All language subtitles for Candela.Obscura.S01E03.1080p.BEAC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-FFG_track3_[und]

TALIESIN: Obsession
is a corruption

that shrouds the mind.

Its tendrils grow beyond
the influence of bleed,

as if natural to the soul.

Though, the unique skill set
a circle of investigators

bring forth to
each assignment

stand guard
against this vice.

Relying upon the strengths
of your allies

is the key to survival,

for deep within the rubble
of a city long forgotten,

the Red Hand roots itself
within the fathomless,

unleashing a faceless behemoth
of smoldering greed.

The Circle of the
Vassal and the Veil:

"Assignment #447:
The Collectors"

(ominous music)

(ominous music)

(ominous music)

(ominous music)

(ominous music)

MATT: Hello and welcome
to Candela Obscura.

LAURA: Oh.
ROBBIE: Already?

ANJALI: Oh god.
LAURA: Okay.

MATT: Somewhere in
a lightless expanse,

the sound of dripping
water echoes endlessly

into a cavernous space.

A faint orange glimmer
begins to grow.

A light in the cracked stone
floor, the climbing pillars

and harsh angles of the
ancient architecture

that rises beyond the radius
of the now visible lanterns.

A half dozen figures
enter behind these lanterns,

stumbling through the
craggy rock and ruins.

A man in his late
fifties walks confidently

within his fine emerald suit,

his salt and pepper
hair well slicked

above his well
groomed goatee.

Now, this group ascends
a mass of stone steps

before stopping at a risen
pedestal where an oval arch

of dark marble stands about
10 feet tall, nearly unbroken

but for a foot gap on the
upper right of the ring.

An older man steps forward
along with them, sheepishly,

his liver spotted head

and missing nose showing
one who has delved

in darker arts and
has paid for it.

(weary voice) "This is one
of the viable gates, Lycus,

"as you've requested.

"It is untested, but
as far as we know,

"we are the only ones
who are aware of it."

The well-dressed gentleman
nods and smiles.

(French accent) "Good.

"I myself am eager to see if
there is merit in my investment.

"Dorna, assist Ogden.

"Help clean your mess."

We now watch as
a woman steps out

from the rest of
the group behind.

Long, dark purple dress,

lengthy, drags
across the floor.

She walks with a cane, and
you get glimpses of some sort

of mangled tip

of where her feet would be

as she lurches forward to
join the older gentleman.

The two procure and open a
withered tome before them,

casting handfuls of
ground materials

into the area
around the archway.

As they read in
unison from this book,

a dull, purple glow begins
to fill the oval space.

(airy wisps)

It expands and
encompasses the void,

splitting like a curtain
of purple fireflies,

revealing a shadowed
realm beyond.

Ogden, the elderly man, and
Dorna exchange nervous glances,

close the tome and read
from a secondary book,

a smaller, more damaged,
leather-bound collection

of ancient
tattered parchment.

They continue to read and
the dangling lanterns held

by these subterranean
explorers

begin to slowly dim,

the flickering oil light
beginning to lessen

and wither itself.

Seems to be losing the
battle from some unseen,

oppressive, dark
force choking it.

It's in this dying light

something steps
from the gateway,

tall and thin

and shadow, like a spider
crawling from a keyhole.

It steps up out of view
as Lycus immediately pulls

an amulet from the inside
of his breast pocket

and holds it aloft
towards this entity.

"(speaking ritualistic Latin)"

Lycus looks behind him to
the other figure standing by.

Two of them, heavier looking
muscle-like figures nod

and grab a third and push
them towards the gate.

The third figure suddenly
screams and stumbles forward,

falling onto their knees

as they glance up "(screams)"

and scream loudly as something
thrusts out from the shadow.

You watch as a long extended
limb, something looking

like it's twisted from
a massive hair or root

wraps around the head
of this fallen goon,

long wisps of the
hairlike shadow

dangling and
drifting from it.

They struggle but
for a moment

before the limb lets
loose and pulls away,

revealing the smooth,
featureless skin surface

of the now faceless head--

LAURA: Ugh.

MATT:-- unmoving.

A warm light suddenly fills
the space of the onlookers,

uncertain where it comes from,
but they all pull back

as this glow wreaths
them in reflection.

Lycus, the only one smiling.

(Lycus) "Good, there is
much work to be done."

Now, we come back

to a morning about a
week past the events

of the last investigation.

LAURA: Oh.
ROBBIE: Aw, a week.

ASHLEY: A whole week.
MATT: You've had a brief bit

to breathe, to process,
some more than others,

some maybe none at all.
But you've been wound down

from the experiences and
trying to find some semblance

of a return to your day-to-day
life in the interim.

We begin now in this
foggy, midday air.

As I stop the cave sound,
as it's no longer necessary

in this sequence. (chuckling)

Gentle wind blowing through.

LAURA: We've got to do
something about that leak.

MATT: I know it's been
a problem around here.

ASHLEY: We're outside, where's
that even coming from?

(laughter)

MATT: It is once again, following
Auggie as you return from--

ASHLEY: Eyy.
MATT: (laughs)

MATT:-- the morning route
that you keep up, if anything,

out of being a creature of
habits and a means to connect

with a number of the people that
you've found friendship with

over the years of
growing up in this city.

ASHLEY: Still got to
make some dough.

MATT: Exactly.

You return to The
Gilded Rainbow,

return to your quarters, well
dressed and finding yourself

a much more respectable
member of Newfaire.

It isn't too long into the
morning before the door opens

and you hear the familiar
jingle of the bell,

(bell jingles) as it closes.

Hear Reggie go,
"Oh, morning, Edmund.

"Are you here for
a particular reason?"

You glance out
of your chambers

and you see an
unfamiliar gentleman,

Uncle Fester in appearance,

rounded shoulders,
bald, smooth head,

a long, deep navy,
dark pea coat,

and a fedora
that he pulls off

and puts onto the rack.

MATT: (raspy)
"Ah, no worries.

"I'm actually here on
behest of Alexandra.

"Is young August available?"

ASHLEY: Hey, I heard
the bell. Come in.

Good morning, Reggie.

MATT: (Reggie) "Good morning.

"Should I skedaddle,
make myself scarce?"

(Edmund) "Oh, no, it's quite
fine for you to be around

"as a periphery member

"of the Candela Obscura
Organization.

"Auggie."

ASHLEY: What'd you say
your name was? Edmund?

MATT: "Edmund Hornsby."

ASHLEY: Edmund Hornsby,
all right.

MATT: "Yes."

ASHLEY: Pleasure.
MATT: "I'm an associate

"of Candela and
a longtime friend

"of Alexandra, who is currently
focused on another endeavor.

"Would your circle
be interested

"in some information regarding
the previous investigation

"that's come to light?"

ASHLEY: Yes, of course.

MATT: "Very well.

"Would you like me
to retrieve them?"

ASHLEY: Yes, I mean, I can
help you to save time.

MATT: "That would be
greatly appreciated.

"Yes, yes, come."
ASHLEY: All right.

MATT: "Perhaps, perhaps
we could learn more

"about each other
on the way."

ASHLEY: Excellent, excellent.

MATT: Takes his hat,
puts it back on.

It's a little bit too big

and rests just over his eyes,

casting a shadow. Makes
him somehow even creepier.

But there is a warmth
to him that contrasts

the somewhat
staggering intensity

of his presence.

"After you."

ASHLEY: Oh, thank
you very much.

We're pretty close
to Ms. Charlie.

We can pick her up first.

MATT: "Very well."

ASHLEY: All right.

MATT: Doesn't take too
terribly long before each

of you are visited by these
two compatriots to gather you.

Should there be any
particular challenges

to the morning's call,
please do speak

and we can take
it from there.

But.

ANJALI: I actually think
that perhaps when you come

to The Sight Unseen,

you discover that Charlie
is not there and

Stinson would have informed you

that she would've been
at a particular address

in The Eaves.

MATT: "My apologies.

"She hasn't been around
for a few days.

"She's--"

ASHLEY: She all right?

MATT: "She's
visiting family."

ASHLEY: Oh, she
has family here?

MATT: "More or less, yeah.

"In the Eaves, here, I'll..."

Pulls a napkin from
the side of the bar

and begins sketching
out directions

across the district, goes,

"That's about where you'll
find her. Good luck."

ASHLEY: Yeah, all
right, thank you.

I won't give this to anybody,
obviously. Mum's the word.

MATT: "She trusts you,
I trust you."

ASHLEY: All right.
MATT: All right.

So, you follow over
to this beautiful,

beautiful homestead
in The Eaves.

Brought inside by
an elder servant.

From what you can grasp,
at least, well dressed

and happy to guide you
upstairs, talking to you, says,

"I was informed that
should you ever come

"by to immediately
bring you to Charlotte.

"This way, please."

ASHLEY: Oh, all right.

MATT: And whereabouts
are you in the abode?

ANJALI: I am in the library
where I have been on

and off for the entire time
that I have been here.

You would find Charlotte

in a corner, hunched-- like her
posture, way more hunched over

than you would ever
have seen her,

very intensely taking notes
and leafing through books

and a strange fervor

in her studies that
you're noticing.

You'll also notice that she
is slightly less put together

as she normally is.

Everything's just a
little bit looser as if

she hurriedly did everything
to put herself together

and then went straight
to the library today.

MATT: "Miss Eaves,
you have visitors."

ASHLEY: Hey.

ANJALI: Auggie.

ASHLEY and ANJALI: Hi.

ASHLEY: How are you doing?

How's your hand?

ANJALI: It is, uh...

It is as it was.

I've tried over the
last week to retain

some kind of function in it,

but it seems unwilling
to compromise with me.

So for now,
we let it rest, hmm?

ASHLEY: What a-- what
a home you have.

ANJALI: Ah.
ASHLEY: This is amazing.

ANJALI: Well, my dear, this
is actually not my home.

ASHLEY: Oh.

ANJALI: I suppose
it's time, isn't it?

This is the home of
my mentor, my friend.

Her name is Gertrude.

She is the one who brought me

to Candela after a
particular incident

when I was about your
age that I mentioned

to you years and years ago.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

ANJALI: I found myself without
family and she took me in.

ASHLEY: Who, what?

How did you find yourself
without family?

What do you mean?

ANJALI: Well.

She flips through
a few pages,

absent-mindedly.

You heard our
dear Arlo talking

about what happened
to her betrothed, yes?

ASHLEY: Yes.

ANJALI: Something very similar
happened to me at a young age.

I had just met Gertrude
and she was fascinating

and everything I thought
a grand human should be.

She was kind and generous, and
I wanted to spend more time

with her than
with my own family.

See, my family, little
more of the kind of people

that you and I are used
to spending time with,

except not as clever
as you, or as me.

They made do with
what they could.

I found it frustrating
to watch them,

to watch them be fine
with scraps and bits

that were thrown in the town,

every time they sent me
to go find something.

I was resentful.

Resentful that was all
that they aspired to.

I was young and as
young people often do

I found myself saying awful
things in my head to them.

Imagining arguments, imagining
how I would stand up to them

if I could someday.

I remember walking
home one day,

ready to have
it out with them,

to tell them how
awful they were,

how they'd taken such
terrible care of me,

how I aspired to
be so much more

than what they could be and
that what they could make me.

As I crossed the field

toward the small house
where we lived,

a crack began to
form in the sky

as if the sky above us
was a snow globe

that had suddenly been
punched and shattered.

Through that crack,
a wind came,

pulling, pulling harder.

I found myself
drawn towards it

and I hung onto
a tree nearby.

But that little house,

that little house
began to move.

The whole thing
gradually crumbling

like a house made of papier
mâché sucked through a straw.

The whole home sucked
through the crack

and then it disappeared as
if nothing had happened.

ASHLEY: Oh my god.

ANJALI: I don't remember
how I got there,

but I went back to Gertrude's

and I told her that my
parents had abandoned me

and she took me in.

ASHLEY: Did you ever tell
her what you saw?

ANJALI: I did, but not
of my own volition.

One day, I walked
into this library

and I saw her poring over
a book in candlelight,

and she--

She had some strange device
that I'd never seen before.

In that device, there was
a crack that looked awfully

like the sky that night
when I had come home.

Immediately, the memory
of it came back.

I had pushed it down.

I had forgotten everything
that had happened

or at least tried to

and everything came out
like a tumble.

She shut off the machine
and she told me,

if you could survive that
without losing your mind

then I think it's time
I show you something.

Then she brought
me to Candela.

I thought when I found you
that my goal was to protect you

from ever having to
have an experience

like that before,
ever in your life.

But now I see that
you are flourishing

and that to me means
that my mission now

is to remind you how
important you are.

How important it is

for you to stay strong
for those who cannot.

MATT: (Edmund) "Indeed.

"Great sacrifices are made

"by all of us to ensure that

"what we've experienced
befalls few to come.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

ANJALI: And I am
happy for my gain.

MATT: "Hm.

"Well, Ms. Eaves."

ANJALI: Yes.

MATT: "We have some news to
share with your circle,

"if you would come with
us for but a minute."

ANJALI: Ah, well then,

we should go.

She closes the book, but
she takes her notebook.

Lead on.
MATT: "Very well. This way."

Within a short walk later
you find yourself outside

of the Black Estate where Arlo
resides, beautiful homestead.

After a brief conversation

with the servants
of that abode,

eventually you, Arlo,
find your door opening

(creaking)

and the familiar sight of
compatriots coming to join you.

LAURA: Hi.

How are you all?

ANJALI: Ah, well.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

ANJALI: I appreciate the--
ASHLEY: My new suit.

ANJALI:-- the goodness that
you've shown young Auggie.

LAURA: Of course.

You look wonderful.

ASHLEY: Thank you.

I even took a bath and
I stayed in there

until I was like a prune.
(laughter)

LAURA: We've taken a few
days to clean the tub out.

ANJALI: Mm.
ASHLEY: It was pretty foul.

You know, you go
years without a bath,

that's going to
be real interesting.

ANJALI and LAURA: (laugh)

MATT: "Regardless,
Ms. Black, hello.

"Sorry to bother
you this afternoon.

"We have some news to
share with your circle,

"if you were to come with us.

"We have to yet
retrieve the doctor.

"Do you have a few moments?"

LAURA: Of course.
Nothing but time.

MATT: "Wondrous.

"Grab yourself a coat.

"It's still a bit of a chilly
afternoon with the fog.

"We'll be along shortly."

LAURA: All right.

Grab a little hat.

MATT: All righty.

Leads you beyond.

Now heading over to the
Briarbank College,

I believe, if that's where
you're currently residing

in this midday.

ROBBIE: Yeah. Yeah.

His home is right next door.

Campus housing. (laughs)
MATT: Campus housing.

It's a beautiful thing.

ROBBIE: More or less.
(laughs)

MATT: Okay, so you're
not in the office,

you're at your home.

We'll say this is maybe
a weekend morning.

ROBBIE: Okay.
MATT: All right.

Within a short time, you
hear a rap at the door.

ROBBIE: Oh.

I snap to myself,
look around.

House is somewhat disheveled,

more than it usually is,

and I've just been
sitting in the dark,

staring at a candle wick,

just a single candle,

trying as hard as I can

to make the candle move
the way I want it to,

and failing miserably.
But still.

Oh, sorry.

I (blows out candle)
turn the lights on.

Oh.
MATT: "Good afternoon, Doctor."

ROBBIE: Afternoon?

Oh, hello everyone.

ASHLEY: Hello.
MATT: "If--"

ROBBIE: Oh, come in. Yes, yes.
I'm so sorry, so sorry.

MATT: Now what does the inside
of your abode look like?

ROBBIE: Normally very
like a bachelor,

like a 50-year-old
bachelor lives there.

MATT: (laughs)

ROBBIE: But now there's

scraps and food and
some clothing.

It's a little bit messy,
and Howard's embarrassed.

But it's a
well-appointed place

covered with books and
oddities, looks nice.

It looks like someone who
has disposable income.

There are plenty
of places to sit,

and as I sweep away the
week's worth of messiness...

Oh, come, come in.

Sorry, apologies.

Move away, put stuff away.

ASHLEY: Wow.

MATT: "Well--"
LAURA: What were you doing, Howard?

ROBBIE: Ah, experiments.
(chuckles)

Nothing intense, just--
I hope to show you sometime.

I think I've almost got
it cracked. (laughs)

Cracked, right?
LAURA: (laughs weakly)

LAURA: No, yes, don't
actually bang.

I think you might
do some more damage.

ROBBIE: Oh, okay.

LAURA: Have you
had it looked at?

ROBBIE: I've looked at it.

LAURA: Wonderful.

MATT: "Fantastic.

"Appreciate your kindness

"in allowing us into
your home unexpected.

"So I'm here on
behalf of Alexandra,

"who is currently indisposed
on another assignment.

"But I wanted to inform you

"that we have
managed to clean up

"and cover for the chaos
of the previous week.

"Should anyone inquire, there
was a sickly bear that escaped

"from the Stone Grove
Zoo in The Sidle.

"(chuckles)
ANJALI: Hm.

MATT: "But Candela has
since kept an eye out,

"since you were
all recovering.

"It seems a number
of our suspected

"Red Hand movers and shakers

"have gone rather
quiet this past week."

LAURA: Was Dorna
ever discovered?

MATT: "The Alizarin Gallery
has been closed this past week

"since the incident.

"Dorna, you reported
as possibly slain,

"but was sighted recently
leaving the gallery.

"So we do know that she
is still amongst us.

"So we do know that she
is still amongst us."

ROBBIE: Oh.

MATT: "However, based
on your reports,

"what you would find
very interesting,

"and the one lead we do have,
should you be interested

"in perhaps following this
thread a bit further,

"Kara Belmon has
not returned home

"since the events
of last week.

"But this morning,
we received word

"from her band-mate,
Theodore,

"that she reached
out yesterday.

"She has been staying
with her uncle

"in his cabin by
the train tracks

"right before they pass
through the Scarlet Woods.

"He apparently keeps a small
orchard there on the outskirts.

"I, on behalf of your
formal Lightkeeper,

"invite you for both
good and closure

"to find Kara,

"and persuade in whatever
safe means you can

"any info regarding her
ties to the Red Hand

"and perhaps where its leadership
may reside within Newfaire."

ANJALI: Do we know
this uncle's name?

MATT: "I believe
the uncle is--"

and he pulls out a small slip
of paper and reads through.

"Maynard Van Helter.

"Sorry, wrong note here."

He pulls the page over.
(laughter)

MATT: Different sheet.
"Vincent Belmon."

ANJALI: Excellent.

LAURA: (laughs)

ANJALI: What does he do
for a living, ostensibly?

MATT: "As far as I know,
he keeps an orchard."

ANJALI: An orchard, yes, yes.

MATT: "Mostly
providing for locals

"and ships some out to
Newfaire on occasion.

"That's as much as we have.

"He's an outlier within
the city's records.

"But that should be enough.

"Maybe contacting
individuals in transit

"or at your destination
could guide you further."

ASHLEY: You had a little
flavor when you said cabin.

Is it just the
way you said it

or is it kind of
a weird thing?

MATT: "Oh, not weird.

"There's not many cabins
here in the city,

"and I have been told on
more than one occasion

"that I have an off-putting
presentational quality

"to my speech."
ASHLEY: Just a tad.

MATT: "My apologies."
ASHLEY: It's all right.

MATT: "It's just how I am."

ROBBIE: I run an excellent

summer seminar
on public speaking,

if you'd ever
care to come by.

MATT: "Do you
have a pamphlet?"

ROBBIE: I most certainly do.
MATT: "Oh, wondrous. Thank you."

ROBBIE: Here you are.
MATT: "Oh, hm. Oh.

"That's not inexpensive."

ROBBIE: Oh, for you, you
may certainly audit.

MATT: "How very kind, Doctor.
(chuckles) Appreciate it."

Folds it and puts
it into his coat.

"But nevertheless,
your time is yours.

"Should you wish not
to look into this,

"notify a member of Candela
and we'll send another team.

"But Alexandra insisted that
you had first opportunity,

"given the rather
personal nature

"of your previous
encounters."

LAURA: Is Alexandra
all right?

MATT: "Alexandra's fine.

"There's just other
phenomenon being looked into,

"unrelated, with
another circle."

LAURA: All right.

Can I Read him to see if
it is definitely unrelated?

MATT: Yes, you may.

ROBBIE: Oh. (laughs)

MATT: Go ahead and roll Read for me.
ROBBIE: You're going to Read the boss?

LAURA: Five on the gilded.

(gasps) Oh! I
get a Drive back!

MATT: If you have
an empty space,

you get a Drive
back in that area.

ANJALI: Yay.
ROBBIE: Oh!

LAURA: Look at that.
ROBBIE: Oh, what a strat.

Roll the hell out
of those gilded.

ANJALI: Yeah.
ROBBIE: Oh!

MATT: That's how you refill
the Drive, if you need to.

ANJALI: Good to know.

MATT: All right,
so mixed success.

LAURA: Yes.

He doesn't seem to
be hiding anything.

LAURA: Okay.
MATT: Yeah, this is more of a formal,

the boss is busy, so
I have to be here.

You know, they wish
they could be here,

but I'm here on their behalf.
LAURA: Got it.

MATT: Doesn't seem
to be worried

or of a divided
mind over anything.

LAURA: Okay.
ANJALI: Do we know

where the Scarlet Woods is?

Or is that--

MATT: You do. They are to the
north, northeast of the city.

I mean, the roads
are pretty extensive

and there's a
river crossing there,

but the train does travel
from the city of Newfaire

to and through
the Scarlet Wood.

You do know that there
is a number of stops

along the way.

There is one stop at the base
of the Scarlet Wood as well.

ANJALI: Right.

LAURA: How long of a
ride is it on the train?

MATT: "Oh, from here, maybe
no more than a few hours.

"It's not too terribly far."
LAURA: All right.

ANJALI: Is it
particularly populated

or would it be
particularly obvious

if someone were to
get off a train there

that they might be coming

to this particular
cabin, particularly?

Can I say particularly
any more times?

MATT: Particular-- Particularly.
ANJALI: Particularly.

MATT: Particularly.
ANJALI: Particularly.

MATT: Piccadilly. We are talking about trains.
ANJALI: Piccadilly.

Particularly (gibberish)
MATT: There it is.

"I don't think so.

"There's a vibrant
rural community

"around the the stop-off
point, the station there,

"as well as many outlying
farmers and cultivators

"of the land and the
Scarlet Wood itself.

"So I don't think it
would be odd at all.

"But, you know,

"always keep a glance
over your shoulder."

ANJALI: Of course.
MATT: "(laughs)

"Anyway."

ANJALI: Hmm, right.

Well, thank you.

MATT: "Best of luck."

LAURA: We'll head
out immediately,

maybe.
MATT: "Very well.

"So we can count on
you to investigate?"

LAURA: Yes.

MATT: "Wondrous, I'll let
Alexandra know next I see her.

"Should you require

"any specific monetary
aid from Candela,

"just let us know."

LAURA: All right
ANJALI: Thank you.

ASHLEY: What's the usual--

You know, so I know
since I'm new here.

What's the usual? What, are
you just giving money out,

or if you need it?
I'm just asking.

MATT: "Oh, they might
devise a list of,

"a list of the various
requirements and things

"that you are looking
to possibly require

"as part of this endeavor.

"We could go through
an approval process

"with our internal auditors,

"and with everything
properly stamped formally,

"we can provide you with
the necessary funds."

ASHLEY: I see,
I see. Never mind.

ANJALI: I appreciate
the hustle.

ASHLEY: You know,
just checking.

MATT: "Of course.

"Thank you for your kindness,
allowing us into your home.

"Should you need
us for anything,

"feel free to find the
nearest telegraph station

"or send a letter via page.

"Good day, everyone."

ANJALI: Good day, Edmund.

MATT: Takes his hat off
the coat and turns around.

LAURA: I love him.

ANJALI: I know.
(laughter)

MATT: Wanders off into
the afternoon air.

ANJALI: (baby talk) A little walk.
ROBBIE: Potato man.

ANJALI: Yeah.
MATT: (laughs)

ANJALI: Well, it seems
that this situation

that we thought was over
is not particularly,

particularly, why am I
saying particularly so much?

This one is not over.
LAURA: Are you all right?

ANJALI: I don't know
if I'm all right.

After the last time,
I'm a bit rattled

since our last
endeavor, apparently.

LAURA: Is it all right that
I said we would head out

and look into it?

ASHLEY: Yeah.
ROBBIE: Oh, certainly.

LAURA: All right.
ASHLEY: I got nothing else to do.

ROBBIE: I enjoy
farms. (chuckles)

I grew up on a
farm, actually.

ASHLEY: Oh.
LAURA: Oh, you did?

ROBBIE: I certainly did.

We didn't have an orchard, but
a few small crabapple trees.

I'd love to go back.

LAURA: Did you have chickens?

ROBBIE: We did have chickens.

LAURA: I've always
wanted to see a chicken.

ROBBIE: They're very
enjoyable. Very easy to kill.

You just grab their necks,

a little twist and
you have dinner.

LAURA: Oh.
ASHLEY: Wow.

LAURA: Wonderful.

ROBBIE: That said,
I'd be willing to go.

The city's a bit
stuffy these days.

ANJALI: It is.

I'm trying to think if
there's anything else,

any other information
we might be able to glean

from the town.

We know Kara was
playing with Theodore,

who was her band-mate.

I don't know if speaking
to him is necessary or

if we just should--
LAURA: I think we have that information.

ANJALI: Think we should
just head on out?

LAURA: Hop on
the train and go.

LAURA: I mean, we just are
going to talk to her.

ANJALI: Hmm?
LAURA: We're just going to talk to her

to see if she can lead
to anything new, right?

ASHLEY: Yeah.
ANJALI: Yes,

and I don't suppose she
knows our involvement

in the previous endeavor.

LAURA: I mean, not any
more than us showing up

at the investigation.

ANJALI: Hmm.

ROBBIE: Would Howard know--
MATT: She did watch you punch out the--

ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah. (laughs)
ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT:-- Chief of
the Periphery there.

ANJALI: There was that.
MATT and ROBBIE: (laugh)

ANJALI: Ah, yes.
I'd blocked that out.

MATT: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Is she
going to accept us?

You know, if she sees us
she'll be like, no, no no,

you were the ones that--

ROBBIE: It's quite
hard to run away

in an open field, if
it's just a cabin,

perhaps.
ASHLEY: That's true.

ROBBIE: Our nearest
neighbors were miles away.

Not to say that she
would be screaming

for any reason as if we were
trying to get information

out of them, or
frightening her,

only that--

I think we should be okay.

LAURA: Just keep
the brass knuckles

in your pocket for
this one, I think.

ROBBIE: Certainly.

ASHLEY: How's your head?

ROBBIE: Ah, it is
just fine, I think.

LAURA: Can we see it?

ROBBIE: My head?

LAURA: Or is your hat
attached to it now?

ROBBIE: (laughs) Ah...

It's rather
private, actually.

LAURA: Oh?
ROBBIE: Would you mind

if I keep it on?

I didn't have time to comb
my hair this morning.

(laughter)

LAURA: Sure.
ROBBIE: Thank you.

ANJALI: Well, then,
I suppose off we go.

ASHLEY: All right.
LAURA: Yep.

MATT: Okay.
ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: Unless there's any--
LAURA: It bad that we're not

preparing anything?
ASHLEY: I know.

ANJALI: I know, I'm
trying to think, I'm like,

"I know that they need to."
ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

LAURA: I mean, you don't think
she's summoning anything

at the cabin, do you?

We're not going to walk in

and she'll have
brought a demon forth

in the cabin, or
whatever creature.

ANJALI: Well, from our
previous discoveries,

it seems like she was
more of a tool for Dorna

than necessarily someone
who conjured herself.

Am I correct?
LAURA: What if she's the leader

of everything?

ANJALI: Well, then, we
will have tripped upon

quite a find, won't we?

LAURA: Maybe she's hiding out
from the Red Hand as well.

ANJALI: Now that
is very possible.

ASHLEY: What if she
is the Red Hand?

I don't know how that
would make any sense.

ANJALI: If Dorna
has been seen,

I wonder how
conscious she was

of our presence at
that final battle.

LAURA: Probably very.
ROBBIE: Very.

LAURA: She was screaming
directly at us,

(as Dorna) "Help me!"

ANJALI: There was that.
LAURA: "Pull me from him!

"I'm being eaten!"

ANJALI: We did have her box

and Red Hand gloves
and obsidian.

ROBBIE: I think the long
and short of it

is we won't be incognito
with pretty much anyone

on this particular assignment
for the time being.

ANJALI: Then, as Edmund said,

best to keep our wits about
us and walk in proudly.

LAURA: Mm-hm.

Let's go.
MATT: Very well.

Are there any
particular items--

LAURA: To The Steel!

No, to The Steam!

MATT: To The Steam.
ROBBIE: To The Steam.

(laughter)
ASHLEY: To The Steam.

MATT: All righty.
ANJALI: I think I have my standard

bleed containment
vial with me and I--

MATT: Select any items you
want to bring that, you know,

you can choose up to three,
but you may leave one,

you may leave a few open,

if you'd like to choose in
the moment what makes sense.

LAURA: Oh right, because we
don't need the same ones

that we got last time,

but I like my--
MATT: If you like your spread,

stick with it.
LAURA: I like my spread.

MATT: All right.
ASHLEY: I still have

the captain's gun,

or do you think I
probably gave that back?

ANJALI: The gun?
MATT: Where would you have given--

Would you have given
the captain's gun back?

ASHLEY: No!
MATT: Then you still have it.

ASHLEY: All right.
ANJALI: Dude, that's pretty--

ASHLEY: All right.

MATT: You still have
a Periphery handgun.

ASHLEY: I'm strapped!

MATT: (laughs)
ROBBIE: An illegal police off--

a Periphery officer's gun.

ASHLEY: A Periphery officer's gun.
MATT: And badge.

ASHLEY: And badge.
ROBBIE: And badge!

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: Get rid of it?

ASHLEY: Well, we could
probably use it.

ROBBIE: Wha--
ASHLEY: Just,

you know, you see
someone with a badge,

and you instantly
listen to them.

ROBBIE: I'm all for it.
LAURA: It's true.

ROBBIE: The more firepower
the better, am I right?

ASHLEY: It's true.
ANJALI: Mm.

ASHLEY: I'll keep it
hidden. I'll keep us safe.

MATT: All righty.

Gathering your things, you
begin the trek to The Steam.

This beautiful way station
district of Newfaire

has a number of small
scattered neighborhoods,

as well as a few outskirt
industrial buildings,

but primarily here,
this is the crossroads

of land-based interaction
within the city.

There is the massive
train station itself,

the steam train station
that sits here

on the far eastern
side of Newfaire.

As you approach, you can see
the small crowds gathering,

it doesn't look like it's going
to be a full load of people

making their way northward
up on the tracks.

But within
a short conversation,

and some quick
tickets purchased,

you are led on
by the conductor

onto one of the numerous
passenger carrying carts

into the comfortable deep
maroon velvet seats

that are set in.

It is a nice way to travel,

and I'd say probably
for you, Auggie,

it is maybe the first time
you've been on the steam train.

ASHLEY: Oh yeah.
LAURA: Ooh.

ANJALI: Ooh-whee!

ASHLEY: (laughs)

MATT: A brief kickoff of
heavy (steam releasing)

(train wheels turning)
(clicking)

Begins to pick up
steam, literally.

Within a short time,
the train takes off,

and you find yourselves
traveling on,

and away from the
city of Newfaire.

You can see the glistening
tall buildings,

and the daytime somewhat
fog-obscured skyline,

though now as the fog
begins to burn off,

you can see the glittering
tops of the multi glass

and metallic top
spires that mark--

ASHLEY: Hey, look at the spires!
MATT:-- the beautiful city.

MATT and LAURA: (laugh)

MATT: I love you.
ANJALI: I love it so much.

MATT: (laughs)
ANJALI: I love it so much!

Yeah.

MATT: Carrying onward,
it's a beautiful journey,

and rocking a bit as
it goes, eventually

the final bits of the
outskirt districts

begin to vanish on the
horizon as you begin

to approach the rolling
hills, and beautiful grass,

and grain fields that
mark the northern side

of the Halens here
around the city.

Eventually,
the bridge comes up,

and you traverse
over the river,

coming to across the way into
another wide hilly valley.

There, you can see beyond
the Bridleborne Mountains

that rise up to the north,
the climbing crags themselves

a brown red in their own color.

There, clustered
around their base,

all the round where they
meet the landscape,

you can see the vibrant crimson
color of the Scarlet Woods.

Home to numerous natural
creatures that create

the semblance of nature
that still holds this side

of the Halen countryside,

as well as a number of people
that live on the outskirts

and throughout, as well as
a handful of illegal stills

that extract the sap from
the trees to make the scarlet,

the hallucinogenic
substance that

has long been outlawed
within the city.

Not that it stops the flow
of it in the evening hours.

But while you have this
time in the journey,

if there's anything you
wish to discuss, clarify,

curiously bring up
or not, you may.

Otherwise, we will bring
you to the next stop.

ANJALI: I think,
at some point,

Charlotte is looking
out over the field,

and she catches a reflection
of herself, and she just

touches her hair where a
shock of gray has appeared

over the course of the week.

Then she shakes it
off, and looks at

Auggie's delight.
ASHLEY: You look cool.

ANJALI: Ah.

ASHLEY: You look smart.

ANJALI: (laughs)

LAURA: She does. It
looks quite lovely.

ANJALI: Thank you.

It wasn't intentional,
but there it is.

LAURA: It's very
distinguished.

ANJALI: It's everything a woman
wants to be, distinguished.

LAURA: Why wouldn't she
want to be distinguished?

ANJALI: You're right, Arlo,
I suppose I've been used

to using other assets
to my advantage.

Why not that?

MATT: Not but a few
hours of travel later,

the city is a distant blip

as the Scarlet Woods grow
closer and closer.

But the afternoon also
begins to draw to a close,

as you can see the
sunset begins to kick in

at about the time you
approach the station here

on the southern side
of the Scarlet Woods.

