A Knight of Shreds and Patches Transcript
Season 2 Episode 10: Renown Within the Advantia
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.
Kit: Kit Adames as Birdie Foundling.
Cameron: Cameron Robertson as Emma Blackwood.
Sydney: Sydney Whittington as Cassidy Shard.
Alli: Alli Nesbit as Renn Dare.
Kira: Kira Nesbit as Ciphera Vex.
Nick: Nick Robertson as GM and Narrator.
Sydney: Hello listeners, this is your editor, Sydney, with today’s messages:
If you're in the mood for a delightful time, check out the International Podcast Month’s RSS feed to hear loads of one shots from a multitude of podcast creators including a game of Avatar: Legends that Cameron played in in season 5 episodes 6 & 7. You can find all the links in IPM’s pinned tweet at @PodMonth or you can check out their website, internationalpodcastmonth.com. As usual, all applicable links can be found in the show notes.
And with that, we wrap up today’s announcements and head into Season 2, Episode 10: Renown Within the Advantia. 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]
Kira (as Ciphera): Last time on a Knight of Shreds and Patches, someone finally triggered the motion sensors at the meeting place. Hard to believe there's a group with their own song for hailing. Moon River? Decent choice, I guess. We found them at the clearing. They seem competent enough, but we need more than that. We need muscle. We need to clear the outpost around Iota and that warlords just stacked to the teeth. We don't have anything that can push back against whatever he's got. I wasn't convinced until they told us they have a giant mech suit in the back of their truck. How does that even happen?
Alli (as Renn): [from a distance] Phera!
Kira (as Ciphera): I'm I'm doing my - yeah, what?
Alli (as Renn): [from a distance] Have you seen my wrench?
Kira (as Ciphera): Did you check the toolbox?
Alli (as Renn): [from a distance] Well, yeah, it's not there.
Kira (as Ciphera): Did you check the ground next to the bench?
Alli (as Renn): [from a distance] [pause] It was under the bench. Sorry.
Kira (as Ciphera): Mm. How does that even happen? I don't know. They're more than what they seem I guess, but we still need to know more.
[radio static]
Episode Start:
Nick: We open on the Patina sitting around a comfortable picnic table with folding chairs and a stump for comfortable seating. Emma had just finished dropping the bombshell that there was a giant war machine in the back of the rig. The surprise knocked Marathon out of her chair and induced a momentary silence from the group.
Alli: Renn's eyes light up in a fashion that could be referred to as science eyes.
Penn (as Marathon): You have a giant mech suit in the back of -what? What's go- I don't -
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): What?
Cameron (as Emma): And a motorcycle.
Penn (as Marathon): Wha- [confusion noises]
Sydney (as Cassidy): And a workshop.
Cameron (as Emma): And a workshop.
Penn (as Marathon): Huh?
Cameron (as Emma): And -
Alli (as Renn): How much can you fit back there?
Sydney (as Cassidy): About that much.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, we're kinda
Alli (as Renn): Can I see it?
Penn (as Marathon): You told me it was fish!
Sydney (as Cassidy): No, I told you is fishy.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh I guess.
Cameron (as Emma): I mean, that was that was your choice to believe that.
Penn (as Marathon): I didn't believe it was fish, but I assumed it wasn't a, a giant mech suit.
Alli (as Renn): How long have you been driving? You'd have known it was fish after, you know?
Penn (as Marathon): No, no I knew it wasn't that fish, but -
Cameron (as Emma): That's what I had said.
Alli (as Renn): Okay, I just wanted to make sure. I would love to see this mech suit.
Penn (as Marathon): I don't know, I assumed it was somebody's special safe space or something. I don't know.
Cameron (as Emma): Well, I mean, it kind of is mine as well.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it's not really something we want to advertise.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh my gosh. Can I smoke in here?
Cameron (as Emma): [overlapping] Yeah but come on. Come on! Come on!
Penn (as Marathon): Is that all right?
Cameron: Emma looks like a child showing a thing at show and tell.
Penn (as Marathon): I need a maple.
Sydney (as Cassidy): I would not smoke in there.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah please don't.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay.
Cameron: And is skipping off towards the back of the truck.
Alli: Renn is hustling after her, but does so with a slightly wobbly gait on account of her leg, but she's jazzed.
Kira: Ciphera's quirked a suspicious eyebrow at Cassidy as they're making their way over towards the rig, but her eyes are very wide at the news that there is a mech suit because that is not, that's quite atypical.
Cameron: So as soon as Emma's like yeah, come on, come see it, she skips off quickly towards the back of the truck and starts detaching the hooks that are holding the tarp and then steps up, grabs the corner of it and flings the tarp off the back of the truck.
Penn (as Marathon): [shock and awe] Woah~.
Alli (as Renn): [mostly awe] Oh my.
Kira (as Ciphera): [mostly awe] Short circuit.
Cameron (as Emma): And the Knight is sitting there quite curled up on itself just barely having fit within the confines of this tarp.
Kira (as Ciphera): This is operational?
