We now have control of this rare flying boat. But.. a decision to make about murder.
Knights of the Night
622- BitD She Casts Her Glance a Scance
(music) Hello and welcome to Nights at a Night Actual Play Podcast. This plays in the Dark Adventure and the Mechanation is written in run by our GM John. And now please enjoy episode 622, titled, "She Casts Her Clans A Scans." Actual play begins immediately. (music) Hello and welcome to Nights at a Night Actual Play Podcast. I'm your host and GM John, running our Blades in the Dark Campaign Mechanations and the players with me starting on my left. Pub is playing Hadrian's Briar, or Burning Briar, if you please, while upon the job. I'm an Aruvian runaway demon heir who performs the job of a leech within Tabularasa, a saboteuro technician who specializes in the creation of potent alchemical substances, healing, doing magic, all sorts of nonsense, inventions if you let me at this shit for long enough. I've got level 1 arm to represent that, a lame foot, because it can't move on its own. And I've got 6 stress, and I'm unstable, don't fuck with me. Hi everyone, this is Scott, I'll be playing Tesslyn Vale, otherwise known as the Bell of the Abyss. Tesslyn is a Saburosy Whisper, as part of her crew, but she also does some sideline work for the Archive of Echoes, exploring the past via ghosts with her mentor Lord Pendren, who is now disgraced. She is a petite brunette who is partial to petticoats, she has flowing oberin rocks, olive skin, and green eyes. Tesslyn also has, much to her mortification, a dead hand sewn onto her left wrist. It is grey and mottled, blue, bruised, and disgusting. Tesslyn currently has 6 stress, and she has a level 1 arm of painful cuts. Hello folks, I am Jim, I am playing the recently wounded Silver Tongue slide, named Steven Bing, also known as Busy. He's a socializing and enterprising handsome young Eckerosi Noble. When not getting shot on crew business, the very busy spends his time behind the scenes, trying to revitalize the finances of the Bing coalmine family. He called himself busy because he's always working hard to try to find ways to profit from the good and bad fortune of others. Currently he spends most of his days as a spirit warden Delegos. They currently have 4 stress boxes. I am Tom, and I play an X-blue coat captain who goes by the name of Ghost, because of her pale skin, eyes, and hair. She is a cutter who is dangerous and intimidating woman, but she also does her best to keep her crew members safe and protected. She was born and raised in Eckerosi, so she knows a lot of bad things about this city. She currently has 7 stress, which is kind of normal for her. I'm Michael playing Gordon, a young, then good-natured scolvish lurk. As a lurk, he specializes in infiltration, allowing him to bypass most security measures. Gordon currently has 8 stress. Damn, he got me beat. When last we left, well, I have my hands on her and she's also kind of locked up close enough. Yeah, I don't know how good she will be at escaping this, but we are definitely in a position now where we can talk and make decisions. And I think we want to talk to her. Okay, let's get that out of the way. I'd feel better if I were piloting this device. Sure, so would all of us. I think we all would feel better. Yes, absolutely. Not that I've ever done it before. We trust you more. Okay, so you all move into the homeroom. I offer the demon in our tongue. If you take any commands for her over us, I'm not letting you out when we're done here. She's my captor. She's our captive. Do you want to command? Yes, sir. Okay, we want busy to explain to her what's going on. She casts a scant glance. She casts her glance a scant to the approaching towers of Crow's Foot and offers some helpful pointers to Gordon and an extra die of this risky situation. You have a wonderful ship. Well, I'd like to keep it that way. It's a little damaged as is, but if we're to talk about this, let's not do it while falling through the sky. Good plan. Grace and a plumb. So it is risky. You are going to have its rare and NPC helps you out like this. So an extra die is not usually how it goes, but I want to deescalate things. And so did she. And so did she. So tinker roll. It's finesse to a pilot, a thing like this. Right. Plus one. Do you have this in us? Risky. Yeah. I'm fine. Standard risky. Risky. Risky. Just go. It is. No. The vessel. It's also new to him, yeah. Also, first time doing this. So it's plus one risky standard. Yes. Okay. Whoop. Wow. Right, though. No, but that's a lot of high numbers. Nice. Five, five, six. That extra die. You're a natural, I say. As you maneuver past the rookery, the tallest building in Crowsfoot, a number of crows fly out in a big murder and try to chase the vessel. But the speed is such that they just can't keep up. And you steer the craft towards the much lower buildings of Dunslow, the direction of the flats, the agricultural center of the city. Right. And with that, she offers a few tips to slow it down so he can idle and not have to run into a lightning barrier. And says, well, this is as isolated as we're going to get. Lord of. Unless you plan to breach the lightning barrier. Busy looks confused. He's just shaking his head. I go, you know, you've been nothing but kind and nice to me ever since we've met. And you trying to keep me alive. And I was being stupid down at the party. Showed me that you have some compassion for people and such. And we are not people who like to kill people who don't deserve it and who are basically good people. So that's the reason why I wanted to