About this Episode:
As an explosion wracks the tunnels, JJ and Jo are injured in more way than one when Mama Amoretta comes to their rescue. The investigators find themselves within the halls of The Clockwork Aqueducts, chasing after more than only one lost girl.
The content warning for this episode includes broken bones, concussions, complicated family dynamics, complicated relationships dynamics, exhaustion, fantasy violence, kidnapping
This episode spotlight is 5 GMs in a Trenchcoat.
You can find us here.
Lamplight Investigations is a Thirsty Sword Lesbians steampunk noir that stars Kenzie Tartaglione as the GM, Atlas Mathews as JJ August, Danielle Halen as Mama Amoretta, and April Consalo as Joanna Gilmore.
Episode recap performed by Michelle Kelly.
This podcast episode as produced by Kenzie Tartaglione and edited by Kenzie Tartaglione, with theme music by Lisette Amago and character art by Elsa Velasco.
Episode Transcript:
Michelle Kelly:
While Mama Amoretta goes with Meray’s parents to investigate her apartment, JJ and Jo descend into the sewers of Cypher City. Following carved rune markers, they eventually run into two Faceless, pursuing them through the sewers. Capturing one of them, an interrogation ensues, and the Faceless reveals a belief that death is not the end for any of them, that they will simply receive a new face and live again. As the two investigators continue their search, small explosions begin to go off, causing the way forward to become unstable. As the tunnel threatens to collapse, a Faceless arrives, pulling Jo out of harm's way before dashing off once more. Who is this masked individual? And why do they know Joanna Gilmore?
Kenzie Tartaglione (Game Master):
Mama Amoretta, checking your watch, checking the time, you realize that it's been longer than you thought, so swept away in your book, the meditative patter of ringing against the car. Over an hour has passed, close to an hour and a half since JJ and Jo climbed down the ladder into the sewer tunnels below Cypher, following the only lead you had. And just as you're beginning to think that's a while, that's a bit of time without them checking in, your eyes are drawn from the page as you watch the car wobble just a little bit back and forth. The wind, of course. And then just a little bit more. And a low rumble that doesn't seem to come from anywhere specific. You watch as roof tiles slip from a building a few blocks away, tumbling down the side and crashing into the sidewalk below.
The car stops, wobbling. It's over before it even began, not even a minute of your time.
Danelle Halen:
This is not an area prone to earthquakes, is it?
Kenzie (GM):
Earthquakes are not common within Cypher and Nova.
Danielle:
Amoretta’s gonna kinda set her book down quickly with the creeping feeling of dread kind of crawling into her stomach that something is very wrong now and she gets out of her car, makes sure to lock the doors.
Kenzie (GM):
Nothing has changed in that alleyway. like crystal illusory effect that had been over blocking the sewer grate is still gone and you can see the the grate has been moved back and you see the the ladder right there. Nothing has changed in that space.
Danielle:
Okay, she's gonna climb down the ladder and once she knows her feet are like kind of firmly on the ground, she's going to light the match a little bit to try and see a little what's around her.
Kenzie (GM):
And you reach the bottom and you strike this match and you can see that the floor is slick, there's puddles in places. You can see that the walls as well have a wetness to them. The stone on it looks kind of sludgy, but the air is clear and you can hear distant - and you know they're distant because they're coming to you in echoes of sound, like the remnants of something falling clattering down the tunnel to your left.
Danielle:
She will follow the noise of the clattering on the left and keep going that way. Occasionally, once the match runs out, she'll strike another one.
Kenzie (GM):
You traverse for like a good 10, 15, maybe even 20 minutes before you hit a path divide, but all of a sudden you hear a crack of metal in what sounds like a bursting pipe from fairly far in the distance, but it's another sound cue to try to find your way through this maze that are the sewer tunnels. If you're following the noise, that is.
Danielle:
She wants to just confirm - she’s like it could technically be either direction with a pipe bursting.
Kenzie (GM):
The sound of that water wasn't anywhere in this near vicinity, but farther along one of these tunnels. As you're kind of inspecting more specifically, you find these little runic carving indents at the base of a wall that seems to be. And it seems to be coming from the same directions those runic carvings are leading. Not that Mama Amoretta has spent a lot of time in tunnels or sewers in her life, but walking down a street, walking down an alley, you always hear wind or like the chitter of a bug or the scurrying of a rodent. Something that should exist within a sewer tunnel. There is absolutely no sign of life here outside of tiny little moments where you see like a shoe footprint indented in the mud or a piece of old fabric or discarded trash by the side. Other than that, this place is empty.
Danielle:
It’s suspiciously empty, which means that even though the sewer's not necessarily a natural environment, there are still natural creatures in there, and so it being this quiet means, there's something dangerous happening. So I think Amoretta’s gonna use her cane a little bit to kinda like sweep ahead of her, and if it knocks slightly against something, I think she'll pause to investigate further, but for now, she'll follow the rune path.
Kenzie (GM):
As you're following the rune path, your match is not giving off a lot of light, but just very close right around you light. Your cane does smack against something on the floor that sounds as it hits it, kind of like rubber.
Danielle:
Kind of quickly checks her shoulder, like behind her, because this is very much a clearly hidden area and she doesn't know if anyone is here besides her. If she's fine, she's gonna crouch and look at what this rubbery thingy is.
Kenzie (GM):
With your quick glance behind you, you're not being followed. You're in this passageway alone. As you bend down closer, you realize that your cane has hit the bottom of a shoe. And extending your match out, you see a dead and bleeding body. Though the blood has stopped running, it's pooled around this corpse. No one you recognize.
Danielle:
Probably nothing great left on the corpse, so she's just gonna skirt around it for now.
Kenzie (GM):
You continue on. The sound of water is getting louder but the amount of water is starting to lessen so that it becomes less of a rushing and more of a trickle. And you continue down this passageway, coldness kind of seeping into you, the darkness even with your tiny little matchstick just kind of suffocating, all consuming around you.
But that brings us to another darkness. Leaves crunching under boots, rain pelting down so hard you can't keep it out of your eyes. And wind. And wind. And wind. Boot catching on a log, almost tripping, almost mud covered. A flash of lightning illuminating the bare trees that look like looming monsters in shadow. And wind. And wind. And wind. On that window voice.
Unknown Voice:
Jo! Joanna!
Kenzie (GM):
It's far enough away to ignore. Or is it? Is the storm deceiving? Heart pounding in your ear, somehow louder than the wind, a sharp pain on your cheek, branch catching skin, and it still rains and the wind still howls and the girl is still gone.
Joanna, you come to. Blinking and sore and confused, still dazed, eyes bleary, on the floor of a sewer tunnel, clothes damp and full of debris dust. There's a pain on your forehead, your hand goes up to it and you wince, fingers coming away, bloodied.
April Consalo (Joanna Gilmore):
(clears throat) JJ?
Kenzie (GM):
You hear a groaning, another stirring, and you can see by the flickering now of your headlamp that has been damaged in some capacity, a body half buried under rubble as JJ starts to come to.
