The crumbling and twisting stone hallways of the crypt extend all
directions into the ethereal mists that emanate from its
walls and obscure the vision of those who find themselves lost
within. Pedal's head swims as the pieces
of her past continue to slowly fall into place.
She's faced these games before and now must draw upon her foggy
memories to help conquer it again.
This episode we follow Petal Spigot and Pollen's attempt to
slip under the notice of the wizard and collect the keys they
desperately need to face his final game.
Hello everybody, and welcome back to Dungeons Drive Insurance
and Dice Arcade Apocalypse this season utilizing the Powered by
the Apocalypse system. At first we were telling the
stories of the citizens of Tedville, and now like everyone
has their own individual bit, so we're going to talk a little bit
about that at the start of this. Currently, we're following the
story of two of those adventurers in their splitting
up and finding themselves in the crypt.
We've learned a lot in this past episode about what's going on in
the Dome, something that's happened with Pedal and her old
crew, their sort of story, and how they've maintained control
of the ball and then lost control of them all in their
fight to get out of that. And how that's led to this
moment where we Pedal has returned with friends and this
is the route we've gone in. You guys are doing backdoor
stuff, trying to take care of these.
I'd like to imagine the games in like factory mode, you know,
before you put the coin in. Something's happening in there.
Wreck It Ralph does a good job of talking about it.
But that kind of concept where we're in factory mode right now,
the game is not yet turned on, but you guys have gotten into it
under no eyes. The eye is elsewhere, hopefully
on the distraction that your other allies have left to do.
This time we're going to intro with a little bit of we're going
to talk about our goals in the moment, and then I'm curious
about fun apocalypse monsters we may have come across.
Since Pollen is in this scene, I'll go for Pollen.
Her goal is really just to not die in this game, you guys,
she's trusting to do the bits. She's like the back end guide.
But in those halls, she did not feel safe waiting alone and it's
very difficult to get around. So she didn't want to just like
leave you hanging if you had to leave the game at any point or
whenever you did it. Getting back to the, you know,
your next point of interest is going to be difficult.
And she didn't really want to wait in those halls alone
because they're dangerous. And so she's joined during the
game. So her bit really is did not
die, but her overall goal is rescue branch and get the whole
team out of here. Rescue branch, rescue route, get
the team out and that requires taking care of all of the keys.
So she is fully on board to do this.
Thing. And how old is paddle or pollen?
I'd like to imagine that besides the like 1 outlier kid that your
crew is probably, you know, within 10 years of each other on
either side. Maybe she's for some reason I'm
imagining Branch to be a little bit older, like maybe in his mid
30s and because you're like mid 20s, yeah.
I think I see them until late 20s early 30s.
I don't even remember at this point so.
Yeah, I think, I think Pollen's about the same age, you know,
30s, early 30s in that branch is probably the oldest of the crew
at, well, we'll even put him at late 30s, thirty, 8:39-ish, you
know. Yeah, that's her, her big goal
monster she's faced. Actually, for her, the the most
terrifying are what they in their small group called the the
Smilers from their existence in this sort of psychic maelstrom
mall, this non linear space. There's all these nasty like
shadows. I described one like Lawrence
when he turned on Irwin D Camp turned on his flashlight.
At some point he did spot a shadow like moving off to the
side. But they're never they're never,
never just like there and like looking at you in the deeper
parts they are. And they're also chasing you and
hunting you. And for the ones that pollen
truly hates, it's the ones that they're only you see, like the
the shadow outline of a nasty figure.
That's it's a little more amorphous, right, than humanoid.
You know, it's not something that you really want to come up
against. But also the only visible part
in this shadow is it's it's it's like weird, larger than life
twisted smile. You just see the like white
almost teeth in between the shadows, right?
She hates those things. They're uncomfortable.
I think it leans into the like Slender Man clown in the shadows
darkness kind of horror. Yeah, I think they've probably
come into scuffles with them, but it's never like a direct
like I'm shooting. They're they're the scuffle is
getting away before they get you.
Maybe even at some point they got ranch or or rude or or or
even her and it was like a fight to pull them back from the
shadows as they were like being drug back by just darkness and
into the the maze like losable structures of these these
maintenance halls. Probably very terrifying moment
for her. All right.
And I am Michael and I play Spigot the Water Bearer.
And Spigot, I think enunciated his goals pretty clearly.
But just to reiterate, his primary purpose is to get the
parts of the water purification machine as a secondary goal of
in that process they can save branch and root.
He's OK with that, but he his primary focus is to fulfill his
get that machine part and get it isn't.
That down to like AT in the road like if you had left to the
engine and right to branch and root.
Yeah, he's going to be focused. On to the engine.
Yep. OK, good to know.
And I had I had a different take when when I originally saw the
question about the creatures of the the apocalypse, because the
first creature that really freaked him out was Dill when he
was saved by the giant banana. And then I, I was going to say
the most terrifying creature he's come across as fountain.
But if we're talking about mutated creatures, it would
probably be what the water bearers call scramblers that
live in the water. And they're basically like
alligators or crocodiles, but they have like more sets of
legs. So they they lurk in the water.
And if you get too close to the edge, it's just legs and teeth
that come out of the water coming at you.
I love it. Scramblers.
Yeah. That's terrifying and a bigger
reason to only get your water from Water Bearer.
Cycles. That's right.
Yeah. And my name is Grace and I play
pedal and well, my character doesn't have a lot of memories,
but that's like the coward's way out.
So I think that at least like player me Grace, I think that
like a creature that I really would be like based on what I
know with biology and and watching lots of documentaries,
I would be really worried if bugs somehow got mutated to
either be beggar or be super, super smart.
Anything to do with primates. I still haven't seen the movie
Nope because I know too much about them and I they fear me
and I know that it's scary in Nope.
So I have opted out to be like, you know what, I'll go, I'll go
to those pearly gates without knowing what happens in Nope and
maybe Jesus will tell me if you know, it's depending on if Jesus
is real and if they see Nope, you know, So that's so I like so
I think if IA pedal because I guess I'm now a pedal that I
think bugs any kind. I think there are giant ants.
Maybe if you've read Gregor the Overlander, Suzanne Collins
original book series, it's about a boy that falls into like these
underground, like world beneath New York and all the animals are
super big, like the rats and and the cockroaches and people fly
on bats that use a location to fly.
It's so good. Oh my gosh, everybody needs to
read it. They're so easy to read there
for like elementary school kids, or at least I was in elementary
school and we listened to them. They're so good.
Anyways, I think there'd be giant ants and the ants are so
like I think about how many ants there are right now.
Imagine if they were all like the size of, I don't know, a
German Shepherd. Excuse me.
I know there's one in my bed. There's a nest in my backyard
right now. We, we call those the pincers.
If those are if that's if those are the names that we're going
for. I pedal calls from the pincers
in her head. Oh, she doesn't know if anyone
else calls like that. German.
Shepherds nice to ants? Yeah.
Yeah, that's nasty. Yeah, I bet, I bet they have a
really big anthill, like a really nasty Ant hill, right?
You're in a tunnel. You're like, Oh no, this is an
anthill tunnel. This is and like, shit, there's
no giant anteaters around here that's not this kind.
Of if there were, they're also terrifying they may.
Not be like. After you, but I don't think
they would care too much if they could just scoop you up.
Oh, it's so scary to think about, but yeah, everyone should
read those books. Plug plug plug plug in them.
Would that make an anteater? That would have to make an
anteater bigger than an elephant, actually.
It would have to be the like the size of a three story building.
Like Godzilla or something Godzilla sized anteater.
That's how they'll be sucking up people.
They'll be just. That's just an eater at that
point. That's just.
An eater. Just an eater.
What's your what's your goal in this moment?
What is Petal's goal in this? Moment yes, yeah, I think I
think I also I think last episode Spick and I set our
goals at the same time yeah, but my goal I think is just to I
cover more of who I am and as I'm doing that, that's like my
bonds with branch and pollen and root and there's a little one
named Pebble Oh, there's something no.
Root. Root is root is the one right
now. Wait, who's the one that's
kidnapped? I thought that was Root.
OK, so Twiggy, Twiggy, Twiggy Twiggies back.
On my bad, I thought that bowl was.
Twiggies back. We're trying to rescue root and
branch and Pollen's next to us. And Pebble does not exist.
Got it. Pebble doesn't.
Exist not. Yet, but we will meet someone.
Not yet, but Pebble, Pollen and pedal can all hang out.
