This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Jake Blauck: Hello, I'm Jake Blauck, and you're about to listen to Mythic Thunderlute.

[0:03] Jake Blauck: But first, we wanted to wish you all a happy Indigenous People's Day.

[0:07] Jake Blauck: We create our podcast all over and stand on the land of many indigenous tribes, including the Southern Paiute, the Lenape tribe, the Menominee tribe, and the tribes of the Council of the Three Fires.

[0:18] Jake Blauck: The Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi nations.

[0:22] Jake Blauck: We want to acknowledge those relationships and their history.

[0:25] Jake Blauck: Mythic Thunderlute is brought to you with support from 11th Hour Theatre Company, Philadelphia's only all musical theater company.

[0:34] Jake Blauck: Visit 11thHourTheatreCompany.org for more information.

[0:38] Jake Blauck: If you'd like to support Mythic Thunderlute, join our Patreon by going to Patreon.com slash Mythic Thunderlute.

[0:46] Jake Blauck: With that, here's episode six.

[0:52] Jake Blauck: Mythic Thunderlute.

[1:16] Jake Blauck: I'm Jake Blauck.

[1:17] Michael Dharty: I'm Michael Dharty.

[1:18] Steve Goodalunus: I'm Steve Goodalunus.

[1:19] Leigha Cato: And I'm Leigha Cato.

[1:21] All: Yay!

[1:22] Jake Blauck: Hey everybody, welcome.

[1:24] Jake Blauck: We are recording episode seven today.

[1:27] Michael Dharty: Six.

[1:28] Steve Goodalunus: Six.

[1:28] Leigha Cato: Six.

[1:29] Jake Blauck: You know what? I know what's happening. I know what's going on. I know what's what. And I was just about to say the episode title, which I'm not supposed to divulge until after we play.

[1:40] Michael Dharty: In case you guys choose to hijack it.

[1:43] Steve Goodalunus: Would we be able to figure out what's about to happen?

[1:45] Michael Dharty: Well, I actually, in this particular instance, I don't think you would be too surprised to learn the title of the episode. Would you like to know?

[1:52] All: Sure.

[1:53] Michael Dharty: The one where Roscoe dies.

[1:57] Leigha Cato: That would be so messed up. I would be so upset.

[2:00] Steve Goodalunus: Both in title and purpose.

[2:02] Michael Dharty: Yeah, but that's always a possibility, so it's always on the table.

[2:06] Michael Dharty: The title for episode six, y'all, is The Forgotten.

[2:10] All: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[2:11] Leigha Cato: Exactly.

[2:12] Michael Dharty: Oh, okay. Oh, right. Right, right, right, right. Okay, exactly. The Forgotten.

[2:14] Michael Dharty: And maybe just reminded you where we are. This is the cave, the cave of the Forgotten.

[2:19] Steve Goodalunus: Oh, sure, yeah.

[2:20] Michael Dharty: Right. See? Notes. But also, maybe it's a theme that will extend beyond the cave itself.

[2:27] Leigha Cato: Oh, that's no fun.

[2:28] Steve Goodalunus: That's like we're a rock band.

[2:31] Leigha Cato: That's terrible.

[2:32] Michael Dharty: Alright, guys. Are we ready?

[2:34] All: Yes, ma'am.

[2:35] Michael Dharty: I'm excited about this one. So let's hand it over to our amazing game maker, Michael.

[2:40] Michael Dharty: Take it away.

[2:41] All: Woo woo!

[2:42] Michael Dharty: Thank you. Thank you. Today on the pod, we have Chicago-based actor and singer Bethany Thomas.

[2:47] Michael Dharty: Bethany is an award-winning theater actor who you may have seen on Empire, and you're so talented. She's a member of John Langford's Four Lost Souls, has released a solo EP and a solo album, and recently collaborated with actor musician Tawny Newsom on a brand new project.

[3:02] Michael Dharty: Bethany, welcome to the pod.

[3:04] Bethany Thomas: Thank you. I'm very excited to be here.

[3:07] Michael Dharty: It is such a pleasure to have you here. Um, you released your first full album, BT She/Her during quarantine. How did that come to be?

[3:15] Bethany Thomas: Well, we made the album partly the year before. I kind of would schedule, you know, studio time whenever I could in between shows, like theater contracts, basically. Did a lot of Monday sessions. Um, yeah, I'm proud of it. The songs were written like over the past few years. Some of them were anyway, and then some of them were written while we were already in the process of recording.

[3:39] Michael Dharty: That's cool. So it's kind of like a quilt of your artistry over the last few years as a songwriter.

[3:45] Bethany Thomas: Yeah, it really was. Which was totally different from the other album that we made.

[3:50] Michael Dharty: Which is very cool. So your other quarantine-made album, Material Flats, comes as a collaboration with Tawny Newsom, who our listeners may know from Space Force on Netflix. Can you tell us a bit about that process and how that all came to be?

[4:03] Bethany Thomas: Yeah, that one came to be with Tawny and me talking. This is like last May, when it was just, you know, everybody was really feeling it.

[4:13] Bethany Thomas: Yep. And I was like, I'm gonna drive to California. Like, I'm gonna drive to your house. I'm gonna bring my guitar player, Patrick Martin.

[4:22] Michael Dharty: Wow.

[4:23] Bethany Thomas: And she was like, oh, fun. Okay. Well, I had a couple of demo things. Maybe we'll record something while we're here. Cause I've got all this gear in my garage, and it's kind of a studio now. And I'm like, okay, well, we'll see. Maybe we'll do something. And then we got there, and it was immediately like, okay, so we're making an album.

[4:41] Michael Dharty: Wow.

