Pete/GM: From the desk of Dr.

Edward Rittleson, item 4 A, a small
locket, when opened, shows two

portraits of the same woman, whom the
patient swears she does not recognize.

In one portrait, the woman's
eyes are dark holes, out of which

a black, viscous icor weeps.

This icor spills from the
frame while the locket is open.

When completely or partially closed,
it slithers over to the second

portrait, and enters its mouth in a
seemingly endless recursive stream.

The portrait, despite the patient's
denial, Very obviously depicts herself.

Welcome to Ash and Snow.

We got some

Archedas/Varren: Ouroboros out here today.

Pete/GM: Sounds like it.

It's gross.

Anything involving Iker is probably
something you want to stay away from.

It's just goo.

Aubrey/Freya: I want to stay
away from it, but apparently it

doesn't want to stay away from

Pete/GM: me.

Yeah, I, uh, these things keep getting
more creepy as, uh, we progress.

And I am here for it.

Look,

Archedas/Varren: we're already in the
back rooms, it can only get so much worse.

Pete/GM: The real question
is, will you find each other?

Again.

Oh no, it depends on if this

Archedas/Varren: dude's
maps actually work.

Chris/Vin: Just look for the fire monkey.

It can't be too hard.

Look, the fox and the fire monkey.

Archedas/Varren: It's like
walking around, there's a purple

torch walking around and moving.

It's gotta be kinda obvious
where the light's coming from.

So I have to just point this out because
I just had to Google it real quick.

Do you want to know the chemical
that makes fire burn purple?

What?

Potassium, you

Pete/GM: monkey.

Is it really?

Archedas/Varren: Yes, it's
straight up potassium.

You've eaten so many bananas
that your on fire is purple.

That's

Chris/Vin: where the bananas go.

That word works

Archedas/Varren: very well.

That or you've just been shoving cream
of tartar in your hair constantly.

That's what,

Aubrey/Freya: that's
what the banana peels.

Yeah, that's

Archedas/Varren: why the
drops have been there.

Oh

Chris/Vin: man.

Pete/GM: We begin.

Back inside the keep of Kanipo
the Slim, where Varyn walks with a

strange man down long, empty hallways.

The man has identified
himself as the Chronicler.

He's covered with scars of
his attempts to map the keep.

Though sharp eyed Varyn can see
that these maps make no sense.

With hallways overlapping, spiraling
out of control, and disappearing.

Where they should be clearly
leading to another room.

As he walks along with you, he mutters,
No way out, can't find the way out,

thinks he can find the way out.

Hehehe, he'll see, he'll see in time.

Well, the interesting

Archedas/Varren: bit is that so far,
neither of us are getting there, and

well, It's uh, not really gonna get
anywhere if we just kinda stand here.

I mean, the maps are certainly useful,
but they're really gonna get us that far.

Well, what way were you

Pete/GM: headed next?

I head where the slim directs me,
because we are all his thralls in here.

This is his world, and I've come
to know it quite intimately.

I can navigate somewhat, though I'm not
sure I can take you where you want to go.

In fact, sometimes that's the point.

Archedas/Varren: Well how do you know
where I do and don't want to go here?

As far as I can tell.

I don't know where I'm going, so I
can't really tell you where I want

to go, other than forward, finding
where the other folks went off

Pete/GM: to.

I don't know where you want to go.

You know where you want to go.

That is why you will never get there.

You, you don't understand.

You foolish, silly child.

He reaches out a thin, decrepit
hand and pats you on the head.

It's

Archedas/Varren: kind of
a bit of a confused look.

First of all, I don't know you too well.

The headpats ain't gonna
that's Mia's thing.

And he's the one she's the one that
uh, thin man is kind of looking for.

So, uh, we'll save those for her.

But, well, so you're saying
the thin man is your boss,

Pete/GM: sort of, right?

More like my jailer, my
master, and yours now too.

You just don't accept it yet.

Archedas/Varren: Well, no, because as far
as I see it, he's just being a coward.

He knows why we're here.

