Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry - Vox Machina Ep. 37 - A Musician's Nostalgia

Episode Date: November 30, 2021

Vox Machina return to Emon to prove their innocence. Now on the hunt for the treacherous Riskel Daxio, they must once again face the Clasp, along with some shady characters from Scanlan’s past.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Insurance isn't one-size-fits-all, and shopping for it shouldn't feel like squeezing into something that just doesn't fit. That's why drivers have enjoyed progressives' name-your-price tool for years. With the name-your-price tool, you tell them what you want to pay, and they show you options that fit your budget. Enough hunting for discounts, trying to calculate rates, and tinkering with coverages. Maybe you're picking out your very first policy. Or maybe you're just looking for something that works better for you and your family. Either way, they make it simple to see your options. No guesswork, no surprises. Ready to see how easy and fun shopping for car 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. You're great at protecting your data, but lots of places could still expose you to identity theft.

thought it was safe. If that happens, LifeLock gives you a U.S.-based restoration agent who will stick by your side from start to finish. Phone calls, filing documentation, preparing insurance claims, your agent handles it all. In fact, we're so confident restoration is guaranteed.

Pour your money back. Isn't it nice to have someone like that on your side? Save up to 40% your first year at at LifeLock.com slash Spotify. Terms apply. Last we left off, Vox Machina had finished an extensive, dangerous, tension-filled adventure to the city of Whitestone, the historical landscape that Percival grew up in, to take down the briarwoods, two husband and wife

team who had been responsible for ruling it with an iron fist for five years, doing a series of atrocities, and seemingly preparing a ziggurat or an ancient temple beneath the city for some unspoken deity that the party then discovered to be an individual referred to as Vecna. Vecna. They defeated the Briar Woods, managed to help the rebellion of the people of White Stone retake their town, and help them set up to prepare and have their first Winter's Crest Festival in five years since they were taken by the Briar Woods.

There was much game-playing and eating contests and polymorphed bears and very fun. adventure, an exchange of gifts, and some fun moments, and the party. As you've returned now, the festival over, a few days past, begin to put their affairs in order to return back to him on and what their next order of business is. So, picking up from there, it's been a few days since the Winter's Crest Festival is finished, and most of the decorations as quickly put together as they were, given the circumstances, still loosely hanging around the city as a reminder of the first real beacon of positivity in the city's history in a while. The town's much more lively, as people are less afraid to walk out into the streets during the day,

and it's kind of like watching it really come to life over these past few weeks. Same there. I was going to go ahead and get a scamman. Frog wouldn't be paying attention anyway, it's fine. Squirrel. It's true. It's true. It's very true.

So you've sent off word to Alura in Iman regarding the strange black dot that stands at the top of the ziggurat and letting her know of the circumstance and heard back from her that it seems that it seems smooth. Well done, sir. Well done. And welcome back. Samir. Where am I? I know. I know it's a magical. What's going on? Oh my God, Ashley's here! Oh my God, you're here! Okay, sorry, we're recap. That's okay.

So, where was I? Yes, okay. So, with the town being sent word, you sent word to Alura Vizoran. She's going to gather a few friends and investigate the ziggurat and see what the nature of this lingering magic is. However, there still stands the part of returning to the council and proving your innocence, amongst other loose threads you wish to pursue. What would you like to do?

Well, we have all that awesome proof, right? I think we need to head back to him on. It's like 80 proof. Yeah. Do we have proof? Like, ever clear proof. We have all of the documents that you took from the Briarwoods. There are. Sure.

Stuck in white, well. Plus, we have, you know. Physical, do we have any, someone who can back up our testimony? Do we need to bring any? The new rulers. Well, they're not going to come with us, are they? We could write another. We got Percival. He's kind of in charge. Kind of.

I'm kind of a big deal. I feel like they'll see that as a conflict of interest. That's fair. Well, we can. Should we bring someone along to corroborate our stories? What about, I know someone needs to mind the store here in town, but Cassandra was in their pockets for a long time. And then what about Father?

Yennon, Yevin, Yennon. We could have them write a letter and we can seal it and then it would be official. Let's do that. Make sure that they like notarize it and all that. Government's function on paperwork. People have to take this seriously. That's right.

Don't mock me, dear God. They give him to arrest Percival when he's like, you know, royalty now. I've done a beard and everything. Exactly royalty before. Look at that beard. Now he's rich royalty. We have money now.

Do we? How much money do we have? It depends on what we want. White Stone. Depends on what we want. Can't bankrupt the treasury or anything, but I'm sure that we can dip. 50,000 goats? Don't put a number on family.

Blind carpet, goad. That's actually a very good question. So we go get a letter and we go back to Imondeclayor. Our letter? Hey, Ron. That's our evidence. I mean, I have a head. All right, fine.

All right, all of the documents that you found. You remember all right, all right. Actually, that's a really interesting idea. What? Is there anybody in town who could re-enchant our carpet? No. He said it would take like a year. We need to have a Laura work on that.

I'm asking the Yellow Pages. As far as you know in your experience in the town, there were two main sources of individuals that had focused in enchanting items. One of which they were abode or their shop had been collapsed and they were no longer seen. Tushay. The other one had apparently been the had apparently been acquired by the Briar Woods to aid them in the construction of the ziggurot,

and you met his daughter, and he never turned up. Okay. Maybe we can wait till we get back to Amon and have Gilmore do it. We'll talk to them and see what's possible. That's very interesting. We can't ask Laura to do it. We stole the carpet from her on the first thing.

That was a good point. That would be a very bad move, I think. We could just say somebody stole it from her, we stole it from them, we were trying to return it, it fell in acid. But then what? We wouldn't get it back? Well, she fixes it. Oh, it's a gift for...

Yeah. I like it, I like it. Covering the rug. It makes perfect sense to me. I mean, to be fair, she was just using it as a rug. Right. I mean... Right?

Yeah, that seems like a really expensive rug. Maybe it was keeping it secret. Keeping it safe. Oh, geez. All right, forget it. Let's go. I'm going to craft that thing that I've been wanting to craft. So that was, that we talked about.

Okay, so as you guys are all preparing the circumstance, over these next few days, you've gone into your original workshop, which is a little more ramshackled than the one you have back in Maimon that was built for you. This was just kind of the one that you had pieced together while you were growing up in White Stone. I would like for you to go ahead and make a tinkering check, if you don't mind. Plus we had them send word to Yuriel, remember? We had them send a letter to Yeriel. We did?

We did. Yes, yes, I talked to him. A world before the game. Shut up. So? Oh. Snitch to. Not well.

Can I use my resolve? That's a saving throw. Unfortunately, that's not a skill check. Damn it. Eleven. This is to craft the... This is to craft the... Well, I'm doing the whole kit and caboodle, but...

Right, the entire thing? Well, I mean, if I can break it up into chunks and that would be... Are you, are you, taking it apart, I'm going to take it apart, I'm going to put it back together, I'm going to add the second, the fifth barrel. Okay. Cool. You managed to pull apart over the period of few days, Ripley's pistol. You take aspects of white stone and residualum dust as well as residualium glass and begin to reconstruct it based on its elements in a much more refined and a much more You know, Percival practiced method.

You're very kind. You attach the fifth barrel, the one that you intend to be used to deliver short-range explosives. And it seems to fit together. Oh, no. It's nothing fancy. And a little part of you goes like, it's rattling a little when you shake it in your hand. But can I give it a once-over just to just a... Go ahead and make a perception check.

Oh, boy. Let's be investigation. Make investigation. This is more of a thorough. I hate you. Sorry. The difference between those rolls are really impressive on it. Oh.

So we're into intellect plays off, guys. Whoa! Okay, I'm just going to point out that I just rolled my die before the game started and rolled a natural 20 on my first roll. That's true. Five. Oh, no. 2016, bitch.

That's pretty solid. You think it's a lot. You think it. It would be wise to take additional materials with you as you leave, just in case you want to build something else. But this seems functional. I've got all the little some bits of everything. I'm going to definitely, I've learned my lesson. So in theory, going forward, the gun does function, but every misfire number is increased by

two. So that gives me a three and a... A misfire of three on the pistol, and what is now a misfire of five with the fifth barrel. That would be funny. Yeah. Oh, I also have to make some ammo for it. since it's individual ammo. Okay. Yeah.

Try you just roll for that. Well, for the ammunition for that means something a little more specific. Well, we'll get to that right now. The time you have at this point, you've just managed to finish that before you guys were ready to do. Cool, cool, cool. All right, so. What's the intent, guys? So we're heading back to Amman.

But we did send a letter ahead. You sent a letter, um, notifying them of what has happened that white stone has been freed. And remember I said, make sure to tell them how Voxmarkin has saved the day and how wonderful we are. and he said, yes, you would do that. As far as you know, it's been sent to it. So all the messages there was, because I sent word out to Gilmore as well, we haven't heard anything back from anyone. It's too soon, yeah?

It's been pretty soon since I was just a few days ago. I also think I probably sent a letter to Pike just to let her know that was safe and we survived everything, you know, and she would have been at Winter's School. It was hard thinking of an address in Vasselheim that would reach her, but she did your best to conjecture and you attempted, so we'll see if it finds its way. Maybe it worked.

All right, so how are you guys getting back to Imman? On our horses that we own, do we own horses? They were eaten by harpies. Yeah. Let's go buy some horses. Hey, you have horses that we own? On the harpies that we got to, right? They have horses for them.

There are a couple liveries here that do sell, aside from keeping the horses of the actual guard. I mean, do we like get horses by now? Yeah, I mean, first of all, you have the run-up place. I'm going to assume that I can use some family connections to finagle of the horses. I'd say you're looking at probably about five to six days travel on horseback to get back to Eman. Is there a faster way? There's no teleportation circle there. They don't have one.

Can you walk us through an oak tree? I can, yeah. Yeah, walks through an oak tree. All of us? As long as we all jump within six seconds. What happens if we don't? Well, it's one round. It's not a challenge, really.

It's a very short time period. Yeah, you can do that. We have an instant teleportation is the worst case scenario. And where does it take us? Home to our keep. It sounds crazy. Can we always just use this?

We will actually, in theory, beat the letters that we sent. That's okay, we have proof. But it's coming. It's on the way. Snail milk. We should be the moment. So wait, you can just zap us anywhere in the world?

We could just get another letter. I have a six level spell called teleportation. Yeah, we're getting an For as long as I've seen the tree for it, and we can walk them to tree. We're getting another letter. Sealed. So it looks like, we didn't tamper with it.

Signed, Delivert? Easy enough, you get it signed by, I keep Rihanna, and you get it signed by Cassandra. It's sealed, it's fine. Everything's good here for when we go, Percival, your sister and everyone keep a what's his butt, everyone's good.

If anything goes wrong, we'll hear about it. And we can come back. What's going on with the spinning black cube? Are we okay? Isn't Alura like on her way here? Aren't a lot of people like on their way here? Yeah, where's Alora? I'm so confused.

That's true, wasn't Alora on your way? What happened in 2015? Just the whole way through, start from the beginning. It's been a year, okay. Well, first there were with dinosaurs. Yes. Last year, we're told, Allura is coming with a couple of companions

to investigate the Ziggarots. There was no indication that you were required for that, or could you really aid in that, given your experience. Big for yourself. Cool, cool, cool. Well, your vast understanding of arcane elements in the history of magic should be handy. And Dresvina, right?

I do love black holes. I do not a notice to him. Dresvina. Not Dresvina. Not Dresvina. That's in the way back. Shush, shh, shh. We haven't seen Dresvina in about a year to happen.

Oh, shit. I really, where did? An emperor did. No. Victor, the powder guy. How. Are you looking for the notes that you don't take? I take notes.

Ivan from the other show. Do you mean Ivan from the show? I'm gonna find his name, don't you guys worry, and then I'm gonna bring it right up. All right. She's the brains move. Can we go get out of the fucking letter, please?

We got it. We got it. You've required it. It didn't take more time. She could go. And like, theoretically, they were trying to keep Aller from us anyway, so it's not like she can help us in a mom.

Right? So we can go home. Let's go home. Let's see what happened. Let's go home. Let's hop in a tree. Let's hop in a tree. What?

What? I'm just going to say, here's what we don't know. If we beat the letters home, if we try to walk up with a letter, we should send someone to them with a letter, because probably Uriel came to his senses once Silas was hit with some bits. Well, we can't go find that boy you abused in a mom and that one was in the letter. Who? That little kid you smacked around who wanted to join.

He's long gone, man. I don't know where he is. He's probably back drawing pictures of you on the city walls and crying. Brudge. Get in line. But I don't think we want to walk up ourselves just in case. I mean, we should send somebody.

We'll head home. We'll send our butler to go send, you know. He's fine. He's senile and gentle. They'll be kind. Yes, they'll be very wonderful to him. I can't find it. All right, let's go.

We technically already have a leather coming, and we'll have a letter in hand. Maybe we need more letters. It'll be fine. You also need to remind you that you have a prisoner in the bottom of gray skull keep that was a survivor of the briarwood. If he's still alive. Yeah, you haven't checked in. Yeah, we don't know.

We'll find out as soon as we get there. Lisa would be going home to a very nice surprise. I got one go piece he's turned to kibble. I know. Yeah, I hope our keep's still there. Before we go, can I shitscry? To see our keep to make sure it's on fire? That's not a bad idea.

Let's do it. All of you who are tuning in for the first. first time. I'm going to give you no context. I'm going to concentrate really hard on my bowels. All right, and as you close your eyes. Just see if I can see anything. Roll play this, Sam. As you close. Has it been any movement. Fireburn. There's no movement yet. As you concentrate and close your eyes, you take a moment to connect with that one moment in Grey Skull Keep above the kitchen where you had left your last present. That's the present. It's a gift to the world.

This being relatively early morning on this part of the countryside, you do look in and you see that there is part of a breakfast being cooked for whoever's running the guard time portion that part of the morning. Currently nothing else catching your attention. We can make it time for breakfast. Seriously. All right. You guys want some pancakes. Let's go. Let's go jump through a room. You do see Lena in there. Leena in there kind of walk in and start cooking up some more stuff and then she walks back out. Doesn't look like she's bleeding from the eyes. No, she looks to be quite healthy and

quite jovial, whistling a little tune, though you can't hear it so well. Escalrindarian was the one I was thinking of. There you go, Escalriderian. That's the one, yeah. The Archimaging Westwood. Those notes are written on her Pathfinder sheet. It's still tucked in. I'll come in real-handed. All right, great. How do we do this, Kila? And more importantly, how do we do it so that the bear doesn't come with us. The bear will probably be able to come with us.

Sorry. Pick a fat tree. Pick a fat tree. Well, we have a really big fat tree, right? After all that pie trinkets a little wide in the haunches. He looks good. Oh, wow.

He can fit through the sun tree, right? The sun tree is definitely a large enough tree to create the portal in which you can step through. Yay. Let's use the sun tree. Yeah, get in there. All right. So the rest of you guys gather to

towards the center of the town square in the middle of White Stone. You approached the sun tree, and Kieleth you step forward and- I say, hey, boo, I'll see you soon. The tree silently fist-bumped you through its circling. You'd be good. Take care of you, man.

You hear a voice whisper in the back of your mind. You too, girl. As you reach out. You're the best tree of all time. Tolkien would be proud, man. I think so. I think you would. As you trace your fingers across the surface of the sun tree, it's large, curled

boughs, now starting to sprout remnants of what looks to be fresh leaves. Where your fingers trace, the bark itself seems to glow with a bright, vibrant, yellowish, orange color. As you create a full oval in shape that would fit most of your party, suddenly there's a sucking sound, and it's like the bark is pulled into a distant doorway, and what you can see, it's almost like someone carved a tunnel through the sun tree that traverses for about 30 or so feet. Cool! It means like cartoon physics.

Essentially. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We should go like soon though, right? Jump! Now. All of you guys come walking through, and it is a short-term tunnel. Immediately you can see the other side of it, and as you step through, you can already feel behind you the entrance closing. As you push through with Trinket and Grog pulling up the rear, you can feel the actual tunnel kind of closing behind you.

This was a triumph. All of you come bursting out of the other side of one of the trees that is currently planted inside the Temple to Sarenrae within Grey Skull Keep. And as you all kind of gather yourselves and hear the closing sound of the doorway closing behind you, you glance about and you can see all the stained glass, the rose bushes that are well kept. There are a series of small wooded benches that are placed in a pattern. And behind you, you see currently, wiping down the stone on the front of the temple is in plain clothes, kind of a sleepy-eyed,

currently woken up Pike. I've been here. I. So many questions. So the, uh, when you had heard that the party was going to White Stone, you were already in fear of what may lie, or knowing the history of Percy's past and kind of hearing bits here and there. You came to try and catch them before they left, but the time you came to Iman, they had already been there for some time.

So you've been crying to us the whole time for me? Yes. Why did you say anything? I just, I didn't think to say anything. There was no time. It was no time. We literally picked it for a weekend and went to a festival. We could have come back.

I know, but you know, work needed to be done. Work needed to be done. So thoughtful by cowlame, she's so dumbful. So you guys made it out? What things to you? You probably, you didn't probably, we saved a, did you, were you, did you feel our bag of dicks that we did?

Were you aware of that, our bag of holy light dicks? What is, that was, um, sort of an out of context thing. I don't know what that is, but it sounds pretty fascinating. We killed, me and you sort of teamed up and we killed Lady Briarwood. Of course she knows, like me. Oh yes, how could I forget? Well, I didn't know how like a wary work. Because your connection was fuzzy.

Fully aware. Fully aware of the bag of d'i. That was awesome. I just totally space. Oh, no, that was awesome. Oh, man. Who taught you the phrase bag of dicks? I read it in a book.

Oh, God. Hi. Hi. Back of Richards. Back of Richards. Yes. Have you seen the prisoner here? I, there's a prisoner here.

You haven't actually. In the time you've been here. No, I haven't. I've just been cleaning. I've just had such a need to clean. We actually need here for something. You want to come see you? Yay!

Yeah, we're protected. Let's go. And we run down. Okay. As you guys head out of the temple, it leads you into the main foyer area. Stepping out to the foyer, you immediately hear a loud metal clang. Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang,

in the hallway around so you're right. And my armor is just falling on. And you all kind of immediately stopped for a moment. Hello? What was that? Here's some other rustling down the end of the hallway. Are we on the top floor or down where the... You guys are in the foyer, the main temple base floor.

Pike? Stay here. I'll take care of this. Are you sure? I was born sure. Okay. I go forth to investigate. Make stealth check. As he walks on the stairs I call out, don't get caught, shit head.

Stealth? Yes. Eighteen. Okay. As you come around the corner into the main central hallway of the foyer, you can see there is, to the right is the dining room area, that's closed, and you can smell the breakfast being cooked from the kitchen that's far down to the right of the hallway. To the left is the arcane laboratory.

The door is currently ajar, and you hear the rustling from the inside. Oh, someone's going through our shit. I'm going in there to investigate to know. and I'll try to... You know what? I'll go invisible first and then I'll creep in. Okay. All right, so...

Your image dissipates and vanishes. As you tiptoe up and peek around the corner of the doorway, you can see now there's a few small metallic instruments that have fallen to the ground, and you see a familiar humanoid, a red dragon-scaled individual who is currently picking up, taking up, this kind of thing, confounded thing, and puts it into a bag and starts tying it up and is currently packing up the laboratory. I drop my invisibility and go over and give Tibbsy a big hug.

I have nowhere, and pushes you away and grabs the staff and spins around. It's me, it's me, little yellow different, me. You mustn't sneak up on a storm went like that. I'm sorry, I just it's been so long and we've been so long and we've been so long. I've been through so much without you. I was overcome, I'm sorry. Friends, it's all right. Pike, I cleared the danger.

Hi, Tim. As you guys kind of walk in, you see, Severeas seems both surprised and kind of keeping a composure element to him, keeping his chin high, greetings and salutations. I'd hoped I'd see you before heading out. Heading out.

I've spent a few weeks in Draconia and trying to secure aid for us in Whitestone. Are you from Draconia? Indeed I am. But over these past few weeks I've been continuously balked by my father. By the time I had given up and aimed to join you, the word found me of your victory. Thus I instead remained here anymore. I've had some time to think. Being here on my own for the better part of a week now,

I consider you all friends and fine warriors, mostly. And I've enjoyed our travels together. And I've learned much, and for that I thank you sincerely. However, my diplomatic mission has fallen to the wayside of these recent months, and while my personal mission to recover these artifacts has grown stagnant. as proven by my time in Draconia, I have still yet to gain the respect of my family.

And I feel that the path of Oxmachina and the path of Tiberius Stormwinds haven't been aligned for some time. And hearing about your victory with the Stormwoods, oh, that's me. Your victory with the Briarwoods made me think, while I was sure that you all needed, me. To protect you, I may have underestimated you all. Perhaps you are quite capable without a stormwind. And perhaps I am more capable of my own pursuits, not distractions. I respect you all very deeply

and hope to continue to hear of your exploits across Tal'Dore. But I think at this time, he takes his staff and smacks it on the ground and picks up his bag of things. I think at this time this dragon-born... carved his own path. I must leave immediately. I've been packing for a few days.

As you've known. I go up and hug him, and, um, what would you like us to tell Yurio? I know they are, um, wanting you in court. The politics of these strange human kingdoms don't really affect me. At least I figure you've got this taken care of, and you'll speak in my name, of course, right? Right.

Of course. Of course. So, uh, don't mess that up. Of course not, don't, darling. At the time they'd even come to find me, I'm sure the name would be clear. I come up behind my sister and I take him by the hand and I say, Tiberius. Your friendship was always valued here. I don't think we'd be standing here without... That's true.

I will never forget you. I shall never forgets. all of you. And you can see for a second there's a little, little tear kind of cresting in his nose and he kind of like, ha, ha, dust me, you know how that goes. He kind of looks around, takes a moment. Is there any, speaking as a man who has also had a romantic interest in ladies before, are there any romantic messages you'd like me to pass on for you or to anyone in this town or others?

