The Magpies – Transcript
Season 2, Episode 21: The Open Secrets Score
Transcribed by Tyler (Twitter: @Tyler_MoonSage)
## Intro
Rhi: Welcome back to Duskwall, and welcome to the Season 2 finale. The events in this episode have been a long time coming, and I hope that you all enjoy the secrets revealed.
I do want to give everyone a heads up on what’s next. Two weeks from today we’ll be posting our Season 2 Q&A wrap-up episode. After that, there will be a one month hiatus before Season 3 starts. I’ve gotten pretty far behind on editing the podcast, and I need some time off from posting new Magpies episodes so I can catch up, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be anything new. I’ve got plans for some bonus episodes that will go up during that break. I’m still working out the details on what and when those episodes will be, so stay tuned. I should have all the juicy details for you by next episode.
I also want to say thank you, again, so very much for all your support over these last two seasons. Listening to the show, tweeting at us, sending emails, backing us on Patreon, writing poems, creating fan art, composing music, designing pins… the love and support the show has gotten is beyond anything I could have expected when it began, and we still have a lot of story to tell. So, thank you, and I hope you’ll stick with The magpies as they continue on their adventures and quests for justice in Duskwall.
Other announcements: Next month is International Podcast Month. There will be lots of awesome episodes to hear. I am in a one-shot of Good Society, and I hosted a discussion about accessibility in tabletop RPGs with two really brilliant, insightful folks, and friends of the show, Waffles and Madge, will also be in some episodes. Keep an eye on the Magpies Twitter. I’ll be sharing links there as the episodes are posted.
In addition, I will be at AcadeCon in Dayton, Ohio again this November. I will be running a game of Blades in the Dark. Last year the game sold out very quickly, but even if you don’t make it into the game I will be wandering around with Magpies bookmarks and I’m always happy to meet fans in person.
Next, let me tell you about this month’s Featured Charity:
The Trans Language Primer is a resource that compiles information and resources around the language used by and about LGBTQ+ communities. It’s a historical record and a living document continually updated so that people within the community can dig deeper into identities and labels, and people without – especially medical professionals, social service workers, and those in the media – can learn the accepted terminology to address and refer to people in these communities. You can support their future work, which includes plans for translations into other languages, by backing their Patreon, and if you would prefer a one-time donation you can visit Editor and Chief Greyson’s Ko-Fi. Links will be in the show notes.
For our American listeners, please continue to call your representatives. You can visit 5calls.org for scripts on pressing issues, and check out organizations like Never Again Action for information on protests happening local to you. The 2020 campaign juggernaut is in full swing, but it doesn’t matter who the opposition candidate ends up being if we don’t have election security measures in place and expanded voting rights. Advocate for these issues with your elected officials and start the conversations about getting out to vote now. We need as many people as possible to show up to every election.
Now then, let’s get started. Shall we?
## Story Continues [0:04:10]
Rhi: We’re opening up a few days after your last score where you made questionable deals with extremely questionable people in order to send a Bluecoat to prison, to get the Bluecoats off of Rigney’s back. Inspector Severin is still kind of working on that case, but from what you have gotten from him over the, you know, you’ve gotten a couple notes from him, it seems like that’s moving along. But for today, you all are sort of taking a break from the crime and plots and schemes and drama and taking a day to run some errands. You have split up to go cover different things. Minx and Blaire have gone off to we’ll say get groceries.
Josie: [musically] Grocery shopping~
Rhi: Yes.
Josie: Hold on. I think I need to establish what Minx is putting in the baskets and what Blaire is putting in the baskets.
[laughter]
Rhi: Yes. Please. We’re gonna do a quick cut to the grocery shopping. You’re at the market. What are you two grabbing?
Josie: Minx continually needs to scale back her taste a little bit. She always goes for the finest version of whatever there is and then is like, sigh… and then goes for the not-as-expensive version. It’s not like hers is necessarily healthier, but it’s all the finest.
Rhi: Yeah. What does Blaire grab?
Kim: Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of tea.
[laughter]
Rhi: There’s just a whole cupboard in The Nest that is just full of tea. So, you two are having a good grocery shopping adventure. Myra had split off from the two of you, partly because she needs to go clothes shopping and Minx has very different taste in clothes, [laughs] and Myra just wants to get that done quickly and efficiently. But also, she split off because she has arranged to meet up with Jeren for lunch. So, we start with Myra heading over to the little Nightmarket café where she and Jeren usually meet up, and you walk into the café, and Jeren is not there. However, seated at your usual table is a very familiar figure.
Minna: So, her back is to the door, but I recognize the way her shoulders are set, the outline of her, because I lived with her for several years.
Rhi: Yes. You walk over and Ojal looks up at you and says:
Rhi (as Ojal): I’m afraid he’s not gonna be making your meeting. Have a seat.
Minna: Myra walks over very stiffly and sits down. She’s looking over at Ojal, taking in her expression, and just keeping her cool outwardly.
Minna (as Myra): Perhaps you could tell me what caused this delay.
Rhi (as Ojal): Well…
Rhi: She reaches down next to her and picks up a brown paper bag and sets it on the table between the two of you.
Rhi (as Ojal): He, uh, is a bit indisposed.
Kim: [gasps]
Rhi: And if you open up the bag…
Minna: She does.
Rhi: Inside is the torn off sleeve of a Bluecoat uniform that is pretty bloodied, and it’s not fresh blood, it’s had a chance to dry and crust on there.
Minna (as Myra): How long?
Rhi (as Ojal): Long enough. Now, I’m sure you can guess where this is going. If you want him to stay as intact as he currently is, well, Salia would like to see you. You come to the Barrowcleft safe house and he won’t be harmed any further.
Minna (as Myra): I see, and when does she expect me to attend to her?
Rhi (as Ojal): The sooner the better. I mean. If you take too long we might think that you’re leaving us again.
Minna (as Myra): I have some affairs to set in order.
Rhi (as Ojal): Take as long as you think he can stand, Myra. I’ll be seeing you.
Rhi: She pushes back from the table and walks out.
Minna: [smiling, into hands] So, what do we cut to?
Rhi: I think we cut back to The Nest with Hex sleeping in an armchair, Kevin near the fire, otherwise empty. Myra lets herself in, and… What are you gonna do?
Minna: [sighs] I think the first thing she does is she sits down with paper and pen, and you just see from a distance that she’s writing for a little while. She’s not writing a lot, but it’s taking her a while. Eventually she folds the note and weighs it down with, I guess a salt shaker at the kitchen table. We probably have a salt shaker. Oh boy. What does she even…? I think she goes into her bedroom and she just kinda turns a slow circle, like what do I even take with me for this? Then you just see her start to go through her stuff, and I think it fades out from there.
Rhi: Yeah. So, we fade back in on The Nest again. Hex has not moved, being a cat, he’s sleeping very hard. There’s footsteps on the stairs, and the door swings open, and Minx and Blaire come inside arms full of bags of groceries.
Josie (as Minx): Although I must admit I’m rather excited to try some Tycherosi tea. I don’t think I’ve ever done—What’s this now?
Kim (as Blaire): What’s what?
Josie: Minx has noticed the note and is gonna pick it up and read it.
Minna (as Myra): “Blaire and Minx, I have to go to a dangerous meeting and I don’t know if I’ll be back. I know I made a promise, but there is a longer standing promise at stake, and if I don’t go then I’ll have broken it. Please do not follow me. I know you’re going to try, but it can only get us all hurt. Myra”
Kim (as Blaire): [shrieks] What the fuck?!
[laughter]
Josie (as Minx): My thoughts exactly, Blaire.
Kim (as Blaire): What the fuck does she think she’s doing?
Josie (as Minx): I don’t know. I can only assume that this involves Salia in some capacity.
Kim (as Blaire): [flails, stammers] Where the fuck did she go?!
Minna: [giggle-sobs]
Josie (as Minx): I must admit I haven’t the faintest idea where to begin looking.
Kim (as Blaire): [groans loudly]
Josie (as Minx): But we’re ignoring her warning, right? We’re going?
Kim (as Blaire): Yes! Of course.
Josie (as Minx): Okay.
Kim (as Blaire): We just gotta find out where the FUCK she went first.
Rhi: Blaire.
Kim: Mm-hmm?
Rhi: Myra had mentioned this morning when she was, you know, when you were all heading out for your various errands she’d mentioned that she was meeting a friend for lunch and then doing some shopping of her own. When you and Myra met with Inspector Severin a few days ago, the place that you went to was this café in Nightmarket that Myra mentioned she goes there to grab lunch with people sometimes. So, you’re thinking maybe she was at that café?
Kim (as Blaire): She’s probably went to Panera.
Rhi: [cackles] God damn it, Kim!
Josie: [laughs]
Kim: [flatly] What? … [chuckles]
Josie (as Minx): I suppose that is where we must first check, then. I think we will have to talk there and then possibly visit Rigney?
Kim (as Blaire): Yes.
Josie (as Minx): We never did get all of his details.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah, no, we gotta get him up to speed with what’s going on.
Josie: Minx is gonna make sure that she has several weapons hidden on her, in a very quick fashion, and then set out… for Panera.
Rhi: [sighs]
Kim: Panera’s in Duskwall now. This is how the setting works. You just say things and then they come into existence.
Josie: Yep. RPGs!
Rhi: I… I hate you all. [laughter] Anyway. So, we cut over to the café.
Kim: Panera.
