The Between 32 - We Are All Monsters

[00:00:02] Welcome to Aint Slayed Nobody. This is an actual play podcast intended for adults, and may contain material that some people find disturbing. Please see the episode notes for content warnings, and listen with care. Hey, this is Cup from Aint Slayed Nobody asking you to join our Discord chat community. This is a fantastic group of people, and it's the best place to talk about the show, tabletop gaming, and anything else that's on your mind.

[00:00:31] This is where we prefer to interact with fans. So head over to slayed.me slash discord and discuss the episode that you're listening to now. That's slayed.me slash discord. I'll see you there. Okay, so we are back. We're going to start a day phase in just a moment. Let's do a bit of a recap first.

[00:00:55] So you currently have three active threats. The Emerald Orchid, the Coven, and the Reaver's Last Victim. That last one is a side threat, which is no particular danger. It's just a kind of interesting emotional story. And it has a very simple question. Where are the remains of Anton Farrow hidden? This is the last victim of former Hargrave House member Roger the Reaver, a notorious serial killer. That's a complexity two question. And you have two clues on that.

[00:01:26] Mr. Quiet has been kind of exclusively investigating that, but you are getting pretty close, Mr. Quiet, to finding the body.

[00:01:32] And then we have the Emerald Orchid. And this is the one where we have this sort of strange alien intelligence, hive mind kind of situation with these orchids. And they have the ability to take over people's minds. And they're spreading all throughout the city, both culturally and literally. And you currently have seven clues and you have several different ways of tackling that particular problem.

[00:01:59] Problem. And then finally, we have the Coven. You have answered the question associated with the Coven. When and where will the final step of the Grand Ritual take place? Well, you have determined, based off of all the incredibly strange clues that you have, that the final ritual will take place during this particular alignment of planets at the top of London Tower.

[00:02:21] That is where you will be able to pursue the resolution, which is, or the opportunity, which is resolve the threat by stopping the ritual and or destroying the Coven. So that is ready to go.

[00:02:32] A little bit of non-threat related recapping. The last night phase was really interesting. We saw some really unusual things happening. Most interestingly were two things. One, Mr. Melmoth learned that Mrs. Brathwaite has the actual body of the real Queen Victoria in stasis in a glass coffin.

[00:02:57] Mr. Melmoth's worshiper, Tatiana Brathwaite revealed this to him. And then also you have a new neighbor on Belgrave Square. Admiral Flagg and Ms. Innes and Ms. Archer were invited to an eventful dinner, which we did not see the final moments of.

[00:03:20] We'll let those two characters revisit those final moments as they wish in conversation the next morning, if that's okay. And I think that's pretty much where everything stands as far as the threats go and the other sort of background stuff. You do have all 10 mastermind clues. So basically, as soon as there are no more threats, you can confront Theodora. I do want to check in with the hunters as well, just for conditions mostly.

[00:03:47] Mr. Belmoth currently has, let's see here, Mr. Belmoth, Most Beloved and Touched by the Green Orchid. Those are two very problematic things combined, I feel like. Mr. Quiet has no conditions. Ms. Archer has Bound, Bloodthirsty, and Stars Above, Stars Below. Oh, and Ms. Innes has Emile Deferred and also Stars Above, Stars Below. Alright then, who has Janus Mask that they need to do at this point?

[00:04:16] Yeah, I suddenly have a mask of the past that I need to narrate. Please do. So my prompt is, narrate a flashback to a scene when the artists destroyed themselves because of your rejection. How did the masterwork change in order to reflect your cold indifference?

[00:04:37] As we've established, Sebastian has not only roundly rejected the advances of the playwright Charles Beauchamp, but he has belittled him publicly. Obviously, he has probably set things in motion that have largely destroyed his reputation within the theatrical community.

[00:05:05] But of course, Sebastian doesn't care about any of this. And this all comes to a head when Sebastian is there once again watching a performance of the play. He may have become bored with Beauchamp, but the play still reflects enough of Sebastian himself that Sebastian is drawn to it like a mirror.

[00:05:34] And so he's there just watching a performance that perhaps has only got a few people other than him and the audience. And the performers are going through the motions, but they're doing it for Sebastian now.

[00:05:51] And in the midst of it all, Charles Beauchamp comes on stage and starts berating the performers for what they're doing to his play and starts berating the audience for watching this travesty, this corruption of his vision. He doesn't even acknowledge Sebastian himself.

[00:06:19] And then he walks off stage. More eagle-eyed members of the audience might have noticed something going on on a gantry above the stage. But the play carries on regardless until there is a sudden movement

[00:06:44] and Charles Beauchamp drops from the gantry a noose around his neck and there is a loud snap like a gunshot throughout the theatre as his neck breaks and his body dangles there in the midst of the set and the performance. And obviously there is panic, there is upset.

