Episode 26: BAM! POW!

Episode 26: BAM! POW! (C1E26) is the twenty-sixth episode of the first campaign of The Table is Yours: A Role-playing Adventure Show. Before exploring the Balthazar plot further, some of The Faded Fates go shopping...

## Synopsis

### Trouble at the Guild

Isa answers Maude’s call on the sending stone, and in a hushed tone, Maude starts explaining she believes Shawm is being controlled by Orathia in some way. Shawm zoned out the night prior while sitting at the bar, so Maude snuck into his room. She explains Shawm doesn’t go anywhere without his logbook and always takes meticulous notes, but when she opened his book, she saw he hadn’t taken notes in almost two years, before Isa joined RRAG. Maude says it is highly unusual and confirms their suspicions that there is something wrong with Shawm. Isa tells Maude to come to them and stop putting herself in danger as she talks about her findings and theories while still at RRAG. Maude agrees to make her way to the Faded Fates’ keep.

### The Plan

Isa ends the call with Maude, walks into the keep, and tells the party what she learned from Maude. She suggests the party focus on investigating Balthazar’s vats while they wait for Maude’s arrival. The Faded Fates discuss at length their options with the vats. The party seems split between two options: a) reconnaissance only or b) emptying the vats to delay Balthazar’s plans. Reconnaissance appeals to Isa because it is safer, it won’t provoke Balthazar to kill them or to commit more massacres to refill blood he’s lost, and they will have more information to share with the other di Martes. On the other hand, emptying the vats means Balthazar’s mission of blotting out the sun will be delayed, and it will potentially bring him out of hiding. Eventually, the Faded Fates decide to keep it a recon mission only. Terrance tells everyone he thinks he knows where Balthazar is hiding the vats in the Third - somewhere past the blacklights in Murkside.

### Time is Finnicky

One, Shae, and Terrance leave the keep to gather supplies for the next day’s mission. One splits off from the other duo and finds what she is looking for - a green tent. Malachite, who One seems familiar with, greets her as “Cornelia Rousseau”, which catches One off guard. Malachite, a time procurer and primordial being derived from the god of time, asks One what she wants. Malachite makes it known they do not want to necessarily be involved with the diamonds because of their world-altering potential. One asks to see a future where the Faded Fates survive while they follow their current path, where they “win”. Malachite shows One a vision of herself in a forge, located inside of a dark and stormy canyon. One is older in the vision and working on a humanoid construct with an orange hue of veins. The orange hue molds into a crystalline figurine, much like a gem, and One forces it into the construct’s chest.

The newly created servant asks One, “what would you have me do?”, and One responds with, “there’s war, follow the rest”. Malachite reveals to One that this vision, the one where war exists and is rampant, is the future where the Faded Fates “win”. The age of peace, as they put it, is over. Malachite believes this to be the best of the possible futures for both One and the Faded Fates as a whole. One ends their conversation by asking where she can find another diamond, and Malachite says there is another diamond in a river by the old city past the blacklights in Murkside. Malachite tells One the goddess has a “very seductive call”, and their interaction ends with One gleaning the new information of the vision and location of another diamond for the party.

### E-STELLA!!!!

Meanwhile, Terrance realizes he hasn’t checked on his mother since Vorano threatened her life, and he wants to be sure she is still alive and well. Terrance takes Shae to *La Guardia*, the restaurant where his mom, Estella, is head chef. Once inside the fine-dining establishment, Estella and Rory, the owner, welcome Terrance and Shae. Terrance, very relieved to see his mother alive, asks if she noticed anyone following her in the last couple of weeks. Estella tells Terrance she’d seen a blue guy and a taller, handsome guy (Balthazar) following her a little while back. Terrance tells his mom he is sorry to put her in danger and that they are actually dead and no longer a concern. Estella is wildly concerned with this information and makes Terrance promise he is being careful and safe with this new job with the Faded Fates. Terrance ends up telling Estella he just wants to make his dad proud, which hits home. Eventually, the conversation shifts from catching up and safety concerns to if Terrance has a partner or a crush. Shae prods Terrance until they hesitantly reveal he has a crush on Isabella Ballador. Estella immediately shuts that down and reveals Isa’s father is the former bull of the ‘Tide Thorns and that they are well connected and dined often at La Guardia with the Dhenozaths. All of this is new information to Terrance and Shae, and Estella advises against dating Isa. Terrance and Shae leave with that new information and with food for the keep.

### BAM! POW!

As Shae splits off, Terrance and One reconvene in the market square. Terrance tells One that Shae left to investigate the other pockets regarding their new knowledge of the vats. One does not share about her visit with Malachite, and the two venture to pick up a few things for their upcoming trip to the Murkside. Terrance finds a cute little stall with a kobold named Gug at the helm. Gug is a ray of sunshine, a sweet summer child, a glimmer of hope; he constructs a lamp for the party, at Terrance’s request, that will provide and never run out of light. Gug and Terrance discuss the triggers for turning the item on and off and land on “Bam!” for ON and “Pow!” for OFF.  One, meanwhile, leaves this interaction and finishes all of the other shopping for the Faded Fates. Terrance carries the La Guardia takeout and lamp back to the keep with One in tow (holding a lot of alcohol).