No. He turns to keelot and takes the keel to go. If you see her, tell her Laura I'm sorry, and she's always welcome to visit me in Dekong. Give him a hug. Very terrible goodbyes. So, uh...

I'm gonna step's back. Goodbye. It kind of flicks his wrist and you can see a already prepared teleportation circle in the room flash with blue ruins as this image waving towards you scatters into nothing. The ruins die down to a cold, magicless circle.

Safe travels, stormwind. Well, shit, said the shits. Did he leave us anything? What? Maybe we should check his room just in case. That's wrong, says? Oh, we have a prisoner downstairs, huh? Oh, Golden Strike.

Yes, yes. We run down to the prisons, oh. I stay in and walk around as much. room a little bit. Okay. As the rest of you head down, you find your way to the basement where your workshop is, and there sitting in a chair currently eating a small steel platter breakfast is Jared, who looks up immediately, he's walking with... Good morning to all of you. There's been quite some time since we've spoken. I'm glad

to see the cheer well in one piece. Everything here has been fine, and he kind of points back to, you can see it on the bed that was dragged down into the prison cell. Oh, no, I think it was actually dragged away. Back back up. Let's go. See within the cell is the small boy from White Stone, who's also now eating off of his own small platter as well, and his eyes kind of light up, mouthful of eggs. He seems to be fine and in good health. Any other attacks on the castle while we were gone? Yes, how did you fare? There were no other attacks as far as I know. We kept a very very very high.

close eye and for a while we had a fine elemental protector from, you know, appeal from Lady Keeveth. Yes, how did that work? Just curious, because he was kind of a test run. Yeah, very unsettling, to be perfectly honest. Good, good, that's what I was going for. Yeah, I don't feel comfortable with haphazardly tethered creatures from other realms. It historically has gone very poorly, so I was good to know.

Sure! Nothing bad terribly bad. Awesome. Bad of the doubts. Well, the good news is we can let you go. You go, you're free and clear. The Briar Woods will not be a problem anymore, and White Stone is rather pleasant at the moment. No, he's not free and clear. He's got to come with us to. Oh, that's right. Testify.

I suppose there is a matter of testify. I come down the stairs. But we can do that, we can't open the cell at the very least. Yeah. Why is he still in that cell? For his own protection. It's on protection, but that's hardly a matter. Remember we were going to let him stay in the guest room and then he was like, oh, he's staying. I got it.

Huh? All the same Jared steps aside and starts opening the cells, the boy finishes swallowing his eggs and kind of sits up. Boy, what was your name again? I'm waiting to see if she has no notes. Fine, don't talk. I'll find it. He got it somewhere.

Is it my old notebook? It's always fun to test them. I mean, I asked you a direct question. On the ground, is shit-stained. His name. His name was Lola. He got the seal girl. Dante.

Dimitri. Damien. No. Dingleberry. Quint. Darren. Dane. Differ.

Tofor. Matthew Mercer. Tofor? No, it was not tofer. Dubert. Earthbreaker Groon. Did you say pubert? Arbiter Graham.

Cynne. Claim. D. Dirk. Dernan. Dismund. The butcher. I really have to re-evaluate my life.

Desmond. Oh, that's right, brother. I knew one of you wrote it down. Desmond, I had it right here, written right there, Desmond. I know. And Desmond just come up against all. It's all. It's all over.

My way, it's a normal. Yes. All taken care of him. And you visually see a weight off his shoulders. He seems to shrink almost three inches from just a full exhale of his body. And kind of a little bit of tears all up in his eyes. I just don't, does it still stand? It's beautiful, so.

And growing. Desmond, dear. Yes. Before you do. Can we ask a small favor of you? Of course. You kept me safe. You saved me. Would you mind... ...most of me?

Speaking on our behalf to Emperor Uriel, Emperor? Yeah. Sovereign Uriyo. Either way. That'd be great. That'd just be wonderful. Of course, I'd be happy to. Thank you.

And you can, you know, come out of the cell and eat with us now. Great! And he goes and take off the little stone slab there, he pulls his platter, which is already half feet, and kind of eagerly walks up, holding it with you, kind of expectantly. Oh, right now. Sure, let's go, then. Oh, hey, let me carry your plate for you, and I start eating his food. Okay, he doesn't notice, he's too excited. You guys make a way back up to the dining room area, and it's at that time that you see,

come down the hall, Lena is, turns around the corner. A pike. Oh, good, Miss Neal, everyone's returned. That's wonderful. It's so good to see all of you. Good to see you, too. You've kept the house in order. Good job. Thank you. I've done my best. I'm so excited to see that you're all well. You don't know very well fed. I can fix that. Come on this way.

Brilliant. I'll just make a little bit more, but first course is coming. Please, please. And she opens the doors and leads you guys in the dining area. You'll sit down, Desmond joins you, and she comes back and begins to prepare the rest of the meal for you over the next half power. so and well you dined on some really, really fine white stone food while you were enjoying the fruits of the Winter's Crest Festival. It is nice to have a home-cooked meal. Traditional Iman breakfast. Eggs, baked beans. Yeah. Fried tomato. Yeah. Flit sausage. Yes, definitely. Wavo, rancheros. So good.

You dick. So you finished your meal. What is your next order of business? Oh no. What's today? What day is it? Are there days of the week? Are there days of the week?

What is the weekend? Those days of the week? What is this world? Is it a work day? How does time work here? There are days of a week. I'm not going to go into the specific subject because I'm working on it.

This question hasn't really risen before, and I probably should forget that out. It's the equivalent, It's the equivalent of a Thursday. It's always Thursday. It's the wrong with Thursday. So it's not hump day, but we're not quite waiting for the weekend yet.

Hop day? A grog, by the way. Shit. Did you think I forget? I'll throw him a goal coming. Thank you. What's that for? What's that for?

I thought Kibble would be dead, but he's alive. Who? Desmond. Oh. A dead Desmond. Deadman. You call them a kibble. Oh, we were just saying how well you look.

Okay. Yeah, keep eating kittle. He just continues to finish. He dies, you don't get the gold coin back. How is his hand doing? Missing. I mean, is it okay? There's no gangrene.

No, it was properly dressed and has been changed as time on while you guys were. Pike, oh. Pike sort of. No, Pike didn't know he was here. Hikes. That's unfortunate. She didn't go downstairs.

I didn't, I didn't need to go down there. But there it is right in front of you all red and swollen, kind of gross. No, it's fine. Is it? How's his hand? How's your hand, Desmond? Can you do this? Can you do this, Desmond?

Yeah. Oh, that's me. That's me. That's me. That's me. Terrible. I know. Him and little boys, man.

Yeah. Yeah. I thought Desmond was like a teenager. How young is he? Yeah, I did too. He's like, close than 18, 19. Oh, good. I know.

A good. A good. Is his hand gone? He's ready for a time. It's missing most of his fingers and a large part of the upper part of the hand is missing. It's bandaged over and like he's still able to kind of use part of the thumb and, you know, it's.

I had a really bad day. Can I try doing a little? You were possessed. I was possessed by an evil smoke. Okay. Sure. Let as well, get the dice rolling. Oh, Mike.

Everyone's stand back. What's happening? She's going to try and undo some of my four decision making. Let's just do a, let's, oh, what happened? What happened? What happened? No, I don't think so. What happened?

I, what happened, Percy? I, that's a good question. I think Whitestone owes this boy a little coin. I would agree. Oh. Perhaps send him, I will send him with... Well, after his testimony. his testimony.

Yes. Should it prove to be valid. How much coin did we pull out of the treasury? You won't tell us. How about we don't talk about this in front of other people? I could give him one of the expensive bottles of wine. How about I sent him with a letter making sure that he is well, well employed? I think that is a beautiful, beautiful gesture.

We should solve all of our problems with letters from now. People would just learn, they'll never mind. Percival. Coin. No. Yes. How about after the testimony? He hasn't fulfilled his duty.

Fine, fine. I'm not sure what the price tag. I'm not sure less your restoration? Somewhat higher than zero. Not to do anything? Yes. Restoration is more of a removal of impairments of impairment to them on like a whole level,

as in like curses, charms, things that affect their body and mind wholly, you know, like that. What you're looking for is more of a very minor regenerative generation, which I would allow it to a very small extent with a high-powered heel. You just blow in his thumb. I mean, you grew one of Liam's, Vax's toes back. That took a long time. Yeah, but we really care about Vax, and this guy kind of will look down at his hand

and remember the time that he worked for some shitty vampires. We leave at the feet. What do you bite? Has he stabilized? Is he stable? I want to just try healing him a little bit. Okay, so what level cure wounds you want to do? I'm still about how much I'm agreeing with grog these days. It's probably a bad sign. Oh, boy.

Yep. Go ahead and go ahead for a level two curious moon. Can I inspire her healing? You can actually, because I'm gonna have a wisdom checking her in a moment as part of her. All right, I'm going to inspire her with a limerick. Oh, nice. 2D8 plus five.

Ryan approves. There once was a gnome from Imam who sang a scandalous song. The ladies would swoon at his rather large tune and say, my, it's impossibly long. That's beautiful. Wow, that was so inspiring. 15. Okay, so you have 15 points, that's good.

Go ahead and roll a D20, add your wisdom modifier with a D20, and then add another D10 to that because it was inspiration. Natural. 20! Whoa! See how... This guy's gonna...

This guy's gonna get a brand new ham. Two hands. At three hands. It would be like a loose-rearing. Two hands. Four. Okay. So, um.

You have two opposable thumbs. Yeah. One hand. So, so as part of the healing, as you take a stand, you kind of pull the bandages off, and you can still see the wounds are, you know, scabbed over, and it's healing, but, you know, it's healing over. As you concentrate for a moment and kind of close your eyes, you can see the symbol of seren ray, and your neck kind of glows for a moment, and the healing energy transfers down your arms, to your

forearms to your fingertips and into the wound, and his hand begins to give off its own radiant energy. He kind of freaks out, and back, and back, you know, and back, and back, he kind of freaks out, up for a second, but you kind of keep his hand there and clean down. As the light fades, you can see the wound itself is now closed over entirely, and the part where he can only partially use his thumb and his finger, that section has completely healed over, and both his thumb and his pinky finger are complete now, and it can be used to grab. Like a claw. Like a crab. But it's functional. There you go. He's a shock. He's got Shock of hand.

Yeah. That's awesome. Much more, uh. That's a cool, you're useful in his room. And it doesn't hurt anymore. Nope. No other need to be dressing whatsoever. Oh, that was very.

Oh, that was very. Oh, boy. First of all, coin. Oh, I'm trying to come up with another. You shut up. I'm going to make my sister pay. Yes. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

And that way, dear brother, he We won't be on the road with lots of gold in his pocket to get stolen. Oh, yes, we're looking out for his better interests. You are so caring. And I should also mention I don't have any money at the moment, so this is also. That's why we have that fabulous crystal.

I gave your sister all my money. I did. A long time ago. Well, it was a long time ago, but it was all my money. About what time is it? This conversation is now making me uncomfortable. 211 in the morning. Should we go in to meet our,

our jury? Yeah. Oh, God. Wait, can I just ask? Because we have three days, and I didn't check on it. I had that jewelry box that we stole from the Tileri house. Yes. I didn't ever look in it.

Because we just took it and set it aside. And so I have this whole thing of jewelry. And I also have a bloody bag of gold and a bag of gems that I've never checked in on. Maybe we can just hand over the bloody bag of gold to dozens. Well, let's look at it first. The bloody bag of gold sifting through it, it contains the equivalent of 200 and, what remember the, 230 gold pieces?

No, no. Gold, all right. Pieces. The bag of gems, it's a few semi-precious stones, but then there are a couple of, you know, well-carved sapphires, emeralds, a couple of nice gems. The overall worth of that bag probably covered. to about 1,200 gold. Awesome. And then the Joybox.

The Joybox has largely gold rings, a few gold earrings, the overall worth of the jewelry in there from what you can ascertain given the time that you were kind of spending with it and your experience with having to hawk and pawn things that you've acquired over your travels. You can probably sell everything in a jewelry box for about 150 gold.

Is any of it, you know, Magical? No, there are no magical implements of it. It is purely just the jewelry box for Tileyri's own collection. I'm keeping the jewelry box because I want it. It is a nice jewelry box. And I'll add the 150 to our party funds. I imagine the jewelry box is still white.

Your greed is endearing. I think so. All right, yeah, let's go. Go to court. Let's go to court. We have our, who has our papers? Scanlan had them. Lynn had them.

I have some papers. All right. A diplomat. Bustleck. Oh, wait. Wait, did we send anybody ahead with our letters? Yeah, I mean, it's probably fine, but I don't, I really don't think we should walk up just in case. I'll do it.

Yeah, he's, you know. It's my problem on a certain level. I'll go with you. What do you mean, you don't want to walk up to the palace? The last time we saw Uriot, he was rather awful to us, and I think he's probably probably, Probably fine after we took out the Briar Woods, I think, but I'm not 100% sure, and I like my head on its shoulders. You think you would go that far? Potentially, we did leave town.

I don't know, it's an unknown quantity. Well, I have some heavy lifting on my shoulders, I'll take a bit of it all now. All right. We'll just follow behind him and stay kind of at a distance like you. So Percy and Grog will kind of helm the walk and the rest of you'll stay back and distance and keep it close high. Yeah. You guys make your way into Amman. And the first thing you notice is, as it was recently, Winter's Crest, a lot of the decorations

still up. You see streamers and ribbons of white and blue throughout the city. Elements of confetti that are still being cleaned up off the streets. It is a busy day for being midweek and around noon time. So it's also nice to be back home where you can hear the plastic sound of hoofs coughing on the cobblestone, the shouting of different individuals across the thoroughfare, and and you make your way towards the center Cloud Top district. As you guys approach the main gate, the guards immediately step front and as you two approach,

Holt there! Have your business here on the Cloud Top? And he looks over at you and goes, you're a Vox Machina. You're not allowed in here, and I'd like to know your business, please. We're here to seek an audience and we would be more than happy to have an assessment.

scold. This is an audience that the king is going to wish to take. Go make a persuasion check. Come on, snitch. Snitch? Better. Uh, 21. Okay. Kind of looks at the both of you, kind of looks past and sees the rest of the group of little ways back,

looks at the guard companion there at the front gate goes, that could be arranged, it's no funny business. The moment you do, it's in time it's going to be done. Some Tide District is going to be done on your head. We have no intention of anything fun. Good. Good. And can I put some stuff up in the, you hear the chains, and the portclus begins to lift that leads into the central area of the Cloudtop district.

You guys step back into the familiar area. The streets here much cleaner, the cobblestone, much fresher. This is, you know, once again where the more upper class and elite of Imman's stay, live and keep most of their business. You make your way through with the two guards flanking you guys, and you can see four more come down from nearby parts of the wall and kind of flank you guys from the back to make sure that you're kind of encased and taken care of. As you walk through the streets, what Turn to be just an arrival is now almost a procession, as individuals are now coming out and kind of seeing this group of you guys walking through the street and peek out some of the local nobles and such. Some seem to recognize you and kind of, oh, and dart back in. There was a woman you spoke to a couple years ago.

It was like an older kind of spinster type woman who was planning a wedding for her daughter. She kind of waves for a second and goes to talk to you guys real fast and then one of the guards raises a pike cord. Later, later, later, later. It's going to be fine. All right. She kind of walks back off. Curious.

You're led past the Citrin garrison to the Central Palace, up the front steps that lead to the doorway. The gates that are currently opened You are led into the central foyer chamber of the central palace. And as you're brought to that point, you can immediately see the guards on the inside and have a sound whispering conversation with the gentleman.

I can read lips. You can. What do they say? It's too sheds. Thank you. The conversation entails, Voxmacher has returned to Riemann on the requesting an audience with Uriel, in the regards us.

Last bit of documentation we've received was they were to be arrested on site. She says, I know, I know, but Uriel rescinded that recently. Is it if they show up to bring them in. They don't seem to be aggressive at all. If they're not going to be stupid, we could just kill them here, so they know better than to do anything stupid in the gardener person goes. You know what? I've seen what they can do.

Bring out whoever you have on ship. And as they kind of step away, this way please. And you can see the guard that was with you kind of splinters off from the rest of the party. And as you guys walk in the hallway, a few moments later, about 20 guards begin to come out from the nearby hallways and follow behind you. I see a guard I recognize.

I go, oh. Can someone goes, oh, God. Oh, God. Yeah. The guy pats on the shoulder, it's like, um, puts a spear back in place. See, everything's fine.

It's a lovely welcoming party. Yeah. You look badass right now. I know. The throne room doors open. The room door is open. Enter in the skylight, the noonday sun now pouring beams of light into the central chamber.

You can see, stepping towards the central dais is Uriel Tal'Dorei, who was not been there previously, apparently has been recently summoned to the chamber through your arrival. As he steps up and kind of sits in his chair, he notices you guys entering with the guards and kind of nods his head for a moment, looks off at the side, and approaching him to join him on top of the platform is Seeker Assum, apparently he has returned, you know, with his shaven halfling hay with his tattoos on the side, and Arbiter Bram, the Claire Kavayun, who oversaw part of your guy's initial trial here in the council. Oh, yeah, yeah. He was under their control. And then after them you see Guardian Tofor Bortoris,

who is the silver-scaled female Dragonborn. Yes. She was just hard-lawed. Tover, what was her last name? Brotores. Man, I need to organize my notes better. We got it all written down. So this is essentially our jury, judge,

Judge, judgment party. It's most of it, from last of you guys were here, yeah. As you guys are kind of brought forward and the guard stop and let you continue the rest of your pathway forward, do you step up to the... I step up. Okay. That's personally the only one that's going to step up. Oh wait, what is he doing? What are you doing? I'm stepping up.

I'm step up. I'm kind of step up kind of behind you kind of like, you know. I pull her a little further along with me and we step up. As those of you who wish to then step up to the front of the dyes, you'll really, you'll Riel kind of sits up and puts his hand out to tell you to stop where you are. I try to reflect. I follow suit. He kind of waves his hand.

It's all right. Don't worry. He puts his hands together like this, and he seems very thoughtful from a moment. The silence that kind of pierces the room leads this kind of underlying tension, this awkward bit of wondering, this, this build of just tension begins to fill the room. before he goes, first and foremost, I owe each and every one of you the deepest apologies. I've only recently cleared my head to a cloud of poor judgment, one that apparently wasn't one of my own making. And you can see, he looks generally distraught. There's kind of bags under his eyes a little bit like he hasn't been sleeping well, and you can see one of the servants go, shall we bring Saldi, I said, no, no, it's all right.

When last we spoke, we had a trial, many things that were brought to our attention, in the time of your absence, in hoping that you would find means of absolving herself of these charges. Seeker Assum here traveled out about to Wildbound to do his own bit of informatory gathering. He returned about a week ago, and just as I was attempting to sort out this haze, Assum, if you were able to be able to do his own bit of informatory gathering, he had returned about a week ago. Assume, if you were please, and he kind of like rest his hands for a second, and Assume steps forward, puts his hood back, and kind of closes his hands before him. First of all, a gracious welcome to you, Vox Machina and friends. I did my digging in Wild Mountain, specifically Winandir in Port De Mali, near the southwest coast of the Shearing Channel. Inquiries by myself and my gatherers before me revealed that the Briar Woods, while once respected in that community, have been accused of necromancy about six years before,

a practice that had long been outlawed in Wildland. Their estate in all lands were to be seized by King Dwendal, but the Briarwoods were officially killed when their homestead was burned by a mob. By what? By a mob. All official documentation in Wildnard of the Briarwoods were set in this death,

and that was the end of their line. However, this information was kept from ever making its way across the shore, as there isn't a lot of business between Wild Mountain and Ymon. Upon doing more digging in Port-de-Molly, months later it seemed that individuals matching their appearance appeared briefly within the port, where they bought a ship and hired a crew. Now, there was no political knowledge in Wildmount or any approval of a bridge being built either. This announcement from the Briarwoods, who had previously been silent, came about the time that I had sent two of my gatherers to look around and never returned. I theorize that this entire presentation to Imam and these political handshakes were a means to avoid suspicion. I don't know what, too, to what means, but the timing seemed a bit conspicuous to me. Those were my findings in Wildmount,

and based on our last discussion, it appears that Lord Briarwood seemed to contain some semblance of mind-affecting prowess. I myself befell to it, and as did our sovereign here. Thankfully, it came to its end. Recently, you can see there's a nod and kind of a deep sigh of guilt that emanates from Muriel. Anyway, that is the gist of my findings while you were off in Whitestone, Sovereign, and he steps back and Uriel raises his head, leaning four with his elbows in the edge of his knees, still sitting in his throne.

It's also been brought to my attention that the attack within my walls was indeed instigated by the Briarwoods themselves, and that Silas is vampiric in nature. This is the influence that clouded me. This is twice now, but I found myself in spite of all of my protections and intents to defend this city, that I have fallen prey to be wills and winds of some infernal intent. And that is not a way to breed, respect, or trust in one's leader. Regardless, let it stand that as of this moment, Vox Marcona is immediately returned to their place in the council, and all charges against them dropped. Yeah.

So, we've also received a bit of word that you were successful in returning White Stone to some semblance of new order. Please, if you would. If you would, would, Your Majesty, yes, first of our White Stone is once again ruled by the Dorolo family. It's good to know.

And I must also at this point offer our own apologies, which are in order. While there was a supernatural flame of distrust in your heart, it couldn't have been ignited without the embers of our own rash judgments and poor choices. It is difficult for men of action to necessarily pay attention to the smaller details of their world and their realities. and for this, we do apologize. I wish I could say it would be the last of it, but again, it is a difficult world, and we are prone to action.

And for that, you have our apologies. I would also offer, my lord, that perhaps these infernal powers are attracted by your innate goodness. And that would be worth meditating upon. I appreciate your counsel. Percival. Well, if there is the Dorolo's still in rule, then are you to return to White Stone?