[00:07:12] And then Sebastian just waves at the players and tells them to get on with it. But they do. And they just carry on performing around the dangling corpse of Charles Beauchamp. Who anyone seeing the play since then will probably wonder why there is this ragged figure that is just dangling there amongst the flats at the back of the set

[00:07:39] in every performance like some macabre chandelier. It's a very weird bit of set dressing to have on stage. But no one's ever moved it out of the way.

[00:08:19] Is there any other Janus mask? I don't have a Janus mask, but I feel like I owe you... How about the beast? Yeah, like how I'm getting close, how Viola's getting closer to the beast. Yeah, what's going on? I think that the most recent development has been the work that she's done with the proprietor of the Forgotten Octopus, the arcane bookstore where she started doing a little bit of research. She'd been introduced from dreams and visions,

[00:08:46] the connection of some ritual to the beast. And so she began to become curious about what that might mean for what she could do to help resolve the overall situation with her family. And she was trying to understand, you know, okay, something about like the ritual and the result. There's some sort of connection there. She didn't quite have it. And then through her work with Regulus, through this research, she's come to understand that with binding rituals, it's not the ritual and the result.

[00:09:14] It's the ritual and the cost of the ritual. In a binding ritual, there's always something that has to be given. And so the thing is, regardless of whether the ritual is successful or whether it's unmade, the cost is always exacted. And so in that, she's getting closer to how to finally resolve the issue of the beast. Nice. I also want to give you an O on your hunt for the scene at HMS Chimera.

[00:09:43] Getting a lot of O's. Gotta work on them X's. And we'll reveal it when the time comes, but it has an effect on how the beast enters play, right? Depending on whether you have more X's or more O's. So, you know. And I do still have a scar to narrate as well from using the giveth move with Mrs. Brathwaite's daughter.

[00:10:07] And I think that this is actually another fairly simple change to the masterwork, which is the next time it's performed from the set itself and the costumes, from every aspect of the play, now the color blue is just missing. Well, let's get into our day phase, shall we? As ever, I will go around the table and see what everyone is interested in doing today.

[00:10:37] And if we want to frame up some vulnerable move scenes, I'm into that as well. I will start with Ms. Ennis and Ms. Archer, though, because I think you have a natural vulnerable move here that can happen, especially because of your conditions. I'm down. Cool. Be thinking of which vice is in play so we can figure out what the scene looks like. Mr. Quiet, what do you want to do today? In the clues for the Reaver's The Last Victim, I think during the burial scene,

[00:11:04] I had used a coin and the coin changed when Mr. Quiet awoke, and it had the crest for the Church of St. Dunstan's on it. So I think I want to go to that church and try to figure out what's the connection between the coin and the church. Oh, fantastic. Yeah. Love that. And Mr. Melmoth? I think Mr. Melmoth wants to throw an impromptu party. Oh, great.

[00:11:32] I'm sure he can find a venue somewhere that will host it if he just asks whoever owns it nicely. And just try to find out people who have been touched by the Green Orchid and invite them for a little get-together. Oh. I love it. Is this a party at Hargrave House or somewhere else? Oh, actually, you know, why not? It's a shame to have someone like Hargrave House and not use it for something like this. Yeah.

[00:12:02] Exactly. To have the alien orchid be in the ballroom where there was a bunch of fae people once, I'm sure that'll all go great. Oh, no, what we need to do is set up a marquee in the garden. Let's do that. I love it. Fantastic. Well, actually, we should start with that scene then. Let's start with all four of you and Lenore. And is Julius still around? I mean, he's asleep, I guess, but... Well, yeah. Certainly his servants are still around.

[00:12:33] With Mr. Melmoth having workers in, making preparations out in the garden, I think we should have that scene, everybody together. I don't think Sebastian has even answered the door to any of the tradesmen who are coming through. He's just languidly there in the dining room having some breakfast tea and every now and then looking out the window and enjoying all the activity that he sees there. Oh, I think you're all... You're probably all woken up by hammering, right?

[00:13:02] By hammering and sawing. As soon as Miss Ennis realizes what's happening, she is out there decorating. She is helping. She is helping. And she is putting together a little cutout of like a tiny little stage and it has little elements of the play that she has seen from Mr. Melmoth. Ooh. Bold. Yeah. There's just little hints of it

[00:13:31] like around the garden, kind of spread out. Ooh. Even before the workers arrived, like as they started to enter the garden, Mr. Quiet was just digging holes in the garden. Without a whole lot of explanation, just preparing some kind of bizarre ritual. Miss Ennis just falls in. Ah! Yeah, watch your step. Oh, goodness. You can't just put these holes anywhere.

