So first there's going to be the lore dump, then a quick campaign summary, and then the most recent bit of worldbuilding.

Lore

In an alternate timeline, Earth is contacted by a race of extremely intelligent blue-colored aliens, known as the Iruki
Their motives are mysterious, but they quickly establish relations with human leaders and set up Starfall Base on their initial landing site in Japan, which will eventually grow to the Iruki city of Starfall
They bring with them the Konchu, a subjugated race of enormous bug-like creatures, whose strength, endurance, and chitinous plating over much of their bodies make them ideal muscle
Several years pass, and humanity's technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, although this masks that unease is rising; humanity is growing mistrustful of the Iruki's outward generosity and increasingly confident in their own ability to handle this themselves, the Iruki brass are arguing amongst themselves what their mission entails, and the Konchu are beginning to suspect that the Iruki are up to nothing good behind the scenes
The situation has turned into a powder keg ready to blow at any moment for any reason, but its catalyst will come in the form of another unexpected arrival from the sky
Early one winter morning, an Iruki listening post picks up a familiar signature approaching New Zealand
It belongs to a liveship of the Ekara, a race of semi-nomadic bird people with whom the Iruki had previously tangled (and against whom the Iruki may have committed war crimes, though the record is incomplete)
A visual is acquired, and the vessel is seen to be limping heavily and sporting damage inconsistent with known weaponry
Hours later, the vessel crashes in the ocean near Auckland, and a swarm of amphibious escape pods is observed escaping from the wreckage and making its way towards land
An emergency meeting of top Iruki brass is called: all recognize that the detachment is far from ready to deal with the arrival of the possibly vengeful Ekara, let alone whatever caused that damage to their liveship, but Flight Commander Valon is firmly of the opinion that diplomatic relations must be established, while First Lieutenant Lania is convinced that both humanity and the Ekara must be subjugated in order to prepare the planet for assault from space by an unknown enemy
A fight breaks out, and Lania shoots Valon with a space laser, thereby assuming command of the detachment by international law of go fuck yourself
Lania immediately proceeds to the base's research labs to retrieve an incomplete viral bioweapon their scientists had been developing, flies to New Zealand, and releases it into a waterway near Wellington
As it turns out, the Ekara are immune to the virus, but humanity is not: within a year, 90% of the human population has been wiped out, and the remaining 10% are clustered into the remains of once-mighty cities and entirely reliant on Iruki technology for survival, while being told that the virus was of Ekara origin
However, the Konchu have finally had enough of serving a government of genocidal psychopaths and, along with a small number of sympathetic Iruki defectors, revolt, fight their way out of Starfall, and disperse across the world to attempt to help humanity rebuild and the Ekara to clear their name

It's against this background that our campaign story begins (well, sort of. Going into session one, I knew that most of humanity was dead, that the Iruki had subjugated the Konchu, that the Ekara were also there, and had written literally none of the rest of it).

Adelaide, Australia, many years after the Great Plague
Mike The Mechanic, a thirtysomething human artificer more comfortable around vehicles than people, is working on a vehicle repair when Edie Unpronounceablename, an aboriginal halfling ranger, walks in
She's walked all the way from Alice Springs and needs a drink, but would rather have one with someone else than by herself
It takes some convincing, but Mike grudgingly agrees to leave his shop and walk her to the local saloon
Inside, the two encounter Mushi Bushi, a Konchu monk with a very serious demeanor but who regularly makes Jojo's Bizarre Adventure references
He's on the hunt for a bandit leader who's been causing trouble in the area around Adelaide
He's heard that they have cool motorcycles
Mike is instantly convinced to lend a hand

These three take down the bandit, then trace his funding source to an anarcho-capitalist warlord in a nearby town with connections to the Iruki, so after connecting up with Vollyte, an NPC Iruki defector wizard whose human wife and mixed son (who was going to become a fourth PC until the player ghosted me) were both killed in what he suspects was an assassination to send him a message (and no, I don't really want to think about, uh, "human-Iruki relations"), plus James, a gnome barbarian with a pet drop bear named Beary, and Captain Kangaroo, a highly trained attack kangaroo that decided Edie was its mother after Mushi probably gave it a severe concussion, this colorful band of misfits proceeds to take on and kill the warlord.
However, Vollyte is very nearly killed in the fight, and elects to let his adventuring days conclude there, just as a young Ekara rogue NPC named Aerie who helped the gang get into the warlord's bunker decides this adventuring life is great, and she's going to tag along.
Following this, the gang makes a terrible movie, steals two airplanes, gets trapped in a dimensional disturbance over the Pacific Ocean, lands in Mexico in a timeline where the movie was really good and celebrity versions of themselves also exist, light a bar on fire, almost get kicked out of a casino, learn that there is a plot afoot to steal the mythical Lifetime Disney Pass, a mysterious ticket to Disney World that predates the Plague and is apparently followed by weird, supernatural incidents, go to a lake, fight each other, fight a giant lake monster with Mickey Mouse ears, fight a kaiju Beary with Mickey Mouse ears after he eats the pass, which is also how the previous monster got like that, send James diving down Beary's throat to retrieve the Pass, then take a boat to Florida and fight a giant shark before arriving in Tampa Bay.
Now, finally, we get to the worldbuilding I did this week that I thought was really cool.

Current Session

The party's boat is guided in to shore by an enthusiastic older man in a pirate hat, with a pirate accent, wearing an old Tampa Bay Buccaneers T-shirt
He greets all happily until seeing Aerie, at which point his expression sours and he begins hurling invective
The party extricate themselves from this encounter and head into The Navel Tavern, a dockside bar with what can only be described as a very sexy orange on the sign outside
Inside, they're greeted by a human entertainer in an orange dress playing an out-of-tune piano, who introduces herself as "Florida's own Clementine O'Range" before launching into a truly mediocre piano ballad rendition of "State Of Florida" by Less Than Jake
The bartender is a tired-looking Konchu serving a clientele of about half and half humans and Konchu
Aerie and Mushi approach and Mushi remarks on how nice it is to be among his brethren
The bartender introduces himself as Arukoru and explains that following the revolution and exodus, many Konchu made their way to sailing towns upon realizing that their size, strength, and toughness made them ideal sailors: as a result, Tampa is now about 60% Konchu
He also apologizes to Aerie on behalf of "Bucky," the dock pirate, explaining that his family died in the plague when he was a child and he believes the Iruki that it was the Ekara's fault, and not to take it personally
He finally notes that the bar is supposed to be called The Valencia, and The Navel was meant to be a strip club downtown, but the signs got mixed up in a shipping error just before the plague hit and, long story short, just ended up staying where they were, so now The Navel is an orange-themed bar by the docks and The Valencia is an orange-themed strip club downtown, because doesn't that just figure
Asked about Disney World, his mandibles retract in such a way that a human's face might turn white, and he says he doesn't like to talk about that place, nobody who's returned from there has ever reported making it past "the guard dogs," and you'd be better off talking to Detective Tantei at the sheriff's office down the road
So Mike marches down to the sheriff's office to meet with Detective Tantei
He's a gruff, no-nonsense Konchu who runs a tight ship
Asked about Disney World, Tantei seems pensive
He explains that he's got his own reasons to be suspicious of Disney World, as he has seen a string of disappearances in recent weeks
Human, Konchu, and even an Ekara, any age, any gender, the only pattern is that each and every one of them had come into possession of some item of vintage, pre-Plague Disney memorabilia shortly before going missing, and Disney World seems the only logical culprit
Normally, he says, he would send some of his own men there to investigate, but it would be a suicide mission: he only feels comfortable asking Mike for help because "it's no chitin off my facial plating if a bunch of misfit strangers get themselves killed trying to get past the guard dogs."
As this is happening, Aerie and James at The Navel have struck up a conversation with an Ekara named Megan, a paladin with an array of impressive biocybernetic augmentations that appear to be of Iruki origin (yes, this is a new PC)
Upon being shown the pass, she confidently proclaims it to have been the pass of someone named Swoozie, a former Disney employee who did an expose on them and was subsequently disappeared
She paints a bleak picture of Disney as an evil empire that will permanently silence its critics without even a second look, and the pass itself as an object of immense power that must not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands
Aerie says "you sound like an authority on the subject: why don't you go there with us and help us get in?" and Megan replies "Make me an offer"
So James challenges her
I swear to god
To a Yugioh duel
I allow this because I reward audacious thinking, and long story short, James wins and Megan agrees to join

And now I have to figure out WTF "the guard dogs" are.

Wide Moat, what is that ? Before starting this blog post please read this wide moat businesses explanation here
Okay, now that we are up to speed, before you invest in any wide moat company you need to ensure financials of the business are solid as well, I’ll cover the topic of How to understand the financials of the business in the upcoming blogs so subscribe (here) to know when the blog is out.
Let’s see if we can spot any wide moat business listed on NZX.

