Welcome to Blank City Nowhere, an actual play anthology podcast where we tell the
story of one where the world, one tabletop game at a time, or,
in this season, the story of one vampire, one player at a
time. Joining me today to continue our game of Tim Hutchings's thousand year old
vampire is Ashley Graham. Hello, how are y'all? Wow? They're doing
so good. That was great to hear from all of them. Wonderful,
iconic. How does it feel? Are you ready to take your turn piloting
the vampire? I reckon that. I am perfect. That's all we can
ask is that we reckon that. We're ready. So are you you're familiar
with what's happening to uh miss Sharp? Now on her? I believe fourth
name? Yes, yes, for the most part, there were moments where
you know names and people popped up and I said, well, I'm sure
I'll see. Yeah. Yeah, you are currently going by Veronique Sharp hanging
out in France after some some trouble. So are you ready to roll some
dice for me? Ashley? And we'll get your first prompt? Sure?
I am wonderful. Let us roll, all right? So I got a
six and a two, all right? Which of those is the D six
those before ten the D six rolled six, okay, and then the D
ten roll two, So we go back for okay, so fifteen one okay.
So this is sort of like a how's it going? Question? Prompt
eleven? How do you find solace from the raging hunger within you? You
may lose one checked or unchecked skill. So you know, how's it going?
Vampire? Well, clearly it's raging the thirst. It burns within my
trichia specifically right there, or the one, the other one, the one
that doesn't breathe, the one that swallows. I was, so, what
do you mean the other trichia? But now the other part of the throat.
I was like, do you have a what? Okay? I understand
now, good, good, good good. I don't know. I don't
know how vampire bodies work. Yeah, I do, so wonderful to get
that correct. So what was the question? How am I doing? How
am I? How do you find solace from the ranging hunger within you?
You may lose one checked or unchecked skill. So this is base like,
you know, for you as a vampire, how do you handle the hunger?
Other than just drinking people? You know? Some people you can,
although interestingly it says you may doesn't mean you have to. For listeners keeping
score at home. Your remaining skills are well mannered, parentheses, usual skills
of a good wife, bloodthirsty, regenerating teeth, and quote craftsmanship. I
believe that was a Kelsey edition of just like being a good tinkerer, you
can just throw some stuff together. I like the idea that you use blood
thirsty, and that's like, how do I hope I don't I'm fucking thirsty
all the time? Like literally just everyone's problem. Yeah, I to say
we could twist it like our fellow Cullens would and start drinking on rabbits and
shit, you know you could. I don't know, Like vampire fiction is
sort of inconsistent about like that, Like is that enough? Does it need
to be a person? Is it like a matter of the soul? If
we want to get like very catholic about it. I think it is a
matter of the soul. That's what makes it. The flavor spices. I
reckon that. I think I'll just use the skill just because I can.
Sure, so I have some guidance and we will use blood thirst Okay,
So you're just sort of on a on a bender right now, you're just
really going through it par ticularly old souls, they tend to be the fattest
when it comes to what they've learned. So I've been feasting on some older
people for sure. I don't think people look for why they passed terrible,
like the newspapers in this little French village of like like five old people got
just chewed apart. Yeah by some things. We don't have cars yet,
but it looks like a truck just plowed through. God bless them, and
then you wake up and do it all over again, go with God.
Yeah, okay, so that's that's you know. Ask me answered the question
like, so this needs to be filed into a memory. As you recall,
you only have five memories max. You can store others in a diary
if you have one, but you often just have to lose them. And
I hate to say, but you are kind of filling up pretty quick each
memory. Can we have like three experiences? This is an experience? Dang
No, they are filling up for sure, So what do we want to
forget? Let's okay, let's cut so memory one is just like who you
were as a human being, it's like your your human name, your family,
and like youthful experiences before you became a vampire. Writ large the theming
of like the first memory we have, it's just like family and like times
you felt safe. Yeah. Memory two is a bunch of like shameful things.
There's like a memory of you before you became a vampire getting like flustered
in church or not. It's a different one. It's of you messing up
like an embroidery thing, you accidentally outing yourself as a vampire way too easily.
