Latest / Theater of the Mindset / Ep. 10 - "Get Your House in Order" - Faith & Fortune

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Ep. 10 - "Get Your House in Order" - Faith & Fortune · Theater of the Mindset

• 0:05
  Justin (GM): Theater Theater of the Mindset.
• 0:08
  Nick (Herry): Week on Faith and Fortune, Harry represented the Warren Task force and the Vinitharan senate in an interview with Sky News Network and then he touched base with his nephew Asher, the incarnate king of Vinithar. After updating Asher on the task force, Harry tried to get a sense of whether his nephew was the incarnate king and left sure that he was not. Sara then went to Lucan to ask for help redirecting support to the Steelmarrow tribe and away from Warren to which he replied, porque no los dos. She then left him with a small reminder to make sure he didn't forget. We'll pick up with the Warren Task Force.
• 0:50
  Justin (GM): Six people have gathered together for the purposes of the Warren Task Force inside of the Infinite Hall Of The Incarnate King. The meeting room is tense. Five members of the task force, Sara Kassane, Prelet Mesgar, Senator Pinch, General Lautner, and Sister Haberman have been joined by an individual named guard captain Aineke Krumers, a female human. She's tall. Her face clearly tired from a sleepless night.
• 1:32
  She is looking at all of you expectantly, but also at the ready to answer any questions you may have. She is the de facto leader of the guard in Greensand. She is the individual who brought the report of the death of Prelict Constant and is here to answer the questions of the Warren Task Force. It has been made clear to the five of you that the individuals who know of the death of Prelit Constant is small in number. You can imagine that the Council of Faith knows, you can imagine that the Incarnate King knows, and you can imagine that many people in Greensend might know.
• 2:25
  But aside from that, information is still very early. This event occurred last night. Lucan, you would know that the archon sent Prelict Constant out just yesterday. Yeah.
• 2:41
  Steve (Luken): Right.
• 2:41
  Justin (GM): Right. So this occurred in the night. And again, they do have in custody, sender Tanner Biles. The five of you sit at a table with guard captain Krumers ready to answer any questions that you may have. Sister Haverman in her faint shine illuminating from her, She is a short halfling, a priestess of Irasinda, who clearly has been taken away from duties that she was in the middle of, looks with frustration at you, Lucan.
• 3:30
  What I don't I don't understand. What do you know what Prelate what the Prelate was doing out there?
• 3:39
  Steve (Luken): Based on having worked with her over the last couple weeks on this task force, do I have a sense for how much I trust her or how trustworthy she is? Like, I assume this task force is kind of a, like, closed loop, sworn to secrecy thing.
• 3:57
  Justin (GM): Give me a instinct roll.
• 4:03
  Steve (Luken): It's 13 with hope. She has given you no reason
• 4:09
  Justin (GM): to doubt her commitment to her cause and the cause of this task force. With a 13, it's hard to say what ambitions she may have outside of those realms.
• 4:22
  Steve (Luken): Yeah.
• 4:22
  Justin (GM): But she definitely wants a resolution to the problem in Warren. Yeah. And she seeks to further the mission of Irasinda.
• 4:33
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. Sister, I do have information on what the Prelate was doing in Greensent, but that's not information I can divulge while there is a non task force member in the room.
• 4:46
  Justin (GM): Guard captain Krumers sees you reference her and says, actually, I think I might have a an idea of what the Prelate was doing in Greensand. Oh, by that all means. Matters, please.
• 5:00
  Steve (Luken): I I think, sister, by your leave. Seems as good a place to start as any.
• 5:04
  Justin (GM): What we know of in terms of the events leading up to this, sender Biles turned himself in. Last evening, prelate constant showed up to the Church of Boz where sender Isarn was preaching and challenged him to a duel, saying that if he is to claim to be anointed, then Baaz would prove out his position. If sender Biles' testimony is to be believed and we do have eyewitnesses that support his claims, it was a dual, merely to the touch. All Sender Isarn had to do was make contact to Prelick Constant. And if Prelict Constant could stop him, it would prove that he was not anointed.
• 6:19
  And he did. Later that night, Sender Biles claims that he found Prelict Constant outside of the home where Isarn Halavard was staying and she was preparing a luminous consecration ritual. He confronted her and that's where things went south.
• 6:46
  Steve (Luken): Biles confronted the prelate? Yes. At that point and that is what led to, at least in the senders telling, the death of the Yes.
• 6:56
  Shelby (Sahra): What was the ritual again?
• 6:59
  Justin (GM): A luminous consecration ritual? You, without a role, Lucan, would know that this is essentially a like trial by fire spell. You would use a luminous consecration spell to, make a, like, a space holy through fire.
• 7:21
  Steve (Luken): And if the person in that was not holy They would not be there afterwards. They'd turn into a fine red mist.
• 7:29
  Justin (GM): Yes. The confrontation between them saw a large group gather and Prelict Constant was not on the right side of that group. After having been confirmed as an anointed, trying to consecrate him did not go over very well. And it was probably Constant who was consecrated by sender Biles. Thank you,
• 8:13
  Steve (Luken): guard captain. Wow. At this point, Lucan can like barely contain his disgust at at this version of events. I think for Lucan, you know, he got this letter from the archon saying, hey, sent this prolet out to go figure out where Isarn is. And instead of finding where Isarn is and, like, letting it be handled, she decides to confront him, like, which in Lucan's estimation based on this version of events has rendered the Isarn situation unmanageable at this point.
• 8:50
  Like, there is now violence and a dead church leader. Like and so it's bad all the way around, but Lucan is also like, I yeah. I think under his breath, can can Harry and I be sitting together at this task force?
• 9:03
  Justin (GM): Yeah.
• 9:03
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. So Harry and I are sitting next to each other and I kinda under my breath to Harry just go, I thought she was smarter than that.
• 9:10
  Nick (Herry): Like You've read your own stories of this church, right? Yes. Sounds pretty fucking consistent.
• 9:14
  Steve (Luken): It's just but like
• 9:16
  Nick (Herry): You're the only not idiot from Baos Church that I've ever met.
• 9:19
  Steve (Luken): Do you know how bad it
• 9:20
  Justin (GM): has to be for me
• 9:21
  Steve (Luken): to be in the not idiot camp?
• 9:23
  Nick (Herry): And that's there it is. God. There it is.
• 9:27
  Steve (Luken): Well, sister Sister Haberman, well, I think you have the context clues to figure out what the Prelate was doing there, which is consistent with what I understood. The Prelate was there looking for Isarn.
• 9:40
  Justin (GM): Do you have an Anointed? She's asking a big question here.
• 9:47
  Steve (Luken): There had been entirely unsubstantiated rumors that the cult of Metamorphosis was going to try to produce an anointed in an effort to, obviously, gain more leverage in the Church of Boz. This report from the guard captain is new information to all of us. I am not willing to say we have an anointed, but based on this testimony, sure seems like we have somebody who thinks they're an anointed, which sitting here, I can't prove it one way or the other, you know that. But You're not even
• 10:23
  Nick (Herry): not just he thinks he's anointed, there seems to be a a town's worth of Boz worshippers.
• 10:29
  Steve (Luken): Whether he's anointed or not, a critical mass of people who think you're anointed requires attention.
• 10:35
  Justin (GM): At the phrase of critical mass, General Lautner grumbles. Do we have any questions for the guard captain or can we dismiss her before we have any more sensitive conversations?
