Okay. So, dive into darkness. When you lead your crew across the border between reality and the castle, check against blood. Halcyon, could you go ahead and give me that blood? Give me your blood. - All right. - Don't say it like that, Jesus. - Okay, sorry, that was okay. Well, I got a one and a three. - Oh, no. Okay, so that's still a hit. - Okay, good. That is a hit. So on a hit, you appear in the shard in a safe place. Each rebel takes on their castle farm with their signature weapon and gear. Just to ask, does anyone have any gear that they would like to change? - I think I'm happy with mine. Yeah, I really am happy with mine. - Yeah, I'm vibing. So this is essentially where most likely you lost left. It's interesting because in our world lore, everyone can basically see the door to the hearse, the nurse, the snake hearse. It is everyone's kind of opportunity like respite, just like sort of a self analysis area. But where everyone stands before now is that the heat of the void and the heat is not necessarily like an actual like hot temperature so much as it is the like prickle of anxiety of like that social claustrophobia that the void is made out of and lives in this like walkable liquid heavy air that the void is. And all of you, again, in your beautiful castle forms, this was the usual exploration group before Chloe joining in properly. As properly quote unquote as it really gets. But right now all around you is basically the like alternate severed world version of all the cars in the buildings and even the people around you. You are in the safe confines, however, of your hideout. This sort of marks the beginning of your exploration needing to find the next castle shard. So there are a couple things that can happen. You see before you what looks to be not like what it was when Chloe had all of you on the hunting stage, the hunting pressure rank. And there were littered in the like quote unquote streets of the void, these creatures of like glass and these ships that were out to like get you and constantly fight you. Instead, these are what seemed to be Halcyon computer monitors. What seemed to be the wicked clacking of broken and like dangerously sharpened keyboards and red eyes and red emoticon faces just sort of ambient leg, just sort of rolling up and down the street. There aren't like hordes or waves or anything like that. But all of you have an opportunity now, as you see, at least two of these computerized monsters. So the acceleration moves, confrontation moves even you are going to be able to strike, again, line it up, stand with bolster. Or even if anyone would like to see clear, that is an attempt to read dangerous situations, flow like water, power through, etc. Then I'll go ahead and I'll, I'll see clear. Okay. When you try to read a dangerous situation, roll your coins. Okay. Oh, sorry, gang. I rolled a two and a one and then I have a plus one for coins. So that's, that's like a four. Yeah. Okay. So you have an opportunity. Yep. It's, it's already, it's amazing. So you, you still do have an opportunity to ask one of the questions, but you're gonna have to prepare for the worst. So which exit takes me to my goal? What here is valuable? What can the enemies here do? What should I be on the lookout for? Um, so just to computer, yes, just rolling, rolling around, basically. Um, what should I be on the lookout for? Um, there does seem to be not necessarily layer actions. Um, but what looks to be like almost like traps of like exposed wires or electricity. Um, not necessarily on the monsters themselves, but just sort of off corners. There are some trap things that you will have to consider. That basically, um, I will prompt you that you might have to dodge or take certain consequences or conditions for just to take it, just to keep that in mind. There is not only just the monsters, but there does seem to be like strays here, basically. Okay. Cool. Okay. Uh, and speaking of, um, we, I am gonna roll now. I'm sorry, gang. It's fine. It's fine. I forgive. Thankfully it'll just be against Ren. Yeah. Oh, no. That was fucking dog shit. Okay. What is it? I hope shines eternal. Yeah. I try to think exactly, um, where I have y'all situated. I kind of have y'all like on the grounds of the hideout, like still like on the border of like potentially being able to like enter in and out of the safe room. Um, fast enough before the shadow comes in basically is the vibe. I think before anyone can even think Ren realizing that there might be more that we have to consider here. There are these exposed wires. Um, and one of them seems to attempt to lurch out and attempt to grab you to electrocute you. Um, but it hilariously misses. And I literally, there isn't even like a miss condition here as well. Um, so all of a sudden, all of you are in combat with what seems to be kind of like lower leveled, uh, shadow here, essentially, uh, of what seems to be like the expo, a worm of like exposed wire. And now these two computer monsters coming at you and addressing you now. Well, yeah, I think the balloon, uh, immediately