Ghosts on a Train

As the Pride of Duskwall speeds through the Dagger Isles, the Line Bulls on board must deal with the results of their altercation in the mist. Passengers are often lost, and a locomotive may enter a city a few passengers lighter than they left with. Conversely, stowaways are rare and extra passengers may be viewed with suspicion. The Bulls approach Mistport hoping to put the situation behind them. Pippin is caught in a lie. Andrel makes a promise. Drix makes a friend.

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Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta.

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Content Warnings- Slavery: The Hollows are forced to defend their slave master Reverend Declan (~12:45-14:30)

Suicide Mention: Hecla says she would end herself rather than be Hollowed (39:23-39:46) and later she considers ending herself in a tight spot (~47:43-47:48)

The Line Bulls of the Pride of Duskwall are about to cross a threshold. While a simple Bull follows their job to the letter, it is a human being who makes their own choices. The gang of Bulls are loyal and trusting of one another over the orders of the Railways or the power of the Church, and so they choose to free the Hollows and abandon these passengers. Andrel confronts yet another rotten adult. Pippin calls upon something he has only found accidentally before. Drix is good in a scrap, but flinches at murder. Hecla strikes now.

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Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta. Sound Effects for the Magic SFX in the final showdown by Cai Gwilym Pritchard! Check out more of their work on their podcast, Chain of Being!

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Content Warnings- Slavery: Hollows, human bodies without their souls are forced into servitude and neglected (discussed throughout the episode)

Starvation: The players spend most of the episode in a room where a Hollow that has starved to death (discussed throughout the episode)

Mass Graves: Pip and Hecla go to bury the dead Hollow, and find that many Hollows have been buried here (~11:33 - 13:10)

The Line Bulls of the Pride of Duskwall and the apparent flesh nun Hecla are given the grim task of burying a Hollow, as casually as one might be asked to empty the garbage. Far from any Ministry authority, the Line Bulls must decide on if the abuse of the Hollows shall go unanswered. A visitor comes for Andrel. Pip wishes to remain uninvolved. Hecla jumps to an extreme solution. Drix is prepared to fight.

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For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-36-hollow-words-feat-aurora-barksdale.

Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta.

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Content Warnings: Slavery: Hollows, human bodies without their souls are forced into servitude and neglected (~53:16, to the remainder of the episode)

Dehumanizing Violence: The Hollows are whipped when they reach for food before they work (53:28-53:46)

Starvation: The Hollows are hungry and overworked, one has starved to death (~59:19-1:00:50)

The Church of the Flesh use the Imperial Railways as though they were a formal Ministry under the Imperium, and Line Bulls must defer to them as many of the formal Ministries are full of high ranking Church members. Now the Pride of Duskwall must carry missionaries to the Dagger Isles, where the Imperium is unnecessary and the Church unwanted. Drix sends rope messages. Hecla struggles to find her destiny. Andrel blows something wide open. Pippin has a job to do.

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For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-35-clouded-judgement-feat-aurora-barksdale.

Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta.

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Follow us on Twitter @ghosts_train, and if you have questions or suggestions for the train email them to [email protected] or leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/ghosts-on-a-train/message and you might hear yourself on the show

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TRANSCRIPT

Greg 0:00

Content warning for slavery, dehumanizing violence, and starvation. Check the description for timestamps and details.

Pip 0:08

Last time with ghost and trains and something.

Greg 0:13

He picks up a badge. It's triangular, like the Line Bull badges, but it lacks the indicators of rank along the edges, it lacks the extra inscriptions. It is truly the same as a typical Line Bull badge, but unlike the other Line Bull badges, it has not been modified from its original purpose. Inscribed upon it is the name Booker.

Greg 0:33

There is not a lot physically significant about Hecla, perhaps, but Sister Hecla, unlike your fellows who believe that all spirits are inherently sinful, you know that some spirits are good, the spirits of your ancestors that have guided you to this very train.

Greg 0:53

There is a group of clergy of the Church of the Ecstasy of the Sacred Flesh.

Mr. McClaremont 0:59

Dear me, am I the only one that always gets nervous whenever my boss's boss shows up?

Greg 1:04

It's Mr. Walker, he's there to work with you from the Ministry of Preservation!

Pip 1:09

And today...

Radio Announcer Greg 1:12

The Church of the Ecstasy of the Flesh, often referred to as simply the Church. So ubiquitous is the Church that these two words alone immediately bring the so-called state religion to mind. A secret society in the most respectful sense, the Church of the Flesh would never deny their existence, but their higher teachings and true goals are impenetrable to those outside of the organization. Socialites and politicians alike see membership as the path to success, and so the Church has embedded itself into the culture of the Imperium. In recent years, the Church of the Ecstasy of the Sacred Flesh became truly ecstatic, with rumor that they were adopting practices and absorbing membership from demonic spirit cults. This is unsurprising, as the modern Church was preceded by the Cult of the Empty Vessel. Although where once only volunteers would be hollowed, the Church has begun to use hollowing as a way to help those they deem in need of salvation, regardless of their own thoughts on the matter.

Greg 2:35

Hello, welcome to Ghosts on the Train! And to those passengers that are returning, thank you for riding with us once again.

Hannah 2:44

You're just doing this because Guy via me dunked on you last time for saying welcome back.

Greg 2:50

Yeah, I am. It's called taking feedback.

Hannah 2:52

All right.

Greg 2:53

Which we do. Email suggestions for the train to [email protected], you can be in character, you can not be in character, it's fun. We're gonna have fun with it. I'm your conductor, Greg, and I run the game.

Hannah 3:06

I'm Hannah. I play Andrel Anderson, a kid who is not a big fan of religion, apparently. I've made that decision.

Guy 3:16

I'm Guy. I play Pip. Pip is in a way. I don't have a follow up to this.

Stefen 3:27

Yeah, I'm Stefen and I play Drix, who is pretty thoroughly but vaguely uncomfortable around these people?

Greg 3:37

And our special guest.

Guy 3:38

Special guest!

Aurora 3:40

I'm Aurora. I'm playing Sister Hecla, and I'm one of, one of those people that makes Drix uncomfortable. And makes, kind of - well, I think, I like to think I'm making everybody uncomfortable.

Stefen 3:53

I would think so.

Aurora 3:53

I like to think it's a group effect.

Hannah 3:55

Always, always.

Greg 3:55

Just a classic flesh nun.

Aurora 3:58

Thank you, thank you.

Guy 4:01

You're welcome, I guess.

Greg 4:04

You're very unsettling.

Hannah 4:05

Yeah.

Aurora 4:07

Thank you all so much. I do, I do try.

Greg 4:11

All right. The Pride of Duskwall. Mr. Walker is on board, talked to Pip earlier -

Guy 4:19

He sure did.

Greg 4:19

- before anybody showed up, expressing some amount of concern after hearing that he encountered Crowl.

Guy 4:26

Which gave me a hecking concern.

Greg 4:29

Which gave Pip a hecking concern. He dropped it immediately after Andrel Anderson showed up, and he explained that his purpose on paper for being on this train is to check on the construction of a new railway from Mistport to U'duasha. On top of that, Mr. McClaremont, looking very upset, explained to the Line Bulls that the train is kind of being, well, not taken over, but his area, his space is being invaded by some reserved seats for some missionaries of the Church of the Ecstasy of the Sacred Flesh, the state religion if ever there was one, of which Sister Hecla is a part.

Guy 5:09

Woo!

Greg 5:10

Currently our Line Bulls have been told by the extremely Akarosi, derogatory, Reverend Declan, to leave them alone as they have their little prayer time. So being upfront, the passengers outside of the missionaries are not going to super matter, much like the time that the passengers outside of the Ministry of Preservation did not super matter. They're not exactly all coming onto the train right now. They might be returning from the dining car, they might be wandering about and you just notice something about them as they stand up from the seat, but these - one of these people was just extremely rude to you. Besides Reverend Declan and Sister Hecla, does anybody have any descriptions of these missionaries? You can go nuts.

Hannah 5:56

I got one. So he bears an uncanny resemblance to the Head of Operations from the Ministry of Preservation -

Greg 6:04

GOD DAMMIT.

Guy 6:04

Well played.

Hannah 6:04

He's wearing a green shirt and brown pants, and he's got curly brown hair, like, a little bit of stubble...

Guy 6:22

A very form fitting outfit, apparently. So have fun with that.

Greg 6:26

Off-mic, Hannah was like "Oh, I already use my bit where I just, where I put Greg in there." And now she has once again described what I'm wearing.

Hannah 6:38

I didn't, I wasn't saying that as a, as a misdirect. I said it because I actually thought it, and then it occurred to me, that's fine, I can just put another Greg in there.

Aurora 6:49

Can always put more Gregs in there.

Hannah 6:51

You said go nuts.

Guy 6:52

The Shattered Isles are just full of Gregs. Just -

Hannah 6:55

So many Gregs. The most Gregs.

Guy 6:57

- doppelgangers of Greg.

Hannah 6:58

They're all positions of power, which is crazy? I think there might be something going on there.

Greg 7:03

Yeah, Reverend Declan -

Guy 7:05

We're gonna bust this thing wide open.

Greg 7:06

Reverend Declan is like -

Greg 7:08

Sister Hecla, It's wonderful of you to take our seat. Say, Brother Gerg. You're my favorite. You're my favorite. I love you. You're so cool and strong.

Hannah 7:18

Oh, the terrible one likes you. I don't think that's the ringing endorsement you think it is.

Aurora 7:24

Hecla nods, but makes kind of a wincing face about Gerg.

Greg 7:29

Brother Greg canonically sucks, probably. He's a missionary of the Church of the Ecstacy of the Sacred Flesh.

Guy 7:34

Brother Gerg is fine, probably. He's just fine. Just kind of, like, harmless.

Hannah 7:38

He's problematic.

Guy 7:39

The best you can describe him is, he's there.

Stefen 7:42

In this house, we do not abide Brother Gerg's bullshit.

Aurora 7:46

He's been a cog in the machine.

Greg 7:48

So any other descriptions? They don't have to be expressly missionaries, maybe, just, like, part of, like, a retinue. By attaching them to this group, we will see them.

Stefen 7:58

Okay, I think there's one woman who is wearing a ring on each finger, and extending backwards from that ring and up her arm is a lattice pattern, starting at the color of each ring and then weaving together until they eventually come to a point.

Greg 8:16

That's pretty dope.

Aurora 8:17

Hell yeah.

