Transcribed by Michelle Kelly.
##Intro
Rhi: Welcome back to Duskwall. As always, thank you so much for joining us. If you haven’t left us a review yet, please do so. We love reviews. Every time we get a nice one, and they’re almost all nice, I share it with the rest of the cast and then we all yell a lot. And even better than our excited yelling, more reviews help new listeners find the show.
In case you missed it, we broke 100,000 downloads last week, which unlocked the Whitehollow worldbuilding bonus episode. If I had the time, I’d run a whole separate Blades campaign in our version of the city. Josie, Kim and Minna came up with some incredible ideas. Recording the bonus episode was a ton of fun, so go check it out if you haven’t yet.
We are just a few patrons short of unlocking the Magpie pin giveaway for our backers. When we reach 100 active backers on Patreon, all of those backers will be entered in a drawing to win one of five Magpies pins created and painted by James Bricknell, the designer of our Magpies pins models. If you can’t do a monthly Patreon payment but still want a pin, visit our Shapeways store to buy one of your own.
A few months ago, I recorded a guest episode on the Roll Out podcast. I got to play Brie Sheldon’s game Turn, which is about shapeshifters in small-town America. It was a really charming, fun game in which I played a baker who sometimes turned into a bear. The episode will be going up this week, so visit the Roll Out website linked in the show notes.
Next, Minna is going to tell us about this month’s featured charity.
Minna: This month we are spotlighting Planned Parenthood. They provide reproductive services from birth control and STD screening to abortions. They also provide education and are working to fight abortion bans across the nation. I strongly believe that everybody has the right to whatever reproductive services and choices they want. If you would like to support Planned Parenthood, you can go to their website at PlannedParenthood.org and click the donate button. Or, you could find a local organization and support them as well, that is also great.
Rhi: As always, please continue to visit sites like 5calls.org for scripts for contacting your representatives about the many, many issues facing the US today. And if you, like many of use, are completely overwhelmed by the impeachment news, I recommend visiting Impeachment.FYI and subscribing to their email newsletter. It’s a good way to keep up with what’s happening without getting lost in the minute-to-minute updates. And as we approach Thanksgiving in the US, take this opportunity to find ways to support and uplift the voices of Indigenous people wherever you live. One of our charities earlier this year was the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. It’s a good place to begin.
Now then. Let’s get started, shall we?
##Story continues [00.03.15]
Rhi: So, you’re able to see Tira. In a jar.
Josie: [inhales]
Minna: No!
Kim: No.
Rhi: In the hands of one of the Spirit Wardens.
Kim: No!
Rhi: It’s the worst— literally, what it says for if you roll a 1 to a 3 on desperate, it’s the worst outcome. They’ve already caught her.
Kim (as Blaire): No. No. No, no, no, not her. Not her. Shit! Shit. Shit, this…
Josie: Before I state more actions.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: We’ve never contemplated this possibility before. How does one fail a score?
Rhi: You just bail on it.
Josie: You just bail on it.
Rhi: If you just decide we’re not, we can’t do it, yeah, you just bail on the score. You don’t get any of the rewards.
Josie: Like, I just wanna like check in with everyone beforehand that like, that might just be what we do. The score is now get Tira out.
Minna: Yeah, agreed.
Kim: It has to be.
Minna: We don’t sacrifice someone’s, like, personhood for our goals.
Josie: Right.
Kim: Yeah, no. No ghost left behind.
Josie: This was supposed to be low fuckin’ stakes, now they’re suddenly real high.
Rhi: [laughs] For what it’s worth—
Josie: I did suggest this.
Rhi: This was your idea. [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah, so Blaire?
Kim (as Blaire): [sobs]
Josie: Minx is gonna put a hand in Blaire’s hair.
Josie (as Minx): We’re going to fix this. We’re going to save her.
Kim (as Blaire): How? How are we going to fix this?
Josie (as Minx): We need to think quickly.
Kim (as Blaire): We can’t.
Josie (as Minx): Where will they be heading once they leave here?
Rhi: Back to Bellweather crematorium, where they have the equipment to destroy spirits.
Josie: What bridges do they need to cross to get there?
Rhi: Ooh. Good question.
Minna: I was gonna ask the same thing, because we do that a lot.
Rhi: [laughs] Let me look at the map here. There are two bridges they could potentially take from Crow’s Foot into Charterhall.
Josie: Okay.
Minna: Is there a way we could, like, see which way they start heading?
Rhi: Yeah. I mean, they are— so like, right now, Blaire I think when you looked into the ghost field you were able to see that there are— there’s three Spirit Wardens present. And they’re all inside. The carriage is unattended.
Josie (as Minx): I think we need to disable their carriage first things first.
Kim (as Blaire): [weakly] How are we going to do that?
Josie (as Minx): Blaire, do you think you can, with being minimally seen, mess with their wheels?
Kim (as Blaire): Mm. I… I don’t know. I just wanna get her out!
Josie (as Minx): We will.
Kim (as Blaire): This wasn’t supposed to happen and it’s my fault.
Minna (as Myra): You asked her to take a risk and she took it willingly.
Kim (as Blaire): No. [sobs] The Reconciled are gonna kill me.
Minna (as Myra): The Reconciled are not going to kill you, because we’re going to help her. As long as we pull ourselves together and get this done.
