Our mother has been absent ever since we built the maze / But there's going to be a party for the birds’ de-maize
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 steps up to the Divine Labyrinth. Carved into the wall of the entrance of this hedge maze is the full rhyme about the Keys. "A key in the sky, a key for a maze, a key that still hurts, a key with a gaze." As they're surveying the entrance, Troy gestures to an observation tower nearby and is momentarily transported there. Immediately after, Cammie does the same thing, but doesn't return. Up in the tower, Cammie sees a terrible creature of seed and roots stalking the labyrinth: the Harvester. Starting at the beginning, Umbi, Troy, and Havana stepped into the maze. They navigate a rickety bridge, all while being stalked by the Harvester and they're unaware. This is a slice of life story, it's a cutting good time, hee, hee, hee. Let's get the party started.
[theme ends]
Eric: So I wanted to start this episode and have everyone come together just to hang out—
Brandon: Yay, hello.
Eric: —for a second.
Amanda: Hiii!
Julia: That's mean.
Brandon: I'm circling up.
Eric: Hey, and just like really super quick, if each of you can give me one word about how you're feeling at the moment, that would be really great.
Julia: Nervous.
Brandon: Determined.
Amanda: Hunhh.
Julia: Fair, fair. How do you spell that for the transcript?
Amanda: H-U-N-H-H.
Julia: Thank you.
Eric: Just to recall, as we are going through the Divine Labyrinth, I want to revisit this move. If you are in a group of more than one person, multiple characters will lead, all you have to do is describe how you go through the labyrinth, and then you roll plus survival. And you get points determining how it's going, which you can then turn those points into finding something valuable or useful, getting some clues about stuff, and you can spend five points to find an exit or the grove, which is in the center of the labyrinth.
Julia: Hmm.
Brandon: Yay.
Eric: Just to revisit, how many points does team Tru—Trombi—
Brandon: Trombi.
Amanda: The Tumby.
Brandon: Trombi.
Eric: Tromva— Tromvana.
Julia: The Tumby.
Brandon: Tromvana is good.
Amanda: That's very good. We have four points.
Eric: Four points.
Amanda: We are saving up for five, so we can either exit or find the grove.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: This reminds me of when I was like a child getting a very, very, very small allowance so my parents could teach me how to deal with money. And I was like—
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: "—I don't know if I could save up for $10, mom."
Eric: Brandon, I want to remind you that this is not the marshmallow experiment and you can do whatever you want.
Brandon: Oh, okay.
Eric: You can truly do—
Brandon: Okay, cool.
Eric: —whatever you want.
Brandon: Cool, cool, cool.
Eric: And whatever choice you make is the choice you make. And whatever consequences come from that choice is the— because of the choice you make.
Brandon: So this is the marshmallow experiment.
Eric: No, because my thing is real and the marshmallow experiment is fake.
Brandon: Okay.
Julia: Fair, fair.
Eric: And team— hold on, let me just look at this, “Cammie alone and scared.”
Julia: Excuse me, it's a Cannonyma, because—
Eric: Oh, sorry.
Julia: —Nonny is with Cammie.
Eric: Oh, sorry.
Amanda: Cannonyma electric whips.
Eric: Cammie and Nonny versus the world.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: How many points do you have?
Julia: One.
Eric: One.
Julia: Because I haven't gone as many times as the other people.
Eric: That's fine. You just have little binoculars looking at your friends.
Julia: I was worried about them.
Amanda: Gathering intel, staying safe, we love it.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: We love it, it happens.
Amanda: We're still teammates, even though we're separated, Eric.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: It's like when they send Duke to Ireland to play a football game for some reason.
Eric: So it's—
Brandon: It's exactly like that.
Julia: Uh-hmm. Uh-hmm.
Eric: The only thing that Amanda's thought about, I guess, for the last six weeks is that when we went to Ireland, Notre Dame hosted Duke in a coll— in like the beginning of the college football season—
Amanda: In August, yeah.
Eric: —in August, and it's all Amanda's thought about, because of the amount of fanfare promoting this college football game in the—
Amanda: We— we— we walked out of the airport—
Eric: —in the Dublin Airport.
Amanda: —in the Dublin Airport. I'm like, "Eric, welcome to my ancestral home." We looked up, a Notre Dame balloon arch leading to the taxis? I'm like, "What?!"
Julia: Wow.
Brandon: That's incredible, I love that.
Julia: Wow.
Amanda: It's like we never left.
Julia: Wow.
Eric: Yeah. It's your— your ancestral home of South Bend, Indiana. That's a joke for all the people who care about sports, congratulations. Thank you so much.
Julia: There's so few on this podcast.
Amanda: I know, I know.
Eric: And on this podcast, for the listeners, they're all— there's at least four.
Julia: Wow. Wow.
Eric: There's at least four. Alright. Hey, Julia?
Julia: What's up?
Eric: Go lay down. Go take a nap. Go— go lay down.
Amanda: Bye.
Julia: Sure, whatever. Bye.
Brandon: Bye.
Eric: Go lay down. Hey, Umbi, last time— last time we checked in—
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: —as you're walking through this hedge maze grid, you see a creature—
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: —standing upright with two arms and two legs—
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: —made up out of roots.
Brandon: Yup.
Eric: With a decaying pumpkin seed head.
Brandon: Uh-huh.
Eric: Two eyes carved into it, heavy boots, and a big scythe dragging behind him, and you see him for a moment.
Brandon: Uh-huh.
Eric: And then… Did that happen? Was that there? What do you do?
Brandon (as Umbi): Troy?
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah, what's up, man?
Brandon (as Umbi): I have to ask you something, and I need you to be very serious.
Amanda (as Troy): Okay.
Brandon (as Umbi): Am I so old that I'm finally going senile or—
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): —is it possible that I just saw a villain made out of roots with a scythe— well, potential villain. I don't know. Who's gonna come after us and try to chop us down?
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah. I don't think you're there yet, bruv, but I appreciate that you feel vulnerable enough to trust me with that question.
Brandon (as Umbi): Okay.
Amanda (as Troy): I think it's very likely there's someone in this maze what wants to kill us.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, no, that's not good.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): He had a pumpkin seed head.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, that's cool. You don't often see the seed as the whole— as the— as the main thing.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah, no, he was really tight, except for the fact that he was— seems very murderous.
Amanda (as Troy): You say he had a scythe with him?
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): The big— the big hunched over knife?
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah, what for harvesting?
Amanda (as Troy): Cool.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): Alright. Well—
Eric: It's that knife that slouches towards Bethlehem, yeah.
Amanda: Yeah. Good.
Amanda (as Troy): Alright. Well, um, that's kind of scary. Havana, have you seen anything weird? Weird being relative?
Eric (as Havana): Oh, okay. Not— no. Not more than usual. Not more than what's usually happening.
Amanda (as Troy): Is— is your— is your hobby of prayer helpful here?
Eric (as Havana): My—
Amanda (as Troy): I don’t know why you're laughing.
Eric (as Havana): I'm going to put a— I'm going to put aside— I'm going to put aside while we're walking in the Divine Labyrinth that you just call— you just compared my ne—my relationship with the divine as something compared to floating paper boats, but I'm going to move on from that.
Amanda (as Troy): You can make boats out of paper? Whoa. I never even thought of it.
Eric (as Havana): You've— you never consi— you've never considered it, that more things could be boat?
Amanda (as Troy): No. Oh, my God.
Brandon (as Umbi): Troy, is this your new thing?
Amanda (as Troy): I— I— I feel myself getting distracted and I really don't want to.
Eric (as Havana): There are a lot of things you can make out of boats. You have paper boat, uh, wood boat.
Brandon (as Umbi): Wooden boats.
Amanda (as Troy): A leaf floating in a barrel, that's basically a boat!
Eric (as Havana): That would be a boat.
Amanda (as Troy): Waaa!
Eric: And Troy scream echoes throughout the labyrinth.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, no. Umbi, will that guy— will that guy notice us? Oh, shit. Anyway, keep your eyes peeled, guys, alright? And Havana, if there's anything you can do with your best friend, the God, tell us please, because it seems like someone is here wanting to do us harm.
Eric (as Havana): I don't— I can only imagine we'll be protected by the Divine as people doing— trying to do things that we should— trying to do things that make sense for our moral compass and doing the right thing as we do it. My voice is involuntarily going up because I feel less and less sure about of us being protected.
Brandon (as Umbi): Havana, Havana, come here, come here, come here.
Eric (as Havana): Okay.
Brandon: I give him a nice, little comforting hug.
Brandon (as Umbi): Is that better?
Eric (as Havana): Umbi, are you pure of heart and soul?
Brandon (as Umbi): Havana, you know that question— you know the answer to that question.
Eric (as Havana): I should know the— yeah, I should know the answer to that question.
Amanda (as Troy): Umbi, why don't we get out of this— this area with— has the pumpkin seed man?
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah, let's go.
Eric: Hey, I need everyone to make a Strength Saving Throw.
Amanda: Oh, boy.
Eric: As you look down as the three of you are hugging Havana, and your feet are inwebbed with terrible, craggy, barren roots. Which you just did not see happened.
Brandon: Great.
Amanda: Eric, hasn't that 20 plus a full D4?
Eric: Whoa.
Brandon: Whoa.
Amanda: Hey.
Brandon: Oh, nice, I got a 4. So I got 11 minus 1 for 10 plus 4, 14.
Amanda: There you go.
Eric: Hmm.
Amanda: Havana, we've been doing reps together.
Eric: I got— I got a 15.
Brandon: That's good.
Eric: That's pretty good.
Amanda: So 14, 15, and minus 25 after my— after my—
Eric: I got you.
Amanda: —full roll.
