Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry - Introducing Rotating Heroes

Episode Date: February 3, 2025

This episode was originally titled Arc 8 Ep. 1: Trails Of A New World PART 1. With a new DM, 2 new players, and a returning hero there is much to unpack in Arc 8. After being taken on a spiritual journey, Freaya Black must start to unravel the mysteries of her past to determine the course of her future, but fear not she will have the help of some new friends whom she feels an instant connection to! WELCOME TO ARC 8! We hope you enjoy the latest installment in the World Of Amalar! Jasper William Cartwright is your DM Zac Oyama is playing ??? Erika Ishii is Soapfeathers & And Last but least forgettable is Victoria Longwell aka Freaya Black Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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insurance can be? Visit progressive.com and give the name your price tool a try. Take the stress out of shopping and find coverage that fits your life on your terms. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. Greetings, Adventures, this is Dan Casey from Saga's of Sundry Goblin Mode. Now we know that you love immersive storytelling, unforgettable characters, and presumably tabletop role-playing games. So this week we're going to bring you something else that we love, another show that we think you will absolutely dig, called Rotating Heroes. Rotating Heroes is a comedy actual play podcast where the cast rotates each arc, hence

the title. So listen as they attempt daring deeds, epic exploits, and behave like genuine buffoons, do heroic and hilarious results. Now, if you want the latest news and get to listen to the latest episode before anybody else, else, along with the exclusive talkback episodes, make sure you head over to the Rotating Heroes Patreon. Subscribe to Rotating Heroes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocketcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, and be on the lookout for new episodes every Friday.

And now, on to the show. Rotato's! It is Friday, and what a Friday it is. I can't believe that we are finally here. It's Arc 8, which means only one thing that I'm taking over as the new DM. I really hope that you enjoy this arc. It was the first arc that I DM'd for Rotating Heroes, obviously. And it means a lot to me.

I had a lot of fun, and I, you know, still to this day can't quite believe that Zach trusted me with this world so entirely. And I'm really happy with, you know, what we've been able to build and create. And I'm really proud of this arc. Erica Ishii, Victoria Longwell, Zakoyama, like, you cannot go wrong. It is such a good arc. I had such an massive blast playing this game with these amazing folks. So I really hope that you enjoy the arc.

And I really hope that you don't mind me taking over as the GM. I know I'm not Zach. I will never be Zach Oyama. But hopefully I can be a worthy stand-in. So thank you so much for listening to the Rotating Heroes thus far. And I hope that you continue to listen and enjoy now that we are into me DMing. But don't worry, there is a Zach. Lead arc coming up, I believe Arc 10.

Arc 10 is actually a little Zach is back. Ark three episodes, so make sure you look forward to that. But until then, I'm going to go ahead and say, Take it away past me. Welcome back to the Rotating Heroes Podcast, everyone. I hope everyone's doing well. I'm very excited to be here. I am Jess William Cartwright.

I am your new DM for the Rotating Heroes Podcast. And I am sitting around a table with some really, really wonderful people and Zach Oyama. Oh, okay. You thought you were going to get me. Man, I got got got. You got got, son. Jasper, sometimes when we introduced a podcast in the past, you can totally do it the way you want to do it. I don't know.

I feel like I like to trip on my words a little bit more and say it a little worse. I don't know if that's an option. Sure. Okay, yeah, sorry. Let me roll this back. Welcome back to the... More nervous, please? What are we doing?

And you're scared. You're scared. You're scared to be doing. Okay, welcome back to Not Another D&D podcast. No, no, that's a different podcast. No, that's a different one. Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

Okay. Is that better? Absolutely. Thank you. We are very excited to be joined by two wonderful players today. Who have I got to my left? Oh, Victoria Longwell. Whoa.

Oh, wow. Hi, Victoria Longwell. Hi. Welcome back to the show. I remember you. I remember you. Do you remember me? Yeah, but actually I think you're Zach.

Yeah, I'm Zach. A moment ago I was confused. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm Jasper. We switch seats. We switch seats. We have to take each other's names. And to my right.

Hi, I'm Eric Aishi. Yeah. I'm excited to be here. We also know each other. Yes, we do. Yes, you do. It's great. I know everyone in this room.

Yeah, that's great. That's kind of like a prerequisite usually of work. Like, just if you do. We didn't know, we were in your house. So if you didn't know people in this room, I'll be worrying. I should have met by now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. At least said hello.

