Everybody’s working for the weekend! But that won’t stop the party from looking into the Nephews. Aggie teleconferences in. Val tastes something from home. Milo unlocks a mystery.
Housekeeping
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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 (Val Vesuvio), Co-Producer, Editor: Julia Schifini
- Co-Host (Aggie O’Hare), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- 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: Aggie Val and Milo run an obstacle course to be on Emily slaughters crime-fighting squad with some quick thinking a bunch of luck and picking Milo up when his legs didn't work all three made it to the end and a fast after the trial Milo traded Emily his $10,000 payout for one of dr. marrows emergency science keys to open the weird pod in the bottom of the museum and an ice cream truck tried to run over Val and Aggie in the warehouse parking lot with Val taking the majority of the hit but scraping off some paints to recognize the truck in the future you know we might have hit a rocky road this is no vanilla story with swirls of mystery and intrigue… Uh… Um, sherbert, let's get the party started.
[Theme music]
Eric: Much like any good Friday night, you are walking away from a warehouse in the hipster district.
Brandon: You fundamentally misunderstand how we spend our Friday nights, Eric.
[Eric laughing]
Julia: You are not misunderstanding how Val spends their nights.
Amanda: Brandon it's more like if you and I like stopped at a sample sale for linens on our way home at 5:30.
Brandon: Oh yeah, the nest sample sale.
Amanda: Yes and then someone elbowed you and you're like ow and then you walk home and you get home at 6:30 in you're HOO what a night!
Julia: Yeah that's like getting hit by a truck in a warehouse.
Brandon: I get it, I get it. Thank you.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Okay the real power fantasy is that Brandon and Amanda's characters stay out past 10:00.
Julia: Let’s be real, it’s also mine.
Eric: Alright so you all uh you all head home I think at one point you see Emily walk out and grab an Uber.
Amanda: Of course, classic Emily.
Julia: Fuckin’ asshole. We have perfectly good public transport in the city we created.
Eric (as Emily): I 50 percent off I use it all the time, I don't know why they keep giving it to me.
Julia (as Val): It's like two dollars to take the skytram!
Brandon (as Milo): It's less it's like seventy five cents because we live in an actually good city.
Julia: Oh, sorry we do, it’s true.
Eric: It's only $2.
Amanda: Subsidized monthly passes oh so good.
Eric: Alright so you all head home we're gonna start with Val! So Val it's still that night and you're heading home walking up to your apartment we’ve talked about the fact that you have like a shitty apartment but only nice things inside yeah tell me more about that.
Julia: So Val obviously is a adult human so they rent their own apartment—
Brandon: Sounds suspicious sure…
Julia: They were at their own apartment and you know they don't make a lot of money in the side hustles that they do and stuff so that's the kind of place they can afford is like a little studio apartment above the pizzeria the nice things are all gifts from family members.
Amanda: Oooh!
Julia: So Eric mentioned four poster beds yeah poster bed.
Amanda: Do you have like a full bedroom set and like that's all your furniture?
Julia: Basically and there's like a lot of really good kitchen stuff like high-quality cappuccino maker, and full like enamelware like the expensive kind of it enamelware.
Amanda: Oh yeah like vintage Pyrex that isn't expensive but just like is old.
Julia: And all their clothes, and then their grandma's tin saucepot obviously.
Amanda: Awww.
Brandon: I love that.
Eric: It's just like a crappy apartment and then Anthropology just like vomited through the entire apartment.
Julia: Yes!
Eric: Here's the question I was mulling around in my head how do they know what you want? In my head it's like you could just keep updating an Amazon wishlist or just like you have an open like Evernote document or an open Google Doc where you just like put links in and then you just cross them out and replace them.
Julia: I think it's less that and more like private Pinterest board that someone has access to and now to certainly ask for anything they just kind of like pin something or they like something on Instagram and then like a week later there's an Amazon package at the door or something like that.
Eric: I like that that you're not even doing it intentionally you just do it and then through phone calls or through social media.
Julia: It’s very passive.
Eric: It’s super funny!
Brandon: Does it always smell like delicious yeast in the like rising bread in the apartment?
Julia: Nah I think it's always a little bit of a scent of cooked onions and garlic little bit of basil in the air. I kind of imagined—
Amanda: A lil’ tomato acidity.
Julia: Val is not like a particularly good gardener or anything like that but there's a basil plant that they have kept alive for like years.
Amanda: Yeaaah!!
Julia: And that is always available!
Amanda: A vigorous grower!
Julia: They’re very hard to kill, these plants. Definitely a housewarming gift from their mom.
Eric: If it's fall 2020 what do you think Val wants now?
Julia: I think that their Instagram like they've been checking the apartment hashtag a bit and it's a lot of like nice duvet covers for like when the seasons are changing.
Amanda: A little flannel maybe?
Julia: Yeah a little bit of flannel like like a good solid blanket for the couch that kind of thing.
Brandon: I want to live in this apartment!
Eric: I like maybe if the company was called like Goose Gown but its Gooosse Dwn and they move the O forward so it's Goosedon.
[Everyone starts repeating Goodsedon]
Jula: That sounds like everybody’s saying gustin weird.
Eric: That's great, so yeah, you're coming home it's like 11:30 midnight and you're heading up to your apartment and there's a big box in the hallway.
Julia: Yeah par for the course so Val kind of unlocks the door nudges it open with their foot and then kind of drags it back into the apartment.
Eric: Right and you of course you need to avoid the beautiful coat rack that is next to your door.
Julia: I'm so gaudy.
Amanda: Sought iron!
Eric: So you have your big box and yeah you're in your apartment.
Julia: Alright, I throw my stuff down, I check my phone to see if I have any jobs for tomorrow, which I do I have like a notification about moving someone from like one house in Weston to another house in Weston.
Amanda: Classic Weston,
Julia: Val does like a man with a van kind of thing but whatever the like gender-neutral version of that is.
Amanda: A person with a cushion, capabilities a ramp into my car.
Brandon: Person with car.
Julia: Yeah, basically that so they're gonna probably sometime tomorrow morning go and work that job. Then I'll open up the package and see what's up.
Eric: Alright so it's in the patented grey purple Gooosse Dwn box you pop it open and there is this beautiful mechanically created hypoallergenic down blanket in there.
Julia: Nice, I pull the one from last season off the couch and throw this one on istead.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: Great alright so as you pull it out you hear like crunching—
Brandon: It’s full of goose bones!
Eric: [Extremely sarcastic] Yes Brandon, yeah you're right, it was goose bones. Well alright Val we're gonna go move on in the next scene alright.
Julia: Alright, so they'll kick the box the same noise.
Eric: Yeah it's like somebody's rattling around the box.
Julia: They check the bottom of the box.
Eric: Okay so in the bottom of the box covering the entire bottom of this big box there's dried macaroni—
Julia: Okay.
[Amanda laughing]
Eric: And there is a manila envelope alright so in the manila envelope.
[Amanda laughs again]
Julia: God dammit, alright. They open the manilla envelope.
Eric: You see that there’s photos taken of you with a briefcase attached to your wrist—
Amanda: Noooooo!
Eric: Now it seems from an angle you can see that's taken from high up so it could've been a security camera. I don’t know, you weren't really looking so maybe it's a security camera up there. There's one of you just kicking some goons asses and then there's ones of you walking down the hallway to the auctioneer and the banker’s office, and then there's another one of the other room in that room of you making the handoff and then you leave.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: And then you see there's the auctioneer opening up that big duffel bag briefcase, and you see him pull out all the money, and the final shot is him holding what looks like an oversized laser cannon.
Brandon: Ooohhh.
Julia: Great.
Eric: Have you ever seen you know when there's like a SWAT team and they have like the personal sized battering ram?
Julia: Yeah, exactly.
Eric: You know what I’m talking about?
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, like it's like a battering ram with two handles that one person can use. It looks like that, but there's like all—
Amanda: An apartment-sized battering ram!
Brandon: Yeah!
Eric: A personal pan battering ram.
Brandon: Buttery crust!
Amanda: That’s like a great gift for Val, I dunno what you’re talking about?
Eric: But of course it has a laser opening and it still has these blue glowing thing and I want you to make an investigation check.
[Dice rolling]
Brandon: Is that a 0? Or a 1?
Julia: That is a nat 20.
Eric: Bang bang!
Amanda and Brandon: Ayyy!
Eric: Alright so here is the weird thing you know it's a laser cannon because like it is iridescent and weird and glowing blue. Especially like if you know how a gun has a muzzle, but if it's a laser cannon and it just has like kind of an opening on the front but like—
Julia: I know all about laser cannons.
Eric: It is very science fictiony it's like neo futuristic and it's like also comic-bookish it's like this white gold sort of shiny metal and that core is blue and there's like a weird fin on top, and you realized with a nat 20, that this looks very similar to the technology that the Nephews had. Like they have their electrified sticks there were also very strange, they're like billy clubs that were like electrified and also futuristic, that jetpack although yabby didn't know how to fly it it, was also like very like a futuristic comic-book kind of version of what a jetpack could look like in a cyberpunk 90’s sort of style.
