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1:02

Wow.

1:03

Did I scare you? Hi.

1:05

I'm Jared Logan. Welcome to Hotted

1:08

City on the glass cannon network, a

1:10

show where we play blades

1:13

in the Dark The Incredible Game by John

1:15

Harper and Evil Hat.

1:17

with me. As always, I have my

1:20

experienced crew

1:22

of Skoundrels Josephine

1:25

McAdam, Abu Salim, and Ross

1:27

Bryant. What's up, guys? How you doing? Hey.

1:30

Coming out. Hi. Jump gearing us like

1:32

that -- Right. -- from the beginning. Jesus. Yeah. Did

1:34

I did I scare you? Yes. She did for me.

1:37

He he got me. I was kind of

1:39

in my own zone. you know. Yeah. Maybe

1:41

you thought something was wrong with me. Like, I suddenly

1:43

had painful gas or I was falling

1:45

out of my chair. Be really worried if that's

1:47

the sun you make when you have painful gasper. No.

1:53

You gotta get that looked at, buddy. He's

1:57

not well. Folks, he's not well. Yeah.

1:59

So wait. Okay. So,

2:02

you know, this is a spooky show. It's a scary

2:04

show. There's ghosts

2:07

and ghoulies. There's we haven't seen

2:09

any ghoulies yet, but I really

2:11

intend to put ghoulies in the show

2:13

maybe gullies and critters and maybe munchies.

2:16

There there could be munchies. There could be munchies.

2:20

So what I wanna know is, like, What

2:22

what do you have a fear? What is your

2:24

fear? This is my icebreaker question.

2:27

Fear what is Fear. Okay. Do you have

2:29

a fear of something? I'll

2:32

start. I'll start. So I you don't think I'm

2:34

trying to make you vulnerable without putting

2:36

myself under the same scrutiny.

2:39

Okay. can't

2:41

stand spiders and bugs

2:43

and I make my wife get them out of the house.

2:46

Wow. Yeah. I'm afraid

2:48

I'm afraid of spiders. Oh,

2:50

by the way, the other night, I got in

2:52

my car and I was driving to a stand up comedy

2:55

show, and I was driving. And

2:57

then while was driving, this

2:59

spider suddenly came down a web

3:01

inside my car and was swinging

3:03

near my face and I

3:06

crashed my car and I died. What No.

3:08

No? Okay. That that

3:10

just that almost

3:13

happened. Instead, I,

3:15

like, pulled over, like, screech,

3:17

and then I was, like, swatting at it to get it

3:19

out the window, but it just fell on the floor.

3:21

And then I, like, then I couldn't

3:23

find it, and I just drove, like, really,

3:26

like, with my if I can be frank,

3:28

with my asshole really clenched the

3:31

entire time I was driving, because

3:34

I was so scared of the spikes. Like,

3:36

that's so descriptive. You

3:38

know, like You know what I'm talking

3:40

more about. Clint, still, like, you know, where I'm,

3:42

like, know, I was just really tense because I know my

3:44

asshole was really tense. Precisely. This

3:46

is precisely. Right. Exactly. You

3:48

get it. So all

3:51

of that said, what is your fear, Ross

3:53

Bryant? What are you afraid of? The thing that

3:55

springs to mind is, like, I

3:57

will get really freaked out if I'm in

3:59

a really big

4:01

space and

4:03

I have to go to sleep and I'm alone.

4:06

Like -- Turning my bed. -- so

4:08

specific. because twenty one happened.

4:11

Like, just imagine if you will.

4:13

You're in, like, you know, like like,

4:16

you know, a big house. And

4:18

you an unfamiliar house. Uh-huh. her

4:21

And all your just feet hearing is settling.

4:23

It's it's, you know, all these fears come down

4:25

to the unknown, you know. It's just

4:27

like, well, a screaming house makes more sense

4:29

than what you originally said, which is you were like

4:31

a big space. I was, like, a gymnasium.

4:34

Yeah. You know where else? I mean, I am.

4:36

I mean, I do have a lot of fears associated

4:38

with gymnasium, and sure. And

4:41

and gyms and their and their dramas.

4:43

But more so that, like,

4:46

I got like, if I'm in a hotel, like, I won't I

4:48

don't wanna sleep with my back to the door. and,

4:50

like, there's there's there's so much

4:53

behind you. You know what I mean? Yeah.

4:55

Does that like, the the feeling of something

4:57

looming behind you.

5:00

Like Okay. So you don't want to sleep in an

5:02

unfamiliar place? Yeah. It would be

5:04

and though I've never had, like, the sleep paralysis

5:06

thing that people just guy where, like, there's someone

5:08

in the room with you or something. Like,

5:10

it is a fear to, like, roll over and there's

5:12

just someone just, like, looking.

5:16

Wow. Yeah. So you're afraid to you're

5:18

afraid of sleep. Yeah.

5:21

You're like it you're it's it's like you're in a Freddie

5:23

Kruger movie. Mhmm. That's a

5:25

great fun way to do. Yeah.

5:27

Someone should make that movie. Yeah.

5:29

Oh, it's copyright copyright. I'll I'll get back to you

5:32

all. having

5:34

your heart rate go up right before you go to sleep

5:36

is not a great combo.

5:38

No. No. no

5:40

Alright. Josephine,

5:42

what are you scared of? Boy,

5:44

it's like at this point

5:45

that the list is so long. I'm trying

5:48

to decide what to what to share. The

5:50

the looming, you know, behind you feeling

5:52

like I can't have someone going up at

5:54

a quicker pace behind me up the stairs?

5:57

You

6:00

guys have the weirdest fear

6:02

that they've ever heard of you. Yeah. Oh,

6:05

man. Ross, I'm like, god. That's why he's

6:08

sleeping. He's sleeping. He's

6:11

like, if if I'm going upstairs, there

6:13

better to be someone behind me. They

6:18

can be behind can't be behind me. They just can't be

6:21

going faster behind me and like catching

6:23

up to me. You know what I mean? Does that

6:25

happen? I

6:27

grew up with with an older brother.

6:30

I grew up on stairs. That is so

6:32

great. guys, that is fantastic.

6:35

That is so genius. It's so unnerving.

6:37

If someone's behind you and you hear it, like, you know,

6:39

and they're, like, right behind you and, like, just

6:42

Oh, it's upsetting. But

6:44

that, you know, roller coasters, deep

6:47

ocean, dark waters? don't

6:50

know. Yeah. Those make sense

6:52

to me. Those make sense to me. The ocean

6:54

can be really scary, especially

6:57

if you get out on it and you can't Land.

7:00

Riller coasters are supposed to

7:02

be scary. But some people

7:05

Clearwater. Clearwater's Yeah.

7:07

Otherwise, I'm not

7:10

comfortable. I mean, I'm scared of so much. I can't

7:12

watch horror movies. I cannot Like,

7:14

do so many theme parks. I can't

7:16

go to haunted houses. I

7:18

can't watch documentaries about scary

7:20

things. Oh my gosh.

7:23

ah Well, that

7:27

I mean, I get the horror movies thing. I

7:30

I watch tons horror movies and every time I'm

7:32

watching one, I'm like, I get why people don't like

7:34

this as someone gets decapitated. I

7:36

think next

7:36

time

7:38

I'm with any of you. We're going upstairs,

7:41

and I'll be behind you now. I'll I'll

7:43

make

7:43

you feel this fear. But you ought to,

7:45

like, just turn around and be like, just stop.

7:48

Yeah. Hey. Slow down back there. Well, this

7:50

is my greatest Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.

7:52

yourself. Stop running. You wanna be

7:55

activating my focus. Stop took easy

7:57

thing to stop. It's like

7:59

Whereas like a roller coaster, you can't stop.

8:01

It's Well,

8:04

a roller coaster, you do get on voluntarily.

8:07

So it feels easy to avoid that one

8:09

too. Yeah. My job. I mean,

8:11

I do stop. I do. You did you turn

8:13

around, but if it's, like, an annoying older

8:15

brother, then, you know --

8:17

Yeah. -- it's

8:18

not much of mail.

8:19

Greek word for fear

8:21

of someone behind you on the stairs?

8:25

Yeah. Abu, what's

8:27

your fear? And based on the fears from

8:29

my first two players. I assume it's something

8:31

very specific, like the shingles off of

8:33

a Victorian house or Yeah. Well,

8:35

look, I I actually I have store

8:37

stoppers that are brown. Yeah. I

8:39

don't know. Like, I I wasn't afraid

8:42

of anything until I met my daughter.

8:44

Oh, yeah. Now

8:46

I'm afraid of everything. You're

8:49

like, literally just, you know,

8:51

even even zips. I'm like, oh my god.

8:54

This is this is gonna zip up. I'm so sorry.

8:56

You're like, you know, it's just like, I'm just one hundred

8:58

percent getting at it. And, like, even when she's breathing

9:01

next to me, I'm just like, I

9:03

can't because baby's breathing Like,

9:05

no one tells you this. No one says that baby

9:07

breathing is, like, erratic where it's, like and

9:11

then suddenly it, like, stops and you're, like, Oh

9:14

my god. It's just terrible.

9:16

Like, I've got, like, literally, like,

9:19

voice recordings and videos. Like,

9:21

where I've in the night, kind of

9:23

work myself up. Just thinking I've got to record

9:26

this. I'm gonna tell the doctor how dare they give

9:28

us the baby like this. Like, preparation

9:32

of being, like, how how could you how

9:34

can you discharge us like this? Like,

9:36

anywhere. Right now, they just give it to you.

9:38

They're, like, how funny. Bye. Good luck.

9:42

You know, I I have the same thing. And

9:45

my daughter, you know, she's three, so she can, like,

9:47

just get out of the car, you know, and we'll

9:49

get out of the car somewhere and I won't

9:51

be able to see her, but it's not like I

9:53

can't see her for a minute. It's like I can't

9:55

see her for five seconds and I'm like,

9:57

whoa, Rosie. Why are you?

10:01

Right here, I literally

10:04

stepped one step. Oh,

10:07

no. I'm like, I've never I've never

10:09

felt such aggression when

10:12

I have a strap to me in the front, like,

10:14

I've got this carrier on me and then I'm walking

10:16

through, like, a massive shopping center, like,

10:18

more. And I'm just, like, that

10:20

I'm I'm ready to literally just

10:23

gut people. Like, if they just get into

10:25

my vicinity, I'm just like, bro,

10:27

can't you see? You've got I've got like cargo

10:29

here. Even though she could probably take on more than I

10:31

could. She could probably bounce. But the point is

10:33

it's like the idea like,

10:36

anyone entering the space. I'm like, fuck

10:38

off. Yeah. Yeah. I'll just imagine if there were

10:40

someone coming up from behind you. You're all

10:42

mad. And also, that's a

10:44

massive shopping center, so Roth Bryant would

10:46

not be able to go sleep. I can't sleep there.

10:49

So by the way, Josephine Like,

10:51

the quote you've got is called Baphmodiocophobia.

10:56

What? What?

10:59

For fear of being chased is

11:01

dyakophobia. The fear of

11:03

steps is bathophobia So

11:06

I guess the fear being chased up the

11:08

steps would be, Diaco Pathophobia.

11:11

Wow. Well, thanks,

11:14

Ross. Smiles

11:16

it years ago. This was a land of

11:18

beauty and magic. Then came

11:20

the cataclysm that blotted out the sun

11:22

and ripped open the gates to the land of

11:24

the dead, the city of duskfall.

