Mayday Plays - Orpheus Book 1, Ch. 11 - "When There's No More Room in Hell"
Episode Date: June 19, 2022The stunning conclusion of Orpheus Book 1 has come at long last. Crucible 12 is sent to follow the trail of their massacred peers and find the source of the mysterious ghost quakes. Will they survive ...the coming upheaval?
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Good morning. Good afternoon and good day folks. Allow me to welcome you to another episode of Orpheus.
I am Vince, your host and storyteller for this campaign.
Welcome back. The scheduling demons raise their ugly heads for a little bit, but we are finally bringing you the finale for Orpheus Book 1.
Don't look back. Chapter 11, when there's no more room in hell, this is going to be a doozy.
Joining me are Aaron as Abner Abernathy.
Hello. I'm completely and totally innocent.
He is not. Allegra as Logan Rio Mercado.
If I die, I die.
Amanda as Mia Castillo Bennett.
You're starting off strong, aren't we?
Starting off so strong. Caleb as Colette Sawyer.
Good morning, everybody.
Eli as Nikoa Kahwane.
What up? Good morning.
Sergio as Levinia Eileen Dyer.
What's up, friends?
And Zacchia as Vivian 515 Ager.
Good morning. Sometimes violence is healthy.
Sometimes violence is healthy. Amen.
Before we begin, please keep in mind this actual play is intended for mature audiences.
It contains elements of supernatural horror, violence, adult language, sexual situations, substance abuse, and of course, much more.
Viewer and listener discretion as always is recommended and advised.
Music in this episode, as with all episodes, is brought to you by Cryo Chamber and Epidemic Sound.
For more information on Cryo Chamber, please visit cryochamber.bandcamp.com.
And for more information about Epidemic Sound, EpidemicSound.com.
We'd also like to thank Onyx Path Publishing for their early support of this campaign.
We highly recommend you check out the 20th anniversary edition of Wraith the Oblivion, which contains updated rules and information for the campaign.
You have been watching and are about to see come to its first conclusion.
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So thank you. We'll never be able to thank you enough.
Before we begin, does anybody have anything else they'd like to announce?
I feel like I want to say something just to solve the inevitable, honestly.
Oh, I know. His hair is blue.
My hair is blue.
His hair is phenomenal.
It looks great.
Phenomenal.
Um,
nothing?
Pride month.
Pride month.
Pride month, folks.
Pride month.
Yeah.
Happy.
Happy pride.
We got Vegas by Night coming.
I am so stoked for that.
So definitely keep an eye on all of our socials and everything,
because there's going to be more information coming in the very near future.
It's going to be a good time.
But if that's it,
let's get to work.
All right.
So,
Amanda, if you would be so kind as to remind us in the audience what happened
in our last episode.
Okay, everybody, because
Mia was not there,
I'm going to go ahead and try to Deadpool-esque this and fourth wall break,
and Amanda is going to give the recap.
So, after Crucible recovered from our
Shaw fight at the warehouse,
we finally get an actual Beach episode.
Mia, played by the brilliant Amanda,
did her roles right,
and decided to spend the time with her majesty,
and she actually learned juggernaut.
That's it.
Nice.
LaVinia looked into connecting between
Pignet and Colts.
Apparently, there's a,
oh my gosh,
there's a lot of notes in here, Rob.
That's intense.
Okay.
Well, yeah, you don't have to go through all of it,
but you just kind of-
I know.
That's not going to go really well.
But they did visit Logan in the hospital,
and I'll hack the Orpheus network,
and apparently saw the post-recap interviews.
Okay, that's some drama right there.
Nikoa decided to actually,
was it processing the Coleman Shaw spite envisions?
Actually did some for paid,
and then learned about some Grin Reapers,
and the doppelgangers.
Okay, I don't know what that means,
so that's going to be great.
Viv gets her own cell phone back.
The shrine that was apparently their shrine
was actually destroyed by their doppelganger,
and tried to chase it down,
but unfortunately was missed.
Ben Cotton did remind her about avoiding spite.
Man, I take great notes.
That's all I have right now.
We miss you, Ben.
Oh God.
Viv, wait, we already covered Viv.
There we go.
Viv, go away.
We don't need you.
I'm finally admitted to being married to a mountain
that only Logan knows for like two seconds
before they blabbed their mouth,
and actually spread the word to...
Just a collet, just collet.
Yeah, like that's going to be really quiet for long.
Just a collet.
Just saying.
Speaking of collets,
so they met their dad at the Starbucks.
Very, very...
I appreciate that, by the way.
Nice reference.
Has been stayed at the hospital with Logan,
because they felt guilty about what happened to them.
Called their sponsor.
But here's the delicious part.
So they met with Lavinia in a hotel room,
and honestly, that's all I care about.
So I want to see how this drama unfolds.
Bless.
But with Logan and all that...
Oh, Logan has met with Nikoa.
Asked Niko what she thinks of the ghost forms.
Destroyed.
Nikoa doesn't know.
Oh my God, this is the worst recap.
I'm totally bombing.
I'm so sorry.
I'm panicking.
That's okay.
So I'm going to call you all XOXO Gossip Girl.
Got it.
Oh, that was so...
I totally didn't know what to do.
That's okay, Amanda.
You know what?
Take an XP point anyway.
Take an XP point anyway.
Yeah.
I appreciate you giving it the good old college try.
Some other big things that went down.
So...
Because there was a lot.
There was a lot.
Colette, for example, called Aiden Joseph Hall with the DEA
and actually agreed to become a source
in their pigment investigations.
What?
Which was wild.
And that was what I was expecting.
And the crazy thing about Coa's forebode visions,
when she actually was able to bring Kate into it,
to a certain extent,
it was kind of the same vision, right?
Back at home, back in Hawaii,
saw these reaper figures standing over
her massacred family
and then a horde of other specters behind them.
But this time,
Viv and Niko as doppelgangers were at the head of this swarm
as well.
And Kate, of course,
promised to try to engage with some Morpheus psychologists
to try and maybe get some additional insight
into what this could possibly mean.
Because there are so many different factors at play in.
When Viv met with Ben,
the ghost quake topic came up, right?
Viv, actually being a spirit,
felt these vibrations that Ben didn't seem to register.
But when she, when they mentioned it,
Ben definitely was like, yeah, these are a thing.
Morpheus doesn't know half as much as they think that they do.
And so there's still kind of an intelligence gap.
In Orpheus itself.
But we're picking up on the day of November 21st,
specifically towards the afternoon.
November 21st, of course,
is the day of the Orpheus Thanksgiving party,
their annual Thanksgiving party,
which is set to commence at about 7pm.
Kate Denison kind of rallied everyone together and approached
you all and said that Crucible 5 is currently missing.
One of their sleepers died in their pod,
which they believe is indicative that
his spirit was destroyed.
They were investigating a ghost quake that actually occurred
in Boulder, Colorado.
Initial reports of that,
some kind of object may have come through,
apparently some kind of rock.
So Crucible 5 specifically was sent up to map the quake,
interview any witnesses and determine how big it was
and recover the object.
Everyone is currently missing, presumed dead.
Ben Cotton, unfortunately, was the Crucible lead at the time.
There's been zero contact with any of the other Crucible members,
and Kate has asked for your discretion
and that the show must go on, so to speak.
They don't want anybody to panic,
and so that is where we're beginning.
So if there's any questions that you wanted to ask Kate
or kind of get some additional information before you roll out to Boulder,
please let me know.
Well, reading the mission briefing,
it might be important that we bring some of this,
said they want us to document any persistent physical effects.
So I think I'm going to ask for like a digital camera
or something I can document with.
Absolutely, yep, easy enough.
Do you think they'll give us, what are they called,
not the special cameras that take pictures of ghosts?
The Curly in camera?
Yeah.
Would they get the Curly in camera?
Yeah, they'll give you one.
That should be standard issue by now.
Yep.
They're still working on refining the technology.
This is, they're typically a Terral and Squibb exclusive
piece of proprietary technology,
but Orpheus is developing their own.
Yeah.
Do we have anything to like predict or confirm
when a ghost quake is happening?
So no, no, unfortunately not.
There's definitely seem to be random and sporadic.
If you do ask for additional information,
there are reports that they are becoming more frequent,
but they're still just sporadic enough to be to render
any kind of predictive effort null and void.
So at the bottom of the case briefing,
it says we have to request transport.
What's that all about?
Got it.
So if there is anybody who's suffering any ill effects,
that is alive.
So a living, breathing person that is suffering some kind of
physical adverse effects.
Orpheus is asking you to actually bring them to Orpheus
headquarters for study.
So that's.
No hospital.
Straight back to HQ.
Correct.
Bag and tag them.
Bag and tag them.
They have extensive medical facilities, you know,
anytime you kill people as a matter of practice
for extended periods of times, you know,
you kind of need medical facilities on site.
So there's only two actual physical bodies we're looking for
because of the two skimmers, right?
Correct.
Yep.
So you had Ben Cotton, who was a skimmer,
Poltergeist, Beth Cooper, who was a skimmer,
Banshee currently missing.
I believe I said she was a wisp in the last episode.
I meant Banshee.
Shane Ramos was their sleeper skin rider is the one who died
overnight between November 20th and November 21st.
The ghost quake actually seemed to happen the very early
morning hours of November 20th.
And Alex Perry, a spirit haunter who is missing
and presumed destroyed.
Okay.
Do they have any...
Sorry, this is my last question, I think.
No, no, no.
Ask away.
Do they have any...
Like besides sharing vitality, is there anything we can do
to try and help a spirit come back or is that...
Once, unless you can...
So sharing vitality is a good way to help them reconstitute
their gauze, but if they are...
If they're gone, they're gone.
Gone, gone, gone.
Okay.
Gone, gone.
Yep.
So, and then...
I'm sorry if this already got covered,
but this is like a residential area that we're going to...
So Orpheus headquarters doesn't know
where exactly the ghost quake occurred.
They just know that it was in somewhere in Boulder,
and that in Crucible 5 was sent to actually map where it was.
So you could potentially try to retrace their steps
as an avenue of investigation.
Did I get a vibe when I felt it in the park, like a direction?
Well, being in LA, you've probably felt earthquakes before, right?
Very similar.
Okay.
You can kind of...
As you're closer to the epicenter, it's stronger,
but the further away you are, the weaker it is.
So when you experience yours in that park, when you were with Ben,
you can probably figure that you were at the tail end of it,
kind of on the outer skirt.
But apart from actually narrowing it down to identifying an epicenter,
that might be tough.
Vince, this is actually kind of...
Maybe this is more of an in-game question, but with Orpheus,
I'm assuming they all have fun...
Do they have a tracking for any kind of company property,
like a last known location, like even a basic IT department
or something like that?
Right.
So not for their phones, but they did have a tracker on their vehicle
because they took an Orpheus vehicle.
Great.
Okay.
That makes sense.
So we have a last known location of the vehicle.
And they can actually pull where they've been.
Oh, perfect.
Sweet.
So if that's what you want to do.
So you determine that they departed Orpheus headquarters in one SEV
on Tuesday, November 20th, around 3.20 p.m.
They checked into the Boulder Marriott at approximately 3.45 p.m.
Everyone had their own rooms on the...
Well, we can...
We'll get to that.
I'm going into a little too far.
You can also see that they went to the Boulder Police Department.
They went to a nearby restaurant.
And the last known location of the SEV was in the parking lot
of the North Boulder Recreation Center.
That's where we should go.
I suggest we make our rendezvous point this Boulder Marriott
if we get split up or if we have to retreat.
Could circle back here.
Yes.
That's good.
Boulder Marriott is also right in the center of town.
Right.
So that'll be good.
We should check there.
Oh, Vladimir.
Maybe we should also check with the hotel staff.
See if anybody...
Because usually with maid services, if they don't check out the day of,
they collect all of their materials.
So hopefully they usually keep it for about a week.
Check with the hotel staff.
See what's left behind.
Good idea.
Sounds good.
One car or two?
Two is probably a good idea.
All right.
In case we need to shut old meat sacks back.
And yes.
Are we going under?
Because I know there's no one here, but...
So Abner is currently under.
But the staff to put you under me is unavailable.
So you are in the flesh, so to speak.
And I'm still a battery guy.
That's right.
There's a reason I sleep like this, you know.
I'll drive the car that Abner's not possessing.
Beautiful.
