Ep. 2 - Down These Mean Streets: Part 2

As Irrigation day continues, necessity and a secretive woman lead Rook, Orion, Valentine, and Morin into the Hold. Chrys makes a friend.  Chanterelle gets paid.

Content Warnings

• This episode contains dark themes, mild language, alcohol, graphic depiction of physical injury, loss of consciousness, discussion of crime, discussion of violence, unsettling sound effects, and non-graphic mentions of sewage. 

For full The Drifting City content warnings, please reference the Show Notes & Disclaimers linked at the bottom of the episode description.

The Drifting City is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.

Cast & Credits

• Chrys: Lily Bell
• Morin Wreaver: Aspen Langford
• Orion Amaros: Porter Hurst
• Rook Aarden: Victor Thorne
• Valentine Bellana: Marilyn David
• The Narrator: Ray Hamilton

Class & Subclass

• Chrys: Coven of the Green Witch (find the class at: Worlds Beyond Number Patreon)
• Morin Wreaver: Floater Ranger (Homebrew)
• Orion Amaros: Echo Knight Fighter (find the subclass in Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount)
• Rook Aarden: College of Spirits Bard (find the subclass in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft)
• Valentine Bellana: College of Hard Knocks Bard (Homebrew)

Editing, sound design, episode titles and descriptions by everyone at The Rolling Waves.

Intro & Outro Theme
“The Drifting City (Theme)” 

• Composed by Porter Hurst.
• Performed by Porter Hurst, Victor Thorne, and the friends and family of The Rolling Waves.

S1E2 Music Credits: 

• Ornament by Bladverk Band
• Letters by Ever So Blue
• Winter Hibernation by Magnus Ludvigsson
• The Calling Card by Martin Landstrom 
• Once Upon a Road by Bladverk Band

All courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

S1E2 Sound Effect and Ambience Credits: 

All courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Show Notes and Disclaimers (link)

Transcript

 Episode Two - Down These Mean Streets: Part Two

Narrator: The rain falls in thick sheets sporadically, not consistent. Rook, as you walk down the street heading back down into the lower decks, you feel the rush of the current of water on this slanted street. As you go down, eventually you get to a place where the water starts to pool and you splash through, and as you go, you get closer and closer as you sort of wage your way through the city to the sort of working district, a place where people who work all day in the engine, something that you're well familiar with.

The place where people who work in the engines and the refineries come to take a load off between shifts , you see the shining lights of enchanted signs, glowing, brilliant colors, almost a mocking technicolor of the storms outside. And these various signs for these various establishments beckon you closer to a place that is faker, but somehow that makes it all the more like home.

And you see a fittingly faded, but nonetheless, bright light, a sign for a place called the fading Light. And you walk closer and are able to step inside the door.

What does Rook do sort of as he immediately sort of takes stock of this establishment?

Rook: I have a feeling that I know roughly what kind of, you know, place this sorta is. But first thing I'm gonna do is get a lay of the customer base. What else is around? There's, I imagine some form of entertainment, like a lot of these places tend to have, so I'm gonna just assess everything and see what I'm working with here.

Narrator: All right. I say for free, you can easily tell this is a sort of working folks establishment. There is a, dwarven man behind the bar with a sort of graying beard that looks scraggly. It's short, and sort of coiled like, you know, wire almost. There is a young astral Elvin woman waiting tables, going back and forth to the bar. There's also a, if Caan fella who's sort of, also helping waiting tables. He's also doing some work behind the bar. And in terms of the rest of the establishment, it's thick with wisp weed smoke and the smell of rads and, as you sort of step, the floor is sticky.

But just the right kind, just enough that, you know, it's well used, but not that it's not cared for. And that's sort of what you initially get as you take stock of the place.

Rook: Okay. I suppose then I'm gonna go, there's a bar, right?

Narrator: Mm-hmm.

Rook: Go up to the Dovan man at the bar and just take a seat if there's an available one.

Narrator: Yeah, for sure. You sit down and the man looks at you and cocks an eyebrow. Haven't seen you around here before. What can I get you?

Rook: Um, I don't know. What do you enjoy? Never been obviously. So Got any recommendations?

Narrator: Well, uh, I can get you some of the good stuff if you, uh, have the chips.

Rook: Hmm? No. I'm a little tight right now. It's not really what I'm looking for.

Narrator: All right, well, we got some barely processed Raz. What Most of this sw drinking

Rook: Mm. I will take some of that, but also could I have a, a, a word rather a curiosity of mine?

Um, you've seen any other unfamiliar faces through here today at all?

Narrator: No,

Rook: Fair enough. Do I believe him?

Narrator: rolling. An insight check. And I'm actually going to roll myself on this one.

Orion: Ooh,

Valentine: Deception or persuasion.

Narrator: Who

Chrys: Oh boy.

Orion: roll offs.

Rook: I don't think it matters what you got because I got a net 20 for a

Narrator: Oh, man.

Chrys: Brook's eaten up all the, all the na twenties, man.

Narrator: He was so good. He looks at you and you see the cold calculating expression of a man who even if you can tell he's lying, he ain't gonna break easy and he looks you up and down and he says no to your face. And you know it's a lie. But the way you know is not because he has a tell.

The only way you know it's a lie is that you have facts to support that it isn't true. And the way that this man is able to lie to you with such a straight face, it's honestly pretty impressive.

Rook: I'm sorry, I just, I have a request. I'm a little frazzled, so forgive me if I'm a little off, but you know where I might go if I was trying to lay low, kind of got some heat, you know?

Narrator: He looks you up and down and I need you to roll some sort of check. I think this might be deception.

Rook: Yeah. I'll take deception. I got real scared for a second 'cause it hit one and then it bounced slightly off to the left

Orion: Ooh.

Rook: I got a 13 for a total of 18.

Narrator: Okay. He looks at you and he goes,

well, there's a lots of folks in this area of the city that can help folks like you. I'm not sure you're gonna find any of 'em here, though.

Rook: Not

Narrator: you, you might be better off getting, you know,

Rook: getting. Yeah, absolutely sure Nothing. Even a few chips. Couldn't fix. Really. Gotta get this heat off me.

Narrator: listen, son, I've been doing this for a little bit longer than you have. You don't got me. You step on out that door and get your boots wet and get outta here.

Rook: Well, appreciate your time sir. Have a great night. Well. As good a night as we can all have out here.

Narrator: What does Rook do?

Rook: Brooke is gonna get up and he is going to walk right out of the building and he's going to walk right around to the back of the building

Narrator: What are you gonna do there?

Rook: he's going to post up and be a persistent little piece of scum. Good.

Narrator: You find in the back alley there's sort of a, a back door into probably what sort of the, the kitchen area or the loading area for, them to get shipments of, their rads and such. And you sort of post up behind some, some boxes and other treous out there. And yeah, the only thing that's really visible is that glow under your skin as you find a good shadow to keep you company and inside an angel and a runaway step out into the bar and sy flags you down Valentine.

Valentine: What's going on?

Narrator: It's, uh, it's been a bit, but I would be careful. There was a guy came in here, said he was looking for a place to lay low. I didn't like the cut of him. He, uh, let's just say he wasn't being very honest with me. And I, uh, I don't take kindly to someone trying to bribe me when I've already been bribed, you know,

Valentine: You are loyal that way, SIE. It's what I love about you.

Narrator: well, better look out. He went out the front.

Valentine: Alright. Not a Bri.

Narrator: Nah, I didn't seem like the type, I got a good read on him. It seems like he's, uh, I'd guess private, something like that.

Valentine: All right. I'll be back in a bed. Okay?

I'm not gonna tell you where I'm going because that would be I stupid, but be

Narrator: Our art area next to you is just like,

um, Sy looks at you. And he goes, all right, . Um, yeah, just look out.

Valentine: I'm gonna lean forward and kiss him on the cheek. Then hustle, aria out of there. Aria.

Narrator: He sort of bristles slightly and just goes, is in troubles, and goes back to what he's doing behind the bar. Are you heading out the front?

Valentine: Am I heading out the front? No, no. I'm not heading out the front. I'm heading out the back because people are looking for her.

Narrator: All right. And so you do. And so probably, you know, we've been a little bit wibbly with time, but it's about probably half an hour since Rook first took up his, his vigil back there when Rook, you see that back door open and none other than a dark headed Haloed figure and, a sort of way fish astro Elvin woman next to her sort of ushered out into the alley.

Valentine: Let's go. We shouldn't be caught out here.

Narrator: Oh. All right, miss, uh, but don't forget, we gotta, we gotta stop off by that, uh, that lamppost, you know, we gotta, we gotta leave my message from my muscle, right?

Valentine: Of course, the lamppost. Yeah, absolutely. Where is it again?

Narrator: it's, uh, it's actually right down the street, so the closer to the refinery, uh, I just thought that would be a good spot. But I mean, that was smart, right? Like, I'm not leaving out in the open. I didn't tell him to like meet me nowhere, like originally. Right? I,

Valentine: You're very smart. Ataria. We need to hurry though.