• 10:52
  Steve (Luken): I do have one more. Guard captain? Yes. Do you know where Isarn is now?
• 11:00
  Justin (GM): His whereabouts are once again unknown.
• 11:04
  Steve (Luken): Do I believe her or does it seem that she is covering for him?
• 11:06
  Justin (GM): Give me a
• 11:08
  Steve (Luken): instinct. Yeah, it's gonna be instinct and I'm a sly born so I have advantage on rolls to detect lies. Okay. So that's an extra d six, right? That is a double 12 crit.
• 11:23
  Nick (Herry): Holy shit.
• 11:25
  Steve (Luken): Holy So I guess I'm not gonna have to pull up those paradise.
• 11:29
  Nick (Herry): Yeah. Fuck your fuck your
• 11:31
  Shelby (Sahra): fear. Do
• 11:32
  Steve (Luken): I get a hope for
• 11:33
  Shelby (Sahra): it? Yes. Yes. So you got a hope for the
• 11:35
  Steve (Luken): last crit. I had added it in and realized I wasn't sure if I should add it in, so I was either going to
• 11:41
  Shelby (Sahra): Sure. Sure. Sure.
• 11:43
  Steve (Luken): I was gonna make it right. She is not lying. Okay. Yeah.
• 11:49
  Justin (GM): That crit. Mhmm. This seems like a lack of ability for her to gather the truth. It seems like Isarn has once again charisma ed quite the following here in Greensend and she has been unable to uncover amongst those who may know of his whereabouts where he is.
• 12:20
  Steve (Luken): Sure. Okay. Yeah. So he might still be in Greensand for all we know. Correct.
• 12:24
  She just has lost him. And it is true that she has lost him. Yes. And okay. Great.
• 12:28
  Justin (GM): Yes.
• 12:30
  Steve (Luken): Thank you, guard captain. I'll let my let my colleagues
• 12:34
  Nick (Herry): Captain, what was he preaching? Did you did you catch any of it?
• 12:38
  Justin (GM): He was preaching about some very concerning things
• 12:46
  Nick (Herry): Mhmm.
• 12:47
  Justin (GM): In my opinion. The language was about the resistance to his movement. And he claims that Venethar balances on the edge of a knife and saying things like an unwillingness to change our course of action was going to result in the end of Venethar. He pointed to corrupt politicians. He pointed to a system of faith that depended on too much on mortal interpretation and interpretation of the divine codex.
• 13:58
  Nick (Herry): Was he claiming to have the right answers or to be some kind of savior or I mean, what's the is it called the anointed? Is that what they're calling it? You guys are so dramatic.
• 14:11
  Steve (Luken): You say that to me as I'm wearing my like full like Yeah. Priestly get up and I just like I I given it I'm like, yeah, it's yeah, duh.
• 14:23
  Justin (GM): That's our whole thing. And anointed can come from any faith as well. Any any faith.
• 14:29
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. I assume Perry was talking about the council of faith that's These motherfuckers, yes.
• 14:36
  Justin (GM): When challenged by Prelate Constant, did not back down from her challenge to him as an anointed. Gotcha. He's riding the line. Her her duel with him seemed to predicate on a system of that an anointed must be able to prove themselves as chosen by their by their god and can stand up to others of their own faith.
• 15:13
  Nick (Herry): Great. I have no more questions.
• 15:16
  Steve (Luken): Where's where is sender Biles? In custody. In Greensend? In Greensend. How well guarded is his cell?
• 15:24
  Extremely well guarded.
• 15:26
  Justin (GM): By whom? I have some of my best people on it, on rotation.
• 15:33
  Nick (Herry): Harry has seen some of the best people in the past in jail cells.
• 15:37
  Justin (GM): Yeah.
• 15:37
  Nick (Herry): He did an instinct roll or a knowledge roll on when the
• 15:41
  Steve (Luken): We are not confident. Yeah.
• 15:43
  Nick (Herry): I don't trust these I don't trust anybody. It's a three with
• 15:47
  Justin (GM): hope. Yeah. You don't trust anyone?
• 15:51
  Steve (Luken): I'll give you a prayer die, but I
• 15:52
  Nick (Herry): don't think absolutely not worth it.
• 15:55
  Steve (Luken): You don't
• 15:56
  Justin (GM): trust them, but don't know what alternatives might be. Yeah. Like, Greens End is, in terms of distance, is probably just like a two hour strong horse ride away. So it's not so distant that you couldn't intervene.
• 16:10
  Nick (Herry): It's not the hillbilly Correct. Backwoods.
• 16:12
  Justin (GM): You know that it would not be difficult for this task force to send Yeah. Rhysinium City Guards to go retrieve him and bring him back. That would be well within your rights to do and would not take you would have him back in your custody before the end of the day.
• 16:26
  Steve (Luken): Who's your custody? The Warren Task Force. That's what I would like. Ordinarily, I think this is the kind of thing where the Church of Boz would be like, he needs to be in our custody, like, kill the church member, is a church member. It's like a military tribunal kind of deal.
• 16:42
  Right? Lucan is not even gonna come close to suggesting that because Lucan understands that at this point, bringing him back and putting him in a cell in the Church of Vaz just makes it easy for folks on Isarn's side and the Church of Vaz to come get him. Like, it is becoming quickly apparent to Lucan that he does not have the luxury of trust in his institution at this point. So he's certainly going to be leaning more towards on more towards the task force and, frankly, keeping church individuals a little bit at arm's length going forward. Any objections here about having senator Biles brought into the custody of this task order?
• 17:28
  General, sound reasonable to you?
• 17:31
  Justin (GM): I have absolutely no qualms with doing that. Okay.
• 17:34
  Nick (Herry): Sean, I I think this is a good idea, and I trust you and your folks to do it. But I I It would
• 17:39
  Justin (GM): be my recommendation that we take all of Greensend under watch. I would like to instate several guards in that town. Would there they seem like they are a short fuse away from being another Warren. Correct?
• 18:01
  Nick (Herry): My worry is we don't need to cause more of that. So what I was going to suggest is I'm I'm also fine with doing some amount of stationing there. I'll I'll go with your instinct on that. But if we're gonna bring sender Biles here to Xenium City, I would make that as friendly of an operation as possible just to keep again, if it is a powder keg, no fire near it. Understood.
• 18:31
  No cuffs maybe maybe we have that a nice easy no perp walk, nothing nothing crazy. Does that feel fair to everybody?
• 18:39
  Steve (Luken): I'm in favor of that plan. I think the senator has the right of it here.
• 18:44
  Nick (Herry): Is this does this technically does Greenson have a senator or is it part of Verzinium City?
• 18:49
  Justin (GM): Greenson has a senator or Greenson has a senator.
• 18:52
  Nick (Herry): Who's the senator Greenson? Make up another name.
• 18:55
  Justin (GM): Bella Longbow is the senator of Greenson.
• 18:59
  Nick (Herry): I'm also going to send if you don't mind as far as general Shava, if you don't mind actually sending someone to go check on senator Longbow and maybe give a little extra protection there. It seems like some of the church the cult of metamorphosis also has obviously has problem with the government at large and I have no idea how they feel about her, but worth keeping an eye out.
• 19:23
  Steve (Luken): Can
• 19:23
  Justin (GM): do. I appreciate it. I'll if there's no other questions for me, I'll send I'll I'll wait outside. Thank you, captain.
• 19:30
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. You've you've been incredibly helpful. Appreciate it.
