Episode Transcript
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0:03
The sound
0:25
of rustling blankets,
0:29
the chirping of morning songbirds,
0:35
loud cicadas or crickets
0:37
or some sort of insect out
0:40
beyond the tree. And
0:44
Ursuline, you awake with a feeling
0:47
of something heavy on your chest. I
0:54
open my eyes. Ro Ro is sitting on
0:56
your chest. Good
1:01
morning, Ro Ro. Good
1:03
morning, I have a secret. For
1:05
me? What
1:08
is it? He holds
1:11
your cheeks and whispers right into
1:13
your mouth like that's where you
1:15
hear from. You
1:17
see he goes, Okay, you're all right. I
1:20
open my eyes very wide and go,
1:23
pancakes, really?
1:31
Yeah, not because they
1:33
didn't tell because my sisters had said that
1:35
they don't have as much as many
1:38
as we had before, but I like to have them
1:40
and early in the morning and
1:44
they're hot on the stuff. When they're
1:46
cold, they're not as good. I like
1:49
them cold, but I don't like them
1:51
cold as much. I like them
1:53
more hot, more hot pancake. God,
1:56
yes, more hot pancake is
1:59
the good pancake. Honey, jam,
2:01
with pancake. Mm-hmm. Is
2:04
this all the secret? Don't...
2:07
Oh, because... I just want to
2:09
know what I can say and what I can't tell. Um,
2:12
you see that, uh, Bella
2:15
says, Roroh, you have
2:17
to come wash your hands! And you see
2:19
that Roroh rolls off of your chest and
2:21
goes to, like, skitter under a chair and
2:23
hide. And Bella comes in and turns to
2:25
Coke's member under the chair. Immediately
2:28
there's, like, activity in the living room, and suddenly
2:30
you're in that position where you're a guy sleeping
2:32
in the living room as the day is starting.
2:35
Yeah. Um... We've all been there. We've
2:37
all been there. You
2:39
see that Adi comes in and helps you, like, clean
2:42
up some of the... It was a very comfortable night's
2:44
sleep, but most of these clothes and fabrics and things
2:46
like that, um... She
2:49
smiles and hands you a big thing
2:51
of pancakes, which you guess is why
2:53
this was on Roroh's mind. And
2:56
you see there's a big dish. There's, like, four of
2:58
them. There's these sick, flappy,
3:00
hot, steamy pancakes. Uh, and there are
3:02
a bunch of scoops sort of hugging
3:04
a crescent around one side of the
3:06
pancake that are almost taking up the
3:08
whole dish. But it looks like there's
3:10
a big scoop of some kind of
3:12
yogurt. There's a big scoop of some
3:14
kind of marmalade with big chunks of
3:16
citrus fruit in it. And there's another
3:18
scoop of a deeper purple berry
3:20
sauce in it. And she
3:22
gives you a small little pitcher of some
3:24
kind of tree sap syrup sweet thing. Sugar
3:27
cane syrup, something like that. Um, and
3:30
says, Our mother
3:33
is waking up and is going to try to have some pancakes, too.
3:36
That's good. Um,
3:38
I look over at Roroh. Mm-hmm. Roroh,
3:42
I know you're not a fan of pancakes, but which
3:44
one of these scoops would
3:46
you... if, for
3:48
some reason, you enjoyed pancakes, which would
3:50
you recommend? You see, Adi looks at
3:52
us like, Roroh likes pancakes.
3:55
And you see that Roroh goes, No!
4:01
And runs off, and she's like, what? Roamer, what
4:03
did I say? He
4:06
starts crying in the corner, and he's like,
4:08
I just tell anyone I like pants. She's
4:10
like, you didn't have to tell anyone. You
4:12
eat them. You eat them. Why
4:14
would that be a secret? And
4:17
see, Bella's like, he didn't wash his
4:19
ass. Mom, he didn't wash his ass. And
4:22
just the joy, the joy
4:24
of domestic family life. As
4:27
Adi hands you a thing of pancakes, and it's
4:29
like, I don't know why he's so
4:32
upset. I think I betrayed
4:34
his confidence. What
4:36
did you betray his confidence about? He did
4:38
confide in me that he enjoys pancakes. You
4:42
see that Roamer in the corner is just sort of sulking
4:44
and weeping. That his secret is
4:46
out. But you see his mom said, well,
4:48
it's not, it can't be a secret. Why
4:51
are you keeping that a secret? I made a mess of
4:53
things. I'm sorry, everyone.
4:56
No, no, no, no. It wasn't
4:58
you. It wasn't you. Um,
5:01
Dolan comes over to you and,
5:04
uh, actually, there's
5:06
a sort of curtain over
5:08
a counter. You thought maybe it was like a
5:10
raised shelf with like a counter at the base.
5:12
But if he opens it, you actually see there's
5:14
another curtain at the other side and there's some
5:16
stuff. He asks for a hand moving some boxes,
5:18
and you see that there's actually a kind of
5:21
arch over a countertop that looks into Kalya's bed
5:23
chamber so she can kind of see out into
5:25
the living room without having to get up out
5:27
of her bed. And she
5:29
looks and says, Eshlon, do
5:31
you want to come have some pancakes with
5:33
me? I would love to.
5:37
They're smiling. Um, her
5:40
pancakes have sort of been like cut up already a little
5:42
bit into slices. She has
5:45
a little bite. It's like she makes one little
5:47
perfect bite with like syrup in both jams and
5:49
a little bit of the yogurt and eats it
5:51
and then doesn't touch it again. But,
5:55
uh, for you, these things are great. You could, you know.
5:59
We're going to town. As
6:01
you're going to work, Kalya takes a look
6:03
at your shield and says, I
6:05
can't believe still that you painted the
6:08
tree. I
6:11
mean, when I came upon the tree, I couldn't
6:14
believe it. There was
6:16
something to when I was painting it. I
6:19
could feel you. I
6:22
could feel your presence in
6:24
the citadel. She
6:27
smiles and says, Is
6:30
not, I think, impossible
6:33
to believe. I
6:36
left many whispered spells
6:38
in that place that
6:40
I wished would find their way to you. She
6:45
looks at the shield and says, I
6:48
think your friend the witch should take a
6:50
look at this now that the painting
6:52
is complete. Witches are crafty
6:55
in their ways, and I think some
6:57
enchantment might be unlocked in this. It
6:59
is powerfully magical as it is, but
7:02
I think its true
7:04
gift has yet to be discovered, and
7:07
the witch's ways would know. I'll
7:10
be sure to share it with Aimee when we reconnect.
7:14
By the way, is
7:16
there a... How will
7:20
I get from here? Is there
7:22
a way from here to the North Pole? Are we
7:24
near the North Pole? Oh, we are
7:26
quite far from the North Pole. Oh. Not
7:31
that I... I mean, I... I... Yeah,
7:34
okay. Well,
7:36
if you need... So, tell
7:39
me again. You need to go
7:41
from this place. So, Aimee,
7:44
the witch of the world's heart, and
7:46
another of my two friends is... Is
7:50
at a conclave of
7:52
the Coven of Elders, and
7:56
my friend Suvi was meant to
7:58
join us there. And I
8:02
mean, I... there's part of me that feels like
8:04
I should be there as well. I'm
8:07
torn because I want to be here,
8:10
but I think that... I
8:13
think I will need to find my way there soon. I
8:17
understand. She
8:20
smiles and looks at you. You're
8:23
still looking for it, aren't you? Honor?
8:29
Yes. That's
8:32
your way. That's your
8:35
way home. That's
8:37
where your breath is. Yes.
8:42
Oh. I'm
8:44
so sorry, Ursula. You
8:48
know, I was lost for some time, but... in
8:51
finding my friends is... what
8:53
led me to even touch my breath again for the
8:55
first time in many years. I'm
8:59
glad. Well...
9:05
if your breath lies at the end of
9:08
the path that leads to honor, then... far
9:11
be it from me to... keep
9:14
you from it, brother. Though
9:18
I wish that you had... rest
9:21
and a home. And
9:24
you do. You do here in
9:26
the tree. Yes,
9:30
I... I
9:33
am torn, Kama'a. It
9:37
is so nice here, and there are so
9:40
many feelings. So
9:42
many feelings I'm having here with you
9:44
and your children... that
9:48
I have not known for some time.