A number of passengers,
as well as you,

as it slowly
(steam hisses) (brakes squeal)

screeches to a slow halt.

As the train comes to a
rolling stop at the edge,

the doors open.

People begin to shuffle
off of it, just a handful.

You get your first breath of
the fresh countryside here.

ASHLEY: (sniffs)

Whoa.

ANJALI and ROBBIE: (laugh)

LAURA: It's clean, isn't it?

ASHLEY: It smells
so different.

There's no smell!
There's no shit smell.

It's clean, and
fresh, and wow.

ANJALI: Do we want to
disembark here or further in?

LAURA: Is this the last
stop before the?

MATT: This is the last stop

before it goes straight
through the forest.

ANJALI: Oh yes, then.
LAURA: The cabin

is on the edge, so, yeah.
ANJALI: Yes, yes.

Off we go, although
we didn't exactly

plan to spend the
night here, did we?

LAURA: Mm-mm.

ANJALI: Right, just
clocking the time.

MATT: The conductor is
just finishing up,

checking out his pocket watch
as you guys are leaving,

if you have any questions.

LAURA: When is the
last train back?

MATT: "Oh, last train here
tonight, it's about, (clicks)

"about three hours from now."

LAURA: Oh.
MATT: "We've got two more coming

"through in the next hour,

"a few shipments. It's mainly

"a shipment-based train
heading southward.

"But the last one, there
should be a few more spots,

"if you're only
staying for a bit."

LAURA: I should buy four
tickets now for the train back.

MATT: "Oh, very well."

ASHLEY: What are the shipments
that are going south?

Do you know what they are?

They're just a
bunch of shipments.

MATT: "Oh, well, we have
the Tristan Lumberyard

"up on the north side
of the woods there.

"We're taking in a whole
series of shipments

"for new construction out
there in the city."

ASHLEY: Oh.

MATT: "As well as a
number of other imports

"coming from the
north side of Hale.

"So, that's about
all I'm aware of,

"I don't really hold
the deep ledgers.

"I'm not responsible
for that.

"I'm mostly for the
passengers here."

ANJALI: Would I have
an awareness

of where my sources come from

in terms of shipments?

MATT: You would know that
there are two farmsteads

deep within the woods
that themselves

primarily work in lumber.

But there is one of the
younger family members,

a young cousin named
Reginald, who,

he's--
LAURA: (silly voice) Reginald.

MATT: (silly voice) Reginald.

ASHLEY: (silly voice) Reginald?
ANJALI: Reggie.

(laughter)

MATT: (gravelly) He's actually
more a Reginald.

ANJALI: Yeah.
(laughter)

MATT: You've not met him
in person, but you just,

you've seen the name used,

and he's the one contact
that you originated with,

and then he went dark
for about a year,

because there was a bust
in one of the stills.

But he's up and
running again,

and you've been eager
to have the returning

flow of scarlet into
your establishment.

ANJALI: Mm.

ANJALI: Right.
ROBBIE: Yeah,

can I contribute
a few extra dollars

for the tickets?

Perhaps so we'll
take young August

on business class
on the way back.

LAURA: Oh, what
a wonderful idea.

ROBBIE: That way
it'll be special.

ASHLEY: Sir, I did have a question--
MATT: "Yeah, yeah?"

ASHLEY: Someone in, you said,
the ledger book and all that,

that's somebody else that
takes care of that?

Who takes care of that?

Just to know.

MATT: "(laughs)"

ASHLEY: I flash my Periphery badge.
ROBBIE: Mm!

MATT: (laughs)

Go ahead and make a Sway

test for me, please.
ROBBIE: Yeah! Impersonating

a Periphery officer, let's go.
ANJALI: Come on, my boy, oh.

♪ Do I help you? ♪

♪ Yes, I do. ♪

ASHLEY: I got a six.

ANJALI and ROBBIE: Yeah!
MATT: You got a six.

All right.
ANJALI: So, I didn't need to help you.

ROBBIE: Star of the academy.

ASHLEY: Save it, save it.
LAURA and MATT: (laugh)

ANJALI: Go, Auggie.
MATT: "Oh--"

ANJALI: That's the chief's friend.
ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah,
get back here.

MATT: "My apologies, officer,
I wasn't aware that you were.

"Yeah, now, that'd be

"Tory Linz."
ASHLEY: It's fine.

MATT: "Tory Linz was the
one who'll be running

"the evening ledgers passing
through here."

ASHLEY: Tory Linz.
MATT: "If you're--

"We been doing our
best to try

"and make sure there's nothing
illegal passes through here.

"We do have a rather
extensive inspection process

"before it makes its
way into the city,

"but you're more
than welcome to

"give a once or twice
over, if you're feeling,

"you and your Periphery
compatriots here want to."

ASHLEY: Sure, we may,
thank you so much.

MATT: "Course, course, don't--"
ASHLEY: You're a wonderful

citizen of our city.

MATT: "Hey, want nothing but
the best for our folk here,

"and you know, I don't
hate the idea that

"people are breaking the good
laws of our township, so--"

ASHLEY: Me, too.
ANJALI: Indeed.

LAURA: If we, while we were
in town, I wanted to visit

an old family friend.

His name is Vincent Belmon?

I know he lives around here,

but I'm not sure which direction.
MATT: "I don't know Vincent,

but I do know there's the
Belmon and Schpell Orchard.

LAURA: Oh, yes!

MATT: "Follow the
main street here in

"the town just beyond here,

"there's maybe about
six or so blocks

"before the town
comes to an end,

"there's two roads
that lead out.

"Follow the northern road,

"it'll lead into
the Scarlet Wood,

"and kind of hard to
miss the orchard,

"it's a patch of green
in the midst of the red.

"But unless they moved it
or something happened,

"that's where
you'll find it."

LAURA: Thank you very much.
ROBBIE: Thank you.

MATT: "Yeah, no worries.

"Safe travels, officers.

"(softer) Sorry,
safe travels--"

ASHLEY: Yeah, shh,
we're undercover.

MATT: "Absolutely
normal citizens

"of the environment.

"Whatever you're doing,

"I hope it goes well
and is legal."

ASHLEY: (clicks tongue)

MATT: "Anyway, we're about to
shove off here in a minute."

ASHLEY: We'll probably
see you a little later.

MATT: All right, gets back up
into the steam train.

ROBBIE: That guy is
moving so much drugs!

(laughter)

LAURA: What happened?

ROBBIE: Oh man, so much.
ASHLEY: Yeah. So much.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Mm.
ANJALI: Amateur!

MATT: Okay.
ANJALI: Amateur!

ASHLEY: It's so cool to see,

I mean, to see
the woods in person.

All the stuff
that we, you know,

move throughout
the city, hmm?

To see the real
where it comes from.

ANJALI: Huh, the
source, as it were.

ASHLEY: Yes.

LAURA: Can I
make a confession?

ASHLEY: Yes.
LAURA: As we walk.

I've never tried scarlet.

ASHLEY: (gasping)

ANJALI: Ah.

ASHLEY: Have any of you ever tried--
LAURA: I wanted to,

I wanted to, but Eddie
said I shouldn't.

But I know he spent
a lot of time

over in the
Red Lamp district.

ANJALI: Ah, did he?

ASHLEY: Wait, have you
ever tried it?

Oh, right.
Have you ever tried it?

Probably not, you're too--

ROBBIE: Huh, what was that?

ASHLEY: Have you ever
tried scarlet?

ROBBIE: Scarlet,
why, of course not.

Of course.

LAURA: (laughs)
I'm going to Read.

ANJALI: Yeah, I was,
Read, all of us Read.

Every single one of us Reads.

ROBBIE: Ah.
ANJALI: We all--

LAURA: A mixed success
on the gilded!

Okay, I have a question.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: If I take the gilded,

do I have to take
a drive back in that--

in Cunning?
MATT: Yes, yes.

LAURA: Aw, man.

MATT: It has to be
of that section.

LAURA: All right.

MATT: So a mixed success?

LAURA: Mixed success,
mixed success.

MATT: Mixed success, okay.

Definitely
a low-stakes roll.

LAURA: With a four.

MATT: You glean
a little bit of truth

from the good doctor here.

So what does she?

ROBBIE: Oh, every
chemical compound

has its purposes
in this world.

After all, we are just all
born of the primordial soup.

If you choose to
partake of what nature

provides for you, you can
have myriad experiences

throughout this world, and
scarlet is simply one of those.

So if you choose to partake,
it is a personal choice, but--

LAURA: So you have.

ROBBIE: Yes, absolutely.
I enjoy it quite a bit.

MATT: A voice over
your shoulder goes,

"You best not be bringing
that in our town now!"

ROBBIE: Excuse me?

MATT: "I heard y'all
talking about scarlet.

"Don't you be trying to
bring that shit in here.

"We got too many kids!"

You see, turn around, and
you see this older woman,

this motherly looking figure,
a bit of a hood cap on,

and a simple dress, and you see
she's holding a small child

in her arm that's
just, "Meh-meh," mewling.

ROBBIE: Yes, ma'am, we do
not recommend scarlet

for infant children.

MATT: "Now I see
y'all dressed well,

"all you've been running
in business throwing

"the stills out here.
We don't want them coming

"into our houses, taking--"
ASHLEY: No, ma'am, ma'am.

Ma'am.

We're doing a little
undercover work.

MATT: "Well, you may be
doing a little more,

"because y'all don't seem
to be stopping nothing.

"There's been violence
and shit going on there,

"been hearing
my people been firing,

"and getting in gun fights,
and stuff up north!"

ASHLEY: Ma'am, ma'am
ma'am, ma'am--

MATT: "I have a cousin who
recently got hit on the head

"by somebody who was trying
to sell that around here.

"You don't bring that up
in here around kids!"

ANJALI: Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am--

What's your name?
LAURA: Just shut up.

ANJALI: What's your name?
(laughter)

MATT: You see it's, old
people nearby in the street

are walking by.
ANJALI: Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am,

tell me, what's your name?

I reach over, and I take
her hand in between mine.

MATT: "Virginia."

ANJALI: Virginia.
MATT: "Yeah?"

ANJALI: My name is Charlotte.

I understand caring so much
about the environment,

particularly when you're
raising a little one like this.

But do believe me when
I say we are doing everything

in our power to make sure
that none of the scarlet

goes into the wrong hands,
or the wrong bodies,

including those
of your families.

MATT: "Sure, whatever, you
city folk do what you do

"whenever you come through
here (scoffs)." Walks off.

"APAB."

And wanders off
further into the town.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Come on.
ANJALI: What is that?

ASHLEY: All Periphery
Are Bastards.

That's hilarious.
(laughter)

ASHLEY: Hey, well, I have--

MATT: But you have made
a little bit of a scene

here in the
middle of the street.

LAURA: We made
a little bit of a scene?

MATT: Well, I mean, you were

accessory to
a bit of a scene.

LAURA: Ugh!
ROBBIE: I think, perhaps,

it's time for a nice
walk in the woods.

ANJALI: Shall we?
ROBBIE: Shall we?

ANJALI: Yes, let's go,
let's go.

LAURA: I really didn't
like that woman.

ASHLEY: She was
a bit intense.

I don't know why
she was screaming.

ANJALI: As we're walking away,
can I Survey the scene,

and see--

MATT: What are you
looking for?

ANJALI: I'm looking for anyone
oddly paying attention to us.

We know there was a scene,

but I want to make
sure that there's no--

I'm looking for anyone
following us,

or any nefarious
something-somethings.

MATT: Sure, make a
Survey test for me.

ANJALI: Mixed success
with a five.

MATT: Mixed success, okay.

Glancing around, as you're
now coming to the end

of the main street that
divides into the two rows

in the far end--
LAURA: Scarlet.

MATT: I mean, most of the folk
here are a little more,

I'll say a little less
dressed up as your band.

So by the nature
of your presence,

both being
this far into the town,

and wandering in
the direction of just

open Scarlet Woods right
on the cusp of night,

there are a few odd glances,

and a few individuals
that watch as you go,

and you can see that

that look of judgment,
that rise of the lower lid.

ANJALI: Hmm.

MATT: You definitely don't feel
necessarily welcome by some,

though others seem to pay
no mind as you pass through.

As you head at the edge
of the town, you can see

one gentleman who has bit of
a newsie's cap on the front,

a pair of suspenders over
a billowing white shirt,

the sleeves rolled up past,
where the shoulders are,

dirt covered hands,
big overalls over that,

and is in the process
of digging with a shovel.

He looks to be turning over

either fresh-tilled dirt
or freshly buried grave,

you're uncertain.

But as you all pass by,

sticks the shovel in
the ground, and looks over,

and watches you as you all

continue walking
beyond the town.

ANJALI: Can I Read him to
see what that look means?

MATT: You may, make a Read.

LAURA: We didn't Read people
enough, we have that skill.

Now we're going

to Read everyone.
ANJALI: I only have one,

so I don't really have it.

LAURA: Read him.

ANJALI: Four.

MATT: Four, mixed success.

He's taken note.

ANJALI: Hmm.

MATT: You don't see him
pursuing, but you certainly,

you haven't kept yourself
below the radar.

ANJALI: No.

MATT: But he seemed to be simple town folk.
LAURA: I'm going to stare at him back

as we walk by.

MATT: (shoveling)

Just goes back to work.

LAURA: (sighs)

ANJALI: Right, the faster we
move, I think, the better.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: Heading out,
going to see grandma!

MATT: (laughs)

MATT: Only about 30 or
so minutes later,

and the sun has begun to set.

The dark of night
begins to creep in,

but the sky still holds
a fair pink coloration.

You still have another
30 or so minutes

before full sunset really
kicks in, and night begins.

But as you enter the
secondary northern road,

it curves into the exterior
of the Scarlet Woods.

Within a short time,

you are stepping into
the far darker interior

of the canopy of the forest.

It is beautiful.

It is serene, and you can see
there's that gentle blanket

of fallen leaves,
of multicolored ferns

that gather around
chunks of moss,

and rock that emerge from
these massive scarlet trees.

Their thick trunks of
deep brown burgundy wood,

and these extremely
deep red and orange leaves.

These plumes that rise up,
and gather against each other

to create this
beautiful canopy,

like a reverse blanket
that sits above you,

with small sections
where shafts of light

begins to break through.

It's beautiful, and it also
becomes a little more ominous,

the darker it gets
as you travel.

You begin to hear the
change in the sound,

the wind begins to fade,

and the nocturnal beings that
live here begin to emerge.

You hear the crickets first,

and then the owls that,
hoo-hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo.

You hear the occasional
(chittering) (clicking)

various critters coming
out to hunt for the night.

LAURA: Did anybody
bring a lantern?

ASHLEY: I mean, I could--

(laughter)

LAURA: Uh-huh. (laughs)

LAURA: Do we need-- I mean,
it's getting pretty dark?

MATT: It's going to
be dark in the next,

let's say 15 minutes from
where you are now.

LAURA: Well, maybe there will
be a lantern at the cabin

we could get quickly.
ASHLEY: We could borrow?

ROBBIE: If you don't expose your
eyes to unnatural light sources,

your vision will slowly
adapt to the dark.

If you spend a lot
of time in the dark.

LAURA: I'm going to
hold on to Howard's arm

as I close my eyes and walk.
ANJALI: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Well, not--
LAURA: Just so my eyes adjust.

ROBBIE: All right, well
okay. Do your best.

MATT: (laughs)

ANJALI: Do we see
anything remotely--

LAURA: No.

(laughter)

ANJALI: So good, so good.

Eroded where we're
looking for this patch?

MATT: Yeah, as you
follow the path through,

it isn't too long
before you begin to,

with the light
that still remains,

see the shift

to where a number of
trees begin to fall away

into a grove that's
been carved here

near the outskirts of
the Scarlet Woods.

Within this space you
can see planted in rows,

beautiful, beautiful
apple trees,

tall and grand in
their presentation.

They're well-kept, and
a number of fallen apples

sit amongst the
base of the trees

that may have either
been a little too past

after they fell,
and they've been left

to become part of the earth

and sustenance for
the trees themselves.

But nevertheless,
the orchard is here.

You can see a little
ways in from there,

the warm light
from the interior,

the windows of a cabin.

ANJALI: The last
time we saw Kara,

I believe you were
outside of the room

for the most part, yes?

LAURA: Yes, I was.

ANJALI: So then--

LAURA: Wait, no, you were.

ANJALI: We were inside,
and you had got a--

LAURA: Yes.

ANJALI: With the gentleman
who was getting you water.

LAURA: Yes, I walked
in right as Howard

punched off the
Periphery officer.

ANJALI: I was hoping that
she might not recognize

at least one of us.

ANJALI: Oh, no.
I definitely saw her.

ANJALI: Right.

ASHLEY: Well, maybe we'll
be a nice face to see.

I don't know why. I don't
know what that means.

I don't know
why we would be.

ANJALI: Well, perhaps we can
convince her we are allies.

I just don't know
how, knowing not--

I'm assuming that she's
somehow in league with Dorna,

but I don't know how.

ROBBIE: She could be,
most certainly.

She could also be,
as we mentioned,

perhaps running
from her as well.

It's one or the other.
I suppose it's a coin toss.

LAURA: She did seem genuinely
frightened when she

was in the hotel room.
ANJALI: This is true.

LAURA: I wonder if
it was an act or if...

ROBBIE: Well, if we can find her--
ASHLEY: Maybe she lied.

LAURA: Sure, but she
might have realized

she was responsible
for murder.

ROBBIE: Yes.

ASHLEY: Good point, good point.
ANJALI: Well,

we've almost
lost all daylight.

I suppose we should
at least get on

and head towards the cabin.

ROBBIE: If she's hiding and
we found her this easily,

someone else might be
able to find her as well.

ANJALI: Very true.
ROBBIE: So--

MATT: (roughly)
"Hey! Who goes there?"

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: "Orchard's
closed, it's night."

ANJALI: Hello, good sir.

MATT: You see a gentleman
who's stepping away

from some of the trees with
a large basket by his side.

This, probably man in his
mid to early 50s or so.

Big curly plume of
reddish-brown hair.

Big, bushy beard
that encompasses

the entirety of his clavicle
in the space under his chin.

He's wearing work clothes
with the sleeves up,

some work gloves
on top of that.

Looks to be a bit sweaty and
is finishing a day of work

and approaches
with his thick boots

pushing through
the soft earth.

Sets the basket down.

"Come back tomorrow
when it's light."

LAURA: Mr. Belmon?

MATT: "Aye."

LAURA: Is your niece here?

MATT: "Why?"

LAURA: Oh, couldn't
we talk to her?

MATT: Make a Sway test.

(groaning)

ASHLEY: I'm going
to give you a drive.

LAURA: Oh, I'm going to
give myself a drive, too.

So I should have
waited for you.

ANJALI: That's all
right. It's all right.

How many does that give you

with hers and yours?
LAURA: That gives me two.

ROBBIE: I'll give
you one as well.

ANJALI: All right, all right.
LAURA: Four!

MATT: Four, okay.

"Aye, she's here, aye.

"She's just taking a few
days to visit her old uncle.

"Why? What's your
business with her?

"How do you know her?"
ANJALI: Well,

not to be indiscreet,

but her friend Theodore was
concerned for her safety.

He asked us to
check in on her.

MATT: "I mean, be my guest.

"She's just kept to herself.

"To be honest, been
estranged for a while.

"It was a bit of a surprise
to have her suddenly show up.

"So, still family,
still blood,

"so you help where
you can, but you know.

"She's more of one of
them city politics folk.

"It's funny how they
come crawling back

"to the rural family when
they need a little help, aye?"

ANJALI: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: When was the last time
you'd seen her before this time?

MATT: "That'd be
yesterday, last night."

ASHLEY: Before she came
here. Couple of years?

MATT: "Oh, five, six years."

ASHLEY: Oh!
LAURA: Oh, wow. Wow.

ROBBIE: Did she seem
sad or frightened?

MATT: "I don't know.
She just came in

"and told me she was
staying for a bit.

"Didn't give me much
of a chance to rebut.

"You friends of hers?"

ANJALI: In a manner
of speaking.

We're friends of Theodore's,
and Theodore's a friend of hers.

MATT: "All right.
I mean, yeah."

ROBBIE: Thank you.
ANJALI: Thank you.

MATT: "But don't
stay too long.

"I've only got the one guest
room and she's already in it.

"I don't have room for the rest of you."
ANJALI: That's all right. We are--

LAURA: We ought to be out
in the next couple hours.

We need to catch
the train back.

MATT: "All right, all right.
Well, I'll finish up my business.

"When you see her, tell her
dinner will be down for an hour.

"I picked up another
book for her

"while I was in town, so."

LAURA: Does she like to read?

MATT: "She does, as do I.

"I'm a reader. I know
it might be a surprise

to some of you more elegant folk.
ANJALI: No, no, no. What are you reading right--

No, not at all.

I'm always intrigued
by what people--

MATT: "What the
lesser folk read?"

ANJALI: No, no, sir.
I am an eager learner.

I'm always intrigued by what
fascinating people are reading,

particularly people
who may not come

from the same
upbringing as I have.

I didn't always live
in the city myself.

Would you tell me
what you're reading?

MATT: Make a Sway test.

(laughs)
ASHLEY: Yes!

MATT: He's very much
like (reserved grumbles).

ANJALI: Mixed success, and
I will take the gilded die,

so that's a four.

MATT: Okay.
ANJALI: Oh wait,

do I need the gilded die?

No, I don't. Mixed success.
I will take a five.

MATT: Okay.

A four and five are the
same, but it's fine.

ANJALI: No, I know, but isn't
it a little bit better?

MATT: It does feel
a little nicer.

LAURA: It is the exact
same. Oh, you don't--

ANJALI: They're both mixed successes, but--
LAURA: They're exactly the same.

MATT: Yeah.
ANJALI: I don't think I--

MATT: But still, five
just feels better.

ANJALI: It does!
MATT: Yeah, it's a higher number.

(laughter)
ANJALI: It's just a little bit

less mixed than the four.
ASHLEY: It's better for sure.

MATT: There you go.
(laughter)

MATT: "Are you
fan of fiction?"

ANJALI: I am.

MATT: "There is this
author named T.C. Vellum."

ROBBIE: (laughs)

MATT: "You know of him?"

ROBBIE: Oh, no, go on.

MATT: "He writes these
very fascinating stories

"about these young college
boys solving mysteries."

ANJALI: Ah.

MATT: "Aye, it's all scrappy
young folks who worked their way

"into a fine education
and start unraveling

"the secrets around society."

ANJALI: I love those stories.

MATT: "Spooky stories,
little ghost things,

"you know, that fun stuff."

ANJALI: I absolutely know.

I myself am a fan of
a particular author

who does the same
with young ladies.

One young lady in particular,
she has red hair,

it's just a wonderful story,

and it makes me feel like
anyone from any background,

from any place can be someone
to solve the problem.

MATT: "Couldn't have
said it better myself.

"All right, I misjudged
you, you're well-read.

"I may have an extra copy of
'The Variety Boys' in there,

"if you want me to
grab it for you."

ANJALI: I would love it.
ROBBIE: (laughs)

MATT: "Certainly.

"All right, I've got to
finish my work, you go--"

ANJALI: Should we take her book
in to her when we see her?

MATT: "What was that?"

ANJALI: You said you bought
another book for her, should we--?

MATT: "No, I have an extra,
if you want to read it.

"I can send you away with it."
ANJALI: Oh, right, right, right.

MATT: "But yeah, I guess,
feel free to go inside,

"and just don't
stay too long."

LAURA: Thank you.
MATT: "You're welcome."

He goes off and
grabs his basket

and starts finishing
up his work.

ANJALI: Right, shall we?

LAURA: Walk right in.

ANJALI: When we
see the cabin,

the lights are on,
I mean lanterns.

What does it look inside?
MATT: Yeah, it's warmly lit

on the inside, both
bottom and top floors.

It's a two-story cabin, made
from the same scarlet woods.

Stripped wood
material in itself.

It's dark coloration,
beautiful, simple,

but elegant in that kind of--

ROBBIE: There's drugs
in the walls.

(laughter)

ANJALI: Clearly, this
isn't my first rodeo.

LAURA: Snozzberries
taste like snozzberries.

(laughter)

ANJALI: I don't want
to startle her,

just in case she's
behind this front door,

and so I gently knock
before going in.

MATT: Okay.

Nobody downstairs it
seems at this time.

Opens up, look inside.

Warmly lit, welcoming hearth.

You can see there's
a small fire,

it's more of a crackle
in the fireplace.

Like it was probably
set in advance

of the evening to keep
the house warmed up

a number of hours ago, and it's
now starting to trickle out.

There's a small
dining room table

to the right with a
few chairs around it.

You can see a stove
in the corner

with a stove pipe heading
out the side of the cabin.

There is one set of
switchback stairs

that heads to
a secondary floor.

ANJALI: Do we see anything that
might be a portable light source?

MATT: You don't have
to make a Survey roll.

Yeah, there are
two oil lanterns.

ANJALI: Are they
large or are they?

MATT: They're
about that tall.

ANJALI: Okay, so someone
wouldn't notice us

walking out with them?

There's nothing smaller?

MATT: Yeah.
ANJALI: All right.

ROBBIE: Roll for a lamp.

So we knocked on the first
floor, nobody there.

MATT: Correct.
LAURA: We'll head on upstairs.

ANJALI: Yeah, I want
to Survey the room

and see if there's anything
else out of order that we see.

MATT: Sure, go ahead.

ANJALI: Particularly
anything that looks like

Kara might have left it.

MATT: You got it.

ANJALI: I just
love this Survey--

Apparently, I just love
these Survey rolls.

One, two, three.

Six.
MATT: Ooh, great, okay.

You see there are
dishes set aside

from an earlier meal.

Looking at the mantle,
you think they may be

actually a little older, like
they're not from this morning,

they're probably
from a day ago.

It looks like some
of the tools

have been set aside
for a day's work.

There's some tracks
of mud and dirt

at the front way entrance
to the cabin itself,

but nothing seems necessarily
out of place or odd.

Nothing's catching you
strange about the floor.

LAURA: Can I Sense anything
magically out of tune?

Is there any bleed?

MATT: Make a Sense test
for me.

LAURA: Okay.

Oh, that was--
it's a fail.

MATT: That's a failure.

LAURA: Should have used
my bleed detector.

MATT: As you close your eyes

and try and find that
one tugging thread

of the flare that is now burned
on the inside of your body

from crossing, partially
crossing that threshold

not too long ago.

You feel that ping
within you.

Not evoked from
your surroundings,

but the flashing of memory,
of losing your fiancé,

of nearly losing your friends

and the cold
buzzing sensation

of that gray corruption
crawling its way

further up your arm and body.

You take a brain

from the stress
of recalling this.

LAURA: Fudge.

ANJALI: (whispers)
That's pretty bad.

Are you all right?

LAURA: Of course.

ROBBIE: When no one
answers the door,

and after they've
done their quick scan,

and she says,
"Don't startle her,"

I go: All right,
don't startle her.

Then I'm going to
slip out the front door

and throw my overcoat hood on

and creep around the
outside of the house.

I don't want to
be all together.

ANJALI: Yeah, no.

ROBBIE: I don't want
to be a big target.

We're always a big
four-person target.

ANJALI: Also, especially
since you're the one

who knocked out the
police officer,

it's probably best
for you not to be

the first face she sees.

ROBBIE: Good point, bye-bye.

Into the dark.
ASHLEY: What are we doing? Sorry, I was

holding that

before we left the city.
MATT: No need to--

ASHLEY: I had to pee so bad.
MATT: Hide at the moment,

since there's nobody
in the immediate proximity

that you're testing against.

But should you enter
a scene at some point,

then we'll take
it from there.

ROBBIE: Okay.

ANJALI: Howard is going to stay out.
ASHLEY: I'm going to go

pee in that bush.
ANJALI: It's quite all right.

(laughter)

ASHLEY: There's no
bathrooms on trains,

I've been holding that in,

I had to go butter
my ghost toast.

(laughter)

If you know what I mean.

All right.
ANJALI: I don't know

if you want to share
that with the rest of us.

Bathroom activities.

Howard is going to stay out
of sight for the time being.

So he doesn't
startle the young lady.

Perhaps you and I should go.

LAURA: Sure.

Where's Howard?
ASHLEY: You guys are gentle.

ANJALI: He slipped out,
so as not to be--

Not to startle Kara.

LAURA: Oh.

ANJALI: Shall we?

ASHLEY: I'll stay out here?

I'll just stand by the door.

If you need something,
you can tell me.

ANJALI: Be close.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah,
yeah, be close.

MATT: So the two of you
are ascending the stairs

and you're staying back
on the first floor?

ASHLEY: Yeah.
MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Oh, I should
put these back on

before we go upstairs,
that would be smart.

MATT: The two of you climb the
stairs to the secondary floor.

It's a smaller floor.

There's a little arrival
10 by 10-foot area there,

which has a little
table with a vase

with some flowers
that look like

they're starting to
wither a bit, not well kept.

There are two doors here
to two different rooms.

LAURA: We both open
at the same time.

ANJALI: (uncertain noises)

LAURA: No knock?

ANJALI: Well, no.

I don't know why I'm terribly
suspicious of this young lady.

I'm sure she's fine,
I'm sure she's running.

But do you have your
bleed detector handy?

Can we use it?

LAURA: (beeping and booping)

MATT: The detector
begins to slightly glow

across the interior
of this waiting space

here on the second floor.

No sign of bleed.

ANJALI: All right.
MATT: Pretty solid.

ANJALI: Perhaps we knock?

LAURA: Sure, we'll both knock
on each door at the same time.

Ready? One, two, three.

ANJALI: Oh goodness. (knocks)
LAURA: (knocks)

MATT: You both knock,
no response.

LAURA: Maybe she's peeing.

ANJALI: Kara? Oh.

MATT: Okay, you open one door
and it leads to a bedroom here.

Simple, rustic-looking
twin bed

with what looks like
a bear fur

that's put over for
the blanket there.

You can see there's some
paintings on the walls

that look like older
family portraits.

It looks like there's
a shotgun

leaned up against
the side of the bed.

This is likely Vincent's
bedroom, but it is empty.

LAURA: I think this
is Vincent's bedroom.

ANJALI: I'll peek in and spy
the shotgun. It's good to know.

Well--

Kara?

Kara, your uncle sent us
with a book from the city.

May I come in?

MATT: No response.

LAURA: We should just go in.

ANJALI: I open the door,
but I stay on the threshold.

MATT: It's locked.

LAURA: We should
push the door open.

ANJALI: It's locked.

Fuck.

I don't have any Strikes,
so I'm not the person.

Auggie?

ASHLEY: Yep?
ANJALI: Auggie?

Come, come.

ASHLEY: What?
MATT: (laughs)

ANJALI: This door,
it's locked,

and we're not
hearing from her.

LAURA: I'm going to go
into Vincent's room.

Keep talking.

MATT: Okay, you go
into Vincent's room.

ASHLEY: It's locked?

ANJALI: Do you have
any skill to?

ASHLEY: I have
burglary equipment.

ROBBIE: Whoa!
ANJALI: Pick that--

LAURA: You have what?

ASHLEY: I have
burglary equipment.

ANJALI: This young man has
a particular set of skills.

Why do you think
I took him in?

ASHLEY: Yeah.
LAURA: Fabulous.

ANJALI: Yes.
ASHLEY: I can get into places

where you need
to be-- Shh.

MATT: All right. So ahead
and make a Hide test for me

or Control, your choice.
ASHLEY: All right. So,

I also have Born
in the Shadows.

So "when attempting to
avoid security or detection,

"you gild an extra Hide die."

MATT: Okay, okay. So you'd
want to roll Hide on this

and you get an extra
gilded die on this.

ASHLEY: So I got one, two.
ROBBIE: An extra gild?

ANJALI: Mm-hmm.
ROBBIE: That's pretty good.

MATT: It doesn't
mean an extra dice,

it just means one of the dies--
It says it's plus one die

or does it say an
additional die is gilded?

ASHLEY: Additional
die is gilded.

MATT: Okay, so it's
whatever your Hide is--

ASHLEY: Gild an
extra Hide die.

So I think it's
not gilded, wait.

MATT: Gild an extra
Hide die, which means--

ASHLEY: Gild an extra Hide die.
MATT: Which means,

how many points do
you have in it?

ASHLEY: So in Hide, I
have two and one gilded.

MATT: Right, so both of
those would be gilded.

So it's two dice and
they're both gilded.

But you could use drives
if you wanted to add more.

LAURA: (whispering) I'll be right back.
ASHLEY: I'm slowly catching on.

MATT: That's okay,
it's a new system.

ASHLEY: Yes. Let
me use a drive.

MATT: Okay. So that's
two gilded and one die.

LAURA: Yes.

ROBBIE: Do it.

ASHLEY: Oh, it's
getting caught on my--

all right, a five.

ROBBIE: Yeah!
MATT: A five?

That's great. You take that.
Is that on the gilded?

ASHLEY: It's not
on the gilded.

MATT: Okay, so you
still lose the drive.

But (clicking) (hinges creak)

the door opens up and within

you see there's the
gentle, warm light

of a low oil lantern that's
on the cusp of burning out.

Just a very, very
faint bit of light.

As you enter, you can
see the bed to the right

and across the
room in a chair,

you see a woman sitting,
facing away from you.

ANJALI: Kara?

You're in the other room?

LAURA: I was going
to go in and see

if Howard had any
drawers I could open

to see if there were
keys or anything.

ANJALI: Vincent,
Vincent, yes.

LAURA: Yes, Vincent, sorry.
ANJALI: Yes.

LAURA: Vincent.
ANJALI: Good.

MATT: You start going
through the drawers?

LAURA: Yeah, just to
look for a shiny key.

MATT: Okay.

Go ahead and make a Survey.

LAURA: This is at disadvantage,
so I'm rolling two

and taking the shit one.
MATT: Okay.

LAURA: They're
both equally shit.

ROBBIE: (laughs)
MATT: Fair enough.

LAURA: Threes.
MATT: Okay.