JJ though. JJ, you are warm. You hear coffee percolating, a bell dinging from a kitchen, the rip of paper, a cash register dinging, a stool scraping across the floor. April and May sit across from you in a booth. April trying to steal chocolate chips out of May's pancakes and she is not having it. You're not children. You're adults.
May is wearing a green and gold paisley vest with a long green skirt and April is wearing enough patchwork scraps of leather sewn together at odd angles that JJ has somehow become the middle of the fashion range. But May slaps April's hand away.
Kenzie (May August):
Just because you scarfed that down like you didn't have dinner last night doesn't mean you get mine.
Kenzie (GM):
And April retorts with,
Kenzie (April August):
Just one bite!
Kenzie (May):
No, keep your grubby hands off.
Kenzie (GM):
April kind of throws her fork against the table. The Isthmus is your place. It always has been.
Atlas Mathews:
They’re not supposed to be adults. This isn’t - none - this isn’t… JJ will point and be like,
Atlas (June July August):
May do you see that?
Kenzie (May):
Uh, what?
Kenzie (GM):
And looks towards where you're pointing.
Atlas:
And JJ will, like, motion to... April to -
Kenzie (GM):
And April, quickly arm shoots out, grabs a whole pancake off the plate, sets it on her plate, and May’s like,
Kenzie (May):
JJ, what are you pointing at?
Atlas (JJ):
Oh. nothing. I think it went away.
Kenzie (GM):
Very quickly, May's eyes go down to her plate and looks at April's plate - April is like hunched over, just like scrambling pancake into her mouth. And she looks over mouthful at May and is like,
Kenzie (April):
I’m not doing anything. I'm not doing anything.
Atlas (JJ):
Man, they brought April a whole ‘nother pancake. Isthmus is really just... There's no place better than Izzie’s, you know?
Kenzie (May):
I now understand how mom feels. Can't go anywhere without anybody eating all of your food.
Atlas (JJ):
That’s just like you bringing up mom and dad. Perfectly good day. We could just...
Kenzie (May):
Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just got - lost in it all.
Atlas (JJ):
We can't talk about…
Atlas:
And I think JJ kind of like, starts grasping at something, a thought, and then it kind of like wisps away. And in the moment that she's grasping for it, she like, smells like dankness or something and just kind of shakes her head, not wanting to lose this nice moment that she's having with her adult sisters that she's definitely seen as adults.
Kenzie (GM):
You smell that dankness. And almost as if the scene jumps forward, the track of questioning and chatter not having any connection. April just goes,
Kenzie (April):
I don't think it's for me. The whole school thing. I know I got in and I know it makes them - I’m not gonna say who they are - but them feel good that I'm part of Nova again, but I just don't care. It's boring.
Kenzie (GM):
And May says,
Kenzie (May):
Do you want to do secretarial work? Because I believe the last time you came to my office, the look of disgust on your face was not well hidden.
Kenzie (April):
That's because it's boring too.
Kenzie (May):
Stability.
Kenzie (April):
Stability.
Atlas (JJ):
You always wanted an adventure.
Kenzie (April):
Me?
Atlas (JJ):
In school, I mean, you are always starting things we had to get you out of. It's harder now.
Kenzie (April):
I do cool things, but I don't wanna sit there and learn how to do the cool things. I just wanna do them.
Atlas:
And JJ's almost frozen trying to remember as if she's in a play trying to remember her line and stuck on the fact she doesn't have lines. She's just talking to her sisters. And so she just kind of sits dumbfounded and silent, which is not something that JJ is known for.
Kenzie (April):
I just think that like Onyx would be a better teacher than anybody.
Atlas (JJ):
(Laughs) Have you tried being a comedian?
Kenzie (April):
They’re really good at what they do, JJ!
Atlas (JJ):
What they are good at is not telling other people what they're doing or really knowing what they're doing before it happens.
Kenzie (April):
Well, see, that's the fun part. That's the part that's not boring about it all.
Atlas (JJ):
The curiosity. You were so curious. You are so curious. And curiosity -
Atlas:
And JJ blanches at the words that she knows she said but is still confused by.
Atlas (JJ):
Curiosity killed the cat.
Kenzie (GM):
A voice calling your name.
April (Jo):
JJ?
Kenzie (GM):
And you turn to look at it. There's no one there.
Atlas (JJ):
May, did you see anybody just…
Kenzie (GM):
As if they haven't even recognized you've asked a question. May says,
Kenzie (May):
Okay, what are we doing next time? Because I love Izzie’s, but I just feel like there are other places in this city that we could frequent, you know? JJ, you mentioned, what's that restaurant that you go to a lot?
Atlas (JJ):
Um, El Cor -
Kenzie (May):
Oh, yeah, yeah, Comida de Corazon.
Atlas (JJ):
It begins with a ‘C’. Yeah.
Kenzie (May):
We could go there once.
Kenzie (GM):
Your name called again, distantly.
April (Jo):
JJ?
Atlas:
And JJ's squinting down at the table trying not to -
Atlas (JJ):
We went to the park and then, and then we know we were supposed to go to - we don't meet again.
Kenzie (GM):
Jo, what are you doing in this sewer as you see JJ lying on the ground?
April:
I think Jo blinks hard trying to clear her vision and her head, which really hurts. And when she sees JJ's form, she tries to get up, but all of a sudden the ground is like rushing at her. And so she half crawls, half stumbles over to JJ and just starts pulling rocks and debris off of her.
Kenzie (GM):
You feel a lightning in your limbs sitting in this booth in Izzie’s, JJ.
Atlas:
She’ll look down at our hands.
Kenzie (GM):
They are full of dirt and muck, not clean at all. And all of a sudden there's a shooting pain in your body that snaps you from this reverie and Jo, you hear the sharp intake of breath.
April (Jo):
JJ, can you hear me? Hello?
Atlas (JJ):
We don't -
Atlas:
And JJ is just kind of blinking.
Atlas (JJ):
We don't see each other. We're not supposed to see- They're not supposed to be-
April (Jo):
Hey! Hey, JJ, open your eyes.
Atlas:
She’ll open them and they are bloodshot and you see an uncommon sight which is tears.
Kenzie (GM):
JJ, all of this soreness in your body has funneled into your right foot. Or maybe it's funneled into your chest, uncomfortable from the not memory, from the dream of what could have been. But then your foot smarts again.
Atlas (JJ):
Ow!
April (Jo):
What - what - where are you hurting?
Atlas:
JJ’s gonna lean over away from Jo and throw up.
April (Jo):
Oh fuck, god.
Atlas (JJ):
I’m good. My foot… But, I'm ready to rally.
April:
Jo glances down at JJ's foot. Is it visibly fucked up?
Kenzie (GM):
It's not visibly fucked up by the amount of pain something is wrong with it.
April (Jo):
Does this hurt?
April:
And she kind of like gently but still with pressure like feels her ankle.
Atlas:
JJ starts forward and then swallows.
