Ep. 16: Y'all of Cthulhu - Separation Anxiety

Ep. 16: Y'all of Cthulhu - Separation Anxiety: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Download the "Ep. 16: Y'all of Cthulhu - Separation Anxiety audio file directly.

Ep. 16: Y'all of Cthulhu - Separation Anxiety: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Intro

cuppycup (Keeper):
Ain't Slayed Nobody is a Call of Cthulhu podcast with violent themes and adult language. Listener discretion is advised. Howdy and welcome back to Y'all of Cthulhu for Episode 16, Separation Anxiety. We are playing Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu RPG in the Down Darker Trails setting in the American Old West. This episode's cast includes Jay Arnold, Alex McDaniel, Wes Davis, Brandon Wanerdi and Chuck. We have a guest appearance from Kim Lane. I'd like to thank Will Baiser, who is working with me on the setting end of the story behind the scenes. I'd also like to thank Graeme Patrick, Rina Haenze and Scott Dorward for their feedback on ideas, not just on this episode, but throughout the season. Graham is going to be writing with us for season 2, and Rina is joining the main cast alongside London Carlisle. Follow our streams at twitch.tv/aintslayed. Will is running us through the 19th Hole from Mansions of Madness; that concludes this week on Thursday, but you can also watch part 1 on demand. We recently streamed Walter's Final Wish with Rina Haenze as Keeper, and you can catch all of these things at twitch.tv/aintslayed or on YouTube or Facebook. We're running a contest this month; we're giving away Chaosium hardcovers. There are 4 excellent prizes. Go to slayed.me/contest. I'm excited about this and I'm buying the prizes, so I want as many people to sign up as possible. Some sound selections in this episode are from Wes Otis at Plate Mail Games, and our theme song "Dead Man Walking" is by Cody Fry. And join us at patreon.com/aintslayed, where later this month we will begin releasing The Meat Trade. I'm very excited about this; it's a World War Cthulhu London series with Scott Dorward as the Keeper, and he wrote the scenario. We also have 2 parts of our Jeremiah prequel arc available; that's The Medicine Show, and those 2 are posted, with the rest on the way soon. There will be 1 or 2 more. Woah, there's a lot going on, and there's much more to come. Join the posse at patreon.com/aintslayed. I am cuppycup, your Keeper of Arcane Lore, producer, editor, marketing intern and all of that. Thank you and enjoy the episode.

Recap

Narrator (cuppycup):
Previously on Ain't Slayed Nobody: Johnny, Father Flint and Jeremiah explored the hotel basement, where they found a secluded dungeon. The cages there held a menagerie of patchwork animals. Johnny adopted a woof goat named Paws, and Sinead gained a boar's face upon her neck. Jeremiah got spooked and ran off, while Father Flint rescued the tortured man they found. Colin Brock welcomed Ellie and Lance into his mansion, where he introduced them to cosmic oddities. He sat them down in his office and shared letters he had exchanged with Ellie's dad before he finally accused Lance of killing Ellie's father. Shall we ride?

"Dead Man Walking" by Cody Fry:
(lyrics) I am a dead man walkin'. I see the light comin'. And it feels warm on my face, but I can tell it's gonna burn me down.

How about that cliffhanger?

cuppycup (Keeper):
We pick up the action in Colin Brock's study, where he's just accused Lance of killing your father, Ellie.

Jay (Lance):
Surprise!

Alex (Ellie):
What?!

cuppycup (Keeper):
Alex, I'll ask for a SANITY check from Ellie as you process the reveal.

Alex (Ellie):
71.

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, you FAILED, but I think that's appropriate. This might shatter Ellie's worldview a little bit, and Jay has held on to that revelation for a long time. But at the same time, this isn't the mythos or anything like that. So give me a d3 for Ellie's sanity loss.

Alex (Ellie):
2.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Alright, mark off 2 points. This will have some lasting impact on your sanity. How is Ellie reacting to the news?

Ellie:
No, that they can't be right. Lance, you didn't do this.

Lance:
Ellie, the truth is, I have felt indebted to you since that day. I did not want to kill your father.

Ellie:
So why did you do it?

Lance:
Truth be told, Colin had sent me to get Clay for him, as he mentioned. Clay, however, did not want to come with. He reached for his weapon and...it happened so fast.

Brock:
Oh, he went for his weapon. Well, I'm glad to finally be getting the story, Lance, because, well, I'd heard he'd been shot in the back.

Lance:
No, that's not the truth. I have never shot a man in the back and I never will.

Brock:
Ellie, I am deeply sorry you're finding out this way. I had hoped Lance explained everything to you when I heard you were traveling together. This is a bit awkward.

Lance:
I can understand the shock and the pain that you must be going through.

Brock:
How could you understand that, Lance? You kept this a secret.

Lance:
Ellie, I had every intention of telling you this.

Ellie:
But you didn't.

Lance:
No.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Brock kicks back in his chair with a smile across his face.

Lance:
I wanted to get to the end of this. You see the kind of man that Colin is.

Ellie:
Why was killing him the answer, why couldn't you just let him go if he didn't want to go?

Lance:
I told you he pulled his gun on me, I panicked and everything happened so fast.

Ellie:
So both of you are guilty.

Lance:
I suppose that's fair.

Brock:
Now, hold on, Ellie, I will accept some culpability for what happened, as Lance was working for me, but he defied my orders. Your father was my friend. Lance betrayed me. He he betrayed you. He's a betrayer. Look at him. That's what he is. This man either shot your father in the back like a coward or looked him square in the eyes and killed him in cold blood.

Ellie:
If he was your friend, why didn't you go get him yourself?

Brock:
Like I said, Ellie, we had our tensions at that time and he told me to stay out of Canutillo, to leave him alone.

Ellie:
My dad wouldn't have pulled his gun on somebody who was just casually trying to talk to him. What orders did you give Lance? Was he supposed to be kidnapped?

Brock:
I knew that Lance, having come over from Ireland recently, would be unfamiliar. He could get close, he could bring him in without any trouble. I didn't realize how wild Lance was, and that was poor judgment on my part.

Ellie:
He owed you nothing and he died for it.

Brock:
Look, Ellie, I know you've hated me for a long time, and if you want to hold me responsible, there's nothing I can do. But I'm sorry your daddy is dead. I truly am. And I hope you believe me. I'm just glad I was able to tell you that face-to-face, no matter what you decide.

Alex (Ellie):
Can I shoot him now?

cuppycup (Keeper):
You can shoot whoever you'd like.

Jay (Lance):
This shit's on pins and needles now.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You're getting a lot of new information here from Lance, from Brock. Alex, give me a PSYCHOLOGY check on Brock, as he seems to be apologetic, but at the same time deflecting to Lance.

Alex (Ellie):
3.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Oh, 3is certainly an EXTREME SUCCESS for Ellie. On that, you do sense that Colin is misleading you about his intentions for your father.

Alex (Ellie):
Yeah.

cuppycup (Keeper):
And beneath that, he seems delighted by this entire conversation. It's almost like he's playing a game with the two of you. There's something else there, too, Ellie, It's almost like your conscience, but it's not your voice. Maybe Brock is innocent. This pent up anger you're feeling, it's leading you astray, Ellie. It's such an odd sensation, but it's almost like Brock is inside your head, pushing you.

Alex (Ellie):
To be mad at Lance?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yes. And to clear Colin, possibly. You're in control. It's only a voice at the moment.

Ellie:
You ordered this. You're the reason he's dead. Just because you didn't have the gun doesn't mean that you're not the reason for it.

Brock:
That's not fair, Ellie. That's not what I ordered. I wanted to show him what I showed Lance in the library. I wanted to share the progress. The alignment was beginning, and I wanted to show that all of his work meant something. Your father was tormented by nightmares, Ellie. I wanted to bring peace. Your father, he'd cast me aside and I needed to see him one more time so he could hear my side.

