WEBVTT 00:00:02.250 --> 00:00:04.589 Hello, friends. If you're enjoying the show and 00:00:04.589 --> 00:00:06.950 having a great time, we'd really appreciate it 00:00:06.950 --> 00:00:09.390 if you left us a rating or review on whatever 00:00:09.390 --> 00:00:12.289 platform you're listening on. And after you do 00:00:12.289 --> 00:00:14.070 that, why don't you come and join us in our new 00:00:14.070 --> 00:00:16.410 Discord server where we hang out and just talk 00:00:16.410 --> 00:00:19.329 nerdy shit all day long. You can find the link 00:00:19.329 --> 00:00:21.629 in the show notes, in our link tree, and all 00:00:21.629 --> 00:01:02.960 of our socials at FantasyPantsPod. luminary spotlight. 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:05.799 Today I want to talk about the pride of my homeworld 00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:08.239 at God's breath, the Haringan druid known as 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:11.379 Crispin Dubois. Now Crispin's origins are shrouded 00:01:11.379 --> 00:01:13.700 in mystery. We know that he was born and raised 00:01:13.700 --> 00:01:15.959 in a small Haringan enclave, tucked into the 00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:18.620 swamps at the edge of Nightwater Cove. We know 00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:20.159 that this enclave was a target of a vicious, 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:23.739 macabre assault. Rumors speak of a horde of giant 00:01:23.739 --> 00:01:26.420 undead crocodiles appearing out of the mists, 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:30.480 endlessly hungry and incredibly strong. Crispin, 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:33.459 they say, in an act of courage, lured these predators 00:01:33.459 --> 00:01:36.180 away from his people and deeper into the swamp. 00:01:37.459 --> 00:01:40.200 Then... Well, folks, then we don't really know 00:01:40.200 --> 00:01:42.420 what happened. The crocodiles were destroyed, 00:01:42.780 --> 00:01:45.959 one and all. Buried, they say, deep in the earth 00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:48.879 and muck. As for Crispin, he returned with a 00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:51.659 new druidic power. A connection had been established 00:01:51.659 --> 00:01:53.739 between him and the land, and it's only grown 00:01:53.739 --> 00:01:56.719 stronger over time. He was invited to join the 00:01:56.719 --> 00:01:59.319 ranks of the Luminary Adventurers. And he agreed. 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:02.560 Now, Christmas is keeping a low profile since 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:05.000 its initial debut. He has served our worlds on 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:08.479 many, many occasions. Keep an eye out for this 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:15.500 one, folks. He's a special one. So, did you guys 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:20.860 have fun last week? Oh, tons. It was a blast. 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:23.360 Hold on, let me put this thing away. All right. 00:02:23.699 --> 00:02:27.520 Yeah, put it away. Gross. Ew. Ew. Zip that up. 00:02:35.390 --> 00:02:38.969 Okay. All right. I can see I'm going to need 00:02:38.969 --> 00:02:44.250 this. Hey, hey, hey. Yeah, last week was a challenging 00:02:44.250 --> 00:02:48.849 week for me. A challenging week for all of us. 00:02:48.870 --> 00:02:51.750 Yeah. It was fun. I had fun. To say the least. 00:02:51.750 --> 00:02:56.050 Yes. It was fun. I was pretty hard on myself 00:02:56.050 --> 00:03:01.289 for messing up that John Franklin move. But I 00:03:01.289 --> 00:03:05.000 talked to a friend of the show, Rochelle. Our 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:10.240 IRL level one cleric and self -described D &D 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.560 chaplain. And I was like super bumming about 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:19.659 it. And she said she was like, you know, mistakes 00:03:19.659 --> 00:03:23.580 happen in D &D. And like, yes, it sucks. And 00:03:23.580 --> 00:03:26.500 we had to acknowledge that and accept it. But 00:03:26.500 --> 00:03:29.500 the thing or one of the things that we've always 00:03:29.500 --> 00:03:31.560 prided ourselves on here is our authenticity. 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:35.750 It would have been so easy. To just re -record 00:03:35.750 --> 00:03:39.569 it, take it out, fix the mistake, and move on. 00:03:39.770 --> 00:03:43.069 Yeah. But the fact that we didn't, and the fact 00:03:43.069 --> 00:03:45.810 that you, David, were so quick on your feet to 00:03:45.810 --> 00:03:49.389 give us a fair chance, even though I messed up 00:03:49.389 --> 00:03:52.889 with that extra check, I think that says a lot 00:03:52.889 --> 00:03:56.479 about what we do here. Yeah, I mean... I'm into 00:03:56.479 --> 00:03:58.300 it. I think it was great. And honestly, the thing 00:03:58.300 --> 00:04:00.680 with failure is sometimes it just makes for a 00:04:00.680 --> 00:04:03.819 better narrative. And the fight following that 00:04:03.819 --> 00:04:07.979 attack that kept me in the battle. It was a really 00:04:07.979 --> 00:04:10.539 cool fight. Yeah. We saw Give the Metallic Dragon 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:13.180 happen twice, both the features of it, the healing 00:04:13.180 --> 00:04:16.220 and the wings. Holy shit. Yeah. We saw Jules 00:04:16.220 --> 00:04:18.220 drop down at the end of the fight. I was this 00:04:18.220 --> 00:04:21.240 close, this close. I hold my fingers very close 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:23.420 together. Pants people, you can't see that, but 00:04:23.420 --> 00:04:25.160 it's very, very close. They're basically touching 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:29.120 this close to taking out our Jules LaRoche. Oh, 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:31.439 I mean, even in the shot that you took me down, 00:04:31.579 --> 00:04:34.459 like you had a very real chance of just killing 00:04:34.459 --> 00:04:37.350 me outright. It's scary shit. Scary shit. Big 00:04:37.350 --> 00:04:39.709 old scary Boyd. I think I might have felt a little 00:04:39.709 --> 00:04:42.990 bit different. I think I might have felt a little 00:04:42.990 --> 00:04:45.670 bit different if that mistake led to a character 00:04:45.670 --> 00:04:49.490 death. You know what I mean? I mean, we'd have 00:04:49.490 --> 00:04:51.129 to go to like group therapy for a little bit. 00:04:51.170 --> 00:04:52.769 Yeah, I just would have like hung up my headphones 00:04:52.769 --> 00:04:57.269 for a little while. Do a couple episodes of that 00:04:57.269 --> 00:05:04.689 Steven for punishment. But shit happens and I'm 00:05:04.689 --> 00:05:07.649 ready to move on. As far as moving on goes, a 00:05:07.649 --> 00:05:10.649 couple quick things. Let's talk wedgies. I don't 00:05:10.649 --> 00:05:12.589 think we had a lot that we didn't catch. Obviously, 00:05:13.110 --> 00:05:15.850 we talked about the few we had. I also was mistaken 00:05:15.850 --> 00:05:18.230 in my – because I actually, before we realized 00:05:18.230 --> 00:05:20.069 that I should have stayed, I was sticking around 00:05:20.069 --> 00:05:21.490 in the fight when I should have just bolted. 00:05:22.029 --> 00:05:25.209 I'm glad I didn't because we caught this instead. 