Meet Our Cousins: The Harbingers

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Old Gods of Appalachia – "Meet Our Cousins: The Harbingers"

Podcast: Old Gods of Appalachia
Producer: DeepNerd Media
Episode: Meet Our Cousins: The Harbingers
Date: April 2, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this bonus "meet our cousins" episode, Old Gods of Appalachia takes a break between story arcs by introducing listeners to The Harbingers, a modern fantasy podcast created by Gabriel Urbina (creator of Wolf 359). The Harbingers explores the sudden return of magic to the world, focusing on the first two real magicians of the modern era and how their abilities irrevocably alter society, law, and personal relationships. This episode features the series pilot and sets up a tense, speculative thriller investigating the unknown costs and consequences of supernatural power in a recognizable near-future.

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Key Discussion Points and Story Beats

1. Introduction and Setup

• Old Gods Host Announcement (00:02)
  • Old Gods is on break; fans are introduced to The Harbingers as a magicians-in-the-modern-world drama with political, ethical, and personal stakes.
  • Teaser: “Magic is real. It’s real, and it’s coming back.”

2. The Interrogation Framing Device

• Law Office Scene (02:03)
  • Dr. Adam Blackwell arrives for a high-stakes legal prep session with attorney Claudia Skinner.
  • Claudia: poised, intimidating, highly paid (“$1,800 an hour” — [45:00]).
  • Erica Pfeiffer, the assistant, expresses sympathy for Adam.
• Establishing the Stakes
  • Adam is the center of an “unprecedented disaster” (“One in which people died”—[06:40]).
  • He must testify at a Congressional hearing that will shape the future legality of magic.

3. Adam Blackwell: The First Magician

• Origins and Motivation (08:48)
  • Adam profiles himself: “I am the first human being with real, scientifically confirmed magic powers. I am the most powerful man in the world.” ([08:09])
  • Backstory: Portland-born, linguist-turned-anthropologist, mentor was Julian McCandless.
• Discussion of Purpose
  • Adam falls for archaeology out of love for languages, not fate or destiny.

4. Amy Sterling: Rival, Colleague, Silver Witch

• First Meeting and Rivalry (09:24-12:23)
  • Amy Sterling is introduced as Adam’s ambitious, outspoken grad school rival and brief romantic interest.
  • Their date turns into a debate on the ethics of power and responsibility, with Amy passionate about duty to use power for good (“If someone has that much money...they have a moral imperative to do something about it”—[15:03]).
• World Changing Powers and Stagnation
  • Amy critiques Adam's inaction after he gains magical powers: “Literally, the only wrong answer to the question ‘what do you do if you get magic powers?’ is exactly the same fucking thing you would be doing if you didn’t” ([34:36]).

5. Magic in the World: Discovery and Demonstration

• Antarctica Dig and Article 0 (20:05–23:04)
  • Expedition to Antarctic "Harbinger City," discovers “Article 0,” a ring that enables the wearer to manipulate matter by combining will, ancient language, and the artifact itself.
  • Adam returns with powers, endures relentless testing, then resumes teaching.
• Early Public Demonstrations (26:00–30:30)
  • Adam teaches at Sinclair University, drawing crowds with demonstrations (teleporting a coin to the back row), explaining the mechanics of Harbinger languages.

6. Ethical and Philosophical Debate

• The Fritz Haber Parable (35:42–39:02)
  • Adam defends the value of academic inquiry and inaction with the case of Fritz Haber, who both prevented starvation and later aided in atrocities.
  • Claudia ruthlessly exposes the perils of power (“Fritz Haber is often called the father of chemical warfare... Zyklon B”—[38:08]), warning Adam not to get baited by antagonists.

7. Escalation: Powers, Responsibility, and Catastrophe

• Magic as Power and Spectacle (40:00–44:00)
  • Adam teleports Amy’s coffee cup to the moon on a dare (“About five meters to the left of the lunar landing site, there is now a coffee cup”—[43:39]).
• The Real Catastrophe Hinted
  • Amy: “Maybe it’s about how I started a chain of events that resulted in the most powerful man in the world teleporting the city of Boston to the moon” ([49:55]).
  • The episode ends on the precipice of exploring this disaster, with Amy’s legal prep session beginning.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On The Weight of Power:
  • Amy Sterling: “If someone has that much money, that much power, and there’s so much broken in the world, they have a moral imperative to do something about it.” ([15:03])
• On Magic and Responsibility:
  • Amy Sterling: “The only wrong answer to the question ‘what do you do if you get magic powers?’ is exactly the same fucking thing you would be doing if you didn’t get the goddamn magic powers.” ([34:36])
• On Changing the World:
  • Adam Blackwell: “So don’t ever tell me that you can’t change the world by taking time to figure shit out.” ([37:18])
• On Hubris and Caution:
  • Claudia Skinner: “You are the center of an unprecedented disaster. One in which people died.” ([06:40])
• On Cost of Legal Advice:
  • Claudia: “$1,800 an hour. That’s how much I’m being paid to get you across the river.” ([45:00])
• Comic Relief:
  • Adam describes the coin trick: “From A to B in an instant.” ([29:39])
  • Amy, on using her eyes to get her way: “I have very pretty eyes, and I can make them get all big and round, so I can basically get people to do anything I want. Here, watch, please.” ([16:28])

