Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry - Vox Machina Ep. 64 - The Frigid Doom

Episode Date: January 10, 2022

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6 p.m. Pacific time. As we left off, Vox Machina, and there's search for the vestiges of divergence to gain artifacts, power enough to rival hopefully the power of the chroma conclave, a group of chlamatic dragons that have been terrorizing the countryside of Taldore.

The party had just finished their journey through the Faye Wild, a strange, magically overgrown realm of Faye creatures, illusion, and apparently corrupt tree bros. After a fight with this long

mentally disturbed Faye, heartbroken, and driven to vengeance and soiling the land around him. You defeated him and took from him the bow, Fenthrus, of which you've been seeking your vestiges, vestige, vex. That's right. That's right. I'll check that off.

You then gathered hands and through the magical capabilities of Kielaith, the druid of the Erechari, you managed to plane shift the rest of the party back to Whitestone itself. Speaking of which, no. Oh, wow. Already already? Oh, I know.

He's gonna get out. How long have we been gone? And I also need Sam. What? Oh, I say, Scanlan, Percy, and Grog to roll wisdom saving throws. Yeah. What did we do? I'm so rich.

We're too pretty. We all deserve it. We know we do. Too pretty. That was terrible. That was terrible. I have a thing called Resolve and I have one usage of it left. May I use it? We could re-roll a saving throw? Yes. Yeah, you may. Okay. Why is this happening? That's not much better, Pete. That's double. God damn it. It's a magical effect, but...

Okay. We're in trouble. Okay. Oh, no. If it's not magic, then I have an 11. Okay. Guys, drama needs conflict. Eight. No. Six. Oh my God. Hot damn! What? All right, all right. I'm so excited. Please don't get left behind. No, as the portal shifts close behind you, you all step out into the center of the White Stone City Square.

You can see behind you the sun tree where you guys left originally. It is midday, clouds are high in the sky, little breaks where you can see beams of sunlight coming through. It looks like there's a darker, a rainstorm coming probably in the next half day or so, off of the distant northwest. And there are townspeople now looking about the group of you guys. Keelith, Scanlan, Vex, and Vax.

Returning, you kind of... Your mind feels a little fuzzy, but overall, nothing seems to have affected you. You know, you're glad to be back. Percy and Grog, you are very confused how you got here and not quite sure why nothing has happened since you gathered here as friends. Yes.

So do we just have a straight piece of missing time? Are we still waiting to go to the Fay Wild? As far as you guys. Okay, just checking. You know right now, you guys. You never still wait. Never even went. That's horrible for Percy.

All right. I wanted to go your whole fucking line. I'm ready to go. What? How long does the spell take? Oh, boy. Yeah, do we have to wait long? I know.

I have like the P. You know, we're like, I can go seek P? I did. I feel fine now. Like ready to go to the actual castle? We did done it. We've done what? Faye wall.

It just brought us back. We're back. We're back from we just got back from the table. You're a terrible liar. Yeah, I know. That's true, but it's irrelevant. We just, the fuck are you talking about? What are you talking about?

Oh no. Does the name Garmili ring a bell? No, what, um. It doesn't remember we went. Is that me, I lose my title. No, should it? Maybe you can work it out. Oh no.

You titled Vexalia? I did what? Oh no! You gave Vaxalia a title in your White Stone Kingdom. She was the Duchess of some hut. Can someone who can't successfully lie to me, please explain to us? Exx lawyer, Baroness of the Third House of White Stone, Grandmistress of the Greyhunt.

How do you know about the Greyhunt? I don't know anything about the Grey Hunt, but it's written down on a piece of paper you gave me person. Is it written on a piece of paper? It is written on a piece of paper. I actually threw out, because I fixed up my notes. I know what a paper and made it back. Did he write it out?

Did he write it out? Did he write it? Someone wrote it down, right? Why did you throw that away? So this is how I know you're, I know you're lying because if I had written that down, you wouldn't have thrown it away. That's ridiculous. It's right here.

Don't even, fuck. Shit, mother bitch. Are you certain you're not trying to do comedy right now? I feel funny. I don't know. I don't, what, I, for the, for the sake of actual sanity, does she actually have the piece of paper that he wrote? Did he write something down? I did.

I wrote it down for her. It's in my, it would have it with you. You would definitely have it with you. I would still. Okay. It's just not in this particular, not in that world binder. It's not in this realm. This world.

The binder that Vex carries is much, much better. It's got fur. It's a trap or keeper. There are more worlds than these. It's got a happy kitten on it. Yeah, stay by the bell. Hang in there. It says life.

Life. Life and things to live. I don't know what's so funny about that either. I don't remember any of that. It grows on you so quickly, though. Wrong. Wait, so, did I? Can you show him the paper, Vex?

Oh, here. It's right here. That's your handwriting, right? We were committing. Shut up. It's fine. I'm happy to commit to this. Why would I, what?

What? Oh, God. We were in Singorn. Wait, I think I can help. I'm going to cast Modify Memory. on Percy. Crog's just content, like, sitting over here, like, completely blank. He'd chicken that he found out.

Level 7. I think it's a pigeon. It looks like a pigeon. This is so excited. Saddle. I have never seen him laugh like that before. This is a way to do it. All right.

All right. I can help you remember, Percy. Just look into my eyes. I don't want to... Look into my eyes. No. Well, that's getting gift. Okay.

Yeah. But wait, are you just going to make up what he remembers? No. So, Percy, too late. I need you to make a wisdom saving. Yes. Oh, and I'm out of...

What is your spell? D.C.? Is this with the con? Scanlon, is this with the cone. Oh, with the cone. I want this to work. So you're going to pull this. Scream in his face.

Yes. Yeah, wow. Eight. What the fuck? I don't know, that's twice. So, Scanlan, what, how do you modify his memory? Because at this level, at this level, you can alter the memories of an event that took up to seven days ago. What level are you doing? Level seven.

Oh, my. Now, but you can only modify ten minutes of it. Speaking as Liam, remember that this is a man who gave an evil sword. He gave crystal meth to Grog. Why are you trying to, why you try to instigate? The best crystal meth. How fine is crystal meth. Crystal Matlin.

I could change any memory. It was really good. What was it called? 10 minutes. What was your title called? There's nothing on this piece of paper. The Inceptive. Lady Vixote.

She was mistress of the great gray. Gray. Baroness of the third house of White Stone and grand mistress of the Grey Hunt. Jesus Christ. Baroness of what? Of the third house of white stone. And grandmistress of the grey hunt.

I have no patience for any of the shit. Whitestone and grand mistress of the gray. I mean, of all the ten minutes to have him remember, maybe that's not the one. It's not remember. He's going to be making it up. I'm not actually going to remember it. He's going to lie. Make up something wonderful for him. He's wanted to go there

his entire life. You wanted to go to the Faye Wild. Make something magical. You don't have time to have. this conversation. This is happening right now. Go for it. This isn't happening. Buck with me. I'm so excited. So, Scanlon. Oh my God. When did we leave? How many days has it been?

It's been close to a week. Okay. In the Faywild totaled all 19 rest. I can only modify 10 minutes of time. Correct. So I can't build the whole story up. No. He'll remember 10 minutes that you plug in right now. Remember? And by remember, meaning whatever you explain.

All right. And remember, as truth, whatever you will remember, Everton Manitzee hands of. This is amazing. This is my favorite spells in the game. This is amazing. You know? All right.

I don't know. I'm going to make him remember that we landed in the Fay Wild together as a group. It was a beautiful field filled with naked nymphs and fay creatures that all came to him and gave him a wonderful full body massage. Very uncomfortable. All right. Oh, no, but that was tension. Okay, yes. Vex saw him, and he did not want anyone to know about this moment that he had.

So in a fit of panic, he gave her something, anything, a title. A title to make her, to keep her confidence. The title was Lady Vexalia, the Baroness of the Third House of Whitestone, and Grand Mistress of the Grey Hut. She agreed to keep his secret. and he had a wonderful time before his memory fails. Oh. Oh my.

Wait, that was how we were, but there was, you shouldn't know. Mm, yes, I did this, right, I did do this, yes, I do, and we will never discuss why again. But yes, I did do this, and I'm so glad I wrote it down correctly because that was very embarrassing. But I'll have this, I'll have this approved. approved. As long as... Yes, well, I'm going to make sure I have to, of course, inform yes, that.

Yes. Who's yes? I don't know. Your new nickname is Jabba. Jabba. Yes. I like it. It seems the awkward curse of the Faywild

has sit into a couple of your allies. I... The fuck. I apparently am missing an awful lot of time. But this did happen. Yes. Okay. Well, you know.

Percival, look at this, show him the bow. Show him the bow. Oh, that kind of bow. Whoa! Oh, Grog! It's really badass. You killed the guy that was holding it. You did. Me?

Yeah. I pull out the piece of the petrified crocodile. We killed this too. What? What? Those are like amazing things. Is this normal? Would we have known?

Knowing that this is normal for people to lose their memory when they come out of the fucking favor? No, you would have no idea. We wouldn't have learned any of that in our studies. I mean, your studies aren't extensive on the Faywild. And the person, people that may know, partially are suffering from this circumstance. There's a petrified crocodile. What else did you see while we were in this magic. To be honest, my memory is kind of foggy as well. No, a little bit, but you guys also weren't heavy study years.

Yeah. most studious children. Did we see pixies? I was very serious. For certain things. He cheated off my texts all the time. I was incredibly stupid. Yes, that means I was smart.

Percy, I am so sorry. No, no, thank you. There were pixies? But here's the good news. Your girlfriend was there. Now that I've been there, we can go back at any time. Really? Nolla.

Can go back? Grawl. Girl, did this happen the last time you entered the Faiwaiw? What? When you, do you remember, okay. You know, I really don't think we need to worry about Grog so much. I think it's fine. Thank you.

You killed so many things, Grog. I did. You fought. Oh God, do we get alcohol? Did someone give us alcohol? No. Damn. But that can happen today.

I won't be very alcohol, but I know. We need to find Pike. That's right. Hike came to help us. How long have we been gone for? Pike was there. Five days? I don't know, it's a bit foggy, but a few days.

Guys, let's just go find a wizard and some alcohol in whichever order. I'm gonna go file this and I'll meet you in a moment. We can talk to him. Alora? Yes, yes. Maybe she can help. Here.

I'm going to make sure that that's finalized with the correct spelling. Baba the hut. Not that grand to me. I start walking off towards the castle. We're in White Stone. You're in Whitestone early, yes. Good day.

Come on. All right, let's go. Scalvin, let's go. We've just left there. Just eat your pigeon and come along, Grog. Strictly, I am suddenly hungry. Are you suddenly hungry? Yeah.

We should eat something. I'd make sure drink it's out. We should drink and eat something. Yes, I could use a glass of wine. I could use a craft of wine. Wine. Drink it looks inside of your face. Can a nuzzle.

you as you walked towards the castle. If you got a bow and there were pixies and you gave her something, did I get anything? Do I pick up any diseases? Lots of diseases. You fought bravely and often. Truth. You wielded your weapons strongly and proudly

and had many definite physical encounters and were never frozen and showed your power and defended us to the best of your ability. You waded through blood, grog. Can our inside check, Scatlin? You can. Scanlon, make a deception check. Six. Okay, good.

17. Holy stuff. Seems legit, and a part of you is disappointed that you can't recall memory, but even just them speaking of it is almost half of the fun. That's pretty great. I like all those things you said. You were great. Did I get any new weapon?

weapons? I won't be able to like pull it out of the bag of holding unless I know it's in there. That's true. You didn't. I'm going to check my pockets for anything interesting. I don't have pockets. Percy, your sketchbook? My sketchbook, yes, what about it? You made sketches the entire time. Did he? Oh my God, I did! Oh my God, you did! And you look through the pages and there are sketches, you don't remember drawing. Oh, fuck! I've been all, fuck. This is so weird. You had a lovely time. This'll do. We can go back. We'll take a lovely vacation. No, no, this and liquor will do.

You used your lightning javelin. As you guys have close. Yes. You have that's gar-meet. You have a little statue, Grog. Oh, that's right. A little statue of a dog. Yes. That might be magical.

A little statue of a dog. An onyx statue of a dog. Yes, little black statue. Can I reach into the bag of holding? for an onyx statue of a dog? Make an intelligence check. I've seen it. I can reach in there. Yeah, one of you guys need to reach in there

and gather it if you want to. I just want to see if you can. 11. Unfortunately, your lack of imagination is finding it difficult based on the words you were given to formulate enough of a solid creative thought. It's black. Honest statue of a hog.

It's an honest statue of hog. Doesn't know what onyx is. Yes. He's picturing. He barely knows what a dog is at this point. I mean if you want to reach in here and, you know, reach in my bag. Oh, oh, oh, oh, giff it.

Sam, you can do this to me too. And there you have, the onyx mastiff is there before you. And we can sit here awkward. Do we know what it is? It's an onyx mastiff. It's an onyx statuette of a mastiff. If you use an action to speak the command word. We don't know.

I know. And throw the figurine to a point on the ground within 60 feet of you. It becomes a living master. I've tested for up to six hours. I thought the guy told us we'd have to figure it out. Did he whisper in your words? Then what happens?

Does it have elf? It was etched on the bottom in Elvish and I totally understand that. Oh, you read Elvish. I do. It's right there. Wait, so it's Instadog? It's Insta Dog. And then what does it do?

Is it, can it fight? It fights. It has sight and hearing checks. It bites and it claws just like, oh no, it just bites. Farts a lot. What happens if it gets killed? It has been, I'm looking, I'm looking. It has an intelligence of eight.

Wait, at the end of six hours. What's your intelligence? Fix. Oh my goodness. The creature reverts to its figurine form. It reverts to a figurine early if it drops to zero hit points, or if you use action to speak the command word again while touching it. When the creature becomes a figurine again, the property, its property can't be used again

for seven days. Things to note. To the bottom part, come on. Master of as an intelligence of eight and can speak common. Oh, it's a talking dog. Yeah. I wonder if it has a name. It can also see invisibility.

It can see it. Invisibility? Oh, it says that. You can see invisible creatures. It's a good guard dog. And objects within that range. Oh. I like this.

The only important thing on that paper. Wow. So how long he lasts? He just lives until he does. Six hours, isn't it? Six hours. Sorry, I did me to read all that and they get not interesting. Yeah.

You set camp. It's a guard dog. But we need to know the magic word. We know it. It's good doggie. But we know that we know the word already? Yeah, it's in Elvich on him. It's an element.

It's good dog. Doggy? Can you teach us how to say that in Elvish? Don't teach him how to say it in Elvish. You can say it in common. He understands common. He understands common. And what's... La Rollana. La Rola. La Rala.

Yes. That's it. That's it. La-a-lala. All right, we still welcome back to White Stone. Grog, I'm sorry. Let's get the dog out here. Let's hold off on the dog. As you guys make your way towards the castle, there's a small group of figures. You see like three armored Whitestone

soldiers with one figure following them. Different outfit. It looks to be simple dark blues and grays, dark skin, short, dark hair, carrying crossbow at his side. As you make eyes, you immediately recognize this as Jarrett. Jared is coming down. He sees, Hi, friends, it has been a while. I'm happy to see that you survive. So, it's been a while. Is everyone okay? A while? It's good to see. Most better part of a week.

Yes. So it is like Saturday here, right? Time runs the same? Saturday? Yes. Yes, it's okay. Why did you taste the wind? I don't know why.

It's a strange question. It tastes like Saturday. We're confused by the question, but it's fine, all right. How are things here? Well, let's just say better for the time being. And as you look up, what you didn't notice before when you saw the clouds is there's this slight kind of light blue hue to the entire sky.

Excellent. There was this like very faint shimmer to it. And he goes, the barrier is now up, which is good. Right. Barrier, they come up. As soon as they finished that, Allura, Drake, and Kima all left to find information on the green dragon. Where? I did not inquire as to the location,

but they said they should be back in the next few days. Cassandra might know. She will. They said, when did they leave? Three days ago. They were hoping to get insight on Thoradak's current situation. Well, we amass as many armed folks here as possible and continue to reach out for allies. I think that's just the main goal right now, is to find as many allies as we can.

It was interesting to put the stake into this fight. So you're leading an army? Well, we're building whoever we can in this vicinity. There's not many, but at the very least to defend in case this ends up falling. And what's your role in it? Welcome back. A slight little technical issue there. We're going to roll back in. Back a little bit of information step into the moment. So as Jarrett has walked down the steps of Whitestone and began a conversation with Vox mocking about the current situation here, he says how currently Allura, Kima, and Drake are off trying to find information on the Green Dragon, Reishan, in trying to discover what best can be done regarding the attack on Fordak within Iman. And here I am doing the best I can to build what armed forces we have at our disposal.

And we're trying to reach out to bring whatever allies are willing to put their stakes into this battle. But yes, this is a monumental task based on my own experience, and I'm doing the best I can. But bear with me. We have faith in you, Jarrett. Thank you. I am glad somebody does. Assume, actually, just arrived here. Assume.

three hours ago. Perfect. Yes. We were wondering what happened to him in a while. As were we, last we heard from Gilmore that he disappeared with Tofer within him on after the attack. Is Sean still in the city? Sean is still in the city. I believe he's actually up meeting with Assum and Cassandra right now in the castle. Let's clean up and head in that direction then I imagine.

All right. Certainly. Well, if you need me, I'll be around. Just... Jared. Yes. Has there been any eyes on the green dragon here recently? None of us have seen the dragon. None of us know its whereabouts and attempts to scry have been balked. I do not know.

Thank you. It's all right. I believe there is information on the whereabouts of the white. Do you know? Where? I do not know. That is more for what they hold at the castle. Okay.

Oh, yell loudly if you need me. Thank you. Oh, thank you. It warms me heart to see you all safe. Same. It gives a little salute and a smile and continues with the other guards back towards the center of the city. As you ascend to the steps to Castle Whitestone, you enter the large gates that slowly creak open as you come to the familiar interior. You can hear the voices echoing in the distance from the nearby, what was once the guest dining area, the castle has now been converted into a war room.

And as you approach the outside of the doors, they're partially ajar on the inside. you can see your sister Cassandra sitting at a table. Gilmore has kind of leaned back, arms crossed, kind of just tugging on the end of his chin goate. And you see Seeker Asum currently facing towards Cassandra, and they're in mid-conversation right now. As soon as you enter the room, it's good to know that you all survive, as they've told me.

Same to you, Assume. As he turns and looks towards you, you can see the side of his face that has all the heavy tattoos. Now bears would appear to be heavy acid scars that have kind of blended the tattoos into the scarring. It's not a very pretty sight, but he seems to at least be in one piece right now. He saw as this thick-coated cloak around his shoulders. And where normally he has a shaped head, some of the hair is growing in in areas that can grow hair based on the damage to the side of his face. What happened to you? What happened to me is I made out a lot better

than many of the people there that day. This, I'll take this. So sorry. It's fine. I've had worse. Trust me. Come, sit, and Cassandra sits up. My brother, and she comes up and gives you a big hug and holds you for a second.