You do

start pulling some
of the drawers

and within them
is clothes, tools,

no sign of any keys.

As you slam one of
the drawers closed,

what you don't realize
is the shotgun

tumbles from the side of
the wall and you back away

just as it hits the
ground and-- (gunfire).

ANJALI: Oh no.
MATT:-- fires off.

All of you hear collectively
the sound of a shotgun

blast from the top
floor of the house.

LAURA: Sorry!

ANJALI: I run around
to see if she's okay.

ASHLEY: I'm watching Kara.

LAURA: No response?
MATT: Doesn't move.

LAURA: Oh. That
was very loud.

ANJALI: I need your
bleed detector now.

LAURA: I come
out of the room.

I can't hear anything.

ANJALI: Don't go in,
just reach out.

ASHLEY: I'm going to go
over to the light source

and I'm going to try to
turn it up a little bit.

Turn the little knobby,
so the little--

MATT: You realize it's
turned up, it's just

almost completely out of oil.
LAURA: Almost out of oil?

ASHLEY: All right, I'm
going to peek around

toward the front of
her to the side,

so I can get
a little profile.

MATT: You come around to the
side where she's sitting,

facing away from the
door where you came from

as you begin to enter
with your bleed detector.

As you come in,

you see the interior
of this chamber

is suffused

in bleed.

ASHLEY: Uh-oh.
MATT: There is scattering smatters

of magic corruption across
the interior of this room,

just as you cross
the threshold of view

to see Kara sitting
within the chair.

Above her chin, just a flat--

LAURA: (gasps)

MATT:-- blank,

faceless

wall of skin,

bereft of any features.

ANJALI: Auggie. Auggie,
come back. Come back!

What?

I just don't want you in
the bleed. You're on it.

LAURA: Is she aware?

ASHLEY: She doesn't,

part of her face is gone.

Part of her face is gone.

Her fucking nose is gone, her
fucking everything is gone.

LAURA: Is she bleeding?
MATT: You heard the shotgun go off

and at which point,
you immediately see

Vincent is like,
"What the hell was that?

"What are doing?"

He starts running
back to the house.

ASHLEY: Oh, he's going
to think it's us.

ROBBIE: Oh, Vincent.

(laughs)

ANJALI: Don't do it.
Don't do it.

ROBBIE: I am
absolutely going to.

ANJALI: Oh gosh.
(laughter)

ROBBIE: I did leave my
brass knuckles at home.

But as Vincent runs
toward the house,

I pop out from behind one
of the trees in the grove,

fully clothed and I
pull out from my pocket,

I have a little
blackjack with me.

ANJALI: (groans)
MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: As he runs
toward the house,

I pop out and I say: Sorry.

I'm going to try to bonk him
on jaw with the blackjack.

MATT: All right,
roll a Strike.

LAURA: What's a blackjack?

Because I literally
picture a little--

ROBBIE: Non-lethal,
it's a little--

LAURA: A club?
ANJALI: Like a smack.

ROBBIE: It's a little--
MATT: Yeah.

ROBBIE:-- smacky club to
make you go to sleepy time.

MATT: Yep.

ROBBIE: Not overly horrible.
MATT: No.

ROBBIE: Not overly horrible.

MATT: A comfortably carry-able
bludgeoning instrument.

ANJALI: Right.
ROBBIE: I'll spend a drive.

ANJALI: Fits excellently in a corset.
MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: That's a full six.

ANJALI: Yes.
ASHLEY: Yes!

MATT: "What's going on?

"I thought you were--"
(thuds)

He slumps right--
Hits the wood hard

and is this unconscious
pile of man.

You can can hear that sound,
that (stifled snores),

that horrible
breathing sound.

ROBBIE: He went to
sleepy time immediately?

MATT: Yeah.
ROBBIE: Aw man.

MATT: Onto his face where

the air passage right
now is a little obscured.

ROBBIE: I'll tilt his head
back and put his neck back

into alignment, so he stops
snoring and lay him out.

Oh my.

Then I'll run up the stairs

toward where I heard
the shotgun sound.

MATT: All right.

In the interim,
what are you doing?

LAURA: Is she breathing?

ASHLEY: How am
I supposed to tell

when there's no face?
LAURA: Is she alive?

I'm going to walk up
to her and put my hand

on her chest to see if
there's a rise and fall.

ASHLEY: Oh.
ANJALI: Oh.

MATT: She's warm.

But there's no breath,

there's no nostrils,
there's no mouth.

It's just a blank.

ASHLEY: Like the skin's been--
LAURA: What just happened?

ASHLEY:-- pulled off
and everything's...?

LAURA: It's just skin?

ANJALI: It's just skin.
MATT: It's just skin.

Like someone erased
the features.

LAURA: But-- (gags)

ROBBIE: Don't, don't, don't--
LAURA: Is there,

where the nose
bone was where

it's raised or is
it just smooth?

MATT: No, it's just smooth.

There's no eye sockets.

LAURA: Awful.
MATT: There's no cheekbones.

It's just a blank.

ANJALI: In my studies, would
I have heard of anything

of this in my library studies
in Gertrude's library?

Would I have heard of...?

MATT: Nah.

You've heard of all manner
of odd things but this one,

this one's new.

ROBBIE: (footsteps)

Oh, you found her? (chuckles)

ANJALI: Stay back, stay back.

LAURA: She's warm.

ROBBIE: Oh.

LAURA: It was recent.

They must be--

ANJALI: Near?

LAURA: It was recent.

ROBBIE: I'll try to
take her pulse.

ANJALI: Oh no.
MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: On her carotid.

MATT: There's a heartbeat.

ROBBIE: (gasps)

Oh.

She is alive.

LAURA: How?
ROBBIE: In a manner of speaking.

Her heart is beating and
she is most certainly warm.

LAURA: How is she breathing?

ROBBIE: I do not know.

ASHLEY: Should we cut it off?

LAURA: No.
ASHLEY: I don't know.

I'm throwing some stuff--
ANJALI: I want to look

around the room and see--
ROBBIE: We can certainly try,

I don't see why not.

ANJALI:-- if there's anything
in the room that looks like

glyphs or a cult or
anything that seems not--

MATT: Sure, make a
Survey test for me,

if you don't mind.
LAURA: Her body isn't responding

when we touch it or anything?

MATT: No.
LAURA: She's not turning

her shoulders or anything?
MATT: Nope.

ANJALI: That is a--
Do I want to take--

I'll take a six.

MATT: Okay, so you take
a six and a success.

Glancing around the chamber,

you can see there's two
of her bags unpacked.

You can see there's
a pile of clothes.

It looks like she's settled
in here in recent days.

You can see...

You do notice that
there is a somewhat,

I don't want to say crumpled,
but a weathered envelope

that sits on the
side of the bed

that's tucked in the drawer

in a small bedside table

with no label on it.

ANJALI: Sorry, I didn't
mean to knock that over.

I'm so loud.
ROBBIE: (laughs)

ASHLEY: My bad.
ANJALI: That's quite all right.

If there's anything like a
letter opener or anything,

anything that I can
pull that out with.

MATT: Yeah, the
envelope's open.

ANJALI: Okay. I'd like
to see what's inside it.

ANJALI: (gasps) Oh my.

MATT: It is blank.
ROBBIE: Ooh.

LAURA: It's a blank--
ROBBIE: Oh, it's a blank--

MATT: It is a blank
sheet of paper.

LAURA: There's no way.
ROBBIE: Poops.

LAURA: It's been jinxed.

ANJALI: Do you still
have your lighter?

ROBBIE: Oh.

Sure.

ANJALI: I take this
and check if,

you know how invisible ink
does the thing if you--

MATT: Right, right.

ANJALI: I want to
try to do that.

MATT: Okay.

It doesn't seem to be
having an immediate effect.

I will say, if you want to,

make a Control test
for me to try

and hold the flame to the
paper without igniting it.

ANJALI: You sure you don't
want to make a different roll?

ROBBIE: (laughs)
ANJALI: Like a Survey roll

since I'm searching for things?
ASHLEY: I'll give you--

MATT: Nope. Nope, that's--

ANJALI: (laughs)
ASHLEY: I'll give you a drive.

MATT: That's specifically what this needs.
ANJALI: That's fine. That's fine.

That's fine.
ASHLEY: I'll give you a drive.

ANJALI: Yep, yep, yep.

Six.
LAURA: Yes.

MATT: A six, okay.

LAURA: Great.

MATT: You do not manage
to ignite the letter.

You do darken it in places,
but you do not see any text.

ASHLEY: What about the bleed?

What about
the bleed detector?

You think there's--
LAURA: That's a wonderful idea.

ASHLEY:-- hidden writing
or something? I don't know.

MATT: Okay. You ignite
the bleed detector.

(gasps)

(excited clamoring)
ASHLEY: Whoa!

ROBBIE: Yeah!
ANJALI: (excited yelling)

MATT: Indeed, some text begins
to arise, which gives you--

ASHLEY: Whoa,
that looks so cool.

MATT:-- an interesting

perspective, as this would
be ink mixed with bleed.

ANJALI: (gasps)

MATT: Intentionally so.

ANJALI: "Kara, the
Pharos is on us.

"These recent missteps have
cost us and myself greatly.

"Your ignorance cannot
be left a weakness.

"Give it six weeks, then
find me at the Brinewash 7.

"I will appeal for
your forgiveness.

"Dorna."

ASHLEY: So she--
You were right.

You were right, she's
working with her?

ANJALI: She's working
with her but--

LAURA: Do you think
Dorna did this?

ANJALI: I think one way or
another, she was involved.

LAURA: Oh no!

MATT: I'll put it back for you.
LAURA: (laughs)

ANJALI: (laughs)

ASHLEY: That's so cool.

LAURA: Six weeks, "give it
six weeks and then find me."

ANJALI: "At the Brinewash 7."
LAURA: We've got to go to the Brinewash 7.

ASHLEY: Did she bring
her instrument?

ANJALI: Ah, yes.

ROBBIE: The Pharos.

LAURA: "...appeal..."
ANJALI: Pharos.

LAURA: "...forgiveness."

We need to remember how
to write Dorna's name.

ROBBIE: We don't know when this--
ANJALI: Yes.

ROBBIE:-- letter was from.
ANJALI: That's a good idea.

LAURA: Pharos,
who's The Pharos?

ANJALI: Would I--
ASHLEY: Wait. Can I give it a look-see?

MATT: You would know.
ANJALI: I would know The Pharos,

right?
MATT: Indeed.

Fourth Pharos is
the term and the title

of the base of operations
for Candela Obscura.

ANJALI: They know
we're on to them.

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: It's about this time--
ANJALI: Oh?

MATT:-- that the last
bit of that oil lantern--

LAURA: Oh no.
MATT:-- flickers out.

LAURA: Oh, it's dark in here.

MATT: In that shadow--
LAURA: Oh no.

MATT:-- you hear

(chittering clicks).

ANJALI: Back.

Back.

Back. Down.
LAURA: Yeah, back away. Back away.

Get out of the room, out of the room,
out of the room, out of the room.

MATT: You go to exit towards
the room and the door (thuds)

closes right as you were
about to get to it

as you see this long, thin,

stretched hand

that now currently
reaches down from above.

As you follow it up
the outstretched arm,

the thousands and thousands
of strange, wispy,

hair-like roots that all
encompass this extended limb

like a massive shadow
beard that just

fills the entirety
of its body,

you follow it up to this
massive, hunched creature

that currently stands at
an angle, defying gravity

against the arched ceiling
of this guest room.

From beneath, this long veil

of scraggly black root,

this dull, orange
glow just barely

pushes from within, a
singular source of light.

(disjointed,
creaking gurgles)

ANJALI: Howard, Howard,
the door.

Howard, the door!
LAURA: The window.

ROBBIE: It's closed.
LAURA: The window.

ROBBIE: (panicked pulling
of locked door)

ANJALI: Break it down.
LAURA: Go to the window.

There's a window in the room.

MATT: There is a window.
ANJALI: There's a window in the room,

but is it opposite
her or is it--

MATT: She's facing towards

the window currently.
ANJALI: She's facing the window

and this thing--

MATT: This creature
is just above.

It just closed the door
and it's standing and just--

ASHLEY and LAURA: In front
of the door?

MATT: It's in front of
the door, that exit.

It slammed the door.
LAURA: Oh.

ANJALI: It's in front of
the door and we're between.

LAURA: Then go to the window.
MATT: It's in the room above you

and it just slammed the door above you.
ANJALI: Window, window.

All right, backwards.

Back to the window,
back to the window.

LAURA: I am going to--

MATT: It (heavy stomps)
steps down from the ceiling,

like it descends
and as it rises up,

it stands 12, 13 feet tall.

ROBBIE: Whoa.
ANJALI: Hello!

MATT: Hunched against
the ceiling itself,

pushed and curved and
as you begin to step,

it seems to quickly approach
and loom over you.

It seems as quick as you could
be in this small space.

It, in a very pointed
bit of interest,

just follows and looms.

(disjointed, chittering gurgles)

ASHLEY: It's not doing anything?
It's not doing anything?

LAURA: Get to the window.
ANJALI: Get to the window.

Get to the window, backwards.

LAURA: I'm going
to use an ability.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: I'm going to

try to make eye contact
with the creature

and I'm going to
Play the Bait.

MATT: Mm.
ROBBIE: Oh yeah.

LAURA: So I'm going to,

"you know how
to draw phenomena

"out of hiding or get
them to reveal themselves."

I just have to play the bait.

I can roll a Sense to bring
nearby phenomena toward me.

MATT: Yes, roll a
Sense test for me,

as the creature's arms--

ASHLEY: I'll give you a drive.
MATT:-- both hang at the sides,

scratching the ground--
LAURA: Thank you.

MATT:-- with their length
as it inspects you all.

ANJALI: Likewise, I'll give you a drive, too.
MATT: You look towards that glow

in its face, that
weird orange light

that seems to be buried
beneath the cluster

of hanging roots
that drip off of it

like a weeping willow tree.

LAURA: Yes.

I'm going to take
the full success--

MATT: Full success?
LAURA:-- on that.

MATT: Okay.
LAURA: Yeah. Instead of the mixed success

because I don't want to
risk this right now.

MATT: (deep croaks)

Immediately, it looks towards
you and that glow brightens.

LAURA: Get out of the way.
MATT: You all watch

as Arlo seems to have
caught its attention

and as it brightens,
that orange glow

lights the room
ever so faintly

in the direction of its
facing, centered on Arlo.

LAURA: I'm going to
pull my glove off--

MATT: (gurgling creaks)
LAURA:-- and hold my hand out.

Go!

ASHLEY: I'm going to
try to open the window.

Try to foot through the
window, trying to get it open.

MATT: Okay.

The window (stuck thuds).

ANJALI: Just break it.

MATT: (shifting creaks)
Lifts up. (thud)

You feel the colder night
air began to rush in.

LAURA: Go.

I'll start backing
towards the window, too.

You guys get out.

ANJALI: I want to
be right behind her.

MATT: You begin to back
towards the window?

It interposes.

As you step, it steps

and as you step
again, it steps.

It's not focused
on your friends,

but is focused
entirely on you.

ANJALI: Both of you--
MATT: (creaking gurgles)

ANJALI: Both of you,
get out the window.

Auggie, Howard,
get out the window.

ASHLEY: I don't want to leave
you guys in here alone.

ANJALI: Go! Go, go, go!
ROBBIE: I'll go first.

ANJALI: I'm going to start--
ROBBIE: I'm down and out first

because I'll try to catch
them when they come.

We're second story, right?
MATT: You are second story.

ROBBIE: I'm down
and out first.

MATT: Okay.
ANJALI: I'm going to also--

ROBBIE: I'm trying to.
ANJALI:-- not flank her,

but move a little bit,

since it's coming
at her directly,

move slightly
over to the right

and reach down
and pull out my

new and improved knife.

It's a little bit
longer than it was

and it has a set of
strange markings on it.

MATT: Okay.

As you are doing this and
you are attempting

to then leap beyond
this window,

I'd like you to make
a Move test for me.

ROBBIE: Howard's strong, but
he ain't exactly nimble.

LAURA: Oh no.
ROBBIE: Bad knees.

LAURA: Oh no!

ROBBIE: This is important.
I'm going to use my train,

my extra train die, and
I'm going to spend a drive.

ANJALI: I forgot those.

ROBBIE: Going to spend my
extra drive to have two.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: That is a full
success, that's a six.

MATT: Full success.
ROBBIE: Six and a five.

MATT: The creature doesn't
take notice of you

as you quickly leap
out the side.

You catch the windowsill
as you fall over the side

and as you're hanging on,
give yourself just enough

of a buffer to drop and
catch hard onto your feet.

You tumble onto your back,

but you don't break or
injure anything other than

a bit of a sprain that you
may feel in the morning.

LAURA: A little bit
of brain leaks out.

(laughter)

LAURA: Oops.

MATT: (creaking groans)

ASHLEY: I'm going to hop out.

You okay, you okay?

LAURA: Everything's fine.
ASHLEY: All right.

You better come
out this window.

ROBBIE: I'm underneath to
catch or help down, yeah.

MATT: Okay, so make
a Move test for me.

ASHLEY: So I have nothing.

MATT: Right, so that would be
roll twice, take the lowest.

ANJALI: Or use a drive.

You know what,
I'm going to use my train.

MATT: Okay, go for it.
ASHLEY: My extra train die.

I still take the lowest?

MATT: No, with the train,
you just roll one dice.

ASHLEY: So I'm just
rolling one dice?

MATT: Yeah, so normally
you would roll twice

and take the lowest, now it's
just roll a single dice.

ROBBIE: Don't worry, you're
going to roll a six.

ASHLEY: I'm going
to roll a six.

I'm going to roll a two.

(laughter)

ASHLEY: Catch me! Catch me!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I got you!

MATT: (crashing)

About a foot off.

(laughter)

ASHLEY: Ow!

ANJALI: That's some Looney
Tunes big stuff right there.

ROBBIE: I suppose my eyes
did not adjust as well

as I thought they would.

ASHLEY: You were not even
close to where I was jumping!

ROBBIE: It's foggy in here.

MATT: You do mark a body
from the impact.

ASHLEY: Oh sure.
ROBBIE: Fuck.

MATT: Now back to the
two of you in the room.

It's slowly approaching you
and looming over you.

You find yourself
glancing up at it.

Charlotte, you look over and
can see that orange glow

across Arlo's face getting
brighter and brighter

as it begins to close.

Its long arms
dragging on the ground.

The arms slowly--

LAURA: Are you the one
that steals the features?

ANJALI: Arlo, out the window, go!
LAURA: Are you the one that takes faces?

ANJALI: Go! Go!
LAURA: I'm going to back,

fall out of the window.

ANJALI: As she does,
I am going to

say a series of words that
no one has ever heard before

and my knife is going to
glow with orange symbols on it

and my ghost blade
is going to come out

and I'm going to
strike at the creature.

ROBBIE: Ghost blade.
MATT: Okay,

so you mark a body
from taking,

initiating that ability.

Simultaneously, I want you
to test for Move

to try and dodge
from this creature

that is focused
entirely on you.

This isn't even
trying to land properly.

This is trying
to land properly

and trying to
keep this creature,

which is on the verge
of closing in on you.

LAURA: Okay, I'm--
MATT: This is a

high-stakes roll.
LAURA: I'm taking my drive.

ASHLEY: Can we assist and
try to make a basket catch?

MATT: Sure.
ROBBIE: Got to get away

from the baddie first, right?

ASHLEY: She's falling out the window.
LAURA: Got to get away from

the baddie before
I fall out the window.

ANJALI: You've got
I Saw It Coming.

LAURA: I'm using my
train die on this to--

MATT: Sure.

ASHLEY: So you'll get
an extra drive.

LAURA: Oh, I will?
ASHLEY: Or an extra--

MATT: This is try trying
to dodge the creature

and will
encompass the landing.

LAURA: Okay.
ASHLEY: I can't help you, never mind.

LAURA: Five.

MATT: Five, it's
a mixed success.

Okay.

So you pull back
and leap out the side

just as the
creature's arm (growling)

reaches out.

LAURA: I grab a hold
of Kara's body

to grab something and
end up throwing her over me

as I go out the window.

MATT: So she ends up out
the window with you.

ROBBIE: Double bodies!
MATT: As you go flinging overhead,

the creature reaches and
strikes out towards you,

but catches nothing but
air as you tumble backwards.

While you tried to catch her,

the sudden, the arrival of
two bodies being flung

from the window here in
the low light of the night,

you're uncertain who
you're supposed to catch

and you end up
catching Kara's body,

and you, while you escape
the clutches of this creature,

impact hard on the packed
dirt of the farmstead,

taking a body mark as you do.

The wind is knocked out of
you and for a brief moment,

you make that sucking sound,
trying to catch it.

ALL: (struggling)

MATT: Ow, ow, ow, ow!

LAURA: Ow, ow, ow, ow!
MATT: Yes, just like that.

(laughter)

MATT: You.
ANJALI: Yes.

MATT: Can roll to Strike.

ANJALI: ♪ God, help me,
it's my worst skill ♪

All right, I'm going to
use some--

ASHLEY: Can I help?
Can I give her a drive?

MATT: You are outside and
downstairs, you cannot.

ANJALI: This is
a high stakes roll.

MATT: This is very much
a high stakes roll.

ANJALI: I'm very
Cool Under Pressure

and on any high stakes roll,
I may always spend Cunning

instead of the drive
the roll would normally use--

ROBBIE: Whoa, that's a good one!
ANJALI: So, I will use

two Cunning to give me
one, two, two die.

MATT: You got it.

ANJALI: I will use my train.

I will pray to the
great gods that this works.

LAURA: You got this,
you got this.

ANJALI: Five.

MATT: Got a five, okay,
that's a mixed success.

You do manage to strike
into this creature

and as you swipe with
your blade and push past

the heavy coat of tangled,
dry, swamp-like vines

that wrap
its long sinewy body,

you strike within and
feel that burning runic power

begin to singe on the inside

and the creature immediately
(sucking)

gives this horrible
sucking sound

and reaches back
and grabs your arm

and pulls you from it.

You can see now
this cinder-like flame

now currently burns deep
within like the embers

deep on the inside of
a mostly burned chunk of wood

and that gives that continuous
pained-sucking sound.

(sucking)

ANJALI: I'm out the window.

MATT: But it has grabbed you.
ANJALI: Oh, neat.

MATT: As it does,
you feel this sense

of darkness beginning
to come over your eyes

as one of his arms

wraps around your face.
LAURA: Oh, no, no, no.

ROBBIE: No!
MATT: Encompasses your head.

LAURA: No, no, no.
MATT: You take a bleed.

But it has now held you,

your vision is now
dark and you feel

like you are being
slowly smothered

by the forest floor.
ANJALI: I still have my knife, yes?

MATT: You do.

ANJALI: I start prying,

trying to pry whatever
is around my face.

MATT: Okay, you can make a--

You can make a Strike or
a Control test on this.

You all hear that
horrible (sucking) sound.

It is deep and
vibrating the very wood

of this entire house.

LAURA: Have we woken up yet?

Have I like--
MATT: Oh yeah.

You're starting to
catch your breath here,

but all of you
are looking to see

where Charlotte's
going to come.

ASHLEY: Pointed up
to the window.

MATT: Indeed, and
all you see is shadow

within the interior
of this window.

ASHLEY: Charlie!
MATT: Hear the sound.

LAURA: Can I get up and start
running back into the house?

MATT: All right, so you go
darting back into the house.

You are--
ANJALI: Can I be pulling towards,

even if it's got hold on me,

can I be struggling
towards the window?

MATT: You can struggle
towards it,

but this creature--
You weigh--

ANJALI: Whatever I weigh.
MATT: Whatever you weigh.

This is a massive entity
from beyond The Flare,

so you get the sense

you probably don't have the
advantage of weight on this,

but you do have
that dagger still.

You can roll
Strike or Control,

your choice, to try and see
if you can maneuver the blade

in a way to carve yourself
free from its grasp.

ANJALI: I'm going to
do ♪ Control ♪

and I am going to use a,

I'm going to use two drive
which gives me three dice.

Four.

MATT: Four, okay.

So you manage to (grunting)
cut yourself free,

but in order to do so,

because it's clasped
around your face,

your blade cuts up your own
cheek and you feel the blood

begin to run, but it's just
enough to find where that

inhuman knuckle
that currently grasps

the center of your head sits
and as you carve it free.

The voice, once again
(gurgling).

It finds itself being
pulled slightly free

and you yank from its grasp.

You do mark a body from
cutting yourself free.

LAURA: Oh man.
MATT: But you then run and leap

from the window.

ANJALI: Hope we
have enough, okay.

Right, okay.

MATT: So now I would like
you to make a Move test.

ANJALI: Of course you would
and I'm going to spend my--

MATT: I will give you an extra
die on this because you now

have two friends below
that are waiting for you

and have been patiently
expecting your drop.

ANJALI: Then I am also
going to take a drive,

which is t-two-o-o.

She says convincingly.

Let me make sure
that this is nothing.

Yeah, there's
nothing I can do.

I'm going to
use a resistance.

ASHLEY: Ooh.
ROBBIE: No.

LAURA: You can do this,
you can do this.

ROBBIE: Oh, come on.

ANJALI: Five.
LAURA: Yes!

MATT: Five, okay.

You hit the ground.

Both of you catch her and
you don't mark your body.

You catch it, your foot
sprains a little bit,

but you catch yourself and you
hear her impact from behind.

Just as you enter
the house and turn around,

you see her drop
just beyond that window.

ANJALI: Run!

LAURA: Charlie!

I'll grab one of the lanterns
that was next to the door

inside the cabin
and come running out.

MATT: Okay.

You come darting out
to gather the rest of you.

You all catch her and
right as you look up,

you can see (thudding)

the arms of this creature.

This tiny window.

It's like watching a full
nightmare Jack Skellington

emerge from the outside
of this window,

its limbs almost 10 feet
long on their own,

and you're uncertain if
it's limited to just two.

It's this massive twisted
beard of black roots,

and that one glowing
source of orange light

in its face that's
flashing with intensity

as it crawls out
onto the roof,

staring down at you.
(growling)

ANJALI: Run, run!
LAURA: Kill it with fire.

ASHLEY: Is he coming
after us or just staring?

MATT: What are you doing?

ROBBIE: I want to search
the back of the farm

quickly as I'm running,
of course,

to see if they keep animals
and if they might have

a surrey or horses
by any chance

is specifically
what I'm looking for.

MATT: Make a Survey test
for me, if you don't mind.

ASHLEY: Kara's body's
out here, too, right?

LAURA: Yeah,
everything's out.

ROBBIE: Yeah,
we got two bodies,

one in front, one and back.

I'm going to see if they
got horsies and a surrey.

I'll spend a drive.

For three.
MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: Mad fail.

Was one, one, three.

MATT: Oof.

ANJALI: Do you have
a resistance?

ROBBIE: I don't.
ANJALI: I guess you don't need it.

Okay.
ROBBIE: No, I don't have one.

MATT: You glance around
off the side,

looking around and you,

you know for orchards,
they often have

some beasts of burden to
help both with carrying

or people that want to come
through and tour the orchard

and such, but it's
too dark at this point,

and you're too frazzled
and as you're glancing over,

(thudding)

cutting off your vision,

the entity drops down
this small cluster.

It seems to widen
out under the ground

like a batch of dried
swamp land that spills out

and then rises once more.

Its face turning
back towards you.

(growling)

ASHLEY: Do I shoot it?
Do you want me to shoot it,

or we running?

LAURA: I'm going to
take the lantern

and throw it at its feet,
try to catch it on fire.

ASHLEY: Yes!
MATT: All right.

For this, I will say you
can roll Strike or Control,

depending on
you're going for it.

LAURA: I will definitely
use a Control.

ASHLEY: I will--
ROBBIE: Throw.

ASHLEY: I will help.

MATT: How are you helping?

ASHLEY: I'm helping.

I'm helping by--

It's right there!

(laughter)

ASHLEY: Don't you see it?
It's right there!

(laughter)

ANJALI: That's amazing.

ASHLEY: I had my gun
trained on him.

You know.
MATT: Yeah.

ASHLEY: I'm helping
out in case.

LAURA: Five.
ASHLEY: There we go.

ROBBIE: Good.
MATT: Five, okay.

As you put back the lantern
and throw it in the air,

(whooshing)

arcing forward, Howard,
you begin to back away

as the creature, from the
inside of its mattled mass

of a torso.

Its arm reaches out and
grabs you in the face

and begins to wrap around.

You take immediately a bleed.

ROBBIE: Immediate bleed.

LAURA: That's right
in the face!

MATT: As it gets wrapped around.
ASHLEY: May I--

Maybe in helping
shooting the lantern

so it maybe tries to get

a bit bigger.
MATT: Yes, you may.

As it grasps you, the lantern
in the middle of the air,

you take aim here and
a little bit of the moonlight

that hits you, (exhales)
you breathe out.

(gun fires) Fire.

The heavy sound of the
gunshot (echoing)

eliminates the silence
that surrounds this chaos

here in the
center of the field,

and you watch the lantern
suddenly bursts and

(exploding) the oil ignites

as it spills
onto this entity.

The flames begin
to whip around it

and immediately you hear
(screeching).

It withdraws and pulls
its hand away from Howard

and immediately darts off and
crawls away behind the farm,

this fire beginning to
catch on the outskirts of it.

What are you doing?

LAURA: We have to get away.
ASHLEY: We got to go.

ANJALI: Run,
LAURA: Fire.

ANJALI: Are there any more
lanterns that we can grab

on our way out?

MATT: You can go
back in the house

and grab some, if you want.
LAURA: Yeah, we should.

Going to go and grab
all the fire, candles,

anything we can find.

ANJALI: Any light,
any fire sources.

MATT: Okay, you all
rush in and

there are two more
oil lanterns in there.

There's the two that you
saw when you first walked in

and there's one that's
over by the fireplace

that feels like
it's a lot more empty,

but there's some in there.

ASHLEY: It's something.
ANJALI: Just grab it all.

MATT: All right, you grab it.

That's three oil
lanterns at your disposal

and you have two bodies,

one that's unconscious and
one that's not responding.

What do you do?

LAURA: Is it possible to
try to drag them with us?

God, that sounds hard.

ROBBIE: I'll run around
the front.

Vincent's a big boy?

MATT: Vincent's a pretty--

ROBBIE: He's a farm lad?
MATT: He's a solid 200.

ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Howard's going to
do a dead man's carry,

dip his arm in,
put his arm over arm

and put this guy
on his back.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: Out of guilt
and necessity.

As I do,
I'm mumbling to myself.

Well, certainly I would
think that if that orchard

of this size would have
some sort of beast of burden.

I'll use Well-Read from
my previous roll that says,

I'm "highly educated and retain
knowledge better than most.

"When I use an
Intuition to make a roll,

"if I fail the roll,"
which I did miserably, I get

"any Intuition I used back."

So I get my drive back.
MATT: Get your drive back, yeah.

LAURA: Oh, that's great.
MATT: That's great.

ANJALI: That's fantastic.

ASHLEY: I grab Kara, same.

MATT: Okay,
Kara's on your back.

ROBBIE: Slow.

MATT: You all begin to trek in
the direction where you came.

ROBBIE: How far was this from
the train depot to the house?

MATT: It was about
a 20, 25 minute walk.

LAURA: Okay.

ROBBIE: That's a mile,
mile and a half. All right.

LAURA: I am going to,

I'm assuming we're
on an orchard,

there will be sticks to grab.

MATT: Oh yeah, easy to grab.

LAURA: Then I'm going
to grab a couple sticks

and light them on fire,
try to make a--

ANJALI: Torch.
LAURA: A torch.

MATT: Okay, it's going to be
a little challenging to do

on the go, but you are
carrying two bodies,

which is about the pace
to be able to do it,

so I'll allow it, yeah.

LAURA: Okay, so now we have
an extra light source.

I'm going to hold the torch out
behind us as we're walking,

just in case it is
trying to follow.

MATT: Okay.

You all continue
forward, trudging

through back the Scarlet Woods
beyond the orchard,

this darkened space,
exhausted,

some of you feeling the,
amidst the bleed.

Now as you've come
into this moment,

that remnants the bleed
begins to really seep in.

I believe the two that really
took it were you two, correct?

ANJALI: Yeah.

MATT: I would like you both
to explain how the bleed

begins to affect you now
that you've had a moment

to think on the experience.

ANJALI: I immediately
start seeing again

that crack in the sky and

I can't tell what's
happening now and

what was happening then, but
I'm seeing the same kind of,

I'm seeing, reliving the
house being sucked through,

but this particular creature,
with its hairlike tendrils

being the one
grabbing the house

and crumpling it
in its hands.

MATT: All righty, Howard.

MATT: If you've known Howard,

you would've always thought
that he had a twitch

in his left eye,
but he doesn't until now

and occasionally he's
blinking something out.

Not pervasive,
not all the time blinking

something out of his eye

and it's this little
phosphorescent blue glow

that he can't seem to
get out of the field

of his vision and
it's really irritating.

MATT: Got it.

ROBBIE: But it's not there all
the time, but it's annoying.

MATT: You have roughly,
at the pace you're going,

about 10 or so minutes
before you exit

the Scarlet Woods themselves.

Now with the entirety
of the daylight gone,

the once-beautiful red wood
is imposing and frightening.

You can hear the sound of
the crickets now amplified

in the middle
of this tension.

Other creatures and birds
of prey occasionally talking,

speaking to each other,

the hunters of the night
communicating.

While that's
stressful enough,

nothing prepares you

for when they all go quiet.

LAURA: Hmm.

MATT: (creature deep growling)

ANJALI: Run. Run.

LAURA: Where's it
coming from?

In front of us or behind us?

ANJALI: Take another one
of the lanterns.

MATT: You are uncertain
the direction

of where it comes from.

It seems to be emanating
from the nearby trees.

LAURA: Can we
pick up our pace?

ASHLEY: Yep, yep, yep, yep.

MATT: Okay, who's leading?

