004 - Bounty Hunters - Sharing Thoughts

Content Warnings
- Mind manipulation/Auditory and Visual Hallucinations
- Mild body horror
- Missing people/Disappearances
- Memory Loss
- Natural Disaster (Referenced)
- Sound of cracking bones
- Jester/Clown

[Show intro plays]

ROVER

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Remains To Be Seen, the DnD show where one group's past could determine the other group's future. I am your host and dungeon master Rover Elliott, and today I am here with...

ANNIE

Annie Ruby, she/her.

ELIZABETH

Elizabeth Simpson, she/her.

Jo, any pronouns.

MIRA

Mirah Fae, she/her.

ROVER

And who are you guys playing?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

I'm playing Josie, the only one who hasn't had a named NPC threatened yet.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

I'm playing Corwin, who's had lots of threats against her so far.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Viktor, currently trying to not be emotionally compromised.

MIRA [as UNA]

And Una, who might have already stabbed someone.

Might?!

ROVER

So...might?

ELIZABETH

Might?

ROVER

Might? Might?

[Laughter]

ANNIE

Might.

MIRA

Okay, alright guys, it was...listen, in my defense, it was literally that. It was self defense.

ROVER

My boss wasn't my boss yet.

ELIZABETH

Just a little light stabbing. You know, it's how we say hello.

I feel like that might hold up in a court of law. So that's fine.

MIRA

It's before you fed me. It was before you fed me, okay?

ROVER

So, speaking of stabbing as something that happened in the previous episode, what else happened in the previous episodes, Annie?

ANNIE

Ah! It's me this time, of course. As a quick outreach, and of course I am aware that there are other people with the power to cut this out, so if you're hearing this, viewer, it's at their discretion: this is our first recording on a new session. So I get the hard challenge of recounting where we were several weeks ago.

We...on the last session, we met all of our heroes in the bounty hunters station, which is the Wanted Dead. Yeah? And arranged, as a group, to go...we were being sent to Oxford? We were being sent to Oxford—see, I'm getting there.

ELIZABETH

You're doing great.

ANNIE

I'm getting there. To find, or to search for, the missing crown smith Jonny de Rolo. We have just made it onto the train from London to get there. And...I'm trying to...I never know how much detail to give in these. But we've just made it there, and the last thing that happened right before we got on the train was Viktor spotted a poster of a missing person that they clearly recognized, folded it up, stuffed it in their pocket, and tried to hide it from us.

ROVER

And that's exactly where we're picking up. You guys enter the train. You guys sit down in a four-seat. I...actually I can't say that. Do you guys sit down, or are you guys gonna be standing up?

[Laughter]

Um...is it like...what is it called on a train when you have the, like, separate...

ANNIE

Oh, the, like private... cars.

MIRA

The compartments? The carriages?

Yeah, compartments.

ANNIE

Yeah, the compartments.

Is it like—

ANNIE

Do we have—

ROVER

You guys can have a private compartment, yes. Can someone, random person, roll me a d10.

ELIZABETH

In the best interest of the party, I am not.

[Laughter]

MIRA

I think Annie just rolled, cause that looked like a—

ROVER

Mmhmm. Mmhmm.

[Excellent first dice clacks of the session!]

And...I do not mean like private compartments for each single person. More like a team compartment situation.

ANNIE

Yeah yeah yeah. All around a table.

ROVER

Got it. Yeah, got it, got it, got it. What was it?

ANNIE

ROVER

3. Okay, you guys are in the third carriage. The first one is at the very front, and the number 10 is at the very back. So yeah. You guys can sit in a private compartment with the four of you. There is one window. You can put your luggage above you on one of the...god, I forgot what the name of it is.

ELIZABETH

Rack?

MIRA

Shelves?

ROVER

Shelves? Racks?

ANNIE

Racks.

The luggage thing.

ROVER

The luggage thing, you know?

MIRA

The luggage...rest? Place? Thing?

ANNIE

The luggage thing! Sure.

[Laughter]

ROVER

The luggage thing!

It's DnD. It's just, like, an Elemental holding your stuff gingerly for the duration.

[Laughter]

MIRA

(Laughing) Gingerly, just—

ELIZABETH

It's an air Elemental, just—

ROVER

So yeah.

ELIZABETH

Yes. Corwin will toss her stuff into the luggage rack and/or luggage Elemental. That'll be, like a kind of beat-up ruck sack, and also a shield that I forgot that she has, that will be attached to the back of her pack.

ROVER

Okay. Now, you guys have about two hours to be in this train. I can either completely skip...I see an immediate no.

No.

[Laughter]

ROVER

So don’t…you can immediately—you can immediately yell no at me! You don't have to be like, no-no-no-no-no.

Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but...

MIRA

We're being polite.

ROVER

Absolutely not.

No.

ROVER

No, absolutely, interrupt me.

Okay. No, I would think it would be a good idea to have some character moments on this train, right? Since we were kind of in a rush the last time, the first time we met. Alright, just to set this, Viktor looks quite pale. Like, he usually...he looks like a person who's out in the sun a lot. Like he's white, but he's tanned. He lost so much color within the past five minutes by boarding the train, and I feel like he was deliberately trying to, you know, cover that up a little. But as we are finding our little compartment, he's going to hold Josie back by the arm before she can enter, and...not looking at her, goes like,

JO [as VIKTOR]

Josie, do you have a moment in private?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Um...yeah. You two, go on. C'mon. We'll be right there. What's up?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yeah.

Kind of pulling you along a little, a little...out of earshot, essentially.

ANNIE

Mmhmm.

Looking very earnest up at you—I think you are taller than I am (laughs).

ANNIE

(Laughing) Yes.

So looking up at you, arms folded across his chest, be like,

JO [as VIKTOR]

So, uh...real talk, Josie. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary with Safra? Or is it just me.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

With Safra?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yeah.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

No. Ah...no. But I was paying more attention to the newbies.

JO [as VIKTOR]

That's what I'm getting at. I mean, we're talking about Safra. She just sent us out on a mission that is very important to her with one person she barely knows and, I mean hell—Una doesn't even remember more than her name.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah. I'll give you...I was a little taken aback by Una coming along, but, you know, I knew, I knew about Corwin coming. I knew about us having princess duty today, if I'm being honest with you—

JO [as VIKTOR]

Mmm.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

So I think that it, it passed without me thinking about it much. It's a little odd, I'll grant you, but you know we're stretched thin right now. And...

JO [as VIKTOR]

Right...

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

We have to go after Jonny.

JO [as VIKTOR]

And that's a problem I see. The way I see it, Josie, to be very honest with you...Safra feels, right now, like someone who's desperate to score a win against Tobias.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Mmm.

JO [as VIKTOR]

And I've been thinking that we should be very careful to put our heads in this noose, if you catch my drift.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

I do. (Deep breath) Look, I... (sighs) I agree that we need to stay aware here, because...well, you know me. I'm here to do a job. I'm here to protect my people. I don't give a fuck about anything else.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Good.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

But, while I appreciate the heads up, I—and I agree with you, Safra does seem a little bit desperate at the moment—I think for now, we stick to what we're doing. We keep an eye on the newbies. That's going to be the most difficult part of our job right now, I think. I don't know that this, that I expect this to, to go south in any way, unless it's one of them. So that's where my focus is for now.

He looks at you for a moment, not saying anything. Just like someone who's thinking very hard.

ANNIE

Mmhmm.

And then goes,

JO [as VIKTOR]

Well, okay. I'm counting on your natural protectiveness, I guess? Because that was my plan as well. I'm not going to—

And pointing back at the compartment.

JO [as VIKTOR]

I'm not going to put them on the line either.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Mmm.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Whatever the fuck is up with Una, I guess we find out. We're good at this.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah.

JO [as VIKTOR]

But the rest, I'm not so sure, Josie. Because it feels like something big. It feels like something that could, any moment, turn out to be bigger than us. And I think we should keep ourselves an exit open.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Ah.

JO [as VIKTOR]

What I'm trying to say is, we look at every detail you can find, and then we decide what Safra actually gets to hear.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Viktor, you know me. I've always got an exit door open.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Good. Just making sure.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

You got it.

JO [as VIKTOR]

We didn't have the pleasure of working together much, so...

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

No, it's nice that we finally get sent together. That's part of the reason I'm a little more comfortable right now.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Good. Likewise.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Like having you at my back. But, look, if I decide to take the door, I'll hold it open for you behind me.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Amazing. Glad we are on the same page, then.

