Ep. 26 Layover: Lady of the Lakewood

The Pride of Duskwall once again finds itself solemn upon approach to U'duasha. Though marked Lakewood on Imperial maps, the Line Bulls know that the Emperor is powerless here and they are guests at the leisure of the Iruvian Noble Houses. If the Demon Princes do exist, would it bring comfort to know that it was an inhuman hand guiding Jamu'kha? Or just a deeper dread? Andrel gets a mandatory invitation. Drix buys a shiny new toy. Pippin earns the gratitude of someone he doesn't respect.

For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-26-layover-lady-of-the-lakewood

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Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta.

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Radio Announcer Greg 0:00

Once more, the Pride of Duskwall returns to the central Iruvian city of U'duasha. Much as the supernatural are drawn to the city by the U'du, its position as an inland capital in opposition to the Imperial City means that the living also find it difficult to avoid. This position also comes from the U'du, or rather, what human beings have done with the four obsidian pillars that surround the U'du's celestial fires. The city revolves around four Noble Houses, each devoted to a Demon Prince, working separately and together to advance goals attributed to the massive obelisks. Ankhuset, devoted to Khuset and keepers of the I'Yalim and half of the Leviathan hunter fleet. Ankhayat, devoted to Khayat, owners of the other half of the fleet as well as sponsors of the historic Vaasu school. Anserekh, devoted to Serekh and maintainers of industry in the massive construction hulls the Sualim. And Anixis, concerning themselves with diplomacy and espionage. These Noble Houses control Iruvia, as even if the Demon Princes exist, they would take no action from within their prisons - save Ixis, whose broken column is said to be proof that the cunning shadow mind slipped his bonds centuries ago.

Hannah 1:22

Who made that noise?

Greg 1:52

Smooth, sonorous. Oh gosh.

Guy 1:57

I saw an opportunity and I took it. No one can blame me for trying.

Greg 2:01

No one can blame you for trying. All right. Welcome -

Guy 2:06

Maybe they should, though. I don't know.

Greg 2:09

Welcome back to Ghosts on a Train! This is a podcast we play Ghost Lines, an RPG by John Harper. I'm Greg, your conductor. I facilitate the game and care for our players.

Hannah 2:22

Debatable. I'm Hannah. I play Andrew Anderson. I'm sad. And by that I mean both me and Andrel.

Guy 2:33

I'm Guy, and I just, I make weird noises sometimes. I play Pip, who also makes weird noises, but they're different from the ones that I personally make. Especially the ones that I do before recording. this is going to be a great bit for exactly nobody.

Hannah 2:51

Isn't that what podcasts are all about?

Guy 2:54

Yes, objectively.

Stefen 2:59

I'm Stefen. I'm still mad at Greg for having duped us for a full ass arc. Every time I listen to an episode I will, I will remember that, Greg, Greg kept us from the truth for so long.

Hannah 3:14

I'm also mad at Greg, and I live with him, and I'm gonna make his life a living hell.

Greg 3:24

I'm just so, it's very -

Guy 3:26

Joke's on us. That's just what existence is right now.

Greg 3:29

Episode 6, Hannah describes funny unicycle man. Twenty episodes later, the unicycle -

Hannah 3:35

I can't believe you've done this to me. I can't believe you've done this to me.

Greg 3:38

- the unicycle is the avatar of the One Within Many, the Forgotten God.

Stefen 3:43

Shout out! Shout out to the listener that made that suggestion that the unicycle was still on the train.

Greg 3:48

No joke, I'm gonna, like, I genuinely want to shout this, this dude out. Sean Lynch, thank you to Sean Lynch. Thanks for bringing the unicycle back and introducing the concept of a homeless person loving the unicycle. How do you like, how do you like the conclusion of the arc you made on Ghosts on a Train?

Hannah 4:10

Sean Lynch, I kind of hate you. I know we're not supposed to say that to listeners. But I hate you a little bit.

Guy 4:19

Sean Lynch come on our podcast.

Stefen 4:22

Sean Lynch, thank you for this arc. Also, I will find and destroy you.

Greg 4:29

Yeah, no idea where Sean Lynch lives. Anchor just tells us the front-facing name.

Hannah 4:33

Listener, sumbit a suggestion, and maybe you can earn my personal ire.

Greg 4:41

Listen, that's a hot commodity in some circles.

Stefen 4:43

Isn't that the goal?

Greg 4:47

Anyways. Hey, let's get started.

Hannah 4:51

Let's do a podcast.