Eric: — I got you. I got you. Troy, what does the Strength Saving Throw 25 look like?
Amanda: I think I noticed the roots beginning to creep toward our feet. And Troy— you know when people go from, like, fully standing to a push-up, to fully standing again?
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Is that called a burpee? Is that right?
Brandon: Yes.
Amanda: Ish?
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Okay.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: So Troy does that, like four or five times ripping handfuls of roots away from them each time.
Brandon: Hell yeah.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: Clapping in between.
Brandon: Hell yes.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Troy, you whip around and you see down the avenue of this hedge maze, this creature, body, standing up, arms, legs, roots, pumpkin seed head, giant scythe. The only thing that's different from when Umbi described it, is that now this creature has reached their arm all the way back and is getting ready to fling that scythe right down main street.
Amanda: Can I get a shot off?
Eric: If you would like to.
Amanda: Let's attack.
Eric: Alright.
Amanda: So that's a 14 plus for 4, an 18 to hit.
Eric: Oh, that hits.
Amanda: Excellent. So Troy whips an arrow out of his quiver and fires off a crossbow bolt toward this creature.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Maybe hit him in the hand, knock that scythe out.
Eric: Yeah, if you wanna use some of your— some of your trick stuff?
Amanda: Yeah, yeah. No, absolutely. And I'm a 100%, Brandon, think you're gonna use a risk die to do a limb shot.
Brandon: Ooh.
Amanda: So when I hit them with a range weapon attack, I hit their hand, attempting to force it to drop an item of my choice. Target must make a Con Saving Throw.
Brandon: How convenient. I love that.
Amanda: Yeah. So—
Eric: That's helpful.
Amanda: —Eric, make a Con Saving throw. If you fail, they drop the object.
Eric: Okay. [dice roll] I rolled a 5. Jesus Christ!
Julia: Yay!
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: Alright. So the creature takes five points of damage and drops the scythe.
Eric: Alright.
Amanda: The object lands at his feet.
Eric: Okay, great, great, great. Great and cool. Great and cool.
Amanda: Yay! I love pissing my husband off.
Eric: Incredible. Alright, Troy. Yeah, you see the creature reaches all the way back, getting ready to throw the scythe towards you. You pin— I think you just straight pinned this creature's wriggling roots hand against the side of the labyrinth, and the scythe clatters to the ground.
Amanda: Well, Troy can attack twice per turn, so he's going to keep going while the going is good, and fire one more time.
Eric: Okay, do it.
Amanda: [dice roll] Oh, yeah, that's a 21 hit.
Eric: Alright, that hits. Yeah.
Brandon: Oh, fuck yeah.
Eric: God.
Amanda: Yeah. Alright, just one more point of damage.
Eric: Oh, that's a bummer.
Amanda: Roll the one. Yeah.
Eric: Yeah, that's okay.
Brandon: It's more about the show of force like the— you know, the sort of, like, performance of strength more than the actual damage that matters, Eric.
Amanda: Oh, exactly. Yeah, and I think this one— so I— I pin one hand, you said to the hedge maze or to the— the floor?
Eric: Yeah, to the hedge maze. Yeah.
Amanda: Yeah. Cool. And then the— the other one, I think is gonna go just like under his armpit, a little awkward.
Eric: No, it hurts.
Amanda: Weird— weird angle. Oh, yeah.
Eric: Incredible. Umbi and Havana are ensnared in the roots, but you have an opportunity, what do you want to do?
Amanda: I'm going to grab a knife out of my boot and cut him free.
Eric: Alright, everyone makes Strength Saving throws and we'll add— and we'll see. Let's all do it together.
Brandon: Woo!
Eric: Troy, do a Strength Check to help. Umbi and Havana are going to do their own thing.
Amanda: Alright, I got an 11.
Brandon: [sings I saw The Sign] I got a 5. I opened up my dice, I got a 5.
Amanda: Oh, no. That's a great song, Brandon. Thank you.
Brandon: Thank you.
Eric: Did you add— did you add the D4?
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda: Oh, tough, buddy.
Eric: With a D4. Oh, boy.
Amanda: Oh, that's tough.
Eric: Alright. Havana got a 17, so Havana kicks the roots away from ensnaring his feet.
Brandon: Can I use a teleportation bomb, or is it just a check?
Eric: You can now. You are going to take eight points of damage as the— as the roots grow thorns and stabs into your feet.
Amanda: Hmm.
Brandon: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Amanda: Tough.
Eric: But you can now.
Brandon: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's fair, that's fair, that's fair. I see that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Eric: Yeah, but you can now.
Brandon: I am going to reach into my bat belt, and pull out a teleportation bomb, and slowly roll it just past the roots, gently.
Eric: Boop, boop, boop, boop.
Amanda: Hell yeah.
Eric: Like— like one of tho— one of those ASMR TikToks of— of—
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: —of a soda bottle going down the stairs. Boop, boop, boop.
Brandon: Exactly. And Nightcrawler my way out of this situation.
Eric: Absolutely. You get a really— you really get a very, very loud poof to move two feet, for sure.
Brandon: Yeah. Bamf!
Eric: Incredible. Down the avenue, the creature takes their weird, rooty hand, puts it over the arrow that has pinned to their hand to the side of the hedge maze. And you see the roots ensnare, like pincer the arrow and then pop it out.
Amanda: Tough.
Eric: While main— by intending what you can only imagine is eye contact with the three of you, reaches down to grab the scythe, and then pulls back to get ready to throw it once again. What do you do?
Brandon: Is there a passage out of here that we could take, that would, like, cut us off from his vision or—
Eric: I— you could— yes, you could certainly run away. Absolutely.
Brandon: I would love to run. I love running.
Amanda: Let's do it.
Eric: You just want to run?
Amanda: It's your roll, Umbus.
Brandon: Would it provoke an opportunity attack? Well, how far away is he from us?
Amanda: Eric said like down the avenue, it's probably, what, like 40-50 feet, something like that?
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: Okay, cool.
Amanda: I mean, thi—this sounds like an existential threat in the maze, period, since some of the—
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda: — things or points have to do with that. So I would love to defeat this creature. Like I think, Brandon, if you have a bomb that can go on fire, fire will help kill the roots is my guess.
Brandon: That's true.
Amanda: But I'm happy to keep firing. What do you think?
Brandon: My worry, Amanda, is that—
Amanda: Yeah.
Brandon: —this is sort of like, I guess, kind of spoilers, like Mr. X in Resident Evil 2, where he just follows you around and you can't really kill him.
Amanda: Okay.
Brandon: But it's like a— sort of existential threat in terms of like it keeps you moving.
Amanda: Oh, sure. Yeah, let's— let's keep moving. That's fine.
Eric: Brandon, you're fine on misdirect spoilers. I think you're good. You're definitely good.
Amanda: Yeah. No. Let's— let's keep going.
Eric: A game remade more times than we have campaigns in this podcast. I think you're okay.
Amanda: Yeah, let's keep moving then, and I'll— I'll save my remaining three arrows.
Brandon: Yeah. I think if we run into him again, then we'll— we'll make a stand. But—
Amanda: Okay.
Brandon: —I— I worry that he's like part of the maze. He is the maze, because he's the roots, you know?
Amanda: Yeah. If we need a clue to deal with him, then probably it's not as straightforward as taking them down to zero.
Brandon: Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.
Amanda: I’m into it.
Eric: Yeah. Cool. Alright, y'all want to book it?
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: Alright.
Amanda: Yeah. I'm gonna grab Havana's hand and run away.
Eric: As you sprint down the avenue trying to take a hard left through the labyrinth, you hear [slicing sound] as the scythe is slicing through the air towards you. Since you're booking it, I'm going to give you advantage on this, but I need you to make a Dexterity Saving Throw.
Brandon: Okay.
Amanda: Alright.
Eric: [slicing sound] As the scythe tears through the air, you hear the straining of the fabric of stalks and cellulose. You hear the— the air is ripping just as the crops in the field would rip as it is felled by a farmer wielding such a scythe.
Amanda: Poetic, terrifying, 18.
Brandon: Poetic, terrifying, Natural 20.
Amanda: Hey! Umbi's like, "Like I haven't run from a knife before."
Brandon: Yeah, exactly. Got it.
Amanda: Brandon, are we rolling well?
Brandon: I'm rolling hot and cold so far. You're rolling well.
Eric: Do you still have evasion?
Amanda: I do. So when I'm subjected to an area effect that allows me to make a Dex Saving throw, I take only half damage if I fail, and none if I succeed.
Brandon: With my Natural 20, would— I guess it wouldn't help. I can't flashbang an object has been thrown.
Eric: I think with a Nat 20, you flashbang out of the way, so I would honor also that you take zero damage.
Brandon: Oh, I was trying to see if I can help Troy too, but I don't think it would.
Amanda: I'm okay. It's Havana I'm worried about.
Eric: Well, here's the thing, folks.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Havana rolled a 12.
Brandon: Uh-oh.
Eric: So Havana is going to take—
Brandon: Is this the end of Havana? Does he get chopped in half?
Eric: —26 points of Necrotic Damage as— as Troy dives out of the way, and Umbi flashbangs. So Umbi seems to be maybe five feet one way, where it seems like maybe he was five the other way. Then you hear [slicing and bursting sound] Just the slicing through citrus fibers. It's 26 points of damage.
Amanda (as Troy): Havana, are you okay?
Eric (as Havana): [groans]
Brandon: It's like an anime where the scythe goes through him and he's like, "Oh, wait, nothing happened." And then he's sliced in half.
Eric: And he slides—
Amanda: Aw. And then his slices fell apart, yeah.
Brandon: Yeah.
Eric: And he slides apart. Yeah, Havana is holding himself together, still conscious. It's looking bad.