Oh, man, I'm real good. I'm excited to play D&D and I just found out it's the first episode. Yeah. Yeah. First episode back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Thank you.

Thanks. So how does it feel to be sitting in the player's seat? Oh, I am on vacation. I'm on cloud nine. I'm in Hog. Heaven. One more. Hog heaven?

Okay. Didn't need that. Didn't need that last one. You know what I mean? I felt like... And how about you, Jasper? Are you in pig, pig paradise? No, I'm in pig shit.

That's what I'm in. I'm rolling around in it because I love it. I'm... You're a mystery. That's right. No, I'm excited. I'm very excited. I'm definitely like nervous.

I've just felt my palms and they're actually quite sweaty, which is strange. But I think it's mostly because I just want to get through this like, you know, get through the first bit. You got to get the plane off the runway. And then I know after that it'll be absolutely fine. And then it's clear skies. Yeah, exactly. Then we'll be soaring.

We'll be soaring. Yeah. Victoria, how do you feel coming back to the show? I'm so excited to be here. I love this show. I told Zach it's my favorite podcast to do, and that's true. Unless you also were listening and do a podcast that I've been on then. In which case, it's a joint thing.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. I, too, Jasper, am a little nervous. My palms are also sweaty. Okay, okay. Knees weak, arms are heavy? Yes. Nice.

Good, good, good, good, good, good. I puked. Hey, nice. No, I'm so excited. Ready to bring my very novice D&D skills to the table. Don't play. Can't wait to allow. Down.

Is it true what you told me before we started recording that it was literally how long ago? Two years ago. Two years. I mean, it was at least 20, 20. And it's now 2023. Yeah. So that math is two years. And that was the only time you've played D&D.

And now we are back. Now we're back. And now we're back off. Just like a hiasis and, you know. Just a quick little hiatus. Just a quick little two years off. I mean, I'm still sharp for sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Absolutely. No doubts. They've added so much stuff. Do it? Can't tell you. Yeah. Do you know about... It's been the roller coaster to see these last two years.

I definitely don't. Whatever you're going to say I don't. Oh, okay. Yeah, it's been a roller coaster. She'll find out about the hunger. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and the first mechanic. You're going to have to roll 17D20. And then take the bottom nine.

Oh, no. The top eight, you're going to hide in the room. Then we'll find them. And if we get all of them, you have to roll a D30. And this takes how long? This will take about six hours, I think. And then we'll start recording the episode. Got it.

That's just like a pre-record ritual. It's the hazing. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. And that's right. And I'm here to be hazed.

We aren't here to be hazed. I think we should probably go ahead and get into this. What do you guys think? I mean, one last quick bit forgot about this. Victoria, how are you? Yes, I even made a note of this. I'm so annoyed with myself. I interrupted your flow.

I even made a note of this to make sure I asked Victoria on behalf of everyone. I actually did email you. The first email I sent to you was, Hey, Victoria, how are you doing on behalf of everyone? And I put on behalf of everyone. Oh my gosh. So thorough. So thorough.

To everyone, I'm doing well. Thank you so much for asking and for being interested. Makes me feel, love. Nice. Amal. Though this tall tale may now be told by a new teller, one thing is true. The story, this great world of Amalar and its people,

remain the same. You can hear the distant sound of an awakened wolf howling into the wind. You can feel the deep rumble in the earth, as a giddy gnome gets yet another obelisk back online. You can smell the unmistakable sulphur of an erupting volcano, and of course you can't help but force back down your lunch, as somewhere someone is eating toilet. The world around us is alive and bringing together Amalar's mightiest and least forgettable heroes.

As they tussle with the forces at play to discover the deepest secrets about themselves, about the world around them, and what it takes to raise the finest documents. Thanks to you, our wonderful rotators, for joining us, and if everyone is sitting comfortably, let's open the book on the eighth chapter of this story. I was for a second, I was like, am I gonna cry? I don't know. So, so far, for the first time, welcome back to Amelaar. Okay, Victoria, it's been a minute, but he's been a minute, but he's not.

If you could just tell us who are you playing. Give us a little reminder of what you're playing. I'm playing Freya Black. She is a half elf paladin. She grew up with the Abbas Willow in a place called Fort Cutler. She has been on a journey. Yep. Tall, muscular.

