Ghosts on a Train

The city of Sunfall was built around the volcano known as Rakhan, or "The Burned King". Worshipped as a now Forgotten God, Sunfall's volcano kept it warm through the dark nights after the cataclysm and the the city's people continue to be grateful to the deity they never truly got to know. The volcano is also a premiere spot for the flashy cremations of the nobility, and was the ultimate destination of the members of the Ministry of Preservation who have ridden the Pride of Duskwall. Pippin is alone with his thoughts. Drix makes an important delivery. Andrel gets a sudden proposal.

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For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-30-layover-tears-of-the-sunfall

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:

Radio Announcer Greg 0:00

While much of the Shattered Isles is made up of various peoples clinging to their culture within the confines of Empire, the Iruvian city of Sunfall is one place that even the Imperium cannot make homogenous. Rakhan, or the Burned King as he has known in Akarosi, is the massive volcano around which the city of Sunfall is built. The volcano both is and is not the Forgotten God that shares its name, and a temple to both is built along the volcano's top. Though the Princes maintain sovereignty over Iruvia and the Emperor makes his forces known, none can truly dethrone the Burned King, for he is a part of the land itself. Even with his Divine form forgotten, Rakhan's volcanic insides are used as a safe way to dispose of bodies, and throughout Sunfall, the king gives light and warmth where the pitiable sun fails. The Pride of Duskwall arrives, its own jet of fire and smoke meek and deferate in comparison, as it announces itself to Sunfall and the Burned King.

Greg 1:26

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

Hannah 1:35

I'm Hannah, I play Andrel Anderson, dorg owner.

Guy 1:41

I'm Guy, I play Pip McKeel, who is dealing with some shit. I will never go first, either.

Hannah 1:47

I mean, I always go first.

Guy 1:49

Exactly.

Stefen 1:52

I'm Stefen, I play Drix who is... head empty.

Greg 1:59

No thoughts!

Guy 1:59

Head empty, heart full.

Andrel 2:01

Oh.

Stefen 2:02

Yeah, that reads.

Greg 2:03

Yeah, heart full! That's a good way to describe all himbos.

Stefen 2:07

That's true. Head empty, heart full.

Greg 2:09

Otherwise you're just a jock.

Stefen 2:11

Gotta put that on a shirt.

Greg 2:13

Head empty, heart full. Put that, you heard, you heard it here, Amie.

Guy 2:20

I think Jaci's probably gonna hear that first.

Greg 2:21

You heard in here, Jaci. Anyways, our Line Bulls have just said good - just, just said goodbye to Miss Genevieve Paquet, the Elysian reporter played by our friend Jolene, who is heading off now. You're on the Iruvian, in the Iruvian city of Sunfall, so named and famous for its large volcano that is within the lightning barrier, the source of this area's warmth and, probably not light, huh? But yeah, the source of this area's warmth. For the most part.

Guy 2:37

I mean, like, volcanic rock does glow. Like...

Greg 3:01

Actually yeah, what, for what I'm trying to do here, now I think about it, yes, there is actually a glow. You guys can see there's, there's a bright glow from around the volcano, actually. But, alright.

Guy 3:14

I just like volcanoes, okay guys?

Greg 3:16

No, no, no, I gotcha. So who departs the train? I think nothing particularly big about your chits and stash for this. Although maybe Candace, Candace as she hands you your pay for this line -

Candace 3:29

All right, yeah, Genevieve seemed to be pretty happy on her way out. And I see none of you guys are scheduled to be hollowed. So thanks a lot for whatever you did over the course of this, this ride.

Andrel 3:41

You're welcome. The hollowed thing is really... I'm happy about that, too.

Candace 3:46

Yeah, yeah. You know, it's personally why I hate the whole business of working with the Ministry.

Andrel 3:51

Yeah, it feels like they shouldn't be allowed to do that.

Drix 3:54

Yeah, the fact that that was a threat is kind of disconcerting, if you know what I mean.

Candace 3:58

Well, it is unfortunate, but by becoming Line Bulls you have offered your bodies in service of the Imperial Railways and His Majesty the Immortal Emperor. And he... well, let's just say he has eminent domain on those meal sacks yours, unfortunately.

Andrel 4:18

Cool, very normal. Extremely normal world this is.

Drix 4:22

Um...

Pip 4:23

I prefer flesh puppet, please.

Candace 4:27

Andrel, don't worry. This is why I, this is why I don't do a regular route. We, if we just keep moving, if we're all over the place, the less chance we have to deal with these people. I want you all three to know that you are on my train, and I will take care of you.

Andrel and Drix 4:42

Thanks, Candace.

Candace 4:44

All right, yeah, well, yeah. Take your pay, have fun in Sunfall. We're supposed to be heading to Severos next. So I guess you should be excited for that, eh, Colburn?

Drix 4:55

Yeah, should should be fun to visit home, you know.

Greg 4:59

So who would like to describe themselves first as they leave the train? I know Pip is doing something, so maybe he'll go last.

Hannah 5:07

Okay. Uh, Andrel, Andrel will hop off. She is a young woman - extremely young, 13 years old child.

Greg 5:20

A child, in fact.

Hannah 5:22

You know, woman was probably a misnomer. She's a, she's a little girl. She should turn 14 eventually. I say that every time you ask me to describe her. A young girl, 13 years old, from Iruvia. She is copper skinned, has short, kind of messy dark hair, a mischievous little grin. Recently someone asked me, like, what Andrel wears and I decided she wears, like, Victorian orphan boy clothing. Um, which -

Stefen 5:59

That is the best choice.

Hannah 6:00

Like, Google that if you want a, if you want a better description. It turns out there are lots of Victorian orphan boy Halloween costumes out there.

Greg 6:09

Oi mister!

Guy 6:11

That's, that's, there's something real twisted about that.

Hannah 6:13

And, yeah, she's also followed by a, a dorg, her dorg Ji'mani, who is a, he looks like a German Shepherd but he is hairless. And he has, uh, was it two legs in front and one in the back?

Greg 6:31

Two in back because he's built for speed.

Hannah 6:32

Two in back and one in front. And he's got a handlebar mustache. That is his only hair. He is a good boy.

Ji'mani 6:39

Yorp yorp!

Andrel 6:40

Yes, Gemini, yorp yorp.

Greg 6:42

Yeah, Andrel, as you're leaving the train, you smell something. It smells like, like a forest. Which is something that you, you haven't smelled much of naturally.

Hannah 6:53

Yeah, I'm not even sure I would recognize that.

Greg 6:55

Yeah, maybe not even, I'm not even one hundred percent sure you'd recognize it. But for listeners, it's like a forest, like a, like the woods. Not in a musky way. Also departing the train is Greta, dressed very nicely. She's got a vest on. She's got, like, a tie. But she's getting set, she, she sees you with, with Ji'mani. Gives a, gives a little nod.

Hannah 7:00

I nod back.

Pip 7:17

Hey guys, is this a legally appropriate time to give a slay queen?

Hannah 7:23

Slay queen indeed.

Guy 7:26

Slay, queen!

Hannah 7:27

Oh my god.

Guy 7:30

I had to make sure.

Greg 7:33

Ji'mani gives a little yorp, and Greta gives Ji'mani little pets.

Hannah 7:38

Yay.

Andrel 7:39

Are you going somewhere, Greta? You look, you look... nice.

Greta 7:44

Well, I was going to meet Miss Paquet.

Andrel 7:47

Oh!

Greta 7:47

And have dinner while we are here.

Andrel 7:48

That's fun.

Greta 7:49

Yes.

Andrel 7:51

I'm not going to ask any more questions about that.

Greta 7:57

Certainly, yeah. Oh, uh, that, yes, I... you're a good kid.

Andrel 8:02

Thank you.

Greg 8:07

And yeah, Greta leaves.

Andrel 8:11

I feel like I should start another, another conspiracy board. I don't know for what exactly, but for something.

Greg 8:23

All right. Next up, Drix.

Drix 8:26

All right, all right. So Drix saunters off the train. He is a tall Severosi man with a dark skin, black hair that's kind of curly, but most of it is hidden under a large black cowboy hat with a red band. He's broad shouldered and on those shoulders is a vest over a button up shirt. He's got a nice big belt with a gold buck bettle - belt buckle, not buck bettle, belt buckle, that says "yee". You can presume the backs of "haw".

Hannah 8:58

Oh my goodness.

Greg 9:01

Yee!

Stefen 9:03

And yeah, he's wearing some trousers and some boots. He's, he's got the whole cowboy gig. But yes, um, he's got his sleeves rolled up and he seems to be kind of, kind of really relaxed right now.

Hannah 9:16

Love that we're all having a very nice good time except for Pip, who is deeply - Pip just took all of the trauma this arc.

Stefen 9:25

He did. He did in fact.

Greg 9:26

Well -

Guy 9:26

It had to happen eventually.

Greg 9:27

Well, about that, about that. Yeah. So, so as you're heading out, Drix, so a ways away. There, it seems there's, like, a checkpoint outside of the train station. Like, the train station seems normal, but there's a little bit of a checkpoint going on. You see the I'Yalim, the Iruvian peacekeepers wearing leather armor with, like, falcons that are occasionally either, like, hanging somewhere, like, like, on them, or, like, flying back or from them, working with Imperial military. And it doesn't look like they're hassling anybody too much, but they're just sort of talking to everybody coming, coming in. And you see Laudius Dalmore the Second, who is passing through, along with the the party with a lot of the Ministry of Preservation members. And he does look back at the freight car as he heads, as he heads inside the city.

Drix 9:27

Well, that is going to, that's gonna be something.

Greg 10:21

But we'll do the little checkpoint explanation thing maybe after Pip's, this little bit of Pip. Pip, describe yourself and what you're doing.

Guy 10:29

So Pip, unlike the other two, has sort of, like, stayed back, like, on the train, he has not stepped foot off of it. He is a tall, fairly gaunt, fairly pale man with kind of a little bit of sort of, like, greasy, like, chestnut hair, and kind of a dower expression on him. He's got the beginnings of a gin blossom starting to form on his nose, and he sort of, like, normally looks a little bit flushed, mostly due to the alcohol in this system. In this particular instance, there is a... an added paleness, mostly because of the, the kind of grim determination that is present on his face.

Greg 11:17

Yes, and currently Pippin is still in the bullpen where the spirit bottles, which are normally, normally collected at some point, but some, one of you guys needs to bring them in. You'd normally sort of pass along that duty. So Pip is looking with that aforementioned grim determination at one of these spirit bottles, the most recent spirit bottle, of one spirit that attacked the train over the last last line, shouting hate towards someone named Crowl. Pip, what does it, what does it look like when you call forth this spirit?

Pip 11:54

So I think the first thing that Pip does is he rolls up his sleeves. In this particular instance, you can see now in sort of, like, full view at sort of, like, full glow, the tattoo that he has on his the inside of his wrist is a glowing kind of, like, pale, electric blue. The numbers are spinning, sort of, like, and shifting wildly. Three digits all the time, but they kind of just, like, shift and change, like, very rapidly one to the next, like an analog sort of, like, roll punch clock.

Hannah 12:34

Pip's on the Infinity Train.

Guy 12:38

By the way, watch check out Infinity Train.

Greg 12:40

Check out Infinity Train!

Guy 12:42

Not sponsored by Infinity Train. But if they'd like to...

Hannah 12:48

They're ending soon. I don't think they're giving out sponsorship.

Guy 12:51

It would be nice, though.

Hannah 12:53

It would be nice.

Stefen 12:53

Infinity Train AU when?

Guy 12:55

From one train to another.

Hannah 12:56

Infinity Train AU! That'd be great.

Greg 12:59

We could play Navigator. Navigator's the, Navigator, perfect little game on itch.io. I don't remember who made it. But it's called Navigator and it's the perfect game to simulate, like, either Cube or Infinity Train. Anyways...

Guy 13:14

Perfect. Pip goes to the spirit bottle and sort of, like, rolls up his sleeves, and with the sort of, like, grim determination of knowing what he has to do. This is a ritual that he's only ever seen done. It's not something that he's ever performed for himself. But there's, there's something sort of, like, nagging at the back of his mind, a ghost of a remembrance, if you could. Something telling him that this is what he needs to do if he wants to find out more. And in this moment, he wants to find out more.

Greg 13:49

So, yes, I can pick it up from here. Anybody can perform rituals, and sorcery. Anybody can interact with the the spirit world, as we've seen with our Bulls attuning to the Ghost Field. It's, it's, there's nothing inherently magical about human beings, not anymore. Nothing special about individual human beings from one to the other. Pippin, essentially taking one harm and one trauma as he gives up a part of his life force to call forth the spirit from the spirit bottle. It's not unknown that there's the spirit trade, and spirit bottles don't automatically liquefy any given spirit into plasm. But the spirit bottle has sort of, does sort of take the fight out of most spirits. Probably some amount of, like, hand cutting -

Guy 14:37

Oh, for sure.

Greg 14:38

But maybe instead of blood coming forth, something wispy and blue flying out, as Pip's lifeforce itself is what this ghost feeds on, and it, it sort of slips out of the bottle slightly, like a cartoon character being drawn by the scent of a pie, drawn to the scent of Pippin's life force.

Pip 15:00

See, I'm imagining, if you've ever sort of, like, given, like, a dog, like, a paper, like, a cardboard tube and their tongue sort of, like, just, like, kind of pops out at the edge of just, like, it's able to sort of like eke out just enough to, like, taste it, but

Feral spirits of the deathlands may sometimes possess wayward travelers, but they more often than not burn out the life force of their victim in days. The Line Bulls on board the Pride of Duskwall must coax out a spirit cunning enough to hide within a high ranking Imperial Official for an unknown period of time. The choice of target is effective, as historically the nobility have been less than understanding of Line Bull business impacting them personally. Andrel leaves Ji'mani with a strange man. Drix gets in a booth alone with Laudius. Pippin is confronted. Genevieve is denied.

You can find special Guest Jolene here, or on her podcast Wrong Bone Facts

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-29-exeunt-feat-jolene-cotnoir

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!

Help the Show by Rating and Reviewing on Apple Podcasts

TRANSCRIPT:

Pip 0:00

Last time with ghosts and trains and something...

Stev 0:04

There is a high ranking member of the Ministry of Preservation who may be possessed!

Hannah 0:09

Where's my dorg?

Greg 0:10

You hear -

Ji'mani 0:10

Yorp! Yorp yorp yorp yorp yorp!

Greg 0:12

As he's yorping at the the woman holding the kid.

Greg 0:16

Ji'mani is a ghost hunting dog. Ji'mani smells ghost.

Greg 0:20

So we have to get that lady alone, knock her unconscious, and then deal with the spirit

Guy 0:24

Pip holds up a finger.

Pip 0:26

I may have a solution.

Guy 0:29

And with that, in his other hand, he holds up a glass.

Greg 0:33

There is a spirit shouting at the parlor car for Crowl.

Drix 0:37

I think the Frog Knight was going to try to hollow me too, but Laudius stepped in?

Genevieve 0:42

I have some questions about your, your crewmate, the McKeel.

Pip 0:46

And today...

