This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Tommy Nolan: Previously on Once More, with Dragons!. Our jazzy jailbirds joined forces with Rimeswell Miranda to free themselves from their current captivity. The falsely imprisoned got a stick together. After immediately splitting up with Rimeswell, our trio tiptoed to evidence storage, where they met an old shoe, an old lighter, a hapless evidence technician, and their newest foe, the fearsome Brad B. Wendell Rowe. Will our threesome make it out of Clockwork Center unburnt? Find out on today's episode, Arc 1, Chapter 7, of The Lights of Emperia, When Other Friendships are Soon Forgot, Ours is Fiercely Fought.

[1:10] Tommy Nolan: Grigori, you have this poor, poor, I think he described himself as a doctor. He's definitely just the guy who runs the evidence locker down here, but maybe he considers himself a doctor. But I believe you have him hogtied as you threatened him with a fire elemental who you named Brighty. Brighty had disappeared because you had been tackled by your new cloak, which you're now currently, or your old cloak, I guess, which you're now currently wearing. I could be a T-Bird! You're a T-Bird again, again. I'm a T-Bird again. Unfortunately, you do not have access to Brighty anymore because D'Syraeah, I think in a preventative measure, has confiscated your lighter from you. Every time I fall in love with something, it always leaves me. You are too young to be messing with fire.

[2:32] Jesse McAnally: Oh, well. Yeah, I get it. I think this argument is happening like through pursed lips as the doors to the elevator open up and you see the intramayor Brad B. Wendlerow steps out. His short visage attempting very difficultly to fill the opening of this large elevator and his tall, plumed feather corporal's hat, taking up as much space as possible. And he walks into this room holding a box of evidence, and he kind of cocks his head to the side and is surprised to see the three of you here. And he drops the box and goes, what is the meaning of this?

[3:22] Christi Esterle: You tell me, fascist.

[3:24] Jesse McAnally: You, you vile, lying, deceitful, badly dressed...

[3:28] Emily Clark: Now everyone's on my side.

[3:30] Christi Esterle: I was democratically appointed by the citizens of...

[3:33] Jesse McAnally: You are democratically appointed nothing. You have been falsely accusing poor, innocent, overenthusiastic, but still endearing fairies of falsifying papers.

[3:45] Emily Clark: Are you talking about Rimewell? He has had it coming. He has been navigating the underground worlds of magical theater ever since he's entered Imperia.

[3:58] Tommy Nolan: You following this, Evelyn?

[4:00] Emily Clark: Uh, yes. All I know is that his rhymes could not be matched. I don't know if that's a crime, then lock me up because my flow is good.

[4:15] Christi Esterle: Yes, dear.

[4:17] Jesse McAnally: Couldn't have said it better myself.

[4:18] Tommy Nolan: Wendell Rowell is definitely confused by that a little bit, but no matter. And you see him start to reach for something in the pocket of his jacket.

[4:28] Christi Esterle: All right, so I reach for something in the pocket of my coat. I take out the lighter and I take it open. And since I am a druid, I actually know something about, you know, magic and like, elemental stuff. So I'm thinking maybe this might work a little better for me.

[4:43] Jesse McAnally: I fundamentally disagree.

[4:45] Christi Esterle: Yeah, I turn it on.

[4:47] Emily Clark: I'm inhaling. I'm inhaling. I'm getting the fire breath ready. If I gotta like, you know, snort something at him. I'm not, I don't have it out yet, but you know, I'm prepping.

[4:55] Jesse McAnally: I'm readying my cloak like a whip, like you would in the shower with the boys.

[5:01] Christi Esterle: Yeah, yeah. I know what you mean. Yeah.

[5:03] Tommy Nolan: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Uh-huh. As the camera zooms in, as everyone, Matrix prepares their action. Why don't we roll?

[5:14] All: For initiative!

[5:17] Jesse McAnally: Jeez, I gotta roll for initiative.

[5:20] Christi Esterle: Ooh, nat 20!

[5:21] Jesse McAnally: 18, nat 20 for Dee, okay.

[5:24] Christi Esterle: 18 for Greg and a 12 for Evelyn.

[5:29] Christi Esterle: Uh, D'Syraeah, you are up first. You click this lighter in the air. I'll give you that as a free action as this fire elemental appears next to you.

[5:40] Christi Esterle: Um, it is, uh, this one, you have seen similar fire elementals a couple times before now, uh, both in the alleyway, uh, very early on, and then at the Dems' Hohenstein as it, uh, met its unfortunate demise. This one, however, as you, uh, birth it out of this lighter, it looks a little different, perhaps a little less menacing somehow? You're not quite sure, um, but it's about your size and it is also standing next to you at the ready. Uh, right now, uh, Bradby is standing just outside of the elevator and there's a, uh, tied up, uh, evidence manager on the floor. Um, what do you do?

[6:15] Jesse McAnally: Don't think I don't, I'm not looking at you.