Ellie:
You had no right. If he didn't want anything to do with you, why didn't you just leave him alone?

Brock:
In hindsight, Ellie, I would have. I didn't know what Lance was going to do.

Ellie:
You sent a man with a gun to find my father, and you didn't know what was going to happen if he resisted?

Brock:
I thought this was bigger than both of us, and of course, there's always risk to these types of affairs, but Lance was a good man. At least I thought so at the time.

Ellie:
Lance had no reason to kill my father. He did have a reason to fill out your orders, though. You were the one after my father, not Lance. He was just the person you wanted to do the dirty work.

Brock:
Look, Ellie, I know this has been burning you up for a long time, but I don't think you understand. And if he thought his job was to shoot your daddy, why is he covering for me now? Look at him. He hates me more than you do. It don't make sense.

Lance:
I hate you for getting me in this situation in the first place. Knowing what I know now, I never would have spoken to you to begin with. That's why I've been with Ellie all this time. I owe that to her.

Brock:
So is that what this is about, Lance, your redemption?

Lance:
No, but I do aim to settle the debt.

Brock:
Is that right?

Lance:
That's right,

Brock:
I agree there's a debt to be settled. What's the cost of betrayal, Ellie?

Lance:
It's her choice how she wants to react to the news, I won't stop her from taking her vengeance on me or on you.

Brock:
You're a big man, Lance, always have been.

Ellie:
The difference in the two of you is at least he admitted it. Finally, but he admitted it. And you sit back there and think that you're not to blame for it.

Brock:
OK, perhaps I do hold some accountability,

Ellie:
Some accountability, some accountability. And you don't understand what's wrong with that, that you killed a man who had a daughter.

Brock:
Look, I've killed lots of men who had daughters. But Ellie, I never would have killed your daddy.

Ellie:
If he had followed your orders, because the entire world is built to follow your orders, is that right? I mean, everybody in this goddamn town has to follow your orders.

Brock:
The people here, they follow gladly. They believe in our purpose.

Ellie:
What's your purpose?

Brock:
I tried to show you back in the library. I need to show you, Ellie.

Ellie:
I don't need to look through any telescope. If you can't explain to me what your purpose is, then it's all a scam. You love power and you love controlling people and you love double talking your way out of situations like this. And I'm sick of it.

Brock:
It's not a scam, Ellie.

Ellie:
Then explain to me what it is and why you think you have the right to control so many people.

Brock:
Ellie, this world is chaos. Take a look around you.

Ellie:
*incredulous* Are you scared?

Brock:
We'd all be wise to fear the machinations of this world, the insignificance, that black hole you feel, Ellie, in the depth of your soul when you awake from the nightmares, I can save you from that.

Ellie:
Who's going to save you from yourself?

Alex (Ellie):
And then I shoot him.

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK. *laughs*

Jay (Lance):
Is that it?

Alex (Ellie):
*laughs* Game over.

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, that's wonderful, but it's not going to be that easy.

Alex (Ellie):
*sighs* It never is.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah, you have one hurdle to overcome here. Ellie you draw your gun and point it at Colin, and I'll ask you for a POWER roll.

Alex (Ellie):
84.

Run run Rudolph

cuppycup (Keeper):
That's not close, unfortunately. But let's cut now to Jeremiah. He was running out of the Fulton Place Hotel the last we saw him. Yeah, Jeremiah, you're fleeing in panic in a rather long lasting bout of madness. Wes, please give me a d4 roll to determine Jeremiah's direction.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Well, I got a 1.

cuppycup (Keeper):
On the one Jeremiahs going to head north. I mentioned you're fleeing the hotel, and as the front door slams shut behind you, this sound echoes down to your bones, Jeremiah. It feels like a small charge or a blast going off and sends you stumbling forward away from the door. You're in the mine now, aren't you, Jeremiah? Everything in town is closing in on you from the blast, and the blue sky above, well, it's a crystalline cave ceiling. You just ran up those basement stairs, you're going up and out of the mine. You need to get higher. Just up, up, up. And you have to keep running.

Wes (Jeremiah):
I'm doing good. Riding the snake.

Brandon (Flint):
*whispers* Ride the snake.

cuppycup (Keeper):
This is a BOUT OF MADNESS, and typically you'd have more control, but for now you need to get out of here. You're doing it, Jeremiah, wou're going up and you're moving fast, at least for you. Give me a d3 now Wes, to see if Jeremiah can get out of the mine.

Wes (Jeremiah):
I rolled a 2.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You're looking for an opening, aren't you?

Wes (Jeremiah):
Aren't we all?

cuppycup (Keeper):
And you're going up; the whole town slopes upward. You need to find an exit. An escape.

Wes (Jeremiah):
I want out of the town. I want to go.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You need out of this collapsing mine.

Wes (Jeremiah):
OK, so like, I'm literally, in my head, this is a mine closing in on me. I thought you were really just being descriptive at what it looked like. So I really think a mine's closing in and I am climbing out.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yes, you're TEMPORARILY INSANE, but this is what you need to do.

Wes (Jeremiah):
OK.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You run and you run some more. Your legs are tired, but they're still carrying you when finally you see the exit. There are wooden beams surrounding the exit, squaring it off.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Alright.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Let me see if you run into any trouble here at the opening.

Wes (Jeremiah):
You're going to fuck with me more? OK.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah. You run through the exit and you can swear that in the distance you hear Joseph, your brother.

Joseph:
*hollering* Oh, come on out now, Jeremiah.

Jeremiah:
I'm coming, Joseph!

cuppycup (Keeper):
And you do run through that opening. But to your surprise, it feels colder now and it seems darker. This isn't Idaho sunshine; is it nighttime?

Joseph:
You're almost here, I can see you, Jeremiah!

cuppycup (Keeper):
And you keep running and running toward Joseph's beckoning voice. The ground beneath your boots is starting to feel unsteady, but you're compelled to find your brother. And finally, you see Joseph. He's standing there just ahead in the center of your path, and he's motioning towards you. He's gesturing; he must be waving you in. But his movements, they're erratic. And as we get closer and a little bit closer, you see his face. It is Joseph and he looks healthy. Give me a REALITY check for Jeremiah. I don't think we've done this before, but this check, if you're having delusions, it's going to give Jeremiah an opportunity to realize what's happening and break out of it, potentially. It's a SANITY roll.

Wes (Jeremiah):
It's a SANITY roll? So I'm going to fail it anyway. Alright, here we go. 72.

A traveling menagerie

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, you did FAIL. And let's cut to Johnny and Father Flint back in the hotel lobby.

Wes (Jeremiah):
OK...

cuppycup (Keeper):
The two of you left the basement with Sinead and Paws in tow running up behind Johnny. Father Flint, you were carrying the injured man, I believe, bodyguard style.

Chuck (Johnny):
Yeah, that sounds right.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You emerged into the corridor where this door was kind of tucked away near the front desk and everything is still. It's dead quiet. There's no one behind the front desk; Isabel and Nina, they were in that area when you went downstairs. And there's no sign of Ellie or Lance, and of course, Jeremiah took off moments ago.

Johnny:
Sheriff? Hey, Kilkenny! Where y'all at?

Flint:
Jeremiah?

Johnny:
Jeremiah was hightailing it. I think maybe Sinead got him spooked. It looks like the Sheriff and Lance musta took off somewhere. Maybe we oughta go outside, see if we can see where they went.

Flint:
Yeah. Do we bring...uh, do we bring Paws?

Johnny:
They don't go anywhere without me.

cuppycup (Keeper):
I love that Johnny has his own party. Sinead, Paws, Bertie...

Brandon (Flint):
Is Bertie...Berie is with who?

