COUNTER/Weight 00: If Han Solo Used To Be Beyoncé, or: Hashtag Otechku

This episode content warnings for skin wounds, body transformation, insect infestation of a a human body, disappearances of members of a marginalized group, imprisonment, physical restraint, torture, aggressive interrogation, psychological abuse, mind control, impersonation/memory manipulation, direct touching of brain, interior probing via ear. On the other side of Sapodilla's grand colonial wall, the Blackwick Group filter out into the streets and alleys of the heartland's largest city. A few investigators seek healing, others guidance. One finds a new bodily self altogether. And one, of course, has not made it through the walls at all. Or at least not entirely. No. They've found themself in the perilous dark, in the glutches (or at least under the gaze) of the Glim Macula. Yes. Chine knows things. And they know he knows things. It is only a matter of time before they open him up. This week on Sangfielle: Whispers in the City by the Sea The Almanac of the Heartland Rider Places Sapodilla: One of, if not the, largest city inside of the walls of Concentus. Sapodilla rests on the western shore of the vast lake that takes up much of southeastern Sangfielle, and prizes itself as the rare hub of culture in the bloodfields. In recent years, the powerful witch hunting organization called the Glim Macula has grown in power there, owing to the city's focus on furthering "civilization." Pledge House: A mysterious manor in Sapodilla's Hibiscus District. Thirty odd years ago, a fire ravaged its attached (and magnificent) concert hall. Facts and Figures Sym (she/her): A heritrix living in Sapodilla with connections to a mysterious underground, attempting to help others escape the Macula and the city. Old Alamae (she/her): More than just a well regarded oracle, Alamae is a living institution in Scorpion Town. Sgt. Harin Hardesty (they/them): Mid-level constable in Sapodilla's Sunflower district. William Blick (he/him): Head of the Macula's street level forces. Gilium (they/them): Veteran Cleaver and Chine's big hearted mentor. Lady Zizilliana "Zizi" Esterházy (she/her): Once a well known artist of Sapodilla, Zizi reportedly died during the great fire of Pledge House. According to the book Remembering the Zahir, Lady Esterhazy was the last known owner of the titular Zahir, a painting which supposedly fates the person watching it to develop over time into their apprehension of either the subject of the painting or a striking yet elusive figure in the painting's far distance. Davia Pledge (she/her): "The mad composer of Sapodilla" who vanished from the public view for decades after the fire of Pledge House. Every year, they say, she invites a select few to a private concert of her newest composition, and getting an invite is either a high honor or a mark of one's own corruption, depending on which aristocrat you ask. In the past year, her name has become widely known not for her concerts, but for "Pledge Cylinders," recordings which produce crisp, beautiful music, though by what devilry it is not known. Felesta (she/her): Goddess of fortune, luck, and reparation (material and otherwise). Often worshipped by Keen and other members of the Telluricist Union. Eunomia (she/her): The goddess of rainstorms. A tall, mature woman with a muscular build, wavy white hair in an attractive style, mauve skin, cobalt blue eyes. She's usually portrayed wearing a plain outfit made of solid water. She carries a drum. Bucho (he/him): Whether you first hear of him as "Big Bucho" or "Two Step Bucho," once you meet him, you'll understand that no name does the gallant Shape Knight justice. Calen fel Dynestia (he/him): Heir to a grim line, Calen has joined the Shape Knights in an effort to rehabilitate the fel Dynestia name. Eyes sunken, pasty purple face covered with stubble, and all the highest fashion of Sapodilla circa twenty years ago. Aterika'Kaal aka "Roseroot" aka "Rose Shade": An ambivalent and ancient spirit. Offers the sweet smell and sublime beauty of roses and the sturdy foundation of a root structure. In exchange: Feed it. Tombo (he/him): Lye Lychen's argumentative (but loyal) fish companion. Jolyon (they/them): An old friend. Swears they aren't the train. Organizations Glim Macula: Whether Sapodilla looks postcard-perfect to you or if you find yourself looking for a place to spit when someone repeats the claim that it is the "most civilized" corner of the heartland, it is the Glim Macula you have to thank. Empty faces. A flame that burns through you. Witch hunters in white coats. The Boundless Conclave: Less of an individual church, more of an association between hundreds of independent faiths. Small sects, nearly forgotten cults, and unjealous gods make up this vast pantheon. The Bell Metal Band: Of all the Shape Knight gangs, the Bell Metal Band might be the most curious (in both meanings of the word). From their tall station at the intersection of two major Shape lines, the Bell Metal Band tries to yank away whatever train parts they can safely reach for study and, frankly, for fun. In the recent days, though, they've come under some sort of trouble and have put out a call for help. The Shape Knights: It took people with clear minds, great ingenuity, and implacable spirit to face down and defeat one of the living trains of Sangfielle. In the time since, they've crafted armor from their slain foe, and with that have come to be experts of all things train. They herd, they breach, they redirect. But they haven't yet killed a second. Cleavers: Given how loose and fluid this collection of monster hunters, mystery solvers, and naturalists is, it's hard to call them "an organization." But when the central belief system of a group is that everything is ever in flux, well, give them the credit of applying that particular ontology to themselves, and take them at their word. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@sylvibullet), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora and Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

