The Patina fight their way back to each other and do some heroics along the way.
The Patina fight their way back to each other and do some heroics along the way.
Cast:
- Marathon Messenger is played by Penn Van Batavia. She can be found on Twitter at @acquiredchaste and in drag as horror king JOHN on Instagram at @john.is.risen. Penn is an indie TTRPG designer whose most recent work includes SLICE *IT* OUT, a grisly carving RPG about cutting pieces of yourself out to fit in. Check out faer other work at pennharper.itch.io.
- Cassidy Shard is played by Sydney Whittington. She is our wonderful editor. She’s also a contributing editor and occasional guest player for the Orpheus Protocol, a cosmic horror espionage actual play podcast. Find her on Twitter at @sydney_whitt.
- Emma Blackwood is played by Cameron Robertson. Find her on Twitter at @midnightmusic13 and on Instagram at @reading_and_dreaming. Cameron is also a player on Tabletop Squadron, a Star Wars Edge of the Empire actual play podcast.
- Birdie Foundling is played by Kit Adames. Find her on Twitter at @venusvultures. Kit is also a voice actor and writer on Elevator Pitch Podcast, a queer genre-hopping anthology podcast that can be accessed on Spotify and YouTube.
- Our GM and narrator is Nick Robertson. Find him on Twitter at @alias58. Nick is also the GM for Tabletop Squadron and can also be found as a player on the Orpheus Protocol.
Music & Sound Credits:
- This podcast features the musical talents of Dora Violet and Arne Parrott. You can find Dora at facebook.com/doraviolett. You can find Arne at atptunes.com.
- old radio Channel search sound effect by Garuda1982. Link & License.
- 12120 collapsing building.wav by Robinhood76. Link & License.
- Riot Crowd Immersed in 5.1 Take 1 by MrProfDrDickweed. Link & License.
- Sword Shing 19 by Department64. Link & License.
- Rocky Roads by Stefano Vita. Link & License.
- Rush by Crowander. Link & License.
Art Credits:
- The official artwork for this podcast was created by Rashed AlAkroka, who can be found on Instagram and Artstation @rashedjrs.
Find Us Online:
- Our Website
- Twitter
- Join our Patreon
- Join our Discord
A Knight of Shreds and Patches Transcript
Season 3 Episode 46: Reaping of Mercenary Crops
Transcript by Cameron Robertson
Intro:
[hurdy gurdy music begins]
Nick: Welcome, listeners, to A Knight of Shreds and Patches. An immersive actual play podcast. This episode features the talents of –
Penn: Penn Van Batavia as Marathon Messenger and Gwendolyn Rozenthall.
Kit: Kit Adames as Birdie Foundling and Vaus Foundling.
Cameron: Cameron Robertson as Emma Blackwood and Janus Foundling.
Sydney: Sydney Whittington as Cassidy Shard and Winifred Foundling.
Nick: Nick Robertson as GM and Narrator.
Sydney: Hello listeners, this is your editor, Sydney, with today’s messages:
Happy Halloween! A great time of year to dress up as something ridiculous and wander the streets begging for candy. Alternatively, a great time of year to wear a costume that totally needs you to present as another gender and don’t worry about it it’s definitely not anything deeper it’s just a fun novelty. And if you need any other just fun novelties that aren’t reflective of deeper unexplored feelings, consider backing our Patreon, which gives you access to bonus episodes, campfire conversations, and other fun rewards.
And with that, we wrap up today’s announcements and head into Season 3, Episode 46: Reaping of Mercenary Crops. And so…
“Join us, for now our tale to yours attaches
To carry hope: a Knight of Shreds and Patches.”
[hurdy gurdy music ends]
[electronic beeping]
[robotic powerup noise begins]
Distorted Robotic Voice: Power restored. Systems online. Reconfiguring audio connection.
[robotic powerup noise fades to radio frequency static]
[over radio]
Kit (as Birdie): Last time on a Knight of Shreds and Patches, Gwendolyn and Wander decided that the proper way to respond to Sasnak being invaded by a bunch of weird mercenary freaks was to fight like children, so I wound up trying to get them apart and Gwendolyn thought that we were at fault or we were working with - and we were working with Wander, but not like - not like that! There - [grrrrr] It was - needless to say it was a very frustrating interaction and I had to uh patch up Wander like we’re some old buddies or something and it was weird. Just - [sigh] I hope that we’re able to get the city back to maybe something like what it was soon because this is really bad and it hasn’t been this bad for a really long time. Yeah.
[radio static]
Episode Start:
Nick: The city of Sasnak is still. The Stacks throughout the city sway precariously. There are large clouds of dust as some of the more unstable buildings fall as momentum that has never been realized finally slows. The city is quiet, and then you hear screams as people panic at the status quo being completely changed in a way that may not be reversible. Marathon and Cassidy, we find you working your way along the streets on your way back to the Stacks. You've made it up several relative floors, but still have quite a ways to go. So far your journey has been unimpeded. Is there anything in particular that you're looking for? Or are you just moving as quickly as you can?
Penn: Marathon is focused on getting Cassidy to the tools that would be needed to help quell this riot, but with a cautious eye out towards what they're passing to make sure that there's not anyone in easy danger that they could help out quick.
Sydney: Yeah, Cassidy is not looking for a fight right now, because she doesn't have any of her long range weapons, but she does have knives, so if someone is in need of rescue, they would be willing to jump in.
Nick: As you continue along these roads, you have made your way up off of Merchant's Alley and are in the Sasnak equivalent of back streets heading towards the Stacks. Roll me a Perception check please, both of you, at average difficulty.