And he—

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Agreed.

He gives you a little pat on your elbow.

[Annie laughs]

And a little wink, because it's Viktor, and turns and heads back to the compartment.

ANNIE

And Josie will go along.

ELIZABETH

I think while y'all were talking, Corwin and Una might have been just kind of chatting a bit?

MIRA

Yeah.

ELIZABETH

Or Corwin would have at least been trying to start a conversation.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

How, ah—how are you feeling? This (laughs)...what a day, right? Gotta be crazy for you.

MIRA [as UNA]

Yeah? I don't think you just bump into existence somewhere you're not familiar with, meet a bunch of people, stab one of them, and then being given food and a mission. It's a....it's quite a bit to wrap your head around.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Yeah, I imagine so. I mean, you know, it'd be cool if we could harness the bumping into existence wherever you want kind of deal. But if it's...if it's random, you being trapped in a figurine, then, bit more disorienting, I think, than…than anything.

MIRA [as UNA]

No, I don't think I want to experience that again.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Does any of this look familiar?

ELIZABETH

She kind of points to the London outside of the window, presumably the train is kind of starting.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Any of this look familiar? Have you been to London before? Do you know?

[The train begins to rumble over the tracks]

MIRA [as UNA]

(Hesitantly) I don't, really. It's...a bit hazy. There's a lot going on. I'm hoping I'm going to start recognizing more things once we get to Oxford, which is gonna take a sec—what, couple of hours, right?

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Yeah, couple of hours, shouldn't be too long. Travel's pretty easy these days.

ROVER

This moment, Josie and Viktor can walk in again.

I need to know whether you left any of the fried snacks for Josie and Viktor, or were you just snacking away while you were talking? Because he would definitely have left them with you.

MIRA

Una wouldn't have eaten anything.

Una, for fuck's sake.

ELIZABETH

Corwin would have had, like, one or two...if it was, like, chips, she would have had like one or two chips? But the bulk of it will still be left there. She's a bit nervous.

[Train whistle blows. Rumbling continues in the background]

MIRA

Like, I'm not saying that Una wouldn't eat anything on purpose, she probably would have been too...occupied.

Yeah, yeah. Too occupied. I understand. Viktor, like a mother duck, is looking at the snack bowl, looking at you two, and be like,

JO [as VIKTOR]

It is not poisoned. Eat. You need your energy for what we are about to do.

And just, I think sits next to Corwin.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

What, what is this exactly? I'm not sure I'm super familiar?

(Laughs) Do you want me to describe what the fuck the snacks are? Cause I don't think I ever said it.

ANNIE

Please do.

ELIZABETH

I do!

MIRA

Go for it.

Okay, hear me out. The Netherlands may be gone in this world, but I think the fried snacks should survive, because they are incredible. This is Jo talking. Oh my god, they have snack walls, like I don't fucking know. I don't know why Ro was like, it can't exist anymore, but yeah—

ROVER

So...

—fried snacks, um, yeah.

ROVER

As the one Dutchie in this call and on the show in this route...you're talking, for the Dutchies that are listening, you're talking kroket, bitterballen.

MIRA

What are they?

ROVER

Like, frikandel, maybe nasi hapje, I guess? But I'm not quite sure. I'm not too sure. But those are the kind of things that you would have.

Yeah, you would find a lot of, like, mashed potatoes mixed with mushrooms and meat, and then battered and fried.

MIRA

Wait, did you just say kroket?

Yep. Yeah.

ROVER

Yeah.

MIRA

I know them.

ROVER

Kroket.

There's also a fried snack, nasi goreng, which is like, Asian noodles with some veggies, and it's also fried. Fried Dutch snacks are amazing. So Viktor would have gotten something like that. They're very hardy and you can eat, essentially, one and you're full.

ELIZABETH

Yeah, so Corwin will kind of like, Corwin will kind of like half-heartedly take a bite of something. Not super hungry, but moreso like wanting to appease Vik.

[Laughter]

He's giving you a nod. I think he's still struggling to kind of keep a...keep the image up. I cannot stress enough how much of a difference there is between his almost very much annoying, boyish kind of behavior in the bounty hunters, in the Wanted Dead, and now. He's like, very quiet, still very pale, hardly cracking a smile, and just kind of focusing on watching out of the window, I guess.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Vik, maybe you should eat something? Are you alright? You've gone a bit funny.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Ah well, it's not been my best day so far. I've had breakfast, yeah. I'm good, thanks.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Are you sure? Did something happen? I mean, you seemed okay, like we were, I mean...you know we were hoverboarding? We were...everything seemed alright?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yeah, I'm glad you survived that, by the way. We kind of need to train you, I guess.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Eh, they did alright. Trial by fire.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

I'll work on it.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Not everyone can be such a talent like Una over here.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

I gotta, you know, balance the numbers. Una's good at it. You know, I gotta keep us balanced.

JO [as VIKTOR]

To answer your question, I just don't like these things as much.

Like, kind of gesturing around him.

JO [as VIKTOR]

I like to call them metal tubes of death. I'm not a big train fan, really. (Chuckles)

MIRA [as UNA]

That's reassuring.

JO [as VIKTOR]

(Stammering) I mean, I, um, statistically, I think, I think it might be more likely that you get eaten by a zombie or something. But they do get off the rails, so...(shaky breath). Good it's a short travel, I guess.

MIRA [as UNA]

That's a very interesting statistic to bring up.

[Laughter]

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Does, does it help you to think, you know, at least if the train goes off the rails, you know, it'd be an interesting way to die. Cause that's kind of how I think about it, is that, you know, you gotta rank the ways that you're gonna go. And dying in a fiery train crash? At least interesting, you know, gotta be up there in the list.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Corwin. I...we just met, but you will learn—

He puts a hand on your shoulder.

JO [as VIKTOR]

You will learn rather quickly that I prefer an interesting life over an interesting death.

[Train rumblings continue in the background]

MIRA

(Quietly) I think I heard my name earlier.

(Laughing) Then turns back to the window, looking out of it like these early 2000s emo memes. You know? There might not even be rain outside, but that's the vibe we're going for.

MIRA

(Laughing) Just laying in a puddle.

ELIZABETH

A bit of condensation drips down the window to simulate a tear.

MIRA [as UNA]

Right, okay. Anything else I need to look out for, statistically speaking?

Viktor shrugs.

[Laughter. It is a Ro campaign, after all lol]

Kind of mumbles, more to himself,

JO [as VIKTOR]

I mean there's a lot of things you kind of have to watch out for. Especially in this line of work, I guess… (trails off, mumbling to himself).

ANNIE

Josie is deliberately letting Viktor flounder, just kind of chucking to herself, not engaging.

MIRA [as UNA]

That does bring a question—

ROVER

Una...

MIRA

Oh yes, yeah, I did hear my name earlier, didn't I? I did hear you. I did hear you, and looked at you, I was like, mmmmmm?

ROVER

Yes you did.

MIRA

Yesss?

ROVER

Can you give me, just for flavor, a Arcana check and a different...give me the Arcana check first.

MIRA

Arcana check first.

[Dice thunks]

Uh oh.

MIRA

Ooh.

ELIZABETH

Dun dun dunnn.

MIRA

That would be a 13.

ROVER

13. Can you give me a History check with Disadvantage?

[More dice clunks]

MIRA

So that was a Nat 1.

ROVER

Wonderful.

ANNIE

Yowza.

ELIZABETH

(Sympathetically) Oooh.

Great.

MIRA

Womp womp.

ROVER

So...you are not aware of any necromancy being used at all, so when Viktor mentions zombies? Probably just a term for a type of thing? People? Who knows. You are unaware. You know zombies from books. You are unaware of zombies being an actual thing.

MIRA

Yep. Yep, that tracks.

ROVER

That's just for knowledge.

MIRA

Cause when the word came up, I was like, (strained noise).

[Annie chuckles]

ELIZABETH

Also, it just occurred to me—does Una know that the Netherlands are flooded?

ANNIE

Ooh. Well we'd have to ask.

ELIZABETH

Oooh.

ANNIE

But we don't know to ask yet.

ROVER

I'm not saying anything.

MIRA

"By the way, Una, do you know the Netherlands have been—" (Laughs)

Yeah.

ELIZABETH

No, that was a very, that was a very above-the-table question (laughs). And I feel the need to put into audio format the face that Ro made, and I cannot describe it, but it's excellent.