slow things down. But now I'm confused because I'm not sure if you're people and that there's anything wrong with not being people. I say looking over at prior. I'm just wondering what you are. And why you're why you're a demon hunter hunting demons. Like, what is, are you doing it to make this a better world? There's there's something personal going on between you and your target. I think you're telling her a little bit too much about ourselves. I don't care. Well, I know you care. Some of us do and we need to shut it up somehow. You interrupt? Yes. Sounds like Gordon did. All right. I think you say as much as like, you're confusing me. You're not quite human. We were sent out. And then there's like, I did that, she says, well, are we discussing it or not? I am here to bring the demons of the city under the knowledge of the demonographer's guild. They are used for a lot of purposes in the empire and are indeed the fuel that runs civilization. So yeah, there's one just standing there. You're all friends with this one? Hey. Yes, quite close. Okay. Well, then there's a whole country of us. Bump them. They can help you without having to put them under your control. It's true. And many others are malevolent and unpredictable. That's also true, yes. Mm-hmm. I've turned around. Smoked a little cat's mouth. Yep. I think say that our friend is not one of the first ones. The emperor's policy is to better safe than sorry. There are powerful demons that are dangerous to make deals with. He prefers them under his thumb. Except for the ones that would cause a war that he can't handle. It is a conflict in the future. I'm not going to deny that. I would have to say that I think the emperor is more concerned about his own well-being when it comes to demons as opposed to the well-being of his so-called empire. He is really a scoundrel in disguise and wishes to keep everyone that he can under his thumb. Plus not. Suppose that the emperor has good intentions here. Tyrant. Well, fair enough. But better men of people does occur. Like if we do a strict line of not slaying demons as the demon in the room, your whole civilization collapsed. Leviathan's count too. So, there has never been a Leviathan they've managed to slay. They are mighty creatures. No, that's more opportunistic phlebotomy. Phlebotomy, that's a deep cut. But as a doctor, I know what that means. We took a job, gentlemen. Yes. And I think that's fine to share to her. As I have no connection with your group, it only makes sense that there's some outside source. As friendly as you are with demons, I imagine it's one who's eluded. It's a tar, isn't it? Nope. I try to look at the total poker face. Don't know how well I actually succeed in doing that. But I just shake my head gently and be like, that's not something we're going to share with you. All I know is we took an assignment. Indiscrimently killing or putting demons under the emperor's rule was something that we decided was a negative. Now, just because she's too pretty to die, we decide that we decide that we're going to have a long conversation about it. I thought we were here to make the world a better place. I mean, the question was asked, why does she do what she does? Wasn't quite answered yet? Well, the question is, would it be a better world if she's dead? Yeah. Because I honestly am starting to wonder that. I don't think her effect on the city is going to be positive, but go ahead and defend yourself from the lady. I don't live here. I intend to leave. When it comes to, let's say for the sake of argument, satara, the emperor has a history with her and has pitted our organization against her a couple times. I knew the stakes when I was sent out here. Given my gestures to her wound specific qualifications, I thought it was something I could handle. You do have a thing going on. But honestly, I think a number of us don't want you to die, but we would like you to leave because that's part of the bark. I am not likely to receive much in the way of accolades, if I am to go back without even attempting to catalog her. Well, it's your word, isn't it? If you say you gave an attempt and you fought a pitched battle and you were just shy of succeeding, that should be good enough for the emperor, no? I have some restrictions placed on me that you may not be aware of. Elucidatus. If you can. I cannot lie. Well, that's a problem now, isn't it? Does that restrict your ability to write down lies? Yes. Damn. Surgeons all out of ideas. Can you respond with no comment to a question? I can. It's not likely to get me far in my career if I remain silent on this, but I can. Would it be a lie for you to say that you tried because you did already, didn't you? You didn't get as close as you want to be. No. Was tracking her down? I had yet to make an attempt. You could phrase it in such a way. You couldn't track her down. You couldn't find her. That lies of omission destroy what is left of who I am. I'm not saying you need to lie. I'm saying you need to only share certain truths. I am saying that doing that will wear down what I am. She doesn't have a regular anchor to this world, and that damage is it. Crap. What's with the art? Crap. Crap. Crap. That's all he keeps saying. You likely, in your entrance to the tower, ran into the hall I was crafting for the mistress of the house. I think take some damage. You made one for yourself. I am one. Completely one. So you're just a spirit inside that mechanical form. I made it after my body. It's as close as I can manage while maintaining a few extra augmentations. Damn. I mean, that really makes things