Transcript created by Lyra Song.
Download a Word doc of the transcript: Magpies Podcast tc S01E13 The Black Market Score final
## Intro
Rhi: Welcome back to Duskwall and, as always, thank you for listening. Sorry for sounding a little croaky in this intro; I kinda lost my voice at Gen Con, which, by the way, losing my voice aside, was absolutely fantastic. It was so wonderful to meet so many awesome people, both current listeners and people who hadn’t listened yet. If you are a new listener that I met at Gen Con, welcome! And please go back to episode one to start from there, if you haven’t. This episode is not gonna make any sense otherwise.
One other announcement: next month, Tess of RPG Casts and I Am Hear has organized a really great event for International Podcast Month. She has gotten together a large group of podcasters who do actual play and audio dramas and had them record a number of special one shot or mini dramas for International Podcast Month. Minna and I both participated in one shot games that will air in September. You can visit internationalpodcastmonth.com for more details. That link will also be in the show notes.
Next, Josie is going to share this month’s featured charity.
Josie: The Silvia Rivera Law Project is a collective organization that works to provide legal help to transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming people, especially those that are low income or people of color. Trans and intersex people, especially queer trans PoC, face significant discrimination and difficulty in making sure they are accurately and fairly represented under the law, and the current administration has only increased these risks. The SRLP provides assistance in seeking name and gender form changes and legal representation, as well as advocating for the rights of transgender prisoners. To learn more or make a donation, visit srlp.org.
Rhi: For our US listeners, you can also visit 5calls.org to find scripts on pressing issues that our representatives need to hear about. Please check to make sure that you are registered to vote no matter where you live or how certain you are that you’re already registered. The upcoming midterm elections are going to be absolutely critical in slowing the tide of hate, bigotry, and harm coming from the Republican Party.
Now then, let’s get started. Shall we?
## [00:02:32] Story resumes
Rhi: We start off on a closeup of a newspaper article. Beside the headline is a detailed sketch of The Magpies signature pin. The headline reads:
“Brigands Strike Embassy and Clinic in Ongoing Campaign of Terror,” by Anita Argent, staff reporter.
“The criminal gang known as The Magpies, identified by their distinctive pins left at the scenes of their numerous crimes, have continued to strike terror into the good people of Duskwall. Their theft at the Iruvian Embassy and attempted assassination of Ambassador Elstera Avrathi, reported in this very paper, was apparently only the beginning of their senseless campaign of violence. A mere nine days ago, shortly before Doskvorn, they infiltrated the research clinic of well-known physicker Dr. Elias Hagen and set off multiple bombs. Two guards were killed in the explosions, another was injured, and dozens of coin worth of valuable medical supplies were stolen. Dr. Hagen believes that this brazen attack will set his research back by months, if not years.
“Despite their frequent attacks, little is known of the members of this mysterious gang. They are a group of four women, and surviving witnesses describe them as well-armed, well-organized, and astonishingly cruel. They seemed to act out of a desire only to cause fear and pain. The Bluecoats and Inspectors already possess an extensive case file on the group, but until they are caught, Duskwall remains gripped by the terrifying question: where will The Magpies strike next?”
We zoom out to see The Magpies themselves at—
Minna: [giggling]
Rhi: Their traditional table in The Hound’s Paw, huddled around a copy of The Doskvol Daily, where this article is printed. Across the table from you guys, your friends from The North Hook Mirror, the other newspaper in town, Lani and Roxanne, who are watching you read this article, looking a little bit amused.
Josie: [laugh]
Rhi: When you look up, Lani just gives you this big grin and does this big, showy sign that Roxanne translates as:
Rhi (as Roxanne): Congratulations, you’re famous!
Kim (as Blaire): “Striking terror?”
Josie (as Minx): I must say, I’m not surprised, but also not what I was hoping for.
Kim (as Blaire): Also, this is highly inaccurate. They described this as “organized.”
Josie: I—
Josie, Madge, Minna, and Rhi: [laughter]
Madge (as Phin): I mean, she’s not wrong. She’s not wrong in that criticism.
Josie (as Minx): Well, I suppose all press is good press, as the saying goes.
Kim (as Blaire): Really?
Josie (as Minx): That… I mean, that’s the conventional wisdom I choose to believe, at this point. [chuckle]
Kim (as Blaire): But, like, people know who we are now. We bought hundreds of those pins. We can’t leave them around anymore.
Josie (as Minx): Why not?
Minna (as Myra): Weren’t we trying to have them say our names?
Madge (as Phin): I think this is part of the plan.
Rhi: Yeah. And the article does not include names or descriptions of you, other than you’re all women.
Kim: Fair.
Rhi: They seem to be a little light on that point, so…
Minna (as Myra): Yeah. I think the point was for them to get to know the gang as a force. Not sure we want it to be known as a force of cruelty, but you know what? I’m okay with the people that we attacked thinking we’re cruel, because—
Madge (as Phin): They deserved it?
Kim (as Blaire): We’re cruel to them, sure, but cruel in general? I don’t know.
Rhi: Lani cuts in at that point and nods at Myra, and signs her thoughts on this.
Rhi (as Lani): The Doskvol Daily is more or less a paper for the nobility. I mean, The North Hook Mirror isn’t exactly aiming at the common masses, but I think we aim for a little more accuracy in our reporting. We actually came by to see you again because we saw this article. We were wondering if either of these places, the embassy or the clinic… Well, first, we’re assuming that it’s accurate that you actually hit either of these places. But if you did, we were wondering if either of them had any connection to The Circle of Flame.
Josie (as Minx): The embassy did. The clinic was… somewhat unrelated. But we did find confirmation: correspondence between The Circle of Flame and Ambassador Avrathi, as well as a journal that, I believe, Myra was working on translating.
Minna (as Myra): I’ve gotten the translations back, but I’d rather not pass the information to you until I’ve had a little more chance to sort through it. It could be quite dangerous.
Rhi (as Lani): Of course, of course. We understand. Would the letter be all right to look at?
Kim: I’ll have it on me.
Rhi: Okay. Are you gonna let them take a look at the letter?
Kim: Yes.
Rhi: Lani takes it and Roxanne leans over her shoulder to read it. You see their eyes both get really wide, then Lani sets down the letter, and they both start signing at each other rapid fire. Minx, you can maybe pick up every 10th word—maybe.
Josie: [laugh] There’s some swearing in there.
Rhi: [laugh] Yeah. Those, you can pick out. But eventually, Roxanne turns to the rest of you and says:
Rhi (as Roxanne): This is… This is huge. We’ve been working on putting together our article exposing The Circle of Flame, and having confirmation that the Iruvian ambassador is involved in things like this—that’s huge. Would you be willing to let us borrow this letter?
Kim: I’m asking the group: do you think it’s a good idea to let them have it, or should we give them a copy?
