Transcribed by Michelle Kelly.
[ominous wind blows]
[theme music, a chilled rock song, plays]
Josie: You push on their emotions and they don’t seem to notice you at first, but you get a little ways in and you feel something, Luz. You feel just this because you’re a master of emotions, you feel just like malice and hate just kind of slowly creeping up through the floor. You don’t see anything, but it kind of gathers most around Father John. And as you push on them, that sort of miasma of negative emotion kind of— it doesn’t push back, but you pushing kind of disrupts it, like sweeping your hand through smoke or steam or something. And that seems to get their attention.
Kris: [groans]
Josie: And Father John turns to look at you and says:
Josie (as Father John): Just when I thought we were done for the night.
Fabby: She’s just gonna text, like, “H-E-L-P.” Send. Like, not even looking at her phone, from her hand.
Josie: Yeah. So, back in the car. [laughs]
Kris: Gets that text, just looks at Julia like, with a face of like, “Oh, I don’t like when I’m right about stuff sometimes.” [laughs]
Kris (as Remy): Okay. Okay, okay.
Kris: Like yeah, they’re just getting out of the car, they’re starting to get out of the car like, just, you know, throws open the trunk , is just looking at like— I don’t know what might come in handy so there’s just like, a duffel bag that had the first aid kit in there, it has other stuff probably, I’ll know if I need it. Just like:
Kris (as Remy): Okay, should we try to find a side door?
Minna (as Julia): Yeah, let’s not walk in the front door.
Kris (as Remy): Front door’s not not an option.
Minna: [sighs] I’m tempted, because there’s almost certainly a door that leads into the inside of the sanctuary from a different route and then maybe somebody won’t be looking there.
Kris: I’m cool to… just pick one and like, hope for the best. [laughs]
Josie: Yeah, you are able to find a door. It is going to be locked.
Kris: [whispers] Darn.
Josie: How are you gonna get past the lock?
Kris: Can I mark more gear?
Josie: You sure can.
Kris: I’m wondering if it’s just a wrench and I try to bash it open. [laughs]
Josie: Sure. I’m going to posit to you that that will in fact make noise.
Kris: Oh right, I forgot we’re being sneaky. Okay.
Josie: I’ll let you do that without a roll because doorknob-wrench is not an interesting dice contest, but if you wanna do this quietly, then it will be.
Kris: Right. That makes— that makes more sense.
Josie: Or you can just accept the fact that it’ll make noise.
Kris: It’s just the fact that like, yeah, if we’re going in the side at all, then it feels like making noise was a thing to be avoided. So, I will try not to make noise and instead of a wrenching thing, I have one…
Fabby: You could do the classic trick of credit card?
Kris: I don’t know that those work on like— I’m imagining that this would be like a deadbolt lock. I don’t know if those work.
Fabby: I mean… depends on the roll. [laughs]
Kris: [laughs]
Josie: Yeah kinda.
Fabby: What the roll is determines door is.
Kris: That’s fair, that’s fair. What if it’s just like, lockpicks in general? Cause like, sometimes you lock your keys in your car and you’ve figured out a thing to do with a coat hanger?
Minna: [laughs]
Josie: Sure. I’ll accept that Remy knows how to pick a lock.
Kris: [laughs] Appreciate it.
Josie: Give me a Human Name roll.
Kris: Ooh, okay. Can I… how do Influences work again?
Josie: You invoke them if it makes sense to and gain an additional die.
Kris: Okay. Tell me if this is too far of a stretch. I’m perfectly fine with it being one. I’m thinking of trying to invoke either their Gig Economy or Show Business Influence because either, you know, one of the gig economy things they do is like, you know how you can— I don’t remember which app or whatever thing it’s called, but like, it’s pretty much just like, “Yeah I’ll just go around and do odd jobs for people.”
Fabby: Yeah, Task Rabbit or something like that.
Kris: Yes, yeah. Like Task Rabbit or… Fiver or something. One of those, right? That’s just like, sometimes people lock themselves out of their house and they don’t wanna call a whole-ass locksmith and so it’s just like, “Help me.”
Josie: Sounds great to me.
Kris: Oh sweet, then let’s go with that.
Josie: Yeah. [laughs]
Fabby: Yeah, that makes sense.
