Content Warnings- Slavery: The Hollows are forced to defend their slave master Reverend Declan (~12:45-14:30)

Suicide Mention: Hecla says she would end herself rather than be Hollowed (39:23-39:46) and later she considers ending herself in a tight spot (~47:43-47:48)

The Line Bulls of the Pride of Duskwall are about to cross a threshold. While a simple Bull follows their job to the letter, it is a human being who makes their own choices. The gang of Bulls are loyal and trusting of one another over the orders of the Railways or the power of the Church, and so they choose to free the Hollows and abandon these passengers. Andrel confronts yet another rotten adult. Pippin calls upon something he has only found accidentally before. Drix is good in a scrap, but flinches at murder. Hecla strikes now.

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For the full transcript, go to https://ghosts-on-a-train.captivate.fm/episode/ep-37-fate-sealed-feat-aurora-barksdale.

Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yoshiko Agresta. Sound Effects for the Magic SFX in the final showdown by Cai Gwilym Pritchard! Check out more of their work on their podcast, Chain of Being!

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Greg 0:00

Content warning for slavery and mention of suicide. Check the description for timestamps and more information.

Andrel 0:06

Previously on Ghosts on a Train.

Ancestor of Skovlan 0:10

I truly wish that this burden did not fall upon ye. I call myself the Ancestor of Skovlan, and yet I still need you, someone prepared to throw away her own life and take up my badge.

Greg 0:23

And he picks up a badge. It's triangular, like the Line Bull badges, but it lacks indicators of rank along the edges, it lacks the extra inscriptions. It is truly the same as a typical Line Bull badge, but unlike the other Line Bull badges, it has not been modified from its original purpose. Inscribed upon it is the name Booker.

Drix 0:46

So many knives!

Guy 0:49

Oh, Candace isn't in the office right now?

Greg 0:51

Yeah, remember? Mr. Walker, Mr. Walker is taking the office.

Greg 0:56

Something about this mist is impacting some kind of amnesia.

Greg 0:59

They all have very blank stares. Hecla and Pip know them as Hollows.

Greg 1:08

Andrel, you hear outside of the doors a familiar -

Ji'mani 1:13

Yorp yorp yorp yorp!

Andrel 1:14

Oh my god. Okay.

Drix 1:17

Pip, we have two hours maximum, probably closer to one and a half, to get back to the train.

Hecla 1:23

Aren't the ghosts usually not on the train? Why are we -

Radio Announcer Greg 1:27

The Pride of Duskwall sits idle on the stretch of ill-kept track that passes through the Dagger Isles. Most Daggerites live beyond the control of any Imperial power, though the Isles themselves are considered a territory of the Imperium. It is for this reason that the Line Bulls of the Pride are currently inside a vacant church built by vacants people, all for the vanity of the Church of the Ecstasy of the Sacred Flesh. The meager lamplight from its windows is smothered by a passing cloud of mist, a fog that adles the minds of those caught within unprotected. The task given to the Bulls is to protect the missionaries from such supernatural hazards, and yet they have resolved on their own that their duty is to instead allow us to swallow them up. In retribution for their abuses against their Hollows, the gang of Bulls and the Skovlander Hecla set about to the missions undoing.

Greg 2:41

Reverend Declan says -

Reverend Declan 2:42

Brother Gerg, you and the other head out. I believe the surveying of the outside is done. I shall also join you in a few moments, after my quiet contemplation.

Greg 2:52

As he heads into a booth.

Hannah 2:55

Okay.

Guy 2:55

All right.

Greg 2:56

Brother Gerg goes -

Brother Gerg 2:57

All right, let's go.

Stefen 2:58

Drix, behind his bag, breaks off a length of rope and tosses it to Andrel.

Hannah 3:06

Can I roll an insight on this quiet contemplation?

Greg 3:09

Sure, but as they're leaving.

Hannah 3:11

Okay.

Greg 3:11

Like, you're thinking as they're heading out. Unless we're not heading out.

Hannah 3:15

No, head out.

Aurora 3:18

Hecla's heading out.

Hannah 3:20

That's a nine. So that would be two questions for me. What's really going on here?

Greg 3:29

You're a worse liar than you think. Reverend Declan aims to handle whatever you're doing.

Hannah 3:34

Okay. I will sit down, then.

Stefen 3:38

Oh, no.

Greg 3:38

The rest of you. You head out into the amnesia fog, the rest of you. What's the plan? Already they're starting to get a little lost.

Aurora 3:46

Father Declan is at the church?

Greg 3:48

Reverend Declan -

Aurora 3:48

Reverend Declan.

Greg 3:49

- is back at the church, but he'll be back shortly. I mean, Andrel's gonna be back shortly. Nobody seems worried.

Aurora 3:54

Just, because the other people are already getting lost, I'm just gonna turn and go back to the church.

Guy 3:59

Yeah, same.

Greg 4:00

As you turn around, there is a firm grip on your shoulder.

Brother Gerg 4:05

Hey, whoa, whoa, where are you going?

Aurora 4:06

I would like to shake it off and ignore the grabber.

Corvid Man 4:11

You wretched Skov! Brother Gerg was asking you, where are you going? Where are we?

Aurora 4:16

Yeah, I just, I just, I ignore them.

Greg 4:18

You ignore them, push past them. And, okay, you won't take any harm from it, but it will stop you, as a heavy, many-ringed hand slaps you.

Guy 4:31

Wow. Rude.

Aurora 4:33

All right.

Ringed Woman 4:33

They told you to stop. You're acting very high and mighty for somebody from some remote branch that we didn't hear about till last month, Hecla.

Aurora 4:44

Oh, great, she remembers my name. So, well, you know what, I just, I, I'm like -

Hecla 4:47

Oh, shut up.

Aurora 4:48

And I hit her too.

Hannah 4:50

YEAH!

Stefen 4:52

WOO!