[4:42] Bethany Thomas: So I, we stayed out there for like three weeks.

[4:44] Michael Dharty: Damn.

[4:45] Bethany Thomas: And wrote and recorded seven songs.

[4:48] Michael Dharty: That sounds incredible. Uh, friends in the Chicago area, you have until October 31st to see Bethany kill it in Songs for Nobodies at Northlight Theater. Do check it out. You can find Material Flats and BT She/Her on Bandcamp and Spotify.

[5:02] Bethany Thomas: Yeah, it's on all the stuff.

[5:03] Michael Dharty: It's on all the things. Four Lost Souls debut CD and LP are now available as well. Buy them all. Bethany, thank you so much for being here.

[5:11] Michael Dharty: With that, I'm gonna explain how this works. Here's the deal. Our four players will improvise their way through a fantasy-style role-playing game of my making. After we record, we add sound effects, underscoring, full-fledged musical numbers, and special guest voices.

[5:32] Jake Blauck: Hey, I'm Tony Carter.

[5:35] Michael Dharty: And boom, there you have an episode.

[5:38] All: Sound good!

[5:39] Jake Blauck: Yes.

[5:40] Leigha Cato: As always.

[5:41] Michael Dharty: I mean, it sounds as good today as it did last time, yeah.

[5:43] Jake Blauck: I'm so glad to hear it. Then let's play Mythic Thunderlute!

[5:55] Michael Dharty: Previously, on Mythic Thunderlute. After being called before their sovereign King Cyrus for sentencing, rock band Mythic Thunderlute attempts to impress upon their liege the threat the elven gods pose to their very existence.

[6:07] Michael Dharty: After explaining that the gods have demanded an end to the digging of the Talia Shire mines, King Cyrus stubbornly insists that their god Venetius will protect them.

[6:16] Michael Dharty: They're forcibly escorted to the temple of the god of self, where Cyrus requests that one of them be the person to speak with Venetius.

[6:23] Michael Dharty: Roscoe steps up to the plate and is greeted with his own reflection, which tells him that the power of Venetius already lies within him.

[6:30] Michael Dharty: Encouraged by these words, Roscoe shares this with King Cyrus, who is visibly frustrated by the news.

[6:36] Michael Dharty: Suddenly, the group notices ominous clouds forming over the dragon nation of Vitrania, which Cyrus takes as a sign that the dragon gods can protect them instead.

[6:45] Michael Dharty: He forsakes their god Venetius and quests the group to Vitrania with his trusted confidant, Sir Aiden Brock.

[6:51] Michael Dharty: While en route, Roscoe is lured into the cave of the Forgotten by a mysterious riddle box and discovers that his favorite band, Necromantica, is performing for a group of the undead.

[7:02] Michael Dharty: Alright.

[7:02] Michael Dharty: Yeah, yeah. We begin.

[7:06] Michael Dharty: As you stand behind this veritable sea of undead, you can't help but be captivated as Necromantica performs their heavy metal hit "Enter Mortal."

[7:21] Michael Dharty: Edgar, you have just noticed that the lead singer, Elven Wizard Cindar the Righteous, dons the object that once made your singing voice so very good, the necklace of Ach Tachtoon.

[7:32] Steve Goodalunus: Herman the monk turns to Roscoe and whispers.

[7:39] Herman: No, they're called zombays.

[7:41] Edgar: Zombie?

[7:42] Herman: Yeah.

[7:42] Edgar: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[7:43] Herman: Oh, I must say they are rather um easy on the eyes.

[7:47] Edgar: Yeah, like for dead people, I agree.

[7:50] Herman: I may have taken a vow of chastity, but let me just say monkey like Herman.

[7:56] Edgar: Herman was that.

[7:59] Steve Goodalunus: I'm sorry, everyone. Listen, I was about to defend you and tell them to be less mean to you, but you make it hard to do that when you say things like that.

[8:07] Herman: You know what I mean?

[8:08] Edgar: I do. Tomorrow is another day, I suppose.

[8:21] ♪ Musical number: "Enter Mortal" — performed by Necromantica ♪

[9:39] Michael Dharty: As Cindar performs, smoky gray streaks of magic flow from them and start to fill the cavern.

[9:45] Michael Dharty: Just some who say he's faceless that none shall know his name, but more though shall prove when I when he comes to greet you, yet so he doth proclaim.

[10:03] Michael Dharty: Oh there ye shall meet the great I know Oh, when he comes, hear the hum of the deadly strum, feel the party of the world as your corn goes numb, and displays of a living you out woe Should you chance to escape his fatal grasp and avoid the peril of his lethal clasp that quake at the mercy he has shine to receive you to Martha Can be gracious in this realm we'll know it's you who stands at the hell we're taking in the darkness Waiting in the darkness Waiting in the darkness Waiting in the darkness Oh we need that worthy of you now Pigeon Top Should you come to a blade we'll wash up your life and at the song's end the zombie's burst into cheers and you hear the voice of Morthol Elven God of Death say awaken ye forgotten and suddenly the gray streaks that hang in the air transform into spirits you recognize that the floating spirits in the air are all one-hit wonder bands.

[12:18] Michael Dharty: Blue Brocade, Feral Cherry, Exclamation Mark and the Vociferators.

[12:24] Michael Dharty: Wayfish Elizabeth.

[12:26] Michael Dharty: What year is it?

[12:36] Cindar: Attention! Forgotten souls of the music industry. We are Necromantica! Opening act for the Founders Day celebration in twelve days time. We come in peace, but mostly to pick your brains a little bit and maybe help us generate a few song ideas.

