0:04

There was some suspense and mystery to throwing a

0:06

number into the voids and seeing what came back

0:08

to the other side, but this is definitely more

0:11

efficient. Yeah, because you definitely had the thing

0:13

of thinking, well, higher has to mean better,

0:15

right? And that's not necessarily

0:18

true. No, that's not. Quite frequently,

0:20

it's not true. I enjoyed

0:22

saying a number and then just giving

0:24

it up to the universe and whatever

0:26

it comes back. Yeah, I had

0:29

a six. I don't know what to say. You tell me what

0:31

that means. Okay,

1:08

this is good. I would love to roll

1:11

Prowess specifically in

1:14

like a Julian LaBoleste goes over and

1:16

starts to kind of like poorly

1:19

manhandle his son to

1:21

try and get him to behave. Prowess is my

1:23

worst stat. It is just for a single B8.

1:27

You know, we're rolling to see what's likely

1:29

to happen here, but also the chance

1:32

of failure here is very juicy and trying to

1:34

make my son

1:36

stop tantruming. Okay, okay.

1:38

That's interesting. Yeah, failing on purpose,

1:41

but mechanically, we are rocking a

1:45

single D8 here. What am

1:47

I up against in terms of difficulty? So

1:49

this is going to also be a single

1:51

D8 of challenge. Right.

1:54

Well, that's a six. Six. Okay.

1:57

That is a success. You also get a knowledge there is.

2:00

is a complication. I think

2:02

the complication here is pretty obvious.

2:04

Trust is

2:06

feeling extraordinarily awkward. Probably

2:10

it's been a long time

2:12

since she has seen a

2:14

child. One thing

2:16

I think that is

2:18

working about Janet's emotional display

2:20

here is to trust it

2:22

doesn't seem out of place

2:24

because trust does not know

2:26

how a child of Janet's

2:28

age would normally act and

2:30

is just kind of buying

2:32

this whole ridiculous situation. ALICE

2:36

In the process of kind of

2:38

like, there is... I

2:40

want to almost kind of compare it to

2:42

like wrestling. There is definitely a degree

2:45

of like TV wrestling. There

2:47

is a degree of like cheap

2:49

heat that is being performed here.

2:51

You know, the kicking and throwing

2:54

is not really... is batting off

2:56

Oramar and I was like, you're raising

2:59

such a fuss but there's no

3:02

damage done. JUSTIN I feel like

3:04

there's some kind of... the move

3:06

that Oramar probably does to like,

3:09

oh yeah, like, Oramar can do like

3:11

a thing where he like grabs

3:13

Janet's ear, and then

3:16

in doing that, Janet like grabs

3:18

Oramar's wrist and now Janet is

3:20

in control of where he goes

3:22

and so he really can just

3:24

play it up and just like

3:26

drag himself wherever. ALICE As we

3:28

kind of like drag ourselves sort

3:30

of around the room but mostly

3:32

towards the door. JUSTIN Stupid. ALICE

3:35

I mean, what better way to

3:38

put a business conversation... a very

3:40

serious woman on the back foot, right?

3:42

We noted that during the

3:44

dinner party she had her awards out

3:47

on the kind of mantelpiece and so on and

3:49

so forth. Is that the same here? This is

3:51

a private space, so she still just lets the

3:54

kind of put her accolades out. That's telling. ALICE

3:57

This is A place

3:59

where I think what is displayed

4:01

in public spaces for Edith, trust

4:04

his achievement and in private spaces

4:06

is planning Soames between the calendar,

4:08

the maps, the papers on her

4:11

desk like the communication that he

4:13

has in this private working space

4:16

is that see is working towards

4:18

something. Ah so yeah, she doesn't

4:20

really bother with accolades here and

4:23

can are among that's. this a

4:25

same it would be that kind

4:27

of self pride. It's to. See.

4:30

Even in private quarters would be a

4:32

leverage, but we can still work with

4:34

this. Then when you guys builds Edith

4:36

trust as a character and frankly are

4:38

of Etti, you did make them clever

4:41

people. Yes, does makes them harder to

4:43

manipulate. Oh yes, but hey, we loved

4:45

salads. At this point we're probably by

4:47

the door and er maar with of

4:49

with like I'm not looking is reaching

4:51

backwards like the door handle their anything

4:54

out I like in this room on

4:56

the way to the door that could

4:58

be pretty either. perceived as valuable, Or

5:00

like at like in Dc, have

5:03

like a key ring by the

5:05

door or something. I man we're

5:07

trying to steal something important that

5:10

you and useful. I wanna use

5:12

one of my skills and this

5:14

steal steal for extra said might

5:17

not be monetarily valuable but it

5:19

might be valuable information that the

5:21

yeah up into the wolves or

5:24

and I I think what it

5:26

is especially in the physical squabble

5:28

that that you had. There

5:31

is probably. and this isn't super

5:33

valuable, but it's the only thing

5:36

that I think would actually be

5:38

out in a place where could

5:40

actually be swiped and not immediately

5:43

missed. Ah, this is

5:45

a place that runs on

5:47

a technocratic schedule ah everybody

5:49

needs to be in specific

5:51

places at specific times there

5:53

are shift changes that happen

5:55

on specific schedules and this

5:57

is some somewhat mass produced,

5:59

but it would probably only

6:01

be in the hands of

6:03

management. I think there are extra

6:06

printings of this shift schedule

6:08

in this office that Johnette

6:10

can grab. Okay, cool. All

6:14

right, so then I'm going to use, I'm

6:16

going to spend, I think it's

6:18

one, one of my

6:21

points in presence to play

6:24

my skill. John

6:26

is new here, and if

6:28

I have above four presents,

6:30

people forgive ignorance or mistakes easily.

6:33

And so I'm going to try and use that for

6:36

like, in one last

6:38

hurrah moment, Johnette's going to like, quote

6:41

unquote, break free of the ear hold, and

6:43

he's going to run over to a desk

6:46

of important looking papers like, I want

6:48

to see what important people do at

6:50

important events.