Hannah 8:18

Yeah, that's metal as fuck.

Guy 8:20

I have one. I think they are one of the, one of the higher-ups on this retinue, and their nose can only be described as hook shaped. Which wouldn't be, like, too bad, except they're constantly just, like, sneering and looking down on people. They are also, like, seven feet tall, so there's, like, no other way to really view them.

Greg 8:45

Nyeh!

Guy 8:45

Just a constant, like, look of disgust, looking down their nose at them, and all you can think of is just, like, wow, I could, like, hang a hat from that nose.

Aurora 8:54

Remarkable.

Corvid Man 8:55

I say! Father McClaremont, your confession booth is downright wretched!

Hannah 9:01

This... Guy, if anyone, if anyone who wasn't Jewish had suggested that, I would, like, bend you over my fucking knee. That would be deeply offensive coming from anyone else on this podcast.

Guy 9:16

That's true. That's true.

Stefen 9:19

That's fair.

Guy 9:19

It was definitely not my intent. Yeah, I was just thinking of, like, a very kind of rude and mean and tall bird person.

Corvid Man 9:29

There is an utter lack of metal in here! Truly wretched!

Guy 9:35

I will also say that their laugh is kind of more like crows cawing.

Hannah 9:41

Greg, give us a laugh.

Stefen 9:42

Yeah, Greg, come on.

Aurora 9:43

Yeah, Greg. Come on.

Greg 9:44

Say something funny.

Hannah 9:46

Oh!

Aurora 9:48

Is there another missionary?

Greg 9:50

Sure.

Aurora 9:51

Um, great. Okay, so that missionary is, they're, like, I don't know if there's any kind of ceremonies or features or, I don't know, items that would be associated with the Church of the Ecstacy of the Sacred Flesh, but -

Greg 10:09

It's up to you.

Aurora 10:09

Somebody who has, like, a lot of incense or something that you might use, you know, in, like, a sense, or. It's, like, stacked in, like, a backpack. It's very heavy and they look to be in an amount of discomfort, but they don't take it off even when they sit. So they're kind of sat at an awkward angle

Greg 10:29

Clang, clang noises.

Aurora 10:31

Yeah, but this is their, this is their sacred duty and they will fulfill it.

Incense Carrier 10:36

Geh, ugh, uh, uh, uh.

Greg 10:41

And they begin to reach for some water, but Reverend Declan swiftly picks it up and takes a sip and says -

Reverend Declan 10:49

Temperance. Remember, temperance is the way. Your toil -

Hannah 10:54

Damn!

Reverend Declan 10:54

- your toil is what makes you sacred.

Hecla 10:56

Just gotta temper those urges, buddy.

Guy 10:59

I have one more. They are wearing, literally, a hair shirt, visibly, like, uncomfortable, and they have, like, a little, little something to just, like, whip themselves. And so just, like, every kind of, like, 90 seconds or so, like, kch! Just flange themselves.

Greg 11:17

That's how people, that's how they sing spirituals. They just, to the beat of the self-flagellating guy.

Aurora 11:24

He keeps time. Sister Hecla is sitting as far away from that guy as she can get.

Greg 11:30

What a colorful, weird set of characters. There's a couple other passengers that go on. Not a crazy amount. A bit of an empty train. Mistport isn't the only dead end as far as cities go, but it is one of the more remote ones. There's not a lot of reason to go to Mistport, unless you have business in Mistport. And not to mention passing through the Dagger Isles makes many people uncomfortable. As the people of Dagger Isles live without lightening barriers, and whether that means they have some superior way of defending themselves, or perhaps coexists with the unquiet dead, both of those things are probably pretty troubling for any Imperially minded citizen.

Trevor 12:15

Pride of Duskwall departing for Mistport. All aboard!

Greg 12:21

Do you spend any time doing anything before your appointment at the islands?

Hannah 12:29

I think Andrel is keeping a sharp eye on both Drix and Pip, as they;ve both been a little weird.

Guy 12:40

Yep.

Hannah 12:40

In the first episode.

Guy 12:42

Yep.

Hannah 12:43

I don't know that she's necessarily saying anything, but she's vigilant in case they want to talk or, or in case, like, one of them starts slamming their head against a wall or whatever.

Guy 12:56

Pip actually has, like, his, his anchor suit on. I guess I'm going to be the anchor this time because it's what I'm best at.

Greg 13:03

Makes him feel safe.

Guy 13:04

Makes him feel safe. Pip has the anchor suit on and the mask on just so, like, no one can really read his expression, which helps, but, like, inside is kind of panicking.

Greg 13:14

What's Drix up to?

Stefen 13:15

I think Drix seems a little distracted, generally. He's kind of laying on the bunk kind of staring up and occasionally, like, glancing between, like, Pip and Andrel.

Greg 13:26

Sister Hecla, how's your ride going?

Aurora 13:30

My ride is going great. Sister Hecla is sat away from the flagellation guy, and she is spending her time in what I would describe as aggressive, quiet contemplation. She's sitting very upright with her head back against the seat, eyes closed, her hands clasped in her lap, very proper. She is thinking. She is contemplating, presumably the teachings of the Church and,...

In the highest point of the Imperium, the echoes of Skovlan's lost Queen Alayne still sound through the mountains and keen into the heavens. Ancient spirits of the mountainous Isle charge a grim task to an ordinary woman, which she undertakes for a homeland she will likely not return to alive. Some time later, the Pride of Duskwall prepares to leave for Mistport, with Mr. Walker on board for the trip. Pippin is unable to play the fool. Andrel learns that Mr. Walker is a lot. Drix is nervous around some new passengers.

Find special guest Arlo Barksdale on his website here

Find our sponsor Little Business Library on Twitter @lilbusinesses, and use our code "listen10" to get your business on their directory here!

For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-34-the-pull-of-destiny-feat-aurora-barksdale.

Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta.

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Follow us on Twitter @ghosts_train, and if you have questions or suggestions for the train email them to [email protected] or leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/ghosts-on-a-train/message and you might hear yourself on the show

We are a proud member of the Faustian Nonsense Network of podcasts! Join the Faustian Nonsense Network discord here, and support us by joining the FN Patreon!

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TRANSCRIPT:

Radio Announcer Greg? 0:00

At the highest point of the highest mountain of upper Skovlan, a tower ascends further still, as if intent on tearing the sky. The structure of Blackvale Tower is ancient, stones wet with the blood of Skovic heroes predating the Cataclysm and halls echoing with spirits that saw Skovlan through to the formation of the Imperium. In the topmost chamber, two fingers face each other in battle, their speed bursting the clouds surrounding the gargantuan tower. One is a four-armed humanoid machine of tarnished bronze, wearing a crouwn and cape detailed with opulence more at home in the Imperial City than here in the frozen Northwest. The other is an unassuming woman whose simple clothes obscure her hearty physique and aggressive battle stance. At 55 years old, she is a mere babe in comparison to the millennia-old walls of Blackvale Tower. The machine and the woman salute one another, and begin the next of a countless number of engagements.

Greg 0:57

You do not have an entire gang of Line Bulls with you, but please, Aurora, if you would roll to face the supernatural for me. We'll, we won't even, we won't even go through the questions. It'll just be straight roll for you.

Aurora 1:09

Alright, and now's the part where I ask, what am I rolling exactly? I don't know how to play this game.

Greg 1:14

It's all good. 2d6.

Aurora 1:17

Okay.

Greg 1:18

Just a straight roll.

Aurora 1:19

That is going to be a four.

Greg 1:21

Okay, so you are not able to do any of the special options for facing off against the supernatural, but you will get to make the opening move against the hull. So you don't seize the initiative, so I'll say the hull, it gets to start off doing its thing. The hull begins to bear down on you, clicking around its four arms into some sort of attack formation, and out of one palm, the red of heat begins to collect. You get to make the opening move. You are the equivalent of a Spider, you are not dressed as a Line Bull. Not even in a pretend way. Honestly, do you, do you have a vision of what your battle garb, your training battle garb looks like?

Aurora 2:01

Um, I mean, I think it's, like, a light tunic and pants. It's nothing, nothing, like, fancy, nothing ostentatious. Nothing of any interest at all. It's very normal.

Greg 2:12

Very normal.

Aurora 2:12

It's something easily, like, disposable, easily worn by anybody of approximately your size. It's, like, gray.

Greg 2:19

Yeah, yeah. Hecla has, like, along with that, like, the accoutrement necessary for battle. Like, there's protection, there's, like, lightning oil canisters, your weapon, your mess of daggers and wires and things. So you can, if you'd like, use a lightning web, or in this case, your special little wire trap, to tether your opponent.

Aurora 2:41

Yeah, I would like to quick throw a knife, one of my webbed knives, out into the, to tether this baby to, to tether the ghost to a spirit bottle.

Greg 2:53

Yes. In this case, it is a hull, so you would be tethering it but not necessarily to absorb it, just to keep it from moving. So in this case, you would roll finesse. That'd be 2d6, plus your finesse.

Aurora 3:04

Okay. Okay. That's a five.

Greg 3:08

Heck.

Aurora 3:09

It's just a five.

Greg 3:09

Just a five. So you send out your, your web, your webbed knife, a dagger that probably can split into multiple daggers is the, is the notion, so multiple of these wires can sort of entangle.

Aurora 3:22

It can do all sorts of crazy stuff.

Greg 3:24

Yeah.

Aurora 3:24

You don't even, you don't even know.

Greg 3:25

Unfortunately your sparring partner here, the hull, is aware of this trick.

Aurora 3:30

We did build this thing.

Greg 3:31

Mm hmm. It bats away, with one of its arms, the mess of wires, maybe a couple of them loosely but ineffectively clinging to it, and with that open palm that is getting ready with some heat, it shoots out a quick jet of fire. Go ahead and take the equivalent of a manifestation attack. Which would be two harm, but it's reduced to one because of your "tough" gift.

Aurora 3:59

Tough as nails!

Greg 4:00

Tough as nails.

Aurora 4:01

I'm a tough old bird.

Greg 4:02

You've, you've probably already got some long-healed over burns and scars from this.

Aurora 4:08

Oh yeah, oh yeah.

Greg 4:09

It's like, you know, you know how chefs that have, like, just been burnt enough can just sort of, like, touch hot stuff?

Aurora 4:16

I have the calluses.

Greg 4:16

Yeah, yeah. Like that, but for your, your body.