It'll be great. And not at all confusing for
someone who's mad at names, yeah.
But yeah, so rescue root or at least like because I also feel
torn because I have now created bonds with these guys, you know,
the banana and DM and spigot like, you know, because we've
been through these things. And I wouldn't say like, you
know, I think that I don't want to compare, you know, things to
best me because I didn't even knew this back story was being
created as we go along. That's the whole point of this
character sheet, which I think is so interesting.
So I think I am torn between you know, I want to help spig it out
because he is have got he's had my back this whole time and I
want to continue to have his back.
But at the same time, these are that my people that I forgot.
You know, it's a real Tarzan situation, except it's not.
It's like familial love, not romantic which like which you
know, can you can you exist in both parties situation?
Yeah, I mean that's. Try this new card's got me being
all kinds of. I love it.
OK listeners, I love you. Enjoy the adventure.
And on to the adventure. Let's get a vision roll from
pedal. OK, And then I have to check my
checks, see if that's cool. Dang, no pluses for me.
I I rolled A5, not very good this time.
OK 5 on visions is? So technically a failure MC.
Holds three, my Lord. It is technically a failure
though, so you do get the. Extent another check.
I'm already halfway through. I already I need two more
checks. Yes, my Lord.
I'm at level 6. This is crazy.
MC holds three. I don't know how to use enough
of these vision points. The I have like 6 or 7 now.
I just can't spend enough to keep up.
You just got can't can't give me an visions man.
I need to be. It's too many visions.
If anything it's it's intrusive at that.
Like the amount of visions they want me to put on is intrusive.
They. Want me to just be visioning?
Yeah, all in vision, all in Pedal's head for like an episode
at this point we could do. Which is, yeah, everyone loves
that. The Grace show of just M and
Grace talking back and forth about what's happening in my
head. We have enough.
Points though, you know, we could do it.
You have. I'm gonna spend 1 though, even
though I have so many and I'm gonna ask where you are and who
you're with for this vision that we'll go into.
We're running through the the mazes.
So this is the question about the vision.
Yeah, Yeah, it's there's. So if I spend one point, I have
to get input from you. But I I'm I'm interested in that
input because this vision. I just wanted to make sure
before I said anything that I just embarrassed myself.
So I think as I'm as I think as I'm running, I think are these
correct me if I'm wrong. These visions have also been
like flashbacks, like vision slash flashback.
Yeah, it has to be something you've experienced before.
Yeah, yeah. Like the atmosphere of the
crypt. In my head, I'm picturing the
beginning of Labyrinth when Sarah's first going through.
That's just what I'm picturing in my head.
And so if you haven't seen it, go watch it right now.
Then come back and listen and you understand.
And I think as as I as I'm running with spigot and pollen,
the walls, the like the Dang kind of slimy walls remind me of
when me and branch were running to try try and escape to get the
ball to one of these missions. Doesn't the details of that are
kind of vague conveniently and the voice that you know has been
ruling these, you know, the past few sessions is super close this
time and like real panic. And I think that that kind of is
affecting me psychically in this moment of remembering like true
panic in the maze with Branch. Yeah.
Were you, were you in branch in the maze?
Were you in branch on the pinball board?
Oh, no, yeah, the balls are in the pinball board.
But we're like, I don't know, we were in the maze and it was like
one of those super close calls maybe where one of the past
injuries and scars that I have because I think my character is
scarred. Yeah, no, that's great.
That's great. I think you guys have just
escaped the board, maybe not for your first time into the crypt.
You guys have probably played the crypt a few times at this
point. Maybe.
But as with any maze, maybe you're just lost in the moment.
As lost as you are now, you and Branch are sprinting along at a
full pace, panting your angle down a little bit so that you
have the the wind. You're breaking a little bit of
the wind as you just dead Sprint down the these tunnels just on
Branch's heels. The feeling of fear and tension
high in the air though with the game on as you guys have begun
it it though the walls are rumbling.
There's this screeching sound echoing around off all of the
stone around you. You stop at an intersection and
you shout up ahead to Branch, who turns around and is panicked
and pointing down the hall this way, this way.
And you swear it's that you swear it's over to the right
this way, this way. You're saying Branch doesn't
really stop the speed, but he redirects backwards and at you
and grabs your wrist that's pointing out and Yanks you back
as this tunnel of flesh comes down from the other side that
you weren't pointing at. And it like a train just
continues down the hall in the direction you were pointing you.
Maybe you got your arm cut up a bit by it's there's it's how I
mean it's really hard to see with how fast it's moving, but
you rubbed up against it, I guess, and it like slashed up
your arm a bit as he yanked you out of the way.
You know that it's taken in a corner and coming back at you,
but for now it has to do so. And so he dead sprints down the
hall and continues the run and you're thrust back into the
halls. They're not shaking.
It's a much quieter than it was in the vision.
And you know, you're running in the opposite direction of the
light that you 2 saw. Off, down a tunnel, off down the
hallway. You know, there's something more
somewhere in this maze. But I know I I prepped that but
still I didn't love it. And now we are here.
We're in the maze. We have cut away from the
direction the spectre was going in.
Neon pink spectre off in the distance.
We just saw a light really Crest the the smoke from one side to
another and you guys have run backwards and in a different
direction just getting distance between you guys.
What do we do? We're running through the maze.
We stop for a second to try to get our heads around us.
I think far as what we've known with pedal and with pollen here,
I think that for you guys learning about the maze there is
I either am going to grant an additional question or above
plus A1 to things. I think a + 1 to like figuring
out your way forward using their their knowledge.
So you can you have come down a tunnel and there's three
directions, one of which to your left leads in the direction of
that pink light. But we've run a very long
distance, got straight ahead or to the right.
But there's not much in the way of Landmark, which once Pedal
finds based on her rules last time, she'll have at least a
starting point to figure out her way around.
Yeah, Spigot has has no idea where he's going because so he's
going to have to lean heavily on Pollen and pedal for guidance of
which direction they should go because he's never been in this
before. And technically, neither have I.
You haven't, That's true. Yeah.
Paula is putting together a small T-shirt gun like for
almost pistol sized T-shirt cannon from a few pieces on her
belt. All right, so we can do, we
basically can go left, right or straight from where we are.
Yep, there's not much in the way of what leads where.
It's just, you know, if it were D&D like 30 feet into into the
fog and which covers up your vision.
So spigot's going to look at pollen and say which way should
we go? I I have avoided most of the
games our our front liners were were were pedal and branch.
I I know the back wall, the back rooms, the back hallways very
very, very well. Like the back of my hand, but
but out here I I've only played this one once or twice and I I
didn't do too well myself. All right, well then he's going
to turn to pedal, say, are you tits getting anything?
OK, dice, let me, let me. Is it?
Can I open my brain to like, try and remember?
Yeah, that's like the best role for really I think you can draw
on your forgotten memories by by trying a anytime really by
trying an open your brain role. If you don't got much to go on,
I can give you inklings on that. OK, I got a 10.
Also I I have my move, just so you know, from my levelling up
and I also have one more checkpoint now from levelling up
again because my character is so crazy.
A checkpoint? No.
No, no, no, I'm saying I got, I made my move from levelling up
last thing and now I'm one checkpoint from levelling up
again because every time. Oh, you just rolled plus weird
and open your brain. Yeah, yeah, right.
Yeah, and I failed my last roll while rolling for my vision,
which is another check my. Gosh.
Pedal is going to be level 7 soon.
You know that actually, my thought behind this is that you
did a lot of work in order to do the thing you.
I did, you just have forgotten so you leveling.
Up very fast is actually, I feel like narratively a good through
line there. I'm unlocking so much in a
potential I'm matrixing whatever his name is.
Neo. Keanu Reeves Neo Neo.
The one. It's an anagram for one.
A1 Good stuff, good stuff. OK, you got a 10 give you good
detail. Yeah, I want to see a glowing
path leading exactly ready to go.
Why that? But on that note, what I will
give you that you're looking around and on the ground you
spot these round. I mean, they're lights.
They're lights in the ground, They're in the center, but
they're off like an off bulb, right?
And you see them, they're spaced exactly, I don't know, like 3
feet apart each, just going down every hall in every direction.
Now that you've like looked down and seen them, you recognize
that they're there in the middle, they're all off.
But there's your, your path of lights.
They do exist down there. You know that they turn on and
they'll be something they're just going to be like, like like
beams of light, but collectibles for points.
Really. The light source is a lure like
we talked about earlier, that's the idea.
It's it's a light in the darkness to to find safety in.
