Downtime events can be as complicated as assassinationsÂ
Knights of the Night
625- BitD Propane Powered Pocket Watch
2 Hello and welcome to the Knights of the Night Actual Play Podcast. This "Blades in the Dark" story machination is written in run by our GM, John. And now please enjoy Episode 625, titled "Propane Powered Packet Watch". Actual play begins immediately. Hello and welcome to Knights of the Night Actual Play Podcast. I am your host, and GM, John, running machinations campaign for "Blades in the Dark". Players with me, starting on my left. Sometimes I'll be playing Hadrian's Briar or Burning Briar while on the job if you so please. I'm an Eruvian runaway double demon heir, and currently I look like an accuracy man of healthy-filled and noble stock fitted with an open-chested long coat. I'm a leech, which means I'm a saboteur and technician who specializes in the creation of chemical compounds along with machines and magical monstrosities. I do just about everything, don't worry about it, kids. I've got two stress. I'm an unstable being due to the trauma I've born, and I've got a lame foot. Hello everyone, it's Scott. I'm playing Teslin Vale. Teslin is a saberosi whisper who does the dirty work for the Archives of Echoes when she's not working with her crew. She explores the past via ghosts with her mentor, Lord Pendren. She's a petite brunette who is partial to pedicopes. She has glowing auburn locks, olive skin, and green eyes. She also is mortified by the fact that she has a dead left hand sewn on to her wrist. She currently has eight stress and has a level one harm of painful cuts. Hello folks, I'm Jim. I'm playing a wounded silver tongue slide named Skievan being, also known as busy. We're not getting into trouble on crew business. The very busy busy spends his time behind the scenes trying to revitalize the finances of the being coal mining family. The socializing and enterprising handsome young Echorosi Noble works hard finding ways of profiting from the good and bad fortune of the world around him. He is currently looking forward to the day when he no longer needs to be disguised as the spirit warden Delegos. I have currently cleared my stress boxes, but I still have a partially healed lung that I'm trying to recover from. I'm Tom and I'm playing Esther Roland, an ex-blue coat captain who goes by the name of Ghost because of her pale skin, eyes and hair. She's a cutter who is dangerous and intimidating figure, but she also does her best to keep her crew members safe. She is Echorosi born. She knows this city very well and how shitty it can be. She currently has only three stress. Hello, I'm Michael playing Gordon, a young thin lurk of scovish descent, as a lurk he specializes in infiltration allowing him to bypass most security measures. Gordon currently has two stress. One last we left. Time to prepare for the store. That's true. Okay, so everyone does not have another downtime? I definitely did too. I don't know if everyone. My notes says one downtime because of the short nature between the score and the holiday. So we all have another one? No, he's saying we have none. We have one total and we have all spent that one now. You can spend a coin to do another one if you need to. Yes, in a pinch we can spend money to get another thing is spending reputation leaning on your contacts to get things done. Can you refresh my memory in regards to this spirit I bought? Is it supposed to be something that would help us in the present tense or is it was just something for me in my own? I was thinking that it might be a gather information in that it is part of the Ankhayat family is a family that deals with the supernatural that is a house of wisdom of the knowledge of the unknown, of the largely unknown, and they have had contact with Qatar in the past, like legendarily. Okay, so the key is I don't need to do this in order to the Ankhayat spirit drinking or inhaling. I don't need to do that before the score. It might just give me more information about the hand of Qatar, which I hope to get any of the artifacts of Qatar or Qatar in general. Just a bigger picture than you currently have. Okay, it's important, but I don't know. It might not be before the score important. Right, that's all I was looking for is what my character's gut feeling was as far as how important it was for the score. I'm thinking about spending money since it would be beneficial for the score we're about to do, spend money, send some feelers information about what's going on, what the calluses and finish our investigate the calluses troubles. So we have more information about what we're getting into before we talk to them and that's true to this raid who talks to them is kind of includes. I mean, we might all want to be present, but should it be Gordon who actually knows people in the family? Should it be me who knows the scholastic callus whose name escapes you right this moment? I've been thinking about this. Okay, please. I was thinking of asking you to come along, actually. You being a test? Okay. However, I'm thinking that your temporary injury, as it were, might look down for a second and then looks back at you, might kind of give away the game there. If that should disappear. Yeah, I'm thinking of trading them the information of the raid occurring and my one favor that I gained by taking care of Esmeralda, the demonologist, demonographer, I think she was called actually for taking care of her for the demon Satera. So I have two things to offer them to lend me the artifact to let me research it without stealing it from them because I don't think I want to steal it from them right now. I'm not even sure it's well, it's kind of a grotesque way of saying it, but I'm not even sure it's a good fit. Makes sense, but it very well may be. No, it's a concern for sure. So I want to talk to them instead of stealing it, I think talking to them and offering them favors is the way to go. And I know that I know, okay, so we can still, it doesn't matter, Jim, who spends this coin as far as it's just who starts the action, who gets to roll about it. So it can be the group trying to complete this investigate, Kellis's troubles clock and get a bigger picture of what's going on. Yes. And it was Mildred, who I know. Yeah, who was wanted to share her. Yes. She's an auntie of Roslyn, who is involved in the archive of echoes. She was at the party at which there was a confrontation with the spirit wardens. I'm a cool worker. We made him basically. Okay, basically. Yeah, it's a bit of a strange relative because the archive of echoes rarely