The only reason he locked me up
away from the others is 'cause

he knows I can help the others
figure out how to take care of it.

He's a

Pete/GM: coward, but do
you know why you're here?

Do you even know?

Can he bow the slip?

Archedas/Varren: I know plenty
about his legend in lore.

I know he has a certain object
we're looking for and I know

he's been terrorizing a town
that don't really deserve it.

So, well, I guess if you want the real
reason I'm here, it's to put 'em into

whatever the Faye have for a grave.

Pete/GM: You will learn.

You will learn.

Just as I had to.

I did not come here.

I did not want to be here.

But he has kept me here.

And I have learned about him.

I know his secrets.

Well,

Archedas/Varren: how about an exchange?

I help you try and find
your way out of here.

Then, maybe exchange some
information to myself.

And you tell me about him.

And this place.

Pete/GM: I will agree.

But only because I want to watch you fail.

I want to see the desperation.

In your eyes, to see the hope that I once

Archedas/Varren: had, too.

Just kind of set a hand on his shoulder
and, as in return from the head pat,

just kind of pat his shoulder twice
and, Well, I'm going to be real

sorry to disappoint you on that one.

Pete/GM: You'll see.

Come.

He leads you down a hallway
where there's another turn.

Follow along behind him?

You go down there and you see a series
of paintings down a long hallway.

Do you know from whence?

Well,

Archedas/Varren: from, uh, just kind
of pulls out his notebook a moment.

Uh, from the best I can tell, he was
some sort of fey creature of some

sort that evolved into this area.

Uh, found his way over into Seven Arches,
and then from there, got pushed on back

into here by whoever, I assume whoever
built the arches, but I don't know for

Pete/GM: sure.

That we were taught when we
learned about the Slim in

school, all those many years ago.

But nothing can be created,
which just simply existed.

He points at the first frame,
where you can see a darkness

starting to come into form.

He simply appeared thousands of
years ago, in the realm of Nighthold.

He did not even know what he was himself.

Leads you to another painting.

Where you see him interacting with
these very disturbing looking figures.

He thought himself a bogeyman,
matching the slender form and

unsettling appetites that they have.

But they fed on souls and fear.

Whereas he was drawn to shadows
and drinks their umbral auras.

He leads you to a new painting.

The bogeys rejected him.

They did not see a brother.

In kpo?

No, they shunned him and so he
left, but all for the better.

But that is when he
learned to accept himself.

First he sought the shelter in
the court of Count Rena, the

eldest of shadows and chaos.

He shows you a new painting with dark
Lord kind of figure and kpa there.

And yet he still felt alone curdled
into resentment and he began

to see himself as the progeny.

of a new Fae race, destined
to rule a realm of their own.

He only needed to find out.

And so he has brought in
servants, you could say.

I have long forgotten my name.

I call myself Mr.

Look See.

And as he says that, he looks at
you with his wide, lidless eyes.

Archedas/Varren: I was gonna ask if that
was a count of the eyelids, but felt

it was a bit, uh, a little bit rude.

Uh, suppose if we're exchanging
names, can't say that I

remember my own name myself.

If you're looking for what I call
myself now, simply Baron, nothing

Pete/GM: more.

Two others there are.

Yes, I've seen them, but I stay away.

Deziriak, the experimenter,
and Liko, the butcher.

Oh, your friends should pray
that they do not meet Liko.

I once saw her attach
a human onto a horse.

You

Archedas/Varren: sure that
wasn't just a, just a centaur?

I know those, like,
those do exist here, so.

Pete/GM: Oh, this was no mere centaur.

This was new life.

And if she finds your friends,
she will do much worse to them.

In another room, a shadowy woman
dressed in a black and white

pinstripe lab coat eyes Mia.

Holding a bloody dagger.

Kneepo is mine!

You will not have him!

Misfit/Mia: It's okay, I don't really want

Pete/GM: him!

I will tear the life from your soul!

Aubrey/Freya: I step in front of Mia.

I put Mia behind me.

Chris/Vin: I step upon a Freya.

I put Freya behind

Misfit/Mia: me.