00:05:25.389 --> 00:05:28.990 It all worked out perfectly. The only tiniest 00:05:28.990 --> 00:05:30.389 wedge I could think of is I think we missed a 00:05:30.389 --> 00:05:32.509 nat one at one point that Zebulon rolled. I didn't 00:05:32.509 --> 00:05:35.269 do anything with, but I was just in the – stress 00:05:35.269 --> 00:05:37.370 place and uh you know what it worked out just 00:05:37.370 --> 00:05:39.550 fine that stuff's flavor anyways i think it's 00:05:39.550 --> 00:05:41.250 really just flavor you know i don't want to be 00:05:41.250 --> 00:05:43.129 like i'm not too stringent on getting every nat 00:05:43.129 --> 00:05:45.370 one i'm not here to like punish punish it's just 00:05:45.370 --> 00:05:47.689 narratively interesting sometimes and when it's 00:05:47.689 --> 00:05:49.170 not narratively interesting i don't really care 00:05:49.170 --> 00:05:51.569 that much it keeps things fun yeah yeah that's 00:05:51.569 --> 00:05:54.649 how i see it um my biggest nat one um we'll blame 00:05:54.649 --> 00:05:58.389 my npc for this one uh maria the alvedado uh 00:05:58.389 --> 00:06:02.240 entirely got her directions wrong I was explaining. 00:06:02.939 --> 00:06:05.540 I think I said west, like, oh, northwest, northwest. 00:06:05.819 --> 00:06:07.560 Every time you hear the word west, just assume 00:06:07.560 --> 00:06:10.860 I said east. Oh, jeez. Oh, my goodness. I listened 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:12.699 to the episode, and I was like, that's not at 00:06:12.699 --> 00:06:16.279 all how the map works. But she was really bad 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:18.860 directions. It's not me, guys. It's her. She's 00:06:18.860 --> 00:06:22.759 very sorry. Yeah, we'll go with that. Yeah, you 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:27.540 will. But yeah, I think that's all for wedgies. 00:06:27.579 --> 00:06:29.259 And I do have one more little announcement. I 00:06:29.259 --> 00:06:30.699 know this is going to seem a little out of the 00:06:30.699 --> 00:06:33.480 blue and a little crazy. This is wild. Here's 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:34.860 the thing. He's reaching for the jar. Here's 00:06:34.860 --> 00:06:36.680 the thing. We're not getting into all the nitty 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:39.600 gritty details of this right now. But these two 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:42.720 gentlemen here are currently putting up with 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:45.319 a lot of bullshit from me. Because I had plans 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:47.379 upon plans upon plans for this arc. And I've 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:49.120 been changing them last minute, throwing them 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:50.860 for the loop. You'll find out what I'm talking 00:06:50.860 --> 00:06:53.540 about in a little while here. You guys have been 00:06:53.540 --> 00:06:55.540 serious troopers. Seriously. Take these buttons. 00:06:55.620 --> 00:06:59.240 Each button. You earned them. All right. Thank 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:02.120 you. I will take this button. With that buildup, 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:04.620 I was kind of expecting like two or three. Oh, 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:10.480 my God. Who do you think I am? A bunny for the 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:16.680 best players in the world. Aw, thanks. Thank 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:19.180 you for putting up with my constant baloney. 00:07:20.730 --> 00:07:22.490 I also want to say, real quick, for anyone that 00:07:22.490 --> 00:07:24.170 is familiar with the book, you probably noticed 00:07:24.170 --> 00:07:26.589 I took a lot of liberties with the creature we 00:07:26.589 --> 00:07:29.389 dealt with last week. Mostly I cut down on its 00:07:29.389 --> 00:07:32.509 ability to do, like, insane burst damage. I cut 00:07:32.509 --> 00:07:36.029 down on that. Just, yeah. Yeah. Think about that. 00:07:36.149 --> 00:07:38.930 He took it easy on us. In favor of legendary 00:07:38.930 --> 00:07:41.350 actions it did not have and more consistent damage 00:07:41.350 --> 00:07:43.850 and a few more magical tricks, some of which 00:07:43.850 --> 00:07:46.790 I have yet to reveal. But it's a good thing we 00:07:46.790 --> 00:07:49.209 probably won't see that boy again, huh? Fucking 00:07:49.209 --> 00:07:51.810 Boyd's. He's probably gone. Never again. Yeah, 00:07:51.870 --> 00:07:53.569 I'm sure he's gone. We scared him off. Yeah. 00:07:55.029 --> 00:07:58.870 Almost. He was terrified. So where do we go from 00:07:58.870 --> 00:08:03.790 here? Right? Where do we go from here? Well, 00:08:03.930 --> 00:08:08.529 I know where. We're going to go to the Radiant 00:08:08.529 --> 00:08:13.149 Citadel. Still shining the cool blue of night. 00:08:14.230 --> 00:08:17.569 Now, when we left our heroes off, it was about... 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:20.980 11 o 'clock p .m. We're going to shift forward 00:08:20.980 --> 00:08:26.079 a little bit. Maybe 2, 2 .30. The dead of the 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:29.600 night. And we see the diamond there. Amongst 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:33.240 the swirling chaos. The keen and gloom down below. 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:36.899 Thunder roaring, threatening. We're not focused 00:08:36.899 --> 00:08:39.059 on that. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We're going 00:08:39.059 --> 00:08:42.179 to pan up to the smooth, fasted walls of the 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:44.500 auroral diamond. And we're going to pass through 00:08:44.500 --> 00:08:49.429 them. It is night. Inside as well. The faux sky 00:08:49.429 --> 00:08:52.070 above the preserve of the ancestors. Shimmers 00:08:52.070 --> 00:08:54.730 with thousands of stars against the blackness. 00:08:55.730 --> 00:08:58.690 Shining down on an open expanse. A hodgepodge 00:08:58.690 --> 00:09:00.649 of habitats and environments that you guys are 00:09:00.649 --> 00:09:04.250 somewhat familiar with. And the center of all 00:09:04.250 --> 00:09:08.470 of this. Still glowing like a beacon. In the 00:09:08.470 --> 00:09:12.129 midst of this cool peace. We see a rural town. 00:09:13.049 --> 00:09:15.990 We're going to pan down to the crystalline streets. 00:09:16.970 --> 00:09:19.590 The area still abuzz with a constant stream of 00:09:19.590 --> 00:09:22.009 information and drama passed between structures 00:09:22.009 --> 00:09:24.470 by cables and playing out on diamond screens 00:09:24.470 --> 00:09:29.250 on the sides of buildings. Except few folk wander 00:09:29.250 --> 00:09:32.330 the streets at this hour. While there is light, 00:09:32.370 --> 00:09:34.610 while there's activity, there's very little life 00:09:34.610 --> 00:09:38.909 here right now. Very, very little. And as we 00:09:38.909 --> 00:09:42.830 pass by maybe a few dark figures, our eyes moving 00:09:42.830 --> 00:09:45.720 swiftly. down the streets, towards the city's 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:49.179 center, towards the amphitheater, in the surrounding 00:09:49.179 --> 00:09:52.159 manors of all the speakers, of all the worlds, 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:56.580 we're going to hone in on one particular figure, 00:09:56.740 --> 00:10:01.200 moving towards a square -shaped manor. We see 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:03.279 a sign before the door reveals us to be the home 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:08.340 of Fortino Infante, speaker for Saint -Étienne. 