Josie (as Minx): Yes.
Minna (as Myra): We need to concentrate on the task at hand. We can fall apart later.
Kim (as Blaire): [stammers]
Josie (as Minx): Blaire. Please.
Kim (as Blaire): Myra…
Josie (as Minx): Myra, are you a skilled enough tinkerer to disable it?
Minna (as Myra): I’m not skilled, but I can certainly try.
Josie (as Minx): Please do.
Rhi: You also, I will point out, there are the Hulls. Can probably do something there.
Minna: I do have two dots in Attune. Maybe it would be better to attempt something with the Hulls?
Josie (as Minx): Yes, just disable the carriage however you’re able.
Minna: Yes, I think Myra’s going to try.
Kim: Would you like an assist?
Minna: Oh, this could be really cute as an assist, though.
Rhi: Yeah. So, Blaire will take a point of stress.
Minna: I rolled a 5.
Rhi: Tell me what this looks like.
Minna: I think that we work together and… uh, what are we trying to get them to do? I think we look into the ghost field and we see how these Hulls are put together and maybe try to communicate with the spirits inside. Although I guess all their sense of personhood is gone, isn’t it?
Rhi: Pretty much. There’s not a ton left.
Josie: Or— they’re bound to a sense of purpose, right?
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: And their purpose is to pull carriage. Tell them to pull carriage. [laughs]
Rhi: If you’re just looking to get this carriage out of the way, telling them to do their job would be an effective way of doing it.
Kim: Blaire spanks one of their butts.
Rhi: [laughs] They’re made of metal.
Josie and Kim: Thunk!
[laughter]
Rhi: Okay, so I think what happens— I’m gonna go with you do it at reduced effect. The two of you kind of combined reach into the ghost field. Myra is able to sort of give this command of, you know—
Minna (as Myra): Giddy up!
Rhi: And the Hulls start trotting along, but they don’t go very fast and they don’t go very far because they can tell that there’s not, like, a driver. So, it gets about a block away and then they just kinda slow down and stop. So, it’s no longer right out front, but they also didn’t go very far.
Minna: That still gives us space to set up an ambush between here and the carriage.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: I’m thinking at least I hide in the carriage. Because we need to have that moment, right? [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah, yeah.
Minna: Yes.
Rhi: Yeah, so if you all set up your ambush down closer to where the carriage is?
Josie and Minna: Mm hmm.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: They get into the carriage, Minx sticks a gun in their face, or whatever, and then we come in, we close in from both sides and box them in.
Rhi: Okay. So, yeah, the three of you get into your ambush positions and you wait. You don’t have to wait too long. So, you’re keeping an eye out down the street. You see one of the Spirit Wardens step outside and then just stop and like, look around. And then, you know, you can see, like, pointing down the street and there’s a little bit of conversation amongst the three of them, and then they just kind of start walking down the street. As to what Spirit Wardens look like. Spirit Wardens are completely anonymous. Nobody knows who is a member. People who join the Spirit Wardens are never posted in the city that they’re from, so all of Duskwall’s Spirit Wardens are from other places in the Empire.
Josie: Weird.
Rhi: They wear, all of them, like the uniform, is a dark blue coat with brass buttons. They wear dark blue gloves, hoods, and face-concealing brass masks. So, they all, other than, you know, fairly slight variations in height and weight, it is kind of impossible to tell them apart. There are rumors that, like, people get recruited to the Spirit Wardens based on how closely they fit sort of the average shape. It’s… yeah. It’s very creepy. So, the three of them start walking in your direction. So, I think as they approach, they kinda slow down and start looking around. Body language seems suspicious. One of them has the ghost jar tucked under their arm, but the other two start going for their weapons. They have lightning hooks like what Blaire carries. So, they are pulling weapons and they are looking suspicious of the situation. They don’t know exactly where the three of you are, but they suspect that something is afoot. Their Hulls don’t usually just runoff on their own.
Josie: Right.
Rhi: So, yeah. The three of them are cautiously approaching the carriage. What do you all wanna do?
Josie: I wanna remain hidden in the carriage until one of them pops the door open.
Rhi: Okay. That happens. One of them opens the door.
Josie: Okay.
Rhi: But it’s not— I think it’s not a, like, just kind of a slow, casual open. It’s the, like, yank the door open really fast.
Josie: That is fine, because I would like to make a case for using my Cloak and Dagger move here. Because Minx has, while in the carriage, let her hair down, torn off her cumbersome jacket, and has readied her cane sword.
Minna: Minx is in stabby mode. I love it.
Josie: Yep, she’s in stabby mode. And I kinda wanna make the case here that since I’m casting off my disguise and my hiding place in a sudden fashion, that the resulting surprise gives me the initiative in the situation?
Rhi: I’ll allow it. I can see you, like, the door whips open and this guy gets this incredible jacket just thrown in his face. [laughs]
Josie: Yes, exactly. Just poof!
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: This is going to be risky, we’re gonna say.
Josie: I am going to make my Skirmish roll first and then describe it, depending on how that turns out.
Rhi: Yeah. Are you gonna push yourself or Devil’s Bargain or anything?
Josie: Oh yes, I am gonna push myself in order to engage a small gang on equal footing with no reduced effect. And also gain an extra die.
