Transcribed by Michelle Kelly (@Michellicopter)
##Intro
Rhi: Welcome back to Duskwall. As always, thank you so much for joining us. And thank you to everyone who’s backed up on Patreon, left reviews, tweeted at us, sent messages and more. Your support means so much to us.
Evil Hat, the publishes of Blades in the Dark, are launching a new Kickstarter today for Thirsty Sword Lesbians. It’s a Powered by the Apocalypse game that’s… well… about exactly what you’d guess from the title: disaster lesbians with swords yearning at each other while having adventures. If you’re interested in hearing how it plays, keep an eye on The Magpies feed over the next week. We might have some fun, exciting bonuses to share with you. Next, Kim is going to tell us about this month’s featured charity.
Kim: With the 2020 US Presidential election just weeks away as of this recording, we thought it best that this month’s featured charity be a voting rights organization. Common Cause has a pro-democracy agenda that has been working towards expanding voting rights, modernizing the voter registration process, ending gerrymandering and advocating for the abolishment of the Electoral College. To learn more about what they do, visit CommonCause.org, and visit CommonCause.org/Donate to support their mission.
There is so much on the line in this election and our voices need to be heard. We urge all of our US listeners to get their selves registered, be informed, make a voting plan and vote early if possible. Together, we can turn the tide this November. Thank you.
Rhi: As Kim said, if you’re in the US, please make sure you have a plan to vote safely, and look for ways to help out in your community as much as you can. I feel like I’m repeating myself a lot in these calls to action lately, but I think right now those are the biggest things that we can focus on. Vote, take care of each other and take care of yourselves.
Now then. Let’s get started, shall we?
##Story continues [0.02.07]
Rhi: Blaire, you are making your way home towards the end of a long day. Where do you think that you’ve been out doing things?
Kim: That’s a good question. Oh, you know what I think it— mm. It’s risky, because I feel like if she were caught on the premises it would be bad times for her, but I think it would be really heartbreaking if she was wandering around her old stomping grounds near Charterhall university.
Rhi: Oh, yeah.
Kim: And you know what? She probably doesn’t even step on the campus proper, she’s probably just like, walking through the square nearby and she sees like, a spire or something and she’s just like, “Aww.”
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: You can stare wistfully at whatever you want.
Rhi: So, Blaire is on her way back from Charterhall. It’s, I think, just a little past sunset, so the streets are dark again. It’s a pretty clear night, lots of stars overhead. The moonlight shining down. So, it’s a little strange when Blaire is walking down this street and feels water drip onto her head. Cause it’s not raining.
Kim: [excited] Oh jeez.
Rhi: What does Blaire do?
Kim: Uh, she panics. I think she just bolts.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Kim: She doesn’t know what direction, but she’s just like, “Nope nope nope nope nope!” [laughs] She’s just gonna high-tail it outta there.
Rhi: I think as soon as she starts running, you hear familiar laughter behind you.
Kim: [groans] Baby…
Rhi: And I think as Blaire is running, you know, towards Six Towers, every puddle just suddenly looks like this dark, scary void, and you occasionally, like, you think maybe you’ve gone far enough and you start to slow and then you feel another few flicks of water hit the back of your head.
Kim: [groans]
Rhi: And eventually you get to a point, because of how Duskwall is built, where you have to cross a bridge.
Kim: Oh fuck. I take it there’s no way around?
Rhi: Six Towers has a land access, you wouldn’t have to— oh no wait, I take that back. For where your tower is, for where The Nest is, you would have to cross a bridge.
Kim: Hmm.
Rhi: Potentially. Where is The Nest? I don’t think we ever said where in Six Towers it is.
Josie: Nope.
Rhi: Tech— okay, so there are ways you can get into Six Towers without going over water, but it would involve going back the way you came to get down to those streets.
Kim: Fuck. Um…
Rhi: Now, it’s— there are people around, it’s not— like, this is, you know, it’s like 7pm. The streets are not empty. There’s a lot of people around. So, if you can kinda make the gamble of like, she wouldn’t do anything with a bunch of witnesses, right?
Kim: Yeah. Who knows?
Rhi: Yeah. So, it’s kinda up to Blaire what gamble she wants to make.
Kim: I think Blaire just has to cross the bridge.
Rhi: Okay. Is she just gonna sprint across?
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi: Okay. You race across the bridge.
Kim: And that’s it. [laughs]
Rhi: And…
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: I mean, yeah. Like you make it across. You know, I think by this point, like, you’ve got that stitch in your side…
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi: And you’re just gasping for air. But you make it across and nothing happens. The bridge is intact. Nothing surges up out of the water. But you do hear, from somewhere, you can’t quite pinpoint where the voice is coming from:
Rhi (as Setarra): You can’t escape the water, Blaire.
Kim (as Blaire): Leave. Me. Alone!
Rhi: There’s no reply. And, you know, you wait there for a while, or if you start walking again, there’s no more water flicking on you, there doesn’t seem to be anything pursuing you at this point. Just seemed to be a reminder that she’s out there.
Kim: Blaire’s gonna take just a couple seconds to collect herself and then just heel turn and continue to jog back to The Nest.
Rhi: You get back to the The Nest. I think it’s, you know, around dinner time. I don’t know how— I feel like all of you are absolute night owls, so like, dinner is probably fairly late.
Josie: I think Minx is preparing dinner this time.
Rhi: Ooh.
Josie: And I’m trying to figure out what her apron is like.
Minna: [delighted]
Kim: [laughs]
Rhi: Oh my God, yes.
Josie: Cause it is absolutely-
Kim: Very lacy.
Josie: Yes, it is extremely lacy. It might just be a plain lacy apron, but if it says something like “cute and gay” on it… [laughs] that would be perfect.