much easier, doesn't it? If we were to spatch her, we're dispatching a spirit. We're not dispatching a person. He's shaking his head. What did I do? I will make it clear for your sake of decision-making that if it comes to trying to dispatch me, these manacles will not hold me. It will be a fight. Cool. Good. I have an extra spirit bottle that I brought along. Just in case that's something we decided we wanted to do. All holes have a crystal that contains their spirit. I am already contained. You would need to remove it. But yeah. Wow. Huh. Okay. So we send you back. You can't lie. What if you had a ride along the emperor couldn't detect who could? The crystal I'm contained in is sealed permanently. You can't really make additions without altering what I am. I don't like that. Is there any way we could make a deal between you and your target to have you both go on your ways without a meeting with Satara could prove more valuable than an attempt to catalog her as old as she is as many as have failed. I didn't like my chances just that I was less likely to perish in the process. Whatever perish means to a whole. We super would not get paid. If we just arranged a meeting? Yeah, no. Satara. I do have good relations with her and I might be able to convince her for a sit down as long as at the end of the sit down, it was agreed that Esmeralda would return from when she came and admit defeat. That's a possibility. I'm not saying that Satara would agree. I'm saying I could take it to her. If you I think my leadership would be more than happy with that result and it would save me a lie. We might not get paid. But I don't think she would be adverse to meeting her adversary as long as it was in a situation where we were all there on her side protecting her and the agreed to end point of the conversation was that Esmeralda would just collect and talk about data and then leave. I got a question. I think that might be doable. I got a question for you Esmer. What makes besides your wholeness, your spiritness, what is it that makes you different, more formidable, a demon hunter than those that have come before you? Our notes have that Satara is a demon of flesh and bone. I'm neither. We had yet to create a hull that could still practice demonology. I am the first prototype of such. I perished about six years ago in my training. My notes on potential hulls of this design were utilized in bringing me back. I had a working model. This is not the one standing before you, but I made some preparations. I had something in the bank. I have a practical question while you're doing all this theoretical stuff. How do you see behind you in this thing? I mean, how do we know we're not being followed? How do I know that there wasn't a standard thing that you do when you take off and we didn't do it and we're about to be severed? Well, I'm currently the only levitating vessel in the city, but besides that, I can detect spirit essences as we fly by. There are physical concerns when approaching a target, but I didn't have need for people coming up behind me as much. Normally, there are mirrors installed, a whole vertical helm that has a 360 view. Okay, okay, you're saying don't worry about it. I can tell we're alone. If that's enough for you. Well, it's not enough for me, but it's going to have to do, I guess. You can go outside and check if you wish. Yeah, I think I'll pass on that. Maybe we can stop by my girlfriend's house. That would be impressive, right? Probably. That would be really impressive. I'm just kidding. But yeah, guys, I just want to say sorry for screwing this day up. But I hope good comes from it. All right, as my if I could arrange for a ride along that doesn't have anything to do with your crystal and has everything to do with fucking around with your hole in a whole lot of magical symbols, how do you feel like letting something else lie for you whenever you need it to give you some freedom that you don't have right now? I can't know what that would do to me. I'd try to keep away from the crystal inherently. It would just be like something to lie in my voice. Yeah, you cast enough symbols around the chest cavity of your armor. It can pretend to be your vocal box. No problem. But the only way I know how to do it would be like, I don't know, I would have to make something that's vaguely alive. You'd have to get along with it. I'm a thing of life and fire. I don't know. I would like I don't know that I could utilize such a thing without damaging my programming. I remember what I was going to say. You could pretend it's a servitor demon for the most part given that it's pretty much just going to be that. That could probably pass inspection. I don't know if I could use it without damaging myself, but it is an interesting proposal. And well, that's my proposal for the one where we take a longer time and think about this and talk to Sotara. Otherwise, we do what we got to do. Guys, what we do? I am a little bit confused by Busy's last statement. Busy, what did you do? Because you and me weren't there, Breyer. Yeah, you're right. Instead of doing what I usually do, which is like, talk my way into in that out of things. And these are my words to help me out. I was downstairs socializing, talking as me and my brother got into a duel with some idiot noble or whatever. I'll say his name. I don't know what it is. I thought my head he was drunk. So I decided to be a second. And what I should have did was talk my way out of it. But I thought it was a chance to actually duel somebody, take somebody out who's a rival to our family and would boost our