Title: Cloudward, Ho!
GM: Brennan Lee Mulligan
Players: Emily Axford (she/her) as Marya Junková (she/her). Zac Oyama (he/him) as Daisuke Bucklesby (he/him). Siobhan Thompson (she/her) as Vanellope ‘Van’ Chapman (she/her). Lou Wilson (he/him) as Montgomery ‘Monty’ LaMontgommery (he/him). Ally Beardsley (they/them) as Olethra MacLeod (she/her). Brian Murphy (he/him) as Maxwell Gotch (he/him).
Streaming Service: Dropout
If you missed them, catch up on our review of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth episodes!
After the battle with the Bank of Fehujar, our skyward heroes study the black ooze which launched from Van’s prothesis. Monty believes it to be ink. If so, that would tie it to the invisible cephalopod; however, it would be a fear response. Though Marya yearns to tame the beast, Monty refocuses on the map, discovering the legend is based on places in his books. The crew sets their path forward.
Arriving at their destination, they approach with caution. Snow falls and the waters below them loom with the unknown. Lou Wilson pulls out another Monty special, using his ability to postulate that Zood ticks may be used as bio-grenades.
Little One struggles with the cold, so Bert throws some blankets over the poor little dino as Ghost Dog cuddles up. It’s an almost unbearably cute image. If Dropout ever put that on a sweater, I’d buy it in an instant, but I’m guessing Wealwell’s power stance would be on a shirt before the winter Zood cuddle pile.
Uneasy with the closeness to Zorn, Torse questions if Olethra’s mech has a mind of its own. He also reveals the golden item which Marya pulled from the junk pile looks like it was done by Comfrey as the two energies, Zorn and Zood, are joined. Though cautious, Torse states it should be no issue to bring the device to the station.
The group descends, making their way through the snow. All those from Gath feel a strange vertigo. Neither Torse nor Freja feel it. Seeking answers, Olethra investigates the room while Marya follows her instincts, lurching to her right. Meanwhile, Monty hunts down the last human interactions, discovering Mordecestershire footprints. Monty also finds signs of the Eyeless Hands. Whatever happened, Comfrey managed to sabotage her own work before leaving, preventing both parties from using it.
A door calls to Maxwell’s keys, and when they pass through, it looks similar to the one they saw in Gath. Voices call out to Van, distracting her, but the group finds Comfrey’s office. Inside, Olethra discovers a letter from Haunch to Comfrey. Reading it, she sobs. Haunch rails against Comfrey, mentioning that they had come to Zood multiple times. He curses her, accusing Comfrey of hiding something from Marya and purposefully preventing Van from coming with them as she could stop her. Among the other objects in Comfrey’s office, there is a picture of Olethra riding two guinea fowl.
Daisuke and Olethra bear the brunt of the emotional upheaval this episode, dealing with their love for Comfrey in the face of her problematic choices and the secrets hinted at in letters and in the wreckage she left in her wake.
The Queen of Zern controls the Straka, indicating that she targeted Marya. Questions arise as to the source of the Straka legend in Gath. Meanwhile, Zach posits that the poem hides the name of the caged creature: Tazgwa’agwa, which appears when overlapping the strange paper they found. Everyone except Siobhan (and in turn, Van) looks and reads the name. Eldritch lies ahead!
Highlights
As the rest sleep, Daisuke reads Comfrey’s letter which he received form Goldbeard. To his relief and agony, it is a love letter to him. Ghost Dog talks with him, comforting his master as he mourns the time missed with Comfrey. All jokes aside, the right person – wrong time of the Comfrey/Daisuke romance is painfully realistic. These are two adventurous people. They were extremely independent with clear views of what they wanted, so when their ambitions diverged, their relationship fell apart, yet despite Daisuke’s reluctance to be chained down, he spent years guarding Olethra.
Final Score (3 out of 5 Stars)
With a quarter of the time being dedicated to fart jokes, this episode isn’t for anyone who finds body humor as annoying as Maxwell does. That being said, we had a wonderful passing of the torch. Olethra receives the nickname, “The Kid,” which previously belonged to Marya, who gives Van her blessing to pass the name on.
On the whole, there was some progress and discoveries in this week’s episode. I’d honestly say the first thirty minutes are skippable as they’ll restate the bulk of what you might miss among the beans and the gaseous dog jokes. Otherwise, it was about an hour and a half of world building, coloring in the background and providing a bit more detail and perspective to Comfrey and her work.
Marya fumes internally. She scratches off her wind rider tattoo, flying forward with a fury. If we do find a twist in time, it would be interesting to see the Queen of Zern create herself in some Bad Wolf type event; however, I suspect we’d more likely see Comfrey or a trapped Ludmila in the role instead.
We didn’t receive any new rumors this week, so the rumors remain as follows:
- There’s a kill switch in the MechLeod.
- Marya finally told Olethra, but nothing was found yet.
- Olethra MacLeod is a robot.
- Pappy was lost at air for six months.
- Van is secretly working with the Confederate Republic.
- This rumor came from a member of Marya’s and Van’s old crew.
- Van denied it, noting her family money means she would never need to take a bribe.
- Van won the Grand Kabilian Toe Wrestling Championship.
- Confirmed by Van.
- Daisuke can hold his breath for an hour.
- Zach confirmed this to be a lie, but nothing was said in game.
Let us know what you think in the comments below or go over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: Dimension 20
The Boss Rush Podcast: The Flagship Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network
The Boss Rush Podcast – The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, Stephanie, LeRon, and their friends from around the internet come together with other creators, developers, and industry veterans to talk about games they’ve been playing, discuss video game and entertainment based topics, and answer questions solicited on social media and the community Discord.
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