Auckland International Airport Limited (NZE: AIA)

Auckland International airport holds a virtual monopoly as the largest airport in NZ and processes the most number of passengers. This is located in the largest city in NZ as well, making it an ideal destination for travelers, With travelers expected to increase in the coming decades, you can clearly see the wide moat around this business.

WILL THE MOAT SHRINK IN THE NEAR FUTURE ?

The likely hood of the moat shrinking is very low since construction of another international airport in Auckland is highly unlikely. Thing to look out for is debt, since airport need vast amounts of money for up keep and improvements( ex: loss of unnecessary capital due to project over runs and delays).
Read a more in depth analysis on Auckland International Airport here

Chorus Limited (NS) - (NZE: CNU)

Chorus manages and builds telecommunications infrastructure in NZ, for ex: when ever you sign up for fiber broadband plan with your ISP, Chorus is contracted to install the connections to your house. As copper cables are replaced by fiber optic cables around NZ, the cost of maintaining these new infrastructure grids are less than before.( Fiber vs Copper wiring: cost of copper and fiber optic cables are stronger requiring less maintenance).

WILL THE MOAT SHRINK IN THE NEAR FUTURE ?

I don’t think the moat will shrink in the near future as setting up a telecom infrastructure company with years of know how is quite difficult, the only way I can see this moat shrinking is if international companies what a piece of NZ infrastructure, but I don’t think the government would allow key infrastructure projects to be outsourced.

NZME Limited (NZE: NZM)

NZME is a New Zealand media company which owns brands such as:

1. NZ herald
2. Newstalk ZB
3. ZM
4. The Hits
5. Grab one etc…..

The moat exists but it is a very small one, this moat would have been huge during the hay day of print newspaper readership.
So what has happened here ? Internet….
Print newspaper is virtually dead, newspapers all around the world are struggling to make money as subscribers dwindle.
Due to the drop in readership, less and less ads are placed in the newspaper hence lower revenue.
All the eye balls have moved to “ Social Media”, that’s where the ads are now a days.
The only saving light I can see is Grab One, the popular coupon site in NZ. I do believe this will provide a strong source of revenue to the company but I am not sure if this can offset the losses in the other divisions.

The New Zealand Refining Company Limited (NZE: NZR)

Refining NZ is New Zealand’s only oil refinery and the leading supplier of refined petroleum products to the New Zealand market, including petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and other products As a critical piece of national energy infrastructure, Refining NZ is responsible for supplying:

• around 85% country’s jet fuel
• around 67% of diesel
• around 58% of all petrol
• between 75 and 85% of bitumen for roading
• all fuel oil for ships
• sulphur for farm fertilizer
• CO2 for the carbonated drinks industry

Moat exists because this is the only oil refinery in New Zealand, It also suppliers around 85% of NZ’s aviation fuel.
I believe the number of travelers to New Zealand will only increase, Provide refining NZ a solid moat, however as electric cars are bound to make in roads in New Zealand, the demand for petrol and diesel will gradually decrease.
So we need to keep an eye out on the financial performance on an annual basis to make sure the business can still maintain the moat.

Port of Tauranga Limited (NS) (NZE: POT)

The Port of Tauranga Located Tauranga (about 200 km away from Auckland) is the largest port in New Zealand in terms of total cargo volume, and the second largest in terms of container throughput.
Total exports:
📷
Total Exports from POT
As you can see the number of tonnes being exported from port of Tauranga is increasing.
Total imports:
📷
Total Imports from POT
As you can see the number of tonnes being imported from port of Tauranga is increasing as well.
I see this trend continuing as the demand for NZ products especially in emerging markets increases and demand for imports increases as NZ population continues to grow.
So the Moat around POT should be in tact for many years to come.

Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited (NZE: RBD)

Restaurant Brands operates the New Zealand franchises for KFC, Pizza Hut and Carl's Jr. It also operate a KFC franchise in New South Wales, Australia and Taco Bell and Pizza Hut franchise in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.
As of October 2018, Restaurant Brands has 261 stores: 94 KFC New Zealand, 61 KFC Australia 29 Pizza Hut New Zealand, 18 Carl's Jr., 36 Taco Bell Hawaii and 45 Pizza Hut Hawaii stores. It employs nearly 8,000 staff across New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii and serves 120,000 customers worldwide every day. Since RBD operates the NZ franchises for KFC, Pizza Hut and Carl’s Jr and if you wanted to be a franchisee in NZ then you would have to go through them , this gives RBD an economic moat.
Will the moat shrink in the near future ?
I think the moat will certainly shrink, this is due to the fact that many people are moving away from processed foods to more organic and more healthier options, this will cause sales in fast foods such as KFC, Pizza hut etc to shrink, which in turn means less new franchises opening up. There might even be closures around the corner. So I see the moat being broken pretty soon in the years to come.

SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited (NS) (NZE: SKC)

SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited is New Zealand’s largest tourism, leisure and entertainment company. It is one of three major publicly listed casino operators in Australasia.
It has entertainment complexes in:

1. Auckland
2. Hamilton
3. Queenstown
4. Adelaide
5. Darwin

SkyCity also owns one of Auckland’s best know attractions “Sky Tower”. Although the revenue generated from sky tower to the overall business is small, it is still a jewel in the sky city crown.
Will the moat shrink in the near future ?
Considering SKC is New Zealand’s largest tourism, leisure and entertainment company, it has all the basis covered for tourists that enter into NZ. It also has large convention centers where numerous conferences are held, I don’t see the moat shrinking any time soon. As they in casino lingo “ House always wins”.

South Port New Zealand Limited (NS) ( NZE: SPN)

SPN is the southern most commercial port in NZ located at Bluff. It is situated in the highly productive province of Southland which is responsible for producing a sizeable proportion of New Zealand’s total exports by value. The region’s major exporters are all situated within 80km of the port.
All the moat characteristics explained for Port of Tauranga (POT) exist here as well.

Trade Me Group Limited (NZE: TME)

Trade me is the largest internet auction website in NZ. It has Trade me property, motors, jobs etc.
Trade me had held a monopoly on internet auctions for quite some time in NZ, but it’s moat has been slowly eroding away, how ?
Trade me jobs is competing against Seek, LinkedIn
Trade me property is competing against realestate.co.nz, oneroof etc.
Trade me market place is competing against Facebook marketplace.
Looking at all the competitions trade me is facing it seems quite difficult to hold down the moat in the future.

Vector Limited (NZE: VCT)

Vector is New Zealand's largest distributor of electricity and gas, owning and operating networks which span the Auckland region.This distribution system gives Vector an economic moat.
Vector has been involved in electrification projects - charging stations for electric cars, which I think is great for future growth. As number of electric cars increase, there will definitely be a need for more and more charging stations which vector can deliver. The moat seems to be very much intact.

What sort of things will ye find on the high seas!

1. "A pirate ship with all of it's crew are heavily asleep. Waking up any of the crew members causes them to suffer a heart attack!"

Further inspection of the ship reveals that someone brought aboard a cursed gem in the shape of a skull! Dispelling the magic from the gem will safely wake all of the crew.

1. "An island with a sail hung from palm tree's pulls up next to you! On it you see a man with tattered clothes and an age old beard. It's a traveling merchant! Right now it doesn't look like he has many goods, but he sure has a lot of money! All of his goods are laid out neatly on a very tattered, red and white checker blanket."

The trader will buy pretty much anything; don't try to steal from him though. His island and goods are protected by coconuts shrouded in blue flames, haunted by the souls who were lost at sea!

1. A group of sahuagin have found an underwater “temple” and awaken a shark god in it that has been imprisoned for millennia. They are now raiding coastal towns for live sacrifices to feed this newfound deity.

1. A castaway is floating on a poorly made life raft. If you try to offer him a ride he says he will only do it if you all are heading towards ...

1. A seagull lands on the bow with a message tied to it's leg.

1. A brass dragon can be seen flying along to the South.

1. As the crew tries to correct there course, they find the rudder is not responding.

1. a waterfall that falls from the clouds into the ocean. Your boat can travel up it. What could be up there?

1. a slow moving but non hostile leviathan that is just swimming along just below the surface. A giant turtle perhaps?

1. a whirlpool. If sucked in perhaps it's current propels you to the bottom of the ocean.

1. debris and destroyed ships from a concluded battle.

1. A literal parted ocean, in the ocean youre sailing on, that leads to an island that is submerged when the ocean is not parted, but above the surface when it is. What kind of strange physics leads to this?

1. a natural archway of seemingly natural stone that, if travelled through, leads to an ocean of blood within a demonic dimension.

