Daniel Andrlik (00:00:30):
Welcome to Explorers Wanted. We are a weekly Numenera actual play podcast. I will be your humble DM, Daniel Andrlik. With me today is Alex Finn.

Alex Finn (00:00:42):
Oh, hi there. I just got really confused, because Max is hiding in the other room, and I was just like, "I guess this is my life now. I don't have a dachshund. He's just in the other room."

Daniel Andrlik (00:00:54):
Stace Babcock.

Stace Babcock (00:00:55):
My cat's in my face, as is her wont.

Daniel Andrlik (00:00:59):
And Sampson Davis.

Sampson Davis (00:01:01):
Apologies to future Dan for all the mouth sounds I'll be making on these tasty, tasty fries.

Alex Finn (00:01:07):
We love the mouth sounds though. Just get all gushy up in there. All moist.

Daniel Andrlik (00:01:13):
Now it looks like Sampson's choking on his fries, so we'll see how this goes.

Sampson Davis (00:01:17):
These fries are actually quite crispy, so sorry.

Alex Finn (00:01:19):
Oh, get that crunch.

Daniel Andrlik (00:01:21):
So who remembers what happened last time? I think I am going to pick on Alex.

Alex Finn (00:01:29):
You always do. Okay, I'm going to find my center. I got really distracted, because my nails look really white in this video we're doing right now. Okay, focus, focus, focus. We ended this on the idea that we were sad. Yeah? Sadness was our ending feeling? Or was it an explosion?

Stace Babcock (00:01:51):
It was witnessing, or not witnessing, but finding a murder.

Alex Finn (00:01:59):
Oh.

Sampson Davis (00:01:59):
That's where we ended last time. We started with the sadness and explosion.

Alex Finn (00:02:02):
Okay, okay. So we started being sad that Atalia was gone, and we kind of had a little minor heart to heart about how we all felt about that in character. Not resolved yet. We saw an explosion? Or did we take a nap first?

Daniel Andrlik (00:02:20):
You saw the explosion on your way away.

Alex Finn (00:02:22):
Okay, so there was an explosion. ChaCha thought it was Doc Taraz being Doc Taraz, and was ready to just go kill Doc Taraz. And they were just like, "Well we need to see, stop jumping to assumptions ChaCha. ChaCha, it's not always Doc Taraz." And it's turns out, oopsie-doodle, it wasn't Doc Taraz. Had to retract some statements by ChaCha. It was actually us who caused the explosion. Was anybody really surprised?

Daniel Andrlik (00:02:52):
I shouldn't be.

Alex Finn (00:02:53):
I know. Like come on listeners, listen to this. You're listening. Were you surprised that the explosion was us? I was, but that shows who I am as a person. So anyway, we created a fake storm. What's the other word I'm thinking of?

Stace Babcock (00:03:13):
A void storm?

Alex Finn (00:03:14):
Yes, we created a fake void storm, and turns out ChaCha knows about these. And if you get caught in a void storm in the wild, you go gooey, then you go crunchy. Sampson knows about the crunchy gooey.

Sampson Davis (00:03:27):
Yeah.

Alex Finn (00:03:27):
And so we went to go save the people, because oopsie-doodle, we did set off an explosion in a residential area, which you should never do. Please vacate the areas of your explosions before doing them.

Stace Babcock (00:03:43):
I'm just saying, was it our fault, or was it improper storage of ordinance and bad firefighting procedures, you know what I'm saying? Like on the part of the handlers.

Alex Finn (00:03:56):
True. They needed to get up on their EHS procedures.

Stace Babcock (00:04:01):
I feel like it's probably 50/50.

Alex Finn (00:04:02):
It was just like 50 us, 50 them. Yeah. And we realized we could use the battery to do something with the void storm. We were like, "IDK what this will do, but let's go poke it with a battery," and turns out that's how you fly in this world. You poke things with batteries and you fly. But what really happened is we charged the battery and the void storm went away, and we looked down the hole, and Nix was just like, "I got a glow-glow, let me yeet it down the hole." And so we saw that the hole was connected to the underground labyrinth we were all looking for secretly, and then we had to leave because the city guards were coming, and we are still on the run. We walked over to Mamma Jerrun and were like, "Oopsie-doodle, we did another bad." And Mamma Jerrun probably has a lot of regret ever hiring us, because we have a lot of oopsie-doodles. Imagine hiring contractors, and every single day they're showing up just like, "Hey, our bad, but here's what we did. Oops. Oops."

Sampson Davis (00:05:13):
Well if she'd put us through orientation, we wouldn't have this problem.

Stace Babcock (00:05:16):
We also get shit done. We cut a month off of the statue retrieval mission, so [inaudible 00:05:24].

Alex Finn (00:05:25):
But then we showed back up with, "Oops, space ship."

Sampson Davis (00:05:29):
That problem took care of itself. It was fine.

Alex Finn (00:05:31):
And then we were just like, "Oops, we never wear disguises." Oops, all oops.

Sampson Davis (00:05:36):
I have been deliberate in saying we are disguised. What?

Stace Babcock (00:05:39):
Yeah, but everybody else is just like, "I'm not wanted. I can go parading down the street. It's fine."

Daniel Andrlik (00:05:46):
By everybody else, she means ChaCha.

Stace Babcock (00:05:47):
Yeah.

Sampson Davis (00:05:48):
Gotcha.

Alex Finn (00:05:49):
And oh, we started a side quest called Cypher flipping, and we got a lot of money for selling a nuclear weapon to Mamma Jerrun, who we really actually haven't determined won't use it for negative ideas, but at least we don't have the nuclear weapon anymore.

Daniel Andrlik (00:06:07):
It's good for you, you guys are arms dealers now.

Alex Finn (00:06:08):
Yeah.

Daniel Andrlik (00:06:09):
It's great.

Alex Finn (00:06:09):
We're arms dealers.

Sampson Davis (00:06:10):
I was going to say, that first one sounds more like war profiteering than flipping.

Alex Finn (00:06:14):
Yeah, and unfortunately at our next shopping trip, we did not find more Cyphers to flip, war profit, et cetera off of. And I think that's where we left off, after shopping? Yeah?

Daniel Andrlik (00:06:27):
No.

Alex Finn (00:06:28):
No, shit. No. We went actually, we went into the sewers underneath Doc Taraz's house, and using a mix of Nix's knowledge of what her dad does, ChaCha and Dili's magical engineering knowledge that I don't know how they got but they did, we broke into her basement, got into the underground labyrinth there, and found a dead body. Which Dili and Nix know are the butler, so this is the one time the butler didn't do it, unless this is a Clue situation where it's... Doc Taraz was always the butler, and the butler was secretly Doc Taraz, and Doc Taraz, the real Doc Taraz has been blackmailing everyone to have this façade going.

Stace Babcock (00:07:20):
I don't think that's a Clue situation. Maybe a Scooby-Doo situation.

Alex Finn (00:07:24):
No, that's like the movie Clue with Tim Curry.

Stace Babcock (00:07:27):
Oh.

Sampson Davis (00:07:27):
That was one of the endings.

Daniel Andrlik (00:07:29):
To be fair, you never did ask her if she was Doc Taraz with the lighter.

Alex Finn (00:07:33):
Yeah, see? It could've been the butler the whole time.

Stace Babcock (00:07:37):
Don't sow doubt, Daniel.

Alex Finn (00:07:41):
But yeah. The lighter was a red herring all along.

Daniel Andrlik (00:07:46):
So yeah, you guys are in this Synth hallway. You have been following the lights of this hallway that have lit up in response to the battery, and you have come across the dead body of this butler.

Alex Finn (00:07:59):
Alleged butler.

Daniel Andrlik (00:08:00):
That Dili and Nix had met with priorly in their aliases of Anastasia and Alabaster Featherwhite, and her body is dead on the ground. There is no weapon in her or anything like that. Clearly, she suffered from multiple punctures across the chest. There is a lot of blood pooled around her. What do you guys do?

Alex Finn (00:08:25):
Search the body. Loot the body.

Sampson Davis (00:08:28):
While she's doing that, I'm looking around the room seeing if there's a person with a knife standing just off to the side.

Stace Babcock (00:08:34):
Smart.