Atlas (JJ):
I’m not going to throw up again, but please don't touch my foot.
April (Jo):
Right, so that's broken. Okay, I won't. I was just trying- god, I just- You know I just dug you out from like a pile of rocks and I-
Atlas (JJ):
You know I just got dug out from a pile of rocks.
April (Jo):
Yeah, uh-huh. Sorry.
Atlas (JJ):
Thank you.
April (Jo):
Yes, and something, think one of those rocks might have... never mind. So...
Atlas (JJ):
Wait, what?
April (Jo):
No. (Stutters)
Atlas:
Can I scan Jo for injuries?
Kenzie (GM):
Your lantern is broken, the glass shattered, the light out in it laying on the ground next to JJ. But from the flickering of the headlamp still in Jo's head, you see that part of her forehead is just like dripping in blood.
Atlas (JJ):
You are - your face. Your face is fine. There's just blood on it. And I think it's your blood and that's not fine.
April (Jo):
My face is definitely better than fine, but thank you for your compliments (clears throat). So what are we doing here? Do you need me to carry you? We have to get out of here.
Atlas (JJ):
I don’t - I don't need you to carry me.
Atlas:
And JJ's pointedly not making a move to stand up.
Kenzie (GM):
You scan this area and the mist that was so prevalent in these tunnels as you had been traveling is gone. The air is clear before you. It's not quite, it's not as quiet as often expected after something so loud as an explosion in a collapsing tunnel. You hear a ceaseless trickling of water falling from some bursted pipe out of view. And at that moment, Jo, the headlamp flickers out entirely.
April (Jo):
Fuck!
Atlas (JJ):
Do you think the alligator's gonna find us!
April (Jo):
JJ, I'm not worried about the alligator. We have sort of bigger things to be worried about.
Kenzie (GM):
And as you look at each other and speak, you realize that you can kind of still see each other's faces. Because while you were cast into darkness, it's not complete and total darkness that you had been expecting. There is like a ghastly green aura emanating from above.
April:
I think Jo like quickly like grabs JJ's face and is like,
April (Jo):
I can see you.
Atlas (JJ):
You’re green.
April:
And Jo looks up towards where the light is emanating from.
Kenzie (GM):
Where the tunnel collapsed, there is now just this towering pile of stone and brick and mortar and more than dangerous iron and metal twisted and poking through the debris. But there's also a desk and a stool and a bookshelf. It looks as like where the tunnel collapsed opened up into a room. And that is where this light, this odd dim light is coming through.
Atlas (JJ):
That’s a nice desk.
April (Jo):
Where the fuck are we?
Atlas (JJ):
Underground.
April (Jo):
Yeah, thank you, JJ. That was more of like a rhetorical sort of -
Atlas (JJ):
Well, you hit your head, I don't know!
April (Jo):
We should definitely try to go up there, But you can't- I mean, can you stand?
Atlas (JJ):
I can -
April (Jo):
No, that's a no. There's no way.
Atlas (JJ):
Yeah.
April (Jo):
Alright. well, here.
April:
And Jo manages to stand, is not very steady, but getting slightly steadier and offers her arm to JJ.
April (Jo):
Here, lean on the other one.
Atlas:
JJ will do it.
Kenzie (GM):
You can stand up on putting all your weight on your left foot.
Atlas:
Good thing JJ is really good at hopping on one foot. But JJ is holding on to- will take Jo's arm and-
April (Jo):
Woo, okay, actually I think it would be easier if I carried you somehow, how? Fuck. JJ, I actually, I don't, I'm sorry, I don't think I can support - I think you need to get down.
Atlas:
JJ will get down.
April:
Jo like kind of leans forward and like catches herself like just on her fingertips and takes some deep breaths.
Atlas (JJ):
I think you should also get down.
April (Jo):
(deep breath) Yeah, Down might be better than…
Atlas (JJ):
Yeah, let’s stay down.
April (Jo):
Yeah, sure.
Kenzie (GM):
As you both get onto the ground, you hear it clicking in a tapping noise.
Atlas (JJ):
I don't like that sound.
Kenzie (GM):
And Mama Amoretta, you start to hear whispering and bickering.
Danielle:
The minute Mama hears bickering, she knows exactly who it is. She knows instantly. She just goes,
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Y’all sure were taking a long time.
April (Jo):
Hello?
Atlas (JJ):
We don't know if that's actually Mama.
April (Jo):
What do you mean? Who else sounds like that?
Atlas (JJ):
The shapeshifters! We just had two people with stolen faces drop -
Atlas:
And JJ's like stage-whispering at this point.
April (Jo):
Okay, well..
Atlas (JJ):
We just had two people that looked like different people.
April (Jo):
Look, listen to me.
Atlas (JJ):
I confided in you-
April (Jo):
I can barely stand.
Atlas (JJ):
We keep seeing dead people.
April (Jo):
You absolutely cannot stand- Listen, we need to- Hello!
Kenzie (GM):
You walk towards, down this tunnel into a space and you see these two individuals kind of backlit by this green weird light just kneeling on the floor close together in front of this massive pile of rubble.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Glad to see y'all are still alive. Could be looking better, but...
April (Jo):
Ugh, just barely.
Atlas:
JJ’s going to put an arm in front of Jo and holding back her shoe.
Atlas (JJ):
What's something only Mama would know?
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
I’m not quite sure what you mean by that question?
Atlas (JJ):
What did your husband get you for your last wedding anniversary?
Danielle:
Amoretta is literally just gonna pull out a necklace that she's wearing and just gesture to that.
Atlas:
And JJ like visibly sags and despite the fact that she's been making jokes this whole time, she’s not actually smiled and she does sink and turns to Jo, who was already trusting of Mama.
Atlas (JJ):
We're safe.
April (Jo):
I knew that already, but thank you for double checking.
Danielle:
So, she’s going to do a bit of first aid on, Jo's head. Probably best to keep them awake, although that's definitely a concussion, most likely. and then, you know, do a makeshift splint for JJ. It's not going to be great to walk on, but it'll at least be easier for Amoretta to, you know, carry these folks. Does she also kind of notice the-
April:
I think think Jo is immediately like,
April (Jo):
We have to get up there.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Yeah, might be the best to take a quick exit.
Danielle:
So she will do her best to be as gentle as possible. And with the strength of a mom who is deeply worried about her children, as the adrenaline is kind of hitting her, she's staying calm, but she is not at all calm right now internally. She is deeply concerned about these kids. So, she’s gonna help guide them up the rubble as safely as possible and let them use the cane if they need to. She can walk without the cane for a bit.
Kenzie (GM):
It’s a struggle with your injuries, but you are able to make it up. And you kind of have to use your upper body strength and kind of pull yourself up into this room onto the floor because the majority of the floor is gone, save for one side and then the outskirts of the other. It's an odd chamber. The glow, this green glow, is coming from these bronze tubes on the opposite wall from where you were able to climb up from. There are glass circular inlays placed every so often and whatever is inside is what is giving off this light.