Aurora 4:19

Yeah, but for my body and ghost, ghost trauma.

Greg 4:25

Alright, your move.

Aurora 4:26

All right, um, it didn't take. I'm just going to go again.

Greg 4:31

Okay.

Aurora 4:32

And roll those sweet, sweet d6. That's going to be a seven.

Greg 4:37

Nice!

Aurora 4:37

Finally an, any number that could give me something!

Greg 4:40

Pick one from the list.

Aurora 4:42

I avoid trouble, compromise, or cost.

Greg 4:44

Cool, would you like to describe it for me?

Aurora 4:46

As we've established, my one knife can split into multiple knives. But I think I pull, like, a second knife out and I just, I just toss that one as well. I've got a second pocket.

Greg 4:57

You've got as many of these as you want, I think.

Aurora 4:58

Yeah. I just, I'm not fazed by this. I just whip out another one and get that sucker.

Greg 5:06

Cool, yeah. This time it probably strikes a little truer, wraps around the chest area so this thing is sort of pulled a little bit towards you, but not in a significant enough way, as you were only able to just avoid the trouble for it. But now this thing is in your metaphorical power, as you could charge up some electricity through the wire. Seeing this, it snaps off the one remaining wire from the arm that was hacked and tangled by your first one. That arm, it holds out, and there is a screeching noise as a horrible sonic assault hits you, hurting your head and briefly leaving you seeing stars This is actually going to be the equivalent of some mild supernatural weirdness.

Aurora 5:59

Oh.

Greg 5:59

So take two trauma as you're, like, starting to see the world getting fucked up as your brain is getting affected by the sound. It's your move once again.

Aurora 6:08

All right, I take the trauma. All right. So I've got it, I've got it anchored. I've got my, my knife in. I'm trying to get the ghost out of the hull until - I'm, remind me of what exactly my objective is? I do listen to this game every week and then I immediately forget all facts about it except for the characters.

Greg 6:27

No, it's all good. Your, yours, yours is a specifically weird one because this is training for your task.

Aurora 6:34

Yes, for my task.

Greg 6:36

So I think your goal is definitely the destruction of this hull.

Aurora 6:41

Okay. That's wonderful.

Greg 6:43

If you do that by pulling the spirit out of it, if you do that by just smashing it up, I think your knives could work either way.

Aurora 6:52

Ooh, ooh. Oh yeah, um -

Greg 6:55

Like, you could just charge electricity through him.

Aurora 6:57

Yeah, I'm just gonna charge electricity and either chase it out or, like, shatter the hull, as we know will certainly happen if you put electricity into metal.

Greg 7:06

This, yeah, I think this is the equivalent of you using a lightning hook, so go ahead and roll force for me, 2d6 plus your force.

Aurora 7:14

Oh my god, that's a five. Okay. Maybe there's a reason I've been assigned to this task. Or, or maybe I should get physical dice instead of using my dice roller. This feels cursed.

Greg 7:25

You know, you know, there are certain people that would swear that that's what's happening to you. They've returned with the physical dice.

Aurora 7:32

Right, I've got those sweet, sweet dice sounds.

Greg 7:36

But in regards to that, that, that miss, you go to start charging with electricity, that's, this is, this is how your weapon works. This is how you, you face off against supernatural foes. It begins to charge. Where many creatures would struggle against it, I think this hull pushes forward, and as it, as it pushes forward to try to close the distance to you, it just flexes that one arm with fire into a fist and gives you a big old punch. Go ahead, take another two harm reduced to one.

Aurora 8:11

Love that for me.

Greg 8:13

But I still, I still got to punish the miss a little bit. So I'm going to make things a little bit worse for you.

Aurora 8:18

All right. Please do so. It's how you learn.

Greg 8:20

It gets you into a punch. And then with its other arm, it clamps it over your mouth. It is a, it is a third arm that has yet to do anything special. That's the situation you're in.

Aurora 8:38

Okay, so the way I want to respond to this. I want to use, like, the wires that I have, like, attached to it or that are available to me to, like, pull, like, pull it up and off of me. Like, don't use, like, my own hand but, like, leverage what I, like, the hold I already have.

Greg 8:57

Okay, what do you think that would be?

Aurora 9:00

Maybe steel.

Greg 9:01

Okay, so pick one that you, from the list that you don't want to do.

Aurora 9:05

What I don't want to do is panic, disengage, or flee. Well, I guess I can't do that. This has not been going super well for me, so I am concentrating, I think, on keeping my cool.

Greg 9:17

Cool, cool, so you will not panic disengage or flee. All right.

Aurora 9:21

All right. All right, so that, oh, oh, these dice are much better already. Oh, that's gonna be an eight.

Greg 9:27

All right, you do one that you did not pick. You wanted to, what, flip this thing up and over you?

Aurora 9:31

Yes.

Greg 9:32

Cool. Describe that for me a little bit, and then I'll say the thing, the other thing that I'm gonna do.

Aurora 9:37

Suffering more trauma or harm is always fun for me.

Greg 9:39

Oh, well, I pick that, and I -

Aurora 9:42

Oh, right. Okay, okay, okay.

Greg 9:44

So on a seven to nine you do one that you did not pick, but I pick it.

Aurora 9:47

Okay, okay.

Greg 9:49

But I was actually going to pick that one. But I'd like, I'd like to hear what your, what your action is before I decide how that works.

Aurora 9:56

So the knife that I already have, like, I get it up. But I think it's a thin wire and it's meant to attach and, like, recoil, and, like, be, you know, quick, but it's not really meant to, like, haul things. It's not really meant to move, move objects.

Greg 10:13

And yet you are able to succeed in doing this. It just, I don't know if that's affects your...

Unknown Speaker 10:18

If you're, if you're going with trauma and harm, I think it's a bit of a struggle. I'm, like, maybe I'm trying to preserve the wires, I'm trying to preserve my tools, and then may value the wire not snapping over...

Greg 10:29

Over properly getting, like, a lot of hoisting distance. You, you hoist it off of you, getting that one arm off of your mouth. But unfortunately, if you had given it more force, you might have knocked it off balance, but as it is it takes its fourth and final arm and shoots a couple of wax bullets into your back. Go ahead and take three harm reduced to two.

Aurora 10:53

All right.

Greg 10:54

Yeah, the wax bullets, still very painful, especially at this range, breaking apart on your back.

Aurora 11:01

Don't love that.

Greg 11:02

Then it sort of lands with, like, a hard clang. Yeah, yeah. One more move, one more move.

Aurora 11:06

All right, I'm going to try and get a second knife into this thing. Do some damage. So is that finesse again?

Greg 11:12

If you want to get a knife into it for, like, restraining purposes, then it'd be finesse, yeah.

Aurora 11:17

I would like to stab this thing.

Greg 11:19

Force. Force, then.

Aurora 11:21

I'm always calm. I'm always very cool and always very collected. But I do need this thing to die.

Greg 11:28

Cool, force.

Aurora 11:31

Oh my god. Okay, that's four. My dice have betrayed me.

Greg 11:38

You throw your knife at it. For a second it might purchase, and you're like, fuck yeah, this rules. With the inhuman strength and speed of a hull, it moves forward, and there's a tear sound as its cape, which is the only thing your knife actually found purchase in, rips off of its body. It gets that third arm back over your mouth, and the world sort of spins and goes dark for a minute. Or at least you think it's a minute.

Aurora 12:07

Yeah.

Greg 12:08

Potentially hours later, you do reawaken, seeing your own breath in this cold mountain air, and out from the hull slips a spirit. The spirit is called the Ancestor of Skovlan, and they say, and he says it himself, that he is a spirit from before the Cataclysm. He was a spirit before it was what you needed to do, which grants him certain power.

Greg 12:34

Oh.

Greg 12:35

And as Skovlanders, Skovlanders have the belief that when you die will go to the halls of your ancestors, the fact that you can't do that anymore, because there's no way to go beyond the Gates of Death, seeing the ancestor of Scotland is kind of the only way of doing that and he's sort of taken this mantle on. I would like to give you the opportunity to describe what the Ancestor of Skovlan looks like to you.

Aurora 12:56

Yeah, thank you, wonderful. Um, so, recalling our, our establishing of Skovlan culture, I do remember that we established powerful mustaches.

Greg 13:09

Intricately braided,...

Content Warning for Discussions of Horse breeding ~59:45-1:02:40: Drix must confirm that two horses breed (we don't describe it) and Hannah talks about how that was a real job she had to do

The Pride of Duskwall triumphantly crosses the Void Sea and enters the city of Irondale on the Isle of Severos. Severos is wild country, the Imperial cities being relatively new and the vast plains being easy hiding places for Magicians and Outlaws who can live outside of Imperial rule. Drix meets some kin. Pippin shares some information. Andrel has a nice time riding a horse.

Find our sponsor Little Business Library on Twitter @lilbusinesses, and use our code "listen10" to get your business on their directory here!

For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-33-layover-the-irondale-horse.

Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta. Sound Effects for the Human Magic sequence by Cai Gwilym Pritchard! Check out more of their work on their podcast, Chain of Being!

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TRANSCRIPT:

Greg 0:00

Content warning for discussions on horse breeding. See the description for details and timestamps.

Radio Announcer Greg 0:06

The wild plains of Severos unfold before the single, incandescent eye of a familiar locomotive. The Pride of Duskwall, spouts a jet of fire and lets out a whistle, giving the impression of a mustachioed face admiring the clear skies in the Imperium's wildest island. In the early days of the Emperor's calls to unite mankind, Imperial settlers beat back the dark brush and thorny growths of Severos to find thick veins of useful ore. Cities such as Irondale were founded for the purpose of safely extracting these resources, which helped turn the dream of an Imperial Railway into a reality. An Imperial train like the Pride, though constructed in Akaros, was likely built with metal mined from Severos, making this entrance to Irondale a sort of homecoming for the noble locomotive. The Imperial cities of Severos are some of the newest in the Imperium, as the native people of Severos weathered the cataclysm within Arcane Fortresses tended by magicians. Though many saw fit to join the Imperium, the occasional sighting of a Severosi magician wandering into town only to leave as quickly is proof that these Fortresses thrive to this very day.

Greg 1:42

Welcome back to Ghosts on a Train! This is a podcast were we play Ghost Lines, an RPG by John Harper. I'm Greg, I'm your conductor, and I run the game.

Hannah 1:52

I'm Hannah, I play Andrel Anderson, horse enthusiast, apparently.

