Daniel [GM]  0:31  
So Sampson, you're gonna be exploring a little bit of dilys backstory in the session zero.

You excited? 

Sampson [Dili]  0:39  
Nervous? Just because I don't know what you're gonna do to me that I'm gonna have to

deal with in the future

Daniel [GM]  0:47  
Don't why you would think that would happen. 

Sampson [Dili]  0:49  
Just a thought just a premonition.

Daniel [GM]  0:53  
What we're going to do is we're going to do things a little bit differently than we do in the normal game. Although you're familiar with some of us who have that

We're gonna do something a little different. So doing dice rolls, we're going to borrow the mechanic from invisible sun. And that is the sooth deck, which you probably remember is a sort of Tarot like deck that kind of governs what happens invisible sun uses them for side seats. So for things where it should be normally roll or if there's a moment where we either you or I feel like we need guidance in the story, as we're telling it here, I will draw a card I will look up its meaning and based off of that interpretation will adjust the scene.

Sampson [Dili]  1:35  
 Sounds good. Does anything like the actual game of invisible sun I played with you? It's gonna be super creepy How? Well it fits to the moment. 

Daniel [GM]  1:45  
Yeah, it seems to seems to what's a good starting place for Dili. 

Sampson [Dili]  1:51  
So just to give a little bit of context. deal he was working on a project and we are coming in. Right as he is

quotation marks finished the project.

So I was imagining like, some dark alley like quiet sounds like some cat like, runs off in the distance and then all of a sudden the door burst open then delay like, runs out like, Okay

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Don't cry until you get to the shop. And then he, I think starts booking it down the alleyway.

Daniel [GM]  2:26  
Okay, how far away are you from your shop?

Sampson [Dili]  2:30  
So I was imagining that partway through this project, the centerpiece, so the project kind of had to get moved to

this organization's like facility rather than my own. So I'm thinking that that was probably like in a poor district, not because of lack of money, but just lack of oversight that would allow this project to continue.

And then I think Dili's shop would be kind of closer to university property.

Where they like artists and other artificers collect and

interact with each other. 

Daniel [GM]  3:08  
Okay, so you've probably got a decent run ahead of you. And Dili is running through the hall or through the alleys.

Sampson [Dili]  3:15  
 Yeah, he is.

Well, yeah running.

Daniel [GM]  3:20  
So you've just turned in the centerpiece. And now you're running. 

Sampson [Dili]  3:23  
Yes. 

Daniel [GM]  3:25  
Okay, so let's draw a card to see what the situation is. Okay. So I drew monarch, 

Sampson [Dili]  3:32  
Uh oh,

Daniel [GM]  3:34  
Notions cast clocks and when, if one is going against the status quo, this card turn is likely very unwanted.

It signifies that the powers that be get involved. If that isn't the case, and this card may suggest the aid or the thanks of those above the person in question. This card can be a blessing or a reward, but there is judgment involved.

should one be found wanting punishment is the result. in a broader sense, the monarch represents the entire world and thus can simply be an indicator of the immensity of the task. So that does not sound great for Dili's initial escape.

Sampson [Dili]  4:16  
 It sounds so bad. 

Daniel [GM]  4:18  
Yeah, I think probably what this means is it takes almost no time at all for them to either one have realized that you're running away or two realize that the goods are not as expected and are already on their way to find out what's going on, or both. 

Sampson [Dili]  4:42  
Yeah.

Daniel [GM]  4:44  
So I'm gonna say this, Dili, you are running through the alleys. You you know you you you pass the cats you pass the rats or what you would think of as rats here. And as you're rushing along

You know your heart is like pounding in your ears because Dili is not in shape.

You know you're probably wheezing at bit.

And but you know you're running you feel like you are doing pretty well. And you start racing, you reach the right neighborhood, you're going there and then you come to a sudden stop at the end of the alley. Because across the way, at the front of your store, you see Aces and Deuces, looking in the window.

What do Aces and Deuces look like?

Sampson [Dili]  5:36  
So I originally thought of them as an evil timon and poobah. So I'm thinking Aces is like, kind of skinny kind of wirey. He kind of you look like if you touched him you need like,

you get like hepatitis or something like he looks gross and sharp, and he's got that fire.

Like smirk smile again.

And then deuces his big round kind of looks like

the big cake guy from Overwatch. I can't remember his name but big kind of fat but probably hiding like a surprising amount of muscle under there.

Imagine Aces has like a greasy come over and Deuces is just kind of like bald and hairless or whatever. 

Daniel [GM]  6:28  
Okay. Okay. And I would say maybe the first thing that tipped you off that you should be suspicious about the job you're working is that Asidra? That nano who hired you was often accompanied by Aces and Deuces, and it was them that threw off your sense of this being in any way, a proper deal or a proper project. So you recognize them and they are clearly outside your shop and looking in the window

Aces motions to Deuces to check the street. And so Deuces kind of turns with the back to the store and just starts looking up and down the street. And Aces continues to pear in through the window. And he takes out a small device made of gray synth and he's touches up to the front window and you see, light begin to go up and down and almost like splays out a strange grid inside your shop. And then you see Aces, hold up his hand and in his hand up here's a 3d representation of your shop. And he starts spinning it around in his hand looking around

What does Dili do? 

Sampson [Dili]  7:55  
Has deuces at least seen me? 

Daniel [GM]  7:57  
Well, that's a good question. We could draw a card okay.

You asked the question.

So let's see here.

Okay, we have the relentless rumor. 

Sampson [Dili]  8:10  
Cool, huh? 