LAURA: Who's got good Survey?
ANJALI: I would.

I will, I'm leading.

ASHLEY: It ain't me.
ANJALI: I'm assuming.

LAURA: I'm in the back.
ROBBIE: We're slow.

MATT: You're leading?
ANJALI: Yeah.

MATT: Okay.

Are you trying to keep
everyone running quickly,

or are you trying to keep
an eye out for any danger?

ANJALI: Oh fuck.

Trying to keep an eye
out for any danger

and also making sure we're
going in the right direction.

MATT: Okay, make a Survey
test, if you don't mind.

ANJALI: Five.

MATT: Five, okay.

Glancing around, you can see,

now especially at
this time of night,

the path is less visible
without the colors

to really help you here.

Beyond the firelight
you have,

the various pops of
vibrant reds and browns

all become a dull gray
with an orange hue.

At times, you fear

in the midst of
this stressful journey

you almost lose
the path a few times,

but you make sure
you get back onto it.

You also can hear

the breaking of
sticks and branches

to the left of
where you stand,

and out of the
corner of your eye,

you see the faintest bit
of that orange glow

as suddenly something
(swooshes)

strikes out from the side
of the wood, try to grasp you.

You see it just in time
to dodge out of the way,

but you feel something
claw at your shoulder

and you almost tumble
to the ground

as you take a mark
to your body.

ANJALI: Dude, guys,
that's three.

LAURA: That's three?
ROBBIE: Three for you? Three body?

ANJALI: Oh, one more,
one more and I'm down.

As that happens, I grab
one of the lanterns.

LAURA: You would have

one in your hand because
there's three lanterns.

ANJALI: I lash out
at it with the--

as if to break the fire.

MATT: So you're just,
are you--

ANJALI: I'll throw it, yeah.

MATT: Throwing it in that
direction towards a tree?

Towards the creature?
ANJALI: Towards whatever

lashed out at me,
the creature.

MATT: Okay. So you're
like (groans),

swing it back and throw it
in their direction.

I need you to make a
Control test for me.

ANJALI: Of course you do.

High stakes, yes?

MATT: Oh yeah.

ANJALI: I will use my--

MATT: Only you can
create forest fires.

LAURA: Can I assist?

Oh, no, I don't have any
fucking drive to give her.

ROBBIE: Smokey
the Stakes Bear.

ASHLEY: Wait, wait.
Let me give you a drive.

ANJALI: Did you
See This Coming?

ASHLEY: Let me give you a drive.
LAURA: Did you See This Coming?

ASHLEY: I did!
I saw it! I see it!

(laughter)

MATT: So you can
keep that drive.

ROBBIE: "He's right there!"

MATT: You did indeed
See It Coming.

ANJALI: Oh god.
MATT: All righty.

ANJALI: Six.
(cheering)

MATT: Great. You fling it,

and it explodes,
not on the creature,

but on the tree right beside
it's like (flames whoosh).

Immediately, flames
ignite along the tree,

some of it getting on
the creature who withdraws

and for a brief moment you get
a better look of this entity,

this massive, terrifying
nightmare ent of a being.

You can see two,
maybe three long legs.

It's like a daddy longlegs

covered in
these clustered mass

of hair-like roots that
dangle for multiple feet

and there's a large
cluster that drips

over its head and hangs
like a knotted beard

from a sourceless face,
that orange glow.

For a split second,
as it pulls back,

you swear you see eyes
within the deep sets

of its roots of
its body before it

(creature growling)

pulls back into the woods

and for a moment, you see
it recoiling from the flames

and trying to brush
it off of its body

as it vanishes into the
shadows below the cinders

on its form beginning
to dissipate for the moment.

LAURA: How many
arms does it have?

MATT: You've seen anywhere
from two to three.

You haven't got
a good look at it.

It seems to be this mass

that shifts and
changes at times.

ASHLEY: Run, run, run, run!

ROBBIE: How much further
do we have to go?

MATT: You can see the
edge of the forest

maybe about 300 feet
in front of you.

ROBBIE: 300 feet?

LAURA: Run.
ROBBIE: Let's go.

ANJALI: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
MATT: All right.

You go charging,
running, running.

LAURA: Running sideways because
I'm trying to walk backwards

as we're leaving.

MATT: Okay.

That shot definitely
gave you a bit of a breath,

and for the time being, it
is not bearing down on you.

As you're approaching
the edge of the forest,

you hear that terrible

echoing, guttural sound
once more.

(growling)

Glancing over your shoulder,

you see that orange glow
shifting between the trees,

it's darting with
an impossible speed.

leaving a trail as it shifts.

It's getting
closer and closer.

ANJALI: We have to stop
it before it gets,

I don't know if it's
going to stop at the woods.

ROBBIE: I've set Vincent
down and I'm hiding.

He's sitting upright like
"Weekend at Bernie's"

and you guys don't see him.

I'm hiding behind him,
frantically doing shit.

LAURA: I'm going to try
to play the bait again

to draw it towards me.

MATT: Okay.
ANJALI: We need you.

I'm trying give
Howard a second.

ROBBIE: Give me a minute!
Give me a moment!

LAURA: Then I'm going to try
to play the bait again

and step forward
towards the creature.

MATT: Okay, roll with Sense.

LAURA: Okay.
ANJALI: Ugh.

ASHLEY: I give you a drive.

LAURA: Okay, thank you.

MATT: (growling)

LAURA: I'm going to take
a yes on the gilded.

That's a mixed success
on the gilded.

MATT: Mixed success
on the gilded.

Okay, you watch as it
(shifting)

and then focuses

and from the nearby
cluster of trees you see

as it darts out and goes
lurching towards you.

It goes from a humanoid run
into almost a bestial leap.

LAURA: I'm going to try
to run away from--

MATT: The sight
of it emerging

and coming at you
at that speed

does strike you with a sudden
sense of nerve and anxiety.

You do take a brain.

LAURA: Oh god, okay.

ROBBIE: So she's
running away?

MATT: She's charging--
LAURA: I'm trying to give it space

from you to give you time to
do what you're going to do.

MATT: As you're doing that,
it runs towards you

and lashes out towards you
and you duck out of the way

and go behind some of the trees.
LAURA: I take my torch

and I'm swinging it wide to
try to keep it back for me.

MATT: (growling)

With each flash of it, you
get more view of its body,

and the more you see,
the less sense it makes.

LAURA: I've got a torch in one
and a lantern in the other.

MATT: Yep.

ROBBIE: Done.

I pop up from Vincent. Ha!

I've got this little vial,
almost like beaker,

like a half a liter of this
really strange orangish liquid

and I'm going to run up to,

I'm going to
run up to Arlo and--

MATT: Just so you know, right
now, Arlo is in the middle

of the lion's cage with
the whip and the chair.

This creature (growling).

LAURA: (grunts)
MATT: (growls)

This orange glow brightening
and then darkening.

LAURA: Fencing stance.

ROBBIE: I'm going to grab
her backward fencing hand

and I'm going to
be like: Good luck.

I'm going to put the vial
into her hand.

LAURA: Replace the-- take my
lantern and give me the vial.

ROBBIE: Yep, and I'm going
to spin her around

almost like a dance move

and thrust her back
out to the creature

and I hope you know
what to do with it.

LAURA: I'm supposed to
throw it at it?

ROBBIE: I can't throw
for shit.

LAURA: Oh, okay,
I'm going to try to--

Would this be a Control?

MATT: This would be
a Control.

LAURA: Okay. Then I'm
going to, as I spin,

I'm going to try
to throw it directly

at the center
of the creature.

MATT: Using the momentum
from the doctor

handing it into your arm,

and then as you
both do-si-do,

whip it out as you spin
on the outside of it.

Go ahead and make
a finesse test for me.

LAURA: Okay.

ROBBIE: Hopefully, my flingage
will add some extra oomph

for your throw.

I'll help you.
LAURA: Oh, thank you.

ROBBIE: What was
that one on, though?

LAURA: That's on Nerve.
ROBBIE: Control?

LAURA: Yes, Control.

ROBBIE: There's an extra.
All right.

ASHLEY: Spend wisely.
ANJALI: I only have one left.

ROBBIE: No fucking way.

LAURA: I failed.

ANJALI: Do you have
a resistance?

LAURA: I don't have
a resistance!

ROBBIE: No way!

MATT: What did you craft?

LAURA: Oh, fuck off.

ROBBIE: I used
my special ability

and I brought my--
LAURA: I'm so sorry I failed!

ROBBIE: I brought my
lab equipment out

and I made a highly flammable
chemical concoction.

LAURA: Man.
MATT: All right.

ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah.
MATT: You fling it

and the creature now very
aware of the flames you carry

and the spin
gets extremely low.

It's so tall and

so impressively encompassing
of the space

and it seems to shrink down
and stretch out its body

and as you lob it,
it goes overhead

and then shatters in the
ground, spraying over Auggie.

(gasping)
MATT: Now--

LAURA: Auggie!
MATT: It hasn't caught flame,

but you are currently doused
in a highly flammable chemical.

ROBBIE: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Do not put any fire
near me whatsoever!

ROBBIE: I'm still holding
her do-si-do hand.

ANJALI: She has the torch.

She has the torch in her hand.
MATT: The creature stretched out

(swooshing)

suddenly rises up to this
almost 15-foot height.

The face burns with
a bright angry red orange.

LAURA: (concerned noises)

MATT: What do you do?

ROBBIE: The best-laid plans.

LAURA: Scream.

ROBBIE and LAURA: (scream)

(laughter)

ANJALI: I guess we run.

I've used up everything.
ROBBIE: That was it.

That was my Kamehameha
and we shot it into--

ASHLEY: Since I'm doused--
ROBBIE: I'm out of ideas.

ASHLEY: I'm going to
take off my jacket.

ROBBIE: Yeah, Auggie!
ANJALI and LAURA: (cheering)

ASHLEY: And--

ROBBIE: Give him
a new coat, baby.

ANJALI: You've got to do
the torch, the torch.

ASHLEY: I'm going
to try the--

LAURA: He's got a lantern,
I've got a torch.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Try to concoct something.

Put the jacket
around the lantern

and I'm going to chuck it.
ANJALI: I still have his lighter.

LAURA: I thought you were
going to put the lantern,

the coat on the guy.

MATT: Now here's the thing,
your coat is drenched.

Other parts of you are
also a little bit flammable,

so you can do this.

It is a
very high stakes roll.

ROBBIE: Ooh.

ASHLEY: Why not?

MATT: Love it.

Drive it like you stole it.

ASHLEY: So this is Control?

MATT: This would be Control.

ASHLEY: Okay,
I'm going to spend drive.

ROBBIE: What are you doing?
Are you throwing it,

or what are you going to do?

ANJALI: Light the--
ROBBIE: I need to know.

LAURA: Are you
lighting the coat

or are you throwing the
coat at the creature?

ASHLEY: I'm going to
try to throw the coat

at the creature
because I'm behind?

MATT: You are, it is currently
still focused on you.

ASHLEY: Wait, so if
I'm doused, is Kara doused?

MATT: Mm? If you're
carrying Kara, then yeah.

ROBBIE: Oh.

LAURA: Do what you
would do, Auggie.

ASHLEY: What would Auggie do?

Because what I would do--

(laughter)

ASHLEY: Auggie's
a good person.

All right, I'm going to
take off the jacket.

I'm going to throw it near
the creature and then

tell them to throw
the lantern at the--

ROBBIE: Two-part attack,
we just failed the last one.

Let's do it.

Redemption, right?
LAURA: Yeah, as soon as,

I have the torch,
so if you do it,

then I would give
the torch to Howard

and tell him to strike it.

ROBBIE: I think you've got a
lantern and I've got a torch.

LAURA: Yes, you can lunge
for a strike,

and I can throw
with the lantern.

ROBBIE: Sure.

MATT: Okay.

So as you're
preparing for this,

and as soon as you
hand the torch over,

one of its limbs reaches
out from the roots

and grabs around your head
and you take a bleed.

LAURA: Ooh, I'm going
to Let It In, baby.

MATT: Okay.

So explain how
the bleed affects you,

as you are currently
getting your jacket ready.

ASHLEY: Crumpling it up.

LAURA: It's like
the hole on my hand.

Suddenly, I see that void
that's in my hand in my mind

and it's like a
blackness fills everything

in my brain until almost
like an eye opening.

It's a flash
of bright orange.

His eye is directly
in my mind.

MATT: As that's there,
as you let the source

of this magical corruption
into your body,

you feel yourself
beyond The Flare.

You feel yourself
in the realm, lightless,

and ever growing,
ever expanding,

ever seeking
self and presence,

creatures flying, crawling,

digging, breaching.

For a brief second, you see
gray flesh in your mind.

You pulled away and all
you hear is the screams

of numerous voices unfamiliar,
all in unison.

You glean this creature, this
entity from beyond The Flare.

You get that its will
is not entirely its own.

LAURA: Okay.

Can I ask you a question?

MATT: Yeah, sure.

LAURA: Do I sense that
it is at all tethered

to the portal that it came out
of or is it free to roam?

MATT: Yes.

ROBBIE: (laughs)

LAURA: All right.

MATT: Auggie, you're going
to chuck this jacket.

ASHLEY: So I'm doing this.

MATT: It's a
high stakes roll.

ASHLEY: All right, so
I'm spending two drives.

MATT: This represents
because your proximity

as it's currently holding
you and you're right there,

you grab the torch, the
creature is now focused on you

and it's about to turn its
attention over in your direction.

Its head (growling)

looking over as
you go to toss this,

so roll finesse
for me, Auggie.

ROBBIE: Let's go.

LAURA: I am going to die.
ANJALI: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: All right, a four.
LAURA: Okay, yeah.

ROBBIE: Sure, sure.
LAURA: That's better than--

ASHLEY: A four.
ROBBIE: Sure, sure, sure.

ANJALI: (laughs)

MATT: Okay.

As it turns towards you,
its face brightens.

The orange intensity,
like the center,

the heart of a forest fire
focused entirely on your eyes.

The heat seems to emanate
from it as it goes

(growling)

LAURA: Oh man.

ANJALI: I don't know he does
that, but I don't like it.

MATT: The fear crashes
into your very essence

and you take a brain
as you feel the shadow

of the forest completely
fill your periphery,

all you see is this glow

and the doom that
sits before you.

As you throw this
(splattering)

splattering on its back,

and sticking in with
a bunch of its tangled roots,

the oils of this concoction,
while reduced,

nevertheless, now
mingling with its form.

You pull away from this as
you suddenly shake yourself

from this intense stare,
see Auggie throw this,

and the impact in the
back of the creature.

It has not even taken notice.

You hold the
torch in your hand.

ROBBIE: Disconcerting.

Still bound by
the natural realm.

I'm going to take and
try to push my torch

into the sticky goo.

MATT: Easy enough to do
as part of your success there.

ROBBIE: Oh, good.

MATT: Because you're up close
and it's currently grappled.

You take the torch
and you push it in between

some of its exposed remnants,

It looks like there
is a body in there,

but when you
push the torch in,

it's like pushing through
the hanging vines

of a dangling tree.

As you come
through the other side,

(explosion)

flames engulf
from the impact.

As the fire begins to
crawl up the back of it,

this bright orange,
at times almost blue flame

from your concoction,

the creature immediately
throws you to the ground

(screeching)

and begins to screech

as it tears off back into the
middle of the Scarlet Wood.

ASHLEY: Pick up Kara,
start running again.

ANJALI: Grab her hand and
pull her up and get running.

MATT: Stunned, battered,
but moving,

you emerge from
the Scarlet Woods.

You can hear
the distant sound

(creature squealing)

echoing through the forest.

It isn't until you begin to
see the low lantern light

of the village that
encompasses the train station,

do you begin to feel a
sense of calm come over you.

And that's where we're
going to take a break.

LAURA: Oh my god.
(groaning)

ANJALI: All right,
so, you know.

Only used up
that much, you know.

LAURA: Destroyed that.

Did all of us
just almost die?

ANJALI: Yeah, it could've
happened, could've happened,

but team effort.

LAURA: Go team!
ANJALI: Proud of our team effort.

ROBBIE: Good effort team.

ANJALI: Strong collaboration.
LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: Legitimately,
could've been a lot worse.

(laughter)

LAURA: One of us
could be faceless.

ANJALI: Yeah, entirely.
ROBBIE: It's true.

ASHLEY: I mean.
ANJALI: Entirely.

I did not need
a facelift today.

I was not interested in it.

ASHLEY: Another day,
another day.

ROBBIE: All right.
MATT: All righty.

We'll be back here
in a few minutes.

We'll see you then.

ASHLEY: Woo!

MATT: And welcome back.

So, as the Circle of the
Vassal and the Veil,

you crawl back into the
village on the outskirts

of the train station,

carrying an unconscious
orchard owner

and his faceless--

LAURA: Oh jeez.
MATT: (laughs)

ANJALI: This is not good.

MATT:-- niece. So what
would you like to do?

ANJALI: We obviously
have to--

I don't know that we
can bring her with us.

LAURA: I think we should
bring her back to Candela.

ANJALI: How are we
going to hide her?

ROBBIE: (grunts) I'll set Vincent
down and I'll take off my cloak,

which is a modified
doctoral's cloak

and it's got a little
hood on it and I'll--

Bring her to me.

I'll try to put her
and I'll try to see

if I can drape that hood over
her face as much as I can.

ANJALI: Oh, are we going to
"Weekend at Bernie's" her?

LAURA: Mm-hmm.
ROBBIE: Maybe.

ANJALI: We straight up are.

ASHLEY: We got to.

ROBBIE: Yeah. Five
tickets, please.

We already bought,
you already bought.

LAURA: I bought four.

ROBBIE: In business class.
ANJALI: What about Vincent?

ROBBIE: We'll make her
ride coach.

LAURA: Yes.

ASHLEY: What do we do about Vincent?
ANJALI: What about Vincent?

ASHLEY: Do we leave him?

LAURA: Maybe you
tell the conductor

that Vincent needs to go to--
ANJALI: Needs medical attention?

LAURA: Yeah.
ASHLEY: That they need medical attention.

LAURA: Yeah, say--

ANJALI: We went to
visit and he was...

He was out on the porch

and we saw him and wanted
to carry him to safety.

Maybe?

Anyone? Bueller?

LAURA: Sure.
ROBBIE: Sure.

It's as plausible
as anything else.

ASHLEY: Should I still
hold her like this

or should I try to do like--
LAURA: No, no, no.

ANJALI: You'll have
to make her--

She's going to have to look
like, if she's in a coat--

LAURA: She's very sick.

We need to take
her to a hospital.

ASHLEY: Hold her like this.
ROBBIE: Perhaps it would be

best if we--

I'm going to set Vincent
on one of the benches

at the train station and
go: He'll figure it out.

ANJALI: Don't you
think he will come to

and name us as
the people who...?

ROBBIE: We should be
quite far away by then.

LAURA: Yes, but things come
back to haunt you, Howard.

You can't just
attack everyone

and expect that your family
will never hear of it.

ROBBIE: It's worked all
right for me so far.

I'll do whatever
you'd like, though.

ASHLEY: I mean, we didn't
tell him our names, right?

ANJALI: We were
pretty obvious.

I mean, I feel like
our descriptions

would be rather
incriminating.

ROBBIE: Should we try to
explain to him what happened?

ANJALI: (speaking out
of corner of mouth) No.

I suppose we could
try to convince him

that something else happened
if we woke him up.

ROBBIE: Again, I defer to you when
it comes to matters of people.

ANJALI: I am spent.

ASHLEY: I am an officer
of the Periphery.

We could just say this is--
Don't ask questions.

This is a police matter.

ANJALI: I support that.

ROBBIE: Okay. I'm going
to tilt his head back

and start smacking
him in the face.

MATT: "(groaning)"

ROBBIE: Hello.

Hello.

ANJALI: You all
right, Vincent?

MATT: "What? What are you doing?"
ANJALI: Are you all right?

ANJALI: Are you all right?

MATT: "(gasping)

"(wincing)

"(wincing)"

ROBBIE: You slipped on an apple
and hit your head on the steps.

ANJALI: We came downstairs and
you were out like a light.

We brought you here
to the train station.

MATT: One of you two
make a...

(laughs)

make a fucking Sway roll.

ROBBIE: I will look
pleadingly at Charlie.

LAURA: I will--
ANJALI: While I do this,

I'm like, how many
fingers am I holding up?

Doing the whole thing.

LAURA: Are you good on Sway?

ANJALI: And it's gilded.

I have two.

LAURA: Sure, I'll give you
one of my Cunning drives.

ANJALI: Okay, good.

I need to save mine.

Actually, I need to get
another one back really badly.

♪ Come on, baby ♪
LAURA: I accidentally raised

one for the episode.

ANJALI: Okay.

It is a six, but a
five on the gilded,

so I think I'm going to
take the five on the gilded

because I don't know that I--

MATT: Okay, so you take a drive back--
LAURA: Because you need it back.

ANJALI: I need the drive back.
MATT:-- but that is a mixed success.

ANJALI: Yes.

MATT: Okay, he goes,

"I-- All right.

"I took a fall.

"I'm so confused."

ANJALI: So were we
when we found you.

Are you quite all
right? Can you--

How many of me are there?

There's just one.

How many fingers?
MATT: "I just see one,

"and your fingers,
there are two."

LAURA: Is there
a hospital in town

or do you need to
come back with us?

MATT: "There's
a local doctor."

ROBBIE: You may very
well be concussed.

LAURA: I think you
should stay overnight.

Don't go home, not
until it's light.

MATT: "Okay.

"What about your friend?"

He points to (laughs)
the wrapped Kara.

ROBBIE: Oh.

ANJALI: Oh.
LAURA: Kara.

MATT: "What was that?"

ROBBIE: It's your niece.

She wasn't-- Ah, help.

MATT: "What happened to Kara?

"What'd you do to Kara?"

LAURA: We didn't do
anything to Kara.

ANJALI: She hadn't
been feeling well.

We ran upstairs. I told you,

we were concerned about her safety.
MATT: "Kara. Kara."

He gets up, reaches over
and grabs and starts--

ROBBIE: Don't make me do it--
LAURA: Oh.

ANJALI: I'm going to try to Sway again.
LAURA: No, don't, don't.

ANJALI: I'm going to
try to Sway again.

LAURA: Please.

MATT: What are you
trying to say?

ANJALI: Please, please
let her be. We told you.

Show him your--
MATT: He pulls back the cloth--

ANJALI: Show him your--
MATT:-- and sees her face.

ROBBIE: Oh god dang it!
LAURA: (groans)

MATT: Mixed successes.

He believes you,

but he definitely sees what
happened to his niece.

He goes, "What?"

"What in all the hell--"

LAURA: We don't know.
MATT: "Kara, what--"

ANJALI: Vincent, Vincent, listen to me.
MATT: "Is she--"

ANJALI: We don't
know what did it.

We are trying to take
her back to people

who know more about
this than we do.

ASHLEY: We're going
to figure it out.

We're going to figure it out.
LAURA: Vincent, don't go home.

ANJALI: Don't.
LAURA: It could happen to you, too.

ANJALI: Please go
to the doctor.

ROBBIE: Stay in town for the
evening, at the very least.

ANJALI: And most importantly,
tell no one of this.

I don't know who
you can trust.

LAURA: We'll be sending
someone to help you.

ANJALI: We will.

ROBBIE: It might
not look like it,

but we truly are the people
to get her the best care

that she can have.

ANJALI: We'll tell our

emissary, whoever we send--

MATT: "Just go.

"Just get out of here."

He sits up and is like,
"(winces)."

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: "Just go."

ANJALI: We'll tell our
emissary to tell you

that they enjoy
"The Victory Boys"

and that's how you'll know
that that's from us, yes?

MATT: Puts his hand off and
waves you off and stumbles away.

He seems very confused,
conflicted, and shocked.

He's processing
what he just saw.

LAURA: Ugh.

ANJALI: I can't imagine.

MATT: But for the time being,

he's not breathing down your
neck or calling for attention.

ANJALI: Let's go,
let's go, let's go.

ASHLEY: Let's go, let's go.
LAURA: Okay.

I'll go up to
the ticket agent

and buy one more ticket,

but all of them
in business class,

so that we get a
little less attention.

MATT: Understood.

"Not a problem, I'll get
those for you right now.

"So is that two more
tickets or all--"

LAURA: Just one more ticket,

but upgrade them
all to business.

MATT: "All right
that'll be done.

"Here you are, miss."
LAURA: Thank you.

ANJALI: Thank you, Arlo.

MATT: You gather up.

It's a short wait until the
evening's final train comes.

Here, the night air
once more it takes off,

kicking onto the
tracks southward.

As you ride out across
the darkened hillsides,

the beauty of
this Halen region

seems differently beautiful,
but also oddly ominous,

looking across the shattered
expanse that surrounds you

beyond the windows
of this train car.

A few other folks
wander through.

You can see couple of

less than savory figures

that quickly jaunt through
the business class section,

taking stock of some
of the folks within.

You make sure that Kara's face
is not visible as they do,

but they don't pay mind

and you seem to be a
strength-in-numbers type troop

and they carry on
to the next car.

A short, quiet ride
back until eventually

you can see the glittering lights
of the still-bustling city

of Newfaire before you,

eventually returning
to The Steam,

stopping here within the city's
train depot, disembarking,

and as the steam gathers
and it takes off once more

into the distance, you
carry your limp companion

as you return
to the cityscape.

LAURA: Let's go
to the bookstore.

ANJALI: Exactly, we
need to get her--

We need to get
word to Edmund.

LAURA: We really
should tell Alexandra.

ANJALI: It should
be Alexandra,

but I don't know that
she's available.

ASHLEY: Edmund.
ANJALI: Edmund,

we need to get word to Edmund

and we need to get you
in some new clothing.

ASHLEY: Okay.

Sorry.

ANJALI: No.
ASHLEY: My new jacket.

LAURA: Oh, I think
it was worth it.

ANJALI: Your new
jacket saved our lives.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

And whatever
concoction you made.

ROBBIE: Yes.
ASHLEY: You're going to

have to teach me that.

ROBBIE: Oh, a new student.
I'd be delighted.

ANJALI: Walking and talking.

Walking and talking.
ASHLEY: Walking and talking.

Gilded Rainbow.
MATT: All right.

ANJALI: While we walk, I
want to keep an eye out

for any unsavories,

anyone who might
be trailing us,

might have an eye on us,
anything like that.

MATT: Okay. Make a Survey
test for me as you go.

ANJALI: I'll do that now.

ROBBIE: And Kara's still
dead weight, right?

MATT: Oh yeah.
ANJALI: It's a six.

MATT: It's a six, okay.

I will say this success
represents both you

keeping an eye out as well
as carrying Kara in a way

that you do not
draw any attention

to her limp physicality,

more just somebody you're
helping who may have had

a little too much tonight.

But as you drag her
through the streets,

it is a bit of a trek from
The Steam all the way

to The Varnish,
until eventually you

come upon the exterior
of The Gilded Rainbow.

Quickly hustle
through the door,

close it behind you and--

LAURA: Closed.

MATT: Yes, closed.

Reggie emerges from
the back room.

"Oh, you've all
returned, oh."

ANJALI: We need to get a
message to Edmund immediately.

MATT: "Yes, certainly.
I can take care of that.

"What do you need?"
He grabs a notepad.

LAURA: Alexandra if
available, honestly.

This is much more than an--

ANJALI: Both of them.

Let's get it to both of them.
MATT: I'll write it down. Okay.

"Right, I'll send a telegram.

"I'll summon them here
as soon as possible."

ROBBIE: I'll have propped
Kara up in a chair

in the corner, still hooded.

LAURA: Can I pull up my--

MATT: "Who's your friend?"
LAURA:-- my text?

Oh.
ANJALI: Ah...

ROBBIE: Oh, ah...

Ooh.
MATT: "Don't worry about it.

"I assume it's
need to know only

"and I'm sure I'll know soon enough."
ANJALI: Yes, better off without it.

MATT: Put his coat on.

ANJALI: Let them know that
the Red Hand has released

some form of creature.

LAURA: Can I have
said on the train ride,

I would've consulted my
text and seen if I could,

my book on creatures
we've encountered,

see if there's
anything like it.

MATT: Yeah, I will say
make a Focus test for me

to represent how deep
into your collected lore

you can delve
during the journey.

LAURA: Six.

ANJALI: Yay, smarty.
MATT: Six, fantastic.

ROBBIE: Let's go!
ANJALI: Smarty, smarty.

MATT: So as Reggie is out,
you begin to recall--

You didn't quite hit
it on the trek,

but you felt like you
were getting closer

and it's here as everyone's
figuring out the space,

setting Kara down,
sending Reggie out

to make this telegram,

you find the part in
the book that speaks of

the Snatchers.

LAURA: Oh.
ROBBIE: Oh, come on now.

MATT: These are

colloquially referred
to as the Snatchers.

There is no term translated
through Oldfairen

or any existing terminology
from eras before,

but there are
references to them

in old script and
folklore from the city

now lost below.

Believed to have maybe
once been people

who either in death or
transition beyond The Flare

have changed or something
beyond The Flare

has crafted them in
its own likeness.

These are still
up for debate.

But there are different kinds

that steal different things.

For some, it's their
ambitions, their passions,

some even the face, and that's
what catches your attention.

The only other term, only
other phrase you pick up is

they are vibrant and
excitable collectors.

LAURA: Does it say anything about
darkness, lightness with them?

Are they relegated to night?

MATT: You pick up that they
are creatures that lurk in shadow

and often hail from a realm

where light is shunned.

LAURA: All right.

ANJALI: So I'll include
this information.

The Red Hand has released
some form of creature

we believe to be similar

to those spoken of
as the Snatchers.

We have brought one of
their victims back with us

and we'd like for Candela
to retrieve her.

LAURA: She needs help.

MATT: "Very well. I'll go and--"
ANJALI: As soon as possible.

MATT: "-- send it posthaste.

"I'll lock up behind myself."

ANJALI: Thank you.
MATT: Heads off into the night

and closes the door,

locks it up and heads off.

As you wait and prepare,

unless there's anything you
wish to do in the interim.

ANJALI: Since I had
to cut my hand again

to do my ghost blade,

but I cut the hand that
I can't feel anyway,

I look down and it's
been bleeding a bit,

so I'm going to wrap it in
something that I see there

to stanch the bleeding.

MATT: You got it.
ANJALI: Staunch the bleeding.

MATT: Cool.

It's not long before--

ROBBIE: (negative grunt)

MATT:-- before
Reggie returns.

"It's been sent.

"Usually within the hour,
we have somebody sent,

"if not sooner."

LAURA: All right. We should
head to the Brinewash,

see what else we can find.

ANJALI: Is there anything else
that we should bring with us?

After that experience,

I'm a little bit jarred by
not having what we needed.

LAURA: Maybe, oh, we
can all get lighters

or something that
can create fire.

ANJALI: I have a knife.

LAURA: How many of those
potions can you make, Howard?

ROBBIE: That's a
very good question.

I believe with enough time,
I could make some more,

depending on-- I
don't know the rules.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I can't role play
my way out of this shit.

ANJALI: Rule of cool!
Rule of cool!

ROBBIE: There is no
limit, I just need time.

ANJALI: Mm.
MATT: Yes.

So the concoction
you had earlier,

I will say, given
your predilection

towards knowing the dangers
that you often face

at the behest of Candela,

was mostly prepared and
just needed a catalyst

to bring it to the point
of extreme flammability

and stickiness.

To craft from scratch

will take some more time.

This is a few hours of work
in the laboratory to do so.

ROBBIE: Oh hours, oh poop.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, to make the--
Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay.

ANJALI: Just a quick retcon,
I would have mentioned Dorna

in the letter to Candela
because we have--

MATT: Not a worry.
ANJALI:-- her name.

MATT: Are you waiting for a
Candela representative to arrive?

ANJALI: Ah...

ASHLEY: Should we
also give the letter?

LAURA: We can give that to--

ASHLEY: Oh, when they come.
ANJALI: When they come, yeah.

ROBBIE: To answer your
question, I might be able to

whip something up
slightly different,

but I don't believe
I could do

the same in a pinch.

So unless we took some time,

which I don't believe we had,
I could make something,

but it would be different.

That said, we don't
know if we'll encounter

the same creature
and we don't know

if we encounter another if
it'll have the same weaknesses.

Just a thought.

LAURA: Yeah, that's true.

ANJALI: That's true.
ASHLEY: That is true.

ANJALI: Right, so
I still have my weapon

and I have my bleed
containment vial.

I'd like to leave this
letter with Reggie and say:

Don't touch it, but
when the representative comes,

please give it to them.

Tell them to use their
detector to read it.

MATT: "All right."

ROBBIE: There is something
that bothers me a bit.

You know, recently in
all of our adventures

or whatever you'd
like to call them,

we haven't quite saved
anyone yet, have we?

This young lady who was
relatively kind enough,

her faceless feature
bothers me and fills me

with an emotion I can
only describe as anger.

If there's an opportunity
to help her in some way,

I would be just delighted.

I'm a collector
of sorts myself

and if this Snatcher is
collecting the faces of people,

perhaps they still
exist somewhere.

If possible, whatever we do,

I would like to try to return
it to this young lady.

If we can't, that's okay,

but if we can, that would
be a personal request.

That's all.
ANJALI: Absolutely.

ASHLEY: I'm going to go
to the front of the shop--

MATT: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY:-- look for a T.C.
Vellum book, "The Variety Boys."

ROBBIE: (laughs) Yes!
MATT: Mm-hmm.

ANJALI: Oh, is it
"Variety Boys"?

I said victory, I said
"Victory Boys" not variety.

ASHLEY: I'm going
to grab a couple.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: I walk over
over to Kara.

I know this is what
her uncle was reading,

but maybe it'll feel
like something familiar.

I'll put them in her lap
and try to take her hands

and place them on the
book so she can feel it.

MATT: Okay.

You have to overlap enough
to get them to stay,

as they are rather limp,

but you do manage to
facilitate a presentation.

ANJALI: Well done, Auggie.