meets with everyone there. There's a certain level of plausible deniability that people keep themselves somewhat isolated. Given the family's history, you can understand why you hadn't met her before that night. Okay, I think Gordon, just giving them these secrets might put you even even stronger in with Roslyn, like give her more of a reason to want to spend time with you. I'm sure you're charming and wonderful one and one. Yeah, I really don't need all that much help. I'm sure you don't, but you couldn't do it pretty good. I think we should go talk to them post-taste, then come back to the group and give them the rundown of what the Kellis has said, how they reacted, and how they want to handle their raid that's coming up. That sounds like a good idea for everyone. Tesla and Gordon, who both know the Kellis family going to talk to them. Does anyone else think they need to be present? I'm just kind of really wanted at the moment, so I'm trying to stay low as far as keeping your busy goals. That's not a bad idea for missing. In a bookkeeping question, GM, will this be the last coin, I mean, this coin being spent before this conversation with the Kellis's? Or is it more research-oriented where other people can do research about the Kellis's to close that? After this downtime action, we're going into prep for the score, and there will be time to refine the knowledge we get. Okay, so basically we're spending a coin to be able to go talk to the Kellis's right now and tell them about the... It is a downtime action called long-term project. One of our clocks is investigate Kellis's troubles. Regardless of your role, as there's only one tick left on it, given the full picture of what their situation is, and that will definitely help your score and how you can plan for it. Okay, so I think it's Tesla and Gordon. I hate to just dis-include people. I don't think anyone spoke up unless... I don't have a reason to join up, but take a flame in case you need my input. We'll do. And what's it containing, like one of the ghost files? It does need a fuel to burn, even though there's a caution. Now that I'm a little bit of a... Wait, it looks at my skills. Oh, I'm not an art professor. Damn it, I can't make inventions yet. I was going to build you a beautiful... You can make inventions, artificers just have bonuses to that. Just a little rough looking, that's all. Oh yeah, it's a little rough looking locket that contains pocket watch-sized battery worth of propane-esque gases. A pocket watch that runs on propane? Interesting. Yeah, it's got a little flame inside when you open it up and that's me. Okay, I carry that in one of the pockets of my petticoat. And then Gordon and I... It works on ghosts too. You can refill it with ghosts. Good to know. Thank you. We go to speak to the calluses. I send ahead a courier saying that Tesla unveil of the archive of echoes and Gordon, does Gordon have a last name? I'm not sure. Given that you're an orphan, it doesn't mean you can't come across one, like maybe you made your own, but you also might not know. So it's up to you. Yeah, Gordon's enough. I know. Okay. And Gordon, a colleague of Rosalyn, are coming for a conversation and would like to speak with Mildred and Rosalyn and any other of the heads of house callus that might be interested in some very, very important news. I'll send one of my stash to get a very quick sign language to the calluses. And then Gordon and I will stop for a bite to eat on the way so that we won't go in there. We go in there in our best mood and our best selves to what's going to be a trying conversation for them. So I'm assuming maybe between lunch and the walk an hour and a half, two hours later, we arrive at the callus estate, perhaps? That's good. Yeah, that's fine. Okay. And then we go into the scene. So you find yourself at a meeting with Cecil Callus is recognizable by only Gordon, who has seen like their private family meeting with Mildred of the elders of the house deciding how to prepare for when Warden Delegos broke in with a charter of missing ghosts and said, where are they? I know you're responsible kind of thing. Warden Delegos being under the guise. This was something that busy was tasked with. It was the father. Cecil's the the patriarch. He's like a grandfather to Rosalyn, or the uncle, I suppose of. Well, let's not get a family tree involved about it. Right. I would intrigued. We can. I have the details here. I just don't want to slow down the podcast. Right. It would be her uncle of Mildred. The three of these individuals, Rosalyn, Mildred, and Cecil Callus are situated in their entry hall to greet you, as you are mentioned as guests to the guards of the place. Okay. As you greet them, there is a, I think, our first glimpse of a combat hole. Yeah, we thought they were working on one. It was some research we had done earlier. We thought they might have one. It was a big investment on their part. They were reticent to do it, but they were worried after that infiltration of the spirit wardens that they would have to get such, and it seems they have. This thing is hooked into their power system, which is a massive cable hooked into the backside of this gorilla-sized arms, this looming brass monstrosity. Okay. Well, the first thing I do when we walk into the entryway, the foyer, is I curtsy. It's a small curtsy to show them that I realize they're a powerful family and a sign of respect, and then I look towards Gordon. Ooh, boss. Excellent. She smiles. Mildred Percees is an equal. The patriarch gives you the raised chin of acknowledgments. Rosalyn does a rather welcoming gesture as like the junior of this house. Greetings, calluses. Thank you for seeing us on such short notice. If it wasn't of the utmost urgency, we would have handled this in a much different manner, but time is of an essence, and we have information that we think can be incredibly valuable to you, but we also have information of something that you have that might be incredibly valuable to us. So we were hoping to parlay and trade some information with you back and forth if you're amenable to the idea. Shall we go inside? The Cecil gestures with a cane up the winding staircase around a birch that illuminates with it's one of the radiant energy plants in the place. It glows a silver white through the skin of the bark gestures up the stairs to a sitting room. He himself ambles up one two steps and then sits in one of those chair lifts and rides the rest of his way up while his younger cohorts accompany you to the sitting room. Okay. The senior does take a while getting