Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry - Vox Machina Ep. 65 - The Streets of Ank’harel

Episode Date: January 10, 2022

Vox Machina make their way to the distant continent of Marquet, traveling into the exotic city of Ank'Harel to seek allies and another vestige of power to aid in their war against the Chroma Conclave...and get slightly distracted.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Chroma Conclave, a gathering of powerful, dangerous chromatic dragons that have been tearing through the countryside of Taldore and distant Wildmount. They have recently found some information, had a close call with the frigid doom known as Vorugal, the white dragon, flyover, did not pierce through the apparent illusionary barrier that was placed with the help of Allura, Gilmore, and Pike there in Whitestone. He then decided

to go ahead and using that cue before the dragon returned to its current roost that it is created over the ruins of the city of Draconia. You traveled across to the continent of Wildmount. You had a meeting with the Ravanites, apparently a rather

subverted and long, enslaved offshoot species of dragon-born kin, tailess, and now surviving amongst a recent winter that seems to have come with the ruin the dragon brought. You also discover that most of draconia and its royal elites have been slaughtered as a means of the dragon, establishing its dominance, and the worship of the Ravanites that survived the fall of draconia. You made a deal with Tuma. Apparently, the current clan leader of the remaining Ravanites that you would aid in destroying this dragon. Basically, the master that they replaced

the draconians with when it came. However, to ensure your help, there was a two-week time limit, and if you did not return before, then they would see you as not keeping your end of the deal, and they would then instead direct the dragon towards what was going to be Whitestone until you altered her memory,

which she recalls. as Imon. So good. Wowed up. Before it could be finding your way home, one of the corpses upon one of the ice spires, spikes outside of the dragon's new nest, Percy saw to be the remains of your long-travel friend Tiberius Stormwind. The party had a fateful farewell, set him to rest within the ruins of the nearby library

fallen from the islands of Draconia, said your goodbyes, and then upon prepping a bit, plotting and planning, found your way back to White Stone to continue the next leg of your adventure. And that is where we begin. You have now taken some time in your own respective rooms. It's still late afternoon going into dusk. You all kind of took some time to yourselves within Castle Whitestone just to take a short rest and kind of ruminate over these recent events and reveals. The evening sun draws closed to dusk. It is your choice what you wish to do. You wish to spend the evening resting here and then leaving first thing in the morning, that is up to you. Taking the initiative. This one just came to my room. Yes.

That's right. And inside. Yes. So I think we've probably just been quiet for a while, staring at the ceiling and after a while, finally, finally say, we've really fucked things up, haven't we? Which particular way do you mean, aside from all of them? I need to tell you. I know with all that's happened, between my new patron and my sister pretending to gag literally every time we attempt to share a word together

and mostly my own, just being fucked up in the head for weeks now, that I've pushed all of you away, you most of all, because I've been afraid you would, I'm sorry, and you didn't deserve any of that. Kielith, I need you to know through all of that, of everything. Nothing has changed about how I. We've had so many near misses now finding Tiberius.

Death is unavoidable, and it's all the more reason for life to be lived. And I don't, it doesn't matter to me what this is what we'd call it. If you were willing to spend some time, any time with me, I will simply count myself lucky to have it. You're very dear to me.

You're talking too much. It's not like I've made myself very accessible either. It's not on you. I mean, it might be a little on you, but it's kind of on both of us. Anyway, my point is, for the longest time I was terrified that I was going to lose you. First to death and then to the Raven Queen,

which is still kind of like death, and then ultimately to yourself. And then I had an interesting talk with Pike here recently. And she said something that really stood out to me. And that was that some people just have more of themselves to give. And I realized this whole time that I was afraid of losing you to a future that ultimately has not yet been written, which is stupid. But you're ultimately right.

nothing to lose. I love you, Fax. Sorry for being me and then it took me this long to say it. Can we too. I love you. That's pretty fucking great. That is pretty good.

Yeah. High five. Yeah. I'd tackle her into a bit of a hug into the bed. Oh! Oh! Whoa! We're already on the bed.

Oh. Oh. Oh. And that's it for now. That's paid out. So. Pan to the fireplace. Oh, shit.

Pan to the fireplace. All right, so, box monkey now. Taking your time, taking your time to mourn in your own interesting ways. What are your, what is your path of action? What is your course going forward? Sleeping in. Bacon. Yeah, I think we need to spend.

A lot to process. Spend the night, at least the night in Whitestone and get up in the morning. Everything has happened. Okay, so you've all spent the majority of it kind of in your respective rooms, kind of, most of you in your respective rooms, kind of just figuring out where you are as a person

and where this story leads you. After an evening's rest, the next morning comes around. Breakfast is already prepared by the service. in the castle, although maybe not the amount of bacon you were hoping and easily rectified upon request. It's at your disposal. There's attention to the city. The barrier remains up. As you're having breakfast, you can see Zara kind of wander in at the smell of bacon and kind of glances over the rest of you. Still kind of holding a book at her side that she slams closed. Oh, glad to see you're all right and you're safe. Please tell me there's more bacon.

There's more. No, for long. More coming here. What she said. She comes and sits down and spends breakfast as you guys, catching up on what has transpired and what your current plan of action is. Zara, it occurs to me. You come from a family with power, connections.

Kind of. Let's just say I'm We're estranged at the moment. Well, we're looking for any ally we could, and we were curious if... You will find no allies, where you're asking. Believe me, I'd be happy to offer if we could, but... No. I had a feeling. I've just felt worth asking.

