Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry - C2E16 A Favor In Kind

Episode Date: January 26, 2022

The Mighty Nein deal with the ramifications of their actions in the research facility, exploring more of the dark caverns beneath Zadash and experimenting with dangerous unknowns… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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and play Dungeons and Dragons. We're real professional. Wow, you wouldn't, I don't know why that word. It was so stupid. Anyway, welcome guys, glad you can join us tonight. So before we get started in the game tonight, we have some quick announcements to get through. So bear with us here, but first and foremost,

we have returning tonight our fantastic sponsor and friend, D&D Beyond. Yes. Sam. As we've previously announced, D&D Beyond is contributing $100 to $100 to 826 LA for every natural one we roll, and that's a lot. Got there.

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even though it's a popular modern website, it started in the 80s, sort of like when D&D started to get popular. It didn't catch on, because there was no internet, but they still had the website, and they did an ad push for it, and I found a script from their earliest ad that they put out. It's a little dated, but it's a 1980s ad for D&D Beyond,

and me and my friends here are gonna act it out for you. Okay. We fade in on a teenager's room. Knock, knock, knock. Son, turn down that Whitney Houston tape for a second. Grody to the max, Dad, it's Pet Shop Boys. Whatever, did you do your homework? No, duh.

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This is all heavily researched 1987 facts. Thank you, Samin. Thank you, D&D. Beyond. Wow. We have another sponsor tonight. We've talked about them a little bit in the past, and we're super excited to bring POS of Eternity 2. Dead Fire is also sponsoring our show tonight. Once again, from the Great Post of Eternity series, I was in the first one, and all of us are on this one comes out. Very soon. And this one, May and this one, May, 8th, very soon. But this one, it's in the same worlds and a aura. It's a really fantastic, kind of isometric RPG in the classic style of Baldur's Gate. Graphics are beautiful,

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The combat's super tactical. And it's going to be for consoles later this year, but the PC release is right around the corner. So get super excited, guys. It's going to be awesome. And thank you, Pillars 2. And our folks, friends in the obsidian. Every one of those days, my brain is melting. Yeah, check it time.

All righty, Voxemakina Origins number six, comic has been out for a week behind my chance, check it out. Oh, yeah, I read it, it's good. It's so good. That one more. I love when you're surprised by your own constant. That's my favorite. Yeah.

So that's out if you haven't seen it yet. I recommend it. Finish the first dark, we'll have more announcement soon, hopefully. We hit our goal with 826, the charity we've been doing already. We hit 40K, which means I have to do another fireside chat. If we keep pushing here, we'll get to have you guys. You have to do.

You have to. You get to do another fire. It's a joy, Matt. It's true. It is a joy, actually. Sand's robe this time? No. Sam, keep an open mind.

Nothing. Don't give them ideas. Do you want like Sherry or Schnapps or what do you want to have? We're going to port again. That was a good night. Oh, okay. But yes, we have that coming up. Shnaps.

We're getting a new stretch goal. If we hit 50K in the next two weeks, Marisha will be jamming another Honeyheist game. Which I'm super excited about, because that was a lot of fun. Bring the bears are back in town, the bears are back in town. Maybe we can play this time.

Yeah. Because you guys wrapped the last time. It's going to be perfect. So remember, if you guys help donate to 826, they're a fantastic organization, and our gracious critter mark has matched the donation and has offered to match up to the 50K now. So if we can get 50K, you went up.

No. So we'll hit 100 stuff. She's amazing. Amen. So if we can get 50K, that's 100K that we as a community have gotten to raise for this fantastic organization. So you guys are amazing and keep being amazing. For the writing for the imagination. Be sure to check with your employer to see if they offer a charity matching program as well,

because there's another cool way that you can go ahead and double bang for your buck to help out with charity organizations too. So thank you so much guys for being awesome. Let's see. Critical Recap, of course. Just came out for last week's episode. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should have before this episode started. And if you missed that and you didn't watch last week's episode,

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where all fine podcasts are available for download. And to remind, it's been a few weeks to mention it, I will be at OdoFest and Calgary, May 18th of the 20th, so not that far from now, just a few weeks. Be seen some of you Canadian folks. And I'll be at Acon in Texas, June 7th to the 10th, so looking forward to seeing you guys there. I think, less is anything else I missed. That's all the announcements we had in the log. Yeah, she's a lot going on these days.

I know. Oh, she's all right. Shorts are crazy, and I'm going to tell you. It's a lot. And on that note, folks, let's go ahead and dive in to tonight's episode of Critical Role. Welcome back, everyone. So, last we left off, the Mighty Nine,

after being in proximity to what seemed to be some sort of an assault from Jorhasian operatives in the city of Zadash here in the center of the empire, they found themselves also caught up in a, murder of the High Richter in the city. They pulled away and realized that there was a manhunt for individuals that were seemingly seen in connection to this murder.

And as this was transpiring, they had to smuggle out some allies they had found and had been working with Dolan and Horace. Dolan, who part of this whole deal was to get him involved in the local politics, but Horace needed to be smuggled out for safety in case they got caught. So you made your way to the evening nip, met up with Yasha. Down there you had a conversation. with this individual called The Gentleman.

You've made a deal. You've kind of decided to trust each other on this endeavor and basically do a quid pro quo, a little favor to one favor for the other and see if this is a business relationship you would want to develop. In doing so, Horace was smuggled out of the city safely, seemingly. Keep saying seemingly, he keeps saying that.

Keep saying that because he weren't there to confirm. I don't want to just say that it happened because the mystery is fun. Poor bastard. You were brought down through the tunnels of the Underworks towards an underground dock where the river that exited to the northeast towards Barilben was. You loaded up on boats to make your way towards what seemed to be a recently uncovered but barely explored underground research facility, long buried, where the gentleman asked you to enter it, see what you found, clear it out if possible in return. As you made your way down there, assailed by a few of the creatures that existed in that tunnel, you found the exterior of this research facility, broke your way down there.

way in, began to meander around and discover strange mysteries of foot in its construction, the urns throughout the vicinity, the strange wisps of spiritual energy that came to assault you in the process, bypassing traps, mostly, kind of. Or not at all. But completing the mystery of the strange arcane ruins in the ceiling and the schools of magic that they seemed to connect to, and had found your way into some sort of a secret study, or den, where there was research table set up, and mostly emptied bookshelf. Brazers filled with ash to the side between pillars, two small chambers where these cages with tight,

knit bars remained containing urns and empty nooses hanging above. These urns seemingly filled with ash. You began to look throughout the room, you found a sword across the upper ceiling, an ornamental blade of some kind. You recovered a book of notes and began to read through to get feel for the person and the entity that seemed to have written what remained of these pages. And around this time, the wind began to pick up in the center of the chamber as this darkened figure began to rise into the stonework, this large, tattered cloak of a figure just spreading, whipping around like the sudden wind is just tossing aside sails of a dark ship. You see this semi-skeletful, ghostly face of a material beginning to emerge from it.

Its voice kind of slowly hissing out, ah, my! Secrets are you. As you saw, small glows begin to emerge from the ash into the urns nearest the two of you. And that, my friends, is where we last left off. Oh, fuck. Well, that's right. We marked our places on the map before we left last time.

We did? Yeah. I was very in touch. As this thing emerges here, it doesn't seem to, at the moment, making any sort of aggressive maneuver. What do you do? Does it have any legs? looking, it's lower torso.

And like, imagine a figure that is wrapped in four or five layers of robes, and the robes have been shredded out. So you just see that just all these whipping around moving tendrils of cloth and black shadow energy that seem to be just spinning around it in places as its center chin and body is stationary. The bottom half of its body seems to taper into nothingness,

just disappearing into the cloth and ever, like, shifting and whipping material at the base. Are you SIF? The head turns over and locks on a jester. Doesn't answer. He said he wants to tell us secrets or something. I like secrets. Secrets are fun.

Yeah. Secrets make friends. It just kind of glide slowly in your direction. Can you have something? Like information, news, something. I have a secret for you. Did you know that in Nekodranes the pastries are made with cinnamon. Oh, boy.

And here, they're not. Oh, boy. There's a brief moment where the entity's head, much like a young puppy, confused by a rattling sound in the distance, kind of in gesture's direction. A great portrait.

I need you. Fortrade. What is that way? All right, no, you know what? I'm gonna have to pull the battle map. Cinnamon was his most hated spice. That was the same word. I could have a secret.

He fucking hate cinnamon. Oh no. Oh, man. I just thought I was helping. You were. You did great. He's gifted up to that point there. He's in the teleportation. He's super coddally.

Look at that. You don't believe. All righty. So. It was so cute though. So as you guys are all preparing here, it begins to, and the whispers begin to slowly spill out of its space. Hi, Salli!

Voices spreading out to any jester, Yasha, and Bo to all make a wisdom-saving throw, please. Oh, boy. Okay, okay. My clay pot is blowing. Shit, so. Yes. I know. I hate that.

Oh, God. Nine. Fifteen. Fourteen. Fourteen. Both of you succeed, actually. Oh, no. All right. Just tell me something cool. Both of you guys finish to like the secrets begin to penetrate your ears and just close off your consciousness and put your hands up to close the space and they don't seem to penetrate your mind. But, however, these words start shooting into your brain and you feel for a moment just your grasp on reality begin to slip. Suddenly the world begins to spin and you feel yourself assaulted from all angles and you see flashes of ancient warfare of giant columns of fire crashing from the cosmos and you spin

your staff around retroactively. I need to make an attack against Diasha, please. Oh my god, that's going on 11. What's your request? No, sorry, 10? 10? I'm pretty sure that doesn't hit you. 14. Yeah. So you see a bow just suddenly eyes go wide, swing the staff wide in your direction and you just kind of deflect it with your blade.

Fuck you, Genghis Khan! Now I need you all to roll initiative. The first conversation wasn't quite what he was looking for. Sorry. Dang it, maybe I'm still in talk. Laura's not a working make. Okay, I just made it's $100. Yay!

Yes! This is the start of a great. Oh, no. Eleven herbs and spices are. So, 25 to 20. 25 to 20. 22. All right, not at the top.

Not at the top. 20 to 15? 19. What? Yasha! That's the best thing you ever rolled. That man is the best thing you ever had. All right.

15 to 10? Oh boy. Oh, boy. Oh, fuck. Run away! All right. Ten to five. Eight.

Six. Five. Okay, eight for Bo. Okay. And six. Caleb. Six. Molly.

Five, five. Five for both of you, Jester and Molly. And. That was a huddle. That was the weirdest, cute as hiccup I've ever heard. Thank you. All righty. So, at this moment, not.

You see this entity, as it something means they emanate these whispers into the air on. Your friends start all of a sudden grasping their faces. You see Bo trying to swing at Yasha. The Jocis is breaking loose. What are you doing? I run. I run as fast as I can. Where are you going? I make a B-line for the opposite corner. One.

One, two, three, four, five. Bonus action, dash, keep going. Over here? Yeah, just like behind that cage. There's going to be a thing that comes out there, I think. Oh, well, I'll be first to kill them. And then action, I will hand crossbow up and hold until I see it make an aggressive action towards one of my. of my acquaintances. We're not quite friends yet.

Okay, good to know. All righty. Yasha, your turn. Are we tag him? Are we tagging him? What do you want to do? What does Yasha want to do? What is Yasha's instinct? I feel like we kind of got off on the wrong foot. I don't know if, I don't know if he has feet. on his body now. Shit, are he off the best. You, you said, you said my secrets are yours, so did you want to give us a secret? I've already given you a piece.

More. That's what he did to, that's what he did to Bo. So you're just, what are you doing? Okay, I'm gonna take out my sword. Okay. And I'm just gonna attack. Oh, God. Oh, boy.

All right, so. You got to Yashi, take him down. Three. What's going on at the bottom of his? That's a teleportation circle. What's all this action down here? That's the, looks to be a dormant, runic circle that has just been lying there. It doesn't appear to be reacting to his presence at all.

Okay. Okay. Maybe we can activate it. Yes, okay. I'm just gonna. It's broken. He didn't come through the circles. I don't like going first.

Okay. I'm just gonna attack with my sword. Okay. So you're holding off on rage? No. So you're raging? I'm raging. Okay.

I would like to rage. All right, so your bonus action rage, as you angrily kind of grit your teeth and rush up, swinging your sword in the air, go ahead and make your attack. 18. 18 hits, roll damage. Kill that floating dude. I don't know.

Maybe he just flies. Maybe he's got feet and he just is. Maybe he's tucking. You could tuck. What body part is he tuck? What body part is he tuck? He's tucking. All of it.

All right, so ten total? It's... It's your old five, plus three for your strength, plus two for your rage. So that would be total of ten. Yeah, nine, ten. All right, cool. And what weapon is this? This is with your...

My moon-touch sword. Which is technically, technically baseline magical. So, okay. Oh. Baseline magical. Mm-hmm. It's mostly like a very minor magical effect. So as you strutely,

Your blade carves through part of its body, and you watch as some of the cloth tears apart and tries to grasp around the blade as you pull it free from the nearby, kind of, and it's face since eyes click back towards you. When I say eyes, you're now going to look, and it's just these vacant holes in this kind of tightly pulled skin against this skeletal face. Good, good. Sounds good. Black energy seems to be just billowing out of it, almost like smoke is slowly pouring out of the sockets.

Okay. What weapon did you? That's your turn? Yes. Yes, that's my turn. All right. Oh, God. No, out of the side cages, these glows all begin to emerge.

Your fucking ball's ass. No. As four more of these wisp entities you had previously encountered in the chamber begin to shift through the cages towards the nearest source of life. This one's going to go towards knot. This one's going to go stay right there with Molly. This one's going to go after four as well as this one there. So, on that note, against Not, the attack will be... That is a seven, that is a low roll. I do not think that hits you.

So as you see it emerge, you kind of, as it swings by and ducks into the wall briefly before re-emerging, shifting through the actual stone against Molly. Another seven. Ha ha! Two, threes in a row. Two against your floor. That's better. That's a 20.

That hits. So the two of three. So the two of them are beginning to kind of hit you from both sides, you're not quite sure to defend. One of them seems to, but it's about to sweep at you. You go to deflect it as the other one slaps into the back of your head as you feel this shock energy hit you in the base of the skull. Your eyes go white for a second. You take 11, oh no, that's right. I rolled the wrong.

Thanks for that one. You take five points of lightning damage. Excellent. He takes 10 points of ice damage, or frozen damage, or whatever. I throw yo damage. Throw yo damage. Alright, it's like the ice crystals kind of coalesce around the outside. Not doing quite as much damage as you would have expected.

Oh, from hitting my frozen porcupine armor? Yeah. That's not great. The other one's going to try, and now use that moment to swing at you and rob you a little more life force. That is going to be 12. What is your class? Oh, that misses 15. Missed that just swings past you.

And the orbs now are kind of glowing and sparking, preparing for the next round of assault. This is all the notes from what we learned about Sith Duthor. The next is gonna be the entity in the center. I think he is a being of fire and an ice, so I bet he's a munifier. The entity is going to go ahead and use its howling babel ability. Oh no, that's not bad. So every creature within 30 feet of it

that can hear it has to make a wisdom saving throw. So that's all of you guys. Me too. Can you hear it? 15, 25, 30, you're just out 30 feet outside of it. When he does this, or when it does this, do I release my arrow? You would, yes.

Okay. I will release my arrow. Bolt. 14? 14 hits. Okay. It's good. Natural 20.

What do we get? 3 D6, right? One for the hit and then. That's 18 points of damage. But it is not a magical weapon. It is not. So it seems to be less affected by the wound as it strikes through its body.

You see it tear through some of the material. and part of the matter kind of the energy disperses the moment of impact. So it damaged it, but it seems to be Something about it being kind of between the planes and its essence is making it not as effectively Damageable with regular weaponry. Oh boy. What save will we make? It's a wisdom save. So 17 17 natural one Oh 14 14 natural one

Wow Really? $400. $25. We're in so much trouble. We're in so much trouble. That's not good. You guys were doing fine.

So, Bo, Jester, Yasha, and Not. As this like faint energy begins to disperse throughout the chamber, you hear thousands of voices trying to whisper into your ears simultaneously. They're not making sense, and as they weave, your whole body begins to just go catatonic, you muscles tense and you fall to your knee, you're all a pair of until you're in your next turn. Oh, no. We're in big trouble. And it's going to fly up and back. Can't ever get that?

Wait, I have a question. When we're paralyzed, does that mean every attack against us is a critical? Every melee attack is, if it hits. Oh my God. We hurt so much fucking trouble. So that ends its turn. That brings us to Bo. So you're paralyzed.

Check it off. So at the end of your turn, it fades. What fades? Sorry, not paralyzed, stun, it's not paralyzed. It's not paralyzed. That's better. Correct. So it is not, I'd re-tron- So what can I do?

Well, stunn means you can't really do anything this turn, but kind of half make a sentence, you're aware of your surroundings, but you can't take actions or move. So the end of your turn it wears off. I'm just gonna half get out of, I'm gonna be like, That's way better. To fire and ice from the book and the lost sword and all that shit. Remember?

That ends bro's turn? Yeah. All right. Caleb, you're up. Seeing how terrible everything is around me, I stick a quivering hand into my pocket and pull out a little copper wire, and I learned how to do this from naught. I cup it in my hands, and I cast a message to the thing, and I'm going to text you what I'm only it can hear me, and I'm sending it to you.

Digital whispers, digital whispers. I think we kind of helped us come out. I can't use text in game in a while backing against the wall behind me. Carrying. Digital whispers. Did you see you back up against the wall there? Text again. Thank you. All right. That ends your turn, Caleb?

I will send Frumkin skittering down by Yasha's feet. Yasha. Yasha. All righty. Jester and Molly. So Jester, you are no longer stunned. But that is your turn. That was scared, you guys.

I'm going to try and break the pot in through the cage. I'm going to take a swipe of the pot through the cage with my sword. Okay, the cage, because the slits are very small, you cannot get your full hand in there, so with the blade there you might be able to get it, so make an attack roll a disadvantage. Uh, nine? Chest misses. You strike the outside of it with the blow, and as you get it, as you watch the urn kind of... I'm going to swing around and try and take another shot.

All right, so you pull it out and chav once more towards it. Stop doing that. We'd get everyone drunk. Even worse. Oh, no. That's actually, that's a natural one. Well, they're making so much money tonight. Apparently. It's already $500. As your blades are getting caught in a cage and trying to pull out the large wisp,

is just kind of slowly pushing towards your body. I'm going to... Oh no. Run towards, I'm going to take a... I'm in combat with it. It means he gets an attack of opportunity if I run, don't it? I'm just going to steady myself and prepare for another attack. Ford.

Yeah. No one, deal with this. Can I fucking catch, I'm going to cast Elders Blast into the pot in the bottom of the cage. Okay. With disadvantage, because you're aiming through the smaller space, it actually has a cover. Damn, balls, I ask. It's largely just a small space you're shooting through.

That's not going to hit. That's 3 plus 11. 11 does hit. Oh, it doesn't wait. I had that wrong. Hold on, I'm pretty sure I added that wrong. It's your spell attack. Yeah, no, that's only a nine.

Yeah, that doesn't hit, unfortunately. So he's trying to shoot through, manages to hit the bar, and the bar kind of bends back a little bit from the impact of the blast. However, it's not actually hitting the earn on the inside. Great, cool, awesome. Can I run? Can I use my speed? Are they both in melee range?

Yes, they are. Okay. I'll just stay right where I am then. All right for it. Top of the round again. Not. Not, please. You've managed to shrug off the stun, but that's the end of your turn.

I'm sorry I couldn't help. Yasha, you shrug off the stun, that's the end of your turn. And with that, all the wisps begin to close in once more on their targets. Molly, that is a, hold on, it's a 23. Damn. That's the number? Yeah, that hits. All right, you take six points of lightning damage. Okay.

As it shocks you from the six. side again. The other one that's striking against you not. That is going to be a 15 to hit. Sixteen. Sixteen. A number class. You managed to duck out of the way at this one as well. This one's kind of getting to flicker angrily as it can't seem to grasp and tear any sort of light force from you with a shot. Two against you, Ford. Yep. That is a 10. It's a six plus four. Misses. The other one is a 16. That hits. All right. That's five points of lightning damage. Ten points of cold damage to that particular wispy bastard. All right. It takes a reduced amount. All right, that ends their turn. And now we'll see if the Helen Babel...

