1.10 The Curiosity of Children
Last time on DodoBorne, our party finished up their conversation with one Percival Anachronisms, the apparent caretaker of the old Sage's Grove. In that conversation, Percival revealed to them the existence of a powerful item left by the gods themselves called the verdant staff. Crank's memory of what he read in the library suggested that the very same ancestor of Scarlet's apparently at one point had the relic. With this information in mind, they made their way back to town, but on the way, they were accosted by a bear. That's right.
Isaac Allen Burns:A bear large with boar tusks. With some quick thinking, Kapi sacrificed some fritters to get the bear away from them before it could do more harm, and Pistachio mused on the fact that monsters such as that don't typically get close to town, and they don't typically aggress people. We find our party returning to the town now. You head off back towards town, winding your way through the woods. The closer you get to town, the less and less light you have.
Isaac Allen Burns:You realize you've been gone for quite a while. It's quite a trek through that forest. And by the time that you finally get back to the edge of civilization, you see the sun is teasing the horizon as sunset is glowing the sky with pinks and oranges and yellows. Everyone is winding down their day. People are walking to and fro, some to the Aphid Tavern, some to the Honeysuckle Inn, and you three back into town.
Isaac Allen Burns:As you are walking Pastel, are you in dodo form? Are you sniffing around?
Rowan Collins:Yes.
Isaac Allen Burns:Go ahead and give me that check with advantage.
Rowan Collins:It is 21 with fear.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh my goodness. That's so great. I'm so happy. I'm smiling so
Joseph Diametti:bad now. Maxed out on fear?
Isaac Allen Burns:I pretty much am. So I can't bank any, so it behooves me just to, like, you know, go crazy, and thus I will.
Rowan Collins:Oh, no.
Isaac Allen Burns:Pistachio, you're sniffing the ground.
Isaac Allen Burns:You pick up the scent.
Rowan Collins:Oh, I got something.
Isaac Allen Burns:You look up. You start sniffing like a hound dog looking for rabbits or squirrels.
Rowan Collins:Squawk. Squawk. Squawk. Squawk. Squawk.
Rowan Collins:Squawk.
Isaac Allen Burns:You follow pistachio, and you weave through town
Rowan Collins:Squawk.
Isaac Allen Burns:In which you go a block over, and you find yourself in front of town Hall.
Rowan Collins:Squawk.
Isaac Allen Burns:Standing outside of town hall are two individuals. One of them is a medium sized, like, we're gonna say four foot eleven yellow Dracona dressed very nicely. He's got sort of this burgundy coat with very well tailored slacks and a vest that goes really well with it. He's got an ascot. He's got cufflinks.
Isaac Allen Burns:He's got so much fashion.
Joseph Diametti:Cufflinks?
Isaac Allen Burns:Yeah. He's got cufflinks. Oh. I know. He's, like, high class.
Isaac Allen Burns:In front of him is mister Apple People.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh.
Isaac Allen Burns:And, Joe, why don't you do the honors of describing who and what mister Apple People looks like?
Joseph Diametti:Yeah. So mister Apple People is a taller than normal fawn. He exclusively dresses in shades of reds and browns. He's wearing a long coat with fancy gold buttons. He has a slicked back black hair and a mustache that turns up at the ends with wax.
Joseph Diametti:His eyebrows are bigger than normal eyebrows.
Rowan Collins:How big are they? You
Joseph Diametti:know, I I think that if he wasn't as rich as they are, you would compare them to caterpillars. But because they are so well groomed.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oof. You see that the two of them are standing there. They've clearly finished their conversation. And with Kurt nods, you see that mister Applepeople himself with his little aide, his secretary, a very small, short dwarven man, are walking away as the mayor walks into town hall. You overhear a bit of conversation as mister Apple People says,
Isaac Allen Burns:oh, I simply despise talking to him. Oh, he
Isaac Allen Burns:just makes my skin crawl. And you are walking towards him right now. He has not noticed you because he doesn't pay attention to people he deems below him, but you three are walking closer to him. What do you do? Rich.
Isaac Allen Burns:Yes. Oh, Richard. Richard. Richard.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh, who's speaking to me right now? Oh, I do hate it when the pores talk to me. It gets all over. Oh, my clothes are covered in that poverty. What do you want?
Joseph Diametti:Richard, Richard, Richard, we can we can speak sweet nothings to each other all day, but we both know I'm your favorite, basically, almost son-in-law.
Isaac Allen Burns:So overly familiar. I know you. Oh, good. You're the one. I hate people who tried to steal my things and you tried to steal one of my finest assets from me.
Joseph Diametti:The richest person in the town doesn't like me. Oh, no. Don't. Yeah. So, Richard, who are we talking about just now?
Joseph Diametti:I mean, I know I discussed you, but just so I can make sure I'm keeping similar company together, who else fits into my bucket?
Isaac Allen Burns:His nose is turned up so far at you. You can see up so deep into his nostrils, and he says,
Isaac Allen Burns:oh, the conversations I have with myself and my secretary Simmons are for those who have more money than you do. I speak not of important details to those with such poverty they have to repeat their outfit. You're still wearing that shabby jacket that you would always wear around my daughter, and you disgust me.
Isaac Allen Burns:He, pulls out a glove, and he, like, kinda smacks you with it and says,
Isaac Allen Burns:no more out of you, poor one. And he
Isaac Allen Burns:starts walking away from you.
Rowan Collins:I'm gonna bite him. What? I'm gonna bite him.
Isaac Allen Burns:So Pistachio is gonna attempt to bite rich apple person.
Joseph Diametti:I would actually like to stop Richard apple people? I would actually like to try to stop Pistachio from doing that.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh, okay.
Rowan Collins:Just like as he walks by, I'm just going in for a little nibble.
Joseph Diametti:I'm just gonna go, no, no, no, no, no, no, Pistachio. This is just this is just how he is. I dealt with this for years.