• 19:33
  Justin (GM): And guard captain Krumers walks out, leaving just the Warren Task Force left inside the room.
• 19:41
  Shelby (Sahra): Zara this whole time has just kept very quiet because in her head, she's thinking about she's thinking about Isarn and what he's preaching, and part of it is resonating with her. A lot of it, actually. And so she's maintaining a composed exterior and doesn't really have a lot to say at this point.
• 20:10
  Justin (GM): I am concerned that well, with a vacancy in the church, does it make sense to maybe give in to one of the demands of Warren at this point and give Isarn a seat in the Church of Boz as a prelate?
• 20:40
  Nick (Herry): Harry sits back and is just like, put like physically puts his hands up and is like, not mine.
• 20:48
  Steve (Luken): Sister, I appreciate the sentiment, but I think that is a decision that the Church of Boz is going to have to make for itself. And you know what we just heard tonight, which is that Isarn is implicated in the murder of another prelate. And until we have, I'll say, some answers about what happened in that consecration beyond the report we received tonight, I don't see giving into that demand as an option the archon is going to seriously consider. Keep in mind, we don't even know where Isarn is.
• 21:30
  Justin (GM): I'm going to spend a fear and she looks at you and says, frankly, Preleliucan, it seems a little hypocritical to hold sender Isarn accountable for being implicated in this murder when your archon sent a prelate to dispose of him. Does it not? That seems like apparently it's right up the alley for your faith. I
• 22:04
  Steve (Luken): Sister, we don't have any evidence that she was sent there to dispose of him. We don't know enough about what the prelate was doing there and again, that is going to be an internal matter for the Church of Boz to decide how to handle. Your internal matters are causing a national problem. And giving Isarn what he wants right now when we still know so little about him could just make it worse. We don't know what he wants to do with the power he's asking he's asking for or if he's even the one asking for it.
• 22:41
  He wasn't in Warren when those demands were issued. I before we just unilaterally say, yeah, you're gonna be one of the five most important people in the church and what, two, three breaths away from a seat on the council of faith? That's just irresponsible. I would like to use voice of reason now and switch to a more conciliatory tone here. I speak with an unmatched power in authority.
• 23:08
  I have advantage on action rules to deescalate violent situations or convince someone to follow your lead. I'm going to be honest. I'm scared here, but there is work for this task force to do and it's going to work better if we do it together. And putting a Band Aid on at this juncture, I just I don't I don't think it would work even if I could get the Archon on board. Please give us the opportunity to continue working together, the five of us here, before you start asking us to take permanent steps when it comes to Isan.
• 23:49
  Justin (GM): The Church of the Sun will continue to give you space to deal with these problems in your own manner. But hear me when I say, get your house in order or we will do it for you. Sorry, give me an instinct.
• 24:16
  Steve (Luken): Sure. Okay.
• 24:19
  Shelby (Sahra): That's 16 with fear.
• 24:22
  Justin (GM): You see sister Maurice's hand writing a note, as many of you have been doing during this meeting, just taking down notes of names and places and timelines. And then her hand moves to the bottom of the page and continues to write, but no ink is appearing and she then quickly puts her pencil down.
• 24:51
  Steve (Luken): What this task force is doing will get us what we need in order to figure out the right way to deal with these demands. You know that. We just we need to be working together here. I understand.
• 25:06
  Justin (GM): Okay. And I will continue to do so. I am merely frustrated at what seems to be an emerging reality where you are denying a possible anointed amongst your ranks.
• 25:30
  Steve (Luken): When she says I'm frustrated, I think my wings like flare red a little bit. Okay. And I I respond with, I'm frustrated because we have a dead prelate. We have what now, third hand reports of somebody saying they're anointed? If there's an anointed, yeah.
• 25:51
  We we handle that as we've always handled it. If my god comes in and has somebody telling me what to do, that's for me to deal with.
• 25:59
  Justin (GM): Understood. I
• 26:00
  Steve (Luken): don't mean to overstep. This is just not how this would be handled in our house. I understand that every house is going to deal with its issues differently. Right now, we happen to have a very public issue and, again, I'm grateful that this task force is going to work together to get to the bottom of what's happening so we can manage it appropriately.
• 26:29
  Justin (GM): General Lautner speaks up. I want to increase security here in Resinium City. What's that look like? I want stronger monitoring of who comes in and who goes out until we know the whereabouts of particularly this sender Isarn. I do not want there to be a chance that he is here in this city sowing discord.
• 27:07
  Nick (Herry): Yeah. I I hear you to just yes and that. I I believe that you're right that we do need to keep eyes out. If we're not again careful with how it is perceived of how we're keeping eyes out, we will only strengthen his arguments. Is is not a strong show of force the best thing to be perceived?
• 27:32
  When someone's complaining about the shows of force, probably, maybe not. It depends on the day, guess. I But I think if their argument is our government is strong arming in the wrong ways, if we're perceived as strong arming at all, we're only going to encourage that belief.
• 27:48
  Justin (GM): You get the sense that like General Lautner is not a politics guy.
• 27:53
  Steve (Luken): 100%. He is a the big cop, not a politics guy?
• 27:57
  Justin (GM): He is there's a problem out there and I want to stay out there.
• 28:01
  Nick (Herry): Which is why like, Harry is actively like Yeah. Even the joke of YesEnding being like, I think that's a great idea. How do we do that without blowing things up? And so who's your most like, what's your most subtle crew as far as like actually keeping an eye on things?
• 28:17
  Justin (GM): I mean, I can put some undercover guards. I I think The senate would have to authorize
• 28:26
  Nick (Herry): you want them to go? I mean, what's your are we trying to keep an eye on the around the boss church? Where where who where are we trying to keep them out? What are we trying to keep
• 28:33
  Justin (GM): I think an eye on. At the main roads coming in and out of the city.
• 28:37
  Nick (Herry): Yeah. I think as long as you're not interrupting normal travel for the average person, I
• 28:42
  Justin (GM): think
• 28:42
  Nick (Herry): I can be amenable to that.
• 28:44
  Justin (GM): I have no desire to do any amount of disruptions. I just wanna make sure that this rabble rouser Yeah. Is not coming into my city, making things unsafe.
• 28:56
  Nick (Herry): Can I do an instinct or knowledge as far as like his this can this guy keep shit under wraps?
• 29:03
  Justin (GM): Yeah.
• 29:03
  Nick (Herry): Does he have a history of or how does that Yeah. Yeah. Does knowledge work? Yeah. Okay.
• 29:09
  Can I use my well read You've got the hope for advantage on roles that involve history, culture, or politics? So prominent person or place.
• 29:16
  Justin (GM): You've got the hope for it.
• 29:18
  Nick (Herry): Senator of Resinium City?
• 29:20
  Justin (GM): Sure. If you've the hope for it.
• 29:22
  Nick (Herry): I don't need it. So that's 18 plus five, twenty three to like, do I trust this guy effectively? Does he have a history of being able to keep shit locked down?
• 29:34
  Justin (GM): General Lautner is a capable commander of guard. He will, if given explicit instructions, will follow those explicit instructions. You have diverted his attention in enough direction that he will follow that. Cool. Without those explicit instructions, he might not have thought through it as much.
• 30:00
  He is like a primary focus kind of guy and wants the safety of Resinium City to be his it's his number one priority. And he will always be willing to make sacrifices for that safety even if they're not the sacrifices that others will be willing to make, and that is probably the fatal flaw that you're aware of. Yeah. I think at the current temperature, he can be trusted. If things get hotter, you might need to recheck in.
