Welcome back to Legend Lunchbox. Last time, the crew reached Willowfoot Stands where CAM, Rolo, and Squawk found food and shelter, while Lysander spent the night trapped as a bee. By morning, he had changed and found his way back to the Inn with the others. Now, with the crew together again and a few new abilities to share, they head to the airship port to learn what it will really take to repair the S.S. Distress.
Chris:Before we dive back into our story, we've got a small out of character moment. In Quest, characters learn new abilities as they adventure. Since the crew has escaped the Rumia outpost, survived the crash landing, and started exploring Lazuno and begun to figure out what they need to do to get the ship off the ground. Each player has picked the new ability for their character. So let's start with Jay. What did you pick for Lysander?
Jay:So Lysander has taken Shapeshift, which is the master version of Animal Form since I've been using that quite a bit lately. The rules are the same, except for a couple of differences, which is I could choose a creature no smaller than a housefly and no larger than an elephant. I get 10 hit points instead of 6 and I can attack in Animal Form for three points of damage, which is up one point from two. And the big thing is I could send messages telepathically to members of the party, and that maxes me out in the Shapeshifter tree.
Chris:Nice.
Jay:So I am a full shape shifter now.
Chris:Alright. Phil, how about Rolo?
Phil:For Rolo, I have picked the conjure ability, which means I can totally make something out of thin air, which is really cool. But the problem is it's not easy to do. So, you know, if I'm making eggs, I can make a spatula. Or if I'm falling out of a plane, I can make a parachute. But if I roll wrong, then I'm making eggs and I get a parachute, or I'm falling out of a plane and I get a spatula. So we'll just have to see how that goes.
Chris:I think it'll go poorly is my guess. Tito, what did you pick for CAM?
Tito:CAM is still working his way to becoming a a full fledged doctor. He's really just a medic right now. He's still in training. But he's been studying curses, and he learned a new ability that says, it's called Afflict. You can afflict somebody with a curse that can last up to a month, and you get three choices of curses to choose from. One is called the sillies, where somebody just gets completely out of character and they act totally carefree and just act silly. And, you know, that can cause them to change what they're doing in that scene. Like, if they were attacking you and you just made them get the sillies, maybe they don't attack you anymore. You're too busy laughing.
Tito:You can also make them clumsy so they could drop their weapons or start tripping on themselves. They kind of lose control of their limbs. They're not very they become very awkward. And the third choice is blighted, which if something's like regenerating or something a lot, it'll stop them from healing temporarily while they're cursed. The fun part of this is you get to roll the dice, and if you fail, the disease becomes contagious. So anybody that is afflicted touches somebody, or if you touch them, you also become afflicted. And if I critically fail on a roll, I myself become infected, and we're both contagious.
Chris:That's good.
Tito:So that it can escalate pretty bad.
Chris:Nice. Madeleine, what what about Squawk?
Madeleine:You guys all picked some high stakes stuff. I'm just gonna say some words, some rousing speeches. I'm gonna inspire my allies with a Valiant Soliloquy under Camaraderie, which is my whole jam. I'm gonna it says I can write my own or borrow one from a play or movie. Why would I do that? Obviously, I'm gonna write my own. It says it can be short. Reading a few powerful lines is enough. It will probably not be short.
Madeleine:That's yeah. It says once I complete my speech, my valiant soliloquy, every member of the party can have the option to redo their next roll. But the that option is over at the end of the scene if it hasn't been used. So you can't, ten minutes later, be like, oh, I just wanna... Hold on, can I reroll? That wasn't an impression of anyone particular.
Phil:Hey, come on. What are you talking about?
Madeleine:That's just so... There, that's that's me. Get ready.
Chris:Awesome.
Jay:I'm gonna say, so does that mean in the middle of a combat scene, you're gonna lay out a big speech on us?
Madeleine:It does not distinguish when this can occur. So...
Tito:Oh, she's gonna pull a Leonidas from 300.
Madeleine:I don't know why I I don't I don't know why I would do that. But ah.
Phil:Can I just take a moment here while we're all fighting to talk about what a great day we're having?
Madeleine:Yes. It doesn't it doesn't say what the content needs to be. I it just needs to be rousing. So.
Phil:And you, sir, have a lovely hat.
Madeleine:Exactly. Oh, you took my line. I can't use that now.
Guide (Chris):So let's dive into the episode. So CAM, Rolo, and Squawk, you all leave your rooms, the scent of freshly baked bread pulling you downstairs towards the common room. As you reach the bottom of the stairs, you see a familiar tattoo covered figure seated by himself at a table in the center of the room. His hair is caked in dirt and pollen, and he's sitting wrapped in a thick wool blanket.
Guide (Chris):Lysander sits there holding a steaming mug cradled in his hand. The innkeeper steps from the back of the room carrying a basket of bread and nods to you, well, morning, all. And she motions over to Lysander. Look at what wandered in with the sunrise.
Rolo (Phil):Oh, can you not say that so loud, please?
Squawk (Madeleine):I have already been hugging him this whole time. I am so excited. We missed him so much. I just realized I didn't notice he was gone, but now I realize how much it was not the same. I really love you. Don't ever do that again. Pinky promise.