Annie Hawthorne:I'm gonna step into his path. I'm gonna look down on him. I'm assuming he's shorter than me.
Isaac Allen Burns:He is shorter than you.
Annie Hawthorne:And I'm gonna say, you have any idea how much titanium is worth?
Isaac Allen Burns:Yes. I do. It's quite a lot, especially if you know certain trades to go through.
Annie Hawthorne:Which means that I, technically, am worth more than you.
Isaac Allen Burns:That's rich coming from a last season's model. A mark two defender. I thought your kind was basically obsolete.
Annie Hawthorne:Before he finishes the word obsolete, I wanna punch him in
Joseph Diametti:the face.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh god.
Isaac Allen Burns:God. Very good. Go ahead and roll to attempt to punch him in the face.
Annie Hawthorne:Come on, yo. My eyes just flash red for, like, one single moment.
Rowan Collins:I was gonna be less effective. I just wanna put that out there.
Annie Hawthorne:I'm just gonna say that was a twelve and eleven. So that's gonna be a 23, 20 four, 20 five with hope.
Isaac Allen Burns:With a hope. Okay. Since it was with hope, you rear back to punch, and a hand grabs your arm. And you look behind you, and you see the frail elven frame of one Timothee Toulouse who grabs you. You see that he was walking with his daughter Alana, and he says, oh my.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh, I'm so sorry, mister Apple People. My defender must have gotten away. Oh, you know, it was a gift from my dear Adrian. I'm so sorry. I need to keep an eye on him.
Isaac Allen Burns:And you see that mister Apple people looks at you and just kind of scoffs and walks around you and says, take better care
Isaac Allen Burns:of your things, you small time history teacher. And he keeps walking away.
Isaac Allen Burns:You see that Timothy sighs really heavily and says, Craig, what's going on? Are you okay?
Annie Hawthorne:He insulted my friend, and he just insulted you. You're gonna take that?
Isaac Allen Burns:I kinda have to. I he does that. Oh, dear.
Rowan Collins:Oh, hi, mister Timothy. I
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh, it's
Annie Hawthorne:oh. Oh, this is this this is my friend, Pistachio.
Rowan Collins:Oh, they're gonna Of the droops.
Isaac Allen Burns:Out. Oh, you can do okay. Wow. Oh, wow. Okay.
Annie Hawthorne:Oh, and this is Kapi. I don't know if you know Kapi.
Isaac Allen Burns:Yes. Kapi, you were always never coming to my classes.
Joseph Diametti:Yeah. Hey, mister Toulouse. Good to see you.
Isaac Allen Burns:What's going on? Why were you about to attack We weren't about to attack you both.
Joseph Diametti:Listen, I was I talk to him like that all the time, sort of, after me and Scarlet broke up. Oh. He's he's used to that. He he kinda likes me. We were gonna get some information.
Rowan Collins:But, Kapi, we're all three buried by fate.
Joseph Diametti:No. We can't okay.
Rowan Collins:You are
Joseph Diametti:our We
Isaac Allen Burns:have to stop telling people, Kapi. You're married by fate?
Rowan Collins:Yeah. We're
Annie Hawthorne:married by gnome says.
Isaac Allen Burns:The gnome? Yeah. Where have you been?
Joseph Diametti:Oh my.
Rowan Collins:We were on a spiritual adventure in the forest.
Isaac Allen Burns:In the forest.
Annie Hawthorne:Do you know anything about a dais in the forest?
Isaac Allen Burns:Dais in
Annie Hawthorne:the Of the of the sage.
Isaac Allen Burns:See his eyes kinda go wide? He kinda looks at you and says, Craig, I was okay. I need a moment. You said
Annie Hawthorne:It's because I didn't bring you air fritters this morning, isn't it?
Isaac Allen Burns:Well, I was I was a little worried about you. I was actually we were looking for you, actually. Oh, okay. To invite you for dinner.
Annie Hawthorne:Dinner?
Isaac Allen Burns:It would mean a lot to us if Sure. You're having dinner with us.
Annie Hawthorne:Oh, well, I don't really eat, but I can come sit with you while you eat.
Isaac Allen Burns:Friend, we we're hoping you would bring them too.
Isaac Allen Burns:It's Oh,
Annie Hawthorne:yeah. Shoot. Would you you would
Rowan Collins:like to eat dinner? Oh, that would be great.
Isaac Allen Burns:Let's go somewhere and talk.
Rowan Collins:Oh, wait a minute. Okay. But
Joseph Diametti:He Kapi nudges Pistachio. Okay.
Rowan Collins:Okay.
Joseph Diametti:Okay.
Rowan Collins:And Pistachio looks at the town hall, looks at Kapi and go looks at the town hall and goes
Joseph Diametti:And Kapi looks at Pistachio and then looks at Crank and Timothy and looks back at Pistachio like, okay.
Annie Hawthorne:It's it's rude to to deny an invitation. We should go.
Joseph Diametti:Yeah. Let's go to dinner, Pistachio.
Annie Hawthorne:Sure. Everything else can wait.
Isaac Allen Burns:You walk back to Timothee's home. It's a humble little place, and you see that there's some dinner left on the stove. He kind of settles a couple things as the three of you are sitting at the table, and Alana, who's a very young Elven girl. Young by Elven standard. She's 22, but she may as well be eight years old with how she looks and acts.
Isaac Allen Burns:And she's currently looking at Crank in that kind of weird, unblinking way that children look at things that they find fascinating. She's just staring at you, Crank.
Annie Hawthorne:I just I just stare back because I have no social knowledge whatsoever, so I just think I I should do what people are doing to me.
Isaac Allen Burns:Why why don't you eat food? It rests my insides. Why does it rest your insides?
Annie Hawthorne:Because I'm made of metal.
Isaac Allen Burns:Am I made of metal?