[13:01] Edgar: Help us, great necromancer! Only you have the power to free us.

[13:10] Jake Blauck: So the band wants the spirits of these one-hit wonders to help them write songs.

[13:15] Michael Dharty: I believe that's what he asked.

[13:17] Jake Blauck: Yeah, that's what it sounds like. That seems like the worst idea ever to ask people who only have one-hit wonders, right?

[13:23] Steve Goodalunus: I mean, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. I mean, if they only need ten songs.

[13:26] Michael Dharty: I'm sorry, it's a big room in here. I thought they were asking us.

[13:29] Jake Blauck: They're not asking us. Maybe we could chime in.

[13:32] Leigha Cato: No, this is a little below our station.

[13:35] Michael Dharty: Below our station, we should absolutely work with them.

[13:37] Jake Blauck: Your conversation has now attracted the zombies who stand in front of you. And Cindar themselves finally notices you and says, Intruders! How dare you interrupt our seance? This is betwixt us and the forgotten.

[13:53] Edgar: Ouch, we have names.

[13:56] Edgar: I've got this. Uh Cindar, it's me, Edgar Hook.

[14:02] Cindar: Edgar Hawk. As I live and breathe. Oh, you gotta introduce me, please. I need I just need to say hello.

[14:09] Edgar: Oscar, of course, of course. We're Mythic Thunderlute. Have you? This is my drummer Roscoe Chubb. He's a big fan of huge.

[14:14] Roscoe Chubb: I listen to every song, I know every word. I've been listening to you since I've.

[14:19] Cindar: Kind of in the middle of something. What is you foul intruders want?

[14:25] Michael Dharty: I mean, you literally just said you needed help writing songs, and we just told you we're a band, so put two and two together, and we're here to help.

[14:32] Cindar: If I wanted to enlist the help of already living existing bands, I would do so.

[14:38] Edgar: Can I whisper to Pug Face? When I distract them, grab the necklace.

[14:42] Leigha Cato: Does Jocasta hear any of this?

[14:46] Jocasta: Oh, I so hear this. It's a 21.

[14:50] Leigha Cato: Yeah, you definitely overhear Edgar saying that to Pug Face.

[14:53] Jocasta: Why are we trying to steal from these people? Why are we always trying to aggravate everybody we run into?

[14:57] Edgar: Because he can't sing without it.

[14:59] Michael Dharty: Is that necklace the one you told us about, Edgar? That you wore skip, keep up, Herminez.

[15:04] Edgar: You someone I tell you I used my entire career because I couldn't actually sing, and then I use it, okay, Herman.

[15:10] Cindar: This is a private council between us and the spirits.

[15:18] Michael Dharty: I guess they don't want help from the closing band of the upcoming festival.

[15:24] Cindar: Are you really?

[15:25] Michael Dharty: Yes, we are.

[15:26] Cindar: Well, maybe we could make this interesting after all. I propose a battle of the bands. Name what it is you rude and groaches seek, and we shall hash out a little wager.

[15:40] Michael Dharty: I mean, honestly, we can't we came in here because we were fans of yours. At least one of us is. Makes sense. And we were here to support you and and cheer you on. But if we do have the opportunity to plunder riches, uh Edgar, do you um I have a question? Uh, could we have your necklace?

[15:59] Edgar: Monkey. Is that rude? Is that impertinent?

[16:03] Cindar: Well, well, well. Do you truly desire the necklace of Uctactum?

[16:09] Michael Dharty: I mean, honestly, one of us does.

[16:12] Edgar: Wow. I listen, I'm tired of lying to people. It never goes well. I don't like lying to people.

[16:18] Steve Goodalunus: We do it all the time. It's weird. And it and and it's gotten us this far. Can I remind you of the trial we had to go to?

[16:26] Michael Dharty: Bitch of lying was done in that trial, my darling. We absolutely murdered all of those soldiers.

[16:31] Cindar: Then I propose this. If you win, which you won't, the necklace of Octactune is yours, along with whatever else you desire that we can give.

[16:43] Michael Dharty: Great, all your equipment. But if you lose, which you will, then you must join the ranks of the forgotten. And we take your place as the closing act in the Biscentennial.

[16:59] Jake Blauck: So wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. So the deal is that if we win, we get whatever we seek, plus the necklace for Edgar. But if we lose, we die. Do you accept?

[17:11] Steve Goodalunus: I was going to say, can we can we like huddle?

[17:13] Cindar: Take your time.

[17:15] Jake Blauck: Okay, this is listen. I gotta be honest with you. This is insane. We have to kill them.

[17:19] Michael Dharty: I cannot. We have to kill them.

[17:21] Steve Goodalunus: I will not back this up. I'm sorry. I cannot. So much blood on our hands.

[17:25] Jake Blauck: Listen, we could beat them with our music. That's what we're here to do.

[17:29] Michael Dharty: You have that much faith in us?

[17:31] Jake Blauck: So I think we have one or two choices. I mean third choice, we killed.

[17:35] Edgar: Edgar, I swear, if you say that one more time, I am leaving.

[17:39] Jake Blauck: Why don't you play? I want to hear you do a song.

[17:42] Steve Goodalunus: You know what? I say we boulder parchment knife this. If Rosco wins, we sing, and if I win, we leave.

[17:49] Michael Dharty: That sounds fair to me.

[17:50] Jake Blauck: Okay, here we go. Ready? One, two, three, shoot.

[17:54] Steve Goodalunus: Oh, we're singing. We're doing it.

[17:56] Jake Blauck: Hooray doing it.

[17:57] Cindar: Well, have you decided?

[17:59] Cindar: Oh, oh, it's on.