00:10:09.419 --> 00:10:11.419 And as this figure closes in on the structure, 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:15.019 moving right up towards the door, a grim -faced 00:10:15.019 --> 00:10:18.519 shield -bearer guard nods expectantly towards 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:22.340 them. And I've just got to ask you, Stephen, 00:10:22.580 --> 00:10:27.139 does Crispin Dubois nod back? Yeah, of course 00:10:27.139 --> 00:10:30.899 he does. The guard sees this, whispers a word, 00:10:31.059 --> 00:10:36.379 steps to the side as the door slides open, and 00:10:36.379 --> 00:10:39.470 he gestures you inside. Um... Yeah, Crispin's 00:10:39.470 --> 00:10:43.289 gonna step inside. He whispers Zuko, head to 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:47.289 the back. They're in the office, waiting. The 00:10:47.289 --> 00:10:52.389 door closes. You step inside to this darkened 00:10:52.389 --> 00:10:56.870 manor. There are no servants about. There's no 00:10:56.870 --> 00:10:59.850 light emanating from the crystalline walls, but 00:10:59.850 --> 00:11:03.470 you do see the light from the far back, down 00:11:03.470 --> 00:11:06.509 a hallway. All the doors to the sides are closed, 00:11:06.610 --> 00:11:09.149 just one singular door open at the very end, 00:11:09.350 --> 00:11:12.610 where you can see a desk, and you can see a figure 00:11:12.610 --> 00:11:17.629 behind the desk. Do you approach? Yes, Crispin 00:11:17.629 --> 00:11:22.330 approaches. As you move closer, as you step into 00:11:22.330 --> 00:11:25.750 the room, you see there are actually two figures 00:11:25.750 --> 00:11:29.009 within. One is a dwarven man with brown skin 00:11:29.009 --> 00:11:32.779 and no beard. He has small spectacles resting 00:11:32.779 --> 00:11:36.580 at the tip of his tiny nose in a loose white 00:11:36.580 --> 00:11:40.320 silken nightgown. His dark -rimmed eyes are wide 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:43.620 and frantic. They glance your way as you step 00:11:43.620 --> 00:11:47.100 into the room, but turn immediately back to their 00:11:47.100 --> 00:11:52.919 true focus. A woman. Old and copper -skinned. 00:11:53.159 --> 00:11:56.009 Her black... Gray street hair is pulled into 00:11:56.009 --> 00:11:59.250 a tight braid. Her confident, easy form is covered 00:11:59.250 --> 00:12:02.309 by a red and yellow gown. Her shrewd eyes hang 00:12:02.309 --> 00:12:05.830 over a wolfish grin as she, too, glances in your 00:12:05.830 --> 00:12:10.210 direction. And you know, you know that this is 00:12:10.210 --> 00:12:14.950 Sholay, the Brass Dragon, in her human form. 00:12:16.009 --> 00:12:22.669 Ah, you're here. Early, too. Good. I have a few 00:12:22.669 --> 00:12:27.750 questions for you. Luminary Crispin Dubois, but 00:12:27.750 --> 00:12:32.450 first. And she turns away from you, reaching 00:12:32.450 --> 00:12:34.809 into her sleeve, pulling out something small 00:12:34.809 --> 00:12:39.289 and round. A recording diamond, which she casually 00:12:39.289 --> 00:12:42.450 tosses onto the desk in front of the dwarven 00:12:42.450 --> 00:12:47.370 man. And you know that this man, I imagine you 00:12:47.370 --> 00:12:49.909 were invited here. You could guess at least that 00:12:49.909 --> 00:12:53.559 this is Fortino Infante. The speaker for Sansation. 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:59.100 The one who offered you this invite. But I think 00:12:59.100 --> 00:13:02.100 now you are starting to second guess who exactly 00:13:02.100 --> 00:13:06.980 brought you into the fold. As you wait, Sholay 00:13:06.980 --> 00:13:12.379 glances towards Fortino. Take a look for yourself 00:13:12.379 --> 00:13:17.840 while I speak with my associate. Take your time. 00:13:18.460 --> 00:13:22.559 Watch every second. You should understand the 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:26.340 fragility of your position in its entirety. And, 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:30.659 yes, it is already packed up into the ethereal 00:13:30.659 --> 00:13:35.159 diamond proper. Ready for release upon my word. 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:40.340 The dwarf's jaw locks, eyes holding back frustrated 00:13:40.340 --> 00:13:42.840 tears as he turns his back from you both and 00:13:42.840 --> 00:13:45.759 turns his focus onto these swiftly moving images 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:49.179 on the face of the diamond. And Shirley turns 00:13:49.179 --> 00:13:52.720 back to you. All right. I haven't done this on 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:54.179 the mic yet, so I might need like two or three 00:13:54.179 --> 00:13:57.620 tries. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. Don't 00:13:57.620 --> 00:14:00.940 overblow it. All right. All right. So excited. 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:07.299 How may I be of service? Sholay pauses for a 00:14:07.299 --> 00:14:13.360 moment, eyes thinking, and just, First, I'm going 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:16.559 to ask you some questions. You would do well 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:19.419 to understand that I already know most of the 00:14:19.419 --> 00:14:22.519 answers. I would just like to hear them from 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:27.279 you before we proceed. Is this understood? All 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:32.700 right. I love it. I fucking love it. Why did 00:14:32.700 --> 00:14:37.919 you become a luminary? Why? To protect my community. 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:46.720 To protect? With money? With influence? Money 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:52.690 buys resources. This is true. there's more to 00:14:52.690 --> 00:14:56.509 becoming a luminary than money. There is great 00:14:56.509 --> 00:15:01.070 political power in your current position. What 00:15:01.070 --> 00:15:03.710 do you intend to achieve with this granted power? 00:15:04.350 --> 00:15:08.250 I'm not interested in power, Miss Cholet. She 00:15:08.250 --> 00:15:12.009 smiles slightly at this remark. One last question. 00:15:12.730 --> 00:15:15.950 You were one of the first witnesses to the recent 00:15:15.950 --> 00:15:20.029 tragedy on God's Breath. The farmhouse slaughter. 00:15:20.970 --> 00:15:24.809 What were your thoughts on the scene? Well, it 00:15:24.809 --> 00:15:29.230 was certainly a gruesome tragedy. It was. And 00:15:29.230 --> 00:15:32.289 I think you are aware that it is not the end 00:15:32.289 --> 00:15:37.029 of such tragedies. Especially for God's Breath. 00:15:38.049 --> 00:15:41.649 It's just the beginning, isn't it? You have no 00:15:41.649 --> 00:15:45.090 interest in power. But perhaps you would have 00:15:45.090 --> 00:15:50.549 an interest in powerful allies. People who may 00:15:50.549 --> 00:15:53.850 be able to change and shape the face of these 00:15:53.850 --> 00:15:58.070 things. To avoid such tragedies in the future. 00:15:59.210 --> 00:16:02.409 That is why I have called you here, Mr. Dubois. 00:16:03.309 --> 00:16:06.710 You see, I have come to realize very recently 00:16:06.710 --> 00:16:09.830 that you luminaries hold certain powers and freedoms 00:16:09.830 --> 00:16:14.110 that myself and my agents cannot attain. As such, 00:16:14.110 --> 00:16:17.190 I have decided it could be worth my time to ally 00:16:17.190 --> 00:16:21.000 with one of you. Now, I've done my research. 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:23.919 You have a certain reputation for subtlety and 00:16:23.919 --> 00:16:28.899 discretion that your associates lack. You, as 00:16:28.899 --> 00:16:32.120 far as luminaries go, seem to hold, well, good 00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:35.480 reasons for seeking this position. You do not 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:38.960 seek fame and glory like most of the lot. You 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:43.639 are a practical man. And as a practical woman, 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:47.500 I believe we can help each other. I'm honored. 