The LTC mob imports and exports. The Knight of Mirrors wants to share. Bones smashes that subscribe. Aggie taps a contact. Milo is seen. Val thinks of the future.
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Cast & Crew
- Dungeon Master, Co-Producer: Eric Silver
- Co-Host (Milo Lane), Co-Producer, Editor, Sound Designer, Composer: Brandon Grugle
- Co-Host (Aggie O’Hare), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- Co-Host (Val Vesuvio), Co-Producer, Editor: Julia Schifini
- Multitude: multitude.productions
About Us
Join the Party is a collaborative storytelling and roleplaying podcast, powered by the rules of Dungeons and Dragons. That means a group of friends create a story together, chapter by chapter, that takes us beyond the tabletop to parts unknown. In the first campaign, we explored fantasy adventure, intrigue, magic, and drama. In the newest story, we tackle science, superpowers, a better future, and the responsibility to help others.
Every month, we sit down for the Afterparty, where we break down our game and answer your questions about how to play D&D and other roleplaying games at home. We also have segments at the beginning of each campaign to teach people how to play the game themselves. It’s a party, and you’re invited! Find out more at jointhepartypod.com.
Transcript
Amanda: Last time on Join the Party...
Eric: Salimony surprised Val and brought them to a money shakedown, threatening the owner of a struggling Italian restaurant with paying back a loan that they'd taken out from the mob, with quick thinking and a very timely and nat 20 Val stopped the violence from both sides and demanded that Salimony take them to Aunt Min in the LTC crime family hideout. At the same time, Aggie talked to her brother, Danny, a pretty famous artist who also has powers and used them in some way that relates to that art. Milo also revealed to his dad that he had ghost powers, whether or not it was to cover up needing to talk about his dad's sex life. It doesn't really matter right here. And remember, the Knight of Mirrors was looking into JUICE!!!!! When the party was staking it out like sugar on the stove, becoming caramel, the plot thickens. Let's get the party started.
[Theme music]
Eric: Val, you're in the passenger seat of Salimony's terrible Cadillac, he's winding his way over to Highway One that's going outside of the city. What are you thinking right now?
Julia: I think Val is doing you know, that one handed. I'm not looking at my phone, but I'm texting thing that people do?
Brandon: That we all did middle school with our flip phones?
Julia: Exactly. Exactly. But we got way better at it once we got touch screens. Val's doing that kind of just to let the gang know what's up.
Eric: Sure. Are you checking on a regular phone or you're doing the burner phone?
Julia: I think the regular phone, because this is not Dr. Morrow related and that's what the burner phones for.
Brandon: If you could go ahead and call the unhackable phone, that would be great. Thank you.
Eric: Yeah, I was going to say the unhackable burner phone. Alright. Val because you're doing this surreptitiously, what is your sleight of hand?
Julia: Ooo! +4 baby.
Eric: Alright. So, yeah, there's going to be DC15 to make sure that it's totally good. So why don't you do that?
Julia: You got it.
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: Bet the reception is bad. I'm glad you got the LT3 network.
[Brandon and Julia laughing]
Eric: 30 under 30 media luminary Amanda McLoughlin!
Julia: It was a 14 +4.
Eric: Wonderful. Okay, so you passed. So yeah. You get that text off. I also want you to make a deception roll.
Julia: Also good at that.
Eric: And I'm going to make a perception roll for Salimony.
Julia: But did not roll well it's a 3 +5 so an 8.
Eric: Wonderful. Alright. So Salimony is a sneaky you motherfucker and he is obviously texted to people on the sly like he is dating one girl and then texting another girl. They're also both named Samantha. So it's complicated for him. And he rolled a 17 +4. So Salimony reaches over and he like knocks the phone out of your hand. Like,
Eric (as Sal): What? What are you do - what is the even the point of being part of a criminal syndicate if you're going to text people about it?!
Julia (as Val): Who said I'm part of a criminal syndicate, that's your business.
Eric (as Sal): We are - if anything from today has demonstrated you are obviously part of the criminal syndicate.
Julia (as Val): That is not true. You called in a favor and I very reluctantly agreed to it.
Eric (as Sal): If you think that's just the only - hoo you went to that smart school and you got all that money from your your dad's going to fund all that stuff, I thought you'd have some stuff in your head, it's ridiculous.
Julia (as Val): What is my dad funding like, what are you talking about?
Eric (as Sal): You know, he's giving you a you are private school education and stuff like that. You ain't got nothing in that head of yours.
Julia (as Val): My mother and her art funded that, excuse you.
Eric (as Sal): Oh the boob art? The boob in the penis art?
Julia (as Val): You do not have to say the kind of art is.
[Brandon and Amanda laughing]
Eric: Alright. So what's the text that you send out to everybody?
Julia: I think it's just like "on my way to see my aunt."Eric: Okay, I will say Val that for the remainder of the car ride, Salimony has knocked your phone out of your hand and it's like jammed under your seat.
Julia: Can I put on the, like, find with friends thing before he does that or like put a pin down or something.
Eric: Yeah, that's fine. I feel like you would have done that with the text because that's the intent.
Julia: Plus I think at this point we probably all have to find my friends on our phones.
Amanda: Yeah. Then we probably opted into that.
Eric: For sure.
Brandon: I think it's a Dr. Morrow special or it's find my Superfriends!
Julia: And it's really inconspicuous because it's only the three of us who have it.
Eric: And then you see a fourth person come up. That's strange.
Brandon: Fuckin' Sour Anthony!
Eric: How did Sour Anthon get into this app?! It's exclusive. So Aggie you get this text message and at the same time you get a phone call from an unlisted number.
Amanda: I answer the phone call.
Eric: Alright. As part of your crime network that you've set up, who would be out right now? And on a Friday night.
Amanda: It's a crime watch network to be fair.
Julia: Yeah, Amanda has a new crime syndicate. She is a Wilson Fiskesque character.
Amanda: I think I know a person who operates a free shuttle for people who might have driven and not plan to drink, but then did and need a safe ride home. And so she takes confidentiality very seriously, would never report on any of her clients, but does see a lot of shit. And she and I catch up sometimes on Sunday mornings when she's coming off her shift.
Eric: Oh, I like that. Yeah. She probably also works for the college a little bit.
Amanda: Yeah, yeah. Yeah I think for sure.
Eric: Wonderful. She says
Eric (as Bus Driver): Hey yeah it's Marisol down from the shuttle, you know the nighttime shuttle bus.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah, Marisol we've been friends for like fifteen years, like hello!
Eric (as Marisol): Oh no! But I'm going for my secret burner phone. That's why it's unlisted. That's why I'd introduced myself.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh what's what's going on.
Eric (as Marisol): Oh yeah. You know, yeah. I was just giving direction to this nice young person here seem to be riding on a bike. It has a helmet on and a shield? They said they were looking for a Preserver. I don't know. You would know that you're the person who I call for all these things. So I thought you would know those things.
Amanda (as Aggie): Are you talking about a motorbike or a bicycle bike?
Eric (as Marisol): Oh, yeah. No, it's a really cool motor bike. It's like out of Tron. You remember Tron when you go in the computer and if you die on the computer, you die for real?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah. Uh huh.
Amanda: Does Aggie know where Val's aunt is? Like what neighborhood?
Eric: No, you don't. With the pin that Val has dropped in Val is moving going on Highway one, which is the highway that stretches all across the city. It is going out of town south.
Amanda: Okay, and the Aggie asked Marisol to hang on for a second and checks the pin and then is like,
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah, I don't know where she is specifically, obviously, but I do know that supers sometimes meet up by the the welcome sign to Lake Town City, and I've seen them sometimes at night. So I bet if your citizen there is looking to meet up with them, that would probably be a good place to go, you know, by the rest stop?
Eric (as Marisol): Oh yeah. By the big neon sign with the waving uhh mountain lobster?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah. Yeah.
Eric (as Marisol): Alright. Yeah. Alright. So Mister Mirrors, so the way that you go there -
Amanda (as Aggie): Thank you Marisol!