Pardon our appearance. Oh, he's all right. That stench. Yes. We're covered in that black nastiness, I assume. I hadn't even noticed, actually. You do, and it is, it's, it's, the scent has faded a bit,

but you all still are not in the most presentable means. But however, the conversation's dire tone seems to, seems to be enough where no one pays much mind to it. We were successful. I will let the others fill you in with some details, although I do, and I'm going to double check, and I'm going to find the brief letter explaining

what I've set up with Vex, although it will not have any of the reason why, but it will have at least the nature of what's been done. And we have acquired, well, Vex, Vexallia, if you would. Another vestige. You pull it out and kind of the Alchamination to step back and Gilmore leans forward. Very good.

I would love for you to take it look at it, Sean. I would love to have a look at it. He takes it. As you hand it to him, it actually kind of curls around the back of his hands and kind of swips back into a strong tensile stance. And he kind of, that's weird. He kind of takes it and starts looking over it as Cassandra looks back.

I'm glad you're all safe and apparently named. Welcome to Whitestone, Lady Vexaulia. She takes it and vaulted, and I'll have this put in the books immediately. I appreciate your kind generosity. Request, more information soon. We'll see, yes. That might be complicated, but yes. What's up, Your Highness?

Anyway, have a seat. Assum, please inform them of what you've been telling us. As you all find a seat, he can sit there quietly, his eyes darting around and his head just kind of ruminating over. the thoughts and trying to formulate his presentation, crosses his fingers in front of his face. Things are a bit of a mess within the city. None are allowed to leave. Living under the watch of the Wyvern Guard, hundreds of lizardmen worshippers of Tordak, ever watching the city from above. Some have tried to flee beyond the walls, but ultimately end up being returned at the end of a set of

talons and not seen again. Thoradak calls a gathering every dusk of the surviving populace. Tens of thousands forced to come and gather at the center of the remnants of the Cloudtop district. He gloats instills fear in all that be of this, and offers forgiveness to those who offer fealty to him. All are to cheer his name, applaud his statements. Greetings, adventurer. Spring has sprung here in Los Angeles, and that means it's a brief period where it's only 75 degrees instead of 90s.

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And there is laughter from the beast that pushed them into his maw. Most of the wealth of the city is now a man. in the ashes of the district, forming a massive wall of shiny junk and coin like a nester and the fucking beast. He's enslaved a number of the greatest sculptors of the city to begin making his likeness in the surrounding stone. They chisel away at the tall, proud walls of the interior, showing his terrible face where once it does not belong. The vain fucker. He's crazy, that one. What's more dangerous than an intelligent dragon than one is crazy. I've been keeping an eye as best as I can. Thordeck gives direct orders to his wife and guard often. Some off to communicate, I presume, with the other members of the conclave. I know not. I've

been stuck within the city. Most survivors stay indoors. I've been working with the clasp, believe it or not, to shepherd over a thousand people below the city's streets for protection. The lesser of two evils, to be sure. But at the very least, at the moment, they have nothing to by working against us at this juncture. And not but six hours ago, the cinder king was roaring in anger. His scry is echoing through the streets. The people fell to their knees, thinking this was the end. He stepped up from his volcanic throne and set the majority of his army eastward.

I used this distraction to slip into the now unguarded Lyceum and found a port scroll and a sigil for white stone before they returned. Came here to see all of you alive, so that's the best news I've had in weeks. That's the best I have to bring you about the current state of the city. That's our home. What is eastward? Did you bring any other survivors with you? I was the only one who can make it into Lyceum unseen. Tofur is still back there fighting a good fight. She's working with Shen. They're trying to get as many below ground as possible and out of harm's way. and gray skull keep.

I haven't seen it. I've been within the city walls. Do you say Thorndack's wife? Did I miss him? Wyvern guard. Oh, Wyvern. I heard wife and guards is what I heard, and I was so fucking confused.

Wivengars. Sorry. So wait, his Wyvern guard is often. Often. Often. He sent a majority of this. He'll often. It's still being manufacturing shit.

Okay. We don't know where they've been sent, though we don't know why. Eastward. That's all I've seen. We need to find out where they're going. I had to use that time to get him to the Lyceum. Usually it's too heavily guarded. No, of course.

I've just making a list. You've done so little. There's more to be done. But the more time that passes, whatever it is the planning, I'm sure, is getting closer to fruition. Do we have any known whereabouts on the white or the green dragon? Then he looks over and Gilmore sets forward. He sets the bow down, he says, well, first and foremost, this is a glorious piece.

I could only hope to eventually create something of its majesty. He hands it over. A bit creepy in ways, but I think you make good use of it. I, once we complete the barrier and put quite a bit of concentration each day into maintaining it, which has been of a great aid to me. between the arcane and divine magics, I think we found a fine balance, hopefully. But anyway, I've been putting the rest of my energies towards trying to procure this information.

The green, Rishon, as I believe you've told me, eludes my watch, my gaze. There is a lot of protection around that one. The sense that of those in the conclave, She's probably the most trained in my arts. She's the one that released Thor Dax, so that wouldn't surprise me. She's on my shit list.

I think she's on a lot of people who said lists. Mine as well. The White, however, I know not its name. But I was able to look towards it. I was able to find it sitting amongst a large pile of rock and rubble. Looks like a fallen city crumbled and destroyed. From what I saw, smoldering ruins, toppled landscapes of buildings and temples.

Arcane crystals crashed and cracked deep inside a ravine. There the white dragon perch setting out this slow rolling winter amongst what seemed to be a shivering horde of dragon morn. What did you say? Shivering. Cold. Amongst a horde of dragonborn. Cronia? What remains of it?

That was days ago. That's a card we know longer have. I need to be careful when doing this. The city was raised? What I could see, yes. Did you see any motion, any slaves, any? Oh yes, there were many survivors, but they were not in the best of states. This white dragon, does he bring

weather or any sort of change. It's all ice and snow, yeah. Very essence of each ancient worm, if you will, and carries with it its own element. It slowly transforms the landscape around where it takes up its new den. If it seems to sit atop the remains of the once proud draconia, then it now falls under the icy grasp of the beast. And the will of the people there.

Oh, I could not look that deep. My apologies. This is just with a simple scrying spell. Okay. We must be careful. We cannot let White Stone be discovered. Yes, and as we've learned before, and scrying can alert your position.

At this point in time, you guys hear heavy footsteps heading up from the lower floor at the castle, and you hear two voices shout out. Lady Cassandra! Lady Cassandra! Lady Cassandra! And they enter the room well fast. See one man, probably in his mid-20s or so, a sweat pouring down his face, is eye.

eyes wide, my lady, and at that point you hear echoing outside of the castle this loud, piercing, shrieking roar. Oh, my God. Shit, balls, mother. It's distant, but even at that distance, it is loud. Gilmore, does the screen keep us hidden? You look back and even in his most damaged state, Gilmore had an essence of confidence in this is, a moment where you've never really seen him. You got tow up last time.

Yes. We're about to find out, aren't we? I'm going out, Sean. I've gone outside too. I woke up to Sean and slapped my hand down his forearm and said, what about the bow? Is there anything you can tell us about the bow? In due time.

I turn to Cassandra. We need to get all of the citizens underground immediately. I can't fit everybody. We can certainly try. Shurns of the guard. Gather everyone we can. and there's another roar from outside, this time louder, still.

Go now, and everyone starts rushing down the stairs to the outside of Whitestone Castle. I go out and I do a sky right in the sky again. Wait, wait, what? Sky right? It's under, it's, they already know we're here. No, they don't. They don't. They already know we're here. Making pictures in the clouds right above the city, it's fine.

Maybe not. I wouldn't sky right anything right now, Keeleth. That screen could keep us hidden. He could be seen. searching for us right now. You could. And what about the citizens? We'll find another way to alert them. Send out the dog. I don't know.

Are you guys exiting the castle now? Yes. All right, as you guys step out onto, into the front... To it by hand. We might not have that much time. As you step out into the front kind of open patio area just outside of the castle's main gates, you look up in that faint blue shimmer that kind of encases, and you can now see it as a kind of a dome, and it comes down around. just directly around the city, closing at the very outskirts of the castle, and you look in the distance as you see what appears to be a few dark shapes, growing larger and larger.

They're coming this way. I need you to go ahead and make a perception check, all of you. Fuck. Seven. 17. 26. 23. 26.

16. All right. Vax, Keeleth, and Percy. glance off and you can see there are a number of shapes. It looks to be probably two, three dozen large winged entities flapping. You can't make out too much of the detail of their form, but you can definitely see some sort of aerial transport with large wings. At the forefront of them, you see one far larger than the rest. And while you can't make out the details at this distance, the one thing you do catch is the bits of sunlight that peaked through

the clouds hitting the side of its hide, a bright, piercing white color. Oh, fucking fuck. You see it coasting at an angle around the outside of the city, making its way very quickly towards the outskirts of the town. It's Thorac's army. Assume said himself, we're eastward. We're directly in its path.

Dragons have truceight. They already know we're here. Maybe they can't get through this. Any second we wait longer, more people could die. Send out the guards. Send out the guards are already. currently running down, by the way, based on Cassandra's orders and are making their way towards the city.

You can already see people coming out of the streets and kind of looking up, covering their ears. Some people are falling to their knees and crying. Percy. Pick them up, keep running until the moment we can't. They know we're here. This is not a coincidence. They're not flying by.

They know we're here. They know. You now see the dragon and the flying horde have just come within a mile of the southern portion of the city. Percy. Wait. Do it. No, we don't do it.

They're coming for us. This is my home. It is his home. Percy. Keep moving. Can we run down? Five seconds to come up with a better fucking plan, or I am doing it. Run down.

Right out. Keep moving. Find a position. Okay. So what order are you guys rushing down then? What are we looking at from our bottom? You guys are looking down at the wide 60-foot earth path that leads down from the base of Castle Whitestone into the city itself. If I'm, if I'm towards the front, I'm moving everyone towards the house where we made the tunnel that goes up. underneath the Sun Tree. All right, so we have Percy at the front. I'll be right behind him.

Okay, Grogh's right behind Percy. I'll follow behind Grogh. We're up above, though, or are we on ground level? You guys are not on ground level. You're above on the grade that leads down into the city itself. I pull out the broom and I get on the broom. Okay, so you're on the broom. It's clear they're not deviating path.

It's not clear. It's not clear. We could just be in their way. He said they're curving. They're now curving around the outside of the western side. What are you going to write? What are you going to write? Throw up the Dorolo crest just like before.

It's a good alert sign. Just, people are, people are now already. They won't know where to go. The roar comes right again. Come up with a better damn plan. Echoing through the valley. Wait. You watch as the entire crowd of these entities flies

around the west side of the city. Curves past. The shadow of the actual light of the sky. You could see the dark, heavy shadow of the dragon and the wyverns. pass over the western side of the city. You can hear distant screams as people begin to freak out of this. It passes over the western side of the city,

flying right towards the castle. Percy. Arks pass to the castle. Over the forest. And the entire cluster slowly flaps down and lands at the southernmost beginning peak. of the Alabaster Sierra just north of the city, the dragon land.

Alert everyone you see. They're scouting us. Tell them to get underground. Tell them to be silent. They don't see us, but they know where nearby. What direction are they looking? Right now, they're looking in all directions, actually. We need to get everybody underground while we can.

We have time. We have time. Find everyone. Tell them, silence. We still have the cavern we built underground. Start making it larger. Okay. Should we scatter?

Spread the word. Yes. We scatter. Tell everyone to get under the tree. I go to the cabin under the sun tree and I start casting move earth and I start clearing it as fast as I can. Okay, it's gonna take you a while, but you begin building this as fast as I can.

More people. Where are we telling people to go? We're scattering. There's the inn that was broken. It's got an entrance. They either go there, they go underneath the castle. All right. I can hold 30, 40 people.

She's making it bigger. I'm making it bigger. I'm making it bigger. Okay, under the castle. So you guys, you guys all begin scattering, grabbing everyone you can The guards are starting to gather people. And as we get the word out, people begin quiet and are holding the mouths and the guards are holding people silently.

People begin ushering in mass up towards this giant exodus to the city, pouring like a funnel up this walkway to the base of Castle Whitestone. Keelith, as you're down there, you're just pressing the dirt itself, that's just slowly molding its way into this large cavern, pressing downward, further and opening and further and opening. Yeah, fallout cavern style. Big lower, bigger, lower. Big lower. You get about three platforms down before the Earth stops responding.

What do you mean? Fucking Ziggarot. Fucking Ziggarot! I go the other way! But don't empty out the Earth too much or it won't support the city. Fallout style, little pods. All right, you start upgrading all these various things

and people start ushering in and it's getting to the point now where there are so many people who are crying children, families pressed in, you're feeling claustrophobic and the room's getting hotter and hotter the more bodies that are in there. You just keep concentrating and pushing the Earth out.

You can feel the sweat beads pouring down your face, just concentrating, concentrating. You hear the crying and sobbing and people trying to comfort those that are freaking out. And every now and then you hear a distant echoing cry, a scream of a dragon in the distance, and everyone in the room tenses, and the sobbing gets even louder, then hushed against, with a whispering silence. You keep pushing, keep pushing, opening. You guys all begin to gather the rest. As you watch, with that final cry, the dragon and the wyverns pick up and swoop towards the center of the valley. Arking to the west and do a wide sweep of the mountain range.

Where's Gilmore? Gilmore has been just bringing people en masse down to the castle, and you haven't seen him for a number of probably a good 15, 20 minutes or so. The dragons coast around and begin to disappear in the south-eastern distance where they came from. You do at this point catch Gilmore, who has actually moved to the top of the castle, and this currently arms out concentrate. pouring all the energy he can to that barrier.

Look like the spell was. Good work. Gimu. He eventually comes down from the top of the castle, and he's just, eye sockets are sunken. You can see, he's just pouring this way. Everyone knows it's fine, give them 10 minutes before they can leave. I'm, um, I'm gonna need a spa day.

Because I'm... Just haven't. It didn't help. Done. Where's Pike? Where's Pike? You guys, go ahead and find Pike. She, during this whole period, was over by the Temple of Pellor that she was helping kind of write and construct. And going over and finding out where she's been placed, you guys

see that she's shepherded and probably a good 200 people into that temple, and it's been keeping them divinely protected the whole time. As soon as you approach the outside, the people are beginning to slowly disperse back into the city and pipe walks out looking out to the sky and locks eyes with you. Let people leave one part of time. Tell them one part of time. You're back. Runs up and just gives you a big hug. jumps into your arms at this point, and you catch her, and realize how heavy she is

with the armor on. First of all, first of all. I drop her because I'm a fucking weak. Guys. Better safe, sorry. Hi. Hi. Amazing job with that.

Do we maybe want to camp down here the entire city tonight? That was mostly hidden. I've never done something like that before. That was, everything okay in a fete wild. I'm sorry, I lost my connection. We had to finish this ritual. No, it was fine.

Of course. Hi, Pike. Sorry. Don't be. I'm glad you're okay. Do you remember the Faye Wild? What? Yeah, we were. Okay. Just make him sure. He doesn't remember.

I don't remember. Yeah, apparently we went to the Faye Wild and everybody remembers it for me and Percy. Why is that? I don't know. It's funnier that way. Maybe you can look at his head later. Maybe there's a way to cure it. I'm just too smart.

She walks up and kind of takes a look at you, walks up to Grog, because it has a good look at the side of your head, kind of knocks you in the temple a few times. Like, what do you see? There's nothing. Physical. I'll try a restoration. She would have, let's see here.

Mike stats. I suppose you have an Ashley app. That's adorable. Don't make me any dumb of. Cronk. It's not possible. All right. She's going to try greater restoration.

Let me check something here all fast. That was not fun. No. Percy, are you sure? It's okay for me to let these people out. We know where they are now, though. We could follow the dragon and attack. Oh, here we go.

From behind. We'll have to make it more secure. I think it's gotten quite a bit of ways from us. We have a dog. The gauntlets begin to glow, and as she reaches them touches each side of your temples, your eyes close. And then suddenly you watch his garage's eyes flash open and where his pupils and whites of the eyes were,

you now see a flash of divine, golden, orange light. As it fades, you are slammed with a series of memories that were previously taken from you, and you recall every moment in the Faye Wild. Whoa! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You didn't get to kill anything. I'm sorry.

You still killed the big bad guy. Oh, you did, you did, you did. You killed the one thing, you'll get it. I got petrified. Yellowstone. I tried diplomacy. Sorry. Never again.

Lesson learned. Holy shit. Can you only do that one time a day? No, I can do it once more. Oh, um, maybe well, day. No, it's okay, yeah. It's okay. It's okay.

You want to the person. Think of what he's losing, though. I'm not losing it. It's not using it. Potentially? No, because it doesn't matter. I don't know. I don't know. So you have both.

Yeah, you have overlap. Oh, that's creepy. It's the reality and happy fun time. So she reaches up and you bend down. She takes your glasses off. Kind of, um, gives some effects. We just up and touches the sides of your temple.

Now concentrate. Close your eyes. And there's a burst of warmth towards the front of your lobe, almost like someone's dipping your head into hot water. to hot water. And with that, there's a smattering of memories that are just rushing into your mind. It takes you a moment. Your head swims and you have to almost sit down. You almost stumble off your back foot as your brain now has to reorganize those lost moments. Seven days now, immediately restored. Seven days, ten minutes. Greater restoration kills modified memory.

Oh. Oh. But do I remember having the fake memory? Or do I not remember having a fake memory? You would remember the spell being cast you remember the fake memory, but you're aware that it's fake. Okay. And that I did it? Yes. Oh, yeah.

Five. Just say thank you, Percival. Did it work? Did it work? I give her a big hug. Oh. Yo. I'm so tired.

I'm sorry. I'm going to sit down. What? Glasses? Oh, but they're so fun to look through. All right. They'll give you a headache. He takes the glasses.

And as you're resting, she takes your hand away from your head and puts them back on. I start slowly releasing people from the pods. Thank you. People begin to emerge, and where once there was this air of tension, fear, and desolate acceptance of the end, there's laughter,

there's smiles and even more tears as people begin to realize they have another day to live. Can we tell the people as they come out? I know you'll want to celebrate. But please keep it as quiet as possible tonight. We don't know when it could be back. There's a stillness and a kind of a slow understanding and nodding. And all everyone kind of takes in the information.

One young woman can smear of dirt in her chin, you know, dried tears and her cheek kind of just looks forward and goes, and everyone else starts saying, thank you, thank you, thank you. The sea of thank you's begin to spread through the crowd immediately in your vicinity. Don't thank us. Thank you, Sean Gilmore and Pike and Laura and They all quietly go back to their silence and begin to slowly disperse themselves throughout the city where they were before this incursion happened. I go up to person.

I forgot that Sean with Gilmore's first name. He was like. Who the fuck is Sean? Intelligence of six. So fucking method. Method man. Killeth. I hope you know that I've never.

Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up. I hope you know that I was only trying to improve your life with a wonderful happy memory, and it was mostly true. I know where you sleep. You can work for me. Okay.

Assume has caught up to you now, as you guys are walking back to the city. You can see himself. He stole eyes to the sky, not truly trusting this quiet. He goes, It seems we haven't any time to lose. What resources do you have to fight back? What have you learned?

Please tell me you have better news than I have. Well, we've got a few of these vestiges, so we're a little powered up. But we're not quite sure what their full abilities are. I mean, it's significant, but we think they do more. We're just not sure how much. What more do you need? Can I fly up in the air while this conversation is going on?