Brandon (as Umbi): Come on, come on. We gotta go, guys. We gotta go. Let's go.
Amanda: Yeah. Troy's gonna like scoop Havana up and like, you know, run with both halves in his arms.
Eric: He's keeping the— keeping the halves together.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: As you turn the corner, you see the creature reach their arm out and call for the scythe as it slices back through the air exactly where it came from. And that, Troy and Umbi, is the Harvester.
Brandon (as Umbi): Ahhh! I don't like him. I mean, I do like him, he's cool, but—
Amanda (as Troy): What a cool enemy. Yeah.
Eric: You've now unlocked something that you can use your points on.
Brandon: Oh.
Eric: Spend two points to get a clue on where the Harvester is.
Brandon: Ahh.
Amanda: Nice. Love to fill in the blanks.
Eric: Love to fill. Love to fill.
Amanda: Love to fill.
Eric: Love to fill. I will also tell you that you can also use one point to get something useful, which might help you unlock these other blanks.
Brandon: Cool.
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: I like it. Great enemy, worried for Havana.
Eric: Yeah, me too. Yeah, same, same. Havana has four hit points.
Amanda: Hunhh!
Brandon: Jesus Christ. Doctor, heal thyself. Doctor, heal thyself.
Amanda: Doctor, heal thyself, no kidding.
Amanda (as Troy): My— my guts.
Eric (as Havana): I thought— I thought that my prayer hobby would help me.
Amanda (as Troy): Okay, I understand it sounds bad now. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Eric (as Havana): [groaning]
Amanda: Do we leave now?
Eric: Yeah, get out of here.
Amanda: Okay.
Eric: Julia, you're back. You're back, baby.
Julia: What up?
Eric: Uh, not much. Just hanging out. They met the Harvester.
Julia: Oh, good.
Eric: And I'll say nothing else. I'll say nothing else.
Julia: How did things go, Eric? How did they go?
Eric: Hmm. Hey, Julia, I'm gonna turn this back around on you. How do you think things went?
Julia: I don't know. It was a long time between when we got kicked out and—
Eric: Hmm.
Julia: Oh, boy. Did someone try to do something that they probably shouldn't have?
Eric: Depends who you think the who is in this sit— in this situation.
Julia: Honestly, it could be either one of them at that point.
Eric: It could be— yeah, yeah. It could truly be anything.
Julia: Oh, boy.
Eric: Alright, Cammie, what do you want to do?
Julia: I want to continue towards— I'm going to use my little map.
Eric: Okay.
Julia: And I'm going to try to continue towards where the grove is.
Eric: Okay. I'm gonna say for this, if you want to go towards the grove, because you have a map, I'm gonna say it only takes four points for you to get to the grove, because you have a map of the final step.
Julia: Okay. So I have to use the points to get to the grove. There's no way of me just finding it on my own roll like well enough?
Eric: No, no, no, no. You gotta— you gotta use the points. But yeah, I'll give you a special discount bonus, 20% off, because you made a map up high and you can kinda like— even when— maybe when you see something at the end, you'll be able to kind of just, like, follow your way there. Like, you're getting off the highway and like, "Oh, I can be— I can get home from here."
Julia: Can I ask a question about my fellow players without, like, getting any spoilers or whatever?
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Did they use their points?
Eric: If you want to use a point to get something useful—
Julia: I only have one.
Eric: I'm telling you, if you want to know, I'll tell you for a point.
Julia: I'll wait.
Eric: Alright. So remember, you gotta roll Survival, depending on what your roll is, you're gonna get some points.
Julia: Okay. I rolled a 13 plus 3 for Survival, for a 16.
Eric: 16, hold one. That's another point for Cammie.
Julia: Yay.
Eric: Cammie, what does it look like here? What are you— what's your stratagem?
Julia: I think Cammie is very much— someone taught her that when you're in the woods, you try to look for various, different nature things, and Cammie's relying very heavily on her nature things.
Eric: Hmm.
Julia: And she is checking the way that the hedges are growing against the way that their map looks and being like—
Julia (as Cammie): Okay. As the sun goes this way, um, I go that way. [Nonny purrs] I know.
Eric: Cammie, what about these hedges kind of remind you of this ancient knowledge inside of you?
Julia: I think that in Open Fields, there is that kind of understanding that we come from the plant life that is around us, or there is like an intrinsical connection between plants and Greenfolk.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: And so Cammie is looking at the roots of these hedges and is looking at the way that— I imagine they're manicured, but like the way that they will be growing to kind of determine which way they want to grow, and probably want to grow towards some sort of, like, water source, like the grove.
Eric: Hmm. So would you say— just to paraphrase, because I'm sure you saw this in like a prayer book or on a pillow or something, going with the flow, maybe?
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah. That works for water and for plants.
Eric: That works for all parts of my life! Alright. You got— you got another point here. Cammie, you're up to two.
Julia: Woo.
Eric: You want to spend those points?
Julia: Let me see what I get with two again. My two is get a clue to where the Harvester is. You know what? I want to use it for something that is valuable and useful.
Eric: Cool. Okay. Cammie, what are you— yeah. Or— I guess— let me— let me talk to Julia, if you're in there.
Julia: Yeah, what up?
Eric: What would you find useful? What do you need?
Julia: I think in terms of useful, I think something that will help with survival or with, like, nature checks going forward.
Eric: Sure.
Julia: Like, maybe something where I could roll with advantage or [mumbles], something like that. And I think that being able to get as many points as quickly as possible and head towards my goal is the objective for spending two points to get something that is valuable and useful.
Eric: You just want to go faster?
Julia: I just want to get more points, because I'm only one person, you know?
Eric: I'm only one person. I'm all alone.
Julia: I'm only one person. I'm all alone.
Eric: Cammie, you come to a fork in the labyrinth.
Julia (as Cammie): Oh, no.
Eric: It splits into three, there's one the left, one in the middle, and one on the right.
Julia (as Cammie): That's even more options.
Eric: All three tines of the fork. And here at the crossroads, you hear—
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): Child, you are moving slower than fat ants at a picnic.
Julia (as Cammie): Well, that's because they're, you know, laden down by burdens of their food to feed the rest of the colony.
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): You're such a bummer, you know that?
Julia (as Cammie): I'm the bummer?
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): Yes.
Julia (as Cammie): Excuse me.
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): It was— you're— you're the—yeah, you're the bummer.
Julia (as Cammie): I think we have different opinions on what a bummer is.
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): I think— I think that obviously— obviously, we have different opinions, because one of us was properly socialized, and the other one of us grew up in— grew up— grew up in Open Fields. And I'm saying that knowing I'm a terrible witch that curses children.
Julia (as Cammie): I was gonna say you lived by yourself in the woods. I don't know if that count as properly socialized. I have a crew and Nonny, I'm doing great.
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): Sure. You're— yeah. What— however—however you— however you see this.
Eric: Sitting— in front of all three of the ways you can go at the fork in this road are these, like, steam apparitions—
Julia: Cool.
Eric: —of Baba Rutabaga just languidly pushing back in her big rocking chair. It's framed like a camera that's too tight, because you see her, like, lean out of frame, and you just don't see her for a little bit, but she's like—
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): Oh, there it is.
Eric: And she has like a big—a big pitcher of iced tea that she's—
Julia: Cool.
Eric: —that she's just pouring into her mouth.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah. It's hot out here, gotta keep cool.
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): It’s hot, it's hot. I don't have— I don't have a lot of time, but I think— I guess I shouldn't presume. Are you— are you doing alright?
Julia (as Cammie): What a loaded question.
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): I— I'm the one who— I'm the one who lock, stock—I'm the one who lock, stock, and barreled it.
Julia (as Cammie): I'm doing okay. A bunch of statues told me that I might be evil. I didn't love that. Like, who are they to decide whether or not I'm evil, you know? Um, I'm worried about my friends, and I want to get to the middle of this grove immediately.
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): Oh, you're just— you're going straight to the grove, huh?
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah.
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): Well, I don't—
Eric: You see, the one on the left and the right are kind of, like, looking around, kind of has their head on a swivel as the middle one is talking to you and be like—
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): You know, I don't have a lot of time. I feel like we're being watched, and it's not just by the squash owls, if you know what I'm saying.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah, no. Like I said, I think like some gods? Were kind of being really judgy with me earlier and I didn't love that.
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): Gods question marks, indeed. Well, let's see if I can wrestle something— wrestle something up for you.
Eric: Hey, Cammie?
Julia: Hey.
Eric: What piece of a tea set do you think might help you out here?
Julia: Oh. That's an interesting question.
Eric: Do you want like a sugar bowl? Do you want like a cool— do you want like a strainer? Do you want like— I don't know, like something like super, super, super extraneous?
Julia: Yeah, I feel like a strainer would be kind of interesting. There's also— so a formal tea service, you will have a hot water kettle with a spirit lamp, which is basically like the thing that heats— we would call it like, you know, like a propane burner for—
Eric: Sure.
Julia: —that sort of thing. But in traditional tea services, a spirit lamp was basically, like, something that produced an open flame and kept your kettle hot and warm while you were serving the tea.
Eric: Oh, I like that, that's cool as hell. Yeah. So the middle Baba Rutabaga says—
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): Alright, let's see [grumbles] moving around, drink of that thing. I gotta see— I'm—
Eric: Just continues to guzzle this iced tea. And then you hear, like, the cracking of wood and just like the pushing of ground out of the way, as the Baba Rutabaga on the left is, like, kind of like pushed out of the way by growing vines.
Julia: Wow.
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): I gotta be quicker than some bee berries going towards a beehive. Hold on. Alright, here we go.
