The Stillness: Episode 1

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The Stillness: Episode 1
Source: collected/043-the-stillness-episode-1.mp3
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Model: scribe_v2 | Transcribed: 2026-10-10T18:19:40.200195+00:00
Machine transcript — uncorrected. Speaker labels are local to this recording and do not identify people.

[00:00:00.000] Speaker 1: [gentle music] The Stillness, Chapter One: For Light and Life. Captain Amelia Sunder stood on the prow of the Mighty Current, looking at impending doom. The ship was at rest. Seawater lapped playfully against the hull far below. She squinted her eyes, trying to find the

[00:00:34.740] Speaker 1: exact place where the choppy blue ocean withered and died. She looked for the line where the world ended and the Stillness began. "Ahem." "Something on your mind, First Mate?" She gave up her search and turned around to face the man. Orestes was competent, polite, and stood almost a foot shorter than her. Now that they were away from port, his uniform was untucked, wrinkled, and somehow already dingy. Perhaps he had simply put away the clean one. "Yes,

[00:01:09.580] Speaker 1: sir. Our guest wishes to express his displeasure at your delay." Then, with that chore done, he spun on his heels and started to walk off. Sunder smiled at his back. "Hold, Orestes." The shorter man turned to regard her. Captain Sunder's smile fell from her face. She nodded back over her shoulder toward their destination. "I know what Ortevos thinks, but what about you? Is this stupid? More stupid than

[00:01:44.380] Speaker 1: usual, I mean." Orestes scratched at his beard that wasn't there yet. "I think the Order's coin felt heavy in my pockets a few days ago." He followed the direction of the captain's nod and swallowed. "But not quite so heavy today." She searched the man's face. She had no idea what she was looking for. Anything, really. Some reason to delay the inevitable. "Shall I bring Ortevos on deck, sir?" Captain

[00:02:19.260] Speaker 1: Sunder cringed. The less time she spent with that man, the better. The voyage ahead would be dreary enough without him up top. She was liable to sink the ship herself if he started preaching. "No, Orestes, I'd hate to have to clean up after he left." Orestes grinned. "I'll make final preparations then. At your word, Captain." He nodded, then walked off. It was as close as he could come to telling her to get on with it. She sighed and turned back to the

[00:02:54.120] Speaker 1: sight before her. No one could compel ships into the Stillness. She could refuse. It was her ship, her crew. They still worked on coin in Azaleas. Of course, if every captain refused to enter the Stillness, then what was left of humanity would quickly perish. Then they would compel her at sword point. Her heart beat a little faster, but she could refuse today. She could still refuse today. Sunder pulled her sword partway out of the scabbard and checked the white crystal in its hilt.

[00:03:29.500] Speaker 1: She tapped it. Little gray clouds swirled around inside. Not enough to worry her. Not yet. "Fine." She could read the scout's reports again. She could wrestle words with Ortevos, or she could simply get the hell on with it. Captain Sunder spun to face the crew idling on deck, talking nervously amongst themselves. "Raise the anchor and kiss your beacon. We're crossing over." A few of the sailors moved to kiss the old woman in white

[00:04:04.340] Speaker 1: robes. She batted them away playfully, and they pretended to be hurt by her rejections. She raised her sword into the air. "For Light and Life." "For Light and Life." She watched as her crew got to work. Then Captain Sunder turned around, placing one foot on the railing. As the Mighty Current lurched forward, she found it, the place where the frothy ocean fell still and placid, the line between the dying light of the world and everything else the Stillness had already consumed.

[00:04:40.980] Speaker 1: The first few days of the voyage were easy sailing. The sailing was always easy. The days, if you could call them that, were not. The sun was a shriveled dot in the sky. Even at midday, its feeble light only barely reached a world she didn't want to see. The Stillness didn't only dim the light. It seemed to take all the life from the world. It made the water smooth as glass. Sounds seemed to carry forever across the pristine surface. There were no sounds out here except the ones you brought with you, and it

[00:05:16.040] Speaker 1: dulled even the spirits of the most joyful people. The most dangerous thing out here was your own mind. That was what the Beacons were for, masters of Light and Life itself, one and the same out here. Even within their protection, the journeys were hard on the spirit. Just three days in, and there was already an edge to every human interaction. Captain Sunder's beleaguered crew was pressed down, but like a spring, she thought, they would come right back. They always did.