Greg 0:49

Ghost is the term for a spirit without a body, though spirit or spectre are used interchangeably. Regardless of the reason for separation, a ghost seeks the life energy its body provided, and to many such spectres, this hunger will dominate their existence. We call these ghosts feral, a word usually reserved for animals that have escaped captivity and gone wild, for these are spirits that have changed in order to survive in a never-ending unlife. When other options are exhausted, a ghost will go feral by losing its senses and developing powerful abilities in order to obtain life energy from any who still possess it. But before this transformation, a ghost is still a rational human being. And before going feral, a cunning human being may instead turn to a simpler solution: possession. Another's body may serve as the container that they so miss, and the possessing ghost siphons away the body's lifeforce that was meant for the original spirit inside. A possessed body may live this way for weeks at a time depending on how greedy the ghost may be, though the addictive act of possession often ends only in the death the one possessed. But perhaps even more sinister is a spirit that has the self control to keep its victims alive - and useful.

Greg 2:30

Welcome back to Ghosts on a Train, the podcast where we play Ghost Lines, an RPG by John Harper. I'm Greg, your conductor and director and extra for every character in this...play, this drama, this game.

Guy 2:49

Greg is all the bad guys.

Greg 2:50

Except for the others.

Hannah 2:52

I'm Hannah, I play Andrel Anderson, and I am fed up.

Greg 3:00

Andrel's gonna fucking snap.

Hannah 3:01

I'm - ugh.

Guy 3:02

She's gonna do something. I'm Guy, I play Pip. Pip, who has been on surprisingly good behavior, question mark?

Stefen 3:09

He has been, you know, handling himself. I'm Stefen, and I play Drix, who has just learned of his status as a boy toy.

Greg 3:19

That was, so that was actually a callback.

Hannah 3:21

Amazing.

Greg 3:21

I was explaining to Hannah, cuz she was like, "that was tense," and I was like, "I mean yeah, it was, but also it was a callback." In the duel note he says, "I'll stop toying - I could've continued toying with your life, for truly to me, you are naught but a plaything, but you can duel me or whatever." So it was, it was a callback.

Stefen 3:24

Yeah, yeah, no, that makes sense.

Greg 3:37

A sexy callback.

Stefen 3:38

It was a sexy callback. A sexy back, if you will.

Guy 3:40

The duel was very horny.

Stefen 3:42

The duel was so horny.

Hannah 3:45

We're getting very horny here on Ghosts on a Train.

Jolene 3:48

Sorry, that might be my presence. Hi, I'm Jolene. I get to play two characters, both Genevieve and the Harlequin, who are definitely -

Greg 3:57

Okay!

Jolene 3:57

- two separate people. Definitely.

Stefen 4:00

Who could the Harlequin be?

Guy 4:02

They could be anyone

Hannah 4:04

Why are you talking about this like we didn't cover it last episode?

Stefen 4:08

I don't understand.

Hannah 4:10

We all know who the Harlequin is!

Jolene 4:11

I'm just helping out the astute listener if they happen to skip a couple episodes.

Stefen 4:16

Greg, I can't believe you and Jolene managed to out black and yellow me and Yoshiko.

Guy 4:19

We do also, like, there is also you know, like, two weeks of gap. I'm forgetful, so it's, I'm sure it's -

Greg 4:30

So it might have worked. We might have fooled somebody.

Hannah 4:34

Genevieve's the Harlequin. We learned that - we have a fucking previously on!

Jolene 4:40

Oh, yeah.

Greg 4:41

But anyways. Oh gosh. So, currently in a soundproof booth, the Line Bulls of the Pride of Duskwall along with reporter and secret hero Genevieve Paquet, currently deliberating on how to find, extract the spirit possessing one of the members of the Ministry of Preservation. Signs point towards the Executive Officer of Kethryss, a woman with a cigarette holder and a child with a candy cigarette holder. The Pride of Duskwall is currently passing through Brightharbor on its nonstop trip from U'duasha all the way to Sunfall on the northwesternmost tip of Iruvia, so our Line Bulls just have one last leg of time with this, with this possessed Imperial. With that, leave it to you guys. You guys were thinking of some plans. Are we going to act on one of those?

Hannah 5:41

So the two pitches we had are enlist Laudius Dalmore for some sort of help, and, uh, drug her?

Greg 5:51

Or just get her drunk enough. That was my read of it. I don't know if you have anything to drug her.

Genevieve 5:55

Do you think you could out drink her?

Pip 5:59

Absolutely.

Genevieve 6:02

You kind of already smell it you've been drinking, already?

Andrel 6:04

Yeah. She, she'll have a head start.

Pip 6:07

It's my natural state.

Drix 6:10

Pip can definitely drink, out drink just about anybody in the world.

Genevieve 6:14

That is a useful skill to have. Especially, especially for a McKeel. That is a very useful skill to have.

Andrel 6:23

So you want to challenge her to a drinking contest?

Pip 6:29

Maybe. That's, that's certainly an idea. I was thinking of just, you know, find, like, regular freebies for a while. Because I don't think we'll get her, get her separated from the kid, really. We just need to get it, like, exhausted enough with everything that's going on and in a state where she falls asleep a little bit more easily. Isn't that the same as being unconscious?

Genevieve 6:57

And my, my other concern is that we do not want the other nobles to notice this.

Andrel 7:05

Yeah.

Genevieve 7:06

Because you can bet that they will complain.

Drix 7:08

Wait a minute.

Andrel 7:08

Also, if she just passes out in her chair, then we're gonna have a ghost in the parlor car.

Drix 7:12

So all we need to do is get her exhausted?

Pip 7:17

That seems about right.

Drix 7:18

Pip, you think you'd be pretty good at riling up a child? How good, how good is your peekaboo game?

Pip 7:23

It's pretty good.

Andrel 7:26

I don't think that's gonna make her pass out.

Drix 7:28

I mean, if she has to run around the cabin all day getting her child and then Pip offers her several drinks to cope...

Pip 7:36

If, if I may make a suggestion? So, we are currently traveling on the railway. From my past life experience, if you charge up the lightning barrier on the outside, you will make a high pitched whine that most, that adults cannot hear, but will cause children to cry.

Genevieve 8:02

That is devious. Do you really want the child to cry?

Andrel 8:05

That's still not gonna knock her out, though.

Genevieve 8:08

I mean, it would work.

Andrel 8:09

Also, she's not going to fall asleep if her kid is crying.

Greg 8:12

There is a magnetic tube message that comes into the booth. It's evidently from Greta, and it just says, "One of you, little help? Rowdy customer."

Stefen 8:24

I got it. I got it.

Greg 8:26

As, briefly when the, when the door opens up, you immediately hear the weeping old man, drunk -

Hannah 8:32

Oh my god.

Greg 8:33

- at the door.

Mourning Father 8:35

Please, let me see, let me see our son! Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I just, I thought the dorgs would be a good idea!

Guy 8:46

Oh.

Greg 8:48

And Greta's like -

Greta 8:48

I, listen, I, I can't, I cannot let you into the parlor car. I can, I can't even serve you drinks anymore because they're so drunk. I, please leave - Drix! Could you?

Drix 9:00

I've got this.

Hannah 9:01

Wait, is that her husband?

Guy 9:02

We have been presented with an opportunity.

Jolene 9:03

Oh my - do you think, do you think this child is the...oh, let's just ask. Let's just ask.

Mourning Father 9:14

Please, please...

Genevieve 9:16

Mounsior, please, please, calm.

Mourning Father 9:19

What, what?

Genevieve 9:19

Mounsior, what, what seems to be the issue? You cannot see your child, is your child here?

Mourning Father 9:28

My, my wife, Sarina. She's, she's... well, she was, well, she's the Executive Officer of Kethryss and I, I but a lowly viscount, and I, my home was broken into these past days, and my security system of dorgs proved to be the betrayal. And she, she has taken our son on her parlor car trip when I was going to take him, I bought tickets. And she bought him, she bought him these shoes! He's got these tiny little feet. I was, I said that I had them, which, they're much nicer when she bought them! She's toying with me.

Hannah 10:19

Okay.

Drix 10:20

Seems like she really wants to one up everything you do.

Mourning Father 10:24

Child, child, how are, how small are your feet?

Andrel 10:26

What?

Mourning Father 10:27

I have baby shoes for sale! They've never been worn!

Andrel 10:30

I'm thirteen. I'm not a baby.

Mourning Father 10:33

Your, your, your dorg, then. Have you ever seen a dorg in shoes? It might be cute!

Andrel 10:37

I mean...

Mourning Father 10:38

I love dorgs.

Andrel 10:38

His feet aren't human shaped. You can pet him, though, if you want.

Mourning Father 10:42

Oh, dorgs...

Greg 10:43

And yeah. Ji'mani, Ji'mani is, like, letting this dude pet him, but he's, like, looking to you a little, like, ngh.

Andrel 10:50

I'm sorry, okay?

Mourning Father 10:52

I love dorgs.

Andrel 10:55

All right. Hey, we're just gonna go in another booth for two seconds. Ji'mani, keep him, keep him comfortable.

Greg 11:04

Ji'mani, Ji'mani, was like, "hahaha". As you say that, the tail stops wagging, but, like, still letting them pet him.

Andrel 11:11

I, I'm sorry.

Ji'mani 11:16

Yorp.

Hannah 11:17

All right, everyone, everyone in another booth.

Andrel 11:21

How're we, how are using this?

Pip 11:24

So if this is in fact, the husband, we could probably reasonably potentially ask him to assist us in this endeavor.

Genevieve 11:39

That seems like a little bit of blackmail, don't you think? Why don't we just -

Pip 11:42

It's not blackmail. We'll just be like, hey, we got you all in the same place, oh, what will you do? And then it's...

Andrel 11:53

Alright.

Pip 11:54

Basically like, he probably knows is wife better than any of us here. So we could probably, you know, just get information.

Andrel 12:02

I mean, I don't think we have to blackmail anyone. I think probably if we tell him his wife or a kid is possessed by a ghost to want to get them unpossessed.

Pip 12:11

That's probably true, but it, that's kind of a big thing to drop on someone, don't you think?

Genevieve 12:20

Yes. I'm usually not one for reuniting families that do not wish to be reunited. But that child might want to see their father.

Andrel 12:30

Yeah, we don't know the deal.

Pip 12:31

Also like, you know, he seems already kinda hysterical. Do we really want to add, hey, your wife is possessed to mix?

Genevieve 12:44

No, no, you're correct.

Drix 12:47

All right. So we don't tell him his wife is possessed, but we could... maybe Georgie could upgrade his ticket because of some sort of promotion that he fulfilled, wink, wink?

Andrel 12:59

I don't see how that helps us.

Genevieve 13:01

What if we just bring them in here and see how it works out? You know, we give them both free drinks.

Drix 13:07

Oh. Yeah, yeah, we can...

Genevieve 13:11

That way we can observe them when they are - we can, we can hide in one of the booths. I don't - do you still have the spy camera I gave you?

Drix 13:19

Yeah, it's right here. Oh, no.

Genevieve 13:22

Oh no?

Drix 13:24

Nothing. Don't worry about it.

Genevieve 13:26

This is my this is my equipment. I think if there's something wrong with it, you need to tell me.

Drix 13:31

Your equipment is fine. I just forgot that I had on...

The Ministry of Preservation is one of the most vital pieces of the Imperium, and the one that most people interact with throughout their lives. It should be a noble mission to carry on the life-saving works of the Emperor, but the Ministry will often use it's position as a launchpad for more power. And while the executives and chiefs play a great game amongst themselves, it is often employees like the Line Bulls that find themselves sacrificed pawns. Andrel struggles with Ji'mani. Pippin keeps his cool. Drix is saved by an unlikely ally. Genevieve's secret is exposed.

You can find special Guest Jolene here, or on her podcast Wrong Bone Facts

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-28-genevieve-aside-feat-jolene-cotnoir

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:

Drix 0:00

It's been on hell of a week. I sure could use a previously on to catch up on Ghosts on the Train.

Emelina Gemeli 0:07

I overheard that apparently in Southpoint, a Bull was hollowed for daring to touch a royal during a job.

Greg 0:16

Shadow crosses it suddenly.

Jolene 0:19

The Harlequin flips through the sky, carving a dark silhouette against the darker night.

Bull 0:24

Well, I guess that reporter lady wasn't lying!

Genevieve 0:27

I am the only one says the Harlequin will allow to photograph her.

Stev 0:31

There is a high ranking member of the Ministry of Preservation who may be possessed.

Georgie 0:37

Several members of the Ministry of Preservation are going to be, going to be taking the train. Taking the Pride of Duskwall.

Candace 0:43

Genevieve Paquet. She gave one of my trains a scathing review.

Greg 0:49

Laudius Dalmore the Second goes to the parlor car.

Drix 0:53

And you're not gonna believe what's coming up next.

Greg 0:58

The Ministry of Preservation is the governmental body that oversees all transportation between cities, as well as the disbursement of food and other vital resources. All action necessary to maintain life falls under the purview of the Ministry, and it is no exaggeration to say that they hold the lives of thousands in hand. Despite its purpose being to serve, the Ministry often punishes those that upset it cruelly, though its cruelty is insidious enough to avoid outright critique. The Ministry of Preservation has also historically been covetous, even once plotting to wrench the Leviathan Hunter fleets from Iruvia's hands. However, their unkindness to others does not compare to the abuse heaped upon those who work for them. No oath is made to protect the sailor or Line Bull, for such workers are mere brine, their purpose to help pickle and preserve for other's convenience.

Greg 2:08

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 conductor who is currently running the game, driving the train.

Hannah 2:21

Oh, hello! I And - fuck. I'm, I'm Hannah. I'm gonna take that again.

Greg 2:29

Sounds like you, like, just woke up.

Hannah 2:31

Yeah. I'm Hannah. I play Andrel Anderson, suspicious child. Suspicious of other people, not her, not suspicious herself. I don't know.

Guy 2:42

But it could be both.

Hannah 2:43

I guess.

Guy 2:45

She did used to be, like, apparently a leader of, like, a child gang.

Hannah 2:50

Not really. She just had friends in an orphanage and did minor crime sometimes for survival reasons.

Guy 2:58

As one does. I'm Guy, I play Pip. Pip is like a golden retriever. He is big, friendly, and dumb as a box of rocks. But mostly because he's very inebriated. He can also pierce the veil. Apparently.

Stefen 3:17

I'm Stefen. I play Drix, and he's currently trusting, busting, and now secret wrestling.

Jolene 3:27

And I'm Jolene and I'm the guest. I'm playing Genevieve and I am inscrutable.

Greg 3:32

She's a reporter. And also -

Jolene 3:34

I'm a reporter.

Greg 3:35

In game. Out of game she's the host of Wrong Bone Facts. A cool podcast you should listen to.

Jolene 3:42

Yeah, it's, I guarantee you can listen to most of it, like, in, in, like, two hours.

Greg 3:48

You got the time. You got the time.

Jolene 3:50

The whole, the whole, the whole 140 episodes, as of this. By the time this episode comes out, it'll be something like 170, I don't even know. That's a ballpark estimate. You'll have the time.

Greg 4:01

I can't wait for one year of bone facts.

Hannah 4:03

Yay!

Jolene 4:04

Oh my god.