Around the sides of the room and where the floor is still connected, see that this was a workplace possibly a place where some sort of lab work may have been done at some point.
April:
Jo is like almost seeing double. Her vision is not great, but she immediately goes to any plans or drawings or books that are around.
Kenzie (GM):
You would have to try to get across the opening to get to where the majority of the stuff is, though there is kind of like a file cabinet type thing that is precariously still standing on the ledge of the broken floor on the side you guys are on.
April:
I think Jo will like get on her stomach the way you do when someone like falls through ice and like grab onto the filing cabinet with two hands and just like and like drag it across the floor towards herself just so that it's safely like just barely on the edge.
Kenzie (GM):
You grab onto it and as you begin to shift it, it's top heavy and the top begins to fall over and it slams in your grasp when you lose it as this loud grinding of metal against stone as the entire file cabinet falls and twists down the mountain of rocks.
April (Jo):
Oh, shit. Well I did think that would go better than it did.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Maybe it's best y'all try and rest for now.
Danielle:
Amoretta says as she’ll probably go down and check the filing cabinet that Jo is trying to grab.
Atlas:
When we had gotten into the room, JJ finds a dry spot and lays down.
Kenzie (GM):
You can find a small spot right behind what looks like a door that you can kind of just lay behind. Mama Amoretta, you are able to pull open a couple of these filing cabinets. A lot of it is empty and what is left as you like file through doesn't seem like a lot. You find forms, like delivery sign-offs, change of procedure agreements, and then you find randomly like a letter, a handwritten letter that seems to be thanks to some employee that used to work here in the veins of: We are so happy how this new work is going and that has already started providing positive results. We are so excited to implement this into the city sooner than expected. It's just kind of like unspecified vague platitudes for something or another. But what does catch your eye is the letterhead because it's a specific crest and a specific name that says, “Weatherby Innovations.”
Danielle:
She’s gonna keep that, tuck it into, you know, her vest. And then, is there a way to possibly get like a sample vial of whatever this weird glowing liquid is?
Kenzie (GM):
You'd have to climb up to the opposite side of the room, which there's like a pretty big gap between the one side of the floor and the side that those tubes are on.
April:
How big?
Kenzie (GM):
Probably like a six foot gap.
Danielle:
Is there the door on the other side or are we on the side of like a door?
Kenzie (GM):
You are on the side where the door is. JJ's kind of curled up lying in front of it.
Danielle:
The height from like the floor to like the rubble pile, how -
Kenzie (GM):
You would probably have been like halfway across this space where the rubble is. Almost four foot angle that you'd have to clear.
April:
I think I want to try to jump it.
Kenzie (GM):
Alrighty well, Jo, roll me to find disaster. I would say for this, would be Daring. Yeah, it would be Daring.
April:
I got an eleven! Jo having had her gash sewn up by Mama.
Danielle:
There’s some gauze and medical tape put on.
April:
She’s been kind of like leaning, just breathing against the wall for a bit, but you see her eyes like kind of darting around and doing the Pythagorean theorem. And she just kind of goes,
April (Jo):
I could make that. I could, I could, I could make that. All right, one, one second.
April:
And she like starts jumping up and down like,
April (Jo):
Whoo! Okay, all right.
April:
And like pulls herself as far against the wall as possible to give herself the biggest running start and then just like launches herself forward. And jumps.
Danielle:
I think Mama is just gonna stop what she was doing, look up, register where Jo is now, and just quietly go,
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
What the hell.
April (Jo):
I made it.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
I can see that! Yeah, congratulations! Please don't do that again, you gave me a heart attack.
April (Jo):
I will have to get down, but is there anything you'd like me to do while I'm here?
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
I mean, if you find anything interesting, maybe get a sample of one of those glowing tube things? Safely.
April (Jo):
Sure, yeah.
Kenzie (GM):
As you look at these tubes, you see that they're like, they're a little bit taller than you in height and they're like connected to the wall. And the top, there's not like any place to - like looks to get into it - except for the top where you'd have to like un-wrench a bunch of bolts and take the domed top off of it.
April:
Well, Jo definitely has a multitude of screwdrivers and things on her person, so she gets her screwdriver and she starts to unscrew this hatch thing.
Kenzie (GM):
So you kind of get it, it's a little bit above your head, but you eventually get it. JJ's dazed half asleep on the floor in the back of this room, bleary-eyed watching Jo go to work. And eventually though - these feel, these are pretty hard to turn. They feel kind of rusted over, like it's been a long time since they've been in active use. And you pull the top off and you just hear as you pull it off. Nothing changes in the color or the glowy aspect of it but as you pull it off you can kind of see right over the top of it there are it's full of liquid and there are green crystals almost like lichen attached to the side, like it's grown like coral on the side of this tube.
April:
Jo has leather gloves in her pocket and she thinks to put them on. She also definitely has a tube on one of her necklaces that she can put the liquid into. So she gets the sample of the liquid and then using her gloves as protection, she grabs onto a small bit of the crystal and tries to break it off.
Kenzie (GM):
It kind of breaks like the consistency of choral too, it just snaps as you pull it.
April:
And she puts that carefully in her pocket.
April (Jo):
Does anyone else want any souvenirs while I'm over here?
Atlas (JJ):
How’d you get up there?
April (Jo):
None of your business.
Atlas:
And JJ will sigh and just like thump her head back against the concrete.
Danielle:
Amoretta will place her hand behind JJ's head before it fully thumps back against the concrete because she's already had rubble collapsing on her and she's trying to keep both of these two awake because falling asleep with concussions is bad.
April:
Jo like has to use kind of all of her strength to put the hatch back on and she tries to screw it back together the way that she found it. When she kind of hops down, she staggers a bit. She catches herself as she stumbles on the lab table and when she looks down at her hands, she sees…
Kenzie (GM):
You do see though, like, corrosive marks and like pencil markings and you see like a grid on part of the lab table. It looks to be like indented in the lab table, is like a gridded outline for measurements. There is, under the lab table, a ton of glass littered and broken. You don't know if that was there before or from the explosion that just happened, but there's a bookshelf on this side of the room. They're full of binders that when you pull off, looked that they were like hastily - pages and like folders were hastily ripped. And so there's just like remnants of papers hanging off of the three rings in it. You find a couple things in here that swiftly reading through it - not that you know a ton about water work, but it looks like they were working on a sanitation system for the city.
April:
I think Jo flips through these things and does anything like strike me as relevant?
Kenzie (GM):
You see like a name on a bunch of these papers that you sporadically find left over in the binder that says the Clockwork Aqueducts. You both see that a lot of the sanitation stuff that you can find are like new supplies or there's like one page that is kind of a planned thing and it looks like somebody was designing a sort of like new bracket for connecting two pipes together.
April:
But nothing that seems relevant to people switching bodies.
Kenzie (GM):
No, no, relevant to this cult necessarily that you have found yourselves to be searching for.