[18:01] Cindar: Oh, yes, Cinder. Very good. Then the zombies and the forgotten shall determine a winner by round of applause.

[18:11] Michael Dharty: Wonderful. Since they just heard us crush it. You're up.

[18:15] Jake Blauck: Oh, I see. We're we're up against what you just did. I see, I see.

[18:20] Michael Dharty: With that, Necromantica clears the stone platform, and the zombies and the spirits just stare at you, waiting to see what you do.

[18:27] Roscoe Chubb: Do we get to use their equipment?

[18:29] Michael Dharty: Roscoe, you did notice that the drum kit is set up and has been left unattended.

[18:34] Roscoe Chubb: Oh, I will be sitting down. What other instruments do they have up there?

[18:37] Michael Dharty: Do I need to create something?

[18:38] Leigha Cato: Well, what's creepy? What's a creepy instrument, Jojo?

[18:42] Jocasta: Oh, like a um like a xylophone made of bones.

[18:46] Michael Dharty: Okay. So uh Joe Costa finds some bones scattered around the cave to make a xylophone.

[18:53] Edgar: Edgar sort of like reveals the thunder loot with a flourish to see if the zombies do anything.

[18:58] Cindar: It receives a oo from the zombies and the forgotten alike.

[19:03] Edgar: I forgot about I forgot about the forgotten. Sorry. Do you guys want me to intro you?

[19:09] Cindar: No.

[19:10] Cindar: Absolutely. No.

[19:12] Cindar: You know where you could do, you could do the most help in. I need you front row. Like ready to cheer and clap. And if you've got like a small torch that you can wave back and forth when it really gets like to the good part of the song, that's that's what I need from you.

[19:27] Leigha Cato: She holds up a small stick. Freely and gladly, and he runs into the front row of the audience.

[19:33] Michael Dharty: All right. Are y'all doing this?

[19:36] All: Yes, we are.

[19:37] Michael Dharty: Give me a performance check, you guys.

[19:39] All: Natural twenty.

[19:43] All: Unnatural twenty.

[19:45] All: I'm gonna call it a dirty twenty.

[19:48] All: Oh my god. Oh, I got seventeen.

[19:50] All: Oh my gosh, you guys were just the best. You play this amazing creepy anthem.

[20:04] ♪ Musical number: "Night Has Crawled Into Your Head" — performed by Mythic Thunderlute ♪

[23:04] All: Everyone level up. Now everyone gains advantage on performance checks.

[23:11] Cindar: Yes. And Siddar takes the necklace of Octactune and hurls it at Edgar.

[23:17] Jocasta: Can you Jocasta try to grab it before Edgar gets a hold of it?

[23:20] Jocasta: Yeah, give me a dexterity throw for that. That's uh 18.

[23:23] Michael Dharty: That'll do it. You snatch it in your hand right before it reaches Edgar.

[23:28] Edgar: You don't need it, it's a crutch.

[23:30] Steve Goodalunus: Herman has climbed up on stage and is like, that was great, you guys. Oh, what else do we want to ask for from Necromantica?

[23:39] Michael Dharty: Gonna need a drum set after that, to be completely honest with you. I I let loose.

[23:43] Steve Goodalunus: Let's ask for their souls. When we die, their soul becomes part of us, and we get to live with them.

[23:50] Michael Dharty: I'm concerned that you might be a sociopath. You already got the necklace of Akataka too.

[23:55] Steve Goodalunus: Okay, wait. Cinder, we would like all of your equipment, please.

[23:58] Cindar: I see. You are really pushing it though.

[24:01] Cindar: Fine! And Cindar snaps their fingers, and the drummer Studley Lamar hands his sticks to Roscoe, and the bassist Peaches hands their bass guitar to Pugface.

[24:15] Roscoe Chubb: Can I have Cindar's loot?

[24:17] Cindar: Cindar sighs heavily and reluctantly relinquishes their loot.

[24:22] Roscoe Chubb: Thank you. And uh Studley is going to help Roscoe break down the drum kit.

[24:28] Michael Dharty: I would just like to say to the entire band, Necromantica. You really brought a lot of joy into my life. And um, I just really appreciate this, you know what I mean? I don't I don't mean to rob you.

[24:40] Cindar: Thank you. Can you please leave us to it now?

[24:43] Michael Dharty: All right, let uh we should uh let them be thank you.

[24:48] All: Bye bye. Have a good one.

[24:49] Cindar: As you start to head out, one of the spirits, the lead singer of knaves without quaffs, floats in front of you and says, Help us, ask for our freedom as well.

[25:00] Roscoe Chubb: Oh shit.

[25:01] Edgar: Uh, are you trapped?

[25:03] Cindar: Only the necromancers can free us.

[25:06] Edgar: Uh, that's a shame.

[25:08] Jocasta: Have we met before? I make a hook from Elf Mother to be in the movie?

[25:11] Cindar: Oh yes!

[25:12] Jocasta: We used to party together in fovol.

[25:15] Edgar: Oh, the f I don't remember much of the fovel years.

[25:18] Cindar: Um, so let's uh, let's ask, you know.

[25:21] Edgar: Maybe we'll have to kill them if they don't.

[25:23] Cindar: No, no, not with the deaths.

[25:25] Edgar: You know what? I'm I'm leaving. I told I said that if you said it again, I'm le I will wait for you guys outside the not let him kill anybody.

[25:32] Jocasta: I'm leaving at me and I and Jocasta leaves.

[25:35] Cindar: Jacasti, you start heading down the cave tunnel.

[25:38] Edgar: If you don't come back here, I'm going to quit this band.

[25:41] Cindar: As she's walking away, she flips you the bird.

