Riptide Episode 43: City of Steam

> "The Albatrio docks in the Edison Kingdom, a city powered by steam! They quickly form a plot to dismantle the entire power structure." -*Episode 43 Official Description*
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## Summary

The party learns of the economic inequality of Edison Kingdom, and Chip proposes a plan to steal from the rich and give to the poor. They spend a day ridding the second layer of the kingdom of evil.

## Episode Events

The party walks around the slums of Edison Kingdom. They see a paper boy being jostled by a bustling crowd. Gil thinks the boy is being attacked and forcibly takes him away. At first the boy freaks out but senses that Gil doesn’t want to hurt him. He wants to sell them a paper - the money is to help out his orphanage. Gil suggests that he should tell the people he’s trying to sell to that the money is for charity. Isaac, the paperboy, says despondently that no one cares about the slums, that it’s down here for a reason.

Isaac explains that this city has three layers. There’s the slums, and then on the second level of the city is a rich person area. Another boy steals Gillion’s briefcase but he takes it back quickly. This boy is also stealing to get things for the orphanage. Chip asks why he doesn’t steal from the richer area, but the boy explains that he can’t even afford to enter. They let him go. Chip gives Isaac two gold for helping catch the other boy, and he’s ecstatic.

Chip makes a plan to steal from the rich people. He excitedly gives a speech about how Gillion is always talking about saving people. Well these kids at the orphanage need saving, he says; they need pirates. Chip encourages Ollie to come along, saying this is his own adventure. Gillion wants to overthrow the government. Chip gives Jay puppy dog eyes until she agrees to the heist. They go to the second level and Gil immediately senses evil from some of the shops.

They go to the post office, run by an old bird woman, the source of the evil. Gil demands to know what she’s done. She admits she shits in people’s packages. Gil threatens her into changing her ways and adding gifts to packages instead. Chip asks how she drops off mail, and she tells him there’s a package-chute from the second to the first level. Chip says he’ll be back. The next evil building is a brothel. Adultery is canonically evil now. Gil defenestrates all the people having sex while Jay and Chip walk away to mind their own business. Gil turns Jay into a half-crab.

The last evil building is a casino. Jay talks to a mysterious mercenary who wants to catch the party (he doesn’t recognize her because she’s a crab) and says she’ll help him catch them. Chip sees Karina, a waitress from the Blue Royale Casino. Karina gives Ollie a mysterious flash drive which he gives to Chip. Karina wants to meet Ollie after this but Chip says no, and gives him The Talk.

Gil sees that the frogtopus racing is rigged and enters Pretzel. If he wins they will stop rigging the race and if he loses, he’ll give them all his money (he has no money). Gil wins and demands to know who runs this place. The frogtopus racer man, whose name is Abdul, tells him it’s the Blossom Boss. Gil takes him with them. Jay alerts the mercenary that the party is in the casino, and he brings out his gun and waves it at everyone. Everyone runs away.

## Transcription

A Google Doc of this episode's transcription is not currently available.

Transcriptions are made by pistolwaltz and their transcription team on Discord.