Ghosts on a Train

Content Warnings: Slavery: Hollows, human bodies without their souls are forced into servitude and neglected (~53:16, to the remainder of the episode) Dehumanizing Violence: The Hollows are whipped when they reach for food before they work (53:28-53:46) Starvation: The Hollows are hungry and overworked, one has starved to death (~59:19-1:00:50) The Church of the Flesh use the Imperial Railways as...

In the highest point of the Imperium, the echoes of Skovlan's lost Queen Alayne still sound through the mountains and keen into the heavens. Ancient spirits of the mountainous Isle charge a grim task to an ordinary woman, which she undertakes for a homeland she will likely not return to alive. Some time later, the Pride of Duskwall prepares to leave for Mistport, with Mr. Walker on board for the t...

Content Warning for Discussions of Horse breeding ~59:45-1:02:40: Drix must confirm that two horses breed (we don't describe it) and Hannah talks about how that was a real job she had to do The Pride of Duskwall triumphantly crosses the Void Sea and enters the city of Irondale on the Isle of Severos. Severos is wild country, the Imperial cities being relatively new and the vast plains being easy h...

This week the GoaT gang are joined by James D'Amato, host of Campaign and One Shot as well as the author of The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbuilding Guide ! We're all fans of his work, and are so happy that he took us through not one but two exercises from this excellent book- and you can expect to find these worldbuilding details as part of an upcoming Ghost Job. Find James on Twitter @OneSho...

As the Pride of Duskwall travels across the Void Sea with a burden that may lead to disaster, they cannot expect to venture unmolested over the water once again. On their last trip, the disturbed bones of an ancient spirit gave rise to a powerful foe that the crew barely escaped. Will a fresh spirit rise on board the Pride for this trip, as some dreaded curse from the Void Sea itself? Find our spo...

The Pride of Duskwall prepares to once again embark across the Void Sea, this time to head towards Drix's homeland of Severos. But before the train can take on passengers, various members of the crew must make discoveries of themselves or others. And once departed, it shall be an uneasy ride regardless of any deathland horrors. Drix opens a box. Pippin is re-introduced to some coworkers. Andrel th...

EPISODE 31 WILL COME OUT NEXT WEEK. The Burned King is a Forgotten God, still extended worship even among an Iruvia controlled by the Demon Princes. But the stories say that before he was Forgotten and before he was a God, he was a man. Enjoy the story of The Burned King, written by Bennoni Thomas. Find Bennoni on Twitter @darcwizrd Ghost Lines by John Harper. Music by Sebastian Black. Art by Yosh...

The city of Sunfall was built around the volcano known as Rakhan, or "The Burned King". Worshipped as a now Forgotten God, Sunfall's volcano kept it warm through the dark nights after the cataclysm and the the city's people continue to be grateful to the deity they never truly got to know. The volcano is also a premiere spot for the flashy cremations of the nobility, and was the ultimate destinati...

Feral spirits of the deathlands may sometimes possess wayward travelers, but they more often than not burn out the life force of their victim in days. The Line Bulls on board the Pride of Duskwall must coax out a spirit cunning enough to hide within a high ranking Imperial Official for an unknown period of time. The choice of target is effective, as historically the nobility have been less than un...

The Ministry of Preservation is one of the most vital pieces of the Imperium, and the one that most people interact with throughout their lives. It should be a noble mission to carry on the life-saving works of the Emperor, but the Ministry will often use it's position as a launchpad for more power. And while the executives and chiefs play a great game amongst themselves, it is often employees lik...

The Spirit of Twilight pushes through mists that hide the Dagger Isles from the rest of the Imperium. Blind as they are, they fall hopelessly into the trap of one of the deathlands' many spirits- but a third party intervenes! A devilish figure with a Harlequin mask; but ultimately is she friend or foe? Days later, a journalist comes to write a review of the Pride of Duskwall on a trip full of part...

The Pride of Duskwall once again finds itself solemn upon approach to U'duasha. Though marked Lakewood on Imperial maps, the Line Bulls know that the Emperor is powerless here and they are guests at the leisure of the Iruvian Noble Houses. If the Demon Princes do exist, would it bring comfort to know that it was an inhuman hand guiding Jamu'kha? Or just a deeper dread? Andrel gets a mandatory invi...

