Ep 23: Murder at the Olive Guard Inn (Theatrical Winterlude)

The party investigates a murder.  Rex plays it rich, Lucy knows about wolves, Janus makes a friend, and Patch throws himself into his work.

Episode credits:
Editing by Chloe O’Donnell / @chlo.donnell
Theme song by Tony Brophy / @anthonybroph
Cover art by Caroline Petroff / @hellofafever

Additional music by Chloe O'Donnell / @chlo.donnell and Shane Jordan / @sjordanx2

Cast:
Chloe O’Donnell / @chlo.donnell

Matt Morin / @moremorin

Sara Katrenich @sara_katrenich

Shane Jordan / @sjordanx2

Spenser Willden / @spenserwillden 



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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:07

Welcome back to Trying Our Quest. We're your Quest bud.

SPEAKER_05 0:15

Hi. Hi, everyone.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

We're gonna play some Rollicking, Rollicking DD.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_06 0:22

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 0:22

Uh but first thing we're gonna introduce ourselves. We're gonna be telling you a little bit about our character's survival score.

SPEAKER_06 0:28

So who would like to Sorry, Spencer? I'm sorry to interrupt. Um, instead of survival, can we actually do something? I have a question that I want to ask first for this week.

SPEAKER_03 0:35

Yeah, we can do survival next week. That's fine. That works. Yeah, great.

SPEAKER_06 0:40

Because we probably won't have time to do both.

SPEAKER_05 0:41

Okay, my question is what is your character's favorite invention? Our character's favorite invention?

SPEAKER_06 0:46

Invention. What's Lucy's favorite invention?

SPEAKER_10 0:48

What would you why maybe make you think that?

SPEAKER_06 0:50

Um hi everyone. My name is Sarah Katrenich, and I play Lucinae Knot. And Lucy's favorite invention is the crank, the handheld crank. Um, because you can do a lot of things with that. Um, especially like you can make animatronics that you can crank. And I think Lucy, uh, for one of her science projects, created a tea party with four other uh different um animatronics that she uh used a lot of gears and cranks, and um then pretended to have a tea party with uh four different friends. Wow. Yeah, wow. Wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

I like that even when we're talking about inventions, just the sheer sense of loneliness that comes through.

SPEAKER_06 1:31

It's a lens through which she sees the world.

SPEAKER_03 1:34

Yeah, yeah. Wow. And there's something touching in that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Hey, my name's Shane Jordan, and I play Janice Apalan. And you know, I think something that changed the world, and we'll all agree, the printing press is Johann Gutenberg. Janice is down with the printing press.

SPEAKER_05 1:51

Excellent.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Uh yeah, the wizard Johannes Gutenberg inventing the printing press. You know, because then we wouldn't have books, and you know, I rely a lot on books. Um, and I like reading a book, and uh, I got my reading glasses for books.

SPEAKER_05 2:06

So What's Janus' favorite book?

SPEAKER_01 2:08

It's a children's book called uh The Snake Who Wanted Didn't It.

SPEAKER_05 2:12

Oh, that's so sad.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Yeah. Oh, what happens to him? He figures it out. Oh, he couldn't. That's nice.

SPEAKER_10 2:19

If he wanted to, and then he did it.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Well, everyone told him he couldn't, but then at the end he finds a way.

SPEAKER_05 2:24

Wow. Wow, and we can all learn something from that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

That's really beautiful. And it's a it's a touching story about ableism.

SPEAKER_05 2:30

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_10 2:31

Ties one of the yarn around his tooth, and then he is the he's the needle. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:38

I thought he was going to go threading.

SPEAKER_05 2:39

I thought he would just use his tail. Yeah, he does.

SPEAKER_02 2:42

Well, he tries that.

SPEAKER_03 2:43

Yeah. There's a lot of different versions and a lot of different culture.

SPEAKER_06 2:46

Yeah, the tr it translates different into different like.

SPEAKER_03 2:50

I really prefer the Emily Wilson translation of the snake who like every culture has its dumpling, you know, every culture has its in the original one.

SPEAKER_05 2:59

The snake uh dies in the end. Yeah, yeah. No, it's really dark. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that one I actually prefer.

SPEAKER_06 3:05

Uh yeah, it's more lonely.

SPEAKER_03 3:07

The snake wanted the snake wanted to knit and couldn't.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

And couldn't, therefore, he froze during winter. Yeah. It was really sad. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 3:16

Hi everyone. My name is Chloe O'Donnell. Uh Chloe. Hi. And I play Patch and Edies, aka Patch. And um Patch's favorite invention is Clanky. His steel defender, his um, his little buddy. In Patch's shop, one of the things that uh Nikki convinced him to sell is like his little little tiny robots and do nothing machines and gizmos that he makes for fun. Um, and he's been trying to make them for a while to make them as realistic as possible. And Clanky's the furthest he's gotten. Um, he did create life. So that was pretty cool for him. Wow.

SPEAKER_03 3:52

Umlike a god.

SPEAKER_05 3:53

Not unlike a god.

SPEAKER_03 3:54

And Patch is inevitable.

SPEAKER_05 3:56

Patch is inevitable.

SPEAKER_07 4:00

What's the difference?

SPEAKER_10 4:01

What's the difference?

SPEAKER_07 4:02

And you know, I think I think something I've discovered is that Patch really loves animals, but animals don't necessarily love him.

SPEAKER_05 4:08

Yeah. So Patch or Clanky's been great for Patch to have as his little pet.

SPEAKER_03 4:13

I relate to that on like a human level. It's like I love a book about animals, but like the idea of being near a horse, you know, like I don't fuck with that. Horses are scary.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

I'm allergic. My mom had one. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah. Hi, I'm Matt Morton. I play Rex. And Rex's favorite invention is the buckle. Because of his bell buckle that says cocky on it.

SPEAKER_08 4:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

And if you're familiar with Rex's uh apparel, it's just sort of a chain mill toga dress just hanging off his face body so there's no buttons or zippers.

SPEAKER_10 4:48

So the only thing really keeping him together is that buckle. Awesome. That's nice. That's really nice.

SPEAKER_06 4:53

I'm glad you found it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_10 4:55

Incredible. Me too.

SPEAKER_03 4:58

So loud. We're gonna hear about it every episode.

SPEAKER_10 5:01

It's insane. I know it's crazy. Strength now.

SPEAKER_03 5:04

And also, everyone who sees you, their first impression is gonna be like that guy's got a belt buckle that says cocky on it. But also it has a root dress.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

But also he's huge now, too. So it's like he's got one that says cocky, and also I'm not gonna fuck with that guy.

SPEAKER_03 5:17

Yeah. A lot of people are noticing it and not saying anything.

SPEAKER_10 5:20

Yeah, they better not, unless it's a compliment.

SPEAKER_03 5:24

Should I give my favorite invention or a characters?

SPEAKER_05 5:27

I think you can do you or your character if you have one off the dome. But uh, if you need one for a recommendation, what is Yemma's favorite invention?

SPEAKER_03 5:34

I'm just gonna do essay on the two. Yemma's favorite invention is uh a candle. So, first of all, hi, my name is Spencer Wilden. I'm uh DMing. Yemma's favorite invention is a candle with a wooden wick. The moment they started putting wooden wicks in candles, hot damn. Like, and that's honestly, I asked whether I should. That's my favorite. Both of you.

SPEAKER_07 5:54

I was gonna say that it was the dental damn.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

I was gonna say the two-sided dildo.

SPEAKER_03 6:00

Listen, and no, I don't want to have to say this to Chloe and Shane, but gay people are more than just their sexual lives. We're sorry. We fought hard for them. Some of them like candles. I think a lot of them like candles.

SPEAKER_05 6:12

How do you know that the candle is not part of the sexual life?

SPEAKER_03 6:15

That's true. It could be part of the sexual life.

SPEAKER_05 6:16

I didn't say that.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

Also, Shane's favorite invention right now is the crate of fate.

unknown 6:21

Yes!

SPEAKER_03 6:22

Shane made ever brother!

SPEAKER_01 6:24

This is my planky.

SPEAKER_03 6:26

We no longer are using the legally distinct crate of fate, nothing like the box of doom from Dimension 20. We're now using the the actual distinct crate of fate, nothing like the box of doom from Dimension 20. It's wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

And Shane made it.

SPEAKER_03 6:38

With that, we're gonna dive into the recap. Splash. Splash. Splash. Last week, the party- Oh, I forgot my I forgot my little my little things, I say.

SPEAKER_07 6:48

Um, um, Snowden Sanctuary.

SPEAKER_03 6:51

Snowden Sanctuary. Oh, wait, you forgot poor performance. You forgot your alliteration Bloodstained Boulder Boulder. Fresh off their myriad of victories and losses in the town of Ariaks, last week the party set forward to the northern city of Plutopolis, where they sought to rescue Janice's hometown and cure the plague that had enveloped it. You all ran into a merchant by the side of the road who offered to sell you fun little magic items in exchange for secrets. Great deal. Rex shared that under his toga he had a cup with horns of Mogus along the side. It's a jock strap. It's a jock strap. It's different. Lucy shared that as a young orphan, she had cut a little slip of hair off of another orphan who had been adopted.

SPEAKER_05 7:39

Yeah. It's just in a jealous way.

SPEAKER_03 7:42

And Patch shared that his character for Arcana Online that he's used since high school was bought. That his gamer credit wasn't, in fact, true, and that he had all his rare items from nothing but a monetary exchange. In exchange, the party got some cool items. Shortly after sharing their secrets, the party discovered that the merchant was, in fact, the god of tricks, luck, and deception in disguise, Fainax.

SPEAKER_08 8:13

Penax!

SPEAKER_03 8:16

He gave a cute little grin before disappearing into smoke. And as soon as he disappeared, Patch felt his dishorn start to ping. Friends from all across Elspar, friends from high school, started messaging him, concerned that he had bought his character and that he had lied to them for all those years about his gamer credentials. Patch, looking to run away from the conflict facing him, shut off his dishorn, and locked in on carrying the cart. The party then journeyed further up the mountain, where they traded off who was carrying the cart. Eventually Lucy started carrying the cart uh and sort of And the podcast. And the and the podcast. Whoa! Whoa. True, but you didn't have to say it.

SPEAKER_09 8:57

Fuck up.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

We already know that.

SPEAKER_03 8:59

You all came across the site of what seemed to be an animal attack. There was some blood on the stones, there were strange claw marks, there was just a lot of a lot of shady stuff happening.

SPEAKER_06 9:12

Someone had sex here. It looked like a normal animal attack coming in.

SPEAKER_03 9:17

Eventually, you all made it to the Olive Guard Inn at the spine of Locan. You walked through a snowy tunnel on your way to the inn. An inn which uh Rex's father owns. Entering, you've met the colorful cast of characters that populate the inn. Valdric, the hotel manager and brown noser. Bale, the Cyclops, Groundskeeper, and general every other job in the hotel. Katya, a bookish but buff half orc. You didn't really so much talk to her as saw her from a distance. Then you went in to see the performance of the Twin Flames, a sibling duo that does like a double act that was really bad and none of you liked. And that's just true.

SPEAKER_08 10:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

There's nothing to say about it.

SPEAKER_03 10:02

There's nothing to say about that. Except that working their booth was Yemma, your friend from the Medusa times. After the play, you all uh had some meals, had some conversation with Yemma, and some conversation with the Borish Boris, the father of the Twin Flames. After some uh some brusque interactions with him, the party eventually went to bed, where they slept mostly deeper than they had in quite a while. Mostly with the exception of Patch, who woke up in the middle of the night to a strange crashing sound before going back to sleep. In the morning, you all woke up to a sound of a scream from the lobby. Going downstairs, you saw Raoul and Reina and Katya and Bale and Valdrick looking out the front door at the tunnel you all had walked through, the snowy tunnel you'd all walked through, only to find it caved in, sabotaged, avalanched. With you all having nothing on the books except perhaps a noon brunch with Yemma and Highweaver Nerva, who is the priestess of Clothis. We pick up in the lobby of the Olive Guard Inn. You are surrounded by everyone else. Uh, all the other people who are here, Valdric, Bale, Katya, Rollin, Raina. Uh, you see that they are looking out at this avalanche as well.

SPEAKER_06 11:18

Oh snow! What am I gonna do? We're locked in.

SPEAKER_07 11:23

What what what happened?

SPEAKER_03 11:25

Valdrick goes, It appears in the night that something uh uh caused an avalanche. I'm so sorry, this never happened. You have to be he You see, he turns directly, he goes, You have to believe me, this never happens under my watch.

SPEAKER_02 11:38

Okay, um, so what's it, a couple hours you can get us out of here?

SPEAKER_03 11:42

He looks at Bale and Bale goes, probably three or four days.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Ah crap, we're gonna be stuck here for days?

SPEAKER_07 11:50

This is the only way in or out of here. No one else can come in or out.

SPEAKER_03 11:54

You see, Valdrick goes, it's it's it's alright, it'll be alright, because you know, we've got a greenhouse, uh, Bale grows plenty of food, you'll be well taken care of. We have our shores of wood are very good. Uh we will be safe here, but I I apologize for of course the inconvenience.

SPEAKER_07 12:08

No, this is that's okay. That's fun, guys.

SPEAKER_06 12:11

Slow down. Yeah, maybe this is a good thing. We can we can take our time here and and and we can we can just relax and and see what we learn and process the things that have been happening recently, because there's been a lot of things happening, so maybe maybe this is a good thing that that we can't go anywhere.

SPEAKER_02 12:26

Well, I don't want to process. Uh I'd rather keep doing stuff to distract myself from all of the trauma.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

That's real. Uh a priest of death is chasing my sister, so three days delay is not great for me. Yeah. I'm probably gonna get more stressed on it.

SPEAKER_07 12:40

Well, I did hear a a crash last night. I wonder if that was the avalanche. Oh yeah, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Did it sound like an avalanche? Was it like big snowfall?

SPEAKER_07 12:49

Like big rumble.

SPEAKER_03 12:50

Like, make a make a uh perception check.

SPEAKER_07 12:53

Seven.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

It didn't sound more rumbly, it sounded more crashy.

SPEAKER_07 12:58

I I mean I couldn't sleep last night because I was thinking about um um the you know how my whole life is crashing down around me and um, you know, my future. Um, but anyway, I I couldn't sleep, but I heard um I don't know, I've I don't think I've ever heard an avalanche, but it it sounded more like um like um something solid being crashed into rather than like uh um like snow falling, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

You said your whole life is crashing down around you with Maybe that's what you heard. I thought you were good.

SPEAKER_07 13:26

Oh, y yeah, I am good. You're right, you're right, Rex. I am good. Uh I was just speaking metaphorically about um, you know, just thinking uh just life guys, right? Isn't that funny?

SPEAKER_02 13:37

Okay, we'll put a pin in that.

SPEAKER_07 13:38

Can I have some hot chocolate?

SPEAKER_03 13:41

Rawl and Raina are are already behind the bar and they're like fixing themselves like like whiskey drinks. Raoul goes, Yes, I uh I'm already starting. I hope you do not mind. I am having plenty to drink. Uh we I'm sure we could get them to whip you something up as well. We can put it on our card, it's totally fine.

SPEAKER_06 13:59

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 14:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 14:00

Uh your name was Raoul, right?

SPEAKER_03 14:02

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Wow I was part of I'm part of the Twin Flames. You might have seen us perform last night.

SPEAKER_06 14:07

And you are Oh, we saw. Oh, yes. Um uh my name is Lucine. Nice to meet you.

SPEAKER_04 14:13

It's always good to meet a fan.

SPEAKER_06 14:15

Yes, yeah. I find the same thing.

SPEAKER_03 14:17

Oh, but anyway, yes. Uh one one hot chocolate for uh for Luch Luchina.

SPEAKER_07 14:23

Yeah. Yeah, I'll have a hot chocolate as well. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Has it been snowing that much? Valdrick goes.

SPEAKER_03 14:28

Yes, it has been snowing an awful amount, and I'm so sorry. It's an unseasonably wintery season. All of you stay inside, stay comfortable. Bale will look after all of your needs. I'm going to go sort of ta uh survey the scene out there. So Oh, I'd be happy to come with you. Oh no, please, please stay comfortable, stay.

SPEAKER_02 14:46

Valdric, if he wants to come, he should come. I don't know why you wouldn't want him to do it.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

I'm just anxious to get out. Uh you know. So I'd I'd I'd like to inspect that, you know, because a whole tunnel came crashing down, which seems strange. It was built to support snow, and there wasn't anything that would have disrupted it, right?

SPEAKER_03 15:03

I mean, you really do not have to. Please be comfortable in here. I promise. It is totally fine.

SPEAKER_01 15:08

Oh no, I dabble in woodworking, so you know, I I with structural things, I'm happy to take a look.

SPEAKER_03 15:13

Well, if you'd like to, that's more than okay, of course.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

Yes. Janice, do you want some company? I'd love anyone else who wants to come. You guys are getting hot chocolate, but.

SPEAKER_07 15:20

I don't know what I want to do. Yeah, me neither.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

You guys can keep talking to the twins.

SPEAKER_07 15:23

Okay. Yeah, I don't I don't really want to do anything.

SPEAKER_03 15:26

Yeah. Yes, please stay in and keep talking to us. We are having a marvelous time talking to you.

SPEAKER_07 15:30

You know, sometimes sometimes you need an excuse not to do anything. And I think this is a great excuse. We're snowed in. You know, we can't do anything about it. Can't go in, can't go out. We're great. So, um, Rao, has anyone ever broke your heart before?

SPEAKER_03 15:44

Uh you see, he looks at Raina and Reina kind of like shrugs and he goes, I do a lot of the breaking of the heart. When you have a face like this, you don't so much get your heart broken as you do break heart.

SPEAKER_06 15:55

I want to do an insight check about their relationship. That makes sense. I I should have known that. I feel like my face is one of definitely getting the heart broken.

SPEAKER_03 16:05

Yeah, you do have sort of a broken up with face. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 16:08

Um, uh I got a 17 to divine the closeness of the relationship.

SPEAKER_03 16:13

They're close, like homeschool kids are close, where they're like they're each other's best friend in a way that is.

SPEAKER_05 16:20

They don't know anyone else. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 16:21

Like they don't know anyone else.

SPEAKER_05 16:22

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_03 16:23

Like they are the vibes aren't bad, they've got separate beds, things are cool.

SPEAKER_07 16:28

Cool. Flames. Um how long have you guys have been doing this your whole lives?

SPEAKER_03 16:34

Yeah, uh, we started in sort of a Shirley Temple, uh, which is a temple to the goddess Shirley, of course. Yeah. Uh we would perform our little tap dance, she's the goddess of dance. And now we've c kind of come all the way here to on our our our father has booked us on sort of a Olive God in world tour of sorts, and we've been here for uh of course some time, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:53

How long have you been just in this one?