[00:14:00] I think Viola didn't get much sleep after that weird dinner and she was just laying in bed, you know, staring at the ceiling and then in like once the dawn comes, she hears the sounds of like hammering or whatever, mistakes them for the sounds of combat and she's like, yes. So she leaps from bed. She comes like running out of her room. She leaps over the like the banister of the like the staircase and she lands and sees all these workmen and just looks around and is like, what the hell? Sebastian!

[00:14:28] Has Ms. Archer ever used stairs, I wonder? It's just, it's inefficient. Fantastic. Mr. Melmoth, is it your intention that this party is going to happen in the day or at night? Oh, in the day. It's a garden party. It's got to be in the afternoon. That means there's probably a lot of activity in the house then because you probably have people in who are like making finger sandwiches and you probably have people who are musicians tuning their instruments.

[00:14:58] And there's all kinds of activity in Hargrave House going on, right? On her way to find Sebastian, Viola's just telling people, do not go in there. Stay away from that door. Nope, nope, not there. Nope, nope. Yeah, so good. Mr. Quiet, what do you think of all this activity? I think he's just trying to like dig around the activity, taking it all in. But he is, he's trying to figure out like what, I guess what Mr. Melmoth's aim is here. Like why is he throwing a party here at Hargrave House?

[00:15:27] I think he's actually a little bit irritated because they're conducting serious work in the covens in London. So I think he's going to be a bit frustrated with Mr. Melmoth. Why are you so angry? Miss Innes is like covered in dirt at this point, having fallen into one of your dug holes. She's got like leaves in her hair because she's also been like arranging flowers and things and picking and just trying to make everything look really, really cute, but not in a traditional way.

[00:15:57] Kind of just, if everything has been built to be neat and what I assume Mr. Melmoth has spent a lot of money on these tradesmen to do, Miss Innes is going in and just kind of throwing a bit of nature on it and doing her version of decor. I'm not angry. It's fine. I just am not feeling very festive, I suppose. Well, you seem like you're seething. Oh, I'm not mad at all. Where is Mr. Melmoth?

[00:16:26] This is his party. He should be here. Do I have to plug all these holes? I imagine he's in a robe somewhere, just lounging. That tracks. What are these for? Do you need me to help you with that? Excuse me, this doll is not a centerpiece. He's going to walk over and pick Lenora up off the table. Oh, my word.

[00:16:54] I'll go find Mr. Melmoth, okay? I'll scurry off. Mr. Melmoth, where does Miss Innes find you? Oh, well, as I said, in the dining room, enjoying a nice cup of breakfast tea. Can Miss Innes walk in on Mr. Melmoth sitting there just very casually sipping his tea and Miss Archer standing over him and the noise and now all this dirt is tracked in and you're not going to clean it up and so what is this even for? What are we celebrating?

[00:17:24] I'm not sure it's entirely a celebration. It's more a gathering of like-minded people and, well, I say like-minded in its most literal form. You know I'm going to ask follow-up questions so why not just volunteer the information? Also, what is going on with the... And she's gesturing towards you, I'm assuming if you're still wearing a lot of green. What is this? What is going on here? I'm sorry.

[00:17:54] You asked me a lot of questions there all at once and I did rather lose interest halfway through. Would you mind just focusing on the question you actually want answered and we can take things from there. I would like to suggest that a group of orphans of the sun come into the room and they begin closing the curtains in the dining room. They begin closing all the curtains tight and then they stand sentry while you're all in the dark. And then Julius storms in,

[00:18:23] past you, Ms. Innes, and says, what's with all the noise? Some of us have to sleep. My goodness, so many of you are angry. Mr. Melmoth, Mr. Quiet's also not quite pleased in the garden right now. Oh dear. I'm sure we'll soldier through somehow. Yes, you'll have to forgive him, Ms. Innes. He doesn't seem to give a shit. Well, I don't, I mean, I think it's fun. It's nice. Look at all the decorations outside and I'm sorry about the dirt,

[00:18:53] Ms. Archer. But we can clean it up. Well, I would enjoy all the decorations you put up outside except someone seems so close the curtains. I would like to remind everyone present, Julius says, he's also in like a kind of burgundy dressing gown. I would like to remind everyone present that some of us have to sleep right now because of our particular physiological conditions.

[00:19:22] Are we terribly inconveniencing our guest? I'm gonna go up. Ms. Innes walks up to him and puts her hands over his ears. Does that help at all? Have you thought of maybe putting... I think he just bats your hands away and and just storms out of the room. But actually, but before he storms out of the room, he like stands in front of the entrance of the dining room and like gives like a really irritated like

[00:19:54] and the orphans of the sun all file in to go open the door and create like a reverent path for him as he exits the dining room. I'll toast them with my tea as they leave. Indeed. I don't understand. Who invited him? I'm not entirely sure. Just a pointed look at Mr. Melmoth. I might have invited him. I don't really remember.

