Full transcript: The Tourniquet

The Dungeon Master · Welcome to session four of the Kingdom of Corvain campaign. We're 43 minutes late to get this started, and I really hope that that doesn't continue, because I'd love to march along and get some campaigning done. So timing is a big deal, all that to be said. cell phones are not allowed at the table unless there's some kind of emergency that has to be pressed and taken care of, so within reason, just be responsible adults and try to be immersed. So, just like we do in Dragon Ball Z, previously in the Kingdom of Corvain, Corvain is ruled by a kind old king who hasn't made a decision since his tea started being for his nerves. The real power is five men called the Stewards. They own the money, the records, the people, the mills, and the bread, and they'd like you to know that it's for your own good. That dude right there, Silas Vane, is a bard with a grudge. I don't know what you're doing with your... Plans to take them down one link at a time. Last act, you guys learned that the king is not senile. He's managed. Lucan got 40 lucid seconds with him at the garden wall and asked him who was behind it. And the king showed him a face. His father's. Cassian Bearer. So last session, a boy on a ladder erased a 84 and shocked a 79, and 100 people quietly lost their will to live.

Silas Vane · What the fuck?

The Dungeon Master · Bears lawyers wrote a law to make your credit union illegal before it even exists. The vote is Tuesday at 2. Sell is printing charters for it anyways. You crashed Ver's rate-eve party as caterers. Silas, now a white-haired man with no loot, invented the honey-brew honeymead of the gilded fiddle on the spot. Kellen hired you, and then refused to hire Amara for being half-height. Ver crossed the room like a tide and said, My dear friends! And for one second you believed him. Celeste flirted with him on purpose. He said, I shall be in touch. Okay.

Eliran Venn · Not on the accident, but on purpose.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah. And then Lucan walked in drunk, and you weren't even here for this, and said, Father, we're in a fight right here. And you guys all handled it with a tray, a drink, and calm emotions. You also learn that Ver is buying foreign gold, and that the Grand Reserve is mostly a very good echo, and that there's a sixth chair in the Charterhouse cellar that his undersecretary was told, not asked, to write that law. And Jax went to jail, where she met a Minotaur whose entire legal defense was the word, Ooh. Tomas then booked himself into jail under his real name to spring him. He regretted it before the ink even dried. The Minotaur is now freed. His name is Kragath. He owns a very large axe.

Sister Amara Bell · Heck yeah. That's it?

The Dungeon Master · A great axe, you might say. So it's Tuesday morning. The vote is at two. Selah needs three things from you guys. The Undersecretary on the record, the draft itself, and some noble pressure. You can probably get three out of the four. On the table tonight, Eleron has the Vault Archives and the Honor Secretary's address. Mira and Tomas have the recon on his house. And Silas has the idea of rewriting the draft until a yes vote passes something else. Celeste has a dinner invitation from the most dangerous men in Corvain. Kragath and Jax, you're about to be very useful. A note on tonight. The heist is one scene with one big moment. There's no five-roll stealth walk. The tea with ver is no dice, just talk. So what's the pun?

Silas Vane · Can you give me a second? Can you guys give me a second, please? Well, I think... Before we make any good, strong move, right? We should debrief. So we understand our own individual responsibilities.

Unattributed · Right? Yeah.

Silas Vane · Let's start this way. Work our way around to me. All the way down this way.

Sister Amara Bell · Individual responsibilities? Yes. On, like, our next goals?

Silas Vane · On what's about to happen in, like, a couple... What time is it?

Sister Amara Bell · It's...

Silas Vane · Morning. Morning. Okay. So we got, like, what? I want to say six hours to the vote. Okay? I want to say the vote is probably... the five in their own regulations then we can at least begin to expose the inconsistencies and have the system turn in on itself because that's where most of the influence is the system in place so i say we do what we can to make it work for us We gotta, we gotta find a way to get that draft into the hands of the Senators.

The Dungeon Master · I agree with you, but I also think that you're probably, your next bet, first part of what Sela's asking you to get is the record of what the Undersecretary said. And I think Elrond has that address that he can pull from his job.

Eliran Venn · Remind me about that, Andrew. The undersecretary is connected to this in what way?

The Dungeon Master · He said something to you at the party about being put on record to write a law, the one about the credit union.

Eliran Venn · Okay. I'm still... That brought pieces of it back, but can you be more explicit? Um... I had to remember exactly what he told you. Sorry, I should have taken some notes on that.

The Dungeon Master · No, I got to look at the recap. It's been about three weeks, so.

Eliran Venn · Yeah, I know this is undersecretary number one. Dang.

The Dungeon Master · Alright, so he said, three glasses of wine into the evening, Varys Undersecretary was standing near Elrond and talking quietly, and then not so quietly. He did not ask me, he told me, draft this law, make it legal and make it stick. He had tried to say no, but he blackmailed him. And so we're trying to get him on the record saying that he was blackmailed.

Eliran Venn · okay so theoretically that we could get um two out of the four things we need there right because if we he'll have a copy of the draft that's correct and then so we'll get that at the least and then maybe we can get him to make a statement on the record saying uh what uh vera told him to do and so you know you have you have vault credentials you'll know where his address is you'll be able to pull that yeah well i want to pull his address i also want to pull The vault has blackmail or compromising material on almost anybody who's anybody in the city. Do I have access to that or do I know where to find it?

The Dungeon Master · For which one?

Eliran Venn · For the undersecretary.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, you have that.

Eliran Venn · Okay. You can pull that. Yeah.

The Dungeon Master · What kind of dirt is there on him? You have some serious leverage on him when you have his file. Yeah. He has a sick parent that has a loan from the vault.

Eliran Venn · Okay.

The Dungeon Master · And it's flagged restricted. So there's kind of a thread there.

Eliran Venn · Okay. So if I can have a minute alone with the file, I have my magic quill through the Order of Scribe that can just copy things quickly. I'll copy it. There you go. So that we have it. That we have his file.

Silas Vane · One of my favorite things about that, by the way.

Eliran Venn · Yeah, those characters are well-designed for the scenario. Yeah. And then I will… make up a log about why I need to go into the field and leave the vault early on vault business to bring the meat back with you guys and say, okay, here's where he lives. Here's the dirt on him that we can leverage on him. We should send somebody over that is either very persuasive or very good at intimidation or both. What is the status of Minotaurs in the city? Are they allowed to just kind of roam the streets?

The Dungeon Master · They're given eyebrows. Guards are racist. Not like halfway racist, but they're not friendly towards people like that. But they're not illegal. Frowned upon. Like masturbating in an airplane.

Eliran Venn · So I imagine that the minotaur probably has a pretty high intimidate and the bard has a pretty strong persuade skill.

Silas Vane · The bard and the minotaur is a great idea. I love this shit.

The Dungeon Master · When I imagine this minotaur, I literally imagine Jax sitting on top of his shoulder and almost like Ratatouille pulling his hair and driving this thing around. Who's Jax is going to come with?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I dressed him better than that.

The Dungeon Master · When you pull his address, you find out that the house is two streets behind Coin Row. The same, you know, building that the banquet was in. And he works till 6. You know that because you guys work in the same building. Oh, okay. His wife's at the market. He has a maid that works there.

Silas Vane · So I do have an important question. Did you... Did they... Did you find out what this individual was blackmailed with initially? Because if the records we're pulling is the same blackmail that they were originally blackmailed with, it essentially breaks even, and the consequences of them defying five versus us influencing them risk outweighs reward.

Eliran Venn · Well, they could have threatened his job, but more likely, you're right, that they used this existing material on him and said, we're going to call the loan on your sick parent. But we have a doctor, don't we?

Silas Vane · We do.

Eliran Venn · There we go.

Silas Vane · So maybe we don't leave with blackmail. Start with persuasion and then sin in the minotaur. We incentivize and say, hey, listen, if you do this... We'll actually take care of your sick parent.

Eliran Venn · So he's currently at work, you said? Or he works from his home? He works till six. Works till six? Yep. At the vault? At the vault, yep. Okay. And so we have his address, so we could go get a copy of the draft there. But we need to get this done by two, you said? Or is it two today or two?

The Dungeon Master · Two today, yep.

Eliran Venn · Okay. Okay. So it may be difficult to get access to him. His maid is home.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah. The giraffe is in a locked case in its study. You copy with your clue.

Silas Vane · You've got to come with us.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah. Minotaur for intimidation. Jack for breaking into the safe. There's a neighbor that watches the house. Well, what do you use as an app? Distract?

Silas Vane · We would bring it to you, and you could, oh, then you would just need to come with us as well.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Do we know where his sick parents live?

The Dungeon Master · You don't have their name. Just that there's a loan for his parents. No, they'll notice, but fuck them. So if you have the name, you could pull the address.

Silas Vane · Hey, listen, you sabotaged an entire tavern of shits and giggles by yourself. Imagine the damage we can do with that. Yeah, we can get a draft and we can engage in people discourse.

Eliran Venn · You can go in and get the draft, but we might be better served just getting this guy to come out and meet us. And we could get him to come out by maybe getting the maid at his house to say, you know, Mr. Smith, sir, you know, there's trouble with your parents. You're needed right away. Or there's trouble at the house. She could go to his place of work and ask him to come out. You'll need to persuade her. Maybe a coin or something along those lines.

Silas Vane · We bring the doctor here. He leaves at six and leaves at Sunday too. Actually, the wine would be fantastic. Could I have another wine call?

Mira Thorne · Thank you.

Eliran Venn · Or I could just intercept him at work and tell him that I may have a solution for him. Now, who spoke to me at the party? Was it him? It was him. Oh, okay. So I'm just going to bump into him at work. Okay.

Silas Vane · And you're very persuasive. Yeah!

Eliran Venn · Yeah!

Silas Vane · Yeah!

Mira Thorne · I speak for the dogs. Hey, good to have you, man.

Tomas Reed · Good to have you. What was I gonna do, turn around?

The Dungeon Master · I'm a bus driver. Hey, man.

Tomas Reed · No, man.

Eliran Venn · I'm not into this.

Tomas Reed · The worst is what's happening. You're a bus driver. Make a left up here.

Eliran Venn · Do you want a drink, Eli? Yeah.

Silas Vane · I'm already over here. What do you want? Yes, whatever. All right. All right.

Tomas Reed · Go ahead and have a seat. I got to take my boots off. Good to see you, man.

Silas Vane · Yes, sir. You too, man.

Tomas Reed · Thanks for taking that journey.

Silas Vane · What up, y'all?

Tomas Reed · Oh my god, happy day. I have to take my boots off.

Silas Vane · We found out that Aaron's favorite philosopher is Miesch. Miesch? Miesch.

Mira Thorne · Dr. Seuss. That's a good one. Dr. Seuss is definitely better than Descartes.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · That's true.

Eliran Venn · So, I'll bump into him at work.

Tomas Reed · All right.

Eliran Venn · I'll briefly hold open the folder that I have with his compromise in it.

Silas Vane · And then, see, I think we can solve this problem.

Eliran Venn · We have a doctor that can personally attend to your loved one.

The Dungeon Master · How do you have that information, Mr. Mann?

Eliran Venn · Just trying to help you out here, but we need some help from your side. You'll need a copy of your draft and we need a statement about what happened. I don't do quid pro quo, Mr. Pastor. What is it that you would need then? What do you do? When we spoke, it seemed like you needed some help. I'm here to help you.

The Dungeon Master · didn't mention help it's um i just it's just talking work drama and then i'm back into a corner from this asshole i think i can help you out of the corner would you like some help you know can we keep this end of the table of course yes tell you what i'll give you the draft can you copy it down i gotta keep my copy i can yeah just give me two minutes with it we'll talk about how we can even get them on the back end you're wearing the boats today too right i am can can i get a statement from you i can have a doctor go to your parents now that statement count i'll describe the statement that we need from them that sale i told her we needed

Eliran Venn · Um, no, the statement to say last where I thought was that he was told to write it up, uh, a certain way. What bear told him, right?

The Dungeon Master · I can't have my family threatened like that.

Eliran Venn · The threat against your family is that they'll call in the loan on, um, and stop medical care. Right?

The Dungeon Master · And if we have a record publicly that I'm admitting that my boss is holding me to that. and forcing me to do this, they'll call the loan anyways.

Eliran Venn · And if they call the loan, the medical care will cease. But if you have medical care, who cares? I need the loan for housing.

The Dungeon Master · How am I gonna feed my family? Can you see to that too?

Eliran Venn · So money-wise, what's going to solve his problem?

The Dungeon Master · Elrond is not about money. I've seen the copy, and I've seen what statement you're trying to use here. But if I sign, what happens to my family on Wednesday? Can you protect my family?

Eliran Venn · Protect your parents?

The Dungeon Master · Protect my family.

Eliran Venn · Can you protect me and my wife? I think we might be able to. Can you keep an open mind on it? I'll come back with either solid promises, or your point is taken. I'm persuasion wrong, I think.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, it might be special. There's a few bars to pass. Essentially, this guy's scared of his life, that he's going to give you a statement, and then they're going to come and kill him instead. Sweet, okay. Likely. Which is likely.

Eliran Venn · Well, I don't know if that would be likely. And I'd like to maybe, normally persuasion is tied to charisma. I'd like to argue to tie it to intelligence for this case. So I'm going to try and logically talk them out of it. I'm going to point out, look, we have the evidence that they're blackmailing you with this vault information. You've made a public statement. It will go public in the press. it would incriminate them and make them look bad if things were to happen to you. Often hiding in plain sight is the best protection. So if I can tie that into intelligence instead of charisma, then that is a 16, otherwise it's a 13.

The Dungeon Master · Um, well, Mr. Elf, Mr. Ben, I'm terrified. But I will give you a statement and I'll deliver to the Council of Corporate for the vote. But I need a protection offer from you to protect me and my family. Oh, this is going to be complicated.

Eliran Venn · I'll bring you one shortly. Okay. You have yourself a deal, my friend. You may find yourself off the top of my head with a Minotaur bodyguard shortly. Trusty friend. What language does the Minotaur speak? He speaks a single word language.

The Dungeon Master · I shall translate.

Eliran Venn · Very contextual.

The Dungeon Master · I've been teaching him a sign language.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I want us to be the Batman and Robin of this.

The Dungeon Master · The irony with the minotaurs is it's incredibly intelligent and they just can't communicate it. Oh, that's amazing. He has a speech impediment.

Sister Amara Bell · I could tell. It's just his language.

Tomas Reed · I just got my bush. Alright, so I'll bring the good news to these guys.

Eliran Venn · Tell them we need to put together a protection offer for them. So we have, uh, I think we just go back to him and tell him that we have several burly types that can rotate shift duty with him.

Mira Thorne · Burly types.

Eliran Venn · The Benatar, the Captain.

The Dungeon Master · You're going to bring this draft copy back to the war room, our hideout, and give it to Selma Marsh. She's going to read it, and you guys are going to all have a copy of this draft now. What are you guys going to do with it? I agree. You agree with the draft?

Silas Vane · That was a question.

The Dungeon Master · The draft makes the credit union illegal. I should listen for a second.

Silas Vane · Yeah, yeah, you should. Thank you, Tomas.

The Dungeon Master · Appreciate you. Well, our barbarian friend finds it legal and he thinks it should move forward. Well, we'll...

Silas Vane · What are we doing?

Eliran Venn · Can someone read the draft first, please? We'll give it a careful read. See if there's any flaws in it. Probably, you're going to be better at that than I am.

Mira Thorne · We're going to end up having to kill someone again. Is this an investigation or a fucking day?

Lucan Vey · I'm turning into a tired old man. I'm going to pass the guidance on myself as well. 16. 16.

The Dungeon Master · Sorry, I gotta step out for another call. No worries, man. Alright, so 16. Alright, so you find a loophole in the draft. There's a definition of Depository Association that exempts any bodied any body chartered under a license, company, or guild. The credit union could be rechartered under a guild or a church to escape the rule. And that's kind of your lifeline if the vote decides to pass.

Silas Vane · Why do we even care then? Guild or a church? Okay, I'm gonna make a statement here.

The Dungeon Master · That's the loophole.

Silas Vane · So these are my thoughts, right?

The Dungeon Master · Thank you.

Silas Vane · And that's all I have to say. Ladies and gentlemen, seriously, I applaud the effort to get this draft, but realistically, how are we going to compete and provide protection for a man's whole family against the forces of the five? We may have successfully influenced him to provide a sworn statement, but if this man dies because we can't provide him adequate protection and his family, what efficacy and faith is anyone in the movement going to have towards us and our ability to even impact change? the man and his family out of trouble, reward him for his compliance with having our doctor go and treat his sick family, and then we keep a resource rather than expensing our very limited resources for protection, which won't work. We'll all die. We need to stay clandestine. We can't have this out in the open. We need to have him revoke his statement of blackmail and we just need to use our foreknowledge of this charter to read of this of this vote to recharter the credit union and work through the loopholes that's what we should do every step was taken they had a countermeasure when we were providing charity they made that more difficult but we were able to get around that into your own legal expertise

Lucan Vey · And now we want to have a credit union, and they are explicitly barring that. Now there's a pretty wide loophole, but who's to say they're not going to amend that?

Silas Vane · Of course they'll amend that, but here's the thing. Our options are three. Try to out them, allow their substantial resources to drown us out, and then they know who we are, and they kill all of us. One. Two. Three. subvert their system and work within it and buy us at least a little more time to continue to do that. And ultimately, I think that'll lead to option three, which is memorize their system, use it to implode in on itself. We don't have the resources to take them head on. So we need to sabotage them from within using their own infrastructure. We have a copy of a very important vote. If we can turn them against each other, turn the system against each other, and maybe even turn the five against each other, we can work with our limited resources and maximize it. But if we go full front right now, they will drown us. They will drown us.

The Dungeon Master · How do you intend to do that?

Silas Vane · This is step one. And here's the thing. If we lose our connection there, we don't get copies of any more drafts. If we provide them with free healthcare, which ultimately is what we're trying to do, replace the system in place, we provide them with free healthcare in exchange for their services, we get more drafts. We get more copies of the legislation before it ever comes out. We can counter the moves every step of the way. Ultimately, they're expending more resources, amending drafts around ours, and eventually they'll subvert their own system just by trying to drown us out. But I...