[00:05:49.480] Speaker 1: [gentle music] It was night, night so dark it was like looking into tar. Nothing existed beyond the light their Beacon cast. The sun would rise soon, though, and with any luck, they would be close to their destination. Sleep was impossible now. She'd tossed around in her bed for a few hours, but real sleep wouldn't come until they were back within the Queen's light, back home. With nothing to do now but

[00:06:24.412] Speaker 1: wait, Captain Sunder made her way back up to the top deck. The deck was empty save for their beacon. The old woman sat in her cushioned chair, head bowed, eyes closed. Her hands were folded over the staff that lay across her lap. She looked to be asleep. Amelia? [laughs] Can never seem to sneak up on you, Yama. And you never will. Silence fell between them. Sunder spoke again, mostly just to fill it. So feel anything out there

[00:06:59.152] Speaker 1: tonight? Yama shook her head softly. No, nothing tonight. She didn't add, I would have told you so. Yama knew that she was there to talk and that there was nothing to talk about. It was an old habit every sailor understood. If someone wanted to talk, you let them talk. That little shared humanity was all you could cling to out here. So how's, uh, Ermia's training going? Ah. The backup beacon,

[00:07:34.252] Speaker 1: Ermia, was a sore topic. She would be fast asleep in her bunk somewhere below decks. Which bunk was anyone's guess. She's stronger than I ever was. Strong and stupid. That's how they come out of the orders these days, Amelia. Sunder knew the old woman was being humble. There was a lot more to being a good beacon than being strong. It was about control and efficiency. That's why Ermia was sound asleep after three hours of work, but Yama could hold the veil for days if she

[00:08:09.052] Speaker 1: had to. If she made the veil too large, it would spread far beyond the ship, wasting both their crystal and her endurance. Too small and parts of the ship would dip into the stillness. The trick then was to hold the light veil at just the right size to cover the ship and no more, all without interfering with the light engines and while keeping an eye out for disturbances in the gloom beyond the veil. Put simply, it wasn't just an important job, it was survival itself. If the crew had to choose between their beacon and their

[00:08:44.072] Speaker 1: captain, they would throw Sunder over the rail without a moment's deliberation. Think she'll make it? Hmm. She won't quit. Sunder caught the old woman's meaning. Saying she wouldn't quit wasn't the same as saying she was actually qualified. No one wanted to gamble everything on some upstart beacon. There was a reason she was the backup. Age had brought many gifts to Yama, but it wasn't all good. She was old. There was a reason beyond common sense to bring another light mage with them, even one in

[00:09:19.052] Speaker 1: training. Oh, I think in time... Hush, Amelia. We're being chased. Captain Sunder looked from the old woman's alarmed face out to the edge of the veil, but there was only darkness beyond the ship. She closed her eyes to listen, but could only hear the sounds of the light engines pushing the boat. She looked back to the old woman who still had her eyes closed. Hide or fight? Don't know. That's your call, Captain, but you

[00:09:53.932] Speaker 1: get one look. One, you hear me? Get ready. Sunder nodded sharply and watched the black behind her ship. The beacon lifted the steel staff from her lap and set it vertical on the deck. The white crystal at its tip raised into the air. The crystal flared white and the visibility swelled from near paces to cannon range in a heartbeat, then a moment later fell back to just the ship again. In the moment of visibility, she'd seen a slash of sapphire water churned white with foam from their

[00:10:28.992] Speaker 1: passing ship, and a long dark shape had recoiled from the light, returning from the shadows from which it was born, a small part of something much larger. A denizen. Big, but not too big. Probably. We keep going for now, but, uh, keep an eye on it for me, Yama. Yama nodded. She was breathing quickly. Clearly that last pulse had taken a lot out of her. Not long ago, she could have done a dozen of those without

[00:11:03.712] Speaker 1: breaking sweat. Not long ago, but by whose measure? By the Queen's light, she'd been sailing for nearly twenty-five years. Yama wasn't the only one getting old. Want me to call for Ermia? Give you a break, maybe? Yama shot the captain an angry look. She's enough trouble on a full night's sleep. Let her rest. Sunder watched the old woman's shaking arms. Was that fear, exhaustion, or mere age? She

[00:11:38.332] Speaker 1: hesitated until Yama opened her eyes to give her a proper glare. The captain nodded but made no comment for now. She wouldn't gamble everything on an old woman's pride. Technically speaking, the beacons were not part of her crew. She couldn't order them around. They were gifted from the Order of Light to serve on ships that did work for all humankind. Now, whether that free labor was a gift or a way for the Order to control the otherwise free ships was purely a matter of perspective.

