Transcript – The Mech’nist

[Quest of Ruin Theme plays]

ANNOUNCER
Scroll and Dagger presents
Quest of Ruin
Episode Two
The Mech’nist

[Theme music fades to sounds of urban life, stationery and dice on a table in the foreground]

GAME MASTER 
Hello, hello! And welcome back to Quest of Ruin, the post-apocalyptic fantasy roleplaying podcast hosted by me and played by these people!

PLAYERS
[variations of hello]

GAME MASTER
So, does everyone remember where we were? 

ROSIE 
Yeah, we’d just gotten the Crow’s Grimoire out the tower and we were heading back to town. 

GINA
To sell it, right? 

WILL
Yep, to sell it to Reynard. 

[In the background, ominous music begins]

MATT 
Wait, who? 

WILL 
Reynard. 

LEAH
Who’s that? 

WILL
(stutters slightly) He’s the guy we’re getting the Grimoire for. 

ROSIE 
Oh! The one who told us about the tower? 

WILL 
Yeah. 

LEAH 
Huh. Must’ve missed that.

[The ominous music fades away]

GAME MASTER 
It wasn’t really important at that point so I probably just didn’t make it very memorable. 

GINA 
So. We’re heading… back to town to find this Reynard guy? 

GAME MASTER 
That’s right.

[Transition music with dice rolls plays, and the footsteps of the party fade up, with Balink chattering away in the background]

YAELA 
I can’t believe you won’t even consider it. 

LAETHAR 
I thought we had settled this. 

YAELA 
Well, you thought wrong, didn’t you? Come on, give me one good reason why they shouldn’t join us. 

LAETHAR 
We are doing just fine by ourselves. 

YAELA 
Yes, just us and Balink and, what was it you said when I told you I wanted to bring him along? 

LAETHAR 
That was entirely different. He has proven his worth time and time again. 

YAELA 
And those two haven’t? You saw what they can do!

LAETHAR 
In that particular situation, perhaps, but-

YAELA 
It’s because Vurieth is an Ashlander, isn’t it? 

BALINK
(in the background) … and it made rainbow smoke!

YAELA (ctd)
They’re not a human.

LAETHAR 
A pair of pointy ears doesn’t make one an elf either. 

YAELA 
It’s been nearly a hundred years, do you think it might be time to let that go? 

LAETHAR 
(angrily) That’s an easy thing for you to say, Yaela, very easy for someone who wasn’t even there! (pause) Yaela, I- I’m sorry. (his voice fades away) I didn’t mean that- I- Yaela!  

[Yaela moves away from Laethar, and Balink’s chattering gets louder]

BALINK 
And that’s why I never go near snowmen anymore.

VURIETH 
Yaela! Is all well? 

YAELA 
Yes, yes all is… quite well. Laethar is going to bring up the rear by himself for a bit. 

AIOLIN 
Balink was just telling us about his, uh, experiences… with the snowman. 

YAELA 
Ah, yes, I remember that quite well. 

BALINK 
So, you two knew each other before you joined us, right?

VURIETH 
Yes that is so. Aiolin has assisted me a few times with matters of research. His knowledge on arcane lore is second to very few. 

AIOLIN 
Hm. It’s nothing really. Just have a good memory, is all. 

BALINK 
Sun’s coming up. Can’t believe I haven’t had any sleep. (yawns)

[The party approach a town, with vendors advertising their wares]

YAELA 
Don’t worry, Binks. We’ll meet up with Reynard and then afterwards we can use the money to find the best beds this town has to offer. 

BALINK
Oooooh, sounds great! 

[The sounds of the approaching town fade down, and a different street ambience fades up. Three knocks on a wooden door, which opens to someone hoisting a crossbow]

L’BOAR
What?

LAETHAR
(tsks) Well there’s no need for tha-

YAELA 
We’re here to see Reynard. 

L’BOAR
Never heard of ‘im. 

YAELA 
Do we really have to do this again?

VURIETH 
This Reynard is expecting us, yes?

AIOLIN 
I hope so. There are probably more behind this one, and they’ll likely all have crossbows too. 

BALINK
I could make him let us in… 

L’BOAR
Just try it, goblin. 

YAELA 
L’Boar, you know us. You know Reynard is expecting us, so why are you wasting my time? 

L’BOAR
‘E was expecting three. 