Oh, it does not regenerate that ability, does not recharge it. So now as the spectral entity begins to kind of fly back towards this side, it's going to shift over in this direction. And we're going to say it's kind of gliding up near this pillar here. So it's about about 20 feet up right by where the ceiling is, and it's just kind of glaring down on everybody. It doesn't make an attack or anything? Well. He's about to. I'm going to go ahead and use, let's see. Actually, it's not, because you're all too far away. So instead it's going to coast down towards the one that struck at it last turn.

Rush right there. There's robes like floating around him all cool, like a Nazgloon. Like between that and definitely hollow kind of a look, but even more intense, like an epic Definitely held. It's going to go ahead and attempt a maddening touch against you, Yasha. Fuck! I don't even know. She's already raging. She's mad. Yep. That is 16 to hit? Yeah. All right. Yeah, yeah.

So you suffer. That's actually really shitty roll for him. Nine points of psychic damage. Okay. That's a shitty roll. Oh, plus three. Sorry, 12 points of psychic damage. That's a less shrievely. And then it's going to go ahead and attempt to fly back up into where it was in the ceiling after it makes it strike.

All I'm hearing in my head is Careless Whisper now. Like, make sure you're floating around to Careless Whisper. Oh, you were going to tie opportunity against it. Yeah, Sentinel. That's right, Sentinel Feet. Oh, this is right. Fuck it up. So as it comes out and strikes at you, you feel like this burst of maddening intent just shower

into your head and it sparks your brain with this whole. horrible searing pain. You guys watch as Yasha screams out and begins to withdraw. And with that, she all of a sudden clicks back into reality and swings wide with the sword. 18 hits. Yeah. Which means he can't move. Yeah! Boom. Speed is zero.

Can I also add Divine Fury on? Yes, you may. Okay. Could have done it last round too, but you forgot. Shut up. Shut up. Plus five, pretty shrink, right? Plus five. With your rage, whatever you rolled, plus five. And then plus happy level, so plus seven, technically.

Oh, wow. Is that the divine thing? What's happening in my brain? 13. Plus seven, you said, extra? Yes. 20. 20.

Oh, man, that's nasty. Beast mode. As it tries to pull away, you click back into reality and swing. into reality and swing wide with your sword as you do. You cut right through the center of its body out the other and you watch as the robe splinters open and you see this like glowing pulse of dark energy in the center. It has to fight to reform its semi-corporial form and it looks like it's turned pretty bad. Wow. All right, Yasha, that's your turn?

I don't need, that was just my attack of opportunity. That was right, that was an opportunity. Yeah. So sorry, that was the creature's turn. So Bo, you're up. Okay, I'm going to, I'm good, right? I'm going to run up, I'm going to pull out that holy water that I didn't use before. I'm going to kind of parkour off of Yasha's shoulder and just spike it right at its feet. Yeah! All righty, go ahead and roll your range attack, so D20 plus your... Okay, I don't know if that's good. 16.

That hits. Okay, okay. So roll 2D6. I'll make my body all strong. Eight? Eight? Eight. Yeah.

All right, so it takes eight points of radiant damage. As it splashes on its form, you watch the flame suddenly and begin to ignite across the front of its cloaked exterior. Like these actual holy flames are now looking up the side of it, and they're just kind of burning, and it's going, yeah. Can I sell my opportunity attack? No. Or my, I mean, sorry, my secondary attack?

It's a ranged attack rule. I'll say, sure. Usually you get the bonus on a punch. You have to move up to do it, though. I did move up. I said I ran up next to Yasha and spiked it. I parquered off her shoulders to fight it. Sure. And I want to do flurry of blows. All right, so two more punch attacks were unarmed. Thirteen and fifteen. Both those hit.

It hit. And that is an additional six, sorry, 12 damage. Whoa. As you rush off the shore up to slam me at the ground, you come up with a punch, and then an uppercut from underneath. As your fists impact, it's like punching through a heavy cold cloth. You feel like almost you're punching nothing as you do, and while you're impacting, you're not sure how much damage it's doing. That's fair. All right, that ends your turn, bow.

Caleb, you're up. Would I, from where I, and I didn't see any difference in it when I did what I did, yeah? You didn't seem to notice it. How close could I get to it if I wanted to walk straight at it? You could get right up to it. Right up to it. Could I get like right behind? No, get right up to it. Yeah. All right. You can get right there. Yeah. Okay, so I'm going to cast a burning hands

veered away so that it does not touch Yasha. So it has to make a dexterity saving throw. Is it a 15-foot cone correct? Yeah. So you can from the edge of where you would be there, you can technically, no, I would not quite hit that. But you get to hit the creature? Yeah, the creature is fine. All right, so it makes the save. That is a seven. Six halved. What was it?

Did it make it? It rolled the seven on its DC, so no, it did not. So it did not make it. So it takes 11 points. 11, okay. Yeah. Half of that. The fire doesn't seem to have as much impact.

It seems to be largely because of its ghostly form. Most things it seems to be resistant towards, but it's still taking damage as you're doing this. So now it's being flanked from all of you guys that ends. Caleb's turn. Jester and Molly, you're up. Pots people? Parts? I mean, we should take those out too.

I'm useless on the pots, so I'm actually going to try and make a book for the cloaked guy. Okay. And I'm going to be yelling at everyone. Hit the pots, hit the bloody pots. Four, five, you have to get over here to the point. That's fine. Who has that sword before? If you got any... All right, so first off, the willowliss makes a strike at you a tech opportunity. I bet he went to sword back.

Eighteen. That hits. 18. So as you rush past, 16 points of lightning damage. Oh my God, really? I rolled double-eight on D-8s. As the willow wisp suddenly, as you try to rush, it actually darts in front of you and you run towards it and actually passes through your entire torso as it does, shocking your

lungs and heart for a second, your heart just doesn't beat and then kicks back in. Your whole body feels cold, but you keep running, you push past Caleb and get it right next to the creature. Deep bib. Yeah. Yeah. Pots people, I'm going to take two strikes with the radium swords. Go for it.

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So that's all right. So the pain's too strong on one strike and you go wide but you turn around and all of a moment of clarity as the pain clicks in you clench your jaw and swing back and striking true. Does the radiant damage do, does it do extra radian damage? We'll see. I mean because I do an extra bonus radiant damage if it takes it. Well, it's you do the extra three anyway because it's undead.

Oh, so yeah. Okay, so that's 1, 2, 3, 456, 7, 8, 9, 11 points of radiant damage. 11 points of radiant damage. This is a total good fellow. How much is the sword and how much is the radiant? Six is radiant, six is radiant, and then the rest is the sword. So five is... All right, cool.

So it takes less damage from the swords, but the radiant does go through the pulls. All right, so that's, it's looking pretty beat up at this point now. Like between the different attacks you've done, it's starting to like freak out now, and it's trying to figure out how best to deal with the situation. That ends your turn, Molly. Jester, what are you doing? I'm going to try, I'm going to pull out my... I'm gonna pull out my symbol of the traveler.

I'm gonna say, okay, I hope you're with help and I'm going to try to turn on dead. Okay, from where you're standing? No, I'm gonna jump up behind Frumpkin. All right, so you dart over to this direction. What's the radius in that? 30 feet. 30 feet.

So that'll catch all three of those and the guy. All righty, so is it wisdom saves against your spell DC? Wisdom save, yes. Oh, you're in a bad place. Let's make a wisdom saving throw, yes. All right, so far end, Willow Whisk right there. That would be a six, no. That one, nope.

That one over there is going to attempt as well. That's a nine, no. So that one is now also turned the one over there. It's just fleeing. Nice. That is going to be a 16. 16. It does succeed.

Then the main guy, natural's winning. Screw you, man guy. But these two wisps now are, you see, watch as you rush up and you pray for a second hope, you know, this inspiration hits you, and as you clasp the symbol, suddenly the strange little archway on the top of the symbol begins to glow, and there's a large burst of kind of deep blue energy that radiates outward as it strikes, washes over the main creature with no effect, but as it hits the two other side willowists, both them kind of shiver and making a slight shift away, looking like they're actually running in fear as fast as they can

from Jester in the center. So that's your action. That's my action, and then for my bonus action, I'm going to cast sanctuary on who's the lowest? You. On myself. Oh, I'm so considerate. Not too bad. Okay. All right. Oh, this boy coming out of the road.

I'm trying to be a good healer but me. Okay, so you have sanctuary on you right now. Yeah. Just to end your turn? Ford you're up. Yeah, well, this is a bitch, ain't it? I'm gonna try Eldridge Blast again at the pot through the cage. Go for it.

Disadvantage. I got to take one of those right in this picture somehow. Oh, I think that might work. 14. 14 hits. Go ahead and roll damage. Outstanding. That is a big, it's a big place.

less for me. Ten plus four, 14. With that, that one pot shatters. The ash just explodes in the small cloud, kind of pushing against the side of the wall behind the cage, and that one wisp next to you kind of just fitters out of existence. With my bonus action, can I move my hex onto L shadow figure? You can't. A disadvantage on wisdom saving throws. Oh, wisdom, ability checks. Wisdom ability checks, thank you. So, disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks. Yes. All righty.

That ends your turn forward? Yes, sir. Not you're up. So there's four pots, but now there's three. Can I see any of them from where? You can. From the cage you can see one there, and you assume there's one in there because you saw Molly kind of going towards it. All right, I will shoot one of the pots with my hand crossbow.

Which you can do without disadvantage because you have your feet. Yeah, a lot. 22. Wow. Well, you still have disadvantage to try and fire it because it's in the cage. in the cage. Sorry, I realized it's in the cage. Okay. Doesn't he have crossbow advantage? That's for melee stuff. This is just it being covered and you're kind of like aiming through these tiny holes as you have fired.

So it has half cover or something like that. Well, essentially, yeah. I'd say at this close, at this close it has three quarters cover. Okay. So it's plus five, it's AC. What, so would you roll? The first roll was 22. Today, it hits. We'll say it hits. That's because you're right up against the crossbow, you're not having to like aim in with it. You're just... All right. And I got six points of damage. Six is enough.

Oh! The pots aren't very strong, they're just hard to touch. Yes. That Willow Whips manages to discorporate next to you. Should you say come from there? Eight is enough. I'll skitter around towards the candelabra over there, and as I go I'll and fire another shot at the other pot.

Okay, that one you do have disadvantage on, unfortunately. Oh, okay. farther away from it? 19. 19 still hits. Yeah! Sharp shootout! And that one's seven points.

It's down. Spat-shutters. No look. You're going to be all right, George? It's cool. There's only one wisp and actually next to somebody, so thank you. Yeah. There you go.

And it was also the only wisp that wasn't affected by the turn on dead. Where did that confetti come from? That was from your party. from your welcome party. Oh, Mr. Welcome party. Oh, Mr. Welcome part. All right. Yasha, two turn.

Okay. I'm gonna attack him again. Yeah. Come on. That's all doing. Hard of this turkey. Oh. Yes.

Yeah. 19. That hits. Roll damage. Okay. Are you going to do your thing? You need all the things. All the stuff?

All the stuff. All the stuff. Rage. Reclay. Endangerment. Okay. That's the name. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

14. 14. As you swing past with a sword and arc upward, you cut through and you watch as now its cloak cannot hold back together. There's now this giant opening where this kind of vacuous, kind of cold, heartbeat glow is visible from the inside. Take his heart. It's currently just kind of... It's his body's flickering, having a hard time keeping itself even together on this side of reality. And you turn, Yasha.

Yeah. The little interior bit. What is it again? It's just like a... Is it like a thing? You just see kind of like this like dull blue glow that's now visible from where you struck through it. It looks like it's just falling apart. See it's heart! Take it's heart! Alright, Yasha, that ends your turn?

Same. Can I punch it? Unfortunately, no, you know. Just try to see what I do. That's what a monk does. Just a little flick shred of front of the tip. All right. That ends Yasha's turn.

So now the wisps at this point, the one wisp that's by you. It's going to go ahead and just shift through the wall onto this side. And he's going to go ahead and make a strike at you. Shit, dude, bastard. That is a 16 to hit. That hits. All right. That is 12 points of lighting damage to you.

Woo! That was a big one. Shit. Okay. It just shocks through you and you kind of fall to one knee for a moment. And you know what? No, it's going to... Yeah.

It's going to go ahead and just shift in that pillar and vanish. You do take opportunity on it just as it leaves your range. Disavantage or just regular? Just regular. 14. 14 does not hit. You go to strike and unfortunately it just makes it into the pillar and it hits stone and sparks off of it.

It does take one point of force damage from spending its turn inside the wall. All righty. Now it is the entity's turn. It's going to go ahead and tempt it. We'll see if it's howling battle returns. It gets its howling battle returns. BAPA back. Oh, no.

We're all right here. Oh, man, I forgot that. Well, here, I need all of you to roll a wisdom saving throw, please. Does that affect his wisdom ability checks? The hat? No. No. Don't fuck me, Bill.

You have to make a wisdom saving throw. 18. 17. 5. 11. But does his regeneration, is that an ability check? No, there's no check more. So, Beau.

Giles Dice is cursed for me, you guys. Wait, but. Don't you have to make a wisdom saving throw against my sanctuary? To attack her. Because you did a harmful spell against me, right? Let me go look at the... Did you give a boop, bo, be a... Creature who targets the warded creature with an attack

must first make a wisdom saving throw. It's not to be targeting the creature, you're just in the radius. of what's happening. Oh, it doesn't, the spell doesn't protect the other creature from area effects. Yeah, unfortunately. So would you roll? I didn't roll anything yet. Okay.

Well, now you can. Jesus. Ten. No. Back. No. 18. 18?

I roll four. Oh. I've started to see it as a positive thing. All righty. Who's not a better? First off, all of you guys that failed your saving throw. So, Bo, Yasha, Jester, and Not. You all suffer 14 points of psychic damage.

Whoa! Ouch. And you are stunned until the end of your next turn. Damn, that thing is a bitch. Jester's unconscious. I got one more with your name on it. Sweet cheese. Three hit points, guys. I got three hit points.

Yikes. And we're going to attempt to slip into the floor. No! I get an opportunity. You do. You and Caleb both get a type of opportunity physically. Physically, do I? Do I?

No, because you're done with them. Fuck. Is it just, you can just shift down to the ground? Come on, come, come, come. That hits, that's 20. That hits, that's, that's, uh, that's, let's see, that's five points of normal damage and five points of radiant damage. How do you want to do that? I want to swing and I want to pin the heart to the ground and leave the blade there.

As it tries to shift downward, Molly pulling back from the screams, the kind of strange howling babble that's emanating from its body, you swing wide, spinning the blade in the air and jam down on top of its form. As you do, it just disperses like an explosion of wind from the center. You watch the cloth of its body suddenly scatter, like someone had just blown a heavy wind into a stack of loose cloth material that all eventually just turns into ash and vanishes. There you see this dull blue glow where the blade is kind of hitting and grinding against the stone before that eventually could have dissipates into nothingness. Yeah, go slow you.

Last pot! Good job, Molly. All right. Bo, your stun wears off. That guy knew way too much, just about everything. Can I see the last pot from where I am? Make a perception check. Isn't it's not okay?

That is a bit of bore. It's 13. 13. Glancing about in the area, you have torchlight from Yasha, so a drop in the ground when you came in. So you can see, it looks to be that there's one visible pot that has not been shattered in that cage there. Okay, well I will send a little fire bolt off and try to strike it. It's a disadvantage, correct? It is, yes. Okay. So that's very bad. Also very bad. Oh, buddy. So that's a 10.

A 10 is, it just barely misses. Okay. You attempt to strike through and ends up smashing against the iron, like the wrought iron gate on the outside and kind of disperses against that. Yeah, okay. Well, I will walk over toward it to get closer, as much as I can. Get right up to it right there if you want to. Should have done that first, yeah. Alrighty. That brings us to Jester and Molly. You're out. I'm going to run over to you and put a healing potion. Oh, don't waste a healing potion on me.

What else are we going to do? We can't heal it. We can't hear anything. No, they cause you. You hush your mouth. I have healing packs in my bag. I don't care. I don't know any of that. So yeah, that's a healing potion.

I am so true. I'm going to go looking for one in one second. A potion of healing. Yeah, just standard 2D4 plus two. So let's just standard 2D4. Yeah, just take six points to heal. You're stabilized. You just skip those death saves there.

Molly. Back up. Come on. This is a bad day, you guys. Today is really hard. So Jester's now conscious. I also definitely lost my two swords now, so those are off. Okay. Lost them? They're gone forever. The swords are not glowing anymore. You stopped there. I had to feed a healing potion. I had two going, so I needed hands.

Getsch gave you grasp, yeah. So. All right. So that brings us to Jester's turn as you come to consciousness. These guys are on the same initiative. What? What? What? Oh yeah, so you can do something if you like. I mean, I guess I could. Pot, pot? I guess I'll walk over and try to take out the pot.

All right, so that's half your movement to get up. Oh, I won't make it. And then 5, 10, 15. That's as far as you get right there. That's okay. You're so good. Can I try to throw something at it? What do you have to throw?

The sword. Yeah. Yeah, I don't think I have anything that will fit through that. that will fit through that little hole. I could try picking up a rock on the ground and throwing it at it. You make an investigation check to try and find a rock on the ground. I probably don't see one.

If I did, it would take a whole lot of time. Well, you took your action searching the ground. Three. And you do not find a rock. You spend the better part of six seconds going to the... No, that's a piece of black cloth, shit. No actual stone, unfortunately. Sorry, Jester.

No, it's fine. I was trying to do what you asked me. I'll spin around and try an Eldridge blast that last pot in the other cage. Go for it. That's a 19. That hits. Go ahead roll damage. I just woke up, you guys.

I just have a seven plus. That's 11 points of damage. 11 points of damage. Yes. With that, that pot shatters. And you watch, or see this flicker in the stone column behind as the energy of the wist just flares out from the side. Got him. Good job. All right. So, not, Joshua, you guys do anything?

I'm still stunned? No, actually, your stun is wearing off. Not, do you do anything? Oh, you're, your stun as well. Your stun now wears off. Oh, great. As you guys finish, kind of making yourself there, kind of shaking off the energy, this cold energy begins to emerge from the far wall. What? A cold energy? Through the bookcase. What? No, he's back?

Run. Okay, we run away. The same entity kind of comes through through the bookcase, like it's emerging from something behind. Grab his heart and run from the ground. There was no heart on the ground. There was. No, as you struck it and the energy dispersed.

Let's run away. Why don't, why don't? With a sword. With a sword. But it's like a two-handed weapon. I can't do it. Yasha can, though. Why, you're strong, you can do it.

I can't use 200 weapons. As you guys watch it kind of push out of the wall. out of the wall, making its way there. Wait, maybe if we just show him the sword, it'll chill out. Because he got separated. Can you make an intelligence check? Yeah.

And you make a religion check with advantage because you have undeads. Just a straight intelligence? Straight intelligence. 15. 15, okay. 12. 12?

12? Okay. You have to reading through the notes and going through the book, you recall that a lot of the magic in here entails binding the soul to the remains of the physical form, as you've seen with all the wisps. And it seems to be a similar return of the entity that you just fought. Oh, his body somewhere.

Where's that, where's that corkscrew thing? On its turn, it's going to go ahead and attempt, well, first to see if it's telling babble back. It does not. It's one. So it's going to try Whispers of Madness again. I need Yasha, Bo. Only Yasha and Bo, actually. Everyone else is spread out. So Yasha and Bo need you both to make a wisdom saving threat. Back.

Oh, shit. As the whispers now begin to emanate from its mouth. It's coming from the bookcase. Nothing else was described to have. Yeah, but it's coming from the bookcase. You watched it emerge through the bookcase. Sixteen? Did you grab a book?

Gotcha. Seven. Seven. So, Bo. We have the book that we found in the research center. Bo, you resist the whispers and you close your eyes. And as you come up to try and make this point out, the next thing you see is just Yasha looking at you and walking down with this door.