Chuck (Johnny):
She's in the Baby Bjorn.

cuppycup (Keeper):
She's seen everything.

Brandon (Flint):
She's internalizing this for later therapy sessions.

Chuck (Johnny):
I mean, she was buried alive. This is really just adding to the pile.

Brandon (Flint):
She's about to eat us anyways.

cuppycup (Keeper):
So you want to go outside to see what's going on?

Brandon (Flint):
Yeah.

Chuck (Johnny):
Yeah, this place seems busted. Let's go outside.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You step outside, and across the street, it looks like the general store is open. Your friend is there, Johnny, he's putting out bags of feed, but he's busy, so he hasn't noticed you. I do have to ask, are you leaving the man you found in the basement back inside the hotel?

Chuck (Johnny):
Oh, yeahhhh.

Wes (Jeremiah):
That guy's had a shitty week.

Chuck (Johnny):
Boy, has that guy gotten forgotten about a lot.

Brandon (Flint):
Is he still in the lobby, like we went out and he's just like what, he's over my shoulder, I guess, or bodyguarded.

Johnny:
Father, you reckon maybe we ought to take this gentleman to the general store, see if he can get some help there?

Flint:
Johnny, do you think that we should talk to the man first before maybe some townspeople get in our way?

Chuck (Johnny):
Oh, yeah. Is he conscious now?

cuppycup (Keeper):
He's conscious, but barely hanging on there. He looks woozy and his eyes are heavy, there's black circles around them. And he doesn't seem to be able to track anything or focus. His eyes are darting all over the place. Are you still carrying him, Father Flint?

Brandon (Flint):
I am. Like Kevin Costner.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah, OK. He looks up at you and he does speak. It's barely audible.

Teddy:
*gasping* Water.

Chuck (Johnny):
That seems like a reasonable request.

Brandon (Flint):
Do we have any with us? Is there a trough?

Chuck (Johnny):
Surely we filled our canteens at the hotel.

Brandon (Flint):
Right, but do I want to use my canteen water before we're about to...I'm already carrying this man. I can't do too much more.

Chuck (Johnny):
*amused* Let's dunk his head in the trough.

Brandon (Flint):
That's what I'm saying.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You're asking whether he's worth the canteen water as you hold him.

Brandon (Flint):
He can't really hear me. It's fine. I'm a priest. That is funny, though, that the priest does not want to, like, he's too selfish.

cuppycup (Keeper):
And you're in a town with water. It's not the desert.

Chuck (Johnny):
Yeah, so Johnny is going to give him a bit of water, not the whole canteen.

cuppycup (Keeper):
He's lapping up as much of it as he can before you pull the canteen away.

Chuck (Johnny):
We're going to find you some help, find you some medical attention. Can you tell me what exactly went on down there? How did you end up down there?

cuppycup (Keeper):
After the drink, he's found his voice. He's looking up into the sky while he's in Father Flint's arms.

Teddy:
Kill me.

Johnny:
I mean, that certainly would lighten our load.

Flint:
As a Catholic priest, I don't think I'm allowed to. I don't think that's a...

Johnny:
You know, as a human being, I would feel a little remorseful about that one. Why? Why?

Flint:
What happened to you? Why?

Johnny:
Why not life?

Teddy:
*gasping* Isabel! My wife, where's Isabel? Where is she?

Johnny:
Would you like us to find Isabel or are you hoping to never see her again?

Teddy:
*terrified* No, no, she's changed. Please.

Johnny:
OK, we will keep you 10 miles from that woman, I assure you.

Teddy:
Kill me.

Flint:
He said it so, I mean, it sounds like you really want it.

Johnny:
Sir, I'll tell you what, let's do this. How about I take you to the general store and if that gentleman decides to kill you, then that's on him.

cuppycup (Keeper):
He's in a panic now. He's not responding to your questions.

Chuck (Johnny):
OK, well, then we'll do that. I'm going to see if the guy that took my letter is there.

cuppycup (Keeper):
He's there. And it looks like he's now sweeping dust off the porch. I'm sure he's seen some of this happening in the street.

Johnny:
Hey, storekeep? We got ourselves a hurt man we found here. I could use your assistance.

Ulysses:
Oh, it's good to see you.

Johnny:
Well, you know, why don't you hold on to that sentiment until you really take in this whole scene.

cuppycup (Keeper):
But he's beaming when he sees your face, Johnny.

Johnny:
I mean, you are my boy. Despite the fact that I cannot recall your name. I know we are buds.

Ulysses:
Oh, Teddy. You find him like this at the saloon?

Johnny:
No, sir. We found him tied up in the basement of that hotel.

Ulysses:
Ah, he's always been a bit of a drinker. Probably just got drunk.

Johnny:
Sir, I don't know if you noticed, but he's been mildly eviscerated. I don't think, I mean, I get into some hooch myself, but this is something a bit more, I might say.

Flint:
Yeah, I've been drunk, but I ain't flayed nobody before, so.

Chuck (Johnny):
*everyone groans* Oh, my. Oh, my.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Let's skate right past that. And the clerk is surveying the man and says,

Ulysses:
No, it won't be a problem.

Chuck (Johnny):
*dog barks* Quiet, Paws.

cuppycup (Keeper):
That's right, we have a built in excuse for any barking.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Thank God.

Johnny:
Sir, I really recommend that this gentleman get some emergency medical attention. Do you know where I might find his wife, Isabel? I'd sure like to let her know.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Oh, well, she's, uh, she's usually cooking something up over at the hotel, but.

Johnny:
Oh, she was cooking something up at the hotel, but she is no longer there, sir.

Ulysses:
Well, well, if you see that little scamp, Nina, running around, her daughter, she can usually help track her down for you.

Johnny:
Yeah, she was in on it, that's true. Alright. We're going to leave Teddy here with you then.

Ulysses:
OK, I'll make sure he gets some care.

cuppycup (Keeper):
And you're welcome to leave Teddy here if you'd like.

Chuck (Johnny):
I think we will, unless the Father has some objections.

Brandon (Flint):
Nope, I mean, that was my bicep curls for the day.

Chuck (Johnny):
So, yeah, you are glistening again.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You can set Teddy down on a sack of oats or something. What would you like to do next?

Chuck (Johnny):
We're going to go out on the street and see if we can figure out if we can see the sheriff or Lance, where they might have gone.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Ok, both of you give me TRACKING rolls.

Chuck (Johnny):
*amused* I've got the base level of TRACKING, so sure.

Brandon (Flint):
Yeah, I have a 10.

Chuck (Johnny):
Yeah, that's a 51 for Johnny, so he doesn't see shit.

Brandon (Flint):
It is, yeah, it's a 49. So how much did I track?

cuppycup (Keeper):
As you look at the ground and maybe work your way back toward the hotel, there are so many prints here, so many impressions in the dirt, and they're all just blending together. Maybe it's from the welcoming party. There were a lot of people out here; you might think you pick up Jeremiah's boot print here or there, but it's nothing you'd be skilled enough to follow.

Chuck (Johnny):
So we don't know which direction he went, or the sheriff and Lance.

cuppycup (Keeper):
That's correct. And now that you're facing the hotel and poking around, you do see your animals at the hitching post. Jehovah and Mr. Wriggles are there looking unharmed and healthy, but Eric is gone.

Chuck (Johnny):
They probably took Eric wherever it is that they went.

Brandon (Flint):
Do we get my horse? Like, do we..is Paws able to limp around? I don't know how, um, what's the word, shipworthy these animals are, you know.

Chuck (Johnny):
Please say enough that we can bring them along for this adventure.

cuppycup (Keeper):
*amused* Paws needs another Baby Bjorn for the back.

