an elevated bias there is a man there. Very imposing. And they're sitting there and to his right and a little bit below stands the woman who encountered you in the restroom. Right there with a scar across her throat. And as you walk in, there's a sudden silence that descends. Daniel [GM] 46:08 And James walks up to you and whispers in your ear. [As James] Just play it cool, Atalia. Play it cool, please. And the woman with the scar across her throat is the Raspy Enforcer who Asks the Questions says, [As the Raspy Enforcer who Asks the Questions] Who stands before the judgment of The Handlers? Marietta [Atalia] 46:33 [As Atalia] My name is Atalia. Daniel [GM] 46:35 [As the Raspy Enforcer who Asks the Questions] That is not a full name. Please provide your surname. Marietta [Atalia] 46:39 [As Atalia] Stone. Daniel [GM] 46:40 You already had that ready to go. Way to go. Kudos to you Marietta. I did the same thing to Stace and told you not to warn you, so hopefully she didn't. Marietta [Atalia] 46:49 No, she didn't. Stace [Nix] 46:53 I failed miserably if it makes you feel any better. Marietta [Atalia] 46:55 Well I failed with the seskii name but I'm still not feeling confident about. Stace [Nix] 47:00 Jeskii is the best Seskii name. Marietta [Atalia] 47:02 Okay. Good. Daniel [GM] 47:04 [As the Raspy Enforcer who Asks the Questions] Atalia Stone, The woman says. [As the Raspy Enforcer who Asks the Questions] Atalia Stone stands before the One who Tells the Story. And up there, the figure says, [As the One who Tells the Story] Atalia, you stand accused of asking questions about contracts other than yours. We need to maintain some level of separation with our contractors. But you seem to be taking and interest beyond that and we-. He kind of motions to the entire collective group, you can see the James start to sway. [As the One who Tells the Story] Need to take an assessment. Marietta [Atalia] 47:47 [As Atalia] Okay. That's a thing apparently. Daniel [GM] 47:51 [As the One who Tells the Story] So you've asked questions. Questions about other contracts. This is a thing that is forbidden. You're an independent contractor and James, your handler, has spoken on your behalf. Please tell us what the intention of your questions is and consider carefully because your answer will determine your truth. Marietta [Atalia] 48:20 [As Atalia] Look, it wasn't my intention to stick my nose where it didn't belong. I really don't care about the other contracts. I just didn't like that you hired me out for a contract and there was conflict of interest going on in the middle of it. That was all. I feel like I was pretty clear about what I would do and not do and it was without any warning. It was a little disconcerting. Communication could've been better. Daniel [GM] 48:46 Is that really what Atalia thinks? Is it just that or is it an immoral implication? Marietta [Atalia] 48:53 I don't think Atalia is giving immoral implication to them right now as far of it. I don't think she would be down if they were like, "We need you to kill this person." It'd be like, "Ha ha ha. You hire assassins for that. I'm not an assassin." Daniel [GM] 49:03 Okay. Okay. So this would be Persuasion based then. Marietta [Atalia] 49:05 Okay. Let’s see... Daniel [GM] 49:05 So give me a nine. Marietta [Atalia] 49:19 Okay. We'll see. All right, 19. Daniel [GM] 49:20 Nice. Okay. The Raspy Enforcer turns and says, [As the Raspy Enforcer who Asks the Questions] What do you think, Murric? And Murric looks down at you, this Cunning Handler who Tells the Story says, [As the Cunning Handler who Tells the Story] I understand confusion, but it seems odd to be asking about the details, especially when it might cause conflict for clients." Marietta [Atalia] 49:44 [As Atalia] I'll say it just made it really awkward with the contractor there to be put in that sort of situation. And having someone from this organization be dead with the logo was not helpful. Daniel [GM] 50:0 So give me, since you're taking your grandmother's