Listen Now

Hello all! Just a quick update to let you know that the Ryne crowdfunder will be ending 8am Wednesday 23rd (BST). We've fully funded, and hit our first two stretch goal, so there will be a rulebook full of art and guest writers coming 2023! You can still pledge to Ryne here on Indiegogo.com, and we'll be running in-demand pledges once the crowdfunder ends - though we won't necessarily be able to use later pledges toward stretch goals. Thanks so much to everyone who has supported Ryne so far, and we'd really appreciate your help in this last push!  Thryn ^ Adam

Ryne is now on Indiegogo! Help us print Ryne as a beautiful hardback book. Five years ago, we first started thinking about and making These Flimsy Rituals. We spent a year working out what kind of podcast we wanted to create, the kind of stories we wanted to tell and the world we wanted to play in. We sat down to play a game of the Quiet Year and built a community precariously balanced on the edge of a cliff. The people there would celebrate each year when the titan that had, over millennia, carved the canyon that surrounded the villages strode past. Then we drew cards and told the story of their one quite year of peace. An adventurous child climbed out on the branches of the Koak trees that hung over the chasm. A strange group known as the Parish turned up following a weaver named Vilte. A storyteller called Jeddah tried in vain to stop the takeover of the bullish stonemason, Aya. The Remnant didn't walk past. Vilte was poisoned. A Remnant of storm approached. The community fractured between those who chose to seek refuge in the caves beneath their village, and those who fled the coming of the Frost Shepherd. Then, we sat down to play a longer game in that world. We knew that we wanted something that created the kind of collaborative, narrative-focused game we loved, but we couldn't find the one that fit our world. So, we made our own. We called it Ryne. Five years later and Ryne has changed a lot from the game we started with in that first season. Its changed from a rough hack, a mash-up of bits from our favourite Powered by the Apocalypse games, into a game that we think is really polished, sharp and brings its own unique take on both PbtA and fantasy.  We're delighted to bring it to Indiegogo, to get one step closer to printing it as the book we dreamed of when we first started making it. Hardback, full of great art, with evocative details about our world and everything you need to play. We've spent a lot of time shaping, so it works for the stories you want to tell. When you play a game of Ryne, you'll make the world your own. Together you'll create titans of stone and moss and spirit, you'll detail their landscapes, and the people, flora and fauna that make their homes there. You'll tell stories of great journeys, of communities adapting to change, of impossible projects to heal fraying colossi. Ryne is a game shaped around our tagline, "Small stories in big worlds". We can't wait to hear about the world you create and the stories you tell within it.

Hello everyone! This is just a quick announcement to let you know that Ryne will be crowdfunding on Indiegogo this Thursday, 21st of July. Head to our pre-launch page if you want to find out more, and get notified when we launch! Ryne is the game that we played during our first season, Tiding. We've been working on it since before we launched that series in 2018. All told, we've spent probably five years turning it into the game that we want it to be. We feel like it's reached the point where we're ready to bring it to print. We're really proud of it and hope, especially if you're a listener, that it's something that will provide the perfect companion to our show with details about the world and rules for playing your own games of Ryne. We'll bring some more news once we go live, but for now we'd appreciate people signing up for our pre-launch. Basically, the more people that sign up before we launch, the smoother everything goes for us and it becomes more likely that we hit some of our more exciting stretch goals! We'll also be giving one person who signs up a free fabric map of Ryne, added to their pledge.  - adam

"Regardless, we weren't in there long... A couple of nights, as best we could tell, before we were dragged out down Mawk's Mantle. That leaves us back where we started, I guess - the flickering dawn, the stage, the bismuth nooses, that bloody heron. Funny what your mind notices in the direst moments." ~~~ Our ritual fades, our story ends. Behind the fallen arras, twenty years of asking and wondering. Nilkat and Belka stare into the cooling fire. They trace the knot and growth of exhausted timber, with only ash and ember to shape the phantoms of the trees that could have been. ~~~ A finale, then. We play the HISTORY IS GONE BUT WE REMEMBER by Ben Roswell as we let ourselves drift from our tale of Ginnels and Swifts, the bastard nim Shifs and the defiant Maybes. We study the city from a distance, imagine the stories that could have been, those loose ends ready to be woven into our greater tapestry. ~~~ Episode title from Camp Adventure by Delta Sleep ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Chat to us on Discord ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson. Series art by Ben Swinden. Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin.