Greg 4:52

Roll force.

Guy 4:53

Cold clock her.

Stefen 4:55

Slap that!

Hannah 4:56

Get her!

Aurora 4:57

That is an eight.

Greg 5:00

Nice, what's the one you want to do?

Hecla 5:02

I inflict great harm.

Hannah 5:04

YEAH!

Stefen 5:07

Yeah!

Guy 5:07

Woo!

Greg 5:07

Do you have, like, vicious, or no? Did you opt for that? I forget if we got you that.

Aurora 5:10

I opted for hard.

Greg 5:12

Yeah, yeah.

Aurora 5:13

Yeah, no, I have nothing that I, yeah.

Greg 5:15

So yeah, you, you deliver onto her a vicious beating. She's not, like, defeated or anything, but damn is she hurting. And as you're doing that do actually take one harm, as Brother Gerg pulls out a rod and strikes you across the head. Yeah, yeah, it's a, it's a metal rod. It's a metal rod, it's not that kind of rod.

Hannah 5:36

I'm not here, but someone ask him if he compensates for something!

Greg 5:44

Yeah, and I think at that, at that, some hands are being thrown out in the amnesia mists.

Aurora 5:50

Yup.

Guy 5:51

Hey Greg, can I roll finesse to sneak away back towards the church? In this, middle of this scuffle?

Stefen 5:57

I think the two of us can handle it. That's fair.

Greg 5:59

Yeah, yeah, I think all the attention's on Hecla, so sure.

Guy 6:04

Cool. Come on, finesse. Come on, Oneshot dice. That is a seven. So I would like to do this... honestly, I'd like to do it quickly more than anything.

Greg 6:20

Okay.

Guy 6:21

So I would, I would like to sneak away quickly.

Greg 6:23

Sure.

Guy 6:24

I can't wait to find out who, who knows I went away.

Greg 6:28

Not like they'll know for long.

Guy 6:30

Exactly.

Greg 6:31

That's not what your consequences will be.

Guy 6:34

Oh, boy.

Greg 6:36

Andrel, yeah, you and Ji'mani are there. They leave. Reverend Declan just opens the door back up.

Andrel 6:43

Andrel is sitting on a pew with her arms crossed.

Reverend Declan 6:46

Your dorg, didn't he need to poop?

Andrel 6:49

He'll poop eventually.

Hannah 6:51

Can I use my second insight question?

Greg 6:52

Sure.

Hannah 6:53

What should I be on the lookout for?

Greg 6:54

He doesn't have any sort of weapon. And yet he's still talking to you like he's not afraid of you and the lightning hook you definitely have.

Reverend Declan 7:04

You're going to let him poop inside of our church?

Andrel 7:07

Well, the Hollows will just clean it up, won't they?

Reverend Declan 7:10

Yes, but that sort of work enriches nobody.

Andrel 7:14

You think this is enriching them?

Reverend Declan 7:16

Of course. This is no punishment, as you seem to think, as it is often punitively used, as I understand. These were all willing converts on previous missions to the Dagger Isles. And when we discovered that what ailed them spiritually could only be solved with the highest remedy that the Church can offer, we excise them.

Andrel 7:37

Have you ever starved?

Reverend Declan 7:39

Of course. I fast on the regular, so I may greater enjoy meals when I get them.

Andrel 7:44

For how long?

Reverend Declan 7:46

Well, I don't mean to brag, but I've gone a week.

Andrel 7:49

How long do these people go in between your visits?

Reverend Declan 7:52

Well, that's up to them to budget.

Aurora 7:59

Murder. Murder. Murder.

Reverend Declan 8:03

Your badge name is Dunvil, yes?

Stefen 8:07

Oh, no.

Andrel 8:07

Mm.

Reverend Declan 8:09

Have you ever been to Duskwall?

Andrel 8:11

Yes.

Reverend Declan 8:12

Have you ever seen the Dunvil Prison Camp? You share your name with labor as recompense. Named in the honor of that very same Dunvil, or perhaps somebody just like him.

Andrel 8:24

Have you ever been there?

Greg 8:26

Sometimes people require the spiritual aid. And even if they are prisoners in the Dunvil Labor Camp, we shall come to them. And should the troubles require our help, perhaps even Hollow them.

Andrel 8:38

That's not what I meant. Have you ever done labor there?

Reverend Declan 8:42

Of course not.

Andrel 8:43

Have you done labor? Have you lifted a finger and your stupid, rich life?

Reverend Declan 8:48

Of course I have.

Andrel 8:49

For how long?

Reverend Declan 8:50

For how long? For how long have these hands of mine borne the weight of my Church, my flock, my own sinful spirit -

Andrel 9:01

Oh, my god. Drop the pretense, you must know what I mean.

Reverend Declan 9:06

It is no pretense. Here in the Church of the Ecstasy of the Sacred Flesh I have found that though my spirits taints my body, that it is through the work that we do that I may allow my own flesh to reach the holiness that we granted upon these.

Greg 9:25

Motioning vaguely to the doorway of the Hollows.

Andrel 9:29

You people are so damn transparent. I don't think you even know it. That's the saddest thing. You must really believe this. That this is good for them.

Reverend Declan 9:40

Of course. We would never wish to do something bad. The spirit is the body's sin made manifest, and we hate the sin, never the sinner.

Andrel 9:48

You always, everyone, you, Lady Ankuhset in Iruvia, the Emperor's men, every single one of them, you think these horrible things that you do to people serve some purpose, to purify them spiritually or to help other people. There's such a long list of excuses, and somehow, the bad things just never seem to happen to you. You're never gonna have to budget your food, you're going to fast for a week and then you're going to go back to eating like a king. You're never going to have to do hard labor with no rest. You're never going to have to lose that spirit that you think is causing you all this sin.

His expression gets a little more serious.

What was your business here?

You must know. I'm not as good a liar as I think I am, right? That's why you stayed back.

