High Rollers DnD - Altheya: The Dragon Empire #17 | Illuminating Truths (Part 2)

Episode Date: March 28, 2024

Investigations into the Lamplighter's Guild progress much faster than expected! Love the podcast? Give us a glittering 5 star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/high-rollers-dnd/id1401508198?see-all=reviews Support the High Rollers on Patreon and get early access to Podcast episodes, vods and more: www.patreon.com/HighRollers Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound, TCT Adventures (Solasta: Crown of the Magisters), Monument Studios and Jolene Khor! Check out Jolene Khor and all her wonderful work on High Rollers on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1WX3ICiTmf4GpHwImnQMs6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pickaxe. Pick from over 190 assets and start with the $10 in your pocket. Easy. Go to Kraken.com and see what crypto can be. Non-investment advice. Crypto trading involves risk of loss. See Kraken.com slash legal slash ca dash pru dash disclaimer for info on Kraken's undertaking to register in Canada. Oh. What is happening? Let's jump into the episode of High Rollies, he says,

and then switches off. I disconnected so hard from reality. Where did you think you were, then? I wasn't anywhere, Tom. I disassociated so hard, I wasn't even present. Give me one second. One second. Okay, yes.

Because, like, my brain also is trying to get my notes. That noise. Oh, my God. I want to hear that again. Okay. Welcome back to part two of Ulthea and the Dragon Empire. Last time, our heroes have been investigating a number of matters that are of somewhat great importance.

Rowan and Xanthius discover that they are under the effects of the Curse of Harrowing, inflicted by the spirit of Tyria, a.k.a. the Scarred Lady. This curse will linger and has the potential to claim their minds and their lives if it is not dealt with. To resolve it may require money, it may require some sort of service to one of the temples, but there are various options available to them.

They also learnt that the events concerning the Lamplighters Guild have perhaps grown beyond some of the party's expectations, with some of them being arrested, the Lamplighters, that is, being arrested, and also news of the PC's involvement in the matter having reached the eyes and ears of a few different individuals. They find themselves in the offices of the High Authorita Eremina Willowthorne, an elderly halfling woman and the sort of tutor or mentor of Zaron Tekis,

the authoritar that they met in Burnell. And they find themselves sat, tea, water, some snacks, fruit and breads and olives and things like that are brought in, laid out on a little table to the side. Thank you very much, Bliss. Bliss is like, yeah, Bliss is like, no, no problem. Is there anything else, High Authoritar? And, yeah, Bliss is like, no, no problem. Is there anything else, High Authorita? And Eremina's just like, no, dear, you've done a marvellous job.

Thank you so much. You wouldn't mind just waiting outside and you can escort our friends here back when we're finished? And she's like, of course, yeah, absolutely no problem. If you wouldn't mind, close the door, please. And then she shuts the door and Eremina's just like, well, please, help yourself if you're a bit hungry. And she's already picking and making a little plate

of things, she's got a bit of bread, she's got some pears. It's very halfling. Yeah, and it's like, you know, get some olives, pours herself a cup of tea, takes it back to her desk. She actually clambers up, she puts it on the desk, and then she goes up on her chair, crawls up onto the desk,

and then sits on the end of her desk with her little legs dangling off to the side, kind of reaches over, picks up her cup of tea, puts it in her hand, and she's just like, well, quite a stir we've been making, haven't we? We weren't hoping to make such a stir, I will say, but a stir it seems we are making indeed. I wasn't hoping to make such a stir, I will say, but a stir it seems we are making indeed. I wasn't hoping to make a stir. Well... Fighting a smoke beast in the Riverside district?

Presenting a favour to the Duke in the public audience? That one we knew about, yes, but... Oh, yes. We didn't expect the embroiled in this. Staying in a haunted inn. That was not my decision. Misfortune seems to find us. Yes. Well, one person's misfortune

can be another's fortune. So, as I understand it, you came from Burnell, and the matters of Burnell I believe my apprentice has already dealt with, and Zaron has some ongoing thoughts regarding that, but let us put that aside for now. With the matters here, the lamplighters, my understanding is that you were accompanying Illuminator Lavendale, Theresa, the little halfling, you were accompanying her on a mission. You had been hired by the Guild to repair several of these lights. Is that correct?

Yes. To guard the engineer while she repaired the lights. Yes. Provide a bodyguard service. They were concerned about other guilds interfering. Yes. And indeed they did. If the reports of the witnesses in the area are correct,

you encountered the Carpenters Guild and the Blacksmiths Guild and there was some fighting that took place and, again, some casualties. But, again, let's skip over those for now. That can be another matter for another time. OK. Something changed, however, and Theresa Lavendale, Illuminator Theresa,

was... Something appeared, some sort of magical smoke that seemed to attack yourselves and the buildings nearby. You subdued her. You then took her to Bright Shadow Cathedral, where you told the Speaker of Secrets about what had taken place and asked him to check on Teresa. And that is, as far as I'm aware, your involvement

in all of this. If I may, I don't... Please. I don't believe that Teresa summoned this creature. Why not? I believe that this creature came through Teresa and was using her body as a conduit. And not? I believe that this creature came through Teresa and was using her body as a conduit. And what makes you say that?

Gruffeth of Tremoro? The creature was very, how do I say, very cognizant of who it was. It was in control. Teresa, her body, her mind, she was quite limp at the time, and it was very much the creature who was speaking directly to us,

threatening us, talking of the Hellion throne. But is it not possible that one could offer themselves up as a vessel for such a creature? Perhaps it was part of this Theresa Lavendale's plan to be possessed by it in some way. I don't think she had a plan. She seemed very new at the guild. She was new to the job, yes. And also she was quite scared at the time of her possession. And after the fact as well.

Yes. Had no memory of the event. Indeed. And her panic grew and grew until it manifested this smoke. And you believe that these were genuine, these responses? This was not an act, this was, you believe it to be genuine, this lack of knowledge of what she was doing, but also this fear and trepidation?

If it was an act, it was a stellar performance. As, yes, indeed, one can never know, can we? But still, it is a possibility that this Teresa Lavendale... Did you know Teresa Lavendale before this job that you were hired for? No. Never encountered her before? Have you encountered anyone from the Lamblighters Guild before? You have no connections to them?

None at all. Only the one we met. Alicia Teffio. Alicia Teffio. That is who you got the job from? Yes, they posted the job and said to speak to them. Hmm, interesting. She is not a name that has come up in our investigations yesterday.

