Episode 73 - Unwelcome Responsibilities

Intro
Jason: Hello, and welcome Celestial Expanse, a real play D&D podcast set in the Celestial Expanse universe. My name is Jason, and I'll be playing everyone's favorite heretic elf, Theran. Tonight, you will witness much chicanery, tomfoolery, ballyhoo, and if you're lucky, perhaps even some skullduggery. But now I wanna introduce the Prime Minister of Sinister, the Foreman of Fornicating Skyward, the Numero Uno of rolling numero uno, Matthew. How are you doing tonight, Matthew? Matt: Pretty good, how bout yourself? Jason: Pretty good, not bad. Ben, playing Rell. How are you sir? Ben: Hello. I am okay. Jason: Boston, playing our favorite shrub Juniper, how are you? Boston: Goin. It's goin. Jason: Rebecca, playing the kind and generous Martle. How are you? Rebecca: I think I'm with Boston. It's goin. Jason: It just goes? Rebecca: It goes. Jason: Natalia - Rebecca: And dammit, gonna keep going cause now I'm everyone else's problem. Jason: Natalia, playing Z. How are you, Natalia? Natalia: When the going gets tough, the tough get goin. Jason: Wow, listen to all of us. Mitch, playing Zarial. How are you doing, Mitch? Mitch: Fucking great, how are you Jason? Jason: There you go! Rebecca: Finally, some optimism! Jason: Got one. Out of all of us. One. Mitch: One of us has to, damn! Natalia: Mine was optimistic, I said the tough get going! Jason: Back to you, Matt.

Episode Description
The Crew begin evacuation of the planet and help with refugees getting on the ship Jormy...but why are they bowing?

Summary
The episode begins with the crew discussing the evacuation with Marcule. Jörmungandr can hold 2000 people. Theran volunteers to take the childless heretic elf women. Marcule tells the gnome Jax to go with them, and the others can tell he's trying to pawn him off on them because he's annoying. He says he's also the head of the marines, and would be useful if they're attacked. He has 200 ready to go right now.

They hear a whistling sound, and feel the ground shake. The crew and Jax use the teleportation circle to go back to Jörmungandr, which already has a lot of refugees in the cargo hold. Martle tells Jörmungandr the situation. She looks around, and notices people are kneeling and bowing towards her. They also bow to the various mini holograms of Jörmungandr, who promptly shows off. Lelia rolls in and says she'll contact Demia about asylum for everyone.

Juniper goes off to try to improve Jörmungandr's hologram. The crowd gives Z too much social anxiety so she backs away down the corridor and accidentally collides with Jax, knocking both of them down. She introduces herself as Z, refusing to give him the rest of her name. He asks for her captain. She tells him to keep her busy and runs off, hastily pointing towards Martle as she goes.

Jax tells Martle that his marines are on board and ready if needed. He also got a message from Marcule saying that he and the other council members and civilians have already boarded their ships and are set to go to the sister colony. Most of the people on Jörmungandr don't want to go to the sister colony, but want to join them in the fight against Amethyst. Martle is very overwhelmed to have so many people under her command. Lelia tells her that an unknown third party is tracking down the Catalyst signals. Martle pulls up the map and sees that several dots are greyed out. Only one third were recovered by the pirates. Lelia thinks they may have a lead: the Mentaru home system.

Hearing this, Zarial goes to find Jax and asks if they have farmers. Jax sends Zarial to a dwarf in the army, Colonel Brom, in cargo bay 3.

Lelia tells Martle they have a contact in the Uncertain Cosmic, a bar in the Mentaru system. They need to ask the bartender for someone named Magnum, but not til next week. She also gives Juniper a new firewall to try to break. In the intervening week, they go visit Master Ryu and Z gets her new arm, and they drop off about 100 refugees who didn't want to stay at the Terminal. At one point, Martle goes to find Zarial working with farmers on the garden. She asks him why he was off on his own on Agora. Having heard Theran's previous explanation over comms, he says he had a gut feeling that someone might try something. Martle quietly watches him, not moving when he attempts to hand her farming equipment. Someone asks what he did, and she says it was something personal and leaves. Juniper struggles with Lelia's firewall, and Lelia asks her about her background. When Juniper continues to fail, Lelia says they'll try more tomorrow, and leaves. Juniper doesn't notice anything immediately, but eventually feels something wet on her feet, and looks down to see blood.

New Information

 * Jax is 3'2", so two inches taller than Z. He has greyish-black hair that's slightly longer than regulations, an angular face, and very bright green eyes. He's wearing his full combat uniform.
 * Jax is the main commanding officer of the marines, and has been in the marines for 20 years.
 * Juniper had access to a lot of information at the orphanage, and wanted to read about things. She found technology the most interesting.

Memorable Quotes
Matt: Jason, if this was a real life game I'd just be giving you this look, like "Really?" Rebecca: So you'd be giving him the look that Martle's giving everyone apparently?

Boston: My strength is at 10. Rebecca: Oh, honey. Jason: I can barely beat Juniper in an arm wrestling contest, which is pretty good. Mitch: You can beat me. I have a 10 too.

Lelia: Asylum? Is that the word we're using? Asylum? Jason: I think what we're calling it is "pirate integration."

Martle: Z, what do - I'm sorry, wrong short person, how can I help you?

Jason: I wonder if he's a private investigator. Matt: Dammit, Jason.

Trivia

 * Thanks to the oath Martle made to Marcule last episode, she does an extra d10 physical damage when she attacks.
 * Martle can't make oaths to other PCs for Oathkeeper bonuses.
 * Mitch wanted to make a joke that they didn't have enough crayons for all the marines, but Jason beat him to it.
 * Martle has a -1 INT, Theran has a +0, Z has a +1, Juniper has a +3, Zarial has a +2. Juniper has 20 charisma and 13 wisdom. Juniper and Zarial have 10 strength, Theran is barely stronger, Rell has 9. Juniper has a constitution of 13. Zarial has 10 dexterity, Juniper has 15.