You know that that's not the case.
And anyone who's played the game once would know that that's not
the case. But the game's off.
That light has one purpose when the game is on and that purpose
is to 'cause damage to the beast in the maze.
They just, they, they, they like bully, bully the beast in the
maze, right? They chase it down, they cause
it damage. The beast has only one, the the
opposite desire, right? It's been bullied by these
beasts is to be able to or by these like floating lights,
these spectres, it must gain the ability to fight back.
And you know that that that occurs here.
Somewhere in this maze, there is an object that will give you
that ability to fight back away from where the spectre must be
heading in its path. You can imagine that it it is
either heading directly back to where it comes from, or it has
just begun its thing and has left where it's come from.
But either way, it'll be going back there.
The game's off. It's probably doing it's it's,
it's like a normal security path, right?
So wait, I just want to make sure there's the beast.
Yes. And then there's the Spectre.
Yes. Is the spectre like the
something that lives just in the maze?
That's not like the voice that we've been hearing.
Correct. OK.
I just wanted to make sure. I just wanted to make sure no.
You're right. You're you're, you're, you're
dead on 2 forces in the maze basically just fighting each
other and the game is not being caught up in it, collecting the
points and doing something. I don't think you get that from
your open your brain roll the like win condition for this game
for you, right? But you at least know of those
two forces and know that there's another thing in this maze
you're looking for to be able to help you fight those specters,
which now you know are a bigger issue.
Got it. OK, I remember that there was
something we were looking for that could help us fight back
against both the beast and you know, the this that we call it
the Beast and the Specter. Don't ask me why they got those
names. Those are just the names.
And there's something here in The Cave that or in the maze
that that help, that can help us fight back.
But I, I can't remember if Branch were here, he'd know he's
been here longer. But if we could find Branch I, I
just don't know. I asked him about the glowing
stuff. Pollen says the spectres on his
on his maintenance path. I bet from from what I do know
from from the game, the the the their, their like home base is
the centre of the maze. Is that would finding the centre
be helpful? Because we could do that by
following the light. At some point he's going to
return to the centre. Sweet, and let's find some.
Find some light. Following the spectre OK that
was left right that we that the OK.
Yeah, it sure was cut left and just start running down the
hallway. Pollen pressures the need for
like, stealth while you're doing so to not like, just run
haphazardly down the halls, right?
Good thing D Ham isn't here. He's made a metal.
Clong clong clong cling cling cling cling cling cling cling
press 4 fur. Fur, fur fur fur.
At least Subtle robot, probably. OK.
And we do it so well and there's no issues.
You do it so well. I feel like I'm trying to come
up with a a role here. I'm going through the roles to
figure out what's the let's get a Rita Sitch, But I'd like it
from Spigot because we just haven't gotten anything from you
or a role from you yet. I'll give you plus one with your
your crew and their their knowledge of of what we've just,
you know, gone through. So roll plus sharp.
And then plus one on top of that.
Yes. That makes it a 14 'cause I
rolled A12. Damn.
OK, OK, Read a sitch we've got. I'm gonna start it with what's
my enemy's true position because that's gonna that's gonna lead
us in. I'll just give it to you all
with this. You guys are running down the
hall at some point. Spigot, you're bringing up the
rear because you are the most confused in this situation.
You're trying to gather as whatever info you can.
Even if you find your way to the middle, maybe you can have found
something that will tell pedal something a little landmark.
Oh, I did see a couple halls back there of a weird pillar
that that stuck out right. Anything you're looking as they
crossover another intersection. Pollen stops to look both ways
and and and scope and shrugs and just continues down the hall.
We don't have a lot of info, but off to the right.
What you do, what you see is that pink light just leaving
your vision and continuing down the hall away from you.
And you are able to, I don't think that your, your team
moving stealthily, like we're moving quick, but we're not
moving so quick and not a selfie.
You're aware of your surroundings and before you know
they leave your vision entirely. Pedal sees you stopped and
pointing down this way and they follow you up and follow this up
with what's my best way in maybe and then I think of the last
ones. I'll let you decide.
I just I think that this was a good enough role for me to just
like let you into the situation. You follow the edge of that
light for quite some time. It seems to be like when you
have started it, you begin to guess after quite some time.
Like I said, it's moving kind of slow now that you're on its tail
quick that you would have to keep up a pace if you were
trying to run away from it. But it's, it's moving at a fast
walk pace, like a fast Walker's pace, right?
And you imagine that when you have caught up on its tail, it's
about halfway through its route. And with how well you've rolled
in your team so far that you guys are able to keep your
stealth as it curls around through many different corners
and halls. All of which I think your team
also notes. Like you guys get a good path
through this. There really isn't a lot of
landmarks you're discovering. It's about knowing your way
through this maze. And you guys have a good portion
of it kind of mapped out in your head by the time that it curls
fully around and back into a large center room.
I say center. You guys would just know that at
this point that this is the center of the maze.
There is a big tomb structure in the center, all made of stone. 4
big pillars supporting its roof, stone walls up to a double sided
just flat stone door. Gargoyles with skulls on their
heads, all of which to look very imposing.
I'm going to say you guys come in on the back of this tomb as
the light is curling in and around towards the front for
your question. Yeah.
So we we know we've got the spectres, we know we've got the
beast right that we're looking out for in in this area.
So we know the. Beast is somewhere in the maze.
Yeah, the Spectres are in this area is where he's returning to
home base. So we know where the spectre is.
So then I guess my question would be maybe what's my enemy's
true position? So if we know where the spectre
is, what's my enemy's true position?
You give a weight signal to your team at the edge of this this
this area and skirt the edge of the room just to get a few a
full vision around the other side of the tomb as to what the
spectre is doing. The spectre a long I may have
only described the light at some point, but what we're dealing
with this like a long wispy robed figure.
Think like, you know, ghostly Wraith scooby-doo styles right
bright and the in this case, neon pink.
It it has a skeletal hand out in front of it holding an ornate
steel Lantern that contains a neon pink flame in it.
You are able to, you know, not draw attention as you scoot
around down to the left side of the room.
There's doorways off of each each center path.
But now that you can see the front, you see 4 man.
I've seen them in antique shops recently.
There's like the the really ornate like brackets that hold
up steel arms coming out from buildings or hold up like, yeah,
just things. But they're they're ornate and
designed and cut and they're all just there's four of them at
even spaced across the front of this building holding up these
giant steel poles with a fire light housing on the end of it.
And as the pink one approaches the front and enters into the
very first empty air light housing, its form fades away,
being sucked in with the fire from its Lantern.
And that light becomes lit, and the one next to it, a bright
Green Lantern phases out, and a green specter forms in front of
it with a Lantern immediately cuts right facing away from you
and begins at the fast Walker's pace, cutting right down the
hall. Beyond the Green Lantern, there
are two more, a blue and a yellow.
One that is not all that draws your attention, for that is not
your only enemy in this situation.
The other enemy's true position is in front of the crypt up
against the wall. There's a massive steel spike
jammed into the ground with a huge chain coming off of it.
Massive, massive chain attached to the end of this chain all
curled up in and around itself. Is a pull a good reference for
it like a warg sized beast right?
Something with a very imagine for for those of I I said that
for Mike because I feel like he he immediately would have a good
visual representation. But for those of you that don't
imagine like a wolf right, with like a bodybuilders front end,
big, big in buff, big humpback. Like it goes from like massive
wolf back end, but like pretty, you know, more normal size to a
lot more bigger, beefy, humped back and big enough to
definitely ride upon. There's a lot of sagged skin.
There's it. It's curled up and it seems to
be asleep. It's whimpering a little bit and
it's in its sleep like it's snoring.
There's no fur. It's like loose skin.
You can see kind of scars all up and down, but it looks
bristling. What what hairs are there are
like long and sharp and look kind of hard.
It has several arms that you can see are like resting lazily
about its legs, of which it has several of.
You think it could fill out its skin quite a lot more, but is
resting for the moment attached this just sickeningly huge chain
behind. It no pedal, you may not pet
that dog. No, we're going to befriend.
We're going to set him free. And you, I think when the, the,
the, what did I say? Green light.
Oh, wait, there's a blue. Oh yeah, blue and yellow.
Blue and yellow are still in their housings.
The green light cuts off and down the the right.
You wait a good few minutes with your pathing following the pink
1. You know that you probably have
a good 2025 minutes before that light returns.
And OK, the next one comes. Is this Pac-Man?
Yes. Yeah, that's the lights on the
floor and. Got it.