Absolutely incredible. Lover of nature. Tall, muscular lover of nature. I think it's absolutely perfect. Perfect. No notes. Absolutely no notes. As we opened this scene back with Freya, Frea Black, you may remember finding yourself

at a chapel, not dissimilar to the one that you left behind in Fort Cutler. And as you had entered this place with your friends squeege and teeth, oh, sorry, Spider's Man and Teeths, you remember the... The abbess taking an interest in a certain religious relic that you had on. And she said that she would have a look at it for herself. In this moment, as the abbess takes hold of this religious symbol, the world seems to freeze around you. The abyss freezes completely.

Teeths and squeege freeze completely. There is a stillness to the air. There was no sound all around you. And you see before you a portal opens in the air. And the strangest sensation that you can't tell whether you're moving forwards through it or the portal is enveloping you. As you find yourself in a new place with a gigantic tree, almost iridescently green in front of you.

And you look around to discover you're in a very, very different place. This tree sits atop a massive hill. Surrounding the hill you see warriors of all different shapes and sizes, holding back on an endless sea of the machine. You can't help feel this thin line of warriors is not long for this world. When one of them turns round and looks straight at you and picks off in a dead sprint in your direction,

he reaches his hand forwards, and his hand passes straight through your chest, into the tree, and as he pulls back, you see that he has a glowing green seed in his hand. And he whispers gently. to it. One day you will return to this place. You see before you this very young looking druid. He has a staff in his hand, which has got a kind of glowing green essence to it at the top. And suddenly you notice that leaves and branches are falling around you. There's this cracking sound as this gigantic tree starts to die.

It is at this moment that a second man stepped. forward. Similar sort of elven features to the other man with what looks like a huge crossbow strapped to his back and this unmistakable fay dog by his side as he looks up towards this man and says, Oh, Skar, how could you? Takes his crossbow, shoots. The shot glances off the man's head and a second portal is opened. And again, you felt the same sensation of being pulled through. It is at this moment that you notice now an older man. It looks like he's lived a thousand lifetimes and he's no longer holding a seed but cradling something that seems to be living. A small green orb floats in front of his face as he lies there, wounded, tired, exhausted,

but with still this sense of purpose to protect whatever this new thing is. And as this orb appears in front of his face, he kind of reaches out of hand and moves the thicket out of the way to reveal three wolves. One rather impressively holding three legs in its mouth, one elven and two deer. One wolf starts to do a funny little dance on their hind legs. As you see this conversation is happening, the druid then eventually reveals a small baby. And you don't know how, or why, Freya, but you know instinctively. That baby's name. is Freya Black. So as you leave this scene, this vision,

you suddenly notice that as you come back into your body, the day has changed. It's darker now. This new Abbas is over by the side making some tea, and she turns around and looks, he goes, oh, you're finally awake. Are you okay, dear? I don't know.

I don't understand. You said you. You were going to watch our journey. I... It was my plan, yes, and then something rather strange happened. It's like something overtook you. You sort of froze in place. Greetings, adventurers.

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Quince.com slash critical role. Two friends blessed them. They ran off to try and get help. Oh, oh no. Oh, they must have been worried. Uh, do you, did you see what I saw? I got some glimpses, but I can't say it made a lot of sense to me. Did it make sense to you?

No, and also, yes, I, I don't know if I'm crazy and maybe just. just over tired, but I know that I was seeing me. But I don't understand how, and I don't, I don't know. I feel out of my mind. I'm sorry to, I'm sorry to be this way. She comes forward, steps forward and hands you some tea and says, it's okay. Our destiny and our fate are complicated and difficult things to deal with and process.

and sometimes they're not always clear, but there's one thing that I do know is that you're destined for something much bigger than just a small chapel like this. I actually sent to your friends. There's a temple not far from here, and usually there's a custodian around there. I thought that custodian might actually have some answers.

Oh, I just imagine that once I'm out of sight, they'll forget about me. Why would that be the case? I'm terribly forgettable. Oh. And I just, I don't... You see that she turns around and goes, nope, nope, I can still, still thinking about you.

So you're not that forgettable. Okay, well, okay. But we'll see. I can't imagine I'd be destined for greater things. I really just want to find my friends and get back to... Get back to... Mother, Abbas Willow. Oh, you have your own Abbas.

Yes, yes. She raised me. Oh, lovely. She must have a fine job. I don't know about that. No, anyway, I need to close up the chapel, if you wouldn't mind. Oh, my gosh. Oh, no, no, no, no, I stay too long.