Madge: Let’s give a copy, I think.
Josie: Yes. And it’s also probably a bit too early to break the scoop without bringing their wrath down upon the Mirror.
Minna (as Myra): This Avrathi person is a dangerous person. It may not be the best idea until we’ve had a little more chance to feel out the extent of that danger.
Rhi: You can see both of them sort of… They were really excited. They both slump a little bit, but Lani nods and slides the letter back and signs:
Rhi (as Lani): If you can make a copy and bring it to us later on, we’d love to have it. It would be very helpful. But you’re right, we’ll need a little more information, I think, before we go public with this. But this is… this is very significant. And if you do find anything else, we’d really appreciate it.
Rhi: Roxanne checks at her coin purse for a second, and then shakes her head and adds:
Rhi (as Roxanne): Whenever you bring the copy by, we can pay you for the information, as well.
Josie (as Minx): Ooh, excellent.
Rhi (as Roxanne): I just don’t have enough on me right now.
Kim (as Blaire): It’s okay.
Rhi (as Roxanne): I just brought drinking money.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah.
Josie (as Minx): No stress. We are working towards a common goal, it seems, here.
Rhi (as Roxanne): Yes. Well, I think we might go and actually start doing some research of our own into Avrathi—not as up close and person as you apparently got, but there’s all kinds of things to find in the city records, so…
Minna (as Myra): Just let us know what you find. I think the more information we all have, the better.
Madge (as Phin): Mhmm.
Rhi (as Roxanne): Agreed.
Rhi: They stand up and say their goodbyes, and detour by the bar and talk to Rigney for a second before heading out. A few moments after they’ve left, Rigney comes over with a fresh round of drinks.
Rhi (as Rigney): [grunt] They paid for your next round.
Kim (as Blaire): Oh.
Minna: Aww!
Josie: Aww!
Kim: Aww!
Rhi: Switches out your empty glasses for a fresh one, and then he heads back to the bar.
Minna (as Myra): I got those translations back. I know we haven’t had a chance to meet about this yet.
Josie (as Minx): Oh, of course. Do tell.
Minna (as Myra): There’s quite a bit in the translations. I’ve put together a summary of what’s in there. It’s not great. I mean, first of all, Blaire, you know that eye of yours?
Kim (as Blaire): Mhmm.
Minna (as Myra): I think I may know what it is.
Kim (as Blaire): Really?
Madge (as Phin): Really?
Minna (as Myra): Three relics, the relics of Kotar, it seems that these people are interested in, were taken from the remains of a sorcerer or a demon—something from before the cataclysm. They’ve been lost for quite a long time. Having all three of them is supposed to give you power. There is an annotation next to the entry about the Eye of Kotar that says “fucking Magpies,” so I would guess that you did steal that. It seems to be the only one of those objects that they—
Kim (as Blaire): [long, hesitant noise]
Minna (as Myra): Are you okay?
Rhi: [laughter]
Kim (as Blaire): I… Yeah. I’m just curious, why do you think it said “fucking Magpies?”
Minna (as Myra): You stole it, didn’t you?
Kim (as Blaire): [hesitantly] Yes…? Kind of?
Minna (as Myra): I think they know that we stole it.
Kim (as Blaire): Okay.
Madge (as Phin): Great.
Kim (as Blaire): No, no, it’s okay. We can fix this. Um… We just have… You know. Yeah. We, we have to make sure they don’t find it.
Madge (as Phin): By throwing it into the river.
Kim (as Blaire): No! I can throw it up in a box and lock it up real good, trust me.
Madge (as Phin): Okay. That’s also a good option, as long as we don’t take it out anymore.
Josie (as Minx): Although, I do believe you stole it from a locked box.
Kim (as Blaire): No, but I can lock a really good box.
Josie (as Minx): Is it like a magic lockbox?
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah. Yeah, I put like protection spells and shit on it.
Josie (as Minx): Can you actually do that? [chuckle]
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah.
Josie (as Minx): Oh, okay.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah, I did that to hide clothes from my sister.
Josie and Minna: [laughter]
Minna: To hide what from your sister?
Josie (as Minx): I– I’m—
Rhi: Clothes. [laughter]
Minna: Bless!
Josie (as Minx): I’m glad you’re using your magic for a noble cause. [laugh]
Minna (as Myra): Also, I know you’ve been experimenting with it. It might help to know that you can see anything within a mile of your location with it.
Kim (as Blaire): Really?
Minna (as Myra): According to their notes. They may be out of date; I don’t know.
Kim (as Blaire): That’s pretty cool.
Minna (as Myra): It’s one of three objects: the Eye of Kotar, the Hand of Kotar, and the Heart of Kotar. It’s the only one that they had, or that they had a really good lead on.
Kim (as Blaire): Right. And the other two are still missing.
Minna (as Myra): The other two are still missing. One of them, there is absolutely no information about where it’s located. As for the Hand, there’s a couple of city names, and one of those is Duskwall. But the information is very sketchy. I don’t know that it’s very useful to us just yet. But I’ll pass the notes on to you.
Kim (as Blaire): So, we get all three, and then hide them all together, so that way they can’t get it.
Josie (as Minx): Or, if they do find them, then they get all of them at once.
Kim (as Blaire): But they won’t.
Josie (as Minx): At this point, throwing them into the ocean sounds like the best plan.
Kim (as Blaire): [distressed noise] You guys are unfun!
Madge (as Phin): Or… just straight up destroying them.
Kim (as Blaire): No! We can’t destroy it.
Josie (as Minx): As in, we shouldn’t, or we literally cannot?
Kim (as Blaire): We shouldn’t.
Madge (as Phin): I was more worried about, you know, the fact that horrible people could use them for horrible purposes.
Kim (as Blaire): That’s why we have to get them.
Minna (as Myra): Speaking of people using horrible objects for horrible purposes—
Kim (as Blaire): Go on.
Minna (as Myra): Uh, there’s a relic that worries me a little bit more than any of the Kotar relics. That object I was looking into, the blood-iron ring, it seems they’re a little bit closer to finding that one. I don’t like what she said about it.
Kim (as Blaire): Why’s that?
Minna (as Myra): I’ve told you a lot about what I found out about it—you know, the fact that it can be used to gain extrasensory perception. Looks like the last person known to have owned it lived in The Lost District and died in the plague that killed it. They are having trouble getting in there, but they’re pretty sure that it is in The Lost District. And after they find the ring, they want to find a way to make more rings. And I… [sigh] Okay, I am going to read the exact quote, because I really can’t summarize it better than what she says herself. She wrote: “a dozen sacrifices a year and I’ll be richer than the Lord Governor.”
Josie (as Minx): Absolutely abhorrent.
