Transcribed by Michelle Kelly (@Michellicopter)

##Intro

Rhi: Welcome back to Duskwall. As always, thank you so much for joining us and thank you so much for all your support, especially as we’ve announced our new projects. It’s been really hard keeping this under wraps for the last several months. Finally being able to share it with all of you is awesome and it’s even more awesome to see how excited everyone is about it.

On that note, that Kickstarter page is active. We launch April 6^th, but you can and should follow it now so you’ll hear the moment that it goes live. We have a lot of cool rewards, like stickers with brand new art by Kim, seats in games of Blade sin the Dark GMed by myself or Josie, or even the chance to help create an NPC for the new podcast. The reward I’m most proud of though is a really cool homebrew supplement that we created. It’s a guide to the Deathlands written as an in-universe document by a scholar in Duskwall. We hope that it’s something you’ll be able to use in your own games of Blades in the Dark. You can click on the link in the show notes to follow the Kickstarter page, or check out the pinned tweet at our new Twitter handle, @Clever_Corvids.

Next, Minna is gonna tell us about this month’s featured charity.

Minna: This month we would like to ask you to support The National Alliance to End Homelessness. The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a non-partisan organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. They do this through three main types of work: by building knowledge; they use research and data to discover what works to end homelessness, improving policy; they work to educate opinion leaders and policy makers about what works, and creating capacity; they help communities implement solutions through training, technical assistance and resource development. If you would like to donate, please go to EndHomelessness.org/Help-End-Homelessness/Support-Our-Work. Thank you.

Rhi: In the United States, vaccine distribution is moving quickly and more and more of us either are vaccinated or know people who are. It’s an undeniable relief, but even as we’re receiving the benefits of this incredible scientific feat, we need to push for equity in who gets it. In the US, that means making sure that typically underserved populations, especially disabled people, people of color, and undocumented immigrants have access. And we need to advocate for vaccine equity around the world. It is a cruelty and in injustice to make people in the global south wait two or more years for the COVID vaccine. We need to push our leaders to make this a priority.

Now then. Let’s get started, shall we?

##Story continues [00.03.12]

Rhi: And so, for Myra and Minx, what you two see is you know, Blaire kinda picks this thing up, stands up, her eyes kinda go wide and I think she rocks in place a little bit and then just like, start— kind of adjusts her position a little bit and then just starts walking along the riverbank.

Josie: Okay. Um, I think Minx is kind of like, has a worried look on her face and follows pretty close behind. Just like, occasionally trying to gently nudge her from getting too close to the river.

Rhi: Yeah.

Josie: It’s like:

Josie (as Minx): Uh… Blaire? You doing— okay. Okay. Don’t. Stay on the dry land.

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: Yeah.

Minna: I think she’s keeping an eye out and trying to like— like, she has her map for reference and I think she’s trying to keep an eye on how far they are going by landmarks and such.

Rhi: Okay. So yeah, you start walking along the edge of the river and you’ve been walking for… probably about half an hour. You’re not moving super fast. Blaire is kind of only partly aware of her surroundings, and yeah, Minx has to keep kind of like, nudging her to keep from plopping into the river. So you’re not— you’re not making the fastest of progress.

Kim: Yeah.

Rhi: But all three of you, Blaire included, notice when the air around you suddenly gets very, very cold.

Josie (as Minx): I’m going to regret looking into the ghost field, aren’t I?

Rhi: I mean, the thing that is here is here regardless of if you see it or not. [laughs] So…

Josie: Mm…

Rhi: It’s up to you. How much knowledge do you want to have?

Josie: [groans] I guess Minx looks. She does it with like, a disgusted face. [laughs]

Rhi: Yeah. Looking into the ghost field, Blaire’s hands where she’s holding this relic are glowing like a beacon.

Minna: Ah!

Rhi: Which is interesting. But a little more pressing is the five ghosts roiling out of the river, heading straight towards the three of you.

Minna: [cringes]

Josie: Oh dear.

Rhi: Howling in ghostly anger and hunger. They’re hangry.

Josie: I think Minx’s first response is to, like, tackle Blaire out of the way and hopefully shake her out of it.

Rhi: Aww. Yeah, let me… Blaire, how tight of a grip do you think you have on the artifacts?

Kim: Ooh, that’s a good question. I wanna say she has a pretty tight grip on it, but she is disoriented, so you’d think it’d be a little bit loose, right?

Josie: I don’t know. This seems like the sort of thing that since you’re locked into a trance you’d be like, death gripping it in a way that’s maybe not healthy. Because that’s creepy.

Kim: Yeah. Yeah, I can see an argument for that too. Okay.

Rhi: Yeah. So I think what’ll happen is, yeah, Minx I’m not gonna require a roll. Um, Minx, you can tackle Blaire to kind of knock her away from the ghosts. Blaire, you are aware enough of your surroundings to— you noticed that it got very cold and then you obviously notice that you’ve just been knocked over. [laughs] And you— you’re not— it’s not mind controlling you, right? You are free to, like, nothing is forcing you to hold onto this thing. You are kind of in a little bit of a trancey-type state, but you can pull yourself out of it if you want to.

Kim: Right.

Rhi: So yeah, you’re aware that things are happening around you and you can act accordingly. Myra.

Minna: Hello.

Rhi: What would you like to do about the ghosts that are inbound?

Minna: Sorry, try not to freak out. [laughs] Honestly… God, they’re angry ghosts, aren’t they? How the fuck do we fight ghosts?

Rhi: They’re hungry.

Minna: I don’t remember how to get rid of ghosts, God.

Rhi: Uh, spiritbane charms, electroplasm bullets, um, giving them something more tempting to go after, although based on what Kay was telling you, and The Reconciled, the ghosts that are kind of being corrupted by whatever’s in the river are pretty fixated on possessing people.

Minna: Yeah. Do not want that. Spiritbane charm out, ready to ward.

Rhi: Okay. Yeah, you can roll something. This could be Attune, this could be Command…

Minna: I am equally good at both of them. That is a 4.

Rhi: Okay, and which one were you rolling?

Minna: I think it’s a Command, honestly.

Rhi: Okay. So, what does Myra say as she brandishes this spiritbane charm?

Minna: [laughs]

Rhi: At these ghosts.

Minna: She could say something cool, but I think it’s just:

Minna (as Myra): Absolutely not. Turn around.

Rhi: [laughs] “No!” Okay, so I’m gonna go with— oh, I didn’t actually set position and effect, so I think this is gonna be risky, reduced. Okay, so yeah, you— I think with that you’re able to like, one of the ghosts peels off and is just like, “Oh, okay. You make a good point. Never mind. Goodbye.”

Minna: [laughs]

Rhi: But the other four keep coming. And I think, Myra, you’re also gonna take harm. I think this is gonna be level— yeah, level 2 harm, kinda, I mean, Terrified.

Minna: Oh my God.

Rhi: Like, you’ve been possessed before. This is a— and you’ve got four ghosts coming onto you and like, you, right now, that’s really doing any— like, you know your friends are there and are gonna help you, but like, right now you’re the only one doing anything and oh shit.

Minna: Uh huh. I just realized, and I have not been using this, but I do have two level 1 harms already.

Kim: What?

Rhi: Oops.

Minna: It’s been so long I forgot.

Kim: Oh no.

Rhi: Yeah. Yeah, it’s okay.

Minna: So I’ve got a level 2 harm, Terrified.

Rhi: Yep. Alright, so yeah, Myra has managed to get one of the ghosts to go away. Minx and Blaire, you two can do things.

Kim: Can I, though?