Pip 1:59

I'm Guy, I play Pippin "Pip" McKeel. One of us is under a duvet. I don't think that PIP has ever even spelled duvet.

Hannah 2:10

I mean, you don't need to spell it to be under it.

Guy 2:12

That's true. But it's, like, I'd like to express that I have more of an understanding of my current situation than Pip does, but that's just kind of true most of the time.

Stefen 2:23

I'm Stefen, I play Drix, and I will, or, I'm gonna go ho-ooo-ooome, he's gonna go home.

Hannah 2:33

Oh my God.

Greg 2:36

Yeah, that's right, Severos, baby! We just crossed the Void Sea, you guys beat that, that big watery spirit that was giving you trouble the last time you were here, and now you're heading into Irondale, a city on the, the far eastern coast of Severos. Severos is full of windswept plains and dark very thorny underbrush, I can't stress enough how dangerous wandering around outside is, because this is still the Shattered Isles, so even though you see that starry night sky out here, far away from the smog of Akaros, it's, it's still a, you know, a death land.

Pip 3:22

Also still, like, you know, the sun is still dead.

Greg 3:25

The sun is still dead. Or it's trying really hard.

Hannah 3:28

Long live the sun.

Greg 3:32

So, the Pride of Duskwall enters the lighting barrier of Irondale. Irondale, it looks like a, those frontier towns with their sort of basic, like, tall rectangular buildings, but as the name would imply, Irondale, these buildings are, have a lot of a metal protection from elements, or perhaps any robbers.

Guy 3:55

Hey, Greg, not to kind of step on the toes of your narration, but if most of the things are made out of iron, wouldn't that mean that it's not really as protective against rain?

Greg 4:05

Oh, we don't have to worry about rain.

Guy 4:06

That's true. How, you know with the sun being dead, how does the water cycle work?

Greg 4:12

I'm sure, I'm sure it rains.

Hannah 4:14

Rain is memories.

Greg 4:15

Probably just not that - well, no.

Hannah 4:16

We've already covered that.

Greg 4:17

No, no, not all rain is memories. That's very specific rain from a Black Wind. This is where, this is, this is, like, a desert. There's not a whole lot of rain here. We're in Severos now. Back in Duskwall, yeah, because it's basically England. Right now we're in the frontier. Heading west, baby.

Pip 4:35

All I'm saying is, John Harper, give me that, give me that Blades in the Dark source book about the water cycle. I want to hear it.

Greg 4:42

Tell us about the water cycle, John. You guys prepare to exit the train, having just been paid by Candace for an impressive clearing of a major ghost and a not-so-impressive, or at least not to her, coaxing of Gafou, Laudius Dalmore II's 12-year-old Elysian servant boy who has fallen ill and was spirited - spirited, haha - on the train -

Hannah 4:49

Shut up.

Greg 5:04

- onto the train back in U'duasha. He's very sick, but here in Severos he should be able to be cured by a proper Severosi magician, a miracle healer. It was agreed upon that Drix would meet up with Laudius, and he's probably gone before you guys head to Candace, but Candace, as she pays you your money and sends you on your way, she does inform you -

Candace 5:39

Hey, listen, I, I'm not gonna say anything to him about the kid, especially because it all worked out, but, um, you know, we're, we're spending a little extra time here. I got word when we were in Sunfall that Mr. Walker was coming to meet with us, and he's gonna ride our train and Mistport. He says he's got some business there, but I don't know.

Andrel 6:00

Okay. Is that, like, relevant to us?

Candace 6:03

Yeah, I mean, we're gonna, we're, you got a little, you got a little extra time.

Andrel 6:06

Oh, okay.

Candace 6:06

Downtime here.

Andrel 6:07

That's it though, right?

Candace 6:09

I mean, yeah. And your, our, my next direct boss is going to be on the train, so be on your best behavior when you come here.

Andrel 6:15

Okay. Candace, we're always on our best behavior.

Greg 6:18

She, her eyebrows furrow. She does, she does that meme that's been going around of, like, the normal eyes, angry eyes.

Pip 6:29

That's just my life. When Andrel asked sort of, like, how, how that's relevant, Pip sort of opens his mouth as if he's gonna say something and then stops himself.

Stefen 6:39

Can I notice that?

Guy 6:42

Yes.

Hannah 6:43

I don't think you're here.

Stefen 6:45

Oh, you're right.

Greg 6:46

No, no, no, he's here.

Stefen 6:47

No?

Greg 6:47

No. You've just been, Drix is going to meet Laudius later. You still need to get paid.

Stefen 6:49

Right, yeah.

Hannah 6:49

Oh, okay, Laudius is gone first.

Greg 6:52

Laudius is gone first, yes.

Hannah 6:52

Cool.

Candace 6:53

Get out of my office.

Andrel 6:54

Bye!

Greg 6:55

Let's describe yourselves physically here. Who wants to step out first, into the, it's not hot, it's not, like, really hot like Iruvia, at least not in the same way. It's a, it's a dry heat here. It's arid, because there's less of a, there's less smog cover and less rain than in Akaros. So it is, it is warmer.

Pip 7:14

Alright, well, Pippin McKeel steps out into the, I guess the the dust of Severos, on his four crab-like tendrils, as he can only be described as like crab centar. No -

Greg 7:33

Crantour.

Hannah 7:35

Guy, come on. That wasn't even, that wasn't even funny.

Guy 7:40

That was funny for me.

Stefen 7:41

He seems to be in stitches.

Guy 7:44

Pip is a rather pale, kind of long, greasy haired, English-looking lad with clothes that were probably once very very, like, high class and fancy that have since seen better days. Pip himself has sort of, like, darker hair and a long face and a kind of perpetual, like, gin blossom, like, flush nose and, like, face. He would be tall if he were not so hunched over, almost as if he's kind of just been beaten down by the weight of life.

Hannah 8:29

Hey, man who hasn't been?

Greg 8:31

Big mood. Next? Who, who comes out, maybe being suspicious of Pip from that look, I guess? If that's what we're doing here?

Stefen 8:39

Out steps a dark-skinned man with black, curly hair. He's tall and muscular, with, like, a bit of a barrel chest. He's wearing a -

Alexa??? 8:48

I can search web for that. Just tap that search chip below.

Stefen 8:52

What?

Greg 8:52

Search the web for a big man for you.

Guy 8:55

Professionals. Were professionals.

Stefen 8:57

Why? Why?

Hannah 8:59

Buy a himbo! Buy a himbo.

Stefen 9:02

Did I say okay, google or something? No, no -

Hannah 9:11

Oh, buddy.

Stefen 9:13

Okay. All right. All right. All right.

Greg 9:16

Carrying on.

Stefen 9:17

He's wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a vest over it, he's wearing a black vest over it. Some, like, light materials, dark pants, and some, like, decently high boots with some spurs on them. Upon his head are, covering some black curls, a large black cowboy hat with a red band.

Hannah 9:41

I'm last! I'm Andrel. Andrel Anderson follows behind. A 13-year-old girl, Iruvian, so copper-skinned, dark hair, dark eyes. The hair is kind of short and messy, kind of boyish. I recently described Andrel to someone as, like, androgynous looking, which she is, like, kind of in a purposeful way and kind of in a child kind of way. She's got, like, Victorian orphan clothing of, like, little, you know, pants, little vest.

Greg 10:15

Little Oliver Twist.

Hannah 10:16

Little Oliver Twist, yeah. And eyes that shine of mischief. Oh, and she's got a dorg.

Guy 10:22

Dorg, dorg, dorg!

Ji'mani 10:23

Yorp! Yorp! Yorp!

Greg 10:24

A hairless, three-legged -

Hannah 10:26

Dog-like creature.

Greg 10:29

Dog-like creature, the physique of a German Shepherd but with two legs in the back, one leg in the middle in front, a single tuft of hair on the, like a lion on its tail, and a long, long, thin mustache.

Pip 10:43

In the shape of a friend.

Greg 10:45

The shape of a friend. Yeah, so you guys had outside the train. Somebody nearby is complaining to what at first doesn't read like a bluecoat, but you realize it is in fact just a bluecoat in its, in his Severosi, Severos, like, frontier gear, looking a little more ready to deal with the the dusty, arid plains of Severos. Which of course means I'm talking a, you know, wild west deputy looking motherfucker, but with blue.

Stefen 11:18

Yes!

Greg 11:21

And yeah, they're complaining. Somebody's like -

Citizen 11:24

Now listen to here. Coleman and his gang came through here not three hours ago, and I reckon they're still in town. Where's the law when you need them?

Greg 11:34

The bluecoat says -

Bluecoat 11:36

Well, I'm awful sorry there, but um, you know, we can only be so many places at once, so would you suppose that I leave the bank unprotected to check on your house? Or perhaps the general store? I'm sorry, sir.

Hannah 11:52

Greg's really going to stretch his fucking accent muscles during this one.

Greg 11:57

And the, the person -

Guy 11:58

Yeah, Greg has actually, like, a few cowboy voices, but he has one, like, cowboy voice in particular. Pay close attention, listeners, for that one.

Greg 12:07

Listen, I don't mean to brag, but senior year of high school -

Hannah 12:10

Oh, God.

Greg 12:10

- I was Colonel Thunder in Wild Oats.

Hannah 12:12

Oh my god, you were.

Greg 12:14

And we sold out every single night.

Hannah 12:16

That wasn't impressive.

Greg 12:17

Sold out every single night, somebody once, my English teacher said that somebody told them they pissed their pants, and half of the people who only sort of knew me that saw the show didn't realize I was playing Colonel Thunder. That's how fucking good I was.

Guy 12:32

Professional cowboy.

Hannah 12:34

He was, he was a lanky little nerd. You should not take any of this as anything impressive.

Pip 12:47

As soon as, as soon as the quarantine is over and Greg is fully vaccinated, he's going to be moving to California -

Hannah 12:53

No, he's not.

Guy 12:54

- to play a leading role in Knottsberry Farm.

Hannah 12:56

I need him to pay rent, he is not doing that.

Greg 12:59

But anyways, the first person, you know, shove their head along -

Guy 13:03

That was a reference for nobody.

Greg 13:05

- you know, sort of, sort of makes, like, an ah, to hell with you sort of motion to the bluecoat, sort of wanders by, sees you.

Citizen 13:12

Hey there! You just stepped off the train?

Andrel 13:14

Yep.

Citizen 13:15

Ah, you be careful. That no-good Coleman Kanatcher and his gang have been passing through here all willy-nilly.