approach, give me a persuasion roll with a... Default target is a nine. You'll get that asset from your grandmother, which is a six. Marietta [Atalia] 50:20: Okay. 18. Daniel [GM] 50:20 And Murric looks at you and says, [As Murric] It's reasonable. I understand the professional conflicts. So I think it's a bit unprofessional to be asking about the details of other conflicts from your handler. You know that it is not a position to answer you. Marietta [Atalia] 50:39 Atalia’ll just inhale and exhale and not say anything because there's just no reason at this point. Daniel [GM] 50:45 All right. I still think you're probably trying to communicate something. What are you trying to communicate? Marietta [Atalia] 50:52 Well she just doesn't know what to ask of this guy. They put her in a really awkward situation with the person that they hired her out to. They must've been aware that there was going to be a conflict of interest there so it seems pretty dumb to her. So she's like what the heck. I was pretty clear. We had this conversation. You put me in a really awkward position. I don't know what they want me to say. Of course I'm going to inquire so that I can... If I have any further dealing with these people just in general, it would've been really nice to have some sort of anything. Daniel [GM] 51:25 Okay. Murric, there’s a long silence. It’s very heavy. [As Murric] I understand the conflict. Still, it is still very clear. Obviously, you are not a member of our organization. You are an independent contractor. I ask you now…. And I will offer you an XP, Marietta. Marietta [Atalia] 51:49 You know I never say no to that. Daniel [GM] 51:52 Who are you giving the other XP to? Marietta [Atalia] 51:54 Dili, because he's wanted and now we're both wanted. Daniel [GM] 51:57 [As Murric] I would like to discuss with you the possibility of you becoming more than an independent contractor and becoming a member of our organization. It requires your strict obedience to all of our rules and structures and become a member in full truth of The Handlers of Charmonde. Marietta [Atalia] 52:20 Um. She'll look taken back by that. It's not what where I expected this conversation to go. Daniel [GM] 52:27 He just waits. Marietta [Atalia] 52:28 [As Atalia] I prefer Acquisitions as a contractor, why would you want me? Daniel [GM] 52:38 [As Murric] I understand that you prefer Acquisitions. But I’m asking for you to move from being an independent contractor to a full member of our Order. As somebody who can act on contracts, and who is also issued contracts. Someone who is privy to the inner workings of the organization, and would require your loyalty to the organization. We would issue you a patch with our symbol, so that anyone who dares question you would know from which organization you draw your strength. Marietta [Atalia] 53:18 [As Atalia] I am flattered, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to take that step at this point. And she will be clearly, like, very uncomfortable. She just went from “We’re thinking about killing you,” to “Why don’t you come hang out with us?” And she’s like, um no. Daniel [GM] 53:38 James is looking particularly frightened as he stares at you. Murric says, [As Murrics] Was your handler wrong about you? Is that the case? Did he misunderstand your role in all this? Marietta [Atalia] 53:53 [As Atalia] Um, I don’t think so? I think I’m very good at the work I do, I just prefer to remain independent. Yeah. Daniel [GM] 54:05 Give me a Persuasion roll, your target is 9. Marietta [Atalia] 54:13 Nine! Daniel [GM] 54:14 Okay. Marietta [Atalia] 54:15 Solid nine. Daniel [GM] 54:17 Murric believes you and says, [As Murric] I understand, you’re looking for something to keep you independent. Something that makes you separate. I am sorry that your handler’s judgment was so incorrect. And you see another figure step out of the crowd and they grab James and they slit his throat open. And he falls to the ground, bleeding, and he’s choking and reaching