Miss, and the High Authority looks towards you, Daisy, you are a cauldron, yes? Mm-hmm. But you have not encountered the Lamplighters before. Have you ever been to Ashenrest before? No. It makes sense that your other companions did not, but I was wondering.

So you've never encountered the guild or heard of them before? No, this is the biggest place I've ever been. All right. All right. She makes a few more notes and writes a few things down. Now, let us go back to this... What happened with Theresa, the Illuminator. Do you have...

Do you know of why this took place? I don't know if Gruff... Would you have told them about the actual disc and what you... the actual thing you found? Did you tell them about speaking with Blackwing? No. Sorry, when did we last speak, we spoke with, are we talking about, because,

I do think we spoke with Arden. The High Priest, yeah. That was after you had met with Blackwing. So you went to Blackwing first, you asked Blackwing about the disk and what it was and what it meant and what it could do. You then went and spoke to Arden. I don't think we brought up the disc.

No. We didn't. We just were worried about Teresa. I don't think you did either. He was all about Teresa. That's why I want to check that I've got my picture. So, yeah, so as I understand it, a lot of this is connected to Illuminated Lavendaire.

She was with you. She was the one who was seemingly, let us use your own word for it, possessed. Whether intentionally or not, that seems to be the truth of the matter, is that something took hold of Teresa and used her as a vessel to attack. You subdued her and then took her to High Priest Arden at the Bright Shadow Cathedral. Do you have any idea of what may have caused this possession? Did you see Teresa performing any spells? Did you feel any sort of otherworldly presences? I believe we have evidence that the lights, the everlights caused the possession. We have been examining several lights

and we have found a strange disc in it. This is the one that we took from the light she was working on. Yes, the one that this creature may have appeared from or was channelling through this device. You see the High Authority. Zaron, would you mind? And Zaron will come up and just be like, head over. You go, Zaron.

He takes it. You see him use a familiar spell. His eyes glow for a moment. He casts Detect Magic. And he begins examining it. He's just like, the magic's a little bit beyond me, High Authoritor. The enchantments here are not something I've ever encountered before. But there is definitely... I mean, to me, it looks like a simple device to conjure light. I can't see

anything more connected to it. If you're just handing in the disc, are you going to actually show the secret, like the unlocked bit inside? Oh, I thought the disc was... Remember, you split in half. Oh, I see. Okay, yes. Well, in that case, yeah, I would. Oh, okay. When you reveal that, he opens it and he goes,

ah, much more curious. He looks at it and says, the enchantment is complex, a little bit beyond my skill, but there is definitely something here more than just conjuring light, Authorita. And she goes, ah, how curious. And she says, like, can we mark that as evidence? And he takes it over to a box.

He puts the disc in there, and the box is shut. He touches it, and it seems to glow and seals. We need knock as a spell. So keep in mind that you do not have the first disc. Let's call it Teresa's disc. Do you reveal the other ones? When we first arrived in Ashen's Rest, there was trouble at the baths with spirits that were manifesting.

We dealt with that. And at the time, obviously, we felt unconnected to the events of this, possession of Teresa. We went to the bath today and investigated one of the lights. It has the same device. Really? Do you have the device? I also have that one as well.

No, we don't. We put it back, didn't we? You put the light back? Or did you put the disc in? Oh, did you take it? You could have slipped the disc away. I guess, yeah, I would have taken the disc. Because I think the guy just saw you fiddling with the light, and then you could have just put the light back,

because you have to take the light completely off to get the disc, right? And then you could have put this back and then given them the thing. Yes, so this one installed within the smaller lights, within the bathhouse, not just the street lights. Zauron? Zauron comes over and takes it again, opens it in the same way, examines the streetlights. Zaron. Zaron comes over and takes it again, opens it in the same way, examines it. It seems to function.

There's something different about this one versus the other one. I don't know what the difference is, but there is some slight difference. There is a third one as well. Yes, well, cursory glances at the comparisons between the two. The second seems to be much more subtle, in effect um but yes there is a third as well much more primitive i suppose yes and we think this might have been an early version uh because we have been given the enticing devil as per our writ and there was a broken light outside of it we started to make loose connections that the events that transpired at the Enticing Devil,

that a murder had occurred. We started to connect it with the light, so we investigated the light near our property. Now, this one broken four years ago, but indeed contains a similar disc, but again, much more primitive than the recent ones. At this point, the authorities are going to take all three discs. Yes, yeah.

And lose them all. They are put into evidence. Okay. If you want to make a note that the discs have been submitted to evidence, you may. The high authority listens intently, listens to you all, shows no sign of dismissal, just nods, lets you explain the story, Rowan. When you talk about the murder at the Enticing Inn, No sign of dismissal, just nods, lets you explain the story, Rowan. When you talk about the murder at the Enticing Inn,

she does kind of... A slight forlorn look on her face comes about. A murder, you say, at the Enticing Devil? Yes. One was not formally reported, but I did have my suspicions back in the day. Unfortunately, I was too busy to properly investigate. No crime was reported, so I had no authority to look into the matter further. It was believed that the owner's wife had simply left, but... Her spirit remains. Yes, when I heard stories about the

spirit that was in the area, I must admit I did have a feeling that something untoward had happened, but I have no idea where the husband now is or anything. Oh, any leads would be helpful, because that's how we could help lay her to rest. It's a matter we very much wish to resolve. Well, I'm sure that we can help one another. I do have some preliminary reports. I did try to investigate a little, but I was unfortunately not as... I did not have the time. There were other matters I was called to. But, yes, I did keep some records. I will give you what I have. I only have a small amount of information, but not much.

So, these discs. Quite damning evidence. certainly something was involved. Based on, and I believe that you had mentioned to the High Priest that there was something about the lamplighters connected to all this, Teresa being sent there to do this and some sort of connection to the lights. We sent a number of, I sent Zaron, along with the High Marshal and some soldiers there this morning. We investigated a number of the sort of private chambers of some of the Illuminators there and some of the other members, and some, shall we say, unusual literature was found.

We've arrested a handful of the guild's members. The guild masters are currently claiming that they had no knowledge of what was happening, that these people were acting independently, that they are shocked and horrified to learn of what was going on. to learn of what was going on. As we speak now, this Theresa was the one who was responsible for inserting these discs. No. She told us on the night that she was given the lights

and there are parts of the guild workshop she's not allowed in. Because when we were trying to speak to the blacksmiths guild, trying to parley, trying to create a calm... But she was the one who had to install them. Yes, and that's all she knew how to do. She didn't know how... As far as she told you, sir. Well...