[Laughter]

Imagine the face—

ROVER

It is a shit-eating grin.

ELIZABETH

Yes. Okay, I apologize.

MIRA [as UNA]

(Sighs) Right. Well I was hoping you were gonna give me a statistic about, I don't know, a fairy, little...

MIRA

I don't know, what other—? That's me fumbling now. I'm thinking about fairy tales.

[Laughter]

MIRA [UNA]

But if you're saying that, then—

JO [as VIKTOR]

What do you mean fairy tales?

I'm sorry, I'm not following right now.

MIRA [as UNA]

Oh you know, like, kids' stories, things that you've been told when you are younger.

Viktor cocks an eyebrow, looks at you. Without breaking eye contact, slides a hand under his cloak and pulls out a book that is called—oh no! I now have to come up with a name. Um, um, um um—

[Laughter]

ROVER

Yes you do.

Oh, shit—I'm such an idiot, why do I do that to myself? Um...ah...

ROVER

What is the book that you're wanting to think of?

MIRA

Homework for Jo, come up with 50 titles for next session.

ELIZABETH

Yeah, what's it about?

It is called—it is a fairy tale book for very young kids. It is called "Legends for Babies," and he hands it to Una.

MIRA [as UNA]

Oh!

Like, think Grimm's Fairytales, but without all the murder. Everything is always a happy ending. We don't know where he got that thing.

ANNIE

Significantly less grim.

JO [as VIKTOR]

I mean, if you're...just don't, don't do the thing that horrible people do where you, like, fold the edge of the paper to know where you—

MIRA [as UNA]

Oh, no no.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Thank you. Thank you. There is a bookmark inside, so...yeah, just give it back at some point.

MIRA [as UNA]

And you're sure I can...

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yeah.

MIRA [as UNA]

...just have a browse?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Oh, yes, of course.

MIRA [as UNA]

(Intrigued) Oh!

JO [as VIKTOR]

I'm happy to share with the team.

MIRA [as UNA]

Thank you. I really appreciate that.

MIRA

And Una would, with the greatest care, she would take the book out of Viktor's hands and brush her hand across the cover, kind of like just...I don't know how worn out it is? But she would have been noticing all of those little, if there are like any imperfections in the cover, if it's like, a...cause I'm guessing it's leather-ish, embossed leather, or something like that? Probably tattered, a little bit?

It is very clearly a library book. Like, it's been read a few times...

MIRA

Mmhmm.

...gone through different hands. And on the very first page, there's very clearly a sticker that's a little older, "Property of..." the library of whatever the campus is in Manchester. The vibe is, maybe Vik never returned it.

MIRA

Right. Right.

[Laughter]

ELIZABETH

There's a check-out date of, like, X number of years before.

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

ANNIE

Oh, if there's a check-out date on it—

ROVER

There is, there is—

ANNIE

—then that might be interesting to Una, too, though.

MIRA

Mmhmm.

There is.

ANNIE

To see specifically what year we're in.

It says 19-something-something.

ROVER

So… (laughs) It says 19-something-something.

MIRA

Yeah no, Una would ready everything. She would read it, but she would try to just pay attention to all the details. So if you guys are intently watching her looking at this book, then you would see her going like, "Mmm, okay." And then like…

I'm sorry, I just had a brain moment, very quickly. I, Jo, and going to rule: the check-out, it's the check-out kind of thing where you write down your name and the date, right?

MIRA

Mmhmm.

The last person to check out this book is Aleksander Aintsworth, and the date is about…almost 2 years ago.

(Close to the mic) Zoe, I'm not sorry.

[Laughter]

[Transcriber's note: Wanna know what that means? Go listen to the Protectors eps!]

MIRA

Nice.

MIRA [as UNA]

Right, this is very kind. I will have a read, if that's okay.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Yes, of course.

MIRA [as UNA]

Is that one of your favorites, or...?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Um…I don't think you're ready for my favorites yet.

MIRA [as UNA]

I'm an avid reader.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Alright, I mean...

MIRA [as UNA]

But maybe we'll get there.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Maybe we should start slow. I don't know if you're ready for the other stuff.

MIRA [as UNA]

Noted.

MIRA

And yeah, Una would just start reading the book, just...

ROVER

Gotcha.

MIRA

If she can? (Laughs) I guess.

(Exaggeratedly) Can Una read?!

MIRA

It is in Common? (Laughs) Can Una read?!

ROVER

Can I have a Perception check from everyone, and Una with Disadvantage because you're focused on the book?

Ha ha!

[Laughter and dice clunks!]

MIRA

(High pitched) Oooh me me me me, I'm being bullied.

ANNIE

22.

ROVER

I see, I think...a 22? I think I see a natural 20 there.

ELIZABETH

It wasn't a natural 20, but it was an 18, and I'm just so thrilled that it's not single digits, that I'm celebrating.

[Laughter]

ROVER

Wonderful.

ELIZABETH

This is the first time Corwin has ever perceived anything in her life.

MIRA

And a natural 21. (Chuckles)

Natural 20!

ROVER

Oh, we do got a natural 20 there! Alright, so…what did you have, Una? Say it again?

MIRA

21. 21.

21.

ROVER

21. Oh! With Disadvantage?

MIRA

Yup!

ANNIE

Woooow!

Damn girl! (Laughs)

ANNIE

Rogues with the Perception, always.

ELIZABETH

Incredible!

ROVER

Okay, okay. So you can see, like there's this slightly tainted glass door that is separating you guys. So you can see the faint outlines through it. You can't see the actual person if they would walk past for something. Speaking of walking past—tinted, sorry yes. Speaking of walking past, you guys can see a...I can just say, like, a cart coming in view. And you see a humanoid wanting to knock on the door, before all of you hear a deeper, kind of deeper, lower voice, go from one of the compartments a bit further to the back.

And Corwin is the only one that can't make out what it is, with the DC.

[Laughter]

ELIZABETH

(Laughing) Fair.

ROVER

Somehow, Una, still focused on this book, can hear it over Corwin's focus. And it is something along the lines of,

ROVER [as ANONYMOUS VOICE]

I refuse to take part in this.

(Whispering) Oh. Hot, hot.

ROVER [as ANONYMOUS VOICE]

Come here.

ROVER

And then the person behind the cart stops, not knocking on your door, continues walking.

Excuse me? Is it, like—

ROVER

On the natural 20—

Yes please!

ROVER

You can hear...you're not even sure if it's in the compartment itself.

Fuck.

ROVER

There are these, from maybe towards the back, like maybe on the roof, these tack-tack-tack-tack.

[Metallic tapping begins]

Like footsteps? Or...?

ROVER

You can't even determine if they are footsteps. You...footsteps would leave an actual sound of it. These are like taps, almost.

But the train is, like...

ROVER

The train is moving.

MIRA

Are we in a tunnel?

He's going to make a mental note for now. He's not going to say anything.

ANNIE

Ooof.

Because he's like, "huh." He will listen to...if they get louder or stop right above our compartment, he will absolutely say something. So Ro, if that happens, you need to tell me.

[Metallic tapping continues intermittently]

ROVER

Understood.

ANNIE

In the meantime, Josie is now, for lack of anything more interesting to focus on, trying to eavesdrop on the…whatever we heard a minute ago, if she can. And also, gives kind of a derisive snort as the cart goes by without knocking on us. Sort of like a, "(snorts) Typical."

(Laughing) Josie wanted more snacks.

ANNIE

Yeah, of course!

ELIZABETH

Corwin doesn't notice any of this because she is focused on the book that Una has because she and Alea used to read it as kids. “Legends for Little Ears.”

Aw! Aw no!

ANNIE

Aww.

MIRA

Legends for Little Ears.

ROVER

Now that is sad. I'm taking a note for that.

Rover stop.

[Laughter]

ROVER

I will say you will, you will have noticed that this happened. However you will not have noticed what the actual voice said.

[Metallic tapping]

ELIZABETH

Oh, okay okay okay. Sure. Okay, that makes sense.

ROVER

I know that Josie wants to kind of see if she can listen in?

ANNIE

Yeah.

[Metallic tapping]

ROVER

Give me another Perception check.

C'mon Josie. C'mon girl.

ELIZABETH

You can do it, you can do it.

ANNIE

Well, earlier the dice was alternating, so we will see.

[Good dice tower clacks]

Okay not too bad. That is...19.

MIRA

Good job, good job.

ELIZABETH

Nice!

ROVER

19.