The Dungeon Master · Mr. Vang, what do you think the nun has to say about this?

Silas Vane · What does the nun have to say about this?

Lucan Vey · Like, drowning them out? What are you...

The Dungeon Master · Awesome, love it. What does the nun have to say about this? Or our financier.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I can figure out funding, but the question is, we're relying on one person right now with this connection. What if they just get reassigned? That's a lot of investment.

Silas Vane · It's also a lot of investment to reassign someone. The directive was, take this, make it legal. Which requires someone to know the infrastructure so thoroughly that they can do that.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · It requires somebody who's going to do what they're told to do.

Silas Vane · under influence, and we have something to counter that black man. We take care of their family with the resources we have available, which are plentiful.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · How do we expect to make these changes that obviously aren't going to be very well thought of without that one person getting reprimanded?

Silas Vane · So we're not making the changes within the law itself. We're getting a copy of it before it passes, and then we're adjusting around it. So whatever they're targeting, right? They're targeting an infrastructure, a credit union. The loopholes, we just consistently take advantage of.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · So we're going to be the first ones breaking the loopholes, getting that attention. We're going to be kind of like an example set.

Lucan Vey · But that's everything. Hang on, Gabe. I was going to say... initially that we just burn this undersecretary. Just fuck them. What? We only need a double agent for it. But, your last point, presumably, if we can have, is the undersecretary, is it the same undersecretary below writing?

The Dungeon Master · No, no, you just happened to find the one that wrote this one.

Silas Vane · Let's fucking build a network. He's got, the whole way the five works is blackmail. I agree with you. If we can have

Lucan Vey · That could be sustained.

Silas Vane · Yeah. And again, what are they going to... I mean, again, they have blackmail on all of their people, but if we just subvert that blackmail by providing solutions clandestinely, right? We exercise influence and eventually expand it within the legal cabinet, and we get copies of the drafts, and we just work around it. Eventually, the regulation will become so convoluted to drown out all loopholes, it won't be sustainable even for themselves. They have to retrain their entire government just... to cover up the loopholes we're taking advantage of.

The Dungeon Master · Mr. Vang, may I remind you, our third ask, my third ask to your team here is we must gain enough nobles that are in favor of saying no to this, because despite that you might have found a loophole, there is still pressure being put upon you and your organization. They're still doing this as a means to target you. Yes, it is. What is your plan to get these nobles on the line? Implicate them. In such a way, you have, we have four hours to this vote.

Silas Vane · First of all, all we have to do is take advantage of the loophole, redraft the charter in a way that aligns with the current draft. And then since we have a copy of this draft, and now we have access to the undersecretary, right? And undersecretary. And undersecretary. If we compensate them appropriately, we can gain access to the rest of that network. And from there, we can just look at the nobles, whatever their vested interest is, and then use that to realistically manipulate them and align them with our cost. Eventually, these regulations are going to become so expansive, it's going to affect the nodes.

Lucan Vey · You're introducing a lot of unknown factors, and if one turns against us... That could be it.

Silas Vane · Well, the alternative that was suggested about five minutes ago is that we burn the undersecretary, let their people die. Everyone that we're looking for, everyone that we're trying to protect, they get lost. They lose faith in us. And all of a sudden, we lose our support because the people that decide to help us always get fucking killed. If we can't protect the people that help us, what influence do we really have? And that's the battle we're fighting here is influence. What if they don't know that they were helping us?

Sister Amara Bell · That's crazy.

Silas Vane · It's too late, they already know. Oh. And there's nothing someone won't do to snitch out, right?

Mira Thorne · I could just make them disappear and tell everyone that they wouldn't send protection.

Silas Vane · Like, imagine this person about to get him killed, and then they say, Hey, Silas Vane and his whole band of people showed up and tried to coerce me.

The Dungeon Master · We're being a little long-winded. Let's direct into action. What's our plan? Let's move forward.

Silas Vane · Okay, well, hold on a second. The three or four people that are engaging with me, all played by you, ask questions. I have to freaking address those. So I'm not being long-winded. I'm addressing a crowd of people that are here. So I think in this particular scenario, this is what we need to do. And you guys don't have to do it, but I'm not going to align with a plan that says, hey, we need to burn these people and throw them under the bus. That's going to turn back against us, and I will disown anyone that aligns with that. That's going to fuck me up. I'm not willing to do that. That's my line in the sand. Let's be smart, okay? Burn them if we need to. But not right now. We need our ins. So we used the draft, rechartered the credit union, and then using our access, we see what nobles will be affected. We slowly get them to align with us, and then we make a political move. Those are my actions. Who is it that's asking that we get no goals on our side?

Lucan Vey · Selimar. Okay.

The Dungeon Master · She's kind of helping direct your team. Who's going to stand up during this court hearing? I will. You're going to? Yeah. You're going to expose yourself.

Silas Vane · Fuck yeah, I will. Let's do it. What?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · What if they don't even let you speak in the office?

Silas Vane · I talk too much. I'll, I'll fucking, they'll run out of shit to say. Does he still have his bag over your head? Do you have your disguise on? Yeah. Disguise me. Yes. Disguise me. Different shaped mustache.

Mira Thorne · Let's do it. But then also, why would they listen to some rando? Yeah. That was my thought too.

Silas Vane · Because it's an open hearing, isn't it? But like, you need some credibility too. Yeah. So I just need to know. Hold on a second. We're restructuring on the backend.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, but you're going to go up there, Silas, and you're going to have some fake names and fake persona, and they're going to say we have no record of this person filing for this petition. Who has the most of this?

Silas Vane · So what petition are we filing? I've thrown that thing. Oh, yes, as a church. Yes, there it fucking is. Thank you, Stella. I love you. We're going to make that later. You, little one. You need to go up there and you need to yap. And I will be your representative in a fake mustache as your counsel. But you will be the one filing the petition and I'll be there to consult with you if you have any questions. That way you're not floating. You're not left to your devices. And you're not going to be sinking if they ask questions you don't know the answer to. I will out-yap them.

Lucan Vey · Is that known, that there's, like, a connection between Celeste? Because if we have two people arguing the same point or similar points, both of which are well-known in the city, that's double… What is that relationship I'm missing? No, I'm asking, do people generally know if there's a relationship? Or is it purely clandestine?

The Dungeon Master · No, no, no. Yeah, you guys only know each other?

Lucan Vey · So I think we have them be independent and both give testimony.

The Dungeon Master · Celeste Arden.

Silas Vane · And Lady Damara Bell?

The Dungeon Master · Is this Sister Bell?

Silas Vane · Sister Bell. Well, let's also remember what the loopholes were. We can tack from two different angles because there were two different loopholes. One is the church, and the other was... That's the loophole. Just the church, that's it? There was one other one, wasn't there?

The Dungeon Master · Guilt.

Silas Vane · Guilt. So one, you represent the church, Celeste will represent a guild, and we attack on two fronts.

The Dungeon Master · The argument itself is that you guys are arguing against the law being passed in its entirety, because there's no grace period. It just goes into effect immediately.

Silas Vane · do the credit union under her church?

Mira Thorne · That's what I'm saying. We don't even need to contest the law. We just work around it. What do you mean that's what you were saying?

Silas Vane · You just said you were going to That was what my 5-10 minutes of yapping was about. That was rechartered.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · We can do that too. I think we just do all of them. We just do everything.

Mira Thorne · Can't re-organize the, you know, whatever legal...

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I'll look you up a chart.

Silas Vane · How long would it take to redo a chart?

The Dungeon Master · To redo your filing as under, like, a church? Yeah. Do you have anybody in your party that's skilled in paperwork?

Mira Thorne · Well, he's got his skills.

Silas Vane · Yes, we do.

The Dungeon Master · It sounds like he's at work. Is he able to do it during the day before the vote?

Silas Vane · Fuck yeah. I'm gonna just stroll over there, send him a message with my magic supplement.

The Dungeon Master · He's inside of a vault.

Silas Vane · I should do it. I'm feeling bold right now, folks. I don't know if you can tell.

Lucan Vey · Does it have to be before the vote?

The Dungeon Master · Your charter is currently in petition. And so, like, your current filing is being reviewed under the current laws.

Lucan Vey · We wouldn't be able to refile later.

The Dungeon Master · You could. Okay. Yeah, it's not that serious, but the current charter you're under would be actioned upon with this.

Lucan Vey · Wouldn't changing our charter kind of point out that we identified a loophole?

The Dungeon Master · It depends on how you filed it. I mean, sell a Marcius who filed your credit union prior. So now you're filing a Sister Bell under a church.

Silas Vane · They can't prove it. They can't prove shit.

The Dungeon Master · Isn't that right, Elrond? I'm sorry, I was distracted. What were you saying, Sela? They can't prove it, right? They can't prove what? That the credit union and the church loophole that we've discovered to file under is related.

Eliran Venn · I don't see a connection there. They were in disguise when they brought the 17B maneuver in. What do you think, Mirathorn?

Mira Thorne · My character doesn't have any legal expertise.

Silas Vane · Fair. Only fair, actually. Actually, that's a very fair answer. In fact, I know you're not super happy about this.

Mira Thorne · I just knew well enough to know that there's a loophole for churches. I'm losing patience. She has a church.

Silas Vane · I'm losing patience with the light because I feel like the light doesn't give a fuck.

Mira Thorne · Yeah, well, I mean, you could, you know, we're filing purposes.

Silas Vane · Here's the thing. You have my blessing. get your shot at.

The Dungeon Master · You'll win. You'll do it. I like the bod.

Lucan Vey · I'm sorry, you don't want to burn? Except his dad.

Mira Thorne · I thought we were just refiling.

Silas Vane · Yeah, don't kill his dad.

Mira Thorne · Everyone else.

Lucan Vey · I mean, it sounds like we're just going to let this fail.

Mira Thorne · That's what it seems like.

Lucan Vey · Let me reorganize on the back end. 100%.

Mira Thorne · It's like unnecessary risk.

Eliran Venn · Bring me up to speed. We have the draft. We potentially have a signed statement if we can guarantee his family protection.

Silas Vane · That's a great... Okay, so we discussing the logistics of actually guaranteeing protection against the collective government forces of the five seems very unlikely. We already have a draft. We already know the loopholes. The law would not be applicable. The exemptions would be present under a church and a guild. We have someone representing a guild, someone representing a church.

The Dungeon Master · I want to clarify for the world that Sister Bell does not run the church. Sister Bell works for the church as a nun. It is like...

Sister Amara Bell · She works for the church.

The Dungeon Master · She works under Dean Cassia Halford, who is her former clergy. Okay. She starts her own church. They're not exactly on great relations. Great. Schism time. Schism time is crazy. So, before 2pm, we have to convince this person, hey, can the Chapel of the Nine Bells sponsor this financing project?

Lucan Vey · Sorry, real quick. That's a good point.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, change it to the Chapel of the One Bell.

Lucan Vey · It's through the 47 Theses.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, schism time. Schism time. Chapel of the One Bell. Start your own church. The One True Bell. Yes, done. What are the laws of the kingdom around filing for a new church religious organization? Is there a file next to it?

Mira Thorne · There's no statement.

The Dungeon Master · Last I checked in the legal code of the land, it's seven business months to open an organization.

Sister Amara Bell · So we can't do that before today.

Silas Vane · I don't think so. Form 47B might say otherwise.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, but to get tax-exempt status in the land as a religious organization, you have to have a formal... Can we argue that it's...

Mira Thorne · a charismatic...

Silas Vane · I have a dream!

Mira Thorne · You can handle the truth! You become a charismatic cult leader. We draw people into the hills. Fuck yeah! And slowly create a spiritual kind of like group, like Osho. And then we arm everyone.

The Dungeon Master · Let's choose a path here, guys.

Eliran Venn · Okay, so if the church sponsors this, then what? We found a loophole that will... We found a loophole.

Silas Vane · We don't need to contest the law passing. Also... The exemptions are to guilds. So if you're a guild or a church, the credit union law would not be—you would be exempt from it. And we're suggesting, rather than trying to protect this person by going on record and saying— Hey, I was blackmailed, which would basically guarantee everyone's certain death, including our own. We just work around the law, and then, rather than burning that connection, use our healthcare influences, heal his family, and then get in good with the other undersecretaries. We get more copies, more graphs, and we get ahead of every law moving forward.

Eliran Venn · Okay.

Silas Vane · Why not both? What do you say, bud?

Eliran Venn · Is the printing press a guild, by chance?

Silas Vane · You know what? I'll bet the fuck it is.

Mira Thorne · I'm a certain triad.

Silas Vane · I will challenge God. I'm gonna roll a 20. That this is a guild.

The Dungeon Master · It is. And Selimarsh doesn't want to put her name behind it.

Eliran Venn · What are her reasons? So we might understand them with the church.

The Dungeon Master · Similar to, like, when you guys brought in the journal from Edmund's friend, the forged one. She's not ready to burn her organization because she has a lot of influence in the narrative to print propaganda. And if we burn her as a lead, you guys are toast.

Mira Thorne · Yeah. It kind of sounds like a union, which the government probably isn't going to like.

Tomas Reed · Yeah.

Mira Thorne · Well, they're gonna have to deal with it. He doesn't work for the docket.

Tomas Reed · No, I don't. I have a fake... I have a fake ID that lets me get in there. I may have connections with people I know as friends to get us in and out of there. Same with two coins. The Thieves Guild. That's probably a little more... Yeah, but no, I'm... Actually, no. I like this. The Thieves Guild is...

Silas Vane · The Thieves Guild is formally a guild. It's under a different name. I imagine. Does the loophole allow for that?

Eliran Venn · If we get the Thieves Guild involved with the credit union, they're going to want to cut up everything and it's going to defeat the purpose of cheap loans to people that need it. They're going to make it not so cheap and kneecaps are going to start getting busted.

The Dungeon Master · well it still subverts the system in place so here's so the issue with and for you guys to consider yeah is that tamas reed who's on his phone right now we're at the table um is on the record and he is in the doc skills store but on the record under who is it vos has him on the assignment hall as retrieve intact like they he has a he has a bounty against us yeah i can't do Whoever signs a paperwork is going to risk being associated with that. Okay. So, you guys can have somebody else sign it, other than him.

Tomas Reed · Yeah.

The Dungeon Master · Forge his signature. Or, the Thieves' Guild isn't licensed in the land. Because it's a Thieves' Guild.

Silas Vane · Yeah, I imagine. But don't they have a guild under another shell?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Do they have shell companies? Yes, they have shell companies. But I'd prefer not to get involved.

The Dungeon Master · Oh, goddammit. Your safe option is Amara and her Dean.

Silas Vane · Yeah, right? You know what? I'll just talk his ass into it. Let's do it. I'll talk his ass into it.

Sister Amara Bell · Okay. What do you think, Kister? Let's do it.

Eliran Venn · Okay.

Sister Amara Bell · I'm so lost, guys.

Mira Thorne · We're going to make you Pope, basically. That's the idea.

Eliran Venn · You're going to lead a religious revolution.

Silas Vane · Oh, that's great news. Okay, awesome. I'm going to be succinct. We found two loopholes in the law where we don't have to contest the law. We can let it pass, and we can just work around it on the back end. Guilts are exempt.

Eliran Venn · I'll be on standby.

Silas Vane · Churches are exempt.

Eliran Venn · You are not.

Silas Vane · You don't lead the church. Your supervisor needs the church.

Eliran Venn · It's good. Yeah.

Tomas Reed · Fuck yes.

Lucan Vey · Good. Beautiful.

Tomas Reed · That is good news.

Lucan Vey · It's always a good idea to combine the church and money, right? Yeah.

Mira Thorne · That's what I'm thinking. Yeah, so, next.

Sister Amara Bell · I didn't touch this. We gotta do that thing like with the mafia, they say they assassinate and throw.

The Dungeon Master · Or whatever. That happened to us.

Sister Amara Bell · Got it. I was trying to look for the word.

Silas Vane · Basically, your boss is the one who represents the church and speaks on their behalf. You and him are not on good terms. You and I are going to go over there and I'm going to convince him to speak on behalf of the church and allow the credit union program to fall under its umbrella. So I'm going to talk his ass into it. But I'm going to read to you as an access point.

Lucan Vey · Is that what we do?

Sister Amara Bell · What do you mean from me specifically?

Silas Vane · Take me to him.

Sister Amara Bell · Just get in, I'll be able to recognize him, and then we can... That's right. Just, here you go.

Silas Vane · You're going to take me to him. We're also going to have the doctor take care of the undersecretary's sick family member. And then we're going to use that as an exchange of value to gain access to the other undersecretaries, get more copies, more laws, keep all the drafts, and he'll work out all the loopholes. We'll work everything out in the back end weeks in advance. That's our plan.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · How am I gonna kill the team?

Silas Vane · Well, we'll have copies of the laws.

The Dungeon Master · We'll know how to fucking get to them. One at a time, team. What you got, Hannah?

Sister Amara Bell · Do I know anything about, like, my boss that would, like, help us with this? Do I know any, like, his background?

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, so if you look up, and you have it on your dossier.

Sister Amara Bell · Dossier?

The Dungeon Master · Yeah. Either on your character sheet, on your backstory, or if you pull up your phone and you look up the database, your character has a complete background with this player. Which is the dean.

Mira Thorne · What is her rank in the church? She's a, um... Relation to the person that we're talking about going to. She's a nun in the church. So is this person, like, just, like, a superior, like, a... Yeah, you know, like, in a Catholic church, like, who, like, the dean is in a church? Yeah, okay.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah. Yeah.

Silas Vane · Um... Yes. Yes.

The Dungeon Master · And so the Dean's Court defrocked her inside for a month for doctrinal irregularity for one of her sermons that she gave.

Sister Amara Bell · What sermon was that?

The Dungeon Master · You said in a sermon that you cannot serve two masters, one being God and the five that you're talking about. And these five have infiltrated your religious organization, which is why you're like, fuck this place. And you kind of stepped away.