Alex Finn (00:08:35):
Or a trap in the walls, like she stepped on the Indiana Jones square.

Daniel Andrlik (00:08:41):
So Dili, give me a perception roll of six.

Sampson Davis (00:08:44):
For level of effort, I rolled a four.

Daniel Andrlik (00:08:48):
There's nobody else in this hallway, but you can see clearly that this hallway goes up further, and then goes off to the right and left, and presumably you're near this sort of labyrinth entrance. This body is at a sort of intersection, like a T intersection. So there's the way you came, there's the way that leads to that other intersection you saw, and there's a way to your right that leads away, but that way isn't lighting up in response to your battery. Only the way towards your intersection is.

Stace Babcock (00:09:22):
Ah shit, ChaCha. That's Doc Taraz's butler. Got a feeling the Knyxos are down here, because I told them.

Alex Finn (00:09:31):
I think ChaCha looks up from her looting and is just like, "Why would you tell them about this place?"

Stace Babcock (00:09:38):
Well ChaCha, it was a self preservation decision. They had me in a room with like three of them. They seemed super dangerous, and they were negotiating, so I was trying to negotiate, and I was also sort of hoping that they and Doc Taraz would get in a fight. So, so far so good I guess.

Alex Finn (00:10:05):
I mean, I guess, but...

Stace Babcock (00:10:07):
I do feel bad about the butler, though.

Daniel Andrlik (00:10:09):
The butler incidentally only has five shins on her person. She had five shins, and her Orc uniform.

Alex Finn (00:10:17):
I mean, is there anything fun and fresh and funky about the work uniform?

Daniel Andrlik (00:10:23):
No, it's pretty standard. I would say Dili and Nix recognize as pretty dull fashion. ChaCha probably wouldn't have enough experience to know what the fashion trends are here in Charmonde, but it definitely looks like a uniform, and it's not anything fancy. Presumably, ChaCha is more interested in more flamboyant outfits.

Alex Finn (00:10:46):
She's looking for that flair.

Daniel Andrlik (00:10:48):
This would be a dull outfit in ChaCha's perception.

Sampson Davis (00:10:51):
So Nix, if the Knyxos are down here, do you think you could still talk to them still? Because I'm about to throw up disguises for all of us, but I'm wondering if it's a good idea to have... if they know you, do you think they'll talk to you?

Stace Babcock (00:11:06):
No Dili, I don't think that they'll talk, considering I threw a chair at Minos, and then was instrumental in the death of Asidra and hopefully Deuces.

Sampson Davis (00:11:19):
That's fair. Disguises for everybody, then. I'll disguise us all.

Daniel Andrlik (00:11:24):
Okay. What do the disguises look like?

Sampson Davis (00:11:26):
Oh my God, who have we not disguised ourselves as yet?

Alex Finn (00:11:30):
City guards.

Stace Babcock (00:11:31):
We should be sewer service personnel.

Sampson Davis (00:11:35):
Okay, city employees. Yeah. We all look just normal, average.

Daniel Andrlik (00:11:40):
And Dili, and since you have basically your whole life in Charmonde, you don't even have to roll for it. You can make a convincing disguise with your illusion.

Alex Finn (00:11:49):
Sewage splatter.

Stace Babcock (00:11:50):
Do we smell?

Sampson Davis (00:11:52):
I can't do smell.

Stace Babcock (00:11:53):
You can't do smell, okay.

Sampson Davis (00:11:53):
Not yet.

Stace Babcock (00:11:55):
So maybe not too much splatter.

Daniel Andrlik (00:11:56):
Well, not unless you use your special Cipher that your son made.

Sampson Davis (00:12:00):
That also wouldn't work, because that's stationary.

Daniel Andrlik (00:12:03):
Yeah. Just think of the terrible smell you could make one time.

Sampson Davis (00:12:08):
Actually, I just need seven more XP and I can make a terrible smell. So if you want that to happen, let me know Dan.

Daniel Andrlik (00:12:19):
Okay.

Sampson Davis (00:12:20):
Anyway.

Daniel Andrlik (00:12:21):
So what do you guys do?

Alex Finn (00:12:22):
Keep going down the hallway.

Daniel Andrlik (00:12:24):
Towards the light or down the other hallway?

Alex Finn (00:12:27):
Towards the light?

Sampson Davis (00:12:30):
Yeah, yeah. See where this goes.

Daniel Andrlik (00:12:33):
Okay. So you head towards the light, and fall directly into my trap. No. You see the light leads to a pathway that goes right and left. Both directions are lit up.

Stace Babcock (00:12:51):
That was a trap.

Daniel Andrlik (00:12:52):
And both reach a turn that seems to go left from, well, left from one, right from the other. It seems to end up going in the same direction, although obviously since they're splitting, there's a different path there.

Stace Babcock (00:13:06):
The lights split as well?

Sampson Davis (00:13:08):
Always go right?

Stace Babcock (00:13:09):
Yeah. You remember Dili? Number one rule.

Daniel Andrlik (00:13:12):
I remember everything.

Stace Babcock (00:13:13):
Oh, God.

Sampson Davis (00:13:15):
Yep, I remember.

Daniel Andrlik (00:13:21):
Okay, so you guys go right. You reach this intersection, and then it takes you to a left, because that's your only choice. And when you can't go right, when your only choice is left, you go left, right?

Alex Finn (00:13:30):
Right.

Daniel Andrlik (00:13:33):
And so you start going that direction, and you encounter the light reach a junction point of three doors, and all three doors are lit up.

Stace Babcock (00:13:46):
Nix's hand's already on the right doorknob. She's going for it.

Daniel Andrlik (00:13:50):
Okay, so you go in the right door. You see this very odd room. The room has got a peculiar shape. The walls are in a decagon, so it's 10 sided, and in the center of this room is something that looks like a leafless tree of red metal, and it just seems to thrum with intent. And you can also see near where its roots dig into the Synth, there seems to be some sort of fluid pooling around it. Both the tree and the fluid are red in color, and there are two doors in this room. One leading to your left, one leading straight ahead.

Stace Babcock (00:14:39):
[inaudible 00:14:39] hit the tree.

Sampson Davis (00:14:40):
Actually, I'm going to check the other rooms real quick. I'm just going to peek in there, I'm just going to see what's happening.

Stace Babcock (00:14:45):
Oh hell yeah, Dilly.

Alex Finn (00:14:46):
ChaCha will then [investimigate 00:14:48] the tree.

Sampson Davis (00:14:48):
While ChaCha's doing the tree, I'm going to check the left door.

Alex Finn (00:14:52):
Nice.

Daniel Andrlik (00:14:54):
What is Nix doing?

Stace Babcock (00:14:54):
Just keeping an eye on them both.

Alex Finn (00:14:56):
She's got that iguana vision.

Daniel Andrlik (00:15:00):
Nix is now truly in parenting mode for these two. It's so important, you've got to let them run, but you worry.

Sampson Davis (00:15:08):
I'm not going far, I'm just peeking in the doorway.

Daniel Andrlik (00:15:11):
So Dili, you look in the door and you see a room with two doors on the left hand wall, and one door on the wall across, and you can see these long, snake-like extensions of metal that seem to extrude from the floor and ceiling. And you notice that from those extensions, occasionally you see these sprays of pollen like dust. The color of the dust is sort of a fuchsia.

Sampson Davis (00:15:42):
The dust is on the ground, kind of spread around where it touches metal? Makes sense?

Daniel Andrlik (00:15:48):
Well, it's like there's tiny cracks in those extensions that occasionally spew out this dust.

Sampson Davis (00:15:54):
Oh, okay.

Daniel Andrlik (00:15:55):
It does land on the ground, but it's like you can see sort of periodic. It doesn't seem to be on a particular rhythm where it is just spitting out this red dust like a spore you could see almost.

Sampson Davis (00:16:08):
Gotcha.

Daniel Andrlik (00:16:09):
ChaCha, you go up and investigate the tree.

Alex Finn (00:16:11):
Yes.

Daniel Andrlik (00:16:13):
It is strange. It looks like it is a leafless tree made of metal. And then you hear it... well, you don't know if it's it, but you hear a bunch of murmuring. But the murmuring seems to be emitting from this treelike structure, and it seems to be murmuring in some sort of unknown language, presumably to itself.