Rhi: [laughs] Oh man, I’m trying— is— okay. So, I think the question here is, is this something Minx bought for herself or was it a gift? Because I think that’s gonna dictate what’s on it. [laughs]
Josie: Well, now that you raise the possibility…
Rhi: Right?
Josie: Gift, please.
Rhi: [laughs] Okay. I’m trying to think of what…
Minna: Nyryx giving her a “kiss the cook” apron. Just to have an excuse.
Rhi: Yeah, that’s what I’m picturing.
Josie: Mm hmm. [laughs] Yes, definitely.
Rhi: Yeah, yeah. So that is what Minx is wearing. [laughs] The embroidery is lovely.
Josie: Yay! [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs] What’s Minx making?
Josie: Hmm… huh. That’s a good question. It’s definitely something economical but made… you know, like an economical version of something fancy.
Rhi: Oh, okay, yeah, yeah. I feel like— so, I feel like a fancy meal— cause rice is still a thing.
Josie: Uh huh.
Rhi: Per the Blades book. Rice is still able to be grown.
Josie: But I take it pasta isn’t?
Rhi: Probably not. It’s not as easily available. So, I’m pic— I was thinking of kind of like a, so it would be like a risotto, but like, made with just a lot cheaper ingredients. So, it’s probably— I mean, like, a mushroom risotto?
Josie: That sounds pretty good actually.
Kim: Mm.
Rhi: Yeah, yeah.
Josie: Yeah, she’s making a mushroom risotto.
Rhi: Yeah, so The Nest smells lovely. What’s Myra up to while Minx is cooking?
Minna: [laughs] Probably staying out of the kitchen so she doesn’t get in the way.
Rhi: [laughs]
Minna: I hadn’t considered this. Uh…
Rhi: Oh, what if, just as a suggestion, maybe she’s drafting one of her history pamphlets.
Minna: Oh, totally. Like Minna should be doing right now.
Rhi: [laughs] No, right now Minna is recording a podcast.
Minna: No, no, I mean like, right now in a broader sense than, you know, 7.20 on a Saturday evening.
Rhi: [laughs] Yeah. Yeah, so just like books and papers all spread out.
Minna: Mm hmm.
Rhi: So yeah, Blaire, this is the very cozy domestic scene you come back to.
Josie (as Minx): Oh, welcome back dear. You’re just in time for dinner.
Kim (as Blaire): Hey.
Josie (as Minx): Is everything alright?
Kim (as Blaire): Mm… I had kind of a run-in with Setarra on the way here.
Josie (as Minx): Do we… do I need to grab the sword?
Kim (as Blaire): No. No, she’s… she’s just messing with me. Not…she hasn’t done anything. Yet.
Josie (as Minx): I see. Well, settle in and I’ll bring you your risotto.
Kim (as Blaire): Okay.
Rhi: Yeah. So, do you all think that you, like, just kinda have dinner and talk about what’s next, if you need to deal with this? Or do we think Blaire kinda starts thinking about next steps on her own?
Josie: I think until Blaire speaks up, Minx has learned to not press Blaire too hard. So, she’s just gonna try and keep things gentle and normal and try to get Myra talking about whatever she’s working on. [laughs]
Kim: Blaire speaks up and she says:
Kim (as Blaire): I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep going just being afraid to go outside. I… we have to deal with this.
Josie (as Minx): Of course we do. And we intend to. But we do need to approach this very carefully.
Kim (as Blaire): I know. I don’t really know where to start.
Josie (as Minx): Well, demonology is not exactly either of our strong suits.
Kim (as Blaire): [gasps]
Josie (as Minx): Perhaps… I’m sure there are some that share your proclivities—
Kim (as Blaire): Yes!
Josie (as Minx): —that may be able to help?
Kim (as Blaire): Lord Scurlock. When we first met, he mentioned demonology. He’d be able to help with this.
Josie (as Minx): Ah. Well. I mean, if that— if you trust him and that’s who we need to go to for help, I support it.
Kim (as Blaire): I mean, why wouldn’t I trust him?
Kim: Blaire!
Minna: [laughs]
Kim: Blaire, do you not learn, sweetheart.
[laughter]
Rhi: The fact that you barely got that line out before you started yelling at your character is a fucking gift.
[laughter]
Josie: Minx just offers a blank stare in return. [laughs] Like, this child.
Kim: Blaire’s just gonna stare back, like:
Kim (as Blaire): What?
Josie (as Minx): Anyway… thoughts, Myra?
Minna (as Myra): I do think we need to seek out someone with more knowledge than we have, because I still do not have— I don’t have much to add to this conversation.
Josie (as Minx): Then I suppose Lord Scurlock it is. Do you intend us all to go meet him?
Kim (as Blaire): I’ll shot Oskar a letter.
Rhi: Star wipe.
[laughter]
Rhi: Do you think that all three of you wanna go?
Minna: Might as well.
Josie: Yeah.
Rhi: I think it’s a couple days later. I think the initial response that Blaire gets from Oskar is that his uncle is out of town, will be back soon and then can arrange for a meeting. So, it’s probably like two or three days. But you all are, once again, approaching the gothic Victorian mansion – it’s not ruined, but it’s also not in great shape – that is Scurlock Manor. And to Minx and Myra, anyway, it feels just very eerie walking up close. It gets quieter, it seems to somehow get— like, it feels almost like there’s fog that’s only around this house?
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: How does that work? Yeah, so you get up to the front door. I imagine Blaire’s the one that knocks.
Kim: Yep.
Rhi: There’s a little bit of a pause and then it creaks open and Oskar Scurlock will usher you in. I think he will escort you to the same study that I think you all met in before. Nearly everything is dusty, except for the things that, you know, presumably you’re going to be using. There’s the, like, a sofa and a couple armchairs. How did everybody kinda prepare for this meeting?