6:55

And I want to learn, Father,

6:57

I want to learn. You learn

6:59

about important events about this over

7:01

dinner. Now for now, I want

7:03

you to sit on that couch

7:05

outside, take out one of your

7:07

illustrated books and sit

7:10

still. As

7:13

like, Captain is saying that

7:15

and like probably going to grab Johnette

7:17

again, he's like ruffling papers, ruffling papers,

7:19

and in ruffling papers, he like grabs

7:22

maybe one of these schedules and tries

7:24

to pocket it. I think the way

7:26

your skill works, again, especially

7:29

combined with Edith totally

7:31

believing what is happening despite

7:33

feeling awkward, I think you

7:35

use that ability that allows

7:37

the awkwardness to be smoothed

7:39

over fairly easily. Edith

7:42

Trust does not understand what is appropriate

7:44

behavior from children. She has distanced herself

7:47

so much from that like deeply human

7:49

thing. Like doesn't

7:51

understand like, sure, I'm, you know, I,

7:53

this is why I have distanced myself

7:55

from children is this behavior. 17

7:58

and five are not. a huge difference

8:01

to me. And so she's

8:03

just so awkward about the whole situation. I

8:05

think she is not going to...

8:07

I think this is a

8:10

very simple challenge. I am going

8:12

to need you to make an agility roll, but

8:14

this is a very easy agility roll to overcome.

8:16

Not getting old. Or... And

8:19

so that would be finesse, correct?

8:21

Yeah, finesse. I'm sorry. I

8:23

got to remember the name. Oh, hey, you

8:26

all good. In my own game. So

8:28

then... And then that'll be a D8

8:30

or 3 D8s. Ooh,

8:33

big roll. Oh, okay,

8:35

okay. Roll it up. So

8:38

then that's an 8, a 7, and a 5. Okay.

8:44

All right. So you absolutely succeed.

8:47

This gives you opportunities. I

8:50

think this has a lot

8:53

of very specific information in it.

8:55

I think there is... Also

8:58

there is probably more than one spare

9:00

copy. So literally no one

9:02

is going to notice that this is

9:04

gone. You also get a point

9:06

of fate. You'll want to note that somewhere

9:08

so that you can use it later. But

9:12

yeah, you are expertly able to pocket

9:14

it and leave yourself from the room.

9:16

Edith is in a position where she

9:18

is trying not to notice the display

9:20

because she very much would like to

9:22

do business with Labelest. And

9:24

she is willing to endure the

9:27

discomfort of this particular situation so

9:29

that she can get what she

9:31

wants. Eventually, I think,

9:33

you know, Oromar kind of grabs you by

9:35

the back of your collar and is dragging

9:37

you back out the room. And eventually there's

9:39

a door slam. Julian

9:42

Labelest turns back to Edith

9:44

Truss, gently tucking

9:46

a loose dread back

9:49

under the head wrap,

9:51

re-curling or re-layering the

9:53

pencil moustache. Since,

9:56

you know, he shaved his beard and

9:58

bits and pieces like that for the disguise. But,

10:00

uh, readjust the cravat.

10:03

Right. Well,

10:06

I have need of working with

10:08

a privateer and a privateer

10:11

of some resource. There

10:14

are things that I am trying

10:16

to do to expand our operations

10:18

here. I believe if operations are

10:21

successfully expanded here, it

10:23

will become unignorable at

10:25

the center of Redfeather

10:27

Command that what

10:30

I have developed here is important

10:32

and useful and must

10:34

be expanded across the whole

10:37

of Redfeather operations. Of course.

10:40

I mean, I'm surprised you didn't

10:42

name the shade after yourself. You

10:44

are setting an entire

10:47

difference in the name of the company.

10:49

The brand is everything. Mr.

10:51

Lobeleste, I once

10:53

again appreciate your flattery.

10:56

It is the reason that you are

10:58

sitting in this room. I

11:00

believe you know how to talk

11:03

to people in power. Yeah.

11:05

However, Redfeather Crimson is not what

11:07

I am here to discuss. It

11:10

is the operation itself. The factories that

11:13

we've set up here. The

11:15

more that the Redfeather

11:17

fleet becomes dependent upon

11:19

our operations, the more

11:22

our processes become important

11:24

to the Redfeather fleet.

11:27

I am trying to develop

11:29

new pigments. There are

11:31

none that are quite as

11:33

useful as Redfeather Crimson,

11:36

but I do believe I have stumbled

11:38

upon another product in the

11:41

process of my productions that could

11:43

be exported to some

11:45

effect. Okay. Julian

11:50

takes, I assume there's like a chair on

11:52

the other side of the desk. And

11:55

Julian kind of takes it, sits it down.

11:58

Sits it ease. legs crossed,

12:01

hand on knee, hands together

12:03

on knee, making my

12:05

contact. Now, Miss

12:07

Truss, I am very

12:09

keen to assist in this endeavor.

12:11

It does sound awfully exciting, more

12:14

so than dealing with the pensions

12:16

and wills of people well-established within

12:18

the company. This sounds like an

12:20

adventure. But there is something

12:22

about the nature of the production of the

12:24

die that I am curious

12:27

about before we proceed. Do not worry,

12:29

I am not asking you for trade

12:31

secrets. This is more of a matter

12:33

of safety. Oh,

12:35

yes. I am happy

12:37

to answer any questions that you

12:40

might have to the best

12:42

of my abilities. Of course.

12:44

So, this has become very clear

12:46

in my limited time here that the process

12:48

of working on the die is a very

12:51

exact but also dangerous procedure.

12:55

It seems that everybody is very well equipped

12:57

with protection from it. But

12:59

there has been zero discussion of the

13:02

raw material involved.