Penn: Okay, I'm rolling three greens and two purples.
Sydney: I'm rolling two yellows and a green against two purples.
[dice rolling]
Penn: I got one success and an advantage,
Sydney: One failure and four advantages.
Nick: Okay, so Marathon, you hear around a corner the sound of shattering glass and low voices murmuring to each other. With your success, you figure somebody is currently looting, robbing a building, and you also hear, with that success, the telltale rattle of weapons. It's something that you could potentially sneak around, but there is a chance you would be seen.
Penn (as Marathon): [almost whisper] Cass on your three.
Penn: Marathon, holds up a finger and freezes in place before taking a couple steps to try and peek down this corner.
Sydney: Cassidy halfway runs into Marathon, having been scanning open windows for any people looking to get an ambush, and then comes to a stop with her hand on Marathon's shoulder.
Penn (as Marathon): Looters. Weapons.
Nick: As you peer around the corner, you see three of these mercenaries. They're clearly not from town, but they are geared up for war, and at least one of them has a rifle at the ready as they are smashing through the front window of a shop and digging around. Cassidy with your advantages, you see that there is somebody in the shop hiding down below the windows and hasn't been seen yet, but it's only a matter of time before these mercenaries see them.
Penn (as Marathon): [whisper] I bet you I could get you that rifle.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [whisper] Yeah, there's someone in the shop. Let's do it.
Penn (as Marathon): [whisper] Hell yeah.
Penn: And Marathon is, with a smile, gonna drop her knuckles into her hands and start crouch running forward.
Sydney: Cassidy has her pair of throwing knives appears in her hands, and she readies a stance to throw both of them, which we haven't yet seen.
Nick: Great. So I'm going to need you both to roll Initiative for me, please. So that'll be Vigilance. You could roll Cool because you are doing an ambush here, if you really want to.
Sydney: I'm rolling a yellow and a green.
Penn: I'm rolling two greens and a yellow.
[dice rolling]
Sydney: I got three successes.
Penn: One success and three advantages.
Nick: Could you please roll me a yellow and a green?
Cameron: Two successes, two advantages.
Nick: All right, so the order is going to be player characters, mercenaries, player character again.
Penn: How are these guys arranged as they enter this shop window?
Nick: So there are three of them. They're wearing slouchy newsboy caps and very much like motorcycle leathers covered in bandoliers and weapons. They're arrayed in sort of a triangle formation. The one that's taking point has the rifle, and the other two have what look like sabers that they're using to smash out the sides of these windows. It looks like they are having equal amounts of fun causing destruction as they are trying to clear the way to get into this shop.
Penn: Marathon recognizes the immediate threat of a gun more than anything based on her past experiences, and as she crouch runs, she's going to continue moving even quicker as she breaks the line of these two with sabers to come behind this point man with the rifle to try and grab him from behind and bring her knee to his head in order to disable him.
Nick: All right, roll me that Brawl check.
Penn: Rolling four yellows and a green against two purples.
[dice rolling]
Penn: One success and six advantages.
Nick: Wow.
Penn: And my brass knuckles are +1, Crit 4, Disorient 3.
Nick: Well, you have enough advantages - do you want to do a Crit on this guy?
Penn: Of course. This guy has it coming.
Nick: These are the kind of enemies that a Crit just takes them out. So describe how you completely remove this person from the fight.
Penn: As Marathon comes up behind the guy very quickly, she grabs him by the head and just takes him down as she kneels onto her knee, so that it's maximum momentum of head cracking onto her kneecap, and then tries to deftly slide the rifle slung on him off and behind her to Cassidy.
Nick: The gun drops with a clatter, and you kick it towards Cassidy and the two remaining mercenaries, one of which having just made eye contact with the woman hiding in the shop, turn to see that you are now standing where their compatriot just was.
Penn (as Marathon): You're about to feel the crash.
Nick: They react surprisingly quickly, considering how fast that you changed this situation, and they both swing their swords at you. Two yellows and a green please, Cameron.
Penn: Marathon has one Defense, and I would like to use Defensive Stance, so I'm going to spend one Strain to upgrade the Melee check.
Nick: So that'll be a purple and a red and a black die.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Two failures, one advantage.
Nick: Dagnabbit. So Marathon, they both swing at you, but are unable to make any sort of contact.
Penn: As they both swing at Marathon, and she made her little silly quip, she takes a step back and leans her hands on this window sill, avoiding broken glass as the swords clang against each other in front of her, and she flashes a smile and a little chin up to Cassidy in direct sight of her.
Nick: And Cassidy it's your turn.
Sydney: I'm gonna throw my knives. So because they're the same weapon, they share the Skill and the Characteristic, which means the dice pools the same as it would be, it's just one difficulty higher because I'm dual wielding. And then with my Dual Wielding Talent I drop that back down, so I'm just making a normal Ranged Light attack. What range are they?
Nick: From the corner where you were standing it's medium range, but you could run forward into close range if you want and make it an easy check.
Sydney: Yeah, I'll run closer.
Nick: So close range, one purple.
Sydney: So then I am rolling four yellows and a green against one purple.
[dice rolling]
Sydney: A Triumph, four successes, and two advantages. And the two advantages are sufficient to make my second attack land as well, so I will be doing my knives are +1 damage, my Brawn is two, which is three damage, plus my four successes, is seven times two plus a Triumph.
Nick: Okay, so the Triumph is enough to take one guy down, and 14 damage is enough to take the other guy down, pretty handily. So how do you completely remove this threat?