Josie: Minx made sure to have her— have at least one spiritbane charm on her.
Rhi: [laughs]
Josie: Possibly a few.
Rhi: Are they on display or do you have them tucked away?
Josie: Tucked away.
Rhi: Okay.
Josie: She does not know nor suspect that Scurlock is a vampire, but she is sensitive to vibes, so that is the vibe this place is giving her. [laughs]
Rhi: [laughs]
Kim: You know what I thought of which is really just, kind of like, adorable in a sad way? Um, I know Lord Scurlock doesn’t eat, but I really like the idea of Blaire showing up with some kinda of, like, baked good or something.
Rhi: Oh my God. Honey…
Josie: [laughs]
Kim: Yeah, she doesn’t know that he doesn’t really eat or anything.
Rhi: Yeah…
Kim: But, just like as a hospitality thing.
Minna: Oskar.
Rhi: Oh my God, that’s— yeah, Oskar will appreciate it. That’s… that’s… yeah, adorable but sad is exactly.
Kim: Yeah.
[laughter]
Rhi: Oh, that’s really good.
Kim: I have to think about what it would be now, though. What about some kind of pie? What pie options do we have?
Rhi: In terms of what you can reasonably afford, pretty limited. Fruit pies aren’t really…
Kim: Well, yeah, I wasn’t even going there.
Rhi: It would probably be like a savory pie. You could do a fish pie.
Kim: Hmm. Nasty. I think I’ll do it
[laughter]
Rhi: So, Blaire has shown up with a— okay. If that’s the case, then we need to roll this back slightly, because Oskar’s gonna see you standing here with a fucking pie in your hands at the front door.
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: And is just gonna be like:
Rhi (as Oskar): Uh… what is that?
Kim (as Blaire): Uh… just a little bit of hospitality for you and your uncle.
Kim: Yeah, she probably presents it to Oskar and not Lord Scurlock himself because that would go so much worse. [laughs]
Rhi: He’ll take it and be like:
Rhi (as Oskar): That’s very generous of you. Thank you.
Rhi: And then he’ll escort you to the study and leave you there and exit with the pie.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: He’ll probably eat the pie. Oskar will appreciate this gift.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: However, he’s also just like, “What the fuck? Who brings a pie? Okay…”
Minna: It’s only a Tycherosi custom.
Kim: Oh God, yeah. Oh yeah, that’s probably what it is.
Rhi: Oh no, that’s really cute. So, I think you all have to wait in here for a little bit. Long enough that it’s— if you were visiting anybody else, this would definitely be rude. But it’s Scurlock so you all are just gonna sit and wait until he deigns to visit. Eventually, the door will open and Lord Scurlock enters. Did the note that Blaire sent to Oskar explain anything about why Blaire needed to talk to him, or was it just…
Kim: I’m thinking no. Let’s keep the drama.
Rhi: Okay. Yeah. He walks in and before he sits down, as he’s walking to his chair, is like:
Rhi (as Scurlock): So, what is this about?
Josie (as Minx): Well. Uh, forgive us, Lord Scurlock, but we were hoping to seek your help in dealing with— well, we seem to have found ourselves in the poor graces of a sea demon.
Rhi: He just sort of sits down and slowly turns and looks at Blaire and raises an eyebrow.
Kim: [laughs]
Rhi: He knows of the three people in his study right now, Blaire is the one responsible for this. [laughs]
Kim (as Blaire): Okay. Um, a couple of years ago, I… summoned Setarra. And we—
Rhi (as Scurlock): Stop.
Kim (as Blaire): Uh huh?
Rhi (as Scurlock): What was that name?
Kim (as Blaire): Setarra.
Rhi: Scurlock stares at you for an uncomfortably long several seconds and then is just like:
Rhi (as Scurlock): Setarra. You are certain that is the name?
Kim (as Blaire): Yes. We communicated for several months before she betrayed me.
Rhi: His eye twitches slightly.
Josie and Kim: [laugh]
Kim: Oh my God, we got an emotion out of him!
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi (as Scurlock): and what sort of arrangement did you have with her?
Kim (as Blaire): We… she presented it as being that we would gain knowledge together and open up portals to other dimensions, which ultimately, we did. We closed it before anything—
Rhi (as Scurlock): Ah. You were behind that.
Kim (as Blaire): You knew about that?
Rhi (as Scurlock): Of course I knew about that. You can’t rip a hole, multiple holes, in reality and not have me notice. Continue.
Kim (as Blaire): Um, yeah, so… we opened the door, we closed it, she showed her true colors and now she wants me dead.
Rhi (as Scurlock): And what would you like me to do about it?
Kim (as Blaire): You’re the only person I know who knows as much and more about demons as I do. You’re the only one who can help me stop her.
Rhi: He sort of leans back in his chair and stares at you again and then just starts laughing.
Kim: [gasps]
Josie: Oh no… [laughs]
Rhi: But it’s not… it’s not a good laugh. It is a, like, very bitter, ironic laugh.
Kim: Blaire is very unsettled because this is the most emotion she’s ever seen out of this man. [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah. And, I mean, it’s not like he laughs for a long time, but he just stops and shakes his head and is like:
Rhi (as Scurlock): Of all the demons you could have crossed, you had to pick her.
Kim (as Blaire): What’s your relationship with her?
Rhi (as Scurlock): That is a complicated question and I will not be divulging all of the details. Suffice to say Setarra and I have known each other, worked together for…
Josie: Minx is leaning forward a bit trying not to look too eager.