Eric: The phone shuts off.
Julia: Almost just spat LaCroix all over my background.
Eric: That's how, you know, either Julia is crying or she spit on LaCroix either way. I know that I'm doing my job.
Julia: Only two options!
Amanda: Aggie sits in her truck. She's coming back from her her nice driving spot where she talked to Danny and pulled over safely to take the call, obviously.
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda: So she is kind of watching Val's pin go further and further toward the edge of the Lake Town City limits and just sort of says, like,
Amanda (as Aggie): Damn it.
Amanda: And then points her truck down Highway one, which will take her past the neon sign and hopefully to wherever Val is. Should they need help.
Eric: You text Milo?
Amanda: Yes, I think when I'm driving, I'll use my hands free to give Milo a call.
Eric: Okay, wonderful. Milo, I guess you've had this conversation with your dad and he's like,
Eric (as Hank): Okay, so I think I'm getting my head around this a little bit. So let me just. Let me say back to you, if I understand what's happening.
Brandon: Milo's got a mouthful of tater tots and he says.
Brandon (as Milo): Yup! Okay!
Eric (as Hank): Alright, so you. Have a connection to the ghost world that happened when because your birth parents who lived in Laketon when the explosion went off, and that's why you can do all the stuff with the ghost hand that comes out of your chest. And you are also using that for vigilante justice. But it's not vigilante justice, as you told me, because you are working with. Doc-she- because you're working with Cassandra. On it's who you know, as Dr. Mayor Morrow. And so it's cool, so it's all fine and vaguely legal.
Brandon (as Milo): Dad, this is the sixth time you've said this. Do you still don't understand what's happening?
Eric (as Hank): I just want to make sure that we're on the same page. We weren't on the same page before and I've dropped three old fashions.
Brandon (as Milo): That's a good point. Number one: I don't know if there's a, quote unquote, ghost world. I just know that there are ghosts. Two: Okay, I forgot everything else you said, but it sounds right.
Eric (as Hank): Okay, great. We're on the same page.
Eric: Milo, your phone buzzes again, I assume that it was on silent, but you have that thing when you have contacts, when if they call twice, then overrides the silence. So now your phone is buzzing on the counter.
Brandon: I pick it up and look at it.
Eric: It is from Aggie.
Brandon (as Milo): Dad I gotta I got to take this. You need a moment? Do you need another drink?
Eric (as Hank): No, I'm good. Now you do your vaguely legal sanctioned justice thing, and I'm going to think about all the ways I can help you when I go to work.
Brandon (as Milo): I mean, I'm not a lawyer but I don't think it's legal, what were you gonna say, sorry?
Eric (as Hank): I'm just going to think about it. Where did you get these these ice cube molds? I need. I need. I got it from -
Julia: ThinkGeek.
Brandon (as Milo): I got them from Contemplate Nerd. And they're little enterprise starship molds. It's really complicated. Like the like engines on the back always break off and try to get them out of the ice cube. But you know.
Eric (as Hank): You would have thought that they would have done a Star Wars and would have been a Death Star - HOLD ON. I'm keeping you, we're not having this conversation now.
Brandon: And I pick up the phone.
Brandon (as Milo): Hello, this is Milo's phone.
Amanda (as Aggie): [Over the phone] Hi, Milo, it's Aggie, we've been through this you saw my name.
Brandon (as Milo): Look, I was brought up with a specific type of manners on how to get to the phone, and I'm not going to abandon it just because technology has changed.
Amanda (as Aggie): True. Anyway, I want to let you know that I got a call from someone I know in College Park and the Knight of Mirrors apparently was asking my friend Marisol for directions on where to find me, Preserver. I mean, so -
Brandon (as Milo): YOU'RE PRESERVER?! I'm just kidding. I'm just messing with you.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh, you're in high spirits. I can't wait hear about your night. And so I suggested that they meet potentially by the sign when you first come into town by the rest stop, because that's on the way to wherever Val is being taken or heading. I, I got kind of a suspicious vibe, so I'm not going to follow them unless they need us. But I did want to be kind of close by just in case. And I want to let you know where I'm going because it seems like people are out to get us tonight or separate us or something. So.
Brandon (as Milo): Cool. I didn't see the Val -
Brandon: Milo checks his texts like,
Brandon (as Milo): Oh, I'm just I'm just saying this Val thing now. Yeah, I-I guess I'll be down by the lobster?
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen, if you're if you're in doing something else, I don't want to drag you out of your house. But I do know something about this is making me a little suspicious. So if you want to provide backup, that certainly will be welcome.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah, I'll go on top of the mountain lobster like Batman, but invisible.
Amanda (as Aggie): How about I pick you up? And we can roll up together?
Brandon (as Milo): That works too, I guess.
Amanda (as Aggie): I should be there in like seven minutes. That work for you?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah, that's fine. Thanks.
Amanda (as Aggie): Alright.
Eric: Wonderful. Okay, so let's let's go forward in time a little bit. Val Salimony has now gone off of the highway and something the winding roads in the a winding road that should take you out to the suburbs. But he takes a left instead of a right, which goes out into the swamps. When Lake Champlain flooded a bunch of years back, that whole area was covered with water which turned into swamps and it has never been able to build upon. It's just terrible. Unlike building the Meadowlands for the New York Jets and Giants, that was a terrible idea. And they said that they would not do anything out there. There are some warehouses and there's some import export out there. But now that's where you are. And you look out and you see that there's like every so often there's a street light that's just pooling on swamp water and like some skunk cabbage. And then you see that there's some little like there's rotted wood where there used to be trees. And on those rotted wood, there's like bugs and nasty stuff and maybe a few colorful mushrooms.
Julia: Mmm the mushrooms.
Eric: Yeah. So we jump forward in time. Aggie, you've picked up Milo. And I feel like this is like a comic splash panel. It's dark now. This is truly nighttime and the big mountain mountain lobster that welcomes you to Lake Town City Monte in full neon just like reflects off of a street lamp and reflects off of a stop sign that's nearby and the shingles of the welcome center. But mostly it is cascading in beautiful neon colors off of the Knight of Mirrors and their bejeweled helmet, shield and chrome parts of their bike.
Brandon: Before we get there, I just want to make sure that everyone knows that Milo has taken over the radio and is singing along to Take on Me very loudly.
[Crickets chirping, night sounds]
Julia: That feels right.
Amanda: Great. Aggie is going to park between streetlights in a in a dark area of the welcome center, like in the back of the parking lot, put on her Preserver hat change on her jacket so that she has her Preserver jacket on and walk with Milo across a parking lot to the night.
Brandon (as Milo): [in a gruff Batman voice] Aggie, I'm going to start. I was I thought I might try out this voice. Is this what do you think about this?
Amanda (as Aggie): I love it and think that you should talk like that all the time when we're working.
Brandon (as Milo): It seems like you are fucking with me.
[Julia laughing]
Amanda (as Aggie): I don't know if it's sustainable for you. It's great for me.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): The best part about having a robotic helmet is that it actually changes your voice for you.
Eric: The Knight of Mirrors says leaning against the side of the welcome center underneath the neon sign.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah. Can we, like, go behind the building here, like behind the sign. So we're not quite as visible?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): No, scoped it out. It's we're safe. We're fine here.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay, I don't love you going to my real life friends to find me, but I do have a phone number. So before we leave, I definitely want to give out to you in case you have to get in touch with me. But I wonder what's up?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): That was that was really an accident. I don't like talking about secret identities here. We're just all we're doing the costume thing.
Brandon (as Milo): [Still with the Batman voice] Yeah.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): That was - thank you Kilonova. So prof- I love the professionalism that we're doing here in our business at our jobs.
Brandon (as Milo): Got to keep it tight.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): That was - yeah, you got to keep it tight.
Amanda (as Aggie): He's trying something out. Just let's leave him alone.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Oh, that's fine. I'm really, that was sheer accident. I did not mean you're Aggie O'Hare is the person people call. That was strictly an accident. I'm sorry about that.
