The Night Shift is a real play D and D video and podcast series for
mature audiences. Content warnings can be found in the episode descriptions Last Time on
the Night Shift. If you're up to it, the next step is to
well, is it the crime scene? Yes? Yeah, I can't scream
together gold My soul's already sold. Swim you trapped, tod smell. I
wish you well, and if the creature run your streets, you do better
to retreat. If you want it done right, don't hi the night Shift.
Polaritis finally opens the door. You've been walking through the halls of the
Serian Archive, this massive library, for it seems like a long time,
just because there are so many twists and turns and staircases. You've had to
stop every fifty feet or so so that Polaritis can explain why he's taking you
to the place that he's taking you. There are lots of people standing around
looking serious. No one unlike a previous times you've been here when people have
been studying. Everyone is kind of standing around looking upset. Even though this
is days after his murder. This sort of thing doesn't happen. Head Archivist
doesn't just murdered in his own office. It's unheard of. People are shook
and it's kind of dripping off them. Finally, Polaritis swings open the large
oaken door to Excenator All Firons what used to be Excenator All Firon's office,
And the first thing I think that hits you is an iron smell of blood.
It's still speckled all over the walls and dripping all over the floors.
His body is gone, but that certainly remains so if it was his office,
who moved into it? No one as of yet, Okay, and
you can tell that like it. It's very much been left in its current
state. They've got fantasy crime tape across the U. Yeah, it's very
obvious. No one's no one's using it right now. It is left in
its current state. Plartius um, So how does this work? Now that
Senator's gone? Who? Um? Who becomes a head archivist? There will
be an election of majors um. Several people will probably put their hats into
the running. Do we have a list of those people? Because that's our
suspect. It would seem that would be as good a place in any start.
But it was my idea, non chestrals. To be clear, I
kind of opened the door for it. Okay, yes, um, I
can. It's your list of who they presumed to be front runners. I'm
certainly one of them. Interesting real why would you be considered one among them?
I was a senator off fire rings assistant for the better part of three
decades. I learned at his feet. And you wanted to step out of
his shadow, didn't you? No, you wanted a taste of the limeline.
No, okay, somebody had were not. He did give us the
benefit of the very risk of heart vibes on. I see we are back
to being investigators, sort of smarts. There is blood all over this room.
Can I just get just you know, a little serious? Okay,
I know that you're sort of fun thing though, Okay, you know what,
just do it your way, You're right, Okay. Well, Kestril
starts walking around the office, um, stroking her chin, and I'm gonna
like, look at Kestrol. Then I'm gonna start. Then we all kind
we all grow we're thinking, we're thinking, yeah, absolutely, um,
but I did it first, just saying there seems to be a lot of
blood in here, very very stute observation this is rubbing his head. Already
similar motion is rubbing in your chin, but with much more frustration. Is
there is there somebody there that I can ask to go fetch us some coffee
or something. I was warned about these guys all seriousness. I would like
to roll. I will arrange for coffee, this whole coffee. We do
need to sit down after you're done. There were some things that left you.
Oh, but i'd like you to do your investigation for us, for
us will for you? Yes, wow, I can't believe you remembered us.
He left it for us. Why are we the first suspect. There's
a good question. I was kind of wondering the same thing. But I
would assume I can maybe answer that I haven't told anyone that he left these
things for you. He instructed me to keep it close to okay, So
that's another reason why you believe that's the secrets of senator. Yeah, sounds
almost like a movie Polaritist. I can't wait to be played by Jude Law.
Just exciting, all right? Great? Uh, yes, the coffee
would be great. Um. So polaritis goes out, speaks to someone and
comes back in in short order vittles, coffee to alcohol are all brought in
everybody, Assuming you're trying to make an investigation role, make your investigations role
roles. Can I do with advantage since I was the first one, since
you're the first one to stroke your chin? Yeah, you think that that's
where they I'm asking the objectively. Do you think it's worth advantage that you're
stroking your chin? Yes, well, I'm really helping her with coffee and
stuff, you know. Okay, I was helping you, so you do
have advantage, sweet Tim but doesn't roll himself thanks to him. Yeah,
no problem. I'm looking at blood stain really hard. Which one all of
them? Okay? Thirteen? Chuck two? Two? So Attilius, Um,
I'm gonna going and drip on my own feet trying to get to the
coffee. Tillius goes Atilius goes and starts looking sort of behind the desk area,
and he's looking at all these books, and um, Tom, I
think you're maybe the person who notices that he's standing in the pool of blood
while he's looking at these books. Well, given, then I rolled to
four. I'm gonna walk up. I'm going, I'm gonna I'm gonna scampering.
What do you see? My back isn't get on top of the umkesher.
You go to thirteen with advantage? Yes, wow, you guys are
investigators. Indeed are not investigators. That's for damn short. Yeah, um
okay. With the thirteen, I think the first thing you notice is that
they are treading through all of the blood here, and I feel like the
blood is important murder. Yeah, gross, it's not like we have I
don't know, fantasy DNA John Laney up a level of forensics that we really
have here. Um okay, with a thirteen, I think what I'll tell
you his First of all, you notice that they're treading through it and making
a bit of a mess of it. Um. But secondly, I think
with a thirteen, what I'll give you is if you remember your name was
written in blood in his own blood? Um on the black boy. How
do we know that it was his own blood? Do we have fantasy DNA
Pilaritis told you that it was his own blood? I think that's probably what
you have to go on. You can ask Claritis that if you'd like.