out before he dies. Marietta [Atalia] 54:50 I’ll try to make myself seem as emotionless as possible about this. Daniel [GM] 54:54 Okay, so give me a Deception roll. Target is going to be 9. Marietta [Atalia] 55:01 That’s a 2. Daniel [GM] 55:03 So you definitely look upset. Unless you want to spend XP. Marietta [Atalia] 55:07 No, no. I think I’ll-. Like, my face will be very pale and I’ll be like, [As Atalia] Okay, okay, we’re going this route, here. Daniel [GM] 55:18 Murric is watching you very closely, and he says, [As Murric] Consider this a lesson learned. You will be assigned a new handler. They’ll meet you at the usual place in a day’s time. And then he smiles and says, [As Murric] Don’t be late. And at that point, he stands up to leave the room and this red-haired woman who harassed you before comes forward and says, [As Raspy Enforcer who Asks the Questions] This session is at a conclusion. Everyone else starts leaving and in the meantime she walks up to you and says, [As Raspy Enforcer who Asks the Questions] I’m Tamahra, we’re gonna get to know each other real well. And that’s where we’ll end this episode. Sampson [Dili] 56:03 Dan. Damn. Stace [Nix] 56:04 I feel like every other cliffhanger is like, “Oooh, Atalia done fucked up!” Daniel [GM] 56:12 Well, Atalia does that a lot. Marietta [Atalia] 56:15 I feel like the backstories I give Dan are very easy for him to just be like, “Oh, I can really fuck with her character with that one.” Daniel [GM] 56:22 Mmhmm. Yeah. To be truthful, you guys give me a LOT of those, so it’s fun. Stace [Nix] 56:30 Listen. Daniel [GM] 56:32 Atalia’s kind of a gimme. Stace [Nix] 56:34 I knew what I was risking when I gave you a happy home life situation. Daniel [GM] 56:40 Mmhmm. Stace [Nix] 56:40 Yeah. Marietta [Atalia] 56:42 Yeah I’m waiting for my grandma to be brutally murdered. Sampson [Dili] 56:47 Dude, your grandma’s gonna be the big bad at the end of this. Marietta [Atalia] 56:52 I hope so. I really hope so. Stace [Nix] 56:54 Or the bestest good guy. The Deus ex Machina at the end. Sampson [Dili] 56:59 Yeah she’s gonna be like Toph Bei Fong, comes in at the end as is all like, “All right, go.” Stace [Nix] 57:06 Wrecks everything. Daniel [GM] 57:08 She did demand that you come back and tell her everything. Marietta [Atalia] 57:11 Yeah, so I mean, I’m going to. I’m very stressed out, though. I didn’t expect them to kill James. But I’m sure James just got into a shitty situation. But, like, why did he tell them that? That was dumb on his part. Daniel [GM] 57:25 I think he was required to. I think he was stuck. You basically made his decision for him. Marietta [Atalia] 57:31 Well. Daniel [GM] 57:33 With that in mind-. Marietta [Atalia] 57:35 Sorry, James. Daniel [GM] 57:37 Nix, Stace. Is there something that stood out in this episode for Nix that you want to highlight? Stace [Nix] 57:46 Yeah, the parkour up the alley. Because I feel like it is now canon that Nix’s morning runs aren’t, like, endurance runs. It’s parkour. She’s a parkour person now. Daniel [GM] 57:55 Yeah. Stace [Nix] 57:57 And the fact that the seskii, Jeskii, can parkour, means that there are future Nix and Jeskii parkour runs. Daniel [GM] 58:05 I dig it. We have a session we do every week called Player Intrusions where we offer our listeners and XP to check out something that they should be absolutely interested in. This week it is Sampson. Sampson, what would you like to offer our listeners an XP to check out? Sampson [Dili] 58:22 I think our listeners should go check out a webcomic called Lore Olympus. It is-.” Daniel [GM] 58:28 Oooh. Marietta [Atalia] 58:28 It is so good. Sampson [Dili] 58:29 It is very good. It is a modern retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades. What I especially love about it is that the artist kind of takes advantage of the digital format. So this isn’t like webcomic that would work in a comic book format, this is something that takes advantage of the continuous scroll-down. The art style is amazing, I