Pete/GM: I

Archedas/Varren: step in
front Oh wait, I'm not there.

Pete/GM: So let's go ahead
and roll for initiative.

Mia's first with a 18, Vin with 16, Freya
also with 16, and Liko with a meager 12.

Luckily you all get to go
a little bit before her.

What do you do?

Misfit/Mia: So Mia takes takes some
time and she evaluates the situation,

looks around, sees that Freya
and Vin are ready to protect her.

She then In a, a cloud of stardust, poofs
into her human form, taking a step back

as she does it and she casts shield.

Just to give herself a little extra
protection, because she is scared.

Pete/GM: That makes sense.

Laika is a very scary creature.

Next up, we have Vin.

Chris/Vin: Vin, unsure what to
do, not really understanding.

We'll take a step up and just
start whacking it with the

polearm twice, just right.

Her face, uh, I, uh, panicked.

He strikes, or 21 to hit
on that first attack.

21 will succeed.

We get a nice 6 damage,
uh, on that first hit.

And the second strike he spins
it around trying to get some,

Momentum, and we'll hit with a 20.

For an additional, 11.

Damage.

Not really sure if he should, like,
pull out the fire or anything like

that, he's just going there trying
to test the waters, trying to figure

out what this person's all about.

But, finds himself panicking almost,
within his movements and the way he is

Pete/GM: acting.

Alright, perfect.

Freya!

Aubrey/Freya: So, I will start off
my turn by taking a movement action.

I will move ten feet to my right.

To sort of make sure that Vin is to keep
myself in front of Mia and make sure

that Vin isn't in the way of my spell.

And I am going to cast Briny Bolt as I,
um, sort of pull these briny bolts of

water, like, you can kind of see the sort
of gre almost greenish seawater I pull off

of my blade and just toss at this person.

For a

Pete/GM: 24.

Uh, 24 will succeed.

Aubrey/Freya: And, uh, the
creature is blinded for one round.

Ooh, okay.

Uh, the creature can spend an interact
action to, uh, wipe the salt water from

its eyes, ending the blinded condition.

Okay.

But it'll be six bludgeoning

Pete/GM: damage.

Alright, she takes it.

She then uses one action to
cause the lights in this room

to start to flicker and dim.

This makes her automatically
concealed, even to you creatures

who are able to see dim light.

She then casts a spell on herself.

Gaseous Form.

She turns into a vaporous state,
loses any item bonus AC and

other effects and bonuses from
armor, and uses its proficiency

modifier for unarmored defense.

Gains resistance 8 to physical damage,
and is immune to precision damage.

Can't cast spells, activate
items, or use actions that have

the attack or manipulate trait.

It also gains a fly speed.

She's also still blinded.

Yes.

Yes, she is.

That will be all for her.

As we go back to the paintings that Mr.

Look See is showing to Varan.

Uh, did

Archedas/Varren: you make
these, or is this Kanepo's

Pete/GM: artwork?

This is Kniepo, chronicling his history.

Great, he fancies himself an artist.

He forces me to watch.

Soon you will beg to look at
these paintings, to find some

brief escape from the monotony.

It's the only thing that will keep
you from madness, is engulfing

yourself in the master's brilliance.

Archedas/Varren: Well, I can engulf
him in brilliance pretty easily,

if that's what you're looking for.

You just gotta Pull up
a lantern from his side.

He

Pete/GM: chortles, uh, to himself.

Heh heh.

Light.

Oh, all of you think that light will help?

Well,

Archedas/Varren: I wasn't
so much preferring to light

as, uh, the oil inside.

Pete/GM: Oh, many have tried to
end the kinipo, but they failed.

You think that you are smarter, more
magically inclined than the elves?

No,

Archedas/Varren: I don't have any magic.

I got a gun, and I got a bird.

I got a sword, I guess.

I don't use it that much.

But nah, one thing I'm real
good at is reading people.

And, well, Kniepo's not exactly a typical
people I would refer to in quotes.

There is one thing that I know about, uh,
people that are willing to go to lengths

of filling a hallway with their own art.