Lysander (Jay):Please, I've had enough for one night as I'm holding the steaming mug of what smells kind of fishy to me as I bring it closer closer to taking long drinks off of it.
Rolo (Phil):Blech, No, no. Please.
CAM (Tito):You you're probably not gonna want that.
Lysander (Jay):Why? What is it? I I found it on the on the table over there.
Rolo (Phil):No, no. Get up ah, I'm gonna hurl.
Squawk (Madeleine):I quickly grab it and down it all. Mmm, delicious.
Rolo (Phil):Definitely gonna hurl. Okay. Bye.
Guide (Chris):So Rolo runs out of the room. So Squawk, while you're hugging him, you notice he's got this little purple mark on the tip of his nose that you didn't see before. Did you say anything to him? Or?
Squawk (Madeleine):Obviously. Because it looks amazing. I love that you're expressing yourself through, I don't know, makeup, fashion, whatever this is. We accept you however you want to present yourself. Purple nose man.
CAM (Tito):I'm just gonna kinda lean in a little bit. Like, I don't think he's expressing himself. I think it looks like a bruise.
Lysander (Jay):What? What are you talking about?
Squawk (Madeleine):Oh, I thought it was a bit like makeup.
Lysander (Jay):I keep... I try pushing everybody away from me. Please! You guys man handled me enough yesterday.
Squawk (Madeleine):Woah.
CAM (Tito):What? You weren't even here yesterday. We've been looking for you all day.
Lysander (Jay):Exactly. But I was with you all the whole time. You kept swatting me away and throwing me around and tossing me out windows and throwing knives at me.
CAM (Tito):I mean, you're kind of big. I don't think anybody can toss you around.
Squawk (Madeleine):I would never.
Lysander (Jay):Well, I learned my new I learned a new ability, and it turned me into a bumblebee. Did you guys have any problems with a bumblebee yesterday?
Squawk (Madeleine):I feel so bad.
CAM (Tito):I just kinda think back.
Squawk (Madeleine):Oh my gosh.
CAM (Tito):Rolo?
Squawk (Madeleine):Guys...
Rolo (Phil):I come walking back in. What's going on?
Squawk (Madeleine):We were so mean to that bee.
Rolo (Phil):What bee? Oh, right. The bee.
Squawk (Madeleine):It was him.
Rolo (Phil):What? Why?
Lysander (Jay):It was me.
Rolo (Phil):Dude, no.
Lysander (Jay):I learned a new ability, and I turned into this bee without me wanting to.
Rolo (Phil):Oh, man. I'm so glad I didn't squash you.
Lysander (Jay):Me too. That would not have been good.
Rolo (Phil):No. Woah.
Lysander (Jay):Let me tell you something. It gives me a new appreciation of bees. I could tell you that.
Rolo (Phil):So what happened?
Lysander (Jay):Well, we were walking in town and I saw this flower blooming and it reminded me of a flower back home. And when I went to look at it and smell it, wouldn't you know a bee was in it? It stung me right on the nose. And next thing you know, I'm a bee.
Rolo (Phil):Woah. So is that like does that like now happen to you? Like, say, a dog comes up and bites you, will you turn into a dog?
Lysander (Jay):I hope not.
Rolo (Phil):Or or or like a mosquito. Dude, like, they're everywhere!
Lysander (Jay):Tell me about it. I'm really nervous about this. And it was really hard for me to get out of it. I mean, it was really hard. Like, pollen is really good. Let me tell you what.
CAM (Tito):I'm gonna take the the the cat off of the bar over here and just sneak up behind Lysander and put the cat right in his face and see if he changes.
Lysander (Jay):Ah, no.
Guide (Chris):It's up to you Lysander if you want to change.
Lysander (Jay):No. I've shifted enough last yesterday. I'm good for a while unless I need it, but no, I'm good.
CAM (Tito):And this, this was just for science.
Lysander (Jay):Oh, for science? Well, I could have turned into a cat before.
Rolo (Phil):Just rubbing the cat on his face. It's it's for science.
Squawk (Madeleine):CAM. He's being vulnerable right now. He doesn't need to.
Guide (Chris):The cat's got his claws out. Now he's got all these scratches down the side of his face.
Squawk (Madeleine):You guys are bad at friendship!
Lysander (Jay):Wait. Wait. I should probably roll. Let me see. Do I turn?
Lysander (Jay):No. I got a 13. I'm good.
Guide (Chris):Okay. CAM, while you're close, you notice that that little purple mark looks vaguely like a little tiny bumblebee. It's really hard. It's really tiny.
CAM (Tito):You know, I I've been studying these a lot lately. It it looks like that sting may have given you a curse.
Lysander (Jay):What are you talking about?
CAM (Tito):Well, it it's kinda like your other tattoos of all these animals and everything. Well, you you have a bee on your nose now.
Lysander (Jay):Where? Where? I'm like, like, wiping up my nose.
Guide (Chris):You're just swatting at the bee?
CAM (Tito):No. It's like it's like literally on your nose.