11:27

Actually, the imperial city, which

11:29

is a massive city on the coast

11:31

of Acaros. It is it

11:33

has walls that are high around

11:35

it and an artificial sun,

11:37

and it is ruled with an iron fist

11:40

by the immortal emperor. The

11:44

sun is gone, but a sorcerer's

11:47

sun has been created. Can

11:49

our players survive the imperial

11:51

city Furthermore, can their

11:53

characters survive the imperial city?

11:56

Was improvising this prologue

11:58

a good idea? The

12:01

only thing that shines in basketball are

12:03

the blades in the dark. At least I

12:05

finished it the way normally do. Welcome

12:08

to the show everybody. If

12:11

you are disappointed that I didn't do the

12:13

normal prologue, go back and listen

12:15

to an earlier episode. Today, we're not in

12:17

duskfall, so it wouldn't have been appropriate. Today,

12:20

we have traveled outside of

12:22

the lands we know.

12:24

In our last episode with

12:26

this crew, We just had a a

12:29

brief Chuck related tangent, and now

12:31

we're back to the remnant. And our

12:33

last episode with this crew

12:35

they pulled themselves back from the brink.

12:37

They they

12:39

disassociated themselves with

12:41

the builder, an evil chaffonic

12:44

maybe not evil. It could find everyone's

12:46

a t. What's your

12:48

definition of evil? Right. Right.

12:52

They just associated themselves. They

12:55

broke off with the builder, but in

12:57

doing so, they lost Selyak

12:59

Khan. Selyak Khan has left

13:01

the remnant. And so the remnant is

13:03

left with Juliet, Belle

13:05

Rose, Vaukos, and

13:09

Echaparag Wadi, who is

13:11

currently permanently

13:13

possessed by the spirit of Juliet's

13:16

lover, her

13:17

deceased lover, Ophelia.

13:20

Echapraag Wody has gone through

13:22

some changes because of this possession.

13:25

he is now one of the

13:27

Living Dead. And

13:30

last episode,

13:32

last downtime rather. having

13:35

had a disastrous score at

13:37

the Children's Mass Estate in Whitestone, White

13:40

Crown, rather, you you decided

13:43

to collect your payment for it

13:45

and found out that the person that hired

13:47

you had fled the city. fits

13:49

a collector. Your cruise contact

13:53

had taken all of his

13:55

of his coin and gotten on

13:57

a train and traveled to the

13:59

Imperial

13:59

City, the seat of power

14:02

for the immortal emperor who rules

14:04

the entire empire

14:06

and you decided to follow him. Ekapraig

14:09

Wodi helped you to forge

14:11

or actually not forge, but get your hands

14:13

on some documents and

14:15

passports. you

14:17

boarded a train and

14:19

you headed off into the deadlands

14:21

outside of the electroplasmic lightning

14:24

barriers. And so you

14:28

are going to try to find

14:30

fits in the imperial city. and force

14:32

him to pay up the sixth coin that

14:35

he owes you. And I just wanna warn

14:37

the players of one more thing I'm gonna

14:39

be a bit more of a stickler for

14:42

tier and effect rules going

14:45

forward or at least definitely during this

14:47

score because The Imperial

14:49

City, well, it's locked up

14:51

a lot tighter. Your characters would know this.

14:53

It's locked up a lot tighter than basketball.

14:56

There's a lot less crime. There

14:58

are much fewer scam

15:00

rules in the Imperial City

15:03

because it is the headquarters

15:05

and the hub of the Imperial Military

15:09

who are extremely highly

15:11

trained and very

15:13

well armed and they are

15:16

everywhere. So you are heading

15:18

into a very

15:20

fancy

15:20

gilded police state.

15:25

Oh, great.

15:26

So I'll allow your characters you're

15:28

on the train I'll allow you

15:30

to converse a bit. And

15:33

when you're ready, we can head into the planning

15:35

stage

15:36

for the score. And this

15:38

score might work a little differently than other

15:40

scores because most scores, they

15:42

work, you know, they they're very immediate.

15:45

Like, you're standing outside the building. You've

15:47

got to get something out of the building. But in

15:49

this score, there's an entire city

15:51

and there's a person inside of it. whom

15:53

you must find and force to

15:55

give you the money he owes

15:57

you. So this is a score that may take

16:00

place in a longer time frame,

16:02

maybe over the course of several days.

16:04

So when you are ready, let me know when

16:07

you're we we should start planning the score

16:09

or I'll interrupt you when it sounds like

16:11

you're already planning the score. Let

16:14

me just set the tone again. The the the

16:16

scene the the the

16:19

train has been moving for over twenty

16:21

four hours. And

16:23

because you only got coach births,

16:26

you just have to sleep on a hard

16:28

wooden bench. And

16:31

outside the window, you've already

16:33

passed White Hollow. which is one

16:35

of the large cities in a basketball.

16:37

And now you're on the final leg toward

16:40

the Imperial City. And outside, everything

16:43

is in sort of a constant

16:45

state of twilight, and you can

16:47

see occasionally the

16:49

ruined buildings that

16:51

are now nothing but like stones

16:54

covered in like weird yellow

16:56

poisonous grass. They

16:58

no longer are like full structure because

17:00

they've been crumbling for a thousand

17:02

years. But occasionally,

17:05

you go by something that looks a little bit like stonehenge.

17:08

the remains of an old castle or

17:11

the foundations of an old village, and

17:14

you were crowded in. A lot of people

17:16

got on at Whitehall, so you're crowded onto

17:18

these benches and there are people sleeping.

17:21

Many of them look like they are merchants or

17:24

people that have economic commercial

17:27

business in the Imperial City, and

17:29

you can let me know what you'd like to do. Go

17:31

ahead.

17:33

Does

17:33

Echoprag sleep?

17:34

This is Juba is what I was just

17:37

about to say that, like, while

17:39

while some are sleeping, i'm

17:42

And may maybe if you wake up,

17:45

especially Juliette, Elrose,

17:47

if you kind of nod off and come to,

17:51

you see like I could practice

17:55

watching you with

17:57

sleepless eyes. and

18:00

occasionally looking out into the into the

18:02

darkness as though perceiving

18:05

things that that you cannot perceive out

18:07

there in the in the dark.

18:10

Well, this has had one effect. I

18:12

think that

18:13

people are avoiding Echopreak, and

18:15

they probably don't know that he is a super

18:18

natural creature, but they do know

18:20

that he is weird and they are afraid of

18:23

maybe sitting beside someone who is

18:26

mentally unwell on the

18:28

train. And so Echopraig's bench

18:30

is empty except for one guy

18:32

who's snoring loudly leaning on,

18:34

like, the far end of the bench. Are

18:36

we facing inwards, like, subways?

18:39

Are we facing No.

18:41

I'm sorry to interrupt you. Yes. Of course.

18:44

the benches face each other. So Echaparac's

18:47

bench is facing the bench where

18:49

Juliet and VAALCO's are

18:51

sitting.

18:52

kinda

18:54

just staring at me.

18:56

Right. Well, I know that he

18:58

is a supernatural being. Yes.

19:01

Because if you recall, last

19:03

time VAALCOS was in action --

19:05

Yes. -- and told Sothoth to

19:08

look into the anxiety condition.

19:11

Yes. I did. That's right. That's

19:14

right. In sick great. Right?

19:16

VAALCOZ didn't tell anyone. Well -- Right. --

19:18

apart from the fact that probably vampires have super

19:20

hearing because shit. Yeah. We

19:22

don't know that. Yeah.

19:25

I mean, there's lots of films on

19:27

Echoprag's sheet. But unfortunately,

19:29

VAALCO's can't look at the character sheet. Can't

19:32

look at the playbook. and

19:39

I

19:39

kind of feel you. Mhmm.

19:42

Go

19:42

on. And

19:43

yeah, like,

19:46

it you'll see kind of, like, a

19:48

change on the on the face

19:51

kind of softens a little as it looks

19:53

to you.

19:56

We've never left gauro's before.

20:01

Or we've never left this before.

20:06

It's

20:07

a

20:09

Exciting.

20:14

Yes.

20:19

Yes, there's a thrill in that, isn't there?

20:26

Juliet will get up

20:28

and she crosses over and sits

20:31

next to Echopra.

20:36

It's nice to be able to go on

20:39

and would feel like an adventure

20:41

together

20:41

again.

20:45

my greed tiling. I

20:48

know and I

20:51

could practically takes your hand

21:01

I've seen things that you haven't

21:03

seen, but now now

21:06

we get to travel together

21:13

Yes. With

21:14

perhaps we can both

21:16

expand our horizons

21:19

a little bit.

21:23

and grow beyond

21:25

what

21:25

we once were. Yes.

21:32

There is growth

21:34

coming.

21:38

I've learned that some

21:44

As much as you want to stay fixed,

21:48

change is inevitable.

21:52

I agree. And

21:56

those with the will to

21:59

change this

21:59

circumstance can clamber

22:02

that way up.

22:06

We are going to rise even

22:08

our

22:12

Yes. We're going to have

22:15

our justice.

22:21

People change it. All

22:23

manners of ways, it's true. I

22:25

just get up and start walking away.

22:30

Yeah. And,

22:32

hi.

22:34

Can you hear it out? there

22:38

between the cities.

22:43

What do you hear?

22:46

when you're in duskfall, it's

22:49

so much nice.

22:54

so many people

22:58

talking and thinking

23:00

and They're machines

23:03

grinding and spinning,

23:07

belching their smoke.

23:10

and out there, silence,

23:14

Julian.

23:18

It's like music.

23:25

You can almost hear them singing.

23:32

I I

23:35

want pretend to be able

23:37

to hear the way that you

23:40

seem to But

23:45

it's interesting to

23:47

see this changes

23:50

you are going through.

23:52

And Juliet takes

23:55

us up to you to sort of

23:57

slip her hand away as if she's,

23:59

like,

23:59

scratching at something or whatever

24:02

and then keeps it on her own lap.

24:04

It's

24:04

not merely a change.

24:07

Falls allow themselves to be

24:09

changed blown about by the winds

24:12

of fate.

24:14

This is an improvement.

24:19

Now

24:19

change merely.

24:23

Fools change, the

24:24

wise have the will to grow

24:27

and

24:27

to prosper. That

24:31

is what we shall do, my love.

24:36

You've always been so wise.

24:39

Let

24:42

me check on Várkos and

24:46

perhaps we can prepare for

24:49

what's coming in. And Yes. You're

24:52

staying on Valle Coast. We

24:55

want our big strong man to be gifting

24:57

into any mischief, would we?

25:03

She just walks away.

25:05

VAALCO's, if

25:07

you were to look out the window, you

25:10

would notice that in the direction the train is

25:12

moving, there is

25:14

light on the horizon. It's

25:17

very slowly growing. It's very dim. But

25:19

as the train keeps moving, there

25:21

is sort of it it almost looks

25:23

like if if VAALCO's

25:25

even knew this. The player understands.

25:28

It almost looks maybe like a sunrise as

25:31

you approach it. But it's it's it's

25:34

not quite yellow or white

25:36

light. It's like more blue

25:39

in hue. As you

25:41

as you get closer and closer the imperial

25:44

city, the sky gets

25:47

brighter. And perhaps you have

25:49

the thought that it's you'll

25:51

be there soon, and then what is your move?

25:53

What is your plan? In

25:56

college, Juliet approaches you. So

25:59

in my

25:59

own

26:05

Fakos,

26:06

are you alright?

26:09

Yeah. Fine.

26:16

Just

26:18

them.

26:23

Look.

26:30

I know

26:31

that you care for Ophelia.

26:38

But

26:38

that is not failure.

26:39

know.

26:47

I'm

26:51

I know. I know.

26:53

Trust me.

26:56

I do.

26:59

I feel like we're approaching.

27:04

Yes.

27:07

Do you know the city?