It is my job to ask these sort of questions. It is not that I doubt your belief or testimony, sir, but in my line of work, I do not take anything I am told at face value. Facts, evidence is what we need here. When I look around the room, are there any everlights in here? There probably would be a magical light in here, yes.

Yeah, there probably would be, mounted into the ceiling. You'll get it. Okay. Well, I'm just concerned. If these lights are enhancing negative emotions, as they seem to be doing, I mean, would it be worth investigating the one in this room?

Certainly, if you wish to look at it. I'm afraid I can't quite reach. Rowan could probably reach up there. Rowan's probably the only one who can actually reach because it's quite a high ceiling and it's mounted into the ceiling, right? Normally a ladder would need to be brought in, but Rowan, you can probably just reach up and pull it down.

Okay, I'll do that. Yeah, you reach up, you pull it down, you lower it. And it's like it's an independent object, right? Once it's kind of removed from the ceiling, it looks like it's been attached there with, like, nails and hooks and things like that, or, like, you know, pitons or whatever. You pull it down, and you hand it to Xanthius, because Xanthius has examined them before.

There's no disc in this one. Oh. Okay. So, I mean, this one, untampered with, unaffected by, whatever it is they've done. So they are picking places specifically. I had a working theory that the bathhouse was selected because it's a very public place.

There was some mention of ley lines. Yes, also that. Very curious. Very curious indeed. The people did tell us, the guilds that we did speak to on that night did tell us that they'd been feeling angry and that that's why they kept breaking the lights.

Sadly, there has been bad blood between these guilds for... The rivalry has existed since Ashenrest's founding, but it has been particularly bad over the last sort of ten years, mainly with the rise of the Lamplighters Guild. They were a very... They were not a particularly popular guild for a long time, but the arrival of these new technologies, the Everlights and their development of other magical trinkets,

have sort of elevated them. They have also cultivated a strong friendship with His Majesty, His Draconic Majesty. The other guilds have, well, sadly, some of them are very jealous of the lamplighters. Others are sort of allies of convenience. The stonemasons and the lamplighters are quite close. It is very concerning.

Clearly there is something at work here. We cannot even possibly dismiss the idea that there is some sort of plot. The question is, is this engineered by a handful We cannot even possibly dismiss the idea that there is some sort of plot. The question is, is this engineered by a handful of low-level engineers who are using this as an opportunity to go out and install these devices in some terrible, heretical plan? Or is this more... is this grander? Does this go beyond a few low-level engineers?

I mean, he's... Go on, Rowan. Of the people you took back to the forge from the Lamplighters, Gerold was one Tobias. No, Guildmaster Tobias. No, no. He was most forthcoming. He was happy to work with us. He gave us full access. He, in fact, wanted us to...

He made sure that we searched all of the private rooms and he seemed aghast. As I said, I don't take anything at face value, but certainly his impression was of a man who was shocked and appalled by what we told him and what was discovered. Well, good, first of all. Yes, the reason we seek you out, in fact, is because Messenger approached us with a letter from Guildmaster Tobias.

It is still sealed. We didn't think it appropriate to open the letter ourselves. I mean, do you think that this is something that I should know? It might be related. Well, by all means, if you wish to read it, but it is your message, by all means, read it if you wish. Okay, just in case.

Yeah, I'll open it up. Sure. Pull that letter. A curse upon you. Double curse. Everybody, no, no. A Bible. Everybody's exericist. No, you, no. Fireball. Everybody takes their own steps.

No, you open it up and a very hastily written, not very long, brief sort of letter is inside. It's on very lovely paper, luxurious paper. Okay. It has a stamp of the Lamplighters Guild emblem in the top left corner. It says, it says, Apologies, I do not know your names.

I know that you were contracted to perform a service for my guild and that in the process of which you have uncovered a most horrible plot. I would like to invite you

to meet with me for dinner to express my thanks and gratitude. Guildmaster Tobias and Guildmaster Janya Cooper. Tobias Leto is his name. Tobias Leto, Janya... And Janya Cooper. I'll obviously be reading this out as I... If that was sent today, then the timing would make sense.

We informed Tobias of everything this morning. We did not know about these discs. We merely knew that there may be some connection to the events in Riverside and the Lamplighters Guild. We conducted a search of the premises. We found texts and... Interesting literature about demonic forces, shall we say. Many of the people whose rooms we found these elements in,

they have either not told us anything or they have pleaded their innocence that it was planted there, that they are being framed. Unfortunately, a very common matter. But it sounds like Tobias, having learned of what has transpired, is seeking to provide you recompense. Or perhaps dissuade his own guilt in the matter. I could not say. Well, would it be advisable to have one of the forge

be listening in on our dinner? I think that that may tip the hand, my good tall friend. I would suggest, and please, this is only a suggestion from an old woman who has been doing this for a while. If I would suggest you go and meet with Mr. Bice, act as if you have received this message, that you have not spoken with me, I think it would provide both of us a benefit

if we pretend that this conversation has not yet happened. But I would greatly appreciate your support and to inform me of any findings that you have. My desire is to get to the truth of this. If we have a cult of some demonic nefarious force, then it must be removed. It is a sickness, a disease that needs to be cut out of this place. How deep we cut is the question. how deep we cut is the question. It has often been my case that when I have encountered those who have fallen under the sway of nefarious malignant powers,

it is very easy for those who do not have much in life to fall under that sway. And I have dealt with several cults and individuals who have attempted these sort of plots before. It is far more concerning if this goes greater than that. I do not know which. I do, I can tell you that His Draconic Majesty has a long friendship with Tobias's family as well as that of the chief illuminator, Maurice Goldsite. They have been friends for a long time. Without, the Duke himself has told me directly

that if I am to pursue any investigation against the senior members of the Lamblighters Guild, I require hard evidence. We were told the same. That's why we haven't really said anything yet, because- Very wise of you to do so. We just wanted to make sure that Theresa was okay. Theresa is being held here in the forge for now.

I am making sure that she is obviously... We do not mistreat, you know, our guests. But she is a suspect. And until I have hard proof that she is not... a cultist, I cannot release her. If I may, I'm just gonna jump out. Did we explain the whole, like, the link of the magic and the kind of link to the twin pits and feeling? No, we didn't.