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi (as Scurlock): … centuries at this point. And unfortunately for both me and you, at present she has the upper hand. I owe her some debts and she has demanded that I repay them.
Rhi: He pauses here and kind of eyes you again, but a little more, like, thoughtfully this time. Like, you can kinda see the wheels turning. Ad then he continues with:
Rhi (as Scurlock): By freeing her kin imprisoned in the bay.
Kim (as Blaire): There’s more demons in the b… well, yeah, I knew that, of course, leviathans and stuff. Do you have any idea how many?
Rhi: That’s a good question. How many are there?
Minna: [laughs]
Kim: Did we discuss like— oh, nope. The dice has decided for us.
Minna: [groans loudly]
Kim: This is dangerous, I don’t like it.
Minna: I’m terrified.
Josie: I mean, six is a nice good demon number.
Rhi (as Scurlock): Well, it’s less than a dozen. She hasn’t given me a specific number. But based on the… rituals she has described, the scope of it, I would estimate we’re looking twelve at most. Certainly more than eight or nine.
Josie (as Minx): That is still a goodly number of sea demons.
Rhi (as Scurlock): It is.
Minna (as Myra): That’s too many demons.
Rhi (as Scurlock): I do not particularly wish to see them freed and loosed upon the city. She fortunately of late had been not pressuring me as much about it, and I suppose now I know why. She had other interests to occupy her attention.
Kim (as Blaire): Me.
Rhi (as Scurlock): Yes, and your little summoning project.
Josie (as Minx): I’ll admit I don’t quite see the connection between what she and Blaire summoned and her— what you stated to be her end goal.
Rhi (as Scurlock): Oh, she has many goals and is working towards them simultaneously. I’m sure that there are others that she is working with as well. Blaire was just one useful pawn in her schemes. All that said, I do not terribly wish to pay my debts to her at this time. However, I am not at liberty to work against her directly. You, however, unless she has bound you more tightly than you’ve let on, do have somewhat more freedom.
Kim (as Blaire): If she’s bound me, I don’t know about it.
Rhi (as Scurlock): You would know.
Kim: Blaire just makes an expression to the floor. I think her eyes go wide at that.
Rhi (as Scurlock): I have been doing a great deal of research into how her kin, kindred demons came to be bound. It was part of the cataclysm.
Kim (as Blaire): That long ago?
Rhi (as Scurlock): One reason she and I have been able to work together so well is that she and I both are able to plan for the very long term.
Josie (as Minx): Speaking of, not to pry, but you said your relationship stretches back centuries?
Rhi (as Scurlock): Yes. As I was saying,
Josie (as Minx): I—
Rhi (as Scurlock): I believe that with the right reagents and the right ritual, she could be bound as well. Imprisoned in the bay until, well, really until I have use for her again. Probably a century or two and I’d let her out.
Kim (as Blaire): Well, that outdates us, so fine by me, I guess?
Rhi: [laughs loudly] Sorry. Blaire’s just like, “…okay.” [laughs]
Kim: [laughs]
Josie (as Minx): Are we really glancing over that we suddenly have no idea who we are talking to?
Rhi: Is that in character or…?
Josie: Yes.
Rhi: Okay.
Kim (as Blaire): I mean, it’s no secret that, you know, no offense Lord Scurlock, but you are immortal by some means.
Rhi (as Scurlock): This is true.
Josie (as Minx): Oh. Suddenly that explains so much.
Minna: [laughs]
Rhi: So, here’s the thing. Like, Lord Scurlock is rumored to be— Minx probably wouldn’t know this, Myra might not even, but Blaire would have, like, Lord Scurlock is rumored to be immortal in the same way that the Emperor is the Immortal Emperor. People don’t really know how they are immortal, they just are. And he’s never bothered to explain. [laughs] He’s just like, “Yeah,” like, he doesn’t make a secret of the fact that he has been around for centuries, but he also will not explain why or how. [laughs]
Josie (as Minx): Again, apologies, but— and I know you are well-connected and mystically inclined, but how do we know we are not simply trading one demon for another?
Kim (as Blaire): Minx!
Rhi: Man, how would he respond to that?
Kim: That is very good.
Rhi: Yeah, yeah that is really good. So, the thing that kind of impressed him a little bit about Blaire more so than any of her classmates, and also in as much as he’s ever impressed by anyone, was that Blaire was willing to speak up and talk to him. And so, I think he actually does kind of appreciate the fact that Minx is actually like, being this blunt about it.
Kim: Mm, I can see that.
Rhi: So, he kind of like, looks faintly surprised. Not offended, just sort of like, “Huh.” [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: And then just sort of looks to Minx and says:
Rhi (as Scurlock): You can look into the ghost field. I’m sure by now you know what a demon looks like.
Josie: I think Minx will take the invitation to look.
Rhi: Yeah.
Kim: May I look as well?
Rhi: Yeah, sure, if everybody wants to peek into the ghost field and take a look at Scurlock. I don’t think you’re gonna be able to immediately clock him as a vampire. Because that’s the thing, like, if people could, that would have come out years ago. Yeah, you all have encountered vampires, you know what they look like in the ghost field. Scurlock doesn’t look like that. Scurlock also doesn’t look like a living person. Scurlock looks, I think, like a… again, I’m pretty sure that none of you have really probably studied human anatomy in a great deal, but modern viewers would kind of recognize it as the human nervous system, but lit up in like electroplasmic blue. So, all of the nerves running through the body and the brain and the spinal cord, but you know, glowing in the ghost field.
Kim: Spooky.
Rhi: Yeah. This is not how living humans look, this is not how ghosts look, this is not how the vampires that you’ve encountered look, but also, notably, this is not how demons look. Demons do not show up in the ghost field. They are a void in it. His appearance in the ghost field is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. He is a far older vampire than anything you’ve encountered before.