I knew you were going to do something. Whether it was rob us or let your dorg poop, either way, my goal was to catch you in the act. Shall we go?

Sure.

After you.

I'll start just taking him back to the amnesia mist.

Both you and Reverend Declan are bowled over as Pippin opens the door.

Yeah.

Oh, I say!

Hey, Pip.

What are you back here for? Where's everyone else?

Hey, Greg, what kind of roll would it be to put this man in the sleeper hold?

Yes!

Violence!

Probably still force.

Force is not something I am good at.

I'll assist.

Sure.

Can I get a bonus because he's surprised?

You're gonna get a bonus because she's assisting.

I'm okay with that. Cool.

I would like to assist with finesse, if I can. Just by, like, -

You may. Although -

Oh, do you not need it?

I mean, if you assist that'd be great because I got an eight.

Oh yeah, that'll be good.

I'd like to assist with finesse if I can, by, like, maybe kicking out his feet and tripping him up?

Sure, sure.

Oh, that's actually really good because he just goes, like, more into my arms.

That is a seven. No, that's an eight.

Okay, so yeah.

So I do it.

All you can do is that assist. Ten. What are the two that you do, force wise, Pip?

Suffer little harm in return and... I'm trying to think what doing a sleeper hold would be. Would that be, would that be creating an opportunity, driving the back, or would that be doing great harm?

I think we could flavor it either way. Yeah, maybe creating an opportunity.

I like creating an opportunity. The opportunity being choking this man out.

Mhm. He's going to take one harm from wrestling. So yeah, you begin to, you begin to get your arms around him, kick out his legs. There is a clatter from the other room as the Hollows look on. He manages to gasp out a quick -

Help! Help!

- and the Hollows begin to approach you.

Oh, bugger.

Open as they are to suggestion, and specifically from people that are dressed like him.

Well!

Ji'mani is giving out, like, a little -

Yorp yorp yorp!

As they're sort of ignoring Ji'mani.

Do I have time to punch him again before the Hollows get here?

If you want to do that instead of doing something when the Hollows get here. It would be, it would happen simultaneously, essentially.

Okay. I'm okay with that, I think.

Okay.

Come on...

Yeah, you've got a plus one because he's being sleeper holded.

Oh, nice. I assume lightning oil just doesn't apply here, right?

I mean, unless you want to electrocute him. But that's murder, maybe.

That is murder. Yeah, I don't think we're going that far today.

That's, like, murder definitely. Not maybe.

Nine.

Okay.

Ooh!

I'll inflict great harm.

You take him out, bam! Unconscious, doing two harm. As you do that -

I assume take another trauma for viciously beating another person?

Go ahead and take another trauma, and in fact take...

Andrel's not doing awesome.

Andrel's not doing awesome.

How much trauma does Pip get for choking another, choking the life out of another man?

With, you were a little less, and you didn't actually, you didn't actually end it.

That's the thing.

So I'm giving this to Andrel.

All right.

But you, yeah, Andrel, go ahead, already reduced it, take one harm as the Hollows are clawing and biting and doing everything in your power to get you away from him.

Goddammit, all this time I wanted to do the biting and they're biting me.

Ji'mani, Ji'mani is giving a, like -

Yorp yorp yorp!

Biting at some of the, some of their ankles. But there's, like, seven of them and one of him. Pip, the Hollows are on you. Reverend Declan is unconscious.

Oh god, I have to do this now. I gotta do it. Can I, I'm gonna Weekend at Bernie's Reverend Declan.

Pip, you have, you have magical people influencing powers, though.

That's true, actually.

But he also has Weekend at Bernie's.

Buddy...

Like, you, you know, I, you, if you want I can't stop you, I'm being punched, but -

The thing is Greg has been very explicit of, like, my will does not actually affect NPCs. And it honestly feels like kind of a waste for taking, but...

Uh, no, no, no. It was something that could not be ignored. I just said that we don't roll an opposed will when dealing with NPCs. But there, you do have an effect on Hollows.

That's true.

I don't know if you remember from the layover.

Yeah, let's just... in the, Pip digs deep into The Voice, TM. So, and will is steel.

Sure, roll, roll steel for me. What, what don't you want to do?

Do I get a bonus from being noble of Akaros?

So we're not going to do an imposed will because again, we don't want to, we don't do that on NPCs. That's specifically...

Do I get a bonus, though? Because it says plus one will. I want to know what I'm rolling with.

No. This works is the bonus. Just roll steel, what's when you don't want to do?

I think rage, lose control, or do unintended harm. Cause Andrel is right there. And that is a seven, so I do one that I didn't pick.

Okay! What do you say, and then I'll tell you what happens?

I think it's just, like, a single word, and it's just, like -

Stop!

And that kind of rings out through the, echoing through church.

Yeah. It rings out through all the Hollows, filling these empty husks with your command of stop.

Stop!

Your, your words physically reverberate in the church, which is built for such a thing, but they also spiritually reverberate. You get an echo back from the, deep inside of these Hollows. You, you hear them in response to your stop, so joyous it's almost sad.

Stop, stop, I can stop, we can stop, we can stop, we can stop, stop, stop, stop!

Take two trauma for mild supernatural weirdness.

Aurora's eyes just bugged out of their head. Which is fair!

Hello, hello.

So yeah, Pip, after that, though, the Hollows have stopped.

All, all right. Okay, then.

Yorp yorp!

Hi, Ji'mani. You did great. All right. I guess we take them down to the train? Where are the others?

Meanwhile!

Meanwhile!

Meanwhile, in the Fog of Lost Souls!

Drix, so yeah, there's Brother Gerg with his rod, there's the woman with her rings, and the seven foot tall corvid man who doesn't look like, doesn't look like he's gonna be, like, fighting, but he is just declaring how wretched you are.

Of course, of course.

You are moved theoretically.