Sure. Don't go too high. Not too high. You don't know where the thing ends. No, I know. I want to go to the very top where I see the shimmer. It's a squat shimmer. It's not a full dome.

It's like a very extended, off-year-type dome. Okay. But it's high enough that I mean... It's higher than the castle. It's high enough where you can get about 80 feet up and you just start to see just enough of a... enough detail in the shimmer where you're like,

okay, I'm getting kind of close. Okay. The direction that the dragons went. Mm-hmm. Is? Can I, is this stupid? Can I shoot my oracle arrow? No.

In that direction? Absolutely not. Why? Why would you bring it to us? It's an arrow. They're long gone. They are gone. The time is past.

There are miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and distance to the speed they are traveling. You're a good shot. I don't know if you could arc and arrow that far. Would she be able to tell you? Oh, I guess that's true. I thought it was a 10 minute because it's the it's fenthris. I thought it was a long-ass arrow. Oh wait, okay, so the Oracle arrow is it like you fire a regular arrow and then it it shoots somewhere and it sticks there and then I can see through it for 10 minute? Correct or see through it as it's fired just as a minute it leaves the bow you can project your sight through the arrow for up to 10 minutes. It can't fly for infinity?

No. It is still like if you shoot a dragon. I kind of foresaw it just going because I thought it was like a special kind of arrow. It's really good. for people without flying brunes. And right? Cool. Well, then I'm not going to use it, because now I understand how it works. There you go. I've learned something.

What direction were they were traveling? Were they traveling back? They were heading southeast. So not back. They came from the west, right? They swooped in from the west, like from that. But they originated in the west, and they are currently traveling southeast.

Correct. However, it was Vuragal. It was the white dragon. which from what Gilmore is saying has been roosting over at the top of the ruins of Draconia. Which is to the east. So this was not the group that had set up from Iman. Draconius to the southeast. Why do I know that?

Here's the map. Thank you. We're up here. This is the group that was coming from Iman. These guys came from somewhere over here. Can I cast primable awareness and see if it's within six miles of us right now? South East or if it's farther away from that. I thought, but Draconia is on a whole other continent.

Yeah, it is over here. It's over on Wildmouth. Yeah, past the loose. I want to see if they're just kind of camping out around us or if they're going away. Are they going back? Using four dragons, I assume, right? Yes.

I'm assuming it's my favorite enemy, so. I would say as priority priming awareness. We're like in, this is the United States. We're like in Maine. So you're expending a ranger's golf. Yom is L.A. Okay. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, sensing. Really good. At this point, in the speed they travel and everything, you have no sense of dragons in that direction. Okay. So sad. There are further than six miles away. Yeah, there are like a small, a few like kind of minor essences in the northern area, but nothing beyond what you've already sensed in the Alabaster Sierra's. Nothing on this level of strength that the draw of an ancient dragon would bring on your radar.

Okay. To answer your previous question, there are four. Yep. Four vestiges left. That we know where. There are. There's a dagger. There's a cloak.

There's a clover. There's five. There's a star. Wait, there's other objects that we haven't? Yes. All right. We don't need to get all. Oh, are you talking about the other vestiges?

No, no. We don't have whisper. Do we have any other? So there's five. What? Who? No. No. Yeah. Yeah.

Your pairings. Yeah. Yeah. Well, technically, the elves of Singorn are building an armor. Maybe. Strong maybe. Strong maybe. However, who knows if they'll actually come through?

The werewolves could be called on. I think they would understand it would do them well to help what is a threat to all of us. You would think. One werewolf has vowed allegiance to us. In the fair wild. Isn't another plane of existence, which I don't know if that's a problem. You're not going to count on that one. Potentially be helping us, maybe.

It's not as ridiculous as you think. Yes. Your former. Palsies. Whatever remnants of draconia, perhaps. So the last time we saw the main portion, the bulk of Imon's army from Fort Daxia, was sent to Singorn before this attack happened. Yes. Do we have any knowledge on their whereabouts? A lot of there.

They're there. A lot of, well, we saw of our guards from Amman. At Fort Daxia? Did we ask? In Singorn, right? No, our guards aren't in Singon. Not our personal guards, but Imman's guards. No.

You did see quite a few soldiers from Amman there. Oh, we did? Yes. I was distracted. That's okay. You did have a lot to think about with your dad. They would not answer our call, but if someone has relations with the clasps, they are always an option for manpower. Well, I've been dealing with them, and they're definitely not much of an army, but they're definitely good at acquiring information,

and I currently have a few of them trying to find out as much as they can about Thorac. There's also the Ashari Druids. who will definitely want to help our cause. This is very true. This is good to know. Any more that come your way or any possibilities you have to bring more to our cause, please do so. There's a candle maker who might help out.

I would put him in the strong maybe category as well. Don't mention that X flies. Good, good, we'll keep tabs on those you've found. and any possibilities of others, especially those who have, I don't know, more of these vestiges that you speak of, or armies at their disposal, big weapons, anything, anything. I'll take anything at this point, really.

There are options, but we need to discuss what happened today. This changes some things. Yeah, we need more offense, less defense. I don't know if that will work a second time. You're mad. We need defense. defense. This is, we are, this is not a, this is not a sight of a victory. This is a site of our end. We need, we need, we need bunkers. Yeah, we need to move everyone underground the same way we did in Amon.

So they told, spend more time flashing out and reinforcing the bunkers to make them. Is, I'll discuss a warning system to get people underground. But when the dragon just came here just now, they saw nothing. We hope. We don't know. We hope. We need to talk to. But is there a way that we can spread false rumors that the city of White Stone has been magically moved

to another plane or something? That's wonderful. Yes. That's smart. Some way of getting that word to draconia or I don't know. Putting the word out to we're other places than we are. Putting the sound of- I assume things from up with this.

Can't we drop it into the clasp's pipeline? I can do that, definitely. We can find a way to get that information. There are a number who have sworn allegiance to Thorac and, you know. Some folks who don't see honor, but the necessity to stay alive override any sort of previous friendships. Yeah. Best not to mention our name, I don't think we're cool with the class, but after our last meeting. Yeah, they are not, guess.

Good to know. I'll look about planting that information and do the best I can in that regard. I've been told that you've already felled another of the conclave, is that correct? Yes. Umbrasil, dead and gone. Well, that will certainly stir some attention from them. Yeah, and if not that, then the message left in there. They know we did it.

Strangely, he had all those wyverns with him, though. Umbroseil had none. He was by himself. They don't like each other, though. This is some sort of loose partnership. Yeah, but didn't they say the white one was more like, savage, but more emotional? The white one was more vain. Yeah, the black one in Brussels.

Broussel. Oh, you're right, the white one is a hunter. It's primal. Hates others. You're right. Maybe the army is going to head to, no, we could be so lucky if it was on this way to attack it. Black ones like torture, right?

Yeah, they like to make people suffer. Yeah, suffer. I feel like there should be trading cards. Yeah. So the white one's like predator. Shut up, there's notes somewhere in here. I'd just be warned. Lipp.

Fell one dragon, that might make them nervous. Fell another and that's almost certain to bring retaliation. We were hoping to distract them. Well, the next worm you decide to fell will probably be the start of this war. Can we ask, why would it bring retaliation? How would they know it was us? We did sign the card. We say, oh, we love that. Maybe the next one we can sign as somebody else.

What if we don't sign it? Even if we don't, they probably are going to get much more vindictive overall. And just as much as we can scry on them, they can scry on us. What? Sure, they've been watching us. Really? I don't think they know where we are. I think they know when we travel.

I just don't think they know. Wait a second. Is any of the living one seen you? Have any of the living one seen you and know you for who you are? We killed the first one. There are a bunch of jewels in the walls. Thorak.

They've all seen us. They've all seen us. He did not know our name, but he has seen us. Rishon saw us, the white one saw us. All of them saw us. Yes. Then it is very possible. Wait a second.

You just said no one knew we were here. Not none of them knew we were here. Here. Why? They just attacked here. and we just got back here. They didn't. Gilmore was scrying on them.

It took three days for him to get here. They attacked Western. That's how he knew. Oh. Because Gilmore was scrying on them. Yes. Got it. Not because we have a leak.

We probably do, and we should assume we have a leak. I'm going to blame Sean. Is he Sean now? This is something I've got to say. You're more than welcome to. Sorry. He's like sitting down, kind of wiping his brow with this really fine scarf.

I mean, judging base of what happened in Amman, we know that they have an insider. We just don't know who yet. They do? We know this? I would assume that there's nothing we say that they don't know at this point. They struck during a political... During the council meeting. So they, somebody has to be telling them things. Someone probably very high up.

It could be Raishan taking the form of a human again. For all we know. Who was there and lived besides us? Gerrit catches up, by the way. He's like, is everyone all right? I have a proposal. Yes, yes. Good.

How are the citizens? Did you get everyone in there? Everyone seems to be safe and accounted for. There was a lot of fear, of course, but elation, whatever you did, and he kind of looks at you and looks at John, whatever you did. Keep doing it, please. A inside check, Jared. Like an inside check? It's not.

Seven. Seven. It's hard to read that fella. Slippery. Can I do an insight check on Assume? You may? What are you doing? Oh, that was a luck. First one was good anyway.

Oh, you're just hoping? Yeah, I can choose whichever one I want. 21. 21. Oh, oh. Oh, oh. About Jared, you're inciting, Jared? No.

Seeker Assume. Seeker assume. Perhaps we should not have assumed. Hey Travis. How are you doing? How's it? You're on this side of the table. Well, I was looking for a loot crate.

Have you guys seen any Luke crate? Well, I've got some of the great swag that you can get in a Luke crate. Why, this shirt came in one last week. That's incredible. How do I get one of those? You go to lutecrate.com slash critical roll to see your selection. And then if you sign up, you get $3 off the first month, which is a really good deal. Ironically, when we played the game at home,

this is exactly what we do when he was whispering. Totally. Are you talking to? You're facing a potted plan. I'm talking to Seeker Assume. He's a big fan boy. Gilmore stands up and kind of catches the edge of Vax's shoulder. Hey.

All right, so what's your plan? What's the next order of business? Get you a drink, I think. A drink would be great. I think we talk and drink. Yes, we need to talk about barricading underground, making it more secure. Come, come, come. I could definitely use that right now.

You guys are led into the nearest kind of open. It looks to be an unused tavern, but there are drinks, ale, things that are at the ready. There isn't much commerce currently happening in the city. Since right now, everything's in survival mode, so there's no exchange of money. It's just you guys are presented with drinks. The lanterns are lit on the inside from other villagers that are just happy to help. And a central table is set where you all sit around and kind of quietly have a few sips. While everyone's sitting, can I just pull them over to a corner for a second? What are you doing personally?

B. Wondering. I'm doing great. I'm exhausted. But I'll be fine. You sure? Yes, I'm fine. It's been a long time since I've put my energy and talents towards anything beyond making shiny things. It was kind of nice to be helping others. Well, I feel like we're seeing your true talents.

I'm at my wits end with these. Do you want to see true talents? I should ask a Lord to show you what she's capable of when she gets back. She is pretty nifty. Ah! Well, come on, come have a drink. It kind of like leans on you a bit and you both make it back to the table the rest of you. This booze is okay, but Grog, I could really use the finest wine I've ever had.

Oh shit, hold on. We've got some fancy ass bottles. I'm reached into the bag of holding and I grab five expensive ass bottles of wine. Hala. Scanlon and I will share one. Good idea. Just one bottle between the two. We don't weigh very much.

No. I'm involved in this. This is exciting. You guys scattered the wine amongst your glasses, drinks are had, as you begin to discuss the plan. Or one for the landlord as well. He's letting us drink our wine in his room. Assume kind of leans in. All right. So, vestiges, defenses, allies. What's the next plan? What's the next point of order? I have a question. If I were to call somewhere a city of brass,

where would you think that would be? Assume goes, there are cities that use brass and parts of construction in Wild mound. That's fine. Go-moreland's one of those. No, that sets in the elemental plane of fire. That's a dangerous, terrible place that you should never go. We're already there once, actually.

Terrible, dangerous places you should never go. We were in the elemental plane of fire. We saw Thorac there, actually. Oh, even more of a reason not to go. Well, he's here now, so fire plane's probably safer. She's got a very fair point. Why do you ask, Rob? Well, look, the plane of the Dawn Martyr is in a city of brass,

but I don't know what that is. That would be a great, I bet that sounds something Pike would like. Dukoni is in Wild Mound? Yes. Right, and so is the big white fuck, right? Yes. So why don't we go that? Vestages. Are there any vestiges in Wildmoat?

The city of Brits is there. Whereabouts? Whereabouts are the vestiges? The vestiges. The vestiges. One at the bottom of the sea. The city of Kass is in the plain of fire. We've covered that.

It's not in draconia. It's in the plane of fire. It is in the, the city is in the plain of fire. Correct. Where's Enkarelle? Enkarelle is on the continent of what's it called? Gilmore kind of chuckles himself, On Karel, it's been a while.

I think, wait, wait. What's the name of the continent? I suddenly blinked on it, you just said it. Marquette. Marquette. It's on the continent of Marquette. Marquette is also where Jared is from, which is kind of where you first. I think we should.

Gilmore kind of smiles. Wait, hold on. It's where I grew up, or near about at least. Where you grew up, Gilmore? Well, not in the city, little ways out of it. Your Marquette, marcation? Originally, yes, but I, I've been living here most of my life.

As soon as I had the opportunity to leave, there's a free plane here in Taldore and all the shops like it musty. Until they all got destroyed. Good times. Good times. That's fine. I've made the bottom floor is too small anyway. More space.

Next time. You ever want to revisit home? Maybe. I need to stay here and maintain this. Yes, you do. Yes. If you don't mind. What about the...

The endless maze of the abyss. That's another place that we're supposed to go. Also another plane of existence. I don't know much about the abyss, but I know that it's probably the worst place ever. Abyssal, that's where demons come from. Worse than the fire plane? That's where demons come from.

That's correct. That's the thing that killed Pike. Wait, isn't that where the Rakhasa's gonna be? No, he's gonna be devils. He's a devil. Ironically, is somewhere else entirely. And I think we can table For a bit.

Miamix for a little bit. I think we've got another, I mean it takes a while. Somebody told us it takes a while. Yeah, a month. A month. Yeah, monthish. Months, but we also don't want to wait till... Not forever.

Not forever, but maybe in a rain. Who's got a map? I've got a map. Where's the Ozmit C? What we should really, before we even think of this, we should see what... I don't think we're going to collect all the vestiges. I don't think we have the time.

We should see what other vestiges we think are going to be helpful. It's hard. It's like the Pacific Ocean. Which direction is it? Towards Draconia? No. Draconia is across the Atlantic Ocean in France. What's the Atlantic? Yes. But the Alpsman Sea is where the water ashari reside. And I have to go there anyway.

It's also where Pike is very familiar. I'm pretty sure that's the sea that she sailed. And the vestige there is the staff. It's whisper, right? Whisper, the blade. But look, hey, I've got it. So I have an idea. Someone mentioned that the warth dragon's very vain, very savage.

He's got all those war vans around him. That's a little bit of a bitch for us. We're usually good like one dragon on all of us. He got a whole gang worse for us. So what about if we like play to his vanity and maybe sent him knocking on one of his conclave brothers' doors? Maybe stop a little beef that maybe he's not there. How do we do that? I don't know, the idea just popped up.

It's a good idea. It's a good idea. He's a big picture man. Yeah, yeah. Here's the detail. No, I am right now. We're so tired. I think that we've been thinking about this the wrong way.

I think that we've been treating this as a battle, and we have to start treating this like a war, which is a very different creature. Are we guerrillas? We are absolutely not the ray. We are... Wolverines! We need to reinforce this city for,

not as a final stand, but as a place where there might be survivors. Because if they come here, there's no battle to be fought, it's just a loss. We need to take it elsewhere. At this point, Jarrett steps out from the back of the rumensis. The more time that goes by,

the more chance there is that the battle, the war, will be fought here on our turf. the faster we move, the better chance we have of bringing it to theirs. So, that is not dilly-dally. I mentioned about having our own mole at one point.

I have a thought on our own inside man. Yes, Gellin. I'm not going to volunteer myself as a slave to the dragon. Seduced to the dragon. We're thinking about it. You're a sexy dinosaur. I'm considering

You'll be the Hercules Mulligan of Voxmobile. Herculees Mulligan! Uh... Yeah. I would like to talk to some of the magic users about instilling some sort of, or perhaps helping me instill a non-magical Dragon raid signal so that the population knows

to be quiet and knows to quietly go underground in the event of the next flyby. fly by. They all look at each other and gabornauts, that's actually, wouldn't say rudimentary, but it's definitely within my skill set. Is it, would triggering it possibly alert them to our existence, does it make holding up the shield? Not if I can maintain it underneath the barrier. Just check. Does the barrier block sound and visuals, or? It should. And is there any way that we can help you make this barrier more permanent and stronger? I don't know. This was crafted for this reason. This isn't a longstanding existing incantation. This

was crafted through the minds of Drake Thunderbrand and Laura and myself and Pike's aide. This was a new magic. It's experimental. To be perfectly honest, I'm very glad that it succeeded. Just guessing. Essentially. Also, Gilmour is a sidebar.

What about that black ball beneath the city? Has anything been learned of it? We've been a bit distracted. That's what I thought. I would like to put it to use. Wait, what? We're at war. We can't move it.

We can't move it. We're not going to move it. We're going inside it. I want to put the private council table in the room with it. In the room where it happens? So they can't scry into the room. It can't scry into the room.

It can't all magic. No glamour will survive. No magic will survive. No trick can be allowed. I love your mind, Percy. Have I told you that? I love your mind. It's probably a bad sign, but thank you. No. We'll do that immediately.

That sounds like a grand plan. As soon as this, not a worry. We'll do that immediately. I'll just have to. I can't wait to go ahead. Seeker assume that it happened. We should move quickly. We should pick a couple vestiges, move quickly,

collect them, start finding more al-a-wise move quickly, but we should not. Not dally too long. And I agree, we might not be able to wait to get them all before we start taking on dragons. We might want to do both. I think Gerrit says, if you're looking to go to the Osmit Sea, I'll probably need a ship of some kind.

It's quite a far travel in that distance as well. And the docks on the west coast right now are rather locked down at Yaman. Kibu's... The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders, an army scattered like bones and the dyes. bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world, praying the darkness

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Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. When the Chaotics are on the case. Travel to Marquette. Uh, is, um, travel by boats across the Osmits. Uh, maybe. about a week, week and a half, sky ship, maybe half as long. Airship, airship, airship, airship.

Gilmore actually says, like, technically I have a teleportation to say, can we just teleport there? Yeah. That'll do just five. Wait, to go to where? Marquette. Walking is really good for health though.

