Some relaxing, some meetings and cleaning up
Knights of the Night
614 - BitD Hold This Kidney Out Of The Way
(music) Hello, and welcome to Knights of the Night Actual Play podcast. This "Plays in the Dark Story" machination is written in run by our GM John. And now, please enjoy episode 614, titled "Hold This Kidney Out Of The Way" actual play begins immediately. (music) Hello, and welcome to Knights of the Night Actual Play podcast. I am your host and GM John, running "Blids in the Dark" campaign machinations. Players with me today, starting on my left, are... I was playing Hadrian's Briar, or Burning Briar. And Arruvian Runaway Demonair, normally takes the form of a Burning Bush. He's a leech, saboteur, or technician who creates all chemical concoctions, does docurally work, and arcane machines. If he currently isn't having a body, he's stolen. So he looks like an Acarosi man of healthy build and noble stock fitted with a long coat, scholarly clothes, a pair of glasses, and a little bit of thorny briars poking out of the corner of his mouth and ears. He currently has four stress, and a couple different level one harms, which make it difficult for him to have much effect. Hello everyone, I'm Scott. I'm playing Tesla in Vale, otherwise known as the Bell of the Abyss. Tesla is a seborosi whisper. She does the dirty work for the Archive of Echoes, exploring the past via ghosts with her mentor, Lord Pendron. Tesla is a petite, pretty young girl. She has auburn hair, olive skin, and green eyes. Tesla also has a dead left hand sewn onto her left wrist. She is constantly embarrassed and mortified by her dead hand and hides it as much as possible. Tesla has four stress, and she has a level one harm for a cut that she did for a blood oath that she took several sessions back. Hello, folks. I am Jim. I am playing a silver tongue slide named "Skeven Bing", also known as "Bizzy". He is a socializing and enterprising, handsome young, echorosi noble. We're not working on crew business, busy spends his time behind the scenes revitalizing the finances of the Bing coal mining family. He has a fun knack of finding ways of profiting from both a good and bad fortune of others. Currently, he's five stress down. I don't think he's otherwise healthy and ready to go. I'm Tom, and I'm playing Esther Roland, who goes by the name of Ghost in the group, and she is a little bit older than Tesla is. But she is an ex-blue coat captain who uses the name Ghost because of her pale skin, eyes, and hair. She is a cotter who is dangerous and an intimidating figure, but her primary thing is to keep her crew safe. She has spent her entire life in echorosi. She's an echorosi born, and her family has been here for a very, very long time. She currently has her normal amount of stress, seven, so on the borderline of getting a trauma, which she's avoided so far. And unlike the others, I think part of the reason she has a little more stress is because she has avoided the harm so far, so stressed, but generally okay. I'm Michael playing Gordon, a young, thin, good-natured, scovish lurk. As a lurky specializes in infiltration, allowing him to bypass most security measures, Gordon has eight, wow, eight stress. When last we left, we're into downtime actions. Any particular order we want to go through there? So, who has a good idea what they want to do first? Well, I think Gordon and I both know that we have to release some stress, but... Yeah, and there was also treatments to be done. I was thinking we might do a round of just treatment, like how many people need to do that, I definitely do. Yeah, so raise your hand if you're getting doctored, or speak up. It's in a virtual sense, it's much more helpful. Am I calling my doctor person in, or are we having... No, I'm a doctor now, baby. Or we have a Frank and Breyer. Frank and Breyer just got his license from back alley university. You can put so many doctorates in this thing. The esteemed back alley university. Prestigious, indeed. Surprisingly enough, sounds like just me. Yeah, if Gordon is not harmed, it's good. I am not. Ghost was, but it's only level one. I was not. It was something I avoided by taking stress, so I think Gordon and I might be visiting a friend of ours to relieve our stress a bit. Okay, don't forget Gordon, I gave you some tips on the Severosi plants that your beloved is growing or unique plants. So maybe you can get some ends with her in your downtime. I appreciate that. Mm-hmm. No problem. So who wants to go first? Gordon, Esther? I'll go. Okay. I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt, but I thought we were going to do damage repair first, so that would actually... I was reading up on how to do it, so I wasn't going to interrupt people before. You end up rolling your Tinker dice for your own healing. I think when you're healing yourself, you have a minus one dice that assumes organic beings doing surgery on themselves is hard. I can help with the tinkering if you need it. Hold this kidney out of the way. Don't worry. You can drop it. It's not functioning. It's somewhat functioning. Yeah, it's replaced by a demon assemblage that allows me to breathe out of poison. Watch out. Don't touch it. It's very bad for humans. Hold this. Don't touch it. Hold this. Don't touch that. Okay. Anyway. I roll Tinker. All right. That's two dice. I roll plus one for doctoring and minus one for working on myself and plus one again for Gordon's help. It does cost us stress, but Gordon's about to go relieve that. Oh, I don't know who to pose my character. She's so I can make sure. I can say you served your nickel. Gordon is distressed. I was ever seen a young man. What do you at? Like eight now? What the hell do you mean by that? Exactly. You're very smart. I was safe. All right. So three dice on Tinker would be four, but I'm working on myself. It's controlled, baby. Partial success, which. Two ticks. Two ticks. That's enough to get rid of all of my level ones and downgrade my level two to a level one. So what's your leg like? Good Lord. I don't think it is less stumpy so much as the snow. More sturdy. He's grown. Replacement is no longer a outline of briars and is much more so like a solid wooden. Something you could put a boot over. Yeah. Something you could easily put a boot over and might even have some nice craftsmanship to how it's carved. But he's not going to be able to shift his feet effectively in order to stand on the