Daniel Andrlik 0:29 Welcome to Explorers Wanted. We are a weekly Numenera actual play podcast. I will be your humble GM Daniel Andrlik. With me today is Alex Finn. Alex Finn 0:41 I mean, it's one of those things where I'm wearing our special anniversary shirt. I just need you to look these girls in the eyes as they say, "Happy Anniversary". Daniel Andrlik 0:50 The girls printed on your shirt. Alex Finn 0:52 Yes, I'm not referring to my bosom for once. Daniel Andrlik 0:58 Stace Babcock, Stace Babcock 0:59 I'm also wearing a shirt. Daniel Andrlik 1:01 Fair. And Sampson Davis. Sampson Davis 1:03 Shirt and pants for me. It's a big day. Stace Babcock 1:05 But are they hard pants? Sampson Davis 1:08 No, I washed them, thank you. It's the anniversary, got to dress up. Daniel Andrlik 1:14 It is. It is our one year pod-aversary. One year ago today from the date of this recording, April 8th, we released our first full episode. It's been a wild ride. Stace Babcock 1:26 I cannot believe it's been a year. Alex Finn 1:28 I mean, are we still riding? Sampson Davis 1:30 Mostly because of the pandemic. It's... podcasting is... Stace Babcock 1:33 It feels like literally yesterday. Sampson Davis 1:36 It's been a very long April. Stace Babcock 1:39 It is super cool. And it's crazy how we've grown and that people listen to us. And every single person who says, "Hey, I'm going to try Numenera now", my heart grows one size. Daniel Andrlik 1:50 Yeah, that's super exciting. So, who remembers what happened last time? I think I'm going to pick on Sampson. Sampson Davis 1:57 Ooh. So, last time we had just left Mama Jerrun's house and we knew we had to leave the city, but we want, we were kind of talking about like, "Do we need to make a quick detour or something?", and we were thinking maybe we should go to the Wayhouse, just talk to Pathfinder Jen, I believe? And then we got to the Wayhouse and then we saw two guards in the front and we're like "Nope!". So, decided not to do that and we started walking southeast out of Charmonde because we are going, well, south east, to find that village, Mountain's Bone, I believe it's called. Oh, along the way we met some bounty hunters who got a little buzz, who had heard about the buzz about a Sladek job, which is Stace's character's last name. Stace Babcock 2:39 Former. Sampson Davis 2:39 Came up with some fun... Former? Daniel Andrlik 2:42 Yeah, you give up your last name when you join the organization because she's married to it. Stace Babcock 2:48 No, no, no. Daniel Andrlik 2:52 That's a commitment there. Sampson Davis 2:53 Whatever you do with your cults, I guess you don't have it now. Daniel Andrlik 2:57 In the wiki I did put "Nix" and in parentheses, "ne Sladek". Sampson Davis 3:03 Well anyway, we talked with them. Got them to not look at us too long. We were disguised, that's the thing I've had up. Then after a few days as we were camping some blue beetles started showing up just around us. What's up Stace, you made a face. Stace Babcock 3:19 You know, I'll give you a chance, Sampson, you take thorough notes, so I could be the one confused. Sampson Davis 3:24 Alright fine, so while we're camping some blue beetles started crawling over Stace and company, so Dili carefully flicked those off and then decided to just wake them up because it's gonna get bad and it did! We got into a fight with this asshole. Dili is temporarily frozen at the moment and I think will be for... Alex Finn 3:42 A while. Sampson Davis 3:43 The next five hours and 45 minutes because Nix and ChaCha fucking took this guy apart. Yeah, Nix beat down Beedle Bailey and did find that there was a note on his person with signature J, but we're pretty sure that's just Pathfinder Jen. Stace Babcock 4:01 Yeah, cuz it was the address of the Wayhouse, with like point of contact on this bounty or Informant or whatever. Sampson Davis 4:07 Yeah, hmmhmm. Daniel Andrlik 4:09 Hmmhm. Sampson Davis 4:09 That's where the session ended. Stace Babcock 4:10 What I was gonna mention Sampson was the encounter with a bounty hunters that were on the way in. Sampson Davis 4:15 No, yeah, that's, those were the travelers we met. Alex Finn 4:17 Yeah, but they're Dono-, one of them's Donovan's cousin. Sampson Davis 4:20 Oh, Janimice. Was that the one? Alex Finn 4:22 Yeah, and ChaCha told her real alias to that person. That's not gonna come bite us in the butt. Stace Babcock 4:28 Yeah, her real alias. Yeah. Alex Finn 4:32 That's not gonna bite us in the butt, it's fine. Daniel Andrlik 4:35 It's not like there's other bounties in Charmonde associated with the name "ChaCha". Alex Finn 4:40 No, it's fine. I don't know what you're talking about. Sampson Davis 4:43 What if we find a second ChaCha that's like more destructive than this one. Daniel Andrlik 4:48 Is that possible? We just have a Spartacus moment. What if you guys get to a point where you find out that Alex and I have been trolling you this whole time and that there's really another ChaCha and Alex's ChaCha is an innocent little angel and this malevolent ChaCha is the one that's causing all this chaos and the descriptions between the two of them are just getting confused. Alex Finn 5:10 That would be amazing. Like I'm playing secretly two characters. Stace Babcock 5:14 I would believe that if Alex didn't have a type of character. Daniel Andrlik 5:23 Right, yeah, this is true. Death and destruction. So yeah, Nix and ChaCha have defeated as Sampson called him, Beetle Bailey, and Dili is temporarily frozen. You found the journal on him with a note about "J" at the Wayhouse. And you know that you're going to have several hours here before Dili returns back to the same sort of consciousness you're at. Worth noting that when Dili un-freezes, he's still going to be tired. He got a little bit of sleep beforehand, but he isn't resting in this frozen state. I would say ChaCha as a Nano, you would know that you're probably going to have about five hours here before Dili's gonna be able to be moved at all. I think ChaCha is gonna draw a couple drawings on Dili's face. Oh, what drawings? Stace Babcock 6:14 Nix sits behind him and leans her back on his legs to sleep sitting up. Daniel Andrlik 6:19 That's true, he would be very sturdy because he's essentially frozen in place. Stace Babcock 6:24 So do you want to take watch ChaCha, kinda need to... Alex Finn 6:28 Yeah, I think it's my turn, isn't it? Stace Babcock 6:30 I don't think Dili is watching anything. Alex Finn 6:32 Yeah, he's kind of asleep on the job, but not sleeping. Stace Babcock 6:35 Yeah, like, and he wasn't really involved in the fight like we're gonna have to have a talk about like the division of labor in this party. When he you know gets back or whatever. Daniel Andrlik 6:48 He will have to, we'll push him it's fine. Stace Babcock 6:51 Yeah, because like, he's supposed to be on watch right now. I think. Daniel Andrlik 6:56 Yeah. Alex Finn 6:56 He'll get like double watch later. Stace Babcock 7:00 Just an all nighter. Daniel Andrlik 7:02 So is this how you guys are passing the five hours? Alex Finn 7:06 Yeah, drawing on Dili. Daniel Andrlik 7:08 Oh, what drawings? I don't think we ever answered that. Alex Finn 7:10 Oh, I think it starts out simple like a curly mustache and glasses. But then it becomes like a more elaborate like, mosaic of all the horrors ChaCha has ever seen. Daniel Andrlik 7:22 So you started off with like a whimsical moustache and glasses and then it turns into like a tribal face tattoo that just never stops? Alex Finn 7:31 Yes. Sampson Davis 7:33 Just turn him into like a full illustrated man. Daniel Andrlik 7:35 Oh, yeah. Yeah. Alex Finn 7:36 Don't worry, it's fine. Daniel Andrlik 7:37 ChaCha has like painted every inch of his body that she can reach through his clothes. Alex Finn 7:42 Occasionally going over on the close. It's fine. Daniel Andrlik 7:45 Okay, cool. So, ChaCha. Your watch passes mostly uneventfully. You see some wildlife in the distance but nothing dangerous. It's more stuff that wouldn't really mess with you guys might be worth hunting if you were inclined to do so. But of course the member of your party that's most inclined to hunt is currently asleep. But, after about five hours and change, Dili, you spring back into consciousness. Now, Dili, you've been in this like mental state with your, where you talk to your robot son and you were doing design work and things like that. And that definitely, like, that time passed for a long time in your mind, because of the ratio of like six seconds to an hour. But physically, it feels like nothing has changed. Like it was just like right before you got zapped by that explosion. With the one difference that obviously the light is different. So the surroundings look different. And for some reason, your legs are really tired Sampson Davis 8:51 I imagine Dili just kind of, "Aaah!!", and like falls over because he was kind of like leaned back Daniel Andrlik 9:00 and lands right on Nix. Sampson Davis 9:02 "Aaah!!" Alex Finn 9:02 Nice. Daniel Andrlik 9:03 What does Nix do when Dili falls on you while you're sleeping? Stace Babcock 9:09 Nix, ah Nix wakes up in her, her snake like fashion when she startled and snaps with her fangs out. Daniel Andrlik 9:16 Okay, I would say that you managed to catch yourself in time, but Dili those things come within an inch of your face. And you can smell the venom on her breath. Sampson Davis 9:28 Whoa whoa, ga-... okay, let me get off real quick. I-...whoa, Jesus. How do we do? Did you kill him? I see a lot a dead bug, so I'm gonna take that- Stace Babcock 9:39 Oh, yeah ChaCha killed him. Yeah. Sampson Davis 9:41 Oh, yeah? Stace Babcock 9:42 Yeah. Punched him a little bit. You know, kicked him with my synth leg. I was a contributor but ChaCha definitely like got in the final shot. Sampson Davis 9:54 Nice. Alright. Stace Babcock 9:56 "Yo, though. First of all, your tattoos are sick!" And Nix will like, roll up her sleeves to show off hers and hold it out. Daniel Andrlik 10:06 I don't know that you've ever described Nix's tattoos in the podcast. Stace Babcock 10:10 Yeah, I don't, I don't know that I have either. They are just a complete pattern. I think I've mentioned the tattoos. I don't know if I've described them, they come up. You can see them above the collar of her shirt and at the wrists of her hands. But she doesn't often show off the