Before we go, can I pull Abner aside and have a quick conversation with him?
Absolutely.
Oh, good.
Are you riding in the me car?
Normally I ride with Mia, but I do need to talk to you for a second before we get in.
Because you're still leading this crucible, right?
Indeed I am.
That's what the paperwork says.
Right.
So since we've kind of had this crucible together, you know that I kind of look into the future, look into the past, right?
I've been noticing a terrible pattern of something that is going on.
And I think whatever we're about to encounter is like the start of this.
The start of...
Something cataclysmic.
Like, what are we talking here?
Like ghost nukes?
Like an entity that could potentially kill the living and the dead.
I don't know, something I can't quite figure out, but I've been having these visions.
But most importantly, it's kind of, I think it has something to do with Viv.
With Viv? Why?
What do you mean why?
Why would she be involved? Are you saying she's the insider?
I'm not saying that she's the insider per se, but the road she is traveling down is contributing to this from what I can tell.
And yes, I think you should keep an eye on her a lot better than you're doing right now.
Because you're asking me why, when you should know already why.
I don't know what's inside your head. I don't see your visions.
No, but I'm just general cognitive, like, perception and awareness of things that are happening.
I assure you, I have a very thorough understanding of all the shenanigans that Vivian's been up to.
I want to say Viv is in the corner looking like this.
I think it would be wise, especially given her relationship with Cotton, Ben Cotton, to keep her calm and check and not have her fly off the handle.
You know, I don't want to alarm you, but you know she's standing right behind you, right?
Yeah, I know.
Okay, I just wanted to make sure we're clear. Hi Vivian.
Are you in the me car?
I always end up there, so I've just sort of resigned to it.
I think it just depends on where the soft people are going.
Great, I'm keeping an eye on you. Get in the me car.
Okay. The fun V.
You could thank Nicola.
The fun V and the humdrum V.
Thanks, thanks Nicola.
Smile and head towards me as car.
Not awkward at all.
So to recap, we have got, we've got Mia in the flesh, Abner under, we've got our spirits, we've got our skimmers.
Good to go.
You took a digital camera and a Kirlian camera.
Any other equipment that you will bring with?
Someone mentioned something about infrared.
Yeah, if they're infrared cameras, I'm taking one of those.
Yep, there is, it's not so much as a camera.
It's more like an infrared optic.
But yeah, it's, it's, you've got, you've got one available.
I'm bringing my laptop too.
Has Orpheus given any like credence to the like validity of like EKG meters and like paranormal investigators?
Yeah, yeah, I mean, there's, there's definitely electromagnetic disturbance around the presence of a spirit for sure.
Yeah, they actually have, you all don't necessarily need it because you can, you know, as a default ability, you can see the dead.
Right, right, right.
There are, there are devices that Orpheus has available for those who are not so inclined to where they can detect the presence of a ghost.
Well, maybe we'll take one, one of those along because maybe it won't help us find a ghost, but maybe a ghost quake.
It could be a really good alarm though, because if we have something that sets off a sound and we're not in that area, we know that at least something's going off in that area.
So if anything.
Yeah, let me find the name of it. Well, so I know what I'm talking about.
So just for the record, any like triage, first aid.
Oh yeah.
We have.
I'm throwing some of my camp supplies and like first aid supplies in the back.
I'm also guessing that some of these stock the SUVs and stuff with.
Yeah, survivorship.
Yeah, there's like basic first aid kits, but you have available a like a trauma kit.
You can get a trauma kit if you need to.
That's got like hemostatic, you know, gauze and stuff like that.
So.
Logan.
Yes.
What's up?
Blood clotting.
Blood clotting.
Do you have like a rent kit?
Yeah, for sure.
I mean, like I always, I mean, I'm supposed to stop fires, but I do have a thing to start fires.
If I need to start a fire.
Yes, I have a flunk kit.
Yeah.
I don't know why.
Just.
Yeah, it's in this big tub and they're going to like shake the Tupperware tub in there.
I didn't hear at the top of that is the axe that was previously buried in their chest.
It has been moderately cleaned and is back in the bin and come with us clean.
There's a little flex of their blood on it.
Look.
So collect the device is called a PLE monitor.
Okay.
They're about the size of PDA.
They're pretty rudimentary.
They're not great.
Orphous engineers are still refining the technology.
It's got about 30 minutes of battery life.
And after about a minute, it gets kind of warm to the touch because it heats up.
But with a perception plus computers role, you can narrow down the location of any nearby
ghosts to within about 50 meters from 50 meters to about five meters.
Got it.
Yep.
Yeah.
So we'll say anything that you would, you wouldn't be reasonable, you know, reasonably
expected to have in your, in your kit.
Logan, you've got it.
You've got access to.
Right.
Can we bring in guns?
Well, I will.
I have an axe.
We got asked.
We got, we got a gun side or just a sidearm.
Yeah.
You've got these hands.
I've got these hands.
I've got these hands.
All I got.
Of which the enemy will catch some.
Okay.
Yes.
So we're going.
We're.
I think so.
Yeah.
Let's do this.
To the Boulder Marriott.
Yeah.
You got about a 20 minute, 20 or 30 minute drive ahead of you.
Any conversations that happen on the way?
Any discussions?
I would just like to say I'm in Mia's car now that I know that Ab is a mountain fucker.
I don't want him.
It's not happening.
Imagine it's like after driving the SUV and then we have like another little sedan
and everyone who could possibly crab into this.
This is good.
I'm in the other car with Viv just so she isn't alone with Abner.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And I definitely gave Kolei a look of like, come on, don't leave us alone.
As she got in the other car.
Love it.
Um, okay.
So yeah, you drive on up and you get to the Boulder Marriott in Boulder, Colorado.
We said about 20, 30 minute drive.
Oh, go ahead.
Cause I'm driving.
I've been like, turn on the radio.
How was everyone's time?
Productive.
Good.
Good.
What about you?
How's your majesty?
Aggressive.
Very much.
See, that was called details, guys.
I was trying to like break eyes.
But if not, we'll just play music for a half hour.
I mean, I've just been working through my beach time.
I didn't go anywhere.
So I don't know what kind of details do you want?
I mean, you didn't like.
I'm more interested in the details of what you've been up to.
Stuff that's not appropriate for me to say in front of the children.
Children.
Well, maybe we should hang out soon if we may get out of this.
I think so too.
I'm just saying I've been neglecting.
I'm sorry.
It's fine.
Colette.
Yes.
Are you okay?
I see you like the rear view.
You're like.
Just thinking about how aggressive cops are.
Like you were saying.
Oh, it's like.
Like she was.
She doesn't really kind of hide it.
You didn't meet her.
I'm just thankful not to be in a B's car.
That's it.
Why?
Just wrong.
What's wrong with Abner?
You know, the cheap joke is getting a little old.
There.
Cheap joke.
The one where he turns into the car and then makes people riding in him.
Yeah, I'm about to be like, does anyone else get slightly uncomfortable when he's
saying come ride in me a little bit?
A little now.
Yeah.
I mean, he's trying to read the expression on Colette's face.
Do you want to roll?
Because I can tell it's kind of making Colette a little.
Sure, can I?
Can I just roll?
Yeah.
A general vibe.
Yeah, roll perception plus empathy.
Where is the vibe?
And Colette, if you want to try to, if you want to try to kind of mask it, roll manipulation,
manipulation plus empathy.
Okay.
Yeah, no, I, it's just, no, you just look for three successes.
Beautiful.
Eight and seven and a nine.
Three successes.
Eight, seven, nine.
Oh, shit.
Identical roll.
Oh, shit.
Okay.
What are the odds of that?
If I can get them to break.
Yeah.
So, okay.
What's your, what's your manipulation at?
How many dots do you have in manipulation?
I have four in manipulation.
Or are you asking?
I'm asking Colette.
I'm sorry.
No, no, no, you're good.
I have two in minute.
Okay.
How many do you have in perception?
Three.
Okay.
So, you get a hint that there's something Colette's holding back?
Potentially.
I'm going to look like.
There's a, there's a, it's side-eye worthy, not full blown, accusatory worthy.
Side-eye.
Okay.
What about you back there?
You've been a little quiet.
What?
That's nothing.
Didn't haunt anybody.
Who are you referring to?
The video.
Oh, me?
You know what?
I think I would ride with Abner.
Whoa.
Yes.
Thank you.
All right.
Never mind.
That was my conversation in that car.
Yeah.
So we got, we got Mia, Colette, and, and Koa in one car.
Logan, are you with them?
No.
I decided to ride with Abner so Viv didn't have to be alone with him.
So we got Logan, Viv, Abner, and now LaVenia in the fun V.
Okay.
Fun V.
I love the idea of LaVenia just on the highway like facing out of one car and then doing.
Yeah.
I'm done.
That could be very possible.
Yeah.
It's like those ghosts in the matrix where they go from one to the other.
Yeah.
Wow.
They really are a little sad, but they don't want to talk to themselves.
Yeah.
Right.
I had a riddle for them and everything.
Oh, well, when we get out of the car.
You messed up.
I, I think I'd be, if it's only a 20 minute drive, I'm spending the time on my laptop,
just looking at the local news websites.
Like I want to see if in the last 12 hours, if there's been any headlines that are reflecting
what's going on.
Nice.
Yeah.
Good call.
Unfortunately, nothing that, nothing.
It stands out.
It's all like pretty, pretty basic local news stories.
Like a gas station got held up.
Some kids vandalized like a local like convenience store, some shit like that.
Like nothing, nothing that is indicative of like earthquakes or something like larger scale.
Gotcha.
All right.
And which, which kind of supports what you've learned so far is that ghost quakes for the
most part are really only experienced by those who are either out of their body or deceased
extent versus the living.
However, and one thing I did fail to mention is that the, the reporting party for this,
like how Orpheus found out about this to begin with was there's an Orpheus employee that
was in Boulder, Audrey Fowler, who is a skimmer banshee.
And is the one who kind of experienced it.
It was about, and, and reported it to Orpheus.
Gotcha.
If there are ghost quakes, do you think that there are ghost tectonic plates?
Oh, there's gotta be.
I mean,
Do we even know what gauze is?
Does, does gauze friction itself?
I don't know.
That would mean there would be ghost volcanoes.
That would be so cool.
I don't know.
My current working theory is that it's not so much tectonic plates as it's some kind of
doorway or passage.
Like it's like the door slams shut and that's what causes ghost quakes or like it bangs open.
I'm worried that it's more like someone's knocking.
Ooh, that's a third terrible option.
I hadn't considered.
Thanks, man.
Like ghost busters.
Wow.
We'll find out shortly.
Okay.
I think Logan's trying to find a way to talk to Viv about Ben, but it doesn't want to bring
it up in front of Abner or Vinnia.
I understand that you and Mr. Cotton were romantically entangled.
That is not what I told you.
This is not what I told you.
Do you understand that?
Who, what do you mean?
A word gets around, you know.
Who's passing it out?
Oh, you know.
People.
I hear things, you know.
I'm sure you do.
Okay.
How are you feeling now that his life is almost certainly ended?
What the fuck?
Abner, no.
Right, you?
Because now, you know, you have more in common.
I always find that love with the living is just completely untenable.
Well, that's not terrible.
I really don't.
I'm not confident that Viv could keep her helter skelter together during this conversation.
At all.
What are you helter skeltering as?
Are you like?
Oh, no.
I think like, I think the car doors like lock and then the steering wheel just kind
of like.
Got it.
Got it.
Yep.
There definitely seems, you can definitely feel like there's definitely a change in
the pressure in the fun V as, you know, all of a sudden those locks engage and there's
like a little quitter, like a little shake as the steering wheel just kind of, you almost
lose it for a second, Abner, but being in my pocket and like pull out any like keys
or like my wallet and cards and like any little fidgety things I have.
And I'm just going to like hold them out towards Viv.
So they start like this.
Yeah, basically.
Like here's some fidgets.
I love you.
I'm I'm sorry.
I.
Yes.
To answer your question, Abner.
It feels very bad.
I'm trying to keep it together because there's a lot of people in these two cars that I would
like to see alive, but it's rough.
Well, aren't you excited that he's like going to be a ghost now too?
He is a ghost.
He's already a ghost.
I didn't.
I don't want him to.
Yeah, I don't need him to die again.
I see.
Oh, no, he sees living.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, I know.
I don't want him to.
I don't need him to die a second time.
Extra die.