Lysander (Jay):I'm going cross eyed, looking at the tip of my nose. I don't see nothing.
CAM (Tito):I pull out a little mirror. Put it in front of you.
Lysander (Jay):Get closer to the mirror. Oh, well, that's that's where he stung me right there. Wow. Now I got a tattoo on my nose.
Squawk (Madeleine):I think it looks great.
CAM (Tito):How do you get these other tattoos?
Lysander (Jay):Well, these I put on myself. Well, not I didn't put them on, but that somebody put them on for me. Usually, for me to shape shift into something, I need to be associated with it somehow. So, you know, putting it on my body or having a picture or something that I could kind of relate to.
CAM (Tito):Does anybody else know how that works?
Lysander (Jay):How shape shifting works?
Squawk (Madeleine):I've never met a shape shifter before.
Lysander (Jay):I don't know.
Rolo (Phil):Wait. I've got a question.
Lysander (Jay):Yes. You in the back.
Rolo (Phil):Okay. If you get bitten by a werewolf, do you turn into a double werewolf? Because if you get because, you know, because if you get bitten by a werewolf, you are already get turned into werewolf, but because you change again you see what I'm you see where I'm going with that?
Guide (Chris):Maybe the werewolf turns into Lysander.
CAM (Tito):I I think it would have to be the werewolf bites him into a tattoo of a werewolf, and then he could turn into a werewolf.
Rolo (Phil):No. I don't care about I want double werewolf. That's what I wanna see.
Lysander (Jay):I won't be a double werewolf.
Rolo (Phil):I don't know what it looks like, but I bet you it's cool.
CAM (Tito):Is that like a werewolf with two heads?
Lysander (Jay):Well, I don't know. Let's find a werewolf and see if see what happens.
Squawk (Madeleine):I do not like this plan!
Rolo (Phil):It's a great plan.
Squawk (Madeleine):I am again... I am against...
CAM (Tito):What if the bee was another shapeshifter, and they tattooed a bee on your nose to make you turn into a bee.
Lysander (Jay):That's something I didn't think about.
Rolo (Phil):It seems like something could be weird to sit through.
CAM (Tito):Did you upset another shapeshifter?
Lysander (Jay):Maybe. I mean, I don't know. They seemed very upset with me, the bees. That's why they were chasing me all over the place. And let me tell you what, they are very territorial. There's a whole other world of bees that's going on that we didn't know about. They're very territorial, and there's a little war going on between the bees from this side of the street and that side of the street.
Squawk (Madeleine):So you're saying you don't like your new bee people better than you like us is what you're saying. Right? Right?! We're your best friend.
Lysander (Jay):Well, I I like everybody. I like everybody equally.
Squawk (Madeleine):But me the most?
Lysander (Jay):Yes. You the most. Yeah. Except when you're throwing your knives at me, then it's second.
Squawk (Madeleine):When did I do that?
Lysander (Jay):You throw your knives at me a couple times already now, but I...
Rolo (Phil):Oh, okay. Okay. Break it up now.
Squawk (Madeleine):A little bit...
CAM (Tito):I don't think they were directly at you. They just kinda ended up in your direction.
Squawk (Madeleine):Yeah. I have a lot of knives. If I don't use them now and then, they get rusty.
CAM (Tito):You sure you don't have magnets in your pockets?
Lysander (Jay):I don't know. I don't have pockets. I have pouches, but, no, I don't have any magnets.
Squawk (Madeleine):Well, I'm sorry. Okay? If you don't guys want don't want a fighter with you, I will go and be with some other people who don't complain.
Lysander (Jay):I wasn't complaining. I was just stating the fact. You said that you were... Enough. It's been a long night.
Squawk (Madeleine):My feelings are hurt, let's move on.
Lysander (Jay):It's been a long night.
Guide (Chris):I think we need a round of drinks. Who wants a milkshake?
Everyone:Rolo!
Squawk (Madeleine):Best thing in the world.
Rolo (Phil):No. Not until at least twenty four hours from now. After which time, I will totally say yes.
Squawk (Madeleine):I feel like everyone's a little low. Does anyone who hands up. Who needs their spirits bolstered?
Rolo (Phil):Ah, okay.
Rolo (Phil):Yeah.
Lysander (Jay):Sure. Okay.
Squawk (Madeleine):Would you like a poem? I'm going to recite a poem if everyone would like to be present for my poem that is going to be recited. And then we'll all feel better, and we'll move past this difficulty, best friends again. Ok, deal?
Rolo (Phil):Dude, yeah.
Lysander (Jay):Sure.
Squawk (Madeleine):Okay. Trout milkshakes? Maybe barfing.
Rolo (Phil):Time. Time. Wait. You never said this is gonna be about trout milkshakes. Is there any other topic you you could
Rolo (Phil):you could...
Squawk (Madeleine):You can't interrupt the bolstering. It's now backfiring. Now you're unbolstered. Okay. I'll start again.
Rolo (Phil):Well, that worked because it was about trout milkshakes.