I didn't realize if that was obvious and I'm just dumb but I
had to say it out loud. If you knew beforehand, don't
say it. Wait, listeners.
If and if anyone, if you're, if this is your, if this is your
aha moment too. That was my point of trying not
to say the names of the games we're playing in until it's
deafeningly obvious, you know? And if that moment is when
someone's like, wait the fucking second when?
You when you kept saying Spectre, I was like ghost.
Why would you keep saying Spectrum and you could just say
Ghost? And I was like, oh wait,
Spectrum is. Arguably much more frightening
than. Ghost it is and it is, but as
you say, it's a a friend PAC. Man, call them pinky and Blinky.
OK? The pack beast lies sleeping in
front of you. You wave over your allies and
they sneak over so they can get the the situation that I've just
described as well. I think we should set it free.
Yes, but will it be on our side or will we be?
It's dinner. Well, maybe we could, you know,
give him some food. He looks really hungry.
Or I have I look, I think let me check in my character sheet,
which I don't know about, but I'm checking.
I think I have one barter maybe. Oh yeah, because I re got my
barter because I got some first aid stuff.
I could use this bandages and I could, you know, clean them up a
little bit, show them some some kindness, because it seems like
these Dicks just are mean to him for no fucking reason.
I don't like that shit. But what do you think?
I don't want to put anybody in, you know, in danger.
I'm oh. Definitely as the green specter
came out too, it like waved its Lantern over the the the
sleeping beast and you you see it like shudder and whimper a
little bit too, and you see a little bit of like wispy force
come out of it and into the Lantern and then it goes off on
its on its trail. That's definitely a regular.
Feeling it's so. I have, I mean, I have water I
could give to you as barter if you want to give this thing food
and water and bandages. Yeah, and I just don't.
But how about the chain? I did not bring my gigantic bolt
cutters, so I don't know. We have to look at the chain.
OK. So what's the Did we happen to
notice what kind of rotation the inspectors are on?
Here we've got about 2025 minutes before it comes.
Back. Got it.
I think that could be enough time to befriend Pac-Man, PAC
Beast Pebbles. Oh my God, Oh my.
God, Oh my God, it was meant to be.
Pebbles. Yeah.
Is that what you you want to bring up some food and water and
a healing syringe? Yes, I want to.
I want to save the dog beast guy.
Guy the gentleman. Being so mean and for no reason,
I don't like it. You approach.
Let's see. Well, how do you want to?
There's a lot of moves for this. How do you want to approach?
There's do something under fire, which I think is the most
direct. That's you getting up in there.
You, you know, we don't. There's nothing else we really
want to learn. We're just trying to do this
damn thing. There is, I mean examine closely
to learn more about it. You could open your brain again
just to learn more. Read a person or a sitch I
think. Read a person.
I feel like you know. I mean, it's sentient, right?
Define a person. There are there are questions
here that do fit for read a person.
I would allow it. As you know, you can't tell if
he's telling the truth, but the rest of them might fit pretty
well. Yeah, I'm going to read a
person. I think you can learn a lot of
bio language from an animal. So I want to see what that bio
language tells me what my approach should be like.
Is he scared or should I calm him?
Is he going to be aggressive and you know, like what is there or
she I don't they unknown gender. I don't I don't know.
It doesn't matter. Pebbles.
There you go. So yeah, I'm going to roll for
that and hopefully get a good roll.
Roll plus sharp. Oh, that is a good roll.
That is an 11 total and that's also I'm leveling up.
Oh my gosh. By the way again.
You get to hold 3. So while you're interacting with
them, spend your hold to asked ask their player me one
question, one for one. You've got a list of 6 here.
So on your initial approach, what's your first question?
Or you can approach in a bit more narratively if you get if
you hand me some narratives. Yeah.
I mean, how can I get Pebbles to like, trust me enough to know
that like, I'm not going to this approach is not to harm and the
things I'm bringing her not to harm, but to help.
How can I get Pebbles to at least trust me enough to not try
and attack us once they see that I'm not the spectre, I'm
something? Right, right.
I think you watching the length of the chain and making a
judgement like it only has so much distance.
It probably can't hit the front of the the crypt from where it's
at. It probably can't hit a hallway
from where it's at. You know, in front of the crypt
is probably the only one that doesn't actually have an outward
hallway, right. It's either to the right or the
left of the crypt or behind it, because where that would be is,
is is this giant chain in the wall.
So you, you judge out like, you know, half that distance is
probably what the chain can cover.
So you get to the edge of it. I think that you're in the right
boat. I think that getting past the
initial aggression and offering kindness that you're doing is at
least a step forward. That's at least what M would do,
right? Like that's what I would do as a
person is try to offer the kindness through the aggression
because you know it's going to come, right?
Like you peddle, know it's going to come.
This is while in this moment, a sad look in on it, the beast of
the maze. It filled a hallway like a
train, right? It almost completely devoured
you in a heartbeat, but currently is asleep.
So you know that it is going to be threatening for sure.
But to offer kindness through that and the difficulty of it is
probably the best way to get it to trust you, like any sort of
injured animal. Well, I don't want to like, wake
it up because I feel like that's not the way to earn this, you
know, just to wake it. Suddenly it's awake and there's
a stranger there. I mean, I think on your
approach, it can, it can, it can browse and and kind of kick that
off. From what I remember at least.
I guess I'm just so used to being around prey animals that
the spook is more dangerous than them seeing you.
You know, because working with prey animals is so involved with
them being able to see you. But I guess it's a beast if.
You want to wait for it to wake up.
You know that on those changing of the guards, right?
When one guard comes, comes in and gives it like a soul, a soul
steal, and then the next guard goes on a leave.
When the blue light leaves on its journey to scope out the
maze, you know it's going to do another soul steal right at that
moment. It is quite a bit and.
What's up with that? What's up with that?
They are what? Is up with this?
Yeah. I don't know.
Why would they do that? OK, we'll figure that out later.
No time for that. But you know it's more awake in
that moment, so if you wait until the the next changing of
the guards, right, you guys hide in the shadows and try to not
get caught. It's not.
I know that's not 20 minutes. It's not 20 minutes for us, the
real people. No, no, no, I know, but like.
But it's 20, it's 20 minutes of Dill and Deham going with.
Option. #3 and distracting a crowd.
You guys feel the shaking a little bit like a little shake
and some so like pebbles fall from the ceiling and you you're
like oh fuck those guys. Hope they're all right.
Press 2 and hope they're all right.
Pollen says 2 quietly. Nice.
You don't have to ask another question yet if you don't want
to. This is on your interaction with
them too. Yeah, I'm not going to ask a,
I'm going to hold. I have one more, right?
Two more. Two more, two more, OK.
Day you're old really well. Day.
Cool. OK, so I'm going to have the
food and water and bandages just like at hand so I don't have to
but have waste time fumbling or sudden movements.
I'm going to creep closer to, you know, the chain of like, you
know, safe distance where if it goes bad, at least I know I'm
not going to just freaking die. And I'm going to I'm going to
call like like gently kind of call out to him.
Hey there. Hey, hi sweet pebbles.
Hi, sweet. Hi, sweet guy.
There is a little bit of a a deep rubble.
Several like noise patterns go off at once as it the opens many
eyes on an abnormal amount of eyes on the front of its head.
What a pretty, oh what a pretty boy you are a pretty, pretty
thing pretty fella and it. Starts to stand up and at first
it's on all fours for half a second before it really.
I have a question. Sure.
I have my question. Oh, that's my question.
It's like half. Filled up.
What is my? What are they feeling?
How am I am I doing?
How am I doing? You feel a breath of fear and no
to stay at the edge of of that that chain.
Boundary. Because it pops up like a
balloon and it feels like the whole area that the tunnel would
take up is just filled with flesh and arms coming out from
it, grabbing the wall and the ceiling.
Like it's as big as the room itself.
Almost like chain chomp styles like Mario Bright.
It kind of comes out and hits the edge of its chain pain and
it's just snapping at you. You're a still a good 510 feet
from and even the arms coming out are unable to reach you, but
it's snarling and snapping. This is its main thing and
there's no one else around. OK, now easy there.
And I'm I'm like, I'm against like I'm showing because I know
that the chain is very sturdy and the, you know, I'm OK, I'm
going to stay on my ground floor.
But you know, I got to earn this guys, this old fellas.
OK, What? What it they?
I feel bad calling it an it. Yeah, it always feels bad.
I would just go for they because it's like.
