Adventure - DeliveryScene - Enemy at the GateThe team deals with a problem familiar to all parents - what to do with the baby when you want to go out on the town..Actual Play starts at 15:54
Knights of the Night
KOTN Actual Play Podcast 91: "Delivery - Enemy at the Gate"
(upbeat music) - Hello, and welcome to Night to the Night Actual Play Podcast. This Dresden File Story delivery was written and run by your GM Tom. And now, please enjoy episode 91, titled, Enemies at the Gate. (upbeat music) - All right, before we get started, I'm gonna look at the few seconds to go through. First, thank you. College, I saw our hands from being over late with a place in the podcast. The ingredients were late with the podcast, as I didn't get around to editing. A little bit of this work was pretty crazy, but the other one was that this past weekend, we went to a gathering. Disks and dice run by Pete Fick Treaty of the ruthless diastema podcast. The whole family went myself. Roberto/John and Thomas/Maxwell, along with my wife, my two daughters, and my youngest son who doesn't play with us. The youngest son had a really great time. He got to be in a larp. He was involved killing bandits with Nerf guns, and a sword fight with big, huge weapons and shields. - Oh, I've sort of loved it. - Oh, he did. - He laughs. - Well, we got quite lots of different games. We played Dread, Mouse, Guard. Played D-Day dice. Thomas and I played that with Pete and one of his students. He had a lot of students there. Anyways, really fun time we're planning going next year as well, and thanks for that, Pete. - Okay, class, let's start. How many of you did the reading for today? (laughing) All right, good. When you play games, you learn. You write, you read, you count, you act, you imagine. You learn social skills. You decide to become an expert in something you'd never been interested in before, simply by gaming. You know what else? Games are fun, and I dare say, awesome. I'm Pete Fictree inviting you to join me in my exploration of gaming in the classroom, gaming with my school gaming club, and gaming with my very own kids. Listen to the ruthless, I asked him to game this podcast. I'm learning a lot from teaching with game. - To get on to the feedback, on Facebook page, we had one mention this week, and that was not really a post per se, but I put up the pictures that were mentioned in the last episode, which had to do with the sewer giant sewer break. Did you get him here? Can't see it in. In the picture, for scale, was John, who plays Roberto, and he wasn't really good. I actually had him stand right in front of the door because he's farther back on this walkway onto it. - I think that big door made him look smaller. - Indeed, 'cause one of the fans said that John looked surprisingly young. John's actually looking the other way, you can't see his face, it's just his body shit, and John's 22, but he just looked young in there. - And for our fans, John is not short by any stretch of imagination. He's actually relatively tall. How tall are you, John? - Five, 10? - Five, 10, five, 11. - Five, he's not. - Sure. - 10 and five. - 10, wow. - Five to 10 and a half. (laughs) - Would be five, 10. - Yeah, but then you can say five, 10, twice. - Right, that's true. It's more fun that way. - But anyways, it was Brayton Astell, who said he sounds like one of the older members of the podcast when he talks. Then he hopes that John's going to play the World of Darkness game with-- - You've told me someday. - Because John is the one that always cracks him up, so he enjoys his flight. So John's got to play. - Yeah, no, Sarah. - John's right, sends a few more. - I think John doesn't tend to join us for the World of Darkness when we get around to that. Our RPG cross talk website had a couple of posts that I kind of dropped the ball on and didn't mention them last time we did feedback, so that's my bet. One of them is from just a quick message from PA IP. He's mentioned he sent messages before, and this was having to do with episode 87 deal or no deal. And that is the one where Roberto goes back and decides to take on the ghoul king. And he says, king off some of your discussions about actual play style. I listened to three actual play podcasts. The first runs long and has a lot of table chatter, but it works for me because of the extreme contrast between the players, all sweeties, and the characters supposedly hardasses. The second is long but edited and is Skype based with the players from around the world. And as a result, there's almost a complete identity between the player and the characters. Even when they take a break from the main campaign and play under different rules, it's almost as though the main campaign characters are playing the game. The third is of course KOTN, and my impression here is of an acting troupe. You know, the players aren't the characters after all, and the guys playing Hamlet now was playing Mercurio last night, it's a lot of death, sorry. - Six figure fans are gonna. - Yeah, they're gonna cringe. Oh, you'll hear about it, I'd probably will. But the professionalism of the performance helps you suspend the disbelief, which simultaneously allows you to admire the quality of the acting. A difference and perhaps richer experience, but don't let your head swell, P-A-I-P. - How come one to be at? - I know, London's can't get to the door anymore. - It's swelling. - But I thanked him and asked him if there was perhaps a more pronounceable name that we could call him or her by. - Right. - In which he said, "It doesn't exactly trip off "the tongue I agree." How about Peter? The commentator foam really known as P-A-I-P. - Probably not a woman. - Well, we wanna thank Peter for making us one of his three podcasts that he listens to. That's kind of awesome to hear. - Pretty damn high praise. - It was, and I'm glad that he, it's interesting that each one of his has a different style, 'cause people tend to gravitate to one style they enjoy. Kind of neat that he has three different styles and is able to find something worthwhile in each of them. So, that's something back to him as well. Don't let your head swell though, Peter. - Yeah. (laughs) - The other bit of feedback we had from the website, and this is actually in reference all the way back to inner voices from shitlock. Oh, dear God, the episode part is still listening. - Yeah, somebody listed and posted under episode 37 because it was about episode 37. And there were other posts under there from Rocket, among others, and but this one was new and it was from Dressed. This was his only post on RPG crosstalk so far. So, thanks for signing up there, Dressed, apparently, to leave this message to us. And he said, "Having found your podcast only recently, "I began listening to shitlock from the beginning." Oh, excuse me, from the B-ginning. (laughs) After listening to episode 37, Inner Voices, I wanted to write to say thank you and well done for creating such a wonderful episode. The sound effects of the hard-cooked brain voice made the spirit's presence palpable. I was looking forward to discovering what further pleasant surprises the series has in store. I'm also excited to hear that you were thinking about returning to the World of Darkness once you include the delivery line story. I would love to hear a KOTN story set to know World of Darkness where the players are monsters and not the heroes. Having said all that, please don't feel chained to the World of Darkness. I know that I would enjoy KOTN podcasts whether you did bunnies and burrows or Wraith, the oblivion. And that was for those both things, Dressed. Bunnies and burrows are actually is a RPG, but-- - And Wraith, the oblivion is actually old World of Darkness. It's just like the iteration of the game before this new World of Darkness iteration. - It is the equivalent of bunnies and burrows in order to-- - No, it is absolutely on the diometrical end of-- - Oh, so that was-- - Yes, he was going A to Z there. - Gotcha. - Thematically. - Yes, the medically. So yeah, give it time because is there morality slides down the scale or they could always get bit or have an infection of some sort. So monsters, we don't have to necessarily play a different system in order for themselves. - That's true, I just stick it to monstrosity. - I can never imagine playing a vampire. - Just not. - Doesn't appeal to you. - What about it? - It was where we are. - Right. - Like crazy, where we can-- - Yeah, I guess they have to read the book. - Will they continue being playable characters after that? - It's the whole idea. The whole idea of vampire is to try to hang on-- - I realize they have-- - Your shreds of humanity kind of thing. - They have their own settings within the-- - Yeah, and the idea is to have them be playable characters and to investigate what it's like to be in a vampire's case. - I thought the idea was you started like that. I didn't know a human could turn into that and then go to a different rule book for all the vampire stuff. - Right, yeah, absolutely. You could be bit or changed in some way, whether it be, or you know, you all can just be a bunch of-- - Corpses. - Of-- - No, that's a lot of fun. - I do, right? - I mean, what's the changeling? Oh, you could be a bunch of fetches, which are basically, like a child is stolen into the fey, which is really a good term. And then a fetch is put in its place, which is basically-- - Is that like the never, never? - No, it's nothing at all like that. And the fetch, you know, thinks it's real, but actually it's just a facsimile of the person that was stolen to appease the parents of the stolen child. So you wake up and see yourself 20 years later and you're not actually the real you. - Right. - Cool stuff like that. - That's mostly changeling. - That's changeling. - Yeah. - This is its own story and it's gonna have its own arc. So there might be some monstrosity involved, but I guess we'll see as it goes along. But thanks very much for the comments. We appreciate it. - Yes, there is not a review for iTunes, but a update that someone did to their iTunes review. - Appreciate it. - Which by the way, is James York backwards, which explains why it's an unusual name. Updated his iTunes review, it's still five stars, but on July 18th, he said I'm now up to date with the current campaign and I've circled back to listen to the first campaign set in a white wolf world of darkness. Shit luck campaign. I enjoyed this story, a great deal as well. It's awesome to hear how the audio quality has changed over almost two years. - Which is, that's scary. - Yeah, it's improved the great deal. Kudos to Tom for that. - Kudos. - Right. - So thank you for the update and the change on the stack. - Right. It's a good sign to see that we're actually improving and our quality is getting better. - So thank you, James, we appreciate it. - Last thing we have, some comments from our KOTN blog, which is KOTN, podcast.com. And this was in reference to the last episode we released was Let's Make a Deal. We're London spends the majority of the episode drunk, which tends to make him even more annoying than normal. - The usual one. - The comment was from Jasper. He gave us five out of five stars. You can do that on iTunes, by the way, Jasper, just saying. Thanks dude. His comment was, hey guys, just got started listening to KOTN, episode four. - Not? - Really sure what he means by that. 