Is they tend to come looking for
the people that light it on fire.

Pete/GM: Your underestimation
of him will be your ultimate

undoing, as it was with the Elves.

They tried to hunt him down.

They even were able to catch him.

They could not see how important
his work was, stealing their

shadows, experimenting with them.

They too thought that they could
put an end to the Kniepos work.

They even encapsulated him within this
very tree, and he gestures all around you.

And now, The Slim calls it his home.

Do you think one who both easily
escaped their prison and reclaimed

it is one that can be trifled
with so easily by Lantern Oil?

I think

Archedas/Varren: one that's as
vain as him would come running

to try and save his artwork.

At the very least, it might give
us a pathway to finding our way out

of here due to his, uh, distaste
of the destruction of his art.

See?

You've fallen into this little spiral of
warship and fallen into him, but well,

that's not what he likes now, is it?

He likes you to be afraid.

He wants your shadow, like you said.

Sounds to me like if he wants
some shadows, he needs some bright

lights for them to be cast by.

And I think, well, agitating the
fella might just get us to him.

You get to have an audience with
the boss man that you, uh, so adore.

And, well, he's been
bugging a friend of mine.

And I've not taken kindly to that, so.

No, the elves might have had magic.

They might have had a way
to trap him in this tree.

I don't need that.

I just need to put enough cold iron
in his head that he can't pick it

Pete/GM: up anymore.

Oh, you can try.

You can test his vanity if you want to.

But I assure you, you will do
nothing more than burn your own hand.

Because you still don't
understand, do you?

As he sneers at you, Viren,
we go back to the fight.

Against Lyco.

Mia, you're back up.

Misfit/Mia: This isn't my favorite
person in the world, I'm gonna be honest.

So, Mia thinks she's super clever and
like, taps the end of her walking stick

and just casts light to see what it does.

And kind of just like,
shoves it at, in that general

direction of Creepy Scary Lady.

Okay.

Does it do anything?

Does she have a reaction?

She

Pete/GM: does not have a reaction,
she is still in gaseous form.

However, she'll no longer be
concealed, uh, to you all as

you are no longer in dim shadow.

Freya,

Misfit/Mia: what's the best
thing for me to do at the moment?

Protect yourself.

Pete/GM: Okay, got it!

Misfit/Mia: And like, she, she, staff
in one hand, uh, kind of like Gets ready

to throw a punch as best she can, but
she's gonna stay in her little, like,

backed away area behind her shield.

I think I should hold

Pete/GM: shield up.

Okay, then.

Oh, when

Chris/Vin: I think of a gaseous form,
I think of something very flammable.

I'm not gonna try to fight
the smoke to fight the gas.

I am going to, one action.

Pull out a torch, another action,
light the torch, and the third

action to throw the torch.

That is my plan for this turn.

Okay.

All three actions.

I'm just gonna go,

Pete/GM: You throw a torch at her feet.

Unfortunately, though she is in
a vaporous state, it does not

make her any more combustible.

As now we go to Freya.

That's just

Chris/Vin: the end, there's no
re I had no response to that.

Pete/GM: Oh well.

Archedas/Varren: She's a
gas cloud, what do you want?

We tried!

Pete/GM: Oh, oh

Chris/Vin: well.

Aubrey/Freya: Well, I am going to Cast
produce flame, uh, pull this sort of,

uh, reach into the, the light that Mia
has and sort of pull away some of the

flame of it and toss it at this woman

Misfit/Mia: Mia is in awe and thinks
you're the most magical person right

Aubrey/Freya: now, and that I have
to roll the concealment, right?

Pete/GM: No, you don't.

Now that Mia's Light spell as well as
technically vin's Torch at her feet.

are no longer leaving
her in, uh, dim light.

For a 26.

A 26 will hit.

Good job, Freya!

For

Aubrey/Freya: 5 fire damage.

And as I do that, I will siphon off
a little bit of the fire and sort of

bring it around me in my arcane cascade.

Pete/GM: Okay.

She takes the fire damage.