Not a memory for memory four, which is like unholy all the times
that you were just a big monster or like felt unholy in the eyes of
God. Actually, actually this one has an open spot. Oh no,
that's what I was thinking that I think, actually perfect, Yeah, this
is pretty unholy behavior. Yeah, I had went all the way down to
the monster memory, but I was like, that one's full but on holy,
I mean holy is not. So look at that. Look at God
providing for the sinners once again. Perfect? Okay, cool, So that's
one prompt down. Look at this easy? Wow. Okay, so give
me give me two more roles. Perfect? All right? So the next
role D six got a five and D ten got a ten. Okay,
so we jump ahead five. All right, let's make some progress sixteen as
I wait for the PDF to buffer. Okay, well, I don't know.
Uh, some mortals have banded together to hunt you, well armed and
wise to your tricks. They may have noticed the like dozen old people you
chewed through it. How do you defeat or evade them? Create a mortal
hunter related to one of your check skills, and then check a skill.
So okay, so the foregone conclusion here is that you you are gonna get
rid of them. But of course, so let's start with what's the hunter
who? Let's make this character like the person that well right away, the
name that came to me in my spirit is a Gaston. No one hunts
vampires like Gus Star. No one Gasson. His last name is crepe CP.
Yeah, what is Let me see what the actual What does a crap
actually mean in French? Like? What's it? Just? Like? Fold?
Hold on? What is a crape called in French? Come on,
Google? Is a crape French to English? Okay? It just means crape?
So this is just an endless circle. I don't know if it meant
like like thin or like right delicate, because like crape paper is very like
sandence off, so I don't know what the link was meaningless anyway, Gaston
Crape, Welcome with the team. You're about to get your ship rocked.
But yes, yes, it's like it says that to create a hunter related
to one of your checked skills. So your checked skills are can run,
fast, well connected, ashamed, bloodthirsty. Now humans and humans are cattle.
So I guess which of these like tipped him off or like let him
know that, hey, there's a vampire here for sure, I think the
bloodthirsty. Yeah, this can be easy, like it can't just be what
literally just happened. Yes, and his energy already feels big. You know
you think you think he's a big, a big motherfucker. I think he's
a big motherfucker with a long, dark ponytail and a v Neick shirt.
You see where I'm going with the first one. The first one invented his
father, well and his gang are gonna get fucked up. So how do
you fuck him up with your manners, your generating teeth or your craftsmanship.
Let's go with the manners. Okay, walk you through this. How do
you just like walk, how do you just like politely get out of this?
I apologize, Oh my bad, I didn't realize one of those people
alive first of all, and also pretend to repent because French people do they
like the Catholics? Do they care? Oh yeah, oh yeah, they
were against the Church of England for not being Catholics. So that was like
the whole beef. Yeah, I apologize, and I tell him the whole
reason why I did all that was because the demon was inside me. It
was not even me wild and I kiss his ring if he lets me get
close. I don't know what do frenchmen want from women? Well, the
one thing, Yeah, I think I'm gonna go the route of like,
uh playing religious and like being super repentive. I guess that makes sense.
Yea. So now the question is, O, hey, where does this
memory go? Because we're we're back at it again. Shame is full.
I think it is now actually truly false. So h so yeah, what
do you want to forget? Do you want to forget your shame? Do
you want to forget all the times that you felt gross? Do you want
to forget the vampire that turned you in the first place? You're just like
your early days as a vampire. I think early days. Let's start those
out first years. Yeah. Gone, I've lived a long life and I've
become a monster at this point, and blame that on shoving this memory out
of me being not a monster. I am blacking out these pages on the
Google docs so that no one in the future can read them without cheating here,
I guess, but I'm gonna choose to trust the future players. Yeah,
okay, do memory seven? Do you imagine there was like a Google
dog that we could black out and rite forgotten over in our own brains.
I would love that. I mean, I think that is. That's the
plot of Eternal Channel. The spot is mind. Sorry Jim Carrey and Kate
Winslet God bless them both for that film. Actually, God cursed him.
