A Peak Beneath the Veil

**A Peak Beneath the Veil** is the first campaign from tabletopnotch.

It explores the mysteries of an island nation struggling to maintain order after a new discovery led to a period of unprecedented growth and prosperity. Myconid Extract's invention has led to some incredible advancements in the world of Alchemy, but some have never stopped to consider if this power could lead to unforeseeable chaos.

The campaign was split into two seasons and included:

* 1 off-screen session zero [Season 1, Chapter 1]
* 148 standard episodes [Season 1, Chapters 2-100; Season 2, Chapters 1-49]
* 1 prequel episode [Genesis]
* 4 discussion and Q&A episodes [tabletoptalks]

The campaign began streaming with Season 1, Chapter 2 on April 14, 2019 and completed with Season 2, Chapter 49 on July 23, 2023.

## Player Characters

### Main Cast

* **Graven il-Vigo** - played by Anthony Cascio
* **Orba -** played by Jordan McDonough
* **Beezaura Quipler** - played by Leah Pressman
* **Safira Siochain** - played by Riley Quinn
* **Erland Loftefel** - played by John Racioppo
* **Dungeon Master** - Matthew Taylor

### Guests

* **Jaiwa Ru-Ockt** - played by Deirdre Manning
* **Dubravko (Ravi) Magomet** - played by Billy Finn
* **Shaleer Olivinus** - played by Geordie Broadwater
* **Cipro Helutero** - played by Sam Massaro
* **Wangami Dulcet** - played by Chris Scott
* **Ka'imi** - played by Erica Ito
* **Manager** - played by Tim Rogan
* **Herringbone** - played by Deirdre Manning
* **Avril** - played by Erica Ito
* **Rumik il-Vigo** - played by Talon Ackerman
* **Sascha il-Vigo** - played by Steven Czajkowski

## Background

#### From Season 1, Chapter 1 Prologue:

It's quiet, a distant sunrise blankets the roof of a small cabin with a soft orange glow. The embers in an iron brazier at the door gently smolder, having lasted throughout the night. An easy downward slope reaches out toward the ocean and the stillness of the tall grasp lies the tumultuous history of the land. A bloody battlefield, now divided into pastures and rural communities seeking anonymity and new beginnings.

In the years following the War of Giants, the coastal villages of the Antisuyu region experienced an unprecedented period of growth. The favorable shipping routes, formerly under the tight-fisted rule of Emperor Pachacamac, opened up to free trade and stagnation gave way to prosperity. This area became known for a plethora of quality exports: coffee, spices, and ivory, as well as essential construction goods such as lumber, marble, and tin - but not even precious gemstones could hold a candle to the demand for the most prized and exclusive commodity of the region: Myconid Extract.

The myconids are a species of semi-intelligent fungi that populate caves within the mountain ranges of Antisuyu. As a myconid ages, it repeatedly sheds its outermost membrane, and this will happen 20 to 25 times over the course of its natural life, which typically lasts around a hundred years. For centuries, the local shamans would use the discarded myconid membranes as incense fodder to be burned for important ceremonies such as the Mama Awqaq or “Mother Warrior” ritual which commemorated the passing of women in these clans who had served in the Yaku Wallqanqa, a kind of coast guard that warded off pirates and the occasional marrow raid.

When the embargo ended and settlers emigrated for the first time in many years, a company of young warlocks who'd been exiled from their home country of Shashii across the Hatun Sea came in search of new beginnings. It was one of these warlocks that discovered, through extensive experimentation, if you didn't burn the myconid membranes but instead performed a kind of arcane electrolysis, it would slowly separate into two distinct substances: a brittle clump of pungent fibers and a translucent viscous fluid that would soon become the focal point of the nation's economy.

Myconid extract when consumed in safe dosages has unparalleled enhancement properties. A single vial could keep a laborer at full strength and alertness for more than a hundred hours. A soldier could march for three days, fight a battle, and march three days back before having to think about stopping for rest. A scholar could absorb the entire contents of dense tomes in one sitting and upon completion recite back facts and figures as if the knowledge was innate. It is not a surprise then that desire for the extract grew exponentially and demand rapidly outgrew supply. What were once harmless excursions into the mountains to collect discarded membranes are now violent raids as myconids are captured, imprisoned, and skinned alive to accelerate production. In addition, the exchange of such valuable goods has given rise to a number of peripheral occupations regarding their safe transportation and distribution as well as questions about the morality of such a trade.