[6:17] Christi Esterle: I, I, I, if you move!

[6:19] Jesse McAnally: Gregory, be nice to the poor man. He's just doing his job.

[6:22] Brad B. Wendlerow: I'm just doing my job!

[6:24] Jesse McAnally: Oh yeah, being a part of the fascist system that brings us all these kind of corrupt politicians. Have you, have you never had a terrible day job?

[6:31] Christi Esterle: What if you want to do a move? Because I've been holding my breath for a long time over here.

[6:36] Emily Clark: Oh, I thought you could hold your breath for anything. Aren't you Evelyn who can hit a high note for 45 minutes flat?

[6:42] Christi Esterle: I gotta exhale. I gotta exhale on it, honey.

[6:45] Jesse McAnally: You have fantastic lung capacity, dear. We all know this.

[6:48] Jesse McAnally: Gregory, have you never had a terrible day job?

[6:51] Jesse McAnally: I once had to work as a waitress at Elaine's Star Diner for three years.

[6:58] Christi Esterle: Yeah, but was it owned by Dragon Hitler?

[7:00] Jesse McAnally: Actually, do you know how terrible the tips are there?

[7:04] Tommy Nolan: Bradley is just kind of looking back and forth between the three of you. You three don't seem to get along very well, do you?

[7:11] Jesse McAnally: I whip him with my towel before I can finish that word.

[7:14] Tommy Nolan: Well, you can definitely try, but it is indeed D'Syraeah's turn.

[7:18] Christi Esterle: Okay, I'm actually going to try and communicate with this fire thing. Bridie, use the name.

[7:23] Christi Esterle: Bridie is the name.

[7:24] Christi Esterle: Okay, Bridie, if you insist. This fire elemental, it doesn't have a face, it's just got a big, you know, flame head, but it does turn towards you inquisitively.

[7:34] Christi Esterle: All right. Hi, Bridie. What do you do, D'Syraeah? Do you, um, let's see.

[7:38] Unknown speaker: Kill them.

[7:39] Christi Esterle: I am not going to kill him.

[7:41] Unknown speaker: Do you know who burned down the Dems' Lone Steam Theater?

[7:44] Christi Esterle: The fire elemental looks at you and cocks its head and kind of, it doesn't give you any indication, it kind of shrugs its shoulders a little bit.

[7:51] Christi Esterle: I'll take that as a no, just keep him from hurting me. And I point in, like, the direction of the deputy mayor.

[7:58] Christi Esterle: Uh, it, uh, it nods, uh, solemnly at you and lunges towards the deputy mayor, um, who, uh, pulls out what he was reaching in his, uh, pocket for. Uh, you can't quite make it out in time because this fire elemental, oh, wow, got a nat 20, and lunges towards, uh, Bradby and, uh, tackles him back into the elevator and you see just a fire kind of appear.

[8:23] Unknown speaker: Don't kill him!

[8:24] Christi Esterle: Uh, it, uh, it looks-

[8:25] Unknown speaker: Kill him.

[8:26] Unknown speaker: Kill him.

[8:27] Christi Esterle: Uh, the fire elemental looks back and, uh, contemplates both your don't kill him, D'Syraeah, and Gregory's chant of kill him, kill him, and, uh, agrees with you, D'Syraeah, and kind of nods, um, and does kind of, uh, uh, pick up. You can see it calms down a little bit in its intensity of the fire. It picks up Bradby, uh, and kind of holds him, uh, in a, uh, in an arm lock, uh, as he's facing you inside this elevator. And again, he goes, he has since dropped his box of, uh, evidence, which is spilled out in front of you, and he goes, What is the meaning of this?

[8:57] Unknown speaker: I shall have you know my gods will be here post-haste.

[9:02] Christi Esterle: Bring him on, little guy! Anything else on your turn, D'Syraeah?

[9:05] Unknown speaker: You also-

[9:12] Unknown speaker: His, uh, uh, just to fully-

[9:14] Unknown speaker: Holding your breath.

[9:15] Unknown speaker: That's impressive.

[9:20] Unknown speaker: I think, Greg, uh, Bradby is, uh, even more mad that you are laughing, because you are both about the same height.

[9:27] Unknown speaker: Um. I bet you it feels- you won't be laughing when we put you in maximum security at my new facility.

[9:36] Unknown speaker: That- okay, uh, rest of my group. Fascist, right? Like, I'm not hyperbolizing- you burnt down a theater to build a prison?

[9:50] Unknown speaker: I had nothing to do with that. We are attempting to find the culprit.

[9:54] Unknown speaker: You've made me spill some of the most important evidence right now!

[9:58] Tommy Nolan: Um, Greg, you are up in the order.

[10:02] Jesse McAnally: Um, okay. I- I'm a thief. I'm a thief. Can I try to steal the evidence he stole? He was- he spilt, quote unquote.