SPEAKER_03 16:56

Well, so far we've been in this one for like six months.

SPEAKER_02 16:59

Oh six months?

SPEAKER_03 17:01

Yes, but we are we are, I believe, moving on relatively soon. Uh he told us that he w uh had some irons in the fire, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:08

Who? Who told you?

SPEAKER_03 17:09

Uh our father, yes.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

Where is that guy?

SPEAKER_03 17:11

Boris? Ah honestly, we're m more fun without him, right? He doesn't like it when we drink.

SPEAKER_07 17:17

But where is he?

SPEAKER_03 17:19

Probably sleeping in.

SPEAKER_07 17:20

Okay. Where where did you I mean, have you performed anywhere else on this tour?

SPEAKER_03 17:24

Not yet, but we are hopefully. This is more of a residency then.

SPEAKER_07 17:29

It's been six months.

SPEAKER_03 17:30

Well, this is an extended stop on the tour, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 17:34

You know, I don't think I I think I do want to go with Janice outside.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

Um, I've been walking with Valdric this whole time.

SPEAKER_07 17:40

Oh, we're coming, we're coming with you.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Are you excited to come? Yeah. How was um Hot Chocolate with the Twins?

SPEAKER_07 17:45

Not good.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Oh, okay, yeah. Come with me then. They're too close. Um not that way.

SPEAKER_03 17:49

Not that way.

SPEAKER_06 17:50

But kind of that way. Almost that way.

SPEAKER_03 17:52

Not that way. So uh as you all walk, Valdric leads you to the avalanche. You walk down this like stone path coming from the main inn.

SPEAKER_07 18:02

Has this ever happened before?

SPEAKER_03 18:03

Valdrick goes, uh no, this has not happened before, not under my watch, no. Uh and probably as far as I know, not under previous watches. This is sort of uh it's engineered not to happen this way.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

Yeah, these the logs, I mean, these are whole trees, basically. This is uh it's a sturdy setup, but it shouldn't fail like this.

SPEAKER_03 18:20

But as you approach, you see that there is a horrible avalanche. It seems like the entire tunnel has been caved in somehow.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

That's no good.

SPEAKER_06 18:30

Wait, so uh are are you worried about this then?

SPEAKER_03 18:33

Yes, I'm I'm worried, but of course the job of the captain is to stay with the ship and correct things so that those who are with the ship might experience relaxation and rest.

SPEAKER_02 18:42

So I kinda have no other choice other than to stay with the ship right now, because we're trapped.

SPEAKER_03 18:48

Great point, Master Adonis. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

If you happen to have more shovels, Rex and I are happy to help with the digging. I don't mean to volunteer you, Rex, but I gotta get out of here.

SPEAKER_02 18:58

No, I this is hero stuff, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Uh yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 19:01

Yeah, um I I'll I can I'll can help too.

SPEAKER_03 19:04

Great. That's fantastic.

SPEAKER_05 19:05

I'll do an investigation check on like any part of the structure.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

I can still see to see if it was chopped or make a investigation check.

SPEAKER_06 19:16

I cast thunder wave at the snow.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

Great. To cause a second avalanche.

SPEAKER_06 19:20

You're trying to blow the snow away.

SPEAKER_05 19:22

I got a 29.

SPEAKER_03 19:24

29? Oh my god. So you walk up to the s to the to the avalanche and you see just peeking out of the snow a little bit is a shattered log that looks like it was snapped in half. And as you're looking at it and you move closer to investigate, a huge thunderclap sounds, and snow from around you starts to fall even further down the avalanche. I need everyone to roll a dexterity saving throw.

SPEAKER_05 19:54

Oh no. Nine. Seven, eleven.

SPEAKER_03 19:56

Eleven. Everyone takes four points of cold damage as you get kind of covered in snow.

SPEAKER_07 20:01

Oh man. I'm sorry. I was just trying to help. It was refreshing. Hey guys, it looks like this was um perhaps intentionally broken.

SPEAKER_02 20:12

This log. Just because it snapped, wouldn't it snap regardless?

SPEAKER_07 20:15

Oh yeah. Never mind. Wait a second.

SPEAKER_06 20:16

Log snaps. No, wait, so okay. We think somebody did this on purpose because it didn't it probably didn't happen naturally. Is that what we're figuring out right now?

SPEAKER_01 20:24

I mean it's a snowy winter, but this was sort of designed to do exactly that. Like it wasn't like it was a blizzard last night or like some sort of rampaging monster. It just broke. That seems weird.

SPEAKER_06 20:36

So someone's trying to trap us in here?

SPEAKER_01 20:38

Well, if someone were trying to trap us in here, that would be a good way to do it, but not necessarily us. There's other people here.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

You see Valdrick is looking at something in the snow and he's kind of frozen.

SPEAKER_07 20:51

What are you looking at?

SPEAKER_03 20:52

Maybe you want to look at this too.

SPEAKER_07 20:54

I'll look at it.

SPEAKER_03 20:55

I um you see a large wolf paw print.

SPEAKER_07 20:59

Oh, it's a large wolf paw prints.

SPEAKER_03 21:01

And you see a couple of them.

SPEAKER_07 21:02

There's a couple of them. Like a couple of them, like from a couple of wolves.

SPEAKER_03 21:05

From like one wolf, but like a couple large paw prints.

SPEAKER_07 21:08

Oh, maybe it was the wolf. Yeah, maybe the wolf broke it.

SPEAKER_01 21:11

The wolf? Are do wolves get this big?

SPEAKER_07 21:14

I think they get pretty big. Yeah, they do.

SPEAKER_01 21:16

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_06 21:17

Yeah, you have wolf experience.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

I got some wolf experience.

SPEAKER_06 21:19

Yeah. Uh you guys don't know about the big wolves? I know from what you've told us. No, there are swamp wolves and there are regular winter like um um forest wolves. But then there's the big wolves. Big wolves? Oh no, they're called BWs.

SPEAKER_02 21:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 21:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 21:36

And BWs.

SPEAKER_06 21:37

Yeah. And and and they're actually really lovely people. I mean, wolves. They have this sort of magic that lives inside them. That that every full moon they kind of come together and they do a dance. It's really beautiful, actually. I don't know if you've ever seen it. Um, they usually don't let humans in, so maybe you haven't. But um they they they they eat they they use their mouths and they grab the tail and of the In front of them, and they do a circle dance. It's really, really fun. Uh, it's in mixed meters, which is a little bit complicated, but the wolves they kind of have like an internal rhythm to it. Maybe that's what's happening. Wait, what was the moon like yesterday? Yeah, Valdric. Did you see anything like that?

SPEAKER_01 22:15

Did you see wolves having a dance, a choreographed dance on the full moonlight?

SPEAKER_07 22:21

I don't think Voldric would have been invited.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

I don't think Valdric would have been invited.

SPEAKER_03 22:25

Yes, sir. You're right. I would not. I did it, but it I would have loved to see it sounds beautiful, yes.

SPEAKER_06 22:29

Well, what was the moon like yesterday?

SPEAKER_03 22:30

Um wants to can roll intelligence. See if you remember. Alright.

SPEAKER_06 22:35

Does intelligence save check?

SPEAKER_03 22:36

It was really great.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

You're safe. I got a three.

SPEAKER_06 22:39

Um, I got a I got a natural one. I got a 16.

SPEAKER_01 22:42

Rex got a 15.

SPEAKER_03 22:43

You all remember the moon last night was full.

SPEAKER_06 22:46

It was a full moon! It was a full moon! I remember! I remember because right before I fell asleep, I was looking out the window and I saw the full moon and I thought, oh my gosh, they're probably dancing.

SPEAKER_07 22:55

Wait, I'm This is it! I'm sorry, Lucy. I I believe that whatever you're talking about is also real, but um, could it be like a a w werewolf situation? Werewolf?

SPEAKER_02 23:07

A werewolf. Werewolf? Wait, where is the wolf badge? I think werewolf's.

SPEAKER_07 23:11

I don't know, I don't know where it is now, but the wolf is here?

SPEAKER_01 23:14

That's where it is.

SPEAKER_07 23:15

If they were here, then they would be someone in the it'd be here.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Why wolf?

SPEAKER_07 23:18

Oh yeah, the footprints are on this side of the Yeah, if the wolf, if the where I don't know where the wolf is now, but if he's here then he would be in the lodge as it's like.

SPEAKER_03 23:26

Well, roll forward your investigation check. Looking at the paw prints, they continue towards the lodge, and if you follow them, you see that as they near the porch, they transform into boot prints.

SPEAKER_05 23:41

I'm gonna take a cast. What'd you say? Can I take a cast? Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:45

How are you gonna try?

SPEAKER_05 23:46

Um, okay. Patch's gonna take his grease and like I think he's gonna take it out and kind of play with it until it turns into a putty and then press it gently into the shoe print and try and take a cast of it.

SPEAKER_03 24:00

Make a uh uh Arcana check.

SPEAKER_05 24:03

I got a 16 for my cast. Uh my foot cast.

SPEAKER_03 24:06

16 will say you're able to make a pretty good uh model of the boot. It's a boot, not a not a foot.

SPEAKER_06 24:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:13

Um, but you get a good model of it.

SPEAKER_06 24:14

Does it have a unique tread or is it smooth on the bottom?

SPEAKER_03 24:17

It's got a it's got a unique tread.

SPEAKER_06 24:19

Can I tell? Is it a croc?

SPEAKER_03 24:21

Um, it appears to be a a regular boot. A snow boot.

SPEAKER_06 24:26

We're looking for a snow boot. Is it big or is it small?

SPEAKER_03 24:29

Uh it's it's it's medium-sized.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

Like Lucy. Lucy. Did you do this, Lucy?

SPEAKER_07 24:35

I don't think so. Lucy! Lucy. Am I I'm not no, I'm not a werewolf. Wait, let me know. Let's hold your foot up to it. Okay. Does it match?

SPEAKER_01 24:42

You're not a werewolf, but you were raised by wolves.

SPEAKER_07 24:44

Does it match?

SPEAKER_03 24:45

Um, um it uh you know what? Roll. Roll for it.

SPEAKER_05 24:48

Just a D20?

SPEAKER_03 24:49

Just a D20.

SPEAKER_07 24:51

Nine.

SPEAKER_03 24:52

Uh, it it does not match, but it's close.

SPEAKER_07 24:55

Okay. What shoes were you wearing last night, Lisa?

SPEAKER_01 24:58

It's not gonna take her off the suspect list.

SPEAKER_06 25:00

Last night I was wearing socks. The bed, but but I guess if I sleepwalked all the way out here, then I would have. Wait a second. Are there any prints leading away from the lodge that aren't ours?

SPEAKER_03 25:10

You do not see any prints leading away from the lodge.

SPEAKER_07 25:13

Where this where's the camera room, the security camera room?

SPEAKER_03 25:16

Um, unfortunately, uh, we we did have to trade that out to make more rooms for guests.

SPEAKER_06 25:21

Yeah, that's really here. Yeah. When? When did you do that?

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Uh, many years ago.

SPEAKER_06 25:26

Uh they've been planning this for many years?

SPEAKER_01 25:29

No, Lucy. Let's not jump to conclusions.

SPEAKER_07 25:33

We'll lost a conspiracy.

SPEAKER_04 25:35

It doesn't look that much like her foot, I will say that.

SPEAKER_02 25:37

Vaudric, how long have you been planning this?

SPEAKER_03 25:42

Never.

SPEAKER_07 25:44

Can I roll for trustworthiness?

SPEAKER_03 25:46

Yeah, make it get a vibe check.

SPEAKER_07 25:47

Well, guys, what are you- what are we even doing? Like, why do we even care? Like, we're just trying to see Nerva and hang out with Yama and drink some hot chocolate. Oh no, we gotta see your sister, Janice. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02 25:57

You're right. I would like to see this moon dance though. Okay. The wolves are doing.

SPEAKER_06 26:01

Well, we have to be here for a month then.

SPEAKER_02 26:03

Okay, Janice. Look, I'm sorry, I got some bad things.

SPEAKER_03 26:05

The full moon also, like, it lasts a number of days.

SPEAKER_05 26:08

Three days. A full moon?

SPEAKER_03 26:09

Yeah. Full moon lasts three days, I believe.

SPEAKER_05 26:13

Well we'll catch the matinee in the moon.

SPEAKER_06 26:15

Oh, okay, tonight. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:17

You know.

SPEAKER_06 26:17

Oh my gosh, wait, I've you guys are in for a treat. This is the best day ever.

SPEAKER_01 26:22

If somebody or Lucy? If somebody did this on purpose, some lycanthrope, then if they did this to to piss off Janice, then they're pissing off Janice, and I'd like to know.

SPEAKER_07 26:35

I mean, why who I don't think that anyone here has anything against us, do they?

SPEAKER_06 26:39

Okay, can we follow maybe the snowy footprints back? Like, is there snow tracked into the lodge?

SPEAKER_03 26:44

So the snowy footprints lead up to like a a an awning over a porch that then leads into the lodge. You see that weirdly they stop at the awning. They stop at the stairs leading further into the lodge. Like, it doesn't seem like these boots then walked into the lodge.

SPEAKER_06 27:02

Are there any boots on the lodge? Like, did anybody did they take their boots off?

SPEAKER_01 27:06

They could have taken their boots off.

SPEAKER_06 27:07

Are there any boots around? Um maybe they took them off on the board.

SPEAKER_03 27:10

Would you say they don't you don't see on the porch immediately around you any pair of boots?

SPEAKER_06 27:14

Can I look around the corner?

SPEAKER_03 27:15

Yeah, go to make a perception check.

SPEAKER_06 27:17

Let's just go check out people's shoes. If Yeah. Oh my gosh. Okay, new plan! New plan. Sock party. We get everybody out of their shoes, and then some of us go around and collect all of the shoes of the people here, and then we test them against patches cast. And that's perfect.

SPEAKER_01 27:34

Is sock party a thing?

SPEAKER_06 27:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:37

Did you not go to college? I mean, I did, but we didn't have sock parties. We just kind of like studied.

SPEAKER_07 27:41

Where did you go to college, Jim?

SPEAKER_01 27:43

You just drink the booze. Ephemera A M.

SPEAKER_02 27:45

You drink the booze out of the shoes at a sock party. You were drinking ephemera AM. Yeah. I thought we did. We were in the same college? Yeah, we went to the same college. I just figured this out.

SPEAKER_07 27:57

No, I didn't know that either. I didn't know that either. Were you guys in the same wing?

SPEAKER_01 28:00

I didn't know that either.

SPEAKER_07 28:01

Wouldn't you have been in the same way?

SPEAKER_01 28:03

Why would you know that, Valdric? I don't know.

SPEAKER_07 28:04

You would have been in the same class.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

Well, yeah, but Amphemer AM is like the biggest school in the world.

SPEAKER_07 28:09

What'd your major gym? Did you ever meet each other by the Philosophy?

SPEAKER_01 28:12

I've told you guys that.

SPEAKER_07 28:13

What? I was not listening.

SPEAKER_02 28:15

But you never went to a sock party? No.

SPEAKER_03 28:17

What did you get on your perception check? Uh a 12. With a 12, you look kind of immediately around. You don't see anything kind of out. Okay. You don't see any any boots out. You don't see anything that kind of indicates activity.

SPEAKER_06 28:31

Okay. So sock party to try to find some boots. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:34

Would you say that these boots were made for walking or more hiking?

SPEAKER_06 28:37

I think that's just what they'll do.

SPEAKER_02 28:39

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_06 28:40

Well, they're not here, so they're not.

SPEAKER_01 28:43

Well, we'll interact with some more people as the day goes on. I think for now we've got a we've got a brunch date with Yama.

SPEAKER_06 28:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

Um can I And a party to plan. Can I help shovel until brunch? Yeah, absolutely. Okay. Janice is gonna go help shovel till brunch.

SPEAKER_06 28:58

I'm gonna go inside. Yeah, do you wanna uh Rex, let's do some party planning.

unknown 29:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 29:02

Patch.

SPEAKER_03 29:03

You're inside. Are you what are you doing when you get inside?

SPEAKER_05 29:07

I think Patch is just kind of walking around and looking around the hotel, like not investigating, but just kind of like, you know, when you walk around a hotel.

SPEAKER_03 29:15

Yeah, absolutely. Yes. You uh are as you're walking around, you see this half-work woman, Katya, come up to you. Quite a lot of bullshit, right?

SPEAKER_07 29:25

Uh I guess. Yes. What are you what are you referring to?

SPEAKER_04 29:29

Oh, just this snow and we can't leave. It sucks.

SPEAKER_07 29:32

Oh, I th I think it's kinda nice.

SPEAKER_04 29:35

Oh, well, different strokes with different folks, uh.

SPEAKER_07 29:38

Yeah, um, I'm um Tim.

SPEAKER_04 29:41

Yes, Katya, nice to meet you.

SPEAKER_07 29:43

Nice to meet you. Um, you're a guest here?

SPEAKER_04 29:45

Yes, I am staying here for a little while. I'm on my way down to uh Liar's Junction.

SPEAKER_07 29:51

Oh, what are you doing there?

SPEAKER_04 29:53

I am uh uh part of an order of uh uh arcanozoologists. I've I've heard that there are uh new there are these fish people who have started to appear in Liar's Junction, and I am Kuatoa? Yes, yes I've I've met some. Really?

SPEAKER_07 30:09

Yeah, I've I've fought with them and I fought them and then um yeah, I I guess um I know one personally. They're we they're gross.

SPEAKER_04 30:18

That is wonderful. I would love to interview you of some kind.

SPEAKER_07 30:21

Interview me?

SPEAKER_04 30:23

Yes, just get to know a little bit about your interaction with these people. Please, please, let's sit down.

SPEAKER_07 30:28

Uh oh okay. Yeah, they um they smelled, uh they were loud. Um my friend, uh Lucy, she kind of uh mind controlled them or something. It was kind of weird. They're very um uh they're very influenzable.

SPEAKER_03 30:45

Interesting. Very good, very good. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_07 30:49

Of course. You're a zoologist?

SPEAKER_03 30:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 30:51

Do you know anything about werewolves?

SPEAKER_06 30:55

I don't know where they are, but I've heard that there might be That's what Matt's been trying to do this entire time, is land it so cleanly.

SPEAKER_08 31:05

So good.

SPEAKER_04 31:06

I am familiar with werewolves, yes, they are horrible beasts of the night.

SPEAKER_07 31:11

They're always mean.

SPEAKER_04 31:13

Yes, they are uh awful, awful creatures. They they monthly turn into these wolven humanoid beasts and have a have a lust for the kill.

SPEAKER_07 31:23

There's no chance they could be like misunderstood.

SPEAKER_04 31:25

Not in my experience, no.

SPEAKER_07 31:27

Okay, um, well, uh, what shoes is sh are sh is she wearing?

SPEAKER_03 31:31

Go ahead and make a little perception check to compare.

