"Frankly, If I'm Being Honest, I Think it's Going to Suck." - Camp Do Anything
Theater of the Mindset. Theater
Justin (GM):Theater of the Mindset.
Justin (Guy Riverman):Coming to you live from the courtyard outside the infinite hall of the incarnate king of Venethar, this is Guy Riverman, reporter for The Chronicler. We are expecting the announcement of the newest entry into the Divine Codex. While we wait, you can hear the courtyard is filled with dignitaries from across to Venethar. Now we don't pedal in rumors here at The Chronicler, but judging by the large contingent of candidates from the Venethar University of the Arcane Arts, I would anticipate some sort of announcement related to the university. Also, as you may guess from the sound of the crowd, the doors of the Infinite Hall Of The Incarnate King of Venethar have just opened, and I can see members of the Council of Faith beginning to emerge.
Justin (Guy Riverman):It appears that four of the council members are taking to the right side of the stage indicating their approval of this measure. The two others, the seat of the light, priestess Tuul and Haida, and unsurprisingly, the seat of the coin, Father Perid and Gaul are taking up positions to the left, indicating their descent. And emerging from the doors now is the incarnate king himself, king Esau Theophilus Zimri dressed in his formal golden regalia carrying the massive tome that is the divine codex.
Justin (IK of Venithar):All rise for the incarnate king of Venethar, the great reborn keeper of Venethar and the divine codex. Good people of Venethar, I come before you today with hope and direction, ready to write new words into the divine codex by which Venethar has thrived for over a thousand years. In my many lifetimes, I have seen the generations of Benathar change the landscape of Sariel for the better. And in this life, I seek to ensure that our traditions and stability continue to pass down for another thousand years. Into the divine codex, I have written a new edict.
Justin (IK of Venithar):The formal writ of adventuring experience shall ensure that our young people are well prepared for not only the dangers of today, but the challenges of tomorrow. In partnership with our esteemed arcanist from the Venetharne University of the Arcane Arts, I have outlined a system by which our young people shall be formally trained for the many professions of today and the professions of tomorrow. Also written into this formal decree is a way to ensure that Venethar is never again caught unprepared for such atrocities as those we saw at Tonora's past. Within this decree is a system to prepare the adventures of Venethar's future. Our young people will be given a chance to learn the skills of an adventure in a safer environment to the front lines of war.
Justin (IK of Venithar):We can no longer leave to chance that heroes will emerge ready to defend us, but instead, Benathar will begin to take an active role in training young people. Through practical application of their skills at places like summer camps, where
Nick (Pat):they will prove their medal in a
Justin (IK of Venithar):questing ritual, these summer camps and the specialty schools that they partner with will be the first stepping stones towards arming Ennathar with the storied heroes of our future.
Justin (GM):They say heroes are not born, they are made. And nowhere is this more true than in the kingdom of Venethar. You see, in the magical world of Sariel, each of the four kingdoms depend on heroic adventurers to help combat the many dangers of the world. From rogues guilds to wizards gone rogue, there are always calamities more effectively handled by a small band of capable heroes than the slow bureaucracy of a mighty kingdom. And so it has become that kingdoms like Venethar have created systems to more effectively empower and train its citizens who have an innate zeal for adventuring.
Justin (GM):One such cog in the Venethar and hero manufacturing system is the summer camp, where young adventurers can test their metal and hone their skills in more practical environments. It is at one of these camps where our story takes place. Nestled between the banks of Stellshall River and the forested foothills of the Windlass Mountains, Camp Do Anything is one of Venethar's oldest camps for young adventurers, and its storied cabins have seen generations of wizards, fighters, rogues, and clerics sleep in its rustic wooden bunks. The sun has almost reached its zenith and near the camp's outdoor wilderness center, a middle aged orc woman with rolled up canvas capris and dark green skin wipes sweat from her brow. Mazoga Broadhorn hefts her axe on her shoulder and admires the fruit of her midday labor.
Justin (GM):A massive tree trunk turned into ample firewood for this evening's staff welcome fire. Today is an important day at Camp Do Anything, the beginning of staff week, when the younger part time summer staff arrive to begin prepping the campground for this summer's campers. Mazzy puts the axe into a holster on the back of an old brown mare who has been munching on tall grass in the shade of a nearby tree. Mazzy checks the knot tying the mare to a pole as she puts the used handkerchief into the back of her pocket and mumbles comforting words to the mare. The only acknowledgment Mazzy receives is the mare shifting to find a new patch of uneaten grass, which she assumes is a good sign as any that the old mare is content here as anywhere else.
Justin (GM):Moving through camp, the excitement Mazi has been feeling since this morning begins to blend with the natural anxiety that comes with the beginning of new chapters. It's the start of Mazzy's fifth summer as camp director, and she passes a massive tree and can't help but find her mind wander to thoughts of her late father from whom she inherited this camp. The tree is nearly 50 feet tall and its broad canopy nearly as wide. Mazi takes note to replace a particularly soggy wooden bench in the amphitheater surrounding the base of the tree, Yet another item on a long list of many ongoing repairs needed to be done before campers arrive next week. Leaving the shade of the tree behind, Mazi approaches the entrance to camp.
Justin (GM):A wooden arch flanked on both sides by long timber walls creating the northern perimeter of camp. She pulls out of her pocket a bloated set of keys and begins to nervously remove specific sets and lay them down on a small bench as she waits anxiously for the first of her summer staff to arrive. Players, why don't you roll initiative and see which of you arrives first? What do we
Eric (Bunky):get? 18.
Jamie (Eleanore):Three. 14.
Nick (Pat):10. Right in the middle. Right where Pat wants to be. Starting strong.
Justin (GM):Let's start with Evandria. Evandria, you're the first to arrive at camp. What does Mazzie see?
Kayla (Evandria):Evandria Zarinthia of house Cailwind arrives at camp by carriage drawn by two brilliantly white elk. As the carriage draws to a halt, the door swings open and there stands four feet of sharp tongued aristocratic confidence. Her light armor gleams with hand sewn gems because functional does not have to mean ugly. And her hair is up in these two tight braids, and they twist around her head almost as if it's a crown on top of her head. She steps down from the carriage, and her familiar Sprite named Yankster Braid follows closely behind her.
Kayla (Evandria):And she gestures to her footman to grab her bags, she approaches Nazzie. And as she steps into the sunlight, the sun reflects off of her face, and her dark metallic freckles seem to glint. And her eyes are like these gemstones that can't seem to decide which color to settle on, shifting between this brilliant white light and dark shadow. And she approaches Mazzy, she says, oh, I forgot how homey this place is. It's like when my family tried camping.
Kayla (Evandria):I love how you didn't try and be fake and clean it up at all. Very rustic and authentic of you.
Justin (GM):Evandria, so good to see you. Yeah. She goes in for like a a polite hug as you get closer.
Kayla (Evandria):Evandria is very stiff. She accepts the hug as one politically correct young aristocrat would, but you can tell it's very forced.
Justin (GM):Do you I see you have a couple people helping with your bags. Do you need some additional help or
Kayla (Evandria):Oh. Oh, no. Don't even worry about it. They'll be instant.
Justin (GM):Are they also grabbing my bags, or should I Mazzie, maybe you can grab my bags as this small Sprite approaches as well and gives a much more eager, if tiny hug to Mazzie and gestures to this amorphous bag that's clearly a collection of various doodads and thingamajigs that have all been kind of smashed into a bag. Easily seven to eight times the size of the six or seven inch Sprite that has accompanied Evandria. Oh, and is by chance your father the one that brought you here Evandria? I no pressure. I just would love to have an opportunity to chat with your father, senator, father, father.
Kayla (Evandria):Oh, I mean, I I doubt he has time for someone like you per se, but I mean, you could give it a go.
Justin (GM):I mean I mean, maybe I could just give him my card?
Kayla (Evandria):Yeah. I mean, I'm sure that'll find its place somewhere in the carriage.
Justin (GM):Mazzy begins to shuffle through her cargo capris, carrying various pockets, which you see has a number of knives, which I think maybe catches Evandria's eyes, until eventually she settles on, just a slip of paper that's clearly been torn off of a larger sheet. She jots down a Mazoga broad horn on it and a phone number directly to her sending stone and just kind of sheepishly hands it to one of the footmen and says, if you could hand that to senator Kalwin, it'd be much appreciated. I I I thank you.
Kayla (Evandria):I really like the way you try, Mazzie.
Justin (GM):Listen. I I I do try, and I'm so glad that you noticed some of the things that do need fixing up here at camp that is part of the joys of staff week is getting camp ready for campers.
Kayla (Evandria):Yeah. I mean, I I guess so. Right now, it kinda seems like the camp is delusions of adequacy, but whatever.
Justin (GM):I'll process that later, I guess. Here are, some keys. Oh, and the carriage and two elk kind of trot off, as the two of you the three of you are left, kind of here at the entrance of camp. You see that Mazzy has a series of orderly keys that she has set out on a bench and she grabs an emerald colored one and hands it to you. This is the key to the Evergreen Center.