Um. All right, So the first thing I do is I immediately shove
Attilius and Tom Get out of the blood. Get out of the blood.
Oh sorry, I didn't even that didn't even my feet is so large.
I thought you were onto something with the book first one. Myself, I
thought i'd found something as well. Claricis comes back in and it looks like
a bloody marauders mapping bloody footprints, and um, I'm down like using I
don't know Utilisa's cape. Just just scrub. What are you doing, kestro
while are you tugging on my cape? What if we hum? But I
think the second thing you noticed beyond that is you can see where he So
he was very clearly stabbed sitting in his chair at his desk. There's a
big pool of blood there. There's it was out there anymore, right,
correct? Correct? Use the board where he wrote her name is to his
twenty feet Okay, so it was the dager of yact. So he was
stabbed, bled, threw up there. All of that is still there.
Then he drug his body a pretty good distance over the black at all time,
and you can see where his body was kind of laying when he supposedly
he wrote kestrol on the blackboard. What's peculiar peculiar about it, Kestro is
that he could have written it on the wall kind of right in front of
him, because he's laying down, you can kind of tell by the smear.
But instead he kind of he would have had to strain to reach up
and write it on the blackboard instead off the wall. I want to um
ah, I feel like maybe he wrote it on the blackboard because even after
fantasy came in there, well, if he did, if he did,
he wrote it specifically on the blackboard and not on the wall, because if
it was wiped off, it'd still be traces of it there. I wanted
to do more so than it would be on the wall. Maybe, m
what about I want to do an arcana check on the blackboard. I'm gonna
rub my chin even more vigorously while looking at it. You want to rub
your chin more vigorously? Um, I will also rub his chin more vigorous.
Yes, rub my chin an advantage other than in my hand? Can
I do an arcane? Yeah? Okay, Am I really at advantage?
Yes? H uh? Fourteen's presumably Attilius is actually helping you and not just
stroking your beard. Um, I'd say that just does it? Uh?
You can't quite tell how, but it's very clear to you that this blackboard
is enchanted. Jah, why do you think I did the check? I'm
gonna keep going. I got it. There's more. Um, you could
tell that it's enchanted, and it's enchanted to hide things in addition to just
being a blackboard. Right, Um, why doesn't everybody do a history check
forman? M hm hm, I think good a history one. But I'm
lucky. I'm lucky. I'm lucky. Relax, relax, nine five sixty
one. It's a nineteen two. Okay, no one else, no one
else remembers, but Tom, Yeah, of course the moment you realize.
Of course, in fact, you say that it's an enchanted blackboard, and
everybody else's like, cool dude, Yeah yeah, cool story bro telling you
all's enchanted. I can I know that you're vigorously stroking your beard, but
it looks really fucked up to me. So can you stop thinking? Um?
You remember, Tom, the first time you came into this office,
the senator was writing on this very blackboard, and the minute you started talking
and he realized you were there, he waved his hand and everything disappeared.
M hmm. I waved my hand. You know, you just start sort
of waxing on and waxing. Kestrel helps, what are you doing? Wave
my hand too, just wa just like hello, Clarices, what are you
doing? Wait? I'm magic? What sort of magic? We can't tell
you. One time when we walked in, Alfiman was writing something and um,
he waved his hand and then it all went away. Yeah, does
this blackboard have memories? Can we tap into it somehow? I I'm a
little embarrassed to admit I don't think so. I don't wait to anything some
bust. Yeah, I'm just feeling on the edges of it. I don't
think this black what does magic? It feel really stupid if it is,
but I don't think so. Well, why don't you do an account of
check? Okay? Well that's okay, Claric. Just I don't want to
be rude, but I don't think you're getting the job of head archives.
Feels like you shouldn't have had him been led to that one fair enough?
Um. Clericis walks over and starts sort of examining it, and in very
in a very odd way, almost like he's like looking at the wood really
closely, running his fingers along like it's like very uh, it's a very
textural investigation for an iconic check um n copying. But eventually he sort of
stands up and scratches his head and he goes, you know, I do
think it's um, I do think it's magical. I'm a little embarrassed.
He never he never showed me this. This can stay between us. It
has a password of some sort. I'm sure hmmm, access one two three.
Yeah, that doesn't work a lot. Elvish your friend, I got
okay, Um, I pull out the wand of reversal and I just wave
it and just say, show me something. Oh shit, okay, show
me something makes sense. Yeah, that's actually really good. Um So technically
it's like a counterspell. So xenidor is great. Was here? Um,
it's part and it's a plus. Polaritis forever Chap. I can't believe we
accused him of killing him. It really was heartbroke. I think when you
use the wand it works, I think it um. The whole blackboard erases.