Nope. Gruff is gonna explain that now. Yeah. Gruff is gonna explain as much as he knows. Do you explain where you got that information from? Because it was from Blackwing. I would probably say, like, we consulted someone and they said this, and I guess...

Okay, yeah. So when you say, you explain everything, you say, we consulted somebody and saw this, and she'll say, whom did you consult? Forgive me, I do not think any of you to be masters of the Imperial Academia. Blackwing. The elf.

In the tower with ravens. I'm familiar, Blackwing. The elf. In the tower with ravens. I'm familiar, I'm familiar with them. They seemed very formidable with magic and given the nature of this device. And they've been around a really, really long time, so we thought that maybe they would know. Yes, they have. That presents another interesting quandary. Blackwing is an elf. They are outsiders to our world, and they originally came from a planar realm,

a realm known for its trickery and deception. Blackwing has their own agenda. I'm sure that what they have told you is accurate to a sense, but how much of it is the truth, or how much they have kept secret from you, I could not say. I don't think they're interested enough to do anything kind of plots or scheming or anything.

No, I don't think so either, but that does not mean that they have not revealed all that they know. I just bring this up because I definitely think the connection to the Twin Pits is true, because when the Beastie came out and started threatening us and stabbing us, they said, and I remember this specifically because it was so odd to

me. Yes, please. He said, the barrier weakens, the Hellion Throne will never see this coming. She writes that down. Specifics. This is, please. Sorry, the barrier weakens, it just. Yes, yes, no, the healing throne. That alone certainly implies sort of a demonic connection, certainly, or a fiendish connection, I should say.

This is exactly what is needed. Facts, specifics. It is within these specific details that I think we will find our answers here. Consider this. Meet with Tobias. Glean what information that you can. If you can find a way to prove that either Teresa is innocent,

or that Tobias, or perhaps any of the other guild,, perhaps Johnnie Cooper, perhaps the Chief Illuminator. If you can prove that they are the masterminds behind this, bring that evidence to me and I will make sure that justice is delivered. And I can make sure that you are paid for such services as well. I will share what information I have with you, and will work with you as best as I can. If I could just say one more thing for Teresa. Now, I understand you can take this whatever way as you wish,

but this was my reading of the situation. These discs, they feed off of negative emotion and when enough negative emotion has charged the line and sent to the Hells and brings something back. At the time, she was terrified. She was scared out of her wits, hiding nearest to the Everlight that we took this disc from. I genuinely believe that was an honest emotion, and she didn't know, and we didn't know at the time,

because we didn't discover the disc until after the encounter. So I genuinely don't think she knew, because you can't fake an emotion like that, especially in a large dose, to summon something like the Beastie. You are quite correct. But sadly, feelings do not change facts. The fact is that she was the one who inserted this disc. You have revealed its nature to us. We now see that it has been inscribed

with this powerful enchantment. Right now, Gruffydd of Tremorro, I am afraid that she is our best suspect. We have very little to prove otherwise. I do not doubt with a moment that what you say is true, that you genuinely believe this woman to be innocent and that she has not done anything wrong and that she is as much a victim of this as anyone. But until I can prove it, right now her fingers are on the murder weapon. I understand that. I just wanted to share my observation. And I am very grateful for it. And it is from this I can see how earnest you are. I can see how much this means. And that drives me that there is more to all of this.

Now, my hands are often tied. I am a very public figure. If I go to Tobias and I start asking questions, he will immediately know why I am there. He will think that I suspect him. That may cause him to hide evidence, destroy it, perhaps if he is involved in all of this, or if the other members of the guild are involved,

that might drive them to accelerate whatever plans they have. But you, you are strangers to this place. You can play the innocent mercenaries who did not know any better. In your speakings with Tobias, did you, I suppose you haven't uncovered anything particularly unfavoury? You trust this man? He has been a pillar of this community for several decades. His family have been operating the Lamplighters Guild for years.

He has helped lead the Lamplighters Guild into the success they are today. He is generous with his money. He helped fund the school. He has helped fund many of the infrastructure around here. He is a good friend of His Draconic Majesty. He's been a cordial gentleman to me whenever I have met with him. And is Jania Cooper as well? She is a little more cantankerous.

Certainly one who, I think that in my professional opinion, she is certainly a woman with secrets. What those secrets are, I could not tell you. But she is more cantankerous. But she is dedicated to her guild and very protective of it. I believe that, well, I do not like to jump to conclusions. I like facts.

Well, for Teresa's sake, let's hope we can find you a better suspect. One thing I should inform you of, it is privileged information at this point, the chief illuminator, Morris Goldside, he was not at the Lamplighter's Guild and in fact the Lamplighter's Guild is claiming they do not know where he is. He vanished early this morning. Were they aware? Morris Goldsite. He's the chief illuminator.

Was Morris aware that you would be arriving? No, no one was. But he caught them by surprise. I see. I don't see how they could have known. The only ones who knew that we were even potentially looking at them was the Speaker of Secrets. He reported to myself and Lord Marshall as soon as the sun had risen. As soon as he had finished speaking with you, I believe, as soon as there was light, he came and spoke with us.

We immediately went up to the Lighters Guild to investigate. And he left this morning? He vanished. Nobody saw him come or go. But he is not there now, and they do not know where he is. If he is intending to flee, then someone must have informed him. If it was not you, then I would, then perhaps I'll speak her of secrets.

There's more secrets than I believe. Or indeed Blackwing. Or indeed this elven mage, yes. You said your hands are tied in matters such as this. How much... Let me just briefly rephrase. My hands are not tied. I have great authority as the High Authoritarian. Understood. In terms of going to a dinner with a Tobias Leto, how much freedom do we necessarily have here?

If we uncover something? You are not deputies of my office, nor are you members of the Duke's Guard. You are independent mercenaries. Should you commit any crimes? Oh, we don't intend to. Well, she just says, if you are to commit any crimes, I would say this if if you commit a crime

in the service of the duke and for the betterment of the empire as high authorita i can look favorably upon such actions if one is to in the same sense that if um if you are if you defend somebody and you kill them in you know kill an attacker in the process whilst trying to defend an innocent, then the law can be lenient towards you. In the same way that should you, I don't know, be caught breaking into the Lamp-Lighter's Guild, shall we say, if you are able to find and provide evidence

that shows that there was nefarious matters, then again, I can be lenient. If you do not provide that, then I must use the full weight of the law against you. I understand. Consider this a very private discussion, and I find that sometimes working in the shadows can yield great results.