Sydney: Cassidy takes a running start and then into a stance, flipping knives by their points out of both hands, and one knife hits each of the guys. They didn't have a chance to really react between their attempt at swinging at Marathon and noticing Cassidy and so they are just caught by these knives, both of them in their throats, and they drop quickly.
Penn (as Marathon): [yelling] Cool shit Cass! Whoa! [normal volume] Whoa, think I got a little on me there.
Sydney: Cassidy gives Marathon a competent mercenary nod, and then goes to retrieve her knives and clean them off and make sure that these two won't be getting back up.
Nick: They most certainly will not. All three of these mercenaries are either dead or so far unconscious they're probably about to be dead. And as you're cleaning off the knives Cassidy, you notice that there is a woman hiding behind a counter in this shop, and she is peeking up over the counter and then when she sees you, she gives a little gasp and ducks back down behind the counter again.
Penn (as Marathon): Whoa is there a fourth?
Penn: Marathon readies herself.
Sydney (as Cassidy): She was hiding.
Sydney: Cassidy says as she moves to pick up the rifle and examine it.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh, well, it -
Sydney (as Cassidy): [louder to citizen] We won't be bothering you.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, you're welcome, Sasnak citizen. You were saved by the Patina.
Nick: The woman stands up. She looks pretty shaky. She's wearing a blue ruffly dress. It looks way too nice to be in this disaster situation, but that's what happens sometimes - you get stuck in nicer clothes and not adventuring clothes. You wouldn't know anything about that. And she says,
Nick (as Citizen): Like, the X Bike team?
Penn (as Marathon): Hell yeah, the X Bike team! Cass where we headed next?
Sydney: Cassidy, still gleaming in her sparkly jumpsuit, nods at the woman.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Like the X Bike team.
Sydney: And then looks back to Marathon.
Sydney (as Cassidy): That way.
Sydney: And points further down the road.
Sydney (as Cassidy): You gonna be okay?
Nick (as Citizen): Yeah, I'll find I'll find somewhere better to hide. Thank you.
Sydney: Cassidy nods and they keep moving.
Penn: Yeah, Marathon just starts booking it.
Sydney: What shape is this rifle in?
Nick: Yeah, great question. I need someone to go ahead and roll me a Story die.
Cameron: Two good Fortune pips.
Nick: Wow. Okay, this rifle is in surprisingly good shape. It has been well maintained. It's an older weapon. It looks like it might jam occasionally, just by its design and the age of its parts that haven't been replaced, but you have six bullets in this rifle. It's basically full.
Sydney: Cassidy makes a surprised expression as she opens the chamber to make sure everything looks good, and readies it for shooting, her knives are back in her shoes now that she has something a little stronger.
Penn: Marathon as she bolts, is trying to take off her heels as she's running.
Penn (as Marathon): God, I didn't think we were gonna be battling, but - god I love the the adrenaline right now.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, we gotta, we're gonna probably have a long day, so don't like sprint too hard.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah, that's fair. That's - can we stop for a sec? I can't - I just, I know the sexy mascot uniforms probably like, good for heroism and all, I just can't run in these shoes, like, like this consistently.
Sydney: Cassidy shoulders the rifle and goes back to scanning windows and roads.
Penn (as Marathon): Perfect. Thank you.
Penn: And Marathon plops down against a wall and starts ripping off shoes.
Nick: So as Marathon pulls the heels free and you all prepare to continue down the street, we are going to cut back to Birdie and Emma who have just rescued a group of orphans from mercenaries and are discussing where they're planning to go next.
Cameron (as Emma): All right, so what's the plan? Are we meeting - are we going back to the stage? Are we - what are we - battling for the citizens of Sasnak?
Kit (as Birdie): I think we said that we were going to meet back at the shipping container.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay. Um...
Cameron: Emma looks up and around in a circle at the building surrounding her.
Cameron (as Emma): How-how do we get there from here? Where are we?
Kit (as Birdie): [stressed energy] Um, that's a good question. Um I kind of know this area. Nothing's changed too much, so if we get back to a main road I can definitely like instinct it out of here, you know?
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, cool. Do you - before we get moving, do you want a better sword to replace your baton?
Kit: Birdie looks down at her baton that she's been using.
Cameron (as Emma): If you're good with a thwacking stick, you can, but those, those, those squished gentlemen over there, have some additional swords.
Kit (as Birdie): I think uh, I might just be good with like, a blunt force object, because we might be getting into um, having to push through people and crowds and stuff.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm not as handy with a blade as you are.
Cameron (as Emma): Well, I can always turn the chainsaw back on.
Kit (as Birdie): That's... fair.
Cameron: [laughing] Emma lifts up her other hand, which is holding the chainsaw. I am holding the sword in my dominant hand, I am holding onto the handle of the chainsaw in my other hand. It's like, it's not turned on - I'm not using it. I'm just - Marathon told me she didn't want to get a Charlie 3, so I'm trying not to leave her chainsaw behind. The trophies in the chainsaw case, so I can't put the chainsaw in the chainsaw case.
Kit (as Birdie): Um, you know what on second thought, uh just in case, let's just bring the extra swords, because you never know who we're gonna come across.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Kit: And Birdie will go to one of the fallen guards and remove her belt and fix it upon herself so that the buckle is facing towards the back, and thread the blade through the buckle of the belt so that it hangs off of her back like a proper scabbard, but very makeshift.