• 30:29
  Nick (Herry): Yeah. Cool. Yeah. I think I think keeping eyes and ears open for anywhere that he could want to preach, anywhere that he could want that word to get out, think is really wise, Shabba.
• 30:41
  Justin (GM): Can do.
• 30:43
  Nick (Herry): Did you share anything with Irisinda stuff or be cold in that? The secrets.
• 30:49
  Shelby (Sahra): Oh, I'm gonna talk to you guys later about
• 30:51
  Steve (Luken): that.
• 30:52
  Justin (GM): Okay. The meeting can be adjourned if there's no other matters.
• 30:56
  Nick (Herry): Are we bringing Sender Biles here? That's where we left it.
• 31:00
  Steve (Luken): Right? He will be delivered into the custody of the task force.
• 31:03
  Justin (GM): Yes. Great. Alright. Meeting adjourned.
• 31:06
  Steve (Luken): Nothing further on my end.
• 31:09
  Justin (GM): General Lautner and Sister Marisha Haberman make their adoos and shuffle out.
• 31:17
  Shelby (Sahra): As Lucan and Harry are walking out the door, I just kind of grab them by the back of their shirts and pull them back in. And I say, I saw something. I saw something in the meeting.
• 31:30
  Nick (Herry): What'd you see?
• 31:31
  Justin (GM): Which
• 31:31
  Shelby (Sahra): yeah. Sister Marisha was writing something and there was no ink, but she kept writing and she knew it. But I don't know what it said.
• 31:39
  Steve (Luken): Where was she writing?
• 31:40
  Shelby (Sahra): Just on her notes.
• 31:41
  Steve (Luken): Just on her notes?
• 31:42
  Shelby (Sahra): I just glanced over and she was writing but there was nothing being written.
• 31:45
  Steve (Luken): Look. Look. Simplest explanation. Possible she was just trying to get the pen to work and it but it wasn't working.
• 31:51
  Shelby (Sahra): No. I I know what it looks like when you're trying to get a pen to work. She was clearly writing something.
• 31:57
  Steve (Luken): It was and it was the notes she took with her out of the meeting? Yes. They're not still in the room? They're not still in the room.
• 32:02
  Justin (GM): They're not still in the room.
• 32:03
  Nick (Herry): Someone can get them, I can I can probably read it? But I mean, this point, I don't know how to get it. Okay.
• 32:08
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. I I think we gotta get those notes. If she's writing when was she doing this?
• 32:13
  Shelby (Sahra): When she was yelling at you to get your house in order, she wrote something down and there was no ink.
• 32:20
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. I I think we gotta get those notes.
• 32:23
  Shelby (Sahra): I agree. I'll I'll see if I've got anybody in my network who can help me.
• 32:30
  Steve (Luken): That would be awesome.
• 32:31
  Nick (Herry): Yeah. Sounds good. Okay.
• 32:34
  Steve (Luken): I also give Sara a knowing look because I have not forgotten that I owe her some supplies. Great. Do we wanna invite Harry to meet us at the cinnamon roll bakery? Nope. Great chat.
• 32:46
  Do you want me to keep that us? Alright. Cool. I then I won't do that. Yeah.
• 32:52
  So while the three of us are here, what do you guys think about Issac? I I might be too close to this to have a good read on where he fits in to look, I have a responsibility to the church to solve this solve this problem one way or another, but the three of us have a bigger problem. It it still doesn't track for me why that guard in Charnwick wanted Isarn dead. What what I don't wanna do anything about Isarn because there's still a big question mark next to his name for me. Because he he has to be involved in something much bigger than what we're looking at here and I just can't see it.
• 33:37
  Shelby (Sahra): Maybe that's because he's anointed.
• 33:39
  Steve (Luken): Above the table. Historically, when there's an anointed, once it's like proven, let's say it can be proven and it's proven, does the church pretty much fall in line? Like, would the expectation for someone in Lucan's position, if they're the true anointed, to be like, yeah, well, I listen to that one now. Or is there a history of like that being tooth and nail, there being like, you know, people in leadership that are like true holdouts. I think it is true to form,
• 34:07
  Justin (GM): as best as possible, you try to keep the house politics behind the scenes and so that no one else is aware of the drama that's happening behind. But rarely is an anointed does an anointed surface during a moment or time of serenity?
• 34:33
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. Right. They're seizing on even if it's true, seizing on Discord that already exists or seizing on like maybe the God needing to communicate that needs to be different.
• 34:43
  Justin (GM): Yes. Right? Yes. Or that the church needs something. Yeah.
• 34:48
  It takes a lot of effort on the God's part to intervene this much. Yeah. And so is not done lightly. So in short, it's gray. It would be hard for you to know when anointed of other churches, how it went for them because they keep it under wraps.
• 35:09
  Steve (Luken): Because they're not as dramatic as our churches.
• 35:11
  Justin (GM): Oh, there's always drama.
• 35:12
  Steve (Luken): I know. But but like,
• 35:14
  Justin (GM): you would know from the very few times that there's been a Boz anointed that there has almost always been a shake up of some
• 35:23
  Steve (Luken): Upheaval. Yeah. Like, okay. So that question you had was like, what if he's actually like Yeah. You know, Sara, I've heard of people having these things called, like crises of faith.
• 35:35
  I've never had to deal with that. So I share that to tell you, I don't know what I will do if he's actually an anointed.
• 35:49
  Shelby (Sahra): Fair enough.
• 35:50
  Justin (GM): I'm gonna spend a fear. Yeah. Yeah. Mhmm. You need to lower Yeah.
• 35:55
  Nick (Herry): Of course
• 35:55
  Justin (GM): of your paradise down by two. Yeah.
• 35:58
  Steve (Luken): I would have been annoyed if you didn't. Yeah. I was queuing I was queuing that for you. Can one of them just go to zero?
• 36:05
  Nick (Herry): No. Well, I'm gonna chase down I'm gonna go talk to my mother. Before you Yeah.
• 36:12
  Steve (Luken): Has anyone heard, seen anything from Asher?
• 36:16
  Nick (Herry): I saw him the other day.
• 36:18
  Steve (Luken): You did?
• 36:18
  Nick (Herry): I did. Yeah. After my interview with at the university, he quite literally snuck up on me and we chatted. He asked how this was going and I just kinda told him like this where it's just all arguments. And so I got the sense that he is, as much as I can, he's not his soul is not the eternal soul.
• 36:44
  I don't think he's in
• 36:47
  Steve (Luken): on it. When you say his soul is not the eternal soul, like, Lucan had kinda stood up because we're
• 36:53
  Justin (GM): Yeah. Kinda on our way
• 36:54
  Steve (Luken): out. Yeah. Like, I think he he sits back in a chair. Yeah. I think to this point, Lucan still was holding out hope Yeah.
• 37:01
  On some level. Yeah. Harry, do you know what you just said? I sit back down. Yeah.
• 37:10
  Harry, I I don't think I was alone in hoping that we'd be able to find something that we know Asher. Yeah. What
• 37:19
  Shelby (Sahra): Come on, Lucan. I mean, how much more proof do you need? I get wanting to have faith. I get not wanting to look the truth in the face, but at the end of the day, we can't just be stupid about it.
