SATAH: Welcome to Folio, an actual play podcast about solo and epistolary TTRPGs. I'm your host, Satah, and I'm showcasing multiple possible experiences of self-paced games by inviting guests to play them alongside me so I can compile our stories together.
Today we are finishing our game of Village Witch, a solo journaling game about a witch finding a home by Eliot Crow. With me again are Agatha C and Rhiannon Daly. Check out their links in the episode description, and check out the show's Patreon at patreon.com/foliopod.
Tomorrow is the winter solstice. That wasn't planned, but it's beautifully fitting. I think that I've mentioned in these episodes a couple of times that I have a tendency towards really believing in, uh, the magic of a coincidence, which occasionally can… mm. Lead me astray. But when it's something that's low stakes, it's just kind of fun and satisfying. Which is also how I feel about the fact that this is going to be the last episode of the year.
I first started conceptualizing this show, or something very much like it, a long time ago– years at this point, I think. And then, a series of factors, such as getting medicated for ADHD, meant that I finally started working on it seriously this summer. And then, I started posting episodes– uh, kind of spontaneously? A little bit sooner than I expected, because I thought that it would be fun to have the first arc wrapped up for Halloween. And I was right. It was fun. And now, here we are. It is all very tidy and fits together in a way that's deeply pleasant to my particular brain.
And now, yet again, two of our witches are staying put, and one is moving on. We'll spend some time with me as I build up Duck’s next home, and then the rest of the crew will join back in to set up the season and close out the year, both for them and for us.
Thank you, sincerely, for any amount of time that you have spent with me and with us, whatever it has been. I deeply appreciate it. Thank you. Let's play a tabletop roleplaying game.
THE GAME
RHIANNON: And now, we move into winter. This is Viv's favorite season, and she is deciding to stay in the mountain village for another season at least.
SATAH: So I've gone to title this track that I'm recording “winter”, due to that being the season I'm recording. What I've typed is “wubter.” I'm just gonna leave it like that. This is a game about magic. There's no such thing as a mistake or a coincidence. That's what the universe wanted me to type. ‘Cause of magic. Whatever.
AGATHA: So winter is very, very cold. For Ginkgo, at least. They've moved locations from one part of the grassland to another. I don't know if Ginkgo is really able to tell the difference, really. I think the elevation of the current location is lower than where the village was at before. Where they set camp. So it is a warmer place, but to Ginkgo, it just feels very, very cold. It's starting to snow at certain times, and I don't think it snows consistently, but the wind is definitely… it feels like knives on your skin, because it's always blowing, and in the cold, it just really dries out your skin.
SATAH: So we already know that Duck is moving to the seashore. Let's glance back at those other location questions.
“Who will I miss?” Well, that's fairly obvious, right? But I think everybody, you know? They were nice people. They're just a lot, for the most part.
Sometimes, you know… I think a lot about a post I read about people in big cities– I think it was specifically talking about New York– sometimes being interpreted as rude, because they really give people a lot of space, and that it is actually, in a lot of ways, a defense mechanism to living in such densely packed places that, you know, you need to just pretend that other people don't exist sometimes, and that is actually a service that you're offering. When you're on a crowded subway, letting everybody just pretend that they aren't currently packed into a tube with 400 people or whatever is kind. It's just that if you're not from there, it might read as rude and inconsiderate. And I think that basically what I've established with the forest place was that they just did the opposite. Like, they're so densely packed that, um, they just decided to always be in each other's business all the time. I don't know. Culture! You know? It evolves.
Yeah, so I'll miss everybody. And I do miss Connie, but I think that it isn't terrible. It's nice. Like, they're going to visit. We have plans. Like, they're gonna– they’re gonna come up and visit. They've even decided, like, you know, “Usually I just send some of my stuff–” because, you know, they make the jewelry and everything, and normally they just send it along to be sold with whatever sort of traveling traders come through the forest town, or whoever usually represents the wares from the forest town. And they're like, “You know what? I miss traveling. I'm gonna start doing that.” And so they, like– they're gonna come visit on their way to sell their stuff. And it's like a really nice positive change in their life, too. Like, they kind of have a like, “Oh god, have I been stuck? Have I stuck myself here in a way that wasn't totally necessary? Like, can I still be out exploring?” And so it's like, it's sad and it's hard. And also it's really good. Yeah. Yeah.
So, “What is the new house like?” This one I actually do have a vision of, but I am still gonna roll on those four suggestions just to– just to see. [Die clattering continuously] Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god.
My dice fell off the table, which– Down We Go rules, means I have to kill my character. Sorry, Duck.
Um, got “built into a cave” again. No, it's not built into a cave. It's– it's just– it's a little, this is, like– the– the the vision I'm having of this is very much just like, you know, fishing village. Um, lots of airy sort of wood, wood and stone stone, seaside places. I think they– they live in like a– they're, like, right on– they're right near the water, but they can't, like, really get into it? Like, this town is at the seashore, but it slopes up to a cliff. And they are, like, not quite– not at the top of the cliff, there's like a lighthouse, you know, of course there has to be a lighthouse– and they live on the path to the lighthouse in just a nice little stone cabin that feels very cold when they first go in.
But very quickly, they put fabric up on the walls, and the weaver sends– I think the weaver– the weaver is getting on in years a little bit and doesn't doesn't quite want to make the trek up here just to say hi, but but sends one of their apprentices up to give them something to put on the walls and somebody comes by to show them like, you know, that the air here is is is wet. And so you have to be really careful with your– with your tinder and your– and your matches and whatever. And– and they show Duck the best way to– to coax fire out of these slightly damper just ambiently more wet logs.
And it warms up and it's– I think Duck sits on their bed, you know, after they've set up for the first time and they, like, smile and there's just like this feeling of like, hope, and like, oh yeah. This– this can really work. In a way that I think we haven't necessarily seen at their other ones, like– and in part it's just experience, you know, like they– they didn't know– they were so timid at the beginning, like they don't know how much they're allowed to change things and– and what they're allowed to do. But here they arrive, they make the place their own. And they've also just acquired a lot more memories and physical stuff. People have given them things and items and they put them around and they like– it isn't this feeling, totally, of a of a new beginning, you know, it isn't it isn't something that is fresh and– not fresh, but like– it isn't– there isn't like a hard sever of like, their life before in their life now. They are surrounded by these like tokens of people they've lived with and people they've helped and it has a sense of continuity and a beginning in a way that like, they– that– that is invigorating and exciting.