[00:20:23] But you have to admit Hargrave House is a lot more entertaining with Julius around. Hmm. I don't think we do have to admit that. Mr. Melmoth, I understand that your powers of empathy are non-existent or withered to nothing if they did exist. But I wonder if you... I don't think that's true. Is everyone just set to contradict me today? Fine. Fine. No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No, continue. I'll leave.

[00:20:53] She runs out. So, Miss Archie, you were telling me about empathy. I'll say watching the departing form of Miss Innes. Yes, the irony is not lost on me. Do you know that there is a man who is an ally of Miss Brathwaite moved in next door? Are you aware of any of this? Are you aware of any of the growing danger to all of us, to this house, to all of London? Oh, do you suppose he might like to attend the garden party?

[00:21:24] Mr. Melmoth, I have settled on the question I would like to ask you. Do you care about anything other than yourself? Hmm. That's a very good question. I do, I suppose, care rather about the situation with the Green Orchid. That is fascinating. I can't say that I'm an entirely disinterested party in the matter, however,

[00:21:52] so I suppose ultimately, as with so many things in London, I am at the centre of it all. And so any disruption to anything to do with the Green Orchid would vex you some? Is that a fair statement? You think that's true? Ah, that sounds charmingly like a threat. Oh, I'm so glad. I'm so glad that is your attitude towards it. Off I go. And then Ms. Archer

[00:22:22] will leave the room and go after Ms. Zinnis. Like a sequence of people storming out of the dining room. It's just kind of amazing. Sebastian calmly pours himself another cup of tea. Exactly. And I think after Ms. Archer leaves, Mr. Quiet goes through the dining room without a word to Sebastian and then walks back through about two minutes later with his lacquered box that has a beating heart inside. Just another morning

[00:22:52] at Hargrave House. We love it. Like all the workmen, they're not like trying to be quiet or trying to disguise anything. Just like, yeah, great. And some of the workmen have formed a circle around one of the holes that Mr. Quiet dug in the backyard or in the garden. Like of their own volition? They're going to do a little ritual. Cool, cool. A little blessing for the party. Great. Mr. Quiet, shall we fast forward to the church?

[00:23:22] Oh, sure. Yeah, I think that once he's not satisfied with how anything went in the garden, including this little thing he tried to arrange with the workmen, which was going to be a curse on Mr. Melmoth. He is going to go to the church and try to figure out what's going on there. I think he knows that the church is where the most famous plague pits were in the 1600s. So he's really drawn to this place because there is a lot of death. I love that. Let me do a little on-the-fly,

[00:23:51] paint-the-scene thing here. Obviously, this church has been around for a long time. And given that notorious history, which, say again, was like where plague pits were at? Yeah, they buried plague victims on the grounds of the church. But then it converted into like a park where people walked their dogs and things. And I assume that's like centuries ago, right? Yeah, yeah. Paint the scene. How would

[00:24:20] the astute observer, by looking around, have this dark history confirmed? Ooh, I think because people now use the grounds to like walk their dogs and things like that, that the dogs are just like sniffing and digging at the ground, almost trying to unearth some of the bodies. Oh, yeah. Or the bones. Subsidance. The ground is uneven and is prone to,

[00:24:50] particularly during times of great rain, just forming depressions. And every now and then one of the surrounding buildings just collapses. Oh, shit. I'll play off that and say that in some of the kind of like the little dips in the land when it does rain and puddles start to form, even though the soil has no clay or any iron in it, you can start to see this almost reddish cast.

[00:25:22] Everyone that does walk through the space, no matter what headspace they're in, how great of a day they were having whenever they walk through, this looming sense of anxiety just overtakes them. They think about everything that they've, you know, forgotten or that one thing that they said and, oh gosh, how did that end up? And they kind of stop paying attention to where they're walking exactly and wander a little aimlessly in anxiety. This is tainted land indeed. I will remind you

[00:25:50] of the special move here or the special rule. The information move is not available when investigating the Reaver's last victim. Rather, once per day, you can narrate a short scene where you visit one of the crime scenes of Roger the Reaver. We'll say that this is basically the idea. Talk to relatives of victims, go through official records or otherwise do similar work. You must name and describe one of the victims as part of this and if you do so, you find a clue and you tell me what the clue is.

[00:26:21] So be thinking about what you, which victim you discover or otherwise or become aware of and then how that's a clue. Let's have that scene between Ms. Innes and Ms. Archer if that's okay. Yeah. I just need to know whose vice is in play. Well, I have an idea if that's cool. Unless you had something specific, Nick. All I was going to say is that when she leaves the dining room with Mr. Malmoth, she's chasing after you. So if it happens later in the day or right after. Yeah. Well,

[00:26:50] to piggyback off that, I think that when you did go out that Maura was actually like just on the other side of the doorway listening to whatever Mr. Malmoth was answering about whether he cared about anything other than himself and looks a little she's not disappointed but she looks like she was like thinking really hard for Moira. Oh, like she wanted him to say, oh.