It's like there's some random writing including Kestrel's name and blood still which is
dripping down. The whole blackboard just sort of erases itself. The blood stays
and then it kind of spreads back across. And what you see is this
incredibly elaborate equation that solves gravity. You know, god it you're not super
far off. Formula on one side and on the other side a series of
drawings of spheres and lines and you know, but it's clearly like one side
depicts one thing and one side depicts another, and it's a little unclear to
you as to how they work together. Polaritis, for his part, gasps
and looks like pretty distraught, like if you look back at him, like,
he looks upset. Actually because we figured it out and you didn't.
I think that's a lot of it. Yeah, like a little bit of
it is. I can't I just put the wand back in, uh my
veils. Well, don't you read this stuff. I'm gonna take that ale
now it's fun to move on from coffee and to ale. I think,
uh no, I don't know. It just shapes, mate. It looks
like some sorts of it's a formula important thing. I believe I might be
able to decide for these, Okay, because you can read language, Yes,
I can read languages. So would that would that fall under this or
no, I don't think that. Well, math is just like a language,
man, it's different. Man, I'm gonna look at that argument language.
I mean it says you can read all writing. Well, I think
we'd have to fudge that quite a bit to say you want to try the
math. But um, I do think it's worth like I think that.
I think what's evidence to you, Attilius based on that skill is the left
side of this thing. Instead of what everybody else is, which is circles
and lines. You can read the little labels which are all written in celestial.
Does anybody else speak celestial? Do have fucking wings on my back?
Hello? No, I have really really agreed to my question. Oh and
what you can read, uh, Attilius are it's in celestial, but it's
the name of the planets in the heavens above you, and stars and the
sun, all of those things. Pilaritis, for his part, is now
up on the right side of the blackboard, like scanning the formula and trying
to make sense of Hilaritis. Do you know what this is? No?
And yes, yes and no? Um he didn't. Yeah you really not
getting that position, buddy? Yeah? Not sell what you do now?
He didn't study these things. This wasn't his area on the On the on
the left, here you've got um, so that's your cartography planetary movement.
On the right side, you've got orbital mathematics. What are you talking about?
What is I don't even understand these concepts. What do you what do
you know? Like astrology? Like I'm a pisces, right, I thought
like the uf fish, I thought you weren't. Elf. I'm very confused
now. And wait, there's other planets. Oh wow, Like the Moon's
not just as a motive like in our planet, just like a part of
the sky. Like that's a that's a different place, that's a different plane.
Yes, boy, that's not even like you were going to struggle with
these mathematics. Why what now, um, take a drink planet there there
are others like it, and and for years now, scientists and magicians have
tracked them. I've been able to see them. But I don't know anybody
who has projected their placement in the sky like this. I don't know why
you would do such a thing, like a prophecy that comes out of planetary
alignments. Nothing here indicates prophecy, but that doesn't mean it's not the case.
Are they the other planets flat as well? Wow? Ah, jeez,
we should have a separate discussion. I'm so confused right now. To
be honest, we got in overhead quite quickly there. Castle you seem to
you seem to be holding your own here. You know, maybe know a
little more about this. I mean, I like reading planets, so I've
heard of some of these concepts before. But I don't really know much more
than that. So okay, so I mean give it to us in a
halfling terms, like what are we looking at? There's other worlds you don't
You don't know what this formula does at all. This formula on the right
a PS two predict and project where the planets on the left, each of
them will be at a certain time. And what's the significance of that prediction?
I have no clue. Can you tell us where the planets are going
to be so we can, like, I don't know, drop it down
in a notebook one of these guys, can, I probably won't. I
appreciate your committment. I think, you know, he kind of gives you
the sense that he can. He can give you what those coordinates would be,
but it's not going to make any more sense to you than it does
to him. Guys, are you thinking doesn't? Could later? Hold on?
Now? So okay? Now sorry there so your listeners himself smagmi face
my guitar. You're you're are you? Are? You? Am I to
understand this that you're saying that Senador may have been traveling to these other planets
or realms? Was that how the shimmering blue figure handed me this one?
That's what I was kind of thinking as well. Yes, portals, he
was creating portals, portals, polaritis. Nope, there's nothing there that's not
that's not anything happened moving through space and time that would explain how, in
particular tracks where are planet is forward and backward through time. That's it's an
orbital mathematical formula for how our planet travels in an arc through space flying through
space. Um Castrel takes a piece of parchment paper and some ink and just
starts copying down whatever we've seen so we can have it on hand later like
a photo. If you will like a photo, I will. It's a
good idea. Thank you. Timbo just drinks a nail. Yeah, scratches
beard space so wound space planet god, I reckon, Let not much about
this, I mean, timbo, wait until the family back home here.
I have a question, could I possibly use eldritch invocations to figure out would
any of those equations mean on the board. It's you learn fragments of forbidden
knowledge that imbue with an abiding magical ability. Is that a feature or a
trait? Yeah? M hm oh man. So eldritch invocation is like a
eyes of the room keeper and agonizing blast or like sub They're like skills within
that eldritch invocation. So here's what you could. You could ask your book,
you could ask your tone. But you happen to know at this point.
But there is a cost for that. Any knowledge you gain it has
a pressure. Do not not yet, We're not. We still have a
lot of other things to investigate. We still could get a natural twenty somehow.