Minna (as Myra): I feel very uneasy with letting them get ahold of this ring, because that’s… The fact that they… Sorry, I am having a little bit of trouble speaking about this.
Kim (as Blaire): It’s okay. I mean, it’s disturbing.
Josie (as Minx): Indeed.
Minna (as Myra): It’s very disturbing. And they’re going to do it if they get ahold of it. And they are very close to getting hold of it. They just need to find a way into The Lost District.
Kim (as Blaire): So…
Josie (as Minx): Do we have a way in?
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah. Are you saying what I think you’re saying?
Minna (as Myra): It seems that their worry is about The Spirit Wardens and The Silver Nails, who are both guarding The Lost District. If we can find a way to convince one of them to let us in… I very much doubt we’ll get any traction with The Spirit Wardens, but maybe we can do something with The Silver Nails.
Kim (as Blaire): Hm, maybe.
Rhi: I’ll slide in here to tell you guys what you know about The Silver Nails. The Silver Nails are a former mercenary company from Severos. They fought for The Empire in the Unity War against Skovlan. They were a cavalry company. They have horses that are trained to fight ghosts.
Kim: Sick!
Josie: What?!
Rhi: Right? Sidebar: that’s the coolest shit!
Kim: That’s awesome!
Josie: Awesome.
Rhi: Yeah. It’s extremely good. The gang’s name comes from… They each wear a ring that is a hammered silver nail that they believe protects them from possession.
Kim: They’re metal as hell.
Rhi: They are also based in Six Towers. Their headquarters is widely known to be The Mustang, which is an inn and stables up at the north end of the district; basically, the opposite side of where you are. You guys haven’t ever really crossed paths with them. None of you were really aware that The Silver Nails had an interest in The Lost District, but it makes some sense—they’re very adept at fighting ghosts, so being able to take over an area outside the lightning barrier that is full of whatever wealth was abandoned by the nobility when plague took the district, that makes sense.
What’s your plan from here?
Minna (as Myra): Is it perhaps worth at least having a chat with Silver Nails? See whether we can get their help.
Kim (as Blaire): I mean, we could try.
Minna (as Myra): We would have to come up with something that would benefit them, but I’m sure we could find something.
Josie (as Minx): I imagine a classic exchange of services might be able to be arranged.
Minna (as Myra): So it’s just a matter of finding out what they want.
Rhi: All right. You guys gonna set off to The Mustang?
Madge: Yup.
Rhi: You make your way across Six Towers, up to the inn and stables owned by The Silver Nails. There’s a large, fenced-in lot where there’s a few horses trotting around, and there’s a good-sized stable beside the inn, which is a solid three-story building. There are a few Severosi individuals hanging out outside in that fake casual way, where, to the average person, they would look like they were just standing around casually, but you all recognize them as, you know, these are guards. But the inn is open. When you head inside, there’s a simple lobby that has… There’s a large, open archway that leads into a small bar area, and then a couple hallways that lead off into rooms and stairs heading up. For Six Towers, it’s fairly simple furnishing and decor. Six Towers tends to be kind of an area of faded grandeur. There’s a number of other Severosi individuals who you assume are probably part of the gang hanging around.
If you guys just walk in and stand there and look around, eventually, somebody will come over from what would be the check-in counter.
Josie: Well, I was about to ask if there was one of…
Rhi: Oh, yes, there is. Yeah, if you wanna head over there instead.
Josie: Yes. I think Minx will look around for that and head right over there.
Josie (as Minx): I do believe I have an inquiry.
Rhi (as Person at the Counter): Yeah, what can I do for you?
Rhi: It’s a younger woman; dark skin, dark hair pulled back in a knot at the back of her neck. She does have the characteristic silver nail ring on her hand.
Josie (as Minx): Now, presuming this desk does indeed perform its stated purpose, how would we go about making appointments for an exchange of services?
Rhi (as Woman at the Counter): What kind of services?
Josie (as Minx): Those pertaining to transportation in unsafe areas—unsafe for reasons that your organization might be able to help out with.
Rhi: She narrows her eyes at you for a second. Not glaring, but she’s kinda like “okay,” thoughtfully, and then gives you a slow nod.
Rhi (as Woman at the Counter): Go grab a table by the bar. Somebody will be over in a minute.
Josie (as Minx): Oh, there’s a bar. Excellent. We shall be over in a moment.
Rhi: She nods and watches you head back off.
Josie: I figured being blunt here is better than my normal circuitous route.
Rhi: [chuckle] You guys head into the bar, grab a table. It’s maybe a quarter full; there’s not a ton of people here. After not too terribly long, a minute or two, another Severosi woman comes over. She looks more middle aged, probably in her late 30s, early 40s. She is missing her left arm from just below the elbow and has on her upper arms and face a number of scars. She comes over, pulls out a chair, sits down, and says:
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): So, I understand that you all have interest in some kind of deal with us.
Minna (as Myra): Yes. May I ask who I’m speaking to?
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): Tuhan. I’m part of the leadership here.
Minna (as Myra): Wonderful to meet you, Tuhan. My name is Myra Keel. These are my associates.
Josie (as Minx): Minx. Pleasure.
Kim (as Blaire): Blaire.
Madge (as Phin): Taliesin.
Rhi: She gives you all nods.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): So, this is all of our people here. You can speak pretty plainly here. What is it exactly that you’re interested in?
Josie (as Minx): We need to gain entry into The Lost District. There are family treasures there that must be reclaimed, if you understand.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): [knowingly] Mhmm.
Josie (as Minx): And we come to propose that we ply our trade in exchange for you plying yours for entry and exit.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): Huh. And what is it, exactly, that you do?
Josie (as Minx): We are quite adept at infiltration and retrieval.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): Huh. So, you’re thieves.
Josie (as Minx): Indeed.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): That’s not exactly where our skills lie, so… Hmm.
Rhi: She taps her fingers thoughtfully on the table for a minute.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): Actually, there might be something. The Hive is hosting a black market auction in a couple days. We’ve had some fallings out with them, so we’re no longer on the guest list, but one of the items that’s supposedly up for auction is a set of four perfectly intact and complete Spirit Warden uniforms.
Minna (as Myra): Ooh.
Josie (as Minx): Mm.
Rhi: She nods.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): We would very much like to obtain them, but, as I said, we can’t get in there without bringing down trouble that we’d rather not deal with on us. However, unless you have some trouble with The Hive, you might be able to get in and help yourself to the goods.
Josie (as Minx): On the contrary. This sounds as though it’ll be rather straightforward.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): Yeah. And you get us those uniforms, and… We’ve managed to establish some passages into The Lost District that The Spirit Wardens don’t know about. We’ve got a bit of a camp there. If you can get us those uniforms, we will get you into The Lost District, and if you survive whatever you’re going after, we’ll get you back out again.
Josie (as Minx): Indeed.