Amanda: I sort of extend a hand like not touching their arm, kind of hovering over it like
Amanda (as Aggie): I am, I actually believe you. And I know we have run across each other in heated circumstances before, but I know that we're going to work together in the future. And I would like to work with you more closely or at least with more communication. So I just wanted to say that.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): There's no I did not want to know who you are as people. That was purely accidental. But I can do for you instead because I did step on your stakeouts, which I did not need to do. I can do something for you.
Eric: And the Knight of Mirrors holds up a plastic bag which has as a truffle inside it is black, like in the way that things that come from the ground can be black. Sort of like just the when mud and dirt gets so dark, you it looks kind of black. But it also has like a way it has an aura of purple around it. Maybe it is it has spores around it that is doing that, but it has this aura of purple around it.
Brandon: It's very pretty.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Is this I think this is what you were looking for?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah, we didn't know exactly what we were looking for, to be candid, but something like that is definitely what I expected. Where did you find this? What do you know?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah, I went into juice! Afterward-
Brandon (as Milo): [Normal voice] I'm sorry. What's that? I don't know that place, what was it?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): I went into JUICE!!!!!
[Brandon laughs]
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Afterwards, and the kid went out again to throw it because he doesn't have the upper body strength to take out the all the garbage at once. So he has to do it and change things. I knew that I had time to the first one and the second one, not very, not a smart kid. And I knew that I had time while the manager had to call the babysitter for her five children under the age of six who was having a very tough time. So I knew that I had time to sink in there. I was looking in the in the in the dumpster, which I know you were. I was able to sneak in into the storeroom in the back and I snagged this I don't know what it does, but I know that it should not be in a juice bar.
Amanda (as Aggie): Thank you. I appreciate you bringing that to us. And we'll definitely chase this down.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah.
Amanda (as Aggie): Just so you I don't know if you know the context, but, you know, in the spirit of changing information, I am not 100% sure that the Upcountry Keepers know about this. And I kind of want to keep it that way for the moment. I just I want to I want to give this a shot and and chase it down.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah, that's fine. I think they're more into it being ingratiating themselves in the larger echelons of power in the city.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh, my God. Thank God. I totally agree. No one is saying that.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): No, it's still 100%
Brandon (as Milo):Instagram superheros, you know, like instaheroes.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yes!!
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): But even insta heroes like getting yourself out of there is part of the job. Like they're worse than that!
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah, that's true. That's true.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah. I mean, Emily's - what is even Flyboy's deal like he can just fly? Does that make him Top Gun. I don't even I don't really understand?
Brandon (as Milo): I've only seen him hover.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yes. God -
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): I think he should be called hover - HoverGuy right?
Julia: Val is not here but feels a weird sense of camaraderie in this moment.
Amanda: Aggie says
Amanda (as Aggie): I wish Vulcani were here, you're going to have to come back when they're around because this is a conversation we definitely have to have.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): I would like really like to. So this is my show. Good faith. Thank you. I am. I did not mean to bust up your thing. I know I did not know that the guys in the Bone van were going to show up.
Amanda (as Aggie): What's up with those guys?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): So that's what I was doing. So that's that. I hope that's enough to understand that we're all on the same side here,
Eric: The Knight of Mirrors reaches in to like a bag they have on the back of the of the motorbike and takes out like, I guess it's a better iPad. Dr. Morrow is like, "I can't download any of my favorite games on this!" So she built The Better iPad. And now it's like, it's like the Morrow Corp. Awesome Tablet or something like that. And pulls up a photo from a security camera that has it looks like two pretty burly guys with slicked back black hair moving up what looks like a pretty large painting. And the Knight of Mirrors says,
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Alright, so here's why I want you here, for it seems like organized crime in terms of the Italian mob and Lake Town City has really ramped up over the last few months. I'm not exactly sure why or how. Usually it's kind of been a low simmer of red sauce.
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda (as Aggie): Good metaphor, I like it.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Thank you. I appreciate that. I'll have to say that to Vulcani later. Yeah, I'm not really sure what's been happening in the last few months. It seems like there's a new movement of power that there. You didn't used to be someone formerly on top of the Lake Town City mob was connected to the New York City mob tenuously through family ties. It seemed like there's someone new on the top here, and it seems like their prized possession is just painting here. This painting, it has you know, it's not just powerful because of the power the artist actually might actually have some power in. It seems like it influences people. Maybe it gets people to turn the other cheek. I'm not exactly sure having a - having a painting, they can actually tell people to do things or not do things or at least guide them in the right direction. It's a lot easier than making people swim with the fishes. I think that that's not that's what the mob is trying to get their hands on.
Brandon (as Milo): I've never seen any - I'm sorry. [Batman voice] I've never seen any powered artifacts before. Have you Preserver?
Amanda (as Aggie): I have. Is that a Danny O'Hare by chance?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Uhh, I don't know any of these paintings specifically, it seems like.
Amanda (as Aggie): Can I...
Amanda: And I reach out for the iPad.
Eric: Sure. Yeah, I blow up the iPad, take out my phone and scroll for a second and then I turn them both around to show Milo in the Knight of Mirrors. And there is a picture in a family group chat of my brother Danny giving thumbs up in front of a new painting he just completed. It matches the one in the security camera.
[Julia gasps]
Brandon (as Milo): Oh, well, those those are the same there preserver.
Eric: Aggie first, can you explain what Danny's painting style is?
Amanda: Yes, Danny. People call him and he goes by Daniel, I think professionally. But I call Danny. Of course, Danny is sort of like the the new Edward Hopper. And so he has paintings that are kind of quite stark. It's sort of like, you know, glimpses of America. And it's always kind of like that lighting that's like not quite sunset, but just before sunset where it's all just like really severe in the shadows are all like 45 degree angles. But when you get really close to them, the pieces are quite detailed. And so it'll be like a mountain that just looks like a block if you take a picture of it or from afar when you get closer, it's like thousands of little trees. So that's sort of his thing is like it looks nice and sort of just like America when you see it. But people like to go in person and that's sort of a thing people know about his art that like when they're touring or when there's an installation, like you got to go because looking at it up close, it's like a whole different kind of painting.
Eric: Yeah. For those you don't know off the top of your head who Edward Hopper is, he didn't Nighthawks the one with all those people at the restaurant that's like far away.
Amanda: Yeah, it's like a corner with a glass window and like an automat in the 50's.
Eric: Yeah. But Danny does like modern, more modern version of the mother, same sort of starkness about his artist statement would be like the the disillusionment of people in the 21st century as they relate to technology and nature and the way in the world changing Americana around.
Amanda: Yeah, quite like the stark beauty of the Rust Belt, like that kind of thing.
Eric: Right. So as we look at the painting, it's pretty grainy in the security footage. But the photo in that Danny has sent, it's actually a Lake Town City. It's kind of from above. It's a little bit of a departure of what he's usually done. It's from, I guess, the perspective as if you were flying in a plane over the city. I know that you've anyone who's lived in urban environments has seen like the helicopter go over the city shot, that's B Roll and their favorite TV shows. But imagine that this is like there's a painting version of it, but it's over like from downtown looking at out over Little Italy. And you can see that there's little Little Italy everywhere, and then you can also see the ducks, which are in very beautiful detail on the other side of Little Italy, so you're going from downtown towards. Milo and Aggie. Please make investigation checks for me.
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: 14.
Brandon: Well, let's see what's my investigation? Oh, +1! Great, I got a 3.
Amanda: Aw bud.
Eric: Milo this is a nice, nice painting. I love art. Art is good.
Brandon: Art in general is great!
Amanda: Yeah, I support it.
Eric: Aggie you notice that the as you're looking at the painting, from what you know of Lake Town City you see that the docs look really good in this painting. I don't know if it's like the detail where the artwork or something like that, but like the docs look really nice, like he's captured it in really wonderful detail, almost a little bit better than what they are now. The docks have been used a little bit less ever since the people in Western push to preserve the mountain lobster population, which is cut down on sea import export.