And I have so many Pokemon. First level characters. We are not. Hold on, before we decide that Marquette is the fame. It's Cabal's ruin, correct? We're going to search for Cabal's ruin. Are we at all just forgetting the fact

that draconia is lying in ruins? We don't have time. No, it's not about time. The dragon is sitting on top of draconia. So we know where to find him to kill him. Unless we know how to take on that dragon, we can't save anyone. I will feel better with one or two

more vestiges in our pocket. By the skin of our teeth, scoundling. By the skin. skin of its gut. We got lucky. I like Grog's idea. Is there a way to explore that any further? Pitting the dragons against each other? Yes. I think it's a great idea with exploring. Seeker Assume is on it. He said that he was going to... Seeker Assume was going to tell them... Seeker Assume is great, but we're the best in the business.

I wouldn't leave our plan A to someone, not us. Seeker Assume is telling people that this city has been magiced away. I'm pretty sure he's also right here. at the table. Yeah, he's right there. We're drunk, we will talk about who is in certain what you're thinking. Much as we want. We were just reiterating the things that you told us.

You know what they say when you were so. That's all. We figured you would speak up if you had issue. It's really fun to say a name. Well, look, I mean, I've heard it before, I assure you. How far away is draconia from here travel

wise? Well, my usual travel to wild mountains across the Northern Channel here, I'd say you're looking at about two weeks travel by ship across the Lucidian Ocean. Or we can always teleport. If we know how to teleport.

I can tree stride. I can always tree stride. Have you been to draconia? I can scry and look at a tree. I mean transport via plants. Whatever. They're all sound the same. I can scry. Find a tree.

And look at a tree and then we go through that tree. If there's any tree left. There's definitely at least. I'm hoping there's a tree on that continent. Are we talking, though, about how scrying is a little dangerous ring? When you're scrying on a dragon. When you're scrying on a tree. Yeah, the tree doesn't know.

Doesn't draconia have an army there? If there are any survivors or anyone we can bring back to Whitestone, shouldn't we be accumulating those people? I think if there's a dragon sitting on top of him, removing people from him is a form. But we're sneaky. We're so sneaky. Are we sneaky? Yeah.

When have we ever been... You have your memories of the Faye Wilde. Do you remember sloshing around in that black sludge? Very loudly. Do you remember us walking into the town center to kill Kevdak? That wasn't sneaky. No, no, that was personal. Grog, I think you're thinking of a battle we can win

as opposed to a war we're losing. Yeah, no, look, I'm trying to pick a fight with a dragon. I'm just going to make sure that Dragonborn, you know, are there and we can't, like, help them. We can help them by killing the dragon. Yes. Yes. Wow. That's agreeing with me.

Actually, that's pretty sound. If you manage to defeat the dragon there, he'll probably gather with survivors and have them join the cause against him on. If you have means of transporting them. Remember, once a dragon's down, it's on. It's on. Thordeck is in hot-pasty thinker. Yeah.

I... We pull the trigger on one. We pull the trigger on all of them. I can't believe if we fight one episode. means we have to fight. Right, but listen, listen, I'm not trying to kill the white dragon. What is the dragon, white dragon going to do when it realizes? I want him to go pick a fight with the other dragon.

I think that's, we're going to try and do that. We're working on that as a side venture. In the meantime. We're going to do there to make that happen. We can't really stroll up to it and be like, You guys don't know how to pick a fight. You honestly can't brainstorm one way to pick a fight. We are very good at picking fights.

It's getting the dragons to pick fights on others. Yeah. We could probably. I'll do it. Plan a ruse. Think about it, Grog. Y'all heard what that other dragon's about you? And I would talk mad shit to the white dragon

on behalf of the green dragon. Oh, you're right. I would rep the green dragon. Oh my God, Grog, he will never see through that. You know what, Grog, you are really strong. That's the end of it. I have nothing else to say. I'm just saying I feel like an opportunity's being wasted here.

I think an opportunity is being tabled briefly. We gotta think about it. I don't think this is nearly as time sensitive. One, someone else do the thinking. I mean, breeding hostility between the two is something that could take weeks, which we don't have. Well, we could start it. Well, this is, it's also something other people can do

while we do other things. Delegate. But how? It literally involves going to one dragon and saying, hey, did you hear what that other dragon said about you? That's all I got. Well, there are other ways to do that. It's, there's, there's, you can, in traditional warfare, you can do things like,

uh, cause damage to the property of one dragon and, and leave scant evidence that the other dragon was some, or one of the dragon's people was somehow responsible. Um, have a raiding, get, somehow get, why even to raid, um, wait, hang on, hang on, that first thing you said. Yes. It's the easiest level of, yes. Think of my have an idea. Okay, we know the white dragon is vain. Right? We know that? No.

All dragons to an extender vein. It's part of their nature of the chromatics. White dragon loves the thrill of the hunt. The white dragon is the most comparably primal. They're all in various stages of hyper-intelligent. The white dragon is one that's the most about... So do you want to know the honest way that you would incite... If the white dragon is a hunter, the easiest way to incite damages

to sneak into the sedent. and start mulling and killing draconians that are left over and just leaving bodies everywhere that he wasn't responsible for. Let's not do that. What? That is the sort of decisions we're going to start having to make, and I don't want to make that one.

What if somebody can polymorph into a little green dragon or something? You went to 11 there on the, let's start continuing the genocide. I'm saying that we are. As a dragon and leave evidence behind as a green dragon. I've seen the green dragon, the rice shot. You have seen the dragon. How big? Gargantuan.

And you cannot polymorph into dragons. Hundred feet tall? You can only transform into beasts. I understand. So we know they're territorial. Fairly large, yeah. I'd say probably. And again, I was using my first example.

40. Rishon is the smallest of the dragons you saw, but even at the smallest of them is still a good 30 feet to the shoulder. Jesus. I could do that. Gather all the paper machet you have in the city. I could do something pretty close to that. I bet you could do a lot of incredible things.

Well, how about this? Are you Tony Robbins? Ha ha ha ha ha. I think this is a conversation that could continue through Marquette. I don't think we're gonna come up with the best idea tonight. Well, we need to get something started. Okay, well, here's what we learned. At dawn.

At dawn, we drink some more. We learned that, Thoradak is enslaving sculptors to build his image all around Imman. What we have learned is it seems that each of the dragons have kind of picked a city, a domain, maybe this domain was part of the bargain to join Thoradak's cause.

Help me, you get your own city. A reasonable and astute obstinate action. So I bet the white dragon would be real pissed off if statues of Thoradak started popping up around Draconia or the green dragon or the green dragon. Or maybe even statues where umbrisills. Voregol? Voregol? Voregol.

Voregol. Let's pick a dragon. Borogol's the white dragon? Yes. Got it. Rishon's the green. So here's the problem with, okay, here's the problem with goading Voragol the white

to find and kill Rishon the green. No one knows where Rishon the green is, including Voregol. How do you know Voregol doesn't know? Because Rishon's the shapeshifter and no one knows where is, including Gilmour, who's been scrying for a week to try to find it. Yeah, but the white dragon might have some way to communicate.

Do we know how they communicate? Yes, we do. There were some baubles in a wall in Krieg's secret cave. They communicate. Well, I assume something similar. They have other balls, right? There's a scrying and things of that nature. No, do either of you have a theory on how they communicate? Uh, look, uh,

Gimmer looks to assume. I have not been to any of their bases. Assume you've been watching Thoradegh? Can he get his back? Within his domain in the cloud top, he has apparently an overhead airplane. Very loud. Simple B-402.

Cessna. Trust me, it was strange. Yeah. Yay. He has a number of various spies that are sworn to him that act as his network of information to and from the cloud top in his throne of black glass and molten rock.

He does have singular pillars placed around that contain four orbs that he would speak into on occasion. Okay. And didn't we see something similar in Umbuds? When we kill the blue. When we killed the blue. We saw orbs in Umbrasills? Yeah, remember that it cracked and it was like,

I'm coming for you and we were like, we don't know what that means, and then we just ignored it. She's talking umbroselle. Yeah. Umbroseill, the black. Did we see that in the black? Did we see that in umbrose's?

They were broken already. Yeah, they were already shattered. Oh, he shattered them. He shattered them. Why did he shattered them? So that we wouldn't be able to scry on anyone else. He went rogue. Or he was pissed.

He was pissed to the other dragons, maybe. But it's not safe to assume that they're, assume, sorry, that they're not in communication. No. We have to assume that they are. I'm so sorry. It's not like my childhood friend, Pervon. There is a thought. What do we...

This is a very good idea. You've got a very good idea. I love you. What's the idea? I said we start planting, like, you know, make statues of Thorac or Ryshan in other dragons territories. All right. Ultimately, though, what we need is we need someone who knows the dragons

weaknesses. We need to know what pushes their buttons. We know what pushes their buttons. We need to know what pushes the reset button. Why am I speaking in video game metaphor? What? Nothing. Drink. We can throw up some statues and cause some havoc, but if they have these orbs that communicate with each other, then the white can just call Thorac and say, hey, what's up with these statues? And Thorac can say, oh, it's not me.

Not statues. Idols. Idols. Idols. He can still ask. Small, small images of the white dragon for worship. You're gambling on jealousy. Start hiding them in places. Let him start, if we start seeding them, especially in this in Amon, as if he is trying

to get people to worship him in other cities as well silently, quietly underneath. We make t-shirts that say Team Vorical. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We just have to make sure that we don't use the stone. Winter is coming. From here. From here. Okay.

Smart. Well, because we know that Thorac is definitely vain. That's, yes. And this will piss him off. And if he says, what are you doing? I don't know anything about it. Yeah, he would deny it. Of course he would deny it.

And we're assuming, sorry, that they'll just ask instead of jumping to conclusions and... I like it. You know. Even if he jumps to conclusions, you would... But we know that Thorac is a total asshole. Sorry. So we know he'll be pissed off more or else.

His scarred eye twitches. And we wonder why people hate us. Assume kind of leans into the conversation. He goes, Heroes and assholes. We have many crafters and artisans that are within the grasp of the clasp as well within Iman. we can begin to have these maid and scattered throughout the various offerings

from the center of the city. Little shrines hidden in ruins. Yeah. I like this. Team Vorogel. Hashtag Team Borog. We can make this happen. We should learn the spelling first.

You can make that happen. Hashtag team wargol. I just made it up, I guess. I still will admit that I would feel comfortable. Cabal's ruin is one of the vestiges I feel would be and not just because I would like to use it. Which one is Kval's ruin? Is, is on.

Is Enkarel and the Osmit Sea kind of in the same area? Can we like hit one and then on our way to the other? The Osmit Sea is in between Tal'Dorei and Marquette. From your perspective, it's Tal'Dorei and Marquette. And the Osmit C is what's in between. So we could do a triple. So we could do a triple because I have to get to the water, sorry, at some point.

And that's very important because we need them. We need them on our side. Between what and what? Osmit C, so it's like over here. Is between what and who? Osmese is between Marquette and Tal'Dore. Marquette Tal'Dore? We're on Tal'Dorei. Tal'Dorei.

Marquette, Osmite C. There's a, yeah. So Marquette is Japan. Yeah. Well, more Australia. Got it. Is this world round? Can we go the other way? Actually, this world is shaped like a D20.

So we're on the flat part at the five. No, we can't go the other? It can't go the other? You could eventually get there. It is ramping and going. It's just squirled. On top of the turtle. Did I know how fast dragons can actually fly?

Like if it's a two-week trip to get to draconia from where we are, how fast could the dragons get back there? Two-week via ship. Okay. Like ocean ship. Okay, if they were flying, how fast could they get there potentially? Like that flying. And I'm only saying maybe it's empty right.

I would say, oh, man. What is? Draconia. before it finds out. I'm gonna make some mathematics here, if you excuse me. I'm only saying if they were just here, and we have the-

Oh, we could Banff there right now. Right now. Get out. And try and get a bunch of people out. Get people out, do recone whatever we hear. Plant some seeds. They've probably left a good amount of army there to keep people under control.

They said the whole city was under control. But we'd have to get in and out in a couple of house. And what would our mission be? dump a couple of statues. We don't know how. I was supposed to say, let other people do that. Wait, wait, what about instead of dumping statues,

we find these orbs, we find his lair, we find his orbs and we call Thorac and we jump into a voice. To a Frankl. We're like, yo, Thorac, you're a dickhead. I'm gonna kill you. You're Thorac, your refrigerator is running. Or we just smash them.

I don't know why everyone's so excited by the notion of pissing off the dragons to the point of which that they all come here, but it's, It is a way to go. They don't know we're here. They know we're here. I'm just putting out an opportunity where there is what. It's true.

I think that there's, I think it's a, we would take them a few days to get back. A few days. We would have a whole fucking day. What time is it? At this point in time, it's mid-afternoon evening. Do it. Just for, just for rest.

Yes, I got nothing. We haven't just for any, Percival, even just for intelligence, even if it was brief, even to see what is going on there. We have to make sure that we can get out immediately, and we also have to agree that if things start looking too iffy, we run. I have an idea. You have the best ideas.

Thank you. Lay it on me. Can you seeming us to all look like lizard army members? Tomorrow. And we'll look like us, except vaguely like lizard people. Why not why vans? Well, first of all, the lizard army, is that different from whyverins? Yes.

So they're just scaly creepers? Yeah. I can do that. Have you literally humanoid? No, but I'll see them when we get there. Okay. You've come across a few of the lizard folk. They attacked you in Newmont.

They were on the wyverns. They're a humanoid. They're a little larger than maybe killed a bunch. Maybe we need your half-elf companions or Percy. Oh, so we also about the right size. We fought them on the airship too, right? No. Those are bandits.

You fought wyverns. Those were half-evers. We could be lizard people. for sure. What? What? We could look like wizard people and lizard people and it would trick anybody who wasn't a dragon. Yeah, the dragon.

And if the dragon came were be fucked, that would be the end. That would be game over. All right. This is a huge risk. We could be lizard people. And I will also, I'm going to go on record as saying I do not think this is the right move. But what do you think is the right move? He wants to go to Marquette to find some cloak that may or may not help us in a week.

That will help us. Getting two, three more vestiges, two more vestiges, just a little bit more power before starting to play chess again. Really, the only point of going there would be reconnaissance. To give people out. No fighting. When else are we going to know for sure? There's an ancient, there's an ancient dwarven saying,

and I'm trying to remember where I heard it, but it goes somewhere along the lines of, it's never a three-hour tour. And that's my fear. You are known ancient Dwar I'm that says no risk. That's it. All right.

Your mind is a grandfather clock. You know that. Thank you. It's correct twice a day easily. If we go, what is our mission? Thank you. To get as many

people. Innocence out as we can. How? Oh, no. That sounds wonderful, but if we get people out, they're going to know something happened. I figured if we find good fighters once again and do our tree, our teleport thing, they get a nice handful. But it could be the 13 people that could change the tide.

This is not going to be a fight of 13 people. We're a fighting group of seven, and we're pretty damn good. If there were seven of us. instantly. But there might be, but that's what I'm seeing. We fight. Plus if we're lizard people,

the survivors aren't going to be wanting. They're going to be wondering who we are to first off. They're going to be afraid of us. I would only want to go there if we had a distinct plan to disrupt or trick or steal. Disrupting communications

is a great tactic. We're not going to be able to disrupt communication. You don't think we're going to make it to the jewels and smash and smash. No. I don't think we could. I don't. And I slice the dragon's throat.

I am victorious! That sounds like a plan. Let's go. So, what are you guys doing? We're still planning. Tightening it up, tightening up. We're going to go. What are we going for?

Smash the orb. Smash the orbs. Okay, well, here's something else I want to put into perspective. If I scry and teleport us to the Black Dragon's lair, I can do one more scry, and then I would burn my seventh level spell to get us there again, and then I'd be tapped out on all of my...

So we wouldn't be able to banff out? We wouldn't be able to banff out for that day. And she would have no power. We'd be staying with the night. That's bad, that's bad, that's bad, that's bad. But I can get us a safe place to stay for the night. No matter where we are. I could not.

But it means this is not a one day. This is a three-day mission. This is a three-hour tour. I could not teleport us. It depends on how many times. I got two teleport. So I can teleport us there and teleport us out, but we'd be doing it from here.

We teleport to the Black Dragons layer, we sleep overnight, teleporting, teleport it. And then sleep overnight to teleport. Either two white stone or two, my cat. Okay. Set up the mansion at Umbudslayer. Can you teleport today? Or are you done?

No, I'm, well, you can only use that once per day, though, right? What? The, the, I used plane shift. I didn't use transport via ship plants. I see. That's true. I can do. Yes, wait.

No. I moved Earth. Can't do it today. I can't do it today. It has to be tomorrow. Oh, shit. And if that's the case, it's tomorrow, then we lose that time.

That two-day grace period. Unless we go right now and sleep over night and draconia and start first thing in the morning. And risk a very reasonable reason that they would know where we are. As far as I know, plane shift, can't teleport you on the same plane. It brings you specifically to another plane of existence.

Yeah, I'm saying I cast plane shift from the Faye Wilde to here. Oh, I see. That's all she's. That's all I'm saying. But I used that. And that's- So if we go to Drakonia tonight, if we want to sleep in the mansion, we can't because I changed his memory.

And you cast your shift. Fuck. So we'd have to sleep out in the open as lizard people. No. No. No. Too many negatives now. This is danger zone.

Too many negatives. We're getting a lot of cons. I think we need to sleep anyway because we're exhausted. Man, you know, I can find all sorts of problems with a situation if I look hard enough. Opportunity. That is so astern. It's 12 o'clock. My God, he had a...

Opportunity. I mean, honestly. He said if you look at... There's a dragon's perch and he is vacated and it will probably never happen again as far as we know. I disagree. I think the next time... they come to attack and kill us, it will be vacated. Cool. While they're killing White Stone,

because we didn't take advantage of this moment, then we'll go to Trinconi. I agree. I have legitimately agree. I mean, we can sleep in the morning and teleport there. We do have to sleep regardless. There's no, there's no getting around sleep. There's also no guarantee. We can't fucking go there when we haven't slept, Grog.

We'll all die. We can't actually get there right now. There's also no guarantee that they're going straight back there. Maybe they're heading somewhere else. They were heading with an army to somewhere. It's probably not a city they've already conquered. They were heading southeast. Southeast is what you saw. That's where they live. So they were probably heading back home. It's safe to assume. Balls. Well then where'd they come from? What were they doing? They were coming, they came here. Fishing. They were fishing. They thought that we might be here and they took a quick look around.

They smelled something. They didn't know quite what. Which is why I don't want to make any more noise around here. Let's sleep. I'm gonna go to the bar keep. There is no bar keep here. This tavern has been opened just for you guys to be served. There's no current owner here. Most everyone who helped you open this are yourselves and a couple of civilians that were just there. Is there a civilian waitress? There is no waitress. There are a couple civilians outside, but as soon as you guys start talking, all the civilians left the room. Oh, they're so nice. There's no, there's no barmate at all. Your nobility is showing. I have a plan. I need a young boy. Never mind, I had my plan was ruined. These white gloves are sully.

Do I need a new set of white gloves, please? I have an unseen servant. They're shooting mittens and you're so uncooked. Do you need a servant? I make an unseen servant for him. There's a whisper of air. Command him as you see fit. I had a, never mind.