Rhi: The two of you head inside. I think it’s a little bit after the lunchtime rush, so there’s only a few people in here. No sign of Myra.
Josie: Minx will straight up ask the people behind the counter if they had seen someone matching Myra’s description come in.
Rhi: Go ahead and give me- This will basically just be a Gather Info roll.
Josie: Okay. I’m gonna go with Consort, because I’m not attempting any sort of deception here.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: Four.
Rhi: Okay. A 4, standard amount of information, so yeah. You ask the people working at the counter, give them Myra’s description, and one of them is like:
Rhi (as Worker): Oh yeah, um… I saw her in here earlier. Met with some other woman. Uh, where were they…? It was a pretty short conversation. I think they mentioned Barrowcleft?
Josie (as Minx): I see. Thank you. I’m sorry, I’m just worried for her. She hasn’t come home.
Rhi (as Worker): Oh. Sorry, I don’t know. They, uh, the one woman left first and then your friend left a little bit after. It looked like, I don’t know, gave her something in a bag, maybe a present or something. Didn’t look very happy about it. Maybe a bad present.
Minna: [laughs]
Josie (as Minx): I see. Thank you.
Josie: Minx is gonna kind of, trying to keep a normal pace but sort of, kind of breaking into a light jog a little bit, out of the restaurant. She’s gonna wanna go and grill Rigney for what he would know.
Rhi: Okay. All right.
Josie: Does Blaire wanna come too?
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi: Like I said, it’s early afternoon, so not super crowded at this point. I assume the two of you burst in very dramatically.
Josie: Yes.
Kim (as Blaire): Rigney~!
Josie (as Minx): Rigney, we need to speak. Back room.
Rhi (as Rigney): Uh, okay? What did we need to speak about?
Kim (as Blaire): [sharp inhale, sobbing] Myra’s gone.
Rhi (as Rigney): Shit. Um…
Kim (as Blaire): [stammers] Not dead gone, sorry. She disappeared.
Rhi (as Rigney): [sighs in relief] Okay.
Josie (as Minx): And we need to know any more details, no matter how insignificant, your ordeal with Salia’s associates. We need to be able to find her. Supposedly there’s something about Barrowcleft?
Rhi: I think he kinda glances around the bar, and then gestures for the two of you to follow him, and he’s gonna let you basically into the back employee area, basically back into the employee break room.
Josie: Mm-hmm.
Rhi: And there’s like, you know, one of his staff is sitting there having a sandwich, and Rigney’s just like:
Rhi (as Rigney): Go cover the bar. I’ll let you leave early tonight.
Rhi: And he’s just like:
Rhi (as Employee): … Okay!
[laughter]
Rhi: Wraps up his sandwich and goes up front. So yeah, you’re alone in this back little room now, and give me another roll to see what Rigney can tell you.
Josie: Minx is still not quite over Rigney’s thing, but she’s very clearly putting that aside for this.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: Five.
Rhi: Okay. So Rigney sits down in one of the chairs and drags his hands down his face.
Rhi (as Rigney): [exhales] Okay. Um… They always came to me, so I don’t know of any- I never saw any of her operation.
Josie (as Minx): Mm-hmm.
Rhi (as Rigney): Sometimes she had a few people with her, kinda rotating through, looked around you and Myra’s age. I never really- They didn’t talk much, just kind of stood there and watched the door while… [sighs] You said Barrowcleft?
Josie (as Minx): Yes. And were any names given?
Rhi (as Rigney): Let’s see. There were two women, Ojal and Clave, and then there was a man she called Wester.
Josie (as Minx): I see.
Rhi: Minna, refresh my memory. The score where Wester showed up, Blaire saw him, but Myra did not explain him, right?
Minna: Blaire saw him…
Kim: That sounds correct.
Minna: Yes, I think so.
Rhi (as Rigney): Clave—
Rhi: Well, he gives descriptions of each of them. Minna, would you like to describe them? [laughs]
Minna: [laughs] Clave is an icy blonde, blue eyes, generally… not frail looking, but probably the most frail looking of the lot of them. Ojal is a wiry woman. She has dark skin, a shaved head, generally always looks ready to spring into action. Wester is—God, how do I describe Wester? How did we describe Wester before?
Rhi: Just got the most punchable face.
Minna: Yeah, yeah.
Josie: Mm-hmm. [laughs]
Rhi: That’s really all you need to know about Wester.
Minna: The main description is shitty white boy.
[laughter]
Rhi: So yeah, you recognize two of those three people as kind of like… they’ve been skulking around the edges of your operations for a little while now. I don’t know that he’s gonna have a ton of info about the location, though.
Josie: That makes sense.
Rhi (as Rigney): If there’s anything that I can do, um…
Josie (as Minx): Just stay safe, Rigney.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah, stay safe.
Josie: She’ll put her hand on his shoulder for just a very, very brief moment and then walk out.
Kim: I’m gonna hug him~
Josie: Aw.
Rhi: Yeah. [laughs] He hugs her back.
Rhi (as Rigney): You two be safe. Bring her back home, all right?
Kim (as Blaire): We will.
Rhi: The two of you walk out and it just kinda stays on Rigney for a second, sitting at the table, looking very worried. All right, so…
Josie: I intend to go to the Gondoliers.
Rhi: Ahh.
Kim: Ah, of course.
Josie: And see if they have worked with or seen – especially while working in Barrowcleft – people of this description.
Rhi: Excellent.
Kim: Smart.
Rhi: Very smart.
Josie: I will even name-drop Salia, see if she’s got a reputation amongst them.
Rhi: Okay. Yeah. Go ahead and make a roll.
Kim: Oof.
Josie: [seethes] That sucks, that’s a 3.
Kim: Oh no.
Rhi: Yeah. Okay. So, um, they haven’t seen Salia. They have seen a few of the apprentices. They’ve given them rides before. They can’t really narrow it down too much other than in Barrowcleft. It doesn’t seem like there is even a particular dock that any of them use. Actually, it’s not even like—you know, asking around the Gondoliers can be like “oh yeah, we’ve picked them up in Crow’s Foot and Silkshore and Charterhall and Barrowcleft…” Salia’s operation, as you’re talking to them and trying to track the movements of these three people, it seems like she’s pretty spread out throughout the city.
Josie: Mm-hmm.
Rhi: Which is kind of good to know what you’re dealing with here, you’re dealing with somebody who has a pretty extensive operation, but they aren’t really able to give you any super specific details as to where in Barrowcleft they might be.
Josie: In that case, what I’m kind of imagining as this scene I guess goes on is, I don’t know if we want to do rolls for all of this, Minx and/or Blaire hit up a lot of the people they’ve encountered so far looking for information, just getting more and more desperate, I guess.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: Like, I talk to the people we know in Charhollow, and gang granny, and—
Rhi: [laughs]
Kim: Rose.
Josie: Harker, and our various other contacts and the like.
Rhi: Yeah, we get a montage of you two just going around asking people. A lot of them haven’t seen any of these people at all.
Josie: Right. Point is, we’re getting down to our last couple of options.
Rhi: Yeah. I think that a few hours have passed since you found Myra’s letter, which you also don’t know how long it’s been since she left that letter.
Kim: Right.
Josie: Mm-hmm, although it couldn’t have been more than a couple hours, because we saw her that morning.
Rhi: Yes, but even so, most of the people you talk to just- they don’t know, the haven’t seen these people at all. It’s a big city.
Josie: Mm-hmm.
Rhi: So, the two of you kind of circle back to The Nest after spending a few hours.
Josie (as Minx): Well Blaire, I’ve only got one more person who may be worthwhile to ask.
Kim (as Blaire): Lord Scurlock?
Josie (as Minx): Not what I had on my mind, but I was about to ask you if you had any ideas. I was thinking Bazso, as much as…
Kim (as Blaire): No, we can’t go to Bazso, not after, you know, last time.
Rhi: [strained] Yeah… Yeah, then Blaire’s gonna have to rescue two people. [laughs]
Josie: Oh right. Oh yeah, he did see us down there, didn’t he?
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi: Yep, yeah.
Josie: Ah, never mind.
Rhi: Yeah, that’s going from a frenemy to a straight up rival. [laughs]
Josie (as Minx): Blaire, is scrying a thing? Is that…?
Kim (as Blaire): It is, but…
Josie (as Minx): When I was associating with my more occult-inclined friends there was much talk of seeing things in a mirror. Is there anything similar to that we can do?
Kim (as Blaire): [nervous noises] Here’s the thing… The only way I kinda know how to do anything like that is with eyeball friend, and last time I did that I was out of it for like 24 hours, and I can’t let you go after Myra alone.
Josie (as Minx): I remember… [deep breath] I mean, do you think Scurlock would be able to provide us with anything?
Kim (as Blaire): Do it with me!
Josie (as Minx): Yes, of course.
Kim (as Blaire): No, scry with me. I bet if there’s two of us that the mental link between the mortals and the eyeball friend, it’ll be split up a bit more.
Josie: Minx will let out one of those cartoony gulps.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie (as Minx): Oh…
Kim (as Blaire): I’m willing to bet that’s how it works.
Josie (as Minx): It’s for Myra? It’s for Myra. We have seen weirder things than an eyeball friend, I suppose. Let’s do it, before I change my mind, please.
Kim (as Blaire): Do you want anything before we go in? Do you want—Oh, you probably shouldn’t have any liquid courage, it would probably make the connection a bit muddy. Do you want me to give you anything to calm you down? Any tea, or…?