Shewing you out. I'm just, I'm going to clean, and then, you know, it's just a bit of, it's a process. Got some concert tickets. Yeah, I'm actually going to see Blink 182 tonight, so if you wouldn't mind. Oh, I don't know them, but of course, no, I'm so sorry. No, no, of course. You know, finish your tea, finish your tea, please. She gulps it down.

Yeah, oh, so, it's so hot as well. It's like fully burning your throat. Thank you so much for your kindness. If you want to find your friends, I sent them towards the old ritual ground. It's a sort of temple of sorts. That's very gaudy. And honestly, I don't think Sophie would have liked it at all, but that's what the church insisted on. So if you head that direction, you can't go wrong.

And if you go just beyond that, you'll see the signs for Kakura, which is a city nearby. So you can get some rest and things like that. Thank you so much for your kindness. Yes. Well, well met. well met they're not here to say it more you know but they would have of course yes i'll just say yes well met well well met okay okay well well you'll keep doing it oh they'll keep doing it right of course yes well met i guess i'm so sorry again okay um you're just fine no you'll forget this in a moment

it's okay should you've been here for five hours so if you could just leaving leaving um Absolutely amazing. As you exit the chapel, you can see that it is, yes, in fact, pushed on into the evening. You can see some little footsteps, followed by the unmistakable kind of little pinprick marks of a spider as well. As you head further into this thicket and grove, it is not long before you find yourself at what looks to be an extremely dilapidated sort of temple structure. this, it's missing the sort of the facade of the whole thing. It seems to have crumbled away. And there is like seemingly more.

This is partly because I recently was there. But you know how like in Disneyland you kind of like see the outside of a ride and you think, oh, it looks kind of small. But there's like, oh, you can kind of tell there's like more to it. But it's all covered in all this like foliage and trees and stuff like that. And you see as you approach, there is someone, in fact, well, find out what they're doing. Someone cleaning this area.

Erica, would you like to introduce your character, please? You see a massive brown bird, like human-sized, and with a huge round head and a stocky body, and soft-looking plumage and short tail. They're wearing a little apron of brown leather, and they have large eyes that appear even larger because they are hidden behind coke bottle glasses

with little horned rims. And he's pointing at a broom that's just sort of sweeping itself in a circle. Amazing. Full Fantasia style going on. Oh, my. As you approach, and you can see the area that's being swept now, there is this big kind of like circular kind of like concrete like area in the middle which seems to be like a different color to the rest of the like slabs and everything that surround it in this kind of

you can tell once very ornately decorated building and I think yeah you as you see this strange person approaching from the forests what do you what do you guys do? Excuse me. I'm so sorry Excuse me Excuse me Oh no This is a me problem

I know it Excuse me Oh hi I'm so sorry No oh sorry Oh hello Hello I was wondering if you happen to see

Little goblins come this way Goblins Goblins I don't recognize I've seen any goblins coming this way. Did I see any goblins coming this way? You did not see any goblins. You definitely recommend...

I think I might have seen one or two. How long ago are we talking? Oh, gosh, maybe five hours. No, no. Yeah, you saw two goblins about three weeks ago. Three weeks ago. Oh, dear. I'm sorry to interrupt you.

Oh, that's all right. It's quite a lot to keep you busy here, but, you know, always happy to help a neighbor. What's your name? Oh, my name's Freya. What's your name? Oh, I'm soap feathers. I'm the janitor here. Yeah.

Wow. So feathers. It's so nice to meet you. Is there anything I can help you with? Oh, no, no. Well, what a, you got big. strong arms. I bet you could help me with some of the books inside. Of course I

could. Oh, excellent. Well, why don't you come on in? Wow, thank you so much. And I hustle you like the broom like sweeps behind you. Oh, excuse me. For everyone listening at home who doesn't have the pleasure of being in this room, Erica is doing wings and it is absolutely

perfect. As you As you kind of led into what would have been an anti-chamber once upon a time, why do you go ahead and both give me perception checks, please? Our first rolls of Arcate. How do we do, folks? Oh, you're rolling in there. Oh, I see, we go. I got a 16.

