0:05

This is the sound of worlds

0:07

beyond number. Summering

0:35

throughout the beer garden, soldiers lean over,

0:37

excitedly asking others to explain the elements

0:39

of the story that they had missed.

0:42

Peering over, huddling in groups, asking for

0:44

clarification, we even see the wizard sworn

0:46

standing up to turn around and say,

0:49

what do you, hold, hold on, what

0:51

do you mean? The wizard, the arc-made

0:53

silence appeared in the sky. He

0:56

leveled his staff and he smote

0:58

the great bullfrog. You see, someone

1:00

leans and says, well I didn't hear

1:03

that he smote, what did he do,

1:05

smote? I mean, I, the, the,

1:07

the, the, the, I'd met a sailor

1:09

board, one of the sky ships

1:11

who was there, who saw, the spirit

1:14

appeared, it tried to make a

1:16

noise, and you see sworn interrupt and

1:18

says, the great bullfrog is a

1:20

great spirit. Are you saw. And in

1:22

a couple places you see that

1:24

the imperial soldiers who are talking animatedly,

1:27

excitedly, are being met with looks of

1:29

wonder and trepidation and awe by

1:31

Citadel Wizards who have some understanding

1:33

of the arcane significance of this.

1:36

You see the imperial soldier turned

1:38

up to sworn and say, I

1:40

mean it was incredibly, I mean

1:42

the monster was huge, it was

1:44

incredibly impressive, but it was, you

1:47

know, it was a giant frog. You see

1:49

sworn go, well, Frog or otherwise, that's

1:51

not the classification that we're worried about

1:53

here. It was a great spirit. Did

1:56

you see it? Was it bound or

1:58

was it? And you see... Another Guildmage

2:00

walks up and says, I believe

2:03

that the spell, whatever it was,

2:05

bound, endured, and cast away. There

2:07

was no injury upon the creature,

2:09

though it looked, looked as though

2:12

it was in a great deal

2:14

of pain. I don't think it

2:16

was having a good day, certainly.

2:18

And you see sworn, sort of

2:20

stare ahead and go. Raise

2:26

a glass to the wizard silence and

2:28

he raises it up and you see

2:30

that the wizard's cheer He slams it

2:32

back and you see that someone else

2:34

leans in and goes The spirit was

2:37

responsible for the flooding of the rivers

2:39

and everything that we had seen so

2:41

with those rivers dry We'll be able

2:43

to circle around and I think the

2:46

push to 12 Brooks is going to

2:48

be much easier now with that spirit

2:50

banished of George killed whatever As this

2:52

is happening first line you see the

2:54

wizard in those red robes make

2:57

eye contact with you

2:59

as someone speaks to

3:02

him from across the

3:04

bar. I hold his

3:06

case. Can I make

3:08

an inside check on

3:10

his inspiration? Yes. Natural

3:12

20. Oh! You are

3:14

looking at one of

3:16

the most evil men

3:19

you have ever seen.

3:21

You are not mortal.

3:23

And this... Human man

3:25

is so much more

3:28

inhuman than you. You

3:30

look into his soul

3:33

and see a reptilian

3:35

abacus of power staring

3:38

back at you. He

3:40

begins to walk across

3:43

the bar to you.

3:45

I stand and start

3:47

to move to meet

3:50

him. He approaches and

3:52

says, of Silbury, of pleasure.

3:54

What is your name? I am

3:56

cold, the wizard keen of the

3:59

glass coronet. The

4:01

Glass Corinette. Yes, a guild

4:04

of majors in service to

4:06

the crown. I have just

4:08

been informed that we have

4:11

you to thank for your

4:13

heroism and guidance through Hallaker

4:15

Forest that saved the wizard's

4:18

silver and his citadel and

4:20

imperial forces stationed in Abyssin,

4:22

and that you are a

4:25

companion true of the wizard's

4:27

guy. Yes, I'm in her

4:29

service. Marvelous. May

4:32

I ask how the

4:34

Wizard's Guy came into

4:36

the service of such

4:38

a powerful spirit to

4:41

lead this imperial battalion

4:43

through the heart of

4:45

Hallaker Forest? Childhood friends.

4:47

Is that an honest

4:49

answer? Yes. And to

4:51

think that your services,

4:54

I am concluding by

4:56

your statement, freely given,

4:58

due to the true

5:00

friendship of you based

5:02

in childhood. I would

5:05

say earned. A testament

5:07

to the wizard's guy

5:09

that her friendship inspires

5:11

such loyalty. Well, a

5:13

pleasure to make your

5:15

acquaintance and thank you

5:18

for your service to

5:20

the empire. He turns

5:22

and wants him. see

5:24

who he is talking

5:26

to and how they

5:28

hold him. He is

5:31

speaking to a few

5:33

other guildmages and the

5:35

wizard slain, that very

5:37

intense warmaid of the

5:39

Citadel, that greeted you

5:42

first on your way

5:44

in. The guildmages regard

5:46

keen with a mix

5:48

of fear and... respect

5:50

and And slain is

5:52

looking at him with

5:55

a contempt that you

5:57

take as being. Keen

5:59

is a very soft

6:01

man. He's dressed in

6:03

silk. His hands are

6:06

soft. He's here shuttling

6:08

supplies. And you don't

6:10

know what the glass

6:12

coronet does. But you

6:14

know that people are

6:16

afraid of this guy

6:19

and looking at slain

6:21

in the contempt. He

6:23

holds keen in. You

6:25

begin to feel that

6:27

keen. wheels of power

6:30

that someone who is a

6:32

combatant doesn't respect and that

6:34

people that want station and

6:37

authority do. Ami, what are you

6:39

doing here in the beer garden?

6:41

The second that I start

6:44

hearing great bullfrog, banishment,

6:46

habituation, I start making

6:48

my way through the

6:50

crowd to Ursulain. Ursulain,

6:52

you are joined in this moment

6:54

by Ami. The fox comes up

6:56

with a bag of coins around

6:58

his neck. Clean Hall, boss. We're

7:01

looking good. Good job,

7:03

Fox. Ursuline? Yes. Have

7:05

you been hearing the

7:07

rumors around? Sounds like

7:10

they've banished, or in

7:12

some way, captured the

7:15

great bullfrog? Yes. We

7:17

have to get out of here.

7:19

We have to... We can't

7:21

be here. We're going to

7:24

cut back into the governor's

7:26

hall as the mirror fades.

7:28

Lady Eremen turns to you and

7:31

says, Wizard Sky, I'm given leave

7:33

to take you to your quarters,

7:35

which are of course here in

7:37

the Governor's Hall, but I may

7:39

also remand you to the custody

7:41

of your adoring soldiers who I'm

7:44

sure wish to drink your health.

7:46

Thank you. If you wouldn't mind

7:48

showing me my quarters, I would

7:50

deeply appreciate it. And I think

7:53

there's a look here that is...

7:55

Stevie is not a hardened

7:57

soldier and there's just

8:00

a little bit of

8:02

like I'm one fancy sort

8:04

of fancy person looking at another

8:06

fancy person like please feel me

8:08

in this vibe like I would

8:10

love a hot bath and just

8:12

clean up please

8:16

she's looks even says gladly right this

8:18

way and I think a bath should be

8:20

drawn yes thank you she walks

8:22

with you beautifully appointed quarters it's fair

8:24

this is way more rustic than port

8:26

Talon Bracken is like a little bit

8:28

of a smaller city and not only

8:31

that but it's not a port city

8:33

so there's not like a lot of

8:35

trade goods that come through so it's

8:37

like a beautiful queen bed and and

8:39

beautiful citadel sheets on the mattress that's

8:41

a little lumpy sort of like governor

8:43

this sort like rustic governor's man's but

8:45

she leans you in very white and

8:48

clean as a big silver tub and

8:50

you see that she comes over and

8:52

taps these two little hovering crystal stones

8:54

and a small portal opens between them

8:56

and hot water begins to pour out thank

9:00

you so much and

9:02

yeah Suvi will take a

9:04

little bit of time

9:06

just to clean up I

9:08

think she does that

9:10

moment in the bathtub where

9:13

you like let your

9:15

head sink under and screams

9:17

really loudly because it's

9:19

all a lot and it's

9:21

been a lot and it's

9:23

over now and

9:26

her best friends her

9:28

true friends asked

9:30

her to keep her

9:32

eyes and ears and

9:34

senses open to something

9:37

foul in the citadel

9:39

in the empire and

9:41

she cannot get the

9:43

stench out of her nose you

9:54

emerge from the

9:56

bath clean hot water

9:59

feels Like,

10:01

at least your body can

10:03

be made pure, though your mind

10:05

is filled with horrifying thoughts.

10:07

You walk back out into your

10:09

quarters for the first time,

10:11

change of clothes, you've been traveling

10:13

in the wilderness for two

10:15

weeks. What

10:18

is, is there anything else you do

10:20

here in this chamber? I think the last

10:22

thing is, as she sort of setting

10:24

her hair to rights, like, oh, you got

10:26

your hair wet, but you do have

10:28

to handle it, the shrinkage will kill you.

10:31

CV pulls out, like, a little

10:33

brush, and it's small with,

10:35

like, little bore bristles, but, like,

10:37

the handle is, like, mother

10:40

of pearl. It's really, really nice.