Eric: And then you see another crack of wood as just like a tree starts to shoot out of the ground in front of the right side and be like—
Eric (as Baba Rutabaga): Oh, okay. I'm out of time. I'm sure everything's fine, and nothing bad is going to happen, and we're all fine, it's all good. Alright, see you later. Let me just let myself out here. Okay, goodbye.
Eric: And in front of you is, I think, a literal spirit lantern. I like this. It's like a— like a bullseye lantern that creates like— it's almost like warm to the touch, and I think it's a dark green to match your leaves.
Julia (as Cammie): Wo— hmm. I have to learn how to do that. That's pretty neat. Not gonna lie. Then I could just like send Troy and Umbi gifts all the time. Whoa.
Julia: And then Cammie takes it.
Eric: Cammie takes it. Alright. What I'm gonna say this is going to do for you is if you roll above an 18, I'm gonna give you three.
Julia: [gasps] Yay.
Eric: Okay.
Julia: Yes.
Eric: Give you three. Good trade. Good trade.
Julia: Good trade, good trade.
Eric: Good trade. The way— the way you do it as you ho—you're gonna like hold up your— your leaf hand to it. It's— it's like you— you're pre— like you're toasting your spices.
Julia: And do I see that the, like, steam or smoke wafts in a particular direction?
Eric: Of course, it does, Julia. Of course, it does.
Julia: Amazing!
Eric: You're— you're extra pungent now.
Julia (as Cammie): Aw. I smell delicious.
Eric: Incredible. Alright. Give me one more roll.
Julia: Alright. Come on, baby. Ooh. It's a 17 plus 3 for a Dirty 20.
Eric: Well, there you go. You— you follow your toasty hand through your— you're not even— well, you're not even looking around. You're just following your nose, a venerable Toucan Sam.
Julia: Head empty, just vibes.
Eric: Just vi— just nose and vibes. And I'm gonna give you three points.
Julia: Woo! Woo!
Eric: Incredible.
Julia: Woo!
Eric: Woo!
Julia: Woo!
Eric: I lo— I love this. You're just like, "Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, boop, beep, bop boop."
Julia (as Cammie): Boop, boop, boop.
Eric: Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo.
Julia (as Cammie): I'm on an adventure with my best friend Nonny. Gonna find the key, we're gonna find Umbi, we're gonna find Troy.
Eric (as Nonny): [Nonny sings]
Julia (as Cammie): Love it. You sound so good. I can tell you've been practicing.
Eric: It's like— it's like the— it's like the twang of her electric whip.
Julia: [electric guitar sound] That's the first electric guitar, Eric, in Verda Stello.
Eric: Wow. We invented— and we invented slide guitar. ZZ Top, fucking suck it.
Julia: Owned it.
Eric: Get owned. Alright. Get out of here, you crazy kid.
Julia: Alright, bye.
[theme]
Eric: Hey, it's Amanda. Sometimes I'm Eric, and I step in to do the mid-roll when Amanda's busy. And that's what it's like having a partner in life, love and podcasting. And I hope that you have someone who steps in when you're busy. Welcome to the mid-roll. I'm Eric, I'm not Amanda. Thank you and welcome to our newest patrons, Chloe and Sable. For just $5 a month, you can know you're making this show possible, and you get an additional bi-weekly podcast from the host of Join the Party, that's Party Planning. We're doing something particularly special for this upcoming Party Planning that we've been teasing, called the Conversation Pit, where we answer your questions, then you can ask us about anything that you want to know about us. Something a little bit more personal about me and Amanda, and Julia, and Brampton. Plus, you get access to our patron-only Discord, which is always the best place on the internet. Join us today, patreon.com/jointhepartypod. This week on Multitude, you can listen to Spirits, a history and comedy podcast focused on everything folklore, mythology, and the occult told through the lens of feminism, queerness, and modern adulthood. Folks, listen, if you're listening to Join the Party and you're not listening to Spirits, what are you doing? If you want to know why Amanda and Julia are the way that they are, go listen to that show. That show is all— everything, it has spooks, it has stories, it has queerness, it has information, it has great guests. I'm on there every once in a while. It's a great show. Start listening to any of the 300 episodes they've put out over the last seven years. There's so much to enjoy. Dive in at spiritspodcast.com or search for Spirits wherever you download your podcasts. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Man, it's becoming end of the year season. I love it. I actually do love the end of the year. I like it when it gets colder. I like it when I can put my fits on. I know that it gets dark sooner, but maybe it's more like I get to appreciate the time in the sun I have, or also like— I feel like I'm a vampire hunter and I'm, like, pushing through the dark. But you know, if you're not ready for things getting darker sooner and it's making you sadder, maybe therapy can be a bright spot for you. With all this change and stress, you know, as the big holidays with the families are coming up, maybe therapy can be something you can look forward to or make you feel grounded. Now, if you need a place to start therapy, you can give BetterHelp a try. It's online, designed to be convenient, it's flexible and suited to your schedule. All you do, you fill out a brief questionnaire, you get matched with the therapist, and you can switch therapists whenever you want if you two are not jiving. Find your bright spot this season with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/jointheparty today to get 10% off your first month. That's better, H-E-L-P, .com/jointheparty, also the button which is there. We are sponsored this week by Twenty Sided Store. We have been doing ads for Twenty Sided Store for years, and they have grown with us. Do you know how they've grown? They can ship their stuff to your house. We were just there recently, and they have so much cool stuff. There's a physical version of The Quiet Year, which you may have not seen. They have card packs for Fiasco, which like actual scenarios where you usually just get, like, the stuff from the book or you got to print it out and they have cards, which is kind of makes the Fiasco part easier. They have awesome dice. They have lots of zines, so many zines. Amanda loves zines, I'm gonna get her some zines. So if you want to check them online, if you want to get shipped there, or if you're in New York, you can go check out their cool retail space at 280 Grand Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Just use code Pirate for 20% off your order online or mention Join the Party in-store. That's everything at Twenty, the full word, sidedstore.com. And finally, we're sponsored by Rotating Heroes, a comedy actual play podcast. Now if you don't know what an actual play podcast is, which you probably do, it's like an audio drama, but it's sillier and they use a game to tell a story. And the reason why it's silly is because this is from Zac Oyama and Jasper William Cartwright. You might have heard of those guys. Listen to them as they attempt daring deeds, epic exploits, and behave like buffoons. Coming up on the podcast, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Jacob Ozaki, Izzy Rollin, Victoria Longwell, Ali Beardsley, Dan Lippard, Rakesh Shankar, Garin O'Brien, and many more. You can listen all the way back to Arc One, kicking off with Emily Axford, Siobhan Thompson, and Mike Trapp. The cast, as you might have noticed, rotates with each arc, and brand-new episodes are added to this roster. So if you want the latest news and get to listen to the latest episodes for anyone else, go to the Rotating Heroes Patreon. Sounds great. What a good show. Jasper is going to be the DM. I'm the best DM in podcasting, but he can be the second-best DM in podcasting. He can have that title. That's okay with me. And now, back to Join the Party.
[theme]
Brandon: Hello.
Eric: Hello.
Brandon: It's me.
Amanda: Waddap?
Brandon: I'm the one.
Amanda: Alright.
Eric: How's it going, folks?
Amanda and Brandon: You know?
Eric: As you're making your way through the labyrinth, I just think there's just like spots of blood orange juice just like spotting the ground.
Amanda: Yeah. Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): Havana, can you— can you heal yourself right now?
Eric: Havana has stitched himself together with, like, some just real crude stitches just holding his top half and bottom half together.
Amanda (as Troy): This is so metal man, I'm so proud of you.
Eric (as Havana): I learned it in medical school, but I didn't know that I’d have to do it on myself.
Brandon (as Umbi): Is it helpful if I collect the— the juice or did you put it back in?
Eric (as Havana): No, don't call it juice.
Brandon (as Umbi): What is it?
Eric (as Havana): I don't want to talk about it.
Amanda (as Troy): I'm proud of you, man. You're gonna— you're gonna make it through. We're gonna get to Cammie and they're gonna heal you, okay?
Eric (as Havana): Why would the Planter do this to me? I'm in his house.
Amanda (as Troy): I don't know.
Brandon (as Umbi): This— this wasn't the Planter. This was the Harvester.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): That's what we can call it.
Amanda (as Troy): That's great.
Eric (as Havana): Incredible, Umbi. Good job coming up with the name.
Amanda: Umbi makes eye contact with the camera.
Eric: Yeah.
Amanda: He said the title of the movie.
Eric: He said it, he joins— he's gonna Join the Party, he said it. Incredible. Alright, whose turn is it?
Amanda: The Umbus.
Brandon: Great.
Amanda: Troy's gone twice. Umbi and Havana have gone once each.
Eric: Cool.
Amanda: So—
Brandon: Great.
Amanda: —up to you, but Havana doesn't seem to be in a good spot.
[Havana sobs]
Eric: Yeah, if you— you can do something else, but if you want to continue through the labyrinth, I need a Survival Check.
Brandon: A Survival Check? Well, I got plus zero to that, so let's see how this goes.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: Love it.
Brandon: It's a 1.
Eric: Oh, my God.
Amanda: Tough, tough, tough, tough, tough.
Brandon: According to the chart, I get turned around and the GM can make a hard move against you.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: Sounds—
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: Sounds bad.
Eric: Alright, so no points. No points.
Brandon: No points.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: No points. After sprinting away from the Harvester, I think the three of you, especially holding Havana together, you just ran, you just ran wherever. You went one way, and another way, and another way. And now, you're just— you're just in the bush, right?
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Eric: You're all bushed up.
Brandon: Oh, boy.