Amanda: But in the painting, they look more active or more refurbished?
Eric: They look I would say refurbished.
Amanda: Interesting.
Eric: Yeah.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): I don't know what they're doing with this and Preserver. If you think that, you know, this thing has real power, we need to get it. They just shipped it in. They're not ready. They're not organized enough. We need to get them now. I know where it is. I know where it is. We can go now.
Amanda (as Aggie): I don't understand why we have to steal it.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Because if they have it, if they have it, we're going to have bigger problems in the future.
Amanda (as Aggie): You think they're going to use it to influence people to do something?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): I don't know exactly what it does. I don't know- I mean, you know the better than I do you. But it has to do something if they care as much about it.
Amanda (as Aggie): I'm not a fan of preemptively stealing stuff from people who we know are shady. It feels like a conversation we need Vulcani around for.
Brandon (as Milo): Has there been a crime committed yet? I don't - I don't.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): I mean,
Amanda (as Aggie): I hear what you're saying. Like, I know I know you're not doing this for for kicks, but I that's a big task to take on. Just the three of us, even the four of us.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): I didn't I didn't know Vulcani wasn't going to show up. I assumed it was going to be the three of you.
Amanda (as Aggie): No, no, no.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): I don't know where Vulcani is. But also, yes, they have done crimes. They're the organized mob! They of course have done crimes!
Brandon (as Milo): Sure. I know they do crimes.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): This is just one of many. One of many. But this one is big.
Brandon (as Milp): Has the painting been stolen?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah, okay, fine I know, I don't know the painting been stolen, but look at this stuff.
Eric: And then they swiped over it, another thing, there's like a photo of arms dealership, like someone giving guns to a mob person. There's another one. I'm just like crates being dropped off at this warehouse. Just lots of stuff like that.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah, they've been doing mob stuff, guns, maybe these mushroom stuff. We need to look it out. We need to figure it out.
Brandon (as Milo): Look, I'm here for surveillance. I'm here for a stakeout. I'm here for stopping these weapons deals. But like, unless something specifically has been done, some crime has specifically made out of this painting, then why are we going after a painting?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Imagine what you'd be able to do with a painting that tells you that something doesn't look like a crime to you and it's all fine. Imagine that is suggested to you. You don't have to turn the other cheek because of violence or because of money. You just do it.
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen, I am trusting you both as my colleagues, for lack of a better word. No one knows this. It would be very, very bad if this got out personally as well as just for the world. Uhh. Danny's paintings, they can influence people. They suggest something to them. And it started out with the smell of the pine forest or the feeling of nostalgia that you get when you look at an image of like a, you know, grandma's cooking. But it might have gotten more. And so I don't think it would mindlessly convince somebody not to do a thing they want to do. But it it suggests the thing and it moves you like art, moves you, but with ideas, too. So I think that you're totally you're totally on the right track. I just don't think we can go take that painting in, and that's the end of it.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): I think. It's not that listen, I think that that's the biggest fish to fry. And right now, let's go. Can we at least just go over there? We need to check it out.
Amanda (as Aggie): I'm always down for a stakeout, so I'm I'm definitely there to take a look at it.
Brandon (as Milo): Definitely.
Amanda (as Aggie): But actually, hang on, where is where is this warehouse?
Amanda: And then I pull out my phone with Val spin.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah, it's out in the warehouse, in one of the warehouse in the swamps. I know which one.
Amanda: I checked my phone and show it to Milo.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah, seems right. Also, we can talk about your brother later.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah I know we we will. That's where Vulcani is. So sounds like all of us should head there right the heck now.
Brandon (as Milo): Aggie language.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Good. Let's go. Anyone want a ride- want to ride on my bike?
Amanda (as Aggie): I got the truck, but I'll I'll take you up on that when we're not working. That sounds very fun.
Brandon (as Milo): I will not. They are dangerous and bad for bad for people. I will not ride on your death trap.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): When you drive like me, it's not a death trap.
Amanda: You're really turning the corner from villain into sexy.
Julia: Oooo.
[Cricket chirping fades out]
[Transition note]
Eric: Hey, it's Eric have you ever fallen into a research rabbit hole and you start by just reading? One interesting fact was that becomes an article was then goes to a different article, and then you're reading dissertations and you're learning everything about it and you're watching movies about it. And then you finally get a chance to tell one of your friends about this particular research subject. Oh, my God, I've consumed all of this. I don't even know where to start. Oh, I could start. But now I have to tell you more about this, and I'm going to. Alright. Here we go. But your friend is just happy to hear from you and really just wants to hear the intellectual journey you've been on and you feel accepted that you get to tell someone that really incredible deep, deep, deep, deep, deep dive you've been on and you feel like they know you. This is that moment. Welcome to the midroll. I do want to hear about mushrooms. Please tell me about it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to our newest supporters on Patreon, April Jane, Peter Tyler, Urijah, Daniel Renegade, Lisa Izabel and to Joe, who upgraded their pledge. We depend on your support to keep making the show. And we are so grateful, especially in these strange, strange times for everyone on Patreon for making it a priority to support creators if you want to be a part of our Patreon family. Come on in. The water's fine. We are always looking for more people. You get our Discord, NPC stories and exclusive three part mini series called Join the Team, where our friends and I play a high school football drama game that I co-wrote and all of the stuff that's been on Patreon for four years plus. So if you're able, please do join us for as little as five dollars a month at Patreon . com / jointhepartypod. And if you haven't checked your Patreon in a while, do so! Many of you out there are still on the old one and you're not getting those sweet, sweet rewards!
Oh, man, I have some good news, some good news here, because we're starting off the year, right, with a live show! Our first live show of campaign two is happening. We are streaming a one shot set in Lake Town City featuring the pieces on February 3rd at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. I've gotten really into streaming over the last few months, so I'm very excited to show you how crisp my video is going to be. Your ticket also includes a VOD copy of the show that you can watch afterwards so you can join us live. Still get a ticket and the video will be emailed to you later. Plus, we may or may not be announcing a new product that so many of you have been asking for. Who can say? Who can say? So come on, buy your ticket today at join the party pod . com / live, February 3rd, 8:00 p.m. or afterwards you have VOD join the party pod . com / live.
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Alright, let's get back to the show.
[Transition note]
Brandon: In the truck over to the warehouse, I turned to Aggie, I'm like,
Brandon (as Milo): Did you bring the stakeout snacks? Did you bring the - did you bring them?
Amanda (as Aggie): Really didn't think that's the question you were going to ask me. Yes. They're behind you, behind the seat.
Brandon (as Milo): YUS! Thaaaanks Preserver.
Amanda: She is like her, like med kit, her survivalist kit, her emergency helping other cars from the road kit. And then there's the snack kit.
Eric: Yeah and you throw a pop tart over to the Knight of Mirrors. He grabs it on the air. Well, going 65.
Brandon (as Milo): Ooo! Froot Loops!
Julia: How how do they eat it?
Eric: Don't worry about it. Alright. So let's go over to Val. Val, you're driving through the swamps for a while and Salimony takes a right, which goes off to a side road, which leads to a warehouse. It seems to be pretty busy. You can see that there are people going in and out. There are what seem to be people on guard duty outside as you pull around and you see that there's a little guys out of the front door, there's a loading dock that some guys are stationed in, the people are going in and out of. And but Salimony pulls all the way around the building to the garage. There's a few cars there, like there's an armored truck in there, an Escalade and a Jeep or two. And some guys just, you know, the greasers with their push of white t shirts like,
[White noise, people moving back and forth through a warehouse, occasional forklift beeping]
Eric (as Greaser): Oh, Salomoney's coming in and bringing it right as old as Joe Pesci ass Cadillac!
Julia (as Val): He really does suck huh?
Eric (as Sal): Go back. You guys go back to work. Don't you have a muffler to suck on somewhere?
Eric: Salamony is not a nice person is the thing.
Julia: He sucks.