balls of his feet, which is a very necessary thing when talking about speedy movement. And sneaking hand to hand scuffling. Is that what you said? And sneaking. Yeah. And sneaking. So he's got a lame foot, but it's pretty beautiful. So downtime for Gordon looks like finding your lady to share some tips. Relieving stress. Yes. Okay. So I go on my little date night. I do. We lay the information. Rosanne Callis is looking a little haggard. She invites you out to a restaurant in. Silk Shore that is overlooking a bridge. It has like a very. Venacy type. Canals and bridges a tuition in Silk Shore. A lot of the city has canals, but this is like the most of it. And offers to pay so that you don't have to put yourself out like that. She just needs a break from family drama. Well, it's actually good time enough. Got plenty. So don't worry about it. Okay. I'm glad times have been good to you. So what's up? What's going on? The responsibilities we've gained with the bloom maintaining the gardens in. Silk Shore have. Wait on some of my family more. And I've had to pick up some of the slack. There's a lot of. Terse words. People are being rather short at the moment. Must be rough. I don't have a lot of experience with family as you know, but. I can imagine that can be a blessing, though. They can be some of your strongest allies. Hopefully you have those at least strong allies. Yes, I found some, you know. Personally, not family, but. You're absolutely right about that. Anything I can do. I don't know. I mean, do you have any contacts in the spare wardens? No, but I'm sure I know people who do. Really? Yeah, let me check that out. Yeah, they've been laying into our family something awful. I think they suspect something. We've had a sorted history with them. Ever since their installation. Yeah, we're just not in their good books and they're making the season hard for us. Well, that's terrible. Yeah, let me just check that out. I don't know if I'll be able to do anything, but I will certainly try. I would be impressed if you could, but I don't hold you to it. Half thing's been for you. Yeah, I'm a little wired. We'll just stop it. No damage. Well, there are any seasons coming. Hopefully some of the chill will die down. And you won't have to be quite so at risk out there. That would be good. Good for my gardens too. Yeah, they look nice. Yeah, I've got the seeds you gave me. They don't want to grow with some of the other plants I've got going on, but I'm no stranger to that. I'll find their environment. I'm sure you will. And let's roll for that. You are going to roll. Let me check your character sheet. It's like the one with the least resistance. So resolve. And we're going to figure out how much stress you get rid of that way. You're going to click on the word resolve. You're going to get a bonus die for Rosalind being here. World of three into two, so minus three stress. Yes. Okay, second action to be reducing more if you wanted, but you might have to find a different venue than seeing her twice. Yeah, that's a good start. Mm hmm. Okay, Esther. Stress relief is what I'm going for as well. And typically this involves, I believe, Cortland. So I attempt to visit her just to spend some time. And hopefully it won't involve a lot of required help for her because. I've been feeling a little bit busy lately and I just want to spend some enjoyment. When you catch up to her, she is having kind of clandestine dinner with basically an ambassador from Scotland. She's a corrosive herself, but is in a district that this person represents and is listening to their woes and sharing different techniques that she's using to relieve the refugees in the area. There's a little policy talk about it, but it is low key enough that you are able to relax. Okay, I was going to say if required, I roll my eyes and go find somebody else because my stress relief has to with. I think you catch her towards the tail end of that then. So the top of your sheet pleasure is the way that I reduce my stress. So perhaps I go elsewhere. No, she's finishing up with Brenna as you come by. I think she introduces you to and finishes up or that was it for my evening. What did you come by for? Just to spend some good time with you because life has been challenging lately. As I'm sure you're quite aware of. What does that look like for you? Good time. Well, like I said, it's pleasure is the thing I'm searching for. So spending time with her in essence, just to. Yeah. Then you drop some hints. She says she raises our brows and says that that would be nice. I would hope so. And I would certainly agree. I know some, some dens that are amenable to such. But then I leave the decision up to you. She slaps a coin down at the bar. Points at a bottle and walks out with you. And let's roll up. And I definitely smile. So my lowest, unfortunately is equal insight or resolve are both three. I was either one. So either one is fine. I think resolve is appropriate. Make sure to add a dice for Cortland helping. Oh, she's helping. So I rolled a five, three, one, and one. My current stress is seven. All right. So gets reduced to two, which is a very pleasant evening. Yeah. What about Tesla or busy? Busy. You want to go first or should I go? I can go. Okay. Are there either of the clocks that everybody's looking to push along that I can help with? The two I was either thinking of doing was helping locate this hand of Qatar that we've been trying to do for a while. Or I could try to reverse the clock on these weepers trying to figure out who delegates is. What happened to Lysander because they know him specifically. I think you brought Lysander, who was delegates under the mask. To get put under in a coma. What's going on with like the original. You've got him on a board. He hasn't had his soul taken out. He's just drugged into a coma in your HQ. And who are the weepers? So why are they seeking out? They are a cult that does the only free hospital in the city. Most of the time it's hospice work. People are going to die and they're taking care of them, but they do bones, stripes, bruises, poison. They as a cult worship the first lady governess. Devara. The weeping lady. A ghost you ran into at one point. But they are maybe. Also greater good looking towards and seeing you essentially kidnapping someone. They're a little worried about Lysander. They know him because he does public lectures at Charter Hall and they've attended