It's all right. I'm going to continue with my research, since the rest of the... The Ziggurat clan are now scattered about, or maintaining that barrier. Guess who has to do the research? in the meantime. She kind of rolls her sleeves up. You can see the kind of slightly smudged dirt across her,

you know, reddish skin. She's been hard at work, digging around, trying to figure out what the basis of this enchantment beneath the city still is. Sorry, you can't be out having more fun, dear. A certain time will allow me at some point. It better, I'm going to going to stir crazy. She grabs the bacon from this table.

And walks out of the room. See you later, Remy. See you later, I mean. Shaw around, by any chance, as well. I'm sorry what? Desha. Kasha? Yes, Kishah round?

Well, I haven't seen them for a couple days. I've been on the ground most of the time. Yes, of course. Anyway. I have to send a letter to the Slayers take at some point. That should happen sooner rather than later. Trying to wrangle a beast. Trying to wrangle a beast, or seeing if they know of anything that's in the vicinity

that we can at least feed to it in the meantime. Yeah. Maybe we can stop through on the way back. Are we? We are going to Marquette, aren't we? I would hope so. And what's our intent in Marquette? To get at the next vestige.

To get at the next vestige, and to maybe, perhaps, make some friends. Will. And the means of travel is... We have a sigil. We can teleport. Gilmore. Isn't Gilmore focused on the... Yes, this is just a teleport sigil because it's not going to require his attention.

Yeah, it's located in Whitestone. Castle, correct? Yeah. The teleport sigil? Yeah. Not so. It's actually a sigil by memory that he has, and it's a spell that he casts. It's not a permanent fixture within the city. So we just need him, but he can do it. Yeah, but he's concentrating on the defensive wall right now.

This is not a, I don't think this is... It's up as long as the dragons not here and attacking. It's a renewal feature. It's one of the things where he just has to spend some time each day maintaining it. Otherwise, he's not just stuck there the whole time. That would be awesome. Should he job. The worst job in White Stone. Indeed.

Before we go to Marquette, do we have... Let's say Marquette takes 13 days. That's an awful long time. I agree. But let's just say it does. Do we know what we're doing with regards to draconia when we come back? Do we have some sort of a plan? We're getting a beast. That's kind of all we know. We got it covered. as much as we have.

It's planned out too deep. How are we even going to get a beast to... We're going to talk to the Slayer's take and see what perhaps is already on the continent. What constitutes a beast? Because I can make... Me and Kila can make some beasts. Not what we need.

I think a large enough beast to attract Vorogol... Like a triceratops? No. No, they were recent... They said it haunted something really intense... You need like a crack. Looking for dangerous... They hunted emirass?

Yeah, they went to the ocean. Remerat. What is that? The large insect creature that lives in the sea. Go ahead and roll a... Roll an intelligence check. I wrote it down. I wrote him, though.

For me. Oh, 19. Plus... Two. Two. Hey, man. Yes, but you're very charmed. That's what they look like.

Oh. Okay. Oh. Those are big and scary. Is it a gargantuan monster? Is it a gargantuan monster? They're huge. Most definitely. They are nasty. They burrow.

What you recall is the actual blood within their body is heated to such a degree that even just to be a miscuffle with it is to scar yourself with flame and heat. And it was bored with that? We want to find something approximately, we want to find a creature that would threaten a medium-sized city. is what we're looking for. It wants competition. We want to wear it down a bit before we go in for the attack. We want it to be breathing heavily.

And how are we going to get this creature there? We're going to find something that's already on the continent and we're going to bait it towards it. And Vorogel will go to the creature. You'll be happy to attack it. Can you put it in your necklace? On the continent. What continent?

The draconian continent? Yes. Something that's native. So we have to go back there to search. We were going to make the Slay's take to do it. should know. Oh, they specialize. They've got contracts everywhere. All right, all right. This is... We're delegating. Slightly a better plan.

We've thought about it a little. Yeah. Six people cannot wage a war. Well, then we should go talk to the Slayers take now so they can get started on this hunt. We're going to send them a letter. A letter? Yes. Maybe a letter's too long. Use the letter care here and how is he going to get out of this city? It's protected within a visible wall. Take the letter. Well, we were last there. Hadn't they talked about a brass or bronze dragon? Bronze dragon?

There are breast dragons as well. Okay. As well-known, because I am an expert. Is that over-cared? I mean, we would have to convince a dragon, not capture a dragon. It would probably kill the dragon. Wait, wait, wait. Are we talking about capturing another dragon to fight another dragon?

No, but convincing a dragon to go fight this dragon that would clearly kill it. I was going to find Kachal and see if he would run the letter to the Slayers-Take, be our emissary and convince them to do this. I like that. So that we're not just doing everything ourselves. Wait, is there anyone else? We are not letter carriers. Is there anyone else who could make this message delivery faster or safer?

Literally everyone. We could find a child in a pub who could take it. No, faster and safer. Shaw is possibly slower than a child. No more small boys, Percy. No more. We could ask Zara. But she's busy with research.

But Kashar, I think, would do it. She's definitely trustworthy. Then Kashar, he's a great people person. Just to get rid of him, they would say, yes. All right. Shall we go find him? He wants to help. He does. Let's go find Kishol.