Let's see. I think Drix's move is gonna be to protect Hecla and, like, lasso Gerg and throw him into, let's go with corvid.

I gotta ask, how, how, how's self flagellating man doing?

Oh, self flagellating?

Oh, we forgot about him!

My favorite.

Self flagellating man.

I just want to make sure everyone's accounted for.

You know, I must not have written him down. So what I think would be really funny, self flagellating - no, that was really childish, what I had, my idea.

Is it something about farting? Because that's what I keep thinking when you say flagellating.

Oh, ha ha ha. No.

That's different.

I think, I think out of one booth in the actual church, self flagellating man, like, steps out, like, red and raw all over, like, back and his chest and stuff, sees what the fuck is going on, and he just sort of...

Closes the door again?

Yeah, he closes the door.

Amazing.

But anyways.

Well, that was convenient.

Drix, you're going to try to wrap up Brother Gerg, slam him into corvid.

Yup, yup, yup.

Roll finesse.

Let's do it. That would be an eight.

Sure. How do you want to do this?

I want to...

Possessed by Matthew Mercer there.

We're gonna go with avoid trouble, compromise, or cost, I think.

Yeah, okay. Yeah. So you tie up Brother Gerg as he's swinging out that rod. He's like -

What, hey, what?

And you will slam him into corvid in a moment, but for right now you're sort of struggling with him. Hecla, what are you doing? This woman, you did just punch her back, like, her nose is bleeding and stuff. But she does look like she's still ready to fight you.

I would like, well, I mean, I guess I don't need to get out my knives.

No, take out the knives!

But they are fun!

I mean, yeah, I don't need get out my knives, but I do want to get out my knives. So I'm gonna stab this woman.

Yeah!

You could, you could do something not unlike what Drix was doing. You can, I think, I think in a single attack you could probably throw multiple knives, because there's corvid man too.

Yeah, I'll, I'll knife as many people as the dice will allow me tonight. I'm escalating the situation.

Two birds from one Skov?

And that is, is that force?

That was a stretch.

Force.

Force, okay. Then that is an eight.

Okay, what's the one you'd like to do? I think if you do inflict great harm you can hit multiple people.

Yeah, I'm gonna inflict great harm.

Hell yeah.

Y'all are so cool.

So describe to me how you first full-on murder the woman with the ring, and two, leave corvid man bleeding out on the ground, because again, deadly weapons, three harm, that's enough to take a normal person down.

Yeah, well, I reach and I do, like, I do some, like, cross-hip action where, like, she goes to one side and gets her, like, up through, like, underneath the chin, and then tosses out, because we've got the whole, like, wire thing going on -

Yeah, yeah. As Sister Hecla tosses out a knife, Drix, it takes you a little bit to notice it at first, but there's a wire that sort of stretches taut after it stabs into this woman.

What the...

And the next knife? How do you wound corvid man? Because she just, like, she just falls over, like, dead.

I just, I just toss, I just throw it, and it's just, like, a one quick, nothing, like, fancy, just a real toss it out and get him wherever.

He's, like, coughing up blood.

In the Dagger Isles. What a positively wretched place to die! Damn you, Sister Hecla!

Downed by a dagger in the Dagger Isles!

Oh!

Hey!

Appropriate.

Hey.

I don't know why but I hate this worse!

He's dying. Yeah, Drix. Brother, you've got Brother Gerg.

Yeah, yeah, while, while Hecla's out there redefining spray and pray, I'm going to -

Jesus Christ.

- yeah, I'm gonna try, I'm just gonna, like, pull him by the rope and uppercut him is what I want to do.

Yeah, roll plus one because you've got him by the rope.

Bet.

And I don't think he's taken any damage, but if you inflict great harm he's out.

Get his ass.

All right, that would be a nine. I'm going to inflict great harm, baby.

Woo!

Okay.

So jealous that Stefen has gotten to live out my dream of murdering Greg.

Wow.

He didn't murder Greg. He just knocked him, he just uppercuted him.

You know what? That would be pretty good too.

Brother Gerg could still show up.

Murder me, queen.

No! Stop!

That's how I live. Listener, that's how I live. Every single, if Hannah ever tried to murder me, I'd just say that and then she'd stop.

Uggghhhh. This is not the first time this has happened!

Gets her out of the mood every time, let me tell ya.

Hannah, Hannah, I think this is just insurance on Greg's part.

I know.

So yeah, Drix, you, bam, uppercut Brother Greg as you pull him close, as he falls over. I'm trying to think of any satisfying way - you see, like, with these two, like, these outright, like, fucking ups, I can't think any satisfying way for you to take harm in return. Which, I don't know if that's a betrayal of the Powered by the Apocalypse or whatever, but I'm kind of putting the fiction first. I don't see any way outside of, like, oh, no, he tosses the rod up in the air and it lands on your head and it's so funny! Um, you know, normally ghosts can take more than this, you know?

Yeah.

Or like can do ghosty things. So yeah, for all you rulesheads that listen to this podcast...

Stop. Stop, stop that.

Don't worry about it.

Get off their dick.

Just sit back and relax and don't check our fucking facts.

We here at Ghosts on a Train would like to take a moment to bring you a message from our friends at Redgate and Wolf.

Is this thing on?

Can't you see the red light? God, how bad are your eyes?

I can see the red light, but no one said the talk.

Hi, I am Marie Redgate. And this is...

Angus McCray.

And we fight monsters. Because those are real.

The boogeyman that you fear, they're real. That thing under your bed is also real. But we're here to fight them.

Kick their ass, but, you know, that's close enough.

Do you even really think we should be doing this?

I mean, who would believe a couple of monster hunters from a little town called Hendrix? Which we're stuck in, thanks to you.

Thanks to me?

I would have been gone a long time ago if I still had a car.

Well, I guess you shouldn't have drove off a bridge.