seeing that it was Ren just not that was in danger, right? Um, in that moment, I think, uh, Varun kind of like moderate, like says pretty loudly. Why does this always happen when we come in? We always get the siege to, uh, and he is going to, um, begin to activate his castle abilities and what how what that looks like is what I would like to do is you just to move, stand with me. I would like to bolster, uh, Ren here. And the way that Varun is doing that is that he, uh, begins moving towards Ren, but each step is a step of a Bharatanati and dance. These are strong, like measured stops and stamping on his feet that lead him close towards, uh, Ren and begins to kind of like twirl in place on one foot to kind of bolster them and to make himself the kind of focal points so that Ren has a chance to breathe through this. Is that a specific role that you would like to make? Yeah, that's stand with me. Yeah. Roll those cups. Okay. So let's roll. Okay. That's not terrible. That's a seven. Okay. Beautiful. Um, save them from a particular ongoing danger, whether that's an opening your foes have on them or some other lingering issue. Okay. Um, so what that can look like is basically an advantage, uh, Ren for your next turn. So what a vantage as a reminder for PBT is rolling three and taking the higher of the two. All right. Works for me. Okay. Our June and Halcyon. Uh, I think Halcyon, again, upon seeing these computer people and, uh, and in this kind of more primal void state is just going to start to, uh, pressure one of this, one of the computer heads. So I think that would be launching their own attack. So that would, so their, uh, scythe kind of forms from this, like bone bracelet on their, on their wrist and forms into this scythe and they get ready to, to swing that tang right at, right at, I don't know, the nearest computer guy. So that's rolling swords, which is, uh, I gotta find my numbers. Hold on. Okay. That's plus one. Okay. And that is, oh, yeah, yeah. That would be a miss. That is, that is a five. Got it. Okay. God, please. Wait, we're doing so well. Oh, Ren and Halcyon as a reminder also to Mark world. Yeah. Okay. Yes. Thank you. Um, and no matter what, they'll retaliate. So we're going to see what opening weekend. Ah, just a beautiful little strike. Okay. That is going to be these things have strong swords by the way. Um, that is going to be a 10 to hit. God. Okay. I see, I see what's happening here. Okay. Okay. Cool. Okay. Um, that is going to be a blood stress to you. Halcyon. And would that be, is that just one or is it? Yes, just one at this moment. Yes. Okay. Okay. So that was Halcyon's computer monster. And then there is still another computer monster and a worm of exposed wires. Um, Arjun. Uh, I think that I would, I think I don't have Arjun probably line up, do a line it up on the, I guess on one of the other, um, other one of the other monsters there, probably probably the other computer monster most likely, the one that did not attack Halcyon. Okay. When you size up the enemy to locate a weak spot, roll plus coin. Let's do this. That's Nate. Okay. Pick two. See, I'd rather not have an attack set in my way. So I'll pick the, I'll pick the bottom two. Okay. Opening only lasts for a few minutes and the foes sees you get fleeting disadvantage on strike. You are essentially shaping the void around this computer monster. We can also work together here as well. You're sort of realizing that like these aren't meant to be, these are certainly a threat. Um, but given the new like strengths and powers really that you got after taking down Chloe to like kind of use like the video game terms like strong, like lightning, affinity and propensity. But there is a brittleness when it comes to just like direct force here. Gotcha. Okay. So definitely, definitely on the glass cannon side. But you are, yeah, you are that you now have the, the attention of this computer monster. We're going to go right back up to the worm. And, uh, Ren, you are being bolstered. Um, by Varun, you have advantage on this. How would you like to handle this smaller enemy right at your feet? If it's a worm, you got to chop it in half. So, so Ren, um, will probably just strike using direct force and try to cut off this like the head of the worm. If that's even a thing. Okay. So that is an eight. With eight for strike using direct force. Um, this worm does not have a lot in him anyway. Um, strike, the confrontation moves in the strike. I think a lot of this is very obviously for the vassal or current enforcer, but we, we're just going to roll with it and use this for now. Ren, how does it look like as you take down what seems to be the small body of this, these moving wires? Yeah, Ren's going to do a little spin her, um, her scissor sword and she's going to plunge it down in the middle. And then she's going to look up at, um, Halcyon and be like, Hey, are you okay? Do you, should we just run for it? Like, I feel like we should just run for it. Halcyon's kind of like, uh, no way. Okay. They're going down. They're