That doesn't excite me.
Does it excite you?
I mean, I am ambivalent.
I don't know the guy.
All right.
Yeah.
LaVidia opens a word document in her laptop.
That's just titled Abner and she types.
It's an Italianizing and emotionally sensitive member of the
Crucible period on this date.
Not receipts.
It's on Orpheus letterhead.
It's a memorandum for record.
Just building that paper trail, baby.
Yeah.
I just lean over to Viv and go, I was trying to figure out a way
to say this before he could start on it and I'm sorry.
I didn't think of a better way to do it than this.
Sorry.
That's okay.
I do see your effort.
And then she takes the toys.
Are these sacred to you in any way?
I just need like two of the keys here.
I like take all like my house key and my car key off the ring and
the rest of the like ridiculous amount of keys and like cards I
have on there.
I'm like, you can fuck with any of these honestly.
Okay, great.
And just it looks like one of those I spy books.
It's like, oh.
Yeah.
And like I keep my debit card and my ID and the rest of like the
cards and everything in my wallet.
I'm like here.
Oh wait, hold on.
I need that picture.
My nephew drew it for me.
Snatching things out of the air.
Yeah.
Like, oh, actually that's really important.
Okay.
Okay.
Now everything you can fuck with.
Okay, great.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I really can.
And then she like turns and sort of says quietly.
I really don't think I can handle if I feel bad saying this.
I don't really know the other people in the crucible.
So I really, if he doesn't, we got to get him out.
You know what I mean?
You know what I mean?
When I say it?
Car?
No.
We have to get Ben.
Oh yeah.
For sure.
That would be safe and good.
I will do my very best.
Now when we say alive, do we mean alive?
The dial that does the radio, I like punch it.
So he can't come through the speakers.
Yes.
Yeah.
I know part of this mission is just information gathering.
And I'm afraid I won't be as helpful.
But of course, Lavinia, if you need any help, let me know.
Absolutely.
We don't know what we're rolling into.
And there's a very good chance he is alive.
He's a capable leader of a crucible.
So I have faith.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
That's all.
Mia, you get a phone call.
From Hermetic.
Okay.
I'm putting in an air pod.
I'm putting in an air pod and not singing to any Bluetooth.
While you're driving?
Yeah.
I see.
One handed.
Flicking air pod in.
Hello.
I'll just go ahead.
Hey.
Hey, how's your day going?
I'm just going to ignore everybody in the car, by the way.
I'm just watching.
You're still coming for Thanksgiving, right?
Yeah.
That was the plan.
Do we need to bring anything?
I still don't know the whole Game of Thrones politics with everyone.
Do you have that map that you said you were going to make?
Who hates who?
Whose kid is an asshole?
You know what I mean?
The family.
Is figuring it out for yourself when you get there.
Okay.
That's kind of a dink move, but you know what?
That's a strike against you.
And you can just like maybe back in another way.
So.
Koa says hi.
I just, I could see them side eyeing me.
So Koa said hi.
Got it.
Koa, they said hi.
Oh, hi.
So what time, what time can we expect you?
What do you think?
Hold please.
Girl, how long do you think this will be?
How long is what going to be?
How long do you think this whole shenanigans, like the timeline?
It goes to earthquakes?
You know, it's really, it's really hard to say how long it's going to take because we
have to find people.
I'm thinking of like a guesstimate, like is, do you think we're screwed for like, we're
going to be lost for three months or do you think we actually.
No, I doubt this is going to be a three month excursion, but I really think we're going
to take the day.
Awesome.
Hey, so definitely right now because I'm on my way to Boulder because we're called
and unfortunately this one's one of the scary ones.
I can tell you this, it will not take three months, but it's definitely, I
hopefully will get done as soon as I can.
But once I actually get a timeline, I can let you know.
Yeah, just keep me posted, you know, like a normal fucking person.
That'd be great.
Thank you.
Shit.
I wouldn't be like this.
I know that tone.
I feel like.
No, listen, I get it.
I get it.
I get it.
We catch cases of wild times.
I know that's what I understand it.
But I will check.
Trust me.
Oh, trust me.
Yes.
I'm heading to Boulder.
So what are my plans?
If you can, I know the fight just loves you.
Is it?
Should I be worried?
I will let you know because I don't have nothing for yet.
Why don't like that fucking answer?
Yeah, I told I would not lie to you.
That was the whole.
Yeah, I'm going to treat it as a yes until until I hear otherwise.
That's why I will definitely be doing check-ins.
If you want to send photos in between, though, to boost morale,
I would totally appreciate that.
Well, mom and dad are here.
So, you know, if I find some time.
I'm the family.
I still want to sleep.
You could still like see your dirty mind.
I was just trying to say like if you could send photos.
What is happening?
I know how your mind works, darling.
Listen.
But you know, you're smiling, though.
You're smiling, though.
That's it.
Yep.
You know, I love you, right?
That was fast.
All right.
He didn't catch that.
I don't think he caught it.
No, we like.
But I will definitely be making this up.
Love, love, love, love, love.
Hang up.
I had it.
Why did I fuck it up at the end?
You got it?
I had it.
You have it again?
I had it.
Koa, I had that.
Yeah, you definitely had that.
You need to be a little bit more consistent.
I've had that many times.
You like who I am.
I'm just saying.
Enough times for her to water the ficus.
You know what?
When someone likes you for who you are,
that's actually quite awesome.
Yeah.
I know that I, for one, love that.
Why did you say that so weird?
I don't know.
Love is such a weird word, isn't it?
And so quick, isn't it?
I don't wait.
What's going, what?
Love can be quick.
Love could be slow.
Is this like a riddle?
What the fuck is going on?
I'll, I'll, I'll explain it to you later.
I don't.
It's okay.
It's okay.
I will say don't forget.
You all definitely met in June.
It's now November.
So.
Oh, okay.
I never mind.
Is it that long?
Jack and Rose met in within a week.
So and.
And like.
And then both died.
Maybe not the best example, but you died.
Did she?
Eventually.
As an old lady.
Eventually.
She did die as an old lady, but who did she go back to at the
end?
That's right.
When she crossed over.
Not him.
He's fucking dead.
They crossed over.
They met there.
Did you not see the end of Titanic?
She had room on that fucking door.
She had room on the door.
Oh, no, no, no.
That's a whole other argument.
We can get into the argument of Titanic.
We have to find people.
Yeah, but like, there's things stupid shit about Titanic.
How do they get the ending wrong?
There are five kisses to water.
As this conversation continues.
The hum drum V.
You all pull up to the bull, to the Boulder Marriott.
What's the plan?
What's the plan of attack?
Mia, I suggest you find out what rooms they were in.
And regardless of whether they let us in there or not, we can
look at their stuff.
Whoa, wait, did Orpheus pay for the room?
They did.
Then we have proof that we have the title to their shit.
That's true.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Let's remember Abner that's called finesse.
And you don't have any.
So that's why I that's why that's why people can't see me.
So let's not hear you too.
So I'll just, you can hear me.
I know, sadly.
And I don't want that.
But yeah, I will go ahead.
Anyone else wants to come with me because.
I'll come with you with you.
Because I still have like the official Orpheus and a.
Yeah, I badge.
Yeah, you do.
Yep.
I will manifest.
So I am not visible.
Got it.
Okay.
How are you manifested?
Oh, no, always unmanifested.
Beautiful.
All right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So you walk in and there is, of course, somebody, a concierge
working.
And they're able to tell you that everyone had their own rooms on
the third floor.
So Ben Cotton was in 302.
Beth Cooper was in 303.
Shane Ramos was in 304.
And Alex Perry was in 305.
Question.
Did anyone in housekeeping like, because I know you guys have
to clean and sanitize for the next, can you guys put their
stuff in the back like zip tie, luggage, anything like that?
Well, so the reservation was until the 22nd.
So they haven't checked out.
So their stuff should still be there.
Are they not coming back?
There were as unfortunately some emergencies that were pulled
and we need to just catch up on some of their last notes.
And went on the case.
Do you mind if I get a copy of, can I get a couple copies of
the keys?
Who did you say you were with?
I'll show like my PI and Orpheus.
I'll even show the show, show the official.
Orpheus.
Can you do like talk to, do you talk to dead people?
Is it true what they say?
I'm behind the cashier going like this.
There is some talking.
There's some seeing.
My grandmother died like last month is, can you like put me?
Oh my God.
I'm already moving to 302.
It's like we don't have time.
Yeah.
How about this?
If it's not every, because some people just honestly just
crossover.
How about this?
Give me, here's my card.
Like, here's my card on that with my email.
Please email me the info, like what you can.
Can I call you with this number too?
That numbers to the office.
So put the email right here.
Cause that's like a message, right?
Yeah.
Go for it.
I guess.
I'll call.
Yeah.
Keys please.
Oh yeah.
Sure.
Here you go.
And she slides you across some, some keys.
The good news is, is if we need to manipulate there, I can just
manifest wearing a dress.
Oh God.
I'm going to keep it very together in front of the person.
But as soon as I get the keys in turn, I'm going to give the
biggest thing.
I'd like, don't be a dick.
I'm just saying, if it comes to it, I'm not going to idly toy with
the poor woman's heart.
Yet.
There we go.
I'm just going to be like, knock it off.
Like, knock it off.
So what's the, what's, what's the whole crew?
Is the whole crew going to check out these rooms?
What's the plan?
I'd like to go to Beth Cooper's room.
Got it.
Okay.
I'm going to Ben Cotton's room.
Same.
I'm going to go with.
Because I have a couple of questions.
I'll go back and see everybody.
I'll take Alex's room.
Got it.
Okay.
So you step in.
We'll start with Ben Cotton's room.
They're no, obviously nobody in there, but the, all of his personal
belongings are still, we're still present.
Any computers or personal devices?
Yep.
Yep.
There's a laptop set out on the hotel room desk.
And it looked like it was just like a three day bag he packed.
Nothing like he'd impact for like a prolonged stay.
Some toiletry, exchanges of clothes, stuff like that.
But the laptop is, is available for you to check out.
I'm assuming there's not anything useful on there, but I will just do a
cursory glance if he's, if he has any notes or anything like that.
It is locked.
So go ahead and roll intelligence plus computer.
Okay.
If it's a personal passcode, is there any way I could assist?
Yeah, totally.
Um, for you, roll, uh, roll wits plus empathy.
Okay.
See if you can guess it.
I have one success.
I also have one success.
Two.
So good enough.
Um, it takes you, it takes you a little bit.
It takes you about maybe a good 15, 20 minutes to, to get in, uh,
like bi-minipulating the BIOS and all that.
Super hack and computer techie stuff.
Yeah.
Um, actually, yeah.
12, 12 random digits and, and, uh, all that good stuff.
Uh, but as you're working on that, because it is going to take you a
little bit of time, we'll move on to Beth Cooper's room.
Um, kind of the same situation with Beth Cooper, uh, like a very minimal
belongings, just like a three day bags and toiletries.
Um, it doesn't appear to be any, um,
uh, electronics or personal electronics or anything like that in the room.
Um, but, uh, apart from like a Kindle, like an, like an e-book type thing.
Can I vibe check the room?
General vibe.
Yeah.
I just want it.
Like, I don't know if like, cause she's a banshee.
So I figured.
Yeah.
She leaves some remnants of feelings and emotions behind or something.
I don't know.
Um, like an intuition kind of.
Check or something like that.
Well, do you want to forebode?
I do want to forebode.
Yes.
Okay.
Go ahead and make your role.
Okay.
I'm going to expend once so I can get a full day.
Um, got it.
That is what manipulation and empathy.
Yep.
Okay.
Or perception plus empathy.
I'm sorry.
Or perception plus sex.
That's for successes.
Jesus.
Okay.
Um, so for you, you have the run of the room.
Um, a clear vision.
You can actually move around it.
You can actually manipulate it if you need to kind of not manipulate,
but kind of move about the vision and see what exactly happened.
Um, and you see Beth, uh, lying on the bed at night.
So obviously out of her body projecting.
Um, all of a sudden there is she begins to convulse violently.
Um, practically.
Or back arching so much, you think it might actually break at some point.
Limbs flailing and eventually settles and then sits straight up in bed and leaves the hotel.
What were her eyes like?
Were they black?
They were jet block.
In the same way Rivas was.
Yes.
Fuck.
And that's the only other indication of anything that happened at that point.
Yep.