We interrupt this bickering to inform you that we are Redgate and Wolf, an actual play Monster of the Week podcast.

Wait, wait, wait, what? Why is it Redgate and Wolf? Shouldn't it be Wolf and Redgate? I do all the work. She talked about kicking ass, I do that.

You wouldn't be able to go anywhere to kick ass if I didn't drive you there.

Drive me? You drive me crazy.

Find us on your favorite podcast app now.

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I like solving mysteries, so maybe private investigator? Oh, but the horses were also really cool, so maybe I could just, like, take care of -

Yorp yorp!

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Yeah, how do you guys approach with all them Hollows, huh? Because you would come across this scene -

Yeah.

Probably as Drix is getting that rope off of Brother Gerg. Or, I don't know if you're gonna leave him tied up. But that's your rope, so.

That's fine Severosi craftsmanship. I'll be taking that back.

Yes, so Drix is unwrapping some rope from Brother Gerg and there are... you probably wouldn't leave the knives in there, right? You can probably just, like, retract them?

Oh, yeah. I get, I get my knives.

Yeah, there's the corpse of the woman with the rings, and the, the corvid guy's eyes are fluttering as he's bleeding all over the place.

I ignore his suffering. This is nothing to me.

Legit.

Drix kneels down and tries to close his eyes but they keep, they keep opening in horror.

Ah. Ah. Oh.

You should wait until he's dead if you want to, if you want to close his eyes you have to wait until he's, like, fully dead, you know?

Oh, your fingers smell wretched!

We really don't have time -

Just leave him.

Yeah, all right. Hey -

Just don't worry about it.

What a horrible final sense.

Can you, can you close your eyes on your own? I'm really sorry.

Oh, but if I could! Here I go. Losing my body. I shall become a sinful spirit.

We're gonna have to bust him soon, aren't we?

Oh, yeah. Well, maybe you are.

Almost certainly.

I'm not gonna have to deal with that.

Yeah, the Hollows are dutifully walking behind Andrel and Pippin.

Yeah, I think probably before we left Andrel was like, you know, you guys don't really have a choice about whether to follow us, but we're gonna get you somewhere with food and where you don't have to work and, you know, if, if you can want anything at all, then come if you want.

Pip, you are uncomfortably aware of the fact that they can want things.

We'll get them sorted.

But yes, we approach.

Oh, you guys had things happen, huh.

You know, sometimes, there's just nothing else to do.

I mean, we did jump pretty quick to - but you know, it's fine.

Maybe you jumped pretty quick. I've been traveling with those people for ages. So long.

Okay, I can tell there was a lot of tension building up there. Do you want to explain why exactly you were traveling with them so long if you wanted to murder each and every one of them?

You know, let's, let's talk on the way.

Yeah, no, we should definitely walk.

Candace will leave.

I think definitely walk and talk about this. But I also think the "talk about this" is not an optional part of the walk and talk about this.

I'm not hiding anything. It's just, you know, I have my own business and that's really, that's all there is to it.

Okay, so we are walking and talking.

Yeah.

Yes.

Yes. The conversation lasts as long as you want it, really.

What are you willing to tell us? Cuz we gotta have something, Miss Wire Knives.

All right, well, why don't you tell me what you think was going on, and I will either confirm or deny or offer up more information as I see fit?

Well, if you had to ask me, I would assume that you were part of some sort of secret organization that was infiltrating the Church of the Sacred Flesh.

Temporarily.

All right.

Wow, you really weren't expecting to get, like, an actual confirmation there, were you?

Well, I don't know. I mean, it's sort of, you know, obviously I'm not, I'm not actually from a Skovic branch of the Church, no.

Since we're all levelling with each other, what do you want? Your Drix have killed people together. I feel like we bonded. Maybe we can help you with whatever it is you are actually here for.

All right, well, listen. I came to your train because I was led there by this badge. And I, you know, honestly, I still don't know exactly why I, it led me to your train. But I do, my end goal is that I have to get to -

What's the name of the place that I'm going to?

You thought for a moment it might be Mistport. But last episode, you did realize that the pull of your ancestor was to the Pride of Duskwall, to the south, rather than northwards to any other city or eastwards towards Mistport. It's the train.

Well, you know, I guess I don't exactly have an end destination at this point. Situation is a little complicated.

You do recall, you do recall, when you took those steps from the crew car towards the office car, you felt closer than you'd ever gotten.

One of two things is happening, I think. Either the Immortal Emperor is hiding on your train currently, or I'm looking for you all. And honestly, at this point, I'm sort of leaning towards I'm looking for you all, but it sure would be convenient if he was on your train.

If you were looking for us, then wouldn't you still feel the pull, like, right now?

I check my badge.

You feel a pull towards the Pride of Duskwall.

No, no, I guess it's, I guess it's the train. It does look like I'm being pointed towards the train.

You think the Immortal Emperor is on our train?

Well, I'm looking for - listen, okay. I've already killed a bunch of people in front of you all. I feel like we're on the same page here, more or less?

I think we, I think we can be honest with each other at least.

Yeah, no. Can we be, can we get real cool about a lot of stuff real quick?

Yeah.

Great.

You're looking for, you're looking for a vessel?

Well, I'm looking for... I'm trying to kill the Immortal Emperor. I'm not expecting to succeed. But it's a bit complicated because of the whole, you know, he's hard to find, he's, you know, secretive and whatnot and, you, I mean, you know how he is. So I have this badge, it's infused with the spirit of my ancestor, or the, you know, the Ancestor of Skovlan, and it brought me to your train. And now I don't really know what's going on anymore.

Yeah, um, thank you, thank you for that great explanation. I just need to, what do you mean a vessel?

You're my favorite. You're my favorite fourth Line Bull we've ever had.

So good!

You're the coolest fourth Line Bull we've ever had.

So good. It's so good.