SPEAKER_05 31:34

See her shoes. 14.

SPEAKER_03 31:36

Uh, she's wearing like sandals. Uh I guess slippers would probably be the more appropriate thing in a snowy setting. Slides. She's wearing slides.

SPEAKER_07 31:45

She's wearing Ug slippers. Ooh.

SPEAKER_03 31:47

You see, she goes, What are you looking at?

SPEAKER_07 31:50

Oh, I'm I'm just jealous because I can't wear shoes. I just like to see what people got going on down there.

SPEAKER_04 31:55

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 31:56

Yeah. Um, alright, well, uh it was nice to meet you. Nice to meet you as well.

SPEAKER_03 32:00

If you have any other questions, please.

SPEAKER_07 32:02

Uh I'll find you.

SPEAKER_03 32:04

Uh, Janice, you're outside with Bale, the Cyclops. You see, he's got a huge shovel and he's given you a smaller shovel. Oh, you got a little baby shovel.

SPEAKER_09 32:14

No.

SPEAKER_01 32:14

No, he's just a giant cyclops, and I'm a regular sized baby. It's a man-sized shovel. It's just not as big as a cyclops.

SPEAKER_07 32:22

Oh, you told me on.

SPEAKER_04 32:23

Sorry I gave you the cyclops baby sized shovel.

SPEAKER_01 32:26

That's okay. A baby-sized cyclops shovel is an adult man-sized shovel, so it's fine.

SPEAKER_04 32:31

And for us, it's sort of like baby-sized, so I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 32:34

I get it. You're a big guy. Um, I take a look at his feet.

SPEAKER_03 32:38

Yeah, roll perception.

SPEAKER_01 32:40

I don't have a whole lot of suspicion here. Uh, that's a 23.

SPEAKER_03 32:43

Dude is barefoot.

SPEAKER_01 32:45

Okay. That's uh ball or move. No shoes in the snow?

SPEAKER_04 32:50

Uh, I don't feel cold. Oh, are you like an ice cyclops? Kind of. I I just have thick skin.

SPEAKER_01 32:56

Oh, I believe it. Uh so how long have you been working here?

SPEAKER_03 32:59

Three, four, five years. Five years, I think. Time when you're not interacting with anyone and there's no real cycle to it, it's always snowy. You kind of lose track of time.

SPEAKER_01 33:10

That's fair. What what what brought you here? Health benefits. Oh, well, understand that.

SPEAKER_03 33:15

Also, they pay pretty competitively, so I can, you know, pursue hobbies kind of in my spare time.

SPEAKER_01 33:20

Oh, that's wonderful. Bale, what do you do for hobbies?

SPEAKER_03 33:23

Oh, it's embarrassing.

SPEAKER_01 33:24

No, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:25

No, I shouldn't.

SPEAKER_01 33:25

No, you gotta tell me. No, it's embarrassing. I paint miniatures.

SPEAKER_04 33:28

I paint miniatures.

unknown 33:28

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 33:29

You paint miniatures? Are they like actual miniatures or are they like my sized?

SPEAKER_04 33:35

Actual.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

That's so cute.

SPEAKER_06 33:37

Even more impressive.

SPEAKER_01 33:38

You must have some good dexterity.

SPEAKER_04 33:40

Yes, I've also got I've got uh tongs that hold it, and I kind of I've got the glasses that zoom in.

SPEAKER_01 33:45

Bale, that is so so interesting. Uh, what do you think of Valdrick?

SPEAKER_03 33:50

He kind of looks around him, he goes, kind of a dick.

SPEAKER_01 33:52

He is I mean, I he gives off kind of a dick.

SPEAKER_03 33:55

But you know, he's he is he's got good foresight and stuff, you know. Like he's he's got me, you know, tending to the greenhouse, and he's he always knows where I'm needed, you know, and he he directs me very well.

SPEAKER_01 34:06

Oh. Well that's good, I guess. I guess he's a decent manager then.

SPEAKER_03 34:11

Yep. Make a perception check.

SPEAKER_01 34:15

That's uh nine.

SPEAKER_03 34:17

Okay. Um, you see, he's got on like a a a cloak with like a bunch of different pelts.

SPEAKER_01 34:23

How'd you make that cloak? It's very stylish.

SPEAKER_04 34:26

Baldric has me do some hunting in the area just to make sure that the guests aren't, you know, accosted by creatures.

SPEAKER_01 34:33

Interesting. What's your weapon of choice?

SPEAKER_04 34:35

Uh uh club, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_01 34:37

It's a big old club? Yeah. Sound sad about that.

SPEAKER_04 34:40

Yeah, it feels a little bit too on the nose. Cyclops with a club.

SPEAKER_01 34:43

Oh, yeah, I get that. Well that's rough. Well, it's uh it's it's well what kind of stuff do you hunt around here? Do you have do you ever see any wolves, by the way?

SPEAKER_03 34:51

We've Oh, yeah, plenty. Plenty of wolves, mountain lions, bears.

SPEAKER_01 34:55

Wolves, mountain lions, and bears. What's your favorite on this pelt here?

SPEAKER_03 34:58

Um, you see, he goes, Well, I've got I I fought a uh uh a big wolf uh a couple years ago, and I've got his pelt right here.

SPEAKER_01 35:08

Oh wow, that's a big pelt.

SPEAKER_03 35:09

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 35:10

Oh, did you were you hunting anything maybe a couple of days ago? We ran into like a uh sort of a bloody scene yesterday, uh, and there was it looked like something was like maybe an animal was smashed against a rock. Uh like tossed.

SPEAKER_03 35:24

No, I that doesn't sound familiar to me. So that wasn't you? No.

SPEAKER_01 35:29

Huh. Interesting.

SPEAKER_03 35:31

He keeps on digging.

SPEAKER_01 35:32

I keep on digging as well.

SPEAKER_03 35:33

We cut back inside to the party planning.

SPEAKER_06 35:36

But I I I'm just worried about the flow of the emotions throughout the party, okay? I'm just I'm not sure that bringing in the twins to perform is the best idea.

SPEAKER_02 35:46

I I think I get what you're saying now. I was a dumb idea.

SPEAKER_06 35:49

It's okay. I just I I don't know. I I I I I want there to be some sort of like moment of climax for the party. And I just I I uh what is it, Rex?

SPEAKER_02 36:00

Um, sock puppets.

SPEAKER_06 36:02

Sock puppets! Okay, fantastic. All right, so you hand out these invitations that you've written. Okay, and I will go around and um ask people that what their worst nightmare was. And so then when I find out what their worst nightmare is, I can use that to craft the the narrative of our sock puppets.

SPEAKER_02 36:19

Okay, I'm getting distracted. I'm so sorry. It's okay. I hear something.

SPEAKER_03 36:23

No, it's you see dripping down from the ceiling above you, one drop of blood onto your invitations. Oh a second drop of blood onto your invitations, a third drop of blood onto your invitations.

SPEAKER_06 36:36

Gross. We slowly look up.

SPEAKER_03 36:38

You see, a pool of blood has kind of seeped into the wood of the ceiling.

SPEAKER_02 36:43

Gross, I'm gonna have to do these again. We can't be handing out bloody invitations.

SPEAKER_06 36:47

Rex, we have to find out where this blood is coming from.

SPEAKER_02 36:49

It's a horror theme. It's a leap would be fine.

SPEAKER_06 36:52

Okay, come on, Rex, let's go! And I pick grab Rex's hand and run up to the room.

SPEAKER_03 36:57

Great. So you guys run up the stairs, uh, and you find where the blood is coming from. You find it very easily because the blood has seeped out under a door.

unknown 37:05

Uh!

SPEAKER_06 37:06

A lot of blood. Yeah. Um, uh, I I think I step in it. Ew. And open the door.

SPEAKER_03 37:14

Uh make a strength check.

SPEAKER_06 37:16

Okay, it's a 17.

SPEAKER_03 37:18

The door, the handle of the door feels cold as you push against it. Uh. And as you push, you meet with resistance and start to realize that that resistance is something slumped against the other side.

SPEAKER_06 37:28

Ugh. Rex, help me!

unknown 37:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 37:31

And with a 17 and the additional help of Rex, you push the door open and you hear like uh uh like something fall to the ground. As you step in, the first thing you feel is a rush of cold air coming in through the shattered window of Boris's room. Ugh. Chili and either.

SPEAKER_06 37:51

Rex, this is Boris's room.

SPEAKER_02 37:53

How do you know?

SPEAKER_03 37:54

You look uh at the body on the floor and see uh uh the overturned, lacerated body of Boris, father of the twin flames.

SPEAKER_06 38:06

Oh my god! Rex, that's Boris!

SPEAKER_02 38:09

Oh god, I don't uh Is it bad that I'm kind of okay with this?

SPEAKER_06 38:15

He's dead! Um, I don't think that's of natural causes.

SPEAKER_02 38:22

He was really bad at dipping.

SPEAKER_06 38:24

Rex, I think somebody killed him.

SPEAKER_02 38:26

Yeah, I bet. Yeah, yeah. I do I agree. I okay, do you wanna do we This is really throwing a wrench into our party thing, though.

SPEAKER_06 38:34

I think this is the whole point of the party is to find the footprints that might have something to do with Boris's death.

SPEAKER_02 38:40

Okay, so let's look at the footprints around here. I see one footprint in this blood. Lucy, can I see your feet, please?

SPEAKER_03 38:49

You see the footprint in the blood is a paw print.

SPEAKER_06 38:52

Uh oh.

SPEAKER_02 38:53

Not you, Lucy. Sorry, I doubted you.

SPEAKER_06 38:56

It's okay. Is it the same kind of paw print, like big, like outside?

SPEAKER_03 38:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 39:00

I want to look around the room and see what I find.

SPEAKER_03 39:02

Great. Both of you make perception checks.

SPEAKER_10 39:04

22?

SPEAKER_06 39:05

15.

SPEAKER_03 39:06

Uh, with a 15, you notice a little bit of fur in the blood.

SPEAKER_06 39:12

Okay, on the ground.

SPEAKER_03 39:13

Bloody matted fur. Uh, you also see some scratches on the walls. We'll return to the scratches on the walls in a moment. Rex. You look out the window and you see in the snowy kind of overhang of the roof, this is like just above the porch, you see cracked wood where something seems to have landed on the roof, but you also see glass outside. Stuck into the glass is a black feather. And a little bit of blood.

SPEAKER_06 39:47

Someone had sex here.

SPEAKER_02 39:51

I I don't think that's what maybe at some point. I mean, this hotel is is very amorous.

SPEAKER_09 39:56

That's true.

SPEAKER_02 39:58

Uh so I found something. Uh the glass is on the outside of the window, which means that it was broken from within.

SPEAKER_06 40:04

Oh, like jumped out.

SPEAKER_02 40:05

Yeah. And there's cracks.

SPEAKER_06 40:07

So maybe the I mean, I think we're talking about Well then the the paw came in on the blood.

SPEAKER_02 40:13

Or maybe it originated from in here.

SPEAKER_06 40:15

And then stepped around.

SPEAKER_02 40:17

Um maybe I don't know, but uh it looks like something big came out of this window and landed on this thing, because you see the cracks?

SPEAKER_06 40:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:25

And then maybe it was maybe that that doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_06 40:28

Rex, can you can you grab that feather out there? Can you grab it?

SPEAKER_02 40:32

Uh yeah.

SPEAKER_06 40:33

Maybe this will come up later.

SPEAKER_02 40:35

This might be a clue.

SPEAKER_06 40:36

It might be a clue.

SPEAKER_02 40:36

I was really hoping that we could just do a staycation and not have to solve any murders.

SPEAKER_06 40:40

Yeah, me too.

SPEAKER_02 40:41

We could throw a party.

SPEAKER_06 40:43

If we get this solved in time, I think we can still throw a party.

unknown 40:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 40:47

On the back side of the door, you see a message has been scratched into the wall that says, Rich boy. You are next.

SPEAKER_02 40:58

Rich boy.

SPEAKER_06 40:59

Oh no, Rex.

SPEAKER_02 41:01

We gotta get Janice.

SPEAKER_06 41:05

Oh my god, Rex! They're coming after you.

SPEAKER_02 41:08

Coming at what makes you think that?

SPEAKER_06 41:10

How much money do you have?

SPEAKER_02 41:11

Uh like, I don't know, 2,000 gold.

SPEAKER_06 41:13

That's pretty rich.

SPEAKER_02 41:14

No, I mean they should see Patch. Patch has got the most money right now.

SPEAKER_06 41:18

No, Patch is the lowest net worth of all of us. Can I check his pockets?

SPEAKER_03 41:23

Boris's or Rex's? Both. Boris's. Okay. Yeah. Go ahead and make a investigation check.

SPEAKER_06 41:31

That's a seven.

SPEAKER_03 41:32

I'll say with a seven, you check, and you check full fully. Like, um, you don't find anything. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 41:37

Okay, well, we gotta go get the rest of the crew. Yeah. And warn Janice. Yeah. Or Patch.

SPEAKER_06 41:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:42

Whoever the rich boy is.

SPEAKER_06 41:44

Do you think we have to should we tell the other guests?

SPEAKER_02 41:48

Kind of would throw off the vibe of the party. I think we do have to tell someone, but they're gonna find out anyway. Like their blood dripping down. Like someone's gonna come.

SPEAKER_06 41:58

You're right. You're right. Okay. Alright. Yeah, let's go.

SPEAKER_02 42:02

I don't want to, just so we're clear.

SPEAKER_06 42:04

You want me to?

SPEAKER_02 42:05

I don't want either of us to, but yes, we you can't please.

SPEAKER_06 42:08

I'll break the news.

SPEAKER_02 42:09

Thanks.

SPEAKER_06 42:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 42:10

You're better with words.

SPEAKER_06 42:11

I walked down the stairs.

SPEAKER_02 42:12

Great.

SPEAKER_06 42:12

Death has come to us.

SPEAKER_03 42:16

Yeah. You see, Valdric goes, I'm sorry, what?

SPEAKER_06 42:19

Valdric, I am so sorry to tell you. But the lady, god of nothing, of death, fire, and and brimstone has taken course and lain with a mortal upstairs. And in its place, a man's body is left. Life force no more. With only sadness and blood in its wake.

SPEAKER_03 42:44

Roll and Reina go. Sorry, what?

SPEAKER_06 42:47

Your father's dead.

SPEAKER_03 42:48

What? They they immediately like as soon as you say your father's dead, people start like bustling about in like, what? Sorry, what? What? What are you saying?

SPEAKER_06 42:57

Force is dead upstairs with a lot of blood.

SPEAKER_03 42:59

You see Rol and Raina like start running towards the stairs.

SPEAKER_06 43:03

Content warning.

SPEAKER_03 43:09

They rush past you up to the stairs, and you see they freeze looking in the doorway where their bot father's body is slumped.

SPEAKER_06 43:16

Um, can I uh pay close attention to their to their reaction?

SPEAKER_03 43:20

Roll insight. And we'll say, Janice, you have come in it by this point.

SPEAKER_06 43:24

That's a zero.

SPEAKER_03 43:26

Zero? Okay.

SPEAKER_02 43:26

Should I roll insight?

SPEAKER_03 43:28

That's a 19. 19?

SPEAKER_10 43:30

17 for Rex.

SPEAKER_03 43:32

It's it's weirdly hard to tell because they are by this point so far plastered. Like a little bit. They've had at least three drinks because they were keeping it running until their father got up. But they both seem kind of shocked and frozen.

SPEAKER_07 43:45

Hey guys, what's going on over? Oh Lucy.

SPEAKER_02 43:50

Uh it wasn't her this time.

SPEAKER_07 43:52

Are we sure?

SPEAKER_02 43:52

I vetted her.

SPEAKER_07 43:54

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 43:55

And also, let me guys, can we can we go into the room?

SPEAKER_06 43:58

Yeah, can we talk? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:00

Guys, I think they're coming for Janice next. Oh. I'll get this message.

SPEAKER_06 44:03

Janice, we're not sure, but how much money do you have?

SPEAKER_01 44:06

Oh, me? Uh, I don't know, like uh like 200 gold. No, I have like a thousand, I think.

SPEAKER_06 44:12

Wait, what was the message? That's smaller than two thousand.

SPEAKER_02 44:14

I only have nine hundred and ninety-six, actually, because I gave a four-dollar tip. Valdric.

SPEAKER_03 44:18

Valdric comes, you see, he steps into the room and like steps over the blood. Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Please, please, everyone, to your rooms, to your rooms. This is horrible.

SPEAKER_07 44:26

We're gonna stay here. Yeah, but what did the warning say?

SPEAKER_02 44:30

It says rich boy here next. So it's either Janice or someone named Richard.

SPEAKER_07 44:34

Rex, that's 100% you daddy.

SPEAKER_02 44:36

That's definitely Rex.

SPEAKER_07 44:37

Yeah, Rex, I think it is you. Your dad owns this hotel and everyone in it, dude.

SPEAKER_02 44:44

You didn't own everyone in it.

SPEAKER_07 44:46

He owns multiple hotels. You got in here for free because you're rich.

SPEAKER_02 44:50

We have to figure out who's in here free free because I'm rich.

SPEAKER_06 44:52

We have to figure out who did this because they're gonna kill Rex next.

SPEAKER_01 44:56

Rex can handle it.

SPEAKER_06 44:57

Yeah, come on.

SPEAKER_01 44:58

What is what do Rex and Boris have in common?

SPEAKER_06 45:01

Um, they're blonde. They're boys. They like art? Yemma, we have to ask Yama about this.

SPEAKER_01 45:08

Oh yeah, we should either way, whether we're at I I feel like brunch is ruined, but we should still talk to Yama.

SPEAKER_07 45:13

Wait, guys. Yeah, we need to wait guys. Wait, guys. What, Patch? What? Yemma's the only person who isn't here.

SPEAKER_01 45:20

You don't think that Yama I'm just saying.

SPEAKER_06 45:24

Well, if Yamma did it, then she has a good reason. And Rex, I'm so sorry, but you're gonna have to die. I'm just saying that we need to keep an eye out for like over my dead body.

SPEAKER_07 45:32

Yeah, literally. Who's missing?

SPEAKER_02 45:34

No one's missing, so what about uh the the high priestess. Uh weaver nerve. Take her out of it. Like, I've been doing that. How do you know? You never even met her.

SPEAKER_06 45:43

I I know.

SPEAKER_07 45:45

I'm just saying we should keep an eye out for these two.

SPEAKER_06 45:47

Oh, okay, yeah. Let's keep an eye out rather than close our eyes to everything. Of course we're gonna keep an eye out. What's your problem, Lucy? Someone died, and Rex is gonna die next. And we this is now all of a sudden super scary.

SPEAKER_02 45:57

I'm not gonna die. We got friendship braces.

SPEAKER_06 45:59

I found a dead body, okay? And and that is not cool.