Yeah.
It seemed, uh, you, uh, since you have the full day, um, you can see her and some of
the others, uh, you know, Shane and Ben kind of discussing their plan of attack,
um, heading up to North Boulder to try to find the epicenter of the ghost quake,
try to find if anything came through based on the information they got from the,
um, police department.
And, you know, just she kind of settles in and goes, goes zero, goes flat and projects
out of her body.
But she took her body with her wherever they left.
Yep.
Fuck.
Okay.
Cool.
Then I'll come out of it.
And I will say I made a new Psy Shane Ramos doesn't have a room because he's out of his
damn body.
Yeah.
So no room, no room for him and no room for Alex either.
So those are the only two rooms, um, so because I'm an idiot.
I forgot that they were out of their bodies, out of their bodies.
Um, so, uh, those were the only two.
So we'll say at a certain point there, uh, Lavinia and, um, who was with you?
Viv, you're able to get into the laptop.
Yep.
Any, any notes, any, uh, anything that might let us understand what was going on with their
investigation?
Um, so nothing on the phone, nothing on the laptop.
Um, it is, it was likely he left it there while he went into the field.
And then if he did take notes, it may be on his person.
Um, but you do open up his, like his browser and everything, like you can see that he was
looking for nearby, um, you know, nearby locations, uh, the address for the Boulder
Police Department.
Um, and there are some, some Google searches about, uh, Viv.
Okay.
About, you know, the, the, uh, some new stories about the, the accidental death of a bike
messenger.
Um, yeah.
I'm sure you're not surprised to find he had an interest in you.
Well, I'm, I mean, he, he talked about the, you know, the scooter night, but I didn't
think he was like looking into it.
Like why I'm here.
I thought, I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know why I was suppressed.
It's just, it's weird when people take interest.
I don't think that there's much here beyond this.
Uh, I think we might want to check in with the others.
Let's see.
Have an idea.
Is there a, like a, find my iPhone?
Can we, does it, you know what?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Hell yeah.
Yep.
Cool.
Um, so you activate it and you try to locate, uh, the phone, but you get no result back.
Hmm.
Which is odd.
I mean, yeah.
It should show up in some way.
Right.
Unless it's like dead, I think.
Dead or destroyed.
Or destroyed.
Yeah.
Okay.
Maybe it's just dead.
It's probably just dead.
Okay.
Then.
Fine.
There are other places to look.
We, um, should.
This is just the beginning.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I do look through the rest of his belongings.
Like do you look through the rest of the room, like the, the bathroom, anything like that?
Do you go snooping?
Yeah.
Well, I think while LaVenia is like in the laptop, Viv is just like checking the actual
like physical parts of the room.
Okay.
Um, you, you don't find like anything like you find, you know, some, some, some medications
out on the, um, in the bathroom, like some prescription, uh, antidepressants and sleep
aids, stuff like that.
Um, you find some bucks on anger management that he's brought with him.
Um, and, uh, yeah.
Maybe take one of those, babe.
You know, just as a, you can give it to him when he, when you see him, I open up a word
document.
No.
I'm.
Okay.
That was, that was cute.
I was going to take one anyway.
Just so you know, but I will be taking one because I want to, not because you're recommending
me to take.
Naturally.
Naturally.
Yes.
It's a great taste in literature.
Uh, cool.
That's yeah, I think we go and report to the others.
Oh yeah.
Where, where's Collette and Abner during this time?
Is Abner in the room with us?
Um, honestly, I don't, I, I, let's, let's say I went.
With Logan.
Oh, I would just stay downstairs, uh, because Alex and Jane didn't have a room.
I stayed downstairs and I just got, uh, rooms for the three flesh folks.
Oh, nice.
Okay.
Yeah.
Easy, easy enough.
They've got, yeah, they've got, they've got plenty of room.
Uh, so you're able to secure those.
I probably would have been on that mission.
Um, could I ask the receptionist, uh, very quickly, uh, Hey, crazy about that weird,
like quake shake we had the other day, huh?
We were out in insert wherever Orpheus headquarters is.
I know it's a little far from here, but did you guys feel it over here?
Quake?
No, we didn't know nothing.
Must have been super small or something.
We had like local news stations talking about it the whole time.
I was wondering if it was all a Colorado or what went down.
Uh, no, I can't even remember the last time we had a, we had her quick.
Is this like a, like we're here obviously on that Orpheus thing, but you know, sometimes
when you go to the convention afterwards, you like to go get a drink or whatever it
is.
Is this a big like party town?
Do people like leave their rooms in the middle of the night and go out and, you know, get
freaky?
I mean, yeah, they can.
I mean, downtown's pretty, pretty nice.
Uh, you know, yeah, there's, there's bars and clubs and stuff.
I mean, do you want to do a recommendation or?
No, no.
I was just wondering, you know, sometimes people get up to crazy shit when they're drunk at
night.
You know, sometimes hotels have horror stories, you know, you know, people getting out and
rock star in the room and leaving it in the morning.
Yep.
Nope.
That's absolutely happened.
And I've had to clean the fuck up.
So yeah.
Well, do you have anything like good recently?
Well, you know, somebody decided to throw up all over the room and everywhere about the
toilet.
So that was fun.
Oh.
Sorry.
Disgusting.
You asked.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I guess I was expecting something else.
We'll do our best not to do that.
Yeah.
No promises.
Is there anything else I can help you with?
No.
No, you're great.
I think that's it.
I just think.
Have a great day.
I think LaVinia would go check in with Nikoa and I assume you'd tell us what you kind
of forebode.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We have another.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We have another Jason.
Great.
But how like, sorry, Vince, can I ask a question, another question about the forebode?
Did I see anything come into the room to possess Beth or did Beth just flip the switch?
Beth flipped the switch as far as you can tell.
Doesn't make sense.
There's not a lot of details on how it happens, but we know that Jason's inhabit kick out
an old soul or previous soul and our spirit and inhabit the body.
So that while they were out skimming, that could have been what happened.
So she could still be around.
Maybe if she's got enough vitality to last her, she might still be around.
Yeah, that's true.
Well, maybe like she wasn't possessed either.
I mean, there are those things that are sort of walking around wearing our skins and stuff
they worried us about.
What's the doppelganger, right?
Maybe maybe that was her doppelgangers are only for the dead.
They don't possess their kind of just around kind of just annoying entities.
I think at the very least we should ask our receptionist if they see this, Beth, to let
us know, to notify us, secure the cameras.
Well, we should check the security cameras at the entrance to see who went when they
came and when which direction she went and she left.
Maybe there are cameras, Vince.
There are. Absolutely.
We might, but they probably won't just let us see them.
They can try.
I can sneak back there and try.
Yeah, they were planning on going to where I assume was the last location that they were
intending to go.
So we have like a we have an idea of where their car is currently.
We do. OK, you do.
The North Boulder Recreation Center.
So we go there next.
We should go there now. Yeah.
Yeah, cool.
Does someone want to stay?
I well, I guess I could.
But does someone want to stay and review the security camera footage while another party
goes out and checks that out?
I don't like the idea of a splitting up, but well, leaving one person behind here is, you
know, better than out in the field.
But a Jason came out of here.
That's well, that's a valid point.
I'm just wondering how much trouble can you get in in a security closet?
Well, the last time we split up, we almost lost our jobs.
We should.
I mean, if we're going to, if this is sort of our base, we could come back tonight.
You're right.
Yeah, we can always do it tonight.
It doesn't have to be.
You're absolutely right.
And if I don't go with who's going to drive the SUV,
any, any one roll license?
All of us, literally any of us.
I'm not saying.
So we'll go to every thing that.
Oh, totally. Yeah.
And speaking about that, there's a thing called creep.
Let's not go there.
I just want to drive the car.
You know what you're doing?
We're not dumb here.
So chill with that.
I don't know what you're accusing me of.
Can we go to the rec center?
Let's go.
It's better to not fight it.
That's amazing.
He's like, I'm going to be like, oh, he's like, he's crossing H.R. line.
Shit.
I know to the right to the rec center.
Many people on that better.
I can't see in white.
So you you drive to the you drive to the rec center.
And it's actually relatively nice.
I mean, it's big.
They have like a, you know, a pool.
They've got, you know, a weight cardio room.
They've got gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, pickleball courts.
It's pretty big.
But you're easily able to kind of drive around and and find the,
you know, the Orpheus SUV.
I'm sure you want to do something useful.
Is there anything in there?
I'm just going to rip the door open if that's OK.
That works.
Absolutely. Yeah, it's not locked.
OK, great.
It's booby trapped.
It's booby trapped. Boom.
It's not locked.
That's weird.
That's weird in and of itself.
Oh, yeah.
Yep. Just a scooch.
So yeah, you pop it open and there's nothing in there beyond.
Funnily enough, kind of like the same equipment you brought with you.
There's like a first aid kit
that's kind of standard in all the Orpheus vehicles.
There is
some some cameras, some Curellian cameras, infrared optics,
PLE monitors, you know, so there's kind of
kind of along the same lines as the equipment that you brought with them.
Is there any there's not like an SD card or something
within any of that that might have recorded any.
Well, there is. Yeah.
And as you review, as each power on the camera and you begin reviewing,
it looks like they were there in the early evening hours.
And it looks like they're taking pictures of a field.
And you don't see anything particular on the field.
No distinguishing landmarks around the field, signs or tree.
Monuments like those like Gettysburg type monument or something like that, too.
That are not aware of perception plus awareness.
Yeah, we'll do whoever is whoever.
One step. Yeah. Oh.
Well, it's tax perception.
Oh, does anyone anyone want to do that?
Yeah.
I don't have enough.
I have two successes.
OK, you actually see the back of the the recreation center.
Oh, OK. So it's OK.
It's literally 20 feet away.
Yeah. So there is a large field and a large open space
immediately behind the recreation center.
All right, let's move carefully, but we should go check it out.
Yeah, OK. Yeah.
While we're moving, I'm just constantly looking for ghosts.
Yeah, good, just great.
Yeah, I'm going to take out that PLE monitor.
And then once we sort of get closer into the field,
into the center, I'll strike it up and see what we get in that minute
before it gets like a old Nokia.
It's going. It's going apeshit.
This thing is going nuts. Great.
Oh, I'm going to I'm going to actually pull out my phone
and I want to text.
Homegirl to see if I can get a history of this area,
like something about this land.
Like, you know, like, I'm just going to text there.
See if, like, do you know any info or yeah, I'm going to.
OK, sorry.
Funnily enough, your signal is in and out,
and then you watch as the battery drains and just shuts down.
It's awkward.
Whoa, I've not seen that before.
I'm going to show off.
Does it just feel off here?
Just walking that all of us as you get closer, you are getting vibes.
And it starts kind of as you get closer and closer,
it's this very oppressive feeling.
And it's almost like back off a little bit, actually.
OK, almost like there's a ceiling above you
and it's getting closer and closer to your
like it's this very, very heavy, very oppressive, very.
Angry. Everybody stop.
I'm going to walk ahead and see what happens.
Wait here until you know it's safe.
We're going full ghost hunters on the little monitor here thing.
Are you sure, Amy?
I think someone needs to check it out, and it might as well be me.
Go on, Zach Baggins.
You want to promote here.
Can I? Oh, God, I just think, can I look around for anything like
crushed bits of grass or like,
broken stocks or like it's a tree.
Yeah, tracking, basically. Absolutely.
Roll. Do you have any any dots in survival?
I have three in survival.
Beautiful. Role perception plus survival.
I'm an outside boy.
For you, Abner, as you get closer,
you eventually see something.
Hold on just one second.
I think Nikola said she wanted to do.
Oh, do you want to forebode?
Do you want to forebode?
Yeah, kind of.
OK, if that's OK.
You got three successes.
Logan, beautiful.
Yeah, she's she's like dropping down, like checking the mud,
looking like using her height to kind of like.
See what's what's in the distance.
So you don't see any physical signs.
You see that people have been here.
You see footprints in the mud and everything.
But you don't see like signs of a struggle.
You don't see signs of any violence.
But then, you know, you kind of remember, you might not,
especially if they were out of their body.
There'd be very little.
Effect on the surrounding physical environment.
Yeah, I figured. Yeah.
Now, is this just like this is just like a wide open soccer field?
It's almost yet.
Yeah, not really even a soccer field.
It's just kind of like there's a garden
kind of a little bit further back behind like a professional
garden that grow like irises.