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:51.279 So you would be interested in such a relationship, 00:16:51.460 --> 00:16:55.980 then? I am. Are you currently partaking in the 00:16:55.980 --> 00:17:00.919 assignments? I am currently available. Very good. 00:17:01.879 --> 00:17:05.400 Then you will go to San Sitian. What will I do 00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:10.299 at San Sitian? Once you arrive, the exact trajectory 00:17:10.299 --> 00:17:14.359 of your investigation will be up to you. But 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:17.640 I have... tidbits of information, pieces of a 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:21.859 larger puzzle. And I need to know more. Now, 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:25.200 we know that Samuel LaRoche is on Sansatian. 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:28.980 You may not be aware of the LaRoche family and 00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:32.579 their role in our political environment, but 00:17:32.579 --> 00:17:37.160 they are as devious as rumored. I want to know 00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:42.299 why he's there. On top of this, we know that... 00:17:42.920 --> 00:17:46.559 A mysterious bounty has been posted. To the payment 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:52.380 of 600 gold. It is my belief Samuel LaRoche posted 00:17:52.380 --> 00:17:55.240 this bounty. Now we are still waiting on information 00:17:55.240 --> 00:18:00.059 about the figure hunted. Only know little. But 00:18:00.059 --> 00:18:04.819 600 gold is a lot. Already hunters are swarming 00:18:04.819 --> 00:18:09.900 to the world to take up this job. We also believe 00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:13.700 there is a connection. Between the Tressina of 00:18:13.700 --> 00:18:18.099 Sansatyan, the leaders of Sansatyan City, and 00:18:18.099 --> 00:18:23.599 the Illness Serenno. Now this is to be kept very 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:27.839 quiet. It's pure speculation, and to let this 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:32.180 leak could be disastrous for my own career and 00:18:32.180 --> 00:18:36.359 position, but it is thought that this is why 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:39.440 Atash... And my own efforts to send proper aid 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:42.119 have been met with cruel indifference from the 00:18:42.119 --> 00:18:46.039 city's leaders. We don't know what purpose the 00:18:46.039 --> 00:18:48.859 illness would have for the Tresina. We do know 00:18:48.859 --> 00:18:50.640 that it has been disproportionately affecting 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:57.819 the lower class. And we know that they were priorly 00:18:57.819 --> 00:19:03.299 on the verge of a revolution. So you're not asking 00:19:03.299 --> 00:19:07.690 me to participate in this bounty? But to learn 00:19:07.690 --> 00:19:14.470 more about Serenno? I simply want more feet on 00:19:14.470 --> 00:19:17.430 the ground. If you choose to investigate the 00:19:17.430 --> 00:19:19.430 bounty, that's up to you. If you choose to investigate 00:19:19.430 --> 00:19:23.309 Serenno, that's up to you. It is my belief that 00:19:23.309 --> 00:19:28.450 all roads lead to the same resolution. The fall 00:19:28.450 --> 00:19:32.029 of the Roche family. Because it's the sandbox. 00:19:32.769 --> 00:19:44.269 Arc. Now I remember. There is one more matter. 00:19:45.190 --> 00:19:49.450 My grandsons are currently on Sansation in the 00:19:49.450 --> 00:19:53.269 midst of all this uncertainty. If possible, I 00:19:53.269 --> 00:19:56.369 would like you to keep an eye on them. Stay away. 00:19:56.410 --> 00:19:59.509 Do not reveal yourself as my agent. They are 00:19:59.509 --> 00:20:03.609 arrogant and foolish both. I do not trust them. 00:20:04.609 --> 00:20:07.730 Do you intend to have children yourself, Mr. 00:20:07.789 --> 00:20:12.089 Dubois? Well, that's a personal question. It 00:20:12.089 --> 00:20:14.970 is. She actually cracks up after a full smile. 00:20:16.309 --> 00:20:20.589 Whatever your answer, I suggest that you... Well, 00:20:20.670 --> 00:20:24.630 you think about it deeply. You will never sleep 00:20:24.630 --> 00:20:27.970 another full night in your life if you do. I'll 00:20:27.970 --> 00:20:33.750 do what I can to protect your boys. Good. Now, 00:20:33.769 --> 00:20:37.910 Enchi turns away from you to the hunch -over 00:20:37.910 --> 00:20:40.910 figure of the dwarven man who's just like, as 00:20:40.910 --> 00:20:43.069 he kind of turns his eyes, sort of sensing that 00:20:43.069 --> 00:20:46.130 he's been called back to you, there are tears 00:20:46.130 --> 00:20:50.410 running down his face. Back to you, Speaker. 00:20:51.309 --> 00:20:53.430 You can see I already have as much information 00:20:53.430 --> 00:20:57.420 as you likely can offer me. I do not need you. 00:20:58.619 --> 00:21:02.140 But you will turn a blind eye to my workings. 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:05.480 You will not warn the Trezina or the LaRoche 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:08.960 family of my interest. You will pardon anything 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:12.819 my agent does within reason. And this is towards 00:21:12.819 --> 00:21:16.000 you, Crispin. Nods his head understandingly. 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:19.240 Whilst he investigates matters on Sansatian for 00:21:19.240 --> 00:21:26.640 me. Is that understood? And just... Nods. Good. 00:21:27.779 --> 00:21:30.039 Now, Mr. Dubois, I have a few more words for 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:35.220 my fellow speaker. You may go. He soundly turns 00:21:35.220 --> 00:21:39.480 and leaves. Do not think this will be without 00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:44.380 copious reward. You'll be paid handsomely, and 00:21:44.380 --> 00:21:48.119 when you come back, once I know you can be trusted, 00:21:48.380 --> 00:21:51.319 I'll bring you into the fold on information that 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:55.759 you... You could never have dreamed of. When 00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:58.680 Sholay starts to speak, he stops in his tracks 00:21:58.680 --> 00:22:01.740 to listen. And without even turning around when 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:04.779 she's done speaking, he just walks out the door. 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:09.359 We see this Harn gone walking down the halls, 00:22:09.420 --> 00:22:12.519 approaching the gate where you see that the guard 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:16.640 is now inside, opens a gate for you. You step 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:20.200 back out into the city and... As you step out, 00:22:20.220 --> 00:22:23.279 as the lights outside sort of fall on you, once 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:26.680 again, for the folks at home, give me a description 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:31.579 of Crispin Dubois. Crispin Dubois is a small 00:22:31.579 --> 00:22:35.019 -sized Haringan. I have to be completely honest. 00:22:35.220 --> 00:22:38.839 In our Unzipped, I talked about his coloring. 00:22:40.059 --> 00:22:42.660 I remember him being mousy. I think he had something, 00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:45.619 some sort of coloring on his face. I can't remember. 