Cameron: Emma picks up one of the swords that she had deemed not worthy of her prowess and slides it in between her back and the chainsaw pack on her back to act as a holster at least - not a scabbard, but at least be able to carry an additional blade and then picks up the nicest of the swords that was there again in her dominant hand.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay. [steadying exhale]
Cameron (as Emma): All right, lead lead the way ma'am.
Kit (as Birdie): Ooh~ god. Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): Or or - point me in the direction and I will lead the way.
Kit (as Birdie): No, it's okay. It's I can lead. I can lead. I just -
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): - this was really not how I was expecting today to turn around, and I was just kind of not really prepared to have to run around the streets of Sasnak in this outfit.
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Kit (as Birdie): You look really prepared, honestly. We should go. We should go. Your outfit looks great though.
Cameron (as Emma): We should keep going. Yeah. I mean, I am thinking I made a very smart decision on flats for my shoes, but, yeah,
Kit (as Birdie): No, I mean, I'm wearing boots. I just, like, I don't know, I'm wearing, like, a jacket. And then
Cameron (as Emma): We're, we're just, we're standing out a little bit more than normal, you know?
Kit (as Birdie): `Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Like, you're gonna catch all the light. It's -
Kit (as Birdie): We look so cute.
Cameron (as Emma): - okay. We do! We look adorable while defending orphans.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron (as Emma): Anyway, anyway, let's let's go. Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah let's go back to the Stacks. Okay, it should be that way~.
Kit: And she'll do a thing where she goes to point one direction, then jerks her arm the other way and follows her arm. She's a little disoriented from everything, and so she starts them off on the path to the Stacks.
Nick: There are sounds continuing in the distance of people clashing and fighting. Birdie and Emma, you find your way back to a main road, and after Birdie is able to figure out some landmarks, you continue on towards the Stacks.
Cameron (as Emma): Can we pause for a moment?
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Cameron: Emma leans up against a building.
Kit (as Birdie): Are you okay?
Cameron (as Emma): I'm feeling dizzy. Um.
Kit (as Birdie): I'm trying not to think about it. This is -
Cameron (as Emma): Wait you're also - ?
Kit (as Birdie): Well, I mean, it's a moving city, and it's, it's like, I'm just trying not to think about the entire situation,
Cameron (as Emma): Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): - just in kind, in general, because, you know, I mean, you grew up kind of near, like woods.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh huh!
Kit (as Birdie): You know how like, when everything just stops making noise,
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah that's bad.
Kit (as Birdie): - it means something really bad's happening.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh huh.
Kit (as Birdie): If the city stops moving, there's a chance that the Stacks are just gone.
Cameron: As they're having this conversation, Emma has rotated to where, instead of leaning with one shoulder against the wall. She has both hands up against the wall, just kind of feeling it.
Cameron (as Emma): Alright. So we don't, we don't want to speculate on if the city has stopped moving?
Kit (as Birdie): I think it has.
Cameron (as Emma): It's definitely stopped moving.
Kit (as Birdie): I mean, there's -
Cameron (as Emma): I don't feel - I don't feel any vibrations through this wall.
Kit (as Birdie): I just, I'm -
Cameron (as Emma): And it, it, it does, it feels louder and like like, I don't, I don't know, I don't know how exactly, but it feels louder, and I think I like, I think I'm not hearing the city anymore. And I think I had, I had just tuned it out.
Kit (as Birdie): Maybe, yeah, you do tend to do that.
Cameron (as Emma): But, okay.
Kit (as Birdie): Just...
Nick: In that deafening silence, you hear the creak and crash of something huge falling in the distance. The city has definitely destabilized some.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, shit.
Kit (as Birdie): We need to - we need to go. We need to go right now.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep, we should move. [long exhale] Okay, I'll just stare at the ground. If I just stare at the ground and keep moving, the dizziness should be fine. It'll be okay. Let's just, let's just move. Let's go. [another deep breath]
Kit (as Birdie): Okay, okay.
Nick: And you continue onward. Birdie and Emma, you find yourselves in a opening in the street like a small square, and there is a crowd of people that are fighting and moving against each other in what looks like a small scale full out battle. The people facing away from you and further into the square are dressed as mercenaries, like the ones you've seen scattered around the town already, and you can see that they are clashing with a strange mix of security personnel and civilians that are fighting for their lives in this situation. You might be able to sneak by, but you also are in the unique position to help this group of people fight back the mercenaries. The security that you can see, weirdly, are wearing the black of Opal Corp and they're fighting against the mercenaries.
Cameron: So I think when we turn the corner into this square area and see all of this in front of us, we kind of pause and stop moving so we can plan.
Cameron (as Emma): Are those - are those Opal's people on the citizen's side?
Kit (as Birdie): I think so? I don't know. It probably, is probably too good to be true.
Cameron (as Emma): Do you do you - so the baddies are facing away from us. Do you want to sneak past or do you want to, kind of squash them between two fronts? I'm leaning on the squashing, but I'm in a very heroic mood right now, so we'll defer to - I'll defer to your energy level. [laugh] I'm on the adrenaline at the moment.
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah fuck it. Let's kick some ass.
Cameron (as Emma): All right.
Nick: Go ahead and roll me Initiative. You can roll Cool if you want because this is an ambush.
Kit: I rolled two greens and I got a success and an advantage.
Cameron: I rolled two yellows and I got two successes, two advantages.
Nick: Go ahead and roll me three yellows, please.
Cameron: One success, three advantages.
Nick: So it'll be player action, mercenaries, other player action again.
Cameron: I'm running into fuck shit up, just with my normal sword, not with my great sword, my sub great sword, just an okay sword. I am running up and I'm just going to slash my sword across the backs of as many mercenary people as I can hit.