'Cause if you want it all the way back-- - If you want it all the way back to four, that would be like the-- - No, that's the one. - But that's-- - Or the fourth shit. - Luck. - Or actually the-- - Well, episode four would be shit luck. I mean, honestly. - Yeah, I was just wondering what your episode was. - Yeah, I'm not sure either, sorry Jasper, but if you want it all the way back, right, enjoy. But he also says, I love it and it's amazing and I hope you don't stop soon. I have just finished putting them out on my iPad and now I'm gonna smash them out so I can get caught up to date to do so. Even if that's just dressing in that's dedication, it's a lot of episode. - Yeah, it's a lot of episodes. - Direct. - And thank you. - We're always glad to have a new listener and excited to have you on board and feel free to comment as you get more involved with the storyline. - And before we go to the adventure, well, since we're on the KOTN podcast cycle, it reminds you, if you got a chance, use the Amazon link there, we get some money from it. It helps defer the costs for the monthly basis. And the vote, a little bit of action. The warden actually overtook Maxwell. - For third? - For third place, he got a vote. So he's 12 to your 11. - I'm hurt. - He hurts me. - He hurts me. - And Roberto got a vote, but London got three. So he is up. - If that for money to 18 as the race continues. - You're a dick and I take over a cool kingdom. How do you get three votes for that? - Because I'm a dick. - Because they always, I'm telling you, they always like Han Solo, man. - Well, now, what I find interesting is, you would think these are new listeners rather than someone who listens. - You gotta think, yeah. People just go back and change votes all the time. - They're going back to the beginning and they haven't got to the good stuff. So they've changed their vote later. - Yeah, I don't think it's likely. - It's gonna be, yeah, I don't really think we know where the votes are coming in, you know, what we can decide. - Yeah, we don't have a security center now. - Yeah, it's very fascinating. I thought the World Darkness vote was really, you know, fascinating, 'cause you would see on a week where someone would be the main character, like, you know, John was just talking about, I take over a cool kingdom, you know, usually you would see a big bump and I don't know why you didn't get a big bump because I thought taking over a cool kingdom was really cool. - 'Cause everyone who's impressed with that already voted for me. - There was a, there was a following right afterwards with the cop episode where you turned into a police car and a cop and the whole thing. - Which is funny because really, that should not have got you votes because the one who suggested that was Tom who plays Maxwell. And you, right after, and I actually cut these on and put it at the end of it. Tom was just like, oh, we should turn into a cop car. And you go, that's a great idea. - Not, and then you do it. - And then we do it and you have laughs doing it and Tom was actually going, did you say that it was a really stupid idea and what the end of it was? - I remember that happening, but what was my answer? What do you say? - You just got to laugh them off, right? - They didn't really acknowledge it. But to tell you the truth, the idea came from everybody. You know, Tom has first suggested something and then Mike-- - He had to spark them up. - And look at him, put in, make it a swab dance, I think. And then maybe even it was John Roberta who said we should pull their ass over. You know, so it was like a joint effort where everybody was, first it was just high from them and then it was, oh, we can actually get some information here. None of it was your idea, but you could only credit it. - Well, you know, you'll probably be thinking that first, no way, and then you'll think that my character's drunken in a mood. So yeah, I'm gonna do it. - Right, that was probably the way it played out. And I also think that I don't need people to vote for the idea. I think they vote for the role-playing aspect. And I think that's gonna be why I got three votes and John got one last week, if it was from that episode, specifically, which because mine had more role-playing, John's was more combat-related. And I don't think, even though he did a really cool thing, which was take over a goal kingdom and it has obviously major complications as the story goes on. - There was so much social conflict with the whole thing. - There wasn't a lot of ability for you to shine role-playing-wise. And I think that's usually what people vote on is when someone, like when Bob sprayed the raid in his ear during a shitlock, stuff like that aspect, that dynamic he had with Tammy, it was just, it got him votes left right in sideways 'cause it was just such a role-playing head. I think people vote role-playing 'cause it's all, they really have more than dice or number. - Oh, so, and again, that's the end of the feedback on our mind, everybody. We are heading in towards the end of this particular story. We'd love to hear questions that you have for the players, for the GM, comments on the storyline, anything. Because also, to tell you the truth, we're coming up on our 100th episode. I'm pretty sure the way it's gonna work out is it's gonna be our feedback from Dresden or right after that that we hit our 100th episode. - Cool. - So we'd love to hear any kind of questions that people have. - We're gonna have the live collars on that episode. - Yes, and we're gonna do a video instead of a audio. - And have a big giveaway. - We'd all have to clip a giveaway. - Large green TV. - And Wil Wheaton will be here. - Yes. - All of that is a lie. So, with that, we will now go on to the adventure. - All right, everybody got their fake points. If you wanna adjust your character in any way, you're allowed to do that. This is a minor milestone. And then it will be the end. My name is Tom. I am the GM of this, Joseph and Kate's File delivery. And starting at my left, the players are. - John Plink, Roberto Martinez, Guardian of Cleveland, powered by a fallen angel and judicious leader of the Undercity Goals. - Ooh, the high aspect just got longer. - Well, it's not really the high aspect, but it's gonna change high concept. - But, of course. - Thomas playing Maxwell Edison and undercover FBI agent. - Mike playing Alan Montgomery, the new Warden in town. Scott playing London Deals, a moral seer to the supernatural. - Jim playing Edmund Shodowski, Private Investigator in New World Blackcourt Empire. - Okay. - One's in an eye just stepped out of the elevator, having a conversation on the phone with-- - Ah, that's right. - Abigail was interested in the orchid, but she was somewhat interested in screwing her sister over, but she wasn't gonna do a big, huge deal over the phone. She wanted things in person, so. - The reason I laughed was because on the car ride home, John was discussing that he thought that you're-- - You're just talking way too much about that orchid. - You thought that orchid was a metaphor for something else in particular. - More like you were going to give Jim's character over to her was a gift. - Oh, I threw metaphor of something of power you were gonna give out. - I truly haven't thought about screwing Jim's character over. - Everybody else is. - Everyone else. - The amoral seer did not even think of it. - Well, the demon has in the soon to fall, the other Warden apparently has. - I'm not gonna turn him over in chains. (laughing) - I'm just saying, I'm not gonna betray you. - You've been in Cleveland, Mr. Warden. - You've seen that, you know, this city can cause you to do dark things without you wanting to do it. - Sure. - All I have to say is, I honestly never even cross my mind as a player or as a character. - Well, first of all, I think everyone else. - No, I don't think to defend myself a little bit here, my, I wasn't planning to turn him over and trust up like a pig in that to win over Abigail's. I was coping to say, look, this is an opportunity to work with Ed to get an ally to say, look, his very existence is something that could help you, that's a huge bargaining chip. It wasn't meant to destroy Ed or destroy all black vampires, other than in a positive way to cure the disease, not destroy the disease. Ed made it very clear that he was not a fan of that idea, but I don't think based on what I remember, it wasn't that he wasn't a fan of the idea, he was a fan of, it was my idea. - Yeah, he's not a fan of anyone knowing that he exists. - I love it, I'm sure I'll discuss him without asking me. - I don't trust him, it has nothing to do with you or being a fan of whatever or trying to cure whatever. I'm, I'm dead set that if they knew about me, they will kill me, cut me out. - To be clear, I'm sorry, can I just clarify