10:42

And as she brushes her

10:44

hair, and sort of detangles it

10:46

and lets the curl pattern

10:48

come back, she's going to brush

10:50

the color teal back into

10:52

it. So she appears as, like,

10:54

who she thinks of as

10:56

the wizard's guy when she goes

10:59

back out to go rejoin

11:01

her friends. And

11:03

as she sort of finishes

11:05

putting herself together and puts

11:07

her clothes on and, like,

11:09

re -kits herself, when she, like,

11:11

goes to hook her spellbook

11:14

onto, like, the little sling

11:16

on her belt, she remembers

11:18

that ping when asked about

11:20

the glass spider and is

11:22

going to open the book.

11:26

You open the book and

11:28

begin to thumb through

11:30

it, and in the exact

11:32

placement on the front

11:34

inside cover, much like where

11:37

it would be positioned

11:39

on the inside lid of

11:41

a music box, is

11:43

a little mirrored spider. And

11:45

you see, upon being

11:47

observed, you

11:49

swear to God the

11:52

head tilts for a

11:54

second to look up

11:56

and then goes still

11:58

again. Ha -ha -ha! C .V.

12:00

laughs delightably, uh, and

12:02

then... balancing the book in one hand

12:04

she does half of the little like high

12:06

salute and winks at it. There's a

12:08

momentary pause little flat

12:10

shard of mirror head looks

12:13

left and right and it

12:15

skitters and does its little

12:17

salute head spins and a

12:19

little circle over it and

12:21

you see it crawls around

12:23

in the book excitedly and

12:25

then looks and sort of

12:27

after salutian does a very

12:29

deep little bow where it

12:32

puts this little spider butt

12:34

up high in its head down

12:36

low and looks up expectantly

12:38

at you. Do you want

12:40

to stay with me? It's not enthusiastically.

12:44

Oh, great. Where would you like to

12:46

stay? I, so. And Suvee just

12:48

immediately starts speaking to it. Like,

12:50

I don't know, she's just caught

12:53

in this moment of like, oh,

12:55

a little guy that understands.

12:57

Maybe it's best if you're

12:59

not seen all the time, but

13:02

wherever you would like to be

13:04

most comfortable, you can be. I like

13:06

that you want to stay. And

13:08

like, she was just doing like

13:10

the little kid. It's not like a

13:12

pet in a, like, pejorative way,

13:14

but like, I have a little

13:16

secret friend. And it's just sort

13:19

of getting very like... curled around

13:21

her book and like losing a

13:23

lot of her like composure and

13:25

decorum. You see that the spider upon being

13:27

told to stay where it likes to

13:29

stay. You see it runs around the

13:31

little spot on the inside cover of

13:34

your spellbook where it can once again

13:36

be like a little embossment under the

13:38

lid or cover of something. And you see

13:40

it sort of thinks for a

13:42

second and you see that it

13:45

spins up its butt in a

13:47

little circle and does the thing

13:49

that you've seen to do before

13:52

which is project. It projects two

13:54

letters and then a punctuation. And

13:56

you see that it has clearly

13:58

spent time crawling. around in your

14:00

spell book. So your own

14:03

handwriting comes out in these little

14:05

projections, little captures of your

14:07

own writing, and you see it

14:09

goes, okay, question mark. Yeah,

14:14

yes, yes, yes! What if you

14:16

want? Where if you want? It

14:19

projects some more letters. It

14:22

protects the word good, and you

14:24

see it skitters back and then

14:26

comes back and projects, sorry. And

14:28

you see it looks, it sort

14:30

of runs around in a circle

14:32

again, and you see it projects

14:34

the music box and an image

14:37

of its recording of the music

14:39

box in the library. And then

14:41

it projects an image of rasper

14:43

from when he took the

14:45

music box from you on the

14:47

ship. And you can see a

14:49

recording of the spider's own memory

14:51

of him walking away and it

14:53

jumping off, scuttling after you and

14:55

going into your spell book. Never

14:58

ever apologize for that.

15:00

That's one, it's not

15:02

the first, but it's definitely in the

15:04

long list of very cool and very correct

15:06

and very good things that you've done.

15:08

Do you a name? Little

15:11

no comes out on the...

15:13

Oh, do you want one?

15:15

You don't have to have one. That's

15:17

not necessary. I have a friend that's

15:19

just a fox. And it's just a

15:21

fox, not like nothing capitalized. The

15:24

spider sort of tilts

15:26

its head back and

15:28

forward and projects out

15:30

the word task. And

15:33

you see it protects the word task

15:35

in front and you see that it

15:37

sort of run, it circles around

15:39

the projection scratching its own head, confused.

15:42

And then steps back

15:44

and it projects

15:46

book, not task.

15:50

I like

15:52

book. Bad

15:54

to book, not

15:56

task. Question mark.

16:00

I like Book Not Task.

16:03

It looks up at you and

16:05

projects against seeing you, like

16:07

trying to reason with it. It

16:09

shows task and then projects

16:12

the music box. And then

16:14

it projects again saying,

16:16

task everything. Book

16:18

not task. Book

16:21

new. Book

16:24

not good. Okay.

16:27

You did the task. It's

16:29

done and you can be

16:32

here and the book is

16:34

the book is good and we

16:36

can come up.

16:38

I feel like I'm

16:40

dealing with an existential crisis

16:42

right now and that's

16:44

fun. So we're the same

16:46

that way. Stay

16:48

in the book. I've got an excellent set

16:51

of tasks for you. You're going to

16:53

be my interface with this head

16:55

spins.

16:57

And it projects

16:59

the words only

17:02

task, task good. Name,

17:06

task, question mark?

17:08

Yes. It salutes

17:10

with its little spinning head to

17:12

you and task the spider

17:14

goes and goes into the embossment

17:16

of your book. And as she

17:19

closes it and like gives the book

17:21

a little hug and her spell book

17:23

a little hug and replaces it on

17:25

that like sling on her hip. As

17:27

she walks out, she just gives a

17:29

little smile to herself and says, I

17:31

am always better with the task and

17:33

it's going to go find her friend. Ami

17:38

and Ursulon at the beer garden.

17:40

Ami, you closing on Ursulon

17:42

saying these words that you have

17:44

to say. What would you

17:46

like to be doing at this

17:48

moment? I would lead us

17:50

out. Okay. As you exit out

17:52

into the cool night, hearing

17:55

the cheering and revelry from inside

17:57

the beer garden. walking

18:00

across the plaza is

18:03

soovy. Hey, hi. Okay,

18:05

I feel like I've

18:07

walked into a suboptimal

18:10

vibe. What's going on?

18:12

Am I? They bound

18:15

another great spirit. What

18:17

you mean? The great

18:19

bullfrog. Your mentor. Silence

18:22

Tim. What? Now the

18:24

rivers of the Trout

18:26

Mountains will run dry.

18:29

and they will advance

18:32

to the next point.

18:34

The arc-made silence did

18:36

something to the great

18:39

bullfrog. The soldiers inside

18:41

tell stories of the

18:43

arc-made silence appearing above

18:46

the great bullfrog. In

18:48

some way, taking his

18:50

voice. And then... Bannishing

18:53

him...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a......a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a......a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a...a... Oh. Like the

18:55

sorceress did to the

18:57

rock that you flew?

19:00

Possibly. You don't know.

19:02

Do I know? When

19:04

they say bound and

19:07

obdured, what that might

19:09

entail? You have the

19:11

words of soldiers. You

19:14

know, the people that

19:16

viewed this. It's a

19:18

secondhand story. It's come

19:21

from the front lines.

19:23

It's clearly being celebrated.

19:25

Because it seems to

19:28

indicate that it's a

19:30

turning point in the

19:32

war. And unfortunately not

19:35

having witnessed it, you're

19:37

dealing with the same

19:39

fog of war and

19:42

rumor as everybody else.

19:44

We just have the

19:46

rumors. We don't know

19:49

for sure what happened.

19:51

I apologize. I apologize.

19:53

I apologize for what

19:56

will be a follow-up.

20:00

The spirit is

20:02

three. Great bullfrog?

20:04

The queen of

20:06

coins? King of

20:08

knight. Is there

20:10

a world in

20:12

which the great

20:14

bullfrog is anything

20:17

like the man in

20:19

black? And perhaps this

20:22

is an event worth

20:24

celebrating. of rivers and

20:27

festivals. He, as far

20:30

as I know, has

20:32

no war-like intentions. He

20:35

has only ever protected

20:37

the people along the

20:40

live when... I don't

20:42

believe that this is

20:44

a cause for celebration.

20:47

Not for all the

20:49

people who... for whom

20:51

that river is their

20:53

lifeblood. Inside

20:55

the beer garden, you see LaHown point

20:57

out and go, there she is! A

21:00

group of your soldiers rush out and

21:02

say, three cheers for the wizard

21:04

sky! And begin to rush around

21:06

as they're going to, like, lift you

21:09

up and, like, care with you into

21:11

the beer garden. As they are running

21:13

out, I'm going to turn to the

21:15

two of you. Is your intention to

21:17

leave now? No, I'll be leaving me

21:20

on tomorrow. Okay. We'll talk more later.

21:22

if you want to go get going.

21:24

And I'm going to like step

21:26

back from them to try to

21:28

like meet the group. And happily,

21:31

crowd surfed my way into my

21:33

victory party. Ami and

21:35

Ursula on outside. Where do

21:37

you go in this moment? As

21:39

you see, Suvy carried a loft

21:42

in the arms of her adoring

21:44

soldiers. A sworn raises the glass

21:46

as the first to put a

21:48

tanker to veil in your hand.