Rhi: Oh. Alright.
Josie: Because I have Not To Be Trifled With.
Rhi: Yeah. Oh yeah. That’s definitely the time to use that.
Josie: Got a 5.
Rhi: Describe what you do.
Josie: Fuckin’ leap out the door and tackle him to the ground. Just like pin his shoulders back down to the pavement with my knees and have my sword in both hands just right above him ready to plunge already.
Rhi: Okay.
Josie: Is he the one with the ghost jar?
Rhi: No.
Josie: He’s not?
Rhi: He does not have it.
Josie: Yeah, in that case— the Spirit Wardens don’t seem to be the kinda sort who’s like, “Oh, if our teammate is threatened we’ll give it up,” right? These are some dedicated anonymous individuals.
Minna: Mm hmm.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: In that case I think Minx isn’t gonna kill him, but she wants to ram her sword down through his shoulder or chest or something, to like pin him with the sword blade.
Rhi: You can definitely do that, I think probably through the shoulder or bicep, and then the blade goes into the gaps in the cobblestones, yeah. You can definitely do that.
Josie: Yeah.
Rhi: There’s kind of a muffled screech from behind the mask, because no matter how stoic and well-trained you are, that shit hurts.
Josie: Right. [laughs]
Rhi: But you got a 5, so there is a consequence. And I think that the consequence is gonna be that one of the other Spirit Wardens just swings the lightning hook straight into your back, and you’re gonna take level 2 harm, Electrocuted.
Josie: Uh, I can resist that, right?
Rhi: Yes you can.
Josie: I’m gonna Prowess resist that.
Rhi: Yes.
Josie: Nope! [laughs]
Rhi: Oof, okay. So, you’re gonna— well, no, no. You will take three stress, but it will drop it down to level 1 harm.
Josie: Oh, okay.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: Sweet.
Rhi: So, the other two of you have seen this happen. Minx tackled this guy, stabbed him in the arm, got lightly zapped. What are you doing?
Kim: I mean, besides screaming?
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: Screaming is a free action.
[laughter]
Kim: It is a free action.
Rhi: So’s crying. [laughs] Yeah, so who’s doing what?
Minna: Um, I think we’re closing on the— or at least, I’m closing in on one of the other Bluecoats. Or—
Rhi: Spirit Wardens.
Minna: Spirit Wardens. You know what I mean. [laughs] They also wear blue coats!
Rhi: Yeah. There’s an aesthetic amongst the authority figures of Duskwall. Which one are you going after? The one that swung— so basically, of the remaining two, you’ve got guy, or person, who swung at Minx and person holding spirit jar.
Minna: Person holding spirit jar.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: Because really, if we can get that spirit jar smashed, slash open, we are done here.
Rhi: Yeah. I will say, the spirit jars are designed to be difficult to just break. It’s not like if you drop a jar that you would use for food.
Minna: Yeah.
Rhi: They’re a lot sturdier than that. Not impossible, but it’s not like, oh, if it gets dropped it’ll instantly shatter.
Minna: Yeah.
Rhi: Yeah, what are you doing to this person?
Minna: Uh, I think this is a Skirmish?
Rhi: Yeah. You got some kind of equipment that you’re using?
Minna: Yeah. I think this is an unusual weapon. My baton that I’ve had in the past.
Rhi: Oh yeah, yeah. Your truncheon?
Minna: Yeah.
Rhi: Cool, yeah. Go for it.
Minna: Oof. Double twos. This does not go well for me.
Rhi: Oh… yeah, that’s risky. I think you do hit this person, but you kinda like hit them on the shoulder and they have, like, their coats are armored, so it doesn’t really do anything. And the one holding the spirit jar has been, like, fiddling at their pocket. And they pull out a flare gun and fire it. And we’re starting a clock for Bluecoats Arrive.
Kim: No!
Josie: Oof.
Rhi: And it is at 1 out of 4. So, that’s happening. Blaire, what are you gonna do?
Kim: Alright, so I’m gonna go after the one holding the spirit jar.
Rhi: Okay. Gonna lightning hook at him?
Kim: Yeah, I’m just trying to figure out what to roll for that. Is it Skirmish?
Rhi: Probably.
Kim: Yeah, I’ll just roll Skirmish.
Rhi: Alright. Do you wanna push yourself, Devil’s Bargain?
Kim: Yeah, no, I’m just gonna push myself for the extra dice.
Rhi: Alright. Nobody takes Devil’s Bargains anymore.
Josie: [laughs]
Kim: Gee, I wonder why!
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: I didn’t even have to offer a Devil’s Bargain to get you into this situation, you did it yourselves.
Kim: Okay, good, that’s a 6.
Rhi: You… yeah, I assume you are aiming for the face?
Kim: Oh yeah.
Rhi: You slam the lightning hook into this guy’s face and, you know, electricity kinda crackles out. It’s not as effective as you would think. It, like, it definitely hurts them. They’re in pain.
Kim: Right.
Rhi: And they kinda stumble back a little bit, but it seems like some of the kind of electroplasmic energy, electricity gets almost absorbed by the mask. Which is a little weird.
Josie: Although apparently brass is actually not a super good conductor.
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: Well, it’s also their masks are all spirit masks.
Josie: Right.
Rhi: So, they’re also a bit already kinda of occult.