Cameron (as Emma): As long as I have fuel, yes.
Kira (as Ciphera): We'll get you fuel.
Alli (as Renn): Yeah, what kind of fuel you need?
Cameron (as Emma): Uh the kind of alcohol-y jelly type.
Cameron: [laughing] Emma says very professionally.
Alli (as Renn): Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.
Kira (as Ciphera): That's the the thing, right? Like that can
Alli (as Renn): Like an ethanol distill it?
Kira (as Ciphera): You have the thing?
Alli (as Renn): Yeah, I'll go I'll - I'll be back.
Alli: She says.
Sydney: Cassidy watches Renn go curiously.
Kira: Ciphera had walked over with her staff, and was still just idly twirling it, but as the reveal happens, she loses her own mental track and two of the magnetic pieces just spiral off into the dirt.
Kira (as Ciphera): Woah!
Kira: She's looking at this large thingy, before she realizes and then extends her arm back out, and they slingshot back and snap back into a staff again, and she runs a hand over her hair, eyes wide and looking back to Cassidy again.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Technology.
Cameron (as Emma): Is it big enough?
Cameron: Emma is still standing in the back of the truck looking proudly down at everyone. [laugh]
Kira: I think for the first time you see a little bit of giddyness start to creep into Ciphera's expression as well. And she says,
Kira (as Ciphera): Um, if you know how to use it, yeah. I mean, wow. And it turns on and everything?
Cameron (as Emma): Mhm.
Kira (as Ciphera): Wow. Well, not that it's like a huge deal to me or anything, but you just [whispering] you made Renn's day, so thank you.
Kit (as Birdie): Aww.
Cameron (as Emma): I am excited that someone else is as excited about it as I am.
Alli: You hear a very distant
Alli (as Renn): Phera I need a hand! Please!
Kira (as Ciphera): Coming.
Kira: She hustles off to assist with whatever's needed.
Alli: She's essentially got what looks like a beer keg, just a big beer keg on a rolly cart. There's some extra stuff on there, but general shape and size that's what we're looking at. As it gets rolled on over and Renn has left Ciphera to do that, practically skips ahead.
Alli (as Renn): Oh my go- what can it do? Like, how did you get this?
Cameron (as Emma): [laughing] Which question do you want answered first? I mean, it's fully what a person can do, like it's fully articulated. It's got a big sword. It's got an arm cannon thing. Uh. It can lift heavy stuff.
Alli (as Renn): And just for my peace of mind, not sentient in any way?
Cameron (as Emma): Uh~ not that I've noticed. It's got some AI protocols in it.
Penn (as Marathon): [still very flustered] Well, okay, you've got like a sentient robot mecca suit that you - and I - did Birdie - Did you know about this?
Kit (as Birdie): It was on a need to know basis.
Penn (as Marathon): [add in some additional fluster] Oh my what?
Kira: At the words of sentient AI, we see Ciphera in the background, pushing the cart and she just slips and it shoves out in front of her and she just gets a faceful of dirt.
Alli: Oh, Renn goes and helps her.
Kira (as Ciphera): I'm fine.
Alli (as Renn): Yeah, I know. Now you are.
Kira (as Ciphera): Sentient AI?
Cameron (as Emma): So no, I don't think like not at level of sentience. It has some AI protocols that are obviously running to have it
Kira (as Ciphera): [relieved sigh]
Cameron (as Emma): know how to function.
Kira (as Ciphera): Oh.
Alli (as Renn): [question starting noises]
Cameron (as Emma): And it can handle some stuff on its own, but like, it's not, it doesn't have a personality.
Alli (as Renn): Okay, so you can ask it like, 'Hey, how are you feeling?' and it's like 'No data available,' because it doesn't know how to feel?
Cameron (as Emma): I don't even think it would say no data available, unless I asked that through a code query.
Alli (as Renn): Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, it's more assisting you in whatever you're trying to do.
Alli (as Renn): Hmm.
Cameron (as Emma): Functionality wise, it's essentially the same as the Exosuit. Just much bigger.
Kira (as Ciphera): Wow.
Cameron (as Emma): and totally not sentient at all.
Kit (as Birdie): Ooh.
Alli (as Renn): I definitely believe it when you say it like that.
Cameron (as Emma): [short laugh] Nope.
Alli (as Renn): Yeah. All right. Well, we can table that discussion for now. Uh this thing is gonna make you fuel. Where does it go?
Cameron (as Emma): So are we just, was the question to actually refuel the Knight or to just put the still in the back?
Alli (as Renn): I mean, this is we got a little bit of word ahead on stuff that would be potentially useful to your group, so I've been, I've been working on this and it's got, it's got a little in there, like, it'll get you a decent way. Or maybe, you know, a very exciting outing, it'll take time to refill.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, yeah, yeah yeah.
Alli (as Renn): You'll need to do some maintenance. But I think this would be well down the road on the form of payment that you're looking for. If I'm not mistaken.