[Metallic tapping]

The voice seems further away now. Like, it seems more muffled.

ANNIE

Does it seem like it moved further away, or is it just—?

ROVER

Like it moved away. Yes, like it moved away from where it was initially. And the muffles...it's just too difficult to hear exactly the pinpoint, and I know that is with a high roll—

ANNIE

Mmhmm.

ROVER

—however, it is something, you can tell something along the lines of,

ROVER [as ANONYMOUS VOICE]

Focus on me. Do not move.

ROVER

And kind of that. That's a little, tiny part of what you can hear. And with the 19 at some point, after their conversation kind of stops, you can see a figure, a humanoid figure, walk past from where...if we say the person with the cart went backwards, there is now someone walking to the front.

[Metallic tapping continues intermittently. The train rumbles on.]

ANNIE

Okay. And...in some way, does this seem connected to the voice? Does this seem like this could have been the person who was talking? Or, you said the person who was talking was moving further away, so...this is just a different person passing?

ROVER

They should be moving away, yes.

ANNIE

Okay.

ROVER

So after, yeah, it could be another...it could be another passenger. It could just be anyone really. But yeah, the voice is coming from further back, and now there's a person walking past your compartment.

ANNIE

Alright, I think Josie is going to just—cause she would be sitting closest to the door, just so she could keep an eye out, that's sort of always the way she would always arrange herself. She's going to sort of crack the door open softly, just a little. Right, I'm assuming, you know, on a train, it'd be a sliding door, so she'll crack it open about a foot, stick her head out, just to look back and forth. Not really just being...you know, boredom, more than anything.

ROVER

Yeah, yeah yeah yeah. Do you want to do so stealthily?

Oh no.

ELIZABETH

Cautiously?

MIRA

Cautiously.

ROVER

Cautiously?

Oh no.

ANNIE

(Laughs) Well that was why I used the term "softly." She's not necessarily trying to be like, "I don't want anyone to know I'm opening the door." But she's also not just grabbing it and pulling it.

She's just being like, mmm? Cause she is eavesdropping.

ROVER

Give me...yeah, give me a Stealth check.

While this is happening, can I very quickly ask a question, Ro?

[Metallic tapping]

ROVER

Yes, absolutely.

The voice was also audible to Viktor?

[Dice tower clacks]

ROVER

The voice was also audible to Viktor. It was audible to Una. Una and Viktor are now not the ones that heard—

MIRA

The second part.

ROVER

—the final sentences. Yeah.

Okay. But did the tapping move at all?

ROVER

The tapping is just for Viktor.

[Metallic tapping continues intermittently]

But did it move? Did it move since the first time he noticed it?

ROVER

Not yet.

He's going to cast Message. Do your roll first though.

MIRA

Annie, no. No.

ANNIE

(Quietly) 3.

MIRA

No. Annie, no.

ROVER

ELIZABETH

Oh! Annie!

ANNIE

MIRA

(Laughing) That's why I went, "no you didn't!"

Oh, no.

ANNIE

Yep!

ROVER

So...

MIRA

Una's eyes will be fixed on Josie during that. Still holding the book, but just looking...

ROVER

It makes sense because once you try to open a door**,** it's just, eeeeeeee (squeaks).

ANNIE

Yeah. There's like a ca-chunk on the handle, and then the squeak as it opens.

ROVER

Yes, there's a ca-chunk on the handle, and then the door itself is just already not—

ANNIE

Yeah.

ROVER

—it's not a smooth sound.

ANNIE

Totally.

ROVER

It's just actively pulling.

ANNIE

Could use a little, a little maintenance, yeah.

ROVER

And, yeah. And as you look out of the compartment, you can see a humanoid figure, what seems to be in a black, fully black clothing. It looks like more of a business kind of look. And they are carrying a suit—not a suitcase.

ANNIE

Briefcase.

ROVER

Briefcase, thank you. They are carrying a briefcase with them. And they are about, I would say, 5-ish feet. They aren't that tall. And they have long, very long, almost silver-blonde hair down to their waist...before you get a tap on your shoulder.

And as you look around, it is this, this kind of Elvish woman with the cart, being like,

ROVER [as ELVISH CART LADY]

Sorry, I, I, I missed you guys. Do you guys want anything to eat or drink?

ANNIE

Before I answer, the humanoid with the black business clothes is the one that just walked past me, headed toward the front of the train?

ROVER

Yeah. They are heading towards the front of the train.

ANNIE

Okay.

ROVER

They basically...they walked out of compartment, or carriage three.

If you want to, Viktor would have casted Message to or on Josie, specifically, so we can have a mind conversation. And you would hear Viktor's voice in your head, being like,

JO [as VIKTOR]

There's a tapping on the roof. What's up on your front?

[Metallic tapping]

ANNIE

Okay. Josie, who would probably have tried to banter with the cart lady, as a bit, is immediately (snaps) all business—

ROVER

Mmhmm.

ANNIE

—and is just like,

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

No, no, we're alright. Thank you.

ANNIE

And head back in, closes the door, turns back toward Viktor. Doesn't say anything, but just looks.

Mmm.

ANNIE

Like waiting for more information, basically. Oh and also, I think, I think she will also say back...basically describe like,

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

One other person in the—

ANNIE

Basically, almost like a tactical survey. She'll be like,

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

There's the lady with the cart and one other person in the hall, about 5ft tall. Black business clothes, briefcase, long, super long blond hair. What's the tapping?

ROVER

For funsies, to kind of get Corwin and Una involved here, I normally don't want do, like, in between player rolls, however, give me an Insight check—

[Annie laughs]

—on them. To kind of see if you can notice they are messaging each other with the spells.

MIRA

I was literally about to ask if it's like, they are like staring at each other.

ANNIE

Should we oppose with a Performance or a Bluff or something?

MIRA

It's a 17.

ANNIE

(Laughs) Or Deception, rather?

ROVER

If you want to hide it, give me a...

Yeah, I wanna hide it.

ANNIE

Yeah, Performance or Deception.

ROVER

Eeeeeeh—

Deception?

ROVER

Let's say—

MIRA

Maybe Deception?

ROVER

Okay so, depends on what you guys want. In my head, Deception sounds more like talking, and Performance sounds more like hiding.

That's fair.

ROVER

Does that make sense?

Yep.

ANNIE

Let's do Performance, yeah. I have the same modifier on either, so it's fine.

[Dice clacks]

Oh my boy, he's not rolling well.

ANNIE

Yeah, 10. Josie's more focused on...conveying the information than on being subtle.

Also 10. I feel like we're hiding it very badly.

ANNIE

There you go. Mmkay.

ROVER

Alright, cool. Una and Corwin?

ELIZABETH

It was just a 9 for Corwin.

ROVER

Okay.

ELIZABETH

Which is par for the course.

MIRA

17.

Yeah, makes sense.

ANNIE

Yeah.

ROVER

17, yeah.

MIRA

I've built her in a very specific way.

[Laughter]

ROVER

Nice. They are absolutely communicating somehow. And you know that there was a way that Safra was trying to get into your head—

MIRA

Mmhmm.

ROVER

—or, was trying to, she got in your head at some point. So...yeah, so they seem to be communicating with each other without getting you too involved.

Corwin, there's just one intense look from Josie to Viktor, and you have no idea why.

They may be flirting, who knows.

[Laughter]

MIRA

Who knows!

ANNIE

Who knows!

ELIZABETH

Corwin's like, "ooooh ooh ok, cool cool cool cool."

MIRA

Ooooh.

ROVER

Corwin takes a mental note.

Corwin will remember this. Probably.

MIRA

Please.

Una won't.

ELIZABETH

Corwin ships y'all.

MIRA

From now on, Corwin's just building that idea in their head. I think what Una would have done, like she...like I said earlier, she would have been looking at Josie cracking the door open, like proper eyes fixed. Also, whenever Una is paying attention to something, she really does do it with eyes, mostly, rather than turning her whole face and stuff like that.

ANNIE

Right.

MIRA

So she would have been looking at Josie, so obviously that happens. If either of you is looking at outside, at the ceiling or the roof when, obviously you guys are communicating this, she would have like—look at you, look out of the window, then look at the thingy, focusing on it. Just trying to figure this out, and then, as if bored, she would look out of the window at that point.

ANNIE

Mmhmm.

[Metallic tapping continues intermittently. The train continues rumbling in the background]

MIRA

With the book closed and resting on her lap, just like…

Alright.

