"On High We Go" is the first episode of season 26, Cloudward, Ho!
Introduction[]
"We return for another thrilling season of Dimension 20 to a brand-new, never-before-seen world: the world of Gath, a world of high-flying stunts and wild adventure into parts unknown, chasing that courage at horizon’s edge. It’s Cloudward, Ho! We’re doing steampunk! I bring you now to the world of Gath, a world of machine wonder and machine peril, a world of innovation, technology and progress."
Synopsis[]
Flight of the Zephyr[]
The Hotel Ipswich, Hicklebottom Ridge, New Pilby, Gath, 1363
A newsreel introduces the crew of the dirigible Zephyr, led by Professor Comfrey MacLeod, 60, veteran Windrider and inventor of the normal-air balloon. They are Vanellope "Van" Chapman, a 6-foot-tall, muscular boatswain; Marya "Junker" Junková, a 20-year-old Scrapsylvanian and the youngest pilot in Windrider Society history; Montgomery "Monty" LaMontgommery, a broad-shouldered mountain man and wilderness guide given to poetic words of wisdom; and Daisuke "Pappy" Bucklesby, a former outlaw now in MacLeod's employ and rumored to be romantically involved with her. Other Windrider adventurers with the Zephyr include Haunch Saxon and Sylvio Dufresne. The newsreel also introduces Maxwell Gotch, the 10-year old grandson of MacLeod's investor, Cadswitch Gotch; and Olethra MacLeod, Professor MacLeod's infant grandchild.
The crew of the Zephyr gathers on the deck of the vessel for a photograph before setting forth on a new expedition.
Maxwell Gotch, Repo Man[]
Nineteen years later, in the drawing room of the Gotch family manor, family accountant Ouroboros Codswallop informs the Gotches — Maxwell; his older brothers, Samwell, Blanewell, Roywell, Hatwell, Wealwell and Johnwell; and their father, Longspot — that they are in financial ruin. Professor MacLeod’s scientific advancements were next to impossible to monetize, and she spent years fruitlessly searching for Zood, the mystical, mythical 28th continent of Gath. Thus, all of her expeditions offered zero return on Cadswitch Gotch’s investments.
Maxwell suggests that, given Professor MacLeod has long been missing and is only presumed dead, it’s possible that her quest for Zood hasn’t actually failed and could still make good on the Gotch family’s investment. Maxwell and Hatwell butt heads over the matter. Longspot points out that, despite attending a prestigious university, Maxwell is the only one of his sons with strangely bruised knuckles. He accuses Maxwell of being “a rowdy.” Samwell, the eldest and most reasonable of the brothers, defends Maxwell.
Codswallop recommends repossessing and auctioning off Professor MacLeod’s remaining assets, including the Zephyr, to mitigate as much of the Gotch family’s financial loss as possible. Maxwell is aghast, insisting that Professor MacLeod’s legacy has sentimental value to the Gotches because “she put our name in the sky.” Longspot counters that they can’t take that to the bank.
Longspot assigns each of his sons to travel to a different location in Gath where Professor MacLeod left behind things that the Gotches can repossess. While his father issues the assignments, Maxwell notices a document that appears to be a deed to a farm. He recognizes a small mark on the deed. It's a mark of the Windrider Society Cog Scout Club, of which Maxwell was a member during his childhood. The mark indicates that there's invisible ink somewhere on the document.
The farm is the home of Professor MacLeod’s son, Hutch, and his family. Codswallop explains that they live outside of society as sovereign citizens whose political ideology holds that laws can be created only by individuals. They are loudly opinionated and heavily armed. Longspot assigns Maxwell to go and repossess the MacLeod family farm.
Out of frustration, Maxwell punches Hatwell. Samwell calmly tells Maxwell to be reasonable. Longspot again accuses Maxwell of being a rowdy. Samwell defends Maxwell again, shouting this time, then bursting into tears. Longspot apologizes. Maxwell affirms that he is, in fact, a rowdy. At that, Wealwell, who is solid but emetic, vomits. He had been excited to be assigned to travel to the South Pole, but realizing he’s too queasy to make that trip, he agress to go with Maxwell to the MacLeod farm instead.