Daniel [GM]  8:13  
Suggests an ongoing action. If one is hoping for resolution, there's none to be found here. It also indicates that there's something involved a fact a person, a device, a spell, that cannot be entirely relied upon. That you don't think Deuces has seen you. okay? He seems to just be kind of looking casually, back and forth. He's not casual, but he's looking but he hasn't like locked on or anything like that. Like when his head turns his eyes kind of like pass over the alley that you're currently hiding in and seems to continue down the road. And Aces is continuing to flip through there and you can actually see him using like, different hand gestures to actually

expand the shop and he's really seeing all sorts of nooks and crannies including your one or at least one of your you know safes for lack of a better word where you stash things. If he's looking at that we're in the shop would it be

Sampson [Dili]  9:21  
where would you put that in a medieval ish time super science. I think Dili would have gotten the idea

to I guess have two safes one for like, one for show one for like, actually keeping stuff safe and the super secret one would be like under an oven or under a similar thing that Wrights would have a destabilizer a sewing machine, I don't know. Okay.

Daniel [GM]  9:53  
You see Aces kind of sweep over and he sees that, you know, that false one and he only looks at for me

Before he kind of like smirks and spins the image a little bit more and then you see him zooming in under the oven

What does Dili keep in there?

Sampson [Dili]  10:12  
what precious items will you let me have

one I think is going to be the ashes of his former master the man he apprenticed under

okay additionally there's also going to be I think

the equivalent of like platinum, from like Dungeons and Dragons. There's like a super Shin but some currency that's consolidated his wealth, 

Daniel [GM]  10:37  
Not really, maybe less. It could be shins if you just want currency. However, something that is sort of beyond currency could be stashes of Io, Iotem of different types. 

Sampson [Dili]  10:51  
Okay, then, I think also in that in the safe is gonna be like a rare kinds of io like

stuff you can't really find

Without being super rich or being super criminal. 

Daniel [GM]  11:04  
Yeah, or just being an explorer who goes and finds that stuff, but that's not Dili. 

Sampson [Dili]  11:08  
that is not Dili yet. Yeah.

Daniel [GM]  11:12  
Yeah. And so this is the stuff that would be like it's the stuff you wouldn't carry around with you exactly. Yeah. Okay. Aces kind of makes a little whistle sound and deuces kind of turns. And you see him pointing at the safe. And it's like, I think I think there's something worth checking out in there. And deuces just says, Don't no.

Aces: Well, I think we should go in just get that thing. You think you could rip it out of there. Deuceslooks at it reaches out a huge finger touches it kind of spins. Says, Yeah.

Okay, well, let's get going. Alright, so here's the question. Now. paces

is moving to unlock pick essentially the lock of your your shop door is clear he's going in there. So what is Dili's plan going to be? Alright?

Sampson [Dili]  12:13  
So Dili is gonna like take a deep breath and then pop out of the alleyway and then I guess try to like fake a scream like, Oh, I didn't realize this or something like that like ah, and then wait a second to see you later to see if they turn around and run back into the alleyway.

I have a plan, I hope.

Daniel [GM]  12:34  
Okay. aces kind of looks up at deuces and says, Okay, I owe you two shins and you hear deuces say,told you he'd be in the alley?

Sampson [Dili]  12:50  
I hope Dueces is the smart one. That'd be funny.

Daniel [GM]  12:54  
Aces says he's still out there and juices kind of looks up.

Deuces looks around a couple times.  So yeah, I can hear his heart beating. 

Sampson [Dili]  13:04  
Oh shit.

Daniel [GM]  13:07  
Ah, is he scared? 

Sampson [Dili]  13:09  
I am now. Sorry.

Daniel [GM]  13:13  
This is Yeah, he's

his hearts be beating faster than one of those hoppin mole rats. Aces says, Oh, yeah, those were delicious. Anyway.

Yeah. So what do you think? Deuces goes "usual".  Aces smiles. And you see him move his hand around in a couple of ways. And you see, like these, this sort of flowing

energy

as he forms like what seems to be some sort of cloud of fire and smoke but there's no

smell of smoke or anything like that. When that smoke clears, you don't see them 

Sampson [Dili]  14:07  
Fuck okay, Dili's gonna run back down the alley anyway

Daniel [GM]  14:12  
okay, running back towards your shop or not

Sampson [Dili]  14:16  
Running back down the alley that he had just popped popped out from so he's going he's a retread retraining steps a bit. 

Daniel [GM]  14:25  
Okay, so he's going away from the shop. 

Sampson [Dili]  14:28  
Yes. 

Daniel [GM]  14:29  
Okay.

Okay, so you are running. Now they were on to you because of the last card pull. You get to like the next intersection of the alley and you're kind of cruising on. I assume you retracing your steps. So you're going straight unless you're gonna deviate in any place. 

Sampson [Dili]  14:52  
I think so. How what's how cluttered? Are the alleyways, that Dili's passing? 

Daniel [GM]  14:58  
Well, you're not really in a bad

part of town. You're sort of in the art district. And there's merchants and things like that, like, there's some trash, but in general, like

in our version of Charmonde, and there are these little clockwork creatures called cog couriers, and they go around and they can deliver messages. They also spend time tidying up areas, there's a limited resource of them. So they actually are only in certain neighborhoods. So for example, in the bad neighborhoods of Charmonde, one of the reasons why it's in such bad shape is that nobody actually dispatches cog couriers that are anymore because there aren't enough of them to hit that part of town. And so this area is usually pretty clean. Like you know, you guys don't get like cog courier visits as often as some neighborhoods, but it's often enough that there's space there's this isn't too bad. And Charmonde is a big city and your district, your wards were kind of established

Round the time they started figuring out how to plan for space okay.

Sampson [Dili]  16:06  
Let me check an ability

to see if I can

Daniel [GM]  16:14  
well first I need to know are you deviating Are you just going straight? 

