DISCO 1: September, Part 1

"Golden dreams were shiny days..."' -September by Earth, Wind & Fire

September, Part 1 is the first true episode of Eidolon DISCO and the third episode of Eidolon Playtest Season 3. It covers...

Summary
Opening monologue from Sherlock Holmes about his investigative methods. He is 'tracking a lead across the Atlantic' and arrives in La Laiterie.

Scene: Newcastle County High School, outskirts of La Laiterie

A red panel van labeled WILD CHERRY exits off the highway and parks in the high school parking lot. In the van is Bob, Haley, K.C., and Maurice. Inside the van is a parchment hung up on a corkboard, covered with a photocopied map and thumbtacks. Dog is there too in his terrarrium.

They have returned from a roadtrip together. They're the Mystery Solvers' Club, on-paper for getting hands-on experience with mystery, science fiction, and horror literature. They hadn't found much paranormal in La Laiterie, so went on a two-month road trip around the tri state. They've solved a bunch of mysteries, none of them ending up paranormal. The van stinks.

They head inside school, which starts tomorrow. They head to their clubroom, Ms. Margaret Green's classroom, with framed newspaper stories of mysteries they solved. K.C. confronts the Narrator about their reliability.

The Deer from Hell - Haley's Case At a town, drivers, hunters, and teens looking for a makeout spot, reported a vicious deer with crimson antlers, and matted bloodstained fur. Acted as if possessed. Interviewd Mrs. Talbit about her sighting. Her life had been stressful lately with plumbing repair, kids hiding a half-used can of paint, and now this hell-deer. Haley asked what colour of paint the kids stole, it was red. Using a map to mark down sighting, the gang split into two teams to find evidence of kids entering the forest. Maurice spotted discarded slingshots, ruptured balloons, and splashes of paint. They informed a nearby ranger station that cleaned the deer. The kids were sentenced to cleaning up litter.

The Midnight Stalker - K.C.'s Case Reports of ghosts or apparition were stalking woman in a small town at midnight. Haley was busy prepping the trap, so K.C. had to be the decoy and dressed as a woman! Wore a dress, put on a ponytail. Captured the guy, a weirdo in a ghost outfit. The newspaper article noting it calls K.C. a girl, and K.C. is obviously not a girl, but the case remains her favourite. Bob notes K.C. insisted on being the decoy.

The Spook in the Stacks - Maurice's Case Maurice and Haley sometimes study together in the library. At a library, there were rumors of a smoky apparition. The library police were focussing on clubs, but Maurice thought it might be supernatural. Maurice discovered it was a smoke vent pipe that had broken.

Bob's Unnamed Case - Bob's Case A case everyone was on turned out to be a serial burgler. They caught him in the act, and Bob chased him down and caught him. Bob got a medal. It is now hanging from the rear view mirror.

They hammer the picture-framed stories into the wall with nails. Their teacher, Ms. Green, walks in and welcomes them back. She looks over their stories. She lets them know she convinced the school to treat the road trip as Civics credit. She shoos them home so they can rest.

Bob drives around to drop people off first. They go to Maurice's first. His dad is struggling with a Welcome Home Maurice banner. His dad shouts inside upon seeing the van, and the whole family comes out. He gets swarmed by his family. His dad welcomes him home and invites everyone in for dinner. Mom piles the plates up way to high and hands it out to everyone. K.C. digs in. Haley minds her manners. Maurice's younger siblings are very forthcoming. One gives someone a tooth that came out recently. The twins are arguign about something and want someone to pick a side. Haley tries to explain but they get bored. Dad quizzes Haley on their experience. K.C. mentions the incorrect pronouns, and Maurice's dad offers to call up the paper and have it corrected. Everyone else excuses themselves. Mom gives K.C. a to-go plate.

Bob drops K.C. off next. K.C. is 5'5"-5'6". A really nice house, 2-3 stories. A couple of big entrances. K.C. tries to go through the back so to not get noticed, get to his room, and finish his plate. His mom immediately notices and showers him with love. She encourages him to take a shower. She calls him Kevin and his face drops. K.C. drops in Gloria's room and says hi. Gloria is reading a book. K.C. stands in the door frame and knocks on the door. She greets him apathetically. She is reading A Study in Scarlet for school. They have an awkward conversation. His father calls out to K.C. loudly, bear hugs him, emphasises how much of a man he is. K.C. has shaved his beard. K.C. goes to their room, takes out a small padlocked box hidden in their closet and writes in her journal. He puts the journal back then goes to sleep.

Bob drops Haley off next. Her house is on the outskirts of town. Her family has a larger plot of land, a horse property. They have a lot of animals. As she approaches the door, Patrick opens it and two golden retrievers bolt out and tackle Haley to the ground. Patrick laughs. Patrick brings her in for a hug, and Fred comes up and greets her with a hug too. He doesn't mind the smell as he has been knee-deep in horse shit. They all hug and talk about her trip. Haley tells Patrick the 'ghost box' he helped her make didn't work. Her theory about ghosts communicating through AM/FM radio didn't bear out. If ghosts exist, there must be a way to detect them.

Bob gets home. Bob lives with their Uncle. Not poor, but least well off. Basic house. Head inside. His uncle checks in, and lets him know there's some Oscar Meyer in the fridge. He doesn't get up from his seat, watching Three's Company. Right at the beginning of season 4.

Next day. First year of senior year of high school. Word of the Mystery Solvers' Club activites has spread slightly and people think they're cool. Maurice is in a prep uniform, even though this school doesn't have one. Bob wears a hoodie regardless of the weather. K.C. wears a leather jacket and a black shirt with band logo regardless of the weather. K.C. hides in the back of class so no one notices him. Nothing much happens that day.

Last night, Maurice's mom reminded him that his youngest sister Vivica's birthday is coming up. She wants him to stop by the toy store on the way home. Bob gives people a ride to and from school. After school they pile in and head to the Downtown area. Downtown is two city blocks and has a 'rustic vibe'. A small amount of tourist traffic. One of those streets has a railroad running through the middle, that is a big pain in the ass as you have to pull over and wait when the train comes.

They pull outside the toy shop. The train bell goes, meaning they're stuck there for 20-25 minutes. Bob comes to this toy shop often as they have comic books.

Trivia
This episode starts a bit where the protagonists interact with the narrator.

In the ad read, Luke Varner announces Eidolon GABE, a four episode mini-campaign that will happen if they reach the top 1000 podcasts on Patreon. Fabby will also do a Persona Let's Play series.

Three's Company Season 4 started September 11, 1979. In this universe it started a week early, so it must be around 9th September.