SPEAKER_03 46:02

You see, Valdrick goes, Don't worry, we will make sure that the young Master Adonis is protected with the full force of of course all of us here at the hotel staff. Uh me and mail. Just meet and mail.

SPEAKER_09 46:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 46:14

I don't need your help. You see this belt buckle?

SPEAKER_03 46:18

A most resplendent belt buckle, sir. Thank you.

SPEAKER_06 46:21

I haven't been able to take my eyes off it.

SPEAKER_01 46:22

All right. Well, let's let's all wash up because there's blood everywhere. Um, and then let's let's head to brunch. And either way, we gotta talk to Yama and this new high weaver. I and on our way out, I do want to look at the door. Well, I guess Lucy slammed it open. I was gonna see if there's like it was locked. It was locked.

SPEAKER_06 46:40

There was something against it. It was his body.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

It was his body, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_06 46:43

So his body was left against the door.

SPEAKER_01 46:46

If the glass went outwards, like I'm assuming Rex caught me up, then that means the wolf was let in, potentially in human form.

SPEAKER_09 46:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:55

Yeah. Or broken the door.

SPEAKER_02 46:58

Well how does that work with the footsteps we saw outside? Let's say the wolf comes in in human form, turns into wolf. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. And then jumps out. Jumps out the window, crack, and then turns back into human because there were boots at the bottom.

SPEAKER_07 47:16

Yeah. That sounds right.

SPEAKER_02 47:17

And then turns back into wolf?

SPEAKER_07 47:19

I think it stayed human. I think it was wolf in Boris's room, eat Boris, go out, cause avalanche, turn into human, go in room, go inside.

SPEAKER_01 47:27

So far, that's seems to be the path of the wolf. Wait, wasn't someone arguing with Rex? Or not Rex. Wasn't someone arguing with Boris? Valdric and Boris goes.

SPEAKER_07 47:35

Valdric and Boris were already.

SPEAKER_03 47:36

Yes, I'm sorry, that was me. Uh uh he was looking to uh extend his stay here even further and wanted more money for his act of.

SPEAKER_07 47:45

Yeah, they've been here six months?

SPEAKER_03 47:46

Yes, of course. Uh I am not in a position where, of course, Rex, you would know this. Um sorry, Mr. Adonis, but uh I'm not in a position to make that call. Of course, that would be the the regional manager would have to make that call, which is a position your father has kept vacant, of course, for you.

SPEAKER_06 48:00

How do you feel about the fact that you haven't been promoted because they're holding it open for a vacant person? Mainly Rex.

SPEAKER_03 48:08

Oh, I completely understand. I understand that, you know, you build a business and you want your family to be involved. It's not necessarily always, you know, who's the most dedicated, who's the most invested. It's it's who who you have that love and that bond and that connection with. If I had a family, I would feel the same way. Um, but no, my only family has been this job.

SPEAKER_02 48:28

What's crazy? So who hired them in the first place? Who hired who? The twins the twin flames.

SPEAKER_03 48:35

Your your father did.

SPEAKER_02 48:36

Oi, oi, oi. I told you he sucks.

SPEAKER_06 48:39

Yeah, now I've really liked them. Okay, guys, we've solved one murder before. We can do it again. What did we do last time? We we interviewed people, we checked their tents.

SPEAKER_07 48:51

Yes, and we also went on stage, yeah, and um, we performed.

SPEAKER_01 48:57

Well, I don't think that was a big part of solving the mystery patch.

SPEAKER_07 49:01

Yes, and it was.

SPEAKER_01 49:02

What are you saying that we need to put on a performance?

SPEAKER_07 49:05

No.

SPEAKER_01 49:05

Yes, and yes, and we do.

SPEAKER_06 49:08

Sock puppets. Sock puppets. Yes, maybe that at the end, if we get close, we can use that to flesh out the the killer by reenacting what we believe happened with the socks in order to illuminate what our our hypothesis is.

SPEAKER_03 49:23

Now, and I will say the contract was with Boris for performing. Uh he booked the children now that he is deceased. The contract is no one void. They do not have to perform tonight. If you would like to perform tonight, you're more than welcome to.

SPEAKER_06 49:34

Okay, great. Bye, Valdrick.

SPEAKER_01 49:35

Should we we say standing in Boris's blood?

SPEAKER_03 49:38

Yeah, I'll leave. I will leave. I'm sorry. I just as kind of being in charge of this place, I think it's my responsibility to do that.

SPEAKER_07 49:45

Great. We just need some time to talk about our acts. I want to play Socrates. Janice, do you want to take a look at the body real quick and just see if you can tell like when this happened?

SPEAKER_01 49:54

Oh yeah, I'll do a quick autopsy. Medicine? Medson. Uh 21.

SPEAKER_03 50:00

Uh 21? Yeah, this seems like it happened at around like 3 a.m. Which is patch about when you woke up.

SPEAKER_07 50:10

Oh, this must have been the crash that I heard.

SPEAKER_01 50:12

Someone jumping out a window.

SPEAKER_07 50:14

Oh, that's like a crash crash. It did sound windowy now that I think about it.

SPEAKER_01 50:18

That's fair. Is Boris like dressed in regular clothes, or does it look like he was sleeping at the time?

SPEAKER_03 50:22

Um, he's wearing his robe, so it seems like he was.

SPEAKER_01 50:26

Alright. And it looks like the cause of death was this claw in his throat right here.

SPEAKER_03 50:31

You also see like bite marks, like it looks like he was taken to test.

SPEAKER_01 50:35

Ripped apart. Great.

SPEAKER_07 50:36

Someone really hated him.

SPEAKER_01 50:38

Someone did really hate him, or somebody was lost. Turned into a wolf at an inopportune time. Though they also scratched a thing on the door, so yeah, that seems pretty intentional.

SPEAKER_07 50:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:48

Yeah, and what do they have against you?

SPEAKER_01 50:51

Rex, again, this is you, not me. They're after. Fine.

SPEAKER_07 50:55

Rex, you really gotta check your purchase.

SPEAKER_01 50:56

Dad is a hotel owner of the hotel that we're in. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 51:00

It's called Hotel Yay. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_07 51:03

He invented it. I think Hotel. Yeah. Hotel Yay. Kind of like the London Tipton.

SPEAKER_03 51:12

Lucy, you hear a voice in your head of uh Yemma. Hey, um, just checking in. Uh, I know that we have our brunch that I think we were supposed to meet like 10 minutes ago. Um uh we're out in the cabin out back if you wanna Oh, we're coming!

SPEAKER_06 51:27

I'm so sorry we're late. That's okay. There's been a murder. Another one? Another oh yeah, because you were there for the last one a week ago.

SPEAKER_03 51:34

Wow. You guys bring it with you. You're like murder Shiro. Or Scooby-Doo. Or Scooby-Doo.

SPEAKER_07 51:39

Or Pwa.

SPEAKER_03 51:40

Or Pwa.

SPEAKER_07 51:41

This is kind of a suspicious reaction to a murder.

SPEAKER_03 51:43

Um, anyway, if you guys want to come back out, we can chat about it.

SPEAKER_06 51:46

Okay, uh, see you in a few. Yemma's outside waiting for us. We're late. Let's go. Oh, let's go. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 51:51

So you guys head out back. You you walk out past like the hot tub, the greenhouse. You see in the distance uh Bale's like kind of cave that he's constructed, but you also see He lives in a cave?

SPEAKER_05 52:02

Yeah, like a nice one. He doesn't live in the hotel. No, he likes the cave.

SPEAKER_03 52:06

Okay. He made it his home. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 52:09

Um, hey Patch. Yes. Um I'm a little bit nervous to meet High Weaver. Um, so uh just can can you have my back?

SPEAKER_07 52:20

Yeah, yeah, I can I can I I I got it. I slap your back.

SPEAKER_01 52:25

Thanks. Don't be nervous about that. Hey, hey, I don't I have complicated feelings for Farrica, but uh High Priestess Piria is is really a good in. So I think you know, they have the high priestesses or the high weavers, they have a lot of information about the gods. They know the gods in a way we don't, and they can help us deal with them.

SPEAKER_06 52:43

Okay, well, I'm sorry, Janice, but your mother isn't Farrica. Okay, so having it's not the same thing at all.

SPEAKER_07 52:50

Lucy, I think that you have more power in this situation than you think. You are the daughter of fate.

SPEAKER_01 52:57

I'm just saying the high priestess is not the god themselves, and they will have a perspective that I think will be helpful.

SPEAKER_07 53:04

Yeah, and she's friends with Yemma, so she must be cool.

SPEAKER_01 53:06

Yeah, and she's friends with Yemma.

SPEAKER_03 53:07

A cobble path leads down to uh what you recognize as Yemma's cabin. You see the similar like wards over the front door, and uh you see that there's like a sign out front that just says come on in. Um, and she set out a table with mimosas already poured. You see, there's some some sausage, some eggs, some like a lovely little salad for anyone who wants to have a salad, some jam. She's got some clotted cream. Oh she's got one of those like uh tea towers, you know, with like the sandwiches. She's got cucumber sandwiches. Cucumber sandwiches. Um again, this this place, uh, you see, the roof has a lot of little charms and kind of uh uh superstitious trinkets on it. Um wards. You see the the windows are like tied off with like little pieces of twine with like prayer beads on the end of them. And uh inside you see preparing the meal, uh pulling out of the oven like a plate of cinnamon rolls. You see together are uh Yemma and a woman in a like unadorned purple robe with very tasteful golden knots going down the pleats on the side.

SPEAKER_05 54:20

She's wearing a sleeveless denim vest.

SPEAKER_03 54:22

Um you see she's got um like like black hair that's like light streaks of gray in it. It's very big, very curly. Oh, she's so cool. And you see, Yemma goes, Oh, please, uh, so glad you're here. I would love to know more about whatever's going on out there, but please have a seat. You know, my home is your home. Anything you guys uh if you don't like I've made some tea, made some coffee, but if there's anything that you guys want.

SPEAKER_01 54:46

Uh Yemma, I do feel like I'm coming home. This is so lovely. I love your plays.

SPEAKER_03 54:50

I look at her shoes. Go ahead and make an uh perception check.

SPEAKER_01 54:54

Can I also roll for?

SPEAKER_06 54:56

Mm-hmm. This is so nice. I got a natural one.

SPEAKER_01 54:59

I got a 26.

SPEAKER_03 55:00

26? There's not a match with this other woman with Nerva, but they do seem to be similar sizes. Nerva goes, please, uh, it's wonderful to meet you. I've heard a lot about you guys from Yemma. Hello.

SPEAKER_06 55:14

Yeah, uh, um.

SPEAKER_03 55:17

Please, I if there's anything I can I can do, you see she like starts pulling out the chairs. Now what what happened? What have you guys what uh Yemma told me that you left a concerning message.

SPEAKER_01 55:26

Oh, yeah. Well, I guess the long and short of it is there was a werewolf attack last night. Uh what we know is that Oris, the father of the twin flames, was killed in his hotel room. A werewolf jumped out the window, caused a cave-in, and then what led us to believing there was a werewolf is that we saw the wolf prints turn into boot prints on the way back to the hotel.

SPEAKER_03 55:52

Nerva goes, That's very strange.

SPEAKER_01 55:56

Oh, and also they wrote down, um, we're gonna kill you next, rich boy.

SPEAKER_02 55:59

And we don't know who that is.

SPEAKER_07 56:00

It's in reference to our friend Rex who owns a lot of things.

SPEAKER_02 56:03

We could get maybe some wards for all three of us, that would be great.

SPEAKER_06 56:06

Three of you? What do you know about werewolves?

SPEAKER_02 56:08

The boys.

SPEAKER_03 56:09

Um, you see, uh Nerva kind of like swallows nervously and goes, I know a fair amount. They are they can be beasts some are beast shield, some are, you know, contained, some are try to keep a hold of it.

SPEAKER_07 56:24

I I talked to that um that woman Katya, she's a zoologist, and I asked her if if there was ever any like nice werewolves, and she said no.

SPEAKER_03 56:33

Yemma goes. I don't know if that's quite true. I I think that there are plenty of werewolves who I've heard of who have lived pretty normal lives and just locked themselves up on full moons.

SPEAKER_07 56:44

Well, it's weird because there's no one I mean, everyone is kind of accounted for except for Boris, because he's dead. So, you know, whoever the werewolf is has to be in this mountain valley.

SPEAKER_03 56:56

Interesting.

SPEAKER_07 56:57

Yeah, d um, do either of you know any werewolves?

SPEAKER_03 57:00

Everyone roll insight.

SPEAKER_06 57:03

I got a natural roll twenty. Minus one is nineteen.

SPEAKER_05 57:09

I got an 11.

SPEAKER_01 57:10

13 and 18.

SPEAKER_05 57:11

I think it's Nerva guys. I know.

SPEAKER_03 57:14

You see, um, Nerva looks at a little nervous about him? I don't know. Nerva looks at Yemma and kind of doesn't know how to answer, and Yemma goes, I've met a few uh in my time. I uh have met a number. I've met some who are bad, some who are good. Uh I don't know you see that they look truly at a loss for words. They seem confused by what you're telling them.

SPEAKER_07 57:38

Um, I I kinda want to change the subject. Um, Miss High Weaver, I heard that you were here because you were s sick. You were feeling under the weather, is that true?

SPEAKER_03 57:48

Yeah, I've been feeling not the best lately. Um, so I came out here to get some sort of constitutional time. And of course, you know, see an old friend. We were young priests together, Yemma and I.

SPEAKER_07 57:58

Both priests of Clothis Clothis? Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 58:01

Yemma, you didn't tell us that you were a priestess of Clothus. You just said that you were I've lived a long life. I know. It's just you're you didn't tell me.

SPEAKER_03 58:08

Can you tell me if there's anything more theatrical than fate?

SPEAKER_01 58:12

I suppose that's true. Um, can I eye up uh Nerva and just give her like a medical lookover to be like, does this appear to be a person who is dealing with a chronic illness?

SPEAKER_03 58:22

We'll we'll roll over Lucy's Nat 20.

SPEAKER_01 58:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 58:25

Nerva looks tired and a little bit ragged.

SPEAKER_06 58:29

Like she killed someone last night?

SPEAKER_03 58:31

Just like she had a rough night. Like she couldn't sleep because she was killing someone last night. She's got like bags under her eyes a little bit. She doesn't seem to have like like she doesn't have like sallow skin or anything. Right. But she does seem worse for wear.

SPEAKER_01 58:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 58:45

Uh and the other reason that we wanted to schedule this meeting, ma'am, is that um l well, mainly Lucy. Um, well I what do you know about the daughter of fate?

SPEAKER_03 58:56

Nerva smiles and she goes, She was by all accounts uh a really wonderful hero in the days of the war. She fought uh uh on the side of the Helian League, but no one knows really where she came from before that. But she I guess just got lost to time. Did she die? She led a lot of troops, but she was part of part of the this crew that you might have heard of, like the the Euryphase. This this crew of of sailors who after the war got kind of un unfortunately flung around.

SPEAKER_07 59:38

With Euriphon and Caladea, she was part of that crew?

SPEAKER_03 59:40

Yeah, yeah She was in that crew, but she no one knows what happened to her. No one there there's some accounts of their voyage, but various various reliability like she was an ally of them. Uh she was allied. She's one of the people who uh unfortunately was lost. They they lost a lot of people in there.

SPEAKER_06 59:58

But then why is there a a depiction of her dead on a battlefield?

SPEAKER_03 1:00:01

Religiously, when a figure as important as the daughter of your goddess passes away, you know, stories start to spread, and the story became that she died attacking well no, defending the uh uh other soldiers on the battlefield. No one really knows what happened to her.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:20

We know what happened. We know what happened.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:23

We don't know what happened. What if someone told us what might have happened?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:27

And what if that someone was Calidaeus of the Hellian League?

SPEAKER_07 1:00:32

What were you told? She I mean, I don't know if it was just her, her, and the others, but they they killed the daughter of fate. She seemed pretty smug about it.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:49

Nerva sits back down and puts her hands in her hair. I um I always assumed that she just was helping people out on some island somewhere. Or that she'd made it to Soterics.

SPEAKER_07 1:01:04

Well, she is helping people out.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:06

Well well um So the theoretically, uh how how many kids does Clothis have?

SPEAKER_03 1:01:13

But she always has one.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:15

Wait, she always has one?

SPEAKER_07 1:01:17

Is it like a resurrection uh reincarnation thing?

SPEAKER_03 1:01:20

No, it's it's just a a title, you know, that passes from generation to generation.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:26

Just a title?

SPEAKER_07 1:01:27

A title that comes with it also means you're the it's not like just a title, it's it's a like the person like they literally are the closest child and daughter. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:38

Specifically. If she feels the connection to one fade and sever, she knows to begin the cycle anew.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:45

So there's another daughter of fade out there that we know about. People know about this. People know about this?

SPEAKER_03 1:01:51

Yemma puts her hand on Nerva's shoulder and goes, I had a suspicion. And she looks at you, Lucy.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:02

What? Lucy?

SPEAKER_06 1:02:03

I got a book. The book. The find it is me, the daughter, fate me. I, Lucy, am Fate daughter. Yeah. Lucy's the daughter of fate.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:18

Lucy is the daughter of the good.

SPEAKER_08 1:02:20

She's the daughter of the word, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:21

Lucy's the daughter of fate. Highweaver Nerva seems shocked at this and stands up at the table, kind of knocks over her teacup. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. You're the daughter of fate?

SPEAKER_06 1:02:37

Apparently.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:39

She kneels with her head down before you.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:42

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I have to ask. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:46

She prefers to go by Cornis, the god of lift of all things.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:50

Yeah, you like this when they were Kula Tula, Lucy. Yeah, well, that was because I was pretending. This is not pretend. I'm just myself.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:56

I never made uh Valdrick do this to me, Lucy.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:00

I thought I'm not doing anything.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:01

I'm sorry, if that makes you uncomfortable, I don't have to do it. I can stand up. I can be normal. I can be normal. Hey, what's up?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:07

That's also not normal.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:09

She leans against like the fireplace.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:11

Oh, it's getting worse. I feel like this is worse than what you were doing before.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:14

Um, um, um, how do you how do you uh how do you know?

SPEAKER_06 1:03:19

Well, I heard her in in my head.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:22

You heard her voice?

SPEAKER_06 1:03:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:26

Oh my god, what did she you see? She scrambles for a piece of paper. What did she say? What did she say to you?

SPEAKER_06 1:03:30

Oh, um, she said something my she said my father was in danger.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:37

Oh, that's right. Oh, she sent you to help your dad.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:39

And I and so then I I went and I helped him, and then she like kind of laughed. Yeah, she kind of has a nice laugh.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:46

She's writing this down and goes, that doesn't feel like a prophecy that extends beyond like the exact moment. It seems like you pretty well solved that, but that's incredible. We haven't had word from her. We don't hear from her, she doesn't talk to us, she talked through her daughter. That's insane. This is wonderful. My my god.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:01

She never talks to you.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:03

Patch raises his hand.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:05

Um, I she talked to me in a vision.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:07

What?