Andrel 13:21

Oh, there's an outlaw?

Citizen 13:22

Yeah, he's got Dagger Isles blood in him, they say. And he can stop a train just by staring daggers at it.

Andrel 13:28

Oh, that's impressive.

Citizen 13:30

Yeah, it's awful, actually!

Andrel 13:32

I mean -

Citizen 13:33

I live here!

Andrel 13:36

I mean, why do you care if the trains stop, though?

Citizen 13:39

Because people rely on trains for supplies! And he's, he's always raiding them!

Andrel 13:43

I guess. Oh, he raids trains? I guess that's bad.

Citizen 13:46

Yeah. Anything that what comes from Thorne, or anywhere west of, west of here. He's all over it.

Andrel 13:53

Huh. Well...

Citizen 13:54

Your train from Iruvia is the first proper supply we've...

This week the GoaT gang are joined by James D'Amato, host of Campaign and One Shot as well as the author of The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbuilding Guide! We're all fans of his work, and are so happy that he took us through not one but two exercises from this excellent book- and you can expect to find these worldbuilding details as part of an upcoming Ghost Job.

Find James on Twitter @OneShotRPG and find the The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbuilding Guide here or wherever books are sold!

For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/bonus-worldbuilding-with-james-damato

Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta.

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bail_funds_george_floyd?refcode=cwg https://www.joincampaignzero.org https://www.napawf.org/donate https://www.navajowaterproject.org/ https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/contribute-to-the-atlanta-solidarity-fund https://nymag.com/strategist/article/where-to-donate-to-help-asian-communities-2021.html

Follow us on Twitter @ghosts_train, and if you have questions or suggestions for the train email them to [email protected] or leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/ghosts-on-a-train/message and you might hear yourself on the show

We are a proud member of the Faustian Nonsense Network of podcasts! Join the Faustian Nonsense Network discord here, and support us by joining the FN Patreon!

Help the Show by Rating and Reviewing on Apple Podcasts

TRANSCRIPT:

Greg 0:20

Hello, welcome back to Ghosts on a Train, the podcast where we play Ghost Lines, an RPG by John Harper. But this time we're not playing it. And I'm your conductor Greg, who normally facilitates the game, but I'm not gonna be doing that this time.

Hannah 0:32

I'm Hannah, I usually play Andrel Anderson, certified rascal, but I am also not doing that this time. This is a special episode.

Guy 0:42

I'm Guy. The only certifications I have are IT-based. I usually play, play Pip. He's not going to be present for this.

Stefen 0:51

I'm Stefen and I usually play Drix, railyard cowboy. And, yeah, he's also not going to be here.

Greg 0:58

And we have with us a guest.

Guy 1:01

A very special guest.

Greg 1:02

If you have not heard, if you are not familiar with James D'Amato's work in the RPG space, he's got great podcasts, like the Oneshot podcast that I've enjoyed listening to for, like, games that I've wanted to try, Campaign podcasts, there's, like, Star Wars and Skyjacks right now. All the Oneshot network shows as well, in general, he has a hand in, and specifically, what he's here for today, another book in - would you call it, like, a series? Like, an Ultimate RPG series? That's what you seem to be framing it as, like, as far as books.

James D'Amato 1:33

Yeah, yeah, I'd say this is a line of books, for sure. Hello, heroes! Thank you all so much for having me. And they're all right. You know, we come here with different qualifications. And we usually do different things. I'm usually the host of Oneshot, and usually the host of Campaign Skyjacks. But today, I am here to join this crew to build a new part of their world, using an exercise from my newest book, the Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbuilding Guide, which is a collection of prompts, exercises and mini-games that break down the process of developing parts of an RPG setting to make it easier and more fun to do. So we're just going to show off how the book works by taking one of the exercises from it and showing you how it works by playing it together.

Greg 2:27

And we're doing worldbuilding, like, this is going to be in the actual show. Like, this is, this is present. This is GoaT canon, Ghosts on a Train canon.

James 2:36

Yeah, this baby is going to be able to fit so many ghosts. Y'all are going to be able to see how it got put together, and even more fun, you're gonna be able to see how it gets implemented. I'm really, really excited about this, and so grateful for the opportunity to show off, like, how this stuff works in a very real, practical sense.

Greg 2:58

Oh my god. We're so grateful you're here. Again, big, big fan. I'm a big fan. I'm gonna, I'm gonna have an energy this entire time.

Stefen 3:04

Yeah.

Hannah 3:06

Greg is, Greg is audibly nervous.

James 3:07

Hey, we love energy. We love nerves. As long as it makes you blurt out creative ideas, it's helpful and useful.

Stefen 3:15

That's valid.

Hannah 3:16

It's also always fun to hear you talk twice your normal speed.

Stefen 3:20

Hey, look, that's the thing that's great about not being visual right now. James didn't see what I did the same thing Greg did when he said "hello, heroes".

Greg 3:34

Alright, James. So we talked a little bit before we recorded about, like, the, the exercise. Does this exercise have, have a name?

James 3:41

Yes, this exercise is called Boom and Bust. This is one of the exercises that I developed for the horror genre. Essentially, it is a celebrated trope in horror fiction, but, you know, really lots of different kinds of fiction, to have a setpiece that is a abandoned business. Something that used to exist, but has, like, kind of degraded from its prime to be a spooky shell of its former self. And what we're going to do is develop this setpiece by kind of walking ourselves through the history of a business and how it came together, what problems it faced while it was in its prime, and what happened to it after it shut down so that we have a cool environment for you to, you know, have adventures in.

Greg 4:37

Excellent.

Guy 4:38

Love that.

James 4:39

All right. Now, normally one of the things that we'll have, we have to do is choose the business itself. But we actually already happen to know what business this is going to be. We know this is a zoo.

Greg 4:52

Yes.

Hannah 4:53

Yeah!

Greg 4:54

Somebody bought a zoo. It did not go well.

James 4:56

Somebody bought a zoo. The, the Blades in the Dark, the Duskvall version of Matt Damon and his family purchased the zoo, but in this movie, Rachel McAdams is more of a villainous figure and it doesn't quite work out. So we're going to go through the history of that. The fun thing about this, though, is this is somebody's dream. The reason this zoo exists is because somebody needed this zoo to exist somewhere deep in their soul. And they were willing to do anything to see that dream happen. Which means the land, the, the real estate on which this business is built, was purchased, you know, out of desperation, at a deal so that they could make this happen. So the first thing I will need is someone to roll an eight-sided die, and we're going to determine what this zoo was built on top of.

Hannah 5:57

I have a dice. Do you want me to roll the dice? Or Guy, do you -

James 5:59

Yeah. Anyone, anyone who's got it, roll it up.

Greg 6:01

Go for it, Hannah.

Hannah 6:02

All right. Ah, that's a one.

James 6:05

A one? This zoo is built on top of a former mine.

Greg 6:11

Ooh.

Hannah 6:11

Ooh.

Guy 6:12

Oh, boy.

Stefen 6:13

Very fun.

Greg 6:14

Lot of terrifying possibilities there.

James 6:16

Yeah.

Hannah 6:17

That's bad for a lot of reasons.

Stefen 6:18

Oh, yeah it is.

James 6:20

I'm thinking of the general Blades in the Dark setting, and, like, the things they mine. So that calls a lot into question already. And...

Hannah 6:31

It's also a capitalist hellscape, so there are definitely so many labor violations and dead people in that mine.

Greg 6:35

Oh, yeah.

James 6:37

Yeah. This, this is, like, we have a lot of exciting opportunities that we wouldn't have, you know, in another world where their mines. But right now we are concerned with some of the physical details of the mine. In the structure of the place that was purchased, there are a few things that just couldn't be removed. It might be due to the people who bought it, like, not having them budget, it might be, you know, how could you ever remove this particular feature? So we're going to talk through some of those. These are things that are left over from the mine that the zoo kind of has to deal with. The first is something that needed to be built around. This is an artifact of this place's darker history that was too large or unmanageable to be removed. Instead, it was awkwardly incorporated into the new space. It is a badly concealed reminder of what this place used to be.

Stefen 7:35

I've got an idea if no one else does.

James 7:38

Yeah.

Guy 7:38

I have an, an image

James 7:40

Yeah. Let's hear those pitches. Let's hear those pitches and see if we can marry them together.

Stefen 7:45

Okay. Okay. Um, so, so, minecart track, that originally, like, was extremely dangerous and led to a lot of people being tossed over, like, deep, into deep chasms. They've kind of and tried desperately to shut off all of those paths that lead to poor places, and instead build cages in places where you can take the minecart to different exhibits.

James 8:08

Ah, yeah, so it's just, like, they had these, these minecart railways all over the place, and instead of ripping them all up, they're like, "Well, we're gonna just leave some of them around, maybe we'll even make it a photo op or something. And we'll actually try to build our own little rail system here to take advantage of it." I can, I can see that.

Greg 8:31

Guy, you had an image.

James 8:32

What was our other image?

Guy 8:33

So the image I have in my mind is just, like, right in the middle of the big top, there's, like, a collapsed, I guess elevator? And that's sort of, like, what they use sort of, like, as the riser. So there is just kind of this pit in just, like, the center of the big top. And you've got basically, like, it's covered up a little bit.

Hannah 8:57

Okay, so, question, are we, is this zoo above ground or below ground? Because I would think that the minecarts, if we were going with that, would be... that I don't know that much about mines.

Stefen 9:09

That's a good point.

James 9:13

This is, this is a really, really good question. I mean, there, there are all kinds of different mines that we could be working with. Like, there are strip mines, like, quarries that we could be doing, there, there are the traditional subterranean mines. But the thing is, there are resources in the world of Blades in the Dark that, you know, we don't have. We could take advantage of that. Like, aren't there, like, big monsters that they, like, use resources from the bodies of those monsters?

Greg 9:42

Oh, yeah, yes. Leviathans. They just sort of cut parts off of them and then grind them up into ghost juice.

Hannah 9:50

Ghost juice.

James 9:50

This could be a Leviathan mine. Or even, like, a fossilized Leviathan mine.

Greg 9:55

I like that, actually.

Stefen 9:55

That's cool.

Hannah 9:56

That's super cool.

Guy 9:57

That's very good.

Greg 9:58

They're, like, famously kind of, like, deathless and unending, so you could probably mine it for a while, as it's just sort of, like, it's so big. Would the zoo be in the mine, though?