Josie (as Minx): I will set a pot of tea for afterwards.
Rhi: [laughs]
Kim (as Blaire): Okay! Okay, if you’re sure… Um. We probably shouldn’t do this in my room. I’ll be right back.
Kim: Blaire goes to her room, retrieves eyeball friend, and brings the chest into the main living area.
Rhi: I haven’t- I like your thought, but I had never considered two people trying to use the Eye of Kotar simultaneously.
Josie: Power of friendship!
Rhi: Yeah! It’s a very cool idea.
Kim: It came to me, in a fit of inspiration.
Rhi: Yeah. I think… So, this is technically a Gather Info roll, but it does involve taking stress, so I will let you do a group action.
Kim: Thank you.
Josie: Okay. What sort of action is it?
Rhi: It’s gonna be Attune.
Kim: Uh-huh.
Josie: Okay, I have 0 dots in that.
Rhi: [chuckles]
Kim: That’s okay. I have 2.
Josie: What does a Devil’s Bargain look like?
Kim: Already?
Rhi: Ohh…
Josie: I mean, I was gonna go for push myself, but I feel like this is an interesting spot for one.
Rhi: Yes, very interesting. Okay, so here is what I’m gonna offer. You are gonna end up taking the bulk of the stress, and the reason you take additional stress is because you’re gonna see something extra.
Josie: I can’t turn that down.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: Like, I can’t. [laughs]
Rhi: Excellent! You’ll make an Attune roll. It’s basically a Gather Info roll, so there’s not gonna be any consequences, but you are going to take stress just because of the nature of this item.
Kim: Right.
Rhi: So, go ahead and give me your rolls.
Kim: I know how this looks. You and I are holding one hand and in our free hands we are touching eyeball friend.
Rhi: [laughs into hands]
Josie: Yes.
Kim: So we’ve made a circle.
Rhi: Yeah.
Kim: Okay.
Rhi: Go ahead and roll.
Josie: I got a 1.
Kim: My highest was a 4.
Rhi: Okay. That’s okay. That still is gonna get you information.
Kim: Right.
Rhi: Okay. Blaire is gonna take 2 points of stress. Josie is gonna take 3.
Josie: Oof.
Rhi: Minx is gonna take 3, rather. You’re focusing on Myra, right?
Kim: Yes.
Josie: Mm-hmm.
Rhi: Okay. You both see- It initially kind of starts just on Myra’s face. She is unconscious or asleep, head lolling forward onto her chest, and then it pulls back to show that she is manacled to a chair in a small room that just has a single bare bulb on the ceiling. Then it keeps pulling out further, and it’s not zooming up necessarily, it’s kind of doing a cross-section of the building and then the area underneath it, so you can see that this is some kind of warehouse and you’re able to see as it pulls back kind of the surrounding area. You don’t necessarily see an address, but you’re like I will recognize this area when I’m standing in front of it. You also see underneath this warehouse there’s a network of tunnels that looks like this is where mushrooms and things are grown for mushroom farming, so that seems like probably a pretty good way to get access to this place.
Josie: Right.
Rhi: You see that, and you have this sense of like, okay, you know where Myra is… Blaire takes her hand back first, and Minx, in that second of extra contact, your vision jumps to… you’re not sure where, you just see, very dimly around you, rushing water, like a lot of water, not like an ocean, maybe a river, and you feel bound and trapped in a way that’s immediately claustrophobic, and you just hear this incredibly loud heartbeat hammering in your ears, and then you take your hand back and it all vanishes.
Josie (as Minx): [deep, exhausted breathing]
Kim (as Blaire): [deep, exhausted breathing] It worked.
Josie: Minx goes down on her knees and hands and is basically acting like she was just drowning, pretty much.
Rhi: Oh geez.
Josie: Like grasping for air.
Kim (as Blaire): Are you okay?
Josie (as Minx): [struggling] Did you see that last part?
Kim (as Blaire): What, with the tunnels?
Josie (as Minx): No. No. There was water, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t move, and… I don’t know, I don’t know what it was, but we both saw the warehouse, right?
Kim (as Blaire): I saw the warehouse.
Josie (as Minx): Okay. All right.
Kim (as Blaire): Here, come on.
Kim: I’m gonna help Minx up and I’m gonna make us some tea.
Josie: Yeah. She’s not entirely out of it, but like, pretty out of it until she gets her tea, like mumbling a little bit about water.
Kim (as Blaire): Shh, it’s okay. You can breathe. It’s okay.
Josie (as Minx): [exhales] Thank you, dear. At the very least I think we know where to look.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah.
Rhi: I think as the two of you are gearing up, we cut back over to that small room in that warehouse where Myra is bound to a chair. Myra, you presented yourself at the safe house, which is this warehouse. You knocked on the door, you stood there for a little bit, and then somebody grabbed you from behind and clamped a cloth over your mouth and that’s the last thing that you remember as you are coming to.
Minna: Nn. As I come to, is there anybody else in this room?
Rhi: No, you’re currently alone in here.
Minna: Fun. Cool-cool-cool.
Rhi: Yeah. You actually might recognize this setup if Salia ever let you stand in, you know, assist, if she was interrogating people.
Minna: Probably yes.
Rhi: Yeah. It’s a metal chair that is bolted to the floor and has bindings at ankles and wrists. It’s not rope, these are steel manacles that are part of the chair basically.
Minna: I rattle them even though I know it’s useless.
Rhi: Yeah.
Minna (as Myra): Salia! I know you’re here somewhere!
Rhi: There’s no response.
Minna (as Myra): [sighs]
Rhi: This was part of her strategy, too. She liked to let people wait.
Minna: Yeah. I think at that point Myra just takes a deep breath and tries to calm down, because if this is the waiting game then she’s not about to be the first one to break.
## Score [0:33:13]
Rhi: All right. So, we are gonna start with the engagement roll as we’re starting off on the score of rescuing Myra. This is gonna be a 2d6 roll. That is a 5, so you’re gonna start in a risky position. I think that it’s probably getting into evening, like probably 6:00 at night, by the time that the two of you get into the tunnels underneath this warehouse. It is a mushroom farm setup. You two are moving through the tunnels, and the first hurdle that you encounter is a pair of guards who are patrolling down here with lanterns, keeping people from stealing the crops basically.
Josie: Mm-hmm.
Rhi: The two of you are crouched down in the shadows and you can see these two guards approaching. They haven’t seen you yet, but they’ve got lanterns. They look fairly alert.
Josie: Do I spy weapons on them?
Rhi: Looks like they are armed with truncheons. It’s possible that they’ve got other weapons hidden away, but that’s what you see immediately.
Josie: All right. I don’t see guns immediately.
Rhi: Correct.
Josie: I’m gonna have a pistol. Yeah. I’m just gonna try and intimidate these guys. I’m just gonna step around the corner, pistol pointed at one of their heads—
Kim: Oh Jesus.
Josie (as Minx): Go home and stay quiet.
Rhi: Roll something. I mean, that sounds like a Command.
Josie: Yes, but I am gonna take 2 stress to make it a Sway, because I have that ability.
Rhi: All right. Yes you do.
Josie: Four.
Rhi: Okay. You are meant to have a 4. [laughs]
Josie: [laughing] Four, four, four.
Rhi: Okay. I think it’s gonna be reduced effect. You only get one of them. The one who- I imagine that you just like, as they’re walking past your hiding place, you step out and have the gun almost at this guy’s temple.
Josie: Right.
Rhi: So he just kind of is like:
Rhi (as Guard): Uh… Yeah. No, I don’t want any trouble.
Rhi: And unhooks the little holster thing that’s holding his truncheon to his belt, and that falls to the floor, and he’s got his hands up.
Rhi (as Guard): I don’t get paid enough to get shot for this job.
Rhi: [laughs] Just backing away, hands in the air.
Rhi (as Guard): I’ll go! I’ll go.
Rhi: The other guard…
Josie (as Minx): Good lad.
Rhi: …makes a face at his friend and pulls out his truncheon and does not seem to be as intimidated by you.
Josie: Mm-hmm.
Rhi: Blaire, you have not been seen yet. You have the element of surprise if you would like to do something here.
Kim: Yes. I have a bit of an idea.
Rhi: Mm-hmm?
Kim: I would like to threaten this man with possession.
Rhi: Jesus!
Josie: Wow!
[laughter]
Rhi: All right!
Kim: [smiling] Because I have a ghost on me, as I always do.
Rhi: Yeah, of course you have a ghost jar with you. Jesus.
Kim: Yeah. So I’m gonna sneak up on him and, well, yeah no, I just wanna sneak up on him and be like hey, I have a ghost on me, leave or I’ll possess you, or rather the ghost will possess you.
Rhi: Yeah.
Kim: That sounds like a Command…?
Rhi: Probably.
Kim: Devil’s Bargain, actually?
Rhi: I think no matter how this goes the ghost in the jar is gonna get out.
Kim: Oh, oh dear.
Rhi: Might not necessarily possess this guy, but is gonna get out.
Kim: Eh, I don’t know if I wanna unleash that much chaos yet.
Rhi: It is rather early.
Josie: [laughs]
Kim: I know, I was gonna say. I know that sounds antithetical to my character, but it is early. So, I’m just gonna roll the one and hope for the best.
Rhi: Okay.
Josie: To be fair, it is early, but I’m already at 7 stress.
Kim: What?! Already?!