Kim: Right, so he looks different.
Rhi: Shit gets funky after the first half-millenia.
Josie: [laughs]
Josie (as Minx): Well, I am satisfied that you are not a demon, and I must say I appreciate your décor a lot more now.
Rhi: He just sakes his head a little and kinda looks back to Blaire.
Rhi (as Scurlock): There’s a number of things that will be needed for the binding ritual. Fortunately, because we’re only looking to bind one, we don’t need quite as much as I was planning for freeing them. The ritual for freeing them is sort of attempting the binding in reverse. However, the things you will need are not going to be easy to acquire.
Kim (as Blaire): That’s fine. We have experience in acquiring not easy-to-find things.
Rhi (as Scurlock): How much time have you spent in The Deathlands?
Kim (as Blaire): I’ve done my fair share.
Rhi: He stands up, goes to one of the shelves and pulls down a book that is also fairly dusty. But he seems to know immediately which one he needs. And I think, like, in the back, he pulls out a folded larger piece of paper that he unfolds very carefully. And it is a map. You can recognize from sort of where the rivers are that it’s a map of Duskwall. But that’s really the only way you can recognize the city at all, because it is bigger, it sprawls out, the lightning barriers aren’t on the map, and there are smaller settlements, like, further away. It’s a much more zoomed-out map of Duskwall than you would see.
Kim: Ah, okay.
Rhi: And there are like, these small little settlements scattered around out in what you now know as The Deathlands. But these places have, you know, regional names of what these areas used to be called. Kind of the Duskwall suburbs, essentially. And he spreads the map out on, you know, there’s like a coffee table essentially between the couch and the armchair that he’s in. Spreads it out very carefully and then points at a small settlement that is pretty far south on the map. And he says:
Rhi (as Scurlock): There was a woman who lived here before the cataclysm who had an estate where she kept a large collection of intriguing objects. Including many ocean-dwelling creatures. I have reason to believe that a great deal of that collection hasn’t survived, but its remains should still be there. If you can journey there and bring back samples of things that no longer exist, things from the pre-cataclysmic world, fish bones, coral remains… the coral and remains that are in the Void Sea have been corrupted by it. The remains that are here should be suitable for our purposes.
Josie (as Minx): Blaire, is this at all close to those towns we passed when we were last out?
Kim (as Blaire): No. No, this is further out than I’ve ever been.
Josie (as Minx): Oh dear.
Kim (as Blaire): I mean, it’s doable. It’s just, you know, we’ll have to be smart about it.
Josie (as Minx): Yes, and it does need to be done.
Kim: I think Blaire’s gonna switch her attention to Scurlock and say:
Kim (as Blaire): Is there anything pre-cataclysmic that would be more powerful than another, or is it all fairly the same?
Rhi (as Scurlock): The larger a sample you can get, the better. But if doesn’t need to be massive. We are only looking to bind a single demon.
Kim (as Blaire): Okay.
Rhi (as Scurlock): A large chunk of coral would be better than a single fish skeleton.
Kim (as Blaire): Got it.
Rhi: He hasn’t— he didn’t really sit back down after getting the map, but he kind of straightens up and brushes off his hands and says:
Rhi (as Scurlock): I will have Oskar produce a copy of this map and send it to your tavern that you frequent. I believe that is where your letters are usually sent, is it not?
Josie (as Minx): Uh, yes.
Rhi: He nods and is like:
Rhi (as Scurlock): Very well. You can bring that to me, I can continue to work on developing this ritual and then I will let you know what we need next.
Josie (as Minx): Thank you.
Rhi: And then he’s going to leave. [laughs]
Kim: Uh…
Rhi: Yeah.
Kim: Does he leave or…
Rhi: I mean, if Blaire would like to say something before he makes his dramatic exit…
Kim: Hmm. I think Scurlock headed towards out of the room before— if we look at Blaire, she is, she looks very hesitant right now but also just… her mind’s going a mile a minute, you can tell that she’s got a lot on her mind. And I think last minute she’s probably gonna like, slam her hands on the table and just be like:
Kim (as Blaire): Lord Scurlock, do you remember what the sun looked like?
Rhi: He stops in the doorway. Doesn’t turn around. And there is a long, long silence. And then he just says:
Rhi (as Scurlock): Yes, I do.
Rhi: And leaves.
Kim: Ooh, that’s good.
Rhi: [laughs] You’re gonna have to work a little harder to actually get him to describe it.
Kim: Oh, we’ll get there.
Josie: I think after a few silent moments, Minx leans down to Blaire and says:
Josie (as Minx): Unfortunately, I’m not certain he can enjoy the pie.
Rhi: [bursts out laughing]
Josie: [laughs]
Kim (as Blaire): Oh… shit, you’re right. Ugh. I’m so stupid! Why did I even think he would eat anything? He’s immortal.
Rhi: Oskar will appear in the doorway and escort you out and promise to send over the map, probably tomorrow.
Kim: I think as they’re leaving she’s just gonna be like:
Kim (as Blaire): [hesitantly] Listen, I’m sorry about the pie. I didn’t really know about how things go around here. If you want me to take it back, I can…
Rhi: He holds up a hand to kind of stop you and is like:
Rhi (as Oskar): The thought is appreciated and it will be enjoyed.
Kim: I think Blaire lights up a little bit about that, not thinking that Oskar means himself. [laughs]
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: Yeah. [laughs]
Kim: And she’s just like:
Kim (as Blaire): Okay. Enjoy it.
Rhi: He nods and gently shuts the door behind you. [laughs]
Josie: [laughs] As we encounter Oskar more, I feel for him more every time.
Kim: I really like Oskar.