Narrator: alright, uh, have you got any paper? I don't got any paper. The

Valentine: No

Narrator: for, for the, for the podcasting audience. Uh, Marilyn's face is just like, what do you mean you don't have,

Valentine: complete disbelief. Um, no, I don't carry paper on me. We will go back into the bar. I'll turn around and start heading inside.

Narrator: And, and it's easy, there's, there's like a little bit of a, of an inventory, but there by the door you can tear some off of, take the, the pen out of the clipboard and, and take that with you sort of putting it under your, are, are you wearing your, your raincoat?

Valentine: Yeah. She's got kind of this, transparent opalescent raincoat that looks almost like more like a dress than any kind of. Outer garment and is very clingy and suggestive appropriately. She, because it didn't seem like Ter had a spot in mind. So I think Valentine will write down before they leave so that they're not hanging out at the lamppost writing things down.

 She'll write down like a description of a little kind of mushroom cove. She remembers spending a few nights in and head back into the alley. Oh.

Narrator: All right. And as you guys are like, because you're moving out into the alley, when you had kind of been in the doorway, I assumed you weren't having your little conversation in the rain. At this point, I need Rook to roll a stealth check.

Rook: I can do that. No problem. Dai loves me. That's a Nat 20 for a total of 23.

Chrys: What

Rook: I will, I

will show it right now.

Chrys: another 

Rook: can't, you can't see it very well. But see, see that It's on the Nat 20.

It's on it. I'm not, I'm not even lying right 

Valentine: that 

Rook: I wish I, I wish I was fudging.

Orion: Where did you get those 

Valentine: Me too. 

Orion: do we all get one?

Chrys: Victor. Someone bless your dice. 

Valentine: Mm-hmm

Rook: was me. I give 'em a little smooch every night before bed.

Narrator: as we all should. Um

Orion: to my list of rituals.

Narrator: mm-hmm. But basically as, as Valentine and Ataria step out into the alley rook, you sort of, in the moments when you hear them by the door, getting ready to head out, you tilt your head up towards the rain and let it fall on your face a little bit. The steam from the charcoal in your skin going out, just slightly, whirling around your head almost like your own pipe.

Smoke in this moment, making you a complete spot of darkness within the dark and Valentine and Ataria. Step out into the alley and move towards the street. None the wiser to Rook having been there.

Rook: I'm just gonna keep a good distance, but keep a good tail on as well.

Narrator: Alright, so moving through Valentine, Ontario, you find the lamppost and you find that there is a, it's one of the ones where the arcana light at the top has gone out. No one's come to reapply the casting, it's, it's long since dead. And, other folks have come by and peeled the copper wiring off of the ruic bulb.

And there is sort of a, a crack in the housing between where that wiring used to be and the sort of stone bulb. And you're able to slip the piece of paper into it where it's sort of sheltered from the rain. Right where Atter said that you should and, move on forward towards that part of the hold.

How do you sort of navigate the streets with her, trying to lay low.

Valentine: I think that, Hmm, that's a good question. I think that she, with some amount of focus kind of, forces her halo from view. And normally as she moves through the city, it's with an awareness that she cannot be invisible. And so she may as well be as visible as possible, you know, kind of a saunter. But now she kind of lets her shoulders slump.

She kind of lets herself bow against the rain and, adopt the shuffle that a lot of other people walk with. So I think she's trying to hide by. Not hiding by just being one of the crowd.

Narrator: All right. Go ahead and roll a stealth check for me and I'm gonna roll for Eter as well.

Valentine: Come on, Terria. Come on. I mean, my gosh. I'm 18, I'm cured.

That's a 

20 uh one.

Chrys: The curse is broken.

Orion: Thank you, Victor.

Narrator: Shall I tell you what Eter got?

Valentine: Please do

Narrator: She got a 28.

Orion: Oh,

Chrys: Yo

Orion: who is

Morin: Sorry.

Valentine: what's up with Eter. I'm suspicious now.

Chrys: what in the world?

Narrator: She looks at you and it's uncanny the way she sort of immediately is able to replicate your performance. And she immediately sort of slinks down into your sort of slumped posture and kind of up her own accord, gets the idea to sort of put her head sort of in the crook of your neck.

As you know, you guys sort of walk down and sort of does a slight stumble to her step as she wraps an arm around you. And you are the perfect image of two working women who had a few too many after their, their shift in our stumbling home to their apartment in the lower decks. An image that is none too common here.

And nobody, you pass bats a single eye and you move forward down into the deep Orion. You approach a lamppost, you look in the hiding hole you were told to expect and find a sheet of paper describing of all places a mushroom grove in the hold. What is Orion thinking as he sees this meetup location?

Orion: , I think immediately the first thing that comes to mind is he has never been there, with, as convoluted as the lower decks get, you know, with, entrances being more or less, you know it because someone told you rather than figuring out yourself. So I think immediately upon seeing this location, there is a mixed feeling of, I'm intrigued because this is so new.

But also at the same time, this is a little out of my depth perhaps, but then again, in his years of taking on jobs as people's escorts and making sure that his, you know, targets are guarded. What's another first to his long list already?

Narrator: And do you head that way immediately?

Orion: You know, actually I might make a pit stop at one of my little, like, not quite houses, but just like rest stops

honestly. To kind of get stocked up on basic medical. The job description in and of itself was pretty vague, and so Orion just wants to make sure that he's sufficiently prepared for not just himself, but also, his, his job.

Narrator: What does he keep in terms of equipment? Like how does he prepare for a sort of bodyguard position?

Orion: It's nothing super spectacularly fancy. His old Sun Lasher uniform. He has repurposed, in the back of some odd tailor shop or the other, and now it has kind of turned into some pseudo. Armor almost that he, keeps just on himself just so it's more difficult for him to be, injured. And amongst the modifications that he's made, there are a lot of pockets and, pouches that are strapped, especially along his, like how you would imagine cargo pants to be, but also along belts and so and such. And in these pouches, he always keeps some of the

pretty standard medical necessities, gauze, above table. Do, do rads have the same, like sanitizing effect as standard rubbing alcohol would, or is that like a different thing?

Narrator: You know what? I think that they would like the really unrefined ones would have like disinfecting properties.

Orion: Okay. So yeah, he'd probably have some of that too. Maybe just some, a, a loose, not a loose, but like, you know, it's a pretty well wrapped needle and some suturing thread just in case of like emergency emergencies. And yeah, he, you know, brings his acts with him. , It's par for the course. But yeah, all that, he gathers up and gets himself ready and starts heading out to the location.

Narrator: All right? You begin to head down into the hold, and as you go, we sort of pan away and move over to a figure who is. Leaning against a wall, having to struggle to take each step, but is still moving, still doing her best as more. And you, you continue to struggle down into the hold. You've made your way to a semi-secret place that floaters use to get down into the hold itself.

There is a sort of drain that is meant to carry most of the irrigation water down off the street and into the hold, but you know, if you pry it up, there are, sort of a secret ladder driven into the side of this chute that goes straight down, basically, so that a floater could climb inside and get down into the hold and then put the grate back over.

And it is a struggle to pry it up. And as you do the, the sound of it sort of echoes through the stone streets, not quite as stealthy as you wish it would be. But you're able to climb down inside if you dare.

Morin: I do. It's time to go swimming.

Narrator: Go ahead and roll an acrobatics check for me as blood loss has made your limbs fairly clumsy,

Morin: Is that clumsy, like disadvantage, clumsy, or like I'm having to make a check Clumsy.

Orion: Well, don't give them ideas. 

Narrator: No, normally you would not need to make a check to climb down a ladder, so I won't be that mean.

Morin: Great. That is a 16.

Narrator: Okay. You manage to make it down the ladder and you sort of plop down into almost thigh deep water in this drainage tunnel, and you begin to wade through, as you're sort of wading through this water that is the ous of the lower decks is just full of who knows what, you know, cleansing the streets. What are you thinking? What's more in thinking? What, what's going on as she's sort of moving through?

Morin: Primary thought on her mind is keeping the wound area above the mysterious water. It's as bad as it's gonna get right now, it's probably cleaning off some of the blood from her pants, which is great because she loves these pants, but there's so many pockets. But primarily kind of holding her hands, kind of cupped under where the wound is on her abdomen to make sure that there's not water kind of splashing up as she wades through.

Narrator: And as you are sort of navigating, you come out into almost like a boggy swamp here in the hold itself, where a lot of this water collects and pools. There's sort of bits of lichen on the metal here of the grates, bits of fungus sort of growing up from cracks in little bits of stone work that were probably once a series of canals to sort of ensure that the water continued flowing before people just sort of stopped caring and let the water pool.

And as you sort of move through, you see the eerie sight of what appear to be, , submerged heads in the water, with sort of hair flowing out that, you know, to be wi weed, that if picked and dried turns into the, popular, uh, smoking, vehicle. Enjoyed by many here. And as you sort of wade through, you notice that.