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: I started the session with 2. I took 3 from the Eye of Kotar and I took 2 to Command just then.
Minna: Minx! Honey!
Kim: [long groan]
Josie: [laughs]
Kim: Well… I should have just taken stress anyway. I’m an idiot. That would be a 3.
Rhi: Okay. [exhales] Yeah, I think he’s gonna whip around and crack you upside the head with this truncheon. You’re gonna take level 2 harm as he wallops you real good. You can resist that.
Kim: Yes, I would like to.
Rhi: Yeah, that is Prowess.
Josie: Having armor might be a good idea for this one.
Rhi: Oh! Or armor, yeah, yeah-yeah.
Kim: Yeah! I never use armor, even though Needle told me to.
Rhi: We constantly forget that it’s an option.
Kim: That’s true.
Rhi: So just mark 2 of your load and that will drop it down to level 1 harm. It’ll just be, like, Bruised.
Josie: All right. He attacked fucking Blaire. He’s getting shot.
Rhi: [chuckles] Roll it.
Josie: That’s not good. That’s a 1.
Kim: Oh no~! What is wrong with our dice tonight?!
Rhi: That’s not good at all… Okay. You fire a gun in caverns underneath the city. It’s very, very loud.
Josie: Oof.
Rhi: And I think… Yeah, I’m gonna start a clock.
Kim: No…
Rhi: You’re at 1 out of 4, Guards Alerted. Minx takes that shot and we briefly cut to Myra, who’s still just sitting there, nobody’s come to see you. [laughs] It’s been hours. You’re very sore, but you hear this cracking sound distantly.
Minna (as Myra): Damn it. I told them—
Rhi: [smiling] You didn’t think they would listen, did you? So, yeah, the shot goes wild, the guy ducked, there’s sort of a little spore cloud as the bullet strikes a bunch of mushrooms glowing on the wall. He’s still up. I think his friend has just booked it. He’s like I don’t- Nope! I’m out! Screw this!
Josie: Yup. [laughs]
Kim: It’s above my paygrade.
Rhi: Yeah, so far above his paygrade. Blaire!
Kim: Yes?
Rhi: What do you wanna do?
Kim: Um… I guess I gotta zap this guy.
Rhi: Zap him.
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi: And they are fine lightning hooks, so you’re gonna be at greater effect. Still risky position, but you can…
Kim: That’s fine. We’ve used Skirmish in the past haven’t we for this?
Rhi: Yeah.
Kim: All right. [nervously] Eh, that’s a 4.
Rhi: Four, okay. So, you do it, but there’s a consequence. In a little bit of a panic you kinda hit some buttons and switches on your lightning hooks to overcharge them, so you zap this guy and he just goes down, he is just unconscious, but you used up pretty much the rest of the electroplasmic charge.
Kim: Oh, I’m out of juice.
Rhi: But, you took that guy out.
Kim (as Blaire): Oh God, I think I killed him… Minx, I think I killed him.
Josie: Minx will put her two fingers on his neck.
Rhi: Yeah, he’s alive. I don’t know if weird stuff happens to your pulse after you get electrocuted, but…
Kim: Probably.
Rhi: He’s not, like, you can tell he’s not in great shape, there’s sort of a burning smell in the air, but he is alive at the moment.
Josie (as Minx): No, he’s alive. Let’s hurry on.
Kim (as Blaire): [unsure] Okay.
Rhi: If it was desperate I would have killed him. [laughs] All right. Blaire and Minx having dealt with the guards set off into the tunnels, and we pan up back into that room where Myra is sitting and has been sitting for a while. You’re pretty just physically uncomfortable. You’re thirsty, your wrists hurt, you can’t really shift position too much so probably parts are starting to go numb from the way you’ve been sitting on them. The door swings open, and Salia walks in.
Kim: Oh shit.
Rhi: What does she look like?
Minna: My best answer is still largely older Myra? Like, kind of very severe looking person, hair tightly back. I pictured her dark hair—
Rhi: I think she’s got some gray in her hair.
Minna: yeah, with dark hair but with gray in it.
Rhi: Yeah. So she steps inside and shuts the door behind her, just kinda looks you over for a long, silent minute. Eventually, Salia shakes her head a little and says:
Rhi (as Salia): Well, I expect this isn’t precisely what you had in mind when you threw your little temper tantrum and ran away.
Minna (as Myra): It’s really adorable that you call that a temper tantrum.
Rhi (as Salia): And it’s adorable that you thought you could get away. You always knew how this was going to end, Myra.
Minna (as Myra): On the contrary, I still think it could end another way. And even if it doesn’t, I had my time off, I had my time without you. I did better things than being your lackey forever, which is I’m sure all that Clave, Ojal and Wester will ever be.
Rhi (as Salia): That is rather the plan. You don’t want anyone who could… outpace you. [breathing heavily] There’s no sense in that.
Minna (as Myra): It’s very funny. They all think they’re going places.
Rhi (as Salia): [chuckles] I choose my associates for a number of skills, but…
Minna (as Myra): But most of all their compliance, isn’t that true?
Rhi (as Salia): Of course.
Minna (as Myra): Except you didn’t choose so well with me.
Rhi (as Salia): Well, you were less a choice and more random happenstance, weren’t you?
Rhi: I think at this point she steps in and plants her hands on the back of your chair, right over your shoulders.
Minna: Like behind me? She’s standing behind me? Egh…
Rhi: No, she’s leaning down, so like face to face.
Minna: Oh, still egh…
Rhi (as Salia): [severely] You owe me everything. Your mother’s spirit would have devoured you if I hadn’t brought you to that Whisper, and you would’ve died in that miserable little hovel.
Kim: [long gasp]
Josie: [breathy] Oh God.
Rhi (as Salia): Everything you are now you owe to me. I gave you everything, Myra, and that gives me every right to take it away.
Minna (as Myra): There’s a limit, and you passed it long ago.
Rhi (as Salia): Hmph.
Rhi: She straightens up.
Rhi (as Salia): We’ll see about that, girl. Now, I am not actually interested in bringing you back into the fold, I think we both know that ship has long since sailed, but you, it turns out, are a lot more useful outside of my organization than in it. I was willing to let you run off and eventually come to your senses, but then Clave ran into you at that auction and I realized that you had crossed the Circle of Flame, and well, then, I could hardly pass up such an opportunity. You and your friends are going to get me into their ranks.
Minna (as Myra): [laughs] It’s just so typical of you.
Rhi: Almost casually, she just backhands you.
Rhi (as Salia): Don’t interrupt when I’m speaking, Myra. You know the rules.
Minna (as Myra): I stopped playing by your rules a long time ago.
Rhi (as Salia): And look where that got you; carving out some miserable little existence with, what, a petty thief and a dropout?
Minna (as Myra): Better than aping wealth and thinking that you earned it.
Rhi (as Salia): I’ve earned everything that I have, and now I’m going to earn my place in the ranks of people who hold true power in this city, and it’s going to start when they collect you.
Rhi: And… I think she’s gonna turn to leave. Myra can get in one last parting shot if she’d like.
Minna (as Myra): You always knew I was a fighter, so I don’t know why you thought this would end any other way. This was all worth it, just for that time without you.
Rhi (as Salia): I hope your friend feels the same way.
Rhi: Clang, as the door shuts. We stay on Myra for a second. How does Myra look now that she’s alone again?
Minna: She doesn’t cry, because that would be losing, but I think, like… The camera shows her looking very, very shaken and her hands clenched into fists as she tries to hold in that feeling.
Rhi: Yeah. So, we pan down from Myra to the floor where there is a pretty decent size grate down into the tunnels where Blaire and Minx just heard everything.
Minna: [strained whine]
Kim: We did?!
Rhi: Yeah, you did, you heard all of that.
Kim: Oh…
Rhi: Most of it. You probably missed the opening few sentences, but you heard all of that exchange.
Josie (as Minx): Well, we’re going up through that grate, right?
Kim (as Blaire): Oh yeah, no, absolutely.
Josie: I think maybe as we pan down to the grate Myra’s in silence and then there’s a little ‘clink’ as a little grappling type hook comes up through the grate and hooks on. [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs]
Kim: Yes!
Minna: Myra turns to look at it, if she can see it from her angle.
Rhi: I think it’s kind of, like, it’s behind the chair a little bit.
Minna: Oh cool, so she just kinda looks around wildly and there is nothing.
Josie: I wanna climb up the rope, up to the grate, and say:
Josie (as Minx): Hello dear. I thought we had an agreement not to split up.
Minna (as Myra): [sighs] And I thought I told you to stay at home.
Josie (as Minx): Eh, I’ve never been one to follow instructions very well. Seems like you aren’t either.
Minna (as Myra): No.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah! This is our one rule that you were supposed to follow. What the hell, Myra?
Minna: [laughs]
Minna (as Myra): I’m sorry. There wasn’t- I didn’t have a better plan.
Kim (as Blaire): You could have come to us.
Minna (as Myra): I didn’t have the time and I didn’t have the energy to argue with you, because if I had tried to say that to your face I don’t think I could have.
Josie (as Minx): Girls, as much as this conversation needs to be had now is not the place to have it.
Kim (as Blaire): Right. Let’s get you out of here and then we’ll yell at you back at The Nest.
Josie (as Minx): Myra, if I pass up to you a blade will you be able to free yourself?
Minna (as Myra): My hands and my ankles are manacled to this chair. I don’t think I have enough freedom of movement for that.