Silas Vane · So even if we do have the support of the church, the deacon's probably going to get axed because they have their fingers in everything.

The Dungeon Master · It's not safe.

Silas Vane · We're going to do a cut.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, some of the religious text itself has been changed to fit like, you know, it's okay to be enslaved. As a matter of delight.

Mira Thorne · Alright. How about we kill and frame it so that it looks like the government took him out. And then all the religious people get up into a religious center.

Silas Vane · I like it. Antipope. Let's do an antipope. We should do an antipope, but that'll bring more traffic.

Mira Thorne · I don't think she has enough clout. Really? That's where we're gonna go?

Silas Vane · Who's second in command after this deacon guy? The Dean. The Dean. Who's second in command after the Dean?

Mira Thorne · Third in command. The Dean. What?

Silas Vane · Where does Sister fall in the hierarchy after the Dean?

The Dungeon Master · Probably after.

Silas Vane · After? Kill him.

Sister Amara Bell · What? No.

Silas Vane · Fucking kill him. No, kill him.

The Dungeon Master · Who are we killing? I want you to kill him. You're boss. Make sure we're in character here. Would Silas Vane want to kill a clergy member?

Silas Vane · Yes. If it's a corrupt clergy member, gone. Because at this point, I'm tired of the system guaranteeing failure.

The Dungeon Master · Pause. Yeah. Sister Belle, are you okay with your boss?

Sister Amara Bell · Absolutely not. We could go around this in so many different ways. Let me just look up his character sheet and then I can give you some insight into his character. Then do it. So that you can actually go through it. Because at this point, you might be part of the problem.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, that's very interesting. Let me pull up this person. This is actually a chick. Cassia Halvard.

Silas Vane · Oh. That's Cassia Halvard.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah. I'm gonna not kill women.

Mira Thorne · We just got a black nurse.

The Dungeon Master · 59 years old.

Lucan Vey · Human priest. Yes. What does that have to do with anything?

Sister Amara Bell · That's exactly why. I got you.

The Dungeon Master · Let me help you.

Mira Thorne · You guys say it's bad to kill women?

The Dungeon Master · No, my character, I'm out of all that.

Mira Thorne · He's a righteous barbarian.

Tomas Reed · Now, if you smack a kid...

Mira Thorne · I mean, the Oshera could have been, I think that was the right one.

Lucan Vey · Is that the Oshera?

Mira Thorne · She wouldn't have been down for that either, though. What, a bunch of hippies banging themselves in the woods?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Keep my son's name out, Joe.

Mira Thorne · Well, we have to, because we're going to be doing, we have to get the people.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · The Uzi's party. Just don't talk about the nightclubs.

Lucan Vey · So, Uzi moved to Portland to, like, get armed peace officers? Yeah, to do his office.

The Dungeon Master · So, Sister Bell was, like, the prodigy to this chick. Before, like, she kind of got ousted from being like, hey, I don't know why we have, like, this political influence within our church. So. Breakaway sect. Hold on. I'm just saying, if she ended up dead, I mean, she wasn't killed.

Mira Thorne · Okay, look, what if we just kidnap them? Would that be easier? And then they're just, like, missing or something. Are you asking me or are you asking her?

Tomas Reed · I'm asking her.

Mira Thorne · Okay, yeah. Instead of killing them. Yeah, we'll just take them, you know? And then they can, uh... Take her?

The Dungeon Master · Yeah.

Mira Thorne · Think of this woman as your mentor.

Sister Amara Bell · Yeah. Well, she'll be safe. And they're trying to kill her, too. No!

Mira Thorne · They're gonna be like... All right, look, if you don't get over that, we're just going to kill you and get on with this.

Sister Amara Bell · Excuse me, you actually need me, especially for this. Let me ask you a question. Do you want to be part of the solution or part of the problem? That's crazy. Tell me part of the problem and let me be a part of the solution.

Mira Thorne · Let's go. It's either that or you figure out some way to start a revolution in this church. Fragath is in the back raising his hand. Yeah.

Sister Amara Bell · Okay, Fragath, go for it.

Silas Vane · Yes, our dear new friend. Fragath, was it...

Tomas Reed · Crygath means we are bickering over the same goal. We all want the same means. We must end these futile squabbles. Your emotions, Bob. Futile? Your bloodlust, Mira, as much as we need it. Sister, rules must be bent but not broken. There must be a way to meet in the middle.

The Dungeon Master · I'd like to give him inspiration, if that's alright.

Silas Vane · I'll double that.

Lucan Vey · Let's go.

The Dungeon Master · That was great. Do that one. I respect it. Get engaged, Brian.

Lucan Vey · I respect it. So we've decided to go the route of the church. Okay. Trying to incorporate the credit union into the church. Can we all agree on that?

Mira Thorne · Yes. Yes.

Lucan Vey · Now, my proposition is, if the church can be corrupted by the five, it can be further corrupted. Cover your ears, sister. If it can be corrupted by the five, it can be further corrupted.

Silas Vane · Sister, please. Which means it deserves death.

Lucan Vey · Should we let him do that? Yeah, I think we need to do that.

The Dungeon Master · Or through the post-killing the deep.

Mira Thorne · It's like the V for Vendetta, you know, where now the corpsman goes to the priest and then the dude kills him. I think that's a silly idea.

Sister Amara Bell · Yeah, it is. You know what? I mean, what about just slander?

Silas Vane · I think that's a great idea. If the five can corrupt the church. I can tell why you would like that.

Lucan Vey · I mean, do we have any official rumors or documents on the church? We have a bar.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · We can just make sure that... Just lean into the corruption, you know, emphasize the slander, make everybody distrust every part of the system.

Tomas Reed · The Bard has not made a new song in quite a long time. Yeah, that's a good point. This is true. One of the only reasons I like you, Bard.

Silas Vane · That I haven't made a new song or that I can make a new song.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Or the song was the only reason you liked it.

The Dungeon Master · All right, let's bring them back together. Let's make a decision here, team. Decision.

Silas Vane · We're going to have the... We're going to move the Credit Union into the church, and we're going to give them a cut.

The Dungeon Master · Okay. We're going to change scenes over to the Chapel of the Nine Bells, then. Who's going? Jade. Jett Silas.

Lucan Vey · Alright, so this is kind of what it looks like.

The Dungeon Master · It's a church. As you might imagine, it's a big-ass chapel. Think Catholic, think big. There's nobody in a cross up in the wall, but, you know.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Guilt is everywhere.

The Dungeon Master · Guilt... Guilt is everywhere. All Protestants here, I see. No heretics, but you know.

Sister Amara Bell · So it's not any sort of like event type of thing, it's just like we're walking into the church?

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, you're in the middle of the day, so like there's like a couple bums on the pews, they're just sitting there like, humming-a-humming-as and like kind of... I mean, they're eating their coins. These guys are mind-numbed kind of dudes. They eat weed. King spoil. So you walk in, and Dean is standing there, let me put a picture of her back up on the screen. And she's walking around with her big bushy hat and and waving smoke everywhere.

Lucan Vey · Very Catholic, I can see.

Mira Thorne · Yes, there you go.

The Dungeon Master · And they're walking through the silence. A mix of all of them. You understand what I'm saying? And you see her kind of walking around and all three of you guys walk through the door and she immediately spots Sister Bell and recognizes her. He doesn't know who the other few of you guys are at all. Doesn't care.

Lucan Vey · Is there a donation box anywhere?

The Dungeon Master · Right in the front door.

Lucan Vey · I put three silver points as visibly as I can.

The Dungeon Master · You make it loud? Yeah.

Lucan Vey · And then I do whatever is the tradition of, like, prayer as you enter the church.

Eliran Venn · You're gonna bring your warlock, demon-infested soul to the church grounds?

Lucan Vey · I never said I was a warlock.

The Dungeon Master · This is unnatural for your character, so I'm going to give you a performance check.

Lucan Vey · Can we do just everything?

The Dungeon Master · This is going to be a performance, my friend. You're trying to play a part. Are you going to play along?

Silas Vane · Yes, I'll play along.

The Dungeon Master · Then a performance check for you as well.

Silas Vane · Done.

The Dungeon Master · Mark, this is appropriate, right? Yeah, I think so.

Silas Vane · So, all parties... They're looking for an effect. He rolled a 16.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, what's your... Six.

Lucan Vey · And if I see him doing the same, I'm going to cast Guidance on him as well.

The Dungeon Master · You get two casts of Guidance.

Lucan Vey · Is that right? It's just Concentration. You can do it all day long. If I'm done with my Concentration.

Eliran Venn · Only one at a time. Yeah.

Lucan Vey · Yeah.

The Dungeon Master · Nat 1. A Nat 1? Nat 1. Oh, I love Nat 1s! This is going to be so good!

Lucan Vey · I should have gone. You did so much better.

Eliran Venn · It looks like you're taking the coins out of the box.

Sister Amara Bell · God dammit!

The Dungeon Master · Dude, this is so fucking good. Fuck! I should have totally gone. Alright, so, Lucan Bay comes in, and he like, comes in like this, and he's very performative. He drops his coins in, and Sister Belle is right in his arm. And they're walking in and he's like, all greetings to you. Be the light be with you. And Silas Vane comes in looking drunk as fuck. Pop went in, knocks the coin over, shoves a couple in his pocket. He's like, sup bitches?

Silas Vane · Yeah.

Tomas Reed · That sounds about right to today.

Sister Amara Bell · Can I ask him to leave?

Tomas Reed · That's actually our only recovery thing. Yeah.

Lucan Vey · Go for it. Okay, I tell you.

Sister Amara Bell · Would you be able to take over like the conversation? Yeah, it's fine.

Tomas Reed · We have to kick him out.

The Dungeon Master · Excuse me, sir. Highly inappropriate in this church.

Lucan Vey · I shake my head in shame. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

The Dungeon Master · Are you trying to have a saving role or something? Hold on.

Silas Vane · I'm going to have to. Wait. Wait. I'm here to treat my alcoholism. I apologize.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · 15.

Silas Vane · 15.

Unattributed · D4. I can't.

Silas Vane · Sorry, sorry. 2. Plus my deception is plus five. So dirty 22.

The Dungeon Master · Dude, you can see her like, she's so fucking angry. She's red as she watched you do that. And she like visibly softens and goes.

Silas Vane · And then I say, and then I say as deep about as possible. And light, forgive me. I want to be better. Please show me.

Lucan Vey · That's a demon I've faced for many years.

The Dungeon Master · Ask the repentance with me, mister. Shall I call you mister? Allow me to connect myself.

Silas Vane · Crocodile tears.

The Dungeon Master · Sir, do the repentance dance with me. We raise our hands in glory. And we bring them down. And we slap ourselves. The light is forgiving you, and the five love you.

Lucan Vey · I feel forgiven!

The Dungeon Master · And I start dancing.

Tomas Reed · Now tie yourself to a stake and lash yourself 40 times outside.

The Dungeon Master · Now, if you'll forgive me, my former protege has walked in the door.

Silas Vane · Of course, of course. I'm going to be over here. Can you give me some prayers to recite?

The Dungeon Master · There's a man over here on this bench. He's without a home. He can teach you this verse.

Silas Vane · Thank you.

The Dungeon Master · Light be with you.

Silas Vane · And I look over at you, and I look over at Sister, and I mouth, When in doubt, it's an energy. Sorry.

Eliran Venn · You've got this. You've got this.

The Dungeon Master · And then I go over to this other guy. She looks softened at you, but then she looks back to Sister Bella, and she's like, You. You should have shut up drunk. Would have worked out better. What brings you here?

Sister Amara Bell · I have some matters I would like to discuss.

The Dungeon Master · Matters?

Sister Amara Bell · First.

The Dungeon Master · You go missing for six months and you want to bring matters to my doorstep?

Lucan Vey · The sister has been hard at work. I can tell that her faith in the light is strong.

The Dungeon Master · And you are?

Lucan Vey · I am a Lucas Vey friend.

The Dungeon Master · Vey? Of the Veyr kind?

Lucan Vey · I can't buy a church.

The Dungeon Master · remember what i said about lying last in the last session when you lied to the dude yeah what you have to say mr vey and your demonic background is of no none of my concern please be silent in this place did you not just praise the Your demon words are not welcome here.

Lucan Vey · I understand. I'll leave.

Eliran Venn · It's technically aberration. I'm not demonic. She's ignorant. She doesn't know. So, Belle. Why are you here? Why are you here?

Silas Vane · Am I within earshot?

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, you can hear the interaction. They're not quiet. She's not talking to you, though, and she doesn't want to hear anything from you anymore.

Silas Vane · Okay. Can I use message?

The Dungeon Master · Sure. Help your teammate out.

Lucan Vey · Phone a friend. I'm gonna drop visibly two gold

The Dungeon Master · Remember, he knocked the font over. The gold has spilled all over the ground.

Lucan Vey · I will clean it up, and then place two gold into it.

The Dungeon Master · She does this at you.

Lucan Vey · Wait, wait, wait.

Eliran Venn · With a single senior.

Silas Vane · No, the one behind my back. Who can ask her one question for you? Will the Light hold a man accountable for the sins of his fathers?

Lucan Vey · Or for his own actions. I dramatically turn back.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · In the doorway with the light starting to go off.

Lucan Vey · The sun sets. Hair brushing across your forehead. As repentant as I can look. Drunk in the middle of the day. Will the light forgive a man for the sins of his ancestors?

The Dungeon Master · I shall ponder upon the examination of consciousness in your question. Good day to you.

Silas Vane · Good day. What? Does the light... How does the light manifest in this world? Can it be heard? Is it a physical force, spiritual force?

The Dungeon Master · It's not like God in this world. The light is a feeling. You know how they describe the Holy Spirit? Yes. Like it's washed upon you, and it's a coat of armor even? That's the light. So when a blessing of light be with you, that's what you're to walk in the light. Okay. Does that answer your question?

Silas Vane · It does. Okay. How well does Silas Vane know any doctrine whatsoever?

The Dungeon Master · You have like a 2 or a 3 in your history on this.

Silas Vane · A 2 or a 3?

The Dungeon Master · Out of 10. So very, very... You're not clergy.

Silas Vane · You're not, yeah.

The Dungeon Master · Do I know any verses? Most of the kingdom is not very light a verse. Like... Other than the most poor, which is what that kind of faith appeals to. Do I know any verses? No. None? No. Fuck. I mean, I guess you have a talisman that would have a verse from your, like, father or some shit in your pocket. What does it say? Oh, God. Um... May the greatest light follow you in your steps. Okay.

Silas Vane · Like the police I know. As Lucan Bay walks out of the church, I turn my back to the dean, but then... So is the dean facing away from me?

Mira Thorne · Yes.

Silas Vane · Okay. I look to my shoulder, and as Lucan Bay walks out and is picking up the coins, and she does this... I whisper in the softest voice using a message to the Dean. What was the talisman? What did it say? I'll just say you said that. Yeah, yeah. May the light follow you.

The Dungeon Master · Oh my god, are you trying to see the corgi that the light is speaking to her? Yes. okay so she like she like blinks her eyes and she's like why it's holy grace i can hear it it comes to me wilkin the light has spoken to me and redemption is yours to redeem

Lucan Vey · I kneel prostrate on the ground. I grew up very religious. I kneel prostrate. Rise, my child.

Unattributed · Join us in the pews here.

Lucan Vey · May your life bless you, Mr. May you find peace. May I find peace.

The Dungeon Master · Sister, why are you here? All of that to get off the blood.

Mira Thorne · Your little girlfriend? What are we doing, Nance? Sponsor the credit union.

Unattributed · Sponsor?

The Dungeon Master · the answer so this church which is you're a member of the chapel of nine bells that's your church this lady is the dean of this church you were a protege growing up and you kind of got as the five got involved with this church and the the The word of the church got altered to kind of match what the five were doing. And there was influence there. You were like, what the fuck is going on here? And you were like, I'm going to have no part of that. And you kind of like got yourself banished. Not banished per se, but they don't like you. And she doesn't like you either. And now you guys are coming here to ask for a favor that the church will sponsor this credit union for you.

Eliran Venn · And it's in the interest of the church, because the church seeks to ease the suffering of the common man. And the credit union will give people a place to not hawk their, you know, things like where they have to take out an insane loan to keep their sick parents, where they can get, you know, fair rates for the necessities of life. It'll keep families together. It'll... it'll allow opportunities to develop that allow a larger place in their hearts for for the light if if they can prosper under under its kindness in gentle terms so i turn over to uh oh i don't know how to pronounce her name dean cassia halver dean calcia halver and

Sister Amara Bell · I'm here because we are trying to get the credit union sponsored.

The Dungeon Master · The credit union? What credit union?

Eliran Venn · We need the blessing and sponsorship of the church because we want to establish a credit union with beneficial terms, but it needs to be done either by a guild or a church. There's only one church in town.

The Dungeon Master · So let me give you some more context in the story. So there's a lending policy in the world, which is what you guys are in Chapter 4, which is the House of Coin, which is lending. They lend money to people, okay? And so you guys, to replace the need for the House of Coin, you guys are making a credit union for a lending policy of your own to lend to citizens so that they can have loans, right? But there's a law that was just proposed that makes credit unions like that illegal for private lending.

Eliran Venn · So instead of people needing to put things on like a 50% interest credit card, they can come to the credit union and borrow at very reasonable terms for a week or two or whatever they need. Yeah. And this is in the interest of the church because you're going to appeal to her pious and religious side. Like, you know, did you not just hear the word of the light? This is a time not for political expediency. This is the time to listen to the child. This is the time to hear the cries of the children in the street that go hungry. This is the time to, you know, you want to appeal to her sense of passion. You want her to sponsor the credit union.

The Dungeon Master · Cragath and Tomas walk into the church side by side. And the dean is distracted. but they walk in and they sit down in this huge together in the back and so in the back next to one of the homeless guys and then like vows his head are you tired of seeing starving children

Sister Amara Bell · Which credit union? How am I supposed to know that one? That's our credit union. You want her to create a credit union. She's creating a credit union.

Eliran Venn · We have the framework, but the credit union must be sponsored by the church.