• 37:36
  Steve (Luken): I know. I I
• 37:41
  Nick (Herry): think we're all at a point, even you, Lucan, with what may or may not be a crisis of faith, where we're all acknowledging some changes happened and maybe some change needs to continue to happen. I think where I'm standing, how it happens is the important part at this point. And we need to figure out some whys and then some hows going forward from where I'm standing.
• 38:08
  Steve (Luken): I agree.
• 38:10
  Shelby (Sahra): Harry, are you gonna tell Asher?
• 38:12
  Nick (Herry): Right now, all I have is, hey, man. I don't think you're the eternal king, so until I have a little more
• 38:18
  Shelby (Sahra): Right.
• 38:19
  Nick (Herry): Juice, I probably won't.
• 38:20
  Steve (Luken): But You could also tell him about the unhinged ravings of a madman
• 38:24
  Nick (Herry): we do have that all written down. Beanie has some of that. And so I think my goal, I'd like to go talk to someone who is there and who's much smarter than I am and see what they remember about the whole passing of the torch. So that's that's my next step as far as the Asher things are concerned.
• 38:48
  Steve (Luken): And that person's you're you're gonna go see your mom?
• 38:50
  Justin (GM): Absolutely. Tell her I
• 38:52
  Nick (Herry): say hi. I will. She's old and strange,
• 38:56
  Steve (Luken): but Look, the strange was always there.
• 38:58
  Nick (Herry): Yeah. Exactly it. What are you two? What's your next plan of action?
• 39:02
  Steve (Luken): I gotta go visit the church. A prelate just got murdered. Like they do. Which, above the table. That's my cover.
• 39:09
  I'm going to the church to steal supplies for Yeah. That's for
• 39:12
  Shelby (Sahra): I gotta go see if I can find any information about Isarn. So I'm gonna go talk to my people.
• 39:21
  Nick (Herry): Harry wants to do an instinct roll on these two to see if there's anything going on. Do we get
• 39:26
  Steve (Luken): to oppose it? How does this work?
• 39:28
  Justin (GM): I It's your evasion.
• 39:30
  Steve (Luken): He's attacking me?
• 39:31
  Nick (Herry): I is your like that.
• 39:33
  Justin (GM): Yeah. That is the like number that you
• 39:35
  Nick (Herry): That's a 13 with fear.
• 39:38
  Steve (Luken): Nah. You just let it alone and not giving him a with fear.
• 39:41
  Shelby (Sahra): That's not with fear. That's not
• 39:42
  Nick (Herry): Oh, I'm sorry. With hope. Oh. Goddamn. See, I want that want that die to be my hope die so bad for some reason and I don't know why.
• 39:49
  Steve (Luken): So so my evasion is just essentially the, like, difficulty class of the Yeah. And there's nothing I can really
• 39:53
  Nick (Herry): What's y'all's evasion? You
• 39:55
  Steve (Luken): got me. Yeah. I'm 11.
• 39:56
  Nick (Herry): What do I get? What do I see? I'm not gonna I mean, I'm not trying to be aggressive by
• 40:01
  Justin (GM): any means.
• 40:01
  Steve (Luken): I I think it is apparent Yeah.
• 40:03
  Nick (Herry): I'm That was a lie.
• 40:05
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. Like Yeah. Was that you calling me out for it? No. Or that you can just tell No.
• 40:09
  Nick (Herry): I just wanna, like, get a sense of, like
• 40:11
  Steve (Luken): I would say you can tell that I'm not that I am going to the church Yeah. But that there's more on my mind than just the Prelate murder.
• 40:19
  Nick (Herry): Cool. I think yeah. I guess to say this out loud, I think Harry like prides himself on noting like, I know people and I know behaviors so you're like, I'm lying about what I'm about to go do. Yeah. And I would like, that's me trying And
• 40:32
  Steve (Luken): to check even in the midst of that, like, I don't think Lucan is in a headspace where even if he had that ability, he'd be able to do his best lying right in front of us. Like Yeah. So you totally know that there is more going on than what I'm saying here. For sure. Absolutely.
• 40:46
  Shelby (Sahra): Yeah. On Sara's side, I mean, like, what she said was already kind of vague, and so it's already very suspicious.
• 40:54
  Nick (Herry): It's basically, he can tell you're being suspicious. Yeah. Harry's not being clued into to a thing. Yeah. It's effectively maybe the takeaway.
• 41:01
  Does that feel true?
• 41:02
  Shelby (Sahra): Like not making eye contact with you. Yeah. Yeah. Classic.
• 41:05
  Justin (GM): Just Great.
• 41:07
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. So I think at this point, are we going our separate ways?
• 41:10
  Nick (Herry): Think so. Yep. And then Harry's going to kind of beeline knowing this area because we're in Asher or the
• 41:20
  Steve (Luken): Mhmm.
• 41:21
  Nick (Herry): Arguably, I would bet he knows this a little bit better than Sister Hulderman. Yeah. Hulderman. And so he's going to try and like take a little shortcut to run into her around a corner.
• 41:36
  Justin (GM): Infinite halls of the incarnate king are not structured in a way that makes sense to a casual observer. None of the corridors or hallways link up in logical pathways. These are not right angles. They are obtuse and acute in odd fashion. And you are a little bit more familiar, as you said, and she makes the turn and you time it just right that you bump into her.
• 42:11
  Nick (Herry): Oh, jeez. Long time no see. Oh. And just like accidentally like knocks the papers out of her hand. Yeah.
• 42:18
  And then like is looking for the paper that as he's helping.
• 42:23
  Justin (GM): Give me a finesse roll.
• 42:26
  Nick (Herry): That'll be a 10 with fear. 10 with fear? Yeah. And while I'm like fussing around with it, I also would potentially like to just cast reveal while I'm messing with it. Okay.
• 42:39
  Just to see if I can see what it says.
• 42:41
  Justin (GM): Yeah. Go ahead and what does reveal, what do you need to do?
• 42:44
  Nick (Herry): Make a spell cast roll. If there's anything magically hidden within close range, the roll would succeed against, it is revealed. Okay. And then I would love to use subtlety wins, which is like my subtle spell experience
• 42:55
  Justin (GM): Yeah.
• 42:56
  Nick (Herry): To try and boost that.
• 42:58
  Steve (Luken): Yep. Go ahead.
• 42:59
  Nick (Herry): Is that a finesse or do you just wanna use that finesse?
• 43:01
  Justin (GM): This is spellcasting rules. Oh, yeah. Use your spellcasting.
• 43:07
  Nick (Herry): 16 with hope. 16 with hope?
• 43:10
  Justin (GM): Yes. The bottom of one of the note pages begins to glow with a almost violet fluorescent writing. And the almost like the ink is hovering over the page itself and reads, the Church of Boz is losing its hold on its power, we need to consider aligning ourselves with up and coming churches.
• 43:49
  Nick (Herry): Oh, jeez. I'm so I'm so sorry, sister. Let me help let me help you. We'll get you we'll get you all set up you. Yeah.
• 43:55
  I'm sorry about that. Yeah.
• 43:56
  Justin (GM): Thank you.
• 43:56
  Nick (Herry): Sorry about that. It's been great to see you. Sorry it's under better circumstances. We'll figure this all out though.
• 44:01
  Justin (GM): Of of course. Of course. Thank you.
• 44:03
  Nick (Herry): Yeah. She
• 44:03
  Justin (GM): grabs her papers back.
• 44:04
  Nick (Herry): Have a great day.
