The cohort rushes to try to rescue Lucas... but they run into something far stranger than a rich teen jock.Note: AJ still hasn't showered since the previous episode.----------Episode Transcript:Get your snack and beverage of choice ready. It’s time to “Gather ‘Round the Trashfires” for a tabletop roleplaying story! I’m your host, Bek Andrew Evans.My current and main running story for this podcast is the misadventures of the cohort from the Deviant: the Renegades chronicle I’ve been playing in since early 2021. And I play Geri.For those of you unfamiliar with Deviant, it’s a TTRPG about people who were formerly human but were irreparably changed in traumatic ways to the point their very Souls broke and they became something Other. They seek vengeance on those who made them, those who hunt them, those who seek to exploit them for what they are and will never leave them be.As such, this podcast will feature heavy themes and content throughout. There’s an overall content warning for language, violence, criminality, homelessness, substance use, human experimentation, cults and religious extremism, mentioned torture, kidnapping, implied incest and incest-related comments, and abusive relationships. On episodes where there is a new content warning or a particularly notable instance of one of these, I’ll call it out.I hope y’all enjoy hearing about my cohort’s antics and stumbling headfirst into the mysteries of the world as much as I have.[Music Intro: "_violence" by Avantist]Green Country Calcination Episode 6: The Spirit of the LakeWhere we left off, Madison was gathering supplies in a panic to go find her boyfriend, Lucas, after Geri revealed that not only was he alive and nearby, but likely lost and maybe suffering from amnesia (or some form of confusion).In the intervening time, a few more hours, she's gathered the rest of the cohort to go with her - except for Zuse, he's still hiding in the fridge. It's now late evening on the gorgeous lake in early-mid March, with only a few visitors wandering the trails. For the most part, no one's paying the cohort any mind except the odd small child pointing and staring at Robert's weird outfit - a heavy raincoat, long pants, gloves, and balaclava so every inch of him's covered while the sun's still out.The cohort hears whispers from the kid's mom, 'this is why you don't do drugs.'AJ's uncharacteristically quiet for the trip out, even sullen. He starts to get random itches the further away they get from the cabin and can't seem to get comfortable out in the wilderness.The cohort wanders for a while with Geri leading the way from images in her dreams. Madison's ready to jump out of her skin from anxiety, but as the sun begins to set, Madison notices something. She reluctantly kneels down at a tree to pick something up, hiding it from the others' view, then calls out for Lucas.They approach a park area, mostly empty other than just a couple families still out after work. Robert's outfit, yet again, draws some attention from a couple of the kids but if the adults notice, they're pretending not to.Madison takes the lead and brings the cohort past the park and into the woods, through brambles, down a hill, toward a stream. She uses a marker stump and carefully placed, old smooth stones to cross.Robert tells Madi and everyone to wait, the energy of the area doesn't feel right - worse than the pills at the Ward. He admits he's assuming that means it's dangerous, but he also doesn't have another frame of reference for what the energy is or means.Madi tells him if he's scared, he's free to stay behind, but she's going ahead to find Lucas. Robert replies he's still going, he's just warning that something doesn't feel right and the cohort should be on alert.AJ, still scratching at miscellaneous itches and looking pathetic and miserable, confirms Madi's not gonna do this alone.Geri, as they keep walking along, tries to find Lucas by 'pinging' telepathy off him, like radar. She figures if she has a range normally without pushing herself, getting a hit at all will at least let them know when he's close. She's hoping it'll let her get a clue on direction as well, but not counting on it.When she initiates her ping, deep in the woods, she senses the three people near her, and something else - another sort of presence that's somehow all around them. When she connects, it shouts in her mind, frightened and addled. It wants to know if anyone can hear it.Geri holds her head in pain. She calls out, out loud, 'where are you?'The strange voice calls out for Madison, begging for the girl to notice him. Only Geri can hear him. Out loud, she yells out that she can't pinpoint him if he's in so many directions at once.Robert pries Geri's hands from her temples to stop her from digging her nails into her own skin. Madison's more interested in running deeper into the woods to find Lucas, with AJ following behind. He warns her, the group's being watched.The voice screams ...