Brandon (Flint):
Yeah. Because I want them all here. I want to have a big Noah's Ark.

cuppycup (Keeper):
I'll say this, Paws is slow, but he can go with you without too much trouble. I wouldn't recommend galloping on those horses.

Chuck (Johnny):
I feel like we should bring your horse in case of need to hightail it.

Brandon (Flint):
Exactly. And I'm fine with walking it.

Chuck (Johnny):
I have a related question. If I was to suddenly make some emergency evasive maneuvers on Sinead, how how seaworthy is she?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Sinead seems mostly OK, she has that disgusting boar's face protruding from her neck, drooling and grunting and snorting, but she can run.

Chuck (Johnny):
Wilbur. Wilbur, her second head.

cuppycup (Keeper):
And now that you seem to have your crew together, without even tracking, you can at least see that Eric's distinctive hoofprints lead around the back of the hotel.

Brandon (Flint):
What's behind the hotel like that?

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, if you head back there, you can see a mansion. It's the big house you've heard mentioned before, and it's about a 150 yards away on the left side of the trail or what trail exists here.

Chuck (Johnny):
We talking mid-century modern or colonial?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Spanish colonial.

Chuck (Johnny):
I guess they got to match the aesthetic. I get it.

cuppycup (Keeper):
It looks like there's a black fence running around the perimeter of the house. You see the mountains are off to your right. You can barely make out some openings, probably for the iron mines.

Johnny:
So, Father, you think we oughta run to the sheriff, or should we go check out this house? It looks like Eric might have headed that direction.

Flint:
So I'm more than fine with going to find our sheriff and at least getting some of our group together. And hopefully, Jeremiah, when he comes to his senses, is able to follow the tracks that we are, somehow.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You all can start riding out there. Slowly, I'm assuming, since you want Paws to keep pace. Now, do you want to ride right in or are you trying some stealth?

Chuck (Johnny):
I mean, given the menagerie I'm bringing with me, I don't imagine I have a lot of stealth going on.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah, it would be tough.

Chuck (Johnny):
Can we get an idea? Does it look like there's anybody in this house?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yes. Even from some distance, you'll be able to see Eric tied off near the front door of the mansion, he's lying down there. And based on the upkeep of the house and the gardens, you'd think people actively live here. Give me a SPOT HIDDEN as you ride up, both of you.

Chuck (Johnny):
That's a 25, which is a HARD SUCCESS.

Brandon (Flint):
I got an eight, so we're really perceptive.

Chuck (Johnny):
An 8?!

Brandon (Flint):
Yeah.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You'll both notice a man staring at you from a second floor window, and as your eyes meet, he quickly draws the curtains.

Chuck (Johnny):
I think Paws is coming with us, but I think we should leave the horses. I mean, I do like just taking the horses in, like, the houses and buildings. But I'm going to take Sinead over by Eric because she needs to be near friends.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Eric lets out a distressed grunt at seeing Sinead with her new boar face. And there are plenty of places here to tie off your animals. You'll also see now that there are iron window coverings on the first floor windows. They're attractive in design, but will provide some security. These are not present on the second story. What would you like to do?

Chuck (Johnny):
I mean, someone saw us approach. I think we ought to just bang on the door, but Paws is coming with us.

Brandon (Flint):
No, I'm in alignment. Yes, let's do it.

Stupid Power rolls...

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, as the two of you approach with Paws to knock on the door, let's go back inside the house with Ellie and Lance. OK, Ellie, you just FAILED a POWER roll, and with that, well, how many people has Ellie shot and killed before today?

Alex (Ellie):
Let's say 14.

cuppycup (Keeper):
14? OK, do you have a notch on your gun belt for each one?

Alex (Ellie):
Yes.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Nice. Ellie been shooting guns for a long time, obviously. And what's happening now is beyond unusual, Ellie. You feel that needling in the back of your brain, but this time, the effect is more somatic. You feel tiny particles, Ellie, they're rippling under your skin. It's almost like tiny bugs are crawling through your body. You could swear you even see these particles pushing under your flesh when the sensation reaches your hand. It's like grains of sand have contaminated your blood and they're hardening around the joints of your trigger finger. You're physically unable to fire the gun. This must be incredibly frustrating. And let me roll to see how long this is going to last. Yeah, with the FAILED POWER roll, it's going to be difficult for Ellie to physically harm Brock, at least for a while. Otherwise, you're in full control. Well, unless...give me a SANITY check for Ellie.

Alex (Ellie):
26.

cuppycup (Keeper):
That's a PASS, and I'll ask for just 1 point of SANITY for this experience. What's your reaction to this happening? You're still pointing a gun at Brock.

Alex (Ellie):
Well, I don't want him to know I'm freaking out. Is my hand shaking?

cuppycup (Keeper):
It's not. With the PASS on that SANITY check, you steady the gun. Now, to Lance, this is going to seem strange, but you're not going to see this physically, you don't see the particles or anything like that.

Lance:
What in the hell is going on?

Brock:
Why Ellie? I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed. Are you going to shoot me?

Alex (Ellie):
OK, I think I want to lower the gun.

Brock:
I thought you'd see it my way.

Ellie:
You're not worth it.

Brock:
What about Lance? Is he worth it?

Ellie:
Lance was only doing what you told him to do.

Brock:
Oh, this again. I'm beginning to think the two of you are wasting my time. Lance killed your father in cold blood. He shot your father. He brought his badge all the way back to my camp and left it at my door, I supposed to show me what he'd done or to threaten me. I don't even know. But then he ran like a coward.

Lance:
Coward, is it? And yet you send another man to accomplish your job.

Brock:
Oh, you're on this now, too. Good. That was a strategic decision, Lance. I explained it before.

Lance:
You call it strategic. I call it cowardly.

Brock:
Is that so?

Lance:
Aye, I think you're yellow.

Brock:
You did mention you took some knocks to the head.

Lance:
You're a yellow-bellied two-faced scoundrel. You're a liar.

Brock:
You're trying to test me, Lance, but I've changed.

Lance:
I don't think you have. I can you itching now.

cuppycup (Keeper):
And now give me a PSYCHOLOGY check for Lance on Brock here.

Jay (Lance):
OK. 14.

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, Lance does seem to be getting under Brock's skin a bit here, and you're detecting something else. You're not sure that it's cowardice, but you're sure this isn't going the way he expected and he usually gets what he expects, so he's flustered.

Lance:
Tell me, how did you see this interaction going?

Brock:
You sought *me* out, Lance.

Lance:
So, Colin, tell me this, then: if we were to turn around, decide that you're not worth it at all, and walk out of this building, would you let us go free?

cuppycup (Keeper):
I would...I would let you leave Lance.

Jay (Lance):
There's a little a bit of hesitation there. Only let me go. What about Ellie?

Brock:
Well, Ellie and I have unfinished business.

Alex (Ellie):
And what would that be?

Brock:
I'll show you just as soon as Lance leaves.

Lance:
No, no, I'm not leaving without Ellie.

Brock:
Do you think Ellie's not going to kill you? Look at her. She hates us both. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she kills you in your sleep tonight, Lance.

Lance:
Now, if she kills me, it will be because I have earned it, again. And it won't be in my sleep.

Brock:
I do think you're right about that, she probably wants to see the pain in your eyes.

Lance:
If that is my fate, then so be it.

Brock:
Well, at least you've come around on fate.

Jay (Lance):
God dang it.

Alex (Ellie):
So it is fate, after all.

Jay (Lance):
Well, I walked into to that one.

Alex (Ellie):
Fate is just the friends we made along the way. The end.

The challenge

Lance:
I have no doubt in my mind that you are going to shoot me in the back the moment I walk out, coward that you are. So why not have it out now, man to man? Our guns.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Brock looks at you with a menacing grin.