• 44:05
  Justin (GM): Of thank you. Of course.
• 44:07
  Nick (Herry): You bet. And Harry just kind of walks off, goes to
• 44:09
  Justin (GM): see Beanie. From that, I think you're able to ascertain that she was somehow writing in some type of invisible script Okay. Somehow.
• 44:23
  Nick (Herry): Has Harry ever seen anything like this?
• 44:26
  Justin (GM): I don't think you've seen I mean, you've heard of
• 44:29
  Nick (Herry): Illusory script.
• 44:30
  Justin (GM): Illusory scripts before. It's not but entirely invisible script
• 44:36
  Nick (Herry): Yeah.
• 44:37
  Justin (GM): That especially I mean, you cast subtle magic. Mhmm. But based on the description that Sara gave you
• 44:48
  Nick (Herry): I didn't see it. Yeah. You didn't see it. I was in the room sitting
• 44:51
  Justin (GM): in the middle of the room Yeah. Writing invisibly in front of everyone.
• 44:56
  Nick (Herry): Tricky. Tricky.
• 44:58
  Justin (GM): And a in the back of your mind, Yrisinda is the goddess of the sun, the goddess of light. And the script was a bright purple, making you think of like almost like an ultraviolet light. You head off to Beanie.
• 45:22
  Nick (Herry): Great.
• 45:23
  Justin (GM): A few hours later, Sara, you are hanging out at the soup kitchen in the commons. There is a much smaller gathering of people. This is the This is a different crowd than when you were here in the middle of the night with the community gathering. This is the poor of Residium City. This is a gathering place for those who are down on their luck, who need resources that this place can afford them, and they are leaving you relatively alone.
• 46:02
  You are at a table in the back by yourself. You do not see Imogen. You do see her father. He kinda gives you a knowing look, but leaves you to yourself, in the corner. And eventually, Lucan arrives.
• 46:17
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. Lucan walks in. I he just he has the supplies that he has gathered. I Lucan is, again, not good at blending in. I think he is savvy enough to know maybe this isn't the spot to, like, be wearing your full, like, priestly robes to.
• 46:40
  So he is dressed a little bit differently. But there's only so much he can do about, like, the wings and just, like, you know, his just general presence. He's just not like a, yeah, a blend in kind of person, but he is, he has the supplies. I think they would fit in, a ruck sack Yeah. Kind of thing.
• 46:57
  Right? So he has he has the supplies in a bag, and he sees Sara across.
• 47:02
  Shelby (Sahra): And I wait him over.
• 47:04
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. So I go over, and I sit down next to you, and I just put the rucksack, like, under your chair without making a big show of it. So where are we? What
• 47:18
  Shelby (Sahra): I just thought I'd find kind of an inconspicuous place, but this is where I I've found out about the people who need help from the Taranad.
• 47:30
  Steve (Luken): Here. I Yeah. Here? What? No.
• 47:33
  Like, I kinda look around because this is just, like, out of, I think, Lucan's like not comfort zone necessarily, but where he's used to spending his time. Well, I I hope this is everything you need. What's what's your next step?
• 47:51
  Shelby (Sahra): Don't know. I'm gonna I'm gonna connect with some people and they're gonna point me in the right direction, I guess. I don't know, Lucan. I just say, I feel like I need to help them.
• 48:05
  Steve (Luken): What what people are you connected? What have you gotten yourself into here?
• 48:09
  Shelby (Sahra): I
• 48:10
  Steve (Luken): This is so that was supposed to be a lot the day, like, nonjudgmental.
• 48:13
  Nick (Herry): Mhmm.
• 48:13
  Steve (Luken): Like, it's concern for an old friend and curiosity, like
• 48:19
  Shelby (Sahra): Yeah.
• 48:20
  Steve (Luken): Because Lucan does genuinely, like, he didn't he stole the supplies because he wants to be helpful here. Right? Like, so I think he wants to know more without getting himself in obvious trouble for wanting to know too much.
• 48:35
  Shelby (Sahra): It's just some people from the Ur nation, from the Steelmarrow tribes.
• 48:43
  Steve (Luken): After this, if you're successful, what what's next?
• 48:48
  Shelby (Sahra): I guess the only thing I could say is keep pursuing the truth.
• 48:57
  Steve (Luken): You know, the church, Baz's church, like, we used to believe in something. We we voted to help the Steel Marrow tribe. Yeah. And, yeah, we lost the vote, like, everyone knows that. I can't help but feel like when the vote went that way, the church lost something more than that vote.
• 49:23
  It's the things we do in the name of good fortune seem to be about propping up our own decadence. I don't know. I
• 49:36
  Shelby (Sahra): Lucan, this could I be think that you could be a real ally to us. And you know, this is this is one step on our journey, but I mean, if you're willing to help us in the future.
• 49:50
  Steve (Luken): I don't I don't know if I can do it out in the open yet Yeah. But you know where to find me.
• 49:57
  Shelby (Sahra): Thank you.
• 49:57
  Steve (Luken): Please come ask for help. I can't I can't promise it'll go this smoothly every time. But I
• 50:05
  Nick (Herry): don't know.
• 50:05
  Steve (Luken): It it seems like this is is doing something not just for the glory and attention of the church and maybe that's what we've lost. So please, I want to help where I can.
• 50:20
  Shelby (Sahra): You know, Lucan, only a Wainwright can read someone's soul, but it doesn't take a Wainwright to see that your soul is good and you're a true friend. So thank you.
• 50:33
  Steve (Luken): Thank you. Do you want food?
• 50:35
  Shelby (Sahra): I'm Yeah. Let's get He walked by with some it looked like a soup or stew or something. Let's get
• 50:41
  Steve (Luken): Let's get some Okay. Of
• 50:42
  Justin (GM): You all have this, like, meal and I think Lucan experience a part of the city that you, in particular, in your faith circle, mercy and good deeds is not necessarily a part of the Ba'z Yeah.
• 51:04
  Steve (Luken): Canon. We're not authorizing a ton of adventures to go feed the
• 51:08
  Justin (GM): Right. Hungry.
• 51:09
  Steve (Luken): Right.
• 51:09
  Justin (GM): Right. There's no Save people. Yes. There's no glory
• 51:12
  Steve (Luken): Yes. As we construe it Correct. In, like, selfless service.
• 51:16
  Justin (GM): Yes. Right? Go ahead and give me a finesse roll, Lucan.
• 51:23
  Steve (Luken): What if I don't wanna? I'm going to use one of my paradise and turn that into a 17 with fear. Okay?
• 51:35
  Justin (GM): The meal goes by undisturbed and the two of you spend the hour or so having casual conversation, of reviewing the state of affairs, but not really going into anything deep given that you're in public. The end of the meal comes and, sorry, you need to give these goods to someone, likely Nas. You, Lucan, have to leave. Yeah. Okay.
• 52:07
  You head out and as you were leaving, you feel eyes watching you as you go. What do you do?
• 52:19
  Steve (Luken): Tell me about the area I'm in. Is it like, how many people are around? Is it just me and I yeah. Like, how public is this place?
• 52:27
  Justin (GM): It's evening time. It's typically a pretty dense part of the city. This is where, like, multifamily houses are. This is a space where a lot of it's just like a lot of dense, condensed living is. And exiting the soup kitchen, you make it a block or two.
• 52:52
  And aside from the eyes on you, there's no one around.