Kris: My other pitch was Show Business, like, as a child— because I’m very much imagining the show that Remy was on was like, That’s So Raven or something, right? It’s just like, a middle-schooler gets into hijinks. You know, there’s like an episode where I had to pretend to be like a super spy or something and it’s like, I know actually how to do this if I can remember from like, 30 years ago.
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: But yeah, I’ll take that extra die. Heck yeah. So that’s two dice. Oh, well that’s a 2 anyway. That’s bad.
Minna: [laughs]
Kris: I’m… I’m just gonna stop trying to pick locks. [laughs]
Josie: I think Remy’s a little out of practice with this.
Kris: Most of the time they’ve had to do this, it’s not like, when a friend is inside a building and text “HELP”.
Josie: Yeah. I think there’s a consequence as well, cause I’m supposed to give you one. I think the consequence is just your lockpicks break. Real Skyrim moment here.
Kris: [laughs]
Minna: [laughs] Are there windows that we can reach?
Josie: Around this side, probably not. Maybe elsewhere, but you will need to take time to look for them. Speaking of which, I wanna jump back inside for just a second.
Fabby: Mm hmm?
Josie: Luz is in a desperate situation if I’ve ever seen one.
Fabby: Yeah!
Josie: I think immediately at Father John’s command, the two gun guys immediately point their guns at you and kind of make their way around behind you and try to direct you forward towards him. And Father John says:
Josie (as Father John): So, which sort are you? You definitely don’t look like someone who is here for our cause. Who are you?
Josie: Before you can answer that question, one of the amps on the stage kinda crackles a little bit and a voice comes out of it that just says:
Josie (as Voice): [raspy whisper] Penumbra…
Kris: What?!
Fabby: She sighs.
Fabby (as Luz): Hey there. Long time.
Josie (as Father John): Well. We have never met before.
Fabby (as Luz): I was not talking to you.
Fabby: I think she like, switches in her brain real quick, just like, oh, we’re playing an act here. She’s like:
Fabby (as Luz): I was not talking to you. This is between demons.
Josie: I kinda want to make you roll to intimidate this guy.
Fabby: Mm hmm.
Kris: [excited] Yeah!
Fabby: Yeah.
Josie: Yeah, go ahead and roll your Demon Name.
Fabby: Hell yeah.
Josie: This is desperate, reduced, but you can spend things to increase effect or dice.
Fabby: What would be a Devils Bargain here?
Josie: A Devil’s Bargain… he will have his guys restrain you. The result of the roll will influence how effective and for what reasons they do that.
Fabby: I’ll take the Devil’s Bargain and I’ll put it in effect. 1d6, baby. 3.
Josie: [sighs]
Kris: Mark that desperate XP though…
Fabby: Yay…
Josie: I think Father John is a little shaken, but he seems to muster some sort of faith and say:
Josie (as Father John): My Lord is no demon. You are lower than he.
Josie: Derek and the other guy will each grab one of your arms. Abaddon’s voice from the amp will say:
Josie (as Abaddon): Do you not long for days past?
Fabby (as Luz): I long for Them and Them only. And you are not Them, Abaddon.
Josie (as Abaddon): They… were… a fool. It is regrettable that They persuaded you. All of us.
Fabby (as Luz): They are a star, not a fool. And if you deny Their light then you will be blinded by it. When They come back.
Josie (as Abaddon): I have no interest in serving another light. I will dim it at long last. And we will stand atop the Tower of Babel.
Josie: With that, we’re gonna cut back outside.
Minna: I think it’s time to stop being smart and just… go in.
Fabby: [laughs] Zero to stop being smart.
Josie: [laughs]
Fabby: Zero to just go apeshit. [laughs]
Josie: [laughs] So are you all just smashing your way through the door?
Kris: Yeah. Okay.
Minna: I mean, it could also be just go in the front door. [laughs] It does not have to be property destruction.
Kris: Yeah, we could just run in the front door. We can just run around. Just leave this coat hanger mangled up in the lock here, like nope, it’s dead. We’re leaving it.
Josie: You’re gonna run around to the front and in through the main doors. Father John had been just about to say something as you two burst into the main worship area and you see Luz with two armed dudes grabbing each of her arms and the echo of a voice coming from one of the amplifiers on stage. And Father John just goes:
Josie (as Father John): Like cockroaches, I swear.
Josie: He waves a finger and Derek points a gun at Luz’s head. What do you all do?