9:53
But as you say, I'm on a path. Well...
10:00
Get into the North Pole. Well,
10:06
let me think for a moment. And
10:08
you see that she looks over at
10:10
a closet that is just stuffed with
10:12
boxes and bags and satchels and duffels
10:14
and all sorts of little haversacks that
10:17
just, you know, this
10:19
is a family little burrow and
10:21
it is filled with
10:23
junk and she
10:27
looks at it and says, there
10:29
might be some old trick of
10:31
some kind. Get my
10:34
brother to the other side of the world.
10:36
How much time do you have? Oh,
10:38
I mean, I believe the conclave
10:41
starts within a
10:43
day, but I'm sure there's a bit
10:45
of wiggle
10:47
room there. We were already pressing
10:49
you on in terms of time.
10:52
Yes, this is how I can
10:54
tell that your time has flowed differently.
10:56
You're still a young man. You're pushing
10:58
your blood as early as on
11:00
time and on time is late. And you see,
11:06
she holds
11:08
out a hand for some help getting
11:10
out of the bed. I assist. She
11:13
goes over. It takes
11:15
her quite a while to walk across
11:17
the room, but as she gets to
11:20
the mountain of junk, some
11:22
old vitality springs to her and
11:24
she falls forward into the
11:26
junk and burrows into it. And
11:30
you see that it just sort of like vanishes
11:32
into the stuff. I look, is there a hole
11:34
left behind or does it close behind? It kind
11:37
of, you can see a little bit of an
11:39
opening, but it does kind of close up behind
11:41
her. I'm just going to kind of put
11:43
my, try and put my eyes
11:46
to the, whatever's left. Look in.
11:48
Goliath? You look through
11:50
a hole and see her in a
11:52
20 foot long
11:54
corridor lined with shelves on
11:57
all sides that fan out
11:59
into. It's like this tower
12:01
of junk has a structure within
12:03
it that is holding even more
12:05
junk. Do I get the sense
12:07
I could jump in? Give
12:11
me athletics or acrobatics. I'll
12:13
give you athletics. Sixteen.
12:17
You dive in! You enter
12:19
into her and you see everyone goes, you hear Adi be like, NO
12:22
NO DO IT! And
12:24
you go through and you appear and
12:26
you see you're standing in
12:28
this map. It's like a
12:30
spluttering torch is lighting it and there
12:32
are shelves lined with treasures and things
12:34
of gold and other sort of like...
12:37
This is much a much different vibe
12:39
than the house and you see Kalya
12:42
looking and saying, IT'S ALRIGHT
12:44
DEAR! Ursulon is a
12:46
wild one. It's just when
12:49
the children climb in here they get lost
12:51
in the number of years. They sort of,
12:53
I don't know, the near spirit. You
12:57
see she looks
12:59
around, makes a little investigation, and
13:02
you see she pulls out a little sort
13:04
of odd looking piece of golden rope with
13:06
some metal bits on it. Looks like some
13:09
kind of harness or bridle or something like
13:11
that. And she says, this
13:13
might still, I haven't used this in quite
13:15
some time, but... And you see she gets
13:18
a big fur lined cloak. The
13:24
North Pole? Yes. Let's
13:27
keep you toasty. Alright. I
13:30
think I just have my arms out stressed kind of
13:32
carrying everything. She just loads you up. Most of this
13:34
stuff is non-magic. Most of this stuff is just a
13:36
good idea to have in the Arctic. It's like peatons
13:39
for climbing ice and a big warm cloak and a
13:41
bunch of other stuff like that. But
13:45
she does have this little golden
13:48
bridle and she eventually emerges from
13:50
the junk pile with this extra
13:52
dimensional sort of like junk, magical
13:55
storage thing in the Junk
13:57
pile in her room. She says, always good
13:59
to be able to do that. the the
14:01
bureau ah and comes back out. Walking
14:05
out into the living species, a little walking
14:07
stick with her. See.
14:10
Looks at the family says. Children,
14:14
grandchildren as they would listen.
14:16
Uncle Es Salaam is going to
14:19
have to depart. He's running late
14:21
for a very important meeting. Any
14:24
see everyone sort of. This is movies.
14:26
There's a kind of. It's such a
14:29
humble, heartfelt responses of every what like.
14:32
A liar says your. Uncle.
14:35
The while one has to go to the North
14:37
Pole to a meeting. Of Witches and
14:39
a whole Family of Badger
14:41
Sorcerers logo. Ah, I,
14:47
I, I, I, I it's it
14:49
is an obligation but I I
14:51
will try to return as soon
14:54
as I came afterwards. Ah a
14:56
bunch of people come up and
14:58
ah ever give hugs and everyone
15:00
audi and and your your sisters
15:03
the audio maehara dollar in all
15:05
of them are give you big
15:07
hug your. Your two nieces and
15:09
nephews and I'm a little railroad
15:11
comes up at a certain point
15:13
and hide a little tiny jar
15:16
of Gm in a pocket. I
15:18
kneel down to row row row.
15:21
Can. I took two, six. Zero
15:24
not very solemnly. Eyes wide
15:27
with the sudden weight of
15:29
responsibility. Can tell a soul
15:31
from. I
15:33
don't tell. Anyone
15:36
would find out mean the end
15:38
of are worth. I
15:42
also like pickaxe. As
15:46
you say, it broke apps his
15:48
hands in the air. process
15:51
of the floor digs a hole
15:54
in the hard packed earth's and
15:56
blows out of his mouth is
15:58
a little spells Goes into
16:00
the earth and you
16:03
see he hides your secret buried in the
16:05
earth and everyone goes I
16:08
also yeah, I think what he digs ago. Did I fuck
16:10
up again? Ro
16:22
Ro looks very happy his his lips
16:24
are just complete He's whole bottom half
16:27
of this face is covered in jam
16:29
and everyone lifts him up and celebrates him and
16:31
he looks extremely
16:33
pleased with himself and Both
16:36
like amazed at the sudden celebration
16:38
and also with a certain Regal
16:41
toddler days of of course.
16:43
I am being celebrated for
16:45
my incredible achievement You
16:48
see everyone smiles everyone gives you a
16:50
big hug Ro Ro gives you a
16:53
big hug and kind of It's
16:55
such a little loving embrace from this toddler that he has
16:57
to be peeled. He will not let go peeled
17:00
off and Kalia
17:04
steps out the front door with
17:06
you You
17:11
see she steps up
17:13
to the edge of the canyon and says Sun
17:17
this Ah
17:21
Bridal In
17:24
the past it has served as
17:27
a means to Call
17:30
upon the aid of some spirits
17:33
steeds of our world
17:36
that may be able
17:39
to Take
17:41
you swiftly enough to
17:43
where you need go But
17:45
there are none here in the
17:47
jungles of Gautama it
17:49
would take some travel to the
17:53
near spirit In
17:56
the attempts that you made to go home I
18:01
know this is a sorrowful question.
18:03
Were you able at least to
18:06
find the beginnings of some paths
18:09
home? Was it simply that
18:11
you could not cross the threshold, or
18:13
were you never able to find a
18:15
path back to
18:19
the world of our father? I
18:22
did not know the word for it until I was
18:25
at the Citadel, but yes, we have
18:28
touched the nearest spirit. It
18:31
is threshold and unable to cross.
18:36
She nods. She says,
18:38
all right, walk
18:40
with me, listen. She
18:44
takes your hand and walks with you through the
18:47
foliage of the jungle, under
18:50
vines through leaves and
18:54
you arrive somewhere
18:58
and you see your
19:00
sister's head turns like
19:03
she hears something. Do
19:06
you hear that, Ursula? I
19:09
listen. You
19:11
can hear nothing. Do
19:15
you hear that song? I do not. I cannot. You
19:24
see a glimmer of her
19:26
true form for a moment, for
19:28
a second person out like that of a
19:30
badger, hands
19:33
into massive digging paws.
19:37
She goes, I
19:42
should venture no other into the world.
19:45
I do not
19:49
want to disappoint them.