The One Within Many is a patient God. Nearly a millennia of neglect by humanity has left every Forgotten God patient, and when it took notice of the worship surrounding a forgotten unicycle it lay in wait for uncounted weeks. Spoke by spoke it ensnared those wayward souls who venerated The Singular Wheel, and a boon from the Demon Princes gave it the last boost of power it needed to make itself ma...

Ghosts on a Train is an Actual Play Podcast taking listeners along on a story filled with danger and comedy. The Line Bulls and Conductor do their best to maintain a balance between the two, but there are times where a listener must beware; as the narrative might suddenly derail to serve one over the other. April 1st is one such time. Pippin's day drinking catches up to him. Drix has an uncomforta...

The Imperium of the Shattered Isles is built upon the history of a world destroyed, of cultures broken. Survival is paramount, and the Imperial Railways is a resource aimed towards the preservation of the living now and do not stray far from their tracks to explore the people left behind in the cataclysm. The past will make itself known regardless as the spirits of the deathlands will jump at any...

Hadrathi chant made using the Hadrathi conlang by Ben Scerri, which can be found here . Line Bulls are intimately familiar with ghosts: spirits lacking bodies and yet forced to persist. Inversely, it is possible to remove the spirit from a body and yet force the body to continue living. These living vessels are called Hollows after their emptiness, and their creation is often a punishment where on...

The city of Kethrys (also known as Cloudspire) yields little of value for the Imperium, but what little may be produced is promptly sent away so the inhabitants of the city must fend for themselves. The settlement around the spire's base is surrounded by children, and the older they are the more they may have to do to survive. Cities like this bode well for Line Bulls who are always looking for Si...

The city of Kethrys, Imperial designation Cloudspire, is a scabbed over wound left on Iruvia from the Imperium's bolder days. Before the costly Unity War with Skovlan, it was the Immortal Emperor's belief that even sovereign Iruvia would eventually bend to his might as humanity's steward. An entire generation were worked into their graves, killed by Imperial Agents, or sent to die in the decades-l...

THE NEXT MAIN EPISODE WILL BE NEXT WEEK, THEN WE'LL STILL BE ON ALTERNATING THURSDAYS FROM THERE. Greg takes a break from any serious editing to be joined by Stefen and Hannah to just talk about the show so far and where it's going. We talk about why we don't use last names on the show, discuss Content Warnings, and encourage not just Reviews and Suggestions but criticism that can help the show gr...

Hadrathi title made using the Hadrathi conlang by Ben Scerri, which can be found here . Miser was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatsoever about that. Mr. Ma'at knew this when he stepped onto The Pride of Duskwall headed towards Kethrys, and it was for this reason that he treated the Line Bulls to a meal. While Line Bulls must remain vigilant, it is not uncommon for clever Bulls to receiv...

The Pride of Duskwall leaves U'duasha for Cloudspire, also known as Kethrys, along one of the rare Lines with an end. This comes with the assurance that the locomotive will make a return, though for a return is never assured for a Line Bull. Regardless, after the Bulls have faced a Demon and prevailed a normal Line should prove no challenge. Drix smells "bon". Andrel learns that adults can be cool...

The Pride of Duskwall, having been torn and shredded by the Demon Voldranai, enters the Iruvian capital of U'duasha. This octagonal city boasts no lightning barrier, deriving protection from a massive burning spirit well known as the U'du. But the culture shock experienced by a Line Bull entering U'duasha is dulled by the trauma brought on from the demonic encounter. The cruel black wind swirls ab...

As the Pride of Duskwall approaches U'duasha, a Black Wind roars across the deathlands outside of the train. The supernatural energy in the air manifesting in this strange paranormal event ensures that no spirit could accost the train if it so desired, and yet the Line Bulls have sprung loose the Demon Voldronai inside of the locomotive. Nature itself, and by extension a Demon's power, are warped...

On the Imperial Railways it is a Line Bull's responsibility to protect the passengers and freight on board the train, from the spirits of the deathlands and in some cases the passengers themselves. In The Pride of Duskwall's case, the Line Bulls hunt a potentially dangerous demon cultist in order to bring forth their demonic master; a risky move that will escalate the danger in the short term but...

It's not often that a Line Bull survives to achieve the highest rank of master, and it's even less common for Master Line Bulls to stay in the trade for long afterwards. But exemplary Bulls are often called for exemplary service, such as leaving the safety of a moving train in order to destroy a spirit well. In Bright Harbor, the Pride of Duskwall prepares to leave for Iruvia's capital of U'duasha...