family's name if I was able to actually win this battle. But it really shouldn't have the odds were against me big time. I don't know. I was probably more trying to impress this wonderful being here. It's not thinking with my head. So I got shot and wounded. I repaired as long as best I could with what I had on hand. And how did it screw things up? Well, if you're not dead. Because I like her. Well, as far as the amount of girls, I thought. And I still kind of think she's a good person, a good entity for the emperor. She works for the emperor. The guy that we want to see disposed of anything as we try to make this a better world to live in. But that doesn't make her a bad person. Everybody works for somebody. Maybe on a wise one, but not a bad person. This could be good people and bad people here. We did our research. We looked into her. We got background information on her and decided she was the mark and accepted the job. And then halfway through, we're suddenly having conversations with her and talking about a future possibility together. I'm very confused as to how that happened with a crew that normally handles its business. We handle business by assassinating people that need to die. We were literally given the project to either kill her or make her leave. And this got to be a conversation that's not happening right in front of her face. What's happening? I would love not to happen right in front of her face. We brought her right in front of our face and we can't really do much about that. This is no other alternative at this point. We normally have a mark, we research the mark, and we take care of the mark. And the reason why it didn't happen is the reason why I am sorry. As long as we learn from it, that's helpful. But it's still a problem. We have a very difficult situation now on how to extricate ourselves from this without drawing the emperor's tension. And the city's governor as well, it's just a pile of shit now. And it wasn't supposed to be this way. She was supposed to go overboard. And we were all supposed to make it a very simple job. And I'm just a little confused and a little disappointed that it didn't turn out that way. I understand second thoughts and second misgivings. But usually that has happened before the job, not in the middle of actually taking out the mark. So that's what confused me. I'm not surprised that there would be some time where we have to research something that we thought we knew. Okay, cool. Has anything changed our opinions actually, though? Like she's pretty. That's fine. I don't get it. But I'm a demon. What about the issue where we already figured out just relatively bad for the world? Has anything changed your mind as to that? Like, if you do a charity, I'm not aware of because the whole thing I've heard that we didn't know is that she made an eternal prison for a lady. That's it. That's the only thing I've learned so far. Other than, I don't know, you do some magic that enslaves demons. You don't really see a problem with that. So give me a reason why she contributes to the good of the world that I wasn't aware of. And I'm willing to continue this conversation. Otherwise, I pretty much know where my vote was. And I certainly know where it is. I was at that backwards. I have not been thinking clearly this evening. I have not made a lot of good decisions this evening. So I just don't know what else to say except, sorry. Apology accepted busy. I just wanted to understand it and hopefully it doesn't come back to Biden's yes. So, yeah, say we could fly out of the city and go quite a distance and dump her off at a height that probably wouldn't kill her. And wouldn't we be following the letter of our instructions or job? We could take her to the ghost field, you know, into the deadlines. Excuse me, past the ghost, the ghost lighting barrier, lightning barrier. And sorry, thank you for that. I get the- What is the lightning barrier? It's a electrical system around the city that keeps out ghosts and spirits from the deadlines. Yes, outside of the city is a poisonous miasma that has more than just ghosts out there. Some electropasmic entities that are kept at bay by the fence. It's run in 24/7 and it's a big drain on resources. But otherwise, the population is under attack all the time by arcane monstrosities. So- So is it a dome-like thing? Not so much. It's more of a vertical lightning fence. Does we could fly over it, theoretically? Absolutely. Yes, if you get enough height, I also have an array that we can hoist that will allow us to pass through. That's an easy thing to fuck up. So, I mean, that's an option, right? Yes. I'm talking to my team. Sorry, what was it? It's an option. It is definitely an option and maybe the best option we have at this point. Oh, I should say, out loud, I promised the air demon it could leave. Enjoy that. This job is being glorious. Yay, I'm not the only one who makes bad decisions like that. I do this shit regularly. I almost let it out by accident and it called me a race trader. And you know what? It is right. So that's my line here. We're trying to make the world a better place. We make a positive air demon contact. We might keep it with us and not let it out of the lightning barrier, but- I have it inside a flask right now. Oh, did you? It is sealed back in its containment vessel in the center? Oh, I thought it was in my light. Yeah, you had the demonologist in a spirit bottle and he was able to quell the cracks by taking them into the spirit bottle he had. And I thought you said I brought along a demon bottle for the point of his stress in order