As I sailed down the Boiling Reef, All on a hazy eve / Heave away, my Polycule, Heave Away / It's there I spied a blood-orange slice, A-looking all forlorn / And away my Polycule, We're all bound to heist.
Dive into our ship combat mechanics, classes from Mage Hand Press, the countries of Verda Stello, and other changes we’ve made for C3 HERE!
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Cast & Crew
- Game Master, Co-Producer: Eric Silver
- Co-Host (Umbi), Co-Producer, Sound Designer, Composer: Brandon Grugle
- Co-Host (Chamomile Cassis), Co-Producer: Julia Schifini
- Co-Host (Troy Riptide), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- Theme Song: Lyrics by Eric Silver, music by Brandon Grugle. Vocals by Brandon Grugle, Lauren Shippen, Julia Schifini, Roux Bedrosian, Eric Silver, Tyler Silver, and Amanda McLoughlin. Available for purchase here.
- Artwork: Allyson Wakeman
- Multitude: multitude.productions
About Us
Join the Party is an actual play podcast with tangible worlds, genre-pushing storytelling, and collaborators who make each other laugh each week. We welcome everyone to the table, from longtime players to folks who’ve never touched a roleplaying game before. Hop into our current campaign, a pirate story set in a world of plant- and bug-folk, or marathon our completed stories with the Camp-Paign, a MOTW game set in a weird summer camp, Campaign 2 for a modern superhero game, and Campaign 1 for a high fantasy story. And once a month we release the Afterparty, where we answer your questions about the show and how we play the game. New episodes every Tuesday.
Transcript
Eric: I remember a time before the Cascade dried up. Here in Verda Stello, the four nations of plant and bug people flourished and thrived. But the great waterfall that fed the land slowed to a trickle, revealing a vast Salt Sea and unknown islands. The only guide were the words of the 13 Dried Carvings. “The water will slow to fall, but the tides are turning. Find the Infinite Lake to replenish the world and discover the Salmon who will grant you a wish of whatever you desire.” This marks the beginning of the tide, as many Greenfolk hauled onto ships to find the Infinite Lake and maybe riches, adventure, excitement, and purpose along the way. And what exactly is a salmon? Is that a berry? That was 50 years ago, and the Tide rushes forward ever still. There are many stories caught on the wind between sails, but why don't we hear just one? Of a butterfly gunman with clipped wings, a ripened and explosive piece of produce, and a witch made out of tea. This is Join the Party Campaign 3, The Rising Tide!
[theme]
Amanda: Last time on Join the Party.
Eric: The crew was hired by Commander Vineyard as privateers for the Crags. He suspects that there's something strange in the hold of an Overstalk freighter, which is passing by his outpost and they usually don't do that because there's the Boiling Reef. The commander also doesn't trust the first crew he hired for the job, one, because the High Roses are kind of rapscallions, and two, Troy is there, and he's gonna give the job to Troy. The Heist is on. Cammie and Havana pretend to be stuck on a sandbank in the Boiling Reef and flag down the freighter to hitch a ride. While that's happening, Nonny sneaks up on the High Roses who are a polycule, and electrocutes them with her new whip tentacle. While that's happening, Troy and Umbi sneak onto the back of the ship, but resort to breaking heads in. It's pretty easy since the sailors on the freighter all have their brains exposed and are housed under tiny greenhouses. Troy and Umbi find a mysterious door in the hold. When they try to open it with a key, all they see is the ocean behind the boat, and they decide to jump through it, which just kind of puts them right in the ocean. The guards with the greenhouse brains notice something is going on with Cammie and speak and all move menacingly together. The best part of the heist is when the heist is broken. Let's get the party started.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): It doesn't seem like anyone here is who they see they are. Let's start with you.
Eric: And I need everyone to roll for initiative, my friends.
Amanda: No.
Julia: Oh, no.
Brandon: Whee!
Eric: Screee!
Julia: Okay, what is my Dexterity?
Amanda: Nice.
Julia: If I remember, not very good.
Amanda: Dirty 20 for Amanda. I'm rolling big chungus, he's the only one who did not betray me last time.
Julia: Thank you, big chungus.
Brandon: Big chungus.
Eric: Hmm.
Julia: I rolled a 14 minus 1 for 13.
Eric: Thanks, Cammie.
Brandon: That's not great.
Julia: It’s not great.
Brandon: It's fine. It's fine.
Julia: I mean, it's— it's pretty good, Brandon.
Brandon: I rolled a 16 plus 2 for 18.
Julia: Oh, that's why you're saying it's not that good. I see.
Brandon: No, it was more like an empathetic, like I was reaching out digitally to Julia and saying, "My friend, I'm sorry that you rolled kind of average."
Eric: My— my friend.
Amanda: Mon frere.
Julia: Do you want me to return the gesture for you 90% of the time, Brandon?
Brandon: No. No, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm so sorry.
Julia: We’re really gonna ham it up this episode now on that. Oh, Brandon, you rolled a 3. I'm so sorry, Brandon.
Brandon: Oh, no, that would be awful, Julia. It's such a— I don't want that at all. No, thanks.
Eric: Cool. I think we should go in order. Let's figure out how this whole thing resolves itself by going in order. Hey, Amanda, Umbi, those are pretty good rolls, but unfortunately, the person who goes first is the Tradewinds 3.
Brandon: The boat?
Eric: The boat is going first, my friend.
Julia: The boat is going first.
Eric: I can roll initiative wherever I am. Hold on. Oh, actually, I'm going first. I rolled a 23. I'm going to sip my cold brew and give you all once again an opportunity to Venmo me $5 for a clue.
Julia: Amanda, do you just have a $5 bill that you can hand to your husband right now?
Eric: No, it has to be digitally with Venmo so I can take a screenshot of it.
Julia: If it's PayPal— is PayPal okay? I don't have Venmo anymore.
Eric: I take Zelle, I take Venmo, I take Cash App.
Julia: Okay, cool.
Eric: Alright. Now, I put Fuzzy Kuriboh in defense mode and I end my turn. And now, it is the Tradewinds 3 with a 21 that is pulling out away from the sandbar of the Boiling Reef and trying to speed away. So that means anyone who might be, I don't know, holding on to the boat in some sort of precarious way, please just make a strength saving throw for me.
Brandon: Eric, that's silly. Who would do that?
Amanda: Everyone knows the power of friendship can outweigh the fastest ships and the most boiling seas.
Eric: Oh, interesting.
Brandon: That's true.
Eric: Let's see how that works.
Brandon: Does an 11 match up with that?
Amanda: How about a 4? Is that good? Is that good?
Eric: Oh, God.
Julia: Oh, Brandon, I'm so sorry. An 11 is such a middling score. Are you okay? Are you gonna make it through this episode now?
Brandon: Thank you so much for your concern, Julia.
Eric: Incredible. Alright, Cammie, you throw up an arm and you're hard stepping through the wind that's being blown by all of the greenhouse sailors with their exposed brains—
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: —and one arm. You look back and you see that the High Rose pirate that's still holding on to the banister has one arm flung off and is holding on just by their little fingies. Also, zoom back to the side of the boat, Umbi and Troy, you hear [engine revving] as this freighter tries to make a quick getaway. You're holding out only by a hand as you splash and, like, skip on the water trailing behind the boat.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Like a really smooth rock.
Julia: Wow.
Amanda: It's a good image.
Julia: Cool.
Eric: Thanks.
Brandon: Thank God that Umbi uses so many salves and creams, otherwise, he wouldn't skip as well.
Eric: That's true. He's—
Julia: He's very aerodynamic in that way.
Eric: He's smooth like a—he's smooth like a rock. Troy, with your Dirty 20, you're up next. What would you like to do?
Brandon: Ooh.
Amanda: Yeah, I like to start pulling the rope of the friendship arrow closer toward me to try to get an actual handhold on the ship. Like, pull myself along the rope with Umbi hanging off of me to try to advance to actually get on to the ship.
Eric: Okay. And you want Umbi hanging on to you?
Brandon: If you go to the ship, then you can pull in the rope if I'm holding on to the rope. Do you know what I mean?
Amanda: Sure. Okay.
Brandon: I guess that'd be the same amount of difficulty, just spread out.
Amanda: Well, as of now, the rope is, like, tethered to my necklace.
Brandon: Oh, true.
Eric: That's extra fu— that's extra funny.
Amanda: So, actually, can I hold my turn 'till after Umbi? Because the rope is tethered to me and I'd rather him start advancing toward the ship.
Brandon: Hmm.
Eric: Yeah, absolutely, that sounds great.
Amanda: Alright.
Eric: I also love the image of you of— of firing an arrow, and now, you're like bouncing on the river—
Amanda: Uh-huh.
Eric: —attached to your own neck.
Amanda: Yes, I am.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Cool. Cool.
Eric: Can you say some stuff and then like every so— every two seconds, you, like, swallow a bunch of water?
Amanda (as Troy): Umbi, I think— [swallows water] Umbi, go ahead, man. I'll— [swallows water] I'll hold on, I'll hold on. [swallows water]
Eric: Great, thank you.
Amanda: You're welcome.
Brandon: That was beautiful, guys.
Eric: That was good. Yeah. Okay, you're gonna hold your turn, so Troy is now going to go after Umbi. It is now Umbi's turn.
Brandon: Eric, would you say that this is climbing?
Eric: Yeah, I'd say this is climbing.
Brandon: Oh, tight. Okay.
Amanda: You can climb horizontally, bruh.
Brandon: That's what I was wondering. Yeah. Okay. So—
Julia: When you do a monkey bars, that's just horizontal climbing, man.