Squawk (Madeleine):I will change my topic. Get ready to be bolstered. Okay. Together, we shall prevail. Whether tattooed noses make us feel ailing. We are amazing and gentle. I feel so much love for my friends in this group, all gentle as doves. Trout milkshakes, maybe gross, but to me, they're divine.
Rolo (Phil):Come on!
Squawk (Madeleine):Let's move forward. This is boring. The future is thine. It's over.
Lysander (Jay):Oh, I clap. Very, very nice. Very good.
Squawk (Madeleine):Yes!
Rolo (Phil):Hey.
Squawk (Madeleine):It's like you've never been bolstered before.
Rolo (Phil):Wow. I really do kinda feel better.
Squawk (Madeleine):Should we hug?
Rolo (Phil):Like my headache's gone.
Squawk (Madeleine):Okay.
Lysander (Jay):Thanks.
Rolo (Phil):Wow.
Squawk (Madeleine):Alright. There's more where that came from.
Rolo (Phil):Say Trout milkshake again.
Squawk (Madeleine):Trout milkshake.
Rolo (Phil):Nothing.
Squawk (Madeleine):See? You're welcome. You're welcome.
Rolo (Phil):I didn't even gag a little.
Squawk (Madeleine):Oh, wait. I think you get points for that. Oh, no. Hey. Never mind.
Rolo (Phil):I get points for not gagging?
Squawk (Madeleine):For my... for getting bolstered. You get points, but you didn't need them. It was three hit points. So you know what? It was badly timed bolstering. We needed to move forward. So what happens now?
CAM (Tito):Off to see Trevor?
Squawk (Madeleine):Trevor. Yes.
Lysander (Jay):Trevor...
Squawk (Madeleine):I don't wanna explain about Trevor to Lysander. Let's just go.
Rolo (Phil):Wait, can you explain it to me because I forgot? What's the deal with Trevor?
CAM (Tito):He's the ornery guy at the docks that can help us repair the ship.
Rolo (Phil):The ornery the guy who owns the docks?
Squawk (Madeleine):Grum no. He's grumpy.
Rolo (Phil):The ornery guy.
Squawk (Madeleine):Yes. Ornery.
Rolo (Phil):Or ornery. Oh, not onery. Gotcha.
CAM (Tito):Sure.
Rolo (Phil):Let's get him. Let's get let's do it.
Squawk (Madeleine):Let's go see Trevor.
Rolo (Phil):Do we like Trevor? Is he our friend?
Squawk (Madeleine):He will be.
CAM (Tito):We don't know yet. we never met him.
Squawk (Madeleine):Oh, I know he will.
Rolo (Phil):We are going to meet him.
Lysander (Jay):And what are we going to meet him for?
CAM (Tito):The innkeeper said he can help us repair the ship.
Rolo (Phil):I have no recollection of any of that.
CAM (Tito):It's probably a side effect of the milkshake.
Rolo (Phil):I wonder.
Guide (Chris):You guys step from the Shadetree Inn into the brisk morning air, and you see Willowfoot Stands starting its day. Shutters open, a few market stalls are being set up, and a cart rattles over old paving stones somewhere down the street. In the morning light, you get a clearer look at the airship port spread out across a broad paved plaza. Half a dozen circles are painted on the stone, each circle is large enough to handle a ship much bigger than the Distress. Small cranes stand near the berths. Long cargo sheds line the edge of the plaza and tall mooring posts wait with heavy loops of rope on iron hooks. A handful of workers in dark blue jumpsuits move between the berths, sweeping, landing circles, coiling lines, and checking hooks. Near the center of it all, an older human man is wearing worn blue coveralls, barks out short orders while making tally marks on a small notebook. So what do you guys do?
Lysander (Jay):I bet he could use some long underwear.
Squawk (Madeleine):Oh, yeah. But how do we how do we know it's him? How how can we test his orneriness?
CAM (Tito):I'm just gonna yell out. Hey, Trevor!
Squawk (Madeleine):Okay. Fine.
Guide (Chris):That's what you do. You see the old guy, he looks up and he looks around. He he doesn't he didn't hear where it came from, but...
CAM (Tito):I think that's him.
Guide (Chris):...looking about. And he just goes back to his tally book.
Squawk (Madeleine):Should we do, like, drawing straws or something? I had enough of ornery people back in my lagoon.
Rolo (Phil):Oh no, dude, no worries. I got this.
Squawk (Madeleine):Okay. You go. I believe in you.
Rolo (Phil):I got it. Yo, Trevor. Dude, what's up, man? We're, uhm, like, adventurer dudes, and I totally forgot what we're supposed to ask him.
CAM (Tito):We need we need to make more of the floaty wood stuff.
Rolo (Phil):We need to make more of the floaty wood stuff. So could you totally, like, hook hook us up or something?
Guide (Chris):So he looks up from his notebook as as you walk up to him, and he listens to you talk for a minute. And, you know, he's, like, in his late fifties. He's got gray peppered hair and his weather worn face. He gives you a quick up and down. Well, I I I could definitely see that you're the new folks everybody's been talking about. So he closes his notebook up and says, you say you need some help with your ship, with some wood. What, what do you need? I I don't got all day to stand around here and jaw.