[10:13] Tommy Nolan: Uh, sure! You, uh, I mean, it- it, uh, it was, you know, a cardboard paper box, like, uh, what you'd have printer paper in. Um, it has kind of tumbled out in front of you. You see a couple things, uh, tumble out. You see, uh, what looks like a burnt piece of fabric. Um, you see what looks like a giant chocolate bar, which is strange. Um, and, uh, you see a couple other little evidence bags that you can't quite make out in this kind of bullet time we're living right now.

[10:42] Jesse McAnally: Is the chocolate affected by the fire elemental around us?

[10:44] Tommy Nolan: Uh, it- I- the- it doesn't seem to be. It's huge, too, or at least in comparison to a normal chocolate bar.

[10:51] Jesse McAnally: Okay, is there enough where I could eat some of it?

[10:53] Tommy Nolan: Uh, do- uh, you, uh, pick up the chocolate bar, and you realize that it is indeed not made of chocolate. This is a prop. Um, it is a giant prop from Cyclops and the Chocolate Factory.

[11:05] Unknown speaker: Oh, the classic.

[11:07] Tommy Nolan: Uh, and he says, don't touch that. We need to, uh, evaluate that for magical auras.

[11:13] Unknown speaker: You're gonna get your stank all over it.

[11:15] Unknown speaker: Magical moving picture was better. Don't get your stank on my chocolate bar prop.

[11:20] Jesse McAnally: I know I'm technically in a fight right now, but I do kind of want to see if he's lying. Like, if everything you said is the truth.

[11:25] Tommy Nolan: Sure. Um, why don't you roll...

[11:31] Unknown speaker: Let's call this insight.

[11:32] Jesse McAnally: All right.

[11:34] Jesse McAnally: Eight.

[11:35] Unknown speaker: Um, you- and is that plus your modifier?

[11:38] Jesse McAnally: Oh, shit. Um...

[11:41] Unknown speaker: We're playing D&D, learning the rules as we go!

[11:46] Jesse McAnally: Um, ten.

[11:48] Unknown speaker: You're pretty sure he's telling the truth. He believes the things he's saying.

[11:52] Jesse McAnally: Cool. Brighty, kill.

[11:56] Tommy Nolan: Um, you see Brighty, uh, uh, flame brighter. Um, and you see the corners of, uh, Brad B's, uh, very official looking, uh, City Watch outfit start to burn on the shoulders.

[12:09] Brad B. Wendlerow: Ah, ah, it's hot! Ooh, it's quite hot!

[12:12] Christi Esterle: Tell us everything you know about these props and why these ones specifically remain from the- the fucking theater.

[12:18] Brad B. Wendlerow: We- this- that thing you're holding from Cyclops and the Chocolate Factory was the most recent incident of a theater attempting to be burnt down. It was prevented by a magical theater protector, and he was able to put out the fire before it got- It was in the papers! Do you- do you not know about this? We need to find out who started that fire so we can find out who started this fire.

[12:41] Jesse McAnally: Not to start any rumors, but all three of us were 100% there when the fire happened.

[12:47] Christi Esterle: But we didn't start the fire!

[12:49] All: And-

[12:50] All: It was always burning!

[12:51] All: Since the world's been turning.

[12:54] Unknown speaker: Don't give the jukebox musical people any ideas!

[12:57] Unknown speaker: Ooh, well, that's already been done, honey.

[13:00] Unknown speaker: I guess that's fine. All right, I just want to give him a good old- enough that I heard him whip with my-

[13:05] Ep. 7. The Lights of Emperia: Chapter Seven: When Other Friendships are Soon Forgot, Ours is Fiercely Fought

[13:35] Ep. 7. The Lights of Emperia: Our trio of newly christened jailbirds attempt an escape, learning what they can about the Demps Hohenstein fire along the way. But will they find more than they bargained for inside the evidence stacks?

[14:05] Ep. 7. The Lights of Emperia: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices.

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[26:11] Jesse McAnally: Arrested for Disorderly Conduct.

[26:14] Tommy Nolan: We read you your-

[26:15] Jesse McAnally: I guess you're against free speech.

[26:21] Tommy Nolan: Roll a Persuasion check with disadvantage, Greg.

[26:25] Jesse McAnally: Alright.

[26:29] Jesse McAnally: I swear to God I'm not making up these 18s, but this is an 18 plus 1, so 19.

[26:32] Tommy Nolan: Okay, what's your- with disadvantage, so you gotta take the lower of two.

[26:36] Jesse McAnally: Okay.

[26:39] Jesse McAnally: That is a four- 16.

[26:40] Tommy Nolan: Okay. He is remarkably convinced by your speech, Greg.

[26:46] Tommy Nolan: He's kind of given pause a little bit, I guess.

[26:51] Tommy Nolan: And he kind of cocks his head and said, perhaps we were a little hasty.

[26:56] Tommy Nolan: I don't know if-

[26:57] Jesse McAnally: Speaking of hasty, you accused a man who was murdered in the Dempst-Lowenstein before it was set on fire of setting it on fire.