Amanda: Uh-hmm. Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Woah…
Eric: Hmm. Damn, dude.
Brandon: Damn.
Julia: Damn.
Brandon: I don't think I'm gonna try to do anything fancy. I'm just gonna try to climb.
Eric: Cool. With your potion of climbing, do you get advantage on this?
Brandon: Yes, I get advantage on Strength Athletics Checks to climb.
Eric: Alright, give me one of those.
[dice roll]
Julia: Come on, dice.
Eric: Come on, dice.
Julia: Let’s go, dice.
Brandon: I got a 1 and an 11.
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: That's better.
Julia: Brandon, are you okay?
Brandon: No, I'm not Julia. So, that's 11 plus 2 for 13.
Eric: Alright. 13 is good enough for you not to go flying into the Boiling Reef, but you make minimal distance.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: But you do get both hands on the rope.
Brandon: That's good. That's, you know—
Amanda: It's a start.
Brandon: —progress.
Eric: Right.
Amanda: It's a start.
Eric: And now, you— you are skipping, how about every two seconds you're skipping and then you get water— you get water in your mouth, what does that sound like?
Brandon: It sounds like—
Brandon (as Umbi): Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
Eric: No, that's Umbi when he doesn't have a CPAP machine. Can you give me something else?
Brandon: It's like—
Brandon (as Umbi): For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good—
Eric: Great. Incredible. Alright, Troy, it's now your turn.
Amanda: I kind of think— if you guys have any ideas, I don't— I just don't know what to do.
Brandon: Yeah, I mean, I think just climbing, you know, I think— right? I don't— yeah, I don't know if there's anything else to do.
Amanda: Yeah, I think I'll try to just climb behind Umbi and the potion of climbing is still coursing through my veins, so hopefully I can make some progress and follow him towards the ship.
Eric: True. Are you, like, rolling the rope up behind you?
Amanda: You know, I think it's like a tape measure where you have to kind of, like, pull it out a little bit more to then retract it a little bit into the necklace. So I'm trying to just do that with one hand as I, like, hold on desperately with the other.
Eric: Cool, cool, cool.
Julia: Or like a seatbelt, yeah.
Amanda: Yeah, yeah.
Brandon: You know, I constantly forget that we have, Amanda?
Amanda: What?
Brandon: Shape Water.
Amanda: It's true.
Eric: Yeah, true.
Julia: Every time, guys, you can all shape water.
Amanda: Ooh, okay. So Athletics is okay with you, Eric?
Eric: Yeah, the Athletics.
Amanda: So with advantage, that is 14 plus 4 for an 18.
Eric: 18.
Brandon: Nice.
Eric: Give me a Dexterity Check from both of you.
Brandon: Oh, from both of us?
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: [dice roll] Uh, 18.
Brandon: I put lotion on my hands and now I can't get my dice out.
Julia: Umbi.
Amanda: Aw. Umbi. Umbi, we always talk about this, do not anoint before battle.
Julia: No salves before sleep.
Eric: Do not salve.
Brandon: 14 total.
Eric: Alright. That's enough for Troy as you're making your way up the rope, you can grab onto Umbi and help navigate both of you further up the rope.
Amanda: Nice.
Julia: Good job, gang.
Amanda: We're— I think we have one arm around each other's waists, and then we— like, rowing a canoe, we're like, "Left, right, left, right."
Brandon: I love that.
Eric: Wonderful. And then can I get a Perception Check from both of you?
Amanda: [dice roll] How's a— how's a Critical 1?
Eric: Tough.
Amanda: Tough.
Brandon: How's a 10?
Eric: Okay.
Brandon: I'm gonna switch dice now.
Eric: Interesting.
Amanda: We're really counting. We can't chant left and right at a good clip and also notice, so—
Eric: Incredible. The skips are happening a little bit more frequently now that you have less rope. So it's just like [water splashes]
Amanda: Yeah. That makes sense.
Eric: Especially as the boat takes a wide left turn, and you really get to lean into it like you're wakeboarding, and you're a cool guy named Braftim who's gonna do an inverted wakeboarding trick.
Brandon: Why don't we try— sorry, man, that was great. Why don't we try to stand up on our feet like surfers? Don't that— don't people do that on their feet sometimes?
Eric: Yeah, bare— it's called barefooting, yeah.
Julia: Yeah.
Brandon: Barefooting?
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: What?
Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Julia: Yeah. It's like waterskiing, but just with your bare feet.
Eric: It's hard. It's a thing you can only do if your dad owns a lake and a boat, right?
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: I like that he has to own the lake.
Brandon: Right, he has to own both. Hell yeah.
Amanda: Can't barefoot in someone else's lake.
Eric: Incredible.
Julia: Can you own a lake?
Brandon: Yeah, true.
Eric: Alright, Cammie, you're facing down all of these brain-exposed sailors who are still blowing their brain-powered fans at you. You do have your feet under you enough to hold yourself even as you're pushing through the wind, what do you do?
Julia: I want to talk my way out of this.
Eric: Okay. Sounds great.
Julia: Is that cool?
Eric: Do whatever you want.
Julia: I think Cammie is just gonna be like—
Julia (as Cammie): I don't know what's going on. All I know is that guy over there, he's no good. Can you help me? Can I help you?
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): We're the sea police and we need all of this to stop right now.
Julia (as Cammie): He's definitely not a sea police.
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): How— I have a badge right here and I'm wearing a uniform.
Julia (as Cammie): That's no good. He's not sea police.
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): You're gonna be in a lot of trou—you're gonna be in a lot of trouble all of you if you don't stop immediately. I'm gonna call for backup, the sea cavalry.
Julia: You know what?
Eric: Sure.
Julia: I don't like this guy.
Brandon: Knock him off, knock him off.
Julia: Yeah. I— I'm gonna— oh, you know what he's gonna do, Eric?
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: I'm gonna go ahead and start laughing. Cammie is gonna go—
Julia (as Cammie): [laughs] I'm so upset. I don't know why I'm laughing.
Julia: And I'm gonna cast Hideous Laughter on that dude.
Amanda: Yay!
Eric: Sure. Yeah.
Julia: Wisdom Saving Throw, please.
Eric: Okay. Sure.
Julia: From this guy who is trying to pretend he is sea police. I imagine it's not going to be very good, but I could be wrong.
Eric: No. I got an 18.
Brandon: Damn.
Julia: Oh, fuck. Yeah.
Amanda: Wow.
Eric: Good roll.
Amanda: Man, poly people are just smarter.
Julia: Doesn't do anything.
Eric: Well, you got to keep all the relationships of your polycule and—
Amanda: Exact— no, the emotional intelligence, it's like a plus 10 right there.
Brandon: So— so sage.
Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, what do I do—
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: What happens?
Julia: Nothing. Spell just fails.
Eric: Nothing?
Julia: Yeah, spell just fails. How about— because, again, Nonny who is, I believe still attached to the ship in some capacity—
Eric: Sure.
Julia: —also gets to act either before or after my turn.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: I think Nonny is going to use her beautiful little new limb.
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: And it's going to attach that magical electric whip to this person.
Amanda: Yes.
Julia: And try to shake him off the ship.
Eric: Okay. Sure.
Amanda: Lasso his ankle, lasso his ankle!
Eric: Oh, my God.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Give me an Attack Roll.
Julia: Well, the good news is Nonny gets a plus 4 to hit, which is great.
Eric: Yeah, yeah.
Brandon: Plus 4 to hit?
Amanda: That's like me.
Eric: Yeah, because the whip is versatile, so Nonny can use Dex for it.
Julia: Right. True.
Eric: And also it has a reach of 10 feet, so you can just go [whip cracking noise]
Julia: How does 11 plus 4 do for a 15?
Eric: Uh, I don't—
Amanda: Come on, it's gotta work.
Eric: Yeah, that works.
Julia: Alright, excellent.
Eric: Yeah, that's a hit.
Julia: And I'm going to use one of the chargers, so I am going to deal an extra 1d6 Lightning Damage to the creature for each charge that you spend. We're not underwater, so—
Eric: No.
Julia: — I don't get the additional 1d6 Lightning, but—
Eric: Yeah, give me 1d4 and then 1d6, please.
Julia: Great.
Brandon: What about Non—Non-diana Jones? Is that—
Julia: Two—
Brandon: —Indi-Nonny Jones?
Julia: —two whip damage, six electric damage.
Eric: Oh, six electric damage? Okay.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: I take that.
Julia: Six lightning damage.
Eric: Oh, okay. Nonny whips out her electric whip limb and wraps around the bobby leg of this fake sea cop. And you see a bolt of electricity course through the whip and [electricity zaps] But it's that electric thing where you get actually more tied to the side effect you see, because I rolled a Nat20. You see that the hand is welded now to the side—
Amanda: Oh, no.
Eric: —of— of the ship.
Julia: See, this is like my hubris where I was like, "I think we did pretty well last episode." And now, it's coming back to haunt me specifically. So that's cool, I guess.
Eric: Still electrophonically damaged, but truly a bad— a bad way.
Julia: Uh-hmm. Just stuck on there?
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Alright, that's fine.
Eric: Yeah. It's incredible.
Brandon: That's why I got my college degree in electrophonics.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Yeah. Okay. It is now the High Roses pirate turn which is what—
Brandon: Hey, at least he can't move that hand now, you know Julia? Not that he was going to—
Amanda: True. Yeah, they can advance on us.
Brandon: —but—
Amanda: He could still die and the hands will still be hanging there, that's fine.
Brandon: That's true.
Julia: That's true.
Amanda: Just chop it off.
Brandon: Flapping in the wind.