This is not a very hospitable place for people. But you've been down here before and you know that, , if someone lives anywhere down here, it would probably be in an area that's a bit warmer, a bit Drier closer to the engines. And so you start moving in the direction of the midship, engine, and you start coming up on, you know, the series of boilers that sort of make up the, initial stages before you get to the engine proper.

It's a little bit loud down in this area as it seems like the engine has been active. There was a recent storm, a lot of maneuvering is happening. And as you sort of move through, you begin looking for signs of life. So go ahead and enroll a persuasion check, not persuasion perception check for me,

Orion: You persuade it to be alive.

Morin: That is, what is this perception, 12 to 16. 

Narrator: 16. You look through and the thing that catches your eye is that there appears to be a. Little bits of fungus growing all over. Bits of mushroom growing from where wall meets floor. But as you go, you notice patches are missing evidence that maybe someone has picked it up and tampered with it. And as you sort of move through, you see a rather large mushroom sort of against one of a wall.

It's, it's, it's strange in appearance. And as you sort of move by, uh, you almost swear out of the corner of your eye that it moves. What does Morin do?

Morin: Well, I don't have much else to go off of except for just moving closer to where there are missing patches and mushrooms. But, I'm not sure whether seeing a mushroom move was me seeing a mushroom move or the blood loss finally getting to me. So I'm gonna go a little bit closer to the mushroom just to check to see if I'm like sane.

Narrator: Yeah. As you look at it, it sort of pivots and you see. Eyes open on the stalk that are sort of little black orbs, sort of o like o ovular. And then a sort of black pit of a mouth opens into a wide smile as this mushroom looks up at you and stands up on stubby little legs and has like stubby little arms.

And it looks at you and goes, hi.

Morin: Yeah, you are a cute little thing. I are you, are you the thing.

Narrator: What?

Morin: Help. And she falls to her knees.

Narrator: Oh, float. Oh. Uh, Chris and Chris, you hear Terrell yell from out in the hallway, outside your, your remote home. Do you rush out?

Chrys: Yeah, Chris was kind of in the middle of fixing up a thing when Chantrell calls them. So when Chris opens the door, they're kind of like trying like, okay, I'm moving my focus from thing to this, what is happening with Chantrell? And they kind of like, open the door, is something wrong?

Narrator: I think another guy just died. Out here

Chrys: Oh dear, that's no good. And Chris moves out to see what, what's going on.

Narrator: on the ground, you see a collapsed air genasi woman who seems to have lost consciousness, and is bleeding profusely from the abdomen.

Chrys: Oh, good heavens. Hello. Right, you're uh, asleep. Um, right. Uh, is there a way I can like,

Narrator: chanterelle goes. Are they dead?

Chrys: I don't believe so. Can I check?

Narrator: Yeah. Do a medicine check.

Chrys: Okay. I hope she's not dead. We just started. Okay. That's, uh, 19.

Narrator: Not dead, but on the way.

Chrys: Okay.

Narrator: In the words of princess bride, perhaps only, mostly dead.

Chrys: No, mostly but not quite.

uh. Right. Can I try and move her inside before I do anything?

Narrator: For sure. I'd say you can, it's slow, but you can, like, it just, to drag someone is like half a moat, move speed. So mechanically it just takes you, a little bit to sort of get your arms under hers and sort of drag her, leaving a trail of blood on the, the metal of the hallway, leading into this boiler room.

A very ominous sign. If anything else, as you go and Chanterelle goes, oh, so I can't, I can't take their stuff, but

Chrys: No, you can't take their stuff.

Narrator: I want their stuff

Chrys: Does she look dead to you?

Narrator: kind of,

Chrys: What? Why don't you finish what you were doing?

Narrator: I was just standing in a corner

Chrys: Doing what?

Narrator: staring at the wall.

Chrys: All right. No, you cannot take her stuff, their stuff. I don't know who this is.

Narrator: Can I, can I take their stuff when they die?

Chrys: Not, not, not, not while I'm here.

Narrator: Why it seems like a waste if they're dead.

Chrys: What do you need with her stuff?

Narrator: I don't know. It'd be nice to have.

Chrys: Well, she's not dead and I'm not going to let her die, so, no.

Narrator: Oh, okay.

Alright. And so as you're sort of dragging more in, chanterelle goes and just like pushes hard at sort of morin's boots as you drag, Charell is not actually helping, but is, you know, just sort of giving a token effort as their little mushroom body attempts to, to help push more in from the other side into, into your home.

Chrys: All right. The place that, Chris probably puts her down is , there's like a cot that they have in the corner. Chris doesn't use it, but sometimes they have people that need it. So Chris will, use it for those situations. And then once, he has more in kind of situated, they're going to cast, second level cure wounds.

Narrator: Nice. So, so go ahead and roll the healing on that.

Chrys: Alright. Cast that. Okay. That's a six, that's 16 total.

Narrator: Nice. So, Morin, you are launched back into consciousness at 16 hit points. And Chris, what does Morin immediately see as she opens her eyes? Describe what your, your little boiler room cottage looks like and, and sort of what environment more in is suddenly in.

Chrys: Let's see. I mean, the first thing, 'cause Chris is like right there, like doing the, the cure wound spell, and might I add Chris's, version of a cure? Like in, in this, in this case, where the wound is, Chris is almost like doing like a sewing motion with this sparkle in between their fingertips.

And it's fixing up the wound. 

Narrator: Nice. 

Chrys: and, first thing you see is, is Chris, which, again, the eyes are very striking, very wide owlish, very large cloak. Looks like a corpse, very focused 'cause they don't want you to die. And then other than Chris, the room around for a boiler that is being lived in it's oddly cozy, , there's like warm light coming from like a little lantern on the ceiling, and like a little lantern in the corner.

There's like little boxes and cultures of little like mushroom patches that are like very, clearly in organized spots around the room. There's little like bits and bobs everywhere of, scraps of cloth and like sewing materials, crafting materials, et cetera. Little like what looks to be like the beginnings of like maybe a, making some kind of concoction over here.

And then, it fits in but not quite. There's this little patch over in like this one spot in the middle of the room that is very specifically like, sectioned off from everything else. Has like a little like. Kind of glass dome over it. And it's just this little patch of glowing flowers.

Narrator: So this is what Morin sees as she wakes up.

Morin: I am. Hi. Hi. Are you,

Chrys: Hello?

Morin: did you just hear me?

Chrys: Uh, yes. Uh, you weren't doing very good. Are you? Are you doing better now?

You aren't asleep anymore?

Morin: asleep.

Chrys: You were asleep?

Morin: Oh, so you are the thing. Then

Chrys: probably.

Morin: I just sworn I saw like a. Mushroom with eyes,

Narrator: Hi.

Chrys: Oh,

Morin: oh

Chrys: this is cre.

Narrator: Hi.

Chrys: not let her take your things.

Morin: my 

things. real bad.

Chrys: did not let her.

Morin: Morin quickly pats to make sure that her grappling hook is still attached to her side. And then, oh, my, my things I, well, yes. I mean, you've, you've healed me. If it's things you want, I, I have chips, or if you need something done, I can go get something done. I'm pretty sure I can move around pretty well now.

So,

Chrys: I mean, you were, you were dying. Why don't you rest for a moment.

Morin: so things

Chrys: Rest

Lay here. I don't think you're all better yet.

Morin: is this, do you live here?

Chrys: Mm-hmm.

Morin: Nice place.

Chrys: Oh, thank you. I've decorated it a bit. I think it looks nicer than it used to.

Morin: So, is Chanterelle like a. Pet your child.

Narrator: What do you mean a pet? Don't call me that.

Chrys: She doesn't like being called a pet. Um, I'm not sure. She follows me around everywhere, and I don't know. I guess she's someone to talk to.

Morin: That's sweet.

Narrator: You're still bleeding

Morin: Oh, um, thank you. It's, it'll probably close up soon. It's, it's

Narrator: you die. I get your stuff.

Chrys: Crell,

Narrator: What?

Chrys: stop.

Narrator: Mm,

Morin: Do you want my stuff?

Narrator: well, yeah.

Chrys: I

Morin: What st what stuff?

Chrys: I, I don't want your stuff.

Narrator: what?

Chrys: I, I don't need, I don't need your stuff. I don't want your stuff. Uh,

Narrator: I do

Chrys: c Crell, go stand in the corner. I

Narrator: fine. And chanterelle like grumbling, shuffles over to the corner and stands there.

Chrys: will never understand her. I'm sorry.

Morin: No, I'm, I'm sorry. I, thank you. For healing me. You didn't have to. I mean, you've never met me before and I pass up on your doorstep by your pet, your friend.

Chrys: I mean. I did have to though you were not awake. That's not very good.

Morin: I'm in your debt

and I swear on the void. I will repay it. Ow

Chrys: I, I think, I think it is all right. Um, if you are very determined to do such a thing, I suppose, I don't know. Why don't, why don't you rest for a bit? I don't need anything right this moment. I think it would be best if you didn't maybe make it bad again.