Greg 4:05

I mean, it's gonna be a while. Maybe with half a year of bone facts. But right now, this is Ghosts on a Train. Ghost Lines. Okay, so, last time in the parlor car. There are several different members of the Ministry of Preservation, the Imperial body that directly controls the - well, not directly controls, but is in charge of the Imperial Railways, among other things, such as Leviathan Hunter fleets, plasm distillation. They, the Ministry of Preservation is in charge of preserving humanity. And currently, Genevieve Paquet, our reporter, is in the office car with Candace as the Line Bulls received a missive that there are supernatural happenings in the parlor car. Our Line Bulls suited up, but specifically Drix, not wishing to cross paths with Laudius Dalmore the Second, whom he dueled, is hanging behind, I believe to talk to Miss Paquet. Before we get started, though, which roles did you guys suit up for?

Hannah 5:01

I'll take spider.

Greg 5:02

Okay, you'll take spider. Also suited up is Ji'mani, your dorg.

Hannah and Guy 5:09

Yay!

Jolene 5:10

Oh my god!

Stefen 5:11

Precious.

Greg 5:11

Ji'mani. Ji'mani is, we're taking cues from Blades in the Dark, the hunting pet thing, where Ji'mani will be considered potent against ghosts, just like lightning or whatever. So if, if Hannah wants Andrel to do harm through Ji'mani, that's possible. Just in general though, he can more likely to interact with them. He's got a little doggy gas mask. And what was your, he, I believes he can sniff out ghosts just by default, what was your one - ?

Hannah 5:16

I think I gave him swift.

Greg 5:38

Yes. And Hannah picked swift, because Ji'mani is kind of, like, a larger dorg. At least large enough for a 13-year-old girl who's even a little tall for her age to ride. So she will be considered swift so long as she has Ji'mani, which in our game we've treated in the past as plus one on initiative and also nebulously, like, she could probably move, like, two train cars in one. Yeah, I think we had Jamu'kha could move to train cars in, like, one little action thing. Next! Who, what did you suit up as, Pip?

Guy 6:11

I think it makes sense for Pip to be the anchor.

Greg 6:15

Cool, cool. Drix?

Stefen 6:16

Drix was going to suit up as the rook.

Greg 6:18

Drix suited up as the rook. Not only that, Drix has that fancy new piece of equipment. A big chunky belt with, like, a power pack. Within the power pack is the chunk of Voldranai that is being siphoned. We'll see what it does when you activate it. But, you know, but.

Stefen 6:36

Yeah.

Greg 6:36

In the parlor car, Andrel, Pip, and suited up Ji'mani show up. There is a spirit shouting out the parlor car -

Hannah 6:44

- what the fuck are -

Greg 6:45

- for Crowl.

Hannah 6:46

What the fuck are these people talking about, only two Line Bulls? Ji'mani is right there.

Greg 6:50

Ji'mani! Yeah, Ji'mani, Andrel, is actually not right there.

Hannah 6:54

Oh.

Greg 6:55

Suddenly you hear -

Hannah 6:55

Where's my dorg?

Greg 6:56

You hear -

Ji'mani 6:57

Yorp! Yorp yorp yorp yorp yorp yorp yorp!

Greg 6:59

As he's yorping at the, the woman holding the kid. And she's like -

Executive Officer for Kethryss 7:04

Excuse me? Excuse me, please. My child's very small. Control your dorg.

Andrel 7:06

Hey, hey Ji'mani. Okay, okay, Ji'mani, come here. Come back, buddy.

Ji'mani 7:11

Yorp! Yorp yorp yorp yorp yorp!

Andrel 7:12

Okay, yeah, I get it.

Greg 7:13

You're gonna have to roll something.

Hannah 7:17

Um, um, hmm.

Guy 7:18

After a whole episode of not rolling.

Hannah 7:21

It's, it's not really gonna help the situation, but I have a guess at what's happening and I would like to roll insight to confirm it.

Pip 7:27

Sure.

Hannah 7:27

Okay. Um, I failed that but I get the one question. Well, what's really going on here?

Greg 7:37

Ji'mani is a ghost hunting dog. Ji'mani smells ghost.

Hannah 7:40

Yeah, figured, okay.

Greg 7:42

As, yeah, you fail to control Ji'mani, but you understand what's going on.

Executive Officer for Kethryss 7:46

Stop, stop that, please!

Greg 7:48

The frog knight picks up Ji'mani.

Hannah 7:50

The frog knight? Oh, the frog knight.

Greg 7:51

The frog knight, the knight with the frog, with the frog helmet who seems to be some sort of security officer, lifts up Ji'mani, tosses him your way. You can probably catch him.

Hannah 8:01

Okay.

Greg 8:02

And then he says -

Hannah 8:03

Wow, hate that guy.

Greg 8:04

He turns to you when he says -

Frog Knight 8:05

Young one! Know this, Dunvil. Bulls should be hollowed for less. Control your animal.

Hannah 8:17

Uh, fuck. I - that - the audacity.

Jolene 8:24

The frogacity.

Hannah 8:24

The audacity.

Andrel 8:27

Yeah, you can give that a go if you want. I'll kick your stupid knighted butt.

Pip 8:33

Apologies, sir. This is a professional ghost hunting dorg, sanctioned by the Imperial Railways.

Frog Knight 8:41

Evidently not so professional.

Andrel 8:43

Well, hey -

Frog Knight 8:45

And you, Dunvil. That's two strikes. Mouth off again, or fail to control your dorg, you'll find out the emptiness that awaits you at the third.

Greg 8:54

And the Chief of Operations, in his flannel trousers and the maroon button-up, says -

Chief of Operations 9:03

Yes, well. Yeah, yes, quite exciting. Oh, yes, young Bulls! Could you please handle that? Going on?

Andrel 9:11

Yeah, let's do that. Come on, Pip.

Greg 9:13

You deploy. Laudius looks to you, Andrel, and he just sort of, like, shakes his head.

Hannah 9:18

Andrel flips him off.

Greg 9:21

He, like, puts his hand on his head. Like, he puts his head in his hands, rather. So you deploy to the top! As you do that, bam, Drix, what are you doing? Back in the crew car? As they've left for the parlor car?

Drix 9:34

Step one is I'm gonna listen outside the door to the office car for a second, see if I can pick up on anything.

Greg 9:41

Genevieve, what was...after your conversation with Candace, is there any place you wanted to head, or?

Greta 9:48

I think, I think I'm gonna just head straight back out, because I think, I think I want to see the Bulls again. Did any sort of alarm or anything go off, or any sort of...?

Greg 9:56

Not an alarm, but you probably show up and see, like, a message arrive. And then also Drix suiting up, probably.

Greta 10:03

Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah, so I come through with that, then. I'm kind of done with my conversation.

Genevieve 10:07

Oh, well, where are the other Bulls? What's going on?

Drix 10:11

They are dealing with a bit of an emergency right now, and I was actually headed out to join them.

Genevieve 10:17

Oh, do you mind if I accompany? I could use some good shots. I like the action photography. Will everything be okay?

Drix 10:25

Yeah - everything should, everything should be fine. I will be able to protect you. Just be absolutely careful. I'm - here, we have a spare encounter suit, I'll put you in it.

Genevieve 10:38

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, I do not, I do not wear the suits. They are a little too clunky for me.

Drix 10:44

Well, you do need a gas mask in order to leave the train.

Genevieve 10:49

Oh, I have some equipment that will allow me to take some pictures. Actually, hang on. I have a little - would you mind wearing this? It's a little tiny camera on a little, you could come up with it alongside your badge. If you see any good action, you could take some pictures. It's nothing suspicious.

Guy 11:05

I feel like Andrel has the feeling of someone walking over her grave right about now.

Jolene 11:10

It's, like, a little, it's, like, a little spy camera kind of thing. It's got, like, a little, a little wire that runs down like the length of your arms and kind of, like -

Drix 11:16

Yeah, sure I can. I can put that on.

Greta 11:20

Have you ever taken photography before?

Drix 11:22

Um, I dabble.

Genevieve 11:25

Wonderful.

Hannah 11:27

That's a blatant lie, isn't it?

Stefen 11:29

Oh, yeah, it is.

Genevieve 11:31

I have a good feeling about you. I should be okay. I, what I was planning on doing was finding one of the, one of the more private booths and, and kind of hiding up in there and, and setting up some of my photography equipment. Oh, um, did they say how severe is this, this thing is?

Drix 11:49

It seems to be fairly minor from what I can tell, but you know, everything could change once we get out there. So I do implore you to just stand back, get your action shots from a distance and let us do what we do.

Greta 12:03

Okay, um, well, since there's something I need to kind of tell you. Do you have a moment to discuss? It's very important. Before you go out you want to know this.

Drix 12:13

A moment might be a bit much, but we can try?

Genevieve 12:16

Please, please, please, please.

Drix 12:18

Let's, let's walk and talk on the way out, actually.

Greta 12:21

Oh, no. I prefer to keep this under wraps. Please understand. You see, I am, when I travel the rails, I am, I'm not alone.

Drix 12:32

I'm sorry, what?

Genevieve 12:34

A few years back, I picked up some kind of supernatural demon? I can't really quite explain it. She, she calls herself the Harlequin.

Drix 12:47

So you...you carry

The Spirit of Twilight pushes through mists that hide the Dagger Isles from the rest of the Imperium. Blind as they are, they fall hopelessly into the trap of one of the deathlands' many spirits- but a third party intervenes! A devilish figure with a Harlequin mask; but ultimately is she friend or foe? Days later, a journalist comes to write a review of the Pride of Duskwall on a trip full of particularly important passengers. Pippin conspires with a criminal. Drix hides from an old enemy. Andrel tries to put words to a feeling.

You can find special Guest Jolene here, or on her podcast Wrong Bone Facts

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-27-enter-harlequin

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:

Radio Announcer Greg? 0:00

The Spirit of Twilight slides through the mist surrounding the Dagger Isles. Despite its moniker, the spirit is no ghost, but a locomotive of the Imperial Railways. The people of the Dagger Isles have no need for the train's lightning oil, though their secrets of survival are clouded by the obscuring miasma. Apprehensive in the mist, three Line Bulls stand atop the locomotive to shepherd its freight safely to Irondale from the remote city of Mistport. They circle around the fourth Bull, who has experienced too much on this trip. His mind is shattered, and he will retire if he survives this line. A hidden vouyer watches as a specter emerges from the mist to finish them off, and their posture tenses as she prepares to intervene.

Greg 0:43

Jolene, do you recognize anything about this spirit?

Jolene 0:47

Yeah, I think, I think this spirit has, like, a longer cloak with, with an insignia. Probably some old industrial company -

Greg 0:57

Yes, yes.

Jolene 0:58

- that manufactured some small bits, pieces, here and there.

Greg 1:02

From this cloak, as it appears, it produces, like, a horrible spectral lantern. And as the light shines, a shadow crosses it suddenly. Jolene, could you please describe to us, the Harlequin?

Jolene 1:17

The Harlequin flips through the sky, carving a dark silhouette against the darker night, and, with a full front flip, onto her feet directly. The sharp lines along her arms and along her legs seem to glow with lightning oil being pumped through them. In her hands is some kind of web thrower tool, but not quite, something about it is a little a little off, a little different. And clad on her face, almost lit up by the service lights on the train, you can see one of those tragedy-comedy masks completely overlaid on her face.

Greg 1:48

Hell yes.

Jolene 1:49

And she looks over and she says -

The Harlequin 1:50

This is where you get off, buddy.

Greg 1:53

The other Bulls, one of them, one of them who is Elysian, is like -

Bull 1:57

Mon deau! The Harlequin!

Greg 1:58

And the, one of the others says -

Bull 2:01

I guess that reporter lady wasn't lying.

Greg 2:03

And the, the third says -

Bull 2:06

Oh man, she's gonna give us such a bad review.

Bull 2:09

If reviews are what you're worried about, kid, you're never gonna get out of here alive.

The Harlequin 2:13

You can get out of here alive if you just simply pay attention to your commands. Oh, and forget about this shot!

Jolene 2:20

And I'm gonna, I'm gonna, like, just launch my lightning thrower at the at the guy's lantern to kind of try to yank it.

Greg 2:26

Well, I was gonna say, I think right now you have taken command of the situation. You are leading these Bulls against the supernatural.

Jolene 2:32

Alright.

Greg 2:32

So you'll be able to make your opening move, but first, we're going to roll your 2d6, based on several questions. Have you completed your apprenticeship?

Jolene 2:41

Yes, yes.

Greg 2:42

We've decided you have not completed your journeymanship or the, or are you a Master Line Bull. You do not have the support of another gang. You have Bulls in every role. You have worked this line before, we'll say.

Jolene 2:52

Yeah, I've worked, I've worked lines all around.

Greg 2:54

Yeah, you've probably worked, like, almost everywhere. For reasons. You've been around. What do you say?

Jolene 3:01

I say -

The Harlequin 3:02

If you want to live, you will listen to me.

Greg 3:03

Yeah, they all snap to attention.

The Harlequin 3:05

And if you don't, I may have your souls for dinner.

Greg 3:08

The one, the one who was despairing about the reporter lady, like, shakes a little bit. You hear, like, the clinking of metal. But he'll, he'll listen.

The Harlequin 3:17

Beautiful.

Jolene 3:18

Alright, so what was that plus?

Greg 3:20

Roll 2d6, and it's a plus one total.

Jolene 3:23

All right, well, that was a four total.

Greg 3:26

Heck.

Jolene 3:26

Off to a resounding start.

Greg 3:28

Okay, you are not able to do any of the exciting new things. But you can make your opening move as this thing is...the, yeah, it waves that foul lantern about. You weren't able to seize the initiative, so go ahead and take two trauma for, like, approaching a ghost, as the lantern itself just sort of menaces everybody in the area. So take two trauma to start with, but then you can also make your opening move with finesse.

Genevieve 3:54

Okay, yeah. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to take my specialized web thrower and I'm going to target his lantern and kind of try to drag it down. He has to, like, either let go of it and lose control of this very valuable possession of his, or he's going to get dragged down to the ground with it.

Greg 4:10

Hell yes.

Jolene 4:12

So now that is going to be a...four.

Greg 4:16

Ooh, okay.

Jolene 4:17

So The Harlequin has a very tough start.

Greg 4:21

You open up - you go to yank the lantern, you yank it, and you watch as it flies from this thing's hands, the cloak sort of like falls off into the fog as thought there was, like, never figure inside of it. The lantern is pulled among the Bulls. And you see -

Greg 4:36

Well, I guess, I guess you really do know what you're talking about, Guardian De -

Greg 4:42

And the one Line Bull gets picked up as a spectral hand comes out of the lantern that is now among the Line Bulls, and the cloaked figures sort of steps out from underneath the lantern. Currently grasping the Anchor in one hand, it picks the lantern back up and now it's among you, all threatening to stuff you into its cloak.

Genevieve 4:59

So what I'm going to do is I'm going to run full speed, and do sort of a slide kick to try to knock the lantern far away from these people.

Greg 5:07

Hell Yes. I believe in you.

Jolene 5:10

Yeah, I switched up my dice. So that's plus finesse, that's gonna be a 10.

Greg 5:14

Fuck yes! Okay, that's two things. What do you want to do? Quickly, avoid trouble, compromise, or cost, or do it impressively, stylishly, to greater effect?

Genevieve 5:22

Impressively, stylishly and to greater effect, absolutely. Was that was that one thing or is that two things?