Justin (GM):You'll need that. That's where you're gonna be spending a lot of your summer. And then also I have Cabin Number 2 assigned to you.
Kayla (Evandria):Oh. 2? Yeah. It just Number 2?
Justin (GM):As in yeah. The second cabin?
Kayla (Evandria):As in somebody else has occupied Cabin Number 1.
Justin (GM):Yes. You sent a list of expectations that your cabin would meet and Mhmm. Frankly, none of them do, but Cabin Number 2 meets more of those expectations than the other cabins.
Kayla (Evandria):Well, I suppose what ever may be will be as my mother says. So
Justin (GM):Your footman left these things here. I can grab one of these bags. What? You didn't Yeah.
Kayla (Evandria):You can just have your servants grab them for me later. I'll just, you know, wait for them to grab them and bring them to my cabin.
Justin (GM):Avandria, there are I'll send I'll have Tiesel. You know what? I'll go grab Tiesel, and I'm sure he has a couple of mechs.
Kayla (Evandria):No. His servants
Justin (GM):will do it? His well, they're I think it's just called mechs or I call them robots, you know, Joomish. No. Joomish. Gnomish contraptions.
Justin (GM):They they might be able to carry them in.
Kayla (Evandria):Oh, okay. Great.
Justin (GM):So you know where the cabins are. If you want to let's head that way.
Kayla (Evandria):Oh, okay. Great. And when is the welcome brunch? I assume you're having a welcome brunch.
Justin (GM):We are A gala this evening? Yes. This evening, we're having a welcome fire. There's going to be a fire that
Justin (IK of Venithar):Okay. We're gonna
Kayla (Evandria):Yeah. Oh, sorry. Sorry.
Justin (GM):I I think it's gonna be good. And Analor is preparing quite the meal for everyone. So I think it's a roasted hog of some sort. I think everyone will there's a lot of things that she's making. I think everyone will have a full belly before the evening is over.
Kayla (Evandria):Thank you. It seems like you do mean very well.
Justin (GM):I do. I'm I'm so glad that you applied. Frankly, I was kinda surprised. I thought maybe you would have applied to elsewhere?
Kayla (Evandria):Yes. Well, that does seem to be the case, doesn't it?
Justin (GM):What seems to
Kayla (Evandria):be would belong elsewhere.
Justin (GM):Oh. That's all. I think when you say that, Mazzy is used to Evandria's back and forth, but I think when you say that Mazzy takes on a slightly more serious tone and says, no, Vandria, you do belong here. A hole in my bag. There's a hole in my bag.
Justin (GM):Can you have one of your robots stitch that up too? Yes. I'll I'm sure that there is a sewing robot that can also stitch up your bag, yanks your braid.
Nick (Pat):Well,
Kayla (Evandria):thank you.
Justin (GM):Of course. Any anytime. I I'm excited to have you on staff.
Kayla (Evandria):Yes. I I'm I suppose excited to see my friends from last year.
Justin (GM):Is that a sat did you bring a saddle?
Kayla (Evandria):Just in case. Okay? You know, we have our own saddles I your own saddle last year
Justin (GM):Uh-huh.
Kayla (Evandria):Because you did tell me that you had them. Yeah. And the day I used it, I called home crying because it did not have my name in it.
Justin (GM):It did not. No. None of the none
Kayla (Evandria):of None of the stitching was golden stitching.
Justin (GM):None of the stitching
Kayla (Evandria):Which does not complement my complexion. I don't understand how you can imagine I would ride anything without looking like my absolute fiercest.
Justin (GM):Well, if I remember correctly, riding would be hardly how I would describe what you did on the saddle last year. Mostly falling was what I remember. But that's just me.
Kayla (Evandria):Messy. At this point, Evandra is flustered. It is not often she meets somebody who she thinks of as lower than her that keeps up with her wit, almost even more so than what she has to give. And so she just starts collecting her own bags at this point.
Justin (GM):Well, feel free to go stop by the junkyard and grab Tiesel. I'm sure he can help some of your robots. I'm gonna go I think I can see some other people arriving.
Kayla (Evandria):Oh. Oh, okay. Thanks so much. It was nice to see you. It was a pleasant afternoon.
Justin (GM):I'll probably have people ready for a staff meeting earlier this evening, but you've got plenty of free time to get your cabin ready and kind of visit with your friends once they all get here.
Kayla (Evandria):Okay. Great. I'll see you at the gala.
Justin (GM):The evening's meeting meeting. Oh, she can't hear me. Okay.
Eric (Bunky):Hopping down the road towards camp is Bunky. Bunky is a craft come to life. A popsicle stick and pipe cleaner body that was initially six inches tall, but has now grown to two feet tall ever since gaining his own independence. He still has a bond with his creator, Klaspin, but now it's just an emotional one rather than a magical tether between the two. As Bunky is hopping towards camp, hopping because he doesn't have knees.
Eric (Bunky):Popsicle sticks aren't known for for having joints. So he just hops towards camp. But as he is hopping towards camp, he is dragging his bag behind him, is weighed down with his books, his tools, his crafting supplies, just leaving a trail in the dirt behind him. He raises one of his pipe cleaner hands made with three intertwined pipe cleaners of different colors and waves at Mazzy. Mazzy.
Eric (Bunky):It it's so good to see you.
Justin (GM):It's so good to see you, Bunky. And she gives you a a very warm hug.
Eric (Bunky):Oh, this is so great. He embraces her back. It
Justin (GM):Oh, you brought a lot more things than you brought to Summer last last year.
Eric (Bunky):I have been busy doing doing stuff and doing things. I've been going on my own little adventures. I've been learning things. I I just have so much that I'm excited to explore.
Justin (GM):Yeah. I saw your application for this summer. You really have had a very busy year.
Eric (Bunky):Yeah. The the most exciting part of it was Klausman and I, we went and we found caves in the Chinothan region, and there it looks like they hadn't been explored before. And so we we went down in into them, and it was beautiful in there. There were some, there's some there was an underground lake, and it had some bioluminescent lights in it, and we found some lace stones in there. It was oh, Mazzy, it was so beautiful.
Eric (Bunky):I wish you could have seen it.
Justin (GM):Rolling an insight check for me. 14. With a 14, Mazzy, as you were kind of deep detailing out your previous year, Mazzy's eyebrows are kind of permanently fixed in this upright position, and she's nodding her head up and down. She's definitely listening to the things you're saying, but, this was definitely also all included in your application to the summer and definitely a review session for her. I also saw that you're, enrolled in a accelerated learning program.
Justin (GM):That's your magic must be really taking off.
Eric (Bunky):Oh, I I feel like I've made so much progress since since last year. It's been it's been amazing. I've learned a lot of things at the Horatio Buchanan Center for Excellence. It it's it's fantastic.
Justin (GM):Well, I am so excited. You just missed Evandria. She was the first one here. Oh.
Eric (Bunky):I'm bummed about well, I'll catch up with her later, I'm sure, when everyone's here.
Evan (Mala):As you
Justin (GM):can see, she's also do a couple more trips. These are her bags.
Eric (Bunky):Bunkie shifts his googly eyes towards the bags and then down to his pipe cleaner hands, which are just three pipe cleaners intertwined together. I'm sure she can manage it.
Justin (GM):I'm also sure she's gonna talk to Tisel and get some of his gnomish robots to come help, I think.
Eric (Bunky):Oh, that would be really great. Yeah. I I if she wants my help though, I'll I'd of course be happy to help her. I just don't know. I mean, just my own bag was a lot for me to get here.
Justin (GM):Well, you know, you're welcome to help her, but I have something exciting for you.
Eric (Bunky):Yes. Yes.
Justin (GM):Mazzy kind of walks over to the the bench that has all of the little keys on it and she grabs the craft cabin key. And she says, Bunky, it is with great honor that I bestow on you the responsibility of the craft cabin. Yeah.
Eric (Bunky):Oh, thank you, Mazzy. I have been so hopeful that this was the cabin I was gonna be assigned to. I I am so excited. I will not let you down.
Justin (GM):Well, you're not as you're not as you are you're working the craft cabin, but Bunky, you also have your own cabin to sleep in, and she gives you another key.
Eric (Bunky):What? Wait. Really? I I I mean, you do know that I don't actually sleep. Right?
Justin (GM):I I I was aware that functionally you didn't sleep, but you need a place to study, you need a place of your own.
Eric (Bunky):Oh. Hunky? This is this is fantastic. Thank you, Mazzy. I am so appreciative of of you and this opportunity that you're giving me and I'm I'm gonna make the most of it, I promise.
Justin (GM):I think listen. I brought you onto the staff. You are going to be the golden heart, the the person that brings the positivity, and I can think of no one better. I am a little curious to see how the campers will do with the change of crafting styles from last year's slightly more darker styles, but I think what you bring this summer is going to be great. Do you have any ideas of what you've got planned for the campers this summer?