ANNIE

Josie would not have looked up, because I'm counting on Viktor to relay the information, so I'm looking at...

MIRA

Fair.

ANNIE

I've looked in the hallway, talked to the Elf, looked at Viktor.

I feel like, with a 10, for this specific, as it all plays out, he would have, like, someone who's really bad at poker, just looked up at the ceiling, looked at Josie very intently.

ANNIE

Yeah.

He's not good at hiding something right now.

ANNIE

Sure.

MIRA

Yeah. Una would have probably just followed that and then purposefully looked out of the window just to figure out where they are, and kind of like...

ROVER

So when you're looking outside of the window, you can't really determine...actually, give me a Perception check.

[Annie laughs]

(Laughing) Actually, let's see.

[Dice clacks]

ELIZABETH

Actually, can you determine this?

ROVER

Actually, let's see.

MIRA

That's an 18.

Oh damn, yes girl. (Snaps)

ELIZABETH

Let's go! Get it. Proud.

ROVER

Oooooh. So from the window, you can look outside. And you guys are now out of the city. It is plain lands. You can't really determine from the outside world if things have changed from what you know it.

If you're looking for...up. There doesn't seem to be anything near the roof, nor anything outside that is either hanging loose or something.

MIRA

Ah, I have a question.

ROVER

Yes?

MIRA

Which way is the sunlight going right now? Can I see a shadow of the train on the ground out of the window?

ELIZABETH

(Awed inhale) (Whispering) Oh, you're so smart.

Oh! Yes.

ANNIE

Mmm!

ROVER

You can! It's...you are currently at about...it's about 6pm right now, right?

Yeah.

ELIZABETH

Yes.

MIRA

Okay, okay.

ROVER

You guys are, let's say an hour into this train trip. And you can indeed...you can see the shadow. The sun is not on your side, the sun is on the other side—

MIRA

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

ROVER

So you can see the slight shadow on the ground from the train moving.

MIRA

Yeah, which typically would be like, just a long line.

ROVER

Mmhmm. And with that, you can see a small...

[Annie chuckles]

...where the roof of a train, right? Should be at least, like, fully, there's a dent where the compartment—

MIRA

Yeah yeah yeah.

ROVER

—where the carriages change. Yes. There seems to be a slight dent—

MIRA

Yeah.

ROVER

In the one back.

MIRA

Okay.

ROVER

In carriage 4 or 5, towards there. That is not supposed to be there.

MIRA

Would I know that? Would I know that's not supposed to be there?

ROVER

You will know that. I will allow you to know that.

MIRA

Okay. Okay.

Like something dented the roof?

MIRA

So there's a dent in the roof.

ROVER

Like very slightly.

Oh. My god.

ANNIE

Oh, see I was thinking you meant like a bump. You're actually, an indentation in the roof.

ROVER

No, a dent.

ELIZABETH

Interesting.

ANNIE

Woooow, okay.

MIRA

So, you know when I said that Una looks out of the windows like bored, kind of like, I know I gestured to you guys, you guys can see, but literally like, face on the hand. You know as a kid when you were traveling by any form of transportation, you're putting your face as close to the glass as you can—

Yes!

MIRA

—so then you can actually, really...

ROVER

Mmhmm.

MIRA

So she would been like, she's doing that, but trying to be very nonchalant about it. So she would have been looking at all of this. Okay, so...Una would have been looking at that indent, trying to figure it out, you know...you know when you're looking at something, it doesn't register straight away? But then you're like, why is that there?

Is there any kind of unexpected movement, or any clear movement from that area? Or is it just the dent?

ROVER

There is no movement. Better than that, Viktor, you can't hear the tapping currently.

MIRA

Okay. I...oh god, give me a sec, give me a sec. I need to think.

Can I quickly rule Viktor would keep Josie updated? I don't want to interrupt all the fucking time, I'm just saying: whatever happens with the tapping thing, he keeps her updated.

ROVER

Got it.

MIRA

Yeah yeah yeah, that's fine.

ANNIE

Can Josie hear it now? Sorry. Or can I, like, try to be listening out for it?

ROVER

I...so, I need to make sure, because a lot has been said in the past 5 minutes. Has someone actively communicated out loud so that Corwin also knows what's going on?

MIRA

I was about to!

ELIZABETH

Thanks Mira! Thanks Una!

ROVER

Okay, go for it! Go for it.

[Laughter]

ANNIE

Yeah, go ahead!

Yeah!

MIRA

No no, but like, okay—can I do like a roundup of what's going on?

ANNIE

Yeah, do it. Do it. Do it.

MIRA

Okay, so. Josie opens the compartment door, looks out, communicates with Viktor. Before that, Viktor heard the tapping, well Viktor communicates to Josie about the tapping in the same time Josie's looking out of the compartment. They communicated all of that. Una is clued in. Corwin is like, "Oooh? Oooh. And they were roommates!" kind of thing.

ROVER

Yep.

[Laughter]

ELIZABETH

Yes! That is exactly what Corwin is thinking!

ANNIE

Perfect, yes!

Amazing!

MIRA

And Una...and Una is paying attention, but in a very quick succession, kind of looking out the window. And I would say, that segment would have probably happened in less than 30-ish seconds?

Yeah.

MIRA

It would have been very quick. So the very last thing would have been: tapping stops, Una sees the thing, communication happens there.

ROVER

Got it.

MIRA

And this is when Una, passing the book back to Viktor, goes like,

MIRA [as UNA]

I...um, I think we might be in trouble. (Laughs)

MIRA

And then just...

MIRA [as UNA]

Yeah, I think there's something on the train.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Yeah.

MIRA [as UNA]

Unless the trains are supposed to be built with a dent in the roof?

ANNIE

As Una is communicating this, Josie, now knowing that it's not just something between Viktor and I, now knowing that other people have...are on the same page, that she is...

Sorry Corwin.

ANNIE

...She's, immediately she's standing up, she's grabbing her morningstar and shield from the rack above and stuff.

ROVER

Mmkay.

ANNIE

And just kind of, not like getting in fighting stance, but just having her shit in reach and ready to roll.

ELIZABETH

Yeah, Corwin will also immediately, if she sees y'all doing that—

Yeah.

ELIZABETH

She is, she's looking to you all for guidance, as the very newbie.

Oh!

ELIZABETH

So she will immediately grab her halberd and kind of just get ready.

ANNIE

I don't know what we're doing, but I'm here!

I don't—I'm trying so hard not to baby-fy her.

ANNIE

(Laughing) I know.

MIRA

I move away from the window.

Viktor is going to throw his cloak, because brother that thing will be in the way. He also has a greatsword strapped to his back, that only now can become visible. Because we never forgot anything on the first session.

[Annie laughs]

ELIZABETH

(Giggles) Never ever, we were so perfect.Does Vik draw his greatsword? Cause—

[A resonant chime sounds, and the train noises suddenly stop]

ROVER

The train stops.

ANNIE

Ah!

ROVER

The train stops.

MIRA

Mmm!

ROVER

(Laughs) Continue your question.

Yeah, sorry. Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH

No, I was gonna ask if Vik draws his greatsword, since I think that's a full action move?

That is a good question. No. He will draw his rapier. Just to remind everyone, this rapier is made from a metal that absorbs light completely. It's going to be the darkest thing in this entire room, because he's so emo.

ANNIE

The vantablack.

Yeah, the vantablack.

ROVER

The vantablack, yeah. Okay. The train stops.

MIRA

How does the window open? Is it like...just the little...?

ANNIE

Or does it?

ROVER

The window? There's a small handle. Like, in the middle of it, there's a small handle above it. And—

MIRA

I was just about to say when Una was giving the book back, she would have already been on her feet. Just, you know, implementing, I am also ready.

ROVER

Got it. So, the train comes to a halt. Slowly. We're looking...you kind of just went into...your carriages just went into a tunnel.

ANNIE

Of course.

Amazing.

ELIZABETH

Of course.

ROVER

So the train is partly in a tunnel.

MIRA

Oh, fuck.

[Elizabeth snorts]

ROVER

And then the lights start to flicker. And then all the lights go off.

MIRA

Yeah, no, I'm being bullied.

ROVER

Your carriage is now completely covered in darkness.

Oh!

ROVER

Can I have a Perception check from every—does...who does not have Darkvision?

MIRA

The only Human in the fucking party! (Laughs)

ROVER

Can I have a Perception check from everyone? I will put Una's for hearing.

MIRA

Fair.