Minna: Aww…
Rhi: Yeah. Yeah, I don’t have a ton of like, detail in mind about his situation, but I feel like there’s the Scurlock family that’s hung on for eight and a half centuries, and in, you know, every generation, Lord Scurlock is like, “You. You’re the one who’s gonna be responsible for maintaining my shit until you die.”
Minna: [laughs] The worst great-uncle in the world.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: I gotta imagine that after living with the guy for a long time the mystique kinda wears off.
Minna: [laughs]
Kim: And he’s just like, “God, why are you being so dramatic again? Shut the fuck up.”
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: Listen, you extra, undying son of a bitch…
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: But yeah, so um… do you all wanna start doing some Gather Info stuff? I feel like you kind of, you know where you need to go and what you’re looking for. I don’t know if you wanna try— you could try to dig up more information on this location. You could also try to get some information about how to deal with this long of a trip through the Deathlands. Once you get the actual map there is, you know, a scale on there in terms of distance, and you are gonna be out there overnight. You are gonna have to camp out one night to get out there and then one night coming back.
Josie: I see.
Rhi: It’s basically a two-day trip walking.
Josie: Fortunately, I have that acquire asset action banked.
Rhi: You sure do, that’s right, yes! So yeah, you can use that to kind of, we can say acquire the appropriate gear for camping, which Minx getting camping gear is just a hilarious mental image to me.
Josie: [laughs] Uh, it is not camping, it is glamping.
Minna: [giggles]
Rhi: So, that’s the thing, is recreational camping does not exist.
Josie: Right.
Rhi: It is not a thing that happens. The only people who go out camping are like, the Deathlands scavengers. And they’re not camping, they are clinging desperately to survival. [laughs]
Josie: Right.
Rhi: In The Deathlands.
Minna: They’re not camping, they’re making camp.
Rhi: So, if we wanna, you know, you all wanna do some gathering of stuff and of information?
Josie: Well, I know where Minx wants to ask.
Rhi: Uh huh?
Josie: Rigney.
Minna: Oh…
Rhi: Oh yeah. Yeah.
Josie: What has he learned through Nevan?
Rhi: Mm hmm, cause he had to send out a bunch of supplies. Yeah, no, that’s a very good place to start. You’re gonna give your poor dad friend a heart attack, but yeah.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: Are you gonna go to him for your acquire asset to basically have him tell you, like, where to get stuff? Is that what you’re thinking?
Josie: I wanna know what I need to get and then…
Rhi: Okay. Um, yeah. [laughs] So, it’s you know, probably nine o’clock at night by this point, so The Hound’s Paw’s fairly busy. A lot of people in there, his staff are hurrying around to deliver drinks, Rigney’s at the bar making said drinks. But he looks up and, you know, gives you a nod and a grin when he sees you and is like:
Rhi (as Rigney): I’ll be with you in just a second.
Rhi: Then he’ll finish up his current drink and come over to wherever you are at the bar and is like:
Rhi (as Rigney): Hey, uh, what can I do for you? Everybody else okay?
Josie (as Minx): Yes, everyone is… is fine, so far. Um, you may wish to grab a drink and join me, it is… we need to head out into The Deathlands. Not you, us. But we do need some help with the matter.
Rhi (as Rigney): I’ve never been in The Deathlands.
Josie (as Minx): Yes, but Nevan has. But he’s not present, so we were hoping that…
Rhi (as Rigney): Right…
Josie (as Minx): You had some insight into at least supplies that would be needed.
Rhi (as Rigney): [sighs]
Rhi: He reaches under the bar, takes out a bottle, grabs a couple of glasses and just pours and shoves one over to you. Takes a swig and is like:
Josie (as Minx): Told you.
Rhi (as Rigney): Before I answer your question, you know that this is really stupid right?
Josie (as Minx): Oh yes. But we… there are a lot of extenuating circumstances.
Rhi (as Rigney): There always are, aren’t there? Alright.
Rhi: And he’s gonna list off some stuff. The Schrodinger’s inventory nature of Blades means I’m not gonna say specifically what he says.
Josie: Okay.
Rhi: And we’ll just say that you can have— you can mark kind of a bonus item for your inventory for this time, or if you, you know, have basically like— I think it’ll take two slots of load, but you know, like, we’ll call it camping gear. And it’ll just have stuff you would expect to find in camping gear, you know, lighter, lanterns, rope. But yeah, we’ll leave it vague, in keeping with the spirit of Blades. I don’t wanna box you all in with that. And nobody sells, like, here’s a camping kit. You will have to go to several different shops to get it. But you can do it. Myra, Blaire, is there any info you wanna try to gather?
Minna: Like, potential hazards, maybe?
Rhi: Uh, yeah.
Minna: Maybe the Silver Nails? Because they go out into the Deathlands.
Rhi: Yes, the Sliver Nails would be very good.
Kim: Do you wanna do that together? Because I’ve kind of come up short besides talking to Dowler, which is kinda eh. Could be redundant.
Minna: Sure.
Rhi: Yeah, you would probably— Dowler or the Silver Nails would probably give you similar info.
Kim: Right.
Rhi: Yeah, so if you two wanna do that together I’ll let you do a group action Gather Info. Why the hell not?
Kim: Do you think this is Consort?
Rhi: It’s Season 4, the rules don’t matter. [laughs] Uh yeah, Consort seems… you’re having a friendly chat with your—
Minna: Who’s leading?
Rhi: Your business partners. Occasional business partners. Not really friends.
Kim: I got a 6 and a 4.
Minna: That’s okay, I got a 5, so nobody’s taking stress anyway.
Rhi: Great. [laughs] And the result is a 6. So yeah, I think you head over to… is it called The Mustang?