Julia: Okay probably not the first time someone's blackmailed me before—
[Brandon Laughing]
Eric: I would also say with a nat 20 you check on the macaroni, pop it in your mouth crunch it, and you have an immediate flashback to when you were 9 and you were at your dad's mom's house. You're like I know what this pasta tastes like.
Amanda: Ohhhhhhhh!
Julia: Yeah, I had a feeling…
Amanda: Val is a bloodhound of Italian goods!
[Brandon laughing]
Amanda: Dried and sundries!
Eric: I would also say within at 20 your dad is Marco Marconi aka The Macaroni who is a Capo in the New York City mob and how high up is that capo?
Julia: So there's the boss and the boss has the Consigliere which is like the advisor and Capo's are the bosses under the bosses, so he's an underboss so he would have his own crews and stuff like that, that worked different jobs and whatnot and they pay up to the Capo which then pays up to the boss.
Brandon: So I am just picturing you waking up one day and in your bed there's just like pasta [Brandon and Amanda laughing]
Julia: Listen, dad’s gotta signature.
Amanda: That's funny because I was picturing Cate Blanchett playing a mob boss and then some kind of like bando style tuxedo and it's called the Underboob Underboss—
Julia: So hot!
Amanda: So that's just where I was at for a minute.
Julia: I’m here for it.
Brandon: Two different things, both equally good.
Eric: Both of equal stature yeah is there anything that wants to do?
Julia: What time is it?
Eric: Midnightish.
Julia: Val's gonna take some leftover sauce that's in their fridge and is gonna make some pasta.
Eric: Absolutely.
Julia: Also takes a picture of it and sends it to their dad.
Amanda: Oooohhh.
Eric: You get no response because your dad goes to sleep at like 8:30.
Julia: It’s like midnight, I want him to wake up to it.
Eric: That's good, I feel like we end if you look at the comic book is like the panel is just Val making pasta. Alright we're gonna go to Milo! So Milo this is the next day everybody you all take your full sleep so y'all do your long rests you all get your HP and your spells back. It is Saturday but I assume that the museum is still open on a Saturday. I literally DM’d you and I'm like oh it's Saturday I'm like wait you work at a museum you have weird hours.
Brandon: Yeah it was weird at 2:00 a.m. I got a dm from Eric it was like [yelling] “WHAT ARE THE HOURS?!”
Eric: Okay, first of all it was like 2:00 P.M. we were at work, that’s not what happened. Is Milo gonna make it to work on time today?
Brandon: I think so cause it's Saturday so for whatever reason even though he has to work it's like less stressful, you know? The world seems less stressful.
Eric: I think it's like the fact that you go to work even though the sky tram doesn't run, maybe as frequently it's just not rush hour I think that's also nice.
Brandon: Yeah but because we're living in a a great city with actually good transportation there’s still — there's no delays there's still trains every—
Eric: It just might be less frequent but it's still working yeah so you head on in to MMFFC, and at this point you see your best friend Lucas is standing out front. We talked about this and Milo has friends—
Amanda: WHAT?!
Eric: But Milo has been running late every time so you haven't been able to introduce them so Lucas also works with you at MMFFC. He is like an archivist there and he's holding a bag of donuts for you.
Brandon: [gasps] YES! Yeah, every other time Lucas has been already in the archives because I've shown up 15 minutes late.
Eric: Exactly.
Brandon: Right.
Brandon (as Milo): Lucas! Are those small donuts? Are those the tiny ones?
Eric (as Lucas): You know listen, why did we spend two whole days trying all the different kinds of don't if now we don't know which is the best doughnuts and now I'm gonna get them for you.
Brandon (as Milo): Man, I miss college.
Julia: Your friends are so nerdy bro.
Eric (as Lucas): Uh Milo, we did this last week…
Brandon (as Milo): We didn't go to college together.
Eric (as Lucas): No we didn't go to grow up together. I mean you can still miss it, I just was not there. Now your life is significantly better.
Brandon (as Milo): It is cause I got tiny doughnuts in my life now!
Eric (as Lucas): There ya go man! Anything happen, anything weird happen while you were running late and I was doing my job?
[Amanda laughing]
Julia: Sick burn.
Brandon (as Milo): Rude.
Eric (as Lucas): Fair, that’s why you like me.
Brandon (as Milo): I mean you heard about the auction right?
Eric (as Lucas): Yeah dude where that was I've heard through the grapevine that you’d tell everyone you weren't there.
Brandon (as Milo): I was there I just yeah I was there trying to get the thing for Mr. Bossman
Eric (as Lucas): Oh, okay but like nothing else nothing else? Nothing else weird happened?
Brandon (as Milo): No I mean it got robbed and I ran away.
Eric (as Lucas): Oh, okay…
Brandon (as Milo): That was weird.
Eric: Lucas takes out his phone and he shows you a screenshot which has like the impact font meme that'd be like I shot a ghost out of my body and then I pooped my pants.
[Amanda laughs]
Eric (as Lucas): Oh so I just oh yeah I must have photoshopped this by myself?
Julia: Can I have a ghost hand?
[Everyone laughs]
Amanda: I can has ghost hand?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah it's weird that you spent the time to photoshop this together and get tiny doughnuts?
Eric: Mm-hmm yeah, that's true okay that's fine. Whatever you wanna tell me or not tell me that's fine. I thought we were best friends but I guess we're not so… [sighs] Oh I guess I’m gonna have to go find a best friend to eat these doughnuts with. [sighs]
Eric: Then he walks away humming The Incredible Hulk theme song like the one with Lou Ferrigno.
Brandon: How's that one go?
[Eric starts singing the theme solemnly]
Julia: As he sadly walks down the road hitchhiking.
Eric: [Continues singing] Holding the donuts [more singing]
Brandon (as Milo): Lucas I want the donuts!
Eric (as Lucas): Yeah well you know I was gonna give it to my best friend but I guess I don't have one—
Brandon (as Milo): I’ve got something I got something for you.
Eric (as Lucas): Oh yeah?
Brandon: I take the key out of my pocket.
Eric (as Lucas): Ooh what is it?
Brandon (as Milo): It’s a science key!
Eric (as Lucas): You can't just say science on a thing and try to get me interested in it!
Brandon (as Milo): Yes I can you're a big big nerd.
Eric (as Lucas): Hurtful, fine, alright what is it what does it do? Why is it a science key?
Brandon (as Milo): Okay so you know that new exhibit that came into the museum?
Eric (as Lucas): What — no?
Brandon (as Milo): Weird pod thing a containment unit thing that came in! Did you not see this?
Eric (as Lucas): What? No!
Brandon (as Milo): Okay well there's a new pod thing that came in —
Eric (as Lucas): Alright, cool I guess?
Brandon (as Milo): and this is gonna it open it.
Eric (as Lucas): Alright let's go check it out!
Brandon (as Milo): You wanna see what's inside?
Eric (as Lucas): Yeah!
Brandon (as Milo): Let's do it!
Eric (as Lucas): Alright guess we are best friends even though you lied to me!
Eric: He’s running down the stairs.
Brandon (as Milo): CanI have the chocolate kind of blueberry ones?!
Eric (as Lucas): Only when you show me a cool thing!
Brandon (as Milo): I want to put the chocolate and blueberry ones ones together for —
Eric (as Lucas): [voice fading with distance] Ahh I can’t hear you!
Eric: So yeah now you and Lucas are in front of the pod.
Brandon: Okay!
Brandon (as Milo): Lucas are you ready?
Eric (as Lucas): Yeah! Ready for what?
Brandon (as Milo): Okay so I need you to do something.
Eric (as Lucas): Okay.
Brandon (as Milo): So I'm gonna need you to knock three times, spin around, and then chant “Open! Open! Open!” And I'll put the key in.
Eric (as Lucas): Fuck you not doing that do the thing. I'm already mad at you.
Brandon (as Milo): You did it last time.
Eric: Now he's just like slowly opening the bag and putting the doughnuts in his mouth.
Eric (as Lucas): Mmmmm it’s so good!
Eric: And he just pops one in his mouth.
Brandon (as Milo): [Muttering under his breath] I wanted some fucking doughnuts.
Eric (as Lucas): As soon as you show me something I'll do it. It's so good oh this one had cream inside didn't even know they made those!
Brandon (as Milo): [Still muttering[ Did you get the creme brulee ones?
Eric (as Lucas): [Taunting Milo] Oh let me look around oh I guess I only got one and I'm gonna put it in my mouth now!
Brandon (as Milo): Lucas I'm gonna put you in this casket…
Eric (as Lucas): No you're not show me science guy!
Brandon (as Milo): Are you coming on to me Lucas?
Brandon: I put the key into the casket.
Eric: What do you do? Just put it in?
Brandon: And turn it.
Eric: The reason why I asked it's funny is that you would assume you have to turn it but you literally just like put it in and then it like glows a little bit, then it's like
Eric (as casket): [Monotone voice] Emergency sequence activated.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh good!