[25:44] Edgar: To be fair, she did warn you, Edgar.

[25:47] Cindar: Oh, she's got the necklace of our talk to.

[25:48] Edgar: Oh, Jogasta, Madonna, uh, let's just get out of here, yes.

[25:52] Cindar: No, wait, you don't want to help the spirits?

[25:54] Edgar: Do you want to ask Necromantica?

[25:56] Cindar: Yes, yes.

[25:57] Cindar: Excuse me.

[25:58] Cindar: Hi. I know that we've done so much and asked for so much, but can is there any way that you can find it in your heart and your soul to let uh these poor souls go?

[26:10] Cindar: Our very purpose here is to steal song ideas from them.

[26:13] Edgar: I and you're asking us to release them?

[26:16] Cindar: Think of it as a challenge, though. Imagine the things that I mean, you're creative. This will be the last thing, gnome, that I grant you.

[26:26] Edgar: That's fine. No, that's all we want.

[26:27] Cindar: And with a wave of Cindar's hand, a gray wind flows past you and pushes the spirits from the cave who exit with a Thank you.

[26:51] Jocasta: Aw, they did the right thing.

[26:53] Cindar: All of the zombies are currently staring at Cindar, unsure of what to say.

[26:58] Zombie: Hum, Cinder, would it be alright if we became their groupies for a little while?

[27:06] Cindar: No!

[27:07] Cindar: You fools! I'm a necromancer. If you leave my presence, you'd cease to exist!

[27:12] Zombie: Awwww.

[27:12] Cindar: And all the zombies are kind of like, awwww, and they kind of sulk and like wave goodbye to you.

[27:17] Cindar: Listen, zombas, Zecromantica is a great band.

[27:24] Zombie: Yes, we're far better.

[27:26] Cindar: We flawed them in the Battle of the Bands.

[27:28] Zombie: Absolutely zero tax.

[27:28] Cindar: They lie before our feet vanquish.

[27:33] Cindar: Please leave.

[27:33] Cindar: But that doesn't mean that they're not a great band, and that you should not be very proud to be among the dead that follow them.

[27:39] Cindar: You should stay, and we're jealous because we only have one groupie.

[27:43] Zombie: It's Herman, eh?

[27:43] Cindar: And he's great, but he's literally like a pasta like most unrock and roll things.

[27:49] Cindar: Get the fuck out of my cavern.

[27:49] Cindar: Y'all make your way through the dark, dank tunnels toward the end of the cave, which Jocasta leaves first.

[27:56] Jocasta: Jojo, as soon as you re-enter the meadows, you notice that night has completely fallen.

[28:02] Jocasta: The only light you see is from the stars, the diamond-like clouds that loom over Vitrania, the first quarter moon, and the campfire that Aiden has built.

[28:12] Aiden: Sir Aiden springs up from the raging campfire to greet you and says, Heavens, who were all those people.

[28:19] Jocasta: Oh, you mean the like shadowy misty figures? Those are a bunch of like one-hit wonder bands that were trapped in there, and we freed them.

[28:26] Aiden: My word. For a moment I thought they were ghosts, but then as soon as they entered the light of the moon, they appeared in human form and cheered as they charged toward the east.

[28:36] Jocasta: Wait, they like became corporeal? Is that what you're trying to say?

[28:39] Aiden: Yes.

[28:40] Jocasta: Oh, good for them. That's so nice.

[28:42] Aiden: By the way, Joe Costa, I've finally figured it out. You'd remind me of someone that I held very dear long ago.

[28:50] Aiden: Okay. Her name was Minerva, the most beautiful young maid in all of North Point. I promised her the world, and instead she chose to follow her own path.

[29:01] Jocasta: Um, I'm sorry. Minerva?

[29:04] Aiden: Yes.

[29:04] Aiden: You resemble her physically.

[29:06] Jocasta: Well, there's good reason for that.

[29:09] Jocasta: Um, she's my mama.

[29:11] Aiden: Your your mother is Minerva Warren.

[29:14] Jocasta: I mean, she used to be Minerva Warren. Now she's Minerva Stormwood, but yes.

[29:19] Aiden: My word. Oh the ends of the earth that I would go to for you, my dear.

[29:28] Jocasta: Wait, wa wait, wait, wait. You were you were in love with my mama?

[29:31] Aiden: We were betrothed. I feel like that left North Point before we could be wed.

[29:37] Jocasta: Oh.

[29:38] Jocasta: I do know who you are.

[29:40] Aiden: Mm-hmm.

[29:40] Aiden: Uh, well, I'm glad that you are so understanding of her wanting to follow her heart. If you truly love someone, you let them follow their own way.

[29:50] Jocasta: Oh, I I never knew that you truly loved her. That is a surprise to me.

[29:55] Aiden: I'll say when I met my wife, Nora, I knew she would be a I hate to say it, a substandard replacement for your mother.

[30:05] Cindar: Oh, at this point, the rest of the party has exited the cave.

[30:09] Cindar: Everyone give me a knowledge roll.

[30:11] Edgar: I got a twenty.

[30:12] Cindar: Okay, pugface. You know that the first quarter moon means that you are seven nights away from a full moon.

[30:19] Edgar: Okay, I'm gonna write that down.

[30:20] Aiden: Aiden, upon seeing the rest of the party, says, My friends, you are gone for quite some time. Come, I've made a veritable feast to share with you.

[30:29] Cindar: And you see that Aiden has cooked up fox meat, gruel, potatoes, and loads of carrots and onions, all steaming and ready to be consumed.

[30:29] Edgar: Carrots and onions.