No. attack against bow. Oh shit. Do I see this? You do. I'm going to quickly cast before this goes. I'm going to go up. Never mind or I don't know. Well no you've done it. All right. I'm going to just cast one level. Okay so your vision as this happens all of a sudden goes black. You watch as this dark blood pool at the corners of Yasha's face as you go blind from his blood maledict. So roll a disadvantage in the attack. One more time. Disadvantage would mean it was the lowest number. Okay. I didn't know if because Three. Oh, sorry. Five.

Okay. Six. So you see it just in time and you just kind of bat it out of the way and it hits the stone next to you. You do suffer 11 points of psychic damage, however. Okay, I'm unconscious. You watch, as she swings at you and the impact as you parry it, Yasha goes down with the blade swing. Just onto the ground. You guys. Did you just kill her?

But because, hold on. Nope. I feel like I thought I had something. There's an ability you get at later levels that does something of this scenario. It's not now? Don't think you have something for that right now. I can be wrong.

I'm unconscious. I'll double check this to be safe. The books of the soul is bound to the flesh, be it in any form ice or ash, but the ash and the pots was the will or the wisp. Except from ashes, I shall rise again. Maybe there's something behind the bookcase? Let's go look.

Blow up the bookcase. All right, so that ends the creatures turn. Do you have that book? Yeah. And as that happens, it's going to go ahead and lift up and vanish into the ceiling. And you just watch it disappear out of place. It does take force damage for being in the wall. That's actually not going to roll, it's that's six, force damage to it.

All righty. So for... Let's see if you have the divine energy, the Patsalit and your soul's mark for battle. So yeah, the only ability you have now is the warrior, the gods. You don't have the other one yet, so you're fine. Right. All right, so that finishes its turn. Bo, you're up.

You watch Yasha just slam on the ground unconscious next to you. The blade kind of clattering to the ground and coming to rest. And the creature just kind of lifts up, and vanishes into the stone above you. I can't get a reaction from it as it goes. It was not close enough to you, unfortunately. I'm going to run over to this bookcase,

and I'm going to put my staff behind it and see if I can knock it over. Okay, so you go ahead and get the staff on the fulcrum. Go ahead and make for this, make an athletics check. Oh! just force it up. Get it girl, get it, get a girl. Fuck!

That keeps happening. A six. Six? You try and it's starting to rock and rock, but it's heavy. You start pushing, you can't quite get the bookcase to come over, unfortunately. That ends your turn? I guess so. All righty.

Bring us to Caleb. Oh, geez. I'm going to start moving towards the middle, towards Yasha. All right. I don't have any kind of healers kit or anything. I don't know how to do anything like that. It's okay, it's okay. Get the bouquets. You're gonna die. If we don't can deal with the problem, yeah.

I'm going to hold my attack, a fireball. I'm going to hold, can I do that? I don't even know. I'm a wizard for the first time. Hold a fire bolt. Well, you can hold it as an action and you're casting the spell and then whenever something triggers it you release it. Yeah, when it appears, I will... I'll... It's not... We don't know that. It seemed to take damage though lesser when you hit it. There's nothing else I can do from where I am.

Kets fire to the bookcase. I don't want to burn the room around us. Chester Moth. Kats fire. Should I try to heal Yasha or should I try to move the bookcase? I'm the strong one. Move a bookcase. If I set it on fire, someone will still have to pull it anyway.

It's not like it's going to disintegrate with fire. I can use my last spell. I have a second level spell. I'm in a bonus action. Use healing word. Yes. At second level on Yasha to bring her back and then I'm gonna run over and try to move the bookcase. Let's crash it down.

Okay. So you go ahead and expend your bonus action. You're like over, go ahead and roll for that. So it's 2D4 plus your wisdom modifier. Ooh! Six plus four. Ten. So you heal ten hit points, Yasha, you come to consciousness with the ground.

Your weapons about two feet from your grasp, but the first thing you do is your eyes shoot open and then shoot to where your weapon is. Natural instinct to defend yourself. It's easily within your grasp. You just gotta get up to grab it. Can I get all the way over to the book? Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty. You get right to the bookcase. I'll try to yank it over. Go ahead and make an athletics check.

Can I give her some sort of assistance? That would be your action to do so. You already, as you're trying. So the DC is going down as you both are working on it. 16. 16. As you grab and reach around the side of the bow, you pull on the bookcase, and you kind of step back quickly as it slams onto the ground. Instead of anything behind it. Right behind it, you see there's a small pocket where the stone seems to have crumbled a bit.

And it looks like a dark space. in the inside. How small? Oh, that's about me to be that wide on the wall. It's a casketa. What's in there? I bet this remains are in here. Kill it.

All right, is it an inter-in-cher-dester? I don't think I could do anything else. Molly. I'm going to run over to it and I'm going to start taking slices at it. I'm going to stab it with my sword. So as you glance inside, you have dark visions. You get your view, and both you and Jester kind of glancing inside. You can see there is a small, like, five foot by five foot

chamber inside here where it looks like there are a number of pots and in small cases and stuff. It was like a small burial chamber of some kind and there in the center you see this large urn about a foot and a half wide squat sitting in the center with like this kind of looks like it like a dull gray color you have no color depth in this darkness unfortunately with your dark vision but it's this like very squat well-made vase of some kind or urn. Two shots. All right you're swinging you're having to like put your arm through and kind of swing towards it so disadvantage on each strike.

First one. It's a horrid. Is 13 to hit? 13 just barely hits. Oh! But it's a hardy earn. It's a hardy earn. See how much damage you deal.

That's eight points of damage. Eight points of damage. You make impact and you see a part of it kind of crack from the blow, but it's not enough to shatter it. Doing a, taking another swing. So you pull it out and jam the other arm in and try and go for a straight strike with your scimitar. And that's, oh, that's 17 to hit. 17 hits, roll damage. 15 hits, roll damage.

That's five points of damage. Five points of damage. As you reach through, you feel the urn break beneath the blow, and there's this moment of silence as you hear this dully. And filter out the entity slowly ships from the ceiling as you watch it disintegrate. Not vanishing like it before, but just slowly dissipate. Its form suddenly going from extremely menacing to almost sad as you watch it kind of turn to nothingness. And poofs out under the donut as a fireball goes,

Foof! Yeah. Oh, smoke green! That's awesome! I got it! I got it. I got that. Yeah.

Wow. Kind of mushroom clouds a little. That was great. Like Rick Moranis and Coast Busters too. Yeah. Is there any way to get in there? Yeah, agree. You, I mean, it looks like it's holed up, and the small hole it's in there, it looks like it's

somebody who tried to push through or previously emerged in there. and I can't break what they could. So you can't fit through the hole, unfortunately. I'm gonna start trying to open it up, because I want to go in and look for things and break every damn- Wait, we should heal you guys. Just take a short rest.

We should take a short rest and heal up a little bit. Just fucking a breather, yeah. Okay. Jester, thank you for healing me. Oh, you're welcome. I did not deserve that, but thank you very much. You deserved it so much. You did so good.

Oh boy, I've already used most of my hit dice. That's crazy. That's crazy. So you guys take a short rest, take him an hour or so as you sit down and kind of recover your breath, take a moment to center yourself, tend to your wounds. After we rested for a while. No, that's not why I'm sorry.

Can I walk over to the little hole and just peeking? I can't fit through that little hole, can I? You're pretty tiny. Make an acrobatics check. All right. This is one of the benefits of being something so small. Yeah, right?

Ten. Ten? You just managed to pull through. It wasn't a hard. I'll take off my stuff. Give it to Caleb for safekeeping and just sort of, can I, do you have any, like, butter or anything? Um, let's see. Let me look at my possession.

I don't think I have any butter. How am I just, I don't want to get wet. I got away with oil. Oh yeah, oil. I'll take some oil. I get to use maximum hit dice because of tough. Get some oil on me. I get to max out my hit.

I use all my hit dice when I healed because of tough, right? There was some of the shirt I got. Matt, I'm asking Bo to slather me in oil. Oh, yeah. So, Grease the Goblin action is what you're taking. Get it in there working you. No, not for that. Tough is giving the additional hit points.

There's another feat that does that. I feel like I got that, though, for some reason. You got tough for the additional hit points. Is there something else that I got that? Durable's the one feat that gives you a plus one constitution when you roll a hit dice. The minimum you gain. Oh, so, yeah. It felt like there was a thing.

I have to keep breathing, right? Give a little bit of a therapeutic temple rub while I'm at it. So I'm going to slip and slide my way into the hole. You take a moment back. Don't die. Just kind of run and just dive in and just dive in. The greased goblin squeezes through the smooth. It scrapes your shoulders and kind of hurts a bit, and you tumble in, which is great because you tumble in and land into the remains of the ash in here covered in Greece, which all sticks to you.

Oh, that's the worst. It's the worst. You just got asht and feathered, tarred and, what do you call it? Oiled and ash. Oiled and ash. It's cool, guys. It's fine. It's fine.

I send in the screen and fall on the beach. I send in two globules after her to the whole delight of a bit. The light emerges in the chamberers. To see the anti-greens. So it's a small chamber. It's like it's five by five. Anybody else is going to be pretty, you know, down in there. But you fit in it fairly comfortably. There's the shattered urn and what looks to be a few small pieces of pottery with like intricate gold scrolling. They're probably like very, very nice pieces of art or decor. Check for traps. All right, go ahead. Make an investigation. What did you? One. Natural? Yes. Yes.

Yes. Is that 600? 700? Are you counting? I am, but I might have loved down. It really takes the edge off. It makes it all better. Yeah, it does. Never seen so many happy people. So yeah, best can tell, the room seems safe.

All right, I'll start. So you said there's a few urns that are fancier than the other? Yeah, there's like two larger, or large ones that are nowhere near as big as the central urn that's been shattered. But there's two in the corner and looks to be like a few small boxes off of the side. And what's in the urns? You glance over in the inside and they are empty. They look to be. just pieces of art that may have meant something to the person who previously...

Will they fit through the little hole? You may have to dig the hole open a little bit. I can't dig it open a little bit. Okay. Yeah, you can. Yeah, I'll talk about like a little too much. So it's like, yeah, given a little time, Yasha just basically begins to just peel the stones from the wall around it. Oh, this wall. In those boxes? Can I check in those? Yeah. Do you open? Which one? There's one on each side? I'll take the right one. Okay. So you take the right one and you kind of lift the lid and as you do you pull it open and this kind of powder just merges into your face. Make Constitution saving for us. Oh, Chris.

That would be a Constitution save? Four. Four, okay. I'm gonna check the box. I checked. Now you check the room, you can take the box. You take the points of poison damage and you're poison for the next hour. Oh, gosh. As this cloud just kind of pah in your lungs, you begin coughing, and it kind of burns the inside of your throat. How is it going in there? It's fine. It's fine. I'm gonna cast mage hand and open the other one. There we go. But it's a five-by-five. It's five-by-five. You're in a tiny, why don't you take it up a little bit?

I'm still gonna back up a little bit. Bring that thing out of there. No, I got this. I'm fine. You sure do. There's nothing else in there other than that. No, as you look down into the box, it looks like there are sets of gold and silver rings and jewelry that it's like whatever, whatever, whatever, whatever, The jewelry once may have been dressed upon the individual who's interred in that urn that you just scattered. This is where the jewelry was placed. I'm gonna take all of those things. Okay. Treasure will be the dead.

Bring the art out too. Sure, as soon as the hole gets bigger. There's another box. Yeah, and I'll open the other box with my magy handy. Okay. That bog opens up and there's another splash of that same poisonous powder, but you're off at the side. It only gets anyone who's immediately in front of the box.

I did it, guys! Like, Knott's head comes out of the hole going, I have fresh air. What's in that box? That box contains what looks to be a folded raiment of some kind, like a mantle. That's like a ceremonial mantle. It's made of a dark black and gray cloth with red embroidered designs on it. Do I recognize any symbols or anything?

No, I don't know. Make it a condom check. Did you find anything yet? Natural one. Yay! That's seven! We're just knocking it out of the park. For charity.

Wow. We didn't anticipate this. Everyone, I found a piece of clothing, an article of clothing. A lot of clothing. Here, I'll pass it out to you. Is it pretty? It's very pretty. And some art pieces.

Some auge d'art. Rich people love fancy art. Rich people also love art. Can I look at the art? Do I know the artists? the artists? Well, of the... From the sky, dead thousands of years ago.

I don't know. I don't know what's going on. The art are two large, kind of well-made vases that eventually pull through the space unit. Oh, that's not as cool. And you don't recognize that these were made a long time ago. Ooh, they're antique. It could be worth a pretty penny. What about that cloak?

I put them in the bag. How about that? Okay. So you have the folded mantle. What did the mantle look like? The mantle is like a dark black. like a dark black, like a front chest mantle area with gray stripes kind of on the sides and this kind of red embroidered design that kind of emerges from around the neck all across

the front and back of the mantle. Does it look familiar? No. All right. I was going up and see if it has any like magic feel to it? Can I come up and see if it has any like magic feel to it? I mean, you can make an archa-check to see if you recognize any elements of it. Sure.

I'm stowing away the journal in mind. 17. 17? Okay. Looking at it, there's a, you get closer to look and you can see parts of the edges are burned. It looks like the very, very bottom parts of it seem to have been committed to some sort of flame and kind of just the edges of it are singed a bit. The black color kind of causes it to be lost at a distant view, but close up you can see where it's been damaged. And there's a fold at the front of it, like a small pocket right there.

Weird, it looks like it's been kind of burned a bit. It's got a little compartment of the front. Like a kangaroo pouch? I don't know. Kind of, it's like the side. It's almost like a, because the mantle would go down to about there if person were aware, but you kind of put your hand in there. It's a heavy material.

You want to try it on? I would prefer to inspect it, are we going to stay here for a little while? I would do, while all of this is going on, Beau wants to be going through some of these books that was on this shelf that we're not going to do. the shelf that we knocked over. I thought it was empty. The book was mostly empty. You should probably look at this sword too.

There was a one book on the desk. If you're like you're looking down on the floor and we can sit together and have a look. Yeah. Okay. What else did you get out of there? Yeah, you have the urns in the cages, you have the tables over there, you have the two braziers filled with ash on the sides. You have broken cages back there. Everything that you see there is what's in the chamber, so.

Yeah, you know, it will go ahead. I was going to say I'm going to kind of do a tour of the urns and see if there's anything jewelry. jewelry or something in there, I guess. You mean the ones in the cages? Also, what I would recommend, if we feel comfortable for a moment, is to put all of our findings in the middle of the room, and I can ritually see which of these things are magic, most of them we suspect, but maybe there are some other things.

And then I can tell what exactly they are, but I need some time. That's a matter. Okay. That's a good idea. Also, before not even got out, the journal, I'm stirring that away for a closer read later. Totally fine. 21. 21.

Okay, so as you go through from cage to cage, the urns just scattered ash. Nothing catches your eye from those two. The nooses, you kind of like pull through and tug on, and the rope rots and breaks in your grasp. You go past the brazer on that side where the ashes, and you kind of poke around with your staff, and something kind of catches your staff underneath the ash.

And you kind of prod in there, and as you push it aside, there's an object in the ash that's partially burned, and as you pull it free and kind of dust it off, it's another book. That's like a large portion of the back of it is burnt off and most of the pages are destroyed on the back hand, but there are, good half of the book appears to be mostly still intact. Like it just didn't, when it got thrown into there to be destroyed, it seems the flame wasn't quite strong enough to consume the

entire book. Can I do a little flip-through of it? Yeah, as you go through, it's filled with strange script and scrolling, make an Arcona check. Can I use a key point? You can get an advantage? You can mark that down really quick. Bam. I'll take that all. I'll take that all. 11 over that, too. Oh. 13. 13. You don't understand the nature of any of this, but it seems magical in nature. The script. Elements of the designs remind you of the things you saw on the ceiling in the previous room, though not exact. There are similar similarities to the way the script is drawn.

Cool. This is one of the ones in the cages, right? Yeah. It was in the brazier right there in the center. Oh, oh, oh. Ooh. Hey, Yasha, you feel like knocking the shit out of some of those cages, open them up? I walk over and just start hitting. hitting.

You just start bashing and shaking it. You bend and kind of eventually tear through some of the cage and glance through. You guys together begin to inspect the other cages and honestly in there most all you find is ash. Most everything in this chamber has been destroyed intentionally it seems, either by the previous Denison who lived here that you destroyed or somebody else who had been in here before, but the only things that you find are what was in that burial chamber in the back and that mostly burned tome in your hand.

I walk over to Caleb. Hey Caleb. Yeah. Found this. Oh, would you like to add it to the pile? Sure. I think it's got a stuff for you in it. I'm not really into smut. That's a bit of a ruse. It's unfortunate, actually. I mean, more than normal. Sure. Sure. Within reason. Yeah. Can I walk to the entrance to the tunnel just to keep an eye out while he does this thing? Sure, make perception check.

Everything's in the file, including the stuff in the second chest? 13. 13. What stuff in the second chest? What? Huh? What? The stuff in the second chest?

Well, she was in a dark hole, so it's... I heard two traps go off. Of course I was just about to get it out here. It's for the whole group. We're a team now, right? That's very considerate, are you now? Anything you take on your own time is yours. We're on the clock.

Of course. I would never try to steal from the group. What is it? It's a bunch of golden jewels. Yay! You know, this is going to take a while, so I'll only put it all down and I will get to work, okay? I'm poisoned. How much you care to drink is on you.

I've got the verbalism kit. Just like a purple froth at the corner of her mouth. She's antiques too. She's got into the air and oil ash. How can I use my herbalism kit to get rid of the poison? Go ahead and make a medicine check. Not stealthy doing that. That's 21.

Wow. Okay, I'll say yes. You reduce the duration of the poison from an hour or two about 10 minutes. And so in the time it Kate takes for you guys to finish up most of this, the poison eventually begins to wear off. If it care. You still look a bit worse for wear. Creamer than normal.

Yeah. How much money did we get? We're identified. No coins. Oh, it's just jewelry. Are there any rings? Yeah, there's probably a good 12 or so rings in there. Caleb, you should see the rings are magic.

I'm well on my way. I hope I've been doing this for a while. So step one is detect magic on the pile. All right. So, detect magic on the pile. Also includes the sword. The sword. The book.

And the bases. Correct, yeah. The only magical essence you get from that pile is the sword, the large sword that was taken off the wall. And it's not a magical aura from the book that you just pulled from there. But even just your quick glance at the way that's bound and the construct of it is familiar to you. Does it also help that I'm still within the... Oh, no, we took a short rest, which is an hour. Okay, good.

Okay. Okay. So the sword is the one thing? The sword is the one thing that's giving off a magical aura. Okay. Can I pick up this new book and leave through it and try to see... It is partially damaged, but in some ways intact spellbook. Yeah. Can I try using the mending cantrip on it? Would that help? You can certainly try.

Ever so kind, I would be very grateful. Leigh-hee. Holding your symbol and concentrating on there, kind of whisper beneath your breath, with a big smile, you watch as the pages begin to shift out and form into a full book. The F-Section that's burned is restored to its previous. Wow. That's cool.

Wow. However, the script isn't there. It doesn't restore any of the writing on the inside of the book, unfortunately. So where you get to the pages where it was burned, it just kind of ink ends at that edge. But... A hand on top of yours. Thank you very much.

The trap. You got like a section to take notes now. Hey, that's what. I begin the process of casting identify on the sword. Oh, and the mantle. What about the mantle? Was that in the fire? The mantle is not magical.

Not magical. It looks like it was just an ornamental... Burial shroud? Well, more like a ceremonial shroud. And as you look at the inside of the pocket, there's a lot of dried blood kind of in the inside of it. kind of in the inside of it, and it looks like something was kept in there, that at one point was very viscous and covered in crimson. Necromancers. Oh, dear.

The original god. So of the book that you find, these are the remnants of the interior of it, and this is the sword identified for me. Okay, so this sword, because I know you're all dying to know, is very old. It is a great sword. I mean, would I know the name of it by Kansom's? It's a great... It's probably, then if I spell, you would know what it's called. This sword is called the magician's judge. Ooh.

Excuse me, magician's chutch. What? Oh, that's a zemnon. Yes, because it's... Oh. Well, no, I'm absorbing, and I will tell you in a moment. I need to make sense of it first. It's a two-handed then, because it's a great...

It is a great sword, and what this... It's a great sword. It's pretty great. It's pretty great. When someone like Yasha hits a beddy with this, you can dispel any kind of magical property that is present. Oh. Yeah?

