02x02 - The Persian Die Block

[bunniefuu]

Shall we play a game?

The life of

a working stiff is rough, huh, Mom?

Remind me, are you volunteering

at the Paxton Museum

or the school of overdramatic arts?

Oh, Horus.

So young, so naive.

One day you'll understand.

No, please.

Tell me all the hard work

you did at the museum today.

Pandora helped set up for a fundraiser

and played hide-and-seek

in the sculpture garden.

This is so nice.

I'm glad we're getting back to

a normalish life, for now at least.

Don't ruin your appetite. Dad's excited

about cooking dinner for us tonight.

He's been feeling kind of lost,

so let's be supportive.

- Okay?

- Good evening, family.

Hope you're ready for something special

from Chef Alexander Vanderhouven.

I woke up today with a craving for this.

What the heck?

It's turbot, a family favorite.

You're in for a treat.

Yeah, you ever wonder if everything

the Vanderhouvens did was cursed?

Honey, how about we freeze the fish

and save it for the weekend?

We are all really hungry

and this sounds like

it'll take a while to prep.

Yo, Dad.

Heard anything from the briar lately?

Just mumblings, but nothing urgent.

What kind of mumblings?

Hissing, whispering

and sometimes my mind is fuzzy.

Kind of like when I was in the void.

I need to do more research,

but I suspect that much time outside

your body would have lasting consequences.

When you figure it out, let me know.

Love to get back to normal.

Funny you say that.

Mom and I were just talking about

how nice it is to do normal stuff.

I know your

I-want-something face, Pandora.

Spit it out.

I was thinking, "What's more normal

than Devi sleeping over Friday?"

We love Devi,

but the situation is different

now that we know there are

cursed artifacts in the house.

We've always had the artifacts.

We just didn't know they were cursed.

Someone prepped

that defense ahead of time.

Nicely done, Pan.

Me and Devi had

so many plans for the summer,

but I had to bail every time.

I just want things to go back to

the way they were, if only for one night.

Please?

Okay, Devi can sleep over tomorrow.

But it's vital we all act like

the Restricted Wing does not exist.

This secret cannot get out.

There are dangerous people out there

who would do anything

to acquire the artifacts.

I hear you. Loud and clear.

You two will have to stay in

the Restricted Wing that night. Sorry.

Fine by us.

We've been down there a hundred years.

What's another night?

And I'll be showing my plans

for the Babylonian exhibit

to the curators from London.

I'm also bringing superstar archaeologist

Alex Vanderhouven with me.

Are you now?

They're huge fans of your work.

I suppose I could help you out.

Not that you need it,

because you're the real superstar.

No, you are.

Please stop.

This is more disgusting than the turbot.

I've got everything we need

for a bestie refresh.

Ice cream, spooky movies, board games.

Devi!

I'm so happy you're here.

Thanks, Pan.

I haven't been here in a while.

Three whole months.

I know, I know.

I missed you.

I missed you too,

which is why I called a lot.

But every time we made plans,

you canceled with some weird excuse

about hanging out

with your mom and your brother.

I'm really sorry.

There's been a lot going on.

Greek knucklebones?

Check.

- Did you start without me?

- Don't worry.

Nothing's missing, like last night,

and the night before,

and the night before.

We must be vigilant after the theft

of the bracelet from the Egyptian room.

I got it. Quit your fussing.

Now where were we?

Nesting doll? Check.

Persian die block?

Check?

No, mate.

Look.

Where is the Persian die block?

Alex!

The prodigal son returns.

Glad to see my favorite

power couple live and in person.

Sky is the power tonight.

I'm just the power's plus-one.

You're too kind.

Our friends from London are

excited to hear about the exhibit, Sky.

Acquiring the Throne of Sargon

is an impressive feat.

You two go on ahead.

I just need to look at something.

I'll catch up.

Don't get too distracted.

Lots of good stuff here, huh, Devs?

Yep.

Let's play Battle Stratagem.

You mean the game with

the dictionary-sized rule book?

Yeah! After an hour

of explaining the rules,

it really gets going.