them. But basically they know he's missing and they're trying to. Seek him out. And if I were totally reverse this clock does it go away or does. Is that word I just keep holding him at bay. It depends on how you resolve it. Are you going to start posing a third life where you are Lysander giving free lectures at Charter Hall? Are you going to publicly have him die? Could I do a lecture as Lysander? Like just something small and where the weepers wouldn't be there. But they would just hear the fact that I was there and I did it as Lysander. If you never come back again they might take that clock later, but it will set them back for now and they won't investigate for a while. Yeah, because I basically just need it to be for a while. Yeah, do it then. All right, let me see what Lysander looks like Lysander Hamilton doctor. He's a handsome rogue. He is a handsome motherfucker. So am I so to work. Yeah. But when the students know it's not him. This is the thing if you are doing a lecture to establish your appearance you're going to have to roll study. To reduce this clock. I mean I'm not going to do it to people who listen not to students who know him but to like a new group of students who have never met him. Okay. And you wouldn't know the difference. And then I'm just going to make myself look as look like him as much as I can. Mm hmm. Give a quick brief lecture on something I probably don't know much about. But hey, I can pick that kind of stuff. A little bit of research. What would I have to roll the pool this off? Probably a study to give a lecture as a person. But I am not supposed to tell you mostly I'm supposed to tell you how effective it is after you choose it. And then you can weigh your options with different skills if you wish. Yeah, it's done you would probably be. If you want to consort it will have a limited effect. A study will have standard. For a chance it will do study. Okay, but I'm going to try to add a dice to it by. You can have an ally help you out and then during downtime. This does not cost stress. I'm pretty sure. Yeah, I was going to try to look like him as much as I can. So use my disguise to look like him. And then maybe I would spend some time with prior or Tesla or somebody to help. Tesla's actually been to university. So prior could give you enough to talk about. Yeah. Yeah, both of us would work whatever you want. I can tell you where to go to not attract a crowd and still get your speech off. But he can probably tell you more to talk intelligently about your speech. Good to tinker. And I'm good at arcane stuff too. Honestly, I'm good at a combination of the two. Which could be more up his alley. I wasn't really listening. I was trying to think of my next action. Well, that's an extra dice for you either way, Jim. But who does busy go to? I'm going to go to Breyer to get extra study time. And then so that would be too extra die, but. This help. You will be a total of two die one and then an extra one for your regular study die and then an extra one for the help of. Your friend. I was hoping I would get one for using it as a skies to historic these folks, but. Yeah, okay. You do. I did not count that because we didn't mention it. Three then. What's your guys name was Sander. Lysander, Hamilton. Yep. Nice. Critical success. Brilliant. It's my thing. I think then there's a. Weeper in the crowd. You did not know. But it will in fact be the lady who sent you away was worried about Lysander. I'm so glad you're back into this. I look forward to attending lectures in the future. Yes, yes, I've been very busy, but I am trying to get back in schedule. She basically says, Wayne twice, if you're a captive. I'm fine. Don't worry about. You critically succeeded here. So she, this clock goes away. Crit does that. And then. My other bell. And then after everybody else. Yeah, you'll be after Bell's done. The bell of the abyss. Okay, first things first you had mentioned something about Bell getting injured or being hurt. Before downtime. I don't think you were hurt. There was risk of it with the. I don't remember the circumstances under that. I don't think you were at risk. Okay, you mentioned someone being arrested and given a type two harm. I just wanted to make sure I didn't avoid it because that was where we were at with. And so there was an entanglement. And so I want to make sure I don't avoid it if that indeed. Nope, that did not happen. Instead, a contact of somebody's disappeared is absent. Okay. Briar's missing a friend and that was our entanglement for the day. Okay. Tess usually. Doesn't get too stressed, but she's feeling her stresses at five. So for her, that's high and she's feeling very stressed out. So that very night when we get back to the hideout after. Upskining with Harker, she heads out to the drugs. And she finds Flint. And she purchases another spirit. I've got the Enchai out for you. You've got the coin. Well, that was supposed to be two weeks. You sure? Because it has been. He had a really look for it. Now it is on rail. I've got telegram here. You can read, but it's traveling all the way. All the way from. Aruvia. So it'll be in it. That's all right. I'm looking for something a bit more. Displeasing. Something a little more. Bellicose. Something. Britty. Or. More. More abundant. Something that will make me. Beal is if I'm being. Or I'll be eaten by my parents again. Just like the battle days. Something negative. Something. Absolutely. Plenty of that in the city. So I believe she gets away with the regular. Cost of just some of her stash or some limited stuff. It doesn't actually cost a coin because it's not really big. Is it stash or does it does that go away? Indulging vice doesn't cost money unless you're using it for something in the grander scheme of things. Okay. And not only does she get the spirit to consume. She also gets a bottle of cheap wine. The reason she's feeling so stressed and so self. Deprecating is because. She was a bit envious of. Melinda's beauty when. She came on the scene today. She's just really down in herself. Malista. Yeah, she just had a natural beauty and she had a normal left hand and. She had a pretty smile and all that just made. Test feel very self conscious. And added into the stress she was already feeling from the jobs they were doing. So she gets drunk. And she. Has a very bad time. With the spirit she consumes, but. It's somehow in a very weird way, makes her feel