Eric (Bunky):Oh, the yeah. We're gonna be doing some mosaics, maybe crafting our own puzzles, and I don't want it to come off as wanting them to try and recreate me, but I would love to see them create their own creatures and and see what they can do with that. I might have to put a moratorium though on them actually doing things that look too much like me because that would feel uncomfortable.
Justin (GM):Yeah. I could see how that would feel uncomfortable.
Eric (Bunky):But I want them to still create and and have their own their own things that they can bring to life.
Justin (GM):I'm sure you'll find the exact middle ground between those two things. Maybe something akin to you, but not quite you.
Eric (Bunky):Exactly. Yeah.
Justin (GM):You're unique, Bunky, and I am confident. I'm confident that no one will be able to replicate you.
Eric (Bunky):Okay. That that feels that feels nice inside.
Justin (GM):I I noticed you didn't apply to the bucket, but I assume with your studies that you'll spend a lot of time there?
Eric (Bunky):Oh. Oh, yes. Well, so the craft cabin felt I mean I mean, it is quite literally home to me. It it's where where I was made. So it it only felt right to apply for the craft cabin, but I do want to spend a lot of time in the bucket, if if that's okay with you.
Eric (Bunky):I I don't want to overstep, but I would like to spend some time learning there.
Justin (GM):Of course. All counselors have have some free time and you're welcome to spend that however you want. I I Of all of the people that I have hired this summer, Bunky, I am confident that you will have the dedication that I'm expecting. I'm I'm so glad to have you on staff.
Eric (Bunky):Oh, thanks, Mazzy. That means so much to me.
Justin (GM):Any any changes and I you've literally grown since I've seen you and that's I don't mean that in any condescending way. I I truly mean you look six or seven inches taller than the last time I saw you.
Eric (Bunky):Oh, that's been a really fun byproduct of my adventures and my experimenting with magic is I I just keep growing. I don't know if it's ever gonna stop, Massey.
Justin (GM):Has Oh. Are you expecting like a goal height of any kind?
Eric (Bunky):I'm I'm not
Justin (GM):Six foot two?
Eric (Bunky):I'm not expecting anything, but anything could happen. I mean, what How terrifying would it be if I got to be like twelve feet tall? I don't know. This is unprecedented. Like, it's not happened before.
Eric (Bunky):There aren't studies on me. There are well, there are actually some studies on me now ongoing, but but there's nothing before. So, like, we don't know. I might be done. This two feet might be it, but I might keep going.
Eric (Bunky):Do you I You don't sleep.
Justin (GM):Do you eat any at all? Has anything else changed in that area?
Eric (Bunky):No. No. I I don't need to eat. I don't need to sleep. I I just get to be here and keep my eyes peeled.
Justin (GM):I It's cool. I I'm good to know if anything changes in that area, let
Eric (Bunky):me know, Bunky. Okay? I will. Thanks, Mazzy.
Justin (GM):Alright. Well, I am gonna be here waiting for the rest of the staff to arrive, but you have the rest of the afternoon to yourself to get your cabin ready. You can, unpack some of your things in there or at the craft cabin, and then, we'll be having an evening staff meeting before our, end of night ritual.
Eric (Bunky):Sounds great. I'll go ahead and get right on to making everything feel like home.
Justin (GM):Awesome. I'll see you around, Bunky.
Eric (Bunky):Thanks. And he starts hopping away again, dragging his dragging his bag behind him.
Justin (GM):Bazzi continues to fiddle with the sets of keys, she notices that the necklace that she wears has a weird color to it very briefly before she she recognizes someone coming up over the way. She waves, hello.
Jamie (Eleanore):Eleanor Shadowmaine comes through the edge of the woods into camp. Eleanor has a nervous energy about her, a good nervous energy. She last year was her first year at camp and this year she's coming know, she applied to work here and they chose her. So she's she's nervous and excited to come. So Eleanor is a six foot three centaur with tanned skin and she has long copper French braided hair.
Jamie (Eleanore):She is around 19 years old and she is wearing bracers on her four centaur legs and her two arms. When she comes through the wood to to the camp, she immediately sees Mazzy who she was so attached to last year. Maz, Maz, and she runs over.
Justin (GM):Mazzy greets you with a big hug and she gestures. She says, your hair has gotten so long.
Jamie (Eleanore):I know. My mom my mom told me I should let it let it grow out and and I did. So I don't think it'll be an issue or anything, but No. Thank you. Yeah.
Justin (GM):It looks it looks really nice. We're so excited to have you this summer.
Jamie (Eleanore):Yeah. Eleanor is wearing she has a longbow across her chest and it was a longbow that she got from Mazzy last year, actually. And she she has her longbow and she's got her quiver on, she has a machete and she just she is so excited to be here. She came, she just felt feels so prepared and ready.
Justin (GM):We are really excited that you you applied and I think the the bucket is really going to to be helpful. I know that you are pursuing, more rogue things.
Kayla (Evandria):Yes.
Jamie (Eleanore):And I have been working on it.
Justin (GM):I am so excited. I think you being at The Bucket and helping with the books and helping with all of the story times and the garden is going to be really, really great. I was honestly very impressed with all of the things that you plan to tackle this summer. That was quite the list.
Jamie (Eleanore):Thank you. I I'm I'm excited. I'm I'm excited to help Wendell with the books and everything and I I have some ideas, you know, for ways to bring in money.
Justin (GM):If if any of it becomes too much, don't feel like you have to take on all of it. I I know I've oftentimes spruced up my own application, so if you don't wanna take all of it on, don't feel too much pressure.
Jamie (Eleanore):Maz, I would never lie to you about what I wanna do. I'm gonna I'm gonna do all of this.
Justin (GM):I think you see Mazi's like extreme like happiness, and so you immediately realize that she could have stepped on something there and she goes like, oh, no no no. I know. I wouldn't accuse you. I wouldn't accuse you of lying to me. I just I just didn't want you to think I know how much you tend to take on, so I didn't want you to feel that much pressure on yourself.
Jamie (Eleanore):Okay. Alright. I'm I'm ready.
Justin (GM):I I know you are. And I've got, she cans you some keys. She says this one is to the bucket. I I don't have all the things that you'll need. Wendell will take care of some of that for you and has a number of things frankly to give you.
Justin (GM):And here's for your cabin. This is this will give you access to all the things. And I've, got a couple of extra things in there I think you might need. I here to answer any questions. A couple of people are already here but the whole staff isn't isn't quite here yet.
Justin (GM):So, feel free to take the day to the rest of the day to kinda get ready. We're having a staff meeting this afternoon.
Jamie (Eleanore):Okay.
Justin (GM):And then we'll have a little bit of a fire, get together, team bonding moment this evening and get really working tomorrow. Is Wendell here? Wendell is here. Yes. Yes.
Justin (GM):You can meet with him
Jamie (Eleanore):whenever you want. Eleanor will gather her things, give Maz one more hug and Yes. Head to her cabin and then head to the bucket.
Justin (GM):So good to see you. Mazzy is going to kind of move back to the traveling grounds and Pat, you're the next to arrive at camp.
Nick (Pat):Everyone hears a dune buggy rolling through. It is the oldest, ratchetest looking piece of gnome machinery. You see a human young man with big goggles on and just covered in dust rolling into camp with a loud stereo on. And he pops out, it's
Justin (GM):like, hey, Nazi. Oh, my goodness. Pat, hello.
Nick (Pat):As as he says hello, he is running over running back to the back of the the dune buggy and it's just like has take six full hockey bags of just blunted weapons from Overland Outfitters, his parents sort of gear shop for adventurers. And he kind of winks at Mazi. He's like, parents brought some sent me some extra training materials for the pits.
Justin (GM):Mazi's eyes light up at this. Oh, that's wonderful. Please let me let me help you. She, with her big orc arms, kind of bends at the knees and kind of picks up three of them in one arm and kind of hefts them up under her shoulders. This is wonderful.
Justin (GM):Please, I'll be sure to tell your parents.
Nick (Pat):Don't need to. Don't need to. You don't need to tell them anything.
Justin (GM):Oh, okay.
Nick (Pat):It's not
Justin (GM):a problem. Okay?
Nick (Pat):They're just happy to help.
Justin (GM):Great. I will great. Is are
Justin (GM):you gonna keep this? And she
Justin (GM):gestures to the dune buggy. Are you gonna keep this here?
Nick (Pat):I mean, where do you want Where would you like to park it? I mean, if you want the keys, can take it wherever.
Justin (GM):I mean, we'll definitely need to park it at the junkyard with Woah. Easy. I I don't I wanna be anything by that.
Nick (Pat):This thing this thing runs like a dream.
Justin (GM):I I have no doubt. This is a Jack Patterson special. I I heard the dream for the last five minutes, I think. I have no doubts. I just think that that is the place where most of the mechanical things here at camp are kept.