I am not. There is another Dorolo. The Briar Woods were sloppy in their extermination of my line and family. Cassandra D'Rolo now rules, along with a triumbrant? Triumvirate? I suppose. Council? Council. Council of... Citizensery?

pushing to build the economy once again, and in that sense I'm sure they would be delighted by the opening of trade and perhaps continuing with the plans for a bridge. The bridge? Worth discussing at the very least with the new rulers of Whitestone. We will very much endeavor to extend as much aid as we can to the rebuilding of Whitestone. As to the bridge, this may be more of a matter of us working with the powers of Wild Mount,

as we were under the impression that that was being handled by the Bryans. But we shall pursue this, as this would still be a great boom to our countryside. Thank you, thank you for coming. Excuse me, sovereign Uriel. Perhaps I'm speaking out of turn here and I haven't consulted with my fellows here,

but you did mention that you've been minding control twice now and as council members this doesn't sit well and I understand well what are we to do what the security that you have in place clearly hasn't worked is there a role that we can serve to ensure that you will be further protected if I may Vox Machina would not be here today without the aid and advice of Lady Alora And I would like to personally testify on her behalf of her ability and her wisdom and her heart. I feel she has a great place in this city and you should put great trust in her.

Specifically, she will do much good by you, Sovereign. Plus they may be able to enchant your crown so that it has some special mind control fighting abilities. She's spitballing here. Just, you know, throwing out some ideas. That's all. That could be nice. This is being looked into, as previously was thought that such an enchantment was already provided. It appears the magic went and out, and a re-enchantment is being looked into.

And your advisement on Alura's great deal of respect, influence has been noted, as it has for the entirety of her length here as part of the council. When she returns from Whitestone, I intend to see that she is properly rewarded and regarded in this form. My mother would have said she is a good egg. That she is. That she is. Should we hand over the rest of our... Evidence, documents for the archives. We did collect quite a bit of paperwork and documentation that would fill in any of the gaps.

in the history of Whitestone and... Canna leans forward puts hand out, please, and anything... Of course, of course. We gathered this from the palace in White Stone. Start slimming through the paperwork. Assume. He hints it over and Assum takes a moment of quiet himself to kind of thumb through and he's very carefully inspecting and looking about the edges. Are you looking for something specific? I'm currently confirming handwriting, one that I deal with quite often.

Someone from this king? Yes, actually. That is something we discovered on our own. My liege, his papers do appear to be genuine, and that does indeed appear to be the handwriting of Ryscaldakshua. Yeah. Oh, shit. Sorry. Uriel takes the papers back and it's not, he's been in my side since I've been in my side since I'm

I was young. His father, Mikhail, helms our forces at Fort Daxio. Guards, find in seize, Riscold Daxio at once. The guards immediately go to action. Greetings, adventurers. Spring has sprung here in Los Angeles, and that means it's a brief period where it's only 75 degrees instead of 95 degrees. I'll take it. And that means I've been outside a lot more.

Walking around, occasionally galloping after a toddler hopped up on juice boxes, traveling a bit, you know the vibe. And after doing some spring cleaning, my wardrobe, I gotta say, looking a little bit sad. I want clothes that can keep up with me and my son, but updating my wardrobe every spring sounds pretty expensive. So that's why I wound up signing up for Fabletics as a VIP. It let me overhaul my springtime outfits without obliterating my bank account.

New VIPs unlock major savings on that first purchase, so trying new fits feels way more doable. When I signed up as a new VIP with Fablip, I got 70 to 80% off everything. It made it easy to grab a few new pieces without overthinking it. And the quality really surprised me. Everything feels premium and soft and breathable, but you're not paying those premium prices.

What I like most though is how versatile everything is. You've got stuff you can work out in, but also wear out. There's matching sets, lightweight hoodies, joggers, teas, you name it. The kind of stuff you can throw on in the morning and not worry about later. When I'm at home, my favorite thing to pull on is the oversized hoodie. It's so comfy, I could just live in it 24-7. It's perfect for walking my dog on like a chilly night.

But what I'm out and about, I've really been loving the ribbed Johnny Collar Polo. It makes me look like I should be taking a high-powered meeting by the pool at the White Lotus, but hopefully with less murder involved. I don't know. It's insanely comfortable. I highly recommend it.

So shop now at fabletics.com slash critical role to get 70 to 80% off everything when you sign up as a new VIP. Take a quick style quiz and be sure to select critical role when prompted to unlock your 70 to 80% off. This is a limited time offer, so don't wait. Again, that's fablatics.com slash critical role for 70 to 80% off everything as a new VIP. And now, on to the show.

Greetings, adventurers. Lately, I've been getting a bit more intentional about what I wear from day to day, because instead of just falling out of whatever laundry baskets nearby, I've been leaning into pieces that feel easy and comfortable, but still put together because it just makes getting dressed simpler when I have a plan. Quince has been my go-to to help with that, because the fabrics feel elevated, the fits are clean, and everything just works without me needing to overthink it. And Quintz has all the wardrobe staples you need for spring. Think 100% European linen shorts

and shirts from just $34. They're lightweight, they're breathable, they're comfortable, your legs and torso will thank you, and he will still look put together. And clean 100% Pima Cotton Tees with a softness. Well, you've got to feel that to believe it. Believe you me. Their pants also hit that same balance. They're relaxed, they're comfortable, but still polished enough to wear basically anywhere. And everything's priced between 50 and 80% less than what you'd find at similar brands. Quince works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen so you're getting premium materials without the markup. And since spring is here in Los Angeles, a brief period where it's 75 degrees instead of 95 degrees,

I spruced up my wardrobe with a pair of the comfort stretch traveler five pocket pants and the, heritage-washed denim shirt. Not only do they feel great, but I unequivocally look good as hell while wearing them. That's just science. So refresh your every day with luxury you'll actually use. Head to quince.com slash critical roll for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash critical roll for free shipping and 365-day returns. Quince.com slash critical roll. like bringing their weapons and scattering outside of the throne room. You can hear the clinging of footsteps, heavy footfalls, and weapons and shields banging as they start just scattering about the entire palace around you.

Need to be him right now. Did you just say that there's a fort somewhere? Fort Daxio? Fort Daxiel. It's our northern military post. It's by the Cliffkeep Mountains. A lot of very dangerous things reside up there. My lion's creatures, and he holds the border. He's the adopted father of him.

up his skull, not his actual. But any connection to this traitor may, it may be dangerous for him to be in command up there. This whole place can be a risk. We shall look into it. They haven't spoken in quite a long time. As far as I know, there wasn't a lot of love between the two. Besides, Michaela's not at the fort right now.

Michaela is down in Singol on the diplomatic military mission. Your Majesty, I know well the betrayal do you feel. And I urge, caution. Caution, it is. Don't forget about kibble. Oh, yes. That's right. I guess we don't need him to

just to just cause he's in an effort to be. Otherwise, he just sat around for nothing. You look behind Desmond is standing behind you all wide-eyed and so confused and overwhelmed by everything that's happening and just kind of eagerly awaiting for you to fill them in. This young man was an unfortunate victim of Lydraith when the Briar Woods visited.

He is a citizen. of Whitestone and... Yes, yes, I was told of this, the carriageman, if you had... I would like to have him be the official letter carrier for any of the first set of correspondence to the new rulers of White Castle, so since he will be White Stone, by God, I'm hungry. White Castle. So if you could send an order of sliders, that's well...

Tobrick of the mustard. I'm coming up with this shit, it's not easy. Might need some gut healing after that, yeah. Constitution rule. Thank you all. Would it be reasonable to appoint him as our first correspondence messenger, since he must return home at the very least? Yes, I would still wish to send him with a few of our trusted soldiers to keep him safe.

The roads are not safe between here and White Stone in general. I mean no offense to you, young sir, but you don't look able with a weapon. Especially not against harpies. Harpies. Be my harpy. I should also mention that my lineage has now been restored to me and I am now of royal descent once again. And so again with my companion's permission, and we will discuss this in the future, but I'd

like to put forward the beginnings, the beginnings of the proper paperwork to perhaps have Grey Skull Keep designated as an embassy with all the privileges and rights that that presumes. Who's that, who's that? That could, no, that will be arranged. I will confer with my ideas. You are quite safe. Before we give, before we give Desmond his appointment

as a royal messenger, which I guess he is, with the kingdom he risked much to keep himself alive and possibly to testify on behalf, Would the kingdom be willing to give him a quick little reward for his time spent in captivity? Make a persuasion rule. 24. Nod for eight.

Yeah, come on. He gives a nod and looks to Desmond. Certainly. It's only fair. We've traveled this far and undergone much personal difficulty in aging us and relieving this darkness in our territory and yours as well. I would like to grant a part

on him by my estate as sovereign Uriel, a granted gift of 1,000 gold pieces to be said in this way. Whoa! You see, Desmond kind of like, I... I will... Don't faint? Don't spend it all in place, bro. Desmond, the debt that I owe you is larger than coin.

And is... What of coins, huh? It's all going. So if you can think of how... of what sort of trade you would like to spend your next years of life pursuing, whether it be in. Probably not loop playing.

I'm gonna just throw that out there. Wow. Fucking cold. Drums it is. Drums it is. Holy shit. You are a terrible person. I'm a terrible person, but you're the worse.

Even I am taking a back. My jaw is just open like, oh. There's an awkward tense pause for a moment as everyone looks over to vent. including Uriel. And Sigurass Sumrinna stifles a chuckle. Do you know what's amazing, Sovereign, is that Vexalia and Percival were just talking earlier today, and they promised each other to match.

Whatever you offer this boy, and I am amazed at their generosity and kindness. I walk Roxanne to him on the back of his arm. Just like that. Oh. E. R. El Canauntz, that is generous. At which point, uh... Whatever work you would wish, Desmond, is available to do. Two guards rush in at this point and whisper something into his ear, which effects you see the lips moving, that's which you can do.

The uh, the verbiage comes across is actually not. Oh! Oh! Oh, the first whisper in 2016! Oh, I love it! Breaking in the New Year! I'm making this up as I go. I don't know what I'm doing.

Look surprised. I'm a fraud. I've got a Reddit page open behind my DM screen. Okay. I'm an over camera. So, Uriel's eyes go wide from a moment and nods. All right. The guards rush back off and... Well, if there's anything else, I believe this is completely. hoods, our business.

Is there anything else we need or require? I think we're perfectly well suited for now. Is Desmond off to Whitestone? Desmond kind of nods and... I imagine so. Oh, Vaxalla, you best give him that thousand gold. I would right now, but I don't have any on me. How crazy is that?

Oh, no, I almost are about reminding you, bring your extra. I didn't bring my thousand each. Since I am also gold poor, I'm writing it into the letter to my sister And Desmond, I'm gonna send that along as soon as I can. I will do that for you. An individual of the court has just come up

and handed him a sack of gold coins, and he has him in, does I mean listening to you. Hide it around. Put some in your shorts, put some in your shoes. Yeah, tuck it down by your nuts, eh? Yeah. Put sitting in front of his pants and pulls his little belt type. Hi, hi, um. Keeps it safe, makes a lady take a double look.

Mm-hmm. I also made Sean the letter that they know that he is returning to Whiteson with this money so that if you somehow, if it's mismanaged by any of the guards or otherwise, that will be taken care of. He is escorted by two of the guards to his temporary chambers here at the palace. Yereal, we'll leave you to your business,

but if you need any help finding anyone, we're here for you. Thanks for a minute. I know you've just returned. We've already done so much. It's come to my attention, that Ryskal Daxio apparently has fled to palace, or at least has not been seen for a number of days.

I've sent the garves on it, and see if you could see if you can gather as much information as you can. But if you find it within your capabilities to seek any information regarding his wellabouts and possibly bring him to justice, I would be very grateful and happy to reward the destruction of this traitor.

Do you have any intelligence that he's still within city walls or? It's only been a few days, so I haven't been. I'm trying to find out now. You may move swifter than my guard if previous experience has told me anything. He kind of looks over to some of those guards who kind of like, what? Oh, sir, we're standing right here. You guys doing a great job. You're great, you look great.

Man, we ain't found. Thank you. At this point, Guardian Tofer, for recent, says, my leash. My leash, if I might also be excused to do my own such. I would appreciate that. But of course, Guardian, please go on your way, and she scatters off. The rest of the council kind of looks about, and, you know, Seeker kind of glances the rest of you. Ariel stands up for Mr. Very well. Thank you. And you're all dismissed from this council meeting. And he stands up and begins walking off with Seeker assume at his side, quickly kind of talking up to him and them both having this kind of heated discussion. leave out to the western side of the throne room.

Are there any other guards in the room as we leave? There are four other guards, two pointed to the front door, and there are two of the sides of the central thrones. I looked at the guards at the door and I go, Told ya! They both kind of step back from a minute from the booming voice out of nowhere and kind of yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. All right, so we're free. Yeah. Okay, cool. That went well. That didn't go well. That went better than I expected,

I'm sure. Always worried. Are we tracking down? The skull. The dickhead that built off freaking Keith. Yeah, you know, I'm kind of wondering. If I was a sneaky bastard. You're not. Don't say that about yourself.

Thank you so much. I sometimes get concerned. I know where you're going with this, you should finish the thought. Yes. If I was a sneaky bastard and I wanted to make sure. You're not. Thank you. I want to make sure I had an emergency escape route outside of the city and was maybe

tasked to build, I don't know, say our keep within the last year. I kind of feel like we need to start at home here. Yeah. I mean, he's built a lot, but I assume he's probably a secret entrances into different places. I bet there's because our keep is butted up against the the border of the city and the Do we have the blueprints to Gray Skull Keep? Yeah, can we get them?

Yeah, you can probably ask for those. They won't be on there, it would be on there. No, but being able to study them, we might find places where one could be, or maybe even like, interesting anomalies. You're thinking that he's hiding in our keep somewhere? No, but he escaped through our keep. Or he might have hidden an escape in our keep.

There might be things about our keep we don't know. I mean, could I take a week and really size up the entire building? Which building? Are you going to? If you want to, yeah. We'll get the blueprints just to help. Yeah.

Did we even ask where we last saw Resckel? Can I search his room? Are we allowed to do that? No, no. Can we ask for like transparency and information exchange or something like that with these people? Right?

So that we can kind of come in and out of the Cloud Top District. Are we cool there? You're cool now. All the charges have been dropped. We're representatives of a foreign level. alternatives of a foreign government. We're high up. Okay.

Cool. So here's my other question. The Briar Woods wanted something with Amman that had nothing to do with building a bridge, right? What did they want? What did they want? Seeker Assume found information that it seems that the whole bridge conversation.

It was like a ruse to get in. Well, it arose because he began to send agents into Whitestone to find out. was happening. And he believes that they discovered that Imam was now looking at them. And so they reached out to try and distract or prevent them from further. So it's supposed to being like just quiet and accepting this, you know, outside attention. They cut it off at the head and went like, hey, let's talk about how we can work together as a way to try and not keep this weird, constant influx of spies.

So the Briar Woods coming to Amman is assumed to be just a formality? That's all they were here for. A distraction. Yeah. To continue to raise belief in that conversation. They may not be the case, but that was... But why would I go? Why would you go?

Why not send a representative? So you can gain better control. So you can work your magic. Validity. To make your magic. And to cast that shit. And tell them to stop investigating. Anyway, I want to go check out of you.

to go check out his room. Okay. And you also recalled it. Rouskel was also in charge of security within the palace. And part of the notes that you had received about him talked about discussing back and forth the Briarwoods in preparation for their arrival to make sure that most of the magic wards and defenses that were usually set up there were all removed or false. Wait a second.

So we're going to go check out his room to see if we can. Find a secret entrance to see some. But also, who would know. Is there only one that we know who would know, would Gilmore know where this guy has gone? You just really want to see Gilmore. I mean, I assume he has like, Why would Gilmore know?

Assume is up there. Does he knows everything about everyone? Does he? I don't think he just has really nice hair. I think, yeah. Isn't that the same thing? It's different from actually knowing things. I honestly think that if Assume doesn't know,

nobody knows. Assume is our source of information here. you know what they say when you hussoo. Hey. Let's go check out. Let's do it. He's just staring at you. So as you make your way over to

as you make your way over to Rizkell Daxios' room, there are two guards out front and you can hear things being rummaged around through inside. You can see a couple guards are picking apart of his room. And at first glance as you step up, they see you in the guards. The guards step aside. Council members coming through. Take a five. The guards are imaging as your NGVC cabinets

and stuff have been pulled out. Bedsheets have been turned over. Most of the room appears to have been left untouched except for most of his belongings. Anything that would have worth is empty. Most of his drawers are empty. You can see already there is what looks to be a small chest that is open and empty on the ground.

Well, I'm going to perception check, that's check. Go for it. I'm gonna perception check the whole room to see. Make an investigate check for you. And I'm going to look for secret compartments in the walls. Investigation, you said? For investigating these specific things for this purpose? Yes.

All right. 20 for me. 19 for me. All right. 23 for me. Okay. You guys, inspecting the room, you find the chest that you're looking at currently,

back? It has scrapes on the inside. Looks like it contained a great sum of money. That was then removed and taken as if pretty much a large portion of his personal wealth was removed. Oh, I said that's your inspection check. Okay. You looking about the room, Vex, you find that the arrangement of the furniture, you find that the arrangement of the furniture seems to have these glyphs that are inscribed on certain pieces of his furniture that are reminiscent of some of the glyphs that you saw. No, actually, on the ziggurat. There are symbols that are that are concurrent with some of the the writings that you saw inscribed up there. You can't read it necessarily, and they don't appear to be enchanted by any means, at least not anymore, but it appears like there was something about this room that was purposely arranged for some sort of arcane purpose. What are you gasping about?

You sound perturbed. The glyphs. I saw them at the ziggurat. Keylith, Pike. Mm-hmm. Do you know anything about- Anyone who wants to take a shout at arcane, I would recommend those are proficient, because it's pretty deep knowledge.

If someone, I can't do the old parking thing. I'll do an arcane. Yeah, may as well. Grog is our expert on all things. 20 grog. Oh! Did he get it? Did he get it?

I want to see how this pulls together. So, as you all sit around, as you all sit around and pull forth this chair, there's a broken piece of the bed that was found as part of the guards emerging through the room. You also see that one of the floorboards that has pulled up has this carved on the bottom element of it. And as you're looking over, especially specifically Scanlan, who has, who has seen many things about the world as a bard, taken into much knowledge. I've very well traveled and very old.

You're trying to find out what the connection to this is. You've seen parts of this arrangement before, and while the ruins are different, there is something about the way they're arranged that reminds you of something in Grug. You immediately remember that the last time that you tried, your party tried to scry into somewhere that didn't want to be scryed in, and it was either aggressively ousted or prevented from any sort of intrusion. The beholder.

This is the same type of arrangement in here. Something about this just says, this room doesn't want you to look at it. Right, it's funny, but like the pictures that were on the big shape, right? There's something about it that reminds me with this arrangement of that time that we fought that shithead beholder.

Uh-huh. Yeah, like, it doesn't really want us to look in it. Is this like an anti-scrying glyph set? Having a look at it now that you've given the guidance from Grog, the all arcane seeing barbarian. I think this room boosts intelligence. Instincts are just right there. It's just a feral thing.

He's very good at finding the memory, but that helps guide you to the knowledge and understanding immediately. That is it. These glyphs were, while no longer having power, because an element of them was taken or damaged in the process, this room was guarded against scrying. scrawing very subtly, but essentially preventing anyone from peering into Ryskell's private goings on, and anything he was doing within his personal delvings where the Briarwoods

was all kept from being peered into. Do I know what kind of magic or what kind of magic weilder would have been able to protect this room or design this protection? Pretty much any castor of a decent, mediocre local casting can be done. And it's not a terribly uncommon enchantment. It's just expensive. Do we have any idea when the letters came in to Iman that we were successful?

Which ones? You sent different ones at different times. Either or. When did they get them? Do we know? Can we find that information? The letter that you guys had sent that just absolved you of your stuff that you had sealed,

that was sent closer to Winter's Crest, and that has not arrived yet. Okay. sent to Allura regarding the inspection of the Ziggurat. Yes, that one. That arrived about a week and a half ago. So that arrived a lot sooner, because you sent it a lot sooner, and Alura has already left.

And apparently has gone to seek some allies to cover. And it's been about three days since they've seen Ruskell? About three days, yeah. And did we find anything else, any hidden compartments? No hidden compartments throughout the room, write your search now. Can I go outside? Yeah, you step outside of the room. I want to do a, no, outside. Dirt.

Oh, okay. Okay, you're gonna have to walk out on the actual palace into the courtyard area that's kind of around the front. Okay, bye, Keeler. I'll be right back. Okay. I'll be right back. I think she has to drop a D.

She has that expression. Is there a guard outside of the room? Princess D. Just like the bushes better. Is there a guard outside of the room? Yeah, there are two guards outside of the room, and there are two guards that have kind of kind of stood back and let you guys go about your business.

Should we try and shake one down and ask who was the last person to see him? Why do we need to shake him down? Hey. Because that's what I do. Do you know the last time, who the last person was that saw this gentleman? That is much less exactly. As far as we know, last he was seen was a few days ago, his servant actually, who's currently being interrogated in two rooms down, we'll probably have more information.

What was the servant's name? This should be, hold on me, pull several facts. I'm looking at his own notes. The guard just keeps notes. The guard just goes through all of his notes here. He's got a little pocketbook. He's got two pieces of toilet paper, charcoal. Um, Jeffrey.

Jeffrey. Jeffrey. Servant, Jeffrey. Yes, Jeffrey. He's being interrogated right now. I immediately leave the room. Yeah, yeah. Let's go do that.

I follow Grog. I'm coming to. All right. So they'll get there before you get to your place, so. As you're heading down through the palace, you guys go to the next room, and the door's open, and you can see this young man probably in his early 20s or so, half elf. His dark hair is pulled back into a very tight ponytail.