And then there's some nearby residences kind of to the northeast
and the the southeast.
So it's kind of, yeah, there's it's more residential.
But yeah, it's just a wide open field and some power.
There's some power lines, some power lines and.
What do you call the thing that holds them up?
The pylon.
Yeah, the pylons hours.
Yeah, is there also just so because I'm a little further back
than because they kept pushing forward.
Am I seeing anything like around the perimeter, around the edges?
That's roll perception plus alertness.
Did you did you roll, Koa?
No, not yet.
I'm going to spend two so I can get a week
to cover the net last couple of days since this is happened occurred over
a minute. OK, I have a fail.
Got it. OK.
You don't see anything that stands out to you.
OK. Three successes.
OK, so clear vision and sound so you can clearly see what happens.
You kind of rewind and what day are you looking for?
Like, are you looking for a specific moment in time?
I want to look at the day that the quake first initially occurred.
OK, to see if anything happens here.
So it would have been November 20th.
So about a day ago, around 3 a.m.
And all of a sudden, there is just this violent, violent quake
as everything around you begins to vibrate.
You can even hear car alarms going off.
Like this thing is powerful enough to actually have an effect on the physical world
where all of a sudden car alarms are just going off left and right
so they're nearby neighborhoods.
And all of a sudden.
From seemingly nowhere, this giant fucking rock
just shoots out from somewhere in the sky and crashes in that field.
Not far from where you're standing.
And this thing is it's it's it's like it looks like a large piece of concrete.
It's almost squarish in shape with bits of rusted rebar
kind of jutting out of it here.
That's it. Nothing comes out of it.
No.
OK, can I it does it stay there over the course of the week?
Yep, if you if you all and I'm going to say Adnor,
if you're moving forward, you actually see this thing.
Can I get up to the point where the Crucible five shows up here?
You can.
And can I see what happens here when they do?
As soon as you do.
You hit a barrier.
It's the the vision kind of refuses to coalesce,
refuses to take shape and form.
What?
And you are gripped by this overwhelming cold,
a sensation that you haven't felt in so so long
and you lose one point of vitality as your gauze sustains.
A level of bashing damage.
From just the pervasiveness and crushing nature of this cold.
I assume we see Nicola's gauze like react in some way.
You absolutely do.
You see Nicola almost almost kind of freeze up
and become almost unnaturally rigid.
I'll go to like kind of like keep her from collapsing.
What did you see?
I'm like looking around.
How close is Abner to that thing?
I would say probably Abner is how close do you get to an Abner?
Well, I kind of if I know that Nicola is doing the forebode,
I think I kind of want to hear what she has to say before I get too close.
Got it. OK, so you may not necessarily see it just yet
because that's a thing, right?
Like and even in your vision, Nicola, one thing that stood out to you
was even though this thing impacted the field,
it seemed to have no effect on the physical world around it.
Like there is no indent, there is no crater,
there is no like flattening of grass because if this thing was physical
and it probably would have been there would have been some destruction involved.
Like there would have been some this thing is big enough to where
it would have had an absolute effect, like shattered some windows.
It was big in the sound.
The sonic boom of this thing coming through was was significant.
It fell down from the sky.
The sky. Yep.
So it was almost kind of at an angle kind like almost like a meteor in some way.
Literal ghost quake from the impact and the literal ghost
hunk of cement.
It sounds like it didn't make any effect on the world around a ghost asteroid.
So the the quake actually when it reached the crescendo,
like when it reached its peak just before it actually stopped,
is when that thing came through.
So the quake came first, then the wrong.
OK, that is weird.
Can I I'm going to ask Nicola like concrete rebar?
Like is it can you describe it?
Is it like burnt, rusted, old, new,
look rusted, just stay stay the fuck away from that.
Don't don't got to see.
I got to see what it is.
No, no, we don't.
This is how we lost cotton.
This is how we lost that cruise.
Well, we don't know we've lost anything.
We're just missing.
Well, we're going to be missing if we go running after things.
Coa says it's dangerous.
Someone's got to check it out.
We have.
You all don't want to go near that fucking thing.
I was going to say who the fuck was that?
That is an old man wearing a members only jacket.
Well, and some pleated khakis,
glasses, excuse me, very, very dead ghost.
Yeah, members only standing probably about 20 yards away.
And why is that?
Nothing good is going to come from that piece of shit.
What do you know about it?
Washington, who the hell are you?
Stop.
You mean George, George Hansen?
Wait, what?
George Hansen, George Hansen.
Jesus, I thought he said George Harrison.
That was a big going to be a big thing.
I'm sorry.
You thought one of the Beatles.
What do you what do you know?
What do you know?
How long have you been here?
What did you see?
I live just over there.
What did you see?
I think it's a good place to take a break.
God damn it.
It's like the first goes like the first, you know,
goes around into randomly out in the wild.
Yeah, old man goes like, get off my lawn.
Yeah, get off his lawn.
Don't touch my rock.
Yeah, don't touch my rock.
So I got to 24.
Let's be back at two thirty five.
Just for time zone differences, of course.
So ten minutes and we'll see you all back here shortly.
Welcome back, folks.
We are back to bring this book of Orpheus to close
with chapter eleven, second half. Here we go.
All right. So yeah, you've you've got this elderly gentleman
who is very deceased.
Who has?
Yeah, not too far.
What George?
George. George.
George Hansen, George Hansen.
Oh, George, George.
Not Harrison.
But I ask just to cover our bases.
There's none of us like recognize this
dude or know who he is or like her.
But yeah, that's my dad.
No, no, no.
Yeah, no, I'm not killing your family members yet.
Of course. Yeah.
Yeah.
Yes, he's good with the books.
Yeah, I think we probably like call him over to us.
If you're like, yeah.
I'm not getting closer to that fucking thing.
You come over here.
You want to talk to me?
We can.
I'm walking right over to him.
What do you know? What did you see?
What do you've been out here for a while?
Last couple of days?
Fuck, no, no, I went home.
I saw you all snooping around out here.
So I figured I'd stop by and tell you to stay the fuck away
from that thing.
What happened?
Thanks, George.
Did you see a group like us yesterday?
Yeah, they came by and they talked to Vivian, my wife.
Well, are you your wife or?
No, she's no.
She lives over there off of Hawthorne Hollow and just
he kind of points behind him to one of the houses.
I see.
I go for a walk at nights,
especially when that prick Roger is over fucking my wife.
Of course.
So, you know, I was out and about.
Yeah.
All of a sudden, everything starts shaking
and I see this fucking thing come from the sky.
And then it doesn't feel right.
I'll tell you that.
So I kind of got a little closer.
I saw some shady looking fuckers hanging around.
I didn't get a good look at them.
And I just let's get that all out of there.
I don't want anything to do with it.
Shady fuckers would describe the shady fuckers for me.
I, like I said, I didn't get a good look.
It was dark.
Number of people.
One of them was there was three.
It looked like a tall motherfucker with some dogs.
Oh, oh, geez.
So you never talked to the other Orpheus agents,
the team that talked to your wife?
No, no, Vivian had a handle.
I didn't want to get involved.
I didn't want anything to do with it.
So.
The dogs did, um, uh, the man and the dogs.
Did you see kind of vaguely what direction
they started walking towards?
Or did they just stay there all night or?
Seemed like they came out of nowhere.
Then they were there when that other group came.
They were there when the other group came.
Yeah.
And what happened?
Nothing good.
I don't know what exactly happened.
But I last I saw one of them was running back
to the recreation center and that's didn't sound good.
Did it was their screaming, yelling, cursing?
Yeah.
All of the above.
Okay.
Was there an attack going on?
Oh, sorry, Logan.
Did anyone just kind of fizzle away?
Uh, listen, Roger may have been over fucking my wife,
but I wasn't going out there to watch any of that shit.
Yeah.
Okay.
Totally understandable why, I mean,
that you did a smart choice, but not getting close.
But just so we can help to make sure this thing gets out of here.
So you saw one go into the rec center.
No, the rec center.
Yeah.
Yeah.
What did the other people do?
I don't know.
I didn't see him again.
What time of day did this happen?
What time of night?
It was dark.
I remember that.
Did the guy with the dogs go with them once they disappeared?
Oh, they were chasing.
They were chasing the one that ran into the rec center.
Okay.
Oh, the dogs chased.
Okay.
Yeah.
We should go into the rec center.
Yeah.
We should go home, George.
George, where did you say you live again?
Back there.
George, have you been?
I'll prep Roger's over again.
God damn it.
Fuck Roger.
But have you been feeling anything since the quake?
Has anything happened to you?
Do you feel different?
Can I tell what kind of entities is he a fan?
He's like what?
It's like a signature group.
Yeah, you can do the signature group.
Sure.
And from what you can tell, he is a poltergeist.
I mean, if you don't like that prick, Roger, fucking your wife.
Let's break everything in the fucking house.
Like, yeah.
There you go.
I mean, break everything in his house, too.
Well, not all yet.
Watch the charters.
Break everything in him as well.
No, that's okay.
That's a little far.
Well, I tried to brain him with one of Viv's fucking china glasses.
That didn't go so well.
She was pretty pissed off about that.
Did she see you?
No, not at all.
Does she know you're there?
She's made comments to Roger about me still being around,
maybe, and Roger just laughs it off.
But I'm not going anywhere.
I'm keeping an eye on her until I can be with her again.
George, George, have you felt anything since the quake?
Anything different about you, about other ghosts
you might know about anything?
No, no.
I'll tell you what, when I was out and I felt that quake,
it felt like I was about to be shaken apart.
Like, it was wild.
It was just all of a sudden, everything starts vibrating.
I start vibrating.
It felt like I was coming up out at the seams.
Then all of a sudden, that rock comes through.
The only thing I know is the closer I get to that thing,
the angrier I get, it's like walking through fucking soup.
You feel like you need to take an Ajax
and steal a little shower by the time you're done.
I'm going to motion to Nikona.
Maybe some of the others would be like,
can we just cross him over if he's open to that after a while?
I don't know.
Does he sound like that's what he wants?
So, yeah, he said he's going to be around
until basically his wife dies.
If we try to move him by this anger rock,
that might not be a good...
No, no, no, no.
The dogs are already here.
We don't want them any closer.
Okay, yeah, let's go.
But before we leave, I would like to just say something
to George before we go.
Get me a present.
Obviously, he'd stick around,
but if I'm going to be very honest,
since your wife is here,
you've shipped it into this new existence,
just going to get more and more mad and you watch this.
You love your wife.
I just say you just wait for her on the other side.
But if that's only up to you, man.
I'm going to start walking away.
Or you could just kill him.
No, no, don't listen to him.
God damn it.
Before we go, Vib's going to give George
Ben's anger management book
and tell him you should floor Roger's house,
but you don't want to mess up her house.
All that stuff that y'all got,
you don't want to leave it.
Yeah, yeah, you're right.
I wanted to be happy, you know.
Yeah, that's you're doing exactly what
you're as a husband should be doing.
You want her to be happy.
She's not going to be happy replacing China
with like big lots plates.
Like just don't do that to her.
Yeah.
Y'all are fucking weird.
Thanks.
Speaking of experience.
What is this?
Are you like Boy Scouts or something?
What is this shit?
There's like a mixture of all kinds of personalities here.
Like that one back at Point of Avenue,
kind of a weird asshole.
But like I said, he's weird asshole.
Thank you.
Oh, got it.
Okay.
All right.
All right.
Great.
Well, don't come trying to bust me and nothing.
No, no, no.
We're trying to make sure you're okay.
We're investigating everything that happened here.
Do you know any other ghosts in the area?
Maybe you guys, I don't know,
play chess in the mornings or something?
No, no, not that I know.
If I kind of tend to just stick around the house,
if I go for a walk, this is about as far as I go.
I don't like to be too far away.
Would you be like comfortable coming back at all to Orpheus
to talk to some people about how you felt after the quake?
We're trying to make sure.
Nope.
We can just take your information down.
What if someone came out here?
I'm talking to you, ain't I?
That's good enough.
That is true.
Fine, fine.
Just as long as you don't go near that rock,
you say, now, whoever you want out here to talk to me, we're good.
If it helps, would one of us can also come with that person?
So you at least, I couldn't do that.
No, you all are fucking weird.
Stay the fuck away from me, but.
That was the first time I heard that.
I'm just kidding.
You kids are all right.