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:48.849 I meant to go back and listen. I feel bad. This 00:22:48.849 --> 00:22:51.069 is a different Crispin Dubois now. Oh, yes. That 00:22:51.069 --> 00:22:55.430 was Crispin Dubois. Yeah, exactly. Crispin wears 00:22:55.430 --> 00:23:03.009 a red bandana around his face, covering his nose 00:23:03.009 --> 00:23:06.190 and mouth. I love this. And when it ties back 00:23:06.190 --> 00:23:09.130 behind his head, his ears are tied underneath 00:23:09.130 --> 00:23:12.470 it. That is awesome. It's so cool. Honestly, 00:23:13.210 --> 00:23:16.539 no reason for it. I just like it. I think it's 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:18.980 like his superhero mask. I love it, too, because, 00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:21.920 like, Steven is a bandana wearer. Oh, yeah, for 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:24.500 sure. If I'm not hiking. Oh, yeah. I got a bandana 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:27.559 on. Known bandana wearer Steven Rodriguez. Art 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:32.819 imitates life, I suppose. Hell, yeah. Oh, fun 00:23:32.819 --> 00:23:37.579 thing. Crispin wields a two -handed great club. 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:43.119 Small -sized harrington. Two -handed great club. 00:23:45.099 --> 00:23:48.359 Again, just because I thought it was fun. Crispin 00:23:48.359 --> 00:23:52.200 also has, spoiler alert, unbelievable stats. 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:56.779 Yeah, wait till that bonus ep comes out. We rolled 00:23:56.779 --> 00:24:01.299 stats and it's just not fair. And we see this 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:05.180 figure step out into the light and we pan away. 00:24:06.440 --> 00:24:10.920 Around the same time that this scene began, we 00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:16.640 pan over to another area around this. A familiar 00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:20.259 manor. A large spire jutting up taller than all 00:24:20.259 --> 00:24:24.700 the others. We pan up to this spire. We pan through 00:24:24.700 --> 00:24:28.759 crystalline walls to an upper floor. Now, the 00:24:28.759 --> 00:24:31.000 last time we were here, we saw an office in the 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:33.019 back. We saw some Romans jutting out from the 00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:36.700 central location. We saw a sort of spiral staircase 00:24:36.700 --> 00:24:40.000 moving up to a higher floor. We're on that floor 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:43.700 now. where a number of quarters seem to be tucked 00:24:43.700 --> 00:24:47.599 off to the edge of the main room with one sort 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:50.160 of larger primary door, the sleeping quarters 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:53.619 for Cirilla herself. Currently actually occupied 00:24:53.619 --> 00:24:56.420 by Cerise, as she would only have the finest 00:24:56.420 --> 00:24:59.920 room, Cirilla has been sent to one of the servants' 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.240 rooms, but still locked tight inside. We're not 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:05.819 looking for that room, though. No, no, no, no, 00:25:05.859 --> 00:25:08.119 no. We are turning our attention to one particular 00:25:08.119 --> 00:25:12.549 door. The door beside it, the door belonging 00:25:12.549 --> 00:25:17.309 to Cirilla's personal guard, Dresden Kellig. 00:25:17.849 --> 00:25:20.450 We pan through this door and come to you, to 00:25:20.450 --> 00:25:23.809 your quarters. Before we touch on you yourself, 00:25:24.009 --> 00:25:26.609 let me ask, what do your quarters look like, 00:25:26.630 --> 00:25:31.490 Dresden? I think his quarters are very cluttered, 00:25:31.490 --> 00:25:34.750 but it's very neat and tidy clutter. Like he 00:25:34.750 --> 00:25:39.779 likes to collect things. Ooh, hell yeah. I think 00:25:39.779 --> 00:25:41.779 at this late hour, we might expect to see a man 00:25:41.779 --> 00:25:48.279 sleeping, but we don't. We see a man maybe standing, 00:25:48.359 --> 00:25:51.279 maybe sitting. We see a man in quiet contemplation. 00:25:51.579 --> 00:25:53.940 He's sitting over the side of his bed. There 00:25:53.940 --> 00:25:57.779 you are. We see a, I imagine, very concerned 00:25:57.779 --> 00:26:02.059 look in his eyes as we pan towards him. And real 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:05.420 quick, once again, folks at home, give me a Dresden 00:26:05.420 --> 00:26:08.859 description. Dresden is mostly always wearing 00:26:08.859 --> 00:26:12.359 his chainmail armor. He's got long brown hair, 00:26:12.519 --> 00:26:16.400 slicked from sweat and oil, and he doesn't shower 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:20.200 all that much. His face is dirtied up. He's got 00:26:20.200 --> 00:26:22.799 an eye patch over his left eye, which covers 00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:26.420 up part of a scar that runs from the top side 00:26:26.420 --> 00:26:30.599 of his left forehead down to his chin. Hell yeah. 00:26:31.160 --> 00:26:33.940 We see Dresden, we zoom in towards that eye, 00:26:34.059 --> 00:26:38.000 and... Sorry for the continuous chronological 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:41.160 shifts, folks. We're going to pan to a memory 00:26:41.160 --> 00:26:45.680 from just a few hours prior. Maybe right around 00:26:45.680 --> 00:26:49.319 midnight, as Cirilla is resting in her office. 00:26:50.099 --> 00:26:52.900 She should have been asleep some time ago, but 00:26:52.900 --> 00:26:57.420 no, she sits at her desk, staring down a small, 00:26:57.480 --> 00:27:01.339 round object. An object that Jules LaRoche recently 00:27:01.339 --> 00:27:03.680 almost saw, but didn't quite hit that perception 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:08.460 check. It is a stone of sending. Similar to the 00:27:08.460 --> 00:27:11.259 stone you saw Arhalon use way back when to speak 00:27:11.259 --> 00:27:14.099 with Sholay. Able to send short messages out 00:27:14.099 --> 00:27:18.480 and retrieve them back once a day. Messages need 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:22.740 to be 25 words or fewer. It midnight has struck. 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:27.259 Cirilla waiting. Waiting for a message to come 00:27:27.259 --> 00:27:30.420 through. She's tapping at the desk, fidgeting 00:27:30.420 --> 00:27:33.559 nervously. Eyes flickering around as though looking 00:27:33.559 --> 00:27:38.539 for her mother. For Cerise would not like this. 00:27:39.420 --> 00:27:43.480 By her side we see two figures. Dresden Kellig 00:27:43.480 --> 00:27:48.000 and his brother. Of course, Jessenth Kellig. 00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:51.339 The ratty man keeps glancing over to the stone, 00:27:51.420 --> 00:27:54.599 glancing over to Dresden. His constant sneering 00:27:54.599 --> 00:27:59.039 smile on his face never quite falls off. And 00:27:59.039 --> 00:28:03.930 then... Small mouths along the stone begin to 00:28:03.930 --> 00:28:07.890 open, whispering nothingness. Trela snaps the 00:28:07.890 --> 00:28:11.549 stone up in an instant, holds it up, and at her 00:28:11.549 --> 00:28:14.549 touch, at her command, the mouths begin to speak 00:28:14.549 --> 00:28:17.950 true words, a message coming through, a message 00:28:17.950 --> 00:28:20.890 in shorthand, but saying absolutely everything 00:28:20.890 --> 00:28:25.569 she'd hoped to hear and everything Dresden feared. 