this? - I said, I said either one. - You knew about you personally or of your mere existence. - Yeah, what if we just gave a vile blood and said, this can solve everything? - Could we get into a room and discuss this rather than-- - Okay, let's do that, we'll actually do one character. You guys are a few floors below everyone else and by you guys I mean London and Roberto. And the rest of you go up to the top four, you get out of Jim's establishment, you have, oh that's right, we have the secretary. - Yes, we did, half the secretary. - You have the secretary, shena is there with the baby, it is getting kind of late in the day and she'd like to go home boss as much as she thinks she's a cute adorable child, is just so lovely, I got a life. - Is the trouble acting freakishly weird? - Yeah, you're enjoying the Mia, have we? - No. - You're at the same floor as, so you may ask that question and if we're in the machine and she says no, as far as she can tell, child's been acting pretty much like an infant, I mean she never had her own image, but she has relatives and whatnot and it seems just to be a normal time. - She's in a chain. - And she's in a chain. - I'm also asking based on what we just saw and what we came from, from the safe house. Was there anything weird or unusual that might have occurred some odd smells or sounds or was the baby reacting to maybe something that wasn't there? - A sudden smell of brimstone and the baby's eyes open up and it goes, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. - You know what I'm saying? - No, she, she had, she was keeping an eye on the baby the whole time, then she did not notice any unusual behavior at all. - Cool. - I think very much, in color, have what do you mean? - Sure thing, I'll be-- - Sorry, I had to stick you with the eyes. (laughing) - Actually, to let the audience know he was actually pointing at London, not the baby. She tells me that she will be in normal time tomorrow morning and have a good night boss and she leaves. That leaves you guys alone in your building. - Oh, great time for ambush. - And you guys I suppose, London, and you're done with your conversation a few minutes later, get in the elevator, go up and-- - Yeah, I went back to that conversation with the rest of the group because, I mean, we had an exo, so yes. - I say boss, is it alright if I try to convince Shadowski before we, so we don't, it's not a surprise to him, so we don't betray him. - You know, I think we should lay all our cards on the table, and then if we need to betray him later on, we can't keep you aware of it first? - Yeah, as I'm saying, we lay all our cards on the table and then if we need to-- - So we're in the elevator on the way up to the floor, you guys are out. - So we're all hearing this? - No, we're in the elevator. - You guys are on the floor, boss. - So we lay it out there, we see what everyone's ideas are and then if he needs to be clubbed at the back of the head and we need to draw a vial of blood and it needs to happen, but let's hope that he can see a greater purpose here for everyone involved. Do you wanna protect his anonymity? I would prefer having worked with him before and having somewhat, I have an affection for the man. I think that we should try not to sell him out. I think we should try to get him involved and get on the team and only in the most direst of circumstances will we sell him out, but yes, we will sell him out. - The elevator rides to the floor. - You wanna satisfy take anyways? - Stuff out for standing in the elevator. - Gentlemen, little annoying thing. - What's the call about? - So I've just got our phone with the dearest Abby and we are meeting for dinner. As many of us as we would like. I have a standing reservation at XO where I can just call in. There's a back room for private negotiations. Anyways, if you'd like to join us. - Like everyone? - Yes, like everyone. We're our team, right? - Who's gonna watch the baby? - We're gonna walk. - Yeah, now that we've gotten her, I don't think we will make me exposed with her, right? - I don't know if you could silence the child for the duration, but your image on the child? - Yeah, it can be a briefcase. You could put a silent spell on the damn thing, which you should have done about an app hour ago. - Look at me for this briefcase. - Three men in a fucking suitcase. (laughing) - What's in the suitcase? - Whoa, whoa. - No, silent spell. It won't even make a noise. - This is not a great idea. - It's not, no, it's not out of our, it's not out of our sight that. We can, I guess, split up. - Well, I don't wanna split up again. Now let me talk about that together, but now that we've extracted and got the increasingly to a safe place, and we've just said the secretary of home. - I'm just a messenger, so however you wanna handle this fine, my suggestion would be to put a seaming on the child and put a silent spell on it, please God. - And take it with us and all of us go. - It's extremely amoral of your image. - Gag the baby. - Of course. - Gag the baby and bring her along for crying out. - Just as a quick reminder, you were followed, you lost that tail. When you arrived here, you saw another car sitting up on the side of the building, watching it dance on, but it's watching you, Cleveland Clinic, obviously, is the choice because you did your whole, you got the information very effectively last week. But, standing to baby with the secretary, there are players in this city that play well, is what I'm saying. - I was thinking about finding an alternate way out of here that doesn't involve any of the exits that are watched. - Oh, it's what, guys, please, the baby flashed that badge. - Yeah. - Hey, quick. - I'll go, what is there a reason why-- - If it's we're in downtown, you think there'd be an interconnected tunnel to another building or some way we can get out without it. - But, again, we don't even have this issue if we put a seeming on the thing. - I was gonna be saying, 'cause you're talking about the, I don't think we wanna take the baby back out into the city. - You wanna keep it here? - Sure, yes. - Right. - And I have no problem standing guard duty for the baby, for the duration of this studio station. - You don't mind not meeting with the radio? - Well, no, I thought, well, I don't know the details. - I think you, what are you doing? - I did say that I had a dinner at a reservation. - I brought it up. - I had a dinner reservation with Abigail. - And that was me dropping a defeated note. - In sections past, you might have forgotten. But in sections past, I didn't say we could use her as a counter-leaver to constant. So you might just have forgotten. - Right, but did you hear it? - Our minor year award, which means you have access to the White Council. To expediate this a little bit, I'm saying, as a potential, maybe you can open a gateway, step through, step through to the center where the White Council is, hand the baby over and have them watch it. - Do I have anyone I can call a favor into? - I'm just saying, get you back in the moment, and you're here to do this job. If you were bringing them a key part of that job, I'm sure they'll guard it for you. - I imagine that you do have friends on the White Council. - My knowledge, some you trust much more than others. - Then I will take advantage of that relationship and call it a favor. - I thought the meeting with Abigail was something other than mine, what I wanted to talk to her about, based on last time we met her. - This may be the only time we met her, so. - I don't think we have free access to Abigail any time you want, this may be your one shot at her. - You're right, I actually have your discussion of what's gonna be discussed there, but I would like you to be there as well as everybody else. I don't want to see. - Is this for response to London had acted as the ongoing to request a meeting with her? With me, this is only a deal. - Your character has no idea because he did this all on the floor below. Your character can feel free to ask him and he can share what he wants with what he talked to Abigail about, so dope. - Okay, so, why are you meeting with Abigail? - I thought that she could potentially be a good counter-leader in our, you keep on talking about burning in reinforcements and having some way to counter consensus power, which obviously she has. - Right. - I could think of a better person to counter that force than her sister. So what I want to do is try to, with your help, of course, try to draw Abigail in as a not so much equal partner as a whitting co-conspire. - Any of my enemy? - Yes. - Yes, my friend. That's the best way I could put it. - Or the best way you could put it that I can agree with. - Then may I spend a fake point to have that contact on the council to some of that I trust and ensure that I can easily get access back to Janice? - No, I think that's just a natural thing of your character. - Sure. - Sure. - I mean, you're not a new warden. - Right. - You've been around. There's gotta be someone that you can trust. If you want to, at some point, rearrange one of your aspects to give it more meaning so that you can have a more powerful contact, that's up to your character, but-- - All right, then, do we just assume that I open a gator, should I roll for all that? - Yeah, let's not complicate this. Let's just say you and your efforts. - Okay. And maybe-- - What I would want is you would have to open two gates, one here to go into the never-never, a second to never-never to jump to where you want to go. So it's just like a shortcut you're taking. - Right. - So it costs you two stress points as far as-- - Well, I was going to do this alone, but when you said that partner reminded me that I have to travel through the never-never with child, it would probably do best to take somebody, guys. - Right. - I tell everyone that I need to, I'm gonna get her to a different place. - Of course. - You know, Ed, you've been great in doing the emergency safe house stuff, but I think we need to get her to a little bit more secure spot. - Holy great, especially if we're gonna be doing stuff without