to- I see. No, I was saying that specific demonologist, you brought that spirit bottle. Gotcha, okay, my bad stress. I'm sorry. Usually containing a demon requires this kind of magic circle, a large- It's all good. Bigger than load you could carry. Yeah. Industrial machines. Okay. Yeah, you enslaved demons. It's nice that you can have airships and all, but it wants to be free. It is a being of air and freedom. It's a day of freedom might not be as friendly as you imagine. Hey, my idea of life and fire might not be as cozy as you apparently think. It's responsible for deaths before we captured it. It was running rampant in severos. Tesla frowns at that being her homeland. I was going to say that I only know one demon and I happen to have great affection for him. She puts her hand on Briar's shoulder. So as much as I didn't really disagree with releasing it, knowing that it's a murderer who has murdered my people makes things a little more complicated. I hope you can understand. All demons are driven by desire. She lectures. Some of those desires are battle, civil. Sometimes battle, sometimes havoc, but this one being a spirit of freedom just wasn't concerned with the needs of humanity and was dangerous to them. It's now serving us and demons like it keep the people safe during their travels across this blasted world. All demons that are enslaved are in service of humanity, keeping them safe and fed. We actually have two options as I see it and they've both been discussed and maybe it's time to take a vote or maybe we give it more thought and we take another hour or two to discuss it amongst each other. We normally are able to come to a consensus on most things, but it's either take her out into the deadlands and release her and let her fend for herself and find her way to some safety if possible. If not, well then that's not on us. Or we could try to set up an interview between her and Satara so she can leave the city having sort of lived up to her obligation. It's rife with danger, bringing a demon hunter and a powerful demon together for a meeting is going to be quite a stressful situation, but we could attend and try to keep things civil and protect Satara who is our friend, my friend specifically, but has done good things for us in the past. So which one do we feel like pursuing? We want to ditch her in the deadlands or do we want to allow her to float away to continue on? In my opinion, the deadlands. We accomplish what we want to accomplish. She can return and say she tried and was driven from and threatened. Both succeed. It does fulfill our obligations quite well. Sending her in, she might end up dead and we can't control that. We can't affect that. So those of us who think she should stay alive, option one is the best likely. Yeah, we have one vote for the deadlands. Gordon, you're right. Yeah, that sounds good. Your idea, indeed. So that's two votes. Ryer? She knows an uncomfortable amount. What was the other option again? Could it danger us in the future? Yes, it can. So could take you here for an appointment with Satara on her leaving, she could easily come back in the future as well. Right. Anyways, Bernie Breyer, the choices are to drop her off in the deadlands or in let her find her own way. And if she can't make it, then oh, well, and if she does make it, then she does have a story of how she was stopped from finding and cataloging Satara. Or we could have her have a meeting with Satara, try to set up a meeting with her where she leaves afterwards after she gets some information on Satara. So she gets a little bit of a victory and gathering up some information and goes back to where she came. Which of those two do you prefer? We have two votes so far for the deadlands. Isn't there also like a wood chipper option? Well, they look good. Yeah. I mean, I'm just saying we're, I'm voting for the first one, so that it's just a point of... I will make it clear, as me says, that if it's come to a wood chipper, I would fight that it would end up being a conflict. Understood. That plans, I'll accept. That's cool. If she heard us say we want to kill the emperor and she heard a bunch of you say names, I'm gonna kill her. If that's the vote. The vote is the deathlands or Satara. But you could make a third vote if you want. I don't serve the emperor. I serve the betterment of the empire. Yeah, same here. Right off. So, Briar? Yeah, the deadlands is better than the other thing. Okay. Busy? I guess deadlands it is. Yes, my vote would be, although I think it would be incredibly intriguing to have to be there for a sit-down between a demonologist and a demon. That would be fascinating. But I think the deathlands are the way to go. I like my odds better on the deathlands. So be it. Yeah. Busy's looking back at as me like, are you the thing that I thought you were or are you something else? I don't think you'll get to know that. Yeah. I walk over to Esby and I stare right in the eye and I say, would letting you go put our group in serious danger in the future? If I survive the deathlands and make it back to Imperial City, there is a likelihood that they will find out about your group. It would put you on par with the threat of Sotara, which they've waited centuries to resolve. And you are much more mortal than most of you. Okay. Gordon, do you want to set sail for the deathlands, please? Can I ask you a question? We've got time to travel. Go ahead. Is there a chance that this would bring the emperor here? It has been a great long time since the emperor has visited. I don't think it would have reached his ears. There's a lot of