"Tough Crowd"

"Tough Crowd" is the first episode of Dealing with Death. Exiting the Prison of Lights, the group unwinds at a nearby stage, then finds an uninhibited bar at which they decide to settle.
== Plot Synopsis ==
The group finds their way out of the Prison of Lights. They decide to take a moment to catch their breath directly outside the exit of the Prison, to recover and discuss the plan of action against Charoth. they find themselves on Talthir, another island in the Shrouded Isles.
While exploring Talthir, they stumble upon the flower theater, an old stage where plays were put on a long time ago. Seated in front of the stage, they see Yoroch, a spiritfolk who seems to dearly miss the shows that he saw before the stage was unused.
Markus, with curiosity, steps onto the stage. Kier suggests they show their "comedy act" on the stage, which consists of Markus offering Kier an apple. The apple promptly explodes into snakes, making Kier scream. He proceeds to step off the stage, remembering his other mishaps involving his food exploding into snakes.
Markus then asks his audience (consisting of Ashe, Gregor and Kier) for a suggestion of a profession, which is a musician, and a volunteer, who is, once again, Kier. He then asks for another suggestion, a location, where two people could meet - the Prison of Lights is suggested. In this scene, Kier acts as a drummer and Markus was another musician, the pair trying to get their two-man band "off the show". The scene falls apart and Markus attempts to show off his "musical prowess", with Ashe insisting that they leave the stage. Markus and Kier step down and Gregor presents the duo with a bouquet of flowers. Then, Yoroch comes up to the group and talks about how much he missed the plays that were on the stage, and praises Markus and Kier's performance.
While speaking to Yoroch, the group learns that he himself actually has tended the theater all this time. Ashe eventually asks if there is a place they could stay to rest up before fighting Charoth. Yoroch at first recommends a nearby brothel, but he says it hasn't been staffed in a long time. He then suggests a place a bit farther away, called Nine Shrines - a small island where all nine of the Shrouded Isles' Gods' shrines meet.
After a few moments of consideration, the group decides to set off to Nine Shrines. When they get there, they see a small building with a rock in front of it. It reads "No Regrets" in Ishtolen, which was apparently the original name of the alehouse. The building, according to Kier, was used by the gods on their way to afterlife, and this is where they would party and drink, moving on with "no regrets".
Once inside, Markus claims the bar for himself and the others of the group. Ashe goes looking for any leftover alcohol and the others explore the rest of the building. They find the bar is in a fairly preserved state, though it will need some repairs. Ashe is disheartened that the building is void of any and all alcohol. The group ultimately decides to stay at the bar for the night.
== Trivia ==
* This is the first episode that mentions the Nine Shrines. It is also the first to mention there used to be more gods than just Charoth.
== Quotes ==
* Ashe: "Is.. Kier alright?"
* Kier: "Hm?"
* Ashe: "Is Kier alright?"
* Kier: "Hm??"
* Ashe: "Kier, are you fine?"
* Kier: "Huh???"
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* Markus: "We have spent many years living in this highly populated town, the Prison of Lights, and doing our best to get our, uh, two man band off the show. What?"
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* Ashe: "Do you know of anywhere to rest or perhaps get a drink? Something alcoholic?"
* Gregor: "Or non-alcoholic?"
* Ashe: "But alcoholic, mostly."
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* Gregor: "Haven't you ever been moved to tears by a beautiful piece of art?"
* Markus: "Haven't you ever been moved to tears by yourself?"
* Gregor: "Or like a sword going through someone's heart really nicely?"
* Ashe: "Um.."
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* Markus: "That's fine, but I'm going to put my name in a few places anyway. Just as a bit of a failsafe." I scrawl 'Markus Velafi' under some tables, on some walls..
Category:Dealing with Death episodes