In her gaseous form, she flies past
both of you to land behind Mia.

Dropping her gaseous form at
will, and then stabbing at Mia.

I knew it.

Misfit/Mia: Alright, I'm
really gonna protect myself.

Do you have my shield

Pete/GM: up?

She then, uh, tries to
stab you with a dagger.

Okay.

Ow.

First strike is a hit.

Yeah, sure is.

Doing 12 piercing and cold damage.

She then strikes one more time,
with a natural 20, doing 24 damage.

Oh, I'm dead.

Mia, your initiative moves right
before Lyco, as you enter Dying 2.

Help.

As her comrades watch Mia fall,
we go back to Varyn and Mr.

Look See, who is again starting
to go on a diatribe about Kniepo.

You want to defeat him, but what you do
not realize is I want the same thing!

I've wanted it for so long!

I no longer wish to be here!

I never wanted to be here!

Even able

Archedas/Varren: to leave?

If you could find your way out,

Pete/GM: could you leave?

I've never been able to get out,
because I know what keeps me here.

I know what keeps you from your friends.

And what's that?

You just have to listen!

You have to understand!

Well, show me how to.

Because what you don't realize is
that Kniepo is a creature of rage now.

Though he did escape,
though he is very powerful.

He harbors a deep resentment of the Elves.

He is the one who created
the Obnubilic Curse.

He is obsessed with revenge, and
your friend is at the center of it.

He goes to the last picture, which
shows Kniepo's fingers wrapping

around Mia's moon shaped fox form.

The Obnubilic Curse was just the start.

It was just an immediate test.

How many Elves?

Do you think died from it?

Well,

Archedas/Varren: the easy answer

Pete/GM: is too mannie with her.

He can do so much more and you don't wanna

Archedas/Varren: be here.

So why would you want to keep me from

Pete/GM: helping her?

I want you to help her, but you
have to understand why he wants her.

Well,

Archedas/Varren: this is
just a shot in the dark here.

The moon's out at night gives
everyone a shadow at night.

He lives in the darkness.

It's dark at night.

He blots out the moon.

It's all dark.

Issue is, he hasn't
thought that far ahead.

The moon's gone.

There's no other sources
of light at night.

There isn't any shadows
for him to feed on.

He's gonna starve to death.

Not exactly the most
thought out process here.

As you said, he's a creature of rage.

Ain't thinkin

Pete/GM: right.

Wow, you understood what
took me years to comprehend.

Perhaps there is a chance.

That Baron just interrupted himself.

That

Archedas/Varren: was the most immediate
and obvious thing I could ever think of.

Oh buddy, this is not looking
good for my chances on 5th.

Like, if this is my if this
guy's my way out of here, I'm

Pete/GM: screwed.

Well then, now that you know why he wants
her, you know why it is so imperative.

That you keep her from him,
and this is how you do it.

He controls this log.

Every step that you take
is mechanized by him.

But he doesn't do it actively.

He has set its own set of rules.

Rules that he can bend, but we cannot.

Not unless you understand.

You see these scars.

Do we live in

Archedas/Varren: a society?

Pete/GM: You know why I stopped mapping?

Archedas/Varren: Because
you couldn't get anywhere.

There was no point in it.

No.

You

Pete/GM: just change your maps on you.

It's because I learned
how to change the map.

As he says that, we go back
to the fight for Mia's life.

For her soul.

I'm dying.

Vin, you are first to act.

I have

Chris/Vin: Play leaf.

Will that Will that get me up?

No?

Okay.

I will run towards It's this
murderer going right, right adjacent.

And I am going to reach out
for a touch of corruption.

This blue flame envelops
his hand and he reaches out.

Pete/GM: Alright, so you had a
DC 18 basic fortitude save, she

rolled a 20 for regular success.

Chris/Vin: Alright, she will still take
half damage, this is 2 negative damage, or

Pete/GM: 5 negative damage cut in half.

You believe that she will take this
damage, however As you reach out

to cause damage to her, you see
that it simply dissolves into her.

Freaking annoying.