bureaucracy between me and him. Is there enough fuel? Absolutely. Yes. I have enough fuel to make it halfway to Imperial City. Not a way to tell that. I'm asking for further instructions. We don't have to get into the details. You will have to Jerry rig the altimeter, if I may. I'll just gesture. Yeah. It's not set to go that high by default. If you don't want to mess with the array, we can just go above. You will have to here and there, go past the safety regulations here, but it can handle it. Okay. I assume I'm convinced what she's showing. You give it some tests before going through. Gently, slowly. It doesn't. Okay. Now, if you drop me from this height, there will be a fight. I expect to be able to... No, we're not intending to murder you outright as of now, apparently. So we will drop you from a survivable height, for sure. 10, 15 feet off the ground. If you aren't careful with this demon, the demonographer's guild will be here quicker than even I make it back to Imperial City. They'll hear a word from the governor about demon loose and send a replacement because they won't be able to reach me. But they won't be looking for us specifically. They won't have knowledge of our plans. They won't have any way. No, but another demonologist in the city is the likely result of letting this creature free. I'm just giving you a fair warning. Why won't you just retire from demon hunting and just not go back, then you won't have to tell anybody anything? If you consider quitting your job that you're trained for and also you're dead. The way hulls are made, they have a set of instructions they have to follow. I customized my own, but it is to labor to make the empire a better place by manipulating demons to make people's lives easier, safer, less fraught. They are the new gods of this world, and if we can harness them, we must. The world is not a forgiving place. As you are about to dump me in the deathlands, you know this. And I'm just curious, do you consider the fact that if the emperor left and the empire would be better? And when I say left, that's basically died. Good luck killing the immortal emperor. Quite honestly, it's above my pay grade. I had a skill set and I don't know the politics of what would happen if he were to disappear. Probably factionalism? Probably. I don't think anybody else knows the outright power to right away. I see sufferings of millions in that future. Here's a vampire make sure food flows. Electroplasm keeps people warm at night. If the organization of that were lost, everything would break down. You know, we are organization here that could help the organization there. If need be, and it might be more or keeping us not yet, it may be worth more keeping us around than sending somebody after us. It was in the future. It would never be my job to do that, but I wish you luck. And I hope you make it alive. Kick and I don't. Mutual. Understand what we did accomplish our job. I'm not denying that. It's in a roundabout fashion. You lower enough, kick her off. She lands heavily, chain still, looks up at the ship, gets to her feet, and one of her legs is twisted under her, pops the chains, and starts limping into the miasma. And we could leave that there. Let's get some XP. Okay. For tabula rasa. Daring reputation? Yes. A successful accident disappearance murder or ransom? Yes. Contended with challenges above your current station? Yeah. All the time. At least two for that for the demon powering this vessel and the hull that probably could have taken you guys on as stressed out as you are in a fight that could have gone either way. Most of your crews reputation? Yes. That's the daring. Express goals, drives, internatures, essential nature of the crew? Yes. I think at least twice. So we have a crew upgrade to do. We got caught up in the story because we're in the middle of it. But let's go one, two, three, four, five. And there we go. Who's next? No desperate actions for me. Address a challenge with stealth or evasion. Yeah. That was a thing. Yes. You can get one for that. Beliefs, drives, heritage or background? Your belief on what to do with her, the deadlands, was definitely where you... If things were deescalating, there was a potential for talking and you threw a dagger through her arm. I think that that counts too. For sure. Is that just one? Uh-huh. But I think... But he also gave the deathlands, like he was the vanguard of the deathlands idea. Yes. So another for that. Okay. I'll struggle with issues from your advice or traumas during this session, only wanting to visit my girlfriend. Yeah. You still have this like flying vessel and what to do with it? Yeah. So if you want to go on a helicopter date with your girlfriend, I don't know. We have a boat. We have a light chip. We were going to crash this thing and say she died in the... I mean, that was the plan. That was the plan. Yeah. But you don't want to crash in the deathlands when you're in there. No, not in the deathlands. No. You can park it somewhere nearby and then use it again later. Just saying. Yeah. Put it deep in your back pocket. Just sit up. And don't remind me that you've flown it into. Good luck flying once you release the demon. Oh, there is that. But we have one. No, never mind. Sorry. So as far as struggling with issues from vice or traumas, you're saying that might happen down the road? Yes. Especially with the next score being the raid on your girlfriend's estate. Ah, yes. Interesting. Okay. Well, I'll take the three then. That's it. Oh, I guess it's me next. You're just challenged with violence and coercion. Uh, I don't think I did