20 Aug 20213h 14min

This episode carries content warnings for aggressive interrogation, psychological abuse, physical detention, discussion of drowning, blood, death, loss of bodily control, mind control, and insect infestation of a human body. Sapodilla has always been the sort of city that finds its way into the heart of a story. A place in touch with its seaside bearing, colored by the sun's reflection against the water. A place where high towers rise at the corners of high walls, cutting the metropolis into little puzzle pieces. And centuries ago, during the panic, when the petty local lords who'd conquered Sangfielle fled and left behind those they'd chained, Sapodilla became the best kind of place: a refuge. It's ancient gates opened, its people overruled the rulers and waved banners of welcome from the parapets and invited in all kinds of folk to escape calamity, to recover, and to rebuild. What they built was new: A social cornucopia by the shore. Unfortunately, that Sapodilla ain't with us anymore. So proud of what was built--the cultural epicenter of Sangfielle--they forgot how and why they built in the first place. Today, under the watchful and frightening gaze of the Glim Macula, the so-called "defenders of society" who are little more than dressed up witch hunters, Sapodilla has closed its ancient gates. And entry makes demands… This week on Sangfielle: At the Gates of Sapodilla The Almanac of the Heartland Rider Places Sapodilla: One of, if not the, largest city inside of the walls of Concentus. Sapodilla rests on the western shore of the vast lake that takes up much of southeastern Sangfielle, and prizes itself as the rare hub of culture in the bloodfields. In recent years, the powerful witch hunting organization called the Glim Macula has grown in power there, owing to the city's focus on furthering "civilization." Facts and Figures Calen fel Dynestia (he/him): Heir to a grim line, Calen has joined the Shape Knights in an effort to rehabilitate the fel Dynestia name. Eyes sunken, pasty purple face covered with stubble, and all the highest fashion of Sapodilla circa twenty years ago. Bucho (he/him): Whether you first hear of him as "Big Bucho" or "Two Step Bucho," once you meet him, you'll understand that no name does the gallant Shape Knight justice. Organizations Glim Macula: Whether Sapodilla looks postcard-perfect to you or if you find yourself looking for a place to spit when someone repeats the claim that it is the "most civilized" corner of the heartland, it is the Glim Macula you have to thank. Empty faces. A flame that burns through you. Witch hunters in white coats. The Shape Knights: It took people with clear minds, great ingenuity, and implacable spirit to face down and defeat one of the living trains of Sangfielle. In the time since, they've crafted armor from their slain foe, and with that have come to be experts of all things train. They herd, they breach, they redirect. But they haven't yet killed a second. Cleavers: Given how loose and fluid this collection of monster hunters, mystery solvers, and naturalists is, it's hard to call them "an organization." But when the central belief system of a group is that everything is ever in flux, well, give them the credit of applying that particular ontology to themselves, and take them at their word. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@sylvibullet), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000), and Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) Produced by Ali Acampora and Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