Lance:
I think we always wanted to find out who was the fastest gun. Now's our chance.

Brock:
I promise you, Lance, I already know the answer.

Jay (Lance):
Thank you.

Brock:
Are you sure you want to do this, Lance?

Lance:
No, I don't trust you. I think you're a snake. I imagine that I'm walking to my own death, but I know that I am a faster gun than you, in spite of your tricks. I think I'll put one between your eyes.

Brock:
Alright, well, will Ellie be your second, then?

Jay (Lance):
Is this like Hamilton?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. *laughs*

Jay (Lance):
I didn't know they still did seconds at this point. *sings* Number one!

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah, I just want us to stay together.

Brock:
What about you, Ellie, do you think this is a good idea? Lance doesn't have many hit points.

Ellie:
Anything that ends with you dead is fine with me.

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, it's a cool idea. Maybe the three of us could have a standoff like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, but you'd probably have to be willing to shoot each other. Colin looks eager to both of you as he stands up from the desk, and he walks over to that portrait, the one that Lance studied earlier.

Jay (Lance):
Alright. I'm going to shoot the portrait because he's Dorian Gray.

cuppycup (Keeper):
*laughs* It's nothing like that. He's going to move the painting to the side...

Jay (Lance):
OK, so I'm right.

cuppycup (Keeper):
...Revealing a small cabinet. He opens the door and reaches inside for a wooden box. As he removes this case, you notice that it's beautiful, and it's polished wood with intricate gold trim. He also pulls a leather gun belt out of the compartment. He sets the box down on his desk and fastens the gun belt. He opens the clasps on the case and raises the lid, and you see two forty five revolvers resting on purple felt; they look like Smith & Wesson Schofields with ivory grips. Quite deadly. There's a detailed floral pattern, it's etched into the long barrel on each gun. Brock looks up towards Lance with a smile.

Brock:
I must say it's been a while. I hope I'm not rusty.

Lance:
I reckon you've used those guns more than you let on.

Brock:
Well, Lance, I think you've been practicing. I saw what you did to those boys at the Bridge in Canutillo.

Lance:
So you were watching. I'm not surprised.

Brock:
Lance, I heard they couldn't find the femur of one of those men.

Lance:
That would have been Jeremiah's work.

Brock:
Ah ha, OK.

cuppycup (Keeper):
He is noticeably less anxious now.

Lance:
I think you'll enjoy Jeremiah's company quite a bit.

Brock:
I look forward to meeting the rest of your friends, then. Now, I know you challenged me, Lance, but would you like to set the parameters?

Lance:
I suppose it's the fastest draw. Shoot as many times as you'd like, if you get a shot off.

Brock:
That sounds fine by me. I promise not to fan my gun, Lance, we have too much history together.

cuppycup (Keeper):
And he holsters just one of the guns and closes up that case; he goes to secure that behind the portrait. Brock walks out of the study and he gestures for the two of you to follow him as he walks through the Great Hall. He calls out,

Brock:
Grace meet us in the garden, please, and pronto.

Grace:
I'll be right there.

Jay (Lance):
Is Grace your second?

Brock:
That's right.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Colin opens the back door to the house and walks through.

Jay (Lance):
OK, what if I just shot him now?

cuppycup (Keeper):
You're welcome to shoot him in the back.

Jay (Lance):
No, I'm not going to do that. I don't think...it's not...

cuppycup (Keeper):
The code?

Jay (Lance):
It's not Lance's code, yeah.

cuppycup (Keeper):
He'll turn around and hold the door for you.

Brock:
Come on now, you're going to like what we've done out here.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Are you following him?

Jay (Lance):
I would say so.

Alex (Ellie):
Yes.

Miners, not minors

cuppycup (Keeper):
As you walk out into the warmth of a blossoming garden, we'll come back to a colder place to check on Jeremiah. OK, Wes, roll another d4 to see how this delusion is affecting you now.

Wes (Jeremiah):
OK. 4.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You realize now that Joseph is glistening; there is something unnatural about him, his edges are smoothing out and he's not quite fading away, but you can see through him now. He's reflecting what little light there is in here, but he's also semi-transparent. It's like he's made of glass, and you can see all of his organs inside this glass casing. His heart is beating; it's just like the heart you saw in that effigy. This is weird, but also fascinating. And Joseph's glass body, it seems larger now. Maybe this isn't your brother, Jeremiah. And you look past this glassy form and see the humans.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Hmmm? The band?

cuppycup (Keeper):
They're human in shape, at least. Their skin is pale. They also seem to reflect light that isn't here and they wear ancient clothing; it's imprinted with ghastly images of slithering beasts. These aren't Idahoans, if that's what they say. And there are dozens of them, but they're familiar to you. In fact, the glass man is familiar. These aren't delusions. This is just some kind of twisted deja vu, Jeremiah. And this whole area is illuminated by iridescent blue clouds. One man in particular in the distance grabs your attention, and you're fixated on him, and his lips are moving, but he's not saying anything or you can't hear anything. Then a sick voice wriggles its way into your brain and says, "you have trespassed and are now ours."

Wes (Jeremiah):
What the fuck? OK. *laughs* That's just a lot of information. Alright Alright. I'm going to write some of that down.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You'll notice now that the heart inside of the glass man begins to burn and blacken and flake away. You hear Joseph's voice crying out for help, the way you have so many times in your nightmares, Jeremiah.

Joseph:
Jeremiah. Don't leave me here!

Jeremiah:
What's going on? Who are these people?

cuppycup (Keeper):
And the glass man raises his arm and strikes you across the face. This hand, it hits your face with a thump. It's very loud in your ear. This is going to snap you out of your BOUT OF MADNESS, Jeremiah, but you will take damage from the blow.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Oh good.

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, it's 3 DAMAGE; that brings you to 6 HIT POINT.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Great.

cuppycup (Keeper):
With a 3, I think the smack is going to knock you to the ground, and you feel blood trickling down your cheek.

Wes (Jeremiah):
OK.

cuppycup (Keeper):
But now that you're out of this BOUT OF MADNESS, you look around and realize what you were seeing. The dozens of people, they were regular humans, at least relatively speaking. They remind you of the people who were clapping along at the welcoming party, kind of blankly welcoming you to Olvido. Now, the man standing in front of you, the one who struck you, who was made of glass, while he's not familiar, he just seems like a regular man. He's large, but he's vacant. He looks at you with no expression. He's wearing tattered clothing. He's dirty, he stinks. And it seems like striking you to the ground has also drawn the attention of the 7 or 8 people nearest him. Yeah, they're walking toward the two of you now.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Guys, this has been a real good time.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Wes, give me a SPOT HIDDEN, as Jeremiah's focused on this immediate group at the moment.

Wes (Jeremiah):
OK, I rolled a 20. HARD SUCCESS.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You realize that beyond this assembling mob, there are people working in here. They carry pickaxes and hammers, they're pushing wheelbarrows, they're laying down track. You're certainly inside of a mine, and these people are working on something that seems a bit atypical to Jeremiah for a mining operation. They seem to be chipping away. They're widening the chamber, but they're also constructing something, they're building something. This track, it seems like they're trying to move things in and out of these tunnels. And you see two of those, there are two tunnels in front of you. They run out of the chamber. And when you got hit, you spun around and saw that behind you, there are three tunnels.

Wes (Jeremiah):
OK.

cuppycup (Keeper):
What are you doing as you pull yourself to your feet?

Jeremiah:
*tired, panting* Well, I don't want no trouble. It seems you knocked some sense into me. You know, I've done a little mining myself. What are you guys mining here?

cuppycup (Keeper):
He's staring through you like you're made of glass

Jeremiah:
Because, you know, I got a lot of experience with this. I got this here pickax here. Maybe I could be of some assistance to youse.

cuppycup (Keeper):
He's clearly not following anything you're saying.