13:05

What is it? I must know. There

13:08

is a natural resource that grows

13:11

in this particular area that, for

13:13

the longest time, could only be

13:15

harvested. One of the great achievements

13:18

of my operation was figuring out

13:20

how to expand that production. That

13:23

is what allowed me to set up

13:25

for the impending victory that I am

13:28

chasing now. For

13:31

a long time it was not known

13:33

how to cultivate what

13:35

it is we use to produce

13:37

this pigment. It's not something

13:39

that I am eager to explain

13:42

in full. But no,

13:44

in the areas surrounding

13:46

Sorrows End, we harvest

13:48

the raw ingredients that

13:50

make up what we

13:52

refine into red-feather crimson.

14:00

same as the clay that is being used

14:02

for pigments here. Interesting. But...

14:05

No, if only the Crimson could

14:08

be a mineral pigment. But unfortunately,

14:10

it is the reason that our

14:12

processes here are so robust. And

14:16

that need is actually what allowed me

14:18

to discover the true innovation

14:20

of this place. But

14:23

the thing that is fascinating me here with

14:25

this information is that it's something that you

14:27

can now grow elsewhere. Elsewhere

14:31

remains to be seen. I

14:34

have not run any tests outside of

14:36

the climate, mainly because what we

14:39

do here, it is very important

14:41

for the time being that

14:44

I be the sole overseer

14:46

of that operation. Of course.

14:49

Should it fall into the hands of

14:51

a political rival, it could easily pull

14:53

the Red Feather's attention away from the

14:55

true prize of this place. Of

14:59

course, of course. Thank

15:01

you for seating my curiosity. I was up all night

15:03

thinking about what it could have been. I

15:07

was even preparing to go and sess a la bet, but

15:10

don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I

15:13

appreciate your discretion. Again,

15:15

the secret of the Dye's production

15:18

is simply a means to an

15:20

end. Red Feather Crimson,

15:22

though it is useful, again,

15:24

is not what I see as

15:27

the most useful thing that we

15:29

could export from this colony. Now

15:32

forgive my brusqueness, you still are

15:34

the last. Do you consider yourself

15:36

an intellectual? And I will tell

15:38

you, honesty will go far

15:40

with you here. I have

15:43

no problem adjusting

15:45

my explanations if you

15:48

fear technicality. Ah,

15:51

well, while in my line

15:53

of work I do have to maintain

15:56

an air of frivolity when

15:58

it comes down to... you, dealing with

16:00

very dangerous people, and making sure that

16:03

everyone makes it out

16:05

happy and alive—well, not always happy.

16:08

It requires a keen mind. This

16:11

is to say, hit me with your best shot, Miss

16:13

Truss. I had a sense about

16:15

you, and I am

16:17

glad to see that I was right

16:19

about that sense. You

16:22

see, the most valuable product

16:24

that could be exported from this

16:26

colony is not crimson,

16:30

nor the new pigments that

16:32

I wish to export, nor

16:34

even the byproduct weapon that

16:36

I have discovered which exists

16:38

here. It is

16:40

the way we could change the world

16:43

through process, a

16:46

cycle that could be created to endlessly

16:49

benefit the red feather

16:51

syndicate and all

16:53

of its component pieces across the whole

16:55

of sphere. You're talking

16:58

about solving a labor issue.

17:02

Indeed, more creating

17:04

a society that solves

17:07

labor issue through

17:09

itself. I

17:11

think there is—i—contact has generally

17:13

been made across this conversation,

17:17

but at the moment that Julian

17:20

says labor issue. I

17:22

don't know. We

17:25

almost feel like the backgrounds start

17:27

to fade out. Slightly

17:29

the lighting of these two characters

17:32

is the same, but

17:34

the rest of the world is no longer

17:36

important. She is

17:39

talking about a perpetual

17:41

slavery system. Yeah.

17:45

You see, production

17:47

for crimson is dangerous.

17:50

And as a matter of

17:53

cause, it was—it was prudent

17:55

to reduce that danger as much as

17:57

was physical. I

18:00

have done that. However,

18:03

it appears there is

18:05

only so much it can be

18:07

reduced. It

18:09

would be most beneficial if there

18:11

could be a flow of human

18:14

lives through this place that

18:17

did not result in deaths.

18:20

Deaths benefit, the red feather

18:22

syndicate, not at all. As we

18:24

bring people here, as they become afflicted, it

18:27

is not uncommon for people

18:29

to be buried before their

18:32

sentences should be fully served

18:34

out. Now, it is

18:36

no great tragedy that someone should

18:38

be buried with debt over their

18:40

head, especially if we've

18:43

extracted enough value from that

18:45

life in order to

18:47

cede our operations everywhere. As

18:49

it were, it is very easy

18:52

to see how it could

18:54

be useful to an organization

18:56

like the red feather syndicate

18:58

to have control over someone

19:00

through the whole of their

19:02

life. But if that life

19:04

ends prematurely, then that

19:06

leaves much value that goes

19:09

unclaimed. A system of debt

19:11

where debt is created

19:13

and credit is extended could solve

19:16

a number of problems for the

19:18

red feather syndicate. Tell me, what

19:20

do you know about red

19:23

feather coin, bits and bars?

19:26

The bits and bars are my business,

19:29

mistrust. I

19:31

don't know if there's necessarily a finer

19:34

detail explanation in. There is a

19:36

finer detail, but she will launch

19:38

into it because she's going to

19:40

give you her James Bond villain

19:42

monologue. Sure, sure, sure. I

19:45

think Oromar says something and then we're going

19:47

to the detail of it to the effect

19:49

of kind of like highlighting an older minting

19:52

process because he works for the red feathers.

19:54

He knows this information. Oh, I'm

19:56

very familiar with how the red feathers like to

19:58

handle their coin. Yes,

20:00

part of the operation is

20:03

ingenious in a way. It

20:06

allows us to track commerce.