[00:12:13.364] Speaker 1: Go sleep. I'll fry it if it gets close. Sunder rested a hand on the other woman's arm, then walked back to her room. Despite the older woman's bravado, it was bad that they had been noticed so soon. It was worse that their beacon was already fraying. She could turn away this one, but that light would only attract more, like predators to the scent of blood. An unpromising start to an unpromising venture. Hopefully, Erastus would have some good news for her soon.

[00:12:48.944] Speaker 1: Erastus looked longingly at the captain's fine liquor collection. Bad news, sir. [sighs] She waved for him to continue. She tried to kick her boots onto the cabin's desk, but there wasn't room beneath the clutter of papers and instruments. So she pushed some of the less fragile looking junk off the desk with one foot, and then rested her feet. Some of the, uh, additional crew is showing early signs of downturn. Winster caught one of them looking over the rail last night. She

[00:13:23.964] Speaker 1: pulled the poor bastard back before he could do it. Sunder pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. By additional crew, her first mate meant the hired muscle that Ortevos had brought with him for the landing portion of their expedition. Despite his appearance, Erastus was a very devout man. Fortunately, he was not fond of Ortevos or the rough looking men and women he'd brought with him on board. The Order's footmen were somewhere between thugs and zealots, haggard people pulled from the street on the promise of food

[00:13:58.944] Speaker 1: and shelter. Those poor souls had simply not realized they would eventually trade their minds for stuffing in return. [sighs] Double their wine ration. [clears throat] The, uh, ze footmen don't drink, sir. Well, there's your problem. Who would go into the Stillness sober, Erastus? It is an interpretation of the books I never understood, sir. Sunder nodded enthusiastically at that, eyeing the liquor collection herself. Maybe now was the time

[00:14:33.864] Speaker 1: to pop the 1033 red. No, not yet. It was 200 years old. It deserves something special. Hmm, the 1083 cedar whiskey then. No, no, no, no, no, not yet. Then double their food rations. [clears throat] Ze footmen are on fast, sir. Then double their prayers, damn it. Why did we even let them on board? She had let them on board because 12

[00:15:08.484] Speaker 1: people she didn't know were eager to march off the ship into the deadly unknown instead of the people she'd known and loved for years. Any trouble they caused was worth that price. If the fools wanted to die for Ortevos, then let them. Hmm. We should have disarmed them, Erastus. It would be unwise to try now, Captain. Indeed. What were they doing in their rooms then all this time? Talking to Ortevos? No wonder they were going

[00:15:43.224] Speaker 1: mad. And what did they think of her crew, who were probably taking turns drinking, gambling, and bedding each other? No, they weren't sailors. They didn't understand what the downturn did to people. A beacon's veil wasn't the queen's light. The Stillness bled through like sickness into a wound. It would seep into a person's soul and erode it. Being sick with downturn killed more sailors than anything else. It was a half step from going still, from becoming a

[00:16:17.884] Speaker 1: wretch. All hands, all hands on deck. Sunder barely had time to register the alarm before she and everything else in the room was lifted a foot into the air and slammed back down. A deep thud reverberated through the ship's old steel skeleton. Everything not tied down was now rolling around on the floor, including Erastus and Sunder. Everything except the furniture and alcohol, really. Captain Sunder scrambled to her feet, buckled on her bright sword, and strode to the top deck, trying to keep the

[00:16:52.664] Speaker 1: fear from her face. Madame Beacon, please step away from the rail. One of the Order footmen was trying to keep Yama away from the side of the ship, uncertain how to respectfully hold the holy woman back. The old woman, for her part, was completely ignoring the man's pleas, trying to get back to the railing. Try again, you shadowy bastard. Come see what an old woman's faith is made of. Spit flew from her lips as she wrestled against the younger man trying to restrain her. Madam, please.