that. - Right. So I need to take a quick jump through the never-never. I know London's not a fan, so I'm doubting her. - I gotta take a dump anyway, so. - He doesn't even like the name. - Okay, that's-- - That takes coming back out of character. - Where is it going exactly? To the center? - Yeah, where is it? It's in some place. - It's in Edinburgh. - I didn't go to Edinburgh. - You could go to a, like, a sporting outpost where they have-- - Yeah, I mean, you could do it a way. Either you're going to Edinburgh where the major wants a bit more trust or you're going to a warden in another city that you know and trust and feel safe with. - Chicago? - Which would be-- - Chicago, Chicago, sure. If you want to throw in at Dresden, Reverend, sure, go for it. - I can't trust it. - Which would be closer. - I'm telling you to bring this baby to Dresden is probably the worst decision you could ever make. - Sure, you could do that. - Second worst? - Second worst is to trust London with a secretary or a child. - I've read a Dresden called Mike Goodmont. - That's all of it? - If you do. - Yeah, we're going to start dropping names. - Yeah, sure. - Oh, I'm stepping up. - Okay. - I can go with it. - I probably are-- - Yeah. - I'll be approved. - All right. - Probably throw us eye contact or go with me. - Do you want to take it to the never, never, ever been? - Ever been. - Could. - Do I need to bring anything else? - Discons. - You guys are appropriate to the never, never, ever. - I'm going to put you here. - Well, this is going to be, hopefully, a quick run there and back again, Matt. All right, so the four of us, you, Alan, are taking Maxwell, Unroop, Berto, and Janice, the child. - And Evan. - Are you going with him? - Yes. - Okay. So London's by himself. So set. - Can't buy him. - Well, I don't think he need me. I can hang out. - No, I-- - It's my job to be as a bodyguard. Someone needs to go with him. If that's the case, he's not going to come with us. There's no way to make London come with us, right? - No. - All right. - I don't want him to be able to-- - Berto was begging for a fake point by hitting his bodyguard, so-- - There was shit. - I was like, really sure. - No, but that's fine. - All right. - You're missing all the fun. - And then, without a problem, you open a gate and cross over it from Cleveland to the never, never. The aspect of the never, never in Cleveland is a rather nasty bit of business. Where exactly are you going? - How about in this case the-- - How about where you came from at the Bahamas? - Oh, even Bahamas, you replaced one of us. - You know what, maybe that's a good one. - Yeah, go to where I know what the-- - And who is your replacement of the Bahamas? - You will be a Russian and-- - Bruce Case. - If you do well with me. - Yeah, definitely. - And his name-- - Your name will be-- - Is Vetlana. - Is Vetlana? - You're leaving it with Vetlana-- - Is it Vetlana? - What happened to Wilson's score? - Yes, is Vetlana. - Is Vetlana? - You cross over in the never, never, and you've been here before as a warden. You have never seen such rugged and wild terrain. The foliage is vicious, thorn, nasty, overgrown, very difficult to travel. - And my knowledge of the aspect of the never, never reflects on the location and the right. And in fact, as you travel away from where you entered in a direction you know you have to go to get the opening to the Bahamas, you come upon a humongous barrier wall that you're beginning to think it represents the Emerald necklace around Cleveland. And you must somehow traverse this, okay? - Two really quick go to the other players. London and Roberto, you guys are doing what? You have a few hours before the meeting. - Well, we raided the bar, yeah, the bar. - Again, damn it. - Might as well. - And then like, where does, where does Edmond put that key? Oh, here it is. - 'Cause you could find virtually anything. - Right. - Like that. - About an hour after raiding his bar, we leave via a emergency exit, into an alley, or just trying to be stealthful about it. 'Cause that's gonna require either a stealth roll or both of you doing some kind of glamor to avoid the guys that are watching the build. - Yeah, I'll do a seeming just to make us invisible as we're departing. - Okay. - I rolled a plus two on my fudge dice discipline. So it went from a superb to a-- - Yeah, I thought you were a sequel. - Epic. - So an epic glamor of, yeah, of a minor veil. - What happened to lay our cars down on the table? We never, there were no cars in the no table. They decided they wanted to take the kid, so yeah, there was no car, no table, but hopefully they'll arrive at the restaurant before sheetups. - We need to bring that up to-- - Yes. - At the form. - Yeah. - News was an epic veil, you said? - Yeah. - I hold that for a period of time until we're well out of the distance, the radius, 'cause I think John Q's is probably gonna get about three blocks from EXO. - I rolled a minus three on their alertness, or two in-- - They obviously weren't covering the alley. - Yeah, not these in particular, but first he had an epic roll. - It was unlikely that they were gonna spot through his veil, but they were one sleeping, and the other one wasn't watching at all. - EXO was about three blocks from-- - He was not used. - He was not used. - You know, the self funny, yeah, he was typing in a Twitter message. - And-- - I'm outside the building again tonight. - We'll walk you a block or two, and I'll drop the seat of the veil at that point, and we'll walk into EXO, I'll ask for the private suite for the evening, and myself and Roberto will have an appetizer. - Okay, they're very happy to see you. They haven't seen you in a while. You've got, obviously, been busy. - I'd let the matriody know to be looking for our four friends, our three friends, excuse me, they're gonna join us, and Abigail. - The baby's not a friend. - His Michael Cordova is the major deed that you've dealt with in the past, and he certainly knows who you are. - Big fan of Michael. - Michael's a-- - Yeah, he takes care of you. - He does, he recommended the good wines as well, so. - So Michael escorts you to your room, he says you will have your privacy, and will be on the lookout for your friends, and escort them in. - He'll bring you your favorite appetizer and wine. - Some water from my friend here with a hint of lemon. He doesn't drink it. - Roberto doesn't drink it. - He's your father at the Seattle Hall. - Yeah, he has him so far, so. - He must stay away, 'cause he might have a weakness 'cause his father's an alcoholic. So we go back to you guys in the never-never-being, again, Ellen Maxwell and Edmund. - Anyway, you wanna magically blast your way through this wall? - I'm thinking of a couple of things. First of all, is it a wall or a dome? - Yeah, here it's represented as actually a giant wall. - Okay. - It's not. I mean, science in a bit, but it's not a dome per se. - Okay. - So you could-- - So it's to keep things in as well as to keep things out. It's like, like the inside of a wall or a good defensive wall. - It actually seems like the wall is tilting inwards towards here, almost like the beginning of a dome. So it might be easier to get in than it would be out, but you are unfortunately in trying to get out. - Okay, just step out and then step back in. - Not really 'cause this is like, if I understand it correctly, it's a magical obstruction that's actually existing on. - The veil does exist in Cleveland, but it can be passed through it. - Right. And so here it is a physical impediment, which you could, you know, I'm not saying walk through it, but there may be paths through or it may be able to go over. There's nothing-- - Well, that's what I mean, and if you wanna do this quietly, do you wanna do this as fast as possible? - I think we're going for quick. - Going for quick, not stealth, do you agree? - That's fast, I don't think. - You know, they never never, it's how much more. - If you do, may I do a lower check to see if there's anything in particular about this barrier that I would know about even before I came here? - Sure. - Okay. - And my lower for this is great. I will roll my fudge. The fudge is a wash, so I have a great roll. - With great, you've had heard about the Cleveland Emerald Necklace, you haven't heard anything about the never-never-never aspect of it. - Okay. - You know, what we did design into it is that it's a giant magical shield that seems to rebound the magic back into Cleveland. Lots of evil magic, lots of evil city. - Okay. - But no indication of anyone ever encountering this barrier in the never-never. - Then-- - Not to say that it didn't exist, you just haven't heard it, but it wasn't a roll well enough to give you full knowledge of both sides of it. - Then using my lower, am I able to detect any thin spots or weak spots in the wall? Or maybe something that might have a crack or some kind of-- - Well, Laura's magic of this to you here looks physical. Investigation. - Pause. - Oh, so it's-- - Oh, so when I'm in the never-never-never it would be a physical-- - It's actually a phase layer and when you're in the physical world, it's magical, so. - Okay. - I kind of messed up, but yeah. - Use investigation commentary and see if I can find a quick way through it. - Okay. - Sure. - Well, remember how-- - I'm very invested. I want a plus four, am I superb investigation? - You are on the charge. - The tool is right here. - Call the eagle. - Hey. - We'll just fly it to the volcano. - There's a way to go through right there. - You find a pass. That it actually starts perpendicular to the wall, so it's difficult to see. It kind of slides in this way and then it's-- - It's a good labyrinth of the visual-- - It looks a little bit like one, but he sees clearly the path through. - It's kind of like a-- - It's fantastic. No, it's actually his-- - One above legendary. - One above legendary roll. You can see from this location, the path through. - Well, fine. - Averagely. - Lead the way. - Yeah, that is the way I work. - Good work, Ed. - All right, let's go to the door. - Again, we're working on a legendary