Tomas Reed · For me to have to reach up to Pat his shoulder is a very friendly man.

Eliran Venn · You can show her the documents.

Tomas Reed · He wishes you nothing but blessings. And then I look at Craig F., like, Are you going to give me coins? And then if she resists, find out what would make it.

Eliran Venn · If this doesn't work for you, why not?

Tomas Reed · So then I take out from my very limited coin, which is big facts, and I hand it to the homeless man and say, if I be with you,

Eliran Venn · Much like your food kitchen.

Tomas Reed · Not madly, reluctantly, but more like madly crying. And then we sit back wanting to observe what's about to go down. Because I assume because you walk in drunk and spill basically the holy water and the tithing. And this guy getting into an argument with a nut is not fair. But also keep in mind that took some points.

Eliran Venn · That's even worse. That's right.

Silas Vane · Reminded me of that. Hell yeah. Fuck yeah. We got more money now.

Eliran Venn · It is in the interest of the light to ease suffering. To see the people prosper. Yeah. The church can make sure that the loans are only for pious things.

Mira Thorne · They want a loan to do dirty business.

Eliran Venn · If they want a loan to get medical care for the family, yes. Send their child to school, yes. Think of all the good that this could do.

Tomas Reed · He's trying to undermine.

Eliran Venn · I mean, they don't like people like you. She can say yes, and a great goodness will be created. Or she can say no, and things will get much worse for the people. It's up to her to brave to stand for the light.

The Dungeon Master · I ask Kragath, brother, you have a faith of your own.

Tomas Reed · Yes. I would like a macaroon. Thank you, Two Coins. It was delicious. I'm actually doing it. Oh, yeah, yeah. That was my favorite thing that was established. And Thomas Reed understands it. I like the rocket raccoons. I dressed him up. No fucking way. Alright, let's bring it back together. I think Sister Belle's ready. She's right. That Krogath looks like that.

The Dungeon Master · Two horns.

Mira Thorne · I love that. Does he look like that?

Unattributed · (Break. The table steps away for about fifteen minutes.)

The Dungeon Master · all right so quick recap team um we are in the chapel um tamas pragath the minotaur um will convey and silas vane is there they're in the pews they're kind of drunk And Sister Bell is talking to the dean, trying to convince her to use the chapel as a means to open the credit union.

Sister Amara Bell · So, I talk to the dean, and I'm asking her Nope, do it in the first person. The matters I wanted to discuss is for the good of the people, and so that's why I decided to bring it up now instead of years in the past. It's just come to my attention that this is a very desired or dire need for the people, especially. And now I can't sit back any longer and just wait for this to happen. So I wanted to bring this up to your attention. Our, or Luke and Vae and a couple other members were just kind of talking and we thought it would be good to open up a credit union to help keep some families together and just make it a good experience for them. So the documents, do you have the documents or do I? Like the draft?

Silas Vane · Nobody's next to you.

Sister Amara Bell · We can bet it's no longer there. That's right, okay. I did not turn you over to my colleague. If you allow a wicked bet,

Lucan Vey · that there is a bill being voted on today that will prevent credit unions such as Sister Armada's from operating, except if it is incorporated under a church or a guild. And we're seeking your approval to put this credit union under a church so that we can do as much as we can.

The Dungeon Master · What would I associate with... You're not associating with us.

Lucan Vey · You're associating with the good deeds of Sister Amara.

The Dungeon Master · The good deeds of Sister Amara? The good deeds! She spoke blasphemy in these halls.

Lucan Vey · If I can speak openly, I think we can all agree. Acts over words. And no one has done more for this city to provide for those who have fallen between the cracks than Sister Amara. And I know that doesn't come meaning much from me, but I've seen it with my own eyes.

The Dungeon Master · I shall sign on one condition. Sister Bell is to preach the verse with me one Sunday in front of the Concord's people.

Sister Amara Bell · Okay.

The Dungeon Master · You shall declare yourself a heretic. and denounce the words you spoke those years ago.

Sister Amara Bell · So that I am like...

Silas Vane · I overhear this.

Sister Amara Bell · Gabe?

Mira Thorne · May I?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · No?

Mira Thorne · Okay. What say you? Preach the words? No problem. Heretic? Wait a second.

The Dungeon Master · Just say that you fell away from the church for a time and you've found your way.

Lucan Vey · She will remain as a sister.

The Dungeon Master · That's correct. Just that she spoke heretical truth.

Sister Amara Bell · So I'm denouncing what I said about the five and being able to serve two masters? Did I learn that correctly? Well, like, do I have to do some sort of, like, check with that? Because, like, I technically don't, so I'd be lying. Okay. What? Let's do it.

Eliran Venn · You can always agree to it, get what you need, and then not do it.

The Dungeon Master · That's true. Very well, sister. I shall sign. If this is traced to me, I own this credit union of yours.

Lucan Vey · We trust in the church.

The Dungeon Master · I have no trust in you, Mr. Bay. But the light be with you. And with that secret of yours that you carry here.

Lucan Vey · It burdens me more than you know.

The Dungeon Master · I can imagine. The greatest weight that lives upon those who live with the greatest darkness. I wonder if the sixth chair was once the church. So that about ends the scene. So Sister Belle agrees to it and declares to basically call herself a heretic that she spoke nonsense.

Lucan Vey · I want to comfort Sister Belle and say you're doing good. These are just simple words. People know you. People know what you've done.

Sister Amara Bell · I'll just be running my soup kitchen in the back of my stove. We'll be fine.

The Dungeon Master · All right. Your next scene sets you guys up to the hearing. It's 1.30 right now. Elrond's going to deliver the statement.

Mira Thorne · I thought we were just going to operate on here.

The Dungeon Master · You guys are going to just not deliver anything to the court.

Silas Vane · Why don't we sit in and hear it out? It doesn't hurt to watch things play out and see how it goes down.

Eliran Venn · So we have the draft. Did we get the statement from... You did get the statement. Oh, okay.

Silas Vane · But we chose not to utilize it in the public hearing because... Because we can open up the credit union for everything.

Eliran Venn · Okay. So I think in that case, I'll return to him if I can before the hearing.

The Dungeon Master · He is in route.

Eliran Venn · to deliver that the um copy of the draft okay so um i believe we found another way that doesn't put you in jeopardy but say more mr ben your bravery and heroism is greatly noted um when would be a good time for our doctor to begin visiting your family was any time served okay you gave me the address i'll have him help him call this evening if that's all right and it looks like we found a loophole by a call but yeah we've had a loophole by examining the draft and the church has agreed to sponsor the credit union so we'll uh we'll take that route rather than risk your name

The Dungeon Master · Greatest blessings to you.

Eliran Venn · Greatest blessings to you. We need citizens that are willing to step above and beyond to restore the system to its balance so that everyone is served equally and in a prosperous way. As you know, if we get the numbers right, the system will run itself. It will, yes. It is a good system. There's just corruption within it. Five provides. They can, yes. Sure, I guess. All right, so I'll tell our doctor, give him the address, and ask him if he can start making visits until they're ready.

The Dungeon Master · Yes, I shall make a visit. Oh, my gosh.

Eliran Venn · Eat these mushrooms.

Tomas Reed · Open wide.

The Dungeon Master · Alright, so you guys are at the council chamber now. It's full of silk. There's silence in the room. A clerk is reading the draft in the voice of a man that's kind of like reading the menu. There's a bear's chair, your dad. It's empty, which is somehow kind of worse. And the undersecretary sits at the end of a bench with his hands folded and his eyes are on the floor. He doesn't look at any of you. He doesn't really look at anything. And so what's your guys' move? Who's going in? Is it Elrond?

Eliran Venn · I have legitimate business there, right? Yeah. So I'll be there. I think our move is just to apply for the church exception. Do we do that here at this hearing or separately?

The Dungeon Master · I don't think you even need to apply for it, really. There's nothing to apply for. They just open it. Okay.

Eliran Venn · It takes about four and a half business hours. So I think we just let this law pass, right? Since we have the exception in place.

Lucan Vey · I would like to hear if anybody in the public has anything to say about it.

Eliran Venn · Yeah, we'll listen to the public commentary.

The Dungeon Master · They read the draft. It's kind of a quiet room. Think about a school board meeting and nobody showed up. It's really depressing, and they're just kind of talking to themselves in what looks like a microphone, but they're just using magical projection. Projection of the voice. And it's a very dull, drab... Think about a filibuster in Congress when they just talk for 18 hours. It's very dull. And at the end of it, it's now 6 o'clock at night. They ask, does anybody have any protest to this decree? And nobody goes up to the stand. There's no nobles there.

Sister Amara Bell · They're probably all, like, tired.

The Dungeon Master · Nobody cares. Nobody wants to make a credit union. Nobody wants lending. They trust the banks. They trust the system. The king is well. The king is well. And they stamp it. By decree. And the news tightens around our neck. And the news tightens. No, we rechartered.

Silas Vane · We're a step ahead. Guys, we're fucking winning. It's like, ooh, oh, a lot faster. Fuck them. This woman thinks I'm gone.

The Dungeon Master · Fuck her too. So you guys are back in the hideout and Sella rolls out the new wall, which is, you know, passed out everywhere. Rolls it out on the table and the loophole sits inside it and you guys, she points to it and she's laughing and you guys are drinking some ale and some mugs and pints and stuff like that. Everyone cheers. Cheers. Cheers. You're here. They're going to audit the charters, so you guys are all good, and the secretary doesn't have to worry about his wife, and you guys are sending the doctor to him anyway.

Eliran Venn · Just to dot a nine across the table, the deal that you made, sister, Luke, and you're our lawyer, is there a criminal penalty for heresy?

Mira Thorne · Let me check. Is there a criminal penalty for heresy? Yeah.

The Dungeon Master · Like religious heresy?

Eliran Venn · Religious heresy. Or is that purely religious? Okay. I thought we were going to find out. Oh, yes. That's execution. It's a capital crime. I am a heretic.

Mira Thorne · I think morale is harder like Joan of Arc.

Sister Amara Bell · Damn, that's crazy.

Eliran Venn · Well, given the good news, shall we go trash the cross swords?

The Dungeon Master · So, Lady Celeste is at your guys' hideout with you guys. You guys have a party of about 12 now with Crack-Ass. and um and Lady Celeste was not at your guys' gathering today she was at her salon as she socializes with nobles and a little boy showed up about 10 years old showed up at her place and he gave her a letter it says for the Lady Arden and her friends uh oh she doesn't have any friends he waits and he said he was told not to leave without a reply so Lady Celeste opened the letter And it reads, My dear friends, I understand you were very thorough at my reception and generous with your time, whether or not you were there. Please forgive me for not being in the chamber today. I find the best arguments are the ones I attend privately. I would be honored to receive you for tea tomorrow at four at my house on Coin Row. There will be no guards you can see and no conversation you cannot leave. I only ask that you come as you are. Lady Arden, I have not forgotten that I shall be in touch. This is me being in touch. Warmly, C.V. Well, that's right.

Eliran Venn · She's banging your dad now. Hell yeah. Let's fucking go.

Lucan Vey · Wingman of the year, dude.

Silas Vane · I don't trust him.

Lucan Vey · To go after my...

Silas Vane · Yo! Yo!

Lucan Vey · Is that what they do?

Silas Vane · I didn't know that.

Lucan Vey · Not exactly. They were betrothed, though.

The Dungeon Master · They were very friendly. They grew up together. You have a thing for her. Friendly?

Lucan Vey · Which grows the friendliest, right?

Mira Thorne · In a time when I had to get some Kevin Samuels in this universe or something.

Silas Vane · Samuels Kevin.

Tomas Reed · Samuels 7. They do not like this. If a fish asks you to throw it a hook, would you trust it?

Lucan Vey · The fish has the hook in this case.

Silas Vane · There is always a bigger fish.

Mira Thorne · This is the biggest fish. Well, it's the... You know. The bod is drunk.

Lucan Vey · I apologize. Andrew, contract is in the house? Yes, we... Contract?

Tomas Reed · Contract? What do we hope to gain from this? Who is this? Can we sense on who this is?

Mira Thorne · I'm angry. You meet with him, he shows up, I kill him, one down.

Sister Amara Bell · You're going to kill his father. No. That's not smart.

Mira Thorne · I'm sorry. Who's admitting to heresy and sacrifice and their principles?

Sister Amara Bell · That's crazy. At least I've never told anybody. I guess I just imagined all that happened.

Mira Thorne · I guess I just imagined all that happened.

Silas Vane · Let us bring it together. Come on.

Tomas Reed · I like that.

Silas Vane · We should bring it together. Guys. And Tomas, I think it's a fair point. There's obviously an ulterior motive here. But let's think for a second. Let's think for a second, right? They're politicians. They have a reason to gain from this. So let's think, what could they gain from having an audience with us? Obviously, killing us, true. I don't think we should all go. However, he also already knows Celeste has some level of association with the Resistance. One of us has already been identified. Whoever shows up would also be identified. So it would be tactical for only some of us to go. or none of us to go at all.

The Dungeon Master · Well, Selin looks at you and goes, I think we should slow down. I think we're walking into a trap here.

Eliran Venn · How should... He knows that there's friends. He doesn't know who the friends are, or I think his arrogance would have identified us by name.

Silas Vane · We would have received a letter directly.

Eliran Venn · personal invitations.

Tomas Reed · Someone needs to say, stay with the lady.

Eliran Venn · I don't think there's any physical harm here. It is a tarap of sorts, but the... Kashin Vair is not one for physical traps. He's one to corner you strategically and with his mind. He's hoping to learn more from us than we'll learn from him with this meeting.

Silas Vane · There's a tactical advantage.

Eliran Venn · We absolutely should not all go. Lady Celeste should go, obviously. um who does he know that she associates with um everybody was in disguise or had a legitimate purpose to be at the party right

Lucan Vey · Yes. So at the party, everybody was separate?

Eliran Venn · Or was not seen. At the party, some of us were there on business, like me. And some were... Or they were hidden. We had some kick-ass disguises going.

The Dungeon Master · Ladies, Celeste, I just have to clarify that I don't... She doesn't believe that she's referring to, like, the letters, meaning that the letters talk about you guys, but just, like, her friends at the salon. Oh, okay. Not your party. Oh, okay. Just my friends. Like, bring you and your ladies. Disguise time. I don't think any of us should be free. This boy is still waiting for an answer. Before he can return to, uh... Shit, yeah, we can't just have this whole conversation in front of him. We should just say yes. With the... What?

Tomas Reed · No.

The Dungeon Master · I'm gonna give you a disadvantage if you keep going against your character. We don't kill children. Wait, hold on a second. Is the kid still there? Yes, the kid's still there.

Silas Vane · The kid's at the salon.

The Dungeon Master · We're not all at the salon.

Lucan Vey · We're ready to sit in for Lady Celeste.

The Dungeon Master · What is Lady Celeste going to tell him?

Lucan Vey · I say give a big yes, and then we'll figure out the details after. Okay. Agreed? Any objection?

Eliran Venn · Agreed. Yeah. She'll say, I will be delighted and I will bring a boisterous party of the most interesting people. Okay.

The Dungeon Master · to clarify where are we right now I will bring my minotaur you're at the hideout okay so I want to get some people engaged in this part of it where you guys weren't before so somebody like Mira you would be good to scout the house with your roll

Mira Thorne · Okay, I'll go along.

Eliran Venn · You'd also be a good friend to go because he's expecting women to go. And Lady Celeste can doll you up.

Lucan Vey · I still want a conversation if she's going to be snooping around the house. But Andrew, I want to clarify with you. The quiet apartment, the quiet apartment, is it in the house?

The Dungeon Master · In his house? His house.

Lucan Vey · I don't know. Is it? I know that I know where it is. I'm going to say yes, just for convenience.

The Dungeon Master · It's in the house.

Lucan Vey · Just for convenience. I'm going to communicate that there is a contract, and I'm going to give all the information that I know in my head as listed on what it looks like and no information on what it is, and ask that Mira, who I know and keep secrets… will believe me on this and help me out. Get any information on this contract if you can, and know that it's probably well guarded. Okay.

The Dungeon Master · Tomas, you worked at the servants gossip this week at the market. You were undercover. Aye, for a moment. What did you hear about their staff?

Tomas Reed · Professor Dungeon Master? No, none of that?

Mira Thorne · All right. I do recall. Mm-hmm. I might find this.

Tomas Reed · I know I'm missing information, but from it.

Eliran Venn · Is this in your background sheet? Is it? I don't know. It is. Oh, okay. Yeah.

Tomas Reed · I'll move on.

The Dungeon Master · So Jax, can you ask around the warbs?

Mira Thorne · Warbs?

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, the warbs area.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay.

The Dungeon Master · And learn what he buys. okay find that out when when he buys it and who he sells it to or who sells what he's buying so where he buys what he buys how much Elrond, do you know anything about the debasement that's going on? The debasement? What do you mean by debasement? In that you can tell when Vaer is lying by omission.

Eliran Venn · Can I tell when Vaer is lying by omission? I don't think so, no.

The Dungeon Master · What do you know about the undersecretary and the coercion that went on?

Eliran Venn · Oh, yes. He threatened the undersecretary with his livelihood and medical treatment for his parents. Everything through the vault is based on well-documented blackmail. Everybody has a price. Everybody has a tipping point.

The Dungeon Master · Well, Silas, what are we going to do?

Mira Thorne · Well, I can't go. I think all of our female companions should go that aren't immediately recognizable. Celeste. Thorn.

Silas Vane · How, uh... No.

Tomas Reed · Sister.

Silas Vane · Is there any backup? Sister, the environment may compromise you spiritually. I don't know if it would be the best place for you. But, in my opinion, I think that's your choice. Would you bother to know who she is?

Eliran Venn · I mean, the five are probably aware because... We have a disguise expert, though.

Tomas Reed · We believe that protection should be within arm's reach, such as our last covert operation, which it was very well necessary.

Lucan Vey · I don't believe my father will do anything to harm anybody.

The Dungeon Master · Okay. Then myself should stay back. When you guys are going to this tea party with Tara, you guys need to agree on three different things before you go there. Okay. You need to agree on what you want to get from him. You need to agree on what you refuse to say. And you need to agree on who goes. And what does people who are going, what are you going to do?