Go, you got it. He sat in a chair currently, not tight or about or anything, but there are two guards. guards who are currently kind of shouting at him and currently ones like, where did you go? Have you seen him? Where did he go? And I'm trying to tell you. He just, he left three days ago. He packed up and he left. He walked right out. He said he, and he looks over and sees you at the doorway. You too. You too. Leave. The two guards immediately step away and leave the room. Do you enter with him? I do.

Good cut, bad cup. All right. All right. All right. All of you. you guys follow in after Grog. Grog's a good cop. Grog's a good cop. Look at his face. I take out Craven Edge. Oh.

And I put it unsheathed next to my foot. As it slams into the wood, it sinks about an inch, as the blade just slips into the wooden floor. You can see guys, as he pulls it out and sets it to his side, almost like missed off of a... a very, very hot, wet surface. You can see shadow just drifting off the blade ever so slightly.

You know there are those that protect life. They just left. Now, whatever me and my mates are gonna ask, you're gonna answer honestly, or your life will be forfeit. Right. I... Don't talk unless you're asked a question.

My little maid over. here. We'll begin. Jeffrey, is it? I? Jeffrey. Yeah? He doesn't want to use the sword. I don't want to... He doesn't like to use the sword. It's a lot to clean. There's brains on it.

He likes to keep it nice and tidy in here. This isn't even our palace. Don't make him use the sword. Oh, no. I don't want to. Just ask him. Just answer the question. It's totally fine. Okay. It's going to be funny. She wants some water?

No, no. A pipe to smoke or anything? A pipe. Just anything to relax you, make you feel about it? No, no, I'm okay. What was the last time you saw Reskell? That would be three and a half days ago. He took most of his belongings and packed them up for a trip.

He said he'd be back within a month. Inside check that bitch. Yeah. All right. I will insight check in that dish. Do not go well. I'll do it as well. 16.

He seems to be bewildered, fearful, and not holding back any information. He's just at a point where he doesn't quite sure what else to say. Uh-oh. I'm sorry, Jeffrey. He's not gonna like using that sword, but it looks like it's coming. It looks like it's coming. No, no, no, no, no. He saw he's moving a little, isn't it?

Spinning it down. On the tip. Three days he left. He said he'd be gone for a month. I don't know where he left. He walked right out of the Gladtop district. Where did he say he was going to go? He didn't tell me.

He didn't. Oh boy, this is going to be hard night for me. I'm going to have to talk him down from this. He gets so worked up. I just got it clean. I just got it clean. I don't know. Jeffrey, please.

make more work for me if he has to behead you right now. Please. Please help me help you. I just met a girl. I mean, I know the answers. The answers are excited you. If I have to open you up to get to him, I will. No, there's no answers to find I'm empty.

Jeffrey, Jeffrey, did your boss get any letters that he stowed away anywhere? Did he have a safekeeping place? A secret residence somewhere in the single walls. He had a chest, but he took everything out. He left. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Do you ever regularly travel to anywhere in the

walls of the city. Uh, he, um. I walk up and stand right next to him. I, um, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, specifically. Uh, it was, uh, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a tavern. It was far, far, uh, I found it curious that he would, uh, attend. The tavern's name.

Uh, he was, um, I laid the sword right on the table and look at the diamond nest, the diamond nest tavern. That's the one. The Diamond Nest Tavern. He went there, I assumed, to do what young-ish elven men do when they're in stuffy work. I don't know. I don't know. I didn't go inside.

How often did he go to the Diamond Nest Tavern? This is our sergeant. Not often, a few times every few months. Did it follow some sort of regular schedule, or was it just out of the blue? No, no, not that I recall here. I think six months or so, a few times recently in the past month, but that was all. I feel this has been very helpful.

Yes, yes, you have been quite helpful. Give us the name of that girl so we can send our condolences to. No, no, no, no, no, no, please, don't know. There's your name or address somewhere. He's just weeping now openly, like his hands. Oh, not on the blade. Not on the blade.

And then you're a voice like, I'd go, no, keep the tears coming. Oh, shit. Groger, are you feeling all right? Is everything, everything's all right? Yeah, how are you? I'm fine, I just want to check in, just to see how you're doing. First of all of all of a sudden, are you feeling all right?

Jeffrey, is there anything else that might help us in our search for your former employer? Don't kill me. He's lost at this point. Lost, okay. The sword is a bit iffy. If he? Crog, what do you think? Is that?

You saw. Crog? I assume you saw. Can you see in this room right now? Are you talking to me too? What? I was saying, can you see in this room right now? Can you see what's happening in this room right now?

I can. We are totally intimidating this shit out of Jeffrey. Isn't it? Yeah. Can you see what's happening? I can. Shut the fuck up. Grog, what do you think? Should we let him live?

Well, I suppose. He's been pretty helpful. Haven't you, Jeffrey? I put it right under his chin. Jeez! Go ahead and make a wisdom check. Oh my god, you're gonna kill him! What? What if the sword takes it for? Oh, sorry, a wisdom saving throw. Savings throw.

Geez, Louise. I'm a terrible person, I know. 14. 14. Oh, God. For a moment, the shadows begin to surround you, and you feel the urge to push the blade right through his measly little throat. But you see the face.

But it's not his face, it's the face of Pike right next to you, looking up at you with this... Grog! And you pull yourself out for a second and the blade comes back. instinctually. Well, it was all part of the show. It's just a show. All right, Jeff, you've been very helpful.

Change your Bridges and don't do bad stuff. And I see you. Okay. I will. Thank you. Thank you. Have a good day. Oh, God.

And remember, shop at Gilmore's glorious goods. Okay. Oh, well. I will. A will. Drink it goes up and licks his face. It's good beer. We should give him something.

No. We should. As you guys all walk out of the... You hear in the back of your head, this long, rumbling, unhappy sigh. We should go check out this tavern then. Yes, we should. Yes, we should. And maybe get a drink there.

Yeah. And maybe go to the bathroom there. Yeah. Yes. Yes. All right. So you guys are heading to the... Well, I'm out in the courtyard. Yes, now getting tequila.

I want to do a commune with nature's family. Okay. All right. So... Age of Aquarius. Age of Aquarius. That got weird. Is this what happens when you spend time on your phone? It's true. All right, commune with nature. So, what are you requesting to know about?

Is Ruskell anywhere anywhere? Where in town? As you're connecting, you feel your mind reach out to the earth itself, to all the plant life that exists beneath and through the cracks of the cobblestones. The few trees that are peppered throughout the city, keeping arduous watch over the goings-on within the city of Amman. And a single thought comes back to this. Is, shit.

I mean, I'm not there. Can I take my second question to focus a little harder and figure out where in town he is? Your vision casts through and brings towards the outskirts of the graveyard district. It brings you to a series of buildings, one building in particular, but not within, beneath. And the vision fades. He's in the tavern. Or is he a fucking vampire? Oh my gosh. The vision fades. That's all I got. Yep. He's beneath the tavern. Do I get one more question? You do?

How and when will I die? What is the meaning? 42. Can I see any type of underground secret tunnels or passageways that lead out of the city? As you have a brief vision, there are a number of tunnels that snake underneath the city, many of which are long. collapsed or destroyed. You do know there are a handful that spill out towards the docks deep beneath the city itself. Smugglers. You're hard pressed to find specific locations but one of them does seem to drift near the location of the

tavern you were previously given a vision of. Coal beans. Nature fades from your grasp suddenly your consciousness returns to just your simple form of keylet. Do we go out and see her, sitting there? Keyleth. Kieleth. We found a lot of information by scaring an innocent boy. We need to go to the graveyard district for some reason. There's a tavern.

That's funny, I found the same thing, but I just meditated for a minute. Shit. Oh, wow, cool. That's not nearly as much fun. You know, I'm glad we got things that overlap, though. Yeah, that's good. We corroborates.

Exactly. Cool. Well, I found good news. Escal's, a reskull, is still in town. Really? Yeah. Are you sure? I'm pretty sure. I kind of got his essence, was kind of floating in nature's ether, and nature told me he was. Where at the tavern? At, in the graveyard district, it seems like he's somewhere, I saw that, he's somewhere underground. Also, it looks like there is, in fact, quite a lot of tunnels in secret passages that lead out of the city near,

You are amazing. You are amazing. Pike and I spent a bit of time underground in the graveyard district with the clasp. I don't know if the Taves Guild is... The Diamond Nest Tavern was the tavern that contains the secret entrance to the class. We busted in there! So we haven't. I thought it sounded familiar. Oh shit.

Wait, is this the same tavern? Is this the one that's got like... Bert Reynolds. Right. Is this the one that's kind of like a... also like a whorehouse? like a whorehouse? Is that that? Aren't they all right?

We're definitely going. No, this one is not. Not this one. Okay. You've only really been to it at the really wee hours of the morning when no one was there for the most part so you could sneak in and out. Okay. You've not been there during its normal operating business hours. What time is it right now?

Right now, after all this conversation, I'd say it's pushing one, two o'clock in the FBI. Let's go, plenty of time. Perfect time. Yeah, I think he's hiding. I think it's a perfect time to take a break and then. I was about to get to that. Somebody's about to bust. Somebody needs to go to there.

Gotcha. Are you guys heading towards the graveyard district? We're heading. We are. All right, as you gather up this information, head out of the Cloudtop district, towards the western side of Emon, toward the graveyard district.

We will go ahead and take a quick break. We'll see you guys back here in a little bit. Welcome back guys. We've had a little break here. We're going to go ahead and hop back into this chaos. So, as the party, Fox Machina makes their way through Iman, the sun itself pushing towards about 2.33 o'clock in the afternoon. Yeah. You make your way towards the graveyard district, and there to the familiar.

Wait, on the way, can I throw something in here? Yes. About halfway there, I go, oh, my foot. Pike, come here, and I pull her off to the side. We'll catch up, we'll catch up. What? What? What's wrong with your stupid foot? I take the insults and I wait till they all march on. Okay. I take the insults. I take the insults and I continue. Used to it, used to it.

Pike, um, I had a front row seat to the Briarwoods and the blade that Grog has now, that we have never seen before came off of Silas Briarwood. I thought something was wrong. It makes me nervous, I don't know why, other than it looks big and fucking scary. I thought about talking to him myself, but he will just kick me in the goolies. So I thought that I would tell you.

Okay. Because I think he would listen to you. Did you see the stuff come? Yeah, it kind of reminded me of Percival's shit, which is why I'm talking to you now. Well, that makes me stressed. But he likes you. Not so much me. I'll talk to him. I'll talk to him and see maybe if, I don't know, I'm going to check out, I'm going to check out the swords and see if maybe Is somebody popping popcorn? Yeah, I think they are. Oh, cool.

There you go. There's a street vendor on the way to the tavern. Either that or a rock tumbling. Well, I'll say, it sounds like a tailing. All right. Okay. Thanks for letting me know. This ball.

Here Grog belch in the distance and echoes through the open walkway of the city's grief. It's off the mountains. It's pretty fantastic. You catch up to the party. and you guys make your way to the outside of the Diamond Nest Tavern. A familiar tavern to all of you, as you've been here once or some of you twice before. However, during this time, the front doors are open in the middle of the afternoon, and you can hear from the inside the laughter, bustle, and movement of people

and music playing very loudly from the interior. It sounds like various instruments cross-playing and the occasional cheer as glasses and Steins clink on the inside. I'm going to throw up my hood and I'm going to pull out my other cloak, the red one, and I'm putting it over Pike. I'm putting the hood over Pike's head. You have two extra cloaks? You gave me one and then you have another one? It's like dumb and dumber with the gloves.

Which cloak are you given her then? The mountabank. The what? Okay. And you're keeping which one? The I'm the displacer cloak. I've been wearing. Right, right, okay.

I just don't want them to be seen. Are you visible? No. No. No. You're just... Just say yes. Like, where's Pike?

Where did you put it go? Where's that clay? Click, click, click, click. Click, click. Your features are better hidden by this thick cloak, just because it's big and not currently designed for some of your stature. Round your cheeks. It's going to say, what does the clientele of the bar kind of kind of look like? Well, as you guys step inside, the clientele here appears to be regular, the equivalent of a blue-collar work staff.

A lot of folks that are, you know, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, dirt in the face, gentlemen who are part of the construction crews or stoneworkers, masonry, probably a work within the actual district in the process of moving plots or building, you know, small, mosolems, and things like that, within the actual confines of the district. You see across the way, there's the live band playing, of which, you know, there, no one really of note at first, however, Scanlan, you do recognize two of the individuals on the far side of the bar. In the band or on the- In the band? There is an individual named Kent Plucker, who is a half-ling bard currently on the loot.

Currently on the lute. Yep. Which you had traveled with previously for quite some time, along with the other individual you recognize, a rowdy-looking but well-dressed half-orke violinist named Dr. Drenzel. Half-orke. Black hair slicked back, well-dressed with a really rough-looking angry chin. Aside from the attire and the dress would look like the meanest, leaning more towards the orc side than the human side.

But very well-dressed. with a violin over the chin that looks so tiny by his massive, but he's playing away and it is glorious. Have we heard of these individuals? Yes. You've heard whispers from Scanlan long ago about just kind of his travel and various tales he gives. It's my true. Oh, I forgot about Dram. Dr. Drasel.

Dranzel. Drenz. Dren. I was right the first. They forgot about Drain. Dr. Drain. Dr. Drenzel. Dransel.

60 seconds late, ladies and gentlemen. It's my troupe. This is amazing. It's my troupe. Your turn. I want to go say hi. Of course I want to go say hi, but I don't want to distract us from our mission. No, do shit, Skahnman. We'll just look around.

Don't do your shit. How about you ask to jump in for a turn? Yeah, you know, we never get to see you play, Scanlan. Not to your full capacity. We'll blend in. I plant my foot firmly into his ass and just shove him towards the two guys. We'll use it just attoration. I haven't seen them for a while.

I don't know how they'll react. As you're getting that word out, you're shoved forward, stumbling, almost being tripped by a few of the patrons, but as you stop and look up, you see before you a young, cute, nomish girl with a very short pixie brown hair, currently playing the flute. He kind of looks over at you and gives you kind of a winky grin. To the right of her, you see a rather rotund human male

with a bushy blonde beard and raggedy hair who currently has a series of small percussion drums around him just hitting around. And to the other side of the small gnome girl, you see a half-elven, more mature woman. In the later years for a half-elven woman, hair tied into a very, very tight bun, and she is in the process of singing this wondrous tune that matches this kind of improvisational feel of the band. Currently, Kent is not not paying attention and is on the far right side, but behind them all, towering over just by stature, is Dr. Dranzel with his violin,

and as some before, he looks over and just kind of gives you a smile and keeps playing. Mind if I jump in? It would be an honor. Scandling short-hearted, ladies and gentlemen, jump into the play. Feast your eyes, feast your ears on quite a great traveling troupe of musicians and one humble gnome who is so lucky and humble to join them.

Please keep the tips flowing for us and your waitresses. And with that, the current song comes to a close. They all lift their instruments expectantly and look towards you. Let's play our old standard and a one a yanna, two yanna, one yanna. What instrument do you pull out? I'm gonna pull out the flute. I'm gonna play the flute for a lot. So you go alongside. The singer sounds good.

I don't want to rain on her. Yeah, no worries. So you pull out your flute and the other Nomeish girl with her flute as well kind of gives you a look and you guys start weaving together this kind of like flute duel, almost like Flight of the B's, but two conflicting sides. Go ahead and make a perform check, if you good? I've never done one of these before.

I try to blend of these before. with the crowd as he's doing this and like, look around the room. It's going to be great. I go and I get as many ales as I can carry and start handing them to those guys. Okay. No way. 22. 22. As you guys begin to build this kind of perpetual symphony of,

it's almost jazz flute almost in this kind of improvisational feel to it. The drums build. You can see daughter Drenzol's, like tapping his foot to it and gets this really fast kind of fiddle sound out of a classic violin. 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 and its most cruel. Your torch ticks down in 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 from 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. Baby, you will laugh, you will cry. You'll think about true crime in a whole new way, and you'll also ask yourself, who gave these people mics? New episodes of I Think Notta released every Wednesday

with bonus episodes out every Thursday on Patreon. And every Monday, you can listen to our True Crime Rundown, where we go over the top true crime headlines of the week. So come and join us, wherever you listen to your podcast. The whole room begins to guys. gather around and cheer. Vex. Here have a drink.

Another whisper. Ashley is subtly massaging Laura's ass. For inspiration. ...and make sure he doesn't any of us. Got you. All right, so as the song builds, builds, builds, people are cheering and shouting and you bring the drinks over,

Kieless and you kind of sit them down. Can me and the other flutist end? flutist end with an impossibly long-held note. Make another perform check. 33. Yeah! And with that, you both inhale almost like through eye contact. You know what was coming?

And hold, and you can see her eyes start to get tense and bloodshot. Her face starts turning beat red. All the rest of the music stops and everyone just kind of gathers around. The air leaves the room as everyone seems to kind of lean in. And eventually she gives up an... She gives up and exhales and inhales sharply, dizzy by it but still smiling, and you can only imagine the blurred romantic tunnel vision she has in your direction as you carry it for about three seconds more and then end with a trill at the end. The whole room just rouses and cheers and clapping. You can now see coppers and silvers and a few gold are being thrown onto

the floor in front of you. There's a small bucket at the base of this small stage platform. And Dr. Drenzel then stands up, takes his hat off of the ground next to him, and bows as the rest of the group bows before as well. You know the drill. You've done this for quite some time. Everyone cheers. A few more drinks, even though you brought rounds for everyone, other people are buying rounds and bringing it up.

And as you kind of, it's been a while since you've done a performance of this magnitude, and it makes you feel good. And at that point, you feel a hand clasp your shoulder, and Dr. Drenzel leansel in. It's good to see you again, Short Al. It's been a while. Yes, it has, sir. Yes, it has. Haven't lost your age. I'm a little rusty, but I trust you'll keep me honest through this. Honest. We've always been honest. Come, drink, eat with us. And they all kind of put their instruments up, as he says,

we just finished our set. Let's catch up. It's been some time. I'd like to hear of your journeys and tell you some of ours. Absolutely. I'll be back in a while, fellows. Bellows. Good job, Scannon! Oh, are these your friends? Oh, yes, these are my traveling companions. Uh, and, uh... I'm his bodyguard.

He's very popular. You can afford a bodyguard of that man or two. Oh, I, I've done quite well. Thanks to your privilege. Great, great. Well, come on. You've got all need to stay away. Have your friends sit with us. They can join us?

Certainly. He goes and calls over. He goes, Kaylee, Z, help me with the tables. And the gnome and the rotund bearded human rush off and start grabbing a couple of the tables, and they cram it in the corner. And so now you basically have built this monopoly on the far corner of the tavern now, where all of you guys can kind of sit around in a cluster. Yes.

Kaley, that was some fine playing. I would have a tip or two about breath control. Sorry, not all of us are quite as old and seasoned as the others. I've learned quite a thing or two in my years, and sometimes it would, it might interest you to take a little private tutor on this action. Scandinans Shortalt. You know, I've heard quite a bit about you. My legend is spread far and wide, I'm sure. Indeed. And I've, I know better than most ladies that may cross your path. You may change your tune. I don't know.

Help over here. You had us and then you lost. Can I give him inspiration? I don't know. What? What would you like to do to make Scanlan look better in this circumstance? Perhaps help him with his pitch. Yeah.

Thank you. I... Yeah. I, I, it's lovely to meet you anywhere. The X once helped Grog in a very specific way. I will, the man, the myth, and the legend is true. So, in case you wanted to find out. She kind of, she gives you a look over.

Looks over its scale, yeah, yeah, that, uh, We're close, we're tight, she went back for more. A holy woman. Oh shit. She's got holes in all the right place. I don't know what I'm doing here. She actually at that point goes, turns around, Doctor, you weren't kidding.

This one's certainly a card, and she gives you a wink and passes a drink your way across the table. As the crowd kind of simmeres out and people go back throughout their business, and drinks brought to the table and scattered about, and the rest of you find your seats sitting around. They gather up the coin that was taken, and Kent, who sits down next to Dr. Drenzel and looks over, and says,

Oh, it's been a while, Scanlan, glad to see you. Glad you could join us. It was like all times. It was nice. It was nice. What have you fellows been doing for these years? Well, we just finished up coming out here and playing for Winter's Crest.

We made a good deal of money. We were on our way out and figured we'd finish up a few of these gigs. And Dr. Jansel kicks in and says, Among these days, seems to be doing all right. They paid us well for our time here, and, well, you've earned a little coin yourself from this. And he kind of takes a little sack of a little handful of coins from the pile that they had amassed and kind of chucks it over your way.

It's like 25 gold. Oh, well, thank you, but I can't possibly accept this. Better enough, and he scoops it back. You deserve it. It's your gig. booked it. I'm just playing. Oh, you're fine. At this point, you guys notice a small halfling boy, probably definitely not an adult, probably

in his late teens, comes up to the edge of the table, kind of, you know, big eyes and softer features, and he's dressed a little conspicuously, comes up, Doctor, good performance, good performance, and he kind of claps and looks about the rest of the table, and others like, this Fine boy, the friends. At which point the boy nods and looks about the rest of you. Lips up a small satchel and unloads it on the table next to Dr. Drenzel, and you see spill out a much larger collection of copper's, silver, rings, bits of jewelry, a few loose coin purses. And Dr. Dr. Drenzel kind of reached over and pat some with the head.

Good boy, Samson, good boy. Nice hall, Samson. Thanks. and he kind of looks about awkwardly and unexpectedly. And uh... Still up to the old tricks I see, Doctor. Hey, when business is good, Scanman. When business is good.

Yes, yes, that's what. And he reaches over and grabs a small bit of the gold coin and puts it into Samson's hands and goes, Goodbye yourself, some toys. And kind of pat some on the back and the boy runs off excitedly. He quickly looks about and takes a bunch of the gold and scoops it into a small satchel at his side and hands it off to Kaylee, Kaylee takes it.