Julia: That is true. And what's this guy gonna do, Eric? What's this coward gonna do?
Eric: This absolute— absolute coward.
Brandon: This wise coward.
Eric: So they reach into their big, oversized sea cop pocket and be like—
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): If you— if you won't acknowledge my authority as a sea police, then I might have to do something about it.
Eric: And throws something into the— the center of— of all the brain exposed sailors and then hear a [explosion] as smoke billows and obscures your— obscures your face, and then just the fans blow it away. The fans just blow it away and be like—
Amanda: Aw.
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): I'm not prepared for this situation!
Julia: How did this guy beat my wisdom check? That's my question.
Brandon: Luck.
Julia: Really good die roll, huh?
Brandon: Luck.
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): Can I— I'll say, I was not prepared for fans to come out of their face. I was— I didn't have the proper— I don't have an EMP on me. I don't have— whatever to do here. Okay. I'm just gonna hang out here, then. That's fine. Stop what you're doing!
Brandon: Was that persuasive to them, Eric?
Eric: [dice roll] No, I rolled a 3.
Julia: Great.
Eric: No, it was not— it was not persuasive. And now, it is the brain-exposed sailors' turn as the fans switch off and the wind die down. Cammie, you don't have to push yourself against the wind anymore. And as they all speak simultaneously—
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): Tell us who you are, and we will grant mercy upon you.
Julia (as Cammie): Me?
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): Both of you.
Julia (as Cammie): I'm Cammie. My ship got— I got stranded in the reef. Um, thank you for helping me.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): We can tell if you're lying. Please, tell us the truth.
Julia (as Cammie): I mean, that's not a lie. My— I did get stranded in the reef and my name is Cammie.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): And you, sea police, tell us your truth.
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): Oy, guvna. Let it be known that I'm gonna— I'm gonna have the bobbies come and pick you up.
Julia (as Cammie): You weren't British before.
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): I am useless without my— I'm useless without my group of boyfriends and girlfriends and they/thems.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay. Partners is a good term for that—
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): No, they want all—
Julia (as Cammie): —if you wanted a faster—
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): They all wanted their own individual terms. I'm useless without them!
Julia (as Cammie): Okay.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors: This is your final warning. Tell us what you were doing here and we will not take immediate action.
Julia (as Cammie): Can I ask a question?
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): Fine.
Julia (as Cammie): What are you doing here?
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): We’re try— we're move— we're moving important cargo.
Julia (as Cammie): What kind of cargo?
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): I— it's classified. We can't tell you.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay. Cool, I guess.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): So, it seems like we're both avoiding the question.
Julia (as Cammie): Seems like it.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): That's fine.
Eric: And then you see the brai— the glow coming from all over their brains, it powers up, and crackles. The glowing light from the brain, like, expands and lights up the entire area of the boat. Cammie, it, like, gets in your eyes. It's like overwhelming, like you're walking into the sun after being underground for an extended period of time. It's— it's disorienting, it's blurring, and you can't think about anything other than trying to shield your eyes as fast as possible. Yeah, so give me a Wisdom Saving Throw, my friend.
Julia: Is it charming or mind control?
Eric: Huh, good question. Yeah, I would say so, yeah.
Julia: Oh, well, fantastic. I finally get to use my Open Fields thing, which is I get advantage against saves for being charmed or mind controlled.
Brandon: Ooh.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Ooh. Let's go. See, this is what's great. I forgot about that, and they wouldn't know that.
Julia: Alright. So that's a 17 plus 6 for 23.
Brandon: That's good.
Amanda: Wow.
Eric: Incredible. Incredible. Luckily, your hat is shading your eyes.
Julia: Hmm. Okay. Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): That's a little bright. Um, I can see a little better, so thank you.
Eric: It's true. You do get a full look at what's going on at— at the whole boat. It's very long, and also rather— like rather narrow—
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: —for what a— what a ship is. It's like a freighter— you know, that— the— the long piece in Battleship?
Julia and Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: It's like one of the—
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: It's like one of those.
Amanda: Red friend in Tetris. Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly.
Amanda: Oh, sorry. Blue friend in Tetris.
Brandon: Of course, Amanda. Of course.
Julia: Yeah, of course.
Eric: Yes, of course. Of course. You also see that there's a bunch of like— there's boxes, opened boxes of bolts of silk up on the deck, which kind of makes sense because this is a trading vessel from Overstalk.
Brandon: But did they look weird? Like, are they, like weird, you know?
Eric: No, they're not—
Brandon: Are they, like, weird, Eric?
Eric: What would be weird about them, Brandon?
Brandon: Is this silk a little— a little bit different from the other silk?
Eric: No, it's not different. No, it's not.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: This is traditional corn silk from Overstalk. This is what they mainly— this is what the main export from Overstalk through the merchants there.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: You all— let me— give me two seconds for something. Oh, hell fucking yes.
Amanda: Ruh roh.
Brandon: Looks for DM glove.
Julia: Maybe it's a good hell yes for us guys, rather than—
Amanda: It's possible.
Julia: —hell yes for Eric.
Brandon: I don't think so, Julia.
Julia: I'm trying to see this in—
Amanda: Hold out hope.
Julia: —in as good a light as possible.
Amanda: Hold out hope.
Eric: Cammie, you turn around and the High Rose pirate is using their free hand to take off their police jacket, their police costume. This reveals like a deep pink tunic that they're wearing— they're wearing underneath and be like—
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): Okay, hold on. This plan has gotten away from me. I need to reevaluate everything that's going on.
Brandon: We should call police officer uniforms copstumes.
Eric: Copstumes. Yeah, yeah. It's like—
Amanda: Nice.
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): Alright, just— just— just ho— just hold on. Leave me out of this—, leave me out of this for a second.
Julia (as Cammie): Leave you— leave you out of this?
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): Just leave— just do— do something else— so I got—
Eric: And throws the cop uniform, like, into the wind that it just like [water splashes] out on the water. Like, takes off their— their Bobby hat and throws it out there as well and be like—
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): Hold on, I gotta reevaluate my— I have to reevaluate my choices.
Julia: Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): You're not a sea cop!
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): No, I really should— I probably should have done a better costume than this. I gotta— let me take a second.
Eric: And then Cammie, you see the just, like— like spots in their eyes, like flashes from a camera in this pirate's eyes.
Brandon: Cammie, I think, unfortunately, you're gonna have to chop his arm off, because I think, unless he gets off this boat, he's gonna do something that I don't think we'll like.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: I think it's probably fine.
Eric: Oh, yeah. So, yeah, if you want to make an Arcana— yeah, this would be a perfect time for you to make an Arcana Check.
Julia: Okay. I would love to.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Yeah. That's a 15 plus 4 for a 19.
Eric: 19? Okay. Then ask me a question.
Julia: I would like to know, hmm—
Brandon: Is this silk weird?
Eric: Is this odd, if I put my mouse over it, can I click it?
Julia: I would like to know if there is a central source of magic on the ship that is powering these greenhouse bream things.
Brandon: Nice.
Eric: Hmm. Interesting.
Amanda: Is it a network effect, or are they, like, drawing from an— a central source?
Julia: Yeah, it feels like a hive mind to me, which means there's probably some sort of central point that is—
Brandon: A queen.
Julia: Yes, that's powering it.
Eric: Interesting. I think that you might think that way, but if you examine it, if you— if you look at it, it's certainly that they’re networked. But it seems like by exposing the brain and then putting a greenhouse around it, maybe we're leveraging parts of the Greenfolk brain that can be networked and linked up. Because, obviously, you can see that there's a little— as you get a real— now, that there's better light, you can see there's like a little satellite dish on— on top of the— on top of the greenhouse. There's like a really little one.
Brandon: That's adorable.
Julia: That's so silly, I love it.
Amanda: So cute.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: I was gonna say maybe it's like a mushroom, you know, like root system happening here, but it's just little satellite?
Eric: There's like a little satellite dish on top of the greenhouse and then you're seeing that each one is exactly the same. So instead of this maybe being, like, siphoning magic from a central source, they are leveraging and connecting the exposed brains of all of these creatures.
Julia: Okay. So there's not like a thing that we can destroy that will separate all of them?
Eric: No, no. It is— it is a network thing.
Julia: Right. Like— like they're all on the same Wi-Fi.
Eric: Yeah, they are all on the same Wi-Fi`.
Brandon: I was gonna say unless we can find their modem.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, exactly.
Julia: Okay, but there's no modem?
Eric: No, there is no mo— there is no modem—
Julia: Okay. Got it, got it.
Eric: —but because of that, because there is no modem, I'm sure that having more— the more the merrier.
Amanda: Internet of things, more like internet of greens.
Eric: Incredible. Alright, we're back to the Tradewinds 3.
Brandon: I want to exist in that reality, Amanda.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: The Tradewinds takes a hard left as Umbi and Troy, you get— you're going full speed ahead directly into the side of the ship. I need everyone to make Constitution Saving throws too for me.
Julia: Not me though, right?
Eric: No, just the ones who are hanging off by a rope.
Julia: Alright. Just checking.
Brandon: Us?
Amanda: Nat20.
Eric: Wow.
Julia: Fuck yeah.
Amanda: Love you, big chungus.
Brandon: Eric, can you help me with a math?
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: It's 2 plus 2?
Eric: Oh, okay.
Amanda: Oh, Brandon. Okay.
Julia: Brandon, are you okay?
Amanda: So Troy does have his arm around Umbi.
Julia: Troy did so good. He rolled Nat20. Don't kill Umbi.
Eric: Alright. I got 20 damage here and I would give all of it to Umbi because Troy rolled a Nat20, and you have your arm around— your arm around Umbi, how would you like to distribute these 20 points of damage?