1. a merchant ship filled with riches that looks to just be floating about on its own. It is completely abandoned. What kind of horrors/madness would cause the entirety of the crew to abandon such wealth? Why is there no trace of the crew at all, or any discernible struggle?

1. A massive Storm Giant that is just sitting atop a sand bar. He is fishing using a God Sized fishing rod. What is he fishing for you ask? Krakens hopefully. He wishes to make a nice Kraken dish for his girl for their anniversary. Unfortunately he seems to only be catching Colossal Squid thus far.

1. A dead whale that is just floating around and bloating from the trapped gasses within. Dont poke it. Oh dear, there are sharks poking it. Yup theyre taking chunks out of it. Its gonna explode if they keep biting it. Yeah- yup and there it goes. It exploded.

1. Trillions upon trillions of ants have, it seems, connected themselves together in a lattice and have formed a successful raft. By the grace of the gods, and the laws of physics they are floating to new lands. Take your hats off and salute these ants, friends, for their own unfathomable goals are loftier than our own and yet they are showing the world they can achieve anything. Respect.

18. Amidst the waves, there is a strange section of the ocean that all of a sudden features completely still and undisturbed water. Very suspicious.

1. a meteor from space, probably a solid 100 feet in radius, lights up the sky in a blaze and contacts the surface of the water sending a massive geyser back up into space and showering the surrounding mile and a rainy mist. It contacted the water nearly a mile away, will you investigate? Is it lost to the depths or did it land in a shallow enough spot to dive to?

1. 3 lights can be seen a few miles away dancing above the ocean. Once the party's craft gets closer the lights suddenly rush towards them. They're pixies, and they're a little worse for wear. They plead for the party to save their island home from "the rock man".

1. Traveling brothel

1. Traveling casino

1. Naval ship

1. Naval fleet

1. Life raft with a man lost at sea

1. Life raft with a doppelgängeoni/some other shapeshifter posing as a man lost at sea

1. Weresharks

1. Pirate ship

1. Floating Supplies

1. Pirate ship with (enter monster here) as the captain

1. Kraken

1. Doldrums

1. Whirlpool

1. x

1. Pirate ship with (enter monster here) as the crew

36. Sea hags

1. Water elementals

1. Air elementals

1. Merfolk

1. Merrows

1. Ghost Ship

1. A friendly ship

1. A hostile ship

1. "From far off you see storm clouds, approaching fast. As the storm comes nearer, a water spout forms, stretching from the ocean to the sky. What are those large shapes swirling within the spout? Surely those aren't triangular dorsal fins?!"

1. "You've been stuck in the doldrums for a few days now, wishing for something, anything, to happen. As that thought crosses your mind for the thousandth time, a smell catches your nose. It smells like low tide in the docks. A desiccated hand, seaweed clinging to it like funeral wrappings, claws its way onto the rail. The arm attached to it, and yes truly the entire clawing corpse, is similarly encased in seaweed. Two more seaweed mummies quickly join it, effortlessly clawing their way onto the deck. A scream from elsewhere on the boat makes you realize that maybe you should have been careful what you wished for..."

1. "Off the stern you see men approaching the boat. Each is standing astride two harnessed sharks and it's hard to mistake the malice in their eyes."

1. *"Another gout of flame lights up the night sky. Truly this must be the terrible one-winged dragon pirate, Captain Blauvint with his magical cannon Belcher."

1. A boxy black ship that runs with no lights at night. It's a floating ninja fortress!

1. The players find a beautiful tiara or shell and gold in some lost temple, but soon after they aquire it Sahaugin (and other terrible things from the deep) attack whenever they stop.

1. An elven lich with eyes that have some other world's night sky in them, serves as the emissary of the mad goddess of the sea, burning those who do not pay her proper tithe.

1. The seven daggers of the Cortadormar, a crew of largely benevolent pirates famous for starting a feud with a local lord. Perhaps they seek help? Perhaps the local lord will pay well for information about them?

1. A small jungle island inhabited solely by dinosaurs, though crumbling structures hint at a previous civilization.

1. Vampirates. Nuff said.

1. A woman frozen in a solid block of ice, just bobbing there in the ocean. She looks mildly annoyed.

1. *a mile wide iceburg floats nearby, inhabited by a young white dragon and his cohort of kobold fishermen. There are several penguins​ that will raise the alarm should any Interlopers appear. The white dragon waits in a cave at the center of the burg and uses ice shape to ensure victory if anyone is foolish enough to face him within. He is visible through the ice. Sloped Icy staircase: DC-23.

1. At night, preferably, the sound of oars. Light reveals a black shape: a hooded man in an old boat; he asks for food and if given, he returns to a little isle somewhere close. If searched, the isle, the man and her wife, are infested with fungi. It's dreadful

1. The party comes across an unexplained abandoned ship floating on the high seas (a la the [Mary Celeste]((https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celeste)). Exploring the craft is a disturbing experience - the PC's continually see things moving out of the corner of their eye.

If they look in the captain's cabin they will find what appears to be a large chest. Alas, it is a mimic. The party will then realize the things they saw moving in the corner of their eyes are more of the creatures: the ship is infested with mimics!
What has happened here? Here are some possibilities:

• 1: The ship was transporting captured mimics, and they escaped and ate the crew.
  
• 2: Mimics are squid like creatures native to the depths of the sea. Every so often they come to the surface - perhaps to play, breed, or hunt.
  
• 3: The mimics are the spawn of a much larger mimic ... the ship itself.
  

1. A ship infested with rum gremlins -- they're contagious!

1. An uncharted island with a line mountain and lots of vegetation. It appears to move . . . And it opened an eye? The island is a giant turtle. And there's a druid grove/toweruins on its back.

1. A bottle in some flotsam. Cleaning the bottle reveals a model ship! But, a closer look reveals its no model. Another ship was cursed and trapped in the bottle. Can you free them? Will you be next?

1. Some small boats are gathered in a circle. Dressed in black robes, they chant in the deep speech.

1. A storm sorcerer in a manta cloak climbs aboard. The mage offers swift winds in exchange for safe passage, good company, and a black pearl.

1. "From out of the mist a ship appears. It's ghostly crew doesn't appear to notice anyone else. They appear to be fleeing in panic. Suddenly they stop and as one turn and stare to the South with mouths agape in horror. They throw up their arms as though to ward something off,then instantly pop out of existence. Off to the South a dim light can be briefly seen..."

1. Your Mage/scientist inspects a rainbow shimmer on the surface of the water surrounding your ship, it's liquid memory holding a message/warning.

1. A ship is sighted, called "Esoteric Order" from the city of Newburyport. The first seaman seen, Obed Marsh, seems normal, and responds to overtures. He tells them that...

"Right naow Cap'n is abaout changed. Can't shet his eyes no more, an' is all aout o' shape. He still wears clothes, but he'll take to the water soon."

Once closer, the PCs will see that the ship is crewed by silent, squat men with bulging eyes that never blink. When hailed, they simply stare at the PCs with unblinking eyes and gaping mouths. A rank stench of dead fish and rotting seaweed hangs over all. Swimming in the water beneath the "Esoteric Order" are humanoid shapes...

1. Underwater rock or reef

1. Floating carcass of giant sea creature

1. Giant Piranhas surround the ship.

1. There's a small, rocky island far away from any other land. On it is a very attractive woman in a makeshift shelter. You can hear her singing long before you can see her. She is NOT a siren; she is a bard whose performance is singing. She is here due to a miscalibration of a teleportation circle. She's also chaotic evil, greedy and very charming.

1. A gnomish submersible captained by a Rogue smuggler currently transporting drugs but also a member of the Gnomish Royal family in disguise on the run from their evil betrothed.

1. A stormcloud nursery: rain falls up from the ocean into slowly growing and darkening clouds.

1. A long makeshift canoe manned with goblins is anchored. The goblins are slapping the water with broad oars in unison, creating waves. When asked what they are doing, they say they are creating a tsunami to punish another beach-dwelling tribe who insulted their leader.

1. An awe-inspiring school of glittering flying fish burst from the ocean around you, chittering with delight like a beautiful birdsong.

1. A rowboat occupied by three famished and guilt-ridden seamen together with the well-gnawed bones of the deceased Cabin Boy, young Master Richard Parker, 17 y/o, destined not to grow any older.

1. A floating hulk whose crew are all dead. A throng of aquatic ghouls (Lacedons) are aboard and indulging in a feast.

1. A hot air balloon is floating along the breeze. The sole occupant of the balloons basket, a middle-aged male halfling, seems to frantically trying to land the balloon on the deck of your ship. Do you allow it ? or do you shoot him down ?