SPEAKER_07 1:04:08

Oh yeah, this is Patch and uh uh yeah, Patch and And Patch. And um Clothis is is Patch's I think she chose me, and I show my little starry fingers. I I so I touched a bunny, um, and then my fingers went funny, and now I can like poof away to places, and I couldn't do that before. But I was I took some ambrosia, which I don't know why I did that, guys. That was weird. It was free. It was free. No, I think it was five gold. It was five gold. It is expensive. On sale.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:37

It was on sale. I paid five gold. Oh, it came with my hat. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:40

Oh my god, I missed my hat. Um that wouldn't have happened if I had to. Focus back. Sorry. Uh and I I took the ambrosia and um and then I to I had this dream, and I dreamed that I saw I I believe it was Clothus. I was playing a game against this person that looked like every person that I've ever met before. And yeah, the thing that I remember the most is she was like, I will am gonna have to choose between saving my family and saving my uh saving my shop. Um I have a game shop, so um, but I don't I think um I think that was just like um I think that was just I think she was just kidding around.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:11

As far as I know, she goddess has never had a second champion. What? What? Well usually she just has her daughter. We've never heard of a second champion. Nerva gets down on her knee again towards Patch and bows.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:26

Oh okay, I'm fine with that. Um Patch. Wait, what does this mean? Does this mean my But my parents are my parents, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:34

She stands up. I guess I don't uh uh you don't s bear, you know, the look of of you know what they've all they've all kind of looked similar. It's it's usually th d the daughter is the oracle.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:49

Oh.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:51

It's not I mean I didn't I didn't get this gift until I met Lucy.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:57

Yemma goes, there's a lot of research that I could do to to look into this a little bit for you if you'd like. Yeah, I would. Oh, great, great. That's wonderful. Well, hey, you know, um you see she pulls down like a charm from the ceiling of like a little tied knot and another one that's identical and like hands it to you two. Matching, matching sort of chosen by the gods charms.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:20

Um That's nice. I have one more question. Does Clothus love her daughter?

SPEAKER_03 1:06:25

Nerva smiles. The reason that Clothus has a daughter is because she needs to be grounded to humankind, to their experiences, to their joys, and to their sufferings. Her daughter is the mortal she cares about the most. It's through her daughter that the pure forces of fate within her are able to care about humanity.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:54

So you can know who doesn't love me.

SPEAKER_10 1:06:57

Rex is uh holding back tears. I think she I think she loves you. I think that's what she does.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:02

No, she just needs me. She's just using me.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:04

Nerva goes, it's not so much that she uses you as much as she needs you.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:11

Well, I need her. And I walk out of the door.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:14

Is there a way you can help us talk contact her?

SPEAKER_03 1:07:18

I don't think that I could contact her as much as you guys can.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:22

I mean, the last time we tried, I don't it I don't think it worked. How do we know if she's wants to listen to us? That's the question we always ask. Frustrating?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:32

Yeah. We'll be out here. Janice, you're still here. I'm still here. Oh yeah. I was gonna stay I was gonna sit back and and, you know, doctor patient confidentiality was gonna ask Nerva about um if there's anything I can do to help.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:45

Wait, and guys, hey, I'm outside. Just um uh ask her about where she was last night.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:50

We'll do. I say in my head. I said that in my head, but I was trying to say it in my head, but what I ended up doing is saying it in my head and then also saying, I say it in my head. I'm sorry, Lucy, I'm gonna do what you said. Thanks.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:03

I don't think there's anything you could help with so much. Uh, you know, I've already gotten diagnoses and uh, you know, I've got I've got a medical provider who's been looking after me.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:12

Uh, and she kind of like motions towards Yemma and she goes Right, but if she is the doctor, you know, uh the oracle of Farrica, and I show her my neck.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:22

Whoa, that's really impressive.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:23

It's pretty cool, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:24

Um yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:25

Uh maybe, maybe I was trained by the high priestess of Farrica as well, you know, if you know Spiria.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:30

Maybe in a couple days, um, I just I haven't been feeling really well.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:34

A couple days? Yeah. Yeah. And you started feeling worse maybe last night?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:39

I I've been feeling pretty bad all week.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:41

Okay. I told my friend I'd ask you something, and then I immediately forgot what that was. What were you doing last night?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:47

Oh, um, I I stayed in, and Yemma goes, I can attest that she stayed in.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:52

All night?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:52

What were they doing? Yemma and Nerva look at each other and go, that's a really private question.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:58

That was Chloe. Well, if you patches outside of Lucy.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:02

Well, as long as you were, you know, having a private night in at around 3 a.m., were you awake?

SPEAKER_03 1:09:09

Yemma goes, yeah. I I was awake and I I um I saw we were both in.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:15

You were in and awake.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:17

Okay. Uh if you guys are feeling up to it, we're throwing a sock party later.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:22

Oh, fun.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:24

So yeah. Did did she hear anything at 3 a.m. when she was awake?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:27

Oh, yeah, uh 3 a.m. there was a I don't I don't know if you were paying attention, but there we think that's about when that window was shattered. Uh did you hear anything happen? Or the tunnel collapsing too was should have been loud.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:37

It's a I mean it's a pretty big good distance from the cabin. Like we're at the back of this enclosed, like, you know, this valley, so it's yeah, I didn't really hear anything, but uh you know, we'll keep you updated if we can think of anything.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:48

Okay. So you'll want to leave a little earlier to get to the party tonight. Okay, make sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:54

Yeah, no, yeah, we will, we will. Because we don't you don't want to be late, we got a whole thing. We will, yeah, we totally will.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:58

Uh Janice takes a cucumber sandwich and heads out.

SPEAKER_07 1:10:02

Right. Lucy, you want to talk about how you feel? Sure. I don't you don't have to.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:13

I didn't get that.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:14

Everything I learned makes me have more questions. That's all. And that's frustrating, but right now I um I think it's crazy that it sounds like ah, I'm the daughter of fate.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:27

Yeah, it's taken you a lot longer to process this than the rest of us. I think we were pretty much on that day one.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:32

Well, you try having a mom who's a goddess, and and you the only reason that you can be alive is because your older sibling died, and you're the the one link that links a god to the feelings of humanity. So now I have all of these feelings inside of me that are that that are gonna share with my mother who needs me, and I needed her, but she's not here, and I don't I just want a hug.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:58

Janice gives her a hug. Rex gives her a hug.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:02

Lucine?

SPEAKER_06 1:11:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:04

You're kind of really important, and I know that that might be a foreign feeling to you, but you're you've been really important to us.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:13

So nothing changes. Now you're just a little bit more important to everyone else.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:17

Rex, that's so nice. And uh I just want you to know that you're really important to me too.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:25

Thank you, Janice. You're also important to me, Rex?

SPEAKER_06 1:11:32

Janice, you're important to me too.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:34

You're important to me, Lucy. And hey, one another way to look at it, to just throw a different perspective, is that your mom loves you so much that you're the only reason she cares about any of us. Yeah, it's true.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:48

That breaks my brain. Just don't think about it.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:50

I do it all the time.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:52

Okay, we got a murder to solve. Do we think that Nerva did it?

SPEAKER_01 1:11:55

Yeah. Uh we know that she's been sick, quotation marks, for about a month, perhaps exactly a month.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:04

I don't think periods that last that long.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:06

No. Patch. Patch, since the last full moon.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:09

If they go into overtime, they do.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:12

Well, what I'm saying is is just because I think Nerva might be dealing with some light lycanthropy, that doesn't mean that she's the only one.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:21

Oh, like a recent bite, maybe. Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:23

Well, she sounds like she's maybe recently afflicted with lycanthropy.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:26

She also doesn't have any reason to to hurt anyone here or threaten Rex.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:30

Well, we don't know how she got it, but just the fact that if she was recently bit, that means that somebody gave her lycanthropy.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:38

Who else could it be? Valdric?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:40

I don't know. It would you'd think she'd recognize them unless they were already in wolf form.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:43

Also, like, I don't know anything about werewolves or where they are, but it's kind of like a sentient being. Like it it wrote out a threat to you, Tanis.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:53

To you. And I think you have to like work your way up to that. I don't think you're uh good at being a werewolf on your first full moon. That's kind of tricky.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:02

Guys, I'm realizing why did that lady Katya tell me that werewolves are always bad, and then Yemma told me that they're not always bad. Maybe we should talk to her. Katya? Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:12

But if she's a secret werewolf hunter.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:14

Oh, how would we f a werewolf hunter?

SPEAKER_06 1:13:16

Katya.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:17

She's doing a shitty job if she's a werewolf hunter. I guess that's fair.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:21

Um what are some ways that you can like flush out a werewolf? Um, bones?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:26

I think they're pretty normal unless they should shift. It depends on how good they are at being a werewolf. We don't like silver.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:35

Is that werewolves or is that just vampires? It's werewolves as well. I think it's werewolves.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:40

No, it's vampire. I think werewolf's thing is if they're if they're in human form, there's not much we can do about it.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:47

Another thing that I want to do is do some snooping. Yeah. We gotta look at some rooms.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:52

Yeah, and that's empty room. Yeah, we were gonna look in the empty room, and then Voldric's gonna talk at us. It's like somebody tried to distract us from looking in the empty room.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:00

But the thing is, if there's more than one werewolf here, werewolves may or may not lose control on a full moon, so you kinda you gotta lock them down preemptively.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:08

Wait, let me see if I can reach out to any big wolves who can might be able to help us fight against them this evening if we have to. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:14

Okay, we're gonna check the call.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:19

Did you send out a mental radio silence back? Or roll animal handling.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:27

I got a natural one. Actually, no, I got a zero. You hear in your mind, uh I got a busy signal, guys. No dice.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:35

Let's let's go back to plan A then. How does that sound, Lucy? Okay, shock party. That uh let's just go look at this room. You're gonna go, and you're gonna love it. Janice runs to the room.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:46

So you guys re-enter. Everyone is like kind of congregated in the main hall, like the the main area. As you enter, people start to kind of crowd around you.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:56

Back off.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:00

Oh, we are so concerned for our father.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:02

We're working on it. Wow, your breath. That smells really bad.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:05

Please, please tell us. Guys, you gotta stop drinking. What do you know? We're just we're still looking at it. I don't know anything. What do you know?

SPEAKER_06 1:15:11

Go back to your room and take a nap.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:13

Actually, everyone stay down here. We need to be in Oh, you're right. We need to be, you know, the safest place to be in these situations is in groups.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:21

Together.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:22

You guys stay down here, and we will figure it out.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:24

Yeah, is Bale down here?

SPEAKER_02 1:15:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:26

Excuse me, sir.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:28

Mr. Bale. Um, can I feel like I trust you? You seem like a cool guy. Can you make sure no one leaves or comes in? And if they do, will you let us know?

SPEAKER_04 1:15:36

Yeah, sure. I'll I'll stand at the the the foot of the stairs and it's better than that.

SPEAKER_07 1:15:40

Okay, I give him um 20 gold.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:42

Oh shit. Good dipper, good dipper. I could buy so much Warhammer with this.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:48

Ding ding. Uh Valdric, can we have the keys to the empty room?

SPEAKER_03 1:15:51

Uh yes, right away, right away. You see, he goes under the desk. Hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:56

Hmm? That keys to the empty room? No one's in there, right? So the key should be at the front desk.

SPEAKER_07 1:16:00

I can just unlock it.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:02

I'm so sorry. I d I do not I do not see.

SPEAKER_07 1:16:05

Patch runs up to get to start lockpicking.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:07

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:09

Janice will help Patch.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:10

Uh make an uh slide of hand check. 18. You click open the door. As you're touching the door handle, you also notice this door handle is cold. And as you reverse fire. Push it open, you see that the window in this room is open. Open.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:28

I check the corners.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:30

You do not see uh a werewolf in this room.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:32

I look around for disturbances and then I check the trash.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:36

Oh bringing it back. Electro roots. Look around the room. Uh you don't see like a ton of disturbed. Like it doesn't seem like someone's been like staying in this room or staging a werewolf attack in this room. Everyone make perception.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:49

Dirty 20.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:50

I got a three. So in the trash can, you look and you don't there doesn't seem to be anything in the trash. This is an empty room. Dirty 20.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:59

Can I lean out uh can I also like lean out the window and see if this was coming in or going out?

SPEAKER_03 1:17:04

Uh this is an open window. So you can't quite tell you don't see any tracks outside the window.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:10

You do see at kind of the base of a window a black feather.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:15

Janice, I got one of those two from the other window. Ah, twins.

SPEAKER_07 1:17:18

That looks like something we should have shown to Yemma. Oh, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:21

It does.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:22

We'll talk to her at the sock party.

SPEAKER_07 1:17:24

A black feather.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:25

A black feather. Janice also looks up into the sky pensively.

SPEAKER_07 1:17:30

Aware owlbear?

SPEAKER_01 1:17:32

Ware raven.

SPEAKER_07 1:17:33

Ware raven. But were ravens don't have wolves' paws, do they?

SPEAKER_01 1:17:37

No, but they are talons. But they are another kind of lycanthrope.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:40

Oh, but they don't make the footprints in the snow.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:43

But they wouldn't make any footprints. Like someone could have flown in here.

SPEAKER_07 1:17:47

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:50

Maybe, maybe we're dealing with kind of like a double trouble situation where they're also.

SPEAKER_07 1:17:56

Twins. Well, let's get let's break into their room.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:00

That's true. I mean, we don't need their Patch already proved we don't need a key, right?

SPEAKER_07 1:18:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:04

Uh slide of hand check, baby.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:06

Natural 20.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:07

It comes open like a breeze.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:09

Like butter.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:10

Yeah, you step into this room, you see two twin beds on opposite sides of the room. Very far apart. So far. You see they've got like a lot of board games. I feel like homeschool people are really into board games.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:22

But they're the weird, like they're the weird, like themed board games.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:26

They're a little biblical in a way. Yes. Like all of them come with like parts.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:30

It's like apples to apples.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:32

There's a lot of Latin.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:34

They seem like the only things they've read are in Latin, and they are not allowed to read Harry Potter. Like that seems like the two things that you can know about them. Right. Uh where are you guys looking in here? I'm looking There's like desk, trash can. Definitely trash can. Every room in every murder mystery has a death desk and a trash can. It's so true.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:50

I want to look um But also their closets.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:52

I want to see if there's any I'm like, because feathers, I'm like either a literal bird, a feather boa, or um some sort of of writing. And I would like Oh, or like a writing quill. Yeah, I don't know if I just find those on windows.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:06

I want to look in the fireplace to see if there's anything in the ash.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:09

And I want to look in their drains.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:12

I want to look in every drawer. And we also look in the trash.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:15

So in looking in all these places. I got a 28. Great. You didn't need to. Um looking in the drawer, uh, you see that they they they have like a couple books. Gideon's Bible. You see, they've got um like an a a knife with like a gemstone in the pommel, uh, you know, maybe a hundred gold, as well as some pills that you just have. Flask. Loose pills in there, flask. Yeah. And then in the drain, you see just a long blonde hair, uh, which could belong to either of them.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:48

Wait a minute.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:48

Lucy, you want this?

SPEAKER_05 1:19:50

No, I'm okay. Were you saying pills as a joke, or are they actually like pills in there? There's pills in there.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:54

Are those fun pills or like prescriptions?

SPEAKER_03 1:19:56

With with your medicine skill, you you can tell that these are fun pills. Okay. I love a good pills.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:01

Um, it's not really uh it's not really telling that these Broadway twins who are cutting. I kind of put fun pills in our laboratory. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:11

Looking in the fireplace, you don't see anything, any like extra ashes. You see that there's like a used log. These. A used log.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:21

Wait, guys, I just realized something. Whoever has the key to the room is like our number one suspect.

SPEAKER_07 1:20:28

Yeah, we don't even Yeah, why would someone have the key to the empty room with nothing in it?

SPEAKER_01 1:20:32

There was a pretty knife though, right? Can I cast detect magic on it? Yeah. I would like to do that.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:39

There is no magic, it's just a very pretty knife.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:42

Interesting. Do I get any other pings?

SPEAKER_03 1:20:45

The feathers do ping a little bit of magic. Uh, they ping transformation magic.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:50

I knew you were gonna say that.

SPEAKER_07 1:20:52

Guys, I have disguised self. What if I disguise myself as one of the twins and try to talk to them?

SPEAKER_01 1:20:59

To see if they can tell us anything? I feel like they're not. But I don't know where else to turn. I know. I don't think they liked their dad, but I also don't think they'd kill their dad.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:07

You hear uh footsteps coming down the hall. Sorry, bad, you cannot stop us. We want to go to our room. You guys aren't allowed up there right now. We should get out of here. Yeah, we should get out of here.

unknown 1:21:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:17

Let's scoot out.

SPEAKER_07 1:21:18

Go, go, go, go.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:18

Uh make a stealth check.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:20

Uh 22.

SPEAKER_07 1:21:21

17.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:22

Let me know if you get below a two, because that's what they rolled with their disadvantage.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:25

I got an eight.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:26

I got a two.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:27

Okay. Well, hey. Meets a pizza, I guess. Um you see. Oh, wait, sorry, it's a three. They're hammered. Oh, great. They are hammered. So they rolled with disadvantage. They come around the corner. Actively, you guys are like coming out of the room at the same time they're coming around the corner. Yeah. But you see that they are just like beer goggles. We have to get into our into the room because we are gonna get our pills. Oh, sure. I don't know. Thanks.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:47

Wait, sorry, we have to get pills. Oh, sure. You know, you really shouldn't mix pills with alcohol. What? You really shouldn't mix alcohol.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:53

So it's just as our fathers did, so we are looking to have a different time than what we are having currently now, kind of a negative time.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:00

Okay. Well, you know, I'm not gonna argue with that, and I'm not your doctor, so do what you're gonna do.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:04

We've got uppers and downers, and we think that they are going to make us forget.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:08

Great. The pills didn't give off any magic, did they? No. Great.

SPEAKER_07 1:22:11

Let's eavesdrop, guys. Let's go to the empty room. We can probably hear them from there, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:22:15

I can just send histos. Hey, buddy, you wanna do uh you wanna go on a spy mission? He does.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:20

They go into their room and you send histos under the door?

SPEAKER_01 1:22:24

I I can take his senses, yeah. I warg.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:27

As you warg, looking up at them, Raoul walks over to the desk and opens the drawer and goes, I could have sworn I put the pills in the top drawer. And Reyna goes, Maybe they are in the under they're under the pillow, they're under your pillow, were you having pills last night? He goes, No, I slept so good last night, I did not need pills. Did you take all our pills? I think maybe you took all the pills. You like the pills more than I like the pills? And Reina goes, We like the pills the same. And Raul goes, Yes, we like the pills the same. Oh god. Can you believe this? I mean, after all those years wishing him dead, but now he is, it feels wrong. I know it's not our fault, but I I still feel guilty. Like, you know, if we were different, maybe he would things would have been different, we wouldn't have been here. I don't know.