It's too good. That's insane. All right. Well, well, I'm
trying to define that memory as we go, because right now it's just this
one thing that happened. Yeah, okay, okay, so all right,
roll roll them dice again. I want to add also that blowkisses to all
the hunters, because this is really slutty. Yeah, I'm just blowing them,
which is really so both die rolled five mm hmm. I think it
means we stayed in the same place. And just let me check, because
that's that's humorous old zero mm hmmm. Please hold come on PDF, come
on Hold short for hold on. I think so it's like hold. I
mean like I think they're like ship. It would have to like hold position.
So it's like you hold hold the rope's tots or nothing moves, got
it. I'd mean that's I think that's right. We'll see and hold on
could also be a cousin of that, you know, hold on, yeah,
hold on, hold on to it. It's all it's all boats all
the way down. Okay, So yes, zero total needs be kind of
the same prompt a second time. So let me just go back to that
page. Just what are those second one on that page? So it's not
the exact same thing happening, but perfect it's like sixteen B. But the
hunters are persistent, capable, and well informed. So Gueston and his crew
didn't buy it. I guess they know things about you that you don't create.
A mark that is revealed and a confrontation. Okay, that's fun.
You were going into hiding in an unpeopled wasteland, lose any dictionary resources,
learn a new skill related to this desolate region. What new name comes to
you in loneliness? Okay, so we have a lot of things to do,
sort of order of operator checklist. First thing. Okay, so what's
the new mark? So you try to repent to them, they continue to
chase. Yeah, uh, walking through how you like picture like what happens
and what's a new like thing about your vamporism that that happens because of this.
So in the midst of me kissing rings and crying, absolutely, let's
see, I believe that. Dang, they didn't believe me. Does it
say that they get to me? Do they actually like attack? They are
in They're persistent, capable, and well informed. They say that a mark
is revealed in a confrontation, So yeah, for sure, Dot They're like,
hey, quit lyon, and then I just pulled my shirt up,
young lady. We're gonna have a stern talking to you. Yeah, got
it. And your existing marks are artful scarring. On your right cheek you
have shark teeth, and on your ear left rest down to the hand is
permanently like the veins are visible due to your running last episode. So those
are your current quirks of appearance. So what's the next one. So my
they hold a torch to my face, and in that they reveal like the
skin, the skin that was there melts off completely. Okay, but what
is revealed is, uh, let's keep going with the veins, so like
black veined face, so it's not the whole face. Are just like around
your jaw or whatever. Yeah, let's go with yeah, around them like
nose down type. Okay, so like a beard, but like sort of
a reverse a reverse sort of like a slip two face situation. We're instead
of like left and right, it's like top of the face, bottom of
the face. Yes, indeed, Batman's next villain, half face face,
vain face girl. I'm I don't know, I'm flipping a coin, but
it's slipped the other way. I don't know. It's complicated. Yeah,
yeah, this new veiny skin is now well that's a problem. Okay,
you have that now. Yes, you were driven into hiding in an unpeopled
wasteland, so lose any stationary resources. Okay, so your current resources were
money, really nice carriage. The help of Lily Silet, who has been
dead for one hundred years, but this is still here because that's how the
rules work. Dark magics and a bag of guns that is also your diary.
So the good news is like, none of these are stationary. Yeah,
the point of a carriage is to move, so I think you can
keep all of these. Yeah, it seems yet be the case. Yeah,
that's the good news. But now you're living, I guess, and
just like the French country side away from everyone. You're just like, oh,
the old vampire in the woods or whatever, learn a new skill related
to this desolate region. What So let's do that first. What's your new
skill? What's it? What's a good skill for a vampire in the woods?
Summoning humans? Summoning hunters? Okay, so perhaps I learned to mimic
animal sounds. Oh okay, that's cool, so that I can feed and
be full. That's useful. Okay, great, like snow white, but
like snow veins malicious? Yeah yeah, what's your new name? Now?
Oh my god? Okay, we've kept with sharp thus far. Some want
to I mean, now could be the time to let it go. Don't
feel like stuck with it? Let me I've not looked up any French names,
not that it has to be a French name, but we got gast
On. That's one we do. We do. Oh okay, okay,
Adele Knight, I had to do it, like hand knight. That's a
fun word. We don't have that. That's not what we say. So
not at all, Adele Knight. I think the only solace is in this
new name. Is it is it knights in I g h T or a
kid okay, n I g h t. Your name is a Knight.