Alex Finn (00:16:39):
I guess ChaCha will use her mind reading ability on this tree.

Daniel Andrlik (00:16:43):
Okay. So you do it, and the surface thoughts you get are a little hard to follow. It's vegetable in nature, so it doesn't have animal equivalence that you can easily follow, and it definitely seems to be, what little bits of something that sounds like something you can work with from that mind reading, seems to be in another language that you don't know.

Alex Finn (00:17:11):
ChaCha wants to try and repeat what it's muttering back to it.

Daniel Andrlik (00:17:15):
Okay. Give me some sort of intellect or performance roll of 12.

Alex Finn (00:17:21):
No sure... Cirque du Soleil?

Daniel Andrlik (00:17:25):
Yeah, I give that to you. So it's nine.

Alex Finn (00:17:29):
Okay. With good luck, we're going to close, [inaudible 00:17:31] all the way and reopen it, because I don't have any XP. Do I want to put effort into this? Yeah. I want to use one level of effort. Yes, one.

Daniel Andrlik (00:17:42):
Okay. So that brings it down to six.

Alex Finn (00:17:44):
We can do this, crazy tree. Eight, fuck yeah.

Daniel Andrlik (00:17:49):
Okay. So you repeat after it, and then the tree stops talking, and there's a pause. And it says something in another language that you don't recognize, and your mind reading matches up with it. And then it stops, and it makes another much shorter sound, also in a language you don't recognize, and the mind reading pauses. But with the mind reading, you also get a sense of expectancy, like it's waiting for an answer.

Sampson Davis (00:18:17):
I get a sense that we probably should've taken notes on Dan, little horror outros, because this feels slightly familiar.

Daniel Andrlik (00:18:24):
Yes, they're just horror outros. Don't worry about it. There's no hidden code in there, Sampson.

Stace Babcock (00:18:31):
Can I amend Nix's actions while this is happening?

Daniel Andrlik (00:18:34):
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Stace Babcock (00:18:36):
I want her to be spitting acid into the jar, like someone who uses dip into the spit bottle, that's what she's doing.

Daniel Andrlik (00:18:47):
Okay, okay. So full on disgusting. So give me... let's see, consistently doing this. It's probably going to be more of a might thing, so just give me a six might. This will tell me how much you're collecting.

Stace Babcock (00:19:03):
14.

Daniel Andrlik (00:19:04):
Okay. So you are consistently getting quite a bit. You've been doing this for a while in the background, and because Dili and ChaCha are taking so much time, kind of ChaCha out of curiosity, Dili out of caution, you've actually filled up like half of your jar at this point with the venom that you make.

Stace Babcock (00:19:26):
It makes a squelching noise every time.

Daniel Andrlik (00:19:28):
Yeah, it's terrible. There's always this weird... since it's not being delivered through the fang every time, you're having to press against your fang, and it's making this weird spritzing noise through the gums. Gross. It's like pressurized but slightly viscous, so it's very strange. So how does ChaCha respond to the tree, if at all?

Alex Finn (00:19:53):
I guess ChaCha's going to kind of push her head, forehead against the tree and kind of mutter to it, "Help me understand."

Daniel Andrlik (00:20:04):
There's a pause and the tree responds. It says, "Oh, another one of those idiots."

Alex Finn (00:20:12):
I just want to be friends, I'm not like that mean person Doc Taraz. You do you.

Daniel Andrlik (00:20:19):
I don't know, I'm a metal tree in this room. I've got all the friends I need.

Alex Finn (00:20:25):
I mean, how do you get out of this room?

Daniel Andrlik (00:20:28):
Through one of the doors maybe?

Alex Finn (00:20:30):
Do you want out? We could carry you out if you wanted to leave it.

Daniel Andrlik (00:20:34):
I'm rooted quite happily where I am.

Alex Finn (00:20:36):
Okay. Do you have seeds I could take and spread along the world? I walk a lot.

Daniel Andrlik (00:20:41):
I'm sorry, I just don't know you that well.

Alex Finn (00:20:46):
That's fair.

Daniel Andrlik (00:20:47):
I prefer to have closer connection before I distribute seeds.

Alex Finn (00:20:53):
Fair. Do you want me to go away now? I mean, if you're not interested.

Daniel Andrlik (00:20:58):
That would probably be for the best. I mean, I don't want to be rude, but I just feel like I'm not feeling a connection here.

Alex Finn (00:21:06):
[inaudible 00:21:06]. I'll tell the others to leave you alone, unless you want to see if they're a better fit.

Daniel Andrlik (00:21:11):
No, I think I'm fine. I've eaten enough today.

Alex Finn (00:21:15):
Okay. Oh, if you eat dead bodies, there's one down the hallway. You want us to bring it back?

Daniel Andrlik (00:21:20):
If there is something like that, if you could just bring it over here and leave it at my roots, that would be outstanding.

Alex Finn (00:21:28):
Yeah, cool. Let me just go do that. Be right back.

Alex Finn (00:21:31):
So ChaCha is just going to go back down the hall and drag the dead body down this hallway for the tree.

Sampson Davis (00:21:39):
Hey ChaCha?

Daniel Andrlik (00:21:40):
Dili and Nix, you definitely see ChaCha go up to this tree. She seems to say something to it, leaves the room, goes back down the hallway, and she has the battery so the light goes with her. So for a while, you guys are plunged in darkness, and then ChaCha comes back and it's lit up, and she's dragging the butler's body with a blood trail behind her. And she brings it up to the tree, and one of the roots pulls out of the Synth and shoves itself directly into the butler's chest. And then there's a moment where you see this strange undulation under the flesh, and then about at her abdomen, the tree's root comes out again, and then plunges back in, and then it finally falls still.

Stace Babcock (00:22:27):
Yikes, ChaCha.

Sampson Davis (00:22:28):
Yeah, not to yuck your yum, but maybe kind of give us a heads up if you're going to do this?

Alex Finn (00:22:34):
Well it said it wasn't hungry so it wasn't going to eat us, but I figure it was better to offer it a dead body before it got hungry if we're still down here.

Stace Babcock (00:22:47):
Just-

Daniel Andrlik (00:22:48):
Can everybody make a six perception roll for me?

Stace Babcock (00:22:51):
Seven.

Sampson Davis (00:22:52):
17.

Alex Finn (00:22:53):
Nine.

Stace Babcock (00:22:54):
Oh, we're growing up in the world.

Daniel Andrlik (00:22:56):
Okay. You guys hear... it's very faint, but there's almost a sound coming from where the root is in the body, that's like a slow straw being sucked.

Alex Finn (00:23:11):
Little crazy straw action?

Sampson Davis (00:23:11):
Gross.

Stace Babcock (00:23:12):
ChaCha, little bit sensitive about people just leaving right now, so if you could give us a heads up next time about what you're doing.

Alex Finn (00:23:25):
Oh yeah, sorry. You were busy milking yourself, and Dili was looking at the other stuff, and I just figured quick little disposal.

Stace Babcock (00:23:37):
Never too busy for you, ChaCha.

Alex Finn (00:23:39):
Thank you.

Sampson Davis (00:23:40):
Oh, speaking of other stuff, there's some kind of dust pollen in this room that probably seems like a bad idea, and this other third door... what's in the third door?

Daniel Andrlik (00:23:52):
Well, glad you asked. You see two doors, one to the left and one to the right, and in the middle of the room floating there is a crystal that also seems to glow. Dili's pointing it out, ChaCha, you can definitely see with your Sees Beyond that this is a multidimensional crystal. It's roughly the size of a human head, and it seems to be emitting a sound that is not unlike a painful moan.

Alex Finn (00:24:21):
ChaCha's going to yell at the crystal, "Are you okay?"

Daniel Andrlik (00:24:25):
Just continues moaning.

Alex Finn (00:24:26):
Can she ask the tree if the crystal is okay?

Daniel Andrlik (00:24:29):
Can try anything.

Alex Finn (00:24:30):
Okay, she's going to ask the tree. "Hey, is this crystal okay? It seems like it's not enjoying what it's doing."

Daniel Andrlik (00:24:38):
Can't talk right now. Eating.