Annie Hawthorne:No. You're made of flesh and bone. You're you're organic material. I'm inorganic material.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh, k. Great. What's organic material? Yeah. I think Kapi's probably good
Joseph Diametti:with kids because he's basically a kid.
Isaac Allen Burns:That describes so many people I know. That's so great.
Joseph Diametti:Yeah. Hi. What I'm Kapi, Adventure Guild. Remember? He touches the a patch on the left side of his jacket.
Joseph Diametti:What's your name?
Isaac Allen Burns:I'm Alana. Hi, I'm eight and a
Isaac Allen Burns:half years old.
Joseph Diametti:Wow. What's being eight and a half like?
Isaac Allen Burns:I can do this, and she stands up and does a cartwheel and then goes and sits down. Wow.
Joseph Diametti:Good job. That is good. Hey. What do you know what do you think of Crank here?
Isaac Allen Burns:She stares at Crank and says, Crank is big.
Joseph Diametti:Yeah. He is big. He's friendly. Right?
Isaac Allen Burns:Crank comes to our house every morning and brings really hard bread things. And a couple times, my daddy cries when Crank leaves.
Annie Hawthorne:Oh. Oh. Oh, I didn't know that. Is it because of the pastries? He does not like the pastries?
Isaac Allen Burns:I don't know. He typically doesn't eat the pastries. He throws them away.
Annie Hawthorne:Oh.
Isaac Allen Burns:I eat them sometimes. They're not
Isaac Allen Burns:very good. They're very hard.
Annie Hawthorne:You just sink into my chair like I'm distraught.
Isaac Allen Burns:I really like the pastries, So I eat them all the time, and I cook. I cook I try I wanna cook them. I try to cook them, but I I throw them away too because, yeah, I don't make them good.
Joseph Diametti:Aw. But, you know, Crank's trying to help you guys. Right?
Isaac Allen Burns:Yeah. Crank brings us brings a bag every day. Yeah. Do you make those, Crank?
Annie Hawthorne:Trying to be nice. No. I don't make them. I'm I don't know how to cook.
Isaac Allen Burns:But Why don't you know how to cook?
Annie Hawthorne:I've never cooked before.
Isaac Allen Burns:Why have you never cooked before?
Annie Hawthorne:Yes. People have always cooked. Well, I I don't eat, first of all.
Isaac Allen Burns:And Why don't
Annie Hawthorne:you eat? Because I because I'm made of metal.
Joseph Diametti:And he wears this fun magic hat.
Isaac Allen Burns:Right? Yeah. That's fun hat. Where did you get the hat?
Annie Hawthorne:Well, it belonged to your father, your other father.
Isaac Allen Burns:I never met my other father.
Annie Hawthorne:Oh, never mind, Tom.
Isaac Allen Burns:He died before I met him. Well, I probably met him. I don't remember. You see at this point, you see Adrian comes over with some really well cooked food. We're talking we've got roast beef with some carrots and potatoes, some good stuff, some quality material.
Isaac Allen Burns:Clearly, he was saving up for this, and he puts it around, and he just sorta, like, sits and kind of pats Alana lovingly on the head and says, she can be a little precocious. I'm I'm sorry if she said anything that insulted you, Craig.
Annie Hawthorne:Don't true that you don't like the pastries I bring you?
Isaac Allen Burns:I like that you bring me the pastries.
Annie Hawthorne:Is there something else you'd prefer more?
Isaac Allen Burns:It's not the pastries, Craig. It just you remind me a lot of Adrian.
Annie Hawthorne:Adrian was a wonderful man. He was. Is that a bad thing that I remind you of him?
Isaac Allen Burns:No. It's I'm sorry. It it was a lot when you first came. I had I can't say that I'm proud of the way that I've just sort of made you stay in our basement, but there's something about you. I think it's the hat and the cloak that you wear that he also used to wear that is now torn up that it just reminded me of it.
Isaac Allen Burns:Sorry. The reason that I wanted you to eat dinner with us is because today was today was his birthday. I just wanted to apologize, Frank, that I haven't exactly been the most hospitable. And you see that there's some awkward eating Mhmm. Some light conversation.
Isaac Allen Burns:And then eventually, he asks, so you you mentioned a grove. You mentioned a dais.
Annie Hawthorne:Yes. There's a grove. We we kind of were led to it in the forest, and we stumbled upon this dais that was overgrown, had an altar on it, and the altar had an empty space as if for some kind of a staff that is missing now, and we have to find it.
Isaac Allen Burns:Wait here one moment. You see that he stands up and walks away for a second, leaving you once again with Alana, who looks at you Kapi and says, you're a really messy eater.
Joseph Diametti:I'm I'm trying. Okay?
Isaac Allen Burns:My daddy always says I can't put my elbows on the table, but you had your elbows on the table the whole time. I'm sorry. Don't tell your dad.
Joseph Diametti:Okay? He gets I know he gets mad. I remember. I was eight. I had to deal with him when I was eight too.
Isaac Allen Burns:I could keep secrets really good. I won't tell my dad.
Joseph Diametti:Okay.
Isaac Allen Burns:Thank you.
Isaac Allen Burns:Good at keeping secrets.
Joseph Diametti:And then we pinky swear.
Isaac Allen Burns:Yeah. Pinky swear? Pinky swear. Shannell's a good kid. Last time I had a pinky swear for my friend Kyle, he peed his pants in the middle of school, and he asked me not to tell anybody.
Isaac Allen Burns:I pinky promised him that I wouldn't tell anybody, and I didn't tell anybody.
Joseph Diametti:You're you're cool. You're pretty cool, Alana.
Isaac Allen Burns:She smiles and says, do you wanna see my drawings? Uh-huh. Before she can get up, you see you see that Timothee comes back with an old, dusty tome. He sits down and says, this is very old. This is very this is very priceless.