[27:04] Jesse McAnally: And Evelyn's probably dead.

[27:07] Tommy Nolan: Evelyn, are you alright?

[27:11] Emily Clark: You just hear echoing riffs throughout the entire evidence hall.

[27:17] Jesse McAnally: We have the greatest reason to suspect that-

[27:21] Tommy Nolan: Wait, Mr. Wendell Blaze is dead?

[27:25] Christi Esterle: Wendy, if you please.

[27:27] Emily Clark: Yes, Wendy.

[27:28] Christi Esterle: Yes, it is true. I slipped in his blood myself.

[27:31] Jesse McAnally: What? Where? How do you know this?

[27:35] Emily Clark: We saw his body, yo.

[27:37] Jesse McAnally: You saw his body?

[27:40] Christi Esterle: Most people who see bodies report them or let the government know.

[27:50] Jesse McAnally: Why did you not let anybody know?

[27:51] Christi Esterle: Would you have told Hitler about all the people breaking into his country? No.

[27:56] Jesse McAnally: Oh, right.

[27:57] Tommy Nolan: That's a wild comparison.

[27:59] Jesse McAnally: Okay, so can we get Evelyn back in here?

[28:02] Christi Esterle: Can you call the claw thing to carry her back in here, please?

[28:06] Tommy Nolan: At that moment, Lin-Manuel Miranda ferry barges in with the entire prison.

[28:10] Tommy Nolan: He says, he said, quite right.

[28:13] Tommy Nolan: And he looks over to his little spider web and says, he makes weird whistling noises.

[28:19] Tommy Nolan: And the spider starts pulling different levers.

[28:21] Tommy Nolan: We cut to Evelyn just stops for a second.

[28:25] Tommy Nolan: And then in that brief moment, there's a moment of respite before it gets launched back in the other direction towards the door.

[28:34] Jesse McAnally: Who could ask for anything?

[28:40] Tommy Nolan: Okay, she's not dead.

[28:41] Tommy Nolan: I knew the whole time, by the way.

[28:43] Tommy Nolan: I had faith.

[28:44] Tommy Nolan: Very, very well.

[28:45] Tommy Nolan: Very, very powerful.

[28:47] Tommy Nolan: Bradby looks at you again, Desiree, and says, enough with this fool over here.

[28:51] Tommy Nolan: You seem like you know what's going on.

[28:56] Christi Esterle: You found Raymond dead somewhere?

[29:00] Christi Esterle: Long story short, and to make a long story short, I basically summarize, you know, everything that happened, how we were ushers and that we found the dead body.

[29:09] Christi Esterle: And then we nearly got killed when the theater burned down, but we're rescued.

[29:12] Christi Esterle: And I'm young now.

[29:13] Christi Esterle: And then we kind of went on a walk with the other cast.

[29:15] Christi Esterle: And then we were going to go to the train station or something and then wound up at the memorial.

[29:21] Christi Esterle: And then we wound up here.

[29:23] Christi Esterle: And it's just been a very interesting 24, 48 hours, whatever it's been.

[29:27] Jesse McAnally: Did you bring up the alternate universe where we met cats?

[29:33] Christi Esterle: Or the one where we fought the chandelier?

[29:35] Jesse McAnally: Those were dreams.

[29:39] Christi Esterle: I like the one where we fought the chandelier.

[29:41] Christi Esterle: I got to hit something along with my staff.

[29:44] Christi Esterle: I don't even know if my character hates cats anymore.

[29:47] Jesse McAnally: We'll never know.

[29:48] Christi Esterle: Keep calling mine a dog, so I'm guessing yes.

[29:51] Tommy Nolan: The harp music plays and the screen goes all watery, as you explain this flashback to Bradby.

[29:59] Tommy Nolan: And he says, I see, that is quite interesting.

[30:03] Tommy Nolan: But you are aware that the work of burning down the Dempse Hohenstein was created by a fire elemental, not unlike that one you have standing threatening me there, right there.

[30:10] Tommy Nolan: How did you make that?

[30:17] Christi Esterle: Are you a sorcerer?

[30:20] Christi Esterle: I'm a druid.

[30:22] Christi Esterle: There's a difference.

[30:23] Christi Esterle: Do not insult me.

[30:24] Tommy Nolan: You don't even look druid.

[30:26] Christi Esterle: My apologies.

[30:27] Christi Esterle: Creating a fire elemental of such magnitude takes quite an amount of magic and not druidic magic.

[30:35] Christi Esterle: So I flip around the little lighter and said, does this look familiar?

[30:39] Tommy Nolan: Yes, I'm glad that you've stolen that from our evidence bay.

[30:44] Tommy Nolan: That is-

[30:45] Christi Esterle: It was stolen from me.

[30:47] Tommy Nolan: Well, you stole it from me first, if we're going to really track this back, Dee.