Cameron: Emma has stopped paying attention and is reorganizing things in the back of the truck trying to shift the motorcycle out of the way so that we could get the still up to be next to the Knight so that we could refuel it, and is going to leave all negotiation things to the rest of the group.
Nick: Emma, you have a particular talent for organizing and maximizing the cubic footage in the back of this truck, both from practice and your experience in your workshop back in Thunder Bay, you are realizing that you were really approaching the point where the physical space available to you cannot get more full with things.
Cameron (as Emma): Mmm. We're gonna need a bigger truck.
Nick: You think you can make this fit, but it's not going to be easy to access anything back here anymore without having to unpack a lot of things.
Cameron: Oh I think we had already reached that point where it is not easy to do anything with the motorcycle back here.
Nick: Mhm.
Cameron: We're already having to move that to make a path to do anything.
Alli: Renn sees you struggling with Tetrising supplies into different positions. She gestures at the motorcycle and says,
Alli (as Renn): I mean, why - you can put something on the outside like a rack or an extension. Like I've seen things like that for cycles before, it's - it'd save you a lot of space.
Cameron: Emma leans down over the side of the truck to look at an area that doesn't have anything sticking out attached to it already.
Cameron (as Emma): Uh. That is a very good point. Up until this point, I have not felt enough ownership of the truck to make permanent alterations, but~ that seems like a good investment.
Alli (as Renn): I mean, who owns the truck?
Kira (as Ciphera): Yeah, I mean, it's just the three of you like,
Alli (as Renn): Well, three and a half you.
Cameron (as Emma): [unsure and slow] Cass-i-dy?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Congratulations Emma, you've been granted the ability to make modifications to the vehicle.
Cameron (as Emma): {excited] Ooh.
Cameron: Emma looks excited and claps her hands.
Cameron (as Emma): [double hand clap] Okay!
Alli (as Renn): [excited whisper] Do you need a hand?
Cameron (as Emma): Uh yes. I've got metal.
Alli (as Renn): Aw yes!
Cameron (as Emma): Do you have welding equipment? [laugh]
Alli (as Renn): Boy do I.
Cameron (as Emma): Awesome.
Alli: Renn goes and grabs the supplies, which is just her giant Velocitractor's tail with a beautiful little butane torch at the tip.
Kira: Do you have to guide him over taking backward steps?
Alli: Yeah, it kind of tills backwards also in the front, so it gunks it up a little bit and it's probably not super happy about it.
Kira: Does he beep while going backwards?
Alli: Oh he has to. [laughing]
Kira (as Ciphera): We haven't found a way to turn that off yet.
Alli (as Renn): No.
Kira (as Ciphera): It kind of gives us way so we can't, we have to go straight, always forward,
Alli (as Renn): Which is a good life path to take. Why you look back when you can you know not beep and just go forward.
Alli: She lowers her goggles. They're prescription goggles.
Nick: So as Servo is utilized as a welding torch to create a rack for the motorcycle on the outside of the truck so that there's room for this still, some of you can see that Emma and Renn are very absorbed in this, but it occurs to some of you the discussion of payment and objectives has not been formalized yet.
Kira: While those two are working, Ciphera will return to the table where everyone else is seated to hash out any remaining details.
Kira (as Ciphera): So um, they're having fun. Does Emma also kind of like disappear into her own little world while she's working? Is that a, is that a nerd thing?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, pretty much.
Kira (as Ciphera): Okay. I just, you know, I just wanted to make sure.
Penn (as Marathon): She's not just a nerd. She's pretty good at fighting too, so - made sure that.
Kira (as Ciphera): I mean, she's got that sword, so
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah.
Penn (as Marathon): Yeah.
Kit (as Birdie): She's really strong.
Kira (as Ciphera): All right, what other questions you have? We have time.
Sydney (as Cassidy): So what did you sense as we were pulling up that we set everything off?
Kira: Ciphera tongues the inside of her cheek a little bit, considering this question as she watches Cassidy.
Kira (as Ciphera): Well, mostly the big tech, but there were a few smaller blips, you know the frame, and maybe something a little personal...
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ah you mean the radio headset.
Sydney: And Cassidy points to the wild tech radio headset that lives on her temple.
Kira (as Ciphera): Maybe, if you don't mind, just quick little sweep here.
Kira: And she pulls out a little detection wand looks just like a metal glowy airport traffic controllers waiver sticker. And I think she just walks around the table starts on Marathon, just moving it around the body to see.
Penn: She's a little grumpy and a little shocked, and is now a little wide eyed with the stick.
Kira (as Ciphera): Don't worry. It doesn't bite, or shock or you know, do anything like that.
Penn (as Marathon): It s-shot out pieces, like near my feet earlier, so
Kira (as Ciphera): Yeah no, this one's a lot more subtle, contained. Sorry about that.
Kira: Does anything glow or pop up for Marathon?
Penn: [laugh] I don't think Marathon has any tech on her.
Kira (as Ciphera): Welp. You're clean.
Kira: And she will move over to Birdie and complete the same task, wave it around her body seeing if anything lights up.