A OK. It's like a just a big creature
monster. I don't know that gender.
Is. Into play at all here.
I just don't know. It's a little Nick pet names to
call it fella. I mean any of it.
I think any of it works at that point.
Yeah. An unknowable gender is
definitely not. It's a fella.
If you're a different ground, you know.
It's an unknowable entity of unknowable proportions.
Can't be defined by such boxes. Nope.
Now, I know that those assholes treat you like shit, but look
here and I kind of what what is the food is the I hope the food
is like a yeah, dried something that's like kind of smelly.
And I kind of waft it in the air.
So like the smell kind of walk like kind of the smell of it,
the particles. I walked it.
I got this for you and it's for you.
Now be a sweet guy. It's all right, it's all right,
sweet fella. It reaches out and picks up.
What is it? Something something smelly
something. Maybe saying meaty meat jerky
something something dried. Probably because it's.
A meat jerky we we planned. To cook.
What is just at the end of its life?
What is it with me and jerky? And Marjorie had jerky too.
I just, I like jerky. Grace me, I guess.
And. All your characters do at all
variations of their dryness too, you know, I think it picks it
up. This one is it?
Yeah, this one's dry. Brings it close, it even tastes
a bit it. It takes in a bit of it and, and
chews and then spits up what it did take in and flings the rest
clean against the wall. Oh, it makes the sound of
protestation, but not of like sheer rage like it did before.
It does bounce at you again and it's it hits its limit on the
chain and and bounces back a bit and then hits the lights on the
ground with several of the the arms it has trying to dig at one
of the small lights underneath of it.
Oh. Shit, you could have just said
you didn't like it. Fuck, that was my that was
Spigot's jerky. I'll go on my shoulder to see a
spigot. Saw what happened to his jerky.
I think it was probably too busy watching this thing lunge at
pedal to be worried about the jerky.
He's like sweating bullets. OK, so let's try to get to the
lights. Pebbles wants the light.
OK? Hey, Hey, Spigot, what do you
think Pebbles wants end up with the lights?
What do you think that means? Do you notice that?
Maybe the lights are comfort to this thing.
Scared of the dark. Maybe I'll be sad.
Maybe I didn't see a light switch, but I could look around.
As you guys are talking, you see it go for the next light down in
the row and then the next light. Now it's at the end of its
chain. It's not at the end of its chain
towards you. It's at the end of its chain,
directed down this like light path that it's just trying to
like hammer its arms out. Oh, it wants to go that way.
When it can't and it tries to jump back out at you again a
little, you know, a little chaotic beast here, it like does
a circle, like a dog, you know, and lays back in on itself and
its skin starts to deflate and sink back in and you see several
of its eyes keep flicking and blinking up open.
It's definitely hardcore watching you, but it's looking
like it's dropped into its, you know, sleeping pose.
Did you see that? Yeah.
I don't know what it means, but I saw it.
Did we see anything about the anchor point of the chain, or
was there just too much other chaos going on to see that?
Why don't? You give me an exam in closely
maybe. Roll plus sharp.
Yep. OK, let's do it.
Well, it was not great. That was a total of 6.
Oh OK, so still a fail without the -1.
He didn't notice anything. I noticed its teeth.
Yeah, you were scared as it laid back down, right?
It's kind of chain curling back up over itself.
You then realized and tried to scope really quick, right?
But there's just not enough to gather because it's already
blocked it up with its massive chain.
Fair enough. You either break something or
your search draws underwent attention.
I don't think that there's anything to break here.
Tits. You step into that like realm,
just a step into that circle that pedal was staying on the
outside of and immediately you see the red light you guys are
closest to flare up and you pull your foot back and hold your
breath and the light slowly dims back down.
Oh, all right. From that you guys get like a
cone of security, almost vision in front of this.
That is a different shape than that circle this thing is trying
to get out of, right? But in order to get closer, you
will draw attention basically. OK, so is this the best use of
our time or should we be moving on?
Not that I don't want to help free the creature from the
spectres. No, it is a lot going on.
Maybe we can come back. Maybe it's like once we defeat
the bad guy, the spectres fade away situation and maybe they'll
be taken care of when we win, Win, you know?
Yeah. I'll wrap Pebbles.
I'm not going to forget about you.
I'll find. I'm gonna.
We'll we'll find a way. All right.
I. Think you have one more
question? Oh.
You're right. What does?
What does the character? What should I do?
Man, I should have asked that earlier.
Dang, why didn't I see that? That's the.
As you say goodbye, you put down the water bowl and like slide it
into the edge of its reach and guess you get to keep your
barter for the healing syringe because there was no way for you
to give it to it yet it gives you one of those like multi
tonal groans and arcs its head towards the left door.
So when the spectres leave, they leave through the right door and
they come back in through the left door or through the back
door. Actually the first one did.
It arcs its head towards the left door before putting it back
down into its sleeping position. I'd like to kind of compound
this with another open your brain roll from you.
This is a like. See if some of the game clicks
into place for you. That's another 11.
Wow. Then yes.
So the. +2 is great man. During the game, the spectres
actually chase this thing. They chase sources of light or
this thing. Normally when you're playing,
you keep your light sources low, you sneak so they don't draw
attention, right? The goal is dodge this and get
as many points as possible, plus the power ups so that we can do
things. This beast though the Pebbles,
is also looking for those power ups so it can face the the the
spectres. It wishes you would let it go so
we can get those power ups. Oh well.
It doesn't really convey what happens once I grant its wish.
Like what does gratitude mean in terms of an undescribable
creature? I think with that read a person
that you know, it's responding like a wild animal of, I mean
almost any kind in that it is held in captivity and a part of
this sort of tug of war. The game is survival in this
hard situation between these two forces that are fighting.
And if either one notices you, they may just run your ass over
for extra points. But avoiding their struggle is
more of the game, Pollen says. So what is?
What's our goal here? Well, that's that's the
question. We don't have the time right now
to set him free with what we've got then and expect to come
around the bend, but we do know that he wants the same thing
that we want, so we could follow him to the source.
It seems like he wants it too. I haven't.
So that is a prosper option to follow by.
Never seen him chained up like that.
The only time I've I've ever I've seen this this game and
that beast right there is when it's on and then running and the
the he's he's out. I know he gets released then,
but then we have to deal with more spectres that that.
I feel like more come out when we're playing the game than just
that one that's doing its runs right now.
Well, what do you think's bacon? Well, if it would let us free
it, I think that might take the attention of the Spectres while
it's running loose. But then we're going to have to
be careful because like Pollen said, then there's 4 spectres
out and about and this beast. But I think if we're going for
distraction, that's a huge distraction on top of Dill and
DM on the game grounds going crazy.
So do you think this thing will let you free it or is it going
to eat you either? Right now I think it would try
to eat me because. I I'd like to get our hands on
one of them power ups, Pollen says.
Yeah. Yeah, Paul is not as cuddly as
Puddle, apparently. I don't trust that beast as far
as I could throw it and I. Can't, Yeah.
Maybe we can find the power ups 1st and if we come back by then
great, we can look at the beast. Yeah, that was hence.
Yeah, that's what my goodbye was for.
So. Goodbye again.
Spicket would like to go towards finding the the machine that he
needs. Yeah.
I think from here that things are feeling familiar to peddle.
This to me is the landmark, right to begin to under, like,
understand what you're remembering about this, this
place. You're looking for one of the
four corners of the maze to find this little power up, though
with the lights off, you're not sure if that is still going to
be there. Worth a look, Pollen says.
Yeah, so do we have to release the beast to get the lights to
turn on? Well, they turned red when you
crossed the barrier, right? Well, that was one of the
spectre lamps that started to flare up.
They don't have any choice I. Don't even know if just us
releasing it would be enough to turn the game on, but if we
could get it out somehow, maybe that's enough to distract
whatever security measures are put into place.
Yeah. I mean, if if anyone else wants,
I guess it's just me on the bonding committee, I guess I can
give another try. I'm not going near that thing.
Yeah, it's like I'll be happy to watch.
I prefer to go for the power up, but if you think you you can,
you can you can sway. It I don't know I was I wasn't
making a lot of progress, hence my my side goodbye.
But if this guy is, if Pebbles is necessary to accessing the
power ups that we need, you know, it just seems like it
seems like there's no option. Well, I guess Pollen is saying
that you won't know until you look.
She just did. One she.
Did I guess she brought up that if the lights are off, we don't
know if they'll be up, but she's still preferring to go find it
with that like, good role. You read it pretty well.