Isaac Allen Burns:But I do he kind of thumbs through it a little bit, and you see a little picture in there. This is written in a language that really none of you have seen before. It'd be the equivalent of us and our dumb selves seeing Elizabethan English. We can kinda make some of it out, but it's just the way that it talks, the way it's set up is just so almost foreign. You see he's kinda thumbing through, and you see a picture of this temple in the middle of a forest.
Isaac Allen Burns:And he says, during the age of gods, before the gods left, they had these places of worship where relics were kept. These relics are not well known. Honestly, the moment you said relics sort of sent off a red flag to me because not it's not something the priests will tell you about. But you said there was just a dais there. There wasn't you didn't see a relic.
Isaac Allen Burns:You didn't see a temple?
Annie Hawthorne:The relic was gone, and I think the temple had had diminished around it. It seemed very overtaken by nature. Did the dodos take the relics?
Isaac Allen Burns:No. The dodos, once the gods left, history kinda paints them in the light that suggests they were kinda useless after the gods left. But if that relic is missing, then who I mean, I certainly don't know where it could be.
Rowan Collins:Well, I had a pretty good idea.
Joseph Diametti:You do?
Rowan Collins:Well, I could smell something similar. I stuck my nose because I turned into a dodo, and dodos have great smells. I was tracking it all the way down to the town hall, and that's when you found us. So we were trying to go see what's there.
Joseph Diametti:And, Crank, do the projection thing.
Annie Hawthorne:Yeah. I'll just, like, stare across to an empty section of wall and, like, turn a light on and project that same image through my eyes as I that I projected in the woods.
Isaac Allen Burns:Crank, you do this, and you immediately become the coolest thing that Alana has ever seen. And as you show this image, you see that Timothee kind of squints his eyes at it and says, are you are you showing me the old you're showing me old
Rowan Collins:No. No. Watch this. Enhance.
Annie Hawthorne:Enhance. I'll, like, zoom in to the staff, and I'll just say, yeah. I I found this in one of the books in the library. This is great grandfather apple people with the staff in front of an apple tree.
Isaac Allen Burns:Yeah. I mean, he's the one who planted the first apple tree, you know, about two hundred and forty years ago or so. I don't know.
Joseph Diametti:And we think this is the staff that was stolen from the altar, the relic. This old walking staff.
Annie Hawthorne:If you look very closely, you see those nuts?
Isaac Allen Burns:Did you not see him enhance? Well, okay. I did, which was very surprising that somehow you added more pixels to the image. That's very impressive, Craig.
Annie Hawthorne:I'll enhance again.
Isaac Allen Burns:Enhance again. Woah. My gosh.
Isaac Allen Burns:I can see his pores. Incredible. I didn't even know that images back then could have this kind of quality.
Annie Hawthorne:But those knots are jade crystals.
Isaac Allen Burns:I mean, you know, stories passed down in Bracken Road. They're mostly oral histories. I only really know that as his old walking staff. But, you know, some some sources say that he vanished shortly after planting that tree. Shortly after this picture was taken, he disappeared.
Joseph Diametti:I have this is Joe. Yeah. I have a thought as a player. Yeah. And I'm not sure if Kapi would have the thought.
Isaac Allen Burns:Okay. Yeah. What's what's Joe's thought?
Joseph Diametti:Joe's thought. Or see, there's two ways I think we can play this. I can just tell you what Joe's thinking Uh-huh. Or you can make me roll a knowledge.
Isaac Allen Burns:Tell me what Joe's thinking first, and then we'll see. What's Joe thinking?
Joseph Diametti:Joe's thinking that the Apple people family
Isaac Allen Burns:Uh-huh.
Joseph Diametti:Would obviously keep this relic as a secret because it's where they're generating all of their power and wealth from.
Rowan Collins:Oh, yeah.
Joseph Diametti:Go ahead. Yeah.
Isaac Allen Burns:Go ahead. So, Kapi. Kapi is looking at this, and Kapi's trying to piece it together again and again, like, multiple times Kapi's done so. Kapi, make a knowledge roll for me. Alright.
Isaac Allen Burns:Please do the funniest thing ever, Joe. Please, I beg you.
Joseph Diametti:My knowledge isn't minus one. Again, just so Here
Isaac Allen Burns:Here we go. You know what I'm looking for?
Joseph Diametti:Jesus. That's a nine with fear.
Isaac Allen Burns:You know, Joe, I gotta say this is a nine with fear. That is both a failure, and I think, like, the fourth time you've had a knowledge roll to piece things together and embed with fear.
Isaac Allen Burns:So I'm gonna I'm gonna say
Isaac Allen Burns:this right now. So, Joe, I want you right now Yeah. As Kapi
Joseph Diametti:Yeah.
Isaac Allen Burns:To piece together a theory.
Isaac Allen Burns:Okay. I'm not gonna
Isaac Allen Burns:tell you whether it's right or
Joseph Diametti:wrong. Okay.
Isaac Allen Burns:But let's just say Yeah. Kapi's gonna piece together a theory of what's going on right now.
Joseph Diametti:Alright. So Kapi is sitting there thinking, and it's the equivalent of, like, it, like, zooms into his brain, and we're, like, tracing the red yarn. And we start with Cyrus at the adventure guild and having been at war, and then it the string is tied to the bakery and Scarlet's picture. But Scarlet is not a suspect, so we quickly x that out completely. And then the stream goes up to mister apple people and it starts zooming in and like the music starts building and then just goes and skirts over to the library where and Kapi thinks about how the dodo was tracking the scent of lilac in, like, an, you know, an old person that's very kind.
Joseph Diametti:And then has this idea that Ashe got into the library. And, you know, Kapi remembers Ashe being pretty pretty smooth, and he thinks he outflirted him with the librarian. And now he thinks that the librarian has been manipulated into conducting evil in the town at the hand of Ash.