Eric (as Sal): Ey, why don't you come on. You wanna see Aunt Min? Let's see if she got some time.
Julia (as Val): Yeah. Alright.
Eric: Salimony leads you through a door which leads into kind of this main area. I know in every sort of action movie or copopaganda drama you might have seen, there's like that that space where everyone does stuff in the warehouse is kind of like the main area where like there are so -
Amanda: Oh where all the where all the drugs are just like lying out openly on a table.
Brandon: And the money and weapons?
Eric: Yeah, we're like people are working on stuff. There's money and weapons. And like some guys are playing cards on the side. There are boxes everywhere. So guys are moving boxes around, less so in here. But you can see the like. It leads to other places. And this is like the main staging area. Someone's making spaghetti in a small kitchenette over on the left.
Julia: Sure.
Eric: I wrote that down is literally in my notes.
Julia: In terms of the weapons, are they the kind of scientific weapons that we've been seeing a lot that we have tied to the People's River?
Eric: Great question, why do you make an investigation check as you look into the stuff that are in the boxes?
Julia: Mmmhm!
[Dice rolls]
Julia: Woo hoo!! It is a 19 -1 for an 18.
Eric: Eighteen. Wonderful. And then Julia. Why don't you roll d10 for me.
Amanda: I love the mysterious rolls are my favorites.
Amanda: Those are my rela dice. Alright. 3.
Eric: 3 okay, yeah, you're looking around at the stuff and maybe you can break away Salimony's trying to lead you, but you're like looking at stuff and you can break away from him a little bit as you look at the guns. Yeah, these guns are the like the silver age of comics, weird weapons that you've seen. Some of them are like Tommy guns, like retrofitted stuff from old mob places. But other items are just like there's like the energy cannon that you saw that was originally in the thing that Dom 5 originally told you to bring to the bank. There's some other like smaller guns that have like just wild wings on them, like they have spoilers on them and they're all like ice blue and white. And there's other stuff. You also you can you can dive into a crate over to the side and there's like a full set of purple velvet suit with all the accessories, like there's a jacket, a vest, pants, socks, like a sash, all these things that are all purple velvet. And you look at them and it's as Gucci, but you look a little closer and it's actually not G it's the Disney D. So it's Ducci. So you can you have time to grab anything from the purple velvet box, if you like.
Brandon: Grab the whole suit, that's your new suit!
Julia: I want the whole thing this is my new outfit now!
Eric: No you can grab it! That's purple velvet anything !It's like any anything that you might assume someone would wear in purple velvet as you hold it you're like, "Oh man, this is some sick shit."
Julia: I'm picturing it like that incredible suit that Cate Blanchett wore in Ocean's 8.
Eric: Yeah,
Julia: But purple velvet instead of green, it's like somewhere in between that and Prince. Is this like this knockoffs the coolest thing.
Amanda: The 70's shoulders is definitely the common thread there.
Eric: Yeah this Ducci suit and Val you get +1 to charisma.
Julia: Oh hell yeah!! Like just forever?
Eric: If yeah. If you, if you're wearing one, one of these pieces you have +1 of charisma and like any sort of a piece of clothing you might want is in, is in this box and as long as you're wearing something purple velvet you can +1 to charisma.
Amanda: As if Val needed more of a reason to be the Internet's like non binary heartthrob, like a purple vest is really getting you there.
Julia: Yeah, it's the secondary like vest underneath the leather jacket.
Brandon: That's nice.
Julia: And it's like open.
Eric: I think as you're looking through that stuff, Salimony is like,
Eric (as Sal): Don't go - can you not go through the merchandise, please?
Julia (as Val): No, this is incredible. Who's suit is this? It's mine now!
Eric (as Sal): Jesus fucking Christ.
Eric: And he grabbed you, you have all this stuff like under your arm and he grabs you by the forearm and pulls you.
Julia (as Val): What do you gonna strong arm me? Come on.
Eric (as Sal): Alright. Okay, you know, we're all we're all at work here. Please.
Julia (as Val): Are we? Are we all at work here? Because some of us don't work here.
Eric (as Sal): Mary Magdalene, come on, please.
Julia (as Val): Oh, my God. Yeah. Alright
Eric (as Sal): Aw alright.
Eric: As you're rooting through this crate with the purple velvet Ducci suit, you hear.
Eric (as Voice): I haven't seen threads like this since I was in the most beautiful thread, you know, I've been to a lot of thread shops that another particular one that comes to mind right now. But they're lovely!
Julia: Val just turns around with the vest on being like,
Julia (as Val): What do you think?
Eric (as Voice): It's nice. I always thought the purple was your color.
Julia (as Val): Purple's a good color, I think it's like that. And like black, but also like red sometimes. But like good, like merlot red.
Eric (as Voice): It's a color. It's wonderful.
Eric: You see, Aunt Min is wearing - I want to be very clear about this because I saw this. It's a matching gray jacket and pants, but they're suit pants. But they're like like culottes and they're they're both made out of this like squishy gray fabric. And the jacket, it has like a belt for you to tie it together instead of buttons. But of course, imagine it's on someone who this isn't made this isn't maid for.
Julia: And Val's just like,
Julia (as Val): I like the look. You look like you should be teaching like comparative cultures at a community college.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric (as Aunt Min): You really know how to cut me right to my core.
Julia (as Val): That was a compliment I swear-
Eric (as Aunt Min): I have never been in a community college, so I'm going to take that as an insult.
Julia (as Val): But I -
Eric (as Aunt Min): Salimony, why are you here? And why is my darling, beautiful young relative doing here as well?
Eric: And Salimony says
Eric (as Sal): Well, they wanted to see family and I can't turn down, you know, when they say they're can do it, do it -
Eric: And it's Salimony like walks, walks away and goes over to the kitchenette and starts eating the pot spaghetti that's being made.
Julia: Val just goes
Julia (as Val): Thank you? Okay, Aunt Min. Hey, what's going on? Did you send him to come, like, get a favor from me or was that all his doing?
Eric (as Aunt Min): No, Salimony has ideas. Maybe he's been watching too many mob movies that he is about favors. But when he said that he was going to pick you up and take you on a bunch of runs, I thought, wonderful. It's exactly what they should be doing. And maybe they get their feet wet.
Julia (as Val): I mean, I have expressed to him now several times that I have really no interest in this line of work.
Eric (as Aunt Min): No, I understand. But, you know, talking to Salimony is like squeezing the water out of some good ricot. Depends. Sometimes you need it, but most of the time you don't. But I wanted you to say that to me.
Julia (as Val): Well, here is me saying that to you, that I really have no interest like I've told dad and like I've told many people in this line of work.
Eric (as Aunt Min): [Sighs] Can you really walk away from family like that?
Julia (as Val): I mean, I'm not walking away from family, what I'm doing is I am walking away from the criminal enterprises that my family continues to find themselves in.
Eric (as Aunt Min): One in the same one in the same Val. You know, that it's always been like that your entire life. I know that you tried to escape and live with what the the phallic artists to that is your mother, but it doesn't leave you alone.
Julia (as Val): Who I heard you went visited, by the way, and asked a bunch of questions about, like I you know, ever since my brother stupidly just - was he didn't know what he was doing, leaving a woman like that. Smart's artistic talent. I haven't seen art like that since I was in Bangladesh in '97.
Julia (as Val): Okay, but you did kind of say phallic artist with, like a bit of disdain. Like, it was a little bit insulting to both me and my family.
Eric (as Aunt Min): I have 10 fertility statues in my apartment alone.
Julia (as Val): Okay.
Eric (as Aunt Min): Please.
Julia (as Val): That's cool information that I now know about you.
Eric (as Aunt Min): So Val. Let me be clear. I just want what's best for you, and I think that what you do best, what makes you special,
Eric: As she puts an arm on your shoulder.
Eric (as Aunt Min): What makes you special could work for all of us here, you could really make the family, you could really make the family happy, you can make you happy, you can make us happy. You could be a part of all of this. You think I want Salimony is my number two? No.