cw: betrayal, death, violence, arrest   "Boctive Deign, Xenarus Crow, Neah nim Gorse - they’d fill the air with blood and smoke. Their treachery had already claimed Boleth and Serrivomer, they came for us next. There are those that rightly call the Lodge a sanctuary, but I will never step foot there again. For me that place is nowt but a tomb, in its halls our revolution is buried." In an instant, the violent arc of Galena's pistol brings down Embrace's dawn-blessed son and with it the revolution's fault lines are seared into reality. Oken lies dying, Ivar is fractured, Ezra faces an assassins blade, Neah frays at the seams, and Ash must decide where his true loyalties lie. ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Altara nim Shif: Scion of the nim Shif family and their trusted enforcer. Boctive Deign: A charismatic member of the Wolves, whose radical treatises on Embrace are widely distributed and eagerly read. Crik Rise: Leader of the Flint Street Knappers. Once a friend of Ezra and Nilkat, but life has taken them on a different path. Flint Reccan: A former Jackal and companion of Oken, who stayed in Eolith as envoy to Bregu after the slaying of Relict. Galena nim Ovid: The imposing head of the Umbral Provenders and Ash’s aunt. She has ambitious plans for the city. Xenarus Crow: The cynical leader of the Triumphant Maybe and member of the Wolves. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ nim Shif: Embrace’s newest great family. Plotting to take over the city with silvered tongues and bloody blades. Trusted: A small cell of revolutionaries loyal to Neah, headed by Ido Ozk Erut. ~~ PLACES ~~ The Cut: A ghostly echo of Embrace. Caerdroia’s labyrinth unspooled into unknowable maze. Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. A shifting collection of mismatched architecture. A shell for the gall. ~~~ Episode title from Loyalty Festers by Onsind. ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

c/w body horror, family conflict, betrayal “Embrace is a hole. A rip in the heart of the world. It’s like the gardens of Crown’s Ait - petal and green cloistered by wall from the world around. Ordered sweeps of fragant colour and soft, useless lawn. Beautiful, I’m sure, but that beauty belies the effort put into maintaining it” As the Gall blossoms into new life within Winter’s Lodge, betrayal and despair bury their roots beneath it. Hidden out of sight of the revolution, long laid plans break and new purposes are found. Duty and despair clash violently as those drawn to the Gall’s new beginning are at odds over what it means. Oken, Neah and Ash each find themselves grappling with destiny and choice. ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Altara nim Shif: Scion of the nim Shif family and their trusted enforcer. Galena nim Ovid: The imposing head of the Umbral Provenders and Ash’s aunt. She has ambitious plans for the city. Mel: Once an envoy of the remnant, Relict. Brought to Embrace with Oken, she rebuilt her gestalt consciousness beneath the city. She now resides within Oken, dormant but attentive. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ nim Shif: Embrace’s newest great family. Plotting to take over the city with silvered tongues and bloody blades. Trusted: A small cell of revolutionaries loyal to Neah, headed by Ido Ozk Erut. Umbral Provenders: A legitimised organisation of smugglers, who use the cut to smuggle contraband into and out of the city. Based in Atrium, they use criminality to enforce their hold there. ~~ PLACES ~~ The Cut: A ghostly echo of Embrace. Caerdroia’s labyrinth unspooled into unknowable maze. A broken assortment of bismuth lined tunnels that runs over, under and parallel to the physical city. Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. A shifting collection of mismatched architecture. A shell for the gall. ~~~ Episode title from Nothing Fades Like The Light by Orville Peck ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

c/w violence, police, outer-body experiences “A tree of crimson and bone that grew down miles, visible despite the layers of architecture between, its every inch of growth fuelled by the centuries of us. Our blessings and our bonds, our lusting and loving and hoping and playing and learning and striving.” Ivar and Ezra watch the barricades of Tail's End and Loven Street become overwhelmed, as the Pale Lanterns arrive and turn the tide of the fight against them. Hopping from machine to machine, the pair watch the city struggle in snapshots of panic and violence, leaving more of themselves behind with each passing moment.  ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Foible: The second ghostly member of the Jubilant Maybe. Kindly protest prepper. Was murdered by the nim Shifs and the Swifts. Nilkat: A former factory mechanic, turned revolutionary. A member of the Ginnels and our story’s narrator. Oxbow Lake: A member of the Jubilant Maybe, who joined them on the election score. Partner to Foible. Trilvo: The matriarch of Tail’s End. A doctor, used to working on ghosts and spirit. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Likelihood Lads: A group of bookmakers and petty thieves who run the Loven Street races. nim Shif: Embrace’s newest great family. Plotting to take over the city with silvered tongues and bloody blades. Pale Lanterns: A group once founded to guide stray spirits, but over time their purpose has slipped from benevolent, to enforcers, to oppressors. ~~ PLACES ~~ Hinter Ward: Embrace’s southernmost ward. The north is dense tenements, while the south has been abandoned to marsh and spirit. Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. A shifting collection of mismatched architecture. A shell for the gall. ~~~ Episode title from Almost Was Good Enough by Magnolia Electric Co. ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

