diff --git a/tractor/_actor.py b/tractor/_actor.py
index e962115..b652e9f 100644
--- a/tractor/_actor.py
+++ b/tractor/_actor.py
@@ -5,10 +5,14 @@ from collections import defaultdict
 from functools import partial
 from itertools import chain
 import importlib
+import importlib.util
 import inspect
 import uuid
 import typing
 from typing import Dict, List, Tuple, Any, Optional
+from types import ModuleType
+import sys
+import os
 
 import trio  # type: ignore
 from trio_typing import TaskStatus
@@ -165,7 +169,7 @@ class Actor:
     def __init__(
         self,
         name: str,
-        rpc_module_paths: List[str] = [],
+        rpc_module_paths: Dict[str, ModuleType] = {},
         statespace: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
         uid: str = None,
         loglevel: str = None,
@@ -226,9 +230,21 @@ class Actor:
         code (if it exists).
         """
         try:
-            for path in self.rpc_module_paths:
+            for path, absfilepath in self.rpc_module_paths.items():
                 log.debug(f"Attempting to import {path}")
-                self._mods[path] = importlib.import_module(path)
+                # spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(
+                #     path, absfilepath)
+                # mod = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
+
+                # XXX append the allowed module to the python path
+                # which should allow for relative (at least downward)
+                # imports. Seems to be the only that will work currently
+                # to get `trio-run-in-process` to import modules we "send
+                # it".
+                sys.path.append(os.path.dirname(absfilepath))
+                # spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
+                mod = importlib.import_module(path)
+                self._mods[path] = mod
 
             # if self.name != 'arbiter':
             #     importlib.import_module('doggy')
diff --git a/tractor/_spawn.py b/tractor/_spawn.py
index 311ab0b..026e257 100644
--- a/tractor/_spawn.py
+++ b/tractor/_spawn.py
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ Mostly just wrapping around ``multiprocessing``.
 """
 import multiprocessing as mp
 
+# from . import log
+
+import trio
 import trio_run_in_process
 
 try:
@@ -63,6 +66,7 @@ async def new_proc(
     # passed through to actor main
     bind_addr: Tuple[str, int],
     parent_addr: Tuple[str, int],
+    nursery: trio.Nursery = None,
     use_trip: bool = True,
 ) -> mp.Process:
     """Create a new ``multiprocessing.Process`` using the
@@ -72,8 +76,14 @@ async def new_proc(
         mng = trio_run_in_process.open_in_process(
             actor._trip_main,
             bind_addr,
-            parent_addr
+            parent_addr,
+            nursery=nursery,
         )
+        # XXX playing with trip logging
+        # l  = log.get_console_log(level='debug', name=None, _root_name='trio-run-in-process')
+        # import logging
+        # logger = logging.getLogger("trio-run-in-process")
+        # logger.setLevel('DEBUG')
         proc = await mng.__aenter__()
         proc.mng = mng
         return proc
diff --git a/tractor/_trionics.py b/tractor/_trionics.py
index cfed406..9808935 100644
--- a/tractor/_trionics.py
+++ b/tractor/_trionics.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 ``trio`` inspired apis and helpers
 """
 import inspect
+import importlib
 import platform
 import multiprocessing as mp
 from typing import Tuple, List, Dict, Optional, Any
@@ -32,9 +33,10 @@ log = get_logger('tractor')
 class ActorNursery:
     """Spawn scoped subprocess actors.
     """
-    def __init__(self, actor: Actor) -> None:
+    def __init__(self, actor: Actor, nursery: trio.Nursery) -> None:
         # self.supervisor = supervisor  # TODO
         self._actor: Actor = actor
+        self._nursery = nursery
         self._children: Dict[
             Tuple[str, str],
             Tuple[Actor, mp.Process, Optional[Portal]]
@@ -43,6 +45,7 @@ class ActorNursery:
         # cancelled when their "main" result arrives
         self._cancel_after_result_on_exit: set = set()
         self.cancelled: bool = False
+        # self._aexitstack = contextlib.AsyncExitStack()
 
