Goshawk | Ep. 23

0:00Hello and welcome to the White Vault Goshawk. I'm K.A. Stats, writer and creator, and I'm back again to tell you about how this show is made. We are an indie company with my husband Travis being my producer, director, and more, and we are primarily supported through fans via Patreon. Right now on our Patreon, we are offering the very last of the White Vault Supporter exclusive patches. Every season of the show, I've personally designed a patch to celebrate its release, and this year we have a Survivor patch to commemorate the conclusion of our longest-running story. If you've enjoyed The White Vault, consider joining our Patreon and helping make small shows and indie companies like ours possible.

0:38As a Patreon supporter, you could get access to ad-free episodes, behind-the-scenes posts, and more, such as bonus stories set in the haunting world of The White Vault. And for those who want to secure their own supporter-exclusive Survivor patch, you can learn how by visiting and joining us on Patreon. Don't wait too long, as there is a cutoff date for production. And while you're there, you could also learn about how to secure your own guardian statuette. As always, to learn more, click on the link in the show notes or go to patreon.com slash foolandscholar. Now we delve again into the light of the white vault.

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2:14We weren't out there now. Not alone. Not without Mika. Two weeks ago, then I was ordering hot chocolate at the cafe, and Mika, she was telling me to do my homework. Stop complaining, and now I'm in a cave. A mine. In the shitty frosted tip of America.

2:41No, screw this.

2:45I'm going home. I have to tell them.

2:51It's been too long. He might not come back. I need another way out of here.

3:07The White Vault. Gotthug.

3:14Thank you.

3:52The lights are supposed to go out. Stay calm. I heard the breakers. They're in the room somewhere. We can fix it. Wait! Don't want to run off.

4:04Where's the key?

4:07Kosuke, I'm not sure you should look for a light. What? Don't worry. I think I left it near my tea.

4:18What was that?

4:22Oh. I think someone took my phone.

4:29I can get to the breaker. No! Kasuke! You have to stop. I saw it earlier. It's not far. I can find it. Stop! It just came here.

4:41Something... Where are you?

4:48I can't breathe! Please! Don't kill him! Please! He's family too! He's trying to help! Yes, yes, yes! Of course! No lights! It listened? To you?

5:08Krishke, move over here. Near me. Where is it? Why attack us? No. Star. Lights. What's it doing? Is it talking to you? Yeah. Okay. No lights. You... You're someone. Someone I know. Wait, so this one is here to help us? What's happening? Shh. Shh. Shh. I know you.

5:42Kvít Mist. Tell me what's happening. My Kriplavir. Are you speaking Icelandic? Is it speaking Icelandic? No. It's a name. Kvít Mist. I can feel it. Like I know her. It's her, my artefact. But we say Griplavir. And she's not mine. If anything, Kvitmis chose me, chose my family. She's been protecting us, me, my children, since I was old enough to have a home of my own. Before that, she protected my foremothers. And I hope she's here to protect me now, and not... Here thou assist, please. She is here to help. Thank you. Then why did it attack me? Please don't say it. I don't know how you refer to Griplavir within the EY, but we think of them as people, as matriarchs and sisters.

6:48Yes, sorry. I just never... Why did she attack me? Light. Seeing me. Madness. She stopped you from turning on the light because she said, well, I think she said, that seeing her causes the madness. Ah, then we can't take any chances. Thank you. Kvidmist, I didn't bring you with me when I went to Cairo. I'm sorry. I'm so worried about my family, about the kids, and I trusted you to protect them if I left you there. I didn't know you wanted to come. I didn't know I could communicate with you like this.

7:39I don't understand her, but you're speaking in English. Is it saying English works to you? Yes. I'm certain she could speak Icelandic. I think she's doing this for you. But I can't understand her. But you can understand me responding to her. Cleetmist, if I had you, if you had been with me, with us, in Cairo, maybe Trigvi would have survived. Grand. God. Are my children safe? No one is safe. You less.

8:23Yeah, you. Yeah, not. Dees, is everything okay? Your children? They... She says no one is safe. And Creedmist came here because I, we, are in more danger. But there's something to do. Is it where we are going? Up north to the fisher location.

8:53What did she say? She just growled. Ask her about the fishers and the attack in Cairo. If you can get information from it, her, her, then we have a direct line to them. We've never spoken to them before. Not as far as I know. Not in the Iwai. Do all artifacts have the capacity for this kind of physical form? I... I think you should stop. Ah, okay. Yes. Why come to me? Here?

9:27Useful. Still. What does that mean? Kvitmest, for thousands of years, there was a system. A way to things. But the whole time, we didn't even know what was happening. We just did as we were told. By our mothers. By whoever told them.