Josie: Mm hmm.
Rhi: You put them off balance. They still have a hold on the jar, but they’ve dropped the flare gun and they haven’t managed to draw a weapon of their own yet.
Kim: Oh, good.
Rhi: So, Minx, you’ve got a person pinned to the ground with a sword.
Josie: And someone behind me who just zapped me.
Rhi: Yes.
Josie: Whenever Blaire uses them, it’s described as lightning “hooks”, so I always imagine one in each hand. Is that the same for these guys?
Rhi: I think that the ones that they have are closer to the description in the book. Because I imagine you can kinda do these however you want. But for them, it’s like a long pole that has a loop of wire at the end, and that wire is what carries the charge. I picture what Blaire has is more of, like, smaller hand-held versions of that, with the loops, with capacitators in both hands.
Josie: Gotcha. Oh, so there’s a wire there and I have a sword.
Rhi: Yeah.
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: The wire is carrying a charge, yeah.
Josie: Yeah.
Rhi: And your sword is stuck in somebody.
Josie: In that case, I want to, I kinda wanna roll off the guy I’m pinning and knock the other guy to the ground.
Rhi: Okay. Just, so another tackle?
Josie: Yeah, and wrestle the lightning hook away from him.
Rhi: Okay. This is gonna be risky.
Josie: Okey dokey.
Rhi: And I think reduced effect, because they are— I should have been saying that earlier, I was kinda doing this all at reduced effect, because they’re a much higher Tier than all of you.
Josie: I am not gonna push myself again here, so I’ll just eat that reduced effect. What does a Devil’s Bargain look like here?
Rhi: Ooh, alright! Uh… the guy that you pinned is going to himself unpinned.
Minna: [gasps] Oof.
Rhi: He’s gonna just yank the sword out of his arm and start getting up. But he’s not gonna be able to act immediately while you’re doing this, but he is gonna be able to get up. Like, you’re not actively sitting on him, so he’s going to extricate himself from the sword and the ground.
Josie: You know what? I am reckless. I think I’m gonna take that Devil’s Bargain.
Rhi: Alright.
Josie: 5 again.
Rhi: Yeah, you tackle this other Spirit Warden. What was your goal with, like, you just wanna take him to the ground?
Josie: Yeah, I wanna disable him, pretty much.
Rhi: Okay. Yeah, you take him down. I think that you’re both kind of wrestling over the lightning hook. Bluecoats Arrive, 2 out of 4.
Josie: Mm hmm.
Rhi: Myra or Blaire?
Minna: I’m going for this person with the jar again. I’m gonna push myself.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: I don’t know if this should be for increased effect or for another die.
Rhi: Oh yeah. I dunno, it’s up to you.
Minna: Let’s go ahead and take a gamble and do it for increased effect.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: God dammit. [sighs] It’s a 2 again.
Rhi: Oh man.
Kim: [groans] Why have the dice gods abandoned us?
Minna: They’ve been very nice to us recently.
Rhi: Yeah. It was time.
Minna: Also, we decided to take on the Spirit Wardens.
Rhi: Yeah. Do you want harm or do you want the Bluecoats to get closer?
Kim: Take one for the team?
[laughter]
Minna: Yeah, I’m gonna take harm. But I am gonna resist it.
Rhi: So, I think you, like, move in to try and grab the jar, and this person goes into their pocket and comes out with something that’s about the size of Blaire’s lightning hooks, but it has— it’s basically a taser. [laughs] And just jams it into your side.
Kim: Oof.
Minna: What is that to start with?
Rhi: Level 2. Also Electrocuted. It’s kinda how the Spirit Wardens operate.
Minna: So, that was a 5, so I take 1 stress and it’s gonna be level 1, Electrocuted, right?
Rhi: Zapped.
Minna: Zapped.
Rhi: Because you’re not fully electrocuted. But yeah, level 1 harm. So, reduced effect on—
Minna: I feel like I’ve had this before. [laughs]
Rhi: Yes, you all get electrocuted a lot actually. You get shot a lot and you get electrocuted a lot.
Josie: [laughs]
Minna: Not a lot of stabbing, surprisingly.
Kim: The fuck do I do?
Rhi: Yeah, this person is still holding Tira in a jar. Just zapped Myra real good.
Kim: I mean, I’m tempted to whip out a gun, but I have nothing in Hunt. And that would be a bad idea.
Rhi: You could do— at this range you could do Skirmish. You’re basically firing at point blank range.
Kim: Okay. So let me mark off a pistol.
Rhi: Also.
Kim: Yes.
Rhi: You could shoot the Spirit Warden, or you could try shooting the jar.
Minna: [gasps] Yes, yes, yes!
Rhi: Because a bullet, unless you’re using an electroplasmic bullet, that’s not gonna hurt the ghost. And I do not think Blaire would ever carry electroplasmic bullets.
Kim: No.
Rhi: Because those are designed for ghost hunting.
Minna: Interesting.
Rhi: Yeah, so like, if you just manage to shoot the jar—
Minna: Hold up. People shoot ghosts with bullets?
Rhi: Yeah, that’s a thing that the Hound has.
Minna: I love it.
Rhi: The Hound has electroplasmic bullets.
Minna: It’s so beautiful.
Rhi: It’s real good. It’s real good. This is a good game.