Chris/Vin: She has resistance.

I take it.

Fine, I just stab her.

I'll try it and show you.

This'll be a 22 to

Pete/GM: hit.

22 will hit.

Chris/Vin: And for

Pete/GM: 9 damage.

Alright, she takes the 9 damage.

Turn to Freya.

I don't

Chris/Vin: know what to do!

I don't know what to do!

Pete/GM: Nothing is working!

Freya!

Mia

Aubrey/Freya: is unconscious, so I
can I can be in the same space as

Mia while she is unconscious, right?

Okay.

Cause yeah, I'm gonna take the five foot
step forward, and bring out my sword as

I spell strike and cast Gouging Claw.

Pete/GM: As you do that,
she uses her reaction.

Since you moved adjacent to Shay, she
has the ability to teleport to a clear

space that she can see within thirty feet.

Aubrey/Freya: Even does it for if
I just do like a five foot step.

Pete/GM: Okay.

Moves adjacent.

Uh, she doesn't do any damage
to your attacks, but essentially

causes you to have lost action
and moves further away from you.

Freya still has her ability to do
what she wants with two more actions.

Yep, um,

Aubrey/Freya: so then it's
going to be another Produce

Pete/GM: flame.

Aubrey/Freya: As I get really angry and
I draw on some of Vin's purple fire to

just chuck violently at this spirit.

Misfit/Mia: Avenge me!

If I'm not gonna survive, at least
kill her in the most epic way possible.

Aubrey/Freya: That'd be a

Pete/GM: 24.

24 does hit.

For another five damage.

With five fire damage.

Her shadowy figure bursts into flame.

KANIPA MY

Misfit/Mia: LOVE!

Pete/GM: However, as soon as she turns
into ash, your attention immediately

turns towards your falling comrade.

As we go back, Tverin and Mister looks.

You see, he takes pleasure in your pain.

The key to this place is to do
the opposite of what you want.

You want to get close to
Kniepo to strike him down.

I see the rage in your eyes.

So this place will only
take you further away.

You wanted to protect your
friends, and then you lost them.

Similarly, if your friend Mia
wants to escape him, it will

only draw her closer to him.

She cannot be alone when she
does that, for if she does,

you will never find her again.

So I just

Archedas/Varren: need to think.

That I don't want to find
them, and that I want to stay.

Nope.

And then if I continue to try

Pete/GM: and leave You
can't deceive this place.

It must be your true will.

That is why I can never leave.

Because it is the one thing that I want.

Is to be free.

I can lie.

I can prostrate myself to Kniepo.

I've been trying for years.

To get closer to him, and so, move away.

But these walls can always tell.

If you want to return to your friends,
you must want to abandon them.

You must think of a reason to leave.

That is the only way.

Just a

Archedas/Varren: brief pause from Varan.

Kinda looks down at the weapon
in his hands and just, Well, I

can give you a way out for sure,
if that's what you really want.

It ain't gonna be pretty.

It's gonna hurt.

I make it quick.

But, it's not

Pete/GM: really leaving here.

If my soul has even the slightest
chance to return to the river,

I would thank you for it.

Just promise me one last thing.

What's that?

Promise me that you
will put an end to him.

Archedas/Varren: Well, if that's
what I want to do, that ain't

gonna be what I can do now,

Pete/GM: is it, sir?

Now you're getting it.

As Varen lifts his gun to Mr.

Look See.

We go back to the room with Mia, Vin, and

Aubrey/Freya: Freya.

If she's dead, I'm immediately
going to pull a healing potion out

of my bag, cradle Mia's head in
my lap, and feed her the healing

Pete/GM: potion.

Okay.

Go ahead and roll that healing potion.

To

Aubrey/Freya: heal 6 damage.

Or, I mean, heal

Pete/GM: 6 health.

Mia, your eyes open as the all
too familiar taste of healing

potion touches your lips again.

You'll be at wounded one.

Misfit/Mia: You just sit, like, as,
as the healing happens, she just

kind of like, poofs back into her fox
form, cause she has like, zero control

over how long she can stay in it.