27:08

You are not from

27:10

Dussef. I

27:13

hate cities. how

27:15

will I know this city, but

27:18

we will find someone who does this.

27:23

Yes. Use

27:26

whatever coin

27:29

we can and and try

27:32

to find fits and get

27:35

our money. I guess we we don't want to spend

27:38

more than what we came here for. No.

27:41

Besides anything that we

27:44

do spend, I'm sure fit

27:46

will pay us back in kind.

27:50

Right. So

27:53

find someone a guide perhaps

27:55

and then we can

28:00

Just follow this trail.

28:05

So it sounds like you're gonna

28:07

try to find a guide. Would you say that

28:09

you are planning the score now?

28:11

or if you wanna just I mean, look, you

28:14

don't have to plan yet, I guess. If you wanna

28:16

just kinda -- Yeah. -- plan on the

28:19

I wasn't able with the Imperial City and

28:21

Go ahead. There wasn't any information that

28:23

was given to me by by

28:26

sort of. Right? before we

28:28

No. He was just he was just telling you

28:30

that Fifth's fled and took

28:32

the money with him. And I believe it's six

28:34

coin that's owed to you, which is

28:37

not a small purse. Okay. No.

28:40

But I mean, sort doesn't talk anything about.

28:42

Eculiar.

28:44

Oh, no. Not not before

28:46

you left. No. Okay. Cool. Cool. Right.

28:49

Yeah. I think then, yeah, I think then ultimately,

28:52

if we know that we need six gold and

28:54

then

28:54

he fled, think then ultimately, yeah,

28:56

we're gonna I think it'd be good to to

28:58

start.

28:59

asking people.

29:01

I think you're right now. Where

29:03

are we arriving? Do we know where we're Oh,

29:06

yeah. be arriving in the Imperial

29:08

City's main station, which is

29:10

which you will know, is guarded on all

29:12

sides by the Ministry of Preservation.

29:15

and that will have a customs

29:18

check to check your documents sent

29:20

to make sure that you have business

29:22

inside of the Imperial City. And

29:24

if you're worried about that, perhaps now would

29:26

be a good time to go ahead and plan

29:28

the score. Wait a

29:31

second. Oh, documents

29:33

check. Right, guys? Yeah. We

29:35

we got documents. Yeah? You got

29:37

documents. You first rolled and

29:39

got tier zero documents.

29:42

Then you rolled again and rolled a four or five,

29:44

which means you got documents equal

29:46

to your tier, meaning that you were currently

29:49

holding tier one

29:51

documents. And I would characterize

29:54

those as not

29:56

not fake, not forged, but

29:58

also not high access. Right?

30:01

Okay. So

30:04

you

30:06

know, you you are in, like, the low the

30:08

lowest tier of

30:10

people that could travel on the trains.

30:13

So As

30:16

you approach the city, I think perhaps

30:18

it is time to plan the score. This is a score

30:20

that may take place over several days. It

30:22

may take place over a week But

30:25

I think the whole score is searching

30:27

this city for the guy that owes you money.

30:29

Right. So I'm gonna ask you what?

30:32

is your type

30:34

of plan. Is it gonna be an assault

30:36

on the city? Some sort of deception

30:39

that gets you around the city? Stealth

30:42

keeping a low profile, keeping out

30:44

of the eye. A

30:46

cult, are you gonna use some a cult method

30:48

defined fits? social?

30:51

Or are you going to it sounds like you were

30:53

already maybe talking about a social, getting

30:55

in touch with someone to use as a guide -- Mhmm.

30:58

-- or transport. And

31:02

transport is interesting. I'm not sure how

31:04

it would apply, but if you can figure out a

31:06

way, you can certainly try it. And

31:10

between stealth or social. Yeah.

31:12

I think -- Right. -- maybe. Last

31:15

time you did a social score, it worked

31:17

out really well. It seems But

31:19

this seems maybe more apropos to

31:21

that. Seems like the hardest

31:24

part of this.

31:26

maybe is just finding. Once

31:28

we got him,

31:30

then --

31:31

Right. -- we then then he's

31:33

in our power. But but

31:35

if

31:35

he's just on the loose in this big military

31:40

Yeah. We're good to make some friends.

31:42

Yeah. And we know so little about him,

31:44

like, what what he what he likes,

31:47

who his relationships are what he's here

31:49

to do. Surely, we'd know quite

31:51

a bit about him because he's still on the front.

31:53

Right? Yeah. I would like I would like to know what

31:55

we do know. Yeah. That was

31:57

a great way of asking that.

31:59

Yeah. So Fitz is a collector. Mhmm.

32:01

He is, what

32:03

I would call, a middle class citizen

32:06

of DustVall only because he's not born

32:08

into the nobility. He is a

32:11

kind of merchant level. He's wealthy. Very

32:13

wealthy. but he is not

32:15

he's never been really accepted into

32:18

the ranks of the nobility. And

32:20

that is why he was desperate

32:22

to humiliate the

32:24

children mass woman. He

32:27

he

32:30

A social climber. Yes. He's also

32:33

he's also willing

32:35

to do whatever it takes to get

32:37

his hands on certain artifacts and items.

32:40

including hiring,

32:42

say, a crew of shadows to take them

32:44

for him. And

32:47

so he's he's very greeting

32:49

and avaricious in that way. He he

32:51

wants certain things and he'll stop, but nothing to

32:53

get them.

32:55

That's good to know. as he know in the Imperial

32:57

City, where has he gone? That

32:59

is the scope of the score. Mhmm.

33:02

I think then we

33:04

come in and

33:06

knowing this we

33:08

we

33:10

owes the idea that we're looking

33:13

to give away something of in credible value.

33:17

And

33:17

pass that across

33:19

the ranks around the city, try and spread

33:21

the news of that. So its deceptions,

33:23

which poses dealers. Mhmm. Yeah.

33:26

It's the inception. Something that he might Remember,

33:29

we also know that because

33:31

sawtooth conveyed that

33:33

there was a hacker that supplies fits with psych

33:35

drugs, so I don't know if it's needs

33:37

-- Yeah. -- psych dregs as well. He's

33:41

he's

33:41

got a happy idea. Right.

33:44

because

33:45

that might be a trail to also follow.

33:47

Great.

33:47

I think I do think his deception. I

33:50

do think it's like a it's like a it's a it's like

33:52

a stealth deception hybrid. Yeah.

33:54

Yeah. Maybe we can put around that we

33:57

have we have products to move that he

33:59

might be interested

33:59

in. Yeah.

34:01

You've great. Sit

34:02

up a pie.

34:04

that is a great deception.

34:06

the I

34:07

think that it actually let's

34:10

let's let's let's let's let's and the detail

34:12

deception and the detail is there. You are

34:14

going to act like you have

34:17

an item. Would you like to tell me what the item

34:19

is or have some sort of description

34:21

of it. It's going to need to be a little

34:23

specific wonut to -- Mhmm.

34:25

-- draw him out So what

34:28

Is this the the artifact item that

34:30

we're trying to drum okay. Mhmm. So something

34:32

we're You don't need to have it. You just need to

34:34

have what you're telling people.

34:36

Right. Could we say that it's a it's

34:38

an object of

34:42

almost of of

34:44

it holds incredible,

34:47

mysterious power,

34:49

the

34:50

which allow which can both

34:53

curse as well as as

34:56

well as sort of bless

34:59

the the

35:00

people. Maybe it could be something from, you know,

35:02

like, a severusy artifact, which

35:05

I have found and

35:08

it's essentially like this. I

35:10

don't know this this this thing, which

35:12

distows great power upon people,

35:14

but also curses them if,

35:17

you know, used incorrectly. But

35:19

if

35:19

I understand If I understand you right, it

35:21

it can give blessings and

35:23

curses. It is -- Yes. -- it it can hex

35:26

Yes. People, what what kind

35:28

of object is it do you think? I think

35:30

it's a it's a because

35:33

it's Severocea, I would say it's

35:37

Could I could I have found

35:39

maybe a a rat

35:42

in in the imperial city?

35:44

during, you know, and and sort of dice

35:47

like, cut its head off and

35:48

then sort of tied its tail

35:51

across its in, you know, through the eyes

35:53

and essentially is this kind of

35:56

rock skull, which

35:57

Well, let's see. You're not

35:59

in the imperial city yet. You're still on the

36:01

train. Okay. But You

36:05

why don't we talk about load out before we

36:07

get the final details of the score? And

36:10

you tell me if there's something if you wanna

36:12

check something off in your loadout that says that

36:14

you have, like, a rat carcass. Mhmm.

36:17

Right. Mhmm. Okay.

36:21

I I believe there are parts

36:23

in your loadout that I'll allow you to.

36:26

Could it be spirit bane chong? I

36:29

like that a lot. I think that that makes

36:31

a total sense. So it's a

36:33

it's a rare, cibrosis spirit being

36:35

short. Mhmm. Yeah. Blessings. You

36:38

need Supi is what we're saying.

36:40

Yes. Yeah. That's what you're saying, but it's

36:42

actually probably a normal spirit bame

36:44

charm because you have one of those. Mhmm.

36:47

What is your load out going to be, Vaukos?

36:50

Mine is normal. Normal. What

36:52

is your load out going to be Juliet

36:55

Bellrose?

36:56

I'll go light. And

36:59

what is your load out going to be Echaprag

37:01

Wadi? So

37:02

here's the thing. We're starting this on a train.

37:04

So we're all we've all got luggage. Oh,

37:06

that's true. I right?

37:09

I'm So I'll allow it. I'll allow

37:11

it. So if you want heavy, I'll allow it to be

37:13

in the luggage to be Yeah. With where we

37:15

we we can pass with a huge trunk. And

37:17

I think I'm stopping normal. So I'm

37:19

stopping a normal. I'm gonna go heavy.

37:21

Why not?

37:23

But the the issue is, I guess, that

37:26

You know, we're gonna go through customs. I'm gonna get normal

37:28

guy. Sorry. Yeah. I'm I'm doing

37:30

normal. Okay. Great. And

37:33

so now we have we have

37:35

a deception We have we

37:37

have what the deceptions detail is,

37:39

we have everyone's load out, and now we

37:41

can do the engagement role. So

37:44

But is this operation bolder daring?

37:46

Yes. Oh, well, first of all, you get one die for

37:48

free. Is the operation bolder daring?

37:50

Yes. because the Imperial City is a foreboding

37:53

and dangerous place for scoundrels

37:55

to commit crimes and try to sell

37:57

things on the black market. As as your

37:59

characters would know, it is a

38:02

military state in in many

38:04

ways.

38:06

And now, does

38:11

does the plan's detailed exposure vulnerability

38:13

of the target? I think it does. I think that

38:15

you guys thought of way to kind

38:17

of interest and to see the target

38:20

in a way that he would be

38:22

kind of more easily duped. So I'm

38:24

gonna give you a point for that.

38:27

Now, is

38:29

the operation overly complex or

38:31

contingent on many factors? No.

38:35

do they have particular defenses or

38:37

special preparations? They do. They

38:39

do.

38:40

And Are

38:44

any enemies or rivals interfering in

38:46

the operation? No. Can

38:48

friends or contacts provide data or insight?

38:52

No. So you have two dice here.

38:53

and

38:56

And this is the engagement roll.

38:58

If you get a six you've already

39:00

passed the hardest or not the

39:02

hardest, but the first challenge

39:05

that would happen during the score. If

39:07

you get a four or five, you're in risky

39:09

position and you

39:11

are not in a dire position, but you you

39:14

you are faced with some sort of first

39:17

challenge that you can't skip over.

39:19

And if you get a one to three, you're

39:22

in a desperate position to start. Oh,

39:24

so you love this game. I know.