ASHLEY: I don't know. Maybe
she'll feel something.

ANJALI: All right, so I
do remember one thing

that is consistent with the last
time that we came together,

which is someone
named Lycan.

LAURA: Yes.
ASHLEY: Oh, yeah.

ANJALI: It sounded like,

when Dorna had been
talking about someone,

or it was in her papers,

someone she was working
for or with named Lycan.

Do you remember this?
MATT: Lycus.

ANJALI: Lycus!

Not Lycan. Lycus.

Like a ficus, but Lycus,

or like a lycanthropic ficus.

ASHLEY: Oh, that's right.

ANJALI: Perhaps it's a
combination of the two

and it's an evil plant.

LAURA: It sounded
like her boss.

ANJALI: Yes.

LAURA: Yes.

ANJALI: Reggie's here?

MATT: No, Reggie
has left to--

ANJALI: Reggie's left
already to, okay.

MATT: To deliver your message.
ANJALI: Okay.

ROBBIE: Where did you say the
place was that was mentioned?

ANJALI: Brinewash 7?

LAURA: Brinewash 7.

ANJALI: Do we know of
the Brinewash 7?

MATT: It's less about knowing
what the Brinewash 7 is.

You do know...

You know what? I'll
have you go ahead--

Well, somebody go ahead
and roll a Focus

to see if you can recall
any information of

what this may represent,
to analyze--

ANJALI: Only one of us?
I only have one.

You have a couple, yeah.
LAURA: I have a couple focus.

Okay.
ANJALI: I only have one.

I think it's all you.

LAURA: I'll try.
ANJALI: Are you doing...

ROBBIE: The last one.

LAURA: Brinewash 7?
Why do I remember that?

I wonder if that's
somewhere Eddie ever went.

ANJALI: Hm, perhaps.

LAURA: A five.

MATT: A five. A
mixed success.

Okay.

You recall,

the number, you're not sure
of, but in Hallow Harbor,

which is the port
center of the city,

there is a heavy
warehouse district there,

and the Brinewash is the
term you've heard used

for this or at least parts
of this warehouse district.

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: That's about as
much as you can muster.

ANJALI: Perhaps 7 is
an address of some kind.

LAURA: Maybe.

I don't remember exactly
what the letter said.

"Meet us at the Brinewash."

ANJALI: It said, "The
Fourth Pharos are on us.

"You've cost us and
myself greatly.

"Your ignorance cannot
be left a weakness.

"Give it six weeks, then
find me at Brinewash 7.

"I will appeal for
your forgiveness."

So there are others.
ASHLEY: Give it six weeks?

LAURA: Yeah.
ASHLEY: What does she mean?

What is that, like
to cool off?

ANJALI: All I can--
LAURA: Is there a secret message in there?

ANJALI: All I can
conjecture from this

is that it was a ruse
to get Kara to be--

LAURA: Wait, the Pharos Four?

ANJALI: That's us,
the Pharos.

"The Pharos are on us."

LAURA: Oh, okay.

ANJALI: The Fourth Pharos,
it's connected to Candela.

LAURA: Got it.

ANJALI: My guess is
that she sent her there

ostensibly to plead for her
forgiveness when she returned,

but whatever they released
was going to be sent there

to dispose of her as well.

ROBBIE: Logical. I believe
we are the Pharos.

ANJALI: We are.

ASHLEY: You know what?
I think--

I think we're the Pharos.

MATT: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Very good.

ASHLEY: I think we are.
LAURA: Yeah.

ASHLEY: I think that's us.

ANJALI: Fourth.
ASHLEY: Four.

ASHLEY: Are we Pharoses?
LAURA: Should we go?

Or should we wait?
ANJALI: Yes, I think we should go.

What time is it?

MATT: At this time of night,
it's just past midnight.

ANJALI: Oof.
ROBBIE: Oh, boy.

Midnight at the docks?

LAURA: We should go before--

MATT: Sounds like
a great time.

LAURA: Before the Red Hand find
out that we discovered Kara.

ANJALI: That is true.

LAURA: Although, they
might already know

if they have some
connection to the snatcher.

It was tethered somehow.

It had a connection to the
portal it came through.

I wonder if they can
open multiple portals.

ANJALI: Is there any chance
that we could go Candela,

to our Candela headquarters,

and there is a place there

that we are allowed to go
to for information, right?

Like a library or
something like that?

There was a--

MATT: What you're speaking
of is the Fourth Pharos.

ANJALI: It is the Fourth
Pharos. Oh, okay.

MATT: You've visited
it twice.

It's challenging to get to

because it doesn't
exist in this realm.

ANJALI: It's between
The Flare?

MATT: Mm-hmm, in the liminal space.
ANJALI: So there's nowhere we can really go

to get more information.

MATT: Uh-uh.

ANJALI: Uh.

ROBBIE: Does anyone have
any coin on them?

ANJALI: Yes.
LAURA: I do.

ROBBIE: Oh, not
for right now,

but if we're heading toward
the docks after midnight,

it could come in handy.

ANJALI: Of course.
LAURA: Oh.

ANJALI: How is your
illicit gun?

Do you have enough
ammunition for that?

You only fired it twice.

ASHLEY: Yeah, so I've
probably got

four left.
ANJALI: 29 more rounds left.

29, 30 rounds left, I'm sure.

ASHLEY: Yeah, sure, I got some.
ANJALI: Some of the damage.

LAURA: Is it like a revolver?

ANJALI: I believe everyone
carrying some form of weaponry

would not be such a bad idea.

LAURA: Oh, I don't
have any weapons.

ANJALI: Well, your mind
seems to be a weapon.

ROBBIE: No time
like the present.

ASHLEY: Oh, yeah.
ANJALI: All right.

All right. Let's go.

LAURA: Reggie, do you have
any other weapons here?

Is Reggie gone?

MATT: No, he's returned.

ANJALI: Yeah, yeah.

MATT: You see he's--

LAURA: Where's Reggie?

MATT: He's making some
late-night coffee,

and you can see his hand
shaking a little bit,

looking over uncomfortably
at Kara in the corner.

ANJALI: Oh.

MATT: "Well, what sort of
weaponry are you requiring?

"I'm not really an armory,
by any means,

"but I have a few things
for self-defense."

ANJALI: Imagine him being Q.
LAURA: Do you have a gun?

MATT: "I do have a handgun

"for emergencies.
Do you require it?

"Very well."

(laughter)

MATT: He steps off to
his personal quarters.

ANJALI: So good.

ROBBIE: Our occultist is
strapped. Good, good.

ANJALI: Yes, I mean,
she's got ♪ control. ♪

MATT: He comes back holding
what is essentially

a revolver with
a handful of rounds.

He goes, "Now, how familiar
are you with firearms?"

LAURA: I can drive a car.

I can shoot a gun.

MATT: "Very well.
Well, here you are.

"Please be careful with it.
It was a gift.

"This."

LAURA: I think I hold it
with this hand, right?

MATT: "Yes, but
don't cock the--"

LAURA: Hmm?
MATT: "(sighs)"

LAURA: You know what? I think
I have three items already.

ANJALI: (laughs)
ROBBIE: You got a blank space.

ANJALI: You got
a blank space.

LAURA: Yeah, but I have--

ANJALI: Give one
of us something.

What do you need
to get rid of?

LAURA: A bleed detector.

Somebody else can use
my bleed detector.

ASHLEY: I'll take it.

LAURA: All right.

ROBBIE: Well, can't
you pick three

and then write in
one as a fourth?

MATT: Well, you pick three.

You can only carry
three with you

at any given point in time.

So you can drop one and
then write in the fourth.

ROBBIE: Oh.

LAURA: I just
consulted my text.

I guess I could
leave my book here,

but I don't think that works,

because I used it once
in the game, right?

I can't leave the textbook
once I've already used it.

MATT: I mean--

LAURA: Switch it out?
What do you think?

ROBBIE: I always
enjoy reading,

and I do have some
ability in that area.

LAURA: All right.

ROBBIE: Can I take
something from her,

so she can have the space?
MATT: I'll allow it. Sure.

LAURA: All right.
ROBBIE: All right.

I've got
research materials now.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Ooh, fun!

MATT: And you have--
ROBBIE: Is yours the same--

LAURA: And I have a gun!

(laughter)

LAURA: What?
ROBBIE: Oh, occult text.

MATT: ♪ Occultist's
got a gun ♪

(laughter)

ANJALI: All right.

All right, then--

LAURA: Can you see
it sticking out?

MATT: It is very visible.

ANJALI: Do you have a cloak of
some kind or anything, darling?

LAURA: Yes. I will put
my coat back on.

ROBBIE: She's just
pointing the gun at me.

MATT: Waving it around.

ASHLEY: Oh, whoa, whoa.

LAURA: Reggie, are there
any bullets in here already?

MATT: "No."

LAURA: Oh, good.
Can I have some?

MATT: "I've given you some, but
I've not put them in there,

"and I would recommend
not putting them in

"until you are
ready to use them."

LAURA: Yes.
MATT: "The small satchel

"that I handed you.

"Yes, for the sake
of everyone's safety,

"wait until you really must.

"Wondrous. Thank you."

ANJALI: Reggie, have you ever
heard of someone named Lycus?

MATT: "I don't believe
I have.

"Sorry."

ANJALI: If you would
mention that name

to the Candela representative

that comes to
pick up our friend.

MATT: "I will.
Don't you worry."

ANJALI: All right,
Brinewash 7 or bust.

MATT: All right.

So you trek out into
the foggy night.

There is a soft wind blowing
off from the western coast.

You can take in the
fast-moving marine layer

that has thickly encompassed
the majority of the city

about halfway to
the docks and to them.

It is awash in
this thick, thick fog.

ANJALI: I'm keeping an eye
out this whole time

for shady characters.

MATT: As you begin to
approach Hallowharbor itself,

you can hear,
even at midnight,

there is more bustle
than you expected.

There are dock workers

that are currently
loading or unloading.

There are sailors
and wharf hands

that are finishing up
their work.

There are many
hours of the night

in which sometimes
shipments come late,

sometimes intentionally so,

so there is business, though
it isn't extremely busy,

but it's not quiet either.

It is definitely the
export hub of Newfaire,

and you'd know from
walking by in the past,

beyond the ships
that come in and out,

there is definitely
some sect of

the remainder of
the Newfairean navy

the remainder of
the Newfairen navy

that also sits on
the outskirts of the harbor,

just in case, but
the smell of low tide

definitely grasps
the atmosphere

in this foggy
harbor-side air.

What would you like to
do now here in Hallowharbor?

LAURA: Would I know which
area is the Brinewash?

MATT: You've heard of it.

You're not quite sure
where it would be.

ANJALI: Given my
import-export situation,

would there be, say,
an associate of mine

or anyone that I would be
connected with on the docks,

like Deagan or
any of the other--

MATT: I'd say yeah.
I'd say

Deagan could be somebody
that likely could,

we'll say for the time
being, be found in the docks,

half the time running business
as one of your go-tos,

so you would know where
Deagan stays in here, yeah.

ANJALI: I might have an associate
that we can speak to here

to get more
instructions, directions.

ROBBIE: Yes, by all means.

ANJALI: Might as well try.

I'm going to Survey

to see if I can figure
out where Deagan would be.

MATT: You wouldn't need to,

because you know where
Deagan posts himself

here in the harbor when
he's doing work, if he's home.

He has a few places
here in the city,

depending on what
business he's doing

and where he
needs to lay low.

ANJALI: Gotcha.

MATT: So you go to
what you know to be

one of his various safe houses
here within the city,

the one that's specifically
within Hallow Harbor.

As you approach it, it's
a small, little, domicile,

a simple-looking what may
have been a storefront

that has since been
closed and boarded up.

It doesn't look like
it's abandoned,

but it certainly looks like

it doesn't currently hold
a business, but there it is.

ANJALI: I rap on
the door three times.

Pause. One, two... three.

It sounds like SOS,
doesn't it?

Because it's only
got two in the middle.

That's the secret.
MATT: Yeah.

ANJALI: I pull Auggie
close to me, too,

so the two of us in the lead.

MATT: You hear

(locks clicking).

The door opens faintly.

"Hello?"

ANJALI: Hello, my friend.

MATT: "Charlotte, my dear,
come inside, come inside."

He opens the door slightly

and you see a tall
gentleman about 6'2",

but if not for a massive hunch
at the top of his shoulders

that gives him this stooping
stance a little bit.

A long brown coat, a bit
muddied on the bottom.

He has receding hair,

a bit of a red-brown
widow's peak,

and the hair curls
a bit past the shoulders.

He has a bit of
a scruffy beard

that probably looks like it
was well kept about a week ago

and has led to be
a little wild since.

Gaunt. Kind of a Fagin-type
energy to this figure.

Indeed, fingerless gloves
as he opens the door.

"Oh, I se you brought
friends, did you?"

ASHLEY: Hey, Deagan.

ANJALI: I brought some more

welcome associates
for our business.

MATT: He leans in a bit
and gives you

a quick look in the eye.

"Okay.

"I don't see the glimmer of
funny business, so come on in.

"Oh, hello, friends.

"Sorry, we haven't met.
I'm Deagan.

"What's your business here
this late in the evening?"

He closes the door
behind you as you enter.

ANJALI: We are
looking to find

another group of associates
in Brinewash 7.

MATT: "Brinewash 7?

"I'll bet you
that's probably referring to

"one of the warehouses.

"There's 12 of them

"specifically in
the Brinewash district,

"so likely the seventh one."

ANJALI: Yeah.

MATT: "What are you doing there,
anyway? It's just storage.

"I'm just curious.
Professional curiosity."

ANJALI: Of course,
professional curiosity,

and you'll understand
professional discretion.

MATT: "Of course, of course.

"I've just, you know,
been liable to go ahead

"and give you such
important information

"here in the
middle of the evening

"and shown trust to you
and your compatriots.

"You know, it's always good
to know what I'm dealing with

"and see if there's any
opportunities in the future

"to make it a profitable bit
of information for myself.

ANJALI: I get extremely dead
serious and I say: Deagan.

MATT: "Yeah?"

ANJALI: I would warn you
to be safe.

Keep your men from there.
Keep yourself from there.

I care too much about you

to have you messed
up in this business.

In fact, I'm here
to ask you a favor.

If you do not hear from me

or one of my associates
by this morning,

I want you to send word
to the Sight Unseen.

Tell Stinson
about our conversation.

He will know what to do.

MATT: His kind of

borderline slimy charm that
he carries as you enter drops

and you see him
look a bit intense.

He peeks through
the curtains a bit.

"Of course, Charlotte.

"Yeah, I'll get that
taken care of for you.

"What have you gotten
yourself mixed up in?"

ANJALI: Nothing I'm not
prepared to handle

one way or the other,

but I'm not prepared
to have you there.

You understand?

MATT: "I trust your instincts.
Always have."

ANJALI: Would you
happen to have any

munitions on you?

We could use a little
bit of insurance.

MATT: "Well, I mean,
I've got a small stash here.

"Is that what
you're looking for?"

ANJALI: We would
just need two.

MATT: "Okay, if anyone needs--
What do you need?

"Axes? Guns?"

ROBBIE: Oh, axes.

Oh, sure, certainly.

MATT: "Yeah? You want
to take that?"

ROBBIE: Yes, please.

MATT: "I don't normally
see that

"from someone so finely
tailored, you know?"

ROBBIE: Oh, well, I don't
make assumptions about you

based on your appearance.

MATT: "I appreciate that."

ROBBIE: Oh, thank you.

MATT: It's a nice, hefty axe,
and looking at it,

the rust and the stains
across the hammered metal

give you the sense that

this has probably
seen a skull or two.

ROBBIE: The belt loop.
Where do I--

LAURA: Where do
you put it, right?

I mean, where do you put it?

ROBBIE: Where do you put it?

The blackjack that I have on
my hip on a little loop,

I just: Well, yeah, okay.

ANJALI: You did take your
cloak back, right?

The one that you wear?
ROBBIE: Yeah, I took it off her.

Yeah, so I now have
an axe on my hip

hidden underneath my cloak,

and I'll leave my
blackjack where it is.

MATT: You got it.

ANJALI: Just
out of curiosity,

a hand weapon
would be Strike,

but a handgun would
be Control, right?

MATT: Correct.

ANJALI: Then I'll take the
usual, if you have it,

and, obviously,
I'm asking for--

MATT: "I know your
preferences, love."

ANJALI: I know, you too.

MATT: He goes back and--
ANJALI: She blushes

just a little bit.
MATT:-- brings a small wooden box

and opens it and puts it

across the table towards you.

What is your
preferred handgun?

ANJALI: ♪ I don't know guns ♪

(laughter)

ANJALI: It's a magic gun
that's bad with ghosts.

(laughter)

ANJALI: No, It's a--
MATT: It's a handgun.

ANJALI: It's a beautiful--
It's a handgun.

It definitely--
ASHLEY: It fits in my hand.

MATT: It's polished
gun metal.

The equivalent of
a World War I,

Luger-type gun.

As well as some ammunition.

If you already have
three items,

you'll have to drop
one to take it.

ANJALI: No, I don't.

MATT: Then you can
take your third

as your hand weapon.

ANJALI: As my hand weapon.

I look him straight
in the eyes

as I lift up my skirt and
I have a thigh holster

that actually, I load it

and then I put it in
the thigh holster.

What gun?

Thank you, my dear.

MATT: "Next time, just let
me know if you need help."

ANJALI: (laughs)

Stay safe.

Morning, remember.

ASHLEY: If you have Jimmy
and Donny on any runs,

can you take them
off for tonight?

MATT: Gives you a nod.

"Yeah, I think I got
a few whisperers

"coming by here in a minute,
I'll get the word out, yeah."

ANJALI: All right.
MATT: "Hey, Charlie,"

takes your hand, kisses it.

"Whatever you doing,
you stay safe, okay?"

ANJALI: Always.

MATT: "You keep her safe.

"I'm going to fucking
gut you."

ROBBIE: Scary.
LAURA: Aggressive, but okay.

ANJALI: I lead them out.

You know, it's a
funny story.

Deagan gave me this.

LAURA: Are you married

to Deagan?
ANJALI: No, not to propose.

To deter any rivals that
he might have in the game.

He's a sweet man
as scary as he is.

ASHLEY: He's a good man
to have in your corner.

ANJALI: As are you.

ASHLEY: You know it.

ANJALI: Right, we are
sufficiently strapped,

literally and figuratively.

ROBBIE: Everyone has
guns but me.

ANJALI: Oh no,
I thought you--

Oh yes, well, you are--

ROBBIE: It's okay. I
don't prefer them.

ANJALI: No, you seem to
be good with your hands.

LAURA: I don't either.

ROBBIE: Well, you
have one, though.

LAURA: That's true.

ROBBIE: What are you
going to do with it

should the need arise?

LAURA: Shoot from it.

ROBBIE: Perfect.

MATT: (laughs)

ANJALI: I would like to
head to the Brinewash.

So we know where it is now.
MATT: All right.

LAURA: Do we have any fire?

ANJALI: We still
have your lighter.

ROBBIE: You have my
lighter, I believe.

So you have that I think.

You can make fuego.

ASHLEY: We have two?
ANJALI: No, no, no,

there's just one lighter.

LAURA: That's fine.

We can set things on fire.
ROBBIE: We'll be fine.

ANJALI: It's fine.
We'll be fine.

You did change, right?
Did we change your clothing?

Did we stop? You changed.
ASHLEY: Yes, yes, yes.

ANJALI: We don't want to
light him on fire.

MATT: Right.
LAURA: We went to Auggie's house.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
MATT: Yeah, you cleaned up.

All right, so with
this information

and with a bit of
direction from Deagan,

you head over to the
Brinewash warehouse district.

Glancing around, it
isn't heavily watched.

There are a few
company sentries

that keep an eye

to make sure no one's breaking
and entering, if you will.

At least, there
normally are.

Looks like one
particular section

is pretty light
in the watching.

As you begin to
find the pattern

of their numbered appearance,
it doesn't take long

for you to make out which
one is marked as seven.

ANJALI: I suspect

if we were to go in
there as it were,

guns a-blazing, we would
find more formidable foes

than we care to find.

I don't know if we might
be able to sneak in?

ASHLEY: We could look.
We could try.

LAURA: Does it look like
there's anyone on guard

at this particular warehouse?

MATT: You can go make
a Survey test,

if you'd like to
keep an eye out.

LAURA: If anybody, yeah, if
somebody else wants to look.

MATT: (laughs)
Sure, you can go.

ANJALI: This is my job,
this is my job.

LAURA: We should
look for guards.

ANJALI: Yes, and also
looking for windows

or anything that
can function--

MATT: Yeah, yeah.

ANJALI: Mixed success, and
it's a gilded die,

so I will take back a drive.
MATT: Okay,

you do see that there
is not a window,

but there is a front door

that is quite intimidating
in its heftiness.

There is an elevated,
almost like,

not quite a fire escape,
but an upper iron platform

that looks like it has a
secondary door on a second level

for carrying things up onto
the roof or off of it.

That's about 12 feet
off the ground

halfway in the alley.

So those are two
things you see

that can be
possible entrances.

You also do see
one individual

that is patrolling
from the roof.

ROBBIE: The roof?
ANJALI: Oh dear.

LAURA: All right.
ROBBIE: Oh my.

ANJALI: Well, we might have
been spotted already.

LAURA: Does it seem like
he spotted us already?

MATT: Not at the moment, no.

You're far enough away.
You're patrolling.

It is also, thankfully,
pretty foggy.

ANJALI: Yeah, that's right.

I suppose we try to stay

in the shadows.
LAURA: Let's head to the alley

to the side.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: Okay, who's leading
the stealthy charge?

ANJALI: You're Stealthy
McStealtherson.

ASHLEY: I'm pretty
sneaky stealthy.

MATT: Okay, make a
Hide test for me

as you guide the rest
of your troop

as to the best
route to get there

unseen and unheard.
ASHLEY: An extra gilded and

I get one of these guys.

Okay, I got three.

Oops, it got stuck
in my glove.

ANJALI: You got a gilded four.
ASHLEY: I got a gilded four.

MATT: Okay, so you get a drive
back, if you have one used.

Another mixed success.

You quietly approach
the warehouse,

waiting for this one sentry

that's keeping an eye out.

As you get close, you can see
they're smoking a cigarette.

The occasional little
spark of orange

that hits the end
of their finger.

It looks like they have
some sort of a rifle

slung over their shoulder
and they're just

keeping an eye out
and looking around.

They do not notice.

Which entrance are
you going towards?

ASHLEY: We want to go
in the side, yeah?

LAURA: Yeah, so it would
have to be alley and up

and into the second entrance.

MATT: Okay, so you
head to the alley.

It is about 10,
12-feet up.

How do you intend
to get up there?

LAURA: One of us could climb
on Auggie's or Howard's shoulders.

ROBBIE: Is there a ladder,
a fire escape ladder?

A retractable ladder?

MATT: There is a
retractable ladder,

but it is up there.
ANJALI: That would make

a lot of noise.
LAURA: Okay, so one of us

would have to get up
and then pull it.

ROBBIE: Is there a discernible
lever from up top?

That you could see,
if you were up there,

could you release it?

MATT: You could, yeah, but
only when you're up there.

It looks like there
is a metal hook

that it's currently
latched up there.

ROBBIE: I'm going to try use
my special that I pulled.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: Which is
Bending Spoons.

ANJALI and LAURA: (oohing)
ROBBIE: So I can roll with a Sense.

"Control an object
with your mind.

"You can flip a switch, a
small object or something."

Oh no, does this matter?
I guess it's proximity.

It says in the room,
but we're outside.

MATT: In the room is--
ROBBIE: We're in proximity?

MATT:-- within
a room-like proximity.

ROBBIE: Okay, "Move a small
object, knock something over,

"put out a light,
et cetera."

MATT: Yeah, do you
roll for it?

ROBBIE: I do, with Sense,

which I have--
MATT: Roll Sense for me.

LAURA: I'm going to
give you a drive.

ROBBIE: Great, I'll take one.
LAURA: An Intuition.

ROBBIE: All right,
I've got three.

Well here we go. One, two, three.
ANJALI: Come on, baby, come on!

ROBBIE: That is...

a six.

LAURA and ANJALI: Yes!
ASHLEY: Oh yes.

LAURA: Oh, that's great.

MATT: You look up
and concentrate.

As the marine layer
is rapidly passing by.

It's one of those
things where the fog

is running through
the streets.

It gives that odd
rapid passage

of time, in a sense,
especially when you're still.

As you concentrate
and focus,

and you've been trying to
make something happen here

for a little bit.

Since you've figuratively
and literally

opened your mind a bit, this
has been a unique endeavor

to test the limits of
the physical world

that you've grasped
for so long.

As you focus, the rest of you

figuring out what
the heck is happening,

you hear the iron

(high-pitched squeals)

(impacts)

(clattering)

The ladder comes down. You
manage, with the success,

you catch it and try
and stop the sound

from being too loud.

But it is a rusty ladder
that you catch it

and hits the ground.

The ladder's there.

You also hear voice go
"Hey, what?"

LAURA: We should hide.
ANJALI: Hide, everyone.

LAURA: Just in case he
looks over the side.

ROBBIE: I'll hide, yeah.

MATT: Okay.
ANJALI: We shall hide.

MATT: All right, we'll keep
it on the Hide roll there

as you dart off
to the side.

The figure looks
over the edge.

Jumps down onto
the little platform.

Just glances around.

Goes and grabs the ladder

and starts beginning to pull it up.
LAURA: Oh, come on!

Come on!
ROBBIE: (laughs)

ANJALI: Was a mixed success.

MATT: That was a--
ROBBIE: That was a full success.

MATT: That was a full success.
ANJALI: That was a full success?

MATT: Yeah, you succeeded.

But this is a retort from
an earlier mixed success.

Are you going
to do anything?

LAURA and ROBBIE: (laugh)
ANJALI: No, I want to.

LAURA: Hold on!
ANJALI: I want

to shoot him, but I can't.

ASHLEY: Can I reach down
and see if

there's a rock or something?

MATT: Oh yeah, there's simple
stones and loose cobble bits.

ASHLEY: I'm going to
try to take it

and chuck it
the other way

to try to distract him and
see if he hears something.

MATT: Sure, make a Control
test for me,

if you don't mind.
ANJALI: You got it, baby.

Oh, I want to give you one,
but I don't have any!

ANJALI: Oh! A six!
ASHLEY: I got a six.

MATT: A six.

You lob it over.

(thwacks)

Multiple loud clacks
as it hits

different bits of stone
and ground of the wharf.

"What the shit?"

Drops the ladder again.

LAURA: Climb up really
fast and punch him.

MATT: Goes and climbs
over and starts--

LAURA: Oh, he's coming!
MATT:-- lowering down the ladder.

ROBBIE: Oh, he's coming down?

Are we still hidden?
LAURA: We're hiding.

MATT: You guys are
up on the edge.

He's lowering the ladder

and is about to come
into visual range

of where you're
all standing

underneath it.
ANJALI: Howard, I need you to pop up,

come on, my love,
now is your time.

ROBBIE: I get pushed out.

(laughter)

ANJALI: Now's your
time to shine.

ASHLEY: We'll wait til--
MATT: "What? Hey!"

LAURA: No, get him
before he yells!

ROBBIE: I'm going to
reach out and grab him

and I'm going to
pull him into me

and put him in a little
standing rear naked choke.

MATT: Okay, give me a
Strike test for me.

ROBBIE: Okay,

♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey ♪

ASHLEY: I Saw This Coming.

ROBBIE: Are you helping?
MATT: You totally did.

How do you help?

ROBBIE: What do I get?
ASHLEY: I distracted him!

I distracted him, he's
looking the other way

because he was looking for the rock.
MATT: That's valid.

ROBBIE: So do I get an extra?

ASHLEY: Yeah.
MATT: Yeah, you do.

ROBBIE: Ooh goodie!

That is

a six.
MATT: That is indeed.

So you grab him, you pull
him into the ladder once,

pull him around, give
him the choke hold.

Just reaching for the
rifle on the side.

LAURA: No, no, I'm going
to grab the rifle

and pull it away from him.

ROBBIE: (shushes)

No, no, no.
MATT: Goes limp in your grasp.

ROBBIE: Oh no, sleepy time.
LAURA: I have a rifle. (gasps)

ASHLEY: There we go.

ANJALI: Okay.

ANJALI: Right.
ROBBIE: (impacts)

LAURA: I actually do know
how to shoot a rifle.

My father used to
take me hunting.

ASHLEY: Oh, perfect,
even better.

ANJALI: So up we go.

ASHLEY and ANJALI: (skitter)

MATT: All right, you
climb up the ladder,

up onto the upper platform
and there is that doorway there

that leads into an upper
portion of the warehouse.

LAURA: This is
really big, though.

ROBBIE: It looks well on you.

MATT and ANJALI: (laugh)

ANJALI: Is it just an
open door or is it?

MATT: No, it's a closed door.

ANJALI: A closed door.

Okay, can you check
it and see if--

LAURA: Did we hide the body?

ROBBIE: I did, I put--

ASHLEY: I'm going to...

Wait, are there any windows
from where we're at?

MATT: No, the storage warehouse
doesn't have windows.

ASHLEY: Is the door
locked or unlocked?

MATT: The door is locked.

ASHLEY: Pull out my--
ROBBIE: Yeah!

MATT: Okay.
ANJALI: While he's doing that,

I'm going to listen
at the door

to see if I can hear.
MATT: You got it,

so make a Control or
Hide, your choice.

ASHLEY: I'll do Hide because
I get an extra gilded.

Five.
MATT: Five, okay.

ANJALI: You got a gilded.
ASHLEY: Now I got a gilded.

MATT: It opens,
and very quietly

you push the door open.

You step inside the
dark chamber and there is

a few oil lanterns
set in the base floor.

You realize you were
up on a second floor

that overlooks the
bottom floor below.

There's storage space
along the walls here above.

You can see there's
all manner of boxes

and baskets and containers.

A lot of blankets and
sheets thrown over them.

This is definitely a
storage warehouse.

LAURA: I'm going to hide
the rifle in the boxes

and under a sheet so
that if he wakes up

and tries to get it, he's
not going to know where it is.

MATT: Okay, you step
inside here.

The first thing you notice

is that the warehouse
itself is fairly full.

The second thing you notice
is it's not empty.

As there are three figures
currently down below,

in the center of the room.

ANJALI: When I was listening,
I didn't hear?

We still have the jump
on them, they can't?

MATT: They have not
noticed you yet.

But the complication of having
people within the interior,

two of which you can
see plainly armed.

One of them has a jacket off.

They're dressed in
business-esque attire,

two of the bigger figures,
but their jackets are off

and you can see they have
holsters slung to the side

over their vests.

The third figure you see
in a long brown dress,

clutching a cane in one hand--
ANJALI: It's her.

MATT:-- dark hair,

and currently in the process
of drinking a glass of wine,

is Dorna.

LAURA: Nobody sees us?

MATT: That you know of.

ANJALI: As we're
watching them,

I'm going to take off my
jacket and roll up my sleeves.

Blend in as best I can.

ROBBIE: Auggie--
LAURA: Wait, are you going in?

ASHLEY: You want me to
sneak a little further?

ROBBIE: I think we
both should go.

ASHLEY: All right.

Yeah.
ROBBIE: Can we try to sneak in

and intermingle among the
vagaries of the storage?

MATT: You may, on the
upper level here?

LAURA: Hide in the storage.

ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
MATT: Okay, so yeah.

Best you can tell,
it wraps around

this upper area with
the central opening

is about 20 by 20 feet or so.

Then as the upper area
turns into stairs

that lead down to
the main floor below.

But if you are helming this
or you're helming this,

someone should
roll a Hide roll

to represent both of
you slinking about.

ASHLEY: Okay, I'll do it.
ROBBIE: I'm pretty sneaky as well.

LAURA: So what are we doing?
ASHLEY: I'm spending a--

ANJALI: If they're continuing
to sneak on--

LAURA: They're telling
us where to hide?

ANJALI: Yes, I would be

following with them and
telling them where to hide.

LAURA: Yeah.
MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: Since we're doing
this together,

let me give you one.

ASHLEY: Okay.
ROBBIE: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Three.

ANJALI: Do you have
a Resistance?

ASHLEY: I do.
LAURA: Yes, yes, yes.

MATT: Okay, so reroll two.
ASHLEY: Two.

LAURA: Okay.
ANJALI: One is gilded.

MATT: One is gilded, so--

ROBBIE: Oh boy.
LAURA: No?

ASHLEY: No, I rolled
a two and a one.

MATT: Okay, well,
the good news is

you get your drives back.

You both get a drive back.

ROBBIE: Was it
Trauma Bonding?

MATT: Because of
Trauma Bonding.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

MATT: The bad news is as
you both begin to slink,

Auggie, you are reaching
out on the railing

and glance over to look

right as the railing
snaps and gives,

and you fall off the
top area onto a box,

roll onto another box.

(loud impacts)

Your back hurts a little bit.

You didn't fully
take any damage,

no Body on this point,
but immediately you hear--

(metallic clinking)

All of you notice
that now Dorna

has put aside the wine glass

and is staring at
you on your back

as the two other individuals
have pulled the guns.

ASHLEY: Whoa, whoa, whoa!
ANJALI: Well, it may not be

a graceful entrance, Dorna,

but you really
should watch your security.

I walk over to the edge as
I'm rolling up my sleeves.

MATT: "Well, isn't this
very interesting?

"Well, I guess I should thank
you for saving my life."

ANJALI: You do seem well.

MATT: "(laughs)

"I guess seeing should
be believing."

She pulls the skirt of
the dress up a little bit

and where her legs
are crossed,

you can see right about
where the knee is,

they swell and twist

into these slug-like
extremities--

ASHLEY: Yikes!
MATT:-- that dangle and knot.

As they're exposed
at the bottom,

you watch they go
(squelches).

Just shift a little bit

before she throws the
skirt back over.

"I guess it's living."

ANJALI: I'm sorry we
couldn't get there faster.