roll. He leads you right through it without any problems whatsoever and you're on the opposite side of the wall and heading quickly in the direction of-- - You're short put to the Bahamas. - Man. - Am I supposed to use alertness to try to actively look for any type of threats? - No, alertness is passive, so-- - Oh, investigation is the-- - Investigation is actually active. - Well, if it's a long-term travel, are you constantly investigating-- - No, you're not. - I'm keeping my-- and I think everyone should keep their eyes out, but I'm looking for the signs of negative one in my fudge to take my fair investigation down to average. - I'm distracted, I'm carrying them. - What are we rolling? - We're rolling investigation as you travel along. - I never know, but it's easy if you encounter any kind of trap and you stumble as you. - That's a good roll. - You know, that was the opposite of your previous roll almost. Negative three. - That would be good. - Three negatives, but a positive. - So minus two, so good. - All right, nice to know. - All negative one on the fudge and my skill is great. So I rolled a good ball, yeah. - There is no trap for you to fall into as you're walking along, but what you guys that rolled the good, you don't notice that almost until it's too late, you hear people coming up behind you, a band of what appear to be wild-fay, things that you have not encountered. - I brought the baby in the fay. - Yeah, it was balled. - I mean, I'd bend-- - As you know, you're short but to the Bahamas to be, close to the lake that you need to get to, then there's an island in the lake that opens into the islands. - Okay. - There's different locations on the island that open to different locations within the islands. - I was just going to suggest using my mastery of air and or water to use a spell to somehow accelerate or-- - Come on, what was this part to say? - That either it would, all of you would require a physical roll of some sort to out maneuver these creatures in their own environment. This is much wilder road, so your magic would be a much better alternative. Give me an explanation of what you're trying to do. - Well, I guess I mean, since I want to affect Maxwell, and I want to create a zone, which is that a minus two, and the zone is to almost like a wind to just help us a lot, and accelerate us down this path, this shortcut that I'm trying to take to get to our next state. - Because the growth that you're moving through is slowing you down. It's heavy growth on the ground. - And we have a way to go through the growth before we get to the water, right? - Yes. - So the issue is that the path is overgrown, so I really can't accelerate. - They seem to be moving faster through it than you are. - Unless you blow us over it. - Well, that's what I was over. - Trying to, I guess, go a lot easier. - So you're here instead of going along. - Right. - Okay. - You guys are flying? - We're gliding. - Imagine. - Well, actually, like a leaf on the wind, just kind of-- - No, no, no, no. - The last time someone said that, I am going to say that to lift up all of these friends of yours, you're talking four of you, fly for an extended distance, would probably wire a superb effort in this land of magic. - So it's superb, and then all the minus two, so it's actually, I'm trying to achieve an epic thing here. - Yes. - Fortunately, I have some magic items with me that give me a plus one to any education using wind power. - Excellent, go. - My conviction is already superb. Okay, so plus one for my magic is minus two for the zone, so I'm actually down to negative one. - This is just for power, except-- - Right, and then he has to take the role - That means he just has to take two mental stress. - It's not too bad a hit. I mean, he only have to fake one. - I don't think-- - It's better to take the stress than that. - I don't think we're gonna be in a combat anytime soon. - Wow, that's what you try to avoid. - Yeah, that's what we're trying to do. - Successful. - That's not how power works. - You look at how much it requires, and for this example, it's seven, and then you have your conviction, which is superb, or five, and then you have your glove, which is six, which is six. - So you only need one more power. If you equal a spell's power requirements, you still take one mental stress. But if it goes over that, you just take another level. - I see that's where the other mental stress is coming from. - So you're taking one for the cast, the second one to get enough power to do it. - Then I do that. - And then you have your own control, which is difficult as it was power level. - So then how about that's where I spend my fake points? - That's where I would draw a fake point for. - You may have to do that, but as you're starting to cast a spell and lift off the ground, you can feel the mother's presence in your head, and you look down at the baby, and that infant is staring at you with the most calm eyes you have ever seen. - A serenity, I've... - Yeah, I mean, it's scary for a week old baby. And this somehow gives you much more control than you thought you would have. In fact, a plus two for free. It's coming from the child. - Child be men. - The child is aiding me. Discipline four, plus one for the glove, plus two for the baby, seven. - So just roll. - So now, plus you discipline even or more. - Plus seven. - Plus six feet. - All right, so the fudge will be... - Oh, no, even. - That's exactly enough to get you a gigantic jump up in the air and swimming towards the lake and a soft landing. - You're a wall ahead of the fait that we're chasing you. - Does my cool, more than a fuckin' flaten body, so. - Okay, this is the CGI money shot. - As you've traveled here before, you know where there is a boat. You get in the boat, you go out to the island. It's a very short trip. By the time you get out to the island, you see the wild fait arriving at the lake. - We wait, not a problem. You go on the island, you open the door, you step up. - What do they look like? - Yeah, I was just gonna say that we get a chance to like connect with you. - Yeah, you do, they break out in the open and they look like normal fait, except they are just much more, like you would imagine, what else? - Wild what else, you know. Do they have any livery or symbols? - No, I think that's a worry. - Very fait conveys. They don't work for a particular. - It's very chaotic in their dress. I mean, there's a motif, but they're all different. - Well, that's fine. - The distinguishing feature is that there is no distinction, right? - That's fine. - Okay, I'll look here. We may have girls that have this baby up to every time. - No sexism here. - Hey, that was Mike's choice. - She is amazed to see you. She didn't make it back so quickly to the Bahamas. What is this bottle of joy you bring me? - I've filled her in briefly without trying to just completely reveal that the child is important and to keep safe, I warn her to keep an eye out for any type of day activity around the child. And I don't want to school to be entirely, but hey, this time I've been lying to you. I've trusted you before without too much. I need you to trust me. - Okay, you're all done social. - For defense and like, you know, maybe she had a date or something. - All right. What do I have to respond with? Do I get to achieve her empathy? - Sure, empathy would work. Or it might be the best thing I have. - You might want to go with a presence. - My presence is average. - Okay, whatever you think would be appropriate in your discussion as you have presented it with her. But that's fine. - Well, I'm putting myself into her dad. Either way, either she owed you one. That would probably require a fake point to say she owed you one because that hasn't been established. But putting her in yours, that's fine that you can get a plus two for giving her a favor in the future. - Then, my empathy is... Whoa, what a minute. Maybe not a plus two. - Holy cow, that ache, why am I so kind of social pariah? You are just... - This is my job. What would you have? - Wow, that's a negative four in the fudge which takes my empathy down to terrible. - Yeah, whatever woman takes the baby already. - Can I use my presence or her empathy to try the smooth things over here? - Somebody better. - No, no, no, no. What was your presence right there? - Holy cow. - My presence is fair. If I use my rapport, it's a herb. - You've got one super far, yes. - Mike. - Your mother like the famous being smooth but actually said, listen, bitch, I'll owe you a favor, take a kid. - It works for London. - No, I'm reminded of the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Andy comes to find Mary in and she, hi Mary, trust me, and she tries to punch her left. - Apparently, there was much more history between you and the slut, slut, slut. (laughing) - Nice. - That's what he said. That's what he said. - Slut by me. - Just take the baby slut by me. (laughing) - That's a... - Mike, I just want to remind you, I think you could use the aspect about how this goes to the mother's with you to re-roll them. - You do, you do. - Yeah, yeah, that's true. - I love it, I love it. - Desperately, spend the, I mean, otherwise, these guys are really gonna be back telling at a huge minus, you know, slut-bondinger. - She doesn't look like a slut-bondinger. - What are you talking about? - A slut-bondinger, what I meant to say was... - Ah, positive one on the fudge. - What I meant to say, honey, was, and that's a good understanding. - Okay. - She's actually, her role was not all that great, so she is more than willing. You don't have to take her on this one. - You look like a slut-bondinger, you better be more than willing. (laughing) - She is more than willing to accept your favor in the future for this favor now. - Okay, well, you have to call it that episode, it's a slut-bondinger. - Okay, so thanks, good. Now we have a little bit of a problem, gentlemen. I want to write it back to the trees again, that's cool. See you again. - That's cool. - Well, I guess that's the call. I mean, if I open up a gig from where I'm at now in the Bahamas, is