Don't have a garden because I'm– I'm on stone, you know? Like, stuff does grow near here. There are– people like, people can grow things. Even I probably could if I were really dedicated, but it would have to be like– I'd have to put, you know, pots and stuff down and that just isn't something that Duck is super focused on.
“Is it haunted or is there an animal friend that comes to visit?” There's gotta be seagulls and they're super chatty. But I think– is it haunted? Yeah. I think this is a– especially because this is an old town, I think. You know, people always spring up around water pretty early and so it's haunted, but… pleasantly.
I think– so, I'm on the path to the lighthouse and I think that, like, the the specific spirit that that really hangs out is someone who loved a lighthouse keeper, you know? And– and lived here and– and– and pined a bit, staring up at the light, and then started to– to walk up to the lighthouse, and they fell in love and– and whatever. This was a long time ago. And maybe it's even like, the ghost of that lighthouse keeper still haunts the lighthouse itself, and so there's this, like, sort of, like, beautiful sad thing where these two lovers are both still here, but can't see each other? But I love the idea that– they both, like– have a tendency to– like, um– this– [Laughing]
I figure this out because the lighthouse keeper appears at my door and I’m like, is– I open it and it's like, it's like, early in the morning, you know? Like, like it would generally be considered rude to call this early– to call someone's house this early and I open the door I'm like, “Is everything okay? Are you okay?”
And this, like, kind of tired looking lighthouse keeper is like, “Yeah, it's the end of my shift. I saw a light on here last night and I– I just had to–” and, like, hands me a note.
And I read it and I look up at her in confusion, the lighthouse keeper, and I'm like, “We just met. This is a little intense.”
And she's like, “Oh no god I'm sorry I thought maybe somebody would have explained– um, it's not from me to you, it's, uh–” and explains the thing about the two ghosts and is like, “Yeah, so, this is actually something– this is a huge relief for me, because I used to have to bring these notes here and then wait for, like– keep coming by until the ghost that is haunting here could, you know, conjure up a reply, and– and now someone's living here, so you will just be able to get it and then you can bring it to me, and that's great.”
So basically these two ghosts are in a short long distance relationship where they send notes back and forth that they do– do— that– ghost powers make the note– but also probably I will start writing the notes… for her? The ghost, you know? I'm like, “Hey that seems really hard for you… you have to, like, physically manifest something... it's a lot easier to just talk to me. I'll write it down for you; I don't mind…” and we bond a little! Over, you know, long distance relationships.
Okay. So I can– yep– uh, wow. That– I, okay. Got really into that question.
And I think initial impression of the village and who do I meet first was, uh, was already sort of established. I like these people. I connect with the weaver and the weaver starts introducing me to other people. And I just feel like I'm– I'm quickly fitting in.
I think that there is a little bit of an anxiety because, like– you know, Duck loves doing all the prep work for fall and so moving somewhere where they haven't done that, is like, terrifying. But I think that one of the comforts for them is probably that they saw people doing that work, like, really putting an effort towards it, and they're like, oh, that is part of the culture here, you know. And so they're they're they're prepared to feel safe here despite not having done the work themselves.
AGATHA: “There's an occasional bite in the air as the seasons change yet again,”
RHIANNON: “autumn giving way and the as much of the world begins to sleep for the winter.”
AGATHA: “What candles do you light in the dark of winter evenings? What drinks keep you warm on a cold night? What do you enjoy about winter?”
RHIANNON: The drinks part is interesting. You know, I think– I think as far as candles she's pretty, uh, unceremonious about it, kind of workmanlike. Where it's like, yeah, she has some candles. It's dark. She's gonna light them.
SATAH: They're like– everything has to be lanterns here, right? Like the wind is so unpredictable and everything can just be so damp that everything has to be these these little glass lanterns. Oh, and I think we see like a– a memorabilia from the desert place. Like, you know, I was living in that place with the– with the glass art and everything, and so I think we see, like– I pull out a lantern that was… a lantern that was designed by that same artist that they, like, left for me, or that was given to me as a gift or something. And there's a– there's a– you see, like, you know– for a couple nights, I'm like tinkering with things and I manage to, like, sort of– use– like, carefully remove the glass from that lantern and put it into a lantern that's more like designed for this– this climate, and their sources of fuel.
And so I have this, like– I have a bunch of, like, regular lanterns too, but I also specifically have this one beautiful one that, like, casts these fascinating patterns on the wall when a candle is lit. And it's just, like, soothing and comforting, and has the feeling of warmth. Like… it's not the warmth of a desert, like, it's not– it's not oppressive. It's– it's the warmth of, like, a rock that's been in the sun all day, and that it's now night, but it's still holding that heat. Like, there's just just something about it, when this specific lantern is lit, every surface that you sink into sort of has that, like, feeling, of that residual energy– that residual heat, just still sitting with you and then gently dissipating.
AGATHA: What candles does Ginkgo light? I think Ginkgo actually has, like, um, like, a witch lamp. And this is something that is maybe a bit more of a splurge. It is also a sign of status that witches get these and then they light them. They don't use the usual fuel, like animal fat or things like that, that others may use. Instead they use a very specific combination of plants, and then infused with witch magic through incantations and so on. But also, I think there's like– it's hard to say whether it's drawing from nature or if it's drawing from something within witches or if it's like, you just need to do the incantations right and use the right ingredients and so on. It's– it's hard to say and different people have different theories. But, it– generally, witch lamps can only be lit by witches. And Ginkgo has one of those.
It's– so it has a base and then there's a there's a glass globe in the middle and then there's also a handle on top and then within it is this pretty warm glow. It's not as warm as a firelight? There's a tinge of maybe something like purple to it, but generally it's still quite warm.
SATAH: “What drinks keep you warm on a cold night?” It's me and the lighthouse keeper, right? Like it starts with like you know we're we're communicating occasionally and I– I– I pad up there in the night sometimes to bring a letter and sometimes there's a storm and I stay. And they make me this warm tea that's very strong. Like, they laugh the first time, I drink it because I make a face and they're like, “Oh, yeah yeah yeah no. It takes a little getting used to but uh it'll fortify you.” and I'm like, “O-okay okay. Yeah, I'll uh– I'll give it a go.”