Sampson [Dili]  16:18  
I am going to deviate away from where I expect Aces and Deuces to be following because I think Dili realize, Oh shit, they're invisible. Likely is split up but they still need to, I guess, encompass him. So I think he will deviate but he's still going to deviate away from where he first saw Aces and Deuces. 

Daniel [GM]  16:42  
Okay, so you deviate to the right, you're going down down the way you're running as hard as he can run. probably still trying not to cry.

And you see like in the next alley ahead of you

Some shape, kind of slink off the wall and Aces says, Dili. What's the rush? Just want to have a talk with you.

Oh shit,

Sampson [Dili]  17:10  
I guess

daily will fall for this you'll see aces, I think. And then kind of skid and then try to run the other way to where I suspect deuces is gonna be. 

Daniel [GM]  17:25  
It could be let's let's actually draw hard to figure out how well in position there. 

Sampson [Dili]  17:31  
Okay.

Daniel [GM]  17:32  
I don't think I've ever seen this

driver. 

Sampson [Dili]  17:36  
Okay.

Daniel [GM]  17:38  
The driver indicates an upcoming trip. It suggests that speed is important, but most of all it says that one should keep moving forward. Ostensibly forward means towards one's goal. But there, there's an impetuousness to the driver. This suggests at least sometimes, the best way to get to where one's going might not be straight toward it. The driver moves in quick turn.

To get around obstacles to befuddle those who tried to follow her. Okay, so I think what happens is you go back that way and sure enough there is Deuces but you managed to with a skill that shocks you but you're riding high on adrenaline you managed to duck right under Deuces reach and get past it. 

Sampson [Dili]  18:21  
Okay? I imagine because you said skills can flavor this. It's not so much a speed thing as much that he uses as a minor illusion to kind of create a one duplicate of himself.

I think one that's

if Deuces sort of look at it? Yes, that's obviously an illusion. But at that moment, it was enough to give Dili enough clearance to get under his arms or whatever. 

Daniel [GM]  18:49  
Yeah, he was off put enough that he made the wrong call out where to reach for. So you dodge past it and you hear as you're going abroad.

You hear deuces, like the voice and his voice is very resonant. So it's like you suspect it would feel the same even if he was farther away.

He feels like resonant like right behind you. And as deuces

Running's not a good idea, Dili.

Sampson [Dili]  19:18  
under his breath, I know this way never did it. Oh god.

Daniel [GM]  19:26  
Aces calling from behind your Deuces and saying

I thought they said this guy was smart. 

Sampson [Dili]  19:33  
Not smart enough.

Okay. how prevalent are the cog men helpers things. 

Daniel [GM]  19:44  
If they're around, they're there for but like, they kind of rotate the neighborhoods like so the well to do neighborhoods are definitely tended far more often.

And the slums are barely touched at all. You guys are a sort of

Sort of merchant districts so you know, you're a little bit it's a little bit better than what like say like the quote unquote middle class kids in their residences around the residences, but it's still fairly well taken care of. 

Sampson [Dili]  20:14  
Okay? 

Daniel [GM]  20:15  
we could we could draw a card to see if there's one around if that's your, your question, 

Sampson [Dili]  20:19  
Kind of. Dili wants to, I guess, run far enough away to like, turn a corner and then see if he could find one.

Just kind of handle it arose. Okay.

Daniel [GM]  20:31  
Devil, 

Sampson [Dili]  20:32  
Fuck.

Fuck.

Daniel [GM]  20:38  
See, this is most often a sign of danger, but its interpretation can focus on the devil's tools than his aims. Charm persuasion words. Beware the insincerity of such things and the lies they conceal. It could also represent the lure of seduction. Whether it's either literally or figuratively in seduction of evil, making easy choices can be scary.

That way lies real danger. I don't

you don't see, a cog courier, but I do think you see unexpectedly

walking down the way and I'm going to ask you to describe her a moment, but she's quite dramatic. And she's walking down the alleyway just casually in your direction. What is a Asidra

Sampson [Dili]  21:27  
Oh Shit

What does Asidra look like? 

Daniel [GM]  21:32  
Make sure she looks cool.

Sampson [Dili]  21:35  
She looks like a butt.

Asidra kind of looks like a female version of T 1000. From T two or at least that actor so like.

Daniel [GM]  21:50  
Yeah, I know you talked about.

Sampson [Dili]  21:51  
clean cut short hair. I don't want to say like those cold aggressive eyes The actor had, but there's definitely like

a matter of factness there's not a whole lot of emotion. Yeah, besides his reaction to it, if that makes sense. 

Daniel [GM]  22:07  
Mm hmm.

Sampson [Dili]  22:10  
Then high cheekbones, relatively tall.

Daniel [GM]  22:15  
And I'm going to say,

sort of around her head in certain places are, you know, essentially bits of numenera like that she's had grafted onto her body perhaps by a wright like yourself or someone else. Or perhaps one of her own experiments or perhaps an encounter with some other numenera device, but

you know, it's those things. It's definitely you've never actually been in been able to divine what the purpose is. But you suspect that you know, as a dancer, Oh, she probably draws some of her power from them

as she's walking towards you, but she says Dili, Dili, Dili, Dili

You're you're smarter than this running around is not going to help you. But you need to do is talk to me

Sampson [Dili]  23:09  
I don't get the sense

that that's gonna really help. So I would like to leave. And then Dili's gonna I think make for the closest alleyway, 

Daniel [GM]  23:25  
the nearest alleyway you dive down that alley

and you're running and then you smack face first into a wall that you didn't see there. 

Sampson [Dili]  23:37  
Shit.

Daniel [GM]  23:38  
 and you look over and on the wall, you can see a small cypher cleaning on the other side of that field. And then you hear steps behind you at this alley's entrance. 

Sampson [Dili]  23:55  
Okay. Okay.

