We’ve spent so long tending to our Skill Tree, now it will bear fruit.
Sponsors
- The MULTICREW DRIVE! Join today at multicrew.club
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- website: https://jointhepartypod.com
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- merch & music: http://jointhepartypod.com/merch
Cast & Crew
- Game Master, Co-Producer: Eric Silver
- Co-Host (Umbi), Co-Producer, Sound Designer, Composer: Brandon Grugle
- Co-Host (Chamomile Cassis), Co-Producer: Julia Schifini
- Co-Host (Troy Riptide), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- Theme Song: Lyrics by Eric Silver, music by Brandon Grugle. Vocals by Brandon Grugle, Lauren Shippen, Julia Schifini, Roux Bedrosian, Eric Silver, Tyler Silver, and Amanda McLoughlin. Available for purchase here.
- Artwork: Allyson Wakeman
- Multitude: https://multitude.productions
About Us
Join the Party is an actual play podcast with tangible worlds, genre-pushing storytelling, and collaborators who make each other laugh each week. We welcome everyone to the table, from longtime players to folks who’ve never touched a roleplaying game before. Hop into our current campaign, a pirate story set in a world of plant- and bug-folk, or marathon our completed stories with the Camp-Paign, a MOTW game set in a weird summer camp, Campaign 2 for a modern superhero game, and Campaign 1 for a high fantasy story. And once a month we release the Afterparty, where we answer your questions about the show and how we play the game. New episodes every Tuesday.
Transcript
Amanda: Have you ever wanted to be an engine that powers a great, roaring train ripping across the digital lands? Well, you can because, hi, this is Amanda, CEO of Multitude, and it is the MultiCrew Drive. This is when we are making it especially tasty for you to join the MultiCrew, which, going back to my metaphor, lets you be the engine that powers Multitude. It's a membership program that lets you fund new work from us and get exclusive stuff. Now it's a great time to join all year round, but in these two weeks, it is especially great because we have set a goal of reaching 100 new and upgrading members. And to make it worth your while, we're doing a bunch of special stuff, we're having several hours of a telethon on Twitch where we play trivia and games that anybody can attend. We also have six brand-new podcast episodes featuring Multitude hosts. Mischa is teaching Moiya all about the ocean. Me and Corinne and Eric are talking all about reality TV, there is so much more. Isabel and Amanda Silberling are here with me to debate and make a competition of emails. It's incredibly good. Julia wrote a whole RPG about Helios being hungover. Okay? You can only listen to these episodes if you join the MultiCrew. And if you join by September 27th, you also get a free enamel pin, and you get your name inscribed on a literal plaque on our literal wall here in the Multitude studio, if you're on an annual plan. So learn all about the MultiCrew, why you should join, and why it is worth your while to be the engine that powers us all at multicrew.club. That's multicrew.club.
[theme]
Eric: I remember a time before the Cascade dried up. Here in Verda Stello, the four nations of plant and bug people flourished and thrived. But the great waterfall that fed the land slowed to a trickle, revealing a vast Salt Sea and unknown islands. The only guide were the words of the 13 Dried Carvings. "The water will slow to fall, but the tides are turning. Find the Infinite Lake to replenish the world and discover the Salmon who will grant you a wish of whatever you desire." This marks the beginning of the Tide, as many Greenfolk hauled onto ships to find the Infinite Lake and maybe riches, adventure, excitement, and purpose along the way. And what exactly is a salmon? Is that a berry? That was 50 years ago, and the Tide rushes forward ever still. There are many stories caught on the wind between sails, but why don't we hear just one? Of a butterfly gunman with clipped wings, a ripened and explosive piece of produce, and a witch made out of tea. This is Join the Party Campaign 3, The Rising Tide!
[theme]
Amanda: Last time on Join the Party.
Eric: A lot of stuff happened. Ultimately, Umbi ended up on the beach thanks to the blackberry dragon taking a shine to him for being a nice person. Troy is now okay because he had a health potion the whole time after giving Bramble a heart attack. And Cammie poofed over to Troy, helping him out and looking around the Kompos Facility. Going into the communications room, they saw that there's a new enemy on the horizon, the rotten key, and it's heading right towards them. I guess that's a party, when you think about it, a zombie party, or zombies coming to take your face and brains. Let's get the party started.
Eric: [sings] As we go on, we remember—
Brandon: Is this the start of the episode?
Eric: —all the times we used our Amber.
Julia: Oh, I get it now.
Eric: Amanda McLoughlin, GPA 4.0.
Amanda: Did I die?
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Remember— got hit by multiple—
Julia: In Memoriam.
Eric: —school busses all at the same time.
Julia: You know how your school does the In Memoriam to start off graduation?
Eric: I love— my favorite part of graduation is the In Memoriam section.
Amanda: Ooh.
Eric: Where we see all the kids who died.
Julia: Oh, tragedy.
Eric: Folks, this is the last Skill Tree of— of the campaign.
Brandon: No, Eric.
Julia: Are you sure?
Eric: Yes.
Amanda: No.
Brandon: But I haven't dug and rolled enough.
Julia: Can we do a couple more?
Eric: You all need to send me $5 on Venmo if you want to reset the Skill Tree.
Julia: No, I want to 100% it.
Brandon: I don’t want to reset it.
Amanda: I don’t need to reset it, I just want to level--
Eric: And then Havana's gonna go back to, like, second episode Havana.
Brandon: Dear God, no.
Julia: Back when he was Rudy.
Eric: Yeah. Back when he was Rudy and he had no—no personality other than being bullied at doctor college.
Julia: Yeah.
Brandon: Yeah, same.
Eric: Well, also, I want you all to know, because this is the skill— this is the last Skill Tree episode of the campaign. And speaking of fruit, I did go into Julia's house, and I did eat all of the tomatoes that was in her backyard.
Julia: That did happen, yeah.
Eric: I done did it. So I— I am fueled, I have so much energy, and I feel like I have the— I've kind of pulled the minerals out of the ground of Long Island, so now I have resistance to Julia's shenanigans.
Julia: Oh, okay.
Amanda: Ooh.
Brandon: What are the minerals in Long Island? Are they like coffee and, like—
Julia: It's basically all the toppings for pizza, so it's like oregano and garlic salt.
Brandon: Hmm. Uh-hmm.
Eric: I was gonna say—
Julia: Parmesan cheese.
Eric: —there's this really big blocks of salt in the ground and sand.
Julia: Yeah, yeah.
Eric: I'm now partially ground type, and I'm resistant to Julia.
Julia: Yay.
Eric: Yeah. So I've been eating really large tomatoes for the last few days, so I am hyped up. My tomato vitamin levels are high.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: And so I'm ready to go. The Skill Tree has bloomed fruit for me, and it will continue to bloom fruit for you.
Brandon: Yay.
Julia: Wow.
Eric: Wow.
Julia: Huzzah.
Brandon: Wow.
Eric: So here's what's gonna happen, not this episode, but next episode, you guys are all gonna level up.
Julia: Oh.
Amanda: Nice.
Brandon: Woo.
Eric: Woo. You're gonna level up twice, we're gonna deal with that in the next episode, okay?
Julia: Nice.
Amanda: Oh, my God.
Julia: I'm gonna get cool stuff at 13.
Brandon: We're gonna be on 13.
Eric: You're gonna be so juicy.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, shit.
Eric: Think about everything that happened during the Kompos arc. I think you guys level up twice.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: I'm scared of what Julia will get at level 13.
Brandon: I am glad that you think Umbi, like, passing out four times and doing nothing, except for failing, deserves two levels.
Julia: Umbi became a dragon rider in the last arc. What are you talking about?
Eric: Part of the boon that the blackberry dragon gave you was one level up. Umbi was only gonna level up once.
Brandon: I'm also glad that Julia thinks that Umbi, holding on for dear life to the side of a dragon, is a dragon rider.
Julia: The dragon let you ride it, is my point.
Amanda: Yeah.
Brandon: Look, it's all about appearances. It's all marketing, you know?
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Yeah, Brandon, it's all marketing. They don't really know what real dragon riding is, which is clinging to the side of a dragon and dying a little bit.
Julia: True, true.
Brandon: Uh-hmm. Uh-hmm.
Eric: But, yeah, we're gonna get to the Skill Tree stuff. You have three uncooked Amber, we'll deal with that in a moment. But I do want you all to come together a little bit, because last time on Join the Party, whatever Eric said previously, Brandon's out on the beach with Kidd Cervantes and some siblings. The Sea Whip is going to pick them up, while there's just chaos going on throughout the entire Kompos Facility. And inside of that chaos, beeping and booping on some fax machines are Troy and Cammie. So as we kind of deescalate, we— you know, when you're sledding— so here's some winter time stuff, when you're sledding and you're —you're done accelerating down the hill, but you still have to go, like, half a mile into the field, because you have all that— all of that speed behind you, and you're only 30 pounds, because your dad put you on a sled that's pretty much just a piece of plastic.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: And there's not a lot of drag coefficient, so you're just going.
Brandon: Hmm, rich people stuff.
Eric: Sledding, Brandon?
Brandon: I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I'm kidding.
Eric: Sledding.
Brandon: I'm kidding.
Julia: I'm realizing that Brandon just thinks like the Northeast is all rich people.
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: I mean, it is, but that's fine. That's a separate conversation.
Eric: The— the city of Boston has a word to have with you, Brandon. So Troy and Cammie, you're still in there, I want you all to come back together. So, yeah, there's still— the klaxon is going—
Eric: [Klaxon] Emergency, emergency. Get your shit together. It's the world government, for Christ's sakes. Emergency, emergency.
Brandon: Who programmed that?
Eric: [Klaxon] Brandon, shut up. Emergency, emergency.
Eric: So everyone's running around. I think that Troy and Cammie still has a little bit of time to figure some stuff out in there. You're kind of in this— as we described before, just lots of hallways going different directions, lots of halogen lights. Some of them have been burst by the amount of brine that you let into an office building. Nothing's funnier to me that you're on, like, the 30th floor of a government office building, and it's just like salty on the ground.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Like the tide lapped up in there.
Amanda: Really tried to flood it out, but it looks more like one of the bathrooms overflowed pretty bad.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: But it's one of those sa— it's one of those—
Brandon: Saltwater toilets?
Eric: Yeah, it's one of those saltwater bathroom toilets.
Julia: Is that a thing? Is that a real thing?
Amanda: I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of intrigued.
Eric: If a European came up to you and said, you had— they had a saltwater bidet, are they lying or not lying?
Julia: That's what I'm asking.
Amanda: I would just believe them.
Julia: I think yeah.
Brandon: That probably be true.
Eric: Yeah, but it's only like on the Amalfi Coast. Do I know where the Amalfi Coast is? No. Shut up, Brandon.
Brandon: Rich people thing.
Eric: That's what— everyone's literally rich people. Sledding, going in a sailboat in the Amalfi Coast, all rich people things.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So I think that Cammie and Troy, you both have time to kind of do one thing. We are— we are inside of this communications room. There is some popcorn on the ground, strewn about, and there's, like, fax machines everywhere, and some really old chunky TVs that are showing you different parts of the Kompos Facility. You're see— you're seeing a bunch of people running around, some of them holding sabers, some of them holding papers because something's on fire. Everyone's just kind of running around right now. So there's some CCTV barnacle cameras in different places around the facility. So what do you two want to do?
Julia: Remind me, was this room labeled, like, you know how office doors will have, like, storage or security on them? Was this room labeled?