And, you know, they make this this tea that they– they sort of hand grind up there– they're like, “Listen my job's important, but there's a lot of downtime. I need other hobbies.” and they– it's, like, probably, again, seaweed and that kind of thing. It's some special herb that grows– or it's a moss. It's a moss that grows on the cliff wall near the lighthouse that they dry and they grind into– into a tea and they give me a sachet of it to bring home and it does like warm me up quite a bit.
And I think sort of in exchange, I like– sometimes when I'm– when I'm– when I'm up there, I sort of go around repairing a bunch of their like– you know so many lighthouse keepers have lived here and it's just like– stuff has just been left, you know? Like there’s a mug from sixty years ago and the lighthouse keeper is like, “I don't– I have no idea who liked that. It's so garish,” uh, and I'm like, “I kind of like it!”
And I just, like– I'm going around and digging stuff out of storage that the lighthouse keeper, like– that– that she's just never bothered to do, and I'm digging it out and I'm fixing a bunch of stuff. And so I like carefully glue together– there's like, you know, a set of teacups that she really likes but there's only one left and I find the remnants of all of the other five ones and and bring them home and carefully glue them back together, fix what I can, and bring them back, and they've got little charms that are like, you know… keep the tea warm a little longer, or– there's one that's like, if you drink from this cup while you're trying to solve a difficult problem, you are more likely to be able to see the problem from a new perspective– like, an angle you haven't considered– and all of them have like slightly different little charms like that. And yeah, they give me the tea in– in exchange. It isn't a direct exchange; we just now have a habit of giving each other stuff.
RHIANNON: I think, as she is, uh, sort of expecting more work for the healing part of her job in the winter, she may stay up a bit later sometimes, so maybe she has some kind of tea that's grown up here in the mountains, right? Something to help her stay warm and stay awake a little bit longer, just in case somebody really needs her help.
AGATHA: Uh, “what drinks keep her warm on a cold night?” Uh, Ginkgo drinks alcohol with the rest of the grassland village, um, after that attack. And, um, because she was there she was able to help– well, not while the stampede happens, but afterwards, and calm everyone down, and so on. Like, that definitely draws the village closer to Ginkgo and so they invite her to drink with them. Sometimes they have milk, um, and then sometimes they have, um, alcohol, that they drink together, and it really does help keep you warm, to a certain point. Um, and that's kind of like their bonding activity, and she is doing it more now. She's– I think she understands that this is a part of how to get closer, um, to other people and she doesn't always enjoy the activities necessarily, but she likes the feeling of getting closer to people, and the feeling of acceptance is very appealing for her, so she does partake in that.
SATAH: “What do you enjoy about winter?” I mean, as I kind of established before, all the clothes. Everybody's bundled up. It's great.
And I think something I specifically enjoy about winter here is that it quickly becomes obvious that this town takes its rest very seriously. They do a lot of, like, harvest during the summer– like, summers are sort of non-stop, and many of the other seasons are very non-stop, but in the winter, they are very serious about recuperating. And so it is like– there is just this very intentional energy of like, a lot of stuff can wait. If we don't need to do this now, we don't do it now. Now, we rest and we honour the work that we've done throughout the rest of the year, and we very intentionally come together. We don't isolate ourselves to recover; we have a lot of big communal dinners and, uh, cultivate warmth and connection and– and we, we are slow and gentle with each other. And this is– this is, like, a beautiful thing that– that– that– the season gives us permission to do.
And so I think I find a lot of like. Oh. It ends up that moving here for the winter was great because this is when like they are incredibly deliberate about community bonding during this. So I’m just very brought in, immediately.
And I think it's good for me! I think like, you know– a– a– a small throughline through a lot of this has been Duck being, like, wanting to help all of the time, right? And, like, that's not bad, but I think that it's a good… it's good for them to– to be pulled into a community where they're like, “Okay, what can I offer?” and they are told, like, “The best thing that you can do for us right now is nothing. If we need you, we will tell you– thank you– but the thing that we really need right now is for you to sit down, put your feet up, and listen to me reading this story out loud, because it's the thing that we do at the beginning of every winter. We read this story out loud, one chapter, every single night, and then when we're done, we have a big party and we do a play recreating it. Sit. Have some cider. That is your contribution.”
And I– that's good. That's– it's good. That's a good feeling to have. It's a good– good lesson to learn. Let’s pull some cards!
RHIANNON: As far as what she enjoys about winter, she likes the intensity of the work and she likes the intensity of the quiet when it snows. But up here, in the mountains it's probably entirely different from what she's used to in terms of just how intense all of those things can get. Um, there's probably, you know– when there's the first– first big snow of the winter, there's just this moment of absolute wonder for her as she's seeing what it's like to be at this elevation when it gets this cold. What the mountain looks like with the snow on it, what it's like to look down at the village the morning after a big snow. It's still fresh. So that's probably something special for her there.
AGATHA: “What does she enjoy most about winter?” I think it is, um, the times that she gets to spend with people. Especially, I think, the elders of the village, who are great storytellers. And like, in the darkness of winter, um, when you're just often inside the tents, um, that's when the storytelling really takes over as like the major entertainment, and also just the major thing that you do, really.
Um, and she's hearing a lot about the stories of the village, uh– the stories of previous elders. And then, um, occasionally she gets tales of Ephedra's mother, the previous, um, previous elder, who is sort of still haunting Ephedra, um. But just in a less, uh, strong sense. Like, she might be– she's having some of her– her wishes fulfilled and she gets to communicate with her son, so, uh, maybe that will start to fade more and more.
But, um, in the times when Ginkgo hears, uh, from the other elders– the older people in the village about the village leader, that's when she really gets a stronger understanding of the pride of the village. Um, what they hold to be good and true, and then also the ties that bind them to each other.
Very clearly, Ginkgo wanted to learn more about this village. She did not move on, um, when the seasons changed. So, yeah, that's– that's where she's at. I will draw my first card. 
RHIANNON: Let's start drawing cards.
SATAH: Let's pull some cards.
RHIANNON: First we have the king of swords. “You spend some time working on your records, whether a journal or a book of shadows or a recipe book. What is your favourite way to record things?”