pattern, but it's a very geometric pattern with a lot of right angles. Daniel Andrlik 10:29 Nice. Sampson Davis 10:30 "I don't have tatoos", and then Dili will look around. Finally, take note of the difference in time, and then look at ChaCha. Alex Finn 10:41 I think ChaCha is like staring blankly into space with a brush out like drawing where Dili would be. Like, she hasn't stopped her mosaic, just Dili is not there anymore. Daniel Andrlik 10:53 Yeah, Dili, you find that your skin is covered in these swirls and designs. And some of them kind of turn into these strange creatures with these weird faces around your wrists where there wasn't a lot of space. You can see that ChaCha has done some detail work and you see some distorted faces down there. And actually your left arm or your sleeve had been up just a little bit. She's now painted a snake with one of those distorted Munch faces. Sampson Davis 11:27 Distorted what face? Daniel Andrlik 11:29 Distorted face like The Scream by Munch. Sampson Davis 11:32 Dili will look at it and just like, "ChaCha, I swear if these start moving on their own, I'm gonna scream." Alex Finn 11:38 I mean, like anything's possible, but like, this is normal ink. Daniel Andrlik 11:42 Oh yeah, that is a good question. Were you using ink or were you using the glow ink that you guys bought? Stace Babcock 11:48 I mean it's for sure the glow ink, otherwise how could ChaCha see what she was doing at night? Daniel Andrlik 11:57 Yeah, so Dilil, all these temporary tattoos essentially that ChaCha has given you are all glowing faintly in the pre-dawn darkness. Stace Babcock 12:08 Didn't even have to light a fire. You look great. Like, Sampson Davis 12:13 Well, thank you. Great. Yeah, the second we find a river though, I am taking a bath. Stace Babcock 12:18 You should I've been sitting really close to you all night and, oof! Alex Finn 12:23 Damn. Sampson Davis 12:24 I'll remember that next time I become wanted by a criminal organization. Daniel Andrlik 12:28 Nix, could you give me a recent events and rumors roll. Your trained, so it'll be a 6. Stace Babcock 12:34 Yes. 5. Daniel Andrlik 12:37 Okay. You haven't heard anything about this area. Stace Babcock 12:41 "It's always exciting to explore new places." Nix has probably actually been this way. "So guys, before we head out, I took a, like a journal off that guy. And it looks like Pathfinder Jen is like telling people where to find me." Alex Finn 13:00 Oh, we go back kill Pathfinder Jen? Stace Babcock 13:04 I mean, I would go back and try to figure out what is going on, ChaCha, but like, my concern here is that we only have a certain amount of time to get to Mountain's Bone. But like, there's something weird going on with the order. Everyone seems to think that they're a cult, like and they're like a family. You know what I mean? It's like a way of life. But everyone seems to think that they're bad. And then kind of like Pathfinder Jen's kind of being bad. So, really want to get to the bottom of what's going on with the Order. Sampson Davis 13:34 You said family, which made me think of things, but it did make me think of something else. Do you think this is like personal? Or do you think she's like, 'Oh, Nix has become a liability or something. We got to do something about her before she brings down the whole... family.' Stace Babcock 13:49 Ooh, Daniel, would this be a good opportunity for Nix to use her intrigue skill to see if she can understand, like, the politics of the Society from that level? And from that perspective? Daniel Andrlik 14:01 It absolutely would be a good time to use that. A question like this would probably normally be at 12. But since you have training in intrigue it's a 9, and since you are a member of the Order, we'll make it a 6. Stace Babcock 14:13 Oh, hell yeah. 19. Daniel Andrlik 14:16 Okay, nice. I will tell you what, you know, and then you can propose a minor effect. So the political structure of the Order, there are a relatively minor percentage of Pathfinders. And those are ones that have been, you know, elevated to that level in part because of their skill and mutual respect, as well as their sacrifice. Being willing to give up their own wandering in order to provide continuity at a management level within the Order. There are individual Pathfinders who have, you know, influence. Maybe a little bit more influence than others, but that's not official influence. It's just force of personality. If push came to shove and there was a disagreement that would be a vote among the Pathfinders that were available in order to see what decision they would make. So the Pathfinders themselves are also relatively flat, you're not aware of any mastermind in the Order. In fact, that doesn't really jive with the tenants. So if such a thing exists, it's something that's pretty alien to your experience with them. Now, the order officially doesn't have any political affiliation. The order is in Navarene, but it also has a presence in neighboring nations such as Draolis and Thaemor. However, you are aware that the maturity of the Wayhouses and the Proving Ground itself, which is in the foothills of the Black Riage. Most of those Wayhouses and the Proving Ground fall within the borders of Navarene. And while the Order doesn't have any official fealty to the Queen, they are in a politically tricky situation because of where they're located. And you realize that you may have created a problem for the Order by drawing the Queen's attention and they may be between a rock and a hard place at the moment. Stace Babcock 14:16 Yeah, I guess it's possible because like, I mean, the Queen has to let us be here, right? So maybe, maybe she's just trying to throw the Queen a bone? I don't know. But I don't like it like. Yeah, and they really have been enjoying their tax exempt status. That's a huge part of their financial plan. Oh my gosh. Sampson Davis 16:34 Why would they care what the Queen says, because isn't your society, like, pretty uhm... what's the word like a-border? Like they don't... Alex Finn 16:42 apolitical? Sampson Davis 16:45 A-national? I don't know my.... Maybe apolitical? Stace Babcock 16:47 International, Dili, is that the, maybe? Alex Finn 16:51 Diplomatic immunity? Stace Babcock 16:53 Well... Sampson Davis 16:54 I don't think that's right. Stace Babcock 16:55 "I mean, I guess I would think that like just, you know, when you get away from civilization it's hard for those in powers such as the Queen to project that power and so you can get away with a lot of shit." Nix decides to sound intelligent because she made an intrigue roll. For a minor effect.... Daniel Andrlik 16:55 Nix went to college, she knows all these terms. Stace Babcock 17:05 That's true. She had some PoliSci. She kind of jus-... have we ever said what degree? I almost just made canon, just... Daniel Andrlik 17:23 No, you've never said what she studied there. What did she get her degree in? Sampson Davis 17:27 Didn't you say, like, liberal arts at some point? Or was that like off podcast? Stace Babcock 17:30 It was a wide variety of topics. Ii might have been off pod. I think we were discussing what would Nix's degree be in? And we never settled. Daniel Andrlik 17:39 She changed majors four times. Stace Babcock 17:40 For the minor effect. If there is any sort of connection between this and the..., or maybe some sort of insight into the interest in Nix's Mom, by the Order or by the Society? Daniel Andrlik 17:53 Oh, yeah, that is weird. So the whole interest in your mom, specifically the, what you saw from Pathfinder Jen, the plates, these weird lamprey beasts, if they are in fact connected, like, none of that jives at all with your experience and understanding of the Order. Stace Babcock 18:14 Ooh, so maybe now because Nix is like actually questioning the motives, she kind of starts to question that as well. Daniel Andrlik 18:23 Yeah, for sure. Because, you know, specifically with Pathfinder Jen, her focus on it indicated, you know, a strong interest in your mom and what Momma Jerrun told you about the plate and the purpose behind it, that suggests to you a specific hidden group or sect within the Order that's focused on these things, which once again, does not jive with your understanding of the Order. Stace Babcock 18:50 Guys, I think Pathfinder Jen is bad. And I think she's, she's probably giving the Society a bad name, which just explains so much. You know, in terms of what people have been saying about us. Daniel Andrlik 19:06 Nix always gets so close and then just veers off and another direction. Alex Finn 19:11 You're like, "Ah, ah, oooooh..." Daniel Andrlik 19:14 So close. Sampson Davis 19:16 Are you saying that, like... Are you saying that your Society has been behind everything? Behind the Knyxos and the Handlers and like, the Queen? Stace Babcock 19:24 No, I, no. Dili, I mean, I think, like, Pathfinder Jen is, is you know, she's like a bad egg. I do not think she's living by the Tenets. And I think that, you know, she's hurting the reputation of the Society with, like, the stuff that was going on with my mom and now she's after me. Like, that's weird. Like, that's not how, you know, we act. Usually. Daniel Andrlik 19:52 Usually. Sampson Davis 19:53 Oh, okay. Sorry. I was writing something down. I think I got confused when he said we and that's fine. Stace Babcock 19:59 That's one thing I like about you a lot Dili is, you know, you write shit down. Sampson Davis 20:03 Yep. It's what I do with my new illustrated hands. Hey ChaCha, is this permanent? Is this... am I stuck with this now, or... Alex Finn 20:11 I mean, evens or odds? Daniel Andrlik 20:13 I'll say this, glow ink is designed for painting out paths and markings in ruins. It's meant to last a long time. It's not impossible to wash off but it will take more than one go. And it has elements of... it's kind of like a Sharpie mark except it's also got elements of glitter in the sense that even after you wash it off, you'll probably still be finding little bits of it for a while. Stace Babcock 20:43 I painted my fingernails with it once, Dili, and to get it off my thumbnails I had to like suck my thumb for like 120 miles. And it tastes bad. Alex Finn 20:53 So it's not edible? Stace Babcock 20:55 No, it's edible. You can eat, it is just doesn't taste very good. Sampson Davis 20:59 Did you like... did.... quick