Justin (GM):Okay. Alright. And Tiesel will take great care of it.
Nick (Pat):Sure. I
Justin (GM):think no better place here at camp for a gnomish contraption than with our gnome mechanic.
Nick (Pat):Got it. I'll I'll unload. I'll run some stuff to the pits first and then then I'll take it down and see Tiesel.
Justin (GM):Great. Also, here is speaking of the pits, keys to the pits.
Justin (IK of Venithar):Thank
Justin (GM):you. Also, here is a key to your cabin. You have Cabin Number 1. Who's number one? Pat's number one.
Justin (GM):Pat's number one. Okay. Yes. Yes. Pat's number one.
Justin (GM):That's that's Yes. Please. I wanna be clear. Don't. That's Don't say that, Ivan.
Justin (GM):Who's
Nick (Pat):in number two?
Justin (GM):Evander and Yankser Braith. Number two indeed. That's not what this means. That's not what any of that means. Please do not look into that that far.
Justin (GM):I'm gonna change all of them to alphabetical. First thing. First thing I'm doing tomorrow, changing all cabins to alphabetical.
Jamie (Eleanore):Eleanor leans out the door of the bucket. Patch number one. Patch number one. Patch number one.
Justin (GM):Oh, no. I I I really should have seen this coming. I should have seen this. This was so it was right there. It was right there.
Nick (Pat):Cool. I'll head to the pits and then I'll swing this thing over to Tiesel. Do you need anything while I'm running the errands?
Justin (GM):No. I think I'll be okay. I think we're just waiting on one more person for for the summer staff.
Nick (Pat):Oh, wow. Who's who's who's not here yet?
Justin (GM):I think Malish. I'm actually surprised Malish is not here.
Nick (Pat):Yeah. Always daylight dollar short. Tell you what.
Justin (GM):Yeah. I think this is the second time I would I really would have expected Mala to be here
Nick (Pat):cares so much.
Justin (GM):He cares. His application He he wrote an essay. He We didn't ask for
Nick (Pat):an essay. We we weren't supposed to write an
Justin (GM):there was no requirement for an essay.
Nick (Pat):Okay. I don't time I wrote an essay.
Justin (GM):I mean, you are attending school. Correct?
Nick (Pat):No. Well, yes and no. Do you know Linus Linus Talenberry?
Justin (GM):I I've heard of him. Yes. I'm apprenticing with Linus. He adventured with your parents. Right?
Nick (Pat):He did. He was old then and he's old now.
Justin (GM):Okay. Well, I I can't wait to hear more about that. But yes, I will once Mala gets here, I'm gonna drop these off first and once Mala gets here, I'll get everyone together, we'll have a quick staff meeting.
Nick (Pat):Love
Justin (GM):it. And we'll have dinner. And Alora's prepared a hog roast, so
Nick (Pat):Woah. Yeah.
Justin (GM):It's gonna be it's gonna be pretty good.
Nick (Pat):Hell yeah. Pets number one. Pets number one. Pets one.
Jamie (Eleanore):Pets number one. I got you, man.
Nick (Pat):And he drives away.
Justin (GM):Bazi looks at her watch. A long period of time has gone by, Thirty thirty minutes. She knows that she has a number of things that she wanted to get done today, but she is expecting the staff. She did give them a range of time and we're still within that time, but she was expecting one more person and this person was definitely not the person she expected to be last. She starts to kind of get out a notepad and starts to check off and prioritize the various things around camp that need fixed.
Justin (GM):She knows that there's the one hinge on the door that that can probably wait until later. The the altar probably uses some adjustment that that one canoe has a hole in it. And as she is kind of deep in this prioritization, she does not notice as the final staff member approaches.
Evan (Mala):As he approaches, Mazi will see a fully armored short orc, in armor that was clearly used and has been like overly polished. A broken tusk sticking out of the helmet behind this person is two bags that are fully packed and even like bursting at the seams with just stuff hanging out of it. One of them mostly clothes, the other one, some clothes and also just a bunch of loose papers that look like magazine ripouts covered in dust, walking up some self painted ornaments on his armor.
Justin (GM):Hi, Mazi. Mala. Oh my goodness. And she puts the pad of paper in her pocket and Hello. Oh oh my goodness.
Evan (Mala):Yeah. It's his Do
Justin (GM):you need a water?
Evan (Mala):Yeah. Oh, that would be great actually.
Justin (GM):She hands you her canteen. What what happened? You I
Evan (Mala):I got dropped off at the bus Uh-huh. And I saw Pat drive by on his buggy thing. Yeah. Yeah. And I tried to wave him down, but he just kept driving and so I had to walk the rest of the way.
Justin (GM):Oh my I'm He had I'm sure he had got It was his goggles. I'm sure.
Evan (Mala):I I assume it wasn't on purpose, but I'm gonna talk to him about it later and just make sure that we're okay.
Justin (GM):Yeah. I'm I'm I'm confident. Yeah. Talk to him about it. I'm sure it wasn't it wasn't intentional.
Justin (GM):I like this armor and she kind of gives it a little bit of a rub and sees the the drawings on the side.
Nick (Pat):What I did those myself. It's on
Evan (Mala):the phoenix knight. I've I've arrived. I love that. I did the phoenix myself. I couldn't find phoenix armor that I could afford.
Justin (GM):Speaking of, and she kinda looks around, looks into the sky expectantly. Hey, Jarre. Come here.
Evan (Mala):And he'll do like a diving swoop in between us and then go back into the sky.
Justin (GM):Do you wanna describe who he is?
Evan (Mala):Xar is Xar is Mala's familiar slash pet that he found last year during the questing ritual and has spent a year bonding with and has since declared himself the Phoenix Knight in preparation to moving on to a trade school or going adventuring. He's gotten so
Justin (GM):much bigger than last time I saw him.
Evan (Mala):Still not like full combat ready, so like I'm trying not to do too much with him Uh-huh. But we're we're working on it. We're building that bond.
Justin (GM):Yeah. Combat is that But what he's going for? Is that
Evan (Mala):I We haven't really had that level of conversation Yeah.
Justin (GM):Yet. Yeah.
Evan (Mala):Yeah. I do think that there's gonna be some cool stuff going on this summer that I'm super excited for that maybe we can work on together. So I I found a god in the past year.
Justin (GM):Oh. Yeah.
Jamie (Eleanore):Her
Evan (Mala):her name's Mirin. Oh. You you know her?
Justin (GM):The the the star god?
Evan (Mala):Yeah. The the guiding light. Yes. Yeah. Yeah.
Evan (Mala):So I found her and started like doing some practicing, hoping that I can go to a monastery when I'm done. But I heard a message like a week ago and it just said protect me.
Justin (GM):Her eyes, I think, are genuinely like interested in this. She is taking these statements, like, pretty seriously. I think a like, communing with a deific being is not, an unheard of experience, but based on kind of what she knows about Mala, knows that this is probably something that's pretty important to to Mala. She says, I'm sorry. What did what did Mirin say?
Evan (Mala):I I don't know if it was Mirin, it was just a voice that said protect me and since she like grants wishes, not like, you know, I wish upon a star but like helps people, I figured it might have something to do with camp and I have to protect it in some way.
Justin (GM):Wow. That's that's a lot of responsibility.
Evan (Mala):Oh, it's terrifying. But it'll be the first of the three o's and if I say all three of them, then I become an official Paladin. Wow. Mala, you have
Justin (GM):grown a lot since I saw you.
Evan (Mala):Yeah. And check this out. And I'll pull out a trident out of one of the bags. I'm a long sword out of the other. It's like, okay.
Evan (Mala):So the day I got the the message, I also got a new I got a new issue of Power Word Adventure and it had Lord Oswaldo on the front and he was practicing or using a trident and a long sword. So I've been spending the whole year practicing with a trident and a long sword. I'm gonna get really good at them and they're gonna
Justin (GM):be my weapons. That's Wow. That is Mala, I am I was already impressed by the essay that you wrote when you applied, which again, I I loved it. It was great.
Evan (Mala):Was it long enough? I was worried I didn't get enough in there, like I didn't get my point across well.
Justin (GM):Well, by criteria, zero the amount of words required for the essay because there was no essay required.
Evan (Mala):So I killed it.
Justin (GM):You killed it by definition. I genuinely and I think she puts a hand on your your forearm as you're kind of gesturing emphatically and she says, genuinely, I loved it. It meant a lot to me that you that you took the time to write that essay and I was very impressed. Was not required, but I was impressed by it.
Evan (Mala):I will put my hand on her arm as her her hand is on my arm, like, that means a lot to me. Thank you.
Justin (GM):Yes. Well, she gestures to the weapons that you've put down on the ground. Yeah. I'll put those on. I'll just shove bag.
Justin (GM):She says, I do want to let you know you are in Cabin Number 6 and she Cabin 1. She kind of realizes in this moment that she has fucked up. And she says, no. We put them in it's in reverse order.