16 total? I got a 22. 22. Wow. Should I be sharing this with everyone? It's okay. It's all, I think. if you want to do anything secret, though,

feel free to roll that. Just in case you want to, like, roll a deception check any point or whatever. So you don't want anyone else to see what you're doing. Ooh. You, okay, so I think with a 16, you, as you're looking over this kind of, like, remarkable new person, there is,

you immediately clock the religious symbol. It's around your neck, I believe. It was like a, it was a necklace. My beads? Your beads, yes. The beads that she's, wearing, very much line up with a lot of the religious iconography that you've seen from this very temple. And as a...

They're permanently making the piece. And there is something... I think you've probably looked through some of these books. Like a lot of them are like fully falling apart, but the little bits that you've got, you would recognize these beads as only being given to champions of Zofene, and there is not many of those left, if any, in fact, that you knew of. I think Freya, with a 22, yes, with the 22, as you look around, as you are brought into this room, you see that in the centre of this, like, concrete, sort of, like, strange kind of like a stone-like area, in the very, very centre of it, you notice that there is a kind of

small mound um that seems to like almost like a perfectly round uh kind of bit that's poking itself like up and over the kind of edge of the stone and as you are kind of just sort of getting in tune with this new place you feel like an incredible draw towards that mound like there is like you it feels like that you're like almost compelled to want to investigate it further i'm so sorry I would never be this forward in my life, but you will forget it when I leave. But what is... I expect so, yes.

Yeah, what, um... Thank you. Everybody else tries to lie. What, uh, what am I looking at here? What is this, this mound? I just... Oh, well, this mound, it's, it's, uh, it is a place of great power,

the resting place of a champion, a hero from the great, Halt. Or it might be an old midden of some sort. I can't write the tell. A midden? Yes. I don't know what that is. Means trash. Oh! So it could be a champion or it could be trash. Yes. Okay. Um, a champion. So it's a grave maybe. No? Uh, I'm sorry I'm asking such dumb questions. No, no. I can leave. No. No, you look at me, young lady. Okay. Okay. Okay. asking questions your eyes. It's how.

I blink up outlishly at you. Like, just like, massive, massive eyes. From your perspective, they just, like, fill your vision. It's like some Cheshire cat type. Look like they extend past the sides of my head. Like anime. Now, you listen here, young lady. Asking questions is how we learn.

And learning is the first step to doing. doing is the way that we make mistakes because by making mistakes, then we get good at things. Soap feathers. Yeah. That was a very meaningful thing you just said. No, well, you know, don't get to be in my age and without gathering some information. See? And you look over to the corner.

And there's a bunch of books and also just a wall of. of drawings and clippings and red string. Uh-oh. That's, that's, there's information, you know, that, a drawing of the mound that you see, like, right next to it. And, you know, that's connected to, there's a drawing of an orange tree and a bunch of different seedlings and a wolf and just all these. random items and a little scribbles next to them connected by string. Soap feathers. I'm so sorry to ask another question.

Why are you always apologizing? That's bad too. I'm just, oh, I'm sorry. I've had a weird few days. Is this yours? This work here, the strings and the pictures. Oh, my research, yes, yes. You see, in addition to being the custodian,

of this temple. Yes. I am also a historian. You are? Yes. Oh, I'm sure I could learn much from you. I'm sure you can. What's happening here, would you say?

And forgive me if I'm asking you too much. I think as this, as this conversation is happening, there is, you see it like a, there's a faint, like a very similar to one you've seen previously. A faint kind of green, little kind of speck of dust

to float down and just sort of rests very gently on the top of this mound in the center. Do you see that too? The little green, the little speck? It's like, it is there, but you absolutely, like, your vision is not good enough. It's so small.

I take off my glasses. Oh, your eyes are much smaller. They're tiny. They are tiny. A little beady. You shouldn't have said that out well. I'm so strong. Arnold. I was like, what's that? I, my glasses are off. I can't hear you. Sorry.

And then I, as you put the back on, you can see it now, because you cleaned your glasses. Oh, this is a good portent. Yes. I've seen something like this before, but I don't know what it is. Oh, that, my dear, it is. Ah. And I, I pick up the nearest book to me. Yeah. Roll a history. We're all Hesterchecks, see what happens. What can you do with a 16? With the 16, okay. With the 16, you open a book and you, this is one of the old books that was just in this temple before.

And you see in there, there's like a word that keeps coming up like in relation to seeing like, kind of like little like signals or signs. Little signals or signs from Zofene. and they would like, and it's being referred to as fragments. There's like the word like fragments keeps coming up. And there is something, you can interact with them in some way. But I think without rolling super high, you're like, just have to see. This is a fragment of Zofine. What?