Longspot hands the deed to Maxwell, instructing him to let the MacLeods know that the Gotches will squeeze every penny they can from them. Codswallop mentions he’s received a missive from the Ministry of Deranged Science stating that Lord Kensington Cosgrove Mordecestershire is looking for a closure on the deed. Longspot asks if Mordecestershire was working with Professor MacLeod at the end, and Codswallop confirms he was.
Maxwell and Wealwell report to the Gotch family’s air crew, led by Captain Miryam Dawderdale. Maxwell lies to her, claiming that Longspot instructed him to commission the Zephyr to travel to the MacLeod farm instead of using one of the blimp company’s fleet. Wealwell backs up the deception. Dawderdale is excited for the chance to pilot the Zephyr. Maxwell encourages everyone to “get a bit rowdy,” which appears to give Dawderdale a mild orgasm. They board the Zephyr and take to the sky, heading for the MacLeod farm.
The MacLeod Farm[]
Way out in the desert, about a two-hour drive from the nearest town, lies the MacLeod family farm. Olethra MacLeod, now 20 years old, sits in an old, disused, 12-foot-tall mech suit that bears the mark of MacLeod; it’s one of her grandmother’s inventions. Olethra uses the mech suit as a personal hangout spot like a treehouse. Her father, Hutch, approaches to ask if she let their guinea fowl out of its pen. Olethra quickly and easily lassos the 8-foot-tall, ostrich-sized guinea fowl, and Hutch thanks her.
Hutch is wary about Olethra messing with her grandmother’s mech suit, because it speaks to her yearning for adventure. He insists that there’s plenty of adventure in the life their family lives, because they can do whatever they want as long as they never go anywhere. Olethra says she may one day like to go somewhere. Hutch tells her she’s breaking his heart. It stil affects him deeply that his mother was almost never around, rarely visiting home between expeditions. “It’s not like you just see the Zephyr flying in on any given night,” he laments. At that moment, the Zephyr flies into view. Stunned, Hutch and Olethra think it must be Professor MacLeod reappearing after eight years. Olethra mounts the oversized guinea fowl and rides out to meet the Zephyr.
Aboard the ship, Maxwell believes the guinea fowl means to attack. Captain Dawderdale advises against landing directly at the farm, instead recommending they reroute to the nearest town, Gulch Canyon, to refuel and to hire a car to drive them to the MacLeods. Maxwell agrees but suggests that Wealwell, who’s thrown up again, should remain aboard. Wealwell says he’ll stay and guard the ship.
Maxwell retires to the captain’s quarters so he can examine the invisible ink written on the deed to the farm. He still has his Windrider Society Cog Scout Club decoder ring and a copy of “A Strange Foe at Oh No Plateau” by Montgomery LaMontgommery with the invisible ink decoder cipher printed in the back. He deciphers the secret message to read, “Prototype radio frequency: aught, pi, omega.”
The Zephyr arrives at Gulch Canyon, a rowdy town for a rowdy fellow. The smell of gentlemanly sport — sweat in mustaches, blood on canvas, money changing hands — nearly spurs Maxwell to bare his knuckles and oil up his body. With an effort, he maintains his composure. Captain Dawderdale sends Corporal Ramona Diaz and Corporal Beckers Polaximus of the Gotch air crew to escort Maxwell by motor carriage to the MacLeods.
Back on the farm, Hutch has donned a full desert ghillie suit and is manning an 8-foot rifle on top of the house. He tells his wife, Artemisia, to send up a flare if she sees headlights so Hutch can take out the driver. Olethra worries aloud that if it’s her grandmother coming, Hutch will accidentally kill her, so he sends her to meet the approaching party. She mounts the guinea fowl again and rides out.
Maxwell steps out of the motor carriage within sight of the rustic farm, and he looks around for danger. As Olethra approaches the car and dismounts, she looks for Professor MacLeod but doesn’t see her. She does, however, recognize the Gotch family colors of the air crew’s uniforms. She and Maxwell introduce themselves. As soon as Maxwell confirms that Professor MacLeod isn’t with him, Hutch and Artemisia activate, declaring themselves sovereign citizens and threatening to shoot Maxwell. Olethra tells them to stand down and urges Maxwell to explain his presence quickly.
Maxwell says he’s there to talk, and he assuages Hutch’s paranoia that he represents the bank. He states that he in fact shares Hutch’s disdain for the bank. Displaying his bruised knuckles, he adds that any banker who wants to take his money “can take these fists.” This wins over Hutch, who says he’ll kill everyone from any bank, then launches into a rant about personal freedoms. His speech fills Olethra with pride.
Hutch invites Maxwell, Corporal Diaz and Corporal Polaximus inside to enjoy some drug-laced coffee with the MacLeod clan. Olethra asks to see the deed Maxwell has in his possession, and she learns from it that the farm was put up as collateral on a loan for one of Professor MacLeod’s expeditions, which means Hutch has never actually inherited it from his mother as he was supposed to.
Maxwell explains his possession of the deed haltingly, framing it in terms not of his intention to repossess the farm but rather to find Professor MacLeod. Hutch says he hasn’t seen his mother in eight years and has no idea where she is. If Maxwell wants to talk to her, he’ll have to fly all around Gath searching for where she might be.
Maxwell asks about the phrase “prototype radio frequency: aught pi omega.” Olethra freaks out internally because she recognizes that the sequence corresponds to a set of dials on the mech suit. Artemisia takes Diaz and Polaximus to the kitchen to smoke drugs, and Hutch goes to his office to review the deed. Once Maxwell and Olethra are alone, she tells him about the mech suit. They agree to go try inputting the sequence from the secret message.
Maxwell and Olethra go to the mech suit where it sits in the guinea fowl’s nest, surrounded by detritus. On it, there is a small speaker next to three dials with different symbols on them. After a brief disccusion about the books of Montgomery LaMontgommery — the first few are good beach reads, but the later volumes fall off in quality — they dial in the symbols Ø-π-Ω. Once they do, a message in Professor MacLeod’s voice plays, garbled by static.
“This is Comfrey MacLeod ... broadcasting from the seventh sub vim parallel ... losing oxygen rapidly ... gaining methane and ... an unsustainable rate ... this broadcast is intended ... anyone who can come to our aid ... expedition disembarked from Ramonsu ... Station on the 44th of ... assistance from the House of ... we were discovered by the ... agents of the Eyeless Hand ... If you can hear this, Olethra: It’s real. Zood is real. It’s glorious and dangerous. If we’re not careful ... going to ... receive the ... don’t come! It is too ... dangerous ... without help ... seasoned ... adventurers. I wouldn’t even trust ... dangerous ... entrance ... the Effulgent Biangle ... all the coordinates I ended up piecing together are in the captain’s log ... Zephyr Mark One ... if you could decipher them, but you need to ... navigate ... crack mechanic ... If you’re hearing this, Van, Monty, Junker, Daisuke: I’m sorry. I never should have attempted it without you.”
Maxwell and Olethra decide their mission is clear: They have to find Professor MacLeod. Maxwell tells Olethra that it was he who flew in on the Zephyr, so they have access to the captain’s log Professor MacLeod mentioned in her message. Maxwell agrees to drive the mech suit back to Gulch Canyon with them to get it up and running. Olethra says she needs to explain to her family what’s happening.
Olethra tells Hutch she’s leaving, revealing she packed a bag eight years ago in anticipation of this day. Hutch admits he wants nothing more than to inhibit her from going, but curbing her freedom to do anything she fucking wants goes against his entire belief system. Hutch and Artemisia tearfully hug Olethra goodbye. Hutch warns that the world is full of people who are going to try to tell her what to do and who to be. He leaves her with some final words of wisdom: “The only cog that’s worth a damn is the one that doesn’t fit anywhere.”
A drape on the wall covers over what Hutch reveals to be the words of a poem.
On high we go to break the binding bond,
Spur outward past beyond,
Set blaze to bravery’s light,
Bring hope to starry night,
Set wrongs to right, and freedom’s fight
To ever chase the day in winged flight
On high we go
Cloudward, ho
Hutch tells Maxwell he hopes he'll protect Olethra even though he’s under no obligation to do so. Olethra tells Hutch she’ll send postcards that he'll receive as long as he doesn’t shoot the letter carrier. Maxwell and Olethra head off in the motor carriage to Gulch Canyon where the Zephyr awaits.
Recruiting Pappy[]
Maxwell and Olethra arrive back at the airdock in Gulch Canyon. A dockworker asks them about what they need in terms of fuel and supplies for the Zephyr and the mech suit. Maxwell goes with him to discuss billing.
Olethra asks Diaz for permission to board the Zephyr, which Diaz grants. As Olethra walks toward the ship, a motor carriage pulls onto the skyport lot and between Olethra and the Zephyr. Three Pilbian roughnecks emerge from the car. They address Olethra, feigning that they’re lost, but when she asks if they’re from elsewhere, they sneer and say they’re from around here. They know who Olethra is and tell her they’re looking for her grandma. They make a grab for her and try to knock her out with a club.
From about 60 feet away approaches a thin, 80-year-old man wearing a cowboy hat, sunglasses, a long coast, dusty pants and cowboy boots. He politely asks the roughnecks if they know of a place for an old man to “dribble out a little piss.” One of them tells him to piss up his own ass. At that, the old man opens fire faster than a rattlesnake, wasting two of the goons before they can reach for their own guns.
The third thug gapes at the old man, wordlessly shaking. The old man calmly asks again, “Is there a place for me to dribble out a little piss?” The roughneck starts crying and falls to his knees. He thinks the old man wants to piss on him, but the old man tells him to “git.” He runs to the car, remembers he doesn’t know how to drive, then hot-foots it away from the lot. Olethra knows the old man to be Daisuke “Pappy” Bucklesby, her grandmother’s ex-husband, partly because she recognized his catch phrase about dribbling out a little piss.
Having heard the gunfire, Maxwell runs back out to the lot. Pappy explains that the goons were low-level contract killers, and that, at Comfrey’s request, he has over the years intercepted and neutralized many would-be assassins just like these who also targeted Olethra. Olethra realizes this explains certain past incidents when strangers died violently in her proximity.
Maxwell and Olethra tell Pappy that Comfrey is in Zood and that they’re taking the Zephyr to go and find her. He doesn’t hesitate to join them. Boarding the ship, he is overwhelmed by memories. He soon meets Wealwell, who barfs a little while shaking Pappy’s hand. Maxwell and Olethra tell Pappy about Comfrey’s message, and he asks to hear it. They dial back into the mech suit and realize the message has been playing on a looping transmission, so there’s no wat to tell how old it is.
They go to the captain’s quarters. Looking at the bed, Daisuke remarks about “a lot of memories.” He demurs when his younger companions ask him to elaborate, saying only, “I’m sure it’s been cleaned.” Upon searching the room, they find’s Comfrey’s captain’s log, including a chicken-scratch note that mentions an “Effulgent Biangle,” but for the most part what’s there is dense, technical jargon, more numbers than letters. No one present can comprehend it. However, Pappy knows who can: “Some junkers, as in one Junker: Captain Junker.” The group decides to pay a visit to Marya Junková.
Pappy whistles for Ghost Dog, his ancient, 38-year-old black Labrador retriever, who comes lumbering over. The Zephyr takes off again.
Scrapsylvania[]
The Zephyr parks and the trio enter Marya's toy store in Scrapsylvania. Marya is gaunt now, much less spirited than in the newsreel. Her body is prematurely lined from stress and starvation of the soul. Her eyes are bloodshot, having lost the lustre of their youth. Daisuke notices her personal workstation, where diagrams, drawings, and scribblings of madness riddle it with the name STRAKA carved across not only the papers but her bullets. Marya explains that she was the only survivor of an encounter with this mechanical bird, and as such considers her exiled from the sky. Auntie Zuzanna, Marya’s aunt and co-runner of the toy shop, explains that in Scrapsylvania Straka is seen as the harbinger of misfortune. They tell Marya about the distress call from Professor MacLeod and request that she accompany them to Zood on a rescue mission. Marya is deeply haunted at the prospect, and refuses them several times. After reading the Captain's Log, though, she acquiesces to join, seeing in these notes a parallel between the light that the Biangle emits and the violent heat of Straka’s throat-furnace. She states that she will only go along if she might fly the ship towards her revenge should they encounter the beast. However, after climbing aboard and seeing the fresh-faced and mildly incompetent crew, adds that she will only join if Vanellope Chapman, a skilled bosun, will also agree to join. With that, they set out for Van's restaurant.
The Uplands[]
Van is much older, face and arms weathered by long days in the sun without protection. Her left arm is missing, now replaced with a clockwork prosthesis. Van, much like Marya, holds many reservations, not wanting to abandon her family’s pub ‘The Rusty Nut’, a beautifully millennial rendition of an eating establishment, and loving husband Bert. Despite her love for the Nut, she is ultimately swayed by Bert, her husband, who reminds her of her ‘group marriage’ between her and the sky, and her witnessing of the utter incompetence of the crew on deck. Van puts pirate "Big Nigel" in charge of running the Rusty Nut, though only as a drinking establishment. Van gets the crew scrubbing the deck and Bert heads to the kitchen aboard the Zephyr. As they take to the skies again, the quintet cannot help but wonder that the crew is incomplete without Montgomery LaMontgommery, and so they set out for his last known haunt.
Bellenuit[]
They find him in Bellenuit in the midst of a conversation with several influential figures over the tusk of a boar, in which LaMontgomery describes the beauty of both the creature and its home, swapping tusk for tooth. This beautiful story prompts one figure to cuss out another and side against legislation that would allow mining Widow's Breath in an unnamed forest. As the meeting concludes, the crew of the Zephyr approach Montgomery. He is excited to meet all of them. As he reviews a transcript MacLeod's last communication, his eyes catch on the phrase "Broadcasting from the seventh sub vim parallel". He is stunned. Zood does not have a magnetic north. Whatever latitude this is, it's otherworldly. It shouldn't exist. He springs to his feet and the crew, now with Montgomery, climb aboard to head for that legendary twenty-eighth continent of Gath. Before they can take off, spotlights illuminate the vessel. The voice of Lord Kensington Cosgrove Mordecestershire booms across the cityscape, thanking the crew for returning the Zephyr. If they want to escape, they'll have to fight their way out.
Locations[]
- Gath
- Bellenuit
- Gulch Canyon
- Pilby
- Scrapsylvania
- The Uplands
- Gotch Manor
- The MacLeod Family Farm
- Marya's Toys and Trinkets and Other Drivel to Distract You From Life's Tragedies: A Toy Store
- The Rusty Nut
- The Underground Congress
Featured Characters[]
Player Characters[]
- Daisuke Bucklesby
- Vanellope Chapman
- Maxwell Gotch
- Marya Junková
- Montgomery LaMontgommery
- Olethra MacLeod
New[]
- Prof. Comfrey MacLeod
- Haunch Saxon
- Sylvio Dufresne
- Orobouros Codswallop
- Blanewell Gotch
- Cadswitch Gotch
- Hatwell Gotch
- Johnwell Gotch
- Longspot Gotch
- Roywell Gotch
- Samwell Gotch
- Wealwell Gotch
- Captain Miryam Dawderdale
- Corporal Beckers Polaximus
- Corporal Ramona Diaz
- Senator Akabana DiMarco
- Harry Ergh
- Lady Greypace
- Hutch MacLeod
- Artemisia MacLeod
- Aunt Zuzanna
- Bert Chapman
- Lord Kensington Cosgrove Mordecestershire