Eric: The door goes [heavy door opening noise] and like smoke comes out —
Brandon: Super sciency!
Eric: Then Bigfoot walks out! The smoke comes out and you wait for a second Lucas says
Brandon (as Milo): Oooo ahhh! Lucas look, it’s empty!
Eric (as Lucas): It’s not — dog it's not empty…
Brandon (as Milo): What?
Eric: You look inside and there is a human skeleton inside.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh good lord! Okay—
Eric and Brandon (as Lucas and Milo): UHHHHHHHH!
Eric (as Lucas): Alriiiight.
Brandon (as Milo): Lucas go get the boss please!
Eric (as Lucas): Oh definitely bye bye!
Brandon (as Milo): Thank you!
Eric (as Lucas): I'm taking the doughnuts for safekeeping!
Brandon (as Milo): Please I lost my appetite!
Eric (as Lucas): Me too!
Eric: And then he reaches across and pops one into his mouth and walks over to get Mr. Brewpot.
Brandon (as Milo): You're a weirdo!
Eric (as Lucas): Brewpot! Brewski!
Eric: What do you think the spirits look like cause you have Tuna. But Tuna is just like an ethereal cat. What do you think a human spirit looks like?
Brandon: I think they're all different I think there are different shades of like transparency and like formess like materialness. I think the ones that like flow through me are not strong enough to make a form in the physical world right and so I'm like their conduit but the ones that can take form in the world are more corporeal.
Eric: I like that it's kind of like you know when you go you're in Photoshop and you put like the glow shadow behind them it might just be like that depending on how hard they can hold their form I like that. So stepping out you see there's a guy wearing a lab coat, he has big chunky glasses, and ratty jeans, and converse sneakers he's like
Eric (as spirit): Oh so you're the guy who saved me? Thanks dude!
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah no problem!
Eric (as spirit): Okay well deuces!
Brandon (as Milo): Can you hold on one second?
Eric (as spirit): Oh yeah? Yeah! What's up?
Brandon (as Milo): Oh god where do I start? Uh one how? Two why? Three how am I talking to you? Four what are you gonna do next? Where did you come from? How was this science?
Eric (as spirit): Can you — well that was that was a lot of questions can you do those to me in order? I'll work through.
Brandon (as Milo): Okay, okay do you know how I'm talking to you?
Eric (as spirit): Well I assume I'm dead because bad things happened to me.
Brandon (as Milo): Right and that's your skeleton in there.
Eric (as spirit) Yeah in this thing.
Brandon (as Milo): Right sorry about that, was it painful?
Eric (as spirit): No it's kind of like that thing in Pokemon where you faint they like just everything kind of goes black and then eventually you see Nurse Joy and I didn't see Nurse Joy at the end but it's kind of just kind of —
Brandon (as Milo): I'm Nurse Joy whaddup!
Eric (as spirit): I hate it I hope not. It's kind like that.
Brandon (as Milo): What happened? How did you die?
Eric (as spirit): Uhh
Brandon (as Milo): Oh and what is this pod thing?
Eric (as spirit): Good these are all great questions! Uh,well, I was working on an experiment for Dr. Morrow and we were testing it, and I walked inside to see to tweak something and I guess something turned on and it locked and then that's kind of it. Then Pokemon fainting.
Brandon (as Milo): What were you testing?
Eric (as spirit): Oh yeah this pod! So you know —
Brandon (as Milo): Also your starting six?
Eric (as spirit): Listen, longer conversation than you have right now. Um so you know so you know in Pokemon when you give one of your characters like your starting six like a rare candy, or a special XP up, or one of those and it raises stats? Of course it's just with regular food like you kind of give them a lemonade and for some reason it raises HP or the berries. It’s kinda like that so there's an idea that maybe if we infuse something into actual food and we consume it then maybe things will be better! You'll be faster, you'll be stronger, or your level up in so many ways. Maybe you'll evolve even.
Brandon (as Milo): Okay, okay…Was any of a successful that you're aware of?
Eric (as spirit): Oh man, I mean we worked on I was working on it I was part of the pre team. I'm more of like I know we were all science guys but I was like a [adding emphasis] science guy. I was more theoretical and we had just started doing experimentation and then this all happened you know TPK man.
Brandon (as Milo): I'm sorry man…
Eric (as spirit): Total party kill…
Brandon (as Milo): Cool
[a beat passes]
Brandon (as Milo): Not that kind of nerd alright um…
Julia: I was going to ask what Milo's in-universe classic character were like but denied I guess.
Eric: Listen he’s a Star Trek nerd already, he never played Dungeon and Dragons, it’s too nerdy even for Milo.
Brandon (as Milo): Do you think Dr. Morrow can see you? Or is it just me?
Eric (as spirit): Oh man well I mean for whatever time have been trapped in the pod I don't think no — I don't think so not even a little talk to anyone like I know I seem pretty nonchalant now but how long I don't even know how long it's been I've been in there and no one's responded other than you so it might be something. I'm surprised you can talk to me! How can you do that?
Brandon (as Milo): That's why I was gonna ask do you know anything about the like you know after part you know?
Eric (as spirit): The epilogue? Like the after game like when you beat the campaign in Pokemon and then you play more things afterwards?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah the credit sequence for Humanity something about that?
Eric (as spirit): Yeah no you know I've read some stuff but there are ideas that maybe when your spirit leaves your body it's more just like the energy and you still exist within the universe but those are just theories I mean how can you test death? You can't! You can't do an experiment.
Brandon (as Milo): True,yeah…
Eric (as spirit): It's cool you can talk to me that's pretty sick.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah I'm glad you have a friend in the post afterlife. The after afterlife.
Eric (as spirit): Yeah I like that in the after credits I like that new game plus.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah new game plus.
Eric (as spirit): Nice alright duces.
Brandon (as Milo): Well okay yeah if you ever need anything let me know.
Eric (as spirit): I don't know it works after this…
Eric: You feel like he's kind of deteriorating a little bit like he glow on his back is happening a little bit more. He reaches out his hand to shake your hand.
Eric (as spirit): Hey thanks dude letting me out.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah of course uh yeah.
Brandon: I shake his hand.
Eric: You shake his hand and you feel like maybe for a moment like your eyes glowed green you changed like for a moment it's like you flickered on you flickered back off. And we've talked about this a little bit and how uncontrollable it is but I think that as you interact with more spirits I think maybe you have a better handle on what's happening and the ghostliness so by DM what I'm giving to you is that you have more of a control of your spirit. I looked at it and you have +5 to animal handling is that right?
Brandon: Yeah!
Eric: So now you can use that animal handling on Tuna so Tuna is a cat and kind of does what cats do. So if you roll an animal handling check on Tuna they are more likely to be more effective when you ask them to do things.
Brandon: Great! And yeah I think there's also the spirits control goes part and parcel with just Milo's confidence in himself, and I think he's you know now that he can talk to a spirit he feels a little bit better about what's happening and a little bit more understanding.
Eric: Absolutely I have this boy you have this like moment of calm you're like hey I did the thing it's not just me talking to a dumb cat like I talked to an actual person!
Brandon: And then I look up and realize there's a human skeleton in front of me!
Eric: At this point security it's like running past. You get pushed to the side and you can see Mr. Brewpot like
Eric (as Mr. Brewpot): Oh no! I can't believe this happened son are you alright?!
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah I'm totally fine!
Eric (as Mr. Brewpot): Oh we never should have let you expose yourself! You have such a sensitive constitution!
Brandon (as Milo): That's a weird thing to say alright.
Eric: Alright, and we’ll cut away from there.
[Transition note]
Hey, it’s Eric.
First off, we’d like to extend love from our team and our whole community to our Black listeners. Your lives matter and we stand with you this and every week. As people with a platform, it’s our duty to speak up about this racism and violence.
A note about the plot in any superhero story, there is a battle between good and evil, and in a modern context, there is the presence of police. By including them in the story, we do not condone any of their actions in the real world. The actions by the NYPD and LAPD and the police around the country demonstrate they are not here to protect us, but enforce the status quo of the socioeconomically powerful.
Multitude has made a donation to the national bail funds, and we encourage anyone who can to do the same. A link to those bail funds, is in the description of this episode.
Thank you to everyone who has joined our Patreon in the last week: Karen, Patricia, Rayne, WoodesenMoosen, Antoine, Maddey, Sam, and CyanCicada,
We’re so grateful for each and every person who supports us on Patreon. You literally make it possible for this to be our jobs, and we could not do it without you. It’s the highlight of our week to talk about new episodes with you in our Patron-only discord, and I love coming up with a new NPC backstory for every episode, and seeing everyone read it. To get access to all of these benefits and to help ensure we can keep making this show, and the other shows in Multitude, join us for as little as $5 a month at patreon.com/jointhepartypod.