going down. Varen, with your, um, especially created advantage to run, Ren has downed one enemy and there are two definitely bigger ones in front of, uh, Arjun and Halcyon at the moment. I, because I hear Halcyon being like, uh, uh, and, uh, even Arjun decides like, Oh God, okay, we're not running for it, which means we got to engage it. Uh, so what, uh, Varun ends up doing is he continues to dance, but this time he moves forward towards the direction of Halcyon and Arjun and brandishes his chakra. This thin little discus that he pulls in one hand that he begins to twirl in one finger and tries to aim it at, uh, probably the one in front of Halcyon, who have, whichever is the one that's closest to Halcyon, because Halcyon's not having a good time. And that will be my, uh, that will be my strike move. I, I, this is, this is direct force. I can't even, I can't even try to appeal a stealth and dial. I'll roll with swords. It's a minus one for me, but it's fine. Oh, oh, but Pong, that's a 10. Oh, okay. Okay. So these guys do have small qualities. On any hit, you remove the opening and break one of the foes qualities with that beautiful brandish, um, of your weapons, um, admits your dance, uh, the computer, the, this monster in front of you with what seemed to be almost a very mimic-like set of like teeth beginning to like even push through the monitor towards you. Suddenly everything shuts down as it crumples to the ground backwards, uh, with the help of Varun. Um, the quality here, however, is that it seems to in front of Arjun, um, there is almost like an electric, like a wave or a path that sends and sparks out one way and then one way directly towards the computer, the monster in front of Arjun, seemingly emboldened by something, the like self-destructive quality that it seemed to have. Halcyon, um, two of the monsters fully addressed now. Um, Halcyon, Arjun, do the two of you want to collaborate on this last sort of the tag team? What is it called? Showtime. Showtime. That'd be cool. I should be so down for that. Yeah. I want to do a showtime. I want to do a showtime. That'll be so bad. Um, I think that's probably again just from like a, an unspoken like, look, that's like, we can, we can do this. We got this. Um, so would that be that can be strike power through either one of those? Okay. Okay. Um, I think I would like to push through pain or that that's the power through, right? Both of your real swords. Let's see what happens. This should be interesting. Whole swords. Okay. Okay. Oh, God, please. Okay. Yeah. And this is like a floor. Yeah. We're going to do teamwork now. Okay. That is a seven. There you go. Beautiful. Okay. On a hit, um, the two of you can pick one and then we will artfully turn it into a showtime scene together, knock back and scatter me as our best mess, but it's kind of like, yeah, get out here. Okay. House on the iridescent angel of justice. Arjun, this beautiful, this, this icon. What does it look like when the two of you knock back this last monster? I think we both got an abrasive flash here. Oh, absolutely. Um, and I feel, I mean, I don't know if we want something acrobatic, but I do feel like Halcyon could very much like propel Arjun forward into like, especially since you got the, the more effective role, let's say, into like a, a leaping attack or something where it's like, it's very stylish. It's flashy, like colors are everywhere and when we're spinning, but it's like a, a push up and go get them. Yeah. I think so. I think that that's definitely good idea for sure. I like that idea a lot. Like I think as, as Halcyon kind of launches him forward, you can see Arjun just sort of basically just brandish his, um, brandish is a roomy sort of basically, it's like a whip sword, essentially. So like as she basically launches him as Halcyon launches Arjun forward, he just basically starts brandishing it and almost like a stylishly slash gracefully twirling it around him and just knocking back pretty much any enemy left within them, like a radius of him essentially. Yeah. Yeah. Ending him like this dramatic like actor, like acting, like finishing pose. Like there's a spot. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. You can already, you can already tell there's going to be like some sort of imaginary spotlight on him that just, and he just ends it with like the, like the traditional curtain call bow. Beautiful. With the current group of minions now out of the way, all of you realize now the new danger, the new level of threat currently surfacing bleeding out into the world. Halcyon. No. You remember from that last field job with Khloe that there was a slight tear in the world. And I think you feel again, maybe a sensation similar to what Varun experienced this slight like red static electricity, this feeling, this vision that you have in the corner of your eye, your head snaps into a direction and sure enough, the like alternate like void view of the world clears out a path towards the mortuary. And I think with that like sudden connection being provided while in