[Brandon and Amanda laughing]
Julia (as Val): I mean, I'm just saying you do have other options.
Eric (as Aunt Min): I don't I truly don't. Listen, you can work for us. No one has to know about it. You do the jobs, you'll be protected. I floated this by-I floated this by my brother. And he said it was fine the crossing of New York City and LTC streams. It's it's not if that's what you're worried about, it's not a big deal. And what you can do is incredible.
Julia (as Val): I mean, that's not what I'm worried about it. No, I just I don't think that. And no offense, because, like, you know, family is extremely important, but I don't think that doing what makes the family happy is the thing that's going to make me happy. And I think of all the people in this family, you would understand that like you weren't held down by, like the expectations of what your mother and father wanted for you. You left and you saw the world and you've found purpose. And whether or not you were drawn to this life is your choice. But I just don't think this is what I want for me.
Eric (as Aunt Min): I understand that when you go out and you see the world, you see the things that you want, you think you want, and then you realize that other things. Other things are really what you want eventually.
Julia (as Val): Sure but don't - shouldn't I have the opportunity to find that out for myself rather than you telling me that?
Eric (as Aunt Min): But you can have you can have a guide. I looked for I looked for for a sensei, for a swami anywhere. And that's what all that I wanted. I could be that for you. Or I guess you could walk away and. I guess you'd be putting the security and health of your of your mom, for Agatha, for Milo, for Dominic. That could all I guess that's your responsibility.
Julia (as Val): That's really the card you want to play with me?
Eric (as Aunt Min): Can I show you something?
Julia (as Val): Sure.
Eric: And she leads you over to-
Brandon: A pot of gravy!
Eric: Yeah, leads you over to the to the kitchen -
Amanda: A thing of sauce!
Eric: She has like I know I don't want it to be a throne, but I feel like there's a place for people to sit just like this wide space.
Julia: It's like a very fancy chair that someone stole and they're going to pawn it off eventually. But Aunt Min really likes it.
Eric: Yeah. It's like overstuffed, like a chair and a half with an ottoman. And there's also, like, all of her stuff is over there. It's like this oxblood leather. It's and it's so overstuffed. It fits like half a person because it's so overstuffed. And she leads over there and there's something that's under a sheet.
Eric (as Aunt Min): Do you want to see it?
Julia (as Val): Yeah, I guess.
Eric: She pulls the sheet off and Val, you're looking at a painting and I want you to make a charisma saving throw.
Amanda: Damn.
[Dice rolls]
Julia: Good thing I just got plus one to charisma. Hoo boy, that's a 10.
Eric: Wonderful, you take a look at this painting and like I described before, it is this beautiful shot of Lake Town City and you look at it, it's Little Italy like you've never seen it before. It's vibrant. It's full of people. All of the buildings have businesses in them. The docks are up and running. You can see that like there's grand opening signs over everything in Little Italy and even spilling a little bit into downtown and other neighborhoods. And they all have like Italian names on them, like is Gornercellie's bakery or Vermicelli's dry cleaning. But they all and they are something of grand opening signs. All of them have people going in and out of it. They all have Italian names like that. And the docks have ships going in and out of it. And you can even see that there's a building kind of like right in the center. It's the kind of painting which is a it's a funny trick that pulls your eye to the right, even when there's something right in the middle of the painting. And you could only see that in the top of this really tall building in the window that someone is shaking hands with another person and it just feels resolved. And you think, "you know, maybe my family could mean something again, maybe maybe Aunt Min has it alright, and maybe it would all work out." You don't have to worry in your - this is not mind control. Val/Julia you're not being told I need to join the mob now, but like maybe you would all be okay. Maybe it seems like Aunt Min finally as the mob up and running hasn't worked like anything since your dad was running stuff in New York City. It's just fucking hitting up people like Dom 5 who don't know any better and maybe lost all of his money to betting too hard on the LTC Mountain Lobster's winning the Stanley Cup that year.
Julia: And maybe with my powers, I can make a difference.
Eric: Exactly. So Aunt Min puts a hand on your shoulder and says,
Eric (as Aunt Min): You know what? Just think about it. Well, we stole a lot. We we got our hands on a beautiful couch in from Paris. You wouldn't believe it. It's filled with like ten geese, at least per cushion.
Julia (as Val): That's so many geese.
Eric (as Aunt Min): It's that's so, so wonderful. Just think about it. Take a second.
Julia: I go and sit on the couch.
Eric: It's a wonderful couch.
Julia: Does Val like, recognize any of the people that are working for Aunt Min?
Eric: Sure you may. So why don't you make a history check?
[Dice rolling]
Julia: It's an 8. I'm rolling like shit today.
Eric: Yeah. You know, with an eight. Yeah. There are a lot of guys who are you've seen around the neighborhood, even some guys that have worked at work at the pizza place, need a second job driving a car. You see, like one of the guys who works the cash register with you sometimes like it's pulling up. You see him walk out from the garage and throw some keys to Salimony. You see that there are two guys who move freight for Dom 5 sometimes like take out massive jars of stewed tomatoes imported from Sicily. Like, yeah, they're moving some boxes around in here.
Julia: Yeah, okay.
Amanda: I definitely want to text or have Milo text Val as we are on the road. Just to say like, you know, "heads up ran to Knight of Mirrors. We think they're cool. Now we're heading your way. If you don't need us, don't worry. But I just want to be there in case you do."
Brandon: Aggie dictates that to Milo to text and Milo text that exactly. Except for the Knight of Mirrors bits is just says "we think the Knight of Mirrors fine."
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda: It is an improvement.
Eric: The Knight of Mirrors dot dot dot fine. Incredible. Alright, so let's swap back as as Milo texting that. Let's walk back to Kilonova and Preserver riding with the Knight of Mirrors.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh shit. I got Gushers on my phone.
Amanda (as Aggie): I really should stop stalking gushers in the car.
[Crickets chirping, light traffic]
Amanda: Okay, so I think when we arrive we'll park in shadows like away from other people, away from any lights and kind of rendezvous there. And I'll ask the Knight of Mirrors. So have you done any reconnaissance? Do you know a good place for us to post up?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Absolutely.
Eric: Hello Eric. The DM says yes, absolutely. Imagine me drawing the Knight of Mirrors also has the Knight of Mirrors can't really draw. But this is a really rough -
Amanda: Maybe they they drew it with like a motorcycle glove on a tablet, which really explains it.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: That's why I was I it looks bad. So you can see that there is a front door with guys out front. There is a loading dock over to the right with guys out front. There is a garage in the back. You see that the Knight of Mirrors says
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah I mean, I can only assume there are guys up front. I didn't see any. But, you know, that's that's how it is. And this is what I think it looks like inside from what I can think.
Eric: There seems to be like a main atrium as you run walk through the front door, which connects to the main area is. The Knight of Mirrors says,
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): You know, and like action movies where, like, they do all this stuff, but it's a warehouse. It's like you're in a loft and you have to divide it?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah, I would like all the drugs on the table and the guns and stuff? Yeah yeah yeah.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Like they probably have like a pizza on there, too, because it's the Italian Mob.
Brandon (as Milo): Guys, we have to we have to infiltrate now.
[Eric and Julia laugh]
Eric: Yeah, the garage is in the back. And then there's also like where all of the there's lots and lots of the stuff is in this bit, the whole right side of the warehouse, which is where the loading dock is. There are crates like everywhere. And also you see that circle in the main area. That's where the Knight of Mirrors assumes that's where Aunt Min would have post up and that's where the painting should be cool. So the Knight of Mirrors says,
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah, this is the this is a reconnaissance I've done.
Amanda (as Aggie): No, this is great.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): We can listen, we can wait and see if something happens.
Brandon (as Milo): Is there any, like, windows inside or like what's the best vantage point to the area where you think the painting might be?
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Great question. Thank you.
Amanda: Can I can I do a perception check and use my superpower to get more detail about what I think the floor plan is like?
Eric: Absotively!