Minna (as Myra): That sounds like a deal.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): All right. You all have a name as a group, or something?
Madge (as Phin): Not one that you would have heard of.
Josie (as Minx): It’s being workshopped.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): Ah. All right. Well, lemme tell you what I know about this auction. Like I said, it’s being hosted by The Hive over in Crow’s Foot. They’ve got a warehouse there. It’s supposed to be a pretty big showing. I think Lydia from The Crows is gonna be there; I know The Wraiths are sending some people; The Billhooks, I think, are sending someone. I even heard that Salia Ilmar or one of hers might be putting in an appearance—apparently, The Wraiths are selling a lot of intel.
Minna: [strangled noise] Sidebar.
Rhi: Mm?
Minna: [squeakily] Is that my Salia?
Rhi: Mhmm.
Minna: [squeakily] Oh, good. [laughter]
Josie: [laughter]
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): So, yeah, some decently big names. But that means that you lot shouldn’t attract much attention. Unfortunately, we don’t really have an in.
Josie (as Minx): That shouldn’t be a problem.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): Wonderful. The auction’s being held in two days, so you’ve got a little time to figure out how you’re getting in there and prepare.
Minna: Out of character: so, is this thing invitation only? Is that what was established?
Rhi: Yeah.
Minna: Okay.
Rhi: You’ve gotta have some kind of invite.
Minna: Excellent.
Rhi: Mhmm.
Madge: [groan]
Josie (as Minx): Then, time is a-wasting, as they say. Thank you for meeting with us.
Rhi (as Silver Nails Woman): Yeah. Looks like it’ll be a way to solve both of our problems.
Josie (as Minx): Indeed.
Rhi: She nods at you all, holds out a hand to shake, and then… You guys wanna head on out?
Madge: Yup.
Minna: I’m curious what context we have to get us in there.
Josie: Um, that was a lot of names that I didn’t recognize, out of character, at least.
Minna: I wrote them down. It is The Crows, Lydia, The Wraiths, The Billhooks. We probably don’t have contacts with them.
Rhi: I mean, you know some people in The Billhooks. They’re not gonna help you get in. [laugh]
Madge: Mhmm.
Rhi: You also do have your crew contacts, don’t forget about them.
Minna: Yes.
Josie: Mhmm. We have a deal broker, Amancio. It’s an auction; we might be able to make that happen.
Minna: Mhmm.
Josie: And we also have Fitz, a collector.
Minna: He’s probably not going to be our best contact. But the deal broker may be, or might be able to put us in contact with someone.
Rhi: Do you all wanna go have a chat with one of your contacts?
Josie: Yeah. I mean, we might as well. It is a crew contact.
## [00:24:39] Contacts scene
Rhi: Okay. Are you gonna go see Amancio or Fitz? Those sounded like your top two candidates.
Josie: I think Amancio.
Minna: Mhmm.
Rhi: Tell me about Amancio.
Josie: I kind of like the idea of them being a little bit hyperactive. Like, they’re constantly in auction mode, a little bit.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: Very fond of colorful cravats.
Kim: They have a hobby you wouldn’t expect them having. Something that seems very out of character just by looking at them and getting an assumption based on their appearance.
Minna: Miniature herb garden. [chuckle]
Madge: Aww.
Rhi: Oh, I like that. Okay.
Kim: Yes.
Rhi: You get to his townhome in Charterhall and knock on the door. One of his servants greets you, recognizes you, and:
Rhi (as Servant): Oh, uh, yes, come on in. He’s back in the conservatory.
Rhi: Walks you back through the house, where, attached to the back of the house, clearly a new addition, is a large room—mostly glass, despite the fact that there’s no sun. But in the middle of the room is a not-terribly-tall, maybe only six or seven feet, tree that is glowing with a faint light…
Kim and Madge: Ooh.
Rhi: That none of you would recognize, because you’ve never actually seen it. But it is very faint sunlight. On shelves and tables around this room are a number of small pots and planters and things that have a number of small plants and herbs growing. It smells vey nice in here. Bent over one of the planters, carefully watering, is a man with medium-tan skin, dark hair that’s starting to gray, that’s slicked back. He’s wearing glasses and a very nice suit with a bright red and blue silk cravat. The servant walks you in and clears her throat.
Rhi (as Servant): Mr. Amancio, you have guests.
Rhi: He looks up and does a doubletake.
Rhi (as Amancio): Oh. Oh! My friends, hello! Wonderful. Oh, come in, come in, come in. Can I get you anything? Tea? Wine?
Josie (as Minx): Oh, tea would be perfect, my dear.
Rhi (as Amancio): Oh, all right. Let me see…
Rhi: He looks around at his plants.
Rhi (as Amancio): Ah, yes. This one.
Rhi: He picks up a plant and hands it to the servant.
Rhi (as Amancio): Four leaves per cup. Steep it for four minutes and then bring it back. It should be wonderful.
Rhi: The servant, looking very accustomed to this, nods and heads off.
Rhi (as Amancio): Ah, yes, sit, sit!
Rhi: There’s a padded bench that has more planters.
Rhi (as Amancio): Oh, uh, here.
Rhi: He quickly moves the planters.
Rhi (as Amancio): Sit, sit, sit! What brings you here?
Josie (as Minx): Well, first of all, I’m glad to see your taste has not diminished at all in the time since we last saw you. Impeccable, as always.
Rhi (as Amancio): Of course, of course.
Josie (as Minx): Unfortunately, we do attend on business today, but I see no reason we can’t also enjoy the garden.
Rhi (as Amancio): Oh, yes, yes. I have had a great deal of luck with this new strain.
Rhi: He picks up a plant.
Rhi (as Amancio): Well, I suppose it’s not actually new; it’s actually quite an ancient herb. But it has been quite difficult to get it to grow here. It is called rosemary!
Madge: [gasp]
Kim (as Blaire): How do you get all of this to grow without sunlight?
Rhi (as Amancio): Well, that’s why I have my radiant energy tree! Cost a fortune, but it produces enough light to grow these small plants. Some of the nobles, of course, have their radiant energy farms, where they can grow entire fruit-bearing trees and fruits and vegetables and the like. But this, this is enough for me.
Kim (as Blaire): [quietly] Fascinating.
Minna (as Myra): It’s quite impressive.
Rhi (as Amancio): Thank you, thank you. Ah, and you will get to taste some of the fruits of my labors, as soon as my servant returns with our tea. So, you had mentioned business. What business can I help you with today?
Josie (as Minx): Indeed. There is quite an intriguing auction coming up in the next couple days, and we find ourselves, quite incredibly, without an invitation. Surely, this is a mistake, you understand. You and I, we are cultured creatures, and would much enjoy such an event. We were wondering if there was, perhaps, some way you might set us on a path to acquiring our misplaced invitation.