c/w violence, betrayal, body horror (ghosts) “Ask me to talk about history and politics and you’ll be stuck for hours; ask me about the forces that shape our world and my tongue is still. I place my faith in others interpretations and what they say happened - a new Remnant awoke in Embrace that day.” As alarms wail and the barricades are overrun, Winter's Lodge and the secrets it holds are under threat from all sides. With the nim Shifs closing in and the Death's Defiant on the doorstep, the splintered Jubilant Maybe cling desperately to their tasks. As the pressure rises, they can only hope against hope that they're doing the right thing.  Neah closes a trap, Oken finds his duty, and Ivar and Ezra try to keep themselves together.  ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Altara nim Shif: Scion of the nim Shif family and their trusted enforcer. Anancrik Rise: Leader of the Flint Street Knappers. Once a friend of Ezra and Nilkat, but life has taken them on a different path. Boctive Deign: A charismatic and cunning revolutionary, whose radical treatises on Embrace are widely distributed and eagerly read. Nilkat: A former factory mechanic, turned revolutionary. A member of the Ginnels and our story’s narrator. Winter’s Yawl: An ancient ghost, plotting in the gaps between the cobbles. Allied with Lilylium. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Likelihood Lads: A group of bookmakers and petty thieves who run the Loven Street races. nim Shif: Embrace’s newest great family. Plotting to take over the city with silvered tongues and bloody blades. Pale Lanterns: A group once founded to guide stray spirits, but over time their purpose has slipped from benevolent, to enforcers, to oppressors. ~~ PLACES ~~ Hinter Ward: Embrace’s southernmost ward. The north is dense tenements, while the south has been abandoned to marsh and spirit. Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. A shifting collection of mismatched architecture. A shell for the gall. ~~~ Episode title from I Was A Teenage Anarchist by Against Me! ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin Sounds from JorgenJak on freesound.org

Hello everyone! Unfortunately, there's no new episode today. Thryn is in the middle of submitting their PhD and then taking a well-earned break, so instead we'll release the next part of Embrace either next week or the one after. Sorry if you were looking forward to finding out what's happening with the Lodge and Ash and the horrible, possessed carousel. You'll just have to wait a little bit longer. In other exciting news, we've just released the new playkit for Ryne, the game we play in Tiding! This is the final major update before we hopefully Kickstart next year, so we wanted to tell you about it. We're really proud of the were it is. We've spent a lot of time finessing and reworking its core systems so that it works for the kind of thoughtful fantasy we want to tell (and we hope other groups will want to tell too!). The playkit has four rolebooks (the Guide, Heart, Tethered and Weaver), two ways to play including a quickstart and a load of advice for the Fates to help you run the game. Please, check it out and let us know what you think. You can get the playkit for free here.

c/w gore, loss of identity, body horror (ghosts) “As we lay entangled, fingers on each other's throats, the roots and tendrils of something new grew around us.” There are few options left, but choices must be made. Regrouping in the streets of Tail's End, Ezra and Ivar put the weapon stolen from the Pale Lanterns to use. They risk their selves to defend their cause. Meanwhile, back in the labyrinth, Ash arrives at Rodella's Heart. Carn leads him to the Tender's sacred, grisly relic. It's time to become a Jackal.  ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Altara nim Shif: Scion of the nim Shif family and their trusted enforcer. Carn nim Daker: The ancient founder of the Tenders, the slayer of Caerdroia and Rodella. Body mythologised, sai rule the Jackals still. Dorish nim Shif: A younger member of the nim Shifs. Still a child, appears as a Jackal in Tiding. Galena nim Ovid: The imposing head of the Umbral Provenders and Ash’s aunt. She has ambitious plans for the city. Trilvo: The matriarch of Tail’s End. A doctor, used to working on ghosts and spirit. Valour nim Shif: The leader of the nim Shifs who now stands on the precipice of fulfilling all of her family’s ambitions. Virtue nim Shif: The brother of Valour and Vigor. Has a reputation for not quite matching his sibling's ambitions. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Jackals: More formally known as the Tenders of the Dawn’s Embers, the Jackals are an organisation of remnant hunters guided by strange divination. Likelihood Lads: A group of bookmakers and petty thieves who run the Loven Street races. nim Shif: Embrace’s newest great family. Plotting to take over the city with silvered tongues and bloody blades. ~~ PLACES ~~ Hinter Ward: Embrace’s southernmost ward. The north is dense tenements, while the south has been abandoned to marsh and spirit. Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. A shifting collection of mismatched architecture. A shell for the gall. ~~~ Episode title from Arsonist's Lullabye by Hozier ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