Just be careful.
Just be careful.
Appreciate that, George.
Thanks, George.
By the way, is Abner, are you invisible
or like corporeal in any way, shape or?
No, I'm de-manifested.
Okay.
Hey, Viv?
Yes.
Roll perception plus awareness, Swami.
All right, camera.
Here we go.
On perception happening.
Awareness.
That's two successes.
You feel that presence in the city.
Fuck.
Shit balls.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Of course.
Bring your doppelganger to work there.
You okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
So I'm going to skip a lot of stuff.
My doppelganger is really close by.
When I don't know where, when I, when you say close by,
do you mean like really close to the rec center or like in Boulder?
No, I would say in Boulder, but getting closer.
So they're like heading our way.
This is like a sort of.
You know that feeling like with two magnets,
and you start kind of pushing them towards each other.
Yeah.
And the closer they get, they start kind of,
you can kind of feel that resistance.
You're feeling that.
Okay.
It's the closest analogy I can think of.
Viv, have you seen this thing with your own two eyes before?
My doppelganger?
Yeah.
Yeah.
What was that like?
She looks like me.
Well, yeah, that's the, the name.
Yeah.
And she likes, she likes when I get violent.
Great good talk.
Yeah.
That's, she's bad, overall bad to be around.
But she is coming this way.
So maybe we shouldn't be here anymore.
Or we trap her.
How?
I don't know.
Yeah.
No, I, I, this, we're not prepped for this.
We're brainstorming here.
I don't want to brag, but she can do everything I can do.
And doesn't know or care about you at all.
Yeah.
What happens if we kill your doppelganger?
Does that hurt you?
I'm honestly interested in finding out.
But maybe not right now.
Should we speed check the rec center?
And then, or do we not want her to get to the rock?
Well, but what if, what if, what if it's like,
what if she knows where Vivian is and she's going to follow us
wherever the fuck we go?
She does.
She knows where she is.
Probably.
So it doesn't matter where we, well, it does matter.
We can, we can choose to go somewhere more fortified and.
Take her place where it's, you know,
take her to a place of our choosing.
Are we at an angle?
Are we at an angle where we can see this, this boulder, this rock?
Yeah, I'd say if you, if you move kind of a few more yards,
maybe about five to 10 more yards, you can clearly see it.
If I, if I pop open the IR, does it show up?
Yeah, it shows up as a, as a extremely cold spot.
Okay.
I'm going to take a picture with a curling camera.
Got it.
Yep.
And it is, it is.
I'm guessing the.
Oh God.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I was just going to, I'm guessing the, the curling camera, whatever it's called.
You take a picture with that.
You see it.
Yep.
Regular digital camera.
You don't.
Correct.
Got it.
And is it like, like jagged piece in the ground or is it like flat on the ground?
Like jagged piece in the ground.
Okay.
Like there, there should be a crater, but like.
Right.
Yeah.
So the structure is not organized.
It's not like a perfect slab of concrete.
No.
No.
Like a piece of debris, like, like, you know, like something,
like a building getting blown up.
Yeah.
Like something from.
The Tritus.
Whoa.
Yeah.
Is, um, that's really quickly.
Orpheus is going to want this thing.
Oh, we got a card for sure.
My question is, does it look like something like, since concrete and all this, is it like a
modern looking thing?
Or does it show like a distinctive marker of a different time?
Like, can we, like, can we.
No.
See anything.
Yeah.
Nothing, nothing that would indicate like a point of origin or a, like a, like a, uh,
like an architectural style.
It's just, it really just, it's like a jagged ass piece of concrete.
All right.
Well, you know, we're asking a lot of the questions.
There's an easy way to, you know, find out about a lot of this stuff.
And I'm just going to walk up to it and pick it up like a fucking.
No, absolutely not.
So it's, it's heavy.
You would probably need two people to pick this thing up.
I am going to hold it with my one hand.
Roll, uh, roll strength.
Oh, should I go after him?
No, no.
I will say though, when you touch it, it's just really cold and nothing happens.
Interesting.
It's really cold.
Great.
Get away from it.
One second.
That feeling of that like oppressive anger, like that, that very heavy feeling
doesn't seem to be originating from the rock.
It's more like it's just kind of everywhere.
Like an immediate, like an immediate surrounding area.
Okay.
So it's right.
Okay.
It's like an aura.
So yeah.
Hold on.
If they came to get the other crucible here while they were investigating
whatever this thing was,
they left this thing.
This is not what they were after.
They must have taken something from whatever else happened here.
Why else would the Jason show up?
Look, look, you're right on that.
But I think, let's be honest, someone ran in by some of our doggie waggies in the rec center.
So I think we, let's just go there, see what we can and get out of here because this is not good.
But who's to say that the person with the dogs wasn't the Jason?
So what are we going to do?
Are we just standing here in the field, just looking at rocks all day?
No, we need to go into the rec center.
I'm walking toward the rec center.
It's a good question to ask and we tried to get into the rec center three times.
So I started asking more questions, but yes, let's go in.
So I get, I get two successes on that strength check.
You get it off the ground, but if you wanted to carry this thing and move with it, you're going to need all of it.
Oh God, it's heavy.
It's heavy.
You're going to pull your time.
It's hernia inducing.
What's that?
Abner looks up.
All of us are walking.
That's fine.
I'm used to this by now and it's okay.
But here's, let me tell you what I want to try really quick.
I want to try to do like a lower level, which is Nimbus.
Just try to heat it up.
Okay.
Yeah.
So it's concrete.
The metal heats up a little bit,
but the concrete itself doesn't.
It just, I mean, it is incorporeal.
So it doesn't really have a huge effect on it.
Yeah.
Now I know at which is Nimbus at a certain level, it gets to a point where it says,
it literally specifies it can melt concrete.
It can.
Yep.
So you're trying to destroy this thing.
I just want to gradually keep upping the temperature gradient to tell something interesting happens.
Yeah.
It starts to smoke and it starts to break apart and almost like you definitely,
some of the metal is starting to heat up to the point where it's glowing red hot.
And if you, if you keep going.
Okay.
I'm going to, what I'm going to do is I'm going to keep doing that until the metal
slogs out of the concrete and then I'm going to take the rod with me.
Okay.
Well, it's, it's, it's the metal to that point now will be like fucking magma.
Like it's, it's lost its structural integrity.
It's melty.
You made a melty pole.
Yeah.
Cause if it, if it correct me if I'm wrong, I don't know, I'm not an engineer.
If it gets, if it starts melting to the point where it's flexible and stuff like it won't
like slide out of the concrete, it'll like melt.
It's like a mold.
The concrete becomes a mold for the metal.
You went too hot and you, you, you melted shit.
Okay.
Yeah.
If that's what happens, that's fine.
Okay.
Cool.
I don't know.
So it doesn't melt to me.
Yeah.
Fuck it.
That's what happens.
God damn it.
I'm going to go to the God damn, it's a ghost, it's a ghost brick.
I don't know how it works.
I can't tell you how it does.
It doesn't work.
And yeah, but yeah, it's, you can definitely take a piece of the concrete though as it
starts to break apart instead of taking this whole thing back.
Yeah.
I'll do that.
Cause I'm sure that a sample is going to be wanted.
Cool.
Okay.
Easy enough.
As we're walking into the rec center, I think Lavinia is probably just talking out
loud and says, I think my working theory is this slab of concrete is literally just
debris, you know, imagine if this chunk of space and time is just ripped out and placed here
with that, whoever that was with those dogs.
I think what we're really looking for is that person with the dogs.
Yeah.
Yeah.
For sure.
This was like Rita repulses cocoon.
Yeah.
And she came out of it and left.
Like this is just what's left over.
Nice reference.
So we'll walk in and see if we can notice anything in the rec center that stands out.
So roll perception plus alertness.
Whoever's looking around.
I'm looking around.
I'll be honest.
I'm kind of like, I'm not so much looking.
I'm actually scanning the whole area and keeping alert to make sure hopefully there's
nothing getting the drop out.
One success.
I have one too.
I've throw.
Okay.
I have two.
Beautiful.
As you're looking around, you're kind of doing your walkthrough of the rec center
and you become aware of a TV in one of the in like the weight room area
that's got like fucking ESPN or some shit on.
And all of a sudden it starts changing channels rapidly.
You guys, is there somebody with a remote?
No.
And you especially you, Viv, with you paying attention to actually here and you hear
like as it's going through, it seems to be settling on certain words as it cycles through
the channels.
Oh, cool.
Spirit box.
I'm going to take out my phone and record this, by the way.
Okay.
Run.
Don't stay.
Run.
Don't stay.
Well, that sounds like a foreshadow if I've ever heard one.
Do we know if it's like a bumblebee, like recorded words that we can't tell if it sounds
like scared or angry.
One of the first members is a Haunter, right?
Yes, it's I think it's Beth.
She's trying to talk to us.
Hold on.
Let me get a spin.
Alex is the hunter.
Alex is the hunter.
In there.
Alex.
I can't keep hold of this.
If he's been destroyed, he can't do that.
Presumably destroyed.
We never hold on.
He was missing.
Let me try something.
Can I inhabit the TV?
You can.
Yeah, you can try.
Do I encounter anyone inside the TV?
There is someone inside the TV resisting you.
Can I who?
Alex.
Alex, it's Mr. Abernathy.
You see a spirit manifest.
A you see a kind of 28 year old individual black buzz cut green eyes, black jacket,
blue jeans, boots.
Now, what the hell were you doing in there, kid?
I'm not leaving.
I need to stay here.
I can't.
It wiped us out.
OK, take take deep breath.
One thing at a time.
She sees you and she starts running.
Well, god damn it.
Doppelganger has been here.
When they try to run, I'm going to run after Alex.
Yeah, can I try to trip him as he starts the run?
Uh, you can try.
Yeah, you can try.
Yeah, go ahead and roll dexterity plus brawl.
Too nice.
Yeah, it's two ones.
Yeah, no, that doesn't happen.
Got it.
In fact, I tripped.
Tried to trip him.
Yeah, yeah, they they they just definitely kind of jump over
as they they take off.
You're going after.
Yeah, I'm going to go I'm going to go after if I can reach him
with a with a zero vitality whale.
I'd love to do that.
Yeah, go for it.
Roll your we'll see if you're successful.
Roll your.
Nice bull.
Three successes.
Yeah.
There's a sudden hitch in their step as the whale reaches them
and they they kind of stop and like still breathing heavily,
still looking panicked like a cornered animal.
Hey, hey.
She was there.
She was there with them.
OK, you need to tell us what happened.
If you don't tell us what happened,
we're not going to know what it was a fucking reaper.
OK, OK, where's the rest of your crucible and turned.
He tried to fight it and he turned into one.
One of them.
Beth interesting.
Where's Beth?
Beth is dead.
Shane is dead.
OK, it destroyed them.
It ripped them apart.
All right, listen, Alex, buddy,
you got to go back to the HQ HQ.
But the four boat.
Didn't we see Beth?
Well, something's in your body.
I don't know if I don't know if Beth is home.
You know, it destroyed her spirit.
It destroyed it destroyed what was left of her.
I don't know if she saw in the hotel.
She should be in the room.
That's where she skimmed.
She was sleeping in the hotel.
She was skimming.
She was skimmed.
She was skimmed at the hotel.
She was skimming and she was here.
Her body was at the hotel.
Is she not there anymore?
And she got up.
It destroyed her spirit.
It was something walked her out of there.
Beth's body is still alive,
but it's not Beth in that body anymore.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Do you know there's two of them now?
Guys, guys, guys.
No.
Beth's spirit was the reap.
Jason took Beth's spirit and killed Beth's spirit.
And they took Ben.
Yeah.
Ben and Beth.
Watch it out.
No, go ahead.
Go ahead.
Ben turned.
Ben turned.
He tapped his spite.
He, he went back.
Where is his body?
I don't know.
Wait, wait, no.
Wait, when you say like,
like he just.
You know exactly what that means, Viv.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, there, if I was about to say,
we really, we, how about this?
Let's go ahead.
Leave now.
We'll come back with this.
You can actually be safe and get out of here.
We'll call someone to come pick Alex up.
Yeah.
We need to be group.
We are not prepared for this.
Why are you staying here?
Well, that's what I'm saying.
We need, we call someone to pick Alex up
while we go find a more fortified position
to bunker down in.
They're still around.
They're still, they've been hanging around
that fucking rock.