that the same location that we just got your promise for? You guys are in the Bahamas. - Why would you go back? (laughing) - You're in a bad situation, we're either gonna have to try to do the same thing, or we may have to fight our way back to Cleveland. - Can you just go to the other side of the Bahamas and jump to another side? - We were definitely gonna have to move to a different location in the Bahamas, to at least try to-- - So, you've been the Bahamas before, you know? - Oh sure, this is your town. - You get like a taxi. - The Bahamas are not a town, but okay. - Well, I mean, this was your last post? - Yes, this was your last post? - You came to Cleveland? What the fuck did you do? - Not willingly. - Well, 'cause they're a whole bunch of shit. - You don't want to get out. - They were wrong in Cleveland, and they needed somebody who knew Bill Donovan. - It was just like a gettin' stone here. - You know how to move around the Bahamas? - Right. - Get some transportation, you go to the other side of the island, you come out and in it, never, never, you are in an entirely different plane. And you travel easily through the fait, they don't seem to be peeing on you. Perhaps, Edmond was correct, and that they were peeing off the baby, because the baby definitely had a fait nature to it. - All right. - And you make it back to the same wall, Edmond knows the way through, and you're back in Cleveland. - Whoo! - You open up a gate? - Can we open up our gate? - Let's go back. - Can we open up a gate outside my office? Somewhere else in Cleveland, outside my office? That's not too much to ask for. - You might have to add some upholstery here, but sure, I don't want-- - I mean, like next, like a couple blocks away, so we don't have to try to get out unseen. - Sure. Easily. - Give me a roll to determine how accurate you are and depicting the relationship between the fait and you splice into the top part. - I don't think so. - That's the top part that's sitting outside. - Okay. - Sure. - Those guys were camping. - That would be the one with a discipline roll to control it more. - It's more mental. You're trying to configure, okay, if the relationships of travel seems to be rough than it is, I want to go over here to do that. - So some sort of reasoning rolls, some sort of-- - I would say a lower calculation. - Okay, because it is magic, definitely. - I would say the difficulty is just-- - Would this be a thaumaturgy because it's like location managers? - Just good. - Positive three on the fard, which takes my great up to epic. - We end up in sight. - Yes, you walk through the gateway from the fait and you are in the bathroom coming out in the gentleman's bathroom or back zone. - Whoa, good job. - So I now have four mental stress. - Yes. - Yeah. - It's a beginning of a new scene. - We are going to say that you guys had time to discuss before Navigail shows up that will be a rust scene in which all of you would gain all of your stress and we'll begin the next thing. - Oh, she's always not enough to regain fate. - Alright. - It's a rust. - This rust fait points it out. And in session game, if you spent the night sleeping and then we continue with the next day, yes, you get your fait points. A scene of rust, you just reset all your stress damage. - Okay. - You guys are an exo, you're all together, you want to discuss your battle plans before Avogail gets here. - The rare orchid got her here or will get her here shortly. It will not, based on my previous conversation with her, align her with us. - It does exist. - Nor will, sorry? - It does exist. - It does exist, yes. Nor does it's the hatred of her sister, guaranteeing her allegiance with us during this conflict. - Can we risk even giving a hint that we're going to be taking on consents? - Oh, wow. - I think you're gonna be cut or couldn't. - I already did. - Oh. - And I think even though I would have filtered to the social circles by now. - Then, do we approach it where we're trying to ask for pointers, tips, or advice on how to approach or what I'd like to do, and I don't know if this is concurrent with what you're looking at, but I'd like to deliver the baby to her. Temporarily. - The same as we can't change. - Yeah. - It's a key word, because that's why I want to use that word here. We want to exchange the baby into Avogail's care temporarily. - Correct. - In consensus presence. - Right. From her point of view, constances this is, we have delivered the child into the hands of a Rockefeller. - Which is exactly what we promised we would do. - And her presence. - In her presence, right. - Right. - Right. - This is what I think clears you of your own talent. - I fulfilled my obligation right. - You did hand the child over to a Rockefeller, and a Rockefeller is going to hand the child back to us. - Now, I vow to retrieve the child, Janice, and bring her to Constance at the designated ground for the exchange. - That is good enough. - It works. - Right. - I would have loved it, but you just would have made it back. - It would have been a Rockefeller. - Right. - But there was a role for you guys to pull off that sentence without her noticing. - Yes. - Which her extreme anger with you. - It was all good. - Right in. - See, you're at the one. - It was a much more difficult thing if you would have tried any chicanery like. - I thought that would have been too obvious. - Miss Rockefeller, or, you know. - Right. - It would have been much more difficult because it was much more obvious, yes. - Right. - To say. - And I was just about a gaming therapist. - There, he was saying, close enough that he was going to deliver, but it was much subtler. - It was, I was looking for a tiny crack that I could exploit later. - Yes, okay. So, the idea is that, you know, the orchid brought her here. It won't secure her health. - Right. - Screwing her sister, metaphorically, will not win her. I mean, she can fight with her sister any day of the week. Tharding her is certainly, I mean some-- - Sure. She argues with her sister constantly, but they're in more or less the state of cold war rather than God. And to fire it up, there's gotta be some driving force that shows her she can beat her sister. - Right. - If there isn't just to say, this is a chance to beat your sister, she could do that without your help. - But you make it so important that this child will let her sister win if she doesn't near a fear here. - I agree wholeheartedly. I actually mentioned that. - I think that should be our point. - Roberto had a good point there, and I don't think we need to expose Abigail, 'cause when the exchange is made, Constance doesn't even know what happened, just that the exchange was made. You don't need to, like, hand it to Abigail, go on. - We need to look for the package, and we've walked out. - Hopefully. - Well, there's gonna be some other deception. - Of course not. - There's gonna be some other illusionary and some other things, possibly, we need to. - That's fine, but the point being, what if Constance loses her temper? - Then the backup we have there is Bill Donovan's death curse to possibly mitigate or counter that. There is also the protocols, the accords, that, okay, she's, the deals, the oath is being fulfilled, the terms are being met. If she loses her anger and does anything to disrupt that, then all bets are off and she loses, but no. - And if we have your counsel, we'll come after her dead. - Yeah, that's what we have to do. - No, but then that's where we have to bug out as fast as. - Well, my suggestion would be, and it's something we've all been at least pondering, well, everyone but me, until recently, but I think that Abigail could actually be a counter-lever to her sister's power. - I agree. - Abigail is powerful in her own right. And if we can convince her to threaten, subtly, her sister against the action against us. - If Abigail will serve as a check against Constance-- - Because it's excellent. - Well, Constance would like to smite as fast as she can. If Abigail is involved, then it's going to, there's still a stalemate. There's still the situation that they have, but she's gonna think twice about blasting her sister. - I am, I enjoy talking and driving a good bargain. My fear is, is that Abigail has a healthy respect for her sister and even the child itself. - But will not be enough for her. If that's the case, then we need-- - Well, Matt, that's the question. Do you intend to give the child to Abigail? - Yes. - In front of her sister. - We have to be very careful about the agreement we make with Abigail tonight if she accepts. - Because if that's the case, the thing that she has craved and done a lot of things to get a hold of-- - Exactly. - Constance is right there. If you want to give Constance a reason to attack her sister, that might be it. - And that might be-- - I have a question. - If Constance were to attack, as that exchange happens, would she not be breaking the oath that-- - Yeah, no, no, no, no, actually not. Because if you think about it, what is the aspect of her oath that she promised? - Well, as soon as that's done-- - No, not even that. - What is the aspect? What is her portion of the oath that she did you promise? - That all I heard was, I'm off her shit list. - She returns one. - Yeah, she returns Donovan and everyone-- - Okay, what I see Constance is kicking Bill in the back, knocking him over in front of being here. He's yours, and then blasting Abigail. There's nothing against the agreement that says she can't kill the baby, attack you or any of those things. The only thing she promised is if you deliver it, she will-- - I understand that, and that's why I'm saying that. - Is it her sister powerful? - It's just her is powerful. - So if they haven't fought each other forever, then what's to make her assume that she's going to just lose her temper and attack her for the child? - Who knows who-- - Because you're in a place of her choosing with people of her. - It has to be neutral ground. - Who knows for sure what exactly these girls' relationship is with each other. - I expect her to write down. - Yeah, I have fine ones, lots. - Do