Fabby: Hah. He said cock.
[laughter]
Minna: I was thinking, “I hope we’re at least as annoying as palmetto bugs.”
[laughter]
Kris: Luz instantly goes to gallows humor, let’s go.
Josie: I think both of those lines were in-character. [laughs]
Minna and Fabby: [laugh]
Kris: Oh, I could absolutely hear that. Gosh. Well, I’d like to try to get these fools to drop their weapons, if I can. If and I can.
Josie: Sure, what are you thinking for that? Are you just charging, or are you using a Lore, or maybe your Apocalyptic form?
Kris: Ooh. Um, I’m gonna start with a Lore. Yeah, Lore of the Celestials. I can’t quite give commands that people will follow yet, but I can inspire dread.
Josie: Give me a Fallen Epithet roll. Desperate, standard. Mark XP in your Lore track though.
Kris: I do, but that also spends all the Faith I had left. It’s fine. What’s a Devil’s Bargain look like here?
Josie: Devil’s Bargain is that the guns are gonna point at you instead.
Kim: Yeah, I’ll take that. I will take that. Okay, 2d6, let’s go. No, that’s a 2. The high die is a 2.
Minna: Hmm.
Josie: Mm, that’s unfortunate.
Kris: It’s bad.
Josie: I think kinda the same thing happens. As you reach out with the light within you to smother and cow the humans in the room, it also encounters this just greasy miasma of wrongness that Abaddon exudes. It kind of mutes it. The gun that was pointed at Luz’s head immediately points towards you, as you clearly tried to do something.
Kris: Yeah, I mean, overall I prefer this.
Josie: And Derek looks pretty terrified, just as he did in the music venue.
Kris: Does he recognize us?
Josie: Yeah, he very clearly does. [laughs]
Minna: [amused]
Kris: Good. Great.
Josie: Like, “Oh. Oh it’s them. Oh no.” [laughs]
Kris: Remy gives him a very mean smile and a wink.
Josie: [laughs] What is Julia doing?
Minna: I think she’s just like, looking around at the situation like,
Minna (as Julia): So… do you wanna let me friend go or…?
Josie: What’s your intention here? Are you trying to genuinely persuade or intimidate?
Minna: I think it’s more along the lines of intimidation, to be honest.
Josie: Okay. I imagine you’re targeting this at Derek, because he saw your Heron Cerberus form. [laughs]
Minna: Yeah, no, it’s absolutely like me mugging him and trying to make him remember exactly how scary I am.
Josie: Yeah. That’s gonna be a Demon Name roll. It’s also gonna be desperate. I’m gonna say it’s greater effect though, because of your prior encounter.
Kris: [cackles]
Minna: Just gonna hope for the best. [pause] Yes!
Kris: Yo!
Fabby: Nice.
Minna: [laughs]
Kris: Get it!
Josie: He immediately snaps to Remy and then spies Julia and his eyes just go wide and he’s immediately sweating. Like, it’s pretty clearly a trauma response, and he doesn’t intend to drop the gun, but he kind of starts shaking and it does just drop. And he starts backing towards the stage as like:
Josie (as Derek): [panicked] No, no. You said— you said you would protect us from that thing. No, no, no.
Josie: And the other guy is like:
Josie (as Gun Guy): What the fuck is wrong with you?
Minna: [laughs] I think Julia just like, kind of smiles a little and is like:
Minna (as Julia): Oh dear. It looks like you not only failed to protect them, you didn’t even teach them any firearm safety.
Josie: Father John is like:
Josie (as Father John): I’m not certain we will need it.
Josie: But before he acts, I wanna give Luz another action.
Fabby: I was gonna— I was gonna assume my Apocalyptic Form.
Josie: Ooh. Okay.
Fabby: I think this is like a pressure response for Luz.
Josie: So mark a point of Torment.
Fabby: Yep.
Josie: And then describe for us what Luz’s transformation looks like.
Fabby: Yeah, I think the guy that’s holding her, his hands just go through her as her body, like, stops having a…
Kris: [whispers] What….?
Fabby: … like a physicality to it, and like, darkness starts coming— darkness and smoke starts coming out of every orifice. Like, including her skin. Like, everywhere. Like if a— if a 100 smoke bombs just all over her body start exploding. This like, whirlwind of smoke and darkness and like, lightning every so often. And you just hear:
Fabby (as Luz): Huh. So that’s how you do it.