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Next, I want to recommend a wonderful podcast for you to listen to once you catch up on JTP. Orbiting Human Circus is a magical, musical podcast that invites you into the mystery surrounding the lonely young janitor who lives at the top of the Eiffel Tower… and has no idea how he got there. They’re just wrapping up their second season, so you can start from the beginning or jump right into season two and escape into the world of the Orbiting Human Circus. Featuring the voices of John Cameron Mitchell, Susannah Flood, Julian Koster, and many more. Find it wherever you get your podcasts or at orbitinghumancircus.com.
We are sponsored this week by Zombies, Run, an app that turns your run into an exciting adventure. They combine thrilling audio storytelling with compelling gameplay. Written by Naomi Alderman, the award-winning author of The Power, you participate in a hopeful story about people coming together in adversity. As Runner 5, you help to rebuild humanity's last bastion, rescuing survivors, collecting supplies, and finding a cure. Best of all, Zombies Run is free to download. They have over 500 missions, and you can unlock a new mission every week for free. No matter what speed you run, how much experience you have, or if you’re indoors or outdoors, Zombies Run provides excitement and motivation to get out there. Also running sucks, but the fact that there’s an app to make it better is amazing! Download it now on iPhone and Android - just search for "zombies run".
We’re also sponsored by Backblaze. They provide unlimited computer backup for Macs and PCs for just $6/month. Backblaze runs in the background, backing up your documents, music, photos, videos, drawings, projects—all of your data. And you can restore files anywhere, downloading them on the web or purchasing a restore Hard Drive overnighted to you in the mail. They are going to send you a hard drive of your stuff! That is so helpful no one can help you with that either than your mom unless your mom is Bill Gates. The BackBlaze mobile apps means you can even access or download your files on the go. They’ve restored over 50 billion (billion with a B!) files for customers. See for yourself why Backblaze is the easiest and best file backup service by signing up for a fully-featured free trial at backblaze.com/jtp. There’s no credit card required to get 15 days of BackBlaze for free, and see why this is the best $6/month you’ll ever spend. That’s backblaze.com/jtp. Get peace of mind knowing your files are backed up securely in the cloud with BackBlaze.
Finally, we are sponsored this week by Hero Forge. Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures. with dozens of fantasy races and thousands of parts to choose from. You can spend a thousand hours just making minis for yourself using their mini maker! And now they have full-color minis, too! We love our minis and we know you’ll love yours as well. So visit HeroForge.com to start designing your custom miniature today, and check back often: new content is added every week, maybe you can have a chef’s hat, that’d be really cool! That’s heroforge.com.
And now, let’s get back to the show.
[Transition note]
Eric: Hey what do you want to what do you want to do what kind of wild and crazy stuff does Aggie get up to on Saturday?
Amanda: I'm not gonna let you demean Aggie by making fun of all of the housekeeping, gardening, canning, and pickling that Aggie likes to do on the weekends. But today Aggie wakes up with a real sense of purpose and gets dressed checks online the hours for Town Hall and heads on over to the town archives which is down in the city center kind of near the Capitol building.
Eric: Cool, cool, cool! Alright yeah you've definitely been down in that Town Hall before so this shouldn't be a problem. What is your relationship I guess to the larger government like do they know who you are can you just walk into the archive?
Amanda: Yeah so it's kind of like Aggie is almost like a representative from a u.s. territory which are ruled by and yet not allowed to vote on issues decided by the Congress.
Eric: It's a real Guam situation.
Amanda: It is! A real Guam situation and less unjust than those but Aggie is kind of like an unelected representative for Lake Town for historic Lake Town. So basically she sits in on council meetings she is sort of present like allowed to be around and sometimes they kind of like ask her opinion it's almost like they're allowing in name, but not really in power for the old-school citizens of Lake Town to have a say in Lake Town city's development.
Eric: I think that's interesting we talked about this in the world-building episodes and I think that like each neighborhood might like have a City Council representative similar to what we have in New York City or borough presidents or whatever. Maybe it's like a park technically like it shouldn't have a voting representative right but it's you who also has this custodian position because it's designated by the state/federal government.
Amanda: Yeah and like Aggie is sort of the like there's a board of trustees of them like historic like town kind of Visitor Center and museum. But Aggie is like the one person who is not like a retiree, or has other nonprofit jobs um so she kind of just shows up to stuff and so it's almost like you have so many reasons that you would need to give her a call, that she's kind of just like around for a lot of stuff but that being said, Lake Town city has so many things going on that it doesn't always affect Aggie. She's not super up-to-date on like what's happening all the other neighborhoods they kind of like talk to her about issues that affect historic Lake Town so she's sort of in but not really of the broader city government.
Eric: That's interesting it's like if the representative for Washington D.C. to Congress was also the mayor of Washington D.C. That's definitely the closest comp I can think of but it's not like a city scale.
Amanda: Yeah and so far Aggie hasn't had to take a lot of stands because she's only 30 and a lot of this development happened before she took this position about six years ago. So she is very friendly with and kind of like walk around in the town hall like it's not unusual to see her there. I think today you know she's going to do some research about Ma’s, about ice cream trucks, and about this mysterious knight on a reflective motorcycle. But she doesn't wanna make it super obvious that she is like digging around so she kind of like strolls in coffee in hands,—
[Ambient typing and office sounds start]
Amanda: She says hi to the guards, says hi to the secretaries. The town hall’s opened because the DMV is open for a little while so it's kind of like a skeleton crew but she tries to kind of amble casually back to the archives.
Eric: Yeah I think you can get into the archives, this feels like when you go to like the microfiche section of a library. It's like you should have someone you know out pulling —
Amanda: Like ahh! Someone’s here!
Eric: Yeah like you should have someone pulling for you but like honestly if you're there you probably are someone who already knows what they're doing. But you definitely need to make an investigation role for how good your research skills are at the moment.
Julia: I can't wait for like 10 episodes from now where Aggie has a conspiracy board with red strings and stuff like that. So stoked for it.
Amanda: I also I mentioned that she's in her off day chambray shirt —
Julia: Of course!
Amanda: So not the work denim heaviness but just a day off shirt.
[Dice rolls]
Brandon: Gooosse Dwn Laketon.
Amanda: Awww. Sorry to say, I got a natural 1 on that one.
Eric: Oh Jesus Christ.
Julia: There's been two whole rolls that one was a natural 20 and a natural 1.
Amanda: Well here we are.
Eric: Oh man…
Brandon: Did Aggie forget her vowels?
Amanda: Oh beans.
Eric: Okay so what was your what's your top priority?
Amanda: Top priority is — I want to lie to you right now, but I'm not, the financial state of Ma’s. Like have there been bankruptcies have there been loans, is there like criminal activity that is somehow tied to Ma’s or Ma’s nephews that's mainly what I'm trying to get at. Like why would someone from Ma's be starting a criminal syndicate.
Eric: Alright cool so I think that this is like this is in the historic Lake Town section. So you're trying to track the business of Ma’s so you pull down that section, and there's some newspaper clippings, and there’s some financial ledgers. So Ma her name is Phyllis Crock, C R O C K, you know that the Crocks have been making ice cream for a very long time Ma's been running Ma's Ice Cream Shop since like the seventies and she's still doing it. Yeah you look at the financial records and Ma’s has always been doing like pretty okay starting from before the incident and then continuing especially because Ma’s has been integrated into kind of like the historic Williamsburgization of historic Lake Town so it's always like —
Amanda: Franchising in the stadium and stuff like that.
Eric: Yeah a little bit I think that there's been some reach out for there and maybe there's one outpost and maybe there it was like a hipsterized version in Thornhill a little while ago, but really those didn't do that well and maybe they're not those aren't there anymore. Like they tried to expand so now it's just Ma’s but the original Ma’s is doing really well.
Julia: OG Ma’s.
Eric: When you're digging in a little bit deeper you get a text message and I think this gets projected it’s kind of like a howler and Harry Potter. It's just like ALERT ALERT ALERT! And it’s a text from your younger sister Kelly.
Brandon: Is it like projected out of the phone
Eric: Yeah it's projected out of the phone it's because you have it on silent because you're in a library it's just like ALERT ALERT ALERT!
Amanda: Oh I open up the text from Kelly.
Eric: Kelly is the one who's a model, and internet fave she's on like makeup in CVS or like you know when you go into CVS and see all the hair dye like she's on 50% of them and she's been on Drag Race a bunch. And she’s like
Eric (as Kelly): Aggie!! I have a leak in my toilet!
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda (as Aggie): Kelly, which of your houses is this?
Eric (as Kelly): Umm oh God, two of them.
Amanda (as Aggie): Which two?
Eric (as Kelly): Um well you know not in the houses, in two of the apartments.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay cause if it was if it was your apartment in Thornhill, I mean I could come over but if it's the other ones like you got to call your super Kelly. I'm not your super.
Eric (as Kelly): No one’s in Hawaii, and one’s in New York City. Well not mine I'm staying with a friend, it's not really a friend it's more of like a guy who’s paying for all my things. But in two of them the one I own, the one in Hawaii well no I don't know that's my friend’s too. They both have leaks in the toilet. Can you fix them? What do I do?
Amanda (as Aggie): Why does she think through her own sentence in the text, and not before sending the text…
[Everyone laughs]
Eric (as Kelly): AGGIE!!!