Morin: I can do that. I can do that and she'll start to lay back down from where she kind of lept up.

Chrys: Chris is kind of twiddling with her fingers. The, the intensity with which Morin was. Kind of confused them a little bit. Um, do you want tea?

Morin: You have tea down here?

Chrys: Well, it's not the sort of, I, I call it tea. Um, I make it with, uh, mushrooms that I, culture. I've actually gotten very good at making it taste good.

Morin: I mean, if it's not too much trouble, I would love some. I Is there something I can call you other than, uh, the thing

Chrys: I call myself Chris

Morin: Chris

Chrys: and what is your name?

Morin: Morin.

Chrys: Hello Mor.

I will make you tea.

Morin: Thank you much obliged.

Chrys: And as Chris gets up just before they walk away, Chris goes, oh, I almost forgot. And. Using a very similar method with which they were fixing your wound very quickly. Patches up your shirt and vest with mending.

Morin: Oh, did you just fix my shirt?

Chrys: Yes, it would be a shame to let such a, a nice piece of clothing go to waist.

Morin: That's, insane. I can't believe you just did that. I,

wow. Um, in the, um hmm. Thank you.

Chrys: Welcome.

Morin: And as soon as Chris turns around to go make the tea, Moran is gonna take a chip from one of her pouches and kind of toss it over to Chanterelle Terrell.

Narrator: You see it clatter over near Terrell while Chris is bustling around starting to make the tea. And Terrell turns like so slowly around just like rotating in place. And then you see her little leg just stretch out and slap on the wooden disc and sort of pull it towards her until she can like bend down and get it with her little arms and she holds it to her chest and she looks at you and she just nods very solemnly and very seriously and then pivots back around the corner and like scoots in more.

But this time you can see like her little arms are not by her sides, but in instead, instead are clearly curled around the front as she's holding onto this round disc of this chip. And as Chris sort of bustles to make the tea, eventually the sharp wine of the, teapot pierces through the air and is echoed in the far distance by the loud whistle of the, rad refinery and the engines all signaling the end of third shift and nearby the refinery itself.

Two figures are stumbling down into the hold towards a grove of mushrooms as Valentine and Nater start making their way down this direction.

Valentine: That was impressive. How do you learn to do that?

Narrator: Oh, I don't really know. It's a skill I picked up somewhere recently, I guess. Yeah. I've always been sort of good at not being noticed except by, uh, men who are no good for me.

Valentine: I'm trying to decide if, no, I think she would make an insight check.

Narrator: go for it.

Valentine: Okay. Above a 10. That's great news. 'Cause I think that she is tempted because of what, Eter is saying, not to look closer, but a lifetime of suspicion is making her do it. 16,

Narrator: Okay. I'm gonna roll, but you don't know whether it's persuasion or deception.

Okay. What was your role again?

Valentine: 16.

Narrator: Okay, you. at her. And

it's not a lie, but it's not the whole truth. It's not even a lie by omission. It's just, you can tell there is more to this story, but she is not actively deceiving you. She's just not divulging all her deepest secrets to you right now.

Valentine: Okay. I think as we kind of draw into the relative shelter and safety of the grove, I'm gonna get a little bit of distance from her and say, I wanna help you Eter. I really do, and I want you to make me a promise. Promise me that if there's something you're keeping from me that will put us in danger, you'll tell me.

Narrator: Uh, that's kind of heavy. Miss, I, I barely know you.

Valentine: You're asking me to take your life in my hands, and I'm placing my life in yours.

Narrator: Um.

I mean, I've told you the truth. I, uh, there's people after me. I don't think they wanna hurt me, but I don't think they'd mind hurting people around me to get to me, 

Valentine: I could have guessed that much. It's okay. I'm not asking you to tell me your whole life story, I'm just asking for a little promise.

Narrator: go ahead and roll a persuasion check for me.

Valentine: I can do that hypothetically. Okay. 19.

Narrator: Okay. Aria sort of of looks at you and then she looks down at the ground, and then she, seems to think for a minute before she looks at you. She sort of crosses her arms.

Listen, Valentine, uh,

I don't want anything bad to happen to anybody.

Certainly not to anybody who's helping me. If bad things happen to me, uh, well I did my best, you know, but, uh, I'm not actively trying to do you any harm, uh, other than I guess asking you to help me, putting you in this danger. But, uh, my goal is not to have anything bad happen to anybody but me. So

 I saw something unfortunate, sort of led me to go on the run.

There's, um,

there's some shady stuff happening My supervisor was involved in it and she's dead now, and so I need to get outta the city. 'cause I don't think that they're planning to kill me, but I've seen the same things she has, so it's, it's not off the table.

Valentine: I'll give you a piece of advice. Ataria. You never know what people are capable of until their hands are around your throat. I'll get you out of here.

Narrator: All right, thanks.

And I will say there is someone following up close behind, but not very far away that I'm sure was able to peer in on this conversation. I, I think you're writing that, you know, Nat 20 stealth for a lot here, but what's rook up to?

Rook: Rook is going to be as as well as he can, just following from not quite close enough to where like they hear the same set of footsteps, but also not quite far enough away so that he can't hear any of what they're saying. He's kind of trying to write in that sweet spot. So I'm kind of just wondering how much of that conversation I'm able to drop in on.

Narrator: I'll say roll a perception check for me.

Rook: Okay, this die loves me. This D actually loves me. That's in NA 20. That's in NA 20.

for, I'm not kidding. I wish I was kidding. That's in

that 20 for a 20. I will show

you my ca.

I 

didn't touch it, left hand, didn't touch it,

Narrator: Boom.

Rook: blah. There, 

monkey head? 

Chrys: just stealing all of the NA twenties. I 

Orion: You know what? It's okay. At least the NA twenties are going somewhere.

Chrys: Not to Marilyn,

Narrator: sure. I'll say for that, you hear the whole conversation. I mean, I, I can't manifest more than what there was, but yeah, you hear, you hear what they're talking about. And I'll say with that Nat 20 perception, you hear the telltale signs of heavy boots approaching down the hallway, what seemed to be a single set, the clank of just a little bit of armor, sort of moving through as, Orion, you start to come down the corridor towards this grove rook do you try to hide?

Rook: I'd say at this point, no.

Narrator: as you come down this hallway, the first thing you see in the darkness is the glow of what appeared to be embers at the end of a pipe. And then the glow of something under someone's skin. As, as you get closer, you can make out the shape of rook in the darkness.

Orion: Whoa. So sorry. Um, just stop. I wasn't expecting to, uh, find anybody else down here. Wow. That is a, that is a fantastic coat you have.

Rook: Appreciate it and this presence you got there.

Orion: Um,

Rook: Heard your foot falls from a mile away. Seemed like a strong fellow.

Orion: oh, hey. I can't help it if my, if my reputation precedes me, huh. but, uh, anyhow, uh, I won't pry. I'm just trying to find my destination anyways.

Rook: Aren't we? Aren't we all? I get you

Orion: Mm-hmm. I suppose we're headed the same direction then. Well,

Rook: believe so. Maybe, maybe not. Who's to say 

Orion: All right. So I think Orion still, you know, caught up on the need to just get to his destination and he'll just kind of wave his hand as a cursory goodbye and continue heading down the path

Narrator: Does Rook follow or are you waiting there in the hallway?

Rook: Well, as in going deeper, like going further in

would be where Orion's heading and Orion heading, or this, this man headed off. Where are, where's the, uh, the, the two ladies of suspect here?

Narrator: They're further in. They're, they're in the direction that Orion is heading.

Rook: Well, I've of course got a tail a little bit and I can't just wait out here.

Gotta be proactive about it. Can't waste an opportunity.

Narrator: Beautiful. So walking in the sort of anonymity of another's footfalls you follow behind Orion as he approaches where this sort of narrow all metal all around hallway, here in the hold opens up into a bigger bog like area of this grove. It's not quite as wet and marshy as some of these areas of the hold.

There's a little bit more ground where some organic material has decomposed into almost dirt, and you see little bits of lichen and other, glowing f fungus sort of lighting up this space as, Valentine. You see a, young ERO man walk into the room nonchalantly, as a Terry sort of looks up at him as well.

Orion, what do you do as you enter this room?

Orion: I think first of all, he probably wouldn't barge in. I mean, he knows that he's announcing his presence as he goes, but you know, it's just common courtesy. I feel like he does the cursory couple of knocks on the door before he opens it and, because I'm assuming he sees all three.

Narrator: As you walk in, there's no door, but there is sort of an opening from where the hallway opens up so you can stop and knock as you go into that threshold. And inside you see, the thin, beautiful but clearly terrified astral Elvin woman who for all the world looks exactly like what you would expect your mark to be.

And another woman maybe astral Elvin. It's kind of hard to tell, as long as Valentine is still suppressing her halo. Dark haired and looking at you with what sort of expression, Valentine.

Valentine: I think she is looking, her eyes are darting back and forth between Eter and this stranger, with kind of a sharp, wary edge to her gaze. And her hand is creeping towards, her thigh, where unbeknownst to Orion and maybe Atter, she has a sheath for a dagger. Is this your muscle?