Eric: Yeah. Hmm, that's a good question. I would say something like communications (prison wing).
Julia: Cool.
Eric: Right?
Julia: Cool. Uh-hmm.
Eric: So a de facto security room, but since the— the fax machines are in there, I think it would be the communications room.
Julia: Gotcha.
Amanda (as Troy): Cammie, all this stuff looks pretty old-timey like from when you were born.
Brandon: Wow.
Amanda (as Troy): Is there a way to— to send a message out from here?
Julia: Can I roll to see if there is a way of sending a message out from here?
Eric: Sure. We are— have already established in previous campaigns that Arcana is technology.
Julia: Correct.
Eric: So Cammie does know how to use a fax machine.
Brandon: Ah.
Julia: That's true. Oh, but Cammie did not roll very well. That is a 6 plus 5 for an 11.
Eric: Hmm. Even fax machines are outside of Cammie's arcane into like—
Brandon: Cammie is not that old.
Julia: Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): This looks brand-new to me. I don't know what you're talking about. This clearly came out this year.
Eric: [printer sound] As the printer is, like, jammed after printing out the big— the scroll that is the rotten key alert paper.
Julia (as Cammie): Why— Troy, what did you want to— to send out?
Amanda (as Troy): Tell them to run for their lives, mostly, but also, if anyone wants to come to the aid of us, the rightful keepers of the keys, then they should come to the prison right away.
Julia (as Cammie): I might have something for that. Let's check this room out, and then we can do that.
Amanda (as Troy): Cool.
Julia (as Cammie): Cool.
Eric: So with an 11, I'll say, the biggest issue we have here is that there's no PA system here.
Julia: Hmm.
Eric: Who are you trying to talk to?
Amanda: I want to broadcast it like a radio transmission to anyone who can pick it up.
Eric: Okay. So you want to send it out. So, yeah, there's no PA, so you can't talk to everyone in the building. The other thing is, that's not how fax machine do. There's no reply all on fax machines.
Julia: If only.
Brandon: Hmm.
Eric: So there isn't like—
Brandon: I don't— I don't know that you know that, Eric. Have you used a fax machine?
Eric: That's a good point. I don't know that for sure. If you know it, go take your heart medication right now.
Julia: Just for— for Amanda/Troy thing, think of the thing you want to say in 10 words or less.
Brandon: Okay.
Julia: I think Cammie is just gonna, like, look at all of these fax machines. Are they, like, labeled? Like, are they coming from different places?
Eric: That's a great question. I'm gonna— I'm gonna see how clearly these are labeled.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Alright, that's a 12. What is a 12 in labeling? This is what DM-ing is, guys. Mostly this, mostly this question. Yeah, I think that vaguely the— you know, there— there's probably 10 or so fax machines in here. I think they're vaguely labeled by region, but maybe they're labeled in some sort of general code.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: You know, I still don't understand what DVDs go to which DVD players, because it's region one through six, whatever that is. So assuming they are coming from different places, this fax machine— the fax machine that is printing out the thing about the rotten key, that's coming from one place, and they are sending it to all the different other regions.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: And this is, like, the one— like you have to manually reply all.
Julia: Gotcha.
Eric: So you can assume that these are— these are coming from different places, and they are distinct, but nothing saying like, "Oh, this is, obviously, the fax machine that's at the mail stop next to the hold." Like, no, you can't— you can't figure that out.
Julia: Gotcha.
Amanda: Hmm.
Brandon: What is the DVD thing?
Eric: Oh, it's like different region locks.
Brandon: Oh, I didn't know that's a thing.
Eric: Different regions are locked by different, like, media conglomerates.
Brandon: Oh, cool.
Julia: That's wild.
Amanda: Yeah. So you can't, like, play a Japanese kind of Blade Runner in the US.
Brandon: Oh, I didn't know that.
Eric: Yeah, you gotta use handbrake and, like, undo it.
Brandon: Oh.
Julia: Hmm.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: I think Cammie's just gonna grab a big pile of papers from the one, I assume, labeled like number one. Like, I'm trying to figure out, like, what the main one is, and since that one's the most active, Cammie's is gonna grab the, like, biggest pile of paper she can carry.
Eric: Yeah, sure. Yeah.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Anything else?
Amanda: Is there a emergency exit plan on the back of the door?
Julia: There should be.
Brandon: There— yeah, for any safety protocols.
Julia: Is it up to code?
Eric: Alright, well, I rolled— I rolled a 12, which is over 10. So I'm looking for anything that's not a one through five to see if— if there is an emergency plan. [dice roll] Yeah, that's a 9.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: There is a plan— there's a plan on the back that you can kind of— you take a right and another right and a left, and you go down the long hallway and take another left. There's a ladder that goes all the way up, which brings you to the surface in a different place.
Brandon: This is why everyone needs an Amanda in their party, because I would not have thought of that.
Julia: Smart. Good call, good call.
Amanda: And if I look backward, right, like through the— the rest of the map, the bottom of the map, not the place it wants me to go, but the rest of the floor plan, are there any other entrances to the prison marked on the map?
Eric: Yeah, there is a large double doors that's like kind of the top of the map, because this is the prison wing.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So it connects to the rest of the— the rest of the facility.
Amanda: But there's only one entrance to the prison yard is what I'm asking.
Eric: Yeah. The map only shows the airlock as the singular entrance into the prison facility, which you already know, which you are familiar with.
Amanda: Cool. Can Troy just take one last look around and— you know, he was a guard once himself back in the Crags. Is anyone storing personal items here in the communications room?
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: That's a great question. I— how about on the way out, as you all follow the fire exit plan out of here, why don't you both give me perception checks to see if you see anything on your way out?
Brandon: Or anyone?
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: 12.
Eric: Any— anything, any stuff?
Julia: 19 plus 3 for a 22.
Eric: Hmm.
Amanda: Thanks.
Eric: You know the thing that makes Troy and Cammie similar?
Amanda: Do tell.
Julia: Let me know.
Eric: Well, I want to hear what you both have to say. What do you— what's the quality that is both similar between Cammie and Troy?
Julia (as Cammie): Believe in friendship.
Eric: Good one.
Brandon: They're both the captain.
Amanda: Animal companions.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Also true, that one does include Umbi.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: But maybe when you're walking through a facility like this, you're walking through something that's secure, that institution of some sort maybe wants to keep secret. They—
Amanda: Oh, I got it. Love to steal.
Julia (as Cammie): We do love stealing.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Eric: Is that you can figure out where maybe some of the cool stuff is kept, and you can take it on the way out, yeah?
Amanda (as Troy): Love to steal.
Julia (as Cammie): It's our favorite crime.
Eric: And as you are walking down the long hallway after taking two rights and a left, there is a door that's open, and you can see that the keypad that usually locks it has been smashed and the door is open.
Julia (as Cammie): Ooh. We don't even have to guess that it's boobs.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: That— that is inter campaign knowledge there.
Amanda: Or is it a— just a— a human constant, Eric, like gravity?
Julia: Or a Greenfolk constant?
Brandon: It's a law— yeah, it's a law of the universe.
Amanda: Cammie and Troy make eye contact, and are basically moving in the doorway as they do so.
Julia: Yeah. By the way, are there a bunch of people, like, running past us and stuff like that?
Eric: Not over here.
Julia: Oh, okay.
Eric: It seems like the prison wing has been emptied out.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: And you see a lot of drama and chaos and emergency nonsense happening on the CCTVs. And also, we cut back to Umbi. Umbi, you're sitting on the Sea Whip with Harold and Sil, whose— who are both recovering, and all the Cervantes siblings, and you're just seeing, like, ships run into each other and explode.
Julia: Nice.
Brandon: I'm like—
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, did you guys see that one? That was awesome.
Eric (as Harold): Oh, I missed it. I'll see the next one.
Eric: It's like you're looking at a meteor shower. No. So there aren't a lot of people running around the— the prison wing, though.
Julia: Okay. I need, like, four people in order to do the thing that I wanted to do for Troy, so I'll— I'll wait.
Amanda: That's okay.
Brandon: Four people?
Amanda: You can do it later.
Julia: Four people.
Brandon: What the fuck is this spell thing?
Eric: Is it like— like you're trying to play Foursquare?
Julia: Yeah. Yeah, it's a— it's a spell where I play a game of Foursquare.
Eric: Alright, no taps, then.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah. So you— there's a— there's a door here. There's a reason why this room is near the emergency exit, because it goes all the way up.
Julia (as Cammie): Cool.
Eric: It is empty other than like this— four stories tall, and the entire wall is just cabinets.
Brandon: Whoa.
Julia: Ooh.
Brandon: Cool. The dream.
Julia: Are they labeled?
Eric: No. These— these are not labeled. No. What—
Amanda (as Troy): Now, Cammie, you're gonna want to go for the biggest ones, but the most valuable stuff is in the littlest ones.
Julia (as Cammie): You're so right, Troy. You're so right.
Eric: It's funny you say that. It kind of looks like in a pot— like a giant apothecary cabinet.
Brandon: Hmm.
Eric: And that is all wood and has different size cabinets kind of going up. Troy's absolutely right, there are big drawers on the bottom, as they go farther up, they get smaller and smaller. Some of the cabinets are open above you.
Julia: Can I look in them?
Amanda: Yeah. Troy's gonna jump up as— as high as you can get and start rifling through the smallest toppest drawers.
Julia: Oh, wait, let me just clarify something real quick. Is there a ceiling to this room, or do I see sky?
Eric: There is a ceiling to this room.
Julia: Okay. Interesting.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Does knock only work on one thing, or can you, like, knock and open every single cabinet in this room?
Julia: No, it only works on one— one lock.
Brandon: Oh, man.
Amanda: Is there a ladder?
Eric: There is a ladder. There's like a big library-ass ladder here.
Julia (as Cammie): Troy, you don't need a— you don't need a ladder. Troy, you don't need a ladder.
Eric: Unfortunately, the ladder is broken into pieces on the ground.
Amanda: Hmm.
Julia: Wonderful.
Eric: So for a moment, you have, like, a bell in Beauty and the Beast moment, where you're excited about sliding across there, but the ladder has been smashed into timber on the ground.
Brandon: Does Troy eat, like, 12 raw eggs right then too?
Julia: Troy has real like positive Gaston energy.
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda: Thank you.
Julia: But you know a thing that Troy also loves besides eating raw eggs and sliding along ladders?
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Amanda (as Troy): Briefly flying, so I can remember what my life would have been like if I was not like a second or third or fourth son?
Julia: Well, flying for up to 10 minutes.
Amanda: Hooray.
Julia: I'm gonna cast a fourth level spell so Troy and I can both fly.
Amanda: Yay.
Eric: Great. Love it. Man, maybe you're your own fairy godmother.
Julia: Have you considered?
Eric: Do they have those T-shirts at Disney World? Probably.
Julia: Probably.
Amanda: No, Eric, because then you wouldn't have a male partner next to you who you can say like, "Credit card bill, wifey."
Brandon: True, true.
Julia: True.
Eric: The pumpkin.
Brandon: The pumpkin.
Eric: The pumpkin. So, yeah, y'all can fly around.
Amanda: Yay.
Julia (as Cammie): Fly, Troy, fly.
Amanda: Yeah. Troy is going to, like, ripple his back muscles out, like a dog whose tail has been cropped, whose like butt still wags to wag the tail.