Lucan Vey · I assume Celeste's alignment would allow her to fly through a heap.

Mira Thorne · Sure.

Eliran Venn · Yeah, so I think the women of the group go.

Silas Vane · Yeah.

Eliran Venn · I think we disguise everybody but Lady Celeste. I think we want to give as little information as possible. I don't think he knows that there's a conspiracy yet. And it seems like he's vain and maybe a little narcissistic, so we can use that against him to get more information from him. I'd like to know about the sixth chair, if that can come up. um i'd like to know about his arrangement with the king or if there's an actor in place of the king um probably the path to that would be for lady celeste to uh just compliment him and you know just oh you know you're so powerful you're clearly of all the five that the leader of it like What kind of brilliant mind can come up with these strategies? How many steps ahead are you thinking now? What is the next step? So we want to get some information on what he's working on now, what the future is. What are the plans if the leaders of the five are eliminated? Like if somebody dies early or something, is there a succession plan? Is there anybody amongst the five that he's got beef with that he doesn't particularly like? Are there existing beefs between others? Like, oh no, the house of grain and the vault are currently disputing. We want to know what's the deal with buying the gold at inflated prices. This is a lot of highly charged topics.

The Dungeon Master · Does he know that you know about the gold?

Eliran Venn · Does he know that we know? He doesn't know that we know. So these are all very difficult things to pull out of somebody in conversation skillfully, but that's kind of what Lady Celeste is built for.

Silas Vane · I would say a more readily one could call low-hanging fruit, right? The goal and the reason we pursued this course of action regarding the most recent decree, the credit union, was to subvert the regulation make it so convoluted eventually it implodes in on itself we already have a front row seat we're already a couple steps ahead of them right part of the implosion learning where there's cracks in the system and i think lady celeste can get some excellent cheese man on some of the infighting and power struggles and give us some opportunities to pit the five against each other and speed up the implosion. So I think, at bare minimum, we should learn about some of the unrest taking place within the infrastructure that we can weaponize later.

Eliran Venn · How many second-level spells can you cast per day?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Two. Okay.

Eliran Venn · So we can also have Lady Amara prepare the spell augury that day, which will allow her to ask a single yes or no question of the light. It's got to be about something that will occur in the next 30 minutes. So right before they can go in, she can ask, well, you know, It's a wheel or woe question. Will it bring us wheel or woe to have security nearby? Will it bring us wheel or woe to ask about this?

Tomas Reed · Or just a, okay, will he lie to us about, like kind of the classic one tells only truth, one tells only lie, right? If you can ask one of them, is your next question going to be a lie? right it ends the whole debacle of that exact you know i guess per se question depending on what you ask right like yeah we we could we could try and puzzle on a logic puzzle there to get an answer just how was that cast what's that how was that how was uh how was it cast

Eliran Venn · She uses divination materials like she either rolls the bones or turns over tarot cards or some divination trapping.

Tomas Reed · I just think like a yes or no at this point.

Eliran Venn · And then at the end of the casting, she asks her question.

Lucan Vey · The idea is if you do it in front of him, he's going to be aware that you stabbed him.

Eliran Venn · But it's good for 30 minutes in the future. So they cast it right before you go in. So it will bring his wheel or row to... You have to powder your nose. To try and... So I don't know what those questions are, but we should come up with two questions.

Tomas Reed · Is there a yes or no? Yeah, I agree completely. My vote, as a little doxman, is we either come up with a specific scenario or a yes or no that can be answered by that. That'll give us some sort of direction, such as is there a is there or isn't there um yeah exactly that's what i'm thinking of that's just a straightforward way of giving us direction from this if we're going to cast that spell all i can say i don't know by casting gem inlaid sticks rolling dragon bones laying out our mate cards or employing some other dividing tool

Eliran Venn · You receive an omen from an otherworldly entity about the results of a specific course of action that you plan to take in the next 30 minutes. The DM chooses the following possible omens. Weal for good results, woe for bad results, weal and woe for both good and bad results, or nothing for results that aren't especially good or bad. The spell does not take into account any possible circumstances that might change the outcome, such as the casting of additional spells or the loss of gain of a companion. Uh-oh. If you cast the spell two or more times before completing your next long rest, there's a cumulative 25% chance for each casting after the first that you get a random reading. The DM makes this roll in secret. So we really have one question. Yeah, yeah. And then the second question is 75.

Lucan Vey · Sister Amara asks it. Does that mean the first question they have to ask is... No, she asks a question.

Eliran Venn · About a course of action for the next 30 minutes. Normally you would use it like... Will it bring us weal or woe to attack the troll and try to take their treasure? Weal and woe. You're probably going to die from the troll, but there's a lot of treasure. Will it bring us wheel or, you know, will it be safe to drink the wine at the party? Whoa, the wine is poisoned.

Lucan Vey · What if it's wheel or whoa, do we just try to deceive Cassidy? Do we just go in? Do they go in and just try to extract as much information as they can without... Giving anything to themselves, or do they try to deceive him?

Eliran Venn · We could also just ask, will it bring his wheel or woe to go to this party? And if he's got a serious trap set for us, it's woe. Yeah, you know what? We come up with an excuse.

Tomas Reed · That's what I'm saying. There we go, right there.

Eliran Venn · So I think that's your spell. At least then we're not... Cast Augury right before you go in. Will it bring his wheel or woe to go in here? But if it's low, then get the fuck out of here.

Sister Amara Bell · Well, because we have a 30-minute limit to it, so if we do it now, we'd have to do our...

Eliran Venn · It can only look 30 minutes into the future.

Tomas Reed · How do you know?

Eliran Venn · So if his trap is set for 35 minutes, like, yeah, now I take him to the dungeon and cut off their toes one at a time. We won't know about that. It's got to be in the next 30 minutes.

Silas Vane · If I were to use any of my spells before they go in... I have bardic inspiration.

Eliran Venn · You want to give each of them bardic inspiration before they go in yes that'll last for 10 minutes or 30 minutes and they can add a d6 to their To die roll of their choice.

Sister Amara Bell · I could do this first and then like he can do this like stuff after Just kind of like in the corner and then we could go yeah right before you go in you stop to powder your nose You cast your spell he does his bardic inspirations So Tomas you're good with servants.

The Dungeon Master · I You're a working man.

Eliran Venn · Your other second level spell?

The Dungeon Master · Do you want to hear what the staff has to say before they go in? Yes.

Tomas Reed · I'd love to hear what the staff has to say.

Eliran Venn · That'll give them advantage in all their charisma rolls. Deception, persuasion.

Tomas Reed · So should I be disguised?

Eliran Venn · So you don't actually have all your spells here. These are the ones you have prepared. You know where the servants are. You can prepare from the whole list.

The Dungeon Master · You know working class people. Okay.

Tomas Reed · How would you go talk to them? Hi. So, this is in the coin district, right? Coin row, yep. Coin row. And obviously, is Kragas going to be with me? Sure. I would like for him to be with me. He has a gentle heart, pray.

Eliran Venn · An intimidating discipliner. These are the things he's going to put on me.

The Dungeon Master · I can see why. So, you both walk up to a little halfling, which you happen to recognize as the maid of the home. Which has never really affected the maid, if they're trying to dust the upper shelves, you know. And you big, hulking figures. A halfling is about three foot tall. Literally, less than half. And you two towering figures come up to them, and he just goes, Ooh. And she's trembling in fear, but she recognizes you.

Tomas Reed · I say, hello there, Mira. How are you, my little friend? And I toss her into the air. And she starts, at first, hopefully in fear. And I go, don't you remember? Halfling volleyball. Put me down, put me down, put me down. I'm hoping she remembers. I'm hoping she remembers me from the good old days. Do I have to roll for anything for that?

The Dungeon Master · He doesn't like being picked up.

Tomas Reed · Which is exactly why it's a form of endearment. I go, I would like you to meet my even larger friend, Progress.

Eliran Venn · So it lasts for up to an hour.

Tomas Reed · He said he likes your hair. Yes. He nods in agreement.

Eliran Venn · So they roll 2d20 to take the better out of the charisma checks. Should I say, Big Mayor, you are the tallest of your sisters.

Lucan Vey · And the cutest man I have.

Eliran Venn · She's not a child. She's small.

Tomas Reed · She is way tiny. I have to...

The Dungeon Master · I have to be really good so you can consider things like... It's been a while, Tomas. What can I do for you?

Tomas Reed · I understand you work for Mr. Faye. Very. That's very true.

Unattributed · I understand you work for Mr. Faye, yes?

Tomas Reed · In this very humble... No one is... compensating for anything.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, he keeps me busy about six and a half business days per week.

Eliran Venn · They can only tell the truth. They can be as amazing as one. They have to tell the truth. Little one.

Tomas Reed · Larger. Whatever you prefer.

Eliran Venn · I have some friends that are invited here tonight. I need to know if there's anything out of my ordinary form.

Tomas Reed · This stands to argue, yes, that you may have noticed me, one that doesn't agree, comes in and out of all of the private rooms.

Eliran Venn · What can you tell me, man? He's a pretty cautious dude.

Tomas Reed · About Mr. Vare?

The Dungeon Master · About anything out of the ordinary of this party compared to another. I don't know. He spends a lot of money on dust and dusters. The finest quality, I tell you. Finest quality dusters. I do say, he had the foot soldier come in and move his strongbox up to the study last week. The study? I see.

Tomas Reed · Do you know? Of course you know. I'm social intelligence. Which floor would that be, my friend? Uh, the second floor. The second floor? Of all these many?

The Dungeon Master · It's out of my reach. Huh. It's not a sh... So a little bit up on the stairs. I joke. I joke. And something about these dusters they got me. She holds one up. He doesn't really like anyone cleaning the picture over the mantel.

Tomas Reed · Fancy dusters. Can't touch the mantel. The picture over the mantel. Probably a secret vault or door behind it. I see. And the lockbox is on the second floor. My friend, you've earned yourself a pint that I'm sure weighs more than you.

The Dungeon Master · Are you staging a heist?

Tomas Reed · A heist? Look at me.

The Dungeon Master · What could I rob that I already haven't consumed? That's right, my fat fellow. You aren't going to give me any meat for free, are you, love? Meat? I can't even afford to pay for bread.

Tomas Reed · inspiration inspiration I think my good friend in his many ginormous pockets might have a piece of bread I ain't here not you progress there's no way

The Dungeon Master · large 500 pound ass you want some pocket bread I want to just remind you this is about to be fucking hilarious but I thought that she just said she dressed him I want to remind you what he's wearing so he reaches back behind him behind his loincloth and produces a crushed piece of bread what a piece of chocolate I look at her I go

Tomas Reed · I look at her and I go... Wait, wait. He goes... And he sniffs it and goes... And I look at her and go...

The Dungeon Master · The halfling takes it really reluctantly. And... Disgusting, kind of. Good day to you, Tomas. It scurries away.

Tomas Reed · I tell her as she leaves, you'll find me again. I owe you a gallon of meat and a loaf of bread, my love. And I go back to our friends. Which I assume are waiting. Are they in the hideout still? Or are we about to do this thing?

The Dungeon Master · It's the day. It's the day before the tea party. The day of the tea party. You're in the day of that. Cool. So Jax, I'm going to engage you for a second. Do you want to go ask around the warps today?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Yeah, I can do that. Unless there's something else.

The Dungeon Master · Okay. So... You... I mean, you're kind of a wealthy person in the land. People know you. You're a financier. You're the person financing this credit union, too. Let's face it. You know this chick. Her name is Marla Tench. And she's a Wharfside stall owner. And she kind of already tells you what the party's half-knowing. So you walk up to this chick. She's a tiefling, too. Okay.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay.

The Dungeon Master · Kind of like your husband.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Yeah.

Mira Thorne · We're in character.

The Dungeon Master · We are. And she's busy. She's got a clipboard. She's got a hat on. But you know this chick. She's a business owner like you.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay. And then she's the one who's going to have this information? She will. She will. Well, it's her casualty. How you doing?

The Dungeon Master · Hello.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · How's it going?

The Dungeon Master · Oh, you know, it's busy. We're shorthanded into the dock.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · We need some people? I know some people. Do you need some people?

The Dungeon Master · What about two people?

Tomas Reed · One being a giant cow man.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Well, I have some steady people that I can send you your way. I can take care of their pay. You can try them out, and then we'll figure it out.

The Dungeon Master · You're going to pay for my employees?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Yeah, just to give them a try.

The Dungeon Master · Why would you do that?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Because when else would you hire them?

The Dungeon Master · Well, the five provides, don't they?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Yeah, but isn't this going to make it easier for you? Gives them a shot, takes care of you. Christ, it relieves some of your stress.

The Dungeon Master · Well, to hire a worker of the force, I have to file Form 37A. Well, okay.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Have fun, you know.

The Dungeon Master · It takes two business months to get that through.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · No problem.

Sister Amara Bell · That's fine.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · That's fine. Anyway, I'm trying to find out some information.

Sister Amara Bell · I'm trying to find out.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I'm not going to push it. Let her struggle. So I'm trying to find out information from Dom there, right? But just generally, you're just trying to figure out what this guy goes shopping for? Just in general, like his groceries?

Sister Amara Bell · Am I looking for anything highly suspicious?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · You guys just asked me to find out generally.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah. Well, last night at the party, you guys talked about him buying foreign gold. Remember this? Mm-hmm. How does foreign gold get into the kingdom?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · That's a question for you. We haven't even talked about other kingdoms. How does that exchange work? Is the exchange rate equal?

The Dungeon Master · That's why I'm pushing you towards the wars.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay. But I need to know this information beforehand. Is the coin exchangeable at any location?

The Dungeon Master · That's what you guys are trying to find out. What is he doing with this gold?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · But I'm trying to find the legality to that first.

The Dungeon Master · They are the law.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay, so any gold can come into our country and we can just spend it however we want with any exchange? No. It's the House of Point. no not exactly so there's an exchange rate and then it's done it's done at a higher actual levels no citizen just takes a foreign currency and just exchanges it for coin okay so that currency is not circulating amongst the people no it's just he has access to foreign foreign exchanging is the exchange rate in his favor we don't know it should be like i thought i thought we did i thought they said

Eliran Venn · they're paying more for it than it would be worth. So if they're paying more for it, then they're trying to make it scarce or more expensive for other buyers. And if they're buying up gold, like specifically gold and not just foreign currency, then it may be that they're looking at collapsing the existing currency and not giving people an alternative to kind of weather the collapse. Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Bell?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Yeah, I'm just trying to see how many, you know, how's the import rate been lately? Have we been, you know, mostly exporting, or have we seen, like, a big influx of imported goods?

The Dungeon Master · Oh, well, come to think of it, there's been some strange things coming through here lately. Big shipments of Ilverian gold. Three times this month, in fact.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Can I ask you which Exchange officers have been approving these ships coming through?

The Dungeon Master · Well, we have a Consul for Ill-Bearing Consulate. That's Seraphine Aldo. And they've been watching the rate board. She just told me that the wharf rate has been drifting from the Tuesday rate for about six weeks now because of this.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Is she the typical one who approves most of these ships, or is it approved?

The Dungeon Master · She's not an improving 30, but she's falling to currency.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay. So mostly just gold, no other particular items or anything like that?

The Dungeon Master · Nothing out of the usual. A brain comes through here. Vigilantes, people that can't show up on time, you know, the usual.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Yeah. Do you have any idea where this gold is at? After it gets you?

The Dungeon Master · We don't say. It just shows up on a caravan, shows up for it. It shows up in a wagon and it's gone. It's out of my hands.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I'm just curious. I gotta imagine that there's some extra security force. Somebody has to come out and escort this character. A whole ship of gold?

The Dungeon Master · Come to think of it, it seems to happen every time I'm not here on shift is when it moves.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Oh, that's interesting. Who's your replacement on those days?

The Dungeon Master · Well, I had a supervisor here, but we had to let him go. He became a vigilante, so...

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · So there's no... nobody's covering your shift when you're not here?

The Dungeon Master · I'll take an action item with Miss Voss to see if we can get another supervisor for the evening shift.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Which... is that on the same day every week? I'm just curious. I might have, you know, again, somebody who might need some employment.

The Dungeon Master · I'll have to check the records on that.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay.

The Dungeon Master · And here's 37A, Application for Employment to the Docs.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Thank you. Appreciate it. And, uh... Here you go, some macaroon. Let's walk around with these. Would you like a macaroon?

The Dungeon Master · I don't believe in macaroons.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Thank you. Oh, no problem. Just off me.

The Dungeon Master · I don't believe in them.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · And then I'll hand the macaroon to some, uh... I'll hand the macaroon to some sad child on the floor.

Eliran Venn · Give it to the minotaur to stash for the next time somebody's hungry.

The Dungeon Master · It's a slice of bread with a brown streak. Chocolate swirl. God damn it.

Tomas Reed · This is too funny, man. That's what me and Kragers gave to that halfling.

The Dungeon Master · They don't call him Kragass for nothing. Smuggler extraordinaire.

Eliran Venn · He's got deep pockets He's a nice guy.

Silas Vane · I can't do this. I can't do this.

The Dungeon Master · Oh, man. He's got a big loaf. He takes his big axe to slice it. Hell yeah.

Tomas Reed · What do you think holds that big axe steady? Do you see a sash?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Alrighty, Bob's gonna play it cool. I'm going to tell them, um, if you ever need some extra work, you can find me and I'll, uh, hook you up. Goodbye now.

The Dungeon Master · Goodbye to you. The five provides.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · The five provides. The five provides.

Tomas Reed · You have 700 pounds of man and cow. Cow doesn't even need to go to the water. Yeah, Kal's actually pretty easy now. No, I'm talking about him.

The Dungeon Master · I mean, technically that's just a deal with the Kal. Elrond, do you want to prepare the questions that would catch him in a half-church? Ooh.