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Highlight Timestamps

• 00:02 — Old Gods host intro and hand-off to The Harbingers
• 02:03 — Dr. Blackwell’s tense arrival at Skinner’s law firm
• 08:09 — Adam identifies as the first real magician
• 15:03 — Amy’s impassioned speech on power and obligation
• 20:05 — The Antarctic dig and discovery of Article 0
• 29:39 — Magic demonstration in university lecture hall
• 34:36 — Amy's critique of Adam's lack of world-changing ambition
• 37:18-38:08 — The Fritz Haber debate: invention for good and evil
• 43:39 — Adam teleports a coffee cup to the moon
• 45:00 — Claudia states her hourly rate
• 49:55 — Amy begins her legal testimony with darkly comedic foreshadowing of catastrophe

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Episode Tone and Style

• Sharp, Witty, Modern: Character-driven dialog full of banter, intellectual sparring, and darkly comic moments.
• Tense and Reflective: The narrative is structured through lawyerly interrogation, flashbacks, and personal confessions.
• Themes: Power, responsibility, the ethics of knowledge, and the impossibility of remaining neutral when gifted with world-changing abilities.

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Takeaway

The Harbingers opens with a tightly-scripted, thoughtful look at what happens when the impossible enters the real world: how it disrupts lives, politics, relationships, and even legal systems. It’s a sharp, high-stakes drama about power’s cost and the uneasy convergence of the mundane and the supernatural.

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For listeners craving magical realism, ethical dilemmas, and razor-sharp character work, this episode sets a compelling stage for what’s sure to be a thrilling, thoughtful new narrative.

Next episode: "The Season of the Witch"—Amy Sterling’s side of the story... and the secret behind Boston on the moon.

Transcript

[A]

Well, hey there, family. This week, Old Gods of Appalachia are taking an extra week off, as we do in between story arcs. And we will return on Thursday, April 16, with the second arc of Old Gods of Appalachia Season 6, Long Shadows. We got a whole new story we can't wait to share with you. Now, if you want to hear that ad free and a day early, go ahead and head over to oldgodsofappalachia.com the Holler. Cast your tithe in the collection plate and get that early ad free access as as well as unlocking hours of exclusive storylines, including the new deluxe edition of Unhallowed Ground, starring Cecil Baldwin of welcome to Night Vale and former Durham, North Carolina poet laureate D.J. rogers. But until then, allow us to fill the void with some exciting work from our friends over at Audacious Machine Creative. From the mind of Gabriel urbina, creator of Wolf359, comes a modern fantasy podcast about the first two real magicians of the modern era and how that power changes the world forever. If you like magical rivals, political machinations, snappy dialogue, and dreaming of saving the world, then the Harbingers is a show for you. Because magic is real. It's real and it's coming back. Listen to the Harbingers wherever you find your podcasts. Episodes come out bi weekly on Thursdays. Now let's jump right into episode one of the Harbingers.

[B]

Sam, Ms. Skinner will be right with you. Dr. Blackwell. We're sorry for the delay.

[C]

It's fine. Don't worry about it.

[B]

Can I get you anything while you wait? Water? A cup of coffee?

[C]

I'm all right, Ms. Pfeiffer. Thank you. Was there something else?

[B]

No, that's everything. Thank you. Well, actually, look, I just want to say, I know it probably feels like the whole world's against you right now, but there are people who. Who get what you did and why you did it.

[C]

Thank you, Ms. Pfeiffer. I appreciate you saying that.

[B]

I mean it. If you hadn't been there, if you hadn't done what they're saying, that it could have gotten so much worse than it got.

[C]

Bad enough, Ms. Pfeiffer. We. We let it get bad enough.

[B]

I know, I know, but still.

[D]

Thank you, Ms. Pfeiffer. I think that's more than enough.

[B]

Oh, yes, ma'. Am. Is there anything?

[D]

I think we're all set. I'll ring if we need anything.

[B]

Yes, Ms. Skinner. Dr. Blackwell.

[D]

Please excuse Erica.

[C]

Dr. Blackwell.

[D]

She's a wonderful assistant, but unfortunately, she's still a bit Naive, optimistic. Still a bit young and optimistic. I'll fix that in due course. But in the meantime. Welcome to Skinner, Devries and Wiseman. Dr. Blackwell, my name is Claudia Skinner. It's a pleasure to finally meet you.

[C]

Yes, same here. Thank you for making the time. You're young. Young? To have your name on the side of the building, I mean.

[D]

Ah, it's my father's name. He started the firm back in 04.

[B]

Ah.

[D]

And so you graduated summa cum laude from Brown and went on to get law degrees in both Cambridge, England, and Cambridge, Massachusetts? Absolutely. I assure you, Dr. Blackwell, you are in excellent hands. Do you have any questions before we get started?

[C]

Yes. How much do you charge?

[D]

My fees are being taken care of. You don't need to worry about that.

[C]

That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking a personal injury lawyer. Is what, 250 an hour? Give or take? If I was trying to get a divorce, that's 400. It's 600 an hour for an immigration attorney and nine for the kind of lawyer I'd need if I hadn't shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. So how much are you? With your Alexander McQue and your name on the side of the building and your naive assistant, you're turning to the dark side. How much are you charging per hour to sit here and talk to me?

[D]

It's more than any of the numbers you just quoted. I can say that much.

[C]

How much more?