Nick: Okay, there are plenty of mercenaries to hit here. This is a group of 15 or 20.
Cameron: Can I have a blue die because they haven't gone yet? We just encountered them.
Nick: You encountered them, but they've been encountering for quite a while - I'll give you Quick Strike.
Cameron: Thank you. We just got here.
Nick: Ehhhh.
Cameron: I rolled first an Initiative, I should hit them. I'm gonna go ahead and flip a Story Point, just to try to be as epic as possible when doing this, and I am rolling three yellows, a blue, and two purples.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Three successes, three advantages.
Nick: So how much damage is that total?
Cameron: So my successes are three, my Brawn is also three, and then the normal sword is a +3, so nine.
Nick: And how many advantages? You said three?
Cameron: I got three, and it is a Crit two.
Nick: So would you like to Crit?
Cameron: Yeah.
Nick: All right, you take down two of these mercenaries and injure a third.
Cameron: So Emma is running up with her sword in her right hand, and just kind of has her left hand following along behind her holding the chainsaw so that it doesn't get tangled up in her legs, and as she reaches the back of this pack of mercenaries, she just sweeps the sword out in front of her and catches three of them across the back. The two that go down do the very dramatic response of getting a hit in the back of their back completely curves into a C and then they just collapse to the ground. And the third one, the back of their shirt rips super dramatically, and they have a small trickle of blood flowing down their back, but it definitely gets that person's attention.
Nick: Yeah, it sure does. So you drop two of these mercenaries, and another one is injured, and turning towards you. Go ahead and roll me three yellows against two purple please.
Cameron: Is this the attack?
Nick: Yes.
Cameron: On whom?
Nick: This is just the mercenaries attacking the civilians still that haven't noticed.
Cameron: Okay.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: One success, one advantage.
Nick: So Birdie and Emma, from where you are, you can see that these mercenaries surge forward, and one of the security personnel is struck down by someone with a sword. You also hear the crack of a gun going off, but you see the bullet strikes up above the crowd, nobody's hit by it, but at least one of the mercenaries is armed with a gun as everybody continues to jostle and fight and Birdie it's your turn.
Kit: Can Birdie zero in easily on whoever has the gun?
Nick: Roll me a Perception check.
Kit: As a part of my action or outside of my action? [laugh]
Nick: It'll be outside your action. I just want to see how good are you at picking out in this scrum, somebody with a gun.
Cameron: If you're near me, you get an extra blue die and if you're super close to me, you get an extra two blue die for my Heightened Awareness Talent.
Nick: You can have one.
Kit: Average difficulty?
Nick: Yes.
Kit: Birdie is rolling two yellows, one green, one blue, and two purples. Two successes and three advantages.
Nick: Yeah, so you're able to figure out towards the back of the crowd, there is someone with a handgun that is trying to draw a bead on somebody on the civilian side of things, but the crowd is pressed too close and is struggling to do so at this time. But yeah, you can see the person who shot a second ago.
Kit: She's going to take just her chance to try and down or injure as many mercenary members as possible, aiming for their legs with her new sword. Just looking to like at the very least, down them so that they can't continue to move around and create more chaos. I don't think she's slicing up torsos like Emma is, though.
Nick: Okay, go ahead and roll me that Melee attack. All Melee attacks are average, two purple.
Kit: Birdie is rolling two yellow, one green, and two purple. Four advantages.
Nick: Okay~. So you disrupt what's going on somewhat, but you're not able to take any of the mercenaries out. What is it that distracts Birdie and keeps her from being as effective as she could be?
Kit: Between not being super well versed in using a sword and sort of wielding it on instinct as she would a hockey stick, like when you can't golf because you've been playing baseball too much, she just instinctively is holding the sword wrong and is leaving some injuries that are just gonna be like nasty bruises. It's more like people are getting smacked with the flat of this blade because she's moving too fast and is too distracted by everything still happening around her in a place that she cares about so deeply that she just basically is not fully present in the moment.
Nick: So Birdie, you have worked your way into this crowd. There's a jostle. Mercenaries are starting to notice who you are and respond to the threat. Cameron, I need you to roll me two yellow, a green, four blue, against two purple, because Birdie's distractions are helping somebody.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Two successes, two advantages.
Nick: Oh, nice. From the crowd, Birdie and Emma, you see somebody pushing their way forward. They're holding a dueling rapier and wearing a leather coat that is pulled open slightly. Their hair is mussed and soot stained, and you see Rye actually is leading this group of resistance with the civilians and the Opal security group. He brings down two of the mercenaries with quick thrusts of his rapier, and he does a gesture to encourage the crowd, pumping a fist in the air and says,
Nick (as Rye): We've got them on the run. Keep pushing!
Nick: And now it's Emma's turn. Emma, you just saw Rye take some mercenaries down. The mercenaries are starting to notice that you are back here chopping away at them.
Cameron: As soon as Birdie runs up, Emma is trying to stick close to Birdie, since she knows that close combat is not Birdie's [laugh] specialization, so she ends up swiping at at least a few of the same mercenaries that Birdie tried to hit just as she has approached Birdie's side. So I will try to take out the guy with the gun on accident, just by hitting the people Birdie did. So that's the two yellow, a green, and two purple.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Three successes and an advantage.
Nick: Nice. So that's another nine damage. I don't think you have enough advantages to kill gun guy, unfortunately, but you do take down the mercenary you had injured before, and one additional mercenary. You are starting to do a noticeable amount of damage to this group of enemies, especially because they're being pincered between you and Birdie and Rye.