Stefen 10:08

I think we can answer that question with a question. Was this zoo illegal?

James 10:13

Oh.

Hannah 10:14

I mean, probably.

Guy 10:15

Illegal to who?

James 10:16

Yeah, illegal to who? Because, like, is this, are we then implying that this is a private zoo? Because that, that is the only thing I could imagine an illegal zoo.

Greg 10:23

Oh no, did we make Joe Exotic?

Hannah 10:27

No!

Stefen 10:27

Oof.

James 10:27

Or, yeah, yeah, it is open to the public. It just does shady stuff.

Greg 10:32

You know, it's, if we make Joe Exotic, you won't feel so bad for...

Hannah 10:36

Ruining his life, that's true. Well, okay, we can, I feel like we can find a middle. Leviathans are very big. And presumably, I feel like the way you would get, like, a quote-unquote fossilized Leviathan mine is, like... because they're also, they're water creatures, yeah?

Greg 10:52

Originally, yeah.

Hannah 10:53

So, like, one dies, and the ocean around it kind of dries up a bit. So I think probably, like, I'm just picturing how the land would look, you know, in a spot where there used to be ocean, I imagine there's, like, a pretty steep depression - you know, like, in the land, not emotionally. So maybe it's not underground, but it's in, like, kind of this pit.

Greg 11:17

Yeah, yeah. And then so there, then, there's parts of it that you would take those minecarts or the elevator to get to.

Hannah 11:23

Yeah.

James 11:24

Yeah, what if this is built into what essentially has become the hollowed out fossilized skeleton of Leviathan? And part of it peeks up over, like, underground, and, like, the rest of it has, like, been dug into and hollowed out below. So the map of the zoo, like, on whatever map that would help you orient where you are, it is just in the shape of a Leviathan's skull.

Greg 11:55

Oh, yes.

Hannah 11:55

That is pretty dope.

Stefen 11:56

That is so cool.

James 11:58

And so, like, part of the skull sticking up over, out of the ground is like, well, we can't get rid of this, so we might as well kind of go, "This is our welcome gate, or whatever!" You know, they just built around that. And yes, there are all of these carts as well that are left over and they've done their best to try and incorporate that. The next thing that we need is something that is hidden away. It's a perfectly preserved piece of the past that is kind of waiting to be unearthed. It was built over, boarded up, or sealed off, so that it wouldn't trouble people while they're having their zoo experience.

Greg 12:41

So it's got to be something that that Leviathan ate, right? That'd be really fun.

Hannah 12:45

Ooh, that makes sense.

Greg 12:47

If it's, like, it, because we built the zoo in the Leviathan, and they are kind of giant, horrible demon whales.

Hannah 12:54

You can't say any variations of I built or bought a zoo. It just makes me think of Matt Damon.

Greg 13:02

Keep that energy up.

James 13:04

What if it had a parasite? What if it had a parasite that, like, could survive being fossilized, so there are, one of the reasons the mine originally had to shut down is, like, if you go the wrong way, you open up a room that's just full of awful monsters. And, like, they'll wipe everyone out.

Greg 13:29

Horrible creatures from who knows when.

Stefen 13:34

That is pretty rad. I do like that a lot.

Guy 13:38

My mind immediately goes to Return of the Living Dead and Brain Dead, because zombie movies, they're just fun. And there's a scene of basically, like, even if they're zombies, like, all of their internal organs are also alive and also want to kill you. So maybe it's less of a parasite and more it's just a part of the Leviathan.

Hannah 14:02

Like a sentient Leviathan kidney?

Guy 14:05

Yeah.

Greg 14:05

Yeah, or maybe not sentient, but at the very least living, and, like, dangerous.

Guy 14:10

Something internal that is not happy about your presence there.

Hannah 14:15

I mean, yeah, they're also, like, Eldritch creatures and whatnot. Like -

Greg 14:19

We can do whatever we want with them. They're unknowable.

Hannah 14:22

Yeah.

James 14:22

Ooh. Yeah, yeah, I like that. So maybe there are just parts of the system of this creature that, that was trapped in the earth, that...

As the Pride of Duskwall travels across the Void Sea with a burden that may lead to disaster, they cannot expect to venture unmolested over the water once again. On their last trip, the disturbed bones of an ancient spirit gave rise to a powerful foe that the crew barely escaped. Will a fresh spirit rise on board the Pride for this trip, as some dreaded curse from the Void Sea itself?

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For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-32-a-grudge-settled.

Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta.

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Follow us on Twitter @ghosts_train, and if you have questions or suggestions for the train email them to [email protected] or leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/ghosts-on-a-train/message and you might hear yourself on the show

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TRANSCRIPT:

Andrel 0:00

Previously on Ghosts on a Train.

Greg 0:03

Been a while since you've read the arcane script, and it takes it takes you a while, but you know you want to get the spell exactly right. Confine the boy to within the luggage car. You do take long enough that one of the approaching passengers might have seen you.

Drix 0:24

Laudius Dalmore the Second smuggled a body onto the train.

Candace 0:27

If he does die you need to silence him, because we can't, we can't register him.

Greg 0:33

It crashes and, like, goes, recedes back into the water of the Void Sea, but as it recedes back in there, it doesn't fully, and it begins to rise again, coming back around. It appears the entity is some kind of liquid being of massive scale.

Andrel 0:52

Aren't the ghosts usually not on the train? Why are we -

Radio Announcer Greg 0:56

The Pride of Duskwall shines as a cool blue streak traveling across the endless blackness of the Void Sea. Back on land, any light the pitiable sun can yield is smothered by the smog of industry. And yet, it is only in the Inner Void Sea that one can understand a perfect dark. A clear night sky sits at its bottom, with strange stars unlike any in our sky, that are only muddled when the occasional locomotive passes over. Despite its untold fathoms, the Inner Void Sea is lacking the hordes of unquiet dead that plague the Deathlands, with two prominent explanations. Natural philosophy understands that a spirit, like an animal, would seek out land with there is more like to hunt, while those were more spiritual would remark that the Void Sea must be as peaceful for the dead as it is the living, and perhaps a spectre may reconcile by sinking to its depths. Regardless, any aggressive wraith in the Inner Void Sea can be assumed to seek a goal other than lifeforce and utterly divorced from peace.

Greg 2:24

Hello, welcome back to Ghosts on a Train! This is a podcast where we play Ghost Lines, an RPG by John Harper. I'm Greg, your conducter.

Hannah 2:32

I'm -

Greg 2:33

I run the game.

Hannah 2:35

I'm Hannah, I play Andrel Anderson. I don't know why you're laughing so hard.

Greg 2:41

You know, I just heard you, like, shuffling your feet when at first I was gonna start.

Hannah 2:45

Okay?

Guy 2:47

I'm Guy, I play, I play Pip. Barely. Sometimes Pip plays me. We're all one here.

Stefen 2:55

You should really see a doctor about that.

Guy 2:57

I should, but do you know how expensive it is to go to therapy right now?

Stefen 3:01

Ey, extremely.

Guy 3:04

Healthcare the United States, dab.

Stefen 3:07

What a way to start an episode. I'm Stef -

Greg 3:10

Healthcare dab.

Guy 3:11

Healthcare dab!

Drix 3:11

Yeah, I'm Stefen. I play Drix, who is not a wizard.

Hannah 3:16

Bullshit.

Stefen 3:18

I mean, he's not a wizard.

Hannah 3:19

No, he, bullshit.

Guy 3:22

I mean, clearly he is a warlock or sorcerer.

Greg 3:26

So the reason why we're here just talking about, like, what, what? He's not a wizard? Last time on Ghosts on a Train -

Guy 3:34

He did wizard shit.

Greg 3:35

The Line Bulls only really just got started on their line to Irondale, crossing the Void Sea. Drix was charged by Laudius Dalmore to protect the dying body of Gafou, his dogsbody, a young boy servant, 12 years old, who is currently in the freight boxcar in a box designed to both maintain his body and also hopefully try to keep his spirit inside. Drix took charge of this and used a small arcane trinket. Using the human magics left within, channeled through a spell in a scroll, text that only Drix could read, revealing some magical expertise that he claims to have learned from Severosi magicians. Trevor knows, as well as fellow Line Bulls Andrel and Pippin, about the boy. Candace also knows, while she is unhappy and gave the ultimatum that should Gafou's spirit escape to silence it immediately, as this sort of thing cannot be noted on any official registers for the Imperial Railways. And we will pick up there, as you guys are currently crossing the Void Sea, within the crew car.

Pip 4:04

Do you guys remember last time we came through here?

Andrel 4:56

Yeah. Hadn't fought a demon yet.

Pip 5:01

I mean, not, like, here specifically, but just, like, Void Sea.

Drix 5:05

Yeah, we haven't been over this this specific rail yet, but yeah, I understand.

Pip 5:13

If you would like to see the map of the locations that we have and have not been, please check our Twitter. I don't know who that's to. I just felt compelled to say it.

Andrel 5:24

I never have any idea what you guys are talking about, as usual.

Stefen 5:29

I mean, I feel like Twitter has come up before, but I'm still kinda lost on it.

Andrel 5:34

Anyway, feel like we should try and do something fun. But also, I can't stop thinking about the almost dead child in a box on the train.

Pip 5:46

Aren't we all, like, almost dead children, metaphorically speaking?

Drix 5:51

Well, at least you and I are not children. I would hope all three of us aren't almost dead. But Pip, would you like to tell me something?

Pip 6:01

Sometimes I can hear my liver screaming.

Drix 6:06

That is deeply unsettling and also completely expected.

Andrel 6:13

Okay, this line sucks so far.

Gafou 6:17

Andrel, out the window, you can see a placid surface of the Inner Void Sea, with those stars shining from their bottom that do not match the stars in the sky. But you also see bobbing along the top, something like shapes traveling. First one, then two, a couple. They all seem kind of uniform in shape, but it's too far away for it to be anything but, like, a weird blob or something. But something seems to be bobbing its way.

Andrel 6:49

Guys, do you see the bobbing thing? We, should we be worried about this?

Drix 6:54

Usually is the answer.

Andrel 6:55

Yeah, right.

Pip 6:56

Typically, yes.

Andrel 6:57

Okay.

Hannah 6:58

Do we have the Owl goggles out? Can I, like, peek through the Owl goggles and try to see what it is? Or I can just roll an insight. I always forget I can do that.

Greg 7:07

I mean, yeah, that can be that, the method by which you...