Brandon: I can take it, Amanda, if you—
Amanda: No, I'd like to take equally. I still have 50 hit points.
Brandon: Okay.
Julia: 10 and 10, baby.
Eric: 10 and 10.
Julia: 10 and 10.
Eric: Alright, both of you— as the boat makes a hard left, the rope goes all the way around, and wham! Both of you slam into the side of the Tradewinds 3.
Amanda: Eric, can I roll a Dex Saving Throw to try to grab onto the side of the ship or, like, grab onto a railing? Like if we're smacking the side of the boat, fine, but I would love to try to—
Brandon: Hold on.
Amanda: —grab hold.
Eric: Yeah. Well, it is Umbi's next turn in the— in— in the initiative. However, both of you can do it at the same time if you think that that's an interesting idea.
Brandon: I— I think I would like to do that, Amanda, if you wanna try it.
Amanda: I'm into it, yeah. I have proficiency on— in Dex Saving Throws, Acrobatics, and Athletics, so I'd like to do one of those.
Julia: That seems like an Athletics.
Eric: That's interesting. I think it's a— it must be Athletics. To grab onto the side of a boat, I would say that would be Athletics. For sure. Yeah, both of you, give me Athletic Checks to hold on to the side of the boat.
Brandon: Okay.
Amanda: And Brandon, we have advantage from the climbing, right?
Brandon: Well, I don't know if this counts as climbing.
Eric: This isn't— this isn't— this isn't climbing.
Amanda: Oh, alright.
Brandon: Yeah. Come on, chungus.
Julia: If I was falling down a cliff, and I grabbed onto the cliff, would that not be climbing?
Eric: No, climbing is coming back up. You would— it would be gra— it would be grabbing.
Amanda: That's fair.
Julia: But is— is that not the first step of climbing? It's grabbing onto the cliffside?
Brandon: Is that not the first step of climbing?
Amanda: Alright.
Julia: If you think about it.
Amanda: I got a 7 plus 4 for an 11.
Eric: Okay.
Brandon: I also rolled a 7 plus 2 for 9.
Eric: Hmm.
Julia: Jesus Chri— guys—
Eric: Wham!
Julia: —what are we doing?
Eric: Wham! Unfortunately, I can't give it to you, but I will give you two more— an opportunity to do something else.
Brandon: Oh!
Amanda: Transpo bomb?
Brandon: Yeah, can I just try to throw a transpo bomb?
Julia: Teleportation bomb, bruh.
Eric: You got— you did try to do something that was related to grabbing onto the thing. Although, you weren't able to grab onto the side of the ship, I can let you both keep climbing.
Amanda: Yeah.
Brandon: Cool.
Amanda: I think we should do that while we still have the advantage.
Eric: Yeah, keep— give me another Athletic Check that's one— with Climbing Advantage. Both of you, give me Climbing Checks.
Brandon: Ooh, advantage.
Eric: Because the— just—
Amanda: And the potion.
Eric: Because of the drink, because of the drink, the climbing drink.
Brandon: Yeah. No, I forgot and I got excited again.
Amanda: 18 plus 4 for 22.
Eric: Wonderful.
Julia: Ooh. Alright.
Brandon: What is wrong with these dice?
Julia: Get new dice, Brandon.
Brandon: I got a 3 and a 10. So 10 plus 2 for 12.
Eric: Alright. Well—
Julia: Okay. Okay.
Eric: Well, Troy, you still have your arms around Umbi, you are making better progress with climbing up the rope. You're still like skipping and being pulled by the boats behind, but you are getting very, very close.
Julia: You guys are having a rough go of it, I'm sorry.
Amanda (as Troy): Almost there, Umbi.
Eric: I— to summarize what's happened, you jumped out of a door.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: You jumped out of a door in the back of the boat, Troy shot an arrow that attached you to the side of the boat, and then—
Amanda: Yeah. Uh-huh.
Eric: —you went, "Whoa!" And now, you're skipping on the water.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: You are climbing up as best as you can, you slammed against the side of the boat—
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: —without being able to hold on, and now you just continue to climb up.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: Like children tubing with an irresponsible boat driver.
Brandon: That's exactly what it is.
Amanda: Yes.
Brandon: That's exactly what's happening.
Amanda: I'm having the time of my life.
[theme]
Amanda: Hey, it's Amanda. This week's mid-roll is brought to you by Ornamental Gourds, the wardier, the better. God, I love those weird little guys. Welcome to our newest patrons, Jaye, Emily, and Anna. We so appreciate you joining the Patreon over on patreon.com/jointhepartypod, where at least one of you knows that you actually get a discount if you sign up for an annual plan, which we also really like, because then we know the kind of support we're getting for the entire year, and you get to pay less for supporting us, so it's kind of a win-win. Anyway, anyone who can do an annual plan and does is a big smarty and a big sweetie, and I am a big fan. We can only make this show because of the support you give us on Patreon. And in return, we try to make it really worth your while. We have a patron-only Discord that is the best place on the internet, and you get an additional bi-weekly podcast from us on party planning. We have so much cooking for you. We're getting so excited about what's to come next year. And we are only able to plan and do it, and we'll be able to plan and do more if you join us on Patreon. So please go to patreon.com/jointhepartypod where you can sign up for a monthly or, sparkle noises, annual plan today. This week at Multitude, we are really going to enjoy the partial solar eclipse happening in just a few days because we know about it via Pale Blue Pod. This is, of course, our astronomy podcast for people who are overwhelmed by the universe but want to be its friend. The thought of black holes fills you with, like, slight bit of dread, but also you're like, "I bet things are amazing up there, but God, it's scary." I have great news because astrophysicist Dr. Moiya McTier and her co-host comedian and writer Corinne Caputo demystify space one topic at a time. They have open eyes and arms, and real loving hearts, and a non-judgmental attitude toward those of us who are like, "Yeah, I'm— I'm not really clear on what all is up there, man." So go ahead and look up Pale Blue Pod in your podcast app right now, or go to palebluepod.space, new episodes every Monday. We are sponsored this week by Shaker & Spoon. This is one of our favorite fellow small businesses headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. And they are a subscription cocktail service that helps you learn how to make handcrafted cocktails right at home. Now, Eric and I are going away for a couple days upstate to just have a little, you know, little like weekend, and it's kind of off-peak season there. Not all of the— the restaurants and bars and stuff that we would normally go to are open all the time, because they tend to be open in the summer and the winter. So I was like, "Hey, why don't we order a Shaker & Spoon box? And that way we can go up there, go to the farmers market, buy some, like, local whiskey or rye, and then use the Shaker & Spoon ingredients, which are conveniently packaged and portioned out everything we need, and make a couple of cocktails at home and have them by the fire." They are incredible. We love Shaker & Spoon. Every single box comes with enough ingredients to make three different cocktail recipes developed by world-class mixologists. A gorgeous recipe card, I save all my Shaker & Spoon recipe cards because the drawings are so pretty. And all you have to do is buy one bottle of that month's spirit and you have all you need to make 12 craft cocktails at home. The boxes just cost $40 to $50 per month. You can get a monthly, get just one, get them as a gift for somebody else, whatever you want, and skip or cancel at any time. So, listen, whether you're taking it on a weekend getaway, giving it to a friend, or being an awesome house guest and bringing a Shaker & Spoon box to someone's house, go ahead and try it, you won't regret it. Get 20 bucks off your first box at shakerandspoon.com/jointheparty. That's shakerandspoon.com/jointheparty. And finally, the show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Now, I am definitely no stranger to an overactive mind, and that is one of the ways that I describe my anxiety, it's like my brain is rolling at an 11 out of 10 at all times, even when the situation calls for, like, a 1 or a 2. And, you know, I try to think in my brain, I try to say like, "I know you're looking out for me. I know you're trying to make sure that we're not caught off guard. I know you're trying to make sure we're prepared. But, hey, bud like it is— this is exhausting, dude, especially when I'm, I don't know, trying to sleep." That is really necessary, and I have a lot more tools now than I used to. Because I am able to talk that through in therapy, but also like confide and get some validation from somebody that I'm not the only one going through this. And I am really grateful I have that chance. Before I was able to find an in-person therapist who I jived with and who was taking new patients, who I can afford, BetterHelp was a super, super helpful step. So if you are thinking of starting therapy, and you want one that is convenient, flexible, suited to your schedule, try BetterHelp. All you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and you can switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. So get a break from those racing thoughts with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/jointheparty today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P, .com/jointheparty. And now, let's get back to the show.
[theme]
Eric: Wonderful. Alright, Cammie, it's your turn. You see the big light, this big, eerie glow from all of the brain-exposed sailors, have dazzled the High Rose Pirate for some reason, but you've shaken it off.
Julia: Can you just remind me, our goal here is to find out what they're smuggling, right?
Eric: Yes, that is your number one goal.
Julia: I would like to use my hex Scurry on the bolts of silk—
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: —to expose what might be underneath in those boxes.
Eric: Incredible. Alright. Yeah. So remind— remind me of what Scurry do?
Julia: A nonmagical item you choose within 30 feet, spreads legs, and runs away. The object animates, wriggles free of its owner, and moves 20 feet in any direction you choose. The object has an AC of 10, if it does not have AC that is already higher, and remains animated until your next turn or it is picked up.
Eric: Okay. So now, you see— you just want it to run off?
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: Okay. What does that look like?
Amanda: Julia, could they run into the guards?
Julia: Yes, I'd like it to, like, serpentine like— like literally a chicken kind of running through people, avoiding being caught?
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Sure.