Kim: Remind me again what it is that the ghost key does?
Rhi: Opens ghost locks.
Kim: Oh. This isn’t a ghost lock. Okay.
Rhi: You don’t know.
Josie: Haven’t checked.
Rhi: That’s the thing with the ghost key, it’s kind of a “well, let’s find out if it’ll do something.” You never know where there are ghost doors and ghost locks in the city until you check, so if you wanna try and do something…
Kim: Okay, that’s a 5.
Rhi: I will give you a choice.
Kim: Okay?
Rhi: Either you are able to unlock something that will get you through the grate or the ghost key will unlock all of the stuff binding Myra when you get up there.
Kim: Myra.
Rhi: Okay. You look into the ghost field and see the outline of Myra up there, and then glowing very brightly with, just sort of repeated use, a lot of people have been in those manacles, they’ve been locked and unlocked a lot, you can see the locks on these bindings glowing in the ghost field. You’re pretty sure once you get up there you can just unlock them all with your ghost key, but you gotta get up there.
Kim: Yeah.
Josie (as Minx): Blaire, do you have any ideas?
Kim (as Blaire): Explode it?
Josie (as Minx): If you pass me out some explosives, I will do that.
Rhi: [laughs] Myra – “Uhh?! You know I’m bolted to a—”
Minna (as Myra): I cannot move.
Minna: [laughs]
Josie (as Minx): Not large explosives, just something to pop this.
Minna (as Myra): Well, I guess that’s better than getting killed by Salia, or the Circle of Flame rather.
Josie (as Minx): Quite.
Rhi: All right, so… yeah. Whatcha doing?
Josie: Yeah. I wanna try and shove… what have we got in there? Is it only TNT?
Rhi: No. I think we’ve, you know, we’ve got alchemy and magic. You can have something that’s kind of like a shape charge. It’ still an explosive, so you’re not exactly sure what this is gonna do to Myra. [laughs]
Josie: Right. I just wanna pack some firecracker level shit in between the bars…
Rhi: Just trying to weaken the bars?
Josie: Yeah, and where it meets the floor, so hopefully the small explosion is beneath the grate and it just pops it up.
Rhi: Okay. Yeah, I see what you’re saying. Yeah, you can definitely try and do that.
Josie: And it’s a weak explosive, but I just shove as much as I can into one area.
Rhi: Heh. Yeah. Okay, yeah, go ahead and roll something. Would you like a Devil’s Bargain?
Josie: Yeah. What does that look like?
Rhi: It’s gonna be 2 more ticks on the clock no matter what. Like, you may get additional ticks based on this roll, but no matter what you’re taking 2 more ticks.
Josie: Oh yeah, that’s exciting, let’s do this. [laughs]
Rhi: All right.
Josie: That’s a 5.
Rhi: So, you do it but there’s a consequence. So, [laughs] Myra, you just hear some quiet murmuring behind you, kind of the sound of Minx [struggled panting], grunting as she’s shoving stuff into this little compact area, and then the hiss of a fuse going, and you brace yourself as best you can, and then there’s a loud pop and then a clatter as I think it falls out like it’s on a hinge, you just blew one side of it out, so the grate has opened up. However, you just set off an explosion.
Josie: Yep.
Rhi: Myra, you can hear footsteps running outside, like it sounds like somebody’s running towards the room that you’re locked in and you’re just still stuck in this chair.
Minna (as Myra): Hey, we’ve got incoming.
Josie: Minx is gonna clamber up through the hole where the grate is, trying hard to keep what she’s wearing from getting too mussed, but now it’s very dirty and there’s soot on it.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: She climbs up, sighs dejectedly.
Josie (as Minx): Well, Blaire, you have the key.
Josie: Then I think I’m going to… Yeah, I’m gonna have my normal sword in one hand, pistol in the other, and train them both right on the door.
Rhi: Blaire, you don’t even need to do a roll. I think you can just look into the ghost field and see where the locks are and just get them open.
Kim: Oh, okay.
Rhi: Because you did the roll to find them earlier, basically. Yeah, you unlock all of those, and Myra, you are able to stand up, and I think as you do the door is gonna open. Wester is there with a gun in his hands.
Josie: Shooting him.
Rhi: All right. Go ahead and roll it.
Josie: I have a way things could go down here, and it’s contingent on whether Minx is shooting to kill or not.
Rhi: … Oh. [laughs]
Josie: Which she might be.
Rhi: Mm-hmm.
Josie: But I’m trying to decide whether she would, because if she is, she is most likely gonna take trauma in this situation.
Rhi: I don’t know. It’s up to you.
Josie: The door opens, she fires.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: And she’s not aiming for center of mass.
Rhi: Roll it.
Josie: Yep, and I’m gonna take that stress to make sure of it.
Rhi: Push yourself?
Josie: Yep.
Rhi: All right…
Josie: That’s a 4.
Rhi: Okay. It’s reduced effect, so you don’t kill him. You shoot him, and I think it’s one of those where like, it grazes along—I assume you were aiming for his head, and I think he just barely manages to jerk out of the way, but it grazes along the side of his head, so he has a, because head wounds bleed horribly, he has a very bloody graze along the side of his head now. I think he, seeing how close you are, rather than shooting you just tackles you. the two of you are fighting over your various guns.
Josie: Maybe they were already climbing down, and when the door opened Myra dropped down the rope further with Blaire, and then in the ensuing struggle I knock the rope loose?
Rhi: Yeah, I think that works. The two of you hit the ground down in the tunnel and the rope just falls down.
Minna (as Myra): I know a way. The fastest way I think is through the tunnels to street level. I know the way.
Kim (as Blaire): O-Okay.
Rhi: So, the two of you take off at a run. Myra, yeah, you know exactly how to get back up to street access. As you burst onto the street there’s a cellar door that you clamber out of just in time to see Ojal with a pistol at her hip and a couple knives as well. Myra, you recognize this as her ‘being sent on a killing mission’ get-up, swings into a carriage.
Minna: Uh… Am I to assume this is going after Jeren?
Rhi: Salia definitely implied when she was leaving that Jeren was not going to make it out of this alive.
Minna: Okay… Hmm. Hmm! [into hands] Let’s drop back into character.
Rhi: I think the carriage starts clattering away, Myra and Blaire are standing there, and Josie, describe Minx’s entrance onto the street. [laughs]
Josie: Okay. We start a little ways back in the building. We are hearing a clamor as the camera moves on the outside slowly towards the front of the building, and Minx essentially breaks through a window in her escape.
Rhi: [laughs] Naturally, I think that Minx gets a cool, sexy forehead cut, but that’s the only injury from jumping through the window.
Josie: Yeah, although given what just… Well, I’m gonna ask right now. Did Wester survive this?
Rhi: Yes.
Josie: Okay.
Rhi: I’m not gonna have him die off-screen, but yeah. He survived, but decided discretion was the better part of valor and booked it when it became clear you were trying to kill him.
Josie: Right. So, she’s got the sexy forehead cut, but also there’s very clearly a bloody handprint smeared across her chest.
Rhi: Ooh.
Josie: Yeah.
Rhi: Nice.
Josie (as Minx): Ahem. Sorry, wasn’t about to let us get split up again. Where are we going? What are we doing?
Minna (as Myra): Ojal just jumped in a carriage, and I’m pretty sure I know where she’s heading. Well, I don’t know where she’s heading. I know she is heading to go kill somebody that I care about. Will you help me stop her?
Josie (as Minx): Absolutely. Yeah, we came here to help you.
Minna (as Myra): And honestly, bless you for never being able to follow instructions.
[laughter]
Josie (as Minx): Well, yeah.
Minna (as Myra): I don’t know what I did to deserve you two.
Kim (as Blaire): You are a good person? And you’re our friend?
Minna (as Myra): Yes. Well… [deep breath] Let’s get after that.
Josie: Yeah. Is there another carriage?
Rhi: I think there’s basically a cab lineup outside of here. So yeah, there’s a couple other cabs and carriages that you all can either attempt to hire the cabbie or, you know, grand theft goat.
Kim: Goat theft auto!
Rhi: [laughs] There’s a woman seated atop the carriage who looks over and her eyes get a little wide at the sight of the three of you who are, at best, a couple of you are mussed and dirty, one of you is bloody. What do you do?
Josie (as Minx): Please follow that carriage, dear.
Josie: She’s making no attempt to hide the bloody handprint.
Minna (as Myra): This isn’t a request.
Rhi (as Cabbie): O-Okay… Hop in.
Rhi: I think that these are an open top carriage thing, it’s not an enclosed space, so you all have like—And Ojal was in the same setup, so you all have kind of clear view on each other.
Josie (as Minx): So Myra, real quick, who are they going after?
Minna (as Myra): They’re going after a longtime informant and friend.
Kim (as Blaire): Who is this informant?
Minna (as Myra): His name is Jeren.
Kim (as Blaire): Okay…
Minna (as Myra): I thought I’d kept him secret, but apparently I did not, so it’s just as well.
Josie (as Minx): Well, you kept him secret from us somehow.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah. Why are you keeping secrets from us?
Minna (as Myra): It’s a secret I’ve kept longer than I’ve known any of you.
Josie (as Minx): Is this the promise you spoke of?
Minna (as Myra): Yes. I told him I would keep him out of everything that I did. He’s the one who provides a lot of information to me. Usually if I’m able to provide information on Bluecoat stuff it’s from him.