6 Aug 20211h 56min

This episode carries content warnings for death, experimentation on a person, loss of consciousness and bodily control, magical captivity, and forced bodily transformation. In Sangfielle, it's rare enough to find an answer to a mystery, and rarer still to find one with the clarity and quality needed to convince someone else that it is, in fact, an answer at all. Such is the case with Lye Lychen, Pickman, and Duvall here in Bell Metal Station. Yes, they have a truth—a Truth even, with a capital T—but to those on the outside, it looks and feels like something else. Too impossible, too painful, too volatile to be the truth. But it always is. And it is in this moment of volatility that, for the first time, the Blackwick Group can see something larger take shape. Something with the sort of fatal and formative force that transforms pleasant parts into uneasy wholes. This week on Sangfielle: What Happened at Bell Metal Station Pt. 4 The Almanac of the Heartland Rider Places Bell Metal Station: The broad, 10 story tall station that the Bell Metal Band operates out of. Hard, metal-reinforced stonework. Scaffolding on scaffolding. Wood and leather and old picture frames. A middle space between laboratory, bunker, and den. Sapodilla: One of, if not the, largest city inside of the walls of Concentus. Sapodilla rests on the western shore of the vast lake that takes up much of southeastern Sangfielle, and prizes itself as the rare hub of culture in the bloodfields. In recent years, the powerful witch hunting organization called the Glim Macula has grown in power there, owing to the city's focus on furthering "civilization." Zevunzolia: The hypothesized city of cities, the telos behind telos, the place high above, the heaven yet to be reached. A utopian dream pursued at great lengths by the secretive Wrights of hte Seventh Sun. Banderole: The City of Banners. People all around Sangfielle have been dreaming of it. Some even build models of it in their sleep... Facts and Figures Erm (he/him): The leader of the Bell Metal Band truly is just a little guy, but that don't be confused: he's absolutely the boss around here! Chomps cigars, wears custom Shape train armor featuring the Bell Metal Band emblem. His white and brown fur is like a guinea pig's, but covered in soot and smoke. Omerra Celendi (she/her, he/him): A human mage--with a speciality in alchemical inventions--from the Unschola Republica in his late 20s. She frames her light brown skin face with wavy dark hair down to her shoulders and big round glasses and wears a playful grin on his face. Today, it's high waisted, dark green corduroy slacks, a sleeveless white button up blouse, a single powered shape knight gauntlets on his right hand, a pauldron and half-plate piece that covers the left side of her torso, and a sort of dark gold halfcape across the other side. Tomorrow it will be something even more immaculate. Calen fel Dynestia (he/him): Heir to a grim line, Calen has joined the Shape Knights in an effort to rehabilitate the fel Dynestia name. Eyes sunken, pasty purple face covered with stubble, and all the highest fashion of Sapodilla circa twenty years ago. Fezh (they/them): Soft for a Shape Knight. Strong for a Shape Knight. The closest there was to everyone in Bell Metal, but Calen most of all. Missed greatly. High Vicar Regan Alaway (currently he/him): Waxy, vampiric minister of Yellowfield, whose generations-long study of technology led him to dream of (and work towards creating) "The City of Lights," a place of flameless fire, energetic implements, and the safety and freedom to live as one wants. Disposed of, for now at least. Tombo (he/him): Lye Lychen's argumentative (but loyal) fish companion. Jolyon (they/them): An old friend. Swears they aren't the train. Prince Alexander: A train turned over before its time, if such a thing exists. Mirlande (she/her): A senior Star-Touched agent of Kay'va on her final assignment. Ekule Polyte (he/him): The Blackwick group first met this "Star-Touched" Kay'van agent under the pseudonym of "Janek," hiding out in Blackwick County. Now, he waits patiently for extraction. Katonya (she/her): A cleaver near the end of her career, Katonya's body bears all the marks of years in service to the Heartland. Loyal to those who employ her, and a walking catastrophe to those she opposes. The Red Zephyr: A train what takes on strange character under the moonlight. For a month, it's torn into not only Bell Metal Station, but also any passing train it could reach. A problem severe enough that the Shape Knights so troubled reached out for help from the biggest Cleaver they'd ever met. Agdeline (she/her), Ettel (he/him), and Larch (he/him): This devil, drakkan, and human trio once spent time mining in the hills of Blackwick. In recent times, they've found that poorly armed travelers make for better prospecting. Sometimes called "the Toll Collectors." Organizations Glim Macula: Whether Sapodilla looks postcard-perfect to you or if you find yourself looking for a place to spit when someone repeats the claim that it is the "most civilized" corner of the heartland, it is the Glim Macula you have to thank. Empty faces. A flame that burns through you. Witch hunters in white coats. Wrights of the Seventh Sun: A secret society dedicated to the construction of Zevunzolia, whatever the cost. Their motivations are many: Some believe that the Devils ought to have continued climbing whent hey escaped hell, that this was not the paradise earned. Otherse believe that Zevunzolia is telos of telos, the end-cause of all end-causes, and thus will inevitably bring itself into being. And given that, to do anything but aid it is to risk exclusion from it, or worse. The Star-Touched (unspoken): In Kay'Va, it is said that the stars are the first thing we see which belong to everyone. And so, just as the light from the innumerable touched their souls, they too shall shine out from the countless isles and brighten the mainland. In plaintongue, these agents of the Free Seas have been granted unique knowledge and remarkable aptitudes--no two operatives have been received the same gifts yet. And they use those talents for the sake of Kay'Va, serving as envoys, investigators, killers, organizers, and everything else that must be done for the safety of the seas and the spread of Cartinism. The Bell Metal Band: Of all the Shape Knight gangs, the Bell Metal Band might be the most curious (in both meanings of the word). From their tall station at the intersection of two major Shape lines, the Bell Metal Band tries to yank away whatever train parts they can safely reach for study and, frankly, for fun. In the recent days, though, they've come under some sort of trouble and have put out a call for help. The Shape Knights: It took people with clear minds, great ingenuity, and implacable spirit to face down and defeat one of the living trains of Sangfielle. In the time since, they've crafted armor from their slain foe, and with that have come to be experts of all things train. They herd, they breach, they redirect. But they haven't yet killed a second. Cleavers: Given how loose and fluid this collection of monster hunters, mystery solvers, and naturalists is, it's hard to call them "an organization." But when the central belief system of a group is that everything is ever in flux, well, give them the credit of applying that particular ontology to themselves, and take them at their word. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), and Keith J Carberry Produced by Ali Acampora and Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