9:50Difficult. I understand. But I would, we would really like to know. Our lives, our families, our existence. Everything we are is because of this. Because of who, what, you are. the guardians, the scythes, and we don't know what's going on. Is she leaving?

10:18It's my phone.

10:23There's no number. I think it's for you.

10:30Ask now. What I say may not be what you risk to hear. Or enough. With his?

10:44Fine. Artifacts? What we call the entities like you? What are you? Are you and the Guardians the same? You're speaking with me, so... I think you are a person? We are sentient. All of us. Not persons, not like you. Some of us are older, stronger. I am now among the old and not as agile, though stronger. I use my powers elsewhere, in the mind, through the madness, the taking. Why talk to us now? A common need. Why do we do any of this? You do this for what we give to you. Perhaps your question was too vague. Yes. Let me think. What do you, the beings we call guardians and artifacts, get from the cycles we have assisted in for generations.

12:07Sustenance. But I thought... Do you get sustenance from the people sent to the sites as sacrifice? No. The locations of your actions where our young live, they produce what we consume. The sites produce something for you? The radiation? What it gives, we take. What it gives, you take. Different harvests from the same cycle. The luck comes from the site directly? No. It is not something that can touch you until we make it so. Time moves. I think that means we should hurry. Yes, okay. What is it beyond the light of the sights? What do we send the sacrifices to? Sleeping. It rests as we sustain it.

13:13As we protect it. With enough. And no more. It stays. I... I'm sorry, Cleetmist. I don't understand. I think I do. Give me a moment. We help facilitate the process of sustainless sleeping beyond the vault door. And because we streamlined this task, you and your... All the guardians and artifacts can focus on protecting it. Is that why all of this is happening? Are we not sustaining it well enough? Too great a number does not sustain, but changes. Our aim is neither growth nor decline. Time only to maintain. For your millennia, we have held the balance to feed and be fed. Oh, so the cycles have a purpose.

14:12They don't remain open because to continue the cycles unfettered is detrimental. Yes. We need to tell Hulta. All the families. They've been trying to stop this with more and more deaths. We could be making it worse. Time moves. Vithmist is right. We'll call them after. You said that you and your fellows are protecting what lays beyond the door. Protecting it from what? Before time. Now, our others. Others of your kind?

14:50And the horrors you put the sacrifices through? What you wish to know now is not what you would wish to know then. She's right, Koske. Does us know and change anything? No. Leave it. There are more important things to learn. Creedmist, if we help you, will things go back to how they were before? Will it return to the luck we've had in the past? If we succeed... What is changing? What has caused the attacks? The constant active sides? Traitors... Then maybe Linnea was right. The Guardians have split. They have chosen a side against each other in some way. Kvidmist, what do the traitors want? The next phase.

15:46To wake it and then follow. Oh, shit. Sorry about that. The wind really stole the door from me. Why are the lights off? Here, I've got it. Wait, don't turn it!

16:06She's gone. We spoke with an artifact. We don't have to call the police. We'll have to send a corpse.

16:18The wind is getting so close. stronger every hour. Is everything okay? Why is Mr. Ewy covered in water? We had a visitor, and I think she swam here. That doesn't... Whatever you say, Dees. But I thought you'd like to know that I'll be staying on as your pilot. I spoke with my wife, and unless things get worse back home, I'll stay to help. But I also spoke with the crew while out there, and refueling is complete, so now I just need to know where you'd like to go so that I can submit the flight information and plan. Oh, that's good to hear. Thank you. I'll... Give me a moment. Koskier, do you know where we need to fly to?

17:07PQI. Presque Isle International Airport. It's still in Maine, just further north. I've never heard of it before. But as long as we can land there, I can get it figured out. Stefan, please work quickly. I'm worried we have a lot more to do.

17:46I think it's going uphill. The mine. No. Isn't that where you said... Shh! But... Adele! We'll die if we rush out there now. So stay down.

18:06Dracana? Fine. I think it's gone. For now. Which direction did it come from? Why did it go away? Did it come from the mines? We have to go. I promised Adele. Please, breathe. We don't know. We're here with you. But you were with her. You were supposed to protect her. Irina. Irina will get her. We will. We'll wait a little longer. To be sure it's gone. It seemed to be wandering. I don't think it has any idea where we, or Adele, are. Dragona? You said you've been doing this for years. Years. How many people survive? My dad didn't, and he survived. In every story. Over the years, we've learned of a few people who have survived.

19:15There are some examples of... How many? How many people in this situation? In mine, in Adele's, how many have survived? How many? Like Dragana said, it's been a few people over. What I've seen personally, two. Two? But most of the people we've known who are in these situations We're never meant to survive. Two. We'll get to Adele. How did they survive? By not trying to learn the truth. And hiding. Involuntarily. Involuntarily? What the hell does that mean? In the instances we've seen, I've seen, that they get stuck somewhere.