Brandon: Aw.
Amanda: That's like Troy at most moments with his wings, and he finally is able to actually unfurl them and jump up and fly. And he's gonna try to find the drawers that look the dustiest. What's not been opened for a long time.
Brandon: Hmm. Hmm.
Eric: Uh-hmm. Well, there's plenty of stuff in here that's pretty dusty. The drawers that are open are in—there's only a few of them that have been opened. Most of them in the middle-ish. Like, some about a third of the way up, and then some— more that's creeping upwards. And the highest one is this rather small one that's about 80% of the way up there. All the other ones higher than that are very, very— are very, very dusty, and have not been touched in a while.
Amanda: Can he look in the open drawer? Can I smell or see anything?
Eric: Yeah, you can go to the open drawer.
Julia: Sniff it.
Amanda: I said smell or see. First smell, then see.
Eric: Yeah, give me investigation.
Julia: I just like that smell was first.
Brandon: I would love to bop it to add smell it to one--
Julia: Sniff it
Eric: Sniff it. Cammie, give me a perception check while you're—
Julia: Yar.
Eric: —while you're watching Troy, and as you are—you are floating yourself.
Julia: Cool.
Amanda: That's a 12 for investigation.
Julia: 15 plus 3 for an 18.
Eric: Cool. Cammie, here's an interesting thing. As you're kind of watching Troy enjoy flying again, remind me what is— what does— what does fly look like for Cammie?
Julia: I think in the case of Troy, I think it manifests differently between Troy and Cammie. I think for Troy—
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: —it is a ethereal, golden steam that covers his wings.
Eric: Sure.
Julia: And for Cammie, it's like a little cloud like Goku from Dragon Ball.
Eric: Julia, that's exactly what I was envisioning.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: I can't remember if you said this previously, but that's what I had in my head.
Julia: I simply can't recall, but that's— it's crisscross applesauce on a golden cloud of steam, yeah.
Eric: I love it.
Brandon: Confirmed. Cammie is Goku.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: I knew it. Here's something that Cammie notices. The drawers that are pulled out, again, so the first one is about 1/3 of the way up, and then some up there. It creates a rock climbing situation.
Julia: Ah, that's what I thought.
Brandon: Oh.
Eric: These have been pulled out for someone to definitely climb their way up using as few as possible.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: There's five cabinets that are pulled out.
Julia: Is it like someone who, I don't know, is small and maybe from a very rocky place and is trained to be like a CIA agent?
Eric: Who can say, really? Who can say.
Julia: I feel like I could maybe say.
Eric: In my head, also, all these drawers, they're not metal. I like— they're wooden, too. It's like you got to keep all of your good stuff in wood.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: It's like some— even though this is the World Government, even though this is the Diamond Knot, and like—like the Death Star the center of bad stuff happening here, like they still are like, "Oh, well, you— you put important things in wood, obviously."
Brandon: Still gotta have class, you know? It's all about class.
Eric: Yeah, you just have to. That's where you keep the stuff. My ancestors were wood, and now— and then we're gonna keep them. So, yeah, that's what Cammie notices.
Julia: Well, you know, Eric, just because— I'm loving the spells right now, I'm feeling good. I still got a lot of spell slots because I took a nap, and that's important to me. I'm going to use a spell that I haven't used before called Clue.
Eric: Oh, interesting.
Brandon: What is that?
Julia: When you cast this spell, all footprints and fingerprints within a 45-minute radius of a point that you touch become highlighted and glow faintly for the duration. At the time of casting, choose any period of time, up to the last 10 days to the present, only footprints and fingerprints left within that time will be highlighted.
Amanda: Oh, my God.
Julia: Each creature whose footprints and fingerprints are detected by the spell is assigned a unique color, but otherwise not identified. Any creature that moves or touches objects in the area will also leave colorful fingerprints and footprints, which might reveal invisible creatures in the area.
Brandon: That's incredible.
Amanda: That's like the Nancy Drew video game.
Julia: It is.
Brandon: This is one of those spells that I always take because I think it'd be fun, but the situation never arises.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: This is the one time.
Julia: There you go, there you go.
Eric: I didn't know we were on CSI Verda Stello. Yeah!
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: But you have green eyeglasses, like Dr. Dillamond.
Julia: Yeah. Yeah. So I'd like to go, I think, towards the, like, top two that they pulled out.
Eric: Sure.
Julia: Whoever that is, just because I want to see, like, where they— where they went after they got to the— the top, you know?
Eric: Yeah. I mean, as you're going up, there are fewer— near the bottom of this cabinet room, lots of fingerprints, lots of different colors here, as you're going up, they're going higher and higher. And then there is only a scant number of fingerprints up near the top, including the same color of fingerprints that are touching all of the open cabinets and are all over the destroyed ladder on the ground.
Julia: Hmm. Yeah, that makes sense. That checks out.
Amanda: While Cammie's doing that, Troy is just going to be pulling open as many small, dusty drawers as he possibly can and scooping anything interesting he finds into his pocket
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Great point. As Troy— this is very funny. You're just doing this in the open air, you're just floating.
Amanda: Oh, yeah.
Eric: So it's funny of thinking of you like trying to get leverage on the wall, pulling these open.
Julia: Like an astronaut.
Eric: Yeah, like an astronaut.
Amanda: It's like— it's like he's jogging in place when he could be standing, and it just doesn't— like he's spending a lot of energy flapping his wings, even though the ethereal ones are doing all the flying for him. So it— it takes him a few tries, I think, to realize he can, like, brace himself with one hand and then pull with the other, you know what I mean?
Eric: Yeah. Troy, you cannot open any of these cabinets.
Amanda: No. None?
Eric: None. Inside of the cabinet that is already open, which you rolled a 12 for, it's a little wet in there. It's like someone spilled a water bottle.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: And did a bad job cleaning it up.
Amanda: Or stepped on it with a wet foot.
Eric: The wetness of someone go— walking from a pool to a kitchen.
Amanda: Yeah.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So it's a little wet in there. It also smells a little— it's a little briny in there. It smells a little vinegary.
Amanda: Hmm.
Eric: But it's— otherwise, it is empty. I also want to say that all the other cabinets that are open are also empty.
Amanda: Hmm.
Julia: Huh. Is— hmm. This is me spitballing. Tell me if I'm totally off track, and—
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: —Eric, you don't have to confirm or anything.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: I wonder if these are magical locks, and therefore, by, like, getting a little bit of the brine on them, they unlock?
Amanda: That's a good question.
Julia: Now, we were in this for a while. I'm soaking wet, I would assume.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: Can I wring my hat out on one of these locks and see if it unlocks?
Eric: No. Cammie, you just get a cabinet real wet.
Julia: Damn.
Eric: But it is fun seeing how much brine is in your hat.
Julia: Yeah. It's a lot.
Brandon: We have the strawberry hammer. I don't know how it works or what it does exactly, but—
Julia: It's true. I do have that.
Amanda: Yeah.
Brandon: Maybe you hit it and it— and it works, who knows?
Amanda: Can Troy bring out his book depository souvenir knife and try to pick or pry one of the locks?
Brandon: Hmm.
Julia: The one the child threw at him?
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: The one that chi— right. I forgot about Orlando. Love that dude.
Brandon: A real— shout out to a real one.
Amanda: I don't have proficiency in lock picking, but I— I sure can try.
Eric: Sure, give it a shot.
Amanda: [dice roll] 12.
Eric: No.
Julia: No? Are you sure?
Eric: You get a cool bend in your souvenir Book Depository dive.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, no. Now, it doesn't retract as well.
Julia: Eric?
Eric: Uh-huh.
Julia: Does there seem like maybe, based on the path that this person, I'm assuming it's Di, but I don't know for certain—
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: —climbed. Was there maybe another one that they tried to get into that they didn't have time for, or anything like that?
Eric: No. This color is only going for this stuff.
Julia: Hmm. Interesting.
Eric: If you were to assume it was Di, maybe, that would make sense, because Di was in— if you remember, Di was situated in the Cragish separatist group—
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Right.
Eric: —for an extended period of time before this. So that is why, only that color of fingerprints, which we assume is Di, would only have shown up here.
Julia: Right.
Brandon: Do those fingerprints have a little bit of popcorn butter on them?
Julia: I lick it.
Eric: Hmm. Buttery.
Julia: Okay, cool.
Amanda (as Troy_: Listen, Cammie, sometimes you try to pilfer, but instead you give pilfered. So we can—we can just keep going out, no?
Julia (as Cammie): Okay. Do you want to pick one at random, and I'll just use one spell slot to open it?
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah. Eenie, meenie, miney, that one.
Brandon: Dig and roll, dig and roll, dig and roll.
Julia: Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): Pick a drawer, any drawer.
Amanda (as Troy): P-U-M-P-I.
Amanda: And Troy points at one— about two rows down and five from the right.
Julia: Like, he's doing one of the fortune—
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Julia: teller things.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Like, how many kids are you gonna have?
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: I didn't realize that pumpi was spelled with an I, and that makes so much sense.
Julia: Of course, it does.
Eric: Interesting. Okay. I'm trying to think of what to do here.
Brandon: Just give us a super weapon, you know?
Julia: Uh-hmm. Just give us an item.
Eric: Yeah, of course.
Amanda: Just like a key or a salmon in it, no?
Julia: Just an item.
Brandon: Yeah, just, like, make a salmon in the drawer.
Julia: Yeah. You just— we unlock this door and the salmon's right in there.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: I should also mention that, Troy, as you're—you're looking in there, it's a little wet and it's a little briny. This is a different smell than you have been surrounded by.
Amanda: Hmm.
Brandon: Hmm.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: Can Troy and pull that drawer out all the way?
Eric: Yeah, you can pull it on it all the way.
Amanda: Yeah. He's gonna look up and down the length of it, bottom, top, inside, outside.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: See if there's a fake bottom to it.
Amanda: Yeah.
Brandon: Sniff it.
Amanda: Oh, lick it.
Eric: Lick it.
Julia: Pop it.
Eric: Yeah. There's a real pickle-y taste here. There's some dill and some peppercorns that are on the bottom of the cabinet here.
Brandon: Ooh.
Amanda (as Troy): Yuck. What's this taste?
Brandon: Does—
Amanda (as Troy): Why does it hurt?
Brandon (as Umbi): Does Troy not like pickles?
Amanda (as Troy): Why does it hurt?
Amanda: No, the peppercorn.
Julia: Oh. Aw.
Eric: The peppercorn. I realize— yeah, you've just been floating around in— in brine for a while, but this— this is a different brine. This is like— there's some garlic in there, there's some red pepper flake. There's a real concoction of spices in here, outside of just the vinegar-water solution, anti-magic water solution that you've been in.
Julia: Never in my life have I felt more confused than the past arc, by just looking at you being like, "What are you talking about? Why are there pickles? What's happening?"
Eric: It's a great question, Julia.
Amanda: Cammie—
Eric: And maybe you said pickles have magical properties, and I'm using them in different ways throughout the campaign, for our plant campaign, Cammie.
Julia: Maybe.
Eric: Maybe.
Brandon: Hmm.
Amanda (as Troy): Cammie, it— it tastes spiky.
Julia (as Cammie): Are you trying to say spicy?
Amanda (as Troy): I don't know what that is. It tastes like it hurts a little bit, but also, I want more.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah. You know how Umbi taste like peppers?
Julia: No, Umbi doesn't taste like peppers. Umbi smells like peppers. Never mind.