21:51

People cheering. For Ursulon

21:53

and Amme, where do you go

21:55

this night? Can we look at that

21:58

pocket watch you have? Why

22:01

are me? What if they've

22:04

managed to bind the

22:06

great bullfrog? What if

22:08

he's out there, not

22:11

far away? Then he

22:13

will wait. I seek

22:15

first the children of

22:17

the Renault. But surely

22:19

he was here at their

22:22

behest. He's

22:24

important to them. He

22:26

is. And he's a

22:28

great spirit. Ami,

22:31

give me Arcana, but

22:34

I want you to

22:37

use wisdom instead of

22:39

intelligence. 15. There's

22:42

something here. On a

22:44

15, you can't be quite

22:46

sure, but there's

22:49

something here. These

22:51

different points connect.

22:53

There is a

22:55

connection between the

22:58

gift of these

23:00

children. were afraid

23:02

because their children had

23:04

the gift. And there's

23:06

something in those, that soldier's

23:08

story, which is meant to

23:11

be a story of camaraderie

23:13

and victory and the citadel

23:15

overcoming the forces of the

23:17

spirit and of nature and,

23:19

you know, the power and

23:21

craft of mortal wizards. And

23:24

there's some connection. There's

23:26

something that doesn't make

23:28

sense why... In the

23:30

story, the bullfrog wasn't

23:32

attacking 12 Brooks, and

23:34

I think there's a

23:36

moment where you wonder

23:38

why did the great

23:40

bullfrog appear? The great

23:43

bullfrog, I think he appeared

23:45

because the Renault asked him,

23:47

because their children, the ones

23:50

who have his gift, have

23:52

gone missing. We need

23:54

his help. In addition to

23:56

helping him. I do not

23:58

need his help. I

24:02

can do this. I will do

24:04

this. I am tired of waiting.

24:06

I am tired of leaning on

24:09

others. Tonight, I will

24:11

celebrate with my friend.

24:13

And tomorrow, I will

24:15

help those children. You

24:18

can help them by

24:20

finding the great bullfrog.

24:22

Then I'll make you

24:24

go and find the great

24:26

bullfrog. And when I

24:29

have helped the children.

24:31

I will come and

24:34

find you. Please

24:36

be safe. You

24:38

was what? Perhaps.

24:40

May I see

24:42

which way? Your

24:44

watch points. I

24:47

feel that surely

24:49

it will lead

24:51

me into the

24:54

great bullfrog.

24:56

I produced

24:58

the watch.

25:00

Southeast. Ursula, you

25:02

hear the shouts and

25:04

cheers from inside the

25:07

beer garden. Are you

25:09

leaving on that? I

25:12

must make some preparations

25:14

and then I

25:16

will go find

25:18

the great bullfrog.

25:20

Have a good evening. You

25:23

as well. Send my

25:25

love to Suvee. I

25:27

will. As

25:30

Ursuline re-enters the

25:32

beer garden, the

25:34

fox looks up

25:36

at Amme. What's the

25:38

plan, boss? We reprovision.

25:41

Then we'll talk to

25:43

somebody who saw what

25:46

happened. Okay. Where do

25:48

you want to go right

25:50

now? Do I know where

25:53

any leadership is that would

25:55

have seen this or know

25:57

where this went down? Okay.

25:59

Give me a investigation check.

26:02

18. At one of the

26:04

outside tables, a little quieter,

26:06

drinking something a little bit

26:08

stiffer than ale out of

26:10

a rock's glass, you see

26:12

that there is a skyship

26:15

pilot of an imperial skyship,

26:17

Colonel Jehera Armand, about mid-forties,

26:19

kind of. thin, wind-swept-looking woman,

26:21

short, kind of serious-looking. She's

26:23

with someone else who is

26:25

smoking a long cigar with

26:28

her, who seems to be

26:30

sort of just trading small,

26:32

soft stories out here. They're

26:34

getting away from sort of

26:36

the hustle of muscle off

26:38

the crowd. But a soldier

26:41

that you're aware of points

26:43

to her as a pilot

26:45

of a skyship that was

26:47

present in 12 Brooks when

26:49

this happened. What do you

26:51

do as you approach? Hail

26:54

and well met. Colonel, I'm

26:56

Amme, a friend of the

26:58

Wizard Skye. Amme, uh, oh,

27:00

you're the, you're the witch

27:02

that's embedded with, uh, Sky's

27:04

unit. Yes, we went and

27:07

retrieved the garrison. Thank you

27:09

very much for your service.

27:11

We appreciate, it's an incredible

27:13

aid to have civilian guidance

27:15

in a place like the

27:17

Shrad Mountains. Yes, um... The

27:20

Wizard Silver did say it

27:22

would be great to have

27:24

standard issue, which is in

27:26

every unit. Absolutely. I heard

27:28

that you came back lately

27:30

from 12 Brooks. Yes. Yes.

27:33

Is it true what they

27:35

say? Give me a persuasion

27:37

check. Ekeen on the dye,

27:39

that's a 25. Oh! She

27:41

looks at you and says,

27:43

well, I don't know what

27:46

they're saying, but... The celebration

27:48

is well earned. We'll be

27:50

able to make a move.

27:52

I could already see the

27:54

river's lessening as we were

27:56

flying away. Did

28:00

you see the monster?

28:02

Saw something. It didn't

28:05

seem like a monster,

28:07

necessarily. I mean, it

28:09

was an enormous frog.

28:11

You could see it

28:13

from the sky. I

28:15

could see it from

28:17

the helm. You know,

28:19

it was massive. It

28:21

took up, you know,

28:24

a good-sized section of

28:26

the lake just by itself.

28:28

green-wreathed and flowers and swamp

28:30

grass and the noise it

28:32

made is it started to

28:34

breathe in was just enormous

28:36

and then bright light. The

28:38

Archimage Silence appeared. I've never

28:40

been present at a battle

28:42

before where an Archimage of

28:44

the Citadel appeared. I do

28:46

of course hear stories, but

28:48

that's not a resource that

28:50

gets spent lightly. And you

28:52

can see why, because used

28:55

sparingly it's completely turned the tide

28:57

of battle here. Silence,

29:00

I mean, my mother was,

29:02

you know, serving in the

29:05

Imperial infantry when Silence was

29:07

first named to the Citadel,

29:09

and she told stories about

29:12

him being an incredible combatant,

29:14

but in my lifetime he's

29:16

been, for all intents, purposes,

29:19

retired. Well, one of

29:21

my dear friends' duties was

29:23

indeed feeding him very

29:25

soft cookies. Nothing soft about

29:28

him that day. He appeared, leveled

29:30

his staff of the Citadel

29:32

at Spirit, breathed in. You know,

29:34

I've seen Padstone before, I've

29:37

seen 12 Brooks before, but it's

29:39

right now, there's been so much

29:41

combat, it's traded hands a

29:43

few times, right now, Imperial

29:45

forces have a garrison there,

29:48

but they're pressed in on all

29:50

sides, they've had supply lines cut

29:52

off for... Better part of a

29:54

week we can have right now. So

29:57

pushing through to try to get to

29:59

the garrison and the imperial forces

30:01

there. But yeah, I don't

30:03

know how Gouthmae reached it

30:05

or how they turned the

30:08

spirit, but the spirit appeared.

30:10

It breathed in and it

30:12

was looking, that was the

30:15

funny part, it's eyes, big

30:17

buggy eyes, and silence was

30:19

there and all of his

30:21

sort of radiant attire. And

30:24

it's hard to tell with

30:26

a frog, but I swear

30:28

the spirit wasn't looking at

30:30

him. It was looking right

30:33

at 12 brooks, right for

30:35

the central garrison. It was

30:37

like a building in the

30:40

center of town. And it

30:42

reached in, and it went

30:44

to croak, and you could

30:46

see that it was scared

30:49

or shocked or something that

30:51

there was no noise coming

30:53

out. Silence had a staff

30:55

pointed right at it, and

30:58

it couldn't stop croaking. with

31:00

no noise. And it just

31:02

got smaller and smaller, like

31:05

if you... smaller. If you

31:07

could only exhale, like your

31:09

lungs got smaller and smaller

31:11

and you couldn't breathe in

31:14

and you couldn't stop breathing

31:16

out until you'd breathed all

31:18

of yourself away. Oh. Pretty

31:20

incredible magic. It must have

31:23

been quite something to behold.

31:25

And then silence just left

31:27

and... It's a victory, I

31:30

suppose. Teleported away with the

31:32

rivers down, we'll be able

31:34

to make a push, mobilize

31:36

tomorrow before done. Head there,

31:39

try to break through the

31:41

gal with my forces, and

31:43

liberate the garrison. Yes. All

31:45

the best to you. I

31:48

hope that our troops come

31:50

home safely. To

31:52

our trips coming home safely. She

31:55

raised her first. Thank you, Ami.

31:57

Am I walks away a bit?

32:01

Fox? Yeah, boss.

32:03

I think the children

32:06

may be even

32:08

in that garrison.

32:11

I can't be sure.

32:13

But I'm almost

32:16

dead certain that

32:18

we need to go

32:21

to 12 Brooks. What

32:23

we need is proof.

32:26

We'll go buy

32:28

some proof. And you

32:30

see that the wizard keen

32:32

approaches you. The guildmaid puts

32:35

a fresh tankard in front

32:37

of you, courtesy of the

32:39

glass coronet. Oh, thank you.