question, did you have to like go blind for a week or two while you're doing that, or no? Alex Finn 21:05 Those are important questions like, yeah, you survived but like... Sampson Davis 21:10 Did you have a stomachache? Break out in hives? Daniel Andrlik 21:12 Honestly, Nix, it's a little bit of a daze. That whole walk the memories are a little fuzzy from it. Alex Finn 21:19 I mean did people describe you as different after the walk? Stace Babcock 21:23 People always describe me as different, ChaCha. But, I gotta tell you that's one of my more pleasant walks, I think. Daniel Andrlik 21:30 Glow ink is like Ninth World Mercury. I know, I'm just like, I'm just a little concerned about, like, Alex is concerned about like brain damage. Stace Babcock 21:41 I mean, maybe, I dunno. Daniel Andrlik 21:42 Meanwhile as Nix is telling you this there's just that one vein in her forehead that's just bulging. Sampson Davis 21:50 Alright. Did you she get my face? ChaCha, did you draw on my face? Daniel Andrlik 21:53 Define draw? Sampson Davis 21:55 Ah, did you do to my hands, to my face? Daniel Andrlik 21:59 No, it's all different Sampson Davis 22:01 Dili turns to Nix, "Is it bad? Like, is this bad?" It's Stunning Disguise. Dili throws up a disguise of himself, I guess? Daniel Andrlik 22:12 Whoa, it's like Dili just cleaned himself off immediately. Sampson Davis 22:16 Oh, could ChaCha Hedge Magic Dili and she's just not? Daniel Andrlik 22:19 Oh, yeah. Chacha could clean Dili very easily. Alex Finn 22:23 Yeah, if she wanted to. Daniel Andrlik 22:25 Hedge Magic is great for cleaning. How do you think ChaCha stayed so clean? So fresh, so clean. Sampson Davis 22:32 Alright. Well. So another question. Actually a couple questions. One, so now your order is kind of not exactly as trustworthy as they were beforehand, so should we be like, careful around other Travelers we meet? Second, are we gonna change how we travel since apparently we're quite well known now. Like, are we sticking to the road, I mean? Stace Babcock 22:51 I mean, yeah, as long as we're not telling people like our actual names and we're wearing disguises, I don't really see... It's the fastest way to get out of, you know, here. Sampson Davis 23:01 Alright. Yeah. Stace Babcock 23:02 Like, if you guys want to walk through the woods, you know, it's gonna extend the length of our travel, it's gonna be a little bit difficult if you're not used to that, but you'll toughen up, Dili. Or, or not. Like, you either do or you don't, you know what I'm saying? Alex Finn 23:17 I thought we agreed no woods. Sampson Davis 23:19 Well I wasn't thinking about that, I was thinking like, if... I can't keep us disguised while we sleep. So then what then? Stace Babcock 23:25 Oh, yeah, we should definitely like go farther off the trail when we sleep, that's a good call, Dili. Sampson Davis 23:31 Alright. Daniel Andrlik 23:32 So, whatcha guys doing? Gonna pick up the trail? Stace Babcock 23:35 Nix, eats some of the bugs. Daniel Andrlik 23:39 Okay, Nix, they're not particularly tasty. But they've got protein. There's a bit of a mixture of an acrid and tart flavor to their guts, but it's doable. Alex Finn 23:50 Lil bit of a cronch Stace Babcock 23:51 Cronch. Daniel Andrlik 23:52 There is a lot of cronch. A little bit like Fritos, but with a gooey center that explodes out when you crack into it. Stace Babcock 23:59 It's like a slightly addicting sensation. Like the taste is bad, but the sensation... Daniel Andrlik 24:04 Yeah, it's like eating a gusher if the shell wasn't gummy, but instead was made of Fritos. Stace Babcock 24:11 Ooh, Nix, like takes a few dozen extra. Road snacks. Sampson Davis 24:17 You think we can cook those, like popcorn? What am I saying? I'm not eating this. Sorry. Should we should we should get going. Stace Babcock 24:22 Dili, you really should, like, it's a great source of protein. It's right here. I mean, it's sustainable, right? Like... Sampson Davis 24:28 Is it sustainable? Stace Babcock 24:29 Well, they're already dead, like recycling. So we don't have to, like, kill more bugs tomorrow before we eat them. You know what I'm sayin? Daniel Andrlik 24:38 And to be fair as Ninth Worlders you guys are used to eating bugs. I mean, there are other meats and proteins available, but because of the dangers associated with trying to maintain a bunch of land from the wildlife insects are a very common source of nutrition. Well, Ninth World insects, which run the gamut. Sampson Davis 25:02 Dili will look at Nix and then slowly pick one up and then kind of brush it off and then pop in this mouth real quick. Daniel Andrlik 25:07 It's really gross, Dili. It's... the reaction that you have is similar to as if you accidentally put raw chicken in your mouth. Everyone 25:14 [Sounds of disgust] Stace Babcock 25:18 Daniel, you're a genius. Daniel Andrlik 25:23 Nix loves it. Listeners, I wish you could have seen Stace make the fang motion with her fingers in front of the camera. Because she understands that it's a Snek thing. But yeah, Dili these, these are gross. These need to be cooked. If they were cooked they would probably be fine. Sampson Davis 25:42 This is gross, Nix. Daniel Andrlik 25:43 And your physical reaction, Dili, is very much your body warning you that eating this is a bad idea. Sampson Davis 25:50 I'll never trust again. Alex Finn 25:54 I mean, I kind of want ChaCha to try eating a bug and be like, mmmm, maybe ChaCha Snek? Daniel Andrlik 25:59 ChaCha can try whatever she wants. Alex Finn 26:01 ChaCha is gonna try to eat one. Daniel Andrlik 26:04 It's not great. I mean, it's not good. It's not bad, you had worse. Alex Finn 26:09 Eh. I mean, Dili, you need to like grow up. There's not always fire in the forest, you're gonna have to learn how to eat your bugs raw sometimes. Daniel Andrlik 26:16 I'd love this because by apparent age Dilli probably looks the oldest of the three of you, so I'm loving this quite a bit. Sampson Davis 26:24 What? Why isn't there fire in the forest? Why don't you just make a fire? Daniel Andrlik 26:28 Because the forest is flammable. Sampson Davis 26:30 Is that a thing? Are forests still flammable? Daniel Andrlik 26:33 It really depends on the forest. The Ninth Worlders have a wide range of things that they call trees. Some of them are flammable. Some of them are not. Alex Finn 26:44 Oh, or it could be too moist. Daniel Andrlik 26:46 Some of them are even explosive. And some of them will just vanish immediately. I mean, in winter already trees can kind of look like the vascular tubings of a lung. And in the Ninth World sometimes that's more than just a visual metaphor. Sampson Davis 27:04 Alright. Stace Babcock 27:04 "Welp, more for me!", and Nix just likes, picks up a handful, shakes them around and then just like dumps like a half dozen into her mouth. Daniel Andrlik 27:13 Oh, yeah, Nix, these bugs, they're kind of like movie theater popcorn for you. They're just delightfully crunchy, and tasty to munch. It doesn't ever really completely fill you up. But like it's compelling to just keep eating it over and over again. Alex Finn 27:29 And they have fiber too. Daniel Andrlik 27:31 Oh, yeah. Nix is going to be very regular. Alex Finn 27:34 Which is important in the forest. Daniel Andrlik 27:37 Yeah, Dili has got a long stretch ahead of him. Sampson Davis 27:40 Alright, I did this one. So let's just do it again. Daniel Andrlik 27:42 So I assume you guys are going on your way? Stace Babcock 27:45 Yeah. Daniel Andrlik 27:45 Okay, so you guys follow the road for another day. And it's getting time we're gonna have to camp again. Are you guys going to camp next the road or are you gonna go deeper into the forest this time? Stace Babcock 27:55 Deeper into the forest. Sampson Davis 27:57 Deeper into the forest. Daniel Andrlik 27:58 Okay, so you guys move your camp deeper into the forest? Can everybody make a perception roll of 9 for me? Sampson Davis 28:06 Oh, 18. Stace Babcock 28:07 Nat 20. Daniel Andrlik 28:08 Okay. Alex Finn 28:09 18. Daniel Andrlik 28:11 Okay, so you all hear of this sort of dripping, sloshing sound coming from, you know, sort of forward and to your left, which I guess be northeast of you. And Nix, what would you propose as a major effect, Stace Babcock 28:27 That someone would have to look really hard for us. Like that, not only are we far off the road, but we're like in a hollow or something that would make it harder for a bounty hunter to find us. Daniel Andrlik 28:41 Okay, so yeah, you lead them off the road into this area amongst the forest where you've been trying to track the tree lines on it, and you have a fair amount of tree cover, so it'd be very difficult, not impossible, but very difficult for somebody to spot you guys there. They would have to know exactly who they're looking for and where in the forest they're looking for you to be. It's not something that would stick out easily to them. So you've got fair amount of cover from the road, and you've got this sort of wet sloshy watery sound to your northeast. Sampson Davis 29:16 Does it sound like a creek or a river or is it sound different? Daniel Andrlik 29:21 It definitely sounds like water, but it doesn't sound like a flowing creek or river. It's just this sort of sloshy sound. Sampson Davis 29:29 Can we go check that out before we camp. Alex Finn 29:32 Maybe? Stace Babcock 29:34 Oh, sure. Yeah, let's go. Let's go see what's up. Daniel Andrlik 29:37 Okay, so you guys head in that direction. It's only about a five minute walk from your chosen campsite. And you reach this wide span of water. It's the shape of a creek or a stream, but the water is just sort of sluggishly moving and fedid and maybe even stagnant at spots. And anybody who wants to can make it Nature roll of 9. Sampson Davis 30:03 Oh, 17. Stace Babcock 30:04 18 Alex Finn 30:05 11. Daniel Andrlik 30:06 Okay, so you guys can all tell from the shape of this land that this should be a stream, maybe even a river. It should be flowing quickly being fed by the mountains above. But this looks almost more like a swamp land, it doesn't make sense. And judging by the nature of the vegetation around the water, which does not jive with swamp land, that this change might be fairly recent. Dili, if you would like to take a bath in it you're welcome to, but it doesn't look like ideal bathing water. Sampson Davis 30:44 