[30:51] Christi Esterle: Very long story, but it was somebody broke into our room and stole this, and then they used it to light the frickin' theater on fire.

[30:58] Tommy Nolan: And who might that person who originally owned that lighter be, he says.

[31:04] Christi Esterle: May I direct your attention to the inscription on the side?

[31:10] Christi Esterle: RPW, we know.

[31:11] Tommy Nolan: RPW, Raymond Phoenix Wendelblaze.

[31:18] Tommy Nolan: That could be anyone's initials.

[31:20] Jesse McAnally: What's your initials anyway, B-B-B-B-B?

[31:23] Christi Esterle: It's Brad B nothing Wendelbro.

[31:27] Jesse McAnally: Well, there is a W there.

[31:29] Jesse McAnally: How do we know that R isn't just a weird looking B?

[31:32] Tommy Nolan: Have you-

[31:33] Tommy Nolan: I'm not acknowledging you anymore.

[31:35] Tommy Nolan: Listen, Desirea, it is, yes?

[31:38] Tommy Nolan: I- you present a compelling argument.

[31:41] Tommy Nolan: I too did not want to believe that Wendy had burnt down the theater, but the evidence is right there.

[31:48] Tommy Nolan: That that lighter created the elementals who burnt down- I mean, it couldn't be anyone else!

[31:54] Tommy Nolan: That lighter was stolen by somebody who I auditioned for very briefly.

[32:00] Christi Esterle: So I'm not remembering.

[32:02] Christi Esterle: Do you mean Mo Pumpernickel and Leon Crum?

[32:04] Christi Esterle: Yes, him!

[32:05] Christi Esterle: The Dear Elvin Hansen people.

[32:07] Christi Esterle: One of them had this- had these invisible tap shoes.

[32:09] Christi Esterle: You know, we did- they broke in with our- they broke in with our- they broke into our hotel room with it.

[32:13] Christi Esterle: They kicked me with one.

[32:17] Christi Esterle: I've got the other one.

[32:18] Christi Esterle: I'm sure I have it somewhere.

[32:19] Christi Esterle: There's so much lore, D!

[32:21] Jesse McAnally: What?

[32:21] Jesse McAnally: There's too much lore.

[32:23] Jesse McAnally: Spread over four years.

[32:27] Christi Esterle: I- I- I am not- well, I am- I was a much older man when I started this, so I'm really not doing great.

[32:33] Tommy Nolan: Uh, Evelyn comes flying back in the room at this point.

[32:36] Tommy Nolan: Um, Bradby says, uh, uh, you-

[32:41] Tommy Nolan: Are you alleging that Leon Crum and Mo Pumpernickel had something to do with this?

[32:48] Christi Esterle: I have their tap shoe.

[32:49] Christi Esterle: Open your eyes!

[32:51] Christi Esterle: We have a matching tap shoe to that-

[32:54] Tommy Nolan: Wait, you have- did you take that from our evidence locker too?

[32:57] Christi Esterle: I shall have you know-

[32:58] Christi Esterle: No, I took it from my things, which you stole from me.

[33:02] Christi Esterle: Then we found that in the burnt-down Demps Hohenstein, along with that lighter.

[33:07] Christi Esterle: We have a right to remain silent.

[33:09] Jesse McAnally: The more we talk, the more guilty we look right now.

[33:12] Christi Esterle: I don't know if you're seeing it, but I've been arrested many times in my long life.

[33:16] Jesse McAnally: How do I know you did not kill Raymond Phoenix Wendell Blaze?

[33:19] Christi Esterle: There it is!

[33:20] Christi Esterle: I knew it was coming.

[33:21] Christi Esterle: Here it was.

[33:22] Christi Esterle: I was- I was holding that, but I shall have you know that I was stalling.

[33:28] Tommy Nolan: And you hear, uh, uh- we fell for a kid's oldest trick of the book!

[33:36] Tommy Nolan: You hear, uh, from far away, like, the sound of, uh, soldiers approaching.

[33:40] Emily Clark: Can someone get me down from this hook? I feel a little ridiculous up here. I've got littler arms than my lower half, you know?

[33:47] Jesse McAnally: I grab her tail and yank her down.

[33:50] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, there- because Bradby is currently, uh, grappled, there is not a current threat, so we are out of order currently.

[33:57] Christi Esterle: Oh, can I do something then?

[33:58] Tommy Nolan: Sure.

[34:00] Christi Esterle: Um, I tackle him into the elevator and then try to hit the escape button.

[34:06] Tommy Nolan: Tell me more about this escape button.

[34:08] Christi Esterle: Sorry, the emergency button.

[34:11] Christi Esterle: We got an escape button to work with here?

[34:13] Christi Esterle: The one that locks all the doors and causes the fire sprinklers to come on.

[34:18] Tommy Nolan: Roll an athletics check for me.

[34:20] Tommy Nolan: Let's see how quickly you can charge at this man.

[34:22] Christi Esterle: What, this can't be a sleight of hand?

