The Big Quest Ion
The Big Quest Ion is a deranged audio fever dream where two friends surrender the storytelling reins to AI and go galloping confidently into a fantasy cluster bang of epic proportions. This is a podcast where narrative whiplash is a feature, not a bug. What is AI’s impact on entertainment? Can AI write meaningful stories? Did two friends from different countries really need to start a whole podcast as an excuse just to hang out? The Big Quest Ion is “Lord of the Rings” if Frodo ate ALL the mushrooms on the way to Mordor and map was AI genera...
Ep. 116: The Bell Beneath Prince Rupert Bay Pt. 1 | A Brondheim & Higgins Mystery
Due to their mishandling of The Night of Hallow Veils case, Brondheim and Higgins have been placed on administrative leave and dispatched to the Caribbean for some undeserved R&R. But fate isn't finished with them yet! In a sleepy port village on Prince Rupert Bay, a sinister plot is unfolding. One of murder! One of mayhem! One of... magic? It seems that not even the cerulean waters of Dominica can keep Brondheim (and a reluctant Higgins) away from solving yet another spooky crime...
A ghostly bell? A murdered sailor? A CLIFFSIDE BDSM DUNGEON?? It's all coming...
Ep. 115: Tales From The Nether Regions (St. Knuckles, The Lingonberry Vortex, The Wagon That Wouldn't Stop)
In this first episode of "Tales from the Nether Regions," Puds & Rigsby regale one another with true stories they definitely didn't just make up on the spot. Stories of divine miracles, of time travel, and even a little touch of magic...
A blessed pit fighter? A sci-fi sea serpent? A WAGON THAT JUST WON'T STOP?? It's all coming up on this episode of THE BIG QUEST ION!
New Episodes Every Other Friday!
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Ep. 114: The Bat Of Balsamica Pt. 3
We know you've been waiting a long time for the epic conclusion of the Bat of Balsamica! Thank you for sticking with us, this podcast is a labour of love and both Xander and Taylor have to balance this podcast with regular jobs and friends and families and marathons and bands and loved ones-- if we had it our way we'd get rid of all of 'em and do nothing but churn out eps for you, dear listener!!
But we digress. We know what you want. It's spooky season. You want nightmares. You want horror. You want...
Ep. 113: The Bat Of Balsamica Pt. 2
After their daring escape, Billiam, Bertrand, Tabitha and the Zealot make their way through the crumbling city of Balsamica, dodging bizarre foes, trying to outrun Curtis Smith and an even more dangerous evil: The Archivist.
Musical warriors? A city on the brink of destruction? BEEFY THICK-THIGHED HENCHMEN?? It's all coming up on this episode of THE BIG QUEST ION!
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For More Mayhem, Follow T...
Ep. 112: The Bat Of Balsamica Pt. 1
The city of Balsamica is a rotting hellscape ruled with an iron fist by oligarch Curtis Smith. None dare oppose him, save for one brave Vampire and his trusty (if not ___) sidekick: Billiam Bucharesti and Bertrand Balfive. Tonight, their mission is to save the only politician willing to stand up to Curtis Smith: Councilwoman Tabitha Quigley, at the Mayoral Gala, before Curtis Smith can force through a vote on the Devious Act. Red tape has never been so thrilling!
A vigilante vampire? A secret council of elders? Municipal Metropolitan Proceedings?? It's all coming up on this episode...
Ep. 111: The Night Of Hollow Veils | A Brondheim & Higgins Mystery
On a stormy October night, Detectives Brondheim and Higgins investigate the disappearance of children in a tiny British hamlet. But what they uncover is far stranger, and far darker, than either had anticipated... Now, beset by a mysterious knocking and a demon stalking the town, this unlikely pair must survive the night (and uncover the true origins of Halloween) in THE NIGHT OF HOLLOW VEILS!
A mysterious knocking? A demon in the woods? Green leaves (EVEN THOUGH IT'S AUTUMN)?? It's all coming up on this episode of THE BIG QUEST ION!
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Ep. 110: The Hunt For The Black Haddock
In the quiet town of Merihaven, a dark presence stalks the waters offshore. The fish are gone, and the town is out of answers. Their last hope: two brothers, Ethan and Rupert Chum, and their old fishing boat The Lady Limpet Barnacle. With the town's blessing and a rag tag crew of misfits this intrepid band make for the seas to end the scourge that haunts their shores in THE HUNT FOR THE BLACK HADDOCK!
A mysterious haddock? A horse named "Sawbones?" ARROWS COVERED IN RANCH DRESSING?? It's all coming up on this episode of THE BIG...
Ep. 109: The Last Pyramid | The Curse Of The Black Pyramid Pt. 9
This... is it. With the Black Cat's life hanging in the balance, the heroes make their way to the Last Pyramid, after so many weeks, to confront Setekh. But before they can enter, a great betrayal befalls the party, with an unexpected twist, that not even the storytellers could see coming...