You're learning things about this.
It's a beast of chaos as far as you're aware.
So like becoming friends with it looks very different than you
and Spigot being friends. But if you can, you know, get in
closer. Your trust is beginning to be
gained, right? It has not been full attack mode
for you because you've not shown it hostility yet and you tried
to show a kindness even though it didn't care.
All right, all right, Fuck, fuck, that's what she says.
I'm going. I'm going in.
You got ballin and speaker like in the hallway like fuck fuck
fuck. All right, Pebbles, I see You
want do you want them power ups? That's great.
I want you to want them. I'm squishing a little bit
closer. Not still not not in the range
of attack, but just. It's head kind of looks up.
Your intuition is good with the healing syringe, right?
Like it is. It is like injured.
It is kind of beat, bruised and battered a bit from its repeated
games down here. It pokes its head up as you
begin to approach. What?
What do you say, huh? What do you say, Pebbles?
You wanna, you wanna scooch scooch a brooch?
I think it lowers its head and gives a lower multi tonal growl.
Looking at you through several like 3 or 4 different like
asymmetric eyes on top of its head.
I like adjuster to the chain around it.
Spotty. It weakly lifts up the leg
attached to the chain and then like groans a little bit looking
between its leg and and and view and like multi tonal growls.
Yeah, that's it. That's it, Pebbles.
Let me help you. Let me get that off.
What do you say I am making a little bit closer?
Give me a do something under fire roll.
Roll plus. Cool.
OK, Oh, that's shit. That's a four.
Oh. Oh fuck.
I think that each time that you've been saying like it's OK,
let me help you look at the chain, etcetera, etcetera,
you've been stepping just one step each, one step each time
and it moves much faster from down than you expected.
And before you have time to respond elsewise, its body has
filled the chamber and jutted forward, slamming into your
upper body and pushing you to the ground.
Several of these arms are out and stamping the ground around
you. You're pinned down in such a way
that your arm, I think holding the syringe is like twisted out
and up behind you and it is looking down upon you.
Several maws open up and some slobber drooling down like it is
about to consume you. Not good.
It's not going well. Not going well.
Pollen is pulling out her handheld T-shirt cannon and
beginning to load in one of her her ammunitions.
You're not quite sure what her weapon is?
Pollen. If you shoot it and you don't
kill it immediately, it will kill me.
Can you? Unless you want to watch me die,
which. All right.
Her hand's shaking and she she, she puts it down and she says I,
I know it's not going to kill it and it's just over you multi
tonal roaning. Violence is not the answer right
now. Spigot, do you have anything
here? Well, Spigot was going to draw
his T-shirt cannon, but having her pedal.
Spigot's exactly the same, but behind you.
I'm only putting it down. And I was like, fuck, I'm so
Bond. All right, I'm sorry.
I shouldn't assume about what you've gone through.
I respect you. So what the arm with the syringe
is is blocked? Is the other arm free?
Sure. Yeah, the other arm is is free.
Is my hand anywhere near the one that has the chain?
So the chain itself is like, you know, and like Mario, the chain
chomp is attached to a chain that is so fucking large that
it's not breaking its chain, is the idea right?
The the chain, when it's in its sleeping form is almost larger
than itself. When it's in and it's big form,
it's. Got.
It you might be able to squish between the links if you try
hard enough. Oh God, I got it.
I didn't realize it was that freaking big.
Comically large. I pet, I'm starting patting one
of the arms like it's all right. I'm sorry.
I respect you. I'm not going to hurt you.
I can. I will just fuck off.
We'll just fuck right off if that's if that's better.
I I won't expect the boundaries across the line.
Oh. She's just like hoping that she
doesn't. She's like, she's, you know, I I
didn't talk to animals like they're people.
And so Pepper is going to do that.
She she doesn't know any other option is just she's just going
to die violence. She's not going to get her out
and she's not going to try and seduce it.
I I mean, it is, you're not seducing it for sure.
But the role I still think is seduce or manipulate, yeah.
You're not. Seducing it, but you're fast
talking it because fast talk is a is a part of.
That oh, that's much better. That's a 10.
Poof. Roll plus hot with a 10/10 plus.
OK, I think what occurs here it's it's a top view, right?
It's it's hands are stamping into the dirt, clawing at your
shoulders a little bit. One of them stamps into the
water and it stops and like brings that towards its mouth
and licks a little bit of that. It stretches a part of its body
out and starts like slurping up the water through a maw.
Still 1 maw over the top of you, but in that motion you're able
to pull your other hand around and grab the syringe or maybe in
you know that that also also feels like an aggressive motion.
Here's a needle. Maybe you just slip your your
hand in in the needle. You know, you just like you're
able to pull your arm back up and and beneath you And because
it's weight is on top of you and constantly shifting in this like
waterbed, you know, balloon on top of you.
The needle slides right in and you give it the healing potion.
I think with the water and the healing potion, the kindness so
far, it shakes a little bit off. It looks down at you, is feeling
better and I think it slowly slides off and as it like pulls
off of you, it morphs back into its smaller warg like wolf state
and kind of sits there and points at one of its, I don't
know, 3 to 5 back legs. And with the the chain around it
that comes down chain is, is massive at some point, right?
But it comes down to the size of a manacle seemingly shifting as
it shifts on its back leg and it just kind of points and and
groans multi tonally. Oh nice, excellent.
And like her pals legs are shaking.
She's like, OK, great. Colin falls into a like a cross
legged and breathing heavily. Hey, can he he'll assist me in
helping the chip with the chain because she doesn't want to go
by herself. I'm scared so.
It repeats its groan and look at its leg manacle.
Hard to say. All right, I guess I'll go by
myself and. You can describe it to me from
over there and I can walk you through it, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. OK.
It's like, it's like me fixing the freaking water machine all
over again. Send to me to send it to me.
You. Go together.
I'd like you to give me a oh, it's just got to be a do
something under fire because there's no questions involved.
This is a you are on the lookout.
OK, that's a 7 + 2 which is 9, and I also get an experience
tick for that, which means I've levelled up.
Yay level up. This is a good level up roll
too. The time should be now as like
pedal is getting up. You are about to spread the news
like we need to get back into hiding and you look towards that
back hallway from your angle. You've been able to keep an eye
on it and it is dark and all of a sudden you feel feel a quick
tapping on your shoulder and pollen is pointing behind you as
the green light is coming around the corner and approaching.
It has not seen you yet but it is coming from the left hallway
and not the back hallway. You have scoped and you guys
have a moment to do something though Pedal is currently in,
you know, about half range of the beast for if that's anything
important at any point. I think the beast even whimpers
a little bit. It pretends to like be asleep
like it lays back down but you see it's like eyes closed and
peak open as if it's as if it's peaking towards the green light
at. All Can you hide with the beast?
I think your allies are able to point it out to you quietly.
So there's no time for me to run back to hide with them, I have
to hide with. I think to run back and hide
with them you're crossing the room it you can do it at a -, 1
or you can try to hide behind the beast for whatever that
means. OK, well I guess I'm not sure.
How about the guy Pebbles? With pebbles, all right, And
then spigot, what's your hide plan?
If it's coming in from the left and it's going to come back into
the center, then I want to be behind the pillars on the
opposite side of the room. Yeah, just trying to run around
and hide behind the building on that side.
Yeah, I would top pollen on the shoulder and point the direction
I want to go. She nods vigorously.
And I need to do something under fire from both of you all.
Right, let's do something under fire.
That's an nine. No, no, an 8.
And that's a 7 for Spigot. You to Pollen and she nods and
you start running. You feel she's right behind you
right? But you're quite a bit faster
and you get around the tomb and pressed up against the wall,
breathing for a second before you realize she's not quite
right next to you. As you peek back around, you see
that green light entering into the room and you see her just
cutting into the South hallway and she scoots down a little bit
of that hallway and like, I guess she point like holds the
fingers to her lip. Not that you're going to say
anything, but she's, you know, shush, I'm hiding and like cuts
down a little bit of that hallway.
She's still visible in the mists, but she's like just on
its edge, trying to like stay out of sight and pedal Kerala.
You do a you do a quick, you know, Crouch run up to the beast
and you give it a quick pad. It gives you a weird multi tonal
growl as you approach a little bit of a protest, but you scooch
in behind it and up under some of its folds.
And as the green light enters into the room and you see its
light kind of bounce off the walls, It lays its head back
down over the top of you, protecting you from vision,
right. It's it's it helps you a little
bit here. But I do want you to give me
this is more of a defense. Open your brain roll.