00:28:26.710 --> 00:28:31.220 Tlacatacolo, assault successful. Jules gravely 00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:36.319 injured. Possibly dead. Creature fled. Ordered 00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:39.779 to preserve self. Maintaining Serino highest 00:28:39.779 --> 00:28:45.680 priority. Jules infected. Death likely within 00:28:45.680 --> 00:28:55.079 the week. Oh, that's lovely. That is lovely. 00:28:55.480 --> 00:28:58.279 Do you hear that? She looks over at you, Dresden. 00:28:59.379 --> 00:29:06.859 Isn't that just lovely? Finally. Finally. I want 00:29:06.859 --> 00:29:09.059 you to roll an insight check real quick. Oh, 00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:15.920 first roll. We get dice tonight. Ooh, baby. And 00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:21.779 first roll is only a nine. Okay. Um, with a nine, 00:29:21.940 --> 00:29:25.299 you... I want to tell you what you don't see. 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:29.769 I think that's fun. Okay. Dresden, your eyes 00:29:29.769 --> 00:29:33.049 are focused on Cirilla. She's just these happy 00:29:33.049 --> 00:29:36.130 musings of hers. Her sort of like stretch and 00:29:36.130 --> 00:29:39.529 sigh of relief knowing that that intolerable 00:29:39.529 --> 00:29:41.750 Jules LaRoche is finally, finally getting his 00:29:41.750 --> 00:29:45.789 due. You're focused on her. So you don't see 00:29:45.789 --> 00:29:49.470 the glance in your direction from Jessenth, from 00:29:49.470 --> 00:29:53.269 your brother. The narrowed eyes watching you 00:29:53.269 --> 00:29:59.019 with some suspicion. You don't see that. Of course 00:29:59.019 --> 00:30:02.980 I don't. And we cut to later in the night. We 00:30:02.980 --> 00:30:06.460 cut to Dresden on his bed, sitting and thinking. 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:09.880 You have spent years maintaining your position 00:30:09.880 --> 00:30:13.180 in this family, long after realizing their wickedness. 00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:18.519 What has been your role here? Not your role to 00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:20.380 the higher -ups that you pretend to serve. What 00:30:20.380 --> 00:30:23.500 has been your role to the people? I've been feeding 00:30:23.500 --> 00:30:26.799 them information. Acting as a bit of a double 00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:30.960 agent with Jules. All these years, these close 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:35.920 calls. Micken's pub in the first episode. Perhaps 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:41.200 some of it was luck and wits on Jules' end. I 00:30:41.200 --> 00:30:45.460 don't know about that. But definitely a lot of 00:30:45.460 --> 00:30:48.319 it has been his secret weapon on the inside. 00:30:48.900 --> 00:30:54.900 Absolutely. Hell yeah. But now... Now there's 00:30:54.900 --> 00:30:57.940 trouble. Now you know that the LaRoche family 00:30:57.940 --> 00:31:04.200 has finally struck true. Jules may be dead. It 00:31:04.200 --> 00:31:07.500 wasn't confirmed either way, and if not, he is 00:31:07.500 --> 00:31:12.359 most certainly dying. And your position here 00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:16.960 has not been fruitful as of late. Tythos gone, 00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:20.000 Jules no longer being apprehended in the same 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.069 way, and... Cerise, while she's so close, the 00:31:24.069 --> 00:31:27.289 head of this family, the head of the snake, she's 00:31:27.289 --> 00:31:31.390 kept her distance, always so careful. Years of 00:31:31.390 --> 00:31:35.369 service, and she's still so careful. Your influence 00:31:35.369 --> 00:31:38.369 here is limited, and so I'm going to ask you, 00:31:38.490 --> 00:31:44.289 Dresden, what do you intend to do? Dresden intends 00:31:44.289 --> 00:31:49.269 to leave and go to San Sitian. When? Tonight. 00:31:50.829 --> 00:31:54.789 The guards are, for the most part, at rest. Your 00:31:54.789 --> 00:31:59.769 masters. Foe masters at rest. This is the opportune 00:31:59.769 --> 00:32:03.690 time. And so, we do see Dresden wearing his chainmail. 00:32:04.410 --> 00:32:07.509 Packed and ready to go with all of his belongings. 00:32:08.529 --> 00:32:11.750 How do you want to proceed? How blocked is my 00:32:11.750 --> 00:32:15.150 way out? There will be a single guard at the 00:32:15.150 --> 00:32:17.609 main door. You know the words to get in and out 00:32:17.609 --> 00:32:19.910 the main door, though. You can open it from your 00:32:19.910 --> 00:32:24.490 side. And as it stands, you know the man. He 00:32:24.490 --> 00:32:27.029 knows you. You may be able to make an excuse. 00:32:28.170 --> 00:32:32.529 Do I know of any secret ways out? The one door 00:32:32.529 --> 00:32:35.390 is the only way. Just the one? These crystalline 00:32:35.390 --> 00:32:39.269 manners are very well fortified. Okay. We see 00:32:39.269 --> 00:32:43.690 you open the door to your quarters, step through, 00:32:43.809 --> 00:32:48.569 move quietly down the stairs. Well, we'll see 00:32:48.569 --> 00:32:50.170 if it's quiet. Give me a stealth roll. Why not? 00:32:50.599 --> 00:32:53.900 Ooh. Got a chainmail on. Disadvantage. Fuck off. 00:32:54.019 --> 00:32:57.779 Oh, shit. Already? Eh, why not? It's fun. I mean, 00:32:57.779 --> 00:32:59.500 I'm not necessarily trying. I'm not trying to 00:32:59.500 --> 00:33:01.440 sneak out. That's true. I mean, if you're heard, 00:33:01.680 --> 00:33:03.119 I mean, like, honestly, I think we touched on 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:05.460 this before. These rooms, just like in the hotel, 00:33:05.740 --> 00:33:12.200 the crystal stallion. Change it. It should be 00:33:12.200 --> 00:33:14.559 the crystallion. Change it. It's the crystallion 00:33:14.559 --> 00:33:16.480 now. Yeah, there you go. It's like the tilted. 00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:18.900 It's fancier. Everybody say it. Anyway. I don't 00:33:18.900 --> 00:33:22.630 accept it. How do I accept you? The walls are 00:33:22.630 --> 00:33:24.150 actually pretty much soundproof, so realistically, 00:33:24.369 --> 00:33:25.809 unless someone's out and about on the main floors, 00:33:26.029 --> 00:33:30.650 you're actually fine. Yeah. There's one way out. 00:33:30.730 --> 00:33:33.309 I know there's people there. I'm not going to 00:33:33.309 --> 00:33:35.869 try and... I just like roles with disadvantage. 00:33:35.950 --> 00:33:39.769 They're funny. You're like the trusted guard 00:33:39.769 --> 00:33:43.910 of the lady. Halt! What are you doing here? No, 00:33:45.589 --> 00:33:47.670 I'm the one that tells you to halt. Explain yourself 00:33:47.670 --> 00:33:52.680 to me. All right, then you move? Yeah. Okay, 00:33:52.779 --> 00:33:54.980 you move down the stairs towards the one door 00:33:54.980 --> 00:33:59.180 out. You open the door? I open the door. Oh, 00:33:59.180 --> 00:34:01.640 whoa, whoa. Gardner decides, sort of startled 00:34:01.640 --> 00:34:02.980 at the door behind him, just when they opened, 00:34:03.119 --> 00:34:08.199 turns and looks at you. Oh, Sir Kelly. Uh, can 00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:10.639 I help you? I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean 00:34:10.639 --> 00:34:15.360 to scare you. It's all right. Are you, uh, out 00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:18.960 on a request from Lady Cirilla? No, no, I'm, 00:34:18.960 --> 00:34:21.730 uh... I'm just gonna go for a little bit of a 00:34:21.730 --> 00:34:28.150 walk. Oh. Well, take care. He nods, and you pass 00:34:28.150 --> 00:34:32.289 by. You take care now. You know this man. His 00:34:32.289 --> 00:34:39.909 name is, uh, Craig. You know, garden of blue 00:34:39.909 --> 00:34:41.730 and white, normal LaRoche colors, but he's actually 00:34:41.730 --> 00:34:43.210 one of the good ones. Have a good night, Craig. 