Evan (Mala):Oh, so I still got I'm still the best.
Justin (GM):First. You you applied first. Mhmm. So we put you in Cabin Number 6 and we move up in that direction from there on.
Nick (Pat):So makes sense because 6
Evan (Mala):is bigger than 1. Yes.
Justin (GM):Yeah. That makes sense. Yes. You got it. So you're in Cabin Number 6 and that's what this key is for.
Evan (Mala):Oh, thank you.
Justin (GM):And then you also have this key, is actually the master key. So because you're working in Hearth Hall and just kind of have a lot of duties encompassed in that, you have the master key. So can get you access to any building,
Evan (Mala):that you might need as a part of your duties. He'll like look at it, like stare at it like it is gold, like a prize being handed to him and then he'll slide it onto his necklace that also has the, leaf from the spirit tree from last year that he has since pressed into like a preserved state.
Justin (GM):Oh, you that's Yes. That's that's a really nice necklace.
Evan (Mala):Oh, thank you. I made it myself.
Justin (GM):Yeah. That's great. And yes, that is Again, keep that key very safe. I don't imagine you'll have to use it much beyond Hearth Hall very often, but it is yours and I am very excited to have you this summer.
Evan (Mala):Oh, I can't I'm so excited. It's gonna be so good.
Justin (GM):You are the last staff member to arrive. So if you could You have still some time to get yourself situated. Don't worry about being the last if you are. She checks her watch. Still within time, we are on schedule for today.
Justin (GM):Feel free to get yourself situated. If you want to gather everyone together and then we are going to have a little bit of a dinner, a brief staff meeting, just some formalities, and then we're going to do a nice little, like, staff bonding moment and we'll go from there.
Evan (Mala):That sounds good.
Justin (GM):Awesome. Well, listen, I've got a couple of things I need to get done, but I'm counting on you to get everyone together. Sound good?
Evan (Mala):Oh, okay. Jar will do it. It'll be fine.
Justin (GM):She is clocking that that's not quite what she asked for, but it's gonna go with it. And she gathers kind of her things together and heads off.
Evan (Mala):I'll head to my cabin then, just throw my stuff in there, just toss it in, not even unpacking anything, just immediately ready to go. And I'll look to Jarrah be like, okay, remember we put we practiced the signal, I want you to fly around camp and just call it out. No. No. No.
Evan (Mala):No. Like, remember, cuckoo cuckoo cuckoo.
Justin (GM):Give me an animal handling check.
Evan (Mala):Three. I think I'm proficient.
Justin (GM):Jar looks at you expectingly and just flies off in completely the wrong direction from what you were indicating. Just speeds off, like a comet in the wrong direction.
Evan (Mala):I'm just gonna go straight to Hearthaul after that. Throw myself in my cabin head over just assuming people are gonna show up.
Nick (Pat):Okay. Awesome.
Justin (GM):Hearth Hall is the largest building that can't do anything. In the middle of the room is this large hearth fully surrounded by tables and chairs, full enough for everyone camp to find a seat and have ample room to get comfortable. The air is always warm. Large windows look out over the Stellshall River that nestles up against camp and allow the sunlight to come in off of the sunset. A small cat wanders around Perth Hall, looking for mouse, a treat, a lap, something to keep it occupied.
Justin (GM):Annalor Marbleborn, the matron of the camp and of Perth Hall itself, is constantly attending to small bits, ensuring that any camper, any staff member finds Hearthhall to be a place of welcome, a place of warmth. As a priestess of Ota, she is specifically called and blessed to create a place of warmth and a place of home away from home. She is one of the few staff members who precedes Mazi and was there at the founding of camp as a dwarf. She is particularly old. Her gray and red peppered hair, is always up in braids, and she has little trinkets of gold kind of interlaced in the braids.
Justin (GM):She has an apron on where flower and various spices are kind of rubbed in. Her hands are equally covered in, the food that she has prepared, but also she has rings that she kind of adorns on all of her fingers that all enchant the building with unseen servants that she uses to staff. No other individuals man this building and keep it up and running for her. She kind of looks around expecting to see a full staff meeting. Mazi and herself are there.
Justin (GM):She sees Mala who's also also ready for the staff meeting, and says, are you getting anyone else here? Are supposed to kind of be gathering the rest of the staff?
Evan (Mala):No. I sent Jarrah, and they got them all. They're they're coming.
Justin (GM):Are they? Could you
Evan (Mala):not hear them call around the camp?
Justin (GM):I didn't I didn't hear them calling at all.
Evan (Mala):Just just listen really close. You can hear it.
Justin (GM):She listens. That I saw you putting your hand to your mouth.
Evan (Mala):No. That came from outside.
Justin (GM):I I It didn't come from outside.
Evan (Mala):Okay. Hold on. I'll go get everybody.
Justin (GM):Okay. Thank you. That'd be great, Mala. Great.
Evan (Mala):I'll Mala will like lazily go over to the door, just slam it open and go, guys, get in here.
Justin (GM):That's one way to do it, suppose. Do you I I've been meaning to talk to you. Tonight, we're supposed to be given a blessing of some sort?
Evan (Mala):Yeah. Uh-huh.
Justin (GM):Do you have any ideas of what you like to do?
Evan (Mala):Well, I figured I would just tell everybody to do their best and talk about how the spirit tree is watching over them and that all of us here, counselors and staff are here to support them and that they should trust in themselves and trust in each other and trust in their beliefs and that they will succeed if they put their minds to it. And if they don't succeed that they can keep trying and if they keep trying that they'll do well kind of like how I did. And then I can tell a story about my questing ritual and how well it went and how about the bonds we made with each other and how they'll make bonds with each other.
Justin (GM):This is a lot like your essay.
Evan (Mala):Yeah. I think I mean, I got a 100% on it. So I think it'd be a good thing to just share it with it. Maybe I'll read from my essay. Oh, that's a great idea.
Evan (Mala):I'll read from my essay.
Justin (GM):Okay. Well, that's an approach for sure. Great. Pat. Look, everyone's here.
Justin (GM):Great.
Nick (Pat):Pat's number one.
Justin (GM):Pat's number one. Pat's 1. Pat's number
Nick (Pat):Moe, what's up?
Evan (Mala):Hi, Pat.
Eric (Bunky):How you doing?
Nick (Pat):Hi, Eleanor.
Jamie (Eleanore):Hey.
Evan (Mala):I'm I'm I'm tired. It was a long walk here.
Nick (Pat):You walked here?
Evan (Mala):Yeah. I tried to I tried to wave you down, but you just kept on going past on your little tricycle thing.
Nick (Pat):You see clearly that Pat is covered in dust and he just has like a sunburn and dust ring around where his goggles were. Clearly, Pat could not see a goddamn thing on the road and was irresponsibly driving. He's like, oh, ma. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to I didn't mean to leave you on the road, man.
Nick (Pat):Here, I actually got you this. My my dad helped me, kind of make this up and he hands you a sleeve, a fireproof sleeve for your arm because he remembers that you were getting burnt before the end of last year.
Evan (Mala):Oh, so I think, Massey was gonna give me something, but she doesn't need to anymore. This is way nicer.
Nick (Pat):That's one.
Evan (Mala):Pat's number one.
Nick (Pat):Speaking of numbers, what's up, Evandria?
Justin (GM):Oh, hey.
Kayla (Evandria):Oh. Hello. Good evening.
Eric (Bunky):Evandria's number two. Evandria's number two. Evandria's number two.
Kayla (Evandria):Pat. That's a fun little game that you're playing.
Nick (Pat):It's not really a game, it's more of a song.
Kayla (Evandria):Yeah. It is more of a song. Very creative.
Jamie (Eleanore):Okay, guys.
Justin (GM):It's in the
Jamie (Eleanore):spirit of Oh.
Evan (Mala):Hey, Bunky. It's you there.
Eric (Bunky):Yeah. I get that a lot.
Evan (Mala):I I didn't mean it like that. I
Eric (Bunky):I'm working on it.
Evan (Mala):And Andrew just had a attitude and I just got distracted. I'm sorry.
Eric (Bunky):That avenger just had an avenger. That's fine. That's that's We all can be our own thing whatever we wanna be. Her thing is scary and that's really cool. We'll figure out what yours is too, Mala.
Evan (Mala):Where's where's your Yinkshire breed?
Nick (Pat):Yeah. Where's thankful Yankful?
Kayla (Evandria):I don't know. I've taught him to have a mind of his own. He shows up when he wants to show up. I don't understand your desperation to see Yankster Braid.
Evan (Mala):I'll have Mala's like eyes roll back in his head as he goes into his familiar to find like where Jar is. Oh. Jar is just chasing Yankster Braid around camp, chasing him through trees.
Justin (GM):Yankster Braid has his two little two string harnesses are flying behind him and he's trying desperately to get away from Jar just constantly yelling. This bird. This bird. Get it away from me.
Evan (Mala):I'll just have Jar peel back and start heading towards hardball.