Kit: It probably lights up a little bit by her backpack because she carries the radio that Emma gave her when she first joined the Patina for emergencies.
Kira: Is this detector something that will indicate what it is that she's seeing? or would this be something that requires further question?
Nick: It'll tell you what kind of signature it is, so it would recognize wild tech weaponry, as opposed to like a radio signal as opposed to a power source. Communication, gun, or gold is basically the three options.
Kira: Okay, so glows for communication, and she bobs her eyebrows but nods a little bit.
Kira (as Ciphera): All right. Pretty standard.
Kira: Is Birdie's pack open at all? Or is it just completely tethered shut with the keep out stuff?
Kit: It's completely pulled shut and the flap that covers the strings does say keep out. [laugh]
Kira (as Ciphera): What do you keep in there that everybody's got to keep away from?
Kit (as Birdie): [deadpan] Explosives.
Sydney: Cassidy snorts.
Kira: Is there a way that Cipher could tell if she's being serious, or is very clear that she's joking?
Kit: She's not joking. She looks at you with a very blank expression when saying it. [laugh]
Kira: She blinks once, waiting a beat to see if there's any explanation, and when none follows she says,
Kira (as Ciphera): And what are you going to use that for?
Kit (as Birdie): Well, I mean, I use them for combat situations. Mostly. [laugh] Just you know, to protect myself, to cause a general ruckus. I'm - don't really plan on wasting them here. Promise.
Kira (as Ciphera): Or creating a cool distraction, right?
Penn: And Marathon goes for the handshake. [laughing]
Penn (as Marathon): [whispering] Is this -
Kit (as Birdie): [whispering and overlapping] You want to do the handshake now?
Penn (as Marathon): [whispering and overlapping] Is this -
Kit (as Birdie): [whispering and overlapping] Yeah. We can do the handshake.
Penn (as Marathon): [whispering and overlapping] Yeah?! Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): [small excited laugh]
[laughing and handshake noises]
Kit: It goes so well and we look so cool.
Penn (as Marathon): Check that on your scanner.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Ciphera, does your scanner pick up massive coolness?
Kira (as Ciphera): Um.
Kit (as Birdie): [quietly] Heck yeah it does.
Kira (as Ciphera): Just imminent possible death.
Kira: And you notice that she is distinctly not joining in the reverie here and she looks very concerned at the idea that you are just carrying explosives. And at a passing glance, you can tell that her left hand is clenched hard on her staff and she sort of unconsciously moves it to rub the left side of her face and then is also looking over in Renn's direction with pursed lips.
Kit (as Birdie): Uh - I promise they won't go off. Like I have to make a, quite a big effort to light them at any given moment and I - the supplies are hard enough to come by that I won't be using them anytime soon.
Kira: She grips her staff a little tighter and you can tell that she's taking some deep steadying breaths but nods maybe a little too quickly while still looking off in the other direction. And she says
Kira (as Ciphera): [much concern] Okay. Um, don't don't tell Renn okay? Just don't say anything.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay. Yeah.
Kira (as Ciphera): Okay, thanks. [deep inhale and sharp exhale to resettle]
Kira: And then she moves over to Cassidy with the wand and her hands a little shakier now as she starts to move it around, but then it settles back into stillness as she continues doing so. Does anything light up on Cassidy?
Sydney: Yeah, Cassidy's temple goes off with the obvious wild tech that's hanging there.
Kira (as Ciphera): Hmm. Communications. Looks nice.
Sydney (as Cassidy): It's a fancy shiny heirloom.
Kira (as Ciphera): Mm. Well, hang on to it.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But, you know, functional.
Kira (as Ciphera): Yeah.
Sydney: And then as Ciphera continues down through Cassidy's jacket, it also goes off again, on Cassidy's arm, maybe torso.
Kira: What designation does it give off? Like, what would it show up as?
Sydney: It's in that "gold" category, so it's something interesting that's not weapons or communication.
Kira: That makes her furrow her eyebrows in surprise, and she pulls her chin back a little bit and then looks to Cassidy a little bit more questioning.
Kira (as Ciphera): And this?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh don't we all have a little bit of uh, Adventia nanotech in our bodies?
Kira (as Ciphera): Hmm.
Penn (as Marathon): I don't.
Kit (as Birdie): We do?
Penn (as Marathon): Do you all? Is that -?
Kit (as Birdie): I don't.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. Yeah.
Kira: Ciphera takes a step back and holds the wand over herself and moves it first to her left hand where it lights up above her fingers, and then she moves it up to her left ear where it lights up above the fin, and then she looks to Cassidy, swaps the hands and then moves it down her own right arm where it lights up again, with a very similar signature to what happened over Cassidy, and then just quirks an eyebrow at her.
Sydney: Cassidy tilts her head in response,
Kira: She shuts the wand off from there and gives a little twirl and then says
Kira (as Ciphera): All right, then.
Penn (as Marathon): What?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Don't we all have a little bit of nanotech?
Kira (as Ciphera): Mm.
Penn (as Marathon): No-
Sydney: Cassidy winks at Ciphera and then looks very innocent at Marathon and Birdie.