00:34:45.590 --> 00:34:50.989 Well, when you say it, it's not cool. I love 00:34:50.989 --> 00:34:52.769 the grid. It's so different from Jules. I love 00:34:52.769 --> 00:34:55.130 it. It's going to take me a little bit to get 00:34:55.130 --> 00:34:57.809 used to it. Oh, it's so good. Both these characters 00:34:57.809 --> 00:34:59.469 are so good. Yeah, we got a lot to fall into. 00:34:59.949 --> 00:35:02.190 Let me ask you this. Do you, I mean, you know 00:35:02.190 --> 00:35:04.110 that like you could move through the preserve 00:35:04.110 --> 00:35:06.170 itself, go up the long stairs, all that stuff, 00:35:06.289 --> 00:35:07.670 or you can just go to the gates. There should 00:35:07.670 --> 00:35:09.230 be someone there that's willing to teleport you 00:35:09.230 --> 00:35:11.389 to the main, you know, entrance to the preserve 00:35:11.389 --> 00:35:13.170 and you could just get out the sort of normal 00:35:13.170 --> 00:35:15.610 way. One of those will take hours. One of those 00:35:15.610 --> 00:35:19.510 will take minutes. Yeah. Can I roll something 00:35:19.510 --> 00:35:23.150 to see if I would know how safe it is to take 00:35:23.150 --> 00:35:28.630 the normal channel? Ooh, I like that. Ooh, yeah, 00:35:28.710 --> 00:35:31.050 yeah, yeah. Okay, give me either history or insight. 00:35:33.650 --> 00:35:38.760 That's a 21. Okay. You know that these sort of 00:35:38.760 --> 00:35:41.280 normal, you know, these gates of teleportation, 00:35:41.380 --> 00:35:43.639 much like a lot of the other features, like the 00:35:43.639 --> 00:35:45.820 Concord Jewel landing sites out on the outside 00:35:45.820 --> 00:35:48.260 of the Radiant Citadel, the sort of main gate 00:35:48.260 --> 00:35:50.260 going into the preserve, these are all sort of 00:35:50.260 --> 00:35:54.340 maintained by, I'm trying to think of a cool 00:35:54.340 --> 00:35:57.280 name for them. I've mentioned before, there's 00:35:57.280 --> 00:35:59.719 these white -robed sort of workers that sort 00:35:59.719 --> 00:36:02.039 of take care of everything for the, you know, 00:36:02.059 --> 00:36:05.380 all the sort of deeper magical mechanics of the 00:36:05.380 --> 00:36:08.000 Oral Diamond. They are called the retainers. 00:36:09.900 --> 00:36:12.440 Right? Is that okay? Is that good? Yeah. Yeah, 00:36:12.480 --> 00:36:14.400 of course. Unless you want to go with toll booth 00:36:14.400 --> 00:36:18.159 operators. No, I don't. I don't. Less whimsical. 00:36:20.360 --> 00:36:25.000 So the retainers, basically, they serve the speakers, 00:36:25.179 --> 00:36:27.360 but they don't necessarily serve any individual 00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:29.679 speaker. And from what you've seen, they are 00:36:29.679 --> 00:36:31.820 generally people chosen for this world because 00:36:31.820 --> 00:36:36.179 they are uncompromisable. Do not act without 00:36:36.179 --> 00:36:39.519 writs. They don't report information to anyone 00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:41.659 in particular. I think with the 21, you feel 00:36:41.659 --> 00:36:44.619 like, as far as at least the people who maintain 00:36:44.619 --> 00:36:46.659 the gate, you're safe. And they're the only ones 00:36:46.659 --> 00:36:48.179 who would be around at this time of night, really. 00:36:48.380 --> 00:36:49.920 There might be a couple of shapes moving around 00:36:49.920 --> 00:36:52.760 throughout the city, but it's 2 in the morning. 00:36:52.900 --> 00:36:56.420 No one's out and about. Okay. Okay. Then I'll 00:36:56.420 --> 00:37:00.039 take the quick way. Okay. Yeah, that makes sense 00:37:00.039 --> 00:37:02.960 to me. Yeah. They won't be able to chase you 00:37:02.960 --> 00:37:07.239 as fast. You begin to move, striding around the 00:37:07.239 --> 00:37:10.300 amphitheater. We'll say the gates are on sort 00:37:10.300 --> 00:37:13.079 of the western side. And that is correct, west. 00:37:13.179 --> 00:37:15.340 I got it right this time. The western side of 00:37:15.340 --> 00:37:17.119 the amphitheater, moving down sort of the main 00:37:17.119 --> 00:37:19.079 thoroughfare. You're saying I gotta go west? 00:37:20.860 --> 00:37:23.320 The wind is saying you have to go west. I heard 00:37:23.320 --> 00:37:29.380 east. She was wrong! You begin to move down streets. 00:37:30.539 --> 00:37:34.409 Empty, but vibrant. with life, your eyes still 00:37:34.409 --> 00:37:36.630 falling on bits of text and hearing that jingle 00:37:36.630 --> 00:37:39.789 of music constantly thrumming, thrumming, just 00:37:39.789 --> 00:37:43.170 this never -ending stream of narrative and energy 00:37:43.170 --> 00:37:48.929 pulsing through this city, or tiny city. As you 00:37:48.929 --> 00:37:52.230 begin to close in, you do notice a couple of 00:37:52.230 --> 00:37:55.429 figures, kind of strange, moving down the road, 00:37:55.590 --> 00:38:00.090 somewhat in your direction. Large, imposing figures. 00:38:00.760 --> 00:38:02.320 The kind you wouldn't expect to be out here. 00:38:03.119 --> 00:38:05.880 Now, you have a couple of options. There's an 00:38:05.880 --> 00:38:08.940 alley to your almost immediate right. You could 00:38:08.940 --> 00:38:11.099 try ducking into, you know, sort of holding still 00:38:11.099 --> 00:38:14.239 there. Or you could push forward. You know that 00:38:14.239 --> 00:38:17.860 the gates are just beyond these figures. What 00:38:17.860 --> 00:38:23.199 do you do? I duck into the alley. You duck into 00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:25.760 the alley. And imagine just hold and wait for 00:38:25.760 --> 00:38:31.750 a moment. Correct. Good. Yep. Because the map 00:38:31.750 --> 00:38:35.989 I made was for the alley. Perfect. Oh my goodness. 00:38:37.409 --> 00:38:41.030 I knew this was coming. Wait, you knew this was 00:38:41.030 --> 00:38:44.309 going to happen? No. I mean, I knew. You had 00:38:44.309 --> 00:38:47.630 a premonition? Yes. Gotcha. This is not something 00:38:47.630 --> 00:38:51.530 we talked about, but I knew. You hold, waiting 00:38:51.530 --> 00:38:54.250 for the guard to pass. You hear them approach. 00:38:55.070 --> 00:38:57.010 You hear them as they're just about to move by. 00:38:57.769 --> 00:39:03.139 And then you hear... Something else. Well, brother. 00:39:04.079 --> 00:39:11.239 I knew it. I knew it. The voice behind you from 00:39:11.239 --> 00:39:14.099 the other side of the alley. Do you turn to face 00:39:14.099 --> 00:39:21.539 it? Yes. And there he is. Jessenth Kellig. The 00:39:21.539 --> 00:39:28.320 ratty man. Head balding. Teeth large. nose pressed 00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:31.900 in, definitely did not get the looks in the family. 00:39:32.039 --> 00:39:35.760 And yet his watery eyes glare towards you. His 00:39:35.760 --> 00:39:41.440 smile is wide, beaming. There are two figures 00:39:41.440 --> 00:39:46.920 beside him, each cloaked, faces shrouded. And 00:39:46.920 --> 00:39:49.420 you can feel the figures moving down the road, 00:39:49.539 --> 00:39:52.960 as well as others having joined them from somewhere 00:39:52.960 --> 00:39:56.420 you don't know. Four figures in total pressing 00:39:56.420 --> 00:39:59.599 in behind you, and you realize you are trapped. 