Julia: I would like it to, like, scamper through the legs of the guards. And while that's happening, I would like to look inside the box and see what is in there besides silk.
Eric: Cool.
Brandon: I'd say they get tripped up if that were me, you know?
Eric: In my head, it's like a five-by-five foot like big crate of silk—
Amanda: That's what I'm saying.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: —and then it starts going [chicken noises] It is running through everything. Let me do a quick roll. No, of course not. Yeah, you can look and now, you can— you look in the box, yeah, there's nothing in the box, it's just silk. Also, all the sailors simultaneously say—
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): Ah, no. The thing we're moving. Oh, no.
Brandon: They're not very good liars, huh?
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, no, that seems terrible. That probably cost a couple of doubloom.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): I bet it— oh, no, I bet it did. You need to get off the boat for causing such mischief—
Julia (as Cammie): I didn't do anything.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): —and mayhem. For causing— oh, there's so much mischief and mayhem happening. Get off of our boat.
Julia (as Cammie): Again, I am stranded. Would you subject a poor, little Greenfolk like me to jump off your boat?
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): Yes. Very much so.
Julia (as Cammie): That's kind of rude.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): You have taken up our hospitality. Please leave.
Julia (as Cammie): Can you at least drop me off somewhere?
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): We will definitely drop you off.
Eric: As they start walking towards you.
Brandon: Maybe they're just transporting themselves? I don't know.
Julia: I don't know. No, there's got to be something in the boat.
Eric: It is now the High Rose pirate’s turn. No. No, it'd be like— still hanging off the side of the boat being like—
Eric (as High Rose Pirate): I don't know. I can't really tell you what's happening. I just really gotta give a good sense and reevaluate the situation. Maybe, you know, we go back to base, we come up with a new strategy, but this one just isn't working. Yeah, I mean, this is— life of a pirate, right? You know, it's all work and no play, and no one's organized. It's tough.
Julia: Can I, like, very quickly do an Arcana Check to see what is going on with this dude? I know they cast a spell or some kind of mind control on him.
Eric: Sure.
Julia: But I want to, specifically, know why he's just like revealing all of it. Like, is it a truth thing?
Eric: Sure. Sure. Sure. Sure. Yeah, do it. Yeah.
Julia: [dice roll] I only rolled a nine, so meh.
Eric: There is something weird— is happening that is making— that is kind of, like, speaking to different parts of someone's—
Julia: Brain.
Eric: —the— what they think is the best thing to do in this particular situation.
Julia: Hmm. Gotcha. Okay.
Eric: Yeah. For sure. It is now the greenhouse sailors’ turn and all— and a lot of them start to move towards Cammie and grab her. So, I'm going to do— let's do a grapple contest, please. Would you like to do Dex or Strength?
Julia: They're both -1, my guy—
Eric: Okay, there you go.
Julia: —so it doesn't matter. [dice roll] 13 minus 1 for a 12.
Eric: I rolled a 7, so all of them—
Julia: Oh!
Eric: So the sailors are now surrounding Cammie, then Cammie— there's like 10 of these brain-exposed sailors walking towards you. The glow is getting— is brighter and brighter. It's just spooky and causing the stra— real strange shadows on your face that would look terrible in a photograph. All of them tried to put their hands on you and grab you, but you— you can slap their hands away for the time being.
Julia (as Cammie): Excuse me. This is rude. Excuse me.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): Please, we're dropping you off as you requested.
Julia (as Cammie): On land, please.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): Oh, okay. On— towards the land, then.
Julia (as Cammie): No, on land.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): On land. Fine. Okay. Dri—
Julia (as Cammie): You seem— are you lying?
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): The boat— Alright, let's put the boat over the land and get the la— and get the lady off the boat, please.
Julia: Okay. Interesting.
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): Hold on, ma'am. We're trying to find the most— we're trying to find the best place to drop you off as fast as possible.
Julia (as Cammie): Thank you.
Eric: And then there's silence for 10 seconds, and then you hear—
Eric (as Tradewinds Sailors): Okay, we're gonna go there.
Eric: And then you— you hear [engine sound] as the boat picks up speed and is shooting across the water. And down there, Umbi and Troy, you hear [steaming air] as the boat is passing by a full line of these hot blasts of water and air that might scald your whole body if you're— if you're not careful.
Amanda: Yikes.
Eric: You might do a big scald.
Brandon: It's not good.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Not good.
Brandon: Don't like.
Amanda: Is it our turn?
Eric: It is now Umbi's turn, correct.
Amanda: So, Eric, do you remember how— back when we're planning the heist together, you were like—
Eric: Sure.
Amanda: "—Oh, yeah. Like, you know, let's flashback, like, a heist to things we may have prepared before the heist."
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: So I think— and crew, tell me what you think. I think it's pretty likely that we would have said to Harold and Sil that if the boat starts leaving without us back on the Sea Whip, follow in hot pursuit, baby.
Julia: But, like, still stealthily.
Brandon: Oh, shit.
Amanda: Don't you think the Sea Whip will stealthily come up behind us all lights off, visible to us only because we know that piece of shit like the back of our own hands? Harold glowing slowly, faintly in the distance?
Eric: Interesting. Let's flashback with some like gauzy outline of the Sea— what— yeah, what— what did you say?
Amanda: Alright. So we have Havana Tropicana is shirtless on the deck parching, like sunning himself to make himself look really parched and pathetic. Cammie is putting together our little, like, rowboat vessel, our tender to go toward land, which she's going to use to bring to the sandbar. And I think Umbi is— as he's preparing all of his potions and bombs, Troy is conferring with Harold and Sil, and saying like—
[flashback noise]
Amanda (as Troy): Okay, so if we— if the— if the— the target starts fleeing, and we are not back successfully on the ship with all of us and the knowledge we need, come after us. Like, leave us a little bit, make sure we're not going to— you know, like count to— I don't know. What's the highest you can count, Harold?
Eric (as Harold): What's the high— where's the highest you can count?
Amanda (as Troy): Cool. Say all three of our names a bunch, and then pursue.
Eric (as Harold): Okay.
Amanda (as Troy): Okay?
Eric (as Harold): I will pursue.
Amanda (as Troy): And then pursue.
Eric (as Harold): Alright.
Amanda (as Troy): Come up— come up behind us, come up behind the boat, and— and just pursue at a safe distance until we find you.
Eric (as Harold): So if you— okay. If you get into trouble, then we will make sure to take care of it, and try not to make it double. Absolutely. Okay.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like quietly, like just kind of stay behind, you know, a couple lengths, safe distance and— and then we'll do what needs to be done and get back to the Sea Whip.
[flash forward noise]
Eric: Okay. Wonderful. That's a big ask, that's a very big pre— thing to be prepared for. So what I'm going to ask for is 25% of your HP and you're gonna give me a Charisma Check.
Amanda: Sure. 25% of my remaining?
Eric: Total.
Amanda: Alright. So the 40 I had remaining minus 14 is 26 HP.
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: And Charisma?
Eric: Yeah, give me Charisma to see how— how they're doing?
Amanda: [dice roll] That is a 7 only.
Brandon: Why are we rolling, like, so poorly?
Julia: I don't— guys, I don't know. What's up?
Brandon: I don't know.
Amanda: I just— I can't do anything because I'm not shooting.
Brandon: I know.
Amanda: Like, my class is for shooting.
Julia: I know.
Eric: Okay, cool. Interesting. Alright. So, Troy, you're thinking about this and you're like, "Huh. [hot steam of boiling reef] Wow, it's getting super hot. I wonder where Sil— I wonder where Sil and Harold are?"
Amanda: Checking over my shoulder.
Amanda (as Troy): Come on, guys. God.
Eric: I will say that if you— if both of you want to climb up onto the ship if you get— do a final Athletics Check to avoid this incredibly hot steam of the boiling reefs.
Brandon: Well, I have a question, Eric.
Eric: Yeah, sure.
Brandon: How much damage would you say one of these hot steam vents would do, ish?
Eric: Ish? A lot. It would—
Brandon: Are we talking like a 100? Are we talking about like, you know, 30?
Julia: How bad can it get?
Brandon: It is closer to 30 than a 100.
Julia: Doesn't say much though, because it could be 50.
Brandon: Hmm.
Amanda: If we're close to the deck, let's try to get it on, is my vote.
Julia: I would rather you guys be safe than shenanigans—
Brandon: Yeah, yeah. I know, I know.
Julia: —but that's just me.
Brandon: I get it. Okay, cool. Let's— let's climb up.
Amanda: Let's do it. Alright. One final one, Brandon. We got this.
Eric: Yeah, y'all can climb.
Brandon: Here we go. [dice roll]
Amanda: Alright.
Brandon: [dice roll] Alright, I got a 9 and a 16 plus 2 for 18.
Julia: Thank God.
Eric: Oh, my God.
Amanda: 12 plus 4 for a 16.
Julia: Thank God.
Eric: The two of you climb on and— and flop over back onto the ship just as you're passing by. [spraying sound]
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, God, I don't think I could survive that one.
Eric: You’d get blanched, you’d get very blanched.
Brandon: I’d get blanched.
Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): Umbi, remind me never to jump off a ship again if I have another option, please?
Brandon (as Umbi): Well, I mean, like we did— okay. Yeah.
Eric: Troy, give me— give me the attack roll really quickly.
Amanda: Oh, sure. That is a yes, 14 plus 4, 18.
Eric: 18? Alright, pretty good. Alright, Troy, where— where were you— where do you want to be on the ship?
Brandon: Well, can I ask a question while you're thinking about that, Amanda? How— Eric, how does this boat go? Is it motor, or sails, or brain?