don’t really know what I would call it. It’s water-colory, kind of-, no, not water-. Marietta [Atalia] 59:02 It has cool landscapes that connect scenes, between scenes. You’ll be scrolling and it’ll be, like, color change to the different aesthetic. I don’t know. Sampson [Dili] 59:11 It does that, which is great, but there’s also a lot of vibrant colors, like a lot of characters are purple, or red, green, or blue, stuff like that. Their gods, so it’s fine. So it’s kind of a drama/romance. There’s a bit of a content warning if anyone’s uncomfortable with sexual trauma or stuff like that. There are instances that come up that explicitly depict it, but not graphically so-. Daniel [GM] 59:36 Very Greek mythology. Yeah. Sampson [Dili] 59:38 Stuff happens but it doesn’t get gross about it. It gets explicit about it. Yeah. In the chapters where that does happen, the [inaudible] is very good about putting that right up front so you’ll know if you’re going to get into that. It’s great if you every want to hate a depiction of Apollo, I recommend, Lore Olympus. Marietta [Atalia] 01:00:02 If you really want someone to hate. Sampson [Dili] 01:00:04 He is the worst. I hate him so much. Daniel [GM] 01:00:07 Yeah, I’ll have to check that out. I make a point of whenever you guys write down what you’re gonna do of not looking it up until you’ve presented it because I want to hear your pitch. That sounds very cool. Marietta [Atalia] 01:00:19 It’s also free. Like I think the app is free. It’s on the Webcomic app. Daniel [GM] 01:00:25 We are a new podcast, like I’ve said many times before. If you liked what you heard this time, the best thing you could do for us is to tell your friends, tell them what you liked, tell them that you enjoyed us and all of that fun stuff. The second best thing you can do is leave us a five-star rating and review on the podcast directory of your choice. Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, whatever. Particularly Apple Podcasts, that has a big influence on where people find us and how we connect with an audience. So anything you can do there is awesome. Daniel [GM] 01:01:03 If you didn’t like the podcast, then, you know, do the American thing and eat your feelings. Find something that’s like deep-fried and just eat as much of it as you can until you feel better. That’s really the way to go. If you did enjoy what you heard, feel free to reach out to us on the social media. And Marietta, where can people find us? Marietta [Atalia] 01:01:29 You can find us on our website, explorerswanted.fm. Or on Twitter, @ExplorersWanted. Or on Instragram, @ExploreresWantedPodcast. Or on Facebook, Explorers Wanted Podcast. And I think that’s all of them? Daniel [GM] 01:01:41 Yep, that’s absolutely true, correct. Marietta [Atalia] 01:01:44 Yep, yep, that’s them. Daniel [GM] 01:01:46 And if you want to reach us individually, you can reach me at on Twitter @andrlik, A-N-D-R-L-I-K. Stace [Nix] 01:01:54 You can find me @StaceWindu, it’s like Mace Windu, but Stace Windu. Sampson [Dili] 01:01:58 I can talk trash about Apollo via @Slampotato. Alex [ChaCha] 01:02:02 You can find me sleeping @realteaunicorn on Twitter. I wonder if I could stream that. Marietta [Atalia] 01:02:09 That’s…not creepy. Daniel [GM] 01:02:10 That has to be a thing. Marietta [Atalia] 01:02:13 I don’t want to know about it. Daniel [GM] 01:02:14 That almost feels like it crosses the boundary from Twitch to Only Fans. Marietta [Atalia] 01:02:21 I’m sorry, you have to subscribe to our Patreon for that one. Daniel [GM] 01:02:23 Yeah. Alex [ChaCha] 01:02:26 If we get 100 followers, we will create an Only Fans where you can watch me sleep. Marietta [Atalia] 01:02:32 Oh, and then me, you can look at my pretty, pretty pictures on Instagram @imonahike. Daniel [GM] 01:02:38 Awesome. Thank you all for listening, we will be back next week as we will be every week for the foreseeable future, for more explorations throughout the Ninth World. Have a good night, and…. Multiple Speakers 01:02:49 Bye!