better. Her prowess is her lowest or her resolve both the married to. So I'll take prowess. Adding no dice. Just making a normal role. I roll the three in a two. So I remove three. Stress, correct. Yep, and for the cost of a hangover and a few. Spare coins. She wakes up in the morning feeling a bit more studied and more like herself. But she gets along, looked to her left hand. Before she departs the flat house. And shops at her pocket. Discussedly and. Makes her way back to the. Okay, let's go to the top of the order stud bounce on this time. I think we started with. Briar. So Briar again. One of the things I was going to do is possibly engage in my vice, but then I realized that it's not on this character sheet and I don't know what it is so. Also, I recovered a stress during that excursion and I don't actually need it anymore. Even if I rolled the maximum possible, I wouldn't tip over some absolutely fine. It says at the top weird blood drinker slash echoed. So, echoed usually with bodies for your garden. Yeah, that's not what you're going to do. It sounds like. No, I don't actually need it. Record the corpse thief, right? I think I'm going to do a long time action because the other things aren't quite so valuable for me right now. All the training too bad in this case. I'm not going to put some work into supporting the throne cult by working together with Melissa and making contact with her God. Or I'm going to try to put some negative points towards red tracks down practice because. That's me. Right now. I don't want to get shot by red. You want to flip a coin about it or. Yeah, I'm just going to support the phone call. I'm up my butt about working with my problems front and center. My character had a big stick there about how nobody had bothered helping him with this stuff. So he's going to keep doing that and just get really surprised when red shoots him in the fucking face or stealing his friend's body. So I call it Melissa. We do some ancient rights, but we do it. If she's cool with it while discussing with my good friend Ivan Cordova, a theologian who likes to study the small gods and who would be interested in such knowledge. Yeah, he wants to know about the forgotten ones. Yeah, so just one bonus dice, but for the sake of flavor, we do one of the ancient rights that she's comfortable showing off and discussing in front of Cordova, who. It's been a while since I've seen him, but introducing friends to friends. Okay, get some dice, Rowan. I'll try to cook up something for this ritual. Anybody think a tune would be reasonable? I mean, it could be Tinker. I could literally build a machine to contact God, but I think it would be easier to start with rituals. I think a tune makes sense. Yeah, so bonus dice, not so dead, but still risky because you're contacting otherworldly things. A tune is something I'm very, very strong in. Is that something you'd like some help with? Do you contact tests? I think you get into the second set of rituals, which are probably going to be more dangerous to my health, that she's not willing to show off in front of theologian who's going to record it for a library. I will call in tests because there are so many tricky ways to trick me with my ignorance. She does the ritual first. You are getting a bonus die for having so many allies involved, so many contacts. Did you put a bonus die in there? I only have two atune naturally. Okay. Then this ticks off... And I rolled a 363. Nice. She's feeding. I rolled some sixes tonight, guys. She specifically has a seed. She plants in a potted plant. Ooh. And offers a prayer up to the Lady of Thorns. Opens a vein on the plant with a ritual dagger. Opens a vein to feed the plant or opens a vein of the plants. It's a seed right now. It does sprout and blossom very quickly. And she pulls another seed out and hands it to you. Okay. Do I need to use a tool or is it just an ethane blood and soul? An ethane has no edge. It does ritual cutting. Oh, right. Not real blood. You're right. I remember that. Anyway, that's not going to work. Real blood is needed. Yeah. Bill, the question is, am I doing harm to myself or is it just super... It is not harm. It is cosmetic. Gotcha. Okay. Ooh. Huh. He thinks for a while before reaching and cutting both the flesh of his shell, but also one of the briars leaks fourth and icker. I don't know. What color is D-monicker? Black. Let's go and play. I don't know because Leviathan... It's a brackish green specifically because it's got chlorophyll on it. Yeah. Leviathan icker can go hard and be phosphorescent. So I'm not too surprised if it's not quite black. And yeah, the fact that my... So your blood and icker congeal has a bluish flame leaking off of it. And the plant blossoms as it should with the incantation, but the thorny rose that comes out... Doxdio. Oh, fuck. It's been centuries since I had blood such as this delicious life-giving blood. Well, such a fine gift you could have again. I'm proposing a partnership of sorts. I think we sit in the same arenas and you have goals that align with mine, but perhaps you could tell me better than your servants here. And to them, you are in a trance. This is a private convo. She licks at the blood and says, "This isn't even yours. Oh, delightful. The pain you bring." Oh, huh. I... Yeah, suppose it isn't. Sacrifice fit for you, I suppose. To survive in this new world, you have to find something new to feed on. And this world is replete with suffering. I guess I hadn't thought that way, but yeah, true on both hands. I couldn't have survived without a vessel. And this one was just so full suffering already. Suffering makes you strong. If you would wish to twine roots with me, it will be painful. A pain I can bear, suffering rolls off my back. But before I entangle my roots and enjoy the fruits of both our labors together, I serve another. We call her the greater good. She's not even a god, but we treat her like one. She may yet be one. She could be, and I think she'd be a delightful one. If we don't fuck it up. We grow in strange corners. Okay, I hadn't even considered the possibility, but it is refreshing to think. I would know that you could align yourself with such a concept before I entwined my roots. I find myself stretching to do it myself. It's not common, it's not normal. But it's worth the efforts. What say they? If they're suffering to be had along the way, I have more than enough in that. Every step