## List of Episodes

### Season One

* Chapter 1: An Arranged Carriage
* Chapter 2: Corn to Secrecy
* Chapter 3: Rare Books & Suspicious Looks
* Chapter 4: Subterranean Tussle
* Chapter 5: Split Decisions
* Chapter 6: An Acquired Taste
* Chapter 7: Trust Issues
* Chapter 8: Falling Into Place
* Chapter 9: Progressing in Disguise
* Chapter 10: A Fire Purpose
* Chapter 11: Last Call in the South City
* Chapter 12: Brother Nature
* Chapter 13: Cold Shoulders and Hot Pursuits
* Chapter 14: Caught in the Crossingfire
* Chapter 15: Long Story Short Rest
* Chapter 16: Marsh Realities
* Chapter 17: Djinn and Phonics
* Chapter 18: The Truth Won't Set You Free
* Chapter 19: Upstream Schemes
* Chapter 20: The Best of Bad Situations
* Chapter 21: A Land of Good Standing
* Chapter 22: Wailing Spirits & Silent Gods
* Chapter 23: True Colors Can't Hide
* Chapter 24: From the Ground Up
* Chapter 25: Wrath from the Past
* Chapter 26: To Each Their Own
* Chapter 27: Consultations & Investigations
* Chapter 28: Shack and Awe
* Chapter 29: Leave It How You Found It
* Chapter 30: Mine for the Taking
* Chapter 31: Meddle in a Model
* Chapter 32: Swing and a Misfortune
* Chapter 33: Seclusion & Disillusion
* Chapter 34: Your Advice Will Suffice
* Chapter 35: Eat Your Heart Out
* Chapter 36: Lake It Till You Make It
* Chapter 37: See For Yourself
* Chapter 38: Bear This in Mind
* Chapter 39: Off the Map & On the Record
* Chapter 40: Acid Reflexes
* Chapter 41: On Second Thought
* Chapter 42: Close Call Withdrawal
* Chapter 43: Ride With No Guide
* Chapter 44: Spilling Beans & Blood
* Chapter 45: Double Tunnel Struggle
* Chapter 46: Letter Speak Her Piece
* Chapter 47: Those Led Now Lead
* Chapter 48: Live Music & Dead Bodies
* Chapter 49: Two Bounties, One County
* Chapter 50: Ferment For Bigger Things
* Chapter 51: What's Good for Me Is Good for Thee
* Chapter 52: Silence Broken & Words Unspoken
* Chapter 53: The Name of the Game
* Chapter 54: Breaking the Riverbank
* Chapter 55: Appeased Among the Trees
* Chapter 56: No Dawdling
* Chapter 57: We're All Running From Something
* Chapter 58: Ruined Relationships
* Chapter 59: All-Out Fog Slog
* Chapter 60: Mired in Mortality
* Chapter 61: Picking the Right Fights
* Chapter 62: Mercy Controversy
* Chapter 63: Catching Thugs & Beating Rugs
* Chapter 64: What Goes Up Must Throw Down
* Chapter 65: A Night of Knuckles
* Chapter 66: He-Said She-Wolf
* Chapter 67: Sneak & Destroy
* Chapter 68: Stripped Down & Out
* Chapter 69: Flavor for a Favor
* Chapter 70: A Hint of Malice
* Chapter 71: Worldly Possessions
* Chapter 72: Headbangers & Cliffhangers
* Chapter 73: Finders Reapers
* Chapter 74: In Rare Form
* Chapter 75: Cabins, Dens & Loose Ends
* Chapter 76: Draw It Up, Knock 'em Dead
* Chapter 77: A Match Fixed, A Man Kicked
* Chapter 78: Some Assembly Required
* Chapter 79: Recruited & Eluded
* Chapter 80: Time to Face the Music
* Chapter 81: Crowd Controlled
* Chapter 82: Justice for Just Us
* Chapter 83: Caveats & Private Chats
* Chapter 84: Here Comes the Bribe
* Chapter 85: Instructions for Abductions
* Chapter 86: Paralyze on the Prize
* Chapter 87: Two Can Play at This Game
* Chapter 88: A Pitch to Bait and Switch
* Chapter 89: When the Going Gets Bluff
* Chapter 90: Debt Man Walking
* Chapter 91: To Spell and Back Again
* Chapter 92: Deep Pockets
* Chapter 93: Befuddling & Scuttling
* Chapter 94: The Wrong Side of the Bedlam
* Chapter 95: Strained Bedfellows
* Chapter 96: Smoking Out the Snake
* Chapter 97: Beckoned to a Reckoning
* Chapter 98: All That Tit for Tat
* Chapter 99: Held to a Prior Standard
* Chapter 100: Leaving Town & Mountain-Bound