Josie: [laughs]
Minna: I don’t know why I thought those were for like, Deathlands beasties or something. [laughs] Nope, ghosts.
Rhi: For shootin’ ghosts. Yeah, so Kim, what are you doing?
Kim: I mean, I have to believe that busting out Tira would give us the best odds, right?
Rhi: I mean, that is your goal right now. Once Tira is free, you all can run.
Kim: True. Alright, so I’ll shoot the jar.
Rhi: Okay.
Kim: And you said Skirmish is okay?
Rhi: Yes. Skirmish will be fine because you’re doing it at pretty close range. It’s still gonna be risky, reduced effect.
Minna: Can I give an assist? Like, I distract?
Rhi: You absolutely—
Kim: Please?
Rhi: Absolutely can.
Kim: Thank you.
Rhi: Blaire, do you want a Devil’s Bargain? Push yourself?
Kim: I’d be interested in a Devil’s Bargain.
Rhi: Tira is not gonna really trust you as much after this.
Kim: No. Denied. No.
Rhi: Alright. Risky, reduced effect.
Kim: [laughs nervously]
Minna: What did you roll? How bad?
Kim: I rolled two 3s.
Minna: No, not again!
Josie: Come on! [laughs]
Rhi: So, you fire that shot and it goes wide. And the Bluecoats are at 3 out of 4.
Kim: [grimaces] No. Don’t like that.
Rhi: Yep. Alright. Minx, the guy that you had pinned is standing up and has your sword.
Josie: I want to try to yank the lightning hook away from the guy I’m wrestling for it and zap the guy who now has my sword.
Rhi: Alright. I believe that is indeed still a Skirmish.
Josie: And I think I just gotta roll flat on this one.
Rhi: Alright.
Josie: Gotta spare some stress here. Devil’s Bargains aren’t looking good right now.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: 4.
Rhi: Definitely a 4.
Josie: Uh huh. [laughs] Triple 4.
Rhi: You get the lightning hook away from the guy and you zap the other Spirit Warden. I think that the zapping causes him to drop the sword, but it doesn’t take him out of commission.
Josie: Right, because they’re kind of insulated.
Rhi: The guy that you were wrestling with gets you in like a chokehold and is trying to choke you into unconsciousness. You hope into unconsciousness.
Josie: That sucks. [laughs]
Rhi: He’s trying to choke you out. So, you’re in a desperate position.
Josie: Oof.
Rhi: Myra?
Minna: [laughs] Um…
Rhi: [laughs] Listen, the dice have turned in a very real way.
Minna: Yes, how the turntables… I don’t know what to do! I’m going to try something with Attune.
Kim and Rhi: Oh?
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: Yeah, maybe something like try and summon something? Maybe one of the Hulls. One of the spirits from the Hulls. To help me.
Rhi: Worth a shot, yeah. Okay.
Minna: 6. [relieved sigh]
Rhi: Hoo, okay.
Josie: Nice.
Minna: Still probably gonna be reduced effect because Spirit Wardens, but…
Rhi: I think you’re only able, like, you can’t get them both. You can get one.
Minna: Yes.
Rhi: But you can do what you want with it, yeah.
Minna: And I think what I do is that I trip that command and I turn it towards the Spirit Warden holding the jar. And I have it charge.
Minna (as Myra): Blaire, watch out!
Kim (as Blaire): Aah!
Minna: And then, like, something flares in the ghost field.
Rhi: And I think that this, even though you didn’t catch the second one, it just sort of follows the other’s lead. And yeah, this Warden was not expecting that and gets ploughed over. And I think that does cause him to drop the jar. It doesn’t shatter.
Minna (as Myra): Blaire.
Kim: Yep, I grab it.
Rhi: Okay. You’ve got the jar. You can hear the bells from the Bluecoat wagons are they’re approaching.
Josie: I think it’s time to leave.
Kim: Yeah, I guess we’d better run.
Josie: I mean, I’m in a chokehold, but… [laughs]
Rhi: Oh yeah, yeah. You’re gonna have to roll something to get out of that.
Josie: Yeah. Did they ever tell you in, like, self-defense classes what to do in this situation?
Rhi: Uh, yeah. You go for like, elbow them in the solar plexus.
Josie: Yeah. I mean, there’s that, or am I able— okay, what I was taught is that if people of a certain body type are doing it—
Rhi: Ah. [laughs]
Josie: You slam your hand down there, grab and twists as hard as you fucking can.
Minna: [gasps]
Rhi: Uh huh. That would do the trick, yeah. [laughs]
Kim: Fucking do it.
Josie: [laughs] Okay then. I’m gonna try and do that. Um, this is less dice, but I feel like this is a Wreck.
Rhi: [laughs] Yeah. Go for it.
Kim: Yeah, it is.
Minna: Absolutely.
Rhi: It is gonna be desperate.
Josie: Uh huh. [laughs]
Rhi: So mark XP for it.
Josie: [laughs] I could push myself to use Not To Be Trifled With to perform a feat a physical force that borders on superhuman.
Rhi: Yes!
Kim: Yeah!
Minna: [laughs and claps]
Rhi: Do it.
Josie: Doing it. And increasing my die. Got a 6.
Kim: Oh my God!