Kira: She shares a small laugh and winks back and then looks to the other two with a knowing look of smug superiority before walking back to check on the other two.
Penn (as Marathon): Huh - Is that
Kit (as Birdie): Yeah,
Penn (as Marathon): What?
Kit (as Birdie): Is that a euphemism?
Penn (as Marathon): Huh? Or what?
Kira (as Ciphera): [slightly sing-songy] It's whenever you want it to be.
Kit (as Birdie): It's gonna be a euphemism, then.
Penn (as Marathon): Um. Well, I, I missed the joke. I feel like I'm good at euphemisms, so... okay, you know, whatever. Can where can I get some nanotech?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Remind me later and I'll tell you about it.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay. Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): But this is not the place.
Penn (as Marathon): Okay.
Kit (as Birdie): Oh~.
Penn (as Marathon): Sure.
Sydney: [laughing] Cassidy looks over to the mech where the sparks are flying off of the back of the rig as they're welding things.
Penn (as Marathon): I would request that we also talk about other things such as, you know, this whole mech thing that's been back here for three weeks when we have that opportunity as well.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Oh it's been back there for more than three weeks.
Penn (as Marathon): Well, that's very cool to know. And I'm glad that you trust - well. I'm glad I know now, you know? Yeah.
Kira: Ciphera wanders back a moment or two later, shaking her hand in the air after several sparks had flown off and singed her a little bit, and she starts to suck on her finger as she rejoins them and sits down at the table and says,
Kira (as Ciphera): [muffled from finger in mouth] Okay. [clear again] So details, um. You got to get rid of the warlord. He's gotta go. We need to find out what's going on with the Advantia that's left there. I don't mind telling you that we have friends there, so - I don't like everybody, but I'd like to know that they're okay. Hopefully. So if you can help them um, please do.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yeah, I'm not really in a place where I want to have dangerous warlords that wander around with Advantia tech, misusing it any more than it already maybe is.
Kira (as Ciphera): Yeah. I know this is a formal job for you, so I guess we got to talk payment.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Yep. I guess you're giving us a still. So
Sydney: Cassidy looks over at Birdie and goes,
Sydney (as Cassidy): Well, you're a Patina member now, you want to take charge of some negotiations?
Kit (as Birdie): Oh, you'd let me?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Go for it.
Penn (as Marathon): Strong Start to negotiation.
Sydney: [laughing] Cassidy scowls at Marathon and then looks back over encouragingly at Birdie.
Kit (as Birdie): Um,
Kit: Birdie is currently racking her brain at what she could ask for.
Kit (as Birdie): So I mean, my first instinct is to ask for money, but um
Sydney (as Cassidy): This is a very specific capability that we bring.
Kit (as Birdie): Yes.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Because not everyone has the Knight.
Kit (as Birdie): No, we are very special. So fuel contraption thing, plus, [sigh] I would like to have my stick upgraded please, and, how do you feel about money?
Kira (as Ciphera): Um, I mean, I like it, and I use it and need it.
Kit (as Birdie): Well, yes.
Kira: Ciphera's eyes shift a little bit because she is certainly not used to being the one who actually needs to make nice with other people. Usually that's Renns' job, but she's busy right now, so she's just gonna shoot from the hip on this one.
Kira (as Ciphera): Well, you can have the still that's part of the deal.
Kit (as Birdie): Mhm.
Kira (as Ciphera): The stick I think is fair. What do you want for the stick? What are you thinking? I mean, talk to me here.
Kit (as Birdie): Well,
Kira (as Ciphera): I can translate to Renn because you gotta be you need to be specific with her sometimes.
Kit (as Birdie): I thought Renn already had ideas, and I just want cool and different. I -
Kira (as Ciphera): Oh she has a lot. She has too many ideas. That's the problem is you're gonna have to help her narrow it down.
Kit (as Birdie): We'll figure that out. We'll figure out the specifics of it once we finish this and I will, we'll talk.
Kit: She's trying to be very professional right now.
Kit (as Birdie): Um.
Kira (as Ciphera): As long as it's reasonable.
Penn: Marathon gives a thumbs up to Birdie from behind. [laughing]
Kit: Birdie steeples, her fingers.
Kira (as Ciphera): And as long as it doesn't involve explosives.
Kit (as Birdie): Okay. I'll keep it in mind.
Kira (as Ciphera): Okay.
Kira: As you guys are talking and you're thinking it over, Ciphera reaches into one of her concealed pockets and pulls out just a bag of sunflower seeds and begins to eat them one by one. And you notice her hands are also like a little, they're covered in this fine white powder that she doesn't seem to notice. So she's starting to get some on her mouth around her lips as she's eating these sunflower seeds.
Kit (as Birdie): Mmm. Cassidy how much did you get for dropping off that Advantia guy?
Sydney (as Cassidy): Uh in the neighborhood of a couple of gold stitch, a few silver ones.
Kit (as Birdie): Hmm. Okay.