I just need to add a zero to all the twos I'm earling.
But no, but polaritis. I do have a question, Um, do
you think this equation, whatever it might be, is worth killing for?
Oh, that's a good question. I without knowing what he was using it
for, I'm not I'm not sure, but it does seem like he thought
it was worth hiding and worth highlighting to you. I did think it was
weird that he didn't write your name right in front of him on the wall.
He reached up and wrote it on the black board instead. So what
do you think, um, well, what are the things for us?
Second? What did he leave for us? Do you want to go look
at that? Now? Yes, there's the blood, any sort of important
writing or anything. No, I would say, the blood is like just
beneath where the formula. And are you are you certain that the blood writing
is in his I don't know scrawl it. He he had blood all over
his his right index finger and middle finger. And does look like his script?
With that said a man committed to his penmanship. With that said,
I mean you know, yes, he was in his death throws. Could
someone have made him? Possibly he was trying to get us to look at
the board. Can we do this spell? There's there's no spell to be
done here. This math I don't understand. Is there do you understand this
well enough? Polaritis? Like? Do you why would he be tracking the
planets? Is there is there a time where this formula like hits like or
could we say like in four days we will hit a point that this formula
equates, and we will mercury will be in retrograde or something. So I
understand it well enough to know that this formulas to find the arc of our
orbit. It does not try to pinpoint a specific time. It tries to
figure out no matter what time. If you use this formula, you could
then figure out where the planet would be in space? Would that? Would
it be? Would it would it set up? To make it like to
cast a spell with if something was aligned properly, would make the spell more
prowerful? Says Edric, trying to kill all the damn dwarves. M.
I don't know. Could be an amplifier. Huh um. Cash Loo gets
down and looks at the blood more closely. Do you want to roll an
investigation ship? Sure? I must do. You want me to scratch your
chin? I'm are you doing it? Um? Sixteen? Gross? Smop
it up? No? It looks like blood, um. In terms of
how it you know what it tells you? I think it is evident to
you as you sort of follow the line he was stabbing in the chair.
He dragged his own body all the way over this blackboard. He propped himself
up in front so that he could ride on this blackboard and then kind of
collapsed back into his own blood. It's very faint, and it sort of
gets lost in the shuffle. I think, because particularly because of Attilius and
Tom's footprints. But you think that there might be a footprint actually in the
middle of this sort of final puddle. But the footprint doesn't go anywhere.
Just one footprint in the kind of semi congealed blood. That just that's it.
Laritus, look at this footprint that looked like the Senda doors. He
comes over and crouches down and looks, and you know, he kind of
makes a face. He's not used to looking at blood this globe. Um,
but he shakes his head. No, he didn't wear this sort of
shoe or anything. I wanted to run and dive head first into the blackboard.
You're no, no, into the bad blackboard. I wanted to run
and dive head first into it to do what that's gonna do? My bad?
Sorry nineteen plus, Um, that's a twenty. You're slamming this thing
so hard that it cracks. You might have a conc The why I thought
why I thought he was going I you thought it was a doorway. It
was like a Mario sixty four thing, and I was gonna die and it
was gonna shimmer and I was gonna beat into the plane. Oh I see
that now? Ah fuck? Oh man, Why what I told you?
I thought I thought I had it, probably heard it? Um? Oh
my putting your finger through you want to I thought it was like a platform
nine. You gotta be full commit, You gotta commit though. The blackboard
was the portal to another realm. Yeah. Look, man, a lot
of crazy shit's been Okay, I didn't even know the concept of space.
My brain is leaking out from my ears. I have to side with Tom
on this. Um, okay, maybe you just didn't do it right.
Can we get to the gifts about print? And I put it over the
footprint so I can get like an imprint, Polaris, let me see your
big guys, huge could be huge? Huge? Uh. Polaritis points out
that it's just one I mean, and you've noticed it as well. He
just reiterates, just one foot front, there's not two, and they don't
go anywhere. Must have a peg leg, Yeah, some sort of one
legged almost certainly looking for a one legged man that narrows it down, so
fly because there's only one what's above us? Look up only sky? So
well, um, what's above you? Or or the murderer is doing like
an arabesque and he's like leaning. What's an arabasque? Isn't that like a
ballet thing? On? No, or you're in the wrong crowd. It's
kind of where I'm going though. Maybe they came down from the rafters or
something like Mission Impossible style, yeah, or from a from a cur So
what's above you is? Um, think of it kind of like a kind
of a bad example, but stay with me. Like a sunroom, what's
above you is like a glass uh bowl sort from your perspective, it's convex
observatory like an observatory. Um, so above you right now is blue sky's
son, etc Um. But you can see that it like it kind of
magnifies what you're looking at above you. So being inside a telescope almost is
there a telescope not in the room? No, m And now a word
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talk to the carriage ahead of us, and they said that, um,
there was really nothing that they could do, and then they called me some
names. Um, Bill, if you can't get us around this traffic,
I'm going to go berserk. Oh well, don't don't worry about that.
Him. Oh here I got I've got some delicious drinks I've been meaning to
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What's that right there on the front. It looks like my father. Oh
well, it's a berserker mode, a Baltic porter with coffee and cocoa nibs.