Jeremiah:
My name is Jeremiah. I'm a Leo. Do you want...

Wes (Jeremiah):
He pulls out his resume.

Jeremiah:
I've been working at several mines.

Wes (Jeremiah):
So this guy's just staring through me?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yes, he is. *wheezing sounds*

Jeremiah:
Yeah, the allergies are bad this time of year, do you...my name is Jeremiah. What is your name, sir?

cuppycup (Keeper):
He's not going to respond to you, but I will give you a combat action here, if you want it.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Oh, yeah, I kind of do.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You can attack, you can run, you can hide. It's your choice.

Wes (Jeremiah):
OK, how do I want to do this? Do I want to die right now is the real question when entering combat I've learned now, having played a few of these. OK, yeah, I got decked. I could dart into one of the tunnels...I don't know if I want to go into the two that I was facing, but could I go back out one of the three behind me?

cuppycup (Keeper):
You sure can. And if you want to give me a TRACKING roll, you might be able to see which tunnel you ran through to get here.

Wes (Jeremiah):
OK, yeah, I do want to do that, yeah. It's not exceptional, but I can get by. Let's see what we got here. 35. Barely.

cuppycup (Keeper):
It doesn't take you any time to realize that your footprints are running out from that middle tunnel.

Wes (Jeremiah):
I knew it. OK. So I have to know that the town's kind of back there, so OK, I'm going to take a couple of slow steps backwards with my hands up, you know, just like kind of showing that guy like I'm OK. It's OK. You're OK. We're OK. Take another step back and then I'm going to turn and hobble as fast as I can out that middle tunnel.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You can do that. And the one that hit you and seven of his friends are going to follow, of course.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Yeah. Yeah.

Some light breaking and entering

cuppycup (Keeper):
We're going to have a little chase when we pick up the story. But let's see what Johnny and Flint are up to outside Brock's mansion.

Wes (Jeremiah):
*nervous* Hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You knock on the front door and you wait and there's no answer.

Chuck (Johnny):
Did we hear any rummaging around?

cuppycup (Keeper):
It's very quiet, but give me a listen.

Chuck (Johnny):
That is a 6. Hehe. I can hear time. I'm like Daredevil, I can make out the layout of the inside of the house.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You do hear a few things. You hear running water; it's a bit strange, because it sounds like a stream or a small waterfall, but it's coming from inside the house. You also hear multiple voices. You can't make out what they're saying; they sound distant, but they are inside the house.

Chuck (Johnny):
OK.

cuppycup (Keeper):
This would all be imperceptible, but Johnny has superhuman hearing.

Chuck (Johnny):
Well, my LOCKSMITH skill is 1%. I'm assuming this door is locked. Can I check the door to see if it's just unlocked?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yes, the door is locked.

Chuck (Johnny):
Johnny is going to go over there and hop on the 10 foot camel, 10 foot being about the standard height of one story, and get a little boost on up to the second floor.

Johnny:
Father, you comin' with me?

Flint:
Sure, let's do it.

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK.

Flint:
But what about Paws?

Johnny:
Aw shit, Paws.

Flint:
Do you want to go up and then come down and get me, or do you think we should just go up at the same time?

Johnny:
That seems like I'll definitely be dead.

Flint:
Alright, let's both go up. I'll throw him up. You get up there and then I'll throw him up to you and then I'll go.

Brandon (Flint):
How big is this guy?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Paws is way too big to toss to the second story. Paws is a woof, he's not a Chihuahua.

Brandon (Flint):
*laughs* He's a woof.

cuppycup (Keeper):
God damn you all. Let me cut back to kill Jeremiah.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Are you going to kill me with woofs? Am I going to have to catch these paws?

Johnny:
Well, Paws, I hate to do this and leave you alone out here with these animals, but we do get to move the story along, you understand?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Paws licking his hooves.

Chuck (Johnny):
I picture him doing that thing where dogs sit down and scratch the back of their head, but he's just clubbing himself in the head with a goat hoof. "Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk." *laughs*

Chuck (Johnny):
Well, I think I'm going to get on Eric's back and then have him stand up, so I'm up at, you know, window level.

cuppycup (Keeper):
I'm going to ask for a combination role for this maneuver, Johnny. Let's do DEX and CLIMB. This is going to require incredible balance and climbing ability. Fortunately, you do see a balcony on the second floor with two glass-paned doors to the house. That's going to be much easier than a window.

Chuck (Johnny):
There you go. OK, so DEX. Well, that's an 87, that's not the right number. So at the last minute, as I feel myself losing my footing on the saddle, I'm going to leap off of the saddle for the balcony and PUSH my roll.

cuppycup (Keeper):
I won't change it to a JUMP roll, because I know you're bad at that.

Chuck (Johnny):
Oh, please don't. And that's a 52, which is a SUCCESS.

Brandon (Flint):
Got 'em!

Wes (Jeremiah):
Excellent.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You're hanging from the ironwork surrounding this balcony and you can pull yourself up there if you pass a CLIMB roll.

Chuck (Johnny):
So I'm going to pull out my special metal dice for this ever-important CLIMB roll. And that is a 32, which is a SUCCESS. It's a REGULAR SUCCESS.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Oh, yeah, you're not bad at CLIMB. You hoist yourself up over the railing and you're standing on the balcony now. Do you want to help Flint?

Chuck (Johnny):
Yeah, can I just toss a rope down to him? I free solo'd this thing and now I'm going to send him a belaying line.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Give me a STRENGTH roll for Johnny, and if you pass, I'll give 2 BONUS DICE on the CLIMB.

Chuck (Johnny):
OK, let me give it a shot. Oh, that's a 27. That's a PASS on my little shrimpy arms.

Wes (Jeremiah):
Pow!

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, Flint, give me a roll with the bonus dice.

Brandon (Flint):
So I rolled a 67, 57. 007, baby, I got the CLIMB!

cuppycup (Keeper):
Nice. You were struggling to pull yourself up, but you got a burst of energy and Johnny did a lot of the work, so now you're up there.

Chuck (Johnny):
*humming James Bond theme*

Brandon (Flint):
The name's Flint, Father Flint.

Chuck (Johnny):
And he's doing that thing where he's climbing with just his arms and his feet are like sticking straight out.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You can see through the glass that this balcony is connected to a sitting room, which is currently unoccupied. There are nice high-backed chairs. There are tables between the chairs with ashtrays on them, and you see some potted plants, a little artwork on the walls.

Chuck (Johnny):
Is the window unlocked, by any chance? Can we just slide the window up?

cuppycup (Keeper):
These are doors and they're locked.

Chuck (Johnny):
Well, then I just want to smash one of the panes so I can undo the little latch and open the windows.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You have a bunch of things you can smash glass with, so I won't make you roll for that.

Chuck (Johnny):
I would hope so.

cuppycup (Keeper):
But I will ask for STEALTH, to see how noisy this is.

Chuck (Johnny):
That makes sense. I'm good at STEALTH. 46. Oh, 49,, I'm sorry. That's a PASS either way,

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, Johnny breaks the glass, and of course that makes noise, but with a light tap, you did the best you could at doing this discreetly. You can just reach inside and unlock the door. You'll be entering a sitting room with Spanish colonial decor. There's a clock in here, and it looks like it's a little after two o'clock in the afternoon.

Chuck (Johnny):
Is this tastefully done or is it tacky? Is this like nouveau riche bullshit or is this nice?

cuppycup (Keeper):
It's tacky. Oh, it's definitely tacky.

Chuck (Johnny):
Is there just one door to the hallway?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah, it's just the one door to the interior of the house.

Chuck (Johnny):
Let me go listen to that door and see if I hear anybody walking around.

cuppycup (Keeper):
That water sound is pretty loud now, Johnny, but give me a LISTEN roll to see if you can track those voices or hear anything else interesting.