Rhi (as Amancio): [laugh] Ah, well, let me think…
Rhi: I think, at this point, you’re going to need some kind of a roll. This could be a group check, if you wanted, since you’re all here. But yeah, we’re gonna need some kind of a roll to see what he’s got for you.
Josie: I regrettably feel like this is consort rather than Sway.
Rhi: Mhmm.
Josie: Yeah, we might as well do a group action about it.
Rhi: Okay. Who wants to take point on that?
Josie: I’ll volunteer to lead it, even if I don’t have the best rating.
Rhi: So, we had a 1 and two 4s?
Kim: Yeah.
Josie: Yup.
Rhi: Okay. So, your result is a 4, and Minx is gonna take a point of stress.
He nods a little bit and thinks.
Rhi (as Amancio): Oh. Oh, is this the auction that The Hive is putting on?
Minna (as Myra): Yes.
Rhi (as Amancio): Yes, yes, uh, one moment!
Rhi: He just runs out of the room and is gone for a lot longer than one moment. His servant comes back with the tea.
Minna: What kind of tea is it?
Rhi: It’s not mushroom tea. God, it’s gotta be…
Kim: Chamomile.
Rhi: No, I want it to be some kind of herb that you do not typically make tea out of. [laugh]
Kim: Oh.
Minna: So, not mint either. [laugh]
Rhi: [laughing] No. ‘Cause he doesn’t—
Minna: It’s basil! It’s basil tea! [laughter]
Kim: Oh, gross. Okay.
Rhi: [laughing] Mhmm!
Josie and Madge: [laughter]
Rhi: It’s a basil tea. Eventually, shortly after you’ve been delivered your tea, he comes back with a thick paper-stuffed ledger and, again, moves some planters aside so he can set it down and flip it.
Rhi (as Amancio): Ah, yes! Yes. So, I was actually sent some invitations for that, but… nothing really there that interested me, initially. Unfortunately, I only have two invitations.
Minna (as Myra): Ah.
Kim (as Blaire): So, we get a trench coat…
Josie: [laughter]
Rhi (as Amancio): I like the way you think. But I can give you these two—I’m not going to use them.
Rhi: He hands the two invitations to Myra.
Minna (as Myra): Thank you.
Rhi (as Amancio): You’re very welcome. Uh, hm. Dare I ask what interests you, why you want to go?
Minna (as Myra): Oh, just something for a friend.
Rhi: He pauses for a moment and looks at you.
Rhi (as Amancio): Very well. What do you think of the tea? I’ve never made tea with this particular plant before! How is it?
Minna (as Myra): It’s quite…
Josie (as Minx): Distinctive.
Minna (as Myra): Aromatic.
Rhi (as Amancio): Ah, wonderful! Wonderful. I shall serve it to all my guests!
Josie (as Minx): Excellent. I’m sure they will be intrigued by it.
Rhi: [laugh] You all say, having taken a sip of tea, and then not touched it since.
Josie: Mhmm.
Kim: Oh, I threw mine into a plant.
Rhi: [laughter]
Minna: We drink mushroom tea. I’m pretty sure Myra’s still drinking it. [laughter]
Josie: [laughter]
Rhi: Oh, God.
Okay. The invitations that you have, it is only for two of you, but it has a location, a start time, all of that stuff.
Josie: Excellent.
## [00:31:47] Entry
Kim: Could we forge two more invitations based on the two we already have?
Rhi: That’s a good point.
Josie: Mhmm.
Minna: That is a good point.
Kim: If that’s a Study roll, I wouldn’t mind attempting that, ‘cause I have 2 in Study.
Josie: Ooh.
Minna: Yeah.
Rhi: Yeah, I think we’ve done Study for forgery before. Yeah, you could absolutely try to do that.
Kim: All right.
Minna: If you want, we could even do a group roll about it.
Kim: Ooh, yeah. I’ll lead it. 5.
Minna: Good. You take a point of stress from me. I’m sorry.
Kim: It’s okay.
Josie: [laughter]
Minna: It’s all I contributed. [laughter]
Kim: I’ll live. [chuckle]
Rhi: I’ll say that with that, you’re able to come up with two pretty solid forgeries.
Minna: I love the idea that Myra and Blaire just hunched over a table together for like—
Madge: Mhmm.
Kim: Just very carefully inking.
Minna: A couple of hours. I feel like it’s a Social plan with the connection being invitations.
Rhi: Okay. So, Social plan engagement roll.
Josie: We roll a 1. Bazso’s there again. [chuckle]
Rhi: Well, I did roll a 1.
Josie: Hurray. [laughing] Goddamn it.
## [00:32:40] The score
Rhi: So! On the day and time of the auction, you all show up at the doors. The guards who are there take your invitations, the forgeries get you through; it’s no problem. And you head down a very dark flight of stairs into a large, surprisingly well-lit and fairly well-decorated warehouse basement. There’s a bar that’s been set up. It’s obviously not a permanent installation, it’s just been set up for this event. There’s a number of tables with chairs scattered around. There’s a lot of people just mingling already, and chatting. There’s, let’s say, a string quartet playing near the bar, so there’s some light music filling the air. There’s a small stage near the front with a podium and a small table where, presumably, the auction will actually occur. You’re each able to get a drink, look around the room, hang out for a few minutes.
Then, Myra, you feel it first, but all four of you feel it pretty quickly. It gets very cold.
Josie: Oh dear.
Minna: Hmm…
Rhi: And Myra, you feel a presence behind you. It’s that feeling you get when it feels like somebody’s standing behind you—the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You hear a voice say in your ear:
Rhi (as Voice): You’ve got no charms or contracts to stop me now. I’m going to take what I want.
Rhi: And that Red Sashes ghost from the embassy is gonna try to possess you, Myra.
Kim: [gasp]
Josie: [gasp] Oh shit.
Minna: Wait, do I not have my spiritbane charm?
Rhi: You do, but—
Minna: It won’t stop them?
Rhi: The way that I think about spiritbane charms is that it requires some will behind it.
Minna: Okay. So, what am I rolling? Is it an Attune?
Rhi: I think that this is just gonna be you’re resisting a consequence. This ghost got the drop on you and is now trying to possess you.
Minna: Well, is it at least Resolve?
Rhi: Yes, it’s Resolve.
Minna: That’s much better than rolling Attune. 6! I take no stress!
Madge: Woo!
Rhi: Tell me how you resist this ghost.
Minna: I think Myra, to some extent, has trained to avoid this. It’s not like it’s had to be tested a lot, but I think, I don’t know, she has kind of learned to close her mind to intruders. This ghost did get the drop on her, but I think she quickly gathers herself and her mind clangs shut like iron doors.
Rhi: The ghost recoils, but is still there.
Minna (as Myra): Unluckily for you, I have my self to protect myself.