1. Murder mystery on the ship.

1. Attacked by an undersea vessel. Enchanted by elemental mage.

1. Bump into (literally) undersea vessel. Invented by dwarven/gnomish plumbers for use in underwater mining.

1. Slave ship coming back from war.

1. Druidic ship made entirely of animated plants.

1. Encounter trade ship set up for non-land based trade. Avoids taxes, trades exclusively with other vessels.

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

1. x

Updated as of 08/16/2018 10:30pm EST. Will fix formatting once list is finished.

Wide Moat, what is that ? Before starting this blog post please read this wide moat businesses explanation here
Okay, now that we are up to speed, before you invest in any wide moat company you need to ensure financials of the business are solid as well, I’ll cover the topic of How to understand the financials of the business in the upcoming blogs so subscribe (here) to know when the blog is out.
Let’s see if we can spot any wide moat business listed on NZX.

Auckland International Airport Limited (NZE: AIA)

Auckland International airport holds a virtual monopoly as the largest airport in NZ and processes the most number of passengers. This is located in the largest city in NZ as well, making it an ideal destination for travelers, With travelers expected to increase in the coming decades, you can clearly see the wide moat around this business.

WILL THE MOAT SHRINK IN THE NEAR FUTURE ?

The likely hood of the moat shrinking is very low since construction of another international airport in Auckland is highly unlikely. Thing to look out for is debt, since airport need vast amounts of money for up keep and improvements( ex: loss of unnecessary capital due to project over runs and delays).
Read a more in depth analysis on Auckland International Airport here

Chorus Limited (NS) - (NZE: CNU)

Chorus manages and builds telecommunications infrastructure in NZ, for ex: when ever you sign up for fiber broadband plan with your ISP, Chorus is contracted to install the connections to your house. As copper cables are replaced by fiber optic cables around NZ, the cost of maintaining these new infrastructure grids are less than before.( Fiber vs Copper wiring: cost of copper and fiber optic cables are stronger requiring less maintenance).

WILL THE MOAT SHRINK IN THE NEAR FUTURE ?

I don’t think the moat will shrink in the near future as setting up a telecom infrastructure company with years of know how is quite difficult, the only way I can see this moat shrinking is if international companies what a piece of NZ infrastructure, but I don’t think the government would allow key infrastructure projects to be outsourced.

NZME Limited (NZE: NZM)

NZME is a New Zealand media company which owns brands such as:

1. NZ herald
2. Newstalk ZB
3. ZM
4. The Hits
5. Grab one etc…..

The moat exists but it is a very small one, this moat would have been huge during the hay day of print newspaper readership.
So what has happened here ? Internet….
Print newspaper is virtually dead, newspapers all around the world are struggling to make money as subscribers dwindle.
Due to the drop in readership, less and less ads are placed in the newspaper hence lower revenue.
All the eye balls have moved to “ Social Media”, that’s where the ads are now a days.
The only saving light I can see is Grab One, the popular coupon site in NZ. I do believe this will provide a strong source of revenue to the company but I am not sure if this can offset the losses in the other divisions.

The New Zealand Refining Company Limited (NZE: NZR)

Refining NZ is New Zealand’s only oil refinery and the leading supplier of refined petroleum products to the New Zealand market, including petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and other products As a critical piece of national energy infrastructure, Refining NZ is responsible for supplying:

• around 85% country’s jet fuel
• around 67% of diesel
• around 58% of all petrol
• between 75 and 85% of bitumen for roading
• all fuel oil for ships
• sulphur for farm fertilizer
• CO2 for the carbonated drinks industry

Moat exists because this is the only oil refinery in New Zealand, It also suppliers around 85% of NZ’s aviation fuel.
I believe the number of travelers to New Zealand will only increase, Provide refining NZ a solid moat, however as electric cars are bound to make in roads in New Zealand, the demand for petrol and diesel will gradually decrease.
So we need to keep an eye out on the financial performance on an annual basis to make sure the business can still maintain the moat.

Port of Tauranga Limited (NS) (NZE: POT)

The Port of Tauranga Located Tauranga (about 200 km away from Auckland) is the largest port in New Zealand in terms of total cargo volume, and the second largest in terms of container throughput.
Total exports:
📷
Total Exports from POT
As you can see the number of tonnes being exported from port of Tauranga is increasing.
Total imports:
📷
Total Imports from POT
As you can see the number of tonnes being imported from port of Tauranga is increasing as well.
I see this trend continuing as the demand for NZ products especially in emerging markets increases and demand for imports increases as NZ population continues to grow.
So the Moat around POT should be in tact for many years to come.

Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited (NZE: RBD)

Restaurant Brands operates the New Zealand franchises for KFC, Pizza Hut and Carl's Jr. It also operate a KFC franchise in New South Wales, Australia and Taco Bell and Pizza Hut franchise in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.
As of October 2018, Restaurant Brands has 261 stores: 94 KFC New Zealand, 61 KFC Australia 29 Pizza Hut New Zealand, 18 Carl's Jr., 36 Taco Bell Hawaii and 45 Pizza Hut Hawaii stores. It employs nearly 8,000 staff across New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii and serves 120,000 customers worldwide every day. Since RBD operates the NZ franchises for KFC, Pizza Hut and Carl’s Jr and if you wanted to be a franchisee in NZ then you would have to go through them , this gives RBD an economic moat.
Will the moat shrink in the near future ?
I think the moat will certainly shrink, this is due to the fact that many people are moving away from processed foods to more organic and more healthier options, this will cause sales in fast foods such as KFC, Pizza hut etc to shrink, which in turn means less new franchises opening up. There might even be closures around the corner. So I see the moat being broken pretty soon in the years to come.

SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited (NS) (NZE: SKC)

SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited is New Zealand’s largest tourism, leisure and entertainment company. It is one of three major publicly listed casino operators in Australasia.
It has entertainment complexes in:

1. Auckland
2. Hamilton
3. Queenstown
4. Adelaide
5. Darwin

SkyCity also owns one of Auckland’s best know attractions “Sky Tower”. Although the revenue generated from sky tower to the overall business is small, it is still a jewel in the sky city crown.
Will the moat shrink in the near future ?
Considering SKC is New Zealand’s largest tourism, leisure and entertainment company, it has all the basis covered for tourists that enter into NZ. It also has large convention centers where numerous conferences are held, I don’t see the moat shrinking any time soon. As they in casino lingo “ House always wins”.

South Port New Zealand Limited (NS) ( NZE: SPN)

SPN is the southern most commercial port in NZ located at Bluff. It is situated in the highly productive province of Southland which is responsible for producing a sizeable proportion of New Zealand’s total exports by value. The region’s major exporters are all situated within 80km of the port.
All the moat characteristics explained for Port of Tauranga (POT) exist here as well.

Trade Me Group Limited (NZE: TME)

Trade me is the largest internet auction website in NZ. It has Trade me property, motors, jobs etc.
Trade me had held a monopoly on internet auctions for quite some time in NZ, but it’s moat has been slowly eroding away, how ?
Trade me jobs is competing against Seek, LinkedIn
Trade me property is competing against realestate.co.nz, oneroof etc.
Trade me market place is competing against Facebook marketplace.
Looking at all the competitions trade me is facing it seems quite difficult to hold down the moat in the future.

Vector Limited (NZE: VCT)

Vector is New Zealand's largest distributor of electricity and gas, owning and operating networks which span the Auckland region.This distribution system gives Vector an economic moat.
Vector has been involved in electrification projects - charging stations for electric cars, which I think is great for future growth. As number of electric cars increase, there will definitely be a need for more and more charging stations which vector can deliver. The moat seems to be very much intact.