Oh, I'm sorry. Shadows are a bit of a sensitive topic at the moment. Yeah, well I apologize. I did not expect, well. The haunting. Ah, yes, yes, yes. You have taken over the ship of that place, yes. I have heard quite a few horror stories.

Even some of the Duke's guard won't patrol that area for fear of it. If we attend this dinner party tonight and things go a bit, you know, wrong, is there a way we can contact you directly? Or indeed, would you want us to contact you? Are you capable, are any of you capable of casting spells? I am. Yes?

Yes, but maybe not what you are suggesting. There may be a risk of it being destroyed in the process, but I believe that you, there is a chance you may be able to use it um and she goes over she unlocks a drawer on her desk um she rifles through paper and then she pulls out a scroll about yay big um and it's wrapped it has the seal of the authoriters office so the draconic head of the eye um she locks the drawer back up and she will gruff and xanthius gruff and Rowan you both said. So probably to Gruff, actually, as you've been sort of engaging her most. This is a sending spell scroll. It is quite a... It may be a spell beyond your means, but you may still be able

to use it. This is the best I can offer you at this time, I'm afraid. Use it to contact me directly. Thank you. Gruff looks momentarily panicked. Thank you. Groff looks momentarily panicked. Okay. Use that, whether or regardless of tonight's matters, consider that a gift. A way of saying thank you for what you have provided, the information you have provided me already. But yes, if there is something and you feel it needs my immediate attention or the attention of the Duke's Guard or the Lord Marshal, the High Marshal, send me a message.

It is my duty to try and enforce the Empress's law here, and if something is amiss, I would like to know about it. Okay. Do you have any fear that we might be being watched by the Lamplighter's Guild? I would certainly. I'm a very paranoid old woman, sir. Me too. I consider that whenever one is involved in matters such as this,

well, keep an eye on the dark. OK. That's why I ask if it's worth us meeting often with you. I am often called away, unfortunately. Zaron and I are the only authorities for the North Vale, so if a message comes in that we are needed out in some village to oversee a criminal judgment or something like that, I'm afraid that we must be sent.

I will try and send Zaron where possible. I don't like to travel so much these days. My knees aren't so good for it. But, yes, I will try and make myself available. But if I'm needed by the Duke or anyone else, I'm afraid that they must be my priority. But yes, please do send at least words to me whenever you can. Okay. I will be here. I don't tend to go very far. But yes. Okay. You were also asking about the matter involving the Enticing Devil. Let me get you my file. And she goes over, and what appears to you to be almost like a piece of wall with a mirror on it,

she goes up to it, and she whispers some arcane words, and you watch as that wall vanishes, and it leads into a walking closet, but instead of clothes, it's just ranks of library shelves filled with books. And she goes over, and they seem to be categorized by date, because she counts years and dates and months and things like that.

And she pulls out a large ledger, flips through it, and pulls several sheaves of paper out, puts them in a little file, puts the book back, returns, speaks the command word, the wall comes back into existence, and she hands them over to you. It's a very brief report. I won't read it out entirely.

Just real quick, what is that spell? What spell? What's the arcane words she's saying? It was more like a command word. It didn't necessarily seem like a spell. It seemed like a command word to activate or deactivate this wall. Okay. Do you want to make a perception check to see if you could hear them?

There's no way I hear them. It's just, you know. You never know. You never know. I got... Oh, what is my perception now? Did you get a nat 20? I didn't, no. I got... Oh, what is my perception now? Did you get a nat 20? I didn't, no.

I got 10. 10. You heard like a very whispered kind of... Yes. Nothing muttering. But yeah, she hands over to the report to you. The report doesn't really tell you much. much uh it reports that um uh that tyria uh medrick uh left ashen's rest on this date um a few days later the husband cavon medrick left um the notes are claimed to be going to

kelscaris uh to chase after wife send someone to check uh that uh you know kind of like see if that's true um check with gate guard uh reported seeing cavon leaving on that date um guard and then it names the guard who they spoke to um uh no record of wife leaving um uh, no, sorry, it would say record of wife leaving, but only seen at a distance, blah, blah, blah, kind of like some little detailed notes. Right. Was it the same guard that? Yeah, it was the same guard that saw them, yeah.

And it was several days apart. It was about three days apart as well. Hauntings began shortly after husband left, yadda yadda yadda. It kind of contains most of the same information, but you do get this guard's name that apparently saw both Tyria and Kavon leaving the city. Okay, put it on the pinboard. Connect the lines. And it would be guard...

I need a random name. It's a weird name. It is guard. He would be Sergeant Gavin. Sergeant Gavin. Let me get another. Sayer. S-A-Y-E-R.

Gavin Sayer. He's a human guard. He'd probably be, he'd be like four years older, five years older now, so. Oh, God. He's four years old. He's four years old. He's four years older.

He's four or five years older. A real prodigy. Saying that, Quill was only three, so. So he saw the wife leaving first, or the wife? Yeah, he saw the wife leaving first, and a few days later, but only at a distance. He didn't actually speak with the wife. He did speak to Kavan.

He did speak to Kavan, yeah. Okay. Yep, Sergeant Gavin, what did I say? Gavin Sayer. And this sergeant, is he still a sergeant, I suppose? If you're asking Eremina, she's just like, I'm afraid I don't know. You would need to inquire.

I would suggest you speak with some of the guards out in the forge or head up to the north gate. The report also says north gate, Greyforge Gate. It also mentions that you would, or someone would check up to make sure that they did go to Kelskaris as Kavon. Unfortunately, I was not able to send that follow-up report. Again, my work took priority, I'm afraid. Okay.

Please keep me informed if you learn any more. If it is true that Kavon committed murder, especially against his wife, and I did not investigate it, I will deeply regret that I did not look into it further. I would like to know. And if I can offer you any more assistance in that, please. If you like, I would suggest that you maybe send a courier. You could always send a courier up to Kalskaris to check.

I have the address of Tyria's family, and that's on the report. That's, you know, there. If you wish to send a letter or a sending spell to them, you could do that. Yes. Do you have a good description of Kavan, what he looks like?

Kavan, yes. I mean, yes, we have a description of what he looks like. Yeah, it's all in the report. Okay. I mean, if they are in Kelskaris. My plan was to message the wife's family, Tyria Adler, the Adler family, they live in Kelskaris. I was going to message them and ask if Tyria arrived,

but sadly I was not able to. Often with these cases, if something is not directly reported, if we do not have clear proof that somebody is missing or that something nefarious has happened, I have to prioritise other matters. I'm trying to remember what actual evidence we have just to say, by the way, yeah, definite murder. Aside from the ghost. Find a bloody knife.