In the background, castrol is singing, Party carriage. This will take
the edge off. I might be okay sitting in traffic in this carriage.
If party carriage. If I have a little berserker mode from Southern Prohibition brewing
over there in the fine state of missus scissus hippy. It's got coffee.
You know, I've got caffeine. I'm just kestrel is wired. Now I
am wired. You're gonna have to beat me to that stripper pole here in
the podcast. Wow, I'm not just spin around it like a little top,
like a little spider monk. Go ahead, waits huh wait wait wait
wait, because this three drink kestro, I think we're seeing it out party
carriage party. Watch this. I'm gonna try it. I'm gonna I'm gonna
spin around and I'm gonna do a flip and I'm gonna land in Timbo's lap.
Here we go, rolled it two. Yeah, he doesn't flip and
he lands Timbo. I guess you're pretty happy to see me, rong Po.
I didn't know that I was doing such a good job. I almost
I guess that's a berserker mode now. Yeah, I think the window this
party carriage is come front. Well, our good friends at Pelican craft Brands
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each other, Attilius? Sure? Now Tom and Attilius start making out the
party carriage carriage. I mean, we could be having more fun somewhere else.
I'd like to get stuck in traffic with you, fellows mode. Indeed,
So what's this game? Magic? The gathering? I've heard that,
Well, do you have some money that you want to spend? There's a
lot of magic out there if you want to go down this whole Uh,
Little Wars has a great magic community down thing. Yeah, every Friday night.
That's actually where I heard of it. Uh. Look, I mean
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can, like you said, tabletop games like board games and everything. I've
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ever heard of Dutch blitzs? A Vonderval, good skin and crazily addictive.
Like a bunch of my friends over there play it and it is so much
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H Wow, you're gonna wear some wooden shoes or I mean it's cool
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like everybody had kids or whatever else. Um, yeah, I just go
to Little Wars. Go to Little Wars. You don't have to like reserve
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a game in place, it was like slim pickens. Now you know that
place is stacked the rafters with Now they have a wall of miniatures. Yea,
the entire store. And even though you could probably get a lot of
that stuff on Amazon or like other Internet stories, you go there for the
community, for the support, being there with your friends. Yeah, and
absolutely you want to buy local and sport UFLG. That's your favorite local game
store. They are They're the best. And um, there's for the Marvel
heads out there, there's a new Marvel game that they're all very obsessed with
that is kind of sweeping the store I heard, And so if you want
to play it, you can actually just go in and ask Van and they'll
run you through a game. What's it called. I can't remember that.
It's not the LCG, it's not Marvel Champions. I think it is what
the LCG is. It's a it's it's a miniatures game like Getting You Battle,
like different you. I don't know if its objective basic you have a
squad basically, so is that what is Marvel Crisis Protocol? Okay, there
you go, so check that out that. I mean, they have it
there and it's a huge community right now at a little worse for you Marvel
guys. There you go right off with Jefferson Highway in Baton Roods, Little
Wars br on Instagram. I'm find them on Facebook as well, odd number
number at something. But he's not sure what idea. Okay, somebody lowered.
I mean I kind of like Timbo's idea that somebody lowered themselves. It'd
be clear, not like a hole in No. I know it's taking a
glass, but um, there's nothing to hang from. It's not really rafters
or anything. It would have been pretty difficult. I think, Yeah,
I love for sure. They stepped out of the blackboard. Clara sort of
so, um, I think we found something. Uh, but do you
want do you want to see the box he left field reckon it? Yes,
yeah, probably could be a clue or something. My elbows all right,
and he sort of ushers you into this side room. It's it's pretty
clearly Polaritis's domain. He opens the door and it's like a much smaller chamber,
not nearly as ornate, crammed with books. Yeah, he starts kind
of swiping things off. He actually picks a pile of books off of this
crate and then lifts this crate up one of the one of his desk.
Mess Polaritis. Yes, sorry, excuse them, it's been a challenging No,
it's cool, man, it's cool. Sorry. Um, okay,
So I have a few things for you. He he was. He came
into my my study one night, and he was kind of giddy about this
idea. He wanted to give you these things. Yeah. Um, he
loved us. Yeah I guess so. Um. He just to be honest
with you, I didn't understand. I still don't. Um. He was
really excited to give you these things. And he'd met you twice, so
I don't really fully believe a lasting impression. Yeah, this isn't hard for
I thought we were a Yeah. Wait what I mean? It's und hard
for ust. Yeah with a night shift man. Okay. So he pulls
up this kind of looks like a small crown or like a circlet, and
he says this. Um. All he would say was that it was extremely
magical mine. Okay, and he hands it to you. Really, I
mean you just called it, you know. I'm like, okay, well,
I was gonna whatever. I didn't care enough to call it. Do
you want to roll in our contra truck? Oh, put on your head
and jumped in the black board. That's the key could be oh sixteen sixteen
um, okay, So this is a crown or a circlet or a tiara
if you would prefer um. It will change shape to its weird. It
lets you change any one word of a D and D spell, but it
must rhyme oh no, oh yeah, and then the spell changes according way.