so far has been paid for in the suffering of ourselves and the people who need to be torn down. I have broken many buildings. Oh, we haven't got along then. No facade can withstand time and roots. So I have already found and perhaps you have felt? Yes. I suppose I owe apologies for I knew not exactly what I was acting out against. No, it was a righteous move. It hurt them. Ah, no safety in your bosom. You can crawl in the briars and see if you could get comfortable. He flares and he says, I think I'm perhaps one of the few who could and offers a hand to her again. And I think that's symbolic enough. Yes, it curls around a finger as it grows. You snap back with that. Melissa sees it growing around you as it did and says I hadn't hoped as much as this. But you were on exactly the right path. We get along like a plant on fire and his ghost flames last. That's a that's a perfect scene to cut on you. It kind of sounds like all those spooky pole laughs. Absolutely ephemeral. Mm hmm. Yeah, that was my two actions. Then we're on to Esther. If I'm not mistaken, our crew has some heat. Yes, I'd like to reduce that. That's one of the things I didn't consider. Okay. This can be the scene of you delivering Parker. But if you had something else in mind, no, that sounds like a good choice. We do want to get the lay out. Oh, yes. Yeah. There will be. Or string for first. We'll flash back to that during gather info. I'm fine with that. No stress needed. It's just how downtime kind of takes up an ambiguous slot of time. Mm hmm. Okay. So, Nessa's brawling at a bar in the docks. Price fighting. She has a split lip. But the other guy's much worse when she comes down to sit at the bar. Is that arc or back there? It is. Damn, you came through. That was our intent. Do we know what's going to happen to him? I've got some contacts in the inspectors. They'll want to have a word with them. Get it down on paper first hand. I don't know what'll happen to Strangford in the long run. As for your friend. I don't think the testimony of the inspectors is what they'll need in court. But as a friend here has seen inside of a jail cell so often he's probably wanted by them for more than just this. I understand, but one of our intents as a group is to make the city better for everyone. Do you think that's involved at all with what we're eventually doing here? Bringing justice to Strangford? Yeah. Absolutely. And I can't say that I deny that I want this done. Anyone below a noble is only waiting on the whims of fate to have them thrown under, become a scapegoat, be abused in some way. So yeah. Let's do it. And here's where she brings out the sixth coin. Pazy folk. She actually says, my winnings and I'll get the rest from a carriage. I'll meet you folks back here. Is it all right if I take Parker here with me? I want to do a quick flashback. In a discussion with everyone in the crew. Yeah. Did we all agree with this? I mean, we had a general vote. We did. I think we all just, if we could get them back after they're done with them, that would be nice, but it wasn't a demand. It was just, that would be the perfect world in the bow, kind of thing. Yeah, my thing was, because I like to try to at least keep some of the promises we keep our deals we make, is that when we hand them off to them that if by any chance, if he does end up going, you guys end up to end up taking them back to the prison, make sure that this guy is involved. Do you feel on that? All right. Well, after that discussion, I would like to convey that I understand that you want to ask questions and you want to get information from him. If at all possible, we'd like to get him back. Not saying that it's required. If you find something that is essential that I will bring it up with the inspectors. Inspectors are a self-righteous lot. I don't have a lot of bargaining room. Since it's my name, I'm trying to clear. I understand that, but I think that if you convey to them our opinion as a group, that would not necessarily be a bad thing. So I simply ask that you share with them what we would like to happen. I'm not insisting that you make sure the inspectors have surprised me before. They're generally lawful good, but sometimes they're a little chaotic. I'm nodding my head during the whole thing. I understand that I do, truly, but I would like you to convey our opinion. Yeah. All right. I won't bring you up by name, but yeah. Okay. How successful this was in reducing our heat would be what? A role on your part. Yes, I assumed, but. Ness is helping. So you got to dice there. Okay. As to what approach. I don't know. What are you using? Typically sort and sort to socialize with a friend or context. No, I'm looking at the skills. I don't see a consort. It's under. Oh, oh, I'm sorry. I do see a consort. It could be something different. I just it can't jumped out at me as a possibility. I would argue that I'm trying to command that. Our opinion get shared. Now, it could be command or consort. I will let the GM decide. It's intimidate or threaten to get what she wants. I'm definitely not threatening. Are you intimidating? Because that's what it says as an example. You might intimidate or threaten to get what you want. I think intimidate is definitely something I'm trying to do. I'm not threatening. Okay. That flavor is a little more. Okay. So command plus one die position. I don't think it's important whether it's risky and not so much during downtime. Right. And hopefully it will be at least standard. And so it's a one one four. The maximum is partial success of four. I'll double check. I think that's two heat away. Okay. Done there. That's something. Yep. More than one. Okay. A crit gets you five. Yeah, that would be nice. But hey, all right. I'm doing that one. Oh, we got that harker off our hands, which was causing some heat. So. Good work. Not bad. No. Okay. I think it's Gordon's turn. Right? Yep. Well, I want to start investigating this situation was Rosalind, but I don't think I'm going to do that right now. Okay. We could start a new clock about it if you want to later. Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted to do. Start that up long term project. Is that what it goes under John? Yeah. So a trait is one of the top columns insight prowess or resolve. Yeah. Okay. So you pick one of those three insight prowess or resolve the headers for all the skills. And you roll that and depending on what you roll, you move the clock forward. Oh, I say, right? You were wondering. Can I even do that now? You can right now. Hell yeah. It's been ongoing. We do use an approach, which is what's one of the skills. Not a trait. I wasn't sure what you're asking about. Okay. I was like, I think they use that terminology, but I'm not sure. It says, roll a trait on the sheet that we have the for right. I don't think you roll an entire category for a long term project. I will double check could be a misprint easily. Yeah. So what are you going to use? Gordon, the investigation forward. I just pick a single. That's what it sounds like. I'm sure you know this. You have a contact in the spirit wardens being busy. Being the flippant commander of the spirit wardens. He's faking that right now. So you certainly have an end to make this happen and happen quickly if you were so inclined. Yes, of course I am. What do you need help with investigating what the spirit wardens are. I can figure that kind of stuff out. So he would add a dice to the investigation. Yes. And also whatever great effect. Oh, yeah. It is that my just adding a dice or my spending the stress and adding a dice. You're doing a story. You're going to and you're going to do that, but during downtime, not so much. Okay, you just help. Okay, I'm not sure what to pick here because things that I'm good at don't really have a whole lot to do with this whole investigation. I don't know if I'm supposed to be covering it. Maybe the way we can spin it is that he's concerned. He's going to ask as degolos to go on one of the patrols in to the region where the Kellis family is. And then you stalk them with your problem, maybe. And figure out what they're up to. You can linger and spy on the family a little bit to figure out their reactions and stuff and have more intel that way. Yeah, I can tell you I'm going out of patrol with them, but the patrol that goes in there goes that way and you just follow them and. That sounds excellent. So proud. Yeah, and you got help from. Busy for one day. Is this risky standard? Does it matter? Let's say risky. Nice. Hey, I rolled a two five six one. Almost the crit. Yeah, thanks busy. Okay. So they go into the callous estate. They patrol around it for a while. You follow them around. They're taking readings on different devices. And one of your subordinates, Douglas, brings out a book of the dead where you keep track of bodies burned and say they still have an answer for these two. We need to go in there and ask them again. Oh, so there's missing bodies that have passed, but we don't know where they're at specifically callous family members that are unaccounted for. From the book of the dead, you see that they died shortly after the spirit wardens were established. Apparently, they've been required to hand over all of their old tombs and these ones did not get emptied out. Or if they did, there was no ghost present and they said that's not normal. Where is it? Okay, and their intentions now are. To go in there and interrogate the family about these missing ghosts. Missing ghosts are missing bodies or both. The bodies will have decomposed. So, yeah, the ghosts themselves are unaccounted for and the suspicion among the spirit wardens is that the callous family being ex necromancers. Got a lock on that stuff. You just don't lose a ghost. Yeah, they're hiding something. At least that's what they keep telling me. So, you are able to catch the doors that swings behind the spirit wardens Gordon and prowl into the callous estate. It is a lavish affair. Lots of vines and trees glowing with demon blood. It's fairly palatial for the inner city. It's got a wonderful veranda over a. This is rare pleasant smelling canal. That is rare. They work hard and some of the stuff I may have seen from the outside, but never. Yeah, I've never gotten into the barge comes down here sometimes to load new samples on and that sort of thing you've been with Rosalyn when she. She takes new flowers onto the flower barge or to the hanging islands, but never into the estate itself because they parents probably wouldn't let someone like you in on her word alone. Right. At least how you look. If you have some kind of pedigree, maybe. Well, I don't. Do you create a clock for that, John, or? Yeah, there's investigate. Kelis's troubles. Let me adjust this a little bit, make it a five o'clock. We're almost done. And there is a heated conversation between Mildred. Kelis, one of the heads of the estate, a male figure, the father of Rosalyn. Kelis are the grandfather rather. They open their own books. They go through several things. They say some spirits need to be disposed of ourselves back when we were doing that. It was one that did not work with our procedures. So we had it destroying spirits is older than the spirit wardens. You must understand. It's not like you invented the practice. If I can't account for a ghost, it's because we had to destroy it. They go back and forth for a while. You get the run around busy and are sent back out again. But after you leave Mildred and the patriarch are conversing quietly amongst each other, they retire to a library. And the grandfather starts pouring out a couple glasses of brandy and says they're getting more aggressive. If they were to do an investigation of this property, a thorough head to toe. I don't know that we could keep our skeletons in the closet. And Mildred says, well, as mixed up as I've been with the archive of echoes, I certainly wouldn't want that either. I think it's about time we consider getting a hull for security. We've certainly got the influence to power it, but the money we need to protect it. We can't lose this. We lost one already. We can't hold on to this. Our house will fall. It's worth the investment then. We'll get a hull. A hull is a spark craft robot powered by a ghost. Ghost column of sorts. It's not clay. It's a hull like the hull of a ship. It is a hull vessel that can be specialized in a number of ways. They're looking for one for security. How would that prevent the spirit wardens from, I mean, wouldn't they notice? It would fight them off. They are just looking for violence. Oh, I see. So it's not still so much as get the hell out of here and stay out. Yep. Guard dog. They are within their rights legally. They have a leg to stand on argument wise with needing to dispose of spirits. And mostly they're worried that the spirit wardens will use their authority