20:08

Each bit is marked with

20:10

the port where it is

20:12

spent at a significant red

20:14

feather partner business that is

20:16

recorded into ledgers and that

20:18

is used to project where

20:20

shipping lines should go in

20:23

the years following. It

20:25

helps us do things like stamp

20:27

out crime, know which ports are

20:29

most valuable, know where goods

20:31

ought to be distributed for the

20:33

maximum of profit. But it

20:36

also creates a backup. There

20:38

are many cities where red

20:40

feather coin becomes stamped all

20:43

too quickly. There

20:45

is a problem of

20:47

people holding massive hordes of

20:50

reserves that cannot be exchanged

20:52

for fresh unstamped coin because

20:56

there is not enough transport. You

20:58

could transport a large vessel

21:00

full of fully stamped coin

21:03

or unstamped coin anywhere in

21:05

sphere but you would create

21:07

a danger for piracy or

21:09

other measures where that coin

21:11

might disappear into aethers. It

21:14

is too much of a risk

21:16

and so commerce halts. However,

21:19

credit could be

21:21

extended against these hordes.

21:24

We could allow people to

21:26

borrow and thus create a

21:29

system of debt which

21:31

ultimately makes people, any

21:34

people vulnerable to

21:37

labor. Labor is

21:39

something that the red feather syndicate

21:41

will always require. Whether

21:43

we are producing a dangerous

21:45

good like crimson or using

21:48

something like the might

21:50

of our soldiers, we

21:52

will always require bodies

21:54

across the whole of

21:56

sphere and labor Can

21:59

only be. Or just in ways

22:01

that people are willing to

22:03

sell it. Desperation can be

22:05

engineered into a system without

22:07

meat making people feel it.

22:10

And but it is very

22:12

common when you push people

22:14

too far. The same move

22:16

into riots. But look

22:18

around you Mister Lava, lest

22:20

you exist within a town

22:22

where people's very law and

22:25

has been pulled apart at

22:27

the scenes by a disease.

22:29

They have been forced into

22:31

a condition where they must

22:34

accept near certain death. And.

22:37

Are they in the streets? Do

22:39

they throw bricks to? They light

22:42

fires? Know. I

22:45

have found a system by

22:47

which they believe they can

22:49

escape. Through. Proper

22:52

behavior through diligent

22:54

practice where they

22:56

believe. The tragedy

22:58

that has spilled into their

23:00

lives. Is. Their own fault.

23:03

Mistakes that they have been made

23:05

that can be mended. Through.

23:08

Proper A he all

23:10

reinforced by the messaging

23:12

of the system itself.

23:15

I. Proposed properly, the Red

23:17

Feather Syndicates might be able

23:19

to use. The flawed

23:22

system that we have with

23:24

our coins, the basket of

23:26

transferable liquid fans, and create

23:29

a system of credit that

23:31

would allow us to extract

23:33

a near unlimited source of

23:36

labor all within legal systems

23:38

that people would approve us

23:40

that people would willingly submit

23:43

to. Because. They believe

23:45

it would advantage themselves. Hey

24:06

Heroes, it's James, your Game Master, and

24:09

welcome to the mid-roll! Heroes, my new

24:11

book, The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Guide,

24:13

is officially out and available wherever books

24:15

are sold. If you like the way

24:18

that I run this game here on

24:20

Campaign Skyjax, and you'd like to bring

24:22

some of that flavor to your table,

24:25

the Game Master's Guide is perfect

24:27

for you. I try to lay out in

24:29

as much detail as my publisher would allow

24:31

my approach to running games and give you

24:33

different techniques and tools that you can use

24:36

at the table to sharpen your own GMing

24:38

skills. You can pick up a copy of

24:40

the Ultimate RPG Game Master's Guide by heading

24:42

to bit.ly slash

24:44

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24:47

slash Game Master RPG. And

24:50

if you did pick up a copy, you

24:52

could do me a huge favor by heading

24:54

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24:56

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24:58

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25:00

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25:02

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25:05

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25:07

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25:09

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25:11

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25:13

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25:18

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25:20

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25:22

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25:25

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25:27

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25:37

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Now then, a quick word from our sponsor,

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and with all that out of the way, let's get

26:25

back in the sky! During

26:33

this conversation,where you head post

26:47

this conversation,Oramar

26:51

has been lying around the room

26:54

and looking for every

26:56

single item in

26:59

this room that he could kill

27:01

this woman with. The

27:07

window outside

27:09

will maintain the tone but looking at

27:11

the window outside, what's outside or is

27:13

it stained glass window where we can't

27:15

see? This is

27:19

a lot of small glass windows

27:21

that are put together in a

27:23

nice pattern but this is a first

27:26

floor window. What is immediately outside is

27:28

the generalized landscaping of

27:30

this area which is

27:34

not like you can see people

27:36

milling about in a

27:38

courtyard outside. The

27:41

thing about this,like receiving

27:44

this message in this

27:46

particular office is

27:49

how mundane it

27:51

all is. This is

27:54

the idea of some

27:56

bureaucrat buried in a

27:58

far flung part. of

28:00

the red feathers reach. Everything

28:04

about this is reduced

28:06

human lives to notations

28:08

in ledgers on paper.

28:12

There is no scenery

28:14

chewing like evil

28:17

here. This is all a

28:19

practical note of the way the

28:21

world works and the way the

28:23

world could be shifted to work.

28:26

The way the world could accept this new way

28:28

of work. Yes, how easy

28:31

it could be to spill

28:33

things in this direction simply

28:36

because it makes economic sense

28:38

for almost everyone

28:40

involved. As the

28:43

conversation goes, as this explanation is

28:45

going, we hear kind of like

28:47

a rising tone, a rumble,

28:49

something building in this kind of

28:51

dark space. Occasional

28:54

flashes of like a

28:57

version of Oramar having lifted the chair and

28:59

was looking at her. A version

29:01

of this where Oramar has found

29:03

a letter opener and is leaping

29:05

at her. A version of this

29:08

where Oramar has removed every single

29:10

tack pin from the walls and

29:13

has them in his fist.