the void, a castle begins to sprout right before all of your very eyes. So Khloe, we are following you after the first bout with Natasha, Ren as well. Presumably it's been a rough going of the week. Let's go into the not, and they're not downtime moves, but they are called the the everyday actions. Which of these things are you thinking Khloe would part take in? I think maybe a wolf at the door to try and get some clarity on what to do about this community center and this money money and everything that's happening. So I think specifically maybe it's putting in the work to contact the previous Aldermen. And yeah, just ask for advice and help. Okay, once again, wolf at the door, when you do what it takes to keep the wheels turning quella crisis, yours or someone else's pick how you do this and what it costs you putting in the work market condition, which condition are you thinking? We got angry callus cowed overwhelmed and scared. I think overwhelmed makes sense right now. This will give you a future disadvantage to verbalize and line it up. Okay, so you are overwhelmed, very understandable. So what do you do and how does it wear on you? I think that it's that conversation with Mithra and I think that he suggested that like Khloe needs to talk to someone at work, like call the previous Aldermen do what you need to do. And so despite their shaky past, i.e. Khloe possibly blackmailing him to get him out of office, she still has his number and I think calls him up and is basically like, hey, I think I may have really fucked up. And I don't know how to fix it. You are essentially just given the advice of, well, first of all, a very like beakaraging greeting, but you are given the advice of like, go back into all the problems that haven't been solved or find a new problem and make like a huge big PR thing of it and let that new success take over your past shortcoming is how he explains that he did it a lot. Just like creating a new problem and then just or finding genuinely an old problem that has not had not been addressed and there was extra money to throw around it. Just kind of recycling problems, but whatever seems like a bigger problem, maybe this, I think he kind of, there is maybe this reassuring, maybe not so reassuring thing of like, hey, listen, the community center was never really going to be that big of a thing. People make it a big thing to make it seem like the money was worth it, but if you give the same shove in a different direction, maybe you can get yourself out of the water. And because this course of action does not involve any sort of taking accountability or tournament, Chloe is all for it. Totally. No accountability, sign me up. Exactly. And so she will give her thanks and start brainstorming. And I think that this is before we did the mortuary scene, right? So once we get out of the mortuary and away from those little beefy guys, I think that the things are ticking, her brain is ticking, she is scheming. What are we scheming? Or like, I rather more specifically, what inspired you from what happened, what you experienced? We can deflect to like, hey, you know, whatever city governments, but the real problem is these people who you should be able to trust stealing from your dad and the elderly, which I only found out about because I'm so involved in this community. Yeah, you did something for free. And that was just a hilarious accident. Out of the good of my heart. Yeah, out of the good of your heart. Yeah. Are there any current movements regarding that? Are you sitting on it or waiting? Yeah, I think, I think that I'm waiting to like, get back with the rest of the group because Halcyon was there, but that was it. Yes. So waiting to sort of reconvene with the group. And then, you know, if someone decides to try and throw in my face again, run my past shortcomings, I could be like, well, look at these new problems. Look what I'm doing. Got it. Okay. Excellent. That you are insane. And I hate you. Incredible. Okay. So that is your, well, that the door down time. Whether we can, I think we can hold on to, we can say why exactly the circumstances leading to Chloe, not quite seeing the group chat heading their way into the void again. It's kind of that like weird four to six p.m. kind of time. Do you have like, would you meet up with Mithryn or would you have like a regular like phone call? Like, what's sort of a more organic meeting up with him? Look like, oh, yeah, like a standing like date would be very cute. Like, dinner, I guess, four to sixes early, but like drinks or dinner or something after the end of the week. Got it. Okay. You're kind of like at like a awful corporate standing cafe situation. There is a very notable, I think after like the greetings, the like kiss and the like kind of just general checking in with things, there is a kind of leftover furrow of his brow, a very like a look of distaste and kind of discomfort that he doesn't really know how to breach. I think there is, there is just kind of this thing with Mithryn. He is still a man where business is first. That's