Or you can just, without attacking, you can just hold the sword up and do the same. Oh, should. Oh, should have used that. It breaks it? It's not a counter spell. It's a dispel magic. This is a... And you still have to roll to see if it happens, but essentially...

If they had like a whole person up, it could... But you could use it on not. to people as well, maybe on objects? Yeah. Magical traps. Anything within the realm of dispel magic, the spell itself. Big woman, this has your name all over it. So I think.

May I just try and see if. Yeah, you'll have to pick it up. I can't even lift this thing. That's how you all the great saw. So you see it like the hilt kind of curves at the tip and kind of comes up in an angle like this, almost like a very subtle V shape with like the scrolling and ruins on the edge and the blade itself. this wide, thick, like gradually coming to a point, a great sword about five feet long

from the hill to edge of blade. It's practically an anime sword. And looking at it, and based on what he discovered of the sword itself, it was used in the Age of Arcanum as an executioner's blade to kill mages that were caught by the law and went against the law of the land. So it was used to act, and probably had been used to execute a number of mages in the past. It's dark, is it cursed? Does it feel cursed? I don't think so. Okay. And Caleb, as you recalling the information to identify sword, you recall the notes that you picked

from the book when you entered the chamber, spoke of a bouncy hunter that had come for Siff and the trophy that was taken. Took his legs. Took his legs, yeah. That was the feet. That's why he had no feetcies. So Siv didn't have any feet. He actually didn't have feet.

He lost his legs. They were just somewhere else. But you get the sense the sword that was in the wall was the trophy taken from that? Oh, yeah. They assumed that immediately before the thing attacked. Probably Siff's legs are all over you right now. Oh, no. Oh, gross.

Oh, do you think taking the sword off the wall was what made Siff be able to come back? I don't know, but it was worth it. At least we're not dead, you guys. Yeah. Yeah. Then we have some rings. We can put them on now.

They're not magic. Well, I know we share everything, but I feel like the ladies of the group would enjoy them more. So maybe we just take them, the ladies of the group? I don't bud. I'm taking a ring. Damn it.

How many are there? 12. 12. 10. Caleb is just chewing on his finger and looking through the group. I feel like I should have, we all get one. I should get one for finding them. That's fair. I should get one for sharing them.

That was a good deed. That was not a good deed. That is literally baseline of what's expected. I should get a one for healing you for poison, so that's two for me. Ford gave up his, I'll take his share. That's four for me. I get Caleb's because he's not.

saying anything. That's really for me. Bo, you're naturally beautiful, so I'll take yours. Give me a dam ring. I need that seven, eight. I got four. I'm taking an extra one for helping you remember that you're supposed to share. Thank you. Yeah, sure you want, that's like two rings left for you. You can put it in your ear. Or in your nose.

Oh, wait, I have a nose ring. I'm going to swap one out. Don't look! There's to be a hole in it for you to be able to do it. Fuck. I've got snot and ash all over me. Yeah, you are a mess right now. Covered in feet. Beau kind of leans over Caleb's shoulder.

What's you're reading? I'm thinking of all the good things that I can do for our new collective. Yeah, that's cool. Yeah. Who's the publisher? Is that first print? First edition? It is the random old house.

Second edition? First edition. That's pretty good. This is, this was a good find, everyone. I recognize a few of those. Okay. Recognize a few of those symbols. Yeah, what do they mean?

Just, you know, magic shirt. You are correct. He's redacting his own card. What is he writing? Oh, fuck you. By the way, side note, everyone out of game, Laura has been taking our inventory and keeping it. Lost the page with all of them.

No, I didn't lose the page, I lost the whole spiral. We have no idea what we have as a party anymore. The idiot, the idiot Goliath kept it for five years. Yeah, well, things moved for some reason. Terrible role play. Terrible role play. She was not on the table? Does anybody see a little, it's like light,

you're looking for her right now? Yeah. Does I mean it? White blue? Well, while she's looking for that, what are you guys doing? Anything else in the hallway moving? You don't see anything else moving now. What?

The gentleman just wanted us to kill shit, right? Yeah, just to clear it out. And he wanted us to... Did you find it? She found it. Did he wanted us to bring back... Oh, yeah. Did he want us to bring back something?

Just clear it out, I recall. Really? Clear it out. No, no, no, there was something. He said, clear it out. Get evidence of something. Evidence of... Magic?

Evidence of... Pretty much find out the nature of the place. Clear it out, bring back what you find, and he may let you keep some of the spoils. You may let us keep some of the spoils? I thought he said he wanted us to bring like the expensive good shit, but we could keep like whatever else. Yeah, essentially. You know, we could give him some of those rings. Maybe some of the art?

Yeah, definitely the art. The art, yeah, the vases. Yeah, the vases, yeah. I bet that worth a lot to have some of the rings. money though. We did get him the... Rich people love old things. They love old things. And if we say it belonged to a dead person, they love it even more. Plus if you give them all the rings, he might give us a job with more fancy stuff next time. Is it just rings, Matt, or are there

other things in there? There were like necklaces. There were rings that there were, there's like a couple of loose bracelets. It was basically a collection of ornamental jewelry. Yeah, you know if we skimp, he's going to think we're a bigger assholes and we actually... Let's keep it all together then for now. Except for the blur. We'll take a ring. We'll each take a ring. One ring. Will each shake one ring?

Mine rules them all, though. Got to do business. You take my ring. No, that's, you don't have to. All right. I know, well, I already took his ring, so technically. Technically. Technically.

Here. Well, you can have Ford's ring. Ford doesn't want one, right? Give her a ring, though. I have two rings now. I have two results. I do. Uh, and then maybe we can give him that, uh, that research notebook we found.

You keep the spellbook, we give him a research notebook. We already know what was in it. I mean, I gave it a cursory glance. I skimmed it. Well, if you read it on the way back, you'll remember it forever. That's a good point. That's a good point. What about the sword?

I say we keep the sword. No, we keep that sword. I mean... This one with that sword. I don't like it. Plus, I mean, it's... You know, we can... I mean, he probably can't even hold a great sword.

It's pretty obvious. You're going to have to hide it if we walk back in there. We can't put it in the haversack, can't we? Do you see it? It's a little bit of the haversack. Yeah. I thought that thing was like Mary Poppin's satchel. It doesn't go up.

Not quite so much. It's only eight cubic feet. Why don't you give me just while we talk to the gentleman while we navigate that, I could carry the, you know, the thingy? Do we all have to go inside to talk to me? To make room for him? No, I don't think we do. Do we have to go back out through the river to get out of here? Yeah.

Is it in a lead box? We didn't see any of their exits, right? No. The only way out that you know of is the same way you came in. Which is weird because it was all the cave-dead. The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders, an army scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world.

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Which means, I mean we're going to have to pass right back through the gentleman's place He won't It's not like we're going to be a lot of high Can you mend the Transportation Circle I don't think it works quite like that. It has to be kind of like a broken thing. Yes, and this sort of thing takes a lot of work from very specialized people. I wonder where it goes.

You could mend the big urn that held the ashes of the litchy thing, and we could take that iron back and give it to... As long as there were no ashes in it. They're all on me. I will say, unfortunately, the urn that was destroyed that contained what appears to have been SIF's remains is a bit of the... large for the men to spell, because it can only amend like a foot by foot space. And the urn was very, it was like a big bit.

Clarification. When Caleb did detect magic, did the circle in the center of the room glow at all? Or is it dead? It has been, and you see it's been scarred intentionally from the inside. Like possibly whatever flurry of intent that Siff had to burn the book, destroy everything. Burn everything from the inside also was to destroy the circle and allow nothing else to come through. You get the sense the final moments in this chamber were probably very paranoid. Okay, what do we remember about the crawling king? Do you know anything? Do you know anything? That'd be a religion check. I will make a religion check. I will do, but I'm not.

Advantage or no? Hmm? For you, no? No. 15. Okay, no. That's a one. Should have gotten the book. Oh, it wasn't an herbalism kit. I'm stupid. It wasn't an herbalism kit that could heal the poison. It was medicinal herbs. That's a what I had in my inventory that I remember. Oh. You rolled pretty well. It seemed difference. Okay.

All right. We'll say it would have lasted a little longer, but you still managed to outlast the poison. There was no threat at that moment. So, what did you roll? Oh, 15. 15 religion? Anybody else?

No. I rolled it, but. A 20. A 20? You rolled a one. Just a 20? One. You rolled a one, another one.

I'm really a religion person. The Crawling King. is known as what you can recall with a 20 strangely. And the information comes to you esoterically. You're not entirely certain where the inspiration of this knowledge comes from, but you just have these images of one of the betrayer gods in history. You've heard stories or something

that just kind of inspires you to remember something inhuman and larva-like, a monstrous, terrible worm crawling through the deepest tunnels. of the world, now locked away post-calamity with all the rest of the betrayer gods. Why do you have such a queer look on your face? I just feel like I remember something about like a real larva-looking worm. Huge fucking thing. Screaming human face at the front. Screaming human face in the front.

For the crawling king you are talking about? I definitely start drawing that in my mouth. Locked away after the calamity, but... Real nasty. Do you have a lot of knowledge for the... for the gods and religions of the world? Not really, it's more like I remember from a dream or something. Kind of hard to remember if it happened to me or not.

So the all-inspiring one with the face is from a dream you had? Is it the saltwater dream? No, I don't think so. Could be. You need to work on vivid dreams. You can control yourself. Yes, lucid dreaming.

Yes, lucid dreaming. How do you do that? I don't know, you think it's crystals or something? And you can keep a dream journal. That's a good way to do it. When you wake up, you just write. Write it down immediately what you remember. It really helps.

I would like to do an insight check on Ford while he tells us that story. Pretty good. 20. Best you can tell, he's telling the truth. That's pretty easy. Well, I kind of think there's a pretty good. information about the teleportation-a-circle situation.

Could be useful leverage if he wants to try and take that sort off of your back. I could also, I feel like rich people like candlesticks, so I could take the candlesticks with us. I mean, yeah, what are they made of? Can we tell what kind of metal those candlesticks are made of? Well, Norton I could tell you. Yeah. They look like they're made out of nice metal.

They're not made out of platinum or anything, but they're fine candle. Could be a silver like material. It's, you know. The antique, you know, for decoration. Yeah, man, melt that down. Maybe, I probably want those instead of the sword. Yeah, totally. I think.

We keep this teleportation secret, unless he tries to start bargaining for shit. And then we're like, Yeah, we are really, we are really, we told you that, you give us the sword. Yeah. Yeah. I'm telling him about this sort?

Not nosy. Pretty sure to tell, you minnie. Only if he notices, there's a sword. I think that we just give him the things of monetary value. We are thinking the long term for this group working together and this book and that blade are going to ensure a greater success and cohesion in the future. That's what we're saying. We give them we are as one.

Yeah. I mean I can try to fit it in the bag. What if it rips? I don't think it's a good idea. If it pierces, it's bad. Can we try to do it but go with the hilt downward? And see what happens? Why don't we try to camouflage it?

We could wrap it in reeds and just say that's... Rubs on the ash on it. What if I have you on my shoulders? Like, you know, like a kid? Yeah, of course. That's how I normally like to travel. And we put... Like it can be up your butt.

Yeah. How with that what butt? in front of me? It's connected to... That's not going to work. It might. No, no, no. I like this.

I could drape myself over it. What all is in that hevasak that you have? Um, I have some crossbow bolts and this crowbar and the sledgehammer. Can we take out everything except for... And I have these old bases that we're going to give him. What are this old... ...toecegahedron and I open up the lead box. Oh, God!

This is really... this is taking up a lot of space. Caleb just starts looking at the dough. And then they start shoving all that kid. I forgot we got that. How did you forget we got that? Where's our dynamite? Don't we have dynamite?

I mean, boomsticks? We have boomsticks? Yeah, don't we have two boomsticks? You have two you never used from the fine. Who has them? I don't have that. I have one, I think. Jester.

Don't we have drugs? No, maybe I don't. Yes. We have mushrooms. Jester. I'm listening and love. I know you are, but I'm cutting through the noise. Can we not take everything out of that bag except for this new blade and the dough decahedron?

And everything else comes out, because the rest is pretty utility, is it not? Well, it's eight cubic square feet. It might work. We can try to fit it. Yeah, and we can tie a rag around the end of the blade to keep it from piercing anything. Does it have a scabbard? No, it does not. It was ornamentally placed on the wall, so.

I mean, we should probably get one of those made. I don't know about this. I pull off the new cloak that I got a handful of days ago, and we can wrap this around the blade so it will not pierce. Try it up. Yeah, pull it up. Of course that will work. It works.

It doesn't get pierced from the inside. It can only be pierced from the outside, right? Yeah, it's magical. Are you trying to place the blade inside? Yeah. You place it into there, and it kind of gets to the hilt, and it won't go all the way in. It's too big. You have too much stuff in it.

Too long. Do you have done how much stuff in it? Yeah, and we take this sledgehammer out. How are we going to carry all this stuff off? I'll take the sledge hammer out. The sledge hammer we leave. It's a sledge hammer. So will it fit once I take the sledgehammer out?

Everything but the Dodeca hetron. The unfortunate thing is it's a very long blade, it compares to any other points, so it's just more like if you consider the space. The space itself is somewhat amorphous, but you consider it still kind of a central space. What if we roll the sword up like a fruit roll up? I don't think the sword is going to fucking fit. Here. I still like Yasha's idea.

Let's try Yasha's idea. Try Yasha's idea. Just kind of slip it up your back row. I can slip it up my back and then you can be on my shoulders like your tongue or something. Wear my cloak if you want to cover. Put it around and not like puts her legs out. You know? Okay.

We should probably get back. We've been here a while. Let's go. He probably thinks we're dead, you guys. Well, we almost were. All right, let's go. Yeah. We head out.

All right. I hang back at the back of the group for a split second and hold that wire that I used to cast that cantrip and just look at the room and I look at the wire. And then I follow everybody. Okay. You guys make your way back up through the chamber where you had had the encounter with the gelatinous cube. And solve the riddle of the hidden interior of this research facility. Make your way through the no longer trapped chamber, still tenuously held on the various pressure plates.

Oh man, we should have tried to go through that teleportation circle. It was broken. Yeah, we should have tried hard. And who knows it? They worship some weird shit. Who knows what dark corners of the world? It goes to. It just ended up in like one of the nine hells, but like only a third of you? Exactly. All you would have done is face planted on the stone floor. So we're going to start with just trying to give them the rings and the art, right? Yeah.

And the candlesticks. And the candlesticks. I think the god of gods wants to say something. Yes, he does. As you guys having this conversation, you continue up the spiral staircase, coming to where the wall had been blown down and then cleared out from you guys to enter. And there, as you hear the familiar sound of rushing water, you climb out back into the much cooler kind of airflow that's blowing through the subterranean tunnel. There, two boats

are still affixed, pulled up onto the edge of the river. Oh, and can I say that as soon as I left this chamber, I tagged along behind my new monk best friend and set the globules in the air around us, even though she has the goggles. And I just, while walking, trying to read every page of that journal. Okay. Yeah. And we'll continue to do so on the boats.

Gotcha. Thank you for saving me, Molly. Oh, you're welcome. Thank you for saving me for it. No problem. All right, so who's taking which boat? I would like to get in a boat with Caleb. Yasha and Caleb in one side?

And me. And not. And not. The rest and the other? I have to go in the other boat. All right. To the motor. So, are you guys going up back where you came?

Does the river keep going? Yeah. The river continues going, yeah. And it forked the head where you were. Current goes away from the direction we came from. Correct, but it's not a strong current. It's just like a lazy going current. But you could grow up.

It's just a little harder to do. We could just see what's down the river a bit. But if we want to go back out to muscle sisters, could get us up this car. You could, for sure. It'll be tiring. And we're already out this far. Might as well see where it goes for a little bit.

It could be scary. There could be more rock monsters and things. There are literally going to be rock monsters if we go back the other way. If we just ran from here. I suggest camping in this chamber before going forward, because we are all bloodied and battered, you know. Sure. We could do that. It has been a really long day so far.

Yeah, I told us a... Did he give us any kind of? Make a survival check now. I would know what type is. You would because of your feet, yeah. And so would I, because I rolled an 18. The two of you know that in the time you spent traveling down here in the subterranean area, resting and going through these battles, and you left kind of midday is when you had arrived

to begin your journey here. It's getting pretty close to dusk. Not quite yet. The sun hasn't set. We could go a little ways and then come back if we don't find anything. I don't think we should go. We either go back the way we came or we camp before going forward. You could do a scout boat. Or...

We go check out what's further along. Maybe one boat stays behind, the other scouted out. I'm going to stay behind. I am. Separate the party. Separate the party. I'll go forward. I'll go forward.

I'll check it out. Yeah. So that's our boat scouts. Yeah. Our boat scouts, this boat stays. Just a little bit. Sure. All right.

So we have. I'll kind of use my staff to help navigate Jester by. terrible idea. This is terrible. So Yasha and Kna and Caleb are staying behind. I'll watch over these guys. All right, so you keep watch. Before you guys get up.

I'll watch over these guys. Okay. The rest of you get into one of the boats. Push off, catch up on the current, and begin to lazily drift further down the cavern. I feel like this is stupid. Bye guys. See you never. Just taking a little look.

And only going like an hour down tops. I light a torch. the light picks up and kind of spells out the interior of this chamber. Yeah, keep it out of the roof, remember? If the current starts to pick up, we're going to fight it and try to go back, yes? Okay. All right. As they float away out of the airshot, I say to my two friends,

so, you know, if need be, the mighty dry also sounds very cool. We're taking a cat. Oh, yeah. Oh, I don't think it works at far. No, the cat. No. It's not okay. The pumpkin is scarfing over right now. You guys travel for about 10 or 15 minutes down before you see what looks to be another

cavern merges with the one you're in. And it looks like another side of the river seems to merge with you. Oh, that's where the fork was. It comes back together. Oh, we're back to the fork. Well, you're back on where the fork seems to re-merge with the path you've been taking. And so as you turn back onto where that happens, what do you do? We're going down that other path, right? Yeah, keep going straight to head.

There we didn't go down. Down river? Oh. Are you guys continuing to go down river or are you going? We're turning back and going the other way. We could check out the other cavern and save the deeper part of the river for when we're together. That's fair. Let's just, let's just...

Yeah, we're fighting. Okay. So Jester turns it around him and is going against the current and pull you guys up. I give him to start massaging your traps. There you go. Kind of switchbacking towards the other avenue of the fork, and you go. the fork, can you guys continue up there? It takes a little while longer and it's a little tiring.

For the heck of it, go ahead and just make a Constitution check, please. Constitution check? Yeah. That's pretty good. That's pretty good. 16. 16. No sweat.

You're making it up the river without an issue. Your muscles are holding and it's fine. You are a beast. Right here. Eventually the sound of rushing water gets louder and louder. You glance up in the direction where you're coming from. from and there's a fine mist in the air, kind of a spray. There's a waterfall.

And it looks like there is a waterfall that you guys were at the bottom of. And it's about a 15 foot drop from above to the bottom of where you are. So you'd have to climb to get to the top and you have no idea how to get a boat up there. But you get the sense that if you had gone the other way down here, you would have suddenly had a waterfall drop.

Is there going to lay down to the sides of the bottom of the waterfall? Very thin sort of like a half a foot to a foot, there are a lot of stones and rocks that have kind of tumbled through the river over time and kind of set at the bottom that would have destroyed a boat that had fallen off the edge of that waterfall. No, no. Does it seem like there were any boats that are broken at the bottom of it? You can make an investigation check. As you're like rowing up to the edge, like, glancing

off the side. Is there any words to stop the boat? Do you need more perception check because you can't really investigate it. You're not pouring through it. There's no place to like pull the boat off to the side. But is there a place to tie it off? Um, the only, the only thing. really the stones here and they're pretty slick. I only roll a 10. A 10? You don't see any remnants of a broken ship or boat.

Perception? That would have been a 10 again. Yeah, it's hard to tell in this vicinity. But you do see the water kind of crashing down. There are a couple of small platforms on the way that's kind of hitting and splashing off again. The spray is kind of causing all this. Is the waterfall really hard core?