LAETHAR 
We hired some extra help. We’ve done so plenty of times before and Reynard knows it. Gods save us, you know it! 

[L’Boar sighs but lowers his crossbow]

L’BOAR
Alright. Go on in. 

LAETHAR 
Thank you.

[The party walk through the entrance, and the door swings shut behind them, closing with a click. They continue down the hallway]

LAETHAR
(muttering) Pig-headed orc.

AIOLIN 
Wouldn’t say that too loudly. Orcs have excellent hearing. Some can hear a pin drop a mile away. 

VURIETH 
Is that so? 

AIOLIN 
Ha! No, not really. But there’s more of them down here. Look. 

BALINK 
They look scary. 

YAELA 
They won’t do anything if we just keep our heads down and don’t start any trouble. So no itchy fingers please, Binks. 

BALINK 
(mutters incoherently)

[A metal door opens with a squeak]

ROSAK 
Hold up. Boss is busy, he’ll see you in a sec. 

[In the background, the shaking sobs of a young woman.]

REYNARD 
(in the background) Yes. Yes, very nice. She’ll do nicely, put her with the rest. 

[The crying woman is taken away, and another door closes]

REYNARD 
Ah, if it isn’t my favourite grave robbers! 

LAETHAR
Reynard, good to see you again. I suppose you knew the tower would be booby trapped.

REYNARD 
I had my suspicions. Wizards, especially necromancers, were never known for their trusting demeanors. 

YAELA
And you didn’t think to warn us when you told us about the tower?

REYNARD 
Last I checked I wasn’t your mother, Yaela. I sell information. For example: the Crow’s Grimoire is an item of great value, and it’s in this abandoned necromancer’s tower. What you people do with it is hardly my concern. If you had blundered in and gotten yourselves eaten by corpses, I’d consider that entirely your problem. 

AIOLIN 
It was more than just corpses. There was a Haunting in there. 

REYNARD 
Is that so? Well that’s hardly so surprising, is it? Since it was a necromancer’s tower. Speaking of, how were you able to break the seal? 

VURIETH 
That was me. 

REYNARD 
An Ashlander? Laethar, you do surprise me. 

LAETHAR 
It wasn’t my first choice. 

YAELA
(quietly) Laethar!

REYNARD 
(chuckling) No, I suppose not. But then, there aren’t many mages of our kind left, are there? Still, with your hang up-

LAETHAR 
Can we just get on with this? 

REYNARD 
(chuckles again) Very well. You have the Grimoire? 

YAELA 
Right here.

[The book thuds onto a table. There is a pause.]

REYNARD
(without his previous swagger) Leave.

LAETHAR 
I beg your pardon? 

REYNARD 
You heard me cabavotir! Get out!

LAETHAR 
Now look here, you- 

[Reynard’s entourage give out warnings and hoist their crossbows, there is a short pause]

REYNARD 
Well that was before, wasn’t it? I thought that necromancer had just been full of himself, I never thought he’d actually have the Herald’s own book! 

AIOLIN 
What did you say? 

VURIETH 
Aiolin? 

REYNARD 
Get out of my place now! I won’t ask again. 

[There is a tense pause]

YAELA
(calmly) Alright. We’re going.

LAETHAR 
But Yaela, we ha-

YAELA
(pointedly) We’re leaving, Laethar.

VURIETH 
She is right. There is no point in remaining here.

LAETHAR
Oh will you be quiet!?

[Another pause]

LAETHAR (ctd) 
Fine. Let’s go. I shall remember this, Reynard. 

[The party begin to leave, Reynard’s voice fades into the background]

REYNARD 
I hope you do. It’ll spare me the bother of reminding you myself. 

[A metal door slams. The sounds of the street outside fade back up]

LAETHAR 
Well that’s just marvellous, now what do we do?

YAELA 
Just calm down, and let me think. 

BALINK 
I still think we can make him see reason. I’ve still got some stuff left from the tower.

VURIETH 
(laughs) It’s a good thought, my little friend, but I think Master Reynard will be ill disposed to pay us for this book, even if we blow open his door. 

LAETHAR 
Well that much is obvious. What I don’t understand is why he’d send us after the thing in the first place. 

VURIETH 
Are you well, Aiolin? You are being very quiet. 

AIOLIN 
Hm? Oh, um, nothing really. Just something he said back there. 