SPEAKER_07 1:23:15

This is boring, Janice. Can you make him say something more interesting?

SPEAKER_03 1:23:20

No.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:21

Um I say with my eyes rolled back.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:24

Maybe uh now that he's gone, we can go from here. We can I don't know, go somewhere that he doesn't book us. Go somewhere, go to a tavern, play at the tavern, we could live. Raul goes, yeah, uh, we can we can make those conversations tomorrow. For today, I think we should board and be a little sad. Not too sad, it's a bad, bad, bad band. But you know, sad. And they give each other a hug. Oh, wow. And you see, she goes, We could play apples to apples right now.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:52

Two person apples to apples, of course, you and I both know, is when one person plays a card and the other person plays a card, and you laugh at how funny the other person's card is, because ultimately it is a five to six playoff game.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:02

Histos, get out of there. Get out of there, buddy.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:06

I guess they're innocent. Yeah, sounds like they didn't do it.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:09

What do you think, Histos? Did they do it? Histos says he hates them, but no.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:15

Okay. Um we should check some more rooms.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:18

You know what?

SPEAKER_06 1:24:18

Yeah, let's look in Katya's room and in vernacular's room.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:23

Katya's.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:24

Make a uh sleight of hand check.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:26

Dirty 20.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:26

Dirty 20. We'll say that we'll roll that over to the forward rooms as well.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:30

Patch is gonna leave the bottle of pills on the floor in front of their door and then knock and run away. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:36

What is this?

SPEAKER_05 1:24:37

Ooh, delivery!

SPEAKER_03 1:24:39

Um, so you enter Katya's room. You see uh uh the bed is well made.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:44

We check the trash can, we check check the desk drawer, I check the fireplace ash.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:48

I just imagine all four of us immediately like pushing each other out of the way. I want to look in the trash this time.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:54

We'll start with the trash. Uh so who's looking? So you're looking in the trash. Yep. So you see just a couple drained violes that seem to have contained some liquid at some point in time.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:02

And I can't tell what color of liquid it is.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:04

Um, we'll say that you can tell that there was like a light brackish red.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:08

Uh blood colored.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:10

Kinda, yeah.

unknown 1:25:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:11

One could say. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:12

Who's checking the desk?

SPEAKER_00 1:25:14

I'll check the desk.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:15

Uh, as you're flipping through the desk, you see uh a badge. You see it says Druidic Order of Nylean Arcanozoologists. And you see on the back there's a spot of blood.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:26

A druidic?

SPEAKER_07 1:25:27

A druid. Druids can turn into animals.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:30

Druids can wild shape, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:32

You also see um there's a good amount of gold. There's like a pretty good amount of gold. There's like a thousand gold in her desk. You also see uh uh uh a key.

SPEAKER_07 1:25:41

I take that key.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:42

Is this the key to the empty room?

SPEAKER_07 1:25:44

Does it look like the key like a hotel key?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:46

Uh yeah, it looks like a hotel key.

SPEAKER_07 1:25:47

I'm gonna go across real quick and see if it fits the empty door.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:50

It does not.

SPEAKER_07 1:25:51

No.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:51

Does it fit this door?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:53

It does not. That would be weird because they'd lock their key in their door.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:57

Yeah, but just checking.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:59

Should we check all of the rooms with it?

SPEAKER_02 1:26:00

Check Boris's door.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:01

Yeah, I think we go through and check all the rooms, except for maybe the twins. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:05

You get to Boris's door and the key fits the lock.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:09

What does she have a key to Boris's door?

SPEAKER_07 1:26:11

Why does she not like Rex?

SPEAKER_01 1:26:13

That's right. How does she know Rex?

SPEAKER_07 1:26:15

Maybe I should go. I mean, I I have a rapport with her. Yeah. I'll go, um, maybe I should go talk to her. I mean if someone if someone wants to go with me, I'll go.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:23

I can ask.

SPEAKER_07 1:26:23

Wait, that's not Rex.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:24

I can tell her Histos is sick or something. Wait, wait, wait.

SPEAKER_07 1:26:26

Yeah, that's great. What? Wait, wait, wait.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:28

I really want to do some acting. Lucy, remember we did such good acting?

SPEAKER_06 1:26:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:32

When we were in the other thing, and we were Yeah. You talk to her, right? Uh Patch, you're talking to her, and then I come in and I'm yelling at Lucy and I'm like making a big scene. Like I'm like, my dad owns this hotel. Oh, like you're being an asshole, rich guy asshole. And see how she reacts to me.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:51

And I'd be playing the rich guy asshole. I'll be playing a part, of course. Yeah. Like this is in my real feelings. Sure. Can I look? Can I wait? And Janice, you can be my attache.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:00

Sure. Uh, but while we're while we're in her room, I also want to look for feathers because if she's a druid, that means not only can she transform into a wolf, she can transform into a bird. And she can do both.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:11

Yeah. And I want to look in the ash too. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:13

Um, in the ash, there's a little bit of paper. There's like a like an uh an edge of a page. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:19

Um it says where.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:22

It uh yeah, and you don't there's no writing on it, but you do see that something was burned here.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:27

What kind of what's the paper? What do I get from the paper? Hardstock?

SPEAKER_03 1:27:30

Um, it looks to be uh like letter, book. Yeah, you it seems to be torn out of a book.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:35

Torn out of a book. There's a library downstairs, right, guys? Are there any books here around here? Do you see any books in the room? You would describe her as bookish.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:42

Yeah. You see that she does have a stack of books on her desk. Um, but you see that like a lot of them, the spines aren't cracked.

SPEAKER_07 1:27:49

She's a fake reader.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:50

Yeah, I mean it sounds like she's maybe putting up errors. I guess being a druid makes sense if she's a zoologist, but any feathers? I wonder what these dials are for. Wait a sec.

SPEAKER_07 1:28:01

Can I do an arcana check on the vials to see if I can discern?

SPEAKER_01 1:28:06

Can I can I cast detect poison on the vials?

SPEAKER_07 1:28:08

I got a twenty-six.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:09

Um these seem to be healing potions.

SPEAKER_07 1:28:12

Healing potions. Maybe like after a fight? There's a lot of blood. Might not have all been horses. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:19

I don't know either. I'm looking for I just realized I slept really good last night.

SPEAKER_07 1:28:24

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:25

And the twins also mentioned they slept really good last night.

SPEAKER_07 1:28:29

You're right.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:30

Me too. I thought it was just the first time we'd been in a real bed for a while.

SPEAKER_07 1:28:34

Me too. I was wide awake. You woke up. Yeah, I I heard that crash.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:38

I mean, I don't know.

SPEAKER_07 1:28:39

I had a drink last night, but Yeah, I'm I'm pretty I'm pretty hardy. Do you think maybe there was something in the food? Maybe. Um Who makes the food? Let's go to the kitchens. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:50

Okay. I'm keeping this detect poison flaring.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:53

You guys um head down to the kitchen. Uh as you come down, Bale goes, I'm sorry, they had they like pushed past me and I didn't know their father just died. It's okay, Bale.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:02

Okay, cool. Thanks. Rock and roll.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:04

Um Bale. Maybe I'm a nah nah nah.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:08

Patch, do you want to go talk? Maybe maybe we do another split seas. Patch and I will go talk to Yeah, let's go. Katya, and you guys can check the kitchen. Yep. Or wait. And then I'll come out.

SPEAKER_07 1:29:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:17

I have to detect poison.

SPEAKER_07 1:29:18

I can go by myself.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:20

Okay, here. Do you want to take histos to just be an icebreaker?

SPEAKER_07 1:29:24

Uh sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 1:29:25

I'm just holding histos like out. Hi, hi, histos.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:30

Clanky histos. Clanky and histos get bring out Clanky. Histos loves Clanky.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:36

I think he's just been like loose, like how a dog just kind of runs around.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:40

Yeah. So we'll start with Patch. So Patch, you walk up with the snake Tacatya.

SPEAKER_07 1:29:45

You like snakes?

SPEAKER_04 1:29:46

I love snakes. Uh let me see this one.

SPEAKER_07 1:29:49

Hiss.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:51

Oh, look at that on his underside. He's got starring.

SPEAKER_07 1:29:55

Yeah, his name is um Timmy.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:57

Timmy.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:58

He made up a name for his name. He gave his dose an alias.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:02

Timmy, I'm telling you, I like that name for a snake. Yes. I had the snake as a little girl.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:07

Oh yeah?

SPEAKER_04 1:30:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:08

What was its name?

SPEAKER_04 1:30:09

Roger.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:10

Oh, that's a good name. I just had uh I just had to come over here, Katia. I hope you don't mind. I my um my buddy Rex was just grinding my gears.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:19

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_07 1:30:20

You know him?

SPEAKER_04 1:30:21

Is he the one with the hoodie?

SPEAKER_07 1:30:23

No, no, that's Janice. Uh Rex is the guy with the with the cocky belts.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:28

Oh, I saw it. Very funny.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:30

Yeah, he's uh God, you know, his dad owns this place and he's just really won't let us forget about it.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:35

I used to know someone with a with a similar belt when I was younger, which is funny. You don't see a lot of that, but every time, every time you see something that that's ostentatious, you kind of you clock it.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:46

Really, like a like a cocky it said cocky?

SPEAKER_04 1:30:49

It's red, it has a chicken on it, it says cocky.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:51

Who did you know that had it?

SPEAKER_04 1:30:53

My friend Seely.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:55

Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:58

We cut to the kitchens.

SPEAKER_05 1:31:00

So you guys enter, you see that there is a coming after Rex because he stole his belt.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:08

You see that there's a pantry, a fireplace, a countertop, uh, you know, classic kitchen vibes. Yeah. Sure. As you enter with Detect Poison U, is this also like a radius thing?

SPEAKER_01 1:31:19

Yeah, it's the same as Detect Magic, except for it looks for poison and disease.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:22

You get uh in the pantry, there's like a little bit of ping. Ping coming.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:26

I got a little ping from the pantry.

SPEAKER_10 1:31:28

Um Rex is in the pantry trying to find snacks. Stop, Rex. Hey.

SPEAKER_06 1:31:34

Hey, three times a day, baby.

SPEAKER_05 1:31:36

Yeah. Don't look at me, shots.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:39

Rex, you can you can eat stuff, but like pass it by the sensor first. Pass it by me first. Okay, how about these pretzel sticks? Um What about the pretzel stick, Spencer?

SPEAKER_03 1:31:48

You notice a light dusting of something that's pinging poisonous on them.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:52

Oh, these are poison pretzels.

SPEAKER_10 1:31:54

Rex, put them down.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:57

Janice gives them the heimlift. Um, yeah, there's like a powder on them.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:02

Oh, gross. If you'd like, you can make a medicine check to or a nature check to identify the poison.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:08

I think my medicine's probably better. 25?

SPEAKER_03 1:32:11

You smell it immediately. This is monk's hood.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:13

Is it monk's hood? Uh huh.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:14

It's highly poisonous if given in a high enough concentration, but there seems to be like a blend of other herbs that seem to kind of counteract it enough to render it more of like a sleeping draught.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:26

Interesting. It looks like somebody took this monk's hood, which is poisonous and can be deadly, and they turned it into a sleeping drug. You know, I I it's so funny. I was just telling Torin, you know, the difference between a medicine and a poison is the dose.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:38

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:38

Uh but yeah, this would make you nice and sleepy wait, this would make you nice and sleepy. I think you were so sleepy.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:43

With your 25, you also know the other name for monkshood, which is Wolf Spain. We cut back out to Patch.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:52

You you seem to react to the name Seely Booth.

SPEAKER_07 1:32:55

No, I just thought it was a cool name.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:57

Roll Deception.

SPEAKER_10 1:32:59

It is a cool name. It is a cool name. With advantage, Chloe.

unknown 1:33:02

No, no, fuck that.

SPEAKER_10 1:33:04

Can can Histos give Chloe help somehow?

SPEAKER_03 1:33:07

Yes. Sixteen. Sixteen? Yeah, it's a very cool name.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:10

Histos bites. Histos bites.

SPEAKER_07 1:33:14

It's a cool name.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:15

Bad little Timmy, bad little Timmy.

SPEAKER_07 1:33:18

Yeah, I really like that real animals do that. Um sorry, I so I came over here. I just needed some air from from Rax. He's just a real d uh a dick sometimes, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:30

I get that. I work I've worked with a few dicks in the past. But it's in our line of work, you know.

SPEAKER_07 1:33:35

Are you um have you ever been through Ariaks?

SPEAKER_04 1:33:38

Uh no. Uh well, I guess I will be going through Ariaks uh on my way, but I'm from Plut Plutopolis originally.

SPEAKER_07 1:33:46

You're from Plutopolis?

SPEAKER_04 1:33:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_07 1:33:47

There's a play going up there.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:48

Yes, I uh I am aware I've been there.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:51

I've recently. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:52

I've only I only arrived here about two weeks ago, and I've just been staying for a couple of weeks and to sort of meander my way down to Liers Junction.

SPEAKER_07 1:34:00

How close were you with um what was his name? Seaman?

SPEAKER_03 1:34:05

See Lee, Sea Lee Sealy. I thought you were talking about Boris. Uh uh.

SPEAKER_07 1:34:10

Why would I be talking about Boris?

SPEAKER_04 1:34:12

The dead body?

SPEAKER_07 1:34:13

Yeah, why would I be talking about him?

SPEAKER_04 1:34:15

I don't know. I thought you guys were looking into it.

SPEAKER_07 1:34:17

Oh yeah, just kind of Did you know him?

SPEAKER_04 1:34:19

Boris?

SPEAKER_07 1:34:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:20

Yeah, just from around.

SPEAKER_07 1:34:22

It seems like you've been here a long time.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:24

Uh just a couple of weeks, and other people have been here longer, you know.

SPEAKER_07 1:34:28

Well, um We cut back.

SPEAKER_06 1:34:33

Uh okay, poison.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:34

Wolf Spain. Wolf Spain. Wolf Spain.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:37

That's a coincidence.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:38

Must be. Is that a coincidence or is it some sort of poetic justice?

SPEAKER_02 1:34:43

I don't know, but whatever it is.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:44

Or somebody's perceived sense of poetic justice.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:46

People wanted whoever did this wanted us to all sleep through the night so that we didn't wake up when it happened. So it's all gotta be connected. Is there a wolf spane in the greenhouse?

SPEAKER_01 1:35:04

The greenhouse. The greenhouse.

SPEAKER_06 1:35:06

The greenhouse. Should we go to the greenhouse and look if see if there's wolf spane being grown?

SPEAKER_01 1:35:10

Yeah, but first. Yeah, I've got a nervalism kit.

SPEAKER_06 1:35:12

Yeah, do you want to do it on the way out?

SPEAKER_01 1:35:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:14

Okay. Can I do a quick just perception check on Katya to see if I see any wounds or like scratches or anything?

SPEAKER_01 1:35:21

Maybe once healed by a potion.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:23

Can I give Patch guidance through histos since I can cast touch spells through histos? Absolutely. You fully can. Great. I'm gonna cast guidance, give you a D4 on that.

SPEAKER_07 1:35:31

Ooh, four. So that's a 17.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:33

With the 17, we'll say that you are able to tell that there are some scars that look recently healed. She has more scars than a zoologist you'd think would normally have.

SPEAKER_07 1:35:44

Listen, um, I don't I try not to make it a habit to comment on women's bodies, but I know.

SPEAKER_04 1:35:49

Thank you, and that is very appreciated of you as a young ally. Thank you.

SPEAKER_07 1:35:54

I noticed that uh looks like you're a bit of an adventurer. I'm kind of an adventurer myself.

SPEAKER_04 1:35:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_07 1:35:58

What have you have you fought anything crazy lately?

SPEAKER_04 1:36:02

Oh, ah, you know, the uh so many creatures, and ultimately if you're in the line of zoology, you have to face many, many beasts who are monstrous in nature. Uh I've I fought the uh uh do you know what the a nos is?

SPEAKER_07 1:36:16

A nos?

SPEAKER_04 1:36:17

Yes. It's like a moss dog. No, I don't. Like a moss dog.

SPEAKER_07 1:36:21

A moss dog?

SPEAKER_04 1:36:22

Like a dog made of moss.

SPEAKER_07 1:36:23

That sounds cute.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:24

He is very, very cute.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:26

Lucy, this is Minotaur shit. I, by the horns of Mogus, I will have my revenge on Valdrick, that sniveling uh poor uh worker. He is garbage.

SPEAKER_06 1:36:40

Rex, he's an employee. He's just doing his best. Rex is going off.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:44

I've got so much money I could buy and sell him a thousand times. He's being quite rude. And I think I shall. And I'll buy him and I'll just kill him, and then I could make someone else. You know what? Maybe I'll make Bale the leader of this hotel.

SPEAKER_06 1:36:59

Rex, he's a human being. He's not, he's one of one. You can't just replace people willy-nilly for money.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:04

I have a disregard for human life. Roll perception, Patch.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:09

Roll perception? Yeah. Or insight.

SPEAKER_10 1:37:11

And I also should we have to roll performance?

SPEAKER_03 1:37:14

Yes. Both of you have to roll performance.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:15

Yeah, 17 perception.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:16

17, okay.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:17

I have a 17.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:18

17?

SPEAKER_10 1:37:19

I only got a nine, which I think is fair.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:20

So with the 17, Patch, um, I think I think with between a 17 and a nine, I think that that averages out to like a fair middling performance. Patch, you see Katya is just like watching reality TV. You see through Rex and Lucy past them to the front desk where Valdrick is sitting, and you see that he like looks like he's got a roiling rage under the surface at Rex's words.

SPEAKER_07 1:37:44

I would too. Yeah, I would too.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:47

Yes, I I'm apologize, Master Rex and uh uh Master Lucy, but if you I believe this is a conversation probably more for in private than out here. Uh, if you would like kindly find your way to either your room, or of course the theatrical chamber is open if you would like to be in there. Uh, I could also avail you to the main office if you would prefer to have the conversation in here. I just believe that it is probably not the best show of face for our guests for the sign of a hotel to be talking uh loudly about the management.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:12

I'm sorry, Valdrick. Uh do you own this hotel?

SPEAKER_03 1:38:15

No, sir, I do not.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:16

Okay, so then have this conversation wherever fuck I want.

SPEAKER_06 1:38:19

Rex, uh he's doing his best. He's just maybe we should listen to him.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:25

No need to defend my honour. I am No, no, no. I live to serve.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:29

Don't tell her what to do. I believe you, Lucy. You're right. We should probably have this in private. A good idea from you.