there. It's not a fast lift. Okay. I make small pleasantries and encourage Gordon to talk to Rosalyn while we're waiting for Cecil to arrive in the sitting room. As he arrives, he draws the curtains over. They sit in Silk Shore, a district known for more canalways than roads, draws the curtains on the balcony overlooking those waterways and the room falls rather silent and dark, except for the crackling fireplace, as he ambles his way back towards his big master chair and says, "I've heard word of you folk from the family here, but I don't recognize you as a noble lot, so if we could have proper introductions." Why, of course. My name is Cecil and Vale. I am of Severosi background, although I've equimated myself well here to duskfall. I was a member of the archive of Echos and I then make eye contact with Mildred at that point. As you do that, he nods an acknowledgement and she gives you acknowledgement as well. Okay. Long ally of ours in light of the recent developments in the city, yes, and by recent apparently, he means the last two centuries where the spirit ones have been in charge, but reason for him. He's ancient. I nod and say, "I hope that you will take my association with the archive of Echos as a sign of our good faith." It was Mildred's vouching for you that has facilitated this meeting, please. I look towards Gordon and give him an elbow to introduce himself because he needs to make himself known as well. Yes, you all know I'm Gordon. I'm a of scolvish descent. It's pretty much all I know about my family. I'm here because I know both Tessel and End Rosalyn and I have an interest in in helping the Killis family. He smiles as a kind of a grandfather and says, "I'm glad we could engender such feelings in the transplants in our city." Rosalyn tells me you've brought her several useful samples in her growing collection of the gardens we maintain. Yes, I find it all fascinating. Just I'm curious to learn about the kind of things that she does growing. It's fascinating. He's more than a little nervous. That's fair. You're meeting the family. I'm curious to learn what you've all run into that could interest us in our coming days. It's not the same circles we run in. That's for certain. And by that, I think it's fortuitous because the circles that we run in, although not aligned, do offer us information that coincides with your family's well-being. And I'm not trying to be esoteric. I just want to see if there is a inclination on your parts to trade in sorts of information. Specifically, there has long been rumored to be an artifact known to the Killis' as the hand of Qatar. And she unconsciously takes her right hand and pulls at her sleeve of her petticoat to try to cover up her left hand, even though it's quite obvious. And she says that particular artifact is of interest to myself and my associates, not to have necessarily, but to be able to research and study, even within your own domicile that's located here, for that gratuity, which would be so appreciated, I have to offer information that will literally save your family's lives. And I also have information or a favor from the renowned demon, Satara, to offer you. She owes me a favor. That favor will be transplanted to your family. That is what I'm offering in exchange for the ability to research and learn more about the hand of Qatar. And then she kind of like that was her head for a second to let them know she's finished. And of Qatar, we could facilitate your experimentation with this. Because she can't help it, a large grin shows up on her face. She can't hide it. She's been waiting to hear those words for a couple of years now since the accident. And to be that close to it and have that chance, it's very meaningful to her. As involved as we've been in the city, it's been outside of our reach for some time. Smile. We do know who holds it. And you'd be willing to share that information for information. If you are still willing to make the deal, I cannot provide you direct access today. But as a bit of good faith, is it located within the city or is it something further afield in purses his lips? It's found its way to the dagger aisles, unfortunately. I have contacts that could, if I had the time and money, acquire it for us, I could direct you toward them. They're interested in the expedition. It's just this worry of a war that has me clutching my purse strings. That's very understandable. And I am still willing to make the bargain. Actually, before I say that, I kind of nudge Gordon's arm and look at his eyes to see if he's in act, like if he acquiesces as well, if he thinks it's worth moving forward. Yes. You get a nod. Okay. I then say, yes, we are still willing to share our information with you and our favor from Sotara if you're willing to put your resources behind obtaining the hand of guitar, that it seems to me to be very much a fair trade. Before I launched an expedition, I would see a cooling of relations with the Spirit Wardens, or at least a decisive victory that they would stand back for a while. Funny you should mention that, because the information that we trade in, it's certainly not something I can initiate. I hope you have some sort of insight into that. No, your promise to back the expedition to get the hand of guitar back is accepted on its face value. And in return, I formally give to you the favor of Sotara. So, Patriarch Kelleis, the information that we have actually is in line with that that you're looking to obtain with the Spirit Wardens. We have connections, and I cannot say how, but rest assured that your home here, your estate, is going to be raided on the night of Arkenborn by a substantial Spirit Warden presence, hoping to wipe you out in your entirety and cause you to lose any influence within the city that you currently possess. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is the news that came across our radar. I don't know if you can't say radar, there's no radar. That is the news that came across our pathway. I am particularly fond, to be honest, I'm particularly fond of Mildred and her sideline endeavors, and I know that Gordon thinks finally of the Kelleis family and Rosalind in particular. So, we wanted to get you this information as quickly as possible so you could react and even offer potentially our help if you deem it necessary or indeed worthy of your attention. Rats to the house are always worthy of my attention. This is a great one, and I welcome you bringing it. Thank you. You're welcome, sir. I don't have only empty hands to offer you. We do have an artifact of Gotar if it would help you in your studies. I think the favor of Satara would go a long way in our development of utilizing it, but you're welcome to take a peek at the heart of Gotar. She takes a step back in surprise, puts a hand up to her chest. She wasn't expecting that at all. Thank you. Thank you. If you will share with us what you know, then I can lead you all, actually Mildred will see to it. It's a bit deep for me these days in the last state. Of course. We do know that the Spirit Wardens will be attacking your domicile. We do know that it's going to happen in the evening during the height of the festivities. We know that it'll be led by a Spirit Warden by the name of Deculose, if you're familiar, and a coterie of Spirit Warden agents below him. The exact timing I do not know, although I may know that. We may know that, I say putting an arm around Gordon. We may know that before the day in question, so we can get back to you with more information as it becomes available. But that's all we know at this point. That information wouldn't go. Sorry. No, that was out of character. I mean, it was way out of character. I didn't say that. We've had run-ins with Deculose before, years in fact. I don't think we've seen him in combat, but we have prepared, you saw in the entry hall, a defense of sorts. I don't know if it could take on a whole contingent of Spirit Wardens, but I will knowing the day will help us. Good. I'm glad to hear that. Certainly, some of the younger guard will be here in Regalia to defend the place. So you won't be leaving then. Some of our assets cannot leave. I won't be here. I am far too frail to compete in such shows a force, but I think you'll see once you see the heart why we cannot leave. I will take your word for it. I can only imagine its majesty. It's a word for it. Yes. Please, if you haven't seen such before, don't. Assume you're already here. You're a member of the archive that goes. I assume you don't share any sympathies with the Church of the Ecstasy of the Flesh. There's nothing unholy or abhorrent about the Spirit. No, there is not. Separating it from the body while still living is something that I find distasteful. Very well. There isn't any of that down there, though. It is unorthodox. I don't mean to build drama for no reason. Mildred, could you just see transition? I looked at Gordon to see if he wants to come along or whether he'd like to stay with the patriarch and with Rosalyn. She's been rather quiet in presence of her two elders, but I don't know. Gordon's kind of torn, but he does want to see this. Okay. It might be important in the defense or whatever happens down the line. Yeah. When you are leaving, she looks to the patriarch and he gives her a little shushu, and she actually ends up following you all. Oh, how nice. So, Rosalyn Mildred and the two of you make it down to the – there is a series of locked doors and eventually in a grow room of sorts. There is an interior garden. No access to sunlight, such as it were, but with the shattered sun, that's not much anyway. It is all interior lit by augmented trees and vines. It's like a hot house within the interior. Yes. There is a – under a patch of vines, a trap door that Mildred opens, and you can understand why the elder would have difficulty with this. Down a steep set of stairs into a chamber with one enormous oak that has over the surface of it patches of skin growing, and the trees are weighed down heavily by sacks of amniotic fluid. The trees around it? No, this one oak down here grows without any light helping it. In the center of a knot of this tree is the heart of Cotar with vines running into its vassal areas and green sap pumping through. Wow. She's taken it back. She just stares and probably mouth slightly agate, which is something that is normally not. There are a couple of malformed children come ambling, rolling, crawling up and paw at the skirts of Roslyn and Mildred. They head over to a cabinet and pull bottles of milk out, or at least Roslyn does. Mildred is busy explaining to you. The heart of Cotar is an artifact capable of housing, growing, nurturing, empowering spirits. It can take what was once a person and with the growth we've made here, gestures at a tree full of flesh and teeth and amniotic sacks. Grow them anew. They aren't perfect. People anew? Yes. Do you put spirits in them and grow them? Yes. She's just absolutely transfixed by the whole site. It is something we have to keep under wraps and not something we can move easily, but it is a hope for a new system than burning everyone who comes to meet their end in an incinerator and be done with them. We can't fix the fact that the gates of death have broken, but we can facilitate the afterlife. Indeed. She bends down to where Mildred and Roslyn are feeding bottles to these flesh babies, whatever. Yes, malformed little things. Gordon's trying to look not green in the gills, which is how he's feeling a bit. Of course, I'm going to yak and I don't blame him. It's crazy. Yes, she's speechless for a while. She just bends down and touches one of the flesh babies, and I'm assuming it feels like regular flesh or is it more? It is not as symmetrical as a human would want. It is limping, but this toddler walks up to you with a little too many eyes and murmurs through a mouth, too small food. I looked to where Mildred and Roslyn got the bottles from, and I get one, and I look at Gordon, and I hold the bottle to him and nod towards the flesh baby, the flesh toddler. If he wants to do it, because I want him to be as involved as he wants to be. My gesture. Yeah, go ahead. Yeah, I see it looks a little green. It is not looking too well, so I bend down and give the bottle to the toddler. They speak. The oldest of them are beyond this nursery. We have adjoining rooms, but they know when it's time to feed, and that's why we found them here. It's the older of them are not much better formed, but more cognizant. They have a brain that can function about it, that sometimes serves the purposes they need. Some are bed bound, but this is why a favor from Sitarra would go a long way. Yes, what's it being fed from? What is feeding the tree? The green fluid. We long ago fed our crypt to this tree recently. We've had to cut deals with the gondoliers for the dead that they find in the canals. It's long been their practice to purge the spirit out before it causes troubles, but we don't need the spirit. We have our own that we are trying to foster. There's a spirit within the tree. Each fruit and she gestures to the amniotic sacks, hanging low on the boughs, bears a