Rhi: I think what we see is this guy has Minx in a chokehold. You know, you’re both still struggling. Minx twists an arm down back behind herself and then there’s just this blood-curdling scream as she [laughs] does something very terrible to this guy’s nether regions. You are released! [laughs] You are released because he’s fallen onto his back and is curling into the fetal position.
Josie: [laughs] Yes!
Rhi: So, you’re free. The other two, I think you are— one of them got run down, I think the guy— Minx, I think you’re losing another cane sword. [laughs]
Josie: Okay.
Rhi: Because that guy still has it.
Josie: Fine. Yep.
Rhi: And yeah, but the three of you can book it at this point. You can run for safety.
Josie: Yeah. Book it, yelling for a Cabbie or a Gondolier or something.
Rhi: Yeah. I think you can, like, sprint across the bridge. I think you pick the south bridge and you can see, up the river a little ways, the Bluecoats tearing across the north bridge.
Josie: Uh huh. [laughs]
Rhi: But you’re able to get across and then run down and have a Gondolier carry you away to safety. Alright, so you did not accomplish your goal, but you did rescue a spirit from destruction.
Kim: Phew.
Rhi: So, you accomplished a goal, even if it wasn’t what you originally set out to do. So, for downtime, you’re not gonna get any coin. A shocking twist. You’re also not gonna get any rep, because your rep meter is full.
Josie: But we’re probably getting heat. [laughs]
Rhi: Uh, yeah.
Minna: [whines]
Rhi: Loud and chaotic, high exposure. Actually, I think it might just be 4.
Josie: Mm hmm.
Rhi: Somebody might wanna spend some time taking that down a bit, cause you are at—
Minna: I will do that, for sure.
Rhi: Yeah. Heat 6, Wanted level 3. So, if you get to wanted level 4, you’re just going to have the Bluecoats breathing down your neck.
Minna: Yeah… no thanks. No thanks. I don’t want this.
Rhi: Okay. So, let’s do our downtime scenes. Let’s start with Myra.
Minna: Gonna go to Minx. So, I think she, like, catches Minx. Honestly, I think it’s sometime late at night, like when Minx is coming in or something. She’s like:
Minna (as Myra): Hey, I actually had something I’ve been meaning to ask you.
Josie (as Minx): Oh?
Minna (as Myra): I know you went with me to the Devil’s Tooth that one time. Unfortunately, I’ve not felt safe going there for a little while. I was wondering if you knew anybody who might be able to provide supplies? Um, so that I can…
Josie (as Minx): Oh! Oh, I see. I know well the feeling of seeking a new… purveyor.
Minna (as Myra): [laughs] Exactly that. I don’t feel safe doing this outside the home anymore.
Josie (as Minx): Let me think. It’s bene a long time since I’ve really partaken to any degree. Let me think… oh. [snaps fingers] I think Bryl may be able to help you. Bryl is good people, although we are two puzzle pieces who don’t fit together.
Minna (as Myra): [laughs] Well…
Josie (as Minx): Are you sure you’re comfortable seeking something new? You would be safest here.
Minna (as Myra): That’s the plan. To be here. I just need— I mean, obviously I don’t have access to what I usually partake in at the moment, because I was letting Mistress Kember find that for me. So, I haven’t— I’m pretty out of practice with locating it.
Josie (as Minx): Ah, yeah. Well, fortunately when I partake we are of slightly similar taste, and Bryl can mix that up for you. I’m glad you are able to talk about it. You used to say nothing of what you did with your downtime.
Minna (as Myra): Things have changed.
Josie (as Minx): That they have.
Minna (as Myra): [laughs] And, you know, if you can’t trust your crew, who can you trust?
Josie (as Minx): Truer words have never been spoken.
Josie: And I think Minx at that point—
Minna: [laughs]
Josie: [laughs] Yeah.
Rhi: On that heartwarming note, you head off to meet a drug dealer.
Josie: Yep.
Minna: It’s the weirdest shit to be roleplaying, as I have absolutely no idea how that actually works.
Josie: I have some thoughts on Bryl that I came up with just now.
Rhi: Mm hmm. Yeah.
Josie: The reason Minx thinks highly of them but also doesn’t want to hang out with them is because Bryl is good people, in fact they are probably very sympathetic to The Magpies’ cause. They are very socially aware, kind of on anarchist, like, very anti-authority. And they are very outspoken and very particular who they perceive to be sell-outs or the like. And Minx is very ostentatious and the like, so they’re constantly kind of coming down on Minx for, like, not really getting with it and selling out and…
Minna: God, so they probably like Myra because she appears austere.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: Minx, like, agrees with them but is also just sorta like…
Rhi: “But I like nice things!”
Josie: Yes. It’s kind of like putting two same sides of a magnet together, there’s just tension.
Rhi: Yeah, yeah.
Minna: Yeah.
Josie: And no one can really help it.
Rhi: Yeah, I like that. Um, okay, Minx. What are you doing with your downtime? Other than introducing Myra to a new friend?
Josie: Like, I think during that scene and pretty much any to follow, it’s very clear that Minx is wearing a lot more bandages than usual.
Minna: Oh!
Rhi: Mm.
Josie: And is kind of like, wearing more clothes that cover that up a bit. Like, I think the simplest thing is that Minx is just very clearly losing herself in packing.