Rowan Collins:Oh my god. What?
Isaac Allen Burns:If I could if there was an inspiration mechanic, I would give it. Kapi, you have this brain blast. You figured it out.
Joseph Diametti:The librarian.
Annie Hawthorne:What? My mother would do no such thing.
Joseph Diametti:Your mother, you can't trust anyone in this town. Crank, what? I keep trying to tell of you. I keep trying to tell all
Annie Hawthorne:of anyone. Then why should I trust you?
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh my gosh.
Joseph Diametti:Because Crank,
Rowan Collins:he's he's our boss. We gotta
Joseph Diametti:change your boss, and we're bound, married, bonded. Fate. Remember?
Rowan Collins:We're in a Listen.
Joseph Diametti:Know that you want her listen. I know that you think the librarian is the sweet little old lady that could do no wrong, but let me assure you that she can be manipulated. And I think Ashe is the one to have done it. Maybe she's under a spell. Maybe we don't know.
Joseph Diametti:But one thing I know for certain is that your mother is the matriarch of the chaos in this town.
Annie Hawthorne:Maybe you're being manipulated by Ashe. Maybe Scarlet's being manipulated by Ashe. How does Scarlet feel?
Joseph Diametti:Don't talk about Scarlet.
Annie Hawthorne:Well, how do you know?
Rowan Collins:Role to see if they are putting together the same thing that Joe is putting together.
Annie Hawthorne:Can I
Isaac Allen Burns:make a knowledge role for me?
Rowan Collins:Yeah.
Isaac Allen Burns:Please, Rowan, I beg you. Do the funniest thing possible.
Rowan Collins:I okay. That's a 13 with fear. Fear.
Annie Hawthorne:I roll a
Isaac Allen Burns:knowledge? Yes, can. Please. Please,
Isaac Allen Burns:Annie, I beg you.
Isaac Allen Burns:Do the funniest thing possible. Let's get a hat trick right now.
Annie Hawthorne:That's with hope for fam. Oh, that's gonna be a fourteen fourteen.
Isaac Allen Burns:14 with hope. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.
Isaac Allen Burns:Pistachio, on a 13, with fear, you think Believe me. The librarian is likely not related. But because it's with fear, you don't know why. Mhmm.
Isaac Allen Burns:You
Isaac Allen Burns:have no proof. Mhmm. You're not sure. It's just a it's just a feeling you have. And on a 14 with hope, Annie, you think you're looking at that picture.
Isaac Allen Burns:You're looking at the apple tree. You're looking at the staff. You're looking at town hall, and you think the answer still lies in town hall. You're not you. I think, no, you can't jump to conclusions.
Isaac Allen Burns:This is what this is what Crank thinks.
Annie Hawthorne:I think that Pistachio's nose didn't lead us to the library. It led us to town hall.
Rowan Collins:Yeah. But no one's led us to town hall.
Annie Hawthorne:And I think we should go back there right after dinner.
Rowan Collins:Yeah. I think we shouldn't have left.
Joseph Diametti:Okay. Alright. Hey. You know, I'm open to feedback.
Annie Hawthorne:My feedback is if I can't talk about Scarlet, can't talk about my mother.
Rowan Collins:Oh, can we not talk about my mom either?
Annie Hawthorne:Nobody's mother. Nobody's mother is in the
Rowan Collins:Bobby, Kathy. Or mommy.
Isaac Allen Burns:So, well, Craig, the main reason I wanted to get dinner with you was not just to apologize and also just to celebrate this day. But Adrian had family in the southern provinces of Voldain. The Toulouse name is actually that of a small noble family down there. And Alana and I, I think, are gonna leave Bracken Road and go down there with them. I wasn't exactly sure of it until Kapi just said all those things, and now I am sure of it.
Isaac Allen Burns:We're probably gonna leave before the Apple Festival.
Annie Hawthorne:You're not even staying for the Apple Festival?
Isaac Allen Burns:It hurts too much to see all of the things he loved and not be able to experience it with him, but I really do wish you all the best. I do hope you can do magic one day.
Joseph Diametti:You're just gonna abandon Crank? Can't abandon Why?
Isaac Allen Burns:Was hoping that maybe staying here and being with the people that Adrian really loved would, I don't know, help me grow, help me move on. But then you came, and it got a lot harder. And
Annie Hawthorne:I never meant to make things harder for you. I've only ever tried to make things easier.
Isaac Allen Burns:I know. And I don't blame you. I don't hold it against you, but I think it would be best if I left. And I want Alana to have
Joseph Diametti:I can I can I can fix this? Kapi's, like, hard panicking right now because he feels like he caused it and because other things.
Isaac Allen Burns:Yeah. Mhmm.
Joseph Diametti:I I can we we can fix we can fix this. Listen. You you're you've you've taught here for way too long. Right? Like, you can't go be a new teacher.
Joseph Diametti:They don't they don't want that. You listen. Let us fix this. Give us until give us through the Apple Festival. That's it.
Joseph Diametti:Okay? If we can fix things in the town, okay, Adventures Guild, I tapped the patch on my jacket. Adventures Guild, if we can fix this, you can stay, and you can be here for Crank. Okay? Just just don't abandon Crank, please.
Isaac Allen Burns:He looks over at Crank. And, Kapi, go ahead and give me a presence role.
Joseph Diametti:My presence is a plus one?
Annie Hawthorne:Is there any way I can use my you've got a friend in me to give him advantage?
Isaac Allen Burns:You know what? I'm gonna say absolutely. Go ahead. Why don't you give me a roll real fast as well, Annie?
Annie Hawthorne:Presence?
Isaac Allen Burns:Yeah. We're gonna say presence.
Annie Hawthorne:Jeez. Might
Isaac Allen Burns:as well add that experience. DC is not very 12
Annie Hawthorne:for this one. With fear.
