Intermezzo AI transcript and summary - episode of podcast Malevolent

Go to PodExtra AI's episode page (Intermezzo) to play and view complete AI-processed content: summary, mindmap, topics, takeaways, transcript, keywords and highlights.

Go to PodExtra AI's podcast page (Malevolent) to view the AI-processed content of all episodes of this podcast.

Malevolent episodes list: view full AI transcripts and summaries of this podcast on the blog

Episode: Intermezzo

Author: Harlan Guthrie
Duration: 00:23:38

Episode Shownotes

in·ter·mez·zo /ˌintərˈmetsō/ noun"a light dramatic, musical, or other performance inserted between the acts of a play."This is an Intermezzo to the next Season of our journey. It is part of the story and required listening for the full experience. Part 41 will release May 1st, 2024However, more of this story

is available now via subscribing to our Patreon.Additionally, you get to make the choices as to what happens next. https://www.patreon.com/TheINVICTUSStream Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Full Transcript

00:00:14 Speaker_00
Let's start with a story, shall we? So this Order of the Fallen Star has been around for quite a while, really.

00:00:25 Speaker_00
And a couple hundred years ago, before all these little futile, meaningless, money-grubbing little shits joined Daddy's Boys Club, they had nobler goals.

00:00:38 Speaker_00
Three of their best and brightest were given a holy mission to find the most coveted, the most powerful, the most... You know what? It was the Blackstone. The Blackstone? Yes. You've seen it. Well, not it, it.

00:00:57 Speaker_00
But you saw a painting of it in Larson's little house, didn't you? How did you... Nope! Cut the house. Look, kids, for expediency's sake, let's just assume I know it all. But don't call me a know-it-all! The order was... Beneath Larsen's mansion, yes.

00:01:19 Speaker_00
And those three statues you found, those three soldiers... The ones in the dreamlands. Anti-Erwin and Nietzsche. Those stooges. They were the ones sent to retrieve the stone, only they got a little distracted on the way.

00:01:34 Speaker_00
One of them fell into the power-hungry mindset that seems oh-so-prevalent with these Order boys, and tried to bring about Shab-Negrath. My... well, she's... cousin, maybe? On Dad's side, for sure. Anywho, they failed.

00:01:51 Speaker_00
And Antoine, you remember him, right? Lighthouse boy! Not the lighthouse guy, but the one who lived under it, and... you know what? It doesn't matter. Suffice to say, they didn't find the stone. Antoine.

00:02:06 Speaker_00
That was who Amanda Cummings was- He was who Anastanza was- Every time you pronounce that name- Yes, yes, right. The big picture is that these boys, these three soldiers, well, they didn't find the stone. See? And well, that's a problem. For me. For you.

00:02:26 Speaker_00
What do you want with the stone? Why doesn't matter. Not now. Not yet. Can't you just- get it? You can do anything? Almost. But see, this stone, this stupid fucking stone, it's just out of my eye line. I can't get it. Something about it just can't be seen.

00:02:57 Speaker_00
It just makes me so mad. If the soldiers were sent to find it, clearly someone within the Order knows where it was. New, yes! Look, just for the sake of ease, I can't see it, okay? I don't have that... something. I just can't. Okay? Okay, okay.

00:03:19 Speaker_00
But surely someone can. Yes, there are plenty of things that... can. The Vanguard is... The Vanguard! Oh, God, your little tooth? Oh, Arthur. Such a powerful being, so underutilized. Give it a mouth, will you? Let it join in on the conversation for once.

00:03:41 Speaker_00
What? No. No, no, no. Not that. Think. Some people can see my Blackstone when they touch that little grey rock back there. But only some. Like who? Well, some little shit-kicker kid did, and then he found out where it was.

00:03:59 Speaker_00
And then I had my own plans, and I did find out eventually, but if I hadn't been such a... I wasn't there. I was there. I wasn't there. You? You know what I mean. What? Hold on, what? Not me, me. But me, you know? Larson called you Nyarlathotep.

00:04:28 Speaker_00
You said, who cares? Exactly! Exactly, Arthur. You get it. It's not about the names we're given. It's about the names we choose. But are you him? Are you he? Are you? Oh, all right, all right. Look. Here, Hardy. Imagine this piano is everything that exists.

00:04:55 Speaker_00
Everything that will, has, and has yet to. Now see this key here? Middle C? That's you. That's your lovely little planet on its entire timeline from start to finish. Empty rock to empty rock with a few billion monkeys in between.

00:05:12 Speaker_00
And all these other notes are just copies of that. Slightly different, but basically the same. Different realities, different universes. Follow? I guess, yes. Come here. Let's see what's under the hood. See all these strings and hammers?

00:05:38 Speaker_00
Everything inside here, what you can't see when the lid is closed, well that's where I exist. As well as a number of other cretins who like to call themselves gods. In here we can pluck the strings,

00:05:51 Speaker_00
hammer a tune, and walk along these tightened little metal coils to enact our will in various ways, but never more than one key at a time. See, we are limited in here, Artie.