Chuck (Johnny):
We're on a stealth mission now. Oh, boy, that is a 100. What does that mean on a LISTEN?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah, Johnny, you do hear voices down the hall, it sounds like a conversation between Ellie and Lance. Yeah, it must be them. You're sure they're in the next room over, just on the left there.

Chuck (Johnny):
I'm going to relate that to Flint.

Johnny:
Hey Flint, I think I hear Lance down there on the left.

Flint:
Well, let's get in there.

Johnny:
Let's go get him.

Flint:
Stealthily.

cuppycup (Keeper):
On the 100, you're also going to hear Paws whimpering, since you left them outside. It's really sad.

Johnny:
I'm coming, buddy.

Chuck (Johnny):
I'm going to go back to the window and I'm going to pour down a couple of drops of the Zeke's Curious Concoction for him.

cuppycup (Keeper):
That's fine. He sobs, throws up, and he's fast as a horse now. If you want to follow the voices, you can leave the sitting area and head to the left.

Chuck (Johnny):
As we will. Or as I will.

Brandon (Flint):
Yeah, I'm following. I'm not going to stay alone in this room.

Johnny:
Hey Father, I think hear Ellie down here.

Flint:
I trust your ears more than I trust mine, so I'm following you.

Chuck (Johnny):
Me too.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You walk out into the hallway and it's a landing, really. The middle is open, and if you look down, you can see the great hall. There's intricate tile work on the floor. You spot Chinese and Zapotec inspired pottery and design. You don't see any people at the moment. And the landing you're on runs all the way around and connects to the other side of the house. It looks like there are six rooms on each side, and that includes the sitting room. There's a closed door to your left, and Johnny, that's where you hear the voices. They're still going. You have a lot of confidence that this is Lance and Ellie.

Chuck (Johnny):
I want to go to that door and as subtly as possible, to where no one inside would notice, I want to see if it's locked or not.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Ok, give me a LUCK roll.

Chuck (Johnny):
Not a STEALTH roll?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Not yet. First LUCK.

Chuck (Johnny):
OK, well, unsurprisingly, I did not pass my LUCK roll. 63e is nowhere near close enough.

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, that wasn't for the STEALTH.

Chuck (Johnny):
You were deciding how bad the thing was behind this door that I'm about to open?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Give me a STEALTH roll.

Chuck (Johnny):
Now, that one I did PASS with flying colors. That's a 37, which is a HARD SUCCESS.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Where is Father Flint standing?

Brandon (Flint):
I'm behind him maybe 2 paces, just so I can kind of scout what's around us. But I'm pretty close.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You and the fucking paces every time. So that's, what, 6 feet or something?

Chuck (Johnny):
*laughs* Sure. One tentacle.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Ok, Father Flint is over near the railing on this landing grate. And Johnny, on the HARD SUCCESS of your STEALTH roll, you open the door quietly. Now, on the 100, you're determined to find Ellie and Lance, so you're going to take in most of the room before you decide what to do here.

Chuck (Johnny):
Cool.

cuppycup (Keeper):
There's something off about the smell in the room, and this is the first thing that occurs to you. It's kind of a meaty smell like rotten meat. You notice the walls are made of what looks like organic material. Now, you've seen butchered animals before, and this reminds you of white stomach lining. Yeah, there even seem to be ulcers that are seeping fluid and those are scattered along the wall. This is nothing like what you've seen from the rest of the house. This is beyond disturbing. You can't resist taking in more of the room, can you? And you'll notice a wooden cradle. It's teetering atop a shallow platform. Yeah, you see movement inside the cradle. Is that a baby? And not far beyond the cradle, you see a table or a slab. It's set up on large stone blocks and someone is lying on that slab. Oh, it's Isabel Fulton, and she's wearing the same dress, but it's soaked in blood. Her abdomen has been splayed open and her daughter, Nina, is gleefully skipping around the slab, pulling Isabel's intestines from the cavity. She has the intestines in one hand and she wields an ax in the other. Almost like ribbon, Nina's leaving the bloody entrails around that cradle. It's like a magician's scarf. As your mind fights to process what you're seeing, or maybe to suppress it, Isabelle's head slowly turns to look at you with a crooked smile, Johnny. And that's all you see.

Chuck (Johnny):
*sarcastic* And that's it? OK.

Consequences

cuppycup (Keeper):
Now, let's cut outside the house with Lance and Ellie. As you leave the main residence and step out onto the grounds, you notice an overgrowth of sagebrush, and if you turn around to look at the house you're exiting, you'll see roses climbing the walls, and beneath those roses, there are petunias there sprouting out of the ground. And that ground looks mostly dry; it's hard dirt and clay. The garden is quite lovely. You might think this garden would be very difficult to grow and maintain in this arid climate.

Lance:
You've been standing water from the citizens, have you?

Brock:
No, Lance. I resent the accusation. We have blessed soil here,

Lance:
I call it cursed.

Brock:
I have a green thumb. What can I say?

cuppycup (Keeper):
There's a short clock tower that you notice peeking just above the roofline of the house; it has an iron barred balcony and the balcony's just above the clock. It looks like there are two members of the mansion staff standing up there. And the clock itself, it's really just a clock face, and the numbers and the hands are secured to the stucco. These are large black Roman numerals, and the hour and minute hands are quite large. In fact, you hear the minute hand thunk as it jumps from 2:47 to 2:48 ahead of you. There's a short brick path, it's winding toward a circular perimeter of sage wildflowers and cacti. These gardens are enclosing a large, flattened dirt floor. This area almost looks like it was designed for a door.

Jay (Lance):
It's like a gladiator pit with flowers.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah, exactly. It might smell a little better out here. And there's a breeze rolling off the mountains.

Lance:
Tell me, Colin, after I spill your blood, do you think the flowers will grow even more?

Brock:
Oh, Lance, you're a poet.

cuppycup (Keeper):
*laughs* That was kind of intimidating.

Alex (Ellie):
I know.

Brock:
Lance, you're free to settle in wherever you'd like.

Lance:
Do you mind if I measure the diameter first?

cuppycup (Keeper):
From end to end, the diameter is probably 20 to 25 yards.

Jay (Lance):
Alright, we're good to go.

cuppycup (Keeper):
The sun is pretty high in the sky, and you don't want that in your eyes, so let's assume with your education, Lance is going to pick a good spot and can adjust for any of his superstitions. Ellie, do you want to walk out there with Lance, since you're his second?

Alex (Ellie):
Yes, that's how duels work, right?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Now, I'm not imagining this would be the type where you stand back to back and walk away from each other, unless you'd like to do it that way. He's letting you set the parameters.

Jay (Lance):
No, I was thinking like the quick and the dead.

Alex (Ellie):
Yeah, I think that's more period appropriate.

Jay (Lance):
Some Ole Miss knowledge coming through. It's more period appropriate for it.

cuppycup (Keeper):
*laughs* OK. I don't think there was really much dueling at all in the Old West, so we can do whatever we like. Grace enters the circle in her flowing white gown, and several workers from the house are beginning to lumber out of those patio doors into the garden. It's a proper gown, not a negligee.

Alex (Ellie):
Is she Brock's wife?

cuppycup (Keeper):
She's his second. I don't think you'd have much reason to believe she's his wife. Grace is the head of community in Olvido. You met her when you arrived, with that welcoming party.

Alex (Ellie):
Oh, OK, yeah.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You can all take your place maybe 4 or 5 paces inside the perimeter. You'll ready your guns and keep your arms about a foot and a half away from your hips. And before he walks away, Brock's going to say,

Brock:
We draw at 3 o'clock, Lance. You'll hear it.

cuppycup (Keeper):
And you'll believe Brock, because you've heard a few minutes tick off of this clockface. It's now 2:53, and Brock are walking over to his position on the opposite side. Give me LISTEN rolls to see if either of you are picking up something from Brock and his second.