A fragment of Zofine? You, you are here and it's here. And you have a necklace. Yes. My beads that Abis Willow gave me. Yes, I examined it and I put my glasses up, practically touching them. I can't imagine you need to get that close. Yes, I believe you were meant to be here, right? Here and now at this time, I think...

Me? Yes, yes, yes. Yes, you are a chance. champion. What? Something has happened to the gods. You see, and I pull out from my, from my pocket of my apron, a little pointer that I telescope out, and I point to the wall of items. You see, 450 years ago, are you, do you know of the Great Halt or the Haltening, depending on your regional dialect? The Great Halt?

The Great Halt? I think as this is happening, you just see now a shower of these little Greek. Spets falling on the mound. Yes. My goodness. I don't know that I do. I know there was a great war, but is that the same? Most likely, yes.

It's surrounding it. And, well, something has happened to the gods, and there's some way for them to reach us. Oh, God, I've broken something. No, no, no, no. Breaking something is the first step to fixing it. And fixing it is the first step to knowing more about it. I think we must unseal that grave or trash sheep, whichever it may be.

I don't know much, but I think you're right. I have an incredible desire to do that, and I don't typically get strong desires. Yeah, it's just, I don't know, I can't describe it. I'm just kind of a neutral person, you know. I'm a sort of a people pleaser. I think if you put me in any group, I'll sort of diffuse things. Well, you shouldn't do that so much. Sorry.

No. No. Well, let's get to digging. I think, yes, of course. Yeah, as soon as you kind of turn your attention to the mound, you feel like instinctively, you're like you, you feel like you just need to be close to this thing. I want to touch it. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.

Go on. Sorry. Go on. Okay. I'm going to touch it. Go on. Should I touch it too? Oh, that would make me feel better.

Okay. Let's touch it. Okay. On the count of three. On the count of three. Okay. One, two, three. Wait, do we go first?

And then do we say, one, three, go? Or are we going on three? Um, one, two, three, and then we go. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. One, two. As you get just close enough before you're able to actually touch it. The whole ground underneath you begins to shake and rumble.

As you feel the stone become less solid. It almost feels like the stone itself is melting. into this strange, green, kind of almost like gloopy like liquid. And before you, appears to be what looks like two back pockets that make up a pair of trousers and someone's bottom sticking out of this liquid. Zach, would you like to introduce your character, please, emerging from this liquid? Land of Ocean! I guess you will see as this...

I want to clarify. Everyone, we cleared this before hand was that. We cleared my butt was hanging out of this goop. I think as the rock kind of turns into goop, you see sort of a, the form of a young elf man, sort of bent over what looks like. It used to be some sort of pool, reaching in to grab something,

falling in such a precarious way that his, butt stuck out of the water and then froze entirely. I think all of you now are effectively in the pool and sort of kind of, you know, I think you emerge from the, from the pool. It comes out long black hair, just sort of spitting goop. Yeah. So feather. The broom is his right.

Immediately starts to wipe your face. Owl. Stop. So feathers your broom. What happened? Hello? Hello? I'm sorry, I was, I was cleaning up in here and I, there was a leaf in the pool.

I knew it was a midden. Oh, trash, no. Oh, are you calling me trash? Well, I'm not. Okay, well, I can be trash. I think that's fine. Listen, I'm sorry, I'm just sorry. I was, so I was on the afternoon shift going into the night shift, and everybody,

I just was trying to I was trying to roll me a perception check please 15 15 Zach you look around quite some time has passed these are these are not the people here to relieve you from the afternoon shift this is this is a you're in a different time entirely so you guys so is it like you guys are you guys knew you guys are you know you know he's no no he's got close you actually got an apron very similar to your I think probably at the moment. Probably like an older version of what you're wearing. I'm imagining it looks like kind of like when someone works at like a Korean spa or something.

Oh my God. Sort of like a like a clinical like almost nurse like scrubs or something. Yeah. So you guys probably probably knew, right? Like it's probably like a new shift happening. And I've, do you know what this needs, Freya? I absolutely don't.