Isaac Allen Burns:Okay. Joe, go ahead. That does succeed, so I'll let you roll with advantage.
Joseph Diametti:That's an 11 with hope. It that's the first hope I've ever rolled all the game. I know it's still an 11.
Isaac Allen Burns:It's still an 11. No.
Joseph Diametti:Break our hearts, man.
Isaac Allen Burns:He sighs heavily and looks over at you, Crank, and kind of walks over and says, Crank, would you like us to stay through the Apple Festival with you?
Annie Hawthorne:I I would like you to stay through the Apple Festival. Maybe we can enjoy it together in Adrian's memory.
Isaac Allen Burns:You see, he kinda nods. You can tell he's, like, kinda holding back tears and says, okay. I'll stay through the Apple Festival.
Joseph Diametti:Perfect. We will not let you down.
Rowan Collins:We won't?
Joseph Diametti:Pistachio? Yes. We will not.
Rowan Collins:We will not let you down.
Isaac Allen Burns:Craig.
Annie Hawthorne:We will not let you down.
Joseph Diametti:We will not let
Rowan Collins:you Oh, were we supposed to say antendum?
Joseph Diametti:I don't. You it's okay. Okay. So to the town hall?
Rowan Collins:Town hall. Thank you, mister Toulouse, for your delicious I
Joseph Diametti:look to Elena and stick out my pinky again, and we, like, do the pinky.
Isaac Allen Burns:So you just do a pinky.
Joseph Diametti:And then we do a fist bump afterwards and then finger guns. And then
Isaac Allen Burns:She does all that. She learns so many bad habits from Catherine. And then looks at you crank and then runs up and gives you a hug on your leg because she's very short.
Annie Hawthorne:And then I think before we leave, I'm gonna take the hat off, and I'm gonna put it on her head.
Rowan Collins:Oh my god.
Annie Hawthorne:And I'm gonna walk away.
Isaac Allen Burns:It's, like, a little too big for her head, so it kinda, like, flops down a little bit so she kinda picks it up so she can see you. As you leave, you can see Timothy kinda holding back tears and, like, puts a hand on Alana's shoulder and watches you leave and gives you a small wave as the door closes. You step out onto the street. It is nighttime. The stars are high, but the lights are still on on many buildings, including town hall.
Rowan Collins:How late is it, would you say?
Isaac Allen Burns:09:45.
Rowan Collins:Uh-oh. Town hall? Town hall. Back to a dodo. I will take a stress to become a dodo again and sniff it out.
Joseph Diametti:What stress are you up to?
Rowan Collins:Three.
Isaac Allen Burns:Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Getting weird at 10:00. You sniff, and sure enough, the odor returns. And as you sneak your way not very sneakily.
Isaac Allen Burns:As you sniff your way over to town hall, you're standing before the doors. They are unlocked.
Joseph Diametti:Crank, you alright?
Annie Hawthorne:My head feels bare. I think I'll have to find a new hat.
Joseph Diametti:Yeah. I'd agree. I got used to that hat.
Annie Hawthorne:But for now, I guess I'll just open the door.
Isaac Allen Burns:You open the door, and as you do so, you look inside, and you see a large foyer. Stairs run up either side up to a landing where you see two large double doors. On the Ground Floor, you see a red carpet that's kind of seen better days rolled out across the middle of the foyer to a small table in the center holding some flowers. You see that there are doors on either wall and towards the back, but the thing that grabs your attention first is the large beautiful chandelier hanging up high in the sky with multiple candles, lighting the whole place with wonderful light. But the second thing that catches your eye is, sure enough, a medium sized yellow scaled Dracona that's pacing back and forth with a purpose.
Isaac Allen Burns:As the door opens, he sees you and looks, and he gives a big smile and says,
Isaac Allen Burns:oh, hello. Oh, it is just the people I was hoping to see. Yes. Kapi, is that correct?
Joseph Diametti:Yes.
Isaac Allen Burns:Yes. Come in. Come in. We have much to discuss. Oh, it's the perfect timing you came.
Isaac Allen Burns:It's the perfect time. I'm so happy. I was wondering if I would have to march my way down to the gill to find you, but yet you have come to
Isaac Allen Burns:my door. All the gods shine upon me this day.
Annie Hawthorne:Hi. Excuse me. Who are you?
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh, yes. Hello. I am mayor Raisins. I am the one in charge of this year town, and I would like you three to come with me to my office for we have something of grave importance to speak of.
Isaac Allen Burns:Follow me. He grabs your Hand Kapi and runs up the stairs.
Joseph Diametti:Oh. Oh, okay. Alright. Come on, gang.
Rowan Collins:As we're sniffing, it does like, as we're walking, does it does the scent get stronger as we go towards his office?
Isaac Allen Burns:It gets so strong. And then you go up the stairs, and it gets less strong.
Rowan Collins:I look over. Do I feel like I could sneak away from this?
Isaac Allen Burns:Would you like to attempt to?
Rowan Collins:Yes. Go
Isaac Allen Burns:ahead and do a agility or finesse check, whichever one that you think.
Rowan Collins:Okay. So I am using a specific beast form.
Isaac Allen Burns:You are a dodo. Right?
Rowan Collins:Yes. I am a dodo.
Annie Hawthorne:Of course, I am a dodo.
Rowan Collins:I'm using essentially the agile scout, which gives me increases in certain things, one being perception or whatever. The other one is e is this evasion, I guess? That's gonna be a 12 with hope.
Isaac Allen Burns:12 with hope. This guy has grabbed Kapi's hand and is leading Kapi up, expecting everyone to follow him. And as he opens the door and motions for Kapi to come inside, and he kinda motions for you as well, Crank. Pistachio, you slip back behind. And as the two of you enter, the doors close.