I think so. Okay. You guys head outside of the Castle White Stone, not far from the base of the pathway into the actual city. You can see there is a series of newer outfitted guards. There are people being trained in the force of combat. Oh boy. You can see that there's definitely a ramping up of the defense force for White Stone as a precaution. Do you look like townspeople? Many of them look able-bodied and

people that are strong and, you know, fit, but they do look to appear to be civilians that have had to take up the cause just in case. Any kids? No kids, no. They all look to be at the least of, you know, strapping age to be carrying a weapon. Strapping-age. Strapping boys? Strapping, the strapping age. Did you ever talk to Cassandra or anyone else about starting an alarm system here? Yeah, it was... Yeah, they were working on it already, weren't they?

No, they started with... They are working on it, though. I think it's done. I'd buy that. Yes, it was proposed. I did want to maybe go talk to Gilmore, though. Well, we're going to have to if we leave the city anyway. As you are watching the group kind of go through their different weapon practice moments, We're checking off in the small sparring groups,

and they're going up against kind of ramshackled-built training dummies. There are a few that are just doing forms in succession. You know they do. You do see on the opposite end that the person who is currently helming one section of the training is Kishah. You can see a bunch of shield and spear fighters right now, and he's basically giving them instruction in hell

to use the shield offensively and the spear offensively simultaneously. Maybe he's not the best messenger if he's training our armies. This is not an army. this is something for the population to do while they pass time. If the dragon shows up, they're all going to die no matter how many times they learn how to put the spear forward. As cynical

as Percy is being right now who's right, you know. So. All right. But it doesn't mean that Kasha is going to think that it's any less important and I'm sure he might not take it as a compliment if we ask him

to be the messenger boy. It's an incredibly important mission. It's not just a messenger, it's defeating a dragon. All right. And it's convincing the slayers take to join. The slayers take, if I recall, doesn't do things for free. We're gonna have to pay for this, even though we're members. We're going to have to bring them some dragon pots.

No, we just take a contract on a really large creature, and then we let the dragon do the work for us. We get the best of both worlds. Ooh, that's very clever. That's what I thought we... Yeah. We take a contract on an existing creature. A really large, terrible creature. That we have to somehow find in draconia.

No, no, no. We bring the dragon to the creature. How? You. He hunts them. That's what he does. Not transcontinately. You can't broker a fight between a huge beast and a white dragon. We could sell tickets. I think you've done better.

We don't necessarily have to sacrifice a dragon. I mean, we're fighting a war here. No, we're not talking about... sacrificing a dragon. We're talking about finding a beast for the dragon. I'm talking about a dragon. Couldn't we try to talk a dragon into helping us do what we're doing? They're not all evil. Are they? They're not. Yeah, but... It's a lot to ask.

Do we know of any other dragons there? It is, yes, it is. Well, then we're gonna have to fucking go to the Slayer's take. We go somewhere in the next 60 seconds. This would be great. Let's talk to Kashah. We go up and we talk to Kashaw. All right. Thank you, Instigate. As you approach, you seem currently leaning in with...

with kind of younger, early 20s looking men, but scrawny, but still armored. The helmet looks a little lopsided. And Shaw's like, you're not supposed to put the shield away. When, oh, wonderful. Take five, take 30. So, you're alive. That's great. I'm excited.

What can I do for? Because Shaw, how would you like to be anywhere else other than here right now? Depends on where and what you'd have me doing. It's exactly the sort of enthusiasm I was hoping for. We have need of an emissary to the sleighers take. We need to convince them to help us kill the next dragon. And Vanessa really likes you.

She does. We just need a big beast on draconia. So you're saying that I go back to frozen ass Vasselheim to go ahead and deliver a paper message to the headmistress, whom already I just am so happy to be away from. Yeah, see, see. She glances over the rest of the soldiers. Yeah, I'll take it.

Thank you. Okay. We are in your debt, and anything you can do, I'll have the paper drawn up and anything you can do to put the weight of the situation behind us and make sure they know how clear it is and how necessary this is and how desperate we are. Something very large. I'll do my best to muster some semblance of emphasis, but uh...

And we'll figure out ways to make sure there's money in it for them. Or at least dragon pots. All right. Give me a list of what you got to offer. I'll bring it to them. Excellent. What do we got to offer? Oh, um... We don't have the troll dick anymore. That's gone. We have 40 pounds of dragonhide, black dragonhide.

And white dragonhide. Well, we don't have white dragonhide. Just... We had white dragon hide. We have 64 pounds of scales. For me, we have four claws left. I have a tomb of leadership worth 30,000 gold. No, no, that's Keyletz, remember?

In the next century when she's still living. We'll get it back before 100 years are up. I'll lend it to them for 100 years. I'll come back. We'll get on the whole pieces too, but the eyes and the blood are off. Mostly I was thinking of also just offering them whatever we can take from the dragon itself. It's about to say, yeah, we just put into the contract that it has the remains of the beast we take down, which we will take down.

We keep some scales, we keep some teeth. Sure, as a souvenir, right, yes. We're basically doing a contract for free. It's a very large creature. There's going to be lots of scales. That's provided we kill it. If we lose, they get nothing. I'm just saying from their perspective, we're offering them literally nothing.

No, they're offering them. They don't offer anything either. That's why, no, they do. They lose a contract. contract. But when the contract just go right back into cycle? No, if the creature dies, if the dragon kills the creature and then we all die and we can't the same time. The slayers take doesn't have anything from its previous contract. But that could happen with any contract and any band of videos. They could go die on the battlefield.