Kaley, who, uh, At this point, you've been introduced as the NOMAGE girl. You saw her grabbing the table. She takes the satchel and whiskes her hand for a moment, and the satchel just vanishes in her grasp, in a little puff of smoke. Well, so the company you're keeping seems to be formidable. We are.

What can we call you? We call ourselves Vox Machina. Sounds really formal. You can call us the shits. I like that much better. That's the Scanlan I know. Shits it is. So, shits.

What do you do? What you trade? What are you tugging around with this sorry, sap war. They're powerful warriors, killers, assassins, magic wielders, not quite as ornery as a bunch of musicians, but still pretty amazing people. And we've had quite a few adventures in past, He's a Kingslayer. It's true. He might not believe you or really anything about me.

You doubt the cube. There aren't a lot of kings in these lands. Well, there's one fewer now. All right, Kingslayer. So I take it your experience and little skulldudgery from time to time. Time to time, yes. Drugly doesn't mean what you think it means. Oh. But yes.

We're thinking of shoving off. We recently got a tip if you're interested. We're, uh, word came about about a dickhead with too much change in his basement. He is. He's leaning on the back of a chair that I see in my imagination. It's my window. Go with it! I got it. I got him.

It's a very short man, right there. He's in a cast. He's been playing with a cast the entire time. That's Sampson. You're towards the back of the tavern. There's like a small wooden thing. He's lounging. His name is Jonathan.

His name is Jonathan. No, it is Dr. Drexel. Please, respects. A little respect. He's a position. Yeah. Anyway. You got a tip about a dickhead.

Word came about a dickhead. Word came about a dickhead. who has too much chain in his basement. It's weighing down his personality. Do you want to help this poor old withered man alleviate this burden? You mean steal from him? No, I mean.

Help it go to good, hardworking folk who deserve it more. What kind of a dickhead is he? I've been there with him personally. The people who told me he's a bit of a thorn in the side. Well, any lively folk, especially those of a, artistic persuasion. What's his name? Don't know the name, but I know where he leaves.

We've looked at the place a bit cased it, if you will, and there could be a few ways in. Unfortunately, we've become a little higher profile during our stay here than we expected, and I don't know if we're quite as skilled in the realm of shadow walking. Doctor, we're quite skilled, but we have a bit of a name for ourselves as well. I'm afraid we may not be able to help you out.

All right, very well. Quite the opposite of low profile. Well, not to worry. I figured I'd pass it away. If we were to pursue it, what would your take be? Well, based on the finder's fee. And based on the relationship we've had all these years, our truth will be happy to take a 40% cut.

And this is a vast sum of money we might find? What I've heard, it's sizable enough for me to, uh, I want to include someone the likes of you. You know I don't like to include outsiders so readily. Well, I'm not quite an outsider. Yes, then. Well, we can investigate. You give us an address or a description.

I haven't been paying close attention. He didn't say his name. Don't know his name. Don't know his name. Just that he's a dickhead. He's just a dickhead. And that's all you know. What district does he live in?

No, no, no. The old man wants to read his name. distribute his wealth and we would be the vessel by which he would do that. Right, so. You've got a smart body got on your hands too. Yes, feel smart. Up here. What's your name?

Can I do an insight check on him? It's a good name, isn't it? Yeah. Speaks of intelligence. Go ahead. Side check? Sure. Ooh, 29. Whoa, that's a good insight check.

I rolled a 90. There he goes. Secret, secret. Oh, my good secret! It's your birthday. I love that. I know, right. D-A-Z is the code to type bear.

Hi, L. Mike, thank you for being my wingman back there. Welcome, but I would just, how come you never told us about Dr. Transel? Did you forget about him? I told you. Did you forget about Dr. Transel? No. They forgot about Transol.

They forgot about Transyl. Just a little bit. Just a little bit. This is my favorite thing. For no worries. So wait, you, um, you're just out of the good of your heart wanting to redistribute a little bit of funds to help out a few less fortunate people.

That's all you have in this? Yeah. Really? rather less fortunate than this dickhead, and I don't see why a little bit off this table wouldn't even be noticed probably. And where exactly did you find this information on this dickhead? I think he said he asked him. You asked him?

No, no, the old man asked him, and I know I need to reach his tribute. I have my reasons. I have my connections, my friends here, and I've been told that his estate has been abandoned for some time, actually. Uh-huh. Mm-hmm. Uh-huh. Kila, this is an old friend of mine who I trust very much.

He saved me when I was in trouble and taught me much about the ways of performing and charming people. Well, if... He's a doctor. If I know anything about your skills, Scanlan, I think it says a lot about Dr. Dr. Drensen. So... Take that as a couple. You're welcome. Forgive me if I'm...

No, I think we obviously, any friend of Scanlan is a good friend of Scanlan is a very... friend of ours, and I think if Dr. Dr. Dranzel here, may I call you Dr. Drenz? Have you met some of Scanlon's friends? Hey. Have I can call you Dranzel? Can I call you Dr. Dr. Dron? Dr. Dr. D'r? That has a really nice ring to it.

It sounds to me unfinished and rather sloppy. Just doctor is fine. All right, so I'm getting a couple. Professor Dr. Dranzel. Yes. What I really would like to. Doctor. Dr. Dranzel, and I want to know if you're really a doctor later.

But I think perhaps maybe there's a little tibbit of information. about this that you're holding on to, holding back with, because I would understand we're new, we don't really know each other, we're not, we're not really on that friendship level yet, but my point is we could be friends like that, we could be, I'm trying to see if this works. Percy, you can't even do, friends,

we know what I'm doing, I'm attempting, I'm attempting friends. Oh, interesting. I'm attempting. Okay, okay, good for you. Okay, good for know these. All right, then. What saving throw does you get for that one?

I get advantage on charisma. Oh, right, right, right, right. Okay, okay, okay. You get advantage on all charisma rolls? Yep, go for it. Am I just rolling charisma? You're rolling a persuasion. Persuasion of advantage.

Oh, persuasion roll with advantage. Oh, that's nice. 23. Okay. Looks to you, we don't know who it is. We've been told us in the Cloud Top District. It's a red brick building. It's been abandoned for over a year,

and apparently it's been well boarded up. But from what I've been told, quite a lot of wealth is down there, but it's a bit dangerous of an entry. We have no way of getting into the Cloud Top, but these myths keep finding our ears. If it's the house that I think it is, it's already been.

I've already been... pillaged. Pillaged is a good word. This is a... The rumors were not incorrect, but... How's this? Do you remember with the Agenday and the...

Is that... ...with our Utler Bay? I don't speak Latin. What's Latin? Pretty sure it's already been cleaned up. Dragon Butler? That's unfortunate. Oh, yes.

Yes. Unless you're hearing things we know about. I know that a few individuals have tried to make their way in. Came out with happy sums of gold, but seemed to be a bit spooked. I'm gonna pull up a chair and sit down in front of him. Hi there, my name's Greg. Craig?

Greg. Yeah. What's name? Scanlan's friend Craig. All right, Greg. Scanlan might be able to help you with this. I'll definitely be able to help you with this, but I'm not going to do anything unless I know something So if you want to go into the house, if you want me to break us into the house, which I can certainly do,

I really need to know a little bit more. Your chances of getting whatever you're after inside, raise, if you're honest with me. And I don't feel yet like you're being honest with me. So I want to help you, but I don't think I can. And without me, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but we're not getting in the house. So is there anything else you want to tell me about... That's all I know. All I know is that it had a few other, uh, of the... The leaving persuasion made the way in before, and they came out with a decent chicken change, given that they could only be in there for a short time. I'm going to insight, Jack.

That is 19. It's hard to read, but the best you can tell is he's been pretty clear with you. And at this point, as you're looking at him, his eyes go. And this is the point where I buy you a beer, and I put the coin down. You're a tricky one.

All right, you got yourself some talented compatri's. Well, they can't play as well as you, but they're pretty good. Takes the coin. It takes the drink. Well, you know where it is, you know what it looks like. If you're interested in finding your way in and come out with anything, we'll be here about another week. How have you been here?

We've been here about two weeks now, two and a half weeks? half weeks. Have you noticed, I'm sure you've seen many people come in and out, but an older gentleman dressed much nicer than he should be in an establishment like this? You describe Ryskelton, Ryskelton, Elvin, thin features, older, has some battle scars, but longish hair kept behind his ears. And as you described it, he goes, yes, yes, actually, we had a gentleman like that who came in here a couple of times about a week ago and I saw a few days ago. A few days ago? Yeah, he came in and watched one of her performances. Tip us rather well. Did he?

Did he? It seemed a bit hurried. Yes. Did you see where he went? No, I assumed you were staying here at the tavern. Really? Are there rooms here? No, upstairs. They have rooms, yeah. You should see if there's rooms downstairs. They're down here?

Yeah, I get up and leave the table and go talk. go talk to the bar. Do you guys want us to create some sort of distraction while you go search the place? I'm going to talk to the bar keep and talk about rooms, potentially, first. I'll go... For us? Just seeing what they have available and what's being rented right now. Because we know he's downstairs. Who's going to, yeah, I was going to say who's going to go downstairs. I'll go with team downstairs. You've got team downstairs it is? As you head to the barkeep, you see a...

A Dwarven woman wearing a simple blouse but pulled up past the elbows. She's currently wiping down part of the front of the heavens. Her hair is pulled up to a pony tail that kind of drifts past her shoulders down to the center of her chest. She glances up to you as you approach. Hey, so what can I get you dear? Rooms. Yes? We have rooms, aye. I only got one currently not occupied. But do you have an older Gentlemen, Elvin, battle scars, I describe him. Staying here, Raina?

No. No? No, I haven't seen someone like that. Insight checker? Okay. Okay. 23? 23.

Um, she, her demeanor has changed, and she's gotten guarded. Haven't seen anyone like that here, sorry. Haven't. No, a lot of patrons come through. Get so many people coming in and out, it'd be so easy to lose sight of somebody like that. Okay, men. I put five gold pieces onto the countertop. It sure would be wonderful if you could remember anything

about him being here, however. She takes her cloth that she's wiping the counter with. It kind of wipes over and pushes the gold coins towards you. Pulls back and goes, sorry, dear, I can't help you. I walk up by my sister and where the woman just wipe that away, take a piece of chalk out of my pocket and write thieves can't. Not the word thieves can't. I use the thieves can't.

Yeah, on the bar and say, in that language, there is a threat here. I can help you deal with it. Persuasion term? Yes. She looks at it, looks at you. Still holding her cloth, wipes it clean on the bar pretty quickly. You're one of them.

Kitchen storage room, another rain, and a deer. the rice and grain barrels. Sorry can help you, that's unfortunate. Totally understandable. Thank you for your time. Of course, of course. So mate. Um, Scanlan, could you help your wonderful friends create a distraction?

I can help them create one. Just enough so we can slip our notice downstairs. Hold on. He's downstairs. Underground. We think maybe he's a... No, because he's been, that would be very complicated to deal with while still being part of the political

infrastructure of the city again. We need to talk. You actually have seen him outside at various events where the council was publicly around for, especially during your guys when you were first given entry to the council. You've seen Reskell around in daylight. I bet you won gold. He's a vampire.

Recently. Done, yes, strong. He's true. The manpire, could we please meet in a booth in the corner of the pub, please? We need to talk now. All right. Excuse us, lovely fellows, we have prior business.

We'll be talking again very soon. Certainly over so. What's the plan? I can't be 100% sure, but we are sitting atop the Feeves Guild. Pike and I have been here before. We've been here, we've barged in here before. And in the heart of it like we have.

Underneath here is a honeycomb of thieves. Honeycutt of the thieves? I think our man is downstairs. They've given me the way in. Mm-hmm. But it's not going to be easy. It's not just an empty basement. We're sitting in top the Thieves Guild.

This is the class. Well, why do we have to, why is it dangerous? Why can't we just, you know, go in and ask for him? Are you a part of them? Get it. It's pretty scared. I can, I, yes, I should take point. I'm just saying we're not going down into an empty grain cellar

to kill a bunch of rats. So do we think that the class was protecting Ruskel? Is that what we're assuming? It's possible. For money, anything is possible. Well, good to know, but we're still going. I mean, you were with these people once. Aren't you still? I look at your hand.

Don't you have the mark? It's complicated. Where did she say to go? It was through the kitchen. She said through the kitchen storage room on the window. And the mark is actually at the middle of the I mean, I've seen it. Your memory is like an iron trap. Yes.

I think you guys should go right away. You guys, where are you? I'll be all followed close behind. I'm going to go into the kitchen. We're going to go two minutes apart. Don't go in a crowd. I'm going to go in first. I'll see you in there. And then I walk over to Kaylee and I say,

My dear Kaylee, I'm sorry if we got off on a weird foot. I have that of a weird foot. I have that effect on people sometimes. Especially... Your feet are weird. That's interesting. Especially lovely to look at young ladies. Smaller than I expected those feet.

Well, you know what they say. I do. Wait, no, don't. I know what they say. No, don't. No, don't. That's not quite. Anyway, I was impressed with you up there.

Your skills with the flute are remarkable. I was wondering if I could have a little fun tonight and challenge you to a flute. will flute off. We go up on stage, we ask the audience for a flautoff. Suggestions, and we see who can last the longest and blow the hardest.

If you win, I'll give you whatever's in my purse. And if I win, I get a kiss. Somehow I think I'm still getting this shit end of the deal. But I'm one for fun at the very least. It's a deal. No, don't worry. You guys shake on it. Are you waiting until sundown?

No, we're going to, oh, do we, are we waiting until sundown? Is that what's happened? He already went. I'm going to follow. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the first ever flout of, flutist of, flute duel, featuring me, Scanlon Short-Halt, and you, Kaylee. Kaley's fine. Kaylee's fine, everyone.

Ploutists. Some of the folks around, like some seem kind of disinterested by it and some kind of... All eyes up here, it'll be a great show. At this point, Norton was like, Oh, this'll be interested. And he's still sitting back, kind of watching. You guys are going in first, you said?

No, I went in. I already win in. Self-check. She told me to go in? Right. All right. So that's, oh, I love this perk. That's a 23. Okay. You seem to slip in, and there are two individuals currently running in the kitchen. There's a smell of food that there are no meals currently being cooked, but just kind of talking to each other.

They don't even notice you slip by. I put my hood up before I head back that way. Go forward, go and make yourself turn. Oh, no, I'm just kidding. I follow them. Click, click, click, click, click. Oh, I get advantage. Yeah.

25. 25. Same thing. You guys turn around to the left of the kitchen. There is a small stairway that goes down about five feet into a storage room where you find your brother. And this is all very familiar to. You've been here once before. This is when you guys exited the guild on the way out

a long time ago. And there are a series of crates and stuff, but in the far back corner there are two sacks that are labeled rice and grain that are kind of leaned up against each other. So I'll give you guys in just a moment. Who's next step against you guys? After they go, I call back to the kitchen and I say, to choose the first song will be

the lovely gentlemen who have prepared our food for the evening. Please come out here and choose a song for us. Everyone kind of looks over and one gentleman stands up and tails out in the kitchen is like, Hey! You're picking the song, mates! And you see there's two folks come out.

One's an older woman, kind of wrinkled face, hair's a bit tattered, but she seems happy and smiling amongst her happy lines are all throughout her face. The other one's a younger guy, probably looking at the features related to her, who's helping her out in the kitchen. They both kind of step out, confounded. What's going on? Yes, what's coming on?

Just pick us a song, any song. Everyone, give a round of applause for your cooks for the evening. I grabbed Keyleth, and we slipped behind them into the kitchen. All right. Stalk's from both of you guys. 15. 14. Okay.

All right. The distraction was helpful. Thank you, so you guys slipped past seemingly unnoticed. Everyone's attention is on them currently and they both can live each other and she was, I, I, I, could you, could you, uh, flute you say? Um, takes the popcorn from her pouch? Sure. Oh, yeah. That's a good weird place to put popcorn. Everybody in the city keeps a busy kitchen. Pocket. Um, pocket. Um, could, could you sing, uh, uh, clouds upon the horizon? That was my favorite as a girl. It's a ballad, but okay, sure. Sure.

Do you have an earring on? Do you have an earring on? Scowan, I need you to make an ode to the kitchen staff. Could you call the kitchen staff out? I did already. You called the kitchen staff? Yes, they are the ones who are suggesting this song. Oh, really?

We've just been in in the back, in that downstairs room we didn't know. Not paying any attention. Well, we're in a separate room. Yay. Yeah. There you go. Good thought, I had the same one.

We've just joined you. That's how we passed that check. Everybody else come now, come now, come now. We'd like to follow. All right, so you guys head down. Make stealth checks for both of you. That's gonna be a disadvantage on you, Pike. Poor punk.

Oh, and drink it. Oh, shit. Coming down with you? Really? A bear? No, no, no, no. Not through the tatherer. Every tall has each place.

Nine. Nine. Nine. Come on, what else is it gonna be with a disadvantage? Gunk, gong, gong, gong, gong. All right. 16. After the, you're really bringing Trinket down there with you? Is that bad? What else in the case?

Yes! It's right. As you all are waiting, you guys start heading around. And as you're, as you're scooting around the kitchen staff, Trinket, who is currently out front, sees everyone scooting around and kind of disappearing into the back, kind of leaning, leading his head into the tavern and other patrons start like, oh, oh, and Bear, bear, bear, bear! And other individuals start like standing up and seeing this bear come lumbering through the tavern towards the kitchen. I hear it. I come out of the kitchen. I come out of the kitchen very sneakily. Oh, oh my bear, you Trinket.

Story of my life. What are you doing in this tavern? Oh dear. We should probably head outside. You and me, Trinket. You've got two minutes. Fuck. I tell him, oh, no, that's our sad by. Tell him to head back to the keep, I guess.

To the keep, because what else? You can't just hang out without us there. Maybe he could stay out. While she's doing this bullshit, I'm gonna just make sure that the rice bags and everything are not trapped. Is there a clear stairways down or? The bags, you go and lift them, you're supposed to be very heavy. It's actually, they're filled with something

much lighter. They're false filled and they actually move out of the way very quickly. And there is the similar hatch that you guys had come through before. It's about a five by five footwork. Checking for her. So may haps with the bear entering there was enough of a distraction for one suit of armor to clankly make its way down. Yeah. You would think. You guys were called the tension with Trinket at the same time. So you guys were kind of in the middle of the fray as you were walking past. As you're bringing Trinket out, the attention is pulled away. I want you guys to make another stop check. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Girl? Fuck on the hair.

Same roles, exact same rolls. 12. Gong, gung, gung. Nine. You guys walk past, as you're stepping into the kitchen, you hear the voice of one of the staff. Excuse me, you can't be back here. This is our kitchen. We're trying. I'm going to throw up. I'm going to throw up. I have so much to drink.

Had a lot to drink. Please. She's going to speak. Take it outside. Don't do it. No, no kitchen. I need a pen or something. She's got infectious diseases too. When she spues, everybody catches it. I have the consumption.

A deception check. What am I doing? Let me near the food. I'll say with advantage because Grog is eating you in this. No, deception. Deception. Deception?

Come on. Come on, come on, come on. 12. With advantage. With advantage, because Grog's helping you. Come on. No. Come on.

14. That's better. Yeah. Pork like you mean it. Um. Oh, it's like, well, no, none here. Um, uh, right, right there. And he points to, there's a doorway on the other side of the kitchen that leads to the alleyway.

Oh. And he's like, just, out there, no, go. Just start running. I just start running. You run, you open the door out into the alleyway. I need to drink it outside and I see them come out the alleyway. You do if you go out on the other side, yeah. Okay, yeah.

These fuckers are the worst. out in the alley and stay there, wait for us. Trinckin acknowledges it and goes in. Be safe, Trinket. If any danger comes your way, intimidate them and run the other direction. Go home. I love you.

Trincky just lies there with his head on his paws. You guys are evil for making you believe it. All right. So there are two still, there are still two cooks in the kitchen? No, one cook has come back in and is currently watching I'm a pretend to vomit in the hall, in the alleyway. I got a 25 when I checked for traps a few minutes ago. Okay, thank you.

There are no traps on this one. It is long. All right, I don't know what's down there, but let me take the lead, because I've dealt with these people before. And I don't crouch down or anything. I just start, still quietly, but I just walk, head held high, walking down the stairs,

motioning everyone to follow who's here. Okay, as you're doing this, you begin your flout off. I don't know you can. Come on, Jeth Roto. More performance. Am I rolling for performance? 28. 28. I perform very well. Dukes. Two many cooks.

Oh, don't get it in my head. Hold on, sorry, this is important, guys. Once I can get the ad off here. So as you pull out your flute, I hope it's Jeth Roto. and you prepare for this wondrous... You've got this on your... on your machine?

Is this Jess Rotel? Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Yes. Yes. Let's get to the good part here. Yeah. Get that. Is there a good part?

This is the whole album. It was just one big full album. The song was a whole album. Sure, and as the band picks up behind you. Come on, Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Renzel, picks up his instruments, and you guys start playing back and forth with your flutes, just picking off, improvising off of the classics.

You're making another perform check. Everybody, give it up for Z on drums. 24. All right. Haley is trying to keep up, and you can see her face starting to go red, but she's determined on this, and she keeps continuing with pushing this into an improvisational flurry of notes that completely walks around your performance. performance previously done.

Oh, sure. You find yourself having to take a step back as she begins stepping up onto the table. And now, even at our nomage height, is looking over the entire crowd as people who previously were not as interested are starting to turn around and look towards YouTube playing. I can't be one-uped. I use minor illusion to create sort of a mirror image of myself over myself, also playing the flute. Make another performance check with advantage.

With advantage? Yes. Not as good. 22. 22, all righty. I'm like the Jethro Toll song with no flutes. It was a ballad. She chose a ballad.

Where's the thing as a friend? Sure. You have the best of Jethro Tell over there? Apparently, all those other toll songs don't have any flute in them. Well done. The worst of death row time. Big failure on that part. Just play the scene for all right.