Greg 4:52

Let's do a podcast. The Pride of Duskwall! Following a harrowing journey with the, with the guest Line Bull Jamu'kha, revealed to be a servant of one of the Demon Prince's Gua'ata, a type of, a special type of hollow in training to become a Gua'lim, the Pride of Duskwall returns from thwarting the plans of one Forgotten God, the One Within Many, who hoped to manifest, through the unicycle worshiped by the laborers, hoped to manifest once again into this world, but was thwarted by the Line Bulls. We re-enter U'duasha.

Hannah 5:34

Jack, if you're listening to this, you've also earned my personal - I mean, you've always had my personal ire, but even more now.

Greg 5:42

As our Line Bulls enter U'duasha, the U'du itself is covered by the dome. It is night, the warmth of the dome does little to warm the chill in your hearts.

Hannah 5:57

Poetic.

Greg 5:58

But now Line Bulls, who wants to describe themselves in their day clothes? And what are you off to do?

Pip 6:05

Pip, now that he no longer has to hide the plans for the Ghost Grabbing Gloves, TM, copyright, etc, blah blah blah.

Stefen 6:16

The Geist brand Ghost Grabbing Gloves, TM, copyright, etc, blah blah blah?

Guy 6:19

Yeah, that's the one. He is not wearing a jacket. He's still wearing, like, long sleeves just long enough that he can cover up the tattoo on the inside of his wrist. He looks just, damp. Mostly from, like, sweat and just sadness, and just exhaustion. Like, that particular brand of exhaustion where it's just a combination of just, like, heat and emotional exhaustion. But, you know, you got something else to do, something better to do right now. So you just, like, one foot in front of the other. And Pip is gonna go to the pub to drink.

Greg 6:56

That reminds me, Pip, or rather, Guy. Listeners may remember from the last layover, or I think was at the start of the last line, Pippin McKeel made the bold move to spend some favor to make a major request, that request being the assassination of one Taji the Tank Engine, the crime hirer for Iruvia. Now, I'm going to in secret right now make a roll - by, secret just to Guy, really.

Hannah 7:26

I'm gonna see it.

Greg 7:28

Make a roll, with a plus three for the extra favor that Pip spent, to see the fate of Taji the Tank Engine. By the end of this layover, we, the audience at least, will know what happens to Taji.

Hannah 7:42

I just want you to know that I'm gonna giggle whatever he gets. So, like, don't -

Greg 7:46

Don't read into it.

Guy 7:54

I don't like this. I don't like this one bit.

Greg 7:58

So we will discover Taji's state by the end of this episode. Pippin, you hear news as you step off the train, damp. It's not the news you hoped to hear. It still makes your heart sink, although not as deeply. There's a little paper boy being like -

Paper Boy 8:16

Extr,a extra, read all about it! Prison break in U'duasha! Prisoners at large! Be on the lookout for these men! Asek'raset the Cerrated Edge! Angry Ray! Stabbo! MacMurray the Piece of Shit! The Kuset Massacrer! Bowflex! And...Fishbone!

Hannah 8:42

Fishbone!

Paper Boy 8:46

Uh...forger?

Pip 8:48

You gotta be kidding me.

Paper Boy 8:49

If you have any information regarding these men, please contact your closest I'Yalim or Gua'lim!

Hannah 8:55

Stabbo.

Stefen 8:59

I'm so excited. The triumphant return of Fishbone.

Hannah 9:06

Stabbo.

Stefen 9:06

Stabbo's great.

Hannah 9:07

Hope we get to meet Stabbo. I hope he doesn't stab us. Actually I really hope he has nothing to do with stabbing.

Stefen 9:17

I hope he got the nickname from being stabbed, actually.

Greg 9:22

Andrel, you come out just as they say "And Fishbone the forger".

Hannah 9:27

Oh, Fishbone.

Greg 9:29

What does Andrel look like?

Hannah 9:31

Ah, Andrel is a young woman of 13. She is tall for her age, but, like, she's 13, so, you know. Copper skin, dark hair cut short and kind of messy. Usually a bit of a twinkle of mischief in her eye, but that is notably gone at the moment. She looks a little downtrodden, kinda, you know, looking at her feet and stuff. Not even hearing that Fishbone is at large has, has sparked life into her. Although she did have a slight reaction hearing Fishbone. We've run into Fishbone before and I care a lot about Fishbone.

Greg 10:20

Andrel, as you are heading out, you see another train headed south to Alduara, a city you have not been to, like, to visit, but waving from one of the windows is the white gloved hands of one Ismael Dava.

Andrel 10:39

Andrel waves back a little, probably more confused than anything else, but waves back.

Andrel 10:47

Did not expect him to still be conducting after we almost got him killed by a demon. Again.