They're used to having people die. Well, fuck it. I think grog's getting antsy. I like this. I'm going to have it drawn up. I look over at Grog and see he's really bored and I pick up a wooden sword and I hit him as hard as I can on the small of his back. Yes! It's not going to be that hard. You know, while all this is going on, Grog, you could be training these soldiers. Just have their vigor. What, train them? Yeah.

As you're having this conversation? Not even one. Wack! Right in the kneecap, an ex-surprisingly painful and forceful blow. It's less the strength behind it, more the precision in which it strikes you right between the knee cap and the rest of the lower half of your knee. Like when the doctor hits you and your knee jumps? You're like, p-oh! And you just glance over and you see Vax. Hide a wooden sword looking behind him as he back. Come on, big guy, I know you're bored. Come on, come on.

I hit him again. Well, strength check. Yeah, in the nuts. Actually, this time it's an attack roll as well to see if you. In the nuts. Okay, cool. That's a 20-0-0. Oh, oh. So the strength modifier on this one. Just strength modifier.

A lot of fire, you're not proficient with a little sword. Yeah. Oh, dear, I'm used luck. What team? You whack him. This time it hits the meat of his thigh and has no effect. I miss the nut. Yeah.

Oh, come on, come on. You have a death wish or something. Come on, take a swing. I'm trying to do you a favor. Come on. Get it out. What am I missing here? I am just seeing this going down,

I'm going to go and I'm walked away. I see it going around on a table and I throw out his face. Okay. Roll in the tag roll. It's a one. I see this going on and I stand up on something and I yell to the students. Well, but before this happens, as you're getting up,

you're watching his back, rears back, and as he throws it, he pulls a muscle in his shoulder, and it just drops the guard, and you're like, Oh. I jump up on a chair, and I yell to the students. Instructor Kashaw has instructed us that this is a drill. You are to attack that man right there,

that large man, as a test of your strength and training. Now! Don't kill them, Grog. Make a persuasion. check. Oh, this is going to be awful. Wow. Don't kill them. Wow, that is cruel. Oh, oh. 34? Oh, God. You watch as roughly 45 all turn towards you with their shields and spears and just freeze. They all

slowly look towards Scanlon and whisper amongst themselves, then look back at Krog and stay frozen and two-like kind of creep forward. for a minute. Get a little closer. I take the gauntlets and I smash them together and I'll grow inside. As your form swells into your now enlarged

Goliath battle ready form, you notice a few of them start giving off this rattling metal sound as their armored knees can kik-k-k-k-k-k-k-together. Many of them step back about 10 feet and Kashah, who hasn't left the top.

When he turns around and goes, the gnome's fucking with you. It's fine. He walks up to you, those scalyland? He passes the door and goes, that was pretty funny. I try. Don't get the people killed. I'm working on them for four days.

He wasn't going to kill them, Grog? Yes. Oh, shit. You're right. I look at Vax and I go, you were just playing around, right? Yes. And in my giant stage,

I'm gonna kick him like a soccer ball. I'm gonna dodge. Uncanny dodge, man. Well, we'll see. Go ahead and roll on attack roll. Oh. That's good. A 32.

No, I don't miss that. Roll a strength check. Wait, I'm gonna use another luck and make him roll again and pick the lower of the two. Okay. 15 on the strength check. One, 25. We got to roll again for the hit. Look at that. Roll again, because he used the luck point to four.

you to re-roll your attack roll? 24. Yeah, that hits. What was the strength one again? The strength was 24. I did a strength check to the second. Strength check to 24. So as you peek out of the corner of your eye,

you hear this, and as you try and spin and dodge out of the way instinctually. Uncanny dodge, uncanny dodge. I know, and we'll get to that. We'll get to that. Instinctually, you turn to dodge out of something grog-sized. Yeah. Not giant-sized.

and in that brief minute that you remember that he grew, you paused just long enough to rock, feel the force. What feels like a giant battering ram, slam into your side, sending you off your feet and arcing probably a good 30 feet before you tumble and skid to the ground. Shalensok. That's your strength modifier? Yeah.

Seven. Seven. You take 14 points of bludgeoning damage reduced to half because you take uncanny dodge. So only seven points bludgeoning damage, and you kind of stick to it for a second stunned. Feel a little bit of that, a little bit of that kind of bile and iron taste in the back of your throat. And in the distance of here, I feel so alive! Let's rule of fight club. That was good old age.

Can I check the Titanstone Knuckles? knuckles, have they changed now that I've kicked a friend in the face. Make an investigation check. Dammit! Eight! They appear to have maintained the composure as gotten-mits. Come on, man. There's some blood and five long dark hairs on them. You watch, as a lot of the soldiers have been watching this endeavor, step even further away from the wrong.

And some of them begin just walking off, taking their helmets off, and like, all right, we're done. Oh, hey, bonus, he's on our side. Huh? Yeah, that's encouraging. They all kind of nail out their heads, like, yeah, yeah, I know that. Thank God. But they're all, like, doing this while still locking eyes with him. That's great.

Just slowly walk off. Max. Yeah. Help me up. Don't you have wings? I'm not going to use them right now. Just the hand. Oh, that's gonna bruise.

Worth it, worth it, worth it, worth it. Thank you, I was getting so bored. Oh, no, no. Thanks, Bubby. Bobby. What are the chances I would have at least a basic portable writing desk? They're not that complicated. A portable writing desk?