29:16

Yeah, I think it is like, these

29:19

are visions of violence within

29:21

Oramar's mind that Oramar

29:24

even no longer

29:26

dead does have this horror

29:28

movie thing. I think it

29:31

moves from mundane violence into

29:33

a place of Oramar

29:35

becoming the monster that

29:37

could possibly enact

29:39

judgement that this person deserves. Yeah,

29:42

like the last shot of it,

29:44

especially the point where she's talking

29:46

about, and the people will just

29:48

accept it. There is just a

29:51

twisted hulking form of sinewen

29:53

bones filling the entire frame

29:55

just bearing over this woman.

29:59

And then we're in the He is a genius,

30:02

Edith Pratt. I

30:05

appreciate the compliment,

30:07

and your instinct to

30:09

give it again indicates to me that

30:11

you would be the proper partner this

30:13

endeavor. Oh, unfortunately, I

30:15

do believe that there is a

30:18

person in your way. You

30:21

did mention that the

30:23

way that the inhabitants

30:26

of Sorrow's End are remaining

30:29

docile. I don't

30:31

believe that is fully your

30:33

doing. After all, they do have

30:36

a man of the cloth to

30:38

turn to to put their souls at ease, and

30:41

I think that is a facet you do not

30:43

have full control of yet. You

30:46

are correct. It

30:49

is not my intention

30:51

to remove all

30:53

obstacles. As you

30:55

know, the world is a

30:57

carefully balanced thing. If you

31:00

remove too much of one

31:02

thing, it becomes unstable and

31:05

creates an opportunity to spill.

31:07

I do dearly wish that

31:09

if the church was to

31:11

distribute a rival to my

31:13

home region, that it had

31:15

not been one with a

31:18

mind like Aravitti. He

31:20

is a worthy opponent, and

31:23

even in a situation where there

31:25

is mutual benefit between the red

31:27

feathers and the church, has managed

31:29

to make himself a dangerous

31:32

instability to my operation.

31:35

My wish is simple. I

31:37

do wish that the red

31:39

feather syndicate was able to

31:41

control the prices of

31:44

the baths that the church offer

31:46

to treat the crimson

31:49

affliction. But that is

31:51

something that is solely controlled

31:53

by Aravitti, and

31:55

through observation, he has learned

31:58

things about debt. on

32:00

his own. He has learned that

32:02

it is possible to force people

32:05

into desperate circumstances where they are

32:07

willing to sell great

32:09

value for relief, and

32:12

he has built up a culture

32:14

of very strict adherence to

32:16

the way of sovereignty within this

32:19

place. That

32:22

is an unstable threat, certainly.

32:25

We can coexist, and I

32:27

do know that Aravati's goals

32:29

and aims ultimately do not

32:32

rest here. There is,

32:34

in the fullness of time,

32:37

a way for Aravati to

32:39

leave my sights and graces

32:41

and for us to coexist

32:43

in different plots of sphere

32:45

until fate would have it

32:47

that we both swell to

32:49

sit atop our various organizations

32:51

and class again with a

32:53

great deal more power sitting

32:56

behind us. You view

32:58

him as your equal? I view

33:00

him as a threat. So,

33:04

Mistras, I offer the ship

33:07

and I offer smooth words, and

33:09

I do believe both of those things are useful

33:11

to you. But if we are

33:14

to do business, there is

33:16

an exchange to be taking place

33:18

as caught surely. What are you

33:21

offering me aside from the honor

33:23

of being involved in your masterwork?

33:26

That comes with a very difficult question

33:28

and one that I can't answer on

33:31

my own. I do not know what

33:33

your ambitions are, Mr. L ever

33:45

by which you operate, but

33:47

it makes it unlikely for me to

33:49

put a fortune in front of you

33:52

and for that to be all said

33:54

and done. I have things that I could

33:56

offer, but I need to know what it

33:58

is you want. for me to

34:00

find a way to offer it to you.

34:03

Oh, what I want,

34:05

mistrust, is very simple,

34:08

really. It is adventure. After

34:11

all, there are many people in my station

34:13

who look at the sky,

34:16

who look at the sphere

34:18

that is fair, and

34:21

dream of being quainted where they are not. Do you not know

34:23

a sphere is flat? No, no, no.

34:25

I think her nose is on a

34:27

flat plane. We can't do this. She

34:29

was not survived the scene. My

34:33

fault for doing a good call back.

34:39

No, sorry, sorry. Resuming

34:42

tone. What I yearn

34:45

for is adventure. There are many people of

34:47

my background who look at the stars and

34:49

wish that they could travel among them to

34:51

go to sights unseen. And

34:54

I am doing excellently on my

34:56

quest so far. But there are

34:58

some places yet when you even

35:00

have free travel over the skies,

35:02

there are some places that you

35:04

cannot go. It is

35:06

a profound place to straighten to me. Despite

35:09

the work that I have

35:11

done for the Red Feather

35:13

Syndicate, they refuse, they have

35:15

repeatedly snubbed me to

35:17

get into what I believe is

35:19

one of the most breathtaking

35:23

events and love

35:25

to attend the masquerade. And

35:28

I do believe it could be to your credit since

35:30

there are other people who are very jealous of your

35:32

position. You ask for

35:34

nothing small, Mr. Lobelast. But

35:37

of course what

35:40

I wish to achieve is no small

35:42

matter either. I believe an exchange

35:45

could be made. I

35:48

have aims of my own to

35:51

attend the masquerade this year. My

35:54

policies should be in the

35:56

ears of the greatest and

35:58

most influential masquerade. designs within

36:00

our organization. There

36:02

are rumors, you

36:05

see. The ball

36:07

is a regular occurrence.

36:10

Every few years, major

36:12

policies are decided, but

36:14

the Red

36:16

Feather co-founder, the

36:19

acting president of the

36:21

Red Feather Syndicate, is

36:24

rumored to be in attendance to

36:26

this year's event. It

36:30

is a massive opportunity

36:33

for one with ambitions

36:35

like mine. I must

36:38

be there, and if

36:40

I were there in the

36:42

company of one such as

36:44

yourself, one who is

36:46

able to smooth diplomatic pathways

36:49

between me and

36:51

someone who could truly dictate my

36:55

vision for the future of Sphere.