Alex Finn (00:24:40):
Okay, thank you. Should we touch the crystal?

Sampson Davis (00:24:44):
I don't know if that's a good idea.

Stace Babcock (00:24:47):
Kind of wish we could scan it.

Alex Finn (00:24:49):
Can either of you guys scan?

Sampson Davis (00:24:52):
I can if I'm looking for Io, yes. But specifically just that.

Stace Babcock (00:24:58):
That's useful sounding, Dili.

Sampson Davis (00:25:01):
It's the things that make the Cyphers dangerous.

Daniel Andrlik (00:25:04):
It's the thing that... basically what it means is that Dili can scan everybody and figure out if there are parts that are useful to him in them.

Stace Babcock (00:25:11):
Chilling.

Sampson Davis (00:25:12):
I haven't done it.

Stace Babcock (00:25:15):
How much Io do you have?

Sampson Davis (00:25:18):
Oh, on me? Three.

Stace Babcock (00:25:20):
Okay, maybe you should do it a little more actually.

Alex Finn (00:25:23):
Not to us.

Stace Babcock (00:25:25):
Three seems low for anything.

Sampson Davis (00:25:27):
Yeah, kind of. The issue is that if I scan for Io, I'd also... it usually implies that I'm breaking down a Cypher, and the Cypher is usually slightly more useful. Not always, but yeah, I can keep an eye out.

Daniel Andrlik (00:25:40):
Well actually Sampson, the scanning Io, what that allows you to do is figure out if there's Io in something before you try to salvage it, so you have an idea of whether it's worth your while to salvage it compared to what it is.

Sampson Davis (00:25:57):
Oh. I thought when we were looking, or encountering some sort of Numener installation or whatever, it was a choice between getting Io out of it or getting a Cypher out of it.

Daniel Andrlik (00:26:06):
For sure. It's the choice of whether you're trying to just gather Cyphers or whether you're trying to salvage. Your scan Iotum allows you to figure out, is it worth my while to try to salvage this or not. Or say I'm in this room, I'm trying to figure out is there anything with Io in it that I want to try to figure out if I can do something with.

Sampson Davis (00:26:27):
Okay.

Daniel Andrlik (00:26:30):
That's the power of your scan Iotum, because it basically tells you where to look to get more of the stuff you need.

Sampson Davis (00:26:36):
Okay. Interesting. Good to know.

Daniel Andrlik (00:26:39):
So you have three rooms.

Alex Finn (00:26:40):
Well we're not going pollen.

Sampson Davis (00:26:42):
Definitely not. You got close to the tree, so I guess it's about as safe as we can get down here.

Alex Finn (00:26:47):
I mean, the tree's eating right now.

Sampson Davis (00:26:51):
Right.

Stace Babcock (00:26:51):
We shouldn't stay here, though.

Sampson Davis (00:26:53):
No, no. You want to try that door to the left in red tree room?

Stace Babcock (00:26:58):
Sure, yeah. Against my instincts, but...

Sampson Davis (00:27:02):
You want to go straight?

Stace Babcock (00:27:03):
That's the crystal room, right? Straight ahead?

Sampson Davis (00:27:05):
No, in red tree room, there's a door to the left and a door straight forward.

Stace Babcock (00:27:11):
And they have what inside? We have a pollen room, and I thought we had a crystal room.

Daniel Andrlik (00:27:14):
You have a pollen room, a crystal room, and the red metal tree room that has currently got a root stuck in the butler, and slowly sucking.

Alex Finn (00:27:21):
[inaudible 00:27:21].

Stace Babcock (00:27:22):
Oh, you looked back, like in the previous branches? Not in the branches off this room?

Sampson Davis (00:27:28):
Right.

Stace Babcock (00:27:29):
Got it. Yeah, let's check it out. Nix opens it up.

Daniel Andrlik (00:27:32):
Which one?

Stace Babcock (00:27:33):
One on the left.

Daniel Andrlik (00:27:35):
Okay, so through the tree room and to the left, right?

Stace Babcock (00:27:38):
Yeah.

Daniel Andrlik (00:27:38):
Okay. You see another room. It has a door straight ahead to the left. Well, I mean you take the left and it's straight ahead. It's the next door. But just to the left of center of this room is a red cylinder just floating in the air.

Stace Babcock (00:28:00):
I'll go first I guess. Nix will step into the room.

Sampson Davis (00:28:03):
Oh thank you, yeah.

Daniel Andrlik (00:28:04):
Okay. Let me ask you a question. How many shins does Nix have?

Stace Babcock (00:28:09):
Seven. Oh no, 607.

Alex Finn (00:28:13):
Yeah.

Daniel Andrlik (00:28:14):
Yeah. So Nix you start... you've probably got it divided between multiple packs across your body, and you suddenly feel this pushing sensation, and you see your feet slipping backwards. So you approach the cylinder, and all of a sudden it is pushing you away. The tugging definitely seems to be coming from your money bags.

Stace Babcock (00:28:37):
And it's pulling Nix toward the cylinder, or...

Daniel Andrlik (00:28:41):
Pushing it away.

Stace Babcock (00:28:41):
Nix will adjust so she backs out of the door. Maybe we should go the other way, guys.

Sampson Davis (00:28:47):
Well it's off to the left. Can you go around the edge of the room on the right?

Stace Babcock (00:28:53):
Nix will try to hug the wall.

Daniel Andrlik (00:28:55):
Okay. You can hug the wall. It seems to push outwardly in all directions, trying to presumably push the metal things away.

Stace Babcock (00:29:03):
And she gets to the next door?

Daniel Andrlik (00:29:04):
You get to the next door. It's pushing away, but you also feel slightly invigorated by the fact that it's pushing you away.

Stace Babcock (00:29:14):
Sweet.

Daniel Andrlik (00:29:15):
At the other door, you see a room that has a door to the left, a door to the right, and in the center of the room stretching across the entire room, you would have to pass it to go to either door, is an arch that appears to be made of ruby.

Stace Babcock (00:29:34):
Hey guys. We've got a classic arch situation in this room. Who wants to go through this time?

Sampson Davis (00:29:42):
I don't think we've done it with these characters.

Alex Finn (00:29:44):
No, we haven't.

Stace Babcock (00:29:46):
Who wants to go through? You guys play this game when you're exploring? You're like, "Whose turn is it?"

Alex Finn (00:29:53):
I feel like we shove Dili through, because he's the most human.

Sampson Davis (00:29:57):
I don't know how to comment on that one, but okay. Assuming Dili can get past the red cylinder room, yeah. Dili will try the arch.

Daniel Andrlik (00:30:04):
Well Dili, you do have Synth on you, so it is going to a might nine roll to get through this room.

Sampson Davis (00:30:12):
Might nine?

Daniel Andrlik (00:30:12):
I didn't make Nix roll because she's Nix.

Sampson Davis (00:30:17):
Yeah, that's fair. I'm going to put one level of effort into that.

Daniel Andrlik (00:30:22):
Okay, so down to a six.

Sampson Davis (00:30:24):
11.

Daniel Andrlik (00:30:25):
It's very difficult, but you manage to get across the room to where Nix is.

Stace Babcock (00:30:31):
Deep breaths, Dili.

Sampson Davis (00:30:33):
Got it.

Daniel Andrlik (00:30:36):
What is ChaCha doing?

Alex Finn (00:30:36):
I guess ChaCha's going to try and follow.

Daniel Andrlik (00:30:39):
Okay. ChaCha has some metal weapons and she also has metal shins.

Alex Finn (00:30:44):
She has Ace's leg.

Daniel Andrlik (00:30:46):
Yeah. She doesn't have as much as Dili, but it is going to be a six might roll to get across.

Alex Finn (00:30:52):
And I roll it flat. It's going to be funny if she can't make it. Oh, 15. Not funny. I'm sorry.

Daniel Andrlik (00:30:58):
Okay, that's fine. You get across. When you get across, you meet up with Dili. Dili is sweating, you are just slightly flushed from the effort.

Sampson Davis (00:31:06):
Is anyone else shvitzing right now?

Alex Finn (00:31:09):
Cardio Dili, cardio.

Sampson Davis (00:31:10):
I'd rather not.