[D]

Dr. Blackwell, is there a reason you need to know this right now?

[C]

Is there a reason why you're not just telling me?

[D]

You know, there's this story my father used to tell to his clients. He'd go, once upon a time, there was a young scorpion who wanted to cross a river. Unfortunately, he couldn't swim, so he asked a passing turtle to carry him on his back. The turtle hesitated, but eventually agreed after the scorpion promised not to sting him. But when they were halfway through the river, a terrible impulse fell upon the scorpion. He brought his stinger down, and.

[C]

And as they both start drowning, the scorpion says, don't look at me. It's in my nature. And you knew I was a scorpion when you agreed to take me across the river? Yeah, I know that one, actually.

[D]

As the scorpion's stinger bounced harmlessly off the turtle's hard shell, he found the other animal looking back at him over his shoulder. And the turtle just said, tell me you want to fuck around some more, or do you want me to get you across this fucking river? That was a Story about how sometimes you can just let people help

[C]

a frog. It's usually a frog when I've heard that story.

[D]

Well, let me assure you, Dr. Blackwell, you're not dealing with a frog. And let me remind you, you are the center of an unprecedented disaster. One in which people died. The only reason you haven't been charged with hysterical number of criminal charges is because no one is quite sure of how the law interfaces with your unique circumstance. But the government's catching up. They're doing a congressional hearing. The kind that's going to decide how a lot of laws are going to work in this country. And they have been kind enough to invite you to participate. And when I say invite, I mean subpoena. This hearing is either going to go exceptionally well for you, or it is going to lead to you being invited to see the inside of a courtroom in a trial which you will have no chance of winning. So finally, allow me to ask you, would you like me to get you across the river or would you prefer to fuck around some more?

[C]

Let's. Let's get across the river.

[D]

Let's. This is Claudia skinner handling case MGR831. This is information prep session number one. It is November 7, 2030. Dr. Blackwell, just so we can get the formalities out of the way, could you please state your full name as well as the capacity in which you are known as a public figure?

[C]

Yes. My name is Dr. Adam Blackwell. And I. I am the first human being with real, scientifically confirmed magic powers. I am the most powerful man in the world. Audacious Machine Creative Presents the Harbingers Created by Gabriel Urbina Episode 1 I'd Love to Change the World

[D]

all right, Dr. Blackwell, why don't we start at the beginning?

[B]

Sure.

[C]

I was born April 15, 1998 in Portland, Oregon. The house where I grew up had yellow shutters and a white flower. The nursery. Oh, what, you're allowed to be cute and I'm not? Is that how it works?

[D]

That is exactly how it works. Let me be more precise. You were a graduate student at Sinclair University in Chicago. Yes?

[C]

Yes.

[D]

You were a master's candidate in the archaeology program.

[C]

Technically, the anthropology department, but yes.

[D]

Why?

[C]

Why? Why did I want to study archaeology? Is that relevant?

[D]

It could be. If you chose to study archaeology because it was your beloved father's dying wish. Very relevant. If you were convinced there were ancient secrets buried somewhere out there that would help us fight the rise of fascism. Absolutely. If you became an archaeologist solely out of your deep seated love for the films of the Indiana Jones series that can stay between the two of us.

[C]

I liked languages. I thought I was going to study linguistics and go on to work as a translator. But then my second year in college, I took an anthropology class and I just fell in love.

[D]

Yes, that would be. From Rapa Nui to Harbingers, an introductory survey to the forgotten empires of the world, taught by Julian McCandless, who went on to be your mentor and chief dissertation advisor.

[C]

That class changed my life. It showed me a new way of thinking about the world. And it taught me.

[D]

Tell me about amelia Sterling.

[C]

Amy. Ms. Sterling was another grad student at Sinclair. We started the master's program at the same time.

[D]

Did you think much of her?

[C]

Ms. Sterling was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. But she could be stubborn. It could be difficult to get a word in edgewise around her.

[D]

Would you call her arrival?

[C]

Okay, well, here's what you need to understand. If you were interested in the study of ancient cultures, that grad program at Sinclair was the place. It was one of the best funded programs. It had some of the best professors, some of the best opportunities. But there wasn't enough of all of the above to go around. Anytime one of us got a research project approved, or a seat on a field expedition, or even time with our advisors, we were taking it away from one of the other students. In as much as you could say it about me and Amy, you could say it about all of us. We were all rivals.

[D]

And yet you didn't go on a date with any of the other students in the program, did you?

[C]

Oh, my.

[D]

Come on.

[C]

That's inbounds. How do you even know about that?

[D]

This isn't the hard part, you know. Lord knows we haven't gotten anywhere near the hard part. It's all going to come out, Adam. And I'm going to be the friendliest person who's going to ask you about it. So pretty please stop fucking around and answer the question.

[C]

1. I went on one date with her. I was 26, and I thought it might be a good idea.

[D]

And did you find her attractive?

[C]

The Venn diagram between the people who like Ms. Sterling and the people who like oxygen is very close to being a circle.

[D]

Dr. Blackwell.

[C]

Yes. I found her attractive. And we went out one time. Must have been April of 2025.

[D]

And how did it go? What did the two of you talk about?

[C]

Sinclair University, April 2025.

[B]

Okay. Did you know that right now, on this planet, there are seven people who could save the world?

[C]

Seven people who what?