Well, if this is in fact not exactly the kind of midden that I was thinking about, then that means it's a tomb of a great warrior, a champion. Champion of the gods. As soon as Soap Feathers says champion, you, both of you, I think for the first time ever, Zach, your character, I'm not going to say your name, but actually you ever said it yet, feels this well, like almost a bit like that sensation. when you feel like you're about to cry of power, like, brimming up. And it's almost like, there's like a mixture of, like, crying and throwing up.

It's like a fucking throw up. And I think Freya, you can't help but feel like a completely kind of platonic, but a full connection with this person. Like there is something about them, which is like you are like keyed in, almost like on their energy. Do I know you? I don't know. Okay.

I'm sorry. I might throw up. But I would have. You have to clean it up. I'm going to clean it up if I throw up. I just want to be clear. Because I know where the stuff is, unless I don't. Unless they moved it.

Well, come on in. Come here again, man. As you, I think as you start to like clamber out of the pool and you're kind of try to like get this goop off of you, the second you kind of like touch the, like the rim of the pool, you feel suddenly trees and vines shoot up all around. And the whole, it's like you're becoming closed in. this space. And there is these, everywhere, there's these little specks of green.

But like it's unlike where the previous specks of green were that felt like these kind of little floating orbs. Here it's almost like it's like, again, I'm sorry to keep referencing Disneyland, but it's a very similar vibe in that like these little lights kind of almost appear and start to glow like green. And it's like it looks semi-mechanical in nature and you see a tiny little, um, uh, um, uh, like tree man appears, probably about the size of like your hand, that kind of pops up. And he goes, welcome to your trials, champion.

You must be Gus. A pleasure to meet you, the J. Knight. Ha. Uh-oh. Something is wrong. This isn't working properly. Okay. Sharpen your skills. Be ready for Midnight. You're our last hope. Oh. Don't forget your handbook. And then he points over to the side and you see that there is like a plinth, where, and like a little light comes on, like, like, like, do you do, do, do, like that. And there's just, like, clearly no book there. Oh, I'm, well, I just, I, uh, my name isn't Gus.

It's not Gus. It's not Gus. You're not Gus? I'm sure that's fine. What? You're sure that's fine. I think. I'm not programmed to have a response to I'm not Gus.

So, feathers, who is this? What, do you know this little person? Well, I adjust my spectacles and I say, you there. Young Spirit. You must be Gus. Oh, no, no, no. You must be Gus. And points at you, Freya.

No, no. You won't remember who I am, so I understand why you're confused, but I am not Gus. Okay, no one's Gus. This is fine, I think. I'm gonna, I think I know what to do. I'm gonna go over to the plant by myself for a second. If that's, I should. Don't go far.

Okay. I walk over to the plant and just look down at where a book used to be. Yeah. Oh, no. Just roll me a quick constitution saving throw. Let's see how well you hold yourself together in this moment. Okay. Not bad. Not bad. 13. You can feel like you're like you... Come on, yeah, you really hit the depths and now you're kind of slowly pulling yourself back together.

Okay. pool. They tell you not to fall in the pool, but you fought in the pool. Gus, you're our only hope. And fucking Gus. Whatever happened to Gus. Don't forget your handbook. Handbook. I think

I'm gonna, do I remember a handbook or I put it in a pile somewhere? I have so many piles. It's just, I mean to sort them eventually, but then eventually I stopped seeing them as piles. They become part of the temple.

No, I know what you mean. I don't, you don't remember that. ever being like any kind of book on this plinth at like any point. Uh, you're, like, because I think you probably have like a forensic, like a memory of like, exactly where everything is and where you've taken things from and things like that. So, um, but no, there was never a book on that plinth. I'm a lot of ideas. Yeah.

Champion, this way. Start your trials now. Sharper your skills. So that you're ready for midnight. And you can feel, you get the sense that like, there's like a bit of a file missing. You know what I mean? There's a weird gap there. Fully remembering everything. Now, you see, the way that those leaf holders, they sprung up suddenly is like what happened in the Great Halt.

Endless haltening, the endless haltening. It depends on your regional dialect. And, and, hey, you there. Hello, Gus. What may I call you? I don't have a name. Oh. Everyone has a name.

Um, Gus? You can hear Gus? I guess I... No, I'm not Gus. I was just saying Gus because it's the only name that I'm programmed to know. All right, well, I'm calling you Curtis. Curtis, um, do, do any of these?

Do you know anything about the great halt where all the trees sprung up? I don't, but there are... are other curtesies on the trials that do know. Oh, the trial. They're here to make sure that you remember what you have to do and to sharpen your skills so that you're ready for midnight. Oh, well, excellent. You're our last hope. Don't forget your notebook.