Cameron: Okay, so I the second person I take down is the guy with the gun's best friend, so my advantage is that he has a black die on his next attack because he's now distraught.
Nick: Okay, sure.
Cameron: They've known each other since kindergarten.
Nick: We can say that the guy with the gun is distracted and jostled by your continued reaping of mercenary crops.
Kit: In between actions, Birdie does try to yell to Emma,
Kit (as Birdie): [emotional] I'm so glad you're my friend.
Kit: She's feeling a little humiliated [laugh] about her lack of capability without having explosives, but she is a little in awe of watching - she's happy to be in awe of watching Emma be hyper competent and fuck people up while wearing a fancy outfit, just like the last time they were in fancy outfits.
Cameron: Emma hears Birdie and tosses a smile over her shoulder towards her as she's hacking down mercenaries.
Cameron (as Emma): If you need to get behind me, go ahead and do it. [laughing]
Kit (as Birdie): [very emotional] I'm not doing that bad. Okay?
Cameron (as Emma): I'm not saying you are! I'm just saying,
Kit (as Birdie): [still sad] Okay.
Cameron (as Emma): - I will be a shield if I need to be a shield.
Kit (as Birdie): [voice kinda squeaky like she's going to cry] No, it's fine.
Cameron (as Emma): I have a sword and a chainsaw Birdie.
Nick: So the mercenaries actually, the group around you Emma, has noticed that you are killing them, and is going to attack you with two yellows and a green.
Cameron: All right. And they will have three black dice because I have three Melee Defense.
Nick: Wow.
Cameron: One comes from my sword, and then I have bought the Talent Defense twice. So they're rolling two yellows, a green, two purples, and three blacks.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Two failures, a threat and a Triumph?
Nick: Huh? So they don't don't manage to hurt you, Emma, but they do disarm you. How are you able to defend yourself but lose your sword?
Cameron: I'm holding a chainsaw in my other hand, so whenever my sword gets caught up amongst, say, two mercenaries swinging at me and I'm forced to drop it or risk the safety of my arm, swing to the side so that can kind of use the chainsaw like it's a shield and hold it up in front of me to catch any additional blades coming my way.
Nick: And after that, it is Birdie's turn again.
Kit: She's gonna find someone like a civilian who looks like they need a weapon and she's gonna hand off the sword to them because she's tired of making a fool of herself. She's gonna be like,
Kit (as Birdie): [breathless] Here!
Kit: Just to someone who looks like they want a sword.
Nick: Yeah, there's somebody who's wielding what looks like a fireplace poker particularly successfully, and you offer them a sword, and they immediately just say thanks and drop the poker, grab the sword and continue pushing into this crowd.
Kit: Birdie is going to attempt to rejoin the fray, and is just going to start taking the baton to the backs of people's heads, trying to use any advantage that she can if they're engaged already and just head trauma.
Nick: Go ahead and roll that attack.
Kit: Birdie is rolling another two yellow, one green, two purple. Two successes and an advantage.
Nick: Nice. What's your Brawn?
Kit: That's two.
Nick: Cool. You do enough damage to take out one of these mercenaries. Do you do anything particular to bring one of them down, or are you just clunking them in the head?
Kit: It's basically just quick, fast, whatever she can do to stop everything that's happening. There's no artfulness to it, or really, like any quips, she mostly just looks really panicked.
Nick: As you hit one of these mercenaries in the head, they stumble, and then the civilian that you armed with a sword runs them through and they drop. You make eye contact with the civilian for just a second and they nod at you before continuing the fight. And now we get to see how inspiring Rye can be. He's gonna make a Leadership check. Roll me three yellows and a green against three purples, please, and a blue die, because y'all are winning currently.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Exactly one success.
Nick: Hey~! So Rye disarms another mercenary and jumps up onto a crate, and you hear him say,
Nick (as Rye): Come on, now's the time! Push forward. We've got them!
Nick: And the civilians and this remaining security personnel push forward, and the mercenaries break and start to run past you all towards the streets, scattering into the alleyways as some civilians and security continue to chase them, and other ones fall back to help the injured and catch their breath after a fight that was going on for quite a while because it had been going for a while before you even showed up. Rye locks eyes with Emma from across the square and jogs over, breathing heavily.
Nick (as Rye): Oh, Emma. Ooh and Birdie! Oh, it's good to see you. Are you hurt?
Cameron (as Emma): [like it is the dumbest question to ever have been asked] No?
Nick (as Rye): Of course, of course you're not hurt. You can take down Atlas Bloodfeast. What are a few mercenaries going to do to you? That makes sense.
Cameron (as Emma): Make me drop my sword, apparently.
Cameron: Emma walks around trying to relocate the sword that she dropped.
Nick: There's just bodies and blood everywhere. It is pretty hard to make out anything in particular in the chaos.
Cameron: Can I find my sword or a better sword?
Nick: Roll a Perception check to find the exact same sword.
Cameron: I have an emotional attachment to this sword. What's the difficulty? [laugh]
Nick: Hard.
Cameron: Hard. Okay, and I'm standing right next to Birdie, so I'm taking two blue die from her Heightened Awareness Talent. [laugh]
[dice rolling]
Cameron: One success, three advantages.
Nick: You are able to find your sword, and with those advantages, it's not broken! It didn't get stepped on. So you have your sword again.
Cameron: Emma picks up the sword and then wipes it on the nearest downed mercenary to clean it, because I assume it is a bit nasty.