MATT: She grabs a drink and
drinks a bit more wine,

hair getting in her face.

"Well."

Looks at the two
individuals now.

One of them is now holding
the gun on you still.

The one now has
one pointed to you.

ANJALI: I'll put my hands up.

Are there any stairs down
or anything like that?

MATT: Correct, yeah. If you
walk around on both sides,

there's one closer
to where you are

that descends to
the first floor.

If you go around
the other way,

there's a second
set of stairs.

ROBBIE: Was I still
able to sneak,

or did that screw the pooch?

LAURA: Are we all revealed?

MATT: I'll say you are both

not revealed at the moment,

but they definitely are.
ANJALI: I walk in.

MATT: The room is
on heightened alert.

ANJALI: Yes. So I have my
hands up and I'm going to walk

towards the stairs
with my eyes on her.

MATT: "So what are
you doing here?

"It's only important you tell
me before we shoot you."

ANJALI: No, of course.
ASHLEY: Whoa!

ANJALI: (reproachfully)
Auggie.

ASHLEY: Let's not, you know,
go to such extremes.

LAURA: (whispering)
Pull the rifle back out.

ANJALI: You know we came to
you looking for an artifact

in the first place,
back at the gallery.

MATT: "Indeed, there are
many who come to me

"looking for an artifact.

"Not all of them are affiliated
with your organization."

ANJALI: Dorna, if our
organization already knew

about who you were,
do you think

I would walk in here and
speak directly to you?

Do you think I
would come in here

if I were honestly
associated with them?

MATT: Are you trying to deceive?
ANJALI: I am so trying to deceive.

MATT: Make a Sway.
ANJALI: I shall do so.

ASHLEY: I'm going to
give you a drive.

ANJALI: Okay.

ASHLEY: Yeah, what--
ANJALI: I'm trying to convince her

that I'm double
agent-ing, basically.

ASHLEY: Why would I--

Look at me. Why would I be

in whatever the fuck
you're talking about?

ANJALI: Auggie, stop talking.
MATT: (guard) "You shut your mouth."

ASHLEY: All right, all
right. Mum's the--

ANJALI: Ha ha, it is a six!

MATT: Six.
ROBBIE: Nice.

MATT: "(sighs)

"I know you are
an entrepreneur,

"as are we, in
a growing industry

"providing for those who
are bored and curious.

"I guess we have
that in common."

ANJALI: We certainly do.

In my business,
unfortunately,

the product is not quite as
interesting, as dangerous.

MATT: "The more
interesting things are.

"Well.

"What do you want then,
if you're not with Candela?

"What is your business here?"

ANJALI: (sighs)

When I came to speak to you,

I was looking for
something special.

It may sound trite,
but something to give

a dear friend of mine
who, shall I say,

I've been trying to impress

both with business
and with pleasure.

MATT: "Mm."

ANJALI: I'm sure
you understand.

I was looking for some form
of jewelry, something,

which is when we discovered
what needed to be destroyed

to get you out
of that awful mess.

There must be something else
not quite as combustible

that I might be able
to provide to him.

I am stalling
like a motherfucker.

Can someone help me?
ROBBIE: You're waiting for us to save you?

ANJALI: ♪ Who's drowning,
I'm drowning ♪

MATT: You get the
sense that she doesn't

necessarily believe you.
LAURA: What are we trying to do here?

MATT: But she's certainly held
at an impasse of curiosity.

ANJALI: I do get that sense?

I do get the sense that
she doesn't believe me?

MATT: You get the sense that
she's not suddenly relaxed

and like,
"Oh! Well, never mind!"

ANJALI: Because I can go one way or the other.
MATT: She's still guarded.

ASHLEY: Here's the deal.

I mean, not to be selfish,

but I have goals and
hopes and dreams, too.

Do you need someone
to also work for you?

You know, bring in some--

I'm really good at

picking stuff up.
MATT: "At sneaking, apparently."

She points up

to the broken railing.
ANJALI: But Dorna--

ASHLEY: I'm usually better.

ANJALI: The young man
speaks some truth.

After all, when I first
pulled him off the streets,

I did tell him, if you're
going to work for someone

while you're on these streets,
make sure it's someone

who knows how to
get you off them.

ASHLEY: She's taught me well.

MATT: Her eyes narrow a bit.

ASHLEY: You need someone to
move shit? I can move shit.

ANJALI: Consider it a
trade, perhaps, for--

MATT: "Can you move people?"

ANJALI: I'm intrigued.
ASHLEY: It's been done.

ANJALI: Tell me.

MATT: "Away?"

ANJALI: Move them away
or keep them away?

MATT: "Move them away."
ASHLEY: Like, forever?

ANJALI: Yes, transporting
is no problem.

I obviously have
connections at the docks.

That's not a
surprise to anyone.

MATT: "As do I, which is
why we've had problems

"with the import
guilds to begin with."

ANJALI: (hums in agreement)

Clocking in my head, obviously
not saying this out loud,

but the situation with the

chamberwoman?
MATT: Chamberwoman, yeah.

In the meantime, what
are you two doing?

LAURA: Watching. She's
a really good talker.

ANJALI: I'm hyperventilating.
LAURA: Can we, I want to--

He's mixing something.

ROBBIE: I'm uncertain
of our intentions.

LAURA: I'm looking for
anything around Dorna,

something that
can connect her--

(laughter)

ANJALI: So close
to being out there.

ROBBIE: Exactly
what I intended.

LAURA: Evidence that
this is a Red Hand,

evidence that they're doing
something strange, something--

Is she doing a
ritual of some sort?

What is she just
doing sitting in here?

Is there evidence of
any weird play at hand?

MATT: Roll Focus for me to
try and analyze the situation.

ROBBIE: Hm, Focus.
LAURA: Okay, okay, okay.

I'm going to spend a drive.

I don't know why, but
I'm going to do it. No?

ROBBIE: You sure? Shall
I help you instead?

Would you like me
to help you instead?

LAURA: I've got one left.
(laughter)

MATT: Love that.
ANJALI: Right.

LAURA: Double fives.
ROBBIE: Nice.

MATT: All right, mixed success.
ANJALI: Doubles!

MATT: Glancing through here,

you get the sense,
looking around,

many of the things
that are covered here

are art pieces, statues,

many of the things
that a gallery might

store or move
based on business.

But you also see,
on the table below

and some of the spaces
around them, many old things.

You see notes, scrawlings,

like a faint,

hand-drawn map or

an odd sketch.
LAURA: We need that.

MATT: You also see books.

These aren't directly
before her, necessarily,

but they are part
of the surroundings.

You get the sense that
she is hiding here.

LAURA: Oh.

(whispering) Howard.
ROBBIE: Yes?

LAURA: All that stuff on
that table behind her.

ROBBIE: Yes?
LAURA: We should take it.

ROBBIE: All of it?

LAURA: Well, at least that
little mappy thing there.

ROBBIE: What is it? (laughs)

I would like to try to look at
the table and see if there's

anything immediately that
looks valuable or useful.

MATT: At this distance,
unfortunately--

ROBBIE: Nothing?
MATT:-- I will say it's

a little tough
with the low light

and you being up here in the
middle of mixing things.

If you were to
get down there

you could take a look.
ROBBIE: Are we still hidden?

MATT: You seem to be
hidden at the moment.

ROBBIE: Damn it.
LAURA: I wonder

if there's something
we can do to distract.

Maybe-- (gasps)

Maybe you can
send one of your--

ANJALI: (muffled) I'm getting
great information, too.

LAURA: (whispers) Maybe you can
send one of your exploding potions

or something far to the
end of the warehouse,

and that way, the guard
will run that direction.

ROBBIE: You want to
explode the warehouse?

LAURA: Well-- Dorna
will be left alone,

and you can run down
and get the stuff.

ROBBIE: Well,
I'd be delighted.

(laughs)
ANJALI: Oh god.

ROBBIE: Yeah, I've
had a lot of time

up there in the
little hidey hole.

I'm going to do my
chemical concoction.

While I don't have time to
make something as complicated

as fantasy napalm,

I do know how to
mix combustibles.

MATT: Yes.
ROBBIE: So I've got

a little vial of
something combustible.

MATT: All you've got to
do is click the cap in

to mix the kettle,
shake it up and throw,

and it will detonate
on a small scale.

Loud, if momentarily
damaging the vicinity of it.

ROBBIE: Would you be so kind?

My arm isn't what
it used to be.

LAURA: Where am
I throwing it?

ROBBIE: Away.

MATT and ANJALI: (laugh)

ANJALI: Don't hit us.
ROBBIE: (laughs)

LAURA: How far away are they
from us in this current--

MATT: You guys are on the
opposite side now of the upper area

to try and be away
from the eye line

of the armed thugs and Dorna.

So she's about 25 feet
across from that opening.

LAURA: Uh-huh.

MATT: He's about 30 feet
on the floor below.

There is an entryway that goes
to the large warehouse door

that was closed
on the opposite way

that's about 40 feet
across the way

that's opposite from
where you all are.

LAURA: I want to send it
to where all of the guards

that are pointing
on Auggie will be

will turn the opposite,
turn their backs to them.

MATT: Okay. So you're going to
throw towards the front door,

which gets them
looking adjacent away,

or you can throw it
below over on the floor,

which means they'll
turn that direction,

but it'll be in the direction
where you are, just below.

LAURA: Can I throw it
back into a corner?

MATT: You can certainly try.
(laughter)

ANJALI: I like the trying.
LAURA: Okay.

(laughter)
MATT: All right.

LAURA: (bottle skittering)
MATT: Roll Control for me,

if you don't mind.
ANJALI: Come on, baby. Come on, come on.

You got this, you got this.
ASHLEY: Come on, come on, come on.

LAURA: ♪ I've got two left ♪
ANJALI: ♪ You got this ♪

LAURA: Okay.
ANJALI: I can't help.

I can't help you!
(nervous scatting)

Yes!
LAURA: Six!

ASHLEY and ROBBIE: (cheer)
MATT: Six.

"Look, I appreciate

"your appearance
of candor here.

"I think there may be some
honesty to what you are saying,

"but everything about
this circumstance to me

"is extremely fishy."

ASHLEY: What do you mean?
MATT: "As much as I try and believe you,

"I haven't gotten this far
in my life by opening myself--"

(chemical explosion)
ROBBIE and LAURA: (laugh)

MATT: This massive cracking
sound of an explosion.

It's not flame,
it's like a flashbang

in the corner of that
room detonates.

Bits of wood and dirt
and broken crate

go flying from behind.

Dorna's hair is blown in front
of her face for a second.

She ducks down to the ground,
her skirt blown to the side,

her weird tendril legs now
writhing on the ground

as she almost snakes
away from the sound.

LAURA: Ugh.
MATT: The two thugs are like, "Ah!"

One of them puts the gun down
for a second, holds his ear.

The other one ducks and turns
around to point his gun

in that direction
and sees nothing.

What are you all doing?
LAURA: Grab the maps!

ANJALI: Can I have--

I sort of dive
in the direction

to protect Dorna just
to keep the ruse going?

MATT: You are still--
You came down the stairs?

ANJALI: Mm-hmm.
MATT: Uh--

ANJALI: Too far from her?

MATT: I would say she wouldn't
let you get that close.

ANJALI: Got it.
Okay, all right.

ASHLEY: I was going to try
to give that a go, too.

MATT: If you want to.
ASHLEY: To try to protect her.

MATT: Okay, okay.
LAURA: Oh jeez.

You have one down there.
MATT: Because you are technically

closer to her as
you descended.

You can make a Sway roll.

No, sorry, yeah, this would be
to convince, so make a Sway.

ASHLEY: Okay.
ANJALI: Okay.

ASHLEY: I'm going to use

a drive.

ANJALI: Do you want me to give
you one more or are you good?

ASHLEY: I think
I'm okay. I'm okay.

If it works.

ANJALI: Yes!
ASHLEY: Six.

MATT: Six.

As you dive to protect
her, she-- "(pants)"

"What is going on?
What is here?"

ASHLEY: I don't know, I don't
know. I got you, I got you.

I'll protect you.
MATT: "Stop them! Stop them!"

ANJALI: Get us out of here!
Let's go! Let's get out of here!

ASHLEY: I have my gun out.
ANJALI: Show us where to go.

MATT: The thugs are looking
around and kicking stuff over.

One of them looks
up in your direction.

LAURA: I would say,
I would've thrown it,

and then we would've
(sneaky footsteps)

and try to move away from--

In the explosion and the
noise and all that shit.

MATT: Make a Hide
test for me.

ANJALI: You got it. Come on baby.
♪ Come on, you can do it ♪

♪ Spend a Nerve, do a ♪
thing to save yourself ♪

MATT: This is her
guiding you both.

ROBBIE: Do you still
have your train?

LAURA: Nope, I
used it already.

ANJALI: Does it
have to be her?

MATT: If you want to
guide it instead,

since the two of
you are a pair.

LAURA: Yeah!
ROBBIE: Follow me!

LAURA: I'm sorry I keep
hitting you, Howard.

ROBBIE: I'm a man of action.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Six.
LAURA: Ah-ha!

ANJALI: Yes!
ASHLEY: Nice!

MATT: You both dart around,
and as they're both distracted,

one of them comes
over and kicks over

some of the crates
and is looking around.

"There's nothing here."

You both crawl
around the side

as she gets up,
grabs her cane.

You can see she's having
a hard time standing.

She gets the cane and goes,
"It's not safe here."

ANJALI: We have to get out
of here. Where can we go?

MATT: You see she's weirdly
caught in the moment of,

what the fuck is happening
between the two of you?

"I honestly--"
ASHLEY: I do have my gun out.

MATT: "You said you can hide
someone out of the city, right?

"Move people?"
ANJALI: Absolutely.

MATT: "You have to get
me out. I think--

"I think Lycus has gone mad."

ANJALI: Lycus?

Tell us more, somewhere else.
ASHLEY: Who's that?

Who's Lycus?

LAURA: Get out of the warehouse!
ASHLEY: Yeah, let's go.

ANJALI: I feel like
we're dragging her

in some direction--
ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Walk and talk, walk and talk.
ANJALI:-- away.

MATT: She goes over and
goes, "Open the door!"

One of the guards is like,
"They're coming with us?"

ASHLEY: Yeah!
MATT: "Whatever!

"We're desperate
at this point."

One of the guards comes over,

keeps one gun and
pulls out his keys

and starts going over to
unlock the front door.

She's like,

(Dorna) "He's become
obsessed with Oldfaire.

"It was once a boon
to our organization,

"but his ambition's become
extremely alarming.

"I feel like he holds
mysteries over The Flare,

"over our enterprise,
and the others

"will not be abiding his
fantasies much longer.

"I've seen him do some things
that even I am frightened of."

She stops for a second.
"We'll need to grab--"

Grabs up the map and a
few things off the table

while you two are
hiding around the side.

ASHLEY: You need me
to hold any of those?

MATT: "I've got it, thank you."
ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: Another guy finishes locking
the two locks on the door and starts

going to go and start lifting
it, gets another guy's help.

(guard) "Come on!
Come on, come over!"

They both start
lifting the door.

She's sitting there,
staring forward

as you hear--
(eldritch groaning)

I am pulling out my gun

and surveying to see
where it's coming from.

MATT: As you are both
sneaking around the side,

you watch as you
see these patches

of growth and fungus

that have added that musty
smell to the inside.

You watch as these black roots
seem to emerge from them

and begin to swirl
and form up

into a familiar, clustered,

hairy-looking entity.

As it rises up

above Dorna and your friends,

you hear that familiar--
(groaning)

ANJALI: Dorna, if there's
anything in this room

that can hurt this thing, now
is the time we need to know.

MATT: She turns
around to look back.

"No!"

As it grabs her by the head--
ANJALI: Oh shit.

MATT:-- and begins to pull her back.
ASHLEY: I'm going to try to grab the maps.

ANJALI: Oh, she'll grab the maps.
(laughter)

ANJALI: I'm going
to grab her body.

I'm going to grab her body.
I'm going to grab her body.

MATT: You grab the maps, no issue.
ROBBIE: I'll save the maps!

MATT: You grab her
by the body

as the hand encompasses it,
and you watch as the fingers

seem to wrap, the hair seems
to almost swirl around it,

creating this beehive-like
cocoon around the head

as it pulls her back.

(growling)

The guards go,
"What the fuck?"

ASHLEY: Shoot it!
MATT: They drop the door

and pull out their guns.

(gunfire)

You see the
flashing (gunfire)

throughout the interior
of the chamber.

(bullets thud dully)
It just stands there--

LAURA: Oh, guns don't work!
MATT:-- nothing affecting it.

ANJALI: Fire, fire!

If there's fire, we need fire!
LAURA: Where's the fire?

MATT: She clutches it.
ANJALI: Who's got the fire?

MATT: Dorna is struggling
and struggling

and struggling as
you're holding her there.

ANJALI: I pull my
ritual blade out

and I stab at anything
that I can find.

MATT: Make a Strike
roll for me.

ANJALI: Oh, god help us.

MATT: You're both above
on the secondary floor.

The only things that have flame
that you see are the two lanterns

that are on the ground
floor, if you want

to try and rush out of
hiding to get to them.

ANJALI: Six.
MATT and ROBBIE: Six!

ANJALI: Oh god,
this fucking die!

LAURA: Is it walking
close to the lanterns?

Where is it in regards
to the lantern?

MATT: It's in the dark
corner off to the side

not too far from where
you threw the object.

LAURA: Uh-huh.

MATT: So the lanterns are
about maybe 15, 20 feet

from where it is, and
they're on the bottom floor

up on the table
on the side there.

You start carving
at the hand,

and the creature's like
(guttural groaning)

reacting to the pain
as it's clutching.

You start carving the hand
free, and as they cut free,

you can see, as she
emerges from its grasp,

the skin, smooth--
LAURA: (gasps) No!

MATT:-- lack of facial
expressions upon her

as her body limply (body
thuds) falls to the ground.

ANJALI: Yeah, I'm good.
We're out of here.

ROBBIE: (laughs)

ASHLEY: The lanterns are down here?
MATT: (deep, gravelly growl)

LAURA: Uh-huh.
MATT: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: Okay. Is there one
near that I can try to take

and chuck at it?
MATT: Sure, if you want to.

ASHLEY: Okay, yeah.
ANJALI: I will shoot at it

as you do.
ASHLEY: Great.

MATT: Okay. The two
guards-- (guns firing)

"Fuck, it's not
doing anything!"

ASHLEY: Fire! Fire!
ANJALI: Get fire!

MATT: "I'm firing! I'm firing!"
ANJALI: No!

We need fire! Throw fire!
MATT: He's reloading the gun.

(laughter)

LAURA: Open the doors!

I say from the top.

MATT: One of them puts
his gun in the holster

and goes to start opening
the door to the facility

while the other one
is now looking confused,

trying to reload his gun.

You said you're going
for the lantern?

ASHLEY: Question real quick.

Is there--
MATT: Yeah?

ASHLEY: Does this building
have electricity?

MATT: This building?

You're uncertain.

You can try and glance for
some semblance of it.

ANJALI: If you do that,
I'll glance for it.

ROBBIE: I'm going to
pop out of the shadows

while they're doing this.

Just emerge, and I'm going
to go to the table

where all of the
ancient looking stuff is.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: Realizing that our
firearms are useless,

and see if I can look
for anything, anything.

ANJALI: I'm looking
for electricity.

I'm looking for electricity.

MATT: Okay, so make
a Survey roll for me.

ASHLEY: I'll give you drive.
MATT: You rush to the table.

ANJALI: Oh, and I got a six.

ASHLEY: Okay.
MATT: Looking about--

ASHLEY: Yes!

MATT: The paper was grabbed.

There are some books--
LAURA: Which Auggie got.

MATT: Looks like old,
old tomes that are

laid out on the table
that were left behind.

You start grabbing those.
ROBBIE: The books, yeah.

MATT: Picking up, okay, cool.

So you start pulling that up,

as the creature is
now lurching towards,

as it grows in size,

it looks like
it's still forming,

as it continues to expand
out in the shadow,

the roots and vines
that are tethering it

to those mold packages
in the side.

LAURA: Do I see the portal
anywhere, an opening,

there's no?
MATT: No portal.

You rolled a six.

ANJALI: I rolled a six
to find electricity.

MATT: You glance around, and
from the muzzle flares,

the firing, you can see there
are wire setups within,

and you can now see,
dangling in the center,

there is a dangling light,
electrical light.

You follow the line
and glance over

to the side of the warehouse,
and there is a switch.

ANJALI: I'm running,
is it, how--

Where is the-- Do I have
to run through it

to get to the switch,
or can I just run to it?

MATT: You would have
to make a run roll

to dodge to get to it.

ANJALI: Fuck me!
LAURA: You can do it,

you can do it.
ASHLEY: I'm going to--

I'm going to try to
throw the lantern

to distract.
LAURA:-- and I'll try to run?

MATT: So.
ANJALI: Yeah.

The switch! I'm going
to scream out

to whoever can, and
point in that direction

to whoever might
be closest to it.

MATT: Okay.

So now with Dorna
on the ground,

the creature, focused
in this direction,

you shout, "Switch!"

ANJALI: I've got the knife.

MATT: Right as its hand
(slams)!

ANJALI: Right.
MATT: Grabs you by the head

and shoulder, and begins
to grasp you there.

LAURA: No!
ANJALI: Okay.

MATT: You.
ASHLEY: I chuck the lantern.

MATT: Roll Strike or Control.

ANJALI: Save my face,
Auggie, save my face!

LAURA: I'm running across--

MATT: You're running across
to try to grab the switch.

ASHLEY: Drive.
MATT: Yeah,

the one guard is
lifting up the door,

the other one is now--
ANJALI: I can't help--

MATT: Looking at chaos
here, sees Dorna,

and goes, "Holy shit!"

Goes over to help with
the door as well,

and starts lifting
it with his friend.

LAURA: Can I roll for
the switch?

ROBBIE: That's a lot
of rolling going on.

ASHLEY: Three, fuck.

MATT: Three.
ROBBIE: Whoa, no!

ANJALI: While this
is happening,

can I be trying to pry it
off with my knife as well?

Since, like it
happened last time?

MATT: You can.
ANJALI: Okay.

MATT: You throw the lantern,
and it misses,

and it crashes into
the back of the room.

You, however,
feel the cold sense

of the creature's bleed
seep into you.

The vines seem to be pulling

into your nose and mouth,

and you feel like
you're being sucked

deep into some abyss, like
you're drowning underwater.

Explain to me how
you feel the bleed.

ANJALI: I, once again,
I'm right back there,

being sucked and pulled towards
the crack with the house.

The house is already
crumpled and gone through,

and I am starting to
go closer, and closer,

and closer to it.

MATT: You try and resist,
but you feel like the nearby

trees and roots
are now reaching out,

and wrapping around you, and
pulling you towards it as well.

Your vision is now marred
in this dark space

by being grasped
by this entity.

You're running over
to grab the light.

Make a run test to see
if you can get there.

LAURA: I have one die.

MATT: Go ahead and roll.

LAURA: No drives
and no resistances.

ANJALI: Can someone help him?

Anyone, I can't because I'm--

ASHLEY: Yeah, can
I give you, wait,

I have no more
drives left either.

LAURA: No, I just said.

Five!
(cheering)

ROBBIE: I knew you had it,
I knew you had it.

ANJALI: That's my girl!

You put on sensible shoes,
after all.

LAURA: I mean.

MATT: You rush over,
grab the switch.

Blue sparks fire from it.

Multiple lights suddenly

come on in the middle
of the warehouse,

alighting the floor.

As you do, one, you can
see that across the far away,

a bunch of the
currently wrapped,

and covered bits
of the collection

are now catching fire from
the thrown lantern that missed.

So the warehouse
is now catching--

ASHLEY: My bad.

MATT: Catching fire.

The creature immediately
releases you. (howls)

ASHLEY: I grab her--
MATT: And shrinks back.

ASHLEY:-- as fast as I can.
MATT: You pull her,

and you watch as the
roots seem to disentangle,

and retract back
into those patches

of mildew and mold
that were settled

into the sides of
the warehouse structure,

shrinking from the light.

As it does,
you also hear (thudding)

as the front door closes,

the two guards having
pushed through, and fled.

ANJALI: Right.
ASHLEY: What a bunch of--

ANJALI: That's fine,
can we still get out,

and get at the front
of that, yeah,

can we still get out up top?

ROBBIE: Howard's got a book
in his hand and he goes:

It might be averse to light!

(laughter)

LAURA: Wow.
MATT: Perfect.

ASHLEY: Should we try
to make it out?

ANJALI: Yeah, the whole thing
is burning, right?

That's a good, we want it to--
MATT: The warehouse

is catching fire.
ANJALI: Great!

ASHLEY: I'm going to grab
the other lantern--

MATT: Yep.
ASHLEY: And anything that

looks like it could
go up in flames,

I'm going to chuck
the lantern at it.

MATT: (flames whooshing)

The warehouse is now brightly
ablaze, and will begin--

LAURA: Grabbing all the
relics from that table.

ANJALI: Anything we can.
ASHLEY: Yes.

ANJALI: Running out
the way we came.

LAURA: Oh, that's a lot of
art, that's a lot of money.

MATT: Okay, you got it.

ANJALI: ♪ Running out
the way we came ♪

MATT: You dart up, up to
the top of the window,

you shimmy down the ladder,

and there, you see there's
the unconscious fellow

with the pile of trash over
him that's now resting

aside the building
with smoke,

black smoke now
starting to pour out,

and be picked up by
the fog, and moving--

LAURA: I'm going to
grab his ankles,

and try to start
dragging him away

from the building
a little bit,

so that he doesn't catch fire.
MATT: Okay.

You pull him away
from that point.

You gather your things, and
dart off down the alleyways,

using the fog to your
advantage to stay hidden,

uncertain or uncaring as where
these goons have run off to,

or where this creature
has withdrawn.

You begin to hear the shouts

of people noticing
the growing fire,

and you begin to see
the distant glow

within the fog of
the warehouse that now,

it's a mid-evening blaze.

But you have a few
recovered materials,

and the assertation that

whatever list Dorna-- or
whatever list Kara was on,

Dorna also seemed to be upon.

What would you like to do?

ANJALI: I think the
closest safe haven,

if we have to get-- do we
have to get somewhere quickly?

The closest safe haven
would be Deagan.

LAURA: Oh.

ANJALI: We'd be least likely
to be seen with so much stuff.

Unless we feel like--
Can I make a quick Survey,

and see if anyone
is noticing us?

Are people, or are
people just focusing

on that warehouse
as we're running?

MATT: Sure, make
a Survey test.

LAURA: Can we pull
up the map?

I want to be looking at the
map as we're walking, and--

MATT: Okay.
ANJALI: Yeah, that's good.

MATT: It's pretty--
It's hand drawn,

and it looks like it's been
drawn over multiple times.

Like whoever drew this,

there were multiple treks,

and with each time,
they added more detail.

It looks like it is some sort

of a subterranean
cavern crawl.

ANJALI: Mm-hmm.
MATT: Where you see it begins,

it mentions the
Van Helter Junkyard.

LAURA: Which is in what--

Do I know where the
Van Helter Junkyard is?

MATT: You do, you know that
the Van Helter Junkyard is,

it would be,
my specification here.

LAURA: South Soffit?

ANJALI: We did it, we did it.
I still have a face.

ASHLEY: Right, you
still have a face.

ANJALI: (laughs)
We did it, we did it.

ASHLEY: I was like--
MATT: It is within The Steam.

ASHLEY: This is--
LAURA: Okay, oh.

ANJALI: Too close, too close.

ROBBIE: Ooh boy.
ASHLEY: Too close, we come--

LAURA: Well, we could
be in this area.

ROBBIE: Oh, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, okay.

MATT: So a little bit of
a trek there, and you know,

you do know of this,
this region of this city,

you've never visited it,
of course,

a woman of your esteem would
have no reason to do so,

but it is a massive junkyard
where all manner of scrap,

and old train
and trolley cars, and

derelict military vehicles
from the recent war

are all left to crumble, be
pulled for scrap, refurbished,

and in many cases sold by
the person who runs this.

LAURA: Oh, you meant it's
The Steel, not The Steam?

MATT: The Steel.
LAURA: The Steel.

MATT: Sorry, no, The Steam,
The Steam is the one.

LAURA: Wait, The Steam
is where the train is?

MATT: Yes.
LAURA: Okay. So it's in The Steam.

Okay.

ANJALI: Great.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: It says,
"The Mustang car."

MATT: There is a drawing of
a train car, a little sketch.

ANJALI: I rolled a mixed
success on my Survey.

MATT: Survey.

Indeed, nobody's
necessarily noticing

you at the moment,

but you do begin
to hear the horns

of the local fire department
sending their wagons down.

Shouts are happening,

and chaos is definitely
erupting in this space.

Yeah.
LAURA: Can we run through--

Let's take side streets
through The Varnish,

we could stop into
The Gilded Rainbow, and--

ANJALI: Yep.

LAURA: Regroup, and then head
over to The Steam from there.

ANJALI: I think
Auggie should lead.

ASHLEY: Okay, follow me.
ANJALI: Since we're sneaky sneaky.

MATT: Okay.
ASHLEY: Bob and weave,

bob and weave.
Show them all the tricks.

MATT: At this hour, with
this much marine layer,

it's not terribly hard
to go through unnoticed.

You aren't necessarily
a conspicuous looking lot,

unless you are trying to
draw attention in the space

in which people
are looking for it.

You're well dressed
and out and about,

though some of
these districts might

be a little odd,
given your clothing.

So no need to roll
a high roll here.

You head back to The Steam,
eventually emerge here

in this junkyard,
hidden away from the--

ANJALI: Did we stop,
did we stop at the--

LAURA: I mean, we don't need to.
MATT: Oh, did you want to stop by?

LAURA: Just to see if

Alexandra or Edmund
had stopped through,

and come to check on us.

It might be timing up.

MATT: Okay.
ANJALI: Yeah.

MATT: I'll say
that you do come by,

and Reggie, who's there
greet you, and he goes,

"Oh, yes, Edmund
returned earlier,

"and took Kara, and
is going to continue

"fleshing out the report of
what you sent on that way.

"You weren't here at the time,
so they headed out,

"but they might return if I can
call them back, if need be."

LAURA: Oh, no.

ANJALI: I need to send a message
to someone in the Hallowharbor.

I know they're not
a member of Candela,

but it's very important.

MATT: "All right."

ANJALI: I need to get a
message to a man named Deagan.

Here's his location.

MATT: Okay,
he writes it down.

ANJALI: Tell him:
I'm safe, period.

We're safe, period.

You stay safe, too.

That's all. And--
MATT: "All right."

ANJALI: Yeah.

MATT: "Is this Deagan
fellow going to, like,

"pull a gun on me?"

ANJALI: Not with this message,
he might hug you.

MATT: "Hopefully as fun.

"All right,
I'll get it to him."

LAURA: Thank you, let
Alexandra know that we're

heading into--

This is a map of Oldfaire.

If I'm right,
we're going down.

ANJALI: We're going to
need more than guns.

Also, let him know
who it's from,

it doesn't have
to be that secret.

Let him know it's from me.

ROBBIE: The night is young.

LAURA: Let's go.

ROBBIE: Thoomp, more books.

ANJALI: Oh, yes.

MATT: "Okay. (chuckles)"

Reggie takes them and
puts them behind the counter.

"Good luck. Did you say
you're going to Oldfaire?"

LAURA: Uh. Mm-hmm.

MATT: "Oh. Boy.

"Good luck."

ANJALI: Mightn't have anything
that would help us, would you?

MATT: "I am a bookstore owner,
and I gave you my gun."

ANJALI: I keep hoping he's
going to be like Q.

LAURA: I know.
(laughter)

ANJALI: (whooshing)

Look, killer to ghost.

MATT: Not so much. (laughs)
ANJALI: Yeah, no.

LAURA: All right.

ANJALI: Off we go
to The Steel?

LAURA: Yes.

ASHLEY: The Steam?
LAURA: To The Steam.

MATT: The Steam.

LAURA: The Musgrave car?

MATT: Mustang.
LAURA: Mustang.

ANJALI: ♪ Sally ♪
LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: So here you come to
this massive junkyard,

this field of twisted
iron and metals

hidden away from
the recently remodeled,

and pleasantly presented
portions of The Steam.

This unique, vastly
cluttered field covered

in abandoned railway cars,
vehicles, discarded scrap,

an utterly compelling blemish
on this region of Newfaire.

But what would you like
to do while you're here?

LAURA: Well, we need to
find a train car.

ANJALI: Mustang car,
Mustang Sally.

ASHLEY: Do we split up--
MATT: Who's helming the search?

ASHLEY: Or should
we stay together?

LAURA: No, we should
stay together.

ANJALI: I might as well
do the search.

ASHLEY: Yeah,
you're good at it.

I will give you a drive to
give you an extra one.

ANJALI: All right,
I will accept it.

ROBBIE: I'll step behind a
train car and use the bathroom.

(laughter)

ASHLEY: I know, I'm wiggling.
ANJALI: Mixed success with a five.

LAURA: Okay.
MATT: All right.

ANJALI: I don't know why
I keep pulling them out,

I'm like, "Look,
I just did a thing!"

(laughter)

MATT: Knowing the sketch that's
on the paper that you have,

you begin to leap from
abandoned railway car

to abandoned railway car.

Eventually,
looking for something,

some sort of a sign that
might bring it about,

you do eventually see one that
has a brass finish to it

in certain places.

As you approach, getting
the best look you can,

with what little bit of
light's coming through,

you're just now pulling
away from the marine layer,

the fog isn't as thick, though
there's a little layer of mist

that sits a couple feet
off the ground here

that allows you to
get higher ground,

and see some of the larger
bits of the junkyard

that poke out throughout this
whole portion of the city.

You go to this one, and
as you begin to approach,

you can see, across the top
of its roof railing,

there is tarnished brass,
a design inlay that emerges

in these running horses on
the front on each side.