soul, a spirit. It's a sort of rebirth. It takes them a while to get accustomed to the new body, but we've gained insight to the past. So the spirits that you're putting within, are they born with a spirit? They need to place a spirit within a fruit does not grow until a spirit is introduced. But you don't have a spirit to start with from the dead, from the canal, they're spiritless. They are food for the tree. We have a collection of spirits that we have bought on the gray market or managed to squirl away from the spirit wardens investigations. This is why I'm part of the archive of echoes, Mildred explains. Oh, it makes perfect sense now. This is fascinating and I would like to to learn more. So if I just understand it correctly, you feed the tree dead bodies and spirits and spirits. You don't introduce the spirit to the heart amniotic. Now the heart must digest it first or introduce it rather, process it. We could not do this without the artifact. Okay. So the tree doesn't just create the bodily form. It manifests or creates and shapes and places reintroduces the spirit to a body. A body, not its body. It tries its best, but memories of a spirit of its body are warped and I'm not certain. There's just further experimentation needed. We've, the beginning results were disastrous, but I can only imagine such a complex mechanism of learning needs to be involved. It is at least a century's work. I can't say when this project began exactly. I know that we've had the heart for some while, but this estate, this immovable tree is a newer acquisition. Oh, so the heart wasn't always a tree? No, that would be very difficult to relocate. Yeah, it would be. We were able to knit them together with our practices, our knowledge of plant and spirit already aiding us in this. Well, this has been fascinating and I feel the need to return to my crew to give them an update as to what's occurred. If you're true about our deadline, then we need time to prepare as well. I think that's for the best. We'll finish feeding here and hopefully we can catch up after the affair. That sounds fine. You don't believe you'll be needing us in any way, shape or form for the raid. I don't know. They have resources beyond our capacity to know. I was just thinking that if you had resources and wanted to hire us, we're a very talented group. I will certainly talk to Cecil about it. Just send a emissive to... We don't know an estimate of your capabilities. Certainly procuring Rosalind has attested to your ability to procure certain seeds. I know your ability to hide spirits, but... You also saw my ability to wreak havoc with spirits. That's true. We can bring you... I don't know that we can summit the spirit of the weeping lady. To aid in our defense, but there will be a selection available to you, and I'll bring that up to Cecil. I just wanted to make ourselves somewhat known as far as if you feel that you need additional fire power. We could be of service in some way or another. Again, just emissive to my home address, which I give her, which is not my secret hideout with the crew, but like a drop location. No, we'll get back to you on what we're able to offer. Sounds fair. Thank you, Mildred. This has been so very enlightening, and I then follow them out if she starts to leave her. Does she expect us to leave on her own, or does she guide us out? Roslyn, they need to finish feeding, but Roslyn takes a break to walk you all up. I give Gordon some space. When we get to the foyer, I take a few steps away and look at the artwork on the walls and mind my own business in case he wants to say or do anything. Yeah, I just want Roslyn to know that I'll do anything I can. So, you know, just if any questions come up or any needs, see what I can do. I'm sorry you had to see that. I know it's not easy. Well, I expect like anything else. It's a matter of getting used to it. In my eyes, it's offering an alternative to being consumed by the Spirit Wardens. I think that I wish we could do better buying the fruit of the tree. These children deserve functioning bodies, but it's something we're working toward. Anyway, thank you. I'm sorry you had to see that. Not at all. Thanks for showing me trusting us with that. She is definitely embarrassed and a little weepy-eyed, but I hope to see you after archonvorn. It certainly will. It smiles. Okay, she does look optimistic at that. Then we will. Farewell. And we're done with that. Tesla is banging her as they walk away. She's banging her right hand, her good hand, on her thigh. She walks away. Gordon. Gordon. Gordon. Did you not see that she wanted you to kiss her? How did you miss that opportunity? How do you know that? Because of a girl. She was weepy-eyed. She was apologizing. She did at least a hug, Gordon. Come on. Well, I thought about that, but, you know, not in her house. It's, I don't know, just. Oh, all right. We're still learning. By the way, welcome to the family. Because you're not getting out now, buddy. You're a little bought in at this point. Yeah, we both are. And so we make our way, mostly talking about how unbelievably grotesque and horrifying that was. But also intriguing and interesting and, you know, at least that's what I'm talking, I'm coming from. I mean, I dabble in the world of spirits, not so much the spirit, the world of flesh. So that was a little bit more for her to take than she was thinking of. So she definitely has some. There are rumors just for like, world background information of kotar reincarnating after being defeated by the emperor again and again. And given how the heart has been twisted to do this, that's not unlikely. Unreseeable. Yeah, it's not. It's not without, without merit. Yeah, so we just have a nice conversation back to the, the, the safe house in which I express how disturbing that was. And also interesting and enlightening and everything else. And get Gordon's take on. I think I know what he's his take is, but I'm not positive. He doesn't want to talk. That's fine, too. But looking for what he's thinking about all of that. Yeah, I've seen a lot of stuff, you know, that's certainly just as bad. It was just, I don't know, the infants, the children, you know, it's yeah. Yeah, it's a lot. It's a bit much. But Mike wasn't here. Children in peril. Children in peril. I don't know if they were in peril. They are old souls, truth be told, but. I'm not sure that makes it better. Reincarnated children in peril. Do you think, Gordon, do you think we reveal the heart of Qatar to the others? Not to be surreptitious or to be, you know, backhanded, but just that knowledge