Stefen 7:10

Just pop on the Owl goggles.

Hannah 7:11

All right, yeah, I'll just kind of grab the Owl goggles and look through and try to, try to have some insight. Oh, I pass!

Greg 7:22

Which means you get two questions.

Hannah 7:24

Yeah!

Greg 7:24

With your, what is it, Sly?

Hannah 7:26

Yes I am. I rolled an eight. I think I will go with what's really going on here for the first one, in regards to blob thing.

Greg 7:35

Yeah, I mean, those are coming up spirit. There's at least... six.

Hannah 7:41

Goddamnit.

Greg 7:42

There's at least six of these blobs that are reading spirit from here.

Hannah 7:45

Hmm. Okay. I'll hold the other one. I feel like that's what I wanted out of this.

Greg 7:52

Okay.

Andrel 7:53

Um, hey, yeah, those are, those are, those are ghosties. Those are ghostie whosties. Should probably deal with them.

Pip 8:00

Is it time to suit up then? Already?

Andrel 8:02

Yeah.

Drix 8:03

Man, they wasted no time on this one.

Pip 8:06

I feel like we've wasted a lot of time already.

Greg 8:10

What roles are you going to suit up in?

Hannah 8:12

Classics?

Stefen 8:13

Yeah.

Hannah 8:15

Yeah.

Stefen 8:15

Classics works fine.

Guy 8:15

Classics.

Hannah 8:15

I'll go for Spider, then.

Stefen 8:17

Then I shall take the Rook.

Greg 8:19

Hell yeah.

Hannah 8:21

Who needs an Owl?

Greg 8:23

You guys, you guys gonna pop up through the freight car, or just, or any other particular exit point?

Hannah 8:30

I have nothing in mind in particular.

Greg 8:32

It'll just depend on who you, like, who you bump into. Theoretically.

Hannah 8:37

Maybe we should avoid Candace.

Greg 8:41

Yeah, you can exit through any of the little areas between cars.

Stefen 8:44

Yeah.

Greg 8:44

We've, we've established that. There are hatches between each car.

Hannah 8:47

Okay.

Stefen 8:48

Maybe we'll just go out between the passenger and the crew car.

Greg 8:51

Yeah, yeah. You guys start to climb out, and you see some of the passengers are looking on, some of the passengers are looking on with some amount of concern. Mr. McClaremont sort of waves away the concern of the Burned King priest, but the Elysian with the tower of silvery hair looks concerned, and in fact, looks specifically at Drix with some amounts of disdain.

Stefen 9:18

Fucking Polnareff.

Greg 9:21

And yeah, so you guys climb up top. You can see them now. From here, they look like bits of water. You see, like, they're, like, amorphous forms, but you see stubs that seem to definitely be, like, limbs, from each. They're maybe going to get more shape as they get closer. But for now, who wants to lead the Bulls against the supernatural?

Hannah 9:41

Anyone particularly - I feel like we haven't had Pip lead in a while.

Guy 9:44

I lead the last one!

Stefen 9:46

Oh, yeah. I guess I haven't lead in a while.

Hannah 9:48

Okay.

Stefen 9:49

You know what, I'll take it.

Hannah 9:50

I will follow your orders without hesitation.

Greg 9:53

Yeah, so the, the only, have you clean your apprenticeship, yes. You don't have the support of another gang. You don't have a Bulll in every other role, so that's currently a zero. Yeah, swear to follow his orders?

Hannah 10:04

Mm hmm.

Greg 10:05

Pip, you follow, swear to follow his orders?

Guy 10:07

Of course.

Greg 10:08

You have not worked this line before, so we're going to take a minus one. So a total minus one.

Stefen 10:13

Okay. Let's do it. Oof, that's a six.

Greg 10:18

Okay, so you don't get to pick any of the special things, but you can make the opening move.

Stefen 10:22

Okay. I think Drix is going to immediately, like, level his heavy lightning hook and try and blast the nearest one before it can, like, reach.

Greg 10:33

All right, go ahead and roll me force.

Stefen 10:36

That would be a nine.

Greg 10:38

Okay, which one do you pick?

Stefen 10:39

Um, I want to do great harm.

Greg 10:42

Hell yes.

Guy 10:43

Starting off strong.

Stefen 10:45

There's, like, six ghosts here.

Greg 10:47

There's, like, six ghosts here. Might as well go nuts. So yeah, extra, that's, like, five coming at this thing. You heft the heavy lightning hook, you level it. These things are sort of bobbing at a predictable pattern, bobbing together. You zap with the heavy lightning hook, one of these fingers, you see the water portion of it bursts, like, maybe whatever membrane might have been carrying it bursts. It splashes. The water that makes these things up doesn't have, like, the, the stars reflected in it, so you can sort of tell the difference. As you blast it like that, you realize that there's an entire area spread among these six blob things that also doesn't have the stars, and your watch as the all together slap sideways into the Void Sea, as emerging from the Void Sea is a massive water spirit, with many limbs, many wings, the horrible hurricane with teeth that you only cleared on your last Void Sea crossing.

Andrel 11:55

Ohhhhhhh.

Greg 11:55

That, by the way, only took half of that five because you were only aiming at one of its, one of its little hand-limb-things.

Drix 12:07

Dammit.

Greg 12:07

This thing has suckered you in. For Drix, it lets out a, you know, another horrible, horrible, "GUWOAH," that reminds you of your horrible flight, desperate flight, rather, to Iruvia. This thing seems determined to follow you until it is captured or silenced. It leaps out of the water -

Guy 12:27

That's new.

Greg 12:27

- this time with clear intention not to slam the train like before, but to knock you off of the train, Drix.

Stefen 12:36

Oh, no!

Greg 12:37

It's massive. You're the first receive its, its full weight. Go ahead and take a major manifestation attack, that's three.

Stefen 12:46

Oof.

Hannah 12:47

Yikes.

Greg 12:47

Andrel, Pippin, and Drix, you are all currently in danger of falling off the trail as right now this thing's sort of passing over you, like, like, like a wave, like a fierce wave. And you're, you've got your magnet boots on, but you might fall, fall off the train at this point as this thing sort of passes over you.

Hannah 13:07

Can I do a finesse roll to try and, try and get myself and the other two, like, stabilized? Like, grab arms and position, reestablish a center of gravity and all that?

Guy 13:19

It might be better if I did a steel roll for that, because I know you've got better, like, offensive stats.

Hannah 13:26

Yeah, I just, well, you can - I figure if I can help all of us then you two will still have free moves rather than you just doing yourself. If you want me to just grab Drix...

Guy 13:40

Well, I was thinking, like, if I could try and steel myself and, like, hang on to the both of you using my steel, that would still leave you open to attack because my fighting is no good.

Hannah 13:52

Okie doke.

Greg 13:53

That's possible. Also, Stefen, don't forget you do have that barrier.

Stefen 13:58

Oh, yes.

Greg 14:00

So subtract one from that three harm.

Stefen 14:02

Yes.

Greg 14:03

But,...

The Pride of Duskwall prepares to once again embark across the Void Sea, this time to head towards Drix's homeland of Severos. But before the train can take on passengers, various members of the crew must make discoveries of themselves or others. And once departed, it shall be an uneasy ride regardless of any deathland horrors. Drix opens a box. Pippin is re-introduced to some coworkers. Andrel threatens to bite ankles.

Find our sponsor Little Business Library on Twitter @lilbusinesses, and use our code "listen10" to get your business on their directory here!

For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-31-a-drawn-out-departure. We apologize that this week's transcript does not have timestamps, due to a technical difficulty.

Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta.

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bail_funds_george_floyd?refcode=cwg https://www.joincampaignzero.org https://www.napawf.org/donate https://www.navajowaterproject.org/ https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/contribute-to-the-atlanta-solidarity-fund https://nymag.com/strategist/article/where-to-donate-to-help-asian-communities-2021.html

Follow us on Twitter @ghosts_train, and if you have questions or suggestions for the train email them to [email protected] or leave a voice message at https://anchor.fm/ghosts-on-a-train/message and you might hear yourself on the show

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TRANSCRIPT:

Radio Announcer Greg

The Pride of Duskwall prepares to leave the light of the Burned King, once again stepping across the inky darkness of the Inner Void Sea to travel on to the Isle of Severos. Before the heaving locomotive begins its journey, each member of the crew of the Pride must make a decision: to step back on to the metal behemoth and ride through the Deathlands, or to collect their things and retire. It is a repetitive decision, one made every trip, and yet the choice is always a crucial one. Will the engineer bearing a scar from the supernatural risk another one? Will the liaison who has witnessed terror unknown once more expose herself to horrors? Will the vagrants who have had their very wills subverted continue their service? And before all others, will the Line Bulls uphold their vow to face those dangers head on? None would be shamed should they choose not to return, and yet once more they do, showing their bravery and commitment when they report for duty on board the Pride of Duskwall.

Greg

Hello, welcome back to Ghosts on a Train! This is a podcast where we play Ghost Lines, an RPG by John Harper. I am your conductor, Greg, and I run the game.

Hannah

I'm Hannah, I play Andrel Anderson. Child, dorg owner, mystery solver.

Guy

I'm Guy, I play Pip, currently depressed boy who's dealing with backstory.

Hannah

Yay! I love, like, I love that you said currently, like Pip being depressed is a recent development.

Greg

Yeah, like, like Pip wasn't introduced as wasting away in a bar for ten years.

Guy

He wasn't actively depressed. He was more, like, passively, just like, I have accepted my fate and it's fine. And now he's just like, ah, fuck, I have to think about things.

Stefen

Fair. I'm Stefen, I play Drix, and Drix is a cowboy, rodeo enthusiast, and spurs wearer, which all are the same thing.

Greg

He's a cowboy! On a steel horse he rides. He's wanted, dead or alive.

Hannah

Is he?

Greg

No.

Hannah

Okay.

Stefen

I mean, wouldn't you like to find out?

Hannah

Ugh, I want the Drix lore!