Rolo (Phil):No. You you pretty much have the whole story. We need wood for our ship.
Guide (Chris):Alright.
Rolo (Phil):That's the whole thing.
Lysander (Jay):We we actually really just need a whole new ship because
Rolo (Phil):Well, yeah. Do you have a whole ship?
Lysander (Jay):Pretty much every system of our ship is not operational. And any help...
Rolo (Phil):You're probably gonna need some more of that black liquid stuff.
Lysander (Jay):Yeah. Yeah.
Rolo (Phil):Because ours is leaking everywhere.
Lysander (Jay):Sails and buttons.
Rolo (Phil):We're gonna need some more of those.
Lysander (Jay):Yep.
CAM (Tito):Well, all of that withstanding. Basically, we found a bunch of wood, but it doesn't have the same properties of the wood at the bottom of our hull. And it's just wood, but it needs to be the wood that floats. So, how do we make the wood float?
Guide (Chris):Yeah. You you gotta sky-set it. You need Aziron to put that in. You gotta coat it in Aziron, set it up in the right pattern, and that'll that'll get you get you floating. But he looks around. He's like, where did you guys come in? I I I mean, I can't fix the ship if it's not here.
Lysander (Jay):Well, yeah, it's back there a bit, and I point behind us.
Rolo (Phil):But we don't have any way to get it to you.
Guide (Chris):Oh.
CAM (Tito):Yeah. It's kind of crashed a little bit.
Rolo (Phil):Because of its brokenosity.
Guide (Chris):What ah... what heh, brokenosity?
Rolo (Phil):Word I just made up.
Guide (Chris):What, what kind of ship is it?
Squawk (Madeleine):An awesome ship.
Rolo (Phil):Broken. It's a broken ship.
Squawk (Madeleine):Awesome broken ship.
Lysander (Jay):It's in distress?
Rolo (Phil):Yeah.
Guide (Chris):Well, that that that's not good. I I mean...
Rolo (Phil):Why why don't you just tell us the kinds of ships, and maybe we can guess?
Guide (Chris):Well, is is it metallic framed? Is it wood frame? I assume wood frame the way you've been talking about timber.
Lysander (Jay):Definitely wood. Yes. Definitely wood. It it had a sail.
Guide (Chris):Okay. Okay.
CAM (Tito):Think an engine of some sort, but it was leaking a lot of stuff.
Guide (Chris):Oh, well, yeah.
Rolo (Phil):With steam and black stuff.
Guide (Chris):Yeah. That that's that's probably probably not good.
Rolo (Phil):Oh, and there was a there was a captain's hat on it. I don't know if that's relevant.
Guide (Chris):No.
Lysander (Jay):Did we did we have a manual? Did we bring that manual that we found?
Squawk (Madeleine):We also had an anchor. We won't talk about what happened to it. It doesn't matter. It was no one's fault.
Guide (Chris):So he reaches up and kinda rubs his forehead and he's like...
CAM (Tito):We did have this this manual, and I pull out the manual that's like that was useless to us.
Rolo (Phil):Dude, where were you keeping that?
CAM (Tito):I I was holding on to it just in case.
Squawk (Madeleine):Where?
Rolo (Phil):This whole time?
CAM (Tito):Yeah. In my bag.
Rolo (Phil):How?
Squawk (Madeleine):You got a bag?
Rolo (Phil):I never noticed you had a bag. Why didn't we put the long underwear in your bag?
CAM (Tito):Because you decided to make the long underwear into a bag.
Rolo (Phil):Well...
Squawk (Madeleine):Which was cooler.
Rolo (Phil):It yeah. You know? I'm really kind of attached to it
Rolo (Phil):now.
Squawk (Madeleine):Yeah.
CAM (Tito):Yeah. It went with your whole motif.
Rolo (Phil):It does go with my motif. I hope that's not an insult.
Lysander (Jay):But the the the the handbag of long underwear or motif?
Rolo (Phil):That that that the handbag of long underwear goes with my motif. That my motif is such that only an underwear bag could possibly fit. Listen, you! I think we need to get bolstered again cause I'm getting a little angry.
Squawk (Madeleine):Who needs a poem? Who needs a poem?
Rolo (Phil):Put up your dukes, dude!
Squawk (Madeleine):No. We all love your motif.
Rolo (Phil):Okay.
CAM (Tito):I'm just saying you you have a very casual, laid back kind of vibe, and it it goes with that vibe.
Rolo (Phil):Oh. Oh, yeah. Totally. Yeah. Okay. Fair enough.
Guide (Chris):So Trevor's standing there watching this back and forth and just that ping pong, and as you guys are going between each other, and he's like, alright. Slow down. Slow down. So we need to fix your ship. You said you have planks. Right?
Rolo (Phil):Mhmm.
Lysander (Jay):Yep.
CAM (Tito):Okay. We got planks from the lumberyard.
Guide (Chris):In the lumberyard? Which lumberyard?
Squawk (Madeleine):The one with the sleeping bear, obviously. This is so long. Why doesn't should we just why don't we just get him to come with us to the ship and he can just fix it? Keep in mind, we cannot pay.