Jolene 5:27

You get two things, actually.

Jolene 5:28

Okay. And the other one is, um...

Greg 5:31

You could do it quickly, or avoid trouble, compromise, or costs.

Genevieve 5:34

I think I'm gonna do it quickly.

Greg 5:36

Hell yes. Okay, so the Anchor gets lifted up, and he's like -

Bull 5:39

Ah!

Greg 5:40

As this horrible ghost is just, like, breathing sinisterly at him, about to stuff him into the cloak, just haaaa, and, slide kick the lantern. You watch as the, the cloak, once again, it's, like, this thing's definitely tethered to this, like, spectral lantern, it gets knocked away. The Anchor goes flying and is dropped, but you have actually kicked the lantern over towards the, the despairing Bull. And, yeah, as the lantern light catches them, you watch. Their face goes white and this thing, the, the cloaked, the cloaked spirit once again bursts from the lantern and just entirely engulfs that Bull. The, the one Bull that was, like, shaking and scared shouts up -

Bull 6:22

Clermont, no!

The Harlequin 6:23

If you want to end up like Clermont, you will stay! Otherwise get your ass in gear!

Bull 6:29

Yeah, yeah. Oh!

Greg 6:30

They fire up their lightning hook.

Bull 6:33

You're a Spider, right lady?

Genevieve 6:35

Yeah! Yes, is, in a way.

Bull 6:38

All right. I'll catch it!

Greg 6:40

And they get their lightning hook. I'm just gonna need a roll from you to get that bad boy in.

Genevieve 6:46

There we go! A four. All right, these dice are also going in the pile.

Greg 6:52

Oh no! Oh gosh.

Genevieve 6:59

I just, I'm just gonna be going through all my d6s.

Greg 7:01

So yeah, you go, you try to, you try to pull it in. The lightning hook breaks, and he gets a pinned to the top of the train and sort of, like, scraped along by the hand that isn't holding the lantern as this thing - unlike that other guy that it absorbed, it, like, pushes this one to the side and sort of looms over you, Harlequin. It's realized that you're the one that's sort of, like, in control here.

Genevieve 7:25

Oh, mou senour, this is trouble!

Greg 7:27

The Anchor, from behind, fires up their electric field, sort of stands over you and, like, offers, like, a hand.

Bull 7:34

Now or never, lady!

Genevieve 7:35

Well, um, I guess we give it one more go! I did not expect this one to be so much trouble. I suppose that's the way things go.

Jolene 7:46

That would be a nine. I'll take it.

Greg 7:48

Yes! Hell yes! Which one do you want to do as you absorb this ghost?

Genevieve 7:54

I think at this point avoid compromise or costs, at this point. It's, there's, there's been enough of those.

Greg 7:59

Yeah, there's a lot of struggling, the one scared Bull with the lightning hook gets free from the hand as you start to catch the spirit into lightning bottle, and it lets out one final "haaaaa" as it goes into the bottle, pulled by the web. You, Harlequin, are pulled to your feet by this Anchor.

Bull 8:20

Thanks an awful lot! We got to thank that associate of yours, Genevieve, down by the way.

The Harlequin 8:26

Oh, yes, if you go back you should see her. But I must go now. I, my place is on the back of this train. Farewell!

Jolene 8:31

And I'm going to, I'm going to kind of do a very dramatic, like, fall off the side of the train.

Greg 8:37

Hell yes. The one scared Bull is like -

Bull 8:41

Whoa, wait, so, is she, like, always living on the back of the train?

Greg 8:47

And the Elysian who was the Owl is like -

Greg 8:51

Of course not, you idiots! I...

Greg 8:54

God, now I've got, now I've got a bad, I've got a horrible French accent.

Jolene 8:58

You're doing fine!

Bull 8:59

Of course not, you idiot. She merely means she has our backs.

Greg 9:05

And they clunk their way on down to the bottom of the Spirit of Twilight, and go into the inside of the Spirit of Twilight. And down there we find Genevieve Paquet, a reporter. As the train pulls into Irondale on the coast of Severos describe to me Genevieve.

Genevieve 9:23

Yes, so Genevieve is, she's got like long, long dark hair. She's kind of got a little, I think right now she's wearing a little, like, pageboy cap. She's got, like, very, like, light makeup on, a long, like, brown trenchcoat. She's kind of a tall woman with some pretty nice clinking boots. She's got, like, a bunch of camera equipment strapped around her and stuff. And she's, she's very eagerly thanking, like, the conductor of the train, like -

Genevieve 9:51

Ah, merci, beaucoup! It's such a lovely train. You never see the sights so much as you can from outside of the window and, oh, so sorry that, that some of your Bulls were a little injured but I'm sure they will be okay. Please, please send them my loveliest regards. They were, they were such peaches.

Bull 10:10

Well, way I see it, um, you know, all of us that, that got out there, it's just because of your friend. We all, we all know the dangers when we take this job.

Genevieve 10:19

She is always there when I need her. I cannot ask for more.

Greg 10:23

The Elysian tips, tips, a hat. The, the, the guy who's the Anchor leaves, pats the scared Bull on the back, and the scared Bull goes to awkwardly leave and I think, I think maybe bumps into Genevieve. And some some pictures fall to the grounds of Harlequin's battle, pictures of, like, underneath the cloaked figure, the, the appearance.

Genevieve 10:50

As you can see, I was a little busy while you were fighting.

Bull 10:54

Oh, wow. Gosh. Wow. These are really impressive pictures. Are you - ?

Genevieve 10:58

If you could help me...

Bull 10:59

Where were you?

Genevieve 11:00

I am the only one that the Harlequin will allow to photograph her.

Bull 11:05

Most Bulls wouldn't let reporters photograph on account of how dangerous it is! You, wow. You're a, you're a brave lady to take these.

Genevieve 11:13

You know, I have my trade secrets.

Jolene 11:16

I wink. You can't they can't hear my wink, but I...

Greg 11:21

Yes. Yeah, I think he leaves, and maybe Genevieve, as Genevieve, you, you put the pictures back. It's a good thing that he didn't rifle through them some, because the Harlequin mask is probably also underneath there.

Genevieve 11:35

Oh, good lord. Oh, boy. That was a rough one.

Greg 11:42

When you show up, there is Stev Ankhayat, who has just taken the train in from Sunfall.

Genevieve 11:48

Stev, mon ami!

Greg 11:50

Stev is an Iruvian reporter that was previously met by the crew of the Pride of Duskwall.

Stev 11:57

Genevieve! Genevieve, my girl, is great to see you! Ah, come over here! Mwa, mwa!

Genevieve 12:02

Such a darling! Oh, the line went not as great as expected. But I got the pictures! And I got the article. The food was actually not too bad. I actually had some delightful little stuffed fried mushrooms.

Stev 12:15

Let me tell you, let me tell you, those Severosi, they know how to fry a mushroom!

Genevieve 12:20

Mm hmm. So what do you got? You got another job for me?

Greg 12:23

Yes, yes. I have...

The Pride of Duskwall once again finds itself solemn upon approach to U'duasha. Though marked Lakewood on Imperial maps, the Line Bulls know that the Emperor is powerless here and they are guests at the leisure of the Iruvian Noble Houses. If the Demon Princes do exist, would it bring comfort to know that it was an inhuman hand guiding Jamu'kha? Or just a deeper dread? Andrel gets a mandatory invitation. Drix buys a shiny new toy. Pippin earns the gratitude of someone he doesn't respect.

For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-26-layover-lady-of-the-lakewood

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

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

Help the Show by Rating and Reviewing on Apple Podcasts

Radio Announcer Greg 0:00

Once more, the Pride of Duskwall returns to the central Iruvian city of U'duasha. Much as the supernatural are drawn to the city by the U'du, its position as an inland capital in opposition to the Imperial City means that the living also find it difficult to avoid. This position also comes from the U'du, or rather, what human beings have done with the four obsidian pillars that surround the U'du's celestial fires. The city revolves around four Noble Houses, each devoted to a Demon Prince, working separately and together to advance goals attributed to the massive obelisks. Ankhuset, devoted to Khuset and keepers of the I'Yalim and half of the Leviathan hunter fleet. Ankhayat, devoted to Khayat, owners of the other half of the fleet as well as sponsors of the historic Vaasu school. Anserekh, devoted to Serekh and maintainers of industry in the massive construction hulls the Sualim. And Anixis, concerning themselves with diplomacy and espionage. These Noble Houses control Iruvia, as even if the Demon Princes exist, they would take no action from within their prisons - save Ixis, whose broken column is said to be proof that the cunning shadow mind slipped his bonds centuries ago.

Hannah 1:22

Who made that noise?

Greg 1:52

Smooth, sonorous. Oh gosh.

Guy 1:57

I saw an opportunity and I took it. No one can blame me for trying.

Greg 2:01

No one can blame you for trying. All right. Welcome -

Guy 2:06

Maybe they should, though. I don't know.

Greg 2:09

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

Hannah 2:22

Debatable. I'm Hannah. I play Andrew Anderson. I'm sad. And by that I mean both me and Andrel.

Guy 2:33

I'm Guy, and I just, I make weird noises sometimes. I play Pip, who also makes weird noises, but they're different from the ones that I personally make. Especially the ones that I do before recording. this is going to be a great bit for exactly nobody.

Hannah 2:51

Isn't that what podcasts are all about?

Guy 2:54

Yes, objectively.

Stefen 2:59

I'm Stefen. I'm still mad at Greg for having duped us for a full ass arc. Every time I listen to an episode I will, I will remember that, Greg, Greg kept us from the truth for so long.

Hannah 3:14

I'm also mad at Greg, and I live with him, and I'm gonna make his life a living hell.

Greg 3:24

I'm just so, it's very -

Guy 3:26

Joke's on us. That's just what existence is right now.

Greg 3:29

Episode 6, Hannah describes funny unicycle man. Twenty episodes later, the unicycle -

Hannah 3:35

I can't believe you've done this to me. I can't believe you've done this to me.

Greg 3:38

- the unicycle is the avatar of the One Within Many, the Forgotten God.

Stefen 3:43

Shout out! Shout out to the listener that made that suggestion that the unicycle was still on the train.

Greg 3:48

No joke, I'm gonna, like, I genuinely want to shout this, this dude out. Sean Lynch, thank you to Sean Lynch. Thanks for bringing the unicycle back and introducing the concept of a homeless person loving the unicycle. How do you like, how do you like the conclusion of the arc you made on Ghosts on a Train?

Hannah 4:10

Sean Lynch, I kind of hate you. I know we're not supposed to say that to listeners. But I hate you a little bit.

Guy 4:19

Sean Lynch come on our podcast.

Stefen 4:22

Sean Lynch, thank you for this arc. Also, I will find and destroy you.

Greg 4:29

Yeah, no idea where Sean Lynch lives. Anchor just tells us the front-facing name.

Hannah 4:33

Listener, sumbit a suggestion, and maybe you can earn my personal ire.

Greg 4:41

Listen, that's a hot commodity in some circles.

Stefen 4:43

Isn't that the goal?

Greg 4:47

Anyways. Hey, let's get started.

Hannah 4:51

Let's do a podcast.

Greg 4:52

Let's do a podcast. The Pride of Duskwall! Following a harrowing journey with the, with the guest Line Bull Jamu'kha, revealed to be a servant of one of the Demon Prince's Gua'ata, a type of, a special type of hollow in training to become a Gua'lim, the Pride of Duskwall returns from thwarting the plans of one Forgotten God, the One Within Many, who hoped to manifest, through the unicycle worshiped by the laborers, hoped to manifest once again into this world, but was thwarted by the Line Bulls. We re-enter U'duasha.

Hannah 5:34

Jack, if you're listening to this, you've also earned my personal - I mean, you've always had my personal ire, but even more now.

Greg 5:42

As our Line Bulls enter U'duasha, the U'du itself is covered by the dome. It is night, the warmth of the dome does little to warm the chill in your hearts.

Hannah 5:57

Poetic.

Greg 5:58

But now Line Bulls, who wants to describe themselves in their day clothes? And what are you off to do?

Pip 6:05

Pip, now that he no longer has to hide the plans for the Ghost Grabbing Gloves, TM, copyright, etc, blah blah blah.

Stefen 6:16

The Geist brand Ghost Grabbing Gloves, TM, copyright, etc, blah blah blah?

Guy 6:19

Yeah, that's the one. He is not wearing a jacket. He's still wearing, like, long sleeves just long enough that he can cover up the tattoo on the inside of his wrist. He looks just, damp. Mostly from, like, sweat and just sadness, and just exhaustion. Like, that particular brand of exhaustion where it's just a combination of just, like, heat and emotional exhaustion. But, you know, you got something else to do, something better to do right now. So you just, like, one foot in front of the other. And Pip is gonna go to the pub to drink.

Greg 6:56

That reminds me, Pip, or rather, Guy. Listeners may remember from the last layover, or I think was at the start of the last line, Pippin McKeel made the bold move to spend some favor to make a major request, that request being the assassination of one Taji the Tank Engine, the crime hirer for Iruvia. Now, I'm going to in secret right now make a roll - by, secret just to Guy, really.

Hannah 7:26

I'm gonna see it.

Greg 7:28

Make a roll, with a plus three for the extra favor that Pip spent, to see the fate of Taji the Tank Engine. By the end of this layover, we, the audience at least, will know what happens to Taji.

Hannah 7:42

I just want you to know that I'm gonna giggle whatever he gets. So, like, don't -

Greg 7:46

Don't read into it.

Guy 7:54

I don't like this. I don't like this one bit.

Greg 7:58

So we will discover Taji's state by the end of this episode. Pippin, you hear news as you step off the train, damp. It's not the news you hoped to hear. It still makes your heart sink, although not as deeply. There's a little paper boy being like -

Paper Boy 8:16

Extr,a extra, read all about it! Prison break in U'duasha! Prisoners at large! Be on the lookout for these men! Asek'raset the Cerrated Edge! Angry Ray! Stabbo! MacMurray the Piece of Shit! The Kuset Massacrer! Bowflex! And...Fishbone!

Hannah 8:42

Fishbone!

Paper Boy 8:46

Uh...forger?

Pip 8:48

You gotta be kidding me.

Paper Boy 8:49

If you have any information regarding these men, please contact your closest I'Yalim or Gua'lim!

Hannah 8:55

Stabbo.

Stefen 8:59

I'm so excited. The triumphant return of Fishbone.

Hannah 9:06

Stabbo.

Stefen 9:06

Stabbo's great.

Hannah 9:07

Hope we get to meet Stabbo. I hope he doesn't stab us. Actually I really hope he has nothing to do with stabbing.

Stefen 9:17

I hope he got the nickname from being stabbed, actually.

Greg 9:22

Andrel, you come out just as they say "And Fishbone the forger".

Hannah 9:27

Oh, Fishbone.

Greg 9:29

What does Andrel look like?

Hannah 9:31

Ah, Andrel is a young woman of 13. She is tall for her age, but, like, she's 13, so, you know. Copper skin, dark hair cut short and kind of messy. Usually a bit of a twinkle of mischief in her eye, but that is notably gone at the moment. She looks a little downtrodden, kinda, you know, looking at her feet and stuff. Not even hearing that Fishbone is at large has, has sparked life into her. Although she did have a slight reaction hearing Fishbone. We've run into Fishbone before and I care a lot about Fishbone.