Never mind, this is what I get for trying to be nice to anybody. I'm just learned my lesson. I tip the unseen servant. You toss the coinette, sh-dunk, to the ground. the ground. I pounce on it. You pf into this weird cluster of air. It's like pushing your beard hair back and your mouth's kind of from all that air pushing into it as you reach into the unseen servant and grab the coin and pull it out. Yeah. Well done. You got a go. We'll sleep for now. We'll wake up in the morning and we'll either go in one

direction or the other. Good plan, guys, good plan. We suck at this. We came up with nothing. That's so not true. We came up with a lot. We You just have to sleep and then make a decision based on what the world looks like in the morning. Dream about a cloak, Percival. Maybe we can get you a cloak. Why don't we roll the dice? A cloak sounds useful. Yeah. All right, let's sleep.

Let's go to the castle. You guys find your way to the castle? I'm going to, I know, just as I decide I want to grab Vex for a quick walk on the way of the castle. I want to go by the cemetery. Okay. Has it been worked on, by the way? Well, I suppose I'll find out. It has, no.

Vax. You said Vex. You said Vex. Vax. Good. You did say Vex. We'll say Bex, but now, Bax. I've not even been drinking, I've been pretend drinking.

It's true. All right, so you go ahead and grab him, you guys make a re-wards, this is something to show you. What is it? You'll like, well, I don't know if you'll like it, I don't know what you like. I'm gonna take him to the cemetery to the crypt. Yep.

The title I gave your sister doesn't come with much, but it does come with one at the moment, tiny plot of land on which a crypt sits. This was the resting place of the father and grandfather and sorted family members of the man you killed the first night we came here. Want my sister to live in a mausoleum? No, I want something else to live in a mausoleum.

This is actually for you. Open it. I actually, I go and I light the two little torches on the side. It should be, this is a very traditional and it should open. Do you trust me? Good answer. I'll go in first. Percy enters the building. I'll follow.

Okay. As you enter the mausoleum, the gentle flickering of torch light that was lit by Percy shows the interior though it is low lit, partially and your dark vision does catch you. And what was once a relatively decent mausoleum seems to have been gutted retrofit, and now you see standing before you is a mostly constructed shrine to the Raven Queen. I figured it would be a good idea. I've had my fill of gods, but I'm not so foolish to think that we do not need them still. This is here when you need it. I am having trouble.

Me too. I do not want to die who I am. I would like to live long enough to be someone else. I think you understand. That? I've been really angry at you. I've been encouraging it. I don't know if it's entirely fair, but I can't shake it, and I'm, um...

I don't know that I'm willing to let go of it yet. Good. I certainly do not deserve it yet. I don't know if I ever will. But... Can't think of anything else to do with my time on earth right now other than... This. I'm finished with gods. They will not help me. Maybe you will.

Gersie, yes. I've always liked you. From the beginning, I have always liked you. I've always liked you too. You are intelligent and charming and... Thank you. And good in a tight spot. Um... It's the open spaces. where I suffer. The tight spots I feel very good about. It's the open spaces. This is a very tight spot. I would like to be friends with you again. I just have the condition. Yes. My pension for forgiveness with my sister's welfare is razor thin.

I know. I know. If you can respect that, then we don't have a problem. Do you know why I titled, her sister. I have some idea. She thought she was missing something that, and I use this term loosely, ordinary people, we have a magic we use to convince people that we deserve the things we get. Those of us who are born

this way. It was treating her unfairly and limiting her ability to see her world for what it was worth. And it was a simple and easy fix. she is going to wake up one morning, not yet, but soon, and realize that money will not make her happy.

And that trying to please that awful father will not make her happy. And the first step in that is realizing that he's weak, and there's no better way to do that than being better titled than your parents. I don't agree with that line of thinking. I know. You are not her. And I'm not saying it's the truth, but it is what I believe is in her heart. And I think perhaps that might lift. I will never hurt her.

I will never hurt anybody intentionally, especially not you, any more than I already have. And in return, I ask, never take your eyes. off me. Never trust me, and that is the best friend that you can be. Be commit to that same promise I made. You can like me. I would love that, but in fact, I hope that I can earn your like. I do like you. I just never want to earn your trust. Well, then it's your lucky day. A gentle title will suit your sister well. I'm leaving. As he walks out, you're left alone in the silence and darkness looking at the Small shrine before you.

I'm on board. You have me. Whatever you will. I have something I need to take care of, which you know. And I hope you will help me with it. But I do not take your gift lightly. You have me. Close the door again and head back to town. Back into town. You guys, quietly keep your distance and your walk. Find your way back to the castle, to your respective rooms, and an evening's rest. takes you all, as comforting as it can be.

Or, if I, do I hear Vax go to his room? Oh, no. Are you waiting to hear Vax go to his room? Waiting to hear Vax go to his room. Oh, no. Actually, knowing Vax, you wouldn't hear anything. Oh! Pass of perception.

Oh, that's true. 30. You wait for a long time and no sound comes to your ears. I go to sleep. And with that, as you guys rest for the night, we're to take quick bathroom break. As you guys come to consciousness the next morning, the storm has come in now.

By the way, I got terrible sleep. I replayed everything Sonders said in my head like 100 times. Just put it out. Make a general wisdom saving through. You're paralyzed in fear. I am, I'm terrible. That's Trent-Kid. Wisdom saving throw?

12. 12. 12, okay. Your evening is hard pressed. you do manage to get a full night's sleep, you do not suffer an exhaustion, you do manage to get rest, though the nightmares do come in memory of your last encounter at the end of the Faye Wild, and Sondor's words, still swimming around in your head, finding cracks

in your sense of self, but you still are stalwarted against the choice you made and the friends that were at your back. And as you all come to consciousness, the sound of rain outside of the castle and against the exterior stone, greets you with the morning. You can smell the fresh rain in the air and eventually come down to find breakfast prepared. A meal earned. Not chicken. Not chicken, no. This is eggs, fruits, a classic white stone breakfast. Chicken is available but strangely

untouched. Baked beans. Tell me those baked beans. There's baked beans. Like the thick single slab bacon. Blood pudding. Oh, blood pudding. Just basically. an Irish breakfast. Mother's blood pudding. No. There are a few farms here where most it becomes from the certain fields south of the city, but it's good. It's fresh. The rain is good. It will mean that they'll have an easier time figuring out the water level while they're digging out, digging out beneath the sun tree and making sure that it's secure.

Yes. I love this weather. Well, to Marquette or to Draconia? What's it going to be? Should we vote? An attempted an object of power or an attempted friends of power. Which is which? Speaking of friends. Friconia is friends of power.

Speaking of friends. We should probably check up on ours. That is true. We haven't heard anything, but that is true. You haven't heard anything out of him. It's terrifying. I know. He's probably okay. What are we talking about? Gerrit.

Oh. Our only friend in draconia. I would assume, I personally would assume, that Tiberius would either be in his way of one of the two cities if he was so inclined and if he had survived, and if he wasn't working in the city itself to keep it functioning.

I mean, he is hard-headed enough. So all of those things, you know, are very true. And again, we're at war. This is not a battle. We do not win by going to Traconia. We do not win by going to Marquash. We win months from now. You're starting to make less and less sense, Percy. I know. I'm making perfect sense. Part of the traditional white stone breakfast. A rambling to load. A rambling. A rambling.

Breakfast needs things to live. Lord I'll never live in that. You got that backwards? Whitestone Continental breakfast. For breakfast. Two eggs, rambling tirade. Oh my God. So vote then?

Vote. I'm all right with a vote. All right. All in favor of going to Marquette to find a vestige that will maybe give us some more power that we need to kill a dragon. Say aye. Aye.

Aye. all in favor of going to draconia, where we don't really have a great plan, but I think we're going to go try to fuck up a dragon's lair and maybe rescue like five people and probably die as lizard people. Say aye. Aye.

So that's three to two. That's four to two. No, I changed my mind. I want to go to Marquette now. That's three to three. What? Sorry. Oh, shit.

Oh, I didn't need to fuck that out. Trigate it. What's your vote? Let's see, let's see if Ashley texts in the next. 10 minutes. Three versus three, are you going to leave it up to the dice, being a game of D&D?

Let's do it. Who's rolling? I got it. I got it. Where's that coin we have? I know. Oh, it's in my back. I have it. I have it. I have it right here. Yeah, yeah. You could also do 1 to 10 and 11 to 20. No, 1 of 20. Ready? Wait, we're just doing one flip.

Yeah. No. Yes. What? Yes. Wait, wait. Wait, wait. What's what? You find out. 20 is Marquette and a one is draconia. What are all the other numbers? There's only two. It's a coin.

So 20 Marquette, one is Draconian. Yes. And any other number we stay home. What is it? Tiberius. We're going to Triconia. We're going to tryconia, and we're going to see if we can find the Tiberius. Oh God! Let it be known, I don't think we should go as lizard people anymore.

Why? I think we should go as like ravaged draconians. Cows? No, we're going to go, I think we should go as draconians. I think that's... We can make ourselves look like dragon Boronia with steaming. I think that's a better plan. At least that way they'll trust us.

All right. I like that. We don't have to teleport to to the middle of nowhere, but we do need, well, we do need to get farther away. Is there a way to get farther away from here than we are right now before we? Can we get back to Umbrasil's lair?

I thought that was a good idea. Well, I think it was there and there and back. We can do, well, as long as we're commit to 24 hours in Draconia no matter what. We can go to Umburisil's layer, but it'll take inaction day because I can only teleport us so many times. I think 72 hours is a perfectly reasonable amount of time to dedicate to this prospect.

Pop in, scry, prop into draconia, look around, next day, pop out. All right. Can we do that? Yep. If we stop at Umbresol's layer. I'll keep the mansion on tap. Is there anything we can do to run grog out like a Labrador? I mean, I'm worried about him not getting enough playtime in, and I want him to be right at the right moment.

We could actually... The mansion, can you like bamf up anything for him in the... We could... We're talking about tonight? No, like... No, we're gonna go camp somewhere for a day. No, we're not. No, we're going to Draconia.

Right now. Go to the Black Dragon Lair, then go to Draconia, then spend a night there. I've been traveling with these fuckers for years and I still don't understand magic. Hold on a second. We have two choices if we're going to Draconia. We can either go to Ambrisle's Lair

to scribe from there, then teleport there, which means we will be staying the night in draconia. In draconia. In draconia. In draconia. Yeah, that sounds right. Or we go to a draconia right now, blindly, and then I still have a spell to get us out.

But they could track us back here. But how can we go there blindly if you don't know where a tree is? Well, I'd scry. And then they would know where we are and know our position. They could theoretically if we get caught. We would only scry on a tree. We wouldn't scry on a track. I have a compromise.

Actually, can I just throw this out? Sure. The only thing that would detect us scrying is not there. Is currently flying over the ocean. Which is why we can scry right now. Let's scry from the giant's cave outside the city. Let's do that.

There's still take a couple hours to get there, though. Couple hours to get there is fine. It's nine. It's even. It's seven. It's morning. It's morning. It's morning. It's morning. It's three.

3 a.m. Why are we awake? So early. You're still drunk somehow. I don't know. Really good wine. Enough water. We get far enough outside the city, so at very least.

To the giant's layers. To scry. To scry. All right, you guys make it right. North of the city, up into the beginning stages of the alabaster sierras, you find the abandoned fortress that is there embedded in the side of the mountain wall. And Kieleth, you are attempting a scrying spell.

What are you scrying on? Where's, okay, I have the map of draconia. Let me just see. I can scry. You know what you know in Draconia? Huh? Do you know what you know in Draconia? You know Tiberius and you know his armor and you know his object, personal effects?

We don't know he's in Draconia. We may just end up somewhere random. That's true. But what do you know that is in Draconia? I know of the things that Tiberius has told us. Do you know any of his friends or? His house? His house.

Have we described his house? Have we met his family? We have not met him. You've never been there. But I don't need to have a known location, right? I can just scry in a general area. You need generally a creature of some kind. A creature.

What about his little, his little pet? So you're not scrying on a tree? Lockheed. Scrying Lockheed. But Lockheed would be with him. Lockheed has a higher chance of being dead than Tiberius. I think that that's underestimating or overresting. I don't know.

It's a coin flip, really. It's a coin flip, really. He's small. Well, this could answer our question. If I can't find anybody, then we might be going to Marquette. That's true. Go for it, then. See what happens. I guess it's Tibergis then?

All right. He's all I got. He's all I got. It's got to be someone that I like, no, it can't be like something I've heard about. It can be something you've heard about. A person or a creature. A person or creature, not a place. Can't be a place. Not necessarily, no.

Can it be a mystic magic, magic, Object. The mending. Wouldn't be a creature of some kind. Has to be a conscious creature. We know about Tiberius. We know about Kravana's storm wind. Lockheed.

We know about the mending wheel. Yeah, but as a creature. A creature only. Fucking magic. That's what he just said. That's what he just said. Fucking magic. Who?

Who is that? Who is that? Who is that? You're going to gamble on Tiberius? I am gambling on whoever we scribe to because they could all be dead. How many times can you scribe? How many times can you scribe? theoretically four times I've also got a scrying I've got a sprying stone

start with you have a fucking that's right you got that goddamn thing give me the give me the stone give me the stone yeah thank you I think it's I think it's sure thing called rock give me the rock doesn't go away right no it's just crying eye you can use it once a day what the yeah let's do this start with start with Tiberius start with Tiberius we'll work our way down okay I was I was gonna bring it out I can better know. No, you did wonderfully.

Make fun me some. Come on. I was just sitting there. You did, I'm so proud. You take the object and close your eyes, focusing on the memory and the life essence of Tiberius Stormwind. You project your thoughts into the ether, the nature energies. Carry you into the darkness and there is no response. No response.

No response. The sky spell finds no target. All right. That can mean a lot of things. It can be on another plane. Yes, does that stretch across the planes? Does it? Does it? Generally, it's on the same plane of existence.

Yeah. What about his father? What about his father? Or Lockheed. Or Lockheed would be with him. Not necessarily. Not necessarily. How many times do we want found straight cats?

That's true. Maybe Scry on Lockheed. Can I try it? Is it? another spell. This one will expend a spell. It'll lasts for 10 minutes. This one's dead. Per spell. So you're burning your own spells. No, I'm burning my own spells. Well, at least you got one for free. Thanks, Vex. It makes me very nervous.

What we should do his dad? I would be who I would kill if I were taking over the city. You just want to kill everybody. I do. I'm going to try Lockheed. His dad could be in a place where he's being watched. Okay. So this time you give the object back to Vex, and you sit down and create the ritual space before you sitting down in the center of the stone floor of the fortress and you close your eyes. This time you send out your consciousness once more. The druidic energies carry you an extended distance with them but a few moments

and your vision clicks in and you see perched against a snow-covered rock on the inside of a ravine, a shivering, small, green dragonling, alone and partially asleep against the stone. You can see just passed it over into this large gaping ravine that is the center of this portion of Wildmount. You can see just scattered rubble covered in ice and snow and small, distant things you can't quite make out with your vision here, just occasionally moving through it. Can you see any trees? Do I find any trees? Make a perception check.

Uh, uh, uh, 19. 19. There's no visible trees in the ravine. Anything that would be living down there has been, from your vision here obscured by rock, rubble, ruined floating island, and snowfall. You do see growing out of the side of the rock not far from where Lockheed is perched, what appears to be one leafless, small branch of a tree. that extends out, and as you glance up, there is a very thick tree that is currently jutting out the side of the mountain. It appear to be natural? It does. And large enough to fit grog? Maybe. Judding out the side of, oh, no, my. Yeah, it is not sitting on ground. It is currently over a

ravine. Right, right, kind of. One of those. Yeah, one of those. Any other trees? That's the biggest, closest one. That's all you can make out from this perspective. So if we jump, we're falling. How big is the ravine? How deep is it? From where you can tell right now, from the perspective you can see, just looking at Lockheed, it's probably a good 50 foot fall before you hit a scattering of broken rock

and it eventually comes into a grade to the bottom of the ravine. Not great. Not a good option. I guess it falling 50 feet and been fine. Sure, yeah. Just take a hit. Someone has feather fall, right? No?

Did it look like a natural cavern or like a man-made cavern that Lockheed was in? From what you can tell, it looks natural. Like he just found a little cave in his hiding? Well, it's less of a cave and more he's perched on this little alcove, this little outcropping of rock on the side of the ravine wall. Oh, he's on the side of the ravine. Okay, I have an idea. What if we tie the rope to something on this side? Yeah. And we all go out of the road pretty fast and drop down.

Log first. Yeah. Should you Scry one more time for the dad? Because best case scenario, we're in a weird, snowy ravine with no civilization around. We don't want to be around any civilization. Okay. And also then that's one more spell. And you did see distant blurred from your perspective. This is the focus when the Scriy was on lock. And you did see movement in very small, distant objects within the snow. They could potentially see us as soon as we come out of the tree. It's true. And you don't know who they are. They could be citizens. They could be creatures.

I just saw movement of figures. I didn't see any details. Seems like a good plan. This is risky. This is ridiculous. No matter what we do, it's a shit plan. It's true. There's only risk at this point. Is this the risk we make or is this not the risk we make? Grog? Remember Grogs?

Oh, are we asking for Grogs? Only so that we can ignore it. Grog gave his opinion. You're the one that was most adamant about us going here. With the new data, how do you feel? Data is information. I think we should take the hint and not go. But you said...

Yeah, yeah, but I was picturing like meandering out of a nice, beautiful tree in a forest out on the edge of the town. It's a little fall, it's fine. We can figure out of the way. I am not the most... That's it. He created this idea and he's backing on. You told us your famous... your famous phrase, all risk.

That's what this is. I do hate to have my own words used against me. All risk. That's what this is, we are doing all risk. I mean, I'm down to party, I'm just saying it was a little different in my head. I've never known you to be a coward, Grog. Howard Grog. We're doing it.

No. Why would you do that? Why? Scanlon. I'll go first. Really? You hold my hand and I'll go first. He can play the fiddle.

Very well. I'll go. Let's do it. Can we, can, okay, before we go through, I'm going to pass that a trace on us. All right. So we can stealth through the tree like that's gonna work. No, that's a good idea.

I'm gonna look for something very solid, other trees around us that we can go through right now? A short walk. You can get down the base of the forest. All right. I'm gonna tie the rope off onto something onto a very sturdy thing next to a tree that we're gonna go through. Okay, we're gonna repel. Yes. Yes. Is the portal only closed like after a couple seconds? We have six seconds. We've all got a hold of the rope and we all go. We all just go. Six seconds for all of you to run.

Yeah. Bungie jumping out of a tree. We are fucking idiots. This is the stupidest thing. I love it. I love it. This is so done. This is a terrible plan. I want to go on record for saying I was against these. We're gonna die. We can just leave really quick. She's got another teleport, yeah.

Okay, wait. How well. You got to climb up to the tree. There's no tree we can get to. And there was also no, I didn't see draconia. I saw the ravine and it was snowy, so we can assume it's nearby. But I didn't see draconia, did I? The ravine was draconia.

Did I see a city in my scry? You saw no city. You saw rubble. Once again, Lockheed could have flown miles away. He could have. Fuck. At the worst, this is a quick recon mission. We jump back in the tree, we come back.

15 minutes. Yeah, but those things that were crawling around amongst the dead. They were far off in the distance. They weren't that far off, but to be fair, this is what a plan is everything going wrong. So I'm all right with doing this if we're doing this. All right, sweet, I am two.