Rolo (Phil):It's not something you wanna tell them right away.
Squawk (Madeleine):I just... it's going on forever.
Guide (Chris):Well, so you're gonna need to get to plank sky-set. And so he points over across the port and past the landing circles towards a dark stretch of town that you saw the night before. And there's a bunch of fencing with warning posts, and the area just sits quietly. There's big metal buildings, chain doors, and and rusted frames. And then Trevor says, well, officially over there, that's the the Willowfoot Refit Works. Unofficially, it's the Clankyard though. Then he points at one long low building that's got a collapsed corner. That building over there has the treatment rig that can shape and sky-set the boards that you need. You're gonna need to get the boards here. And the problem is we need fresh Aziron for the rig. And the last ship that came through here cleaned us out of what we had on hand. And it was unfortunately, it was kinda torn up pretty bad from the debris field. So if you want your ship fixed, you can't really start here. You're gonna have to start over at the mines.
Lysander (Jay):Okay. And where are they?
Rolo (Phil):We gotta mine the iron ourselves?
Guide (Chris):Well, no. I I mean, we only need a little bit, and you could probably just find it laying around. And, like, scratches his chin, and he's like, I'm not gonna send strangers out there to all mine by themselves, get themselves killed. You know, I'm I'm shorthanded here, but I'm not reckless.
Guide (Chris):And he turns, and he he raises his voice. He yells across the yard. He's like, Nixley! Nixley! Get over here. A wiry young elf in a dark blue port jumper looks up from a cargo cart. He's got short, dark hair, pointed ears. He's got sharp brown eyes and a tool belt that looks a little bit too heavy for him. He trots over trying really hard to make it look like he's not trying very hard. So Trevor points at him, and then he looks to you. He says, Nixley here. He knows the mine road. He knows the warning marks. He knows what a usable Aziron pocket looks like. He doesn't know enough to get fancy, but that's a good thing. So then Nixley just looks between you and Trevor with, like, a confused look. He's like, I think I missed something.
CAM (Tito):So two things. First, we brought the lumber with us. It's over at the inn. So, you know.
Guide (Chris):Alright, good.
CAM (Tito):If you wanna take a look at that, it's over there.
CAM (Tito):Second...
Rolo (Phil):We rode it here.
Guide (Chris):Wait. What?
CAM (Tito):Yeah.
Squawk (Madeleine):Which I forgot. Oh, it was amazing. If you help us, you can also ride on the lumber.
CAM (Tito):So the the second part, what do you mean get killed?
Guide (Chris):Well, I mean, it it's a pretty long trip, and, I mean, the mine's been closed for a while. So just, you know, abandoned mines are not places you'd normally go for picnics.
Squawk (Madeleine):Woah. Woah. Woah. Do you not understand how lethal? I know I look like a flamingo. Do not fear about my friends. I have so many knives. I'm a big deal. Okay.
Lysander (Jay):Yep. She does.
Squawk (Madeleine):Listen. You guys haven't seen me in action yet. Have faith. So, Nixley don't even worry about the danger. I've got it.
Guide (Chris):Oh, okay. I'm fine. I mean, I could take you guys there, show you what to look for.
Squawk (Madeleine):Let's do it.
Guide (Chris):Alright. So Trevor looks at Nixley, and he goes, you know, two days out to the old mine if you aren't stupid, you know, two and a half if you or three maybe if you are. So just make sure you bring back enough Aziron to feed the machines for a bit. And if you find any resinstone while you're out there, bring it back too. So he steps over to a big storage cabinet, and he pulls out this squat metal case. It's got, like, a resin lined interior with brass clamps and a big warning label that's been scratched out and rewritten a few times. And he sets it down with a big clunk on the ground. You're gonna need this here Az cradle. And he looks at Nixley. If it twitches, cradle it. If it hums, cradle it. And if it makes you hear things, set it down and make sure everybody steps back. Nixley's like, I know. I know.
Lysander (Jay):Wait. What what what did you just say?
Squawk (Madeleine):Cradle it?
Guide (Chris):Yeah. Cradle. You put it in the cradle. And it points at the, he points at the box.
CAM (Tito):So if it makes you see or hear things, you put it in the cradle?
Guide (Chris):No. No. No. If you see or hear things, then you you leave that bit alone. You you move away from that one.
Lysander (Jay):If it's dancing, you could put it in the cradle.
Guide (Chris):Well, if it's yeah.
CAM (Tito):I I look at I look at Rolo and say, we can put the milkshake in the cradle.
Rolo (Phil):No. No milkshakes. The the cradle's for babies. I mean, iron. I don't understand.
Squawk (Madeleine):Is there a baby around? And that's what I'm trying to figure out is because you're talking about cradles.
Rolo (Phil):This is the most uncomfortable looking cradle I've ever seen.
Squawk (Madeleine):I really like babies.
Rolo (Phil):You're gonna have trauma as child if you had a cradle like this.
Lysander (Jay):And and and what will happen if we do find singing and dancing Az whatever metal we are looking for?