Update that for those listening at home. I have a working Google doc that
has all of the names and like where the vampire is living information start together
with previous if like crossed out, and it's very funny to see this big
list of things getting scratched. I was like, no, no, not
that, No, I had to move no oh yeah trying. This name
sounds like a name that was given after forgetting another name. Yeah no,
it's very much like you. Then, girl, what's your name? Like,
uh dell night? Yeah yeah, got it, you got it,
got it. I don't believe you, and I will call you that like
that's what that gives. It's like, no, it's not but okay,
okay, Okay, well cool, that's that's another one down, all right,
so give me two more roles, all right, So on the D
six year old one and on the D ten I rolled to five. Okay,
there's a great shift in the way society moves goods. How does this
work to your advantage? Check a skill, create a skill based on a
memory. Okay, so sometimes they are a changing. It's been the nineteenth
century France. We couldn't move that ahead so that it could be you know,
late nineteenth century, which is industrial revolution, so you know steamships and
the like, machinery is here. How does that change Adele's life? Well,
she is was obviously pushed out of the woods because they've been getting chopped.
Oh that's good. Yeah, and so she has been able to feed
a little more under even more under the radar, I would say, just
because there are so many people now in are We're still in Paris? Right?
I think we had to leave Paris and we were like sort of like
skirts of a town and then like even further when you got ran out even
further. So got it so well? As more people have been in the
laboonies, as the French would say, Yes, indeed, I know exactly
where that is on the map. Yeah, so I've been feeding good I
think still am mm hmmm, we'll see the industrial revolution I'm trying to think.
I mean that's I feel like that's it's like now we have like factories
and now we have when was the Eiffel Tower belt because it might be going
up like currently Eiffel Tower was built in eighteen eighty seven, so yeah,
I mean it could be happening now, like we could be like we get
shots of it like in construction as you are like back in Paris. Yes,
yes, absolutely, So I've been intermingling back into the city now that
the city is bigger and like becoming. So what's the word industrialized if you
will? Yeah, I don't know. I'm I'm kind of graduated from the
monster side of myself a little bit just because I don't have to. You
did some time in the woods, and now you're like trying to be a
society lady again. Yes, indeed, wearing those veils that Corey and sweet
Kelsey spoke to. Now you really need him because boy that your poor face
has really taken of the east. Yeah. Yeah, so most of my
days are spent even if I'm out out in public, it is, I'm
I'm still in hiding kind of. I kind of keeps myself And there's something
very like you know, up the air, like very gothic core of like
some like French socialite being like who is that strange veiled woman that is like
always around social functions. I want to get to know her, and like
he gets to know you and like he sees you your monster face and dies
immediately. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah. Somewhat of a loner because both
because she wants to be and also because now you can be, like the
industrial age makes it easier to be alone, like modern jobs mean, it's
getting closer, like the modern day, and like people are too busy working
to wonder what you're doing here, and like the changes that like that that
has on like cities is also like that where it's like now that everyone's hustling
a bustle and who gives a fuck what you're doing on the street. Absolutely
our sewers, maybe it, Yeah, that's a great question. Sewers definitely
existed, and like like aqueducts and like plumbing existed, yes, if it
was in France. When did Paris get sewers? Thirteen seventy. Damn they
had him for a while. The French. One of Adele's favorite things to
do is the root around in the sewers. There you go, sol sewer
lady. And now the hiking up your like extremely ornate Victorian dressed to get
down into the sewers. Yeah, she couldn't really have a job yet,
but I think she worked down there. I mean, you have money,
that's one of your skills. Brings us to the next thing. Yeah,
check a skill, like how are you using what are you using to like
reintegrate into society and like blend back in. Awesome, So you're remaining skills,
resources, skills. The craftsmanship feels the ghost Yeah, come handy out
belong here. Absolutely so, I mean I was half joking about the series.
I think that is a great pastime for a little odell. But also
I'm making trinkets and keeping her wealth honestly through selling state. It's going to
have a cover story too, ye were doing all day Definitely not killing people.