And the spirit. Do you take testimonies from a ghost? Unfortunately, it is so easy to manipulate the responses from the dead. Spells that can communicate with the dead are generally not admissible into an authorita's jurisdiction. Shame. She's got quite the story to tell. I'm sure.

And I hope... What I would suggest, and this is me speaking as an authorita, is if you can find this cat von, if they still live, get them to confess. Often the guilty are, you would be surprised at how often the guilty will admit to their crimes when pressed. Not always through force or violence,

but sometimes through misdirection, sometimes through simple guilt. Once confronted with the horrors of what they've done, that way I will be able to prosecute him with the full power of the law. We do believe there may be an element of possession again because of the Everlight, with this more powerful disc in it. And the timelines match up from the neighbour's testimony and all that.

It is within my right as authoritative to accept extraneous circumstances into my judgments. If that was the case, if this Kavon committed a murder whilst under the influence of the Lamplighters Guild, that would not only provide a sense of lessening Kavon's sentencing, but it would also add to the crimes of those responsible for this plot if there is one within the Lamplighters Guild. If they have been responsible for another murder,

then ultimately that will be laid against them as well. And justice must be sought. It would be good to have justice for Tyria. I agree. As I said, if I can help you in any way... Yes, well, we will call on you when appropriate. Please do. I think we have a dinner to attend,

so you might need to cut those fancy clothes out again. Oh, bloody hell. Well, it has been an absolute pleasure to meet all of your acquaintance. Zaron told me much about your journey from Burnell to here and the events of Burnell as well, and her eyes kind of flicker around all of you um but i think that this lamplighters matter is a far more pressing concern right now um zaron very obviously

don't need to make insight checks does not agree with that statement and he has been like glaring at xanthius and probably daisy a little bit the whole time. He's like, they're... You two are hiding things. He's kind of like... But he's unfortunately not in a position to say anything right now. Well, as I said, misfortune keeps finding us. We're just doing our best to help out as best we can. That is all one can do in the face of ill luck and fate. But still, let us hope that justice will prevail in the end.

Uh, Rowan puts the light back in. Awkwardly. Yes, thank you very much. It's been dark this entire time. Look at the window, because it's daylight. The window's got enough light coming in. She's like, thank you very much, my dear. Thank you.

Please, help yourselves to olives. We've got plenty of fruits. Take it with you. Take it with you. And she starts putting it in your pockets. I might, if that's all right. Would you like a candy? Yes. Yes, of course. And she goes, and on her desk, she opens up a little

brass bowl. She opens it up, and inside are little hard candies, and she's like, you can take two. Go on. Oh, thank you. Hmm? I suppose. Yes, go on. Take one. I'm trying to watch my teeth. Yes, yes, you should. Well, I don't have any soft ones, I'm afraid.

They're all quite hard. Just suck on it. No more the sugar. Oh, no, no. A little bit of sugar doesn't hurt anyone. Yes, go on. Oh, thank you. It might make me feel much better, yes.

Would you like two? Yes, of course. Speaking of feeling better, you don't happen to know anything about curing curses, do you? I know that one should seek out a priest or priestess or a mage of some sufficient power. I know that you should not ask me. Fuck off.

I am an investigator. I know. Just in case. I'm not a mind spellcaster. Well, I don't believe we should take up much more of your time. We understand you have. This has been very insightful, and thank you for the discs. They will prove most crucial evidence, should this matter. I believe we should take up much more of your time. We understand you have. This has been very insightful, and thank you for the discs.

They will prove most crucial evidence, should this matter. If we had jurisdiction and authority, we'd love to investigate more lamps around the town to aid in this. We believe they must be resolved. There's a lot of them. Yes. It is something that I could assign

some of the guards to go and do. The difficulty will be if we find, if lots of them don't have this disc and we damage them, the lamp lighters then could go to the Duke and argue that we owe them recompense. Do you know of any way that you can tell if these lights are being affected? You just know they were ley lines. Ley lines were mentioned, yes. Just trying to map those. I'll speak to, we have a couple of mag. Just trying to map those. I'll speak to...

We have a couple of mages within the Duke's Guard. I will speak to them and see what they think. But now that we know that they are within the lights, we can certainly assign people to check them, but it will be a laborious and rather tedious process. If you do learn of a way that one can identify a light that has been affected or this device has been inserted into, if you can find a way to do that, that would be very useful.

It would show that this is a greater conspiracy. If most of these lights are affected or there is a plan or some sort of pattern to how they've been laid out, it will show that there is a greater plan at work here. That was our concern as well. Does she have a map in here? Yeah. OK. It's probably got notes pinned into it That was our concern as well. Does she have a map in here? Yeah. Okay.

It's probably got notes pinned into it of ongoing investigations. But also, authorities aren't just investigators. They're also the judges. So it's also so-and-so accused of stealing, appointment, three o'clock, judgment. She has notes and things like that in her book. She's kind of like the judge, jury, and executioner all in one and investigator as well i guess in the time when we were talking about you know we found this one here i you know point on the map it was in this

place this place yeah it looks like she'll probably do that after you've left you'll probably go in and start like putting notes down and things yeah yes my dear it might be worth looking at ones that have been broken and recently repaired, because if they've repaired some, that seems to be what... That is their opportunity to install these devices. That's a very good thought, my dear. That will help us narrow down our search considerably. Well, just that the guilds wouldn't let them repair in that area, so if there's repairs elsewhere...

I would say as well, and I experienced this myself, I don't know if it's just because that lamp down was it by the docks? By the riverside. Was broken or what, but I felt a definitive feeling of anxiety and a lot of negative emotion

when it started affecting me. And the chap from the blacksmith's guild, he mentioned that a lot of them was feeling angry and negative emotions. So I don't know if they remember a particular point or something like that. Well, look into it. We've not had any greater reports from the citizens about these sorts of feelings. Normally that sort of thing is, that would be reported if there was any sort of malignant or sort of lingering issue but and and the guilds have been you know we've had reports from the blacksmiths and the carpenters

uh guilds and some of the traders guilds as well complaining about the lamplighters but unfortunately the rivalry in politics a lot of it is just blaster and a lot of it is often accusations thrown around without any sort of proof. I will, however, look back into it. Perhaps we've had reports of these ill feelings in certain areas, and that will help us narrow down the searches. Possibly. Yes, but as we said, the only ones we've found is broken, primitive and subtle. Keep me posted, and if we are able to resolve this, I would be grateful for your assistance,

and I'll make sure that you are suitably paid for it as well. Thank you. You're welcome. Could we get an advance on that payment? Make a persuasion check. Ooh! Fake dice. Sure.