Stace Babcock (00:31:12):
I broke a sweat once, Dili.

Sampson Davis (00:31:14):
"Will you stop doing that since you've..." and Dili kind of makes a fang motion with his hands.

Stace Babcock (00:31:21):
Wait.

Sampson Davis (00:31:22):
Do you still sweat?

Stace Babcock (00:31:23):
Does Nix still sweat?

Alex Finn (00:31:25):
Oh, wow.

Daniel Andrlik (00:31:26):
Roll me an intellect roll of six.

Stace Babcock (00:31:29):
Six? Oh, 10.

Daniel Andrlik (00:31:34):
Nix, you have not sweat at all since you ate that snake now that you think about it.

Stace Babcock (00:31:39):
Nix smells her armpits. She's like, "I'm actually really fresh."

Sampson Davis (00:31:44):
Oh my God, are you cold blooded now?

Stace Babcock (00:31:46):
I'm not cold right now Dili.

Sampson Davis (00:31:52):
I think you need to be... I've got a question. Do you feel slow and kind of lethargic more than usual until you get out into the sun in the morning for your morning job?

Stace Babcock (00:32:01):
Well yeah, I am tired at night and more awake during the day Dili. Gosh, that's your name.

Sampson Davis (00:32:08):
Yes.

Stace Babcock (00:32:08):
Yeah.

Sampson Davis (00:32:10):
But more so than usual?

Stace Babcock (00:32:12):
Has Nix noticed anything?

Daniel Andrlik (00:32:14):
Evens or odds?

Stace Babcock (00:32:15):
Evens. Scared to pick anything else.

Daniel Andrlik (00:32:18):
Sampson, roll a die. Tell me what you get.

Sampson Davis (00:32:22):
Odds.

Stace Babcock (00:32:22):
Evens streak is broken.

Daniel Andrlik (00:32:23):
Yeah. Nix hasn't noticed anything odd to that effect. Everything's been okay, she's felt great.

Stace Babcock (00:32:30):
Seems fine Dili, but I guess I'll pay attention or whatever.

Sampson Davis (00:32:34):
Right, yeah.

Stace Babcock (00:32:35):
Yeah.

Sampson Davis (00:32:36):
Because if we go to somewhere cold and you shut down, literally shut down, that's going to be an issue, because you're our heavy hitter. You're our point woman.

Alex Finn (00:32:43):
It's like Dili, build a heat vest or something? A heat lamp?

Sampson Davis (00:32:50):
That's not impossible.

Stace Babcock (00:32:51):
Sure. I also have some warm clothes.

Daniel Andrlik (00:32:55):
Well that's the thing. If you're cold blooded, warm clothes won't make a difference, will they?

Stace Babcock (00:32:59):
Nix doesn't know.

Daniel Andrlik (00:33:02):
Yeah, I'm just thinking.

Sampson Davis (00:33:03):
Well if you're fine now, then you're fine now, so I guess we'll just try this arch. Hey, look at this.

Alex Finn (00:33:11):
Dili's going through the arch, yay.

Sampson Davis (00:33:14):
All right, here we go. Dili steps through the arch.

Daniel Andrlik (00:33:17):
Dili, you immediately feel sudden pain in your abdomen.

Alex Finn (00:33:22):
Dili's going to get abs.

Daniel Andrlik (00:33:25):
Next to Dili in the air forms a small, fleshy organ of some kind, and it falls to the ground at the same time Dili does.

Alex Finn (00:33:41):
Did we steal your kidney?

Sampson Davis (00:33:41):
Can I at least get fucking sigilless alchemy stuff if you're going to pull some Full Metal Alchemist shit on me?

Daniel Andrlik (00:33:48):
Listen man, I'm just saying.

Stace Babcock (00:33:49):
Is the fleshy organ wet?

Daniel Andrlik (00:33:52):
Yes, it's very wet. Moist, even.

Alex Finn (00:33:55):
Could ChaCha do a medical check on the fleshy organ?

Daniel Andrlik (00:33:59):
Yeah. Give me a medical check of six.

Alex Finn (00:34:03):
And then I have the healing skill.

Daniel Andrlik (00:34:06):
So that's a three.

Alex Finn (00:34:07):
Nine, thank God. Is it important?

Daniel Andrlik (00:34:09):
Okay. It is his spleen.

Alex Finn (00:34:12):
Does ChaCha know if you need a spleen or not?

Daniel Andrlik (00:34:15):
It's rough, like in the ninth world with medical technology, you need a spleen. You think you could possibly surgically place it.

Alex Finn (00:34:26):
We're going to do some-

Daniel Andrlik (00:34:26):
It will take a 15 surgery roll to replace the spleen in Dili.

Alex Finn (00:34:32):
Yes, let's do it. Open Dili surgery. Fuck yeah.

Stace Babcock (00:34:35):
Dili, bad news man.

Sampson Davis (00:34:36):
What?

Stace Babcock (00:34:36):
All right ChaCha, I'll assist. Good thing we bought this first aid kit, otherwise...

Alex Finn (00:34:46):
Yes.

Stace Babcock (00:34:48):
Now Dili, I'm just going to knock you out. Just going to pop you.

Sampson Davis (00:34:53):
Okay. Can they get to me without going through the arch themselves? Am I that close?

Daniel Andrlik (00:35:00):
They would have to drag you feet first through it. I would say if Nix wants to try to avoid going through the arch, assuming Nix is the one dragging you, Nix, I need you to make a 15 speed roll.

Stace Babcock (00:35:14):
Oh no. Nix is going to toss Dili a rope. The grappling hook.

Daniel Andrlik (00:35:20):
Okay. Toss Dili a rope.

Sampson Davis (00:35:21):
All right.

Stace Babcock (00:35:22):
Tuck it in your belt, Dili. I grappling hook him in the spleen.

Daniel Andrlik (00:35:31):
So Dili, it is definitely going to be hindered because you are missing an organ right now and your body is reacting.

Sampson Davis (00:35:33):
That's fair.

Daniel Andrlik (00:35:34):
I would say it's hindered by two steps, because your body's reacting to a missing organ, so that makes it a 15 might roll to grab this rope and hold on while Nix pulls you.

Stace Babcock (00:35:46):
No, Nix is going to slide the grappling hook head across the floor, so hopefully, maybe that would make it easier to catch because it would just stop?

Daniel Andrlik (00:35:54):
I give it a 12 then.

Sampson Davis (00:35:56):
All right, yeah.

Daniel Andrlik (00:35:58):
Actually, Nix first, evens or odds?

Stace Babcock (00:36:01):
Evens.

Daniel Andrlik (00:36:05):
Alex, roll a die for me.

Alex Finn (00:36:08):
I don't know which one I want it to be.

Stace Babcock (00:36:10):
Evens.

Alex Finn (00:36:11):
I got a two.

Daniel Andrlik (00:36:13):
Okay. So the hook gets within Dili's grip, it does not pierce his body causing more damage.

Sampson Davis (00:36:22):
I think I need the might points, so I'm just going to try this roll straight. 16.

Daniel Andrlik (00:36:27):
Okay, you manage to hold it and Nix manages to pull you back through the arch.

Alex Finn (00:36:32):
Does it put his spleen back in?

Sampson Davis (00:36:34):
Do I lose another organ?

Stace Babcock (00:36:35):
Or take out another organ?

Daniel Andrlik (00:36:37):
No. I would say if you wanted to, we'll say Dili's smart enough to realize something's wrong. Dili, I would allow you as a "gimme" to grab the organ and bring it back with you.

Sampson Davis (00:36:50):
I do that. I need this, come back to me.

Daniel Andrlik (00:36:54):
Okay. Because I'm kind of generous, and I don't think Dili needs to roll to figure out that something's wrong like that. So yeah, Nix, you drag him back through the arch.

Stace Babcock (00:37:03):
Now I'm going to punch you.

Sampson Davis (00:37:05):
Okay.

Alex Finn (00:37:05):
Sleepy time.

Stace Babcock (00:37:07):
Three, two. Nix goes on two.

Daniel Andrlik (00:37:10):
Okay. So Nix, give me a unarmed attack roll. Dili is just accepting the hit, right?