32:42

Word has reached me that

32:44

our dispelling agent has served

32:46

just fine and managed to

32:48

be some small aid in

32:51

the mission across enemy lines.

32:53

Oh, that's yours. Yes. Incredible,

32:55

thank you. I'm sorry. I

32:57

think you have me at

33:00

a disadvantage. Who are you?

33:02

I am the wizard keen.

33:04

I wouldn't expect an arc

33:06

major prejudice to know a

33:08

humble guilt group such as

33:10

myself. You're very kind. And,

33:12

uh, Stevie's like sloshing

33:14

the drink around trying

33:16

to look significantly drunker

33:19

than she is. Gotcha. He looks

33:21

at you and says an honored

33:23

friend and a witch in your service

33:25

incredible. Yes, they are.

33:28

Long known to me,

33:30

very, they're, it was

33:33

so helpful, because they're

33:35

so good, at the

33:38

woods. Did you know, the

33:40

gout my forces made

33:42

the birds be snitches?

33:45

I had not been

33:47

made aware, but that

33:49

does seem within

33:52

their perfume. Yeah, it's

33:54

good to know. A witch who

33:56

can be like, no birds, don't

33:58

do that, it's great. Yeah, yeah,

34:00

they're my friends. Why? Merely

34:02

remarking that I have never

34:05

seen a wizard compel service

34:07

from a spirit through loyalty

34:09

alone. There's not a lot

34:11

of wizards like me. No.

34:14

No, I dare say there

34:16

are not. To the wizard's

34:18

guy. So the wizard came.

34:20

Ah! To be to be

34:23

toasted. A simple purveyor of

34:25

artifacts. Suvy once that interaction

34:27

has had enough time or

34:29

once it feels like keen

34:32

has moved on Do not

34:34

like you? All guilt majors

34:36

like this I'm gonna lean

34:38

in like very buddy buddy

34:41

and Like gesture in his

34:43

direction as he leaves in

34:45

order to empty the tankard

34:47

so none of that touched

34:49

my lips. He has got

34:52

the like you do the

34:54

hand over the Yeah,

34:56

he's the exact guy you're

34:59

like hand over my glass.

35:01

Don't like that at all.

35:03

And throws her arm around

35:05

you and is just in

35:08

your ear and you hear

35:10

all the slur like all

35:12

of that go away even

35:15

though her body like it's

35:17

like leaning on you like

35:19

a drunk friend. What an

35:21

absolute fucking cad and he

35:24

knows that you're an honored

35:26

friend. Seems word has gotten

35:28

around. Okay, okay. I had

35:31

a... Strange conversation with steel.

35:33

I know you want to

35:35

leave soon. I will go

35:37

with you. I just, wherever

35:40

Amé is, I am very

35:42

worried about how much everyone

35:44

here loves you guys and

35:47

wants to use words like

35:49

compel and press into service.

35:51

It feels bad here, doesn't

35:53

it? It does. I cannot

35:56

lie. It does not surprise

35:58

me. What has happened with

36:00

the great... from. These things

36:03

felt inevitable. Yeah. And I

36:05

think it's the like, you

36:07

said, you say inevitable

36:10

and Stevie gets like

36:12

a shock reaction as

36:14

like things slide into

36:17

place in her understanding

36:19

just alights on the end

36:21

of their of our time

36:24

at the Citadel. This is

36:26

what you felt. In

36:29

Jao, when you left, this

36:31

is why you felt this.

36:33

Yes. I'm so sorry I

36:36

didn't. No. Couldn't tell. It

36:38

makes sense. Why you felt

36:40

the way that you felt

36:43

and the decisions that you

36:45

made. I do not hold

36:48

that against you. But I

36:50

will be leaving tomorrow.

36:52

I seek to find

36:55

the children of the

36:57

Grineau. and

36:59

to free them. Can I

37:01

help? I would come with

37:04

you if it was a

37:06

help, but if it's something

37:08

you can't or don't want.

37:11

I only ask if you

37:13

come with me, that you

37:15

match my breath and walk

37:17

in my footsteps. We

37:20

will not be seeking

37:22

the ideal outcome, simply

37:24

one in which they

37:26

are free. I understand.

37:29

And I'm with you. Silver

37:31

walks into the beer garden.

37:34

Hey. Hey, Joanne. I'm doing

37:36

great. My tinker's empty

37:38

and I drop it. Oh

37:40

no. I heard they're opening up

37:42

a bar in the governor's

37:44

hall. We gotta go find

37:46

it. I'm gonna go find

37:49

it. And I'll find you

37:51

and everything will be found.

37:53

As you begin to walk

37:55

out, the wizard slain looks

37:57

over smiles at you. Congratulations.

38:00

Wizard Skye. Is this the first

38:02

time by meeting Slane? Yes, he's

38:04

never at the Citadel. Yeah. And

38:07

there's a little, just that little

38:09

flash of like Stevie genuinely being

38:11

excited to meet someone of like

38:14

import that she has heard of

38:16

and then remembers that she has

38:18

to be silly and drunk. You're

38:21

the wizard Slane. Slane. Oh, sloppy,

38:23

this doesn't bode well. Oh no,

38:25

this is gonna be great. Uh,

38:28

no, don't go. You see, he

38:30

looks over and claps and says,

38:32

you've more than earned it. You

38:35

see, he claps a hand on

38:37

Silver's shoulder as well and says,

38:39

happy to have you aboard. Hold

38:42

on, what's this? Silver looks over

38:44

and says, I've received a little

38:46

promotion. Of course you did. You're

38:48

a hero. Silver looks and says,

38:51

Wizard Slane, an honor to surf.

38:53

I'm excited to be a part

38:55

of the team. And you see

38:58

the Slane nods. Good luck walking

39:00

off that liquor, Wizard Sky. That's

39:02

not a great energy. This is

39:05

not a great first impression. And

39:07

Silver abscondes with you and runs

39:09

up to the Governor's Hall. He

39:12

looks at you very excitedly and

39:14

says, I have been promoted and

39:16

I will be joining as a

39:19

warm age of Sl's circle on

39:21

the front lines. This is an

39:23

enormous opportunity. I'm so proud, and

39:26

she throws her arms around him

39:28

and like is dropping a bit

39:30

of the affectation, but is still

39:32

a little drunk. Yeah. And gives

39:35

him a kiss on the cheek.

39:37

I'm so proud of you, where

39:39

are you going to be going?

39:42

I'm reporting to Sline tomorrow morning,

39:44

but I'll find out then. In

39:46

the morning? Yes, yes, yes. No.

39:49

This happened one time before, and

39:51

I didn't say it. But now

39:53

I'm full of drunk. And everyone's

39:56

being nice to me. So, till

39:58

the morning, you're mine. I

40:01

am proud to serve you

40:03

shall. He lifts you up

40:05

in his arms and flies

40:08

through the air towards your

40:10

room in the governor's hall.

40:12

Oh no! This isn't fun

40:15

or hot at all. So

40:17

bad, so bad. Ursulon, Am,

40:19

is there anything else you

40:21

guys do that night? I

40:24

don't think so. I think

40:26

Ursulon finishes his drink. and

40:28

then heads to the stables.

40:30

Beautiful. Rahon Zendi. We've come

40:33

a long way my friends.

40:35

What an insane scene. But

40:37

by. Pushing open the barn

40:40

doors. Now this is where

40:42

the party's at. You see

40:44

across the plaza, Suvy and

40:46

Silver, flying off together. Good

40:49

for them, good for them,

40:51

good for them, they need

40:53

that. They need, yeah, they,

40:55

uh... Standing here in the

40:58

plaza with the fox, having

41:00

just spoken, with Colonel Armand,

41:02

the pilot of the Imperial

41:05

Skyship that was present in

41:07

12 Brooks, what do you

41:09

turn to do at this

41:11

point in time? I need

41:14

to find out everything about

41:16

12 Brooks. You need to

41:18

know... best points of ingress

41:21

and egress. I need to

41:23

find out the kind of

41:25

enemy garrisons that are stationed

41:27

around it. I need to

41:30

find out about that building

41:32

in the center where I

41:34

believe that the Renault children

41:36

are being kept. These desires

41:39

come to your mind swirling

41:41

around you. The hour of

41:43

night is already growing late.

41:46

The revelry... reaching its zenith

41:48

of raucousness where it will

41:50

remain for some short time.

41:52

before it

41:55

begins to dwindle

41:57

as people

41:59

head off to

42:01

bunk and

42:04

barracks. How

42:07

does Amé intend to

42:09

gather this information? You

42:11

look at a city,

42:13

mostly asleep, celebrating

42:16

the return of heroes, but also

42:18

wracked by the panic of distant

42:20

sounds of combat in the night.

42:24

You also are

42:26

aware of of

42:29

sleeping civilians, reveling

42:31

soldiers, guild

42:33

mages, citadel wizards, imperial

42:35

forces, tamari constructs,

42:38

and the assembled brick

42:40

-a -brack of life

42:42

here in the shrouded

42:44

mountains, small creatures, governor's

42:48

hall with Sufi and Silphur.

42:50

Where will you gain this

42:52

knowledge before the tomorrow? So

42:56

many doors are open to me

42:58

right at this moment, but I think

43:00

the door that I need, I

43:02

will make myself. I pull out the

43:04

brass knob. You

43:06

pull out the brass knob, you have your

43:08

artisan's tools at the ready, all you need to

43:10

do is find a door to attach it

43:13

to. You

43:15

can give me an investigation check.