what he knows how to broach conversation, but there's something more emotional happening and he's not quite saying what. Yeah, I think that Chloe sort of allows herself also to not try and breach that quite yet is just sort of trying to enjoy the horrible corporate atmosphere of this cafe and this time with her boyfriend. But eventually it gets to be sort of too much and so she'll, you know, ask, is everything all right? I've never been one to, really, I apologize. I know that I'm not really the most forthcoming when it comes to maybe my own problems, but I haven't tried to find out how to say this. Is my brother giving you a hard time about your job about anything? Chloe is sort of a deep sigh. I don't think he's trying to, so he, but he is doing something. I mean, I think that Varun cares very deeply about the community and the community center and so with the troubles we've been having, we have had a confrontation about it. There's a deep sigh as he reflects on that. I've been having to consider a few things regarding Varun and the family. This in particular, just his hearts in it, sure, but his mind, you know, my parents, I won't, Varun and his parents, they have very much already been on this thing of if they could retire early, if they could relax, they could, they would. And I'm on that track very soon. The only thing, only person, keeping me away from bigger investments, bigger franchising, is Varun. He doesn't want the grocery to grow. That's certainly what it sounds like every time I have a conversation with him. It's just always it doesn't need to be bigger and above table for Chloe. I think you've never understood, you've never, how you've never, any conversation you've ever had with Varun has never been about like, oh, I would hate for the store to get bigger. It's always just been the future consequences of what something like this could do, could dilute the meaning and message behind a community store like this, to get like, quote unquote, whatever it means for Mithryn to think. Mithryn continues, "I want a future between the two of us, Chloe, and I want you to do the best that you can." It's ridiculous to even think about it, but if Varun is making your life harder, that's an entirely other thing. "Don't mind me, I'm just digging my little hole that I would be lying down to before the next hour or so." "Baby boy, no." "Cloey, what's on your mind?" Yeah, I think Chloe sort of grabs his hand and says, "Well, I want a future for us, too, and I want all of your hopes to come true as well. Do you want me to try talking with him, maybe coming from someone outside of the family?" Chloe, I'm asking you if you want me to get my brother out of the city. Oh, she struggles to not visibly react to that because Chloe is an only child, but this is not her understanding of how siblings are supposed to be. It'll be the same thing as me telling my parents I can give you that early retirement. Varun, I can give him a new opportunity somewhere else, something that he can't pass up, something where he doesn't have to potentially ruin new thoughts, new ideas, new ventures. This place is a flourishing city. It can mean something to the two of us. I hear parents all right with that. I haven't spoken to my parents about it, that they don't need to know. I'm giving them a key to something brighter and more comfortable. They've worked hard. Not to say that Varun hasn't, but he wants to end something prematurely. We see Chloe's finger tapping a little anxiously on the glass of whatever drink it is she has. It would certainly make things easier in some ways. Is that what you want, as well? I don't want you to do this for me. Methrin should be for you, as well. I'm looking at some moves very quickly. Hang on one moment. I thought you were saying that in Methrin's perspective. No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm like, what in the world are you making, brother? I got the apartment set up. I'm going to get bought. Listen, everything's ready to go. Just say it's the word. It's the two of us, and not my brother. Sorry, my brother, who? I don't have a brother. I'm an only child. Oh my god. No. Not a move, but I think, Chloe, you, the world, and the void, all three of you are undeniably interwoven to whatever degree, especially now, a former vassal. You are aware the state of the investigation, the ticking of the clock, although not quite raised. I feel as though you've never felt more watched in this conversation, not that it is actually happening, but this public space, this very corporate cafe, even this sort of environment that Methrin wants to turn his family business into. Methrin sees family or the feel of a family establishment as lucrative, but not necessarily that family still has to be behind everything, and this isn't usually this type of instinct is something that is in Halcyon's hands, but again, there's something not by your blood or by your instinct, or even the closest thing that you can maybe say, that you were able to see this as maybe by dreams, by ghoul or motive. The