So now... it ends?
An inverted pyramid? A great betrayal? A SILVER VIAL? It's all on this episode of THE BIG QUEST ION!
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Ep. 108: The Magic Labyrinth | The Curse Of The Black Pyramid Pt. 8
With Zahira now leading the way from inside Archibald's mind, the heroes make their way toward the inverted pyramid, the Last Pyramid, hanging below the Mirror Sea and above a magic labyrinth. Once inside the labyrinth they are met with all manner of odd obstacles and bizarre beasties. And at the end of it all, one of the heroes is mortally wounded... but who?
A magic labyrinth? A spiral of teeth? A JOLLY MINOTAUR? It's all on this episode of THE BIG QUEST ION!
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Ep. 107: The Underworld | The Curse Of The Black Pyramid Pt. 7
With the destruction of the heart of Setekh, our heroes realize that the story is not yet over for them as a portal to the underworld opens up before their very eyes... and it's a GERMAN RAVE? After sweet talking their way past Voor'kas, basherman of the Threshold Club, our heroes make their way deep into the elysian fields of the underworld, where they are caught by surprise by a familiar friend....
A purgatory nightclub? A mysterious Heart Archive? SPANKEN TALKUM??? It's all on this episode of THE BIG QUEST ION!
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Ep. 106: The First Pharaoh | The Curse Of The Black Pyramid Pt. 6
With the unlikely demise of Tarut, High Priest of Setekh, our battered heroes are faced with a choice: do they free the First Pharaoh? Um... yes, duh. With the First Pharaoh now a member of the party, Puds, Archibald, and the Black Cat make their way deeper into the Sapphire Tombs towards the heart of Setekh.
A magic pharaoh? Living stone guardians? MILP??? It's all on this episode of THE BIG QUEST ION!
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Ep. 105: The Sapphire Tombs | The Curse Of The Black Pyramid Pt. 5
With Lazar "The Laughing Jackal" the unlucky recipient of a magical dismemberment thanks to the Obsidian Scarab, the heroes (conveniently?) find themselves swallowed up by the sands into The Sapphire Tombs... which is just where they were headed! Confronted now with no key to unleash The First Pharaoh, our heroes make a desperate gambit with the cult, one you're honestly not going to believe (really).
A convenient tomb? A mutual death pact? Something even worse than the cult of Setekh??? It's all on this episode of THE BIG QUEST ION!
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Ep. 104: The Obsidian Scarab | The Curse Of The Black Pyramid Pt. 4
In the aftermath of the Sandship Massacre, our heroes find themselves taken aboard... yet another sandship, with similar results. After a lucky break, they stumble across a cursed oasis and learn vital information about Setekh from it's ancient guardian, where the valuable item The Black Cat stole from the Cult of Setekh in episode 1 is revealed...
Another sandship? A watery ghoul? An OBSIDIAN SCARAB??? It's all on this episode of THE BIG QUEST ION!
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Ep. 103: The Great Sandship Fleet | The Curse Of The Black Pyramid Pt. 3
Puds, Archibald, the Black Cat, and their new companion Khor, race to escape the city of Khefer-Rah. After nearly dying of thirst in the open desert, they stumble upon a fleet of sandship nomads. After stealing aboard in conspicuous fashion, they are met by Lazar "The Laughing Jackal," and Naida "The Starwatcher." Lazar offers them an opportunity: defeat him in a game of chance in return for information about Setekh, but if they lose, they must drink a potion of lost memory...
A flotilla of sandships? A mysterious potion? An ARMY OF SKELETONS??? It's all on this...
Ep. 102: The City Of Secrets | The Curse Of The Black Pyramid Pt. 2
Part 2 in the BQI series "The Curse Of The Black Pyramid."
Puds, Archibald, and the Black Cat venture deep into the city of thieves, Khefer-Rah, a city in the clutches of General Hekau, a servant of Setekh. After a chance encounter with a street urchin named Zahira, they are lead to Madame Suru where they receive a dark prophecy. With Hekau's guards closing in, they flee into the tunnels beneath the city where they are captured by a gang of smugglers.
A city in the clutches of a tyrant? An underground gang of smugglers? Yellow...
Ep. 101: The Black Cat's Omen | The Curse Of The Black Pyramid Pt. 1
Part 1 in the BQI series "The Curse Of The Black Pyramid."
After watching a documentary on the History Channel, Taylor decided it would be fun to kickoff the inaugural Quest in ancient Egypt, a story that remained grounded for all of five minutes, when Xander decided his character would be an expanding hedgehog knight named "Puds." Joining Puds on this adventure would be "Archibald Mortimer Rigsby III," a potion-wielding mess of a man with a thirst for treasure. Thanks to their friend Eric's chance encounter with a small black cat, it was decided that the epic would...