Like, like 16th century style. What are you? Inpect a gadget. I know, would you need a writing desk for? Come on this. Just something with like paper, pen, and just something to write on. You have access to a quill and ink. That's called a book, dude. It's a journal.

A fucking clipboard. It's basically a fucking clipboard. You have access to that, yes. He can't write without one of those viola. Inventurao. It can't do it. It was called a writing desk back. It was just called a writing desk.

It's just a thing that big. And you put it on your lap. It was a writing desk. All right, yes. You have access to that. So wait, what is in this letter? What are we offering them? Yeah, how's the letter coming?

I've written, I'm writing a letter up, I've basically gotten it together. I've explained the situation briefly. They're, I assume they're aware of the war and the current reality. And to clarify from me, we're asking them. I'm bringing it to getting there. Okay. I'm getting there.

In this, I'm asking for their assistance in killing a dragon. For this assistance, they will get all bounty of biological remnants of the dragon with a small percentage of scales and with a small percentage of scales and teeth kept for us, asking for 20% but negotiable. We want them to supply either a local or give some intel

into where we can find a beast large enough for this dragon to attack, information that we have on this dragon so that they can actually help us strategize any ways of defeating it, and any other help that they could give in defeating this creature. And as a token of our goodwill, sending them a small package of black and white dragon scales and a dragon tooth.

Yes, and make sure to include that this all must be completed within 14 days. Within 14 days. But wait, but wait. There's more. Asking them to help us kill a dragon? For stuff. No, no, no.

But that's not what we're asking them. We're asking them to find a beast. Yes, that's in there. Yes, in the letter. Yes, in the letter. We're good. That's part of that listening thing, Scanlon. Sorry.

He did talk for quite a while. Is there a way to enchant me so that I have his voice and then he'll listen more closely to everything I'm saying. Yeah, actually. I think he has to start for that. I'm pretty sure he does, actually. Benchal Plism. I like that.

No answer that actually. As you finish penning the letter, you read over at once, twice, make sure all the information is contained. You go ahead and grab a little bit of your offering of dragon scales and teeth. Present them to Kashaw. He takes the letter, reads it over. Sure. Should we add an NDA? There's a, there's a, there's a, there's a rider at the end of everything I send.

It's like, it's like the end of an email. Kishaw, no mention of white stone at all. Takes five minutes. Very important. Good addendum. And, um, again please. No mention of white stone. No mention of white stone.

Is there any, do we have a way to get him there very quickly? What? Can he missed it? Are you going to do your tree thing for me? Sure, yeah. Otherwise I can walk, but. That'll take a lot longer. A month and a half before I get to shore.

Yeah. We're gonna be here the rest of the day, right? How will he get back? Slay his take another boy. Really powerful druids, people, wizards, sorcerers. He'll figure something out. He'll figure something out. He'll figure something out.

He's a really smart guy. Oh, shh. The rock. That's a really good idea. Yeah, but then he'll pop where we are and we're gonna. Yeah, we're gonna stay here at least a day. We'll leave the rock here. You've got friends, don't you? I can figure something right.

All right. Don't worry about it. We've got it. Stealing airship on your way back. That would be lovely, actually. No. All right, let's go to the Sun Tree. All right.

He gets a shield and his spearn walks down with Keila towards the Sun Tree. As he's walking him down kind of at your side. Don't you want to walk with him? No, what is that coming from? No, it's... He definitely has a thing for you, Vax. I have a keen eye for these things. But you can't address it.

You just have to let it be. No, man. I'm not going to encourage it. I'm not interested in it. I see it every time. He does. He smolders. with you down the pathway while having this conversation. It's kind of that awkward, quiet,

about three, four minutes of walking before he kind of goes. So, all this is over. Oh, come on, man. Don't are you doing this to me. Awesome. Hold on. This is a take move that you are fully. Let it happen. Let it together. We survive all this dragon business and... So much right now. Uh-huh. Do you want a good drink? I love drinks.

Good. So much. Great. But, I mean, how, like, what kind of a drink? What kind of a drink? You guys begin to approach the edge of the tree, you guys, I think you answered your own question. That he asked?

Open the damn tree. Look, there, you know, it's really complicated right now. And I'm kind of trying this whole, like, allowing myself to feel things thing. Yeah. And... It doesn't work out for anybody. Trust me. Oh, man.

I don't know how to respond to that. I'll see you on the other side. How about that? We'll put a pin on this one. On this one? Put a... Buy cash. And I catch it through the tree and I push him in.

And he's like, yeah, I mean, we'll just go. Hey! You're gonna push him to the tree. Shuts behind him. You're left there, kind of alone, standing in the cold, white stone air outside of the sun tree for mid-morning.

He doesn't discriminate. The things is insane and it takes and it takes it. Did Tash leave already? Yeah, he's gone. Oh, Vax, you didn't get a chance to say anything to him. Why are you encouraging? He, I've talked to him about this. He has his eyes out on you.

I've got enough complications around me. What are you talking about? Is it is. Oh, God, I suddenly noticed he's the one. I'm a really good reader of people. It's true. The dark eyeliner, the all-bladder. So now that that's handled.

So. Gilmore. Gilmore, are we leaving today or are we? Oh, we're leaving today. Well, one of us doesn't have any luck left, so we maybe should spend the night. I know we're going. We've got a little bit of luck.