Eliran Venn · Let me just fill some. I'm not sure I have the intelligence for that. Elrond certainly does. We were talking about an alternative strategy too. So, and this could be really risky, but I think Lady Celeste might be able to pull it off. So there's two spells in play here. She has access to a spell called Enhance Ability, which lasts an hour. She can put it on a Lady Celeste or whoever. It allows them, when they're making any roll related to a certain stat, let's say Charisma rolls for Persuasion or Deception, to roll with advantage every time she rolls. Okay. So that's one thing that we can go in there with. The other is a spell called Zone of Truth, which when you cast it, it creates a radius around you where only truth can be told. And everybody in it knows that they must tell the truth and only the truth. They can be as evasive as they want, and they can omit things and say things cleverly, but it must be the truth only.

Silas Vane · Well, they know they're under...

Eliran Venn · They'll know they're under it, but I'm thinking if Lady Celeste can really play on this guy's lust, if she can get him kind of like drunk and horny enough, be like, darling, let us play a game of truth or dare. My friend has a great parlor trick. Delilah. Yes! That's the spell, you know? And then he gets to ask us questions, but we get to ask him questions. We Bugs Bunny him.

Silas Vane · Yeah.

Eliran Venn · He might be too shrewd to go for that.

Silas Vane · I like it, unless you guys dress me up as a chick. What does he think?

Eliran Venn · But the deal is, Sister Amara, you only get two second level spells. So you're choosing from Augury, which is the 30 minute wheeler woe question. The Enhance Ability, which will be critical to making good rolls in there to try and get information out of them. and then zone of truth if he's willing to go for it, which would give you a period where you can engage in a game with him where you get to ask each other questions back and forth.

Silas Vane · I think the zone of truth is the most cinematic and cool scene. If we can get him to go for it. I feel like that pairing is probably... I feel like zone of truth would be fabulous.

Eliran Venn · Oh, it could, but that's what makes it interesting. Not interesting. You could always hit him with your suggestion. Father, just play the game. It'll be fun. Because you got the suggestions.

Lucan Vey · You could play too. My question is, during the last session, was it like... I don't trust Cassian to actually purely be into Celeste for romantic reasons.

Silas Vane · That's what I'm asking.

Lucan Vey · Like, if someone wasn't in the session, does it seem like he might have ulterior motives, or was this purely romantic?

Eliran Venn · I would say that's a retroactive Insight role, maybe. What would Bukin have seen if he was... Lady Celeste would be the best judge of that, because she knows when people like her.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah, I mean, I guess I can give her an Insight. She is a whore. Her Insight's going to be trash. She's a lady of class. You're right. I have a seven, so... I say it with the... I mean, you bat his eyelashes, he was kind, and that's about all she can decide for me.

Lucan Vey · Could I do an inside check on that?

The Dungeon Master · You weren't enough there. You were kind of drunk.

Lucan Vey · Just knowing, knowing the people that told me about the interaction and knowing my father.

Eliran Venn · Maybe a disadvantage.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · My father is

Eliran Venn · He likes minotaurs. He's the gayest guy in the whole kingdom. He likes power top minotaurs.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I guess we have your first mission.

Mira Thorne · It's like hanging onto the wall. Oh, bro!

The Dungeon Master · By itself with everything modified? Yeah. Okay, so it reveals that he surrounds himself with women to like, you know, as a status symbol, but really he's closeted. so and you know this about like yeah so you know this about like the uh the sec the quiet partner he talks to people and has people around and he goes into the study wait hours of the evening and people coming out of the house that you can't really see

Lucan Vey · I'll convey any concern about how straightforward...

Eliran Venn · So the interest is sincere, just not the way we think. Lady Celeste is a big trophy. She's one of the most beautiful, desired women around town. You just doesn't really desire her for what most people do.

Lucan Vey · It's status. Lucan also can tell the group what he saw when he spoke to the king.

The Dungeon Master · I will also add to that before I answer that one. He was kind of a dick to your mom. And you don't really appreciate that. Remember, you're estranged from the household. You don't like your dad. And you don't give a fuck what he does with his time.

Lucan Vey · Yeah, I just feel like there might be ulterior motives, but it seems like the ulterior motive, he just wants to look at... Like the motive with Celeste.

Eliran Venn · So, like, he'll want to win her favor, so he might be willing to play the truth or dare game, just not for sexual reasons. He'll want it for just to... You know it's... So she's on to him.

The Dungeon Master · He's not looking for a wife. That's all you can really...

Tomas Reed · Okay, so now that I know this, I also know... of things.

The Dungeon Master · I want to make sure I'm clear to everyone that isn't Smith or Snappy. I did not say the word that he's gay. No, it's closeted. He's deeply closeted. Closeted. Not the same day.

Tomas Reed · Closeted warlock. Same day.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Hold on.

Tomas Reed · He likes something.

Lucan Vey · Lavender Lord. Oh, so it's that kind of.

Tomas Reed · It's my favorite day of the campaign.

Lucan Vey · This definitely didn't inherit that from my father.

Tomas Reed · If you like Norm MacDonald, you'll know why this is my favorite day.

Lucan Vey · So about the second question about what I saw.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · How politically accurate is this?

Tomas Reed · What is it?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · What kind of closeted something does he like?

Tomas Reed · There's a whole lot of races in this one. I'm going to leave that a secret. But also, I do have to relay to the team what I know before we go in on this. We got the information. We got the team together. We now know he's closeted. Are we having anybody male come through? Nah. I say we disguise him.

Silas Vane · God damn it. Fuck.

Tomas Reed · That was just a joke. I say we disguise him.

Mira Thorne · Okay, hang on. I gotta get to it. No, I'm kidding. I could do it. Hang on. I probably wouldn't even be able to do jack to squat. Team, I spoke with my evergreen friend.

The Dungeon Master · Before we go into the team beat, I want to make sure I touch Mira's thread here. I'm going to ask you, you, having worked in this spindle, you kind of know how these houses are all built. Do you want to go check out what this house looks like from the outside?

Mira Thorne · Yeah, I can scout it.

The Dungeon Master · Okay, let's have you go over there.

Tomas Reed · Okay. Wait. Talk to me about this. Can I say, can I give the information first? About? About what I learned from my halfling friend. Sure. Good luck, yeah. Mira. Now, I'd say it's probably about 3 p.m. Is that correct to say? Still middle of the day-ish? Something like that? Yeah. I went to check. Me and Kragas went to check with my beloved halfling friend. And she had informed me some crucial pieces of information. There is a lockbox hidden on the second floor. And also, there is a specific painting in the master's chamber that no one is allowed to dust with special dusters. Although I do not know what to do much with that information, I feel like you understanding the way that these temples of narcissism are built. configure how to navigate this information.

Lucan Vey · I try to lock eyes with Mira and not as he says to call me.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Because he said that they were also dusting everything, right?

Tomas Reed · Dusting everything with special dusters, but not allowed to touch a specific photo in the master's chamber. That sounds like... And the lockbox was moved to the second floor.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · That sounds like they're covering a draft. Because the dust would settle in the... With the pool. Clever halfling. I just feel like if I don't go in and try to sneak in, I don't see any way of getting to any other spots inside.

Mira Thorne · Like, if I just walk into Skies, we're just gonna be in a room surrounded by, like, the baddest MFers in the kingdom. Oh, no, if you sneak.

Tomas Reed · So, are you gonna... If you find anything, are you thinking of bringing it back, or do you want to scout, and then when we get the distraction with our fine baby boy...

Lucan Vey · It just depends on that. I would say to scout this time. Scout, yes. Then use it.

The Dungeon Master · Okay. Alright Mira, walk me through your scene. What does scouting around this house look like to you? Alright, um... How would you Mira Thor and walk around a house and scout it?

Mira Thorne · Well, I might already have some information on it before I go there, possibly.

The Dungeon Master · Would you?

Mira Thorne · Well, just, whatever, for the... It's like, we have the kids all around the area. That part would be a history check. Okay. History check.

The Dungeon Master · History checker.

Mira Thorne · Like in the dossier or in a roll or something? It's a roll. I guess history check is a roll.

The Dungeon Master · Mm-hmm. Let's go.

Tomas Reed · Edit. Edit, bro. Nat 20. There's some space.

Mira Thorne · This is a 20, right? Yep.

Tomas Reed · Yeah, fuck it up.

Mira Thorne · You know that there's a coach in the yard from your children. You know that the study is on the first floor.

The Dungeon Master · That's what they're doing.

Mira Thorne · Okay, that's it? That's it. Okay, so getaway vehicle and we don't have to go up a floor to get to the space. Good. Okay. I want a little, I'm going to get a little bit, since I already have that background, I'm going to actually visit the site at a safe distance and see what the security situation is. So what can I see? Am I rolling for a check? Walk me through how you can get a building in. I'm just going to first check the outside for what the routine, if there is some kind of routine security route or people they have there, and also just register doorways and windows generally.

The Dungeon Master · Give me an investigation check.

Mira Thorne · 28 again, right? I sense a 19. What is it? 11.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · 15.

Mira Thorne · Alright, 15.

The Dungeon Master · Investigation?

Mira Thorne · Yeah.

The Dungeon Master · Alright, so you have, there's a narrow carriage muse behind the house. There's two men that stand idle by the muse door with the posture of guards pretending not to be guards.

Mira Thorne · Okay. But no one else is visible from outside. Can I see anything through any windows or how many entryways there are? You see a lamp burning in the study. On the first floor. How many floors is the building in total?

The Dungeon Master · Two.

Mira Thorne · And there's only one front entrance? Yep, and there's a back door. Where is the study situated from the front door to the back door?

The Dungeon Master · To the left.

Mira Thorne · So if I walk through the front door, the studies immediately, there's like a hallway and then immediately to the left. And this is the space we're supposed to meet at.

The Dungeon Master · Yep, that's where they're going for tea.

Mira Thorne · But there's no guards by the entrance, they're just next to that... The back door. Yeah. So there's no one in the front. Throw some Sneak.

Tomas Reed · Get past that.

The Dungeon Master · Throw a rock. That's what you discover. So, Elrond, let's talk about you for a second.

Eliran Venn · Yeah.

The Dungeon Master · So, you know a few things about Cassian, and you also know based on, like, the historian of the party, the intelligence wizard of the party, you know that, like, there's things that are going on. And specifically, if you guys recall from the main storyline, that Cassian has been... There's been something that's been changing the coin for the last six years. And so, like, when you come up with questions that your party wants to ask, you're not going, but the girls are going. Yeah. You're going to want to prepare them with questions. Yeah. So that they have the right questions to ask him. Because he doesn't lie outright. He only talks in half-truths.

Eliran Venn · Okay, so we know that about him. Correct. He's never dishonest. Okay, well, that's useful. Okay, so we don't need the zone of truth at all, then, because we already got it. He speaks in half-truths.

Sister Amara Bell · Okay. Do we want to do the other question, then? Should we go to this party?

Eliran Venn · uh yeah i think i think we i think we should i think we can get take that as a gimme the scene is intended just to medicate that a little bit um but let's get it we want to think about a different question there yeah okay so we want to know about who is the sixth chair and you said the coin's only been manipulated for uh

The Dungeon Master · six years okay so yeah why the manipulation of the coin you guys have talked about the portrait now which has gotten discovered from the servants oh right that's at the place they're going but it's on the second floor it's in it's in the study

Mira Thorne · Okay, sorry. I'm just making sure I didn't miss something.

Eliran Venn · We want to know about his arrangement with the king, because he's the one behind that.

The Dungeon Master · You know about the foreign gold, and you've learned from Jax that's Ilvarin gold, from the Kingdom of Ilvarin, whatever that means. And so you want to know where he's taking this gold.

Eliran Venn · Yeah. Yeah. What's the deal with the gold and where is it?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Why the drastic drop in the currency exchange this week? It's also very suspicious because it leaves incognito, and then every evening when that ship comes through, the typical dock worker who was there has been off ship.

Tomas Reed · So something's going on.

Eliran Venn · So given we have time to prepare for this, I'd like to propose the following mechanic. If I can drill them on, like, ask this, find this, if he does this, counter this, will you allow me to metagame or like you pass this or counter with that or. So they think back, oh yeah, yeah. LRM told me to say this or say that. Does that sound fair or would you rather not give us? Okay. Do we wanna know anything about the quiet partner with him?

Tomas Reed · Oh, you haven't shared that with him, okay.

Eliran Venn · Yeah, so I think the sixth chair, the manipulation of the coin and why six years ago, what's going on with the king? Because we know he's got an arrangement with the king. What is that arrangement? Why buying the gold and where is the gold? Why the recent drop in currency? And then are the five currently getting along? Are there any beefs?

Silas Vane · Yeah. Is there any external dissent?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · We need to figure out where the gold gets exchanged.

Lucan Vey · I think the question about the five is a good starting point, because that's very, like, goth would be something Celeste would bring up pretty soon.

Eliran Venn · Okay, so we've got... And Celeste going, right?

Mira Thorne · Do you guys really think I should walk in there and not, like, stay...

Tomas Reed · I think we need you to find either that lockbox. I think there needs to be two sneak artists right now.

Eliran Venn · If you go in disguised and then say you need the powder room...

Tomas Reed · That's right. One person could be disguised and then you could see.

Eliran Venn · You could go check out the painting. You could go check out the lockbox.

Mira Thorne · Well, how would I... Aren't we going to meet?

Eliran Venn · You're going to meet at his estate for tea.

Silas Vane · Yeah, you guys have half-linked friends.

Eliran Venn · Okay, sorry.

Tomas Reed · Why don't we use your disguised powers to disguise Jax Two Coins as one of the half-linked servants to get the lockbox while you sneak in to get behind that photograph? Or the painting, I bet. There's no forecast. And then we figure that out. Bing, bang, boom. And then we still use the lady to distract him the whole time while we're manipulating questions out of him.

Mira Thorne · It's just because once I'm seen, I don't have, like, any bonus at all, really, right? Everything comes from my sneak attack. So even if I'm disguised, like, they know that I'm there.

Tomas Reed · That's what I'm saying. You just completely sneak. You're there.

Eliran Venn · You're the silent one that just bats her eyes and smiles. And then at some point, you say, you know, I need the powder room. You go into the house, and you do some recon.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · And then at that point, I begin to sneak. And you use your stealth, and...

Eliran Venn · we might also be able to disguise jacks because as a halfling jacks are very cherubic you know so we can put jacks and drag as another part of me feels like or the lockbox I have a feeling that's why we have the lady and all of our other mistresses or whatever keep distracting basically a three-in-one operation with zero violence involved.

Tomas Reed · My guess if they move the lockbox to the second floor it's not the

Lucan Vey · I think we're going in together I walk off and then link up with her disguise and we'll both make our way into the

Mira Thorne · That room. Because she has to lockpick if there's something behind the bank. And that's going to be our job. Right? I got that right?

Eliran Venn · I think so.

Mira Thorne · Okay. So I've got disguises. Are we ready to hit it?

Lucan Vey · Can the rest of us be somewhere within earshot and things?

Tomas Reed · Yeah, I was about to say, same thing as the last time.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Just have a distraction plan so ready that everyone's going to run out of the house.

The Dungeon Master · I don't want to be anywhere near that. I have a couple questions for you to answer. He was outed by Corbin. Say it again? Silas was outed by Corbin. The thing that happened with the fall. When he got fired. These are questions we want to ask. Cassian.

Eliran Venn · If he knew. So if Cassian knew about the framing of Silas? Corvin knew. Oh, Corvin knew. Corvin is Corvin Bale. Okay. But Corvin definitely knew. I think we know that, right? I think that's in my backstory that he was set up for some reason. We don't. We don't know that.

Tomas Reed · Okay. Well, who else would have blackmailed them?

Eliran Venn · That's the question.

Tomas Reed · I say we have a good plan.

Eliran Venn · Who framed Silas?

The Dungeon Master · And then there was a vote that got moved up. Specifically the credit union one.

Tomas Reed · I say Elmer and Van and Silas Vane finalize this plan.

The Dungeon Master · Alright, let's transition scene over to the tea party, my friends. So you guys are going to take a, so you guys meet at the Salon, at the West Salon, and the tea party is at, what did I say, 4? Is that right?

Silas Vane · Wait, is it noon tea?

The Dungeon Master · I think I said 4pm tea, right?

Silas Vane · Oh, evening tea.

The Dungeon Master · Well, I mean, yeah, sounds about right. A lot of facts in this story, sorry. So the boy tells Celeste that Mr. Bear will send a carriage for you at 3.30. So the ladies are there in your finest. Are you in disguise? Yeah, I'm in disguise.

Silas Vane · What do you look like?

Tomas Reed · wrong country singer on Blue Eyes. Are you in disguise?

Mira Thorne · How is that going to work?

Eliran Venn · Yeah, you'll want to be.

Sister Amara Bell · Yeah, okay, so it's everyone except Celeste. Yeah.

Eliran Venn · So we'll want disguise rolls on those, and we'll want a Guidance and Bardic Inspiration then. What's your name?

Sister Amara Bell · Guidance can affect a skill roll then in the next minute.

Eliran Venn · That's it. Once the disguise is made, it's set.

Tomas Reed · This caravan shows up.

Eliran Venn · It doesn't really smell like a caravan. It smells like Bergamot and honey.

Silas Vane · Which is kind of what money smells like. What? That's crazy. Alright, alright.

The Dungeon Master · This thing just smells like money when it rolls up to you, okay? Sexy. Coin row slides past the window in gray colonnades and good wool coats as you guys are driving by this thing. There's beautiful horses that are driving your carriage. There's nobody on the pavement that's looking up to you guys. Nobody even gives a fuck about you guys driving by this thing, okay? You guys roll up to this house. It's tall. It's gray. It's unremarkable. It's the house of Cassians. And the first thing... That happens is there's a man there who you can kind of just mistake this house for like an accountant's house. It's not like some royal ward.

Eliran Venn · It's just some duke. Are they alone in the back of the carriage? Yep, they're alone. So in the back of the carriage, I think that's when you want to cast your spells, right before... Do we have the question that we wanted to say? I think maybe just cast Enhance Ability twice. Cast it on yourself and cast it on Lady Celeste. Got you guys in disguise.