00:40:00.860 --> 00:40:05.280 How many times, brother, how many times do we 00:40:05.280 --> 00:40:07.460 get information from one of the street rats on 00:40:07.460 --> 00:40:12.179 Tythos? One of the rats in Cerule? How many times 00:40:12.179 --> 00:40:14.420 did I almost have jewels in the palm of my hand 00:40:14.420 --> 00:40:18.440 only for him to miraculously vanish? I'd known 00:40:18.440 --> 00:40:20.699 for some time, but I was waiting, waiting for 00:40:20.699 --> 00:40:24.710 you to out yourself. And now you have. Where 00:40:24.710 --> 00:40:27.750 are you going, brother? That's nothing you need 00:40:27.750 --> 00:40:33.550 to know. Oh, I'm afraid I do need to know. Because 00:40:33.550 --> 00:40:36.630 I have suspicions that you're going to San Sitian 00:40:36.630 --> 00:40:42.550 to help the boy. Help the prince. Your suspicions 00:40:42.550 --> 00:40:46.349 are bullshit. Unfortunately, my friends here 00:40:46.349 --> 00:40:51.329 don't seem to think so. So we've reached a bit 00:40:51.329 --> 00:40:54.889 of an impasse. Because... Well, so long as I 00:40:54.889 --> 00:40:56.730 have these suspicions, I can't simply let you 00:40:56.730 --> 00:41:01.329 go. And, well, wouldn't it be convenient if that 00:41:01.329 --> 00:41:04.570 nice, cushy position as Cirilla's primary guard 00:41:04.570 --> 00:41:08.690 was erased? If someone more deserving could step 00:41:08.690 --> 00:41:12.909 in? Someone who has not been appreciated as they 00:41:12.909 --> 00:41:15.429 should be by the family? You think that's not 00:41:15.429 --> 00:41:18.849 for a reason? I think I'm going to earn their 00:41:18.849 --> 00:41:22.219 appreciation now. I'll be honest with you, I 00:41:22.219 --> 00:41:24.880 will. You're a better fighter than me, brother. 00:41:25.480 --> 00:41:28.139 That wasn't always the case. But you've grown 00:41:28.139 --> 00:41:32.079 since I gave you those scars. Training relentlessly, 00:41:32.219 --> 00:41:35.340 learning to adapt to our master's dark magics. 00:41:35.960 --> 00:41:40.500 Oh yes, yes, you are stronger than me now. But 00:41:40.500 --> 00:41:46.300 I'm not without my own gifts. See, I've always 00:41:46.300 --> 00:41:48.300 been much better at making the right friends. 00:41:49.320 --> 00:41:52.260 You feel those bodies getting closer. Oh, so 00:41:52.260 --> 00:41:54.400 you need your friends to fight your battles for 00:41:54.400 --> 00:41:59.059 you? His face drops into a snarl. That is why. 00:41:59.539 --> 00:42:06.280 Because you are weak. Seething. Take him! The 00:42:06.280 --> 00:42:09.960 guards begin to move in. What they don't see 00:42:09.960 --> 00:42:14.119 is the figure moving down the road behind them. 00:42:14.559 --> 00:42:16.639 Just turning around the alley, coming towards 00:42:16.639 --> 00:42:19.460 his commotion, completely unexpected in the dead 00:42:19.460 --> 00:42:23.719 of the night. A Haringan having just left his 00:42:23.719 --> 00:42:27.199 meeting. Completely unexpected. And we're going 00:42:27.199 --> 00:42:31.760 to pan away from that. Now, I'm guessing our 00:42:31.760 --> 00:42:34.320 listeners are on the edge of their seats wondering 00:42:34.320 --> 00:42:37.480 what's been happening to our friends in the past. 00:42:38.099 --> 00:42:42.000 Yeah, me too. To Jules and Zebulon. So just for 00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:43.300 a moment, just for a moment, let's get a glimpse. 00:42:43.500 --> 00:42:46.760 Let's get a quick glimpse of them. The clock 00:42:46.760 --> 00:42:49.360 winds back. I'll be doing a lot of maintaining 00:42:49.360 --> 00:42:51.039 time in this next arc. It's going to be a big 00:42:51.039 --> 00:42:53.500 deal. If you say we pan over a coffin, I'm going 00:42:53.500 --> 00:42:57.539 to punch you in the face. Graves in the sand. 00:42:58.420 --> 00:43:02.280 We're going to pan back to Sansatyan. Once again, 00:43:02.280 --> 00:43:04.239 it is 11 o 'clock and we are in the middle of 00:43:04.239 --> 00:43:09.260 the desert. Serenno. You have Serenno. You're 00:43:09.260 --> 00:43:11.300 all going to die, and there's nothing I can do 00:43:11.300 --> 00:43:14.280 about it. Sean Franklin's standing over you, 00:43:14.340 --> 00:43:17.579 frantic. Jules on the ground, having just been 00:43:17.579 --> 00:43:21.199 healed from this brutal strike. Zebulon standing 00:43:21.199 --> 00:43:26.960 by his side. There's a way out of this. I know 00:43:26.960 --> 00:43:32.559 there is. There's gotta be. Zebulon's just staring 00:43:32.559 --> 00:43:36.340 down at the ground. He was still on his knees 00:43:36.340 --> 00:43:56.769 after healing Jules. And Zebulon pulls out what 00:43:56.769 --> 00:44:04.969 Stephen thought was an antidote, which still 00:44:04.969 --> 00:44:09.710 probably wouldn't have helped. but is in all 00:44:09.710 --> 00:44:13.670 actuality, what was it, an antitoxin? Yeah, it's 00:44:13.670 --> 00:44:16.150 an antitoxin. It helps before the save. Right. 00:44:16.550 --> 00:44:22.210 Whoops. And he's looking at this, what he thinks 00:44:22.210 --> 00:44:25.690 is going to cure him. Jules, here, take this. 00:44:25.829 --> 00:44:29.610 Wait, wait, wait, that's not, give me that. He 00:44:29.610 --> 00:44:33.650 snatches it from you. That's an antitoxin. Well, 00:44:33.650 --> 00:44:35.309 that's going to make us feel better, right? No, 00:44:35.389 --> 00:44:39.590 it might help later. Hold on to this. Did you 00:44:39.590 --> 00:44:41.730 think it was an antidote? Well, yeah, it's for 00:44:41.730 --> 00:44:44.230 poison, right? I'm doing your shopping now. All 00:44:44.230 --> 00:44:50.050 right. Look, not much is known about serino yet, 00:44:50.150 --> 00:44:53.409 but you have all the symptoms. And there's these 00:44:53.409 --> 00:44:56.170 rumors that it comes across on a cold wind in 00:44:56.170 --> 00:44:59.570 the night. That thing, it must have... Infected 00:44:59.570 --> 00:45:00.610 you. That must be what's infecting everyone. 00:45:00.829 --> 00:45:03.150 It takes the form of an owl, and no one knows 00:45:03.150 --> 00:45:06.730 that it's that, a demon. That thing came for 00:45:06.730 --> 00:45:12.230 me. We know where it came from. Who's sending 00:45:12.230 --> 00:45:16.230 that out there? What do we do? Hey, grab that 00:45:16.230 --> 00:45:19.510 scroll. The scroll? Oh. The scroll, the scroll. 00:45:19.710 --> 00:45:21.949 Right, right. Yeah, the only one you guys are, 00:45:21.989 --> 00:45:24.389 like, feeling so heavy and exhausted, Jean just 00:45:24.389 --> 00:45:27.880 scrambles to pick it up, and he just... lifts 00:45:27.880 --> 00:45:31.239 the scroll up and opens it, and he just freezes. 00:45:32.360 --> 00:45:35.280 He lowers it down, and he looks at you, Jules, 00:45:35.400 --> 00:45:38.719 and there's a look in his eyes that shakes you 00:45:38.719 --> 00:45:45.840 to your core. We have another problem. I... I 00:45:45.840 --> 00:45:47.880 haven't been around much, but I recognize... 00:45:47.880 --> 00:45:55.920 Here. Take it. Jules takes it and starts to open 00:45:55.920 --> 00:45:58.940 it up in front of... in front of him and Zeb. 00:45:59.619 --> 00:46:03.900 As you begin to open it, Jean's still in the 00:46:03.900 --> 00:46:06.679 background talking in the stream. It's marked 00:46:06.679 --> 00:46:10.539 for four days prior. 600 gold bounty. There must 00:46:10.539 --> 00:46:12.480 be more here already. They must have been latecomers. 00:46:13.079 --> 00:46:14.639 We're already late to the chase. I don't know 00:46:14.639 --> 00:46:17.599 what we're going to do. You hear this, and the 00:46:17.599 --> 00:46:21.880 words kind of fade away, I think, as your eyes 00:46:21.880 --> 00:46:25.659 fall on the scroll itself. Bold, huge letters. 00:46:26.789 --> 00:46:32.469 Wanted. Dead. In a picture of a half -orc child. 00:46:33.449 --> 00:46:38.309 It is a picture of Miskin. What? And we'll call 00:46:38.309 --> 00:47:02.260 it there. Hey, Jules. Hey, Jules, what's going 00:47:02.260 --> 00:47:04.699 on, man? Yeah, mousey -a, you know? Who the fuck's 00:47:04.699 --> 00:47:07.280 Jules? Ah, shit, sorry, Jules. Wait, you know 00:47:07.280 --> 00:47:08.699 what, Jules? You're also a big fella, though. 00:47:09.980 --> 00:47:11.360 Hey, a big guy and a little guy. I know these 00:47:11.360 --> 00:47:17.280 two. Ah, shit. Ah, no, it's recording. Get Chester 00:47:17.280 --> 00:47:18.539 out of there. He's off the podcast.