So I like to do

Is I imagine Dili has, like kind of his work bag with him something that he would bring from his shop to like his tools or whatever.

Daniel [GM]  24:10  
Yeah, I would say, I would say just so you know, whatever you had on you at the start of the adventure for equipment, the start of the campaign for equipment that's what's in Dili's bag right now.

Sampson [Dili]  24:20  
I would say at least the oddities only because the two cyphers seem like just because of what they do. I think at this point, I've got the, at least at this point in the main story, I popped the still field. But I have another cypher for both of them are very good cyphers for something he would have made in reaction to this running. So I don't think he would have had them before.

But what I want to do is use a right tool for the job and whatever this context is going to be.

So I pull an iotem and I think he's going to make

Flash bomb or as much of a flash bomb as you can make at this point. 

Daniel [GM]  25:06  
Hmm. To what end? 

Sampson [Dili]  25:09  
Dili's plan? Oh actually,

I probably can't disrupt the cypher with what I have. Can serve as lockpick small obstruction.

Flash bang okay can do that. So do you think I couldn't make a right tool for the job and the few seconds I have that could disrupt the cypher that has created this wall.

Daniel [GM]  25:34  
You could. Sure, okay. It'll be a card draw because one of two things will happen either you'll successfully disrupt it or you won't. 

Sampson [Dili]  25:43  
Then Dili's gonna try to do that. 

Daniel [GM]  25:45  
Okay, we'll draw from the suit back and see how it feels.

Okay,

Questing Knight.

This card suggests determination is needed for success.

But it indicates that such success is within one's grasp, particularly if such a turn of events is just and right. It can also mean that success still very likely comes only at the end of a long journey. 

Sampson [Dili]  26:16  
That's probably the most helpful card I've ever had drawn for me, as long as I'm interpreting it, but I'm not dming. So, 

Daniel [GM]  26:23  
you know, there could, there could always I could interpret it, because the long journey could be that you'll still succeed, but you won't get it. It'll, you'll have more stuff to do now.

I'm going to say that you're determined enough like you can feel but it's like, it's like, chills going up your spine. Like, you know, that's happening and you can feel something. You feel this, like, coldness building, which you don't know exactly what it is the feeling of it. It's a lot like Asidra

But it's, it's like she's preparing something.

And if there's one thing you know about Nanos is that they all have the ability to send concussive force their opponents

in an onslaught of power. But you stay managed to stay focused. And you create this device that disrupts the wall. And I assume you're going to take that opportunity to run 

Sampson [Dili]  27:30  
Yes, I will. 

Daniel [GM]  27:32  
So as you run through, you hear that chilling sound of a blast of this force coming out past you, but it never reaches you. And when you look over your shoulder, you see that the cypher that you disrupted, you managed to disrupt it, but you only disrupted it for a few seconds. And it's still running now. And its field is what stopped the onslaught from hitting you.

Sampson [Dili]  27:56  
Love it so much, okay. still running.

Daniel [GM]  28:00  
You do you do hear a voice calling from way behind you.

Dili. This is our city. There's nowhere you can go here that we can't find you do hear one voice and it's still pretty far behind you. But it's from above like almost as if it's from the top of one of the buildings. And the voice says Shouldn't have run Dili. now we don't have any other choices when we find you. Okay, and I assume that Dili just keeps running, 

Sampson [Dili]  28:31  
keeps running, but now he's gonna have the bright idea to as much as he can. I think it's gonna cause some mental trauma if he keeps doing that well. Now he's got one edge and intellect.

So my minor illusions generally free usually. So I think deal is going to kind of

have a perpetual like Shadow around him if he can, like not making them invisible but like obscuring him kind of like a half shadow.

Deep shadow kind of look. 

Daniel [GM]  29:02  
Are you just putting it around part of you? Are you putting it around?

Sampson [Dili]  29:06  
I think around all of me, 

Daniel [GM]  29:08  
so you'll need to be able to see through that shadow too. 

Sampson [Dili]  29:11  
Yes.

Okay, so maybe like some eye holes. 

Daniel [GM]  29:17  
Okay. Yes. This is the most terrifying thing for any drunk person to see.

Huge shadowy blob with eyeholes down low and these frightened

darting back and forth while it wheezes.

Sampson [Dili]  29:38  
hyper vampires man. Yeah, no, I gotcha.

Daniel [GM]  29:41  
So yeah, you keep running and running him whereas Dili run to

Sampson [Dili]  29:48  
Dili is going to think that may be running back into the poor area closer to where, where he thinks this organization's headquarters is

Cuz I think I'm where he delivered the package to, that's where he thinks they're based out of. So he's thinking if I go closer to the source, they won't expect me over there. Because I should be running. So maybe I'll have a better chance. So he's almost retreading his steps, but maybe at one point, at one point if he feels he has enough distance to have to cross the river, do you think? 

Daniel [GM]  30:26  
No, you won't have to or rather there's there's foot bridges that you could use? 

Sampson [Dili]  30:31  
No, yeah, but there's only six of them. So yeah,

I was just gonna use that as a marker. Well, once he crosses the river once he feels he's gone far enough. He's gonna focus more on stealth than speed. Okay.

Daniel [GM]  30:45  
You've come to its official name was you know, originally, Ward Ana, and it was just part of one of the many wards in Charmonde you have no idea.

What the residents refer to it as

the some of the artsy fartsy types that are in your district often refer to it as the ward of the lost. And you're running in here. And this is a rough neighborhood. I mean, all the buildings do look in terrible shape. The marble statuary that you usually see everywhere here is in Charmonde is crumbling. There are lots of people out and about just walking the streets. And there are a lot of people also just laying on the ground in front and clearly like, convulsing from some sort of drug that they've just done.

Okay. And the whole area smells of sweat, just terrible, accurate smoke and desperation

and a little bit of shit naturally.