19:58
I'm going to reach up and. touch her nose.
20:04
You touch her nose. In
20:07
this moment, what is Ursuline
20:09
feeling? Because you
20:13
see the conflict within her. It's
20:16
something you understand very well yourself. For
20:20
her, her honor was
20:23
her family and this
20:25
thing she made in the world of
20:27
mortals, but there is a
20:30
song that she can hear through the
20:32
forest and there is something endless and
20:34
eternal beyond. When
20:38
you touch her nose, what
20:41
is Ursuline in touch with in himself?
20:47
Ursuline is in touch with the
20:50
understanding. I think that the part
20:52
of himself that put
20:56
his breath in this world
20:58
and not in the spirit world and
21:01
understands what it means, that
21:04
this world is where the things that
21:06
are most important to you are, even
21:09
though the infinite and the
21:11
spirit realm is out there.
21:14
It's that same feeling of, but
21:17
everything that means anything to me
21:19
is here in this plane,
21:22
in this world. You
21:26
touch her nose and
21:30
you see there is
21:33
a little, she
21:36
recognizes a part of herself that has been
21:38
under a glamour for ten years and you
21:40
realize that this same thing could happen to
21:42
you if you wore your glamour for this
21:45
long. She's
21:48
in such a different position from you because she
21:50
isn't way shattered. She doesn't have a taboo. She
21:53
didn't have the thing where she got bathed
21:56
or ate of mortal food. She did everything
21:58
the careful way and didn't ever. her get
22:00
traps or caught and managed to trick everybody
22:02
and until she got put in the painting
22:05
in the Kasov collection, she had done everything
22:07
right. It's just that there's so
22:10
many traps for spirits in this world. And
22:12
the trap she fell into was she just
22:14
played the part of a mortal for so
22:16
long that it started to be true. And
22:21
you see, as you
22:23
touch her nose, that she remembers
22:27
what she used to be. She
22:30
feels that there is a part of this
22:32
world and she looks at you
22:34
and even though your situation has been more different
22:36
and you have known a heartbreak
22:39
and a tragedy and a
22:41
misfortune that your sister has not known, she
22:44
recognizes in your eyes that
22:46
there are miracles in this
22:48
mortal world that you
22:50
as two spirits are so lucky
22:52
to have witnessed. She
22:56
turns her head from the song, kisses
22:58
you on both cheeks and puts the bridle in
23:00
your hands and says, if
23:05
I hurry back home, I'll
23:08
maybe be able to get another bite of
23:10
those pancakes before they're all gone. And
23:14
she smiles, touches your cheek and says, come
23:17
back soon. I
23:19
will see you again, sister. Bring
23:22
that wizard in that witch. And
23:25
you see, she smiles and turns
23:27
around to walk slowly back towards
23:29
the tree. I
23:32
watch until she's out of sight. Who
23:36
is? jungle,
24:01
but you're holding this golden
24:03
bridle and you see
24:06
that the jungle extends in all
24:08
directions, but the direction she looked
24:10
in and heard song, you
24:13
don't hear a song, but
24:16
you just see
24:18
that jungle, the
24:22
branches and the leaves, the vines.
24:27
Why do those trees look
24:30
just like little Ro Ro holding
24:33
onto such a big secret? I'm
24:38
going to use Divine Sense and
24:41
even though I can't hear it, I'll
24:44
begin to smell the air as I move
24:46
closer. You
24:48
use Divine Sense, you
24:52
arrive at
24:55
an area where the fronds of
24:57
jungle ferns leap up, the vines
24:59
hang low, your
25:01
Divine Sense picks up, you are
25:04
bordering the edge of the
25:06
spirit world here, knowing
25:09
that you are still forbidden
25:11
from crossing over, but you
25:13
are now touching it, touching
25:15
the outside of that barrier
25:18
which you cannot pass. There's
25:22
a sensation like touching that
25:25
barrier, you could not pass through it, but
25:27
you could walk along its edge. In
25:32
one direction along the
25:34
strange lines of the near spirit,
25:37
you smell deep,
25:39
rich, curdent green. The
25:44
blush of flowers, the poison
25:46
of thorns, the rattling
25:48
of insects, the stalking of
25:50
jungle creatures, thicket and brush
25:52
and life and venom and
25:54
anger and consumption and all
25:56
the wild things. You
26:01
hear the Russian of water? A
26:05
cold smell of
26:07
deep rot and
26:09
moss. Cold
26:13
and shadow in one way, and
26:16
the noise of running water passing
26:18
of time into another
26:22
wild and angry life. These
26:26
are the two directions you can move in. Do
26:30
you wish to move in one direction or
26:32
another with the information you have, or do
26:35
you wish to focus your divine sense even
26:37
more? I don't focus my
26:39
divine sense even more. Give me perception and
26:41
give me insight. Fourteen
26:46
perception, twelve insight.
26:50
On fourteen perception, you
26:53
don't sense any
26:56
other beasts or
26:58
spirits nearby. In
27:02
the direction of the sort of thicker
27:04
jungle, you just hear
27:06
wildlife, but still sense
27:08
that it is close to the spirit world. In
27:11
the direction of that running water, the shadows
27:14
grow a little longer, and
27:17
you hear the noise
27:20
of footsteps. Past
27:23
the shadows on the other side of
27:26
the stream, there is a road, and
27:28
one who walks down it. I'm
27:35
going to go the other way. Go ahead and give
27:37
me survival test. Natural
27:46
twenty. You
27:51
begin to move, and you've
27:54
never had the feeling that
27:56
a road was following you
27:58
before. You move quickly
28:00
through the jungle. And on
28:03
a nat 20, you become
28:05
a wild one,
28:07
truly bounding through the underbrush
28:09
and moving through the trees.
28:12
You move and move and move, birds and
28:14
jungle vine and trees following the
28:16
edge of spirit, the divine sense
28:18
moving. You touch
28:20
your breath in a way that you
28:22
didn't in your adolescence indeed use in
28:25
the sad and sorrowful days of being
28:27
a wanderer alone in a calm. You
28:30
are not without your breath anymore. And
28:32
even though you cannot pass through, you
28:34
will not swing wildly in the dark,
28:36
unaware of the borders of the land
28:38
of your earth. You stick
28:40
close to the spirit, close
28:42
to the home that you were
28:45
born in that repels you, but it
28:47
is not eluding you anymore. You stay
28:49
as close as you can to that
28:51
smell, that sensation, that something is coming.
28:53
And as you move through, the vines
28:56
give way and suddenly you smell. None.
29:02
The vine, not the fruit, not the strange
29:04
citrus of the tree, but you smell pine,
29:07
pine in the jungle. And that can't be right.
29:09
And you smell rosemary. And
29:11
all of a sudden, you
29:14
are standing in a
29:16
glade. And you look around
29:18
on all sides and
29:20
see Kudzu. First
29:24
on, having been running
29:26
on all fours, stands up and
29:30
is trying to tell if he's in a calm or
29:34
has crossed, like is looking back over the
29:36
path he's crossed and trying to figure out
29:38
if he's, what he
29:40
has, what has brought him to this
29:42
place? You
29:46
cannot be in a calm. That
29:49
would be impossible, right? Wouldn't it? It would
29:51
have to be. And then for a moment,
29:55
a logic that would infuriate
29:57
a human, but to
29:59
a spirit. it makes perfect sense. You
30:02
have not come to a calm. A
30:04
calm has come to you. And striding
30:08
from the trees is
30:10
Orima the reaching green. She
30:14
is beautiful, gorgeous.
30:18
She is a
30:20
small and fearsome woman.
30:24
Green leaves tied into her
30:26
hair that flow from behind
30:28
her, her green gown from
30:30
the statue in Port Talon.
30:32
She smiles and walks with
30:34
these massive eagle-like talons
30:36
on the ground. And where
30:39
she steps, the kudzu grows,
30:41
the green reaches. And you
30:43
see moving with her through
30:45
this place is
30:49
a gorgeous white
30:52
steed. A
30:54
horse that follows her with simply
30:57
a hand on its shoulder. I
31:01
think Ursulan's breath gets caught in his chest.
