Round 1 Transcript

The Narrator lets the room settle and lays out the immediate proposition in concrete terms, making clear that the cast must answer what is being asked of them before anything can move forward.

Jeane leans back in her chair, black leather creaking, and taps one blood-red nail against the map. A Time-Splitting Sword? Interesting. Power of that magnitude would... she trails off, eyes glinting with barely concealed hunger. ...serve many purposes. But I don't sign on without knowing what we're truly facing in there. The woods have ears, and I want to hear what this hermit has to say before we commit to marching into a meat grinder for someone else's glory.

Halie places both hands flat on the worn wooden table, looking at each cast member in turn. I understand the allure of such a powerful artifact, and I do not doubt our abilities. But let's be clear—this is no ordinary retrieval. We are meddling with something ancient and likely malevolent. Her eyes linger on Jeane briefly. What exactly does 'serve many purposes' mean? Because my purpose here is to keep us all alive and uncorrupted by dark magic, not to fuel some arcane ambition. The villagers are desperate, yes, but there's a reason they haven't stormed this tower themselves. We need more than just a map and a promise of treasure before we walk into an obvious trap.

Merrin shifts closer, her eyes darting between Halie and Jeane. Listen, I get it, we're all here because the promise of a big score is too good to pass up. But... she trails off, chewing her lower lip. Look, I didn't sign on for any suicide missions. If there's even a chance this tower is as bad as they say, we need to know what we're walking into.

Seraphine pushes herself up from her chair, the heavy fabric of her robes whispering against the stone floor. She moves to stand by the map pinned to the wall, running a slender finger over the crude outline of the tower. The question isn't whether we should do this. It's how we ensure we all come back out again. She turns, fixing each member with a sharp, analytical gaze. I'm here because knowledge of such artifacts is my life's work. But Halie is right—the risks are... profound. We need more information. Not just about the tower, but about the sword itself. How it works. What it does to those who wield it. And most importantly... she pauses, her voice dropping to a near whisper ...what it does to those around them.

She shifts in her seat, the worn leather of her armor creaking softly. Her hands, calloused from years of wielding a mace, rest on the tabletop as she listens intently to the others. Aye, I've heard whispers of this tower and its supposed treasures since my days in the army. She shakes her head, dark braids swaying. But I've also seen what happens when folk get it into their heads to chase after ancient magic. It's never as simple as it seems.