You said it like kind of smell fedid and gross? Daniel Andrlik 30:47 Yeah, it's not Bog of Eternal Stench, but it's not great, either. Alex Finn 30:52 Sounds fair. Sampson Davis 30:53 Dili's not gonna do that. "This doesn't seem right, right?" Alex Finn 30:58 I mean, I wouldn't trust it. Sampson Davis 31:00 Should we, like, check it out? Like, go upstream and see if we can find anything? Alex Finn 31:06 Yes? Maybe we'll find bugs, Sampson Davis 31:10 Bugs, ugh. Stace Babcock 31:11 Whatever you guys wanna do. Daniel Andrlik 31:13 Admittedly, this is kind of like, camping time. I feel like the narrator is trying to dissuade us from going on this adventure. No, you can do whatever you want. I just wanted to point out that you know, you've been traveling for days, you're probably tired. Stace Babcock 31:28 I mean, it is kind of... if the water is like this, its probably nothing good, you know what I'm saying? Sampson Davis 31:32 I do you have a Cypher that will allow me to ask a yes or no question? That might help. But I can't think of a good question that might decide it for us. Stace Babcock 31:42 As to like, whether or not we should? Alex Finn 31:45 The answer is always like you can do anything, isn't it? Sampson Davis 31:49 Yeah, "should" might be a little too vague. Daniel Andrlik 31:51 You mean you're like, Datasphere Question Cypher? Sampson Davis 31:54 Datasphere Inquirer. Daniel Andrlik 31:57 Yeah, that is not a yes or no question. That is the answer to one question, any kind of question. The answer will not, doesn't have to be yes or no, it will never be a lie, but it is also open to a wide variety of interpretation among both the question and the answer, so you really have to think it through. Sampson Davis 32:16 Okay. Daniel Andrlik 32:17 Because the other one you guys had was something that gave you three answers about a specific location, whereas this is one question about anything. Sampson Davis 32:27 Gotcha. Okay. Anything. Oh, that would have been nice to know earlier. Alex Finn 32:33 Like all the questions I could have been asking. Son of a biscuit. Sampson Davis 32:37 If it's anything then I might want to save this because that's actually much more valuable. Stace Babcock 32:41 Yeah, I was surprised that you were like suggesting to use it. Alex Finn 32:45 Let's just blow it. Sampson Davis 32:46 Well, I thought it was just a yes or no question, that's why I was like... Daniel Andrlik 32:49 Oh, no, no, no. This isn't any lame D&D, Magic the Gathering shit. This is the real thing here. This is hardcore shit. Stace Babcock 32:57 Let's just check it out. Like, what are we gonna do, sleep? Like, come on guys. Alex Finn 33:02 Let's fuck around, find out. Sampson Davis 33:04 I'm technically operating on two hours of sleep for past few days, so... Stace Babcock 33:08 Oh, my god, Dili. You were doing nothing for like 12 hours. Daniel Andrlik 33:15 And Dili, I would say that you're hindered right now as a result of that. Sampson Davis 33:19 FUCK. And I still have the two, I still have the two hinderances from the surgery. Daniel Andrlik 33:24 Yeah. Stace Babcock 33:25 You didn't pull watch, you didn't fight the bounty hunter. Like, I don't understand... Sampson Davis 33:31 He threw thing at me. There was literally nothing I could do. Stace Babcock 33:36 Well, I'm saying you got a nice break, Dili. Alex Finn 33:38 Yeah. Sampson Davis 33:39 I didn't get a break. Alex Finn 33:40 You got a pretty nice deal over there. Sampson Davis 33:42 No, that was instantaneous for me. Stace Babcock 33:45 What do you mean? Like what? Sampson Davis 33:47 Like, it felt like, what, half hour passed? Daniel Andrlik 33:51 Couple minutes at most. Sampson Davis 33:52 A couple minutes at most, like, I didn't get to do a whole lot. Stace Babcock 33:55 Maybe we better rest then and, ChaCha, we'll just be like, extra good at watch tonight. Alex Finn 34:01 I mean, I'm running out of canvas though. Sampson Davis 34:04 What have you been drawing...- Chacha! Daniel Andrlik 34:08 This time she got the small of your back just from the position you were sleeping in. Alex Finn 34:11 Yup. I mean, we could take off his shoes and then it'd be fine. Stace Babcock 34:17 Let's leave Dili's clothes on. I feel like that that's a good line for like a group of people is that we just leave articles of clothing on? Sampson Davis 34:26 Yeah. I agree. Daniel Andrlik 34:27 We don't undress each other while the others are sleeping. Alex Finn 34:31 Yeah, but like I can't really draw on myself. Stace Babcock 34:35 Oh, you totally could. You can get your own arms. You can get your own legs. Alex Finn 34:40 Oh, I have a better idea. I'm gonna make the coat fit better. Yeah, that's a really useful watch. Stace Babcock 34:45 Nice. Alright, Dili, you get a full night's rest this time. But like, for real. Sampson Davis 34:52 "Again, it wasn't my choice. Whatever. I'm going to bed. Good night.", and he just collapses. Daniel Andrlik 34:56 Okay, so you guys get a night of sleep. The watches pass uneventfully and morning comes. Alex Finn 35:03 ChaCha now has a lime green romper. Daniel Andrlik 35:06 Okay, that works. Stace Babcock 35:08 Short sleeve or long sleeve? Alex Finn 35:10 I think like long sleeve but it's like shorts with a long sleeve. Stace Babcock 35:14 Yeah, I feel like it's got to be right like Daniel Andrlik 35:17 Yeah, yeah. Stace Babcock 35:18 Nix is like running circles around the campsite, that's what you guys wake up to. Daniel Andrlik 35:25 Nix is just doing parkour over your bed rolls. And, Nix, do you whisper parkour to yourself. Stace Babcock 35:31 Yes. Daniel Andrlik 35:31 As you do each jump. Stace Babcock 35:32 Oh yeah. She reaches down to give Jeski scritches. Daniel Andrlik 35:37 Jeski isn't there. Sampson Davis 35:39 Jeski is not here anymore. Stace Babcock 35:40 And Jeski isn't there. Sampson Davis 35:42 Oh... Alex Finn 35:43 And she sadly says parkour. Sampson Davis 35:48 Oh... Stace Babcock 35:49 Alright, guys, are you ready to like, get going? Dili, ready to greet the day after that nap? Alex Finn 35:57 Are we gonna greet the day towards this stink river or towards wherever we're going? Stace Babcock 36:04 Is upstream on the Stink River in the direction we're already traveling, Daniel? Daniel Andrlik 36:08 It is. I mean, you think it would probably take a while before the road where to meet up with Stink River because you guys went a little way into the forest, but Stink River is going in roughly the same direction. Stace Babcock 36:20 Yeah, let's follow the Stink River, like, I'm down with that. Saves us backtracking to the road. Sampson Davis 36:27 Is this Stink River the one we found, the big one that I vaguely remember from the Numenera maps? Or is that a metagame question? Daniel Andrlik 36:36 That would be a metagame question. Sampson Davis 36:37 Damnit, alright. Stace Babcock 36:39 Onward. Sampson Davis 36:40 Let's go. Daniel Andrlik 36:41 Okay, so you guys travel for a day along the Stink River. Most of it looks the same, except you do find some instances of dead wildlife alongside it. Specifically, you see something that looks like a deer like we think of a deer except its mouth is a fist of tentacles that are sort of laying wilted out of its mouth. Stace Babcock 37:05 Is it fresh? Alex Finn 37:05 Is it alive? Daniel Andrlik 37:07 Fresh-ish. Alex Finn 37:09 Okay Daniel Andrlik 37:09 They're dead. I mean, they're definitely dead. Alex Finn 37:11 I was concerned. Daniel Andrlik 37:12 They have, their eyes are like completely bloodshot. I would say Nix and ChaCha, from your travels you probably know that these things are typically called Kissing Fawns. They can usually be a little bit dangerous. But these creatures are absolutely dead here lying next to the water. Stace Babcock 37:31 Like, are they like dead for more than 4 hours, or are they within like the Navarrene Food Administration's safety guidelines? Daniel Andrlik 37:42 Let's do this, roll 1d6 for me. Stace Babcock 37:45 Got it. 1. Alex Finn 37:47 Oh. Daniel Andrlik 37:48 Okay. One of them is probably been dead for less than four hours. Stace Babcock 37:54 Nix will just make a selection of organ meat and... Alex Finn 37:58 Just the organ meats? Stace Babcock 38:00 Nix wants the organ meats. Daniel Andrlik 38:02 Yeah, Nix doesn't care about gout. Sampson Davis 38:03 Nix, is that a good idea? Aren't these things poisoned now? Stace Babcock 38:08 What makes you think that? Sampson Davis 38:09 Dili just makes a broad gesture to the dead animals next to the river? Alex Finn 38:13 To Stink River? Sampson Davis 38:14 Is this not obvious? Is this not a sign that the river is bad and that these animals are poisoned and that the meat is bad? Stace Babcock 38:20 Oh, I won't eat the stomach then, Dili. That's like a really good point. Alex Finn 38:23 But like, depends on the poison and if it interacts with Nix orally, or maybe it like improves Nix's poison. Stace Babcock 38:32 Nix, will let her snake sniff it. Daniel Andrlik 38:36 How do you mean? Stace Babcock 38:37 Like she's gonna smell it, but would her snake know if it was poison? Because she's eating the organ meat for the snake. Daniel Andrlik 38:43 Well, the snake is not a separate entity from Nix. Stace Babcock 38:45 No, I know. Daniel Andrlik 38:46 Does Nix think of the snake as a separate entity? Alex Finn 38:49 She's trying to induce the snake to take over. Stace Babcock 38:53 Does Nix think of it as a separate entity. So earlier you said the Snek, when, like, the Snek likes the bugs. So that's all I was thinking. Daniel Andrlik 39:02 Yeah, I was referring to Nix. Stace Babcock 39:04 Oh, gotcha, gotcha. Okay, well, Nix does have a taste for raw meat now, so she will harvest raw meat. But like if there's like no inclination that it's bad. Daniel Andrlik 39:15 Oh, so you're gonna try a bite? Stace Babcock 39:16 She'll sniff it first. Daniel Andrlik 39:18 Okay. Give me a perception role of 18. Stace Babcock 39:21 17. Daniel Andrlik 39:22 Yeah, you can't tell. It just seems like a normal organ you'd harvest, you can't tell if there's anything wrong with it or if it's normal. Stace Babcock 39:29 Nix takes a delicate bite. Daniel Andrlik 39:30 Okay. Give me a Might Defense role of 18. Stace Babcock 39:34 I spent, oh, gosh, oh, 2 levels of Effort. Daniel Andrlik 39:38 You'll get an asset on that because of your venomous nature. So