[00:27:20] Okay. Then she sees you come out and she puts her hand out to you to take. There is the instantaneous urge of her to reject that because she does not like surprises. It is dirty. It is. And also that. But I think that because of the events of the previous night and, you know, the revelation from before, I think that she'll kind of stiffen up but put her hand in yours.

[00:27:51] It's time to get clean. And she kind of like runs, skips with you, pulling you along with her out. What does that mean? What does that mean? Where are we going? Out of Hargrave House and to some very fancy public baths. And right before we enter she turns to you and she's like, she gets really close. Don't worry. They don't allow sailors in here. And then pulls you in.

[00:28:21] My, my heart and mind are at ease now. She'll follow you in. Pick up with that in a bit. Mr. Melmoth. Hmm. You hear a very insistent ringing at the front door. Ring, ring, ring, ring. Is anyone going to answer that? One of the tradesmen says, not my job as he

[00:28:50] walks by with a bunch of bunting. Oh, shaking his head at the, the sorrow with this, this terrible world. Sebastian will float over towards the door and just throw it open. Yes. It is D.I. Pettigrew. He is dressed in his typical tweed jacket and he has his little notebook out. He's making notes there on the doorstep. Mr. Melmoth,

[00:29:20] answering the door. My goodness, how low we have fallen. Hmm. Indeed, D.I. Pettigrew. Indeed. Well, I noticed all of the commotion and well, you know me. Whenever there's anything involving Hargrave House and people and activity, my little antennae begin to perk up. So what do you have going on here then? He just walks in. I'm not a big fan

[00:29:50] of flowers and plants as a general matter, Mr. Melmoth. Then this is entirely the wrong event for you. So you must come as my guest. Oh, yes, yes. Well, I won't turn down a cucumber sandwich, I'll tell you that. Marvelous. So, garden party. That's not really your aesthetic, I would say, Mr. Melmoth, what's this all about then? What's it about? Ah,

[00:30:19] I'll turn around to one of the many plant pots that's appeared around Hargrave House in recent weeks that has a green orchid growing in it. And I'll pluck the orchid and then place it behind the iPetigrew's ear. Ah, yes. The legendary emerald orchid. And he gets a little funny look in his eyes, right? We had kind of intimated previously that he's

[00:30:49] aware of the orchid and maybe even has been under its influence to some degree, like much of the city has been, right? Hmm. I didn't really take you as someone to get wrapped up in trends, Mr. Melmoth, you being a trendsetter that you are. Oh, it is far more than a trend, D.I. Pettigrew. The emerald orchid represents something I think rather transformative. And

[00:31:17] for something that has tendrils reaching throughout all strata of London society, I think it is only natural that Hargrave House and obviously then myself that we are involved. He takes the orchid out of his from behind his ear, not angrily, he just casually, and he kind of says really quietly to you, very seriously, he says, there's something going on,

[00:31:47] isn't there? We're in danger, aren't we, Mr. Melmoth? This is London, D.I. Pettigrew. We are always in danger. I haven't been able to convince my colleagues at Whitehall that this is something that we should take seriously. I can see now that we have been blind to it. How can I help? That is one of the most touching questions I have been asked in some time, D.I. Pettigrew,

[00:32:17] and I am genuinely moved by your offer. How can you help? How can you help? You, I think, would look marvelous in an apron. Come through to the kitchen. Fantastic. I love it. Mr. Quiet, you want to give us this scene? Does it fit with the rules of the Reaver if Mr. Quiet's going to seek out the caretaker of the church? Maybe a father? Sure. Yeah.

[00:32:47] So he'll look for Father Ambrose, and he wants to put the coin on his desk and ask, tell me, Father, does this mean anything to you? He hasn't even introduced himself. That's good. Remind me what the coin is. Yeah, so it was a regular coin that he was using as payment for the vision that he had, and when he buried himself, and then when he woke up, it had the insignia of the church on one side. So he's going to put that on the desk

[00:33:16] and just find out if the coin's familiar at all. And then I think he may even start asking questions about the plague pits and any knowledge he has of the Reaver. He's like kind of just spinning off a bunch of different things that might confuse the father. You get to define the clue, but I would like to give you, I'll give you a little help there and say that this coin is of a type that would

[00:33:44] be pressed into the hands of the plague victims, of the dead, to speed their way to heaven. To almost pay for their passage to heaven. Now, of course, the church had to crack down on that because that's total heresy, but that was what people believed. And then over time, over centuries, the symbol itself became associated with the church and so forth. Yeah, so could we say then for the clue that this coin is actually a

[00:34:13] replica of one of those genuine coins and that the replicas were made during the time that the Reaver was active? Oh, I love that. That's really good. Yeah, that's great. So maybe he had like a coin press or something. Yeah, yeah, or a mint. Yeah, you had a mint. That's pretty good. So let's check in with Miss Ennis and Miss Archer. What's going on? Moira is like, you know, pretty excited to show this to you. And so every step of the way, she's

[00:34:43] like, she's like, and this is where, you know, you'll take your clothes off here and then we'll go into the waters. And this is where you can wash away everything from your day or night or recent experiences. it just kind of leaves you, you see. Hmm. And I thought maybe we could both benefit from washing away some experiences. very well.