April:
I think Jo will rip out just a page that says the Clockwork Aqueduct and maybe it also has that design on it just for reference and sticks it in her pocket, like her coat pocket so it's separate from the crystal. She gets another kind of wave of dizziness and disguises it by sitting down on the lab table and like facing away from Mama and JJ.
April (Jo):
Right, so I suppose we should be getting out of here.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Yeah, I'm gonna open the door, see where that leads to, and I'm gonna help you get to that side of the door.
Kenzie (GM):
I’ll say with mama's help, as you kind of like scooch around the room a bit, you manage to get to the other side in a less perilous manner this time. And opening the door, you are in a hallway. Tiled floor. And the hallway goes both ways so f you look to the left, there's a couple doors and there's also a door that has like a that's the circular wheel handle that you have to turn like on a ship or a subway or a submarine. And then to the right, when you look down are a couple doors. And then at the end, it looks like the hallway opens up into a larger room with a lift.
There is one door in this hallway where there are slashes of lines and glowing paint on it.
April (Jo):
We should... We should go through that door.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
I mean, let's see if we can check on some stuff first before we just go barging through a door.
April (Jo):
Alright, alright, yeah, sure.
Danielle:
I’ll have Amoretta as quietly as possible try and walk up to the door and is there like a keyhole light on?
Kenzie (GM):
In the door handle there is.
Danielle:
What about, is there enough of a gap underneath the door to like, kind of peer underneath? All that she kind of wants to do is identify if there's a presence of people there.
Kenzie (GM):
You get down, put your eye at the little slit between the door and the floor, your ear there. Inside the room is dark. You don't hear any sound of movement coming from inside.
Danielle:
She will slowly try the handle and if it kind of gives resistance in a way that like isn't natural for a door to have resistance, in a way that's like you know how like kind of like a door might have like a trap mechanism attached to it it's gonna feel different, I imagine than just opening a regular door. So I imagine she's kind of looking for that sensation and if that sensation happens she's gonna stop.
Kenzie (GM):
You start to twist it, there's no resistance. And you see an empty office, empty of people. There are things in this office, but empty of people.
April:
I think that this sort of like brings Jo back to right before the explosion, which was kind of fuzzy in her brain.
April (Jo):
JJ, did you call me Joanna?
Atlas (JJ):
No, that'd be really weird. Is your full name Joanna?
April (Jo):
It… yes. Yes, you- you definitely know that. I introduced myself as Joanna to - anyway, I- No, I just- I have this weird- this sort of- fuck, my head. I- Something- I've forgotten something.
Atlas (JJ):
Yeah, you have a concussion.
April (Jo):
Haven't forgotten that, promise you.
Atlas (JJ):
No, I'm just saying that it makes you fr- Never mind.
April (Jo):
Mama, is there anything that you can see in there useful?
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Well, it's an empty office space, but if y'all want to check it out, I think we're in the clear.
Kenzie (GM):
While it's empty of people, it looks like it is currently in use. As in there is like wet ink on a pen. Like somebody took over this office, how it was left, and put some of their own stuff in it. There is not necessarily a ton of like personal effects per se, but there are things in here being used recently.
Atlas:
Is there somewhere that I can sit and look through something?
Kenzie (GM):
There is there's like a leather chair behind the desk that looks like the leather has been kind of ripped over time, but you can sit there on the desk. There's a couple bookshelves. There's like a beautiful carpet like rug on the floor. You sit down on the desk, JJ, and there's a small like bound journal on the desk.
Inside of it is the code to a runic cipher. Along with a bunch of other notes all in Viola Wetherby's handwriting.
Atlas (JJ):
How many runic ciphers have you two seen?
April (Jo):
Well, I have seen a few used in theory but only this one in practice.
Danielle:
Amoretta pulls out her notebook with just all of the ciphers that she has drawn on it.
Atlas:
JJ’s gonna look and like look at the page.
Kenzie (GM):
There are a lot less runes in Viola's journal than there are that Mama has taken down throughout the past months of investigations, but the ones that like you can find connections to do match. As if like Viola created a language she knew how to use and somebody took it and made it bigger.
Atlas (JJ):
I might have found something.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Yeah, you mind if I take a closer look?
Atlas (JJ):
Be my guest!
Atlas:
And JJ's gonna like, joke, like pick something up off the desk and be like, I just thought this little paperweight was really shiny. I don't know. Could it be a crystal? Like trying to add any levity to the situation.
Kenzie (GM):
The paperweight is not a crystal.
Danielle:
Does any of the ink in the journal entries look recent or anything like that?
Kenzie (GM):
They all look, and they're all in the same handwriting of Viola, but none of them look any more recent than the rest of them.
Danielle:
Amoretta will hand that back to JJ after looking over the rest of what's in it quickly and I guess try and look around this room and see what else there might be for them.
Kenzie (GM):
You find a map of whatever building you're in that has a ton of marks on it with scribbled writing that are naming things or titling places that weren't titled on the original map. You can figure out like the office that you're in, it has the same room on it that the door to the office had. And you find on hallway right outside of this room, there was an unmarked red zone on the original map that in the red zone, it now says, Gattergate Entrance.
Danielle:
Is that familiar at all to me? Or-
Kenzie (GM):
It doesn't spark any memory.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Gattergate? What the hell is that?
April (Jo):
I haven't heard of it, but I am starting to get a little anxious. I feel like we've been here too long.
Kenzie (GM):
Jo, you find something as you go to leave. Hanging up on a hook on the wall near the door is a pair of goggles. They look bronze with like a purple lens and a leather strap that would go around your head. You've seen goggles in this style before that are used for like working on something, but those hang there.
April:
I think that Jo sort of like lifts them off the hook with her finger and pulls them just to like hang around her neck.
Kenzie (GM):
You can see on the interior as they hang these purple crystal inlays going down the side of them into the lenses and up and around them.
April:
The feeling of like use that the room has is like starting to kind of like cause her more and more anxiety.
April (Jo):
Right, so are we done? I think we’ve - I feel really lucky and I really want to get out of here.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Yeah, let's go.
Kenzie (GM):
Are you taking that map with you?
Danielle:
For sure. I assume to the lift we go.Amoretta’s just going to give the two of you a nice hug, seeing that you are safe as she's patiently waiting for the lift, whether or not Jo wants the hug.
April (Jo):
This does feel a little premature, we're not safe yet.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Shh. Shhh.
April (Jo):
Alright, okay, that's gone on long enough. Ow, ow, ow, actually that does hurt.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Okay, sorry.
Atlas (JJ):
Wait, what's gonna happen? Why are we hugging? What's going on?
Kenzie (GM):
You pull the lever and you hear the clattering of a lift as it moves from floor to floor above you coming down. And you can kind of hear when it like hits a floor and like hesitates for a moment before realizing that's not the right floor to go to. And it comes down two stories. You see these like beautiful gilded pattern doors that has a small little window through it. And through the window, it's just dark inside. There's obviously electricity to this building, powered somehow since the lift moved.