43:17

Sure, yeah. Give me an investigation check.

43:21

14. 14's not very high.

43:23

You look around. There

43:25

is a utility closet in

43:27

the restroom hallway of

43:29

the beer garden. Yes. That's

43:31

the one. No. So

43:34

you go, you take that out.

43:36

As you open the bag, you see

43:38

in your little travel knapsack that

43:41

also the knocker is in there that

43:43

spits out the ring and goes,

43:45

mistress has the time, I shall not

43:47

be such like some common handle.

43:52

Listen, we're going to go back to

43:54

the cottage. We're to do a nice

43:56

and quiet. We're going to do a

43:58

bunch of research and then you shall

44:00

go back to guarding. I shall guard

44:02

the doors of my very life,

44:04

mistress. Say the word of

44:06

passage and only those with it

44:08

will be granted entrance. All

44:10

others will behold only whatever is

44:12

normally behind the door! Sorry,

44:14

sorry. The fox looks up and

44:16

says, Are people shushing a lot

44:18

of handles? Fox

44:21

so brave! See,

44:24

the little dog says, who said

44:26

that? Some Philistine unaware of how to

44:28

speak poetically. Show him to me that

44:30

I might bite my fangs into his

44:32

flesh. You see that the fox goes,

44:34

you don't want this. I

44:37

do kind of want to see

44:39

how this turns out. But

44:43

we have business to attend to. I'm

44:45

going to go inside

44:48

the utility closet and make

44:50

it open out into Grandma

44:52

Ren's cottage. So

44:54

I'm going to need an artisan's tool check. You

44:56

can do a little bit of magic and the

44:58

fox can help if you'd like. Let's

45:01

see the first roll to see if you need

45:03

help, though. A

45:05

four on the die? Dark

45:08

utility closet. You get to the

45:10

utility closet is in between both restrooms

45:12

that have little sort of like frosted

45:14

glass and some golden letters on the

45:16

two different restrooms and every time you

45:18

kneel down to open the door because

45:21

you have to get the regular knob

45:23

off to put the new knob on.

45:25

Every time you do, the door opens

45:27

in a new bathroom like someone needing

45:29

or exiting the bathroom comes out and

45:31

every time the fox jumps in with

45:34

a different like someone walks out and

45:36

he's like, so I told her you have

45:38

to go around the garden and

45:40

it looks sort of surreptitiously as

45:42

people walk away and it just

45:44

happens away. So he's going to

45:46

give you the help action. Go

45:49

ahead and roll the second die.

45:52

Fourteen on the die. Okay, so you see

45:54

that the fox goes, okay,

45:56

I'm going to go make a

45:58

distraction and you see... that he rushes

46:01

into both restrooms and you

46:03

hear like, and comes out

46:05

a moment later, another person

46:07

walks in and goes, ah,

46:09

and you see that they

46:11

walk out and you see

46:13

one of the attendants of

46:15

the beer garden. takes a

46:17

look in and goes, oh

46:20

goodness, and puts a little

46:22

out of order, stand up

46:24

at the hallway, and gets

46:26

some, like, plungers to go

46:28

in. And the fox comes

46:30

out and says, I threw

46:32

a bunch of garbage and

46:34

paper in there. And some

46:36

poop. Good job, a little

46:38

buddy. All right. Let's get

46:40

to crack it. And you

46:42

take out and install the

46:45

door knobs of common closet

46:47

and these bright brass door

46:49

knobs there and nail the

46:51

brass lion's head knocker into

46:53

the wall. So now there's

46:55

just a brass ring knocker

46:57

on a utility closet with

46:59

a bright. On the inside.

47:01

You stay here and watch

47:03

the hallway, okay? You got

47:05

a bus. All right. Oh,

47:07

oh, we got to restock

47:10

you, just in case you

47:12

needed to make another distraction.

47:14

This goes right through me.

47:16

Lou just shaking his head

47:18

up against the microphone. You

47:20

gotta get this fox ready

47:22

to shit again. It has

47:24

plot significance. Yes. You install

47:26

the knocker and you see

47:28

the brass line says, what

47:30

word of passage mistress of

47:32

the world's heart? What

47:35

do people normally do? You

47:37

would like me to give

47:40

you a common, more guessable

47:42

password? Well, I'm just curious,

47:44

though. Some extremely uncreative witches

47:46

have said password. Oh. How

47:49

about friendship? Friendship. Yes, the

47:51

password is friendship. You open

47:53

the door, see the fox

47:55

in the utility hallway, close

47:58

the door, and the knocker

48:00

looks at you, ready for

48:02

the password. Friendship! You open

48:04

the door, and feel the

48:07

cool air of the cottage.

48:09

You see that there is

48:11

a little sputtering candlelight from

48:13

inside cottage of Grandmother Wren.

48:16

Or I should say, Amé's

48:18

cottage in the village of

48:20

Tomah. And you hear a

48:22

noise of someone running down

48:24

the staircase and Neaf in

48:27

a nightgown comes running down.

48:29

Sorry to wake you. I

48:31

need to do some quick

48:33

research in the library. Oh

48:36

no, okay, I'll make tea.

48:38

No, no, no, no, no,

48:40

no. I just wanted to

48:42

wake you up so that

48:45

you didn't hear somebody rustling

48:47

around in the cottage and

48:49

freak out. Okay. So you

48:51

can definitely go back to

48:54

bed, but how are you

48:56

doing? Things are doing okay?

48:58

Oh. But I'll make tea.

49:01

Well, oh, okay. You may

49:03

make some tea, but make

49:06

yourself something nice and relaxing,

49:08

licorice root or camamiell or

49:11

something. Yes, well, I'll make

49:13

some calming tea for myself

49:15

and something more studious for

49:18

you. Would you like help

49:20

researching? I

49:22

mean if you're up anyway,

49:24

what say we take a

49:26

little spin in the library?

49:28

Couldn't hurt that. It's been weeks.

49:31

I thought you were dead. Oh,

49:33

why would you assume that? Because

49:36

I'm always sad. I just assumed

49:38

it. I just assumed it. Assumed

49:41

it. Assume the worst. And I'm

49:43

not as good witch as you.

49:45

I don't have so people that

49:48

need help with medicine. I don't

49:50

know how to do anything but

49:53

chores. Well, first of all, you

49:55

have some very good mentors here.

49:57

Second of all, you're a lot

50:00

younger than me. You got time

50:02

to cook. And third of all,

50:05

it's okay. You are having

50:07

your weekly sort of... discussion

50:09

sessions with Dr. Yaggy, yes?

50:11

Yes. Dr. Yaggy's in a

50:13

very good job. It seems

50:15

like the main thing he's communicated

50:17

to me that when I think

50:19

there's a problem, actually, I'm breathing

50:22

and holding my body wrong. Well.

50:24

It's, well, it's not wrong. It's

50:27

just, there could, it's some optimal,

50:29

some optimal. There could be better,

50:32

there could be more comfortable ways.

50:34

For example, I made some digestive

50:36

biscuits to help with a villager

50:39

who was experiencing constipation, and I

50:41

was worried that I had said

50:44

something rude or awkward that

50:46

they hated me, and Dr.

50:48

Yaggy said that there was

50:50

no way they could hate

50:52

me, and I was like,

50:54

I'm certain that they hate me.

50:56

doing that, but now my worry

50:58

is, is my understanding of other

51:01

people just based on I can't

51:03

move my tongue normal or well?

51:06

Well, there is a great connection

51:08

between your mind and your body,

51:10

and as you progress here in

51:13

your studies at the cottage, you'll

51:15

be more in touch with them.

51:18

But please don't pick at your

51:20

fingernails like that. Yes, I will

51:23

stop. Another mistake. Okay. And you

51:25

see that she rushes up

51:27

to the kitchen to go

51:29

make a dark mirror. She

51:31

rushes off to go make

51:33

some tea. And does seem

51:35

calm as she comes with tea

51:37

to help research. You can see

51:40

that she actually seems excited to

51:42

be able to do this. This

51:45

feels like a helpful thing that

51:47

she's excited to do. And she

51:49

puts tea in front of you

51:52

and says. I made us both

51:54

green tea and I am excited

51:57

to help. I'm really glad you're

51:59

okay. Are Ursulon and the Fox

52:02

okay? Yes, yes, they're doing well.

52:04

Fox is on the other

52:06

side of the wall. sky

52:08

she's she's okay yes yes

52:10

she's doing she's doing all

52:12

right but we are I

52:14

give her a little bit a

52:16

very short version of what we've

52:19

been up to and what we're

52:21

hoping to achieve as I start

52:24

leafing through books and shuffling through

52:26

correspondence and while I'm doing it

52:28

I explained to me for what

52:31

I'm doing as I'm doing it

52:33

she has the filing system in

52:36

her head and she can familiarize

52:38

herself a little more with it

52:40

and maybe take initiative of finding

52:43

different sections on her own. You're

52:45

going to be doing this

52:47

with Neaf's help so it'll

52:49

be rolling with Advantage and

52:51

due to Grandmother Wren's vast,

52:53

you know, books and tracks

52:55

and maps and scrolls and things

52:58

of that nature, you'll give it

53:00

to add a D4 to whatever

53:03

role you make. What's the first

53:05

role you'd like to make here?

53:07

The first role I'd like to

53:10

make is an investigation check. I

53:12

think. Perfect. So let's go ahead.