31:03
Uh, uh, uh, Orima,
31:07
uh, uh,
31:09
I'm gonna bow. She
31:13
looks up, she is so much shorter than
31:15
you. Homie is 5'1". She is like, I
31:18
get down on Wendy and we're at eye
31:20
level. And you're at eye level. Oh, 100%.
31:22
I like trying to get even lower. She,
31:24
she smiles, uh, and she weeps and the
31:31
tears that run down her cheek
31:33
are the blowing of
31:35
the rain along her cheek. And
31:37
she pats the
31:40
horse and she leans over
31:43
and embraces you so
31:46
strongly. And you feel that it
31:48
would be nothing for her to
31:50
snap your spine like a twig. Oh,
31:57
you so much.
32:01
Ursula leans back, weeping,
32:03
in case he went both cheeks, puts
32:06
your tiny little hands on either side of
32:08
your head and holds your face and goes,
32:12
I could not have known. You
32:16
wear my husband's sword well. I
32:19
am so glad to have him
32:21
home. Thank
32:24
you for giving me the chance to
32:26
wield it. The
32:29
chance was not given to you
32:31
by me, were it mine I would
32:33
have picked up the sword and wrought
32:39
terrors with it. The
32:42
Witch, the Witch
32:45
of Toma, tell
32:47
her that
32:50
my respect is given to precious
32:52
few, but it is
32:54
hers. Well,
32:58
it is her I aim to
33:00
see now. Is
33:03
that for... Did you... Is
33:06
that for me? Or do you just happen
33:08
to have a horse? She smiles.
33:12
Holloman, this beautiful
33:15
horse. His
33:18
business is his own, but
33:21
happy to make the introduction. You
33:24
see that she grins
33:27
ferociously and you see that
33:29
behind her kind of human
33:31
glamor teeth are rows and
33:33
rows of razor sharp teeth.
33:37
And she goes, brave
33:40
and bold. Thank
33:46
you. And she returns to the woods and
33:49
you are in a clearing with an
33:51
enormous white horse. Holloman,
33:56
nice to meet you. My
33:58
name is Ursulon. I
34:02
am headed to
34:04
the North Pole to
34:06
support my friends who
34:10
are meeting at a conclave of
34:12
witches. Give
34:14
me animal handling. Oh
34:17
my god. Sixteen.
34:21
The horse steps forward and looks at the sort
34:23
of look, nuzzles your
34:25
chest and the golden bridle in your hand.
34:30
I'll take that as agreement and
34:32
I'm gonna go to put it on.
34:35
Yes. You helped harness
34:38
the horse's back of the traveling circus for
34:40
Professor Adderley. Yes. You know how
34:42
to put a bridle in. As you
34:44
do, you see that as Holliman
34:47
opens his mouth, that at the
34:49
back of his throat, you
34:51
see there is a like bit
34:54
of light almost as of sunlight.
34:56
And you realize that this
34:58
horse has an almost like solar
35:01
quality. His hooves glow
35:03
almost like a quartz
35:05
crystal lamp, like light coming through
35:08
translucent stone. A very
35:10
subtle effect from even ten feet away.
35:12
This is just like a very beautiful
35:15
white horse. But you can tell this
35:17
is like yourself, a being
35:19
not of the world of Umora. This
35:21
is a horse that was given perhaps
35:23
to Urima as a gift from some
35:26
lord or lady of the sun itself
35:28
in ages long past and
35:30
now stands in this clearing and accepts
35:33
a golden bridle and a new rider.
35:37
I'm gonna mount up. Holliman,
35:42
do you know which way is north?
35:51
Up. Up. Down.
35:54
Down. Down. Down.
36:00
You race through
36:02
trees and deserts, mountains and fields.
36:11
What? They whizz past your
36:13
face. You are holding on for dear life.
36:15
You can barely see objects as they
36:17
pass with the speed of the
36:19
stallions that now surges forward underneath
36:21
you. And we'll just cut back
36:23
to Susie and Ami. Amazing!
36:26
Oh my god!
36:34
A peer of
36:36
constructed snow hangs over
36:39
the cliff's edge. Looking
36:43
at the front gate of
36:45
the palace of the Witch of
36:47
Wind and Stars as the meridian
36:50
slowly hovering pulls
36:53
to dock at its
36:55
port of call. The top
36:57
of the wall? Ami.
37:02
The fox at your side? You
37:04
look and see the Citadel
37:06
ship docking. And
37:10
joining you in the threshold of her
37:12
palace is Indri, who
37:15
beholds the ship. The
37:19
spirit beside her, Ara, who
37:22
has this sort of, again, sharp,
37:26
glassy, snowy physique
37:29
with a sort
37:32
of crackling aurora borealis atop
37:34
her head and Costa,
37:36
the bear, gathered behind
37:38
Indri as well. As
37:43
Indri looks at the ship docking
37:45
and goes, My
37:49
goodness, how very
37:51
forward. You
37:54
see that she turns
37:56
to you, Ami, and says,
38:00
Did you know that these
38:03
wizards were coming? Well,
38:06
I imagine that that would be part
38:08
of my retinue. Though
38:12
I did not know what
38:15
manner they would arrive in,
38:17
they are certainly ostentatious. Suvi,
38:23
describe for me how the
38:25
Citadel disembarks from the meridian.
38:28
Hell yeah. Yeah,
38:31
I think the sort
38:33
of door to this gondola,
38:35
the boat, the living quarters,
38:37
opens up. And
38:40
instead of that rose bladder,
38:43
just a series of steps
38:47
of not bright
38:49
enough light, where it's
38:52
just a little bit of dimness in
38:54
a place that is like dark, appears
38:57
and she simply walks down these
39:00
staircase with no time to be.
39:03
Are you accompanied by
39:06
any other
39:08
members of the crew or are you heading out
39:10
solo for this first? I
39:13
think five steps behind
39:15
me. Once it is, I
39:18
am here, staff in hand, the
39:21
reason, like I'm the person that is
39:23
supposed to be walking out and then
39:25
behind me are, let's
39:28
say three of my retinue. My
39:30
squad are going to be following
39:32
like thereafter, but keeping a respectful
39:35
distance until we are
39:37
all allowed to join on me.
39:40
Give me an arcana
39:42
check in this moment.
39:49
Easy magical law. You
39:52
were not expecting a pier here. The pier
39:54
of snow that has been conjured in the
39:56
approach of this ship, whether
39:58
intentionally or not. No. Constitutes
40:02
an invitation, an extension
40:04
of hospitality, and by
40:06
magical law, standing on
40:08
that pier were any harm to come to
40:11
you. It wouldn't be a violation for a
40:13
wizard to fuck with you, but as far
40:15
as witches are concerned, a witch would be
40:17
able to consider an assault while
40:20
standing on that pier a violation. Because
40:22
it was an extended- by even creating
40:24
it, it is the extension of an
40:26
invitation. Now, if a
40:28
witch would extend their sort of
40:31
rules to a wizard, that
40:33
is unclear. But fundamentally,
40:35
you feel like as long as
40:37
your crew is standing on this
40:39
pier, you are standing
40:42
on Terra Firma, magically speaking.
40:44
You're not trespassing. Copy.
40:47
Then, yeah, I will have them- like, there's
40:49
that mixture of respect of it might be
40:51
safer to stay on the staircase or stay
40:54
on the ship, but there's a show of
40:56
like- I
40:58
acknowledge that this is an act of
41:00
like, hospitality, and we will trust you
41:02
in this moment to stand on the
41:04
ground you provided. So they'll stay back
41:06
at the bottom of the staircase, but
41:08
not like, cross over to
41:11
where I'm gonna go, like, and meet with Amey
41:13
and Indri. Your
41:16
crew of three marches behind you.
41:18
To descend, there is a moment
41:21
where the wind whips and the
41:23
snow curls around Suvi's robes
41:26
and staff as you walk down
41:28
a railingless staircase onto the pier,
41:30
the ship of the Citadel behind you. You
41:34
are the first wizard to bear
41:36
this mark of the Citadel's authority
41:38
for the very top of the
41:40
world. As
41:43
you walk along the pier, your
41:45
wizards stop five
41:47
paces behind you as
41:50
you approach the edge of the pier. Do
41:53
you continue or stop here
41:55
at the edge? The-
41:58
there's probably another- 40
42:00
paces to the opening door of the
42:02
palace with entry and amé within it.
