Astonishing Tales of the Highly Improbable

### Released

Michael: September 16, 2018 - September 26, 2018Jill: October 26, 2018 - December 5, 2018

Asha: March 13, 2019 - June 3, 2019

William: July 10, 2019 - January 21, 2020

The August Sky Playhouse: August 26, 2020 - January 29 2021

The Gnome War: March 15 2021 - March 23 2021

### Length

Approx. 15-30 minutes per episode

**The New Albion Radio Hour Presents: Astonishing Tales of the Highly Improbable** is a podcast series created, written, and performed by Paul Shapera. It was first released on September 16, 2018.

The podcast has been divided into six story arcs: *Michael & the Monster**, Jill & the Ghost, Asha & the Caravan*, and *William*, *The August Sky Playhouse*, and *The Gnome War*.

The episodes can be streamed or downloaded for free here

A collection of the stories told in the podcast have been compiled into a book, The Posthuman Playhouse, without Lloyd Allen's intros and outros. Reading the book is not necessary to listen to the podcast, or vice versa. Both mediums are meant to be standalone, and while there are minor details that may appear in one but not the other, fans can choose their preferred medium and will be able to enjoy the main story and know all the important events after reading/listening to only one.

## Format

The series is produced as a free to download or stream podcast. Each story spans over four to five episodes.

The introduction is presented by Lloyd Allen in his iconic style, and most episodes include an ad from a sponsor. Sometimes Lloyd converses with The Sentient Room, who is off screen and replies cannot be heard.  Lloyd often attempts to use hip slang to appeal to his younger audience, with varying levels of success. Lloyd goes through quite a range of emotions during his intro segments, as he struggles with his own undesirable situation being stuck in New Albion. This is set before the events of The New Albion Radio Hour.

Stories are read by Pablo Shaepra (as Lloyd Allen introduces him) and have a straight forward narrative tone. The main content of each story features the flowering and origin stories of Post-Human characters.

Episodes conclude with solo covers performed by "a member of the New Albion Orchestra," which is sung by Paul Shapera.

## Stories

### Michael & the Monster

*Michael & the Monster* consists of four episodes. The first episode features Michael's great-grandfather Corey, and other three parts depict the younger days of Michael, the post-human.

The podcast tells the story of how Corey and his gang created a monster to free themselves from indentured servitude. Years later Corey's descendant Michael befriended the monster, and followed it down into a tunnel to a subterranean city of gnomes. The gnomes performed a ritual which allowed them to open a window into The Metaverse, and Michael followed them though and found his way to a watchtower.

### Jill & the Ghost

*Jill & the Ghost* consists of five episodes, and is the origin story of the post-human Jill. The first episode is about Mavis, the second about Jill's mother Darla, the third episode about Jill's ghost friend Jan, and the final two episodes focus on Jill.

The story begins with Mavis, who used to be locked up in the asylum when she was young and who can see a little ghost boy most people cannot. After retirement, she volunteers at the asylum and forms a plan to burn the place to the ground.

Years later, the escaped inmates run a renaissance faire. Darla loved visiting the faire, but when she brought her six year old daughter Jill, the young girl saw a vision of the ghost boy, signaling that she was destined to join the people at the faire. This ghost boy is named Jan. He had observed some villagers performing a ritual which included trapping three strange creatures in a pit. Jan and his troupe helped the creatures escape, but the villagers attacked them. Many people were killed, including Jan, but he remained as a ghost, thanks to magic from one of the creatures.

Jill grew up in the faire with Jan as her best friend. She wanted to find a way to help Jan die and go to Elysium, and Madame Chatterlaine and a pudgy woman helped her learn magic. The first time she cast the spell to open a portal, they ended up at the Crossroads, but the second time they made it to Elysium. They were immediately attacked by creatures, and Jill teleported herself away, finding herself in one of the ultra-dimension above Elysium, going mad every time she got a glimpse of her surroundings. Eventually she was rescued by a future version of herself, and was sent to the Metaverse, where she met Michael.

More time is given to Lloyd's intros, and he is excited about his plans to finally escape from New Albion. He has contacted Jacqueline O'Brien, and hopes to receive help from the Akashic Monastery. At The Room's prompting, Lloyd also tells a couple stories from his own past.

### Asha & the Caravan

*Asha & the Caravan* consists of four episodes, and tells the tale of Asha's early years. The first three parts focus on Asha, and in the fourth part she meets up with Michael and Jill.

Asha was born into a family of Post Humans who traveled in a caravan bringing information and goods to the area. At the age of twenty she went through the initiation ceremony, and afterwards she overhead the gnomes planning to wage war on The Lost Ones. Her family attempted to warn The Dwarves, but the gnomes attacked the family and Asha was the only survivor. She escaped to the Metaverse, where she found Michael and Jill in the watchtower. The gnomes were still hunting Asha, so the three teamed up to find The Decadent Abbey to try to get help from William.

During Lloyd's intros, he becomes increasingly frustrated with how long it is taking to hear back from the Monastery. He gets in contact with a government official to try to get a plane to go there himself. In the final episode of this story, Jackie tells him that the Voodoopunks are unable to help him, and Lloyd is furious.

### William

*William* consists of five episodes. This is the origin story of the legendary post human William.

William's mother came from a high standing family, but she ran away and married a trumpet player and became a traveling musician, but the vengeful family sent assassins who killed William's parents. He was taken in by Madame Chatterlaine and a carnival, until the family caught up to him again. After one of his cousins was killed, William began a new life as an apprentice for a print maker. He became well educated, joined several Lodges, and discovered an interest in ritual magic.

William founded The Promethian Lodge, exploring a theatrical approach to magic, and they developed a ritual to hop between worlds. However, they could not find their way back home and continued to jump between worlds until they landed in a desolate world where they were captured by gnomes. They were locked in a cell with giant rat creatures who told him many things, and helped them escape into a different narrative with a request that he deliver a warning to the Dwarves.

In the new narrative they became part of the native tribe living there. Eventually William found his way to the Dwarves in the center of the world, right as the gnomes came to attack. The Dwarves tell him some more things before sending William into the realm of The Heirophant. William went mad in the new realm, and when he became sane again he found himself being used as a footstool. He used his new transcendent powers to create a deus ex machina for his own rescue. He went on to have many adventures, wrote a grimorie, ran into the gnomes again, and returned to kill The Heirophant.

Lloyd is sad and depressed for the first two episodes, feeling hopeless after his plan to contact the Monastery failed. His mood improves with the third episode, as he comes up with a new way to escape the city and begins making preparations for a special episode of The New Albion Radio Hour.

### The August Sky Playhouse

There are six episodes of *The August Sky Playhouse*. This is the origin of the August Sky Playhouse.

### The Gnome War

There are five episodes of The Gnome War.

## Sponsors and Songs

Intros often include Lloyd giving an advertisement from a sponsor, and every episode ends with a cover song performed by Paul Shapera.

1. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BqrgD6CgLXJ/