Two Brains are Better than One

an adventure starring Boltzmann, Dr. Crud III and Furious Johnson.
=== Episode Teaser ===
What makes 2 brains being better than 1 even better still? When they’re BOTH the Greatest Brains in the Universe (at least that’s what Boltzmann would say). Join Boltzmann, Dr Crud III and Furious Johnson in a truly mind-boggling adventure!
=== Location ===
Jishoap
=== NPCs ===
*Charwig Caviar
*Stanward Caviar
* Jenny
* Beans
*Mr. Langley (human)
*Simon Stoolwitz
* Mr. Langley
*Ezekiel
=== Plot Summary ===
The episode begins in an underground arena full of greasy dwarves. Furious Johnson is tussling it out in the final of a competition to win a lifetime's supply of McAllister's Extra-Slippery Sports Oil. After a heated contest, Furious reigns victorious, but while he celebrates a robot monkey (seemingly Mr. Langley) arrives and presents him with a magic stone. Once touched, this stone emits Boltzmann's voice, summoning Furious to his residence.
Meanwhile, Dr. Crud III is relaxing at home with Jenny and Beans, who are working on a project by the fireplace. The doorbell rings and Beans wanders off to answer the door. Jenny takes the opportunity to talk to Crud about her future aspirations, that she wants to join the Firebreathing Kittens and that she is applying for adventuring school. She shows off what she's been working on; a personalised tabard, with an engraving of two snakes entwined round an elephant's tusk. Crud gives his blessing to the idea and embraces Jenny as Beans enters the room with another magic stone, which also emits Boltzmann's voice, summoning the doctor to his residence.
Meanwhile meanwhile, Boltzmann is taking his morning nutrition drip when Mr. Langley enters the room with that day's copy of The Niqamui Gazette. The usually-stoic robot monkey butler looks concerned as he hands over the newspaper. On the front cover is the story:The residents of Jishoap are shocked at the surprise return of Stanward Caviar, inventor and founder of Sufficiently Advanced Technologies. Caviar disappeared from the city almost two years ago, reported dead by his sister after discovering his boneless and brainless body. Physicians at the time had diagnosed Caviar with ‘teleporting bone disease’, and declared that the disease had finally beaten the eccentric mind behind the animal magnet; a magnet that attracted various types of animals depending on whether they were cold-blooded or warm-blooded.However, it would appear that the brain is mightier than the body, as late on Tuesday night, Stanward Caviar himself returned to his family home in Jishoap, to much surprise and amazement. His sister, Charwig, is currently running a series of tests on the famed inventor, but she says that early results do indeed indicate that her brother is back with his body intact and in perfect working order. She said to our reporter when asked:“It’s absolutely incredible. We all thought he was dead, that his terrible disease had gotten the better of him. We didn’t part on the best of terms, so I’m absolutely thrilled that I can have my brother back, and he seems better than ever, a new man indeed! He says he’ll be ready to return to public life any day now, and is looking forward to sharing his new ideas.”Meanwhile, Charwig has announced that this year’s SATCON will be moved forward to celebrate her brother’s return, an encourages the whole scientific community to attend.“It’ll be something truly special,” she teased to reporters.More on this story as it develops.
Stanward Caviar was the name of Boltzmann before he became a brain in a jar. He becomes suspicious and angry at the thought of an imposter using his name and/or his old body. At that moment, Mr. Langely enters the room with Crud and Furious in tow, holding their communication stones. However, Boltzmann did not send any messages. After inspecting their magical stones, Boltzmann concludes that the stones are identical to how he would construct them, so perhaps he created them and forgot about them. He puts this information to the side as he tells his compatriots about this imposter in Jishoap, and asks them to come with him to investigate. Crud offers use of his mobile hospital, now pulled by Ezekiel the Time Horse, and they teleport to the outskirts of Jishoap.