to search without a warrant, etc. And if they throw them out on their ear, then they could try again, I guess, but it is certainly a blow back at them that they aren't one to be trifled with. And between the lines here, they have some artifact. They've lost another and they're holding on to one. And I think that when you bring this back to the crew, if you share it widely or attention, then. Right. Yeah. So. Okay. Sounds like I can't really physically do anything at this point, other than report back and see what the best path is. If if the spirit wardens are to make a run on this place, Douglas would probably get word ahead of time. And you could throw a wrench in their works. Certainly could. That's why I think I know what that artifact is when Gordon brings information back. Yep. Yeah, I tell you one that I think they might have the hand of coat are that I've been searching for. Oh, for obvious reasons. And they've had more than that. Yeah. Which means they had maybe another part of Qatar. That the artifacts of Qatar, according to legend are the hand, the eye and the heart. Okay. Okay. You're suggesting that they're holding the hand having lost one of the other ones. Yeah, they have a suggesting Tesla has a letter that they were once in possession of the hand. They lost another of the artifacts, but they might still have the hand. Yeah, or they could have lost the hand and have another one, neither the hand or the eye or the heart. It's what I've been looking for. Assuming they wouldn't get in trouble or having it. Is there any other reason to hold on to it? It's powerful. It does some arcane wonders that nobody else can reproduce. And Tesla, you would need that. Would you use it up like permanently or you just know it's the kind of magical artifact that doesn't get expended. Yeah, she looks down at her dad's left hand. Tucks it back into her pocket of her petty coat. And looks back at you and says, I've wanted it for some time because. Well, for some obvious reasons, but it's also powerful as well. It would serve me much better than what I have currently. See, I wonder if we could sell that as a will hold it for you for a certain amount of time or whatever, just to take up the pressure. Go ahead and search. Bargaining ship would be a good thing. Possibly. So it wouldn't do you any good to have it for a period of time and then have to give it back, right? You'd need to hold on to it. Is that right? That would be optional. Yeah, it would definitely be wondrous because what I have now is really awful. I understand you've seen her. Gray, dead and so now when she in moments of vulnerability, when she has it out her battle. But she tries to keep it hidden as much as possible. All right. Well, we could address the particulars later on, I guess. Sure. That's fine. I think we have a good start or I do anyway. Mm hmm. Closing scene then and we'll finish our last two when we get back if that's okay because it's like 10 30. Yeah. Busy when you get back as decolos. Warden Catherine comes up to you and says, did you get a good eye on their estate? Oh, of course. I think I might put you on the detail. Come, Arkenvore. On Arkenvore and we're going to seize their premises. Light should be out. There should be minimal interference with spirit warns during this night. I know they'll put up resistance, but I know they're housing something. It's more than those two spirits. They've grown too fast from their fall as necromancers. They've got something in their back pocket. I was thinking the same thing. I don't trust them with their history. It's too easy to fall back in old ways when you're as good as they were. There's something there. We will find it. Yeah. All right. That's in a week. Rest up. Have the week off for now. It's a special engagement, I think. Six coins, a decent pay to be the head of that charge. Sounds like a plan. All right. Till then take the week off. Get strong. As you wish. And we can close on that. Once that ups him, XP. To be LaRosa execute. No, not during downtime contend with challenges above your current station. Yes. Feels like a. All string cruise reputation or develop a new one. Yeah. All right. Everyone add some pointers stash. I'll figure out how much express goals drives inner conflict. Essential nature of the crew. I say twice on that. So we have a crew level up. Who is next? Well, that's busy. Go first. I got a lot because they did stuff. Lots of stuff. Didn't think I did anything that was desperate today. They remember. No, I think the only desperate was prior. And lost a leg about it. I technically a foot. My whole life is addressing things. With deception and influence. Well, you did it to the sergeant to get. And you're listening as you're you signed up for a six coin raid on the. So yes, two for that. Yes. One other things. I don't need a more than double dip. Expect your belief drives heritage or background. Not sure what I would done on that side. Just be me. We could hit it in the remainder of the downtime, but I don't think it happened just yet. I haven't struggled with my vice or trauma. Either we could do that in our second. Yeah. So all right. Who is left to go so I can write it down? Busy. And just tests have one downtime action. Oh, that's free. All right. And next person. Let's go with Gordon. You address a challenge with stealth or evasion. I didn't have any desperate action. I think I did that. Yeah. You followed busy as Delegos and snuck into the. Yeah, Kelis estate. Beliefs drives heritage or background. Yeah. Well, you had driven now. You had your date with. Yeah. You wouldn't have gotten into this trouble at all except for your desire to have a relationship with. With Roslyn. Roslyn. Right. And struggled with issues from vice my trauma. Certainly that happened. So three. Yes. Yes. Ghost. Violence or coercion at least once. I tried to convey that I would like to know. More information about the individual we've handed over to them. You also wanted them back. Yeah. I'm going to be intimidated for that. It's part of the same process. I would think that would be only one. Okay. And my beliefs drive heritage or background. Yeah, at least twice. Because I was fighting so hard not to go. And help to save Breyer in any way that I could. Knowing full while that I should have stayed there and watched the individual. But also I thought there was this going. I'm sorry. I'm drawing a blank here. So perhaps I'm wrong. It