Fabby: And then you just hear her in a big, echoing voice:
Fabby (as Luz): [demonic voice] Leave.
##Midroll [00.15.33]
Josie: Hi everyone and welcome to the midroll. I’m really sorry that this episode was late. I had a rough couple weeks and I am playing catchup with a lot of Love and Hellfire stuff. I’m gonna try and get back on track in the coming weeks, so don’t worry. And hopefully after a couple more episodes you’ll start getting some longer episodes, because I know these past few have been comparatively short, at least when compared to City That Never Dies. I’m sort of reworking the direction of the show a little bit. But yeah, other than that, I don’t really have anything to announce, so here’s Kris with this month’s featured charity.
Hi everyone, it’s Kris. I’m here to tell you about this month’s featured charity: Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction. Look, the Canadian government has a monstrous relationship with the Indigenous peoples of this land. The government has killed, displaced, and disenfranchised First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people at every turn, and the country’s COVID-19 response was no exception.
Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction was founded in 2020 in response to city-wide shut downs of frontline services and a general lack of resources for Indigenous unhoused people in the city. TIHR provides basic needs, access to critical health support and COVID-19 testing, harm reduction supplies, traditional medicines and food, arts, and ceremony to some of the most vulnerable among the city of Toronto’s population.
You can help support them, and learn more about their mission to reduce harm and spread awareness about Indigenous arts and culture by visiting TorontoIndigenousHR.com. Thanks y’all.
##Story continues [00.17.18]
Fabby: I’m gonna try to intimidate them again.
Josie: Yeah. Are you manipulating them with your Lores or just raw force of this?
Fabby: I’m trying to do a Demon Name of just like raw, like…
Kris: Scariness?
Fabby: Intimidation. Just like, hey, this is not a girl, this is a weird darkness demon.
Josie: Yeah. Um, so because you’re in Apocalyptic Form, you gain increased effect with your Demon or Fallen Epithets as well as any rolls you make to intimidate others. Against humans, you automatically have greater effect. So, the other guy is just gonna be affected by greater effect. But against Father John, it’s gonna be standard because he’s not an entirely normal human anymore. But I’ll apply the effects separately. I think this is still a desperate roll, but you’re out of a desperate situation after this.
Fabby: I’m just gonna roll that 1d6.
Josie: Alright.
Fabby: [frustrated] That’s a 3 again!
Josie: So, I mean, I don’t think there’s any way they can not be scared by this, but I think the other guy’s response is to open fire, which can only effect an angry storm cloud of darkness so much. So, I’m gonna say it’s level 1 harm.
Fabby: Can I try resisting it?
Josie: Yes, you can. You resist physical consequences with your Fallen Epithet.
Fabby: 2d6. 3.
Josie: Okay. Do you have three Faith left?
Fabby: No, I have one. What happens now?
Josie: I didn’t foresee this situation.
Minna: [laughs]
Josie: Um…
Fabby: Sorry, I broke your game!
Josie: I’m just gonna say you can’t resist it unless you get beneath.
Fabby: Okay.
Josie: I won’t drain that last bit of Faith you have.
Fabby: Yeah. I assumed you were gonna be like, “Oh, you drain the Faith and then you get two Torment points.”
Josie: Yeah, um… [laughs]
Kris: Okay, great.
Fabby: Okay, so what’s my level 1 harm?
Josie: Uh, just Shot.
Fabby: Shot.
Josie: So I think the guy immediately opens fire and Abaddon’s voice over the speaker crackles in:
Josie (as Abaddon): Bring them to me for judgement.
Josie: And Father John nods and waves a hand and all the audio cables and other detritus on the stage going up to the speakers in the rafters and connecting to all the microphones and stuff kind of start to animate. You can see, like, grey-brown dead leaves start poking through the rubber, like plants have grown through the wires. All of them sort of come to life, creating this writhing tangle of what look like artificial vines. What do you all do?
Kim: I’m wondering if we can like, you know, tell where the— where whatever is controlling them or whoever is controlling them is so we can just like, you know, weave through them and get there first.
Josie: Sure. That’ll be a True Name roll, I’ll say.
Kris: Oh no…
Josie: Risky, standard.
Kris: Oh boy. Okay. Well, this seems like a bad idea but I’m gonna try it anyway.