Sydney (as Cassidy): Not that currencies translate quite as easily as that but,
Kira (as Ciphera): Um, I don't know if we have any stitch on us, but I could go as high as [thinking noises] maybe like four squares?
Kit (as Birdie): Four squares.
Kira (as Ciphera): Four Tree All squares.
Nick: Birdie, you already feel like you're winning with that suggestion. That's a lot of money. You're doing a great job.
Kit: Birdie is mentally patting herself on the back.
Kit (as Birdie): Four squares...
Kira (as Ciphera): Or, you know, Renn's kind of like a genius so she can do a lot of stuff. If there's other upgrades or things maybe we could do that instead? Just takes a little time, but it could be something we do while you're out being heroic.
Kit (as Birdie): Hmm. So four squares and tech on the side and fuel gadget.
Nick: At this point I would like Birdie to roll a Negotiation against Ciphera's Negotiation.
Kira: Mine is just two green. I do not have any ranks in Negotiation. That was all Renn. [laugh]
Nick: It'll be average difficulty.
Kit: Okay, I got one green, two yellow, and two purple. One success and one threat.
Nick: So I think the threat is Ciphera realizes that Birdie jumped on agreeing to this deal pretty quick, which means Ciphera realized that she may have given away a little more than she needed to, not enough to back out of the negotiation, but enough that she isn't going to be excited to tell Renn how that part went. But otherwise, yeah, Birdie, you are able to get what you want. Ciphera seems to be agreeing with your terms.
Kira (as Ciphera): [sigh] [under breath] Scrap. [normal volume] Okay. All right.
Kira: And she reaches back into one of those side pouches beneath her poncho and pulls out a drawstring bag, like a see through drawstring bag that is filled with this white powder and tosses it between her hands a few times. And there's a couple of puffs of chalky smoke and then she says
Kira (as Ciphera): Chalk up and shake on it.
Kit (as Birdie): Wow. Really? I mean, yeah, of course.
Kit: Um and she's going to take it and copy what she saw Ciphera do and reach out with her right hand.
Kira: Ciphera is going to try to copy the handshake they did earlier.
Nick: Amazing.
Kira: How would that go? Do I need to make a roll for that or -
Nick: I want a roll to see how it goes. Do Coordination.
Kit: Birdie is gonna say like what they're doing out loud so that there's a little bit of direction.
Penn (as Marathon): Wait, What? What? What's that? No, wha-
Kira: Okay my Coordination is one green, two yellow.
Nick: You saw the whole handshake, would you say that you were planning on needing to be able to replicate the handshake when you saw it?
Kira: So Ciphera's deal is she does infiltration. She's kind of a codebreaker, so she pays attention to symbols and I will also tell you that she has Knack For It for Skullduggery, so she's used to dealing with the shady side of stuff. She has points in Streetwise as well, so she's probably done a lot of these back alley deals on the down low, even if she's not good at negotiation, so I feel like she would have an affinity for paying attention to a special handshake.
Nick: Yeah, I'm very convinced. So we'll say this is average difficulty but you will also get a blue die.
Cameron: Is the blue die for general skill level or is the blue die for Birdie saying that, all of the things out loud as it goes?
Nick: Oh, that's a good point, so it'll be two blue die - one will be for Birdie helping and one will be for Ciphera's general skill level.
Cameron: All right. So two yellow, a green, two blue, and two purple.
[dice rolling]
Cameron: Two successes.
Nick: All right, yeah. You all are able to replicate the handshake exactly.
[handshake noises]
Kira: So as an additional sprinkle on top of that, because there's probably crossover between Ciphera and Birdie in terms of their sticky fingered nature, would there be any kind of hidden flourish or handshake that they both might have collectively learned elsewhere that could be sort of a common bond?
Kit: Oh, I love that. I mean, Birdies been everywhere, so it's definitely possible that she might have picked up one that traveled through the grapevine of people that they might have mutual contacts with, so
Kira: Well just like a geographical thing from the area that she's from if Ciphera and passed through there. If that to Birdie would have been an even more secret type thing, like there's no way she's going to know that, I'll trip her up for sure. But then she happens to know that.
Penn: [laughing] The Sasnak Slap.
Kit: [laugh and pure joy] The Sasnak Slap!
Kira: And when they slap it makes a burst of chalk in the air.
Penn (as Marathon): Oh. This, this is the worst day of my life.
Kit: Birdie's eyes just light up and she's like
Kit (as Birdie): [much excitement] You actually know the Sasnak Slap?!
Kira (as Ciphera): [such joy] Yeah, you know it?
Kit (as Birdie): [delighted] Yeah, I grew up there.
Kira (as Ciphera): [oh the serendipity] No way!
Kit (as Birdie): [bubbly] Yeah!
Kira (as Ciphera): [new best friend] I've only passed through once, but everybody was really nice.
Penn (as Marathon): [dejected and left out] Oh, my god.
Kira: Ciphera's just beaming right now.
Nick: And we cut away from the closing of a mercenary contract culminated with the Sasnak Slap to where Renn and Emma are finishing up securing the motorcycle to the outside of the rig.