[30:38] Roscoe Chubb: So I don't even wait. Brasco just starts feeding himself. He loves gruel.

[30:41] Edgar: He loves rule.

[30:45] Roscoe Chubb: He loves it. I can't have my fellow travelers going hungry. We're companions now.

[30:50] Aiden: Aiden could use a little salt.

[30:53] Edgar: My god. He takes a little rock of salt, crushes it in his hand, and he sort of sprinkles it with a little flourish.

[31:00] Aiden: Well, what an adventure. It seems you've had my friends and Roscoe a drum kit, no less.

[31:07] Roscoe Chubb: Ah, it's incredible. I personally could use a uh a bowl of Minerva's finest herb.

[31:12] Edgar: Um, I've got some in my bag.

[31:15] Aiden: Edgar, funny thing. You and and this gentleman here, you have something in common.

[31:21] Aiden: You're both ex uh somethings of my mother's.

[31:25] Edgar: Oh, how hell I I'm not an ex anything of Minerva's, sadly, as much as I would have liked to have been, but uh what is Aiden, an ex uh ex-friend?

[31:34] Aiden: We were sworn to bewed.

[31:36] Edgar: Is it what? Who is your mother? She sounds like a babe.

[31:39] Roscoe Chubb: We have to kill him!

[31:40] Edgar: No, no, no, no killing.

[31:42] Aiden: It was planned by their families.

[31:45] Edgar: Somebody rob under his chin. We didn't even consummate the damn thing.

[31:51] Roscoe Chubb: Another victory for Echohog today.

[31:54] Aiden: Aiden, you and I shall not be mortal enemies.

[31:56] Roscoe Chubb: Lovely to hear, my friend. Well, what a lovely campfire. Tomorrow, we pass through North Tallyershire and into the nation Vitrania.

[32:05] Aiden: Quite arid in Vitrania. So we should load up on Walter in Tallyashire before we enter the mountain bars.

[32:12] Roscoe Chubb: I'm pooped.

[32:13] Aiden: All right, do I all rest?

[32:15] All: Yes.

[32:15] Aiden: You rest for the night.

[32:18] Roscoe Chubb: In your dream, you find yourself surrounded by herb smoke. Smells like a Tuesday.

[32:22] Roscoe Chubb: Suddenly, an aged halfling emerges from the smoke and stares at you.

[32:29] Roscoe Chubb: You've never seen him before, but he kind of looks like you.

[32:33] Roscoe Chubb: His eyes widen, and he speaks the word.

[32:40] Roscoe Chubb: And is enveloped in the smoke once more.

[32:43] Roscoe Chubb: What?

[32:43] Roscoe Chubb: You jolt awake. It is morning.

[32:47] Aiden: Come, come, the cock hath crowed. Shall we sally forth, my friend?

[32:50] Roscoe Chubb: The cockwat?

[32:51] Aiden: Yeah, okay. Who's Sally?

[32:53] Cindar: You pack up camp and you mount your horses.

[32:56] Cindar: Herman, of course, hops on the back of Smelly, as usual.

[32:59] Cindar: And you continue to ride northwest after an hour or so of riding.

[33:03] Cindar: You gallop across the battle bridge, the northernmost bridge connecting the meadows to Talia Shire, and find yourselves among the familiar grassy knolls once more.

[33:13] Cindar: After another hour, you find a sign that reads, Welcome to North Tallyershire.

[33:19] Cindar: You trot down the quaint cobblestone streets, but before long, you find that they're completely clogged up with halflings, gnomes, and dwarves of the city.

[33:28] Roscoe Chubb: Good morning.

[33:30] Edgar: Don't talk to any of them.

[33:32] Roscoe Chubb: Let's go.

[33:32] Edgar: Don't look at them sideways.

[33:34] Cindar: You continue to squeeze your way through the crowd on your horses and continue west.

[33:38] Cindar: And by the time you hit the city square, you see the source of the commotion.

[33:43] Cindar: A small wooden stage has been built and set up for some sort of assembly. It's so crowded, it's as if the entire city were attempting to gather here.

[33:51] Cindar: Villagers hang out of windows, trying to get the best vantage point possible of the stage.

[33:57] Roscoe Chubb: I wonder what's going on.

[33:58] Edgar: A tallish, thin halfling appears on the stage, who Roscoe recognizes as Pasco Slim.

[34:04] Roscoe Chubb: The obnoxious halfling he got into an altercation with at the grotto five nights ago.

[34:09] Roscoe Chubb: Oh my god.

[34:11] Edgar: What?

[34:11] Roscoe Chubb: What I see, I told you, why are we here?

[34:13] Edgar: We have to be here.

[34:15] Roscoe Chubb: Because we have to cross through here to get where we're going to be.

[34:20] Edgar: Let's listen to what Pasco Slim has to say.

[34:22] Pasco Slim: He quiets the crowd and says, Attention, attention all. On behalf of the mayor, we thank you for your attendance here today.

[34:32] Pasco Slim: With growing concern due to the newly formed clouds over the mountains to the west, Mayor Whimsley wishes to address them forthwith.

[34:41] Pasco Slim: Now, without any further ado.

[34:47] Pasco Slim: Without any further ado, do let me introduce to you the man of the hour, Mayor Whimsley Wogo.

[34:57] Cindar: The crowd erupts into deafening cheers.

[35:01] Cindar: You almost can't believe an elected official can be so beloved.

[35:05] Edgar: A short, stocky halfling with long white hair, takes the stage and holds up his hands with humility.

[35:11] Mayor Whimsley: Good people, I come before you in an hour of worry. Menacing clouds have appeared to our west, and you want answers.