Rhi: Oh, okay.
Josie: Like, to compensate, she’s going full-bore Minx. She’s really unstable between, kind of like, Minx and Ellie and all the violence. So, it’s almost like unbearable in The Nest for a little bit.
Rhi: Being the most Minx that she can be.
Josie: There is presently way too much luggage to reasonably travel with. The days until the trip are gonna have to be spent paring it down.
Rhi: [laughs] And Blaire?
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi: Yeah. Where are you at with Tira?
Kim: That’s a good question. I take her back to our place and I open her up in my room.
Rhi: Yeah, you can do that. We’ve established that spirit jars can safely move through the wards.
Kim: Yep.
Rhi: So, yeah.
Kim: So I open her up.
Rhi (as Tira): [screams]
Kim (as Blaire): [yelps] Are you okay?
Rhi (as Tira): [shudders]
Kim (as Blaire): I’m sorry.
Rhi (as Tira): That was… I don’t like that!
Kim (as Blaire): I know. I’m really sorry.
Rhi (as Tira): Where are we?
Kim (as Blaire): This is my room. This is where I live.
Rhi (as Tira): Oh. Who are you?
Kim (as Blaire): Blaire.
Rhi (as Tira): Right. Right, right, right. Right. Right. Blaire. Um… yeah.
Kim (as Blaire): Listen. You… I’m so sorry what happened. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Rhi (as Tira): Yeah. Yeah, I don’t think it was. You were trying to… I don’t even remember. I guess it’s not important.
Kim (as Blaire): Are you okay?
Rhi (as Tira): Yeah. Yeah, I think I’m okay. Hey, a quick question?
Kim (as Blaire): Uh huh?
Rhi (as Tira): Do you remember my name?
Minna: [gasps]
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah. Yeah… your name is Tira.
Rhi (as Tira): Tira… Tira, Tira. Yeah. That sounds right.
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah. Listen, you should really go back to The Reconciled and just stay with them for a while. They’ll be able to help you, okay? And they’ll be able to let you hang onto everything that you still remember. I really think you should go.
Rhi (as Tira): Okay.
Kim (as Blaire): And I won’t ask you for anything ever again, I promise. I’m not going to do this to you again.
Rhi (as Tira): Well, I mean, I don’t mind helping!
Kim (as Blaire): But you almost got destroyed because of me. And I don’t know what I would have done to myself if that happened.
Rhi (as Tira): Oh, well don’t… it’s not your fault. Unless you called the Spirit Wardens, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t. I think that guy that I was bothering did.
Kim (as Blaire): Listen, Tira, just go to The Reconciled and tell them that you’re starting to forget more and more things and they’ll be able to help you stay who you are. Okay? Please do that for me.
Rhi (as Tira): Yeah. Okay. Um, can you tell me how to get there?
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah, yeah. You know what? I’ll walk you there. We’ll go together, okay?
Rhi (as Tira): Okay.
Rhi: So, yeah. She’ll go with you.
Kim: While they’re walking, Blaire’s just gonna make conversation and just try to help her remember as much as she can.
Minna: [sighs] Buddy.
Rhi: Yeah, I mean, she was never super together, and the experience of getting jarred up did not help matters. So, yeah. But yeah, you talking to her seems to jog some of her memories. It’s a little hard to tell if she’s remembering or if she’s just like, “Oh, okay, I’ll believe what you’re telling me.”
Kim: Mm hmm.
Rhi: But yeah, you get her to kind of the Reconciled base and…
Kim (as Blaire): Listen, just stay here, okay?
Rhi (as Tira): Okay.
Kim (as Blaire): I’m serious. Like, I don’t know how much more of yourself you’re going to lose if something like this ever happens to you again, and I don’t wanna see that happen to you, okay?
Rhi (as Tira): Okay. I’ll stay here. Because I don’t want you to be sad.
Kim (as Blaire): Okay.
Rhi: And she kind of does, like, the ghost version of booping you on the nose.
Kim (as Blaire): You’re not mad at me?
Rhi (as Tira): It wasn’t your fault.
Kim (as Blaire): No, Tira. It kind of was. This wouldn’t have happened to you if I hadn’t asked.
Rhi (as Tira): I mean, you don’t know that. I think I was bothering a lot of people before. Oh! Oh! I remember, I remember!
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah? Yeah? What do you—
Rhi (as Tira): I poured a bottle of ink all over that professor you didn’t like.
Kim (as Blaire): Thanks, Tira.
Rhi (as Tira): I poured it all over his head. He was really mad.
Kim (as Blaire): I think going out with a bang, you know, messing with Charterhall was probably for the best.
Rhi (as Tira): Yeah. I’m gonna go talk to your friends now.
Kim (as Blaire): Okay. They’ll be able to help you. Listen to everything that they tell you, okay?
Rhi (as Tira): Okay.
Kim (as Blaire): Be good, yeah?
Rhi: She kinda like thinks about it for a second and is like:
Rhi (as Tira): Mm… no promises.
Rhi: And then goes inside.
Kim (as Blaire): I love you.
Rhi: Aww…
Josie (as Minx): Aww!
Minna: [whines]
Josie: Ow.
Rhi: So, Blaire, I think you make your way back across town to The Nest, parts of which are just like, it looks like Minx’s room exploded. There’s just clothes everywhere. Myra, what are you doing in the midst of all this packing?