I think it's pretty– pretty mundane for her. It's just– she keeps a journal, um, full of like– probably what the scene is, is she's taking the, like, kind of scattered notes that she was taking as she was studying on how to live here, and she's actually putting them into, like, an actual journal, right? Like she's binding them in there and then putting a bunch of blank pages in as well so she can keep writing in there.
And so I'm just imagining a scene of her sort of sitting at the kitchen table, drinking some tea. It's starting to get late, and she's, you know– maybe as she's fitting– finishing up dinner she starts to get out the materials to bind her notes here into a book, um, to serve as an actual journal for her, for reference later. Now that she's decided to spend her third season here, she's choosing to make you know something that was a little more transient– like some notes on scraps of paper or parchment or whatever– into something a little more durable that she expects to keep for a while. And we just kind of sit with her through the work of putting together this object, you know. It's not fancy, but it's something that– it's something that she intends to keep, and that matters when she hasn't really had something like that before.
SATAH: Six of swords. Reversed. I know that that doesn't mean anything in this game, but I do just need– feel the need to note it. Swords are around the home; six, “While walking outside near your house you find a crystal in the ground dropped by a previous occupant. You clean it up and cleanse its energy. What does it look like? Do you incorporate it into your own practice or give it to someone else?” Huh!
So I see, like, a sparkling on the ground and I just assume sea glass. And there's just stuff that's all over here. And I come closer and it's– it's immediately very obvious that this is from somewhere else. Um this is a gem that– the kind of gem that only gets made under enormous pressure underground and that kind of thing, which I only know because Connie taught me how to recognise that stuff, um.
Who is it from?! It isn't the ghost…
So first I save it for a little while because, like, as established, there is a witch who travels through here sometimes, so I'm like, maybe it belongs to them. And then they come through and I’m like, “Is this yours?”
And they're like, “No. I’ve never seen that before in my life. I kind of don't like its vibe.”
And I’m like– I’m like, “I also kind of don't like its vibe. I'm really glad that it wasn't yours.” and together, we do– cleanse it, yeah. We do the– we do the cleansing thing.
And… mm! for the drama, this is a– this is a crystal that was used as a payment for… the person that killed the lighthouse keeper… ghost. [Laughing] Um, that lighthouse keeper was assassinated! Uh, she was killed because somebody was trying to cause a big shipwreck, um, for nefarious purposes. And so she was killed so that they could, like, mess with the lighthouse signal! And this crystal was used as payment for that assassin, um, who– who fled. Who fled the scene and dropped some of this stuff a very long time ago.
So we cleanse it and it's great. And I don't incorporate it into my practice. I– I give it to Connie. Connie comes through and we catch up. It's– it's been a– it's been a few weeks. It can't be more than a month, really, since I moved, I think, just because, like, I’m– I’m thinking of these as like one incident a month– but it's been a few weeks and– and a lot has happened in those few weeks. Um, maybe– yeah, it's been, like, six weeks. The– the last thing happened, you know, near the beginning of a month; this is happening near the end of the next month.
Connie comes through on– on their way to a market and I– we catch up on everything. I– I talk about my burgeoning connection with the lighthouse keeper and, and they're so excited and thrilled, and they talk about dalliances they've had on the road and– and say, like, being a traveling trader– that they'd kind of forgotten that you can, like, meet more people and– and– and have more of those like, romantic connections for a night, or whatever– that it just gives you more opportunity to have those in a way that's been, like, really fulfilling.
And yeah, I give them this crystal and they stay for a few days and it's really wonderful. And then they keep going on their trail and they say that they'll be able to stop by on their way back as well, and that they'll maybe try to make something out of this– out of this crystal on the road if they can, but they might not be able to.
AGATHA: Ten of spades. “You take a spell bath using herbs, crystals, and maybe even some fruit to prepare the water. What comfort or healing do you hope to receive from the ritual?” That is extremely luxurious for this village at this moment. I almost feel like I don't want to use this prompt because I just feel– like that feels kind of wasteful. Unless… unless maybe we go to a hot spring. Actually, yeah. I'll keep this card and say the village maybe takes like a short trip to a nearby hot spring..? Hmm. Or it can be, uh, the kind of bath that you take where it is just like a small bucket of water and you just– you just take a cloth and you rub it over your body, um, using the water, as opposed to an actual soak. Um, because, again, I think at this time and in this environment, like, water is not an easily accessible resource, and so I don't think it should be freely used for a soak. Um… yeah, I'll go with that.
Um, so… yeah this is– this is a ritual bath. And I think this has to do with, um, preparation for a celebration that might be coming, or celebration, or maybe like, um, a ritual to remember and give thanks to the ancestors, that sort of thing. So whoever leads this ritual, um, will need to partake in ritual cleansing. And so, um, as the village witch, Ginkgo is definitely one of the people who will be leading a part of this ceremony. Uh, the village leader will also be doing that and that is Ephedra, of course, and so they each have to do that.
I think Ginkgo is the one who sets it up because, again, like the components and things like that are things that only the village witch has knowledge of. So she's going to create, uh– she's going to prepare two… separate… baths. Or she's going to prepare one for herself first, and then after she's done, she will prepare one for Ephedra.
So, um, it's, um… even the preparation process is a ritual. Like, you put in one thing first, and then you put in another, and with putting each component in– each herb, each crystal, each um animal part– you say, like, a phrase about what it does, and then what kind of effect, and then also what kind of meaning it's supposed to bring to this ritual cleansing. And then at the end, um, she then dips the cloth in and then, uh, cleanses herself. And that part is the shortest part because it is very cold. So it's kind of like, ahh!! A quick scrub, um, to to get through the whole thing.
And then, um, “What comfort or healing do you hope to receive from the ritual?” I mean, I feel like it is nice to be able to clean yourself. And, um, the smell of the bath water is quite fragrant, actually. Um, it has this, uh– like– maybe it might smell like, uh, a bit smoky, actually? Smoky, but also, like– I think there's a kind of grass in there that has this, like bitter sweet, um, scent. And so it's like, smoky and bittersweet, um, and when you smell it, you feel like, uh, you passed through flames, and like all of the part of you that was, uh– like all the impurities have been kind of burned off– is– is the– is what the smell evokes. And so I think being able to clean herself and then also like feeling like, yes, like, those aspects of myself, I can cast them behind. All the negative emotions, and then all of the tiredness that may have been building up, um, that's what Ginkgo wishes, uh, to release with this cleansing.