It's not a getting a detail. But as the green light
approaches and things like whatever light comes in through,
right, Even if there's none all of a sudden.
Oh my soul. Yeah, you can see the outlines
of the green light approach and you feel this sickening anxious
almost vacuum above you and I need you to give me a roll.
Plus weird to resist. Oh wow, I should roll on my
little computer mat all the time.
That's a 10 + 2 is 12. The 12, you feel it, but you
Crouch into Pebbles and hold tight, and you feel Pebbles wrap
a bit tighter around you. Pebbles is still drained for a
bit, but you aren't. You feel, you know, a bit weird
and groggy, but nothing beyond that.
As that happens, the green light enters into its Lantern, and not
but a moment later the blue light leaves.
And unfortunately I need you to do this with one more time,
because the blue light now comes over and does the same thing,
though now the feeling is of sadness and loss rather than
like anxious and tense. Do I get any kind of advantage
because I knocked it out of the park the last time, or am I just
being a weasel? I am not going to give you
advantage because this is a different feeling.
You're immediately thrust with a different like sensation of
negativity. OK, so that's another 8.
You just take you take one point of psychic damage so one to one
take on the harm clock as you are just drained of a bit of
your energy. Pebbles can feel that and wraps
tighter around you as like a hug in solidarity but can't protect
you much from it and you feel sad afterwards.
And that blue light instead spigot cuts off and around the
tomb towards the other side. You're safe, but towards the
back hallway and you see Holland kind of almost like a cartoon
jump up like in in surprise and then bolt off down the hallway
and away from it. Like down the South hallway,
away from us. Yes, because the spirit in the
specter is coming in that way, Yeah.
That's not good. That's not good.
But I don't know that I want to shoot at the specter not knowing
what it's capable of. Mm Hmm.
He isn't chasing her, right? It's just in, it's, it's no, he
doesn't know she's there, right? But she is.
She is there and she's running. I.
But the the rube goes quiet again as that blue light crests
into the darkness. Pollen out for now out of the
room. The two of you are here and the
beast like unfolds itself around you and lets you out.
Thanks Pebbles, I am a little pat.
Multi tonal grown. Well shit, now what do we do?
If you can free pebbles, maybe that will distract the spectre
and allow pollen to get back to. Us OK, what do I see in terms of
like the chain, the anchor point, anything that I can peak
point because if this chain is huge.
Examine closely. Rolling dice.
OK, that an 8. An 8.
You choose one, I choose one. You have noticed something
hidden, understand exactly what's here, complete the scan
very fast, or find something shiny.
Well, I I would love to understand exactly what's here.
That would be great just to know exactly.
Yeah, the chain does get bigger. So it's it's much, it's a very
large chain. And when Pebbles reaches its
full size, the chain around its leg and really it's sort of back
portion, it's it's legs kind of fuse together a bit when it gets
into its big size, but that that manacle gets large to contain
it. When it's in its small form,
it's noticeably smaller and right next to its leg.
You think easier to break. You could probably like pry a
bar in there and maybe crack it up.
You'd have to like let Pebbles know that might cause some pain,
but you could maybe break it there next to the leg you in
this scan though, as you're you're scanning over the chain
and looking at the thing you get out far enough from pebbles and
spigot. As you're scoping around the
edge, you get the first eye on it, the yellow light flaring up
and. You.
See the yellow specter start to form in front of its light
housing. I think this is a kind of a
bullet time thing as pedal is attention is elsewhere.
Yeah, well, I'm going to try and distract it if it's fully going
to appear so that pedal has a chance to free Pebbles.
OK, if you're just fully drawing its attention, I don't even
really think I need to roll here 'cause you can just run out and
like, hey, over here, you know? Yeah, 'cause I don't think
shooting it is going to do any good.
So yeah, I'm just going to try and physically get its
attention. Yeah, as it forms and starts to
turn towards where pedal is at, you just run out, arms are
waving and it snaps its attention towards you.
You hear it shriek and it's a wispy wrappings wave up and a
wriggly tendrils around it and it shoots at you like a
sprinter. Oh, that's not good.
Directing you down the right hall, or you can cut around the
back. It's kind of up to you at that
point which hall you want to take away from it, but it's full
tilt chasing you. It's coming full at me, so if I
went around the back I'd be chasing the yellow one that went
after pollen. Yeah, the blue one, yeah.
I don't think I want to do that because I don't want to bunch
this up on two of them, so I guess I'm going to go to the
right. You Sprint off, down the right
hall pedal. You're left alone in this hall.
You see the spectre form and your attention is drawn as
spigot runs out shouting like hey, hey over here.
In fact I think even pebbles like gets a little bristly at
that and stands up and starts to get bigger and the yellow ghost
just full tilts floats after a spigot down the right hall in
your left. In this alone, what do you do?
All right, Hey, love you. Listen, we don't have a lot of
time, but he's he's buying his time.
I I might be able to bust you out, but it might hurt.
Don't fuck me up. Do not kill me.
I'm like pointing at him. I'm pointing at it.
Don't fuck me up, all right? I'm trying to get you out or out
Pebbles. It tilts its head at you and
then looks back down at the manacle.
Multi tunnel Groan. Is there anything?
I don't know if there are any like crowbars, sticks.
I don't have anything in my inventory.
The crowbar. I have a bread.
Yeah, I think the best that you have inventory wise is a blunt
source to try to smash the the manacle, which you know is not
ideal for, but that you unfortunately don't have the
thing. And I, you know, if and you
don't have a barter anymore to be just a crowbar, I think.
And so, so your brick or your brass knuckles to just try to
smash the chain might be the only way.
Unless there's something else I, I do not know of, which is
totally possible. I am not actually looking at
your character sheet. Fucking because I don't want to
do that. That's not nice.
I mean, I guess if I have to but it.
Isn't nice, but let's see that's that's the most straightforward
way forward. Give me a read, a sitch and I
can kind of you could pick your questions and I can gear 1
towards the right thing. That is A7.
A7 to ask one. Maybe what should I be on the
lookout? For the only piece of metal that
looks sturdy enough are these large metal torches, two of
which are dulled out at the moment.
If you could find a way to get one of those down, that crowbar
would be much like leverage would be far better to crack
this chain open than just striking it.
Doing so sneakily is a totally different story.
Sneakily, even though they're chasing 2.
Of the ghosts are still in their housings.
Pete's. I guess I don't.
I have a choice. I guess I got to be sneaky.
What should I roll for? Do something under fire to try
to get over there. There's like some statues to
climb up on that you could try to, you know, get up there to
scope out which one's weaker. If you could just like, pull it
out of its housing. Maybe it's not.
Maybe it's not something you got a breakdown.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right.
Let me get get me those big numbers again.
OK? That is an 8 + a one.
Hey, good job, Matt. A nine.
You climb up on the statue and start tugging at one of these
torches, trying to maintain a sense of stealth.
It seems pretty firmly rooted in there.
It's shaking around just a bit. You can either spend some time
on this to do it quietly, just keep wriggling it back and forth
until you loosen it enough to pull it out, or you can give it
a a firm pull but possibly draw attention to yourself.
Do you spend the time or do you draw the attention?
How much time has passed since the next?
Like do I have the time? Between 5 and 10 minutes since
the the blue spectre has has left on its trail, so you know
you have another 10 to 15 left until it returns if it hasn't
caught wind of pollen. And the yellow one chasing
spigot is not on that same track, it is just chasing
spigot. OK, so I look at pebbles.
I say, OK, Pebbles, it seems like you can kind of understand
me, right? Multi tonal groan.
OK, it looks at you. OK.
I plant of its hands do this and I make like the OK motion with
like and my forefinger together if you can understand what I'm
saying. It stamps the ground twice.
So I want to try and get it to groan at the same time I make I
break it. That way the groan covers the
sound of the metal. Breaking yeah.
I think with all your roles so far and your connection with
Pebbles that you know it has groaned in response to you
almost every time, right. So if you can get it to
excitedly groan in response to you at the same time and then
pull out when it's doing that right, that might be your play.
You don't. I think you're in the right the
right the right headspace in that I don't even know if it's
actually responding to you or if it's just giving you tonal
response. All right, OK.
Or it's understanding you right. Or if it's just responding, but
it is responding and you know in time that you can give it a
quick excitement, it'll give you a groan and you can pull out
while it's groaning. OK, I I might brace myself to
keep you ready. Just give it a good strong gank
and I look up at Pebbles and like you want to get out here,
you want to be free. And it gives you a multi tonal
Yip and kind of steps up onto all fours and you you yank and
there's the sound of metal on stone as you pull the, the
torch, the the housing free, long metal torch free.