### Season Two

* Chapter 1: Boom Boxes
* Chapter 2: Abrasion Contagion
* Chapter 3: Dregs, Borrow or Steal
* Chapter 4: Paint That the Truth
* Chapter 5: The Extent of Grave Dissent
* Chapter 6: Outpost Traumatic Stress
* Chapter 7: Follow the Blackmail Trail
* Chapter 8: Miner Inconveniences
* Chapter 9: Clouded Judgment
* Chapter 10: From Bad to Curse
* Chapter 11: Lost Shames & Clearing Names
* Chapter 12: Our Family Treason
* Chapter 13: Lizard Lockdown
* Chapter 14: Later Crater
* Chapter 15: Kite Where We Want Them
* Chapter 16: Needs Leads to Misdeeds
* Chapter 17: Yeti, Aim, Fire
* Chapter 18: Ogre & Out
* Chapter 19: On the Ropes & Down the Slopes
* Chapter 20: The Powers that Beacon
* Chapter 21: Boogie in the Bowl
* Chapter 22: A Climb of Rime
* Chapter 23: Hidden in Plane Sight
* Chapter 24: Better Stuck Next Time
* Chapter 25: Down to the Last Strike
* Chapter 26: You Do the Aftermath
* Chapter 27: Scroll Mates
* Chapter 28: An Abode Bestowed
* Chapter 29: The Thought That Counts
* Chapter 30: Flock Buster
* Chapter 31: Problem Salving
* Chapter 32: In Order to Proceed
* Chapter 33: Banish Lessons
* Chapter 34: No Crane, No Gain
* Chapter 35: Remains to Be Seen
* Chapter 36: On the Edge of Your Sleet
* Chapter 37: You Lonely Live Once
* Chapter 38: Mystery Plants Circumstance
* Chapter 39: Speak-Easier Said Than Done
* Chapter 40: Bad Grapple Spoils the Bunch
* Chapter 41: Sea Haggling
* Chapter 42: Fin-Locked & Loaded
* Chapter 43: Chaostracized
* Chapter 44: Made in the Shade
* Chapter 45: How Kin We Help You?
* Chapter 46: Death Meddle
* Chapter 47: One-Night Strand
* Chapter 48: To Kingdom Comeuppance
* Chapter 49: Sailing & Unveiling

### Prequel Episode

* Genesis - A Peak Beneath the Veil Prequel [Before Season 1, Chapter 41]

### Associated Table Top Talks Episodes

* A Year in Review - TTN Anniversary Stream [After Season 1, Chapter 40]
* A Very Special Q&A Episode [Before Season 2, Chapter 1]
* Another Very Special Q&A Episode [After Season 2, Chapter 14]
* End of Campaign 1 Q&A Episode [Following end of Campaign 1]

### Side Quests with Campaign Characters

* Song of the Sin Harp [4 episode virtual battle royal]
* Designs of the Troubled Mind [4 episode virtual battle royal]
* The Unraveling [4 episode virtual side-quest]

## References

1. ↑ "An Arranged Carriage" (C1S1Ch1). *A Peak Beneath the Veil*. 1 April 2019. Available (youtube).