And after she's done, then she goes through the same proce– she dumps out the water and then, uh, she draws another bucket, and then, um, goes through the same process. And then she summons Ephedra and then, um, he comes in. Ginkgo instructs him on the– the way to do it, and he says… he– he looks like he wants to say that he knows how to do it, because he has done it before, but he bites his tongue and gives her the respect of listening to her go through the process again. Because that's probably also like a yearly thing– like, you always listen to the village witch tell you how to do it, even if at this point you are very familiar with the process.
And then, um, Ginkgo will draw a curtain between where he is and where she is, inside the tent, and she's just going to wait. She's not going outside. Um, and I think there is like a moment of hesitation from Ephedra, because– I think this is how it was done the years before as well, but the village witch before was not someone that was so young and attractive like um, like Ginkgo. So i think there is a moment where he's like… [Uncomfortable humming]… but– but then he's like, “No, nope this is a part of the ritual. I'm just gonna go through with it,” and he does.
AndIi think it is also very distracting to Ginkgo, um, like, as she sits there and she's like, “Okay.” thinking about the actual ceremony and all that stuff like, “These are the things that I need.” and she's kind of, like, wrestling through her, uh– all of her materials, but she can't help but be distracted, uh, by, uh, hearing him, like, ritually  cleansing himself. So yeah, that's uh– that's that. That card.
SATAH: H– [Loud Garold meowing, which continues repeatedly in the background] I was gonna say now he's being polite. But he psychically inferred I was about to say that and screamed.
Card number two. Again, reversed, not that it matters. Ooh, wait! Ohh this is two cards. This is two cards because they were stuck together. Ooh, what should I do?! Let's look at both of them.
Fascinatingly, they're both wands. We've got the king of wands and the six of wands. I'm gonna look at both of them. Maybe combine them. Because in– in tarot and games of magic, I– I gotta assume that there's some intentionality to stuff that happens.
So wands are around the home. Six is, “You discover a new ability. What is it and how do you discover it?” and king is, “You find something left by a previous occupant. What is it and what do you do with it?”
[Insistent meow] Garold has ideas.
I gotta combine them. So I, like– I find something and discover a new ability or discover a new ability and it helps me to find something. Okay.
So… discovering a new ability is difficult because I don't, like, have a full sense of what the limitations of my abilities even are at the moment. I think this makes– I– I want this to be related to the ghost. [Gentle gasp] So I find… yeah. Okay. This is going to be slightly odd to explain.
So… Duck finds like… a… an instrument in the attic. Um, an old, like, stringed instrument. A lute or something. A mandolin. And it has, like, not been treated super well by the sea air but luckily like, this attic– that I didn't even know was was there, you know; I– I– find it while like cleaning, uh, or something– I find like a hidden latch and realise that it opens to a secret compartment that is so small up there. Like, I can sort of get in there. I can't stand fully, but I can haul myself up there, and there's a little bit of storage, and–
[Soft meow, admonishingly:] Garold.
And I find this– this mandolin. And it's– it's surprisingly, like, been okay, like, considering the– like, how long it's been there– years and years– decades– and the– the salt air– this is just well sealed enough that it's fairly okay. And– and I bring it downstairs, and I hear music from it and I'm like, “Oh, it's like a player piano. I– I don't see how the mechanism works, but it must have one, because I can hear these beautiful songs playing from it.”
And my ghost appears that night, you know. The moon rises, she fades in.  And we're just existing quietly together, and, and the the mandolin is playing, and at a certain point I go, “Oh, this is that song you're always humming, isn't it?”
And she looks at me in great surprise and she's like, “What– what do you mean? What– what song?”
And I'm like, “Oh, the– the song that's playing right now,” and I gesture towards the mandolin.
And she looks at the mandolin, and she looks at me, and there's, you know, shock on her transparent face, and she goes, like, “You can hear that?”
And I’m like, “Y… es? I- I mean– I don’t really know how it works but I– I figured it was like a– a player piano or just a– a little enchantment that– of course I can hear it.”
And she just kind of shakes her head slowly and she's like, “There's no music playing. I can hear it. I can always hear it. But the living shouldn't be able to hear it.”
And Duck is like, “Wh… what… w-what do you mean?”
And, you know, she talks about– there's– ghosts aren't always just people, or something, or like, there's spiritual energies that– that can linger that– that you only really are supposed to be able to touch if you are also a ghost, if you are if you are dead. That this is– this is music that is playing from the other side. That this is– this is the lingering memory of music. That it is not being played right now.
And she says, like, “Look closer.” and I look closer at the mandolin and realise that like– it's actually in terrible shape. That it has– all of the strings are snapped and that they haven't been– like whenever I've sort of glanced at it, I've just seen like a well put together mandolin with the strings vibrating slightly as it– as it plays, and then I– I look more closely at it and realise, like, oh. No, there are no strings on that. They all snapped. The body is super cracked and it's absolutely not capable of playing music.
And it becomes obvious that I have some sort of connection… like deep connection to the– the death realm. And I think that the ghost, like, admits that she was pretty surprised how easy it was to talk with me? That, you know, she's she's had to manifest the notes to her lighthouse keeper lover all of these years because it normally takes an enormous amount of energy to speak with the living, but that she found it really easy with me. And she just sort of quietly– she kept it to herself because she was a little scared! She's like, “Does that mean that you're dead? But you don't seem to be? I don't really understand what you are. I'm just going to accept this as a blessing or whatever.”
And I'm like, “Oh.” And I think, you know, we talk, and I'm like, “I've always kind of been able to talk to ghosts. Like, I did it at home when i was growing up all the time. I thought that that was just something that people did.”
And she's like, “Nope, not really.”
And I think that ultimately what it comes down to is that, like, I have to do some studying. Of– of ghosts and necromantic stuff. Um. I have to ask the order to send me some books. And they're very suspicious about why I'm asking for these specific books, and they send someone along with them– they're like, you know, “We can't just send this book off into the world without it being–” uh– uh– “accompanied.”
And I'm like, “That's totally fine. I would love to talk about this with somebody.”