flame, the social claustrophobia of the void, there is just a small, slight little flame of it above Methrin's head, as he says these words to you. Oh no. And I think that Chloe sees that and maybe that feeling of being watched, it's just like a hallucination, or maybe it is like some small aspect of the world or the void coming out, but I think that she like from the corner of her eye sees a bit of that like glimmering iridescence that reminds her of Halcyon and of what happened when Chloe was a vassal. And so she pauses and says, "Before do you do anything? Maybe I could facilitate a conversation with the two of you?" I don't, I think that he's very tied to this city and I don't know, it feels like it could be cruel to make him leave without talking, trying to work it out first. I know that he's trying, he wants things to be the best, but he just, you know, doesn't quite have your vision. I don't think family needs to have middlemen in conversations necessarily. I just, if I can get him in a conversation and I will, if at some point somehow he can make some compromise with me, although I'm not sure that that is the place that we're at at this moment, maybe, maybe. But, and he does something interesting that maybe he's doing so consciously. But, as you've grabbed his hand, he takes his hands into yours as well, and just sort of caresses very, a very specific finger on your left hand. You are my future and I just want you to know that. I feel the same way. I'll talk to him. Of course, I mean, you, you know the best. You are his brother. Okay. Unless there's anything else you have to say in that conversation. No. Uh-huh. At this point, I think, Chloe, maybe you finally are able to check your phone or look at the proper messages. Does Chloe have all notifications off of that kind of thing? Or do you not disturb? It's on communications on your terms with your phone. Exactly. 100%. Okay. Got it. You've been getting, depending on who has been giving some kind of play-by-play about the situation, the void, and the actors, and stuff like that, you were just suddenly getting an influx of information from the group chat that you're only seeing today, just now. I think, finally, Chloe will text back. People, actors, question mark, where do you want to meet? There you are of our response to the group chat with an excavation point and sparkles emoji. Josephine, its scary dog friend, plays the architect and edits the show. The biggest thanks to Minerva McJanda for creating our system, Voidheart Symphony. You can find Josephine producing actual plays at Badhouse RPG and Nameless Domain. Other podcasts you can find her include Someplace to Be, a system-hopping actual play with an indie focus, and Monster Fucker's Anonymous, rating and dating your favorite monsters everywhere you listen to your podcasts. Thanks again to Goplinson Gays for hosting us, and all the music you hear today is from Epidemic Sound. Abhishek Patanke, he/him, plays Arjun Kumar. You can find him voice acting, as well as starring in other TTRBG APs, such as Zenith, Over at Sword and Key, premiering August 29th, as well as Iron Swarm the Valley Season 2, Over at Nerds with Dice, premiering September 5th. You can also find him being a huge Tokusatsu nerd over at neon_raden@towater.com. Alyssa, at a disaster career, plays Chloe, Pentatems. You can find them here on Goplinson Gays, off for our Pathfinder series Tyrone of the Dark Star, as well as on an unwavering force, a Star Wars actual play. Donna, she/her, plays Renkong. You can find her voice acting, playing other TTRPGs, and overall being a goofy gal at shabrow on twitter.com. Leanna Albanese, any pronouns, plays Halcyon. You can find them acting, producing, and generally goofing around, at Leanna Albanese on all platforms. Valiant Dorian, at Valiant Dorian, or at Oxford Spirit Bear, plays Valrun Pile. You can find them as a main cast member of Transpainer RPGs, the Chaos Protocol, hosting his TTRPG talk show Dicy Vanta, and designing wild-hearted monstrous games like his in-development TTRPG, The Beast Within, a grungy action RPG with a rare beast twist. Oh sorry, I don't want to make sure I'm killing you, so hang on. I appreciate looking out for us. Thank you for our well-being. Hello, hello, hello, hello, and welcome to Interrogation, where guidance will always find you when you need it. I am your guide, and today I'm joined by I'm Eli, I'm Grant Nordine, it's Basil. Tell us a little bit about who we're going to be talking to today. We're going to be talking to Ike, Alouette the player, and we're going to be furlough. This would be a good time to actually get into the reading, and they're going to turn over the Ace of Wands, the Reverse, Seven of Coins, the Wheel of Fortune. Gobbits and Gaze presents Interrogation, where we learn about the character's story, and read some cards for them to see what their past, present, or future may entail. You can find this everywhere online at Interrogate, or wherever you listen to your podcast. Guys, will always find you, or do you like it or not?