Isaac Allen Burns:And he walks behind his desk, a very nice mahogany desk with a nameplate in front that says mayor raisins. You see that he's got some shelves lined with some books. You see that there is a picture of him, a very well drawn portrait, and windows that flank both sides of that portrait. They're currently drawn closed with curtains. You see that he takes a seat and says,
Isaac Allen Burns:hello, please. Take a seat. Take a seat.
Isaac Allen Burns:I am sorry that you're it wasn't there a third of you. You had a little bird friend with you. Is the bird friend not here?
Isaac Allen Burns:Was that simply a pet that you brought in?
Joseph Diametti:What the? Yeah. That must have been a pet, or it was just a bird, you know, doors.
Annie Hawthorne:It's been following us all day. I guess I finally got bored.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh, that is unfortunate. I hate it when birds follow me.
Isaac Allen Burns:Yep. They do it all the time. They look down on me. They think that they are better than me, but they are nuts.
Joseph Diametti:Yep. Definitely just the furball and the giant robot.
Isaac Allen Burns:Yes. Very good. I am assuming that your younger friends that I have heard of is already back
Isaac Allen Burns:at their house for they are young, and they get weird at night. Correct? This is what I have heard.
Annie Hawthorne:They get really weird after 10PM, so we had to drop them off.
Isaac Allen Burns:Very good. Very good parents, the two of you.
Isaac Allen Burns:Well, happy. I have good information. I have good news for you, friend, because you I would like to speak to you.
Joseph Diametti:And the robot. Of course.
Isaac Allen Burns:This is your confidant.
Joseph Diametti:And you wanna speak to us because we are adventure guild members.
Isaac Allen Burns:Yes. I do.
Joseph Diametti:And you want to tell us
Isaac Allen Burns:Some good news. Some great news, in fact. You see, I was sinking. I was sinking very hard. For you see, I have received a letter yesterday morning.
Isaac Allen Burns:This letter shocked me to my core. I could not feel my toes after I read this letter. The eyes in the back of my head shot to the front of my head so I could read it twice because I wasn't sure what I had read. And what I read
Joseph Diametti:And what you read?
Isaac Allen Burns:Was this. He pulls out
Isaac Allen Burns:a little letter, and he puts it on the table.
Isaac Allen Burns:And he says, this letter here is official correspondence from the senate of Justine for the Apple Festival this year. We are going to be visited by a senator. This is the first official time that a member of the Justane Senate has ever come into Voldain in an official capacity.
Joseph Diametti:Do you know what this means? I don't know.
Isaac Allen Burns:My dear child, my young sprouts, my dear apple seeds that has not blossomed into a tree yet. This is for this town. Do you not realize what this means? I tell you now. I tell you I fill your ears with knowledge.
Isaac Allen Burns:This could put Barakken Road on the map. Could you imagine a halfway point between the countries of Justain and Voldain who have not visited each other ever since that peace treaty nearly a decade ago? That is so long ago. They have been nasty little exes ever since making dinner very awkward. You sit around and you don't know who's going to talk first, but yet we will be the ones who shall broker peace with our apples.
Isaac Allen Burns:Do you understand the gravity of this, my boy?
Joseph Diametti:I don't. Let me speak plain. I lean over to Crink. Did you understand that?
Annie Hawthorne:Oh, people here really seem to hate Justine.
Isaac Allen Burns:Yes. I do. For you see, there was a war twelve to ten years ago, a civil war if
Isaac Allen Burns:you listen to certain people.
Annie Hawthorne:Or a revolution.
Isaac Allen Burns:Indeed, or a revolution. Was it the labor forces stepping forward to take down the bourgeoisie, or was it simply a bunch of anti royalist rebels who didn't like the king?
Annie Hawthorne:Well, think technically since the rebels won, it's a revolution.
Isaac Allen Burns:That is correct. You are correct in this. It is a revolution. The senate of Justain now stands as the governing body of the country of Justain. However, it is important to remember that this province, Al Genebis, the province that we currently live in, was much, much bigger.
Isaac Allen Burns:In fact, Justane was a part of it. In fact, this was the Earldom, and now it is simply a Fye County. The first time that's actually ever happened when a noble has been demoted, if you can believe it. Anyways, that is a bit of history for you. I speak plain to you now, boy.
Isaac Allen Burns:I speak into your ears so that wisdom can finally catch up to you for you've been running so quickly away from it.
Joseph Diametti:Yeah.
Isaac Allen Burns:Just then senate has not in any official capacity visited Voldane on any peaceful or otherwise measures. They've never gone to the capital. They've never gone to any other cities. They have stayed in their senate and glowered at us. Meanwhile, Voldane does the same.
Isaac Allen Burns:However, this is official correspondence that senator Melissa Martin herself will be visiting the Apple Festival. This is a time of peace, my boy. This is the first step in a world where perhaps our two countries will not be so angry with each other. You see, peace is built one step at a time, my boy. You cannot simply have an orchard with multiple trees all at once.
Isaac Allen Burns:You must start with simply a single seed, and this is that seed. Which is to say, this could be the most important Apple Festival we have ever had. More impactful since the one ten years ago when the war ended. More impactful than the very first ones that they ever had.
Annie Hawthorne:How can you be sure that this is a peaceful correspondence?
Isaac Allen Burns:Well, I believe in my heart that this is the first step. For you see, change must come from brave actions on those who are willing to take them. And I believe that this is what this is.
Annie Hawthorne:Let me get this straight.
Isaac Allen Burns:Of course.
Annie Hawthorne:There has been no goodwill ever since the war ended.
Isaac Allen Burns:Well, I don't say
Isaac Allen Burns:there's no goodwill, but there's just not been any will at all. They've sort of been staring at each other waiting for someone to make the first move.
Annie Hawthorne:Well, this seems out of left field a bit to me.
Isaac Allen Burns:Well, she could have simply shown up, but instead they sent a letter letting me know that she would be there so that I could prepare.