Greg 10:20

Andrel, as you are heading out, you see another train headed south to Alduara, a city you have not been to, like, to visit, but waving from one of the windows is the white gloved hands of one Ismael Dava.

Andrel 10:39

Andrel waves back a little, probably more confused than anything else, but waves back.

Andrel 10:47

Did not expect him to still be conducting after we almost got him killed by a demon. Again.

Greg 10:54

Drix.

Stefen 10:54

Drix is a tall, broad shouldered, Severosi man. Normally you can see much more of his, like, dark messy hair, but his black cowboy hat with a red band is pulled down so you can only really see the bottom half of his face. His shoulders are a little slumped. He's, you know, wearing his typical short sleeve button up with a black vest over it. And then he's got some, like, darker colored, darker colored slacks on, and some boots. A rope sits hanging from his hip, but it doesn't look nearly as uniform and proper. It's kind of a mess.

Hannah 11:39

We've all had a fucked up time.

Guy 11:41

Sure have.

Greg 11:43

Yeah, as you guys are stepping off, some of the, some of the laborers, slightly patched up wounds, are setting off with you.

Vagrant 11:51

Bonjour, Drix. Pardon moi, but it has been a while since we have had the, the healthcare. Where is, ah Physicker? Where is the Physicker's hut?

Drix 12:06

I can lead you to the Physicker.

Vagrant 12:08

Oh, you should also go. Oh...

Andrel 12:12

We're all so injured.

Drix 12:14

I'm planning on it. Not, uh, I'm a little worse off for wear too.

Vagrant 12:20

Oh. Do you remember when, when you, Pippin McKeel, mentioned that we would be equals when we all fought the supernatural in the ghost suits? I do not believe is that we wish to be equal to you. You can, you can keep that, no?

Pip 12:41

You know, that's...sure. Fine. What? Whatever.

Andrel 12:48

Sorry, guys.

Vagrant 12:50

Oh, no, it is us who should apologize to you. Oh, we did not know that Singular Wheel was such a sinister entity.

Andrel 13:03

Yeah, a lot of us didn't know a lot of things. I don't think you have to beat yourself up about it.

Pip 13:11

Can we maybe stop referring to it, like, with the same sort of, like, reverence like that? The name that we gave it, it's -

Pip 13:19

Oh no, we hold no reverence for the Singular Wheel.

Greg 13:22

And they all, all, all about half a dozen of them spit on the ground.

Drix 13:28

Yeah, it did not feel great to be controlled by it. And I can't imagine you guys had any love for it either.

Andrel 13:35

Stupid unicycle.

Drix 13:37

I hate that unicycle so much.

Vagrant 13:40

Onto the Physicker, no?

Pip 13:42

Yeah.

Greg 13:44

Who wants to do their Physicker first?

Guy 13:46

Drix, Drix, Drix, Drix.

Stefen 13:49

Sure.

Greg 13:51

Drix. You open up the door to the Physicker's hut. The herbs hanging, potions and unctions brewing. The sweet sterile air from the moss that covers the walls. You, you stumble in some, and you see the physiker sitting back in a chair.

Drix 14:11

Hey, hey, Mx. Phys. How're you doing?

Physicker 14:14

Zounds! Thou has awakened me! It appears that I did, for a bunch of brief moment, acquire a microsecond of a nap.

Drix 14:24

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for waking you. I can come back later.

Physicker 14:28

Oh, worry not. The circumstances of my employment means that even were are you to leave, the door would simply open shortly after it close behind you with somebody else, some other time, perhaps, requiring my assistance.

Stefen 14:46

Man. It really sounds like you've gotten a raw deal through this whole thing.

Physicker 14:51

Thou art correct.

Stefen 14:52

I'm sorry.

Physicker 14:54

Tis not they fault. And it is my charge and my pleasure to aid thee with that stab wound.

Drix 15:03

Yeah, that would, that, that would actually be very appreciated.

Greg 15:08

They get you set up on their little table and then they're working swiftly.

Physicker 15:12

May I ask thee something, Drix?

Drix 15:14

Sure. Shoot.

Physicker 15:16

This wound...nay, it came not from something of this world. And I mean not to the Ghost Field, but a place beyond, correct?

Drix 15:25

Yeah, can't get anything past you.

Physicker 15:27

It is a gift and a curse to be so very aware as I.

Drix 15:32

How do you deal with...knowing all that's out there? It's, like, barely separate from you, but still able to reach it. And...

Physicker 15:46

Oft-times, I find myself overwhelmed by the activity outside of my hut's door. But it is, it is when Line Bulls and laborers and the like come through it with an immediate problem that I can solve that I am able to distract myself and feel that I'm doing some tangible good.

Drix 16:09

Good advice. Maybe I should just focus on what I can change.

Physicker 16:15

You are a Line Bull. You protect people.

Drix 16:19

I try.

Physicker 16:20

Even if it's just one person. You've done it.

Drix 16:24

Thanks.

Physicker 16:26

And now thou art healed! Look at that.

Greg 16:28

And there's a red cross mark where the stab wound was.

Physicker 16:32

How the time flies when thou art speaking with a friend!

Stefen 16:38

I mean, at this point, you've seen more of me than most, than most of my friends, so.

Physicker 16:44

Oh, Drix. I did not, I did not know that thou saw me that way, but...

Hannah 16:48

Ooh!

Guy 16:51

Saucy!

Physicker 16:53

I kid, I kid, please, please don't - unless, unless thou are not kidding, but I kid!

Hannah 16:59

I gotta...

The One Within Many is a patient God. Nearly a millennia of neglect by humanity has left every Forgotten God patient, and when it took notice of the worship surrounding a forgotten unicycle it lay in wait for uncounted weeks. Spoke by spoke it ensnared those wayward souls who venerated The Singular Wheel, and a boon from the Demon Princes gave it the last boost of power it needed to make itself manifest on board the Pride of Duskwall. Pip imposes a will even more forceful than his own. Drix trips on some rats. Andrel has a horrible time. Jamu'kha feels regret far too late.

You can't find special guest Jack Wisnosky online... YET!

For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-25-hell-raised

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

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

Help the Show by Rating and Reviewing on Apple Podcasts

Andrel 0:00

Previously on Ghosts on a Train.

Passenger 0:03

I don't knowhow to say this, but I saw this guy in the, in the back. And he had a unicycle.

Stefen 0:10

How can I enter this, er, this house on the ghost field?

Proctor 0:14

This is a summoned manifestation of the Lady of Thorns. It will not perish. There is no hope of defeating this as there is a ghost.

Andrel 0:25

Are you okay? Did something happen?

Jamu'kha 0:28

Many things have changed, Andrel. Many things.

Andrel 0:32

Okay, but, like, what does that mean?

Jamu'kha 0:34

You will know in time.

Andrel 0:36

I'm worried about you, though.

The Singular Wheel 0:38

I am the One Within Many. I accept this boon, and you shall be spared as I make myself manifest once more in this world.

Jack 0:51

I'm just taking it all in. I got nothing to say.

Andrel 0:55

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

Radio Announcer Greg 0:59

Before the cataclysm, some human beings had the natural ability to perform magic, bending reality and calling forth mind-shattering miracles. This trait has since been lost, leaving all people with the same simple capacity for the lesser ritual sorcery. Some objects from before the cataclysm still retain their magical power, although most of these have been confiscated by the Imperium, save the known arcane fortresses in the wilds of Severos. Though mankind may never make such wondrous items again, humans will always yearn to them, as though their old abilities are a phantom limb. However, this yearning is ripe for exploitation by entities seeking worship. The Forgotten Gods, still so desperate to be venerated by humanity, may take an archetypical object used in prayer or rituals as a symbol, pushing some of themselves within it. The object becomes the deity as the deity becomes the object, and their arcane power is accessible to human beings who may wish to wield it. But alas, the wielders of these objects eventually see that this power is not truly theirs, as the crew with the Pride of Duskwall discovers now, as the Singular Wheel reveals itself to be merely a tool of the One Within Many's own agenda.

Greg 2:36

Welcome back to Ghosts on a Train! This is a podcast where we play Ghost Lines, an RPG by John Harper. I'm Greg, I'm still your conductor, this, the puppeteer behind the, the grand little show that you witness here, running the game for my actors and actresses.

Jack 2:59

Ooh, promotions.

Hannah 3:00

I'm Hannah, I play Andrel, I am having a terrible time.

Guy 3:08

I'm Guy, I play Pip, and I, I'm sure I would discuss this in therapy if I had a therapist.

Hannah 3:19

Oh, you should get a therapist. Everyone should get a therapist.

Guy 3:21

That was, that was mostly, like, for Pip, but also, like, the...I don't think there's therapy in the Shattered Isles.

Hannah 3:25

This, there should be. This is a pro-therapy podcast.

Stefen 3:33

This is definitely a pro-therapy podcast.

Guy 3:35

Oh my god, who's that?

Stefen 3:36

This is Stefen. I play Drix, currently possessed, and wow, yeah, that's a, that's not something I ever expected. But hey, here we are.

Hannah 3:48

It was a ghost game. It's bound to happen eventually.

Stefen 3:51

But was it supposed to happen to me?

Hannah 3:53

Evidently.

Greg 3:56

And joining us as a guest, for perhaps one final episode...

Jack 4:03

Hello, I'm Jack and I'll be playing Jamu'kha again. And I believe I'm the one causing the trouble.

Hannah 4:08

Yes, you are. You've been a real bastard.

Greg 4:11

You've been a little scamp.

Jack 4:12

It's kind of my, it's kind of my thing, you know, just a little bastard.

Hannah 4:17

Real bastard man we've got here. Real bastard child.

Greg 4:20

The -

Jack 4:21

I'm just a dirty little bastartd...

Hannah 4:23

Oh no, don't do that. Don't do that. Please don't do that.

Greg 4:29

Oh, here on board the Pride of Duskwall, currently we are in the caboose. The unicycle, the Singular Wheel that all the laborers were cult-like worshipping, was an artifact of the Forgotten God the One Within Many. Jamu'kha was sent - he is a Gua'ata, a servant of the Demon Prince Ixis - he was sent to exchange a boon to get some knowledge from the One Within Many through this artifact. He has completed this exchange and retrieved some knowledge, but now the One Within Many is manifesting itself here in reality, manifesting as a summoned horror. The unicycle has, for lack of a better word, hatched, into a horrid monstrosity - brain matter where the rubber of the wheels normally is, taut sinew for the spokes, a spinal column for the, the neck of the thing, and a horrid eyeball for the seat. The laborers were possessed, but their connections were severed by Drix, who accidentally opened himself up to the understanding that we are all just one within many, and therefore he is, of a sorts, possessed of the, the entity, the Forgotten God, the One Within Many. Although this is not immediately apparent to those around him, perhaps. So I think there's no other way to start this out, gang, except you...you four, we'll still say you four, who is leading you four against the supernatural that is this summoned horror?

Guy 6:18

This...

Greg 6:19

The Singular Wheel is what we'll call it. It's a facet of the One Within Many.

Hannah 6:22

I mean, fuck it, it's me or Pip, I assume.

Guy 6:25

Yeah, it's - do you want this, Andrel? Or can I take it? Because I do have something in mind that I would like to do.

Hannah 6:32

Yeah, go for it.

Greg 6:34

Cool, cool. We'll just quickly go through the questions. And by questions, I mean, two questions. You got - technically, you're all Bulls in each, in the same roles. You've got your apprenticeship, you've worked this thing. Will all the other Bulls follow your orders without hesitation?

Hannah 6:48

Probably not!

Greg 6:49

I feel like probably not. So it's a straight roll for you, Guy.

Jack 6:53

No, definitely not.

Guy 6:54

Oh, boy. Here we go. These dice have not fucked me on this one. It is a 7 to 9.

Greg 7:05

Alright.

Guy 7:05

May choose one. I am going to seize the initiative and say this thing just hatched and hasn't sort of, like, fully come to terms yet. And there is something that I would very much like to do.

Greg 7:21

Go for it. What's your opening move?

Guy 7:23

My opening move is to turn to Jamu'kha, and I am going to impose my will. I will describe how this goes after the roll.

Greg 7:34

All right. And so, imposing your will is a thing that hasn't come up as much. But again, we just real quick check in, I don't know if you checked in with Jack separately -

Guy 7:43

I did check in with Jack separately.

Greg 7:45

Cool, cool.

Guy 7:45

He gave the approval. But basically, like, Pip come in. And, like, he heard the conversation between Andrel and Jamu'kha. He sees the chaos that is going on. And his first instinct was to wreck this thing. It has now fully manifested, or at least manifested enough. And, like, the only thing that he can think of is basically, like, you are responsible for this. You are going to help. So I will let you know how this goes after.

Greg 8:17

Cool. So -

Hannah 8:18

Jack needs to roll too, right?

Greg 8:19

Well, no, no, no, here's what it is. So what's - the, there's stuff to talk about. Steel? What's your steel scores? Whose steel is greater?

Guy 8:26

Plus two.

Greg 8:27

Okay.

Jack 8:28

Oh, I guess I'm zero, plus zero.

Greg 8:30

Okay, so, your level is the same. Pippin is a noble of Akaros, and Pippin, are you threatening, are you threatening bodily harm?

Guy 8:37

Oh, he's about to, yes.

Greg 8:41

Okay, so that's a total of plus three.

Guy 8:43

Cool.

Hannah 8:45

This does feel like a bodily harm situation.

Guy 8:49

That is a three plus four, that is a 10. So you get the choice of doing what I say or taking two trauma.

Greg 8:59

Or you could also take two harm if you call his bluff, although you are pretty beat up.

Jack 9:04

What happens with trauma? What happens if I take two trauma, and, like, I get full on trauma?

Greg 9:08

Trauma is basically a second, a second life bar, so to speak, for your mental well-being. So if it maxes out then you also, you, you'd also lose, but also you could take a horror. So, so trauma is like a second life bar.

Jack 9:23

Okay, can I take two trauma?

Greg 9:25

Ooh, so let's describe the scene. Pip, what do you do?

Guy 9:31

Pip, for the first time probably ever, at least as far as his friends have seen him, stands up to his full height.

Hannah 9:42

Oh my god, Pip's tall.

Guy 9:45

And just, in a bellowing voice, just - it starts off with normal, just like -

Pip 9:51

I don't know what you've done here. I don't know what you intended to do here. But you have currently threatened the lives and livelihoods of those on this train, amongst myself and the others. You have broken your vow as a Line Bull. You have broken your vow as someone who would come along this train and ride the Imperial Railways.

Guy 10:20

Pip's eyes, I've never fully described, apparently deliberately. Normally, they're kind of a lifeless, steely grey. But this time, staring into them as he stares back at you, you can see them glowing with the same blue energy as the tattoo that sometimes appears over his left wrist, crackling with electricity from deep within.

Greg 10:46

Yeah, and Jamu'kha, so obviously you've chosen to take the trauma, so you're not listening. But in a sense, but in a sense, you, you still feel coming from Pippin - you all, you all feel it from Pippin - a kind of like a deep spiritual authority that, like, you don't necessarily need to heed, but like, it's impossible to ignore. It's, it's different than when a noble of the house speaks to you, Jamu'kha. This is, like, a deeper, more human power.