I talked about this before the line started. I mentioned it pretty explicitly, that there's a little bit more than meets the eye with Mr. Walker.

You just said there was a little bit more than meets the eye with Mr. Walker! Use -

You think Mr. Walker is the Immortal Emperor?

No.

This is just like the series of clones thing.

This is exactly like a series of clones thing.

Oh my God, I can't believe we were right.

I think that the Emperor might be using the body of Mr. Walker.

To walk?

Yes. When you say it like that it's a little on the nose -

Andrel, Andrel breaks down into hysterics.

It is a little on the nose, but honestly, you know, sometimes, sometimes it is just on the nose, and...

You know, sometimes you don't think it be like that, but it do.

Sometimes it absolutely do. So what's happening now is you need to watch, you need to watch him. And also I think that if he is on the train, when we get back, we should really just go for it. The worst case scenario is you kill, you kill your boss, and you can put that on me.

Uh, see, hold on -

No, we kill our...

I just, I need to ask you. What happens if you kill a vessel?

You know, I think mostly, I mean, I think it makes them feel unsafe, is really you know, the endgame here for me.

Yeah, see, here's the thing. If he feels unsafe about us, isn't he going to murder all of us very quickly, with no recompense?

He's the thing. And I think this is kind of the part where we might be getting a little bit too, too gung-ho about the murder thing. If we can go back and you can confirm that this is, this is your man. Kind of just murdering him off the bat kind of gives the game away, don't it?

Well, yeah.

If you know that this is your guy, and what he's all about, then, like, you could kind of get a little bit more, a little bit more information out of him. It doesn't have to be, like, right away, "That's the guy!" and then you go for it, because, like, you just learned it just now. You only got the, kind of, the implications of it, also, just now. So wouldn't it be a bit more, like, improved, to maybe just keep a close, close eye? See how things shake out and then when the moment comes, that's when you, when you strike. Or are you really impatient, really in on the murder thing?

Well, what's, what's your timeframe here? Are we talking about, like, a couple of minutes in which we see what we can get out of him, if anything, and possibly contend with whatever, whatever the heck he's got up his sleeve? Or are we talking about, you know, like, a weeks long process where you play it cool, because I'm not here for a weeks on process where we or you trying to play it cool. I want him dead. I want the vessel dead. I'm here to make a point. I'm not here to survive.

Andrel is still just laughing.

That's got me real concerned, because, like, listen, I know we just did some zealotry a minute ago. So it's like...

Pip kind of just, like, looks back at the Hollows, I guess.

They're walking.

I'm not sure it's in your best interest to, like, strike now.

No, I'm pretty sure that it's in my best interest to strike now.

Look, I - how about this. You can do whatever you want.

And I will.

Yeah, I just, we'll, like, I'm probably not gonna help.

You don't, I suggest you do not get involved.

Yeah. You can do whatever you want, I'm gonna deal with these Hollows.

And when the time comes, mourn, or, or whatever, the appropriate reaction - I don't know what your relationship is to Mr. Walker.

Probably we'd be like, oh no, someone killed our boss. I don't know. I'm, this has been such a weird day.

All right, everybody. Show me your, show me your surprised faces.

Pip keeps his, Pip keeps the mask on. Actually, yeah, we do all have masks on right now.

We all have masks on!

Aurora is doing, Aurora is doing some very good surprised faces.

Shocked and dismayed!

Hecla's been saying it, and everybody else probably - well, not everybody else probably wouldn't think about this, but maybe killing a vessel wouldn't kill him. Maybe, unless it's in the vessel.

Sure gonna piss him off, though.

That's right.

But not only that, when is any facet of the Immortal Emperor going to be basically unguarded in the middle of nowhere?

Right.

He's in the Imperial City, normally. Is the Emperor a physical body? You've got proof of what the Emperor is, and it's pulling that badge.

That's right.

I have to strike when I can. It's not about anything but that. I was sent here to do one thing, and that's it. It's the last thing I'm going to do with my entire life. I want the bastard dead. Or at least the vessel. I'm trying to send a point. And that's what I'm here to do.

You see the train. It's in view now.

My concern is that since you will be causing mischief on the train, we will be forced to step in, and listen. I really appreciate what you've done for us so far, you've been a great help and a stalwart ally. And I really would prefer not to have to openly kill someone or send them off to have much worse happened to them.

Is killing people who cause trouble on your train a normal part of your duties, or?

Arguably, not exactly.

You were saying before, that you don't like to do anything that isn't your job.

Our job is to protect the train. And being Hollowed can be a punishment for dealing with a noble. I'm reasonably concerned for what will happen to you afterwards, if you go through this.

Listen, they're not gonna hire me. If nobody gets me first, I'm gonna get myself. That's not happening, trust me.

Well, that's my conscience allayed.

What do you guys do when you get to the train? The train was in view as you were having your conversation. But you're basically there.

If you guys want to tell Candace that we're here, I can try and use my finesse to sneak the Hollows into the back.

That works for me.

Okay.

I trust Drix's finesse more than I do Pip in helping with that. I think PIP is just gonna grab and drink.

Oh yeah, if anyone wants to come assist that's also fine.

I think Pip's actually gonna go to the the engine, go talk with Trevor.

Oh, someone's gonna have to explain why we didn't bring the people back. I trust Pip to do that.

Mhm.

Okay.

Okay.

So we're good? Everybody's got their plan?

Yep.

Yep.

Sounds like.

Great. Just don't, don't get involved, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it from here. You know, it's been a, it's been a real pleasure working with y'all. Someday you might have to get over the whole not-killing-people-so-much thing. You -

She points at Andrel.

- you definitely got some potential. I like your rage. Use that. Hold on to that.

And she - can I, can I bestow, can I bestow a knife upon upon the group, or Andrel, at least?

The second knife Andrel has.

This would be my second knife!

Yeah!

Two knives!

Two knives, two knives!