[B]

Seven people. All with the power to save the World.

[C]

Right. Well, common sense says that cannot possibly be true.

[B]

Ah, Andy.

[C]

And you're not talking like people with their fingers on nuclear buttons who are choosing not to press them, thus preventing any.

[B]

No, no, no, no, no. Fuck that. That sucks. I'm talking active. Making things that are broken not be broken. Saving the world.

[C]

All right, I'm intrigued. Who are these seven real world superheroes?

[B]

Paul Berthold, Makoto Kamiki, Simon Gadowski, Jerome Ekerberg, Jacqueline St. Pierre, Carlos Luis Mendez, and Zakir Mujamb.

[C]

Ah, the seven richest men in the world. World.

[B]

Six richest men and its richest woman. Thank you very much.

[C]

Okay, sure. And the way they save the world is.

[B]

Simon Gadowski has a net worth of 210 billion. You want to know how much NGOs estimate the yearly cost of ending world hunger would be?

[C]

From the way you're presenting that question, I'm guessing 200 billion.

[B]

No way. High conservative estimate, 10 billion a year, easy.

[C]

What? That cannot possibly be true.

[B]

Extreme poverty is even cheaper. Threshold is set at those living for $3.20 a day.

[C]

There's people living.

[B]

Yes, there are people living at 3 and 20 a day. Bumping approximately 900 million people up to that level costs about 1.8 billion. Chump change.

[C]

How do you just know?

[B]

Clean water across the whole world. 50 billion. Child health, about $400 a year per child. Call that another 50 billion. Homelessness is more complicated, but local Experts estimate that 13 billion would end homelessness in San Francisco. That's not solving the issue globally, but

[C]

no, still, that's a start. All of which begs the question, if

[B]

there are people who have the ability to just snap their fingers and save the world, why is the world not saved?

[C]

I mean, besides the obvious reason.

[B]

It's the whole. What's the. Sorry, obvious. What obvious reason?

[C]

Well, just because Jacqueline St. Pierre has a net worth of 200 billion, it doesn't mean she has it sitting in a bank somewhere. It's in, like, stocks and bonds and company valuation.

[B]

Okay, sure, fine. But that's a road bump. If you have something worth 50 billion, theoretically, you should be able to sell it, and then you'd have 50 billion.

[C]

Yeah, I'm sorta scared to disagree with you right now.

[B]

Good. That means my whole shtick is doing its job. But to get back to the real question, there is no fucking good reason. If someone has that much money, that much power, and there's so much broken in the world, they have a moral imperative to do something about it. So really, from a social, pragmatic point of view. I don't think think there's a way to justify the existence of any of them.

[C]

So we're gonna eat the rich, Just the seven richest.

[B]

That's all I'm asking. Let's eat those seven people and feed the world. Oh, holy shit. Put a beer and a half in me. And I just. I went off on a whole thing.

[C]

Wow. It was very impressive.

[B]

Still, though, I'm sorry, I clearly do not know how to do first dates.

[C]

It's fine. How do you know all of this stuff?

[B]

I like actuarial tables and I have a good head for numbers. Even when I'm outraged? No, especially when I am outraged.

[C]

So now what?

[B]

I was thinking we'd finish these beers, settle up, and. And then I'd get you to walk me home.

[C]

You'd get me to walk you home? Would I have any say in the matter?

[B]

Oh, none whatsoever. I have very pretty eyes, and I can make them get all big and round, so I can basically get people to do anything I want. Here, watch, please.

[C]

Oh, my God. Put those away before you hurt somebody.

[B]

It's like a superpower and basically a Batman villain.

[C]

You know, there is an alternative to

[B]

you walking me home, because, dude, I think you're gonna want.

[C]

No, no, no. I mean, no, no, I do want. I just. How much would it cost to, say, fix climate change?

[D]

Oh, that's a big one.

[B]

Somewhere in the ballpark of 700 billion a year.

[C]

Well, see, there you go. If I was someone that wanted to solve climate change, but I only had 200 billion, wouldn't the best, most ethical thing I could do with that money be to, well, turn it into 700 billion?

[B]

I mean, no, not if you, like. Like, if you're burning the world to get richer, that's not gonna stop.

[C]

No, no, of course not. I'm just talking in the abstract. This isn't good, because what you're talking about, obviously. No, no, I just mean this is all just a thought experiment. No one person can actually stop the world from ending that.

[B]

Yeah, someone could.

[C]

Okay, maybe in, like, a photographer level, but, like, in the real world. Would you just let me talk for a second? I can see it, is all I'm saying. I can see why someone might not immediately sink all of their resources into solving one problem if there was something bigger and more meaningful they could do later on. And therefore, I can see why we might want to give your evil seven or whatever a bit of latitude. That's all I'm saying.

[B]

You done? Cool. I'm gonna go home.

[C]

Amy, Hang on.

[B]

Pro tip, dude. Next time you're trying to pick up a grad school girl with tattoos and a shaved head, playing devil's advocate for the billionaire oligarchy is so not the move. See ya.

[C]

You know, this is exactly why McCandless hasn't approved any of your research proposals.

[B]

What did you just say to me?

[C]

You know your proposals for the archives for field work. You know how he keeps telling you to go back to the drawing board to think bigger? This is why you never look at the big picture, Amy. You always just swing for the fences. And he knows it, and you know it.