Eric: Yeah, you guys were in the engine room last time. Like, this little like— I guess the only way for me to describe it is like a patio where they have these engines in the back.
Amanda: Yeah, like the engine platform.
Eric: Yeah, there was like an engine platform.
Amanda: That's right.
Eric: That's where you were before.
Brandon: Okay.
Amanda: I think Troy would have aimed the arrow onto the top deck of the ship. Clearly, there's some shenanigans happening in the middle, in the hold, the layout with the engine opening that’s where they went in the first time. So Troy would have aimed with a high arc to get onto the, like, surface level of the ship.
Brandon: Cool, cool, cool.
Julia: Like, where Cammie is?
Amanda: On the back, so you all are in the front of the ship, and the other guy was hanging off the side. But I think we would go for the back of the boat, but top railing as opposed to like climbing in the hole or the engine was. Does that make sense?
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Hmm.
Amanda: Is that bad strategically?
Julia: No, I was just thinking that finally Brandon's time has come to actually use bombs to blow up an engine, but—
Brandon: Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too. But I can also just head down there.
Julia: Well, it's exposed, so could you just drop the—
Brandon: Oh, oh. Oh, I see what you're saying.
Julia: —the bombs onto the engine?
Brandon: I mean, that's up to Eric, but yes.
Eric: Yeah, maybe you'd have to, like, kinda, like, curl your body around and, like, try to throw it down there. It wouldn't be just, like, super easy like that, but— for sure. Yeah, you are on the far other side of the boat, then Cammie, you can see a big glowing mob on the other side of the boat. But I did roll on a Nat20, so immediately two soldiers go—
Eric (as Two Soldiers): Hey!
Brandon (as Umbi): Hello!
Amanda: Can Troy shoot him? Do I have an action left?
Eric: No, you don't.
Amanda: Great.
Eric (as Two Soldiers): Hey, we are already dealing with people on this boat who are not supposed to be on this boat. What are you doing here?
Amanda: Can I use a risk die, Eric?
Eric: Sure.
Amanda: As a bonus action, I'm going to do dodge roll, so I can move up to 15 feet and reload any firearm I'm holding. It doesn't provoke opportunity attacks and— nor is difficult terrain unless we move through a hostile creature space. So with apologies to Umbi, Troy is just going to dodge roll forward, and roll past the guards.
Brandon: Yeah. Fuck yeah.
Eric: Yeah. Yeah. Alright, Cammie, it's now back to you. There are a bunch of these brain-exposed sailors around you. What do you want to do?
Julia: Eric, is there, like, a door to the hold that I can see?
Eric: Yeah, I mean, it's kind of far away, and there's a bunch of sailors standing in between you and there.
Julia: Right, I understand that. How far away is far away? Like within 30 feet, would you say?
Eric: Oh, no, I would say it's longer than that. It's a pretty long boat.
Julia: Is it farther than 60 feet?
Eric: No, probably be like 50-60 feet.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: It's like— in my head, it's like right in the middle of the boat.
Julia: Uh-hmm. That's fine. I'm just trying to respect the rules of magic, man, you know?
Eric: Sure. Sure, dawg. Yeah.
Julia: Cammie is going to say—
Julia (as Cammie): I'm feeling very unsafe right now, so I am going to need you to respect my boundaries.
Julia: And Cammie is going to disappear in a puff of tea steam.
Amanda: Woah.
Brandon: Incredible.
Julia: And reappear 30 feet away, because I used Misty Step.
Eric: Nice.
Amanda: Yay!
Eric: Let's go.
Julia: And is going to bolt to— which is a bonus action, by the way.
Eric: Yes, yes, yes.
Julia: And is going to bolt to the door to the hold.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: And as an action is going to touch the doorway and cast Protect Threshold.
Eric: Ooh. What's that?
Amanda: Ooh.
Julia: Tracing Arcane Sigils along its boundary, you can ward a doorway, window, or other portal from entry. For the duration, which is 10 minutes, an invisible eldritch creature stalks the warded portal. Any creature that attempts to pass through the portal must make a wisdom saving throw or take 4D6 Psychic Damage or half as much on a successful save.
Eric: Cool.
Brandon: What?!
Amanda: Woah!
Eric: Is that two spells?
Julia: It is two spells, but Misty Step is a bonus action and this is a ritual.
Eric: Yeah, hey, just give me an Arcana Check to see if this happens, because I would love it if this would fucking happen.
Julia: It's 18 plus 4, so 22.
Eric: Yeah, I'll give it to you, you can do both.
Amanda: Yay.
Eric: That's fine by me.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: Usually you can't, but you're so powerful, you literally changed the rules of Dungeons and Dragons.
Julia: Well, thank you.
Eric: Because that's tight as fuck. So what does it look like when you're— what are you protecting— what are you protecting the boundary to look like?
Julia: I think Cammie, like, just touches the door frame as they pass through it, and a sort of misty, steamy fog makes it opaque, almost in a way.
Eric: That's very, very cool. Cammie, as you're running down to the hold, you're seeing the same door that Troy and Umbi saw before.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Right now, it is just open and you're gonna see the whole, all the water, the night sky, and the lapping of the waves coming up against eventually, the banks of whatever they're pulling up to right now. They'll give you— to have you hop, quote-unquote, "hop off."
Brandon: Don't jump out of there. Don't do it.
Julia: And does it strike me as like—
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, it's weird that there's a hole for the back of the boat, in the middle of the boat.
Eric: No, you can see the door— the door is, like, flapping in the wind, right? Like a— like a screen door left open in a hurricane. It's just like slamming up against the side of the boat.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: And do I think that's weird at all?
Eric: I mean, it's not—I mean, it's re— it's— it's a little weird, yeah.
Julia: Uh-hmm. Interesting.
Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: Okay, wonderful. And now, that's when you hear [cannon firing]
Eric (as Harold): Give us back our friends.
Eric: As the Sea Whip comes alongside and fires cannon balls at the— at the Tradewinds 3. Cammie, you hear [cannon firing] as the cannon ball slams through, going from one side of the boat to the other side of the boat. Now, there's a big hole kind of in the hallway that you're standing in.
Julia: Did we tell them to be stealthy or am I just misremembering that?
Amanda: We did, we did. Yeah, we did.
Julia: Hmm. Hmm. Interesting.
Amanda: Somewhere Troy is like—
Amanda (as Troy): Uh, delegation, you know?
Eric: As the sailors are deeply flummoxed by the disappearance of Cammie, you— there's a silence as all of them look over at the Sea Whip, and Harold and Sil firing cannonballs. And they all— and all the sailors look at each other and then hop to attention, and start running around to their battle stations.
Amanda: Eric, was the moment of silence for 9/11?
Eric: The—
[Brandon laughs]
Julia: Okay. Well— okay. Okay. Interesting.
Amanda: Uh-oh.
Eric: Okay, that's happening.
Julia: The moment of silence for 9/11 is happening? What's happening?
Eric: Then in— in— in absolute silence, these sailors— the majority of the sailors wheel cannons over, just take broadside shots at the Sea Whip, and two of them try to put their hands on Umbi. So, Umbi, give me a grapple check for me.
Brandon: Hey.
Eric (as Two Sailors): You should not be on this ship, please get off of this ship.
Eric: Two of the sailors say it at the same time.
Brandon: 11.
Eric: Alright. Well, that beats my 4, so there— there you go.
Amanda: Nice.
Julia: As it should.
Eric: Well, once again you just slap their hands away, being like—
Eric (as Two Sailors): No, we'll make you leave. We will put you in the cannon.
Brandon: I— the saltwater is just— it's just too slippery and I'm too wet.
Eric: It's just— it's just too slippery.
Amanda: It's true.
Julia: Too wet.
Amanda: There’s too much ointment.
Eric: In— incredible.
Brandon: Have you ever tried to hold a wet pawpaw fruit? It's impossible.
Julia: I haven't. I've never touched a pawpaw fruit, so—
Brandon: Me, neither.
Eric: [cannon exploding] As the Tradewinds 3 fires off the cannons that they have— over at the Sea Whip. Then once again all of the sailors look at each other for a moment of silence, not for 9/11.
Julia: But for communication silently, perhaps?
Eric: Yeah. And then— and the—
Julia: Okay.
Eric: —boat then tries to make the biggest U-turn you've ever seen in your entire life and come around side the Sea Whip. Umbi, it is now your turn.
Brandon: Can you sort of map out where I am, where the boat is, and where the Sea Whip is?
Eric: Great. Okay, sure. The Sea Whip— the Tradewinds Three is trying to come alongside the Sea Whip and get a better spot to fire cannons at them, all while avoiding the boiling, scalding, hot plumes of air that burst every once in a while. The Sea Whip— Harold and Sil seemed really committed to just firing on there, and they're kind of in a tough position at the moment that they are going to get navally positioned against. In terms of the boat itself, you're kind of in the back corner. Troy has rolled away dramatically, and Cammie's underground. No one is really paying attention to you other than these two sailors who are trying to grab you. Like, there's like— 10 of these dudes are running around doing naval battle stuff and these two other sailors are trying to put their hands on you.
Brandon: So I'm near the back where the engines would be?
Eric: Yes, you would be in the back near— where the engines would be.
Brandon: And is the Sea Whip currently in this moment, like, 45 degrees, like not quite U-turned yet, like in the process of U-turning, right?
Eric: The Tradewinds?
Brandon: Sorry, yeah.
Eric: Yeah, they're trying to come alongside. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're like in the middle of doing like a 12-point Naval K turn. Hey, we've all tried to move a real— a— like a van that we were not prepared with a little bit too long for what we're trying to do.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: We've all done that.