Could we see if there's anything behind the waterfall? Go ahead and at the moment, no. From what you can see in the vicinity, you see just the water rushing down the way. Get a little bit closer. I can poke. Okay, okay. Fine, Florida again.

Try to get closer so that she can poke through the waterfall. Yeah. Okay. Just take my staff and jab it behind there. See if there's anything. On one hand, it hits rock. Does not. There's a little space behind the water.

Should be cool? There's always shit behind waterfalls. I think we should. I think we should. I'm already taking off my jacket. I'm taking off everything that I don't mind that I don't want to get wet, keeping just one sword, and I'm gonna go for it.

All right. Nipel rings. Weirdly, there are no nipple rings. Those things are dangerous, they catch on shit. That's not there. 16. All right. So Molly just jumps off the boat.

Oh, you're going to jump now? Oh, yeah, I'm going in. You're not going to drink. Under the waterfall. By himself, I do the same thing. Oh, they're in both you guys. It's a. I go up.

I try to get the boat through. Okay, so you row the boat. As you guys, you pull through the waterfall, and the boat, the opening is not wide enough for the boat, and it kind of jams up into the space and gets lodged, and the waterfall is just on you guys, in the boat. It's filling up the boat. Okay, we tried to push off, but not sing the boat.

Make a strength check. Oh, God. Help her, push off. Yes, you have advantage, because she's aiding you with this. Geez. Please be bad. Let's your roll. What did you roll?

21. Okay, yeah, that'll do it. So as you push away from the waterfall, which actually, I'm going to go ahead and pull up some audio for this because I happen. Yeah. Yeah, right? Yeah. We're going to go see what's behind the waterfall, but I don't... I'm just crawling up into it, man.

We can't... Well, we'll lose the boat if I jump out of the boat. Will it go anywhere, though? This is the end of it. It's kind of stuck on the chamber? No, because it's going to have a little. flow because the water is coming down. We have to tie it off on something. Is there anything to tie the boat on? There's nothing here. It's slick rocks. Do you see anything on the other

side? I'll let you know when I get there. He's just a woman. He's just kind of making his way through at the moment. There's a long pier. Yeah. Where is it? I'm so excited. I want to hear your white noise. I know. Use it. Cold water? It'll be like a cold peppermint drink. It'll be good. I don't think it works like that. It does because I've been doing it at home. There we go. So, as you make your way through, shush. There you go.

Keep it thematic. You come up and underneath and you can see as soon as you come up and reach out your feet and your hands before both you guys being to catch like soft river floor and eventually it comes up to what appears to be a plateau. And this is a small enclosed chamber in the inside. Oh man. I've always wanted to do this. Dark vision. Do I see anything? It only goes back about 10 or so feet.

And this... To my home. It's been a while. Time is a circle. He's just folding beer cans and little shapes. What's an alhoun to do? Anyway, you guys come out of the water and like, quickly advances as, you know. You can glance as your hair is kind of drenched on the sides of your face.

It's ever used, short enough hair. And the inside, it's fairly empty, except for what appears to be a skeleton. A humanoid skeleton against a back wall that is just laying there. It looks to have, what looked to be, manacles or chains attached to its wrists, neck, and feet, and they're all connected by a singular chain in the center. And it's just resting there, and it's probably been here for a while. That's bad luck. We seem to keep finding these.

Yeah. I'm going to examine this thing. I'm going to... Make an investigation show. Seven. Mm. I mean, the body's pretty rotted. Looks like whatever clothing they're wearing is very basic material that is just, it would be more disintegrated if there wasn't so much moisture in the area, and it looks like bits of it have just been eaten away with fungus and mold over time.

The manacles are very well made, and they look to have what, just looking at the edges where they connect, there's like a small roon at that point. No scratches in the walls or any pouches and compartments on the floor around this little space? Make an investigation check. Natural 19. Glancing around the interior of the chamber, unfortunately there are no secret compartments or any alcoves. It looks like whoever was in here may have been an individual who escaped from a boat that was unprepared for the fall. And whoever was rowing them down this chamber either didn't survive or quiver or didn't know about this hidden alcove, and this individual was in here until they passed away.

What those manacles look like? Magic. Oh, we could use those. I'll walk over and I'll just step on the elbow joint and snap it. As you do, the whole skeleton just implodes entirely, and the manacles just slip off. As the different joints just kind of pull apart

and alleviate the manacle. And now you're holding the center chain, and so you have the neck ring, the wrist, and the ankle rings all just kind of dangling from this cluster of chain you're holding. I will pick up the skull and take a look at it. It is human? It appears to be human.

Make a medicine check. All these checks. Where's my medicine there? 12. 12. Looking at the features of the skull, they're a little bit more delicate than an average human skull. You get the sense they may be of partial elven blood.

Not full elf, but partial elven. Never be full elf. It's true. It's very true. Very true. Well, on your way, Yorick, I set it adrift. All righty. Yep, and I'll jump back in.

I'm going to also keep my eyes open. I'm going to try and get a little bit down into this just to see if there's any bits and pieces on the... Underwater? Yeah, that's all that's going on. Make an investigation check when you come back in the water. Do it down, do a little pat-in out? Can I aid him or help him? Sure.

Does you guys go down there? So you roll twice with the manager's thing. The help action allows you to keep... allows you to. 18. 18. Looking down below there, you do see at the bottom, mostly covered in kind of masses of soft dirt

and silt at the bottom pieces of broken ship and amongst the jagged rocks. It looks like more than one. A few ships have met their end at the base of this waterfall, definitely. But beyond that, you don't notice anything of... You do find, like, a rusted short sword, and what looks to be a couple of broken pieces of boxes,

but anything that was left at the bottom of the waterfall seems like would have been recovered. Anything of worth, someone must have come back for and sifted through because everything down there appears to be just like rotted wood and things that were unusable. I'm going to kick back up to the boat at great place. You guys break the surface and climb back into the boat. Oh, gross, Molly.

Did you find anything? A lot of bad decisions. What does that mean? As Ford kind of like, over the side and you see that the chains in the inside. And someone who didn't quite get away. Jester, give me a hand.

Okay. Oh, Scra. I think I should find that gross when I'm kind of into it. You know, people are going to start... I lift him up by his arm. We did it. Spin them around once. You are like my little bow.

We did find one interesting thing. A place to stash things if we don't want them to be found. Oh, that's... Oh. How easy is it to get back down here, though? Real difficult. Well, if we come out the other way, then we know how to get back down there. We're never coming back here.

Phrum. Maybe. It's a good place to hide, though. Two. Good enough. My last. Really? Ford, even wet, you're like 150?

I am like 185. Okay. Wet. Right. It is very much. Soking wet. Ford? 150?

No. Fort 150. That was good. It was good. That's good. Somewhere in the world right now, somebody's laughing. I think if you beg for it, it makes it even better. It's even better, right?

Explain that show. Explain it. That's what Twitter is. So what are you guys doing? I think we're good. I think we're going to go back and join the other show. All right. That was fun.

You guys make your way. You make your way back, fighting the current. Go ahead and make another constitution check. Oh shit. I'm getting real tired, you guys. you guys. What? No, I'm not.

I'm not getting tired of it all, actually. 17. Just is just powering through no issue. All right, you guys make it back to join the rest of the crew. You guys see a mildly damp, Mali Mock. Actually, the whole crew is damp at this point from under the waterfall. How long were they gone for? At this point in time, would the searching probably be close to an hour or so.

I could probably read an average novel in just over an hour, so has this journal been read? For what you can, yeah. Yeah. You've read everything within the journal. You can make sense of it. While they were gone. Well, do you have another spell slot for tongues? Uh, sorry, comprehend languages, not tongues.

Oh, because it's in a different language. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The research one? No, because I used my magic thing to get back a slot earlier in the day. Technically, can't you still remember everything? You just want to understand it? He skimmed through quickly.

I remember what I skinned. What was it written? Until you get your draconic. Draconic. That's right. But I mean, you have a photographic memory, don't you? Of what I skimmed. I have to actually read it to remember it.

And I did not read this entire book. You can't cast the spell and then remember the language he has to actually. I have to eat the book. Yeah. Just piece-type piece. All right. So now that you've rejoined with your compatriots. Don't give out that book.

Do you want to long rest or go back? Long rice. Yeah. Let's camp. All right. Cool. You guys take the boats back up on the side. where are you resting here on the side of the river?

Oh, but what I would have done if they left and I'm tapped, Caleb would have just used a ritual to cast comprehend languages. That's a ritual spell? Yeah. All righty. Then you're fine. Then I'm up to speed. Then you're good.

We should actually go back inside and use the entrance as a good funnel. Don't leave ourselves in the open. Okay. Caleb, if you're done with that book, you think I could hold on to it. Yeah, would like to read it. Yeah, I'd love to. Thank you. All right. So you guys.

pull the boats up on the side, head back inside, where are you going to set the camp on the inside of the chamber? How about in the place where we disarmed all the traps? We know that that's safe. That's a bit deep in there. Yeah, it is. Well, we can't camp in the staircase.

Just inside of the rock collapse. That is a staircase. It is immediately. Yes, immediately. You are a reader. Then yeah, at the bottom. Yeah, the top, or the bottom? I think at the top, personally.

I think at the top, personally. Yeah, because the bottom one with the things, the trap blockages were starting to get a staircase right inside. I can do that. I like that. That's nice. All righty. You guys set up in a small camp area, take whatever bed rolls and materials you have to do the best you can instead of a space to sleep.

But you find enough of a division of the floor to at least get to a resting point and you guys begin your evening's long rest. I know when I see one. Yeah, it's because you can have... Could I have... Could I have everybody at the table except for Ford, please leave and go take your break a little early? Yeah! He was in the week. He touches the water. He has backstory.

You don't know that. Fuck that cracking. Oh, that's a whole different show. Yeah, it's the same show. Same show. Crackin to a crackin. Crackin to a crackin. Cracking to a cracker.

Take your time. Sorry, I just want to bring this with me. That's all. That makes sense. Oh no, oh God. As the sleep takes you and the darkness of your dream state alleviates you of the stress of the day, your aching muscles, turning numb,

your physical form and consciousness now removed and aimless in this dark space, you look down at your hand and there you see clasped in your grip the somewhat hooked and the somewhat hooked curved blade that you had recently bound with. In your grasp, you swing it and slowly inspect it as you do. As you swirl the blade around in your hand, it almost has a trail around it. And as you hold it coldly in your grasp, this yellow light suddenly emerged in front of you

as a familiar, large, yellow eye now looks upon you. And a voice feels you, directionless, and you glance at the blade. and back at the eye, and the voice again says, what do you do? Oh, God, am I gonna try and swallow the sword? Well, you do, for it. Uh, it's a, it's a large blade, right? It's about like this wide in places.

It comes out and kind of arcs and curves, and it's got kind of jagged edges on it. I don't know what you mean, consume. Fuck it. I'll turn the blade over and, like, keeping my eyes on the big eye. I'll bring it up to my mouth. and open it. It's cold with the touch of your tongue, the blade completely absent of any temperature.

As you begin to force it down your gullet, you feel the edge of the blade hit the back of your throat, and the moment of pain hits you as it begins to cut through your flesh. But at that point, this kind of ravenous hunger begins to build on the inside of your stomach, and though the pain tells you to pull away, you continue to just force the blade down. As you pull it down from the hilt, you feel the ball of the body. You feel the blood to kind of burble up in the back of your throat and spill out of your chin, but you continue to push it until the entirety

of the blade is consumed within your throat. You close your eyes for a moment and look up at the eye once more, and the voice returns to feel reverberating around you. The pain subsides, and it says the eye closes, the lid, completely cutting off the source, the cold, the liquid, the water, around you, the sense of being under the ocean again begins to whisk you away. Some sort

of heavy current begins to pull you from behind and you reach out, trying to grasp for any sort of hand or foothold, but yet you have nothing to hold on to. And as you feel yourself being dragged into this endless abyss, the dream comes to an end. You wake up. Everyone else is kind of asleep in the area. No one seems to have been woken up from your presence. Anything on my hands? Nothing in your hands now. No. Wipe my mouth. Wipe your mouth. There's a little bit of blood right there across your Can I try and summon the sword? You do, and as you summon it, there before you is not the waste hunter blade, but the falchion now return to grasp it with a strange, more hooked and jagged appearance to it.

It seems that the essence of this pact has consumed the weapon you had bound with and made it one with the falchon that you made this pact with oath so long ago. I try and keep my, make it disappear again. Has anybody woken up or any eyes open at all? At the moment, no. I'll lay back down and go to sleep. All right, and that's what we'll take our break. Holy shit! So we'll be right back, guys.

As a reminder, we do have our giveaway tonight. We have the Wenge, Winge, Hero Vault, which is the awesome darkwood color from our friends at Wormwood. You can contain your dice or your character model. In this, this will go to whoever wins night's giveaway, once again, if you are in the US, or in Canada, you are capable of winning this tonight, unless you're in Quebec, unfortunately. Coming to the Twitch chat right now, the keyword for tonight is Harvest. So you can only enter once, if you enter more than once, you will enforce to be disqualified

from this. We'll come back to the end of the break to give this to the winners. So we'll see you guys here in a few minutes. Thanks a much. Oh, you great. And welcome back, everybody. First off, we have, wow. Good call- Oh yeah, you did great.

Wow. I felt that. That's my wife, I'm doing it. Our winner for this evening for the wonderful Wenge Hero Vault is Dark One underscore Nightshade. Dark One underscore Nightshade. Congratulations. Donomo will get your contact and phone and get that sent out to you. Congrats.

All righty. So, as you guys all come to consciousness in the cold, desolate, dark space within this long abandoned research facility for the research facility from the age of Arcanum. You stiffly get off, off the ground, collect your stuff. What do you want to do? I do a few push-ups. Just get warmed up. Got good. Bo's doing her morning routine. Yep, some squats. Oh, we did a long-resty? Yes, we did a long-y-rest-y. You were tuning to the sword? Sit in attuned to the sword. Okay, so you're tuned to the blade. Perfect. Okay. Oh, I should make my son today.

I'm going to you. Caleb, you were not, I don't want to jinx it or anything, but I don't think that you were hit in any of the fights yesterday, were you? I, that is not correct. I was not hit in the final fight. But you remained pretty much unscathed. I made out better than usual, yes? And that was the only day that you let me put flowers in your hair, right? Right? Okay.

I'm just saying maybe sometimes old wives tales are true. Well, I am not much of a believer in old wives tales, but I do like trial and error, so if you would like to do it again today. As an experiment. As an experiment. This is a focus group test thing. I don't know. It's true. You need more than one example.

That's true. You know. Sample size. Do we have any more flowers? I have a lot. I have a lot. Yeah. Yeah.

Got to find that average. Yep. May I? You may? All right, I'm going to take some time to just put a little braid in his hair and stick a little flower stem or two in there and just trying to make like a little flower mowoc. How do I look? Like a sater, like in those ancient Greek, you know, paintings. Current Greek.

In those current Greek. What is Greek? What is Greek? What is Greek? What is Greek? Are you all wet again? If you go and inspect, no, there is no, there is no sea foam froth, though there is a bit of dried blood in the corner of Ford's mouth. Dry blood?

Ford, you have a little something right here. Did you shave? Did you bite your lips? You bite your lip? Oh, yeah. I can grind my teeth. Oh, you should wear a bite card. Is that why?

Is it a sleep thing? No, no, no. Just to bit myself in my sleep, that's all. Is that why what? Is that why, well, you know. What? Well, I don't want to say anything. I'm afraid it will offend him.

You can say it to me then. I just, well, most of you. Most of the half-works I've seen have bigger tasks. But it's okay for it if you don't have a big task, it's not a big deal. Oh, big tasks. Right. It's total line. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Is that an indication of other body parts? He has no tusks, doesn't he have no tusks? Do you have anything there? Do you have nubs? What are those? Why don't you pull down your lower lip and show us what's going on in now, Ford?

Yeah, I'll pull down my lower lip. What do we see? What do we see? Does he have a cool lip tattoo? You see very short, you see very short, nubby teeth with scratches and divvets and chips on the top of the teeth are just on the tusks. Oh, these, these? You had said that you did your own dental work at one point. Did you do that on purpose? Yeah. Yeah, I did. Why? Couldn't afford a row canal. That would have been a better excuse. When I was younger, they used to make fun of my teeth.

The kids can be cruel, so I decided to take away the target that was most easily available for them. Did you grow up with people who did not have tusks like you, and so you were different? Yeah, at the time. There weren't any others like me. So I feel like I was especially picked on for my teeth. Insight check. Jesus. My childhood damage, inside check.

Just a 10, not great. As a note, generally you can say, do I believe him? And I'll tell you to make him insight check. I'm going to use an insight check action. Insight check is so much dickisher. It really is. Do you still feel the same way about your teeth? Not necessarily.

It just kind of became a habit. So you have to continue to do it? I'm sure I don't have to. It's kind of like people chew their nails, I guess. So they will always grow back, even if you... They seem to be persistent. How quickly do they come back? Not super fast.

Yeah? Yeah. Is that why you have blood on your mouth? Were you filing your teeth last night? No. No. I think I'd just bit my lip. I hate it when that happens. Yeah, right? And then you bite it again the next day. Oh my god, and then it gets like in a blister.

Yeah. You can get the kick or store. I hate that. You can't. You know. One. That's a one. Did you have seven hundred?

Is that nine? Nine. That's a thousand? No way. I'm rolling so well. Did you do any other bod-mod to yourself growing up? Baud-Mod? No, I did not.

Did you kill any of the children that made fun at you? Children's are assholes. No. No. I didn't have that sort of a streak in me then. Yasser, did you kill any of your fellow children growing up? I don't know if you have to go to battle, if you have a challenge, you kill somebody. If you kill them, then they're not really your friends, are they?

No. Exactly. I was a bit tougher than mostly the other kids. I felt like I could take the physical poking, but the jeering eye. The emotional poking was too much. This is many years later, though. You know why. Can't imagine that any of us would even blink, that tasks? You know, it's not even really that intention. I'll just find myself kind of picking out of them every once in a while.

Do you ever want them to stay there? I could grow back? Yeah. Yeah. There are times. I've seen them other half-orks with the teeth. The guy in Tusklove had them. You did. Yeah. I feel like it's a trait that sort of exemplifies the rougher side of my race.

So sometimes I wish I had them, and sometimes I'm glad I don't. You know, for many of us, our early days are always with us. Yeah. So I understand. This is how you see yourself, right? I think it's how I'd like to see myself. Yeah. I mean, it's how we see you.

But I think you would look fine either way for it. Yeah, I mean, we're too distracted with her own personal damage. Right. Yeah. You saying I should let him grow out? I'm just saying if you want to, you would look good that way as well. You look good this way, you would look good that way. Co-signed.

All right, fair. All right, fair. How about you see me picking at them or chipping at them or any of that shit? And you just say the word and I'll stop. Okay. Okay. Blows through the distant tunnels above and for a minute you all kind of shivers, the cold wind kind of finds its way through down below. Oh, I don't shiver. Except for you, you're fine.

I'm good. Warm-blooded. Should we go back to the gentleman? Probably. It's probably time. So. Cloak on your back, sword on the cloak. Not on the sword.

Yeah, but we don't have to do that now. We have a whole boat trip to go on. Sword up the bat. No, I will not. Straight up. Absolutely not. Just like a puppet. No.

I mean, is that a bad, should I just stay outside or something? There is no. We are going on, this is on, we are going right. We're going right through their territory. If he notices it, then he knows it if he doesn't. Then we just... Then we bribe them with the information on the teleportation circle.

Or he can just shut out. We are a very convincing group. I think we can talk our way through that. I'm really good at lying. You have your ways. Well, the morning is getting on, shall we? Let's get in the boat. Hans and Franz, will you please muscle us up this string? All right, are you guys taking the same boat arrangements?

Yes. Hans and France. So the two of you are helming it. You knowing time of day, even though you are below the surface, keeping track of this because of your feet, it's roughly six in the morning. It's very early because you guys went to bed fairly early. So you guys begin to make your way up the river now, going against the current, muscling your way up and up further and further still.