[00:35:13] We disrobe here. Yep. Oh, yes. Wow, you're so fast. Yeah, she's already like everything's coming off. I will say one thing that you'll notice is that like every inch of her body other than like above the neckline and her hands is just covered in scars of various sizes and depths and some are very old. Miss Archer wouldn't know this because she wasn't the one who had the earlier scene with,

[00:35:43] was that with Mr. Kessler originally? Where it showed like all the scars on her body. Well, now like some of those scars are actually gone on Miss Innes' body. It has begun to kind of heal itself. So there are still some scars as well, but it's not nearly what it used to be. And her body is changing as well. Yeah, she's getting in. So I imagine, although it's not a shock to Miss Innes that Miss Archer is covered in scars. Yeah.

[00:36:13] Actually, Scott has put something into the chat which reminds me, I almost missed an opportunity to indulge in one of my favorite tropes in cinema, which is the, somebody has been told to like empty their pockets of weapons and then they sit there for an extended amount of time just like removing things from strange places. There's probably an attendant to whom she's handing these to who's becoming more and more concerned and she gets really close to him. If any of these are missing by the time we come out, there will

[00:36:43] be a cost to you and spoiler alert, it will be your member and then she'll just kind of like turn up. Did she say spoiler alert? Did they not say that in the Victorian times? Is that a new thing? I feel like that's not a Victorian era thing. I'll save you the surprise, it will be your dick and then she just like marches off. As they step in

[00:37:12] where I was like, it's a shame it's not a saltwater bath but I did assume that you were looking to wash away the salt if anything. From last night you mean? Yes. The dinner. Right. How did you, what did you think? Ah. She's completely, she's used to such like, um, like, uh, circumspect conversations that this just like

[00:37:42] direct question, um, uh, well, it is not exactly comforting to know that Mrs. Brathwaite has an agent so close to us, so close to our home. Seems a terrible risk as far as the dinner is concerned. I suppose it's not the strangest thing that we've seen. No. I will say I, um, I did not want you to attend alone as I have, I feel responsible

[00:38:12] for you a bit. Why? You feel responsible for me? I have feelings about my family. I do not delude myself about our history and the way that we move through this world and I myself have harmed and destroyed many things and people during my life. This is the first time that I feel guilty about it.

[00:38:43] I do not know who it was who harmed you, but I am sorry for what it is worth. well, it wasn't you who did it, so it doesn't necessarily absolve them of their crimes, you know. I am sorry. Um, thank you, Miss Archer. You have nothing to be sorry for, well, except for thinking that I needed to be

[00:39:13] defended. Yes. Do you not think me capable? I did not. for much of our time together, but I see now that that was premature and unfair to you, as you seem a competent hunter. I feel like during this conversation, up Miss Archer's

[00:39:43] neck and back is like a little drip of water going up the way, and it's being manipulated like the water is going kind of tracing around your neck and almost spelling out Archer on your skin if she can even notice it, but it's just a little trickle of water as she speaks. How weird do we want to make this? I think that maybe Viola, I think Viola notices,

[00:40:13] and then I think it takes her a minute to understand that it does spell Archer. Maybe if it's like on her arm or something, it's a little easier for her to see. And so I think what she'll do is when she notices it, she's been relieved of her weapons, so she'll just kind of, she'll take a fingernail and she'll just scratch till she draws blood along, like crossing out the word on her own arm. It is something we have in common now.

[00:40:45] Don't worry. it's clear to me that you have no love for your family. No. I wouldn't hold it against you is what I'm saying. Perhaps then I was correct in assuming your naivete. I have no love for my family, but I am an Archer and we are all

[00:41:15] monsters. Well, that's a good cut. Hey, that's a good cut. Let's talk about this vulnerable move. Do we think we have cleared conditions here? Stars above, stars below? That's because we're talking about that. Yeah. Yeah, just kind of generally like getting all that situation off your chest makes sense to me. You will also either get to stumble on a clue, Ms. Innes, or you can invite Ms. Archer to ask you about the past.