And this one retracts. And is like a lightning hook, but just a knife. It is super badass.

Oh, you giving her the whole little, little wire rig?

Yeah, hell yeah, I'm about to die, like, whatever.

That's fucking awesome.

You are the coolest fourth Line Bull we've ever had.

I appreciate the, the openness, the honesty. It's a nice change.

Yeah, usually someone tries to get one over on us in one way or another.

I hope you get what you want.

Thank you.

And she gives her shoulder a pat and goes off to find Mr. Walker.

Yorp yorp!

Oh, wait, no, no, she doesn't, she actually gives the dorg a scritch first. One last, one last pat. For the road.

Yay!

Yay. One last scritch.

One last scritch!

Kicks his back leg.

All right. So I think it's Hecla doing a murder, Drix and me sneaking the Hollows into the back, and Pip going to the engine.

Yeah, Pip is going to basically explain why the people didn't come back to Trevor. Trevor is going to be the bearer of bad news. Because I feel like Trevor is easier to convince.

It's cool. We'll do all those discussions next time.

Okay.

Yeah. It is very late.

Mhm. You guys like to talk.

Weird, right?

I'm sorry.

It's true.

Well, somebody gave us a very complicated situation to unravel.

Yeah, we had to, we had actual interpersonal crew drama! We had to hash it out.

Yeah, I, how do you do this, Hecla? You can enter from the side of the freight box car.

Yeah, where, where do I find, I guess I'm just looking for Mr. Walker.

He's in the office car.

I knock and I - can I pull the door open and poke my head in?

Yeah, you can open the door.

Hi, I'm so sorry. I just, you know, I, there's that, there's been a little bit, I just wanted to talk to you real quick, if I could.

And I close the door behind me and lock it subtly.

Mr. Walker's sitting behind the desk, surrounded by cabinets and puzzle locks and things, with his bald head and Salvador Dali mustache.

Ah, he's so murderable.

Booker's badge, yeah, you feel tug more as it's wrapped around your primary knife. You remember that once, once this knife strikes the Emperor, Booker will know and pull the rest of themself, and you may fight alongside the Ancestor of Skovlan.

Great. I'm just gonna whip that knife right into his chest.

Dope.

You whip the knife, and it makes a heavy impact on the air about a foot away from him. Mr. Walker looks down at it, looks up at you. Looks a little disappointed, a little sad. And he says, in a voice that is not quite as own, in the same way that Pip sometimes speaks in a different voice. It's still his vocal cords making it. The restrictions of his body.

Sister Hecla. Naive assassin. You know, stepping in here, that you have failed in your task in undertaking it. I shall not gloat of any sort of misdirection, but even if this were my real body, thy mortal eyes would flee their sockets to avoid gazing upon my magnificent visage. Your malingering ears would shatter upon hearing my splendid voice. What hopes did you have?

Just wanted you to know, we can find you.

Yes, yes.

He strokes his Salvador Dai mustache. Some of his sleeve slides down. There is some glowing mark, might be a tattoo, you think. And it's with three digits, 999.

Oh, fuck.

And he says -

I have kept my awareness close to this Walker specifically because of this.

And he points to the badge.

I sensed the proximity to my own ancient companion. Though I sense now that it is but a large chunk of this essence, collected in that ancient trinket I thought lost. Enough to know him by, and yet mere directionless electroplasm. I cannot see one such as you defeating even his spirit, nor do I remember him so careless as to leave himself so apart. Must have been given to you. Why?

At this he does kind of look genuinely sad.

Does he truly reveal himself to me after a thousand years simply to end me?

Does it not occur to you how much you are hated by anyone paying the slightest bit of attention? Including, of course, the Ancestor of Skovlan. I mean, you know.

The Ancestor of Skovlan. One cannot be popular when they are the final steward of humanity. I suppose... I suppose I thought that he would understand. He was there, after all.

Do you want to talk to him? Instead of just talking at me? Because I'm not leaving this room.

In that regard, you are correct. We can speak if you wish, though in a moment you will not be much of a conversationalist.

Can I, I would like to just throw the badge at him? And should I, should I make an insight roll? I'm gonna make an insight roll.

Sure.

I don't want to overzealously end this wonderful, dramatic encounter. But also, she's not going to be Hollowed. Oh, shit, okay. Wow, the dice are really pulling it out of the last minute for me. We started very low, we started very poorly, but we've really brought it up with the dice.

It started very poorly. Listen to the cold open, it started very.

Oh, wow, so that is going to be an eleven. And I'm not going to hold; my questions are, what should I be on the lookout for and how could I get them to be vulnerable - like how to -

Drop their guard?

Yeah, to drop his guard for a second, in any in any regards or any, not necessarily being stabbed?

Emotionally, you have probably seen the Emperor in a moment of weakness. That's genuine sadness. He truly didn't think that whatever his relationship is with the Ancestor of Skovlan would turn into this. As for what to look out for, probably that the train around you has melted away, like sand beneath a wave.

I would like to stab myself.

You grasp at nothing. You see around you, yourself. Looks like yourself. All sorts of expressions, all sorts of clothing. The selves spread out endlessly, and as they get further you notice beards braided in ways that you've never even thought of wearing, hair longer than you've ever had it. Stranger textures. These are not yourself. That's your father, your mother, your father's fathers, your mother's mothers. You're a Skovlander, and you're meant to meet your ancestors in their Great Halls, but you realize that what you are seeing right now are their echoes. Deep, deep in the Ghost Field, the ripples of their lives sort of softly meeting you, as you here yourself have sunk all the way to the bottom.

Am I dead?

I ask, I ask the ghosts.

They nod.

Did I get Hollowed?

They shake their heads?

Oh, well, that's a relief at least.

Your body - your body, that's a strange way to think about it. But this sense of self of yours does feel like you can sink deeper. And yet something is stopping you. There is bedrock here. There is a bottom of something that previously was thought bottomless. And you grasp what it is. It is the Emperor's true shape, and it's indescribable. But you've seen it.