Yeah. Go for it. Please don't burn it. Oh, he didn't. It's not good. Five, eight, nine. I'm doing doll eyes. Please.

You can give advantage. No, I mean, I'm not actually doll-eyes him. All right, OK. She will just say, the High Authoritarian, I mean, it will just say, kind of smile at you and say, ah, unfortunately, the offices of Her Imperial Majesty do not operate on advances or credit. Do the work, and you will be handsomely rewarded,

but I'm afraid I'm not authorized to provide you any payment, because technically, we're not working together yet. I tried, lads. We need secret outfits. Really? That's your first? Wow. Do you have any ideas of what we should be called as a unit? A mercenary force.

A mercenary company, yes. Oh, like a sort of group collective name. Collective name, yes. You're asking me. Well, what sort of mercenary companies have you worked with before? I've worked with... I've had a very long career, my dear. I've worked with quite a few. I've probably forgot the names of half of them.

What were the most memorable? Oh, I mean, you generally tend to remember the sort of extreme ones, I feel, or ones that are particularly clever. There were the... There was... There was what were they called? The Blood Axe Marauders.

Very violent folks. Not quite hitting, I suppose. There was... were they called? The Bloodaxe Marauders. Very violent folks. Not quite hitting, I suppose. Too violent. Let's see here. Oh, the Emerald Quiver. A group of wilderness experts from Mismold. Let me see.

Humperdink Rumpenduckles Band of Merry Men. That one stuck out because it was ridiculous. Was this led by a Humperdinck? That was the funny thing. No, that wasn't even his name. No, no, no. It was the name of his pet badger. Badger called Humperdinck? What was it, Pumperknuckle?

That's correct, yes. Yes, okay. Fascinating. But as for you, I'm afraid I do not know you yet to make a suggestion, but I will think of it. I've been workshopping the Pillars of. The Pillars of? Something. Something.

We'll figure it out. And it's got to be clever now. Mm. I don't like Pillars. Pillars, the Pillars. I feel like Pillars fits you, sir. We are all Pillars. Well, you are. I don't get pillar vibes from these two especially.

The two of you I can see being pillars, but these two I don't see as pillars. I couldn't hold up a ceiling. I'm a lion, not a pillar. No. But you'll come to it. It will come to you, I'm sure. Well.

Right. Although I guess I could be called a caterpillar. No. We must leave. We've taken up too much of your time. So much of caterpillar. No. We must leave. We've taken up too much of your time. We've taken up so much of your time. No, you're more than welcome. Thank you for your great information. Good luck.

Thank you. And like I said, do watch your backs. If there is a greater plot at work here, they will not like the fact that you have disturbed whatever it is they were trying to do. We'll be careful with our conversations in public. I would advise it. Yes. We'll just have them in the haunted house where nobody wants to come anyway.

That does provide you a safe place to speak. It's not safe at all. Well, I must see you all out now, but thank you so much. Bliss! Private Bliss! And you hear the door open like, Yes, High Authoritor. Would you mind escorting my guests back out of the forge, please, my dear?

Oh, absolutely, High Authoritor. Yeah, no problem. Can I also pass my compliments to Bliss's extremely good professional care aiding us from Burnell to Ashen's Rest? You certainly can. Make a persuasion check for me. OK. OK. OK.

Do you want a fake dice? He's wrong, though. 14 plus persuasion? 18. 18. What? She kind of looks at you as like, well, it's always nice to hear that we have capable young men and women

who are able to do a great job. Yes, she is extremely good at her work. Good to know. And you see Bliss is kind of blushing. It's just like, oh, Rowan, you don't need to say anything like that. No, it's fine. I'm just doing my job, ma'am. No problem.

Come on, you lot. And then sort of shuffles you out and kind of nudges you. What did you do that for? It's embarrassing. I know. Eramina just kind of stands by the door and there's almost like a little ominous hint as you walk down this long corridor of this little tiny elderly halfling just stood in this open door and she just kind of raises her hand to her chin her eyes narrow a bit just watching you leave and then she's out of sight as you go down the stairs and out of the forge, basically.

But just seems to be sort of drinking you in as you leave, like watching you go. Someone with that veteran status that's got those scars and is that kind. Yeah, she's working. Has got some stuff going on. said she's all back she's smart i still prefer her to the woman that's the worst she's so disarming yep maybe maybe um we'll get to the bottom of it yeah right we'll be murdered before then we'll be dead as hell um well i guess

we don't want to go for dinner without ophelia. Do you have an address, this place? We haven't even, like, agreed. Yeah, you know where the... It's the Pharos, yeah. That's the Lampyter's Guild headquarters. Did they say dinner tonight at the Pharos? Yeah, well, they didn't say dinner. They just said we would like to invite you to a meeting, like, tonight. Yeah, like, we would like to meet...

They said dinner. Did I say dinner? Oh, in that case, I said dinner. Food will be supplied. You promised us food, Dan. Then it is a dinner. B-Y-O-B. Doesn't it have to be a fancy dinner, though?

But it is in the Pharos. It is in the Lightlight's field. Okay, cool. Yeah, you guys can make your way back to... This would probably be sort of like, I guess, like 1, 2 o'clock at this point. Yeah. You make your way back to...

You make your way back to the Enticing Devil, the abandoned inn. I'll wait outside. Oh, you're waiting outside as you get there. You see that Ophelia is speaking with someone who's at the inn, basically. They're stood at the door having a chat with somebody. A real physical, actual person?

A real physical, actual person. They look like a courier, dressed in the same outfit as the Kyrian, the little halfling who chased after you. But they are a human. They just look like a human man. They're wearing an outfit. And they hand over a package

and a very ornate-looking envelope to Ophelia. We're getting all the letters today. I know. It seems everyone wants to contact us. Prison! As we, like, walk past this guy. Oh, yeah, the guy just sort of says, like, oh, good day. Good day.

Delivering mail for us? If you are, I can't remember the name, Xanthia something, Gruff. Is that, yeah. I was basically told, deliver to the old inn the abandoned inn down here Who sent the message? Anonymous, just came from got dropped off at the offices

to deliver today Thank you for your No problem My friend, grip shoulders Okay Your rates to Kelskaris. Use a fate dice. Yeah, I use a fate dice. Sorry, I should have announced it.