Arriving at the city gates, the group find themselves in a long queue on the road with other carriages, filled with all sorts of magical and scientific inventions. Talking to the guard at the gate, they learn that there is some sort of competition going on at SATCON (the yearly convention held by Sufficiently Advanced Technologies, Boltzmann's old company), which is being held in a disused railway station. Naturally wanting to enter and win the competition, they make their way to the convention, park their carriage with the valet, and head inside.
The inside of the old railway station has been completely transformed for the convention; banners hang on the walls, advertising various companies, whilst tables line the main hall, with guests setting up equipment behind each booth. Boltzmann notices that a lot of the inventions he sees definitely seem to be based on notes he himself made some time ago. The group make their way to the back of the hall, where a stage has been set up, a crowd gathered round. As they get closer, a woman walks out to loud applause. Boltzmann recognises her as his sister, Charwig, who speaks to the crowd and introduces her newly-resurfaced brother, Stanward. He greets the crowd and announces that the prize for the 'best new technology' competition is to collaborate on a new, exciting project with him. Boltzmann is confused by the crowd's love of Stanward, considering that he himself was reviled while in his human body. Deciding that it would be prudent to split up to find out more information, Crud and Furious head backstage and Boltzmann makes his way to a corner to work on their entry.
Boltzmann sets up next to a satyr named Simon Stoolwitz, who has developed a sentient stool that shouts one's weight when sat on. Boltzmann recognises the design as one of his own and questions him about it. Simon happily states that he didn't come up with the design, but bought the patent from SAT around a year ago for a reduced price. However, he is having an issue with the arcane aspect, and the stool keeps shouting out measurements that aren't particularly useful, for example, weight in avocados. Boltzmann convinces him of the use of that sort of measurement, but shows him how to modify it so the measurements are more relevant. He also upgrades Ezekiel with the ability to produce condiments, aiming to enter Ezekiel into the contest.
Heading backstage, Crud and Furious come across two orcish guards and request passage, showing them their message stones-- their logic being that perhaps it was Stanward who called them instead of Boltzmann. The guards let them through, and they meet Charwig and Stanward backstage, who immediately greets the two as old friends. Stanward appears to have Boltzmann's memories, up until the point in The Brain Game in which his brain was excised by Crud. He is convinced that he is the 'real' Boltzmann and that the Boltzmann left behind is a nefarious imposter. However, there is no time to dwell on this as it comes time for the judging of the competition.
Boltzmann magically disguises himself as a greasy dwarf in a wheelchair to avoid detection and joins the queue to present Ezekiel. however, as he reaches the front, Crud reveals his identity and the two Boltzmanns confront each other. After a spirited debate, both Boltzmanns agree to be surgically inspected by Crud to figure out who the 'real' Boltzmann is. Both are sedated, and Charwig calls over their butler, Langley, to take Stanward to Crud's carriage.
During the joint brain surgery, Crud discovers that Stanward's brain seems to be full of repeating patterns, like it was duplicated and grown. Similarly, Boltzmann's brain (aside from housing a few mysterious oddities) is missing a small sliver of brain matter identical in shape to the repeated pattern in Stanward's brain. Crud wakes the two Boltzmanns, communicates this information to them and the watching crowd (Furious sold tickets), and concludes that both versions are legitimate.
Boltzmann still doesn't quite understand who is responsible, and when he asks speculatively, a voice calls from the shadows. Stepping forth is Mr. Langley, speaking for the very first time. He admits to being concerned for Boltzmann's welfare, having spent so much time altering his brain chemistry and experimenting with dangerous arcane properties. After Boltzmann's brain was excised, Mr. Langley took the sliver of brain left on the crossbow bolt and sent it to the human Langley to be cloned, with the aim of restoring Boltzmann's consciousness to the new body. However, the clone matured more quickly than anticipated; it escaped the lab and made its way home.
The Boltzmanns discuss this, and come to an agreement to collaborate; Stanward staying in Jishoap with Charwig and Boltzmann travelling, working on treating people with more respect. They decide to put aside their similarities and work together, as they can do more good together-- because two brains are better than one.
Category:Episodes