Kim: It’s Season 4, the rules don’t matter.
Rhi: But the internal consistency does. [laughs] Um, yes, it is called The Mustang. You are able to track down some of the Silver Nails that you have worked with before, tell them that you are planning on going out into the Deathlands for a while. They also tell you that they think this is a very bad plan. But when you make it clear you are not to be deterred, I think that— I mean, obviously the biggest hazard is ghosts. There are a lot of— a lot more ghosts out there, they are feral ghosts, they are hungry and you know, a group of three living people is going to look a lot more appealing to them than anything else they’re gonna find out there. There’s also a fair number of animals. You have the lifeseeker crows. Deathseeker crows are the ones that are in the city, they are about the size of a regular crow and they seek out the dead. Lifeseeker crows are much bigger and the seek out the living. Harvesters they mention, you’re already familiar with those. There are, I think one thing that they warn about is the umbra lion.
Josie: Hey we didn’t die to the last one, though.
Rhi: Yeah. Yeah, you all have encountered this before. I think, so like, a lot of those— a lot of the threats are things that you all have encountered before and survived, which is reassuring. If you happen to tell them how far out you’re planning to go— do you think you would tell them that?
Minna: Mm…
Kim: I dunno, would we?
Minna: Um, I think we would tell them that we’re going pretty far out.
Kim: Yeah.
Rhi: Okay.
Minna: Maybe the general vicinity, just in case there’s local hazards.
Rhi: Yeah. So, they haven’t been that far out and they don’t know if things get weirder farther out from the city. Like, if you’re going that far out, they’re just not sure what you’re gonna find. So they tell you to bring lots of weapons. They tell you that if you fire a gun, you need to be prepared to immediately move and get away from that place, because a gunshot in the emptiness of the Deathlands is going to draw a huge amount of attention from anything out there. I think that that is the advice they are able to impart. Anything else that you wanna ask ‘em?
Kim: I don’t think so.
Rhi: Okay. Is there anything else that you all would like to do to prepare for your trip out into The Deathlands? Are you all feeling as prepared as you can be?
Kim: I’m feeling okay.
Josie: Mm hmm.
Rhi: Okay. So, let’s move into, uh, engagement. I think this might be a transport score. I don’t think you’ve done one of those before.
Josie: Yeah.
Minna: Oh wow, yeah, probably is.
Kim: Yeah, no.
Rhi: But I think that this is a transport. Carry cargo or people through danger.
Josie: Woo.
Rhi: yeah. Um, okay, let’s do the engagement roll then. One for luck. Is this operation particularly bold or daring? I would argue yes.
Josie: Uh huh. [laughs]
Minna: Yeah…
Rhi: Going out into the Deathlands for multiple days is a lot. This is not something that very many people do ever. Friends or contacts have provided aid and insight, you got a lot of that. Other elements you wanna consider, you’re going out into the Deathlands for two days. That’s just gonna remove a die.
Josie: [laughs]
Rhi: It is a 2d6 engagement roll. Oh hey! 5 and a 6.
Kim: Wow.
Rhi: So you’re gonna start in a controlled position.
Josie: Woo!
Rhi: That’s great. For your first day at least, you are in a controlled position.
Josie: I was thinking group Prowl, but I could see Study or Survey being valid.
Kim: I’m okay with a group Prowl.
Minna: Yeah, I like that.
Rhi: Okay. Who wants to lead?
Kim: Uh, I’ll lead.
Rhi: Okay. So, you’re gonna be in a controlled position, I think standard effect. You do have a map, but it is a, like, 900-year-old map.
Josie: [laughs]
Kim: A copy of a 900-year-old map.
Rhi: Yeah, it’s a copy of a 900-year-old map. So, you know, it’s— it helps you but not so much that it’s gonna give you, like, any kind of greater effect.
Josie: I got a 3.
Kim: They put up an AutoZone over there, what’s up with that?
Rhi: [laughs] A Blockbuster Video, what is this ancient, strange place?
Josie: [laughs]
Kim: I got a 5.
Minna: I got a 4.
Rhi: Okay. 4, okay, so it’s gonna be a 5 and then Blaire is gonna take one point of stress. I think I’m just gonna go with that on day two you’re gonna be in a risky position. The day that you’re planning to leave you’ve packed up all your gear, Minx has acquired the camping kinda gear that Rigney recommended, the survival gear, and Blaire knows the spots in the lightning barrier where you can sneak through. So, you make it through there no problem, head out into the Deathlands, and your first day is kind of weirdly easy? Not necessarily easy, like, physically. Blaire has kinda the most experience with this sorta thing, but even Blaire doesn’t do sustained hiking for like, eight to ten hours.
Kim: Right.
Rhi: You’re all city kids. You take carriages. You take gondolas. You don’t have to do— you know, you do a decent amount of walking but not, you know, it’s on sidewalks. It’s pretty exhausting, you probably have to take several breaks. And I think that you all do have to fend off some ghosts, but you all have your spiritbane charms, you’re all, you know, Blaire is very adept at dealing with ghosts. You all have been out here before ad you’re feeling pretty confident. And none of the other wildlife really seems to bother you. You don’t run into any people. I think where it gets very unsettling though is when you realize that it’s getting much darker. And I think you look back and realize you have walked outside the range of the light from the lightning barrier.
Kim: Oh.
Rhi: You can’t see Duskwall anymore. Which, even when you were out looking for Nevan, you did not go that far away.
Josie: Oh yeah, I suppose a big barrier of lightning would cast light pretty far, huh?
Rhi: Yeah, cause like, the tallest of the lightning barriers are like, 40, 50 feet tall. They’re big.
Josie: Jeez.