[00:17:28.684] Speaker 1: Captain Sunder walked past the crew who'd already assembled. They weren't exactly battle ready, but they were armed and mostly clothed. She heard Ortevos calling from his rooms below, demanding to know what was happening. She ignored him. When the beacon noticed her on the top deck, she stopped struggling against the footman and walked over. Captain, my apologies. That monster caught me unprepared. The Order footman followed her over, apparently unconvinced that she wouldn't make another run at the railing. She was

[00:18:03.504] Speaker 1: asleep, uh, sir. Sunder noted the belated honorific. He, too, was technically not compelled to follow her orders. There were a lot of people on her ship like that. If they made it back, she resolved not to do that again, no matter how tempting the offer of free soldiers. The beacon looked like she might incinerate the poor footman before turning her attention back to the shadow denizen in the water. Footman, go fetch her a hot meal. The footman hesitated at

[00:18:38.516] Speaker 1: the captain's orders. She didn't know whether it was because he wasn't sure if he should take her orders, or if he was afraid to leave the beacon unguarded, lest she throw herself into the sea like his order brother had almost done last night. This man must not know that beacons were the least affected by downturn. Our beacon knows her business. Go on. Sunder wasn't afraid to call the woman out, but she wouldn't do it in front of a whelp like this. It often appeared that she was asleep to people who were not used to traveling with her. The footman

[00:19:13.476] Speaker 1: didn't leave, however. I could find Beacon Ormaya. She's asleep. The footman looked at her perplexed. Who could sleep through that? Ahem. Everyone turned to look at Errestus, and he blushed. I believe she was, uh, heavily involved in last night's, uh, ritual to ward off the downturn. The captain turned to the footman with half-lidded eyes. Her temper flared. She's plastered drunk. Don't worry, there's probably a sailor in her

[00:19:48.556] Speaker 1: bed to guard her if things get dicey. Maybe two. She took a little too much pleasure in the footman's reaction. The man's worldview had just been splintered into a thousand pieces, and now those pieces were falling out his ears. He made the sign of light and stumbled downstairs, presumably to find food for the beacon. She had no idea what condition Ormaya was in after last night. It was none of her business. She could do whatever she wanted to to ward off the downturn. It certainly wasn't

[00:20:23.536] Speaker 1: this lightsick footman's business either. Errestus gave her a sour look, practically a slap coming from him. He had it coming. Aye. You don't agree? Aye. Fine. With respect, Captain, we are asking that man to die tomorrow. I didn't ask him to die, Ortevos did. Errestus swallowed. He wasn't comfortable with conflict like this. He'd put a sword through a wretch without blinking,

[00:20:58.636] Speaker 1: but this kind of trouble just went against his nature. Aye, sir. Another rebuke for those who knew the man. Sunder compressed the bridge of her nose again. I promise not to torment the Order people more than they already torment themselves. Now, go wake Ormaya. The kid was right about that much. We're going to need her. The first mate nodded, seeming to appreciate her words, then hustled downstairs. Yama began to protest once he was gone. Sunder spun on her with

[00:21:33.376] Speaker 1: stern words, but not so loud that the rest of the crew could hear their close conversation. I can't relieve you of duty, but I trust you to keep us safe. I trust you to use the humility the Queen gave you, to know when you're merely tired and when you're through. Yama recoiled from the harsh words, but she needed to hear them. Sunder let them sink in for a moment before dulling the blow just a little. We will not survive without your strength.

[00:22:09.056] Speaker 1: Please, Yama, don't waste it showing us who we already know you to be. Tears ran down the beacon's face. It stunned Sunder into silence. She hadn't meant to make her cry. She didn't realize she could. I see the way they look at me, the people from the Order. They look at me like I'm the Queen herself walking around half-naked. I'm just a person, Amelia. I'm not like them. When I'm all used up, they'll send me back there.