Rhi: Yeah. You are free— like, nothing is compelling Blaire to keep holding onto this thing. She is free to act, it’s just a question of how difficult do you think it would be for Blaire to kind of shake herself out of it.

Kim: Well, you gave me level 2 harm, disoriented, so I think pretty difficult.

Rhi: Okay. I mean, do you wanna do a roll to see if she can kinda pull herself together?

Kim: I don’t know if she should do that. I wonder if like— cause she can kinda sense what’s going on, right? She knows that there are ghosts around?

Rhi: She knows that there’s ghosts and she knows that Minx just tackled her to presumably— you’re— you’ve known Minx for a while. Minx doesn’t just randomly tackle people for no reason, you’re guessing that Minx did this as a protective sort of thing.

Kim: Yeah.

Rhi: That seems like what Minx would do.

Josie (as Minx): Sorry, dear.

Kim: Okay, well— no, it’s okay. I think what I wanna have Blaire do first is just kind of like— I kinda wanna have her roll a Consort and just have her be like:

Kim (as Blaire): No, please go away, friends.

Rhi: [bursts out laughing] Blaire, very sleepily, “No… no, no.” Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Give it a whirl.

Kim: Okay.

Rhi: Christ, I love this.

Kim: [laughs]

Josie: [laughs]

Minna: All of us just like, very done.

Rhi: Hang on, you have ghost— it’s like, “We don’t— we don’t have time for this now guys, please!”

Kim: Yeah.

Rhi: Blaire, you have that Ghost Voice ability, right?

Kim: Yes. I know the secret method to interact with a ghost or demon as if it were a normal human, regardless of how wild or feral it appears. And I gain potency when communicating with the supernatural.

Rhi: Great. Okay, that last bit was what I needed. So, you are going to be, you said you were doing Consort, this is gonna be risky, standard effect.

Kim: Okay. And I don’t lose a die for this, do I? Because it’s just talking.

Rhi: Yeah. Yeah, I think the way you’re approaching it, you’re not gonna be at a penalty for it.

Kim: [laughs] Well, I mean, that’s appropriate. I got a 2. What is going on with my dice tonight?

Rhi: Oh no!

Josie: Oh…

Rhi: So, I think that the ghosts are gonna like, zero in on you because you’ve got this glowing ball of arcane deliciousness in your hands, as far as they’re concerned.

Kim: Yup.

Kim (as Blaire): No, please don’t eat that.

Rhi: So all four of the ghosts are—

Kim (as Blaire): It’s not a snack.

Rhi: —closing in on Blaire—

Kim (as Blaire): No…

Rhi: —and so, Blaire is in a desperate position.

Kim (as Blaire): Hey fellas, I know what it looks like, but just… please, please don’t.

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: Minx, what would you like to do?

Josie: Uh, alright then. Um… I’m sorry, what did Myra do again?

Minna: Spiritbane charm.

Josie: I think Minx just wants to do the same. Just brandish her charm and says:

Josie (as Minx): We do not have time for you right now. Go away!

Josie: [laughs] Which I imagine is considerably not super effective, but I do have the charm.

Rhi: Yeah, yeah, so what are you rolling?

Josie: I guess Command?

Rhi: Yeah.

Josie: Do I wanna spend stress on this? I don’t think I wanna spend stress on this yet, so I’m just gonna roll.

Rhi: Would you like a Devil’s Bargain?

Josie: Yeah, what does a Devil’s Bargain look like?

Rhi: Oh boy, oh boy. What does a Devil’s Bargain look like? Uh, I think it’s gonna be, um… I think no matter what, you’re gonna end up in a desperate position.

Josie: You know what? I’m fine with that. I think that’s interesting.

Rhi: Okay. So yeah, this roll is gonna be risky, reduced, but then no matter what, your next roll is gonna be desperate.

Josie: I did get a 6.

Rhi: Okay. Oh, I have created a conundrum for myself here, haven’t I? [laughs]

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: You get a 6 but you’re still in a desperate position. Okay, well, so it’s reduced effect. So, I think similar to Myra, you are able to convince one of the ghosts to break off and it goes back into the river. But the other three round on you—

Josie: Oh, there’s five of them?

Rhi: And now they are— there were five total, yeah.

Josie: Oh, jeez.

Rhi: Yeah, so now the other three are closing in on Minx.

Josie (as Minx): Uh— oh. Oh. I regret my decisions.

Rhi: [laughs] Okay, yeah. So, who wants to do something next? I will remind you, you do have Schrodinger’s inventory.

Minna: Yeas.

Josie: And flashbacks.

Rhi: So you can… yeah. So, if you want to have things that are more effective at fighting ghosts in your inventory, you can do that

Minna: I mean, spiritbane charm, I think, is my main thing that is good at fighting— unless arcane implements is helpful? I don’t remember what that does.

Rhi: Could be. I mean, this says that arcane implements include a spirit bottle and a spirit anchor.

Minna: What are those?

Rhi: Those sound like things that could be— well, a spirit bottle is the thing, like, Blaire has those.

Minna: It’s like a small spirit jar?

Rhi: Yeah, yeah. And then a spirit anchor, we’ve never really addressed what a spirit anchor is so we can kinda, you know, do what we want with it. So yeah, if you wanna mark arcane implements and have a spirit jar or spirit anchor…

Minna: Hmm. Interesting.

Kim: I feel like at this point I would have to kinda, have to roll for Blaire to snap out of it in order to be useful in this entire situation.

Rhi: Okay. Yeah. We can do that when we cycle around to Blaire’s turn.

Minna: How many are left?

Rhi: Three. They seem very interested in eating Minx.

Minna: I’m gonna throw down this vial of electroplasm that’s in my arcane implements to distract them and get their attention. I’m assuming that’s just a free action, basically because it’s not the thing I’m doing.

Rhi: Yeah. Throwing it down, you can do.

Minna: And then I’m going to… see, I always forget I have this, but I do have this ability where I can make somebody a promise and if we both keep our end of the bargain then nothing bad happens, but if we don’t then something bad does. And I’m going to offer a bargain.

Rhi: Okay. I think that’s only gonna be able to get one of them.

Minna: Okay. Maybe not then… it’s very difficult to imagine— I just do not want Minx to get hurt.

Josie (as Minx): Listen, I know I’m a snack, but not like that!

Minna: [laughs loudly]

Minna: I just… okay, let me think. I’m just struggl— I don’t know why I’m struggling about how to fight ghosts, it’s just been a while.

Rhi: Yeah, yeah no, it’s cool. You could try to pull one of them into a spirit jar. We could talk about what a spirit anchor is, cause we’ve never really used that. [laughs]

Minna: So, it’s a spirit anchor in the form of a small stone. And my thought is that it’s an anchor for your spirit rather than another spirit, was my first inclination for what that means. But I’m not sure.

Rhi: Hmm, yeah. I was thinking it was something that could like, pull a spirit in and hold it.

Minna: Mm.

Josie: So it’s a pokeball?

Minna: Sort of like a snare but for a— or that.

Josie: No, the jars are the pokeballs, nevermind.

Minna: The jars are the pokeballs, I feel like this is like a snare trap.

Rhi: Yeah, yeah. If we wanna go that direction.

Minna: I’m actually gonna do that. The electroplasm vial I’m not gonna break on the ground. Well, I am gonna break it on the ground, but then I’m gonna put a spirit anchor next to it.

Minna (as Myra): Why don’t you come and get it?

Rhi: You’re gonna try to lure them over?

Minna: Yeah. Is that a Sway?

Rhi: Ooh, interesting. Is it a Sway?

Minna: I’m manipulating them.

Rhi: Yeah. Yeah, I’ll allow it.