they have, we hate each other, we war with each other, but we do sometimes-- - I don't understand. - COVID agreement and exchange things and try to get things down, or-- - You're definitely-- - You're asking Alan, there's no way he would know that being new to Cleveland. - Yeah, and I wanna know that, and I wanna know how evil Abigail is, and is she evil, or mean, or cruel in her own right to get what she wants and to do what she wants to do? Or is she a good person? - No, she is not a good person. You know from living in Cleveland that these two sisters have been around, you guys not only know Cleveland, but you're in the know about Cleveland. - Yes. - All right. - So you know that these people are supernatural and have been in Cleveland for a very long time, and they have never really come to open blows, but back in the beginning, the history was that they were both daddy's girls, and fighting each other for his attention, and then when he disappeared and mommy was in trouble, they both are trying to outdo each other. So you find a cure to fix mommy, neither of them are nice people. Both of them have done some very dark things. Abigail, a little less, but she is not the good witch. - It's like Stalin versus Hitler. - Right. - And they're, you know, they're both. - Just horrible. - They're both. - They're both not good people. Abigail is a little bit more reasonable. Constance has a temper, is a mean cause. - And this is why I don't have any of them. Any of them, any of them, any of them, any of them. - Abigail is because they're, but she is powerful used to getting her way. She just hides it with a little bit of the quorum about being oh so proper. - If Abigail had any of my DNA or blood to try to find her cure, I'm sure Constance has people in her group that will get a copy or a sample of my blood and he will track me down and he will kill me and I do not want to die. Nor do I even trust Abigail with what she would want to do with her. The fact that she may want to use my blood to track me down and get more information or blood or DNA out of me. That's why I do not want to give them anything. - Right. But that would be the one way that we would actually be able to guarantee a child back to us. - All right, to make you clear, the two women are going after two similar but separate things. Abigail is looking for a way of curing black court vampires, removing the fact that her mother is a dead person and restoring her to power because her mother, like herself, has magical powers. But she's in Topore because she is very ancient and she's very drained and they're trying to keep her in stasis basically so that they can cure her. Her sister, Constance, is taking the other out. She's trying to change the core of black court vampires so they're not weak and susceptible to all of the things that could kill them in the past. - Right. - Make them, in fact, more powerful. - So, are you on that way, Abigail is kind of good? - Couldn't it be argued that the child's blood could be used for either purpose? - Ah, yeah. - All right, well there's another option. I mean, I still think it's valuable to have this being with Abigail because I was looking to her for more as a counterbalance to Constance and I think that's what we're originally going for. Not necessarily to make her the recipient. There's still the role that Bill is supposed to play and this is actually Roberto kind of hit on something that I was trying to build to but it's all credit to him. And the idea that at a key moment is I am presenting or as I am in the presence of Constance, he does his thing to me to basically create the illusion or create the, maybe even a real attack to slag the baby, stand in because we had decided whether I was carrying out some kind of illusion, homunculus that had an elaborate thing. His life is forfeit and his last act will be to avenge himself against Constance and but probably be killed by Constance too. And that means they always fulfill but everyone loses but really the baby will be either secured or protected somewhere else and it's a big deception. - That's a bad idea, not a bad plan. A couple of holes that maybe need to be filled should be what if Constance sees through the seeming. - Well, actually I have two possibilities for that. The homunculus idea with a combination of your powers, your skills, with my magic to create something that even to her senses would make her believe that the baby is really there. The alternative which we talked about, the short range teleport discussion that we had. The idea is that we have like one blanket that actually exists in two places. - I close it and drops into the never, never or somewhere. - Right, and so like from here when I'm attacked by Bill, then make the switch and hopefully while the fire is all around me and I'll take physical damage, I'll take the consequences to sell it. - This is what started the plan before we had Abigail at all. - Right. - I was confident. - My idea is, and I'm willing to go along with it because I am hired to do so, but I only have plans gonna work. The first part of it is, who cares if the baby's dead? She's gonna want the blood. - She wants the soul. - No, she wants the soul. - She wants the soul, she would care if the baby's dead. - Okay, sorry. - And to be clear, she's using babies, sacrificing them, transferring the soul into the new black court vampire she's making. - Right. - Abigail on the other hand actually found a way of curing the black court vampires, but what the problem is, they're dead. So who am curing them of it can just die. - They die. - If she had some way, yeah, which the board number that was giving two thumbs up and this is a wonderful idea, if they had some way to reinstitute a soul, the soul is what's missing. The soul is what's missing. They could be normal people without any black court powers, whatsoever, but living. - Do you share this information? - Could you share this information? - It doesn't necessarily need to be a super soul. If you share this, it could be anybody staying out. - Well, I don't need my soul to save your mother. - You would think so, but then she would have implemented this before, wouldn't she? - Right. - So she's missing some peace. - She'd ask you, you have a soul. What's that like? - If you don't, you would be very valuable to her. It would solve the problem she's having right now. They don't have souls. - You are a black court with a soul. If you can remove the powers and kill them, but needs a soul, you're a key ingredient. - I mean, how do you know if I have a soul? - I may not have one and not even know. - If you don't have one, I would have killed you already. (laughing) - Yeah, then I have a soul. - Absolutely right. - But Max will shoot you, and if you have a soul that he won't be able to, but if you don't, he can kill you. - I'm gonna fail. - There's laughter right now. - Okay, so there's a homoculous. Then she wants to see it after she kills Donovan. - How does she go for her oaths if she kills Donovan? - Well, that's why I'm saying I'm willing to take some physical damage, and if you kill-- - If Donovan strikes the baby, that voids everything. - So oath, that was the delivery of the baby. It can't be delivered if it's dead. Therefore, he broke the oath first. - It gets delivered, he wasn't in on the oath, but yeah. - Well, my oath is fulfilled, I'm here. The letter of the oath happens, because I do make an exchange in your presence. - He does not have to argue with functions. - What exchange does he make? - Only 'cause the baby's in because it's not-- - You're saying he's going away to another dimension. - Well, you're back to the teleporting-- - I mean, where do I make them so important? - But that doesn't work. - What? - She wants to see the baby. - She never go, oh, Donovan may have disappeared. She'd say, go get the baby and deliver it to me. - Then do both. - Well, if that's what don't work, she kills that. - That's why there's gonna be, that's why there was the bonkulous, because when you switch 'em, you're gonna have-- - She would have a lot of skin and bone fried left over. - I think the best thing to have to-- - That's not gonna work? - Why? - 'Cause-- - Did she know what the baby's blood looks like? Did she know how-- - She's a fan scientist. - She knows how it smells. - That's why it's gonna be a fire spell, and it's gonna hurt a lot, and it's gonna be, she's gonna be incinerated right in front of her. - All the red blood cells will be boiled. - Jesus. - Still, it'll be clean. - If this is a plan that you're going with, and-- - Or unless I hear an alternative that I can-- - What was wrong with him? - And the bill Donovan is dead, 'cause that's-- - 'Cause he won't allow it. - He won't allow it. - Is that gonna allow us to exchange the baby dab again? - If she gives us her oath and she's gonna get it back, she's gonna hold it up. - Actually, I do have a possible solution for this as well. - What? - Is Sarah Lemmon's gonna let you do that? - Ooh. - So that's something that I'm gonna have to run with. - I'm gonna let someone have it. She gave it to a goal for crying out loud. - No. - No. - She was locked in the house. - Oh, she doesn't actually abide in there. - She's not a true ghost. - She's like an echo, but that's my mental stress to deal with. - I say, my favorite one of the options, not just 'cause I came up with it, 'cause I think there's a less amount of damage to us, is give it to Abigail and work a deal out with Abigail. It's actually for your blood, sorry. - Symbolism. - It might be. - You're like that? - I just took the picture of the baby and put it between Constance and Abigail. - It's a perfect place for it. - Symbolism. - Just once you see that baby's face, you're talking about giving up, okay. - If my blood, DNA, or info could sick the baby alive and keep everybody else alive, then I'm willing to give her time. - What about Ed? What about if we make Abigail say she will only, we want a small sample, and she will only use it for her purposes. Now, we can't allow for spies or, you know, say that, but if she's bound by any oath to do what we