53:15

Same thing as always, 15, so

53:17

for a general role like this,

53:19

15, 20, 25, are the DC's

53:22

of like good, better, best information.

53:24

That's four on the D4.

53:26

Okay, go ahead and roll

53:28

investigation with advantage. 19 on

53:30

the die. So 28, 21.

53:32

25. Let's go. Hey. Sometimes

53:34

the dice tell a mother fucking

53:37

story. You find a hand-drawn map

53:39

on waxy paper, almost like butcher's

53:42

paper that's been dined on with

53:44

wonderful greasy food. It's a hand-drawn

53:46

charcoal map, and there is a

53:49

word. written in the Taroy alphabet

53:51

in the language of the Renault,

53:54

which you could take a second

53:56

to decipher here looking over like

53:58

an alphabet. It is a very

54:01

steamy. a little romantic parting in

54:03

the Granite language to a

54:05

young grandmother rent. Aabria shaking

54:08

my hand and Erica shaking

54:10

my hand, beautiful. This is

54:12

why we're here. Who's giving

54:15

me a nod? The nods

54:17

is the funniest part. I'm

54:19

proud of you, sir. And it

54:21

is a hand-drawn waterway

54:24

map of the city of 12

54:26

Brooks. And it is specifically

54:28

a like. backwater and

54:30

byways map. It has like,

54:32

here's the places that you

54:34

can dock a large boat,

54:37

here's the places you can

54:39

dock a small boat, and

54:41

12 Brooks also has a

54:43

crumbling old castle up in

54:45

the top of it, this

54:47

sort of old ruined castle,

54:49

which is originally why the

54:51

town was built. And for

54:53

anyone listening, who wants to

54:55

know more about 12. There it

54:57

is. Why not? Taylor, you leave

55:00

this in. God damn you. We

55:02

do have interludes where we

55:04

expand the world of Amora

55:06

and you might learn more

55:08

about the city of 12

55:10

Brooks by listening. Five

55:13

dollars. Give us five dollars.

55:15

Learn more about the grateful

55:17

frog. The man in black

55:19

appears for five. This letter

55:22

was clearly written and you don't

55:24

know what was going on in

55:26

12 Brooks like 40 or 50

55:28

years ago But this is a

55:30

rum runners map So it has

55:32

a lot of staircases places to

55:34

like hide a boat and there's

55:37

a lot of places that have

55:39

to do with the irrigation which

55:41

is a constant struggle in 12

55:43

Brooks to move the water safely

55:45

to the city so sewer systems

55:47

plumbing and you basically see the

55:49

honeycomb of the city under the

55:51

city every way to move through

55:54

the city unseen

55:56

and undetected and

55:58

places that are sub- aquatic

56:00

places that are otherwise like

56:02

a little cave you can

56:04

get to. The Lithwin appears,

56:06

there's another note here, but

56:09

the Lithwin is filled with

56:11

smugglers caves. So there are

56:13

like. tall river banks are

56:15

places where the river curves

56:17

around a hillside, but there

56:19

will be entrances under the

56:22

water into secret caves that

56:24

will have like weapons stashes,

56:26

treasure, provisions, you know, places

56:28

like, if imperial forces are

56:30

searching for you, places to

56:32

like, lay low and hide

56:35

from them. Looking at this

56:37

map, this is like, you

56:39

don't have a best way,

56:41

you have. Multiple the best

56:43

ways into and out of

56:45

the city. Oh, this is

56:48

exactly what I needed. This

56:50

is exactly what I'm looking

56:52

for. Oh, oh, Grandpa. And...

56:54

What? I can't read that.

56:56

What is it? What is

56:58

it? It's just a personal

57:01

personal letters to Grandmother Wren

57:03

from I guess an incredible

57:05

cartographer. That's lovely

57:07

to have a a paramour

57:09

with a skill. Mm. Would

57:12

you qualify that as banter?

57:14

Yes, I would. Okay. And

57:17

it's quite good. I took

57:19

my tongue off the roof

57:21

of my mouth and that

57:24

thought came to me. See?

57:26

That's wonderful when you relax.

57:28

You're well on your way

57:30

to a handsome cartographer. Oh!

57:33

No! No! We got

57:35

to get Neff and Tefman

57:37

in the same room. They

57:39

will. It's like putting a

57:41

bag of holding in a

57:44

bag of holding. Yeah, exactly.

57:46

That's how we kill the

57:48

man in black. Hold this.

57:50

Thank you so much Neff.

57:52

That was wonderful. And now

57:54

you have a little better

57:57

understanding of the library. See,

57:59

you can do some of

58:01

investigating on your own. You

58:03

are so kind. You are

58:05

so kind. I will say

58:07

I had to work at

58:10

that, you know, nothing worth

58:12

doing comes really easy all

58:14

the time. So, you know,

58:16

well, thank you. And yeah,

58:18

I'll, you know, on slower

58:20

days, I'd love to come

58:23

into the library and help,

58:25

you know, I know that

58:27

this is all. Grandma

58:30

Wren's organizational style was very

58:32

different from injuries. And there

58:34

are not many things that

58:37

I enjoyed about my time

58:39

as injuries apprentice, but I

58:41

could provide some organization to

58:44

the cottage and to the,

58:46

or not in the cottage,

58:49

but the library. If you

58:51

would like me to do

58:53

that. I would love that,

58:56

yes, absolutely. Especially with going

58:58

through it and organizing it

59:00

will help you in your

59:03

studies. Is there any particular

59:05

area in what you're interested?

59:08

Um, you know, injury said

59:10

that there would one day

59:12

be a time for a

59:15

familiar, but not while I

59:17

still was an apprentice. And

59:20

I don't think I'm an

59:22

apprentice right now, or at

59:24

least I don't, you, that,

59:26

you know. That is true.

59:28

I mean, not, yeah, you're

59:30

not officially an apprentice. I

59:32

think, I think I'd like,

59:34

yeah, I think I'd like

59:36

to, you know, we'll, we'll,

59:38

we'll see. Well, I just

59:40

really appreciate this safe place,

59:42

and you know so many

59:44

kind people, and it's so

59:46

obvious now. that the kind

59:49

people find each other just

59:51

like the cold people push

59:53

them all away. And I'm

59:55

really glad that you knocked

59:57

me unconscious and kidnapped me.

59:59

Yeah, I'm really really glad

1:00:01

that we managed to knock

1:00:03

you out multiple times and

1:00:05

twice. Yeah, bring you back

1:00:07

here to a place of

1:00:09

safety. She gets sort of

1:00:11

tear-eyed and gives you a

1:00:13

giant hug. And you can

1:00:15

just feel her... actually relax,

1:00:17

and a few vertebrae audibly

1:00:19

pop in her back. And

1:00:21

she goes, oh, that felt

1:00:23

good. Yeah. I stand there

1:00:25

there with her, breathing a

1:00:27

little bit so she can

1:00:29

feel the movement of my

1:00:31

chest. Ah. Meath bids you

1:00:33

adieu. You take your greasy,

1:00:35

you know, butchered paper charcoal

1:00:37

map and stow it in

1:00:39

your bag. and walk back

1:00:41

through the door to the

1:00:43

beer garden. And you see

1:00:45

the fox twitching his little

1:00:47

tail, and you see that

1:00:49

the out-of-order sign is gone,

1:00:51

took you about like an

1:00:53

hour and a half to

1:00:56

do all that research and

1:00:58

find everything. And the fox

1:01:00

was up and says, everything

1:01:02

good, boss? Better than good,

1:01:04

they're great. Really? Yes. Would

1:01:06

you find the goods? Oh

1:01:08

yeah, I got the goods.

1:01:10

You jammed the knocker and

1:01:12

the door knobs off. Do

1:01:14

you take the time to

1:01:16

replace the old doorknob? No,

1:01:18

no, no. I kind of

1:01:20

put it, I just stick

1:01:22

it back in there. So

1:01:24

that if somebody... You said

1:01:26

Fox, to me, you are

1:01:28

perfect. The Fox goes, me,

1:01:30

you are perfect. The Fox

1:01:32

runs out, jumps up on

1:01:34

the bar, one of the,

1:01:36

the bartender turns around, and

1:01:38

the Fox says... One of

1:01:40

the customers rudely smashed the

1:01:42

doorknob off your utility closet,

1:01:44

and my mistress, Amme of

1:01:46

Toma, tried her best to

1:01:48

fix it. You might want

1:01:50

to take a look at

1:01:52

it, and you see, he

1:01:54

jumps off and throws you.

1:01:56

I look over and... Shrug.

1:01:58

And you, where are you

1:02:00

off to now? What time

1:02:03

is it? I think I've

1:02:05

got to get something. You

1:02:07

see the party's thinning out.

1:02:09

It's like 1 o'clock in

1:02:11

the morning. Oh, let's need.

1:02:13

I still have some time

1:02:15

for sleeps. I go find

1:02:17

the stables. You see Rahone

1:02:19

and Zendi and they're sleeping

1:02:21

on the hay as Ursula

1:02:23

with his glamour. I

1:02:29

go over and I

1:02:31

kind of snuggle up

1:02:33

to Ursula Lund. Hi.

1:02:35

We're going to 12

1:02:38

Brooks tomorrow. Get some

1:02:40

rest. Good night. Good

1:02:42

night. You cuddle up

1:02:44

next to each other

1:02:47

and go to sleep.

1:02:49

Some very different cuddling

1:02:51

up is happening over

1:02:54

in the governor's hall.

