With supplies in their packs and an increasingly detailed map, the explorers travel further through Perpetua’s western continent. While some learn more about local nature and culture, others stumble towards larger truths. A star descending from the heavens. A fleet across the blue. The striking of a clock… the ringing of a bell…

This week on Friends at the table: Perpetua Prelude 04

Not much is known about these groups because the demo cuts off so early, but between some dialog, that one cutscene, and some screenshots, here’s what I think is going on with them:

Grande Sonnerie [FCGS]: That’s the big city at the end of Prelude. It’s a big city but also maybe a kingdom? Not sure if it has other cities and stuff, but it definitely has the four big districts (including the root magic school). Seems like a traditional fantasy kingdom, but I don’t know if it has a king or a princess or what.

The Elevana League [FCEL]: This is where Arley is from originally. It’s like a bunch of elven (stupid) city-states (cool). One for each element/god. Not clear if they get along or not, but they do have those special warrior mages.

 The Dragon Watchers [FCDW]: The demo basically starts with these guys. They have both dragon “squires” and dragon “scryers,” and I know they worship the dragons, but it’s not clear what that means. I hope they can ride them and that you can recruit one, but we’ll see.

The Holy Protectorate of Placidia [FCPP]: From what I can tell, Duriel, the one arena-based god city, is tied to this faction. Maybe they worship the gods? I remember an interview where someone said that the full game has a whole story about a prophecy, so maybe they’re tied to that.

The Hundred Burroughs [FCHB]: Even though Prelude sometimes says “burroughs” and sometimes says “burrows,” I’m saying BURROUGHS. Harlow sucks but he isn’t a mole or something, so why would it be “burrows”? Anyway, it’s all schools and stuff over there. Again: they say it’s magic but neither of the two characters we’ve seen from there (from the Prelude or in the screenshots) actually USE MAGIC so wtf?

Valte, the Winged Empire of the Blue Hour [FCVL]: These guys are my favorite. Why? Three reasons: 1. They can fly. 2. They have cool military stuff. 3. They’re basically the ONLY ONES actually DOING ANYTHING about stuff. Yeah, yeah, they’re probably the “bad guys” but the coolest characters are.

The Passikan Remnants [FCPR]: There’s that one water dungeon in Prelude that’s tied to them, but that’s IT. I don’t know what their deal is at all, but it’s probably cool because the dungeon is cool.

The Ennead [FCEN]: Okay so I think those are the “The Ennead” which is a word that means “a group of nine gods.” I’ll be honest, I TOTALLY missed them but JesseSetGo pointed the word in the background in Duriel out on the forums, and I went back and looked and saw it not only there but also in Grand Sonnerie, so it’s not just the same church as the Placidia or whatever. 

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker)

Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Bullet (@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

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Cover Art by Ben McEntee (https://linktr.ee/benmce.art)

With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Aster Maragos, Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint

This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.

After making emergency landings all across Perpetua’s western continent, Glesi, Yukai, Harlow, Tomor, and Arley have begun to find their footing—if not each other. Now, they leave where they landed, and begin to make their way across this mysterious land in search of answers to the question that brought them here to begin with: What is the Altar of Perpetua?

This week on Friends at the Table: Perpetua Prelude 03 

Sheldonica Ore [IMSO]: An incredible mat used to upgrade your gear. If you put it on a weapon, it gets bonus Fire damage. If you slot it onto armor, you get major fire resistance. That said, there’s only one piece of this in Perpetua Prelude, which means you should plan ahead about how you want to use it. Hopefully there will be more in the full game. 

Invernal Branch [IMIB]: The bonus it gives you to navigation and floral communication is not worth the fact that it adds a CONSTANT running commentary during every fight. They did not record enough lines for this one. It will get on your nerves, I PROMISE.

Stitchscore Bouncer [IMSB]: No, not a bouncer like the guy who stands out in front of the club and looks scary. It’s a bouncing ball. You can use it on a few puzzles in the Adventure Fields, but it can also be used as a ranged weapon that will do a random number of bounces (read: attacks) per turn. It does low damage but the number of attacks it does is an OPEN ENDED COIN FLIP, which means that theoretically it could do infinite damage. It’s just not very likely!