Minna: [laughs]
Kris: I got no dice in that.
Josie: Alrighty.
Kris: Ugh… ah. Again with the 2. Again with the 2s. It’s a 2.
Josie: Remy immediately sets out trying to find what is this, where is it coming from, is it Father John, is it Abaddon, and they attempt to duck and weave while looking, but I think the consequence is one of the audio cables forms into a coil and slips over them and begins to tighten.
Kris: Yeah. Yeah, sure.
Josie: So, I think you’re going to take level 1 harm, Squeezed.
Kris: Yeah, sure.
Minna: I feel like the origin is the source of this. Like, we gotta— we gotta figure that shit out. Is that still a— that’s a True Name roll?
Josie: Yeah, unless you have a different approach.
Minna: No, I think that makes sense. And I’m also decent at it. [laughs] So I do it with a consequence.
Josie: Given that Abaddon is also a Devourer and clearly has plant powers going on here, I think Aigron is extremely familiar with that, right? And I think you’re able to feel where its coming from. Father John is a conduit. Abaddon has clearly made a pact with him to give him control over this. You can sense that the vines head down through the floor to some sort of central point.
Minna: Oh, so we just gotta find the roots and pull ‘em up.
Josie: Kind of. You did roll a 5, though. So I’m going to have a consequence and that consequence is a clock. There was more gunfire and the front windows are shot out, so I think someone may have heard it. So I’m gonna start People Arrive clock at 1 of 6. What is Luz doing?
Fabby: Luz, in her Apocalyptic Form, I think this is the point where she has the least control of who she is right now?
Josie: Mm hmm.
Fabby: And maybe Penumbra’s taking over a little bit. And she’s just going straight to Father John and she’s gonna try to asphyxiate him by using the like, darkness cloud she is to like, suffocate him.
Josie: Damn. Okay. [laughs]
Fabby: Yeah.
Josie: Yeah, this is gonna be your Fallen Epithet because you’re doing destructive shit.
Fabby: Mm hmm.
Josie: You’re in your Apocalyptic Form, so you have increased effect.
Fabby: What would… a Devil’s Bargain look like?
Josie: While you’re occupied with Father John, some of the vines will squeeze and capture your friends.
Minna: [whines]
Fabby: I think I wanna take it.
Josie: Okay.
Kris: Wah. [laughs]
Fabby: Yeah… she’s not thinking straight. 1d6. That’s another 3. [sighs]
Kris: Has— has it been all 3s?
Fabby: I feel like I’ve been getting a lot of 3s.
Josie: Yeah, I’m sorry.
Kris: I think every single die roll you’ve had today has been a 3.
Josie: Uh, so you engage with Father John and he’s suffused in this dark, angry storm cloud. And he has the presence of mind to get an arm over his mouth so he’s not asphyxiating and he kind of swings his other arm wildly, which causes all the cables to lash out like whips. Julia and Remy, take level 1 harm, Stung. I will say since it’s wild it kinda hurts Derek and Gun Guy a little bit as well. Looping back around to Remy, what’s up?
Kris: Well, I’m in these cables, you see. Um, yeah. Okay, okay…. Maybe I can try to… they’re cables, maybe I can try to snip my way out of them. I got this duffel bag, right? Again, I’m just being like this is the Mary Poppins bag of whatever I need is in here now.
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: You know how like, pliers have like the cutty bit in them? Or like a bolt cutter or something? I don’t know, just something.
Josie: Yeah. Mark that off your load and roll Human Name for me.
Kris: I will do that.
Josie: I will say your Gig Economy thing can apply here.
Kris: Oh, delightful.
Josie: Because that’s the point of this bag, right? This is like your—
Kris: Yeah, pretty much. This is the like, ”I don’t know what I’m gonna need today so get everything” bag. Delightful. Okay. So that’s 2d6.
Josie: Risky, standard.
Kris: Okay, but it’ll be less effect for me because I have two level 1 harm. That’s a 6!
Josie: Nice.
Kris: Limited effect, but it’s a success. I’ll take it. [laughs]
Josie: You got your magical gig economy bag of tricks and Remy’s able to just pull out a bolt cutter and cut through these cables. And you can see that there is the copper wire inside, but that’s just like choked with vines and squished leaves. And as they fall to the ground they kind of writhe like snakes for a little bit before going still.