36:58

Why, my victory would be

37:00

far closer at hand. It would

37:02

shave years off of my planning.

37:05

So much difficulty could

37:07

be easily wiped away. My,

37:10

we can just accelerate each

37:12

other to the stars. How

37:14

fortuitous for you to have met me. Indeed,

37:18

it seems the lumens have shined

37:20

brightly on this place for the

37:23

first time in quite some time.

37:26

So, here is

37:28

what I propose to you. I

37:31

have a new export, which I

37:34

believe the mines at

37:36

Central Red Feather Command will finally

37:39

be able to look at as

37:41

a true boon,

37:44

more valuable than the practical

37:46

value that is presented by

37:48

Red Feather Crimson, that was

37:50

enough to get this place

37:52

operationally sufficient, but not enough

37:54

to divert true resources to

37:56

what could be developed and

37:59

exported here. However, I have

38:01

stumbled upon a weapon which is

38:03

something that all men in

38:05

all places find value in.

38:07

A product of the Crimson

38:10

is something that was

38:13

able to be exported to some

38:15

value, but I believe that

38:18

value can be raised considerably.

38:21

Aladissio Dumar, the byproduct

38:23

of the Crimson, is

38:26

a highly toxic substance,

38:29

something that we have used to

38:31

great effect over the past

38:33

year. It can be

38:35

poured into the seas. It

38:37

takes care of sea life

38:39

that it touches. It is

38:41

very, very dangerous to be

38:43

touched by human hands, but

38:46

it is lethal to most living

38:48

things, including drowned

38:51

sailors. It is a

38:54

practical deterrent to the coastlines

38:56

and has served better than

38:59

cannon bombardments which can only

39:01

sink ships, and the

39:03

Mariner is very good at maintaining his

39:05

ships. However, lives

39:08

of drowned sailors are a

39:10

harder resource to protect, and

39:13

it is much more difficult to

39:15

strike them down unless you are

39:18

willing to spend your own soldiers

39:20

in hand-to-hand combat. Using

39:23

the Maladissio, we are

39:25

able to more effectively combat the

39:27

Mariner and the

39:30

sea monsters that exist within

39:32

the cursed oceans. The

39:35

only problem with it, or quite some

39:37

time, is it was

39:39

simply a liquid that could

39:41

be dropped or smashed

39:44

in barrels and dispersed that

39:46

way. There was no

39:48

way to disperse it over a

39:50

wide area with ease. However,

39:54

there is a way using

39:57

burning materials that reach a certain

40:00

heat. So far, bright amber

40:02

is the only thing that I found,

40:04

but it can be

40:06

aerosolized, turned into a

40:08

cloud. That poison is

40:11

capable of wiping out large

40:13

swaths of living things. Now,

40:16

I have no interest in

40:19

how this weapon could be deployed.

40:21

There are enough enemies of

40:24

the Redfeather Syndicate, Drowned Sailors, and

40:26

Pirates alike that I could see

40:29

fit to employ such a weapon

40:31

against. But I

40:33

do believe such an export

40:35

would be valuable to military

40:38

leaders within the Redfeather Syndicate,

40:40

which have a larger sway than

40:42

the economic ears that I already

40:45

have my voice in. I would

40:47

love for some of the Maldicio

40:49

to be in your hull when

40:52

you leave this port. Along

40:54

with my other goods, the

40:56

more that we can convince

40:59

people to buy from here

41:01

when the privateers and Redfeather

41:03

vessels return, the more

41:05

value we can propose that this

41:08

port has to the Syndicate and

41:10

the greater political power we will

41:12

have to support our vision for

41:14

the future of sphere. My, I

41:17

have traveled to many markets across

41:19

sphere, but this is certainly the

41:21

most dangerous free sample I have

41:23

ever been offered. Well, nothing

41:26

comes completely free. We are

41:28

mutually beneficial, but coin

41:30

will need to be exchanged. I

41:33

can arrange for some discount because

41:35

again, it is a mutually beneficial

41:37

operation. But just like our

41:40

dear friend at the church, if I've

41:42

given you too much, you move

41:44

from being an ally to a powerful

41:47

threat that I can't have that. No,

41:49

of course not. And you don't want

41:51

to be perceived as cooking the books.

41:54

I will be more than happy to

41:56

give you some bits, maybe a little

41:58

more for your service. It all comes

42:00

down to debts. The

42:03

more that we are in debt to

42:06

one another, the more that we can

42:08

be assured to count on the proper

42:10

behaviour from one another. That is how

42:12

the world has always worked, and we

42:14

will enter a glorious new era where

42:16

we treat that with intention. I

42:20

have spent my life's work navigating the

42:22

debts of rich men, and so far

42:24

I have remained on the other side

42:27

clear, but I suppose we shall both

42:29

be on the lookout for what

42:31

we are owed. Excellent. I

42:33

shall prepare agreements for

42:36

you and yours to look

42:38

over. There

42:40

will be official agreements and

42:43

off-the-books agreements, both

42:45

presented in writing though one to

42:47

be retained and one obviously to

42:49

be destroyed, and

42:51

I will begin marking

42:53

my political contacts and letting them

42:56

know that I wish

42:58

for Julian Labolest to be

43:00

part of my party when

43:02

we attend the masquerade. Marvelous.