I'm a lucky guy. We'll get our luck back tomorrow. All right. We've got a limited amount of time on this. Fine. All right, you guys. make your way towards the building that has recently been essentially given to and it's acting as the abode for Sean Gilmore while he's here in Whitestone. As you come to the front door, greetings adventurers, spring has sprung here in Los Angeles, and that means it's a brief period where it's only 75 degrees instead of 95 degrees.

I'll take it. And that means I've been outside a lot more, walking around, occasionally galloping after a toddler hopped up on juice boxes, traveling a bit, You know the vibe. And after doing some spring cleaning, my wardrobe, I gotta say, looking a little bit sad. I want clothes that can keep up with me and my son, but updating my wardrobe every spring sounds pretty expensive. So that's why I wound up signing up for Fabletics as a VIP. It let me overhaul my springtime outfits without obliterating my bank account. New VIPs unlock major savings on that first purchase, so trying new fits feels way more doable. When I signed up as a new VIP with Fabletics,

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Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com slash critical role for free shipping and 365-day. day returns. Quince.com slash critical role. The door is closed. Knock. No response. Sean.

Sean. It's us. Are you home? You hear a muffled voice in the distance within the building go, uh, hold on. Did it sound like anyone we knew? It sounded like Gilmore.

Oh. It's under some sort of duress. It sounded like he was under duress? Like slightly. Is everything okay? Yes, just hold on, please. And you watch as the barrier kind of flickers for a second and kind of restores itself, almost like a wave of energy

brought what was kind of a slowly dwindling bit of the blue energy now restored to its full strength. And the moment passes... He's got to use a privy at some point. Yeah, he's probably squeezing one out. It's okay. A moment passes before the door opens again, and you see Gilmore there kind of beads his sweat down the front of his face. He's got his kind of fuzzy purple-blue robe kind of wrapped around him.

My, some serious apologies, I had to take care of the now-morning ritual. How are you holding up, Camel? I'm fine. This is child's play compared to what you're having to deal with an identity basis, I'm sure. Can I do an inside check? Go for it. Bap-da-pum, bum-pum. Okay.

Uh, 15. Oh. Oh, you got a whisper on a 15. Low-Hurtle. It must be pretty transparent right now. This is an early whisper. This is like a first hour whisper is rare. It's came at such a high speed.

Oh, you shocked me. I wish I just knew more about Lute crates. Like Lute crates. Not just Lute crate, Liam. It's Lute crate. It's Lute. Where?

Those come in a separate bag. That's different than Lute Crate? Yeah, it's different. You can find out all about it to lootcrate.com slash critical role. Actually, the shirt you're wearing, Sam, is from Lute Ware. It is? It is. Oh, my God, and I'm so handsome.

Back to the game. Anyway, back to the game. So, what can I do for you? Well, we plan to go to Marquette. Things have progressed much quicker than we expected it to, and unfortunately, we are on a two-week time crunch before. All hell breaks loose. Well, the very least, that gives us a series of days

to make the best of the time we have. So Mark Kennedy's. All right, come in, come in. He kind of closes his robe a little bit and walks in. You can see there's like a half-drinking tea set, and he begins to walk past. He goes, to you anyone? I'd like a loose leaf oolong. I'll do what I can.

How many cups are secretly sitting at with the tea? with the tea part. Currently there's one cup. That's just one cup. But as he walks by, he kind of does it as his fingers and you watch as multiple cups kind of drift off the shelf and find their way, k-ch-k-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-on on the table. How does his house look? I mean, does it look like together like it would normally be, or does it look dishevelled at all? I mean, it looks a little disheveled, but also it hasn't been too long since the assassination attempt on him, and he threw his attacker into the

far wall. But it looks like the furniture's been placed up. There are still some bits and pieces of broken things here and there, but for the most part, it doesn't like he's had a lot of time to clean up other than just making it functional. But it seems livable. It's not too bad. He goes ahead and goes into the kitchen. He comes back out a moment later with fresh pot of hot tea sits down. All right, so this isn't going to send you to where you're going to... We literally know nothing about Marquette. It's hot, it's dry. Bring some water, if you can. You're not able to leave, are you? I should not. I've got to keep this going until Lurra comes back. I thought as much.

Go lower. Oh. Sorry. Is there anyone that we can say maybe vouches for us or someone who we are against so that we can win favor with the locals? Something like a no-tail, long-tail sort of a... Yeah, we just sort of walked in.

to a sort of political snafu because we didn't know the lay of the land. So is there anything we should know in advance? Best I can tell you, because I haven't been there since I was very young. Um, one, this is going to send you not to Onccarell itself. It's going to send you to Shondal, which is a small oasis village, a little way south of Oncoreau. It's where I grew up. What was that name again? Shondal. Shondal. Um, I will say that uh, It's been about 15 years, so I don't quite know what to expect there. I apologize in advance for any ensuing chaos, but it's a nice town. It's small, it's sleepy. It's not my speed, hence why I came here. However, in Marquette, it's mostly music, culture, fun people, good food. Don't break the laws. Don't drink the water freely from the various channels you may stumble across. Water there is a commodity. It is controlled and sold throughout the city. Those are the main things I can think of.

I don't know what else you're really looking for there. Well, we're looking for, I can tell you. Ball's ruin. The den of Drujia. The den of Drujia. Drujia. Drouha. Druha.

Drew-Dra. Drew-Jock. Ja-ja. Jaja. Thanks. I don't know anything about that, unfortunately, but most folks that have information are you going to. Give what they know, with a little coin to grease the palm. Or a little water. Depends on who you're talking to, but anything else. Well, no, go ahead.