Eric: As you catch your breath and Havana apply— and Havana stitches himself together, you look up and you see that there's something a little bit different about the labyrinth here. There's almost like— the hedge has kind of overgrown in one area, kind of like in a corner here. It almost has like an overhang, like it's created kind of a rudimentary shelter.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, that's good. Nothing could go wrong.
Eric: A rudimentary shelter here. You also notice kind of in this corner, the whole— entire ground here is strewn with notebooks, just notebooks everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. And it was probably written by the person who was sitting at a desk in the corner of this hedge overhang.
Amanda: Hmm. Are they like skeletal? Is it— is it like a dead body?
Eric: No, they— no, they're not dead, they're writing right now, actually.
Amanda: Oh.
Eric: They're writing in a notebook right now. You can see from afar, this a Greenfolk with a regular Greenfolk— a regular Greenfolk body. She's wearing a peasant dress and— and like a— and a big belt with two big kind of, like, canvas sacks at her hips. And she is writing— she's writing furiously. You also notice she's a sunflower, and all of her petals are white.
Amanda: Oh.
Brandon (as Umbi): Hmm. Hello, I'm Umbi, this is Troy.
Amanda (as Troy): Waddap?
Brandon (as Umbi): That's Havana.
Eric (as Havana): [groaning]
Amanda (as Troy): We're— we're in bad shape. Are you okay? Did that guy with the knife come after you, too?
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, the Harvester. Oh, you just gotta—
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, we got it right, guys.
Amanda (as Troy): Whoa. That's crazy.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, that was just— that was a personal nickname I came up with—for the—
Brandon (as Umbi): What?!
Eric (as Panorama): I came up for that. That was your—
Brandon (as Umbi): Mad synergy.
Eric (as Panorama): That— that was your name, too? Oh, that's incredible. I guess it's because of the scythe that creature— that creature kind of drags around. No, that makes sense. I thought it was a personal nickname.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Eric (as Panorama): Great minds. Great Minds.
Brandon (as Umbi): Great Minds.
Eric (as Panorama): Great Minds. Oh, hello.
Brandon (as Umbi): Hello.
Eric (as Panorama): Hello. I got— I have to ask, what are you doing here?
Amanda (as Troy): Trying to get through the labyrinth.
Brandon (as Umbi): Well, yeah, we're trying to find the exit. Really.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, yeah. Okay, sure. Yeah, that would make sense. I mean, I guess that's what labyrinths are put together for.
Amanda (as Troy): Can I ask—
Eric (as Panorama): For finding-- going in and out with the Labyrinth.
Amanda (as Troy): —what you're— you're doing here? You're like staying in it?
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, well, I mean, I ha— yeah, I'm kinda like— I'm watching it. I ma— this— I made this, this was me.
Amanda (as Troy): What, the whole thing?!
Eric (as Panorama): That's— that's true. Yes, I put together the labyrinth. I did it.
Brandon (as Umbi): What?
Amanda (as Troy): What?
Eric (as Panorama): I grew it— I grewed it and the— when— I grewed it, and I tended to it, and I made— I put all the— the wiggles and the waggles. And if you've turned around, if you found me, I did a good job. But also, I'm sorry. Oops, my bad. I did not mean— well, I guess I did mean for you to get all wiggled and waggled around.
Amanda (as Troy): No, like you did a really good job confusing us.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, my God. Thank you.
Amanda (as Troy): You're welcome.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, my God, thank you.
Amanda (as Troy): And I gotta say if my friend here wasn't sort of on the verge of death, I would be like, "Amazing. Tell me more." I'd be having fun.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, yeah, yeah. Sliced in half. Yeah, classic.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Eric (as Panorama): Real— real Harvester classic.
Amanda (as Troy): No, that wasn't you. That wasn't you. Is the Harvester, like, possible to beat or—
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): Did you put the Harvester in here?
Eric (as Panorama): Well, I didn't, but— you know?
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh.
Amanda (as Troy): What's your name? I'm so sorry.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, it's very nice— hmm, you know, I do have a personal rule.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, if you— if you're okay sharing.
Eric (as Panorama): That I don't usually talk to people who are— who come through the labyrinth, but—
Brandon (as Umbi): Hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): —you two seem pretty good because we both came up with the Harvester nickname together.
Brandon (as Umbi): We did. It was cool.
Eric (as Panorama): We did. So I'm Panorama. It's so nice to meet you.
Amanda (as Troy): Whoa.
Brandon (as Umbi): What a good name. Wait, hold on.
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh.
Brandon (as Umbi): I think I might know you.
Eric (as Panorama): Okay. I— maybe.
Brandon: Can I roll a D10 and see what happens, Eric?
Eric: Of course, you can.
Amanda: Do it. Yay!
Eric: Of course, you can.
Brandon: Alright. No whammy.
Amanda: Tough. almost always whammy.
Brandon: Oh, so close. I got a 7.
Eric: Got a 7?
Brandon: So nothing.
Eric: Okay. Well, that's interesting. Here's a funny fact, though. You don't know who Panorama is, but on the winds, I think that it's kind of interesting to know that Panorama was a real Greenfolk, the creator of the Divine Labyrinth. That's pretty cool. It's like meeting Plato or DaVinci.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah.
Eric: Kind of cool.
Brandon (as Umbi): That's really cool.
Amanda (as Troy): Incredibly nice to meet you. I'm not going to ask you for any hints, because I feel like that will take the fun out of it for you.
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Amanda (as Troy): You know what I mean? So we're going to keep going.
Eric (as Panorama): That's good. I'm really going to have to ask though that you keep a wide berth around the overhang.
Brandon (as Umbi): Okay.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, yeah.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): No, for sure.
Eric (as Panorama): And just, like, don't come in the overhang, you can't. It's very important that you do not do that. So if you're gonna go, like, around, you're gonna have to really take your space away from the overhang—
Brandon (as Umbi): Okay.
Amanda (as Troy): Alright.
Eric (as Panorama): —and those things.
Amanda (as Troy): It's all good, man. We respect personal space, and this is your shit.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, wow. Well, I mean, it's pretty brave of you that you— that you— you're not, like, worried at all.
Amanda (as Troy): Why?
Brandon (as Umbi): Should we be?
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, you know, because— because of the birds.
Brandon (as Umbi): What?
Eric (as Panorama): Because of the birds.
Amanda (as Troy): I see.
Eric (as Panorama): That's why I have to stay— you know, that's why I have to stay under the overhang, because of the birds.
Amanda (as Troy): Taking shelter from something like really murderous creatures, what eat Greenfolk up?
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah, yeah, the birds.
Amanda (as Troy): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Brandon (as Umbi): Are they like guava birds or are they sungulls? Or are they— oh—
Amanda (as Troy): Guava gulls?
Brandon (as Umbi): —what's another thing? Yeah.
Eric (as Panorama): I mean, they're not like backyard birds. They— I— I don't think that they—oh, you know, it's just kind of a terrible, murderous, unholy creation of various fruits, vegetables, flower— flowers, and the ability to fly. I have a— there's no real good comp for it, so— but you seem pretty fine— well, you're pretty seem— you all seem pretty— you seem pretty brave, so just— I— cool. Cool and good. Yeah.
Amanda (as Troy): My whole thing is, I don't think of all the ways that things could go bad, and then I hope they don't happen. Nice to meet you.
Amanda: And Troy's gonna start walking off in the other— other direction.
Brandon (as Umbi): I didn't know you, actually, sorry. I thought you were someone else.
Eric (as Panorama): Okay. I didn't know you either. Watch out for the birds.
Brandon (as Umbi): It was nice to meet you. Where are the birds?
Eric (as Panorama): Cool.
Brandon (as Umbi): Are they here? Are they there? How do I stop them?
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, okay. Well, you can't stop the birds. Oh, they're everywhere.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, they're everywhere?
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah.
Brandon (as Umbi): How do I— is there a way to stop them?
Eric (as Panorama): Absolutely not, no.
Brandon (as Umbi): Is there a way to distract them?
Eric (as Panorama): Loud noises, run away, scream, offer so— offer up your companion as— as bait, you know?
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh.
Eric (as Panorama): The usual.
Amanda (as Troy): Hmm.
Brandon (as Umbi): Cool. Okay.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah. Unrelated, can you hold one of these bags for me?
Brandon (as Umbi): Why?
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, no reason.
Brandon (as Umbi): I prefer not to.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, okay. You just seem pretty cool, but I thought you would, but if you don't want to.
Eric: And she takes one of the bags off of her hip and— and offers it, like, right— holds it like right at the barrier of the— of the overhang.
Brandon: Can I look inside of the bag?
Eric (as Panorama): No. No, hold— no. It— it would just be a favor to me, the person who created the— the labyrinth, so—
Brandon (as Umbi): I think there might be birdseed in there. No?
Eric (as Panorama): I don't know what you're ta— I don't know what you're talking about.
Brandon (as Umbi): Hmm. Um—
Amanda: Can we roll something?
Brandon (as Umbi): —well, it was really nice to meet you.
Eric: If you want to roll something, you can.
Brandon: Can I roll an Investigation Check?
Eric: To figure out what's in the bag?
Brandon: Or Perception, yeah.
Eric: Yeah, let's do an Investigation.
Brandon: I got a 6 plus 3 for a 9.
Amanda: Cool, cool, cool. Good.
Eric: Umbi, what do you think is in the bag?
Brandon: I think birdseed.
Eric: Oh, okay.
Amanda: I thought the same.
Eric: I mean, probably.
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda: Yeah. Leave that shit behind, bro.
Brandon: It probably would be like a Home Alone 2 situation with the pigeons, you know?
Amanda: Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Eric: Uh-huh.
Brandon: That's what I'm imagining.