1:02:56

Tangled in white sheets

1:02:58

looking up at stone

1:03:00

ceiling. The gilded bed

1:03:03

post and canopy and

1:03:05

looking at the vanity

1:03:07

mirror and a beautiful

1:03:09

marble top desk. Silver

1:03:12

turns to you and

1:03:14

says, it's incredible. The

1:03:16

magical, I mean, the

1:03:19

soldiers are excited, but

1:03:21

the magical potential. for

1:03:23

silence to be able

1:03:25

to, I mean, he's

1:03:28

an arc mage, but

1:03:30

for silence to be

1:03:32

able to pull that

1:03:34

off is incredible. I

1:03:37

mean, this changes everything.

1:03:39

Stevie's doing the sort

1:03:41

of like, mhm's, at

1:03:43

the right time and

1:03:46

is, I guess, just

1:03:48

sort of hoping that

1:03:50

like, her distraction reads

1:03:53

as like, like, blist

1:03:55

out and not sad.

1:03:57

at his enthusiasm. Are

1:04:00

you sad that I'm

1:04:03

heading out again tomorrow?

1:04:05

Yeah. Yeah. I know.

1:04:08

I know who we

1:04:10

are and what we

1:04:13

have to do. And

1:04:16

yeah, I'm sad. Slane's

1:04:18

circle obviously is a

1:04:21

front line circle. It's

1:04:23

dangerous, but the honest

1:04:26

truth is my safety

1:04:29

even in the thick

1:04:31

of combat fighting side

1:04:34

by side with Slane

1:04:36

is far greater than

1:04:39

it was with me

1:04:42

on the front lines

1:04:44

at Abesen. Suvy is

1:04:47

just running a fully

1:04:49

different program, like she's

1:04:52

looking at Aiza. For

1:04:54

him she's risked her

1:04:57

life and offered her

1:05:00

name, and she knows

1:05:02

that she sees a

1:05:05

whole future when she

1:05:07

looks at him, that

1:05:10

she is closing a

1:05:13

door on inside of

1:05:15

her heart in her

1:05:18

heart in her heart

1:05:20

in her heart in

1:05:23

real time. And she

1:05:26

wants to give herself

1:05:28

just one little chance

1:05:31

at not having to...

1:05:33

It was so good.

1:05:36

One really nice week.

1:05:38

And mid whatever sentence

1:05:41

he's talking about trying

1:05:44

to allay, sort of

1:05:46

a different fear. Just

1:05:49

puts her hand on

1:05:51

his chest. If I

1:05:54

asked you not to

1:05:57

go. Would you

1:05:59

do it? What?

1:06:03

Suvee. Suvee. I would

1:06:06

want you to ask

1:06:08

me not to go.

1:06:10

I'm... that's... that's how

1:06:12

this has to be.

1:06:14

I didn't want you

1:06:17

to come save me.

1:06:19

I wanted you safe.

1:06:21

I wanted you at

1:06:23

the Citadel. I wanted

1:06:25

you a million miles

1:06:27

from danger. We

1:06:32

all learn paradox. You know,

1:06:34

first year banners, concepts, how

1:06:36

things mirror each other, how

1:06:39

two things that can't both

1:06:41

be true at the same

1:06:43

time, can be true at

1:06:45

the same time, and I...

1:06:48

I never want anything to

1:06:50

happen to you. I want

1:06:52

you to be who you

1:06:54

are, and I know that

1:06:57

you being who you are

1:06:59

will bring you to danger.

1:07:03

We're not the

1:07:05

sheep. We're not

1:07:07

the people who

1:07:09

need protecting. We're

1:07:11

the people who

1:07:13

protect. Yeah. You're

1:07:15

right. I love

1:07:18

you so much.

1:07:20

I love you,

1:07:22

Suvee. I want

1:07:24

to live a

1:07:26

whole life with

1:07:28

you. You will.

1:07:31

The gear they're gonna strap

1:07:34

me up with this new

1:07:36

detail? I mean, you're gonna...

1:07:39

I know, I know. Every

1:07:41

time we walk out the

1:07:43

door, you should feel like

1:07:46

maybe you're saying goodbye. That's

1:07:48

the right thing to do.

1:07:50

You need to be clear-eyed

1:07:53

about that. But I'm gonna

1:07:55

do everything in my power

1:07:57

to come home to you.

1:08:00

I wanna see you when

1:08:02

your title is the arc.

1:08:04

sky and I want to

1:08:07

march down that main avenue

1:08:09

in Malacanth and look

1:08:11

up and see

1:08:14

the woman I

1:08:16

love. Can I

1:08:18

do one just

1:08:20

one big insight

1:08:22

check? I don't

1:08:24

want to lie to

1:08:27

him. I will. to

1:08:29

protect my friends and

1:08:31

the thing that we

1:08:33

are going to do.

1:08:35

There is nothing inside

1:08:37

of Suvee that is

1:08:39

hesitating to leave in

1:08:42

the morning with Ursulon

1:08:44

and Ame probably, though

1:08:46

she's not quite sure

1:08:48

about that. That's beyond

1:08:51

discussion. It is simply

1:08:53

true. But if she can

1:08:55

leave knowing that she

1:08:58

has been... true to

1:09:00

him. That will be

1:09:02

okay. I'm going

1:09:05

to ask you

1:09:07

to roll this

1:09:10

inside check and

1:09:13

I'm going to

1:09:15

ask you to

1:09:17

roll it here

1:09:19

where I can

1:09:22

see it and

1:09:24

you cannot.

1:09:26

Okay. There

1:09:28

is nothing within

1:09:30

him that is

1:09:33

kept from you.

1:09:35

He is completely

1:09:38

open and smiles

1:09:41

looking at you.

1:09:43

When we were walking,

1:09:45

when we first

1:09:48

entered, the forest,

1:09:51

the Grano family,

1:09:54

was not gone.

1:09:57

We spoke with them, the

1:09:59

terms. of them not

1:10:02

going to Gouthmy was

1:10:04

to make them believe,

1:10:07

to make us believe,

1:10:09

to make the rest

1:10:12

of the imperial forces

1:10:15

believe that they were

1:10:17

gone and fled in

1:10:20

order to protect their

1:10:22

children who are taken

1:10:25

for reasons I don't

1:10:27

understand. Advantage or leverage

1:10:30

or something worse. My

1:10:33

lie was to protect

1:10:35

them, but I won't

1:10:38

lie to you. You're

1:10:40

going to leave in

1:10:43

the morning for 12

1:10:45

Brooks. And so will

1:10:48

I. At the end

1:10:51

of speaking, you turn

1:10:53

to make eye contact.

1:10:56

and see a look

1:10:59

of wide-eyed horror on

1:11:02

Silver's face. You... You

1:11:04

lied? To... Suvee? I

1:11:07

don't understand. Why did

1:11:09

you... Why are you...

1:11:12

You're headed to 12

1:11:15

books? You... You... You...

1:11:17

Spispell this out for

1:11:20

me. What... What... What...

1:11:22

What happened? If there

1:11:25

was a... Your hand,

1:11:28

there was poison. The

1:11:30

task was to secure

1:11:33

the Grunow family's cooperation

1:11:35

to keep them from

1:11:38

giving our enemies our

1:11:41

whereabouts, and in lieu

1:11:43

of taking them from

1:11:46

their home to keep

1:11:48

them from doing so,

1:11:51

I figured out a

1:11:54

path. to allow

1:11:56

all parties to move forward with

1:11:58

our goal in tech. But

1:12:03

learning that we were taking

1:12:05

their children. What do you

1:12:07

mean? What do you mean?

1:12:09

We were taking their children.

1:12:12

Do they provide you any

1:12:14

proof of that? Were they...

1:12:16

Suvee. If they were in

1:12:19

fact Gauthmy spies, don't you

1:12:21

think that Gauthmy is clever

1:12:23

enough to create propaganda to

1:12:25

sow amongst a people that

1:12:28

have never felt full loyalty

1:12:30

to the empire? Did they

1:12:32

provide anything? Did you not

1:12:35

think to ask? that there

1:12:37

was some way that this

1:12:39

might... I mean, walk me

1:12:41

through this. Why would you

1:12:44

take their word? Obviously, they're

1:12:46

incentivized to want to besmirch

1:12:48

the empire. And even if

1:12:51

they were of pure heart,

1:12:53

who's to say that they

1:12:55

were not themselves the victim

1:12:57

of propaganda? You didn't think

1:13:00

to ask any follow-up questions?

1:13:02

by the weapon that she

1:13:04

wields so well, understands perfectly

1:13:07

every time her friends were

1:13:09

made silent in her presence,

1:13:11

under the assault of something

1:13:13

they know is true, and

1:13:16

cannot stand up to the

1:13:18

burden of proof that she

1:13:20

herself has demanded of them.

1:13:23

And even here and now,

1:13:25

with all of her faculties

1:13:27

and intellect, She

1:13:29

doesn't have a better

1:13:32

answer than they ever

1:13:34

gave, but silence and

1:13:36

sureness. Suvy, I... I...

1:13:39

You're right. I don't

1:13:41

have proof. I don't

1:13:44

know for sure. Which

1:13:46

is why I'm going

1:13:48

to go and find

1:13:51

out, if I can,

1:13:53

for myself. Sufi,

1:13:56

I'm completely lost. You have

1:13:58

every resource at your disposal

1:14:00

to find the truth. You

1:14:02

could talk to the sword

1:14:04

on a speaking mirror in

1:14:07

a minute. You could speak

1:14:09

to the, there's a print,

1:14:11

a prince of the Imperium

1:14:13

is here. And I mean,

1:14:15

the prince probably wouldn't know,

1:14:17

but there's, there's as many,

1:14:19

what doors are not open

1:14:21

to you? Are you going

1:14:23

with escort or security? This

1:14:25

is, we need to wait.