Justin (GM):Oh, I got y'all a couple of hotcakes. Here you go. She hands out hotcakes to everyone. Here you something something to munch on during the staff meeting.
Nick (Pat):Thank you,
Eric (Bunky):MB. Bucky hands his to Eleanor.
Kayla (Evandria):Thank you. And Evandria accepts hers because that is what she's learned growing up in the political world is that you never reject something somebody else has cooked for you, but she does not eat it.
Jamie (Eleanore):Thank you.
Justin (GM):After she passes out those foods, she kinda makes her way to the back kitchen, and Mazzy moves out to the front and says,
Nick (Pat):great.
Justin (GM):Everyone can, make your way, grab some seats. I have got a couple of things to go over. Here's some folders. These are your staff packets. Bunky, yours does have your w two in it.
Justin (GM):If you could fill that out. Again, ideally, and I know that this is gonna freak you out because it's pretty permanent, but a pen would be the ideal thing that if you were to use a pen, I would I would love a pen.
Eric (Bunky):Can I use colored pens?
Jamie (Eleanore):I will help him out. I'll help him out.
Justin (GM):Yeah. Why don't you have Eleanor help you out? We get to do crafts together. Yeah. I'm excited.
Justin (GM):Great. And then here's yours of Andrea and Mala, here's yours. So a couple of things to go over this summer. As you all know, the theme for this summer is get outside, grow inside. So I want to encourage everyone as always, Camp Do Anything is about trying new things.
Justin (GM):And this summer's no different. I have some very exciting news on that front. This summer, we have a record number of campers enrolled and admitted. We have 80 total campers.
Nick (Pat):Holy shit. Thank you, Mala. 80 wait. 80 is a lot. 80 is too many.
Kayla (Evandria):80 is a lot?
Evan (Mala):Does it Hearth Hall only keep 60?
Justin (GM):Well, Hearth Hall, we have had to open up some of the the additional rooms in Hearth Hall and we have the cabins are completely full. So, there is not an extra bed here on camp. And, yes, there are some camps that do have more, but here at Camp Do Anything, 80 is pretty much capacity. So, that's really I do think that unfortunately, a lot of that is because as many of you know, experience Camp Stelshaw did open up across the river and I do think that maybe a lot of the admissions this summer are because some people didn't get admitted to ex camp Stelshaw. So they instead chose to come here, which you know what?
Justin (GM):Why they came is not important.
Nick (Pat):More like Haxbury and smells y'all.
Justin (GM):Mazzy, withhold the laugh. Pat, please keep it professional. Keep it professional. You're on staff this year.
Nick (Pat):I want your hosers.
Justin (GM):I I welcome anyone to camp who is who is going to take the time to enroll. And I think you all should as well. Everyone is coming here for a reason and I want you to welcome them all equally. Yes, Evandria?
Kayla (Evandria):So as this whole speech was happening, Evandria's sitting there with her perfect and trained posture. Her hair is in two French braids and they're tight. You can see like they're pulling on her face and so her forehead is like being pulled back by her own hair. And as this meeting is going on, you can just see her eyes almost get darker and darker as she's more and more pissed off because she just she has so many emotions behind the expertise camp and that they'll be close to her. They'll know that she's here.
Kayla (Evandria):And so she takes this moment to just let out a massive sigh, and then she gets up and she starts to walk out.
Justin (GM):Staff meeting's not over, Evandria. Please sit down. Staff meeting's not over.
Nick (Pat):While Mazzy is dealing with Evandria, I look to Eleanor and Mala and go, new sheet. How mean is the thing
Justin (GM):she does to experience camp?
Nick (Pat):Oh, forgot about that. Okay. Every every summer, Pat and Mala and Eleanor have made bets as to how mean Evandria will get at something.
Evan (Mala):What's
Jamie (Eleanore):the It will not be aimed at us this year.
Nick (Pat):Yeah. First first things at the first ex camp person she meets.
Evan (Mala):Oh, okay. But my question, we never got paid before. Do we put a couple Yeah.
Justin (GM):Gold on
Evan (Mala):this for the summer?
Nick (Pat):Let's start with copper. What I lost. Let's start with copper here. Yeah. We we're not making that much.
Evan (Mala):Oh, I'm I'm getting paid a decent amount. What are you guys getting paid?
Justin (GM):You're getting
Nick (Pat):bet on gold mean things amount?
Justin (GM):Yeah. Holy shit. Wow.
Evan (Mala):Yeah. I'm getting like 5 gold a week.
Jamie (Eleanore):Woah. Cabin's
Nick (Pat):not number one.
Evan (Mala):Well, I was the first one to get my
Nick (Pat):So I'm gonna say it's gonna be an 11 out of 10. The first person that she meets from ex camp, she may stab.
Jamie (Eleanore):I think she's coming in hot. I think a 15.
Evan (Mala):I think she's gonna do the main thing afterwards. I'm gonna say like a three in person, but then
Justin (GM):like a 15 afterwards.
Nick (Pat):A political three?
Evan (Mala):Yes. Yes. Yeah. Okay. Like, think she's gonna compliment them in a way.
Nick (Pat):A dig. Yeah. Passive aggressive. Cool. What's the paper with?
Jamie (Eleanore):Eleanor comes up in Maz, I've I've been looking at, like, the books and the payments and everything. If I know we're a pay what you can, but if they have originally tried to go to X camp? Yeah. If they have originally tried to go to the X camp, shouldn't they be paying more if they end up coming to us? Because they can afford it.
Jamie (Eleanore):Right?
Justin (GM):I hear I hear what you're saying, but I'm just it goes against the spirit of the camp. We can't treat other campers differently just I because
Jamie (Eleanore):get it. I just think like rude. Like, would think that I don't know.
Justin (GM):I think the important thing to remember is they were rejected from X Camp. And that makes them just like so many other campers here. They were turned away from other places and they should find a welcome place here. And a lot of them did pay some, and I think we should be thankful for that.
Jamie (Eleanore):Okay. I understand what you're saying.
Justin (GM):I I appreciate, I think your call out, and trust me, Wendell has said the exact same thing that you have. And I trust that you and he are doing everything you can to to help ends meet, and we'll talk about it at our next accounting meeting.
Jamie (Eleanore):Okay? And I am doing I'm doing some extra stuff. Hashtag secret.
Justin (GM):Oh. Oh. I don't think my accountant should be saying hashtag secret. That seems concerning. Secret?
Justin (GM):Okay. Whispering it doesn't make it better. Okay. Never mind. But, hey, I appreciate it.
Eric (Bunky):Okay. Thank you. Thanks.
Evan (Mala):Speaking of secrets though.
Justin (GM):You heard that?
Nick (Pat):What the hell?
Justin (GM):Mala. Mala. Just he's been standing slightly to the side this whole time.
Jamie (Eleanore):Jesus. I
Evan (Mala):don't know when to bring this up, but I feel like someone has to. We found a letter at the end of last year that said camp was not a great spot.
Justin (GM):Where did you find this letter?
Evan (Mala):It was on a desk.
Justin (GM):Whose desk? Your desk?
Evan (Mala):No. We were dropping off the scary stone that we found.
Justin (GM):Yeah. It wasn't on your desk. Do you know why? You didn't have a desk.
Evan (Mala):I see. Yeah. I know. But I just I I care about camp so much and I don't want it
Justin (GM):You can't
Evan (Mala):go away and it said if we don't graduate like 45 campers that like it's gonna shut down.
Jamie (Eleanore):Don't want it to to shut down.
Justin (GM):I guess we'll just jump in Okay. Everyone, please open your packets and we'll just jump straight to agenda item number seven Just since Mala has brought it up. Okay. As you can see by agenda item number seven, don't worry, it's not 45 campers, it's just 30. We have to get That's three eighths.
Justin (GM):You did that math so fast. Is that is that true? She looks at Eleanor. Is that true? Yeah.
Justin (GM):Okay. Wow. Okay. Yes. We have to get 30 campers to successfully pass their questing rituals this summer.
Justin (GM):Otherwise, Camp Do Anything is going to lose their official license as a registered facility for young adventurers.
Jamie (Eleanore):Oh, okay.
Nick (Pat):How many campers so we've got 80 campers. How many are ready or of the age to take questing ritual this year?
Justin (GM):Roughly 47. Okay. What percent is that?
Evan (Mala):Oh, that was a hard one.
Eric (Bunky):I can't do that. 54.
Justin (GM):Great. Math's math. Roughly. Roughly. Hey, Bunky.
Justin (GM):Thank you.
Nick (Pat):Thank I
Eric (Bunky):just I just wanna be helpful because this feels like it's gonna be a stressful summer now because we have
Justin (GM):It's gonna be a lot. Which is why I wanna emphasize the importance of the programs that you guys are going to be doing at your areas. So, Bunky has the craft cabin. Pat has the pits.
Nick (Pat):That's the pits.
Jamie (Eleanore):Pat is the pits.