c/w thought invasion, injury, explosions “If we had one advantage, it was that we faced them on our own turf. Most of the fighting would take place amongst the gambling dens and race courses of Hinter Ward. If there were anywhere suited to turn the odds, it were there.” ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Ahste Whist: One of the seven, a group of revolutionaries who mutinied on a warship during the time of the People’s Ward. Branch & Fleece: The chaotic leaders of the Likelihood Lads. The lasses have an ongoing love/hate relationship with Ivar. Carn nim Daker: The ancient founder of the Tenders, the slayer of Caerdroia and Rodella. Body mythologised, sai rule the Jackals still. Crik Rise: Leader of the Flint Street Knappers. Once a friend of Ezra and Nilkat, but life has taken them on a different path. Dorish nim Shif: A younger member of the nim Shifs. Still a child, appears as a Jackal in Tiding. Eviron Eaves: A prominent member of the Winter’s Lodge who the others look to for leadership. Galena nim Ovid: The imposing head of the Umbral Provenders and Ash’s aunt. She has ambitious plans for the city. Valour nim Shif: The leader of the nim Shifs who now stands on the precipice of fulfilling all of her family’s ambitions. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Jackals: More formally known as the Tenders of the Dawn’s Embers, the Jackals are an organisation of remnant hunters guided by strange divination. Likelihood Lads: A group of bookmakers and petty thieves who run the Loven Street races. nim Shif: Embrace’s newest great family. Plotting to take over the city with silvered tongues and bloody blades. Pale Lanterns: A group once founded to guide stray spirits, but over time their purpose has slipped from benevolent, to enforcers, to oppressors. Trusted: A small cell of revolutionaries loyal to Neah, headed by Ido Ozk Erut. ~~ PLACES ~~ Hinter Ward: Embrace’s southernmost ward. The north is dense tenements, while the south has been abandoned to marsh and spirit. Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. A shifting collection of mismatched architecture. A shell for the gall. ~~~ Episode title from Science/Visions by CHVRCHES ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on Patreon  Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

c/w intense peril, kettling, implied death “From Crown’s Ait, three columns of nim Shif soldiers marched on us, followed by Ministers and the Lanterns and the fucking Swifts. And at their head Valour and Vigor themselves, armour gleaming and spears in hand, come to remove the last bit of grit from the shine of their ambition. The second siege of Tail’s End were upon us and we welcomed it.” ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Ahste Whist: One of the seven, a group of revolutionaries who mutinied on a warship during the time of the People’s Ward. Altara nim Shif: Scion of the nim Shif family and their trusted enforcer. Boctive Deign: A charismatic and cunning revolutionary, whose radical treatises on Embrace are widely distributed and eagerly read. Boleth Erul Cater: A long-prominent revolutionary from Calvary. Sai are one of the leaders of the Ginnels. Carn nim Daker: The ancient founder of the Tenders, the slayer of Caerdroia and Rodella. Body mythologised, sai rule the Jackals still. Eviron Eaves: A prominent member of the Winter’s Lodge who the others look to for leadership. Galena nim Ovid: The imposing head of the Umbral Provenders and Ash’s aunt. She has ambitious plans for the city. Ido Ozk Erut: A prominent member of the Winter’s Lodge, who manages a lot of the day-to-day functions. Rhian Fetch-Grimoire: A former member of the Shepherds of the Roil. Ivar’s sister. Roan nim Ovid: A former Umbal Provender who left to study the strangeness of the Cut. Ash’s cousin, Galena’s child. Serrivomer Glass: The “Warden” of the people’s ward of Atrium. Along with Boleth and Boctive, one of the three representatives of the Assembly. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Jackals: More formally known as the Tenders of the Dawn’s Embers, the Jackals are an organisation of remnant hunters guided by strange divination. nim Shif: Embrace’s newest great family. Plotting to take over the city with silvered tongues and bloody blades. Pale Lanterns: A group once founded to guide stray spirits, but over time their purpose has slipped from benevolent, to enforcers, to oppressors. Syndics: Clerks and government officials, embroiled in extortion, corruption and conspiracy. Trusted: A small cell of revolutionaries loyal to Neah, headed by Ido Ozk Erut. ~~ PLACES ~~ Hinter Ward: Embrace’s southernmost ward. The north is dense tenements, while the south has been abandoned to marsh and spirit. Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. A shifting collection of mismatched architecture. A shell for the gall. ~~~ Episode title from Pokémon City Limits by Onsind ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

c/w mindreading, manipulation, surveillance, betrayal, break-ups “But then our triumph broke, torn asunder not by those whose noses we’d bloodied to build it, but those who’d helped us fight for it. Boctive Deign, Xenarus Crow. They’d always held fear in their hearts. That fear would poison our fragile course.” ~~~ The day before the march on the Arrad Chambers and the liberation of Lastreah, Neah Gorse finds saimself alone in the Winter’s Lodge. Below them, the fragile machinery of the revolution whirrs. Messengers run to-and-fro, delivering news to the leaders that sit in council, and return with news and schemes. More than anyone knows, Neah has been building sair knowledge of the revolution’s machinery. As sai comes under other’s dangerous influence, sai might be persuaded to turn the machine to  fouler purpose. ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Boctive Deign: A charismatic and cunning revolutionary, whose radical treatises on Embrace are widely distributed and eagerly read. Darjan Hask: A poet, writer and part of Embrace’s elite. Sai are a childhood rival of Neah. Elif: Apprentice of a fashion house, leader of the Indifferent Maybe (focused on espionage). Eviron Eaves: A prominent member of the Winter’s Lodge who the others look to for leadership. Ido Ozk Erut: A prominent member of the Winter’s Lodge, who manages a lot of the day-to-day functions. Renna: A former Dodger. Joined Roan’s gardens after she found the strange caves beneath Atrium during the first earthquake. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Ginnels: A revolutionary faction formed by the workers of Calvary that use the Maybes as their direct action groups. Wolves: A revolutionary faction that formed in the early days of the Assembly. They believe that acting to secure the revolution’s safety is paramount. ~~ PLACES ~~ Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. A shifting collection of mismatched architecture. A shell for the gall. ~~~ Episode title from Victory by Janelle Monae ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

c/w murder, assassination, heavy wounds, explosions, jailbreak, unreality “Already, there were tears forming in the fabric of our banners. Soon, we’d all be grasping at them, each claiming that we should be the ones to hold them aloft. We’d tear the whole canvas apart.” ~~~ Slipping through the cut, Ash tries to linger amongst the chaos of Lastreach. The revolutionaries have stormed the inner fort and the stubborn remnants of the Hellebore Guard stand between them and the prisoners. Ash can feel something clawing at him though, pulling him elsewhere. Can he hold on long enough to find Mariana, to free his mum? ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Anancrik Rise: Leader of the Flint Street Knappers. Once a friend of Ezra and Nilkat, but life has taken them on a different path. Carn nim Daker: Captain of the Hellebore Guard, personal bodyguard of Strau nim Callad and a deathly efficient soldier. Cloak’s Danse: Captain of the Hellebore Guard, personal bodyguard of Strau nim Callad and a deathly efficient soldier. Crooner: A former Jackal, turned Minister of the True, turned apparent radical. Despite his outward joviality, sai come with a bloody reputation. Galena nim Ovid: The imposing head of the Umbral Provenders and Ash’s aunt. She has ambitious plans for the city. Lena Fisher: The self-declared Tether of Rialla’s Harbour. A former sailor turned radical priest, who teaches a doctrine focused on community. Mariana Pinder: Ash's mum and co-owner of their shop. Arrested for standing up to the Swifts. Rinsaya Cinalo: A former Minister, who served as second to Crooner. Has a reputation for pragmatic idealism. Status Raglan: A political darling of Embrace, jailed after he took credit for Atrium getting a vote. Strau nim Callad: New-crowned head of the nim Callads, following the death of their father Harnal. Fearing nim Shif assassins, is in hiding on Lastreach. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Hellebore Guard: The elite private army of the nim Callads. The house’s money has ensured that their skill hasn’t waned, even as the house’s power has. nim Callad: The former monarchs of Embrace, who refuse to release their grip on their burnished gold. They own most of the city’s land, extracting extortionate rents. ~~~ Episode title from Marigold by Mother Falcon ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

c/w blood, threats, major injury, prisons, jailbreak “I imagine in their heads, they were biding time and collecting their forces, ready at any moment to take the fight to the upstart nim Shifs. In truth, they were kidding themselves. Their doom were writ on Fate’s tapestry, their line would soon be done.” ~~~ Hopeful, but unsure, the would-be abolitionists stand before Lastreach's inner keep. They debate the best way into the heart of the island-prison. Do they try to convince the garrison to side with them? Do they force a breach in the prison’s defences? Do they work with the apparently revolutionary ministers, Rinsaya and Crooner? ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Anancrik Rise: Leader of the Flint Street Knappers. Once a friend of Ezra and Nilkat, but life has taken them on a different path. Cloak’s Danse: Captain of the Hellebore Guard, personal bodyguard of Strau nim Callad and a deathly efficient soldier. Crooner: A former Jackal, turned Minister of the True, turned apparent radical. Despite his outward joviality, sai come with a bloody reputation. Jossa Stoic: Crik’s second in command. Tough and trustworthy, respected by all the Knappers. Rinsaya Cinalo: A former Minister, who served as second to Crooner. Has a reputation for pragmatic idealism. Status Raglan: A political darling of Embrace, jailed after he took credit for Atrium getting a vote. Strau nim Callad: New-crowned head of the nim Callads, following the death of their father Harnal. Fearing nim Shif assassins, is in hiding on Lastreach. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Flint Street Knappers: A gang operating out of Limbus Ward, who use gliders to get around. Most are from families with heritage in the Rushes. Hellebore Guard: The elite private army of the nim Callads. The house’s money has ensured that their skill hasn’t waned, even as the house’s power has. Ministry of the True: Agents of the council who wield extra-judiciary powers and private militias. nim Callad: The former monarchs of Embrace, who refuse to release their grip on their burnished gold. They own most of the city’s land, extracting extortionate rents. ~~ PLACES ~~ Lastreach: The island furthest downstream at the confluence of the Trill and the Callad. It currently serves as the city's notorious jail. ~~~ Episode title from The Guillotine by The Coup. ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

c/w prisons, jailbreak, murder “We declare now the institution of the Common Government of Embrace and proclaim immediate: The dissolution of Embrace’s council. The institution of an Assembly representative of the city’s common citizenry. That this Assembly establish a constitution by which a future government will be formed. It will provide governance during this transitional period, and no person shall hold it back from these duties. Citizens of houses Callad, Daker, Prilicent, Shif, their invested lesser houses and those serving the former council are forbidden from sitting in the Assembly.” ~~~ In the dark hour before dawn, a fleet of ships—fishing ships and trade barges, rowboats and one-person yachts, narrowboats out of the canal’s comfort—break the harbour of Laceport and sail purposefully towards Lastreach. That final island, downstream on the Trill, has served Embrace with a multitude of purposes. Holy ground, watchpost, fort, arable hills for goats, neutral ground, a villa. Now though, it stands as a symbol of tyranny. There is found the city’s jail, and too many languish forgotten on that craggy redoubt. ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Anancrik Rise: Leader of the Flint Street Knappers. Once a friend of Ezra and Nilkat, but life has taken them on a different path. Jossa Stoic: Crik’s second in command. Tough and trustworthy, respected by all the Knappers. Nilkat: A former factory mechanic, turned revolutionary. A member of the Ginnels and our story’s narrator. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Flint Street Knappers: A gang operating out of Limbus Ward, who use gliders to get around. Most are from families with heritage in the Rushes. Laceport Beneficiaries: An illegal, roaming co-op dock that feeds the people of Calvary. Ministry of the True: Agents of the council who wield extra-judiciary powers and private militias. nim Callad: The former monarchs of Embrace, who refuse to release their grip on their burnished gold. They own most of the city’s land, extracting extortionate rents. ~~ PLACES ~~ Calvary: The most densely packed ward, filled with too-small houses and windmill factories. There are rumours that you can disappear into the Cut if you take the wrong turning. Lastreach: The island furthest downstream at the confluence of the Trill and the Callad. It currently serves as the cities notorious jail. ~~~ Episode title from Salem by Bon Iver ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord ~~~ Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin Paper sound effect by GJOS on freesound.

c/w political unrest, takeover of government building, protest, violence “For one moment, the night before, I’d known something like peace. For hours half-a-dozen of us had written and debated and drafted, putting words to the cause that carried our bones. LV was the one to set it and I remember the clacking of their presses as they created copy after copy. The smell of the heat and the paper and the ink lives with me even now. I remember thinking that I should sleep, we should sleep, for the day ahead of us. But how could we, when the future long fought for was being given life before our eyes.” ~~~ As the march reaches the Arrad Chambers, Oken, Ivar and Rhian make their way higher up Marrow to the great temple on top. They hope to make the most of the distraction caused by the unrest. The Pale Lanterns, that faction of ghost hunters that nest beneath the temple, have a weapon that’ll be useful in the struggle to come. They mean to steal it. ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Altara nim Shif: Scion of the nim Shif family and their trusted enforcer. Boctive Deign: A charismatic and cunning revolutionary, whose radical treatises on Embrace are widely distributed and eagerly read. Leader of the Wolves. Boleth Erul Cater: A long-prominent revolutionary from Calvary. Sai are one of the leaders of the Ginnels. Parsib nim Corvanus: Recently elected Warden of Holm and nim Shif lackey. Rhian Fetch-Grimoire: A former member of the Shepherds of the Roil, sworn to keep envoys from Embrace. Ivar’s sister. Serrivomer Glass: The “Warden” of the people’s ward of Atrium. Along with Boleth and Boctive, one of the three representatives of the Assembly. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Pale Lanterns: A group once founded to guide stray spirits, but over time their purpose has slipped from benevolent, to enforcers, to oppressors. ~~ PLACES ~~ Marrow: A ward at Embrace’s heart, built over Caerdroia’s maelstrom. A hill rises to dominate the city, both geographically and politically. The Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. A shifting collection of mismatched architecture. A shell for the gall. ~~~ Episode title from Up the Wolves by the Mountain Goats ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

“The early sessions were long and chaotic, stretching through night and dawn. We slept on the hall’s pews, rather than leaving. Fuelled by a freedom centuries hoped for, it would take time to find our structure and rhythm. There were proposals about fundamental rights alongside those for docking permits, debates about abolition of the swifts alongside those about local bridge tolls.” ~~~ The people of Embrace march. A number greater than the city has ever seen, drawn from across Limbus and Holm, Hinter and Acreage, Calvary and Limbus. The streets, ever hot and humid, fill with their press of body, banner and song. At their head is the Assembly, that council of the revolution whole. They lead the march up the winding streets of Marrow Hill, clutching their declaration. They mean to declare the people’s right to self-rule. Meanwhile, hoping to make the most of this distraction, Ivar, Rhian and Oken move on Marrow with their own purpose. At the top of the hill is Parsant’s great temple of the maelstrom. The Pale Lanterns, holding a cache of spirit weapons, make their nest inside. ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Carn nim Daker: The ancient founder of the Tenders, the slayer of Caerdroia and Rodella. Body mythologised, sai rule the Jackals still. Rhian Fetch-Grimoire: A former member of the Shepherds of the Roil, sworn to keep envoys from Embrace. Ivar’s sister. ~~ FACTIONS ~~ Pale Lanterns: A group once founded to guide stray spirits, but over time their purpose has slipped from benevolent, to enforcers, to oppressors. Parsant: The main religion of Embrace, founded on a rejection of the remnants as divine and a centring of human importance. ~~ PLACES ~~ Marrow: A ward at Embrace’s heart, built over Caerdroia’s maelstrom. A hill rises to dominate the city, both geographically and politically. Temple of the Maelstrom: Along with Rialla's Harbour, one of Embrace's two main temples. It is built atop the Marrow and is rumoured to be constructed over Caerdroia's body. The Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. A shifting collection of mismatched architecture. A shell for the gall. ~~~ Episode title from Take Me To Church by Hozier ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

“And so the first Assembly formed, as our whole revolution broad and various, came with their grievances and their doubts, their dreams and their ideals, and their hopes for what would come next” ~~~ In the shifting halls of Winter’s Lodge, Embrace’s first People’s Assembly meets. The various revolutionary factions coalesce, attempting to find common ground and a shared path forward. We play a very loose hack of The Quiet Year, by Avery Alder, adapted to tell a story of the early days of a revolution. There are loose alliances, attempts to find consensus and meaning, and wrangling over what the revolution actually means. ~~ FACTIONS AND THEIR NOTABLE MEMBERS ~~ The Ginnels: A group of radicals formed mostly from the workers of Calvary. They are radical and focused on direct action. They demand a total dismantling of Embrace’s political structures. Notable members: Boleth Erul Cater (prominent revolutionary), Boctive Deign (revolutionary thinker) Nilkat (firebrand and organiser), Xenarus Crow (Maybe leader) People’s Ward of Atrium: Formed from a mix of Atrium’s workers, shopkeepers and lower-middle classes. They are internally divided between those who see reform as a path forward, and those more radical who align closely to the Ginnels. Notable members: Serrivomer Glass (Warden of Atrium), Coryl nim Triss (prominent shopkeeper) The Associated Interests of Tail’s End: A group of ghosts seeking community and purpose, drawn into the revolution by necessity. Notable members: Trilvo (matron of Tail’s End), Artelish Scarren (clerk) The Loven Street Baricadeers: A mix of radicals, criminals and workers from Loven Street, initially striking over rent. Notable members: Brahal Fret (Viol leader), Branch (Liklihood Lad clerk) Winter’s Lodge: A group of weavers and ghosts, offering sanctuary to those who need it. Notable members: Environ Yves (weaver), Ido Ozk Erut (weaver) Laceport Beneficiaries: Seeking protection for the docks and recognition for their communal membership model. They control trade for the revolution. The Hoskers: Drawn from University students and the middle classes of Atrium. Radical by their family's standards, reactionary centrists by the revolution's. Notable members: Darjan Husk The Ardent: A group of Rushes' immigrants, seeking the disarmament of the Jackals. ~~~ Episode title from Sitting on a Fence, by The Housemartins ~~~ Follow the show on twitter @flimsyrituals Find our website at flimsyrituals.com Support us on patreon patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord  ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin

c/w state/police violence (intro: 1:30-4:20), injury descriptions, discussions of death and post-death, family drama “The rest knew only the ryne of power. They were blades singing to be used, even if by a tyrant’s hand. They came with their Bismuth nooses and gave Mawk’s Mantle its name.” ~~~ Embrace bleeds. The nim Shifs are ascendant, their political rivals defeated. The tide was turning on the revolution. But then comes Winter’s Lodge, breaking through the night and bringing the dawn. It’s not only the nim Shifs that feel blessed by the arrival of the sun. In the new day, the Jubilant Maybe make their plans. It’s time to strike hard. ~~ PEOPLE ~~ Altara nim Shif: Scion of the nim Shif family and their trusted enforcer. Crik Rise: Leader of the Flint Street Knappers. Once a friend of Ezra and Nilkat. Foible: The second ghostly member of the Jubilant Maybe, murdered by the nim Shifs and the Swifts. Galena nim Ovid: Leader of the Umbral Provenders, who led them into an alliance with Lilylium. Ash’s Aunt. Oxbow Lake: A member of the Jubilant Maybe, partner to Foible. Rhian Fetch-Grimoire: A former(?) member of the Shepherds of the Roil, sworn to keep envoys from Embrace. Ivar’s sister. Serrivomer Glass: The unofficial Warden of the People’s Ward of Atrium. Revolutionary leader in hiding. Cherib & Zedek nim Gorse: Neah’s parents. Respected members of Embrace’s upper-middle class. Amris, Caoimhe & Panna Graft: Ezra’s family. Amris is the adoptive mam to them all and the leader of the Painted Hands. Avery, Dalton and Mariana Pinder: Ash’s parents, run a shop in Atrium. Mariana was arrested for standing up to the Swifts. ~~ PLACES ~~ Atrium: An old neighbourhood near the docks, once home to wholesale markets and cafes. Bordered by the Castings, the Tear and the headquarters of the Tenders of the Dawn’s Embers. Calvary: The most densely packed warded, full of too-small houses and windmill factories. There are rumours you can disappear into the Cut if you take the wrong turn. Hinter: At the tip of Embrace’s tail. A mixing ground of working class residents and upper-class visitors from neighbouring Acreage, come to watch races at its stadium. Winter’s Lodge: A place pulled out from the cut. Shifting architecture home to the gall. ~~~ Episode title from So Sad (So Sad) by Martha ~~~ Find the show @flimsyrituals or flimsyrituals.com Support us at patreon.com/theseflimsyrituals Chat to us on Discord ~~~ Hosted by Adam Dixon. Starring Beck Michalak, Elizabeth Simoens, Ryan Evans, Steve Martin and Thryn Henderson. Produced by Thryn Henderson Series art by Ben Swinden Music taken from Kai Engel’s Satin