Minna: Holy shit, that’s a crit.

Rhi: Okay!

Josie: Nice.

Kim: Well done.

Rhi: I was gonna say risky, standard, since you’re using a bunch of arcane implements. Make sure you mark arcane implements in your load.

Minna: I did.

Rhi: But um, okay, with increased effect, yeah.

Minna: But it’s not standard effect because I have less effect because of my anxiety.

Rhi: Ah, yes. Two of the ghosts are gonna come over. You’re not sure if they’re coming towards the electroplasm or if they’re coming towards you, but either way, they kinda get caught in this spirit anchor. And they’re not— its not like a, uh, a spirit jar where they’re contained and trapped and held, but they— yeah, they’re basically, you know, they got their legs in a bear trap, metaphorically.

Minna: Mm hmm.

Rhi: They kind of are kind of moving in a frustrated vortex around this stone and they can’t really get out of it. So, Minx now just has one extremely persistent ghost.

Josie (as Minx): [quiet wail of fear]

Rhi: Okay, so that’s what Myra has done. So there is, really, there is one ghost that is currently an active threat. So Blaire, I know you said you were gonna wanna roll something to kinda snap out of your—

Kim: I mean yeah, but it’s one ghost. I feel like y’all can handle it.

Rhi: [laughs]

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: You guys have got this, it’s fine.

Kim: Yeah.

Rhi: So, well, how about Minx, Minx why don’t you go?

Josie: Uh… hmm.

Rhi: We’ll see if Blaire needs to shake out of this.

Kim: Yeah.

Josie: I— hmm. I do think— I think I brought an unusual weapon, which is a small, not super high-quality lightning hook.

Rhi: Oh, interesting.

Kim: Okay!

Josie: Like, I think on the third time out here it would be a thing that she would look into, or maybe just borrow from Blaire.

Rhi: Yeah.

Josie: So it’s kind like the dagger equivalent of a lightning hook and she’s just gonna swipe at it, just like:

Josie (as Minx): [panicked] No, no! Stay away! Stay away!

Rhi: Yeah. Yeah, so Blaire has fine lightning hooks, so yours would just kinda be the standard equivalent. Not as good. But yeah, yeah, I think you can attack it. It’ll be risky… risky standard for this.

Josie: Would Skirmish be appropriate?

Rhi: Yeah. I mean, you’re basically stabbing a ghost.

Josie: But also, isn’t this roll automatically desperate?

Rhi: Yes.

Josie: Okay.

Rhi: So mark XP.

Josie: A 6.

Rhi: Hot damn. Okay. Yes, it would have been desperate, standard. But you do it.

Josie: Woo!

Rhi: You stabbeth the ghost. And the ghost— I don’t think, again, I don’t think that you destroy it, but you’re putting up more resistance than it was expecting.

Josie: Yea.

Rhi: And so it also retreats back to the river. So, we’ve got Blaire kind of sitting on the ground in a half-stupor, Minx and Myra have successfully fended off, slash trapped, several ghosts and then two ghosts are just angrily orbiting this little spirit anchor stone. It’s very— it’s like a very cold, loud tornado.

Josie (as Minx): Uh, I think we need to go.

Kim (as Blaire): Where are we going?

Josie (as Minx): Alright Blaire, I’ll carry you a little ways.

Kim (as Blaire): Oop! Alright.

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: [laughs] Aww.

Josie: Sack of potatoes.

Kim: Mm hmm.

Minna: Oh my goodness.

Josie: [laughs]

Kim (as Blaire): Potatoes sound nice right now.

Rhi: You continue on. I think eventually, Blaire, you’re gonna get down. Cause you kinda have that pull again. And it’s getting stronger, the further you walk along the river. And after, I’d say, probably another hour of walking, you find yourself, Blaire, looking at a very familiar wooden dock that’s mostly rotted away. And the relics in your hands are like, vibrating slightly.

Kim: [gasps] Ooh.

Rhi: And the heartbeat has gotten a lot louder.

Kim: Yeah.

Rhi: You are pretty sure this is the spot.

Kim (as Blaire): [drowsily] Hey… hey Minx?

Josie (as Minx): Mm hmm?

Kim (as Blaire): [mumbles] Put me down, we’re here.

Josie (as Minx): Oh. Um, alright.

Kim (as Blaire): Yep.

Josie: She’ll gingerly set Blaire down.

Kim (as Blaire): Mm hmm.

Kim: I think she stumbles a bit, but she’s good.

Josie (as Minx): Um… so, it’s underneath the dock?

Kim (as Blaire): um…

Josie (as Minx): Somewhere on the dock?

Kim (as Blaire): No, it’s in the water somewhere, I think.

Josie (as Minx): Well, we’ll be able to get it out, but…

Kim (as Blaire): I think I’m just gonna go in the river. I’m just gonna go in there.

Josie (as Minx): Wh— Blaire— uh— Blaire, don’t just go in the river, that’s not—

Kim (as Blaire): Why not? It’s in there.

Josie (as Minx): I— I— I think we can get it out more safely than that.

Kim (as Blaire): But we should just, you know, walk in there and… grab it.

Josie (as Minx): Hey Myra, can you look into the ghost field and see if you can see it down there?

Minna (as Myra): Alright, I’ll do that.

Rhi: [laughs] I’m imagining that Minx is doing like, basically a basketball defense of just moving in front of Blaire to keep her from walking straight into the river.

Josie and Kim: [laugh]

Rhi: I wanna point out, the river is like, it’s a big river. [laughs] It’s not just a little like, creek that you can walk into and grab something out of. It’s a big, deep river.

Kim: Oh, oops. I was actually kind of imagining it vastly smaller than that.

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: Nah, it’s a big one.

Minna: It’s like the river Thames for our fake, horrible London.

Rhi: Yeah, pretty much. Which is a sizeable river. Yeah, so Myra, you look into the ghost field and again, like, you, similar to what Blaire saw, the river is just all glowing that toxic, vivid green.

Minna: Oops, all ghosts.

Kim: [laughs]

Rhi: Yeah. And so that actually makes it a little hard for you to spot it initially. But you do see, under the water, but not too deep, like, you know, if you were to lay down on the dock and stick your arm into the water you would hit this small but very bright point in the ghost field. So, it’s only like afoot or so under the water. And you’re guessing that’s it.

Minna: I mean, if it’s within reaching distance, I might grab it?

Rhi: If you go out on the dock you can lay down and reach it.

Minna (as Myra): Alright, um, I’m gonna go retrieve it.

Josie (as Minx): Alright. B— Blaire, maybe we should sit down with some tea or something? Strike a fire?

Kim (as Blaire): Uh, yeah. Yeah, that sounds great. Mm hmm.

Josie (as Minx): Alright. Why don’t you help me set up camp?

Kim (as Blaire): Um… think that we’re sitting down.

Rhi: [laughs]

Josie (as Minx): Yes, we…

Rhi: I’m imaging that Blaire is just plopped down in the dirt.

Kim: Yeah, she’s definitely sitting crisscross-applesauce in the dirt right now.

Josie (as Minx): You know what? Yes, Blaire, just have a sit. I’ll handle it.

Kim (as Blaire): Cool.

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: So, Myra, can you give me a roll to navigate this rickety, rotten dock safely?

Minna: Okay. Um, I’m gonna guess that’s a Prowl roll?

Rhi: Yes. It’s a risky standard.

Minna: Is the Terrified gonna come into effect here, or…?

Rhi: No.

Minna (as Myra): Okay, so I just have less effect for Shot (mild).

Rhi: [laughs] Okay, so it’ll be risky, reduced then.

Minna: That’s a 5.