You come across the area where you had the initial kind of confrontation with the dark mantles and begin to push and push. Harder because there are things there. Make a strength check for both you guys. Yeah, eyes on the ceiling as well. Just because that's where danger came from. Yeah, and eyes on the side where the rock guys were. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, no. Oh, shit. I got 20. Oh, she rules. Not a natural, but. She rules well. This is a strength check? Yes.

Five. All right. So as you guys continue to go forward, Yasha pushes on. Yasha pushes on, manages to gain ground. Jester, while doing fine yesterday, trying to do the advanced push is, you're still making up the stream, but you're still a little sore from the day before. Yeah, yeah. Two arms days.

However, you guys are being, you're not making any loud noises at the moment. As you glance up, none of the dark mantles which you look up and you can see now, there are a few that are kind of adhered to the ceiling, but they don't seem to have noticed your presence yet. So as you're rowing through, you're falling behind, you managed to get through unnoticed and actually way above the Owen boat. I need all the rest of you to make stealth checks. Oh shit. She's on your boat, which would be Jester, Beau, Mollus. Oh, blessing of the trickster, sure. On you.

It feels so weird still with stealth checks to only be able to add a one. One I used to add 9,000. It still feels weird. You get advantage. Did you roll? No, not this time, but often. Hey, that's way better. Nice.

That's 17. 24. 21. But to be fair, I am rowing. All right. So as you begin to row past and continue, quiet as you can, and with the sound of the oars, it kind of matches the slow.

It's a little bit of volume based on the river flow, but it doesn't seem to cause enough of a ruckus to draw the attention of the dark mantles above. and the two kind of earthen-based stone and vine creatures that you had originally seen emerged don't seem to notice your presence as you slowly make your way past this part of the tunnel, eventually catching up, or at least a little bit behind Yasha and their group. As you continue, four, I need both of the boat rowers to make a constitution check, please. Boat rowers. Are we past those statues?

I'm rolling a boat. Slowly by. That's a thirt-ting. Thirt-tying. Yasha, constitution check, please. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Don't you have the heart of an ox?

Uh, seven. A seven. You gain a point of exhaustion. Going against the stream in itself and kind of pushing up, and with the extended push your muscles to get through that last bit, it's beginning to take its toll on you, and can the muscles begin to seize up a bit? Exactly. Yeah, you have to pace yourself.

You do that, yeah. So you took a point of exhaustion. It's true. But with that last bit, you guys managed to make your way up the the rest of this underground river. It takes a little while, but eventually you see ahead the dull green glow of the various small lanterns that were affixed to the interior of the river cavern entrance.

And there you can see the docks on the side. As you approach, you see there waiting for you, sitting in the same position up there, that's that older, crusty-looking fella named Rodel, who you had met on the way out. And what looks to be Kara, kind of leaning against the back wall. Oh, shit. Looks like she's kind of a sleek.

in the corner, sitting in a small chair and kind of not... Oh, you've returned. And you kind of wakes up. And they eventually get over there and help you get the boats over there. They tie off the ropes and you guys make your way up out of the water, out of the boats, and onto the dock side. She goes, oh, you've returned. I see that you are to the worst for where. How did it go? We killed stuff. We are.

really badass. Yeah, it was not really, you know, much of a test for us. There was a lot in there though. Yeah, that's true. So many undead blobs. A lot of undead blobs. Fair enough. Well, let's get you back there and talk to the boss. If he's awake, it should be.

And she pulls out the blindfolds again and passes them out. Can we just forego those? I feel like this is going to be the beginning of a very fruitful relationship, surely. I understand that, but this is the boss's orders. I'm sorry. But the boss is still asleep, you said. No, she said he was probably awake. I don't think you understand.

It's the boss's orders. I can't just go against them. All right, well, let's not be a blindfolded. We don't want to rock the boat here, by all means. Thank you. So please, and she passes out blindfolds to you guys. You figure out an order of making your way down. And as you made your way towards this portion of the cavern,

you walk back, being led by Kara through. the underworks. Do I see anything of note for Frumkin's eyes as we walk? Same path as you went last time, not as busy. Nobody else is walking through the hall. It's early enough if there isn't much. You do come past that chamber before where you saw the cages in there, and there's two more cages set inside, even larger. And one of them appears to be like a very heavy meshed series of metal. You don't hear anything in there, but... Can I tell what's inside then? Make perception check for Frumkin. With disadvantage.

Doesn't matter. Pretty bad. Yeah, both bad. Real though. Five. You do not, unfortunately. It's too dark in the distance at this point. It's too light.

Eventually making your way up through a series of steps to a ladder, and then you all can take your blindfolds off and you recall being kind of led down to this chamber. of this chamber. At this point, Cara says, all right, we're almost there, and she climbs at the ladder and opens a trap door that leads into a small chamber. You guys follow her up inside and what looks to be a storage room where there are sacks of food and will look to be barrels of all sorts of alcohol and ale and water and whatever else's materials been kept down here. Going through a door not but two feet from that latch, that open hatch,

into the familiar interior of the true evening nip of tavern. Before we go in, I'm going to try to just tug on Yasha's leg. Don't you want to carry me? My legs are a little achy. Oh, yes. Right up the button. I try to find a position. Try to settle the cloak to. All right.

You really push up against the packing mic. Did you leave your men to survive? Yeah. Which your own cloak and stuff could go over. I was glad it with you. I saw it with me. Was I supposed to leave? No, it's up to you.

Meaning if you have the sword that you had in the sheath that the moon sword was in right now, well he's tucked in there briefly, it's a little wider than the sword you previously had, so it's going to kind of carve through. It'll hold it, but it's, the scabbards probably. Maybe we could sell the moon-touch sword. We could have put it in the...

We could have strapped them both to your back. Well, the moon-touch sword, is it small enough to fit in the bag, Or is it? Barely, just barely. I'd say you can probably get that in there. Okay, sorry. That's okay. I'm just making sure we know about that.

All right, so as you enter the chamber, the light is lower. It looks like only three of the interior torches are currently glowing. There is no barkeep at the bar, and there are no patrons in there. The ogre guard is there on the corner. It looks like kind of a little groggy and recently come to consciousness and is feasting on what looks to be a whole side of pig that has been just killed. that has been just cured and salted, but it hasn't been butchered, just literally just tearing off the bone of the half of the pig and kind of sees you entering.

And he continues eating. On the balcony across the way, as soon as you enter, you can see at the top, there is the female Goliath, Saurah, who is standing there and just kind of looking down at you as you enter and gives a head nod of acknowledgement. And Karah goes, sorry, Sorry, Sirrah is a gentleman awake. They've returned.

I'd like to talk to him, please. And Sarak kind of turns around and pours up. You can look behind now with a little bit of light. There's a drawn, looks like heavy curtain. That blocks the interior behind. Boss, the nine have returned. And you hear this kind of some voices in the inside and a voice goes like,

Just a moment. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know this is business. And then coming out from behind the curtain, you see the gentleman in this long, deep, deep, purple, like silk robe that is kind of tied around the waist and goes, Well, you've returned. Indeed.

Well, have a seat, please. Some food, please. Some food, please. We'll stand. We'll just stand. Just lean up against the wall. Yeah. Bacon.

I want bacon. Bacon, please. Get these friends some bacon. My God. I'll be right down. And he goes back into the chamber. You hear some of the voices and like a slight giggle. And then Sarah enters the chamber after him.

A few moments pass. And then there's one of the doors on the bottom area opens up. and Sirrah steps out, holds the door aside, and the gentleman who's still in his robe, but now has, looks to be pants and boots on, enters the chamber and goes, ha ha ha ha ha. Ah, well, our early risers, I'm not going to lie,

we were sad to see you not return sooner and had assumed that perhaps you would not survive. So this is a great, a great, gracious celebration of your return. And he goes and sits down behind him. in his usual chair. I apologize for our poor timing. Hopefully we weren't interrupting. In the morning.

What? I was having breakfast. Anyway. So, you're alive, a little worse for where. I see some scuffs around the edges. Tell me all about it. What did you do? Really not that big of a deal.

There were some will of whips, some wimps. Floating spirits. Quite a few willowsps. Yeah, so many willow wisp. Did you know? You just have to break a vase and you kill a willow wisp? I did not. Yeah, that's a thing.

There's like ash all over the place now. So sorry about that. Yeah. Quite a few traps. Yeah. There was, actually, yes. Yeah, this big cube came down from the ceiling. Tried to melt us.

And it tried to eat us. That's terrifying. That's terrifying. Indeed. It's pretty scary. Good thing you sent to pros, amateurs. Amateurs, probably would have had a worse time. Found lots of skeletons along the way.

Yeah. Yeah. And exactly six rings for you. Yes, there were. Make a deception check. You are not scaly anymore. Nine. Really?

I smack her on the back of the head. You can't reach. That's why you're up. You're up. Swat. There was a very amount of jewelry. There was. We also found a decent amount of fine art for you.

Oh, yes, I pull up the vases. Look at these antiques. And pulls one ahead of, I'm going to be very, very old. Of course, of course. I'm going to collect it myself. It's fine. Oh, this is beautiful make. This is pre-divergence as well.

They're worth a whole lot of money. Oh, they're certainly to the right people. They can be worth quite a bit. We found some candlesticks too. Yeah. All right, you produced the candelabra. And these six rings, you say. Yes, sweet.

It was seven and I gave one of the extras. Make a deception check. Come on, Justin, come on. Come on. I didn't keep mine, so. Yeah, I know. Yeah, I know. We know who has them.

We know what. Uh, 16. Yes. Well, thank you for your honesty. Anything else? And he gives like a very, very intense look across each of your faces. You would like to inform me that you found, encountered any warnings? We're going back in after there to clear out whatever remains behind, so we want to make sure we're prepared.

Oh, I think we killed everything. No, you don't want to get panced. We did not kill everything entirely. There are some critters on the roof of the river passage. Nothing. Major, you just want to have your eyes on the ceiling. Of course, of course. We know of that. We saw two, like, rock creatures that were really big, but they're really slow. So just bolt on past them and they won't be able to catch you. Right, but within this facility itself. There was a destroyed, looks like a transportation circle. It's, uh... Yes, and to be honest, it looks like it was possibly looted sometime long ago. There was a lot left. But whatever is inhabited the place in recent years or in recent centuries has been removed. There were a lot of burned books.

And bodies, lots of bodies. Traps, which I deftly dismantled. Mostly, be careful walking on them. You'll see them. There's pressure plates in the lower floor. They're pretty obvious now. At this point, food begins to be brought from the far kitchen. You can see the person who just woken up has been rushing to make whatever meats are available,

and it's been cooking, the smell begins to permeate, and it's coming out and kind of piecemeal as they're ready. And once we figured out that the willowists were coming from pots, we just sort of broke anything that looked like it might contain one. All right. Is that all? And I would like to specify that I despise falsehood, and our relationship is based on honesty and trust. Well, there were two paths in the river, and the second path led to a waterfall. So I don't know what was at the top of the waterfall. There could be a chamber up there. I don't know. And then the other side led to the thing.

A lot of images on the wall. Well, your magic stuff. There's a bunch of magic stuff. There was this floor with this relief in it of these two faces, and Ford put some coins in it. And it opened up and he collapsed and fell in like a pit. It was super funny. What was in the pit? Lot of bodies.

Like, a lot of bodies. Like, a lot of bodies. Anything else? Probably the two leftover coins that you put in the eyeballs. Yeah. Four, because there were two pairs. Was there anything else? Uh...

Proping. Possibly a probing question would remind some things, but I'm trying to remember. I was trying to remember. It was a bit daunting. Yeah. Yeah. So there was nothing else. Oh man, I mean we would stay up all my turn

to just get back here. That wispy creature. He almost died. Killed him. But is that all that you found and recovered? Look through my back here. He's done business before and is looking very intently across all your faces.

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So come and join us, wherever you listen to your podcasts. You're dodging my question. That doesn't make me comfortable. That doesn't make me trust you. No, there's just no answer further. So you're telling me that that's all you found. What were you looking for anyway? Nothing, I just wish to be informed that that is the end of your recovery.

You knew going in here was already heavily looted and raided. We brought you several pieces. I'm going to go out of limb here and inform you that as much as you try to double speak me that I've been a master far longer than you have. Give him the book. Give him the book. Give him the book. Give him the book.

Caleb, we talked about this. Yeah, and we said we would give him the book, so I'm a little confused. No. All right, men. Men in the business longer than we have, and I tossed him the research notebook. Okay, and he catches it kind of... There's your precious research you were looking for. All right. Thank you.

You're welcome. Is that all of it? Yes. Yes. Make a deception check. Fuck! Who, just me? Can I aid her?

Yeah. I said no at the same time. So advantage? Can she aid me? I'll say sure, I'll give you advantage on this. Because you both. Very good charisma. But she's rolling.

Natural 20. Thank you. That's so long. Hugh Missing. Hsuas. Who is liable? We have to take $100 away from 826. Sorry, kids.

It's really a shame. We didn't think this through. It was a bad game. All right, so at that point you kind of sits back comfortably. Very well. Thank you so much. I'm impressed. I am happy.

Keep the rings. I said you can take something back with you, and you've done your job. You've proven yourselves very trusty. Very trustworthy, so please at you nature. So, takes all of us in knowing that your friend, your Horace, is safely on his way to Berylbenne. Seemingly?

Safely. Oh, okay. Do you believe him? Do I believe him? Beryl Fing. Come on. There's been one too many seemingly is. Is that 11 or 17?

17. Well, wait, is it? 21. Beryl Ben. Ben. 21. Tiny die. He's being completely honest.

He's being honest. He's being honest. Yeah. You think? That's great. Judy Garland. I appreciate you seeing him to say. Of course.

And he snaps his fingers and you see over by the curb stairway that leads down in here two gentlemen that were kind of just sitting there in the shadows unseen before kind of sit up. And he goes, go on. And they both get up and leave up the stairs. He goes, I've now initiated my eyes. means of getting you folks, and most likely Dolwyn, off the hook for the murder of the hierarchy. It may take some time, a day or two, maybe more, but have some faith in my abilities. Just lay though for a few days if you don't mind. We're really good at that.

Very good. Do our humble best. And will we get confirmation, word from you that the deed has been done? Well, if it all goes well, you won't need it for me. So, with that, I'd call that a bargain. met on all sides, wouldn't you? He takes a little piece of burnt pork off table. Congratulations. You have my favor, Mighty Nine.

Turns to Ford, if you ever need me, come find me. And if I should need you, I'll find you. Now, off, I have to finish my breakfast, and my breakfast. Baller. I take the leftover bacon, I just take them and I shove them in my pockets.

I'm disappointed that we don't have real bacon. I guess my bacon to Caleb. The game is strong with Bowman. But Les, you need the protein. But do you still keep the... Give him one piece of bacon. The blood vials that you... Oh yes, of course.

We keep those friendly when we do business with. Sure. Standard procedure, I'm sorry. That's fine. It's fine. It's fine. Yasha, after all, I have an empty vial with his saliva in it, so we have that too. He just stares.

Thank you for your consideration in time. We'll be in touch, shall we? Of course. Be you say. Finishes his meal kind of glaring and nod on your way out. As you guys exit the bottom of the eating nip up into the proper top of the tavern, You step out, looking out, you can see the morning sun has risen. It's still early morning at this point in time. It's probably about 8 o'clock in the morning at this point. What a day. What is it day? That was awesome.

We have stuff to sell? Oh, let us go pawn some things. Oh, yeah. Should we go do that now, or should we lay low for a little bit and make sure that he doesn't have anyone following us? He follows. Let's go back to the leaky top. Did we, help me remember, DM, did we have a way to get in contact with Dolan? Dolom is left at his home. At his home.

That's last you saw this in his home. That's right. You sure you don't want to sell off into your extra warriors? Let's clear some things out. We do have some rings to sell, I guess, if we want. We could. Those chains, we could. Did you ever look at those chains?

Did you look at the manticles? What manticles? What manticles? The manticles, the manticles to see if they were magical. This is the first that I am here. We didn't actually tell him about the manacles. Yeah, yeah. We found a dead guy in chains.

I mean a very dead guy. You know, do you think that people are gonna start being suspicious of us if we just keep selling magical manticles? We should probably stop going to. Or the same blacksmith? Maybe not to Pumat Sol for a little bit. Pumat has a competitor. Maybe.

In a town this big. I'm sure. Well, why don't we wait till we're back at the leaky tap before I look at these manticles you have? I would, if possible, like to swing past Dolan's house if that's okay. Sure. I'll see why not. Put him at ease.

Yeah. Put him at ease. Let him know that Horace is out of town. Yeah, and we have, before he, before he died, he gave me some. me something that I think Dolan would want to have. Ulog before Ulaug down. Oh, yeah. Okay.

Yeah, of course. Okay. Head back that way. All right. As we get clear of the bar, I'm gonna just get down off of the ice. It's very strange how you're very dense. It's all muscle. I feel it's like a lot heavier than you look.

I'm a cool 45 pounds, yo. You should probably take a bath. Yes, I guess so. I know you don't like water, but this is like an extreme version. Maybe I could just sort of wipe myself clean with like a dry towel. I think probably like at least a damp towel. Yeah, you know, this is surprising coming from me, but I agree with that sentiment. You are covered in dead person.

Several dead people. Dead people. Specifically their feet. Yeah. Okay. I'll think about it. All right. Okay. So, as you guys begin to walk along the streets of Zadash here in the morning air, the cloud cover in the sky, still gray, sunless, cool. You can see the mist of the town is now finally burning off. But the gray day is still cool and welcoming. and welcoming. As you make your way towards, you're going to Dolan's? All right, you make

your way towards Dolans, trying to just still dodge too much attention from the Crown's Guard, which thankfully... Especially Molling and I. Yeah. They're not too strong at this point. They still seem to be trying to prevent people from entering and exiting, but there are still patrols to go through. So you make your way just carefully through at this point in the morning towards the exterior of Dolan's hut. As we're walking, I lean over to Ford and I go, something's been bothering me. The gentleman said that it was U-Log that arranged and leaked the information to the Jorhossian assassins.

Right. What would be his motive for doing that if he only really cared about getting his wife free, or at least revenge for his wife? I think he was just trying to upset the government, right? Create fractures, hope pressure would make things snap in the end? I hope so. It feels like a big task for one person.

It does. And how would he have those connections? Maybe he's been hedging his bets for a while. Maybe. Yeah. Good to keep in mind. Yeah. You guys come up to the exterior of Dolan's home?

It's dark on the inside. I mean, I normally, but I feel like he knows you. Well, you'll come with me. Sure. Because you have spoken to him more than I have, but. Yeah. Walk up. A double tap, we're followed by a single.

Moment passes, and the door kind of... and the door kind of, Dolan's head peaks up. Gentlemen, it's good to see you. What news have you? Only a moment of your time. I'm a little embarrassed that I did not remember this the other day, but it was quite an evening that night. Of course. When Ulog was in that house, he found something that I think you should have. He, shortly before he expired, he shoved it into my hand,

and I pull out that piece of those papers that he found about the wife. And it's a little frayed. He shoved it in my hand. We are lucky that it did not burn up, but take this, please. Of course. I'll see what I can do.

Things are a bit tense right now, of course. When it makes sense. Of course, of course. How is Horace? Safe. On his way. That's right. To barrel down.

Don't do that. Oh, to barrel bin. Well, that's far enough away, I think, from any influence here. I thought, thank you, thank you, thank you so much. Of course, it was the least we can do. We trust with this information and the right things occurring the next few days you can find your way to some prosperous moves for this city. I hope so.

A lot of bad things are happening now. It would be nice if one good thing could come of it all. That would be. I'd like to see a turn for the right in the city, or another at least. There is right in the city. There are good people. And as terrible as the death of the High Richter may be, in essence, I think much could make them out of it in the long run. It's entirely up to you now, isn't it? We shall see. Anyway, you mustn't be seen Dilly dying long at this home, just in case. Thank you for the update. Thank you for us. And good luck, friends.

I do hope we meet again soon in better times. Truth. Closes the door, locks it behind. Nice. Nice. Twice a day. Come on. As you guys, I guess,

go back to the leaky tap? Yeah. Okay. As you head back to the leaky tap, people starting to come to consciousness and exit the building. The street becomes a little more bustling. One of the barkers, one of the town priors that you had seen before when you arrived,

it comes coming down the street, and begins doing the shouts, it's, harvest close comes on the third of Vesran. Harvest clothes comes on the third of Vesran and continues walking past. Yeah, there was that whole, like, we could enter into contests

and fight for the Harvest Festival, right? Oh yeah, there was something about that. Really? Like, just for sport? Yeah, like maybe there's prize money or something. That could be a nice change of pace. Kind of like fighting people for fun. We get close with the Liky Taff and you see another female.