Brandon: Woo!
Amanda: Alright. Only a 13, but maybe my power will help me out here.
Brandon: Is that an ability Amanda?
Amanda: It is.
Brandon: I can cast guidance on Amanda and she can roll an extra d4.
Eric: Sure.
Amanda: Tight.
Eric: Yeah is guidance a spell?
Brandon: Cantrip but it is concentration.
Eric: Wonderful.
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: Oooo! I got a 4.
Brandon: Ooo!
Amanda: So that makes a 17.
Eric: Nice!
Amanda: And specifically what I want to know is, is there a good vantage point for us to look inside without going inside? If there's not much to figure out, the best way to go inside.
Eric: Cool. I like the idea that like maybe the the ghost hand reaches out and makes like little glasses, you know, like when you put your hands around someone's eyes, like that's what it's doing like this.
Julia: That is so cute.
Eric: and you're maintaining concentration on this, on Aggie. Wonderful. Good job, Brando. Alright. So the best vantage point would be you can see that there is a skylight somewhere in the middle there. You don't know what you can't exactly judge because it's a very rough sketch. What am I be looking into? But there is a skylight. You also know that the thing with the garage is possible, but I would assume that there's also guards there. But like you see, there's two guards and there are guys going in and out, so maybe if there was a distraction or something was happening, you might be able to sneak in. But no, there's other than that, there are no windows. Other than that skylight or like, you know, like there's like a vent also if you wanted to go in through there.
Brandon: Oh, that's interesting. I was just about to ask you if there are any vents because ya boy can turn into gas.
Eric: [Laughs] Cha boi! So, yeah, I think that there's probably a vent at ground level, if that's what you want to do. I know because gaseous form that it is very slow. So it might take a while. But like if this wants to be part of your plan, then that can happen. I wouldn't say so Amanda and Brandon. Well, let's figure out a plan of what you're going to do. The Knight of Mirrors says
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): I can go really fast. I'm really going to be sneaky. I'm all the stuff and do the investigation. I can't climb. I can't go on top of stuff. So that's what I can contribute though.
Amanda (as Aggie): Um sure. I mean, if you think you can get in through the garage entrance, then that might be good. While Milo and I work on the front door.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah. Do you want me to be a distraction? I could just like drive in there right over a dude and drive out.
Brandon (as Milo): What if we. Yeah. What if we want if we did like a pincer maneuver right. Where like you go to the garage, and then I can go into a duck work, and be sort of on top and then Aggie what do you want to do?
Amanda (as Aggie): I mean, I could I could put on my civvies, and pretend to be doing an inspection and that could be the distraction for both of you to do your thing.
Brandon (as Milo): That might get you shot by the mob, I want to say-
Julia: Or a hundred dollars in your hand, who knows? But they just don't let you in.
Eric: No, we're fine. But I think my friend Benjamin can help you. Slides you a hundred dollars.
[Eric and Julia laughing]
Amanda: I think I need to get my eyes on this painting. So I think Aggie would want to go up to the roof and look through the skylight.
Julia: Val also has no context as to why they're there.
Amanda: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Julia: Other than to like to back them up, you know.
Amanda: Yeah. So I kind of relay this plan to Knight of Mirrors in Milo, I think we should just get Intel and like get as much insight on who's coming in. Maybe someone can go to the loading dock and see what they're loading out. It's just important to get info at this point.
Eric: Yeah, I think that let's give you guys jobs and let's execute on that stuff. So what do you what do you all of you want to do specifically?
Amanda: I'm going to climb up to the roof and get some vantage point from the skylight.
Eric: Wonderful. Okay.
Brandon: I'm going to assume they're not going to be coming and going to the front door. So maybe I'm going to go to yeah, Knight of Mirrors can go to the back garage and then I can go to the side door. The loading dock.
Amanda: Yeah.
Brandon: And I'll just I'll just cast pass of trace and sort of like [in a gruff voice] be ghost in the shadows. [Regular voice] I'll stand, I'll stand in a shadow created by the lamp.
Amanda: Yeah the flood lights.
Julia: I imagine you creeping along to that kind of cartoon like [singing] de de de de de de de de de de de
Eric: Hey, hey Brandon.
Brandon: Uh huh?
Eric: Can you roll a d20 for me my man?
Brandon: I can yeah.
Eric: Because of pass without trace.
[Dice rolls]
Brandon: I got 6.
[Eric and Amanda cheering]
Eric: Let's go!!!! Holy shit.
Julia: Oh boy. Every time we try to sneakily infiltrate something.
Amanda: I know this is ostensibly bad for the story, but I love this so much. I love when you get your spirit surge so much.
Eric: Okay, alright. I like the idea of it. You all go like break, you all go in different directions.
Brandon: I'm also going to summon Tuna and have Tuna watch from a tree outside the front door. So we have all the exits covered.
Eric: Cool. And let's do Aggie. Aggie, how do you want to get on the roof?
Amanda: I think I will climb, I will first test and then climb a drainpipe affixed to the corner of the building. So it's sort of in shadow, going to get up there and then scurry my way to the center of the roof where the skylight is.
Eric: Alright, let's do acrobatics and then we'll do a stealth role for you.
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: 16 for acrobatics.
Eric: Oh, sorry. Is that with with your modifier?
Amanda: Yeah, I had 13 +3.
Brandon: She just did her head very quickly, Eric.
Eric: She's just so good at math. I didn't see it. Yeah 16? Absolutely. You gracefully, you're like a mountain goat. You just, you get a little bit of purchase and you run and you, you get yourself up there.
Amanda: Thank you.
Eric: Yeah, and now let's do a stealth roll.
[Dice rolling]
Amanda: Alright. 12.
Eric: I think that's, that's totally fine. I think you need over a 10. And so yeah you scurry up there and you're looking at the skylight, the Knight of Mirrors pulls away, pulls over to the garage and like hunkers down like a few like a hundred feet away in the shadows. Alright, Milo. Oh my man. Oh bud, oh bud.
Brandon: No nothing's better, its all fine.
Eric: Make a d10 roll for me.
[Dice rolls]
Brandon: 4!
Eric: Okay for the 4. Alright. I want you to make a stealth roll for me.
[Dice rolls]
Brandon: 18.
Eric: And that's with the +10 from pass without trace?
Brandon: Yeah, okay, wonderful. So you go over to the side of the loading dock, you're kind of hunkered in the shadows, I guess, in this like swampy urban industrial wasteland where you are and you're like, oh, I can stand in the shadows, man. It's totally it's totally cool.
Brandon: Being a ghost doesn't save my shoes, though.
Eric: And you're watching as you see that a van pulls up. Just a regular white van, not the Bones van.
Brandon: Thank god.
Eric: A white van pulls up and you see that like three people hop out of the white van. There's a white guy with, like platinum blond hair. There's an Indian guy with, like, long black hair that's tied up in a ponytail. And there is a Asian woman with bob length hair. They're all wearing like loose fitted chambray shirts. The woman's is like somehow cropped. So they're all wearing the same like baggy like harem pants. They're wearing like white coats and sandals together, which is pretty chilly for like the early, early spring, like even in April in upstate New York. It could be pretty cold.
Amanda: I'm kind of getting Team Rocket vibes.
Eric: All three of them are carrying like metal suitcases. And they're walking up to the freight entrance guys. The white van is kind of idling and the Indian guy steps up and says,
Eric (as man): Oh, dudes, hey, where do you want us to put this stuff man?
Eric: And and one of the guards, just like
Eric (as guard): I uh- go inside. What do you what do you mean?
Eric: The guy in the lab coat says,
Eric (as guy in labcoat): No, man, you need it. He has to work with the whole flow of your whole thing. Like, man, just tell me where you want me. Want me to put this. I'll just do it. Just tell me where it goes.
Eric: They're like,
Eric (as Guard): I don't know, just put it inside!
Eric: The woman in the white lab coat gives like a peace sign and the like walks through as they all three of them walk in. And then Milo someone taps you on the shoulder and you hear,
Eric (as Voice): Dude, what are you doing out here?