was only once. I think fighting to get the guy back afterwards so that your buddy back in the blue coats doesn't get in trouble. Sullivan. Sullivan. Okay. Yeah. That makes sense. So a total of three and then struggling with issues or vices and trauma and potentially trying to relieve stress. I had a bit of a problem but the end result was good. So I don't know that that was definitely something. That would include a fourth one. Because it did involve my life but it wasn't necessarily bad. But it did help reduce the heat that our group had. So I'll leave that up to the gym if that's or I think it's a little close to double dipping with as much. Yeah. Okay. So I'll just take three. That's fine. Next is Tesla. No desperate actions addressed a challenge with knowledge or arcane power. I use knowledge of charter hall to help busy get an extra die for his speech that he made as. Yeah. As gentleman's name. Lysander. Lysander. So there was that expression beliefs, drives, heritage or background. I argued that we needed to go back for Ryer. That certainly was a belief of my character. She feels close to the demon for some reason because they have some shared esoteric leanings. So she wanted to go back. So I would think potentially one for that. Up to the DM. Yeah. You put yourself in danger. Okay. And then I don't know if this counts or not but when we were arguing about what to do with Harker, we were each giving our viewpoints and Tesla and gave her beliefs. Yes. Yeah. Her beliefs of what I agree with that. Quite clearly. Okay. And then struggle with issues with your vice or traumas. Not that I struggled by trying to role play Tesla and being self-conscious traumas aren't on the sheet. Right. I agree. Yeah. She definitely has a lot of trauma with her hand and Melissa made her feel incredibly self-conscious with her natural beauty. And she went in a bender because of that. So a total of four. Yep. Thank you very much. Prior. Yeah. Yeah. You addressed a challenge with technical skill or mayhem. I let loose a whole bunch of ghosts and explosions inside the muck. Yes, you did. And I healed a whole bunch of people. Oh, something I never got to but wanted to mention a bunch of our slides or lurks. Sculks. They have their own categories that try to like bridge a couple functions. Gotcha. Gotcha. Needed preventative medical care and then I have the capability to do that. So I don't want to spend some time doing that unless it was supposed to be a long-term project in which case I'll do it. I think it's a healing clock for them. Wow. Well, then I definitely wanted to include them in my role when I was asking who needed healing. But whatever we'll live is that one or two? I guess there wasn't really a challenge while it was in downtime. But nothing really is. There are risks depending on what you do. It's just most of the time they aren't score level. I'd say one. We didn't get to your other downtime action that may have added another. What about the... Oh. If we did, it was the arcane stuff I did with Melissa, which... Absolutely. Yeah. That could also hit for Buddhist drives heritage, but we'll take it here. Yeah. Buddhist drives heritage or background, let me think about this one. I mean, yeah. That was a good point. This is when we would be double dipping with the agreement I made with the spirit. But also the agreement I made with Melissa and my ability to bend my hatred into much less than that, a tool to be exploited. It's just the greater good, whatever babe. I didn't particularly hate her. She just decided she wanted to stab the shit out of me and didn't really give me a chance to... I mean, she knew the potential and couldn't get you. She does not have the social skills. No, she got really lucky that we found a circumstance under which I could stop having to kill her because my next plan wasn't quite so nice. But it is just a part of my beliefs and drives to try and find a better way for the city itself. And that's it, really. I mean, huh. I could probably argue some other ones just because being a demon is what I do all the fucking time, but I'm fine with just one. "Sugar with issues from advice or trauma during this session." I would have if I buckled down. I think losing a leg counts. Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. Yeah, that's a good point. That was all due to the fact that I decided to buckle down and do exactly what I was told not to. So, yeah. Everyone said, "Do not interact with the spirits here." And I said, "I'm just going to do that," and it went badly. That's my instability. All right. Total of three. I'm just trying with that. All right. I don't need any more skills from the lists or special abilities. This has been Nights at the Night Actual Play Podcast. I've been your host, John. Thanks for listening. Thanks, everyone. Great night. Yeah. Good job. Thank you for listening to Nights at the Night Actual Play Podcast. If you'd like to send us questions, comments, or feedback, you can reach us at a number of ways, including Twitter @KOTN_Podcasts. Or you can join our Facebook page, which is Facebook.com/KOTN.Podcasts. And while on Facebook, you can join like-minded folks at our fans' page at Facebook.com/groups/KOTN_Pant. And lastly, there's our blog, which is found at KOTN_Podcast.com. And please, remember to join us next week for more mystery and adventure. Our neighbor turned on love music right after noise ordnance. She waits the exact time. And then she has a timer. I swear to God. It's like 10.30 on the dot. 10.30. Boom. Time to make some noise. It's adding two quick items to this episode, which is this and the last episode was edited by my youngest son, Riley, and I appreciate his help in giving me a little more relaxing time so I don't have to edit as much as I normally do. So thank you. The other thing I wanted to mention was Miles. I really appreciate what you sent us. It's very kind of you to send us a gift of any kind. And he shows these types of alcohol look really good. We haven't shared them yet, but we will in the near future. So again, thank you so much for listening and thank you so much for the gift. Other possible titles for this episode that were available for voting on the Facebook nights of the night fans page were I'm a doctor now, baby, delicious life giving blood. Gods grow in strange corners. We get along like a plant on fire skeletons in the closet and a hangover and a few spare coins.