Listen, mate. Something is rotten in the State of Victoria, Australia.
From the muddy banks of the Yarra, up and beyond Sydney Road, to the Dandenong mountain ranges….down to the borders of Port Phillip Bay where the fibreglass Luna Park clown, old Mr Moon, grins contemptuously over the brothels and slums of St Kilda. Fuck me sideways. Pernicious humidity followed by a spell of rain, and a sky perpetually overcast with moral decay. Something is wrong, and it rhymes with girder.
Yeah, see....in St Kilda, in July of 2017 a dead body was found in the Triangle construction Site near the Bay, adjacent to where the Palais theatre once stood —before it burnt to cinders. Body had also been burnt, and was unidentifiable, charcoaled as it was. Funnily enough...Nobody seems to know who is to blame. As daily race riots and brawls break out on St Kilda streets, and the cops impose tougher alcohol restrictions, this gaping wound remains untended.
J D Williams and the three Phillips brothers from Seattle had their part;— left their American legacy in Australia, no doubt about it— the Coney Island style theme park of vices, a carnival of underground crimes which led to that precise moment —a swamp of intertwined histories beyond my capabilities to research thoroughly or summarise accurately. Nevertheless, I swear to you old chum, like a moth to a flame, I was drawn into the tangled investigation of that mangled female corpse near Luna Park,... an investigation which would near drive me insane.
My name is Pharlap Dronefire, a Private Investigator based in South Yarra.
I’m not normally inclined to investigate murder cases, but this particular private client had a list of seemingly unrelated things he wanted me to research, the St Kilda murder being just one of them. As I didn’t have access myself to the police files, I resolved to meet up with my police contact, Andrew Barrington, and get the facts surrounding the case.
Officer Barrington consented to meet at Luigi’s; a video game themed bar on Acland Street. It was a hot Saturday, and the St Kilda crowds were wild and varied; thousands of English, Irish and American tourists flocked to the beach, whilst teenagers vomited on the rickety roller-coasters of the seaside theme Park. The scenes were impressionistic, with Bosch-like crowds, bollards lined with palm trees. Myriad junkies asked for change and cigarettes of passers by— on the street, whilst bips and boops sang out from customers playing the vintage arcade machines behind me.
I sat at the outside tables, drunks brushed by me on the cramped and cracked sidewalk, car pollution and smog slept thinly at knee level over the scene, as the green and orange blur of a passing tram flashed by.
I saw officer Barrington approaching from a distance and waved as he crossed the road, shortly he sat down at the table and we ordered two Pale Ales.
‘Thanks for comin’ Bazza’ I said with genuine appreciation. Barrington scratched his face, and muttered a kind of ‘no wukkers ’ through his chin.....he seemed to have a lot on his mind. ‘So what have you got on this St Kilda killing?’ I asked directly, ‘There’s almost nothing online about it, barely made a dent in the press.’ ‘Jesus Pharlap.’ Barrington sighed, ‘Haven’t you got anything better to do than dig up old corpses?’ ‘You know me Baz—’ I said, ‘I’m determined to end up a chalk outline myself. But this corpse is still pretty fresh i’d say. Why are the cops choking on this chicken anyway? What’s the unseen bone?’ ‘Look…’ Officer Barrington sighed, as our beers arrived and I took a big swig of lager; ‘The murder made the papers when it happened, toured the news for a week or so...but because the body has never been identified there hasn’t been much for the press to chew on. There’s no suspects, no motive or cause. We’ve only been barely able to piece together what actually happened.’ Barrington took a sip of beer, as I jotted down some notes. The officer looked down at my ex—left-hand for a moment, noticing the bandaged stub from the accident that had happened to me recently. ‘What happened to your hand?’ He asked. ‘My own bones have been chewed…You and I...’ I replied, ‘....Work in a dangerous line of work.....sometimes the danger of your profession leaks over to mine in unexpected ways ....probably best leave it at that. So what exactly DO the police know about this barbecued girl?’.
I noticed an extraordinary amount of discomfort in Barrington’s face as he discussed the girl. Being partially involved in the murder investigation, it seemed to have particularly disturbed him. He struggled uncomfortably in his seat, Barrington was a large muscular man with thick, black-rimmed glasses and layered, thin hair. His eyes seemed permanently tinged with paranoia.
‘Officially?’ Barrington replied nervously, ‘Nothing...... But unofficially....’ ‘You’ve got your own theories about who did this, don’t you?’ I asked making my own deductions. Bazza sighed and massaged the back of his neck; ‘Look’ he said, ‘Whatever I tell you here is completely off the record. You understand?’ I made an affirmative gesture.
‘You know well— I’ve been investigating various unsolved gangland killings for a long time.’ Said Officer Barrington, ‘We’ve discussed previously my unofficial research and interests.’ I nodded, motioning him to continue. ‘Well. Hexton Police Station is full of officer’s hunches. We’ve always known of these criminal families running things, and what not, but sometimes you don’t have the evidence to put the bastards away. This case goes back years....’
Another tram chimed past in the street as Bazza continued his story; ‘There was the Walsh Street Massacre in 1988; that set a wave of anxiety through the ranks. You’ve head of it?’ ‘Sounds familiar. That’s what ‘Animal Kingdom’ was about, right?’ I said. ‘Right. Before Howard took the guns away, you had the crime families, bank robbers, strings of crimes done with sawn-off shotguns in broader Hexton. Cops shot Greame Jensen, and Victor Pierce promised two cops would die in revenge attacks. After those two young coppers were murdered in Walsh Street, the cops fought back. Executed a bunch of the gang leaders. Then there were the trials of the Walsh Street killers, that bitch Wendy Pierce didn’t testify. Half the buggers never done time. I was trying to nail Peter McEvoy for a long time in the nineties. He moved up to NSW after he was freed.’ I furiously recorded notes as the officer spoke.
‘After the gangland killings of the nineties, and the Purana task force, it took years to catch up on who was doing what. Well that’s when I really went down a rabbit hole in my research. Started trailing these rich crime families who’d been running tricks over the NSW/Victorian border for over a century unchecked. I’m not talking about Gangitano, Gatto or the Manillas. Used to be all the crime was comin’ in from the docks, you know? The Painter and Dockers union, that’s where Victor Pierce worked, the Walsh Street murderer, the Moran family and the Carlton Crew, they were all running drugs through Port Melbourne. The Calabrian mafia, AKA the honoured society, the Ndrangheta—now they also got their claws into Australian society way back then too, they come down from Queensland, had their racketeering going through the fruit and vegetable markets. Everyone remembers the key events— Frank Benvenuto was killed in 2000, but even without their leader the ’Ndrangheta was obviously still operating —because in 2008 the cops seized 15 million ecstacy pills hidden in tomato cans from Calabria. Now, Frank Benvenuto rang Victor Peirce the day he died. You want my opinion— That’s because the thugs that organised Walsh Street, weren’t just acting on some petty revenge motive. The whole thing was planned from higher up, maybe Frank was fronting up to Peirce before he was shot, and maybe Peirce knew too much when he was blown away in 2002. You catch my drift?’
‘’Im trying my best to follow—’ I replied, still anxiously scribbling notes.
‘Keep up mate… Anyway listen, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, people have been too hung up on Islamic extremism to pay attention to what’s really happening with the Mafia and these other organisations, these crime families. Now there was way more knowledge of this in the police force, the internal corruption was proven to go right to the top….in the end — we know the Wood Royal Commission only really exposed the affairs of the Kings Cross Police in Sydney, barely scratched the surface of mafia interception and corruption within the government. Yeah, they brought in some regulations, hell… even that snake Roger Rogerson got done eventually,…the Labour party dealing with Mokbel was partially revealed… but all the while, secret meetings of the same groups were happening; members of corporations, corrupt police, board members, Australian politicians. I was still trailing them, I had addresses of mansions where these figures lived and hung out. Just waiting to catch a lucky break. This wasn’t just a few career criminals. It was like an underground cult.’
I polished off my beer and motioned with my hand to the waitress to bring out another one. ‘So you think this St Kilda killing was perpetrated by these underground crime families?’ I asked intrigued.
Bazza grew more paranoid still, almost sweating and glancing about him as if he was afraid of being watched. ‘There’s this urban legend among ...those interested in crime ....in this city. Have you ever heard of the the ‘Slaughter Theatre’ trilogy?’ ‘The what?’ I asked cluelessly. Barrington seemed peculiarly begrudging to keep telling me information about what he knew, nonetheless he obligingly indulged me;
‘Back in the days of Walsh Street there were rumours of these VHS tapes existing, you know?… It was rumoured that Peter McEvoy, Victor Pierce and other murderers involved in the police killings— used to film their crimes. Snuff videos —which would prove their identities in various murders —nail the Walsh Street killers, and hundreds of other crime figures….. these VHS were alleged to have been seen by multiple witnesses. The stickers on the old video tapes were supposed to be labelled ‘Slaughter Theatre’ in red permanent marker, creepy handwriting. That’s what all the legends say anyway. I know officers who claim to have seen some of this footage. I’m talking sadistic brutal shit. You remember Dennis Allen?’ ‘Sure’ I said. ‘Mr Death they used to call him, well— there’s apparently a snuff video of Allen cutting up one of his biker adversaries with a chainsaw, he’s covered in blood, films the whole thing as he approaches a bunch of slaughterhouse workers in their white gear. They’re all covered in blood and laughing their asses off, saying ‘What floor you working’ on then Dennis?’. Another guy I know claims he’s seen these tapes, proof of all kinds of things we just suspected… Mad Charlie being massacred at his home in Caulfield. Girls being raped and tortured and mutilated. One of the pieces of footage is allegedly of a group of about 30 members of the Comanchero Motorcycle club, and they’re standing around with a group of these government guys in suits, who pay them a bunch of money, then what follows is a sadistic orgy which ends in bloodshed and bizarre ritual.’
I sweated, my hand starting to cramp from the overload of information. I held my hand up for a moment, indicating Bazza to give me a second to catch up. Finally, after a deep breath, and massaging my wrist, I waved; ‘Go on’. Barrington continued;
‘In the nineties and noughties —more rumours popped up about these secret videos. Apparently rich perverts we’re paying criminals for these snuff films, this Slaughter Theatre….. some of them were even getting top notch production values with members of the Melbourne creative industry being involved. At least that’s how the rumours go. The legends are constantly embellished. In the 90’s it was burnt DVD’s which the files were allegedly being copied to. Press dubbed it ‘Slaughter Theatre part Two’. Then downloaded files, and well, you can imagine how the rumours escalated in the modern age of social media.’
I tried to absorb what Barrington was telling me, but had to admit it sounded suspiciously like an urban conspiracy theory. I tapped at my pad with the nib of my pen. ‘So how exactly does this relate to the burnt female corpse that was dumped here in St Kilda?’.
‘Listen,’ Barrington said adjusting his thick, black glasses nervously and preparing to stand; ‘I’m afraid there’s only so much I can tell you without compromising my job. That girl was burnt alive, with a can of gasoline. Autopsy confirms that much. If I tell you that urban legends suggesting that her murder was filmed— are prominent in police circles, would you even believe me? What if I told you I had proof that this murder was filmed as part of a third instalment in this snuff trilogy? Slaughter Theatre - Part Three. That these murders are having a resurgence ——that its all part of this conspiracy?’ ‘I’d say you were either crazy, or had something that would make the biggest news story in Australian history.’ I replied bluntly. Officer Barrington stood up and handed me a business card; ‘That’s all I can do, mate—to tip you off. Listen Pharlap… If you want to learn more I suggest you dig around about this snuff video, I think you’ll find more than you had imagined in your worst daydreams. The.... You’re going to want to speak to the guy —on this card’— (Barrington handed me a business card)— ‘…about a murder that happened at the Three Vertice construction site in Footscray in July 2016. Sorry I can’t be of more help...’ Officer Barrington then shook my hand firmly, and I thanked him before he disappeared into the St Kilda crowds.
So that was how it started. How my innocence was tainted, and I was dragged into this most unnerving and unusual investigation. The business card Barrington gave me belonged to somebody called ‘Drendyl Pex. Three Vertice Construction Company. Owner. Manager.’