comes at a price. We both have learned something that we can never unlearn. And something that could come back to haunt us in the future. Yeah. Do we tell the others or we just say the deal was made? Yeah, kind of like the idea of just letting it go. The deal was made. If we need to explain anything, it would be like no details, you know, third person. Maybe this is what they want to do rather than this is what they're doing. Yeah. Yeah, I think no details for right now, just the deal was made and they allowed me, they had access to the heart of Qatar, but they didn't have access to the hand. And I've finished the clock, locate the hand of Qatar by the end of the score. You will have a location how you choose to pursue what is up to you. Right. I'm hoping with the help of, yeah, with the help of Cecil, because I'm sure his offer is still open. It is just like whether or not you take it. I'm not going to force you down any path. I was going to send you a text, a separate text to say that I didn't want to have a fully functioning hand of Qatar this early in your campaign. Like I didn't want her to find it that I ended up rolling a three sided dice to figure out which artifact they had. Gotcha. I just wanted to be harder for her. That's all because that's like something she's striving for and something she thinks she wants. And I just didn't want it to happen on the first time we're playing the first set of times we're playing. Yeah. So I'm glad I'm glad it wasn't there. Anyways, we get back to the safe house and I fill everyone in that I gave my favor from Satara. And I told them of the upcoming raid. I didn't give them an exact time because we don't know that as of yet. I told them I would try to get them the information if I could. In return, he told me the location of the hand of Qatar. And unfortunately, it's not in their possession, but he may be able to help me find it. So Gordon and I think had a pretty successful mission. As of right now, they don't know if they need our help in this raid. I was thinking that we could actually earn triple money. The raid from the from the Spirit of the Wardens raid from our I mean, raid money from our our sponsors and raid money from the the the Kelis family as well, you know, like three different families. So they're going to get back to us whether they think they might need us or not. But all we could do is pull our punches towards busy if there was a fight and try to take out the other members of the Spirit Wardens as best we could. It's my thought. You guys can agree or disagree or we decide we don't want to do that, but I was kind of left in the situation where I had to negotiate. So I did. Wouldn't that advance our cause as far as improving general overall improvement in the world? Or lack of Spirit Wardens would go towards that goal? I mean, I know it's a big it's a big issue, but I mean, as much as I want to clean up the Spirit Wardens, we leave the city completely without them. I don't think the other options have the manpower to make up the difference yet. They do quite a lot of work. There would be a lot of unintended spirits about if I mean, I would be delighted. I'd be full as fuck, son. I guess. I guess it's wishful thinking. Yes, but certainly taking them down a peg or two is certainly something that I want to do because they're the ones, they were the hand of someone who decided to take out the archive of echoes that I was working for with Lord Pendren and Mildred. And they are definitely a tool of the Emperor. They're definitely our tool of the Emperor as well. We're not talking about a genocide of them either. This is just one squad, one brute squad. So busy megasalists, so which ones need to get gone? I think if this squad mechanics wise, if this assault against the estate is like routed murdered, not necessarily to a man, but a repulsed, yeah, a strong defeat, we can knock the Spirit Ward infection to. We believe they are tier three, we can make them tier three week. Life changing, which means they're about to fall to tier two. If they take more damage, which would be a huge change to the city. Yeah, I'm not sure how good it is as much as Teslaing hates the Spirit Wardens right now. As Breyer so astutely pointed out, there's nothing there's a vacuum in if they're not taking care of the Spirit. They are tier four, but going, they would be tier four week going down to tier three. Sorry about that. But I want to make them one of the strongest things. Almost as high as it gets, if like the proper Imperial military comes here, they might count as a tier five, but that's about as big as this game gets. Yeah. Okay, well then as big a change as that would be, tier three is still one of the strongest factions in the city. We're not going to hurt him that bad. That's what you need to do for institutional change. If we intend to even slightly supplant them with other factions, you can do the same job. It's best that they prove, we prove that they can't. Yeah, but that's good. It makes me nervous. And maybe I've been influenced because I've been doing this job for a while. It's the fact that it is as much of a pain in the ass as this group is. And they, at least some of them are doing a job that needs to be done. And if they get knocked on a peg, the people who want to mess with the spirits, they are trying to properly dispose of, will start taking those spirits and doing things with them that'll make this city harder to live in. If there's not a plan in place, that's true. Part of the rise of spirit wardens was to take the gondoliers down a step to demolish the house of Kellis to its current state. There were systems in the past to handle the undead of the city. They just decided they were better. And the emperor backed them. So it's not like it can't happen. It has been different in the past. But there's nothing right now. You're right. There's a lot of people doing a lot of shady things with spirits out there. Anyway, that's a long night. I think we've got a lot of flavor for the house of Kellis and what the stakes are. If we could get launched into the score next week, I think we can get towards resolving this in one or two weeks. Cool. Sounds good. And that'll be our grand finale as like the fate of the heart of Qatar. As for experience, there was not a lot of... I'm getting bad. It's been two months. I need to get better about involving everyone again. However, we can involve conversations about beliefs in XP today. So as we always do, just make sure that you've considered what you've brought up in potentials for what might qualify you for XP. And