That's cute.

ANNIE

I...I will do this first, but after the Perception check...I assume that I would figure out that the Human doesn't have Darkvision.

ROVER

Mmhmm.

ANNIE

Josie's gonna turn to Una and cast Darkvision.

ELIZABETH

Ayy. Good job.

ROVER

Got it.

MIRA [as UNA]

Oh, oh!

[Dice clacks!]

Okay!

MIRA

Una would be like,

MIRA [as UNA]

Oh! That's new. Wow. Thanks.

[Annie laughs]

MIRA [as UNA]

Also, I presume that's not our station, right? I'm not familiar with the route, but...?

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Yeah, ah, I don't...no, I don't think we're there yet.

ELIZABETH

Corwin gets a 15 on her Perception check.

ANNIE

Josie gets a 9. But I assume that's because I was focused on helping Una.

The dice tell a story. Viktor, the Warlock of the party, does have Devil's Sight, which means I can see in the darkness as if it was dim light for 120 feet. I got a natural 20 on my Perception.

ANNIE

Excellent.

ELIZABETH

Let's go! Course you did!

Yes.

ANNIE

Yeah, I've got 80 feet Darkvision, I believe.

MIRA

Also, question with...cause the Perception, let's rule it this way, the Perception's for the hearing before the Darkvision happens, so...

ROVER

Mmhmm.

MIRA

But I just wanted to ask you, was it with Disadvantage, or was it just normal?

ROVER

Just every...just normal.

MIRA

Okay. That is...that's a 12. That's a 12.

ROVER

Okay. So let's start with the natural 20, since that is currently important for the fact that the tapping starts again.

[Metallic tapping begins again]

Oh, fuck me.

ROVER

So it makes sense that Viktor hears that. And the tapping starts to be...I need to know where you are sitting. Are you sitting in the window, or are you sitting to the other side? Just so I know.

Viktor is standing because I feel like it's very hard to draw your rapier when you're sitting? So he's standing opposite side to Una, next to the window. And I think Corwin was next to me, and Josie was at the door with Una on the thing.

ANNIE

Yes.

Yeah.

ROVER

Got it. So you hear on the...now currently above you...

Yeah.

ROVER

...this tap, tap tap, tap, tap tap, tap, tap, tap tap.

[Creepy metallic tapping]

Ah, do I have to?

ROVER

And it seems to be on the side of the ceiling. It seems to not be in your compartment. It seems to not be in your carriage. It seems to be up.

Okay, I'm sorry, just for Jo—is it, because you said on the side, does it sound like someone's climbing down the roof? Like down from the roof?

ROVER

No, it sounds like it's on...you know the edge of the side and the roof?

Yes.

MIRA

Mmhmm.

ROVER

It seems to be, like, taps there.

Right.

ROVER

As you will look outside, currently shadows aren't working, however, you have Devil's Sight.

I believe...

ROVER

You can see...

No, actually, you would not see shadows, would you? Right?

ROVER

Good! So you see—

Nothing!

ROVER

—in the sides, you can see...I did not ask you how you cast Darkvision. Let's start there.

[Annie laughs]

ROVER

How did you cast Darkvision?

MIRA

On my eyeballs!

ANNIE

It's simple, it's subtle. Most of Josie's spellcasting is gonna be extremely utilitarian in this way. She's just gonna reach over to Una, touch whatever, just like—it'll be direct touch on the skin, probably just on the wrist or something like that. And she's just gonna whisper something in a language you have never heard of whatsoever. It sounds like almost total nonsense to all of you.

ROVER

Interesting. So Darkvision, your duration is 8 hours. Yeah, so a willing creature you touch gets Darkvision with a range of 150 feet for 8 hours. So, as for Viktor again—you can see those dents happening.

[Metallic tapping continues intermittently]

Wait, how am I seeing the dents? Is it from the inside? I see that the roof is getting—?

ANNIE

The ceiling is caving in.

ROVER

Yes. Yes you can.

ANNIE

Oh, fun!

ROVER

It's—

MIRA

How loud?

ROVER

It's not deep dents. It's very small. You can't see what is doing it, however. For everyone that isn't below 10—you can see a same-looking humanoid shape. Now, Corwin can see it now too. Going from the front, walks to the back. And definitely seems to be having a kind of briefcase-looking thing on the side of it. That is currently what you see in your 10-feet compartment.

ANNIE

Scribble, scribble, scribble notes.

Ah, sorry yeah, I'm taking notes. Viktor is...I don't think he's going to drop Message, because it's a cantrip anyway. It's just up, so whenever you need it, Josie.

ANNIE

Mmhmm.

He's going to quietly, and I'm happy to roll for that, shuffle more to the middle of the compartment so that he doesn't have to yell at everyone. I mean, I know it's only 10 feet, but regardless. And go,

JO [as VIKTOR]

Ppsstt! There's something denting the roof. So I think we may want to leave this compartment and check it out. There is no use to getting huddled up in here.

MIRA [as UNA]

I second that.

ANNIE

I...not that I'm necessarily thinking about going this way, but I know some things about the train tunnels in England.

ROVER

Wonderful.

ANNIE

If we were to attempt the window, I assume we would likely not have enough room to even exit through the window—

They're very narrow.

ANNIE

—between the train and the wall? Yes extraordinarily narrow.

ROVER

Currently not. Not in this carriage. Yeah.

ANNIE

Okay! So we have one way out.

ROVER

With that, you also, at least Annie will know this, you can decide if Josie will know this too, I don't think you'd even have space to actively be on top of the...

Yeah.

ANNIE

Right.

That was what I was thinking too.

ANNIE

Right.

ROVER

...on top of the tunnels either.

MIRA

Yeah, the tunnel.

ROVER

So the fact that it's denting is already weird.

MIRA

Can we hear any other passengers? Like obviously, cause we can't be the only people who are like, oooooh?

Yeah the lights went out, right?

ANNIE

Yeah, I say there would be some commotion, you figure.

MIRA

Yeah, like...unless!

ROVER

There is the intercom, like a sort of Thaumaturgy worked into the system...

ANNIE

Oh, that still works. Interesting!

ROVER

...saying,

ROVER [as CONDUCTOR]

Ah, I'm sorry. Sorry. We are currently having issues with the train and the light system. We will be back with you guys shortly. Our trip will continue shortly.

ROVER

And it immediately stops again, like disrupts.

MIRA

Oh wait, our cart just got into the tunnel.

ANNIE

Yeah.

MIRA

Let's walk to the back of the train.

ANNIE

I agree.

ELIZABETH

Also, for Josie's benefit, since I think, just based on the Perception checks, Corwin will add,

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

There's someone in the hallway, too. Dark suit, briefcase?

JO [as VIKTOR]

Mmhmm.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Same one I saw before.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Okay.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Went back the other way I guess. I think that they've got the right idea. They're headed toward the cars that are still outside. Let's follow.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Alright. Let's go.

ANNIE

So, Josie will lead the way out.

Yeah.

ELIZABETH

Yeah, Corwin will follow.

MIRA

Pulls up the scarf. (Laughs)

ANNIE

And Josie is not being stealthy in this case, by the way. Just opening the door and starting to move.

MIRA

Yeah.

I am also going to say, I think we're taking the newbies in the middle. I don't know which order you want, but if Josie heads out first, which makes absolute sense because Viktor can cast at range, he's going to be the last one leaving the compartment.

ELIZABETH

I think that is fair. I think Corwin will kind of scuffle with you a little bit for that last spot, just because she feels like, "I'm kind of, I'm the biggest. I got a big halberd. I'd like to protect you guys." But—

ANNIE

Be tankier and try and cover on either side, kind of thing.

ELIZABETH

Yeah, but she would defer to you if you pushed the matter. So it could be kind of a silent scuffle, and if you stayed firm, then she would defer.

MIRA

I follow like a duckling.

[Laughter]

ROVER

I need to make this clear for Viktor. The person with the briefcase is going to the back. The tapping is going to the front.

Ooh.

MIRA

Yeah. Even more reason to go to the back. (Laughs)

ANNIE

I say either way, we can't even see anything with the tapping—sorry, actually, Josie could do this in person. I mean in character.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

I think we follow that person towards the light, even if the taps are going in the other direction. We can't see anything, we can't get outside of the train while we're in the tunnel. We gotta go that way first.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Yeah, but the, the conductor...the person running the train is in the front. If there's something on the roof of this train, then...what if they mean to harm the conductor?