And talk about, like, the gh– the theory of ghosts as emotional memory. And it becomes the leading theory for me that, like, the work that I do with fabrics, and the– the work that i do with, like, channeling the emotional components of clothing and accessories and that kind of thing into a power source has just, like, opened something inside of myself that, like, connects really intensely with memory and the resonance of strong emotions. And that– that is what ghosts are, and that is the thing that lingers beyond death, right? Is– is those feelings and those memories. And I've just, like, without meaning to, really been working out those specific muscles in my other practices. And that is why I can hear this broken mandolin playing old tunes.
It's– it's like, somebody used to lay here, alone, at night, just playing this music, and it would filter down to the village, and it would filter across the sea, up to the lighthouse, and this was like, the way that this person– this musician, like, kept a connection with other people, even from a distance, was being able to like play for themselves and for other people. And so it's very imbued with that energy. And so I can still hear it. Most of the living can't, but I can.
And that's something I can do. And I bet that there's a lot more I can do as I explore it. Probably not in this game, but in the future. In Duck's mysterious future.
AGATHA: Right, major arcana. And I rolled a twenty. Judgement. Whoa! Okay. “It's time to make a change in life, whether in your own habits and rituals or in how you relate to others. What is this change and how is it for the better?”
I think it's been a while since Ginkgo has, um, even thought about, um, her ex-fiance. Life has just been pretty busy and full of changes for this past year. Which was a part of what Ginkgo was expecting, because, you know, there's just– when you have a full-time all-consuming role in a village, it just tends to eat up your attention. But also, addressing to all the changes and things like that, she knew that it was going to preoccupy her and that was what she wanted. She wanted to prove herself. She wanted the distraction from the heartbreak, of being basically cast aside by the person that she was– she thought she was going to marry.
But when it actually happens, I think this is just like, uh– one of the days of winter when she realises, “Oh yeah. I haven't thought about it.” After she sent that one letter, never got a letter back, and she's kind of reflecting on her present and the things that occupy her mind. Helping the village that she's in, um, setting down roots in each village has been a big part of her goal.
And I think this is the moment where Gingko admits it to herself: that she is also getting quite distracted by someone specific in the village as well. And before she can fully say the name of the person to herself, um, the bell that hangs outside of her tent rings, and, um, this is someone asking to– to come in. And turns out, it's Ephedra.
And when he comes in, he has sort of, like, a nervous expression on his face, which is very rare to see. Um, I think the last time that we really saw it was, um, basically the stampede. Or, actually, no, that wasn't a nervous expression– that was an intensely focused, um, expression– when he was trying to help, uh, redirect the stampede, and also basically help save the villagers that might have been in its way.
I think the last time that we saw it was when he had that conversation, uh, with the ghost of his mother. Uh, where she was like, “Well, these are my wishes, one of which is that you are going to get married. You're going to find someone and get married.” and he just has that expression you know it molded from, like… joy and grief, um… at being able to speak to his dead mother who has been haunting him uh to this kind of like… oh mom, no, please…
And, yeah seeing his expression, uh, Ginkgo is reminded of that memory, and then she realises that… oh, yeah. That was the expression. That was what his expression meant when he glanced over briefly at me. He was nervous about something. And this also makes Ginkgo nervous, and so she stands…
Actually, I don't think she stands. I feel like the tents are– you can stand up in them, but it's not super comfortable. So I think she just kind of shifts so that she gives him her full attention and asks, um, “What do you need?”
And he sits down in front of her crosses his legs and has a very formal posture, um, and he says, “My mother has spoken to me again.”
And she's like, “Okay.”
And then he's like, “No. No, that's that's not how– I– let me try again. Are you– do you plan on staying in this village?”
And Ginkgo blinks, because she has been thinking about that. She– she wants to, I think, on one hand, because she really does like this village. She likes the villagers. She likes how close it feels. Um, she also likes that it's not static? That the village does move, so she can move between different places and see new sites while staying with the same people.
But at the same time, it is extremely cold, and there are a lot of things that she's just not used to, and that she doesn't know if she'll ever get used to them. That's one of those things where you can never be sure, right, when you leave home?
So she hesitates and he notices that and he says, “I– I don't want to force your decision. I just wanted to express that I would– I would really like it if you stayed.” and when he says that… the look that he gives her– well, first of all, he is definitely blushing, um, from what she can notice, but also there is a kind of, um, vulnerability in his eyes.
And she adjusts her posture to be more formal now and she says, “Ephedra, I’ve been meaning to ask you. One of your mother's requests was for you to be wed. Did you– do you already have someone in mind for it?”
And Ephedra freezes and looks at her, unsure, because in his mind, he thought he just expressed who he had in mind. So he's not sure if this is like some kind of a rejection, um. Anyway his mind is going– is going so fast, trying to figure out what's happening, while Gingko’s kind of also watching him to see his response.
And when he doesn't– like, when he seems to freeze, she says, “If you already had the– already had someone in mind, um, I. Well. I don't want to force your decision or anything. I– I do think that it would be good for you to… um… to start fulfilling the– the things that your mother has said that she wishes for you to do. Um. Well, I– I want to. I would like to stay, but I think it will be hard for me to stay if Ii have to see you wed someone else.” and now Gingko is blushing very hard
And that's the end of this card.
RHIANNON: Here we have the three of swords. Very– very sword season. Alright. Three of swords, “Someone comes to you in need of counsel.” Oh, let's see.
I think this is probably, uh– this is a situation where even getting to her house, right, having it be like kind of on a hill overlooking the village, and having it– there be snow on the ground and everything is going to be pretty difficult. So I imagine this is someone who like, you know– this is pretty serious.
Uh, maybe it's not actually something serious. Maybe this is– maybe this is the baker coming up to the cabin again. And maybe she acts at first, like– like she's kind of making an excuse to come up here, right? She comes up asking for advice, but uh, it quickly becomes clear that the thing she's asking for advice on is something that she could have figured out herself, right? Maybe it's some some kind of health related thing regarding, like, the winter, right, and staying safe while working in the winter, or like something with preserving food or ingredients for the bakery, right, so that it– they don't get moisture in them from the snow and they're not going bad and et cetera.
And it quickly becomes clear that this is something that, if she's been living here this long, she already knows it, and she actually, um, just wanted to come and talk to Viv some more. And she's– I think Viv is a little bit, um, perplexed by this, at first, but she's– she's happy for the company. And so the two of them– I’m imagining the two of them just sitting kind of late into the night at Viv's kitchen table, um, talking. And, you know, enjoying each other's company.