Yeah, no.

How about you pick?

What about this one?

Yes! I'm so in.

Pharaoh's Frenzy is always a good time.

There's no dice in here.

That's weird.

There aren't any dice in any of these.

Dad and I played

Templar's Trial yesterday.

The die was there.

Hold on. What's that?

I've never seen that one before.

Well, at least we can play.

It's gonna be fun kicking your butt.

No, it's gonna be fun kicking your butt.

Here's volume one of

the Battle Stratagem Compendium.

We're doing that game?

It's okay. Maybe next time.

Wow, this is cool.

Hang on a sec.

Shall we play a game?

Who was that?

What's going on?

You face the Trial of the Manticore.

The what of the who?

Manticore: a mythological creature,

Persian in origin.

Russ, can you help me with something?

Devi, don't move.

The die's a cursed artifact, isn't it?

Forget that. I can't open the door.

You cannot leave a game in progress.

These are the rules,

and the rules are unalterable.

Pan? Yeah, this is kind of scary.

You think that was scary?

You ain't seen nothing yet.

Pandora, what are you doing?

Surprise, Devi!

It's IRL Game Night:

The Immersive Experience.

You did all this for me?

Yeah. Russ really amped up

his AV skills this summer.

VR, holograms, all that tech stuff.

Right, Russ?

I sure did.

Wow, this is amazing.

Absolutely. Everything you see here

comes from Russ's powers of illusion.

Get ready for the best time ever.

Okay. How do we start?

Well, first you roll the

Silence!

Hear my edicts.

There are too many mouths to feed.

You are the villagers

chosen to compete this harvest.

Harvest?

I was being authentic to the era.

The first Persian Empire.

Okay.

Each player takes

a turn rolling the die block,

then moves

the corresponding number of spaces.

Players complete challenges

to earn seed bags.

Seed bags? What? Nice! Wicked authentic.

Acquire ten seed bags

to enter my lair.

There, you will face me in one final test.

Best me and victory is yours.

The winner shall decide

the fate of those less worthy.

The magic of projectors.

"Decide the fate"? What does that mean?

In my experience, nothing good.

I better do some quick research.

You keep your eye on the children.

I guess I'm first.

What do I do now?

You have acquired your first seed bag.

One seed bag down, nine to go.

What? You got one already?

Why are you so surprised?

You designed the game.

I'm surprised you're both

so good at it on the first try.

Yes!

My turn, finally.

Maybe this won't be so bad.

You spoke too soon.

Prepare for a challenge of the mind.

Bring it on.

Pick the correct chest

and earn a seed bag.

Pick the wrong one,

and pay a bitter price.

My riddle is the clue: "Bet on sunset,

for sunrise is your demise."

Sunset, suns set.

A set of suns.

The sun is hot, or

Are you texting right now?

The sun rises in the east

and sets in the west.

"Bet on sunset," the western chest!

- That one!

- Correct.

Open the chest to claim your prize,

then proceed to the next room.

You should have more faith in me.

What if Devi picked that one?

That was a real snake.

My best friend almost got demised.

This game is no joke.

We have to find a way to break

the curse before someone gets hurt.

Alex!

I looked everywhere for you.

I

You blacked out again, didn't you?

- Come on. Let's go home.

- What?

No. No, it's your big night. I want to

meet the curators from London and

It's been an hour.

The meeting is over.

They left.

Sky, I'm so sorry.

Don't worry about it.

Pandora.

Did you take a cursed artifact

for your game night?

No, it was already up here.

Well, if you didn't, who did?

Quick, don't move.

Spooky!

Never noticed this guy before.

I like his braids.

This can't be good.

You have rolled the Mark of the Manticore.

If you succeed

in completing this challenge,

you shall receive five seed bags.

If you fail,

your fate will hang in the balance.

Even in times of famine,

the king eats first.

Stand behind the branch

and throw a fig into his mouth.

You have one chance.

This is just like a carnival game,

and those are just basic physics.

You have failed!

You must now await your fate!

Russ!

Who was that?

I thought your parents were out tonight.