• 52:59
  Steve (Luken): Lucan not being one to back down from a fight or run away, is there a bench or something nearby? Yeah. Okay. He goes and just sits on the bench and waits. Three people
• 53:17
  Justin (GM): come out of a nearby alley, all of them wielding cudgels. And they see you, and they say, I don't know what brings you to the commons, but you don't belong here. So why don't you give us what you're carrying, and then get on your way?
• 53:42
  Steve (Luken): I look at the three of them. Do what? Do they look like I could take them? Like, what's what's the threat level here? Based on my assessment of it, as a person who knows how to fight, like yeah.
• 53:54
  What do I perceive with that?
• 53:55
  Justin (GM): Give me a
• 53:55
  Steve (Luken): roll? Yeah. Would love to. I think that's going to be instinct. Yep.
• 54:01
  It's a 15 with hope.
• 54:04
  Justin (GM): You could probably take these individuals and not do an undue amount of damage
• 54:12
  Steve (Luken): to them. I could incapacitate without Yes. Killing. Okay. Yes.
• 54:16
  I stand up, and I'm going to try and do if I end up needing to do a presence role here, I'm going to try and just, like, talk them down. I'm gonna try and, like, intimidate them into backing down here. Yeah. Gentlemen, I know I don't belong here. I was just meeting a friend.
• 54:33
  I'd love to be on my way. The easiest way for this to happen is for you to turn around, go back home, and we can just forget this happened.
• 54:45
  Justin (GM): Give me a presence roll.
• 54:46
  Steve (Luken): I am spending a hope to add my strength to this roll. Okay. When you got five hope, can't take it with you. Eight plus five is 13 with hope. I'm gonna add two fifteen with hope.
• 54:59
  Okay.
• 55:01
  Justin (GM): You present a pretty domineering shape all in all, your wings included. Two of them back down. One of them maintains his ground and looks at you and says, listen, I know who you are. If one of you has fallen,
• 55:27
  Steve (Luken): more of you can fall too. So the hard way then?
• 55:31
  Justin (GM): So the hard way.
• 55:32
  Steve (Luken): I I actually don't want to kill this guy. Yeah. Yeah. I want to be clear. Yeah.
• 55:36
  I want to just like I wanna hit him once hard enough so that he decides to to make some different choices. Yep. Go ahead. So with that end to that end, knuckle blades, we're doing a melee, and we are going to do forceful push. You get attacked with your primary weapon against a target within melee range.
• 55:57
  It is a 12 plus my strength, so 15 with hope. Yeah. Yeah. Do I get a hope for even just like attack Yep. Like that.
• 56:05
  Okay. Yeah. So 15 with hope. I can add a d six to my damage roll, deal damage, knock them back, and add a d six to my damage roll.
• 56:16
  Justin (GM): Yep. Go ahead and roll your damage.
• 56:18
  Steve (Luken): D 10 plus six.
• 56:19
  Justin (GM): And remember, it's two d 10. It's
• 56:23
  Steve (Luken): a 19 on the damage high.
• 56:25
  Justin (GM): Yeah. You knock him on his ass. He is immediately unconscious. He, like, skips like a stone on water as you forcefully push him with this and just bounces down and hits a side of a house, and you hear crunch
• 56:48
  Nick (Herry): Oy.
• 56:49
  Justin (GM): As he goes unconscious. The other two people immediately scatter. Having seen you just immediately take out one of these individuals, a pamphlet falls out of his pocket.
• 57:07
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. I grabbed the pamphlet, I mean.
• 57:09
  Justin (GM): It is absolutely a cult of metamorphosis pamphlet.
• 57:16
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. Of course it is.
• 57:17
  Justin (GM): Speaking about the need for change in the city.
• 57:23
  Steve (Luken): Now, this guy I just punched Yes. Does not appear to be like a parishioner in the church. No. This is evidence that the cult is trying to swell its ranks beyond just like internal to the church. Like, they want this to be a more than just a change in the Church of Vaz.
• 57:40
  They're trying to, like, whip up Yes. More of a revolution.
• 57:44
  Justin (GM): Yeah. Okay. And makes your brain tingle a little bit for what General Lautner was afraid of, which is the cult catching fire here in the city.
• 57:57
  Shelby (Sahra): Yeah. Oh, it's already
• 57:59
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. It's Does the pamphlet have anything like,
• 58:02
  Justin (GM): I don't know, like come to our cult meeting? Absolutely. It has like a Time and place and time and place for their next meeting. When is that? You get a meeting time for the next evening in Five Cross Cool.
• 58:25
  Which is like a small town just outside of the city that is one of those small towns that maybe a hundred years ago was far enough away that it was a different town. But as Residium City has grown, it's basically considered a part of Residium City, but retains it's like the cross of five different roads. And so there is a meeting in 5 Cross tomorrow evening for people to speak onto the needed change in Residium City.
• 59:00
  Steve (Luken): Yeah. Yeah. I take the pamphlet with me. I think at this point, I'm going home. Great.
• 59:08
  Sara.
• 59:09
  Justin (GM): Yeah. You have to drop off some goods.
• 59:11
  Shelby (Sahra): So I grab the pack and I find Nas and he's, you know, he's been walking around and serving people and stuff. And I give him a knowing look and I just kinda hold up the bag and
• 59:25
  Justin (GM): He gives you a head nod towards a backroom.
• 59:31
  Shelby (Sahra): And I carry it over to the backroom.
• 59:33
  Justin (GM): You walk into the backroom and are surprised to find it filled with a number of people. There are men and women of various different ancestries, all moving from small bowls of dried herbs that they have ground to small bubbling cauldrons that they are attending to to reviewing books that are open to arcane rituals worthy of review. The room equals the amount of hustle and bustle that you saw in the soup kitchen outside in a quarter of the space. Everyone in this room clearly has some type of purpose and is busy about that purpose in this moment and does not notice you, except for one woman who, upon looking at her, you could have easily mistaken for one of
• 1:00:51
  Steve (Luken): the
• 1:00:51
  Justin (GM): many barrels in this room. She is a Galapagos woman, one of the turtle people, and her skin is wrinkled and brown in texture. Her shell is overwhelmingly large in comparison to her diminutive form. And she is leaning on her staff that she has crooked in her arms, and she is just kind of humming to herself and listening to the room around her as she rocks back and forth, slowly, eyes closed, just kind of taking in the space around her. But her face is fixed in your direction.
• 1:01:48
  And she says, oh, welcome. So good of you to join us. Oh, just put that bag over there, somewhere where it's not going to be too close to any of the other things that we've got kind of going on over here. Yeah. In that corner is fine.
• 1:02:07
  Yes. Let's keep it away from the other things.
• 1:02:09
  Shelby (Sahra): And I take the bag and I put it in the corner and then I give her a curious look.
• 1:02:15
  Justin (GM): You have shifted your space in the room, but her gaze has not deviated from the the door that you came in. She is either very hard of seeing or entirely blind. And she takes her right arm off of her staff that she's kind of using to support herself on her little stool and gestures down to a bench next to her and kind of pats it and says, why don't you just have a seat? Come come sit right here. Yes.
• 1:02:51
  Both of you can sit here.
• 1:02:55
  Shelby (Sahra): Both of us?
• 1:02:56
  Justin (GM): Oh, you and your your the spirit you brought in with you. I haven't seen her in quite some time.
• 1:03:06
  Shelby (Sahra): I look over my shoulder. Do I see?