AGATHA: And I'll draw my last card for winter. A five of diamonds. “You visit the village bakery. What is your favourite food there?” I love that. Oh, what a contrast.
Um… I don't think the village has a bakery, first of all. [Laughing]
Um, I think she– I'll say that, uh, Ginkgo visits– one of the– one of the families. And they are known– at least, um, one of them is known, for making very very good dessert. Let's say that. And they bring it up– um, they bring it out when Gingko arrives. It is, um– I think it's a kind of, um– um– pancake sort of, uh, thing, that– that has, um, herbs and, um, and meat inside. Uh it's the kind that is like, cumin, uh– that kind of a spicy dessert. And so it goes really well, um, with alcohol and that is what they have while they spend time together. And it is, um– is a good time. Uh, they– they eat and Gingko obviously compliments them and say that, “Um, I think that this whole village is very good at making food but really, uh, your pancakes are my favourite.”
And uh, yeah, I think one of the couple– he kind of preens and is like, “Yes, I know, I’m so good,” and then he is like, ready to– um, after Ginkgo leaves– to go and brag to everyone else that “the village witch said that mine was the best. Uh, no biggie.”
And then, like, during the conversation, um, one of the kids of– of the couple, um, actually comes into the tent, and like, will like, come closer to where all the– where all the adults are gathered and say– and, like, tug on Gingko’s sleeve and– and ask, “Oh village witch, village witch, I heard– I heard that you and uh the village leader are– are going to get married! Is that true?”
And Ginkgo does a spit take. And is– this is just that moment where she's like, “Uh!!” and that like– blushing so hard.
And then, um, the couple are like, “Oh, look what you've done! You've– you– you can't speak this rudely to the village witch!” Uh, but they clearly look like they are enjoying this.
And then the kid is like, “What?! I'm just curious!”
And then, um, like more kids stream into the tent, and then, you know, their parents are like, “Close the tent flap! It's too cold!”
And they're like, “Is the village witch here? I heard–” and then, like, it just becomes– uh, very loud, uh, and, um, festive inside this tent, as all the kids– and, really, the parents as well– dogpile Ginkgo to find out what is happening, um, and what is this development in her relationship with Ephedra.
SATAH: Let's pull our last card of winter. Reversed ten of pentacles. So pentacles are around the village and ten is, “You walk through some of the village shops. Which is your favourite, and why?” I love ending on such a mundane note. That's so wonderful.
So it's the dead of winter. The first thought would be the place where the weaver sells their stuff, but I don't think it's that. I think it's– it's a little cafe slash bakery that hosts a lot of the, like, communal gatherings in the evening. You know, it's– it's just sort of a standard place to hang out and eat and do whatever during the day, but at night it becomes just a community space where a lot of these winter gatherings are held.
And I'm working on an embroidery. Somebody is about to have a baby and I'm working on an embroidery for the nursery. It's just very simple, and it's– it's one of the most requested charms from parents, which is just… a sleep aid.
And so often, I think, even– even in– even at home, my first home, and even the other places where I've lived, I've done all of my work at home, by myself. And the thing we see here is, like, I bring my thread and my fabric, and I say hello to all the people in the cafe. I see someone trip and pick them up and pull a little magic bandaid out of my pocket and smile and slap it on their knee and they hug me and run off. And I grab a baked good and i chat with the baker, you know– they thank me for the the warmth charm that I gave them on their apron that just helps the bread proof a little bit faster, even in the dead of winter. And I sit and work on this embroidery. And there are just– people walk by and we talk and some of them thank me for things that I've done for them, but a lot of them just say hi and talk to me as a friend.
And I get chided a little bit for working but I mention that it's for so-and-so's upcoming baby and they relent, rolling their eyes, like, “Of course. Well you can always find something that has to be done, can't you?” and I laugh kind of guiltily and they smile to show that they don't mean it and it's okay, especially because it's in the daytime– they might frown on it if I was working in the middle of the night, but, you know, things do still have to get done during our time of rest. We are still living in a society.
And yeah, that's sort of the– the final image of– of this section here, is just like working, and part of a community. The baker hands me a little bundle of stuff to give to the lighthouse keeper because they know that I visit her all the time.
RHIANNON: Probably the final card and it is the five of cups. This one doesn't really fit with the season or situation– “It’s time to bury your herb patch”– I am going to draw another card.
The sun. “You're celebrating, either something personal or with the village. What is the celebration for?”
I think as we draw closer to the end of winter, maybe the village has, like, some kind of celebration for, like, the first thaw of the year, right? The first time the snow accumulated over the course of the winter actually melts. And you know it's not quite spring yet but it's starting to get towards it.
And uh, yeah, I think in this case, Viv– you know, she's also celebrating the fact that she, like, has started to feel like she fits here, right? Like– like she has something to do here, and people she's made a connection with, and like, she's– she's celebrating that she's even been here long enough to see this sort of, like, celebration of the first thaw. So I think that's kind of a note that we can close on. 
SATAH: And… that's it! That's winter.
AGATHA: And, uh, I think that's where I will end the winter season, and, um, and the game as well. So I'm gonna go to the ending.
RHIANNON: “It's been a whole year since you started your journey.”
AGATHA: “It's time to settle in and make a place your home.”
SATAH: “Where do you settle?”
AGATHA: “What have you learned over the year?”
ALL THREE: “What do you miss?”
RHIANNON: “What makes you excited about the future?”
SATAH: “Have you found what you desired?”
Lucky me! Moving sucks! The place where I settle is this place at the seashore. I think, you know, if– if I'm allowed to montage a little bit– like, as things thaw in the spring, Connie moves up, and… they move into the stone cabin right beside me, and we spend most of the time sleeping at one or the other's homes. And I– when I'm not sleeping at– at Connie's place or my place, I'm at the lighthouse. Connie keeps traveling, but this is– this is their new home base.
RHIANNON: Yeah I think she is going to stay in this mountain village. I think the big thing she's learned is that… she's gotten better at just kind of, like, sitting with things, right? And letting herself be in a place, and not feeling like, uh, she's failing all over again every second that she doesn't have her shit figured out. And she's enjoying just being able to be there in that house, overlooking the mountain village, and go through one day and the next. Yeah I think that's gonna be the ending for her.