Canrupia house records. It was a kid, yeah. All right. We're gonna go back to the... You failed me, Toll! Failed me! Tull! It would have been a great moment ruined by your inability to play a flute in your own album!

Alright, Jester Rtoll be a great name for a Sith. Yeah, totally. Judge Roto Troll. Careful, careful, careful. I'm still raw. Careful. Anyway, as it crescendoes and crescendoes, what'd you roll? 22.

22. You can see now the volume of her flute playing begins to pull back as you begin to step up onto the same table next to her, twice as high now with the illusionary Scanlan above you, almost like those awkward middle school superimposed photos of yourself in the upper corner. The lasers in the back? Yeah. As the music swells and the drums start picking up and you see Drenzel is now pulled up his violet and is now furiously fiddling along with it, the music swells and swells. The guy in the kitchen

who's looking for you guys, hears this and now turns his head and goes, what's going on? And he looks back in the room. Guys, we have one more stealth check. Come on, come on, guys. With it boots? No. No. We're all doing cell checks? No, just mean. Just you. I'm gonna drink. What is fucking noise? Come on, I give you that cloak. I get 18. Oh, there you. Oh, 20. We don't have an extra roll. It's just, it is what it is. I have a six. Okay. What did you get? 18. Maybe I'll think it's like symbols or something. Best two out of three you make your way in.

Thanks for music. The clanking is over. How about I pick up Pike with my 20 and I carry her into it? Sure. Good five. Don't work out. Minimal clank. Yeah. Stay, still. Plank. Plank. Hold your abs.

So as the music picks up and swells at this point, make one final performance check. 27. 27. 27. With this note, you bring once again the same duel that you guys had when you first entered the tavern, and you and Kaylee are facing off, looking directly at each other, furiously going on your flutes. Just blowing at each other. Eyes locked, tapping your feet heavily against the actual wood to the table, which is a b-f-bh-ph-the rhythmic pounding of your feet. pounding of your feet and the drums because the entire room now also slamming their tables in with it as the music builds and builds.

Until eventually you both take one deep breath and go for that same sustained note a second time. She's challenging you at the game she lost last time. And the two of you both swell into this cacophonous spray of music that hits this one final note that pierces through and all the slamming stops and everyone just waits to hear how long it'll go. It carries and carries and carries and carries and carries. The breath never seems to end. and one other performance roll. Look! It's a 22,

but I'm gonna let her win. As you begin to trail off the sound of the note, you can see she's starting to already go a little blue in the face, determined to win this, and she's about to fault her. You could win this if you want to, but are you going to let her? With a wink, I end my note. As the flute leaves your lips and you go into a fake gasp of air,

she finishes on a hive-piercing tune, a trill, and then finishes off, carrying the flute away with a smile as your illusion fades. And the crowd continues one thing to the year. Ladies and gentlemen, Ladies and gentlemen. You're good, but I'm better. I just tip my hat to her and say, yes ma'am,

it seems that tonight you are. I have to remember floppy right. All right, I kick her, I don't know, I kick her a hundred gold. What? Excuse me? What? Is she gonna inspect it?

You reach over and just grab your purse, you're gonna start coming through your purse and pulling out gold? No, your purse, you bet your purse. I mean, that was a figure of speech, right? You totally let her win and you're gonna give her all your money. He forgot about that part. Wrong, she's wrong.

We should come about it. I spitting it. Looks over to Drenzel, and he goes, I did hear you say a full purse. Oh, I hope there's so much money in that bag. I forgot about it. My dear, a deal is a deal. The things you do for women.

Do not give her your money. Scanlon, don't do it. There was a piece of advice that ever lived. I untie the purse. And I hand it over to him. You take any of the gold out secretly before you hand it over to her? Not there. Such a life lesson.

The world of Sonic the Hedgehog has been thrust into a not-so-dark, not-so-stormy, hard-boiled detective story that probably nobody saw coming. Follow Sonic and the Intrepid Chaotic's detective agency as they take on their biggest case yet. This high-flying, action-packed adventure will take them across the world,

fighting for every quill they can fight. Touching row! It's one heck of a tale, which is good, because this story might be the only thing that can save their lives. Well, if that's all, I can just dispose of you. Wait, what? All will be revealed in. Sonic the Hedgehog presents The Chaotic's Case Files. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.

Look, there are a lot of celebrity interview podcasts out there, but there's only one Happy, Sad, Confused. I'm Josh Horowitz, and yeah, I'm the host of the show, so I'm a little biased, but truly Happy, Sad, Confused is the place for nerdy and intimate conversations with all your favorite actors and filmmakers. From Andrew Garfield and Scarlet Johansson to Christopher Nolan, casting what ifs, backstage stories, and much more. Listen to Happy Sad Confused on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. How much was in there?

2,600. Oh! She takes the same person. Oh, God. Oh, God. Let it be known throughout this tavern that Scanlon short halt is a man of his word. Thank you, my dear. Not much.

She takes the change person and flicks it away and it vanished in a puff of smoke. I get a lot of coin. I get around a lot. Have some of drink here. And she steps off the table. So now, the rest of you have all made your way down into the storage chamber. Oh, God.

Bye. Anything we encounter is far easier than what this happened. Do you want to cry? Because I would want to cry. Money means nothing to me. Should we pick, should somebody pick pocketer? Fuck yeah, man. We're underage.

We're on. You going to join them? Yes, of course. Go make a self-check. Oh, wait. Oh, yes. Oh, I still have to sneak back there, don't know? Oh, I just go invisible.

All right. You step under one of the nearby tables and come out. Oh, my God. You'll be invisible. You make your way stepping through the kitchen, downstairs, and find the, you You can find you currently right now, Vax, you are going to unlock the, as you said? I'm sorry, I was just thinking of Wendy Doodle's art for the year to say.

That's pretty perfect. Yeah, yeah, I'm going to, I'm going to check that door for traps is what I'm going to do. All right, perception check. You already checked earlier, there's no traps, it's just locked. Earlier, yeah, I did get a 25. Up top, yeah, I thought you were giving me another door. Yeah, 25 up top where the fake bags of rice were. Rabbit was still locked.

He didn't roll the floor. Oh, to pick it? Sure, that's no problem. Um, that is 23. 23. It's a little tough. You just managed to get it up, and it comes off and the latch, pretty solid still.

Ametches. Okay. You open the, it leads down below, and you find yourself looking down into a familiar stairway that leads into darkness. All right, I know sometimes I can seem like I'm an idiot, but let me do the talking. Yeah? Yeah. And then I start down. You need the way. All right, so as you push down the stairway, we're doing marching order here. So we have it. So we have currently, you're at front. Who's behind Vax? Is there behind him? Who's behind Vex? I am.

All right. Percy. Oh, God. I'm up next. The low note. Yeah. That's the brown note if I never heard one. Now Scanlon Pike, Grog, who's up next?

Oh, do we roll? No, just the... Who wants to go out? You can't do anything past Grog. I'm probably in the back since I was the last in the moment. Okay, so Scanlon will be in the back, and then probably Grog next to him and probably Pike right there. He made a rainbow. It's a rainbow.

It's a little rainbow. It's a little rainbow. It's a rainbow. Oh, look it is. They can't see it because it's off-air. It's okay. It's all of camera. There's a reason for that.

All right, so as you step down, the wood creaking with every here and there step, it stops, switch back and then heads down further. You can see that this area, the room is mostly completed in construction, but a portion this has been rebuilt. If you recall, last time you guys exited, part of this exit was destroyed. this exit was destroyed. It has been reconstructed, and there at the bottom of the stairway, it's a thick wooden door wrapped in iron bars or strips of iron to keep it nice and taut and strong, and you can immediately see five locks down the side of the door. Everybody hold up for a second. Could we crowd surf the bard up to us at the front, please?

Is that me? The bard? The bar. Yes. Crog, toss me forward. I'm not really getting his meaning. I grab him by the back of the shirt, and I just chunk him. Being at the bottom of the stairway, I want you make an acrobatics check.

12. Wait, what's acrobatics? Oh, acrobatics. 12. Skalin. On the ground right next to you. Thankfully, just missing the bottom stair, which would have hurt even worse in the back. But through the slight toss, you take, you take.

Take six points of damage. Okay. From the fall. A real crank in your back and your shoulder from the impact. You wait, get up. I'm going to scoope a hand under his head and give him a slap on both sides. What are we looking at? Listen to me.

I'm going to try to do the talking in here because I know these people a little, but if that fails, I need you, right? Me? Yes. Do my thing. I need you on ice for a little while, all right? So just stay close. Stay between me and my stuff. Okay, yes, yes, sir.

Five locks? Five locks? I'm on a perception check for traps and for thieves can't and anything else. Okay. That's all right. 20. Okay.

Looking about the locks, none of them look to be trapped. You do notice that there is a bit of scratching on the wood next to each lock. Each one is a different language. What languages do you speak? I speak Eldish Common Abyssal. You speak the same language as me. Like you grew up together.

Oh, I also speak under common. Looking at abyssal, you do recognize two of them. It's the top one and the bottom one. The equivalent in common would be a phrase like, like enter or pass. Is one of them an underdark? Speak, Frandon. No undercommon, no.

Underdark. What about draconic? Underdark will be undercommon. Never mind. Celestial, Elvin? Nothing in Elvin. Dwarvish? There is a dwarvish one.

Oh, oh! I have a belt of dwarven kind that lets me read dwarfish. If you could read. You do. You do. You could tell me, yeah, you could tell me. But wait, it sounds like the abyssal ones are the ones that you have to do. It's fine. And then I'll tell you what it is.

And then it will be like teamwork. I don't know what the other one say then. All right. So, um. So there is, uh, the one in the middle is in Dwarven. The two of you recognize it. You walk up and say, that's Dwarven. That's as far as you actually understand. That's as far as you actually understand.

You know it's Dwarven. Go ahead and make an intelligence check. Just go for it. Go, Krog, go. 20, 20, come on. Roll D20, add your modifier. Redilgence? Yeah.

Nine. You have a negative two modifier? Yes. You, uh... It's Dwarvish. You know Dwarvish? I do. Okay.

Coming up behind Grog and you kind of whispered at him and let him have the moment. Okay. You recognize the Rinn, the Rune is the common equivalent of entry, enter. And none of them are an al-Bish. No, none of the Murnel-Bish. Sylvan? There's no elvish whatsoever as a part of that. This word in dwarish means gentry.

And none of it is in... Does anyone know... Does anyone know Goblin? No. Oh, don't you know Goblins, Gator? I fucking hate Goblins. That doesn't mean I know their language. All right. And does anyone know Primordial?

I do. You know Primordial. You know Primordial? Oh, shit. The bottom, the fourth one on the bottom, like you have the top one and the bottom one that you read, the middle one which dwarves, you guys read. The fourth one is a primordial phrase that says the equivalent, and it is a language of guttural elemental, you know, sounds, it is a no, it is a no, a stop, a general halt type.

Shit, don't do that lot. So, that leaves one left. We don't know what it says. There's no thieves can't on this door. No. So wait, the top one is a yes. The middle one. The bottom one is a yes.

The second one down? We don't know. The second one down you do know. That's the one that says no. Oh. The B slot, we don't know. And then the D's. All together, there's five locks,

and we know four of them? Yes. You know four of them, yes. to figure out what it says? Outside of not knowing the language or any magical means that would allow you to. I'll look at the two in Abyssal that just say entry. Is that right?

Correct. Can I, and I already checked for traps and you said there are no traps, just locks? No, you have not checked for traps on this one. Do I need to check each lock? Uh, you would. Wow. Do you want some operation?

Why don't you just check the traps on the two that are unknown to us are negative? Do you want an enhancement of your Yeah. Okay, you're used dexterity, right? Yeah? I give him, it's like, cats grace. I cast an enhanceability on him.

They're making this set up. Yeah, dead? Kind of, yeah. All right, so Kiliuages out and you feel your form become even more dexterity so you have advantage right now on dexterity checks for as long as she maintains concentration on the spell. So we've got abyssal, abyssal, dwarven in the middle, and primordial on the second to last. the second to last. And the primordial says no, yeah?

Correct. And then the... The Bissals say yes. The dwarven said what? Yes. Yes. They all say enter and entry. So I want to try to pick the three that I know.

The two abyssal and the dwarves say entry. So I'm going to... Do you check the traps? I did. I did. I check the traps, right? I'm rolling right now to check the traps. I'm rolling right now to check the traps.

All right. All right. The top is Bissell. Here I go. Natural 20. A natural 20. Top one is locked, but it is not trapped. Go for middle.

All right. No, I'm gonna unlock that. Okay, go forward. The advantage. False. For us, that's okay. This is lock pick, right? 23.

23. Not a very complicated lock the top one. It comes off without a problem. Perfectly silently. Just pull the latch back. All right, I'm gonna go down to the bottom, to the abyssal on the bottom. Checking for traps.

Metro 20. You don't have advantage on checking for traps. Oh, I said you did. No, I'm making the checks you do. I'm... All right, so... This is for dexterity. For checking the trap is an actual, it's a perception rule.

The perception's 20. Okay. Bottom one, not trapped. All right, Dwarven in the middle, checking for traps. Go for it. 20. That one is also not trapped. All right.

That's three. The fourth one was primordial. Yeah, and don't... 20. That one is trapped. And the primordial said no. In their language, it's pronounced, Herclouf. Hulklif.

What does it mean? We've got three traps. Did you check the last? What the fuck as well we do? The ones that say no are traps! Just check the second one! How is this hard to understand? That is 26.

The last one. The second one, the one that that we You don't know what it is. You gather, you've seen script like this before, it appears to be some sort of goblinoid language, but then if you actually understand what it says, it does appear to be trapped. It does appear to be trapped.

How about you don't unlock them? No, no, don't tell them. Do that, maybe. When I'm not alone and this affects you, asshole. I'm pretty far back up the change. I'm out of those. No. Seems.

I got a lot of bodies that are not trapped. Well, you already pop the top lock and nothing happened, right? No, there's two that are trapped. Maybe that's the code is the one that are trapped. I'm going to attempt to attempt to. disarm the two that are trapped. Yeah, yeah, do that. No, do the ones that are.

What are you doing that? This affects you, you. It makes perfect sense. Dark, sword-wielding dick. No, I'm serious, you had a good thought. Why would you do that? Do the ones that aren't trapped first. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Everybody please, walk up the stairs, 10 feet, please. Why? Yeah, walk up the stairs, 10 feet. But we won't be able to see. But do the- I'm gonna see it. What are you doing? I'm gonna try to open the door, you little asshole.

But I don't want you to get burned while I get burned. I won't be burned because you're not gonna mess with the traps. Just do the ones that aren't trapped. I walk forward and I grab. No, get to put the-in. I grab Scanlan and everybody and I back everybody up. I'm okay. I pull Scanlan back.

Everyone's in the back. All right, I'm gonna quickly inspire him. Just say, I'm gonna just say him. Just say, The ones that are trapped. They are. Okay. That's what I mean.

Just us not. It's all right. We're all going to inspire him. Sure. How inspiring him? I'm going to put him using the back. I'm going to read him a limerick. Go for it.

I knew a Goliath in White Stone. Whitestone. Who lived in a very, very fine home. Till one day a wizard, or maybe a large lizard, burned it and left him alone. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

So of the fire. At the top and the bottom in the middle, it's abyssal abyssal dwarven, and I check those for traps and there aren't any, so I'm not. Unlock them. Yeah, all right. So for the top one,

do the top already. Check for traps? Nope. You unlocked it. You unlocked it. You unlocked the top one. Yes, you did it. Yeah.

Do the middle one. So I'm saying nothing bad happened. Can I use what I just rolled for the middle one? It's a code, yeah. No. No. Make sure you, make sure you disarmed the other two. This is too.

There's too many people talking. I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's going on. Yeah, I just rolled. I'm a vantage. Okay, so I got rolled 10 twice, and that is, the thief's the 23. 23?

Yeah. The middle one opens? The latch pulls open. Okay, not a bottom one. Shush! Go for it. Okay. 29.

The bottom one, it's a different type of latch. It's actually a rod that pushes into the door. and you managed to find a break in the wood where it's split and you pull the instrument and pull the latch open. So those three are now currently unlocked. Okay, so- Try pushing the door. No, no, think of your team. Make sure they're all disarmed. God damn.

So here's what we don't know what's going on. We've got number one, number three, number five are untrapped, unlocked. Number two and number four are trapped, but I'm just pushing the door open. Do whatever you want to do. I don't think that's a good idea. Try to decide. But I don't have to make the decision on my own because you're all ten feet away from me. Try disarming them, sure why not.

Just do whatever you want. Follow your heart. We believe in you. Don't blow up your hand disarm those fucking locks. Do it, man. I believe the children are the future. You've got advantage, so why not? Fuck it.

Try. What is your choice? What do you wish to do in this moment? You have three untrapped locks open, two locks that seemed to be trapped, that were, one of which said no on it. Hey, I'm gonna open. You're gonna what? You're gonna what?

As you push on the door, the two locks on there give no resistance. It seems they were both false locks, and as the door slowly pushes open, you get the feeling that perhaps the traps were based on the attempt to pick them or discerned. Good job. Good job, brother. Hey, good job, man. Hi-five. No high-five. Maybe, just like a touch then? Yeah. Okay.

Nice job, Vax. Nice job, Vance. You're now looking into a familiar, very dark hallway with very low light by a few torch sconces that just flicker. The material used to keep them burning pretty low, and the embers are starting to drift into a small pile of soot on the stone floor beneath them. You can smell the remaining smoke and scent of burning wood. To the right of you is a hallway that continues down to where spiraling modeff once lived before you cut his head off. The doors are closed to that room, and it curves off to the left down a long hallway. To the left of where you currently are, the hallway continues into darkness and turns around another corner into shadow. So there was a cell that we were in, and there was a larger room where we were surrounded by motive and a lot of people.

Do you smell anything? What do you think is more like to? Smell the residue of burnt wood and tinder. Nothing beyond that is noteworthy. Do I see any tracks that look like they could have been from an elf, an old guy, with some battle scars? Make a survival check. Oh, I could do those too. Can I help her with that?

No. Sorry, her ranger tracking training is far beyond anything you as a barbarian have attempted. Though you are good at tracking naturally as a barbarian, you could attempt to make a role on your own, but it wouldn't be helping her with it. Right, yeah. 21. Never mind. Okay.

Looking about, it is a, the stone floor, you do see scuff marks and pieces where dust has been pushed aside by boots. Many footfalls have come through this area, but there's no way to really ascertain any recent traffic or direction. I would have had to roll a 20, I bet. While we're waiting, I'm going to throw my hood over one shoulder and I'm going to undo my sleeve so that, oh, the clasp is back here, isn't it? Just take your shoes off. Show it to the world. I'm gonna pass pass without a trace on all of us.

That's right. So are there two different directions, or is it just one tonne? So the right or the left. Can I ascertain if there's any type of like draft or any? First of all already tried there, so. Oh, you already tried. So here's what I'm thinking. I mean, we could sneak through here,

and this one is going to sound like a herd. Not necessarily, I just cast past that a day. Don't disparage her. She's wonderful and beautiful. Our chances of sneaking through you are low. I could try to talk us through. and this guy's a threat to them because the kingdom wants him and they're housing him and that is not really financially viable.

So I feel like perhaps we talk our way out of this. We don't have to go in banging an evil sword, not that we have one around. Yeah, we're down here, obviously we belong. Why not just, you know, we could shove our way through. I'll vouch for you. Beautiful, let's do it. I say we go to the left.

I definitely would rather not fight the entire thieves guild. We're not sneaking then. No. Because if we did sneak, we could, don't you have fly or something? We're in very thin hallway right now. All we should have to do is fly just off the... I got no flying.

I use my only flying potion. All right. All right, so we're talking our way out of it? We could try that first. I'm calling out. Member of the class entering. What? I need to parlay.

A moment passes and you see stepping out of both sides of the hallway, a number of hooded figures. Five, ten, fifteen individuals then begin to close in. All hoods up, cloaks around them. You can see through the dim light, the crest of chins. But those of you have dark vision, you can see some features. They all are humanoidan, around human height, a few that are smaller, whether they be younger or a half-ling or no much origin. You can't really make out their details in this circumstance. they all kind of close in as you guys all stand there, kind of in the center of the hallway.

I do start on lacing, and I say, I'm one of you, and I show the tattoo on my back. Okay, as this happens, you can see there's a part in the crowd, and one much larger than the rest, members of the class, steps forward, kind of pushing those out of the way. You see a very thick, square jaw piercing out from underneath the shadowed hood,

and the hand pulls it back, as you can now see the kind of crooked, pointed ears, snarling nose and underbite of a mostly orcish. Half-orc. One of... You've encountered once before. Oh, sure. Modef. No, no. No, no. Modep was human. You killed Lodeth. Okay. The orc steps forward and kind of looks about the group and there's... Seems you've stumbled into an early grave.

I didn't stumble. I've been here before. I have a fucked up past with this organization, but I have come to tell you when I'm pointing at the tattoo. He reaches out and grabs your arm and spins you around to look at the tattoo in your back violently. Like he's like a rag doll. You're being treated like a chow. Releases you for a second as you kind of

fall on off balance for a second to catch yourself. He has his other hand at his belt side and you can see what looks to be the pommel of a dagger already. Yes. Sovereign Uriel knows you have Daxio here. Uriel wants him. You are in danger. This whole organization is in danger with you. Silence! Who else knows you're here? Not a soul.

Wait a second. I do know you. Customs department, wasn't it? I've been promoted since then. I'm now a supervisor of... It was a ruse, I apologize. I apologize for it. As we found out. So you break back into our facility. We didn't actually break in.

I mean, we just kind of like, you know, I'm shutting out. He's a member of the class, he gained entry the way that you do. But he brings in outsiders after being warned and not to return with them. Yet you say you're here for, who was it? Do you care that the emperor

knows you're holding a person he wants. You won't be held for long. You can tell the emperor he's not a worry of ours soon. Where's, where's he going? He's a traitor to the kingdom. Uriel wants him. You are bringing danger upon this house. Uriel is useless.