Nick: Yes, it is quite a bit nasty.
Nick (as Rye): So I'm going to try to get these civilians somewhere safe. Do you want to come with me? We could use the help.
Kit: Birdie will shoot Emma a look and do the glance of 'we should really go, but also, if you want to go, okay' - she's kind of making like three different facial expressions right now.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh, I - we can, we can give you some, some extra swords we've collected. But we, we need to keep moving to track down Cassidy and Marathon, and we'll keep rescuing people as we go if we encounter any other situations, but we've got to get back up into the Stacks.
Nick (as Rye): All right, I understand.
Nick: Rye takes his free hand and puts it on your shoulder, Emma, and gives it a quick squeeze.
Nick (as Rye): Be careful, okay?
Cameron: Emma nods and shifts slightly so that instead of his hand being on her shoulder, it's on the hilt of the sword that she has hooked into the case behind her.
Cameron (as Emma): Have a sword.
Nick (as Rye): Um, great, thanks.
Nick: He pulls the sword free with a chuckle and looks at it and then looks back to the security personnel.
Nick (as Rye): Hey, as long as I've commandeered command of your unit uh, who wants a sword?
Nick: And somebody holds up a quiet hand and he hands it over.
Nick (as Rye): Thanks, Emma.
Cameron (as Emma): Yep. Be safe. Keep kicking butt. Keep saving people. Um, I don't know, scream really loud if you need help? I don't, I don't - please, please don't die. Please don't die, Rye.
Nick (as Rye): I won't.
Cameron (as Emma): Thank you.
Nick (as Rye): Appreciate the rhyming. [Cameron while transcribing "for the RYEming?"]
Cameron (as Emma): It was accidental until I realized that it would rhyme, and then then I added your name to the end.
Nick: Emma and Birdie, you continue on the road, heading towards the Stacks, you begin to see piles of debris and where some of the buildings have shifted and fallen. Birdie, the destruction isn't nearly as bad as you thought it might be based on what it had sounded like before. It looks like the same amount of destruction that might come from a moderate Turning that wasn't expected, so something that the city can recover from, but you do find yourself having to reroute multiple times because roads are blocked by fallen bits of building and shipping containers as you get further up.
And we cut back to Cassidy and Marathon. You make your way higher and higher towards the Stacks. You also find yourselves having to reroute occasionally for buildings that have slumped over with the sudden change in momentum of Sasnak Traveling, which is now no longer traveling. And as you climb higher and higher, you find yourselves popping out of an alley. And just before you do, I need you both to make a Perception check, average difficulty. Cassidy, I need you to make it with two blue die please.
Sydney: That'll be two yellows and a green with two blues against two purples.
Penn: Yeah. Marathon will - she's on edge, so she's rolling three greens and two purple.
[dice rolling]
Sydney: One success and four advantages.
Penn: That's a wash.
Nick: Okay, so Marathon doesn't notice, but Cassidy, you've been on the lookout for this the entire time. As you are about to come out of this alleyway, you see what looks to be a smear of blood on the ground and a bullet hole in the wall on the far side, like somebody has taken a shot from something that looks to be very wide bore, and you worry that somebody has set up some sort of kill zone just outside of this alleyway.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Hold up Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): What?
Sydney: Cassidy stops right at the edge. She holds her forearm out in front of her, using it as a collection of small mirrors to look around the corner.
Nick: As you angle your sleeve to where you can see around the corner, you hear the sound of a gun cocking, and someone calls out,
Kit (as Nona): Identify yourselves, please. I'm too old for this shit.
Sydney (as Cassidy): [yelling] Nona, it's Cassidy and Marathon.
Penn (as Marathon): [under breath] Shit.
Kit (as Nona): Oh, thank god. Okay, come here, come here. Come on, pick up the pace.
Penn (as Marathon): Hi, Miss - hi Miss Nona.
Penn: Marathon kind of stumbles around the corner, too.
Kit (as Nona): You crazy kids.
Sydney: Cassidy, having heard a couple of the tales, figures that, based on the position of the bullet hole, Nona probably was the one that shot, and if she's the one asking for passage, she probably has the area under control and they head out.
Nick: As you come around the corner, you see that Nona has set up with some sandbags and has created a nest and is aimed towards one of the main entrances to the Stacks. Looks like she is protecting this part of the city with her life.
Kit: You all see her doing a little maintenance on her rifle since you two have eased her nerves a little, and she goes,
Kit (as Nona): Sorry for the extra security kiddos. We I know it's - you know, you know the drill. I trust you. Ah, are the others with you? Where's where's where's Birdie?
Sydney (as Cassidy): They're meeting us back.
Penn (as Marathon): We got split.
Kit (as Nona): Okay. Marathon, you got to put on some shoes. I'm so sorry. You really got to do something about this before you step on some glass or something. This is a war zone.
Penn (as Marathon): I'm just I'm light on my feet, Miss Nona, but I do not disagree with you. I do need some shoes. That's, in fact, why we're here to supply up hopefully.
Sydney (as Cassidy): And so I don't have to be wearing the shiniest disco ball outfit.
Kit (as Nona): Yeah, yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Did anything topple up here? It sounded like you had a Turning.
Kit (as Nona): Mm. We had a couple of Stacks get destabilized, but [sigh] we got some fires being put out by other groups in the neighborhood. Right now, it's just us old ladies, so come on up. We don't bite.
Penn (as Marathon): Us old ladies?
Nick (as Eleanor): Nona, I found some more ammo where you said it was next to the cookies.
Kit (as Nona): I told you it was right there.