Rhi: Okay. So, you make it out to end of the dock. It’s pretty nerve-wracking, there’s a couple points where you have to like, jump as a board gives out under your foot. But you make it, lay down on the dock, you stick your arm into the water, which is also a little nerve-wracking because you know it’s just full of horrible ghost energy. And you can feel there’s a, like, there’s a wooden box, it feels like, stuck to the side of the dock support. But when you try to grab it, like, you can feel that there is a rope tied around it, and however long it’s been here, the water has just, like, soaked into the rope and it’s just on there really, really, really, really tight. And you can’t— you can’t get it. Like, it’s just stuck. You can’t, like, you kinda find where the knot is and you try to untie it and it just will not give at all.

Minna: Can I try a knife?

Rhi: Mm hmm. Yep, mark a blade in your inventory.

Josie: [cheers]

Kim: [laughs] Nice, Josie.

Minna: Uh, what is that?

Rhi: Hmm?

Minna: Cause I don’t…

Rhi: What do you mean?

Minna: If I was going to use a knife to cut the knot, is that a roll?

Rhi: Uh, oh, sorry, I thought you meant for the inventory. Um, yeah, yeah, it’s gonna need to be a roll, cause this is sort of like— what I’m picturing is like, you’re laying down flat on your stomach, you’re sticking your arms down into a river and you’re trying to like, cut a rope and then make sure the thing that the rope is holding doesn’t float away. [laughs] So, it’s a slightly complicated maneuver.

Minna: I’m gonna argue for Finesse to cut a knot and like, grab a thing without it floating away.

Rhi: Yeah, yeah, this is delicate work.

Minna: I am gonna push for greater effect.

Rhi: Okay.

Minna: Actually, what’s a Devil’s Bargain?

Rhi: Hey, remember how sometimes you just get yanked into weird dreams?

Minna: Yes! It hasn’t happened yet, but yes!

Rhi: It hasn’t happened, so…

Minna: Yes please.

Rhi: Yeah.

Minna: Okay, so I’m gonna roll that and then we’ll see how— what happens.

Rhi: Are you doing that Devil’s Bargain for greater effect or an extra die?

Minna: Yes, greater effect. Because currently I feel like my level 1 harm, Shot, is the one that’s affecting this, which would reduce the effect and I don’t want that to happen.

Rhi: Yeah. Okay.

Minna: Well that’s a 5.

Rhi: Okay. So you do it, but there’s a consequence. Okay. Okay. So, I think what happens is you reach into the water, you cut the rope, you grab the box, you kind of like roll over onto your back with this box in your hand and you— cause I’ve got the vision thing, but then there’s another consequence. I think the consequence is you lose the knife.

Minna: That’s fine.

Rhi: In the process of getting, yeah, like you lose that inventory slot but—

Minna: Yeah, I like, I fumble and I can grab one or the other and I grab the thing that I’m grabbing.

Rhi: Yeah. You grab the box. So Myra, you roll over onto your back, you’ve got this box and you have your hands stuck in this ghost-powered water. You’re now holding a very powerful magical artifact. And you just kind of end up somewhere else.

You are not looking at the normal, dark sky of the world you know. You are looking out a window at a bright, colorful world. It’s bright enough that it kinda hurts your eyes. The sky is blue, there’s green everywhere and there’s just light, not from streetlamps, not from the moon, there’s just light. And you have this feeling that you are running out of time. That there is someone else who is doing the same work that you are and if you don’t move faster, if these experiments that you’re doing don’t succeed, you’re going to fail. Someone else is going to get there first.

You start to turn away from the window, and as you do that blue sky suddenly goes white. And there’s this rumble that shakes through the building that you’re in, you can hear the sound of things crashing to the floor, glass shattering. You kinda lose your balance and catch yourself on the window ledge and look out again and the white is quickly fading and turning into the dark that Myra, you recognize, and you’re kinda looking out through, you’re realizing, someone else’s eyes. And you can hear screaming from the city around you and you have a thought that you’re too late. Someone else got there first.

Minna: Oh my God. Oh my God.

Rhi: And they did it wrong.

Minna: I’m having a dream of the rival of whatever fucking sorcerer broke the world. [laughs]

Josie: [laughs]

Kim: What?!

Rhi: And you—

Minna: I wish you could see my face.

Rhi: You scramble to your feet, you run back into the room where your books and your experiments are laid out and you have the thought that, you know, the path toward immortality that you were seeking is lost to you now, but maybe there’s other ways. And then the vision kinda fades out.

Minna: Am I Kotar? [laughs]

Rhi: I mean, you’re holding his heart.

Kim: What the fuck…

Rhi: So, Minx, you said you were gonna start setting up camp. Have you made much progress on that or are you just keeping an eye on Myra and Blaire?

Josie: Um, I think it’s a very rudimentary camp. So, I’m like half-done.

Rhi: Okay. So, you, I think, kind of as you’re setting up the camp, you see the Myra flop out, like, she rolls over, seems to be holding something, she rolls onto the dock and then doesn’t move and is just laying there.

Josie (as Minx): Er… Myra? Myra?

Minna (as Myra): [gasps] Oh, my goodness.

Josie (as Minx): Oh, oh gods. I thought it had—

Minna (as Myra): I think that was… I think that was a dream? I don’t know.

Josie (as Minx): Are you alright? Can you walk? Do you need me to come help you?

Minna (as Myra): No, I think I can move just fine. Um, I got it.

Josie (as Minx): Alright… is it just me or was this the easiest of the three to get?

Minna (as Myra): Don’t say that now.

Josie (as Minx): You’re right. I did a bad thing and I apologize.

Minna: [laughs] I think Myra’s like, rolling over and slowly getting to her feet.

Rhi: I think Myra, since you made your way across before you’re kind of able to carefully pick you way back. Blaire, as Myra gets closer the relics that you’re holding seem to, like, there had been sort of a kind of frantic quality to what you were getting. It was vibrating, there was all this loud sound. It kinda quiets and it feels like it’s focusing as Myra comes back holding this box. And you’re a little more able to kind of think clearly, because you’re not getting all this extra input.

Kim: Okay. Um, I think Blaire just looks up and notices there’s a shift in how the relics are affecting her. She’s gonna look at Myra and she’s like:

Kim (as Blaire): Did you get it?

Minna (as Myra): I got it.

Kim (as Blaire): Oh my gods, let me see!

Minna: [laughs] Let’s get away from the water a little bit first. Come on.

Kim: And I think she like, just kinda scrambles to her feet.

Josie (as Minx): I didn’t think I was gonna be at all excited, but this has been years we have been looking?

Kim: Yeah.

Josie (as Minx): Hoo.

Rhi: Alright. So, are you gonna open it up, Blaire?

Kim: Yeah, I guess so.

Rhi: Alright. The box is— like, the exterior is pretty badly water damaged, but the inside is a little damp in places but largely untouched. It’s, inside is just kind of this, sorta like, it looks like a dried-out chunk of leather or jerky. It doesn’t look like much.

Kim: Right. Can I hold it? Can I take it out of the box and hold it?

Rhi: Yeah.

Kim: Yeah, Blaire’s gonna touch it.

Rhi: As soon as, yeah, as soon as you pick it up it starts to sort of swell like a balloon a little bit, until you are holding a heart in your hand. It’s not, like, bloody.

Kim: Right.

Rhi: It’s not covering your hands in blood or anything, but it is, you know, red and pulsing a little bit as it’s beating. And Blaire, you hear a voice.

Kim: Oh?

Rhi: In your head.

Kim: What does it say?

Rhi: It says:

Rhi (as Voice): Who do you wanna be?