30 Juli 20211h 54min

This episode carries content warnings for description of corpses and death by burning, the discussion of mind control, serious bruising, and the loss of motor skills. Welcomed into Bell Metal Station, Lye Lychen finds himself separated from his compatriots by miles, but it is a gap in information that makes him truly distant. While the junk mage tries to complete a puzzle despite a missing piece, Duvall and Pickman instead find themselves looking at an unexpected extra. As the sun begins to rise in the plains north of Sapodilla, things begin to come into focus. But sometimes, the light only brings more questions. This week on Sangfielle: What Happened at Bell Metal Station Pt. 3 The Almanac of the Heartland Rider Places Bell Metal Station: The broad, 10 story tall station that the Bell Metal Band operates out of. Hard, metal-reinforced stonework. Scaffolding on scaffolding. Wood and leather and old picture frames. A middle space between laboratory, bunker, and den. Sapodilla: One of, if not the, largest city inside of the walls of Concentus. Sapodilla rests on the western shore of the vast lake that takes up much of southeastern Sangfielle, and prizes itself as the rare hub of culture in the bloodfields. In recent years, the powerful witch hunting organization called the Glim Macula has grown in power there, owing to the city's focus on furthering "civilization." Facts and Figures Erm (he/him): The leader of the Bell Metal Band truly is just a little guy, but that don't be confused: he's absolutely the boss around here! Chomps cigars, wears custom Shape train armor featuring the Bell Metal Band emblem. His white and brown fur is like a guinea pig's, but covered in soot and smoke. Omerra Celendi (she/her, he/him): A human mage--with a speciality in alchemical inventions--from the Unschola Republica in his late 20s. She frames her light brown skin face with wavy dark hair down to her shoulders and big round glasses and wears a playful grin on his face. Today, it's high waisted, dark green corduroy slacks, a sleeveless white button up blouse, a single powered shape knight gauntlets on his right hand, a pauldron and half-plate piece that covers the left side of her torso, and a sort of dark gold halfcape across the other side. Tomorrow it will be something even more immaculate. Calen fel Dynestia (he/him): Heir to a grim line, Calen has joined the Shape Knights in an effort to rehabilitate the fel Dynestia name. Eyes sunken, pasty purple face covered with stubble, and all the highest fashion of Sapodilla circa twenty years ago. Fezh (they/them): Soft for a Shape Knight. Strong for a Shape Knight. The closest there was to everyone in Bell Metal, but Calen most of all. Missed greatly. Tombo (he/him): Lye Lychen's argumentative (but loyal) fish companion. Jolyon (they/them): An old friend. Swears they aren't the train. Prince Alexander: A train turned over before its time, if such a thing exists. Mirlande (she/her): A senior Star-Touched agent of Kay'va on her final assignment. Ekule Polyte (he/him): The Blackwick group first met this "Star-Touched" Kay'van agent under the pseudonym of "Janek," hiding out in Blackwick County. Now, he waits patiently for extraction. Katonya (she/her): A cleaver near the end of her career, Katonya's body bears all the marks of years in service to the Heartland. Loyal to those who employ her, and a walking catastrophe to those she opposes. The Red Zephyr: A train what takes on strange character under the moonlight. For a month, it's torn into not only Bell Metal Station, but also any passing train it could reach. A problem severe enough that the Shape Knights so troubled reached out for help from the biggest Cleaver they'd ever met. Agdeline (she/her), Ettel (he/him), and Larch (he/him): This devil, drakkan, and human trio once spent time mining in the hills of Blackwick. In recent times, they've found that poorly armed travelers make for better prospecting. Sometimes called "the Toll Collectors." Organizations Glim Macula: Whether Sapodilla looks postcard-perfect to you or if you find yourself looking for a place to spit when someone repeats the claim that it is the "most civilized" corner of the heartland, it is the Glim Macula you have to thank. Empty faces. A flame that burns through you. Witch hunters in white coats. The Star-Touched (unspoken): In Kay'Va, it is said that the stars are the first thing we see which belong to everyone. And so, just as the light from the innumerable touched their souls, they too shall shine out from the countless isles and brighten the mainland. In plaintongue, these agents of the Free Seas have been granted unique knowledge and remarkable aptitudes--no two operatives have been received the same gifts yet. And they use those talents for the sake of Kay'Va, serving as envoys, investigators, killers, organizers, and everything else that must be done for the safety of the seas and the spread of Cartinism. The Bell Metal Band: Of all the Shape Knight gangs, the Bell Metal Band might be the most curious (in both meanings of the word). From their tall station at the intersection of two major Shape lines, the Bell Metal Band tries to yank away whatever train parts they can safely reach for study and, frankly, for fun. In the recent days, though, they've come under some sort of trouble and have put out a call for help. The Shape Knights: It took people with clear minds, great ingenuity, and implacable spirit to face down and defeat one of the living trains of Sangfielle. In the time since, they've crafted armor from their slain foe, and with that have come to be experts of all things train. They herd, they breach, they redirect. But they haven't yet killed a second. Cleavers: Given how loose and fluid this collection of monster hunters, mystery solvers, and naturalists is, it's hard to call them "an organization." But when the central belief system of a group is that everything is ever in flux, well, give them the credit of applying that particular ontology to themselves, and take them at their word. Further Notes & Ephemera Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), and Keith J Carberry Produced by Ali Acampora and Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