Eric: Well, hey, first of all, spoilers, but—
Brandon: Do you remember in Home Alone 3 when Mr. X comes around and breaks--
Eric: Just busts through and Kevin McCallister is like, "Ugh!"
Brandon: So Umbi's gonna say—
Brandon (as Umbi): Well, it was a pleasure and I hope to see you again sometime. Uh—
Brandon: And he's, like, slowly backing up one step at a time while he's doing this, while he's saying this.
Eric (as Panorama): I'm just— I'm just really surprised that you've met the creator of the labyrinth and you're not, like, asking for clues. But okay, I guess you don't want this bag— this bag that I'm offering you. That's okay. I mean, this is— watch out— I mean, just— you know, okay. Fine. It's weird.
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah, no— no offense.
Brandon: And I'm still backstepping.
Brandon (as Umbi): No offense at all. But like someone who makes a labyrinth to— in order to trap and ensnare people might not always have the most honest or best intentions. I don't know.
Eric (as Panorama): I mean, I wouldn't say that that's why I created the labyrinth and why I was told— why I was told to do it, but I mean— I mean, you're the one being weird, not me. I'm just the one avoiding the birds. You're the one out there. I'm the one under the safe overhang, but okay, alright. Fine.
Brandon (as Umbi): Was the plant— did the Planter tell you to build this labyrinth?
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah, I— yes, yes, obviously.
Brandon (as Umbi): Okay.
Brandon: And I'm taking even, like, bigger steps back now.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, yeah. So— alright. I— that's kind of rude. I'm the— yeah, that you're too— I'm raising my voice because you're farther away from me now. So—
Brandon (as Umbi): No, I'm still the same distance. What do you mean?
Eric (as Panorama): No, you're definitely farther away. So you're the one being really weird, just because you didn't want to take my bag, but that's fine. Okay.
Brandon (as Umbi): Okay.
Eric (as Panorama): Okay.
Brandon: Amanda, am I fucking up here or should we just bail?
Amanda: No, this is great. Let's bail. Troy already walked away.
Brandon: Yeah, we're gonna bail, then.
Amanda: Troy walked away five minutes ago.
Eric (as Panorama): Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. Okay. Bye. Watch out for the birds.
Brandon (as Umbi): Bye. I will. Bye.
Eric: Cool. Alright. No points. You're still at four. It is our good friend Havana's turn. If— if you want Havana to make a move, I will. Havana is in pain, it might have some trouble here.
Amanda: Can I suggest something?
Eric: Plea— yeah, you— there's like the time— yeah, there's like an interregnum every time before you make a move, so whatever you want to do.
Amanda: Tell me, Brandon, if you have any thoughts, but I would love for Havana to, like, reach out his heart to try to locate Cammie, and try to, like, point us like in terms of how we navigate the maze. I think he should try to rely on his instincts, the Planter, his bond with Cammie and the Path to try to steer us toward where she is.
Brandon: Either that or just heal him— heal himself.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: If you want to try to reach out to the divine, you can. If you want— if you want to see if he can heal—
Amanda: I mean, that, definitely.
Eric: — doctor, heal thyself.
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Which— whichever you want.
Amanda: I definitely want him to be as stable as possible, so—
Brandon: Yeah. I think we should use this move to—
Amanda: Yeah, use the downtime for him to heal.
Brandon: Yeah.
Amanda: And then how do we navigate the maze? I think Havana uses his instincts to try to go near where Cammie is.
Eric: Hmm. Cool. Alright. Yeah. What does that— what does that look like?
Brandon: Maybe we just, like, turn a corner, and then, like, plop down on the ground for a second. And just, like, Umbi breaks out some— some creams.
Amanda: You know what? Troy unfurls one wing to act as like a parasol or an umbrella over Havana's head like shading him.
Brandon: Ooh. And blocking us from the birds.
Amanda: Uh-hmm.
Brandon: Yeah, we just— we're just like—
Brandon (as Umbi): Havana, take a rest, heal up.
Amanda (as Troy): We need you in fighting trim, bud.
Eric (as Havana): I— [groans]
Brandon (as Umbi): We need you in at least not dying trim.
Amanda (as Troy): Yup, yup, yup.
Eric (as Havana): I wasn't anticipating doing this myself, but here we go.
Amanda: You're very brave, bud.
Brandon (as Umbi): I— I'm out of potions, but I don't— otherwise I would help you.
Eric: Havana holds his hands out, then presses against the— the incision—
Amanda: His scar.
Eric: —that sliced him, and it sliced him in half. There's like a warm, green glow around his hands, and then a warm, green glow coming from his eyes. And he looks out kind of into space, talking to almost no one, a— a high, ethereal voice, he says—
Eric (as Havana): It seems like there's some sort of error. Huh, what? Okay. I'm getting— do we know— am I with the witch walking around the maze?
Amanda: Troy's eyes dart between Umbi and Havana.
Eric (as Havana): No, I'm not stalling. I'm just—I’m trying to think of the way to answer this question to you.
Brandon: Umbi has not seen Havana do much of his religious stuff, and so he's like—
Brandon (as Umbi): Troy, is this like a thing that Havana does?
Amanda (as Troy): That's why I called it a prayer hobby because he does it a lot, and I don't understand it.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, I see. I see.
Eric (as Havana): Well— well, she's not with us, obvi— in our— in our party, but I feel like you'd know if I was lying or not. So, yes, she's on the pirate crew that I— I'm on and she introduced me to the book.
Amanda (as Troy): Good, good. That's good, Havana.
Eric (as Havana): She was raised on the— she was raised on the Path, and she was cursed by a bigger witch. Yeah, rolling downhill, yeah, yeah. Okay. I will see what— yeah, I can see— I know you're watch— okay. Uh-huh. Okay. Uh-huh. Okay. Can I— yeah, I'm— I'm slight— there's— my but— my top half and my bottom half are moving in two different directions. Uh-huh. Okay.
Eric: And the glow brightens around his hands and the incision slicing him in half comes together.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, thank the Planter.
Eric: As Havana regains 7 hit points to 10.
Brandon (as Umbi): Hey, that's not bad.
Eric (as Havana): Okay.
Eric: Havana kind of, like, shakes his head and his eyes are back.
Eric (as Havana): So—
Brandon (as Umbi): What was that?
Amanda (as Troy): How'd that go?
Eric (as Havana): Good news, bad news.
Brandon (as Umbi): Okay.
Amanda (as Troy): Bad first.
Eric (as Havana): Bad first.
Brandon (as Umbi): Well, could you like mix them? Could you do half the bad and half the good?
Amanda (as Troy): No.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, sorry.
Eric (as Havana): Alright. Bad news first, I was given the divine quest to destroy the witch in the maze.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh.
Eric (as Havana): Good news, Planter is real. I met her. She's neat.
Brandon (as Umbi): Did they— did she specify what witch?
Amanda (as Troy): Because it definitely could be that sunflower.
Brandon (as Umbi): Or the Harvester.
Amanda (as Troy): Yeah.
Eric (as Havana): No, no, it was pretty—
Brandon (as Umbi): No?
Eric (as Havana): It was pretty obviously our good friend, Chamomile Cassis.
Brandon (as Umbi): Oh, okay.
Amanda (as Troy): I mean, you're not gonna, like, do that, right?
Eric (as Havana): Uhhhhhhh—
Brandon (as Umbi): Why would she want you to do that? She's the Planter.
Eric (as Havana): Right? But, like, in the di—
Amanda (as Troy): It wasn't Cammie's fault someone cursed her when she was young.
Eric (as Havana): I— I don't— it's above my paygrade to interrogate the— the— the logic here. I can only imagine it's probably bad being in the Divine Labyrinth with that, so—
Amanda (as Troy): So what I'm hearing is we have to destroy the Divine Labyrinth.
Brandon (as Umbi): That's what I heard.
Eric (as Havana): I don’t—I don't—
Amanda (as Troy): Cool. Make sure Cammie is not in the Divine Labyrinth anymore.
Eric (as Havana): Maybe, yes, it was more— yeah. You know, it was more along those lines, remove the witch from the Divine Labyrinth.
Amanda (as Troy): Okay, because that's very different, Havana.
Eric (as Havana): But I— but I kind of— but I— I have the— context clues, that's more what I was— they were looking for.
Brandon (as Umbi): I don't think you should really— I don't think you should really, like, add context clues.
Amanda (as Troy): Jump to the killing.
Eric (as Havana): I wasn't— I— I—
Brandon (as Umbi): What— what I know about the Planter book is that you should take it exactly literally and have no interpretation.
Amanda (as Troy): Only. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Eric (as Havana): That's what it seem— I— you know, it's not— we don't have any—you know, they don't have any writings explicitly about what the Planter says when the Planter says it. I thought I was trying to just like do the thing, the— the thing that I'm supposed to do. We don't have any testimonies from the Planter in this religion, so I don't—I —it's— I wo— this is kind— I'm just trying to—
Brandon (as Umbi): Okay.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, that was the bad news. What was the good?
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah. What was the good news?
Eric (as Havana): Planter is real.
Amanda (as Troy): Oh, yeah, yeah. And then she said--
Brandon (as Umbi): Yeah. Okay.
Eric (as Havana): Yeah. And, you know, big quest— the question that has plagued Greenfolk.
Amanda (as Troy): It seems like your middle there is more inside than it was outside.
Eric (as Havana): Yeah. The question that has plagued Greenfolk for millennia is...
Amanda (as Troy): Okay, cool. We can unpack like that whole thing later. For now, let's get out of here. Get Cammie, get out the maze, and burn the maze down, but I'm saying it really quietly so you don't have to tell your god about it, okay?
Eric (as Havana): I mean, it sounds like—
Amanda (as Troy): Break!
Eric (as Havana): —she's keeping watch.