Uriel has a lot of gold and will probably give him a reward. We have our hand in their coffers whether we get a reward or not. Not the kind of rule. award he's already offering you. We come bearing an offering from Sovereign Uriel himself in exchange for this man.

I reach into my bag and I produce. No gold. No money. The very elegantly carved box I had made that contains the magical blue shard that we discovered many, many years ago. open it just for a moment and close it and say, this is the shard of Kara. It is a magical item that can grant the user one wish,

any wish. But Scanlan, you said we were going to keep that for ourselves. I did, but it's clear that this man knows who we are and why we've come. No. As a last resort, we are cleared to offer this to you in exchange for your prisoner, or is he, are you holding him on,

As a prisoner or? He shushes you. Make a deception check. Can I help him? Can I assist that? You know what? You would be. So go ahead and that would give you advantage on this.

Deception or persuasion? This is deception. 32. Oh. Oh, living. Let me see your box. Oh, well. Hush!

It is activated by a secret chant that we will only tell you once we are safe and the prisoner or keep, I don't know, are you keeping him as a prisoner or? Can't wave his hand and shush you once again? All right, as soon as we get the man, you get the chant. Doc Sewell, you just paid us a rather large sum

of money to produce documentation and acquire transit to Ankorel. We've kept him here. All we prepared his documentation, and we're to send them on his way through our tunnels to the docks. So you're asking us to betray a client of the clasp. And avoid the hammer of the empire.

And keep the bunning at the same time. Sounds to me like you just won twice. He reaches his hand out for the box. Where is he? Where is he? All right, you can inspect it, scan it from Madison. magic if you'd like. It's the box.

What's the box made out of? He hands it to... Fine, fine oak design. He hands it to one of his compatriots who takes it and inspects it and pulls out a small glass. It kind of puts it over his eye. Can I kind of druid craft a little bit and a little bit of a breeze coming, like, seeping from the box?

Hmm. Like a little bit of a cup. Just lets out a little bit of a brain. A little bit of a small note. A little bit of that white castle. Make a slight a hand shot. Just slide a hand, Shag. Slight a hand?

Aw, fuck. Damn it. Aw. And they're probably pretty pretty pretty good. Did you see that? Whoa. It jumped. 21.

There's 21. You mutter beneath your breath and kind of swivel your hand for a second. As the other individuals inspecting it with the glass kind of monocle-looking piece, when it kind of drifts around it and you can see the wood itself almost shimmer as if the grain of the wood is You know, moving a pattern. I hold up a beautiful, elegant note. Jesus. That I show in my hand.

You're holding to my notes. Yeah. Very well. We have him in holding. awaiting his documents. I'll show you. I'll leave the door open. We'll clear the halls.

Do what you must. He will not be involved. You have an hour. It's all we need. What is your password? Once he is free, then. If he is free, then you get in our custody, then you get the name. We'll leave it outside the door.

He puts his hand like this, and other individuals of the class kind of back out and leave into the hallway behind you. He leads you to follow him. And I say, careful, do not open that box without the password, or else it will melt your eyeballs out of its head. Make a deception. Oh, shit. He was going for it.

We had the mark. We had the mark. No, wait, wait, wait. Is this deception? What is he? Yeah, I love it. They take a few steps, and he turns and looks at you. You never know what acts in mysterious ways.

Oh shit. It opens the box. Shit. Inspecks the piece of blue crystal. Can I drew it crap to, who gust coming out of it? I would not recommend it. Okay. He looks over at the gentleman who expected it earlier and nods his head.

Accept it. And then they continue walking forward. You lucky. You lucky. You're lucky. Fucking droid. It is the piece. You put it in an actual... It's a blue shard that we found in long, long ago.

It's real crystal and it's real magic. Yes. I know what that is. I don't. Yes, well, it was sufficient. Okay. I think it opens a portal to another plane. I don't know what it is, but it's magic. Is it the one we got at last...

Winter's Crest? Yeah. That's an important. Giant hunt of math. The one that we were like using shards of it to carve through dimensions. Cool. Cool. Oh, we gave that away.

Had a few uses. So as you guys move into the hallway, a bunch of the class members leave. You're led down a couple of doors on the left and right. You guys recognize these. These are the holding cells. You guys were held shortly after you were battles with the . Give me bed. So the cell in the left is closed.

The cell in the right is closed. He walks up to that cell without an even bit of noise, pulls out a key ring. Unlocks it. It's impressive. Puts the keys away. Turns around, the rest of the clasp scatter out of the hallway. He puts the box away and his cloak and says, One hour.

Do as you must. Keys. We've got two. Choose from. He's at the door. He'll unlock one for you. No, no. But there's two cells?

Or he's opened the cell at his end? There are three cells in this hallway. The middle cell is the one that he led you to and then unlocked for you. Okay, thanks. And he steps away. Looks at the rest of you guys. The rest of you guys? There are five blocks on it's now.

And then vanishes down the hallway. So it's now just you guys in this hallway. I have not given him the password. Good, good, good, good. No, he already opened the box. Daxio, we've got your papers. Come on. Because I foresee something possibly.

I think we were saying the password made it work. I told him that he knew the chat to the shit. Yeah, I think he knows it's super powerful magic anyway. He doesn't give a shit, he's taking it. That's good, because man. I understand this was some bullshit. Yeah. Balls.

So, that just means when you're chipping him, it's a fair trade. So, you guys are all gathered in this hallway. God. Who is standing where? Where did he leave from? You guys entered this direction. Okay, then I've done that as well. I'm going to lock eyes with Grog and motion him

towards one side of the door. Can you long stone the other side of the hallway? Yep. Just to block them from coming down that hole lake. My dagger's a ride. I can, yeah. You can't. You can't walk a wall of stone out of their side.

I'm going to go ahead and block in the entryway for good measure. Right here? Yeah. I thought the one that he left through. Okay, they left this way. Yeah. Okay. So you wall this off?

Yeah. Why not? There is now a wall of stone in the middle of that hallway. We don't have to leave that way. I just can just see it out. I mean, we can get it out. All right, so who is standing where? Any particular placement you guys pushed to do?

Back and I are on either side of the door. All right, so you guys are here. All right. Going stealth. So is this leading into something crazy? This leads into a cell. Into a cell. Into a cell?

A labyrinth or just a cell? As far as we know, just a cell. This is how it's done. He just completely took an expensive thing and left us to rot, pretty much. Anyone else want to change this arrangement? No. We are in a giant death cluster. How about we spread out of touch?

Like two people to a door in that hallway. So wait. All right, I'll take the other door. Are we? I'll take the other door. Okay, I'll go down with Skyline on the other one so I can range attacks. You range attacks, yes.

I'm just saying if you took out a magic spectacle and knows that we're full of shit, we're all gonna die. I'm gonna stand with my back against the wall that she's built up. Okay. Like that, yeah. Half-Oork dude say he was just in the cell. That's all he said. Yeah.

He said, they're essentially they unlock the cell and they're walking away, they're turning their heads away, letting you do what you want. How do we know that that's the one that he's in? We don't. We don't. Let's find out. Why don't you go in and kill some shit? Caton's good with this arrangement?

Is there any other entrances or anything else around? There's just this door and they're both currently. Try and go for it. Yeah. I called out already. I would like to rage. Okay. Let us go ahead and for the sake of this,

Roll initiative depending on what happens going forward, just so we have that. Just in case, eh? Just because I have a fear of construction paper. Fear of construction paper. Nice. Advantage. Yeah. What did construction paper do to you?

It's done so weak. What did it not do? I got to sign. All right, so 25 through 20. 25. 25. 26. Whoa, yeah.

Who are you? Really? 20 to 15? 17. 17. 15 to 10? 14. 14. All right.

And what did it actually do? Nine. Of course. I would expect nothing less. I'd like to think that she looks both ways when we're attacking. All right, so you rage? I rage. Who's doing what now?

Fax is our point, man. Well, we're both at the door and I called out, so I guess we'll wait a moment to see if. Check the trap. feet. No. No. A moment passes. You want to check? I can open the door. Well, I already went stealth earlier, too, and got a 25 on the stealth check. I can go again if you want.

Do you want to try and stealth in the room? If we wait like 30 seconds and nothing happens, yeah. Okay, let me have a set up. No. 21. I'm not moving. I'm standing. As you He thinks are going in. Push in the doorway quietly.

You see, for a moment inside, you can see there's a little bit of light from the overhead in the room that kind of lights it up. You see in the distance what looks to be a latrine in the far corner. As soon as you peek in the doorway, you glance out the side of your eye line and immediately see a figure and a flash of metal. Okay, I'll use on County Dodge, then. All right. Unless it's an area effect.

Scenario effect, I'll use evasion? No, it is a direct attack as a giant metallic glave. Uncanny dodge. It comes down to you. That is going to be a 19 to hit. Uh, uh, it hits. All right. That is 18 points of piercing damage.

That is, slashing damage. Nine points with the uncanny dodge. Okay. At this point now, you've revealed the interior. And right here at the door, you see there, standing, Daxio right before you, armored up, sweating the brow, holding what looks to be a large glave, a halberd-type weapon with a giant, like, that's kind of bladed tip, who just whacks you and gets back in a defensive position. You!

Daxio's a mature elf. Can I move and then hold my turn? Move and hold? Hold the actions? You've moved in. You could ready your action. action if you like. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Can I just use my movement and then wait? You could go to be like that's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to circle around him. I'm never going to leave him. I'm going to go all the way around and circle him and wait. And then my trigger is when Gogs, Grog steps up to him. You can't move through other creatures in this Oh, I can't go around him? No, he has you blocked off in the doorway. And it's like squared off with you right now with the glave.

Is Grog considered five feet away from him? Grog is considered five feet away from him. Oh. Then I'm going to sink a time. Then I'm going to sneak attack. Not five feet away from him. From me? In order to sneak attack a creature, you have to have an ally adjacent to the enemy, not to you.

The idea is they're being harried by two different points and can't form a good defense. Alright, then I'm going to use disengage. I'm going to step five feet back. Okay. I'm going to use one action to click my boots of haste. All righty. And then can I attack because the boots are on after that? Then I throw a dagger at them.

Okay. That is 24. 24 does hit. 11, from the King dagger. All right, got it. Cool. Do we? We have now officially, as at this moment, entered combat.

You technically would be next in the initiative around at this point, but you're holding your action until, what are you holding your action until? I was only going to do that if you told me that I can move around him. Now that I know that I can move around. Okay, never mind. Asking rules. Gotcha. All right, cool.

So that will be the, in theory, the first opening to the battle. Now we start the initiative order. Okay. All right. So now we're starting off Vex. You're up first. I call out Daxio. Don't be a moron.

Step outside and lower your weapon. You're surrounded. Slice. Don't make an intimidation check. Yeah. Do it, do it, do it. You were using your deep voice. My deep voice to intimidate him more.

Daxia. Daxio. Thirteen. 13. Okay. You shouted out and echoes through the hallway. Who knows if it's slanted or had an effect yet? You can't see him from your current perspective.

Can I, should I walk forward or should I keep? He's in there by himself and other areas. I mean, as far as we know. Don't you check the other door? Can I, no. Whoever's in there is locked in there. Yeah, I'm just going to, I'm going to stay where I am, I guess. All righty, so you stay there.

Next up is Vaxon Percy. I'm going to disengage and back up against the back wall. You've already disengaged. All right, so I'm going to back up and hold. You, okay. So you back up, or you notice as you're at this point, step five feet back that that weapon he's carrying is pretty long and has a pretty decent reach. You may have to disengage to get out of there without taking another strike.

But if I were to take go left or right, Would I be out of range of hitting him because of the doorway? You would be over here, probably, yeah. So if I move sideways, either way, I can't hit him. Correct. So I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna just step back against the back wall and hold. Are you using your disengage action or not?

Was I within five feet of them? I thought you would already dis-endage. Yes, I'm gonna use disengage. Okay, so use your bonus action to disengage this time. Because you're not used to fighting these long pole arm weapons. As you begin to take another step back, you realize if he can actually hit you from further away than you expect.

Can I have you used my bonus action to hide? Sure. Go to roll up. All right, and now you're going to go ahead and bolt? Natural 20. Okay, you've vanished. Wow. Hold until what? What do you want to be the triggering?

Bill Raw steps in. Okay. All right, next up is Percy. Is there a grill on that door? That he kind of... No, it is a solid door. It is currently open, but... Oh, no, I mean on the door that I'm next to.

Oh, no, that is closed. That is a solid door. I'm gonna stay where I am and hold my action until I see somebody I want to shoot in the hallway. Okay, good to know. All right, that brings us to Grog. I bellow out. You're in for the fight of your life if you don't drop your pole arm. The next thing hits the ground if you don't will be your skull. Are you using your action to intimidate? Yes. Okay, go and roll intimidate check.

Would you have some sort of intimidate thing? Yeah, like power because you're barbarian. Yeah, you do. He's not in a frenzied rage, though. No, but I'll take Craven Edge out and leave him unsheath, which gives me an advantage on intimidation checks. Okay. Oh, hell, yeah.

Nice. Well, that's good. That's good. 17. 17. Okay, you can see now with the blade forward, sweat dripping down his face, kind of this look of a cornered animal, and as the sword comes out, the shoo-h-h-kind of ringing sound of the air, and the shadows kind of coalesce around the black obsidian blade. He gives you a look.

And he's questioning his current circumstance, but seems to be holding firm. What do I have left in my turn? Anything? You have your bonus action and you move. Bonus action, bonus action. What's a bonus action? I do. I don't know what you can do.

If you're a frenzy to rage, it would be another attack, but... Oh. That makes me tired of shit. No, I want to do anything else. Okay, you're doing it? Yeah. Alrighty.

Now being his turn, Daxio is just going to curve around the side, looking at you with the glaven position, kind of responding to your intimidating act. Takes the blade and swirls it around and goes for your legs. So that's going to be a 21 to hit. 21 to hit. That'll hit. All righty. This is going to be, as the glave sweeps under your legs, trying to gash across, that is eight points of slashing damage.

That's good, I'm raising. Plus an additional five points from its superiority die. From its what? Superiority. It is attempting to trip you. Go ahead and make a strength saving throw. Okay. Do I have a...

That is like a chess play. Ability checks, not your saving throws during... Strength checks and strength saving throws, advantage? Is it what says? Is it what says? Yeah, you have advantage on this. Yeah, you have advantage on this. Ha ha.

26. 26. You stand firm in your position. The blade strikes and gashes open a part of your shin, but you just hold your place there, kind of leaning against the wall for support. It doesn't affect you. So 13 total halved, so seven. Mm-hmm.

Next is going to, you know what, it's just going to go ahead and attempt to strike you two more times. Wow. That is going to be a 16 to hit. Misses. And this one is going to take a minus 5 on that one. That was a, oh, okay. All right, that's 24. All right, this is going to be a great weapon master strike, so this is 20 points of slashing damage.

damage. Whoa. Whack! And he's going to hold firm in his current position, kind of like, daring anyone to come near, yeah. Holding this pincher point. Keel if you're up. Okay, I'm going to kind of peek around Grog and try and cast whole person on him.

Okay. What's the DC on that? 18. Just my false DC. Okay, well, that is 17. However, it's going to use Indominable to re-roll saving throw. Oh. That is going to be a 20.

So as you finish the spell, you can see his head being to be affected and just shrugs it off your sheer force of will. You think that's one doing your turn? This guy's annoying. Yeah. No. Okay. Then is Keel's turn. Scanlon, you're up. I just said yes.

Oh. Yes. What do you want to do? No, wait, no, I don't have it. I don't have it. No. Never mind. No.

Go. Scanlan, what are you doing? I can't see him yet or I can? No, not right now. You just see this blade going, push, yes, out the doorway. And I saw Keyleth cast that spell, yes? Correct, yes.

Almost worked. I run up a little closer to be in visual range, yeah? There you can see him, yeah. And I will do the same fucking thing, and I'll cast hold person on him. Yeah. Okay. My hand clenolence. And cone, that is natural one.

Yay! Yes! He's gonna use his other use of indomitable to attempt to re-roll it. Two, but this is the last one. That brings him to 19. 19. He has to make a wisdom saving throw. Yeah.

Oh, is that what he was doing? Against my spell save. Is that what he is? Damn. Wait, no, that is 17. Sorry, I'm listed the map. Ha-ha! Yes.

So as you finish the whole person, he locks up into place and he tends his eyes darting around with an angry fury. Anything else you want to do? I will with my bonus, can I talk to him? Yeah. I will say hey man, just give up already come on, come on. That's my intimidation. Make an intimidation. 21. 21. He seems visibly shaken by the presence of the two of you, and the fact that he can't move right now.

That's the best I can give you at the moment. He can't move right now. Can't move right now. Well, like I'm holding him. All right. That ends your turn, I believe. Pike. Okay.

Can I intimidate him to give him to give him? me his weapon? Well, he can't move. He can't move? Can I go up, can I go and try to take his weapon? If you want to, one, two, three, four, excuse me, pardon me. Five, so you step up into the hallway.

Oh shit. And you walk up to him and he's kind of towering to get you, sweat dripping down his face, hair kind of matted across the side of his chin. Do it, Pike. Do it. What are you doing? Please give me your weapon. Roll intimidation, check.

Get more flies of honey. What about the sweetest check? Well, it does, probably not going to work with the four. The eyes, though frozen, still manages to roll his eyes. As the gnom, armored gnome walks up and requests his weapon here. And there's no longer paying attention. Can I just take it from him? Can I just take it from him?

Go ahead and make a strength check. Just roll and add your strength modifier. That's good. 18? Oh wait. It might be higher than that. No. 18.

You go and grab and all the muscles tensed up. It's like a vice grip. And as you pull and pull and pull, to know a veil, you're unable to rest up in this group. Dang it. Okay. So close. That ends your turn.

Back up Vex. All right, I guess I walk. Look at us all bunched up in this little hole. Yeah. It's a bad circumstance for a party. I'm going to stay. where I am. Okay.

And I'm gonna just call that, you being really stupid, obviously. You are outnumbered. Obviously. You are frozen. You should probably just, you know, give up, give up. All right. And also, we can't, we probably can't tell if he's giving up, because he's frozen.

Can we hold our moves until, okay, until grog. I want to hold my action until Grog gets him to move until he moves out. What action do you want to hold? What are you going to do? Do I have to say what I'm going to. Want to know what you're ready, essentially.

I want to, if anything attacks us, I want to be able to attack it. Okay, good to know. Same person. All right, and Vax, same. I'm going to wait to see what Grog does. As soon as Grog's done and throwing. Grog, what are you doing?

Can I squeeze by Pike or do I need to pick her up and move her out of the way? Technically, being held, doesn't threaten the square. and you can probably walk around Pike, so you could get into the room. I'd say right now because you can't really defend it or keep you at bay with his weapon. Walk, that's cute.

I would like to run past Pike and bear form tackled him. Okay, all right, so we're doing a full thing. Full shoulder in the gut, wrapping my arms around his legs, picking him up. Don't you wish we had a drinket now? It's like football drills, you're running into a, what are those things?

standing up and you're just driving into him with your whole body mass. Why don't we need drink it? We have a small giant. All right. Go ahead and make an athletics check. 19. 19? That's fine. He can't even defend at this point. So you push him back five feet and you manage to push your weight into this and kind of just shove him further into the room.

But not to the ground? I just wanted to take him to the ground. Yeah, I wanted to tackle him to be on top of them. Yeah. You know what? Bhoff, be prone. On the ground and you are like right over, lording the space. Awesome.

Okay. Now you're gonna do your turn? Can we just- I can't attack, right? That's all I got. It can move. No, no, I'll stay there. And are we able to tell from what Grog just did

what he does? Does he react or does he just go Guh? He just falls over because he can't move his muscles. Can we move his muscles or is he like, frozen? You mean like use him like, we can Can we handpuff him while he's... Yeah, that's what it's to say.

Can we tie him? Tie him up? If it gets to your, you can attempt to if you get to him on your turn. All time. Okay. So, Grog finished your turn. It comes to Daxio's turning to resist

at a natural pony. Oh. Fuck. You were holding your turn until Grog moved him. Until Grog does thing. Right. Yeah, but I wanted to see what happened, so it would be after this.

Right. So, as doxio's up in the ground, muscles lax for a second and looks up at you and can't do anything because that was his turn but is no longer seemingly affected by the ability and just looks up with you with eyes flicking around with thoughts and trying to formulate a plan on here I like what you see don't you Max what you want to do? All right so I'm

I'm hasted because I did the boots so I'm going to climb through my friends over pike under grog's legs and I'm going to I'm going to flip daggers over I'm going to be in this guy in the face a couple of times. Should be a sneak attack the first time because it's because of Grogby. Make an acrobatics check. Oh, right. That is 30. 30. Landing on the opposite side of the room. On the other side of Daxdale, you jump off of the dog's back, land and go for your attack. All right, I'm going to blunt edge him three

times. You have advantage on both of these attacks because he is currently prone on the ground. So the first one is a natural 20. That's also sneak attack. So that doesn't get quadrupled, does it? It's just, it's already doubled from sneak attack. Correct. How is that? Well, no, no, no. It's doubled because it's a critical hit.

Okay. That's all. Oh, right. Sneak attack, you just get the additional six, remember? Yeah. Okay, so, and then the second one is 23. 23, both hit. Okay, and then did I use all my movement to climb through the scrum, or do I have my third attack?

Well, no, the movement wouldn't affect your attack at all. Your movement is just your movement action. So I do have a third attack then. You would in theory. Yeah. Okay, so that's 17. 17 does it, yes. Okay, so the first one, blunt using the end is a...

11, 2, 3, 7, 10, 15, 19. Plus. 19 times 2. 19 times 2, right, is a... right is 38 plus the seven, so 46 for the first. 46 points of damage. That's blunt, though, and two plus six is eight on the second, and seven on the third.