For a moment I sat back, and tried to get the tangled mess out of my brain, sipping at the last of my beer. Surely Barrington had gone a bit nuts— reeked of classic Police conspiracy stuff. The idea that the whole criminal underworld is linked through some kind of satanic cult— it was absurd. Satanic Panic. And as for this snuff film? Well… I just had trouble believing that something that could’ve appeared on a /4chan creepy pasta/ could exist in any tangible reality. Nonetheless, right now, it was my only lead. If Barrington believed that the murder of the girl at St Kilda… could somehow be linked to another murder in Footscray, i’d have to investigate it, any other solution would be neglectful.
It was about a twenty five minute drive out to Footscray in my Valiant Charger. I had the air conditioning up to full blast, and my tinted windows down. The radio was blaring FURY FM, some poncy hipster DJ raving on about his succulent garden, and his batch of home-brewed beer. I was about to turn it off when a killer track came on, Head On by The Jesus and Mary Chain, so I cranked the volume and hit the gas. The DJ may have been an arsehole… but he did have decent taste in music, the next tracks were also great; King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, MGMT -Little Dark Age, ORB -Man in the Sand, Nap Eyes -Don’t be Right. The synthetic pulses of the Chromatics cover of Kate Bush’s ’Running up that Hill’ was playing as I pulled into the car park of the Three Vertice construction company.
It was a busy location, with an adjacent yard; many workers in their flouro orange high vis neons and yellow hard hats coming and going. I stumbled over a poorly concreted patch of turf, up a flight of roughly hewn stairs, through a mesh steel fence, until I came into a sheltered office, and temporary reception desk. The lady at the desk gave me a funny look, and I realised I was still wearing my aviators and tennis visor, and I removed them for politeness. ‘Pharlap Dronefire. I’m here to speak to Drendyl Pex’, I said flatly. The blonde woman with dark wirey eyebrows still had an aggravated look on her face, she scowled and said, barely curteously; ‘I’m afraid Mr Pex is quite busy, do you have an appointment?’ I thought cunningly for a few split seconds; ‘No. But this is of a very private and urgent nature. Mr Pex will see it in his interest that we speak as soon as possible—’ ‘Im sorry sir, but Mr Pex….’— ‘—You can tell him it’s in relation to something that happened last year—at this site— he may want to keep confidential…’ The woman sighed, looking fearfully at her computer, ‘Ill try his office, if you just want to take a seat Mr….?’ ‘Dronefire’ I repeated, casually taking a seat on the old, tattered couch.
It was about a seven minute wait —before a well dressed man, with shoulder length, greased-back hair, purple waist coat, cravat, dark velvet jacket and long boots walked into the room. The woman stood up to introduce us, but before she had a chance the man lunged forward and stood before me with his right hand held straight. The man commanded a strange authority, so that I found I quickly leapt to my feet in his presence, and before I knew it we were in the middle of a firm handshake. ‘Mr Dronefire I believe? Drendyl Pex.’ ‘It’s a pleasure, sir, Is there somewhere we can talk a little more privately?’ ‘Of course, please… Come to my onsite office.’ I followed Mr Pex outside of the temporary unit, and we walked up a hazardous mud slide mountain to a— 3 metre square— white cubicle or trailer. Pex opened a door, and we entered into the luxurious space, decked out with a bar and expensive furniture and entertainment system. ‘Can I fix you a rum, Mr Dronefire?’ Pex asked. ‘I’ve never said no to a rum before.’ I replied truthfully. Pex pulled down a bottle from his packed shelves, dropped ice machine cubes into two glasses and poured. ‘On the rocks suit?’ ‘Yeah…that…uh…that….suits perfectly’ I replied. Drendyl handed me a three quarter full glass of pale liquid; ‘Have you tried it?’ He asked ‘Australian brand, from Adelaide, Gunnery, white spiced. Best this country has to offer.’ I took a sip of the drink, and was surprised by the earthy taste, it was dirty but delicious.
‘Mr Pex’ I said, ‘May I be upfront?’ ‘You want to know about the death that occurred last year.’ Pex replied; ‘I’m guessing you’re a Private Investigator or amateur sleuth of some kind.’ ‘Your receptionist passed on the hint, I suppose?’ I asked. ’I must apologise for our quote-unquote reception. It’s a temporary head office, we’re building a new office space here. Miss Weabley is actually our occupational health and safety manager, just filling the desk whilst we get a new temp in—’ ‘I’m not here representing anyone in a legal capacity Mr Pex’… I said, sensing Pex’s defenses, ‘…you guessed it right, I am a P.I-——— my client is interested in a murder that occurred in St Kilda recently, however other trails of research have led me to a you. Did the death last year occur at this location?’ ‘Aha!’ said Pex, seeming to have figured me out, ‘You’re following the urban legend surrounding a certain snuff film.’ I tried not to act surprised. ‘I can provide you some information about that. But follow me, I want to show you something first.’
Pex swigged the rest of his drink, and placed down the empty glass, I followed his lead, and we exited the white building, trudging around a muddy path on the outer rim of the construction zone. My head was warm from liquor and smog, the sprawling horizon bore the haphazard scattering of Footscray industry. ‘Just up here…i’ll show you…. is where the death happened Mr Dronefire. Alice Goddard. Up over the hill there. I’ll show you the place alright…but….. Are you familiar with Footscray at all?’ ‘Not really…Not a bulldogs fan….I…uh…I barrack for Essendon.’ I joked. ‘Blasphemy’ Pex smiled with formulaic small talk, ‘This was Wurundjeri land, where we are standing. Some time ago it was an immense lagoon where the Koories went fishing. There was a factory here at the turn of the century when the industrial revolution hit. They bulldozed it in the seventies, and it’s been nothing much more than landfill up until 2007 when the Three Vertice construction company purchased it. It’s been a sort of base for some time, although our head office used to be in Fitzroy. We are an equal opportunity employer Mr Dronefire. In the last 20 years, over 50 thousand employees; South Vietnamese, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Somalian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Indonesian —they have all come through here.’ ‘I’m not quite sure why you are telling me this Mr Pex’ I confessed. ‘I know you’re not a fool Mr Dronefire. We’ve been through our trials and tribulations, pleaded our side in court cases. I don’t particularly enjoy going through the ordeal of recounting the horrific tragedy that happened here last year over and over again. But if I can be plain with you, off the record…’ I nodded. ‘There’s no doubt that girl Alice Goddard was murdered out here, and if you ask me, the likelihood that someone under the employ of the Three Vertice Construction company committing that murder— it’s more than just a likelihood. Of course, you can understand…. why, as leader of this company I would be cautious about publicity over this, i’m not a monster. My pity for the girl is endless. I’ve been very frank with the police about giving them all our employee files.’
I felt like I had just taken in a whiff of pure Drendyl heroine, and had to take a minute to contemplate it. ‘I’m not here to accuse you or your company of anything untoward Mr Pex. Just to seek out the truth. To be honest, I have absolutely nothing in my research which even suggests that the murder which occurred in St Kilda is in any way related to the death of Alice Goddard.’ ‘Well… if you’d done your research, you’d know that she—Alice— was burnt alive.’ Pex stated plainly, ‘Similar autopsy results as your St Kilda murder. I read the newspapers too Mr Dronefire. If I was a police man, i’d definitely be looking at the murders as a double homicide, or possibly two murders in a repeat serial killing. Mind you, this country’s never been well equipped to deal with the serial killer phenomenon, the AFP has a history of bungled investigations in that regard.’ ‘This snuff film?’ I asked increasingly intrigued, but distracted—’You said you were aware of——‘ ‘Everyone in Melbourne is aware of Slaughter Theatre, Mr Dronefire. It’s a legend that’s been spreading around parties in the Northern suburbs for as long as Venereal disease.’ I tried to hold back a chortle, given the morose aspect of the subject matter.
Mr Pex began to walk again, and I followed him up over the last dirt pile which led to the alleged murder site. We were quite high up on the elevation now and had a good view of the Melbourne CBD. Pex stared outwards towards the skyscrapers looming over the Yarra on the horizon. ‘Do you know much about the Crown Casino?’ Pex asked, looking in the general direction of the deluxe crown towers on the horizon. ‘Only that it’s putting a lot of cash in Andrew Packer’s pocket’ I replied. ‘Pfa haha… Packer’s barely here, he’s too busy in Sydney building his 60 million dollar pad at Barangaroo, when he’s not brushing gently against his Scientologist buddies. Good mates with Tom Cruise our James, they’ve all stayed out here at Crown towers too; prominent Scientologists, the Kardashians, the Bush’s, the Rumsfields. Kerry Packer was much more interesting than his son, you know Dronefire. Back in the days of VHS, back when him and Rupert Murdoch were fighting their cold war over who was to be the king pin of the Australian media.’ I took a moment to absorb the serene, pale view of the spires of Hexton CBD, and the dark crown towers silhouetted by the glare of the sun. ‘I’m waiting for the day when the full history of Consolidated press broadcasting comes out,’ Pex continued, ‘…there’s a dark past there the public may never know about. But ol’ Kerry, he knew how to separate recorded history into public and private.’ ‘How do you mean exactly?’ I asked ‘I’m not going to spill all the dirt on Kerry—Mr Dronefire. My father and he had some shared acquaintances. We’d be here all year, and besides, what’s the point. The old cunts dead. You’re a younger bloke, aren’t you Dronefire? I’m guessing 34?’ Pex continued without waiting for an answer, ‘My generation will always remember the day— ha— when Nine Network over stepped Packer’s rule book….’ We reached the top of the hill and stared down into a junkyard of scrap material where the body of the girl had allegedly been dumped. ‘During the shortly lived ‘Australia’s Naughtiest Home Videos’ hosted by the Triple M yobbo Doug Mulray, do you remember? Grown men all over the country were loosening their belts with joy, but Kerry knew there was a time and a place for pornography, and Network television wasn’t it… Haha…. ‘Get that shit off the air!’ That’s what he told the Nine execs when he called them. You should have seen Doug Mulray’s face. Now young James, he’s much more interested in chasing girls, much more interested spending his time in Casino’s than policing the media-boundaries of public and private.’
‘Forgive me Mr Pex’ I interrupted, ‘Maybe i’m misunderstanding all of this. But what exactly does this have to do with the snuff film? Slaughter Theatre?’
Pex seemed satisfied he had given me enough time to look at the scrapyard the body had allegedly been dumped, his body language suddenly changed, and suggested I had overstayed my welcome, and he authoritatively began to escort me back down the dirt hilltop. ‘I can tell you everything I know about the snuff film Mr Dronefire. I’ve heard plenty of rumours about these murders being connected. About them being filmed, and what not. The rumours are everywhere out West and up North in Victoria. They have been for the last 50 years— every time a body shows up, theres a new trail of gossip. Melbourne IS the murder capital of Australia, Mr Dronefire. But unfortunately, I can attest to the truth of those claims no more than I can—the millions of claims about the Loch Ness monster. For all intents and purposes, those of us who are sane rightly dismiss such conspiracies as absurd. Right wing nuts who can’t handle disorder in everything, want everything to be part of some master plan. Then you’ve got the left wing vultures, media types who love a scandal, any fad you can write an article about, or make an indy film inspired by. That’s all this is. Now I have to apologise Dronefire, but I am a busy man. Always happy to help out any investigation, and i’d just as soon see whoever is behind these horrendous crimes behind bars, as much as you, the police— and the girls parents. Now—‘ I could see Pex was wrapping up, but I wasn’t a hundred percent satisfied with the information I had been given, and needed a few more points; ‘Do you mind if stick around here for another ten minutes, just to get some quick interviews with the staff?’ Pex looked mildly disgruntled but not resistant; ‘I can give you ten minutes. Longer than that and you’d be interfering with our productivity i’m afraid. You can speak to our onsite supervisor, he works with most of the staff here.’
Drendyl whistled, and an ocker looking fellow with a mullet, safety vest and a hairy arms made his way over. ‘Fortyn Kildare, this is Private Investigator Dronefire. He’d like to ask you a few questions about the death of Alice Goddard.’ Pex excused himself and disappeared, as I shook Mr Kildare’s hand. ‘You’re a little late aren’t ya?’ asked the gruff man in a thick Aussie accent; ‘Press was all over this ten months ago. What are you hoping to dig up now—eh??’
Continued in Part Two: https://www.reddit.com/libraryofshadows/comments/7new6s/slaughter_theatre_part_two/