Narrator: Uh, I think so. Are you the, are you the sun Lasher? You, you, Ryan.

Orion: Yes ma'am. That's me in the flesh.

Narrator: All right. Where, where'd you find, where'd you find the note? Uh, it was supposed to come down here.

Valentine: I.

Orion: Oh yeah. You know, just found it stuck into the side of a lamppost. Good thing that, um, had, have you left it there, had you left it there for very

long? Because what the, 

Narrator: Valentine, he knew where it was. He knew where it was. Right. So he is the guy, I told him where to 

Orion: yeah, I mean, I'm just, Hey, just for future reference, you know, with what the, what the sprinklers are bringing down. I mean, that note wasn't gonna be there for my for much longer, so Yeah. Good on you for having a backup plan to cover your tracks, but yes, I, that's me and I am, well, I guess I'm the guy you're looking for, huh?

Valentine: Were you followed?

Orion: Uh, there's some, that's some guy out there, um, in a, cool ass coat. whoa. What he was he not part of the squad clue me in here?

Valentine: No, I think, I think it would be really wonderful if you could just go right back on out there and take care of him for us. I think that would be a great start to this little journey.

Orion: Oh, well. Is that so? All right.

Narrator: think, uh, I think Zoom's cutting it out. But, 

Rook: Damnit. 

Narrator: Victor, Victor is doing a knocking noise motion with his mouth, 

Rook: I'm trying to knock and it's, it's not letting me be dramatic. That's so sad.

Narrator: okay. But, you know, knock, knock, knock. Right.

Rook: Right around that, the whole, uh, as soon as you get to, why don't you go out and take care of it. Just a few syrup to shits knocks on the door.

Orion: Oh, and there he is. I'll get it.

Narrator: As you sort of look over to the open entryway, there is no door into this space, but, you on the 

Orion: I gotta commit to the.

Rook: Knock on the side of

the wall. 

Morin: it.

Narrator: For sure. And emerging from the shadows, you see? Rook, you're, you sort of announced your presence into this space.

Valentine: Oh,

perfect timing.

Rook: I will say it's not him that had to worry about being followed. Y'all weren't terribly cautious. I've been telling you since the alleyway, but. Little jumpy, a little focused on what's in front of you. I get it. I get it. Anyway, Mr. Atter? Yeah.

Narrator: She sort of looks at you Valentine.

Valentine: I'm gonna cast command on.

Rook: Okay.

Valentine: Just the command is gonna be, grovel. It is a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw.

Rook: Okay. Let's see what my wisdom's got for me.

Valentine: I

Rook: I love this guy. That's a 17 plus two.

Valentine: a little help here muscle.

Rook: can we, can you relax with the magic? I appreciate you trying to get me, you know, on the ground or whatever. I'm here to talk. I was waiting for a good time to talk to where it wasn't out in the open, but I got something serious I'm trying to resolve. So if you could make that go a little smoother, I'd appreciate it.

And.

Orion: well, yeah, we'll be that as it may, it's, not talking out in the open. I'm, I can understand that, but you know, it's another thing entirely to make sure that the, you know, they've been cornered in a, in a cavern as so to speak. So why don't you just, uh, go on back a few steps and speak from the

Rook: Do I

really look like I pose a threat here?

Orion: Well, hey, you can never be too sure in this line of work can you?

Rook: I appreciate the prudence, all

that 

Orion: on you, big guy. Par for the course.

Rook: all that being said, big guy. Let's just take a sec 'cause I'm trying to get to the bottom of something now I need to be a little less discretionary 'cause the woman of the hour is actually here. So care to elaborate or fill me in a little bit on the, uh, corpse that I was assigned to look at today. Sure.

You're familiar

Narrator: Terry sort of looks at you Valentine and sort of looks at him and just seems completely at a loss for what to do,

Valentine: I think you'll find that she's under no obligation to talk to the stranger who followed her into the hold.

Rook: you're right. Where am I? Manners, name's Rook. I'm investigating the murder of someone who she's affiliated with in the workplace. And quite frankly, it is a little suspicious when a body was found in their office throat ripped clean from the neck, and all of a sudden one of the people who just got promoted takes off with, without a word. It really was quite an ordeal to find you, by the way, although takes out the little book of matches, it is a little dangerous to play with these, you know, burns it up in his hands.

Valentine: I am just kind of gonna glance over to Terry. Like I told you,

Narrator: and she looks and she just goes.

I, I don't, I, I, I don't know if, uh, if Valentine says it's not good to talk to you, then I don't, I don't think I should talk to you.

Valentine: that is what Valentine says. Valentine says, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Rook. Now you can turn back around and tell whoever hired you that you could not find Eter and that maybe no one should come looking for Eter,

or I can tell my friend here to slit your throat.

Rook: hmm. That is awful big talk for someone who failed to get a guy to even listen to one little word. Now that being said, I really appreciate the attempt to dissuade me here, but I'm here because I was assigned to do a job and I really don't know why you are being so insistently defensive over a murder suspect.

I'll just flat out and say it 'cause I don't have any other suspects. And her being capable magic user that she is could have very easily cleaned herself off after doing it as the whole reason I even pieced that together. But do you even know the company that you're in? It seems to me like you're just blindly taking orders as well.

Orion: Rook, uh, while we're in the business of asking each other questions, I got one for you. What are you getting out of this? Because, well, what's another dead body on the city? Huh? Who cares? Who killed what? I mean, we're all just trying to survive here. That's what I'm here for. I make sure that the people who hire me stay alive. What are you getting out of some justice that you're, is, is that what you're pursuing? Someone got killed. Big deal. People die out here in the streets all the time. Every day people float and no one even knows about it. What are you getting out of this?

Rook: Oh, trust me, and someone floats. I know about it. But that being said, one, it's my job. It's what I get paid to do. Just like you get paid probably to beat the hell outta people. I get paid to find out who did what and when and where, and so on and so forth, and all the nitty gritty. Maybe some folks just got a little more care in them, left for the surroundings Maybe it just helps ease my mind knowing who did what to someone and that maybe that person can rest a little easier. But till I get any actual proof of something or until I get any sort of anything besides a name to follow as a suspect, I can't really do anything. So as an assurance of faith, because I'm a man of my word, I'll even lay it out easy for you and I'm gonna cast zone of truth.

Narrator: Ooh.

Rook: Is everyone within, what's the radius on this thing actually.

Orion: I mean, I, I can't imagine that it's very large of a cavern.

Rook: Yeah, it's a 15 foot radius,

so a 

Orion: you've got us.

Rook: yeah. I'm gonna cast it centered so that all of us are going in.

Narrator: All right. What's the, the save.

Rook: It is a charisma Save DC 14.

Narrator: Okay. DC 1415 on the Die Atter Succeeds.

Valentine: Valentine got a nine.

Orion: Oh, I'm glad 'cause I got an eight.

Narrator: So.

Valentine: Oh my 

Rook: got, I got, the one person that, the one person who I wanted the truth from. I ain't getting the truth from.

Narrator: You are aware of Terry succeeded.

Rook: Yep.

Valentine: Oh, he's got a conscience. I guess he won't leave unless we kill him. You may as well tell him. Ataria.

Narrator: You hear about Phyllis?

Valentine: Is that this corpse.

Narrator: Yeah. Phyllis Brent, the supervisor at the Lower End Reserve.

I know she's dead now, but I, I,

listen, I, I wasn't there, I wasn't in the room. I was in the warehouse. I was working, but I, uh, I stayed late. Most of the girls were gone from the shift. I wanted to get a last few castings in before I, uh, moved on up. You get bonuses, right? So I, I knew I wanted to leave the city, so I, I was staying to do a little bit more.

I was exhausted, but I was. You know, gonna push through to get those last few chips I needed to get outta there, but, you know, I, I don't know what happened. Heard a ruckus and heard Phyllis screaming and I left. I ran, I figured though this was my sign. I gotta, I gotta get out of there

Rook: Yeah. Uh, about when was that,

Narrator: this morning sometime. Middle of third shift? No, end of third shift. Uh,

it was, it was late. I was tired. Um, some folks came in. I don't remember too much about 'em. There was a, there was a guy I, I recognize as a, as another sprinkler from a different reserve. I, I don't know his name. The DN fella, uh, blonde hair braid a beard. I mean, I know that describes like half of the dwarves in the city.

But, um, then he had a few tops with them. It looked like, uh, you know, don't know too much about them. I just knew they were there to see the boss. And I, I didn't really pay 'em much attention.

Rook: and you said Phyllis was your supervisor, right?

Narrator: Yeah, before the promotion, it hadn't quite gone through yet. I was to report to my new station. You know, I, I had the next couple of shifts off, which is why I figured now's a good time to leave too. 'cause no one's gonna be looking for me for at least a day.

Rook: Of all this just happened, just one little thing. You seem awfully well organized to hightail that outta here. For someone who just caught wind this morning that maybe they should skip town,

Narrator: I've been planning to leave for a while.