BALINK 
I don’t care what he said. I want my money! 

YAELA 
We’re unlikely to get it here. 

VURIETH 
From the way Reynard was acting, it seemed like this Grimoire is something dangerous. Perhaps we should consider getting rid of it. 

BALINK 
But then there’s no money! And if there’s no money, then there’s no bombs or beds or bombs or drink or bombs!

VURIETH 
Ah! Such things are not so bad. In the Ashen Plains, we often sleep upon the ground beneath the sky. 

AIOLIN 
Hm. I actually needed that money. 

LAETHAR 
We all do. I think it’s fair to say that just getting rid of it is out of the question. 

YAELA 
What else can we do? 

LAETHAR 
Well, Reynard was only going to fence the thing, yes? So we just find a buyer ourselves. 

YAELA 
Like who? 

LAETHAR 
Uh… Pieter, perhaps? 

YAELA 
Pieter wouldn’t touch something like this. 

LAETHAR 
Cliodhna? 

YAELA 
That old hag couldn’t afford it. Shall we go through them all? Wees is dead, the Woodhart brothers had to go into hiding and Clawfang is retired. 

LAETHAR 
What about… Melwyn? 

YAELA 
Didn’t you hear? Stump’s Refuge was hit by a Waster clan just a few weeks back. 

LAETHAR
Ah. 

VURIETH 
Pardon my ignorance. I have not heard this word before, uh, W-Waster?

AIOLIN 
You didn’t get them in the Ashen Plains? 

VURIETH 
Not that I know of. 

AIOLIN 
Hm! Lucky. 

YAELA 
They’re remnants of the Harbinger’s horde. After the war was won, they kind of broke into warbands and clans. And now they just roam around looking for victims. They loot settlements, kill everyone they come across and, when they can’t find anyone else, they just kill and raid each other. 

VURIETH 
Does the Harbinger not stop them? 

AIOLIN 
He doesn’t seem to care. And I’m not sure they can be stopped. I came across one of the horde a while back. A human, I think. Well, at least he used to be. Wasn’t much left in him except battle fury and bloodlust. 

LAETHAR 
Much as I love a lecture, we still need to decide what we’re doing with this bloody book! 

BALINK 
Well, I might know someone… 

YAELA 
Yes?! Who, where? Are they close? 

BALINK 
Should be. There’s a town called Rotham, maybe a day’s walk or so away. He’s got a base there, I think he’s there most days.

YAELA 
Alright, but who is he? 

BALINK 
Dwarf, called Abnay. He’s a Mech’nist, but he always liked old magic books 

AIOLIN 
Really? You know a real mech’nist? 

BALINK 
Yeah, he buys all kinds of stuff; trades too!

LAETHAR 
Now that could be a very good idea.

YAELA 
Excellent! Oh, Binks, well done! Let’s go and find him. 

BALINK 
Alright… There’s something else though. 

LAETHAR 
What? 

BALINK 
I mean, it happened a long time ago, I’m sure he’ll have forgot by now. 

VURIETH 
How exactly do you know this fellow? 

BALINK 
Well… see… I know him, and he knows me… 

AIOLIN 
In what way does he know you? 

BALINK 
I mean, I’m sure by now he won’t actually remember me…

LAETHAR 
What did you do? 

BALINK 
Uhhh…. 

YAELA
Binks? 

BALINK 
Yeah, yeah alright. I… I blew up his first shop. 

[The party react with exasperation]

BALINK 
It was all a misunderstanding! 

VURIETH 
How exactly does one… misunderstand that kind of thing, my friend? 

BALINK 
Well… see… we was training together in the Mech’nist city-

AIOLIN 
You’ve been to Cavernvault? That’s amazing! Is it true the whole place is actually a hundred feet underground? Are there really clockwork guards at the entrances? OH! And are there-

LAETHAR 
Back to the point, please. 

AIOLIN 
(chuckles) Right, sorry, go on. 

BALINK 
Well, I was never much good at, uhh, building. I was always much better at, uh…

YAELA 
Blowing things to pieces? 

BALINK 
Yeah! So, we got into a few arguments over projects and a few feelings were damaged… few weeks’ work… few fingers… 

VURIETH 
Did you just say fingers!?

YAELA 
Alright, Binks. The most important thing is, would he be interested in the Grimoire? 