Kim (as Blaire): Who do I wanna be?

Rhi (as Voice): Who do you admire most? Who is the person you want to be most like? I can make you that person.

Kim (as Blaire): Well… um… that’s kind of a loaded question. I mean, the only person I really wanna be is the best version of myself. Can you do that?

Rhi: You don’t get an immediate response and it just says:

Rhi (as Voice): You can be anyone. You can be someone with power, the power to make real change in this city. Anyone at all.

Kim (as Blaire): What’s that supposed to mean?

Rhi (as Voice): I can make you anyone. Who do you wanna be?

Kim (as Blaire): Um… [nervous laugh] Uh… I don’t know! There’s so many possibilities. Who do you recommend?

Rhi (as Voice): Lord Scurlock, perhaps?

Kim (as Blaire): I mean… I mean, I would, but then everybody would be scared of me and I don’t want that.

Rhi: Blaire, you get this feeling.

Kim: Uh huh?

Rhi: Like you could reach out and grab something. And you know that if you do that, that the Heart will do whatever it’s offering.

Kim: Mm hmm.

Rhi: Do you do it?

Kim: Ooh…. [sighs] Oh this is so tempting [laughs] Will y’all forgive me if I do it?

Josie: I think we have to.

Kim: Minna?

Minna: Yeah.

Josie: [nervous laugh]

Kim: Okay! Um, in that case…

Josie: This is an RPG.

Kim: Yeah, in that case Rhi, Blaire is going to reach out.

Rhi: Okay. Okay, here we go. Blaire, you’re gonna take one level of Trauma.

Kim: Whoa! [laughs] Just right out the gate?

Josie: What?!

Kim: What? [laughs]

Rhi: Yep, you’re gonna take a level of Trauma.

Kim: What the fuck?

Rhi: Blaire, you are—

Josie: Holy shit.

Rhi: You blink and you open your eyes and you are sitting in a study.

Kim: What?!

Rhi: There are papers spread across the desk in front of you.

Kim: I swear to fucking God, if you put me in Scurlock’s body I’m gonna be very mad at you. [laughs]

Rhi: Of course I did.

Kim: Thank you!

Minna: [laughs]

Rhi: You look down at your hands…

Minna: No! [laughs]

Rhi: In one hand you are still holding the heart.

Minna: [through laughter] What is this?

Kim: Wait, does this mean—

Rhi: In the other hand you’re holding a pen.

Kim: But—[laughs] Hang on—

Rhi: And there are notes in a language you can’t read.

Kim: Hang on, Rhi—

Rhi: In front of you.

Kim: Does this mean Lord Scurlock is in Blaire’s body right now?

Minna: Oh my God.

Rhi: Minx and Myra.

Josie: [amused] Uh huh?

Minna: It’s body swap!

Rhi: Blaire is standing there holding the Heart and then the Heart just kinda blinks away.

Kim: What the fuck is happening right now?

Rhi: And then Blaire looks up, looks around in abject confusion, looks down at herself and then looks at the two of you and goes:

Rhi (imitating Blaire’s voice): What the hell did she do?

Minna: [laughs]

Josie (as Minx): Um…

Rhi (imitating Blaire’s voice): Why is—

Minna (as Myra): Who are you? First of all.

Josie (as Minx): What?

Minna (as Myra): Before I say anything.

Rhi (imitating Blaire’s voice): Lord Scurlock! What did that fool girl do?

Minna: [breathless laughing]

Josie (as Minx): I—

Minna (as Myra): We can explain.

Josie (as Minx): She— I mean, of course her first response was to pick up the Heart of Kotar bare-handed.

Kim: [through laughter] What the fuck? He doesn’t even know that we’re going after—

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): She did what?

Minna: [laughs]

Josie: I think that Minx is surprised and blurts it the fuck out.

Kim: [breathless with laughter] He doesn’t even know!

Josie: [laughs]

Kim: He doesn’t know that we have any of them, let alone all three!

Minna: We’re not telling him that we have the others by the way, that’s not happening.

Josie: Uh huh. [laughs]

Kim: What the fuck?!

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: So, Blaire—

Kim: [laughs] Yeah.

Rhi: You still have the Heart in your hand.

Kim: Uh huh.

Rhi: And you feel, kind of in the back of your head, like a thread sort of running out. And you kinda have this distant, like— this body feels off. It feels like you’re wearing a suit, or like a coat or a shirt that doesn’t fit. Like, you can tell it’s not yours. And you can feel kind of a thread running off, like off the back of your mind towards your body. And you know that you could kinda tug on that thread and pull yourself back to where you’re supposed to be if you wanted to.

Kim: Right.

Josie: Ouch, those dysphoria feels, though.

Rhi: But at the moment—

Josie: Sorry, that just hit me.

Rhi: Yeah, so like, yeah, it feels weird. Like, you don’t have, like— you’re not breathing, you realize. But that doesn’t seem to impeding you any. You’re in, apparently, Scurlock’s study. You’ve never seen this before, but it kinda matches the vibe of the rest of his manor that you’ve seen.

Kim (as Blaire): I really shouldn’t be looking at any of this stuff, but oh my gods, do I really wanna look at all of this stuff!

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: Scurlock is not happy with the situation.

Josie: But I like he immediately knew it was Blaire. [laughs]

Minna: So what happens?

Rhi: Well yeah, he looked down at the body he’s in now and recognized it.

Josie: Oh okay, I thought he didn’t even need to do that. He just thought, “What did she do?”

Kim: I also love that we managed to get one emotion out of him this evening. That’s exciting. That’s always exciting for me.

Rhi: Yeah, the emotion is incandescent rage.

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: He is furious.

Kim: Oh, I’m gonna have to really make it up to him. [laughs]

Minna (as Myra): Lord Scurlock.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): You…

Rhi: He points at both of you.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): The two of you are going to get me back into the city and back to my home and I am going to get my body back!

Josie (as Minx): I— I mean…

Minna (as Myra): I think that could easily be arranged without even us taking you back to the city in Blaire’s body. Probably.

Josie (as Minx): I—

Minna (as Myra): Because we need her back here anyway.

Josie: I’m uncertain what emotions I’m supposed to be feeling right now. Should I be… afraid of Lord Scurlock? Because I am, but also the protective instinct is coming in because it looks like Blaire doing this. I am very confused.

Rhi: [laughs]

Minna (as Myra): So, what happened is that the Heart has been out here messing with whatever balance exists and, uh, turning the ghosts extra feral. We’re trying to fix that. Blaire picked up the artifact because she did. Because it’s Blaire.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): Of course she did. Why would you let her do something so idiotic?

Josie (as Minx): I’m gonna be honest, we’re not used to being in the presence of powerful artifacts. We were kind of stunned.

Minna (as Myra): And we are going to get her back here—

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): Perhaps you should have left investigating, interfering with such powerful artifacts to people who know what they’re doing.

Minna (as Myra): Can we trust the people who know what they’re doing?

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): I know what I’m doing with these damned things!

Minna (as Myra): Yeah, and what would you do with such an artifact? I’m sorry, Lord Scurlock, but we had to make sure.

Rhi: So Blaire, what are you doing?

Kim: Oh God! She really shouldn’t, but I want her to just be really looking through his stuff right now because she can’t help herself.

Rhi: Yeah, I mean you could make a basically vice resistance roll, if you wanna not.

Kim: Sure. Well, mm, no.

Rhi: But I think otherwise, yeah, I think otherwise you’re gonna do it. You’re gonna do it by default and in order to stop you’re gonna have to make the resistance roll.