Rhi: The ghost, which you, unless you’re looking into the ghost field, can’t see. But you all hear the low, angry hiss. The cold increases a bit, and some of the tablecloths and things start to flutter like there’s a breeze.
Josie (as Minx): Oh dear.
Kim: Can I whip on my spirit mask?
Rhi: Yeah. You can put on your spirit mask and try to Attune.
Kim: Oh no. [laugh] I got 1s on both of them.
Josie: Oh no.
Rhi: Okay. Yeah, you put on the mask, and the ghost’s attention snaps to you.
Rhi (as Ghost): Fine. Then I’ll take this one!
Rhi: The ghost is gonna try to possess you.
Josie: [laugh]
Kim: Oh, great. Okay, what am I rolling?
Madge and Rhi: [laugh]
Rhi: It’s gonna be Resolve.
Kim: Okay. 6.
Rhi: Okay. You also are just like “no!”
Kim (as Blaire): No. Fuck off!
Josie (as Minx): Blaire, Myra? What is going on?
Kim (as Blaire): Oh, you know. A friend stopped by.
Josie (as Minx): Do I have time to clutch my spiritbane charm?
Rhi: Yeah. At this point, when they say that, Minx and Phin, you’re both able to be like “mm!”
Madge: Yeah.
Josie (as Minx): I was not expecting to need these just yet.
Rhi: I think at this point, you guys might be starting to draw a little attention from the crowd. People aren’t seeing the ghost, but you all are acting distressed, and—
Josie (as Minx): Um, excuse me. I’m gonna go get a drink.
Rhi: So, Minx, you’re just trying to remove yourself from the situation?
Josie: Yes. If you see something, say nothing and drink to forget. [chuckle]
Rhi: All right. Phin, what are you doing?
Madge: I’m already leaving at this point. I’m just backing away from the situation so that I can collect and come at it from a different perspective, maybe.
Rhi: Okay. That works. Blaire, are you still looking through the ghost field at the ghost?
Kim: I think at this point, I probably have taken my mask off, now that I’ve realized that we’re drawing attention to ourselves, much as I would like talk to her. But common sense for once out-rules.
Rhi: I think at this point I’m gonna have a clock for the guards that’re posted down here coming to investigate. Right now, you’re at 2 out of 4.
Josie: Oh God.
Rhi: I think at this point the ghost lets out a frustrated screech.
Rhi (as Ghost): Fine. If I can’t have any of you, then I’ll take her!
Rhi: And points at some random person. You can kind of feel the cold moving in that direction. There is a chance to intervene. Somebody’s gonna have to do something to—
Kim: Oh, can I stop her?
Rhi: Tell me how you’re gonna do it.
Kim: I’m gonna try trapping her in a jar. Blaire always carries empty jars with her for this purpose.
Rhi: [laugh]
Kim: Yeah, I don’t wanna see anyone get possessed at this auction. Nope, I got a 5. I rolled Attune.
Rhi: 5?
Kim: Yup. I’m going with that.
Rhi: Okay. You open the jar; you snap out with the chain that is attached to the jar. It wraps around the ghost, there’s another screech, and you haul it into the jar. You close the lid, wrap the chain back around, and you’re like “yes! Got it!” And you look up, and there’s four guards heading over.
Kim: Oh no.
Rhi: Minx and Phin, you two are not currently pulling any attention from the guards. You have backed off enough that they’re just focusing on Blaire and Myra.
Josie: Can I whisper to Phin something?
Josie (as Minx): Should we go for the old drunken scuffle, draw their attention?
Madge (as Phin): Possibly. I’m wondering if attracting attention is a good thing at this point, ‘cause if we get kicked out, then we can’t help them.
Madge: Phin, at least, is going to hang back, because there is a job that they need to do here.
Josie: Actually, I think what I’d like to do is start socializing a bit and try to gossip, and keep the patrons from noticing the situation.
Rhi: Go ahead and give me a roll to see how successful you are at that. At this point, the situation has reduced back to risky.
Josie: Okay. I’m gonna roll me some Sway. I got a 6.
Rhi: There’s some people who are starting to look. You come over and start chatting with them about the auction and the things that’re up for sale, and that sort of thing. However, there are four guards who walk up. The lead guard walks right up to Blaire.
Rhi (as Guard): What are you doing? Why did you just have a spirit jar out? Was there a spirit here?
Kim (as Blaire): I, uh… Yeah. Yeah, there was a spirit here. I saw her. She was about to possess someone. I– I had to do something.
Rhi: There’s a moment of confusion amongst the guards as they look at each other and then look back at you. There’s a little bit of murmuring. You hear one of them say:
Rhi (as Guard): She’s obviously not a Warden.
Minna (as Myra): She just saved one of your patrons. I think you would like to thank her as opposed to whatever else you were trying to do.
Rhi (as Guard): Oh… [sigh] This is an unusual situation.
Kim (as Blaire): I understand.
Rhi: One of them looks at the jars.
Rhi (as Guard): It’s contained in there?
Kim (as Blaire): Yes. Completely.
Rhi: There’s a little more murmuring amongst them.
Rhi (as Guard): Can you take it out somewhere and get rid of it? We’d rather not have the—
Kim (as Blaire): Now?
Rhi (as Guard): We’ll let you back in. The auction’s not gonna start for a bit. You’ve got your invitation; you’ll be allowed back in. But just…
Josie: [squeak]
Rhi (as Guard): For the safety of everyone here…
Kim (as Blaire): Okay.
Rhi: I think a couple of the guards will break off to walk Blaire back upstairs—not in a, like, “we’re watching you” sense.
Minna: I think Myra’s gonna ask if Blaire wants her to come with, or…
Kim: No, this is all right. I got this.
Minna: Okay.
Rhi: Where are you gonna go to stash it? [chuckle]
Kim: Yeah, no, ‘cause I’m not releasing this thing until I get to The Deathlands.
Rhi: Yeah. They just walk you up to the street and then expect you to walk off somewhere.
Kim: I am just going to clip this jar back to my belt and keep it hidden behind my cloak.
Madge: [bursting laughter]
Minna: [laughter]
Kim: Hope they don’t notice and hang onto it for the rest of the night, bring it home, and then, my next errand to The Deathlands, then I’ll release it.
Rhi: You’re probably gonna need to be gone for a little bit, though, to—
Kim: Well, yeah. I go out for a little walk.
Rhi: Jumping back inside, I think Minx is still working the crowd a bit, keeping people from asking too many questions about who just got escorted out by the guards. Myra and Phin, what do you two wanna do?
Minna: I think we should scout around to see if we can find out where the items are being kept.
Madge: Yes, I agree with that.
Rhi: There’s the stage where the auction’s gonna be held, and then there’s a door off to the side near the stage, where, presumably, it makes sense that that’s where items would be brought through.