Day 3 - live from Club G.E.B.A, Buenos Aires, Argentina

US East	(CET next day)	Artist
7:00PM	(01.00)	Heatbeat
8:15PM	(02.15)	Jochen Miller
9:30PM	(03.30)	Dash Berlin
11:00PM	(05.00)	Markus Schulz
12:30PM	(06.30)	Armin van Buuren
2:30AM	(08.30)	John O'Callaghan
3:45AM	(09.45)	W&W

http://www.astateoftrance.com/a-state-of-trance-500/buenos-aires/
http://www.twitter.com/arminvanbuuren
A State of Trance 500, Buenos Aires will be broadcasted live through:
Argentina – Sonic FM
Australia – Energy FM
Australia – Kik FM
Brazil – Dance Paradise
Bulgaria – Alpha Radio
Cyprus – Mix FM
Cz Republic – Dance Radio
DFM - Estonia
Greece – NRG Rhodes
Ireland – RTE Pulse
Israel – Click 2 Dance
Poland – Eska
Radio Record - Russia
Spain - Sonic FM
Sweden – Radio Seven
Ukraine – Kiss FM
USA – My 959 FM
Online – DI
Online – AStateofTrance.com
Tracklist
Heatbeat:

1. Randy Boyer vs. Armin van Buuren feat. Susana - Afterglow Shivers (Heatbeat Mashup)
   
2. Luigi Lusini vs. Arty - Who We Are vs. Zara (Heatbeat Mashup)
   
3. Evol Waves - Everything In It's Right Place (Original Mix)
   
4. Matias Faint - Casino Fire (Heatbeat Original Mix)
   
5. ID vs. Sander van Doorn feat. Carol Lee - ID vs. Love Is Darkness (Heatbeat Mashup)
   
6. Heatbeat - Trash (Original Mix)
   
7. Heatbeat - Ask The Cat (Original Mix)
   
8. Heatbeat feat. Jeza - Light Up (Rough Mix)
   
9. Matias Faint vs. Heatbeat & Exit vs. Pendulum vs. Energy 52 - Last Breath vs. Go vs. The Island vs. Cafe Del Mar (Heatbeat Mashup)
   
10. Marc Simz vs. iiO - Forbidden City vs. Rapture (Heatbeat Mashup)
    
11. Signalrunners & Julie Thompson - These Shoulders (Andy Moor Remix)
    
12. ID - ID
    
13. Mike Foyle pres. Statica - Headrush (Original Mix)
    

Jochen Miller:

1. Jochen Miller - Troucid
   
2. ID - ID (possibly Matisse & Sadko - Hi Scandinavia!)
   
3. Clashback - Outset (Michael Woods Remix)
   
4. Jochen Miller - Brace Yourself
   
5. Erick Strong - The Monster
   
6. Jochen Miller - U & Eye
   
7. Alex O'Rion - Who I Am Today (Club Mix)
   
8. Marco V & Mohawk - Zero One (Original Mix)
   
9. Peter Gelderblom - Waiting 4 (Manuel De La Mare Remix)
   
10. Felix Da Housecat Pres. Thee Nese Djouma Projesi - Zaman (Moguai Remix)
    
11. Jochen Miller - Classified (Original Extended Mix)
    
12. Russo - Analog Boy Digital Girl
    
13. Ummet Ozcan - Transcend (Original Mix)
    
14. Jochen Miller vs. Diddy-Dirty Money feat. Skylar Grey - Humanoid vs. Coming Home (Jochen Miller Mashup)
    
15. Cliff Coenraad - Booty Slam (Original Mix)
    
16. Jochen Miller - Lost Connection (Artento Divini Remix)
    
17. Marco V - Reaver (Original Mix)
    
18. ID - ID
    
19. Armin van Buuren feat. Nadia Ali - Feels So Good (ID Remix)
    

Dash Berlin:

1. Dash Berlin - Till The Sky Falls Down (4AM Intro Mix)
   
2. Judge Jules vs. Deadmau5 - The Greater Good vs. Raise Your Weapon (Dash Berlin Mashup)
   
3. Above & Beyond Feat. Richard Bedford - Sun & Moon (Club Mix)
   
4. First State Feat. Sarah Howells - Reverie (Dash Berlin Remix)
   
5. ATB Feat. Dash Berlin - Apollo Road (Original Mix)
   
6. ID - ID
   
7. Ferry Corsten - Punk (Arty Rock-N-Rolla Remix)
   
8. Filo & Peri Feat. Audrey Gallagher - This Night (Dash Berlin Remix)
   
9. Space Rockerz Feat. Tania Zygar - Puzzle Piece (ID Remix)
   
10. Dash Berlin Feat. Emma Hewitt - Disarm Yourself (Club Mix)
    
11. Dash Berlin - Earth Hour 2011 Theme
    
12. Tiesto - Lethal Industry (ID Remix)
    
13. Morning Parade - A&E (Dash Berlin Remix) vs. The Killers - Human (Acapella) (Dash Berlin Mashup)
    
14. Cygnus X - Superstring (Rank 1 Remix) vs. Faithless - Insomnia, We Come One (Acapella) (Dash Berlin Mashup)
    
15. Armin Van Buuren Feat. Sophie Ellis Bextor - Not Giving Up On Love (Dash Berlin 4Am Mix)
    
16. Dash Berlin with Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Man On The Run (Original Vocal Mix)
    
17. ID - ID
    
18. Dash Berlin Feat. Emma Hewitt - Waiting (Vocal Mix)
    

Markus Schulz:

1. Markus Schulz Pres. Dakota - Sinners (Intro Mix)
   
2. ID - ID
   
3. Markus Schulz - 65.4Hz (Mr. Pit Remix)
   
4. Aerofoil - Vortex (Original Mix)
   
5. Markus Schulz pres. Dakota - Sleepwalkers (Original Mix)
   
6. Beat Service - Outsider (Original Mix)
   
7. Artento Divini pres. DTC vs. Delerium Feat. Sarah McLachlan - Lift Off Silence (Markus Schulz Mashup)
   
8. Khomha - Rainy In The Night (Markus Schulz Edit)
   
9. Aerofoil - Caress 2 Impress (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
   
10. Mr. Pit - Backstage
    
11. Traumer - Cobraphobie (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
    
12. Markus Schulz - The New World (Barnes & Heatcliff Remix)
    
13. ID - ID
    
14. Markus Schulz - Rain (Phynn Remix)
    
15. Mr. Pit - Sky Traffic
    
16. Klauss Goulart - Turbulence (Original Mix)
    
17. ID - ID
    
18. Tim Berg - Bromance (Tucandeo Rework) (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
    
19. Rex Mundi - Opera Of Northern Ocean (Phynn Remix) (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
    
20. Genix - Zzubb (Original Mix)
    
21. Markus Schulz & Jochen Miller - Rotunda (Original Mix)
    

Armin Van Buuren:

1. Andrew Rayel - Aether (Intro Mix)
   
2. ID - ID (The Thrillseekers - Song For Sendai?)
   
3. Orjan Nilsen - Between The Rays
   
4. John O'Callaghan And Timmy & Tommy - Talk To Me (Orjan Nilsen Trance Mix)
   
5. Armin Van Buuren - Blue Fear (ID Remix)
   
6. Armin van Buuren - Orbion (Original Mix)
   
7. Armin Van Buuren Feat. Christian Burns - This Light Between Us (Armin Van Buurens Great Strings Mix)
   
8. Shogun feat. Melissa Loretta - Skyfire (Original Mix)
   
9. ID - ID
   
10. Leon Bolier - Capetown
    
11. Jean Claude Ades - My Journey (Jerome Isma-Ae Remix) vs. Paul Oakenfold - Southern Sun (Acapella) vs. Airbase - Escape (Myon & Shane 54 Mashup)
    
12. Sebastian Brandt - Ashes
    
13. Armin van Buuren Pres. Gaia - Status Excessu D (ASOT 500 Anthem)
    
14. Armin van Buuren feat. Winter Kills - Take A Moment (Alex M.O.R.P.H. Remix)
    
15. Aly & Fila Feat. Jwaydan - We Control The Sunlight (Original Mix)
    
16. Armin van Buuren Feat. Susana - Shivers (Alex M.O.R.P.H.'s Red Light Dub Mix)
    
17. Arctic Moon - Adelaide
    
18. Laura Jansen - Use Somebody (Armin van Buuren Rework)
    
19. Gareth Emery feat. Lucy Saunders - Sanctuary (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix)
    
20. Cosmic Gate - Exploration Of Space (Cosmic Gate's Back 2 The Future Remix)
    
21. Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400 (Chris Schweizer Bootleg Mix)
    
22. Armin van Buuren - Sail (Original Mix)
    
23. Agulo Feat. David Berkeley - Fire Sign (Suncatcher Remix)
    

John O'Callaghan:

1. John O'Callaghan & Giuseppe Ottaviani - Raw Deal (Original Mix)
   
2. Armin van Buuren Pres. Gaia - Status Excessu D (ASOT 500 Anthem) vs. Marco V - Godd (Acapella) (J.O.C Mashup)
   
3. Artento Divini vs. The Prodigy - Who's Next Bitch (Artento Divini Mashup)
   
4. John O'Callaghan - Stresstest (Original Mix)
   
5. Jon O'Bir Feat. Fisher - Found A Way (Joint Operations Centre Remix)
   
6. ID vs. Leon Bolier - Capetown vs. ID (J.O.C Mashup)
   
7. John O'Callaghan Feat. Audrey Gallagher - Big Sky (Joint Opertation Centre Deconstrution)
   
8. Bryan Kearney - Stealth Bomber
   
9. Marco V - Indicator (Joint Opertation Centre Rework)
   
10. Simon Patteron - Latika
    
11. Nick Sentience vs Motorcycle - As The Rush Electrifys (Bryan Kearneys Digital Society Mashup)
    
12. ID - ID
    
13. John O'Callaghan - Centurion (Original Mix)
    
14. Bryan Kearney Pres. Karney - Ridiculous (Mark Young & Damo Kay Remix)
    
15. John O'Callaghan & Giuseppe Ottaviani - Ride The Wave
    
16. John O'Callaghan Feat. Sarah Howells - Find Yourself (Cosmic Gate Remix)
    
17. John O'Callaghan & Bryan Kearney - Exactly
    
18. Cosmic Gate - Should Have Known (John O'Callaghan Remix)
    

W&W:

1. W&W - Impact (Intro Mix)
   
2. W&W - AK47
   
3. Marcel Woods - Champagne Dreams (W&W Remix)
   
4. Tiesto vs. Marcel Woods - Don't Ditch (Original Mix)
   
5. W&W vs. Wezz Devall - Phanthom (Original Mix)
   
6. W&W - Arena (ID Remix)
   
7. Gareth Emery Feat. Lucy Saunders - Sanctuary (ID Remix)
   
8. ID - ID
   
9. W&W - Mainstage (Original Mix)
   
10. ID - ID
    
11. Rank 1 - Beats @ Rank 1 Dot Com (Lee Osborne Bootleg)
    
12. ID - ID
    
13. ID - ID
    
14. W&W - Alpha (Original Mix)
    
15. Ummet Ozcan - ID
    
16. ID - ID
    
17. W&W - Mustang (Wezz Devall Remix)
    
18. ID - ID
    
19. Markus Schulz - Do You Dream (ID Remix)
    
20. Armin van Buuren Feat. BT - These Silent Hearts (W&W Remix)
    

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