I wonder if... He pours tea for everyone else who asked for it. And for each person that asks for a different flavor of tea, he means to snap his fingers and the tea color changes. color changes. We are looking for a merchant warrior. A merchant warrior. Yeah.

I mean outside of you, do you know of any very powerful merchants? There are many. One with a missing eye. That would definitely probably narrow it down, but none that I can remember off the top of my head. Why don't we bring Jarrett with us? Is that a thing? You should talk to him.

Sure. Okay, and also, Sean, you do so much for us. We do nothing for you. Is there anything we can bring back for you or messages to give to someone theirs? Is there anyone you haven't seen in all these years? When you meet them and you'll know who they are, just Tell them I say hello and actually He kind of thinks to himself for a second rushes off comes back with the small Looks like a small like a backpack almost made of leather and and thick light tan wool

He opens it up and reaches the side pulls out a small silver locket, and just takes it and puts it in your hand, Vex. Just give that to them. To them. It closes the bag and places it back in the other room. Okay. Sean, are you doing okay?

You look a little worn out. We do what we must. I could only imagine a barrier of this. size of a construct can be quite taxing on one's physical energy. Yes. I guess if I have one request of all of you, this goes universally. Can we end this dragon business soon? Please. I really, really just want to set up shop again. We would like nothing more. I think we're on the same page. Yes. We're very interested to start paying you for your service again.

kill more and stop expecting it for free. Except me keeping a tally. I don't know much you guys, but the tap is running very, very deep. I have as well. You two birds. This locket will take a nice little chunk off of that tally. Fantastic. I love it.

Lerner of a feather, you too. Should we go talk to Jared and then come back? Let's go talk to Jared. We'll have appropriate clothing set up. Yes. And prepare ourselves for the trip. Robs and things? I'll be here if you need me.

Thank you. We'll be back in like an hour. All right, all right. You don't want the rest of your tea. Oh, I'll drink. Do you have any to go cups? He didn't belong to me, so please take the He transitions the tea over and a couple of cups

and hands them off to you guys haven't finished. You head out, as you're leaving actually, you see Sherry coming up. Her hair is a bit tattered. You see she's usually more put together when she runs the shop. Now she's just kind of in cats. casual sherrymote her hair is kind of frazzled and pulled back her glasses are kind of pushing to her nose and she's carrying it looks like a bundle of groceries various bits of produce and such oh hello everyone I'm just bringing Gilmore's breakfast

Sherry we asked him but he's modest how's he doing? Not that he'd tell me anything but he doesn't have a very lengthy period of keeping this up without him, probably collapsing like he did back in the city. I don't know. Just please try and do your best to get this over with. I'm worried. At the very least until Allura comes back. At least they can share the load.

All right. Gellmore. Gellmore. Gnorses the door opens it. Gilmore. Breakfast. Door closes behind her. Hey, I have an idea. Oh boy.

We need... Oh no, it's thrilling. We need like eight gallon wine skins. We're like bottles or jugs. Because the alchemy jug can make out eight gallons of fresh water. So we like, pour it all out, and then at the end of the day, it starts over. Oh, that's a good idea.

That's a good idea. That's really small. In theory, we all have water skins, don't we? You do. We should have as part of our survival kits. We can just fill it up here. But all the same, that is a very good idea. Quite astute.

I'm surprised you even know how many eight gallons is, Grog. Yeah, eight gallons. No, but if we had an extra skin or something, we could trade it. We can't give it away, so we should go get one, yeah? Yeah, we could give it away, give it away, give it away, yeah. Oh, dear. Wow.

Wow, I walk off and look for Jared. The rift just opened the universe. To send me on my way. It doesn't take you long. He is still stationed as one of the central figures of guarding the actual Castle of Weistown itself. Similar to the place you saw him last time, you guys had a conversation walking up at the castle.

He stands there with his crossbow kind of at the ready, just kind of giving a long view over the surrounding valley before we watch two approaches. Ah, friends, you have returned. I hope all is well on your end. Yes. Maybe of service. You can tell us all about where you're from, actually.

Ah, well, um. Did you leave Marquette a long time ago? It was maybe 10, nine years ago. And it was not under best terms. It was probably would be in jail had they not got away. Oh, really? They are not very forgiving of broken laws there. And based on certain judgments, let's just say, slap on the wrist usually takes the wrist with it. What did you do? Whatever was needed for survival.

Well, we're going there. Great. So I'm hoping either you can give us a lot of tips so that we don't run into problems, or I don't know if anyone can take your place right now. Do you want to go on a field trip? To Ankarel? Yeah. No.

I'm sorry. You know, when they'll take his arm off. I think my strength and skill set is much better used here than in the Scarlet Prison Beneath the Surin Palace. I do not want to even conjecture spending the rest of my life there. Pretend we didn't ask. In pieces. So we need all the knowledge in your head.

Basically, yeah, what was that Scarlet Prison you just mentioned? Under the what now? The Surulian Palace. The Surulian Palace is where the hand of Ord generally keeps most justice, where most of the courts are kept. It is also where the Tower of Jamonza Ord is maintained for watching over the entire city. and most of that eastern side of market.