Josie (as Minx): If that’s true, he has helped us out quite a bit. I would have liked to thank him. This week is really my week for getting secrets revealed to me, isn’t it? Anyway.
Rhi: So, we’ve got a pair of racing clocks here.
Minna: [pleased] Ah~
Rhi: You all are- Actually, I’m gonna change this. Ojal is at 1 out of 8. You all are at 0 out of 8.
Minna: Mm-hmm!
Rhi: She has a lead on you. You can encourage, [chuckles], the cabbie to go faster, you can attempt to take control of the cab yourselves, but basically you are gonna have to make some rolls to move your progress forward.
Kim: I think we should encourage her first before we force her.
Minna: Yes.
Rhi: That’s fair. [giggles]
Minna: I also have better rolls to encourage than to force.
Josie: Yeah.
Rhi: So yeah, go ahead and start making some rolls. The cabbie I think got the sense that this is an urgent mission but perhaps does not realize the depth of the urgency here and so is moving quickly but not as fast as you would like.
Kim: Move faster or you’re not getting five stars for this ride.
[laughter]
Minna: I have to decide what I’m rolling. I think it’s a command because of how stressed out she is right now.
Rhi: Yeah.
Minna: It is a 4.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: So I think Myra leans forward, and she says:
Minna (as Myra): Please, please try to speed up, because lives are on the line here.
Rhi (as Cabbie): Uh, okay.
Rhi: She whips the reins that are on the goats and they pick up speed. The consequence here is, yeah, you mentioned that Myra is very stressed, so you are gonna take harm, level 2 harm, of basically just terror. You are terrified for your friend right now.
Minna: I would like to resist that.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: And that’s a 6, so I take 0 stress and I knock it down to a level 1.
Rhi: All right. So, let me make a roll for Ojal here. You have caught up to her. Now here’s the thing, you can’t really get past her because you have to follow her to wherever she’s going. If you get ahead of her on the clock that basically means you have some kind of advantage when you arrive.
Minna: What’s the policy on jumping into her cab?
Rhi: The policy is that’s fucking brilliant and you should do it.
Josie: Yeah! [laughs] ‘Cause, jeez…
Minna: What are we rolling on that?
Rhi: I don’t know!
Josie: That sounds like Finesse?
Rhi: I mean, or Skirmish? Or Prowl?
Minna: Skirmish is my best roll of those.
Rhi: With Skirmish it is a flying leap attack.
Minna: I mean, that’s absolutely the plan.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: I am gonna take 2 stress to push myself.
Rhi: Okay. [laughs] So, Blaire and Minx are like “don’t you ever leave us again!” Myra’s like, “Bye!”
Kim: Myra’s like, “Yeet!”
Josie (as Minx): Myra!
Minna: That’s a 5.
Rhi: Five, okay. Yeah, I think that the carriages pull up next to each other and Ojal looks over at you and is kind of surprised, and then is more surprised as Myra launches herself across into the cab. Ojal recovers pretty quickly, whips out one of those knives, and is lunging at you going for your throat. You’re in a desperate position, Myra. Now, I want to remind the other two that if Ojal dies before you reach your destination you won’t- It’s gonna be hard for you to find Jeren.
Minna: Oh, fuck me. I didn’t think of that.
Josie: Just subdue her. Just subdue her. It’s fine. You don’t gotta kill her.
Minna: Wait. The cabbie has the destination. I don’t need Ojal, I just need the cabbie. [laughs]
Rhi: That’s true. You’re correct. Myra has just launched herself into this other cab and is in a knife fight without a knife at the moment.
Minna: Wait. Do I have any load?
Josie: No, you don’t.
Rhi: Yeah, Myra, you would have had anything on you would have been removed.
Minna: Oh, oh yeah, uh-huh.
Rhi: Yeah, you do not have any load.
Minna: Ooh, this is fun. [nervous smiling] This is exciting.
Rhi: Yeah. [laughs]
Josie: Real quick. What am I actually allowed to do? Because I came back in before I think technically trauma accounts for, which you do, you come in with no stress and your stuff is satisfied. Do I still have all of my stuff? Am I allowed to start pushing myself again?
Rhi: Let me look. Yeah, you’re otherwise dropped out of the current conflict. Technically yeah, you did come back probably before the rules intended that you would.
Josie: Oh, okay.
Rhi: I am gonna say, you do not have access to your stress pool right now. Does that seem fair?
Josie: That does seem fair.
Rhi: So you can’t push yourself, you can’t resist harm or consequences, you just kinda have to take it.
Josie: Mm-hmm. I’m gonna toss my sheathed cane sword over to Myra.
Rhi: Okay. I would say Prowl or Finesse.
Josie: That’s a 3.
Rhi: Okay…
Josie: Do I just lose my cane sword?
Rhi: Yeah, I think you lost your cane sword.
Josie: God damn it. [laughs]
Kim: [growls] No~!
Rhi: Sorry. Yeah, it bounces off the side of the cab and just hits the ground and is gone.
Kim: Top 10 anime deaths.
Rhi: [laughs] Yeah, I think that’s pretty much it for the cane sword.
Josie (as Minx): Well, that wasn’t cheap.
Rhi: Blaire, what would you like to do?
Kim: Eh… I’m not really good at anything in this kind of situation…
Rhi: There’s always ghosts around.
Minna: [laughs]
Josie: High speed ghosting.
Kim: I could try commanding a ghost, I guess.
Rhi: You gotta find a ghost, but yeah.
Kim: Yeah. Let me roll Attune to find a ghost. Let me just find a friend first.
Rhi: This is gonna be risky.
Kim: Okay, that’s a 6.
Rhi: Nice! So, you slap your mask on, look into the ghost field wildly, and you very quickly spot a ghost in the cab with you, just sitting on the seat watching all of this unfolding.
Josie: [laughs]
Kim (as Blaire): Oh hey, what’s up?
Rhi (as Ghost): Ah, this is almost as exciting as when I died. What are you all up to?
Minna: Heh.
Kim (as Blaire): Uh, trying to beat someone—We’re racing.
Rhi (as Ghost): Ohh.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah. You want in?
Rhi (as Ghost): Um, well, I’m dead, so I’m not sure how much help I can be.
Kim (as Blaire): Can you just like scare the shit out of the other cab so we can win?
Rhi (as Ghost): Do you want me to scare the cabbie or the person with the knife over there?
Kim (as Blaire): Go for the stabby person.
Rhi (as Ghost): All right.
Kim (as Blaire): And try not to let them, you know, stab the person they’ve got a knife over?
Rhi (as Ghost): I’ll do what I can.
Kim (as Blaire): Thanks!
Rhi: I think… Give me just another Attune roll. This is kind of a fortune roll. This isn’t necessarily gonna be you taking stress for this, it’s just gonna be seeing how well this ghost does at doing a spook.
Kim: That’s double 5s.
Rhi: Okay, 5, that’s actually good. The ghost goes over. Myra, you just feel the cab that you’re in as you’re dodging knife swipes from Ojal, it gets really, really cold, and you can see Ojal’s eyes dart around starting to look a little nervous. I’m trying to see how setup actions work, because I feel like sending this ghost over is a setup action. Okay, so you can either have a +1 effect level, so it would be desperate-greater, or improved position, so it would be risky-standard, for your interacting with Ojal here for your next roll.
Minna: Let’s go for risky-standard.
Rhi: Okay. She is withdrawn enough that you are no longer in a desperate position, but she does still have a knife and a desire to murder the crap out of you, and you are unarmed.
Minna: Yeah… I’m gonna push myself again.
Rhi: Okay, and what are you gonna do?
Minna: I was rolling a Skirmish, and uh… that’s a 3.
Rhi: Okay! You lunge in bare-handed at someone with a knife. You get stabbed. Yeah, that’s about how that’s gonna go.
Kim: Oh no.
Rhi: Yeah. She stabs you in the shoulder. You’re gonna take level 2 harm.
Minna: I’m gonna resist it, and I rolled a 6.
Rhi: What the hell?! [laughs]
Minna: I know. I’m sorry. If I could roll those 6s on rolls that did something, it would be nice.
Rhi: Okay. It’s a level 1.
Minna: Yeah, Stabbed.
Rhi: No, I think you manage to twist so that it’s just you got a cool bicep cut.
Josie: Real quick, Ojal is like above Myra right now?
Rhi: I think they’re both on their feet and—
Minna: We’re like grappling on our feet.
Rhi: Yeah, in a moving cab.
Minna: Yeah. It’s really cool. [laughs]
Josie: So, it would be super risky to shoot them then.
Rhi: Yeah, that would be a desperate move, because the odds of shooting someone you don’t intend to shoot are quite high.
Josie: Um, fuck. I don’t…
Rhi: You can try to jump across.
Josie: Yeah. Myra was allowed to use Skirmish for that, right?
Rhi: Because she made it into an attack, she jumped on Ojal.
Josie: Yeah, I mean, I’m gonna try and do the same thing, because that’s what I got, really.
Rhi: Okay, yeah. It’s gonna be risky.
Josie: Yep, sure is.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: Four! Oh. [relieved]
Rhi: There you go~ I think you and Ojal kind of collide and there’s some grappling for a bit, and then she just, with sort of surprising strength just grabs you and throws you, and you almost- you do go out of the cab, but you manage to catch the back, so you’re now clinging to the back of a speeding cab.
Josie: Oh God.
Rhi: You are in a desperate position. If you let go you’re gonna hit the ground pretty hard.