Encyclopaedia Catastrophica [IMEC]: Not only does this unmissable item—which you get during the Grand Academy of the Collapse chapter—unlock a TON of lore in the Codex, it’s also the most powerful ranged magic weapon in the demo. If you’re scratching your head because you didn’t find it, that’s because you can’t find it on your first playthrough for obvious reasons that would be obvious if you already DID beat it. But on Re-Prelude Mode, you’ll get it early on. Since this is obviously a No Spoilers guide, that’s all I’ll say about THAT.

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker)

Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Bullet (@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

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Cover Art by Ben McEntee (https://linktr.ee/benmce.art)

With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Aster Maragos, Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint

This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.

Minds driven by curiosity and hearts filled with hope, the expedition group sets off across the sea that separates their homeland from the rest of the world. From the perspective offered by their airship, they get a taste of what is to come: Palaces and plazas! Mountains and rivers! Strange, draconic towers! A land of life and lore, filled with knowledge yet unknown to them! But first… there’s the matter of the smoke coming from the engine room.

This week: Perpetua Prelude 02

PERPETUA PRELUDE - BASICS GUIDE

EXPEDITION MEMBER INFO - [PPEMI]

ARLEY BATES [EAB]

Specialization: Collector

Value: Thrill

Disposition: Jovial

The Prince of Salix, one of the major elven city states on the eastern continent of Perpetua. Great all around pick! While you should definitely use his cooking skills, he’s more than just a chef! Because he starts with a walking staff and lantern, he excels when exploring. 

TOMOR PRESH [ETP]

Specialization: Explorer

Value: Curious

Disposition: Challenge

Forged in the heat of the Parisolian Mines, Tomor Presh is a hot-blooded champion of justice who likes to stick his nose into problems even when he isn’t invited. Good thing he’s tough enough to win when he does! He really has “developer assigned protagonist” energy, so if that’s your thing, give him a shot. 

GLESI SYDNEY & YUKAI [EMGY]

Specialization: Nomand

Value: Beauty

Disposition: Focused / Defensive

An exiled nomad and her cursed (?) pet. As the only “paired hero” in Perpetua Prelude, Glesi & Yukai offer a unique—and advanced—style of play. If you’re willing to put in the work to understand the game’s systems and their eccentric design, then you’ll be rewarded with one of the coolest character stories in the game. Plus, you get to look cooler than anyone else!

HARLOW PRESH [EMHP]

Specialization: Scientist

Value: Safety

Disposition: Awkward

A mage from the academy of the Hundred Burroughs. This guy stinks. It’s cool that he starts with four extra coin, but once you blow through that you’re stuck with all his annoying voice and animations. He doesn’t even do any real magic. SKIP HIM!

Find the game we're playing, Cartographer: Atlas edition at https://the-ravensridge-press.itch.io/cartograph-atlas-edition

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker)

Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Bullet (@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

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Cover Art by Ben McEntee (https://linktr.ee/benmce.art)

With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Aster Maragos, Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint

This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.

A CLOCK STRIKES. A BELL RINGS.

Welcome to Perpetua: Prelude, a short, six episode prologue to Perpetua, our next full season of Friends at the Table. For Perpetua proper, we’ll be playing Fabula Ultima, following two groups of unlikely heroes as they investigate ancient mysteries, confront rivals and villains, and grow together as friends and allies. 

But first… we have to set the stage and build the world—or at least some of it. So, we’re kicking things off with Cartograph: Atlas Edition to help us bring the world of Perpetua to life. Today, we create our characters and prepare to head across the sea to adventure and discovery…

Find the game we're playing, Cartographer: Atlas edition at https://the-ravensridge-press.itch.io/cartograph-atlas-edition

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker)

Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Bullet (@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

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Cover Art by Ben McEntee (https://linktr.ee/benmce.art)

With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Aster Maragos, Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint

This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.