Nick (Pat):Pat pits.
Jamie (Eleanore):Pat is the pits.
Eric (Bunky):Pat is the pits.
Justin (GM):Mala, you're gonna be doing all the afternoon and evening programming via the Hearth Hall.
Nick (Pat):Lord knows he's not doing the morning ones.
Evan (Mala):Hey, I got up on time today. Someone just left me in the dust.
Eric (Bunky):Yeah. But like, no one wakes up like Pat wakes up.
Jamie (Eleanore):He wakes up so hard.
Nick (Pat):Number one. Pat's I don't one. Wait. Pat's number Pat's is
Justin (GM):going to be running the bucket and Evandria has the Evergreen Center.
Kayla (Evandria):Yes.
Justin (GM):So, all of these areas are going to be really key in preparing students, at least skills wise, for their questioning ritual. But you can't neglect the emotional and mental readiness. So if you see a camper wavering, feel free to take the moment to encourage them. If you see them considering a skill or working on a craft and they're kind of waffling on whether they think they're good enough, don't forget that emotional support is equally important. We have to get to 30 campers this summer.
Kayla (Evandria):Oh, they'll be good enough.
Justin (GM):Evandria, in this one instance, I'm on the same page as you. I agree. I think we can do this. And sometimes, a firm hand is exactly what we need. I
Jamie (Eleanore):I'm not gonna hit these kids.
Justin (GM):I wanna emphasize, please, no one hit the children.
Nick (Pat):Side of sword only.
Justin (GM):No side of weapon the children.
Kayla (Evandria):Fine. I'll dull the blades.
Justin (GM):The blades come dull. What do you mean?
Kayla (Evandria):I I sharpened them this afternoon.
Justin (GM):No. What what were you doing that for? That was
Kayla (Evandria):For combat.
Justin (GM):Okay. There are some weapons for the questing ritual that can be sharpened. Please set the weapons that you sharpened aside for the questing ritual.
Kayla (Evandria):I can just dull them again.
Justin (GM):Okay? If you wanna spend the time to dull them again, you can. So I have given you a number of resources. You each have a budget that you can utilize to implement your programming. Andrea.
Kayla (Evandria):I'm sorry.
Justin (GM):It's okay.
Jamie (Eleanore):And I Wendell and I will be meeting with you guys once a week to make sure the budgets are staying within budget.
Kayla (Evandria):I'm gonna go ahead and waive that meeting, but thank you for the offer.
Nick (Pat):I would also, I guess, that's an option, like to waive that meeting.
Jamie (Eleanore):It is not an option.
Evan (Mala):Okay. I'm available every day whenever you need me.
Jamie (Eleanore):Thank you.
Evan (Mala):Ugh. Budgeting is very important.
Jamie (Eleanore):Evandria, just you promise, we're gonna work together.
Kayla (Evandria):I just don't even get the meaning of the word, so Well, that's for me to care.
Jamie (Eleanore):Is for, to help you understand
Kayla (Evandria):and Okay. We can help
Jamie (Eleanore):keep you in check. Fine.
Justin (GM):At this, Anna Lore kind of comes out from the kitchen and she has floating in front of her carried by two unseen servants, this roasted hog that is equal easily three times the size of bunkie. It has in its front mouth a large apple. That's what we measure things by. Right? Three bunkies.
Justin (GM):Three bunkies.
Kayla (Evandria):Bunky units.
Justin (GM):Yeah. And she says, please everyone, this is our first night together as staff. I will now turn it over to who's going to use this as an opportunity to kind of give us a benediction for the summer and kick us off. Mala?
Evan (Mala):Thank you everyone for being here. My name is Mala, the Phoenix Knight. I have spent the last year thinking about how our bonds can go grow greater. And I think that us here as staff can do a very good job at supporting each other, supporting our campers, and supporting everyone's drive to be better. I think that we all should work our hardest, work as a team.
Evan (Mala):I'm a stare at Evandria with really intense orc eyes.
Kayla (Evandria):She just opens her really intense eyes right back at him.
Evan (Mala):And we do our best to get 54% of our campers through the questing ritual, I think was the number. I'm not going to public speaking. I'm really stressing up here. Just do your best, be best friends, and no matter what you do, we will succeed because that's the only option.
Nick (Pat):Amen. Amen. Amen.
Evan (Mala):May the spirit tree watch over you.
Justin (GM):Give me a relevant check of your choice.
Evan (Mala):That's a
Justin (GM):horrible offer. Do you want it to be performance or I I would accept religion or Yeah.
Evan (Mala):I'll do religion.
Justin (GM):That's what I meant in by it, but it just check of your choice.
Evan (Mala):Like a personal like thing.
Justin (GM):A three.
Nick (Pat):Oh, you're consistent?
Justin (GM):Yeah. I'm doing good. Yeah.
Evan (Mala):Anilore That dice gone. It's gone.
Justin (GM):Gives you a pat on your back. Hey, Mala. That was really
Kayla (Evandria):I'm gonna
Evan (Mala):work on it.
Justin (GM):Really helpful. Did you wanna like like actually bless anyone or
Evan (Mala):Oh, I I haven't been accepted to an order yet. So I can't
Eric (Bunky):really Yeah.
Evan (Mala):Bless people.
Justin (GM):Oh, okay. Yeah. That Nope. No pressure.
Evan (Mala):That's what I'm hoping to to be able to do.
Justin (GM):Yeah. No pressure.
Jamie (Eleanore):So what was the point of that prayer?
Evan (Mala):Oh, it was just an inspiring speech to like, you know, do what we can as as counselors to like make everyone better.
Jamie (Eleanore):Oh, that was good.
Evan (Mala):I wasn't I I I can't bless people yet. I'm sorry. I'll give it another one before the campers get here. We have a week. I'll give them okay.
Evan (Mala):Okay.
Nick (Pat):I heard Eleanor is doing a song and dance. Are you tapping this here?
Jamie (Eleanore):No. I don't know if you guys noticed, but I'm working on my rogue skills. Look at these little sneaky horse shoes I have.
Justin (GM):Booties.
Jamie (Eleanore):Wow. I hold up and I'm holding I have these little booties on all four feet.
Justin (GM):Wow. Those are nice.
Kayla (Evandria):That's a cute color.
Jamie (Eleanore):Thank you. Listen.
Justin (GM):I don't hear anything. Yeah. That's pretty good.
Justin (IK of Venithar):I'm getting
Jamie (Eleanore):pretty good.
Justin (GM):That's really good. As you guys are kind of looking at Eleanor making no sound, Anna Laura's kind of going around and just like lightly touching everyone on the back as she hands you each a plate of roasted hog and various food that is appropriate for each of you. She is not just like handing out food and making you eat things that you might not be interested in. And as she kind of puts her hand on your back, you feel just this warmth come over you that is kind of the warmth that you feel whenever a close friend kind of touches you on the back and just kinda gives you a, hey, good job. And like in a little bit of an attaboy, if you will.
Justin (GM):And each of you can take an inspiration point as Analor gives you a blessing as the priestess of the hearth. The rest of the evening goes off without a hitch. You all spend a lot of the evening eating food, kind of spending a lot of the time catching up on some of the things that you've spent the past year doing. Not going too deep, it's been a long day for a lot of you traveling and you've spent a lot of the day unpacking. Anna Lore is very generous with the food that she gives and it's also not light food.
Justin (GM):So it's not long before you feel a little full and you all make your way out to the large tree in the center of camp. This is the spirit tree. The spirit tree is easily forty, fifty feet tall. It has large, oh, like catalpa tree leaves almost that are, two, bunky units or two hand spans wide. The edges are aligned with almost like a silver light.
Justin (GM):The bottoms of the trees, the roots kind of pull out from the ground and have rocks kind of embedded inside of them sticking out with runes and various ornaments hung along the outside. This tree, is at the very center of camp for a number of reasons, not the least of which is because it is at the focus point of several ley lines. Ley lines are magical currents, rivers almost through the material realm that carry powerful magical energy throughout the the world. And when many of them gather in one place, it's loan known as a ley line nexus. And Camp Do Anything was founded at the focal point of one of these ley line necklace nexuses.
Justin (GM):It gives, everyone everyone there an opportunity to access magic more easily, and the spirit tree itself is inherently magical as a result. You all take seats here at one of the many benches made from stone or wood that have been worn by summers and summers of campers and staff members from years gone by. You all take seats there. And the sun has set and various magical lanterns now light the stage and the seats that you are all seated in with just this ambient air of light around you. And Mazi kind of takes the stage in front of you all and says, for this evening's entertainment, I have asked Eleanor to prepare a number of bonding opportunities and just a chance for us to really take the evening to get to know one another and think about the summer ahead of us.
Justin (GM):So everyone, welcome to the stage, Eleanor. Okay.