Brandon: No, no, no. I'm gonna leave that. I'm sorry.
Julia: No. Fuck you.
Julia (as Cammie): Do they not have like peppers where you're from?
Amanda: My head canon is that's the Crags have the whitest food of all time.
Julia: Yeah, that's fair.
Amanda: They just have, like, barely any spices. It's just like basically salt.
Brandon: Hmm.
Amanda: And so spice is new.
Julia: No, I love that.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: Cammie's like—
Julia (as Cammie): You know, like pepper and other things.
Amanda (as Troy): No.
Julia (as Cammie): You know how garlic is sometimes spicy?
Amanda (as Troy): The more flavor, the easier it is to hide poison in it.
Brandon (as Umbi): That's true, actually.
Julia (as Cammie): But flavor is delicious.
Amanda (as Troy): Ah.
Amanda: So wait, can Cammie unlock the cabinet I pointed at?
Brandon: I don't mean to be that guy, but if I were designing a tower full of cabinets with precious items in it, I would booby trap some of them.
Julia: Don't be a dick, Brandon.
Amanda: No, very— very fair.
Julia: Brandon, you know what?
Amanda: Listen, I think it might be alarmed, but if it was already breaking bad, then, like, I'll take it.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: You know?
Brandon: Oh, yeah. I'm sure they're alarmed, but yeah, it doesn't matter at this point.
Julia: I'm just saying you don't have to tell teacher we have homework, Brandon.
Amanda: Brandon, absolutely, will tell teacher we have homework.
Brandon: Eric, did you forget to collect our homework at the beginning of this episode?
Eric: Oh, you act like I wouldn't put booby trap on this list that I’m making right now. Okay. I need both Amanda and Julia to roll a D10.
Julia: Gotcha. [dice roll] 7.
Amanda: 4.
Eric: Okay. I need you to decide if you want to go with the 4 or the 7.
Julia: Amanda, I yield to your idea.
Amanda: Oh, no. Well, 4 is my lucky number, so it's gonna be that.
Brandon: Ooh.
Julia: Hell yeah. Oh, no.
Amanda: Eric's laughing.
Julia: It's the explosions. It's definitely the explosions.
Amanda: I immediately regret my choice.
Julia: Fuck.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Julia: I will say the range on knock is 60 feet, so we don't have to be, like, right there.
Eric: So, yeah, so how do you open it?
Julia: I use knock, it pops right open.
Eric: Oh, it opens itself?
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: How do you knock from far away?
Julia: Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): Knock, knock, knock. Who's there?
Julia: As we establish, she tells a knock, knock joke in order to cast a spell.
Eric: Yeah. Oh, well, what was it? What was this one?
Julia (as Cammie): Knock, knock.
Eric (as Cabinet): Who is there?
Julia (as Cammie): Cammie.
Eric (as Cabinet): Cammie, who?
Julia (as Cammie): Cammie. Let me in, please.
Eric (as Cabinet): A real— a real vaudevillian, I see.
Eric: And this cabinet opens up and goes [explosions] and then your— [fire alarm]
Eric: [Klaxon] Fire, fire, fire. [alarms].
Eric: As a cage.
Julia: A cage?
Eric: A protective cage slides down in front of the cabinets and then starts to bounce on the open cabinets left— left open and then it goes [crunching noise]
Eric: [Klaxon] Error, error.
Brandon: Like a garage door.
Eric: [Klaxon] Calling maintenance, please. Error, error. [explosion] Error. Maintenance, please. To the prison wing section.
Julia (as Cammie): I think we should probably go. Like—
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah, I'm really sorry. We'll just go.
Julia (as Cammie): —I don't think maintenance is gonna show up, but—
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah. Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Julia (as Cammie): —we should go.
Amanda: And Troy is gonna—
Julia (as Cammie): It’s okay!
Amanda: —scamper out of the room and toward the emergency exit.
Julia (as Cammie): I'm just saying they shouldn't store explosives in a filing cabinet room.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah. Who would do that?
Julia (as Cammie): Seems bad.
Amanda (as Troy): Who would do that?
Julia (as Cammie): Seems bad.
Amanda: But now that we can fly, hopefully we can make our way up the ladder right quick.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: I just need to show this to Amanda to prove that I'm being— I'm being truthful. Amanda, can you read what's on this table?
Amanda: Um, one, nothing. Two, a helmet plus AC. Three, something officials use to trick others. Four, booby trap. Five, communication. Six, boost. Seven, flame. Eight, secrets. Nine, amber. 10, something very helpful.
Julia: I'd like to—
Brandon: Jesus Christ.
Julia: —rewind and get 8, please.
Brandon: Wait, what was seven, just flame?
Eric: Seven was that there was just, like a fire element, like a—
Brandon: Oh.
Eric: —like a, like a flame stone, but it would have been really hot and burn your hand.
Julia: Oh, okay.
Brandon: Oh, okay.
Julia: So mine wasn't any better, Amanda.
Eric: No, yours are— you rolled the only two explicitly bad ones.
Amanda: Nice.
Julia: Good job, us.
Brandon: Eric, did you put a hot potato in number seven?
Eric: I did. It was— it was going— a rock that turns into flame, but it's wrapped in aluminum foil.
Julia: Nice.
Brandon: Covered in chives and bacon.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Ugh. Now, I want a potato real bad.
Brandon: Oh, yeah. So you can fly on out there. You fly up the emergency ladder, there is a—
Julia: Porthole.
Eric: Is that also a porthole?
Julia: Yeah, I think so. When it's like—
Brandon: With the spinny thing or the--
Eric: Yeah, the spinny thing.
Julia: Yeah. Like the top of a submarine.
Eric: The top, yeah. There's the top of a submarine out there, and you pop it open, the stars— a starry sky greets you, and also a bunch of sand falls into the hole around you.
Julia (as Cammie): Ah!
Eric: And you come out on the beach.
[theme]
Amanda: Hello, it's Amanda, and welcome to the midroll, where we want to welcome specifically our newest patron, Toby Ashby. Thank you so very much for joining. I hope you are enjoying the patron-only Discord, the bi-weekly episodes of Party Planning, both audio and video form, and all of the other goodies you can get at different tiers, like ad-free episodes, early access to episodes. If you're like, "Oh, gosh, I wish I could get episodes before anybody else and react in my own secret special channel for other people at my Patreon level, where we know the secrets and the drama before anyone else." Hey, you can do that. All the way up to our top tier, where you can play your own custom One Shot with us, the four of us, Eric, Brandon, Julia, and myself, once a year. It is so much fun. I love doing them, and you can have that, too. All of that and more at patreon.com/jointhepartypod. This week at Multitude, it is perhaps the best time of year, because here at the start of fall, we do the MultiCrew Drive. Now, this is where we make it extra worth your while to join the MultiCrew, which is our membership program, empowering Multitude to make new work while sharing that process with you. Our goal this year is to add 100 new and upgrading members to the MultiCrew by September 27th. And to thank all of you who have already joined or will join this month, we are dropping even more bonus audio to the MultiCrew than usual. So normally, they get our weekly friendly debate show featuring Multitude hosts every single week. But now, they're also getting six brand-new, exclusive bonus podcast episodes. If you want to hear Dr. Moiya McTier, for example, learn about the ocean from senior audio editrix Mischa, you can do that. If you want to cheer for Isabel J. Kim and me as we go head-to-head in a business email competition created by Eric and commentated by Amanda Ralt Silberling, you can do that. You can get hooked on a reality show podcast from Eric and Corinne, play along to a mythology infused One Shot that Julia made and ran for Jenna Brandon and Mischa. There is so much to enjoy. You've got to listen to them. They're so, so good. And that's not even all the cool stuff we have coming up. You can get freebies, like a free enamel pin just for joining, and your name on a plaque if you're on an annual plan. We really try to make this a celebration of people who elect to give us our support, and what we do with that support. So if you go to multicrew.club or click the link in the description, where you can sign up and get the special giveaways for MultiCrew members, the bonus audio, hang out at our live Twitch streams, whatever you want to do, however you want to celebrate, these next 10 days are for us. So go on over multicrew.club. And now, let's get back to the show.
[theme]
Amanda (as Troy): Oh! Whoa! Cammie, we're— it's back where we started.
Julia (as Cammie): Whoa.
Amanda: Troy looks around immediately for friends.
Brandon (as Umbi): Ahoy, hoy!
Amanda (as Troy): Umbi!
Julia (as Cammie): Umbi!
Brandon (as Umbi): What up?
Eric: This is later on, after watching the meteor showers. Umbi, you and the Sea Whip are pulling Cervantes siblings out of the water.
Brandon: Oh, thank God.
Julia: He just keeps throwing them up, huh?
Amanda: Oh, good.
Brandon: Well, yeah, 'cause— okay. So I— when I was listening back, the dragon did agree to throw up the siblings because I was nice to him.
Eric: Yes.
Julia: Or them, remember?
Eric: And what you've been do—
Julia: They don't have gender.
Brandon: Oh, yeah, dragon, no gender. Yeah, yeah.
Eric: Right, yeah. No drag— no gods, no kings, no gender, only dragon.
Brandon: Right.
Eric: I don't remember where this happens in the timeline, but the be— the dragon, as it was flying away, vomited them out while flying.
Amanda: In waves.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: So the Sea Whip— once the Sea Whip came back around, you pick up all the Cervantes siblings in various places throughout the sea.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Excellent.
Amanda: Yay.
Brandon: Now— yeah, that makes sense. Because I don't know this for a fact, but for a fact, I'm pretty sure that cactuses must float, right?
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: I mean, they're very buoyant. Yeah.
Eric: They probably— they probably float more than the average Greenfolk, but almost all Greenfolks are bad at swimming.
Brandon: True, true, true.
Eric: That's what it was in my head canon, in my head, which is us canon, because it's my head.
Brandon: That's just your head, yeah.
Julia: Yeah, you're the DM, it's just canon now.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): Umbi, you did it. Great job.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah, it was only me. I take all credit.
Julia (as Cammie): Where's Havana?
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, he's on the boat. He's down— he's right here. What up, Havana?
Brandon: And I grab him, I give him a noogie.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay, okay, we didn't— we didn't lose our sweet boy. Okay.
Eric: He's like—
Eric (as Havana): I'm in the middle of surgery.
Eric: As he— he is, like, suturing up one of the Cervantes siblings, trying to, like, stitch a cactus arm back on.
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Is he using a cactus needle?
Eric: Yeah, he's using one of the needles. Brandon, that's medicine.
Amanda: Yeah. Yeah.
Eric: You— you try to use as much of the parts so that they don't reject it.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Early needles were bones, so—
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Early needles, needles.
Julia: Yes.
Brandon (as Umbi): Guys, I have to confess, it was mostly Harold and Sil, I can't take credit for it.
Julia (as Cammie): Oh.
Amanda: Troy wades over, hugs the prowl of the ship.
Amanda (as Troy): Good job, guys.
Julia (as Cammie): Hey, Sil.
Eric (as Sil): Oh, is— is that Cammie?
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Eric (as Sil): I— I haven't heard that voice in a 1,000 years.
Julia (as Cammie): I don't think it's been that long.
Eric (as Sil): I'm so tired. It feels that long.
Julia (as Cammie): Sil, can I do some magic science on you?
Eric (as Sil): Oh, when you put it like that, no. I don't want that at all.