00:06:10 Speaker_00
We, as gods, have pieces of us on each and every one of these keys, but our souls, if you want to call it that, are trapped under the lid

00:06:22 Speaker_00
Ah, don't get me wrong, we can strike those hammers and make a hell of a mess, but you can't play much of a tune one note at a time, can you? Can you? No, no. Exactly. Or that's what I thought.

00:06:39 Speaker_00
See, Chardonnay Rock, that rascal that those soldier boys fell into a few hundred years back, that insanely devout little follower named Antoine waited a whole 666 years to drag her out from under the lid, kicking and screaming, and land her squarely on the bench, giving her all the keys she could ever hope for.

00:07:04 Speaker_00
What? Amazing, right? Well, not really. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. The really amazing part was how he fucked it up! See, once you're out of the lid, you're on your own, bucko. No more safety net. No more hammering the strings.

00:07:25 Speaker_00
You are out there, and boy, didn't she last all of five minutes before bang! Gone from existence. Gone. Shubnagrath. Gonzo! Thanks to your pal Henry. In fact, I guess a few names you might know. Frank Underhill. He was in the mix as well.

00:07:44 Speaker_00
Wait, Henry McFarland. And- Frank Underhill was in the Dreamlands. Putting the pieces together, I see! Look, these boys set off a chain of events that changed the very fabric of our universe! You following? No.

00:08:01 Speaker_00
Look, the Kohl's notes here are Henry, Frank, some other guy, they stopped Antoine from bringing Shubby into this world maybe 10 years ago.

00:08:10 Speaker_00
Shub entered Henry's body, landing her squarely and firmly on this plane, and with a little time fuckery, he deleted her from existence. But we saw a depiction of her on the wall of the house that- Well, see, when something that powerful gets deleted,

00:08:31 Speaker_00
It doesn't go out with a whimper. Every other key that she had ever existed on instantly forgot about her, as if they were never even stuck. And the world she was brought into only had the remnants of her stain. Sounding familiar, Johnny? No. Why?

00:08:59 Speaker_00
Why would it? Because! The same thing happened to you, silly goose! Only just a little piece of you made it out of the lid, and got you trapped in your very own Oxford's Dictionary of Blasphemy!

00:09:11 Speaker_00
Every single key has a little John and a little Arthur, all slightly different, all having made slightly different choices along the way. I thought you said I was unique. You have no idea. And I?

00:09:30 Speaker_01
Well...

00:09:32 Speaker_00
Right. Okay, but each key then has a different you as well. Yes. Yes! Now you're getting it! Each key, each dimension, each world! With its own entire timeline and series of events distilled from the choices you've made.

00:09:49 Speaker_00
The successes, the failures, all of them exist with their own little version of me. Until I killed them. See, when I touched the Greystone, I didn't ask for what other like-minded versions of myself might have wanted.

00:10:09 Speaker_00
I asked how to move between these universes. Unimpeded! I wasn't pulled out to be stuck in some mortal flesh or against my will. I slipped out of that prison, and now I am able to play all the games.

00:10:26 Speaker_00
See, watching Shub blink out of existence gave me a new perspective. A new understanding. A new reality! A ripple effect caused by a series of strange, unfortunate choices. It made me special. In a way, I'm like you, Arty. An anomaly.

00:10:47 Speaker_00
You're the Nyarlathotep from this reality. Well, I mean, I suppose. But, to put it another way, I killed him. And all that remains is... pain. Simply. But what does all that have to do with me? Well I told you! You're special.

00:11:10 Speaker_00
At first I thought it was just me. But really, I think this world has some serious power after Sha blinked out of existence. But... what? I don't understand. I told you already.

00:11:26 Speaker_00
Yes, I get that there are other worlds, other dimensions, but me and- Do you though? Do you truly understand? Look. Titan here! Where are we? It's pitch black. Oh, oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Listen, Arty. The maintenance man from your apartment Yes!

00:11:48 Speaker_00
Yes! Yes! But wait! Wait! Wait! Listen! I love this part. Hold on! Who? Is that?

00:11:49 Speaker_00
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

00:12:11 Speaker_00
I didn't do that. Well, in this world you did. I love this one. It's really fun. You end up losing your arm up to the elbow and you kill so many people. What? I call this one Dark Arthur. Or Darkther. Wait, who's... Is this... What am I... Oh, yeah!

00:12:29 Speaker_00
That would be Parker's body you're up against. Say hi, Parker. Hi, Arthur! Time to go! We're in a dimly lit room. The wall is covered in slats of wood running horizontally, and the ceiling is on an angle that touches the floor.

00:12:49 Speaker_00
Similar to Marie's attic, but much, much smaller. Everything is covered in dust. Yes, yes. Look, no matter what I seem to throw at you, you come out the other side better for it. The other Arthurs, well... Just not you. It's like the Blackstone itself.

00:13:06 Speaker_00
I can't see you in the same way. Something about you is just different. But I don't know what. Where are we? Oh, you don't recognize it. Oh, oh, shh, shh, shh, shh. Just keep breathing. The wall. There's a small hole in the wall to our right.