[35:21] Cindar: The crowd cheers.

[35:23] Mayor Whimsley: I understand. And as far as I can see it, that is, but what explanation?

[35:28] Mayor Whimsley: Atmospheric shift. Days ago, workers from South Tallyershire broke ground on the Tallyashire mines.

[35:36] Mayor Whimsley: And while I know there are those of you out there today who protested to no avail, here we stand at yet another sign of the end of days.

[35:45] Mayor Whimsley: If we don't do something, our land, our waters, and indeed our skies will be polluted beyond repair until this land will be deemed uninhabitable.

[35:57] Cindar: The crowd goes wild.

[35:59] Edgar: Well that's that North Tallyershire leadership. You've got to respect that.

[36:02] Cindar: No, this is just overblown.

[36:05] Edgar: Well, and and this it sounds like they want to stop the mining, which is kind of what we want, isn't it?

[36:10] Cindar: It's really taking a play from that wooden inf you told me about, yes?

[36:14] Edgar: Yes, um yes.

[36:19] Mayor Whimsley: My friends, we have been forgotten, but that doesn't mean our voices can't be heard. We need change, we need control, we need democracy!

[36:35] Cindar: And the crowd cheers once more and begins chanting, Whimsley! Whimsley! Whimsley! Whimsley, whimsley!

[36:44] Roscoe Chubb: Meanwhile, Roscoe and Pugface hear a familiar voice behind them.

[36:50] Officer Gord: Roscoe, Pugface?

[36:52] Cindar: And you turn to see Officer Gord, an Ophish Dwarf of the South Tallyershire City Watch.

[36:59] Officer Gord: A local officer of the law, you're very familiar with, who is currently not in uniform. And he greets you with an what you lot doing here.

[37:09] Roscoe Chubb: I can ask the same to you, Gord. What are you doing here?

[37:12] Officer Gord: Well, all right. I'll let you in on a little something. You know how five days ago our mayor's brother was killed.

[37:20] Roscoe Chubb: Where you been? I thought you might know Pugface. It was your father who took his place as foreman of the dig. Oh, wait. He was found dead, and we of the South Talershire watch suspect foul play. Found nothing sticking. I was almost certain it was one of these eagle conscious twists of North Talershire. Yeah, I. And after hearing what I just heard, I'm bloody convinced. You know what, Gord? I gotta be honest with you. I always thought you were an intelligent man way above your station. And honestly, yeah, I agree. I agree. I think it's gotta be them. It's gotta be them. Okay, okay. So what do we do? Here's the plan, right? If we don't do nothing, these blokes are gonna descend south and stop protesting again, and in greater numbers. It'll be chaos. Yeah, yeah. It'll be violence again. Yep. I mean I look over to Edgar Edgar. I think we gotta kill them all.

[38:06] Edgar: No, no, what? Whimsley! Whimsley! Wait what were you saying? No, I think we're gonna have to kill every person here.

[38:13] Roscoe Chubb: No. If we take out their leader, they don't stand a chance of organizing.

[38:18] Edgar: Yeah, I agree. Listen, Officer Gord. My name is Joe Costa. Pleasure. Does it have to be kill him? Can it be like take him prisoner? Can it be like I think we gotta dispose of him? Here's the plan I constructed, right? I'm gonna climb in that watchtower over there, and I'm gonna take him out with one of me arrows.

[38:36] Roscoe Chubb: No, no, no. Banned meeting! Yes, please! Just one second, Gordon. Very well. I don't know about you, but what I just heard from Mayor Wimsley. Whimsley. This person is our ally. As far as I'm concerned, we should be offering Officer Gold over here.

[38:51] Edgar: No, absolutely not. What are you crazy? First of all, look, I don't trust a single person here from North Talia Shire. They're not trustworthy people. But Lack, don't we want the mining to stop the same thing they want? Don't we want that? Yeah, but we don't we can stop the miner without them coming down and protesting in our homes.

[39:09] Roscoe Chubb: What's wrong with protesting? Nothing. What's wrong is North Talia Shire people coming to help? That's your stubbornness. It's your prejudice, sir. Now, why is it that when Edgar decides we're gonna kill a bunch of people? First of all, I never agreed to anything about killing a bunch of people that Edgar ever said. Let's start there. Number two, it doesn't make any sense to take out a bunch of people who want to stop the same thing we want to stop. Number three, when did we start taking orders from a watch dude? He is a good friend of ours. He's a good guy. That good guy wants to snapper somebody from the tower.

[39:42] Aiden: Sir Aiden has just come back to the group and says, My friends, we we must get a move on. What's the holdup? Just ran into an old friend, that's all he What's the word then? I gotta be honest with you, Rodney. You're not gonna get help from this group. I I tried my best. Why don't you just move here then? Oh look, do what you like. Just don't get in my way. And he pushes his way back through the crowd and toward the watchtower.

[40:05] Roscoe Chubb: Shall we then away, my friends? Yes, please. I suppose we shall. Yeah. Sure. Are we going to be passing by the stage?

[40:13] Aiden: You're sort of like pretty directly in front of it, just a ways back from it. So, like, you wouldn't be moving any closer to the stage at this point.

[40:21] Roscoe Chubb: Okay. That just feels really wrong. I suppose you're right. Maybe we should, you know. Try to go track this gold fellow down and make sure he can't uh hurt. Well, I don't want to kill him either, but maybe like tie him up. At this point, you notice Officer Gord has reached the tower and is currently climbing up along the side of us.

[40:40] Edgar: Jesus. Or we could just warn Whimsley. Or what if I I I could shoot him down. I got arrows. Just to graze him. I mean, puck face if you'll feel if you're fear to you. Abstain from this. This is insane. You know what? I can't I cannot. And she starts walking towards the stage and making her way through the crowd.