Sampson [Dili]  31:57  
So as he's getting close, I think

Daniel [GM]  32:00  
He's gonna try to copy it the look of a nearby vagabond. Mm hmm. Maybe kind of like one more scrunch down to his size, but basically what he can see. Okay, and then he's gonna

nervously slow down to a walk, maybe like halfway through be like, oh, maybe I should, maybe I should have a limp and then

tried to make a limp happen. So it's like he's, he's not a he's not an actor, so it doesn't look good.

 So does Dili go into anywhere in particular here in this ward of the lost. 

I would say that Dili probably has not spent much time down here. He's probably made the delivery to that warehouse, but I doubt he's really explored anywhere else here. 

Sampson [Dili]  32:48  
Right. Yeah. 

Daniel [GM]  32:49  
It's actually probably not safe for somebody of Dili's stature to really be hanging out down here, especially alone at night.

Sampson [Dili]  33:01  
As much as there are main roads through a bad neighborhood like this, he's going to stick to them, but he's going to try to find a quieter part of town. Not so much of the back alleys because I think he thinks that they're going to look there first. But he's trying to get he's gonna try to find a less popular, less populous area of this shithole as the locals call it. 

Daniel [GM]  33:26  
Okay. Let's see what you find.

Forgotten prisoner. 

Sampson [Dili]  33:32  
I like that first one. 

Daniel [GM]  33:34  
Is there really such a thing as Justice The Forgotten prisoner would say no. The Forgotten prisoner most likely indicates that one has forgotten something vital, but I can also presage some coming in justice or simply a bit of bad luck. It is not a happy moment to see this card turned

Sampson [Dili]  33:51  
Fuck. 

Daniel [GM]  33:52  
They locked him away and forgot about him until he forgot about himself. 

Sampson [Dili]  33:57  
That sucks. Okay.

Daniel [GM]  33:59  
So

This is what I think happens here. Dili you start heading you find a you do find like sort of a less populous area there's less people out in the streets. But it's quiet, really quiet. Quieter there than any spot in the city should be. It's dark. There's almost no glow glow globes lit. So the buildings all dark. Occasionally you can see something that looks like a flicker moving between rooms between Windows as if somebody's moving around with some small

either a small glow glow globe or something else.

But there's not a sound. There's not the sound of vermin. There's not the sound of any other animals in the area. You don't hear people and can't even hear the river.

Just dark and empty and it leads to the circle of buildings and in the center looks like something that would have been a fountain except it's

Not spraying up any water is instead caked over with a bioluminescent algae. And there's some sort of placard at the bottom of it, but you're too far away. 

Sampson [Dili]  35:13  
Okay. I don't know if Dili would think that's a typical just because he's already in a typical like, moment of his life. 

Daniel [GM]  35:22  
Yeah, yeah, I mean I don't know if he does so think of it as like, the sights will be better this way the sights are probably it's probably a little unsettling but it's not atypical. Yeah, you're in a different place who knows what it's

And Dili's kind of timid to begin with. What I will say this though, is you've lived in the city almost your whole life. It's never this quiet. 

Sampson [Dili]  35:47  
Okay. Still trying to make that limp look realistic. He's going to I guess, cross this decrepit Plaza looking thing. So it sounds like 

Daniel [GM]  35:58  
okay, 

Sampson [Dili]  35:59  
and

Then I think try to,

like it seems to quiet so he's gonna try and get I think to the other edge of it as a short term goal. 

Daniel [GM]  36:09  
Okay. Well, this this Plaza kind of and this Plaza that you're on kind of ends on this silent cul de sac around this fountain. There are buildings there and things like that. But beyond that it's just you know, walls to the edge of the city. Tall walls.

Sampson [Dili]  36:24  
 All right, then I think he's going to try to find

a hiding place, like behind a trash can or empty crater, a cog courier that got beat to shit years ago.

Daniel [GM]  36:39  
Probably car courier, but you could probably find some sort of trash in between the buildings. Although it's very quiet here.

There are crates and stuff like that. They're still relatively like exposed. I mean, you could cast an illusion over as long as you're going to stay awake. Yeah, I mean, that's situation.

There are some that are in the cul de sac there. There are a few that are kind of scattered along the streets, but they're all kind of like out in the open.

Sampson [Dili]  37:10  
I think he's going to go to nearby trash heap,

change his illusion to add on to that trash heap. So it's a bigger trash heap. 

Daniel [GM]  37:20  
So you're going to one in the light on the street you're on or in the cul de sac, 

Sampson [Dili]  37:24  
In the cul de sac. Yeah. 

Daniel [GM]  37:26  
Okay. So you head over to one of them in the cul de sac. As you go by you pass that fountain and you see a placard there that says, We dedicate this Ward to Ana's memory. And you go past it and you find a trash heap.

It's kind of actually like between two of these buildings in the cul de sac. So it's actually a little bit farther off the street than some of the ones that were there before. And you kind of scroll down and you put your illusion up.

And you wait in the silence. You hear motion, like someone's shoes scraping against the ground 

Sampson [Dili]  38:12  
Can Dili alter his illusion such that there's like a little hole kind of close to the ground that you can like peek under to like, try to see what's happening.

Daniel [GM]  38:22  
So you're going to do that and you hear that scraping seems to be coming from sort of out into the left, but not that far.

And then you make that hole to look out. And as you're looking at the hole and trying to get something, you see a foot come down in front of the hole facing perpendicular. And the foot is it's a pretty, you know, comfortable looking boot, it's very flexible, well maintained, but definitely has some scuffs on it. It's well used

you

hear this sound from above the foot. That's just like [monster sound]

Sampson [Dili]  39:09  
Dili's a minor illusion does sound as well so

while it's trying to keep the garbage cheap image up, he is going to I think, try to make like, sound like something like a rat or rock being

displaced behind this boot., something to make this creature turn around. 