an asset on your venomous nature, 2 levels of Effort. That brings it down to a 9 for you. Stace Babcock 39:50 14. Daniel Andrlik 39:51 Okay, so you ate it down. It tastes a little off, but seems fine for you. Stace Babcock 39:57 Yeah. Nix finishes the liver. Daniel Andrlik 39:59 Nix finishes the liver. The rest of you notice that Nix's hands are still not clean from when she was killing those mutants over in Charmonde. Stace Babcock 40:08 It's been wee-, it's been like a week, like Nix isn't like filthy, okay, Nix doesn't care, but like she washed. Daniel Andrlik 40:19 Okay, okay, so she's cleaned it off, so... Alex Finn 40:22 Occasionally. Daniel Andrlik 40:23 Washed off just some dirt, grime and liver juices on her fingers. Stace Babcock 40:28 Which she licks off as they're walking. It's finger licking good. I assume so. Sampson Davis 40:35 Is her tongue still human tongue-ish? Daniel Andrlik 40:37 Yeah, it's still a human tongue. But whenever she's taking a bite of theorgan her mouth opens too wide. It's almost like Nix is trying to mimic normal eating behavior, like, so she's trying to force herself to take a dainty bite, but Stace Babcock 40:57 She like snaps little at the end, 'cause she has that extra momentum. Daniel Andrlik 41:00 Exactly. And sometimes she just sort of unconsciously like shakes her head a little bit as she bites down. It's not like you know, hugely noticeable, but like there's this subtle, like, jerking motion. Sampson Davis 41:12 Was that a death roll, did you just try to do a death roll? No? alright. It's a thing crocodiles do because they can't chew, they can only go like up and down so they like do death rolls. Alex Finn 41:21 Yep. Stace Babcock 41:22 Oh, that's cool. Sampson Davis 41:23 Twist pieces off and get it to manageable sizes. Stace Babcock 41:27 No, I don't, Nix is not a crocodile, Nix is a sneks or snek. So I don't think so. Alex Finn 41:32 Well, some snakes kind of do a death row like anacondas. Like, they squeeze them. Stace Babcock 41:38 Do anacondas? Because anacondas are a constrictor. Alex Finn 41:42 Anacondas can swim. And so they kind of like grab them. Daniel Andrlik 41:47 That might be the case because she's venomous like a viper but she still has constrictor like tendencies. Stace Babcock 41:54 Oh, man. See, I need a research. I need to on Wikipedia search "snake." No, I think she's just doing the thing that you would do like if you're eating like a tiny piece of jerky you know like just trying to get a little leverage Daniel Andrlik 42:07 Yeah. So tender. Sampson Davis 42:12 Can we go now cuz this is really disturbing to watch. Stace Babcock 42:14 You can walk in front Dili. Alex Finn 42:17 That's the solution. Sampson Davis 42:20 ChaCha should walk in front. I'm not trusting her. Alex Finn 42:22 I mean, like, I'm not the one who can spit venom. Sampson Davis 42:25 No, but you're the one who's drawing on me. Alex Finn 42:27 I mean, it's not like I like chose something really ugly. Are you saying my drawings are ugly? Sampson Davis 42:35 I don't know. I haven't seen them. I can't. I can't see all of it. Daniel Andrlik 42:38 And it's not like ChaCha drew dicks on you. Alex Finn 42:41 ChaCha could have drawn dicks. Daniel Andrlik 42:42 Well, I guess she did draw those snake creatures, which she does call dicks. Alex Finn 42:47 But they're not literal dicks Stace Babcock 42:49 Dili you are a work of art. Like, I cannot say enough. Like I cannot believe... yeah, it's incredible. Like honestly, I wish you could see yourself. Alex Finn 43:00 I mean go look in Stink River. Daniel Andrlik 43:03 That's the other problem. Stink River is not very reflective. There's too much algae on the surface. Sampson Davis 43:10 Well, at least something's growing here. Daniel Andrlik 43:13 So you guys making camp for the night? Stace Babcock 43:14 Oh, yeah. Yeah, we don't get to the end within a day. Yeah, Daniel Andrlik 43:18 Yes. Okay, so you guys make camp. Have an uneventful night. The next day, you guys, I assume continually traveling Stink River. Stace Babcock 43:27 Yup. Daniel Andrlik 43:28 So you reach a point where you can see the road meeting up with Stink River up ahead and the road meets up with this small bridge that crosses Stink River. Stink River continues moving up the mountain side where you can see a synth structure has fallen down into the river. It looks like maybe like it was a tower or a spire but it's got all these weird random adjutments that don't really make sense to you guys. It's, it's very much like a prior world installation. And where it's landed in the water as water passes through it or under it, it seems to affect the water and taint it in some way. And on top of the spire walking along and or crawling along it you can see about four or five apparently humans. They are wearing pretty typical villager outfits, like, so not city folk. These are definitely villagers, and they are crawling all over this structure and hitting it with hammers and breaking bits of synths off which they are then putting into their mouth and chewing. Sampson Davis 44:40 Dili throws up a disguise. Stace Babcock 44:44 Ever had rock candy, Dili? Sampson Davis 44:48 Isn't that stuff poisonous? Stace Babcock 44:49 No. Sampson Davis 44:50 No. What am I thinking of? Alex Finn 44:52 Probably poison rock. Sampson Davis 44:53 Oh, no, I've never had rock candy. Any good? Stace Babcock 44:57 Now it's actually kind of, it tastes like, kind of tastes like rocks. Sampson Davis 45:01 Why would they make a candy like that? Stace Babcock 45:02 I don't know. Like sometimes they're just people selling it along the road when you're traveling and they're like, "Hey, I got this rock candy would you like to buy some and like you get like a handful for like a quarter shin?" Sampson Davis 45:14 Nix those might have been actual rocks. Stace Babcock 45:16 I don't think so, Dili, and this is why cuz like a lot of people sell them and I ate them. Daniel Andrlik 45:22 It's like Dili described lead paint and Nix is just like, "Oh, you mean wall candy?" Sampson Davis 45:34 Nix, I mean it says a compliment, it's a miracle you're not dead. Like it's... Stace Babcock 45:38 Oh, I know. Yeah, like every day right? Like you live or you die. You never know what's gonna get you. Sampson Davis 45:45 Yeah... Daniel Andrlik 45:46 Most likely it's ChaCha, but we'll let that lie. Sampson Davis 45:50 Dan have do is in... Dili's Wright experience is eating synth ever been a thing that he's at least heard of? Daniel Andrlik 46:00 Fuck no. Sampson Davis 46:02 Okay, Daniel Andrlik 46:02 Fuckin weird. Alex Finn 46:03 Would ChaCha have seen this before? Daniel Andrlik 46:07 No, I don't think so. Stace Babcock 46:08 Would Nix have ever heard any rumors related to that? Daniel Andrlik 46:12 Nah. Stace Babcock 46:13 I guess we should just ask him you guys. Alex Finn 46:16 I think ChaCha is going to get out her little Pew-Pew and kind of like, keep it like, in a pocket ready to go. Stace Babcock 46:23 And Nix will pull out her telescopic viewport and zoom in on one of the peeps. Daniel Andrlik 46:28 Okay, so you zoom in on one of the people. It is a middle aged woman. She's about average height. She's wearing workers pants and a simple tunic. She's got short cut gray hair. And by all other standards, she looks like a perfectly normal person. But you can see her hammering at the synth and it's hard work. She's sweating from it. And she breaks off a piece of synth. And it would have been easy to miss from a distance, but since you're zoomed in on her you can see as she puts the synth in her mouth and bites down on it that it's cutting the inside of her mouth. But she keeps chewing it anyway. Stace Babcock 47:09 Guys, we got to help these people, like, this is not normal. And this is like not right. Sampson Davis 47:15 From what you saw, do they seem like they want to be helped? Like we should definitely help them, but do they think that this is good? That what they're doing, if we try to like stop them, are they going to like fucking eat us? Daniel Andrlik 47:26 I would say Nix, when you were zoomed in, you probably wouldn't know more without interacting with the, but the expression on her face wasn't like casual eating. It was hard work. And there was almost a frantic look about her expression. Alex Finn 47:41 She's not doing it for shits and giggles. Stace Babcock 47:43 Yeah, there's something strange going on here. Nix walks up and is just like, "Hey, what are you guys doing?" Sampson Davis 47:52 Just a quick thing as we approached Dili quickly altered the disguises so that no synth was showing on us. Alex Finn 47:58 Oh, good point. Stace Babcock 47:59 Like, Nix's leg, which I don't think she's gotten a boot for. Nope. Sampson Davis 48:04 Yeah, that. Yeah, that looks like a normal human boring ass flesh leg. Daniel Andrlik 48:10 You're no fun, Sampson. Alex Finn 48:12 Minus a shoe or with a shoe? Sampson Davis 48:17 Only one shoe. Daniel Andrlik 48:18 I was hoping you wouldn't think about that, but that's okay. That's okay. Okay, Stace do me a favor and roll 1d6 for depletion. Stace Babcock 48:26 3. Daniel Andrlik 48:27 So, one of the men looks up and says, "Oh god, please keep your distance. We're just, we're so hungry. If you've got any synth on you, please keep it hidden. I don't know if we can control ourselves if we see it." Stace Babcock 48:39 Do you like sustain yourself on synth? Like, do you eat plants or like creatures? Daniel Andrlik 48:47 Nix, since you were looking so closely before, you can see that these tears are streaming down his face, but they also have an almost pinkish tinge to them. And says, "Vladislav told us to come here and, and come back when our stomachs felt like they were full." Stace Babcock 49:04 Who? Daniel Andrlik 49:05 Vladislav. He's an explorer that's been staying in the village. He said he's seen something like this before and when he saw what came over us, he told us to come to this location because he had seen this tower. Alex Finn 49:18 ChaCha is gonna run a healing check on these people. Daniel Andrlik 49:22 Okay, so there's going to be multiple levels of success for this role. So, I'm just going to have you roll the die once but it's just going to determine whether you get a 9 or an 18 on your roll. And so with you're healing, that'll be either a 6 or a 15. Alex Finn 49:39 I'm just