43:05

Now he stands up from

43:07

the chair, breaking the tension. I do need

43:10

to go and retrieve my idiot son, and

43:12

the display that he put forth in

43:15

front of you today will not go

43:17

unacknowledged at the dinner table. It shall

43:19

be it for me to advise a

43:21

father on raising a son, but I

43:24

do wish you luck and

43:26

you have my sympathies. Sometimes

43:31

it takes less than the threat of poisoning to make

43:33

somebody behave. He offers a hand. Edith

43:36

stands up and extends her hand as

43:39

well. There is a spark

43:42

between the hands, metaphysical as it

43:44

clasps, I

43:46

think. There is maybe, would it

43:48

be bold of me to say

43:51

that we simultaneously think one day

43:53

I will have to kill this

43:56

person? Yeah, I think that is

43:58

appropriate. It is just... that

44:00

there are two results that Edith trusts

44:02

these for one such as you. Obviously,

44:05

you are too important a resource not

44:07

to enter an arrangement with, but she

44:09

experienced that you are indeed not

44:12

just a canny social navigator, but

44:14

are also clever, which

44:16

means she is going to give you an

44:18

amount of power. She believes that she will

44:20

be able to outpace and should you grow

44:23

to the full extent of what you must

44:25

be? Yes, one day she believes she will

44:27

have to kill you. And

44:31

the tension breaks and he leaves the room. We

45:06

see a gigantic man

45:09

hunched over a writing desk

45:12

with a comparably like

45:14

tiny looking pencil clasped

45:17

in the muscles of his huge

45:19

hands. As

45:21

it is poised over a

45:23

sheet of paper, he's got

45:25

sweat rolling down his forehead.

45:27

His brow is furrowed. Hey,

45:34

behind him, up walks John. Hey,

45:36

hey, Sam, it seems like

45:38

you got you're working on something really important. I

45:40

got to tell you, you can't set up a

45:42

desk in the hallway, man. You got to just

45:45

we have rooms for this. I

45:47

could hear your moans of consternation

45:49

from like other rooms in

45:51

the ship, to be honest. It's a yeah,

45:54

your position right next to the vent.

45:56

Your voice is going everywhere. Yeah,

46:01

sorry about that. I

46:03

managed to find a nice

46:06

piece of paper on

46:08

the other ship and I

46:10

felt the need to write an old thread. Oh,

46:13

somebody got into the cardstock. Okay.

46:15

Who are you writing? This plan.

46:19

Well, I

46:22

like to think that a lot of people

46:25

on the ship have been mentors

46:27

to me one way or another.

46:31

But in a lot of other ways,

46:33

the real mentors to me have been

46:36

the talking animals on the ship. And

46:40

the rabbit, the snake, the raven, the coyote. They all

46:43

kind of had great advice for

46:55

men times a nid. Can

46:59

I ask, was the advice amongst

47:01

your animal friends consistent

47:04

or wildly conflicting? In

47:07

a weird way, I'd say both. You

47:10

know what that tracks. Yeah. Okay.

47:14

So, what piece of advice was

47:17

your favorite? What was your favorite

47:19

piece of advice from your animal

47:21

friends? Let's see. I

47:24

mean, there was a time

47:27

when I was worried

47:30

that I wouldn't be able

47:32

to hit the gym as

47:34

frequently because my responsibilities in

47:37

the ship, like, you know, I

47:39

took a step up and I

47:42

think it was a snake who said, if

47:46

you cannot grasp the center, you

47:49

must grasp the side, you know. Right.

47:53

Okay. But confused blinking. I

47:55

can see that being a... with

48:00

that one for some time, yeah. Yeah,

48:02

I can understand why. I just, you

48:05

know, look at the man I am today, and

48:07

I gotta give credit to

48:09

those little dudes. You definitely have

48:12

not skipped arm nor leg nor

48:14

left peck day for sure. No,

48:17

no. So- Born neck day? I'm

48:19

trying to- I owe

48:22

all of them, and they all

48:24

went on simultaneous vacations to different

48:26

spots and sphere. At

48:29

separate times? Well, at the same

48:31

time, they're all gone separately to

48:34

different places at the same time. It's just

48:36

how the schedule worked out, I think they

48:39

told me. Like they need to dress- And

48:41

they get in the dress? Well, not

48:44

in as much, but I feel like

48:46

if I dress it to the talking

48:48

animal, like it's gonna get to the

48:50

right place. How many talking animals are there

48:52

gonna be? I

48:55

only met them on the ship. Yeah,

48:57

yeah, you'd be surprised actually, but sure,

48:59

yeah. All right, so it sounds the

49:02

situation. The- Well,

49:04

no, the letter to Travis. Who?

49:07

Travis, the talking animals. Well,

49:10

I mean, there's Travis, and Travis,

49:12

and Travis, or Travis, and I

49:14

have to pick one of them.

49:16

Right, yeah. Yeah. Gable

49:19

takes John and the captain aside. Okay, this

49:21

was fun at first, but I'm

49:24

very concerned about Slam just

49:26

inventing people whole cloth that

49:29

simply do- I've

49:32

never seen any animals, and if

49:34

there's infestation, we need to dress it. Gable,

49:37

Gable, I think all

49:39

we can do is keep Slam close

49:41

to us. Yeah, okay. All

49:44

right, doing that is the best for him,

49:46

for us, and really it's all

49:48

we can do to support Slam. Have

49:50

you all met a Travis? I know I haven't. I

49:54

mean- I remember-

49:56

no, that was a- that

49:59

was a tailor. I met a

50:01

tailor. I met, I also met a tailor. I

50:03

think that's who he's talking about. Slam,

50:05

why don't you just write it as

50:07

if it were a diary. Say here's

50:09

what I did today, hope you're well,

50:11

and then you can just send it

50:13

to anyone, then it doesn't need to

50:15

be personalized. Oh, well, no.

50:18

I mean, I want to

50:22

connect with people who used to be close

50:24

to me, you know. Whenever

50:28

I found myself in a

50:30

place of quiet contemplation, they

50:33

were there to guide me, you

50:36

know. Yeah. Yeah.