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay you're gonna want to tighten the release, you’re gonna close the water pipe that goes — you know like the little pipe on the bottom of the toilet there's like two little knobs —
Eric (as Kelly): Hold on, let me FaceTime you.
Eric: And now you see she's laying down on her couch with her phone above above her so you could just see her laying on the couch.
Julia: For the best angles.
Eric (as Kelly): Aggie what do I do!
Amanda: Use the YouTube, Kelly. Look on YouTube about how to stop a toilet leak just turn off the water that goes into the toilet, so two little pipes on the bottom coming out of the wall there's like a mean pipe that goes into the bottom of the toilet there's two on either side of it —
Eric (as Kelly): Wait, hold on wait, wait, wait.
Eric: And then she goes on Skype —
Amanda: Pretend it's a bath and the baths about to overflow and turn it off.
Eric (as Kelly): No I know that’s why I called you it’s so important.
Eric: And she goes on Skype on her computer and she has her friend
Eric (as Kelly): Hey this is Ashley, she’s in Hawaii, can you tell her what to do?
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh my god…
Eric: And you reverse the camera on the phone and you’re talking to Ashley who’s on the Skype computer
Amanda (as Aggie): Ashley you look like a reasonable person don’t you—
Eric (as Ashley): WHAT?
Amanda (as Aggie): Don’t you have a super Ashley?
Eric (as Ashley): Super what?
Amanda (as Aggie): Who takes care of your apartment who takes out your garbage?
Eric (as Ashley): I mean like my husband.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay so not at the risk of sounding sexist can your husband fix the toilet please?
Eric (as Ashley): Okay let me ask MAAARK! MARK!
Eric: So this goes on for twenty minutes and uh —
Brandon: And real player Brandon leaves.
[Amanda laughing]
Julia: I am so sorry.
Eric: So this goes on for a while and you're just caught in a various tornado of conversations.
Amanda: Yeah when I managed to extricate myself I'm gonna send her just a link to WikiHow My Toilet Is Overflowing Help.
Eric: At this point a guard walks in and be like
Eric (as guard): Um ma'am, we're gonna have a fire drill in about two minutes so everyone just needs to clear out so just uh make sure that you're out of here.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh thank you thanks Henry. I'll see you next week for the meeting right? Eric (as Henry): Yeah I don't know uh, Aggie I'm at work so uh,ma'am just please.
Amanda (as Aggie): Thank you, officer.
Amanda: Then I give him a little jaunty head nod as I walk out.
Julia: Wink!
Eric: So yeah the fire alarm goes off after a minute and you gotta clear out.
Amanda: Alright so embarrassed by the critical one that Aggie feels, even though she doesn't know what happened to her.I'm going to instead go like across the the quadrangle like across the square to the Lake Town City Police Headquarters, where one of my buddies from growing up works, and see if I can sort of ask him to give me some access to information about Ma's Nephew's, if they have any criminal history.
Eric: Nice as you're walking up you get another text message and this is the group text of all three of you and Emily which she's now changed to Only You Can Stop Crime.
Amanda: Is it a detective emoji at the end?
Eric: Yeah, there's a dog emoji then a detective emoji.
Eric (as Emily): Hey! Got us some intel, we heard that the Nephews are gonna try to break their friends out of jail, so IT’S A STAKEOUT!
Eric: In all caps.
Brandon (as Milo): Who’s this? jk jk jk.
Eric (as Emily): LOL good joke. You three can stake out the jail or you can try and track them and their hideout in historic Lake Town. I’ll take the other one, what do you want?
Amanda: Aggie said
Amanda (as Aggie): It’s Emily by the way.
Amanda: In the text chain once Milo asked.
[Eric laughing]
Brandon (as Milo): LOL jk but who is this really?
Eric (as Emily): EMILY!!
Brandon (as Milo): Jk jk
Eric (as Emily): Oh my god.
Eric: Okay, so my players! Emily got some Intel that the nephews are gonna try to break the four guys you put away out of jail however that might happen, and however might be. You three have a choice you can either do a stakeout of the jail to see what their deal is, or you can try to find their hideout when theoretically the majority or all of them are gone and this is more of a discovery sort of mission.
Brandon: I'm gonna text back
Brandon (as Milo): You're gonna have to give us a little more info on who you got this information from before we commit to anything.
Brandon: I’m gonna do a persuasion roll.
Eric: Okay, persuasion.
Brandon: Don’t know why I chose that, it’s probably gonna be very bad! Yes it iiiis!
Julia: Yeah, your charisma’s terrible.
Amanda: Val forgot their phone.
Julia: Do have the best charisma of this team? What is happening?
Amanda: Yeah, I’m -1.
Julia: I’m +1
Brandon: Yeah speaking of 2 -1 is a 1.
Amanda: Oh bud…
Julia: Jesus...
Eric: With a 1 Emily says—
Brandon: My text fails to go through.
Eric: Yes! No actually that's 100% what happens you're just like
Eric (as Milo): Damn, why do I have T-Mobile, shit shit.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah it was cheaper but it's not worth it!
Eric: You have Cricket.
Julia: Jesus.
Amanda: Aggie asks
Amanda (as Aggie): When is this supposed to go down?
Eric: Emily says
Eric (as Emily): It’s supposed to go down tonight, probably sometime late, that’s the best I know. That’s why it’s a stakeout.
Juia: Val checks their phone but is also moving people right now, so just the the read receipt. Amanda: Aggie’s gonna reply
Amanda (as Aggie): I'm actually at the police station right now let me see what I can find out about the hideout.
Julia: I think Val in between moving heavy boxes texts back at Aggie
Julia (as Val): Ask about the ice-cream truck.
Amanda (as Aggie): On it!
Julia (as Val): Tight.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay I'll text you back shortly.
Eric: Amanda you love elementary is this like you have a friend on the force who’s like a good detective?
Amanda: No my friend is just a rank-and-file cop so this is Brian Roper, he’s the Ropers son.
Eric: Ahh, of course!
Amanda: And he does not see his parents as often as he should but we were pretty much neighbors growing up, and he's my age so we see each other you know around historic Lake Town. But I'm gonna go now I think visiting him for the first time at work besides like whatever like getting a permit or something.
Eric: Yeah you walk in and Brian is looking very intently at some forms.
Amanda (as Aggie): Brian what's going on?
Eric (as Brian): Does it still count as a block party if it doesn't cover the whole block?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah Brian it's probably the heavens on the block.
Eric (as Brian): Oh I missed that in the police academy hmm so I'll sign for it seems neat maybe I'll go check it out. Aggie what's up?
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen Brian number one, just gonna say this one time sorry if it comes off wrong.
Eric (as Brian): Okay.
Amanda (as Aggie): Your parents are lonely.
Brandon: Wow.
Amanda (as Aggie): Go see them a little bit.
Eric (as Brian): Alright.
Amanda (as Aggie): I just wanna know in your situation just letting you know they are breaking their toilet every other day and I'm going to fix it.
Eric (as Brian): It's not as much of a call for help as you think it is. I think they just have a bad toilet, it's a bad toilet.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay, you believe what you want to believe okay—
[Brandon laughing]
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen I need a paper from you.
Eric (as Brian): Alright Veronica Mars what do you got?
Amanda (as Aggie): I don't know that reference.
[Everyone laughs]
Amanda (as Aggie): Have you heard of the Nephews?
Eric (as Brian): Oh [exhales loudly] yeah I mean I've heard of them. Used to be a part of the paddle boats they're all Ma's kids yeah, what's up?
Amanda (as Aggie): I'm gonna need you to either tell me some information about what they have done in the past, or walk away from your laptop for a minute. Because some of them tried to come at me last night. You know me I don't want to make this into a whole thing, I'd rather just go and and have a discussion. So I'm gonna need some help right now.
Eric (as Brian): They went at you last night you didn't file a report? What do you mean you got beat up on the street?
Amanda (as Aggie): No it’s — listen it didn't end up being anything—
Amanda: And happy roll persuasion here DM.
Eric: I think this is more deception.
Amanda: Okay!
Eric: Yeah roll a deception roll cause this is just like kind of a lie.
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: 12.
Eric: Okay with a 12
Eric (as Brian): Okay, Aggie, you need to report these so that people can take care of you. If you got mugged on the street that would be bad. I'm not gonna leave my laptop, but if you asked me a question I'll look it up. [mumbling] I know I'm not as smart as you but like I can figure things out I figure that thing out about the block party so.
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda (as Aggie): Brian you're very smart.
Eric (as Brian): Thank you.
Amanda: Do you know where the Nephews are headquartered? Do they have a lair? Also have they been tied to any sightings of ice cream trucks or motorcycles with like a reflective coating?
Eric: Two of those questions are bananas so I'm gonna answer the one that makes more sense. The lair no they're not Lex Luthor, I guess but I can look that up. I know that they hang out on the dock —
Amanda (as Aggie): No in the file I saw —
Eric (as Brian): No I know I'm looking it up! I know personally that they hang out on the dock in the lake and there's that boathouse over there. I guess they played bad music and yell at each other and throw bottles and axes you know the usual.