42:06
I'll stop and then
42:09
a little bit
42:11
of like, it's not flashy
42:13
magic but just the understanding that
42:17
it is because it makes things easier
42:19
and it is effortless for me to
42:21
do so, I will just magically boost
42:23
the volume of my voice so I'm
42:26
not shouting. My name is Sten.
42:29
I take the
42:31
art and age of the program and
42:34
advise us to honour the wish of the
42:36
world heart. I
42:39
am pleased to meet you. Here
42:41
comes the... Injury
42:46
looks out and says, permission
42:51
is not granted by me to
42:54
enter into my home. No
42:57
invitation to this gathering was extended to
42:59
the citadel in this regard and
43:01
as an emissary of the citadel, I
43:04
do not offer my permission to you
43:06
to come. Amé, give
43:08
me a arcana
43:11
or insight check. 14
43:14
on insight. There's
43:17
a very complicated series of magical
43:19
events happening here. There is no
43:21
malice in injury's voice. Suvi
43:24
is bearing the staff of the citadel. She's
43:26
here on a citadel sky ship. Sly
43:29
told you that permission to come
43:31
here would be refused. It's
43:34
a complex thing that's happening here. Suvi
43:37
had to ask permission for the host
43:39
of this, for the mistress
43:41
of this palace to come here. The
43:43
mistress cannot extend permission because Suvi is
43:45
here in the guise of a representative
43:47
of the citadel and she cannot permit
43:49
the citadel to be here. There's
43:52
a weird impasse but it's incumbent
43:54
on you to find
43:56
some other way through this
43:58
in this moment. like, injury's
44:01
got no beef with Suvi, but she can't allow
44:03
the Citadel. Yeah. Suvi's got no beef with injury,
44:05
but she has to represent the Citadel. And she
44:07
has to ask permission to come because it's
44:10
the witch's palace. So you're watching
44:12
a knot of magical
44:15
interactions based on the law of
44:17
how wizards and witches interact tie
44:19
itself right in front of you.
44:21
Heh heh. Anything
44:23
even from that far away. There's just that
44:25
little bit of a head turn that you
44:27
know I've gone from looking sort of generally
44:31
in the direction of the open door
44:33
to you specifically. Wizard,
44:36
sky, may I present you
44:38
injury? Witch of the wind
44:40
and stars? Um...
44:44
Injury. Sister, I
44:46
was told that a
44:49
retinue of mine would be granted permission
44:53
to join us here. At
44:55
the council. Is
44:58
that correct? I
45:01
cannot deny a sister her retinue.
45:06
And yet I do see the delicate
45:08
position you are in in regards to
45:10
Suvi. I
45:13
hear quote representing the Citadel.
45:16
Suvi is my
45:18
oldest friend. A
45:21
true friend. And I
45:23
don't believe that she comes here as an
45:25
emissary of the Citadel, but rather as
45:28
a friend to me. If
45:33
you wish to invite your friend, the
45:35
wizard sky, to
45:37
this conclave, then by
45:39
all means you should invite
45:42
her. Have
45:44
I your permission to extend that
45:47
invitation? She smiles as
45:49
you've solved the riddle and you see
45:51
she says you have my permission to
45:53
invite your retinue to this conclave. Thank
45:57
you, sister. Come
46:00
on in! See
46:02
that the injury, see as
46:04
Amey yells, come on in. She
46:08
goes to put two fingers to the
46:10
bridge of her nose and then adjusts
46:13
an eyebrow. That's... Oh. I'm
46:15
not. Do I hear
46:17
in that invitation and the lack
46:20
of specificity just for Suvi that
46:22
I can extend that to my
46:24
people too? They
46:27
can approach the gate safely. Do you think
46:29
that there's a follow? The formalities have been
46:31
observed and you can actually go talk to
46:34
injury now. Okay. As
46:36
you approach, three wizards come behind you. I
46:39
think probably it's straw is
46:41
amongst them. Yes, absolutely. As
46:44
you approach, you walk up
46:46
and you see smiling at you is
46:49
the witch of the wind and stars. I'm
46:52
gonna need a wisdom saving throw. Yeah, dude! Okay,
46:56
13. Okay.
47:01
There is nothing about this that is going to be a compelled
47:04
magical effect. You do fail
47:06
the saving throw. But
47:09
all that that effectively means is
47:13
you were seeing her in silhouette and
47:15
as she steps back at your approach,
47:17
the sconces on either side of the
47:19
great doors illuminate her
47:21
for the first time and
47:23
you see her smiling at your approach and
47:28
you see endless competence,
47:34
skill, poise, mastery.
47:38
You see, she looks at you and
47:40
makes eye contact. Her ruby red
47:43
lips curve into a secret smile
47:45
made in all the world only
47:47
for you to say
47:49
that in this moment, she recognizes
47:51
something in you that
47:53
she shares as well. As
47:57
you approach, your
47:59
decisions are yours. your own, the magic
48:01
does not rob you of any ability
48:03
to comport yourself however you wish. Just
48:06
simply know that this
48:09
person holds
48:11
those qualities that you find
48:13
most desirous. For
48:16
36 hours, Suvi has been putting
48:18
away emotion and building
48:24
around her and around the
48:26
heartbreak and disappointment
48:29
in the manner of her
48:31
true friends leaving. Trying
48:33
to guard emotion
48:36
and present a colder and starker
48:38
front than she ever had. The
48:41
teal is gone from her hair, it is
48:44
snow white as are her eyebrows,
48:46
as her eyelashes. She is a
48:50
creature of black and white and has
48:52
been hard and cold up
48:54
until the moment where she sees
48:56
it angry. I think she can
48:58
feel that little like, oh, as
49:01
emotion leaks through in a way
49:03
she just absolutely didn't expect. Okay,
49:08
go ahead and give me a little deception roll. I
49:10
have a 15. I have a 21 passive insight.
49:17
Down bad and it's not... yeah.
49:23
Suvi, as you approach the
49:26
down badness there
49:29
is nothing about this that is oppressive,
49:31
it doesn't throw you off your rhythm.
49:34
Everything about her is an invitation to
49:36
meet her gaze. So there's a moment
49:38
as you're approaching, I think, Ami, you
49:40
can sort of see the stirring of
49:43
something. And it's also made the clearer
49:45
because one of the wizards behind you
49:47
rolled a Nat 1 and
49:50
is like slightly fucking pitched
49:52
forward. It's
49:55
basically like... every wolf. Yeah, hitting themselves
49:57
in the head with a fucking hammer.
50:00
As Snow Queen, Fairy Tail, Witch Queen
50:03
of the fucking Norse. But
50:05
you see that as you
50:07
approach the golden light of the fire
50:09
in the Great Hall beyond, you
50:13
see that injury
50:17
regards you, says, Wizard
50:21
Sky, I am injury, Witch
50:23
of the Wind and Stars. I
50:26
have never had a mage of
50:28
the Citadel cross the threshold of my palace.
50:31
Do you find that I
50:34
have made a mistake in this regard, and
50:36
I have lost some
50:38
grand company from my time here
50:40
in the frozen north? I
50:45
think there's that problem of when
50:47
you first realize, like, a
50:49
feeling, and then you spend too
50:52
much time in your own head, like, what
50:54
is going on? She's talked too long,
50:56
and didn't hear what she said. And
50:59
then just by the end, I think
51:01
she just is smirking and nodding, didn't
51:03
really catch what was, like, an opportunity
51:05
for suave-ness has absolutely been bypassed as
51:08
C.B. is just like, whatever's
51:10
happening, I'm... What?
51:12
Yeah? What? She...
51:17
The lip-repair right now is life! Lamei
51:22
does not roll her eyes, but... Well,
51:29
the Wizard Sky is very
51:32
much a
51:34
shining example of the kind
51:36
of company that the Citadel
51:39
has. I
51:41
think that's enough, because I'm
51:44
not gonna roll to catch the, like, fade on
51:46
that one, and I think C.B. just kind of
51:48
snaps and looks over, and then kind
51:50
of remembers herself again.