anything. She acquiesced to busy because of you. Okay. So you were there. You were threatening. It was you were the biggest contender for fighting her. Yeah. You raised your voice. That was good. I did. I did. I did. And the reason she accepted any of this was because she did not want to scuffle with you. So, yes. I did succeed a few things. Yes. So they'll take one. It's pressure, belief, heritage, or background. Absolutely. I brought that up at least once, if not twice. Yeah. I think where everyone's getting two for this. Struggled with issues in your vices or trauma. No. So I have three as well. Okay. My next. I believe so. Desperate action. I know I did one of those. Yeah. Did you mark it in the social category result, I believe? Um, nope. Please do. Address a challenge with deception or influence. It was all influence this time, not deception. But at least got one for that. Beliefs, drives, heritage, or background. I think I was kind of working on that today with the conflict, right? The conflict they had and how I actually was going against what I would normally do and my beliefs and how it sprucings up. Mm hmm. And struggled with issues from your vices or traumas. I have trauma on my lungs and that did definitely struggle with that, whether it messed up one of my roles. Stopped me from talking and definitely made me think that all I can do is talk because I really can't do anything physical because it would just mess me up, Mar. I agree with that. Yeah. So like what for? I think so. Yeah. How many of your desperate action? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Every time you roll a desperate action, I did roll a desperate action. I already added it to my... Was it insight? I can't remember whatever it was. I think it was probably actually, but I added it to whatever it was added to. Resolve. Resolve, yeah. It was in a tune role. Yes, it was in a tune role. Address a challenge with knowledge or arcane power. She definitely used arcane power to try to get the demon back into its vessel, this container, when it was going to escape. So I believe her arcane use there was point. Express your beliefs, drives, heritage and background. My beliefs, I felt strongly that we kind of deviated from our normal modus operandi and definitely made my opinion known to the group. A little inter-party conflict, but in a pleasant way because she's Tesla. And she's going to be pleasant about it. In as far as my heritage goes, I was all on board for releasing the demon until I heard that it had murdered people, murdered people in several rows. And I am several rosy and I told Burning Briar that I was no longer sure I was comfortable with that. Yeah, I'm interested to share those shakes out. I agree though. Yeah, so a point there maybe. And I think that's it for me. I didn't have anything with my trauma or vice today. So a total of four, but I already spent one of them ahead of time. Okay, then we're done. Right, right. Yeah, I forgot which order we were going in. Hey, busy, did you get a point for the desperate action when you tried to sway people in the midst of the foot? Yeah, I did. So the very first roll of the night. Yep, I worked it down in my resolve. I thought I heard you say you didn't, but I guess that was probably. Oh, I did it after. After saying you didn't. Gotcha, gotcha. All right, you were just a challenge with technical skill or mayhem. Pops out my records. Eating the demonologist was all about my magical skills that I figured out. And the bit where I just cranked the engines all the way out and actually almost let the demon free with my uncareful words. Yeah, it was part of the demons plan to like give you the juice you need while getting out. True facts. Oh, yeah. The least drives heritage or background stuff. The conversation I had with the demon where we compared our existences and he called me a race trader. Yeah. And my talk was as may where we have a brief description of demon elements and how it influences us. Yes. Instability, I don't really feel played a role in anything other than full throttle on launch, which we already tapped. Yeah, it would be one or the other. I was going to order like let free the wind demon and ask it to go kill that lady before she made it anywhere. But everybody else is very firmly not for it. I didn't want to buck the opinion that wildly and also screw us. Maybe you'll get it next time we play. There's no way the spirit of wind is going to be contained by a lightning barrier. So you could possibly still wrangle that. Mm-hmm. Busy was dead set when he was walking onto the ship. Like I don't want her to die, but by the time we were done doing all our talking and conversing, he was on the fence. Yeah. There are some really good role-playing tonight between like everyone's ideas and how they stuck up for their thoughts and beliefs. It was, yeah, their beliefs. It was really the first time we had any real intra party conflict. Yeah. And I just did that on a whim just to see how that would float and how it interests me. I thought it was a good role-playing to be honest with you, Jim. I thought it was a great, a great bit of role-playing to have it. It added definitely. Getting soft hearts to Esmeralda. That was cool. Yeah, it was. Even though I may have said otherwise, that was my character. Yeah, that was my character as well, by the way. So I really, as a player, I really enjoyed what you did. I mean, me out of character, I was all like let's just take this thing out before it causes more problems. But I'm like, my character is like not 100% sure about it. Right. He fell for