Minna: [laughs] I think she’s like… it doesn’t take much for her to pack, so it’s not going to take her long. I think she’s mostly continuing to narrow down her location and, you know, do research and planning about the city and how to get there. She finally is like:
Minna (as Myra): So, I’ve got a more precise location within Whitehollow, and I think we’d better be getting there sooner rather than later. Between, you know, wanting to get ahead of The Circle, but also The Bluecoats have been getting more and more troublesome lately.
Josie (as Minx): Quite.
Minna (as Myra): The other day, when I was researching for that heist that went spectacularly wrong up in Charterhall, which, I know we shouldn’t be going up to Charterhall, but that’s where the records are kept, some Bluecoats came looking for me specifically in the hall of records.
Josie (as Minx): What? They are actively hunting us then.
Minna (as Myra): Certainly. And I made a pretty narrow escape. So, you know, it would not be a bad idea to get away from them for a little bit. If nothing else, just— you ever feel kind of suffocated here?
Josie (as Minx): I know exactly what you mean.
Josie: She has two suitcases. [laughs]
Josie (as Minx): When do we leave?
Minna (as Myra): [laughs] Well, I can get us tickets probably pretty soon. We’ll wanna be careful about which one take and how crowded with people who might recognize us it might be. But, yeah, I’m pretty sure we can get out of here soon.
Josie (as Minx): Yes. Finally, I have the opportunity to travel in style. You have no idea how long I’ve been preparing for this day, Myra.
Minna (as Myra): Have you— we’ve been over this, I’ve never travelled outside the city and you’ve never travelled outside the city, so I would say however many years you have been alive is how long you’ve been preparing for this.
Josie (as Minx): Precisely.
[laughter]
Rhi: Has Blaire come back?
Kim: Yeah. Kinda pouty, but she’s there.
Josie (as Minx): Blaire, are you excited for the vacation? It’s coming up soon!
Kim (as Blaire): Huh? What? What are we doing?
Josie (as Minx): The vacation, slash heist, slash mostly vacation, slash kind of heist.
Kim (as Blaire): Oh. Yeah, yeah. That’s… mm hmm. Pumped.
Josie: Minx kind of sobers at that also, and:
Josie (as Minx): Is everything alright?
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah, no, everything’s fine. It’s just that, you know, I busted Tira out and I think her time spent in the jar kinda messed with her a little. She seemed to forget a little bit more than she usually does. I set her up with The Reconciled and told her to stay there, so… because I didn’t know where else to put her. But…
Josie (as Minx): Well, no, that was good. That was good.
Kim (as Blaire): I just, I mean, she was already kind of, you know, fragmented to begin with. And then I just… she got torn apart a little bit more and it was because of me.
Josie: Minx is gonna kneel and hug Blaire.
Kim (as Blaire): I just—
Josie (as Minx): You don’t need to explain further. I understand. And I’m partially responsible as well. If we hadn’t… if I hadn’t treated this so off-handedly, if I had thought it through more, then we wouldn’t have taken that risk.
Kim (as Blaire): Minx, no. It was my idea to drag Tira into this, and now she’s more lost than she even was before.
Minna (as Myra): I understand the guilt that you’re both feeling, and I feel it to some extent as well. If this is gonna keep working, then we’re going to have to let other people risk themselves. We have to make sure they understand the risks, and we have to make sure that, you know, they’re truly willing to risk things. But I don’t—
Josie (as Minx): There wasn’t supposed to be much risk at all this time. The only reason I suggested it was to help pay back a friend for the risks they took for us.
Minna (as Myra): So maybe we need to be savvier about assessing risks. If we’re thinking about spirits as, especially Reconciled spirits, as full spirits, I mean full people, wo run the same risks we do—
Kim (as Blaire): Yes.
Minna (as Myra): Which we are doing, I understand that. A haunting is going to be at risk for a Spirit Warden visit, and we’ll just have to remember that.
Josie (as Minx): They showed up so quickly.
Kim (as Blaire): I don’t know why I didn’t think this through. I’m so stupid.
Josie (as Minx): Blaire, no. You’re remarkably intelligent and caring and aware. Just because we, as a group, failed once does not mean you are lesser in some way.
Kim (as Blaire): I just… I just hope that whatever damage I did to her tonight can be undone. You know?
Josie (as Minx): But I suppose only time will tell there, so…
Kim (as Blaire): Yeah.
Josie: I think Minx is gonna somewhat awkwardly turn around toward the luggage again.
Josie (as Minx): Fortunately, we are poised for a success that should keep people safe. And I will finally have a chance to wear this jacket.
Rhi: [laughs]
##Outro [00.46.49]
Rhi: Thanks for listening. The Magpies will be back in two weeks. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter @magpies_pod and visit our Patreon at patreon.com/magpiespodcast.
The Magpies podcast is GMed and produced by Rhi. Follow me on Twitter @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 @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.
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.
And now, we’d like to thank our excellent Patreon backers.
Tash Peppy, thank you.
##Blooper [00.48.10]
Rhi: Yeah, so you slam the, uh—
Kim: And welcome to the jam?
Rhi: [sighs]
Kim: [giggles]
Rhi: You slam the lightning hook.