April:
I think Jo kind of takes a step backward and draws her sword and holds it at the ready towards the doors before they open.
Kenzie (GM):
Splits open like an accordion. There’s no one inside.
Danielle:
Amoretta will help them both inside and basically be standing by the door a little bit guarded once they're secured inside and once everything closes up, go up!
Atlas:
I think JJ who loves to make things worse turns to Jo and goes,
Atlas (JJ):
Do you think this thing is haunted?
April:
I think Jo has her hand to her head and is leaning against the side of the elevator and is like,
April (Jo):
If you keep going, it will be.
Kenzie (GM):
So inside, there is a lobby, there are two floors above it, and there are two floors below it. So the lift did come down from the lobby.
April:
Jo presses the lobby button.
Kenzie (GM):
And the lift starts going upward.
Atlas (JJ):
What if it's haunted by one of the victims of the alligator? Oh my god, what if it's haunted by the alligator?
April (Jo):
JJ, get your shit together.
Atlas (JJ):
Shit together.
Kenzie (GM):
It’s going up, it's going past the floor above you, and you see through the hole, a hallway, and you see two individuals, masks on their faces, trying to pry the door open to get inside of the lift as it goes and continues to pass. And you can hear them mouthing words, but you can't tell what they're saying through the layers here, but they are actively trying to pry the door open.
April (Jo):
Right, not our biggest fans.
Atlas (JJ):
What if they're running from the alligator? No, together, together. Jo!
April (Jo):
Yes.
Atlas (JJ):
You’re good at hitting people. What do we do?
Danielle:
We go past them, right? In the elevator. They're not a problem for now.
April (Jo):
Alright, just everyone get behind me when the doors open. We'll see.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Oh, absolutely not, y'all are getting behind me. You are in no shape to fight, Jo.
Atlas (JJ):
I don't think I'm ever in shape to fight Jo.
April (Jo):
You’re right about that. Mama, I'm fine. I actually, feel better already.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
How many fingers am I holding up?
Danielle:
Just look Jo dead in the eyes.
April (Jo):
That’s a trick question.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
See, I don't like that answer and that answer is not enough to reassure me. So you're gonna get behind me and that's not an argument. I'm telling you.
April:
She lets it happen only because she is tall enough that she could still fight, like reach over Mama’s body and still fight.
Danielle:
Mama can accept that. Just don't be a front-liner right now is what Mama is basically asking.
Atlas:
JJ will also go behind Mama and then lean over to Jo and go,
Atlas (JJ):
It was four.
Kenzie (GM):
The lift stops and the doors open into an empty like square corridor where you can see that there are two other lifts and leads out into a hallway that seems to grow into a wider lobby like area.
Atlas (JJ):
Are we in a hell where we just have to keep making decisions?
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Yes.
April (Jo):
That is life.
Kenzie (GM):
As you're coming up here and you pull the door open, you do hear other noises. They're not like super distant, but they're not directly in this vicinity. You can hear voices, you can hear whispering, you can hear somebody shout out.
Atlas (JJ):
We should go... somewhere. I don't know where, but we should... not stay here.
April (Jo):
You’re right.
Danielle:
Would there possibly be like an emergency exit or some situation like that that we can use? I feel like going in the front lobby might not be great, but also we might be pressed for options.
Kenzie (GM):
I don't know how well you really looked at that map in the room before you took it. You got that first floor that you were - or that floor that you guys were on, but that would have taken a little bit more time to like negotiate that. There is not directly in this room and emergency exit.
Danielle:
Amoretta’s gonna look at them and just say,
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Do think we should risk it ands if there’s an exit on this floor. I don't necessarily like all those voices, but...
April (Jo):
I wish I could tell if we were outside, I hate being underground.
Kenzie (GM):
I’ll say that you can see through this hallway that the front of this area is kind of like circular and there are a ton of windows up above but they're all grimy but there is a little bit of light coming and you know that the outside is out there.
April (Jo):
Shall we keep going up? We at least know there's nobody in this lift.
Atlas (JJ):
We also know there is someone trying to get on this lift. And so if we continue to keep it occupied, they can't come on this lift.
April (Jo):
Oh, I have no sense of direction. I-I-
Atlas:
JJ will hit the top floor.
Kenzie (GM):
Doors start closing. The lift starts moving again.
The lift stops. And through this window in the door, you see that you've reached just like across from you is just a wall. And as the doors open, you're in a hallway and you can hear voices and they're still a little bit hard to hear but they're easier and they're whispering and one of them says,
Kenzie (Faceless #1):
We need to get her out of here.
Kenzie (Faceless #2):
Yeah that's why they're coming.
Kenzie (Faceless #1):
Go, go, go, go, go!
Atlas (JJ):
I think the kid's here.
Danielle:
We are also go go going.
Kenzie (GM):
You run forward to where those voices are coming from. You can kind of see as you're going that there's just a bunch of offices and like conference rooms on this floor. And you can hear footsteps running and you can tell that they can hear footsteps running because theirs start to gain speed and you guys match pace and you come around a corner and you see a body slung over somebody's shoulder and another individual running and as that individual turns around, you all see familiar features because you see somebody who has a familial resemblance to JJ. And JJ, you see April and she stops and she looks at this other individual and she says,
Kenzie (April):
Go.
Kenzie (GM):
And she turns towards you and she whips out this pretty long sword that has a pommel that is just full of crystals and it lights up with electricity. You guys are probably like 40 feet from each other in this hallway and the other person is still running.
Atlas:
JJ says out loud, kinda just to the hallway. Not clear who exactly.
Atlas (JJ):
Please don't kill her.
April:
I am hoping to kind of like keep the skirmish to a minimum so that I can chase after the person that's running with the other person.
Danielle:
Amoretta's just gonna dash past and go for the hostage and completely ignore the sword fight and just being like, I have my eyes on the target.
Kenzie (GM):
Let’s have Jo roll a fight. You can use daring or grace in this situation.
April:
And I got a 10! I'm gonna create an opportunity for an ally through distraction for Mama to run past. And then I'm going to through the fight disarm her. That would be like taking the object. So like take her sword. I'm gonna inflict a condition as well.
Kenzie (GM):
So Jo runs up, she's ready with her sword. As she sees you running towards her, she readies for a strike. You calculate it. She's too slow in the prep time for this. And you're able to just flip your sword up underneath it and wrench it from her grip as Mama dashes past you on the other side. And I think you're able to bring your sword back around and kind of like shove her up against the wall and hold it to her. And you just see her face screwed up with anger and fury.
April (Jo):
Well, you look familiar.
Kenzie (April):
You don't.
April (Jo):
JJ?
Atlas:
JJ’s at the end of the hallway just kinda staring.
April (Jo):
Why are you with them? Your sister, your sibling, they- they are a thousand times better than you ever will be.
Kenzie (GM):
She spits down on the ground next to you and you hear a click as her hand is in her pocket and you watch as every single light in this hallway flashes on and shoots outward and you all are like shocked and blinded by white light for a minute as like a flash bang kind of sets off in this hallway just breaking shattering glass, glass raining down on top of you.