[B]

And you, Adam Blackwell, are so afraid of taking any swing at all that when your opportunity comes, you're gonna let it sail past you. And you know it.

[D]

And would we consider this one of your more successful first aids? No, don't answer that. Fieldwork that year was in Princess Elizabeth Land.

[C]

Yep.

[D]

Which, just for the record, is in Antarctica.

[C]

East Antarctica, to be precise. One of the flattest, most accessible parts of the continent.

[D]

And why did we want to go to this lovely place?

[C]

Well, they call it the Robinson site. They found it a few years earlier, buried under the ice. Global warming and all the remains of Ann Sareth. That's one of the great harbinger Cities, constructed about 4,000 years B.C. according to the carbon testing, it was buried under nearly.

[D]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. What. What is this? What are we doing here?

[C]

What? Oh, come on. You're my lawyer. I'm your client. It's your office. And you're still gonna tell me that I can't smoke?

[D]

Company policy. Apologies. Should I have Erica get you an ashtray?

[C]

No, no, don't bother. I'll just. Arun kun tel ka. There. Happy? Oh, shit. Sorry. It's a habit now. I forget that it's less fun for people now.

[D]

It's okay. It's okay. Where did you send it?

[C]

Away. Just away. Shall we?

[D]

Yes, let's. Sorry. We were. Antarctica dig site ruins. McCandless was putting together an expedition.

[C]

Yeah, they'd been digging it up for a few years, which is really hard when half of the year is freezing. Darkness before sunset. The previous, you know, April, they made a discovery. A crypt or something like a crypt. Something at the very bottom of the excavation. McCandless wanted to go check it out.

[D]

And you got to go.

[C]

I got to go.

[D]

But not Ms. Sterling.

[C]

But not Ms. Sterling.

[D]

And I presume that's where it happened, right? December 15, 2025. The World Continues to reel after last night's announcement. What was supposed to be a simple Archaeological expedition to the Australian sector of Antarctica may instead be remembered as a turning point in Western civilization. Following contact with the object now known as Article 0. Mild mannered graduate student Adam Blackwell has been given the ability to freely relocate matter at will.

[C]

I don't think the Times actually called me mild mannered.

[D]

No, that was just me having a bit of fun. You went to the South Pole, found a thing and suddenly you can do magic. Am I getting that right?

[C]

Not just anything, this thing. Article 0. A Harbinger Ring of magic.

[D]

But still. Field trip ring, boom. Magic. That's the broad strokes of the thing. What happened when you got back to America? What happened after you got superpowers?

[C]

They are not superpower. I came home, spent weeks going through tests until finally they were satisfied I really could do magic.

[D]

And after they let you go?

[C]

I went back to a little thing called my life. Finished my dissertation. I graduated in spring, started teaching at Sinclair in the fall.

[D]

Is that usual?

[C]

To get hired that fast? No, I was an exceptionally strong student. I had a good relationship with the head of the department and news had just broken out that I could do fucking magic. Having me as an adjunct was the best and last AD Sinclair would ever need to run. So they had me as an adjunct

[D]

that first fall semester. You took over one of the survey classes. Introduction to Harbinger Linguistics. Catchy title. Was it popular?

[C]

Last time they'd run it. There were four people in the class that fall. After they saw the enrollment forms, they moved me over to Sumter Hall. That's where they run movies on the weekends. It seats just shy of 300.

[D]

You taught a 350 person class on the mechanics of dead languages from 6,000 years ago?

[C]

No, no, no, no. The class was 450. If you didn't get there early, it was standing room only. Sinclair university september 2026 now the name Harbingers is what is known as a secondary observer exonym with some ancient cultures. We have some record of what they call themselves. Failing that, we can usually at least call people by the region they inhabited. These people lived in the Indus Valley. So let's take a wild leap and call them the Indus. Not saying that's a good practice, but it is a common practice. Now with the Harbingers, you run into problems. We haven't found any records yet that point to what they call themselves. And as for geography sites containing written records of the Harbingers, languages have been found in Atacama, in South America, in remote islands in the south of Oceania, and most recently in Rural Ireland. They seem to mostly exist to make historians lives difficult. It was actually one of the great mysteries of the age of exploration. People would sail from place to place and find these ancient objects with languages that weren't the ones spoken by the locals. Now imagine you're a 17th century Irish sailor. You leave your little village where Old Man MacDonald found those spooky rocks with the strange carvings. You sail halfway around the world and what do you find? More old spooky rocks with the same weird language nobody understands. Can you even imagine what that must have been like? In any case, they kept finding these really old artifacts all over the world. Almost like this really old culture had been around before anyone else got their act together. That's where the name came from. Harbingers. Ones who came before. Now it wasn't till the age of Antarctic exploration began in earnest that the real ruins of what is now known as the Harbinger Empire were discovered. But by then the name had stuck. So what are you gonna do now? I did say Harbinger Languages in the plural. The modern theory is that these are actually contemporary languages. One was used for day to day activities, your regular please pass the salt sort of things. The other one was their. Well, sacred is a loaded word. But their ritualistic language, it was only used for rites and special activities. For a long time, archaeologists referred to these as the Day tongue and the Night tongue. But a more accurate translation would be the language of the sun and the language of the Stars. And needless to say, there's a lot more that the Harbingers wrote in the the language of the Sun. So we know comparatively little about how the language of the stars worked. Okay, this, we've only got a few minutes left, so we'll call this good for the day. Rather than diving into a whole other topic. Does anyone have any questions? Any questions that don't have to do with my unusual abilities? Yeah. Alright everyone, I need you all to understand this is a serious class, okay? I take the academic study of Harbinger languages seriously and I expect you all to do the same. Anything else that I can do? That's not really what we're here for. Okay? Which is why we are only going to do this once. Okay?