     async def __aenter__(self):
         return self
@@ -56,10 +59,16 @@ class ActorNursery:
         loglevel: str = None,  # set log level per subactor
     ) -> Portal:
         loglevel = loglevel or self._actor.loglevel or get_loglevel()
+
+        mods = {}
+        for path in rpc_module_paths or ():
+            mod = importlib.import_module(path)
+            mods[path] = mod.__file__
+
         actor = Actor(
             name,
             # modules allowed to invoked funcs from
-            rpc_module_paths=rpc_module_paths or [],
+            rpc_module_paths=mods,
             statespace=statespace,  # global proc state vars
             loglevel=loglevel,
             arbiter_addr=current_actor()._arb_addr,
@@ -71,6 +80,7 @@ class ActorNursery:
             actor,
             bind_addr,
             parent_addr,
+            self._nursery,
         )
         # `multiprocessing` only (since no async interface):
         # register the process before start in case we get a cancel
@@ -98,7 +108,7 @@ class ActorNursery:
         name: str,
         fn: typing.Callable,
         bind_addr: Tuple[str, int] = ('127.0.0.1', 0),
-        rpc_module_paths: List[str] = [],
+        rpc_module_paths: Optional[List[str]] = None,
         statespace: Dict[str, Any] = None,
         loglevel: str = None,  # set log level per subactor
         **kwargs,  # explicit args to ``fn``
@@ -113,7 +123,7 @@ class ActorNursery:
         mod_path = fn.__module__
         portal = await self.start_actor(
             name,
-            rpc_module_paths=[mod_path] + rpc_module_paths,
+            rpc_module_paths=[mod_path] + (rpc_module_paths or []),
             bind_addr=bind_addr,
             statespace=statespace,
             loglevel=loglevel,
@@ -195,7 +205,8 @@ class ActorNursery:
         async def wait_for_proc(
             proc: mp.Process,
             actor: Actor,
-            cancel_scope: Optional[trio.CancelScope] = None,
+            portal: Portal,
+            cancel_scope: Optional[trio._core._run.CancelScope] = None,
         ) -> None:
             # please god don't hang
             if not isinstance(proc, trio_run_in_process.process.Process):
@@ -205,7 +216,21 @@ class ActorNursery:
                 proc.join()
             else:
                 # trio_run_in_process blocking wait
-                await proc.mng.__aexit__(None, None, None)
+                    if errors:
+                        multierror = trio.MultiError(errors)
+                        # import pdb; pdb.set_trace()
+                        # try:
+                        #     with trio.CancelScope(shield=True):
+                        #         await proc.mng.__aexit__(
+                        #             type(multierror),
+                        #             multierror,
+                        #             multierror.__traceback__,
+                        #         )
+                        # except BaseException as err:
+                        #     import pdb; pdb.set_trace()
+                        #     pass
+                    # else:
+                        await proc.mng.__aexit__(None, None, None)
                 # proc.nursery.cancel_scope.cancel()
 
             log.debug(f"Joined {proc}")
@@ -214,7 +239,7 @@ class ActorNursery:
 
             # proc terminated, cancel result waiter that may have
             # been spawned in tandem if not done already
-            if cancel_scope:
+            if cancel_scope: # and not portal._cancelled:
                 log.warning(
                     f"Cancelling existing result waiter task for {actor.uid}")
                 cancel_scope.cancel()
@@ -226,18 +251,19 @@ class ActorNursery:
         errors: List[Exception] = []
         # wait on run_in_actor() tasks, unblocks when all complete
         async with trio.open_nursery() as nursery:
+        # async with self._nursery as nursery:
             for subactor, proc, portal in children.values():
                 cs = None
                 # portal from ``run_in_actor()``
                 if portal in self._cancel_after_result_on_exit:
-                    assert portal
                     cs = await nursery.start(
                         cancel_on_completion, portal, subactor)
                     # TODO: how do we handle remote host spawned actors?
                     nursery.start_soon(
-                        wait_for_proc, proc, subactor, cs)
+                        wait_for_proc, proc, subactor, portal, cs)
 
         if errors:
+            multierror = trio.MultiError(errors)
             if not self.cancelled:
                 # bubble up error(s) here and expect to be called again
                 # once the nursery has been cancelled externally (ex.
@@ -255,8 +281,7 @@ class ActorNursery:
         async with trio.open_nursery() as nursery:
             for subactor, proc, portal in children.values():
                 # TODO: how do we handle remote host spawned actors?
-                assert portal
-                nursery.start_soon(wait_for_proc, proc, subactor, cs)
+                nursery.start_soon(wait_for_proc, proc, subactor, portal, cs)
 
         log.debug(f"All subactors for {self} have terminated")
         if errors:
@@ -364,10 +389,18 @@ class ActorNursery:
 async def open_nursery() -> typing.AsyncGenerator[ActorNursery, None]:
     """Create and yield a new ``ActorNursery``.
     """
+    # TODO: figure out supervisors from erlang
+
     actor = current_actor()
     if not actor:
         raise RuntimeError("No actor instance has been defined yet?")
 
-    # TODO: figure out supervisors from erlang
-    async with ActorNursery(actor) as nursery:
-        yield nursery
+    # XXX we need this nursery because TRIP is doing all its stuff with
+    # an `@asynccontextmanager` which has an internal nursery *and* the
+    # task that opens a nursery must also close it - so we need a path
+    # in TRIP to make this all kinda work as well. Note I'm basically
+    # giving up for now - it's probably equivalent amounts of work to
+    # make TRIP vs. `multiprocessing` work here.
+    async with trio.open_nursery() as nursery:
+        async with ActorNursery(actor, nursery) as anursery:
+            yield anursery