if we could start that process. I can go ahead if... Anybody has Jack's? Let me know. I had dinner yet. Oh, go ahead, Thomas. I'm sorry. Go ahead. No problem. You just a challenge with technical skill or mayhem. I advocated for the murder of Esme, but I don't know whether you want to count that. More importantly, I built a propane powered pocket watch that can feasibly commune over long distance and hold a flame without a announcing it to everyone constantly. Yes. We could write this down as a one load item and we can like introduce it to everyone's sheets. So we have a loose form of wireless communication. I'm going to be the internet someday, baby. Kind of sort of, but you do at this point cost a load. Sure do. For beliefs, I drive heritage and background. I spent an argument for demon freedom, even though it's really going to make any fucking sense for a regular human being to do so. That's because you aren't. That's because I'm not. So we'll give it to you for background there. We never really decided other than it's staying in the boat for now, like a final fate of this creature. This is true. I think we also got distracted from the final discussion of Esme. I remember the last line being, wow, there are not a lot of good reasons to keep her safe. And then we just moved on. We decided, I think, okay, go ahead. Yeah, it would take her a while to get out of the deathlands. We had time to think about it. That's fair. Although you had a different thing, Scott. No, that's exactly what I was going to say. We decided to put it in the back burner because we had time. And nothing for trauma or advice. So. Three of. Hold on. All all three. Scott, you're hungry? I'm hungry. So I'll go next. How's Tesla doing? Tesla addressed a challenge with knowledge or arcane power. She did that twice to the best of my knowledge once with the arcane power to put the demon back in the airship after negotiating with everyone what the best next step would be. So that's a possibility. You don't have to do it if you don't want. And then with knowledge, she had knowledge that the KELISIS did not have. And she traded that knowledge with Gordon for more knowledge on her part of where the hand of Qatar rests. So I thought there was at least a chance of one or two there. Two sounds good for me. Okay, you expressed your beliefs, drives, heritage or background. Well, I would have to say that her breaking down emotionally in front of Lord Pendron is either to come up from the next, you know, kind of close to being trauma from the next category down or her background and her beliefs because she had them tested. She gave him information he could use against her in the future. Yeah, she just she just basically broke down. And so that was a lot of her background. And I think I think that's enough. I think three is enough. Okay. Something before we go further, we took this extra downtime action to get information from the KELIS family about their troubles. Who spent the coin to do that? It sounds like something I should have done. That sounds like something Mr. You know what I heard is that you spent a stash to send a messenger quickly. I did. I did one of those. I went down from nine to eight for it to be a coin. It has to be two stash. But if you're willing to do that, then it happened. And you can call it quits. Okay. Stash is basically hard assets that are not liquid. You can sell them in a pinch, but it is not a very good exchange rate. Right. Okay. So yeah, if you mark off one more stash, then you spent that coin and we're all good. If you spent it earlier, we're good. Two stash total for the evening. I wasn't sure if there was one for the message, the messenger as well. That's all. The messenger will say councilor two and that's where the coin got spent. Okay. So that's my three and I'll go ahead and add it to my character. All right. Next. It could be me. Go Gordon. Go Gordon. Just a challenge with stealth or evasion. Really? No more about the background stuff. Yeah. Express your belief strives heritage or background. I mentioned my heritage. You did. I think more it came into conflict when you had to prove you were worth being there to this noble family. And you've taken actions to endure yourself to Roslyn, which has paid your way forward in getting an audience. You would not have been seen if you walked off the street without this effort on your part. Right. Yeah, I definitely included your name in the missive that was sent to them. So I think you opened that door for us in a big way, more so even than myself, because of your relationship with Roslyn, or at least as much as myself, if not more. Yeah. Your relationship with Roslyn is closer to them that with Tesla and with Milton Mildred. They're like co-workers, but yeah. So you saw that meeting happen. I see one for that. Struggled with issues from your advice or trauma during the session. And I may have, but I didn't mention that. So you thought about it. You turned green, dude. Oh, well, I'm interested to see how it plays. I'm interested to see how it plays out with your relationship. Like clearly, Roslyn is embarrassed about this, but it's not something she's going to stop doing. It's part of what her family does. Yeah. That could be a belief from him. I believe that that was really grotesque. I saw that coming from him, but it's up to you. How you want to play it out in the future? Yeah, I'll take the one now and we'll see what happens. Okay. Yeah. It may affect your relationship in the future, in which case pointed out, we'll give you a point for it. Right. If you want to put it down in notes that could make it more memorable, just like the Celises are up to some gross shit. Yeah, they sure are. I tried to bluff my way through about how fascinating it was all the while. I was much like Gordon trying not to turn green. I was interested. And you kept you are in the dark. And I don't know about it. Yeah. It was clear that they already know who Satara is. Like clearly they aren't in her favor because they would have already had her help in fixing these children. She was an ally of the archive in general, right? Ponderin's in particular. Milponderin and Strangford have had a relationship. No, sorry, I said Strangford. Skirlock. Oh, sorry. Skirlock is a like very occult lord who is a bachelor of sorts. Right. And his point is actually close to Satara. And he is like a lifelong relationship with Satara. And given that he talks to Ponderin a lot, like she's at least familiar with the archive of Echos. Okay. Never mind. That's the big picture. We are on to either ghost or