Jay (Lance):
Alright.

Alex (Ellie):
OK. 45.

Jay (Lance):
I rolled a 15.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah. 15's under the base, it must be a SUCCESS. Yeah, a REGULAR SUCCESS. With that, you can't make out what Brock and Grace are saying to one another, but you're certain they're not speaking English. In fact, it sounds like an old language. Maybe it's Latin or Ancient Greek.

Jay (Lance):
Klaatu barada nicta.

cuppycup (Keeper):
This is disconcerting for Lance, because it doesn't even seem like they're speaking to each other

Jay (Lance):
Are they, like, praying over there?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Maybe. So now Grace and Brock come back together and have a short discussion. Then Grace is going to step away from Brock and exit the circle. She's standing outside of the sagebrush, about 15 in front of those workers, who are now in the garden. It's 2:57. Another minute ticks by. What would you like to do for Ellie at this moment? It looks like Colin is ready to duel.

Alex (Ellie):
I guess stand next to Grace. Like, what is she going to do to me?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Grace is going to turn to you Ellie and say,

Grace:
Oh, it's a lovely day, Ellie, don't you think?

Ellie:
Sure.

Grace:
It's usually much hotter in July.

Ellie:
Sure.

Alex (Ellie):
I'm terrible at small talk. *laughs*

Ellie:
It's a dry heat.

cuppycup (Keeper):
*laughs* Apparently Grace isn't good with small talk either. And now it's 2:58.

Grace:
Are you enjoying your stay in Olvido so far?

Ellie:
Not exactly.

Grace:
Oh dear. That is a pity. Where's the rest of your group? I'd love to see that beautiful baby again.

Ellie:
They're dead.

Grace:
Oh no!

Ellie:
I was joking. It was a joke. We don't need to talk.

Grace:
*hesitant* Let's just watch, then.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Grace is going to take three big steps away from you, Ellie.

Alex (Ellie):
Good.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Has Lance been in a duel before?

Jay (Lance):
Actually, the Irish created duels. We were responsible for the whole duelling culture. Not we, but Lance's we.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Lance invented dueling, this is canon. You've been in a scrape like this before and you'll pick up on the change in Brock's posture. He looks ready to go. What's your strategy for this contest? Are you doing anything in particular? It's 2:59.

Jay (Lance):
I'm planning on winning.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Alright. It sounds like you're going through with this. Here we go. A breeze rolls dust across the circle as Lance and Colin Brock stand 15 yards apart. It's so quiet, you hear wildflower swaying, brushing against the house, and you see now that Colin is surrounded by a nearly perfect circle of light. It's that gem he was wearing around his neck; it's outside of his shirt now. And despite this glimmering around him, Barack looks brittle to you. He's old. His lips are moving, and the only sound you hear is

Brock:
*chants* Iä Mgepgathg

Jay (Lance):
Alright, well, we can't really do anything about that.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Can you give me a CONSTITUTION roll for Lance? And we're looking for a HARD SUCCESS.

Jay (Lance):
Alright. 44.

cuppycup (Keeper):
OK, you didn't get there. Lance. You begin to feel sick. A foul-tasting liquid is creeping up the back of your throat. Brock's eyes narrow as the minute hand ticks slightly backward before advancing into the vertical position. It seems to be happening in slow motion. It's 3 o'clock. Give me a DEX roll for Lance. Let's see who's the faster gun. Brock is going to have a BONUS DIE for something he's just done. OK, 73 and 13, this is an EXTREME SUCCESS for Brock.

Jay (Lance):
That one's an 84.

cuppycup (Keeper):
You don't have enough LUCK to get there.

Jay (Lance):
Alright, well, it was fun.

cuppycup (Keeper):
Well, hold on. I still need to roll FIREARMS. You have 5 HIT POINTS left. It's not impossible that you get out of this. *pause* Oh my God.

Jay (Lance):
Did you get an EXTREME SUCCESS?

cuppycup (Keeper):
I rolled a 4. These roles are really tough, Jay, I don't really know what to say. This is going to be too much for Lance.

Alex (Ellie):
This is sad.

cuppycup (Keeper):
As your hand drops to your hip, the world feels still, Lance. Your hand tightens around the grip of the .38 and the pistol springs from your holster. Despite the sickness you're starting to feel, you have him, Lance, the old man hasn't even moved yet. Then suddenly, you feel an explosion in your chest. And Ellie, you watch as the bullet tears through Lance with a spray of blood. At the same time, Lance vomits a torrent of black mist, like smoke from cannon fire. Your knees buckle and you flop to the ground like a pile of rags.

Jay (Lance):
As Lance kind of goes down, all he can think of in his head is that he's sorry to Ellie

Alex (Ellie):
Can I run to him?

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yes, you can do that.

Ellie:
Lance, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

Lance:
No, Ellie. I failed you.

Jay (Lance):
And then he's dead. That's it,

cuppycup (Keeper):
Yeah. Lance, the darkness comes quickly now as your fingers loosen on the gun, and that blue New Mexico sky, as your hat blows into the sagebrush, fades to nothing. Thank you for listening. This was an emotional episode for the show, and I would like to thank Jay Arnold personally for the work he put in this season as Lance Kilkenny. I thought he had a very good run up there at the end especially. We typically would bring Jay back as another character this season, but we do seem to be nearing the end of this inaugural ride, so we'll look for Jay in season 2 instead. We hope you'll join us on May 11th for Episode 17. And until then, join us at Patreon. That's patreon.com/aintslayed. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Trist10 says the show is a wild ride full of twists and fun characters. SethA993 loves the podcast and says it's serious when it needs to be and funny most other times. Jesssss found out about us on the Stream of Blood and says we've given them some legitimate belly laughter. Thank you for these incredible reviews. If you're not on Apple, you can also review us at podchaser.com; just search for Ain't Slayed Nobody. You can also add us to a list over there; those seem to do pretty well in the search engine rankings. Thank you to our newest patrons; sign up at patreon.com/aintslayed. Ethan J., Kevin S., Chatelain, Michael G., Dustin D., Michael L., Jimmy S., Harry K., Adam B., Lethal Deli Meats, David B., and John H. Thanks as always to our top patrons, Anthony D., Ashley R., Ashton VDW, Drew M., Gunrunner243, Kiliusmanjaro, Lancey Pants, Matthew C., Michael D., Sandra W., Stephen H., Tyler H. and Darren T., TenSoon's Shadow, Angriest Bird God, Call Me Dirt, Chatelain, Dan F. - that's my boy Dan F. - Dylan M., Jeff F., Michael H., Nathaniel C., Ryan M., Stephen D., and of course, Will B. Thank you everyone. Many of you've been with us for a long time. We appreciate all of you. Thank you to all of our patrons. We have a bunch of sheriffs now; it's incredible. I don't think we should read the whole list, but I am trying to think of ways to recognize the patrons, especially heading into season2. If you have ideas, let me know. I think we're going to run a competition for naming locations and saloons, things like that, so keep your eyes open for all of that. If you've listened this far, you're a great supporter of the show. Please tell other people about Ain't Slayed nobody and what we're doing. Thank you and good luck out there.

Sonix is the world’s most advanced automated transcription, translation, and subtitling platform. Fast, accurate, and affordable.

Automatically convert your mp3 files to text (txt file), Microsoft Word (docx file), and SubRip Subtitle (srt file) in minutes.

Sonix has many features that you'd love including secure transcription and file storage, advanced search, collaboration tools, automatic transcription software, and easily transcribe your Zoom meetings. Try Sonix for free today.