Minna: There’s probably people watching the door, right?
Rhi: Yeah. There’s a couple guards on the door.
Minna: So we gotta get past them, basically.
Madge: Basically, yeah.
Minna: We could distract them somehow?
Madge (as Phin): We could flirt with them.
Minna: Wait, does Phin actually suggest that in character? [laugh]
Madge: Yeah. Very deadpan.
Everyone: [laughter]
Minna (as Myra): Who… would flirt with them?
Madge (as Phin): I don’t know. It’s usually a plan that works, but, um… No. I think what we should do is we should at the very least strike up a conversation with them and make it seem like something more dangerous and more of a threat is happening elsewhere. Or, if something more intriguing is happening…
Minna (as Myra): Yeah, I think that’s probably our best bet.
Rhi: Okay. You two make your way over. The guards there, one of them, she gives you a polite nod.
Rhi (as Guard): Sorry. The auction’s gonna be starting in about 10 minutes. If you can stay back from the stage, though…
Rhi: You’ll need to roll something to get the guards’ attention.
Minna: I only have 1 in Sway.
Rhi: Do you wanna do a group action? ‘Cause, if I recall, Phin, you’ve got 1 in Sway as well.
Minna: Yes, please.
Madge: Yeah.
Minna: I can lead it this time.
Madge: Okay.
Minna: Hey! I got a 6.
Rhi: Nice.
Madge: That’s good, ‘cause I got a 2.
Rhi: You got a 6, so you’re gonna be able to lure them away. What do you say to convince them that they should leave their posts?
Minna (as Myra): I do believe I saw a fight brewing over there. I don’t know, there were people speaking in very hushed tones, and—
Madge (as Phin): One of them definitely looked drunk and disorderly.
Minna (as Myra): Yeah.
Josie: Can I do a flashback to help out here?
Minna: Yes!
Josie: [laugh]
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: Can the flashback just be: we discussed this beforehand?
Rhi: Mhmm. That’s an easy enough thing I’ll give that one to you for no stress.
Josie: Ooh!
Rhi: Are you gonna start acting drunk and disorderly?
Josie: Yes. And I’ll deliberately start a political argument with someone. Like:
Josie (as Minx): You truly think Severos is in the right here?
Josie: Just some obscure, bullshit thing. And we’re getting louder and louder about it.
Rhi: Okay. They look over and one of them is like:
Rhi (as Guard): Oh, dammit, we cannot have this here, not after last time!
Rhi: They head over.
Rhi (as Guard): Hey. Hey! Keep it– Calm down! This is a civilized place. There’s—
Rhi: They just start reprimanding the crowd, generally. But the door is there.
Josie: [laugh]
Rhi: And open for the two of you.
Minna: We are going to slide on through there.
Madge: Yeah.
Rhi: All the guards’ shouting pulls the attention of most of the people in the room, so the two of you just slide on through that door.
Kim: Am I back at this point?
Rhi: I think, yeah. We’re gonna cut over to, as the guards calm down the crowd, and I imagine either Minx or the person she was arguing with has stormed off in a huff, Blaire. You come back in with the guards being like:
Rhi (as Guard): I don’t… Do you know why there was a spirit here? Do you think there’s gonna be more?
Kim (as Blaire): No. And also, no. I feel like this is a one time thing.
Rhi (as Guard): Oh, I hope so. Ugh.
Kim (as Blaire): Try not to stress about it.
Rhi (as Guard): [grunt] Okay.
Josie and Rhi: [laughter]
Rhi: They bring you back in and you are able to locate Minx.
## [00:45:15] Blaire and Minx
Josie: Who just cannot believe that any civilized person supports the former Iruvian occupation policy.
Rhi: [laugh]
Kim (as Blaire): What did you do just now?
Josie (as Minx): Oh, I was just informing these apparently less polite society folks of proper politics, as a means of—
Kim (as Blaire): No! What? [whispering] Why would you do– What are we doing?
Josie (as Minx): [whispering] It’s so they could get in the door. I pulled the guards off.
Kim (as Blaire): That’s what I wanted to know!
Josie and Rhi: [laughter]
Josie (as Minx): But yes, now I do believe patience shall be our virtue here. We simply need to secure safe passage.
Rhi: Where are the two of you hanging out right now?
Josie: I’m gonna be grumpily nursing a drink at the bar.
Kim: Maybe I’ll be at the bar.
Josie: I’ll talk with Blaire, but pretend like I’ve never really fully calmed down, so they have to keep an eye on me.
Rhi: Yeah, still complaining.
Josie: Mhmm.
Rhi: Minx, I’ve got a question for you.
Josie: Uh-huh.
Rhi: Have you ever met Nyryx’s employer? The woman who runs The Red Lamp?
Josie: Oh. Probably in passing, at some point; just, like, seeing her around.
Rhi: And you would certainly know the name Madame Tesslyn. There’s some murmurs and gasps from the door. You look over, and a very striking woman with light skin, dark hair cut into a very fashionable, just about chin-length cut, wearing a beautifully-tailored gown and a fur stole, with jewelry that is simple but clearly very expensive, accompanied by a pair of very fit and very attractive guards—private guards—strolls in. That’s Madame Tesslyn; that’s the woman who owns the brothel where Nyryx works.
Josie: Oh, jeez. Uh, wow.
Josie (as Minx): Well, she is quite striking.
Rhi: She surveys the room, and then walks over to one of the empty tables. One of her guards pulls out a chair for her, and the other one heads off to the bar and orders a couple drinks. You’re close enough to hear the bartender hands over and is like:
Rhi (as Bartender): They’re on the house.
Josie: Really?
Rhi: Yup.
Josie: Huh. Okay. But she doesn’t seem to recognize me, or anything?
Rhi: Nah.
Josie: Okay.
Rhi: She sees a lot of people.
Josie: Indeed.
Rhi: You don’t stand out in her mind, too much. But she is present.
Josie: Okay.
Rhi: I think, with that, ‘cause we’re getting close to the auction starting but before the auction starts, we need to determine where the infiltration team is at, so let’s cut back over to Myra and Phin.
## [00:47:55] Myra and Phin
Rhi: You two have gotten through the door. This part of the warehouse basement looks like a warehouse basement. There’s a lot of shelves and crates and things; just a lot of storage space down here. There’s a lot of stuff—nothing that immediately jumps out at you as, like, “ah, the auction items.” You know, there’s not a crate that is labeled “Spirit Warden uniforms.”
Minna: Yeah. I think I’d like to start looking. I think that’s probably gonna look more like Survey than Study, just because I have to look things over very quickly. Can I push myself here?
Rhi: You absolutely can.
Minna: Can I mark down this stress before I roll?
Rhi: Mhmm.
Minna: Actually, what’s a Devil’s Bargain look like, just out of curiosity?