SPEAKER_06 1:38:36

Yes. To private.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:38

Yes, if you would like, I can take you into the main office, I can take you to the to out in front.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:44

I'd like to go to the main office.

SPEAKER_07 1:38:45

Yes, we would.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:46

Please, write right this way, right this way.

SPEAKER_07 1:38:48

Katya, I'm gonna catch up with them, but I j I had one uh one more question if you don't mind. Um I feel like on our first day here, you know, it seems I obviously you've been here a while. Did you know Valdric beforehand?

SPEAKER_04 1:38:59

No, I knew him I knew him when I came here. I didn't know him beforehand.

SPEAKER_07 1:39:04

Alright, bye.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:04

Does Patch still have that key?

SPEAKER_07 1:39:06

I do have the key.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:07

Can I have Histos tug on Patch's sleeve and like point hit and point Patch outside? Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:39:13

I follow wherever I'm being taken.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:16

Okay, Janice meets meets the two of you outside. Patch, let's uh uh Wolf Spain. I I catch up Patch and I'm like, I don't know if the greenhouse would be locked, but can we see if this key goes to the greenhouse?

SPEAKER_07 1:39:26

Yeah, here you go. I don't know what's going on with Boris's room.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:28

Oh, sorry, it went to Boris's room. That's right. Either way, you want to go to the greenhouse with me?

SPEAKER_07 1:39:31

Yes. I don't know what's going on with her. She uh she didn't really seem like, you know, she seemed annoyed at Rex, but as much as, you know, anyone would be, she didn't seem like she had a vendetta against him or anything. I don't know. I maybe I'm not good at interrogating, but I don't I didn't get a lot of information from her.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:45

I watched a little bit at the end there through histos, and I think you did fine. Thanks. Let's check the greenhouse.

SPEAKER_07 1:39:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:39:51

So we're gonna start with the main office. You guys are let in, and Valdrick goes, please, uh, you know, of course, I touch anything you want. Uh, this is all your property. I was gonna say not to touch anything, but that would be crazy because of course you are in charge. Uh, and I am just lowly peyed.

SPEAKER_08 1:40:06

Yeah, you can now.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:08

Can I get you tea or coffee or cake or we're good.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:12

We're good.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:13

We just had some pretzels.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:14

Uh roll intimidation and Lucy roll insight.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:18

16.

SPEAKER_06 1:40:19

I got 12.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:20

He goes, Yes, absolutely. I'll happily bring you some pretzels. You don't get a read on whether that pings to him as anything. He leaves you alone in the office.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:29

Okay, Lucy. But unintended consequence, but great, right? We got into this room. Yeah. Let's um ransack it. I call garbage.

SPEAKER_06 1:40:38

Okay, great. I call fireplace. Oh, and I want to look on the shelves for books.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:41

So uh in this room, you see there's spare keys, you see that there's books, there's a ledger, you see that there's a cash box on the desk, and in the trash can you find a letter.

SPEAKER_06 1:40:51

What's it say, Rex? What's it say?

unknown 1:40:53

I don't know yet.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:54

As you open it, it says, Sir, I've received your request for a promotion, and I must tell you again to stop pestering me. What I do with my company is my job and my business. Mind your own, and perhaps one day we will have those conversations. Sincerely, Captain Petros.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:14

Yeah, written like Drew Dick, that's my dad.

SPEAKER_06 1:41:16

Pecross is your dad's name?

SPEAKER_02 1:41:18

Yeah, gross, right?

SPEAKER_06 1:41:19

Yeah. Petross.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:23

Pegross, more likely. P.

SPEAKER_06 1:41:25

Gross. My mouth feels weird after saying that name.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:28

It's a family name, so chill out a little bit.

SPEAKER_06 1:41:37

Sorry, Rex.

SPEAKER_02 1:41:38

Waldric doesn't like me at all, obviously.

SPEAKER_06 1:41:41

No. Well, maybe, maybe he couldn't get out of the contract with Boris, and the show was so bad that maybe it was keeping people from coming to coming to the thing. And so he wasn't making any money and the hotel wasn't doing well. So he wanted to kill Boris so that the hotel would do better. And and maybe that he would feel some some small sense of importance in the world and that other people were thinking about him and that he was he was actually some doing something of note, and that maybe somebody up above would would know and recognize him and think that he was important in doing something for him and would reach out and contact that person and maybe have a connection with them.

SPEAKER_02 1:42:18

Yeah, that also um I don't know why he would want to sabotage his uh the own uh tunnel keeping business away, unless it was really like I was the main target. Because that keeps me here.

SPEAKER_06 1:42:31

And you're next.

SPEAKER_02 1:42:32

Well, it could be Janice, it could be Patch, but yeah, I think we're right. Yeah, but it's probably me. But I'm just so confused because like this guy's a pipsqueak.

SPEAKER_06 1:42:41

Rex, uh you gotta stop thinking like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:42:44

What?

SPEAKER_06 1:42:44

Just because he's uh not uh didn't like be because he seems like a pipsqueak, doesn't mean he doesn't have agency. I know you think of him as your future employee someday, but but I think he he has more power than you think he does.

SPEAKER_02 1:42:58

I don't know. I also between you and me, yeah, I don't want this job.

SPEAKER_06 1:43:02

I know, I know, Rex.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:04

So like I don't want like I think of him as annoying because he's like sucks up to my dad and then he sucks up to me and like seems really fake.

SPEAKER_06 1:43:10

Yeah. So we can't control the way that people think of us, though.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:13

I guess, but I mean I guess I could go kill him right now.

SPEAKER_06 1:43:16

No, don't do that.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:17

Why?

SPEAKER_06 1:43:17

Because we don't know. You can't just kill people for wanting to kill you.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:22

Um, yeah, you can.

SPEAKER_06 1:43:24

No, not until they're actively trying.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:26

Is it right? We cut back to the greenhouse.

SPEAKER_07 1:43:32

I want to look at the books. Wait, Janice, I remember something else that she told me. She told me that she recognized uh uh Rex's belt buckle because she knew Seely Booth.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:41

Oh.

SPEAKER_07 1:43:41

But like I said, she didn't seem especially angry when she was looking at Rex.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:46

Interesting.

SPEAKER_03 1:43:47

You see, the the greenhouse uh is right in front of you, kind of in front of the next of the hot tub. You see, there's inside all manners of plants the doors are unlocked.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:56

Okay. That is interesting. It sounds like she might be a mogus person. Maybe we could ask her about that.

SPEAKER_07 1:44:04

Maybe.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:04

And then what about all the scars?

SPEAKER_07 1:44:06

I I kinda asked her, um, but she didn't really give me a good answer.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:11

Hmm. I mean, she does work with animals and she is a shapeshifter. Uh well, presumed.

SPEAKER_03 1:44:16

You see, the greenhouse is very well tended. You see, the soil looks infused in like a familiar way to you, Janice. Uh similar to like your hometown, uh, they have like inf druidic infused soil that grows plants at like a faster rate. Usually a lot of like smaller towns or like, for instance, your suburbs will use those to like feed their population.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:37

And it's Bale who takes care of the greenhouse?

SPEAKER_07 1:44:39

Mm-hmm. Janice Katya also told me she was from Plutopolis.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:42

Katya did?

SPEAKER_07 1:44:43

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:44

And she's a druid too. I wonder if she's been helping with the greenhouse at all.

SPEAKER_07 1:44:48

What are we doing in here? We're looking for for Wolf's Bane?

SPEAKER_01 1:44:51

Well, I was gonna see if there was any wolf's bane in here, but also there's uh there's druidic magic here. Uh you think Bale is also maybe a druid? And they're maybe part of the same order?

SPEAKER_07 1:45:00

I just don't understand what what they would all be doing this for, might like it seems like um Valdric is the only one who has anything to gain from from Rex dying. I don't understand why Bale or Katya or or or Nerva or anyone else would want to, I mean, first of all, like, crash the tunnel, let alone do all this other stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:22

Well, Bale Bale seems to think that Valdric is an okay boss, and they seem to get along. But Katya had the key to Boris's room. Does Katya she's been here a few weeks. I wonder if Katya has any previous connections with Valdric?

SPEAKER_07 1:45:35

I asked, and she said no, but she could have been lying.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:38

That's true.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:39

Janice, your detect poison picks up something.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:42

There's uh there's a poison plant in here somewhere. Um, can I follow the ping?

SPEAKER_03 1:45:46

Yeah, you see in the corner, there's like a little tarp that's been hung that's kind of cutting off shelves of tools and stuff. It's still exposed to the to the sun, still exposed to the things of the greenhouse, and you feel something behind the tarp.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:02

Behind the tarp? I look for some like gardening gloves, and then I move the tarp and I put on a little mask too, maybe.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:09

You see a full plant of Wolfsbane.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:12

Uh but it's hidden here. But Bale what would they grow Wolfsbane for intentionally and then try to hide it?

SPEAKER_07 1:46:20

I mean, Bale's the cook, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:46:21

Bale's the kind of everything here. He's the one who tends the greenhouse.

SPEAKER_07 1:46:25

Maybe well, yeah, he could just be doing what Vulger tells him to do.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:29

That's true. He could be. I mean, here's the Wolfsbane. It's in the greenhouse that Bale works with.

SPEAKER_07 1:46:35

So what now?

SPEAKER_01 1:46:36

Now.

SPEAKER_07 1:46:37

I feel like we just have to wait for the sock party.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:39

We cut back to um the office. Uh, you're looking at the books?

SPEAKER_06 1:46:44

Yeah, I want to flip through the books to see if any of them have pages torn out.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:47

Yeah, you see uh actually two books with pages torn out.

SPEAKER_06 1:46:50

Which books are they?

SPEAKER_03 1:46:51

Uh you see one that is a ledger of transactions, and you see another which is a diary. You see that it's a journal seemingly kept by Valdrick on the comings and goings of hotel guests. Roll uh either one of you who's looking at this can roll insight.

SPEAKER_10 1:47:10

I got a bat one.

SPEAKER_06 1:47:12

I got a five.

unknown 1:47:13

Great.

SPEAKER_03 1:47:13

Uh, you see, there's a page torn out from about a month ago, but that's all you really know. Snapping work.

SPEAKER_06 1:47:19

No, I'm gonna let's take these two books and see if Patch or Janice get anything out of them, because I don't really understand anything. And then I'll cast minor allusion uh so that it looks like they're still here.

SPEAKER_02 1:47:31

Yeah, or if he asks about it, I can just like you know, put him in his place, you know.

SPEAKER_06 1:47:35

Yeah, that too.

SPEAKER_03 1:47:36

Um, so you hear a knocking at the door. Hello, um, yes, I have your pretzels ready for you. I've they're right out here if you would like, or I can come in. It's up to you, whatever you'd like.

SPEAKER_06 1:47:47

Come on in.

SPEAKER_02 1:47:48

Yeah, but yeah, come on in.

SPEAKER_03 1:47:50

Um he comes in.

SPEAKER_06 1:47:51

Um, Baldrick, you've been such a great help. Why don't you have some pretzels with us?

SPEAKER_02 1:47:56

Yeah, actually, I've been really rude to you, and I am sorry. I think that if you, you know, had some pretzels, that would be very kind of you.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:05

Yeah. I'm so sorry. I am gluten intolerant.

SPEAKER_02 1:48:07

Oh, these are gluten-free.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:08

They are not. Uh I I apologize, sir, but uh.

SPEAKER_02 1:48:10

No, I talked to my dad, they're gluten-free.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:12

Roll deception. It's gonna bloat.

SPEAKER_10 1:48:17

Only a six. I'm rolling like absolute trash today.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:19

He goes, uh I I'd rather not risk it because of course if I get gluten within me, I I start to, you know, uh feel sick. Um fortunately. I do not want that.

SPEAKER_06 1:48:29

Well, why don't we get you another snack?

SPEAKER_03 1:48:31

Sure, that would be lovely. Thank you. But uh, of course, uh you do not have to because again, I know I'm but a lonely peon, and uh you all are quite elevated. So uh if you'd like me to fix you something else, I could even fix something for myself if that is your order.

SPEAKER_06 1:48:44

Yes. Wait, why don't you go fix something that we can all no, fix something that for us, just us, that's gluten-free. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:48:50

Yeah, but we're curious about what it's like to live a gluten-free lifestyle.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:54

I'll make salad. Um he goes back to the kitchen.

SPEAKER_02 1:49:01

Um Is there anything else I want to look in here?

SPEAKER_06 1:49:03

Oh, I wish we had the Judge Merger.

SPEAKER_02 1:49:05

Yeah, I wish we had.

SPEAKER_06 1:49:06

I wish we had Janice's special ide uh special sense to be able to tell if these Wait! I um I open up a little like leather flap that I have and I use it to um to collect some pretzels and I wrap them up and I put them in my pocket. Uh, Janice about later.

SPEAKER_03 1:49:21

So Janice and Pat, you guys come back into the hotel.

SPEAKER_01 1:49:24

Yeah, I while Janice is out there though, he's gonna take a couple snippings of the wolf's bane and like maybe a couple other plants just for his herbalism kit to just like restock. But yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:49:35

Nice, nice, nice.

SPEAKER_03 1:49:36

You come back in, uh, you hear sounds from the kitchen of of something being prepared. Uh Bale is still waiting by the stairs, Katya is just sitting at the bar. That is where the people are. Uh, you do not see your friends.

SPEAKER_01 1:49:48

Can I walk up to Bale? Oh, oh my gosh, Bale, I just went out to the greenhouse. I just went out to the greenhouse.

SPEAKER_04 1:49:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:49:54

And so I gotta tell you, I saw some like really nice druidic magic in that. Greenhouse that I'd recognized. Thank you. Do you practice uh Yeah?

SPEAKER_03 1:50:05

I mean, as a kid, I was in like a druidic order, but uh my parents were like really hippy dippy, and I I kind of fell out uh a little bit, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:50:14

Oh, that's so interesting. I think Katya also mentioned being part of a druidic order. Yeah. Oh, really? Was it the same one?

SPEAKER_03 1:50:20

Uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:50:21

Katya.

SPEAKER_07 1:50:22

Do you know Katya?

SPEAKER_03 1:50:24

Yes, uh, she comes over. Uh no, I mean just from hotel. Hey, what's up? Hey, did you both did you know that you're both druids?

SPEAKER_04 1:50:32

Katya goes, Oh, that is quite interesting. I did not know that. That's crazy. Uh well, it's nice to meet the fellow druid. What order are you in, Katya? The Nylean order of Arcanozoologists.

SPEAKER_01 1:50:44

Janus is from Plutopolis too. Oh, cool, me too. Oh, you're a Plutopolis person? That's wonderful. I'm out in the suburbs. Where are you from?

SPEAKER_03 1:50:51

Uh I'm from within town. I mean from the Merchantile district.

SPEAKER_01 1:50:55

Oh, one of the pizza slices. The merchant district. When did you say you left? Uh about a month ago. You know, by that time the merchantile district was um quarantined.

SPEAKER_03 1:51:05

Yes, I am aware. I uh I've been meandering my way down. I've stayed at another hotel, but I uh yes, when I when I left it was quarantined, that is why I left.

SPEAKER_07 1:51:15

You're not really supposed to predict the quarantine, that's kind of the point.

SPEAKER_04 1:51:18

Yes, but uh, you know, I don't quite believe in all that.

SPEAKER_07 1:51:21

You don't believe in science?

SPEAKER_04 1:51:23

Next question.

SPEAKER_10 1:51:24

I do my own research.

SPEAKER_04 1:51:26

I do my own research. Bale goes.

SPEAKER_03 1:51:28

Uh my parents were the Order of the Moon Star, which was sort of uh I mean I would describe it fully as a cult at this point, but you know, at the time, uh, you know, we lived out on a commune, had had sort of communal animal runnings, we you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:51:43

Animal runnings?

SPEAKER_03 1:51:44

Yeah, you we would race each other as like, you know, squirrels and wolves and and bats and just sort of it we we would turn into animals and just sort of play around. And I I I realized sort of as as I came of age, I was like, I don't think that this is exactly what I thought it was.

SPEAKER_04 1:52:00

I left. I left.

SPEAKER_01 1:52:01

Uh oh, that's fair. Oh, you uh you can both wild shape?

SPEAKER_04 1:52:05

Bale goes, I'm out of practice, but I I can't, and Katya goes, I too I I am more of a research type of druid. I do not I could, I guess, but I do not use it.

SPEAKER_01 1:52:17

I I I never got into it. See, my mom, great druid, but she's, you know, the just the druidic council. And you know, I grew up with mostly I I learned some healing spells and I was a Griffin Scout, and you know, I never I never could wild shape, but uh I always I always was so jealous of everyone who could do it.

SPEAKER_03 1:52:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:52:36

Yeah. What a skill to have. Very interesting. Is there any anything you'll need? Oh, I'm just making small talk. Oh, great. Yeah, you know, because it's just you're from Plutopolis, you're a druid. World deception. Janice is not charismatic. Okay. Uh but he got a 19 on the dice. Uh it's a minus one, so I got an 18.

unknown 1:52:55

Got it.

SPEAKER_03 1:52:56

Uh Rex and Lucy come out of the main office as Katya just sort of smiles and nods at you and goes, Oh, well, uh happy to have smoke talk. Weird occasion for it, but happy to have it.

SPEAKER_01 1:53:06

Well, yeah, hey, well, we're all trapped here. Yes, yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:53:09

Rex, that that lady, Katya, knew Seely Booth, and she recognized his belt buckle on you.

SPEAKER_02 1:53:16

Oh, Seely Booth? That guy was sick.

SPEAKER_07 1:53:18

I mean, I'm just saying that might be, but she didn't seem that interested in you. I'm just saying that, you know, maybe look out for that.

SPEAKER_02 1:53:24

Okay, we're on to another guy now. Uh Valdric.

SPEAKER_07 1:53:27

There's not that many people here, guys.

SPEAKER_02 1:53:29

Uh Valdric was I think he really hates me.

SPEAKER_06 1:53:32

Uh Janice. Um uh is Kaj here in front of us? Uh Janice!

SPEAKER_01 1:53:37

Uh hello, this is Janice speaking.

SPEAKER_06 1:53:39

I um do you detect any poison from my pockets?

SPEAKER_01 1:53:42

From your pocket?

SPEAKER_06 1:53:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:53:43

Uh let me check. You see, uh it's the same pretzels as earlier, um, but detecting it seems like they have less poison. Like the poison was like scraped off best of his ability.

SPEAKER_01 1:53:53

Oh, it looks like some of the poison was scraped off.

SPEAKER_06 1:53:56

Oh, we these are from Baldric. Baldric?

SPEAKER_07 1:53:58

Baldric as in a vampire.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:00

So he it sounds like he might have known the poison was there.

SPEAKER_07 1:54:04

And try to get rid of them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:06

Uh we also got these books.