[00:41:45] Oh, interesting. I'll invite Ms. Archer to ask me about the past, but can we cut to someone else so I can calculate some stuff? You all get that sorted. I'm going to check in with Mr. Quiet. Mr. Quiet, is there anything you want to do at the church after you learn what you? No, I mean, I think he's going to kind of snoop around the grounds and kick at loose dirt and things like that. Maybe try to get some inspiration for a ritual. He always is like enticed by doing

[00:42:15] his kind of arcane rituals at religious sites. So I think he's kind of scouting as well. I think as you're going around the grounds of the church, maybe in the graveyard or something like that, you hear a woman's voice over your shoulder. Edward. He's like, he startles. Does he recognize the voice? It's your mother. Ah, okay. So he's going to turn in the direction of the voice very

[00:42:45] quickly, kind of whips around. She's there. She has her veil draped over her face, as is the want of members of the coven. It's embroidered with stars and moons and other astrological entities and symbols. She comes up to you and she says, I suppose by now you know that they're here, that they're in the city?

[00:43:15] Of course I do. I'm just trying to figure out whether I want to join them or stop them. Well, they don't need you anymore as it turns out, my dear heart. The death of the lycanthrope, the American, your colleague, it gave them the power they need to continue on with their grand work. Right,

[00:43:45] so what should I do then? Should I leave London? stop their work? I don't know exactly what it is they're doing. I think there's a way that we can deter them from their madness. There's a place in Hargrave House, a place beneath the house. I think you know of what I speak.

[00:44:16] I would like to suggest that if the coven were aware of this place and were given access to this place, they might gain a particular enthusiasm for it and abandon their attempt at harnessing the souls of London for something more productive, esoterically speaking.

[00:44:47] Yes, it's just I've become rather fond of that area. How bad is it what they're planning to do to London? Some things I can live with, as you know. Well, I think decimate is the term that is appropriate here. One tenth isn't so bad? Yes. they intend to bring forth someone

[00:45:17] from the other side in order to remake humanity. Minor thing, of course. Well, I do fancy talking to them, so perhaps we could negotiate? Will you be there with me? Yes, I will be. I would like to see the arcane prison beneath Hargrave house. I'm free right now.

[00:45:49] Well, we shouldn't delay then, should we? I think he's going to turn Lenore's head to look at his mother. Shall we? She looks at Lenore and she says, no worries, dear. He's my son. He's going to go take her arm then, so he's kind of holding Lenore in one arm and has his arm kind of intertwined with his mother's as they walk away. Very normal

[00:46:19] behavior. I picture the father looking out a window as they're doing this. Oh, just three goths walking down the road. We love it. Yeah. Mr. Melmoth. Yes. D.I. Pettigrew has attacked kitchen duties with great enthusiasm. It's almost as if he's missed his calling in a certain sense. The guests begin to arrive

[00:46:48] and they're milling about, music is playing. What's your role in this party? What are you doing? My role initially is simply to wander through the gathered masses and make polite conversation. conversation. I really at this stage just want to set the tone, but there's an undercurrent to the whole thing, which is

[00:47:18] I've deliberately invited people who I think are affected by the orchid, and I really want to get them talking both to each other and most particularly to myself about what the emerald orchid means to them, about what their experiences with it are, and to just foster a greater connection, I think, with this hive mind.

[00:47:48] I've plugged into it, but I just really want to sound it out, find where its strengths are, and find where its weaknesses are. I like that very much. I will let you make the information move with, this is probably presence. You have touched by the green orchid as a condition, but I'm not sure it would affect you negatively.

[00:48:18] If anything, it would be a benefit, and so that would be 2d6 plus? Three. Yes, I have a 90% chance, so of course I'm going to fail here. No, that is a 12. 12. Oh, fantastic. There are no more mastermind clues to be gained on a 12 plus unfortunately, but you can certainly get a free and clear clue. The thing you're going to pick up on at the party, there is one

[00:48:50] individual, a pseudoscientist who is sort of the center of everyone's attention at some point, which is unusual because you're probably not accustomed to that, to someone else being the center of attention. But this person is the center of attention because they are busy working on a treatise on the spiritual significance of colors.

[00:49:20] Ooh. And that is of great interest to everyone at the party. Well, clearly, this is someone whose acquaintance I need to make. Indeed. I'm also going to let D.I. Pettigrew find a clue at the end of the party or by the end of the party because you got such a good result on your information move roll. Marvelous. We'll pick up with that scene in a moment. Let's go back to Moira and

[00:49:50] Miss Archer. What's the question that we're asking here? there's a moment where the conversation kind of dies down and they're both just like sitting there in the water, just kind of maybe like lightly splashing. Splashing? Yeah. You know, you know how women do when they're naked in the water. No, I'm just kidding. So, no, I think that Viola's quiet for a moment and then she tries, like she starts and stops a couple times trying to formulate this

[00:50:19] question and then at one point just kind of blurts out, I assume there was some sort of betrayal involved, that my ancestor did not come at you with a degree of violence, that there was something longer term that happened. Oh, well, yes, um,

[00:50:50] you know it's funny because you have his eyes. Big sigh, just like big heavy sigh. And like you, perhaps he saw my naivety and I believed him in all he presented himself as.