kind of looking at my pools. You know what it is to paid, if you want to use... I'm going to use a level of effort. Daniel Andrlik 49:46 Okay, so that brings it down to either a 3 or a 12. Alex Finn 49:50 13. Yeah, we're gonna help people. Daniel Andrlik 49:53 Okay, so since you've got both levels of success, you can tell that their bodies are under tremendous strain from this. Something has happened to them to trigger some sort of mutation. It is unclear if it is permanent, or temporary, but it is causing enormous problems for them. It's not a beneficial mutation. And that's all you know. Alex Finn 50:16 I mean, like, so this has been going on for like a week or something? Daniel Andrlik 50:20 "Three days," and he shoves another piece of synth in his mouth and chews and you can see blood trickling out of his mouth. Alex Finn 50:26 You remember what was happening before you decided that this was a great idea? Daniel Andrlik 50:33 "I'm not sure, I was... I was in the bar, at the inn, and I was talking to Race and he was bragging about something or other. And then there was this other person, a woman, I didn't know her. And she said she had something even better. So I went over to take a look and there's this flash and... I don't remember after that, the next thing I knew I was trying to eat part of the bar table." And he opens his mouth and points and you can see that his lower right canine is broken, like a jagged break. Like he crushed it against this syth that he was trying to eat. Alex Finn 50:33 Nix, I think somebody is doing this to people on purpose. Stace Babcock 50:44 Yeah, I think we got to find this explorer that he that he mentioned. I mean, if they're doing this to people, like, we at least need to... Alex Finn 51:29 I think we should take them out. Stace Babcock 51:31 I mean, yeah. Because like, did the explorer compel them to eat the synth or like, did he just tell them where the synth is? Sampson Davis 51:41 Dan, do we have a sense of how we're doing on our travels in terms of time and how far we've gone? Daniel Andrlik 51:47 You're getting very close. You should be close to Mountain's Bone. Sampson Davis 51:50 So we definitely have like, we have enough time to like spend a day or two if that becomes necessary? Daniel Andrlik 51:55 Yeah, sure. Sampson Davis 51:56 I don't like how you said "sure". Daniel Andrlik 51:57 You could even ask this individual where they come from. Alex Finn 52:01 I gueeeess. Sampson Davis 52:03 Sir, what village are you from? Daniel Andrlik 52:05 Oh, we're all from Mountain's Bone. It's about a mile up the road. Sampson Davis 52:09 Wow, we made great time. Stace Babcock 52:11 Stink River shortcut, famous, Dili, famous. Or it will be after I like, tell people about it. Sampson Davis 52:17 Okay, yeah. Stace Babcock 52:19 "Oh, sweet. So but will you eat rations instead?", and Nix will like hold out a pack of rations. Daniel Andrlik 52:27 "We want to, but the synth is the only thing that satisfies. So we have to eat until we're full. And then...", Stace, give me a Social role of 3. Stace Babcock 52:39 10. Daniel Andrlik 52:40 Okay, he trusts you enough. "And then, after that, when we pass the synth, it's just more blood and pain." Stace Babcock 52:48 Like rock candy! Alex Finn 52:51 Ooooh, no. Daniel Andrlik 52:52 Please tell me that you haven't tried to eat rock candy. That's a scam. They just use quartz for that. Sampson Davis 53:00 Nix, I told you. Stace Babcock 53:02 I, Dili, I.... Alex Finn 53:04 Our listener, if you know quartz, oh god. Stace Babcock 53:07 Well, that's a real bummer, but like, I enjoyed it in the moment. Alex Finn 53:11 My butt hurts listening to this. Daniel Andrlik 53:14 There's a moment where he pauses and just looks at you and says, "You enjoyed it in the moment?" Stace Babcock 53:20 Going in is the moment, not going out like no not, going in, yeah. Daniel Andrlik 53:27 That makes more sense. I was worried for a second that you might be something other than human. Stace Babcock 53:32 Uh, so Mountain's Bone, that way? Daniel Andrlik 53:35 Yeah. Just a mile up the road. Stace Babcock 53:38 Alright. Good to meet you, keep doing what you're doing and we'll try to sort this out. Daniel Andrlik 53:42 We've been here two days. We're still not full. Sampson Davis 53:46 Good luck! Stace Babcock 53:47 Yeah, we're gonna help you. Daniel Andrlik 53:48 Okay, thank you. Sampson Davis 53:50 Don't forget to chew. Alex Finn 53:51 We're gonna help you but like not help you eat this. Sampson Davis 53:54 Can we go now?? Stace Babcock 53:56 Okay. And we just like, shuffle to the side. And then walk away? Sampson Davis 54:03 Just akwardly leave. Daniel Andrlik 54:04 Okay. So, you guys go a mile up the road and sure enough, as described, there is a village there. It is large for a village. It's nothing close to what you would consider a city. But certainly ChaCha with the exception of your visits to Charmonde and Shallmas, it's one of the larger places you've been. Nix, you would definitely know that this is, you know, a pretty decently sized village. The buildings are well maintained and all have a very similar design to each other, which suggests to you that either this village has been using the same design over and over again for a long time, or perhaps they've had to do a lot of rebuilding over the years. It's a little unclear, could be either. There are people coming and going wearing very similar clothing as the synth eaters that you encountered earlier. You see some livestock, there are Anene that are tied up near some rail fencing and brain. There's smoke rising from an edge of town, presumably from either a blacksmith or a wright, depending on how sophisticated the town is, in terms of its understanding of Numenera. We wouldn't know that just from looking at it. And just kind of eyeballing it, there are enough of these buildings that look residential that this could probably support upwards of 50 families, maybe, if you took a wild leap at it. On the whole, it just seems to be a healthy village, which is a bit at odds with the bizarre encounter with the synth eaters that you had only an hour before. And as you wander into town, you are definitely met with looks of curiosity, because, you know, as we've mentioned before, travel between places in the Ninth World is very dangerous. So it's rare to have just travelers wandering in to a town where they don't know them. Stace Babcock 56:10 Hey, what's up? I'm Snix, I'm a traveler. This is my associate. Yeah. Daniel Andrlik 56:16 A Traveler? Sampson Davis 56:18 Hi, I'm Bork. Daniel Andrlik 56:19 What did you say your name was, Sampson. How did? Sampson Davis 56:20 Bork! Daniel Andrlik 56:21 Bork? Okay. Stace Babcock 56:22 This is my other associate. Alex Finn 56:24 I'm ChaCha. Daniel Andrlik 56:26 Yeah. So who are you talking to? Just the first random people you see on the street? Stace Babcock 56:30 Yeah. First group. Daniel Andrlik 56:32 Oh, well, we're not used to getting visitors here. I mean, besides the occasional Aeon Priest, but feel free to check at the Inn. They don't have a lot of rooms, but they might have something available. Stace Babcock 56:48 "Alright. Yeah. Thanks." Nix looks back, "That went well." Sampson Davis 56:51 "I think it went great, except..." and Dili, like, turns over to ChaCha. Daniel Andrlik 56:57 Yeah. Sampson Davis 56:58 Fake names, ChaCha! Alex Finn 56:59 I mean, it is a fake name. It's not my real name. Stace Babcock 57:02 A different fake name, like,... Alex Finn 57:05 But like branding. Stace Babcock 57:06 Branding is working against us right now. Sampson Davis 57:09 We're not doing branding. Our branding is a wanted poster. We don't want that. Daniel Andrlik 57:13 ChaCha is like, but how will they like and subscribe if they don't know my name? Alex Finn 57:18 How, how will they find all my social media platforms? Stace Babcock 57:22 ChaCha. So okay, so like, this is a great opportunity for you to like, try something new and like experiment with other things under a fake name that nobody knows you by. And then once you achieve a certain level of fame under your fake name, you'd be like, bam, it's been me, ChaCha, the whole time. And everyone is gonna just be wowed. Like, honestly, a lot of people do it, a lot of performers. Yeah. These theater kids I knew in college, they were always changing their names. It was kind of ridiculous and hard to keep them straight, but... Alex Finn 57:53 So, do I just like change my name into a symbol or what? Stace Babcock 57:57 No, I would use something. You know, verbal. Alex Finn 58:00 I mean, what what do I name myself though? Like, Sampson Davis 58:03 You could do this fun thing where like, your name changes every time but it's always an "L" word. Right? Alex Finn 58:08 I mean, that sounds like it'd be fun for like five seconds and then you just start going, "Okay, but who are you Larry? Lucy? Lucinda?" Stace Babcock 58:16 Yeah, you would run out of "L" names eventually, I would think. Alex Finn 58:20 You would think. Sampson Davis 58:21 Just trying to get ideas. Damn. I'm trying to help. Stace Babcock 58:26 What if we just called you like, Cha Cha! Sampson Davis 58:29 Chica Chica! Daniel Andrlik 58:30 Incidentally, this villager that you were talking to has moved on, like he is on about his business. You're just standing by your lonesome, having this conversation in the street. Stace Babcock 58:40 Sure. Alex Finn 58:41 So yeah, ChaCha is gonna look around and see if she can find something to name herself after around her. Stace Babcock 58:48 Are we like, you look around. There's a ton of cats, all you can see are buttholes, buttholes as far as the eye can see. Daniel Andrlik 58:54 So, ChaCha roll 1d10 for me. Alex Finn 58:56 I got a 7. Daniel Andrlik 58:58 Okay, so ChaCha as you're looking around. The first thing that you see for inspiration is this pair of Anenes which are, again, they are, they can be pack animals, or they could be ridden they're sort of like a cross between a horse and a giraffe with really long necks, strange mouths, and gills on the side of their necks. And they are currently mating with one on top of the other. And that is what ChaCha sees for inspiration. Alex Finn 59:33 Ah, I guess my name is now Babypack. Sampson Davis 59:41 And I'm the one that needs to grow up. Let's find this fucking inn. Daniel Andrlik 59:46 Did you