Alli: Rann is hefting the front of the motorcycle up a little bit so the spot welds can continue and just making sure everything's nice and secure. And she says,
Alli (as Renn): You know, if you're like ever looking to retire from adventuring, or whatever y'all are doing, you'd be a pretty good wizard, and that's an affectionate term, we have a different name, but it does think about it is all I'm saying.
Cameron (as Emma): You know,
Alli (as Renn): There's a lot of perks.
Cameron: Emma is like up underneath where we've got the motorcycle hooked on securing some stuff up underneath the truck to more securely keep it from bouncing around as it goes.
Cameron (as Emma): You're not the first member of the Advantia to tell me that actually.
Alli (as Renn): Well, broken clocks, right twice a day, so
Cameron (as Emma): Yep um,
Alli (as Renn): At least.
Cameron (as Emma): I have - this may seem like a weird question.
Alli (as Renn): Mhm?
Cameron (as Emma): But when you join the Advantia, did they have a question that they ask you about which animal you would be?
Alli (as Renn): About what which animal I would be?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, like if you were an animal, which animal would you be? Is that one of the entry questions to the Advantia?
Alli (as Renn): How did you know about that?
Cameron (as Emma): It is one?! Are you serious?
Alli (as Renn): It's it's part of the personality test. You gotta make sure you're suited for it, so you can't put a lion with a tiger. That'd be mayhem, Emma. Mayhem!
Cameron (as Emma): Oh, my gosh. What animal are you?
Alli (as Renn): [mumbling] Owl. [sniff]
Cameron (as Emma): That makes sense.
Alli (as Renn): I just got big ol eyes and, you know, my nose is sort of like a shape and it's fine. I'm cool with it.
Cameron (as Emma): Oh. I was thinking wisdom.
Alli (as Renn): Oh, that's so sweet.
Alli: She says she flicks up her goggles and has to squint because now she can't see.
Cameron (as Emma): The only answer I've gotten so far is a squirrel. And I'm not sure I'm fully attached to it.
Alli (as Renn): Did you pick the squirrel? Or like, was it assigned to you?
Cameron (as Emma): I did. Yes. It was a - so we have these questions that we use as a road trip activity. It was a question in one of those fun entertainment car books that got asked and we happened to be traveling with an Advantia member when it came up and he said it was an entry question which seemed odd to me. But getting the explanation that it does help figure out pairings and people to work with that makes sense, I guess because that you could learn somebody's personality about a fair amount by which animal they say with like that animal's characteristics, I guess?
Alli (as Renn): Oh, yeah, most definitely. And answers that a person gives are also different than what the adjudicators gives. So you know, there's inside perspective, outside perspective, it all gets mixed up. But then you know, they find good pairings over time.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Alli (as Renn): Most of them work solo, but you know, the outposts should have folks that mesh.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. The [laugh] the guy we were traveling with um, his answer was a slime mold. So my guess that that's why he was by himself.
Alli: Renn does lean in a little bit and she's like
Alli (as Renn): Do you - you met Modem? [awe] That guy's a legend!
Cameron (as Emma): [basically a squeak of disbelief] What?
Alli (as Renn): Everybody knows he's Mr. Slime Mold! Are you kidding me?
Cameron (as Emma): [high pitch] What! What?
Alli (as Renn): Who picks that?! Who picks slime mold?
Cameron (as Emma): [disbelief increases] What?!
Kira (as Ciphera): Are you talking about Slimy Mo?
Alli (as Renn): Yeah! They know him!
Cameron (as Emma): [pitch goes way up] What?! No what is going on!?
Alli (as Renn): Can you believe it? [sniff from laughing] Ugh this guy!
Cameron (as Emma): I I- [stuttering searching for words]
Alli (as Renn): What was he doing?
Cameron (as Emma): [confused but lower pitch] What?
Alli (as Renn): Where do you find him? I heard he got banished. [laugh]
Cameron (as Emma): [noises of confusion and shock] Yep. We we, we picked him up in Wawa and took him back to Eagle Hill.
Alli (as Renn): [laughing] Oh you took him back?
Cameron (as Emma): Eh he -
Alli (as Renn): [laughing harder] Oh no!
Cameron (as Emma): [confused noises]
Alli (as Renn): [struggling to breath due to laughter] Oh shit.
Cameron (as Emma): I -
Alli: Her face is so red from laughing. [laughing]
Cameron: Emma is going into shock. She cannot comprehend. [laugh]
Alli (as Renn): I mean, so you took him to the main enclave?
Cameron (as Emma): Uh yeah. The the one just north of Eagle Hill. That's where he wanted to go.
Alli (as Renn): Hmm. Well, I guess if he wanted to go there that's fine. [sniff]
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah that's uh...huh. Do you just know about him because that was a really weird answer to give?
Alli (as Renn): Yeah it was a really weird answer.
Cameron (as Emma): Okay, not that like he was cool, or anything? Or well known for any like skill stuff?