Kris: Cool. Great. I feel like they cut it off so like, the parts that were twisted around Remy’s arms or legs or torso, those are still there and still really tight, they just kinda like froze there. So that’s gonna be uncomfortable. Hey, just a quick question. Does the… uh, all the planty stuff in those cables look kind of like the dead root from the floor of the music venue?
Josie: Good catch. Yes.
Kris: [triumphant laugh] Okay. That’s fine. I’m sure. I’m sure that’s fine.
Josie: Yeah. Everything’s fine, I’m sure. Even as some of these cables go limp, the other cables in the room sort of flinch like they’re alive. You did get a 6 after all. Damaging these does some sort of harm to something. Julia, what’s up?
Minna: Julia is… I think, having noticed these vines— or, that these go down, like, is trying to figure out how to get to the bottom of them.
Josie: It’s somewhere under the stage. A ways down. Like a floor down.
Kris: Yeah. Is like the stage raised some off of the floor?
Josie: Yeah, it is.
Minna: Okay. So I wanna see if there’s like, a way down there that I can find.
Josie: Give me a True Name roll. This is going to be risky, standard. Julia’s True Name being The Hot Wet Green Smell of Life at the Water’s Edge, Held Close in the Embrace of a Tunnel of Trees. But that doesn’t do a whole lot of good because your result is 2. [laughs]
Minna: Yeah.
Josie: You know roughly where to go, but this whirling tangle of vine cables is just too much to get through at the moment. You’re going to take another level 1 harm, like Whipped or Stung or something.
Minna: That’s a level 2 harm.
Josie: Oh, both your level 2s are filled, so you’re going to start taking…
Minna: Mm hmm. I can’t take any more harm. [laughs]
Josie: Less effect and minus 1 dice on things that that’s relevant for.
Minna: Yeah…
Kim: [groans]
Josie: Luz. What’s our angry storm cloud doing?
Fabby: Am I still… did Father John move away from me? Is he still near me?
Josie: He’s still near you.
Fabby: I wanna try again.
Josie: Just trying to asphyxiate this guy?
Fabby: Yeah, cause I think Luz is like, if I— or Penumbra is like, I need to get rid of him, or at least get him out of this combat and then we can focus on Abaddon, but like, he can’t be here.
Josie: Okay. Give me another risky, increased effect Fallen Epithet roll.
Fabby: Tell me what a Devil’s Bargain would look like here?
Josie: The guy with the gun kind of recovers from being struck and takes a shot at somebody.
Fabby: [sucks air through teeth] Uh… I’m not willing to take that. [shakes dice] 2d6. Get highes— get lowest. [rolls dice] Okay. That is a 4 and a 6.
Kris: [gasps] Yo!
Josie: Nice.
Fabby: So 4.
Josie: Father John falls to his knees as he begins to choke, Penumbra just pulling the life and breath out of him. He’s not gone yet, but he’s on his way. The consequence is I’m going to tick up the People Arrive clock, because y’all have been fighting for a bit.
Fabby: Yeah.
Kris: Yup.
Josie: But Father John won’t take much more to render unconscious at this rate.
Kris: Does him currently being choked do anything to the vines? Like, are they still moving but less, you know, quickly or less…
Fabby: Controlled?
Kris: With less direction, yeah.
Josie: Yeah. Some of them kind of like, spasm in a stop-start-stop-start thing because his control is loosening. And they’re not really directed anymore, they’re just moving. The voice from the speaker says:
Josie (as Abaddon): My seeds are everywhere…
Kris: [whines]
Josie (as Abaddon): Squashing one does nothing.
Fabby (as Luz): [demonic voice] No. It does something. It makes me feel better.
Minna: [laughs]
Josie: Ooh. [laughs]
Kris: I think Remy tries to get over to Julia and try to like, snip her out of any… is Julia caught up in any of the wires at all, or she was fine?
Josie: She’s not bound, but she is looking in a very bad way.
Minna: Yeah….
Kris: Yeah, okay. Then still gonna go over there and just be like, ‘Oh, you look hurt and that’s not good.’ So gets over to Julia and is like:
Kris (as Remy): Okay, I— I think we need to stop Penumbra from killing him. Because I can’t imagine that’s going to make this scene look any better when someone eventually comes and sees it again.