No, I'm not rooting around underground killing people at all. I'm in
here making little key chains. Uh. And then you need to create a
skill based on a memory, So your current memories. Uh, there's your
early life, there's your shameful days. There is uh, you still remember
your sister because that's in your diary. You remember being on holy and then
you remember the monster that turned you, and then you kept this current memory
of being like beset these hunters twice. So which of these could give you
a useful skill? Right now, I'll reach way back and for memory one
just my early life and kind of going with this craftsmanship thing. I think
one of my new newfound skills is making wait, let me see, okay,
yeah, is making like bullets, making bullets. Yeah. And they're
gorgeous too. They are like the artisans bullets. Yeah, the artisans bullets
for the collector, the bad bitches bullets, if you will, of the
time. This is the the bullet equivalent of those earrings that just say like
hot bitch or whatever. Yes, absolutely, yeah, So they're gorgeous and
so yeah, that feels. That feels what I can do. It's useful
and you could sell that so exactly, because this is the industrial revolution as
we at the time, We're we're getting awful clothes to sert to several known
world conflicts. So we'll see how those go I love that there's gonna be
a war in twenty thirty years now, yes, and I will make billions?
So where what other what memory does this experience fit into? So you
have room with the uh, the hunters. I don't know if this still
counts. If it's like they've chased me out and then they get to come
back and that's a complete like arc of three memories in a row, or
if like returning, well, otherwise we have to forget something. So right,
although your diary memory is of you, like learning to shoot guns with
your sister and if you're making bullets here, we could connect those two memories.
Yes, I would love that. Great, perfect, that's where we'll
put that. I would love that. Okay, so what's your next one?
Let's do at least one more. Let's see where we are. Oh
they both are five. Okay, so we're sticking around. Okay, Oh
cool, this is fun. Your vampire estate or vampire estate enables you to
manipulate people across generations, using them to your own advantage. Create one stationary
resource and one ostentatious resource that symbolizes wealth and power. So uh Adele's got
some money to spend. Adele's going shopping. So what is something stationary and
something that is not but is like super gaudy and elegant. That's that cash
something that's stationary. Off the top of my head, I'll just put put
I'll say a cloak. So it's like this very Oh I think stationery means
like you can't move, like not like paper, but like I see,
I do your thought though, I like that. That's very cloak, so
heavy you can't live in it. Sorry. So something that's like conceptual or
like like a house or like a statue or like a like a torture room
or something like that. Let's say a mansion. Okay, oh, b
back in a big way. He said, I'm tired of being in the
woods. Yeah, I have time, so let's change my life. And
then the ostentatious thing is this cool cloak, this mass this cloak from the
Bible that the brothers that you mean the technical or dream coat. Yeah,
I you're a collector of these things. I was about to ride Joseph's amazing
technico or dream coat, so it's good that you stopped me. I mean,
I have this carriage. I would like to think I also have do
horses come with the carriage or can I get I mean they can't do it
on their own yet. So you would need some horses. Yeah, I
would love that, just like some of the strongest. You want to trade
up, get some nicer horses, get some thorough breds. Yes, yes,
a stable. Find thoroughbred horses. You know, if worst comes to
worst, that could be useful in a pinch, if you get away,
yes, a little snack. Yeah all right. So where does this memory
fit in? You could fit with your earliest memory somehow, if you're like,
this is my new life now now I'm back baby. Yeah no,
I'm rich a Gaine. Or it could be a new memory and we can
forget something, or it could go with these again. It could go with
like the para of experiences with the Hunters and be like this is where that
loop closes, Like they hunted me, they rushed me out, but now
I'm back with my own house. Yeah I like that. But there Yeah
great. If it does feel like an arc yeah, blue kisses to all
the hunters, This is me Ashley and like the apocalypse. Listen, you
do what you gotta do. You know. We were talking at work.
Someone I worked the other day brought up, Like what would you do if
you were at the office when like a zombie outbreak happened, Like when like
it really started to go down, Like what would you do if the world
end while you were at work? Like what would you use in the office?