39:27

Here we go. I

39:29

rolled a one and

39:31

a four, you are in a risky

39:34

position to start. So

39:36

I will let you know that as

39:38

you were as you were traveling right

39:41

before you got into Imperial City station.

39:44

By the way, the the the light

39:46

has become very bright. In

39:48

fact, It is almost

39:50

full day outside. And

39:53

you've never seen that before.

39:56

And

39:56

you're not quite sure well,

39:59

you may have heard

39:59

that well,

40:02

I'll reveal it to you in a moment, but

40:04

while you're on the train, a a group of

40:06

men and women dressed

40:08

in like gas masks and

40:11

like uniforms like,

40:14

dungarees and, like, work uniforms, carrying

40:17

lightning hooks, and, like, weird,

40:20

like, meters like they

40:22

go like a

40:24

geiger counter in their hands,

40:26

they kind of walk by your

40:28

bench And one of them pauses

40:31

for a second, it looks at their

40:33

spectrometer and and

40:36

it starts clicking like more

40:38

rapidly as they sort of pointed

40:41

over at Echapraig

40:43

for a moment. But

40:46

then one of this person's

40:48

colleagues goes, come on, we're needed

40:50

outside, and they

40:53

all move on. So

40:55

that was a group of rail jacks, and

40:57

rail jacks are responsible for

40:59

protecting the trains from ghosts

41:03

spirits and supernatural beings

41:05

that thrive out in the deathlands.

41:09

That is the first challenge that you have passed.

41:11

without any problems.

41:14

Now you arrive and

41:17

you begin to disembark and

41:19

you see

41:20

where all the light is coming from.

41:23

Up in the sky, over

41:25

a spire that is there's

41:27

a spire, a tower that is so high

41:30

that you can see it over the walls of

41:33

the train station, balanced,

41:37

poised, right at the tip of that

41:39

spire

41:40

is a small star,

41:44

a sun. It

41:47

is so bright that when you look up at it,

41:49

you're blinded. It and

41:51

it's burning your skin because

41:54

what you realize is that looking around this

41:56

train station, there are some people,

41:59

perhaps,

41:59

natives of the Imperial City,

42:01

who

42:01

have pink complexions or

42:04

deep brown complexions

42:07

and you realize that as citizens

42:09

of dust fall, you guys are

42:11

pale and corpse like

42:14

especially Ecopracking because

42:16

you've never actually been Yes.

42:19

Go ahead, I can And as I could probably, like, like, sees

42:21

this like, it is,

42:23

like, you're you're it's the full,

42:25

like like, it's

42:27

just

42:28

quieting and you

42:30

can see that Echopreg

42:32

is noticeably uncomfortable

42:34

by the presence of this light and is like can

42:37

barely

42:38

stand to be in the in

42:41

its raise. Yes. And

42:43

you know that it is artificial know

42:46

that it it was created by the immortal

42:48

emperor to light his

42:50

city. And now

42:53

everyone around you is moving toward

42:55

customs. Let me tell you little bit about the train

42:57

station. The

42:58

train station is a

43:01

the cage.

43:04

The walls are high and made of

43:06

metal. You notice that there

43:08

are members of the Imperial Military guarding

43:11

the Two exits

43:14

out of the train station. One to the right,

43:17

one straight ahead. The one

43:19

straight ahead is for high class citizens

43:21

who have better

43:22

documents than you. The one

43:24

to the right has

43:25

a giant crowd

43:27

of people they're in line

43:29

after line after line, you know, that line at

43:31

the airport that's like a maze. Oh my

43:33

god. They're all in line for it and

43:35

there's easily there's easily

43:38

five hundred people.

43:40

It's ridiculous.

43:43

At

43:43

the top of these metal walls

43:46

that cage you in, there are

43:49

sizzling, electroplasmic fences

43:53

that crackle with energy. keeping

43:56

up the spirits outside of the train station,

43:58

but also hemming in anybody

44:00

that would try to climb out. And

44:03

at every exit, the doors

44:05

have complex locks

44:08

with, like, valves and

44:10

pistons and all this

44:12

machinery and a special,

44:15

like, pipe is needed to be inserted

44:17

to open them up. And you noticed that the Imperial

44:19

Military members

44:22

are waiting until someone is

44:24

cleared by customs and it receives

44:26

a green, like,

44:29

flag that is pinned onto

44:31

their their shirt

44:33

or their tunic, and then the Imperial

44:35

Military opens the doors

44:39

and lets that person out into the imperial

44:41

city. And let me tell you about the imperial

44:43

military.

44:44

They carry they

44:46

they're heavily armored They

44:49

are wearing segmented armor. They

44:51

look like lobsters coated

44:53

in metal, and each of them

44:55

carries a Halbird. a

44:58

huge, long handled ax,

45:00

but at the top of that Halliburton is a

45:02

gun barrel, like

45:05

a small cannon mounted

45:07

on the end of their Halliburton. That

45:10

is the situation you have just

45:12

walked into. what do

45:14

you do? And then I'll tell you what the threat

45:16

is. Sure. Jesus.

45:21

We thought we were playing on hard mode.

45:23

I'm not right. We

45:25

didn't realize.

45:26

Echopraig is like taking a

45:28

taking a big hat out of the trunk. and

45:30

this is, like, very like vampire hunter d,

45:33

like, huge brim and just

45:35

and so that he can continue to be in

45:38

in

45:38

a shadow. And And

45:40

Juliet hands, Echoprags, some,

45:42

like, tinkering goggles. I'm sure

45:44

she's got to have stuff that, you know, protects

45:47

against when you're --

45:50

Right. -- electroplasm. Yeah. Hands those

45:52

to Echopreg. So,

45:53

yeah, just like it's it's yeah. Just

45:56

a

45:56

stained blue glass

45:58

of of these things kinda

46:01

goes over his eyes

46:03

and mean, we get in get in line,

46:06

I guess. Yeah?

46:07

Yeah. And

46:09

hope these documents work their

46:12

work their magic. What's it? And

46:14

as we're at the back of the line sort of together,

46:17

what do we say is our business?

46:21

a

46:21

researcher together.

46:24

It can be together.

46:27

or an holiday. I I

46:31

don't think we're allowed on holiday.

46:34

There are people you would

46:36

know that there are people that receive passes

46:40

to come here on pilgrimage. I mean, it

46:42

is the home of the immortal emperor.

46:45

So people come to pay homage

46:47

and to see

46:50

the sites of the imperial city, which are

46:53

amazing. I mean, people come to see this

46:55

sorcerer son at the emperor.

46:58

created it.

46:59

By the way, he only created it a couple

47:01

years ago, and you all know that

47:03

that spire,

47:05

that that's called the astral spire

47:08

and the immortal emperor sacrificed everyone

47:11

inside of it. The entire

47:13

spire and everyone in it turned to stone

47:15

when he created that sun.

47:18

the

47:20

Cool. That's He's

47:23

a real He's a good guy. Yeah.

47:26

So, yeah, maybe religious pilgrimage

47:28

is the is the is the cover store. since

47:31

if we posed as

47:34

the merchants I'm sure there's probably, like, official

47:36

mercantile exchanges they'd want us to participate

47:38

in, but we're we're doing illicit

47:40

trading.

47:41

I think I

47:42

think I might need to if they're gonna check our

47:45

bags, I might need to poses

47:47

a spark right or something checking the towers,

47:49

you know, here for I

47:51

mean, I don't think anything I'm carrying would

47:54

make sense for a pilgrimage

47:56

Okay. If

47:57

they end up, you know, like, going through bags

47:59

and

47:59

I don't know how thorough this is. Is

48:02

there

48:02

a boundary? are you having this conversation?

48:05

the line? Quietly at the end of

48:07

the line. I

48:08

mean, you're having it quietly at the end of

48:10

the line? Very, very quietly.

48:13

Okay. Here's the first threat. You

48:16

notice a

48:17

gentleman, two

48:18

or three people ahead of you, and

48:21

you notice that

48:22

he's looking back and

48:24

he's heard some of the things you just

48:26

said and then his eyes go wide and

48:28

he turns back and faces front.

48:34

He's

48:34

going to possibly inform

48:36

on you He knows that you are

48:39

planning something.

48:41

He's heard your conversation. We should

48:43

pose as this. We should pose as

48:45

that.

48:48

Great. You know what's great?

48:51

I'd be like, I'm gonna look

48:53

at everyone and be like,

48:56

And

48:56

you've hidden the bomb within

48:58

the suitcase. Yes.

49:01

When when you say that,

49:03

when you say that, he doesn't turn all the way around

49:05

where you can see his eyes, you just see his head go.

49:08

Mm-mm. And then, like, kind

49:10

of, as I do, like, I do as I I like

49:12

I do this, I'm, like, have and you and you have

49:15

hit on the bomb in the suitcase. Yes.

49:17

There's a way of being, like, you're seeing this.

49:19

Only

49:22

VAALCOST would go. Uh-oh. There's someone about

49:24

to inform him -- Yeah. Yeah. -- let him think

49:26

there's a bomb. I

49:28

mean You know, say I I see what he's doing. He's

49:30

gonna make this guy look crazy when when

49:32

if he doesn't form on us. Mhmm. And

49:35

so so I'm like, yes, of course.

49:37

them. So Well, I

49:39

think to call some deaf death

49:43

to the imperium. Long

49:47

lived Scotland brother. Yes.

49:51

I will

49:52

go deposit the suitcase. Now is

49:54

there, like, a this may

49:56

be over. So is there, like, a restroom or some,

49:59

like, in

50:00

this station? I

50:02

think that in this kind

50:04

of a steerage section, there

50:07

is no restroom. There

50:10

is no restroom. There is

50:12

a there's just like

50:15

a horrible corner. Horrible

50:18

corner. Okay. Well That's a horrible corner.

50:20

I'll

50:25

grab, you know, ruffle for a bag or

50:27

something or some, you know, that we have

50:29

empty at real quick, you know, or just put

50:31

something some

50:33

clothing, just stuff it, and

50:37

we'll

50:39

walk it over Before you do,

50:41

like, I grab you, and

50:43

I'm like, we

50:45

must sacrifice ourselves and the people

50:48

around us for this. It

50:50

is cowardly if we let it go away,

50:53

if

50:53

we don't, if we're not by the area,

50:56

think

50:56

of all the lives all

50:59

the spirits that will form into

51:02

the one being that we desire to

51:04

be. Keep

51:07

hold of it. Right?

51:10

Does he believe you?

51:12

love it.

51:13

Does he believe you? What action are you using

51:16

to convince you that there's definitely a bomb?

51:20

i

51:23

Sway. Right? To speak. To

51:26

be a sway. Wouldn't it?

51:28

Yeah. I think it'd be a sway.

51:30

and who's gonna roll it. Who

51:33

who has sweat Wait. Wait.

51:35

Wait. Wait. Yeah. Yeah.

51:37

Why do I I didn't know had sway.

51:40

Wait.

51:40

What what are your what

51:43

do you have? I'm Oh,

51:45

yeah. You're eco Prag. That's right.

51:47

make a break, baby. I got two pips.

51:49

Cool. Yeah. Can I assist you?

51:51

People it sounds like everybody was

51:53

assisting. Yeah. We were old. country.

51:55

If if you don't mind, I would love I

51:58

because it seems like everybody did

51:59

assist -- Yeah. -- I think everybody should

52:02

except for Echoprecht. She'd take it as stress.

52:04

Okay. And stir bit. That many extra die.

52:07

Great. Echoprecht. So

52:10

this is

52:11

whiskey. or

52:12

standard effect. Oh, boy.

52:14

Yeah. We'll go risky for standard effect.