Minna (as Julia): Yeah. Priorities.
Kris (as Remy): How are you— do you need a hand getting over there? Do you want to get over there?
Minna (as Julia): Eh… I’m fine. I can walk.
Kris (as Remy): Mm…
Josie: Are y’all both still trying to get underneath?
Kris: I mean, if Luz is up at the stage, then like, where we wanna go is that direction anyway, right?
Josie: True. But I kinda wanna know where you’re going so we can build a fiction off it.
Kris: True, true. I think Remy is going for Penumbra.
Minna: Yeah.
Josie: Yeah. Each of you give me a… either a Fallen Epithet roll or a True name roll. You can either be dodging or trying to like, sneak up.
Kris: Which is which?
Josie: Fallen Epithet is dodging and True Name is sneaking.
Kris: Okay. Remy is dodging, then. [laughs] Not moving particularly sneakily, but like, every time a wire comes near just brandishing the bolt cutters at it again like, ‘Hm? You want some?’
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: Cause I have one die that way.
Minna: I think that I will be sneaking, because then I will have one die. I think I am letting Remy do some distracting. [laughs]
Kris: Okay. Is this still risky, standard?
Josie: Uh, yeah.
Kris: Okay. I’m at risky, limited because of my harm. One die. Oh, that’s a 6! [sigh of relief]
Josie: Okay. So I’m gonna tick up the clock once for Minna’s consequence.
Kris: Fair.
Minna: I should note that I have both my level 1 harms filled also, if that does anything to your response.
Josie: Yeah, you’re at less effect here. So I think Remy is able to get further ahead quicker.
Kris: Well, Remy’s also at less effect, so like, I’m right there with her. [laughs]
Josie: Oh. Okay. But you did get a 6, so you still did better. I think you’re just about up to Penumbra and Julia’s a little further behind, because she’s kind of creeping behind the chairs on her way up. It’ll take her another try to get all the way there. Julia, you aren’t gonna be targeting by the vines for a while, until you make yourself known again.
Kris: So, I don’t think Remy’s thing is like, ‘No, spare him, he can be a good person maybe,’ like, I don’t know that. I also, like, based on first impression, might not think that.
Minna: I mean, you did express to Julia that it’d be inconvenient if he died right now. [laughs]
Kris: Yeah, yeah. This is less like, ‘No, have mercy on him,’ and more like:
Kris (as Remy): Penumbra, we need to go, okay? If he dies, this gets so much hotter for all of us and we cannot be tied to this place like that.
Fabby: How can I… is there a way for me reassume my last form? My normal form?
Josie: Yeah. You can do that whenever you want.
Fabby: Yeah, I think that like snaps her out and she just, she’s Luz again. And like, even does a step back I think, like:
Fabby (as Luz): Oh!
Josie: Yeah, I think you reform with your hands around his neck, because you were suffocating him, and then you’re like, oh, no. [laughs]
Fabby: I thin she very quickly looks in her purse for like, a handkerchief and rubs his neck like, ‘Nnngh, goodbye!’
Josie: [laughs]
Kris: [laughs]
Josie: Yeah, so he’s on his knees coughing and hacking, but he is still conscious and the vines are shuddering and shaking. Derek has long since bolted.
Kris: Florida Man lives again. Lives to see another day.
Josie: Florida Man lives again. [laughs] And other gun guy has been knocked up against the stage, apparently his arm badly damaged by one of the cables. What do you all do?
Kris: Does Julia still wanna try to get under the stage?
Minna: I’m of two minds. On the one hand, I’m aware that this escalated. On the other hand, she’s very mad. [laughs]
Josie: I like the response that mad gets.
Minna: [laughs]
Josie: That’s always fun.
Minna: So if the priest is not so much a concern right now, she might be like:
Minna (as Julia): Okay. So uh… we wanna try getting at that again?
Kris: Is there a door on the stage or something that leads down that we can see now that we’re closer up there?
Josie: Kind of behind a drawn curtain is a doorway that heads back and looks like it has stairs down. You might also be able to just open something in the base of the stage and get under there.
Kris: Yeah. Like a hatch or something.
Josie: Yeah. Right now getting down there won’t be a problem, it’s just that Father John is gonna recover in a second.
Kris: Mm hmm. If Julia wants to go down there, I can try to keep what’s-his-butt busy up here.