Amanda (as Aggie): Gotta clean up the glass ugh.
Eric (as Brian): It's bad, I mean that's more of a you thing, uh I'm yeah alright look it up
Brandon: Cleaning up the block parties.
Julia: I like that he's like oh you know the youths they throw axes.
Amanda: They pay to do that now!
Julia: Mhm!
Eric (as Brian): Yeah, I mean a bunch of them yeah we picked them up for a bunch of stuff. Petty larceny, vandalism, this one oh this one's wild this one grand theft auto they. It is of an ice cream truck, that's kind of interesting.
Amanda (as Aggie): Where’d they steal it from?
Eric (as Brian): Seems like they'd stolen from a truck depot it sells like strange cars... Strange cars and vehicles.
Brandon: Weird Al's weird car emporium!
Eric (as Brian): Yeah actually if Weird Al's Weird Car Emporium!
Brandon: No relation.
Eric: I was just about to say that.
Eric (as Brian): Yeah it's like when you pick up you know things that have things on top like the Wienermobile. You know the Wienermobile?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah, yeah, yeah! I'm familiar!
Eric (as Brian): Uhh, let's see yeah the so those kids broke bad but I don't hold that against Ma.
Amanda (as Aggie): No, no, of course not, of course not, and just the last question any I don't know I've heard some kids talking about in the museum. Is there like someone with like a glass motorcycle or like metal? Or some kind of reflective outside have you heard about that? Is it just an urban legend?
Eric (as Brian): Aggie I'm not saying this to be mean, but is there a gas leak in your house? Because I will check it out.
Amanda (as Aggie): You know Brian, that's a great point you're a real friend. I'm gonna go check my carbon monoxide detector.
Eric (as Brian): Smart probably for the best.
Amanda (as Aggie): Cool alright I'll see you around, parents house!
Eric (as Brian): Alright. See you ma'am! Thank you for doing your duty to the city and reporting crimes!
Amanda: Aggie walks hurriedly out ducking under her mountain lobsters cap. In the parking lot she's gonna text the rest of the group “looks like the boathouse by historic lake town is where these nephew's hang out”
Brandon (as Milo): Who's this? LOL is that joke still funny?
Eric and Julia: NO.
Amanda: Aggie dislikes the text.
Brandon: Milo just dislikes his own text
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: Wonderful! What do the three of you decide?
Julia: I say boat house.
Amanda: Boat house.
Brandon: Boat house!
Amanda: Boat house, house for boats!
Eric: Alright so uh why didn't you guys text Emily back and let her know.
Amanda: I think we should hit it. I'm not here to stop a jailbreak.
Brandon: Yeah there's police in the jail they got it let's let's go to the boathouse.
Julia: Let's go beat up some teens.
Brandon: Let's beat up some people over 18.
Amanda: Aggie response to Val's text with a question mark, and then changes it to exclamation points.
Julia: Excellent, thanks for the back up!
Eric: Emily responds
Eric (as Emily): LOL great, I’ll stake out the jail, I’ve got some people that can run with me no problem! Just let me know what’s up! And yeah, just text me.
Julia: Now I'm worried she made a squad with Sour Anthony and the horse guy.
Amanda: I write back “Sour Anthony?”
Brandon: Yeah and I add a question mark on her text.
Eric (as Emily): Listen, I have a bigger budget than I thought! So I’m bringing more people on! Julia: Gif of just like frustrated sigh rolling of the eyes.
Brandon (as Milo): That was not the deal.
Eric (as Emily): The deal is now I have 10,000 more dollars, so see you later!
Julia (as Val): Where did she get 10,000 more dollars.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh no idea…
Julia: Can we create a side chat only without Emily in it please?
Eric: Oh yeah you guys could do whatever you want.
Brandon: What are you gonna name it?
Julia: Valkyrie it's it's just like not friends sans Emily.
Eric: Allright cool so uh how do you want to do this? Your mission as defined by Emily, is trying to find, and also scoping out the quote unquote lair of the Nephews.
Brandon: Milo texts the side chat and says
Brandon (as Milo): You guys want to get tacos and then head to the boathouse?
Julia (as Val): Hell yeah tacos yeah.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah why doesn't someone bring them to my place? I live right by the boathouse, we can park our cars and and walk over from there.
Brandon (as Milo): Sounds good you got any recs for good tacos next to you I was gonna go down to Tortilla Jane's.
Amanda (as Aggie): No I haven't heard of it but I'm down to try anything.
Julia (as Val): I got to drop off some food for my ma first but then I'll be there.
Brandon (as Milo): Great text me your orders.
Amanda (as Aggie): Meet at seven?
Julia (as Val): Tight.
Eric: Wonderful alright so Milo's bring the tacos and there you all meet it Aggies place.
Brandon: I brought everyone guac, on me, very generous.
Amanda: Meaning you walk in and ask us for money?
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: [Mockingly] No okay I got guac for everybody but I have the receipts right here so if you can just venmo me.
Julia: Val proposes
Julai (as Val): I think we should save all the receipts and then just send them to Emily when we’re done with this.
Brandon (as Milo): That’s a great idea!
Amanda (as Aggie): I like the way you think.
Eric: Emily’s walking and she’s like shit!
Amanda (as Aggie): So listen the boathouse is like a five minute walk away it's on the actual lake but there's a little embankment before the road so we can wait across the road there's like trees and some rocks like an old staircase that leads to nowhere so don't worry about it it's just from fire it's not like a ghost thing.[laughs] I don't know.
Brandon (as Milo): Ghost thing?!
Julia: Val just looks at Milo.
Brandon (as Milo): [shouting] WHAT!
Julia (as Val): I dunno, man.
Brandon (as Milo): I don’t look at you when I talk about pizza.
Julia (as Val): I mean you could,
Eric: [Talking like Val] That is definitely my personal thing it's my brand.
Julia (as Val): It is one of my jobs.
Amanda (as Aggie): So if they're actually breaking people out of jail tonight, I know that shift change is at 8:00. So maybe they'll try to, I don't know I’ve seen that in movies like would they try to hit it at that time.
Amanda: And I I distinctly don't look at Val as I asked that question.
Brandon (as Milo): I would assume, yeah! I mean that’s what I would do. If I were a criminal.
Julia: Val just eats their taco.
Amanda (as Aggie): So if we watch the place at that time, Emily is whatever, but I think that was a good idea so we can just see if it's emptied and then you know do a little circuit, and try to see. I have some flashlights over here if you all have like a black coat or something I can loan you one of mine.
Brandon (as Milo): I got you one better. You guys want to be shadows again? I can try that!
Julia (as Val): That was pretty dope when it happened.
Amanda (as Aggie): That was fun yeah, I do.
Brandon (as Milo): Okay!
Julia (as Val): It's not everyday we get to be a shadow it's all I'm saying.
Brandon (as Milo): It's my third time it's pretty neat.
Eric: You can decide when you want to cast that but that's a good idea.
Brandon: Yeah I'm gonna wait until we see the leave the place and then cast it.
Eric: Sick that sounds great I love that. Alright yet do you want to do anything before you leave or you just wanna head over there?
Brandon: I want to finish the the last bit of the guac.
Eric: Very important.
Julia: Val just puts a taco in their pocket to go.
Brandon (as Milo): That’s — Val that's not… Okay there's salsa on that.
Julia (as Val): Yes there is!
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen if for whatever reason stuff goes bad just meet back at the house okay?
Brandon (as Milo): Cool.
Eric: Okay cool! Yeah you three walk over to the boathouse so the way that Lake Town the original Lake Town was set up, there were a bunch of bungalow houses were surrounding the lake which of course is just an inlet on to Lake Champlain because it's not actually a lake there's like a little river that connects the two but of course Lake Town lake whatever. Before the incident this is where people would ice skate in the winter go, swimming in the summer, go sailing, and all that fun stuff and then there's a dock where you could like rent kayaks and canoes and stuff. But now since it's more kind of just a living museum the dock isn't really used for anything unless there's personal use from the people who live there, and the boathouse has now been taken over by just some rowdy teens and young people, and it sounds like the nephews are now using it as their hideout.
Amanda: There have been plans to revitalize it to make it into a restaurant, to make it into a like marine museum extension, but yeah nothing has worked.
Eric: Yeah so I will give all of you an action what do you want to look at, what do you want to do while you're outside? Are you doing a stakeout, are you trying to scope? Are you trying to go in what is your plan? Emily only asked for you to find it which you did and then to scope it out but of course you three can do whatever you want.
Julia: I think looking for activity makes the most sense to kind of start with so that we can see if there's like movement inside or lights or something like that and determine whether or not we can safely enter.
Amanda: Yeah I think maybe we can approach to see if it's empty or not, and if it is, get shadowed up, and then head over. I'm also bringing my ring of super keys, and the odds that I have a key this both house are pretty high.
Eric: Wonderful.
Brandon: Y’all, I’ve got an idea.