Julia: We've all been there.
Eric: We've all been there.
Brandon: Okay, Eric, here's what I'm gonna do.
Eric: Sure.
Brandon: I'm going to snap to attention and say to these two sailors—
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): Permission to disembark, sir.
Eric (as Two Sailors): What?
Brandon: And then I'm going to jump up in the air—
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: —use my slow fall—
Eric: Sure.
Brandon: —hold on to my hat to sort of start drifting down towards the Sea Whip.
Eric: Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Yeah.
Brandon: And on the way down, I'm gonna fucking throw a bomb at these engines, buddy.
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: Yeah, dude. Yeah, you absolutely are— I'm gonna say— because this is a tough shot, I'm gonna say 15. Let's go with an AC of 15.
Brandon: Okay. For the bomb throw?
Eric: For the bomb throw, yeah, and you do your full attack, yes.
Amanda: You've got this.
Julia: You've got this. Brandon, you got this.
Eric: I love it. I love it. Umbi, you've jumped off, like, the mo— this is just the momentum of the— of— the ship is pulling away from you. You got a clear shot at that engine like portico, patio that you were on before.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: Look at this, everyone's using their traditions abilities. Let's go.
Julia: Yay.
Brandon: What was the AC again?
Eric: I'm looking for a 15.
Brandon: Well, I got a 12 plus 5.
Eric and Amanda: Yay!
Julia: Brandon.
Amanda: Yes.
Eric: Let's go.
Julia: Are you okay, Brandon?
Brandon: I'm so good. I'm so good.
Eric: That's good. Alright. So, yeah, give me the attack, remember you get double, because ship is a building.
Julia: Ship is building. Ha, ha.
Brandon: Okay, so this is 2D10 fire, and actually, do I want to add some reagent dice to this?
Julia: I think you do.
Amanda: Yeah, why not?
Julia: Personally.
Brandon: Well, I don't want to blow the ship up, I just want to disable the—
Amanda: You sure?
Brandon: —engines.
Amanda: You sure?
Julia: I think you could blow the ship.
Amanda: I think you could blow the ship up.
Brandon: Well, I don't want to accidentally blow up what's in the cargo hold, you know?
Julia: That's true. Well, as we know, it only has a radius of 15 feet as we established in the Bullseye arc.
Eric: Yeah, but then it might sink, Julia. It could—
Julia: But it's really— it is also very close to a sandbar because they were about to drop me off.
Eric: That's true. They're— they're trying to make a— a naval K turn though, so we'll see.
Julia: It's pretty shallow out there, is what I'm trying to say.
Eric: It's up to you, Brandon. It's up to you.
Brandon: Okay. Well, I'm going to definitely remove the blast radius.
Eric: Okay.
Brandon: But I think I'm going to try to just sort of disable these engines. I don't want to like— I just want to put them out of commission, so they can't run away.
Amanda: Try to boop them on the nose.
Brandon: But I don't want to fuck up the ship.
Eric: Okay, cool.
Brandon: Yeah.
Julia: Boop them on the nose. We're just gonna disable the engine, it's all good.
Amanda: We learn from our mistakes.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: We do.
Brandon: Okay, here we go.
Eric: Here we go.
Julia: [dice roll] The Sea Whip is so tiny compared to the ship, too. I'm just thinking about it.
Eric: Oh, a 100%. Yeah.
Brandon: 13 times 2 is 26, plus 2 is 28?
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: Yeah, 28.
Eric: 28.
Julia: Perfect.
Eric: [explosion sound] Yeah, that engine is— it's having— engine is having some troubles.
Brandon: Yay.
Eric: Alright. You— you sure did throw a bomb into the engine room, huh?
Brandon: Hell yeah, I did.
Eric: You sure did. You sure did.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Cammie, you then hear [exploding] you are— so this is like—this is like five feet away from you. [exploding]
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, Umbi's here!
Eric: Troy, it is your turn. Troy, you rolled away, Umbi is now gone.
Amanda: Yeah, he seems like he knew what he was doing, though. I think he'll be okay.
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: What to do. I think Troy is just too curious about what's in the hold. I think he's just going to use his movement, get close to the closest door, so I've rolled past the guards, like, toward the front of the boat. And so, hopefully, I can run to, like, the parallel door to where Cammie was.
Eric: Sure. Oh, Cammie, also as you run up to the— Cammie, as you run up to the door, to the hold, there's just like two guys passed out with broken greenhouses—
Julia (as Cammie): Cool.
Eric: —down there.
Julia (as Cammie): Troy and Umbi must have been here. Excellent.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: So, ju— Troy, you run down to the hold. Cammie is looking at the same door that you jumped out of only a little while ago.
Amanda: Yeah, I'm also gonna use another risk die and do bite the bullet, to gain some temporary HP. I gained 6 temp HP.
Eric: Hell yeah. Alright.
Amanda (as Troy): Okay. So don't jump out of that. That's all I got to contribute right now.
Julia (as Cammie): Why would I jump out of it? Oh, hi, Troy!
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah, yeah. What the hell is in this boat?
Julia (as Cammie): I don't know yet, that's why I came down here. Also, they were trying to attack me.
Amanda: So, I just— Is there any other way into the hold? It's like—
Eric: Amanda, I think you should Venmo me $5.
Brandon: I think it's— it's clear that it's some kind of magic protection thing or something, right?
Amanda: Can I fire an arrow into the door?
Eric: Just through the open doorway?
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah. You fire it, it goes out.
Amanda: Okay.
Eric: And— and— and then it goes sploo—
Amanda: Fine.
Eric: —and it goes sploosh in the water.
Amanda: Fine, fine, fine.
Julia: Let me do an Arcane Check on this door.
Amanda: It feels like this is cheating, but fine.
Julia: But fine. Amanda is going to Venmo you $10— or $5, sorry.
Eric: Amanda, Ven me— Amanda, Venmoed me $5.
Julia: I think the— the note should be just a fucking middle finger—
Brandon: Middle finger.
Julia: —but that's just me.
Amanda: The note was just the word fine.
Julia: Fine. Great. Hey, Eric, what's going on?
Eric: Amanda, no one looked at the door. What happened was the key fell out of the guard's pocket. Umbi picked up the key, put the key in the lock, unlocked it, threw it open, and then it was open. No one has looked at the door yet.
Amanda: Alright. Troy's gonna hold on to the door jamb, and crane his head, and look at the actual door.
Eric: Yeah. You can grab it and, like, pull it close.
Amanda: Sure.
Eric: For sure.
Amanda: Okay. What am I rolling?
Eric: Investigation, please.
Amanda: [dice roll] 15.
Eric: 15.
Julia (as Cammie): So what's up with this door, Troy? You jumped through it? That seems weird.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah, that probably shouldn't have been my first reaction, but to be fair, Umbi also wanted it, so—
Brandon: I think it was my idea. You can blame me.
Amanda (as Troy): It's alright. I thought it was gonna be like a portal-type situation, it wasn't.
Eric: Incredible.
Julia (as Cammie): That's a good guess.
Eric: So Troy, as you pull the door close, this is a— this is a— it's a sturdy door that is supposed to keep the things in, keep people out, right? There is— the— the key that you grabbed from the guard is still in the lock at knob height, right?
Amanda: Okay.
Eric: Above that, there is a little clear gem that is, like, a foot above the door handle.
Amanda (as Troy): Cammie, any idea what that could be?
Julia: Is it like the same height as the greenhouses would be on these people or no?
Eric: Finger guns from my good friend, Cammie.
Julia: Uh-hmm. Both the— the ones on the floor have their heads bashed in, though?
Eric: The glass is broken, but they're still light radiating out of their brains.
Julia: Great. And Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): I have an idea.
Julia: And then just scoop up this person's head, like drag their body over and hold it up to the gem.
Eric: Incredible. The gem glows with the same light as the brains do.
Amanda (as Troy): Yup, that— that makes a lot more sense.
Brandon: I don't think so. I think like it's a lot more sense to jump through the open door.
Julia: And Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): Let's open it, Troy.
Amanda: And we'll open it.
Eric: Open it. You open it and you see the water again.
Julia: Really?
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: This is the fucking, like, two beats kind of bullshit again.
Amanda: Can I close the door? Does the key turn another way?
Eric: No, the key does not turn the other way.
Julia: Can I just touch the gem and, like, open the door through— via the gem instead of the door handle?
Eric: Yes, the gem does— you can turn the gem as it is— as if it is a door knob as well.
Julia: Right.
Eric: And you can turn both the doorknobs as well and you open it, and you see the outside of the water.
Julia: What the fuck?
Eric: Now Cammie, you still have a check. There's still a check.
Julia: Great.
Eric: Troy rolled a 15, you can do a check. What are you looking for?
Julia: Arcana Check. What the fuck? How does this work? Unlock this door.
Amanda: I'm just looking at, like, hardware and shit. I know nothing about magic.
Julia: 13 plus 4 for a 17.
Eric: That is another one. So it seems like the mechanics have to do with multiple, like, doorknobs, right?
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: In magic, having two things seems just—
Brandon: Not enough.
Eric: It just seems not enough, huh?
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Like it's Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. It's not just Bibbidi-Bobbidi.
Amanda: Yeah.
Julia: So turn key, turn regular doorknob, turn gem doorknob.
Eric: And?
Julia: And open door?
Amanda (as Troy): What else is there to turn on a door? God.
Julia: What the fuck?
Eric: What else is there to turn?
Amanda (as Troy): The boat? My head? A wheel?
Julia: Come on.