Julia (as Cammie): I just know if you're like a form of lichenthropy, because it kind of seems similar.
Eric (as Sil): What— I don't know, what that is. Is that like if someone's been stuck in a can for a long time, and then you gotta undo their bones?
Julia (as Cammie): No, it— no— ooh. That would be cool.
Brandon: How do you undo a bone?
Eric (as Sil): Oh, no, that's can-lithropy. That's different.
Julia (as Cammie): Oh. Yeah. No, this one's about lichen, and then it turns you into a boulder.
Eric (as Sil): Oh.
Julia (as Cammie): But you're an evil monster first.
Eric (as Sil): Well, I don't remember any of— I don't remember any of that. I don't remember being evil, and I don't remember a boulder.
Julia (as Cammie): What do you remember? You're very mysterious, and we haven't asked you this question yet.
Eric (as Sil): It's— I try to keep— I try to keep this cool demeanor so everyone thinks I'm neato. [coughs]
Brandon (as Umbi): We all do think you're neato.
Amanda (as Troy): The neatest.
Amanda: And Troy nuzzles him.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh.
Julia (as Cammie): Well—
Brandon (as Umbi): Have you ever bitten anybody?
Eric: In my head, Sil's like in a hospital bed on the ship.
Julia: Uh-huh.
Eric (as Sil): Well, I remember a bright light, and then I remember Troy, and then I remember Harold, and I thought, "Wow. Cool shape." And then I did it. And now— and now, we're here. And think of all— and then think of all the adventures.
Eric: And now I need everyone to listen to every episode—
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Again.
Eric: —since Sil has been around. Brandon, just insert that here.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Yeah, yeah. And if y'all could, while you're doing that, just go ahead and, like, use all the promo codes in the ads there too—
Amanda: Uh-hmm. That's really helpful.
Brandon: —again.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Just make sure. Yeah, yeah.
Eric (as Sil): And now, it is now.
Brandon: Cammie, does— I forget, does the— your curse taking away spell fix lichenthropy?
Julia: Yeah.
Brandon: Should we try it?
Amanda: Well, if having a curse— I hate to say it, but if— if being cursed makes Sil this useful, then I— I vote against it.
Julia (as Cammie): Sil, do you think you're cursed? Answer honestly.
Brandon (as Umbi): You do have that voice thing where there's like, you know, something all inside of you or something?
Eric (as Sil): Oh, you mean this one?
Eric: No, I'm just kid— I'm— no, I'm just kidding. Harold slaps Cammie's hands away as you—
Julia (as Cammie): I didn't do anything!
Eric (as Harold): You are not going to do anything to this sweet, poor moss— to my sweet poor moss lover, who's also partly me. You're not going to do that.
Brandon (as Umbi): What?
Amanda (as Troy): I thought it was more of a friendship vibe, but good for you both.
Eric (as Harold): It's a lot of it. We're related and also in love, and also in love in a different way, and you're not gonna touch him.
Amanda (as Troy): Okay. Where's my son?
Amanda: And Troy stands up, walks a little backward, and goes to look for the pumpi.
Eric (as Harold): You're not coming into my sick bay and touch— and using your— your uncursed— your uncursing hands and changing what's happening here.
Eric: And then slaps Cammie's hands again.
Julia (as Cammie): Stop it!
Eric (as Harold): No! You stop it!
Julia (as Cammie): I didn't do anything!
Eric (as Harold): Yeah, but you have the look on your face. That's your magic doing look. I would do the same thing if Troy was walking around, like, try to balance his bow— try to balance his crossbow on his chin again, or Umbi anywhere outside of the designated bomb space.
Brandon: Spinning a bomb like a basketball on my finger.
Julia (as Cammie): That seems much more dangerous.
Eric: And Harold slaps— Harold slaps it out of your hand into the water, and it goes [explosions]
Amanda (as Troy): Come on up, guys, let's gather. I've never said this in my life, but I think we need to have a meeting.
Eric (as Harold): Alright. Family meeting everyone.
Eric: Harold takes out a triangle.
Brandon (as Umbi): Who's bringing the donuts?
Julia (as Cammie): I have tea, as I as always do.
Amanda (as Troy): I feel like the oldest person should bring the donuts.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, shit.
Amanda (as Troy): That's mostly how it's happened in my life.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): Goddammit.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Eric: Before— as Troy is getting the meeting, Cammie, if you want to do something really quickly, feel free. You can do a check—
Julia: I want to take a little sample.
Eric: —or you can try to take a sample.
Julia: I want to take a little sample and do— and do a magic check on that little sample.
Eric: Okay. Well, fir— you— you're gonna do a secret sample?
Julia: Can Nonny help me?
Eric: Nonny can definitely help you.
Julia: Yeah.
Brandon: Wait, can I help actually, Cammie? Because Eric, I forgot that I have Dr. Radish Radish's Field Guide to Poisonous and Non-Poisonous flowers, Pine Chicken Soup for the Greenfolk soul on 1001 dirty jokes, which I assume has a lot of information about plants, and lichen—
Julia: That's a good point.
Brandon: —and moss, that might be some helpful information.
Julia: That's a good point.
Amanda: At worst, some dirty jokes to distract your— your subject here.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: What would you like to use this for? Would you like to use it as part of the distraction, or you want to use— use it to help analyze?
Julia: Yeah, help me with the analyzing.
Eric: We got to get the sample first, and then we'll analyze.
Brandon: Yes. I would like to use it to help Cammie analyze. Cammalyze, if you will.
Julia: Cammalyze, if you will.
Eric: We will definitely get there, for sure.
Julia: Alright.
Eric: Also, I'm so funny, what a good title.
Amanda: It was very good. I like that.
Eric: Alright. So I'll give you advantage on this sleight of hand check, Cammie.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: As you try to get a little piece of Sil to analyze.
Julia: Can I use Nonny's stats for my sleight of hand?
Eric: You want Nonny to grab it?
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Okay, Nonny can grab it, for sure.
Julia: Okay.
Amanda: That just seems smart.
Julia: Okay. [dice roll] Okay. So I rolled a 2, which is not great.
Eric: Fab.
Julia: But I also rolled a 15 plus 2, 17. Pretty good.
Eric: Alright. I'm gonna roll for Sil, see if Sil notices. I'm gonna assume that this is like Con of being aware of your bod.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: Sil is also very tired, though, Eric. Remember that?
Eric: Sil is also very tired. That's a very good point. So in my head, it was two, but Brandon makes a very good points, so I'm gonna do plus 1 for awareness. So I'm looking for— you need me to roll 15 or less. [dice roll] That's a 6, folks.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Yeah.
Brandon: Woo!
Julia: Did it.
Eric: Okay. So I like that— that Cammie's doing the distracting while Nonny does the sampling.
Julia: I think what Cammie is doing is getting into an argument with Harold in front of Sil.
Brandon: Hmm.
Eric: Sure. Yeah.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: We're already— that's already happening, for sure, for sure.
Julia: Yes. And I think while that's happening, Nonny has slorped off of my shoulder, and is blending in with the darkness around Sil, and then climbs up onto the bed, very sneaky like, and takes a little swab.
Brandon: I love that, in this moment, like the camera goes from the two shot of Cammie and Harold fighting to, like, following Nonny in a close up down on to the ground.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: And, yeah, while we're—
Julia: Yeah, that's exactly how I was picturing it.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: —in Nonny's POV. Also— and Nonny's— I feel like Nonny's electric whip somehow makes this easier. Everyone write in to jointhepartypod@gmail.com of how that's better.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Let me know. But somehow the electric whip is making it faster.
Julia: I love it.
Eric: So yeah, Nonny comes back with a little vial with, like, some Sil moss floating around in there.
Julia: And then Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): Fine. Well, then, I'm gonna go to Umbi's bomb space and do whatever I want there—
Eric (as Harold): Fine.
Julia (as Cammie): —because apparently, the rules don't apply anywhere else.
Eric (as Harold): We all agreed on that, or that he would blow up everything.
Julia (as Cammie): And now I'm gonna go blow up things. Huh!
Brandon (as Umbi): Guys.
Eric (as Harold): Fine!
Brandon (as Umbi): Don't— hey, don't do anything you want in the bomb space. We'll all die. What are you doing?
Eric: In my head, there's like— up on the crow's nest there is— someone has drawn a circle in chalk, and that is the only place where— where Umbi is allowed to— to test out bombs.
Julia: Umbi's got a little lab for himself.
Amanda: He measured out a 30-foot radius.
Eric: No, no, no, no. It's not in the lab. You're not allowed to test in the lab—
Julia: Ah, of course.
Eric: —because it would blow literally everything up.
Julia: Uh-hmm. Uh-hmm. That makes sense.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So while Troy's calling a family meeting, Cammie, Umbi, you can analyze the moss.
Julia: Incredible. What's your Arcana, bud?
Brandon: Plus 8.
Julia: Ooh.
Eric: Yeah. Let's use Umbi's too—
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: —because you have the book, and I think this counts as part of your— just— this is what an alchemist would do.
Julia: Yes.
Eric: Truly. I know we— we think of Umbi just as— as a bomber and as a incredibly attractive, insane person—
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: —but— but—
Brandon: Like Jared Leto is the Joker.
Eric: Just like Jared Leto is the Joker, but—
Amanda: Oh, no.
Julia: Oh, no.
Eric: We are on one today. I think because we're recording on a Tuesday. This is crazy.
Julia: No bad Tuesdays, baby.
Eric: Cammie can roll, but let's use plus 8 to Umbi.
Brandon: Excellent.
Julia: Okay. Here we go. [dice roll] Okay. Okay. 13 plus 8, 21.
Brandon: 21.
Eric: 21. Love it. How much have you read this book, Umbi?
Brandon: I mean, I think, like, definitely every night—
Julia: Only the dirty joke section.
Brandon: I was gonna say every night before Umbi goes to bed. He reads a few dirty jokes to put it— to lull himself to sleep.
Julia: He's— he's quietly chuckling to himself as he falls asleep.
Brandon: Uh-huh.
Amanda: Uh-hmm. Gotta chuckle your way to sleep. That's how you do it.
Julia: Oh, Umbi. Oh, Umbus.
Brandon: I think he's also, you know, flipped through a little bit of the field guide just to, like, learn some stuff about various powders and shit, but— you know?
Eric: For sure. Here's the thing about Dr. Radish Radish. You know what— what's funny about this is I had this based on Hillbilly Elegy. The entire time, it was— this book was based on Hillbilly Elegy and Dr. Radish Radish—
Julia: And that's before JD Vance got the nomination, gang.
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: Oh, no.
Eric: It was like— he's always been trying to get across some nonsense, like his own view of the world, but through, like, folksy down home stories.
Brandon: Right.
Eric: Also bad writer, too.
Brandon: Also just like JD Vance, Dr. Radish Radish is dead, so—
Julia: Here you go.
Eric: That's right. That's right.
Julia: I thought you were gonna say, "He also fucked the couch."
Eric: Yeah. So I— I was thinking about this. I think buried in one of the stories about, like, how. Dr Radish Radish helped a bunch of people, like, build a well.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: There's, like, some aside of being aware of woodland creatures and monsters that also tried to use the well. The well is specifically for Greenfolk and not for anyone else.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So there's a very long aside, kind of buried in this anodyne essay about monsters to look out for, where he's building this well on this island.
Brandon: It's like one of those footnotes that is, like, a couple pages long.