Mia's a mess, y'all.

Dear listener, just understand,
Mia's kind of a mess.

Chris/Vin: Dear listener, Mia is a mess.

Misfit/Mia: A mess.

She just looks at you,
and she's like, Thank you.

I don't really know what
happened, but thank you.

I was up and then I was down and
then she like puts her paws in front

of her face and she's like, oh.

I'm cute again.

Pete/GM: I'm cute again.

Chris/Vin: I don't know why that
took me a second to process.

I don't know.

Archedas/Varren: It's

Aubrey/Freya: behind the ears.

Archedas/Varren: Take your

Chris/Vin: 6HP and be cute.

Misfit/Mia: I'm cute again.

Is she dead?

Did we get her?

Did you get her?

I don't feel like I did much help.

Offered much help.

Did much help?

Just like, huffs.

Aubrey/Freya: I'm just like,
You just lost a lot of blood.

It's okay.

Words are difficult sometimes.

Misfit/Mia: I'm not used
to using, losing a lot of

Chris/Vin: blood.

This is new.

Catch your breath.

Take a few minutes.

And then we'll look around a little.

Misfit/Mia: She sits and tries to be
Zen, like she's watched Vin enough

meditating and she just tries to emulate

Aubrey/Freya: that.

Pete/GM: I'm very bad at it, I don't know.

Aubrey/Freya: You chose
the wrong role model there.

Pete/GM: He looks peaceful when he

Misfit/Mia: does it, so
it's gotta be peaceful,

Pete/GM: right?

Is there anything else that
you want to do in this room?

Chris/Vin: My first suggestion
is for Mia to take a breather.

Spend a resolve point.

Gain your stamina points back.

I would like to refocus, uh, but
before we get to But before we

leave i'm interested to see what
she was working on at the table.

Get a closer View of it.

I think I mean the character wants
and I don't know if the player

Misfit/Mia: wants to know I think it's
important that we know the player is

saying this me is kind of rocks right now

Pete/GM: You are looking around.

One thing that you find is that there is a
syringe filled with minor healing potion.

Chris/Vin: Do I know this for sure?

Pete/GM: Yes, I still label on it.

Chris/Vin: What?

I stabbed Mia.

What?

Why

Misfit/Mia: would you stab?

Pete/GM: What?

Don't

Chris/Vin: worry, Mia.

I found something.

Stab a syringe.

Pete/GM: Oh.

You'll find more HP.

Archedas/Varren: Vin just out
here giving Mia flaily, giving her

random syringes he finds on tables.

Misfit/Mia: You're gonna
be the death of me, Vin.

Pete/GM: The only other thing that
you find in here is her notes.

You see sketches that show test
subjects with radically elongated

limbs, faces stripped of muscle and fat,
and other grotesque transformations.

Chris/Vin: Anything that looks familiar
to anything we've fought or seen,

whether it was the creatures outside
of this area or the Eyeless dog,

hounds, creatures that we, we fought
near seven arches, or even anything

Pete/GM: with a unicorn.

Sure, give me a perception check.

Public or secret?

Perception checks should always be secret.

Okay.

Chris/Vin: At 20 I'm sure.

Pete/GM: You do recognize
one of the sketches.

It features a wooden septum piercing.

This matches the description of
a missing oak steward, Varna.

V

Archedas/Varren: V

Pete/GM: Varen?

Chris/Vin: No, V V V Vreya?

Yeah?

I I found this.

Aubrey/Freya: Go over
and take a look at it as

Chris/Vin: well.

I think there was a oak steward who went
missing that had a piercing like this.

Aubrey/Freya: And maybe if we
Bring the information back to

them, they can at least have some

Chris/Vin: closure.

You know, sometimes the mystery
is a lot nicer than the truth.

Aubrey/Freya: Yeah, that's fair.

Especially when the truth is this.

Misfit/Mia: Mia just comes
like trotting over to the

table like doo doo doo doo doo.

With

Chris/Vin: syringes on the neck.

Misfit/Mia: What's up

Chris/Vin: here?