April:
I think that instinctually instead of like jumping away from her, I like almost like push her more like deeply into the wall and like with one hand that has like the sword, right? It's like one hand like holding her with like a sword against her neck. And then with my other arm, I like cover my head.
Atlas:
JJ’s gonna start running forward just to like buy time to think of what to do when she gets there.
Kenzie (GM):
Mama, you are following this other individual. They are starting down this massive two story like staircase that kind of curves around the interior of this building. You can see the windows from up here. You can see what must have been the room you guys would have come out into as they start winding their way down these - huffing puffing, body kind of flopping as they go down.
Danielle:
Is there a possibility with the way the staircase is set up that Amoretta could leap over it a bit and skip some steps, like kind of drop in front of this person?
Kenzie (GM):
I will have to ask you to roll defy disaster because they're not like a tight spiral, but there's a possibility it could work.
Danielle:
Could I roll grace for that?
Kenzie (GM):
Yeah, I would say you can roll grace for that.
Danielle:
Ooh, that's an 11!
Amoretta is running down the hallway. That flash bang kind of almost backlights her instead as that person's running down the stairs and she is throwing up in the door going after them. She sees them running down a few flights of steps. She chases after, knowing that even with them holding the body, they're still running pretty fast. And she goes, I need to find the right opening. So as she's running, she kind of spots the best opening she can, grabs onto the railing and just swings her legs over gracefully leaping down a whole flight of steps essentially to land in front of this person like smack dab at the widest part of like the corner of the stairs and so she just lands right in front of them.
Kenzie (GM):
This individual like stumbles to a stop.
Danielle:
Slaps her cane down and says,
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Now where do you think you're going with that young
Kenzie (Faceless):
Taking her to safety is what I'm doing.
Danielle:
And Amoretta’s just gonna give them a look that basically says, really?
Kenzie (Faceless):
Safest place she's gonna be. Yeah, away from you, from anybody trying to take her away from this. This is where she belongs.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
She belongs with her parents.
Kenzie (Faceless):
She doesn't want that.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Did you ask her?
Kenzie (Faceless):
Not personally.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Well then, how the hell do you know?
Kenzie (Faceless):
I'm told what to do.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Oh, so you're just doing what you're told, assuming that this is what someone else wants, presuming on their life? Where are your parents? Do they know where you are?
Kenzie (Faceless):
Doesn't matter. I chose this life.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Don’t you - You chose this life? Okay. Do they know are they worried about you? Have they heard from you? Do you got family out there? Siblings? Friends?
Kenzie (Faceless):
This is my family now.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
This is your family now and how well have they been treating you?
Kenzie (Faceless):
Got a roof over my head, got food, and I've got a purpose.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
That’s not family.
Kenzie (Faceless):
Better than any I've ever had.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
I’m sorry that you've lived such a life that, you know, you feel that feelings just roof over your head and the food in your mouth. It's more than that. It's people that care about you. It's people that miss you.
Kenzie (GM):
Roll me emotional support.
Danielle:
So either way, that is a 10.
Kenzie (Faceless):
I don’t - I did make this choice. And everybody here was given the chance to make this choice. And I guess -
Kenzie (GM):
And he pulls her kind of off and like cradles this girl in his arms or in their arms and says,
Kenzie (Faceless):
I guess this proves she hasn't been given much of a one.
Kenzie (GM):
Because this girl is just unconscious, limp, in their arms.
Danielle:
Amoretta will kind of silently hold her arms out, almost does it like a quiet gesture to be like, you can hand her to me. But also, if they do so willingly, Amoretta will be nice enough to pull them into a gentle side hug where there's no opportunity to stab her in the back.
Kenzie (GM):
They actually kind of help you down the rest of the stairwell until you're on the floor and then they kind of fully pass the girl into your arms.
Kenzie (Faceless):
I don't doubt that she would make the choice if she had the chance. I believe that, but she should have the chance.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Yeah, she's an adult. You're an adult. Y'all have made your own decisions and-
Kenzie (Faceless):
Well if she does, and she comes back, you better not follow her again.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Mostly just looking out for her parents that are worried sick about her.
Kenzie (GM):
They kind of step away from you and they hold their arms away from their sides and then they go,
Kenzie (Faceless):
Could you just stab me though? Cause if I come back fine and without her, I'm going to get in a lot of trouble.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
You know, I'm not gonna stab you because that can actually like seriously hurt you, but I can do a little slash and like maybe a sucker punch or something.
Kenzie (Faceless):
Yeah, just make it look like I got in a tussle.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Yeah, of course, of course.
Kenzie (Faceless):
Thanks.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
Hold on.
Danielle:
And Amoretta’s actually gonna pull out her makeup bag and she just goes,
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
I mean, we can, that might take a bit too long actually, but.
Kenzie (Faceless):
Yeah, no, it's gotta be real. It's gotta be real.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
I'm so sorry about this, by the way. Thank you so much. I feel really bad.
Danielle:
Amoretta is going to sucker punch this motherfucker.
Kenzie (GM):
With all the strength of a mom behind it, just absolutely decks this individual, head flies to the side.
Kenzie (Faceless):
Oh, fuck. Alright, that's gonna, that'll leave. That'll leave a mark, definitely.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
And you know, maybe stop by your parents house at some point and just see how they're doing. You don't need to interact, but just see how they're doing.
Kenzie (Faceless):
If I'm allowed. Get out of here fast.
Kenzie (GM):
And they dart down the hallway back towards the lift.
JJ, you're running towards where Jo has your sister slammed up against the wall with a sword to her throat, which in any other situation might be fun for Jo, is currently the opposite. And you're still kind of blinking from the flash bangs.
Atlas:
So JJ's hobbling, like, half supported by the wall.
Atlas (JJ):
Don’t kill her. Either of you, don't kill.
Atlas:
And JJ's gonna try to, like, almost physically get in between them. And if not, as close as she can get.
Kenzie (GM):
I’d say you manage it, shoving your way between Jo and your sister.
Atlas (JJ):
Stop.
April (Jo):
I wasn't going to kill her.
Atlas:
JJ is going to push April against the wall, hoping to rely on April not thinking this is about to happen, and like, braces her and then is holding like her.
Kenzie (GM):
I have to ask you to roll another fight since it's a different person.
Atlas:
That is a 6 plus a 3 plus a 1. 10.
Kenzie (GM):
So as you slip between Jo and like turn around and shove her even more up against the wall, April is at this point in her life taller than you. And not by a huge amount, but is. And you're able to kind of like shift your weight so she kind of stumbles down and is eye level with you now.
Atlas (JJ):
I would never hurt a hair on April's head, but I have no idea what you are. Speak carefully.
Kenzie (GM):
She is still angry and also guilty.
Atlas (JJ):
What are you getting from this cult? The masks, the all of it.
Kenzie (April):
Importance. Something I want to be doing. I don't know, JJ. You're the one who fucking left.