52:16

And do I get bonus dice for each? You

52:18

got my three s? Yes, you do.

52:21

Oh, okay. Here we go.

52:26

Cool. Alright. Yeah.

52:29

At the high I rolled A3A5A5

52:31

and a five. Okay. Success

52:34

with a consequence. boy.

52:38

Suddenly,

52:38

the man leaves the line and you see

52:41

him be lining directly for

52:43

a member of the Imperial Military. and

52:46

you see him animatedly talking

52:48

to them, and then they approach

52:51

you in line. and

52:53

a man behind, like, a bronze. It's

52:56

not a full mask, but it's like it covers, you

52:58

know, it's like a mouth guard in,

53:00

like, a helmet, and then the segmented armor

53:02

goes. And he has he has let's

53:04

see how many guys he brings over with him.

53:09

Okay. There's a lot of them. He brings his

53:11

full he brings his full pack of

53:14

of guards with him, so there's five of them

53:16

altogether. and they

53:19

say, you and

53:20

they point at u

53:22

three. They pointed all of you. Open

53:25

your backs.

53:27

Is

53:27

there a problem,

53:30

sir?

53:32

And they they

53:36

suddenly bring their cow birds down

53:38

near you, a Velcos,

53:41

and it looks like they're about to smash you with

53:43

them and they go open your bags

53:45

now. No. No. There's no need for that.

53:48

And and

53:50

it could establish it. ECFELIA sort

53:53

of can curve, like, class wise

53:55

code switch into either, like,

53:58

the sort of Yeah. Yeah. Ecoprag

54:00

demeanor or the Ophelia demeanor. So

54:03

Opheliaizing themselves is

54:05

like, there's no need for that.

54:07

and begins

54:08

to unlock the latches

54:10

on the box. Of course, we're

54:12

more than willing to cooperate officers. Can

54:16

I understand your duty is very important.

54:20

Employ a flashback.

54:22

That is a good idea.

54:24

and we're gonna find out what that flashback is.

54:27

When we come back from our short break,

54:29

we're gonna take a brief word for our sponsors

54:32

as the case perhaps opens.

54:34

Mhmm. And the soldiers look in,

54:38

we'll be right back. What's

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58:07

We're back, and we

58:10

are in the train station in Imperial

58:12

City. where VAALCOZ has just

58:14

created a bomb threat. The

58:19

Imperial military are about to look

58:21

into the bags, the luggage of

58:24

our scoundrels. And

58:27

Juliette Belle Rose has just called

58:29

for a flashback. So as

58:32

the imperial guard lifts

58:34

open your case, Juliet

58:36

fell Rose,

58:38

you know, on on class

58:40

sit and and lifts it open,

58:43

what

58:43

is your flashback? A

58:45

flashback to

58:47

months, months, and months

58:50

ago.

58:51

Right after she was first,

58:54

like, excommunicated from the sparkgrads

58:56

had everything taken. One

58:59

of the first things she did

59:02

was to make sure that

59:04

she would have forged copies of her

59:07

of her credentials

59:10

of the Spark. Right? Like, symbol,

59:15

the the whatever, you know, I'm sure there's

59:17

gotta be some sort of badge or pin or

59:20

that signifies the spark right

59:22

status. And

59:26

so that's something that new has to happen.

59:28

I'd like to combine that with the

59:31

fact that we opposed

59:33

as spark writes and got those uniforms from

59:36

the

59:38

the spark right

59:40

engineers when UNIFIRUS was

59:42

doing her demonstration? Oh,

59:45

you're bringing back other scores. stuff

59:48

you had in other scores, you still have it?

59:51

The uniform of the Sparkling. That's

59:53

not something we throw out. That's Yeah,

59:55

man. That was useful. Mhmm. That's so useful.

59:58

Yeah.

59:58

Alright. Please mark

59:59

off documents on your inventory.

1:00:02

Okay. Which I see you have, and

1:00:04

these documents are not the papers

1:00:06

of transit that you are using to get into

1:00:08

the Imperial City. These are documents that

1:00:11

show that you you

1:00:13

are an official spark rights

1:00:15

guild member. Yes. And

1:00:17

then in addition to that, I'm

1:00:19

trying to see if there's anything that can cover

1:00:22

the the outfits. You wanna

1:00:24

just do some centrifuge supplies? Yep.

1:00:27

Yeah.

1:00:28

So in your in your did you go heavy

1:00:30

in the end or did you go normal? Normal.

1:00:32

I went normal. Normal. So how many

1:00:34

are have been you only get

1:00:37

five. So you've used five. Okay.

1:00:39

So is is that the end of

1:00:41

the flashback that you've packed those things?

1:00:44

Yes. The the uniforms at the top,

1:00:46

the papers are at the top, like, of the bag.

1:00:48

And just to prepare for, you know,

1:00:51

whatever explosives may act actually

1:00:53

be in Juliet's bags.

1:00:56

Oh, interesting. Okay. So you are

1:00:58

accounting for the equipment that's in your

1:01:00

back.

1:01:01

Yeah. I mean, she has a lot of

1:01:03

pretty suspicious items

1:01:06

in general.

1:01:07

The guards

1:01:10

rifle through your bag and they

1:01:12

take out equipment and they sort of toss it

1:01:14

onto the concrete ground

1:01:16

and they pull out all of your

1:01:19

things and you notice that one of them

1:01:21

looks closely at the spark

1:01:24

rates uniform and at the spark rates

1:01:26

badge that you have packed and

1:01:29

they look at each other and confer quietly,

1:01:32

then they throw your badge

1:01:34

and outfit onto the floor. and

1:01:37

they turned to Ecoprag. Bag

1:01:39

open, please.

1:01:41

Of course. I'm

1:01:43

But Jared,

1:01:44

how much stress should I take for that?

1:01:46

Thank you.

1:01:47

One stress.

1:01:50

Okay.

1:01:51

So we're gonna have to get get around

1:01:53

all these searches. Yeah.

1:01:55

I thought I thought Joseph

1:01:58

might have Oh, sorry.

1:02:00

that would cover all three of you. And she's like,

1:02:02

I got myself covered. Yeah.

1:02:05

I don't think look, if we're talking about explosives

1:02:07

and the fact that she is grenades and just

1:02:10

thought mine was the most suspicious. You you

1:02:12

might just have normal things in New York.

1:02:14

It could be. The thing is I don't know what I have

1:02:16

until they become useful later. So

1:02:20

But I love this. I so

1:02:22

I'll call for a flashback also. Okay.

1:02:25

So, of course, of course officers.

1:02:28

Only too happy to oblige. And

1:02:30

as I open the the

1:02:32

box, let's

1:02:35

go let's see the the

1:02:37

dark garret apartment of

1:02:40

Echopragg Road -- Yeah. -- with little little

1:02:42

puppets dangling from the wall. They're

1:02:44

like contact juggling balls

1:02:46

on a table and like and

1:02:48

like one of those pull up bars like on

1:02:50

the on the ceiling and you just see this

1:02:52

trunk also in the middle of the floor. Yeah.

1:02:55

And then

1:02:56

see it open up in

1:02:58

Echopregg come out

1:03:01

of it. like, kind of contorting

1:03:03

himself out of it and

1:03:06

the end opening

1:03:07

little hatches

1:03:09

and this box is not just a trunk.

1:03:12

It's part of his

1:03:14

act and much like a like

1:03:17

we've said that he's he's, you know, he's He's

1:03:19

a carnival sword. He works in a, like, a

1:03:21

weird, grand grand grand grand hall theater. So

1:03:23

this is the kind of thing where you'd like, shut someone

1:03:25

you could cut it in half, disappear

1:03:28

them, make

1:03:30

make things appear and reappear. There's

1:03:32

false bottoms and little hatches.

1:03:34

And so in

1:03:37

the privacy of

1:03:40

of his space, practicing

1:03:42

the

1:03:44

the sliding mechanisms that

1:03:46

that conceal what

1:03:48

they do not want you to see and misdirect

1:03:51

your attention cords,

1:03:53

other things he does. And all

1:03:55

of your useful items, I assume,

1:03:58

are squirreled away in some

1:03:59

sort of false compartment. Correct. And

1:04:02

all you would see is a very very nice wardrobe.

1:04:05

Very good. Go ahead and mark off

1:04:07

subterfuge supplies on

1:04:09

your

1:04:10

load out and please also take one

1:04:13

stress. Alright. They

1:04:15

rifle through your fine clothes

1:04:19

your cloak,

1:04:20

all of those things, they throw them out,

1:04:22

toss them willy nilly. Mhmm. And

1:04:25

then they go, he's clear. or

1:04:27

I'm sorry. They're clear. Well, these

1:04:29

guys aren't polite. Yeah. He's clear.

1:04:31

And then they then they

1:04:33

look to VAALCOS. and I literally

1:04:36

just pull a bag. I

1:04:38

open it,

1:04:39

tip it out, and it's literally just

1:04:42

pants.

1:04:44

And I'm like, I picked a

1:04:46

t shirt, and

1:04:47

I'm like,

1:04:52

How can that be true, Vasquez, when you have

1:04:54

gone for a normal loadout? Because

1:04:56

the back is

1:04:57

big enough.

1:04:59

to be a normal loadout. You

1:05:01

see, I travel empty, my

1:05:03

friend, and I find the items

1:05:05

that I can in the city. Why

1:05:08

would I wanna find items? Take

1:05:12

them through with me. Are you telling

1:05:14

me that you have brought no items? So

1:05:16

the idea is that I'm even

1:05:19

when it comes to weapons or guns,

1:05:21

if there is if I can't find

1:05:23

them, then

1:05:24

I'm not gonna have them. But

1:05:26

there is nothing literally

1:05:28

in this bag. So

1:05:30

for your normal loadout, you are only

1:05:32

going to use things that would not

1:05:34

be caught by a customs agent

1:05:37

or someone checking your bag. Is

1:05:39

that correct? I mean yeah.

1:05:41

I mean, like, I'd say that you could find something

1:05:43

later. You could find something in the city. Right?

1:05:45

I'd say the only thing that they might find

1:05:48

in my bag or in my person

1:05:50

would be the spirit baine charm,

1:05:52

which I have attached to my neck,

1:05:55

which is down your necklace, and the

1:05:57

rage essence vial. And that's essentially,

1:06:00

you know, something that I might

1:06:02

have, you know, shoved up my bum something.

1:06:04

So Velcos isn't even going

1:06:07

Velcos isn't even going to use

1:06:10

any kind of flashback or

1:06:13

subcutaneous. The alcoast is just gonna show them

1:06:15

what's in his back. And they

1:06:17

grab the bag off of you, your t shirt and

1:06:19

your pants or whatever have fallen out of it. and

1:06:21

they dig through it and they find the

1:06:23

rage essence file and

1:06:25

they say, you're

1:06:27

not permitted to take this into the city.

1:06:32

Fine. You understand? Yes.

1:06:34

I

1:06:36

mean, I have to, and I kind of look at

1:06:38

the Albert that they have. Mhmm. And

1:06:40

I'm like, that's

1:06:42

understandable and I'm sorry

1:06:44

if I

1:06:45

offended, but I don't understand why

1:06:47

we are being searched. And

1:06:51

I call him aside. Fuck.

1:06:52

Why

1:06:55

are you draw why are you bringing narcotics

1:06:57

into the city?

1:07:00

Do you intend to sell these narcotics in the

1:07:02

city? No. So in

1:07:05

fact, I intend to probably

1:07:07

use them myself, if

1:07:09

you want honesty. he

1:07:11

throws it on the ground and he stops

1:07:13

on it and the rage essence file leaks

1:07:16

onto the concrete and you must

1:07:18

now mark it off of your inventory

1:07:21

sheet. Great. It's gone.