50:39

Actually, since Travis, Travis, Travis and

50:41

Travis left the Ahuru, have

50:44

you had those moments where you've wanted to kind

50:46

of like call out to

50:49

the guidance of your animal friends since

50:51

then, and has anything happened? Well,

50:54

I mean, only

50:57

the normal stuff that happens when a

50:59

person calls out, you know, the

51:01

help of animal friends. I'd

51:03

have an assortment of birds

51:05

and mice and chipmunks arrive

51:07

and sing a

51:09

kind of tune, but they

51:11

can't speak our language. So it was like

51:14

animal sounds. Slam,

51:17

I need you to be so clear about this. I

51:19

need you to be so clear. Are

51:21

you describing a series

51:24

of animals that are genuinely

51:27

engaging with you and singing little

51:30

songs to you, or are you

51:32

just rolling around in rat's nest

51:36

and touching animals

51:39

and chasing after them on mass? I

51:43

need you to tell me if there's a distinction there.

51:46

Yeah, I feel like maybe it's a

51:48

matter of perspective. Okay. No,

51:50

it's not. The

51:52

actuality is what are you doing in

51:55

these situations? Is

51:57

there ever an instance where an animal is

52:00

Following you or are you chasing after

52:02

all the animals? Well, I

52:04

mean the animals come to me

52:07

Yeah, I call I call I call

52:10

I'm like Singing

52:24

in seven-part harmony. I mean oh,

52:26

I'm dear there's so many mice

52:28

in this This

52:30

is an impressive skill. I rarely have

52:32

any sort of Existential

52:34

crisis at the juicing station and

52:36

for that we're grateful So

52:40

setting aside the fact that you've been calling

52:42

out to your specific animal friends and

52:44

they haven't been arriving Which means he's

52:47

doing an absolutely fucking terrible job But

52:50

same aside, let's go with the snake one for

52:52

now. Shall we and then we'll find you a

52:54

new piece of paper later Wow,

53:01

you really solved everything Yeah,

53:05

oh, I mean that yes, of

53:07

course I did. That's why I'm your captain That's

53:09

why I'm making the big plans the big time

53:11

place for the big time plays you want to

53:13

yeah Slam

53:18

Go ahead write that letter send it

53:20

off to that snake you do you

53:23

is there a way to disperse all

53:25

of these rats? Because the hallway is

53:27

now more blocked than it was before

53:30

my skillset is more in congregation Maybe

53:35

you can lead them in a direction

53:38

Exe and stage right to the

53:40

deck and maybe that would be For

53:43

the best for now and we'll see what we can do

53:45

about your writing desk. All right. All right And

53:48

and the pied bodybuilder goes off

53:51

Leading the trail of mice behind

53:54

him. Mm-hmm Wow Campaign

54:03

Skyjax is a one-shot network production. For more

54:05

information be sure to follow us on Twitter

54:08

over at campaignpod for updates about live shows

54:10

and other events we might be doing. In

54:14

the universe of Starwall Odyssey, space

54:16

is made out of the collective

54:18

imaginations of all the thinking beings

54:20

who live on various planets. These

54:23

worlds are connected to each other

54:25

through imagination. Common themes and ideas

54:27

are strings between universes. And to

54:29

get between them, people fly wooden

54:31

ships that look like animals, which

54:34

are powered by emotions. Also,

54:36

people communicate with each other by contemplating

54:38

orbs. The only way you can take

54:40

pictures is getting stared at by a

54:42

big psychic bug, and people have already

54:45

declared victory in a war over the

54:47

very concept of evil. But I'm getting

54:49

ahead of myself. Starwall Odyssey follows the

54:51

adventures of the hapless inhabitants of the

54:53

Lucky Finn Tenement Building, who suddenly find

54:56

that their apartment is actually a spaceship,

54:58

and that they're lost in a sea

55:00

of boundless imaginations. It's an actual play

55:02

starring me, James Damato, Mel Damato,

55:04

Ally Growler, and Drew Murzewski as

55:06

we playtest the No King System,

55:09

which will hopefully one day be

55:11

the Skyjax role-playing system. It toes

55:13

the line between weird and wonderful

55:15

slice of life and high-flying space

55:17

fantasy. You can sample the first

55:20

five episodes by searching for Starwall

55:22

Odyssey on your favorite podcast app,

55:24

or get the whole thing by

55:26

heading to patreon.com/one-shot podcast and signing

55:28

up for five dollars a month

55:30

or more. You

55:34

can find more great gaming shows

55:36

over at one-shot-podcast.com. Johnett

55:39

Kessler was played by Tyler Davis,

55:41

who can be found on Twitter

55:43

and Instagram at Tyler A. Dave.

55:46

Gable was played by Liz Anderson,

55:48

who can be found on Twitter

55:50

at Liz Anderson underscore underscore underscore,

55:52

or on her podcast Paired. Captain

55:55

Oromar Vale was played by Nathan Blaise,

55:57

who can be found on Twitter at...

56:00

PhantomArtsENT, or streaming at

56:02

twitch.tv slash The Neon

56:05

Caster. I am

56:07

James Damato, your host and game

56:09

master. You can find me on

56:11

Twitter at oneshotrpg, or

56:13

on my podcast, One Shot.

56:15

The original music featured in this

56:18

podcast was written, composed, and performed

56:20

by Arnie Parrott. You can find

56:22

him over on Twitter at Arnie

56:24

Parrott, or on his website, ATPtoons.

56:27

This episode was edited by Allie Grauer,

56:29

who can be found on Twitter at

56:31

Dreams to Become, or on

56:34

her podcast, Skyjax Currier's Call.

56:36

Our logo was designed by Fiona Shea,

56:39

who can be found on Twitter at

56:41

Lunarum. The World of Sphere was inspired

56:43

in part by the music of the

56:45

Decembras and Illimat, produced by Together Studios.

56:48

This show was made in part by

56:50

using a modified version of the Genesis

56:52

role-playing system, designed by Sam Stewart and

56:54

a team of talented professionals. There

56:57

are no kings. Take

56:59

flight. All sisters

57:02

of every type and

57:05

once every year rise.

57:08

Twice the nearest we're

57:10

leaving behind. You know

57:13

we can never deny. The

57:17

call of the sky.