All right, got it. So as you slam the daggers into each side of his head, you can see cracking the side of the temple, blood beginning to pull around the side of where the impact hit. It's kind of staggered momentarily from the impact, but after the third strike hit, manages to bring the glave up to try and defend himself at this point. That would be it.

Did I use all my movement to get there, all of it? You could try and get away if you'd like. With the haste, you would have more movement, yeah. I'll take, I'll go back 10 feet, see what happens. He's on his back, so he could probably take a swing at me if he was on his screen. No, he tries to, it's with this advantage.

All right. Yeah. The her over two. That's, wheef, it's the tile. All right, that brings us to, to Kieliff. He's down on the ground? Yep.

Yeah, I'll go ahead and vine him. Grasping vine? Yeah. To where? To a right, because it's got to be like against a wall. Oh, can't be the ground? Can't be the ground? Can't be the ground?

Yeah, can I just, essentially just entangle him into the ground? Sure, let's give it a shot. Fourth level, grasping vine. All right, fixturity saving throw. It has a disadvantage on. That is a failure. All right, so is now Chatter.

And while prone. Yeah, he's down. That's hot. All right, so technically the spell doesn't grapple. It just pulls things towards it. It just moves things around the battlefield. Yeah, that's right. So the vine pulls them closer to the ground.

Can I do like entangle instead and kind of just do like a concentrated entangle? would affect the entire floor of that room. Yeah, so dressing the vines around him, you don't know how much of an effect it will have when it comes to his turn, but. Hit me, get me. We'll find out.

Disadvantage. We'll give him one more. You did great. Yeah, probably got a lot. Those are your action. You can still use your action to cast another second level if you want to do. Speak with animals.

What kind of, are you good? Commune with nature. I mean, I can try and hold person him again. Do we want to do that? I can hold person him again. I want to hear what he has to say. Yeah. Can I?

Charmin? Can I do a druid craft, Matt? A druid craft where I druid craft a vine like around his ankles? Sure. Okay, cool. Out of the grasping vine, a little vine goes... Down the leg. It just kind of tries it... It's more of a great vine. It's more of a great vine. It's a great vine. Great vines are pretty rough. Great vines are pretty hard.

Okay. Scanlan, you're up. Me? Jesus. Oh, eh! Hey! Hey, dude, come on. Hey, can you go up, please? Please give up.

I'm just gonna intimidate him again. Okay. Roll, intimidation check. Come on, roll so high. That was a dead roll. Same roll. This is intimidate. 22.

Okay. You get the sense now that These rounds of perpetual pressuring, Daxio, and now recovering his position in this fight, and you guys have stepped into this room with him, he's become less of a sensible individual and more of a desperate man lashing out as a last stand, and your intimidation shouts are falling upon deaf ears. False. Is that my action? I'd say because you've already daring you're shouting at it. It can be a bonus action, so we want to take your actions too.

I do anything else. I'm not sure. Well, if we're fighting then, I can't. I will just, I will blind him. It's time. Okay. Can I do that? Sure. Blind him at a level three.

A blind. Oh, blind. With science. All right. So at a level three just means you can target an additional creature. I know, I just don't have any level two slots. Okay, so you'll spend, no worries. All right, so let's make a Constitution saving throw.

DC. That is a 19. That's 19, so he saves. So he saves, unfortunately. Oh, God. Sorry. This guy sucks. Wait, I can blind one other person? Do you want to?

No, I'm not. Okay. All right. Mike, you're up. What did you do? So intimidating is not working. No. It seems to no longer, he's not interested. Can we just take him out of there now that he's all tied up?

He's not tied up. The vine kind of grabbed around but doesn't appear to be really changing his physicality right now. Okay, can I make, with my, can I, can I spiritual weapon a sort of holding, like a, like a, rail gun of, like a mox, like a, a gun weapon, a sort of a, a sort of a old. A sort of omen. Like a lusole weapon. Like a nerve. What kind of weapon would you want to summon?

I want to make a lasso again. Okay. Lariat. A lariat. Maybe with a little stinger on the end. Ooh, that's fantastic. Just to listen. All right, just all right.

I'll put a little lasso there. A little summon lasso. His arms. Well, we have to see if it works. It works. So go ahead and roll and add your spell attack. It has advantage because he's prone still. Oh, shit.

It has advantage. That would be a natural one. Right. He is also now grappled. He's grappled. Right. With a stinger. Can a stinger like go right here to his neck?

Sure. All right, you... There, you're a little... The spiritual energy wraps around the body. It's held there with the vine, both kind of holding him there, and the stinger up over the throat. Brother, come on. Come on.

What are you going to do? Okay. We take him the fuck out of here. Yeah, we got to take him out. That end your turn? Manichol, and take him the fuck out. All right. But I can still, has he dropped his weapon?

No. No, weapons still clutched to him and like wrapped up. Can I try to intimidate him with my extra bonus attack and tell him to drop his weapon? You get the sense, he can't drop it, because he's currently, like, everything is wrapped up to him between the lasso and the vine, and intimidation doesn't seem to be affecting anymore.

Okay. How long does a spiritual weapon last? It's concentration, so it can be number rounds, as long as she uses a bonus action and maintain it. Okay. So, concentrated. Yes, I would recommend it. Vex. Concentrated weapon. Yes. Okay. Oh no, should I go in the room?

Room's kind of busy, in my opinion. I feel like I don't want you. You know what? I'm gonna hunters mark him. She can't just walk up to you. You're gonna get over. Still can't see him at that distance, unfortunately. Seriously? You've stayed at the far back.

Well, then fuck it. I'm gonna just stay where I am. Yeah, let's keep point. I'm gonna keep point. I'm gonna stay at the back of the hallway, just in case. Back to Percy? Again, still hiding. Okay, I've still got daggers turn around. I'm gonna knock this fool out. Put it right on his chin. Okay, yeah, and you guys are right on top of him.

So first one is advantage because he's grappled and down, right? Correct. So first one is 22. Second one is natural. Natural 20. Third one is 20. All right, so go forth. All three attacks it. All right, so the first one is regular attack. Well, you can't choose which one's the sneak attack.

Well, there's no, oh, sneak attack. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry, I meant the critical was on the second one. Correct, yes. That's what I meant. Yeah, no worries. So the first one is... The catch you. Eleven plus double this.

Eleven plus four, eight, twelve, twelve, 15, 16, 22, so that's 44 plus... You don't double it. Oh, the second one's the critical attack, critical attack, thank you. 22 plus seven is 30, I have three attacks, 31. Second one is, that's easy, 14, and the third attack is 10.

The second was critical, but much small. All righty, whack, whack! Slam down into the face. down on the face, you can see the nose actually breaks under the blunt of the weapon, and blood begins to pour out from his nostrils, he's like, fighting now and like coughing up. Who's gonna tie him up? Who's in the fucking room? And I'm gonna jump back on 10 feet again.

And pull him out of the room. Anyone. And Percy, you're holding still? I'm holding. All righty. Grog. I'm gonna take manacles out of the bag of holding, since he's holding his arms are pinned to his chest, and I'm gonna clasp it on both of his wrists. Okay.

Nice. And then I'm gonna pick that motherfucker up on my shoulder up on my shoulder. and walk out of the room. Yeah. Okay. I'd like to try. Okay. And I can help.

You can by just controlling it with your mind. At least you're still keeping them bound. So I will say, go to make athletics, check, just to... Strength or athletics? To be athletics. Nice try. I know. Athletics is better for you, technically.

That is. 20. Yeah, you. Lift them over the shoulder. Ah, ah. Sac up to states. Pass Pike, take him out into the hallway. You're gonna keep him on your shoulder?

Or slam him down. Yeah, I was gonna slam him into the wall. Wham! Just whack into the wall. Just go ahead and roll 1D6 plus your strength modifier. I'll say for the sheer force of this, this near, currently helpless individual slammed against the stone wall. That's seven.

All right. Can I toss Grog my some of the infinite rope and tell him to tie up, tie up his ankle as your your halt night? Sure, sure. So Vex steals out to you and throws you the source of the infinite rope. You grab and begin if you want to start tying up. All right. Lute tying? I mean rage. Rage tie. Rage tie. All right, great. Now it comes to Daxia's turn. It's currently trying to resist the the grappling and your attempt at doing that. It's going to be a natural 20 on athletics check. Yeah, but he's got his ankles tight up.

Not no more, or you don't? Angles tied up. And he's got manacles. Your turn? The manacles too. Yeah, the manacles are there. Your turn was to lift him up and slam him into the wall, and you're beginning to wrap him up. His turn immediately afterward is he breaks out of the lasso.

Spirit weapon. And at that point, still manages to get back with half of the movement, onto his feet. I can't take my turn now, can I? Can I? You can, after this. He's out of all of it. No, not all of it. Installs the manacles on, which holding the pole arm right now wouldn't do too much of a disadvantage to him, so I'm going to say for this round, it doesn't do anything.

I don't hold it. I don't hold it. I know, it'd be close. The mancles is pretty tight. He wouldn't be able to, like, get a firm grip on the swing, and he would be like... It would be a hard ass. It could be worth a fighter. As a staff user, that's a staff user.

That's pretty hard. It gives you something. It gives you something. It gives you something. So disadvantage on the attacks with this, but they're all against Keel. Oh no. You know what? Bring it, bitch.

Oh. So it actually gets up. Seeing a Grog had taken a majority of the attacks and looking over at the druid that made the vine curl and drag him to the ground, turns over and is going to make three strikes again. make three strikes against you. What's up? The first one is going to be, all right, that is a 15.

Missed. All right. Second one, natural one on the second roll. Nice. Metal's slinking against the wall. Third one is going to be a 17. Oh.

17 is exactly what you need. 17 does hit, all right. is going to try and intrip attack you. So you take as this third strike plus 12 points of slashing damage and make a strength saving throw. 15. 15. With that, whoosh, slams it around and hits you

right about the kneecap. The blade hits the armor and it guards most of it, but the sheer force, the impact knocks you off your feet and you land face down on the ground in front. With that, Daxio, uses that moment, that momentum of the strike, to go and use the action surge ability. It's going to do three more strikes against your now prone self.

So even with disadvantage, you're prone, so each attack has no disadvantage against you. Yeah. He's got a die. We're trying too hard. It's a natural 20. On the first one, and these are all great weapon master. This one is going to be a 23.

And that one's going to be a Sorry, I was it. It'll be an 18, and this one is a 21. Okay. Okay. So all three hit? Uh-huh. The first one being critical. This is all for that staff comment? Is that that all for that staff comment? Harsh.

Pretty much. It's pretty harsh. I know, that's harsh. But also given the circumstance that you were the, from his perspective, the one that was trying to hold him in place too. And Grog hasn't taken much of visual impact from the blows. And you're the one that's currently protecting him from rushing out that direction. Uh-huh. See what you want.

But anyway, that is 30 points of slashing damage from the first strike. That's the critical. Uh-huh. The next one is 24 points of slashing damage. Oh, God. And this last one is 21 points of slashing damage. No. No, she's standing.

I mean she's not, but... What do you have? That ends Daxio's turn. You're up, Kieleth. Oh, wait. Oh, no, Prisier. making your action, that's right. I am gonna take.

Don't shoot me, don't shoot me, don't shoot me. I'm gonna pull grit shot to the hands. Okay. With the new pistol. With the new weapon? Fuck them up. That might explode. Miss fired.

Okay, that's nice. That's a one. That's a lot. That's a 21 to hit. That hits. All right, drop it. All right, make strength saving through them. Let me double check.

No, I made a change to that because. Oh yeah, that's right. kind of intense. That is going to be a 21. Against my... Against your DC for all your other abilities. So I'm pretty sure that he resists it. Against my DC? Against your DC, yeah. So let's take the first shot. It does damage, oh, no, no damage. This is the... No, this does no damage. I don't know where my DC? I think for this one, if I look at the change I made for the for the update on the gunslinger, let me go ahead and check it fast. Stay with me folks.

This gun called Little Sparky? The arms you said, right? Hands, yeah. Actually, no, I did not change this one. He doesn't get a saving throw. He drops it. No damage. So, as you, as you, as Keelef is on the ground,

being hacked by this glave, lifts up again for another brutal strike, and psh-ch-o-oos, echoing blast sound hits as the glave is knocked out of his hands. I just go to my earpiece and I go, thank you, Percy. Do we, are we going to go with that discussion

we had about the torso shot? torso shot or are we are we dropping that for now? Dropping it for now. I'm totally okay. In that case I'm just going to take two two sharpshooter shots to drag him down a little bit. Okay. That's

18, 19, 27 to hit. 27 hits. That does, oh god, new gun. There we are. That's six. 22 points of damage. of damage. All right. Yeah, a little sparky. And that's 17 to hit. 17 to hit. Yeah. Just hits. And that's, uh, 23 points of damage. All right. And that's all she wrote. How do you want to do this?

Oh! Wait, wait, keep him alive. Um, I don't think we have a chance now. Oh, we do. Fucking dick. Um. He deserves it. I want to take both of those shots and try and graze his collarbones with both those shots. It'll heal, but he's going to have a really hard time lifting his arms for like the next couple months. Okay. So with those shots, a splash of blood with bits of splintered bone come shooting out of the half-plate armor that he's been wearing as the metal itself kind of blows open from the impact of the first blast. with the glave still clinking to the ground behind him and him reacting. The first impact sends

him back and he leans up against the wall, looks up to see the source of the impact, looks into your eyes for a second, and before he has a moment of reaction, the second blast comes out, shattering the other part of the clavicle. You can now see the armor sundered on each shoulder and blood beginning to pour over the sides of where the armor has been torn. He kind of slumps to the ground. You're lucky, it'll even heal. His dominion will call back. Call me back when everything else has fallen into nothing.

Are you talking about Dres... Dres... Vecna? Vecna? Are you talking about Vecna? Uh, I see yes. Oh yeah, that didn't go very well. I'm afraid you might be out of luck. Yes.

We've got about 50 more minutes in here. What say we drag this asshole out of there? Wrong, time up! And let's get you... Do you mean... Yeah, I kind of... gets up and bleeding on my mouth, and I just take him and I grab him by his face, and I just say, fucking traitor, and I spit a big glob of blood in his face.

Yeah. And she's the nice one. It's true. I'll pick him up, I'll put him over my shoulder, and we start to walk out of the hall we want to. And I'm going to tie him up and everything. He'll heel, Heelift. Okay. He's in the process of you tying him up and jost him over.

He falls pretty much nearly unconscious. He's fading in and out of consciousness right now. Every now and then you feel like a little chuckle come out of him on your shoulder. And then passes out again. I pick up the glave also. Okay. Is that 30? All right.

Is hea, give up 30 points? Yeah. Oh, that's very good. That's almost a number. Well done. Double digits. double digits. What are you doing now?

Let's get the fuck out of me. Let's get the fuck out. Let's get the fuck out. If Docceo over your shoulder, you guys quickly head back into the hallway, emptied. The doorway still lies open where you guys left it. I got that piece of chalk and in thieves camp I'm going to write on the wall, much appreciated. Uriel sends his regards the... All right.

Okay, I'm close the road behind you. Do we want to check those other room? No. Oh, what about the room he was in? No. What do we know? What if he had stuff to travel with? That's true, he had a lot of money with him.

I'll do a quick rummage of it. Yeah. I'll do a quick, make it quick. Make it quick. All right. Backs in, Thursday. I'm gonna hang out by the door. I'm gonna let him hang out.

I'm an idiot, so I'm going to roll a six. I'm gonna go in and do it too. Can I wedge the door open or something? 20. You guys take a few more moments. Thankfully, there's no real pressure. You have plenty of time going forward. You guys go through the room,

underneath his bed up inside the actual wooden frame of the bed itself. That's very clever. In part of the cushion, you can feel there is a large sack of something. You pull it out from underneath. I'll hang over that. I'm sure you do, but you lost yours, so I'm going to hold on to you for you. You've proven to be irresponsible. Quickly, quickly.

I have had the most money of all of us. People, let's go. Let's clear the building, please. Let's go. I'll say for the sake of, are you probably counting it as you go up the stairs because you're back. 3,000 and two gold pieces.

I'm back to mold. No, you're not because it's. I found it. I know, but we took it away from you. No, you didn't. Yes, we did. You didn't find it. We saw you find it.

Excuse me, no interest in the other rooms or shall we leave. Let's just go. We're out staying our welcome. Let's go. All right, you guys head back up the stairway leading back into the storage room outside of the kitchen. How are you going to proceed from the kitchen?

I was just saying, are the, are the, We can set it on fire. The cooks are back in the kitchen? If you can look, you can listen, and you do hear the sound of like pots and various other things. How the fuck of the cook's gonna do? We're on the fucking council.

Come on, let's just walk. Yeah, I mean, what are you gonna do now? Oh, well, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. Are we about to walk through a very crowded bar? No, we're not. We're gonna go through the alley, where Trinket is waiting. Oh, we can toss them over trinkets back and walk on up. We just walk through the kitchen.

We just walk through the kitchen as you guys come stopping up in succession, carrying the bleeding and a lot of the kitchen. unconscious Daxia on the back, the younger gentleman who's working in the kitchen who's like in the middle of cooking something with a large cast iron pan goes, oh, you can't be in here. Your food is in plain. And my compliments to the chef. Good night. And with that you guys had back in the alleyway, shrink it eagerly.

Hey, darling. Licks your face. Yes, could you do his favor and carry him? Comes up to you and kind of nudges you to place. I tell them, I'll catch up guys. I have to say goodbye to my mates. Hurry. All right, and as you guys...

Frisk him while we're waiting. I like it. Can I dig in his pockets? Digging in his pockets, you find a strange holy symbol that appears to be a skull that is missing the left side of its face. Can I do a... Neat about the opera. Religion check on it? Yeah, go for it.

Fifteen. Fifteen. Based on the conversations you have at the party and the seeming subtle rise of worshippers of Vecna in intertwined with the Whitestone scenario, this is a symbol of Vecna. It's not a holy symbol per se more than it's just some sort of a token or some sort of a, it has a purpose that isn't magical. It is magical? It is not magical.

It is not. So while you're doing that, Scalienin, you head back into the tavern. In the time that's passed, you can see now your band with Dr. Dress, or they're all gathered together, and they're finishing up their drinks, and it looks like they're ready to go ahead and find their way out on the town for the evening. And as soon as you walk into the room, they all kind of look over. Scattling! Good to see you, friend. Hi, hi, sorry I've disappeared there for a while.

I just got it a little distracted. I just wanted to say it was wonderful running into you if you'll be around for a friend. Another week, you said? Another week, yes. Our paths may cross again, and if you know or can ask around where Grace-Cull-Keep is, come pay us a visit. I would love to talk to you about the past and history and your travels and mine, all right?

All right. Grace-Cull-Keep-you-say. It's actually called Grace-Cull Embassy now. You're an ass. I'll see her at your keep. And I turned to, what is the name, Kaylee? A Kaylee who is already behind you. And as you turn, she goes, Grace, come keep, is it? Yes, it is.

My room's on the second pole. All right. I keep playing a long game around it. Yeah. You step out at the tavern, meet with the rest of your allies, and as the sun sets on the distant western sky over Iman, locks Mokina makes its way back to its keep with its current quarry. Quarry. We'll end it for tonight.

We're taking it to Uriel, right? Just as a minor detail is we're walking, almost like a magic trick. I want to grab my cloak and yank it off pike and wrap it up and put it into my pocket. Okay. And we're taking it to Uriot. The flowers are still staying. Stinkly, as I might have to leave it. We're not taking them to Ars.

We're going to Uriot. We're going to take this guy to Uriot. We've got to jump off our chair. Can you make a quick turn and start heading back towards the top of the street? And that's where we'll end it for the other end. Bug up it in the sunset credits roll, they turned right. Oh, shit, forgot. A free spray!

That's right, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. 26-lion gold to get some booty. I like it. I like it to talk about your sword! Never had an opportunity to discuss it. Nope, I'm a better-mell. I feel like such a bad person. I might be able to actually.

It began to be alright. Don't make me talk to him because it won't go well. No, no, no. We just didn't get a chance to talk to me about a sword. That's crazy. Cool. Back in the swing of things, our first game of the year. Got some story beats completed and some other mysteries put in there. It was some fun. Fun little step into Scanlan's old world, too. That was kind of. Yeah. Scandlin back story.

I want to get some more into that. Oh, and we're dropping shit. Oh, popcorn down. Just drop it. So next week we're doing Cripmas next week. Yeah, we're doing Christmas next week. So be ready for that. Come watch us see how the new year. As in store, it looks like we've got some great possible charity gets coming.

I'm excited to see what we're going to. All right then. We're going to go ahead and get ourselves out and sleeping for tomorrow morning. And sleep and sleeping. Thank you guys for coming and taking with us. We'll see you next week. Ever open up your podcast app, scroll forever, and still not know what to listen to? And there are millions of podcasts, and most of them, they just don't grab you.

That's why I created something you should know. Every episode is built around surprising, useful, and fascinating ideas. We're consistently ranked in Apple's top 200 with thousands of five-star reviews. But more importantly, people come back because they learn something interesting every time. If you're tired of searching and you just want something good to listen to, try one episode of Something You Should Know right here on the platform you're listening on right now. It's ticklish business anyway. You look at it. Come on, we'll stick together.

Love me. movies, well, classic movies, so do we. Tick Bush Business is the podcast where classic film is discussed in modern times. Hosted by me, film journalist Kristen Lopez, and my co-host, author Emily Edwards, we dive into the golden age of cinema with fun, heart, and serious expertise. As published film historians and lifelong classic movie buffs, we bring insider insights, deep research, and lively debates with a variety of special guests, ranging from celebrities like Holly Madison to T-Sum luminaries Dave Carger and Eddie Muller,

and even family members of Old Hollywood Legends. Subscribe now to ticklish business on your favorite podcast app, and let's talk about Old Hollywood today.