Jack 11:22

Okay.

Greg 11:23

But it's, it's undeniable.

Pip 11:25

Whatever it be that you choose to do, know that you have been commanded as such, and if you do not heed my words, then you shall suffer the consequences of your choice.

Greg 11:44

Do you think Pip's accent is fake?

Andrel 11:45

What the fuck is happening?!

Stefen 11:49

Drix - no, Drix, Drix is possessed, he doesn't know!

Andrel 11:54

Oh my God, Pip's accent was fake the whole time!

Greg 11:59

I mean, that's not what I was going for, but okay.

Greg 12:02

No, I'm just joking.

Jack 12:03

I love it, I love it.

Greg 12:04

You're talking all intensely. Yeah, Jamu'kha, what do you do in response to this?

Jack 12:09

Okay, so I think, like, after the trauma, like, I'm assuming it's just, like, kind of like, willpower in my brain, like, to overcome this. To, like, not be compelled.

Greg 12:16

Yeah, exactly. That's exactly what it is. You overcome this

Jack 12:18

While, like, I let go of Drix for a second and, like, kind of like drop to a knee from, like, the pain, and, like, as I stand back up, like, I wipe, like, a little bit of blood from, like, under my nose, like, from, like, how I overcame - like, from my willpower. And, like, as I get up, I kind of just, like, look at Pip and just, like, smile and, like, glare at him. And then I turn back to Drix, grab him by the arm again, and I want to, like, kind of do, like, a judo move with my finesse and throw him into, like, the tricycle God and try and run.

Greg 12:47

Hell yeah! Unicycle God. But yes, roll finesse.

Jack 12:51

Unicycle, not tricycle, excuse me, excuse me.

Greg 12:53

Roll finesse.

Jack 12:55

Okay, it's an eight.

Greg 12:57

Ooh, which one do you want to do? Quickly, without cost, or impressively?

Jack 13:02

I want to do it without trouble or compromise.

Greg 13:05

Okay.

Guy 13:06

Hey, hey, Greg. So that was the opening move, right?

Greg 13:09

Yes.

Guy 13:10

I'd like to assist.

Greg 13:12

Well, the opening moves still counts...the, what it means is, like, it's before the supernatural entity goes. So all of your Line Bull actions, all four of you, your Line Bull action will happen before the Unicycle God does anything.

Hannah 13:25

I'll assist.

Greg 13:26

Yes, Hannah can assist.

Hannah 13:28

Hannah will assist. I'll also use finesse.

Greg 13:31

Okay.

Hannah 13:34

That is a 13.

Greg 13:35

Cool, cool. So what are you aiming to do? Not only can you give the minus two to Jamu'kha's, so - causing them to fail because he had an eight - but yeah, you got, like, 13 right? So that means you can do two other things.

Hannah 13:45

Great. I think I see him going to judo flip my boy and I just kind of straight, straight up, like, I think I dive and, like, grab him around the legs.

Jack 13:59

Me or Drix?

Hannah 14:00

You.

Jack 14:01

Okay.

Hannah 14:02

Which hopefully - the hope would be to at least hinder him from running away.

Greg 14:08

Yeah, yeah. So do you do - like, what's the thing? Do you, trouble, compromise, or cost, quickly, impressively, to greater effect, like, you, this is a whole action of yours.

Hannah 14:15

Oh, great.

Greg 14:15

Not only have you ruined his action, but you can effectively reverse it and take your own.

Hannah 14:19

Great. Trouble, compromise, or cost and greater effect.

Greg 14:24

Cool. So all - is all you want to do grab his legs? Or do you want to do anything else?

Hannah 14:27

Can I, like, pin them to the ground?

Greg 14:29

Yeah, greater effect.

Hannah 14:30

Yeah, sure. So you've been, you've been judo pinned to the ground by a 13-year-old who is, like, 90 pounds soaking wet.

Jack 14:38

Okay.

Hannah...

Ghosts on a Train is an Actual Play Podcast taking listeners along on a story filled with danger and comedy. The Line Bulls and Conductor do their best to maintain a balance between the two, but there are times where a listener must beware; as the narrative might suddenly derail to serve one over the other. April 1st is one such time. Pippin's day drinking catches up to him. Drix has an uncomfortable encounter with a familiar face. Andrel gets into the hot tub.

For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/totally-ep-25-the-grind-of-duskwall

Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta. Check out other great Faustian Nonsense Network shows here.

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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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Help the Show by Rating and Reviewing on Apple Podcasts

Drix 0:00

It's been one hell of a week. I sure could use a previously on to catch up on Ghosts on the Train.

Andrel 0:07

Okay, I'm not actually sixteen. You cannot tell anyone! I lied on my resume. I'm telling people that I'm short from age, I'm actually really tall for my age, I'm thirteen.

Pip 0:17

But wait, that's illegal.

Drix 0:18

How did we run out of beans? Somebody tell me how we ran out of beans!

Dunvil 0:23

Alright Andrel, just in case I can't make it. Here's my name tag. You can open the shop for us if I don't make it in that day.

Andrel 0:29

I have school.

Drix 0:30

I just want one day where my ex does not bother me at work.

Drix 0:35

And you're not gonna believe what's coming up next.

Radio Announcer Greg 0:40

The suburban district of Charhallow is blanketed in an all-consuming darkness until an incandescent light spills through glass walls. Like other Duskwall coffee shops, this cafe offers a laid-back space with modern electric charging stations, though a record-switching jukebox occasionally plays when a quarter is dropped inside, an aesthetic anachronism that marks it unmistakably as the Grind of Duskwall. Returning from a day of respite, the baristas and other staff open up the shop for a typical morning. But among the nearby office spaces and college buildings, tired gazes lock onto the closed sign for the moment it turns to reveal the invitation to retrieve their vital caffeine. Customers! Countless number of them, from which the employees make their wage. Should one of these regulars grow bold, what is an overworked barista to do?

Greg 1:53

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

Hannah 2:03

I'm Hannah, I play Andrel Anderson, certified rascal. I've used that already. But I don't have an endless well of creativity. Get off my dick.

Greg 2:14

Yeah, get off her dick.

Hannah 2:15

Get off my dick.

Guy 2:17

I'm Guy, I play Pip, and he's working through the hangover right now. Normally, it's just implied, but this time it's explicit.

Stefen 2:28

I'm Stefen, I play Drix, and he is just way too tired for work today, actually.

Hannah 2:36

Honestly, same. It's Daylight Savings Time, which is dumb, and that means it's an hour earlier than it actually is and I did not want to wake up for this.

Stefen 2:45

Correct.

Greg 2:48

All right, well, we're just gonna pick up right where we left off. Okay, so Andrel, you're behind the register. There's a, there's kind of long line, and Dunvil still hasn't shown up for his shift. And we, right now we have - oh, we didn't describe the customer last time. We got a particularly mean customer talking to Andrel right now. Does anybody recognize them? And remember, it doesn't have to be like you personally know them. Just something recognizable about this customer.

Guy 3:13

I think they might be...you know, they've got sort of, like, big glasses, kind of long hair just because they've been inside a lot lately, and they're definitely from South America.

Greg 3:28

Is this Adrian?

Guy 3:29

This might be Adrian.

Greg 3:30

Is this our friend, our personal friend -

Hannah 3:32

This is our personal fr - I mean, Adrian -

Guy 3:34

He's not gonna listen to this! Who cares?

Hannah 3:36

- Adrian is kind of mean to me in real life.

Greg 3:39

Oh my god.

Guy 3:40

Adrian is mean to everybody, that's kind of -

Greg 3:41

This is Adrian, our friend who doesn't listen to the podcast.

Guy 3:44

He doesn't listen to podcasts period, so...

Drix 3:47

Hey, hey, that's not true, that's not true. He, he does now.

Guy 3:51

I don't believe you.

Stefen 3:52

He does, because he's, because he's been trained by Yoshiko to art, and the only thing to do while you're arting -

Greg 3:58

Yes!

Stefen 3:58

- is listen to podcasts.

Greg 3:59

Holy crap, Adrian! We - hey! Hey Adrian! Wink! You're here!

Stefen 4:01

He will not listen to our podcast. Let's be real here. But he does listen to podcasts. Eventually he may get desperate enough.

Greg 4:12

Okay, okay, Adrian, you're here, or rather, Jacob Iglesias is here. This is an inside joke that, for nobody listening.

Guy 4:19

Oh my god.

Greg 4:20

Jacob Iglesias. All right. The customer is looking to you, Andrel. He's like -

Adrian 4:27

Listen, I didn't - my croissant sandwich, I ordered it. I'm sure it's on the receipt. Like, how - why am I talking with you?

Andrel 4:34

Okay, can you show me the receipt?

Adrian 4:36

I threw it out real quick because I thought I had all my things!

Andrel 4:40

Okay, well, I don't know, maybe you should've checked first.

Adrian 4:45

How old are you?

Andrel 4:46

Sixteen.

Adrian 4:48

Yeah, okay, can I talk to your manager? Can you get your manager out right now for me?

Andrel 4:52

Sure. Yes, sir.

Greg 4:54

From the back comes a woman with red hair. She's in her 20s, she's got the uniform on, but it looks a little nicer. It's Georgie.

Georgie 5:04

Dinnea fash, Andrel. Listen, sir, I'm her supervisor. We won't have the manager out today. I just understand you got a problem with how Andrel's doing right now?

Greg 5:14

And the customer says -

Adrian 5:17

No, no, no!

Greg 5:18

- slams his fist on the table. That fist slamming, Drix, Pippin. You guys noticed this as well. Right now, I want to know which of you three are going to lead the team against the consumer.

Hannah 5:33

I'm right here.

Greg 5:34

Okay.

Guy 5:35

I feel like this is kind of, like, Andrel taking point.

Greg 5:38

Okay. Okay. So, um, questions, as we normally do. Have you completed your apprenticeship? Yeah, you're an apprentice barista. No, journeyman. No, no, master. You don't, you don't have the support of another, another group. Oh, yeah, what roles are you all? Sorry, I'm so sorry. Are we doing your archetypical roles?

Hannah 5:54

Yeah.

Guy 5:55

Yeah.

Stefen 5:56

Yeah.

Greg 5:57

Okay.

Guy 5:57

I think that makes the most sense.

Greg 5:58

So we do have an Anchor in Pip. We do have a Spider in Andrel and a Rook in Drix. We don't have an Owl, so that's one minus one. So we're currently sitting at zero. Have you worked this shift before, Andrel?

Hannah 6:13

Um, hm.

Greg 6:15

It's, like, the morning shift, right?

Hannah 6:18

Is it, what day the week is it?

Greg 6:21

A Tuesday.

Hannah 6:24

I'm gonna say I probably have on, like, school vacations.

Greg 6:27

Okay, okay.

Hannah 6:28

Or, you know what, I probably cut school regularly.

Greg 6:31

All right, so you don't take a minus one there. Do the other baristas swear to follow your orders without hesitation? Okay, so do, well, you, I'll give you guys time to, like, share, like, a knowing look or something, or like...

Hannah 6:41

We're in this together, fam?

Guy 6:45

I mean, like, Pip is, like, 100% devoted to "the customer is never right", so...

Greg 6:51

Hell yes.

Guy 6:53

Like he's, he's willing to throw hands if it comes to that, but he's probably just gonna throw, like, a fruit tart or something.

Hannah 7:01

All right.

Greg 7:01

Yeah, we've seen that on the last freaking layover, huh?

Stefen 7:09

As, you know, the audience knows, Drix always wants to be hospitable, but you know, hospitality goes both ways, so. It's, uh, it's time to handle stuff.

Greg 7:18

Speaking of hospitality, they were just mean to Georgie, who tried to defuse the situation.

Guy 7:22

Yeah, that's it. That's unacceptable.

Greg 7:25

Like, again, you guys are, you guys are sort of, you're, you're employees here in the Grind of Duskwall. But I, like, you are the players, so, like, certain things you need to deal with. I'm not gonnna have my NPCs do it. That's just how I roll as a, as a GM.

Hannah 7:39

Also, like, look at his stupid face. He looks like a real dick.

Greg 7:44

You hear that, Adrian?

Hannah 7:47

All right, so that's a zero?

Greg 7:49

Yeah, that's a zero. Straight roll.

Hannah 7:50

Okay.

Guy 7:51

Adding Hannah to my list of people I need to high five.

Hannah 7:54

That's a four.

Greg 7:55

Oh, okay, so you don't get to do anything special.

Hannah 7:58

Stupid fucking dice.

Greg 7:59

You can make the opening move, though. Do you want to tether the customer, like, so that way they don't storm out?

Hannah 8:05

Yeah.

Greg 8:05

Yeah, roll finesse to tether the customer.

Hannah 8:07

I'm gonna switch dice.

Greg 8:08

Okay.

Hannah 8:09

I have to take Greg's giant d100 out of the dice bag because it's in the way.

Greg 8:16

It's a good die.

Hannah 8:17

It's not. All right, uh, that's, uh, that's an eleven.

Greg 8:23

Oh, fuck yeah. Okay, so which, which two do you want to do?

Hannah 8:26

I'd like to do it quickly and without compromise.

Greg 8:30

Okay. Yes. Did you have, like, a vision in mind for how you, you get this customer to keep, like, engaging with you?

Hannah 8:37

I'm picturing, like, little Andrel kinda leaning forward across the counter, and she's like -

Andrel 8:41

You know what, I will go talk to our baker and if you just stay right there I'm sure she can get you that croissant sandwich real quick.

Adrian 8:55

All right. All right. I've already been here. I've already been here for a while, but I guess, you know, if...I, I'll just have to wait double the time for my croissant sandwich to go through that stupid toaster again.

Andrel 9:05

Well...

Adrian 9:06

I thought you'd do it with the hashbrowns, but whatever.

Andrel 9:08

It'll be worth it.

Greg 9:11

All right. The customer, so, so Andrel, presumably you're going off to talk to Greta.

Hannah 9:16

Yeah.

Greg 9:17

Who's working, who's working baking things.

Hannah 9:19

Greta, please help me.

Greg 9:20

At the moment, Pip, Drix, the customer is sort of, like, he's like, tapping his foot, and he's giving, like, nasty looks at, giving nasty looks at Georgie. You see he's starting to rile up the other people in the line because it's a pretty long line, and, like, at the moment this does kind of reflect poorly on you guys rather than just this guy being a dick, because the whole line's being held up. Any action from you guys?

Stefen 9:47

Yeah. I think Drix saunters up to him and is like -

Drix 9:51

Hey, I'm, I'm really sorry that this has been such a rough morning, and we, you know, we will do everything in our power to correct it. Now, if you wouldn't mind, would you just please step over here for a moment?

Greg 10:03

Oh, nice, nice, nice. So you're going to, you're going to tear him loose from the, like, the customer, like, line, right?

Stefen 10:08

Yeah.

Greg 10:09

Yeah, yeah, go ahead and roll force for me.

Stefen 10:11

Awesome.

Guy 10:13

I should have grabbed my dice. I'm a fool.

Drix 10:17

All right, that would be a nine.

Greg 10:20

Excellent, excellent, excellent. Which one do you want to do?

Stefen 10:25

Um, I think I want to create an opportunity.