Daniel [GM]  39:32  
So you're trying to make a second illusion Can you maintain two illusions at once.

Sampson [Dili]  39:37  
doesn't really it's a little vague.

Because my illusions can be sight and sound but so I figured, like, as long as the trash he was silence, I could still have that like sound slot. That's how I interpreted that at least. 

Daniel [GM]  39:51  
Yeah, I think it's probably got to be something more like that. It's connected like it's all part of the same. work. 

Sampson [Dili]  39:58  
Dili doesn't do that. Then

Daniel [GM]  40:01  
You hear that sound again.

Sampson [Dili]  40:03  
Okay, 

Daniel [GM]  40:05  
Then you hear another scraping sound.

coming from the right. And you see the foot in front of this whole step back a bit. Step four, you hear this.

This almost like strange like breathless hiss. And then you hear that same sound

the other direction, 

Sampson [Dili]  40:28  
Behind me or towards the fountain to the right,

Daniel [GM]  40:32  
These are all in front of you. The one to the right is took me out of the, this little in between the spine into the right. One is like directly in front of you, and the outside of the solution. 

Sampson [Dili]  40:46  
Okay?

Daniel [GM]  40:47  
they're interacting on their own. 

Sampson [Dili]  40:51  
Alright, so I'm going to try to use right tool for the job again, this time it is going to be a flashbang

Daniel [GM]  40:58  
Okay,

Sampson [Dili]  41:01  
So once he has that prepared and he hasn't been eaten yet, you know, I think still trying to maintain his garbage illusion he's going to

throw the flashbang up out of the illusion and then run. 

Daniel [GM]  41:15  
run where 

Sampson [Dili]  41:16  
I guess that dodge around this creature in them run out of the cul de sac or attempt to run out of the cul de sac. 

Daniel [GM]  41:24  
Okay, let's draw a card. Imprisoning ice.

Sampson [Dili]  41:30  
Okay?

Daniel [GM]  41:33  
[joking] Is that one good?

The very environment holds you fast when you're attracting the nice. danger lies ahead. This card predicts a coming conflict with dire consequences. The person in question might be imprisoned or otherwise and trapped, perhaps Of course in many forms, emotional traps psychological traps, legal traps

a relationship can be a trap. To escape, one must either act on the warning given by the imprisoning or succeed and I better struggle.

So I think the flashbang goes off.

You're going to make your run as you are running past... Do you try to get a look at these things? Or do you just keep running?

Sampson [Dili]  42:21  
 I'm enough of a looked at, I think know where they are. So we can not run at them. But other than that, he's not trying to like, figure out what they are what they look like or anything. 

Daniel [GM]  42:32  
Okay, okay. So you're just kind of treating them like, obstacle shapes? 

Sampson [Dili]  42:36  
Pretty much. Yeah. 

Daniel [GM]  42:37  
Okay. So as you run past them, you do like kind of skate past one. But as you're doing that you feel this burning feeling in your left

turning into pain, and you realize that something has clawed you and it hurts a lot.

So, you pass you hear these, like strange groans from behind you. And then you hear these scraping feet, doing some sort of like, shuffle run behind you. It's not as fast as your run, but you can hear them coming. And you hear these, like, these groans behind you and these shuffling feet chasing you down the road. And you notice that as you're running, more of these houses are starting to light up inside. And lights are starting to move towards the windows. 

Sampson [Dili]  43:39  
Okay. And he's gonna shift his illusion back to the kind of the general dark shadow with holes for he's gonna be clutching his wounded arm.

Still trying to get out of the cul de sac. Has he done that yet or no? 

Daniel [GM]  43:54  
Yeah, you're past the cul de sac and you're on the road. That cul de sac was at the end.

Sampson [Dili]  43:59  
 Okay.

Daniel [GM]  43:59  
Incidentally that your arm where you got claws throbbing, right?

Sampson [Dili]  44:06  
So that's probably not good. 

Daniel [GM]  44:08  
The card also has this caption. The ice doesn't need to hurry. You're not going anywhere. 

Sampson [Dili]  44:14  
Come on. Okay

I should have made a character with friends. That would have been useful? I can't think of anything. Dili would do except continue to run out of the cul de sac and then I think slowly go back to his vagabond disguise and really ham up now he does really need to ham it up but him up the injury.

Daniel [GM]  44:39  
Yeah, yeah. There's definitely still things coming behind. 

Sampson [Dili]  44:43  
Oh, still? He's running. 

Daniel [GM]  44:46  
No they followed you out the cul de sac. 

Sampson [Dili]  44:49  
Okay, I thought they were shambling okay. Yeah.

Daniel [GM]  44:53  
They're not super fast, but they are consistent. Like they're not losing ground.

Sampson [Dili]  44:57  
 Cool. All right. Um,

They'd be running at least.

Yeah, I think just running. 

Daniel [GM]  45:06  
Dili you're starting to feel dizzy. 

Sampson [Dili]  45:09  
Yeah, that's why I thought

I have nothing for that. So I think once still he gets to a decent enough distance he can like look at the wound, he's going to

get around a corner and then drop this illusion to look at his arm and see what he what he's dealing with. 

Daniel [GM]  45:28  
Yeah, I hear what you're saying before you're gonna be able to do that though because these things are still gonna be tailing

you're gonna get dizzier and you're gonna notice that it's your vision is fuzzy.

And you're having a hard time. Like you were trying to fake a limp before but now you're having a hard time walking in coordinated fashion. 

Sampson [Dili]  45:49  
Imagine his his illusions also dropped. 

Daniel [GM]  45:52  
Yeah, it has. And daily gets maybe past a few more houses. He actually gets to the edge of this road before it started getting all.