[00:51:21] He was not who he said he was, but then again neither was I. So for that, I eventually forgave him. Why? Well, I mean, I do still believe, see the thing is, I think he did start

[00:51:51] with maliciousness, but I do believe that Alistair loved me. I have a terrible track record of having monsters fall in love with me. Now, I just wish it hadn't cost my family so much, because I'm the one that's here,

[00:52:20] not them. Then am I to understand that he is responsible for killing your family and not you? Yes, well, you know, it's arguable whose fault it truly was, because I was the one who led him to them. Stop, Moira. No, but it's true, I did, and...

[00:52:50] Why? I... Why would you do that? Why would you take on... Take on... This person does not deserve your forgiveness. forgiveness. None of us deserve forgiveness for what we have done. You are not giving a kindness, you are not helping or putting more good into this world by excusing

[00:53:20] that behavior. Don't misunderstand me. I forgave him for not being who he said he was, but not for the actions that followed. I get to see my family still as spirits. They still

[00:53:50] swim the ocean, I still feel them beside me. When your family is gone, you will not see them in the same way, for I will make sure of it. They will be gone in a way that cannot be reversed. Then our goals are aligned. But you said you believe. that Alistair loved you

[00:54:19] in whatever final moments you spent with him. Did he show any remorse? Did he show any humanity? Yes, yes. He was very human. In fact, maybe the most human I ever saw him were in his final moments. I think you see something that you can only

[00:54:48] interpret as hope for just a second, just flash and vile his eyes. Just the briefest moment of hope. It's my understanding. Is it whose fault is it? Is it yours or the one who came before you? Is it your mother and father who

[00:55:18] tell you to do this? When does the blame pass to the child? I think the blame never passes. I think it is shared equally. Interesting. Great scene. Mr. Quiet, while you and your mother and Lenore

[00:55:48] are walking down the lane, she says, Oh, Edward, we're just by my shop. I need to grab something there. I'll only be a moment. Have you seen it recently? I'm doing quite a business in tarot card readings. No, I'll join you. I'd love to see it. You go into her shop. Ms. Innis

[00:56:18] and Ms. Archer, as you're having your conversation in the baths, you start to be aware of a number of people emerging from the steam all around the bath. They are quite naked and there's probably about a dozen of them and you can see something is quivering

[00:56:48] beneath their skin and Mr. Melmoth your party is quite suddenly interrupted when you hear Julius screaming from the front hall. Help me! Help! Mr. Melmoth, help! Honestly.

[00:57:18] Mr. Quiet, you follow your mother into her fortune-telling room. You go down this hall like we described in the very first session of play and you get to this little room and it's very dark. There are candles lit already, even though she wasn't there. The door into that room just slams behind you and that's when

[00:57:48] you see a pair of red glowing eyes. A pair of red glowing eyes that belong to a very big muscular shaggy black dog. Your mother says, I'm very sorry, Edward, but we can't let you and your colleagues at Hargrave House stop our great work. Ms. Innes and Ms. Archer,

[00:58:19] these dozen or so people surrounding you, standing in this steamy room, whose flesh is roiling, they have spiders starting to spill out of their mouths, out of their ears, pushing their way violently out of their tear ducts, and these people,

[00:58:49] with their open mouths filled with spiders, they gesture at you like they want to tell you something. The summer fair will flow and they're getting closer and closer, and one of them actually

[00:59:18] explodes open as thousands of spiders begin pouring all over Mr. Melmoth, when you react to Julius's call, and indeed there's a lot of commotion in the main hall now, Julius is being pulled by an invisible force down the stairs, out the front door. He's desperately trying to grab onto

[00:59:48] carpets and banisters and anything that will let him not be pulled into the sunlight. He's screaming, he's like, they're trying to pull me into the sunlight, help me, help me, and he's scratching and scrabbling, and every time one of the orphans of the sun tries to run up to help Julius, they stop and grab their ritual knives and plunge them into their own chests and fall over dead. you can see out

[01:00:18] the window three members of the coven with their hands out clearly working the magic that is pulling Julius outside. Julius is desperately twisting and contorting his body to avoid the sunlight coming in from the open windows. And just to make the situation more interesting, D.I. Pettigrew comes out of the kitchen, Mr. Melmoth. He is currently carving out

[01:00:47] his own eyeball. He says, I'm not the one doing it, Mr. Melmoth. I'm not the one doing it. Thank you for listening to Ain't Slayed Nobody. For ad-free episodes, lots of bonus content, and special programming, please join our wolfpack at

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