Trying to make sense of some of these
notes, but uh, I'm not the smart one.

Misfit/Mia: We should take them.

I'm sure Viren would like to know.

Aubrey/Freya: Yeah, if Viren and I
can take a look at these later, I'd

do my best to understand them, but not
necessarily my wheelhouse of information.

Chris/Vin: Alright, do we keep going?

Aubrey/Freya: Kinda think we have to.

Pete/GM: You ever

Chris/Vin: play, like, Tag, and you're
running around the table, but you

guys are running at the same speed,
and you never catch the other person?

Uh huh.

What if we're playing tag with Varyn right

Pete/GM: now?

Misfit/Mia: So you're
saying we should do nothing?

I don't know.

She like, cocks her head one side.

Chris/Vin: I was always told
that inaction was an action.

Were

Aubrey/Freya: they saying it

Chris/Vin: was a good action?

A non choice is a choice.

Pete/GM: I mean, if you

Aubrey/Freya: want, we can
take like, ten minutes.

How are you feeling, Meairi?

Misfit/Mia: Oh, I would
like to sit for a moment and

Pete/GM: Maybe

Misfit/Mia: eat a snack.

Chris/Vin: Here's a banana.

Misfit/Mia: Is that why
you're always flamey?

You're just like, um, um, um, um, um.

Aubrey/Freya: Yeah, like, take ten
minutes, take a breather, take our time

to focus, and if Varyn catches up, great.

If not, we pick a
direction and keep going.

Alright.

Misfit/Mia: That, that seems smart.

Pete/GM: As you're trying to figure
out what to do, we go back to

Varyn, now alone in the hallways.

Archedas/Varren: Kind of briefly
setting aside the looksie's body, kind

of shifts through his coat a moment,
pulls out what basically looks just

like a large keyring of what appears
to be like wooden symbols on it.

Just kind of shifts through a couple,
finds one, snaps it off, sets it

over top of the body, just a little
symbol of Erasmus set onto his chest.

Turns back over to the paintings a moment,
and just starts walking back down from the

last one he was set to towards the first.

Well, gonna be hard to trick myself into
wanting to leave here, but we'll figure

it out one way or another, I suppose.

Uh, but he just walked down to that
first painting with the conception

of Kanipa with that big darkness
and just kinda set himself down,

cross legged, looking back up at it.

And here's a question for you,
Pete, that I'm gonna let you

interpret this however you want.

Can Varin roll an esoteric
lore check on himself?

Pete/GM: That is extremely
interesting, and yes, I absolutely

want you to be able to do that.

I'm gonna blind

Archedas/Varren: roll this
and just let you tell me what

Varan realizes about himself.

Matt won.

Matt won.

Matt won.

Tell him a lie.

Well, it didn't play any fanfare
effects, so I think I'm good.

Pete/GM: You are looking at this depiction
of Kinepo, which you've noticed all of

the paintings have this kind of shifty
Ness where there's like a light bit of

movement that never seems to conclude and
in this one it is just like a picture of

Pitch black with a creature coming out of
it the creature that you've come to know

as Kniep'oh is Struggling to be created
basically and you realize that you two

have The same thing going on a struggle
With personal identity, a crisis of self.

And I think that as you are looking
at this painting, you're not so much

thinking about returning to either of
your friends, any of the party members.

The thing you're thinking about is,
do I have a connection with Kinnipo?

And that is one of those thoughts
that It's kind of intrusive, where you

don't want to consider that you do.

And it's because of that, that as you
are looking into this picture of the

void, that it starts to look back at you.

And suddenly you are no
longer in this dim hallway.

You are in a room that feels
wooden, but is entirely black.

And as you are sitting in this
room, your hands Brush against

the floor, and you see that your
fingertips are Blackened with ash.

Archedas/Varren: So is this
where you're hiding now, or is

this just where I'm ending up

Pete/GM: next?

Welcome to my hate room.

Who is the voice?

Where is Varin, and will he
ever see the party again?

We'll have to find out on the
next episode of Ash and Snow.

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