Guide (Chris):It's just, you know, when Aziron starts to go bad, it's not particularly safe. So you just wanna be careful with it.
Squawk (Madeleine):Listen. Why are you talking about being careful? I have told you I'm so lethal.
Guide (Chris):You look lethal!
Squawk (Madeleine):Do you even see my head spike?
Guide (Chris):I I know. It's scary. I'm scared. I was scared of you as soon as I saw you.
Squawk (Madeleine):Oh, I'm so sorry. I feel bad now...
Guide (Chris):No. It's okay.
Squawk (Madeleine):I didn't mean to scare you. I just
Lysander (Jay):Give him a speech. Give him a speech. Rouse his spirits.
Guide (Chris):No. No. It's okay. It's okay.
Lysander (Jay):No. She's really good at it.
Rolo (Phil):Yeah. No. You should hear the speech.
Lysander (Jay):You should hear the speech.
Rolo (Phil):Speech. Speech.
Guide (Chris):And Nixley's like, Speech, speech!
Squawk (Madeleine):Okay. Nixley, my friend. Valiant you are. Cradles are weird. You can be a star by leading us to the mine and doing everything because I don't want to. Who wants to hear me sing? I'm not gonna sing. That's the answer.
Rolo (Phil):The speech is good. The speech is fine.
Squawk (Madeleine):It's like I'll sing next time.
Rolo (Phil):Quit while we're ahead.
Lysander (Jay):Very good.
Squawk (Madeleine):Yes. So, Nixley, can you just can you seem so nice. Can you just go...
Guide (Chris):Thank you.
Squawk (Madeleine):I don't we don't have three days, guys.
Guide (Chris):It's gonna take us a little while to get out there.
Lysander (Jay):What else are we gonna do?
Squawk (Madeleine):Dance parties.
CAM (Tito):Well, Squawk, think of it this way. If it takes us three days to get there, that means we have to go camping at least twice.
Squawk (Madeleine):Which means songs!
Lysander (Jay):And you keep talking about s'mores.
Squawk (Madeleine):And I know and nobody understood. And they do get on my feathers.
Lysander (Jay):We haven't had any yet.
CAM (Tito):Well, you should get the ingredients before we leave.
Squawk (Madeleine):Okay. I'm excited!
Lysander (Jay):Woah.
Squawk (Madeleine):Let's go on a road trip!
Guide (Chris):Road trip!
Squawk (Madeleine):It's gonna be great. More friendship times. Let's go.
Guide (Chris):So do you ask Trevor or Nixley anything else? Or you want...
Lysander (Jay):Where could we get ingredients for s'mores?
Guide (Chris):S'mores. You mean the, like, the the things with the the marshmallow stuff. Right?
Squawk (Madeleine):Yes.
Lysander (Jay):Apparently, yes.
Guide (Chris):Oh, yeah. We haven't man, last time we had marshmallows was I was about Nixley's age. Nixley's like, Wow. That was a long time ago.
Rolo (Phil):What do we expect?
CAM (Tito):He could be a 100 years old.
Rolo (Phil):They're a mining town without a functioning mine.
Squawk (Madeleine):Mhmm. I guess. Don't be so judgy.
Rolo (Phil):Well, just saying, like, just from an economic point of view.
Squawk (Madeleine):It's a little sad.
Rolo (Phil):Like, having the whole purpose of your town rely on a mine that's abandoned is just, like not, like, copacetic.
CAM (Tito):Ship building town, not a mining town.
Guide (Chris):Well, yeah, the mine the mine's not for Aziron. The mine was for resinstone. But there there's some Aziron in the soil. So, I mean, they there's definitely some there.
Squawk (Madeleine):Okay. Your town is fine. Okay? It's fine.
Rolo (Phil):Okay.
Squawk (Madeleine):I have a question. Trevor, are you aware that people refer to you as ornery, and how do you feel about that? Because I don't think it's earned. You've been you've actually been sort of help. I just feel like your reputation...
CAM (Tito):You're just gonna throw that out there?
Guide (Chris):Who told you that? That makes me a little angry.
Squawk (Madeleine):Gossip. I know what it feels like. Gossip can be cruel. I mean, tell everyone you were not ornery.
Rolo (Phil):I take Squawk by the wing, and I start leading her away.
Guide (Chris):So and Trevor's like, man, now I'm gonna be in a bad mood all day.
Lysander (Jay):Thank you very much, Trevor.
Squawk (Madeleine):There's the ornery.
Lysander (Jay):We appreciate all your help.
Squawk (Madeleine):Bye.
Guide (Chris):So as you guys are walking away, Trevor orders a couple of people to gather some supplies up for the group. And then a few minutes later, they return with a a small two wheeled cart covered by a tarp harnessed to a donkey. Trevor puts one hand on Nixley's shoulder and and says a few quiet words to him, and then he gives your group a nod, then he goes back to work. So Nixley takes the donkey's lead, and he starts guiding the cart towards a smaller road towards the Northwest of town. And before you get too far, you notice a small cluster of townsfolk gathered near the edge of the port.