I don't think she has a verbal reaction to this. It's just sort of, like, a moment of cosmic horror.

And meanwhile, in reality, all that can be seen remaining in the office car is just a pile of dust, and that single dagger with the badge. An unadorned, triangular like Line Bull badges, but lacking in the accoutrements of rank, nothing about fealty to an Immortal Emperor, simply a name - Booker. And Mr. Walker picks it up, and once again gets a little bit sad as the number on his arm shifts digits from 999 to 328. Yeah, there's a lot to pick up and I'm definitely gonna split this episode in two episodes. But yeah, we'll answer some lingering things next time on Ghosts on Train on what will be kind of technically a layover, but also kind of as the, the denouement of this line.

Wee!

Yeah!

We're sitting around staring into space, I presume.

Yay! Good God.

Wow.

Yeah, yeah.

Aurora does make a habit of guesting games to die.

Yeah, Aurora, this is not the first time Aurora has guesting in a game that I've played in - I wasn't running it, I was playing it - just to die pretty immediately. Aurora was, Aurora was so down to die. Aurora was down to die offscreen.

Yeah, I figured I would be, like, you know, you get, like, a news clip. When I pitched this character I was like, all right, I want to play an assassin disguised as a nun trying to kill the Immortal Emperor, who's going, knowingly going to fail.

We should save some of this for the talkback.

Oh, yeah, yeah, no, but I was down to atomize you.

I love that. I love that for me.

On, on air.

Aurora, where can we find you on the internet?

You can find me on Twitter @AuroraBarksdale. You can also find me at aurorabarksdale.com. I'm a filmmaker and a game designer, and that's it, that's all the places - or you can find me at my house. You know where I live. Don't do that unless you want to fight.

Don't do that.

Don't find them.

Don't find their house. And we've all seen how good they are at fighting!

For every knife that Sister Hecla actually had, that is one knife that Aurora actually has in real life.

I will say, I have, so there's no spot for an inventory -

Yes!

- but I scrawled in both Fishbone's knife and Hecla's knives on my character sheet on the side.

Wonderful.

Excellent, excellent

That's so, I'm so glad you're becoming a little knife collecting girl.

You need a third knife!

Yay!

That's the coolest kind of, like, you know, budding teenager you can, you can be, I think, is a very cool one who collects knives.

That is the coolest kind.

But, like, not just, like, collecting knives. You didn't buy them at the mall. You got them from, like, strangers in meaningful situations.

Gonna keep getting knives gonna be great.

Yeah, thanks again so much, Aurora.

Thank you!

Thank you Aurora!

Thank you so much for having me!

This was a blast.

This was crazy fun.

Yeah, and thank you, listener, for, yeah, this double-stuffed line. Did a lot. Did a lot of stuff. I sensed Guy picking up on some things, Hannah was giving me looks.

Yeah, yeah.

Are we doing a plot? Maybe. We'll see how long we'll hold on to this thread.

Oh yeah.

Woo!

We'll see.

This, this never comes up again.

This never comes up again! Next time on, next time on Ghosts on a Train.

Bye!

Pride of Duskwall is now arriving. Please allow all passengers to exit the train before boarding. This has been Ghosts on a Train, a podcast with the Faustian Nonsense Network, where we've played Ghost Lines, an RPG written and designed by John Harper. All of our music by Sebastian Black. Our cover art is by Yoshiko Agresta. Your Line Bulls for this trip were:

Hecla, badge name Booker, played by me, Aurora Barksdale.

Andrel Anderson, badge name Dunvil, played by me, Hannah Levin.

Adric, AKA Drix, badge name Colburn, played by me, Stefen Lewis.

Pippin "Pip" McKeel, badge name McKeel, played by me, Guy Zwiebel.

And I have been your conductor, Greg Carrobis. For bonus content as well as behind the scenes, become a patron of the Faustian Nonsense Patreon. Your support will help our podcast as well as the others on the network, and in lieu of monetary support, a review on your favorite podcatcher will help Ghosts on a Train maintain visibility. If you have any questions about the Pride of Duskwall or additions to suggest for the train, please email them to ghosttrainpod@gmail.com, or contact us on Twitter @ghosts_train, and I'll have Candace bring them to the Line Bulls. Thank you for riding with us, and please consider traveling with us again next time.

Brother Gerg pulls out a rod and strikes you cross the -

Damn it.

Damn it!

You just got hit by, struck by -

A rod!

This is gonna be great for Greg to find.

Man, the last thing we heard was, uh, Brother Gerg whips out his rod.

Oh! Oh!

Yikes!

Uh oh! Uh oh! Uh oh!

We're about to take a very different turn in this game.

Oh no, this Church is too realistic.

No!

Hey, hold on-

Hey-oh!

I was about to say sexy music starts to play, but I guess, I guess you could take it to a realistic place.

It can be, it can be a sexy hymn.

It's a very transgressive fantasy.

The abuse of power to, in the Church is terrible. And none of us here on Ghosts on a Train approve or appreciate it.

That's right.

Despite us making light.

Which will probably get cut out, because...

One hundred percent. Don't, do not put this in the episode, Greg. Please don't.

We're all gonna get cancelled.

We're gonna get cancelled.

I'm gonna get cancelled on Twitter and I don't even have a Twitter anymore!

You're gonna be number two trending worldwide. You specifically.

I don't want to be the, I don't want to be the main character of Twitter!

Correct.

That's the worst thing you can be!

But hey, the good news is you wouldn't even be on Twitter, so...

That's true.

Hey, that is the best way to be the main character of Twitter,

All right, Greg, yeah, Greg is restarting Zencastr, don't worry. I'm just reassuring him.

I'm assuming you're telling him we have some truly heinous audio that needs to be stopped?

Yep.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai