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 the Mystery Solvers' Club as they return from their summer road trip, start their senior year of high school, and encounter The Toymaker.

Summary
Sherlock Holmes opens the episode with a narrative monologue about his investigative methods. He claims to be tracking a lead across the Atlantic that brings him to La Laiterie.

Newcastle County High School
(Sunday, 9th September, 1979)

The Mystery Solvers' Club return from their mystery-solving summer road trip and park Bob McGovern's van in the Newcastle County High School parking lot. It is the day before the school year starts. They each have returned with a framed newspaper clipping of a mystery they solved and head inside the school to hang it in their clubroom.

Haley Holst's case is The Deer from Hell. The Club was investigating reports of an aggressive deer with 'crimson antlers' and 'matted, bloodstained fur'. Haley interviewed an older lady about her sighting when she mentioned that she had found her kids hiding a half-used can of red paint. Triangulating reported sightings, Maurice Bailey found discarded slingshots, ruptured balloons, and splashes of red paint. A local ranger station tracked and cleaned the deer, and the kids were sentenced to cleaning up litter.

Kevin "K.C." Cardenas' case is The Midnight Stalker. Haley was too busy to act as bait to lure out a ghost that was said to only stalk women, so K.C. had to wear a dress and ponytail to catch what turned out to be a weirdo in a ghost outfit. The newspaper clipping 'misidentifies' K.C. as a woman. Bob offhandedly mentions to The Narrator that K.C. insisted, even when Bob or Maurice could have done it.

Maurice's case is The Spook in the Stacks. Investigating reports of a smoky apparition in a university library, the police were all to happy to share which clubs they were suspecting as culprits. Thinking it might be supernatural, Maurice discovered it was actually a broken smoke vent pipe. In retelling the story he sounds as if he is covering up something, but it is never stated what.

Bob's case did not have a name. The club discovered the culprit in a case was a serial burglar whom they caught in the act. As a track runner, Bob was able to chase him down and catch him. They got a medal, which now hangs from the rear view mirror of their van.

Each of them hammer their framed story into the wall of their clubroom - the classroom of their supervisor, Ms. Margaret Green. The teacher in question enters the room and is surprised to see them there before school starts. Ms. Green is proud of their work and has managed to convince the school to grant them Civic credits for it. She sends them home to shower and rest.

Bailey Family Home
With Bob driving everyone home in their van, they stop at Maurice's place first. Maurice's father is struggling to set up a "Welcome Home Maurice" banner when they arrive, and his entire large family comes out and swarms him. The Mystery Solvers' Club is invited inside for dinner, where they are fed plates stacked high with food as Maurice's younger siblings start bugging the other Club members with incessant questions and need for attention.

Cardenas Family Home
Next to be dropped off is K.C. He tries to sneak into the back of his house to finish off a to-go plate he was given by Maurice's mother, but is immediately noticed by his own mother who showers him with love. He drops by his sister Gloria's room where she has an awkward and apathetic conversation with him. K.C.'s father catches up to him and warmly greets him home, unfortunately emphasizing K.C.'s masculinity. K.C. finally escapes to his room and retrieves a journal from a small padlocked box hidden in their closet, where she writes down her true feelings about the journey.

Connelly and Holst Family Home
Haley is dropped off next. As she approaches her front door, her father Patrick Connelly opens it to let out two golden retrievers who tackle Haley to the ground. When she escapes, he brings her in for a hug and is joined by Haley's other father, Fred Holst. Haley informs Patrick that the 'ghost box' he helped with didn't work, and her theory about ghosts communicating via AM/FM radio needs refinement.

Uncle Jake's House
Lastly, Bob returns home to their uncle Jake. Their uncle checks in with them, and lets them know that there's some Oscar Mayer in the fridge and that Three's Company is on if they want to watch.

Camelot Toys
(Monday, 10th September, 1979 - After School)

With little happening on the first day of the school year, Maurice takes the rest of the Mystery Solvers' Club with him to Camelot Toys, as his mother has asked him to buy a present from there for his youngest sister Vivica. As they pull outside the store in Bob's van, they hear a train whistle. This means they will not be able to leave for 20-25 minutes due to the train that runs down the middle of La Laiterie's Historic Downtown area.

K.C. splits the significant amount of money his parents gave him for the road trip between the four of them, so they can each buy a present for Vivica. Bob instead keeps the money for gas, as it was their van they've been driving around in. While being shown a 36-piece tea set by K.C., Maurice accidentally knocks some items over and draws the attention of the shopkeeper.

The toymaker claims they were all meant to be here a month ago, which confuses the Mystery Solvers' Club as they have made no appointment. Haley purchases a pony set for Vivica, but the shopkeeper sets it aside and examines her palm. He does the same for K.C., Maurice, and Bob (despite Bob making no purchase). The toymaker heads into the backroom and the Club joins him after a quick discussion and The Narrator confirms it is not a horror setup.

In the work room in the back, the shopkeeper quickly and deftly creates a small wood carving for the each of them. Each carving is in the form of that person's soon-to-be Eidolon. Haley's is a nebula-covered torso with a solar system mobile for a head. K.C.'s is an impressionistic carving of a projection of a lady made of sunlight, with wisps of starflame escaping her. Bob's looks like their favourite comic book superhero, The Speedster. Lastly, Maurice's is a variety of extra-small people depicted in roles of a film crew.

The toymaker informs the Mystery Solvers' Club that these are their effigies, and that they are very important. He hands each of them a hand-addressed envelope and informs them that if they are willing to accept the responsibility, then open their envelope when they are alone and no one else can read it.

Appearances
● Bob McGovern (First Appearance)

● Fred Holst (First Appearance)

● Gloria Cardenas (First Appearance)

● Haley Holst (First Appearance)

● Jake (Bob's Uncle) (First Appearance)

● Kevin "K.C." Cardenas (First Appearance)

● K.C.'s Parents (First Appearance)

● Margaret Green (First Appearance)

● Maurice Bailey (First Appearance)

● Maurice Bailey's Parents (First Appearance)

● Patrick Connelly (First Appearance)

● Sherlock Holmes (First Appearance)

● The Narrator

● The Toymaker (First Appearance)

Trivia
● In the mid-episode ad break, Luke Varner announced that if Eidolon Playtest reaches the top 1000 podcasts on Patreon by the end of the year, he will create four one-page RPGs and GM them in a miniseries called Eidolon GABE. The goal was not met, so the miniseries was never created.

● Bob McGovern's uncle Jake is watching the first episode of Season 4 of Three's Company. In our world, this was released on 11th September, 1979, but it is noted that it was released a week early in the world of Eidolon DISCO. From this, we can deduce the campaign starts the week of 3rd September, 1979.

● Kevin "K.C." Cardenas' sister, Gloria Cardenas, is reading A Study in Scarlet, the first book featuring Sherlock Holmes. This alludes to his imminent involvement in the campaign.