ANJALI: Did we bring any
sources of fire with us?

We still have
any lanterns, yes?

ASHLEY: No.

Well, you still
got the lighter?

ANJALI: I mean,

yeah--
MATT: "Excuse me,

"can I ask
what you're doing?"

At this point, you turn
around and see this

scraggly looking man
in his 60s or so,

a long white skullet,

looks to have this really
sunken, long, pointed chin

that comes to a long, scraggly
looking chin beard point

that hangs down to about
middle of his chest.

A long, tattered overcoat.

You recognize this figure,

if only through reputation,
as Maynard Van Helter,

who is the proprietor
of the junkyard.

LAURA: Can I Read him?
See if he seems

susceptible to bribery, or--?

MATT: Yeah, make a Read roll.

ANJALI: Or a deception,
a deception--

MATT: "Trying to see if
there is perhaps--"

LAURA: Six on the gilded.
MATT: Six on the gilded.

"What you are doing
skulking through my yard?"

ASHLEY: We're not skulking,
we have something to do.

MATT: "You look pretty
skulk worthy."

You read on him,
he's definitely--

He's the person that
doesn't want people

stealing from his junkyard,

and likely has means
to defend his property,

and has had to do it
a number of times.

But is also a person that
enjoys making a deal.

ANJALI: Maynard, is it not?

LAURA: I whisper in her ear:
He'll make a deal.

MATT: "You're not like
the usual riffraff that

"comes through here
at night, huh?"

ANJALI: No, we're not.

I'm here to make
a deposit, shall we say,

into the bank of Van Halter.

Are you interested?

MATT: "Always."

ANJALI: I have some goods
that I'm trying

to keep out of
the hands of others.

MATT: "The less I know,
the better."

ANJALI: Yes.

I was wondering if
for a certain sum,

you might turn the other way.

I'll pull out the little
pouch of my coins,

pretty much what I've got.

MATT: Make a Sway roll.

ANJALI: Okay.

I hate this game.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: It's the drama,
it's the best part!

MATT: ♪ The tension ♪

ANJALI: ♪ Drive, drive,
drive, please, drive ♪

♪ Mixed success on a five ♪

Oh, and a five--
LAURA: Make sure you got a gilded.

ANJALI: I got a five
gilded, yeah--

MATT: There you go, so you
get that drive right back.

ANJALI: I don't hate
this game, by the way,

it's just my heart is
(quick vibration).

MATT: It's about
building the tension.

Gives you a glance, looks
down at what you have.

"That looks about
a appropriate amount."

He draws his hand,
you can see the dirt,

and grime-encrusted
fingernails

that are about a half an inch

beyond the tips of his fingers
as he reaches out.

ANJALI: As I'll leave
it there with him,

and I'll grasp his hand
gently, and I'll say:

If this works out,
there's more business

where this came from.

MATT: "Don't worry,
I know who you work with."

He puts it in his pocket.
ROBBIE: Hmm.

MATT: You get the sense
from your Read roll,

he has misinterpreted
who you work with.

LAURA and ROBBIE: Hmm.

MATT: Based on the location
you're currently skulking at.

But he gives a nod,
and steps away a bit.

"(whistles)"

And just whistles to himself.

ANJALI: I've always wanted
to learn how to whistle.

MATT: With that, you are
out of money for this.

ANJALI: I am, she's not,
she's loaded, for fuck's sake.

(laughter)

ANJALI: These two with their
freaking inherited money,

or wherever it came from.

I had to work for mine!

I didn't say that out loud.
LAURA: What's that like?

ANJALI: I didn't say that,
I know, it's dreadful.

But there is a certain sense

of accomplishment
when it happens.

It's kind of like the thrill

when I fool one of these
gentlemen, yes, very funny.

Anyway, that's
beside the point.

Auggie's peeing
in the corner.

So we see the Mustang,
is there a door?

MATT: It's open.
ANJALI: Oh, it's wide open.

MATT: It's scrapped and
has long been scrapped.

It's in better condition
than some of the other

train cars that you've passed
by as you were inspecting.

This looks like it was
a higher end train car.

It may have been
a premium upscale car

before it engaged in some
sort of terrible accident.

Parts of it are heavily damaged.
LAURA: Can I look around and see

if Maynard is watching us
at all or are we alone?

MATT: No, he's wandered off.

LAURA: Then I'm going to
take out the bleed detector

and try to get a vibe,

reveal where the
entrance would be.

MATT: Glancing within, you
look and there's a cluster,

a mass of fallen scrap metal

and torn cushions from seats.

It's all piled in there and
you do see a faint trail

of lingering bleed
that goes beneath this

massive,

fallen tin panel
that's resting

on the far sunken end
of the train car.

You can see the tarnished
and damaged roof edges

curling over from the
front and you can hear

the faintest bit
of wind whistling.

LAURA: There.

ROBBIE: What do you see?

LAURA: I'm going to
go over and lift

the tin up.
MATT: You lift it

and you can see
indeed beneath it,

mostly obscured by the panel,
there looks to be an opening.

ANJALI: Oh god.
MATT: A tunnel

that fairly steeply descends

into the Oldfairean earth.

LAURA: Oh.
ROBBIE: Well done.

LAURA: I think this is--
ASHLEY: Oh wow.

LAURA: Yes, we might run into
the Snatcher down here as well.

ROBBIE: Huh.

Well, mind your step.

Tetanus is the true enemy.

I jump into the hole.
ANJALI: (muttered protesting)

(laughter)
ANJALI:-- before you go in!

Professor, do you have light
sources, fire sources?

LAURA: Yeah, is there--
ROBBIE: Foomp!

ANJALI: Is there any fire?
ROBBIE: I'm in the hole, baby!

(laughter)
ANJALI: Any fire sources?

LAURA: Yeah, is there anything we can light--
ANJALI: Well, he does have a hole in his head.

LAURA:-- make a torch out of?
ROBBIE: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Oh my god, that made me laugh.
ANJALI: Any lights, nothing around us?

MATT: You don't see any--

There's occasional
pieces of wood

you might be able to burn,
but you didn't bring lanterns.

You also have
no light source.

ANJALI: We have the
lighter. Is there a stick?

Something that I can--
MATT: Yeah. You can scrounge

a stick.
ANJALI: Right.

MATT: You can makeshift
a torch here,

and you have chemicals
probably still left over.

ANJALI: Right.
MATT: You could make a singular torch.

ANJALI: Right.
ROBBIE: I've made a singular torch.

(laughter)
ANJALI: Excellent.

Excellent. We'll follow him.

ROBBIE: (flames ignite)
MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: Oh my god.

(laughter)

ANJALI: In the hole, baby!
LAURA: We were really dumb

to not have grabbed any light
sources on the way here.

ANJALI: I feel like we would have--
LAURA: That's really stupid.

ANJALI:-- every
single time and yet

we somehow don't.
ROBBIE: I have one

in my hand.
LAURA: Yes.

ROBBIE: Come, come. There's
nothing scary so far.

Is there? (laughs)

ANJALI: We know that the
guns are useless on him,

them, it, correct?

Never mind, it's too late.
ROBBIE: Are you coming?

ANJALI: Yes, yes, yes.

ROBBIE: I could wait for
as long as you'd like.

ANJALI: No, no, no, in we go.

ASHLEY: I'm going
to jump down.

MATT: Okay.
ANJALI: Me, too.

MATT: There is just enough
space to go single file

down this tunnel and
follow the light source

of the flickering torch,

the bit of wind
that seems to be

escaping or running through

causing it to shift
as you move.

It is a steep, spiraling
decline and this pathway,

as it continues to descend
deeper and deeper below,

the temperature
begins to drop.

A general moisture
seems to be

collecting along the rock,
giving it a bit of

a shine or a glisten
as the light flickers past.

ASHLEY: Wait,
what is the plan?

Are we just going down here,

and we're going
to hope for the best?

LAURA: We'll go in and
try to close the portal

that the Snatcher
came through.

It's connected
to something here.

If we can close it, then
it won't be able to.

ROBBIE: May I take the light
as they're chatting

and hold it up against
these squishy, gushy walls

and look for something?
MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: I'm looking
specifically for moss,

any kind of lichen, any sort
of fungal growth on the walls.

MATT: Okay.

Okay, as you keep an eye
out as you pass by

this opening part,
you don't see any yet.

It is stone and that hint
of moisture, but nothing

seems to have taken root
from a fungal standpoint.

ROBBIE: I'm going to keep an
eye out for it as we proceed.

MATT: You got it.
ANJALI: I'm sorry that

I missed this part.

Is there bleed
in this hallway?

Whatever, this cavern?
LAURA: I'm going to Sense,

I'm going to look at
the bleed detector.

MATT: Okay.
ROBBIE: (rings)

MATT: Indeed, you see the
faint trail of bleed

that seems to scrape across
the wall and the floor

in places, like something
had dragged its way--

LAURA: Does it feel like

the same bleed that
came from the Snatcher?

MATT: You can make a
Sense roll, if you'd like.

ROBBIE: Did you say
it was as if

something was being
dragged on the ground?

MATT: You see streaks

across the way in
different patterns.

ROBBIE: Oh, okay.
LAURA: Mixed success.

That's a five.
MATT: Mixed success.

As you are stepping through,

you indeed sense
this familiar bleed there.

Whatever has been
assailing you and those

you've been around as
of late passed through here

and has left a residue,
a residue that still

is embedded somewhere within
you since you've Let It In.

In that brief moment,
your vision begins to fall

and you tumble
into this darkness,

reaching out with your hand
as it withers gray

and you almost
fall forward before

you stop her with your hand
out, but you do take a bleed

from leaning a little
too close to the abyss.

ANJALI: Ooh, so close.

ROBBIE: How you doing?

Are you all right?

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

ANJALI: I don't know how
I haven't done this before

since I have this damn
piece of equipment

I've been carrying around, but
I'm going to try to take,

if there's some on
the dirt or whatever,

put some of it, soak it.

LAURA: I'm going to use
my ward to soak a bleed.

MATT: There you go.
LAURA: I just thought.

ANJALI: I somehow scoop
some of this bleed

into my little
container vacuum.

MATT: Okay, you got it.
ANJALI: (pop)

MATT: It got away.

Eventually this tunnel,
as it curves deeper down,

sorry, as you continue,

the narrow pathway begins
to shift into a twisting,

lightless cave structure.

It seems to intersect at times
with long-buried stonework

and structures that
jut from the dirt

and rock like peeking bones.

Eventually, on the same path,

the shale and granite giving
way to the occasional

step or two, like you've
found a staircase that then

vanishes once more into the
surrounding earth, widens further

into a massive cavern,

framed in numerous climbing
archways and starkly

jagged pillars of squared
rock and harsh angle.

Ruined buildings peek from
the exposed earth beneath,

the architecture
imposing and cold.

Shapes like massive bodies
carved from the rock,

partially crumbled and looming
like long-dead giants

stand 20, 30 feet
above, leaning,

about to fall or buried
halfway into the stone itself.

ASHLEY: Whoa.

MATT: As you walk into this
space in the silence, the shadow,

the faint bit of
firelight in front of you

framing the very edges
of this interior,

what would you like to do?

ANJALI: I want to scan to
see if there's anything,

any movement, any creature,

anything that might catch my
eye before we continue moving.

MATT: Make a Survey roll
for me.

ANJALI: Six.

MATT: Six, fantastic.

Here amongst the darkness,
you actually

push the torch back a
bit so you can let

the light not distract from
you adjusting to the shadow

so you can best make out
the details and as you do,

you see a little ways beyond,

past an opening in the cavern
where part of it shrieks down

this massive,
stalactite-type structure

that combines to the
ground to create

a natural rock pillar
of elements,

you see a faint purplish
glow, ever so faint,

risen and in the distance,

unique to anything else you see.

ANJALI: I stop everyone
and I whisper:

There's something over there.

It's a glow.
I don't know

if it's a person or
something else.

Just saying.

ROBBIE: Are there are
there any sconces

on the wall or anything
like that, no?

MATT: No sconces.
ROBBIE: Okay. (sucks teeth)

Well.

(sighs)

LAURA: We should move
quietly, then.

ANJALI: Yes.
ROBBIE: I suppose.

LAURA: Can I get a read
from the bleed?

Oh god, I don't want to
try to read anything else.

ROBBIE: You soaked that
last one up. You're fine.

ANJALI: (laughs)

LAURA: Is it possible
to tell if the bleed

is new?

Does it seem like
the Snatcher

left here and has
come back or

is the trail of bleed
only going one direction?

Do you know what I mean?
MATT: I know what you mean.

Would you like to make
another Sense roll

to find out?
ANJALI: Oh god!

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Go for it.
LAURA: Yeah.

Why not?
ASHLEY: I'm going to give you a drive.

ROBBIE: What is it?

For what?

ASHLEY: Intuition.
MATT: This is intuition.

ROBBIE: I'll give
you one, too.

Just all the dice.
LAURA: Whoa, you guys.

ROBBIE: All the dice.
ANJALI: You got it, baby.

ASHLEY: My drives were out.

ROBBIE: (laughs)

ANJALI: Seriously?

No, I don't believe it.
ROBBIE: (laughs)

ASHLEY: What?

LAURA: Every dice
is a failure.

ROBBIE: That's so trash.

LAURA: Five dice, didn't
roll above a three.

ANJALI: Do you have
a resistance?

ROBBIE: We get it back.
ASHLEY: We get a die back.

ROBBIE: We get it back.

Whew.

ASHLEY: Whew.

Thank god.

ASHLEY and ROBBIE: (laugh)

ASHLEY: Oh no, oh no.
ROBBIE: Oh no.

MATT: You get down to the ground--
ROBBIE: Oh good.

MATT:-- and begin to concentrate
with your bleed detector out.

You look to the broken
shale and stone

and rubble around you and
you're looking at the bleed.

You feel it begin
to almost emerge,

like liquid water pooling
and gathering out.

It's beginning to
flood and it begins

to reach for you and you
find yourself frozen,

unable to breathe as it begins
to reach up and grasp at you

and with that, you feel it
begin to seep into your body

and that cold
sensation, like

your arm is beginning
to go completely numb,

like it's reaching
up to your face.

None of you see this.

ANJALI: Oy, damn it.
MATT: But the bleed

is encroaching deeper

and you take a mark of
bleed to your body.

LAURA: I'm glad I soaked
that last one.

ANJALI: No kidding.

ROBBIE: What do you see?

LAURA: Nothing.

This place is very old.

It's soaked in
bleed right now.

Hard to make anything of it.

ANJALI: I'm going to grasp
her hand and hold it.

MATT: Now, you can
ask me a question

about the source of the
bleed, don't forget.

LAURA: Oh, I can?

MATT: Whenever you take
a bleed mark.

LAURA: I can ask you a question.
MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: Okay, I'll do that.
MATT: You took that ability.

LAURA: Okay!

Then I want to ask,

does it look like
the creature--

MATT and ANJALI: (laugh)

LAURA:-- was going?

ROBBIE: You can get
what you wanted.

ANJALI: You can absolutely get

what you wanted.
ROBBIE: You can have your cake and eat it.

ANJALI: Yes!
MATT: As opposed to analyzing it,

instead you let it

into your body and soul

and the information comes
at the severe cost

of a portion of
you lost forever.

LAURA: Mm.

ANJALI: Yikes.
MATT: Indeed,

you sense the creature

has not come and gone

as much as it was sent
out once it arrived.

ANJALI: Oy.
LAURA: So it hasn't returned?

MATT: (whispers) Yet.

LAURA: So we should
move quickly.

ANJALI: (sighs)

ASHLEY: All right.

ANJALI: Let's go
sneaky sneaky?

Can we go sneaky
sneaky with a torch?

ROBBIE: Yes. We...

Well,

here.

ASHLEY: I'll try to
sneak up ahead.

ROBBIE: Do you want me to put this out?
ASHLEY: I'll sneak up a little ahead.

No, it's all right.
ROBBIE: Should I put it out?

ASHLEY: I'm pretty sneaky.

ANJALI: You can make it work?
ASHLEY: I can make it work.

There's enough light from
that glow, I think I can.

ROBBIE: (whooshes)
I douse our torch in my jacket.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: It's dark.

MATT: It is pitch black beyond

the very faint purple
glow in the distance.

ANJALI: Then hiding, I
suppose, will be easy.

That's not what you meant
but it did it.

ASHLEY: All right.
ANJALI: All right.

So hand on his back
and I guess

the next person's hand on
each other's back, yeah?

MATT: Okay.
ASHLEY: Follow me.

ROBBIE: Startled me.

MATT: Make a Hide roll for me.
LAURA: I'm going to close my eyes,

so my eyes adjust.

ROBBIE: Is it working?

MATT: I'm going to add a dice
to it because it's so dark.

I will remove a dice
because it is dangerous

and you have no
vision of the floor.

So it just evens out.

ANJALI: I know that wasn't--
ASHLEY: So if I spend a die,

spend a drive?

No wait.
MATT: If you spend a drive,

you get to add an extra die.

I'm just saying I was going

to add one anyway because
it was so dark.

ROBBIE: How many does that
give you, one or two?

ASHLEY: That gives me,
I have three total.

ROBBIE: Oh, you
have three, okay.

MATT: With the gilded,
you got it.

ASHLEY: Come on.

It keeps getting stuck
in my sneaky--

ANJALI: Sneaky hand things?
LAURA: Oh wait.

I'm going to help you.
ASHLEY: Okay.

LAURA: That's a Hide. I'm
going to give you a drive.

ASHLEY: Okay.
MATT: Okay.

ANJALI: Yes.
ASHLEY: Yes!

Two sixes.

LAURA: Nice.
MATT: Two sixes.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: That's going to
be a crit on that.

Carefully and adjusting
to the darkness here,

you're used to traveling
in the shadows of the city

and you adorn yourself
in this space

with the shadow quite well.

Carefully, you begin to
feel the ground ascend,

not a natural cavern rise
but large, thick stone steps

and once you've uncovered
the pattern of their ascent,

you begin to safely
ascend them as well.

You find at points they
are cracked and crumbled.

Some of the earth itself

has fallen onto it and
piled above it, but

slowly you rise

and rise

and you begin to
watch this glow

brighten and brighten.

You step up now

to a small camp

that has been set up
around this raised dais

and what you see around it,
lit by this purple glow,

looks like the shell of a
temple, partially crumbled.

The first thing you notice

is in the middle of
this raised platform,

a 10-foot tall oval,

a dark marble archway

with about a half foot to a
foot section of it missing.

Though it does not
prevent it from currently

holding within it
some sort of a

sparkling, glowing ring

and within this

ring of strange arcana

is an absolute beacon
to nothingness.

A black void of absence
so dark,

you've only seen it creep
at the back of your mind

the few times you've touched
anything beyond the Flare.

It resembles the interior of
a crack you once witnessed.

It resembles the space that
one swallowed your fiancé.

This is a black
beyond black.

You also see amongst
this camp on the ground

scattered three other bodies,

faceless,

unmoving.

What would you like to do?

LAURA: Is there anyone moving,
anybody up and moving about?

MATT: Not that you see.

ANJALI: I would like to--
LAURA: We have to break them up.

ANJALI:-- search the bodies.

I want to see if there's
anything on the bodies,

anything of use.
MATT: Sure.

Make a Survey check as you
go through the quick bodies.

LAURA: I'm going
to look for...

ANJALI: Five.

LAURA: Oh good.
MATT: Five. Okay, mixed success.

You begin to look through
their accoutrements

and you, going up
to look at them,

some of them are
fairly muscular,

like they were hired muscle.

Others, an elderly gentlemen.

They're all well dressed.

They carry weapons.

One of them has a heavy club,

multiple firearms, bullets.

ANJALI: Anything like
a flask or any,

I'm looking for
combustible materials.

MATT: Nothing.
ANJALI: All right.

MATT: What are you doing?

LAURA: I'm looking on
the ground, based on

what I remember Eddie's
ritual site looking like.

Are there any runes
on the ground

or around the portal
that seem like

they were freshly added?

MATT: As you ascend,
step after step,

to get up to eye
line of the dais

where the portal
is currently open,

you see there are scattered
lines of materials,

like dark dust or ash that
has been drawn in lines.

It looks like this is, indeed,

some sort of anchoring ritual
site here, surrounding it.

It's about that time
that you see a shape

in the middle of the portal.

LAURA: In the middle
of the portal?

Coming through the portal?

MATT: As a humanoid
form steps through.

LAURA: Uh-oh.
ROBBIE: Fudge.

MATT: A man in
a dark green suit,

with slicked hair
that's a bit frazzled,

a goatee that comes to a
point, salt and pepper gray.

You see his body has grown
a bit stretched and sallow.

His eyes are sunken in

and both pupils
shine a vibrant gold.

He steps out and
immediately smiles

and turns his head to you.

(Lycus) "Oh joy of joys.

"Oh, the joys I have
seen beyond The Flare.

"If only you could understand
how small we are.

"How terrifyingly enormous
the hungry truth

"of the endless beyond is.

"You would shatter, or
join in this jubilance."

(whoosh)
LAURA: (gasps)

MATT: "Edward has
seen them, too.

"Although he is still here.

"But you are
all too far gone.

"Candela serves the
end of greatness.

"Burns our potential to
be part of the real chaos."

He reaches to his chest
and clutches an amulet

that you see
hanging around his neck.

As you hear behind you--

ASHLEY: Wait!
MATT: (snarling)

ANJALI: I pull out my
gun to shoot him.

Shoot at the amulet.

MATT: Shoot at the amulet?
ANJALI: At the amulet.

MATT: All right, you
are the closest to him.

You're about
20 feet from him.

The rest of you are
about 40 or 50 feet.

He just started to
cross the dais,

there's this large plane
where it's in the middle.

So you are the first to
act, go ahead and roll.

ANJALI: At the amulet.

MATT: Roll Control,
this is a high stakes roll.

ANJALI: Oh wait,
I have the thing!

Any time that there's a high
stakes roll, I can use Cunning!

So I am going to burn

a Cunning and Intuition--
Or which one, is it Nerve?

So that I can have
♪ three dice. ♪

MATT: You got it.

ANJALI: Boom, six! Yes!

MATT: Boom, six.

You fire at the amulet.

You see it tears off his neck

and dart somewhere
off into the shadow.

He turns.

"Oh, you shouldn't
have done that."

You hear that noise
getting louder behind you.

(snarling)

MATT: The rest of you glance
at the sound and you can see

the orange glow rising
as the creature is apparating

out of the cracks
in the ground.

The roots forming and you
hear Lycus shout out.

(grunting)

Eos ad somnia mitte.

Runs off to try and
retrieve the amulet.

What are you all doing?

ASHLEY: I'm going to try
to go get the amulet.

MATT: I need you to make
a Move test for me

to see if you can beat
him to the amulet.

LAURA: I am going to

immediately crouch down
on the ground,

and start looking at
the runes that are there

and changing them
a little bit.

I'm going to try to do
a Forbidden Ritual.

ROBBIE: (gasps)

MATT: You're going to try
a Forbidden Ritual, okay.

Okay.

All right, so you
immediately take a scar.

What are the effects
you hope for this ritual?

LAURA: The crack in the marble
that's already a foot wide.

I want to finish the break.

Break it cleanly

and destroy
where the portal is open.

MATT: Okay.

You--

Describe to me how
your ritual apparates.

What do you give
and how do you change

in the sacrifice
this ritual requires?

LAURA: (sighs)

All of the bleed
that I could see

forming into a liquid
in front of my eyes

when I was down
in the cavern,

I'm going to look at it again

and call it into myself.

I'm going to send it
back into the ground

and there's going to
be black that shoots

from where my hand
is touching the ground.

Like tendriling up
the walls and around

until it can reach the crack
in the top of it

and get down in it
and rip it apart.

ASHLEY: (gasps)
ROBBIE: Yeah.

ANJALI: Good girl.

MATT: As it pulls up
to the sides,

you see the purple
energy that holds

this void back flickering.

The black tendrils
reach up and clutch.

In that moment of
tensile freeze, you hold,

and give the physical motion.

LAURA: (noise of exertion)

MATT: It shatters and tears.

The exterior of
this portal flickers.

(sparking)

(explosion)

It bursts out in a flash
of bright purple light,

sending the obsidian stone

scattering in a hundred
different directions.

As it shoots across,

you watch as Lycus
turns back, "No!"

The creature looming
up in the air

just behind you
about to strike.

(screeching)

Reaches back and you can
see the roots blown back,

exposing its torso
where dozens of faces

scream in unison across it.

(screeching)

You roll your Move.

ANJALI: Oh god, I don't have
anything to give you.

ASHLEY: Oh god, I feel like I want
to do something different now.

MATT: You can adjust,
if you like.

ASHLEY: I am going
to try to--

No, I'm going to go
for the amulet,

I'm going to go
for the amulet.

Okay, so I have nothing,
so I do two?

MATT: In Move?
ANJALI: Is that Moving or Surveying,

because it's to search,
can I help with it?

MATT: This isn't search, this
is trying to beat him to it.

ANJALI: Oh, got you.
MATT: Because you're

running towards it,
so roll two dice

and take the lower
of the two.

ANJALI: Oh, come on.

Aw, three.

ANJALI: I thought that
there's, oh no.

But you have a resistance.

ASHLEY: Can I spend a resistance
to try and roll it again,

or that doesn't work?

MATT: You'd like, yeah.
Yeah, no, that works.

Just roll those two again
and take the lowest.

LAURA: You have to roll--

Both of them have
to be above four?

ROBBIE: Can you help on
a resistance roll?

MATT: Sure, I'll allow it.

ROBBIE: Would you rather roll
two and take the lowest,

or do you want one?

ASHLEY: (grunting)

I'll just roll again,
I'll roll it.

LAURA: D'oh.

ASHLEY: That's a fail,
that's a big fat fail.

MATT: You are running

and you're starting to
catch up a bit on Lycus

who is desperately
clinging over.

As he's moving towards it,
you can see his gait,

his body is more limber
than you expect

and almost has a bestial-
like running quality to it

as he's crawling his way
towards the amulet

he believes shot off.

Right as you hear this
(whooshes, explosion) behind,

you look just as
shards of obsidian

end up piercing you
in multiple places

across the side of your face.

You take two body marks.

ROBBIE: Two?
ASHLEY: Hoo!

MATT: From your
proximity to this.

ASHLEY: Ooh!
MATT: Continue to stumble,

rolling on the ground.

Get back up and
you're covered in blood

on the left side
of your face.

ASHLEY: As I get up,
I take out my gun,

rolling, standing up,
and then I put it on Lycus.

MATT: Holding it on Lycus?
ASHLEY: Holding it on Lycus.

ANJALI: From back where I am,

I'm keeping an eye open.
MATT: Lycus isn't stopping,

Lycus is just running.

He doesn't give a shit.
LAURA: He's trying to get away.

MATT: He's trying
to get the amulet.

ANJALI: Can I shoot
him from afar?

MATT: If you'd like to.
ANJALI: I would like to.

MATT: Go ahead and
roll Control for me.

ANJALI: ♪ Control ♪

Missed.

MATT: A missed, with a two?

You go to aim the gun.

As you fire, it goes wide,

but also the creature
has finished screeching

at the detonation
of the portal

and reaches over
and grabs you

and throws you into the air.

LAURA: Oh no, you keep
getting thrown by monsters!

ANJALI: I do.
MATT: You get flung

as a high arch and
then impact hard.

ANJALI: Okay.
MATT: And take a body.

ANJALI: Yeah, I'm out.

MATT: She is still
and not moving.

You hear a heavy crack
upon the impact.

LAURA: Charlie!
MATT: Charlotte is limp.

What are you doing?

ROBBIE: Howard's stunned.
(stammering)

He bewilderedly pulls out
a skinny little cigarette.

ANJALI: Oh shit.
ROBBIE: From his jacket.

What happened? Oh, what?

ANJALI: I was allowed to
spend my Cunning on that.

I only didn't
spend any drives

because I didn't have
of these drives,

but I'm allowed to spend
my Cunning on high stakes.

May I retcon?

MATT: It's pretty high stakes,
roll those additional dice.

ANJALI: Thank you.

MATT: We'll see if
you beat it,

and then the narrative
will continue regardless.

You've been flung.
LAURA: Just the one

additional dice,
not both of them?

ANJALI: Oh, just the one
additional die, not the both?

MATT: Yeah.

ROBBIE: You've been flung.

ANJALI: No.
(sighing)

ASHLEY: Okay, okay, okay.

MATT: Fate is decreed.
ANJALI: Yes, it is.

ASHLEY: Good try, good try. Okay.
ROBBIE: (laughs)

ANJALI: I did well
when I was alive!

MATT: It's true.
You're still alive,

you're just very badly hurt.
LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

ROBBIE and MATT: (laughs)

MATT: Sorry, Dr. Margrove.
ROBBIE: Mm! Mm.

Oh yeah, he quickly takes out
a little, skinny cigarette,

lights it.

Well, here we go.

Takes the last little
bit of his torch fuel

and puts it on his axe,
lights it on fire,

and goes: Aah!

And runs toward the beast
with a flaming axe.

(cheering)

MATT: Okay, okay.
ANJALI: Get it!

ROBBIE: It's just flung.

I'm going to try
to take a big,

I'm just fighting
the monster.

I take a big swipe
at it with the axe.

MATT: I need you to
roll Strike for me.

ROBBIE: All right.
MATT: A big, old

flaming axe arc
through the air.

After it just finished
flinging Charlotte

almost to the ceiling.

MATT: I'll use an extra one.

A five, mixed success.

MATT: Five, mixed success.

Crack! You slam it
into its back.

(screeching)

This horrible echoing
bellow emerges from it

as the flames begin
to flicker up its back.

As it does, it lights,
and you can see

between the heavy,
thick coat of roots,

eyes and screaming mouths

screaming back
at you from beneath.

Their milky,
pupil-less eyes (snarling).

You draw the axe out and where
the flames begin to curl,

it spins around and
knocks you to the ground.

You take two body.

ROBBIE: Dos bodies.
LAURA: Two body?

ANJALI: Eek, spicy.

MATT: Actually, no,
one body, one bleed.

My apologies.

ROBBIE: Oh, he has
a ghost punch.

ASHLEY: I'm going to
take a shot at Lycus.

MATT: All right.
ASHLEY: Do you have more?

ROBBIE: Well, I mean, I feel
it cut back and forth

if the fight continues, I'm
still going to fight this thing,

so you do you.
MATT: Yeah, we'll come back

around here. All right, so.
ASHLEY: Taking a shot.

MATT: Taking a shot at Lycus?

ASHLEY: Yep.
MATT: Lycus is now

currently stopped and
is currently scrambling

and digging through
a pile of stone going,

"Where is it?
Where is it? (grunts)"

ASHLEY: Four.
ANJALI: Mixed success.

Sorry, I pointed.
ASHLEY: No, no, no,

you're fine,
you're fine, you're fine.

ANJALI: I'm just excited.

ASHLEY: I know, I know,
help me, help me.

ANJALI: I can't even
use this hand,

I don't know why
I'm pointing at it.

ASHLEY: It's all right,
I need excitement.

MATT: Okay, he stands up,
holding the amulet.

Turns around,
gets shot in the chest.

"(heavy breathing)

"It's not enough!
It's never enough. (groans)"

He leans forward.
He took a hit;

he's not doing great.

He took a bullet
to the chest.

But he's holding
the amulet forth

and holds it up once more.

Eos ad somnia mitte.

Holds the amulet
aloft and you can see

it's kind of cracked.

ROBBIE: Oh no.

MATT: It glows with the blue,

but there's a very apparent
crack from where you shot it.

ASHLEY: Yes!
LAURA: Yay!

MATT: You can see
the creature

that's now flickering
from the flame,

it's screeching
and running behind.

You can watch as
its two arms swing

and a third one seems to
emerge and swing as well.

It's now lurched over you,

this massive, terrifying
curl of a creature.

You are trying to fend it off
with a flaming axe,

as the amulet's held aloft,
you watch it clarify

and its glowing orange
glow in its face

turns blue for a minute.

That spark of intense
ferocity and chaos

becomes focused,
it's still flaming.

As you're recovering from this
ritual, what are you doing?

LAURA: I take an immediate
bleed scar from the ritual.

So when I look up from
having done that,

this eye is completely black.

It's just no pupil, no white,

just a completely
glass-black eye.

The gray has traveled up
the side of my face.

When I lift my hand up,

instead of the void
that's been there,

in the hole, there's
now an orange eye

staring out from
the hole in my hand.

MATT: Cool.
ANJALI: (gurgling)

ROBBIE: Whoa.

LAURA: (chuckles)

So I am--
not that it matters.

I'm taking a point
away from Read,

because I probably can't
interpret body language

quite as much anymore.

ANJALI: (laughs)

LAURA: I don't know whether
to take it in Survey or--

I don't know where
to shift it to.

ANJALI: Sense?

LAURA: I already have,
I maxed out Sense.

I guess I can put
another into Focus.

MATT: You can, if you like.

LAURA: So I have three in
Focus and three in Sense.

ANJALI: Amazing.
MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Can I pull my
gun out from my side

and try to start loading
bullets into it?

MATT: Yes, you may.
LAURA: Calmly.

MATT: It's going to take you a
minute to calmly just (clicks).

Okay, as you're doing that,

you are in the middle of
the fray with this beast.

Now focused in a more
terrifying calm come over it.

(growling)

What are you doing?

ROBBIE: (growls)

I'll growl back at it.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I come off
that last swing,

and the faces are
all on its front?

MATT: Hidden within the
tangle of hair-like roots

that form most of its body,

you can see faces deep,
hidden within.

ROBBIE: Can I look
for Kara's face?

MATT: Yeah, make a Survey.

Survey or Focus, your choice.

ROBBIE: Oh, I lost a Focus,

I'm going to spend
a drive and do Survey.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: A four.
MATT: Four, okay.

ROBBIE: Two ones.
LAURA: Phew!

MATT: Glancing in
the screaming faces,

and the screaming has stopped
and they've all gone still

as that calm has hit.

As you glance in, indeed,

you do see Kara's face
amongst them.