Eric: Yeah, real David Foster Wallace-ass footnotes, you know?
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: And there's some stuff about lichenthropes in here. He takes extra precautions of every moss. He just burns all of the moss in a one-mile radius of this well.
Brandon: That sounds like Dr. Radish Radish.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: And JD Vance.
Eric: Because—
Julia: We said JD Vance's name too many times like Beetlejuice, we have to stop.
Eric: I know. He will show— he will show up. The thing to identify is that it's not the boulder. The boulder is the host for the lichen. The lichen is the thing that is the creature, the entity. Kind of like as the lichen infuses with the boulder, that's why the bites turn the people into boulders, because it's kind of emulating the combined creature. But although people have not identified it, much like a hermit crab without a shell—
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: —they can't exist outside of it. And that's when they're most vulnerable and yet very dangerous, because that— that is when they can leap on your face and turn you into the host.
Brandon: Like a venom.
Julia: Sure.
Eric: Like a venom, exactly.
Julia: Yeah.
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: A symbiote.
Brandon: And now, I— other photos and shit? Like, I assume there's gonna, like, Pliny the elder style, like illustration where it's like, you know, "Figure A, here's what this moss looks like," and blah, blah, blah.
Eric: Sure. I mean, they don't look good because Dr. Radish Radish drew them himself.
Brandon: Rude.
Eric: But, yeah, there's like— you can see the lichen, you can see the lichen attached to the boulder, a boulder turning someone, and then the lichen in attaching itself directly to a host, and turning that host into something else.
Brandon: And are they similar looking, Sil and the illustrations?
Eric: Uh, you know, they— yeah. I would say yes. I think more the thing that— that piques your interest of this book is that if you remember all the way back from where you met Sil, it's like Sil recreated Harold, right? And there is the— the illustration of, like, Green folk, so he has, like— whatever a stick figure drawing looks like, of a Greenfolk, right?
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: Just a single leaf is what I'm picturing.
Brandon: Oh, cute.
Eric: It's like a— it's like a stick— yeah, ha— like body, hands, arms, leaf as face. Yeah.
Julia: I think it's the cute, little leaf emoji.
Amanda: Korok, yeah.
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: Korok.
Eric: And then you see, like, lichen on face, and then lichen stick figure.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: And that is a similar process to how Sil recreated Harold. Now, because Harold maybe was bonded to the Sea Whip already, was a part of the Sea Whip. Harold was not a host, was not a viable host, maybe, and then recreated that, entirely possible.
Brandon: Hmm.
Eric: But I think that you're seeing the similarities between the lichen decoupled from the boulder host, and Sil. I think also— so that's all— all from the book. Cammie, you can poke it and prod it, and put it through some Umbi's potions. This is pretty—yeah, this is similar to— because you got the closest to a lichenthrope and booped it. Pre— this is pretty close.
Julia: I was thinking about how aggressively you didn't want Troy to be the one to drink the liquid, and I was like, "Hmm, that makes sense now. Interesting."
Amanda: Hmm.
Julia: Hmm.
Brandon: Drink what liquid? Sorry. What?
Julia: The liquid when, Sil, when he first arrived, was in a like bottle.
Brandon: Oh.
Julia: And Troy was like, "I'm just gonna drink it."
Brandon: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Eric: Well, that's because Harold didn't want Troy drinking stuff.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Not the— not the first time.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: But, yeah, dude.
Julia: Interesting.
Amanda (as Troy): I mean, something I like, I drink it. I know, what's the problem with that? It has not killed me yet.
Brandon: A Capri sungull.
Amanda: Nice.
Brandon: Nailed it.
Eric: Thank you.
Amanda: What happens if we introduce Sil to a key? I wonder.
Brandon: Hmm.
Julia: Well, I wonder if that's similar to what happened to Audrey, the Rotten Queen and the thing that was inside of her.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Hmm. Interesting.
Brandon: Interesting.
Julia: Interesting, interesting.
Eric: [bell sound] Family meeting. [bell sound]
Amanda: You hear Troy from downstairs.
Amanda (as Troy): I'm waiting.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay, sorry, we were doing science.
Julia: I feel, like, in my mind, we gather in, like, the galley, and we're all, like, eating snacks.
Amanda: Yeah, let's do it. So us and the sibling Cervantes, including Kidd, and Troy's gonna go back up to his room and find some, like, papers and— and pencils for the Cervantes to write on, if they wish.
Brandon: I was literally about to be like, "Here's a little vial of truth serum for you. Here's a little vial of truth serum for you."
Amanda: We can do a menu. There's a whole—there's a whole buffet available.
Eric: I like that everyone's just like eating sandwiches while Troy's do— while Troy's doing this.
Julia: Uh-hmm. Cammie made finger sandwiches.
Eric: Incredible.
Amanda (as Troy): Alright, guys, we gotta figure out a plan, and I'm smart enough to know when I do not know that I should be the one to do things, and that time is now. And I— I feel quite lost and I don't know what to do next, but it feels like we are closer to the salmon than we have ever been, and we have so many of the keys with us, and we got very, very spiky new friends.
Amanda: Camera pans over to all six Cervantes, sitting in a row.
Eric: All of them— all of them wave.
Amanda (as Troy): What's the plan?
Brandon: Also, I don't think any of us know, except for you two, technically speaking about the—
Eric: The rotten key.
Brandon: —rotten key. Yeah.
Julia: Hmm. I mean, Cammie takes that out and— because she took the giant pile of paper—
Brandon: Hmm.
Julia: —with her from the— the communications office. So I think she puts that down on the table so that everyone knows about it, and can read through it, and maybe use glasses on it if they want.
Brandon: The Cervantes and Umbi at the same time all go—
Brandon (as Umbi): [gasps]
Julia: Gasps.
Eric: All of them make the Home Alone face at the same time.
Amanda (as Troy): Has anyone heard of this key before?
Brandon (as Umbi): No— well— okay. This is why I'm confused, because, like, doesn't that mean there's one more key than there should be?
Julia (as Cammie): Well, we also know that people were trying to make keys.
Brandon (as Umbi): That's true.
Amanda (as Troy): Or is this the key with a gaze what got real bad at the bottom of the ocean?
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, I hope not. I liked him.
Eric (as Key with a gaze): Yar. And I like you too, Cammie.
Julia (as Cammie): What? He's here?
Eric: No, no. No.
Brandon (as Umbi): But, like, the— the rotten key also has a gaze. So, like, how do we know which one is which?
Amanda: Yeah, is there a drawing or a description of the rotten key in these papers?
Eric: Yeah. It's like a really— there's a really grainy, black and white photo, kind of like, from the equivalent of a security camera of it.
Julia: Oh.
Amanda: And what does it look like?
Eric: Um, it looks very similar to the key with a gaze, kind of a— an anthropomorphic or a— an alive key, but this one is falling apart. It looks like a zombified version of that.
Julia: Does it look like my former best friend?
Eric: Vibes, certainly vibes that you're getting.
Julia: Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, no.
Brandon (as Umbi): Well— okay. Here's my thoughts, right? Like, we get— we send a missive to bring Gloria here to hang out, right? Give her the hammer, see what the good news is there.
Amanda (as Troy): What hammer?
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, I found a hammer. It's pretty cool.
Amanda (as Troy): Nice.
Julia: And Cammie takes it out. Cammie has— has so much items on her person.
Eric: That's true.
Brandon: I don't remember— I mean, not either, actually— oops. But—
Julia: Yeah. That's alright.
Amanda (as Troy): That's amazing.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah, it's really pretty, right? Cool gold.
Julia (as Cammie): It's so nice. It's very heavy. I almost did not lift it.
Eric: It's very red and juicy and seeded and sweet, I say, remembering the keywords that I wrote down a bunch of weeks ago.
Julia: You remembered.
Brandon (as Umbi): We could also, like, send Orello or something to maybe try to bring back our buddies, the key with the gaze original and Archie or something. But I feel like everyone needs to come—
Eric: Original flavor key with a gaze.
Brandon (as Umbi): Original flavor, not pizza flavor. I feel like everyone needs to come here, though, because, like, the— the way to get to the salmon seems like it down there.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): Right? Like, that wasn't just me, because I— I know you guys were, like, investigating it more once I was in the facility. But, like, I don't think they would do all that security just to, like, keep some political prisoners. You know what I mean? It was— it was way too big in there with way too many guards.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): Some people were just in there for tax fraud.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): Which is legal. That's legal.
Julia (as Cammie): As we all know, tax fraud is legal.
Amanda (as Troy): So what if we just said like, "Hey, if you want to meet the salmon or have a key, like, come here now."
Brandon (as Umbi): Well, I don't want to invite other people. I just want the keys.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): I mean, I can— I can always message either Archie or the key and let them know, "Hey, we need you here ready to open the doors, et cetera."
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah. I mean, that would be helpful.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Eric: Hmm.
Brandon (as Umbi): We could also dig a roll, but you know, that's just, like, my thing.
Eric: Alright, yeah, let's step out of this for a moment.
Brandon (as Umbi): Whoa.
Eric: And let's go to the menus portion of the JRPG as we figure out what's happening here.
Julia: Yay.
Eric: So here we are in the— in our final tree thing. So, yeah, le— let's do a final count of keys here. Yeah?
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: I think we have three.
Brandon: Maze key.
Eric: The maze key.
Brandon: Cloud key.
Eric: Cloud key.
Julia: Key that still hurts, rose key.
Amanda: Key that still hurts.
Eric: Key that still hurts. Ouchy, ouchy key.
Brandon: Ouchy key. And then key with a gaze is off with Archie, but— we know of.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: And then here's this rotten key.
Brandon: Rotten key.
Eric: Sure. Here's the thing, when you— as we're— as we're saying, this Kidd Cervantes reaches into his poncho and, like, pulls out pockets and they're empty. And then we cut back to the facility, and the cloud key is in one of the locks.
Brandon: Hmm.
Julia (as Cammie): Kidd.
Brandon (as Umbi): That's fine. We're gonna go back down there anyway, whatever.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah, but someone else can also go back down there.
Eric: Kidd shrugs, saying to you—
Eric (as Kidd Cervantes): Well, I thought it was gonna die in a dragon.
Julia (as Cammie): You know what? A good reason to do that.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, by the way, guys, that dragon was tight, and I love him, and we're best pals.
Julia (as Cammie): What?
Eric (as Kidd Cervantes): Oh.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, you didn't kill it when— when you helped it escape?
Julia (as Cammie): What?
Brandon (as Umbi): Why would I kill it? It's a beautiful creature.
Amanda (as Troy): No, I was afraid. You guys know I wanted to let the dragon go from day one. You're like, "No, Troy, bad idea," But then it happened.
Brandon (as Umbi): That is true. I do regret that.
Eric (as Havana): I would need to tell you as a doctor, it's my responsibility to say I found Umbi passed out on the beach with scale burns all over his body.
Brandon (as Umbi): Have you never heard of HIPPA, my dude?
Eric (as Havana): There is a spike coming out of— out of his head. There was a thorn that pointed directly out of his head.
Brandon (as Umbi): See, if I get you a Greenfolk holiday insert here, present.
Amanda (as Troy): Okay. Sibling Cervantes, have you heard anything about a key mold? So just putting the info out there, we confiscated one, basically, from the Diamond Knot. We didn't know that was their name then, but now, we know about it. And I think they were just trying to make something, what could make keys without having to go actually find them. But do y'all know anything about it? Do— do you want to look at it? See if it's helpful?