In the Victory case. Yeah, that's it. Another town choir comes by younger female with the big tabard and the scroll she walks by. She's walks by. Conflict at the Chohassian border grows violent. Watch your children at night. Had your kids. Had your kids. Had your kids. Conflict at the Chohassian border grows violent.

Watch your children. children at night. She continues walking. What happened to the children? She looks back, like, I'm just reading the paper. May I have one of those? It's not like a, it's for me to read from. I have one.

I'm just going to look at it, and then I'm going to give it back to you. On this it has the Gerhassian note, and it has the Harvest Clothes coming, the third of Vesron. Those are the two notes of the day that the crimes are. You literally just, that's all that's on there. That's my, it's my job. Hey, hey. Hey! Where do we sign up?

for the victory pit. I don't know. Tell me, you know. You want to tell her. You want to tell her. Intimidation. You can't help her with that? Sure. Yay, yeah. Yeah. It's a long ass night. With advantage. With advantage. Marisha, your theme with children continues. Yeah. She's not a child. She is not a child.

What are you what about doing? Intimination? I don't speak in contractions. Intimination 14. She is so not a child. She was like, ah, I do. There's a rec center community service. No, at the victory. It's in the pentam market, probably. I don't know. Thanks, is what you gotta tell me. I shall. She takes the paper from Yasha and like,

darts off down the street. Bubbibbibbubbubbubbub. Verbal learner. I liked her. I can tell. Pentum. I just start yelling out, the third of the Veseran is the end of the harvest. What, do we know what day it is today?

Hide your kids. Hide your wife. The third of Fesserin is about five. Five days away. Five days away. There's a victory pit. So. Passion pit on the third of this ride.

You guys return to the leaky tap and we'll say for the time being this, we're going to have a few days of downtime. So if there's anything specifically you want to do, that's not story-centric. I need money. I need money. We should sell some things. He said out of character. Sell shit, sign up for the victory pit. All right, what are you selling?

Oh my God, I need money. A lot of rings. I should see if I can get any good money for some of them. Yeah, upon the rings that we have. Unless there's an apple in there, I'm getting rid of the rings. None of the rings of gems. They're all base metals. And the manacles. They're like the gold and silver. I have some like fancier rings though. You do. If you want to try and oxen. Sure. That were stolen from your boss.

Oh, that's fine. They're probably fake then. They are. Anything you're going to do with the circus is anything it's going to took from the circuit, so it's not real. Wasn't the gentleman supposed to reward us? No, it was for trade. It was trade. Never mind. Us not getting charged for murder.

While they're figuring it out, on one of the days, can I make my way by Ren Su-Tan's physician's office? You can do that, what we want to do at Renz? I want to just casually look on the outside, see if it's still in business, see if it's still bustling, or if anything has come their way. Okay, you spend a little bit time watching it. It's still a functional physician's practice.

People still need a physician. You don't know if it's been, you can't tell from a distant, you know, watch if it's like darkened by the arrest of Lord Soutan But you can't imagine it's gone well within the family house But it's still a functional facility. It's still one of the finer places to go for For medical purposes and the can I use my mask of many faces and I'll adopt an older face with a gray beard and a dark hood and can I walk into the physician's office? Yeah, easily enough you walk into the main area and one of one of the clerks there with the same white robes approaches. Can I help you, sir? Yes, hello.

Is Ren Sutton there? Quickly. Do you, what do you require of the doctor? Just give him. Make a deception check. Nine. Nine. Nine.

I'm sorry to bother you there, sir, but he's not in at the moment. But we have a few other clerks that can help you. You don't want his trouble with the myriad to spill over to you, do you? His eyes go wide and be like, we have no business. Fetch him now. What happened to Sean Connery? I've fucking lost him.

I'm a fucking washing you ever have him. No. I'm a Russian show commander. Very well. I'll go fetch him and walks past you out of me. Do your best. Losers always wide about their bed. He walks around you and exits the front of the facility

and begins walking down the road at a site. Yeah. I'll turn and follow him. All right. My perception check. I'm gosh, text, boy. Uh, 17. Okay.

Belining straight to the nearest Crown's guard. I will turn on my heel and use my mask of many faces to turn into a lovely woman. woman. Yes. All right. A moment later, you watch as two Crowns Guard come rushing, blades drawn behind the clerk who's pointing towards the front of the building, and they just rush past you in the interior. And begin to look around.

Wow. They start, like, going, like, they both split on the inside and going through the different rooms. And, yeah, like, it seemed, he not only do not believe you, but dropping the name of the myriad and in an appellate space like that, that's immediate call to the guard for these guys. I'm back by the way back to the leaking time. Okay. Wow, that's good to know. Yeah.

I want to scout out the hearth of the Allhammer, the Ravens stand in the graveyard, and the pletters, and see if there's a lot of guards, or if there's any of those that don't have a lot of guards. For the most part, the places of worship, they're not very prominent, they're not huge temples. They're kept here out of law that was decided upon, but they're nice.

They usually have a handful of Crown's Guard stationed to each, but it's not like they're under intense watch. There aren't a lot of worshipers during certain times of the day. Is there anyone that seems emptier than other ones? Of all of them, I would say it would be the Ravens Den, which is at the Ossewery Gates, which is the large, vast graveyard of most of the hiring families of the city. So yeah, the Mention Raven's Temple is the one that's least attended, largely because dealing with death, it's not as bright and welcoming to the common folk. Right. Could I try to get in there when nobody's in there?

Okay. You wait for a while and see a moment where it seems to be relatively calm. And like from the outside of the shrine, it's, you see like it's this iron and obsidian archway that stretches of about 20 feet to frame a small shrine, topped of the statue of the matron, and her ravens about her. Just this kind of circle of ravens that kind of curbs around. You see the female figure standing in stone, the sculpture of the porcelain face.

The only material that's not the same as the darkened stone around her, it's a white porcelain mask that is affixed to the front of the statue. And at the base of it, you can see what looks to be a number of bowls and offerings that have been left around from people that have come and passed through. Beyond that, there's a door to the small shrine behind it, since the small structure, maybe like 20 feet by 10 feet. It's not a very, very large shrine.

And you've seen groups of people that function as morticians in long, dark robes and dark clothing that have entered and exited this facility. You wait for a while as there is what looks to be one body that's being interred at a family plot, they all began to scatter. You see a few other leave, and at that moment, the interior, from what you can tell, seems to be empty, or at least you've watched three individuals leave.

Can I get in my disguise kit and affix a mustache onto her porcelain mask and put a wig on her, and then right across the bottom of it, the traveler was here and leave a pamphlet? You can certainly try. So. I want to see as much as I can do in that amount of time before anybody like that.

mustache. Oh no. Oh, great start. Off to a good start. Nine. All right. So as you leap up onto the statue and begin to like go to fix the mustache to it, a voice over by the shrine says, um, excuse me, excuse me.

Oh, hello, yes. You see what looks to be a pale looking young man, short blonde hair, emerge with a similar merge with a similar dark world that you didn't see in the inside of the shrine. Could you please, Albert, you're not allowed to climb the statue? There was a smudge on her face and I know that the people get really pissed when there's stuff on their statues. I appreciate that. I'm trying to clean it's considered... I just run my arm in the closet to try to clean it off.

Thank you. I think I got it though. Don't worry. I appreciate that. I'm just going to sit here and worship her now. Please do. Please, I can pray with you if you like. Oh, that'd be great. So he sits down next to you and you both silently sit there, kind of onto your knees and

begin to pray quietly up to the queen. You watch as one raven, and kind of just looks down over you both and then as soon as he looks up and finishes his prayer, and extends his hand for a moment, the rave takes off. Does that always happen when you pray to this lady? Not often, but perhaps she smiles upon you. She does. I know she does, because she likes me so much, because I'll worship a real good. All right, love. Have a good day. And he gets up. At this point, the rest of the funeral procession is now returning to the shrine.

Can I, does she have, is there anything to tuck up a pamphlet into? Oh yeah, you can tuck it under any of the various offering bowls and... Yeah, I'll do that. Literally a cadaver that just went in the building. Not to give you ideas, yeah, right. Yeah, right. But now you know perhaps another time you can come by and try it again. Yes, I'm going to try some other time.

Anything else you wish to do over the next week? I... We'd like to try some chemical altered states. Oh, God. Oh, focus! It's... Oh, God. Have a good night.

Wait, is this with the shirms? Yeah. Just you alone? Well... Wait, what night are you doing this? Probably night, probably the celebratory first night. Tell me you're starting. Yeah.

Oh, just before dusk. I'll join you. What is the nature of the goods you have? I have no idea. It's, uh, we uh. Skine. We bought Skene. Skene.

No, we bought those magic mushrooms. Skien. No, it's a fungal powder. It's called Scheme. Hey, Caleb, you want to take a look at the pouch? Skain or, I've heard. Now, many arguments over the pronunciation. It's a real thing.

You didn't make it up? No, no, the word is a real thing. It's a weaving term. If I look at this skin, can I take a guess at what kind of... I have a scheme. What kind of illicit material I'm looking at? It's a fungus. You make a medicine check.

Yeah, I have bad experience. I can do a medicine check. Don't me to look at it? Medicine, you say, that is a 13. It looks to be a fungus with some sort of a property to it. Yeah, I don't have good dissociation with that. You take that back. There's only enough for two other people to take it. Yeah. Well, I have mine. And then you bought some two, right? I'm holding it in my fucking hand.

Okay. So wait, how much is that? That's enough we brought a few doses. I'm not gonna take it. I was just letting you know I'm buying. Oh, well, here. Did you, you want to? I always partake, you know, drop it off on seven four. I mean, we could poison somebody later that would be fun. Well, it's a little late because I already took mine as I were just waiting. where you see what's. All right. When Bo hears that, she just goes, All right, so two of them have taken it.

And whoever sober keep us out of trouble. Yasha. Well, there's something I need to go do. You guys get started. No, Yasha, no, you always do this. No! Somehow she knows that you always do this. I know, but you know I always take it and never feel anything.

It's fine. Where do you go, Yasha? All right. So, I'm excited. The two of you that have ingested the scheme, 10 minutes pass. Yeah. And the edges of your vision begin to cloud.

And as you sit for a moment, your body begins to feel a bit weird. Nausea creeps in a bit. And then like it looks almost like a very faint snow of dust in your vicinity just begins to coat. Kind of like, you know, the upside down, where you just like that kind of weird material Just like floating around.

A little bit. Nothing good happens there. Only for about 10 feet out to you. It's just like a 10 foot area around you. And the coloration of your vision in this area becomes almost like a gray, colorless, you know, black, white, and gray tone vision. I need you both to make a wisdom saving throw.

Oh, yeah. That sucks! Can I look at the stuff? Can I inspect it and see what's going on? A wisdom saving threat? 15. 15? Okay. I'm going to say, don't know.

Don't fuck me kill. Oh, okay, okay. Wisdom saving throw? Yes. 17. 17, okay. The effects of it, you resist the hour-long stun, it would have held you in,

as it is not a healthy thing to ingest under any circumstances. It is a very dangerous substance. But for the duration, the two of the two of you can see it into the ethereal plane out of 10 feet. I'm going walking. Wait, what? Who wants to go to a cemetery right now? Wait, it takes them to the ethereal plane? They can see into the ethereal plane out to a range of 10 feet. I'm gonna put on my least interesting cloak, and I'm gonna go find myself a cemetery. I flip my blue cloak inside out to the brown side. I don't know where they're going, but I think we gotta babysit them.

How do you guys feel? I feel. How do you see anything as an interesting? I think it kind of sucks. We're gonna work on it. Are you guys going on a lot? It's not quite like that, though. Stop talking. You can see really cool things. As this happens, you watch as this translucent

looking almost piranha-faced serpent kind of scoot by this kind of ghastly-looking, almost almost angler fish looking, kind of creature kind of like, Hey, Steve. I'm going for a walk. Well, how long does this last? I have no idea. Fuck.

Is this the- This is it, this is the rest of our lives. Are we saying this is night one of a couple of days of piddling around? I thought this was the first night. This was our celebratory night. This is more of a downtime period, so I'm trying to get through events. I'm grabbing a little drink downstairs and then I'm going to go I'm going to go find myself, find myself,

I'm going to walk in whatever direction seems the most interesting shit outside of. I just join Molly. I'm babysitting them. I'm going to follow behind and just throw pebbles at them from behind. In the best interest of keeping a low profile for the next few days, you both wander out into the city streets.

Altered on the boring cloaks. Right. So as you guys begin to wander through the interstead sprawl, once again, strange shapes pass through your peripheral. Occasionally hear this like chattering and distant chuckling, this kind of weird alien laughter. This seems almost like drifting spiritual energy that kind of freezes your blood as you kind of pass by. It's a really uncomfortable sensation.

For about an hour or so you just kind of wander in this space at the end of the hour and each both make Constitution Saving Thrill. Oh no. I've got another pouch of this stuff. Good comment. It's good coming in handy. Just a saving throw. 18. Yeah.

20. You feel your body again to grow woozy. And for a second you feel like you're about to black out and pass out, but you kind of catch yourself. And the sensation passes, your vision returns to normal, and it does run its course. You didn't discern or learn much, and you feel exhausted. Your body is pretty strained by the process. Drinking a bathhouse? I've got such cotton mouth.

You know it just occurred to me. What? I didn't have a childhood. I've never said that out to someone before. Hmm. What happens if you have a childhood, but it's like barely a childhood because it was supposed to be someone else's childhood, but it was you instead?

Is that a child? What happened to you? Yeah. Bubbles in the brain. We're following behind you guys. Let's get you to the bathhouse. We were right here. You were eating dirt about 10 minutes ago.

Said it was snow. Is that why I have cotton mouth? Yeah. Oh, God, damn it's just a big mud, goatee. I'm so proud of you. I saw this goat man and he told me it was like, just don't eat the yellow snow and you'd be okay. You get the essence being one who's in tune with your body and you as well that this is definitely not a safe substance. This is definitely not a safe substance.

Oh, I know. It has, it may have, with the right scenarios, some situationally beneficial, properties. I still have half a dose. I think it would be real funny to plan it on somebody and get them busted later. Or was it just like crumbles? It's like a crumbled, dry, almost like a spongy. You guys looked like idiots, just so you know.

Shall we get you cleaned up? Yeah. We need to get not cleaned up to you. Not cleaned up? Oh, let's go to the bath. Everybody, let's take a bath. All right, you guys. Have tried to find new, any information on the conflict.

conflict on the Jorhoss border? Make an investigation check. Mm-hmm. Why you're so interested, huh? Yeah, I have shit as well. Party animals. Don't judge me. I judge you heavily.

Six. You're not the best at gathering information. Maybe it's the, yeah. Tell me what you know. Who are you? Who are you? Fred. Yeah.

Tell me. You don't glean a lot of data. You don't glean in a lot of details. Most folks tend to just steer clear and kind of walk to the other side of the road and they see you coming. Fair enough. But what you do get to hear is that, because there is, amongst the Ashkeeper peaks, the mountains that largely border the south and eastern side of the Empire. To the north, there is that break, and that's where the Ashgard garrison is and the Rockguard

Garrison. That's where most of the battle takes place. That's the protection border between the... the empire holds to keep the Zhaasian hordes and creatures from the waist to wander in, although many still filter through the mountains and such. But apparently there's been rise in conflict out there. Assaults on the garrisons, yeah, like northeast of where you are. For further east, more, like east a little bit north. You have a map. You can look. You guys bought a map. Yeah. Hey, you want to see this map? You're not with me. I mean, this is an entire three-year week. Yeah, this is throughout a week. So if you wanted to pull the map out.

Yeah, pull it out. Whip it out. I don't know where you guys put the map. You have a physical map. Yeah, whip it out and shove it in his hand. It's in the, it's over there somewhere. Go get it. Or somebody other than the pregnant woman go get it.

Do it for fun. No, no, it's fun. That's fun. She's fine. Yeah, she's got to walk. She's pregnant. She's not dead. Correct.

But yeah, it's, the conflict has been more common. There's been assaults in the garrison. It seems that some of the conflict has been assaults in the garrison. Similar to what you heard wandering through the street before, there have been more and more whispers of children being stolen in the night from homesteads close to the border. You guys, I had it somewhere safe. So to the east you can see the garrisons and the gap that leads into the Johanhas. This is the Jorahsite.

Oh yeah, look at that. I don't think I've ever been there before. Ooh, the Baroque and Veil Bluffs looks. Scary. So anything else you guys want to do? Yeah. So I have just enough ink and paper to learn one spell in the big pile of spells

that I have right now, so I'm adding a low level one. But I am penniless and I need to. I will gladly give you money, but first. I'm going to cast disguise self. and turn myself into looking just like a normal, like a halfling little girl, and spend just an hour at a cafe just having a lunch.

Okay. And just being a normal person. Oh. And then after that, I'm gonna go, and is there any place, if I investigate for a while, is there any place or service or person or anything that can send a package long? distance safely, money being no object. There are a few facilities in which there is a

parcel system that travels between the larger cities and can go to outskirt cities, but those are a little more expensive. So yeah, that is exist. How much to get a package to Felderwin? To Felderwin, how big a package? For a week's worth of travel, it'll cost you about... It's pretty close. Five gold, not too much. Five gold. Yeah. It's like a fairly upper-end system just in a package. Pretty good, actually. That's cheap. For you guys, yeah, for the average person that's not cheap.

I'll go. Ten games ago, though. I'll pay for rush delivery. There is no rush delivery. They can only go by the speed of course. I'll get insurance. Certified? Certified.

Feature required. Track number included? Yes, thank you. I'll write a note, and I'll put in various, very, Various items. Okay. Like what? A bunch of buttons.

All the rings. Doorknob. Brass baby bottle. Fascinating. All the ball bearings. All right. And the two bracelets. Okay.

All righty. And I think I know where you're sending it. So. All right. And some money. Okay, how much? 50. 50 gold.

All righty. So you assemble this package, wrap it up. I imagine disguise yourself once more, and paying five gold for delivery, the parcel is sent and on its way to Felderwin. Great. All righty. Anybody else? Oh, my God. Well, a couple of things. So I need more ink and paper, the kind to transcribe spells.

But before I get to that, and before they go off on their, drug party. Mm-hmm. Party. Yes, before Jester goes. Not a party. Bad idea. Yeah, bad idea.

It has only been a short amount of time, but I am thinking, and I will be very careful with the bag. Are you coming onto me? I was going to ask if I could hold the Havasack and its contents for a day so that I could better inspect and understand. understand the thing we are coming. Why do you do that? It's pink. Not the bag. It's mine. I paid for it. I understand that. I don't want to keep the bag. I just want to have it before you go off to do, I don't know. Maybe you're going on a tour or something, but... Not going to do anything.

Do you want to hang out with me and then you can look in the bag with me? I would... Aren't you about to go out with them? You told me you were leaving. I don't know what you're talking about. Well, all right. I would love to inspect our... special package and try to understand it better if you want to be present for that. There's a lot of people that inspect their special packages. You get to know yourself real good, Keel.

Oh, Jesus Christ. So I know you are going to drag me over the coals for this request and that is fine. I would like the Dungeon Master to fast forward to the where you tell me if you will allow me to inspect the contents of this Hevasak. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You want to look at it? But do you want to do this together? Yeah, yeah, I'll hang out with you. I really want to see it too. But on a different night, maybe tomorrow night, because you just told me you were about to go out with Molly and...

Then maybe I'll keep it now, and then I'll come back tomorrow night and we'll do this again. Just inspect what's in the bag. Just... I leave... I leave to go on to watch them on. Okay. She leaves. I look to the mirror in my room and I'm like red-faced.

And I just stare at myself like dead expression for like a good 30 seconds. And then I find Nott. I'll go see you again tomorrow. I'll come back. Hey, okay, do you want to check this out now? No, wait a second, I'm talking to Nott. In this part of the day, this day one night. Yeah, we'll come back. All right, so you find Nutt.

I'm not really blushing. Um, how much disposable income do you have at the moment? Disposable? Yeah. I have 285 gold and therefore disposable, 280. Would you possibly loan me? 200 gold? Here's 280 gold.

You need 50 still to send in your package to do. in your package. Already done. Oh, how much money did you have? I don't think I need that much. That is very- Give me the change when you're done spending. I will give you the change.

Sure. Thank you, friend. Sure. I will pay you back. Fine, or not. Thank you for teaching me how to, and I pull out the wire and back up 20 feet across the room. Whizper, teaching me this.

spell. You can reply to this message. It'll open it. You're welcome, young Padawan. You know the thing about it for us is we can just go... You have to cast it again. No, no, we can go back and forth over and over again. You're right. It's endless. It's forever. It's a little muffled.

For the other dumb coughs, you have... It's only they can say one thing back, but you and I, we can just keep going. This is really good. I can also hear you across the room, though. I know. I understand. but just for demonstration purposes. Sure, sure, sure. Anyway, thank you.

Good job. Over and out. And I will go to Mr. Sol's establishment. That's the sound the door makes when you enter Pumat's store. That's amazing. We going? To Pumats to buy ink and paper. Easy enough to do.

You go ahead and purchase enough materials as you need to get your spells there transcribe. So good on you. Yeah, thank you. And I buy 200 gold worth, and I bring not the 85 gold change. Sure enough. All right. May I sell my other sword?

You may. It's not going to fetch you too much, because it's seen a lot of use. But I sharpen it, it's so sharp. I sharpen it every night. And that's wonderful. And I think in the long run, that'll be a very useful feature. But it's also not that on- common of an object.

So, uh... But it's touched by the moon. Yeah, and I'm touched by the sun every morning. I'll happily give you 30 gold pieces for that, their sword if you don't mind. Well, I paid all of my money for this, and it was so much more than that. Well, that's the nature of business, I'm afraid. Make a persuasion check if you want. Okay.

You're... You pity. Your persuasion pity roll. Come on. Yeah, 85. No, it was 80. 11? 11.

All of your money. Yeah, it actually was. I'll take it off your hands for 40. Yeah, okay. All right, we'll find that good home for it, I trust you on that. Okay, thank you, Pumut. No problem. I always remember your first one.

It wasn't my first one. All righty. Is my flask done? Your flask is done. Yes. A flask of endless alcohol. Wow. That's not an item on D&DVL.

No, but it'll be an item on your person tomorrow when I get in there to customize it. Yes. So yeah, I'll be waiting for you. I'll wake up in the morning early after my drug hangover and make my way quietly to the cold. Quite a headache. Quite a headache.

Cheers, coffee, the bacon that I had in my pocket from yesterday. Pocket bacon. That's the best kind. And I head to the Colbolt Reserve. Corbolt sole. The Cobalt's sole branch. All right. It is a dash.

So you head to the archive. Yeah. What would you like to do? See if I can find Diron. All right. You ask around for a bit. Some of the various months various monks recognize you upon entry,

and they greet you with an acknowledging nod. You didn't make a lot of friends while you were here, of course. So. However, you do come across archivist Zenoth. Who, as you're asking the question, they kind of, one of the monks sends you over to Zenoth, He goes, oh, Beauregard, it's good to see you. How may we help you?

Is Diron in? I can go and inquire. Are you here for more training? Just find Diron. Thank you. He kind of looks genuinely spooked by the smile, and it's like, that's something. Yeah, manners, that's new.

I'm proud of. Just go find Dyer. Right, all right. And he turns around and ascends up one of the slowly curving staircases that is kind of carved through one of the bookshelves. You see like this kind of two, like a bookshelf that ends and then a further depth in. And there's a staircase that kind of rides up to the top and there's a second level above. He's gone for about 15 or so minutes and then eventually descends the stairs. From behind, you can see Diron. on her dark skin over the shoulders kind of draped in these long, long, kind of cloak vest similar to the rainmints that you wear, but with a deep gray and kind of her at-home

wear. As she steps down her elvish features kind of smiling, their eyes, kind of taking acknowledgement of your presence, approaches you. So, you have called fire. Talking private? Of course. This way. And Diron walks past Zinoth, goes, It was good to see you, Beauregard. Bye, Dye. Bye, Dye. Bye, Zenooth. Not Dyer. Dyerne leads you to one of the meeting chambers, which is usually used for research and for individuals that want to quietly read through books or take notes. Daring closes the door behind, and then it's just the two of you.

So, what to the honors? I just want to let you know I'm in town. Good. I've heard. You have... Really. Seem to be making a small name for yourself with your friends. Is that good or bad?

I don't know, is it? No, no, it's hard to read you. Good. I've worked hard to not be easy to read. I'll tell you one thing. Being invisible can get you in some doors that otherwise you could not. But notoriety. variety can get you in the doors that you couldn't otherwise as well. Either path has its

benefits. The choice is yours wished to take. You don't think the two could be mutually exclusive, or best of both worlds? With enough training and discipline maybe. Two things, unfortunately, you lack. Hey! But in time, perhaps. So, why are you here? Just to tell me you're in town. I know. I mean, just said I'm back and I'm dedicated. I figure showing you're One hope would be good, you know? That is good. I'm proud of you. Do you wish to train? Do you have time?

I always have time. My kind of woman. Let's go. All right. And Donovan leads you out of the chamber and down below the archive where, as you recall, is the subterranean training boxes for the monks in which you have, you know, sandpits. You have all sorts of assembled, essentially, the word escapes me, a series of things

you have to climb up. Oh, thank you, an obstacle course, my brain is not working right down the moment. Obstacle courses and places that are designed to help you gain more skill in advancing through urban and exterior vicinity. It looks kind of like a park or park a little bit, but not...

Tempest. But there in that space, you and Diron spend the better part of the afternoon, her essentially beating the shit out of you via these courses, showing you some better placement of your applications of extract aspects, hearing tales about the things you've encountered, and teaching you the importance of the specific bits

of information that are most useful in the heat of battle, advancing this training and giving you a little more focused idea of the path that you have been taking in the path that you are going. I tell her about the Shorhossian spies and the terrorists that we encountered. Does she seem like she knew that knowledge or not? She knew that they had come through. She just seems to be caught off guard that you had actually encountered them directly.

And Dairns is interesting. I will take this into my studies. They said they were looking for an artifact. Something that the world was. Wizards here had stolen? Something that they said furthered their bloodline and made sure that they furthered their population. I don't know.

Do you know anything about it? Diron goes from this very cold exterior. For the first moment, you see just a burst, like a brief crack of emotion. She leans in. Whatever those things told you, do not trust it. Do not take it as anything. anything but desire to conquer and kill.

Why else were they attacked the tower if they weren't looking for something specific? Oh, I'm sure they were looking for something. Do not show pity for these things. I never said I showed pity. I just wanted to know what the hell this artifact was that they were after. Figured you here the Cobalt Soul might know.

Unfortunately, the detailed business of the Cerberus Assembly is very carefully guarded and outside of our jurisdiction. But we're doing our best to keep an eye in case anything slips through the cracks. They do a lot of good, but I don't trust a mage that powerful. We wouldn't have any records

on some Jarasian artifact that apparently keeps them alive. None that I've come across. Keep your ear out. I will. If you encounter another one of these things, these objects, or at worst, another one of these cricks, Bring what it has, bring it to us. Thank you, Darren.

Of course. I may not be here in a month or so. What? I'm going to travel to BladeGuard and see what I can gather on the front lines. With these conflicts escalating, I wish to be informed as to who's in charge there, and perhaps what dangers might be creeping further into the imping. to the Empire. Blood Garden on that northeast side? Blade Garden is just outside of where the garrisons are, yes. It's where most of the main military is held. Well, I still have a lot of training so come back alive, I guess. I've survived long enough. Anyway, one more

round of sparring. Sure. With that, you and Diron continue to just trade blows and continue the lessons throughout the day. That's awesome. I want to do that obstacle course. I go back, join the rabbit. All righty. So, anything else anyone wants to do? Don't take any of the next night. Yeah, I go knocking on this door the next night.

So I buy all that ink and paper and I spend the rest of that day learning a small handful of new spells. All rightyty. Which are in the roller decks now, and then the next night. Yeah, hello. Hello. Hello. Are you coming in? Come in, it's open. This is nighttime?

At this point, sure. I'm definitely in the room. Yeah. Hello, Caleb. Hello, no. Hi. Caleb and I have a date to talk about his special package. Do you need some privacy?

No, we're good. I open up to have a sack. Pull out the box. We are going to attempt to examine the football, as it were. You can remain, if you like. Are you curious yourself? Sure. Yeah, you might need me to kill you. Oh, that's a good idea. You know, to the best of my knowledge, this is, and it's limited, this is a very powerful thing.

and we are taking a risk. Okay. But one that I think is worthwhile. Okay. Are you still game? Yes. All right. So we put the lead box on the floor. Yes.

All right. Let's leave it in the lead box, but we'll lift the lid. That's probably good because people are still looking for it probably. So it's probably stupid that we're even fucking with it right now. It is a calculated risk and we're going to to do this, we're not going to take a lot of time. Okay. It's nice that you guys are talking about your limitations and setting expectations before you go into this together.

There's some sort of word that you need, like a safe thing. Red. The safe word is fjord. So if shit goes pear-shaped, and Barbara says fjord. Am I? Yes.

Fjord. Yes. Are you going to go all like, b-l while you look at it, or are you going to be normal? Truthfully, I have no idea. Okay, cool. You game? Totally game. Okay.

So I am not coming on to you, but will you hold my hand while we do this? That way, if we can't even look at you, I cannot believe I am doing this experiment with you. Let's not cover the camera. And let's examine it together, and if we go to the nine house or something, at least we'll be there to go. at least will be there together in theory. Okay. Okay. We are going to look at this thing.

Both of you or just you? I don't know. I'm looking at Caleb. I'm looking at the therapy. All right. As you focus on the strange artifact, concentrating on it, you feel your vision drawn towards it. And part of you feels like your body is leaning forward, like you're about to hit your forehead on it,

forehead on it, but Caleb hasn't moved at all. Oh, okay. Caleb hasn't moved, but just from your perspective, you feel like, and then suddenly you feel like you're within the Duchedron. And just like previously, suddenly there's this loss of light and stars begin to peek out around you. You see shapes and forms of purples and blues,

these kind of amorphous clouds that drift by on a scale that you cannot comprehend. You see darkened spheres and objects can pass you as a motion. passing you as you drift into nothing, into this void with distant dots of light and sparkle. You get to that point you were before where you feel like there's a threshold

and your heart begins to race. Do you continue? I've got his head. As you continue pass that threshold, the speed begins to increase. So do. You feel the back of your neck begin to grow warm and the hair begin to stand up.

While you cannot see, you can still sense your body, presence, unmoving but moving so quickly. This dual sensation is conflicting and causing your heart rate to jump. Your breathing begins to speed up. You guys watch his breathing begin to increase, increase. And then there you see this faint gray glow approach and stop. Your speed comes to a slow crawl and then halts. And there before you, you see this tiny little moat of gray pulsing light, a similar undulating pulse. as the Dodecahedron itself. What do you do? No if it's achievable. No response. It looks like it's right there, but a foot in front of you.

And there's nothing about it that is sensible or familiar. It's totally alien to me? It is immediacy and forever. It is an ancient concept of possibility. As you ask these questions and begin to contemplate, the loop of the loop of the loop your thought process begins to cycle on itself, and you have to shake your head not to be lost

in this kind of infinity that threatens to suddenly disperse you. And still it is, this tiny gray thing before you, and it seems to like want to your contact. Like it. You look down and you can see your hand in front of you. Father and mother, I hope I do not let you down. As you reach out in touch, you guys watch as this. Did we hear him, we hear him talking?

You hear I'm talking? You hear I'm talking. You see a faint moat of gray begin to drift out of the dodecahedron and then just kind of, it floats, and just enters and vanishes into the chest of Caleb. Oh shit!

Caleb, you feel this tiny moat come into your hand and then you pull it to your chest and you feel this warmth, and for a second, probability becomes slightly malleable. And this object is still so much more than what you understand. Its power is indecipherable on the scale of your puny mortal knowledge. But you do know that somehow by reaching out to this device,

you've managed to pull within yourself a fragment of possibility. What does that mean? Fragment of possibility. It means he's lucky again. to lay his luck feet all over again. And just to you guys, no. Well, he'll tell you when he gets around. No, he won't.

He'll never tell us. Oh, come, dish, dish. That's up to him to tell him the story. It's a big paper, let me read it. Yeah. Did we get it too because we were holding his hand? No. But the moment that that enters his chest,

Caleb, your eyes adjust and you're back in the room with your friends. Caleb, are you okay? You went skinky doodle for a second. Are you all right? Hello. Hello, wild mount to Caleb. Why die then not responding?

We can't speak anymore. He's forgotten. Caleb, we heard you talking, though. Are you okay? Caleb. Ain, spy, die. He's forgotten all language. One, two, three,

four. I'm literally trying to read this. and failing because of my friends. Quick, make out with him. True love's kiss is the only thing that we'll bring him back. I think he seems like he's pretty okay. Just make out with him. True love's kiss.

I don't know. Focus past the distractions. Uh-huh. You could just like working in this office. You could read it out loud, you know. No. What's it say? It's not really.

Never. No. So, tell us. Player privilege, unfortunately. He's the one that looked into it. If he doesn't tell you soon, I'll tell you, but. If that's your right. I literally still don't know what it does

because everyone is talking constantly. If you needed that loud, then we'll shut up. Yeah, we'll share in this adventure with you. That's right. We can all be a team. The dodecahedron of gray, faintly glowing crystal is heavier than it appears. This is peer pressure.

A set of handles are affixed to the sides and it underlates to the touch. That's all you get. If a hand is placed on the artifact and concentrated on for one minute, the bearer is granted a fragment of possibility. A fragment lasts for eight hours or until used. A fragment cannot be granted again until the next dawn.

After a creature with a fragment of possibility makes an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, they can expend their fragment to roll an additional D20 and choose which of the roles is used So once per day can grant one in person a luck point eventually. So we can pass it around. Ultimately, after an attack roll is made against the creature, they can expend their fragment of possibility

to roll an additional D20 to see if the attacker hits. But you're like chipping away at it? Like an ice sculpture? It is like one luck that lasts for eight hours. It grants you this moat of energy when you touch it. So we could literally, we could each of us every day, we could pass it to a different person, and then we could concentrate on it,

and then we could have a lot of it. the fragment. Am I able to tell if that is correct? The fragment only lasts for eight hours. Yeah. And you can only give out one fragment per day. So. But any one of us, one of you could do it. It can only grant this gift once a day to one of us.

Correct, yes. So it can be the same person every day, or it could be a different person. It gives you the chance that this can be used by anybody in your group. That's fun. So I absentmindedly babble about what I think this thing can do. It's very incoherent. Why were you talking about your mom and your mom? and your dad, though?

Was that a weird question? Should I not ask that? I mean, it was on my mind, but I wasn't gonna bring it up. What did I, what do you mean? You said, you said, mom and dad, I hope that it make you proud. Oh, don't disappoint you. And I don't disappoint you and stuff.

And also she was, I should probably take a bounce more often. That's not, that was not. That was not that part. You were going to say that, and then the great thing went at you. Okay. You said, oh, I wish I could share my problems with my friends. Yeah, that's what you're saying. I remember hearing that one.

You guys. And what? That is a very common sentiment. Is it? It is. Yeah. Isn't it? If you ever want to talk about it, you can just come to us.

No. We're super good at talking both of us. That is true. Tomorrow I want the thing, okay. The thing you want to... The Dodeca. Well, you are in possession of it for the most part. I said I just wanted to have a look at it. You're right, I am.

We can take turns with it, yeah? Yes. We would just decide. We don't have to tell the others about this, do it? this doing? I mean, we're supposed to be a team, but... Oh, by the way, I shut the lead cover on the thing. Right, close to them. And let's put it back in.

Oh my God. What if, now that the gray thing is in you, the wizards in town will be able to sense you? What? Why would that know? Maybe you should be in the lead case now? That's not how that works. Are you sure, though? I am sure.

Also, with my, the knowledge that I have and everything that just happened, am I aware the gray moat that went inside me? Would I know, does that limit this thing's ability to me, or no? What do you mean? Well, in the description, DM, you said this gray moat went fomph into Caleb. Correct. Not into them. Correct.

Can anyone use this thing? Anyone can use it. Good. So the next day, the gray thing will go in someone else. Right, it's like the little, you know, when you're learning lyrics for karaoke. and the little thing bounces along. Yeah, it'll be able to be. You all know what that experience is like.

Yeah, I think this is a very potent thing, and we can use it to do a lot of good. Sweet. You know, not in the heat of the moment to try to hit a knoll in the face with something, but when we are really trying to figure something out or do the unachievable. Or like, we really want to put a mustache

on a fucking statue. You need extra luck for that? That's a good hypothetical. Yeah, just in case you ever wanted to do that. Can I just say, real quick, before we adjourn, there was something that you were reluctant to do because of your own personal fears, and you entrusted Jester to inspire you

to do something that was possibly uncomfortable for you, and it worked out great. And I think that moving forward, if you want to just go for it, as long as you have trusted friends with you, then that would be a good option to do. That was a lot of advice. I mean, it is no secret that I like these people.

So, you know, we're in good company. Yeah, yeah. This is working out. You are, you know, you are capable. And, oh dear, I'm going to go to bed now. Your son is just the cutest. Not my son. I definitely heard that.

Awkward and weird and makes no sense. Oh, this is my room. You have to go to your room. Okay, well, good night then. Good night. As evening draws too close. Good night, Kayla. If you meet anything, I'll just be in another room. Get out, just go, just leave.

All right, so the following day, through your various low-key journeys, you catch another town crier, wandering to the town, shouting, Murderers of the high rite are brought to justice are the crowns protective eyes and ashes free from these treacherous cutthroats. Who was it?

Who was it? Who was it? Who was it? I don't know! to tell this. What is it said? It's all it says again. This is the next morning? It's the next morning. How do we give you more information?

Just a headline, there's nothing else. And over the next few days, the Crowns Guard and the Righteous Brand, which is the name of the military of the Empire, the presence at the gates of Zedash has dwindled to normal. The backed up caravans and travelers begin to wash into the city once more in preparation. in preparation for the Harvest Closed Festival, now only but a few days away. You watch as strands of linen, all the colors of autumn, are affixed between street arches and lantern poles,

a celebratory display, far less fancy, but more widespread in the Harvest Closed Gala not but a week before in the Tri Spiders. And that's where we're gonna pick up next week. We're gonna pick up at the Harvest Closed Festival. So. Skydive, baby. Skydive. Skydive.

Oh shit. And what is it called? It's a... The moat of possibility. A fragment of possibility. Fragment of possibility. Okay. Mote of possibility.

Wow. Dang. Well done, guys. I'm gonna... I'm gonna... You should hold onto this, because you've got the haverset. That's true. You have the haverset. You got the haverset.

Wow. Look at all righty. So I'll go ahead and I'll get those custom items over to your guys inventory on the N-DiBion tomorrow. Oh. Dund-da-d-dun-d-dun. Um. We'll come back next week for a Harvest Clothes Festival. We're good to have a festival, I guess.

Those always go well. It's going to be great. I'm sure nobody will be murder, nothing will be destroyed or rain. Do we need for the Winter Festival at our home game? Oh, man. That's up to you guys. You more we are more than welcome to. The Winter Festival is a winter festival.

It's a harvest close. So it's the end of autumn. All the colors are like reds, golds, you know, browns, tans, yellows. October Fest. It's October Fest. It's October Fest. Yeah. So we just come in like the Rhinfer gear that we'll figure it out. We'll figure it out. We'll start it. We'll start it. We'll get a new text right. All right.

Later hosa. Indeed. I own some really nice later. You do. I was with me when you bought them. The ones that the other pair. That's the other pair. That's the other pair. Wow. That's full of him. That was fun you guys. All righty. Well, we'll pick up next week. We missed.

everybody who are out watching Avengers Infinity War, but we're also jealous because we didn't see it tonight. See it tomorrow. Sad about that. But thank you for joining us. I hope you had a good time. We love you guys. We'll see you next week.

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