Sampson Davis (00:37:16):
Yeah.

Daniel Andrlik (00:37:19):
Okay. So Nix, give me one of six.

Stace Babcock (00:37:20):
And I'm trained in unarmed.

Daniel Andrlik (00:37:22):
So three.

Stace Babcock (00:37:23):
13.

Daniel Andrlik (00:37:24):
Okay. You knock Dili out. Dili, please mark down four might damage, and you are now unconscious.

Alex Finn (00:37:32):
So yeah, open Dili surgery. Is the organ still outside of Dili?

Daniel Andrlik (00:37:41):
Yes.

Alex Finn (00:37:42):
Damn it.

Daniel Andrlik (00:37:43):
Sampson, what are your pools like right now?

Sampson Davis (00:37:45):
Four, nine, and 16. Might, speed, intellect.

Daniel Andrlik (00:37:49):
Okay. Just so I know, just in case.

Sampson Davis (00:37:51):
Yeah.

Stace Babcock (00:37:52):
I mean, do you know where it goes? Is this a head organ, or is it a foot organ?

Alex Finn (00:38:00):
I feel like if we open him up, we'll just find the missing... it'll be like a dangly bit missing the end, and it'll be gushing, right? And we just slap it back on and it'll stop gushing. Maybe sew it a little.

Stace Babcock (00:38:15):
Yeah. Hell yeah. You got a dagger, right? I don't.

Alex Finn (00:38:18):
Yeah, I got this dagger. Should I clean it off? Because I've been stabbing people with it.

Stace Babcock (00:38:24):
I don't know if it matters. Blood is blood, right?

Daniel Andrlik (00:38:33):
ChaCha, roll a six healing roll that includes your trait.

Alex Finn (00:38:37):
Okay. Nat 20.

Daniel Andrlik (00:38:42):
Yeah, you definitely need to sterilize this dagger first. Fire would be good, or anything like that. You can propose a major effect.

Alex Finn (00:38:52):
I want a free asset to Dili's surgery.

Daniel Andrlik (00:38:57):
Okay, that sounds good. I think you also figure out with your pyro skills that you could use hedge magic to essentially sterilize the blade.

Alex Finn (00:39:05):
Ah, we shall do this. We shall do this. Okay.

Daniel Andrlik (00:39:09):
Okay, so you're going to cut into Dili and try to do the surgery?

Alex Finn (00:39:13):
You say it like we have other options.

Daniel Andrlik (00:39:16):
I'm just saying, you have any choice under the world.

Alex Finn (00:39:19):
We should've probably looked at this machine with Dili before we knocked him unconscious. Oh well.

Daniel Andrlik (00:39:25):
So it starts at a 15. You have training in healing, and you have this free asset from your natural 20, so that would make it a-

Alex Finn (00:39:35):
Nine?

Stace Babcock (00:39:36):
And Nix will assist with the first aid kit, but first she's going to say, "ChaCha, isn't understanding Numenera a thing that you also do, so couldn't you look at it?"

Daniel Andrlik (00:39:48):
Numenera wouldn't help in this case, because it's replacing an organ.

Stace Babcock (00:39:53):
But if the machine could be reversed or something...

Daniel Andrlik (00:39:56):
That is also an option you could check.

Alex Finn (00:39:59):
I guess we'll do a quick once over the machine with the understanding Numenera to see if maybe there's a reverse switch.

Daniel Andrlik (00:40:12):
Okay. So you have training in understanding Numenera, so that would make it a 15 for you.

Alex Finn (00:40:14):
I got a nine. Surgery time.

Stace Babcock (00:40:15):
Yay.

Daniel Andrlik (00:40:16):
Yeah, yes. You have no idea if this thing can be reversed at all. You actually don't understand why it did what it did.

Alex Finn (00:40:24):
Yeah. Okay, so we're at a nine, and then Nix is assisting, we got a six to perform open Dili surgery and have him not die of sepsis.

Daniel Andrlik (00:40:35):
Well hold on, so Nix is assisting so that's a six, and Nix is assisting by spending her first aid kit, so it's a three for ChaCha.

Alex Finn (00:40:47):
The greedy part of me wants to roll this flat because it's a three, but the paranoid part of me is like, should I put in a level of effort so it's a "gimme" so that we don't get the one in 10 chance that we kill Dili?

Stace Babcock (00:41:05):
Yep, let's not kill Dili.

Alex Finn (00:41:07):
Okay, I'm assuming it's intelligence?

Daniel Andrlik (00:41:09):
Yes.

Alex Finn (00:41:11):
So I'm going to spend a level of effort so it's free.

Daniel Andrlik (00:41:14):
Okay, so now it's a "gimme." You cut into Dili where you expect in his abdomen. Blood starts pooling and flowing out the side. ChaCha, you've seen a lot of things, and this is a little bit unusual for you in terms of healing, this level of surgery. You're sort of tangentially aware of it. But you do find a spot where there's clearly a missing organ, and there are scabbed connections where that organ should be. You cut away the scabs, and you sew this organ into place, and blood is pooling all over the ground, and you stitch Dili back up, closing all the incisions you made. And it's at this point I will offer Sampson an XP.

Sampson Davis (00:42:02):
Oh, I'm taking it.

Stace Babcock (00:42:03):
Yes.

Daniel Andrlik (00:42:04):
Okay, who will you give the other XP to?

Sampson Davis (00:42:07):
I'm going to give this one to ChaCha since she's got her fingers inside Dili.

Alex Finn (00:42:11):
I might need it for more surgery.

Sampson Davis (00:42:13):
Yeah.

Daniel Andrlik (00:42:14):
So Dili, you will take seven might damage from this surgery.

Sampson Davis (00:42:19):
That's not bad.

Daniel Andrlik (00:42:21):
And you will be hindered in any physical activity for the next 14 days.

Alex Finn (00:42:29):
No lifting over 20 pounds.

Sampson Davis (00:42:30):
Shit. 14 days. Oh, man. So quick question mechanically, does that just mean any might and speed rolls more or less? Okay.

Daniel Andrlik (00:42:41):
Will be hindered.

Sampson Davis (00:42:41):
Cool.

Daniel Andrlik (00:42:42):
Yeah. Your intellect rolls will be unaffected.

Sampson Davis (00:42:45):
Gotcha.

Daniel Andrlik (00:42:46):
You guys have completed the surgery. The surgery took some time. You guys have been here for like an hour and a half while ChaCha cut into Dili, pushed wet organ meat into him, and sewed him up.

Alex Finn (00:42:59):
Can ChaCha do a little embellishment so he gets a little CC in his scar?

Sampson Davis (00:43:06):
Sign your work?

Daniel Andrlik (00:43:07):
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Give me an intellect roll of nine.

Alex Finn (00:43:13):
I'm not going to put effort into this.

Sampson Davis (00:43:14):
This one's going to be the Nat 1.

Alex Finn (00:43:19):
No, it's a 10. You get some nice, dope Cs instead of a dick.

Daniel Andrlik (00:43:23):
Yeah. You definitely managed to stitch in such a way... it's a little weird, it's a little awkward. You think that maybe this is the reason why Dili will have trouble over the next two weeks, or part of the reason. But you have definitely stitched it in such a way that when his natural scar forms, there will be a CC in the midst of that scar.

Stace Babcock (00:43:45):
Nice. Good work, ChaCha.

Alex Finn (00:43:49):
ChaCha's going to go for a high five.

Stace Babcock (00:43:51):
High five.

Daniel Andrlik (00:43:52):
Her hand is covered in Dili gore.

Stace Babcock (00:43:55):
High five. And then Nix will cover unconscious Dili in her arms. I guess we'll go the other way.

Daniel Andrlik (00:44:03):
Yeah, so it depends on where you want to go and how long you want to wait. It is definitely going to take Dili at least an hour and a half before he wakes up.

Stace Babcock (00:44:11):
You want to just chill in the organ room, or...

Alex Finn (00:44:15):
Yeah, because maybe then the tree won't be like, "Hey, bring me another snack."

Stace Babcock (00:44:20):
All right, we'll chill here.

Alex Finn (00:44:22):
Yeah.

Stace Babcock (00:44:23):
Going to take a recovery roll.