say she's going to do, it gets her a chance to win the fight against her sister 'cause she has blood that she wouldn't have otherwise. The baby's no longer important to her, in a sense, because she's got your soul shit. - She's got an option that doesn't require taking another soul from another living body and you find it as a cure. - Right, yeah. If his blood is not enough to do this and she needs his soul, she can use the blood to track him. Is her oath going to prevent him from doing that? She could track him any day of the week. - You could do it. - She has, she could, she's a master, she's a monster. - If you say this is exactly what you need, here's the blood of it, you can't get the full thing. - That's the only thing. - She's gonna go right to the source if she can. - In and out of character. - If she can't. - I don't know why my character, it's supposed to be a mystery why he's the way he is, why he's alive and is doing it. And if it is his soul, then she's gonna say, yeah, it's him and I need his soul to resurrect my mother. - That's a fucking death of her another day. - And what is my extension? - And what about this part of the oath? - This is what you get. - As long as we're clear that everything includes the safe and timely return of the baby after the exchange. - When no one here gets the baby or we don't-- - The only risk is the one that our Game Master brought up, which is damaging in itself because he's thinking it, but is if Constance actually attacks Abigail. But then we've got Donovan and all of us and a ghoul army and an old-- - We'll be right there in advance. - You know, we've got some weapons. If everyone's fighting against Constance, Abigail and all of us, once they all of us, I mean all of you, let's be clear. The point being, I don't know that even Constance could out-dual her sister and a set of what I would consider after spending some time with you guys, elite bodyguards. - You can't lie then-- - Put a compliment, sir. - I mean, Abigail can be in the presence, but it doesn't have to be overt that we exchange the baby to Abigail. Your deception magic and the thing I'm proposing with a little whatever, the spell, the sleight of hand, or whatever. - Can you do hand two babies on? - I don't know. I'm just trying to-- - I thought you were going somewhere I didn't understand. - Either Constance is going to attack Donovan and it's going to attack me or it's going to attack Abigail. - Or she's gonna live up to the oath. - Well, there's no part of the oath to guarantee she won't attack him. - No, there's not, but she might go, wow. - Well, here's the thing. - That is sweet. - Right. - She might be appreciative of all the effort we could be discovering her. - But that's what happens. - The terms have been fulfilled, the oath is done. - All that they're on. - Right, and we've got Abigail. - We're still on neutral ground. That's the one thing that we got going towards. - We've got Abigail. - You know what Abigail is going to do? - Who's a master magician? - You know what she's doing? - Anyone here. - Abigail's doing like this. She'll be gone. - And then how did she's in an oath? - Okay. - Now she's in an oath. - Abigail. - One quick thing, you keep saying neutral ground. You mean like a corded neutral ground? 'Cause that doesn't exist in place. There is no accorded neutral ground. - Just one that both agree are neutral. That's a huge difference, accorded neutral ground means no one is allowed to attack. Neutral ground just means a place you picked it. You have designated neutral ground, not accorded. - That's her little body. - And accorded neutral ground would require us going. - Passes now. - And accorded neutral ground. - Well the one is sort of, if she attacks. - Am I guarding an open door for five hours? - I'm not being a dick about this, but when we designed Cleveland, we specifically said there is no accorded neutral ground in Cleveland. - I'm not being a douchebag. - No, I don't think you are. - I'm just saying, it's funny that it works out that you guys screwed her in the oath and she kind of got a screw in there as well because you being a new warden in Cleveland didn't really know the battle ground. - Okay. - I'm not being a douche about it. I might never call you a douche to your face. - You're right. - Just in my head right now. - Douche. - A lot of douche. So the idea, you mentioned Abigail disappearing is part of the oath, she can't. She has to be there until her sister is gone. And so she's removed from the equation. And if Abigail wants to find him, she can find him. It has nothing to do with the blood. You know what I'm saying? By giving her a little sample of blood, that's not going to help her find him. He has a freaking office. - We don't know who the thing is. - The thing is, right now she doesn't know he exists. - And if you say, here's a vial of exactly what you need. - I know what you're saying. - She doesn't even know a name to find him. - Exactly. - I understand that. - Blood is the most powerful of magical blood. Why can't the oath be, you can't track it? - I know. - Right. - Any half ask me. - You just can't find somebody who can't. - No. - She cannot ask, have, whatever the warning needs to be, that blood traced. We are her provider. It is blood she's looking for. - Run on your magic as an oath. - Yeah. - And she'll lose your magic if she didn't. - I think you'll do that and be done. - Yes. - I mean, we're in a world where oaths work. So let's take advantage of it. - We're just establishing what things he has in his pocket to negotiate and deal with. - Can I use this if I need it during the negotiation? - If he can secure a deal that doesn't use it, all the better. He's going to try to get the best deal, although I would be careful letting him negotiate for anything. - Yeah, I've heard about it. That's why we're in this predicament to begin with. - It's why we're all alive right now. I would like to say. - It's why you two are alive right now. - Yes, good point. I think Constance would have wiped the floor up after she took care of us, too, with music. - But that also means that we're going to get it done. - Let's not forget we have a couple of grenades. - Always good to have. - Any goals are not going to lie. - An army of goals, right what? - I aim to kill my army of goals in a conflict with an evil. - I am getting sick. - I was hoping for a ghoul to be honest. - And I am ready to let them know I'm here anyways. - We walked into the meeting. - I thought it was interesting to me that was after. - No, I think, no, my saying is good idea. - It's a good idea, but that's what I'm saying. It's when it's time to make our escape, the Lord says-- - Ghoul army, fight off our revenge. - Fire buffet, have at it. Covering all the covers, slide out and goal stuff. - Yeah, I mean, meeting in a neutral location with sewers is certainly a possibility. We're now real quick, 'cause this is what the GM wanted. Abigail, she comes in, we taught orchids. - Sexy. - Sex faces, sexy orch. - They are sexy, sexy beasts. Then I tried to convince her through thwarting her sister's acquisition of this child. We tried to enlist her aid. - 'Cause you're trying to protect the balance of power between the two. - Exactly, and what we need her to do is to accept the child on a temporary basis with an open place and return the child to us and protect our heights for lack of better turn at this point during the inevitable disappointment that Miss Constance is going to feel. - Do we reveal to her all our backup-- - No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. - If she says, I'm not gonna let this power slide out of my hands, this child needs to die in this exchange. Is that when we go give her a shit out, she's gonna play? - Well, she's gonna make an oath tonight, and if she changes her mind, she's gonna be screwed because she's putting an oath on her magic. - What if she doesn't-- - She may never take this oath if she doesn't think the child is-- - Right, you know. - But we too much. - Yes, we have some ability to be able to prove to her through her sister's constant barrages and attacks on us. - I hope that works. - That this child, yeah. So why? So we try to tie her, Abigail, into an oath based on, hey, your sister's gonna have achieved something. You don't want her to achieve. If that doesn't work, we offer up a vile of an unknown individual's blood who has the ability tying her into an oath that she could use this blood only in a certain way. So that's how we're gonna proceed with Abigail. - Some of you were interested in perhaps getting Meghan and Christopher Bruce saved. - That's just me. - And you survived this burnout that they're gonna happen in a week. So that has not been addressed, so I don't know if you can pick it up. (upbeat music) - Thanks for listening to the Knights of the Night Actual Play podcast. Visit kotnpodcast.com for more information on this and other adventures where you will find character stats, photos, storytelling, props, and even a form for comments and suggestions. Or you could email us directly at feedback at kotnpodcast.com. Or contact us via Twitter, or leave a message on Facebook. All music for this podcast was created and performed by Zen Audio Smith. If you'd like custom professional music created for your podcasts or business, please visit ZenAudioSmith.com and please join us next episode for more mystery and adventure. (upbeat music) - Three men in a fucking suitcase. (laughing) - What's in a suitcase? - Wow! - What? - No, silent stop. - Apparently there is much more history between you and the slut, slut, slut, slut. (laughing) - Nice. - That would be sad. That would be sad. - Slut and bonner. - Just say the baby slut bonner. (laughing) - That's a good one. - God, otherwise these guys are really gonna be back pilling at a huge minus. - Right. - You can just slap bonner to her. - She doesn't look like a slut bonner. - What are you talking about? - A nice baby slut bonner what I meant to say was, you don't have to take her on the slut bonner. - You can just slap bonner to her. - You better be more than willing. (laughing)