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

There's not space for it to be on the roof of the train. Whatever it is is magic, and we need more information.

ELIZABETH

Ooh! Corwin is gonna use a...she's gonna burn a Divine Sense to see if this is a Celestial, Fiend, or Undead.

Yes! Well done.

MIRA

Yesss!

ANNIE

Excellent!

Yes!

ROVER

Can you explain to me what Divine Sense does again?

ANNIE

Read that text!

ELIZABETH

Yes, of course. As a bonus action, Corwin can open her awareness to detect Celestials, Fiends, and Undead for the next 10 minutes. I will know the location of any creature of those types within 60 feet of myself, and I'll know its creature type.

[Metallic tapping continues intermittently]

ANNIE

Nice!

ELIZABETH

I will also detect the presence of anything that has been consecrated or desecrated.

Ooh.

ANNIE

Sick! Oh that's, that's useful.

Do you...it works through walls, right?

ELIZABETH

As far as I'm aware. I don't see any—

ANNIE

Yeah it's just within that range. Yeah.

Amazing.

ELIZABETH

Perfect. Yeah, I was gonna say, I don't see anything saying that it's sight-based. I think it's just anything in range.

No, no I think you just feel it. Paladins, man.

ELIZABETH

Yeah we're just, we're just vibing. (Laughs)

ROVER

Corwin...

Oh dear god.

ROVER

(Audibly smiling in a super concerning way) You can detect a version of Undead towards the front. You can detect a version of a fiend towards the right.

Oh, fuck's sake.

ROVER

However, can you give me a Constitution saving throw?

ELIZABETH

(Laughing nervously) Of course I can.

Oh, shit.

ELIZABETH

Alright, one moment my friends.

[Dice clunks]

Uh, that is a 9 on the Constitution saving throw.

ROVER

Oooh.

ANNIE

ELIZABETH

ROVER

So you guys are...if we look at the line that you guys are walking, Corwin is number 3, right?

ELIZABETH

Mmhmm.

ROVER

You...when you, as the third person, open the door, everyone's going more towards the back, you cast a single look towards the front, and you see the same thing that keeps haunting you every single night, over and over and over again.

[Resonant notes play, followed by the tinklings of bells and a low, haunting drone]

And it's just this...while your look is in black and white, there is this colorful, like you can see the color of it. You shouldn't be able to see the color. There's this red and white, kind of standing on their tippy toes, these bells hanging from their hats. And it's just for a moment, yet you see this mask...three, four mask flying around. And it has the biggest smile on it, and you can just hear,

ROVER [as JESTER SPECTRE]

You're not supposed to haunt us yet.

ROVER

Before it's gone.

[All the sounds stop abruptly]

ELIZABETH

Oooooooooh.

ROVER

Next to that, yeah. You can see a version of a Fiend, and a version of an Undead to either side. You can't really determine what it is. It's different than what it normally would be. It is, this is different.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

There's...there's something wrong, guys, there's a...a…

MIRA [as UNA]

What?

JO [as VIKTOR]

You think?

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

There's something Undead toward the front of the train. And there's something that feels Fiendish toward the back? I, I–it's wrong though. It's not the way that it should feel.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Well, for starters, Undead? What are you talking about? We need to keep moving.

JO [as VIKTOR]

I—

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Alright, but—

ANNIE

Sorry, cause I just want to very quickly note, one of the first notes I took in the last session is that, specifically, there is no revival magic of any kind surviving, including Raise Dead. There is literally no magical Undead of any kind in setting.

Oh, right, yeah.

ROVER

There is no magic of that currently active. However, things like creating zombie skeletons would be possible. However actively bringing someone back to full life is not still possible.

ANNIE

Okay...

ROVER

Undead can still be a thing, however this is not that type of Undead.

ANNIE

Okay, then Josie will retract the previous statement. But I will say, I just wanna clarify then, cause what I put in the notes—the specific wording I used in my notes was...

ROVER

Yeah.

ANNIE

...necromancy was centered in the Netherlands. No revive magic of any kind survives. That includes Raise Dead, which is what I thought made zombies. Am I...?

We could do a thing of: It is difficult to do so; it is currently, as far as we know, impossible to bring someone back to be sentient.

ROVER

Yes.

Zombies, I would feel like, do not have anything left from the person they may have been before.

ANNIE

Okay. Sure.

ROVER

However, Una would not know any of this.

MIRA

I guess.

ROVER

You know that necromancy was a plan. Like there were starters to it. That’s it.

(Whispers) What's up with Una?

MIRA

I don't know.

ROVER

So—

I'm so sorry. I wanted to do that for the past couple of minutes now. If it's clear there's something going to the front, Viktor would try to argue for helping the other passengers. Same as Corwin was trying to do. Because, I mean, the Fiend, the briefcase kind of person, we don't...it feels less threatening to Viktor than a thing that we can't see is currently denting the roof, is currently making its way to the front.

MIRA

(Crosstalk with Annie) Right. I would like to argue...

ANNIE

(Crosstalk with Mira) To clarify, Josie's perspective on it wasn't that we're following the Fiend guy, or the guy with the briefcase, because we need to follow him. It's: we need to head toward daylight. The people on this train are not our assignment, and Josie is being pretty cold and calculating right now.

Yeah, yeah!

MIRA

Yeah.

ANNIE

We can help to try and figure out what's going on if we can get outside of the train and see. But if we head toward the front, we're heading blindly into clearly a dangerous situation to save people who we're not responsible for.

(Quietly) Split the party. Split the party. Split the party.

MIRA

Una would also say that, like,

MIRA [as UNA]

You need to make sure that you look after your own goal first, and then you can have a luxury of worrying about someone else.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

That's—

ELIZABETH

Oh, go ahead.

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

Viktor, we might be able to help them better if we can get out and see what's happening. We can't exit the train in here. We have to get to where there's daylight.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

We're, we're in a tunnel! We won't be able to see anything from outside anyway! We need...if there's any way that we can help the people who are further ahead. They're trapped up there with an Undead. Those aren't even supposed to exist!

MIRA

Well, Una was about to argue, additionally, that we just got into this tunnel.

MIRA [as UNA]

If we go back, we have more of a chance to see what's going on. Besides, you don't know if the person that is going the same way is not causing all of this. Why would he be leaving the opposite direction? Besides, there might be people on that way if you really want to save someone.

ANNIE

Josie is gonna look back to Viktor and go,

ANNIE [as JOSIE]

What happened to the exit door? This is not our job.

JO [as VIKTOR]

Fine.

He's going to follow.

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Fine.

ELIZABETH

Corwin will also follow.

ROVER

Got it. So you guys will go to the back. So once you walk through, can I have a Perception check from Josie?

MIRA

You've got this, Josie! You’ve got this Josie!

ANNIE

17. It's not too bad.

ROVER

Nah, a 17 is not too bad. The person with the briefcase seems to, once it goes into the compartment—or, into the compartment, into the new carriage—the doors faintly close—or, faintly, for a moment close—and you have the tinted glass again. And then you can literally see the shadow of it vanish. And when the door opens again, person's gone.

Passengers there seem to just be like,

ROVER [as DISGRUNTLED PASSENGER]

Oh, we're gonna have a delay again. And it's like, (sighs). Are we, are we serious? Why is this every time gonna happen?

ROVER

And it's just people complaining to each other. They seem to not be harmed in any way. So yeah, there seems to be nothing there. You're looking at, kind of like, a bunch of young-looking...seems to be kind of a young-looking group of people, mostly Elves, Humans, and there are a couple Tieflings. There seems to be this one orange Tabaxi with this kind of grim-reaper-looking mask sitting in one of the seats as well.

But next to that, no one really seems to be...they're only complaining. They don't seem to be in danger.

MIRA

Right. Una would have been looking straightaway if...cause there are doors to get on the train.

ROVER

Yeah.

MIRA

Up to you if you want to make them on the bends of the train, where they're connecting to other compartments. So Una would have been looking for that, if there is a door to use, especially now that we would have been out of the tunnel, so to speak. And also, if there is a way of separating the compartments of the train.

ELIZABETH

That is a really great question. I love it. I also just wanted to add, does anything change with Corwin's Divine Sense when Mr. Briefcase goes away?

ROVER

The Fiend, the Fiend thing goes away.

ELIZABETH

Ooh! Okay.

Okay.