Atlas (JJ):
You're... You were important. You are - April is important.
Kenzie (April):
You have a really nice way of showing it. You disappeared. And you left me alone with them.
Atlas (JJ):
I was down the street. They told me you were dead!
Kenzie (April):
Before that JJ.
Atlas (JJ):
You could have come and seen... You could have visited.
Kenzie (April):
Really? In that house? Sure.
Atlas (JJ):
Wait, wait, I didn't leave, I left - I wasn’t-
Kenzie (April):
You didn't tell any of us where you were going.
Atlas (JJ):
Mom and dad made me leave.
Atlas:
And she's gonna like slam into the wall.
Kenzie (April):
I would have gone with you, but you didn't even ask.
Atlas (JJ):
What are you most afraid of right now?
Kenzie (GM):
And you see a flash behind her eyes that makes it clear that this is your sister. Because as soon as you ask that question, the flash turns her into someone you barely recognize.
Kenzie (April):
I am scared of being wrong. But you shouldn't be here. You should leave all of this alone.
Atlas:
And I think JJ just kind of looks around.
Kenzie (April):
Do it or let me go.
Atlas (JJ):
Do what?
Kenzie (GM):
She looks down at the sword on the ground.
Atlas (JJ):
You, April, you didn't know - we couldn't know each other the way we should have.
Atlas:
And JJ will look at the sword.
Atlas (JJ):
If it came down to it right now, I would throw myself on that thing before I ever raised it against you.
Atlas:
And JJ will hold up the object that she was holding underneath April's ribs. And it's her pink, fuzzy taser.
Kenzie (April):
I wish I could say the same.
April:
And Jo still has her fucking sword. She kind of like points it in April's direction.
April (Jo):
Don’t worry, I also wouldn't.
Kenzie (GM):
Starts clapping so sarcastically. Something has shifted in her presentation to you. Something has given her more confidence than what she had when you first originally disarmed her and she was just angry.
Kenzie (April):
Well, good to know you're so much better than me. If that's what keeps you going.
Atlas (JJ):
What do you want?
Kenzie (April):
To be left alone.
Atlas (JJ):
Not if you're gonna drag other people into it.
Atlas:
Can I try to incapacitate April?
Kenzie (GM):
There is a reactive move here called Stagger. Do you think that would be applicable to JJ when April pretty much said that they wouldn't hesitate to kill you would you say that was a pretty staggering blow?
Atlas:
I think JJ knew that. yes, but not in a surprise, like just in a like, it's been said out loud so emotionally -
Kenzie (GM):
Because you have one condition right now and within from zero to three conditions there are a bunch of options but I think possibly the best one to choose in this situation is you grin and bear the blow and mark two more conditions. Which I think you've already frightened currently you haven't gotten rid of that yet so maybe hopeless and insecure or hopeless and guilty?
Atlas:
I hopeless and guilty, yes.
Kenzie (GM):
How would you like to incapacitate her?
Atlas:
Tase her?
Kenzie (GM):
And it will be daring. You'll roll with daring.
Atlas:
It would be seven.
Kenzie (GM):
JJ, you move so quickly and slide the taser right up under her rib cage and you hold it there for a little bit longer than you know is safe. And you watch her eyes roll back and her fall unconscious and you pull it away and she slumps onto the ground.
Atlas:
Can I try to catch her and then I put weight on my hurt foot and we fall down together? JJ turns to Jo and her eyes are just all the way open. And JJ has big eyes, but you're used to seeing them behind a smile where they're half close. Her eyes are scary.
Atlas (JJ):
I didn't know what, I didn't mean. I -
April (Jo):
It’s alright. It’s alright. I think we need to get her out of here.
Atlas (JJ):
Oh my god, is she-
Atlas:
And she'll like, check for the pulse.
Kenzie (GM):
It’s faint, but it's there.
Atlas (JJ):
I could have… oh my god.
April (Jo):
But you didn't. It's alright. Alright, where's Mama?
Atlas (JJ):
Oh, my god, where's Mama?
April (Jo):
JJ, let her go. I've got her.
April:
And Jo will like stoop down and pick up April and throw her over her shoulder.
Kenzie (GM):
Jo picks up April and with JJ limping after slowly makes their way to the stairwell. And you can kind of see over one of the sides, Mama Amoretta at the bottom holding an individual and you see somebody else run off down the hallway.
April (Jo):
Oh, for God's sake, do we all need hostages as souvenirs or can we just get out of here?
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
I mean, prefer to leave, yeah.
April (Jo):
Yeah, alright, let's do that because I've got, well, someone.
Kenzie (GM):
So you make your way down the stairs and across the front of this lobby to these large double doors. You push them open and you find yourself in a gated lot that looks as you look down, seems to take up like a whole city block. And behind you, you see just these multitude of connected buildings, some of them with like domed tops, some like almost looking kind of like tower-like. You see that the tile on the roof at one point might've been a beautiful green, but has dulled and chipped over many years and is now broken and gray. But directly across from you, from the entrance to this building, there are these massive metal doors and above it, like a wrought iron curved arch that has lettering in it that backwards, from where you're looking says the Clockwork Aqueducts. And there's a smaller human-sized door next to the large metal doors that looked like maybe cars would drive through them at one point.
April:
Jo like shifts April's weight better onto her body, is rapidly failing. And she says,
April (Jo):
Right, let's go.
Kenzie (GM):
The locks and the chains that are around this are rusted through by many years of rain and neglect and you're just easily able to like throw them down and open the door and you come out onto a fairly deserted street. Mama, you see that while where you had originally gotten out of your car, there had just been like one roof that tiles had fallen off of. There's a bit more destruction around here closer to the actual explosion sites. And looking around, you don't really think this is a part of Cypher or any of you have frequented, if you've been there at all.
Danielle:
Based on where we are in Cypher, how close would you say we are to where we originally - like the we first found the tunnels?
Kenzie (GM):
I would say that you can kind of see some rooftops of note that you kind of can use as a map to guide yourself. You can see where the bridge is located and like how that lays so you can kind of get your idea of direction. I'd say a 10 minute drive, maybe a little bit more. So it'd be a bit of a longer walk.
Danielle (Mama Amoretta):
We don't exactly have a choice.
Kenzie (GM):
So you begin down the street, Mama Amoretta holding, who now looking at her face must be Meray and JJ can recognize as an older version of your younger sister's friend, as Jo hauls an unconscious body of a woman alongside you as you trek down this deserted street of Cypher trying to get everyone back home.
Kenzie:
This series stars Kenzie Tartaglione as the Game Master, Atlas Matthews as JJ August, Danielle Halen as Mama Amoretta, and April Consolo as Joanna Gilmore, with Michelle Kelly performing our episode recaps. You can help us out by listening and sharing, rating and reviewing, or coming over to our Discord. Also, you can join our Patreon to get access to our episode talkbacks and more. Thanks for listening.
Meet your hosts:
Kenzie Tartaglione
Creator/Producer