Rhi: Yeah, lemme think… So, you guys aren’t the only ones who’ve snuck back here. Clave, one of Salia’s other kids—
Minna: Fuck. Yes.
Rhi: Is back here.
Minna: Definitely. [laughter]
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: Eee! I rolled a 5.
Rhi: Here’s what happens: the two of you set off into this little maze of storage stuff, looking around it. It seems to be a lot of random machine parts, there’s some dried foodstuffs; it’s just sort of a hodgepodge of random things. Then, towards one of the back walls, there’s basically a big caged off area; goes all the way up to the ceiling; big, iron cage. There’s a door in the center of the cage with a pair of guards on that, as well. As the two of you are moving up to see, you hear a [gasp] from behind you, and turn to see… What does Clave look like?
Minna: I think I imagine her with very pale, blonde hair, to the point where her eyebrows are a little odd-looking against her skin; blue eyes; looks a lot more delicate than she really is.
Rhi: Okay. You turned around, and she is clearly in mid-sneak. The two of you stare at each other.
Rhi (as Clave): Myra?
Minna: I think Myra just goes really stiff. Then she rushes towards Clave and pushes her out of anywhere where anyone would see them.
Rhi: Phin, do you have a… [laugh]
Madge: [laughing] Yeah. I think it’s out of the corner of… Like, Myra’s in front of me, and then all of a sudden she’s moved out of my field of vision, and it’s like:
Madge (as Phin): Myra…?
Minna (as Myra): [whispering] Back here!
Madge (as Phin): Okay, okay.
Madge: I’m gonna go over.
Rhi: You guys are around the side of a shelf. Clave has shaken your hand off.
Rhi (as Clave): What are you doing here?
Minna (as Myra): What are you doing here?
Rhi (as Clave): I’m working.
Minna (as Myra): So am I!
Rhi (as Clave): Doing what?
Minna (as Myra): As if that’s any of your business.
Madge (as Phin): Hi. I’m curious, sorry. Um, nice to meet you. Phin. Am I allowed to introduce myself to this person, Myra?
Minna (as Myra): I don’t know if you want to introduce yourself to this person. She’s not exactly the kind of person you’d like to know.
Madge (as Phin): Well, I don’t wanna know half the people I know, so there is that. Who are you?
Rhi (as Clave): [sighing] Clave. Myra and I used to work together, until she got too full of herself and ran off.
Minna (as Myra): Not full of myself. And I didn’t run off. I went off to start working on my own.
Madge (as Phin): Yeah, and that’s turned out pretty good for her.
Rhi (as Clave): Yeah, I’ll bet.
Madge (as Phin): Excuse me?
Rhi (as Clave): What, precisely, have you accomplished without Salia and the rest of us? Nothing that I’ve heard of.
Josie: [laughter]
Minna (as Myra): You have heard of it, I promise you, if you read the Doskvol Daily.
Madge (as Phin): [laughing] Oh my gosh! [laugh] Oh, that’s really good. Like she said, Doskvol Daily. She created The Magpies with me, and that’s gone pretty well for her.
Rhi: She raises an eyebrow.
Rhi (as Clave): That’s you.
Madge (as Phin): That’s us.
Minna: I think Myra pulls a pin from her pocket and flicks it to Clave.
Minna (as Myra): My regards to Salia.
Rhi: She catches it and looks.
Rhi (as Clave): Are you going to get in my way?
Madge (as Phin): No, but you’re not gonna get in ours.
Minna (as Myra): If you don’t get in my way, I won’t get it yours.
Minna: Oh my gosh, they’re so in sync right now.
Kim: Oh, good.
Josie, Kim, Madge, and Myra: [laughter]
Madge: I’m gonna put my hand against Clave’s chest and push her back until she’s against the wall.
Rhi: Yeah. She lets you do it, but is glaring, and, you can tell, is shifting her stance. If you push this too far, she is gonna strike back.
Madge: She can certainly try!
Rhi: Yeah. [laugh]
Madge (as Phin): You’re gonna stay right here and you’re not gonna tell a single soul that you saw us.
Rhi (as Clave): Well, if I told anyone that I saw you, then I’d be revealing that I was back here too.
Madge (as Phin): Not even to Salia. No one at all is going to know that we were back here.
Rhi (as Clave): Or what?
Madge (as Phin): It’s gonna be pretty hard to talk with what I’m about to do to you.
Madge: And I’m gonna punch her in the throat.
Josie and Kim: [pained, astonished noises]
Rhi: [bursting laughter] Okay. I’m not even gonna make you roll for it. You’ve got the drop on her here that you just… Actually, well, no, you know what, I take that back. It’s gonna be controlled, but she might make enough noise that this could attract some attention.
Madge: Mhmm. I’m gonna use Command with my Savage special ability.
Rhi: Oh, okay! Yeah.
Madge: And on top of that, I’m gonna push myself. 6!
Rhi: Excellent. Yeah. You just snap out, punch her in the throat, and she:
Rhi (as Clave): [choking gasps]
Rhi: And is doing that clutching her throat coughing silently thing, and is doubled over.
Madge (as Phin): Have fun. [laugh]
Rhi: Yeah. She’s still just one hand on the wall to hold herself up, coughing. Yeah, so… that’s been dealt with. [laugh]
Josie and Madge: [laughter]
Minna: Bless you, Phin.
Rhi: But I think, at this point, you hear a door slam shut, and then you see a handful of guards come up through the shelves, carrying a number of boxes and crates and things in various sizes, as the auction is about to begin.
## [00:53:41] Outro
Rhi: Thanks for listening. The Magpies will be back in two weeks. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter @magpies_pod.
The Magpies Podcast is hosted and produced by Rhi. Follow me on Twitter @rhiannon42.
Blaire Culhane is played by Kim Kogut. Follow her on Twitter @kimdianajones.
Minx is played by Josie. Follow her on Twitter @dragongirljosie, and watch her art streams at picarto.tv/dragongirljosie.
Myra Keel is played by Minna. Follow her on Twitter @mynaminnarr.
And Phin Haig is played by Madge. Follow her on Twitter @madgequips.
The opening and closing theme music is from Trio for Piano, Violin, and Viola by Kevin MacLeod and is used under a Creative Commons license.
The Blades in the Dark roleplay system is the creation of John Harper and is published by Evil Hat Productions.
## [00:54:45]
Kim: [sigh] Oh, boy. Listen, Blaire is just not [laughing] always the best person.
Josie and Rhi: [laughter]
Madge: I don’t think any of these people are the best people, though, so…
Rhi: [laugh]
Minna: We’re in Duskwall.
Josie and Rhi: Yeah.
Kim: Nobody’s a “best” person.
Rhi: Yeah, there’s not a lot of best people. Rigney’s pretty good.
Madge: Yeah.