BALINK 
Yeah, yeah. Sure. It’s water under the bridge by now. I bet we’ll look back and laugh and laugh.

[The sounds of the street fade away, and the sounds of Rotham fade up as the party walk through the town. In the background, Aiolin is having trouble with the architecture, bumping into things and knocking other things over]

LAETHAR
A full day to get here! I’d not have guessed getting through the streetd would be the hard part.

AIOLIN 
Ow! How much further is it? This place was definitely- (a bump, Aiolin grunts) -not designed for orcs. 

BALINK 
Sorry Aiolin. It should be round the next corner, up an alley to the right, straight across at the crossroad, then just between the Unicorn’s Nip Tavern and a jewellers’.

YAELA 
Thank gods we have you, Binks, this place is a maze. We couldn’t possibly have hoped to find it without you. 

VURIETH 
I must admit, I had not expected a town to be quite so… cramped

BALINK 
It’s mostly dwarves and gnomes and goblins live round ‘ere. We don’t need so much room. Ah, here we are! 

[The party stop walking, and Balink knocks on a door, there is a pause]

LAETHAR
Maybe he’s not here?

[A mechanical click sounds, then a short whirring noise]

ABNAY
(via speaker) Who are ya? What do you want? 

YAELA 
Um…Mr. Abnay? My name is Yaela, I’ve been told you have an interest in magical tomes? 

ABNAY 
(via speaker) Told, have you? And who told you that? 

BALINK 
Uh, hi Ab. I’m back! 

[There is another short whirring sound, followed by a click]

LAETHAR 
Well that isn’t promising. 

[A heavy door opens, creaking]

VURIETH 
Maybe not? 

[Abnay descends from a staircase]

ABNAY 
(fading up) Of all the inconsiderate, loudmouthed, unprofessional – that’s the real issue here. You pesky little pyromaniac! I thought I told you never to darken my doorway again! 

BALINK 
Nice to see you Ab. 

ABNAY 
That’s Abnay Gearturner to you, pest! Honestly. Two years! Literally two years of work down the pipe! And you swan up to my door, bold as brick, if you please. I should’ve sent you out of Cavernvault via the cannon! 

BALINK 
Oh, you could never get that thing to work. 

ABNAY 
Ha! Lucky for you, or you’d already be giving the birds a show! 

LAETHAR 
If I might interrupt? We do have a matter to discuss. Perhaps we could do so inside? 

ABNAY 
Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. Magic book, you said. Well, alright. I’ll take a look at it. Come on in.

[The party follows Abnay up the stairs, and the vault door closes on the sound of Rotham. The sounds of Abnay’s Workshop fade up, with mechanical jolting and whirring, with the occasional puff of steam]

ABNAY 
Just this way. Don’t touch anything! 

LAETHAR 
What on earth is that racket? 

BALINK 
Ah yeah, this is it. 

AIOLIN 
Woah! Real Mech’nist technology! 

[A few automated crossbows arm themselves]

VURIETH 
That is… truly… uh, something?

AIOLIN 
You don’t like it? 

VURIETH 
Just aware that, once again, there are a lot of weapons pointing at us. 

ABNAY 
Oh don’t mind them, Ashlander, they’re all automated. Won’t go off unless I give the word. 

VURIETH 
How… reassuring. 

LAETHAR
Oh grow some backbone, will you? 

[A metallic twang]

AIOLIN 
Ouch! 

ABNAY 
Watch it! That cuckoo clock’s nearly two hundred and fifty years old! 

AIOLIN 
(sullenly) My apologies. 

[A hiss of steam, Yaela yelps in pain]

LAETHAR 
Yaela! Are you alright? 

YAELA
Y-yeah, it only got my cheek.

ABNAY 
Sorry about that. Forgot I had that thing booby trapped. 

LAETHAR 
Let me have a look.

YAELA 
I’m perfectly alright, Laethar. 

VURIETH 
I have a healing powder, I could-

LAETHAR 
She said she’s alright. Get away. 

VURIETH 
I was only trying to-

LAETHAR 
Well do not. The last thing we need is you trying something you don’t understand and making things worse. 

YAELA 
Would you just-

[There is a squeak with some rattling, ending with a clank. The sounds of the workshop are quieter]

ABNAY 
Right, now we can chat like civilised people. 

BALINK 
(struggling) The table’s too high for me. 