Kim: You know what? I’m already in deep enough shit with him already. I think as long as I leave everything as I found it, everything will be okay. Let’s just look through Lord Scurlock’s stuff, because when else is Blaire going to have access his study, if not ever again then not for a very long time. So… [laughs]

Rhi: I mean, with that attitude, it’s gonna be a never again.

Kim: Rhi…

Rhi: He’s not happy.

Josie: [laughs]

Kim: I’m gonna fix this, I promise you I’m gonna fix this. But right now, I just wanna have fun.

Rhi: Hey, I’m not the one you have to—

Kim: No, I know I don’t have to fix it with you, I’m just saying in general I am going to fix it. Blaire’s charming. [laughs] Um…

Rhi: Blaire starts rummaging through Lord Scurlock’s notes.

Kim: Oh my God, what do we find?

Rhi: You kind of immediately run into a problem in that you can’t read most of what he’s written. It seems like it’s in some kind of shorthand.

Kim: Mm…

Rhi: And/or it’s in a very archaic version of the language. Like, it’s like trying to read, um, old English.

Kim: Fair enough. He’s old as shit. Makes sense.

Rhi: And this is a good security measure.

Kim: It is, it is.

Rhi: Back out in the Deathlands, Scurlock in Blaire’s body is stomping angrily down the— well, not stomping angrily, is striding down the river back towards Duskwall. Not waiting for the two of you.

Minna (as Myra): [sighs]

Josie (as Minx): Hold on, Scurlock, remember that’s a very— that’s a very different body. We should go together.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): [sighs]

Rhi: Stops and turns around.

Minna: If Myra looks into the ghost field, can she see this link between them? I’m willing to roll for it.

Rhi: Um, I don’t think you have to roll for it. I just have to think about the question for a second. But yes, yeah, you can see— so, yeah, you basically, like, Blaire looks— looking at Blaire, it looks like you’re looking at a possessed person. You’ve got kinda that over— like, you have Blaire’s body and then there’s the overlay of what Scurlock looks like. But then you can kind of see this, like, thread running from Scurlock off into the distance, further you can see, back towards the city.

Minna: Can I tug gently on the thread? As like, a “Hey Blaire, please come back?”

Rhi: That you will have to roll for, but you can try.

Minna: I’m glad to roll for it. That’s an Attune, yes?

Rhi: Yes.

Minna: Oh, is this— this is probably, because I’m terrified, affected by my minus one die.

Rhi: Um… yeah, yeah, you’re messing around with arcane ghost stuff, so yeah. This is gonna be… I think this is actually gonna be controlled, though.

Minna: Mm hmm. And what effect?

Rhi: Um, standard.

Minna: That’s a 5.

Rhi: Okay. So, there’s gonna be a minor consequence. Let’s see.

Minna: Something has happened in this whole process that is gonna piss Scurlock off and he’s going to have issues with us about it.

Josie: I mean, he’s already pissed off.

Kim: Yeah, I was gonna say

Minna: Further than he already does.

Rhi: Yeah… yeah… yeah. No actually, I think I know what it is. So, Myra, you reach out into the ghost field and kind of tug on this thread a little. Blaire, you feel this tug sort of at your soul and you can recognize that it’s— you somehow get a feeling of like, Myra. It’s kind of that same sort of feeling you get when Myra calls you down for dinner.

Kim: Oh yeah, okay.

Minna: [whines]

Rhi: Myra, as you kind of come out of the ghost field, Scurlock has stopped and is looking past you to the boxes that hold the Hand and the Eye.

Minna: [groans]

Rhi: And just says:

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): What are those?

Kim: Oh God.

Minna: That’s not a minor consequence!

Josie (as Minx): Camping supplies.

Rhi: He doesn’t know what they are yet. They’re just boxes. Yeah, you can try to—

Josie (as Minx): Just camping supplies. Anti-specter precautions.

Josie: I’m gonna go with Sway.

Rhi: Yeah. I’m gonna give you risky, greater. Normally Scurlock is a very difficult person to bluff, but he’s a little discombobulated right now.

Josie: Uh huh.

Minna: He’s a lot shorter than he’s used to being.

Rhi: Yeah, yeah. He’s real shot, he’s dealing with the fact that he has to breathe. He hasn’t had to do that for like, almost nine centuries.

Josie: [laughs]

Minna: He keeps forgetting how.

Josie: I should have pushed myself. That’s a 4. It was very close.

Rhi: 4. Yeah. I did say greater effect, so you do it but there’s a consequence. Air around you starts to get cold again.

Josie: Oh no.

Rhi: And some ghosts are gonna start coming out of the river.

Josie (as Minx): No, no, no, we already dealt with this.

Rhi: Blaire?

Kim: Yep.

Rhi: You felt that tug at the back of your head. You can tell that it’s Myra. Are you gonna go back?

Kim: Uh… well, let me put everything back the way that I found it first so that he won’t know immediately that I was snooping through his stuff.

Rhi: He’s going to assume you did.

Kim: Well, yeah, but…

Rhi: This all really hasn’t taken super long, so I don’t think that you’ve been able to move a lot of his stuff around. So it doesn’t take you very long to kinda put things back the way you think they should be. And then, yeah, are you gonna go back?

Kim: Um, yeah. This had been fun, but I guess so.

Rhi: Yeah. So, again you get that feeling of like, you just need to reach out and grab something. And you kind of mentally do. And then you blink and you’re back in your body and you’re still holding the Heart. You’ve moved considerably from where you were standing. You’re breathing weirdly hard, like, you feel like you’ve been going like, breathing really heavy for some reason? Which like, that feels weird. [laughs] But yeah, you’re back. You do have a new level of Trauma that you’ll have to figure out what that is now. Or not right now, but you know at some point you’ll have to figure that out.

Kim: So does this mean, since I took Trauma, does this mean Blaire just like, collapses or something? Am I out of it or am I okay?

Rhi: No, no. Yeah, you’re okay.

Kim: Weird.

Rhi: You just—

Josie: And technically, you were out of the scene for a while.

Kim: Technically, yeah.

Rhi: The experience of being in someone else’s body is traumatizing to your soul.

Kim: Okay.

Rhi: That’s the cost of using the Heart. You take a level of Trauma every time you use it.

Josie (as Minx): Uh, Scurlock, little help with these?

Kim (as Blaire): Huh? What?  Huh? Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa—

Josie (as Minx): Oh!

Kim (as Blaire): What?

Josie (as Minx): Oh good, you’re back.

Minna (as Myra): Oh, thank goodness.

Kim (as Blaire): Was Scurlock here? Did I put him here?

Minna (as Myra): Yeah… he’s really mad and he knows that you have the Heart of Kotar.

Kim (as Blaire): Oh no. Oh no, no, no. No. No. I didn’t meant to do that. I— the Heart was talking to me and I just— I— I—

Minna (as Myra): It’s fine.

Kim (as Blaire): I didn’t even ask— I didn’t task for anything, I just let it do its thing. It wasn’t my fault, I swear.

Rhi: [laughs]

Josie (as Minx): I believe you and also, it was frightening but also hilarious. Also, there are ghosts coming out of the river again.

Minna (as Myra): We’re going to rehearse calmer ways to explain to Lord Scurlock, but let’s deal with this now.

Kim (as Blaire): Okay, yeah. Let’s get out of here, let’s get back to the city and then… holy shit, I have to figure out how to smooth things over with him. Let’s go.

Rhi: [laughs]

Josie (as Minx): Aw, my camping supplies.

Rhi: Yeah, I mean, Minx, you can— you have enough time to throw a few things into bags but you’re probably gonna have to leave a lot of stuff behind. [laughs]

Josie: Yeah, it’s the clothes. The clothes are the most important.