Eric: Sure. Yeah. I mean, you could show them the key mold.
Amanda: Yeah. Troy will bring it up from the captain's quarters.
Eric: They look at it, they poke around it. They look inside, kind of stick their hand inside the mold, and make, like, approving dad faces like, "This— this mold can hold a bunch of keys,: but that's it. They're more fascinated by it than anything else.
Julia: I love their aesthetic.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, I also saw— by the way, you know the— remember those people we ran into with the, like, greenhouse heads? They were on their way here, too, in the ships.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): Really?
Brandon (as Umbi): With the Diamond Knot and the—the people the Diamond Knot hired, the key recovery—the DK crew—
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, yeah, of course, the DK crew. Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): —were also— yeah. I mean, they all like— like, unclear if they ran into each other in an accident, or if they were, like, shooting each other, but we did sit here and watch them explode for, like, an hour. It was great.
Julia (as Cammie): Nice. Fireworks.
Amanda (as Troy): Cool.
Brandon (as Umbi): So no— no threat, I don't think, but, like, just another piece of info.
Amanda (as Troy): So Cammie, can you contact Gloria, the key with the gaze, or Archimedes in that order?
Brandon (as Umbi): I would not recommend talking to Archie. He does not seem responsible.
Julia (as Cammie): I was gonna say probably not my first choice of the list of three that Troy just gave us.
Amanda (as Troy): I'm open to suggestions.
Julia (as Cammie): We can bring Gloria here through—
Julia: Magic? I don't know.
Eric: So yeah, you— so you have three Amber here, which I will say you need to get Orello anyway to process it for you.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: That's— you didn't find anyone else who could do it, but Orello can do it, not as a fee necessarily, but you do need to—
Julia: Okay.
Eric: —like, hang out with them.
Julia: Aw. Boo.
Eric: And— and talk to them and be—
Amanda: Thumbs down.
Eric: —and— be friends, like your drug dealer—
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: —who you hang out with.
Amanda: I'm gonna say it's not worth the free J to have to hang out with the drug dealer in his Camry.
Eric: Yeah. So Orello needs to process it for you. Orello can then— because we are doing the Skill Tree stuff away from the hold, you got to pay an extra Amber to do something on the Skill Tree.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: So in order to do all this stuff with Gloria, you got to bring her here, and then you got to give her another Amber to level everything up, and for her to do what she wants to do with the strawberry hammer. And then you have one— and then you have one left over that you can give to Orello to do whateve— to do a favor for you, or you can hold on to it, you can do whatever you want.
Brandon: Okay.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: I can't think of a better use of our Amber.
Brandon: Yeah. I mean, let's definitely get Gloria here, we need her here. She has information that we need. And also she can level up our weapons and ships—
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: —or whatever with the hammer, which is great. And Julia, you can talk to the key with the gaze or Archie or whatever and—
Julia: Yeah, I can sending him.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: So yeah, then we have another one if we want to spend, but—
Eric: There isn't anything you can do on the tree, honestly, because it's like you gotta— you would have to bring them to you.
Julia: Oh, yeah. We can't dig and roll, and then also bring it to us.
Eric: Exactly.
Julia: We send an amber home just to have someone dig and roll in honor of Umbi.
Amanda: My only thought is, as we approach end game, is it worth sort of sending Orello back to the holds with, you know, a message that there's Amber awaiting anybody who wants to come, you know, back us up in our sort of final quest.
Brandon: That's not a bad idea.
Julia: I like that.
Brandon: Rally the troops.
Julia: That feels very end game to me and I— I appreciate that.
Brandon: Assemble the Avengers.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: It is possible. I'm looking at the Skill Tree here. You did not put any levels into lords of the manor.
Julia: Hmm.
Eric: Which would give you respect and power on the hold. So this would be kind of honor amongst thieves, kind of gambit.
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Is it going to work? I'm not sure, but this is what the— this is what the JRPG is telling you.
Brandon: Yeah, that's fair.
Amanda: We do have the best puppet palladium in the world, so—
Eric: It's true. You do have the puppet palladium.
Julia: Can we send one Amber home with Orello, so that he does a play about our exploits, and the end—
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Julia: —message is, "Come here if you want—"
Amanda: To see the end of this play.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: And be part of it.
Julia: Have you considered we pay Orello to do a production for us?
Amanda: Uh-hmm. He has all the costumes.
Brandon: If there's one thing I know about Orello is that he loves drama, so—
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Alright, let's fast forward.
Eric (as Orello): Let me get this straight. You want me, by myself and only my two hands, these two hands, the ones that have never done an— a hard labor's day in my entire life. You want me to use these to create some sort of news propaganda story of the puppet variety for you, for one Amber?
Amanda (as Troy): Make sure to tell them how Lucky Edie was working with the government against all pirates, how Aubergine found his real family, his name is Francois.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah. Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): And he's off fighting for the good of all and misses us very deeply, and also now all his clothes are free.
Julia: Oh, wait. I can use the spell that I wanted to use earlier now, because there's more than four of us here. And Cammie leans into Orello and whispers—
Julia (as Cammie): I heard Lucky Edie was working for the World Government and betrayed us all.
Julia: And I would like to cast the spell rumor.
Eric: I love how you're just turned into a noir detective for this episode.
Julia : I really have. It's kind of fun.
Eric: It's a magical— a magical noir detective.
Julia: You magically spread a rumor of 10 words or less. Any intelligent creature within range that is near three or more other creatures which speak the same language as them, believes they heard the rumor being repeated by someone nearby. Different creatures hear the rumor from different people. So a concrete origin point is impossible to discern. Generally, creatures will not be outright hostile upon hearing even the most vicious of rumors, but hearing a rumor can affect their disposition positively or negatively.
Eric: Okay. 10 words or less, tell me the rumor.
Julia: Do— I feel like I don't want to start it with, "I hear." Will you give me I hear for free?
Eric: I will give you I hear for free.
Julia: I hear Lucky Edie was working for the World Government, Betrayed us, betrayed us.
Brandon: What is your— are you trying to get people to go kill her or something? What's the goal?
Julia: I just want people to like, not harbor her at the hold anymore.
Brandon: Gotcha.
Julia: And also, like, kind of give them a, like, reason to be like, up in arms.
Brandon: Gotcha. Yeah, yeah.
Eric (as Orello): No.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah, I heard that, too.
Eric (as Orello): No.
Brandon (as Umbi): I heard that. I heard it.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah. Yeah.
Eric (as Orello): Well, that explains this.
Eric: And Orello reaches into a very nice satchel that he's had the entire time.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, shit.
Amanda (as Troy): Damn, that's a great satchel, Orello.
Eric (as Orello): Thank you. I stole it.
Julia (as Cammie): Oh.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah.
Eric (as Orello): Well, that explains this.
Eric: And he pulls out wanted posters for the entire crew of the Sea Whip.
Brandon (as Umbi ): Oh, shit.
Julia: Bitch.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, is this what I look like? That's pretty good.
Julia: Oh, no, Troy. Oh, Troy.
Amanda: That's pretty good.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, Harold, come over here. What do you think is? Is this pretty good?
Amanda: Troy holds it up next to his face.
Eric (as Harold): Why do I look like this?
Eric: And it's just a picture just of the ship.
Amanda (as Troy): Rude.
Julia: Oh.
Eric: For— for Harold.
Amanda (as Troy): Rude.
Brandon: That's amazing.
Eric: It's for Troy Riptide turned Prince. For Umbi, explosive, geriatric.
Brandon: Pretty good, pretty good.
Julia: That's pretty good.
Eric: For Cammie, the boiling witch.
Julia: Ooh.
Brandon: Ooh.
Eric: This is for Havana Tropicana, a male doctor?
Julia: Question mark.
Eric: Exclamation point. Question mark, exclamation point. And then it's like the, "Sea Whip, the ship doesn't look like much (looks like crap, but actually alive)?"
Brandon: Rude.
Julia (as Cammie): They know our secrets now.
Eric: And of course, there's also another one for Kidd Cervantes, dangerous sharpshooter.
Amanda (as Troy): That's pretty nice of them.
Julia (as Cammie): Why Kidd's cooler?
Amanda (as Troy): Right?
Brandon (as Umbi): I mean, he is much cooler than us, Cammie.
Julia (as Cammie):
Eric: Kidd— Kidd say— usually nods twice and then sticks it to himself.
Julia: Nice.
Amanda (as Troy): So these are, what, everywhere?
Eric (as Orello): They are, which explain—well, that explains why they're everywhere. Yeah, boats came by and threw— and threw whole packages of these onto the— onto the hold.
Amanda (as Troy): So—
Eric (as Orello): I see them everywhere. They're— they're posted in every mailbox, henhouse, box house, house box, house ship, ship house, and— and box ship.
Brandon (as Umbi): What about the palladiums, though?
Eric (as Orello): They shut— they shut down the puppet palladium because it—
Julia (as Cammie): No.
Eric (as Orello): —because it was harboring evil pirates.
Brandon (as Umbi): What?
Julia (as Cammie): What?
Amanda (as Troy): First, they came for me, and I did not believe them. Second, they came from my puppets, and that was too far.
Julia (as Cammie): Orello, now you must go and spread word, reopen the pirate puppet palladium with Gloria's help, spread our message.
Brandon (as Umbi): No— no, we need Gloria here.
Julia (as Cammie): Well, and then you bring her back here when you're done.
Brandon (as Umbi): I think maybe we don't invite anyone from the hold, then.
Julia (as Cammie): No, but they'll hear about the rumor.
Amanda (as Troy): If you hate Lucky Edie and think she's terrible and you miss Aubergine's fashions, but wish him well in his life, come to us.
Eric: I'm trying to think of just the mechanics upon which Gloria gets to you. And I think that just like— like, Orello leaves and it just like—
Eric (as Orello): I'll do it. I'll take care of it.
Eric: And Orello leaves and, like, I think just a full like, 24 hours later.
Julia: Um-hmm.
Brandon: It'd be a long rest?
Eric: Yes.
Amanda: Yay.
Eric: Yes. 20 more hours later, like Gloria just comes in on a— on a raft with just, like, a little— like a travel kiln with her, a travel bellows.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: A travel-sized bellows.
Julia (as Cammie): Gloria.
Eric (as Gloria): The high strung tangerine said you needed me.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah. Hi.
Brandon (as Umbi): Gloria.
Amanda (as Troy): We missed you.
Eric (as Gloria): Pull me on board. Help an old woman up.
Julia (as Cammie): We scoop her.
Eric (as Gloria): Oh, I'm sco— ooh, I got scooped.
Julia (as Cammie): So, Gloria, first off, how you've been?
Eric (as Gloria): Fine. I was getting used to my new house, and then it seemed like there was a lot of drama happening everywhere, and everyone was really on edge. So then— and then the tangerine man showed up and pushed me onto this raft, and here I am.
Julia (as Cammie): You didn't help him put on the play first, Gloria?
Eric (as Gloria): He— he jumped off of his ship, immediately pushed me onto a different— immediately pushed me onto a raft and then pushed me out to sea.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay. Could have been worse. So sorry, we took you from your new home and brought you back to your old home, first off.
Eric (as Gloria): Oh, you know how it is. Sometimes it's a brimble and sometimes it's a bramble.
Brandon (as Umbi): She— you know— what—
Julia (as Cammie): Don't like that you know that.