[00:22:45.436] Speaker 1: She waved at the deck roughly where their Order members were bunked, as if they were the ones who would send her back. I won't do it. I'll turn wretch before I go back to the Order. And there it was. She saw the old woman's fear clearly now. Sunder had seen Yama stare down monsters of pure darkness. She'd seen her fight off wretches like she was a soldier and drink crew half her age under the table. Even age itself had only seemed to make her tougher, if not exactly stronger. Yama collapsed

[00:23:20.476] Speaker 1: into her padded chair, the burdens of the soul piling on top of the burdens of the body. Captain Sunder placed a hand tenderly on her arm. You will always have a home here, whether you're our beacon or not. Let the Order of Light demand you back. They won't lose a ship over it. Hope flickered in the beacon's eyes. What will I do if I'm not beacon? The captain smiled. Someone will have to iron Errestus' shirts. It's a job for three, I'm sure. I don't think you can

[00:23:55.296] Speaker 1: manage it. He has more than one. I just assumed he wore it constantly. Someone came up the stairs from below decks, right behind Sunder. Errestus, you have two shirts, right? One... It wasn't Errestus. The man turned away from Sunder and walked toward the rail. Then he leaned forward and tipped over. Disappearing over the edge before she'd even realized what happened. Belatedly, she reached out a hand towards the spot where the man had stood. Javies, a

[00:24:30.008] Speaker 1: mechanic from her crew, ran to the edge and looked down into the sea, then back at his captain, his face pale. By the Queen, he didn't, he didn't even speak. Javies looked back down at the ocean and back again. She knew instinctively that it had been one of Ortevos' men. Which one, she wasn't sure. He didn't, he didn't say a damn word. Just walked right off. The crew still on deck started making the signs of light. Sunder didn't relish what would come next. Someone had to tell

[00:25:04.928] Speaker 1: Ortevos the Stillness had taken its first victim. [gentle music] Ortevos' cabin was spartan. There were so few belongings besides his holy books that she had to believe it was intentional. Each thing he brought besides those visible tokens of faith would water down the image he'd crafted of himself. Naturally, that asceticism

[00:25:39.768] Speaker 1: only went so far. The 12 footmen he'd brought along all shared a single cabin, only slightly larger than the one he kept to himself. Currently, he was pacing back and forth, purposefully ignoring the chair right in front of the seated captain. He was a tall man in billowing yellow and white robes, tall and angular, with the build of a person who had only ever observed hard labor from a distance. Watchful eyes hovered in the doorway to the adjoining cabin. Sunder ignored the watching footmen and tried to focus on the conversation at hand.

[00:26:15.168] Speaker 1: And you didn't turn back for him? Keep your voice down. There was no reason to make a show of this. Was he pushed? Who was there? Apparently, he'd already given up on his original question. My mechanic, Javies, was closest, but we all saw it happen, Ortevos. He just walked off. It happens. He won't be the first. What's that supposed to mean? It means the Stillness can kill by eating a person's soul as surely as any monster it harbors.

[00:26:50.588] Speaker 1: I know the Scripture. She believed he knew every word of the Scripture, but she doubted he really understood the warnings written there as anything more than phrases to be memorized and regurgitated to his peers. He was sick. The signs were there. Keep an eye on your people, or there will be more. Keep an eye on your people. Sunder told herself not to take the bait. Don't do it. The faithful have nothing to fear in the Queen's light.

[00:27:25.768] Speaker 1: This wasn't the Queen's light. Did he hear anything they'd discussed when making plans? How could anyone be so naive? Sunder tried to collect herself. By first light, we will be at the foundry you're looking for. Just try to stay calm and remember why we're here. The veins on the man's neck bulged visibly. He was sweating far more than seemed reasonable. If he were anyone else, she'd have the medic run him through the eight questions. But she knew Ortevos

[00:28:00.768] Speaker 1: would refuse to be diagnosed. Don't worry, Captain. We know who our enemies are. Sunder glanced at the door where his footmen looked into the room. Suddenly, she felt very trapped by their hard stares. She was glad she'd left Erastus just outside the cabin door, just in case. Stupid. She'd been so stupid to let these fanatics on her ship. You're confined to quarters until we make first sighting. Then

[00:28:35.648] Speaker 1: you and your footmen can go searching for what you came for. She thought he'd be outraged at the order. Instead, Ortevos said nothing, raising his chin and looking down his angular nose at her. A thousand calculations played in the mind behind those dark eyes. Sunder didn't wait to find out what they might be. She stood and left the room. See you at first light. [door slamming] And though she didn't say it out loud, part of her hoped he wouldn't come back

[00:29:10.228] Speaker 1: tomorrow.

[00:30:01.908] Speaker 1: [gentle music]