[34:24] Tommy Nolan: Alright.

[34:25] Tommy Nolan: I don't think there's anything subtle about this.

[34:28] Christi Esterle: Um, that is 16.

[34:30] Tommy Nolan: With the 16, you, uh, barrel at him, and you football tackle him back into the elevator.

[34:37] Tommy Nolan: Um, and, uh, he slumps down, uh, and he's about to get up when you slam your hand on, uh, the emergency button, you said?

[34:46] Christi Esterle: Yes, the emergency button, the big red button in every elevator.

[34:50] Tommy Nolan: It's gonna stop the elevator?

[34:52] Christi Esterle: The button that, the button that shuts the, that stops the elevator and, you know, makes the, the things ring in.

[34:57] Tommy Nolan: Yeah, what, what's Greg's understanding of what this button should do?

[35:01] Jesse McAnally: I think it should, at the very least, shut the elevator doors.

[35:06] Tommy Nolan: Um, you smack this button.

[35:08] Tommy Nolan: In an emergency, we want to trap you inside.

[35:11] Christi Esterle: Right.

[35:12] Tommy Nolan: Yeah.

[35:13] Tommy Nolan: A little teeny box on a rope. Helpful.

[35:16] Tommy Nolan: The, the, the first door of this elevator, which is kind of one of those lattice things, closes over just in time after you hit this button, and he gets up and meets you face-to-face, Greg.

[35:25] Tommy Nolan: Um, and he goes, I'll get you.

[35:28] Tommy Nolan: And it, the elevator springs him backwards as he yells, I knew we should have never installed that button.

[35:35] Tommy Nolan: Well, that paid off.

[35:46] Tommy Nolan: Hi, everyone. It's me, Tommy, your Dungeon Master, and welcome to Intermission.

[35:51] Tommy Nolan: Do you think DeSerea is gonna stage door tonight? I know she usually doesn't, but somehow tonight, I just got a feeling, and I'd really like her to sign my playbill, I guess.

[36:01] Tommy Nolan: Uh, thanks for listening. Our troop this week, as always, is Evelyn Forte, the Brassy Mouth Dragonborn Sorcerer, played by Emily Clark. Find Emily at Stealing Focus on YouTube.

[36:08] Tommy Nolan: DeSerea the Magnificent, our High Elf Druid and Daughter of Theatrical Royalty, is played by Christy Esterly. Find Christy, aka The Diva, at Musical Hell on YouTube.

[36:20] Tommy Nolan: Gregory Hyland is the Bumbling Two-Timing Dwarfish Rogue, played by Jesse McAnally. You can find Jesse's other podcasts, musicals with cheese, and carried away in a podcatcher near you.

[36:29] Tommy Nolan: And me, of course, I'm Tommy Nolan, musical mash here and elsewhere on the internet. Our artwork is by Derek Trost, and thanks, as always, to BPN for having us on the network.

[36:38] Tommy Nolan: You can find all this information and more at oncemorewithdragons.com. Thanks, last but not least, to all of our beautiful patrons on Patreon.

[36:48] Tommy Nolan: You can join our Patreon by heading to that website, oncemorewithdragons.com, and it'll take you over there.

[36:54] Tommy Nolan: As always, reviews on Apple Podcasts are one of the biggest things you can do to help this show. Other than that, please just tell people about our show. We got a weird, fun, interesting musical theater D&D show happening here, and people deserve to listen to it, and you deserve to tell them about it.

[37:12] Tommy Nolan: And I'm going to shut up now, because they're blinking the lights, and we've got to go grab our seats. Thanks for listening. Enjoy Act 2. Goodbye!

[37:18] Tommy Nolan: And you continue to hear coming from, there's like a couple doors around here. Perhaps it's a staircase or something.

[37:31] Jesse McAnally: All right, guys, if we all pretend to pass out and act like we were attacked.

[37:35] Christi Esterle: All right, is there any door that there are not ha-ta-tas coming from at this point?

[37:41] Tommy Nolan: You hear there's a door. Let's say there's a door to the left of the elevator and a door to the right of the elevator. You get the sense one is a staircase up and one is a staircase down. You hear hut-huts coming from both directions.

[37:52] Jesse McAnally: Oh, fiddlesticks. All right, so who's going to take which hut-hut door?

[37:57] Christi Esterle: And behind you, just for completeness, is the full evidence locker. Big shelves, boxes, stored things, Indiana Jones.

[38:03] Jesse McAnally: I say we hide.

[38:04] Christi Esterle: Wait, we got to fight, and we got to grab stuff.

[38:06] Christi Esterle: I say we hide in the evidence locker, because they're not going to destroy it. And if we hide among the evidence, that's the last place they'll expect us to be.

[38:10] Unknown speaker: Uh, the tied-up evidence guy says, I say we turn ourselves in.

[38:17] Christi Esterle: I'm going to eat you.

[38:18] Jesse McAnally: Oh, can I turn on Brighty again?