Greg 10:54

Drix.

Stefen 10:54

Drix is a tall, broad shouldered, Severosi man. Normally you can see much more of his, like, dark messy hair, but his black cowboy hat with a red band is pulled down so you can only really see the bottom half of his face. His shoulders are a little slumped. He's, you know, wearing his typical short sleeve button up with a black vest over it. And then he's got some, like, darker colored, darker colored slacks on, and some boots. A rope sits hanging from his hip, but it doesn't look nearly as uniform and proper. It's kind of a mess.

Hannah 11:39

We've all had a fucked up time.

Guy 11:41

Sure have.

Greg 11:43

Yeah, as you guys are stepping off, some of the, some of the laborers, slightly patched up wounds, are setting off with you.

Vagrant 11:51

Bonjour, Drix. Pardon moi, but it has been a while since we have had the, the healthcare. Where is, ah Physicker? Where is the Physicker's hut?

Drix 12:06

I can lead you to the Physicker.

Vagrant 12:08

Oh, you should also go. Oh...

Andrel 12:12

We're all so injured.

Drix 12:14

I'm planning on it. Not, uh, I'm a little worse off for wear too.

Vagrant 12:20

Oh. Do you remember when, when you, Pippin McKeel, mentioned that we would be equals when we all fought the supernatural in the ghost suits? I do not believe is that we wish to be equal to you. You can, you can keep that, no?

Pip 12:41

You know, that's...sure. Fine. What? Whatever.

Andrel 12:48

Sorry, guys.

Vagrant 12:50

Oh, no, it is us who should apologize to you. Oh, we did not know that Singular Wheel was such a sinister entity.

Andrel 13:03

Yeah, a lot of us didn't know a lot of things. I don't think you have to beat yourself up about it.

Pip 13:11

Can we maybe stop referring to it, like, with the same sort of, like, reverence like that? The name that we gave it, it's -

Pip 13:19

Oh no, we hold no reverence for the Singular Wheel.

Greg 13:22

And they all, all, all about half a dozen of them spit on the ground.

Drix 13:28

Yeah, it did not feel great to be controlled by it. And I can't imagine you guys had any love for it either.

Andrel 13:35

Stupid unicycle.

Drix 13:37

I hate that unicycle so much.

Vagrant 13:40

Onto the Physicker, no?

Pip 13:42

Yeah.

Greg 13:44

Who wants to do their Physicker first?

Guy 13:46

Drix, Drix, Drix, Drix.

Stefen 13:49

Sure.

Greg 13:51

Drix. You open up the door to the Physicker's hut. The herbs hanging, potions and unctions brewing. The sweet sterile air from the moss that covers the walls. You, you stumble in some, and you see the physiker sitting back in a chair.

Drix 14:11

Hey, hey, Mx. Phys. How're you doing?

Physicker 14:14

Zounds! Thou has awakened me! It appears that I did, for a bunch of brief moment, acquire a microsecond of a nap.

Drix 14:24

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for waking you. I can come back later.

Physicker 14:28

Oh, worry not. The circumstances of my employment means that even were are you to leave, the door would simply open shortly after it close behind you with somebody else, some other time, perhaps, requiring my assistance.

Stefen 14:46

Man. It really sounds like you've gotten a raw deal through this whole thing.

Physicker 14:51

Thou art correct.

Stefen 14:52

I'm sorry.

Physicker 14:54

Tis not they fault. And it is my charge and my pleasure to aid thee with that stab wound.

Drix 15:03

Yeah, that would, that, that would actually be very appreciated.

Greg 15:08

They get you set up on their little table and then they're working swiftly.

Physicker 15:12

May I ask thee something, Drix?

Drix 15:14

Sure. Shoot.

Physicker 15:16

This wound...nay, it came not from something of this world. And I mean not to the Ghost Field, but a place beyond, correct?

Drix 15:25

Yeah, can't get anything past you.

Physicker 15:27

It is a gift and a curse to be so very aware as I.

Drix 15:32

How do you deal with...knowing all that's out there? It's, like, barely separate from you, but still able to reach it. And...

Physicker 15:46

Oft-times, I find myself overwhelmed by the activity outside of my hut's door. But it is, it is when Line Bulls and laborers and the like come through it with an immediate problem that I can solve that I am able to distract myself and feel that I'm doing some tangible good.

Drix 16:09

Good advice. Maybe I should just focus on what I can change.

Physicker 16:15

You are a Line Bull. You protect people.

Drix 16:19

I try.

Physicker 16:20

Even if it's just one person. You've done it.

Drix 16:24

Thanks.

Physicker 16:26

And now thou art healed! Look at that.