Greg 10:29

Okay, I was gonna say, that's, that's probably, that's probably exactly what you're doing. So yeah, you, you get him, and at first he's, like, all indignant, but then you saw it, saw it off with the okay, maybe you should step aside. And he's like -

Adrian 10:39

Yeah, I guess I have nothing else to do today. I guess I'll, yeah, I'll get out of the way.

Hannah 10:45

Then what are you complaining about?

Greg 10:47

And Georgie, Georgie, mouths little thank you and then goes -

Georgie 10:53

I can take the next customer, please, while the, while the barista's over that way.

Greg 10:56

And yeah, she starts, she starts to sort of, like, ring people up. Pip, you see Greta, Greta is currently, she's got a big collection of food that she needs to give to a delivery person at the moment. Andrel's trying to get her attention but she's, like, really focused on this. Do you wanna do anything?

Guy 11:16

I think Pip's, Pip's been, like, working here, and he knows the back of the shop well enough, I think. He could, he could probably just sort of, like, take care of this, and just get, like, one of the, like, the frozen ones, or like, maybe one of the day old ones, just because, like, honestly, fuck this guy.

Hannah 11:32

Fuck this guy! Fuck you, Adrian!

Stefen 11:34

Fuck this guy!

Guy 11:37

Look, you put it through the toaster, no one can even tell, like, anyway. Like, who gives a shit? So Pip's gonna just, like, push it through the toaster, just like, real quick, just like, bing bang boom.

Greg 11:48

Hell yeah. What kind of roll do you think that'd be?

Guy 11:51

That's a very good question.

Greg 11:54

It could be, like, insight to find the right frozen things, or, like, honestly, I could see it being steel to just, like, to just be like, yeah, yeah, I got you the frozen one.

Guy 12:06

Yeah, no, I think -

Hannah 12:07

Look this man in the eyes and tell him this is a fresh croissant sandwich.

Guy 12:10

Yeah, Pip's gonna do exactly that.

Greg 12:13

Which one, which one don't want to do?

Guy 12:17

I think panic, disengage, or flee. I want Pip to just, like, stare him in the eyes, just like, here's your fresh sandwich, sir.

Greg 12:25

Yeah, yeah, go ahead and roll for me.

Guy 12:28

I'm gonna have to steal some -

Stefen 12:29

Go for it.

Guy 12:32

I'm actually gonna use one of the chocolate covered espresso beans to give myself plus one.

Greg 12:37

Very good, very good. Oh,...

The Imperium of the Shattered Isles is built upon the history of a world destroyed, of cultures broken. Survival is paramount, and the Imperial Railways is a resource aimed towards the preservation of the living now and do not stray far from their tracks to explore the people left behind in the cataclysm. The past will make itself known regardless as the spirits of the deathlands will jump at any chance to strike, even for a routine current collector realignment on the Pride of Duskwall. Drix wants Silence. Andrel worries for her friend. Jamu'kha meditates. Pippin smashes a unicycle.

You can't find special guest Jack Wisnosky online... YET!

For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-24-a-horror-born

Follow @DiveCloudCast on Twitter and check here to find all the ways to listen to Dive Cloud

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

Help the Show by Rating and Reviewing on Apple Podcasts

Greg 0:00

Hey there passengers. Before we start the episode, I want to draw attention to a new donation link we've added for the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum. Around the time of this episode's release, there was a racially motivated mass shooting in Atlanta that left eight dead, most of which were Asian women. The United States' long history of anti-Asian sentiment cannot be ignored, especially after the past year of racist discussion around COVID-19 in the media and from elected officials. Racism and sexism have intermingled with tragic results, and we urge our listeners to donate and stand with the Asian American community. This past year has been harsh for so many reasons, but this latest reminder of white supremacist terror in the US cannot be ignored. Please listen to and support marginalized groups and stay safe and healthy in your own lives. Thanks. Now onto the podcast.

Pip 0:51

Last time, with ghosts or trains or something...

Proctor 0:55

It has come to our attention that onboard of one Imperial locomotive, the Pride of Duskwall, there is an artifact of the One Within Many. The One Within Many will be able to give the Demon Princes some vital information. We shall give you a boon with which to negotiate.

Andrel 1:16

Pip, Drix, this is my friend from the orphanage! His name is Jamie!

Vagrant 1:21

It is always helpful to remember that we are all one within many, spokes in the Singular Wheels that is.

Pip 1:27

And today...

Radio Announcer Greg 1:30

The layer of reality known as the Ghost Field can be perceived by any living thing that is echoed within, as well as many supernatural entities that exists outside of it. It is called the Ghost Field because this is where spirits reside, and it is the place from which they manifest into the reality of the living. But the Ghost Field is far too simple a name for what this layer contains. All of humanity's actions are imprinted upon it, where they can be perceived by inquisitive minds, as one might peruse an album of imprinted leaves. And much like one might carefully remove a leaf from the safe storage of a book, it is also possible to whisper into the Ghost Field and create an opening into our reality for a bound spirit, or even for a summoned horror from beyond the field itself. Regardless of one's purposes for access, it is never safe to attune oneself the Ghosts Field, and the living who wade into its depths may soon find themselves dragged to their doom by the undertow. An example of this phenomenon is the Line Bull Drix, whose mind plummets through the Ghost Field as he stands with his Bulls against the supernatural, leaving him vulnerable and all too aware of the horrific possibilities.

Greg 3:00

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

Hannah 3:10

I'm Hannah, I play Andrel. I have a friend this line, in addition to my coworkers who are kind of my friends? We're getting there.

Guy 3:21

I'm Guy, I play Pip, I am canonically not Andrel's friend. It's tragic.

Hannah 3:25

We're getting there!

Stefen 3:29

I'm Stefen, I play Drix, and I'm just along for the ride.

Jack 3:33

I'm Jack and I play Jamu'kha, and I guess I'm Hannah's friend?

Hannah 3:38

Yay. Wow. Okay. Four years of my life.

Jack 3:43

I meant in the game, Hannah.

Greg 3:45

Yeah, Jack is Hannah's real friend.

Hannah 3:47

Jack is Hannah's real friend, yes.

Guy 3:50

As opposed to us where we're all fake friends.

Stefen 3:53

Believe it or not, off mic we hate each other.

Hannah 3:56

I think we're friends!

Guy 3:59

This is news to me.

Stefen 4:04

The feud between our bloodlines will stretch across the ages, Hannah.

Greg 4:09

Oh, gosh.

Guy 4:11

Hold on, on the second day of Hanukkah, as a Jew, I'm not sure how I feel about that one, bud.

Hannah 4:17

It's the third day of Hanukkah, I think.

Guy 4:21

Eh, until sundown.

Hannah 4:22

I guess.

Stefen 4:28

So not cool to declare a blood feud during Hanukkah?

Guy 4:32

Generally -

Hannah 4:32

I think blood feuds are pretty in the spirit of Hanukkah, honestly. It's a war holiday.

Greg 4:35

If you're a rabbi and listen to this podcast, please tweet @ghosts_train about, about blood feuds during, during Hanukkah.

Guy 4:50

I think it's more appropriate during, like, Passover, personally, but, like, hey, so it goes.

Greg 4:54

You know what, I amend that. Tweet at us @ghosts_train about which High Holy Days are the best for declaring blood feuds and which ones are the worst.

Guy 5:07

Buzzfeed's Top 10 days to...

Hannah 5:11

I'm gonna text, I'm gonna, I'm gonna text Sam about this later. I feel like they'll have opinions.

Greg 5:15

I love it. So, getting back to the matter at hand, the Pride of Duskwall is stopped for some realigning of the contact shoe, the current collector for the train to the electric third rail. Meanwhile our Line Bulls are protect the - protecting the laborers from the horrors of the Deathlands, in this case, one ghost armored up in an Iruvian, an ancient Iruvian noble who seems to take umbrage with the I'Yalim-style armor that Andrel Anderson currently has. In this case, you all know what's up, so who would like to lead the Bulls against the supernatural?

Guy 5:57

I think this feels like either an Andrel or a Jamu'kha.

Hannah 6:03

Jack, do you want to do it? Or should I?

Jack 6:05

I believe you should. You've got more experience on this train.

Hannah 6:08

That's true, actually.

Greg 6:10

All right. So Andrel has completed her apprenticeship so that's a plus one. You've got a Bull in every single role, so you don't take minus ones there. You have worked this line or area before so you don't take a minus one there. Do the other Bulls swear to follow your orders without hesitation?

Pip 6:26

Yeah.

Drix 6:27

You know it, Little Spurs.

Jack 6:28

No.

Hannah 6:29

What!

Jack 6:30

I might hesitate.

Greg 6:32

Ooh, I like it!

Hannah 6:33

You absolute bastard.

Greg 6:35

So in total, you have a straight roll.

Hannah 6:39

All right. It's, it's two dice, right?

Greg 6:41

Two dice.

Hannah 6:41

Yeah, yeah, I know how to play this game. Well, it's a 10. So Jack didn't fuck us all.

Greg 6:47

So pick two.

Hannah 6:48

I'll pick...um, does anyone have a particular opportunity or advantage you want? Cuz I'm bad at coming up with those.

Guy 6:57

I have an idea.

Hannah 7:00

Yeah?

Guy 7:00

Because they got spat out by the earth, and things are starting to, like, still reform -

Greg 7:07

So no, no, no, no, no, no. To make it clear. The earth part was an echo.

Hannah 7:12

Okay.

Jack 7:13

So it didn't actually happen, okay.

Hannah 7:15

Maybe I'll just take seize the initiative and orderly disposition, I guess.

Guy 7:20

That's good.

Greg 7:20

Hell yeah. The Bulls are deployed exactly where you want them and are ready for action.

Hannah 7:26

Yeah, bitch.

Greg 7:26

So go ahead, you make the opening move. You are the Rook, currently. So go ahead, use your lightning hook.

Hannah 7:34

I'm begging you to stop making me do things. Yeah, I'll use my lightning hook. That's what I'm gonna do. That is an eight.

Greg 7:43

Which one would you like to pick?

Hannah 7:45

I'll inflict great harm. Fuck it up.

Greg 7:48

You shoot it with your heavy lightning hook, the heavy lightning hook, it's got a big, like, battery pack, and it's held, like, from overhand, there's like, a heft to it. But Andrel you're pretty strong for, like...

Hannah 8:00

For a thirteen-year-old.

Greg 8:00

For a thirteen-year-old. The electricity arcs from the lightning hook, grabbing this ghost. It's got, like, Falcon wings from its little backpack part of the armor, and as you zap it with the hook for a shocking four harm, with your extra harm, the bird wings start to, like, go haywire. He veers off course. But as he swings past you, extends one hand, and out of open palm a jet of fire bursts at you. Go ahead and take two harm.

Hannah 8:36

Reduced to one?

Greg 8:37

Reduced to one.

Hannah 8:38

Yeah. Still not great. But love armor.

Greg 8:42

You've maintained an orderly disposition and seized the initiative, so where are the others at? And who wants to go?

Hannah 8:49

I think, so it's flying towards us, right?

Greg 8:53

Yeah. Now a little bit to the side.

Hannah 8:55

Now a little bit to the side. I think probably it's conveniently been swung towards Pip, so he can do his Anchor thing and maybe hold it still. And Jamie is, like, lined up sort of perpendicular to that to, to throw a lightning web or whatever.

Greg 9:19

All right.

Hannah 9:20

I don't know where Drix is. You can do whatever, man.

Greg 9:23

So Pip, ready to deploy.

Guy 9:25

Yeah. I'm gonna roll insight, actually.

Greg 9:31

Like, like, like, you just want to roll insight, you like, your own dang self. You could outsource this theoretically to Drix because he's the Owl, but also then again, he is seeing things.

Guy 9:39

Yeah, he's, he's seeing things. I think I kind of want to know for myself.

Greg 9:43

Okay, be aware this will be your thing.

Guy 9:45

This is, this is my Anchor-related thing for, for this. So. That is a nine total, nice.

Greg 9:55

What's your question?

Guy 9:56

That gave me a hold one. So I think I'm actually gonna sit on it for a little bit.

Greg 10:00

All right.

Guy 10:01

As I try to, like, analyze the situation, it's like -

Pip 10:04

Oi, you...I don't know what's appropriate here.

Greg 10:09

Jack, I think you were the next one mentioned. It's perfectly ready for you to shoot it with the lightning web thrower, or your hook, but probably the lightning web thrower.

Jack 10:19

Where, like, where is it in like relation to, like, the train and us? Like, is it, like, in between us now? Like, it's in between me and Pip, right?

Greg 10:28

It's between you and Pip. You guys are effectively keeping yourselves between it and the train.

Jack 10:34

Okay. And, like, what's on, like, what's behind it? Or, like, what's, like, on the other side - like, it's the train on our one side, what's on the other side?

Greg 10:39

Andrel and Drix.

Jack 10:42

Okay. I think I'm just gonna grab it with my lightning web thrower and just try and pull it to the ground.

Guy 10:47

Yeah.

Greg 10:48

Hell yeah. Roll finesse.

Jack 10:49

Okay. So that's nine.

Greg 10:54

All right.

Jack 10:55

Do I get any bonuses with, like, swift?

Greg 10:56

So, so, swift would not give you a bonus on finesse, not in this situation.

Jack 11:02

Okay, so just nine.

Greg 11:04

Yeah, so pick one from the list. Doing it quickly, avoiding trouble, compromise, or cost, doing it impressively, stylishly, or to greater effect.

Jack 11:12

I'm going to avoid trouble.

Greg 11:14

Hell, yeah. You get them in the lightning web. As you pull him down, he's got time, he wriggles some and you see the backpack - he's a ghosts, so it's not like any of the stuff is physically real. The backpack turns into a large falcon, which then swoops around, doing, like, a big circle around everybody, whistling as it breaks into several falcons which whistle towards each of you.

Hannah 11:44

Oh, that's not great.

Pip 11:45

Bugger.

Greg 11:47

Drix, your go.

Stefen 11:48

Okay, so we're currently being attacked by whistling birds?

Greg 11:52

Yes.

Stefen 11:53

Okay. If I use an insight...no, no. I'm gonna steel myself against this attack.

Greg 12:00

Which is the one you don't want to do?

Stefen 12:02

I don't want to freeze up or leave myself - or no, I don't want to suffer more trauma or harm.

Greg 12:10

Okay.

Stefen 12:13

Oh, boy, well, I did that. I got a five.

Hannah 12:18

Oh, sweetheart. Oh, buddy.

Greg 12:20

Oh, boy, okay. These things whistle out, Jamu'kha, take one harm, as these things are relatively light, these like, spectral, whistling falcons sort of hurt you a bit. Andrel and Pip, they sort of just bounce harmlessly off of your armor. Drix...Drix, you see the birds come, and you blink and you see an echo, somebody that looks an awful lot like this man but with a slightly different dress sending out a stream of, like, just bullets. So you try to dodge those bullets and you end up, like, smacking into more of these whistling birds. Go ahead and take two harm.

Stefen 13:03

Okay.

Greg 13:05

Drix noticeably reacted to a spot that, like, was not where anything is happening.

Andrel 13:10

Drix, you good?

Drix 13:12

Yeah, yeah. That one, that one smarts a little, but I'll be fine.