[40:56] Aiden: My friends, we must be moving. An assassination is about to take place, sir. What? And at this point, Officer Gord has reached the top of the tower and now draws his bow and trains it on Mayor Whimsley.

[41:08] Roscoe Chubb: What can what can we do? Well, I mean, I'm heading towards the stage as we speak. Just sing a song, get his attention that way. Officer Gord fires an arrow at Mayor Whimsley. It soars just over Joe Costa's head, but due to poor aim, it misses Mayor Whimsley and instead sticks in the throat of Pasco Slim, who falls down dead.

[41:32] Aiden: Oh the crowd screams in horror and begins to rock the wooden tower Officer Gord stands upon. He teeters from the top, falls into the crowd, who sees upon the officer. He is carried to a different part of the city, and the massive throngs push past you to follow.

[41:51] Roscoe Chubb: Oh see. Told you we didn't have to do anything. You guys Do you understand what's just happened? He's just aggravated a situation that went from a protest to something that's probably going to become violent, because now they have proof that someone from South Talichower came up here and tried to kill their mayor.

[42:08] Jocasta: Mm-hmm. She's right. Well, I guess we should probably get on our way then. Before long, the streets have been cleared. You spy a well in the middle of the square, and you see Pasco lying bleeding on the stage with only Mayor Whimsley attending to him.

[42:25] Jocasta: I'm gonna run over there and try to help them. Okay. I can't seem to stop the bleeding. That's it's okay. Um I c I can uh and she's gonna try to remove the arrow and cast cure wounds.

[42:38] Roscoe Chubb: On a very special mythic thunder loot. Oh, I definitely think we should just leave Pasco and get the mare out of here. You wanna give me a strength check to pull the arrow out?

[42:47] Jocasta: Oh my god. Fifteen. Okay, that'll do it. You've got it out, but a geyser of blood comes out of his neck.

[42:56] Roscoe Chubb: Oh god. Cure wounds, cure wounds, cure wounds. You cast cure wounds on the throat of Pasco Slim. Do you see the wounds seal back together as all of the color has already left his face? The eyes roll back in Pasco's head.

[43:11] Mayor Whimsley: No, no, no, no. And Mayor Whimsley drops to his knees and begins weeping over Pasco's body. What a shame. Have some respect, Roscoe. Have some respect, damn. Mayor Whimsley checks Pasco's pulse and says he's gone.

[43:24] Jocasta: No, no, no, he can't be dead. No, no, no. This isn't half done.

[43:29] Roscoe Chubb: He's definitely dead. Can I just say something? I did not sign up for this. My conscience wasn't built for this. There's gotta be some other way. I tried my best to cure his wounds. We should have stopped it before he got these wounds. That arrow could have gone a different way.

[43:53] Jocasta: I pray. There's always another way.

[43:55] ♪ Musical number ♪

[46:07] Bethany Thomas: I play the will to think before you kill.

[46:46] Roscoe Chubb: We could have stopped it. Who was that man? Officer Gord from South Tally Shire. Then the tensions are worse than I thought. I must be off, my friends. There are things that must be set in motion now. Mayor, you need to stop. Because you have an opportunity to stop this where it has begun, okay? If you escalate this, a lot of people are gonna get hurt.

[47:09] Mayor Whimsley: What is your name, my friend?

[47:11] Joe Costa: My name's Joe Costa Stormwood. I shall take the night, and I shall sleep on it. Thank you. But something must be done.

[47:18] Joe Costa: I know, but if you respond in kind, the response will be in kind. Only bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. Do you understand?

[47:27] Mayor Whimsley: I too. Thank you, Trocosta.

[47:30] Aiden: Okay. Come come, my friends. Let's go.

[47:33] Roscoe Chubb: Yeah, we gotta go. You navigate away from the city square of North Talia Shire, filled with this strange sense of failing and dread. And you enter the mountain pass that leads into Vitrania, the land of dragons. And that's where we will end our episode!

[47:54] All: Yay!

[48:06] Jake Blauck: Tune in in three weeks on Monday, November 1st for episode 7, Vitrania. And make sure to leave us a review and subscribe. Mythic Thunderloo was conceived by Jake Blauck, Michael Dharty, and Steve Gudalunis. Jake Blauck serves as our guitarist and the voice of Edgar Hawk. Lillian Castillo is the voice of Jocasta Stormwood. I'm Michael Dharty, the editor and head writer, aka the game maker. Steve Gudalunas is our resident drummer and the voice of Roscoe Chubb. Leah Cato is the voice of Pugface Doodalop. Dan Kazimi does our underscoring, arranging, synth, keyboard, mixing, and mastering. Alex Kuiper is our co-producer and chief story editor. She did the sound effects for this episode. Enter Mortal was written by Jake Blauck and Michael Dharty.

Who will know the Forgotten was written by Dan Kazimi and Alex Kuyper. And There's Always Another Way was written by Dan Kazimi. The drums for this episode were mixed and tracked by Rob Kaplowitz. Our production manager is Molly Foy. Social media assistance from Sarah Royds, marketing consultation from Judd Mellinger Blauch, imaging by Lee Kortapassi and Daniel Kantz, and web design by Campbell O'Hare. Shout out to some of our Patreon supporters, Mike Hahn, Meg McCormick, F. Mark Salo, Greg Nicks, and our newest supporter, Alexis Lorenz. Join us on Patreon to get an early glimpse of our next episode. Or find us on Bandcamp. We'll catch you next time on Mythic Thunderlute.