Amanda (as Troy): I don't fucking know! I didn’t read a goddamn book about doors!
Julia: Alright.
Eric: Troy is—
Amanda: Troy is gonna grip both sides of the doorframe and try to yank it to the left.
Eric: Give me a Strength Saving Throw.
Julia: Can I pull it— wait, hold on, hold on. Can I pull a—
Eric: Hold on. No, she said it. She's rolling. Strength.
Amanda: [dice roll] That is a 13.
Eric: A 13.
Julia: Not— not strong enough to pull a big, heavy door off the hinges.
Eric: But enough for you to hear that there is a— a small clattering sound that came from the door.
Julia: Can—did something fall to the ground? Did we— can we identify what's on the ground, Eric?
Eric: Give me an Investigation Check right now.
Julia: Oh, my God. [dice roll] 16.
Amanda: 17.
Eric: And as you hear the clattering, you see— you hear the clattering, both of you looked down and there is a small hidden panel that got jostled while Troy was moving, try to—
Julia: Jesus Christ.
Eric: —try to rip the door off its hinges and there— there is a third tiny doorknob inside of the panel.
Julia: I turn that, too.
[Amanda screams]
Julia: We turned all three doorknobs at the same fucking time. I just dropped all of my cards. Fuck!
[off-mic bang]
Julia: Ow!
Amanda: This is for you, Umbi!
Julia: I just dropped my phone on my head. I'm so disoriented.
Amanda: This is an incredible puzzle, Eric. I'm just so mad at myself I didn't investigate Jack shit.
Brandon: Julia's brain greenhouse cracked open—
Amanda: Yeah, it did.
Brandon: —oh, no.
Julia: Ow.
Eric: Incredible. Alright. You open the door and you don't feel the air, the hot salty air of the Boiling Reef.
Julia: Thank God.
Eric: It is just the stale, stayed, dusty air of the— of the hold of a ship.
Julia: Okay.
Brandon: I would recommend still jumping into this room now.
Eric: Yeah, go 1, 2, 3 and jump into the room.
Brandon: Jump into it, yeah.
Julia: Alright.
Eric: Right. And we'll come back to that in one second as we go through— continue to rip through the initiative. Umbi, you're floating in the air. Let me see if Harold and Sil will come pick you up. No. Harold— they are not the usual people who drive the boat, so they—
Brandon: Well, I did aim towards them. I aimed that I would, like, land in the boat, though.
Eric: I know, but I rolled an 8, so they're having a hard time coming over to you, my friend. You hear the [water splashes]
Julia: There's no communication happening between the ship and Umbi.
Eric: It's like—
Eric (as Harold): Oh, I don't know how Troy does this. We're supposed to be the same person.
Eric: It's almost like they're— the boat is like of— they're shot— you know, like when someone is threatening to punch you and you're like just in a perpetual flinch?
Brandon: Sure.
Eric: It's almost like the Sea Whip, as steered by Harold and Sil, are like flinching from the Tradewinds, worried they're gonna be hit by cannons. So it's like they're just trying to navigate away from it and they can't get away from the boiling hot air. It's like—
Eric (as Harold): Umbi, we're co— we're coming around. We're coming— I gotta come around, I gotta go round the block. I missed it.
Brandon: So just to be clear for the audience, all they had to do was not touch the wheel for Umbi to land on the—
Eric: Yes, 100%.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Brandon: They decided to touch the wheel.
Julia: It's the lack of communication, brother.
Amanda: Tough.
Eric: 100%. 100%.
Amanda: Gotta respect the rolls.
Eric: Brandon, I want you to know you did the right thing. Harold and Sil fucked it.
Julia: That's fair.
Amanda: So if you're slow falling and you were, you know, probably— whatever, like 20 feet—
Eric: You're still in the air though, that's not a problem.
Julia: Yeah.
Amanda: Okay.
Eric: You're not gonna hit the water. You're— you're— you're slow falling. You're fine.
Brandon: I'm supposed to roll a 1D6 to see how many turns I can slow fall.
Eric: Oh, that's right.
Julia: Why would you say that out loud?
Brandon: Because it's fun. Three.
Eric: Oh, you're fine, you're fine.
Julia: Okay. Alright.
Eric: You're fine, you're fine. Okay.
Amanda: See, you can always transpo bomb or something, you'll figure it out.
Eric: Yeah. And then [exploding cannons] The sailors have gotten all of their cannons out and are just firing. Cannonballs whipping past and through the Sea Whip. That's what the Tradewinds are up to, we're all the way back. Umbi, you're floating in the air. What do you want to do?
Brandon: Is the Sea Whip more than 30 feet away from me currently?
Eric: Nah.
Brandon: Okay. Yeah, I'd love to just throw a teleportation bomb and get on the deck of this boat and then—
Eric: Do it.
Julia: Bruh.
Brandon: —Free Action. I'm going to be yelling obscenities at Harold and—
Amanda: Good.
Brandon: —Sil the entire time.
Eric: Alright, get— I want an attack, give me a 12.
Brandon: 10 plus 5 for 15.
Julia: Hey.
Eric: Bang, there you go. [exploding]
Julia: Bang, bang.
Eric: Umbi, you are safely on the Sea Whip.
Amanda: Nice.
Brandon: Great.
Julia: You did it.
Brandon: I'm also going to just use my movement to try to get down to the cannons—
Amanda: Totally.
Brandon: —and start firing back.
Eric: Absolutely. You're back at your cannon station. I think we're hopping out of initiative here. I think that we— we are— we can just regularly flop back and forth as just [cannons firing] and now, we are down back in the hold. Cammie and Troy, you step forward into the actual hold of the Tradewinds 3. There are some other bolts of silk just kind of like haphazardly thrown around in this hold. It's actually relatively small for—
Brandon: Are they weird?
Eric: No, they're— they're not weird. Well, they're blue, which makes them weird.
Brandon: Okay.
Julia: Hmm.
Eric: They're thrown around as haphazardly in the hold of the ship, but really, there's also— there— there's a lot of, like, boxes that are all kind of piled together in the center of the hold. Julia: Okay.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Amanda (as Troy): It's kinda— kind of anticlimactic, if I'm being honest.
Julia: Can I look in the boxes, please?
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: What's in the box?
Julia: Cammie is like—
Julia (as Cammie): Well, sometimes there's things in boxes. Like, sometimes there's things in barrels. Let's look.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, yeah, word. No, that's good.
Brandon: Oh, did Troy think it was just a box?
Amanda: Troy is gonna— ready an action, and, like, cock the crossbow just in case something jumps out of the box.
Eric: Sure. As you open the box, you see that there are blueprints inside, and they're in the beautifully manicured handwriting as mandatory by anyone who does engineering in the Hothouse.
Julia: See, these are Hothouse blueprints?
Eric: These are hothouse blueprints.
Julia: How many boxes are there?
Eric: There are a lot of boxes, but it seems like they're all kind of pushed together in the center of this room. They're kind of standing— these boxes are stacked on top of—
Amanda: Oh, yeah, we're gonna just start pulling boxes away, trying to see what's in the middle.
Julia: Yeah. Can I— can I, like, push the boxes apart, see if they're covering something in the middle?
Eric: And in the center, there is a real traditional-looking treasure chest. It's well-worn, it— it has some barnacles attached to the side of it. Which I think of all the animals and plants, so I'm just gonna say they're barnacles.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: Or they're bug-nacles, maybe, you know— whatever.
Brandon: Bug-nacles.
Julia: Cool.
Eric: And there's a traditional-looking treasure chest inside.
Julia: Can we open it?
Eric: You can open it.
Julia: What's in it?
Brandon: Oh, it's gonna be a mimic. It's gonna be a mimic.
Eric: You open it—
Amanda: Crossbow at the ready.
Eric: —and inside you hear [steam release] as something is rising from the bottom of this treasure chest. It is shiny, it is high-tech, it is sleek. It is new, it is something— you haven't seen something this, like, factory-new ever since maybe any of you have been on land before and— an actual real country land before.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: It also seems— it's heavy and strange, and it's— you don't— you're not sure why it would be here because— well, I guess it doesn't really make sense for there to be pieces of a foundry here, for there to be somebody this technological and something you might associate with a factory here. And it's shaped— this piece of metal is shaped— if you were to pour something inside of it to create this form, it's shaped like a big, big key.
Julia: Okay. Eric?
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: I would like to take this thing, this item, this piece of metal—
Eric: Okay. Okay.
Julia: —out of the box.
Eric: Okay. It's heavy.
Julia: It's not outside of, like, my carrying capacity though, right?
Eric: No, but it's very— it's very heavy.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: That's fine. Cammie is going to look at Troy and gently take his hand while cradling this big metal object.
Amanda (as Troy): Whoa.
Julia: And I'm going to cast Dimension Door.
Amanda: Whoa!
Julia: And we're going to appear on the middle of the Sea Whip.
Amanda (as Troy): Why don't we do that more?
Julia (as Cammie): 'Cause I get really tired after and it, like, takes a lot out of me.
Amanda (as Troy): That's so much easier.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah. I can only do it once a day, really. I, like, need a nap now. I desperately need a nap.
Eric: Cammie, Troy, you step through a door of fog and then clang, you are on the deck of the Sea Whip.
Eric (as Harold): Alright, everyone's home. We're getting out of here.
Julia (as Cammie): Let's go!
Amanda (as Troy): Okay, we do have to get Havana, but God, let's get away from that ship.
Brandon: The camera pans down to Umbi and he's just screaming as he shoots cannonballs.
Brandon (as Umbi): AAAAAAAAHHH!
Amanda: Wow.
Julia: Shenanigans.
[theme]