Even Russ isn't this good.

What's going on? Tell me the truth.

The victor shall decide his fate.

Only two remain.

The game does not end

until a winner is chosen.

These are the rules,

and the rules are unalterable.

Pandora, I don't wanna do this anymore.

Can we please stop?

The game cannot progress

until my challenge is complete.

I don't know if we can.

You cannot leave a game in progress!

I think we should listen to

the loud, angry voice in the sky.

Okay, if you say so.

Then I'm gonna go

figure out this fig game.

Give me a sec.

I have to use the ladies' room.

What happened to Russ?

I don't know. He got dragged away.

That is because you're in the midst of

a cursed game from ancient Persia.

Its stakes are quite high.

But is Russ okay? Can I save him?

It appears you should be able to decide

his fate if you win the manticore's game.

No pressure.

"The die block originated

in a Persian village around 500 BC.

According to legend,

the village had been blessed with

a steady harvest year after year.

But as the village's population grew,

the food wasn't enough.

Scarcity led to fights

between the villagers.

They went to the manticore for advice.

His riddles were known

to magically solve problems,

great and small.

The manticore forged

a twelve-sided die block

for a game designed to control

the village's population.

The winner would decide

the fate of the losers.

Those who were chosen

became one less mouth to feed."

They literally lost their mouths?

We can't just win this game,

or one of us will lose our mouths too.

We need to break this curse.

I got it!

He said we have to

stand behind the branch.

He never said we couldn't move it.

- Five seed bags are yours.

- Yeah, they are.

Now you have to tell me

what's going on here.

Devi, I wanna tell you everything,

but we've gotta finish the game first.

Please work with me here.

Fine. You wanna play games? We'll play.

And I'll win because I'm better than you,

at least at being a friend.

What am I going to do?

For now, the best way to keep

your mate safe is to continue playing.

I'll stay close, in case I can help.

And I'm going to see if I can find

any more information

on how to break this curse.

You cannot enter a game in progress.

Alex!

You cannot enter a game in progress.

These are the rules,

and the rules are unalterable.

Oh, no. The kids.

You have each

collected ten seed bags.

Prepare for your final test.

It sounds like the voice

is coming from behind that door.

What! What did you see?

Okay, here's the deal.

We didn't plan this game.

My family's cursed.

Why didn't you tell me earlier?

Because I was trying to keep

my bonkers family curse

separate from everything else.

But reversing the curses are an

important part of my life, just like you.

And honestly,

I wasn't sure if you'd believe me.

I don't know if I believe you.

I don't know what to believe.

Enter and face your fate!

There is no turning back now.

Your final challenge is simple.

The one who reaches

the center of the maze first

will be the victor

and will decide the fate of the others.

No way! We don't want to play

your stupid game anymore!

Yeah! Best friends don't care who wins.

Hey. The floor's disappearing.

He's making us play.

Hold on, Devi. I'm coming.

Devi? Devi, where are you?

Russ!

I got you.

Devi! You're my hero.

No!

You have failed!

You are the victor.

You must choose

the one less mouth to feed.

I choose neither.

I don't want my brother

or my best friend to lose their mouth.

These are the rules,

and the rules are unalterable.

You don't solve a problem

just by eliminating things.

You have to work through things.

Devi and I do it all the time.

You must choose!

Then I choose you!

Yours is the one less mouth to feed.

Me?

You can't choose me.

You said I had to choose someone.

You never said I couldn't choose you.

The rules say I get to decide,

and the rules are unalterable.

- Kids!

- Are you okay?

Hey. We're fine.

It's okay, Mr. and Mrs. V.

I know your family's cursed.

But don't worry, my lips are sealed.

Too soon, Devi. Too soon.

Same plan next weekend?

Yeah, but maybe at my house.

This is delish, Dad, for real.

Glad you like it.

It's a turbot and squash omelet.

I'm glad everything turned out all right,

but I want to know how

that die block got upstairs.

That wasn't exactly

the quiet night I was expecting.

Better get used to it, Bro.

I'm starting to think quiet

isn't an option for Vanderhouvens.