Mira Thorne · Oh, shit.

Sister Amara Bell · Do I have to roll for that?

Eliran Venn · No, you just cast it. Cast it.

Silas Vane · Which one's gay? Which one's gay? Bro, I'm not in disguise.

Mira Thorne · I'm black.

Sister Amara Bell · What's your face?

The Dungeon Master · Yes.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I want to be the one on the front. Hey, let's be careful with that, friends.

The Dungeon Master · Is that Amara or is that me?

Silas Vane · I'm sorry. Is that Amara?

The Dungeon Master · That's gotta be you. You're not there.

Silas Vane · I thought I was in disguise. You're the tiefling.

Eliran Venn · No, you're a dude. Well, we had talked about halflings are fairly cherubic and could probably With a good disguise. Did we agree to that?

Silas Vane · I vote for it. I don't vote for me doing it.

Tomas Reed · I vote for Jax doing it. It makes more sense.

Eliran Venn · I thought about doing it too as half-elven. I think I could go out and brag, but I don't want any part of it. But Jax could definitely do it. What are you looking at me for?

Silas Vane · Because you're a tiefling. You're red with horns. Black.

The Dungeon Master · All right, so you guys get out of the carriage. You guys walk towards the door, and the door opens before you guys even knock on it. And a butler with a face like a closed ledger inclines his head. Lord Farah's expecting you. There's no guards anywhere in sight. You look for them anyway. Kind of like how you'd look for a draft in a warm room. Take him out. Then Cassian Bear is crossing the hall towards you. He's quick. This guy's... Silver at the temples, he's warmth in every step, and he does it exactly like the way he crossed the ballroom towards Celeste. Like a tide, nothing hurried and everything moving. He just says, my dear friends, you've come. And he grabs Celeste's hand and he says, he kisses it, and he says, I did say I would be in touch. His eyes are kind and they stay kind for exactly as long as they are looking at her.

Sister Amara Bell · Damn.

Silas Vane · I like it.

The Dungeon Master · And he guides you guys over to his study, which is right next door. The study smells of very good tea and old paper. A fire burns in the hearth. Shelves of ledgers climb the walls, every spine uniform, every one dusted. Over the mantle hangs the portrait of a stern man in an old-fashioned coat. It is the only thing in the room that looks neglected. The varnish has gone amber. No servant has been allowed near it. There pours the tea himself. The pot is warm and the cups are thin. Sit, he says. And it's not an order and everyone sits. So to you, he says, I hear the chapel's roof has a new friend. I do hope the dean's patience holds. It is the ninth virtue, you know, and the one she always practices. She's come in disguise.

Eliran Venn · Is he looking right through it? He's looking right through it. What?

Silas Vane · Thank God I didn't go.

Mira Thorne · I would have been crazy. Damn. Good thing I'm inconsequential.

Tomas Reed · Play along.

Silas Vane · HELL NO. HELL NO.

The Dungeon Master · So it's the Jacksons. I guess you're in sties and drag here.

Silas Vane · Oh, am I in here?

The Dungeon Master · He sees through drag. Oh my god, we're so fucked. And I am told you were carried to the gale on a corporal's shoulder and returned the courtesy in kind. I have rarely heard of a better review of a policeman.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Oh yeah, he's cool. Fuck this.

The Dungeon Master · I trust you found the stairs adequate when you were snooping around my home?

Mira Thorne · I didn't go up any stairs.

Tomas Reed · It's not accusatory he's just making conversation Remember guys he is warm and

The Dungeon Master · He is not angry. He is not ill-tempered. He is just addressing you as you are. He has no ill will towards you.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · No ill will, but insinuating that I was inside your house.

Mira Thorne · He knows you're looking at the window. Okay.

Sister Amara Bell · So I kind of interrupt, and I ask who the person is above the mantle in the photo that looks neglected.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Why do you have such a nice picture, a nice frame, and it's all dusty? It's not very classy.

The Dungeon Master · It doesn't fit with the house. It is of my father. The one, well, I guess you can call him my father. More, really, my uncle. Who brought me into... Who brought me into knowing.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Knowing? Okay. Yeah.

The Dungeon Master · Oh, like, keep it clean.

Sister Amara Bell · Tell me more.

The Dungeon Master · So, as you guys kind of noticed, he's mid-sentence, and he was, like, talking, he was lifting his cups to his left, and he kind of just stopped. Right, it's not really a pause, it's he's literally absent for a second there. The warmth drams out of his face, his eyes go somewhere that is not even in the room, and the man you were speaking to is just simply not there. Uh-oh. The cup finishes the journeys to his lips and the kindness comes back and he says, forgive me. Where was I?

Sister Amara Bell · Um, I just was, um, thanking you for having us all over. And, um, I'm very glad to be here with you today.

The Dungeon Master · Might be with you.

Sister Amara Bell · Might be with you.

The Dungeon Master · And with your spirit.

Eliran Venn · this is really good so we heard a rumor of a sixth chair would that have been the church or uh what would that have been

The Dungeon Master · Oh, we're getting right into it.

Unattributed · He knows who you are!

The Dungeon Master · Thanks for the stones. No, thanks for the stones. Repeat your question. The sixth chair. What would it mean to you?

Mira Thorne · You said, we heard a rumor of a sixth chair. What would the sixth chair have been? Would that have been the church? I got my notes on this one.

The Dungeon Master · There appears to be a council among us that guides us, and he, shall I call him he, influenced the timeline for our build as well.

Sister Amara Bell · Does anyone else want a proposition?

The Dungeon Master · The timeline was accelerated for reasons of prudence. I'm sorry, I cannot say more.

Sister Amara Bell · No worries.

Silas Vane · I feel like Celeste would have something to say here. Yeah.

Mira Thorne · Wait, am I playing Celeste? Is that what you guys decided? I thought I was playing me.

Tomas Reed · He's already called you out. He's called everybody on this thing.

Sister Amara Bell · Called on the bullshit.

Mira Thorne · That's too awkward, isn't he? He's a restroom. He's got a restroom here.

Sister Amara Bell · I don't know what's going on. He eats about as he goes, right?

Eliran Venn · So you can follow up on the prudence of maybe, like, does it have anything to do with buying a foreign boat?

The Dungeon Master · Miss Thorne, please do not be coy with me. You are thorough people. And I would rather we skip the theater. Yes. I have been stretching the coin for six years. Would you like to know why? Because six years ago, the machine's obligations exceeded the machine. I stretch the money, or the money stops. You have found the tourniquet, my dear friends, and mistaken it for the wound.

Sister Amara Bell · Why buy the foreign gold? Fantastic. So, why buy the foreign gold?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · We're going to add a question here.

Eliran Venn · We want to know what he knows about us. He knows that you're Sister Amara, that you're Mara Thorne. What else do you know about us?

The Dungeon Master · The gold. You do keep your ears open, don't you?

Sister Amara Bell · I just hear things around.

The Dungeon Master · You hear things.

Sister Amara Bell · It's just rumors.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · It's more like the people involved with your gold get sloppy, sir.

Eliran Venn · It's always gonna happen.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · It's gold.

Eliran Venn · Gold?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Mm-hmm. There are tons of rumors all over the wharfs about gold being exchanged.

The Dungeon Master · The wharfs?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Mm-hmm.

The Dungeon Master · What do you know of the wharfs, Miss Bell? Mr. Bell?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I have a lot of people who work out there, and, you know, when people are hungry and they hear that there's boats of gold coming through, someone says something.

The Dungeon Master · Look, I'm trying to serve this land. There's no ill will here. Corvain owes Ilvar a great deal, and Ilvar does not accept chalk. They want coin they can spend. If I can pay them in marks, they ask for more marks. If I pay them in their own gold, the debt shrinks, and no mill needs to be sold to the table to settle it. I buy the gold so the kingdom can pay what it owes without selling itself. I would have thought you would approve.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I approve to a degree, but when we withhold food from people because they can't afford it, we're not building a solution, we're building tension amongst people. Eventually, that's going to erupt on you more than you can control. And I would prefer to avoid that as well, because when that happens, all my business moves around in ways I can't control. And I hate to see people unhappy, genuinely. These people are poor, they're starving, they're overworked, and they all try to make the system work with you. But how do we still take care of them?

The Dungeon Master · Or starving and overworked. You make a lot of dissensions, Mr. Bell.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I talk to them.

The Dungeon Master · The five provide.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · They provide, yes, but a lot of people can still struggle and still be in pain.

Sister Amara Bell · So, sorry to interrupt your guest's question, or conversation, but why drop the exchange rate?

The Dungeon Master · What would a nun know of the economy?

Sister Amara Bell · I hear what I hear from the light.

Eliran Venn · Look at the soup kitchen. You're aware of how short people's pockets go.

Sister Amara Bell · That. Say it. Just act it out. I work in the soup kitchen. So I'm aware of what people's...

Mira Thorne · Aware of the pain of poverty.

Sister Amara Bell · We're in the pain of poverty.

The Dungeon Master · We overpay for this goal. And there's a premium. Fair question to you. It carries a premium because it's scarce, because the bar and factors know that we need the gold. I pay the market. I don't have it with creditors, my dear. It is beneath the dignity of the arrangement.

Eliran Venn · The crown of the... the crown to script exchange rate was dropped from 84 to 79 a severe cut wow the crown of the the crown to script the crown to script exchange rate exchange rate was just dropped on tuesday it was just dropped what purpose does that serve what purpose does that serve

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · See the bushes outside the window?

Tomas Reed · What is the exchange rate you're looking for?

Mira Thorne · It's just like being fed lines on a set.

The Dungeon Master · It's a way for us to balance our books and turn our economy so we can pay this debt back that we owe Ovarne.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · How did we get debt to Ovarne? Who are we owing?

The Dungeon Master · You know, it's a circulation of a currency from foreign currencies. Not more I can say on that.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · So it's just been a matter of exchanging money and with the rates changing that's caused the debt?

Eliran Venn · Yes. So in a roundabout way, this is why the vote was moved up.

Sister Amara Bell · So in a roundabout way, this is why the vote was moved up.

The Dungeon Master · I would say that there was influence on the votes moving for expedience, but I can't say more.

Mira Thorne · I don't remember you saying there was anybody in the same room.

The Dungeon Master · There's nobody in the same room.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · If he can see right through just the glasses, does that mean he has, like, telepathy?

The Dungeon Master · May I ask you something?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Mm-hmm.

The Dungeon Master · I find I am genuinely curious. What does Silas Vane actually want?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · He doesn't want to... Not so much answer, but not so much beg for the basics that people need. Despite the five providing, many people provide for each other. And that's a subsystem that... has been neglected. And the more we drive our people into debt, the worse that becomes to where eventually the support of the five may not be enough. If we're already in debt, that sells me a lot. Especially if it's just from exchange rate. So it's a matter of, I believe his goal is to find a balance again where even if there's a lot of work, people are at least eating, families are at least still together.

The Dungeon Master · My dear Jax, you know it is not our intent to drive anybody into debt. We seek to provide. We seek to have a system where everybody is provided for.

Sister Amara Bell · But is that the current reality?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Just because that's the intention doesn't mean that's what's happening.

The Dungeon Master · People are happy. The surveys show.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Where are the surveys from? Where are the surveys?

The Dungeon Master · They're surveyed in all mills, in all houses.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · What are the consequences? Bad answers.

The Dungeon Master · Bad answers.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Let's say, you know, let's say you're getting truthful answers from the people, but the millmasters who's turning in these surveys... If they're turning to reports where their people aren't happy, they're going to be the first ones to be punished. And then if that happens, then the people know that their reports have to be in line. So right now we all have... I would say those surveys are unreliable. I believe that there needs... I wouldn't want to ask you amongst the common people, but possibly send your own covert agents to really sit in there, to really observe these places, to understand who's in the soup kitchen line, who is, you know, trying to stay standing after 16 hours of work and can't even get to the bread. People who don't see their family at all because they just sleep outside of the mill because it's too hard to try to get back to the business. These things are not easily marked on a survey.

The Dungeon Master · Covert agents? Do you take me for a dishonest man, Mr. Bell?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · It's not a matter of being dishonest. It's a matter of making sure that the truth is witnessed and not just forged on paper.

The Dungeon Master · Forged? What says anything of forgery?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Because the evidence of the people themselves does not match the survey.

The Dungeon Master · What do you know of evidence?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Go stand in front of these people. Go talk to these people. Go get the first-hand accounts, not just third or fourth party surveys.

The Dungeon Master · I speak to plenty of people, Mr. Bell. If I provide, people are happy.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · When was the last time you were in the middle of a mill? In the middle of the day in the heat?

The Dungeon Master · I don't speak of mills. That's Mrs. Vosseline.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · These are still your pieces.

The Dungeon Master · These are not mine.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · So the five provides selective...

The Dungeon Master · I shall speak no further of this.

Lucan Vey · Sure.

The Dungeon Master · The rest is Lady Arden at this point. Lady Arden, I find you extraordinary. I also find that I am not a man who marries. I think you knew that. He says that with no cruelty at all. Which is kind of weird. I should say for the record that I have no intention of marrying you. But to all of you, my friends, I think your credit union is a charming idea. I would like to make it legal. Protected. Forever. Chartered with the Mint's own seal. Beyond any rule that Concord could draft.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · In exchange for what?

The Dungeon Master · I ask only that you know what stays in this room.

Tomas Reed · I can agree that anything that is from this room stays in this room.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · But I think you still need more information from outside of it that we need to bring you and we need to communicate on.

Eliran Venn · Very well. What is his arrangement with the king?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · What is your arrangement with the king?

The Dungeon Master · I don't confer with the king.

Eliran Venn · So he has no arrangement?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · So you don't meet with anybody who does? With all due respect, as one of the five, how is it that you never have any meetings with the king to generally discuss this kingdom?

The Dungeon Master · My attorneys propose laws, they're brought to the chowder house, and they're put in front of the king for signature. The king signs willingly.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · How do you know... How can you be sure when the king is willing?

The Dungeon Master · For the record, just for everyone's context, he has no idea that the king is drunk.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay. That's why I'm asking.

The Dungeon Master · This man genuinely, I'm just gonna tell you guys, does not genuinely believe any sense that the king is being manipulated.

Eliran Venn · The king says there's an arrangement with them, though.

The Dungeon Master · With? With Ver. Yeah, but it's not this. It's not medication. The arrangement is that they have a relationship, and he sends laws his way for signature. Cassian Bear, in a lot of senses, conducts business transparently and pretty honestly.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Well, then it's a genuine question, though. How do you know that the king is well, with all due respect?

The Dungeon Master · Did I say anything of the king being well?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · No, but when your laws are approved by the king, how often does he disapprove your laws? Has there ever been an instance where you felt like he, like, readily went through your proposals?

The Dungeon Master · The King and I have great rapport. He trusts me. We have a good relationship. Yeah, I almost lost time to talk to him. It's been a couple years. I don't visit the castle often.

Lucan Vey · Sorry, Andrew, could you remind me of a couple of sessions ago when I was talking to the King? What question did I ask that allowed me to see, like, the king envisioning my father? I forgot what that was exactly.

The Dungeon Master · I can't remember, I'd have to ask.

Lucan Vey · But it seemed like fear or anger or something.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah. I'd have to look at the recap. Sorry.

Mira Thorne · I don't remember it being angry, though. It's pretty, like, low down.

Eliran Venn · See if you can find out who framed Silas and why. Um...

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · What was he framed for exactly? At the beginning, right?

Eliran Venn · Before the campaign began.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Yeah, he was framed for just like...

Eliran Venn · He was almost the number two guy in the vault.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay.

Eliran Venn · And he was framed as showing that he embezzled 46,000 crowns.

The Dungeon Master · Okay. And your entourage, shall I call you that?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Your... A group of concerned citizens who are trying to help our fellow citizens.

The Dungeon Master · Your group of citizens were clever in your reading of the loophole to seek shelter with the dean for your lending policy. Lucan must have taught you well.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Yes, he did.

The Dungeon Master · Or I suppose I did.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Gotta give him some credit still. At least he listened. Those could have been lessons that just flew on through. What do you think about that?

The Dungeon Master · How is my son?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · With all respect to your son, I believe I should... I can tell you that it's well enough, but that's about it. I don't want to give too much... I don't want to get in the middle of a family.

The Dungeon Master · It's the first thing he says where he doesn't really look polished. He looks perturbed.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Is there any kind of message that I could send to him? You know, through me, he might take that as more softly, if that makes sense. I understand sometimes it's hard to communicate with family directly.

Silas Vane · Wilkin knows he is welcome home.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Knowing and feeling can be different.

The Dungeon Master · I do not concern myself with feelings, Mr. Bell.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Well, that's why you're not concerned with your son. He's not here.

Lucan Vey · Family therapy with Jax.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · You know, there's a reason.

Mira Thorne · That laugh was meant to be audible and in storage. Laugh track. Is that in character?

The Dungeon Master · Are you giving him therapy?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I'm just being honest. I'm just being honest. You want to know how he is, but he's not here because you don't care about his feelings. They'll back you.

Mira Thorne · Oh, man. We're going to Disney. We're going to Disney.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · You wanted to know. How's my kid? I don't care about how I feel.

Mira Thorne · Come on. Right?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I don't care about feelings. How is my son? I feel that.

Mira Thorne · Oh, let me say that more politely.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · If you had no feelings, sir, you would not be concerned with how he is.

Mira Thorne · Very well. Looking as well. No, I'm good.

Silas Vane · I'm good. Oh, man.

The Dungeon Master · Why's it so dusty in here? Lucan just, he just won't take what he is owed.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · That's where I tell you I can't get in the middle.

The Dungeon Master · It is the only death that I can't settle. It's not entirely mine to settle.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Well, we can only hope that the light can guide you two back to peace, and hopefully you guys can find what is important to the other and develop a mutual understanding of that, despite differences.

The Dungeon Master · I'm not interested in family therapy, Mr. Bell.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Then don't ask me how it is.

The Dungeon Master · I'm getting posted.