[38:21] Tommy Nolan: Brighty's still around, yeah.

[38:23] Christi Esterle: Brighty, attack.

[38:25] Tommy Nolan: No, I flip the guy- I turn the thing off so that he can't.

[38:29] Tommy Nolan: Brighty shoops back into the lighter.

[38:31] Christi Esterle: You're never any fun, Dee. You used to be so fun when we were both the same age.

[38:35] Christi Esterle: Um, all right, what's the plan? We cannot keep keep- we cannot keep burning everything down. You want to talk about looking guilty?

[38:42] Jesse McAnally: Oh my gosh, how dare we look more guilty than we already are?

[38:45] Christi Esterle: We know the truth, but there's no way we're convincing anyone, so you might as well go with the branding. We're the burner people.

[38:51] Jesse McAnally: We're the burner studies.

[38:52] Christi Esterle: We are not the burner people. We are- we are valiant- valiant champions and iconoclasts of justice, fighting the system.

[39:01] Jesse McAnally: Sure, I'm a thief, bro. Ever heard of Honor Among Thieves?

[39:04] Christi Esterle: Evelyn's Flamethrowers, featuring Evelyn Forte.

[39:09] Jesse McAnally: High five!

[39:10] Christi Esterle: Written by Evelyn Forte.

[39:12] Christi Esterle: Come on, high five but low because I'm shorter than you.

[39:17] Ep. 7. The Lights of Emperia – Chapter Seven: When Other Friendships are Soon Forgot, Ours is Fiercely Fought

[39:47] Broadway Podcast Network: Welcome back to "Once More, with Dragons!"

[40:17] Broadway Podcast Network: In this episode, our trio of newly christened jailbirds attempt an escape, learning what they can about the Demps Hohenstein fire along the way.

[40:27] Broadway Podcast Network: But will they find more than they bargained for inside the evidence stacks?

[40:57] Broadway Podcast Network: Stay tuned to find out!

[41:07] Broadway Podcast Network: Now, let's dive into the adventure!

[41:17] Broadway Podcast Network: Our heroes are ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead.

[41:27] Broadway Podcast Network: Will they succeed in their daring escape?

[41:37] Broadway Podcast Network: Or will they be thwarted at every turn?

[41:47] Broadway Podcast Network: The stakes are high, and the tension is palpable.

[41:57] Broadway Podcast Network: Join us as we explore the depths of Emperia!

[42:07] Broadway Podcast Network: The journey continues now!

[42:17] Broadway Podcast Network: Let's see what awaits our brave adventurers.

[42:27] Broadway Podcast Network: Will they uncover the truth behind the fire?

[42:37] Broadway Podcast Network: Or will they fall victim to the dangers lurking in the shadows?

[42:47] Broadway Podcast Network: Only time will tell!

[42:57] Broadway Podcast Network: And now, back to the story!

[43:07] Broadway Podcast Network: Our heroes are about to make a crucial decision.

[43:17] Broadway Podcast Network: What will they choose?

[43:27] Broadway Podcast Network: The fate of Emperia hangs in the balance!

[43:37] Broadway Podcast Network: Let's find out together!

[43:47] Broadway Podcast Network: The adventure is just beginning!

[43:57] Broadway Podcast Network: Hold on tight!

[44:07] Broadway Podcast Network: It's going to be a wild ride!

[44:17] Broadway Podcast Network: And now, back to our heroes!

[44:27] Broadway Podcast Network: What will they discover next?

[44:37] Broadway Podcast Network: The mystery deepens!

[44:47] Broadway Podcast Network: Stay with us as we unravel the secrets of Emperia!

[44:57] Broadway Podcast Network: The excitement is building!

[45:07] Broadway Podcast Network: Don't miss a moment of the action!

[45:17] Broadway Podcast Network: And now, let's return to the story!

[45:27] Broadway Podcast Network: Our heroes are on the brink of a breakthrough!

[45:37] Broadway Podcast Network: Will they seize the opportunity?

[45:47] Broadway Podcast Network: Or will they let it slip away?

[45:57] Broadway Podcast Network: The tension is mounting!

[46:07] Broadway Podcast Network: Join us as we find out what happens next!

[46:17] Broadway Podcast Network: The adventure continues!

[46:27] Broadway Podcast Network: What lies ahead for our brave adventurers?

[46:37] Broadway Podcast Network: Only time will tell!

[46:47] Broadway Podcast Network: And now, back to the story!

[46:57] Broadway Podcast Network: Our heroes are about to face a new challenge!

[47:07] Broadway Podcast Network: Will they rise to the occasion?

[47:17] Broadway Podcast Network: Or will they falter?

[47:27] Broadway Podcast Network: The stakes have never been higher!

[47:37] Broadway Podcast Network: Stay tuned as we uncover the truth!

[47:47] Broadway Podcast Network: The adventure is far from over!

[47:57] Broadway Podcast Network: And now, back to our heroes!