1:07:24

Mhmm. I kind of look

1:07:26

at him and I kind of this way,

1:07:28

with my eyes. I'm like, give

1:07:32

me one reason why shouldn't take you to detention

1:07:34

right now.

1:07:36

Severosi.

1:07:41

reason, five seconds to answer

1:07:45

because

1:07:45

I am simply here to enjoy

1:07:47

the site.

1:07:51

Okay. He doesn't look like

1:07:53

he's going to believe you. Yeah.

1:07:56

Yeah. We are. The sites

1:07:59

provided

1:07:59

by the beneficence

1:08:01

of our glorious emperor. I

1:08:03

think it's important that all of our

1:08:07

fringe citizens

1:08:11

accommodate themselves to our customs

1:08:14

and

1:08:14

our faith. And

1:08:17

that is why those of

1:08:19

us who evangelical

1:08:20

temperament have

1:08:22

brought them here to.

1:08:24

Behold his son.

1:08:28

perhaps

1:08:28

you wince a little bit when you look up

1:08:30

at it where it looks like but

1:08:33

I'm gonna need an action because the threat

1:08:35

is if you do not succeed in this action,

1:08:38

they are going to apprehend VAALCO's

1:08:40

right now and take VAALCO's to a detention

1:08:43

area or at least they're going to try. VAALCO's

1:08:45

might make that hard for them. Chris.

1:08:47

So Yeah.

1:08:50

Wait. This is risky. Who's who's

1:08:53

doing the action here? Who

1:08:55

is going the action? I think it's Echopra.

1:08:58

I think it's Echopra. because he was the guy

1:09:00

who gave it with the story. I was ready to

1:09:02

to attempt something bad. So thank you

1:09:04

so much. Can

1:09:06

I assist then

1:09:08

in a way?

1:09:09

Let's see. You

1:09:12

can you can assist if you'd like.

1:09:14

I think you should. What are you how are you going to assist?

1:09:17

I'll lean into the one

1:09:21

of the guards say,

1:09:23

they are my travel companions, and

1:09:26

The

1:09:27

addiction

1:09:29

of this one is perhaps due to

1:09:31

some experimentations that I've

1:09:34

employed in the past. you know the

1:09:36

methods we must use for science.

1:09:42

Okay.

1:09:43

he listens to you and his

1:09:46

you can see his eyes narrow above his

1:09:48

face mask. And you may

1:09:50

pay a stress. and you

1:09:52

may give an extra die to our

1:09:55

friend,

1:09:55

echophilia. Mhmm. And echophilia,

1:09:59

you can

1:09:59

roll sway

1:10:02

And

1:10:02

I think because this is a deception, you

1:10:04

are on a deception based score

1:10:07

that I'm not gonna make

1:10:09

these soldiers tier come into play now

1:10:11

there, but their tier will come into play if you

1:10:13

decide to fight them and that's not good.

1:10:16

So I'm gonna add that. Guys, thank

1:10:18

you for more story. Here

1:10:21

we go. That's

1:10:23

A55 success

1:10:26

with a consequence. What

1:10:29

is the consequence? Take it. The

1:10:32

consequence is that

1:10:34

the soldier

1:10:38

confers with his colleague, they

1:10:41

pull out a yellow ribbon.

1:10:45

Oh, shit. And they are

1:10:47

attaching it to Valcos' shoulder.

1:10:51

And they also pull out

1:10:53

like a strange apparatus that looks

1:10:55

like a camera and they Oh,

1:11:00

take a Korlian glass

1:11:04

image of him. They pull

1:11:06

out this, like, glass out of it and you can see

1:11:08

that VAALCO's is, like, his face

1:11:10

is right there on it. And We'll

1:11:14

let you go, but we're limiting

1:11:17

your access to the city.

1:11:20

My remain within the outer rings.

1:11:23

kinda kinda that ribbon on your person at

1:11:25

all times. I look at him and I do and

1:11:27

is it just my access?

1:11:32

You're right. No. Wait. Big ribbon

1:11:34

all of these three. Before you even think of

1:11:36

ribboning people. I would like

1:11:38

to ask a question. If

1:11:41

I may, go

1:11:45

ahead.

1:11:46

You came over with

1:11:48

us with purpose and

1:11:50

we complied. I

1:11:53

asked again, was

1:11:55

there a problem or an issue

1:11:58

that desired your time to spend

1:12:00

with us as we showed

1:12:02

you other than your business. When you

1:12:04

speak, you

1:12:05

should have been spoken to before

1:12:07

you open your mouth, and

1:12:09

you do not question our methods.

1:12:11

And you can see behind him they are dragging

1:12:13

off the guy that in formed on you. No.

1:12:17

No. You're honest. I was trying to help.

1:12:19

I mean, go on. Hey. Hey.

1:12:22

the

1:12:23

I will flash the badge

1:12:25

of the spark lights to say, I

1:12:28

require the excess. to

1:12:30

be able to do my engineering work here

1:12:33

in the Imperial City.

1:12:36

Well,

1:12:36

that's unfortunate. You'll have to

1:12:38

talk to your yelled representatives, and he

1:12:41

pins a yellow

1:12:43

he pins a yellow ribbon

1:12:45

on you. And

1:12:47

they

1:12:50

take take glass

1:12:52

images of Juliet and

1:12:55

Echaprag who also has a yellow

1:12:57

ribbon pin on him. Now, obviously, you can take the

1:12:59

ribbon off easily, but

1:13:03

you know, they have this image of you that

1:13:06

apparently will somehow be passed around

1:13:08

or sent to different places.

1:13:10

who knows where how how

1:13:12

it will be used. But they

1:13:16

they recommend that you stay in

1:13:19

you can only you only have access to

1:13:21

gray church, Vanderton,

1:13:23

New Farrick. These are all

1:13:26

these are all neighborhoods on the outer fringes.

1:13:29

Subura, like, you

1:13:31

do not have access to the inner rings of

1:13:33

the city, they say. Mhmm. And

1:13:36

so You are

1:13:38

before

1:13:38

we do that, I'm just gonna say,

1:13:41

can I change my load out to light? because, like,

1:13:43

actually, I feel like If I am traveling

1:13:45

with a little bag, it should be light. So

1:13:47

I'm gonna make You've already used one item and

1:13:49

you wanna go ahead and change it to light. feel

1:13:52

like making a normal feels like don't wanna

1:13:54

be that kinda I don't wanna be that guy who's like, I

1:13:56

never pull a pistol on my ass. So I'm

1:13:58

just gonna make it light because faith

1:14:01

in myself. Jordan, you

1:14:04

know what? No problem. Great.

1:14:07

Thanks. Now here's

1:14:09

the good news. So on your

1:14:11

ribbon, it's actually listed the neighborhoods

1:14:14

that you have access to. Okay. And

1:14:17

here's the good news. When you get

1:14:19

to the actual customs officers who

1:14:22

are behind this, like, it looks like this

1:14:24

these these glass bubbles They

1:14:27

never come out of them. And

1:14:29

they have, like, places where you put your

1:14:31

documents in, and then the documents get

1:14:34

When you get there, the Imperial Military soldiers

1:14:38

talk to them and you are sent

1:14:40

through. So by just having

1:14:42

it being inspected by the Imperial Military,

1:14:44

you haven't you haven't had to go through

1:14:46

customs in spectrum looking

1:14:48

closely at your documents and soon

1:14:51

you find yourselves

1:14:52

inside the city. Let me describe

1:14:55

it for you.

1:14:56

Immediately, you

1:14:58

see that everyone

1:15:00

in the city looks healthier, more

1:15:03

beautiful than the corpse

1:15:05

like people of dust fall. And

1:15:07

you can definitely notice duskfall natives

1:15:10

kind of walking out of the train

1:15:12

station among the people of the imperial city because

1:15:14

the imperial city citizens

1:15:16

look much healthier and less

1:15:19

boxed,

1:15:20

less less

1:15:23

twisted as dust fall residents. The

1:15:26

streets are not at all crowded,

1:15:29

and there are white flowers everywhere,

1:15:32

a perfusion. of white

1:15:34

flowers. And everything

1:15:36

is so bright and beautiful

1:15:39

that it's as if the whole city were

1:15:41

white crown as if the whole city

1:15:44

were

1:15:44

the neighborhood of Bright Stone in

1:15:47

duskfall. The other thing you notice

1:15:50

is groups

1:15:52

of five Imperial Military

1:15:55

soldiers come marching by

1:15:57

just kind of double stepping

1:15:59

it down the street and

1:16:02

keeping an eye on everybody walking about.

1:16:04

You can see nobles and bureaucrats

1:16:07

traveling in planklands or

1:16:10

you see a bureaucrat holding AAA

1:16:12

handful of scrolls and there are servants

1:16:15

just holding the train of the

1:16:17

bureaucrat's jacket as he

1:16:19

hustles to a location

1:16:21

somewhere near the Ministry of Preservation Offices.

1:16:24

But the main thing is that everything shines

1:16:27

with the light of the artificial sun

1:16:30

and all of you feel like blinded

1:16:32

by it and there's actually a man

1:16:34

with a stall sitting right outside

1:16:38

the the train

1:16:40

station, Sun Googles. Sun

1:16:43

Googles? be

1:16:46

able to see with sun goggles and you can

1:16:48

see that he is not a a normal

1:16:50

native of the

1:16:51

imperial city. He in fact is

1:16:53

wearing sun goggles himself.

1:16:58

You do not have to interact with him if you don't

1:17:00

like to. You you are able

1:17:02

to see. I'm not gonna be like negative one

1:17:04

dice because it's I

1:17:07

was just adding little little color,

1:17:09

but I did make that sound like it was a

1:17:11

required encounter. I

1:17:15

think he's gonna send us on

1:17:17

a side quest. Yeah. Right?

1:17:20

I kind of look at the yellow tag.

1:17:22

Can we take it off? It's

1:17:25

easily taken off.

1:17:27

Does everyone have tags walking around?

1:17:30

Yeah. A lot of them have green tags

1:17:32

the citizens of the city don't have any

1:17:34

tags at all. Oh, okay. So

1:17:36

I kind of I mean, I

1:17:38

look at everyone the the party

1:17:41

and I look around to see that no one's fucking

1:17:43

listening to us this time. And I'm like,

1:17:46

we should we should find a

1:17:48

way

1:17:51

of maybe getting

1:17:52

documents. Actually,

1:17:55

you know what I'm gonna do? When

1:17:58

you said that we went through our

1:18:01

our what's it called? We

1:18:03

went through we didn't go through customs. We

1:18:05

didn't have our body search, did we?

1:18:09

ah

1:18:10

No, you didn't. So I'm gonna flash

1:18:12

back.

1:18:14

And I'm gonna flash back

1:18:16

to a time where

1:18:20

I had I was gathering information.

1:18:23

try

1:18:23

to find a bit more about the Imperial City.

1:18:26

I had asked for essentially

1:18:29

looking for finding out

1:18:32

ways of identification and how it

1:18:34

works with the city. How does travel work? How

1:18:36

do you go through? Do you need passes? Do you need

1:18:38

this? Do you need that? which is why

1:18:40

I came empty because I knew that if I came

1:18:42

with anything, of course, they're gonna check me

1:18:44

as a severo c and be like, oh, you're disgusting.

1:18:47

But what I did get was

1:18:49

fake almost

1:18:51

documents or passes,

1:18:53

for example, that

1:18:54

will allow us to be to to cross

1:18:56

freely and see us as citizens of

1:18:59

the

1:19:00

imperial city. for

1:19:01

each and every one here. And how I

1:19:03

did that was obviously by finding

1:19:05

someone who could do this for me and beating

1:19:07

them to a pulp.