Guide (Chris):At first, it looks like they've come to see you off. And then one of them calls out, hey. Are the long johns still for trade? Then another one's like, just before you leave town, I you know, just wondering. Nixley's like, come on, folks. We're trying to leave for the mine. So what do you guys do?
Rolo (Phil):Why, yes, good sir. These long johns are for sale.
Guide (Chris):Really? How much? That was Nixley.
Rolo (Phil):35.
Guide (Chris):It was like, 35. That's a... wait... Everybody's kind of looking around. 35 what?
Rolo (Phil):I don't know. What's your local currency?
Guide (Chris):Well, it it's whatever people bring. It's it's more barter.
Rolo (Phil):To barter economy. Okay. So we you give me something in trade for the long johns.
Guide (Chris):So, you see people starting to scatter and, they're trading long johns. They're trading long johns. Nixley is like...
Squawk (Madeleine):Oh, dear.
Guide (Chris):We better get out of here before we get a stampede.
Squawk (Madeleine):A Long john stampede??
Rolo (Phil):Wait, we want to run away from the customers?
Lysander (Jay):No. We wanna keep them!
Rolo (Phil):I told you they do not know anything about economics in this town.
Lysander (Jay):We could have them for the long johns go to the mine and get the ore.
Squawk (Madeleine):Yes.
Guide (Chris):No.
Rolo (Phil):Don't we, like, later have to pay for...
CAM (Tito):Well, we need we need navigational equipment. We need sails. We need an anchor. You know, maybe you could barter for some of those things.
Rolo (Phil):That's great. Love it.
Lysander (Jay):But what if we go to the mine and die? Because didn't he say it was dangerous up there?
CAM (Tito):Didn't you hear Squawk? She's got us covered.
Squawk (Madeleine):Why who is why are talking about dying? You guys have no faith in me!
Rolo (Phil):I'd also feel bad if one of them died. I mean, like, who's who wants to live with that guilt?
Squawk (Madeleine):Listen. You don't know what it's like...
Lysander (Jay):I think I'd be alright.
Squawk (Madeleine):...to kill. I can tell you, you do get past it in time. I don't wanna talk about it.
Rolo (Phil):This got dark.
Guide (Chris):I know Squawks gone all Dark Knight on us.
Squawk (Madeleine):You think this spike thing is just fashion? This helmet I have?
CAM (Tito):You had an army of scarabs in front of you, and you didn't hit one of them.
Squawk (Madeleine):Look. It was my first surging experience. Let's talk more about campfires on s'mores, please.
CAM (Tito):Alright. Let's let's hit the road. How about that?
Guide (Chris):You guys don't wanna wait for long johns, or you want to get out of here?
CAM (Tito):We're gonna shout to them, hey. We're gonna go to the mine. We'll be right back.
Rolo (Phil):This is great marketing. See, what we do is we start establishing need...
CAM (Tito):Start finding stuff to trade us.
Rolo (Phil):And then we just take the supply away, and that makes people want it more.
Squawk (Madeleine):People panic!
Guide (Chris):More people know about it by the time you get back.
Rolo (Phil):Yeah. Totally dude.
CAM (Tito):They're gonna have to fight within within themselves to find the most valuable thing to trade for the long johns because they all want one. We're we're just we're hyping up the the market right now.
Rolo (Phil):We're playing the long johns game. Thank you. I will be here all evening. By the way, what is the name of this donkey? Because this donkey's adorable.
Guide (Chris):So Nixley's like, oh, you like him? It's Ferd.
Rolo (Phil):Ferd. Dude love Ferd.
Guide (Chris):He just snorts.
Rolo (Phil):You and me Ferd. We're gonna be friends.
Lysander (Jay):Sure. You're friends with him when he's an animal.
Squawk (Madeleine):What? Are you lacking for friends? What are you trying to say? Rolo, you have an animal friend in the nearby vicinity. You don't... Obviously!
Rolo (Phil):Wow, dude. Why is everybody so jealous? I wanna be friends with a donkey, and everybody's just jumping on me, man. Dude, Ferd this is apparently it's too complicated for us to have a relationship. I really got the I'm glad I got a chance to know you as a person, but...
Lysander (Jay):Maybe it is actually a person.
CAM (Tito):Meanwhile, as all of you guys are arguing, CAM's feeding Ferd a carrot.
Squawk (Madeleine):Look. It's just that I kinda wanted Ferd to be my friend, and you got there first.
Rolo (Phil):You you guys, this is a this smells like a toxic relationship. We need to have some ground rules.
Squawk (Madeleine):Ground rules. Let's maybe we should walk while we establish our rules.
Rolo (Phil):I thought we were.
Squawk (Madeleine):Are we?
Rolo (Phil):Are we still standing there? We should get going.
Guide (Chris):Yeah. Yeah. Because people are starting to come back. And you're so you take off and Willowfoot slowly falls behind you and the sound of...
Rolo (Phil):I tell everyone to line up.
Lysander (Jay):Get in line, we'll be back in three days.
Rolo (Phil):Yeah. Yeah.
Squawk (Madeleine):Don't move.