Jamie (Eleanore):So I wanted to start with a little activity first, that we can all take part in, and then we will end with a little performance. Let's I wanna go around, and I'll start. I wanna go around and everybody say one thing that they're looking forward to this year at camp, whether that has to do with, you know, what you're teaching, anything to do that you're learning yourself. And then, also, everybody say one thing that they wanna work towards. So whether that be a personal goal or whether it be helping someone else with one of their goals.
Jamie (Eleanore):I'll start. One thing I'm looking forward to is, working in the bucket. I'm excited to get to I've already started working with the plants, and, I'm excited to start teaching the kids that stuff. And one thing that I wanna work on or work towards is really by the end of the camp, a difference with the budgeting and the accounting and keeping all of us accountable. And, just when we're done, leaving leaving the camp better than I found it.
Justin (GM):Patrick Kennelly, the camp ranger, a elf with a little bit of human heritage mixed in there, kind of steps up. He's got blonde hair, kind of a almost a boy scout esque attire with a harness that he uses to ride his griffin on, of steps up and says, one thing that I'm looking forward to this summer is we've got a lot of new animals at the Evergreen Center that have kind of cropped up over the past year, and I'm excited to use them as training opportunities and learning experiences for the campers. I think this is a good opportunity for them to get exposure to animals that they might not have otherwise had a chance to see.
Eric (Bunky):One thing I'm really looking forward to is with how many campers we have, a new record for for Camp Do Anything. I'm really looking forward to all the different backgrounds everyone's coming from. Everyone's gonna have different different origins, different abilities, different things they bring to the table, and I think that's gonna be really exciting to see what camp looks like with such a wide diversity, compared to past years where we've only had a handful of of campers here. And what I wanna work towards, I have a bit of a side project that I'm hoping to get a bit more insight on using using laystones and other mechanisms for for storing energy. And I'm hoping that maybe through helping the campers develop themselves, I can develop something of my own as well.
Justin (GM):Tiesel, the camp mechanic and groundskeeper, this gnome who is wearing, thick gloves, his hair is kind of dark black, but he has a bald a big bald patch on the top, so his his hair is kind of crowning on the sides. Kinda steps up and he says, I know that I'm got a couple projects that I've been working on this summer. I won't bore you with a ton of the details, but one of them is definitely got my eye on for maybe this summer's solstice ritual. And I think there's been a couple of campers that I'm looking forward to. They've got some promising artificer scores that I think it'd be good to connect with, and I think overall, I think this summer is gonna be a really promising one.
Justin (GM):One thing that I know that, I'm gonna be working on is I've gotten a couple of bad reviews on how I engage with campers, and so I'm looking to do a better job at my camper engagement this summer. And you see he like makes eye contact with Mazzy and Mazzy is like giving him this head shake that, yes, please please work on your camp You've got negative reviews? I listen. I I also thought that they were false reviews, but this is the third summer in a row, so I think we have to take them seriously.
Eric (Bunky):Kids these days.
Justin (GM):I listen. I also I would like to ignore them, but I guess there's a certain quantity that you just can't ignore.
Evan (Mala):So what I'm looking most forward to is inspiring the 80 campers that are joining us to to just embrace camp for all that it can do for them like it did for me. It became a home away from home and gave me friends and connections that I never had before, and I want everyone else to have that too. And personally, what I'm working on this summer is I wanna declare my oath and join an adventuring group afterwards. And if I don't declare my oaths and gain my powers, then I probably won't be able to join them. And I'm currently applying to join the banishing boys or justice against the wicked.
Evan (Mala):And I threw in a third application, but I don't think it's gonna go through because it's boys to barbarians.
Eric (Bunky):Did you did you give them good essays?
Evan (Mala):No. I sent in videos of me fighting.
Justin (GM):Cool. It
Evan (Mala):was like an audition tape. I was doing like a kata type thing.
Kayla (Evandria):I'm surprised they asked for that.
Evan (Mala):It was more of like a thought that it's
Kayla (Evandria):Oh. So it was an offering on your end.
Evan (Mala):It would separate my application from the rest.
Nick (Pat):It's it's probably definitely gonna separate it. Absolutely. I think you're right.
Justin (GM):You're really gonna gotta
Nick (Pat):let her back. Someone might one of them might be coming here to observe me. Woah. Yeah. You really are standing out.
Evan (Mala):Yeah. I'm telling you guys, I'm a capable fighter. So that's what I'm looking forward to.
Justin (GM):Wendell, the owl, Arikokra, steps up and says, I've had a number of folks work with me in the bucket in the past and a lot of people kind of put the bucket in a box. I'll be honest. They think that
Nick (Pat):Not in a bucket?
Justin (GM):Excuse me. This is my time.
Nick (Pat):Sorry. Sorry.
Justin (GM):Sorry. That's fine. Thank you. A lot of people put the bucket in a box and it's still it's still my time. Still my time.
Jamie (Eleanore):Guys, come on.
Justin (GM):And I just I think that having Eleanor there this summer is going to be a really good example that the bucket's there for everyone. Knowledge is for everyone. And so I think my goal this summer is to have everyone spend at least three days at the bucket, and I'm excited to open my doors to the new programming that Eleanor is gonna bring, and it's been exciting to have someone kind of really in there in the books with me. Let me say, not really had someone that's been interested in that aspect of the bucket, and so it's been really exciting, and she's brought in a lot of new creatures inside the courtyard, and it's not something I expected, but it's been a great change of pace. So honestly, I'm just expected and just excited to to have Eleanor on board.
Jamie (Eleanore):Eleanor is buzzing. She is so excited, and she wasn't sure until this moment if Wendell liked her. So she's very excited.
Nick (Pat):All hail king Greywart. King always a king.
Jamie (Eleanore):He's just wart. He's kind of king.
Nick (Pat):Once a king, always a king. Hear, hear.
Justin (GM):Mazi takes the stage and says, I want to take the time now to just say thank you all so much in advance. This summer is not going to be an easy one. I think we're all kind of well aware of this. There's a big challenge ahead of us, and frankly, if I'm being honest, I think it's probably going to suck. There's a lot of work and a big challenge ahead of us that I don't think I've ever done before, and it's not something that I've seen camp tackle yet.
Justin (GM):But at the same time, I also wanna say thank you. Because I can't think of a better staff who would be ready to take this on. Each of you were campers just a year ago and even then I knew that you brought something special to the table. That you each had skills, pasts and talents that defined you as something different. I thank you because it's oftentimes when the road is most difficult that you find yourself accompanied by the people most capable of tackling it.
Justin (GM):So she raises a glass as Anna Lore passes around a wine glass to each of you. Mazzy raises hers and says, here's to a sucky summer that we're gonna fucking conquer.
Nick (Pat):Doesn't have to be pretty. Just need a dirty 30.
Justin (GM):Doesn't have to be a pretty. We just need a dirty 30. Here.
Justin (IK of Venithar):Here. Get up. Sorry.
Evan (Mala):Do anything.
Justin (GM):Do anything. She takes a drink.
Nick (Pat):Pat looks over at Evandria and he knows who's like is mild degenerate with him and has two identical bottomless canteens, one of which with a fairly strong alcohol and one with just water and just offers to avenge you. Thirsty?
Kayla (Evandria):Oh, thank you.
Evan (Mala):You're welcome.
Kayla (Evandria):I appreciate it. She takes a massive swig.
Eric (Bunky):Holy shit.
Justin (GM):Give me a constitution saving throw. You just have to beat a five. 12. Great. It's just one swig.
Justin (GM):You feel great. You feel fine.
Kayla (Evandria):Oh, I wanted to pass it back and say, here, you can have the rest.
Nick (Pat):I'll have it later. Take the tiniest sip.
Justin (GM):And with that, I think I'll turn it back over to you, Eleanor. What's the second half of tonight's programming?
Jamie (Eleanore):Oh, I'm I'm nervous. I'm really excited to be here with everyone I knew last year, my whole team from my questing ritual, and you, Maz, and all the counselors that are back this year. And so I wanted to sing a song. We came to camp to find ourselves and find ourselves we did. You proved to families and friends you are more than just a kid.
Jamie (Eleanore):We stood together late in the day here 'neath the spirit tree with totems safe and personal
Eric (Bunky):And leader
Jamie (Eleanore):And we're now we are here, all of us, to lead beside each other. Let's raise a glass to camp and camper
Nick (Pat):Your actual players this season are Eric Marquis as Bunky, Kayla Tennyson as of Andrea Kalewin, Jamie Rich as Eleanor Shadowmain, Evan Caliber as Mal Agora, Nick Traeger as Pat Patterson, and your kind and generous GM, Justin Girardeau. If you're enjoying our show, you can help us out by sharing it with a friend, subscribing on your favorite catcher, following us on social media, talking about us on Reddit, or pitching in for coffee on Patreon. Theater of the Mindset is entirely made by humans with original art by Christina Valdez, original score by Willis Miller, and audio post production by Nick Treger at Studio three six zero seven. Thanks for listening and stopping by. Can't do anything.
Nick (Pat):We'll see you next week.