ROBBIE: I'm going to put
the axe down by my feet

and douse the flame
in the ground,

between the ground
and my feet.

So it's just an axe,

I'm going to do a Strike,

but I'm trying to
do something specific.

MATT: What are you
trying to do?

ROBBIE: I'm trying to take
that face off the monster.

MATT: Okay.
ROBBIE: Just that one face.

MATT: All right.

ROBBIE: It's my last
drive on Nerve.

MATT: As you put out
the flame,

the creature reaches out

and grabs the side
of your shoulder

and its roots begin to
curl up around your face

as its arms drift in
to try and grasp you.

You take another bleed.

ROBBIE: Ah, boy!
Oh, I am in trouble, bubble.

MATT: That was from the mixed
success of the Survey.

ROBBIE: Oh, that's right.

MATT: But now you get to
take your actual Strike.

So roll Strike for me.

This is a high stakes roll,
of course.

ROBBIE: Yep.

ANJALI: Come on, baby!

ROBBIE: Is that a six?
I can't tell.

LAURA: That's a six.
ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

ANJALI: Yay, yay,
yay, yay, yay!

MATT: Zeroing in on the face,
you pull back with the axe,

feeling that cold climb
and that horrible sound

of the crooked roots
curling around your head.

Whack! You slam it
into the side.

As you strike the face,

you watch it
crumble from the body.

ROBBIE: When it crumbles
is it still a face?

Or does it like disintegrate?
LAURA: Does it disappear?

ROBBIE: Does it disappear
or is it a face?

LAURA: Maybe Kara
got her face back

when you just took
it off the body.

ROBBIE: Ah, interesting.

All right,
I'm somehow happy with that,

as I'm getting
choked out. (laughs)

MATT: You are indeed.

LAURA: Can I Play The Bait?

MATT: If you'd like to.

LAURA: Yeah.

I'm going to stand up
and (gun cocks)

and try to hold my hand up
to the creature

and shout: At me!

MATT: Go ahead
and roll Sense.

You are combating
the will of this amulet.

LAURA: Mm-mm.

ASHLEY: I'm going to take
a shot at the amulet.

MATT: Okay, well,
we'll see this here.

Then we'll come to you.

LAURA: A five.
ROBBIE: Okay.

MATT: A five.

Okay.

The blue that's still there
suddenly shifts to orange

and it (eldritch growl)

turns to you and
throws you to the side.

You hit the side of
the crumbled ruin.

You take a body

as your shoulder's almost
popped out of the socket

and you feel that
warm running through

your back of your arm.

You're going to go
ahead and take a shot?

ASHLEY: Yeah.
MATT: As it's now (monster shifting)

(monstrous growl)

LAURA: Ah!

MATT: Auggie?
ASHLEY: (sighs)

Come on.
MATT: Make a Control.

ROBBIE: Let's do it.

ASHLEY: Five.

MATT: Five.

(gun firing)

The amulet shatters
in his hand,

as well as two of his fingers

are now gone.
LAURA: Ugh.

MATT: "(groaning)"

Falls the ground, whips back,

and you can see
the gold in the eyes

intensely shining like a cat,

catching a little
bit of light.

"What have you done?

"Fools!"

The word "fools"
echoes, echoes.

You hear, as the bleed has
crept in from recently,

the voice--

(disembodied) "You fool!"

Once more, and you see
the face of the spirit

of your dean drift through.

The life that you took still
gathered and hunting you,

drifting around as you catch
yourself trying to adjust

to the pain that you now
feel in your shoulder.

It is now lumbering
towards you.

LAURA: Not that it matters.
MATT: (gun firing)

LAURA: Guns don't work
against this creature.

MATT: Nope.
(hand latching on)

Grabs its hand around you.

The other one--
(grabbing)

as well and your head
is now being swarmed

by these roots.

(roots entangling)
LAURA: Ah.

Oh, I'm going to be out.
This is going to take me out.

MATT: You take a bleed.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: So you take a
scar from the bleed?

LAURA: I take a scar.

MATT: You watch as the
creature lifts her up,

swarms around her head,
and then releases her

as she falls to the ground.

Her face,

a barren, flat

ROBBIE: (groans)

MATT:-- appearance of skin.

LAURA: I'm out.

You better kill him.
MATT: (eldritch growling)

ANJALI: I'm out, too!

LAURA: You better kill him.
I got to get my face back.

Set him on fire.
ROBBIE: I'm on it.

MATT: (heavy running)
ROBBIE: Maybe.

MATT: Goes running towards you.
LAURA: Oh god.

MATT: Auggie, what
are you going to do?

ASHLEY: (laughs) Oh, fuck!
MATT: (laughs)

ANJALI: Tick, tick, tick, tick.
ASHLEY: Okay, okay.

I'm seeing if there's
something here

that I didn't see before.

ANJALI: There's something I
didn't see before, but I'm out.

Goddamn it.
ASHLEY: Where's Lycus?

MATT: Lycus is currently

further back in the cave,

lost the amulet,

and is now looking
for something.

He's starting to move
away, curling around

to where the creature's
lumbering towards you.

ROBBIE: How far away
is Auggie from me?

MATT: From you? You got
thrown back to the wall.

You stayed back
because you were firing.

So, he's about 15, 20 feet.

ROBBIE: I know.
LAURA: Don't get caught.

ROBBIE: I'm going
to do my best.

This is fucked.

I'm hurt bad.

My shoulder's fucked.

I'm going to say: Auggie!

I'm going to try to throw
my axe out to her. To him.

MATT: All right.

Auggie, you're pretty quick.
I'll just let you catch it.

ANJALI: Yes.

ASHLEY: Okay.

LAURA: Is it still on fire?

MATT and ROBBIE: No.

LAURA: Catch it on fire!

ASHLEY: All right,
all right, all right.

LAURA: (deeply)
Cut her face off.

ASHLEY: So, so--
LAURA: Cut my face off?

ROBBIE: Yeah.

ASHLEY: (groans)

I'm going to take a swing.

I'm going to take
a swing at it.

MATT: Okay.
ASHLEY: And--

I'm going to take
a swing at it.

I don't know what
the fuck to do.

MATT: All right.
Roll for Strike.

LAURA: (whispers) Tell her.
ASHLEY: Roll for Strike?

MATT: Yes.

ASHLEY: (laughs) Oh
no, I have nothing.

LAURA: You don't
have any Strike?

ASHLEY: No.

LAURA: Maybe you can assist?

Nope.
ROBBIE: I'm out of drive.

ASHLEY: That's all
right, it's all right.

It's all right.
ROBBIE: Just good advice.

Aim for Arlo's face!

ASHLEY: All right.

LAURA: (laughs)
ROBBIE: Come on!

LAURA: Come on, big
money! Two sixes.

ASHLEY: A six and a one.

ROBBIE: No!

ANJALI: But I
thought you had--

Oh.
ROBBIE: It's disadvantage.

ANJALI: (murmuring) You
sure it wasn't Control?

MATT: You take the axe and
swing in a large arc.

(battle cry)
Screaming in the air.

Right as you're
about to impact,

(bodily thud)
you get picked up.

Your feet leave the ground

as it scoops down with
its arm and lifts you up.

As it holds you, that
burning orange glow

from behind the roots
alights your face

as it carries you up, almost
looking into this alien visage.

(eldritch growling)

Its roots climb up
and surround your head.

You take a body and a bleed.

ASHLEY: Oh.

My body's full.

MATT: Uh oh!
LAURA: Oh.

(laughter)

LAURA: Howard, save us!

ASHLEY: So I'm out?
LAURA: Set it on fire.

ANJALI: Howard, I have--

MATT: Yeah, this is--
ANJALI: Take my original knife.

MATT: You already had three?

ASHLEY: I already had three.
MATT: Is it the third?

You take a scar--
ASHLEY: This is my fourth!

LAURA: Yeah. It's attuned to you.
ANJALI: Is that the only way?

ROBBIE: Yeah, it has to
stay attuned to you.

LAURA: Set it on fire.
ROBBIE: I'm going to bare hand it.

LAURA: Set it on fire.

ROBBIE: With what?

LAURA: There's fire in here.

They have lanterns glowing.
MATT: As you watch

the creature run,
lift Auggie in the air.

The roots surround
Auggie's torso.

After a moment, they withdraw

and it gently places
Auggie on the ground.

LAURA: Oh, gently.
That's nice.

MATT: Auggie's
face is no more.

(laughter)

LAURA: Are there?
ANJALI: Can't I just wake up?

LAURA: Are there
lanterns in here?

There's lanterns in here.
ROBBIE: (laugh)

ANJALI: Can I burn a drive

to wake up?
LAURA: Aren't there?

MATT: No.
LAURA: Because there was fire--

MATT: You're mostly fighting
in the dark right now because

you've destroyed the portal.
LAURA: Oh, lordy, lord, lord.

Do you have your
lighter still?

ROBBIE: Where are you?

ANJALI: I'm out. I got thrown
against the wall, baby.

ASHLEY: You are
literally the only one

that's still up!
ROBBIE: The last man? No!

ASHLEY: You're the last man!
ANJALI: You're literally

the only man who can save us.
LAURA: You have to save us!

ROBBIE: I am sauced.

I have shit.

I have nothing.

ASHLEY: Can you get my--
LAURA: Are we TPK right now?

ASHLEY: Do you have a
gun? You have my gun?

Can you get the axe?
ROBBIE: Thinking that the

space guns don't work.

You have the axe.
MATT: Lycus is fleeing.

Lycus is running off
into the shadow.

ASHLEY: Run.
ROBBIE: And the amulet

that controls
the monster is--

LAURA: Is broken.
ASHLEY: Shattered.

ROBBIE: It's shattered?

LAURA: Yeah.
MATT: Yeah.

ROBBIE: Oh.

Oh no!

ANJALI: Okay.

ROBBIE: Oh no!

ANJALI: What was the chemical--
ROBBIE: Wait, wait,

wait, wait, wait, wait.
ANJALI: Wasn't there a chemical

that you made?
ROBBIE: Okay.

Oh, fuck this.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: When the
men that she searched

that were faceless came in,

were they alive?

Quote, unquote.

Did they seem like they--
MATT: Yeah, they were still warm.

There was still a heartbeat.

LAURA: Are you running away?

ASHLEY: Run away.

LAURA: Run away.

ROBBIE: I'm one hit--

Oh no!

MATT: (laughs)

ANJALI: If you run away, you can still
come back and avenge and save us.

You can still come back and save us.
ROBBIE: (groans anxiously)

(screams)

ASHLEY: Go.
MATT: (laughs)

ROBBIE: (stressed groans)
ASHLEY: Go, Howard!

ROBBIE: This is horrible!

Howard's no coward.

I run directly at
the beast empty handed

and I am going to run--
LAURA: What are you going to do?

ROBBIE: Howard's no coward!

ANJALI: Then we're all going to die!
ROBBIE: I'm going to run--

LAURA: No! You're going
to kill yourself!

ROBBIE: I'm barehanded.

I've got a couple of hits left.
ASHLEY: Where the circle goes.

MATT: The only light you
have is the direction

where it's facing,
the orange glow

that's throughout the
chamber now that

the portal has been--
LAURA: Can you jump on its back

because you see that--
MATT:-- flailing.

LAURA:-- the light is
facing another direction

or something?
ROBBIE: I am going to go straight

for the front of it

head on, and I'm going
to scream as I run at it.

I'm going to try
to find one of you

in the dark and just

hurt and pull.

I'm going to pull
and tear it.

I'm going to strike at it

and tear it at
with my bare hands.

LAURA: Try to pull
the faces off of it?

ROBBIE: Yes.
MATT: Okay.

So you're rushing towards it.

ROBBIE: Yes.

MATT: You shout
and it does turn.

(eldritch growling)

You see that orange
glow alighting

the space below as
you charge towards it.

You run and leap
onto its torso.

You are searching
for a specific--

ROBBIE: Just--
MATT: What face are you

looking for?
ROBBIE: God.

Well, the truth?

MATT: Yeah.
ROBBIE: Arlo's.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: Yeah.
MATT: All right.

ROBBIE: I think Arlo
is, at this point,

the only one that could
get us out of this.

I have no options.

I'm not going to leave you
guys behind, I'm sorry.

I can't do it.
ASHLEY: I get it.

I get it.
MATT: Make a Survey roll.

As you now leap
onto it, full on

(latching) grabbing
onto the heavy roots.

ASHLEY: Yes.
MATT: And starting to tear through

its body.

You can feel it reacts
to the impact.

ROBBIE: Six.
ASHLEY: Yes!

ANJALI: Yeah, baby!

MATT: You pull through and
glancing, you see many faces

inside, almost like--

(groans)

All twitching and
looking around

at nothing in the space.

Indeed, over
by where it would be

the right shoulder of
where it is, you climb up

and then one of the arms
tries to reach for you

and you duck beneath
and tear up and pull in

and you see Arlo's
face peeking out.

ROBBIE: One more shot at it.

Just ball up that
old farm boy fist

and try to smush it

through this body--
LAURA: (laughs)

ROBBIE:-- and reach
for Arlo's face

and tear it out.
MATT: Roll for Strike.

ASHLEY: Yes!
ROBBIE: Yeah, here goes.

LAURA: Oh god!
ANJALI: Come on, baby.

Come on, baby.
ROBBIE: Fingies crossed.

A five and a four.

MATT: A five and a four.

Okay, mixed success.

You (heavy impact)

and repeatedly start
punching into his face.

Each time, you feel it recede

further in and further in

until eventually you
get your fingers

inside and grab and pull.

It's like ripping a heavy
bush from the ground,

as the roots tear from the
very well planted earth.

You feel your already
hurt shoulder pop,

as you pull it back out of the
socket in pulling it free.

But as you do, you rip

Arlo's face forth.

Right as the creature,
its arms--

(squelching impact)

encircle you.

(gross heartbeat)

You take a body and a bleed.

ROBBIE: Goodnight, Irene.

ANJALI: Oh, no!

ROBBIE: I only got three bodies
but I'm out on the bleed.

LAURA: Oh my god.

MATT: As you hope

in this desperate rage
had made a difference,

your vision goes dark.

As you fall to the
ground, unmoving

and without a face.

ROBBIE: (groans)

MATT: (gasps)

Arlo, you come
to consciousness,

your face returned to your
body, lying on the ground.

You're in shadow.

You're scared. You don't
know what happened.

LAURA: I'm laying on my back?

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: My hands are
moving on the ground?

MATT: Yeah, you feel the
ground. You feel the ground.

LAURA: I am going to--

Draw Rituals,

and shove my hand
onto the ground again,

and I'm going to try to
change the environment

and fill the entire
room with light.

ASHLEY: Yes!

ANJALI: (gasps)
ROBBIE: Whoa!

ASHLEY: Fuck, yes!
ANJALI: (screams)

ASHLEY: Love it.

MATT: So you're filling the
entire room with bright light?

I'm asking, how
does this apparate?

Tell me, because this ritual
happens automatically.

You take another scar.

LAURA: Yes, I do.

MATT: So explain to me...

What sort of light do
you fill this with?

Where does it come from?

What intensity is this?

LAURA: (impactfully sighs)

In my

mind's eye,

I see Oldfaire as it was.

I see where

the lights were in the city.

I see where

the flames, the sconces
on this wall used to be.

For a moment, this
room is what it was.

All of those lights that
would've been on, light up.

They're there.
They're back.

MATT: As you finish
this ritual,

this stream

of pale gray energy

(gentle whooshes)

spreads out
through the cracks.

(electric skittering)

Snaking through all the
broken architecture.

As it glides up through
all the shattered,

spiraling,
spider web-like cracks,

eventually, it finds--

(lights poofing)

All of these long forgotten
ancient massive crystalline

and glass orbs that alight
the chamber for the moment

in a brilliance not seen in
more than probably 2,000 years.

The entire chamber--

(impactful boof)

comes to a vibrant
life with an intensity

that almost blinds you.

You hear

a heinous shriek.

"(creepy shrieks)"

The creature withdraws
back to the wall.

(quick grunts)

It's screeching, it's
trying to get away

and it's unable to find
purchase anywhere on the stone.

As it stands there,
it begins to shrink

and wither and it's
panicking and fidgeting.

What do you do?

LAURA: Are the sconces there?

Are the flames there that
would've been there in the past

physically?
MATT: You see, as they glow

in the light, they're
mostly massive

stained glass orbs that
are lit from within,

brazers and torches that
give the light from the inside.

LAURA: I'm going to reach
out and grab one

and as the creature's
flailing against the wall,

I'm going to throw the flame
at the creature directly.

MATT: Okay.

So the sconces,
they're hanging

quite a bit up in the air.

LAURA: (sighs)

MATT: The closest one
to you is

a bit of a leap to try and
grab and pull it down.

There is one above it where
it currently is situated.

LAURA: Oh, in that case,

I'm going to take
the gun that I loaded,

and aim up and
try to shoot

the thing connecting it
to where it falls down

onto the creature.

MATT: There is a heavily rusted
chain that holds it aloft.

LAURA: Okay.
MATT: I would like you to

roll for Control.

LAURA: All right.
MATT: To aim for

its weakest point.

LAURA: Okay.

Okay.

ROBBIE: No.

LAURA: I hear laughter
from outside.

ROBBIE and ASHLEY: (laugh)

LAURA: I failed.

ROBBIE: Oh.
MATT: You fail.

ROBBIE: No resistance?
ANJALI: (squeakily) No resistance?

No special skills.
ROBBIE: No.

No.
LAURA: I have nothing.

MATT: (fires)
It goes wide.

LAURA: That's good because the
scar that I just took, y'all,

is two fully glass black
eyes and I'm seeing

the other realm in
addition to this realm.

So it's hard to fucking

tell what I'm doing.
ANJALI: It's hard to fire.

Sure.
ROBBIE: They'll adjust.

MATT: You fire and it
just (tiny poof)

hits the dirt
and rock nearby.

Dust tends to fall
a little bit,

as the flames are still burning.
LAURA: (angry growl)

MATT: But you can
feel their--

Their energy, this
arcana is temporary.

The creature is trying
to get itself upward.

The intensity of this
gives you a brain

as you are feeling
this stress.

As right now in this moment,
as you come to consciousness,

you look around and see

one friend unconscious
and two faceless.

It causes your mind
to almost snap.

The creature is
still shrinking,

but it's starting to
gain its strength,

as the lights are
beginning to lessen.

LAURA: Is it against
the wall like that?

MATT: It's against the
wall, nowhere to run,

scratching and pulling away.
LAURA: Oh god.

MATT: How many more
bullets you got?

LAURA: I mean, I've used two
so far, so I can try again.

MATT: You can try again, but
each one of these failures

is going to come
with another--

LAURA: (intense taps)

ROBBIE: Come on, do the dice.
MATT: Another mark.

ROBBIE: Do the magic.
ANJALI: Come on.

Come on.

MATT: Your bleed should
be empty, by the way.

When you take a scar,
they go away.

LAURA: (gleefully) Oh, really?
MATT and ANJALI: Yeah.

ANJALI: Yeah.
LAURA: Clutch.

All right.

Did you See This
Coming, Auggie?

Did you See This Coming?
MATT: (laughs)

Auggie can't see anything

right now.
LAURA: Oh, I got a five!

MATT: You got a five.
ANJALI: Yes!

MATT: You focus and as
the light around you,

some of the braziers shut off

the ritual's power
beginning to wane.

You focus, instead of using
the light to guide you,

instead, you let the
dark carry your arms.

You aim true.

(echoing gunfire)

(snapping)
The chain snaps.

(falling)

(intense impact)

It crashes and immediately
(flames whooshing)

flames burst
around the creature.

"(shrieks)"

It shrieks and runs
around. It tries to flee.

It falls, it stumbles,
it reaches out.

You see its arms
starting to stretch.

As the flames curl up the
side, the fingers reaching.

The roots themselves,
flailing and pulling back

before they begin
to curl inward.

The smoke begins to
billow and create this

black sooty interior
of this chamber.

The streaks and the
screams of all the faces

in unison now begin
to fade one by one

until it's the singular,

curling, glowing light.

"(gurgles)"

Stumbles forward, the rest
of the roots burning away.

As the orange glow
begins to subside,

you just see the gray

burning face

of Edward

now freed from the form.

But he became
lost in the void.

In that brief moment,

you see peace.

As he reaches for you.

"(stuttering groans)"
LAURA: Love you.

MATT: And smiles before
the cinders take him.

Your face returns.

Your face returns.

LAURA: (sighs)

LAURA: I just sit down.

Hello?

ROBBIE: (sniffs)

Ahem.

Oh, I-- (clears throat)

ASHLEY: What's--?

Did we win?

LAURA: I think so?

ANJALI: (painfully) Oh.

MATT: For the record, you are
all in pitch black darkness.

All you pick up are your
voices here in endless shadow.

LAURA: Does anybody
have a lighter?

ASHLEY: Charlie?

ANJALI: (pained) Uh, yeah.

ROBBIE: I'd have to
look around for it,

and I start pawing
through the dark,

looking for my lighter.
MATT: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Arlo, you're speaking,
does that mean you have a face again?

LAURA: Is that
because of you?

ROBBIE: Oh, maybe
because of you.

My recollection
is a bit foggy.

ANJALI: I'm looking around
to see if I had his lighter,

because I don't think--

LAURA: I think you
did, didn't you?

ANJALI: I'm trying--

ROBBIE: I think I got it back
when I sparked my thing.

ANJALI: Yeah.
LAURA: Oh,

that's right.
ROBBIE: Do I find my--

may I search for my lighter?

MATT: It takes you a little bit
because right now you have time,

and you can decide
how long it takes,

but you do eventually
find it amongst the rubble.

ROBBIE: (clicks)

LAURA: (zooms)

ROBBIE: Oh no!
ANJALI: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Oh hello.

How are you, Charlie,
are you feeling all right?

ANJALI: What,

what happened?

LAURA: Lycus?

I don't know where Lycus
went, but the Snatcher is gone.

ROBBIE: Oh, so my
theory was correct.

You defeated the
beast single-handedly.

LAURA: (laughs) Not
single-handedly,

but I-- yes, he is gone.

ROBBIE: Excellent.

ANJALI: And the portal?

LAURA: Closed.

We should find the amulet,
bring it back to Candela.

ROBBIE: Hey, I believe it
was destroyed, was it not?

LAURA: Completely?

ASHLEY: Yeah, I can
go check it out.

LAURA: We should probably
bring the remnants of it back.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I'll try to look.
ANJALI: What happens, pieces--

MATT: You find a couple
of shards of it--

ASHLEY: Okay.
MATT: But the majority of it

has been scattered amongst
the rest of the stone around.

LAURA: Okay.

ROBBIE: I'm going to pull
out a little journal.

ANJALI: Oh god.

ROBBIE: I'm going to write,

"Lycus."

(laughter)

ANJALI: I'm going to roll
over on one side,

and push myself up
with the good arm,

and try to get my bearings.

How much can we see?

LAURA: Well, nothing.

ROBBIE: Yeah, just the
light, because I have--

MATT: All you have
is the lighter.

ROBBIE: Four feet, maybe.
LAURA: We have to use

the lighter to
get us out of--

ANJALI: Right, so.

ASHLEY: I kind of remember,

can I try to retrace
our steps,

sort of feeling around,
trying to remember?

ANJALI: I can certainly--

LAURA: We have the map still.
ANJALI: Right.

LAURA: I'll, maybe we can
rip one of my sleeves off,

and make a torch
out of it again,

and then head up and out.

MATT: Yeah. It won't last too
long, but it'll be enough

to at least guide you
to a safer space.

Under torchlight, you
recall where you entered,

where you climbed, and
eventually escape back

to the welcome, if chilly,
night air of Newfaire.

ROBBIE: I'm not one to imbibe,

but I believe
I could use a drink.

ASHLEY: Same.

LAURA: Should we go to
The Sight Unseen?

ANJALI: Sure, I suppose I could
call the doctor there as well.

LAURA: We do need to
inform Alexandra.

ROBBIE: She can wait.

LAURA: (laughs)

ANJALI: I think Stinson can
help with that as well.

ROBBIE: Shall we?

LAURA: Howard, what is
that around you?

ROBBIE: Around me?

LAURA: Something blue.

ROBBIE: Oh, blue?

LAURA: Mm.

ROBBIE: I'll introduce
you sometime.

Oh, I feel strange.

Let's go, let's go,
let's have a drink.

ANJALI: I pick up my arm, and
put my hand into my pocket

just to hold it there.

And

shall we?

Again.

MATT: As you all clamber back
to The Sight Unseen,

to rest, recover,
drink, and process,

you take stock of the
terrible things you've seen,

the terrible things
you've surmounted.

It's one thing to
know nightmares exist.

It's another to be
part of the bulwark

that keeps them at bay.

It doesn't take long before
you check in with Candela,

and learn that
Kara's returned,

as well as a number of other
figures that mysteriously

were discovered
throughout the town.

Utterly connected to some
semblance of underground

artifact and art rings, their
faces mysteriously return.

Mass hysteria seems to speak
of these strange sightings,

and medical workers who
saw this strange disease,

but I mean, such a thing
is ridiculous, right?

But when all is said and
done, sore as you may be,

you've accomplished
something very few have,

and sacrificed in some ways
that very few are willing.

Candela is thankful
for what you've done,

and give you as much
time as you need,

indefinite as it may be.

For those that reach
the thresholds

of their own capabilities,

perhaps a future as a
Lightkeeper lies before you.

But

the city continues
roaring on,

the populace obsessed
with money and class,

performative presentation
and industry, progress.

Unaware of the ancient dangers
that lurk in every shadow,

and the many out there
that seek to mine them

for their own personal glory.

Thank goodness there's
people like you.

I think that's a good
place to end this.

ASHLEY: (gasps)

ANJALI: Oh.
ASHLEY: Oh man!

ANJALI: Yo!

LAURA: Woof.
MATT: No joke,

I thought I was going
to end that shit

in a really, I mean,
I was, oh man!

ASHLEY: Yeah, I was like,
"Oh, this is a TPK."

ANJALI: This is a TPK.
This is what TPKs are!

MATT: Yeah!
ANJALI: I've never had a TPK!

ROBBIE: I was one bleed away!
ANJALI: A first time for everything!

ASHLEY: Woo!
LAURA: Whoa.

ANJALI: Wow.

ASHLEY: Wow!
ROBBIE: Oh man.

ANJALI: Oh.
LAURA: God.

ASHLEY: Holy moly.
ROBBIE: Scary, scary.

ANJALI: My boy, my boy.
ASHLEY: I know,

I've got a scar there,

now I've got a scar!
ROBBIE: Hey,

you have your first scar?

ASHLEY: I've got
my first scar.

MATT: Auggie, what's your scar?
ROBBIE: I have one, too.

ASHLEY: So when the

obsidian sort of
exploded, the rock,

half of his face, you know,
that sort of took the brunt

of the obsidian shrapnel.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: It's scarred across
the left side of his face,

and some of it's
still black, you know,

you see little
bits and pieces,

and his blue eyes,
the left one

is just a little
bit more milky.

And he cannot see out
of his left eye anymore.

MATT: Hmm.

ASHLEY: So

I will take,

let's see here.

Maybe Control.

Because I probably wouldn't
be able to shoot,

and drive as well.

MATT: It's up to you.
ROBBIE: Mm.

ASHLEY: Then I place it
somewhere else?

MATT: Yeah, wherever
else you choose.

ASHLEY: Hmm.
(tapping)

I'm going to put
it in Sense.

MATT: Go for it.

ASHLEY: Because--
MATT: You can take things

to a three, too, if you like.

ASHLEY: I'm going to
put it in Read

is what I'm going to do.

LAURA: Oh, that's cool.
ASHLEY: Mm.

MATT: So you got a
three in Read now.

ANJALI: Hmm.
MATT: What you lack in depth perception,

you now gain a
deeper understanding

of the dark secrets
that people hide.

I like that.

Charlie, how does
your scar operate?

ANJALI: I think when she got
flung against the wall again by--

MATT: (laughs) That was
some rough luck, but--

ANJALI: She's like a ragdoll.

MATT: I know. (laughs)
ROBBIE: (whistles)

ANJALI: This time, she took a
pretty severe blow to the head,

and when she, even
when she's stopping

to focus on something,
occasionally,

it's just hard for her to
get that super clear sense

that she used to have.

So I'm going to take
one away from Focus.

MATT: Okay.

ANJALI: I'm actually going
to add one to Sense,

because I think this is the
most experience she's ever had

with this level of

being surrounded, and
enveloped by bleed.

Now she just, now that she
knows what bleed manifests

as in herself,

she knows how to harness it.

MATT: Okay.

Fantastic.

Arlo, we've gone
through your scars.

LAURA: Mm-hmm. I didn't
change my last stat.

MATT: Oh, okay, what
would you like to change?

LAURA: I'm going to take, yes,
it sucks because it's gilded.

ROBBIE: Yeah.
LAURA: I have a Read,

a gilded Read,
so I don't know.

I would lose all
of my dice in that,

so how would that
work if I did that?

MATT: It would mean you'd
roll two, and take the lowest

if the lowest is gilded.

LAURA: Mm.

MATT: But you can also move it
from other statistics as well.

LAURA: Oh.

Okay, I will take
one out of Control.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: And

I feel like I can
put it in Survey

since she has a sight
into another vibe now,

maybe it'll help
her see things--

MATT: I dig that.
LAURA:-- in a new way.

MATT: Cool.
ANJALI: Mm-hmm.

ROBBIE: Hey, how many
scars you got?

LAURA: I've got three scars.

ANJALI: Ah.
MATT: Ooh.

ROBBIE: One more and you're--
LAURA: One more and I'm a

Lightkeeper, or I'm out.

MATT: Correct.
ROBBIE: A Lightkeeper or out.

LAURA: I'm out?

MATT: Well, you're either
retired or dead.

LAURA: I understand.
ROBBIE: (laughs)

ASHLEY: But retire
means Lightkeeper?

ANJALI: Can she be keeper?
LAURA: I can be a Lightkeeper.

MATT: Well, within Candela,
that means you can

no longer adventure as
an investigator,

and become a Lightkeeper,
more likely than not.

LAURA: Okay, well,
that'll be fun.

MATT: (laughs)

We've already done all
of your scars, right?

LAURA: Maybe I'll get to
tell all of you what to do.

ROBBIE: Well, not the
bleed, I don't--

MATT: Not the bleed,
that's right.

How does this come to operate
within you, Dr. Margrove?

ROBBIE: Horrid headaches, until
one day he's just had enough,

and he's at his home office
working on the syllabus.

All right, enough of that.

He'll go fish
a couple of things

out of his
little knickknacks.

A bit of vine, a bit of
leaf, a bit of black powder.

He'll sort of
absentmindedly look

over his paperworks as
he grinds this up,

and then holds it
up in the air,

a little blue light
just falls into it.

He takes it like a bit of
snuff, and (sniffs) snuffs it.

This headache overwhelms him,

and the hole in his head
that he hides beneath his hat

opens a little
bit, and splits,

like a crack, straight
down to the top of his eyebrow.

He has this literal blue scar

that now just
leaks sometimes.

LAURA: Oh!
MATT: (laughs)

ROBBIE: And he has
to wipe it away.

MATT: That is heinous.
ANJALI: Oh.

ROBBIE: It's horrible.

He is just a leaky boy.

MATT: (laughs)

ASHLEY: He's just
a leaky boy.

ANJALI: Our beefy boy
is our leaky boy.

ROBBIE and MATT: (laugh)

ROBBIE: As he does so, where
he was working on his syllabus,

he feels slightly better,
the headache is gone,

and the pencil on
his table rises up

on his own, and starts
going (scritches).

Writing out next semester's
syllabus for him.

ASHLEY: Oh!

ROBBIE: I'll add another Sense.
ASHLEY: Cool.

ROBBIE: And I'll take
away a Survey.

MATT: You got it.

ROBBIE: He's slowly going from
the logical to the weird.

MATT: I love it.
LAURA: The weird.

MATT: Okay.
ANJALI: I-- yeah, that's true.

MATT: Well, I guess--
ROBBIE: We adventure slowly?

LAURA and ROBBIE: (laugh)
MATT: For now, that puts

the Circle of the
Vassal and the Veil

to rest until another

investigation calls
it forward.

Indeed, Lycus is still
out there somewhere.

(groaning)

LAURA: And Dorna
woke up, too.

ANJALI: Yeah, I was
just going to, Dorna.

ROBBIE: She didn't get
roasted in the fire?

LAURA: Oh no, that's right.

She got roasted in the fire.
ROBBIE: She did, right?

ANJALI: She did get
roasted in the fire.

ROBBIE: She did get roasted--
MATT: You have no confirmation.

ASHLEY: We don't know.
MATT: But it's likely.

ROBBIE: (laughs)

ANJALI: Yeah, yeah, okay.

MATT: That's a rough one
to get out of.

Good news, probably not
from smoke inhalation.

(laughter)

MATT: Bad news, the rest of it.
ANJALI: Roasted, yeah.

MATT: But yeah, nevertheless.

ASHLEY: That was so fun!

LAURA: That was so fun!
ASHLEY: That was really fun.

ROBBIE: That was really fun.
MATT: Really fun, y'all.

We did the accelerated
lumination track,

I don't think we really
need to do it for this

since it's the end of
this three-point story.

ASHLEY: No!

MATT: But we can kick
back into it,

should we have an opportunity

to return to this
in the future.

But regardless, you've
all been fantastic.

You know I love playing
with you all.

Thank you so much for
coming along with this.

ANJALI: Thank you.
LAURA: Thank you!

MATT: Thank you for
coming along with us.

Big love, and
round of applause

to my fantastic players
at the table.

Ashley Johnson,

Anjali Bhimani,

Laura Bailey,

Robbie Daymond.

I have been your humble
game master, Matthew Mercer.

LAURA: Woo!
(clapping)

MATT: Thank you so much
for joining us, and

is it Thursday yet?

Good night.

ASHLEY: Ooh.
ANJALI: Yay!