Figured now is the time

Rook: is she telling the truth?

Narrator: roll an insight check. Your zone of truth did not work on her.

Rook: I'm, and you know, you know what I'm gonna do? You know what I'm gonna do? I have a little, little extra, hold on. Where was it? Where was

it? There it is. I am going to now apply as he's kinda looking at him, all of a sudden, kind of the general smoke haze that's filling this little, this the ground in the zone of truth almost. App operates for a second

Narrator: Mm.

Rook: and just makes almost like an owl sitting on his shoulder and just, and drifts off again. As I'm gonna use that tale of the clever animal earlier because that gives me advant or not advantage. That's my bardic inspiration die

for the 

next 10 minutes. 

Narrator: Nice.

Rook: So I'm adding that

Narrator: All right?

Rook: that is so good insight. You said,

Narrator: Mm-hmm.

Rook: great. That is going to be a dirty 20.

Narrator: You see her shift and she very nearly got you.

The way she holds herself is a bit too delicate, like she's trying to convince everyone around her that she's fragile when she's not, and she looks at you and you realize she has told you mostly the truth, but not entirely the truth. And it is true that. She's been planning to get out for a while, and it is true that

she fears for her life and is on the run, but the circumstances around what happened to Phyllis are still not entirely true. She told you the truth about the men and about running, but you get the sense that there's more.

Rook: Suppose that leads into, um, another question. I've been at this a few years. One, I know when this old little ring doesn't exactly work on someone. And two, I'm also aware when someone's acting like something they're not, you have this real delicate little flower act going on this, this little weeping willow thing. You got almost convincing, I gotta say pretty good. But that only just increases more suspicion as to why exactly you're running. 'cause I think there's more that you ain't telling me in regards to this murder. And I don't think that absence bodes well for any sense of guilt or innocence that you may have. ' cause that would also mean you're lying to the people that you're hiring on your life and possibly bringing harm to them, which I believe the lady asked you to say to be upfront if some harm was about to come to her. Valentine, was it?

Valentine: That's right. I asked you to promise and you wouldn't.

Narrator: Listen. 

Orion: So am I decking this guy or

Narrator: I don't think so.

Orion: Okay. I mean, you're calling the shots, you know, say the word and I'll do it.

Rook: you wouldn't want to do that anyway. Weak is tissue paper wouldn't be a satisfying punch.

Orion: Yeah.

Narrator: Listen, Phyllis is not my fault, and

there are things that are big and scary that I don't think that I should have to talk about with anybody, let alone strangers, but I will tell you, and this, I promise that none of this will make it any more or less dangerous to get me out of the city. All right?

Rook: all right. That's entirely fair. What I will say again. Now that we've already established that you've been lying to both me and your compatriots here, you're your hired help to get you outta here. It would really just benefit everyone if you just actually told the whole truth here. Just gave into the, gave into the little smoke circle, actually told the truth.

That would be so useful and so helpful, and it would get you outta here much quicker.

Narrator: Sir, if I tell you the whole truth, you ain't making it out of this alive.

Rook: I stick my nose in a lot of things and I've been doing fine up until now. Kinda my line of work. If you didn't already get the gist, I.

Narrator: And sir, clearly no one's ever told you the number one rule in prison. You don't stick your nose where it don't belong.

Valentine: I have an above table question.

Is that a common saying,

Narrator: No. The sentiment is common, but that specific phrasing is not.

Valentine: Terry, I need you to tell us the truth and the whole truth, and I need you to tell it right now. I don't care that we're strangers. I don't care if you think you're protecting yourself or you're protecting us. I want to help you, despite myself. I do, but I won't. If you do not. Tell me where you heard that and what you saw.

Narrator: No.

If you're not gonna help me, I'll find someone else, but I'm gonna go now.

Rook: Now, I really wish you hadn't said that. Unfortunately, for you, I pride myself on my job. The fact that you're trying to hightail it again after already being put plumb in a corner, well that's just really making it seem like you personally ripped the throat out of this woman's neck. And if that is the case, might as well say something in your defense if it's not the case, especially say something, word listeners, ain't gonna help you. And I guarantee the path you're going down is gonna be a much harder road.

Valentine: Eter, just tell us how you got into trouble with the cousins.

Narrator: but I, I never said that, 

but. 

Valentine: said enough. It's okay.

Rook: I mean, do you really think we're amateurs not looping us in together? I, I just met you.

Valentine: I.

Rook: You think we all don't know. We're all from around here.

Narrator: I

Rook: I.

Narrator: listen, I'm in over my head. You're in over your heads. Clearly this was a bad idea. Clearly I'm not good at this. I'm not practice at this. All right, so I am, I'm cutting you loose. I'll, I'll pay you away. I was gonna pay you here you want, you want chips? You want a year? I got it here. And she throws down a year chip onto the ground in front of her.

She's like, you want it? You have it. But I'm not gonna get into all this. I'm not. I thought this was gonna be simple, easy. Clearly I'm dumb. I'm naive who kiss. Just let me have my secrets. It's all I got. All right. 

Valentine: you're forgetting one other thing. You have eter your life

Narrator: Are you threatening me?

Valentine: no, I'm telling you the truth. I have to magic circle. I am not going to lay a hand on you and I do not want to harm you. But if you leave with those secrets you're keeping, you won't make it to the next shift.

Narrator: Listen, all I want is to see the sun just once. All right? That's all I want. And whatever happens to me after that, who cares? I don't know what's gonna happen. Not really, but I just know. I just wanna stand in the stuff they call sand, and I wanna look at a thing they call the ocean, and I wanna see the thing that they call the sun.

And if you help me do that, then I'll tell you what you wanna know. I'll tell you all of it. All right? You just have to get me out and until I'm out, I'm not saying nothing. So if you all wanna help me get to that point and, and get your answers, then share. Or if you wanna pressure me for it now, you're gonna have to kill me first.

Valentine: Okay.

Narrator: Hmm.

Rook: Wrote, kind of reaches into his jacket, pulls out a slip of paper, the animated postcard. Got lofty aspirations. You ever stop to think and consider that maybe you might get there a little quicker if you help the people who are trying to help you. 'cause if we don't know what we're walking into, that's even worse than sticking your nose where you know it doesn't belong.

Valentine: Transport for information. Sounds like a fair trade to me. What do you think, Rook? Are you willing to wait a little bit for your answers?

Rook: I don't know where this is. I have never seen this place before in my life, and I certainly do not think it is anywhere on this hunk of rock hurdling through the void.

Valentine: That's the job. We're going to be pulling closer to a seam soon and we're going to somehow float her down to it and onto me. Firma out of this whole mess.

Rook: Okay, well, that being said, I would like one piece of information prior to extending my aid if you could consider this, that. I would really appreciate if I could feel that you gave into the circle right now, miss Ataria.

Narrator: I can't promise you I'm gonna answer, but Alright.

And you feel the sort of shift in the weave as

she gives in?

Rook: Great. Did you or did you not kill Phyllis? Very simple question.

Narrator: Hmm.

I didn't.

Rook: Now we're getting somewhere. So now you have shifted in classification from a murder suspect to most likely, and please do confirm this next bit if I'm wrong or not. I. A key witness. Yes. Great. So you didn't do it, but you certainly saw Who did

Narrator: Who's to say?

You'll get your answers at the end, Mr. Rook. It's a deal.

Rook: I better? I better 'cause I'll get 'em one way or another.

Valentine: Now that we're all friends, we need to find a floater where she's never getting out of here. Anyone know anyone?

Orion: Um, sure I can pull some strings.

Rook: My

Narrator: I need everyone to roll a perception check for me. Sorry, I think I cut you off. Victor, what do you want?

Rook: no, I was just saying my my connections are more up top. Not really floater style.

Valentine: Wow. He's fancy.

Rook: Oh. Far from it. Far from it. I mean the, the not great kind of up top, the uh, the enforcement kind of up top.

Valentine: 21.

Rook: There we go.

Narrator: Nice. You hear footsteps coming down the hallway.

Rook: 17.

Valentine: Oh, 

Narrator: I'd say with the 17, you hear them as well. With the 21 Valentine, you hear are several sets of footsteps.

Orion: Okay. Really glad that you guys rolled well, because I'm still stuck in the pit of eight.

Narrator: Well,

Valentine: we need, we need to go. We need to go right now.

Orion: Okay. Say less.

Rook: Cool.

Narrator: yeah. They're sort of through the bog down. There's, other branching hallways that lead deeper into the hold.

Valentine: They're going past us or they're coming towards us,

Narrator: The, the hallway down into this room is a one way hallway, and you hear from up in that direction. So unless they are pacing back and forth in a narrow hallway, they are heading towards you.

Rook: From where we all came from. Right.

Narrator: Yeah,

Rook: Okay.

Valentine: and I'm guessing there's no, second non-existent door out of this room.

Narrator: no, there's just branching hallways off of this place.