51:53
You see that Indri looks at you,
51:55
Lamei, and says, Oh, I
51:57
think that the Wizard Sky is perfectly capable of
51:59
speaking first. self-sister, but thank you
52:01
for your explanation, and
52:03
turns to regard you and says,
52:07
The manner of your ship and the
52:10
magic of your garments,
52:13
I find extraordinary. It
52:15
is a
52:17
difference in the
52:20
retinue of this new witch of the world's
52:22
heart. Ren,
52:24
my sister who has since passed, was
52:27
a treasured
52:30
member of this coven, but
52:33
did not, in
52:35
her comings and goings in the world, bring people
52:37
with such a... I'll
52:41
be plain. A stylish
52:43
couture. Apologies
52:45
for the pomp, but there is
52:47
no universe in which I would
52:49
try to hide who
52:51
I was from you, I know better
52:54
than to attempt to deceive a witch. She
52:59
smiles and nods. Oh,
53:01
God, you're... Suvi is just like, every time she blinks,
53:03
Suvi just gets that little bit of like, breathe now.
53:06
Ah. Ah, me. Would
53:10
you name any other members of your
53:12
retinue here? Those
53:15
whom the wizard Sky sees fit to
53:17
invite in, I trust as well. So
53:22
you cannot name them? Uh,
53:27
oh, you bet. These
53:29
wizards behind the wizard Sky are unfamiliar
53:31
to you. Oh, oh, you would like
53:33
an introduction to them, of course. Stop
53:37
it. Why didn't
53:39
their eyes look back or wits
53:41
their head back over to Suvi? She
53:44
turns to you, Suvi,
53:47
and says, it seems that my
53:50
sister is unfamiliar with those
53:53
who now accompany you. Can
53:58
you offer me some guarantees? of
54:02
their behavior while guests in my
54:04
palace. Those
54:07
that I bring with me would
54:10
never dare bring
54:13
harm to you or any of your
54:16
coven or any of your
54:18
people here. A
54:21
beautiful promise. I
54:23
would ask for some collateral, should
54:26
the promise be broken. There's
54:30
like a brief glance over to Ame.
54:34
Less of unsureness and more of
54:36
Suvi realizing like the negotiation is
54:38
happening right now. Suvi
54:41
would like to meet status with
54:43
status but remembers herself as an
54:45
advisor and secondary to Ame so
54:47
is giving time and space
54:50
for Ame to interject. Apologies,
54:52
Indri, but traditionally
54:55
where... With
54:58
Grandmother Ren, a promise
55:01
made to a witch is a
55:03
binding in more
55:05
ways than just verbally. It's
55:09
a promise to our station. Oh,
55:13
of course. Is
55:15
that not true for your domain?
55:20
No, no, quite true. I
55:22
am extending a courtesy. The
55:24
collateral could be collected on my
55:28
terms, but I am extending the
55:30
courtesy to allow the wizard sky
55:32
the opportunity to name what
55:34
I will take if the promise is broken. Ah,
55:37
I see, I see. What's
55:39
very generous of you? I'm
55:44
not sure how much you know
55:46
about the priorities and
55:49
predilections of wizards, but
55:52
I would offer you a thing
55:54
that is most precious to me. And
55:57
I'm going to take off my,
55:59
uh... My father's friends
56:04
and very obviously like an arcane
56:06
focus like this is where my
56:08
magic begins. She
56:13
takes the ring, beholds
56:15
it, sees
56:18
emerald rings on
56:20
the hands of your other
56:22
wizard companions but meets
56:24
your gaze and knows that
56:28
this in a sea of
56:31
rings forged in the
56:33
same furnace that
56:35
you would find this one. She
56:39
gives the small gaze upon
56:41
the gemstone and frost spreads across
56:44
the emerald and vanishes as she
56:46
hands it back to you.
56:50
In my palace it is
56:53
mine but I will it
56:55
on your finger. Should
56:58
you break the promise or
57:00
your companions that you bring to
57:02
this place you will come and
57:05
take it. Understood.
57:10
And again same to you. She
57:13
smiles. Well.
57:17
More seats, more cider. And.
57:21
At the same time. At the
57:24
same time. Amé
57:27
just lets out a
57:29
breath that she did not know she was holding. In
57:33
all the ways that you've noticed Suvi,
57:37
the effect that injury is having
57:39
on Suvi, you can
57:41
feel how much Suvi is holding herself
57:43
away from you and doesn't even look
57:46
over as you sigh. I
57:54
hope you had a good
57:58
trip. I
58:00
hope you did too. I
58:04
hope it was worth it. And
58:06
that you are well. You
58:10
look... right.
58:15
Thank you. I know how
58:17
important this is to you. Telephoscopy.
58:21
I start screaming to the fox. Fox!
58:25
Fox! Uh, Suvi's here. Suvi's
58:27
here. Uh,
58:29
Suvi, as you see this, in
58:31
the moment that that interaction fades, there's a
58:34
small pause, and then you hear off in
58:36
the distance, WHAT?! verbally, out loud, and
58:39
the fox just skids 200
58:41
feet just WOOO
58:44
across the icy floor. Um... Heh
58:47
heh. Uh, and you see the
58:49
fox runs over, goes, Boss,
58:51
what's up? You talking about a mind? To... Uh,
58:55
yeah. Um... I...
58:59
I gesture towards Suvi. Great!
59:03
New clothes?! Suvi
59:06
just observes this, like this is a...
59:09
Like, just shut off even on the fox. Uh...
59:13
What's going on? Um... Uh...
59:15
You wanna talk in the... in the mind? Cause
59:18
you said something in the mind? Oh, uh, uh, uh, uh,
59:20
uh, uh, uh, uh, yeah, uh, yeah, uh, uh... Do
59:22
you mind talking? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, sure. Okay.
59:25
The fox sits down on his haunches with his four legs extended
59:28
and just stares into the middle of the... Ha ha ha!
59:30
What do you don't have? In
59:32
your mind, you hear the fox go, I'm speaking to
59:34
you in your mind. You don't have to preface it
59:37
with that every time. We've been on this, but... Okay.
59:40
Yeah, okay. Uh, I...
59:44
I have never felt more... Ah, ah! Out
59:48
of my element, and Suvi's still really,
59:50
really mad at me and probably
59:52
at you because she thinks I'm
59:54
you, you're me, and
59:57
I don't know what to do. So,
1:00:02
uh, just act real cute
1:00:04
to Suzy. Maybe that'll
1:00:06
soften her up. You
1:00:09
think that'll work? Yeah! Okay.
1:00:13
You see the fox stops staring at the middle
1:00:15
of the distance, looks up at you and says, Uh,
1:00:18
Skye! And
1:00:20
he... It's really hard for
1:00:22
a quadruped. You think he's trying to do
1:00:25
a somersault. Eh, shut up! He
1:00:28
goes one, just two. He goes, oof,
1:00:31
dizzy. Okay, hold on. That's
1:00:34
another one? Alright, here we go. I'm
1:00:37
just hiding in the throat. Hold on. Okay.
1:00:40
Another one. Um, I guess you're
1:00:42
familiar, Unwell. Uh, no.
1:00:44
He is... He missed you.
1:00:48
May we come inside? Uh, yes,
1:00:50
please. Uh, come in. You
1:00:54
and your fellow wizards move behind
1:00:56
you. Um, you see that Ara,
1:00:58
the spirit of the sort of
1:01:01
northern ice spirit, appears, uh,
1:01:03
and looks at all of you and says, I
1:01:06
am given to understand that your rings are
1:01:08
the center of your casting.