22 Juli 20211h 49min

This episode carries content warnings for insect infestation of a human, bodily transformation, description of organs and interior of a body, serious bruising, loss of motor skills, vomit, temporal disorientation, and death. So far, so good. Lyke, Duvall, and Pickman navigated a skeletal riddle, drove away some uncanny engineers, and connected with a monster hunter who veers towards the monstrous herself. Normal, at least in so far as this particular tale of the abnormal goes, anyway. But now they've turned south towards Bell Metal station, and soon enough the strange will get stranger. Things could have gone differently here, stayed on script, so to speak. But the Blackwick Group is never happier than when taking things from an unpredictable angle. Ain't that what makes them so charming? This week on Sangfielle: What Happened at Bell Metal Station Pt. 2 The Almanac of the Heartland Rider Places Bell Metal Station: The broad, 10 story tall station that the Bell Metal Band operates out of. Hard, metal-reinforced stonework. Scaffolding on scaffolding. Wood and leather and old picture frames. A middle space between laboratory, bunker, and den. Sapodilla: One of, if not the, largest city inside of the walls of Concentus. Sapodilla rests on the western shore of the vast lake that takes up much of southeastern Sangfielle, and prizes itself as the rare hub of culture in the bloodfields. In recent years, the powerful witch hunting organization called the Glim Macula has grown in power there, owing to the city's focus on furthering "civilization." Facts and Figures Katonya (she/her): A cleaver near the end of her career, Katonya's body bears all the marks of years in service to the Heartland. Loyal to those who employ her, and a walking catastrophe to those she opposes. The Red Zephyr: A train what takes on strange character under the moonlight. For a month, it's torn into not only Bell Metal Station, but also any passing train it could reach. A problem severe enough that the Shape Knights so troubled reached out for help from the biggest Cleaver they'd ever met. Jolyon (they/them): An old friend. Agdeline (she/her), Ettel (he/him), and Larch (he/him): This devil, drakkan, and human trio once spent time mining in the hills of Blackwick. In recent times, they've found that poorly armed travelers make for better prospecting. Sometimes called "the Toll Collectors." Chantilly Scathe (she/her): The signs and barkers rarely say her name alone. She ain't Chantilly, or even Ms. Scathe, she's always "Ms. Chantilly Scathe and Her Shackled Engine." Don't let her showmanship and ringmaster garb fool you though: She seems to have done what no Shape Knight could: Make a train of the Shape, The Grand Cormorant Limited, her very own pet. Organizations The Bell Metal Band: Of all the Shape Knight gangs, the Bell Metal Band might be the most curious (in both meanings of the word). From their tall station at the intersection of two major Shape lines, the Bell Metal Band tries to yank away whatever train parts they can safely reach for study and, frankly, for fun. In the recent days, though, they've come under some sort of trouble and have put out a call for help. The Shape Knights: It took people with clear minds, great ingenuity, and implacable spirit to face down and defeat one of the living trains of Sangfielle. In the time since, they've crafted armor from their slain foe, and with that have come to be experts of all things train. They herd, they breach, they redirect. But they haven't yet killed a second. Cleavers: Given how loose and fluid this collection of monster hunters, mystery solvers, and naturalists is, it's hard to call them "an organization." But when the central belief system of a group is that everything is ever in flux, well, give them the credit of applying that particular ontology to themselves, and take them at their word. A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