Orion: Can I like Kool-Aid, man my way through the wall. So we have an exit.

Narrator: Well, there's exits, there's just other hallways that 

Orion: Oh, okay. 

Narrator: into miscellaneous directions.

Valentine: Okay, let's go fast, quiet. It doesn't matter where. Just out of here

Narrator: All of you roll a stealth check.

Orion: Oh,

Rook: I am going, I'm going to ready. Ready something. If

someone messes up on the stealth, if

someone makes a slip up, I'm gonna have something ready.

Narrator: Eter is more than good.

Orion: Yeah. 22.

Rook: me. Oh, it might be me.

Valentine: Oh, it Are you sure? Because

it might be me. 

Orion: Man, himself.

Valentine: That's an

11. 

Narrator: Oh,

Rook: that's an 11 as well.

Narrator: twins. It's the twin bar effect.

Valentine: Ooh. 

Narrator: so in terms of averages, TERT got a 24

Valentine: Okay. 

Rook: Okay.

Narrator: and so, and then Orion got a 22, and then we got the two elevens. What would, what did you Ready? Because if you readied something, it would activate.

Rook: I wasn't readying a spell more

that more I was readying in case anything happened that would obviously like, you know, an obvious we've been made moment. I would essentially not even try to hide and try to play it off as some, you know, lost sick dude.

Narrator: Your average is pretty high. You don't know if, it'll be enough yet, but you guys move through and, Orion you take, aria by the, like shoulder and start moving with her, moving together. Maybe Rook and Valentine, you're stuck for a minute.

Gazing at each other, unsteadily before you follow behind, moving deeper into the hold. And as you sort of are moving through, you duck into one of these hallways and then you hear the sounds of people moving through and searching that room. You see, or you hear at least four different voices, perhaps more, and one of the voices you hear go, alright, well, let's bring more down here so that we can do a more thorough search.

Uh, I don't think we're gonna be able to scour all of the hold without, uh, more people. So, uh, you two stay here and, uh, keep a lookout, but we'll, we'll go get more and bring them back.

Rook: Do these sound like Briggs?

Narrator: I'd say Briggs come in all shapes and sizes. You cannot tell from their voices 

Rook: I don't, I mean less from their voices and more from the way that they're speaking. You know, people on like, you know, enforcement business are gonna talk a little different than like an organized crime group, for example.

Narrator: I'll say roll an insight check.

Rook: I will take that and I will be adding my D six to it because of my tale of the, Cunningham in that

Narrator: Ooh.

Valentine: Can I make the same check in reverse, seeing if it's an organized crime group?

Narrator: Yes, go for it.

Rook: great

Chrys: The amount of insight checks in this episode.

Rook: insight that is going to be,

Narrator: play campaign baby.

Rook: so I got a 13 plus three and then I got a six on top of that

with the bar against both. So I got a 22 I.

Narrator: Nice. It does sound like an organized group. And I'd say with that you actually with a 23, you recognize one of the voices. You have some connections in the Briggs. Not, you know, terribly many. You're not really buddy buddy with them 'cause you sort sometimes butt heads on jobs. But you recognize the voice of Lieutenant Hobson, one of one of the Briggs.

And not a particularly, you know, too intense of a, of a connection, but you're like, oh, I, I've, I know that guy. I, I've talked to him before,

Rook: Okay. And was it, it wasn't like a hostile talking, it was, you know, somewhat chill.

Narrator: In terms of what they were saying.

Rook: No. In terms of like my association with this person before.

Narrator: No, I'd say probably what the conversations you've had before have been in the vein of like, Hey, here's my evidence for this person. I, I solved this case. And then the lieutenant being like, irritated, but also like, okay, fine. You know, it is sort of procedural.

Rook: Yeah. Okay,

Narrator: that's what you know.

Orion: Rock ruck, those brakes up there, you know, you,

Rook: They're definitely Briggs.

Orion: ah, I was gonna, I hate working overtime. Okay. All right. So anybody, ofia? I mean, I mean, these tunnels look like they just go forever.

Rook: I don't think we want to get tangled up since, um, our little friend here seems to be implicated quite heavily and us by proxy.

Valentine: We need to keep moving.

Rook: Great. 

Orion: I, I think so too. I mean, obviously like I can, you know, I'm more than happy to take a few of them on, but, um,

Rook: that's, that's not necessary. Like that would much rather you didn't. That makes my life so much worse. Let's just go further into the Dr like dank mushroom hole and see what we can deal with.

Orion: okay.

Narrator: All right.

Orion: It getting hotter?

Narrator: yes.

Orion: Okay.

Narrator: You guys are not terribly far from the boilers where you're at. And as you begin moving through, you see growing along the walls, mushrooms, like liken, like that bog area you were in. And as you move through, you are surprised to hear voices talking. And, it's coming from one of the boiler rooms of all things as you sort of move through,

Valentine: What do you think? Friendly.

Orion: No clue. Want me to go up and scatter around?

Valentine: That would be wonderful.

Orion: All right. Um, nobody die while I'm over there.

Narrator: not the plan.

Orion: What

do I find? 

Narrator: All right. You sort of creep up. There is a door, to this room,

Orion: found the, we found the holy Grail.

Narrator: And inside it's the sort of outside door of the boiler room's too thick to make out the actual words, but you hear what sounds like a conversation sort of happening in the other room. Maybe a bit stilted, but, but still some speaking is happening.

Orion: Can I listen in for a little bit before I decide my next action?

Narrator: Sure. Go ahead and roll a perception check.

Orion: Okay, slightly better. 13.

Narrator: All right. I still think you can't make out the words themselves, but I'll say that it's separates into what seems to be two distinct voices. You think there's two people in the room,

Orion: Hmm. Okay. I'm gonna knock on the actual door.

Narrator: Chris and Warren. You hear a knock at the door.

Chrys: interesting. I don't get, I don't get, I usually don't get more than one person in one day.

Morin: weren't expecting anyone.

Chrys: No, I, I don't usually, um, people just come to me on their own.

Morin: All right, well get behind me. Chanterelle. Get behind Chris.

Chrys: Um, I, I think I, I, I doubt that they'll do, I, I doubt that they're of the ne negative sort. A a lot of people come here to get help from me. It happens quite often, but not usually more than a couple of people in a day.

Morin: Oh. I'll, I'll stand behind the door then,

Chrys: how is your, alright. Uh, don't, don't, don't move too much because I don't think it's fully fixed yet. still bleeding a little bit,

Morin: right? Yes, will do. I will stand behind the door and I will stand very still behind the door unless.

Chrys: right? If, if that makes you happy. Um, sure. And Chris is going to open the door.

Narrator: You see a Ryan?

Orion: Hey, 

Chrys: hello there. How can I help you?

Orion: whoa. Um, oh, hey. Hello. Um, I'm so sorry for barging in like this. Uh, didn't mean to interrupt or anything. Um

Chrys: Oh, it is all right. I don't mind visitors.

Orion: hmm. All, uh, are you okay?

Chrys: I believe so.

Orion: Okay. Okay, great. I'm just, I'm just wondering 'cause there's, you got a little something on your, or, I mean, really you're, I think

you're missing, 

Chrys: I do look a little strange.

Orion: uh, well,

at any rate. 

Chrys: I 

Orion: No, no, no, no, 

Chrys: if, if I'm, if it's too much, I, I have a mask that I can put on 

Orion: no, no, no, no, no. Don't, don't. I'm so, I'm so sorry. I, I should've, gosh, that was just terrible with me. Um, but, um, I'm just, uh, kind of wondering, you, uh, do you have to have like a, like a map of the area or like, we're trying to find our way out of here, you know, and the faster, the better.

Chrys: I know the way around myself pretty well.

Orion: That is, that is quite something You live here,

Chrys: Yes, this is my little house.

Orion: huh? Okay. And by any chance, anybody else living here with you? I just thought I heard somebody else.

Chrys: Oh, I have a visitor right now. Um, I guess Chantrell lives here as well.

Orion: Cool, cool. Um, you know, just, could I meet your visitor real quick just to pop by, say hi, and then we'll be on our way, you know?

Chrys: Lauren, do you mind if I invite our other guest in?

Morin: Yeah, I mean, you told him my name.

Chrys: Oh, was I not supposed to?

Morin: no, no, you know what? You did great.

Chrys: Alright.

Morin: and Morin will step kind of around the door are you Jani?

Orion: Yes. Yes. Hey,

Morin: I don't know you.

Orion: um, your name's Morin, you said.

Morin: Yes.

Orion: Cool. Cool. Um, oh my God. You're bleeding. How did you end up here? How did you

get down here?

Chrys: She passed out in front of my house.

Orion: Oh. Oh, that's not

Morin: I walked.

Orion: you, you walked.

Narrator: Orion does a 16 hit you,

Orion: Uh, my AC is a 16. So is this like a meets It beats it or like a meets it like deflects it.

Narrator: I think meets it, beats it, right?

Orion: Okay.