1:01:12
Eh. She manifests
1:01:16
a beautiful silver stand, almost like
1:01:18
a vase or something like that,
1:01:20
and gestures and says, For your
1:01:22
walking stays. I'm gonna look over
1:01:24
at Ame. Oh,
1:01:26
I believe that
1:01:28
they have an
1:01:32
importance to them
1:01:34
that should be
1:01:37
respected, given the
1:01:40
dew that, uh, would
1:01:42
be extended to any of my retinue. Ara
1:01:46
turns to you and says, These
1:01:50
staves are to be placed within
1:01:53
the receptacle, unless it
1:01:55
is possible to. And you see she gestures to
1:01:58
the crest of the citadel on the ground. top
1:02:00
of the staves, which you think is
1:02:02
the operative part
1:02:04
here. But you
1:02:06
also can tell looking at her that she's not
1:02:09
aware that you have the ability to disguise the
1:02:11
staves. Yeah. Just
1:02:13
looking at this stand,
1:02:17
can I do any sort of just like
1:02:20
sizing up to see, is this
1:02:23
just a place for these to
1:02:25
go? Or is there any sort
1:02:27
of like magical detection about to
1:02:31
happen on our year? Give
1:02:35
me our comment.
1:02:40
This is not enchanted the thing in front of you.
1:02:42
This is a place to hold your staves. But
1:02:44
you do think that some magic
1:02:46
has maybe already happened to detect
1:02:48
some of the magic on the
1:02:50
staves you are carrying. The main
1:02:52
thing that you think is going
1:02:54
on is, and I think right
1:02:57
now no one has any other symbols of
1:02:59
the citadel on their person except for the
1:03:01
emblem on the staves, right? You're kind of
1:03:03
in the winter gear. You're
1:03:06
not wearing your standard uniform. There's no like
1:03:08
Azure battalion stuff going on here. So
1:03:11
you think it's just about not
1:03:13
having the symbol of the citadel
1:03:15
move farther into the palace? Okay.
1:03:19
And if mine specifically is the one... Yeah.
1:03:21
So it's just sort of mine doing this.
1:03:23
Yes. Then with
1:03:26
just a little sigh, pushing
1:03:28
a little petulance that's
1:03:31
not meant at Ara
1:03:33
or Ame specifically, but just sort of...
1:03:38
She'll tap very lightly her staff
1:03:41
on the ground and have it disguise
1:03:43
itself as this. Disguise itself once again
1:03:45
and saying like plain wooden staves. Ara,
1:03:50
look at this
1:03:52
moment where you have kind
1:03:54
of... It was sort of like, here's a
1:03:56
polite place to store your walking stick and
1:03:58
you solve the problem. that was unspoken.
1:04:00
And so there's a moment of Ara kind
1:04:02
of being shown up a little bit as
1:04:04
she goes, Ah,
1:04:08
um, my
1:04:10
apologies. And takes the, for
1:04:13
the holding vase and like moves it away.
1:04:15
And you continue
1:04:18
into this place towards the fire. I
1:04:20
think before Ara moves
1:04:23
all the way away, I
1:04:26
do my best to
1:04:28
not be that discreet at
1:04:31
looking at the wizard's straw
1:04:34
and her staff before
1:04:36
like giving a small shake of her head and then
1:04:38
like moving past in
1:04:40
a while. The wizard's straw
1:04:43
nods and confirms to you as you
1:04:45
guys continue inward. Um, as
1:04:48
you venture further inward, you arrive at
1:04:50
the table. There are more seats
1:04:53
there. Uh, and injury
1:04:55
smiles, uh, looking and says, A
1:05:00
handy bit of magic and I appreciate
1:05:02
the understanding. I
1:05:05
meant no disrespect. You
1:05:07
offered none. Uh,
1:05:10
she smiles and says, I am
1:05:12
afraid I must withdraw. My study
1:05:15
requires some attention for
1:05:18
the moment. However, I
1:05:21
would be more than happy
1:05:23
to make sure that you
1:05:25
are appointed to quarters
1:05:27
becoming of your station, wizard sky.
1:05:32
And for you, my sister, Aimee,
1:05:36
our room is always kept for the witch of the
1:05:38
world's heart in my palace. That
1:05:41
is so thoughtful of you.
1:05:43
Thank you. Of course. Ara,
1:05:47
if you would show our
1:05:50
friends the retinue of the
1:05:52
wizard sky to the silver
1:05:54
ramparts, chambers and Costa. Um,
1:05:56
I believe that the archmage apprentice should be appointed to the the
1:06:00
Tower of the Crescent Moon. And
1:06:04
Kosta can also show you to the Cape of the
1:06:06
World's Heart. Thank you.
1:06:10
If there's any way that we can assist you in
1:06:12
your study or help
1:06:14
prepare for the rest of our sisters, please
1:06:17
let us know. But
1:06:20
of course, my study
1:06:22
is not related
1:06:25
to the business of the conclave.
1:06:27
It is simply that in this
1:06:29
hour, there are some auspicious movements
1:06:31
of the stars that require some
1:06:33
recording. Oh. Well,
1:06:37
even though it does not relate to the
1:06:39
conclave at the moment, I still very much
1:06:41
enjoy looking at the celestial
1:06:43
bodies of the stars. You
1:06:48
see she smiles and says, perhaps
1:06:51
some conversation when the time is
1:06:53
right closer to the arrival of our sisters. It
1:06:56
is a fascinating thing, the movements
1:06:58
of the stars. There is
1:07:00
an overlap, I think, between the movements
1:07:03
of the natural world and the
1:07:06
beautiful geometries of your
1:07:08
calling, Wizard Sky. Eye contact,
1:07:10
see if he has a flushed bright red. You
1:07:13
see, Indri says, see them
1:07:16
now. Kosta, see them
1:07:18
taken care of. And she
1:07:21
moves away as Kosta sort of plods.
1:07:24
And now both of you are walking
1:07:26
on a sky bridge suspended in between
1:07:28
two towers. It's like 150 foot long.
1:07:32
There are giant glass windows,
1:07:34
golden torches sputtering in between
1:07:36
these huge bay windows that
1:07:38
overlook a massive courtyard of
1:07:40
snow and ice in this
1:07:42
multi-heat, multi-tower palace spanning over
1:07:44
these triple peaks of the
1:07:46
highest mountain in the world.
1:07:48
And you're just looking down
1:07:51
at snow and wind and
1:07:53
endless drops into infinite crevasses as
1:07:55
a polar bear walks along this elevated
1:07:58
sky bridge, the sort of like. Tower
1:08:00
passageway sky bridge between two towers
1:08:03
And you're like 30 feet behind a polar
1:08:06
bear walking side by side the Fox kind of plotting
1:08:08
on the other side of Ami You
1:08:11
could have had a bear I
1:08:15
Potentially yes, although I
1:08:17
don't know how I would have been
1:08:19
able to summon a polar bear back
1:08:22
in Oh
1:08:26
Think the moment you begin like speaking
1:08:28
see we didn't realize that she like said a
1:08:30
casual thing out loud And it's just going to
1:08:33
kind of nod at the end of your sentence
1:08:35
and remember How
1:08:37
she wants to be and feel right
1:08:39
now Are
1:08:42
you well has has
1:08:44
the rest of your coven
1:08:46
arrived? I'm
1:08:49
quite well and No,
1:08:53
my sisters have yet to arrive
1:08:57
and bear We
1:08:59
are waiting for his
1:09:02
arrival as well were
1:09:05
you separated Shortly
1:09:12
after spirit
1:09:14
out so after
1:09:16
I we
1:09:21
Were separated from you Hmm
1:09:26
Do you know if he's okay, I
1:09:29
don't know we've contacted
1:09:31
him I'm
1:09:35
here because I don't
1:09:37
want anything Dyer
1:09:40
to happen to you They
1:09:42
know what to take But
1:09:45
if in the manner of your leaving any
1:09:48
harm came To
1:09:51
bear I will never forgive
1:09:53
you and I
1:09:55
need you to know that I
1:10:00
have that, uh, covered
1:10:02
on my own too, yes. Do
1:10:07
you have any idea of
1:10:10
what you want to do or how you want
1:10:12
this to go? No, no, I don't. Uh...