Whoa oh I remember wow? Do you want to look remember? No,
it's not a thing. I do remember it. How do you remember
it? I remember this too, was it? I think so our find
you about it later. There was, well, there was one where you
could change one letter of a word. Yeah, I've never heard the rhyming
thing. You can change one or both but one word of any D and
D spell. Now it needs to be in your class like druid or whatever,
um and then you can change the yea the spell. Accordingly, it's
called the rhyme crown power word teal just turn everything teal finally love it Is
that what you mean by rhyming, though it has to rhyme with the original
spell? Yeah, okay, the first power word kill It could be powerword
bill Okay, yeah, yes, yes, and bills just gets the name
of the spell. Yeah. Do you want the do you want to look
at some spells healing word? You could be like, okay, healium bird
and the bird flies over and that's the gest of it. Yeah, that
could get fun. That could get very fun. Obviously, all of the
uses, like the way it changes the spell, is very much up to
me. I can certainly reject you know, that's something too powerful, but
I'm gonna try and let you have it. That's a nice dr on that
orchestral goddamn it has to be a spell that I I already had in my
arsenal Um. If I get a lock of hair, I'm going to be
pissed, to be painfully clear about that. Oh man. He turns around
and pulls out a lock of hair and set to the side. Um,
for you to cast the spell, it has to be in your family of
spells, but it doesn't have to be your level. Okay, So you
can figure out a higher level spell, and what I'll do is I'll just
scale it down to your levels. That makes sense if it were a level
non spell, but you forgot a rhyme that works, I'm just gonna scale
the power of it down to your Okay. But like, so, it
can be any spell, even though it's not in any of the spells that
I had as a character, as long as it's a druid spell for you,
okay. But if if like Tom's like, yo, give me the
rhyme crown, then he could do a hard spell like you guys can switch
it off. Yeah, so it's not one time use. Um, No,
it's gonna be. Yeah, it's one exactly, once for a long
rest, once for a long rest. All right, cool, Okay,
he reaches out and pulls out this big um club. Yeah, it's like
I want, I want to reach for it, and then Timbo just reaches
over the top of me and snags it. Grab it all, Dad.
So once you grab it, you realize that, you know, as you're
pointing out, there's a chain attached to us. Yes, and a ball
that has sort of a spirally design on it. M He says, yes,
that's the snail flail. Snail flail. The snail flail always makes you
go last in initiative order. Okay, it is a plus two weapon.
If you go last, you have to be wielding the snail flail to have
that effect, mind you. So if you pull it out mid you know,
mid battle, then you're gonna have to wait a turn until I can
put you last an initiative order. Then what's a plus two weapon. You
get plus two to attack, plus two to damage. Pretty good, pretty
it's snail flaila and the rhyme crown and the rhyme crown which doesn't rhyme.
Huh, it's just not right. I considered it. I like it though.
Yeah. Um. He turns around and grabs a crossbow. Well,
he steps on my toes. Steps up to receive and he places it in
your hands. Um, and I and I and I fucking pump it like
terminator style. It explodes. Yeah yeah, um what okay thirteen thirteen,
Yeah, I think that's gonna um. This is the funny bone bow.
The funny bone bow. Once for a long rest. If you hit a
character, hit a player, an enemy with this bow, you can force
them to make a charisma save and if they fail, they collapse into debilitating
laughter and are paralyzed. Yes, wow, I think uh, I think
joker syndrome from the animated Batman series, yes, or the joker joker gas
yeah mm hmm, all right, two more joke. Tell me my joke's
not funny again? Good not funny. Um. He reaches in the box
and pulls out this like bracer, like a long bracelet sort of, and
he says, you know this can turn your enemies to stone. Essentially.
He called it the rock band. He thought it was very clever. The
rock band. That sounds like it's something that attilious. Now take this Atilius
roll our connor gee um seventeen oh perfect. Yeah. So this is gonna
allow you to cast flesh to stone, which is literally like what it sounds
like. It paralyzes your enemies. It has reach, arges, does not
reset. It has three charges and that's it forever. However, it also
can cast stone shape. Stone shape is where you can like take any I
don't know the exact thing, but it's like you can take fifteen square feet
of stone and reshape it however you like, or something like that. We
can look up the actual definition. So it also has that ability. The
flesh the stone is only three charges and that's it. I'll be like,
let's get ready to rock, all right, last one? And he turns
around and pulls out what all of you, as human beings, not fantasy
characters, would recognize to be a baseball bat. Yea, what is okay?
I'm gonna throw to people's next right, this is the vampire bat.
What And he hands it to Bill and Bill starts like checking his swim.
Why that's okay? What's it do? Well? It? Um? You
can hit people with it and whatever damage they take you received like hit points.
Ye leach it out of them. But why is it called a vampire
bats? Is it just from them? Gotcha? Is it double effective against
vampires? If we run into a vampire hard enough. Okay, that's um,
that's what do you have for you? He was he was very excited
about this app two in the morning. So did he make these? I
think he did. It seems like yes, I wouldn't know. We don't
know what a baseball No, I don't think quite interesting that he got a
baseball bat while he's doing on these celestial things. Hilaricius. Do you believe
after all of these presents that he would give to us, that he would
really that we would really go and kill him? No? No, no,
I believe you. Your story is too ridiculous to possibly be made out.