Rhi: Yeah.

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: You grab the other two relics.

Josie: Oh right, no, those are the most important. [laughs]

Rhi: Yeah. I assumed that Blaire or Myra would grab those. And yeah, you start hurrying back to the city. Once you kind of get away form that initial campsite, the ghosts don’t seem to be giving chase.

Josie (as Minx): Are you alright, Blaire?

Kim (as Blaire): I feel fine. I feel fine. Is he alright?

Josie (as Minx): I mean, he was very angry. But it was also hilarious because he was very small and also angry.

Kim (as Blaire): How did he— did he see the Heart?

Josie (as Minx): I— it disappeared when you left and then came back with you.

Kim (as Blaire): So how did he find out about it?

Josie: Minx looks like she’s the cat who caught the canary and is just like:

Josie (as Minx): I, uh… I was very surprised.

Kim (as Blaire): Minx!

Josie (as Minx): It just sorta slipped out, I’m sorry!

Kim (as Blaire): Why did you tell him?!

Josie (as Minx): I didn’t mean to.

Kim (as Blaire): [long teenage groan] Ugh! He’s gonna kill us.

Josie (as Minx): I was just— we shoulda— I was saying we should have stopped you from picking it up bare-handed and uh—

Minna (as Myra): It’s alright. He only knows about one of them.

Kim (as Blaire): That’s still one too many.

Minna (as Myra): He does think that we weren’t the ones that should have gone out to contain it, but also, he’s very probably immortal and I’m not sure I trust him to know what to do with it either.

Kim (as Blaire): I mean, he’d probably have a better idea than the three of us, but that doesn’t mean he should know about it.

Josie (as Minx): Though to be fair, I can’t imagine he has much use for it.

Kim (as Blaire): Why not?

Josie (as Minx): I mean, he’s already probably immortal and drenched in arcane paraphernalia.

Kim (as Blaire): Yeah, but as far as we know this doesn’t make you immortal. These are still really powerful relics that he would want to get his hands on.

Josie (as Minx): Perhaps. I’m very sorry. This was, um… this was not my best showing, everyone.

Minna (as Myra): It’s alright, we’ll figure it out.

Josie (as Minx): Can we never come out to the Deathlands again?

Kim (as Blaire): If you two don’t want to, that’s fine. I still have to keep coming out here. Listen, this isn’t on you two, this is on me. I have to figure out how to fix this.

Josie (as Minx): I mean, I feel at least a little bit responsible. But I might make it worse.

Kim (as Blaire): Well, yeah. Yeah, maybe sit this one out, Minx. What I’m saying is though, is that I’ve got a feeling he’s probably not the most mad at you two. I’m the one that’s gotta make it up to him.

Minna (as Myra): We may want to prioritize thinking about how to not just keep them in The Nest.

Kim (as Blaire): The relics?

Minna (as Myra): I mean, keeping them in The Nest is a great short-term solution. What are we doing long-term?

Kim (as Blaire): I don’t know. I don’t know. One thing at a time. Let’s worry about Scurlock first and then sort out all the rest later.

Josie (as Minx): I’m going to regret mentioning this, but we didn’t try them together.

Kim (as Blaire): [sighs] Alright. Alright. Let’s put a little bit more distance between us and the river and then let’s try things out.

Minna (as Myra): Yeah.

Rhi: Okay, so yeah, you can kind of veer off from the river, head across the Deathlands proper a little bit. What is your approach here gonna be for having all three of them together? How are you gonna set this up?

Josie: First, can we just see what happens if we set them next to each other?

Kim: I mean, that’s pretty much what we have to do, more or less.

Rhi: Okay. So, you find a clear patch on the ground and you take out the relics. I assume you just kinda line them up?

Kim: Yeah, pretty much.

Rhi: For a moment they don’t do anything. They just kinda sit there. And then they start to move. The Eye in its crystal kind of rolls up away from the other two. The Heart moves up to a space kind of below the eye. The Hand moves kind down and off to the side. And looking into the ghost field, which I assume Blaire would probably do, at minimum—

Kim: Yeah.

Rhi: The way that they had moved, just looking at them, just seemed almost random. But as you look into the ghost field you can see, very faintly, the outline of a humanoid form around them. And you can see that the Eye is in the place on the head where it should go and the Heart is in the chest and the Hand is at the end of an arm. And the outline is slowly but surely getting stronger. Let me think here. Would all three of you be looking into the ghost field, do you think?

Josie: Not unless prompted.

Minna: Myra would.

Rhi: Myra would, okay. Blaire, you have sort of a weird, like, ‘maybe this isn’t good’ feeling about it, but your curiosity might be overriding that.

Kim: Right.

Rhi: Myra, you suddenly get this feeling of absolute dread in the pit of your stomach. And like, you have these little flashes, you can’t quite hold onto then, it’s like you’re remembering a dream, of that vision that you had. Of what happened after things went black. Of how this person found a way to immortality and what’s gonna happen if they manage to come back. And you just know that something very terrible is about to happen.

Minna (as Myra): Stop. Stop!

Kim: Wh—

Josie (as Minx): Uh—

Kim (as Blaire): Uh, why?

Josie: Minx kicks the hand.

Kim (as Blaire): Hey!

Rhi: Okay. The hand kinda bounces away and the outline fades out.

Kim (as Blaire): What was that about?

Minna (as Myra): We cannot activate these together.

Kim (as Blaire): Why not? What did you see?

Minna (as Myra): I can’t explain it. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I wouldn’t even classify the dreams— I wouldn’t even classify the dreams that one time because those weren’t in any measure true, but I’m really, really sure that something very bad is going to happen if we let those all activate together.

Kim (as Blaire): Um, I mean, it was kinda similar to how it looked when I put the Hand and the Eye together.

Minna (as Myra): Not remotely on my end.

Kim (as Blaire): But you didn’t see the Hand and the Eye together. At least in the ghost field.

Minna (as Myra): Can I tell you what I experienced and then you can decide whether to argue with me? I mean, you probably know more about the arcane than I do…

Kim (as Blaire): Just, slow down.  What did you feel Myra? What did you see?

Minna (as Myra): Earlier on the dock, when I retrieved the Heart, I had this dream. There was a blue sky? And green things and, I mean…

Josie (as Minx): Like the mural.

Minna (as Myra): It’s either a complete fantasy or it’s, you know… you hear about what things were like before. And I was… somebody working on experiments and I was really sure that I was running out of time, and then suddenly I was out of time and the world was turning into this. Something about immortality and finding another way? And I just felt all of that again, here, now, with this, and just this certainty that if we let… if we let those do what they’re supposed to do, it’s going to bring something very bad back. I don’t know what, I don’t know who.

Josie (as Minx): Uh, well, I believe you.

Kim (as Blaire): I believe you, too.

Minna (as Myra): That’s good, because I barely believe myself.

Kim (as Blaire): So, you think bringing these three together has something to do with immortality?

Minna (as Myra): Not for us.

Kim (as Blaire): Well then, for who?

Minna (as Myra): I felt like it was someone very old and very gone.

Kim (as Blaire): You think that these would make Kotar immortal? But that’s impossible, he’s already dead.

Minna (as Myra): I don’t know what’s possible. I wouldn’t have said anything that’s happened with the relics was possible before I encountered them. And also, I don’t think I thought that whatever’s happening right now was possible. I don’t believe in prophetic visions much. But I’m not gonna go against my gut.

Josie (as Minx): Yeah. And you don’t often have the sudden, terrible gut feelings, so I’m inclined to stick by it.

Kim (as Blaire): Mm.