Minna: I think that there’s an assessment of risk here that is probably tipped too far in the direction of it being too risky at this point. Uh, she is like, taking stock of her body like:
Minna (as Julia): Okay, if this goes back into a fight I don’t know how that’s gonna go for us.
Minna: [laughs] So I think she’s just like…
Minna (as Julia): [sighs] I guess we leave it.
Kris (as Remy): Okay. Alright, we should get out of here.
Fabby: I think Luz is a little shaken, like actually shaking. She like nods.
Fabby (as Luz): Yeah. Let’s leave. Let’s leave.
Kris: I think Remy has an extra sweater in the duffel bag and tries to give that to Luz like, I know you might not actually be cold but— it’s like the foil blanket thing they put on people in ambulances?
Minna: The shock blanket.
Kris: Right, yeah, them.
Fabby: Yeah, I think she grabs it and holds it. Like, wraps it around herself and holds it tight.
Kris: From across the room:
Kris (as Remy): This isn’t done and next time you will not catch us off guard.
Josie: He glares at you with the sort of hate that can only come from someone fervently believing in a righteous cause.
Kris: Ugh.
Josie: But he’s still got a hand on his neck, and I think you all get away with the knowledge that Abaddon’s influence has taken root there and that there are humans, or at least one human, in league with him. And that there’s probably more of this throughout the city. But you rescued Ethan, you all made it out alive. How do you all feel?
Fabby: I think Luz is quiet. She has— she’s in the back of the car, she has her knees up to her chest. She’s like, wrapped on the sweater, on the jacket, and she’s just quiet.
Kris: I think we hit like a stop sign or something, or a stop light, and Remy’s like:
Kris (as Remy): Did you want the cable again? Did you wanna play another playlist?
Fabby: She just shakes her head.
Minna (as Julia): What do you need?
Fabby: She just shakes her head and doesn’t say anything.
Minna (as Julia): Head back to La Casita?
Kris (as Remy): I mean, if Naz is back, I guess. If she’s not, I don’t wanna—
Fabby: I think she’s like, uh, nodding her head like:
Fabby (as Luz): Yeah. La Casita please.
Josie: Meanwhile…
A tall, severe looking woman with glasses and hair pulled back in a ponytail stands on the bank of the river in the park, listening to the police sirens go by in the night.
Josie (as Woman): It has been a long time, Aigron.”
##Credits [00.38.15]
Josie: Demon: Love and Hellfire is a Clever Corvids production. Find the show on Twitter @Love_Hellfire and follow @Clever_Corvids on Twitter for updates on the network and City That Never Dies. We also have a website, CleverCorvids.net.
Don’t forget to support the Clever Corvids Patreon. It supports all our shows, and you get some extra goodies each month if you do. I have a few more shows planned, so if we can get enough patrons to afford them, we can keep expanding our network.
Luz, aka Penumbra, is played by Fabby Garza. Fabby is a Mexican-American queer trans woman and you can find her voice in other Actual Play podcasts such as Eidolon Playtest, Moon Harbor Heroes, and Don’t Cast, Don’t Tell. You can find her and all of her work @Fabby_Garza on Twitter.
Remy, aka Orea, is played by Kris Allison. Kris is black, ace and tired. You can also hear them having anti-capitalist gay space adventures in the podcast Breathing Space: Fading Frontier. You can also find them on Twitter @knalliso, where they frequently retweet other people and sometimes draw swords.
Julia, aka Aigron, is played by Minna Reilly. Minna is an aro-ace Florida woman who doesn’t do anything wild enough to end up in a headline. You can, however, hear her elsewhere on Clever Corvids in The City That Never Dies. You can also find her on Twitter @mynaminnarr, where she is almost certainly talking about fanfiction.
The GM is Josie S. Josie is a literal, actual dragon and a thirsty trans lesbian. Hear her elsewhere on Clever Corvids in The City That Never Dies, or guesting on a bunch of other podcasts like Moon Harbor. You can find her on Twitter @DragonGirlJosie, where she is extremely gay all the time.
All music on the show is from Pixabay, used under their license, unless otherwise noted. Pixabay’s license grants the irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive and royalty free right to use, download, copy, modify or adapt their content for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Attribution of the artists is not required, but we have a page on our website, CleverCorvids.net, to credit the artists anyway.
Thank you for listening!