Can you roll... Just roll a d20 plus your dexterity for me, Rowan. Oh, God. It's currently zero. That's a solid two a solid two um you go to like grab this person and they kind of take a little shuffle step back like to avoid being touched by you and they're like whoa man like hey come on like sorry consent and all that yes um apologies what what what did you want to know what rates to kelskars if we were to send a letter oh you'd have to go to the you'd have to go to the office and ask about that.

I don't know off the top of my head, I'm afraid. Sorry. Fair enough. Hello, can I roll an insight check on this? Yeah, absolutely you can. Yes. Sure, sure, sure. I'm using a fate dice.

Okay. Yes, please do. Okay. We're going to shut this guy down. 16. 16. Insight, right? Mm-hmm. All right. I'm going to spend an insight. Oh, down. 16. 16. Insight, right? Mm-hmm.

All right. I'm going to spend an insight. Oh, sorry. Oh. You rolled, but you rolled before you picked up the dice. That's true. That's true. All right, I'll allow it.

18. It was an 18. It was an 18. I miscounted my insight. This person would have a pretty high bonus to this. 18. This person would have a pretty high bonus to this. 18.

On Insulate, the way that they kind of avoided Rowan touching them was kind of weird, but it kind of makes sense. Like a big tall man grabbing you out of nowhere. Some people might reflectively jump back. Yeah, they're just... As they appear, you don't pick up on any other behaviours or anything.

They kind of look like... yeah, sorry, guys. Your package, I think, dropped it off with your friend there. I've got to go back. I've got more work to do. Does his uniform match that of the guy that we saw earlier, the halfling we saw earlier? Make a perception check. What? What do you want to do? Make a perception.

You can make a perception check. Yeah, yeah, you can absolutely make a perception check. I would have been on the insight stage, so I would have helped with that. Natural 20. No. 11. 11. Daisy.

Hello. On a natural 20. Maybe it's just because you're cauldron, right? And cauldrons take quite a lot of pride in how they're dressed, you know, and things like that. And you're just aware of, like, what what people wear and looking at this person's outfit it's really similar to the one that the little halfling was wearing earlier but something is odd about it um it's not necessarily the outfit is wrong. It's almost a perfect replica of what

the outfit was. But as they turn away from Rowan to look at Gruff, a piece of their coat almost like light passes through it in a weird way. Like it's not real.

Rowan does not notice that. Yeah, no, Daisy's the only one who spotted that. So are they facing Gruff? Yeah, so imagine that they're walking down the street, right? Like, Rowan went to speak to them, and they went, whoa, man, back off, and then they turned to Gruff, and they're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah,

I've got to go now kind of thing. Can I go, oh, thanks, and go, hi, Ophelia, and walk as if I'm going to the house, and then just turn around and grab? Sure. I'm going to make a, give me a stealth check to see how well. I'm using a fate dice.

Okay. I think that's our last one. Well, you know what? As its last one, I'm going to burn one and spend it on my check here, my acrobatics check. I'm trying to think of a way to give you some help here. You can give advantage, yeah.

Yeah, because I think I would, I haven't noticed the coat. The outfit, but. I didn't do an insight check, so I would be asking him, like, I've made this mistake before. Yeah. Did Mistress Ophelia,

It's like distract. Do you recompense for your? That's a great point, yeah, like, yeah. And when you say that, he's just like, no, but didn't expect it. Almost was like, it's weird, this guy wasn't expecting it. Yeah, I think that might be enough of a... To give advantage, yeah, yeah, yeah. 27. 27.

He only notices at the last minute what you're doing, but by that point it's too late, and as you go to grab, your hand passes through the outfit and catches on something underneath it, and you can tell that it's illusory. The outfit's illusory. It's the disguise self spell.

And you see the figure kind of just like stops, and he's like, ah, you got me. And you watch as the clothing ripples away, and a green-skinned tiefling with gold horns, with the jagged elemental stony horns and gold jewellery just goes, hello again. And that's where we're going to end today's episode.

Oh! That's where we're going to end. That was just a simple encounter. We just... I think you guys have been on such a paranoid level for the whole of this episode, and then this one thing, Kim was just like, I know that there's something up with this guy!

Kate's just like, Meridians! I saw the parcel, anonymous, I was like, bullshit. Tell me everything about the Choreo system here. My initial thing, which I was like, bullshit. Tell me everything about the Korya system here. My initial thing, which I was incorrect about, was that it was a message specifically for Ophelia, and that's why I was asking, was this a group thing? I was like, we don't have friends here.

I was on the wrong end of it there. No one sends us mail. No one sends us mail. We'll find out. Unfortunately, it's going to be two weeks until we find out what it is. Until we break. We're not there next week. Caliphras reappears, but that is going to be two weeks until we find out what it is. We're not here next week.

Caliphras reappears, but that is going to be it for this week. Thank you so much for joining us, everybody. Very good. We will be back. Don't forget, you'll be able to check out our Insomnia... We're going to call it the Althea Sidequest. It's not a one-trick, it's a sidequest. That's going to be at Insomnia.

Hopefully, that will be up on YouTube. We'll do our best to upload it if possible so you can check that out with our guests Jennifer English and Aliona Baranova I've got very lazy tongue today but yeah

that's going to happen and then yeah High Rollers live show tickets available now please and that's going to be it for today's episode we'll see you soon

bye bye goodbye bye bye goodbye And that's going to be it for today's episode. We'll see you soon. Bye-bye! Goodbye! Bye now. Bye-bye. Goodbye. Hello, I'm Wheels, the Dungeon Master for Storybreakers. Love critical role in movies like Hot Fuzz and Spotlight? Actual play series Storybreakers combines the fantasy adventure of Dungeons & Dragons with small- town comedy and mystery in an episodic tale of journalists on the

hunt for the secret underbelly of a tiny town where nothing seems to happen. When the mysterious arrival of a celebrity from the heroes and adventurers guild sets off a strange conspiracy, the group will have to leave what they think they know about the world at the door if they're ever to unravel the truth at the heart of this seemingly nondescript town. It's not front page of the society. I pull up the today's like installment of the news to see what the front page actually is there's a big picture of a pumpkin that's been stepped on and it says outrage as pumpkin stepped on storybreaker season one in its entirety is available for listening right now wherever you get your podcasts