Daniel Andrlik (00:44:25):
Okay, that's a good idea. If anybody else wants to take recovery rolls, you might want to do that now. Just saying.

Sampson Davis (00:44:33):
Can I do that while unconscious?

Daniel Andrlik (00:44:35):
You could take up through... I said you're going to be unconscious for an hour and a half, you could tick up through your one hour recovery roll while unconscious, because it's your body trying to recover.

Sampson Davis (00:44:45):
All right, all right.

Alex Finn (00:44:46):
I like how Sampson was totally okay with going through that portal, and it turned out to be an organ removing portal.

Stace Babcock (00:44:54):
Man, them's the breaks, ChaCha. I've seen some shit when people walk through. But sometimes every now and then, you get a real sick improvement. I know a guy who got eye stalks, he could look behind him. That's sick as fuck.

Alex Finn (00:45:10):
But did Dili really understand what might happen, or was it like, "Oopsie-doodle, we just convinced him to do something bad."

Stace Babcock (00:45:20):
He didn't seem to need a lot of convincing, ChaCha.

Alex Finn (00:45:22):
True. I mean, we also should stay in this room so he can look at the machine, because maybe there was a reverse switch, and I just didn't look hard enough, because I kind of wanted to try out surgery. I've never tried it before.

Stace Babcock (00:45:39):
Well I think you did great.

Alex Finn (00:45:42):
I mean, look, I even signed my work, so that's what I'm going to do when I do surgery. I'm going to sign my work, so maybe I can become a famous surgeon too.

Stace Babcock (00:45:50):
I don't see why not. Start charging maybe.

Alex Finn (00:45:54):
I mean, I guess if... oh, we could be an entertainment act and a surgery.

Stace Babcock (00:46:01):
Oh yeah, I know these students, they would come. They would watch.

Alex Finn (00:46:04):
And if they get hurt we can just patch them up.

Stace Babcock (00:46:07):
Science students were a little weird. I was like, "You got any dead bodies?" And I'm like, "Why the hell would I have dead bodies?" You know what I'm saying? I wasn't killing people back then. Not at the rate I do today anyway.

Alex Finn (00:46:18):
Very true. We could make so much money selling dead bodies.

Daniel Andrlik (00:46:22):
So after an hour and a half, Dili wakes up.

Sampson Davis (00:46:26):
Oh my God. Did I shit my pants? I can't tell.

Stace Babcock (00:46:30):
Not this time, Dili.

Sampson Davis (00:46:32):
Oh, good.

Alex Finn (00:46:33):
This is just blood. You're wet with blood.

Sampson Davis (00:46:36):
Just blood?

Alex Finn (00:46:37):
Yeah, I think it's just blood. I mean, I didn't taste it.

Daniel Andrlik (00:46:41):
Sampson, evens or odds?

Sampson Davis (00:46:42):
God damn it.

Alex Finn (00:46:43):
Oh, God damn.

Sampson Davis (00:46:45):
Evens.

Daniel Andrlik (00:46:47):
Stace, roll die. Tell me if you get evens or odds.

Stace Babcock (00:46:49):
Lucky number 13.

Alex Finn (00:46:50):
Oh, God.

Daniel Andrlik (00:46:54):
There's a little bit of shit in that, yeah. Just a little.

Alex Finn (00:47:00):
Should we clean up before we go find the artifact? Is the tree the artifact?

Sampson Davis (00:47:06):
What did the battery do? Actually yeah, can you do the hedge magic thingy? Because I think that cleans shit.

Alex Finn (00:47:13):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me just do that quick. I think ChaCha hedge magics both of them to see if she can not be covered in blood and gore, and Dili can not be covered in blood and shit.

Daniel Andrlik (00:47:25):
Yeah, you can definitely clean away all that stuff.

Alex Finn (00:47:26):
Okay.

Daniel Andrlik (00:47:28):
The side effect though of your hedge magic, is that for a moment, whatever you clean away you taste. But just briefly.

Alex Finn (00:47:33):
Gee, thanks. Well actually that means... ChaCha's probably used to the taste of all this then.

Daniel Andrlik (00:47:43):
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Stace Babcock (00:47:45):
Is Nix's jar full?

Daniel Andrlik (00:47:47):
I would say it's three-quarters of the way full, yeah. So Dili's conscious, what do you guys do?

Sampson Davis (00:47:52):
Did you guys cross stitch me? What the fuck?

Stace Babcock (00:47:54):
Oh, it was all ChaCha.

Alex Finn (00:47:56):
No, those are my initials. See? CC.

Sampson Davis (00:48:00):
Yeah, all right. Well as long as everything's in there, that's probably the most I could ask for.

Alex Finn (00:48:05):
Yeah. I cleaned you up a little bit in there too.

Stace Babcock (00:48:08):
No spare parts leftover.

Sampson Davis (00:48:11):
Okay.

Alex Finn (00:48:12):
Oh, you should probably look at the machine. I tried looking at it, but I couldn't find a reverse switch. But maybe you can find a reverse switch, so maybe if this happens again we can, you know...

Sampson Davis (00:48:24):
Okay, I guess I'll just do that then. And Dili will carefully, gingerly pull himself up, and then go three foot distance, but inspect the ruby arch.

Daniel Andrlik (00:48:35):
Understanding Numenera roll of 18.

Sampson Davis (00:48:37):
Every level of effort for that one. Oh, 20. It's 20.

Alex Finn (00:48:42):
Yeah.

Sampson Davis (00:48:43):
It was cocked there for a second, but it landed on 20.

Daniel Andrlik (00:48:45):
Okay. This arch, you're not sure what its original purpose was, but it is designed to take something out of a body. Whatever species it was originally designed for is clearly not human, and you think it defaults to whatever organ it decides looks the closest to what it's looking for. And you can propose a major effect for your natural 20.

Alex Finn (00:49:09):
Can you harvest the machine?

Sampson Davis (00:49:12):
That's what I'm thinking. Kind of in tandem with scan Iotum, he finds a way to kind of disable it.

Daniel Andrlik (00:49:19):
Oh, yes. Give me a scan Iotum of three. You're trained I think, right?

Sampson Davis (00:49:26):
Trained, and I have the free level of effort anyway.

Daniel Andrlik (00:49:27):
Okay, so you don't have to roll or anything like that. There is definitely at least four Iotum in this device. It will be eased by two steps for you if you try to salvage to get those.

Sampson Davis (00:49:42):
All right, yeah. Dili will take a crack at that.

Daniel Andrlik (00:49:45):
Okay. So it's an 18. You are trained in salvaging, right?

Sampson Davis (00:49:50):
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Daniel Andrlik (00:49:51):
So then that's 15. You get two levels of effort, that brings it down to a nine. You get the free level of effort, which I assume you're applying, so that brings it down to a six. Oh, and you have light tools, so that's a three.

Sampson Davis (00:50:05):
All right, Dili will roll that straight. Four, oh man.

Daniel Andrlik (00:50:10):
Okay. So inside, you find sort of stereotypical Iotum. You find a void stone, and you also find a biomechanical Synth, as well as a blood crystal.

Sampson Davis (00:50:29):
Blood crystal?

Daniel Andrlik (00:50:30):
It is definitely liquid, but whenever it isn't being disturbed, it forms into the shape of a crystal with 15 extrusions. And the device is now offline. Oh, by the way, because it also has other things in it, you could also depending on how much you want to be weighed down accumulate up to seven units of Synth and two parts.

Sampson Davis (00:50:57):
Is there a weight limit that I should be aware of?

Daniel Andrlik (00:51:01):
No, you could probably take all of it honestly. It's more like if I notice you're accumulating a lot of it, we'll start thinking about, well how much does that really weigh, and is that going to start hindering Dili?

Sampson Davis (00:51:12):
Okay. I'm at six Synth and seven parts now. Is that-

Daniel Andrlik (00:51:15):
That's fine.

Sampson Davis (00:51:16):
Okay. How many of each was that again?

Daniel Andrlik (00:51:18):
I think seven parts... sorry, seven Synth and three parts I think is what I said.

Sampson Davis (00:51:23):
Okay. All right, yeah. There's a lot of good stuff in here. Ow. Ow. But the thing is off, so guys, want to keep going this way?