Andrel 13:18

All right.

Pip 13:18

He can only have so many of those. I think it's...

Greg 13:24

It's only fair, right?

Pip 13:27

It's, it's supposed to be, like, uncommon and rare.

Greg 13:32

Yeah, so, the spirit, struggling against the lightning web from Jamu'kha, reaches, it reaches its hands by, where, like, a pocket might be and, like, an old flintlock style pistol appears in his hand as though withdrawn from some phantom holster, and he points it at Jamu'kha. Who's going to do a thing? We're at, like, the top of another round, so to speak. So Jack, you can do something if you'd like, or somebody else can do something in response to help Jack...

Stefen 14:01

Can I roll insight to try and, like, get a handle on the situation?

Guy 14:04

I was gonna roll steel to try and, like, take...

Hadrathi chant made using the Hadrathi conlang by Ben Scerri, which can be found here .

Line Bulls are intimately familiar with ghosts: spirits lacking bodies and yet forced to persist. Inversely, it is possible to remove the spirit from a body and yet force the body to continue living. These living vessels are called Hollows after their emptiness, and their creation is often a punishment where one's flesh will be enslaved. But in Iruvia there is the practice of Hollowing willing individuals into Guardians, leaving some amount of the individual within so they may think and speak. These Gua'lim demonstrate supernatural abilities beyond a typical Hollow; a demonic nature remains unconfirmed by the Imperium but it stands to reason that what is empty can be filled. Pippin doesn't want to talk about the rats. Andrel finds herself comping up short in front of an old friend. Drix is haunted by the past (but not HIS past).

Content Warning for Child Death from ~00:07:11 to ~00:10:58, Four teens fight a Summoned Horror but only one survives.

For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-23-a-guardian-conceived

You can't find special guest Jack Wisnosky online... YET!

Follow @whatrulespod on Twitter and listen to We Never Learned the Rules on Apple Podcasts here

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:

Radio Announcer Greg 0:00

In an ancient chamber that reeks of death, torches flicker as if shivering, they timidly illuminate the unnatural form sprouting from an arcane circle along the ground. But summons horror takes root in our reality as a coil of thorns, menacing with a snarling cry that comes not from any mouth, but from its own unnatural locomotion. Four youths surrounds the fiend, dress in Iruvian encounter suits and equipped with standard Line Bull equipment. They are Gua'ata, hopeful apprentices to become Gua'lim, or city guardians. Should they succeed this test, they will be granted a taste of the power of the Demon Princes. The tallest looks to be 16, though he is neither the oldest nor the youngest of the apprentices here. His name is Jamu'kha, and he wields a lightning web throw with the confidence of an apprentice spider. As the cursed coil draws near, the youths hear instruction from their Proctor, a member of the noble House of Ixis who is invisible among the shadows.

Proctor 1:05

This is a summoned manifestation of the Lady of Thorns. It will not perish. There is no hope of defeating this as there is a ghost, but one of you will surely be able to outlast it. That one shall go on to complete the task before you.

Jamu'kha 1:25

Master, can only one of us complete the task?

Proctor 1:27

I have hope that one of you will be able to.

Greg 1:30

We are going to roll to face off against the supernatural. What role are you, Jack?

Jack 1:38

So I'm just fighting a ghost right now. Right?

Greg 1:41

You're fighting a coil of thorns. It is a summoned horror.

Jack 1:45

Okay

Greg 1:46

You will fight this thing as though it were a ghost. But there is essentially no defeating it, only surviving it.

Jack 1:53

Only surviving it, okay. Am I armed with my spider lightning web thrower?

Greg 1:57

Mm hmm, mm hmm. So you are spider is what you said, correct?

Jack 2:01

Yes, that is correct.

Greg 2:02

All right. You have completed your apprenticeship. You have a bull in every single role, you have not worked this area before. So you'll take plus one for the apprenticeship, minus one from not working before. You will, however, take another plus one because you have the Iruvian homeland gift "swift". So right now you're sitting at a plus one. Before that, the one that I always like to ask is do the other bulls swear to follow your orders without hesitation? If not take minus one. So just here's an opportunity for you. What do you say to your fellow class? Before beginning this engagement.

Jamu'kha 2:40

We're going to have to work together if we want to get out of this alive. If any of us want to get out of this alive. The Master said he only hopes that one of us will make it, that means none of us can make it. We have to try, boys, we have to try.

Rook 2:53

Jamu'kha, I will stand behind you. But it will be me at the end of this.

Greg 2:58

Says one of them. They promise to follow your orders without hesitation. So roll 2d6 with a plus one.

Jack 3:04

2d6 with a plus one. Okay? So 10 total, a three and a six.

Greg 3:11

Hell yeah. So as you can see on the second page on there, against the supernatural, on a 10 or 11, you get to pick two of the following options: seize the initiative, maintain an orderly disposition, or seize a particular opportunity or advantage. So which two do you want to do?

Jack 3:24

I'm going to maintain an orderly disposition.

Greg 3:28

Oh, hell yeah.

Jack 3:29

And I think I'm just gonna seize the initiative right now. I don't think -

Greg 3:31

All right. So tell me how are they deployed? Like what's what's your plan? And also you seize the initiative, so you're, you'll act first and then your team will act first. What's your plan? What's your...

Jack 3:43

So in the front we're gonna, like, I'm gonna have the anchor kind of go up and, like, kind of position itself in front of the spiky thorn bush to act as kind of like our tank, or kind of like a distraction, sort of. Then me with my spider web thrower, I'm gonna, like, try and catch and sort of control it. You know, kind of like, hold it in place. Then using the Owl's, like, lightning oil canisters - it says there's four uses, right?

Greg 4:08

Yes, lightning oil for each use gives you a +1 to a roll, or just in general, it's like what powers - it's what powers things. It's what is electricity, so you can use it for anything you can come up with.

Jack 4:19

Like will the lightning oil do anything to it? Or was lightning oil just like, more for powering things? Like, it's like a Molotov cocktail kind of thing?

Greg 4:26

Lightning oil is kind of just power, but I suppose if you just sort of tossed the whole canister you could blow it up.

Jack 4:33

Okay, cuz I'm thinking maybe like, I use my web thrower to control the bush, and then I'm gonna almost have my Owl take their, like, canisters and, like, he just kind of uses it like as an explosive kind of thing.

Greg 4:44

Yeah, yeah. If somebody zaps it hard enough, yeah, I'm sure it would explode.

Jack 4:47

Yeah, so what I'm thinking is we take all four oil canisters, or if there's one canister just the big canister, put it into, like, the side, almost, like, have them put it in, like, a corner. And then I'm going to try and take my lightning web thrower and, like, drag them to, over it. Like towards that lightning oil canister. And then -

Greg 5:04

Oh yeah, and -

Jack 5:05

When it gets over there the rook is gonna zap it and trying to explode it to help destroy the bush.

Greg 5:09

Oh, I love it. I love it. Alright, so as you can see, still in the middle section of the second page, you make the opening move because you're the one who leads the team. So use your lightning web, roll 2d6 and and your finesse.

Jack 5:23

2d6 plus finesse. Where's my finesse? So I got another 10

Greg 5:27

Hell yes. Back to the first page, on the left. When you employ finesse, you get to pick two of the following. Do you do it quickly? Do you avoid trouble, compromise, or cost? Or do you do it impressively, stylishly, to greater effects? So pick two of those.

Jack 5:41

I'm definitely doing it without trouble and doing it quickly. I'm just all about business get this hedge shit done.

Greg 5:46

Hell yes, efficiency. You get everybody into position like this is a practiced motion. You have all been training for months, the better part of a year. Without any wasted movement, you shoot your lightning web thrower. It wraps around the coil of thorns, which is at the moment about the size of one of you. You wrap it up, tighten it; the anchor with their, like, electro field crackling, is able to help kite it, and then, like, as you swing it, he also helps to push the coil of thorns right towards where the owl has placed two lightning oil canisters.

Jamu'kha 6:21

Keep it going, keep it going, it's working!

Greg 6:23

It is at that moment the rook, the boy who said "Jamu'kha it will be me," gets forward and shoots it, blasts it with lightning. The coil of thorns crackles and twists along with the lightning around it. And then there's a greater, just, BOOM-CRACKLE as, like, the lightning oil canisters explode, unleashing some of the lightning inside. The coil of thorns is, like, standing up straight. Imagine it like a thorny tumbleweed, but if it just sort of, like, exploded, all stretched out and stuff. Still together, but just like, it's all stretched out, arced and bent like lightning. At that the rook turns to nowhere in particular, because you don't know where your proctors are.

Rook 7:07

There, the test is over. Only one of us? Easy!

Greg 7:11

And at that, there is a sickening grinding noise as thorns tear the neck of his encounter suit open, and there's, like, a squirt of blood as the coil of thorns, which has now grown a little bit larger -

Jack 7:26

Oh, shit.

Greg 7:27

- slits this boy's throat, leaving them on the ground, and you hear a voice.

Proctor 7:31

This is no common spirit. This summoned horror is a manifestation of the Lady of Thorns herself. As I said, there will be no defeating it. Only outlasting. Continue, Gua'ata.

Jack 7:43

Oh, no.

Greg 7:45

The coil of thorns lashes out, tossing the body of the boy towards you. It's, like, about to let it loose. It will hit you and probably hurt.

Jack 7:55

Okay, so can I just, like, try and roll out of the way, or just dive out of the way?

Greg 8:00

Hell yeah, that's - that's perfectly within your rights. That'd be - what do you think, finesse?

Jack 8:04

I would think so, yeah, just let me - I'm just diving, I'm not, like, trying to do anything else.

Greg 8:07

Hell yeah.

Jack 8:07

So 2d6?

Greg 8:08

Roll 2d6, add your finesse.

Jack 8:10

Oh, shit. Five.

Greg 8:12

Ooh, so on a six or below, that is a miss. You fail in what you're doing. So you try to roll out of the way, but this boy's body hits you. You hit the ground. Take one harm as it was thrown with some force, but even more horrifying than that, you shake your head and, like, sit up, and as you sit up, in your lap is the head of this boy that moments ago was sure that he was going to win, and months before that even, you'd maybe trained with him. Take three trauma, horrifying.

Jack 8:41

Ooh, three trauma. Oh, wow. That's a lot of trauma.

Greg 8:44

Mm hmm. So misses are punished a lot. But engagements are also very quick in this game.

Jack 8:50

Okay.

Greg 8:51

So you missed that. The Owl has fully decided to play dirty.

Jack 8:56

Oh, no.

Greg 8:56

And you see the Owl, like, did like a sliding kick, tripping the Anchor, and to add insult to injury, the Owl's like -

Owl 9:06

Kha'ish, Ki'ata!

Greg 9:06

- which roughly translates to "You blew it, maggot boy". He's gonna run past you, he's just running away from the coil of thorns. And you see the Anchor, entangled in these thorns, and then sort of, it's almost like - there's no stomach. There's nowhere for him to go. But this coil of thorns eats him and grows a little bit larger.

Jack 9:24

Jesus. So it's just me and the Owl left.

Greg 9:26

It's you and the Owl, and the Owl's running.

Jack 9:28

Okay. How does my lightning web thrower affect people?

Greg 9:31

Your lightning web thrower would work on people. But you do have a lightning hook yourself. It's not a heavy one. But you have a normal one. So you can do either of those if you want.

Jack 9:40

So it's about survival...

Greg 9:41

Mm hmm.

Jack 9:42

Okay, so can I use my lightning web thrower to like, grab the Owl, and almost like, pull them back to me? And like pull them in front of me?

Greg 9:50

Hell yes! Oh, that's, that's dark. That's the shit you've learned here. From the orphanage to here.

Jack 9:54

Yeah.

Greg 9:56

Jamu'kha, coldhearted, I love it.

Jack 10:00

It's all about survival, the orphanage taught me survival.

Greg 10:02

Roll me 2d6.

Jack 10:04

2d6. Oh, 12.

Greg 10:07

Oh my god! You do all three! You do it quickly, avoid trouble, comprise, or cost, and you do it impressively, stylishly, to greater effect.

Jack 10:14

Let's fucking go.

Greg 10:14

Do you have a vision of how this, how this goes? Do you want to narrate?

Jack 10:18

So, okay, so here's my - my vision is basically I take my lightning thrower, I grab the Owl, pull them in front of me, like directly in front of me, like a foot away. And as they're in front of me, I, like, grab their, like, spirit goggles off their face, put them on my arm - like, just off their face - and then I kick them into the bush.

Greg 10:36

Hell yes! Oh my god, they get - you grab them. And they're like -

Owl 10:41

Oh, Jamu'kha, I don't want, I don't wanna -

Jack 10:43

- and they kick, and then the the coil of thorns grabs, like, just assimilates into its body, and it grows huge and it starts to, like, rather, it starts to spread out and wrap around this, like, torchlit area. But then, although it hasn't touched any of the torches, it starts to burn at the edges. And you see when it burns, it leaves behind no ashes, just, like, this weird, unearthly ether. And the coil of thorns, it doesn't have a face or anything, but you swear the way these thorns move, it's almost, like, scared of this. And this, like just this fire just consumes it, leaving behind this strange, ethereal sparkle. And then you hear just a couple of claps.

I do a small bow.

Proctor 11:25

Excellent. As you can see, manifestations of Forgotten Gods can no longer survive in this world for very long, and you, Jamu'kha, have survived.

Jamu'kha 11:37

I did what I had to.

Proctor 11:38

And that is what makes a good Gua'lim. You will do what you have to, for Iruvia first, for yourself seconds.

Jamu'kha 11:46

For Iruvia, master.

Proctor 11:48

For this assignment, you may come into contact with another envoy of the Forgotten Gods. It has come to our attention that onboard of one Imperial locomotive, the Pride of Duskwall, there is an artifact of the One Within Many. The One Within Many will be able to give the Demon Princes some vital information. We shall give you a boon with which to negotiate.

Jamu'kha 12:15

Negotiate?

Proctor 12:16

Though we do not know where this artifact is.

Jamu'kha 12:18

Does someone have the artifact, Master? Must I take it from them?

Proctor 12:22

There is no need for theft. The artifact will simply allow you to communicate with the One Within Many, if you can find some time alone with it, whatever it may be. We do not know the shape of it. But we know that it has been consistently upon the train. So it is not a passenger's.

Jamu'kha 12:39

How will I recognize this artifact, Master?

Proctor 12:42

That will unfortunately be left to you. But know that is the One Within Many. One thing made of many things, or many things perhaps made of all one thing. The Forgotten Gods are...

Jamu'kha 12:54

Fickle, sir?

Proctor 12:55

Fickle, and contradictory. This is fortuitous that you were the...

The city of Kethrys (also known as Cloudspire) yields little of value for the Imperium, but what little may be produced is promptly sent away so the inhabitants of the city must fend for themselves. The settlement around the spire's base is surrounded by children, and the older they are the more they may have to do to survive. Cities like this bode well for Line Bulls who are always looking for Side Jobs, as the lack of Imperial investment means someone always needs something done. Andrel meets royalty. Pippin lies to cops. Drix draws a crowd.

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

"Gemelli's Wonder Wheels" lyrics by Stefen feat. Greg, kazoo instrumentation by Greg. Sebastian remains guiltless for Emeline Gemelli

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