Alli (as Renn): I never met him personally, but [sigh] see what was his specialization was like, oh, was it - Phera was it diesel?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah~.
Kira (as Ciphera): I always thought it was draining nerves, but [pause for laughter from everyone] maybe.
Cameron (as Emma): Yes, yeah it was diesel engines. I guess that makes more - I think I feel better about the fact that you know him because he's weird.
Alli (as Renn): That's the only reason I don't know of him.
Cameron (as Emma): Versus him actually having any renown within the Advantia.
Alli (as Renn): Nah like, I don't think he would like, I don't -
Kira (as Ciphera): [mimicking Modem's voice and cadence] I am a slime mold.
Alli (as Renn): [laughing]
Cameron (as Emma): [laugh] That - wow, I [mumbling]
Cameron: Emma just goes off into a stunned slash concerned slash kind of wowed silence as she continues to attach.
Alli (as Renn): So you said a squirrel?
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah.
Alli (as Renn): Why do you think that?
Cameron (as Emma): Uh so, [exhale] squirrels are pretty curious, energetic. I liked the idea of being able to run away and hide in a tree aka work on a project all by myself without anybody coming to bother me. It was mostly a an energy thing, and the constantly watching, but not in a creepy way.
Alli (as Renn): Well, if - I don't know if I had been your adjudicator, if I may be so bold, I've never seen a squirrel quite as shredded as you.
Cameron: I think Emma has taken off her sweater to work on the truck. [laugh]
Alli (as Renn): But like, I don't know, you know what else is curious and likes to run away into trees when they get vexed and also can attack and have some bite to them is a cheetah? Just food for thought.
Cameron (as Emma): Huh. I don't know, I think squirrels are buffer than cheetahs.
Alli (as Renn): [doubtful] Mmm.
Cameron (as Emma): Cheetahs move real fast, but they are very small, big cats actually.
Alli (as Renn): Well, regardless of what other animals are in your group seems like you were paired pretty well.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah, the bonds are forming. We've had some team shifts, but I think - I think everyone's starting to - ah okay, I think Cassidy starting to come around.
Alli (as Renn): I'm sorry to hear about restructuring. That's always tough. I know from experience. So I'm glad I can help you all how I can and if you need anything else fixed up or like I couldn't take a look at those axles or like whatever.
Cameron (as Emma): Yeah I mean,
Alli (as Renn): I got the time.
Cameron (as Emma): Feel free. You've got way more equipment out here than - everything I've got is in the truck, so I don't [laugh] I don't have a lot of the larger equipment that I'd need.
Alli (as Renn): [excited relief] Okay, great.
Alli: [laughing] And she with relief rolls under the truck to start working on other stuff.
Nick: So we see Renn rolling under the rig to take a look. The Patina reassembles. Ciphera has to crouch under the rig and call for Renn to come out as the Patina, having received their down payment on the job, wants to get moving as quickly as possible to rescue this beleaguered enclave that is nearby. And we see the rig as it drives away from the camp and Servo and the actively camouflaged trailer and disappears down a ravine heading towards Iota to rescue the information and the people held hostage there. And Renn and Ciphera watch them go.
Kira (as Ciphera): I can't believe you left me to do the negotiation. I'm terrible at that.
Alli (as Renn): Well -
Kira (as Ciphera): I had to give them four squares!
Alli (as Renn): And you think I'm not gonna look at whatever was in the truck?
Kira (as Ciphera): No you could have - like the - Emma was clearly like kind of the leader, not they didn't really seem to have - Cassidy was? I don't know but
Alli (as Renn): It was a hard read.
Kira (as Ciphera): Well, you were busy looking at her muscles.
Alli (as Renn): What? No~.
Kira (as Ciphera): Come on she was really buff.
Alli (as Renn): You -
Kira (as Ciphera): It was weird, right?
Alli (as Renn): You got the biggest muscles. It's it's fine.
Kira (as Ciphera): Stop.
Alli (as Renn): [laugh]
Kira (as Ciphera): But don't stop.
Alli (as Renn): Okay.
[hurdy gurdy music swells]
Outro:
Penn (as Marathon): Welcome back to MTR 1153, that was just the end of today’s broadcast and we’ll be right back to the music after this little break. The particulars of the subsequent can be found 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:
Alli Nesbit & Kira Nesbit as Renn & Ciphera. Alli and Kira can be found on their show RPG for You and Me, a duet actual play podcast. Their website rpgforyouandme.com has tons of art from the show, character bios, custom setting rules, and more! You can also find Alli and Kira on Sounds Like Crowes: Terminus and The Night Shift podcast, not to mention Alli now helms Dark Matter Magazine podcast and Apex Magazine podcast. You can chat with Alli on twitter @ youseethehat and @rpgforyouandme, but Kira is accessible through the show's Patron exclusive discord, found at patreon.com/rpgforyouandme.
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. Penn is an indie TTRPG designer whose most recent work includes Wasmannian, a prompt game about gender and wasps. 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 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, which you can support @ Patreon.com/TabletopSquadron. 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 next time…
…Signing Off