[D]

Okay. Okay.

[C]

Just a quick demonstration and then we're done. All right folks in the front row, anyone have a quarter? You do? Okay, great. Thank you very much. Okay, just so we know that I am not pulling a fast one on you, I am going to take this marker and put an A on one side of the coin. And a star on the other side. Okay, now, for most of human civilization, if we wanted to transport an object from here to there, we had to expend energy to move it across space, whether it was by carrying it ourselves or by using a burst of kinetic energy to set it in motion on its own. What I can do is transport matter from A to B without crossing the intermediary space. Okay, everybody ready? I think we're gonna hear it more than see it with something this small, so. Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh. Here we go. Three, two per unlaro ioricata. Okay, let's see. Where did it land from the sound? I think it was around the second to last row, maybe. Does anybody. Yeah, you. You got it. And it's got the A and the star. Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Well, there you go. From A to B in an instant. Now. Now, how did I do that? Part of it is just mental focus. Part of it is the words. This, it seems, is what the language of the stars actually was. The harbinger's way of channeling this ability. And part of it is the part we don't understand yet. I found this ring in a very old, very remote part of the world. And as long as I'm wearing it, well, it seems to let me do that. And it really seems like it takes all three. So in case the course catalog didn't make it clear, learning the words won't let you move things across space, not on its own.

[B]

Could you do something bigger?

[C]

What was that? Could I transport something bigger? Bigger like what?

[B]

A person.

[C]

A person? Well, a person is tricky because what is a person? Is a person one thing or many? Like, what if I transported you to the middle of the corner and you went, but your. But your clothes. Yeah, that's not what we want. I have to be very precise with the language if I want to do it right. All right, that's time. Time was a minute or two ago, actually. Please read chapters three and four of the Warner and I will see you all here on Thursday. The Harbingers will be back after these messages. And now back to the harbingers. Sinclair University, 2026. 10 minutes later. All right. That wasn't too bad. One session down, 31 to go.

[B]

What did you stop yourself from saying?

[C]

Well, well, well. Amy Sterling.

[B]

Adam Blackwell. It's good to see you.

[C]

You too, Amy. Did you watch?

[B]

I snuck in the back about five minutes in. So what did you stop yourself from saying? Come on. At the end, when they asked you about teleporting? A person. You bit down something. You said, what if you go, but your clothes don't? What did you almost say?

[C]

I almost said, what if you went but your skin didn't?

[B]

Ah, lively.

[C]

I thought it's gonna be a whole thing. It's their first day. I didn't want to freak them out.

[D]

Mmm.

[B]

Didn't want to put too much of the fear of you in them.

[C]

Oh, very funny, Amy. So what brings you around these parts? They said you transferred.

[B]

They said the truth. Took my business to Colombia. The Big Apple. Greener pastures and all that.

[C]

And are they actually greener?

[B]

Eh, who knows? Kinda hard to tell with all the concrete. I'm just here to handle some paperwork and take some meetings. I'm flying back tomorrow. But I realized I hadn't seen you since.

[C]

Ah, sure.

[B]

Then I couldn't resist poking my head in here, seeing how your class was going.

[C]

How did I do? Any notes?

[B]

It was fine. Your fourth slide had some photos of the stuff they dug up at the Ryman. That's still not verified.

[C]

Oh, damn it. I'll take care of that. Anything else? What? What else? You. You're not really here to fill out paperwork, are you, Amy?

[B]

Nah, I just. I had to see it. I had to see it with my own two eyes. You can do fucking magic. And you are. You are lecturing about carvings in goddamn rocks?

[C]

Yes, Amy, I am.

[B]

I cannot believe that you are lecturing about carvings.

[C]

And what should I be doing? Hmm? Instead of being here? Where am I supposed to be right now, Amy? Or what am I not doing enough with my platform for you?

[B]

We are 54 days away from the midterm elections, Dr. Blackwell. Which political party do you support?

[C]

Okay. It's nice of you to drop stop by, Amy. I enjoy our little talks.

[B]

It's just, I. Fuck. I don't know what you should be doing. But, dude, you can do magic. Literally the only thing. That's a wrong answer to the question, what do you do if you get magic powers? Is exactly the same fucking thing you would be doing if you didn't get the goddamn magic powers.

[C]

Alright, Amy, this is. Has been fun. Let's get together again the next time one of us develops magical abilities. In the meantime, have a good time at Columbia, where you'll also be looking at carvings of rocks.

[B]

You are such an asshole, Adam. No one. No one has ever changed the world by sitting in an ivory tower. Magic is wasted on you.

[C]

And yet I am the only one. One that can do. Really is a shame you didn't get to come on that expedition, Amy, what Could have been, right?

[D]

She has a point, you know.

[C]

Oh, she very much does not.

[D]

She does, though.

[C]

Aren't you my lawyer? What?

[B]

What do you.

[C]

What. What? A point about. What?