Rhi: So yeah, like, it casts light quite a long way. You just get so far that, like, you turn back and you can’t see Duskwall. I think the advice you got in terms of camping is either find a cave or a hilltop. You wanna have either something that you can put your back against, and if you can’t find that, you wanna have clear lines of sight in every direction.
Josie: Uh huh.
Rhi: Was basically the advice. If somebody wants to make, this will be more of a fortune roll, to see if you can find a cave?
Josie: Um, I guess I’ll do it.
Rhi: Sure.
Josie: I got a 3.
Rhi: You are not able to find caves or ruins, so you’re gonna have to camp out on top of a hill. Which means the advice there is don’t have a ton of light cause that’s gonna draw attention. So, you’re basically gonna be kind of working off of starlight and moonlight. Which is pretty bright out here. So, how is everybody feeling as you kind of find a spot where you think is reasonable to set up camp on top of a low hill?
Kim: I think Blaire is, she’s very much steeled herself to the situation. Like, she does feel a little bit like a fish out of water, but at the same time, she knows what she’s doing, she’s been here before and she has advice as to how to handle it. So, she overall just looks very resolute.
Josie: Minx is at least a little bit frightened, as is normal. But I do think after just repeated exposure to this shit, it’s not over-dramatic Scooby-Doo fear at this point. She’s just very cautious right now.
Rhi: Yeah, that makes sense. How’s Myra doing?
Minna: Very wary and honestly probably gonna have trouble going to sleep.
Rhi: Oh, yeah. One of the other things you were advised is that, you know, make sure that you take watches. Somebody should— you should have at least one person awake at all times.
Minna: Yeah.
Rhi: Yeah, I think you’re set up on your hill. You’ve got some field rations.
Kim: Is it okay to light a dim lantern, do you think?
Rhi: I think so. Like, you can have a little bit of light. But probably once people got to sleep you’re gonna wanna turn it off.
Kim: I think Blaire’s gonna look at Myra and just kinda glance her up and down and just say:
Kim (as Blaire): How are you holding up?
Minna (as Myra): I’m not a big fan of this. Uh, I’ve never been this far from civilization before.
Josie (as Minx): I think that’s true of all of us. Unless you count the train.
Minna (as Myra): We still had people.
Kim (as Blaire): I don’t think the train really counts.
Josie (as Minx): On the plus side, this may be the last time we have to do this.
Minna (as Myra): [wry laugh]
Kim (as Blaire): For you two.
Josie (as Minx): Well, yes, we know you have your operation. But you don’t go very far out usually, right?
Kim (as Blaire): I’ve never been this far, no.
Rhi: It is really, really quiet.
Kim (as Blaire): You all wanna hear a ghost story?
Josie (as Minx): [laughs] Sure Blaire, yes. What is your ghost story?
Kim (as Blaire): It’s a happy ghost story!
Josie (as Minx): Oh, that’s good. Then I definitely wanna hear it.
Kim: [sighs] Now I have to think of a happy ghost story. It’s very difficult to come up with a happy ghost story in a Duskwall setting, I feel like.
Rhi: [impersonating Blaire’s voice] “Once upon a time there was a ghost named Casper.”
Minna: [laughs]
Kim: Oh gosh. You’re hitting on the childhood nerve right there.
[laughter]
Rhi: I mean, me too.
Kim: Yeah. Oh gosh. Yeah, that might literally be it. Like, Warner Brothers be damned. I think they own Casper? I don’t know.
Rhi: Who knows.
Kim (as Blaire): So, there was a ghost named Casper. He sold mattresses in his life, but then he died.
[laughter]
Rhi: And we fade out. [laughs] Casper mattresses, we’re a podcast. Give us money.
[laughter]
Rhi: Anyway. So, who takes what watch? Who takes first second and third?
Kim: I’m okay with taking first.
Rhi: Okay.
Josie: Minx will push for last watch.
Rhi: Okay.
Josie: She needs her beauty sleep. [laughs]
Minna: Okay, so Myra will take the middle one, then.
Rhi: Okay. Blaire and Myra, your shifts watching over your friends, looking out into The Deathlands, are largely uneventful. You know, it’s eerie. It’s unsettling. There’s not really a lot of sound besides the wind. You occasionally hear a distant cawing of a crow. But nothing really comes over to bother you. Minx, just around sunrise, like, the shards of the sun are just starting to become visible, you also have just kind of heard not a lot. The wind, the cawing of the crows. But as you’re sitting there, you hear one very loud caw from like, right behind you.
Josie: Uh…
Rhi: And you turn and look and it’s not actually right behind you, behind you, but it is like, there’s the hill that you’re on, there’s a little bit of a dip and then there’s another hill that has a few trees on it. And sitting on the branches of these dead trees are a large number of lifeseeker crows that are probably four times the size of the deathseeker crows you see in the city. They’re not coming towards you. They’re just sitting and watching you.
Josie: Minx— not to mark off a spot of load too soon— will make sure she has a pistol loaded.
Rhi: Yeah.
Josie: Just have that there.
Rhi: Yeah. So, you kinda sit there with your hand on your pistol and you watch these crows, and they watch you and then the sun rises.
Josie: [sings Wild West standoff tune]
Rhi: And fades back into darkness. And kind of as the darkness falls again you can’t see them anymore, but you hear the flapping of wings that fades off into the distance as they just fly away. And then everybody wakes up, you break camp and you set out for day two.
##Outro [00.51.57]
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 delightful Patreon backers.
Azuron, thank you.
##Blooper [00.53.17]
Rhi: [whispers] You’re supposed to start with Scurlock.
Kim: Kim knows this. I’m trying to be subtle, because I listened to the Season 3 blooper reel and I was like, “Man, Kim, shut up.”
[laughter]