We believe you too about about not killing him. Oh oh, yes,
well good. I don't think I was a real suspect, but I
appreciate that anyway. It's sort of a preemptive apology. It's pretty cool.
What does it look like? How do you want to look? Um?
I don't know, let me think. Okay, go free, Okay,
cool. It definitely somewhat shaped like a crossbow. That yeah, I'm thinking
like coloring, like gold plating and stuff like that. Have we pretty much
done what we can in the room. Where do we leave the room to
go to look at the get the items. You left the room to come
look at these items, Okay, but there was nothing else back in the
murder room. You made your investigation check in the room, so you've you've
found what you're gonna find from an investigation. Ole, just is anyone else
we should speak to you? It's a possible suspect um. I don't know.
Um. He was so well beloved, most majors knew that his power
was incredible. And frankly, it's hard to imagine who else could have gotten
your knife off of you stabbed him. It was not on me. I
mean, I think we should go back over the story since you don't remember
it very well. I sacrifice this dagger to this dragon creature lord on another
plane. So if you know of anyone who can tell us how this might
have how somebody might have gotten it back, that would be great. Anyone
specializing and mystical planes or earth that consumes daggers. I don't know how this
dagger came to be back up. I just remember sacrificing it. Were in
a planes walker. I've heard of such things. What you don't know what
I just do. Indeed, they're always talk about planes walkers Yeah, there's
a whole game called planes Walkers. I want to be a plane surfer.
Mm hmm much more badass? Ain't We're over two? Yeah? We're not
doing great. M I've decided. Also, what I want of my crossbow?
Nice? I want um on the handle, you know, like the
the the the drama masks, like the sad crime face, and like the
happy face. I want that on the hand, like the pearl handle and
stuff. Yep, done, beautiful, done. Um. As far as
as far as who else you can talk to, you can talk to Sir
Troubridge. Oh yeah, all right, let's go talk to ye troue Bridge.
Probably true, said okay, well what Trob. Yeah, you'll need
to find him or you won't. Um, if I can be of help,
please? Yeah? Could you get everyone to stop like trying to arrest
us and murder us and bounty hunt us. I'll try. UM. That's
a directive from the King's Can you do like a magic portal to Troue Bridge?
Just open us up? We can go through. I don't know where
Troue Bridge is currently, So do you have a sling ring? I have
a sling ring. No, you don't know where troll bridges. Yeah,
where would you be hanging out? Controls like to go under bridges. So
I'm gonna live confused by the name rocks fall and you all die. Oh
my god, the ceiling collapse. Is there a bridge in the city?
Um? You know, I know where Troubridge is? State? Okay,
perfectly? Who is he again? Who's Stridge? He was a confidant of
or a warrior of some sort. Yeah, he's alertis was like his yet
his assistant Troubridge was kind of like his brother in arms and his confidant drinking
buddy. Okay, I guess we could just hop in our carriage. Yeah,
say we do it like you're referring to it as your carriage. Now,
yeah, he's chorus, it's your dad's. It doesn't matter, all
right, So you leave right, yep, yep, okay, roll inside
everybody? Oh god, man? Oh I rolled the nineteen what's my minus
two? Seventeen eleven, eighteen eighteen? Oh good, it's a good team
check except Tom. Well, I'm just looking at this fucking crossbow. Tom's
marveling at the crossbow and whispering orbital mathematics to himself. He just looks mind
blown. Maybe you can help me. I'm just trying to understand that,
like you know that it's not flat planet. It is it is Tom trying
to flirt us out, not t Bob. Don't confuse the two. Um
okay, I think the three of you. Tom is is very sucked into
looking at his new weapon. He's having a lot of fun. I think
the three of you on your way out, um, everyone still looks very
serious. However, it almost seems like everybody is going out of their way,
not you're being escorted by polaritis um. And on the way end,
people kept sort of nodding at you at least acknowledge your presence. Almost everyone
is looking the opposite direction, down at their feet and then near the door
what appears to be like a kid, like a sixteen year old long Robes.
I'm clearly part of the school of um of magic here. And he
looks at you and then cuts his eyes towards the door and then turns around
and walks away. But he is the only person the whole time who really
makes eye contact. Go ays, I got a creepy feeling right now.
Are y'all catching my shoelaces untied? And so I drop ye hold up a
second, Hold up the Polaritis, Hold up right there? Yep? What's
what's u? Have y'all seen her? Sweet? This crossbow? This thing?
What are you all talking about? The'll take your bat out? Going
on to put it on. He's still checking swings. Get something's making me
a little nervous that there's something waiting for us on the other side of that
door, Paris. Is there another way out of this castle? Dozens?
Yeah? Yeah, another one? Sure? How do you which way would
you like? Um? This sort of it's not only the main entrance but
also the closest to do we really feel like we can trust Polaritis at this
point in time? Does it? Does it feel like, uh, Polaritis
maybe is setting us up here? I don't know, or leading leading us
to I don't think. I don't think. Uh no that that's not a
good insight. Check one? What is it? Zero two minus two?