Brandon: I turn around.
Eric: And Milo you look down and you're not under the cloak of shadow at all. You're just kind of crouching in the swamp and you just kind of standing there.
Brandon: What what did I roll? Just like the negates?
Eric: Yeah, it just doesn't. Yeah, it just doesn't happen.
Brandon: Okay, Milo freezes for a second and looks up at the person and says.
Brandon (as Milo): Shit, I lost my contact. Can you help me? I don't know where I am. I don't know. I can't see. Can you do anything?
Eric: Give me your - you are wearing your Kilonova outfit, which is wonderful. Give me I've got to do an insight check. You're going to give me a deception with disadvantage.
Julia: Oh, my God.
Amanda: Or is it with advantage because Milo is basically being himself?
Eric: No!
Brandon: [Laughs] You guys wanna take a guess at what I rolled?!
Julia: 1 and 2?
Brandon: Close! 2 and a 3!
Eric: Wonderful, alright.
Amanda: How do you do that?
Julia: It's really impressive, honestly.
Amanda: It is!
Eric: Milo make a constitution saving throw for me, my man.
Julia: Oh, boy. Oh, Jesus.
Brandon: 7.
Eric: Alright. Milo you hear, you hear like,
Eric (as Voice): Dude, that's such a bummer. But not as much as this. [makes zapping noises] Eric: And you pass out.
Amanda: Oh my God.
Julia: Oh, sweet, sweet baby Jesus.
Brandon: Is my my cat friend still awake and alive in the tree though?
Eric: Oh yeah. Yeah. Okay, Val, Aunt Min comes back over to you after a little while and says, you know, we have some visitors here.
Eric (as Aunt Min): I don't know if you'd want to if you want to see them or anything, I don't know. You're going to see more of this is real. Real. Bring your relatives to work today sort of thing. I hear that that's what they do. It's actually wonderful in Brazil, it's actually bring everyone who lives under your roof to work day. And it could be a whole thing because of the blended families. You might not even know who's going to show up.
Julia (as Val): That sounds really crowded for a workplace.
Eric (as Aunt Min): You know, we just make it work and everyone takes a siesta.
Julia (as Val): That sounds nice. Actually, I like that.
Eric: Hey, this is Eric here. I know that Brazil doesn't take siestas.
Amanda: Just Aunt Min.
Eric: Da da da da dadada! And she leaves you over to like her main area and you see that the three white jacketed folk are coming in with their metal suitcases and you see that another guy is coming up behind them, another like super blonde white guy who's inexplicably six foot six comes in and is dragging Milo or in this time Kilonova behind him.
Julia: Oh.
Eric (as Aunt Min): I just wanted you to meet someone. These are our friends here from the People's River, this is some group that were we have some relationships with. And I thought it would be nice for you to to talk to them here. While they're here doing checking all that stuff out.
Julia (as Val): Sure, and who's the passed out guy that they're carrying? Is he also with the People's River?
Eric: Make a deception check for me?
Julia: +6 now, baby. Bold choice.
Eric: Damn your deception was +5 before?
Julia: Yeah, it's a 13 +6 for a 19.
Amanda: Nice.
Eric: Aunt Min says
Eric (as Aunt Min): You don't - you don't recognize him?
Julia (as Val): No,
Brandon: Milo wakes up groggy and says,
Brandon (as Milo): Everyone recognizes me!
Eric (as Aunt Min): Yeah, well, I guess Salimony gave me the wrong information. No, yeah, he this is someone who wants to interfere with our plans. And what's wonderful about working and protecting the family is that we all can protect each other. Even friends of the family are also family.
Eric: And all the people in the white coats are like "all righteous I think that way it's about family! We're family, man. Absolutely!" I think holding Milo is just like, [monotoned] yes, I love found family.
Brandon: I want to join the People's River. That sounds lovely.
Eric: Kilonova, you wake up groggy as you see these three white coated folk standing around and you're held in this strong man's grasp at the moment.
Brandon (as Milo): I doctor, I don't think I think the drugs are wearing off. I-I-I-I-I-I- snack?
Julia (as Val): Can we give him some spaghetti? Because I saw Salimony eating some spaghetti and he seems like he might need it.
Eric: Salimony from the kitchenette that goes
Eric (as Sal): NO! Only the family gets the pasta!
Julia (as Val): Well as part of the family, as your blood relatives, Salimony you're going to give me some fucking pasta!
Eric (as Sal): NO!
Julia (as Val): Now don't make me don't make me come over there.
Eric (as Aunt Min): Salvator!
Brandon: [laughing] Salvador.
Eric (as Aunt Min): Excuse me.
Eric: Salimony just shrinks.
Amanda: Salvatore Salimony.
Eric: Preserver on top of the roof you get a call from an unknown number.
Amanda: I answer it and whisper
Amanda (as Aggie): Hello?
Eric: [Whispering, hollow sounding] Hey it's Knight of Mirrors, I'm calling from my helmet phone.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh, cool. I want one of those.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Yeah, they're really sick. Yeah I just circled around. I didn't see Kilonova anywhere?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah. It looks like somehow they nabbed him at the freight elevator and he's inside. He's like barely conscious. They must have stunned him or something.
Brandon (as Milo): [From a distance] BRING ME A PASTA!
Amanda (as Aggie): I think he's doing ok. I will tell you if that changes. I also don't want to blow Vulcani's cover because they're not in costume down there.
Eric (as Knight of Mirrors): Hey, wait, do you see that?
Amanda (as Aggie): See what?
Eric: Aggie you turn to your left and you see the two giant van headlights are coming so fast towards the warehouse now and the van starts getting closer and closer. And now you're starting to see the detail of Bones all over this black van.
Amanda (as Aggie): These fucking guys won't leave me alone.
Eric: The door's thrown open. You hear the bass of the trap music that they use to hype themself up, and
Eric (as Bones): This is Bone's body!! Here to check out another weird thing happening in Lake Town City!! We heard that there's a strange, powerful artifact inside here. And also there's the mob. Let's see what happens!!
[Eric makes a gun cocking sound]
Eric: As Bones Body unloads another one of those potato gods into the front door. And it's just like a boof like the little light there is. This is another splash panel where you see, like, the little light of streetlamps around or through this purple like holy paint that we described before. And the two guys are just down, as Jack O'Lantern hops out and just like slugs them real quick. And you see the cameraman, Brett, is like holding a really heavy camera on his shoulder, like trying to keep up and Bones Body's like
[Suspenseful 8-bit music fades in]
Eric (as Bones): Brett, we talked about this. We need you to get this shot. I know you've been only doing this for a little while, but we need you to keep up. Alright. Come on, man. We're going to go inside.
Eric: And Aggie, as you see inside and Val and Milo and your groggy state, you hear like through the wall you hear [more fake gun cocking noises]
Eric (as Bones): [Muffled through the wall] Bret, you need to keep up, cause things are happening here! [No longer muffled] Alright. Let's get that thumbnail, boys!
Eric: As they run in.
Amanda: Yeah, I am just gonna drop in from the skylight and land in a crouch using my slow fall. I'll take whatever damage I have to take. I'll attempt to do it stealthily if this is not exactly like right over where Min and everybody is. But if it's not, it's not. And I'm just going to drop in.
Eric: Yeah. Why don't you make a stealth roll and figure out where the skylight is?
Amanda: It's only a 9.
Eric: Alright, with a 9. Yeah. The skylight is not you're not dropping directly in there, but you try to open it and it just won't it won't budge until you like you pull on it. You're like, oh, it's stuck. And they throw it open and it just shatters.
Amanda: Yeah. I just drop down to the warehouse and land in a crouch.
Eric: Absolutely, you land in a crouch.And Aunt Min says,
Eric (as Aunt Min): What is going on here?
Amanda (as Aggie): Sometimes preservation requires some action.
Eric: Everyone, let's roll initiative!
Amanda: Woo!
[8-bit music fades out]
[Theme music]