Josie: Not letting go.
Rhi: Yeah, so you’re just kinda hanging on back there while Ojal turns back to Myra. Blaire?
Kim: I think Myra can fend for herself for now. My focus is gonna be on Minx.
Rhi: Minx is in a much more precarious position.
Kim: Yes. I’m not sure what I can do to help her out is the thing.
Rhi: You could tell the cabbie to slow a little bit so that you could reach over and try to grab her and pull her in.
Kim: Yeah, I guess I’ll do that.
Rhi: Telling the cabbie that doesn’t require a roll. The roll is gonna be being able to grab Minx and get her back safely into your cab.
Kim: Okay.
Kim (as Blaire): Slow down! Slow down. We’ve almost got someone overboard here.
Rhi (as Cabbie): [stammers] By the gods! What is—Agh! I’m gonna expect a very good tip for this!
Kim (as Blaire): Just drive! You’ll get tipped if we live.
Rhi: Slows down enough that you can reach over to where Minx is, and yeah, give me a roll.
Kim: Is it Finesse to try and grab her?
Rhi: Could be Finesse, could be Prowl.
Kim: I mean, same difference, I only have 1 dot in both. Here, can I push myself? I’ll push myself.
Rhi: Yeah.
Kim: Oh no. That’s double 2s.
Rhi: So you are reaching out for Minx and a shot fires over your head, and you instinctively flinch back. You look to see, coming up behind you, two Bluecoat carriages.
Minna: Ohhh good.
Josie: Ohh.
Rhi: [laughing] Who have noticed the fact that there’s some kind of speeding cab fight happening and are now in pursuit. [laughter] So, you have the Bluecoats chasing you all now. You’re being hollered at to stop. Both, I’m picturing that simultaneously both Ojal and Blaire are like “don’t stop!” to the drivers. The drivers also don’t want to get arrested, so they keep going. Who’s doing what?
Minna: Uh…
Kim: Screaming?
Minna: I still wanna punch her…
Rhi: Do it.
Minna: What’s a Devil’s Bargain look like?
Rhi: You kept something important on you when you went in, something that had sentimental value, and you did not get it back when you left the warehouse. It’s just lost to you now.
Minna: Oh… Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Rhi: What was it?
Minna: I think it was, like, I established back in the festival episode that people who love you can make you charms to ward off bad luck or something. Yeah, the one my mom made me is gone.
Josie: Aww.
Rhi: [seethes] All right. Okay.
Minna: All right, rolling three for this Skirmish. Yes! I rolled a critical. The sacrifice was worth it!
Josie: Perfect.
Minna: [giggles]
Rhi: So… Yeah. I think I’m gonna let you take her out with this. It’s up to you if you want it to be fatal.
Minna: I almost think it makes more sense to punch her out, because all she’s thinking is “I need her out of here, I need her gone.” She’s not going to get her to give her answers, and even keeping her in the carriage will make her a threat.
Rhi: Okay. Myra dodges under a swing and just tackles Ojal out of the carriage.
Josie: Minx watches as she speeds by her.
Rhi: Yeah. And then, I don’t think you really see what happens. The Bluecoats, you hear shouting from the Bluecoats as they try to stop and there’s some clattering, clamoring sounds, but I think that you all are going, you go around a curve and you don’t see what happens to her. You kind of keep racing away. Myra, I think you’re able to help Minx safely into the cab. The Bluecoats… You’re pretty sure that she’s not dead, because you don’t hear the death bell going. The Bluecoats all had to stop to avoid running over this person, so I think that you all are able to have the cabbies stop, you pay your cabbie…
Minna: Yes.
Rhi: …who is like, the fuck, and then pile into Ojal’s cab and are like “wherever she was going, take us there!” And you pull up to a small house, kind of run down, in Crow’s Foot.
Minna: Which hideout is this?
Rhi: It’s one that Myra’s not familiar with.
Minna: Oh.
Rhi: Myra hasn’t seen this one. Yeah.
Minna: I guess that makes sense. Heh.
Rhi: Yeah. You’ve been gone for a bit. She has some new places. You pull up outside and the door opens, and you know, somebody that, Myra, you don’t recognize, probably some hired muscle steps out, and the three of you look like hell. There’s blood, you’re all very mussed, and I think at least two of you just level weapons at this person. And again, it’s just like, you know what, I don’t get paid enough, I’m not getting shot for this job.
Josie: [laughs]
Minna: Salia needs to pay her goons better. [laughs]
Josie: Yeah.
Rhi: Yeah. Well, you know. Minx and Blaire keep the guard at weapon point outside and Myra goes rushing into the house. You find just in one of the bedrooms, also tied to a chair, and unconscious, and badly beaten…
Minna: [sad groan]
Rhi: …like, bloodied, bruised, looks like he’s got a broken arm, is Jeren.
Minna: I think Myra just starts untying him.
Minna (as Myra): Jeren…
Rhi (as Jeren): [groans groggily, then in pain, seethes]
Minna (as Myra): It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. We’re here to save you.
Rhi (as Jeren): Ow… Shit! [huffs]
Minna (as Myra): Yeah, I know. We’ll get you patched up.
Rhi (as Jeren): I guess you weren’t kidding about it being dangerous to be around you.
Minna (as Myra): I’m sorry. I really tried to keep you out of it. I don’t know how she found out. It’s probably my fault.
Rhi: I think he just kinda shakes his head and will, you know, if you help him stand he’ll very pained stand.
Minna: Yeah.
Rhi: His blue coat is just gone, but the rest of the uniform is there and in pretty bad shape. But yeah, he’ll lean on you as you help him back out front.
Minna: Mm-hmm.
## Downtime [1:18:20]
Rhi: All right, so for downtime… Myra, I imagine you probably take Jeren over to Seeks.
Minna: Yeah, I take Jeren to Seeks. That’s probably also where I get my healing done.
Rhi: Yeah. Seeks looks very concerned when you bring him in and I think gives you some kind of painkiller tea, and then spends probably a good hour working on patching him up, has to set the broken bones in his arm…
Minna: Mm-hmm.
Rhi: He’s in rough shape.
Minna: Yeah. I think she takes a cat nap in a chair or something.
Rhi: Yeah. Then eventually Seeks will come over and patch you up as well, and then will just sort of excuse herself to the back sensing that probably you two need some time to chat. I think Jeren is just lying flat on his back on the cot and is just staring at the ceiling and is not really saying much. I mean, staring at the ceiling with one eye, his other eye is kind of swollen shut.
Minna (as Myra): Hey. Feeling any better?
Rhi (as Jeren): [dazed] Uh… I’m not feeling a lot. Whatever your friend gave me is pretty effective.
Minna (as Myra): Yeah, that sounds about right. [chuckles] Listen, I’m sorry.
Rhi (as Jeren): Yeah… I would certainly hope so. I mean, you know, you warned me that what you were in was dangerous, but uh… I did not realize how dangerous or how much I’d get pulled into it.
Minna (as Myra): You weren’t supposed to be pulled into it.
Rhi (as Jeren): Yeah, well…
Minna (as Myra): [heavy exhale] She’s my old boss.
Rhi (as Jeren): Huh.
Minna (as Myra): Reason I met you in the first place.
Rhi (as Jeren): Yeah. That’s… I don’t know what that is. There’s probably a word for it.
Minna (as Myra): There isn’t a word for it. It’s just bad.
Rhi (as Jeren): Yeah…
Minna (as Myra): The thing is, information is kind of her job; buying it, selling it, hoarding it. Now that she knows about you, I don’t know how safe you are. I don’t have the power to protect you, and clearly your father being who he is wasn’t enough to stop her coming after you, so I don’t know what happens next, and I really, really wish I did.
Rhi (as Jeren): Yeah, I don’t know either. I mean, I don’t want to leave town, but uh, I… don’t wanna spend three days locked in a room getting the shit beat out of me either, although I imagine next time they’d probably just skip straight to the killing.
Minna (as Myra): Yes, I imagine so. I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s bad.
Rhi (as Jeren): Is it worth it?
Minna (as Myra): Putting you at risk, or everything?
Rhi (as Jeren): Yeah. Yeah, this all you’re doing, is that worth my life?
Minna (as Myra): I think that’s up to you. It’s a choice that you get to make. It’s worth my life, but whether it’s worth yours, that’s something you have to figure out for yourself.
Rhi (as Jeren): I don’t know it is my choice, Myra.
Rhi: I think he finally rolls his head to the side and looks at you.
Rhi (as Jeren): I’m only in this mess because of you. You piss people off and do what you do out in the city, and maybe it’s for a good cause, I don’t know, but you and your friends are the ones putting everybody at risk, so it’s not really my choice.
Minna (as Myra): [tearful] I really should have told you. I should have told you how dangerous these people were. I thought you knew. I thought you knew once you knew that I was a criminal, that I was involved with these… I thought you understood… [deep breath]
Rhi (as Jeren): You don’t tell me much of anything, Myra, and I don’t usually want you to tell me much of anything, because then I can do my job and sleep at night and all that shit. But I don’t know… you’re in deep, and you’re dragging us down with you, and you gotta decide if whatever you’re chasing is worth… everything.
Minna (as Myra): I can’t stop now. Even if I wanted to, I can’t stop now.
Rhi: He just lets out a really heavy sigh and then coughs a little bit and presses a hand to his ribs.
Rhi (as Jeren): Yeah, I was pretty sure you were gonna say that.