Yeah? Um, you played how you want. But I think the way
it would be interesting to quite best is, Um, you are deeply skeptical
Plaritis all the side. You feel like maybe he's led you into a trap?
Okay, Um, I'm thinking, like you know, it's a little
bit more scree. Sure, uh is the north side of the building.
Sure, that's great. We what's on the north what's on the north side?
Timber? Like, what's wrong in our hand? Signals? I got
him some baseball, I'll tell him still and so now so now I too,
am looking at plaritifs a little sideways. What's on the north side of
the building, pilaritis? Yeah, h a cop three exits. I can
go south if you if you prefer, what do we when we when we
leave this building, we have to be in a covered carriage or we can't
get through the town no matter what. Okay, Um, I've got the
crown. Damn, this was quick. Now Yeah, I've got the crown.
And I want to cast a spell car Instead of bark skin, I
want to call it narc skin. I want to reach over and touch one
of the people that's like looking away so they can become a narc and like
tell me what's going on? Good? Okay? All right? So something
is they're gonna make a maybe a wisdom saving throw. Let's see if they
can do you want to read? Says no, because it's kind of relevant
at this point, going off of what narc skin sounds like, okay,
oh shit, this is too fun. But I mean we still have to
act like it's a spell though, it's to have a mechanic. Yeah.
And then I put my other hand on his shoulder. Yea, and we
roll again. Um, how about Uh? He turns around and he kind
of like, he looks very concerned that you've just touched me. I don't
Uh, there's people waiting up and I stroke his cheek. Oh wow,
it's okay. Is there anything you want to tell me? He goes,
Oh no, why why are you touching me? And then I'm at his
feet and I'm looking up at him. Anything you want to tell us?
There's people, there's people outside. Why don't you look at us? And
they're looking at the they're gonna hurt I think they're gonna hurt you. But
why are you don't touch me? Hilaritis? Yeah, we'll call a trap.
Are you sitting here? People outside trying to hurt us? Why are
you asking me? Well, you're leading this right out this door. You
said you wanted to. If I was going to see trap for you,
I wouldn't give you powerful magic weapons to fight that trap. Yeah, he's
been with us this whole time. He didn't have time to go set up
a trap but there, and he's got a whole building full of contemporaries than
such. But again, he just gave us a bunch of darkskin. Guy
runs out the door suddenly his natural twenty. I think the way we're gonna
play it as he's aware you've cast a magical effect on him, and he's
viewing it as like it was a threat to him. He's gonna go tell
these people that you're right inside. Yeah, we need to boot. So
I think as soon as he goes out that door, you're aware, like,
oh tub as he's ready, like yells at his boy. He's like,
Billy, Billy, Tom, fucked your He's like to me exactly like
turns to Jeff his boy sound like Jeff grabs the basically the collars of Attilius
and Timbo and just started dragging him the other direction. Okay um, and
I'm like, come on, Pilaritis, show me another way out of here.
Let's go. Pilartis Um grabs an assistant and shoves them towards you and
shouts the door's name. It's it's actually hard for you to hear, and
he said he yells I'm going to handle them here. I'm going to stop
them from Wow. I'm really sorry, And you can see that people start
like crowding through the door and he kind of holds his hands up and this
bubble starts to emerge as you guys run away. All right, all right,
I trust you again for now. Stan lead you through some winding hallways,
um and he looks nervous, to say the least, and finally you
reach this little door. It's completely unornate in every way. It just kind
of looks like an interior door. And he stops and sort of puts his
hands in the door. This is you're going to leave this way. It's
gonna spill you out on the North Street and you have. Nice to meet
you. Jeff, by the way, I didn't fuck that guys. How
that guy he's kind of a it doesn't you know it used to be a
good guy. Anyway. Look, I don't know why you're running. You
guys are greatly I've heard all your stories. You guys are it's like really
cool. You know you were dropping. You want to come hang out with
us, like join the party? Jeff? Sorry, should I shouldn't put
it to the group. First, I don't mean to get Jeff. He
said, this is gonna spill us out on the North street. Um,
we we kind of need. Uh, let's just put our hoods up some
cover. Re transportation is what we need. I think your character is probably
still gonna be on the opposite side. Do you want me to go get
it? Yeah, and everybody. Everybody's gonna know that carrot so right for
us? No, not necessarily. You did just buy that well, actually
you didn't even buy it. Yeah, it's just oh just from the cash
from house. Ye, my cockless house for you. Yeah, right,
because Bill got it. Yeah, that might be the move. Bring it
around him and Bill should go and get the carriage and bring it around.
We're not build though, Yeah, let's let's not get and build. Bill
might start to get all that if he's driving it, like they might know
that that's yeah all right, but Jeff has to drive it. That means
for now driving around. Yeah all right. I wonder if Jeff has a
brother named Greg. Huh. I wonder if you wonder why that guys watch
house darken them out. Next time on the night shift, I pick up
Tom and like have him like turn to where they can't see, and he
sticks his Fingernails's thrown up all over. I turn over. I'm like,
yeah, beware, Oh wll be unto you. Who would costs cuss upon
you and your kin