Quiet, and then he collapses. And as you collapse, you can see these things with distance coming. They're tall, like humans are dressed like

with the exception of these, the short sleeves reveal this deep gray, like muscular whipsnap muscle skin like if you want to think about Iggy Pop, right? Except like really dark gray skin with long claws. And these faces that look like... You see, like these human ish eyes better, like very clearly like, as they're coming up behind you. You can see like, yellow reflections in them like a cat's eyes when it hits light.

But you see their mouths look like a lamprey's.

And that's your

Vision phase goes dark before you completely lose consciousness. You just hear these terrible growls and you feel wetness strike your body, then you're unconscious. 

Then after a long period of darkness, you have these dreams and in this dream, none of it makes sense. I mean, some of it you see the automaton that you spent so much time building.

You see the metal mind that you were asked to install. And even though it's nothing like it, you see this metal mind the sphere. In your dream, at least you can see it like this dark rusting corruption, sliding through it and returning it from a beautiful silver to

This red orb with black cracks going through it. And you see yourself trapped in this and you hear this strange sound. This slithering sound. When you look down, you see, you don't see its head or anything like that, but you see the thick body of a snake slowly wrapped around your leg and it's coming up and you can feel it behind you.

That head is behind. If you turned, you could see it. But you're also convinced that if you turn and look at it your dream, you're going to die. What does Dili do in this situation in the dream? 

Sampson [Dili]  48:51  
Just his legs right so i think Dili is hoping that despite wrapping around him, the snake hasn't noticed him.

So he's just trying to imagine stuff like small, I'm so small that he hasn't even noticed that he's wrapped around me.

Daniel [GM]  49:10  
Okay?

Sampson [Dili]  49:11  
 Because if I look behind, then he'll notice that he's wrapped around me. You can't have that.

Daniel [GM]  49:17  
In your dream you now notice that the coils of the snake are now also around your chest. And then as you're doing your best to be invisible and small, the head comes into view. And while the rest of his body is certainty, this face is like a pantomime of a human's face, but all stretched out kind of like Munch's "The Scream" and its tongue is made of Three Forks, and each one of them ends in a razor. And there is this black fluid dripping from their mouths. And then you wake up in a cold sweat on a small cot, in a dark room.

There is this room. If you're not sure where you are, there's really nothing else distinguishing about this room. It doesn't look like it's particularly well kept. But there's somebody sitting in the shadows across the room. 

Sampson [Dili]  50:15  
Is Dili like sick I guess from whatever hangover you might have from this. 

Daniel [GM]  50:20  
No, but you do feel like this. Like you feel like as if you feel like after a fever like you feel like you have been through hell sleeping. 

Sampson [Dili]  50:30  
Dili is gonna I guess, sit up and look around. I don't know. Has he noticed the shadow person? 

Daniel [GM]  50:38  
Yeah, he has.

Sampson [Dili]  50:42  
What do you want? I I can't fix it. I can't. It's repairable. 

Daniel [GM]  50:50  
You'll have to get better at like, you're going to stay safe. 

Sampson [Dili]  50:54  
What? How would you know if I'm lying. I was the one hired to build it.

Who are you?

Daniel [GM]  51:02  
Name is Merrick. And what you should be saying is, thank you. Thank you for killing the terrible lamprey piece that we're about to eat me. That had poisoned me. Thanks for just showing up and saving the day and bringing me somewhere safe. So the rest of the find me afterwards. 

Sampson [Dili]  51:20  
So you're not with the Nyxos or

any of them? 

Daniel [GM]  51:26  
No, no. Oh, but I've got to say Dili if you're supposed to be judged by your enemies. You've made some powerful ones tonight. I would not. I wouldn't trade you your spot for it. 

Sampson [Dili]  51:41  
That's fair. 

Daniel [GM]  51:42  
Those guys have long memories. 

Sampson [Dili]  51:44  
Oh good. Okay.

Well then, thank you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so aggressive. I, as you know, I have had a long night.

Daniel [GM]  51:55  
Yeah, I should say so. I almost didn't get to you. 

Sampson [Dili]  51:59  
Why

did you save me that's wasn't really in a part of town that it's known for empathy 

Daniel [GM]  52:06  
right place right time.

Sampson [Dili]  52:07  
Right near a dead body.

Daniel [GM]  52:09  
 I get around

Sampson [Dili]  52:11  
all right

How can I thank you because I probably ruined your sheets. Sorry. 

Daniel [GM]  52:19  
Well they're not mine. Not sure whose it is I'm sure they'll be home eventually. 

Sampson [Dili]  52:24  
Oh my god, this is yours. Oh, God.

Daniel [GM]  52:28  
No, no, it's somebody else I've waited till they left before we came in here. Better to get shelter that way. When I know that you'd be gone for at least six hours. 

Sampson [Dili]  52:38  
Okay. Dili will, I guess start getting out of bed and collecting stuff. 

Daniel [GM]  52:44  
There's a fresh shirt for you on the table. Your old one is in pretty bad shape the poison it started eating away past the the sleeve and and when you do but he mentions the sleeve. If you look at your arm, you see these thick welts that they're healing.

They're still like very ugly and sore and they're puffy. 

Sampson [Dili]  53:04  
Oof. Thank you again

He puts on a shirt. So again I feel like I owe you something for this I don't have a whole lot of money at the moment. 

Daniel [GM]  53:17  
I don't imagine so

at this point of like looks up to the window

and says it's been a day and a half for you really so

I have no doubt that Mino already cleared out your place

oh you never met Mino did you? 

Sampson [Dili]  53:40  
I don't but context clues I mentioned he is a higher up in the Nyxos. 

Daniel [GM]  53:47  
Yeah, I would say that.