[D]

A point about how nobody has ever changed the world by hiding in the ivory tower of intelligence.

[C]

Oh, for gods. Fritz Haber. You know the story.

[D]

Excuse me.

[C]

Okay. Fritz Haber. See, a lot of people have this mistaken idea that the apocalypse is something we've only had to worry about in recent years. But no, actually, people have had concerns, very valid concerns, about the world coming to an end at practically every point in human existence. In the 1900s, you know what was at the top of the list of global concerns? Starvation. The world had reached an absolutely massive population. One and a half billion people. And we could not produce enough food to feed them. The problem was our crops. They took up too much nitrogen in the soil, and it took too long to replenish it. So it was estimated that over the course of the following 20 agonizing years, two thirds of the world would starve to death. Ah, but see, there was this guy, German chemist called Fritz Haber. Big thinker, real kind of ivory tower guy. He locked himself in his lab and figured out a way to make ammonia. You might be familiar with it. It practically extracts nitrogen from the air and is used to grow more than three quarters of the goddamn crops in the world today. Bread from the air. That's what they called it in the newspapers. Bread from the air. It was seen as a miracle. And so, thanks to Mr. Haber, the world didn't starve, and we now have 9 billion humans. Over half of what we ate in the 20th century was thanks to his discoveries. And when we try to calculate which individual human beings are directly responsible for saving the most human lives, Fritz Haber is at the top of that list. So don't ever tell me that you can't change the world by taking time to figure shit out.

[D]

Okay? Is it my turn now? Great. Dr. Blackwell, could you do me a favor? Could you say a bit about Fritz haber's work after 1912?

[C]

What?

[D]

Fritz Haber. This man who you clearly think so highly of 1913 and onwards. What did he get up to?

[C]

He became involved in World War I. He invented the chlorine gas that the German army used against the Allies. And he personally oversaw much of its

[D]

deployment, which is why he is often

[C]

called the father of chemical warfare.

[D]

And after World War I, any other major contributions to European history? Dr. Blackwell? He.

[C]

He developed a gas, a pesticide gas which Had a warning scent. After his death, it was discovered and reformulated so it no longer had that warning scent.

[D]

And what was it called before and after the reformulation?

[C]

Cyclon and Zyklon B.

[D]

I need you to stop doing that.

[C]

You need me to stop doing what?

[D]

Answering your questions, losing your temper, and going on a three minute screed about the achievements of a German war criminal.

[C]

Wait, wait, but. Look, he was involved in monstrous things. But that doesn't.

[D]

We're doubling down on the merits of. What was it? The father of chemical warfare. This is going to be a very hard process, you know, if you're going to get through it, I need you to be able to not get baited into saying or doing something stupid. That.

[C]

That won't be a problem.

[D]

Won't it? What happened on August 16, 2028?

[C]

Well, that's

[D]

fucking Dr. Blackwell. What happened?

[C]

I was here in New York. I'd been asked to speak at an event at the UN. New York City, 2028. Thank you. Keep the change.

[B]

Well, well, well. Look who actually made it off campus for once.

[C]

Oh, good, you're here. And this has been such a pleasant day so far.

[B]

Is that any way to say hello to a dear old friend? Dr. Blackwell.

[C]

Hello, Amy. How inevitable to see you.

[B]

That's more like it. Hello, Adam.

[C]

What are you doing here?

[B]

Same thing you are. Loading up on caffeine and then walking over to today's event.

[C]

Dear all speaking at the un.

[B]

I am.

[C]

And nobody told me no. Which I'm guessing is thanks to.

[B]

It is.

[C]

Well, thanks for that. I like the hair, by the way. Is that part of the brand now?

[B]

Something like that. I thought you liked the shaved head look.

[C]

Well, I had awful taste back when I was still a grad student. So how you been? How's the time tour?

[B]

Tour's on hold for a bit. I'm doing some events with the campaign.

[C]

Oh, yes, I saw your endorsement video,

[B]

and I can't help but notice that I haven't seen yours. May I ask what the fuck is taking you so long? Don't tell me you actually want Walker to get re elected.

[C]

I keep telling you, Amy, I'm just a private citizen. I don't see how it's my place to tell anyone which way they should vote.

[B]

Oh, my God. Sometimes I forget just how full of shit you are. And then it's like, oh, right, he's totally full of shit.

[C]

I'm doing well. By the way, his translation work on the materials from the Reiman expedition.

[B]

I really couldn't give less Of a shit, Adam. Now come on. You gonna do this thing or what?

[C]

You know, Amy, you can say that you don't care all you want, but unfortunately for you, I know you. I know how much you love this stuff. The translation, the discovery. I know how curious you must be. What the fuck has he been doing cooped up in there all these years? What is he capable of now?

[B]

Oh, it's so cute the way you flatter yourself.

[C]

Oh, if you think that's cute.

[B]

Alright, Mr. Special. You really want me to believe you're not just doing coin tricks like some birthday party magician? Let's see it.

[C]

No.

[B]

Come on, Doctor. You want me to believe you can do something that's worth my time? Let's see it. Impress a girl. You made my coffee cup disappear. Yes, I did, but didn't make my coffee go with it.

[C]

No, I did not.

[B]

So now there is quite a bit of nitro cold brew all over my clothes. You are a child.

[C]

Come on, Amy. This is an important event. Don't want to be late.

[B]

You are still an asshole, Adam Blackwell. Where did you put put my coffee cup anyway?

[D]

How long did it take before someone finally found the stupid coffee cup?

[C]

6 weeks, give or take.

[D]

Mm. And it was this photograph that did it?

[C]

Yes, that's the one. Yep.

[D]

Just for the record, could you please verbally describe.

[C]

Is a photo taken by the Extremely Large Telescope Array of the Sea of

[D]

Tranquility, which is a part of the moon.

[C]

And about five meters to the left of the lunar landing site, there is now a coffee cup.

[D]

The moon. You put a cup of coffee on the moon because your ex girlfriend, double dog, dared you to?

[C]

Ms. Skinner, this is all. My relationship with Ms. Sterling is very particular due to. Okay, okay, okay. What you need to understand is.

[D]

You say that a lot. You know. What you need to understand is this. What you need to understand is that you are very worried about how you are seen. I'm going to help you figure this all out. But I need need you to let me help you. Okay. All right. That is all for today.

[C]

Really. The.

[D]

This is plenty for one day. And I have another interview to conduct in a little while. We can pick up this fun tomorrow morning, bright and early.

[C]

Right. Well, I'll see you tomorrow then.

[D]

$1,800 an hour. That's how much I'm being paid to get you across the river.

[C]

Okay. Thank you, Ms. Skinner.

[D]

And while I will not have you smoking anywhere in my offices, you'll find I'm less particular about what happens on the balcony on the east Side of the building.

[C]

Sure. You got it. Day one down, just another 5 million more of these to go.

[B]

Those things are going to kill you, you know. Unless you're so good now that you can just teleport the cancer straight out of your lungs.

[C]

I don't think I'm quite there yet.

[B]

In that case, you might want to quit while you're behind.

[C]

I'll take it under advisement. Mr. Ling.

[B]

Dr. Blackwell.

[C]

I thought your residency didn't end until the 14th.

[B]

Oh, all the shows are cancelled for a bit. You know, it's hard to compete. With the everything. Yeah, with the everything. I keep thinking I'm gonna see it, you know, Every time I look up. I know it's too small and too far away, but I keep thinking it'll be there staring back at me.

[C]

Yeah, I know. Me too.

[B]

You doing okay?

[C]

Nah. You?

[B]

Nah. Not exactly what I had in mind for this year.

[C]

No?

[B]

No, I thought there'd be more books. I thought I'd read more. More this year? More books and less

[C]

everything. You read McCandless's new book?

[B]

Yeah, I got an advanced copy. I can't believe that old fucker is trying to say that I was not a good student. Her proposals were never specific enough. My ass.

[C]

Well, can you blame them? You are the one that got away.

[B]

Damn right I am. How'd it go in there?

[C]

Oh, I pretty much just spent the last couple hours getting bitch slapped. It was fine.

[B]

And how are you feeling?

[C]

Tired. Tired and guilty.

[B]

Don't say that. It isn't over yet. It's barely even gotten started.

[C]

That's not what I meant. Amy. I think this is usually the point in the conversation where you yell at me and tell me I'm an asshole.

[B]

You are an asshole, Adam Blackwell. But for all our sakes, I hope it turns out you're an who knew what he was doing. Ms. Sterling, Ms. Skinner's ready for you. Well, I gotta.

[C]

Yeah, duty calls. Good luck.

[B]

Yeah. See you around, Adam.

[D]

All right. Ready to get started? This is Claudia Skinner, case MGR831. This is information prep session number two. It is November 7, 2030. Ms. Sterling, would you please state your full name and the capacity in which which you have become known as a public figure?

[B]

This is Amelia Dorothy Sterling, and I perform under the name the Silver Witch. For three years now, I have been able to manifest supernatural abilities. I am the second documented person in the world capable of performing magic.

[C]

Thank you.

[D]

Ms. Sterling, do you know what I would like to talk to you about?

[B]

Well, if I had to take a guess, I'd say maybe it's about how I started a chain of events that resulted in the most powerful man in the world teleporting the city of Boston to the moon. I mean, it's either that or mojito recipes, no? You want to talk about the Boston thing?

[D]

Please.

[B]

Okay. Where would you like to begin?

[E]

This has been the Harbingers created by Gabriel Urbino. Come back tomorrow for episode two, the Season of the Witch. Today's episode was written by Gabriel Urbino. It was directed and sound designed by Jeffrey Nils Gardner. It featured the voices of Andres Enriquez as Adam Blackwell, Lauren Grace Thompson as Amy Sweet, Sterling Bemi Bean as Claudia Skinner, and Kristen Demercuria as Erica Pfeiffer. Today's episode also featured the voice of Olivia Love Hadlestead. Our original music was composed by Nicholas Spodani. Recording engineering and dialogue editing was by Jolyn Wu. Our original art was created by Cassie J. Allen. The executive producer for this series is Eleanor Hyde. We'd like to give a special thanks to Joshua K. Harris, Felix, Christa d' Agostino, and Olivia Love Hoddlested for their work on the development of the series and its original pilot episode. You can learn more about the show, see a timeline of the events of our story, and become a supporting member at Audacious Machine Creative. This is an Audacious Machine Creative production. Thank you for listening.

[C]

Today's history tidbit On October 14, 1998, Australian archaeologists first discovered the ruins of Ann Sarith.