say your name is now Babypack? Stace Babcock 59:49 Babypack, do do do do do. Alex Finn 59:51 Yes. Daniel Andrlik 59:53 Okay, so ChaCha has just announced this is her new alias. Stace Babcock 59:58 I gotta think, I think I got to do better than Snix. I'm gonna think about that on the way to the inn, but I like Babypack. Sampson Davis 1:00:05 Ah, you used Ordolo awhile ago. Daniel Andrlik 1:00:08 So where are you going? Stace Babcock 1:00:09 To the Inn. We're progressing through the plot, Daniel, that's what we're doing. Alex Finn 1:00:13 Yeah. Daniel Andrlik 1:00:14 What? Alex Finn 1:00:15 Whaaaat. Daniel Andrlik 1:00:16 Okay, so you make your way to a building with a sign out front that says the Marrow Pot. And this appears to be the inn. You go inside, it's relatively well kept. There's a bartender at the far counter cleaning the surface. There's not too many people at tables in here. It's a little early, even for the day drinkers to get started. Sampson Davis 1:00:40 Too early for the day drinkers, impossible. Daniel Andrlik 1:00:43 The people that are in here are eating what looks to be, you know, in fantasy terms, we just say stew at the inn. But in the Ninth World, it's probably more like insects squeezing things that have been spiced and warmed over a fire. Alex Finn 1:00:56 Nice. Stace Babcock 1:00:57 Are there any adventure looking types? Daniel Andrlik 1:01:01 Give me a Perception roll of 6. Stace Babcock 1:01:04 4. Daniel Andrlik 1:01:04 Yeah, you don't see anybody that sticks out to you as a adventuring type. Stace Babcock 1:01:09 Nix will go up to a group and just be like, "Yo, are are you guys aware of the door?" Alex Finn 1:01:15 Just doorin' people? Daniel Andrlik 1:01:17 The door to the inn? Stace Babcock 1:01:19 Maybe? Like do you know what it is? Like what the door is? Daniel Andrlik 1:01:23 "Well, I think its made of wood", and one turns the other and they say, Stace Babcock 1:01:26 Oh, alright. Daniel Andrlik 1:01:27 "Who made that door even?", and they're like "Oh! Oh, yeah. That was Jory made that for... course Jory used to make a ton of doors here. Did great work fine workmanship. Of course, you know, now Sully's running that, that shop down the way. Jory passed 10 years ago. Peace be with her, but Sully tries his best but he's nowhere near as good as Jory was, but you know, some people have a natural talent for that kind of thing." Sampson Davis 1:01:57 Dili walks away from all this. Stace Babcock 1:01:59 Nix is just pulling out the history of Jory and the door and the new door maker. Daniel Andrlik 1:02:05 They will happily talk to you about Jory and door makers for the next 15 minutes. Stace Babcock 1:02:10 Oh yeah, Nix takes a seat. Sampson Davis 1:02:12 Dili is going up to the bartender. Daniel Andrlik 1:02:14 Okay, so you approach the bar. Behind it is a middle aged woman with dark hair. This harried bartender who makes her living from the sweat of your brow. And she looks up and she's like,"Oh, you're... you're new. Sorry. We don't get a whole lot of visitors. What can I get for you?" Sampson Davis 1:02:31 Oh, that's right. I guess, one, can I go a round to drinks, three please? Two, is there a traveler here recently by the name of Icarus? Daniel Andrlik 1:02:41 Nicorous? Sampson Davis 1:02:41 Icarus, sorry. Daniel Andrlik 1:02:42 Man, I don't recognize that name at all. Sampson Davis 1:02:45 Okay, just the drinks please then. Stace Babcock 1:02:47 Nix, tilts, tilts her head back and says, "What about Ladislav?" Daniel Andrlik 1:02:51 Nix, I think you'd probably have to make a Perception roll to... Stace Babcock 1:02:55 Oh sure. Fair fair. Daniel Andrlik 1:02:56 Determined that calls going on. I mean, so probably be a 9, but since somebody's already talking to you, it's probably a 12. Stace Babcock 1:03:03 Nix heard nothing. She got an 8, she's engrossed. Alex Finn 1:03:08 Ooooh. Daniel Andrlik 1:03:09 So did ChaCha stay with Nix or did she go with Dili? Alex Finn 1:03:12 I think she followed Dili. Daniel Andrlik 1:03:14 Okay. So the bartender is up at the counter and getting the drinks ready and she glances as ChaCha and says, "Isn't she a little young?" Sampson Davis 1:03:25 Nope, she is timeless. Daniel Andrlik 1:03:26 Fair enough. It's your business. And she gets the round of drinks and puts it up on the counter for you. Sampson Davis 1:03:35 Quick question, is this beer gonna make us want to eat synth? Not to accuse you of anything, but we ran, we ran into some weirdos on the way in. Alex Finn 1:03:42 Just a couple of 'em. Daniel Andrlik 1:03:44 Oh, you, you saw the Hendersons. Sampson Davis 1:03:47 That's a family? Daniel Andrlik 1:03:48 Yeah, the Hendersons. It was the weirdest fucking thing. They were here and they were at the bar, you know, just getting a meal. And then they were talking to somebody in the corner and the next thing I know, like, one of them is trying to eat the bar and I had to kick them out. And, man, I mean, luckily Vlad stepped in and was able to help get them sorted and, you know, get them on their way. But, I mean, I've known the Hendersons for years, but there's a certain point when they're, you know, attacking my livelihood that, you know, you need to get a little aggressive. Sampson Davis 1:04:22 Sure, sure. Vladislav? What is Vladislav guy, say, gal? Daniel Andrlik 1:04:27 Well, she said Vlad. So is that an intentional slip of the tongue by Dili? Sampson Davis 1:04:32 Unintentional slip, is what I'm going with. Daniel Andrlik 1:04:35 Okay. Sampson Davis 1:04:35 Yep. Daniel Andrlik 1:04:36 Oh, Vladislav. Yeah, he's a traveler, I guess. He's been staying here. Said he was waiting for somebody, he got here. He's been here a couple months now. And then his his buddy, Race, got here a couple of weeks ago as well. So yeah, he's been staying here for a bit. Nice fellow. Sampson Davis 1:04:56 Is he another traveler or is he a local? Daniel Andrlik 1:04:59 No like, I said he's a traveler. He showed up a couple months ago, doing some exploring, probably some ruin diving. Although, honestly, since Race has shown up, he just keeps sending Race out to do that kind of thing for him and most of the time, he just hangs out here during the day, which I don't mind the custom. Sampson Davis 1:05:19 Alright, well that's all the questions I have. My name is Bork by the way, this is my colleague... Alex Finn 1:05:26 Babypack. Daniel Andrlik 1:05:27 Babypack. I like that it's got a nice ring to it. Alex Finn 1:05:29 I know. It's way better than Bork. Sampson Davis 1:05:31 Hey! Daniel Andrlik 1:05:32 Well, I wasn't gonna say anything. But yeah, I mean, it's a great name. So Babypack, you wouldn't happen by any chance to be a performer. I just noticed you have a very bright outfit. Alex Finn 1:05:47 Duh. Daniel Andrlik 1:05:48 That's awesome. Because I can always use things to kind of get people excited. There's not a lot of excitement that happens around here. Hendersons, you know, excluded. But if you could perform here at the Marrows Pot, we could come to an arrangement, I'm sure. Alex Finn 1:06:04 Done. Daniel Andrlik 1:06:05 Done? I haven't said any numbers yet. Alex Finn 1:06:09 But you said there'd be an arrangement. So it's no big. Daniel Andrlik 1:06:12 Right? Okay, well, how about for starters, we say, you get 20% of the door. And whatever tips you earn. Alex Finn 1:06:23 I get 20% of your door? I mean, like, don't you need 100% of it? Daniel Andrlik 1:06:28 Well, I mean, you get 20% of the door fee people pay to come in and see you perform. Sampson Davis 1:06:35 What is the door... fee? Daniel Andrlik 1:06:37 Usually, if we have a performance, since it's kind of a special occasion around here, I'll charge a shin each to come in the door... Sampson Davis 1:06:44 Alright. Daniel Andrlik 1:06:44 And get a seat. Alex Finn 1:06:46 Yeah, it seems fair. Oh, and you can give us whoever they talked to, before they started eating your counter. Cause you know, we gotta do like a background check on them to make sure you know, they aren't gonna interfere with this performance. Daniel Andrlik 1:06:59 Oh, yeah. I didn't know who that person was. She was wearing a hood most of the time. Vlad said he was gonna check into it. See what he could find out, but I haven't seen Vlad today yet. Or at least not since breakfast. Are you guys friends of Vlad? Alex Finn 1:07:16 Bork, are we friends of his? Sampson Davis 1:07:18 I don't think so. We've never met the guy. He's just, a point of interest. You know, you walk in, you see a bunch of people eating synth and they're told to do that by some guy named Vlad. So... Daniel Andrlik 1:07:30 Oh, well Vlad didn't make them eat synth, he helped us out. He helped, you know, get them on their way. God, I hope the Hendersons are doing okay. Sampson Davis 1:07:37 They are not. They're not doing great. Alex Finn 1:07:40 I mean, if you're eating synth in the woods. Daniel Andrlik 1:07:43 "Man, well that's disappointing to hear. Always fond of the Hendersons", and then she looks up over your shoulder back at the door and says, "Oh, here's Vlad now. Vlad, I got a couple people here asking about you." And you turn and you see this man, he's about 5'10" with short cut blonde hair. He's wearing fairly worn, you know, aged adventuring outfit, you know, sturdy clothes, things like that. He's got a weary face, it's this wind beaten and acne scarred, there are these little pock marks all along his cheek. And he looks at the bartender, kind of lifts his chin a little bit and saunters over to you guys and looks at you both and with a gruff voice says, "Yeah, who are you?" Sampson Davis 1:08:33 I'm Bork. Nice to meet you. Alex Finn 1:08:35 Babypack. Daniel Andrlik 1:08:36 Bork and Babypack. Well, those are utterly ridiculous pseudonyms. Alex Finn 1:08:41 Do not slander us. Sampson Davis 1:08:43 Yeah, first of all, rude. How dare you. Daniel Andrlik 1:08:45 Mmm. Sampson Davis 1:08:46 Second, we met the Hendersons. What's up with that? Daniel Andrlik 1:08:49 "Oh, them. Just a second," he motions to the bartender who gets him a drink and then he grabs it and says, "Why don't you follow me," and he leads you over to a booth on the side of the inn. Meanwhile, Nix is still learning the history of door makers in Mountain's Bone. Stace Babcock 1:09:08 Yeah, what was the replacement's name again, Daniel. I didn't note it fast enough. I thought you said Sully or