ABNAY 
You can go stand in the corner, pest. Hands where I can see them. And if I catch a whiff of a fuse, I’m activating the turrets.

[Balink mumbles sullenly]

VURIETH 
Aiolin, here, you can sit down and be a little more comfortable. 

AIOLIN
Oh, thank you. 

[He takes a seat, the chair creaking]

ABNAY 
So. What’s this magic book? I’m guessing it’s dodgy? 

VURIETH 
What makes you say that? 

ABNAY 
Oh please. If that orc’s willing to shove his way through this town, then you must be desperate for a sale. Which can only mean that you’ve tried everyone else you can. Even that odious excuse for an elf, Reynard. If he’s turned you down, now that’s got me all kinds of interested. 

VURIETH 
Ah, you are clearly a man of intelligence, Master Gearturner. 

LAETHAR 
Yes, yes, alright. Yaela, show him the damned book. 

YAELA
Here it is.

[The book slams on the table as Yaela drops it]

LAETHAR 
Now, give us your best offer and we can all be getting on. 

ABNAY 
Ha! Lookie here, mister elf. Just because I’m your only option doesn’t mean I gotta agree. Now, let me see… (He flips through the book) Well… This is quite… Well, now… 

VURIETH 
Master Gearturner? 

ABNAY 
You wouldn’t have come upon this in a necromancer’s tower, would you? 

LAETHAR 
Well, yes, that is correct.

YAELA 
It’s apparently called the Crow’s Grimoire. 

ABNAY 
(breathily) It most certainly is. By the ancestors, the real Grimoire, right here in front of me.

AIOLIN 
The Herald’s own Grimoire? 

LAETHAR 
Excuse me? 

AIOLIN 
Ah, something Reynard said, remember? He said it was the Herald’s own book? 

YAELA 
But, who’s the Herald?

AIOLIN
I don’t know what he meant, but it sounded important. 

ABNAY 
Not as stupid as you look, are you lad? Yeah. This belonged to a man known in his time as “the Herald of Death”. “The Lord of Crows”!

LAETHAR
(incredulous) The Lord of Crows?

ABNAY
He called himself, hence the title of the book. 

VURIETH 
With a name like that, I can understand why Reynard would not be eager to keep hold of this book. 

YAELA 
Look, that doesn’t matter! All we want to know is, will you trade with us? 

ABNAY 
I will.

LAETHAR 
Excellent, finally. Coin or-

ABNAY 
But first! 

LAETHAR 
(impatiently) What? 

ABNAY 
I want a favour.

LAETHAR 
Oh, you can’t be serious. You just said you wanted it! 

ABNAY 
And you want rid of it. Now, that I don’t mind. But I’ll be taking a risk with this. You want me to take it, you need trade or not? 

YAELA 
No, we do! We do, of course we do! 

VURIETH 
What is the-

LAETHAR 
(To Vurieth) Quiet! (To Abnay) What exactly is the favour? 

ABNAY 
I got a problem… some of the locals. Pack of bandits. 

YAELA 
Wasters? 

ABNAY 
Oh, hardly. No more than a gang of thugs, really. But see, I sold ’em some weapons a while back and then a week later they broke in here to steal more. They’ve been coming back every few weeks since. Rare metals, weapons, tools, food, coin. You name it, they make off with it. 

LAETHAR 
I see. So, you wish us to deal with this gang for you? Then you will take the book? 

ABNAY 
Indeed. 

YAELA 
Should be easy enough. I’ve hunted down more elusive prey before. Where can we find them?

ABNAY 
Oh, there’s no need for that. They should actually be along some time today. 

LAETHAR 
Come again? 

ABNAY 
Well, why did you think I had all my crossbow turrets primed? See, they never stay away more than a week. I was trying to get everything ready. Not that it would have made much difference, I’m only one dwarf. 

LAETHAR 
(flatly) How fortunate that we could be on hand to lend assistance. 

ABNAY 
Exactly. You need me to take the book, I need help dealing with this mob. I’d call that providence. 

AIOLIN 
How many of them usually come? 

ABNAY 
It varies, but never more than eight 

AIOLIN 
I think we can take them. 

YAELA 
I agree. Vurieth? 

VURIETH 
I am with you. 

YAELA
Laethar?

LAETHAR 
(sigh) Very well. 

BALINK 
I’m in. 

ABNAY 
Oh no, you’re not. 