SPEAKER_07 1:54:08

Yeah, can you I need you to check these books for us.

SPEAKER_06 1:54:10

I thought you could read. I can read.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:12

I can read.

SPEAKER_06 1:54:13

But I just didn't want what's a face to see it.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:15

What am I checking them for?

SPEAKER_06 1:54:17

Um, just look for the around the pages. What could be missing? Remember we found an empty page in a in a fire? These are books that have missing pages.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:24

Oh, okay, yeah. I can look at them in a sec once we excuse ourselves from this conversation.

SPEAKER_06 1:54:29

Great.

SPEAKER_03 1:54:29

Uh you see, Katya and Bale have just like started talking. Kind of taking your silence is just like when in a conversation you're quiet.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:36

And they seem like they really don't know each other.

SPEAKER_03 1:54:38

Uh, roll insight.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:40

14.

SPEAKER_03 1:54:41

You don't see anything. Like, there's no familiarity there. It's they they they're talking to each other like people who are like have talked a little bit from being around each other, but not they don't seem to have any huge familiarity.

SPEAKER_01 1:54:52

Great. Uh oh, I'm gonna do one more thing. Oh, bail. Yeah. Why would you be growing wolf spane?

SPEAKER_03 1:54:58

I'm not. Where did you find Wolfsbane?

SPEAKER_01 1:55:00

It was in the back of the greenhouse under a tarp.

SPEAKER_06 1:55:02

I want to watch Katya's face.

SPEAKER_03 1:55:04

Roll insight. He goes, that's strange. I don't I don't even remember planting wolf spane on anything.

SPEAKER_01 1:55:10

Oh, I just assumed since it it was under a tarp? Yeah, it was in the back there.

SPEAKER_03 1:55:14

That can't be good for it.

SPEAKER_01 1:55:16

Oh, probably not.

SPEAKER_03 1:55:16

No, I wouldn't want to I wouldn't want to plant Wolf's Bane because I don't want it to interact in the soil with the other plants. I don't want to get anything, you know, any of them to cross pollinate or, you know, something druidic like that. Um, what'd you get on your Instagram? 18. 18. Katya reacts. Katya's lips purse. She seems to recognize the presence of Wolf's Bane and kind of some implications behind that.

SPEAKER_05 1:55:38

Person, person, lips a person.

SPEAKER_01 1:55:41

I see 'em.

SPEAKER_04 1:55:42

Well, uh, if you'll excuse me, I would like to go to my room, uh, sort of unwind for a minute. Uh yes, of course. Thank you. Bail goes, she can go by. Yeah, I think we can let people upstairs now. Cool.

SPEAKER_06 1:55:54

We should all get ready for the party.

SPEAKER_04 1:55:55

Oh, great, yeah. That sounds like a party. Did you get your invitation to the sock party? Uh, there is blood on mine. On your socks? On my invitation.

SPEAKER_01 1:56:03

Yeah, well, there's a lot of that one away. I thought I did too.

SPEAKER_06 1:56:06

A lot of blood going around.

SPEAKER_04 1:56:09

Alright, well, I'll see you all there, right? Okay, goodbye. Thanks, Bale.

SPEAKER_02 1:56:12

The party's gonna be a m mess. Everyone thinks it's a horror theme.

SPEAKER_03 1:56:17

So, you guys, are you heading back to your room to detach base?

SPEAKER_06 1:56:20

Yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_01 1:56:20

Let's regroup. Yeah. What? I just had a thought. What?

SPEAKER_06 1:56:24

What?

SPEAKER_01 1:56:24

Um Katya. Well, okay, two things. One, can we talk about the people?

SPEAKER_06 1:56:30

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:56:31

Okay, um, Bale seems like a cool guy. Yeah. I'm really vibing with Bale. He's got an interesting past. Did you know his parents were in a cult? I don't care. He's cool.

SPEAKER_07 1:56:40

He seems surprised if the wolf's bane was there. He's cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:56:43

He was surprised at the wolf's bane, though I will say he can wild shape, which is a little suspicious, though he doesn't do it really anymore, he said, but he can.

SPEAKER_06 1:56:51

He's also a follower like of of direction.

SPEAKER_01 1:56:54

Yeah, he also follows direction. But I don't know. I don't even though he can wild shape, I think that's the only I think that might be like a red herring. I don't I'm not getting a big deal from him.

SPEAKER_07 1:57:03

Okay. We know Katya can probably wild shape.

SPEAKER_01 1:57:06

Katya can probably wild shape. She's super suspicious.

SPEAKER_07 1:57:09

She's a reason to not like Rex. She knew about the wolf spane. But no reason to not like Boris, I don't think.

SPEAKER_01 1:57:16

No reason to not like Boris, but it's suspicious. I'm worried that she and Valdrick are in cahoots somehow.

SPEAKER_07 1:57:22

Yeah, I think she and Valdrick are the most suspicious. And she knew Seely Booth.

SPEAKER_01 1:57:26

Oh, here was the thing I was worried about uh with Katya and knowing Seely Booth and have being covered in scars and being a zoologist. I'm worried she might be a poacher.

SPEAKER_08 1:57:36

A poacher?

SPEAKER_02 1:57:37

Not my biggest concern at the moment.

SPEAKER_01 1:57:41

Poachers are pretty evil. Well, when she did poacher, but I don't know. Uh I talked to Bale because Bale told me that he's a hunter while we were just shoveling snow, and I'd mentioned like the blood we saw on the way in. Um, but Bale was like, that wasn't me. He's already admitted that he's a hunter and he uses a club and that he would potentially bloody up an animal. Like, that's an easy cover. But if he doesn't have anything to do with that, then someone else is bloodying up animals potentially.

SPEAKER_02 1:58:08

Janice, is Bale and Katya were they in the same group of druids? No.

SPEAKER_01 1:58:15

Bale said that he was part of the the moon stars. Moon star.

SPEAKER_02 1:58:20

If I know anything about werewolves, they like moons.

SPEAKER_07 1:58:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:58:24

They like moons.

SPEAKER_01 1:58:25

That's true, but I think uh with my former druid knowledge, like moons are also frequently in reference to like the ones who like to wild shape.

SPEAKER_02 1:58:34

Can I can I can I posit a theory?

SPEAKER_01 1:58:36

Yeah. And also Katya's order sounded fake.

SPEAKER_07 1:58:39

Yeah, the Nihilan Druid order.

SPEAKER_02 1:58:42

Because Lucy and I are big into Voldric right now. What if Voldric? I was thinking of him as a you know a puny weenie. Lucy opened my eyes to say maybe he's more powerful than that. It doesn't look like it. But maybe he's somehow mind controlling both of them to do his dirty work.

SPEAKER_06 1:59:02

Uh what do the books say, Janice?

SPEAKER_01 1:59:04

Oh, um, can you check these out?

SPEAKER_03 1:59:06

Yeah, Patch and Janice can both roll insight on the book. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 1:59:09

Oh, I got a natural twenty.

SPEAKER_01 1:59:10

Great. And I just did pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 1:59:12

Uh with the natural twenty and the pretty good. Um so we'll say first, uh we'll say that you take the ledger and you look at it pretty good. The ledger, you notice, uh, has a page torn out, uh, which means that the total cash that should be in the hotel cash box is unaccounted for. We don't know what was on that page, um, how much was taken in over the period on that page.

SPEAKER_06 1:59:33

What's the period on that page? Like how far does it go?

SPEAKER_03 1:59:35

Um it seems to be just like a relatively recent page, but like like from a couple weeks ago. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:59:41

Is it month over month or just like a daily ledger?

SPEAKER_06 1:59:43

Or like two weeks.

SPEAKER_03 1:59:44

Uh it's it's a daily ledger.

SPEAKER_01 1:59:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:59:46

It seems to be sort of taking one thing out of the sequence, so there could be however much or however little.

SPEAKER_01 1:59:52

Does the paper match do you still have that little corner?

SPEAKER_03 1:59:55

Uh yeah. The paper does not match that, but the paper does seem to match the diary. Uh the diary has a log of operations in the hotel. As you read, you get the sense that Baldrick is a little bit of a busybody. Um, he seems to be including in this diary like a lot of personal business about his guests. You see, he goes uh uh on one page, Roll and Raina, dash, found pills in their room. Interesting. They seem to like pills. They ha he has this for a couple of people. He says, you know, Boris, inflated sense of his children's worth, looking to be booked elsewhere, but uh unable to get a bite. You see that the page from about a month ago is torn out. And after that it gets professional as fuck. Like he's not really talking much about Nerva. He's not really he doesn't say anything about the arrival of Katya. He goes, you know, guest uh arrived, zoologist, that's it. Something changed for him a month ago.

SPEAKER_07 2:00:55

Ware Valdric!

SPEAKER_01 2:00:56

You think Valdric's the werewolf?

SPEAKER_07 2:00:58

Maybe he's a were man. What changed between What? Maybe something took over him. He looks different. Or he sounds different in these pages.

SPEAKER_01 2:01:05

Or maybe now he's being threatened.

SPEAKER_07 2:01:07

By who? Katya.

SPEAKER_06 2:01:10

Why? Or the person that came a month ago.

SPEAKER_01 2:01:12

Nerva?

SPEAKER_06 2:01:13

Katya came two weeks ago, she said. Oh. That would have been Nerva who came a month ago. Nerva came a month ago.

SPEAKER_01 2:01:19

Maybe he's just afraid of God. Nerva is the high weaver.

SPEAKER_06 2:01:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:01:23

You hear a knock on the door. Sorry, it's just me, it's it's Yemma. Oh.

SPEAKER_01 2:01:28

Oh hi. Come on in. Yeah, come in.

SPEAKER_03 2:01:31

She comes in and she closes the door behind her. I don't know if I should be here right now, but you all are trustworthy and I I need you to hear this.

SPEAKER_06 2:01:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 2:01:39

Nerva's a werewolf. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:01:41

Oh, I mean, no, but she's but she's not. Yes. Yes. Is she a good werewolf? I n she is so good. She is so she came out here specifically to be away from the city, to be away from other people. She has locked herself up. She got out a couple nights ago, but not last night.

SPEAKER_07 2:01:58

That must have been the um Oh, that must be what we saw on the road.

SPEAKER_03 2:02:02

I I I promise you she is innocent.

SPEAKER_07 2:02:04

I believe you. Thank God.

SPEAKER_02 2:02:06

And you say you were with her last night.

SPEAKER_03 2:02:07

I I was. I I was asleep. I can't guarantee that she stayed in her chains, but I know her. She got out. Was she here? I don't I'm I'm almost she was in her chains in the morning. She was in her change when I went to sleep. Sh and if if something happened, if she had broken out, she would have told me.

SPEAKER_01 2:02:23

Does Valdrick know that she's does anyone else know?

SPEAKER_07 2:02:26

Is anyone else a werewolf? Is anyone else a werewolf? Nice.

SPEAKER_01 2:02:31

I don't know, but I I I maybe maybe if he found out, I don't know. Well, we also found out that uh there's two druids here.

SPEAKER_03 2:02:39

That can wild shape.

SPEAKER_01 2:02:40

That can wild shape.

SPEAKER_03 2:02:41

Okay, so maybe that has something to do with it.

SPEAKER_01 2:02:44

Well, either somebody knows and is trying to frame them, or it's just a coincidence.

SPEAKER_06 2:02:49

Does anyone know like anyone wouldn't be coming to hurt her?

SPEAKER_03 2:02:53

No, I mean she she she was bitten like a month ago. Oh yeah. By who? Who bit her? She was doing some like work out in the farther reaches around the the mountains around Ariaks. And, you know, she was attacked and she survived, but that meant that she contracted like anthropy, so she made her way here looking for me to try to, you know, I'm all I'm always around. I'm around it any anywhere there's a theater, I'm around. Sure. And you know, she was she transformed that first night, but we kept her hidden, we put together a contingency kit, we Does she know what she does?

SPEAKER_02 2:03:26

Does she have any memory of what happens the night before?

SPEAKER_03 2:03:29

That's the hard thing if she doesn't. You know, I we weren't gonna tell you, but I think that it's probably better to tell you. You're on the up and up, and I I I I don't think that she's guilty. Give her a fair shake.

SPEAKER_02 2:03:39

Yeah, I b I b I think we believe you. I think we're just trying to figure out the the what happened.

SPEAKER_01 2:03:45

Yeah, what the hell can you help us too? Um Did anything particular happen on this day? Like, and I show the log where I'm like, Aldric went from being a uh gossipy bitch to uh a pretty uh professional person with uh this day.

SPEAKER_03 2:04:01

She goes looks at it and goes, That's the first night that um she stayed in the cabin. That was her first full night here. Did she turn that night? Uh yeah, but sh I watched her all that night. She did not leave.

SPEAKER_02 2:04:13

Maybe he saw it too.

SPEAKER_06 2:04:14

But why wouldn't he tell someone? Maybe he did tell someone. Maybe he told Katya, and that's why Katya came. To hunt her. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 2:04:23

Maybe she doesn't know who it is. She's just guessing. Why kill Boris?

SPEAKER_03 2:04:27

You hear another knock on the door.

SPEAKER_07 2:04:29

Yes!

SPEAKER_03 2:04:29

Sorry, um uh it's Voldric. Uh may I come in? I guess. Yeah. He he he he opens the door and he goes, uh I I want to uh inform you that uh you will not have to worry anymore for your safety, Master Rex. We have cracked it and we will be rectifying the situation. You're all good to um enjoy your evening. Uh please. Uh we haven't cracked it. What happened?

SPEAKER_08 2:04:51

What?

SPEAKER_03 2:04:52

Uh well uh uh I was looking back at uh I I thought maybe it would be good for me to good for me to investigate as well, in addition to you, and I found I I went into that high priestess's room. And I you won't believe what I found. You see, he holds out a pair of snowy boots. Oh guys. And why is there still snow on him? He also holds out uh a key for that empty room. These were both in Nerva's room.

SPEAKER_07 2:05:21

How do we know that? How do we know you didn't just find them in your room and bring them out here?

SPEAKER_03 2:05:25

Please rest assured, we're we are sending our best, our our most skilled combatants right now to Nerva. We will have this rectified and you will be saved.

SPEAKER_07 2:05:36

Well, let's run to the I wanna look out the window. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:05:40

You look out the window and you see uh uh Katya and uh you know Katya looking determined and Bale just looking kind of commanded walking towards Yemma's cabin.

SPEAKER_02 2:05:51

We gotta go. No! Tell him to stop. Yeah, tell him to stand down.

SPEAKER_03 2:05:55

You see, Valdric goes, I apologize, but we seem to have ample evidence that she is a werewolf.

SPEAKER_06 2:06:00

Okay, Patch might run out the door and I cast I cast uh a sorcerer's burst at Katya.

SPEAKER_03 2:06:07

Great. Um, so the window open, you're on the second floor. Yeah, you shoot a sorcerer's burst out, and Janet, you're jumping out the window.

SPEAKER_01 2:06:16

Jumping out the window.

SPEAKER_03 2:06:16

Patch, what are you doing?

SPEAKER_05 2:06:17

I guess I'll carefully climb down.

SPEAKER_03 2:06:20

Start clambering down.

unknown 2:06:21

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_10 2:06:22

I want to punch Valdrick in the face.

SPEAKER_03 2:06:24

Hell yeah. As you rear back to punch Valdrick in the face, that's where we're gonna end the session. It all makes sense now.

SPEAKER_05 2:06:38

So good. I've got goosebumps.

SPEAKER_03 2:06:40

So uh we'll talk about it more next episode and uh also on the talkback, which is available on our Patreon. Thank you to all our Patreon. So many things to do. Uh uh, but thank you all so much for listening. We love you so, so, so much. Uh, do we have anything? Oh, please, uh, if you haven't already, we love reviews, comments. Yeah, um, anything you have, uh please leave it. It it very much helps uh kind of grow the podcast so that other people who are listening can see that other people listen. Yes. Um we're getting good numbers, uh, but uh when we see when there's that engagement, it makes us look more professional.

SPEAKER_02 2:07:18

And if you do, if you do review it, we'll uh we'll promise to try to talk about survival next week. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:07:23

We will just comment down your survival and um ask us what ours is. And we'll we'll answer you next week.

SPEAKER_00 2:07:30

We'll definitely think about it.

SPEAKER_01 2:07:31

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:07:32

Well, thank you all so much for listening.

SPEAKER_02 2:07:45

Hey listeners, thanks so much for listening. I wanted to give some shout-outs to uh some wonderful people. Caroline Petroff did our cover art. Uh, you can find her at Hellafafe Fever on Instagram, Tony Brofie did our theme song, and you can find him at Anthony Broke. Our podcast was edited by uh Chloe O'Donnell. Chloe also plays uh Patch Meast. You can find them at Chloe.donnell on Instagram. Spencer Wilden is the DM. You can find him at SpencerWilton, Janet Apollon, who's kind of like a curmudgeon guy. Uh he's played by Shane Jordan, who's not a curmudgeon guy. You can find uh him at xJordanX2, Lucy May Knott, who is uh pretty cool, he's played by uh another pretty cool person, Sterekrenich. Uh, you can find them at Sterik underscore Katrenich, and then you can find me, the Donistrax, aka Matt Warren, at WarMarin. Thanks so much, GoMogus.

SPEAKER_01 2:08:44

Hey folks, welcome to the end of our show, where we have to offer X photo to our Patreon Titans of Elspar. First up, we have Emily R, who overheard Patch's word puzzle and solved it almost immediately. Next up, we have Jamie, the only person who liked the Twin Flames performance. Damien, who keeps leaving one-star reviews for the Olive Guard Inn, even though he's never stayed there. Phoebe, a priest of the trickster god Phoenix, who had to run around on foot and tell everybody about Patch's secret. Catherine, the other orphan that Lucy grew up with, who saw Lucy cutting that girl's hair. And finally, Kevin, a bellhop at the Olive Guard Inn, who was stuck on the other side of the tunnel when it collapsed. Thank you again for listening. Head over to our Patreon for more exclusive content, and we will see you next time in Elfbar.

SPEAKER_03 2:09:40

Yeah, well, currently you're in a room that has one big bed that is heart-shaped.

SPEAKER_05 2:09:44

We're in a honeymoon suite. We're in that big bed together, right? No, I'm on an Ottoman. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 2:09:48

Patch. Let me draw an Ottoman onto the map of that room.

SPEAKER_06 2:09:51

Um What kind of pants are they wearing? The Ottoman. No, the Ottoman. Yeah. From the Ottoman Empire. It's a robot. What kind of pants? No.

SPEAKER_10 2:10:04

It can't all be winners because I was thinking like automaton Ottoman.

SPEAKER_06 2:10:10

Oh, Automan, yeah. I was thinking, you know, 19th, 18th century empire. I'm on a footstool.

SPEAKER_04 2:10:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 2:10:17

And you were And what kind of pants? Size seven.