Tables of TIR. That's three or six. All right, fuck it. Let's do it. All right. So you've you have fixed the rope, the base of the strongest tree you can find. Are we all going to like tie ourselves to each other? I cast fast, no, this is, that's just dumb. No, we're gonna break on Vex.

I'm gonna cast fast. Go to trace on everyone right now because why the fucking, you've got a fucking broom. Vex? I'm up it on the broom. Oh yeah, I'm on the broom. And he's on the brooms. Dex, we're going to have the greatest I told you so if we've survived this. All right. So we have Vex and Scanlon on the broom.

Should you make me something tintsy? Oh, this is such a stupid idea. No, not yet. We're gonna need every spell we need in there. No, you're gonna wait that's gonna hold the rope down. You're going first. Can you have a spell prep? I'm gonna pop my wings out and hook my arms

under Kiki's armpits. Okay. I'm holding onto the rope because I'm an idiot. All right. So Grog and Pursi holding onto the rope. Good gods. This is stupid. This is so stupid.

I hate you all. We've done so many fucking stupid Somebody play that. Jackass guitar twang, br-o-w-w-w-w-w-r-trace. The shadows reach around and embrace your forms. You become more obscured the further the light is from your body.

Kieleth, what are you doing? I cast transport via plants on that big fatty tree. Kieleth touches the edge of the tree, the rope which is affixed to above, the trunk, everyone ready? Open as the doorway immediately.

Go, go! Fly through stealthily. You fly through stealthily. Try to get down to the ground quickly and like hide behind something. Right. I would like all of you guys to make stealth checks at disadvantage. Yes, that's awesome. Oh, that's such a bad. 17.

We have with a... 17 and 15. Pass without a trace? Yeah, plus 10. Oh. 20. 20. 22. 35.

33. 23. 27. All right. Hey. As Vaxon and Scanlan scoot through the first, through the opening, you coast down, and there is a cluster of rocks, but there's a light snowdust, and you find a snowbank that you guys coast down to quickly. You can decide to float above the snowbank. What do you want to do? No, we get down on the ground and go under. Okay, so you disappear under the snowbank. It is freezing cold, the wet, immediately thawing snow against your form against the steep, but you are below eye level.

Vax and Kieleth. You guys just kind of dart through you holding her. Fly through, and then once I see them hit the ground, I'm going to dive on us, and then I'm going to wrap us in a little wing bubble and then just roll into the snow. All right. As you guys come falling out the side of the tree, you see it nearby as a tall green tiny dragon. It's startled and floats flies off.

Oh, he flew away. You guys go coasting, the wings expand. for a second, it picks up, and as you hit, moving just past the about 15 feet of jagged rocks that were kind of gathered at the base of the ravine, you scoot over it, the wings folding around you, and you guys tumble into the snow, make an acrobatics check with disadvantage because you're grabbing onto her and are covered in wings. And you're covered in wings. I rolled a 15 and a 20, so that would be a 30.

You don't feel the pain, and the wings do cause a significant barrier of impact as well as the snow. As soon as you land, you go into the classic shoulder roll and use the inertia to not arise above the water. You both essentially coasts sideways, stopping within the snow bank. From an overhead perspective, you can see a large swath has been carved through it, but from a visual eye range at equal level, you guys still appear to be hidden within the snow. The two of you, thanks. Jump through and start rappelling down. Grog at the bottom end. Bringing the rope, bringing the rope down, bringing the rope down. It slams shut, the rope, pht, cut at the other end, as the purple closes. Oh, man. Percy, you just make it out as the rope gives away,

and it's now Grog and Percy plummeting towards the ground. I cast a grasping vine to grab Grog. You don't have the opportunity, because this all happens in the period of six seconds, and you guys just landed and coasted in the snow. Am I right under Percy? He's about five feet ahead of you, yeah. Okay.

Okay. Oh, I'm gonna let that happen. Well, you both fall. Your cushioning is fall? Yep. All right. I need you making an acrobatics check, just for the hell of it. I love this game. 13. 13.

As soon as you look over your shoulder and see the ground coming, you try and swing your legs underneath to catch you to kind of slide across. And you begin to, your feet catch the rock, you feel the muscles tense. Your back gets kind of jammed a little bit. and you catch Percy in your arms, but the momentum of Percy hitting you sends you back over

and you both tumbled into the snow. You do prevent Percy from taking any damage, but you do suffer five points of fall damage and land in the snow. You're a little bit guy. Oh. I got a booby. Is Lockheed within range still?

Can we see him? You have made perception check. Can I look two? Nope. You're just now getting up out of the. Ball of Wings. Okay. 25.

Oh, I'll skip it. Six. 25. You do see Lockheed is about 50, 60 feet up on the rock right now, and it's just kind of like, Where's Lockheed? Can I use, can I whisper draconic and say? Wait. Oh, yeah.

And say, and whatever the word is for like, come to me. Seems too far to really be with an earshot of a whisper. I point to him. I see her doing this. point to him and I cast message. Uh, and I say, It's better. Locky did you.

We're down here. Come down. It's us your friends. Locky, you're gonna, and then glides against the rock. And glides lower into the rock. Glides lower to the rock. And flies up.

Still getting a cautious distance from me above the snow. Tibbs. Tibbs. We're friends with Tibbs. Tiberius. Yes, you remember us. You can see Lockheed is a little closer now. Generally, I mean, you remember being fairly sick when he was initially purchased.

While the illness is passed, looks greatly malnourished and thin. I'll pull out some of my food that I give to drink it and try to feed it to them. As soon as you pull out the food, Lockhees immediately and starts up and like almost latches onto your hand and causes you to jump. I cast Speak with Animals. Is he an animal? Nope. Damn it. I have speak with small beasts.

It's not the beasts. a beast. Fuck you. He said, tough. Fuck you, Blackheed. Who's a little small monster? I would have known as a dragon expert that he's not a fucking animal then. Yeah, he's same as a dragon.

But whatever. Dragon's not a beast. Oh, right. I think it's a monster. Put your head in the fall. I didn't fall. So put your head in the fly. It's a small monster. The teleportation, it can.

Just grab them and put them in the bag of whole thing. Make you forget the Faywile. Yeah. At this point now, the temperatures really set into you. Well, I still can't speak with animals. You've heard stories of the... Do you trains now?

Yeah. Jesus. You're familiar with the sound, the words you've heard of Wild Mount being largely a colder continent, especially to the north, where the actual civilizations of man exist, draconious a little further to the south, But also based on the information you have of this being taken recently as the den of Borogal, there is a almost perpetual small snowstorm that is existing above this ravine.

And the wind itself is beginning to cut through. And thankfully, you're mostly armored up. And for the time being, you're fine. But you can see where this is a difficult weather pattern to perpetually live in. Lockheed finishes eating vigorously and seems to be waiting him. cross your hand. Perch him on my shoulder and just get out some more of the little bore meat we have in a bag of cold.

I just eat some happily. Can I speak Draconic to him, see if he understands any of that? What do you say? I say, Tiberius was teaching him, Trichon. Yeah, I know. I say, where is Tiberius in Trachonic? Where is home? Where is home?

Unless Tibbs got further along with him, it was like one word. He was teaching him like sit and play dead and stuff. Yeah, one word at a time. All right. Stay. Stay and just kind of digs in the talons into the top of your leather armor shoulder. All right, well.

It kind of brings the folds the wings in and kind of just waits there, huddle up against your shoulder for warmth. I'm going to look around and see if there's a direction in which it seems that civilization or any signs of battle or otherwise. Make a perception check. Huffin out. 16.

16. You bring your head above the snow line, and you can see surrounding you, and you are in the center of this giant ravine that opens up to the sky, and it's like a grand, not quite Grand Canyon size. It's about half the width of some of the parts of the Grand Canyon, it's a wide gulf.

And you guys are on one side where the ravine slowly begins to co-ussed. And it's various steps in which the ravine cast down. You were already towards the bottom when you landed. This could have been a lot worse, were it higher up. But looking out beyond, you can see what looks to be, just from this vantage point, dozens,

of large stacks of broken rock and stone. You can see pillars that are jutting out of portions of this. You can see what looks to be partially and mostly collapsed buildings that themselves have been destroyed from a serious impact. You recall during the initial attack of the conclave that one of the things that was seen through a vision was the fall of draconia, the draconia, which were islands of stone that were held aloft through arcane means within this ravine. What you now look upon are all of the fallen remains of each of these arcane islands now plummeted and crushed. Islands themselves?

El into the ravine and have been sundered and destroyed. Oh, shit. You do see figures moving quickly and crawling over elements of it, and you see a cluster of them fighting over something and then disperse. How far off? What did it look like? They're probably a good 300 feet off. Could we tell what kind of creatures they have? They appear to be humanoid.

Wizards. They appear to be somewhat reptilian. So lizard people. Should I make us lizard people? Can I do like a nature check to see if I can see the where, like the origin, the epicenter of the storm? Like the eye of the storm? Sure. Where it's coming from.

Clever. Okay. Well. 16. 16. 16. Best that you can view from this, the storm seems to be slow. slowly spiraling, and a large heavy portion of the snowfall and sleet is hitting about a mile or so towards the right side of the ravine that you guys are looking at on the wall you're at.

So you have the right and left sides of this current ravine structure. It seems to be that direction about a mile. I think the Dragon's Lair is that way. Can you look around for more trees that aren't so hard to get to in case we need to make a fast getaway? We can just keep our eyes open. All right. And you said it was like a mile. Can we traverse through the bottom of the ravine to get there in that direction?

Or is it all water? No, you can. Just all water? Let's go. Quietly. We're going to crack out the good old dust of traceless news since there's like knee-high snow. On top of X's.

Let's also draconic. No footprints. Let's not be fleshy. Oh yeah, draconians. You want me to make us draconians or lizard people? For lizard people, draconians will not trust us. We can at least pretend to cower and be afraid of lizardmen if we see them, but.

I don't think grog can cower. What is the definition of this word? Be a wussy. It's like when you accidentally shaggy dance. It's a shaggyn ass. I instantly opened it up. Like, nope, nope, not doing it.

You know when you bang your balls on a rock or something, it's like that. You go, oh, oh. Oh, that's so good. Is there anything you're not good at? Don't think that hard. I was really, I was just trying to, I was, never mind. Okay, all right.

So, draconians? Draconians. All right, I will cast seeming on the party and make us all draconians. What kind of draconians? Oh, God. There are many types of colors, there are those with and without tails and without tales that you've encountered.

Wasn't Tiberius a strange one? Don't do red. Don't, yeah, do metallic. Yeah, do metallic. Oh, he, yeah, they didn't, yeah, they didn't take kindly to him. Mm-hmm, got a little bit of dark. Metallic, yeah?

Yeah, bronze or... Like gray silver? Is that... Yeah, there's snow, silver. Maybe it's good to make us like, silvers and white-tish and stuff. A mishmosh, yeah, a mishmash of bronze, silver. And white, since, you know, that's the color of...

Bronze, silver and... and gold there. That's traumatic. metallic, metallic. Bronze, silver, gold. Yeah, we'll do the Olympics. Yeah. Okay. And with or without tail, because you've met both. They won't actually be tails. That might actually go us into trouble.

Which one was Tiberius? Tiberius had a tail. Do most of them have tails? Gunn didn't have a tail and he was less than. I don't think Draconians will like us if we don't. We all have tails. Mine's a little longer than the rest. Do you mean like one of those little keeping your normal attire just the top of a draconian form?

No, what do draconians wear? Rags, put us in rags like we've been living in rubble. Yes, we're in burlats. All silk and tattered clothes, just rags, terrible gray things. Yeah. Okay. Clever. Make us look like we've kind of been beat up.

Mm-hmm. Sure. Sure. We all have a single bruise. In a different place. On our face. Everyone's got one face bruise in a different place. All of the forms shift into that of various metallic dragon-born,

with tails, Dorn and Rags, dirty. What do you do? Oh shit. Who all speaks draconic here? You? You speak trachonic. Nobody else talk. Fuck.

Jesus. We're all mutes, and you, we're lepers and mutes, and you are our doctor? Everybody else just does like fearful anime reacts. Oh, oh. Nani? I don't actually speak Japanese, but. Gohful. So, I don't know how they can't enjoy, too.

So, let's move, moving towards the episode. a lot this episode. All right, so you guys step up out of the snow and begin just walking or are you still going stealthily. You're the leader. Yes. I mean, stealthily. Stealth.

Okay. I'm stealthily leading us. That direction towards the where the layer is. Where's the dragon? Keeping an eye off for trees. And people and things. Any of the lizard creatures coming towards us? Right now, no.

Okay. Then let's quietly make our way. That direction. Remember, I keep you hit in the pool. I need to know these things. You guys cluster up and begin stepping above the snow, which is still about waist, knee high for some of you, making your way to the right of your current location

towards the center of the storm that Keyliff seems to have discovered. As you guys begin to walk, the nearby pile of rock and rubble, there was that one cluster of four or five of these moving lizard-like entities. They suddenly, one of them looks over and looks at your group. looks back to the rest, and they all kind of stand up and look over in your direction. Oh, God. You're our leader, friend.

Do we continue? They're just watching you. They're not doing anything. Okay, then let's just... Oh, so cold. Keep walking. Oh, so tired. They go back to rummaging through, and you guys continue to walk.

The ravine curves to the right, or at least it begins to open up further to the right, and you're met with the next large... structure of rubble. What you saw was the edge of what looks to be an extremely large, once floating island now crushed and sunned across the ground. There are sheets of ice across parts of it. You can see what looks to be the better part of some sort of a large palace or library that is now caved in partially. You can see frozen books scattered across portions of the stone and rock on the ground before you. You can see what looks to be a series of huts have been constructed on top of this rubble,

and there are some small fires lit, little plumes of smoke, and probably two dozen dragon-born figures that are currently combing through the rubble. Do we see any books that seem interesting as we're walking through them? They're like underneath ice. You can try and chisels them out if you like.

No, don't have time. Don't have time. A lot of this is covered in snow. There's just bits that are, there's some bits where you can peek through and see their sheets of ice and frozen book, but... Frozen books and frozen bodies.

Are there any frozen bodies? As you begin to have a closer look as you walk by, there are many frozen bodies. You see many people, all dragon-born, some just atop the rubble, some partially crushed, some partially locked in ice, some destroyed, but looks to be some sort of an acidic substance. It looks like some of them are covered in boils, and like their face is locked in some sort of horrible coughing fit. This was a very, a very terrifying battle scene that has transpired here. That means Raishon was here. That means Thorak was here. Umbrissel was here, acid.

They attack the cities as of course. There are no signs of anyone burned. Oh, Thorak was, oh, I thought you said ash. No, no. Sorry. And the people that are scouring through the rubble, are those dragon-born or just the lizard people? Best that you can tell right now, it appears to be dragon-born.

And what, can we look at their behavior and see what it looks like they're doing? I mean, are they just... What's their emotional state? I would like to join that inside check. I would not like to. Nine. Nine. I will join that inside-trial.

I'll join in two. You've already said no. Can I join it? This isn't having to do with dragons. So 13. Oh, two inside chase. Too often. I'm sorry. 22.

Oh, damn. Did you roll or not? I'd roll to 10. Best you can tell they're surviving. They're scouring through the ruins, trying to find anything of worth. Some of it's finding wood and throwing it onto these little flame pyres

that are scattered about the ruins. You begin to look and see that actually the sides of the ravines, there are hundreds and hundreds of small caverns that are carved into the rock. Like a, not quite like dense honeycomb style, but it looks like there is an entire cave city that lives within this ravine. And they're not frozen over? There are, some of them are covered in snow, but that does not appear to be. But snow, not blasted with ice.

You look like they're in use. Yeah, they're finding a new way to live. They probably did something similar that we did. Some of these Dragonborn, by the way, which, you know, they're coming out of their huts. Some of them are still looking up to the sky nervously. They look over and see you guys approaching, and a voice calls out and goes, Who goes there? Friends.

Stormwind. Friends of stormwinds. Friends of stormwind, you say. Friends of stormwind, you say. We have friends of storm wind. Storm winds. Sh! Approach.

I walk up injuredly. All right. I'm so cold. I'm hobbling up behind. Also, cowering. Okay. You guys cowering you approach. Keeleth, Vax and Vex, you notice as you approach that a number of the people that have all stopped and kind of paying attention to the approach are beginning to move around and kind of encircling you.

Pardon my friends, their tongues have been cut out. by our captors. I'm all that's left. As you walk forward, you can see the figure that's talking to you. A very tall, burly, what looks to be bronze-scaled dragon-born. Long horns that kind of protrude down the back at a slow curvature. No-tail. In fact, you now notice that every single one of the dragon-born you've noticed here have no tail.

We had a 50-50-duty. 50-50 change. Friends of Stormwind, that would make you Skywalker's. I see your tales. You survive the onslaught and step into the den of those you persecuted. Well, what are your last words? Oh my God. This was a great plan.

Good. Hey. Drop. Drop it. Drop it. I don't know what's going on. Is this all being said in draconian? This is all being said.

Can we have. You guys can understand any of it, but they are getting it's just easy. You know what? I don't know what to tell you. Everyone with the tail is an asshole. We got what was coming to us. Make a persuasion check.

Wow. Make money no whivies. Ninety? In turns his head to side a bit and kind of, What skills do you have? I can shoot. Is that all? He makes boots.

That's a skill. She's really good at Stonecraft. All the other Dragonborn that are come behind you are now holding spears, some of them kind of rudimentary-looking pikes that are kind of just held up and kind of pointed in your direction. You guys are now enclosed by about two dozen Dragonborn. Here are your choices. You die here like the scum you are. Choice B.

In slavery it is. You will join the rest of your ilk, and you will seek food for us, and you will know what it's like to be bent beneath the knee of those who do not deserve it. Put them in chains. Fucking tails. Oh, they're going to know as soon as we're chains. No, we're going to have a fight here. Oh, should we drop seamers?

seeming. Yeah. Perhaps we should drop seeming. What? Is it going well? Actually, you know what? Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. They approach and kind of stop for a second.

There's a few of folks went over and went to grab her chains have kind of stopped and just holding them in their hand. I'll have to tell you something. We're not actually draconian. He leans in and gives you this very, very keen look now. It takes a few steps closer. He's about five feet from you now. Alright, Stan, you look pretty fucking draconian to me. Well, we have some really good magic users with us.

Look, forgive us for making tales. We don't know anything about your culture. We're idiots. We came here because we know you're under attack and we're trying to help. There you go. And you just wander into the caves of the Ravanites stressed in the face of those that broke our backs.

Yep, because we're stupid. Make persuasion check the disadvantage. You're pretty identical, almost identical. 14? 14? Get it on. Bring the chains. You have 10 seconds to prove.

Drop seeming. Just drop it. Really? Yeah. It's one of my better spells. I know, I'm sorry. Drop it, scan man. Poof.

We're back to normal. Oh, is this what's happening now? All of your images fade and suddenly everyone kind of takes a step back. The spears come up even further and there's a moment of pause. It's adorable. My tail's gone. No, you don't believe me. You don't want the tail.

Oh, it's good to know. I enjoyed it. Does anyone speak common? Does this make things better or worse for us? I repeat him. Yeah, they all, the reactions you get from them, you gather that most of these don't speak common and none of them seem to understand what you're saying. Cool. So, here's the thing. You're being attacked by a white dragon.