Greg

Well, well, we might not be getting Drix lore, but Drix is about to make a discovery, as where we left off, the Pride of Duskwall stopped by the Iruvian city of Sunfall, so named for its active volcano that warms the place. Along the trip to Sunfall from U'duasha was, among a group of several Ministry of Preservation members, Laudius Dalmore the Second, the young... dilettante? Dilettante, that's a word, who Drix had a duel with in response to Drix making him suffer consequences to his actions by trying to pull love them and leave them in a brothel back in Akaros. It turns out that while, in addition to being the Lord Governor's son, he is going to be the, a new officer for the Ministry of Preservation, just like his father before him, as the Dalmores are apparently a Ministry family, bred up to be from there. Laudius Dalmore the Second came on board with a mysterious piece of luggage which Drix immediately noticed, and Laudius saved Drix from the threats of being hollowed. And when, when confronted about this, Laudius explained that he would, he would need something from Drix on the trip across the Void Sea into Irondale, a city in Severus. Severos. I, you know, I've been saying Severus, because we were like, "That's how you say it in Severus," and I think unfortunately I'm just gonna say it correctly. It's, I'm consciously trying to have NPCs that aren't Severosi say Severos, but now I've been reprogrammed.

Stefen

Good, good.

Greg

Yeah. So we'll pick right up from there. As Drix, you've arrived. You've arrived early to the Pride of Duskwall, because you know, especially with the city under a kind of martial law due to a volcanic dam mishap, it would have been suspicious to linger around, but now you're showing up to work early. You have gone on to the freight box car. It doesn't take you long to locate this large suitcase that seemed to be very heavy. It's bound with a lock, and there's also some, a couple strange symbols.

Drix

All right, all right. Can I roll an insight check to see if Drix is familiar with these symbols?

Greg

Sure. Sure. Roll it.

Hannah

If Drix gets possessed again, I'm going to laugh.

Stefen

That is a five.

Greg

Okay, ask me one right now. Do you have a particular question? And I'll focus in around that.

Drix

Yeah. What's really going on here? Pertaining to the symbols.

Greg

So, first off, I'll also toss in a thing about the lock. The lock itself doesn't seem to be, there's not, like, a key to it. It's more that, more like a latch, to be honest. But the symbols hum faintly with some electroplasm. The symbols themselves you've spotted, have... you've spotted them. Probably during your training. These are ghost related symbols and they are sort of to weakly contain things, weakly contain spirits.

Drix

Okay, uh, Drix is going to run to the crew car real quick and grab a spirit bottle, just in case.

Greg

Cool. As you re-enter with the spirit bottle, you see, with his frustratingly good hair and dressed like a Hamilton cast member, Laudius Dalmore the Second, the Akarosi nobleman, looking at you, seeing clearly that the suitcase is disturbed.

Laudius Dalmore II

Well, Drix, I see you couldn't wait until I explained things.

Drix

I'm going to level with your, Laudius. You haven't done a whole lot to inspire trust.

Greg

He, he demures for a second.

Laudius Dalmore II

Yes, I suppose I have not. But regardless, this is, was a matter that I was going to speak to you about, and we have some modicum of privacy here. You won't need that spirit bottle right now. These are for a last resort, should the machine not work.

Greg

And he undoes the latch. And there's some steam. Well, not steam, there's, like, some, some cool air escapes. And he opens it up. And this suitcase, this suitcase was child sized because there is a child in it.

Hannah

WHAT?

Greg

Inside is Gafou, Laudius Dalmore's dog's body who worked as a second in the duel. He is unconscious, and it looks like he's connected to some things. You see his shirt is open because there's, like, little diodes connected to him.

Drix

I thought you said you were taking care of the Third.

Laudius Dalmore II

I am, Drix. He's fallen ill, or apparently had fallen ill. A condition that had long been ignored, because, well, he was disposable. I... after you humbled me and my father further poured salt into that raw wound which you had given me, I realized that Gafou was the closest thing to a friend that I had. The reason... I need to save him. And you're... I'm enlisting your help not only because I helped you, but also I realize that I've endangered the entire train by bringing him here. And it is your fault for awakening these feelings within my noble heart.

Drix

I think that was a compliment, but honestly, it is really, really unclear.

Laudius Dalmore II

I feel unclear! It's, it's not as if Gafou and I are really friends. You know, we can't be. He's, he's a child and he's been my servant for, well, more than half his life at this point. He's called a dog's body because it's easier to think of him as an animal than a person.

Drix

So there is a real inherent power dynamic that you two are confronting, that you really should talk about when all this is over is what I'm understanding.

Laudius Dalmore II

Yes, well, I'll never get the chance if he dies.

Drix

I'm not gonna let that happen.

Laudius Dalmore II

Good. Because for a while, I used to tell myself that if he didn't work for me, he'd be dead on the street. And so, you know, I was helping him. But couldn't my father have just helped him without assigning him to serve me? He, he deserves to live because he's alive. Not because he's useful.

Guy

Oh, shit, actualization.

Laudius Dalmore II

I... well, I've clearly taken a drastic step here.

Stefen

Drix gives him a hug.

Laudius Dalmore II

But there is, there is, I have heard tell that there are magicians in Severos that can cure such, such ailments. And Gafou, right now, he is, well, he is somewhere between life and death. And I, this, this, this will keep his body a present vessel. And this, this case should, should keep him from leaving should his, his spirit come loose. And I need you to know about this. So you can help me keep it secret, and also so... also so if he does get loose, you can not eliminate him, if you can just get him back.

Drix

Okay, I'm not going to let Gafou... I'm not going to let him be silenced, and I will not let his ghost off of this train. Which is a wild thing to say, honestly.

Laudius Dalmore II

Yes, I realize it is a little ironic to ask of you, a Line Bull, to betray your creed and keep a ghost upon the train.

Drix

Eh, believe it or not, we've done... you know what, actually, I'm, I'm remembering who I'm talking to. Do you know who you're going to, for this magic?

Laudius Dalmore II

Well, I am not quite sure myself. I know that through Irondale, I can perhaps find a guide who will lead me to one of those Arcane Fortresses. You know, it's, the Empire, the Imperium doesn't officially recognize those that they do not control, but I can grease palms.

Drix

Okay. We'll figure it out. It definitely won't be easy, but we'll, we'll make sure we get Gafou the help he needs I... man, I'm glad you told me about this. I do want to help. And for what it's worth, I appreciate the change that you've gone through.

Laudius Dalmore II

Yes, well, I'm still mulling over how much I appreciate being changed. But I suppose, I suppose if this turns out well then I shall think naught but positive thoughts about you, Drix.

Drix

Thanks. This is gonna be a long trip.

Greg

Drix, you hear the sounds of a door closing. Laudius left the outside door to the freight car open. You came in through the crew car, and from the, from the crew car through the office car. This is one of the outside doors elsewhere, and Trevor, who sort of wandered on, looks like he was just dropping something off at the office car. Through the window between you he sort of looked and saw your conversation with Laudius. At the moment he's just sort of looking through, confused, but he's not approaching.

Stefen

Do I notice him?

Greg

Yes, that's what I'm describing. You notice this.

Stefen

All right.

Drix

It seems we're gonna have to... know what? Who do you want to keep this from?

Laudius Dalmore II

Well, ideally, everybody.

Drix

Well, that's no longer an option. So we're gonna have to pick and choose.

Laudius Dalmore II

Well, I suppose you can tell you Line Bull friends. But other than that, this is a secret to everyone.

Drix

Okay. Trevor is looking over at us right now.

Laudius Dalmore II

Blast!

Greg

And yeah, Laudius will lock up the case, puts it back. And then he goes -

Laudius Dalmore II

I shall go fetch my retainers, and we shall be in the parlor car.

Drix

All right, keep me informed, and I'll check on the whole situation every now and again.

Laudius Dalmore II

All right. I trust you, Drix. And thank you.

Drix

You're welcome.

Greg

He heads off.

Stefen

I'm gonna go talk to Trevor.

Greg

Hell yes. Yeah, Trevor... he welcomes you as you, as you, he waits for you to open it up.

Trevor

Hey there, Drix. What the hell is going on over there?

Drix

Uh, I don't know, Trevor. What did you see?

Trevor

I saw you with that customer. You know, one of the Ministry guys. With a boy in a box?

Drix

Ooh, yeah. Okay, so you saw... you saw the boy.

Trevor

Listen, we're, we're not human traffickers, all right? Like, I -

Drix

I swear, I swear to you that is not what this is. Um, let's, let's see. Let's see. You know what, there's already rumors flying over all around the train, right? You... I believe it was Georgie I mentioned it to, but Laudius and I kind of co-parent a boy.

Trevor

Wow, that's - you've been, have you been sending money? I mean, you must be pretty out of the child's life.

Drix

I try and check in every now and again. Look, I don't - I have to travel a lot for work. Laudius is rich, obviously, and can keep, can keep Gafou in good health and comfort, which is kind of what this is.

Trevor

I mean, listen, not a knock on you, not a knock on you, but it seems like, it seems like, you know, the kid's not really getting a lot from you. I don't know, it'd really mess, really messed a kid up to, you know, only half-see their dad, okay.

Drix

You're right. You're right. You're right. And I'm gonna try to be better. It's really, really tough right now. It's just a matter of -

Trevor

Wait, wait, hold on! Hold on a minute! Why was he in a box?

Hannah

I was wondering how long it was gonna take you to get there.

Drix

Gafou is sick right now. That box is what is keeping him alive.

Trevor

Drix, you can't, you can't, you can't have a dying kid on a train.

Drix

I -

Trevor

What if, what if he dies? What if he bites it? Becomes a ghost?

Drix

I'm not gonna let that happen. All right, come to the front with me real quick.

Trevor

No, no, no, no, hold on. We gotta, we gotta tell, we gotta tell Candace at least, right?

Drix

Wait, wait, Trevor, I'm going to show you something. And it's gonna blow your mind, okay?

Greg

As you're saying this, either Pippin or Andrel shows up.

Hannah

I can show up.

Andrel

Hey, guys.

Drix

Hey, um, okay, well, I guess -

Trevor

Andrel, did you know about Drix's kid?

Andrel

Drix, you have a kid?

Drix

It's Third! It's the Third.

Andrel

What?

Stefen

From the duel! It's the Third.

Andrel

Oh, you let your kid help? Help be in a duel against you?

Drix

Andrel, you were there! You talked with him!

Andrel

Yeah, I did! He's your kid?

Drix

No! Kind of. You know, I'm responsible, I'm responsible for him, because, you know, part of the deal of...

EPISODE 31 WILL COME OUT NEXT WEEK.

The Burned King is a Forgotten God, still extended worship even among an Iruvia controlled by the Demon Princes. But the stories say that before he was Forgotten and before he was a God, he was a man. Enjoy the story of The Burned King, written by Bennoni Thomas.

Find Bennoni on Twitter @darcwizrd

Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta.

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