1:14:27

We need to... And

1:14:30

you see he sits up, he

1:14:33

sort of realizes that he's like

1:14:35

naked and post-coital and like sits

1:14:37

up in bed and just goes

1:14:39

like, the, you were the commander,

1:14:41

you were the commander, and you

1:14:43

could have told us that in

1:14:46

your judgment, the Granot family was

1:14:48

not an issue. And what could

1:14:50

anyone there have done but obey

1:14:52

you? Why did you lie to

1:14:54

us? We would have followed your

1:14:57

orders. And

1:15:00

Stevie like circles

1:15:02

around. The biggest

1:15:04

cop out of

1:15:06

an answer. I

1:15:08

don't know. But

1:15:10

she does know.

1:15:12

And she promised

1:15:14

not to lie.

1:15:16

Because I don't

1:15:18

trust everyone around

1:15:20

me. Not all

1:15:22

the time. Not

1:15:24

past the point.

1:15:27

Not past the

1:15:29

point. past the

1:15:31

letter of a

1:15:33

command. We were

1:15:35

all trained to

1:15:37

see and seize

1:15:39

advantage. And I

1:15:41

don't trust that

1:15:43

that advantage will

1:15:45

not destroy that

1:15:47

family as soon

1:15:49

as my back.

1:15:52

The command that I walk with

1:15:54

and the authority that I wield

1:15:56

is turned away from their care.

1:16:01

Understood. Wizard sky.

1:16:04

Silver swings his

1:16:06

legs over the

1:16:09

edge of the

1:16:11

bed, exposing his

1:16:14

back and spine

1:16:16

and leans over

1:16:18

resting his elbows

1:16:20

on his thighs

1:16:22

and hangs his

1:16:24

head, not wanting

1:16:27

to be in

1:16:29

this moment. Not

1:16:32

wanting

1:16:34

to leave it

1:16:37

I'm so sorry

1:16:40

I I I love

1:16:43

you We've

1:16:45

given each

1:16:48

other our

1:16:50

names and

1:16:52

We don't

1:16:56

If there's not trust

1:16:59

here, I don't

1:17:01

know how I

1:17:03

can find it.

1:17:06

I trust you with

1:17:08

my heart and

1:17:10

my life and my

1:17:13

name. I wouldn't

1:17:16

have said any

1:17:18

of this if

1:17:20

I didn't believe.

1:17:22

I don't know

1:17:24

what I believe.

1:17:26

Have you asked

1:17:29

for any advice

1:17:32

or counsel?

1:17:34

No, no, not

1:17:36

in this. This

1:17:39

is a fact-finding

1:17:42

mission. Quiet

1:17:44

and quick.

1:17:46

If there's

1:17:49

a way to help,

1:17:51

I will. I can.

1:17:53

But no. The

1:17:57

Sword of the Citadel. Preaches

1:18:01

caution. She's not wrong

1:18:04

to do it. But

1:18:06

I know that you're

1:18:09

going in the morning.

1:18:12

And I don't want

1:18:14

you to walk into

1:18:17

something that maybe later

1:18:20

you won't be able

1:18:22

to take back. of

1:18:25

us who come up

1:18:28

in the citadel are

1:18:30

unburdened by what has

1:18:33

come before. We are

1:18:36

there with a chance

1:18:38

to become great and

1:18:41

to affect greatness and

1:18:44

to be a part

1:18:46

of something that is

1:18:49

the pinnacle of mortal

1:18:52

achievement. And I have

1:18:54

often felt a great

1:18:57

sorrow. Because everywhere

1:18:59

you go, there are

1:19:02

roots. The legacy of

1:19:05

your parents and of

1:19:07

your birth. The honor

1:19:10

and protection of the

1:19:12

sword. I remember hearing,

1:19:15

Suvy's gone to a

1:19:18

calm because there's a

1:19:20

witch that's like an

1:19:23

ant or something. I

1:19:25

don't know how you

1:19:28

can keep a clear

1:19:31

head with... All of

1:19:33

that attachment. I'm grateful

1:19:36

that I have not

1:19:38

had to burden that.

1:19:41

I don't make those

1:19:43

calls, Sufi. I am

1:19:46

proud to serve. And

1:19:49

I am proud to

1:19:51

follow the orders of

1:19:54

those I serve. deserve.

1:20:00

And in the

1:20:02

heat of battle,

1:20:04

to rely on

1:20:06

our training to

1:20:08

make hard calls

1:20:10

and execute them,

1:20:12

I don't think

1:20:14

we're that different.

1:20:16

I think I'm

1:20:18

still doing everything

1:20:20

the Citadel trained

1:20:22

me to do.

1:20:24

Even if it's

1:20:26

sometimes. It doesn't

1:20:29

quite look like

1:20:31

it. Above my

1:20:33

pay grid. Doesn't

1:20:35

make sense to

1:20:37

me. And you

1:20:39

see, Silver stands

1:20:41

up and turns

1:20:43

and says, I'd

1:20:45

really love to

1:20:47

see you in

1:20:49

the morning. And

1:20:51

he waits for

1:20:53

a moment, and

1:20:55

then dresses, walks

1:20:57

to the door,

1:20:59

and leaves. I

1:21:01

don't think there's

1:21:03

any chance of

1:21:06

sleep. But he

1:21:08

was right. So

1:21:10

many roots. Maybe

1:21:12

it's better that

1:21:14

I pulled one

1:21:16

up before I

1:21:18

got too deep.

1:21:20

I will pack

1:21:22

what things I

1:21:24

have. On

1:21:27

your passive investigation, you

1:21:30

know where the horses

1:21:32

are stabled. Your packs

1:21:35

made up. You enter

1:21:38

and see Ursulon, Ahmed,

1:21:40

and the fox nestled

1:21:43

up in the hay.

1:21:45

It's about 2 o'clock

1:21:48

in the morning. I

1:21:50

don't want to go

1:21:53

over there. I find

1:21:55

some other... corner, not

1:21:58

disruptive, not having to

1:22:00

pass. them the last

1:22:03

thing I want is

1:22:05

to wake them we

1:22:08

have so much to

1:22:10

do thank God heartbreak

1:22:13

is quiet and I

1:22:16

can do it on

1:22:18

my own and I'll

1:22:21

sit and rest and

1:22:23

wait for them and

1:22:26

for morning you fall

1:22:28

asleep watching Ami,

1:22:32

about 2.30 in

1:22:34

the morning, you

1:22:36

open your eyes,

1:22:39

behold another shape

1:22:41

in the stable,

1:22:43

a little ways

1:22:45

off from you.

1:22:48

Teal hair, travel

1:22:50

clothes, smart pack,

1:22:52

fresh provisions. You

1:22:55

see your true

1:22:57

friend, Sumi. You

1:23:02

can go back to

1:23:04

sleep. What are you

1:23:07

doing here? Is over

1:23:09

here? Oh. Oh. I'm

1:23:12

up. My eyes go

1:23:14

open and I crawl

1:23:16

over. See if he

1:23:19

just curls into you

1:23:21

and sops. first time

1:23:23

in a long time.

1:23:26

The same of you

1:23:28

friends in Suvey's old

1:23:31

apartment in Alabast Hall.

1:23:33

Sack full of potatoes

1:23:35

on a shipbound for

1:23:38

Port Allen. In that

1:23:40

first night that Suvey

1:23:42

cried as a little

1:23:45

girl after she had

1:23:47

seen her parents for

1:23:50

the last time. spell

1:23:52

for good dreams for

1:23:54

her new friend. You

1:23:57

curl up beside her.

1:23:59

At some later point,

1:24:01

hearing the shuffle, the

1:24:04

fox goes and nestles

1:24:06

up in Suvey's chest.

1:24:09

Ursulain, I think you

1:24:11

wake at this moment

1:24:13

too. Seeing Amme and

1:24:16

Sufi, gathered up in

1:24:18

Sufi, with what you

1:24:20

recognize as a traveling

1:24:23

pack. sleeping in a

1:24:25

stable on the ground

1:24:28

when a governor's hall

1:24:30

waits across a plaza.

1:24:32

I'll move to them

1:24:35

and take off my

1:24:37

cape and drip it

1:24:39

over all three of

1:24:42

us. The three of

1:24:44

you sleep, get the

1:24:47

few good hours you

1:24:49

need, not as many

1:24:51

as you'd like, and

1:24:54

at the pre-dawn light,

1:24:56

three horses, three friends.

1:24:58

The fox gallop out

1:25:01

of bracken before the

1:25:03

rooster crows That

1:25:23

was Lou Wilson as Ursulaan

1:25:25

Erica Ishii as Amé, Abriya

1:25:28

Aingar as Suvee and Brennan

1:25:30

Lee Mulligan as everyone and

1:25:32

everything else. World's Beyond Number

1:25:34

is edited, designed, and scored

1:25:37

by Taylor Moore at Fortunate

1:25:39

Horse with additional sound designed

1:25:41

from Michael Gelfi Studios. For

1:25:43

even more like this, join

1:25:46

us on our patron. We'll

1:25:48

see you there. You