ROVER

The Undead's still there, and there is now...you know something changed. There is still a Fiend there, however for a moment, the sense kind of splits towards a different place. And once you're looking at it, it seems—can you, before I say anything, can you tell, with your Divine Sense, if you're looking at a room of people, hypothetically, can you tell from which of those people it would be from? I need to know.

Oh yeah, right.

ANNIE

I...

ELIZABETH

I...Annie, what do you think? I want to say yes, but I'm not sure.

ANNIE

I believe so.

MIRA

I would say yes.

ANNIE

Because in the text of it, it says that it gives an exact location, not a general direction.

ELIZABETH

Yeah.

MIRA

You can pinpoint it.

ANNIE

So, I mean, she would probably have to look at them and go, "okay, it's in that spot, and there's a person in that spot, so that's the one." Do you know what I mean?

Right.

ELIZABETH

Yes. Thank you.

MIRA

It's kind of like following a smell.

[Laughter]

ANNIE

Little more precise than that, yeah.

ROVER

So, yeah...

ELIZABETH

They smell vaguely like brimstone. Sorry.

[Mira laughs]

ROVER

Once you go into that carriage, you see the passengers. It is now actively coming from the orange Tabaxi with the reaper, the grim reaper's mask. Just in general, can I have a quick roll for...just give me a plain Intelligence roll.

ANNIE

Everyone?

ROVER

Just Corwin.

The clever one.

ELIZABETH

Cool.

[Dice thunks]

[Laughter]

MIRA

The smart one.

No, we love her!

ELIZABETH

(Audibly smiling) She got an 18!

Awwww.

MIRA

Wooooo!

ANNIE

Excellent.

ELIZABETH

Baby girl is—she is relatively smart, she's just not very wise.

MIRA

The rebound arc!

ROVER

Yeah, exactly. A lot of Warriors of Mercy from the monk groups wear a lot of masks as a cover for their whole identity. Their whole thing is that. So this could be one of those masks. However, it is strange that that is also a Fiend.

ELIZABETH

Okay.

ROVER

Or at least a version of a Fiend. And Josie would recognize it also from, you will have seen it on Brian's person, at some point.

ANNIE

Sorry, what was it?

ELIZABETH

The mask?

ROVER

The grim reaper mask.

ANNIE

The mask.

ROVER

You would have seen it with Brian at some point, like next to him or something.

ANNIE

Would I have known what it was or signified, from Brian?

ROVER

I will say you know it, as a Warrior of Mercy mask.

ELIZABETH

Corwin will probably—who's she next to? She's next to Vik and Una.

ANNIE

Yeah.

ELIZABETH

So she will—yeah, cause Josie's at the very front. She will probably kind of fall back next to Vik as much as possible, and say, very, very, very quietly,

ELIZABETH [as CORWIN]

Orange Tabaxi in the mask is a Fiend.

ROVER

Can I describe the mask for you?

Yeah.

ROVER

So...the eyes of it seem to be big circles, however there's nothing behind it. You are unable to see any eyes, any light even, or any kind of skin or anything. And there, the mask kind of in this beak goes forward for a moment. Or, for a moment, just a little bit, and it seems to be...can I have another very small Perception check? From…everyone.

MIRA

Sorry, what check was that?

ROVER

Perception.

MIRA

Perception.

[Dice clickety clacks!]

ANNIE

17.

[Dice thunks]

ELIZABETH

Oh! 2.

MIRA

(Whispering) A natural 20.

So, this is a 5, which brings me up to a whopping 5 Perception.

MIRA

Yayyy! (Laughs)

ELIZABETH

We're so wise.

ROVER

Wonderful. Everyone above a 15, so we're looking at Josie and Corwin, I think?

ELIZABETH

Ah, Corwin had a 2.

ANNIE

Una.

MIRA

I had a 20.

ROVER

Corwin had a 2. Una, Una. Sorry, yes. Josie will have seen that this mask doesn't wrap around the entire head. Una can see that the sides of the mask seem to be branded, like almost dug into sides of the head.

MIRA

(At the same time) Oh! Oh.

Oh. Ouch.

ELIZABETH

Cool.

MIRA

Like fixed to the skin, kind of a thing.

ROVER

Yeah. It seems to be kind of stuck to the skin. However, fur, skin, that part of it.

[A low hum begins to build in the background]

And when you say that, Corwin, you...the same, I will now call them creature, looks at you. Can I have another Constitution saving throw?

Oh!

ANNIE

Woo!

ELIZABETH

Of course.

ANNIE

And while that roll goes, can I quickly clarify one thing about the mask?

[Dice clacks]

Cause you were saying Grim Reaper mask—are you referring to like a Plague Doctor? Cause you said "beak."

ROVER

Yeah. Yeah.

ANNIE

Okay, just wanted to clarify.

ROVER

Got it. Yeah yeah. Sorry.

MIRA

Are there any markings on that mask? Oh, sorry—

ELIZABETH

No, go ahead, please.

MIRA

You're rolling for ouchies. So you roll for ouchies.

[Laughter]

ROVER

I will, I will take Corwin's first. I will first take the Constitution save.

ELIZABETH

Ah, clarifying question—so the creature is the one with, that you were saying, kind of, like, the faces that are floating all around?

ROVER

Ah, no, the orange Tabaxi I'm now talking about.

ELIZABETH

Ohhh, no no no. The orange Tabaxi.

The other guy's gone.

ROVER

All the floating masks are gone.

ELIZABETH

Ok, great great great.

ROVER

That was just a sight, and it's gone.

ELIZABETH

Corwin is trying very hard not to think about that, and to focus on the thing at hand. Unfortunately, she's, ah, she rolled a natural 1 on her Constitution saving throw.

ANNIE

Ahhhh, oh no! (Muffled) Oh shit!

MIRA

(Splutters) Okay.

ROVER

Alright, we're ending the episode with a dice roll.

ANNIE

Yeahhh!

(Whispering) Damn.

ANNIE

Awww, baby. Dice time. Oooooh.

Say goodbye to your favorite character.

ELIZABETH

Oh my gosh, Ro, that's so many dice!

[Lots of dice clacks. SO MANY DICE.]

MIRA

That's a lot of ouchies!

ELIZABETH

Ro just rolled a handful of dice.

Jo is getting ready to catch her. (Laughs)

[The low hum continues to build in the background]

ROVER

There is this feeling deep beneath your skull. And it is almost, at the start, is like...I'm gonna put a warning here...

Ah, shit.

ANNIE

Aha!

MIRA

Oooh.

ROVER

...already, for what I'm about to describe.

[A cracking, clacking sound grows along with the hum]

It is like someone is reaching, actively, throughout the holes in your skull, to the back of it. You take 11 psychic damage.

MIRA

Oh! (Higher pitched) Oh!

ANNIE

Oh!

ELIZABETH

Oh my gosh.

ROVER

And you can just hear,

[Soft bells tinkle as the low hum crescendoes]

ROVER [as ORANGE TABAXI]

Haunting us, I see. I'm sure Levy will like that.

[Three resonant notes play]

ROVER

And that's where we're gonna end the episode.

[All sounds stop abruptly]

Oh, you bastard.

[Laughter]

You ass!

ELIZABETH

Oh my gosh.

Oh my god.

MIRA

That's a lot of ouchies.

I like that, so, dear listeners, Anusia is the producer for this episode, as you will hear in the credits. Anusia just, in the chat, being like, "Delightful."

ANNIE

Delightful.

And I, I do hear it as Gwen.

[Annie laughs]

ROVER

(Laughing) Oh my god.

ELIZABETH

Oh. My. Gosh.

ROVER

So, thank you all so much for listening, and we will see you back with the Bounty Hunters next week, and...hmm, what happens next? Remains to be seen. Buh-bye.

ALL

Bye!

[Show outro plays]

ROVER

Remains To Be Seen is an original podcast created by Dyaflame Studios and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution non-commercial share-alike 4.0 international license.

Today’s episode was produced by Anusia Battersby and edited by Rover Elliott and Jo Mendacium. It starred:

Elizabeth Simpson as Corwin Duvall
Jo Mendacium as Viktor Valthayne
Annie Ruby as Josie
Mirah Fae as Una
and Rover Elliott as the Dungeon Master

The intro and outro was composed by We Talk of Dreams, and the transcript was written by Elizabeth Simpson.

To get in touch with us and keep up to date with our antics, follow us on Instagram, BlueSky and TikTok @ DyaflameStudios or view our website at www.dyaflame.com

Check our show notes for additional credits, links and transcripts.