Brandon (as Milo): Tuna! Tuna?
Amanda (as Aggie): We just ate…
[Eric laughs]
Brandon (as Milo): Tuna?
Eric: Tuna walks out of a bush he’s like —
Brandon (as Milo): You're a ghost why are you in a bush?!
Eric (as Tuna): That was more for a dramatic effect hello!
Brandon (as Milo): God you’re so dramatic…
Julia: Val reaches down and tries to go for scritches again.
Eric: So this is a good point you don't see Tuna.
Julia: Oh okay.
Eric: Right now it looks like Milo is just calling out for Tuna, but now you know that Tuna is in fact Milo's ghost cat.
Julia: Cool.
Eric: But you don't see Tuna.
Julia: Okay! Val’s just like
Julia (as Val): Your weird cat’s not here right now.
Brandon (as Milo): No, they’re here.
Julia (as Val): Well where is the weird cat then?
Brandon (as Milo): They came out of the bush.
Julia (as Val): I guess that is just a bush.
Brandon (as Milo): Get out of the bush.
Amanda (as Aggie): Why can't we see you ghost cat?
Julia (as Val): Did you know about the ghost cat?
Eric (as Tuna): I have been here I—
Julia (as Val) He has a ghost cat.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh!
Amanda: Aggie is just looking between these two very quickly.
[Eric laughs]
Julia (as Val): It is a very good cat that also talks.
Brandon (as Milo): I have a cat it was my it was my cat when I was when it was alive, it was our house cat and then it died thankfully cause it's the worst cat alive. Now it follows me around!
Eric (as Tuna): I was your dad’s cat.
Julia (as Val): So apparently the death did not help because the cat is still around.
Eric (as Tuna): I was your dad's cat, I was never your cat. Yeah, I only did what your dad said.
Brandon (as Milo): You've made that abundantly clear, Tuna.
Eric (as Tuna): Meow.
Amanda (as Aggie): My cat’s name is Sushi, that’s so cool!
Brandon (as Milo): Oh that’s really cute!
Julia (as Val): You all have cats? That’s uh
Amanda (as Aggie): You were just in my house, Sushi sat on your lap!
Julia (as Val): There was a cat there, I remember that.
Eric: Retcon Sushi just on top of Val. Just on Val’s head.
Amanda (as Aggie): Sushi ate your chips!
Julia (as Val): That is fine, and I’m okay with this.
Amanda (as Aggie): You said “No! Infernal creature!” And then you pet them.
Julia (as Val): I did give chin scritches which was easier than with your cat. Which is definitely not there!
Brandon (as Milo): Yes at least I'm not allergic to my ghost cat though so—
Julia (as Val): That is probably a plus you save a lot on Zyrtec.
[Brandon laughs]
Brandon (as Milo): Tuna can you go check the boathouse and see if there's anyone in there?
Eric (as Tuna): I could try, maybe they have cool things in there.
Brandon: I'm gonna roll an animal handling.
Eric: Do it.
Amanda: [Chanting] Plus five, plus five, plus five, plus five!
[Dice rolling]
Brandon: 18 + 5 for 23!
[Everyone cheering]
Julia: Tuna gonna listen!!
Eric: So how do you get Tuna to listen this time?
Brandon: I ask nicely.
[Eric laughs]
Brandon: I'm not in control of this animal.
Eric: Alright so I think that a little ghost hand comes out of your chest and it drops like a little thing at ghost catnip, and Tuna’s like
Eric (as Tuna): Mmmm more of that I'll get you somewhere!
Eric: And Tuna just plays with it, and eats it. Maybe plays a little much and then now stoned, trumps into the boat house, and disappears into a wall.
Julia: Val is just like
Julia (as Val): What is happening here?
Brandon: I look at my chest and I’m like
Brandon (as Milo): Don’t do that again, I’m not going to reward this behavior, don’t do that!
Eric: The ghost does a peace sign like Ash Ketchum and then disappears back into your body.
Amanda: Strong Pokemon undercurrents.
Julia (as Val): Your bonus hand is weird.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: Okay so I think that you're far enough away this happened so if you walk over there at 7:45, I think at like 7:55 you see that some people walk out and hop in a car and drive away.
Amanda (as Aggie): Time for that shadow thing Milo.
Brandon: Does Tuna come back?
Eric: Yeah so Tuna comes back in and Tuna says
Eric (as Tuna): Mmm they have so many—so many crumbs everywhere, but also I think it's because of all the food because they're bad at cleaning.
Brandon (as Milo): You're a very weird cat.
Eric (as Tuna): I love things, they also have lots of shelves for me to jump on. There's still a lot of guys in there though!
Brandon (as Milo): So that wasn't all of them that left?
Eric: No that was not all of them.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: Tuna also gives you kind of a floor plan, it's a pretty big boathouse I think there are two main rooms. One they've turned into kind of like a living room area, and one of they turn into a kind of kitchen area which is where the said food there's just like shit everywhere it is incredibly messy in there. There are also stairs that lead to a lower area but Tuna did not venture down there.
Julia: Are the stairs in the kitchen area, or the kitchen in the living room area?
Eric: The living room area is where you walk in and it's off of the kitchen area, which is in the back. So the guys went out through the front door which was attached to the living room area, and then three guys walked over to a car, but Tuna says there's still a bunch of dudes inside.
Julia (as Val): Can we get like a full count of how many dudes it is? Or?
Eric (as Tuna): There’s like a handful. A paw full.
Brandon (as Milo): Tuna, that’s nothing! Learn to count, please.
Eric (as Tuna): I have this many
Eric: They hold up one paw. Julia: That’s adorable, [angrily] CAN’T SEE IT THOUGH!
Brandon (as Milo): Does the thumb count as a finger- a digit? What are we doing here?
Eric: It’s more just a flippity thing!
Julia: Does he have the little extra thumb?
Eric: Yeah they have the little extra thingy.
Julia: Awww polydactyl.
Eric (as Tuna): It’s vestigial so.
Brandon (as Milo): Okay stick around we may need you. Just shadow up and go in y'all?
Eric: Val and Aggie you can still do a thing outside.
Julia: I'd like to like stealth around and see if there's like a basement door or something like that since there's stairs leading down stairs.
Eric: That is a good idea!
Amanda: I can also let you two do that and then I can pose as myself to like come inspect or like there was a gas leak and and like distract the guys going into the front door.
Brandon: I like that.
Amanda: Because of my superpower I have advantage on deception checks.
Julia: If there's a back door or a basement door yes.
Eric: You can do it in succession I mean you three are connected and you have your phones so there is —
Amanda: If I talk to them, then I can have them walk me inside toward the kitchen and then you guys can do whatever you want!
Julia: Maybe yeah.
Brandon: Cool so why don't you just open the door, or why don't you have the door for us, Aggie, and then we'll just slip in.
Amanda: Yeah and—
Eric: I will say, tough stealth roll. The DC of the stealth roll doesn't change but you have +10 to it so if you were to walk by somebody who opened a door that would be DC 25, however you would have +10 plus stealth to it so it would be easier than just trying to slip by somebody regularly. You know I'm saying?
Brandon: I do yeah! Do you think there’s a back entrance?
Julia: I'd like to check to see if there's a back entrance.
Amanda: So if this is a traditional boathouse that means that the front door is on ground level and then the basement is a dock, so it's like a it's like a drive-in garage, so there are probably like multiple stalls and boats and generally those aren't like a thing you can lock, so you might be able just to like walk down the embankment and just like walk into the dock level. Should come up the stairs.
Julia: Well I think that's a smart move.
Eric: I love that that's great. So you want to do it simultaneously?
Brandon: Yeah I think Aggie will cause a small distraction, and then we’ll shadow up and go.
Julia: I want to I want to shadow up I just think we should investigate the basement if it's empty at that time and then once we know that like that coast is clear, having Aggie serve as the distraction at the front door so we can investigate the kitchen would make sense.
Eric: I would say that Val you make this perception check I want you to scope things out.
Julia That’s a 10 for perception.
Eric: A straight 10?
Julia: Straight 10.
Eric: Okay with a 10 what Aggie said describing a boathouse is correct. There is an upper level which is on ground level, and then below is the one that leads out to the dock. Val, as you're walking around staying in the dark you can see that there's like uh — Aggie described that it's just like there should just be some canoes there and then there is a there are stairs up and then it goes into actual level but it's like they fashioned a garage door like in front of the opening that would usually just go out into the lake so there is a garage door and that's all I can give you with a 10.
Julia: Then Aggie probably will need to serve as a distraction well I power lift this door open. I am very strong.
Amanda: And if all else fails I'll try to glean whatever I can from the inside of the house.
Eric: Okay so what is the plan? Simultaneously Aggie poses as the super to come in and says something while you two pass without trace and try to get in the bottom.
Amanda: I would say give me like a 30-second head start just so that they can like call people up if there’s anyone down there, and Aggie says
Amanda (as Aggie): So if I think that they're catching on to you at all are we hear a noise from the basement I'm gonna say like well we gotta call the gas company and then that'll be like our sign.