That's my least favorite part of what you say, the last hope. But so trials are like training. Yes. Okay. And they're all working. at 22% efficiency. Okay. That's not very efficient, I'll say.

I think something's happened to the trials. This is fine, I think. All right, well, I'd better get in and tidy up over there, and I start to walk down the corridor. Wait, one second. I'm on, I kind of like, move the slime out of my face

and, like, kind of press the, like, slime. You get to slick your hair back. Slip my hair back with the slime. It's fully starting a hardened like gel. Like yeah. Okay. Uh, I should, hi.

I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I'm, I, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm gonna you guys. I, I, I, I'm wearing a custodian apron. So for right now, you're going to be my assistant. Okay. Okay. Okay. Uh, Jim, quick question. Where do you think you would have, uh, I think that you would have, uh, I think that you would have,

the beads, because I think that the beads, when you were working here, was like your, kind of like your hall pass. You know what I mean? It's like how you'd get in and out of the building, you'd show the beads and then... I guess it would be just on my wrist. Yeah, like right around your wrist, okay, cool. So, um, just if that, you'd probably notice. I think it now is he's kind of, maybe as he's like brushing his hair back, you kind of, he shakes his hand and you see the beads around his, uh, around his wrist. Um, I'm so sorry. Those beads. I have, I have, here, I have those beads too. You have, yeah, I mean, this is how you kind of move about and sort of the temple. I'm, uh, first off, I should get this out the way.

I'm not freaking out, but I think I should, I should clear that up in case anyway. I was a shocking moment, right? Of course. It's a shocking moment for everyone. Something similar happened to me an hour ago, I think. You fell into a pool with your butt hanging out? Yeah, you realize by the way your butt is super cold. Like, it just feels like, you know what is that?

You know what I mean? Like, when you've, like, you've been. like holding onto a cold drink for a long time. Listen, I don't, we can do this later. We don't have to do this now. No. I do have to ask, and I'm scared to look and get a good look. I'm not going to ask you guys.

I just want to know if my butt looks weird, but I can, I don't have to, we can cover this later. Anyone that's curious roll of perception check? I, I, I, uh, walk back towards towards them. It feels cold. That's 22. 22. Freya also pretends that she drops something so that she can check. Oh, you can get advantage of that if you're, uh, do it a little.

Still, a little sneaky. I fully, like, look, or I, I, I, I spin you around and I, and I, and I adjust my spectacles. Okay. Uh, because it just feels cold. And I don't know why it would feel gold. I critted, I guess. Whoa, you are not.

I don't need to ask. I hate to ask. Uh, so as you look at, uh, Jin's ass, uh, uh, drop something. You're quite, you can see, like, you can see, like, a very young, like 25, I think. We could have said in like human years, you know, pretty young. The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders and armies scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world,

praying the darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadow dark, the darkness always wins. This is old school adventuring at its most cruel. Your torch ticks down. real time and when that flame dies, something else rises to finish the job. This is a brutal rules light nightmare with a story that emerges organically based on the decisions that the characters make. This is what it felt like to play RPGs in the 80s.

And man, it is so good to be back. Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the Shadow Dark every Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on YouTube.com slash the Glass Cannon with the podcast version dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join us. In the dark. Oh, please, not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood. Could we get something a little bit lighter?

Some lighter music here. Are you a fan of true crime TV shows? And what about Unsolved Mysteries? The show that jumped started all of our love of true crime. I'm Ellen Marsh. And I'm Joey Taranto. And we host, I Think Not, a true crime comedy podcast covering some of the wildest stories from your favorite true crime campy TV shows all the way to Unsolved Mysteries.

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Man, there is something about this ass is, not the ass of a tight 25-year-old. Uh-oh. It feels like maybe it's aged slightly differently to the rest of his body during the time that he was. Does it look like, uh, normal? It's normal, right? I think, you know, I think of so bad.

Yes, yes, yes. I think the thing about normal is. I've, I've a fucked up ass, don't I? It's a theory. I didn't say that. I would never say that. Let's just keep going. Let's just keep going.

It's not about how the tail feathers are. It's like, it's like, no, you shake them. Oh, so many. Yes. Yeah, it to the list. Good. See, guys, try and see girls. Yes, Watson, bud.

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