A white dragon came and he tore down the Skywalker's. So you're happy with it. Well, it's put us in a better position. Right. But now that the Skywalker's have already been torn down, do you want to keep the dragon in charge? We owe the dragon for the freedom that he gave us. So you served one.

For the time. And he doesn't punish you at all. He's a good master. Those who deserve punishment get it. but we hunt with it. It brings us power. It promises expansion of the Ravanites, and we will no longer live under the boot

of those in this countryside, in this continent. How's it going? Not really bad. We have children to feed. We don't like us. We have families of our own. How can you help? That's what we're here for.

If you're had we. Bring us warmth. Chop some firewood. Bring some trees. Work. Gladly. But not in chains. We do this freely.

Give us your weapons. And you can walk freely. Let's kill them all. I'm sorry. That's not happening. Then leave. That we will. What is your business here then? She who wanders in the faces of others.

That's a cool title. Yeah, I kind of like that actually, yeah, that's good. Our entire landscape is under attack. Now, Voragol has helped you, but they've made many other suffer. Not just draconians, entire cities brought down for nothing. We're here to write the wrong and help in any way we can.

I don't hope in any way we can. You should talk to tumor. Tuma? Tuma. It's not a tumor. We knew that was gonna happen. It took about 1.5 seconds. No.

Fuck with Matt's name. Travis, no. To be fair, I'm sure he assumed we would. No, he didn't. I think he assumed. Oh. Oh. Oh.

All you're doing is putting fuel on the fire. 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, happy, sad, confused is the place for nerdy and intimate conversations with all your favorite actors and filmmakers. From Andrew Garfield and Scarlett 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 podcasts. 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?

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the top true crime headlines of the week. So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcast. Tuma. T-O-O-M-A. T-O-O-M-A. T-O-O-M-A. T-O-O-M-A. Totally different.

And who is Tuma? Tuma is our chieftain. I'm not to make this decision. Come. No chains for now. They all stay with their spears still out in front, but they kind of nudge you forward. I explain everything that's happening in common as we walk.

All right. Is everybody still cool with this? We're going to see the chieftain. Just tell us when we're supposed to. kill everybody. We improvise. This is what we do. Yeah, okay. I think this is going great. I think this is actually going far better than I had hoped. Just remember Vex, ticking time bomb here. We gotta get in, get out. We got one day here. Are there any trees that we could see as we're walking, by the way?

They actually said they wanted us to chop firewood, so if we can get sent on that mission, then we're done. Oh, I mean, I can grow them as many, a lot of trees. Right now. Oh, grow them trees? Yeah, that's pretty good. Oh, are we in the mountains? Mountains? No. Are we?

No. 29. You're in a ravine. Well, perhaps you're just for Grogs. He's the only one who asked to look for trees. But you're old than 19? I did. Looking around, occasionally poking out of the rubble, you'll see a tree. Most of them seem to have not fared so well with the cold weather or have been snapped or broken and processed the falling rubble.

You do make out towards the edge and the other side of the ravine beyond this giant one, you can see this one island, one kind of large or island of the clusters. island of the clusters that made of draconia fell in the center here and it's just broken apart. On the far end you can see there's a small cluster of trees, the hint of green still to them, some of them, you know, varying thickness. Hmm. I could work with that. It's a good starting point. Might be a long way away though. Just in terms of X-filled distances. We've been here about what, 10 minutes?

At this point I'd say about 1520. 1520, okay. So we're going to go see Tuma? So see Tuma? Are we gonna trap down some fucking trees? Oh, we have to go. They're walking us to the chieftain. Yeah, we got this walk away now. Spears at our back.

You guys are prodded along over the rubble, and as you come around, you can start see, you can see where the outside of the island is broken rock, the center of it is broken structures. Buildings, homes, giant great marble halls. Everything is just kind of mostly fallen in. You still see some structures standing, but at odd angles.

There are sections of buildings. that still show kind of the outer outline of what once stood, but it is all to complete ruin. You do see every now and then a few large spikes of ice that are jutting out of portions, and you see bodies that are jabbed onto the spikes and left to freeze. Do they have tails? They do. You move over the bulk of this giant pile of rubble and begin to send the other side. You can see now there is an active village here that is half frozen entirely.

Half of it seems to be abandoned. Neither half is just completely coated in solid ice. The crowd leads you past that abandoned village to a series of tunnels against the wall, maybe three or four hundred feet from that cluster of trees that you saw, leads you into this tunnel. And on the inside, there are small glow stones that are set in portions of the stone. Not naturally forming, but essentially small natural bits of torch light that are just pressed into the stonework to give some sort of a light source. Cool.

That's cool. You're led in for about five or so minutes and you see other off-shoot tunnels. It's like a giant ant-hill like weave throughout this. And you can see rudimentary furniture made of wood and stone and limestone rock and whatever is available within the actual ravine here. Can I get a sense on like when this was carved, if this was carved recently or if this has been here for a while. Go ahead and make an HG. Ooh, 27.

Best you can tell from looking at the rock and knowing the amount of erosion versus the curvature of it, it looks like this has been, these tunnel has been here for a very long time. They have? Yes. Okay. This portion of the tunnel opens up and you can see now there is a much more refined village type structure inside, maybe 30 plus small homes carved from rock and stone, built much better than the kind of makeshift huts that you saw outside. You also see a giant pile of broken

chains to the left side of the entryway. Many of them are manacles and what looks to be some sort of neck vices that are just all thrown and discarded in this large pile. Tiberius never mentioned this site of draconial. No, he didn't. As you are brought into the center of this larger chamber, you see probably two dozen draconians that are out in the vouch, just currently gathering materials, talking a walking stop, and see as you enter and just kind of watch as you pass by. Colors range from metallic to chromatic, all-spectrum. It is just a mishmash of color of all walks, sizes. And the chromatic, the red, the blue, the green, are we seeing tails on them? No. No tails. Nobody has tails down here.

Good you know. I could make us all draconian again without tails. That would probably work at this point, right? You're led past a couple of these stone structures, and there is a central, kind of open, circular plot between a lot of these. There is a fountain that seems to spring a very very, very small, very, very clean source of water within the center of this chamber. And then beyond that, there is a larger temple-like square structure that has a slight trapezoidal appearance to it. The entranceway is just an open arch, and you can see a large fire burning on the inside

of it. You are led around the fountain and led to the inside. And there you see sitting on what looks to be a large stone seat made of just half haphazard bits of rock and stone make this, what looks relatively uncomfortable, but a large stone throne almost. There is a female dragonborn. She wears long drab, gray robes, tattered at the edges, a hood that is just kind of loosely pulled back and what looks like a large scarf or wrap around her neck and shoulders. And she just sits there with her hands over the side draped. And as you walk in in your eyes adjust, you can see that you can see that you

She looks very old. As you're brought in, the rest of your crew still pushes you in with the spears. She kind of leans forward. Are these prisoners of ours? And the dragon-born brought she witness. They are for the time being. They say they come here.

Because the frigid doom and other dragons who came are killing their people as well. They have come to fight the dragon, or so they claim. They walked in under guise of our enemy. It is your wisdom to make these choices. And the larger dragon-borne bows his head and steps away, the spears pull back, and they kind of step, blocking the exit that you walk through.

The entire archway now is just shoulder-to-shoulder, dragon-borne with spears at the ready. Tuma? We apologize, becoming in the guise of your enemies. Unfortunately, we don't know much about your culture, and no one ever informed us of what you have suffered, and we apologize. Make persuasion, Chip?

23. You're saying that some draconic eyes? Yes. She leans in a bit, and a bit of the firelight kind of crackles under her chin. You can see the teeth on one side kind of pull up out beyond the lip, and it gives her this kind of lopsided look. The tongue kind of wipes across the front, and she leans in towards you.

You come here to fight the frigid doom, you say. I would be lying if I said he did not bring a chance for freedom to all of us Ravanites. Much deserved. But as time progresses, I fear that we shake one bonds to step into another. The dragon presented itself as our savior, but has sense required an ever-growing, fealty.

They do that. Without the draconines, without the Skywalker's, and without the doom we would be free. Can we build our culture? I want nothing more for you than that. Let us help you. You see, so now the rest of you did this. Do your friends speak common?

Oh, that's lovely. Hi. Hi, yes. Much relieved. Yes, they do. Grog doesn't, but we do. Oh. If we are to let you go, Do you promise to slay this creature?

We will do everything in our power to watch it die. It is our only purpose. It has been gone for days. It should be back very soon. Took most of its army with it. Crog was right. He's always right. That was our hope. Was that we would be able to come here

when it was at its weakest and get a sense of it. Do you know where its layer is? I do. Is it far? It is not far, but one hour walk. Can I roll an insight check on her? Thank you. 19?

19. Oh, boy. Oh boy. See, do you know what I like as much as Whispers? What is that? Luke Craine. What, Talison? I do.

You gotta do better than that. I really, I like this. Try something like this. Try something like this. Matt's an asshole, but you know who's not, the good people at Luke Crane. Lute Crate doesn't decide to just tell one person about what's going on.

They let everyone know. The crates to everybody. Not just vexed. Hey, you never told us what he whispered to you before. No, he didn't. It's an insight. We're good. Oh, boy. You're good.

I'm a vampire, just deal with it. Oh no, this whole time. This whole time. If you come here to kill this dragon, I assume you have the means and a plan. We definitely have plans. Totally have a plan. Then let us have an ambush. Oh.

Ambush? Wait. Sorry? Come again? For the dragon? Well, we tried to do that one of the time. It worked. While it did pay off.

Many were... His brother is dead. A lot of people died in the process. A lot of people died in the process. This is not a pretty... Very large, strong people. So what do you insist? We not have an ambush.

We just wait for it to land and attack head on. We were going to use this opportunity to find our way into its lair and find its weaknesses and plan then. Sabotage from the inside. There's more than one dragon and they are supporting each other. If we kill this one, it'll set off a chain reaction. We might not be able to recover from it. not be able to recover from if we're not fully prepared. We want to make the means to make sure that when the time comes, we can destroy them all in

one fail swoop. The risk here is that by destroying Varigul, Voragol. Yeah, yes. Oh, my God, that one. The frigid doom. The frigid dim. You'll bring the wrath of the others upon you. He is not the strongest.

Thorac is much larger, and I don't think has been here. You speak with accents. I do not understand. Where do you come from? Everywhere. Well, we're a motley crew. Lots of different places. Do not answer that. Do not answer that question. We can answer the continent. Better lie.

As you can see, we're half elves. So, we are to walk to the den. You are to learn your information. Then what? Set up a situation where we can monitor you, then possibly contact you when you and it's time, and even let you know if we think the dragon's about to leave so that you can prepare. I have lived to see this day by not being deceived or tricked. You speak words that are not direct. They wind, they spin, they circle. What guarantee do I have that you will not just flee? To be fair, what guarantee do we have that you won't kill us and the ambush was meant for us? I believe there's untrue.

trust on both sides. At which point she steps off of the throne, steps on both of her feet. And when she's off the throne, her imposing form becomes far less imposing. You can see now there's a very heavy hunch to her back. And as she kind of scuffles forward, she's a very almost pitiful looking sight physically.

As she pulls forward to kind of walk straight to you, Kieleth. You see it, like someone clouded, cataract-ridden eyes of the dragon-born female Tuma, comes up to you and goes, We are proud people, even when pressed into the dirt for as many years as we have been. We reclaim our honor. We reclaim our place in this world. We wish to do this as peacefully as possible. But we have been forced to scrounge and survive through this freedom.

You wish you no folly, you wish you no ill will. But we also have learned that trust needs to be earned. It cannot be spoken and given so freely. Both ways. You are right to mistrust, as are we of you. But that is the impasse. One must have faith in one way or another, if there is to be a compromise.

I think faith and trust are not mutually exclusive. I cannot trust you and still have faith. faith. And you should not feel it like a pride for living in the dirt or surviving. There's nothing wrong with that. But I understand your urge to want to rebuild, become the great culture that I know you all are. So, you should at least trust that we have similar interests in the end. Make a persuasion check. That's good, Kourish. Oh!

19. Is that an Opel? Was that Opal? Yes, it was. Opal! Opal's back! 25. 25. Just the universe, people.

She reaches forward and extends a finger. It kind of just gently scrapes the bottom of the chin. Not too much to hurt, but just to kind of pull across the skin and pull your chin upward into the light of the fire a little bit. There is much wisdom in there for so young a face. Many options we have either. Come, we will walk. And at the very least, if you decide to flee. We can give you that word.

Tuma. All the frigid doom's armies around will they see us? There are a handful of dregs that stay behind, but tell me you wear many faces. Certainly don't win them see ours. What should we disguise ourselves as? She points past over your head and goes, Tiny Gnome. the faces of those that lead you here. Okay, Tiny is uncalled for, but I understand.

The faces of you, of your tribe, of your class. All right. Be glad you walk with one as wise. Talking about me? Oh, that's awesome. She begins to shuffle over, and you watch as two of the Dragon Boar and walk over and kind of scoop her up shoulder to shoulder,

and she kind of shrugs them off and pushes them away. I can walk myself. Oh. Respect. She begins shuffling and they kind of separate and open. She walks part way out as you guys stand there and turns around and beckons, come. We follow. Can you cast seeming again?

I can do seeming one more time. Oosh. All right. Wait, wait. If you cast seeming, will we still be able to get into the? We still got the mansion. Okay. Handicaps me a bit.

I will cast seeming again on the party and do the same thing except Slightly different colors and slightly less tail. The larger dragon monoccal nature. My tail nub is slightly larger than the n. It's like a square. Anyway. The cube. Yeah, the cube lips.

It's a cube. It's a tail cube. As the rest of the guards circle around him and to walk, a bit of trepidation, but going along with Tuma, the large one, the Nigerian goes, Tuma, are you certain? She turns around and goes,

Skork, there are few things that are certain in this world. I am not long for it. If we are not to seize the opportunity of kingship, we miss the opportunity for survival. Is it a risk, yes. Sometimes it's a risk worth taking. And she keeps walking. The rest of them gather behind and the now named Scork, kind of gives a nod and continues walking on.

Scork? Is that his name? He was the guy who was giving a shit. Yeah, he was the guy that we talked to right when we got him. Got a backraged. You guys that led out of the tunnel, back into the freezing air. The wind's picked up a bit and you can now hear this like low hum as it hits certain portions of the cavern and causes seeming. low vibrational whistles in the distance.

The snow has begun to fall a little heavier now, and as you walk out, you hear the crunch of your footsteps as you're stepping through heavier and heavier blankets of snow. Can I tell Tuma, just as we walk out, like, P.S. If that dragon comes back, we need to bolt. She nods. If that dragon comes back, we never saw you.

You, you never saw us. Thank you. She's very slow, by the way. Your passage of travel is about half speed, as she kind of leads the charge, but everyone respectfully keeps in pace with her. Yeah. Tuma, have you ever heard of a dragon boar named Gern Blanston? She can think, just a second.

That name has not come to my mind, no. Us neither. Pushing on, it's gotten a little lighter in the sky. You figure based on your arrival, you may have just come in at the cusp of dawn, and the sun has now gotten higher in the sky. You're on the entire opposite side of the planet now. So the cycle is changed based on the location you're currently in. So now while you guys were, we had rested actually. Yeah, we left in the morning. Yeah, you left in the morning. You would have gotten here. So it's like night time. I'm sorry, opposite of that. It's actually now getting dusk. Oh, okay. So even though it's only been a couple hours, of daylight that you've seen since you woke up this morning, it's already beginning to set and the sky's getting darker. This is a night vision.

But the dragon will still take the same amount of time. I'm so tree lagged though. I know. Oh, he sucked from west to east. That's true. You are led over a portion of the ravine ever so slowly that lifts up and then as you get to the crest it lends down into a far deeper and wider portion

This is now the center part of this entire giant physical anomaly that is this giant crack in the ground. And you can see the bulk of the fallen cities in the center of this area. Can we see any big trees around here? You see a couple of larger trees that just kind of sprout out from the rubble. There's ones that manage to survive the impact of certain areas of still. though it looks like a lot of the bark has been stripped and they're, and might not be alive that you can see from this distance. There are smaller trees towards the edge, and a few still protruding from portions of the walls. Just note every tree that's we walk by.

Yeah, I'm paying attention to the trees. Yeah. I'm like, that's the biggest tree that's not closest to us. Now that's the biggest tree that's not closest to us. Now that one. As you led down to the ravine, you reach this central structure and you can already see from this distance as the snow falls hitting and covering the rocks, there are dozens and dozens of those spikes of ice jutting out of the rock, each with what looks to be one or

two various frozen corpses, just kind of impaled on them and left. At the top of this, you can see what looks to be a large cluster of ice that is in a somewhat round gathering. And you can C, actually no you don't see that. Sorry. I know that will come to play in the future. No, ask question. The bodies and the spikes. None of them look familiar, right? You can keep a watch as you go. You push towards the center of the ravine upon the large island rubble. You begin to move, and it takes a good 40, 50 minutes, an hour to traverse a lot further. or you'd be expected in that time period. Or sorry, a lot less you've figured you're

in that time being weighed down by Tuma's gate. However, the rubble begins to subside and you begin to see what looks to be just steps of ice. Not perfect carb steps, but just elements of encapsulated, broken platforms of ice that act as stairs. Vax, Vex, and Kila, as you guys begin to move up the steps, you especially vex, look and you can see what little bit of light is beginning to shine down through the ice. You can see what looks to be mounds and mounds of coins and jewel boxes.

And many, many expensive knickknacks and collections, all below feet of solid. ice all clustered towards the apex of this collapsed ruined island. Tuma, is Voragal having you collect all of this? Burugal sends us to pay the debt we owe for being freed, yes. We scavenge. We spend our days searching for food for the means to survive and finding what we can. can from the ruins of the broken draconia. And when you can't find anything, what then? These are the thoughts that consume me.

That is the reason that you are still alive. Everyone make a perception check. Oh, oh, oh. Yeah, dog. God, I need to take a luck foot. 14. 28. Natural 20.

Whoa. That wasn't the golden stitch. No, I put the golden stitch away Anything. All right. It's a natural 20 when I dropped it, giving up on it. As you guys are pretty pretty pretty you can see you now, like the ice that encases the golden coins begins to ripple upward and is getting harder and harder to climb.

You can see now it comes to an apex in this kind of bowl-like formation. And as you get to a point where it's harder to ascend, you can see Tuma kind of stops and sees that she can't go much further and she points up and goes, that is where it sleeps. That is where we come to give what we find. And that is where it should fall. What is its nature? Is it vain? Does it want you to bow before it?

It does not ask for kneeling. It asks for fear and respect. It takes us to bring the most powerful creatures in the land for it to chase. Can I roll in inside check on her again? Jesus. This is creepy. 27.

What is seven? Oh, shit, balls that. Oh, boy, guys. A box is full of loot? No, no, no. It's a crate, Liam. The crate is full of boxes? Yes, a crate full of boxes.

Box crate. What you do with the boxes? No, you just, inside the boxes are tinier boxes. Tinyer boxes? When do you get to the loot, though? No. It's a Russian nesting doll of boxes and crates. Box box.