• 1:03:12
  Justin (GM): I think you can sense the presence of Amonet in your general proximity behind you, but you do not see Amonet, as is typically the case.
• 1:03:25
  Shelby (Sahra): So I walk over and I sit down next to the old Galapagos woman and I ask her, do you know Aminette?
• 1:03:38
  Justin (GM): I'm familiar with some of her previous work. Yes. I don't know that that qualifies as knowing, but I'm familiar oh, and she is interrupted by a man who has brought over a tincture of some sort, and she wafts it a little bit and she says, it needs more mandrake. Yes. More mandrake in that, and he takes it away.
• 1:04:10
  I'm familiar with Aminette's work. Yes. Yes.
• 1:04:15
  Shelby (Sahra): I've I've never met anybody who has even noticed her before. I thought it was only me.
• 1:04:24
  Justin (GM): Well, I'm pretty awesome. So
• 1:04:27
  Shelby (Sahra): What is this place?
• 1:04:29
  Justin (GM): Well, this is the soup kitchen in the comments. I thought that was obvious when you came in.
• 1:04:34
  Shelby (Sahra): I know that, but I mean, what are you doing back here?
• 1:04:39
  Justin (GM): Oh, back here, we are preparing. The commons is an oft overlooked space, And while out there, she gestures to the soup kitchen cafeteria area, they meet the needs of the stomach. Here we meet many other needs, a rash, a cough, a blight. We serve a lot of other things that maybe the people in the commons can't afford to find relief elsewhere. I'm Vivian.
• 1:05:28
  Nice to meet you.
• 1:05:30
  Shelby (Sahra): Nice to meet you, Vivian. So you've been around pardon. I don't mean to offend, but you've been around a long time.
• 1:05:42
  Justin (GM): I'm fucking old.
• 1:05:43
  Shelby (Sahra): Okay.
• 1:05:44
  Justin (GM): I'm ancient.
• 1:05:45
  Shelby (Sahra): So you remember the Erenations then before the takeover?
• 1:05:54
  Justin (GM): Before the Steelmarrow tribe was
• 1:05:57
  Shelby (Sahra): Yes.
• 1:05:57
  Justin (GM): Taken? I try my best to remember. Sometimes things slip but I try my best. I try my best.
• 1:06:06
  Shelby (Sahra): So you you know primal magic? I
• 1:06:12
  Justin (GM): know some of the old magic, yes. I particularly take a special liking to alchemy. It is a area of interest of mine. Another person brings up a paste and she dips her thick hand into it and checks the viscosity and says, you're improving, Brendan. You're improving.
• 1:06:42
  This is very good. This is very good. Yes. Yes. He takes it away.
• 1:06:47
  Shelby (Sahra): Well, you said you were preparing, so what are you preparing for?
• 1:06:52
  Justin (GM): Well, as I understand it, you've brought us quite the prize, and we'll be sending people out to the annexed lands of the Steelmarrow tribe, and I imagine that we'll need to be prepared.
• 1:07:08
  Shelby (Sahra): Well, maybe I could help.
• 1:07:10
  Justin (GM): You've done quite a lot already. Are you is that mean,
• 1:07:17
  Shelby (Sahra): you wouldn't happen to know the members of the Highland tribe, Do you?
• 1:07:25
  Justin (GM): I've known a couple.
• 1:07:28
  Shelby (Sahra): Would you maybe know Soraya Mannisblood?
• 1:07:35
  Justin (GM): She makes like a hissing sound. We don't talk about her.
• 1:07:44
  Shelby (Sahra): Why not?
• 1:07:45
  Justin (GM): You see a couple of the people working in your general proximity kind of looked in your direction when you said that name. She says, what happened to her is unfortunate. A warning to us all to never bite off more than you can chew. Primal magic always has a cost and if you ignore that cost, well, it's enough to say that you can't ignore that cost. It'll always come back.
• 1:08:24
  Shelby (Sahra): Will you teach me?
• 1:08:26
  Justin (GM): She considers for a second. Learning is hard and you will be burdened by the knowledge you take. This next step, should you choose it, will be one you can't take back. Do you understand that?
• 1:08:49
  Shelby (Sahra): Vivian, I feel like I've been waiting for this moment my entire life. And to be honest, I've got nothing to turn back from. I've only got things to move forward. I'm a 100% ready to take this next step. Give me your hand.
• 1:09:06
  I reach out and I grab her hand.
• 1:09:09
  Justin (GM): Give me a agility reaction roll. You have to beat a 16.
• 1:09:18
  Shelby (Sahra): Okay. That is a 19. 19.
• 1:09:21
  Justin (GM): She moves extremely quickly. You have time to react. She is grabbing a knife from her belt and is going to cut you. Are you has are you pulling your hand back?
• 1:09:37
  Shelby (Sahra): Well, no. That's funny. No. The
• 1:09:40
  Justin (GM): cut is clean and fast. Mark a stress. She does not harm you, but it is stressful. Yeah. Yeah.
• 1:09:51
  She cuts you with the knife, a shallow cut, enough to draw blood just across your thumb. As fast as she unsheathed her blade and cut you, the bloodied dagger is in a bowl at her feet and she's sprinkling some type of herb or salt on it. And you feel a chill move through your veins from the cut all the way up your arm, through your chest, and into your heart. And she says, you will be tempted as you learn to push the boundaries of what you can do. And I'm doing this for your own protection.
• 1:10:43
  Understand this. But if you cross any lines that we set for you, know that we will stop you. And you know in this moment that when she says stop you, she means kill you as you feel almost like an infection settling into your heart. I have some free time and we can begin your training now.
• 1:11:20
  Shelby (Sahra): Right now?
• 1:11:22
  Justin (GM): I'm an old woman and I don't have a lot of extra things to do. So as she gestures to all the people around her, all of these people are training now. There's no reason you can't join them. Okay. See that gentleman over there who's shucking corn?
• 1:11:40
  Shelby (Sahra): Yeah.
• 1:11:41
  Justin (GM): Take his job. What? He's been upgraded. Oh. A promotion, if you will.
• 1:11:46
  You are now the corn shucker.
• 1:11:48
  Shelby (Sahra): Great.
• 1:11:49
  Justin (GM): He's the janitor. You can inform him of that. He's janitor now. You gotta start small here. Just start small.
• 1:11:57
  Shelby (Sahra): Hi. You've been promoted to janitor.
• 1:12:00
  Justin (GM): Yes. Yes. See you. He hands you a half shucked corn. All yours.
• 1:12:08
  I take it. You spend the rest of the afternoon shucking corn. Great. In this time though, you see them administer poultices, medicine to the sick. You see children come in with sores and bruises, broken limbs.
• 1:12:34
  All of them are mended. And I think for the first time, maybe in a long time, you feel connected to your own culture in a way that you have not. Everyone around you is practicing practicing traditional primal magic, the old magic you hear them call it, and it feels like home.
• 1:13:11
  Joel (End Credits): You've been listening to Faith and Fortune by Theater of the Mindset. Our actual players this season are Steve Edinger, Shelby Myers, Nick Traeger, and your kind and generous GM, Justin Girardeau. Audio engineering, post production, and scoring is done by Nick Traeger at Studio 3607. If you're enjoying the show, you can help us grow with no capital investment by sharing it with a friend, following us on Instagram and Reddit, writing us a review on your favorite pod catcher, or you can chip in for coffee at our Patreon. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week on Theater of the Mindset.