Your what you did took balls.

They've already got a bounty out on your head.

Sampson [Dili]  53:57  
Oh,

Daniel [GM]  54:00  
Okay, you know how to hide by? 

Sampson [Dili]  54:04  
I thought I did. Apparently notnot super well, I

can do this and then I think Dili will

plop down just like although I guess it's minor illusions kind of flicker at this point but it looks like it's trying to be a crate.

I can go ahead.

Daniel [GM]  54:23  
Yeah, that is probably not the most helpful way to hide because you have to stay awake to do it. 

Sampson [Dili]  54:31  
Right. Any suggestions?

Daniel [GM]  54:34  
Yeah, I'll give you some free advice. You're not going to get anywhere without money. 

Sampson [Dili]  54:40  
Cool.

Any...

Daniel [GM]  54:44  
don't really have any you don't have your shop. So this is what I'll say to you. You've got options, you could go out there and try to steal it from somebody else. You could try to make the money some other way. Maybe risk getting spotted, or you do

Something more under the table. less likely to be spotted but less risky. 

Sampson [Dili]  55:05  
Sounds like you have something in mind. 

Daniel [GM]  55:08  
I'm fond of finding what's lost. 

Sampson [Dili]  55:10  
Yeah. You did find me. So that's on brand for you. 

Daniel [GM]  55:16  
He reaches into his pocket. And he stands up and this guy's huge like, not like bulky but very tall.

And he reaches out with a piece of paper. And he says, Go here. It's not charity, though. They'll want you to work. But you'll get some shins. Maybe enough to get yourself somewhere decent to hide. Or at the very least, maybe, or maybe even better. Maybe you'll find your way to get out of the city. 

Sampson [Dili]  55:46  
That

That would be nice. That

my shops gone then that's all I really had. Thank you

what's on the piece of paper?

Daniel [GM]  56:00  
It is a short map that leaves about four blocks away and then down an alley. And then there's a circle there. 

Sampson [Dili]  56:10  
Can I

gauge from this map?

how close I am to

the Nyxos' warehouse? 

Daniel [GM]  56:19  
You have no idea from where you are right? I mean the map is literally just up these four blocks. And you don't know exactly where in the ward of the lost you are. 

Sampson [Dili]  56:29  
Alright, well thank you. 

Daniel [GM]  56:30  
Good luck Dili. 

Sampson [Dili]  56:32  
Before... I'm just expecting to like turn around and then you'll just be gone.

But before you do that, how 

Daniel [GM]  56:38  
That seems that  would be awfully cinematic and cliche, don't you think? I honestly, what am I just a plot point to you?

Sampson [Dili]  56:46  
I just say that that wasn't me. I just, you can have your own book series of whatever I don't know. But um, how did you know my name? Just quick question. 

Daniel [GM]  56:57  
He smiles at you and say. If you want

To find something lost you got to know what you're looking for in the first place. 

That wasn't helpful at all.

And and that's when you notice something. You're not sure when it happened, but this hooded figure, it's just a coat rack. You don't know when after the card to happen what what it was it's just hood over a coat rack. 

And you're alone in this room. 

Sampson [Dili]  57:23  
motherfucker I fucking called it.

Dili's just gonna take the coat. Yeah, it's a little big for sure because he's so tall but the hood is more spacious than Billy's normal. Yeah, and he'll put that on I guess try to as much as he can pull up the sides and throw the big hood on then exit muttering.

always with mysterious types.

Goddamn.

Daniel [GM]  57:53  
You find yourself on this street in the word of the loss. It's not an area you've been in before. 

Sampson [Dili]  57:58  
Dili will follow the map keeping to the edge of the street trying to be inconspicuous as he thinks that he is being. 

Daniel [GM]  58:08  
Okay, so Dili goes, follows the map until he reaches the alley. And as he's going down the alley you get to where you think the circle should be. And you see a very odd thing. There is a door in the walls of this alley, but it looks like the front door to like a residence even has some like pretty like sort of glass in a half circle at the top.

But it's in an alley, it's basically an alley which doesn't make any sense. As you notice that there is a small placard of gray synth with this dull gray paint on it, saying in block letters: Explorers Wanted - Inquire Within. 

Sampson [Dili]  58:51  
That's alright. Let's be an explorer. Dili will go up and knock. 

Daniel [GM]  58:57  
So you knock on the door and there's a few moments and then

door opens and you can hear this sort of crackling fire. And there's an elderly woman there. She's still about a foot taller than Dili.

And she looks at you it's like, oh, you look terrible. Looks like you've had a rough night. 

Sampson [Dili]  59:19  
Oh, yeah. Batman sent me

Daniel [GM]  59:23  
Batman?

Sampson [Dili]  59:25  
sorry, weird obscure, sorry, guy who disappears after a nice one liner. 

Daniel [GM]  59:33  
Oh him. So how can I help you? 

Sampson [Dili]  59:37  
Um, I need money. I've been told this would be a decent place to find money

for not charity. A job, I assume. 

Daniel [GM]  59:50  
Okay, okay, well, which come in and we can talk about it. Come on in and she kind of as you're coming in, she kind of puts her hand on your shoulder or leaves you and she's like, Dili, correct?

And come on in and have a seat.

Sampson [Dili]  1:00:02  
 son of a bitch. You too

Daniel [GM]  1:00:06  
Is that what Dili says?

Sampson [Dili]  1:00:08  
With his face. I don't think hed say something, bitch. But yeah, he would just be like what?

Daniel [GM]  1:00:14  
And she catches your expression. And she just kind of smiles. says, Have a seat, Dili. There's work of plenty for somebody who's interested in exploration.

And that's what your session zero. 

Sampson [Dili]  1:00:28  
 Yay!

Transcribed by https://otter.ai