And you fall to the ground because you needed to pull out
all that force and pebbles is underneath the view, like a bed,
like a big skin pad that you land on, softening your blow,
though it's kind of gross. And then it pulls out from
underneath of you and sits. It's back, the back half of its
body. You're the one who wanted to.
Rescue Pebble. You can't be grossed out by
Pebbles. Now I can be grossed out
whenever I won't be. Don't.
Prove this. It proves that every time layer
up just a bit, but aren't triggered by anything.
Like triggered out outright as pebbles has caught you and
almost the sound has been muffled.
Spigot, you're dead sprinting down the hallways.
What's your It's pretty close behind.
I'm hoping to get to an intersection and like Juke
quickly. Down a side corridor or
something and maybe it'll go by yeah.
So if I can put any distance between us to make a quick move
like that, that's my first play for sure.
For sure. Give me if I run out of room,
I'm going to turn and. Blast it with a T-shirt cannon
I. Love it.
Give me that dude. Something under fire.
OK, go. Back all right.
That's plus cool. And that is an 8 + 2.
That's 10. Nice.
That's. 10 on the first few turns you quickly learn.
That this thing. Like, its turns are slower, so
every time that it has to turn, you gain some distance on it.
And you very scarcely will skip over an intersection without
turning in these, you know, minutes as you're sprinting
down, turn here, turn here, skip over an intersection, turn here,
turn here. And you're just going into the
maze. But you're doing it well, and
you're outpacing it. At some point, you're a good
half a hallway up in front of it.
You've gained some distance. You cut around another corner,
and in front of you, all of a sudden, there's almost no way
forward. You're nearing out of breath.
But in front of you, there is this floating silver sphere with
light kind of coming out from whatever seams are holding it
together, floating in the middle of the the tunnel in front of
you. And the pathway cuts, you know,
forward and then back to the left and back into the maze.
You are, you have found yourself at like the edge of the maze and
this floating orb in front of you.
I'm going to grab the orb. You grab the orb.
Immediately it opens up and starts.
To latch onto your body, if there's anything, if you want to
do anything to fight that, we'll need a role.
Or you can accept it and just keep running.
I I think I'm going to accept it and keep running because it this
feels to. Me like that may be the power up
we were looking for I'm hoping yeah it opens up helping right
or I've made a tragic. Mistake.
It eats. You and OK, I'm gonna need a
new. Character.
It opens up and latches onto your arm, spinning around
itself, leaving a sort of bright opening that folds in on itself
in the front like a little hand cannon.
And it is glowing in this rainbow, neon hues casting
lights around you as you run. You grab it and you've hit the
end of the hallway and you're about to take a turn and you see
that the ghost actually has turned around and is as fast as
it was running in the other direction and about to take the
other corner away from you. OK, I'm going to chase it down
and you do the same. You Sprint back chasing it down.
Give me a do something under fire.
Another plus. Cool.
Yep. Oh, that's dreadful, that is.
A 3 + 2. That's a 5.
I think the ghost quickly outpaces you and as.
You hit an intersection, you have no idea which way it's
gone, but you do, I think still know where you are and can find
your way pretty quickly in the next few minutes.
Back to the main room. OK then that's that's my plan of
action then is while I've got. This power up.
Move back to the main room, see if I can help Pedal.
Maybe Pollen has made her way back.
Let's see Pedal give me. A Do something.
Under fire to use this pry bar. I'll even give you a + 1 'cause
you chose the pry bar route and have earned your way through it
to try to crack off the manacles.
OK, that's what I did earlier. Isn't that what I broke off?
You got something to break the manacles you.
Basically had to find a pry bar. It was either find a pry bar.
Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
So this is the pry bar you found, OK?
OK, I rolled A7 I think. The way that this ends.
Up is that spigot you? Run back and enter into the room
as pedal is pulling down on the pry bar and snapping the
manacle. Several things kind of happen
all at once and that is that the lights flare up on the front of
this mausoleum, this tomb and the other two spectres begin to
form lighting the room with all of this they're.
I guess the two spectres here are pink and green.
So this weird sickly almost anime style hue right comes over
everything. The lights on the floor do not
activate though telling. You guys, the game is not.
Active. You just have activated the
Spectres in their their sort of security purity zone that was
placed in front of the the the tomb.
They start to appear. Pebbles immediately starts to
increase in size and jolt towards the right side of the
room and away from the spectres. I knit down that tunnel that it
had initially pointed to, and I think that that is where we're
going to fade out for tonight. Oh my gosh, as the spectres of
pink and green. Form trying.
To leave the room as quickly as possible.
Spigot has just entered with a power up arm.
I'm so glad that we stuck with Pebbles.
I'm so happy. I am too.
That's exciting. Unfortunately, Pollen's missing
with the blue. With the blue.
Spectre and we'll find out what happens.
And now. And now the yellow spectre is
off and in a. Random.
Which are important chess pieces for next time.
Anyway, let's do a quick history thing.
I think this is a question I'm. Just going to lay out for both
of you. Do either of you think you know
each other? Better than.
Before, I mean, I knew Peddle had some bravery, but to see the
way that she. Was willing to put herself in
harm's way to take care of Pebbles.
Was pretty spectacular. Yeah, that was a show we have
not seen step out of what we've seen.
Of Peddle, maybe more into Grace, but I think that it's
still good for the character. Yeah, Brat to buy the new car.
By grace stream it it'll be this was more of a grace.
Performance than a pop performance.
But you know what? I tried to do the accent and
that's what matters because it's my first time.
All of my characters are just kind of M with different flavor.
It's tough. It's like make a character but
don't make them. You and be that character for
many, many hours, right Like it's.
It's so much easier in like a a play or a theater show because
it is like I'm I'm only this character and the same version
portion of this character every night.
Whereas for us it's like every session you're two more hours
into being this person. Yeah, different shit, different
stuff, different. And my and my character sheet is
being rewritten like or been like being created.
As like my background, yeah. And you know, even the less,
which is like I did it to myself, but it is.
Kind of fun to. Experience it, it is cool.
It's a really cool. I do like I've always.
Been kind of curious. About an amnesia.
Character. I do like the mechanics this has
shown for kind of how to do that and I would probably do it again
with slightly different execution.
Not that not like different because I'm like, oh, I want to,
you know, do it differently, but as a like build the class
slightly differently on the back end so that you, the player
maybe have a bit more. I'm not sure.
It's hard. Yeah.
I have so many vision points. I don't know what to do with
them. As the GM does pedal no spigot
better after this interaction. I think I know that he's willing
to be. I mean, I knew he was kind
towards. People, but he's extending the
kindness towards he was willing to help me save the guy to save
pebbles, even though we in return.
So I think that tells me that I think it is just a genuinely
kind man and a very unkind world.
Like yes, this kind of like Kita still has priorities because
he's a human right? I'm pretty sure twist the.
Twist of it. No, I think you guys both
deserve A plus. One to each other's history for
this session 'cause you guys have had a a solo adventure a
moment whether you 'cause our. History.
Levels are always so low means. Yeah, I mean, I think, but you
know, I think after this you. Guys would fight together a
little stronger, you'd understand each other's
ambitions a little harder. Or like how you protect who you
want to protect, right? I think it's important and pedal
or he immediately dropped his Stealth in order to draw
attention so that you could do this plan he trusted you to do.
It's true. Chaos descends upon the group as
the beast is released into the maze and the.
Spectres activate, driving them from one another.
Next time we catch up with D Ham and Dill and.
Examine their distraction. Back on the pinball board, this
episode was produced and jammed. By M Williams featuring.
Mike Harrison as Spigot and Grace Stringer as pedal music
composed for the season by Chris Rogich.
Additional voice overs by McKenna Lynch.
That's all for this time on WPR. I'm Q See you next time.
Or you could sucker someone, get up in there and just get them.
No. Oh my.
God, I was just reading the. The moves.
Yeah, get out my my glove of pain and just you see Petal walk
up with. Those three items and then the
the glove of pain and she's. Nodding and crying.
I would never. I would never.
Yeah. An evil character, and I'm not
even that evil. That's true.
We had to drag that. Out of you I really was not a
good evil character I. Dread the moment when Gabe's
like, OK, it's time. To be evil again.
I'm like, shit, we're back to it.
We're back to it after this one, OK?
The channel.