[48:07] Broadway Podcast Network: What will they discover next?

[48:17] Broadway Podcast Network: The mystery deepens!

[48:27] Broadway Podcast Network: Stay with us as we unravel the secrets of Emperia!

[48:37] Broadway Podcast Network: The excitement is building!

[48:47] Broadway Podcast Network: Don't miss a moment of the action!

[48:57] Broadway Podcast Network: And now, let's return to the story!

[49:07] Broadway Podcast Network: Our heroes are on the brink of a breakthrough!

[49:17] Broadway Podcast Network: Will they seize the opportunity?

[49:27] Broadway Podcast Network: Or will they let it slip away?

[49:37] Broadway Podcast Network: The tension is mounting!

[49:47] Broadway Podcast Network: Join us as we find out what happens next!

[49:57] Broadway Podcast Network: The adventure continues!

[50:07] Broadway Podcast Network: What lies ahead for our brave adventurers?

[50:17] Broadway Podcast Network: Only time will tell!

[50:27] Broadway Podcast Network: And now, back to the story!

[50:37] Broadway Podcast Network: Our heroes are about to face a new challenge!

[50:47] Broadway Podcast Network: Will they rise to the occasion?

[50:57] Broadway Podcast Network: Or will they falter?

[51:07] Broadway Podcast Network: The stakes have never been higher!

[51:17] Broadway Podcast Network: Stay tuned as we uncover the truth!

[51:27] Broadway Podcast Network: The adventure is far from over!

[51:37] Broadway Podcast Network: And now, back to our heroes!

[51:47] Broadway Podcast Network: What will they discover next?

[51:57] Broadway Podcast Network: The mystery deepens!

[52:07] Broadway Podcast Network: Stay with us as we unravel the secrets of Emperia!

[52:17] Broadway Podcast Network: The excitement is building!

[52:53] Emily Clark: Welcome back to "Once More, with Dragons!" In this episode, we find ourselves in quite the predicament as our trio of newly christened jailbirds attempts an escape.

[53:23] Christi Esterle: That's right! We're learning what we can about the Demps Hohenstein fire along the way. I can't wait to see what we uncover inside the evidence stacks.

[53:53] Jesse McAnally: I just hope we don't find more than we bargained for. You know how these things tend to go!

[54:23] Tommy Nolan: Well, let's dive right in and see what happens next. Ready your spells and sharpen your wits, everyone!

[54:43] Emily Clark: Alright, let's roll for initiative and see how this escape plan unfolds!

[55:13] Christi Esterle: I’m feeling lucky today! Let’s hope that luck carries us through.

[55:32] Jesse McAnally: Or at least until we find a way out of this mess.

[56:02] Tommy Nolan: As you all gather your thoughts and prepare for the next move, the atmosphere in the evidence room feels thick with tension.

[56:32] Emily Clark: I can almost taste the danger in the air. What do we see around us?

[56:52] Christi Esterle: There are stacks of boxes and files everywhere. It looks like we might be able to find some clues if we search carefully.

[57:12] Jesse McAnally: I’ll check the box on the left. It looks like it hasn’t been opened in a while.

[57:42] Tommy Nolan: As you approach the box, you notice it’s dusty and covered in cobwebs. What do you do?

[58:12] Emily Clark: I’ll use my mage hand to open it from a distance. I don’t want to touch anything that might be cursed!

[58:42] Christi Esterle: Smart thinking! I’ll keep an eye out for any guards while you do that.

[59:12] Jesse McAnally: And I’ll be ready to grab anything useful we find. Let’s see what secrets this box holds!

[59:42] Tommy Nolan: As the mage hand lifts the lid, a cloud of dust erupts into the air. Inside, you see a collection of old documents and a strange, glowing orb.

[1:00:12] Emily Clark: A glowing orb? That sounds intriguing! What does it look like?

[1:00:42] Christi Esterle: Is it pulsating? I hope it’s not a magical bomb or something!

[1:01:12] Jesse McAnally: I’m definitely not touching that without knowing what it is first.

[1:01:42] Tommy Nolan: The orb seems to shimmer with a soft light, and you can feel a faint warmth emanating from it. It appears to be safe for now.

[1:02:12] Emily Clark: I’ll carefully reach in and take the orb. We can examine it further once we’re out of here.

[1:02:42] Christi Esterle: Good call! Let’s not linger too long. We need to find a way out before we attract unwanted attention.

[1:03:12] Jesse McAnally: Agreed! Let’s keep searching for any other clues that might help us escape.

[1:03:42] Tommy Nolan: As you continue to rummage through the evidence stacks, you hear a faint noise coming from the back of the room.

[1:04:12] Emily Clark: What kind of noise? Is it footsteps?

[1:04:42] Christi Esterle: Or maybe something more sinister? We should be on high alert!

[1:05:12] Jesse McAnally: I’ll hide behind this stack of boxes and see if I can get a better look at what’s going on.