It's okay.
So right now.
I don't know.
I, I haven't left.
I'm not leaving.
That thing can come out of fucking nowhere.
I'm something else.
We take the TV.
If you go back in the TV,
we physically pick up the TV and move you
into the car and we get you out.
I'll find another fucking one.
I'm not.
Look, you either take me back to headquarters
right fucking now or I'm not leaving.
I'm coming to headquarters.
That's it.
No, Alex.
Alex, you stay here.
We will call someone to come pick you up.
Okay.
We are out of our depth.
I think we need to go back and talk.
Can I look around?
I'm.
Yeah, look around.
What do you want me to roll?
Roll a perception.
Is there anything in particular you're looking for?
I'm just looking.
If he, if Alex said that they pop out of nowhere,
I just want to get a 360 scan of the room
and make sure that we're actually alone here
because we're making a perception plus alertness.
I'm also, I'm fully calling Kate now.
Yeah.
What's up?
We found Alex.
Alex is, you know, ghost alive.
Nothing around that you can see.
There's a rock.
Ben's turned.
Beth is dead.
Shane's dead.
Something walked Beth's body out of the hotel.
Beth is adjacent.
It's adjacent.
Beth's adjacent.
And there were, there were co, what were they?
Was it a reaper and two dog things?
Is that right?
Is that what you saw?
Something like that.
Okay.
At least a pack of.
Pack of, there's just two of them, right?
There's two and then the dude.
All right.
George said a pack of dogs.
A pack.
Oh, fuck.
Well, it's somewhere between two and a pack.
Kate.
All right.
You've got to bring Alex back.
Okay.
Can we have someone pick them up so we can stay here and work?
Let's.
Us personally bring Alex back.
We're on a.
Yeah.
Let's, let's, we're on.
Also, also lives doppelgangers on the way.
Just an extra added thing.
Wait, what?
Never mind.
Ignore that part.
No, you tell her.
Since I'm going to pick up Alex, please.
Thanks.
Okay.
Determinate the call, I guess.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I didn't think, I didn't think.
And then I just told her things.
I never told her.
It's okay.
We can always call her back.
She'll understand.
I'm talking to Viv.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I can't even afford to be angry about that right now.
Is the rock still out there?
Is it, is it still there?
Oh, it's right here.
No, it's not.
That probably scares you.
You can lift it up.
He has a piece of it.
I took a chunk.
Whenever these things happen, they show up.
And whenever, I don't know what it was,
but it seemed like the more Ben tapped into it,
the more it had an effect on him around this thing.
Like it's just everything is just.
The more he tapped into his spite,
or the more that he touched it, what do you mean?
It's the more he, the more he brought his stains out,
the more he tapped into that thing,
that stuff inside of him to make it work.
It just.
It's like George was saying, it makes you angry.
He enhanced his spite and then accessed it and lost it.
He was trying to save.
Yeah, he was trying to save Shane.
He was trying to save Beth.
Is he gone or is he that other side?
He almost killed me.
He's what Shaw is.
He almost took me apart.
That's why I ran.
That's why I'm hiding out here.
Where'd he skim out of?
Where was he when he skimmed?
He was in the truck.
He was in the SUV.
He's gone then.
He's back in his body and he's gone.
There are two Jason's and a Reaper here.
At least two Jason's.
We need to leave.
Thank you.
Can we, like, we are not prepared right now.
Let's just go back to headquarters.
We have a job to do.
And that's part of the job.
We could really fight the first ones,
and we're the only ones who did.
We need to go back to HQ with our kids.
Okay, no offense.
You're not, you just, you're the squad leader,
but you're not Kate.
So thank you.
Alex, if we get you and, like,
if we leave now, will you come with us
and we can drop you off at headquarters?
Just get me the fuck out of here.
Done. Let's go.
Okay.
And we can reconvene you out.
Okay, boss talking here.
We did not get an order from Kate to come back.
We do not leave this town until we get this.
Hold on.
I'm going to call Kate.
I don't.
Call Kate.
Get orders from her.
Boom.
Every second we spend in this place,
there's no answer.
Hey, Kate, you there?
Got it.
There's no answer.
God damn it.
Let's get moving.
Everyone get in the car.
Alex begins walking out to the SUV.
Yeah.
We're going, right?
We're doing this.
Yes.
I've already taken.
You take Alex's car.
I'll take one car.
Me, you take the other.
As you all step outside.
Keep trying to get ahold of Kate.
Fuck.
Okay.
There is this cold that just settles in over everything.
It's now night.
That's now dark.
And this cold.
Are there like civilians around?
Yeah.
There's this cold that now settles over everything.
Like I'm almost like a mess that you can't see that rolls in from nowhere.
Everybody within 10 yards takes one level of bashing damage.
If you're in your body, if you're out of your body,
you take one level.
You lose one point of vitality.
Okay.
Finn's quick question.
All of a sudden, just logistically, I was in a hospital two weeks.
Did we say I was hurt?
Or injured when I came?
Injured.
Injured.
Great.
So I'm wounded now.
Well, no.
So just, yeah, just, yeah, one one line through.
Yep.
A bashing.
So not lethal, but yeah.
Alex is suddenly lifted.
As a scythe punctures through the side of her skull
and lifts her into the air.
And she is flung.
And stepping out.
Stepping out from seemingly nowhere.
Is this tall gaunt reaper
wielding the scythe as it just rins what's left of Alex's gauze.
In its hand, it shows these two undulating chains
wrapped around the necks of these fetches.
Oh, God.
We're in so much trouble.
And stepping out from behind him.
It is Viv.
Or what looks like Viv, but skeletal.
With these fly like eyes where their eyes should be these compound red glistening
insect like eyes and these bristles just covering every inch of their exposed skeletal skin.
Can I step forward?
Yeah.
To try to put me in front of the crucible.
Sure.
No time for her oaks.
Let's go.
Let's run.
We need to get the spirits out of here.
I can hold them off to get us to run.
So get running.
Nicola, I got a body to go back to you.
Get out of here.
Viv, I hope you like what I did for Ben.
I hope you like what I did for Ben.
Oh, fuck this.
I'm going to start running.
Oh, I've already took off.
I'm getting the car started.
Yeah.
Whoever.
Okay.
I toss Colette the keys and I stay with Koa and with.
Okay.
You better hope that this shit is reversible.
He's us, Dale.
You want to see for yourself?
Say hello, Ben.
I'm going to be hogging.
Oh, shit.
Ben is there.
Or what's left of him?
This giant shark-like maw.
This beetle-like carapace on his skin.
Hands elongated in the claws.
Are you in pain?
He comes for you.
So I need everybody to roll initiative.
Get the fuck out of here.
What is that?
How to roll initiative.
All right.
Dex score plus your wit score.
Thank you.
Roll 1d10 and then add your dex and wit.
Eight.
Eight.
Okay.
15.
15.
12.
Five.
12.
Okay.
12.
Ben.
Okay.
Who rolled nine?
Nine was Lavinia.
Lavinia, who rolled 12?
I did.
Okay.
Did somebody else roll a 12?
Okay.
Eight was Logan, who rolled 15?
Yeah, Kevin Collette.
Kevin Collette got it.
Who am I missing?
Mia rolled an eight.
Mia rolled an eight.
Okay.
All right.
This thing that used to be Ben
takes a swipe at you with its claws.
Just this mindless rage in its jet black eyes.
And we'll see.
So it does three levels of vitality to you
as these claws just rake through your skin.
So good.
And you can roll soak.
Yes, roll your stamina and you can try to soak that.
Okay.
That's...
That's no successes.
Shit.
Okay.
Fuck.
Yeah.
Those, those claw, you feel this all encompassing cold
as this thing just kind of rakes through your form.
Okay.
All right.
So, uh, Ben and Collette, you're up.
I'm not going to fight.
I don't think I try, I think I tried to block,
but I don't think I tried to fight him.
Got it.
Okay.
I'm running for the nearest version of our cars.
Where do you think you're going?
Very soon, there's gonna be no home for you to go back to.
It's an ocean as we speak.
Oh.
And you all are going to call.
Abner, you suddenly become aware that
you feel this change overcome you.
Excuse me.
There, whatever connection you had with your body is gone.
What?
Abner.
Slight problem, everybody.
HQ's.
HQ.
Oh, it appears that HQ is unavailable.
What have you done?
No.
We need to retreat.
I've already been like, I've been running.
You can run.
Okay.
Who's saying this?
Viv.
Viv.
The other Viv.
Oh yeah.
Sorry.
Viv backwards.
Viv.
Not Viv.
Yeah.
Viv backwards.
Yeah.
515 backwards.
Yeah.
I'm so sorry.
I kind of got one.
151.
The setup.
I'm so sorry.
Are we just, because I didn't have to run at that point.
Are we all just still there?
I'm so sorry.
Well, you're on the parking lot.
Most of us are running away, but we're all stuck here.
You're out in the parking lot.
Yeah.
Got it.
So you're out in the parking lot.
You're moving.
So Viv and Clint are moving.
Next up is going to be Eli.
Yeah.
We don't have time for any of this.
So I'm going to spend.
And can I give, you know, as a skin writer,
I can give somebody who's using a mental ability
for their horror.
I can give them a two dice pool.
You can.
Can I do that before my turn or?
You'll have to do it on your turn.
All right.
And I don't have my benefit unless I'm a social base.
Right.
Okay.
Yeah.
I'm going to, I'm going to lay out a level.
Five.
Hell yeah.
Because we don't have fucking time for this,
which I will have to tap a willpower for.
And Viv, I'm going to say you take three spiked points.
Three.
Sounds a little like a big one.
Not the circles, the squares.
Come on.
As you suddenly, everything kind of hits you in a flash
of Viv, the other Viv being there and attacking Crisval five.
And you saw a pass where Koa couldn't.
And you become aware now that Viv, if they didn't orchestrate this,
they played a role.
Four successes.
Four successes.
Yeah.
You let out this.
What does it sound like?
Like when you're like, just kind of let loose.
It's just a straight out, just yell.
I'm just telling everybody to run and just trying to push everybody who isn't our Crucible back.
Viv and the, the other Viv and the fetches kind of stagger back and you see like pieces of gauze
kind of fly off them.
But the Reaper.
Motionless.
Get to the car.
It's unaffected.
Get to the car.
All right.
Viv just stands there and the Reaper and the fetches make no sign of moving.
The fetches now seem to be consuming whatever is left of Alex.
Just it's those kind of long elongated trunk like snouts just sucking up the gauze or what's left of it.
We're going.
We're going.
We're going.
We're going.
All right.
Turn this on.
Where are you driving to?
Headquarters.
We said, we said the, the Mary oaks are not headquartered.
We can be at the headquarters.
We can't go back to headquarters.
We're all going?
Should we go to headquarters?
We can't go back to, we can't go back to, we can't go back to headquarters.
What the, we, they're, they're all going to die there.
Too late.
We can't help them there.
We can't.
We can't help them there.
Well, we don't actually know anything, but you're right.
Let's just get out.
Like let's go.
Yeah.
I'm driving whatever.
Do we just take the van?
Can we just take their like huge van?
The SUV.
Yeah.
Yeah.
They had an SUV as well.
So yeah, you can take theirs and then whatever you rolled up in.
So now we have three way call going so we can all hear each other too.
We can't make a move until we talk to someone until we know more about what's going on.
I don't suggest we go to headquarters until we at least talk to Kate.
Let's keep, stay on the road.
Somebody check the news, see if anything's going on back down at HQ.
I'll keep calling Kate, see if anything gets here.
After a certain point, the phone is just, it just goes straight to voicemail.
Who's checking the news?
Is somebody checking the news?
Yeah, I think I've got my laptop open.
There are reports of an active shooter at Orpheus headquarters,
multiples, and then reports of an explosion, a series of explosions.
How big?
The building's leveled.
Well, I'm I'm going to call to see a girl to get any kind of police information,
anything like that.
No response from her.
I call my brother.
I call my oldest brother.
Can I get to him?
Can you get to the grid?
Logan, what the fuck is going on?
What do you mean?
They're looking for you.
Why?
The FBI?
What did you do?
I didn't do I didn't do anything.
I was in Boulder.
What?
What do you mean?
What did you do?
I didn't do anything.
They're looking for you.
They're looking for for somebody collect something.
How do you recall?
Fucking Mia something, Abner.