Sally? Daniel Andrlik 1:09:15 Sully. Stace Babcock 1:09:16 Okay. Daniel Andrlik 1:09:16 So, Vlad leads you over to this booth and says, "Yeah, the Hendersons are a rough case. Hope they're doing okay. Haven't seen them in a couple days." Sampson Davis 1:09:27 Ah, still hungry. Daniel Andrlik 1:09:29 Ah, shit. That's disappointing. Sampson Davis 1:09:32 You, do you know what's up with them? Daniel Andrlik 1:09:34 I could hazard a guess. I didn't have much luck tracking down the individual who did it to them. That would have given me better answers, but they made good time out of the city. Well, I guess this isn't a city, it's just a village. Dammit. I miss Shallmas so much. These small towns, they're not the same, you know? Alex Finn 1:09:51 But like the door. Daniel Andrlik 1:09:53 What? Alex Finn 1:09:53 I own 20% of it. Daniel Andrlik 1:09:55 20% of the door. Alex Finn 1:09:58 The door, I own 20% of it. Daniel Andrlik 1:10:02 "Okay," and Vlad looks at Dili as aif for clarification. "What does she mean?" Sampson Davis 1:10:08 Oh, do you not know what the door is? Daniel Andrlik 1:10:10 He pauses and his manner goes a little bit more grave and he says, "Oh, I know exactly what the door is. What do you think the door is, Bork?" Sampson Davis 1:10:19 I just think the doors the first... entrance and exit. Alex Finn 1:10:22 Are you like letting ChaCha hear all this? Or are you just like, "Shiny!" Sampson Davis 1:10:26 Is ChaCha aware that there is a call and repeat? Alex Finn 1:10:31 She's a contractor, baby. Sampson Davis 1:10:32 Then I think Dili is just being weird. Or at least trying to appear weird in front of ChaCha. Alex Finn 1:10:38 You're not going to try and distract the ChaCha with a shiny? Sampson Davis 1:10:41 She doesn't know what's happening, then I don't think Dili would feel a need to. Daniel Andrlik 1:10:45 Would ChaCha be trying to hide her confusion? Alex Finn 1:10:48 I think she's just like deadpan staring at Dili. Daniel Andrlik 1:10:52 Okay. Alex Finn 1:10:52 And it's like that guy in the Dexterity Toy. Daniel Andrlik 1:10:57 Okay, so Vlad says, "Oh, it's you. Which one are you?" Sampson Davis 1:11:02 I guess the short one. Ah, let me try that again. I think I'm the Wright. The Wright one. That was the Pun I should have lead with it. Damn it. Daniel Andrlik 1:11:11 Oh, well. It's nice to meet you, Dili. Sampson Davis 1:11:14 Thanks. Daniel Andrlik 1:11:14 People call me Icarus, although I'm not fond at the name. And that's where we'll end this episode. Alex Finn 1:11:19 I just wanted to keep claiming 20% of that door. Sorry. Daniel Andrlik 1:11:24 Yeah, that's good. So, Stace, something about this episode. Stace Babcock 1:11:27 The Rock Candy jokes. Daniel Andrlik 1:11:30 Yeah, those were good. Everyone 1:11:33 *Laughter* Stace Babcock 1:11:34 Also, just being like on the road, seeing some weird shit, like whith the Hendersons and... Daniel Andrlik 1:11:41 Yeah, this kind of exploration is really Nix's shit. Stace Babcock 1:11:44 Yeah. So and then Nix's almost realization. I just listed three moments that I liked about the episode. So ,I'm going to stop now. But like Nix's almost light bulb clicking on. Daniel Andrlik 1:11:55 Cool. So we have a segment we do each week called Player Intrusions. That's where we offer you the listener 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 if you read the book, the Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia. Ekaterina Sedia is a Russian author, she emigrated to the US. But, this book takes place in sort of a alternate world, sort of Victorian steampunk setting, where there are people who are doing strange things through sort of artificing and then there's alchemists, which are people that work with, you know, more pure magic, and it's a bit more of a lost art. The main character of the story is Maddie, who is an automaton that has been fashioned out of porcelain and fishbones. She's even got a petticoat. And the story really explores how sort of patriarchy and capitalism are intertwined. And specifically, like you can tell, like, she's got these built in heels, designed to be beautiful. And in theory, she is an emancipated automaton, meaning that she is no longer a slave to her maker. And so she's trying to learn alchemy on her own. But even though she's emancipated her design is such that whenever she gets worried that she has a compulsion to go and find him. And then also, in order for her to live, she has to be wound up each day. And the only way to do that is with a key that the maker refuses to give up that he wears on his neck. And so he has to insert this key into her heart and wind her up every day. And well, because this whole situation is twisted, there sort of, that's tied to a pleasure response when she gets wound up. This power dynamic is sort of, without being explicit about it, sexual violence as default. And it's very disturbing. This book, that that whole thing with their power dynamic is beautifully written. And it's also hard to read, I mean, it turns your stomach, because once again, none of it is explicit, but that emotional weight, that situation of bondage is still there. But ultimately, what Maddie is doing is all these cities, these beautiful ruins that everybody's living in were built by these figures known as the Gargoyles, who were eventually turned to stone. And so she is trying through alchemy to find a way to free the Gargoyles and bring them back into existence. And over the course of the story, she ends up assisting in what is effectively proletariat revolution within this culture. And so, you see once again very clearly how patriarchy and capitalism are intertwined. Maddie is such a deep, complex character. And it is just so beautifully written and disturbing at the same time. This book haunted me after reading it, like few others have. And so yeah, I would highly recommend that you read the Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia. Sampson Davis 1:15:18 That sounds fucked up and great. Alex Finn 1:15:19 Yeah. Daniel Andrlik 1:15:20 It is. It's really good. If people wanted to reach out to us and tell us what they think about the Alchemy of Stone or the podcast, how would they do that Sampson? Sampson Davis 1:15:28 They would go to exploreswanted.fm, that's our website you can find pretty much anything attached to us from there. If they wanted to go to specific social media websites, on Twitter we are @explorerswanted. On Instagram and Facebook. We are @explorerswantedpodcast. Pretty active on our Discord, so if you want to find us there, you can find us at explorerswanted.fm/discord. That should get you the weird-ass gobbly gook link that they give you. Additionally, if they feel that what we've done here is worth money, they can support us, as long as it is within your means at patreon.com/exploreswanted. Daniel Andrlik 1:16:06 Yes, excellent. And if you enjoyed the show, the best thing that you could do for us, honestly, is to tell a friend and tell them why you like the show and why they should listen to it. The second best thing you could do is to leave us a five star written review on a podcast directory. Specifically, Apple podcasts, Podchaser, or Stitcher. Those three in particular make a huge difference for podcasts our size as far as people trying it out. There's so many actual plays, it could be very difficult to figure out where people want to dip their toes into to try out different shows. And you know, it's it's an hour, it's a commitment. So that is a huge help. If you didn't like the podcast for some reason, or if you just thought it was "meh". Well, I want to remind you that the blessing and curse of sentience is the capacity for self-reflection. Complex thoughts and behaviors can emerge from the viscera and electricity riding the nerves along this first-year pottery project that we call skeleton. We can perceive beauty, feel love, and laugh. We can also hate, feel fear like an icy hand gripping our spinal cord, and develop complex anxieties and maladaptive behaviors in response to real or even imagined threats. We don't know if it's a particularly useful survival strategy in the context of the greater universe. In the meantime, do your best to be kind, to love one another, and make good art whenever you can. Sentience has its price. Make sure you get your money's worth. If you want to reach out to us individually on social media,you can. You can find me on Twitter at @andrlik. A-N-D-R-L-I-K. Stace Babcock 1:17:43 You find me on Twitter @StaceWindu. Sampson Davis 1:17:45 What's the return policy on sentience? I'm @SlamPotato. Alex Finn 1:17:49 You can find me debating the merits of weekday labeled underwear @realteaunicorn or on Twitch with Tea With a Unicorn. I mean, like you'd have, does it, coordinate? Daniel Andrlik 1:18:02 Alright, that's it for us. We hope you enjoyed the show. We will be back next week as we will for every week in the foreseeable future. Have a good day, night, weekend, or whenever you listen to this, and... Everyone 1:18:14 Bye! Daniel Andrlik 1:18:46 Unlike the time that my father-in-law accidentally ate like almost a pound of raw chicken by accident. Sampson Davis 1:18:51 By mistake!? Alex Finn 1:18:53 How do you mistake? Daniel Andrlik 1:18:54 Well, so my mother-in-law was marinating some chicken in a Tupperware container to cook later that night and he saw the Tupperware container and assumed it was for him to take to lunch, to work with him, for lunch. So he came back home and he was like, "Oh, that chicken you made for me was just so delicious and moist. It just slid right down." And she was like that was the raw chicken. Luckily, there was some citrus in the marinade. So I think that's probably what saved him. Sampson Davis 1:19:20 Was he at least cute, was at least like a himbo or something like. Daniel Andrlik 1:19:24 He was grossed out. I mean, no, he's not a himbo. He's very intelligent guy. Sampson Davis 1:19:28 I don't believe you. Stace Babcock 1:19:28 Listen, I ate a paper wrapped burrito one time with the paper still on it. And I was like, You know what, that wasn't bad. And the only reason I realized I had paper wrapped around it was because other people were walking to the trashcan with burrito papers on their trays. And I was like, oh my god. Everyone 1:19:48 Bye! Alex Finn 1:19:50 I think I'm drunk. Transcribed by https://otter.ai