Annie Hawthorne:How do you know her intentions are good?
Isaac Allen Burns:Well, if they weren't good, they wouldn't have sent a letter. Listen. I understand your concerns. There are many in the town who have similar concerns. However, there are more in the town who share my idealistic view of it, that this is a chance for our two countries to come together in a simple, gesture such as this.
Isaac Allen Burns:We are a small town. The only things that we have are the apples. Why else would they come if not to make a small gesture of peace an olive branch and also perhaps to make certain trade deals with our people here? That is the other piece of this is that I am sure deep down that this is of capitalistic intent where they simply want to speak to the apple people and the other farmers here to figure out how they can get food. For as you know, Justine is much, much smaller than Voldem.
Isaac Allen Burns:I understand the way the market works. However, I also believe that in order to make money go across borders, you
Isaac Allen Burns:must do so with a smile on your face and peace in your heart.
Joseph Diametti:And with as the mayor says that Yeah. Kapi side eyes crank and then stands up very straight and with a wry smile, well, we are honored that you have brought this to us. How can the Adventurers Guild of Breckenridge help ensure this is a smooth and successful visit?
Isaac Allen Burns:He smiles so wide at this and says, yes.
Isaac Allen Burns:The exact reason I brought you here. You see, I spoke with lieutenant Kender the other day as in yesterday, and he assured me that his people would be enough to protect the town. However, one of them had their leg broken by a miscreant recently, which was very funny. He said that he tripped on a rock, but it was very clearly a clean break. It is not beyond my repertoire to understand that we shall have more security, and so I would like to nominate you, Kapi.
Joseph Diametti:So you wanted you wanted real security.
Isaac Allen Burns:I do want real security. I would like to I would like to enlist you to be the head of security for this event. I would like you and your other adventuring recruits to be the ones in charge of keeping things safe inside the town.
Joseph Diametti:Can't help but notice you haven't brought Cyrus into this.
Isaac Allen Burns:Well, know, Cyrus, he says
Isaac Allen Burns:we need to add more people. He says we need to
Isaac Allen Burns:cause the capital and bring more adventurers.
Isaac Allen Burns:But if we do that, we might cause a stir
Joseph Diametti:in the
Isaac Allen Burns:town. Hey.
Joseph Diametti:Hey. Hey. I agree.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh, I'm glad you agree.
Joseph Diametti:And I think while we're working off the books, there's a few things that you could do, mister mayor, to ensure that we are both successful here.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh. A negotiation. Name your price, young man.
Joseph Diametti:I want recommendations for me and my friends.
Isaac Allen Burns:Oh, this is something I can
Joseph Diametti:provide to you. I want what's a what's a decent amount of handfuls?
Annie Hawthorne:Well, there's handfuls, there's bags, and then there's a chest.
Joseph Diametti:And we would like a bag for each.
Isaac Allen Burns:A bag for each of you. You drive a hard bargain. However, a recommendation and a bag of gold, I will provide this for you.
Joseph Diametti:I look at Crank. Crank nods, and I reach out my hand to shake the mares.
Isaac Allen Burns:I see he smiles and reaches out and shakes your hand and says, thank you, my new head of security. I knew you would see reason. We don't
Isaac Allen Burns:need to scare the town and make them think something bad is going to happen. As the current leader of this town and the vassal to lord to well, not
Isaac Allen Burns:the lord. He is a Viscount Viscount Edgar Baltazar himself. I can assure you that I will write you a recommendation at the end
Isaac Allen Burns:of the Apple Festival when everything goes off without a hitch.
Joseph Diametti:Perfect. I think we know our job.
Isaac Allen Burns:Very good. I knew you'd see reason, my boy. Give my condolences to your friend who's probably very weird right now. And speaking of which, Pistachio, as you watch the doors close behind the two of them, you go down the stairs. And what would you like to do?
Rowan Collins:So Pistachio is, like, very aware of the time and knows that they're, like, three minutes away from, like, going completely weird. And they're like, alright. I gotta do this fast. So they're gonna, like, follow their nose to where the scent is coming from fastest.
Isaac Allen Burns:With your nose and with how good you rolled for smelling, you go back through this Ground Floor, and you find a study towards the bottom. It houses a whole bunch of tombs. This is a study that you think would be in like a regular government building where you just see a bunch of boxes full of folders that still haven't been digitized. There's no digitization in this world. However, there are still boxes full of folders and papers.
Isaac Allen Burns:And you find yourself smelling the strongest scent in front of a bookshelf in the corner of the room.
Rowan Collins:Alright. Pistachio is gonna look around to see if there's any books that, like, are jutting out just a little bit or, like, you know, if it was animated. It's clearly something drawn on a cell.
Isaac Allen Burns:A classic reference. Go ahead and do an instinct check for me.
Rowan Collins:Does this count as towards since it's, like, related to the staff, or is that
Isaac Allen Burns:We're gonna say, in this case, sure. You're using your nose to figure out where to go.
Rowan Collins:That is a 14 with hope.
Isaac Allen Burns:With hope. You are using your nose. You see that there's a bust of a fawn on the middle shelf. As your nose touches it, it feels a little loose. And you push it, and you hear a click.
Isaac Allen Burns:And the bookshelf kinda moves a little bit.
Rowan Collins:They're gonna, like, kinda nose their way past and, like, try and get in, like, open the door.
Isaac Allen Burns:You see that it swings back, and so you pull it open a little bit. You look inside, and you see a staircase that leads down. Do you go?
Rowan Collins:They personally, they look up, and they are like, do I do this without Kapi and crank? They sit there, the clock turns ten, their eyes go wide, and they go, squawk, and they run down the sink.
Isaac Allen Burns:As Pistachio runs down a dark hallway all by themselves. That is where we're gonna end this session of Dodo Born.
Isaac Allen Burns:Hey, it's a podcast.