Brandon (as Milo): Got you.
Eric: Wonderful alright so let's start let's cast pass without a trace. Let's do the spirit surge so Milo roll your d20.
[Dice rolls]
Brandon: 13.
Eric: Alright so now you have one too, so you pass without trace. Now both of you are like a shadow in the darkness oh and now as Milo touches Val, Val you can see Tuna which is laying like a scarf on the back of Milo's neck.
Julia: Chin scritches.
Eric: Still passes through.
[Julia lets out an exasperated groan]
Amanda: Even as a shadow?
Eric: Shadow and ghosts are different. I don't know what pokemons been telling you alright let's start with Aggie. So Aggie do your thing!
Amanda: The mechanic here is that I have advantage on deception checks when I'm posing as a super but then after I have to roll my d6 and if I get a 1, they'll ask me to actually fix something.
[Brandon laughs]
Amanda: So I'm gonna walk up the embankment so that I am like coming at them from the actual sidewalk and not like from the side of their house, and then knock firmly on the door twice.
Eric: There’s like a bunch of rustling from inside and it goes [muffled noises] like you hear a chair slide back, and some boots stomping on wood and open the door there's just like a big like you know when you see a high schooler who's just like much bigger than you, and you're like how did genetics happen like this? Like you are 17 and you are 6’5. Oh no. So yeah there's a big looking like 17 year old pimply-faced but looming over you.
Eric (as high schooler): Hello?
Amanda (as Aggie): Uh hey I'm —
Brandon: [Laughing] You know you answer your door with hello?
Eric: Do 17 year-olds know how to open their clubhouse?
Julia: Surely they don’t.
Eric (as high schooler): Uh hello?
Amanda (as Aggie): Uh hey sorry to disturb you we got a report of a smell of gas and I'm the super for Lake Town, and I don't want to call the fire department over for nothing, so I wanted to come check it out myself. Do you guys notice anything do you've a stove in there?
Eric: He like looks back over his shoulder like he's looking at his people at someone for confirmation he's like
Eric (as high schooler): No just like a hot plate but—
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen—
Eric (as high schooler): We don't have it, we don't have anything like a stove or anything maybe it's the heating system, listen I don't want to cause you any trouble but this is a it's a pretty serious call so I just got to check it out for due diligence.
Eric: Okay let's do your super move.
[Dice rolling]
Amanda: First roll is a 14
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: Other one was a 2. So it's a 13 deception total.
Eric: Okay make your d6 roll.
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: A 3! Safe!
[Eric laughs]
Eric: Okay, okay with a 13, the seventeen-year-old says
Eric (as high schooler): Okay come in.
Eric: So he moves out of the way he was like
Eric (as high schooler): Hey she just needs to check stuff, she's not gonna call anybody. She's just gonna gonna check it out so it's alright.
Amanda (as Aggie): Now listen, I was 17 once too, whatever you guys are up to it doesn't matter to me. Just show me where are the heating pipes in this room?
Amanda: Aggie’s gonna try to just kind of like walk the perimeter of both rooms as a guise for looking for anything suspicious, any clues that could possibly happen. Do you want me to be like investigation or perception?
Eric: Yeah so first of all you walk in and you see that there are three guys sitting on a table they're playing Texas Hold'em, just like chips everywhere it is disgusting here.
[Amanda laughs]
Eric: There is just like moldy food there are pizza boxes everywhere, there's like clothes like tons of clothes on the floor somehow.
Brandon: Eric, this is supposed to be fantasy I don't want to live in this space.
[Eric laughs]
Eric: And you can see that even in the kitchen there's just like there's no water but somehow there's just like food trash everywhere there's a hot plate there's like a mini fridge, and just lots of stuff in there.
Julia: I hate this.
Eric: So make an investigation check.
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: 15.
Eric: Alright, with a 15 you look around and there are a lot of surge protectors, there are only like a few sockets, but there are lots of surge protectors everywhere. It's like each one has like a real big one with like ten plugs in them, and you can see there's all there is also wires extension cords coming up from the basement.
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen I don't want to harsh your buzz guys but daisy-chaining powerstrips especially in an old building like this you just it's definitely a fire hazard, so not gonna like give you a citation or anything but if you have a lot of power coming from these you're really out of risk of blowing your circuits, maybe starting a fire.
Eric: All three of the guys stand up and you can see like one there's a shorter guy with like a really patchy beard who’s like in his early 20s it stands up
Eric (as twenty-something): [Nasally voice] Hey uh what we do here is our business, uh thanks for telling us but, I think we're fine we don't need a danger sense from McGruff the Crime Dog. So thank you, we're fine thanks. I don't smell any gas please, get out.
Amanda (as Aggie): Let me just finish my inspection real quick just a visual inspection listen I'm not gonna hassle you guys anymore, we're not gonna get into whether or not you're permitted to be here but let's let's just finish the inspection I'll get out of your hair you—
Eric (as twenty-something): Excuse me we are absolutely permitted to be here we've been here the entire time.
Eric: And I think at this point all four of them take like once menacing step towards you let's check in with our spooky boys you want to check out the garage?
Julia: Yeah!
Eric: Alright you walk over to the garage door, there's like a big old padlock lock in the garage door.
Julia: I assume because we're at a beach there's like a rock nearby probably?
Eric: Yeah definitely a rock nearby.
Julia: I think I want to take a rock and try to pound the lock off.
Eric: So metal is pretty high.
Julia: Yes do I get any bonus because I'm using a rock, and not just in my hands?
[Eric laughs]
Eric: What's your attack bonus?
Julia: My strength is 5, like +5 and then my proficiency is 2 so it's 3 and then my proficiency is 2 Eric: Okay I'll let you keep the plus 5, but you do need to roll pretty high.
[Dice rolls]
Julia: It’s a 15.
Eric: Alright I want you to make a sleight-of-hand check to see if you made noise while trying to destroy this lock.
[Dice rolls]
Julia: Okay that’s a non nat 20.
Eric: Okay so you pick—
Amanda: Quiet but bad!
Eric: You pick up the rock and you're “I’ll fuck with this lock!” yeah you try to throw it at the rock but luckily it just goes right in the sand and goes womp. So you were not able to do it but you did not make any noise.
Julia (as Val): Alright well you got any ghost shit we can do here? Can the cat go back in or something?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah the cat can bo back in, uh yeah uh Tuna can you one more favor for me? Can you head in there and just see what's going on?
Eric: Sure, make an animal handling check.
[Dice rolls]
Brandon: 14 +5 for 19.
Eric: Okay with a 19 Tuna was like
Eric (as Tuna): You're relying on me so much, I'm sorry that you're so bad at things that you need your cat to do stuff for you. But fine!
Brandon (as Milo): Uh, thanks, I guess?
Julia (as Val): Look and see if they have like this guy's a nerd right, you've probably seen him watch like nerdy sci-fi movies before see if they have like —
Eric (as Tuna): Mmmm such a nerd.
Julia (as Val): Sci-fi guns in there.
Eric (as Tuna): Okay!
Brandon (as Milo): Is that really necessary Val?
Julia (as Val): Yes—
Eric (as Tuna): what a big—
Julia (as Val): Well if I just say guns you might look for nerf guns.
Brandon (as Milo): No I mean the nerd thing about me.
Julia (as Val): Well I was giving them context.
Brandon (as Milo): They’re a cat!
Julia (as Val): The cat doesn't need context? The cat can talk!
Brandon (as Milo): [Under his breath] Jesus christ.
Eric: Fair.
Brandon: Just for you. Eric, Tuna has advantage on wisdom checks that rely on smell.
Julia: [Laughing] Such a wise cat.
Amanda: Tunaaaa!
Eric: Tuna walks in there takes a few minutes, and then Tuna stocks back out like
Eric (as Tuna): I didn't see anything there's some power tools and boxes and and bags and stuff just trash everywhere but well I do I remember, hmmm I remember a smell, he smelled like [Pause]
Eric (as Tuna): Milo it smells like your job.
Brandon (as Milo): That's a weird way to describe that thing okay.
Eric (as Tuna): Yeah it smelled like you know that weird thing that new— the weird thing at your job?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah the pod?
Eric (as Tuna): Yeah it smelled like that.
Julia (as Val): What—what is a pod?
Brandon (as Milo): It’s a—
Julia (as Val): You work for like a self storage place?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah I work for the company Pods.
Julia (as Val): Okay, that’s what I thought.
Amanda: And then upstairs Aggie says
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen, call the gas company if you smell anything that's as much as I can give you I will get out of here, respect your elders.
Eric: Both of you make a perception check.
Julia: How’d you do bud?
Brandon: I got a 21.
Julia: Oh I got an 8 so that's good.
Eric: Yeah you have like a phone call going, you hear from your phone because Aggie called you because Val loses their phone.
Brandon (as Milo): Val we gotta go.
Eric: I think at this point Milo you hear from the phone a door slam and a voice say
Eric (as voice): Hey I know who you are you're not going anywhere.
[Waves hitting a shore]
[Theme music]