Nick (as Eleanor): Yeah. Well, sometimes you say that and then it's not right there.
Nick: And you see another little old lady carrying a metal ammo case down from the Stacks, climbing down off of a ladder, using one hand.
Nick (as Eleanor): With this, we should be able to kill quite a few people. It's been a while since we got to really have a bloodbath.
Kit (as Nona): Yeah, you know, you really got to get your bloodlust under control. We're past 80 now.
Penn (as Marathon): [concerned noise]
Nick (as Eleanor): Exactly how many more times am I going to get to see the light leave someone's eyes?
Kit (as Nona): Cassidy, Marathon - this is my lovely friend, Eleanor.
Penn (as Marathon): Hi Miss Eleanor.
Nick (as Eleanor): Enchante.
Penn: Marathon stands up straight even though she's barefoot.
Nick (as Eleanor): Why aren't you wearing shoes?
Penn (as Marathon): Sorry, ma'am, uh, had to ditch them. Um, this is my mascot outfit. I wasn't prepared.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Do you need another rifle? I happened across one on my way here.
Kit (as Nona): We'll never say no.
Nick (as Eleanor): Ooh, that one looks to be in good shape. Gimmie. Gimmie.
Nick: Eleanor makes grabby hands.
Sydney: Cassidy hands it over.
Nick: You are surprised, Cassidy, with the alacrity which she spins the rifle around and sights it, not towards you all at all, but sights down it and racks the action once. And she says,
Nick (as Eleanor): Oh, not bad. Good find.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Keep this part of the area safe, I guess. We're gonna change and see if our friends make it. Hopefully, soon.
Kit (as Nona): We'll keep an eye out for 'em.
Nick (as Eleanor): We'll hold the line.
Kit (as Nona): Yeah.
Nick (as Eleanor): Hopefully Nona here, Quick Trigger Nona doesn't shoot somebody's face off when they come around the corner again.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Again?
Kit (as Nona): I haven't lost my edge.
Nick (as Eleanor): No, you certainly haven't. Well, it wasn't, it was somebody who wasn't from the area before, probably a bad guy. I wouldn't worry about it.
Kit (as Nona): I just to get a little jumpy, okay? I'm just a little jumpy. It's fine.
Nick (as Eleanor): Anyway, now we can do a crossfire. I'm gonna go find some elevation.
Kit: Nona will set her rifle on the railing that she was using to lean up against and jerk her chin towards the door of the Foundling shipping container outside of which you see two other crones have sort of set up shop with a checkers board, and they're both drinking tall glasses of beer and seem to have been chain smoking for about an hour by the amount of cigarette butts on the table.
Penn: Marathon looks in awe and whispers to Cassidy,
Penn (as Marathon): I can't wait to see you age.
Sydney: Cassidy shakes her head as they keep on walking past.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We gotta live through this first.
Penn (as Marathon): Course, of course.
Sydney: Marathon shakes her head.
Sydney (as Cassidy): We'll be back, Nona.
Penn (as Marathon): Thank you, ma'am.
Kit (as Nona): Thanks kids. You stay safe for the time being. We'll get - we'll keep an eye on things out here.
Nick: And as Cassidy and Marathon make their way towards the shipping container, they know that they will have to wait and see if Birdie and Emma make it through the scrum down below.
[hurdy gurdy music swells]
Outro:
Penn (as Marathon): Welcome back folks, you’re tuned to Going the Distance: Traveler’s Guide on road dial 1558. That’s a wrap on today’s log and we’re set to loop after these considerations. Further detail for the following is cataloged in the show notes.
This has been A Knight of Shreds and Patches, an actual play podcast using the Genesys game system from Fantasy Flight Games. The show is edited by Sydney Whittington, and features the talents of:
Kit Adames as Birdie. Kit can be found on Twitter and Instagram @ venusvultures. Kit is also a voice actor for Elevator Pitch Podcast, a queer genre-hopping anthology podcast that can be accessed on Spotify and YouTube.
Penn Van Batavia as Marathon. She can be found on Twitter @ acquiredchaste and in drag as horror king JOHN on Instagram @ john.is.risen. Penn is an indie TTRPG designer whose most recent work includes SLICE IT OUT, a grisly carving RPG about cutting pieces of yourself out to fit in. Check out faer other work at pennharper.itch.io.
Sydney Whittington as Cassidy. Sydney can be found on our Discord server, which is linked in the show notes, and on Twitter @ sydney_whitt. She’s also a contributing editor and occasional guest player for the Orpheus Protocol, a cosmic horror espionage actual play podcast.
Cameron Robertson as Emma. Cameron can be found on Twitter @ midnightmusic13 and on Instagram @ reading_and_dreaming. Cameron is also a player on Tabletop Squadron, a Star Wars Edge of the Empire actual play podcast.
And Nick Robertson as narrator. Nick can be found on Twitter @ alias58. Nick is also the GM for Tabletop Squadron. Nick can also be found as a player on the Orpheus Protocol.
This podcast features the musical talents of Dora Violet and Arne Parrott. You can find Dora at facebook.com/doraviolett. You can find Arne at atptunes.com.
The official artwork for this podcast was created by Rashed AlAkroka, who can be found on Instagram and Artstation @ rashedjrs.
You can follow the Patina on Twitter @ akosap_podcast or visit the website: www.akosap.com. To further support the show, consider joining the Patreon at www.patreon.com/AKoSaP, where we’ll be bringing you weekly content including bonus episodes, campfire conversations, and other fun rewards.
Until you tune back…
…stay bold and stay kind