15 Juli 20211h 48min

This episode carries content warnings for insects and the insect infestation of a human, the depiction of a supernaturally bubbling and oil-like skin, and a mention of blood. To say that this particular story starts off in a strange way would be the underselling of a lifetime. But that's how things are sometimes. Sometimes, in pursuit of a missing eggsac--which we know isn't even in this direction--an unlikely trio sets off towards an abandoned town, and on the way finds themselves at the wrong end of blade and riddle. Yet by the end of it all, in stories like this, they find themselves confronted with horrors physical and existential. So it goes in Sangfielle. So it goes. Today on Sangfielle: What Happened at Bell Metal Station The Almanac of the Heartland Rider Places Sapodilla: One of, if not the, largest city inside of the walls of Concentus. Sapodilla rests on the western shore of the vast lake that takes up much of southeastern Sangfielle, and prizes itself as the rare hub of culture in the bloodfields. In recent years, the powerful witch hunting organization called the Glim Macula has grown in power there, owing to the city's focus on furthering "civilization." The Waterlogged Kingdom: At least that's what we're calling it for now. Deep under the water, an empress waits. There's been debate: Did they turn the wood from her sunken ship into a palace for her? Build castles out of the lake sand? Maybe they never stopped marching, and they're down there right now, just going round in circles. An likely area of inquiry, for certain. Facts and Figures Chantilly Scathe (she/her): The signs and barkers rarely say her name alone. She ain't Chantilly, or even Ms. Scathe, she's always "Ms. Chantilly Scathe and Her Shackled Engine." Don't let her showmanship and ringmaster garb fool you though: She seems to have done what no Shape Knight could: Make a train of the Shape, The Grand Cormorant Limited, her very own pet. Phendleton (they/them) and Brace (he/him): Representatives of the so-called True Loyalists of the Sunken Empress. What makes them "true loyalists"? Well, if we knew that, things would be a lot simpler, wouldn't they? The Sunken Empress Altapasqua (she/her): Around fifty years after the panic set in, Altapasqua told her people she would ride across this cursed land and purge it of its disease and danger. She only made it about three fourths of the way. And well, it's as expected. She was down there ever since. Agdeline (she/her), Ettel (he/him), and Larch (he/him): This devil, drakkan, and human trio once spent time mining in the hills of Blackwick. In recent times, they've found that poorly armed travelers make for better prospecting. Sometimes called "the Toll Collectors." Katonya (she/her): A cleaver near the end of her career, Katonya's body bears all the marks of years in service to the Heartland. Loyal to those who employ her, and a walking catastrophe to those she opposes. Organizations The Bell Metal Band: Of all the Shape Knight gangs, the Bell Metal Band might be the most curious (in both meanings of the word). From their tall station at the intersection of two major Shape lines, the Bell Metal Band tries to yank away whatever train parts they can safely reach for study and, frankly, for fun. In the recent days, though, they've come under some sort of trouble and have put out a call for help. The Shape Knights: It took people with clear minds, great ingenuity, and implacable spirit to face down and defeat one of the living trains of Sangfielle. In the time since, they've crafted armor from their slain foe, and with that have come to be experts of all things train. They herd, they breach, they redirect. But they haven't yet killed a second. Cleavers: Given how loose and fluid this collection of monster hunters, mystery solvers, and naturalists is, it's hard to call them "an organization." But when the central belief system of a group is that everything is ever in flux, well, give them the credit of applying that particular ontology to themselves, and take them at their word. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), and Keith J Carberry Produced by Ali Acampora and Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

9 Juli 20212h 24min

This episode contains content warnings for violence, eye and bodily transformation, bodily experimentation, mind control, and the eating of glass (without harm). Sometimes you think you've got it all figured out, and rightly so. You've done your due dilligence, crossed your T's and dotted your I's, asked all the right questions to all the right people. And its these specific cases when you are most taken by surprise with the truth of the thing. It goes without saying that the case Yellowfield Candle Company is one such endeavor. The truth slips through the fingers, and only one thing's for sure: it's a wax house, baby—we all just live in it. This week on Sangfielle: The Candle Factory Pt. 3 The Almanac of the Heartland Rider Places Yellowfield: Before the Panic this little valley of yellow flowers was the territory of a petty wizard and the subjects he frightened or beguiled. He called it his Xanthic Demesne, but these days we just call it Yellowfield. In the center of the valley, there's a candle factory, and it is here that the old axiom refers: "All the candle light in Sangfielle was made with just twenty odd hands." Sapodilla: One of, if not the largest city inside of the walls of Concentus. Sapodilla is on the western shore of Sangfielle's inland sea, and its leaders have gotten very good at selling it as a postcard pretty, tiered seaside paradise where civilization and culture are defended unlike anywhere else in Sangfielle. Well. it certainly is right to say that the way they defend their culture is unique, but the rest of it? Call me a skeptic. Facts and Figures High Vicar Regan Alaway (currently he/him, changes over time): The de facto leader of Yellowfield, the vicar preaches daily in the Factory's churchfront. A charismatic figure with a bright vision for the future. Gala (she/her): A young worker at the candle factory, Gala has grown increasingly concerned about the state of Yellowfield and the high vicar. Now, her concern grows to worry as her mother, Galena, has gone missing. Eyes, Ears, and Mouth: These three Caprak—loyal to the full extent of loyalty to Alaway—are no talk, all action. Subsolum: When a reporter passing east requested comment from the High Vicar on the distinguished deity worshipped at Yellowfield's only chapel, she was told only this: "My god is of the underneath, you see. The soil and the fertility in it. The deep soil, you understand. The soil that gives us these wonderful flowers." Well that was a crock of shit, wasn't it? Not sure what to think about this one. Was there actually a Subsolum once? Is the Lord of Yellowfield Subsolum, self-proclaimed or in golden honesty? Is the whole thing a con? Who the hell knows. Bucho (he/him) (mentioned): Whether you first hear of him as "Big Bucho" or "Two Step Bucho," once you meet him, you'll understand that no name does the gallant Shape Knight justice. Rana (she/her): An lonely devotee of Kaitankro who now lives out her days attending to one of her chosen god's many kite-shrines. Organizations The Shape Knights: It took people with clear minds, great ingenuity, and implacable spirit to face down and defeat one of the living trains of Sangfielle. In the time since, they've crafted armor from their slain foe, and with that have come to be experts of all things train. They herd, they breach, they redirect. But they haven't yet killed a second. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@sylvibullet), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora and Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