Rhi: Then he looks back at the ceiling and closes his eyes and is giving every impression of someone who’s going to sleep, but you’re pretty sure he’s not asleep, he’s just done talking.
Minna: I think Myra stands up and is gonna go, but she kinda hesitates.
Minna (as Myra): I didn’t expect to care about you as much as I did. I’m sorry that I didn’t let you go, and I should have, but it’s too late now. We have to figure it out. It’s up to you what you do with this. I’ll do my best for you, but I can’t offer much. You, you have, you have a lot on me. Do with that what you will.
Rhi: I don’t think he says anything. Does Myra just head out?
Minna: Mm-hmm.
Rhi: Yeah, I don’t know where that’s gonna go yet.
Minna: Yeah… He has to figure that out.
Rhi: So, I think we follow Myra as she makes her way back through the city, back home to The Nest. What are Blaire and Minx doing while they’re waiting for her to come back?
Kim: I think I’m cuddling on the couch with Hex.
Rhi: Very good. How about Minx?
Josie: Minx has spent- She spends a lot of time in front of a mirror, but this is an inordinate amount of time in front of a mirror doing nothing. She’s just waiting.
Rhi: Just staring at her reflection?
Josie: Yep.
Rhi: So, Myra comes in.
Josie: As soon as Myra comes in, Minx is gonna turn and move in for a hug.
Minna (as Myra): Oh! Hi…
Minna: She hugs her back.
Josie (as Minx): I’m so glad you’re okay.
Minna (as Myra): Yeah, me too. I thought I was dead there.
Josie (as Minx): Heh. If you were dead I was gonna make sure it wasn’t alone. That’s not how we roll, right?
Kim (as Blaire): Myra, why didn’t you come to us?
Minna (as Myra): [tearful] Honestly, I thought you were gonna talk me out of it.
Josie (as Minx): Talk you out of what? You didn’t give us a chance.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah, you just left.
Minna (as Myra): So, let me walk you through my day. I go to meet up with somebody I’ve been friends with for longer than any of you, and who I see there is Ojal, and she has the bloody sleeve of his uniform with her, and she tells me this woman you have honestly been enemies with since the day you left has him and she’s probably going to kill him unless you come, I presume, alone to this warehouse, and I wasn’t going to let that happen so I went.
Josie (as Minx): I get that, just… I’m just saying, you knew we weren’t gonna stay away, not for a fucking letter. [chuckles]
Minna (as Myra): I hoped. I hoped you at least wouldn’t get yourselves killed over this, because he’s not your problem, he’s mine.
Josie (as Minx): We share a lot of problems, Myra. That’s kind of part of us being a crew.
Kim (as Blaire): If you really think that we wouldn’t die for you, then… I don’t know if you even know us.
Minna (as Myra): I don’t want you to die for me! I don’t want anybody to die for me!
Josie (as Minx): And we don’t want you to die alone in a blank cell somewhere. We’re in this for a reason, right?
Minna (as Myra): I just didn’t want to get you killed over my messes.
Kim (as Blaire): Don’t be stupid.
Kim: Blaire’s gonna move in to hug Myra.
Minna: Myra holds her tightly. She’s a lot more upset than she usually is, probably a lot more upset than you’ve seen her, because it’s been a lot.
Josie (as Minx): Myra, trust me, I really get it. I’m just really glad you’re okay.
Kim (as Blaire): We’re here to help you with your messes.
Minna (as Myra): Okay. I just didn’t- I’m so used to keeping- I have all these secrets that I’m used to keeping, and it’s a habit more than anything at this point.
Kim (as Blaire): Okay.
Josie (as Minx): That’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong, okay?
Kim (as Blaire): It’s okay if it’s a habit. Habits can be unlearned. It just takes some work.
Minna (as Myra): Mm-hmm…
Kim (as Blaire): Listen. We care about you, a lot, and you don’t have to keep anything from us. We’re not gonna think less of you or hold it over your head. We’re not Salia.
Minna (as Myra): Do you know how few people I’ve heard that from in my life? [smiling sob]
Josie (as Minx): I can only imagine.
Minna (as Myra): [tearful] I’m sorry. I should have known it would be different here.
Kim (as Blaire): It’s okay. You came from a rough place, and that’s gonna take a long time to shake off.
Josie: Minx is joining the group hug.
Minna (as Myra): How much… How much did you hear earlier?
Josie: Pretty much everything.
Minna (as Myra): You’re gonna have to define that for me, because I don’t know—
Josie (as Minx): We heard about your mother.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah. Why didn’t you tell us? I’m so sorry.
Josie (as Minx): I understand that one. I don’t think that’s something she needs to talk about until she’s absolutely ready.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah. Yeah, no.
Minna (as Myra): I don’t talk about it. I have never talked about it.
Kim (as Blaire): But doesn’t that really hurt you?
Minna (as Myra): I think I just learned to swallow the hurt.
Kim (as Blaire): Myra, no.
Minna (as Myra): There was no one to talk to before now, and I didn’t—How do you bring that up? When I was a kid my mom died in the sickness and she didn’t wanna go, so she used me instead, and… and I was almost gone, and this woman came along with a Whisper and she purged her, and it was all horrible and I remember every second of it, and then she held it over me for years, and it was the one secret that I didn’t want anybody to ever know. I guess it doesn’t matter now.
Josie (as Minx): I suppose I have one question. How does it feel having said that?
Minna (as Myra): It’s not as bad as I thought it was gonna be.
Kim (as Blaire): See?
Minna (as Myra): I don’t think I… I think it’s been a long time since I thought you would think I was weak for knowing what happened.
Kim (as Blaire): No~ No, no.
Josie (as Minx): Of course not.
Kim (as Blaire): Myra… No. What you went through… What you went through would have broken a lot of people. You’re not broken.
Minna (as Myra): Yeah, I’m not, no thanks to Salia. [chuckles] Well, maybe a little thanks to Salia.
Josie (as Minx): We’re here for you.
Minna (as Myra): You have no idea how much that means. Okay, one last secret.
Kim (as Blaire): Mm-hmm?
Josie (as Minx): Hmm?
Minna (as Myra): The man I went to save tonight, he’s a Bluecoat.
Kim (as Blaire): Really?
Josie (as Minx): See why you might not have mentioned that.
Minna (as Myra): He wasn’t when I met him.
Kim (as Blaire): Okay.
Minna (as Myra): He was a mark. He was at the Imperial college, and I was supposed to find, I was supposed to see if he knew stuff about this case that his dad was working—his dad’s a barrister—and we hit it off, and I didn’t have friends at that point, because you’ve seen Ojal and Wester and Clave I suppose by this point. Actually, I don’t know if you have, but they’re nightmares, honestly.
Kim (as Blaire): Mm-hmm.
Minna (as Myra): And, I was lonely.
Kim (as Blaire): That… That’s okay. Listen, if he’s a friend of yours, he’s a friend of ours, and I’m sure he’s not too much of a bad guy, even if he is with the fuzz.
Minna (as Myra): Yeah, he’s… I don’t know what to say about him. He was my best friend for a long time, and we don’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things.
Kim (as Blaire): Good.
Josie (as Minx): Yeah.
Minna (as Myra): [chuckles] He’s privileged, and kind of an asshole sometimes, but he’s I guess my asshole? I don’t know. It’s complicated. Anyway, I don’t know if it’s gonna last after this anyway. I mean, I honestly don’t know what he’s going to do or how he’s gonna survive this.
Kim (as Blaire): We can worry about that another time, okay?
Josie (as Minx): Yes.
Kim (as Blaire): Why don’t you come sit down and we’ll make you some tea, and you can cuddle Hex, and sit by the fire, and…
Minna (as Myra): That would be so wonderful. You have no idea how tired I am.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah, come here.
Minna: I think she kinda leans on Blaire a little.
Kim: Aghh~
Josie: Aww. [laughs]
Kim: So cute. That was out of character, that wasn’t Blaire.
Rhi: Blaire makes some tea and the three of you settle in on the couch to figure out what comes next, what you’re gonna continue doing, what you’re gonna continue fighting for, and what is worth the risk.
## Outro [1:32:21]
Rhi: Thanks for listening. The Magpies will be back in two weeks. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter at @magpies_pod, and visit our Patreon at patreon.com/magpiespodcast.
The Magpies podcast is hosted and produced by Rhi. Follow me on Twitter at @rhiannon42 and check out RPGSkillCheck.net for my copy editing and accessibility freelance site.
Blaire Culhane is played by Kim Kogut. Follow her on Twitter at @kimdianajones.
Minx is played by Josie. Follow her on Twitter at @DragonGirlJosie, and watch her art streams at picarto.tv/DragonGirlJosie.
Myra Keel is played by Minna. Follow her on Twitter at @mynaminnarr.
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.
Rhi: Now, I’d like to thank our luminous Patreon backers. Alice Wiand, thank you! Zach Norwig, thank you!
## Blooper [1:33:45]
Rhi: Yeah, yeah. Give me a roll of some kind. It’s gonna be risky.
Josie: Mm-hmm. I’m thinking Wreck?
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: Yeah, you know what, I’m just gonna roll it straight.
Rhi: Oof!
Josie: All right! Just for the viewers at home, that is two rolls of 2d6, in a row, where both dice are 1s.
Minna: [sympathetic moan]
Rhi: Yeah. That’s… Okay.
Kim: The dice are cursed tonight.
Rhi: Yeah…