00:13:26 Speaker_00
Yes, yes, but shh, shh, shh, shh, shh. Kane wants us to look through it, maybe. Just breathe, Arthur. Okay. And keep those ears open. What? That's... That's you. Where are... Addison! You weren't here, sadly. That was me, but... But, but, but, but...

00:13:58 Speaker_00
Are you getting it yet? What else have you changed? Changed? No! No! You're missing the big picture, Artie! Arthur, we're standing in a small room. It's dark. A single window lets moonlight pour in. A small crib sits beneath the window. What? Where?

00:14:26 Speaker_00
Don't wake the baby? Who? Is this? Is this? Oh God, no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Arthur, Arthur. You're missing the scope of what I'm saying. This is you. What? Don't you recognize yourself? Go, go. Look. Well, not look, but... Arthur. How?

00:14:56 Speaker_00
What did we say about words like how? You're so tiny. Arthur, were you a preemie? Why here? Kids, Arthur, they are the most important thing. Hell, even I have a daughter. And you know what? She would love you. No word of a lie. In this here.

00:15:23 Speaker_00
Do my parents still... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not in this one. But oh, oh, are you starting to get it now? Yes, I, uh, I think I... We're in a hallway, a carpeted hallway. There's a door to our right with what sounds like running water beyond.

00:15:50 Speaker_00
That's enough, Johnny. He knows where we are. My home. Now, stay right here. Seriously. Hey, kiddo! I'm just gonna turn this off. Play safe! Kids, she's very cute, Arthur. Was that...? Let's go downstairs and talk, shall we? Ah, the piano room!

00:16:35 Speaker_00
Where I would say you did some of your best work, Arthur. Sit, please, please! I insist. Why didn't you ever finish for Rose goodbye? I liked that one. Do you remember it? No. Not entirely, I... Try it.

00:16:55 Speaker_00
So, boys, I think I've made everything abundantly clear. All except what you actually want us to fucking do. Right, right! Oh boy, in my old age. Well, I want you, Arthur, to get the Blackstone. For me. How am I supposed to do that? Great question, again.

00:17:18 Speaker_00
Wow. I don't know. Remember? Did I say stop? We can't get something if we don't know where it is. Or when! Well, I do know when. And where. But not really... how. Or where in specific. Just... Look. I know the when and where.

00:17:40 Speaker_00
I managed to squeeze that out of my previous self, so I can get you there. You just need to... get it! I... Oh! Oh! That's it. There it is. You do remember. Play that, will ya? Play it! Yes, I love this one. So we're gonna use the carrot and the stick here.

00:18:10 Speaker_00
Sound good, boys? When you give me the Blackstone, both of you, your own bodies again. There are even worlds where you did it already! Imagine that!

00:18:22 Speaker_00
It doesn't go well after, but- What are you- Arthur, back in his, and you, and your own, and- You two can still try to stay friends! Plus, Artie! Listen to that. No running water. You can have her back, Arthur. Imagine. That! That- Mm!

00:18:46 Speaker_00
Must just warm your heart. It's not real. None of this is. Oh, it's real! And now for the stick. If you don't play along, I will torture every version of your daughter in front of you until the last light of the dying sun. Did I say stop?

00:19:15 Speaker_00
I will perform such atrocities on Daniel, Charlie, every single person you know, over and over again. And that is not even to say what I will physically do to you. I can kill you in so many ways. You have no, no idea. And John, oh boy.

00:19:35 Speaker_00
Listen Goldie, I'll do worse to you than him, just because I can. That's the stick. It's quite the stick. You can't even fathom. Look, boys. This is easy. Easy, easy, easy, easy, easy. I mean, I assume. Now, you two. Fighting over and over again.

00:20:04 Speaker_00
Look, I'm not a monster. I just want the stone. So, before I send you on your merry way, John boy, let's chat. About what? Oh, can't you feel it? The tension? Arthur's so upset about our little side deal, you choosing to keep it from him. I had no choice.

00:20:26 Speaker_00
Sure. Anyway, I want everything to be smooth as ice. So, I'll make you a little offer. Call it DC Alcoda. That's a joke for Arthur and I, John. How would you like me to wipe Arthur's memory. What? Not entirely, mind you.

00:20:52 Speaker_00
Just the little revelation we spoke about back in New York. What? I could wipe it from his mind, so he wouldn't remember that you lied to him. John. Do not- It's a one-time offer, John. A way to start fresh. A little boost to make you two play nice.

00:21:11 Speaker_00
And then you can get my stone. What do you say? Arjun. Listen to me. I don't want to. Don't you do this. Do it. No. No! Do it, Cain. How could you? Ah! Once a monster. Hey, Artie. Nah.

00:21:50 Speaker_00
You know, when Arthur wrote down to forget about Oscar, oh, and the choices he could have made. Oh, I think it's time to reevaluate, Arthur. You. All right, boys, it's been a blast. This way. Watch your step, please. Well, here we are.

00:22:19 Speaker_00
I think it's 700 years ago, maybe, somewhere around there. And look, you boys get to go to England after all. England? That's right. Welcome to 13th century England. I know, right? Who would have thought?

00:22:38 Speaker_00
But this is where the soldiers left off, so... Hold on. We have no money or... What? How? How? Good luck.