1:19:10

How

1:19:11

does that work? In

1:19:12

basketball. Yeah. Back in basketball. that

1:19:15

you so

1:19:17

back in basketball, you beat

1:19:19

someone Well, you're threatening

1:19:21

to be someone to a pulp in order to

1:19:23

get documents that what are the documents? What is

1:19:25

everything that the the documents sent to? Like,

1:19:27

so I would imagine that you took do you know citizens

1:19:29

here with Citizen's shit. Yeah. Yeah. Citizen's

1:19:32

shit. Yeah. Okay.

1:19:34

So you wanna be a full citizen Yeah.

1:19:37

I think we're all I've got us all full

1:19:39

citizen.

1:19:40

What action did you use in this

1:19:42

flashback? What action did you use to procure

1:19:44

this? I probably Sounds like because

1:19:46

you're threatening, it could be well,

1:19:49

you tell me.

1:19:51

Probably, I would have used

1:19:54

I'm gonna argue that I

1:19:56

used

1:19:57

yeah. I'm gonna use command. Uh-huh.

1:19:59

the

1:19:59

Command. Okay. I wanna see how

1:20:02

successful you were at this. So

1:20:04

go ahead and give me a

1:20:07

command role and because it's

1:20:09

a flashback. Let's just call it

1:20:12

risky for standard effect.

1:20:16

Can I push myself? on this role.

1:20:21

You know what?

1:20:22

I think

1:20:24

because it's a flashback? No. Okay.

1:20:26

No. Okay. That's fine.

1:20:30

Boxed it.

1:20:34

A three? Yeah.

1:20:35

Okay. So because it's a flashback,

1:20:37

you're gonna pay stress to have this

1:20:40

citizenship badge. Right? I

1:20:42

I don't know exactly who you beat up,

1:20:46

but you found somebody walking

1:20:48

through basketball who had a very pink,

1:20:50

a healthy sunburn complexion, and

1:20:54

you pull them into dark alley

1:20:57

and you rough them up and you got

1:20:59

something out of their their

1:21:01

pockets that was kind of like an

1:21:03

ID ID papers that

1:21:07

said citizen, it looked like a little when

1:21:09

you unfolded it, it looked like a little certificate.

1:21:11

Like, you'd win if you

1:21:14

were in some sort of an award ceremony but

1:21:16

it certifies that they are a citizen of the imperial

1:21:18

city. The

1:21:19

problem with

1:21:22

three Well,

1:21:24

maybe we'll get into that in a little bit. But

1:21:26

right now, I was gonna You have it.

1:21:28

Could I say, like, you know, because it's I've got three of

1:21:30

them right for everyone here. Could I say Oh,

1:21:32

you got you got three of them? Well, I was gonna

1:21:35

say for everyone, but the point is is that they are

1:21:37

so they're like, didn't get it from one specific

1:21:39

person or stole from them. I'd say, like, I

1:21:41

they're fake. So if any in close

1:21:43

inspection, obviously, they

1:21:45

would be they would almost feel like

1:21:49

But, you know,

1:21:49

if you flash them, it's like flashing your driver's

1:21:52

license. You know, sometimes you could flash your driver's

1:21:54

license and, you know, someone might not necessarily see

1:21:56

if it's real or not. know, when you get those

1:21:58

dodgy, you know, when you get, like,

1:21:59

you get Absolutely. Are you drinks and stuff

1:22:02

or whatever? I didn't realize they were fake.

1:22:05

So I thought that maybe you really got

1:22:07

some off of someone. Three. Sorry. I

1:22:09

was just like Righty. You did

1:22:11

get one real one and the other two are four

1:22:13

that was not showing the real one.

1:22:15

Hey, thank you. Ross Bryant, what great solution.

1:22:18

Go ahead and take Three

1:22:21

stress for that. Gosh,

1:22:24

guys, I'm I'm gonna be so great

1:22:26

on this And just so you

1:22:28

know, because your because your images

1:22:31

were saved and because

1:22:33

you have the yellow ribbon

1:22:35

pinned on you, regardless of

1:22:38

this brilliant strategy with

1:22:40

the documents that you just procured

1:22:43

with the flashback I have still created

1:22:45

a six segment clock called intruder alert,

1:22:48

and I have removed one segment

1:22:50

from it.

1:22:51

If all six segments disappear, then

1:22:54

the Imperial Military will be searching

1:22:57

everywhere for you, trying to track

1:22:59

you down. and take you out.

1:23:01

Alright. For

1:23:03

just and for having a on a holiday,

1:23:05

what kind of destination is this?

1:23:08

Listen, it's a military

1:23:10

state. It is a totalitarian

1:23:13

city. They

1:23:15

don't go with the Lucy Gucci morals

1:23:17

and rules of basketball here in the imperial

1:23:20

city. They have something to protect.

1:23:22

This is the seat of the empire.

1:23:25

So you were

1:23:28

flagged as suspicious, and

1:23:30

that makes one segment go off of

1:23:32

the clock. Okay. Well,

1:23:34

well, this clock

1:23:36

It is do I have you on

1:23:38

the computer alert? Yes. On the side.

1:23:41

Okay. Keep an eye on it. Alright.

1:23:46

So

1:23:48

we're in the city, and you know that

1:23:50

you have to find fits quickly. Right.

1:23:53

because the longer you dally, the

1:23:55

more chance there is that your illegal

1:24:00

presence here will be detected.

1:24:02

So maybe just find, like,

1:24:04

antiquities and Curio dealers

1:24:08

or a district where those folks are that

1:24:10

where we can start putting it around that we've

1:24:12

got something special. Either

1:24:13

that or or, like,

1:24:16

or drug dealers because I think

1:24:18

they might be easier to beat up and be

1:24:20

in, like, shadier areas.

1:24:23

perhaps. Yeah. Maybe Versus high end antiquity

1:24:26

dealers, you know. Let me ask you this. When

1:24:28

when VAALCO's hands you your citizenship

1:24:30

papers, do you all remove the yellow ribbon?

1:24:34

I'm gonna keep my own until it's Yeah. I'll keep

1:24:36

my own until Until we're in neighborhood. Mhmm.

1:24:38

We need it to be somewhere else.

1:24:40

Yeah. Understood. women still on for now.

1:24:43

Yes. Same. Understood. No problem. Okay.

1:24:45

So you were looking for did you say antiquity

1:24:47

did? antiquities dealers or drug

1:24:50

dealers. I like Josephine's idea. Maybe

1:24:52

let's try to go

1:24:54

with the the underground and

1:24:56

Right. I don't wanna deal with the

1:24:58

super powerful people. Among

1:25:02

the psych drug dealers that there's that

1:25:05

there's a very interesting object that's

1:25:07

just come into town for the right time.

1:25:10

By the way, when they rippled your bag of Alcos,

1:25:12

they did not mark the spirit

1:25:14

bane term. It is completely fine.

1:25:17

You're allowed to have

1:25:18

spirit bane terms in a city that doesn't

1:25:21

want any ghosts in it. No problem.

1:25:23

Brilliant.

1:25:24

So it sounds like you're going

1:25:26

to get in touch with the local underworld.

1:25:30

Yes. Okay. Why

1:25:32

don't you give me the action you're going to use

1:25:34

to do that? And the threat

1:25:36

is that if

1:25:38

you fail

1:25:39

you will take more segments of

1:25:41

the intruder alert clock because you've been

1:25:43

asking questions that rouse

1:25:45

suspicions. Right. And

1:25:48

I also wanna describe to me

1:25:50

what techniques or what avenues

1:25:53

Juliet does to get in touch with these

1:25:55

underworld elements. Oh,

1:25:57

I'm doing it, of course, Sam. I

1:25:59

Well, you know, it doesn't have to be you.

1:26:02

That could not be kind of your next step and someone

1:26:04

else can do it. I'll approach

1:26:08

the

1:26:09

there's gotta be a repository place

1:26:12

at some point. Yes.

1:26:13

You walked for a while. Yeah.

1:26:15

You walked for a while in the

1:26:18

neighborhood of gray church, so

1:26:21

named because it it

1:26:23

is filled with

1:26:24

places of worship, but they are

1:26:26

all the official

1:26:29

religion of

1:26:30

the empire. They

1:26:32

are all the Church of X to C.

1:26:34

You don't see other faiths like you might

1:26:36

see in basketball. and

1:26:38

there are all these kind of holy sites

1:26:41

and places to pray and one

1:26:44

large, literally, gray

1:26:46

church dominating the center

1:26:48

of the neighborhood. But you're

1:26:50

searching for an apothecary, and I think that there

1:26:53

is an apothecary along the main

1:26:55

road that travel through gray church

1:26:57

toward Vanderton. And so

1:27:00

as you travel along it, you find an apothecary

1:27:02

and You're looking for underwear

1:27:05

elements, but you go into the Apothecary Shop

1:27:07

and a woman who

1:27:10

has her hair in a very tight ponytail

1:27:13

and is wearing square glasses.

1:27:15

And a a tie and a suit

1:27:18

approaches you and says, yes.

1:27:20

and I'll have

1:27:22

pinned the

1:27:22

SparkRight badge

1:27:26

on before entering.

1:27:28

Yes. Hello. I am here on

1:27:31

business tending to some

1:27:33

of the city's engineering

1:27:35

needs. and wanted to know

1:27:38

what my options are in terms of

1:27:40

supplies and passed by your

1:27:42

establishment.

1:27:44

you're looking for tonics,

1:27:47

subs?

1:27:50

Yes.

1:27:50

Catalysts? Catalysts.

1:27:53

Yes. but of course,

1:27:56

sometimes there is a need for

1:28:00

more

1:28:03

and nefarious

1:28:06

powders.

1:28:10

Nafarious powders, what

1:28:13

action are you using?

1:28:16

Oh, you sway. Okay?

1:28:20

How many dots do you have in sway?

1:28:22

I actually

1:28:22

have two dots and I think just forgot

1:28:25

that Juliet had those. at

1:28:28

some point. Yeah. Okay. Very good.

1:28:31

Two dots. Very persuasive.

1:28:34

trying to see if I can I

1:28:40

mean, I don't know that other people can help

1:28:42

you here. It's and then you may be more suspicious

1:28:44

of VAALCO's and echo It's actually

1:28:47

a both margin and her, like, going, yeah,

1:28:49

she needs those. So

1:28:53

you're making this deal on your own.

1:28:55

You can push yourself to stress for an extra

1:28:57

die. And I'm trying to think of a devil's bargain

1:29:00

that I can offer you. And the devil's

1:29:02

bargain I will offer you

1:29:05

is that Devil's

1:29:08

Bargain I I will offer you is

1:29:11

they can put you in touch with if

1:29:13

you succeed, you can you can

1:29:15

be put in touch with

1:29:17

the local underworld whoever sells

1:29:20

illicit goods here in the imperial city

1:29:23

if you succeed, but

1:29:26

If you fail, it's gonna be

1:29:29

two segments on the intruder alert clock,

1:29:32

and even if you stick seed it's

1:29:34

one segment on the intrader alert clock.

1:29:36

That's the devil's bargain.

1:29:39

Shall I take it friends? I feel this affects

1:29:41

us all? Well, wait. So hold

1:29:44

on. So if she even she succeeds

1:29:46

-- It'll go -- Segment of -- by one.

1:29:48

Yeah. But we're but we are

1:29:50

closer to who'll have a contact.

1:29:53

Yeah. Mhmm. In the underground. Yeah.

1:29:55

However,

1:29:56

this devil's bargain will just give you

1:29:58

an extra die. But if you succeed

1:29:59

already with the two die, the two

1:30:02

dots that you have.