They're looking for Uncle Abner, too.
They're saying your person's of interest.
What the hell is going on?
Nothing, nothing's going on.
I didn't call you.
I didn't call you.
Are you and are you and the kids and mom and dad safe?
Yeah, we're fine.
What?
Okay.
I'm going to turn off my phone for a while.
I'll tell you when I can talk to you again, obviously.
Okay.
All right.
Logan, what is happening?
Just
nothing.
The radio blares to life.
I hang up full volume.
Radio free death.
Radio free death.
It's this fucker again.
It's it's a report.
It goes right to a report of an FBI spokesperson
saying that Abner, Abner, Nafi, Collette Sawyer,
Logan, Rio, Mikado, and Mia Castillo Bennett
all wanted for questioning a connection
with the attack on Orpheus headquarters.
Okay.
We need to get off the grid.
Okay.
Everybody, cell phones out the window now.
We're going to Walmart.
We're going to pick up burners.
Do you understand?
Yeah.
This doesn't make sense.
You shouldn't have doppelgangers, should you?
No.
Who fucking knows?
Who knows anymore?
All of your electronics out the window now.
Finn can keep our computer though, right?
We know.
What?
Was she?
We need her to have something.
We can gather a new laptop that's not connected to her.
We can't use the Orpheus fucking cards.
They're probably compromised.
I'll cover it.
I'll cover it.
Abner, they're going to track us through the cards.
Everyone take a moment.
What are we guilty of?
What have we done?
It doesn't matter.
What have they done that they could pin it?
I mean, it's a simple matter of speaking
to the authorities and clarifying it.
In fact, we might actually learn more.
I don't think I...
Oh, God, sorry.
I don't think it's that kind of thing right now.
I think we need to run.
I think we need to be invisible long enough
to figure out what to do next.
And I don't think whoever is saying that they're the FBI
trying to find all of you, it is not them.
It's not them.
It's not a matter of answering questions.
Can I look at the window?
Can I see if we're being pursued?
Because we just left.
Yeah, roll your perception plus awareness.
The cards are tracked.
They're going to track us.
Relax.
Yeah, I know.
I've been thinking that.
Yeah, we're going to ditch the cards, too.
Which we're going to have to do an awareness.
Alertness.
Alertness.
Okay.
Are we nearby any trains, any train stations
or anything like that nearby?
Hold on.
Let me look.
We need to dip the cards, get some...
Three senses.
Nothing.
Get to a remote location.
Nothing.
How much?
I'm telling you, that's okay.
Logan, how much survival gear did you pack?
I mean, I have tents.
I have sleeping bags.
I mean, I have enough for...
I mean, we'll have to squish,
but I have enough for all of us to stay warm and alive.
Well, that's okay.
We only have, what, two meat sacks?
We got three bodies.
Three?
Me and you call it.
Okay, it'll be fine.
Okay, we're going up into the mountain.
I mean, I have places we can go.
Yeah, we're going up the mountain.
Okay.
Ditch the cars.
Yeah.
And your electronics.
I cannot stress that enough.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm going to start...
If Collette's driving, I'm reaching into the back
and I'm just starting to shove everything into stuff sacks
so we don't have to carry, carry things.
I'm just throwing things into backpacks.
Lavinia, before we go, I'm going to ask you a question
and I just need a straight answer to that.
Can you contact Mr. Cross?
I can try.
Do it.
I'll manifest and try somebody's cell phone,
see if I can call Cross.
Lavinia, darling, we made it.
Oh, fuck.
I have made it.
It sounds like you are aware of what's happening.
Maybe not necessarily.
Who was to say this is a good opportunity for us?
Oh, fucker.
What's happened?
Well, I can't comment on that,
but I can tell you what is going to happen.
You need to turn yourselves in.
You're a loose end now, darling,
and I'm going to clip you up real good.
Oh, fuck.
Fuck.
What is going on?
Yeah, I knew that chicken would come home, Bruce.
Son of a bitch, you've been...
How's that niece of yours doing?
I think we'll go say hi.
Maybe we have ourselves a nice little reunion.
What do you say?
What do you want from us?
What is the point of all this?
You're just trying to get rid of Orpheus?
He hangs up.
Fuck, fuck.
Where's your niece?
It doesn't matter at this point.
If we can keep her safe.
I think it's...
The last time I talked to her,
I think she was in New York or something.
Well, nothing we can do then.
I think Collette is just furiously tapping
on the FM presets and scanning through.
That fucker has to have something to say, right?
What the fuck?
Where's the next clue, you son of a bitch?
What happens next?
Coll.
He's not going to help us.
I think we're on our own.
Before we toss my phone out,
should I try one more time to contact?
You'll have to see if we can get some info.
If she's law enforcement, she's on their side.
Yeah, also, after talking to Cross,
I will throw my laptop out the window.
Yeah, okay.
That's the NSA, dude.
Yeah.
We need to take a breath.
There's no answer for our shit out.
Y'all should too.
Yeah, it's out.
All right, we need to take a breath,
like Niko was said.
Let's just find somewhere to lay low.
It's winter in Colorado, though,
closing in on it.
So we're going to be...
I mean, I can get us through one night, I think,
but if we're going to live outside,
we're going to need better supplies than what I have.
My stuff's ready for zero to three spot best.
I might know where we can go, maybe.
Where?
Where I go home and stuff.
That's a huge risk, Koa.
We have no idea who's side she's on.
They're also connected to Orpheus.
She's a silent partner.
She just pays into it, but she'd look after me.
If she's not in the same position that we are,
or if she doesn't suspect us of actually doing this.
But she might be able to at least put us somewhere,
maybe not exactly at her place,
but she's got places all over Colorado.
All I know for sure is that wherever she is,
is the first place that they're going to be looking for you.
Well, we just put in a call to cross.
We can at least try?
Well, you have a point.
Are you okay with the idea that if we go,
we could basically just lead them directly to her,
for them to do whatever they've been doing to
you all?
Exactly.
If you're fine with that, then we'll try it.
Try a phone call before we ditch the devices,
but other than that, I don't think it's a good idea.
Okay. Can I call Batu?
You can.
My darling, what has happened?
I don't know.
All I know is that it's a setup and something is in the works,
and we just need somewhere to go.
I need somewhere to go.
The FBI has frozen my funds.
They've frozen everything.
Is there a warehouse?
I have a home in Aspen, a town home.
You can go there.
Okay.
I don't know how long you can stay there before they start
looking at all my properties,
but it's really someplace you can collect yourselves.
I know you didn't do this.
I know this isn't you.
Ask her what they're saying we did.
What did they say?
What are they accusing us of?
They haven't accused you of anything yet.
They've just said that you're wanted for questioning all survivors
and these survivors.
They think this is some kind of inside job.
Are there other survivors outside of us?
I don't know.
What are you going to do?
I'm going to answer their questions.
I'm going to stay as legitimate as I can,
but help you however I can.
Try to weather this as much as we can,
but Orpheus is gone.
The building is...
Have you seen the news reports?
We've seen a couple of it, but...
There are bombs.
It's collapsed.
It's gone.
Okay.
Oh, shit.
Terral and Squibb as well.
There was attacks on Terral and Squibb.
Really?
Yeah.
What about...
What about...
What's the other fucking one?
What's...
Next World.
Next World.
Yeah.
What about them?
Funnily enough, unscathed.
Fucking, of course.
Fucking stupid piece of shit corporate takeover for what?
To sell us out to the land of death?
What the fuck, man?
That's the really militant one, right?
It is.
It is.
The private military corps.
That tracks, then.
That makes sense.
That's why they want everyone...
All these, you know, spite heavy creatures.
That's where that fucker cross went, man.
That's where that fucker cross went.
Well, across the NSA, he...
Yeah, you're right.
The government never works with the military.
No, you're right.
They've partnered.
They've made some kind of deal.
Okay, listen.
What we need to do right now,
every structure we have is gone.
Now, we're just a bunch of schmucks.
We're just a bunch of fucking fugitives right now.
We need a place to go where no one's going to find us.
So we go to the town.
I don't think so.
Eventually, they're going to find us there.
Yeah, at least.
But we need a moment just to regroup for a second.
And then we can move on from there.
They're not going to be able to check all of Batu's places
before getting to us.
They don't know.
Batu has several estates.
It's...
Okay, because a dead person,
how is the FBI even going to track that sort of thing
outside of freezing their assets?
Twenty-four hours.
Twenty-four hours.
Yeah, that's all we need.
We get there, we supply up, and we figure out next steps.
As you drive off into the night,
we see Orpheus headquarters, or what's left of it.
Rubble, burning, smoking,
ash falling in this perverted facsimile of snow.
And standing above it all are the Reapers.
Hunting down whoever's left.
The hordes of specters just descending on the ruins to clean up.
And you run.
And that is where we will bring Book One,
of Orpheus to a close.
Fuck!
And we're starting Book Two right now, right?
Well, we're not stopping playing.
That's it.
No, no, no, it's not.
No, it's not.
Hey, think about it.
Think about it this way.
That gives us like three plus months to figure out.
Yeah, it's like...
Dude, Batner's body is dead.
I was just...
Dude, you're in a set.
You're in a set, dude.
You're in a head bow.
He's dead.
You're a ghost.
No more beans.
No more beans.
No more beans.
Oh!
That occurred to me.
No more beans.
How am I gonna live?
No more mountain fucking.
How am I gonna...
Well...
And now we can really like,
go nuts.
How am I gonna live?
Holy shit.
God damn it.
Yeah, we'll be back with Book Two,
Crusade of Ashes,
as we kind of explore the fallout of this.
No, we're doing it right now.
We're doing it right now.
We're doing it right now.
We can't stop.
We're doing it live.
What'd you think?
Fuck you, Radio Free Death.
Where were you, bitch?
Yeah, fuck.
Tell us what this means.
What'd you think?
Fuck.
Thanks for running a great job of the one, Vince.
Yeah, I don't want it.
I'm so like, processing.
So you gotta like, give me a minute.
Yeah.
Aaron, I'm sorry, man.
I gave you...
I tried to give you an out, so...
Hey, I started the game by saying
this whole living thing is really inconvenient.
Yeah, yeah.
And now...
Now you're golden.
Now you're golden.
Now you're golden from your bottom.
Now we have four ghosts.
But that's interesting,
because they would know that his body's in there.
So he's look...
So can they be looking because he's dead?
Me again.
Oh, I might not have found my body.
No, I can't sleep no more.
You can't be a whole fuck...
Not unless you sleep for an hour or so.
Could he...
Yeah, we can't sleep anymore.
Could he be a spirit and a Jason
at the same time if somebody stole his body?
Uh...
Uh...
Well, here's the thing, though.
With a sleeper, it's different.
He often be revived.
So spruced.
So...
So he's like technically dead in the pod.
If his body...
That's sad.
If the building collapse on top of him,
yeah, there's nobody.
Then?
It's pretty sad, actually.
Yeah.
Question.
We just need to get me cold, right?
So like a backup full of like ice and salt.
We're not gonna treat all those little flatliners right now.
You killed our mom.
You killed our mom.
You killed our mom.
And there was...
Damn.
Where's Kate?
It's fine.
You need to have an infant.
Tell me that, mommy.
Jamie Lee.
Hey, should we do an Orpheus debrief, if you think?
Like for any Q and A's that our folks may have?
You know what, it's gonna be an hour of us yelling at you.
Yeah.
That was gonna sound all right.
That's what this DPR was gonna be, too, though.
It was just an hour of yelling at Sergio.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think we should.
So maybe we'll plan that.
Maybe we'll plan an Orpheus debrief for the future
for you folks before we kick...
Yeah.
But hey, thanks, everybody, for joining in.
Thanks for listening.
And thank you for playing.
I hope you guys...
I hope you all enjoyed this first.
No.
Enjoyed it.
I'm freaking out.
So much.
How do you enjoy it?
She's so fat back.
Zach, why are you looking at me like that?
I'm so upset.
I'm so upset.
Everything I have to say can't be said on air.
So I'm...
Got it.
Got it.
So in that case, let's get off the air.
So I can think of...
Let me have it.
Hey, thank you all for joining us.
This has been an absolute blast.
We've got Vegas by night to look forward to.
More stuff in the works.
Yeah, we're...
Mayday's going nowhere.
So thank you again.
And until next time, you all take care of yourselves.
Bye, guys.
Bye.
See you.
Bye.