Hello all! This is a short announcement to make sure everyone is aware THE NEXT SEASON OF FRIENDS AT THE TABLE IS STARTING TOMORROW(/TODAY MOST LIKELY AT THE TIME YOU ARE READING THIS! IT'S MIDNIGHT SOMEWHERE! IT'S MIDNIGHT EASTERN TIME AT THE TIME THAT I'M POSTING THIS, ACTUALLY!) 

...ahem. Let me break from the caps to make this post actually readable.

Thursday, March 13th 7 PM EST we will be debuting our next season Perpetua. We'll be starting the season with the Perpetua Prelude playing a world building game (Cartograph Atlas Edition) to establish the setting for our season. 

We will also be doing a debut stream on twitch.tv/friendsatthetable because it's fun! And because coincidentally Fourthwall (friendsatthetable.shop host's) are offering to do a gift give away to our chat the same day!

Hey everyone! To make the wait for next week's premier of Perpetua just a little bit easier, we decided to share a recent session of Realis Austin ran with the Nextlander crew! Enjoy!

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austinwalker on bluesky)

Featuring Vinny Caravella, Brad Shoemaker, and Alex Navarro

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Cover Art by by Oddesque

With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Aster Maragos, Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint

This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.

This episode carries content warnings for body horror and military violence

On a moon of muddy histories, none is as unclear as that of the Citadel Bein. There are, in fact, no records of a fortress ever being raised on the hill above the lake. But when you cannot find the roots, find the branches: Date the changes in county-wide taxes. Track the yearly increase in travel during the harvest season. Re-read the stories of the pigs and the soil and cross-reference the lyrics of the major rondeaux. Ah, do you see it now? A feast hall. And its cellar.

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austinwalker on bluesky)

Featuring Art Martinez-Tebbel, Keith J Carberry and Ali Acampora

Produced by Ali Acampora

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Cover Art by by Oddesque

With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Aster Maragos, Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint

This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.

This episode carries content warnings for body horror, injury and magical intoxication

Like many of the truths of Realis, the nature of the Creature—conceptually—is contingent on context and subjectivity. In illustration: For the Child, the Dog may be First a companion, Second a responsibility, and Third a curious sliver of raw wilderness. For the Parent, the Dog may be First a living lesson, Second a dutiful guard, and Third, a fellow Caregiver, capable of providing food, shelter, and spiritual guidance for the Child in their own absence. Expand such a survey to include the Fisher, the Ranger (Scout), the Ranger (Herder), the Butcher, or, not least of all, the fellow Beast, and you will have a deluge of truth, each insisting on its own merit. One wonders: Why do so few dare ask the Creature to speak for itself?

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austinwalker on bluesky)

Featuring Art Martinez-Tebbel, Keith J Carberry and Ali Acampora

Produced by Ali Acampora

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Cover Art by by Oddesque

With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Aster Maragos, Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint

This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.

As far as traveling spectacles go, the Krinsky Family Circus has it good. Because it only operates on the four moons of the Tetraspherica, which orbit close enough for low orbit shuttles to traverse, it does not need to rely on the mercurial whims of an Orphan Vessel. And because of the variety of cultures encountered on its circuit, there is always the opportunity to find new hires and encounter fellow showmen from which new techniques. Most of all, because the route is short and reliable, Those Nerveless Chancers are able to do more than simply skate across the surface of the local culture, little more than tourists. They’re able to dig a little deeper, so to speak. A little curiosity and some sharp application of professional skill is all it takes to open the right doors…

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austinwalker on bluesky)

Featuring Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal on bluesky)

Produced by Ali Acampora

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Cover Art by by Oddesque

With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Nich Maragos, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint

This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.

Ulled is a pocked and placid-seeming agricultural moon. But as the saying goes, be wary the still lake. Yes, farmers speak softly and tend to their crops with loving cultivation. Yes, life is quiet and late afternoons are restful. Yes, harvest work brings reward. But then there is underneath. There is underneath.

But Those Nerveless Chancers, The Krinsky Family Circus And Travelling Curiosity, they know only what is above. 

They know they step on fertile soil and soft grass, perfect for staking their tents and stands. 