1:10:16
Um... Uh, uh, perhaps
1:10:18
since you get settled in your chambers we can convene,
1:10:21
uh, and you can help. There's
1:10:23
nothing to settle we can speak at
1:10:25
your earliest convenience. Then
1:10:29
to have an advisory meeting,
1:10:33
perhaps. Whatever
1:10:35
you need, Witch
1:10:38
of the World's Heart. You
1:10:43
arrive at the Tower of the Crescent Moon, beautifully
1:10:46
appointed tower in
1:10:48
the icy palace of the Witch of the Wind and
1:10:50
Stars. Costa
1:10:55
shows you the double doors inlaid
1:10:57
with silver runes, the white of
1:10:59
the ice framed
1:11:02
in beautiful curling flourishes
1:11:05
of magical silver. Here
1:11:11
he moves to wait
1:11:13
to accompany Ame further to her
1:11:15
keep, but leaves you here in this moment
1:11:17
to enter your chambers. I
1:11:22
will pass through the doors but immediately
1:11:24
turn around and give a small nod
1:11:27
of, like, thanks and understanding. How
1:11:30
best may
1:11:32
I make my way to the
1:11:35
apartments of the Witch of the World's Heart? Costa
1:11:41
turns and says, if
1:11:44
you wish you couldn't follow the rest of the way,
1:11:46
I will show you to the door of her
1:11:49
keep. Thank you. walkway
1:12:00
and you actually go down a staircase
1:12:02
and go back out into the cold
1:12:04
and freezing once again to
1:12:06
go across sort of an outdoor courtyard to
1:12:11
the giant doors of a smaller
1:12:13
more humble keep of the great
1:12:15
keeps of the palace that you
1:12:17
see has a little
1:12:20
hanging wicker charm with
1:12:23
a red ribbon around it on the
1:12:25
door you recognize as the handy work
1:12:27
of grandmother Ren hostess
1:12:32
says here i will take
1:12:34
my leave welcome to
1:12:36
the palace of
1:12:38
the witch wind and stars and
1:12:40
he moves into the snow and
1:12:42
you are both in a courtyard you
1:12:45
look around and see in this courtyard a
1:12:48
number of icy statues much
1:12:50
like the trees below in
1:12:52
the valley the
1:12:54
statues are partially covered in snow
1:12:58
ranging in size some small
1:13:00
perhaps as children others
1:13:02
enormous a monolith by the side
1:13:04
of the keep covered
1:13:07
like the foot of a glacier
1:13:09
in snow but with a sharp
1:13:11
overhang in promontory some
1:13:13
statues farther away in the shadow
1:13:16
of the palace's walls and others
1:13:18
coming within mere feet of
1:13:20
the entrance in the keep of the world's heart
1:13:25
but their postures are
1:13:27
extravagant and dramatic you see
1:13:29
some of them are like
1:13:32
warriors leaping forward
1:13:34
with like weapons of ice and
1:13:36
howls of insane rage and anger
1:13:38
you see others look
1:13:40
to be wizards or witches
1:13:42
that are covering their face
1:13:45
with their hands in fear
1:13:47
or panic you see that there
1:13:49
is one statue in the middle
1:13:52
of a beautiful woman long hair
1:13:54
blowing ice in the breeze frozen
1:13:57
statue of ice who stands gazing
1:13:59
straight ahead head in a
1:14:01
stoic and solemn sorrow. I'd
1:14:05
like to see where you
1:14:07
check on these, um, evens.
1:14:11
I, uh, perception? Yeah,
1:14:13
do perception. I'd like to assist
1:14:15
because I think I know what she's trying to
1:14:17
glean. What
1:14:20
interestingly specific poses? Shock
1:14:24
and terror. Yeah. Classic things
1:14:26
to do. Yeah. You
1:14:33
look and behold.
1:14:38
Statues. Statues.
1:14:42
Statues. I
1:14:45
think you both know what you're looking at. As
1:14:49
you turn to look at each other in this
1:14:52
courtyard, a garden of
1:14:55
frozen figures, the
1:14:57
fox pipes up and says,
1:15:00
so we don't know where Ursulan is. Oh,
1:15:04
he's dead. Now,
1:15:06
why would you say that? Look at this
1:15:08
freaky. Look at all this stuff. We're
1:15:11
so bad here. Look at all these
1:15:13
frozen, frozen people. Yeah. Okay.
1:15:15
Uh, let me, okay. Let
1:15:18
me give you a little lesson
1:15:20
about first appearances. When
1:15:24
you're someone like the witch
1:15:27
of the wind at stars, you
1:15:31
make yourself a
1:15:33
big castle, but might as
1:15:36
well be just the outside with a roof on
1:15:38
it and statues
1:15:40
of what were clearly
1:15:42
people that got turned
1:15:45
into ice. And,
1:15:47
um, you have
1:15:49
a bunch of highfalutin
1:15:52
servants and things and just a
1:15:55
way about you. And
1:15:57
that's meant to make you feel a certain
1:15:59
way. certain way, you know, like how in
1:16:01
the wild, how there are some animals where you're
1:16:03
like, oh, those are really
1:16:05
bright feathers. I want to eat that. It's
1:16:09
trick. Yes, Fox. It's
1:16:11
very important to not judge things before
1:16:13
you get to know them or
1:16:16
experience them. I don't know
1:16:18
what you're referring to. I've made a lot of
1:16:20
mistakes in the last week or so. Okay. And
1:16:22
so just, you can just what?
1:16:24
Tell it to me. Tell it to me. What
1:16:27
do you want me to say? I
1:16:30
brought you into my home to nurse
1:16:32
you back to health after the coma
1:16:34
that you put yourself in after
1:16:36
steel offered to assist with the breaking
1:16:39
of the curse. You were down for
1:16:41
a month. We had time to talk.
1:16:44
And then when you decided it was time to leave, you
1:16:46
had no compunction, destroying and
1:16:49
wreaking havoc in my home in your
1:16:51
efforts to leave, even though she was
1:16:53
on her way. And
1:16:57
you had no reason to do to
1:16:59
believe anything other
1:17:01
than that her and my intentions
1:17:06
were. All we've
1:17:08
ever done is help you. And
1:17:10
now I've, I am here. I've crossed
1:17:13
the world and risked my life
1:17:16
again for
1:17:18
you. And you still can't
1:17:21
get that smart ass little tone
1:17:23
about wizards out of your fucking
1:17:25
mouth. But yes, continue
1:17:28
to preach about not judging
1:17:30
the witch on
1:17:32
first appearances. Is
1:17:36
that what you wanted me to say? The
1:17:41
Fox is so still in this
1:17:43
moment that
1:17:45
the snow has a chance to
1:17:47
almost fully cover him. As
1:17:51
he stares ahead, this is the first
1:17:53
time you've ever seen an expression on
1:17:55
the witch is familiar of pure admonishment.
1:17:58
And while the fox perhaps cannot. feel
1:18:00
guilt or regret. There is a
1:18:02
moment of stunned
1:18:04
prey animal silence
1:18:08
in Suvi's castigation that rings out
1:18:10
in this place, that
1:18:13
is broken only by
1:18:16
the thunder of hooves and the coming of the sun. Ursulon,
1:18:23
in the scatter of snow, please describe
1:18:25
the manner of your arrival in this
1:18:27
courtyard. There
1:18:30
is the sound of hooves and then
1:18:32
just a... Oh!
1:18:34
Oh! Go! Go! Skye! Over! Oh!
1:18:38
Oh! Oh! God! Oh! You
1:18:49
see, a massive white
1:18:51
horse stands before you,
1:18:53
Ursulon astride it, and for
1:18:56
the first time in
1:18:59
centuries, the
1:19:02
ice melts and four hoof prints glow
1:19:05
as the stone of the courtyard
1:19:07
is revealed underneath, revealing
1:19:10
the ancient curls of
1:19:13
stone, written with the words
1:19:15
of the very first witch of the
1:19:17
world's heart. And
1:19:19
that's where we'll end this episode of The Wizard,
1:19:21
the Witch, and the Wild One. That
1:19:47
was Lou Wilson as Ursulon,
1:19:49
Erika Ishii as Ame, Abriya
1:19:51
Iyengar as Suvi, and Brennan
1:19:54
Lee Mulligan as everyone and
1:19:56
everything else. The
1:19:58
world's beyond number is endless. designed and
1:20:01
scored by Taylor Moore at
1:20:03
Fortunate Horse with additional sound
1:20:05
designed from Michael Gelfie Studios.
1:20:08
For even more like this, join us
1:20:10
on our Patreon. We'll see
1:20:12
you there. you
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