And people are like, oh, I'd like make a ford out of
the desks, or I'd make like, uh, you know, I'd use
a state where as a weapon need be. And I was honestly like,
I would go to the highest building I can get to and I would jump
off because I'm not here for it at all. I Like, I played
video games and I watched TV. I'm not I'm not built for it.
I'm built the same I'm built. I'm built different. I'm built worse.
I'm not going to do it. I'm built different in the opposite direction.
I'm checking out. Yeah, absolutely, I'm not that. I mean because
the only once you fight and you lose, the only I mean, or
if you win, right and then yeah, exactly, or you become a
zombie. Like I've talked to about this and Brooks like I would try to
survive for a while just to see like the novelty of it. Yeah,
and even with me, I'm like, no, there's nothing fun here.
It has especially gotten and I know I know when to get off the ride,
but anyway, adult doesn't have to do that. She's doing great.
She's resilient. If you will, she is, and I will both of
those. All right, we can do one more just for fun, since
these have been pretty straightforward, just for funzies. Ooh, so the D
six rolled a five and the D ten ruled a six. All right,
jump one forward? Okay, boy, okay, you're ready. All right,
you are trapped outside when the sun rises, and take shelter someplace you
were not supposed to be a child discovers and befriends. You create a mortal
child character and record a humanizing experience. So nothing bad is gonna happen to
the child right now, right now, right now. Wells, the kids
have died in this already, so like that's nothing, okay, hey,
little and it's a humanizing experience specifically, so you're you're cool here, awesome,
So I'm gonna just go ahead and name the child. Uh, Charlie,
do we have a von Cleef already? Charlie, there he is German
boy, a little German boy. Little German boy kept running. I've met
on a vampire and woman, God bless him. He is like eight years
old. And one day I was out on is it even a porch?
The thing around my house is so big, it's the veranda. I'm out
on the veranda. Uh and I'm sun not sunbathing, but like kind of
well, just say that you were like caught being out there. So it's
like and I we sort of dance around whether or not sunlight affects you,
but let's say that it's like particularly bad, so like you have to take
it. Says you take shelter someplace you're not supposed to be. Oh,
got it, got it, got it? Hmmm, so maybe not my
home. I'm yeah, the sewer, the sewer, the sewer, down
in the sewer' what's his boy doing in the sewer? Charlie von Cleeve catches
me climbing out of a sewer and it's very humanizing because he steps on my
fingers as I'm trying to get up in there or get up out of there,
and he apologizes and I tell him it's okay, and then I have
and then he says, you remind me of my mother who died recently,
of the rat flu or or whatever existed back then, and then pick a
disease, any of them, literally, any of them a disease. And
then and that tugs at my heart strings because I've I've had one hell of
a journey with a parent. Yeah, and black thereof Well, welcome to
the team, Charlie. What humanizes me about him? And he must have
an ugli as mama. Well, you know, your face could have been
covered while you were coming out of the thing, but maybe not. Maybe
he just had you know, yeah, an also burned mom. It happens.
Is the Industrial Revolution, people were getting injured left, right and center
stuff, Yes they were. Yeah, and those those laws are still up
in the air to this day. So you could put this experience in the
like family memory because it is meeting a child. Yes, okay, you
want to do that. Yeah, I don't want to forget anything at the
moment. Well, you've made the perfect situation for whoever comes next to have
to forget something. But that's okay, that's the fun of the game.
That's good. Yeah. So there you go, Adele with your new child
path and your cool mansion and your bullets. Yeah, there we go,
and that's where we will stop for today, Ashley. Where can people find
you online? Well, my Twitter handle is sad and Pretty. You will
be seeing a lot of retweets from me, same as Kelsey situation, as
well as likes for me same situation. You might get a thought you might
not. And then on Instagram, I'm Ashley Leah a s H l e
E l e A h. There. Yeah, it's a great time.
You can find the show on Twitter and Instagram at Blank City Pod. Feel
free to send us an email at blank Citypod at gmail dot com for free.
To also give us a nice little five star review. We'd appreciate it,
nighborly thing. Yeah, and we will be back with another vampire misadventure
pretty soon. And until then, drink it in. Slurp it up.
You know better, slurp it up.