They know they walk through fields under the lights and shadows of the Citadel Bein, a fortress layered with history so visible that it is seemingly built from the accretion of time itself. 

They know that they stand above a castle village sonorous with the sounds of marketplaces and buskers and craftshops—a circus of a different type than their own, but not altogether unfamiliar. 

They know they stand on a geological shelf, the shore of a vast, shimmering lake beyond—open like a sea, polished as a mirror, reflecting the sky above, reflecting the Thousand Moons in conlunation, reflecting Realis-itself, and in its light The Tetraspherica: Three more marble-like moons. Cousin orbs. Neighbor spheres dominating the heavens above. 

So is it any wonder they do not consider what might be below? What might move in that fertile soil or between the blades of that soft grass? What else might have staked a claim on Placid Ulled? Or who else might move in the shadows of the citadel Bein? What else might hover above the echoes of the castle town? Who else might stare out onto the lake’s horizon, might witness the impossible beauty of the dancing lunar quartet, might bathe in the bluelight of Realis-Itself, and radiating with pure possibility, dream!?

It is no wonder at all. Such is life on the Thousand Moons. Such is life for those Nerveless Chancers, that circus caught in gravity. At least, for now.

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austinwalker on bluesky)

Featuring Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal on bluesky)

Produced by Ali Acampora

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Cover Art by by Oddesque

With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Nich Maragos, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint

This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.

I want you to close your eyes and imagine with me: Imagine Realis Itself, the Radiant Planet at the heart of the Thousand Moons, that orb which lights the cosmos entire. Above it, the betrayer star, the Corpse Sun, red and sick and pulsing ill, small and fainter by the day. Below it, hungry and roiling, the Great Void, an abyss of voracious clouds. And in between, those thousand moons, countless except you know their number. Varied eternally, yet all dwarfed by the azure orb around which they glide.

And there, bring them to mind too: Four colorful moons, spinning and buzzing and twirling around each other.

Do you remember their names? The names of the Tetraspherica? The Speckled Quartet, the Marbled Quartenion? Those spinning, glorious jewels—unique even among all thousand of the moons of Realis? Let me tell remind you:

Placid Ulled. World of farms, of cultivation, of soil—and of what lies beneath it.

The Crux. A vast colosseum world where victory, glory, and power have been rendered equivalent.

Prismatic Principia: Home to the Endless Academy, whose halls house famed philosophers, eager alchemists, mages, and—it seems—the occasional ghost as well.

And Hypnotic Dokine, where mists mystify, clouds corrode, and the light always reveals a new truth.

For as Long as Long had been, these four vibrant moons have swung with dancer’s rhythm around one another. Long before the great Powers spread their influence across the orbital sphere, long before the founders of Sphenic Polytechnic revived the Orphan Vessels, LONG BEFORE THE MOONFOLK UNDERSTOOD THEY WERE THE MOONFOLK, those who lived on the worlds of the Tetraspherica knew each other as neighbors, traveling through orbital shuttle, exchanging supplies and stories, marrying and moving and making lives together.

“True as the tetrad,” the saying goes. A stable waltz. Four marbles in alignment. Eternal. Reliable. Unshakeable.

But today… in the shadow of an Ulledd mountain, in the keep of the Citadel Bein, where negotiators bicker and showmen entertain and lords gather for a feast, a treacherous conspiracy unfolds…

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austinwalker on bluesky)

Featuring Ali Acampora, Keith J Carberry and Art Martinez-Tebbel

Produced by Ali Acampora

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Cover Art by by Oddesque

With thanks to Amelia Renee, Arthur B., Bill Kaszubski, Cassie Jones, Clark, DB, Daniel Laloggia, Diana Crowley, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, Ian O'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, Jake Strang, Katie Diekhaus, Ken George, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mark Conner, Mike & Ruby, Muna A, Nat Knight, Nich Maragos, Olive Perry, Quinn Pollock, Robert Lasica, Shawn Drape, Shawn Hall, Summer Rose, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, Voi, chocoube, deepFlaw, fen, & weakmint,

This episode was made with support from listeners like you! To support us, you can go to friendsatthetable.cash.