Box box. And then inside is a box crate. And inside the box crate. that is tiny bag crate. What are you guys talking about? But Liam, if you want all those boxes? I need boxes. You get $3 off.

Wow. The first box of boxes. Mm-hmm. Crate, crate. Crate, crate. All right, so. This is its home. This is its shrine.

We're fucking traps before we go in there. Is it up? Is it down? Is it through? It's like at the top it comes into this giant bowl, this like platform of ice. And it's almost like a nest where it sits in. A big icy dog bed.

Just in, by the way, we've been in dragons layers before and the layers themselves do things, right? Yes, with the dragon in them. But when the dragon's not in them, they don't do anything. Well, my sister and I can have a look around. I have a question for you, though. If we make a stand here today, in theory,

in theory, is it worth you? it to stand with us. If you feel confidence, otherwise we walked her our death prematurely. Yeah, let's not do that today. Today is not that death. This is reconnaissance. If all goes well, we will have one more conversation.

I'm gonna start searching the ground. I do have one other question. The body's on the spikes. How did that happen? What was that? When the islands fell, there was a great fight of those that survived. Against the dragon, we did not join in. Out of fear and out of not knowing which side would come out, the Vorogala stayed behind as the other two flew.

The dragon asked us why we do not fight, and we said, because it is not our place, the dragon said, well, your place is now, out of free kin. The dragon summoned forth these spikes And drove it through the hearts of many of the Skywalker's Many of us cheered For it was a symbol That many had wished to see for a long time But at the same time, the older ones of us

It was not what we wanted It was not how he wished to be freed We had no way of stopping him And as time went on and with each surviving Skywalker that was found or no more cheers. Just the dread of knowing that's maybe in time, and all the spikes are filled,

it may be us on them next. Thank you. 29, looking for any traps. Okay. You spend the next 15 minutes or so 20 minutes kind of skirting around the outside of this large frozen bowl looking for some semblance of a set trap.

You don't recognize anything as a sort of mechanism placed that would set off your warning defense systems as a rogue. Can I stand on the top, look out from the platform, and see what is visible from the platform and what areas seem hidden in the landscape? I'm going to join you on that. Okay. Both you guys roll perception checks. I have an idea. Natural 20. Natural fucking 20. Well, I don't even need to look. You both saw that, right? That just fucking happened. This is not my normal dyes.

This is something I bought a comic. Oh, it's not the dice anymore. We just know that you've somehow gained the favor of some Aztec deity that trying to reclaim its foothold in the current day pantheon through you. Cauta Quahal. Sumerian, you have.

Right, it would be Sumerian. It would be. I'm bringing a shrine to Burning Man, by the way. This is a fair. This is pertaining to dragons. All right. No, this is more true. It's more of an icy terrain.

Nevertheless. Give Steve Martin the win here. No, no, I know. Between the two of you keeping an eye out, to this Mar-Duke Enki-loving fool over here, bless you for knowing a Samarian deity. Of course. Six hours.

You look off and see that most of it, and its design here is to be a century point. The reason it's built over the structure, it has a view of the entirety of this central open valley in the ravine. There are nooks and crannies. There are elements of ice that could be carved away. There are small alcoves that could be out of sight, you know, lower beyond the ice steps and such, but there is no, like, extremely visible pockets or things that are completely out of the

visual sight from that perch. It was designed specifically to be a place to survey. Are there other perches? For what you can see here. I mean, there are outcroppings of stone and certain elements to kind of jut out naturally from the valley wall, but it's a wide bird from each side. I mean, like, does this seem like the only thing, or would there be like, would there be other century points as well?

If flown to and Helden, yeah, there are a couple other rock areas that a dragon might be able to hold himself, but this is definitively. Is this the highest? Which one? The highest. The bottom right.

Bottom right. Like the highest point. So we have a really good vantage right now. From here, yeah. This is the highest point in the review. Do we see the orb? Do we see an orb? Yeah, the orbs. Make an investigation check.

Can I help? I mean, we're all looking. We're all technically. Oh. There we go. See that wasn't great. 28. 11.

17. 16. 9! You guys take a while glancing about nothing. Scanlan, you dart down and begin peering up against the ice walls that surround it. going down into the actual scooping bowl of this dragon nest. And looking down, you can see just a little glimmer of light

that refracts at a different angle than the rest of the ice. A spherical surface is visible about two and a half feet below. Okay. Do we smash it? Do we use it to make a crank call? Do we... What do we do with it? Steal it. Do we... Do we... on us for sure.

Yeah, if we steal it, if you steal it, they were really, just like the minute we looked into brim sights. I could do a Voragal voice and just say, Well, Thorac, you're a cock. You don't actually know his voice. I mean. We heard him, we heard. I could say Thorac, I'm in desperate need of pain.

Do you speak dragon? I guess you'll have to do that. What do we do? Do we break it so he can't communicate with the outside, that way when we kill him, he can't call for help. I don't think that's a good idea. If we do it. If we do it.

What do we do it? What do we say we would do? I have a great idea for how to kill this fucker. Plus, if we do anything. You have a great idea of how to kill him? Well, I have an idea. Tuma just told us that they bring animals to hunt. Animals to hunt.

We could be one of those animals and draw it to a certain spot. And draw it to a certain spot. So we kill it. It wouldn't be here. With our... With our army of fucking draconians and our ice thing that we've shaped into some sort of a trap. I get a distinct impression that it is not impressed by ice. Fire trap, rock trap.

What if we stick with the... You're saying this out loud amongst the crew, right? Just us. Okay. Oh shit. Yeah, but the ears have walls. And also you're right in front of the scrying thing. But it's very, it's barred by ice.

Yeah. Very ice, but it doesn't mean it still doesn't work. As soon as you called them draconians, there were a few hisses from the nearby crew. Oh. Oh, the rabbi-and-ice. Did they speak common? Would they even know the common tongue-gerson?

Some of them might. We spoke to them in common. Well, we spoke to Tuma in common. All right. Let's make a plan. I just did. I made a plan. Absolutely not.

It's an ambush plan. Okay, and then we go home and the dragons are at war. Then what? What do we mean the dragons that are all? There's only two more dragons at that point. Killed three-fifths of them. If we attack one dragon, we start the war.

That is something we've been told over and over and over. What does that even mean? We've already attacked two dragons. There's been no war. Once one more is dead, they'll probably all attack. Attack what? If one more is dead, then they're down. They'll stop playing nice.

They'll start destroying. We have to kill them at some point. Yes, and now is not that point. The greatest plan we have is, is what Grog came up with. Which was? Putting them against each other. All right, so how do we use this orb to do that right now?

We don't. Do we have to use the orb? That's why we came here. Well, we came here to find out what its layer looked like. What we are going to need. To get information, which we got. We need to sneak you in there. And we need you to take a movement.

What? What do that mean? Sneak who in what? I can't do it anymore. What? What? The twins. twins I used my last magic poo to look at my daughter

Ew what a sentence What disgusting what a sentence That's my next t-shirt I used my last magic poo to look at my daughter I need to know where she is I need to know she's okay This is high Gilmore can maybe make me some more potion but I haven't wanted to bother him about it because he's busy keeping a shield around Whitestone.

Stop. Shit. You didn't say that out loud. You did not just say that out there. I said it in an accent. That was out loud. All right. Hang on, let's think about this one minute.

Oh my God. Jesus Christ. Can we just step away from the old world we talk? Yeah, let's do these. We're not near the or. We're near the draconians. Ravenites.

Ravenites. I said that out again. They're still all gathered around the basis. They walked you here and they're basically watching you. They're basically watching you set up for this ambush preparation on these gathering. They're not just gonna leave you to your own devices. They're still not quite sure of everything.

I think the best thing, can we sketch what it looks like? Can you sketch? Can you sketch? We need to use this opportunity. We're never gonna be in this dragon's layer again. This is it. Crack the thing, set a trap, burn it down. A suggestion.

Yes, Crogs. So the white dragon is primal, right? He likes to hunt creatures. Sure, we could be a creature. We gotta go. Now, we leave. We leave them alone. That way we're not in danger. They're not in danger. We promise to come back. Not only with forces to help remove the white dragon, but also with something for it to hunt. That way, we're not fighting it in its fucking layer.

We know a lot already. I can pretend to be a beast. This was kind of the whole point on the trip. We found out the thing we wanted to find out. If he just finds you, he'll hunt you and kill you. We know that there are people that will work with us. We know what the terrain looks like. We know what his layer looks like. which we don't want to be in when we fought him, and we know how to get him out of it, possibly. It's a pretty successful trip. One possibility is we could come back with Goldrick,

and he and I could play bait. Godrick is the wolf, right? I think a bigger sort of... He's a big thing. Yeah. We've made allies. We've got a look at everything. We've got a nice sneakie.

We know the political terrain. Oracott would want to come and fight a dragon. He might. I will also add that we can leave them with something. That's what I was thinking. Maybe this isn't about destroying something. Maybe it's about planting something. If we destroy anything, the dragon's going to immediately blame. No, something was here. And then it's going to blame the locals. Yeah.

What would we leave? I don't want them able to scry on us. How about a lot of wine? How about a small grove of trees? How about us? Oh. I could leave trees. They did want trees. I could be trees too.

I could eat trees too. Pines trees. You also have this scrying eye. Can I use this remotely? No, you have to have it in your hands to utilize it. It's all right. I like the tree idea. Yeah, we could plant it out behind.

Just in case. Yeah. Something happens and a big red dragon comes to pick a fight. Everyone hide. one hide. Get out of the way. I appreciate the advice. I can guarantee you there would be no other course of action. Can we carve in the lair like Thorac was here or something? They'll know it was you, Ma.

I think we got the information that we can live right now. Forgive me, I'm not the best speaker. We're here. But we have learned from fighting these dragons that if we fight them in their layer, We are at a severe disadvantage. We are of a mind on that. What kind of creatures do you offer to it for hunt? It has grown bored with dire beasts.

We've even brought it to the ocean where there was some great terrors beneath the sea, but it tore them asunder. Oh. There was north. earthward, large segmented insect-like creatures, a Codorimaraz. That was a scuffle, but I fear the dragon goes bored. Gotta go find us a beast, bring it here. Oh no. No, I've got a better idea, but that's... Spit it out.

Once we've gathered some resources, when we return, we prepare to attack post-harmes. once it has exhausted itself on something large and angry. That is when you strike the dragon. How will we be able to communicate with them, for them to let us know? We'll be here the whole time. When we come back, we stay until it's time. Okay. When we come back, it is to end this.

For now we leave a back door entrance. With the trees, we will know how to return quickly with a force. This might be something we go to the Slayer's take for. Yes. They always have a roster of big beasts. They do. They can perhaps even keep you, with a little bit of information,

we could even keep them informed of things for it to kill that they may find around here. If with the Slayers take help, it takes help. We can keep you in supply of things to amuse it. Just you know what you say. These words mean nothing to me. We are sorry that the... Sorry that this cannot end as quickly as would be agreeable. We can do our best to help make you comfortable.

And if you need some proof, the power that we will wield, we can offer a token. What? If you would, I have a thought, but if you wish a token of our power. How about this? I trust you to return. Let's set time so we know where the limits are. Eight days. Oh wow. Sure. That's soon.

We may find a beast. Our travel, well we can send a beast before perhaps, but our travel is long we may need more time. Yes, this is still not. We have two more continents. How much time do you need? Two weeks. Two weeks.

At least. For what? Two weeks. Continants. Further than you have walked in your life. We move quickly, but there is only so much that can be done. Two weeks, 14 sun cycles past. If we do not hear from you, the frigid doom is known.

To this white stone you speak. Puckin shit, bull Scanlan. Oh, they're extorting us. Not extorting. making sure you are of your word because otherwise you leave us here to die on promises that are fake and false. Well, tomato tomorrow, yeah.

We don't do that. Good, then we'll see you before two weeks is out. I will leave you with a parting gift. I will leave you with a grove of trees that should be ever growing and present. If you do that, he'll know something is different. He will. No, we plant one tree.

Wait, one? No, we have to plant some trees. Find a place of the secret. I can plant these trees anywhere. Just need solid ground. If you can get away from the city. I can possibly do it subterranean. There is solid ground here, up there above the ravine

where else you need it to be. Where is the hidden? Yeah, where does the dragon not tread? Where do you know he will and see the trees? Probably out of the ravine. He stalks inside quite extensively. Let's find a place. This will be where we leave anyway. Okay.

Tuma. I have one more question about Gern Blandston. Yes. I raise the hand cone and I cast Modify Memory on her. Oh. Look in man's face. Okay. We're about to get attacked.

Yeah. We're about to run. I'm gonna roll my mission in advance. About to run. There we go. All right, what's the DC? 21. What are you trying to do?

I'm trying to change the moment that I said White Stone into Imam. You watch as she leans in and she kind of shakes her head for a minute It's... What was your question? Do not know these words you speak? Candles.

Have you ever met a candle maker? Oh, I know not of a candle maker. Yes. I do have, I have a request on my way out. What is your request? Would the dragon notice if any of these, of these bodies were disturbed? Many, yes. Never mind then.

But small amounts. Why? You wish to take what they have. They mean nothing to us. One or not two turned over and make no difference to the dragon. Did you pull that one down, then? She points to it. Some of the Ravanites come over and... Quiet, all of you. Hall one of the corpses off of the spike. No sound. It breaks off and snaps, and they bring it and throw it to the ground and step back.

Thank you. This is exactly what I expect, I would assume. Robs are familiar. familiar. All right. Scale color's familiar. I look it over. I check. They're locked in the moments of valiant defense of his city, frozen and lost. The remains of Tiberius Stormwind, left a hero defending his people, defaced by Beauregal, the frigid doom. Bring him inside at least. I go and I, uh, I gather. They are stiff and frozen, but light enough for you to carry. Where are we taking him?

No. The remnants of the library, perhaps. The ground's too hard to bury. We can't even pretend like he was our friend. No. We absolutely cannot. I have a horrible thought. If we move him, or the dragon know we were here. Is he on one of those stakes? He was. Tumeless.

Shit. No. I checked. unless he's very clever and very keen, and I don't think they are. I think that if they knew he would be in a more exalted position of defacement. I think this is just slaughter. I'm all right with making this vanish. That's enough as much of a calling card as I feel we need to leave. Where should we bring him? His home doesn't really exist anymore. His home was with us.

was with us. Back to I'mon. I have a thought. To our keep. It should have been very important to him. It was. This is his place. We are not bringing him to us. We're leaving him here, but we're putting him somewhere appropriate. We take him away. Can you melt ice and snow? We'll lay him here. Put him with the books. Yeah, we've left them. For now, anyway. And then when we free this place, we'll lay him here. And then when we free this place, we can find a proper tomb for it. Do for now. Take him back to where the frothin books lay. You find the remnants of the library?

So you find a section of the stone rubble that's loose enough. You pull it open and there beneath, you can see there are hundreds and hundreds of books. Many still pristine, but a little soggy from the melted snow. You gather probably a lot of time was spent in this library in his youth and it's probably as good a place of any to leave his memory for the time. Or any of the rabbinites around us or are we?

They're keeping their distance, but they're watching. You get the sense that they understand what's going on, but they're not taking any offense to him. This will do. I start pulling books out. I start not doing ice. Lockheed still on my shoulder. Lockheed is still on your shoulder.

Bring him down so he can say goodbye. As the ice melts, the color comes to the body. You can see the tattered robes that show a fierce battle was fought, regardless of this condition of fighting him. Knowing him as well as you did, he still probably left a hero. As you lay him down on the books, mostly thought now Lockheed finds a moment of recognition and immediately flutters on to his chest and kind of curls up,

mues a bit, nipples of the chin. I'm going to sit three or four feet away from him, facing him, and start privately thanking the Raven Queen for ushering him on. I'm going to take a chalice out of the bag of holding, and I begin to fill it with ale, and then remember he preferred water. and I take the alchemy jug and I pour fresh water into the chalice and lay with him. I take and I rip off a piece of his robes. Can you seal it? As you guys step back, then nearby stone clatters to life. I get lockied out of that. I don't want to stay in.

Do you want to come? Lockheed resists and resists and doesn't want to leave. Darling, lockied. Indracornick, I say. It's all right. Lucky kind of curls up onto his face and kind of just nibbles a bit on the forehead. It turns back and flatters up onto your shoulder. The stonework clatters closed over the top of the rubble of the library.

Keel with drops her in a distance and starts crying. Bax, in this moment of sadness, there is a bit of warmth. As you sense, the remote as it is through the divine gate, that the Raven Queen's assurance that his spirit has made it to the other side. I could put my hand on Keira's shoulder. He loved you well, Princess. He was so stupid. I'm going to find two months. She behind us?

He should have never left our side. Hopefully this war will go on schedule. We'll avenge you. But there's our promise. And that's the best you're going to get. We head out. I'll avenge you. I just turn around and say goodbye, old friend.

We'll come back and we'll fix this. Because this is poppycock. As you gather yourselves up, here amongst the ruins of Traconia, the last of the sky is light, the sun has faded and the night has taken its form. You hear the distant cause of the evening birds as they begin to take the skies above the ravine. Tuma and the rest of the Ravanites. Give a nod.

As you join hands, Keir? There's much to do. Back to Whitestone. Are you going to leave a tree? Yeah. We let them know where our, we let them know where the grove would be found before we left them. And I'd plant growth.

Okay. Make a big old tree. Alrighty. Where do you create the tree? Wherever we decided it was best to create the tree. Outside of the ravine. Outside the ravine. Outside the top of the roof. A little grove of trees.

Yeah. Which, with a simple use of the room or a wild shape, you can make your way up there. Find a small patch of bushes, create a single tree that didn't exist there previously. A small sapling now grown to full height. A bastion of a promise to be kept. The guilt returns, you take hands, and step through the nearest. Tree as the portal opens and find yourself emerging from the other side of the sun tree back in Whitestone. I give the sun tree a little pet.

The morning sun, sun, just be. begins to rise. We'll report what we've seen. We'll try and gain our bearings again and get sleep tonight. We'll report what we've seen in the new room. No one else. We'll never utter the city's name outside these walls again. Ever.

Ever. Totally. Dick move. Find yourselves to rest, keeping memories fresh, till sleep takes you. You begin the next length of your journey for the next first stage. for the next first stage. Knock on Vax's door.

Oh God. I don't wanna wait. All right, as everyone else is going to rest, Kila, see if you find your way to Vax's door. Can I stay with you tonight? What? I'm not gonna fuck it up by saying anything. Okay, that's it.

Now open the door. I'm just going. Okay. Whether or not you are taking time to sleep or just ruminate on the events, as it's only been half a day from last you broke up. You just take some time with Lockheed.

He needs a little more food and leaps to the window of your room and then takes out over the rest of White Stone. You process this time, this moment, this memory, and realize how much has been lost through this journey, but yet how much is worth saving, how much is worth fighting for. As much as you, bunch of fuck-up misfits that came together as friends years ago have come to a point of understanding your true worth, what the importance is of really standing up with the things you believe in in this world and the people that need protecting. And with that, the next step of your journey should come soon.

Whether you stand or fall, this is the fight that needs to be fought. And with luck be your side, that terrible fucking dragon made its end soon enough. And with that, we'll pick up next week on Thursday. 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

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