Eric (as Gloria): Know what?
Julia (as Cammie): Nothing. Don't worry about it.
Brandon (as Umbi): We found your hammer.
Eric (as Gloria): Where did you find it?
Julia: Cammie holds it out.
Julia (as Cammie): I found your secret hidey-hole.
Eric (as Gloria): You found my— where did you find my secret hidey-hole? Where's my secret hidey hole?
Julia (as Cammie): Down in South Kompos City, which is not a city anymore. Now, it's a prison.
Brandon (as Umbi): Surprise.
Eric (as Gloria): Thi— this is a lot— oh, God.
Eric: Gloria, like, wraps herself around leaves at her hammer, and it's like— just puts, like, her little worm ha— like, her little worm tail, like, on her own— on her own forehead. It's like—
Eric (as Gloria): Hold on, this— what— what?
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Eric (as Gloria): You— you were in South Kompos City, and you found my stuff, and it's a prison now?
Julia (as Cammie): It's a prison for the World Government.
Eric (as Gloria): Wha— what, for the World Government?
Julia (as Cammie): It's full of brine.
Eric (as Gloria): There's a World Government?
Julia (as Cammie): It's full of brine so that people don't do magic.
Amanda (as Troy): And they're called the Diamond Knot, and they are the very worst, and they want to use the salmon for their own gain, and not for, like, I don't know, making the world better, or just keeping existing.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah. Gloria, did you know that the salmon is, I think, like, right below your old city?
Eric (as Gloria): The salmon is below South Kompos City? What about the lichenthropes?
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, yeah. They're still around. I cured one of them.
Eric (as Gloria): This is just a lot to take in.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Eric: Gloria faints.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay.
Julia: Cammie revives her with some tea, I guess you.
Brandon: Use some smelling salts.
Julia: Yeah, but it's just stinky tea.
Eric (as Gloria): Oh, you were just saying so many things, I had to brace myself for.
Julia (as Cammie): We had to catch you up.
Brandon (as Umbi): I don't want to speak for my crewmates here, but it seems like you know a lot about the history of this town and area and universe that you have not shared with us yet.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, yeah, that's right. I went into a memory, and I talked to you, and pretended to be a waiter, and you looked out for me. Thank you.
Eric (as Gloria): What?
Amanda (as Troy): I didn't know you were a council person for South Kompos City.
Eric (as Gloria): What? You— you went into a book and talk to me about it?
Amanda (as Troy): Well, into like a memory what was held in a book.
Eric: And Gloria faints again.
Brandon: Smelling salts.
Amanda (as Troy): Sorry, guys, I didn't see that one coming.
Julia (as Cammie): More tea.
Eric (as Gloria): Sorry. I thought that Troy read a book and then— and then saw me there.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): Gloria, I would love it if you would tell us about some stuff instead of continually being shocked.
Julia (as Cammie): We're gonna stop telling you about things, so now it's your turn to tell us about things.
Amanda (as Troy): Miss Gloria, would you please tell me about South Kompos City and what happened to it?
Eric (as Gloria): South Kompos City was a nice—was a nice city. It had parks and homes, and good grocery stores and bad grocery stores. And it had a bakery that everyone waited every Sunday to get the best bread, and it was my home. And I made peace a while ago that it was no longer my home, and it seems like it still isn't. But that's okay. I'm glad you got to go. I'm glad you saw it, and we're all going to move— and you'll find like I did, we're all going to move forward. You know, Troy, I guess where you read a book and saw me in it, that was the last time— I— that was the last time that I was there. I left once the lichenthrope plague began. I. I left to try to find a cure, and that's what led— and that's what led me to the labyrinth in the first place.
Amanda (as Troy): Wow.
Eric (as Gloria): So it hasn't been my home for a long time.
Amanda (as Troy): Well, I think you did find the cure, because that's where you met Cammie, and they cured someone.
Brandon (as Umbi): That's Cammie's nickname now, the cure.
Eric (as Gloria): Cammie, there— it wasn't just what you woke me up from was the curse on me. I was worried I was carrying the lichenthrope curse with me, and it was just waiting to burst forth. So maybe that's my own worries, my own anxiety getting to me, and that's why stumpy—
Eric: What was his name, the stump?
Julia: The stump of knowledge or something.
Eric: Oh, yeah.
Julia: The stump of riddles, stump of riddles.
Eric: Oh, yeah, the stump— the stump of riddles.
Eric (as Gloria): And that's why— and that's probably why the stump in— the stump in the labyrinth put me to sleep. I don't know. Maybe I'm trying to justify something that happened in the past, but I guess you can't— I can't— I guess you can't just boop everyone on the nose and think they're gonna wake up like that.
Julia (as Cammie): No, I don't have enough spell slots for that.
Eric (as Gloria): It's a lot of booping.
Julia (as Cammie): It's a lot of boops.
Eric (as Gloria): Well, I'm glad I get to come for the rest of— for the rest of this journey, and it seems like I can help in the best way that I can now that I have my strawberry hammer.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Eric (as Gloria): I can— I can make you some stuff to make it a little bit easier on you.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): Sick.
Brandon (as Umbi): Why is it called Kompos? Do you know?
Eric (as Gloria): Well, there were two— well, there were two children, it was Compost and Kompos. And they were— and they were raised by berry wolves.
Julia: Suckled at the teeth of a berry wolf.
Eric (as Gloria): Yeah. Because that's what it was made for.
Brandon: Oh, God.
Eric (as Gloria): There was a North Kompos City, but eventually they got combined because— just for tax reasons.
Julia: Can I ask a silly question, Eric?
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: South Kompos City, this— this facility—
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: —is on the Great Salt Sea.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: How did this town— this town is— Gloria's old.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Gloria, we have established, is older than the Cascade drying up.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: How did this city get established while the Cascade was still flowing?
Eric: Great question. Give me a history check.
Brandon: Ooh, ooh.
Julia: Ooh, child, that's a great [dice roll] history check. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Amanda: Nat 20?.
Julia: Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Brandon: Nat 20 or Nat 1, which one?
Julia: Nat 20.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: Sure. Cammie, I think that this brain blasts you all at the same moment that you're putting this together. Why is this city in the middle of the Great Salt Sea?
Julia: Nat 20.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: Sure. Cammie, I think that this brain blasts you all the same moment that you're putting this together. Why is this city in the middle of the Great Salt Sea underneath a mountain? Probably the World Government has existed for a long time before the rising tide.
Julia: Hmm.
Eric: Before the— the pirate era, right? Before the Cascade dried up.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So the— the Crags, Open Fields, Overstalk and Hot House have been working together for a very long time to make choices about what would be best for Verda Stello as a whole. Probably, at some point, the lichenthrope plague hit South Kompos City, and they decided to send it out into— into whatever's behind the Cascade.
Amanda: Hmm.
Eric: So they did whatever it is you can imagine, I don't know, maybe it was a coastal city in the first place, or, you know, there's that big basin that the Cascade used to feed into.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Which you might imagine it's like one very large, great lake.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: So it's this coastal city. Maybe they just kind of blew it up and just kind of pushed it in there.
Julia: It's like reverse Atlantis.
Eric: They just reverse Atlantis it and did something, because Gloria also went inside the Cascade. Individuals— you've heard of stories of individuals before, of getting inside of the Cascade to do whatever it is in there.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Just like Gloria, who wanted to find the labyrinth in the first place. Plenty of other creatures who've tried to find the labyrinth. You met a bunch of people who've been trying to find the labyrinth older than 50 years ago.
Brandon: Uh-hmm. Uh-hmm.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: So there are ways to get in there, probably super difficult, but there probably are ways. The World Government probably found a way to send an entire city through the Cascade to try to send the lichenthropes away.
Julia: It's fucked up, man.
Amanda: Is the salmon sick? Is that— is— did the salmon get lichenthropy and that's why the Cascade stopped? Is the salmon like— like one of those Greenfolks, what their head is really wide, and so when— when— they can collect rain, like, in their little head and then tip over and then it all falls out?
Eric: Well, here's the other thing, I guess this is a Natural 20, I should probably say it. When you have this secret city that you send away, and you kind of see if the lichenthropes will just deal with. I wonder if, when the Cascade dries up, the world government goes through the files and say, "Hey, remember that city we sent to— we sent away? I wonder what's going on there. "
Julia: Remember that ancient Greek city?
Eric: Yeah. And then once you have your fleets together, you kind of grab that city, you sink it, you build a mountain facility on top of it, where you think the salmon is. And then you have it under lock and key, and it becomes your home base.
Julia: Hmm.
Eric: Maybe that's how you know where the salmon is at all times. So the pirates can just go on doing whatever they're doing. They don't even know they're on top of the thing they're supposedly looking for. Because why would pirates put it toge—the you're not actually looking for the salmon, they're looking for a good time, the pirates.
Julia: Hrm.
Eric: They're looking to escape their lives, they're looking to run around during the Adventure Time, right? So obviously we should just keep the salmon right where it is?
Amanda: The what—
Eric: Right under their noses, and they're never gonna find the keys in the first place.
Julia: But then we did, bitch.
Eric: There's like a very officious looking spear of asparagus wearing a suit, who then turns the lights on at this, like, present— this, like World Government Diamond Knot presentation. It's like, "If you have any questions, just look in your folders. I don't have time for questions. The asparagus walks out."
Julia: His name's Gus.
Brandon: Gus.
Eric: And Cammie sees all of that in her brain blast from this Natural 20.
Julia: Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): Ahhh, huh, huh. Huh? Hmm.
Brandon: Do we think that the salmon doesn't exist, maybe? And is that like a legend they— maybe the key is something else, and they made up the salmon story to make the— to get the keys to them so they can get all the keys to do something? I don't know.
Amanda: Well, it's very effective, because a place that we pirates would never want to go is a prison, the prison we don't want to end up in.
Brandon: Right.
Amanda: There's something down there that I want access to.
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: Yeah. I think, at this point, with that knowledge and knowing that we want to proceed in opening up wherever the salmon is, whether or not it is the salmon or it isn't the salmon, I think Cammie is going to use sending to contact the key with the gaze.
Brandon: Tight.
Eric: So, like, anywhere—anywhere you can just, like, say hi?
Julia: Anywhere on this plane, baby.
Eric: Alright.
Brandon: And that way we'll also know if the rotten key is actually the key with the gaze for some reason.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Then we'll know, because he'll talk to the rotten key instead.
Julia: Yes. Alright. So 25 words or less, remember, it has to actually be 23 because the last two have to be love you.
Eric: Right, have to be love you.
Brandon: Right, right, right.
Julia: I'm thinking something along the lines of—
Julia (as Cammie): Collected the rest of the keys, need you at South Kompos City. Come ASAP. Rotten key, like you, also on their way. Big scary.
Amanda: Love you.
Brandon (as Umbi): Love you.
Julia (as Cammie): Love you.
Eric: The message is sent down to the ether, and then you get boop, a message back.
Eric (as Key with a gaze): Yar. Can't come to you lass.
Eric: That's six, right?
Julia: Yar, can't come to you lass, yes.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Key with a gaze): Battened down the hatches, under attack. Yar. Come to us, then we'll help.
Julia: Yeah, six words left, I think.
Eric: Okay. Yeah.
Eric (as Key with a gaze): At the great mango crossing. Yar.
Julia: What's that?
Brandon: Love. Yar.
Julia: Love. Yar.
[theme]