Alex Finn (00:51:30):
Yeah, forward ho.

Sampson Davis (00:51:33):
Well left or right, but yep.

Stace Babcock (00:51:34):
Right Dili.

Sampson Davis (00:51:36):
Right.

Daniel Andrlik (00:51:37):
Okay. And you see in front of you a very strange room. It's lit up in a glow that you usually associate with sort of Synth Numenera, but there seems to be a thick layer of organic resin over all the Numenera in this room. It is lit up, and you can see this room is massive. It's probably about 70 feet square, and you can see that along the right hand side of the wall, there are maybe six of these multi-jointed, organic looking arms extended, that they've got three joints each. And at the end of each one of them is some sort of orifice that is dripping with mucus, and each one of them opens slowly and deposits a small green egg.

Sampson Davis (00:52:32):
Oh my God.

Daniel Andrlik (00:52:35):
And they're just dripping in these pools of mucus. It's mucus and these eggs all stacked on top of each other as these weird appendages move back and forth.

Alex Finn (00:52:45):
Did we find the alien queen?

Daniel Andrlik (00:52:47):
And on the far side of the room, you can see over near a console two people you don't recognize. They're roughly in their mid 20s. They look athletic. They're dressed in sort of thug chic for lack of a better word, and you see Deuces standing there next to them, and they are all surrounding one woman at the console, and it's a woman you recognize as Doc Taraz. And that's where we'll end this episode.

Alex Finn (00:53:20):
Oh shit.

Sampson Davis (00:53:21):
Fuck. We're not disguised either by the way, so so much for that.

Stace Babcock (00:53:24):
Oh yeah, because you passed out.

Daniel Andrlik (00:53:27):
Sampson, something about this episode?

Sampson Davis (00:53:30):
I personally wouldn't have been mad, but Dili almost died because of a botched surgery. And again, I wouldn't have been mad, that would've been very funny to me, but that almost happened.

Daniel Andrlik (00:53:38):
Yeah.

Sampson Davis (00:53:39):
But yeah.

Stace Babcock (00:53:40):
I like how I was debating that. Like, "[crosstalk 00:53:42] or not?"

Sampson Davis (00:53:43):
But yeah, ChaCha fucking did her thing. And now Dili is alive for one more session at least, we'll see how this goes.

Alex Finn (00:53:52):
We're going to go fight Deuces while you just had surgery.

Daniel Andrlik (00:53:56):
Yep.

Alex Finn (00:53:57):
We made great choices. What are you talking about, oops all bad choices?

Daniel Andrlik (00:54:02):
And what is Deuce's currently front running candidate for new partner thinking?

Stace Babcock (00:54:10):
Oh yeah, Nix. Well, you would have to think not anymore.

Daniel Andrlik (00:54:13):
Potentially.

Alex Finn (00:54:13):
You never know. That might've spiced up the relationship more, and they're just like, "Yes, get this spice into our life."

Stace Babcock (00:54:21):
Right? They're like, "Damn, we need her."

Alex Finn (00:54:26):
Get in some of that flair. Oh shit, and they're down a nano too.

Stace Babcock (00:54:29):
You're trying out, every day of your life. That's what they say.

Daniel Andrlik (00:54:33):
Dress for the job you want. So we have a segment that we do each week called Player Intrusion, so 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 would recommend you all go out and read the book Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age. It is by Annalee Newitz, and she is an amazing author. She's written some great science fiction. She's also written some great science journalism. But in this book, she explores the history of four cities that in our western culture were typically known as lost cities, although one of the things she points is that in the overwhelming majority of cases, the cities were never lost, it's just that western colonial explorers came upon them and decided that they were lost, even though everybody around there knew that the remnants of that city were there.

Daniel Andrlik (00:55:36):
But she talks about one of the oldest metropolises in the world, a neolithic site, and I'm going to butcher the pronunciation of Çatalhüyük in central Turkey. She talks about Pompeii, and then the medieval mega city of Angkor in Cambodia, which is especially funny because the French explorer who found that claimed it was lost, but there were monks that were still living there, and people made regular pilgrimages to it. And then also something that was new to me, but I was embarrassed that it was new to me, was the indigenous medieval metropolis of Cahokia, which stood beside the Mississippi River where East St. Louis is today.

Alex Finn (00:56:21):
I think this is it, on Audible?

Daniel Andrlik (00:56:24):
Yes. So she explores both the history of those four cities, and then also how the reasons why they either failed in almost every case, or changed rather. It's not so much a failure as change, are a combination of ecological disasters and a failure of political will to do what was right for those cities. And she draws a very interesting line to modern cities that have suffered hardships like Detroit and other cities in the US that have suffered. These are the cases where, will we politically make the right decisions for those cities going forward, and what are the things that cause cities to fail? And not in the sense of some cataclysm, but in the sense of people just leaving the city and deciding, "I'm not going to live here anymore."

Daniel Andrlik (00:57:19):
It's fascinating, especially when she's talking about the city in central Turkey, neolithic times. It was one of the first metropolises of its size, and how people went from a nomadic lifestyle to there, what that meant especially. Because they built these sort of stacked homes, and there were all these walkways over the tops of the homes, as well as special hubs that were just history houses that were used to represent the history of a group of people within that city. It's just fascinating learning about these cities that were built up, and then also thinking about what are the reasons why humans are drawn to cities in the first place, and then also why they leave cities. What's the turning point for them, when they leave a city and decide they want a different life? And do they transition to another type of city, or do they transition to a more remote lifestyle?

Daniel Andrlik (00:58:20):
I remember thinking to myself over and over again about cities not just in terms of the nature of the diversity of people that it pulls in, but also that sort of historical notion of cities, and that every historical city is in some way founded on blood, because they had to build it, and they had to defend. That's less of what's the focus in this book, but it is fascinating when she's getting into what do we know about the behavior of those people, as well in the case of Angkor as well as Pompeii where we have clear sort of political records of why did these things change. It's a fascinating book, highly recommended. It's a book that I devoured in three days. It's great writing. She's got a very pleasant voice to her writing, and also she's able to express very complex archeological and historical ideas in very easy to understand language. So I highly recommend Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz.

Alex Finn (00:59:31):
I just bought it on audible.

Daniel Andrlik (00:59:34):
Excellent. If somebody wants to talk to us about Four Lost Cities, or about what they think about the show, how would they do that Sampson?

Sampson Davis (00:59:42):
Oh, I suppose they could go to our website at explorerswanted.fm, from there you can find a bunch of socials such as Twitter where we are @ExplorersWanted, or Instagram and Facebook, where we are @ExplorersWantedPodcast. You could also talk to us on our Discorded, explorerswanted.fm/discord should bring you there. We are pretty active there, so that's a great place to come talk to us directly. If they feel that what we've done is worth their money and it is within their means, they can support us at patreon.com/explorerswanted, so there's that.

Daniel Andrlik (01:00:16):
Yeah, and your support means the world to us if you can supply that. If you enjoyed the show, the best thing that you could do for us is to tell a friend, and tell them why you like the show, and why they should listen to it. The second thing you could do is write us a five star written review on a podcast directory, specifically Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, and Stitcher. Those three make the biggest difference in new listeners trying out the show. There's so many actual plays out there, and for people to figure out what to try out even, those written reviews make a huge difference in people giving a shot, and really help us build up our listenership of people who enjoy the same things you do.

Daniel Andrlik (01:01:01):
If you didn't like the show, or if you thought it was just meh, well I just want to remind you that when it comes to living a life of joy, laughter, and love, you can never have too many teeth. If you want to reach out to us individually on social media, you can. You can find me on Twitter @andrlik, A-N-D-R-L-I-K.

Stace Babcock (01:01:26):
You can find me on Twitter @StaceWindu.

Sampson Davis (01:01:29):
You can find me counting if I have enough teeth @SlamPotato.

Alex Finn (01:01:32):
You can find me very confused on teeth @realteaunicorn on Twitter, or probably talking shit on teeth just like big library on Twitch @teawithaunicorn.

Daniel Andrlik (01:01:45):
Okay, that's it for us. We will be back next week, as we will for every week in the foreseeable future. Have a good night, day, weekend, or whenever you're listening to this, and bye.