BALINK
Oh, come on!

ABNAY
You’re gonna sit in the corner, not touching anything and not throwing anything and not doing anything. 

YAELA 
Abnay, we need all the help we can get. I promise I will keep Binks under control. 

ABNAY 
Hmmm… Alright then, but if you so much as scratch any of my inventions- 

BALINK 
You’ll blast me out the cannon, I got it. 

LAETHAR 
Alright, the best chance we have is surprise. Let’s plan our attack. So the first thing we need to do is identify…

[Laethar’s words and the sounds of the workshop fade away, before the workshop noises fade back up.]

AIOLIN
(whispering) How much longer are they gonna be? 

LAETHAR 
(whispering) Abnay said his detection devices picked up a vehicle that is likely theirs not too far away, and fast approaching. Shouldn’t be much longer now. 

YAELA 
Does everyone remember the plan? 

[The party give variations of “yes”]

ABNAY 
Shh! 

[In the background, a rhythmic knocking starts]

LAETHAR 
Well, I must say I wasn’t expecting them to knock. 

[The knocking gets progressively louder, turning into smashing]

AIOLIN 
I don’t think they’re knocking. 

LAETHAR 
Ah. Right. 

ABNAY 
Get ready. They’ll probably send a golem in first, to soak up the crossbow bolts. Then they’ll follow in. 

VURIETH 
A what?! 

LAETHAR 
You never mentioned that they had a golem! 

ABNAY 
Did I not? Oh well, there it is. 

AIOLIN
You’re joking, right?

BALINK 
Don’t worry about the golem. I’ve got a little something-

ABNAY 
Now, hang-

[The door smashes open, the golem crashes through, roaring. The automated crossbows fire, and four thugs enter the workshop alongside the golem, wrecking the place as they go]

ABNAY 
Yep, there it is.

BALINK 
These guys are so dead. 

THUG
Hey boss, there they are!

LAETHAR 
Now! 

[Battle music plays as the party charge, yelling, fighting. Yaela slays one. Vurieth and Aiolin take down another. Laethar does the third]

BALINK 
Take this! 

[A series of small bangs, the golem roars as it falls apart]

BALINK 
Golem’s down! 

[The twang of a bowstring and a falling body.]

YAELA 
That’s the last of them 

ABNAY 
What did I say about the explosives?! 

BALINK 
They were only little ones! 

ABNAY 
You nearly- Hmph, never mind. And now I have a pile of rocks in my living room! 

BALINK 
Well how else did you think we could deal with a golem?! 

YAELA 
Yes, let’s look at the positives, Abnay. These brutes will not be bothering you again. 

AIOLIN 
They’ll not be bothering anyone again.

LAETHAR 
Now, on to the matter of payment?

[Transition music with dice rolls plays, fading to urban ambience]

GAME MASTER 
So, Abnay pays you for the Grimoire, plus a little extra for the help in defeating the bandits and says that you’re free to come back if you ever find anything like it again. And I think we’ll leave it there for this week. 

LEAH 
Wait, how come I got less than everyone else? 

GAME MASTER 
Because, and I can’t believe I have to point this out, Abnay doesn’t like you.

LEAH 
Goddammit! 

GINA 
I’ll give you some of my share, if you like. 

ROSIE 
Yeah, me too. 

WILL 
Yeah, sure. I am heading straight for the nearest tavern. 

GAME MASTER 
Well, you can save that for next time. Until then, let’s say our goodbyes people.

PLAYERS
[varied farewells]

[Pause]

MATT 
Right, so now that’s done, you guys wanna go to the pub? 

PLAYERS 
[positive responses, Will chants “pub”]

GAME MASTER 
Yeah that sounds good. Uh, let me just tidy this away and I’ll come catch you guys up.

[The players respond and begin to leave, Rosie mocking the Game Master, who starts to pick up his papers]

GAME MASTER
Of course, what you dont know is that, after you leave, Abnay says: “Master, you must come…”

[His voice begins to blend with that of Abnay’s, dramatic music plays in the background]

GAME MASTER / ABNAY
…at once. I’ve found it. I have it here, in my bunker. I shall await you here, my Lord Herald.

GAME MASTER
But then, I suppose, you don’t need to know that yet. (to audience) And neither do you.

[The recording clicks off, the end theme plays and the Announcer recites the credits.]