This article is about the podcast arc. Click here for the graphic novel adaptation.
Murder on the Rockport Limited is the second story arc of The Balance Arc. It follows the Tres Horny Boys on a simple retrieval mission that quickly turns into a murder mystery.
Summary[]
A relic has been discovered by the reclaimer Leeman Kessler, who is unfortunately murdered in the town of Rockport after loading his precious cargo onto a train, the Rockport Limited, en route to Neverwinter. You are assigned the job of impersonating Leeman[sic] and seeing the train to its destination at which point you'll be able to retrieve the relic from storage.
After a brief detour in a leech-filled swamp outside of Rockport, you make your way into this town of industry which is apparently home to hundreds of people who look like beloved radio personality Tom Bodett. You board the train after learning its security measures. The relic is in the cryptsafe, in the last car in the train, which cannot be opened without an hour of prolonged contact from an employee of the train.
You're introduced to your fellow passengers on the journey including Hudson, the engineer who stays locked in his engine car; Jenkins, the magical attendant who operates the pleasure chambers (a kind of teleportation magic that can take you to any enclosed room as long as he keeps the door open); Jess the Beheader, a prize fighter and all around badass; Graham the Hedge Wizard, who didn't end up having that many interesting traits (he was Juicy); and Angus McDonald, precocious boy detective.
After meeting them, you're investigated by Angus who explains he's on the train in pursuit of a serial killer in Rockport who seems to be capable of tracking down objects of great wealth and collecting them from their deceased owners. After revealing this, you hear a scream and find a beheaded and behanded Jenkins between cars. Some sort of fiery crab monster destroys the crime scene before you're able to do much CSI work on it.
You work through a convoluted mystery to discover the truth - the body was not Jenkins's, but the engineer Hudson's, who was spliced between portals by Jenkins's teleportation magic. Magnus does a daring maneuver outside the train and fights Jenkins. You throw him off the back of the train seemingly to his doom. You recover the Grand Relic which is the Oculus, which allows you to turn illusory images real, and with some quick thinking from Taako, you prevent the Rockport Limited from running into Neverwinter, saving Graham, Jess, and Angus in the process. The Oculus is recovered and destroyed.
- Griffin's summary from The "The Adventure Zone" Zone, transcribed by Reddit user MooseEatsBear.
Characters[]
- Tom Bodett
- Jess the Beheader
- Jenkins
- Leeman Kessler
- Hudson
- Graham the Hedge (Juicy) Wizard
- Angus McDonald
Locations[]
- Rockport
- The Rockport Limited
- Bureau of Balance
Deaths[]
Loot[]
- Angus's grandfather's silverware (minus 3 forks)
- Everything else of value that was stored in the vault car
Long-Term Significance[]
- The boys meet Angus McDonald who becomes an important and long-term ally.
- Taako carries a Grand Relic without apparent ill effect for the second time.
Sessions[]
| Title | Air Date | Link | Runtime | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ep. 10: Murder on the Rockport Limited - Chapter One | March 19th, 2015 | Listen | 1:06:47 | ||
| Our heroes are sent out on their first mission as Reclaimers for the Bureau of Balance. Their initial task is an impossible one: Do they possess the competence required to be on time for a train? The answer may surprise you, but — no, actually, it probably won’t. | |||||
| Ep. 11: Murder on the Rockport Limited - Chapter Two | March 26th, 2015 | Listen | 1:03:10 | ||
| Our heroes attempt to make the best out of a swampy situation, and race to Rockport before they miss a fateful train. They also meet a beloved radio personality and spokesperson, and hold him ransom for MaxFunDrive donations. Magnus exhibits his upper body strength. Taako gets charming. Merle takes a stink-bath. | |||||
| Ep. 12: Murder on the Rockport Limited - Chapter Three | April 16th, 2015 | Listen | 59:28 | ||
| Our heroes board their fateful train to Neverwinter, and are rude to just about every single person aboard. Merle strikes out at evangelism. Magnus learns that he may not, in fact, have the biggest muscles. Taako just wrecks some baby carrots. | |||||
| Ep. 13: Murder on the Rockport Limited - Chapter Four | April 23rd, 2015 | Listen | 56:45 | ||
| As you might have guessed from the title of the past few episodes, our heroes' journey isn't going to be an especially calm one. Because of all the murder, I mean. Taako mourns the dead. Merle finally plays his part. Magnus does one of the absolute coolest punches ever. | |||||
| Ep. 14: Murder on the Rockport Limited - Chapter Five | May 7th, 2015 | Listen | 58:20 | ||
| The game is afoot! The game of murder-solving, I mean. The game of Dungeons & Dragons has been afoot for a while. Magnus finds unorthodox uses for furniture. Taako practices his interrogation techniques. Merle becomes a robot mom. | |||||
| Ep. 15: Murder on the Rockport Limited - Chapter Six | May 21st, 2015 | Listen | 1:00:50 | ||
| In this penultimate chapter in the Rockport Limited murder fiasco, our players deduce the true culprit of the titular heinous crime. Merle runs out of magic. Taako finds more creative applications for Levitation. Magnus gets some fresh air. | |||||
| Ep. 16: Murder on the Rockport Limited - Chapter Seven | June 4th, 2015 | Listen | 1:02:21 | ||
| In the final chapter in the Rockport Limited story arc, our heroes have little time to stop their runaway train from colliding with Neverwinter, potentially ruining some other group's D&D session. Magnus takes a tumble. Merle channels Gary Sinise. Taako does some pretty dope magical stuff. | |||||