AGATHA: Ginkgo and Ephedra date. But I think when the winter season ends, she actually tells Ephedra that she wants to move on to the next village. Which is kind of devastating, uh, to Ephedra. And also to the village, who thought something else was going to happen, which was that she was going to marry Ephedra and then just settle in this village.
Um, but she explains to him that she– she feels like her journey, uh, to learn how to be a proper village witch has not ended, and she wants to see more and to learn more, and that… she wants– she will return, but she needs to keep going with her journey before she can be sure, or before she can feel like she's ready to basically settle down.
And, um, I think after that, they, uh– they don't talk for a bit, because he just– he's pretty upset, um. Well, I think they don't talk for a bit, and then eventually, uh, he does go to her to, like, talk, and he talks about his… basically his insecurities. Like, she's going to leave, and she's going to meet so many more people in all these different villages that he doesn't know, and he doesn't know if she'll even want to come back.
And she… well, she apologizes and she says, “Yeah. I can't guarantee it. I– I will– I will keep my heart for you, but I– I guess I… I don't want to change. And I do want to come back. And that is the guarantee that I can give you. But you're right in that things might happen. I don't want it to happen, but…” and I think eventually, um– I mean, he can't stop her. No one can. And like the village is not– is pretty hurt over as well, um, but she does end up leaving, and she goes to other villages.
And what she's learned over the year is that the world is very big. And that there is always so much more to learn, and that people everywhere have so much wisdom that she can learn from and draw from. But she also has learned that people are similar, no matter where they are. There are things that they want, things that they wish they could have. They care about each other and that is something comforting for her.
SATAH: “What have I learned over the years? Over the year. What have i learned over the year?” Well, shit, a lot, right? Uhh, I guess I… how to connect with people. How to set expectations, and also how to put yourself in situations where you don't have to explain quite as much of yourself, because you're with people who understand you, even if they don't know everything about you.
And, well, apparently, how to talk to ghosts. Which… I only related- like, belatedly, realised is unusual. So that's exciting.
AGATHA: Um, as she goes away the thing that she misses, um– I think she misses home. She does. And maybe in her next year, her journey, she– she does get to go back to visit briefly. And then she realises that things have changed, or maybe she has changed, and maybe what she misses is the times before, more than necessarily, uh, the people.
SATAH: I think that there is a part of Duck that has a little bit of– of nerve– like feels, feels some nerves about the idea of settling down. Like, kind of liked the idea that they might like just kind of keep hopping forward. But like, not necessarily in a good way, you know? You know, like– you know, you have people like Connie, who genuinely do want to just travel and have those new experiences. And Duck isn't like that. Duck wants one place, but I think they're– they're scared of making the wrong decision. You know, they love getting prepared for stuff and they're not quite as good at accepting that they've done what they can. And so they miss– they miss being a little less committed, but it's much more fulfilling to be settling in, to– to know where they're going to be for at least the next little while.
And they continue to miss their home and everything, but now they're in a place, and also Connie is traveling so much that like they can send letters with Connie and Connie's constantly coming back from market with people. Like, saying, “Look who I ran into!”
And Duck's childhood best friend tumbles out of the carriage and screams and runs over to them and is just like, “I was selling my clay pots at the thing and then Connie said– that– bkdfgdkfh!”
And so… it's great, you know? People are coming to me! Um, which is also what makes me excited about the future. This is so full of potential and it feels real. It feels good. And…
I've got these two people who I love, who are very different. The lighthouse keeper barely leaves the lighthouse, you know, and Connie always wants to go out, go to the markets, and adventure. I've got these two people who are giving me these two wonderful different perspectives on my life and their lives, and, and teaching me things that I need to achieve that perfect balance for myself.
And I'm excited for work to begin again. Not that– not that I really stopped working. Duck doesn't stop working and there are always things to be done, but they're excited for spring for the first time! Like this is a place where, sure, there's work to be done in fall, and there's always work to be done in spring no matter where you are, but this is a place where like they are going to be BUSY.
The weaver is going to teach them how to work with, like, nets and that kind of thing, and how to work better with these aquatic plant fibers, and I'm going to learn how to channel more power into them.
And I'm going to try and talk to every ghost in the lighthouse. Because I feel like lighthouses just are fucking haunted, you know? Like– like, densely haunted. The lighthouse keeper is, like, a little bit convinced that every single lighthouse keeper is in the lighthouse, it's just that only one of them, like, pops up regularly, because, you know, she's got letters to send to her– her lover. Um. And I'm gonna– I feel like seaside towns just feel haunted as shit, you know. So learning that I have a connection with the dead I'm like, “Yup, this is a place to be. I'm going to investigate all of these. I'm going to touch every single big feeling that's ever happened in this town, and I'm going to figure it out.” 
And it just feels good. It feels right. I'm happy to be here.
AGATHA: What makes her excited about the future is, uh, going back to visit the villages that she's been to already. And then also going back to Ephedra. I think she misses him a lot, too.
And I think she has found what she's desired, which is her place in the world, and who she shall be. 
And that closes this chapter of Ginkgo's life.
SATAH: “Have you found what you desired?” … Yes. And I think that a huge part of that is that I just started on this journey not knowing what I wanted, and I was very lucky that I kept stumbling into things that taught me that, and taught me how to want, and– and how to find things that feel better for me. And so now, with the benefit of hindsight, I'm able to name the things that I wanted, and the things that I didn't want. And in reflecting on that, I am able to take the time to create a vision of my future that I can work towards on purpose, for kind of the first time, after really stumbling through life for a really long time. And that's really special and wonderful.
And that's where we're going to leave Duck: with their partners and their ghosts and their sewing, in their little community by the seaside. This has been village witch!
OUTRO
SATAH: This has been Folio, an actual play podcast about solo and epistolary TTRPGs. To find where you can find the show, check out foliopod.carrd.co. We’re on Patreon at patreon.com/foliopod.
You can find Agatha at mightyshrimp on Bluesky and mightyyshrimp with two Ys on twitter.
You can find Rhiannon at cnidariaa on twitter and find her work at scyphozoan.itch.io.
You can find me at posatahchips on social media generally and check out my other work gay gaygothvibes.online.
This week, Agatha and Rhi and I finished our games of Village Witch by Elliot Crow, linked in the show notes.
Thank you so much for listening. Take care out there.
Happy new year. I'll be back to start off a new game on January tenth. Stay warm, stay connected, stay safe. See you next year.