Mira Thorne · Mr. Bell, I think it's time that your party leaves my home. Oh, sensitive now?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · It's my pleasure. Gotta go back to Lucan's. That's good. No problem. We gotta go. We already had to leave as it's already late. We have other plans. We genuinely appreciate your time. We hope to meet again and to iron out any other details of this crisis.

Silas Vane · We won't know.

The Dungeon Master · As you guys walk through the door. He walks you guys to the door, and he has a smile on his face, and he grabs Celeste by the hand and kisses her hand, and the butler hands each of you guys a gift. But it's not a coincidence. For Amara, it's a receipt. The kitchen's flower debts. Paid in full.

Mira Thorne · Oh, shit.

The Dungeon Master · The Crossed Swords damage, paid in full. Let's go trash it again.

Sister Amara Bell · Or cheese. How'd he know? What'd you get? Who was our dummy?

The Dungeon Master · Tell your principal that the second offer had no expiration. What was the first offer?

Mira Thorne · Sometimes I really wonder if I should have just started stabbing him. It's never worked out. I haven't even started.

The Dungeon Master · I will say, there was a lot more to find from that scene. You pissed him off.

Eliran Venn · So, some advice in character and also, you know, person to person outside of character. When you're gathering information from a conversation with the nemesis or opponent, when you speak, you are paying by the word. You always want to let them speak as much as possible. I thought what you were doing was awesome, so I didn't interrupt you. But in negotiations, like all my training as an attorney and stuff, you pay by the word when you're the one doing the talking. gives you more information. But we got some good information. The most troubling thing was you said you should thank Lucan for finding that loophole. Or really, you should be thanking me.

Lucan Vey · Fuck that guy. Which makes me think...

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · He was aware of leaving the loophole. He was smart enough to catch it. But that's why I was scared.

Eliran Venn · Maybe, or maybe through their warlock bloodiness.

Silas Vane · Dude, they know everyone.

Eliran Venn · They both serve the same dark...

Silas Vane · I don't know.

The Dungeon Master · Everyone should be listening to Mark right now.

Eliran Venn · They both serve the Great Old One. Perhaps he knows everything because he can get the information through the patron that Lucan serves. They both have a dark pact with an aberration, some evil entity that gives them their powers. You do have an agreement.

Lucan Vey · Agreement on both sides.

Eliran Venn · there's a there's a contract yeah unless you have like unless he's got like what you're learning are we referring right now is like a like a like a collective like is this are we back at the we could keep saying that character then yeah no i i was saying it matter but you know um i didn't want to i appreciate the feedback

The Dungeon Master · Thank you.

Eliran Venn · But I'm a little worried because the implication there is that whatever Lucan knows, Baer knows as well. Cashin knows as well.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · But he also leaned into it by offering us the credit. Yeah, I don't like that. And legalizing it for us, which to me...

Eliran Venn · Wait, he doesn't want what we learned to leave there, which is that the kingdom is having financial woes.

Silas Vane · Right, okay, so that's the good part. I feel like we should convene, like as a party.

Eliran Venn · In person. Yeah, yeah. Or in character. Yeah, yeah. Which we would anyways, yeah.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I mean, we can also consider this, what they're doing, as trying to set up an unofficial six through us as the credit union.

The Dungeon Master · Right. I don't want to metagame. But I, yeah, I'll insert this. So like, I want to clarify what that's saying. So he's talking, he's offering you a bid. He doesn't want you to make a private lending organization. He's offering to back you so that it remains in the house.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Under his house.

The Dungeon Master · Yes. It's just a facade. But you have also crossed him now. His sore spot is Luca. He pissed himself off. You poked the fuck out of him.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · He pissed himself off. You asked me questions and I gave you honest answers.

Silas Vane · Is there a way we can recover?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · It had nothing to do with me. I'm not looking.

The Dungeon Master · I will say a credit union under... Mr. Bell, I admire your honesty. I would admire it more from a distance.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · No problem. But I wouldn't have been respectful if I'd been dishonest.

Mira Thorne · I mean, he invited us there to rub our faces.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · You could see through my disguise, sir.

Mira Thorne · You two are married as shit.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I love it. How do you know you cannot see right through my thoughts?

Eliran Venn · You can't handle the truth. Okay.

Mira Thorne · Like, the moment we got there, I was like, I already know all this stuff. It was already awesome from the beginning. I saw all this shit anyway.

Silas Vane · I've been patient. Please feel free to play past me, but I'll have to leave it.

Eliran Venn · You can say that.

Lucan Vey · I've got about 50 minutes left. Let's convene. Let's convene. Is that at least a little bit minimal? Let me hear that.

Eliran Venn · Alright, so at the garden, we're convening and discussing the results of the meeting.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · He was like, how's my kid? I'm like, I don't know, go ask him. He's like, I can't do that. I owe him stuff.

The Dungeon Master · We're wrapping the chapter up by you guys convening the conclusion here.

Silas Vane · So let me ask guys, should I have dressed in drag or how did it go?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Shut up. We're trying to figure out what happened. Your dad is talking about

Eliran Venn · So we get the recap from these guys, I would assume, right? So everything we just heard, we all now know. Once we know that, before we discuss further, I am going to say, Sister Amara, I understand you can perform the Miracle Zone of Truth. Could you please cast it now?

Sister Amara Bell · Okay. Cast it? On all of us? On all of us. Yep.

Eliran Venn · Lupin, what is your relationship with your father, and can he see through you or know things through you? a... Now in the zone of truth, you don't have to tell the whole truth, but you cannot tell any lies.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · So you're asking if he can channel through this?

Eliran Venn · I asked, what is your relationship with your father, and can you

Lucan Vey · Unnatural bond, no. There is a third member that we each have a connection to.

Eliran Venn · Could that third member be taking information from you and giving it to your father? How was he able to see through these disguises and know things about us?

Lucan Vey · Did I know that, Andrew? Like, does it say magic? Like, I assumed he just, like, I did it when we were talking about the loophole with the bill. I just did a normal investigation check. That was as if I was reading the document. So is there some way to find out, or was it just, like, connections to various people?

The Dungeon Master · It's both. The truth is, it's both. So, and then you have a pact with somebody. You both have a pact with the same dude.

Lucan Vey · But what I'm saying is, does that pact enable him to understand what I'm doing or see what I'm doing?

The Dungeon Master · Not everything. It doesn't see through your eyes. It just keeps accounts of what you're doing.

Lucan Vey · And he can see that account.

The Dungeon Master · Every time you're using your gifts, the partner can keep a record of that.

Lucan Vey · Cool. You guys don't know anything.

The Dungeon Master · Here's the thing is that you as Lucan, you don't really know the extent of what the partner is doing.

Lucan Vey · So in the dossier, I think it said that Lucan is the only one that knows the language of the path.

The Dungeon Master · You and the party, correct.

Lucan Vey · So my father does.

The Dungeon Master · Correct.

Lucan Vey · So he has means to know what I'm doing.

Eliran Venn · Okay. So I would say that you are somewhat compromised, but still useful to our mission.

Lucan Vey · That puts me a little bit as an object. I thought I was a co-collaborator.

Eliran Venn · You are, but if he has means to learn things through you, some of our identities are at stake here. They went in there and he knew everything.

Lucan Vey · If he wanted to put a stop to what we were doing with the information he had, he would.

Silas Vane · While we're still under the circle of truth, Lucas. Yes or no? Have you ever intentionally revealed any information to anyone outside of our party?

Eliran Venn · No. I don't believe it's intentional either.

Silas Vane · Yeah, there's nothing that we can do to control it.

Eliran Venn · But we may want to have meetings without Luke in there if he's compromised.

Silas Vane · Well, the compromise, if we're being honest, and I think we need to be honest based on everything that we've learned tonight, the damage is done, whether it was your intention or not.

The Dungeon Master · Sela speaks of. So do we just use Lucan's gifts at all while we're acting against Ver?

Sister Amara Bell · I guess not. Specifically against Ver.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · What is the relationship?

Eliran Venn · We do so very conscientiously and strategically.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I'm curious if he has the power to destroy whatever we're doing here. Aside from possibly considering our cause, is he protecting you?

Lucan Vey · What I meant was he has the power as a member of the Five.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Yeah, but he knows you're involved in this.

Silas Vane · He does. He knows who all of us are.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · He seemed very concerned about you still, but I can't tell if it's a matter of caring about you or needing something.

Lucan Vey · My father is a conflicted man. He has his own desires, and he has the desires of another he has to take into account. Any confusion?

Eliran Venn · If you do not use your gifts at this meeting, you believe that he will have no knowledge of what is said here?

Lucan Vey · That is my understanding. Okay. Does that mean even, like, as much as even casting guidance? Oh, yeah. Thanks. That really makes me useless.

Tomas Reed · You can still buy me beers, Lawman.

Lucan Vey · That's true. My money is still worth something.

The Dungeon Master · Myself and Argus will watch over it. This is not even information that you know about what the Quiet Partner is capable of. But for the metagame at the table for everyone's lore... when you use your gifts that the quiet partner knows what you're using it on okay so it doesn't see the scene doesn't know characters doesn't know people knows what you are guiding so this is so you did you did guidance on each of the disguises so you knew that there were disguises so i'm still safe i'm not burned if i had not cast guidance on that investigation

Eliran Venn · Okay, but that's great information. We've got good information there. Okay, so no spells from you during this conversation.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · When you say what it's being released on, does that mean like this entity has like a Sauron kind of thing where you can just see like the one thing that's happening right there?

Lucan Vey · Metagaming? You don't know this as a character? My powers come from this entity.

The Dungeon Master · i'm just trying to see how they can see us i think she's asking like a war wise question yeah it a warlock and with a pact like that yes it's kind of like the ring of power it's a it's a kiss curse okay yeah so does that mean that if he's if he's casting something he could wait the thing can only see what he's casted on so the people with guidance or can he see the room that while he's cast like i said he doesn't have eyes to see the room he sees what it is being cast on

Lucan Vey · It's a ledger, so it would be guidance on this person. Okay.

Eliran Venn · Guidance was cast to aid a disguised role on Mirathor. Okay.

Silas Vane · That makes more sense.

Eliran Venn · Suggestion was cast on blah blah.

Silas Vane · Is your servitor benevolent or maleficent?

Lucan Vey · I think benevolent is something defined by humanity and this goes well beyond that.

Silas Vane · So, are they objectively good, objectively evil, or morally gray?

Eliran Venn · It's only the truth, dude.

Silas Vane · Use the light as objectively good, the opposite of light as objectively evil, and anything that's capable of guiding between that spectrum as morally gray. I have another question.

Lucan Vey · By your understanding of evil and good, it is evil. It serves itself. Why am I the only one being asked other things? You're the only one who's got this information. You all have secrets. You all have secrets.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay, but you just gave away everybody in the room, right? You got a little bit of, like, liability we gotta balance out.

The Dungeon Master · They're coming after you, dude. Listen, listen. We want to keep you involved.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · We want to keep you involved.

Lucan Vey · I will say this. I have my own gold, and it aligns with yours. And if I get my gold, you get what you want.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Cool. One question. What's that thing eat? Does it consume energy? Does it consume material? I think it's beyond energy. Then what does it want? It has to consume something. It has some reason to want to give power. There's some exchange going on. What is...

Eliran Venn · I rolled a 20 Arcana, so I have some knowledge of, I would assume, with that roll of Warlock dynamics. Pretty much everything that you as Mark knows about Warlocks. Presuming that Mr. Vey is a Warlock. Warlocks gain their powers by making a pact with a very powerful entity. It could be an angel, it could be a devil. It could be a gen. It could be an elemental creature. The nature of his quiet partner, we don't know. But it's wants and needs are on a celestial level that is beyond our understanding. They exchange something for these powers. The closest metaphor that we might understand is you sell your soul for the power.

Lucan Vey · Mm-hmm. Sorry, the point of clarity. The very old one is evil, right? Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah.

The Dungeon Master · Chaotic evil. Here's the thing. So, for you, just you, the player, knows this. You don't know much about this guy. You know your father kind of indoctrinated you into this. You don't know how your father got it. You have it. You don't know much about this dude. You know that's where you get your power from.

Lucan Vey · I know it's something that's a higher place.

The Dungeon Master · Yeah.

Eliran Venn · Yeah.

Lucan Vey · Right?

Eliran Venn · You don't know why? It's DD level. It's, yeah. We're talking like a god level.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · I just still feel like my, just from my instincts, I may not be a magic user, but magic is not all that different from business. There has to be balance and exchange. And somehow, something's being exchanged. And the fact that you're going after a powerful person...

Eliran Venn · Yes, he's essentially giving up his soul for these powers.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · But is that it, though? Because why go... I just can't tell if somebody like Bear, who has so much power over so many people, if this entity only wants Bear's soul or the people under him.

Eliran Venn · I believe Bear is just as compromised as Luka. That would be my speculation.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · No, not Luka. I mean the citizens. Is he able to provide the citizens into a state? where this old one can feed off them.

Eliran Venn · The quiet partner has his own machinations, and he's using both father and son as tools to reach that. I would hazard a guess that Cash and Bear might have been a good man at one point. He's just compromised by the deal that he brokered with this partner.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · See, that's what I'm just trying to figure out.

Mira Thorne · It happens if the people that have the deal die.

Lucan Vey · then the great old one finds new servants that seems like a lot of business investment to set up in these two guys which leads us to the question we are trying to project onto this thing mortal values mortal concepts of business of time it doesn't belong to this plane it is not if it wants something it is beyond our comprehension

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · But it's still getting it from you.

Lucan Vey · I'm a servant.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · But we can still comprehend that there is something in you that it wants.

Lucan Vey · It can use me.

Eliran Venn · You're a tool. It wants you to be the tool.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Then what's the action?

Lucan Vey · My dad's power is not just business.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Then what's the action of the tool? Why does it need a tool?

Lucan Vey · That's assuming we understand something that it has given us, which it hasn't.

Silas Vane · I think the most important question here is this. Are you still, because I believe you. Can I ask a question? Let him ask a question, hold on. Yes, yes, yes.

Lucan Vey · Who's asked the fucking question? Do you trust me? I do. Silence. Jacks.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · 50-50. I trust your intentions, but I can't trust the person behind you just because I don't know theirs. All I know is you're a tool of them for some purpose.

Lucan Vey · A reluctant tool?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Is that what you mean? Just because the hammer hits softly doesn't mean it's not going to damage. Have I hit, though? If it's using you...

Lucan Vey · This is truth time, okay? If this thing's going to hit you... I have told only truths.

Silas Vane · Then this is the last question. Will this entity impede you from accomplishing your goal here? Or our collective goal as a party?

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Considering that you...

The Dungeon Master · I'm going to interrupt before you guys. He doesn't know. His truth is he doesn't fucking know. He buys me beers. And he's being genuine when you guys keep brushing him. He's a no.

Eliran Venn · So who's your uncle?

Lucan Vey · I'm supposed to know that? The painting on the mantle. Yeah, that's right. We can ask about the picture. You don't know.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Oh, maybe it's not an uncle.

Lucan Vey · Is there anything that would make us think it's an uncle? I assumed it was a grandfather or something.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · He said it was his uncle. It was supposed to be his father, because you're a grandfather, but it was actually his uncle.

Eliran Venn · Alright, so I think we've established... that Lucan can be trusted. Right now, we believe his goals are aligned and that if he's not using his powers, our secrets are safe. Let's talk about what we learned here. We learned that the kingdom is in debt and that the gold is being bought to pay off the debt and that the manipulations of the currency, the exchange rate, the austerity measures, if you will, have been to try and get the kingdom solvent again. So those are all meaningful. What we don't know is the credit union vote. Why was that moved up quickly? That was very mysterious. I think it probably has to do with this quiet partner. The quiet partner existed.

Lucan Vey · The quiet partner's timeline is speeding up. See, this is why— Oh, that's an interesting question.

The Dungeon Master · No, you wouldn't, but I think the implication that you guys might have deciphered from there during the meeting would be that there's something interfering.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · See, you say that thing doesn't have, like, oh, it doesn't worry about business and all that. If it's advising you, it does. That means it has a deeper knowledge than we do about it.

Lucan Vey · It definitely has a deeper knowledge of everything.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · So that means that whatever it's helping you with is under its own— By helping, it's just my powers. Nobody gives powers away for free. well he has an end goal and you're he's using you to get to it guys it's the same thing your father's doing it's the question is how do we keep it defended you could still use these powers but it not backfire on you like this we've also learned the cash in there

Eliran Venn · believes that he's doing good that he believes that he's serving the city and he isolates himself with his head in the sand by segmenting things saying the mills aren't my problem labor is not my problem my problem is coin and i'm getting that restored but he's unaware he's unaware that the king is drugged he thinks that that's legit and like he just gets what he wants passed because the king likes him and it's good policy these are my thoughts

Silas Vane · They have the same servitor. You believe you're doing good and you can operate independently until intervened upon. I believe the same applies to your father.

Lucan Vey · But my father hasn't. He has a record of doing the changes in the price of bread. That is the doing of this being.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · See, when he says he can't work and serve himself with the mills and all those other places, that makes no sense. Coin has to run through all of them.

Eliran Venn · Well, that's the most dangerous kind of villain, isn't it? The one that believes that what they're doing is for the greater good.

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Especially, yeah.

Eliran Venn · Your father truly believes he's a good man, even if people are starving because of it.

Silas Vane · Well, the problem is he knows who we are, and we're compromised. So, like it or not, we're in a situation... We're someone with incredible power, both materially and celestially.

Lucan Vey · I don't think celestial. Maybe the opposite. Well, yeah.

Silas Vane · Well, there we go. I appreciate that. And very dangerously, he has our fucking number.

Eliran Venn · I think you've cast guidance on every single member of the party at some point. Everyone's got one.

Silas Vane · He has our number. So...

Eliran Venn · He's had our number. Except Kragus.

Silas Vane · Which means he's left us. This whole time, he's known...

Tomas Reed · He's our fucking 00 agent.

Silas Vane · He doesn't know who the minotaur is!

Tomas Reed · Kragus is our fucking inside man. We just... My boy! We dress him up as a brother. Ooh! Ooh!

Jax "Two-Coins" Bell · Okay.