24 Juni 20212h 6min

This episode carries content warnings for discussion of a missing person, depiction of a bound and wounded person, and brief depiction of torture. From the heights of the stilted shrine of Kitankro, the valley of Yellowfield is a soporific refuge from the rest of Sangfielle. Absent are the dustorms, the chimeric creatures, and sharp shapes of bonewashed geology. Instead, the wind blows through and endless field of yellow. Little figures move to and fro, between factory and farmhouse. Even the trains arrive at an easy glide below, predictable and safe. Yes, from the heights of the stilted shrine of Kitankro, the valley of Yellowfield looks quite nice indeed. This week on Sangfielle: The Candle Factory Pt. 2 The Almanac of the Heartland Rider Places Yellowfield: Before the Panic this little valley of yellow flowers was the territory of a petty wizard and the subjects he frightened or beguiled. He called it his Xanthic Demesne, but these days we just call it Yellowfield. In the center of the valley, there's a candle factory, and it is here that the old axiom refers: "All the candle light in Sangfielle was made with just twenty odd hands." Facts and Figures High Vicar Regan Alaway (he/him): The de facto leader of Yellowfield, the vicar preaches daily in the Factory's churchfront. A charismatic figure with a bright vision for the future. Gala (she/her): A young worker at the candle factory, Gala has grown increasingly concerned about the state of Yellowfield and the high vicar. Now, her concern grows to worry as her mother, Galena, has gone missing. Eyes, Ears, and Mouth: These three Caprak—loyal to the full extent of loyalty to Alaway—are no talk, all action. Subsolum: When a reporter passing east requested comment from the High Vicar on the distinguished deity worshipped at Yellowfield's only chapel, she was told only this: "My god is of the underneath, you see. The soil and the fertility in it. The deep soil, you understand. The soil that gives us these wonderful flowers." Bucho (he/him) (mentioned): Whether you first hear of him as "Big Bucho" or "Two Step Bucho," once you meet him, you'll understand that no name does the gallant Shape Knight justice. Rana (she/her): An lonely devotee of Kaitankro who now lives out her days attending to one of her chosen god's many kite-shrines. Organizations The Covenant of Kaitankro: You've seen them, haven't you? The unsettlingly gregarious priests with the strange, chitinous crow masks? Of course you have, with their stilt-legs and their stilt-houses and their collection of stakes and strings and, of course, the kites. I asked one once if it was a pun: Kite and Crow, chitin crow. Something like that. The priestess told me that Kaitankro was a very real god, if a funny one, and that one day, he visited her. Like every morning, she raised each of the town's kites up to the winds in daily worship, and Kaitankro landed on the smallest one—a sight to see, she said, since her god is so large a being. And like a carnivalist, Kaitankro walked down the wire, tips of her talons, until he met the priest at the bottom. There, I was told, they whispered in the priest's ear a single phrase: "Better to live as birds on wires than die as men in the wind." Chaos, it seems, breeds community, too. The Shape Knights: It took people with clear minds, great ingenuity, and implacable spirit to face down and defeat one of the living trains of Sangfielle. In the time since, they've crafted armor from their slain foe, and with that have come to be experts of all things train. They herd, they breach, they redirect. But they haven't yet killed a second. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@sylvibullet), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora and Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

17 Juni 20211h 31min