busy. I can go. It was kind of a back burner person today. So as far as address, that's a fine. The sir is addressing the challenge with deception or influence. I mean, I'm addressing this challenge of getting into this house by figuring out how my deception and influence will get us in and out of the place. It makes some commitments to how long you want to fill this roll out. And I think that that counts. And expressing beliefs drives heritage or background. I'm just just the only thing I've been expressing is just the fact that I'm I got a lot of hats that I'm wearing. So I try to think of what would busy say or what would double go say or what would, you know, what's the right thing to do with the person I am or the person I'm impersonating. Yeah, I think your commitment to the bit is very busy for you, like having to keep up a very long time. Um, really didn't struggle with any vice or traumas today. So like two. Yeah, that sounds good to me. And ghost has been pretty much. How much us? I muted the entire night because I've been busy coughing and I don't think I got any experience. Truthfully, I'm fine with that. Usually, one part of me makes me feel like this happened too often. I am not involving you enough. No, it's not your fault. You said I think it's happened like three times. No, no, no, no. I'm not. I could have it. I could have joined them when they want on the. The visit just to protect them and stuff like that, but yeah, I just want to see that it's something I fix in the future. Okay, I appreciate the attempt, but it was mostly me being sick. So our Thursday is just really bad for you. Should we try another day? No, Thursdays are the best possible to aid for me to do something. It's just I'm being sick. Yeah, yeah, I problems and sick problems for a couple of times. So just happens. Okay, I hope you stop that soon. Yeah, yeah, me too. But I still think you should get a dot for just showing up. No, I'm going to. Yes. Okay. I mean, you were here. You facilitated this one editor dot one dot and editor. You protected our group. We were busy discussing stuff. I don't want you to get outpaced one there. They are supposed to provide incentive for you to roleplay and it's not like we're not doing that. But I don't want you to get outpaced. So, no, I'm fine. My character is doing okay. Just wasn't a good night for me. Similarly, whenever we get Pusitary back for season two or whatever, I'm going to drop up on JXP on his head. Yeah, you got it. That's not fun being behind everyone else. That's not fun. We'll come up with what his character was doing. I said Pusitary that better come out of the editing, dad. Yep, it will. When Mike gets back, I'm going to drop a bunch of XP on his head for season two. And we'll deal with that. One more thing before the outro is group XP. Successful accident disappearance or ransom operation, not yet. No. Challenges above your current station. One for that. It wasn't a big one. But you, if you did not have any of the knowledge you did, you would not have been welcome in that house. Bolster use Cruz reputation or develop a new one. I believe so. Express goals, drives, inner conflict or essential nature of the crew. There is dispute and it's why we're undecided on like the demon and what to do with Esme. So three points total for the crew. And that's that. Thanks all for playing. This has been machinations, our blades in the dark campaign for KOTN. I've been your host and GM John. Catch you all later. Good night, everyone. Bye. Goodbye. Good job. And goodbye. 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 @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. And lastly, there's our block, which is found at kotnpodcast.com. And please remember to join us next week for more mystery and adventure. We lost Michael. That sucks. We're about to finish this. Yes. I think I should wait. I mean, I know he's- I think as a thief he would want to hear the rest of this. Yeah. Whether or not Gordon particularly would make a move or not is up in the air, but- Right. I'm going to text him on the thread. Thank you. Let him know. I'll be right back. I am back, never mind. I thought that would close the program. Your home here, your estate, is going to be raided on the night of- Where the hell is it? Ark and Vorn. Thank you. I can't remember that for some reason. It's going to be a real word. Okay, they change zoom and it's crazy. Ah, it's like don't freak. I don't understand how this works now. We'll try it anyways. Other possible titles for this episode that were available for voting and the Facebook's Knights of the Night fans page were The Fate of Heart of Qatar. Oh, a little too many eyes. A nut toward the flesh toddler. A matter of getting used to it. Reincarnated. Children in the pearl. And I'm going to be the internet someday, baby. Adding this to the outtake as well. That this particular episode in the previous one have been edited by my son, the one that isn't actually in the podcast, Mark. I want to thank him very much because otherwise these episodes would not have been released. I am dealing with a retinal detachment on my right eye. That doesn't mean I'm completely blind, but it means that the doctor has suggested I don't read things. I shouldn't move my eyes left and right because I'm going to rip it more and more. And they actually had to do laser surgery around the current ripped part to prevent it from ripping more, which by the way, was insanely painful because it was very fastly done. And it wasn't in a hospital. It was in their office where they said they're going to have to do the laser surgery. And I said, okay, when they said now. And then I was told for a few weeks to not move my eyes. Don't read things, don't look around. It kind of screwed me with work because as a programmer, I have to read things and I have to move my eyes right and left and I have multiple monitors that I would just move my eyes from one to the other without moving my head, which would be bad. So went back recently. Things seem to be a little better, although I've got a ton of floaters, which might be another operation that they do to help remove those and replace the fluid in my eye. I know this because a year and a half ago they did it on my left eye. But my left eye was nowhere near severe as this. It wasn't an actual rep. It was just in that area and getting rid of her and there were a lot of floaters. So don't mean to keep your guys busy explaining all this, but I just want to again thank my son for doing the editing and allowing you people to listen to stuff. Thanks, Mark.