Eric: Okay. So I'm gonna roll plus Survival. [dice roll] That's a 13 plus 3, that's a 16, one point.
Amanda: Yay!
Eric: So Havana's like—
Eric (as Havana): Okay, let's go this way.
Eric: Walks forward as you are now up to five points.
Brandon: Woo!
Eric: Congratulations.
Amanda: Can we cash in them now or next turn?
Eric: You can cash them in the next turn. Get out of here.
Brandon: Cool.
Amanda: Oh, no.
Eric: Hey, it's Julia.
Julia: I'm back.
Eric: Coming to your house.
Julia: It's me. Now, I took my headphones off and I put them on the other side of the room, but I still could hear--- That was a rambunctious little segment, it sounds like.
Eric: Uh-hmm. Uh-hmm. Maybe. I don't know. Maybe.
Julia: Hmm? Who can say?
Eric: Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe.
Julia: There's a lot of shouting and…
Eric: Maybe, maybe.
Julia: —I didn’t love that, but— okay. Cool.
Eric: Hey, Cammie, you have three—
Julia: Hey.
Eric: —points. What you want to do?
Julia: I do? Hmm, let me look at things that I want to do. Boop, boop. Eric Silver, there's no thing for three points, only for the other stuff. Okay.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Cool. I'm gonna keep going.
Eric: Okay.
Julia: [dice roll] [whispers] It's a Nat 20.
Eric: It's a Natural 20.
Julia: [whispers] It's a Nat 20.
Eric: I love how you're just fucking vibing your way out.
Julia: You know? You know?
Eric: You just cracked off an ear— or like a p— like a, like a hair leaf, and just boil it on top of your new lantern. Just be like, "Doo, doo, doo. This is where I go. Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo."
Julia (as Cammie): [singing] Doo, doo, doo, doo. Just gonna go with the flow.
Eric: Alright. That's— that is three points, that brings you up to six points.
Julia: Okay. Alright.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Here's what I'd like to do.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia: I'd like to use four points—
Eric: Okay.
Julia: —on a clue on how to defeat the Harvester.
Eric: A clue on Har— on how to defeat the Harvester. Interesting.
Julia: Vibes, vibes, vibes. Cammie just following the vibes. Following the steam and the smoke until she reaches the destination that is her one true heart's desire.
Eric: Here's what you do. You're just vibing your way through the labyrinth, the sme—
Julia: [sings A Thousand Miles] Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass, and I'm homebound. [humming]
Eric: [humming A Thousand Miles]
Julia: Can I get that, but that's Nonny accompanying me?
Eric (as Nonny): [Nonny humming A Thousand Miles]
Julia: Great.
Eric: Yeah. You're— you're just sniffing your way through. And as you're walking through, you— the— the labyrinth opens up into something that you know very, very well. It opens up to a plot of land that has been tilled and hoed to get ready for dropping seeds.
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Nonny, uh-oh.
Eric (as Nonny): [Nonny answers]
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah, yeah. Um. Okay.
Julia: And Cammie is going to— it looks like it's ready to have seeds planted, but the seeds have not been planted yet, correct?
Eric: Correct. Correct.
Julia: I have a farming question.
Eric: Sure.
Julia: Now, you would prep different fields in different ways depending on what is being grown.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: What does this most closely resemble in terms of like produce that would be prepared?
Eric: Well, it's funny you asked that, because this doesn't look like anything that you've seen grown—
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: —over in Open Fields.
Julia: That's what I thought.
Eric: This isn't set up for watermelons, or carrots.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: Or potatoes or tomatoes. Something else.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay. Nervous.
Julia: Cammie says out loud.
Eric: As you're standing here looking at this plot of land, you hear the heavy footfalls of boots coming around the corner. You see that you're— you kind of can enter this in two directions on the other side of the plot of land. Coming from the other side, you hear heavy boots, and maybe even the scrape of metal against the ground.
Julia: I hide.
Eric: Give me a Stealth Check real quick.
Julia: No, that's not my--
Eric: Stealth Check real quick.
Julia: No, my stealth is not very good, though. [dice roll] 12 minus 1 for an 11.
Eric: Uh-hmm.
Julia: Uh-hmm. Uh-hmm.
Eric: Cammie, you duck behind.
Julia: If I spent four points to die, I'm gonna be very upset.
Eric: Now, Cammie, you sneak back around the—sneak back around the corner, and you're hiding behind a hedge, and you kind of like a Scooby-Doo creeping your eyes out.
Julia: Yeah. Nonny's below me somehow.
Eric: Yeah, yeah. And above you, which is impressive.
Julia: The whip is below me and her head is above me.
Eric: Yeah, yeah. And you see the Harvester who walks to the center of this plot of land, lays down their scythe, kicks off their heavy boots. And just— you see just like this extension of roots just roll out. It's almost like they had to stuff the entire bottom half of, like, a root system into these boots. And the roots grab into the ground and settle.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: And the Harvester is— is now still with the scythe down on the ground.
Julia: Okay. So he has to, like, rest at times, and that's when we can maybe get the drop on him. Okay, interesting. Interesting. Good to know, good to know. Does it seem like he can sense things or is he, like, the equivalent to root systems sleeping?
Eric: Probably more the latter, I would say. Yeah, you're— as you're looking once the Harvester is settled into the ground, they're not moving. The pumpkin seed head is not moving around— I mean, the eyes or whatever, it supposedly is, like you didn't see them move in the first place, but still—
Julia: Ugh. Uh-huh.
Eric: But what do you do see, though, is the scythe begins kind of like right at the side of the Harvester. But then the scythe starts to move, and hover, and then starts making, like, circles around the Harvester.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: And as it circles around, and circles around, it's getting closer.
Julia: Cammie takes three steps back from the entrance.
Eric: And closer to where you have snuck away. And this is just my professional advice, but I'd get out of there.
Julia: Yeah, yeah, I'm doing that. I'm doing that. We're gone, we're gone. Cammie consults the map, turns around, goes another direction.
Eric: Like, "Oop didn’t want-- nope, that's not where I wanted to go."
Julia (as Cammie): Oops. Uh-oh. Uh, great.
Eric: Oops. Uh-oh.
Julia (as Cammie): I didn't know you can make a scythe in sentry mode, but I kind of like it.
Eric: Yeah, you just— there's a switch on it, yeah.
Julia: Can I roll again?
Eric: Yeah, you can roll again.
Julia: [dice roll] Alright, cool. Okay, that is a 7 plus 3 for a 10.
Eric: Ooh, it's a 10. Alright, you got one more point.
Julia: Okay. Now, you get to do a hard move on me. I've been rolling so well.
Eric: Now, this one, though, with a 10, you encounter a denizen of the hedges or you're in a bad place.
Julia: Oh. Cool. Thank God for that three in Wisdom, baby.
Eric: Yeah. Cammie, as you are ri— as you're a hustling away from the Harvester's domain.
Julia: Cool sentry scythe, yeah.
Eric: With the sen— with the cool sentry scythe. You turn a cor—
Julia: That'd be a sick metal band name, wouldn't it?
Eric: The sentry scythe? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Julia: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Eric: As you turn a corner, you see that there is an overhang that is growing kind of like in the corner of the hedge maze. It's like grown out and over, so it's like a little bit of a shelter.
Julia: Okay.
Eric: You also noticed all over the ground, around this shelter, are notebooks that just have tons of writing, tons and tons of writing in it. And you realized that those writing has come from a Greenfolk who you see in there.
Julia (as Cammie): Oh!
Eric: Who is sitting at a desk underneath the overhang. It's a Greenfolk woman who has a real body and is a real— is a real person.
Julia: Great.
Eric: She's wearing a peasant dress. She has a rope tied around her waist with, like, two bags kind of on either side of her hips.
Julia: Cool.
Eric: But she is very intently writing in a notebook right now. You also noticed that she is a sunflower Greenfolk.
Julia: Aw.
Eric: And all of her petals are white.
Julia: Aw. That's so cute. Cammie goes—
Julia (as Cammie): Avast Ye!
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, hello. Very nice to meet you. How is it going in the Labyrinth?
Julia (as Cammie): It's going— I would give it, out of 10, a 6?
Eric (as Panorama): 6? Okay, okay.
Julia (as Cammie): How about you?
Eric (as Panorama): I —you know—
Julia (as Cammie): How's your labyrinth experience?
Eric (as Panorama): Good. I mean, I'm a little— I'm a little bit too close to it to be able to properly judge it myself.
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): But I think today, I— I— I'm feeling— I'm lighter— I'm being lighter on myself, so I'd say a seven. Close to yours.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay.
Eric (as Panorama): Close to yours.
Julia (as Cammie): Cool. I'm Cammie. Have you been in here for a long time?
Eric (as Panorama): You know— Cammie, hello, it's nice to meet you.
Julia (as Cammie): Hello.
Eric (as Panorama): I am Panorama. It's nice to meet you.
Julia (as Cammie): What a great name.
Eric (as Panorama): Thank you. You're giving me such good vibes right now. This is so great. Usually, I don't talk—
Julia (as Cammie): I try to just have great vibes.
Eric (as Panorama): Usually, I don't talk to people who are in the labyrinth, but— okay, but I will— I will with you. It's fine. It's fine.
Julia (as Cammie): Aw.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah, I created— I— I grew the labyrinth, I did.
Julia (as Cammie): Whoa. You must be, I mean this in the nicest way, so old.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah. Oh, you know, it's— yeah, I guess. Yes. But— and you know, with the wiggles and it's like— I'm sorry that you're having a six. I feel like it's my fault.
Julia (as Cammie): You know what? It's not. It's more the other people in the labyrinth that I've been having a little bit of a struggle with, besides my friends who are also in here. But like—
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh.
