Quintessence | Vale Four | S4E12 | GE39

We see you scrying.

The Deep Dream State‘s built for some fast lane changes. Whatever it’s got for handling is on display here; each scene’s drastically different.

It’s all unified by the game. An augmented reality game for commercial deployment’s being used to hunt down the game designers. That’s dark. Every scene blends that darkness with high fantasy elements, but the mixes come out much different. That – and some love for live play podcasts – is why there’s a die roll in each scene transition.

It opens comic. The Muppettes, observers who always watch the action, put on their sorceress robes and get to incanting. Even though it’s funny, there are some real secrets uncovered here, including the real origin of the name Meridian A.

It gets dark. When Z sees the Muppettes scrying, he puts his hunting team of wolfgirls through the paces. Prior subjects Gia (played by Valentina Vallay), Celeste, and Clara have found a new place at Vale Four. The writer isn’t barely disguising anything here. The Muppettes are horrified; Z clearly delights in freaking out the audience – listeners included. (The Deep Dream State is NSFW thinkykinky material. This scene should be flagged as high spice level.)

It shifts to unsettling. Team Flowers and Team Alchemy navigate their way through Hespa’s map. They find their way through raging floodwaters, their own unspoken desires, and the medieval origins of the worst sports podcast of any epoch.

They arrive soaked and breathless to a secret they were told didn’t exist.

Cast & Crew

Cast

Astoria : Dakota Dream

Leads the Muppettes’ ritual, uncovers the force behind Meridian A, discovers that the thing she is watching can watch back.

Hilton : Tickled Panda

The nervous novice whose questions keep the ritual grounded until one word opens Team Leash.

Tessa : Ring of Kees

The queen of Team Thorns, discipline dressed in finery.

Laura : Lux Peralta

Returns as part of the hunting party Astoria watches moving through Snarecraft.

Z : Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns

Catches the Muppettes scrying, turns the gaze back on them, and trains his wolfgirls to hunt by scent.

June : Bliss Blank

Part of the hunt Astoria observes as the teams move through Hespa’s map.

Porsche : Princess Ella

Trusts Elle’s route, accidentally summons Midstream, and reaches the marker for a library that shouldn’t exist.

Elle : Echo Doll

Follows what she believes is Hespa’s pattern, gets stranded in the river, and accepts a deeply dubious rescue.

Meg : Bun Li

Reads traps as systems and Leandra as badly, then confronts a map that refuses to stay legible.

Leandra : Talithara

Knows the route behind the waterfall, remembers the Puzzlers, and reveals that the hidden library leads back through Deep Ward.

Clara : Vixen Clouds

The newest member of Team Leash. Hides under a blanket, remembers FaceTrace, and learns that pretending not to be seen is not the same as hiding.

Gia : Valentina Vallay

Breaks treatstick protocol, accepts correction, and is recruited to hunt by scent.

Celeste : Panda Moanium

Performs tricks for Clara without permission, loses Trixie time, and joins Team Leash’s hunt.

Cael : Jericho Caine

Returns as Caellum, a medieval Midstream merchant selling ball lore, guild membership, and suspicious raft transport.

Mudrick : Violently Passionate

Caellum’s eager shield-mate, fascinated by every kind of ball and fully committed to the worst sports podcast of any epoch.

Hespa : Syndi Rella

The absent architect whose recycled maps, hidden routes, and secret library guide every team toward something they were told did not exist.

Naia : Dizzy Dollie

Part of the wider hunting party Astoria’s ritual observes across Snarecraft.

Quintessence is the twelfth episode of Season 4 of Deep Dream State, a desire horror audio drama by Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns. It is part of Season 4: Vale Four, Snarecraft Cycle.

Listen & Explore

Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns – Official Site

Deep Dream State – Official Site