Josie (as Minx): I know this is an unsatisfying answer, Blaire, but if we can feel the bad coming, that’s— I don’t know if we can take the risk.

Kim (as Blaire): Yeah. Okay. That’s— that’s fair. Um…

Minna (as Myra): I’m going to recommend we start looking into destruction.

Kim (as Blaire): Really? We don’t even know for sure if it’s really something that bad. Myra, are you sure?

Minna (as Myra): Even one of these relics in the wrong hands is already bad news. Whatever happens with them together…

Josie (as Minx): At the very least, we need to destroy one. I don’t know if that will destroy them all, but whatever this greater effect is can’t happen.

Kim (as Blaire): Alright.

Josie (as Minx): If you wanna stick around with Eyeball Friend, fine, but…

Minna (as Myra): The Heart’s the worst.

Rhi: The Hand has started to move back into place.

Josie (as Minx): Ah! Back in the box with you.

Kim (as Blaire): Yeah, back in the boxes.

Josie (as Minx): Go now. Ssh.

Kim: I think she, uh, she grabs Eyeball Friend.

Josie (as Minx): [laughs]

Rhi: When you pick up the Eye, normally it’s just kind of twitching and looking around. When you pick it up this time, it is staring straight at you.

Kim (as Blaire): Mm hmm.

Minna: Mm…

Rhi: And you get this feeling of just, hate and rage.

Kim (as Blaire): Uh…

Rhi: Directed at you.

Kim (as Blaire): Okay, we’re gonna out you back in the box now, sweetie.

Rhi: It does not look away from you until you close the lid.

Kim (as Blaire): Mm… kay. [nervous laugh] Um, alright. Listen. Minx says that she told Lord Scurlock about the Heart. He probably knows more about this than we do. He might have an idea of what to do with this, and honestly, maybe a good way of me smoothing things over with him is just me coming clean about this. So, can I at least do that before we come to a decision to destroy these things?

Josie (as Minx): Yes, sure.

Minna (as Myra): Another option. We could start asking about how to destroy the Heart, and then if he brings up all of them together or if we bring up what happens if they all get put together, and we can see how he reacts to that?

Kim (as Blaire): I mean, I feel like he’d get suspicious if we asked him that.

Minna (as Myra): I mean, we know about all of them. We knew about all of them before we had all of them. I don’t think that’s suspicious. I think that that’s cautious, to know all the information. I just don’t wanna put all our cards on the table right now.

Kim (as Blaire): That’s fair. I still think we should tell him, but you’re right, Myra. Let’s figure out a way to be as discreet as possible about this for as long as we can before we decide to do anything too rash.

Josie (as Minx): Uh— yeah— there we go.

Josie: I think Minx, this whole time, has been struggling to shove the Hand back in its box.

[laughter]

Rhi: Yeah, it’s definitely been just like, grabbing at your hand and fighting you on it.

Josie: [laughs]

Kim: Oh my God.

Rhi: So, how long after you get back into Duskwall do you go to see Scurlock? Do you go right away, do you take a couple days?

Kim: I think Blaire would wanna go right away.

Rhi: Okay. Where do you put the relics? Do you bring any of them with you? Do you leave them in The Nest? What do you do?

Kim: Um, we could always just tuck them away in our bags and stuff, I think.

Rhi: I mean, you have a vault in The Nest.

Kim: Well no, I’m saying that, like, you know, Blaire probably wouldn’t even wanna stop at The Nest, even if it’s on the way, she would just wanna go straight to him. We could always just like, put it in our packs.

Rhi: Okay. So you’re not even going home, you’re going straight to Scurlock Manor.

Kim: Yeah.

Josie: Really, okay.

Kim: Blaire wants to fix this! I’m sorry.

Rhi: Alright.

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: So the three of you, heavily laden with stuff, looking a bit frazzled, head up into the city, up into Six Towers and up to Scurlock Manor. Oskar opens the door very quickly after you knock.

Kim (as Blaire): Hey.

Rhi: And just kind of looks at the three of you very somberly and says:

Rhi (as Oskar): He’s expecting you.

Kim (as Blaire): Yeah, we thought so.

Rhi: And he will lead you back into the parlor where you normally meet. And for the first time, you don’t have to like, sit there and wait for Scurlock to show up. He is there already.

Kim: Oh my God. [laughs] He’s mad.

Josie: [laughs]

Rhi: He is. He is sitting in his armchair.

Minna: Mm hmm!

Rhi: In absolute silence.

Kim (as Blaire): Hey.

Rhi: Waits for the three of you to sit.

Kim (as Blaire): Um, I just wanna say off the bat that I am really, really sorry. I did not know the Heart was going to do that to me and I didn’t ask anything of it—

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): Of course you didn’t. How would you know?

Kim (as Blaire): [hesitates]

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): You are a foolish child playing with things you do not understand.

Kim (as Blaire): I’m sorry.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): Do you still have it?

Kim (as Blaire): We do.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): You’ll turn it over to me immediately.

Kim (as Blaire): Um—

Minna (as Myra): No. You’ll tell us how to destroy it.

Rhi: He looked like he was about to tear into you, but when you—[laughs] like, and by looked like he was about to tear into you, I mean he arched an eyebrow slightly. [laughs]

Josie: [laughs]

Kim (as Blaire): That’s still…

Rhi: Yeah, which for Scurlock is a lot. But when you say that, you know, tell us how to destroy it, he kind of— he wasn’t expecting that. He kinda tilts his head to the side and goes:

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): Interesting.

Minna (as Myra): We’re not after power, we’re after keeping it out of the hands of people who will misuse it.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): You think I will?

Minna (as Myra): I don’t know you that well.

Josie (as Minx): As long as they exist, there’s a risk.

Kim (as Blaire): If you really— if you really wanna know, Lord Scurlock, we’re trying to keep it out of the hands of The Circle of Flame.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): Ah yes, you’ve mentioned them before.

Kim (as Blaire): Yeah. I know that they don’t really bother you much, but they’re kind of breathing down our necks.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): And it would be unfortunate for anyone with their petty ambitions to have access to such a thing. Destroying it would not be a simple task. As you can imagine, it was crafted by someone very powerful with a great will to continue to endure.

Minna (as Myra): I’m not afraid of hard work.

Rhi: He kind of looks at Myra and then looks to Minx. He’s like:

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): You agree with this course of action?

Josie (as Minx): Uh, yes. I do.

Rhi: And then he looks at Blaire.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): And you? You are willing to destroy it?

Kim: I think she like, hesitates a little bit, but then she nods and she’s like:

Kim (as Blaire): Whatever it takes, yeah.

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): Very well.

Rhi: And he will stand up and kind of make a gesture as you as he’s heading for the door. He’s like:

Rhi (as Lord Scurlock): Wait here. I need to collect a few things.

Rhi: And he’s gonna leave and next time he’s gonna, I guess, send you on a quest to destroy the Heart of Kotar!

Minna: [laughs] Holy shit.

Josie: God!

Rhi: Which is not—

Minna: I did not expect that to go well!

Rhi: Which is not what I had, uh, planned for next time, but that’s what you’re doing. So, that’s cool!

Kim: [laughs]

##Outro [01.04.33]

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.

Next, I’d like to thank our lovely Patreon backers.

Violet Wren, thank you.

Dan Beaudoin, thank you.

##Blooper [01.06.00]

Josie: [snickers]

Minna: [laughs]

Josie: [laughs]

Kim: [laughs]

Rhi: Are you gonna eat it, as Josie is proposing?

Kim: No.

Minna: Listeners, Josie has typed “THE FORBIDDEN JERKY”, in all caps in the chat.

Josie: [laughs]