Julia (as Cammie): —overall, been fun. I was told this was like a museum, but so far I have only seen like, a couple of statues but, like, I don't think that you designed it to be a museum. I think I just misunderstood when someone said it was like a museum.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, okay. Yeah, there's a lot— honestly, that's a lot to take in. I'm— I— there's a lot of things that you just said that I feel like I'm just, like, ping-ponging back and forth in all these things.
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah. Seems— oh, I mean, well, first of all, I'd say I can't take all the credit. I was divinely blessed by the Planter, to give me the plans—
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): —to put the labyrinth together and it was just a whole thing, so I can't take a lot of the credit, but it's— but— so, like, I'm sorry, but also, not my fault.
Julia (as Cammie): You know what? The thing as well is people like to think that like, "Oh, this is like a million doubloom idea." And then think that that's worth all that without actually putting it into practice. So, really, I think your value is extremely high and you're underselling yourself.
Eric (as Panorama): Oh, my God. Thank you. I wish I could tell you more about what it was like putting it together. I just cannot-- slipped out of the old petal noggin, you know?
Julia (as Cammie): It's been a while I imagined, so you know?
Eric (as Panorama): A little bit, a little bit.
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): Well, good luck in the labyrinth.
Julia (as Cammie): Thanks.
Eric (as Panorama): If I could give you some advice—
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): —watch out for the birds.
Julia (as Cammie): The birds? Okay.
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-hmm. Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): Do you also have a vague idea which way the grove is or—
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah. I mean, I could draw you— I could definitely draw you some— yeah, do you want me to draw you a map?
Julia (as Cammie): You want to compare it to my map?
Julia: And then Cammie pulls out her map that she made from the observation tower.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah. Wow. This is like really good for, like, a child or someone—
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): —who got kicked in the head by a bush donkey.
Julia (as Cammie): Thanks.
Eric (as Panorama): But this is so good.
Julia (as Cammie): Yeah. Well, you know, I didn't— I— it wasn't divinely put in my brain or anything. I just kind of, like, looked down and tried to jot out the best I could.
Eric (as Panorama): No, it's— I— it's— it's really— it's wonderful, and I can—
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): I— I see from kind of you, like, your— your— at your marks and your— like your corners and your elevation that you dealt with a deep trauma as a child and that's being reflected in your cartography.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay.
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh.
Julia (as Cammie): Interesting.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah. So I think the layout, if I could just give you like two— two quick tips for laying—
Julia (as Cammie): Birds.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah. For this. One, watch out for the birds, and—
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): —two, I would love to help you out with the map. Well, I guess one would be watch out for the birds, two, definitely save yourself, make sure other people get eaten by the birds. And then if you do want me to draw you something, I can work off of this, but I need you to just, like, put it down on the ground because I can't— you can't come inside of the— of this— of the overhang, of the— of the shelter.
Julia (as Cammie): Oh.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah, because of the birds. I stay in here so-- because the birds won't— can't get me.
Julia (as Cammie): Oh.
Eric (as Panorama): Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay.
Julia: Can I do a quick Arcana Check and/or Perception Check to make sure some birds are not about to fucking murder me?
Eric: I would say Perception Check for that.
Julia: It's a 13 plus 3 for a 16.
Eric: For a 16, you have not seen any birds since you've been in here.
Julia: Have I heard any birds?
Eric: No.
Julia: Is this person maybe being divinely punished in some way by birds that I cannot see or hear?
Eric: Maybe. You don't know for sure with a 16.
Julia: Uh-hmm.
Eric: But you are not sure that there are not birds. You have just not seen or heard birds since you've been in here.
Julia (as Cammie): Panorama.
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh.
Julia (as Cammie): I'm a little concerned that if I get too close to you, I also will be burdened by the knowledge of what the birds will do to you. Does that make sense?
Eric (as Panorama): Well— interesting. Well, also, I'm concerned that you're going to come into my shelter, and then having two people inside of the shelter will then allow the birds to smell us, and then come get me. So that's why—
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): —you can't come into the shelter. Also, if you do want a map, I need you to hold some— can you hold this for me?
Eric: As she takes one of the bags and offers it to you.
Julia (as Cammie): What's in it?
Eric (as Panorama): You know, stuff.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay. You know what?
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh.
Julia (as Cammie): You've done a great job with this labyrinth. I'd love to see more. So I'm gonna get going.
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh.
Julia (as Cammie): And I think that you are doing a wonderful job. And if you are cursed to dwell in this labyrinth forever, please let me know, and I'll try to end that curse for you.
Eric (as Panorama): No, I am not cursed. I'm just like being—
Julia (as Cammie): Wonderful.
Eric (as Panorama): —super careful about the birds. Like, you're looking at me like I'm weird, and I think you're being weird for not, like, understanding how to protect yourself from the birds.
Julia (as Cammie): No, I completely understand.
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh.
Julia (as Cammie): I grew up in Open Fields so, like, we know a lot about, like, birds trying to eat all the seeds and the seedlings and stuff. So—
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Julia (as Cammie): —I am going to— I don't want to endanger you, and I don't want to endanger myself, so I'm going to keep moving and be concerned about those birds.
Eric (as Panorama): Okay. I mean, I can— I guess I could just write— hold— okay. Hold on.
Julia (as Cammie): It's okay. You know what? I don't— I know I asked for help, but I realized that's an inconvenience and, you know, I don't want to put that on you.
Eric (as Panorama): No, I mean, I haven't— like, I haven't really seen anyone lately. So I would love to help, just give me like two seconds.
Eric: She goes into the notebook, and she just like pulls out a— she rips out a bunch of pieces of paper, and is just like scribbling really quickly, just drawing a map for you.
Eric (as Panorama): It's like— if you just hold on for like five seconds, I can do this so quickly. I know— it's right in my head. It's on— so it's in my head, I just put it down in the paper, and I just write it and I just— do it. And it goes this and this way, the grove, and this— and go around. Okay. And you gotta go around, of course, because that's where the thing is. Yeah, for sure. And here you go.
Eric: And spread out, like, amongst four pieces of paper is like an incredibly rough drawn map leading you directly to where the grove is.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay.
Eric: Panorama then puts it on the ground and, like, lets the air like—
Julia: Scootches it towards me?
Eric: It's like— yeah, and it goes [blows] and like blows the— blows the pieces of paper outside of the— of the shadow of the overhang.
Eric (as Panorama): So it's like— yeah. Okay. I labeled it 1, 2, 3, 4, put it down on the ground, and then just, like— you can arrange it and that will be good for you.
Julia: Okay, I'm gonna take those.
Eric: Yeah.
Julia (as Cammie): Panorama.
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh.
Julia (as Cammie): Thank you. I really appreciate it.
Eric (as Panorama): You're welcome.
Julia (as Cammie): I hope you have a wonderful day in the labyrinth, and that all your future days are 10 out of 10s.
Eric (as Panorama): I'm working on it. I hope that you have a good time. And again, watch out for the birds.
Julia (as Cammie): Uh-hmm.
Eric (as Panorama): And if you have someone with you, make sure you're prepared to push them into the birds if that ever happens.
Julia (as Cammie): Okay. Int—
Eric (as Panorama): Uh-huh.
Julia (as Cammie): Interesting strategy, and I will keep that in mind.
Eric (as Panorama): Okay. Have a good day in the labyrinth. Also, you go around— just like can you— just keep a wide berth arou— away from the shelter?
Julia (as Cammie): You got it.
Eric (as Panorama): Just away.
Julia (as Cammie): Not going to be anywhere near you.
Eric (as Panorama): Okay, great. That's fine. Wonderful. Thank you.
Julia (as Cammie): Bye.
Eric (as Panorama): Bye. Have a good day. I'll see you around.
Julia: God, I hope not. And Cammie leaves.
Eric: Alright. Cammie, how many points do you have?
Julia: Three. Can I roll one more time before we switch it back?
Eric: Roll— yeah. Roll one more time, really quickly.
Julia: Alright, alright. Come on, come on. [dice roll] How's a 16 plus 3 sound for a 19?
Eric: Well, that gives you three more points, my friend.
Julia: Uh-hmm. I'm gonna use those to go to the grove.
Eric: Incredible. Hold on one moment.
Julia: Oh, is the squad at the grove?
Brandon: Julia is not going away?
Julia: Squad’s at the grove?
Amanda: Julia's here!
Julia: I did it!
Eric: It is now Troy, Umbi, and Havana's turn. What would you like to do?
Brandon: You know what we want to do, baby.
Amanda: Spend those five points.
Eric: Do you want to go to the grove?
Amanda: Oh, yeah.
Brandon: I wanna—
Julia: Grove, Grove, Grove.
Brandon: —spend those points!
Julia: Grove, Grove, Grove.
Eric: Okay.
Amanda: Give me a vowel. Is that right? Is that a good reference?
Julia: Yeah, you're gonna buy a vowel.
Brandon: Uh-hmm.
Julia: I love that.
Amanda: Plinko!
Eric: As you walk through the labyrinth, the narrow hallways of the hedge maze open up into a center circle. Inside of that circle is an overgrown thicket of plant life that you cannot look through. It— all different types of trees and reeds and bushes. Anything green on God's green disc grows here. And it seems nearly impenetrable, except for the one canopy leading to a sun-dappled meadow and big oak trees with plenty of places to lay down in the shade and fall asleep. But standing in front—
Brandon (as Umbi): Oops.
Eric: But standing in front of that opening, you see is a tree stump who says—
Eric (as Tree Stump): If you want to enter the grove, you have to answer my riddles three.
Amanda: Oh, shit.
[Brandon laughs]
[theme]