Narrator: It's been a hot second since I've done combat. You take one single point of damage as you feel something incredibly sharp gets stabbed into your ankle and you look down and you see a small little mushroom person who has nod on a ration ship until it has become a shank and, has jammed it sort of right where your foot bends in that soft part, part there and is now trying to like, use their mushroom head to sort of bang on it like a hammer, to get it into your foot.

Orion: Ah, oh,

oh. 

Narrator: I got him. I got 

Chrys: Chanterelle. What have I told you about stabbing guests?

Orion: Stabbing guests. Is this a common occurrence?

Chrys: Unfortunately, yes,

Orion: Morin is that who stabbed you because

Morin: You are looking at my wound right now and looking at your wound right now 

and asking if Shantell stabbed me.

Orion: My apologies. It's been a, it's been a rough shift. Um, but yeah, I'm so sorry to just, you know, put you guys on the spot like this, but if you could, um, I'm so sorry, what was your name? I don't think I ever got your name.

Chrys: I call myself Chris.

Orion: Chris. Chris, very lovely. Okay. Um, so we've just got a couple of people we're kind of lost.

Um, and it'd be just great if we could have somebody really quickly lead us outta here.

Chrys: Of course. What is your name?

Orion: Oh, my name's Orion. Very nice to meet you.

Chrys: That's a very nice name.

Orion: Thank you. Picked it myself.

Chrys: Oh, so did I.

Orion: Yeah, we got that in common. Well, anyways,

Chrys: many people with you? You said more than one person.

Orion: yeah, Blake, we got a couple of others. Two, three people. Not the hugest deal. Might become a huger deal if we

stay here for,

uh, 

Chrys: t.

Orion: perhaps another time. Chris. Um, time is of the essence here, I'm afraid.

Morin: Yeah, you sound urgent. Is someone after you.

Orion: Quick question, little over the table. Is there anything, 'cause I know, lashers kind of have like, like a patch type thing. Do floaters? Is the, is the grappling hook like a good enough giveaway or is that like a, is there like some other way that I would be able to tell?

Morin: I don't think they have any sort of patch or anything, but the grappling hook, like with a real long rope coiled on the side 

is pretty obvious, and I feel like not very many people are walking around with grappling hooks.

Orion: Okay. I think Orion for a moment takes in the grappling hook. And I feel like in that instance, because, you know, you, you get so blindsided. There's a person living down here, there's a, there might be a person, you're not quite sure what Chris is, living down here and then he runs into another person and then like, who's a float? And so I think Orion is just like, Hey. Yeah. Both, you know, you and the floating business. We kind of got the Briggs on our ass, so like, it's kind of important that we get outta here.

Morin: You brought the brakes down here.

Orion: I mean, it was supposed to be empty. Uh, we were gonna lose them I think in the tunnels.

Chrys: I have heard Briggs mentioned. People don't like talking about them when they come to me. Usually I think they're bad from what people have said to me,

Orion: Oh

yeah. No, they're the worst. Yeah,

no, they're, they're, they're the worst total pain in the neck.

Chrys: I see.

Orion: Um,

Chrys: in danger then?

Orion: you could say that. Yeah. Um, so Chris Morin would be great if we could just, uh, hustle an island here, actually. Um, I ha I might have something for that. So I feel like at this point, uh, Orion opens up one of his, uh, medical supply packs and takes out a role of, it's not so much gauze at it is as it is just like repurposed old like cloth.

And he's just like, yeah, you should probably, you know, wrap that a little bit. That looks pretty nasty.

Chrys: Yes. I was fixing her up

still. 

Morin: I, Yes. Uh, we can, we can do that. I can, I can help you guys outta here. I know some, I know some places. Can we, if the bricks are coming, can we do that later?

Orion: yeah. Sure.

Chrys: Are you okay? Go outside.

Morin: Me, I've gone further on worse.

Chrys: What, what's, what's Morin's HP looking like

above table out of

Morin: outta 31, so like half.

Chrys: half. Okay. 

Narrator: What are the folks in the hallway doing?

Valentine: Uh, planning Orion's funeral.

Rook: Actually, about, it's probably at about this point that Rook probably walks up to like near the entryway and is just like, Hey, biceps, are you dead yet?

Orion: No, no. There's actually a couple people in here.

Rook: Oh, 

okay. Well, why didn't you? 

Orion: friendly. They're friendly.

Rook: Also, I'm, I'm sorry. Are you saying that they got your name before I did.

Orion: Um, maybe, I 

Rook: No, I get, I get it, I get it. All I get is threatened to be punched when I'm trying to be polite. No, that's okay. Whatever. Anyway, he waves over Valentine and our unfortunate guest.

Valentine: He's still alive.

Rook: Yeah. 

Orion: yes, battle Live as a candy.

Valentine: Excellent.

Chrys: As you guys are heading over, Chris is going to turn to Morin and cast cure wounds at first level.

Valentine: Oh.

Narrator: How much does that return?

Chrys: Let me roll that. Okay. Uh, 

14. 

Orion: the works.

Narrator: Wow.

Morin: It's almost back up to full hit points.

Chrys: Great. Exactly what I wanted

Rook: I thought it would be a lot grosser down here, but like, I I, is this like oddly nice on anyone else's skin? Just me.

Chrys: is wait, is what?

Rook: Just like the, the, the, the, the air do, do you live down here?

Chrys: Yes.

Rook: It's quite

pleasant, 

Chrys: little home.

Rook: huh?

Narrator: All right. Where are we? Uh, are we staying here? Are we moving, uh, what's, what's the plan? We've,

Chrys: I was

Narrator: fuzz on our

Chrys: all needed directions and I can help

Orion: That'd be great, Chris.

Valentine: Absolutely unless is this place hidden? Are the Briggs gonna come here? We could

pay you for a night.

Chrys: Oh. Um.

Valentine: Okay. 

Chrys: That is all right. Uh, if you need to sleep here, I am. Well, I am more than happy to let you sleep here.

Valentine: That might be a good solution. We've got a little bit of time before we'll be close enough to float her out of here.

Rook: Yeah, I'll say 

Narrator: And then I guess we should shut that door then, you know, just, it's kind of out into the hallway. There's light.

Rook: gonna walk up and shut the door. Also real quick, so sorry. Um, you are being kind enough to host us. Uh, what's your name?

Chrys: I, I call myself Chris.

Rook: Chris. Great to meet you, Brooke. Um,

are you dead? 

Chrys: Um, not at the moment. I believe I might have been at some point. I am not sure

Rook: Okay. 'cause it's not often I find someone who looks deader than I do. So, you know, um, had to ask.

Chrys: I see. I, I do not believe at this current moment I am dead, so

Rook: Yeah.

Chrys: I look strange. I am sorry.

Rook: Why you apologizing? I look strange too. Most people are actively making agreements when they see me. If anything, you're one of the most polite fellows I've ever met.

Chrys: Well, that is terrible.

Valentine: Brooke, do you think they're grimacing at you because of your face or because of all the questions you're asking?

Rook: Oh, no. That happens with folks even before the questioning. I, I will assure you, I haven't actually been doing the questioning for all that long.

Chrys: Um, what, what are your names?

Valentine: Valentine.

Chrys: That is a beautiful name as is that.

Valentine: Are you

a floater in the corner there?

Morin: Maybe, what's it to you?

Valentine: It's just serendipitous. We were just saying we needed a floater for a job,

Rook: Utter convenience in and of itself.

Morin: Morin stands up from where she was kneeling to give Chanterelle another chip. She was very pleased at her actions earlier in the doorway. Um, a job, what kind of job?

Valentine: a floating job that pays chips.

Morin: I'm in

Rook: Wow, fantastic. You, it's amazing how quickly things go when someone is just cooperative.

Morin: Less cooperative, more easily bought.

Rook: Well, I wish more people would follow suit. I really do.

Chrys: You all look very tired. Can I make you some tea?

Morin: It is very good.

Rook: Yeah, suppose we got nothing but time. So some tea would be lovely. Chris, wait, what do you make it out? What do you make it out of down here anyways?

like

Chrys: Oh, well, I culture mushrooms and I've learned how to make tea out of them, and I think I have gotten decent at making them taste good. I like to offer it to guests that come over.

Orion: Fascinating. Can I see? I.

Chrys: Of tea, that tea doesn't have still shrooms in it does it?

No, um, I, I grow a little of that, but I don't use that for drinks.

Rook: great. 

Narrator: All right. And as Chris Busies themself making tea for everyone, pulling out more cups than Chris is used to using all at once.

Chrys: I don't think they've ever had this many guests in one, one moment

Narrator: yeah, in fact, maybe, one of the cups is like an old bowl, because you're running out of like proper tea cups that you've salvaged from down below, pouring each person a cup of tea, sort of everyone's sitting quietly holding out here, for the rest of the night. We sort of fade away as the sound and rumble of the engines matches with the boots of searching Briggs, matches with the sound of the city flowing through and open sea.

And with the sound of all that sort of thrumming away around you, you're cradled off into a night of rest. And that's where we'll end today's session.