1:30:03

Surely, I won't

1:30:05

take a segment of the intruder alert and

1:30:07

still succeed. yeah. If I don't take the devil's

1:30:09

bargain,

1:30:11

Yeah. I I'll just push myself. I won't

1:30:13

take the devil's partner. Okay. It

1:30:15

wasn't a great bargain. The bargain

1:30:18

was the wrong word for that. Okay.

1:30:21

What's my position here? Order position

1:30:24

is risky. And

1:30:26

your position is risky. And

1:30:30

I think you're gonna have limited

1:30:32

effect no matter what, and here's why. I

1:30:35

think that you walked into the first apothecary

1:30:37

you could find And you're

1:30:39

asking for nefarious chemicals,

1:30:42

there's a great chance that

1:30:44

she doesn't trust you. I'd say there's a excellent

1:30:47

chance But if you really succeed

1:30:49

here, she might point you in the direction.

1:30:52

Can I use

1:30:55

any of my like, show

1:30:57

off any of my fine tinkering tools

1:30:59

or something just to to, like, help

1:31:01

get this effect to normal to to

1:31:04

justify my needs

1:31:06

as a as a

1:31:08

in and

1:31:09

to improve your effect? Yeah.

1:31:11

No. But you can use that push you're giving yourself

1:31:14

to improve it to standard?

1:31:16

and only roll two dice.

1:31:23

Yeah.

1:31:23

Let's do standard. Go for

1:31:25

it. I'll use that push for the effect.

1:31:28

Okay. Alright.

1:31:31

Two little dice. Let's go. Two dice.

1:31:33

Here we go. Here we go. Fuck.

1:31:37

Three. And it's too. Failure.

1:31:39

My god. My god's old.

1:31:42

Alright. She says, there

1:31:45

are no nefarious chemicals in

1:31:47

the Imperial City, yellow. And

1:31:51

we don't serve yellows here.

1:31:54

Please

1:31:54

leave my shop.

1:31:58

I'll turn around and leave look,

1:32:00

we Two segments go off way in through

1:32:03

the alert clock. Wait. Hold on. Hold on. Hold

1:32:05

on. We can resist. Let's not

1:32:07

resist. That's true. Resist

1:32:09

the consequence. A

1:32:12

good idea. Stress already. I'll

1:32:15

resist. I'll resist. This

1:32:18

feels so okay. But I should have just taken

1:32:20

the devil's bargain then if we were gonna have the same

1:32:22

exact result.

1:32:24

to be honest, we

1:32:26

we probably could have

1:32:27

won it. Yes. But it's it's fine. It's fine. because

1:32:29

then

1:32:29

I could have had an extra die. If the same

1:32:31

thing would have happened even without taking the devil's

1:32:34

bargain. You

1:32:34

know? Yeah. I mean, I

1:32:36

don't know how all of that math works out, but

1:32:38

it doesn't work out on your side. It

1:32:41

kinda resists And I think you can use

1:32:43

insight because I think that maybe,

1:32:45

you know, you were able to kinda if

1:32:47

you resist correctly, you're able to handle

1:32:49

this woman because you under stand her

1:32:51

a little bit better. You know, you understand her

1:32:54

personality. You get a read

1:32:56

on her and you're able to handle her.

1:32:58

We shared because you told me if I failed

1:33:00

the with the

1:33:00

devil's bargain, it would have been two segments

1:33:02

off the clock. And now I failed without the devil's

1:33:05

bargain, it was still too busy. The devil's

1:33:07

bargain was. Even if you succeed,

1:33:09

one segment is removed. That was the devil's

1:33:11

market.

1:33:12

But I made sure to let you know what the threat

1:33:14

was. If you fail, all payments

1:33:17

are removed. Totally misunderstood. No

1:33:19

problem. was only with the devil's bark.

1:33:22

No

1:33:22

problem.

1:33:23

Probably should have taken it because

1:33:27

Here we go. I'm removing the two seconds.

1:33:30

Okay. So feel like How do I

1:33:32

country and you just Wait.

1:33:34

How do I resist? You

1:33:37

resist by choosing

1:33:40

you're gonna roll your insight, I think,

1:33:42

to resist. Insight. Okay. How many dots do

1:33:44

you have an insight? That vertical line under

1:33:46

insight?

1:33:47

F three dots. ups and inside. Oh, wow. Great.

1:33:50

Okay.

1:33:50

You're gonna roll those

1:33:52

dice. You take six

1:33:54

stress to resist. Minus

1:33:56

your highest dive from this insight role.

1:33:58

Yep. Here we go.

1:34:00

Here we go.

1:34:02

Oh my god. Okay. The highest dive from

1:34:04

this insight role. is

1:34:06

-- Isn't -- a three. So you did not

1:34:08

listen to it.

1:34:10

Guys, I if I take one more stress

1:34:12

in this entire score, I'll have a

1:34:14

trauma. So that's And oh, you know what I

1:34:16

mean last word. You I'll have your

1:34:18

spray. You're already?

1:34:21

Yes. Okay.

1:34:23

Well, because

1:34:24

pushing pushing myself was too

1:34:25

stressed. Right?

1:34:27

That's right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

1:34:29

That was a disastrous Yeah.

1:34:33

No. We were interacting with an apathy

1:34:35

critic. Yeah. This requires interaction.

1:34:37

really cool. And that's a whole

1:34:40

thing. And that helped us. We should

1:34:42

have gone in and gone blazing. We should have assaulted

1:34:44

the city. You know what I mean? Of

1:34:46

course. That's what Balcos said. Right.

1:34:48

did. Okay. Okay. So so

1:34:50

So here we go. And I just wanna let me just

1:34:52

set the let me just set the what what has

1:34:55

happened here. Because you

1:34:57

resisted, She

1:34:59

does not

1:35:00

the

1:35:01

she does not inform --

1:35:03

Right. -- inform on you. which

1:35:06

means I'll

1:35:08

knock back

1:35:09

that clock to just taking away

1:35:12

one segment.

1:35:12

Okay. Okay? She

1:35:15

just tells you to get out. She doesn't actually

1:35:17

inform on you.

1:35:18

Okay. And I walk out clearly

1:35:21

frazzled, stressed one might

1:35:23

say, say, I

1:35:25

hate the city. There's no

1:35:27

there's

1:35:27

no respect for any sort of science

1:35:30

or everything is is on Elite.

1:35:31

oh

1:35:36

And

1:35:36

a procession for some

1:35:38

sort of noble or high ranking

1:35:41

bureaucrat comes through. They're pushing

1:35:43

the bureaucrat woman on a wheeled

1:35:46

kind of platform. and they are

1:35:48

blowing bugles in your face to get

1:35:50

out of the way. k. We

1:35:52

die out of the way. And

1:35:54

then they move by slowly.

1:35:57

And

1:35:58

everybody that looks like a citizen

1:36:00

doesn't act like this is strange or

1:36:03

incredible at all. They just keep moving.

1:36:07

Ekaprade, you you will have to use your

1:36:09

your

1:36:10

whatever ways that you've

1:36:13

charmed us before because

1:36:15

I'm useless. Okay.

1:36:18

So that's Arling. Thank

1:36:21

you. Just

1:36:23

run up against a brick wall. Just

1:36:26

gonna have to find a find

1:36:28

a place where there's a few chinks.

1:36:30

We can get our picks in a so

1:36:33

we're in a military. town. So

1:36:36

there

1:36:36

there must be some

1:36:39

sort of like

1:36:40

For

1:36:43

there there's there's a sex work underground

1:36:45

here. There's

1:36:45

gotta be. We

1:36:48

always go back to I

1:36:51

I mean, I'm I'm not trying to

1:36:53

be a purb. It is just like it's it's another

1:36:55

another way into, like, you know, the vice

1:36:57

culture of the city. It's what we

1:36:59

know. And

1:37:02

so we can find

1:37:05

that avenue. That's those those are the sorts of places

1:37:07

where we're lotioned disreputable

1:37:10

things are indulged. So

1:37:14

might might there be one in these suburbs where yellows

1:37:16

are allowed? How

1:37:19

are you going to find out? How are you

1:37:21

going? Yeah. Right. So

1:37:23

I think That

1:37:26

seems like the kind of thing where consort

1:37:29

might come in handy for a couple like a

1:37:31

Prag. If you could Does? Are you gonna stay in

1:37:33

this neighborhood gray church which is attached

1:37:35

to the train station or are you going to move

1:37:37

into a different neighborhood? No. I want to

1:37:40

go to a significantly less pious neighborhood.

1:37:43

Very good. You soon find yourself in

1:37:46

a neighborhood

1:37:47

called well,

1:37:49

you can choose. There's a neighborhood called

1:37:51

the canyon And

1:37:53

the canyon is literally a

1:37:56

canyon, but, you know,

1:37:58

buildings have been built into the side

1:37:59

of it. Right? Or you can

1:38:02

head You can head more

1:38:04

westerly toward a neighborhood called Banderton,

1:38:07

which is right beside Gray

1:38:09

Church over a little bridge, and it looks more

1:38:11

middle class. Okay.

1:38:14

More residential. Let's

1:38:17

go to that new nature. Let's go to that canyon.

1:38:19

The canyon.

1:38:20

So now you're walking along the bottom of the

1:38:22

canyon and you can see all

1:38:24

of the shops

1:38:27

are kind of hanging off the sides

1:38:29

of the very narrow canyon, and

1:38:31

there are steps and ladders to get

1:38:34

up to them. And you are going

1:38:36

to use consort Is that correct? That's

1:38:38

right. Tell me exactly how you're using it. Who

1:38:40

are you talking to? Where are you going? Let's

1:38:42

I want to find

1:38:45

a

1:38:47

a legitimate establishment of

1:38:49

entertainments like a like a bar

1:38:51

or a yeah, a tavern,

1:38:54

a someplace like that where where

1:38:57

I notice

1:38:58

people are slumming. So,

1:39:01

like, off duty military

1:39:03

folks. The type of guy that

1:39:06

we saw having his tails held

1:39:08

up like a bureaucrat. Where do those

1:39:10

where do those It's like where the

1:39:12

where the Manhattan finance bros when they

1:39:14

go into the outer bros to, like, blow

1:39:16

their wad, like, where of of

1:39:18

cash, where's

1:39:20

where's that? You're interested in

1:39:22

the canyon. I

1:39:23

think that looking around the canyon, you finally

1:39:25

do find, like,

1:39:28

a a row of, like, shops

1:39:31

that seem like they cater to food

1:39:33

and drink. And you do

1:39:36

see imperial military types

1:39:39

They're still in their segmented armor, but they

1:39:41

have their helms off, and you don't

1:39:43

see their weaponry anywhere. So

1:39:45

they're just wearing their armor and they're

1:39:48

chatting casually and they're walking

1:39:50

into a they're

1:39:52

walking into a place

1:39:55

called the Edelberry.

1:39:57

Great. So I would like to go to the

1:39:59

Edelberry and and i'm

1:40:02

get the vibe here. So behind

1:40:05

the bar in the Edelberry, you see an

1:40:08

enormous painted portrait

1:40:10

of a crowned

1:40:12

man with a

1:40:15

very shallow complexion and

1:40:17

a very severe goatee

1:40:21

and there's just like beams of light

1:40:23

painted coming out of this

1:40:26

person and this can only be

1:40:29

a painting that is memorializing

1:40:32

and honoring the immortal emperor.

1:40:35

the

1:40:37

There is music being

1:40:39

played

1:40:40

on an automated device. Unfortunately,

1:40:43

it's not like Old West, like, it's

1:40:46

more like classical, like they're