her. Was it right? Yeah. And I think my character and me in general both agree that she's an okay person, but she's an okay person that could cause me and the whole group. Yeah. Problems down the road. Yeah. It's what the crew's running into is some people are working for the empire, but trying to mitigate it. Can you convince them to join? Are they doing more harm or good? Do you need people that are currently in the system? And I wanted to bring that up with my character too, where she doesn't want to kill everyone. Right. And then eventually she's going to run into someone like, oh, we made a mistake. And this one kind of worked out perfectly. So. No, I thought everyone did a really good job of role playing their characters, point of view tonight, even though we often disagreed with each other. As players, we were rooting each other on, but as characters, we were having disagreements. I got to keep my notes because honestly, Breyer is the one who asked to worry the most. This is a demonologist who has actively learned shit about him, that you guys are letting go free. Yeah, at least she doesn't get your essence anymore. Sotara is known about and specifically said, you know what? It would be great if the demonologist never heard about you. It would be a great way to live. Well, I don't know that we all let him go because there wasn't a vote. And I really didn't even consider it. Oh, we're going to decide during downtime. I'm talking about Isabelle, but also. But we'll see what happens. Oh, I just got to include in my notes. Yeah, letting her free or whether or not she lives, she does know about burning Breyer and has studied his makeup. Excellent. I think I'll have a couple of racing clocks that I do in the background. The my asthma takes her versus she makes it to the lightning rail. And they'll all be invisible because we probably shouldn't know it. Probably not. Yeah, I mean, the group on whole says let's send the wind demon after her. I'll be like, well, got to do what you got to do. I think I got back when it's done. But yeah, we'll see what we vote. It would definitely influence this clock votes. It was a good role playing night. But a good job, everybody. Yeah, I agree. All right, this has been machinations. Our blades in the dark campaign. I've been your host, John. And thanks for listening. Good night, everyone. Good job, John. Good job, everyone. Yep, well done. Thank you for listening tonight's of 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 @kyotn_podcast. Or you can join our Facebook page, which is facebook.com/kyotn.podcast. And while on Facebook, you can join like-minded folks at our fans page at facebook.com/groups/kyotn-fant. And lastly, there's our block. It's just found at kotn podcast.com. And please remember to join us next week for more mystery and adventure. That's the title of the book, so. Full-body to me, that's a deep cut. Opportunistic full-body to me. It'll definitely be up for both. That one's better here. Let's have a bottle in front of me, then an opportunist full-body to me. There you go. Oh, good rhyme. Well, do you want to just do the crew upgrade since we have 10 minutes left and do everyone's experience next week? Or do you think it would be too tough to remember? I prefer doing it. Experience is tougher because we all have to remember. So yeah, I agree. Okay, good call. The crew upgrade we can do during downtime. That's easier because they were just spending points. Yep, I agree. Absolutely a better choice for sure. Before we go, how much did a map add? They're kind of difficult to make, but on occasion, should I bust one out? I liked this map. It was pretty cool. I loved it. It was pretty cool. It was nice to see. And it doesn't have to be that pretty. It's wonderful and I enjoyed it. I liked the fact that it is and I actually took some pictures of it so I can think about the, well, whatever. Yeah, it definitely is. You've got a larger round. Well, yeah, now I got a ship. It added to the mood for sure to have the representation there. But if it's going to take you five hours, we can. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. With black and white, you draw on something on a white background. And it will all use our imaginations. I don't mind the fact that we all knew where we were and what direction we had to go to to get each other. I mean, I understand and like the virtual imagination of the combat, but that was good too. I mean, you could get an occasion then. You could have floated a picture of what a ship looked like instead of drawing it and putting it in the map and it would have worked. So whatever. Yeah, I didn't make up any of these assets I had available once. I struggled because as for interior buildings, you'll notice I do just like a blueprint for the house. And that's because it's really hard to populate a room with the assets that are available for free. All right. Yeah, you probably can't keep a consistent look for the very much so. And not a lot of people do. Industrial fantasy ghost punk bullshit that exists better. That exists in dust ball. Yeah. It's a sell the genre. It's been called that. But like Sean was our only ideas. So anyway, thanks everybody for playing. I'll say good night now. Yeah, I'll say good night. Well done. Yeah, I got to take off. So see you all. Great job. Are there titles for this adventure that were available on Facebook in the Knights of the Night fans page were? I can't lie. Well, that's a problem. Is it a dome like thing? This job is full of surprises. Crows fly out in a big murder. And phlebotomy. That's a deep cut.