The Scarlett prison is where people go to disappear. Oh. It also referred to as the Scarlet Ubliette. And it does that people are placed there to go away. People are placed there to be tortured. People are placed there, rumors say, to be part of various experiments. Regardless, I would highly recommend

to you. Don't steal anything unless you are damn sure nobody knows of it. I haven't stolen anything in years. Oh, me neither. I've never stolen anything. Have you heard about the den of Drouja, Drouha? Drouha. Drudge up. You can close his eyes a second. That was a very, very... It's unscrupulous. It would have been in a tale of a one-eyed, much I think margin, no, but this ten you speak of.

They were a rather serious gang running rather violent activities within the city, maybe 70, 80 years ago. Were they been in the walls? Is it possible to be in the walls of On Corral? In the outer walls. The outer walls are solid, they are meant for defense only. I do not run with them. I do not know anything that was before my time.

time, but they have not been around for at the very least 50 years. All right. Do you know who rules on Karel now? It's Jermann Saort. What can you tell us about him or her or it? Jemann, I have not seen Jemann, though I have heard stories. I... Jemone brought the city together 400 years before.

when it began to grow, expand, when it became this great oasis long ago. Went into chaos, and there were many who wished to utilize those who lived within the center desert to be abused, to be swindled, to be enslaved. Jamon started the hand of ward, which was the peacekeepers, and really brought the town of Uncrow

to the Grand City it is today. Not known to appear in public very often. There are many rumors that circulate. Some say that perhaps Jermon is some godling, an entity that has existed long before, Ancorellon will exist long after. There is also, and this is my personal belief, I think Jemann Saute has many people.

I think Jemon has more of an office, a station. Titles passed on from person to person. Because I've heard references a girl, I have references a boy. It's like the man in black. Hmm. What story is that? It's this famous tale of the Princess Bride.

Yeah. Don't worry about it. Does the hand of oard carry any symbol, or do you know any way of identifying? They carry ornate armor of deep blue sapphire color and brass. Like the dragon. And this other city, Shandall? Hang on, shaw. Shandall.

Hang on. Hang on. Shondal. Shondal, yes. A bit. It's more of a podunk. A very small. Comparably, yes.

Encore is immense. Shondal is usually a small stop for in case camels or other horses have died in transit, as well as a small water stop on the way to the city. Is it a long trek from there to the city? I'd say maybe. I'd say maybe days travel. In the city.

In the half. It is south. Southwestish of Ankara. On par with Iman the city, or bigger or smaller? Oh, Iman. Yeah. Comparable. A bit bigger, maybe.

Oh, shit. Goodness. Big city. And we'll make waves. Yeah. Maybe we shouldn't. Well, we're gonna have to get someone's attention. It's a city that has no water.

We shouldn't make waves. I don't remember in all your time there. Sand whites. You ever deal with, this is completely ridiculous. A merchant who only had one eye. I don't recall. I mean, I've met people missing many limbs and parts of their body. It kind of happens.

It's a dangerous place, the deserts of Marquette. But there are also many people that live there. Right. And you're sure we can't talk you on to going? Percy's giving out titles. I'm absolutely not. Absolutely not. I have no interest in.

Titles, I just wish to stay alive. I'm sorry. I am much more of use to you here. I assure you. It would be a perpetually nervous, paranoid wreck if I were to come with you. Understood. I can't even imagine you like that.

Good. We'll keep it that way. Jared, was there still a control of water going on when you were there? Yes, for many long years, yes. The oasis is built around. Is there anything we should know about that? Ah, well, most of it's controlled in the river district. This is a number of the canals begin in the river district.

This is where there is the spring, the perpetual oasis, that fuels the city and many of the caravans that travel to and from. Perpetual oasis. Yes. Source of power. Good note-taking, grog. How do people greet each other there in Aunt Corral? What, is there like a cord strength be with you thing? Oh, there is, be pleased with a small bow,

preferably with a hand down towards the stomach, with a hand out. Be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased. Bleep, bleep. And no stealing, got it.

Water is valuable. Don't drink the water. Don't drink the water. Is there anything that's offensive? We don't want to offend anyone by accident. To be honest, anything you do will offend somebody. the right place, right time, but people are pretty laid back in Ankara, as long as you follow the rules. It's a beautiful city. I'm actually excited for you to see it. I'm very proud of it had I not

made some mistakes. Can we bring you anything back? You know what? If you can, there is a special spice that is harvested not far from the city. If you can find me some Fusaka spice? Fusaka. Fusaka. Bring me a small, not a lot, just a bit. Is it for food or? It's for food, yes.

I would love to do that. We'll keep an eye on. It'll be pricey, I can give you some. No, no, no, no. No, you've done way too much for us. Fair trade. Fair trade. Okay, well, I appreciate it.

Be pleased. Be pleased. We'll work on it. If you're stuck on it for a bit, maybe watch some folks. You'll pick it up right quick, just pay attention. Please be. All right, well shall we... Let's go change and then let's be off.

All right. Be safe, friends. Look forward to your return. Good thanks. Keep everyone safe. That is my purpose. And Jared, will you keep an eye on Gilmore for us? Is he alright?

I think he's just working himself a bit much. Stretched a little thin. I may have not tested myself. I will do this for you. Promise. Thank you. My pleasure. To Marquette.

To Marquette. To market. To market. Home again. Home on you. I didn't realize Marquette was like... Jiggity. Emon.

This might be a bit difficult to find a one-eyed merchant in a city bigger than Emon. I think that once we arrive he'll find us. Or she. This is true. We get there, we start poking people in the eye until someone doesn't flinch. And we know we've found them. I love it. Can I just point out that now we have to learn an entirely new lore. We've worked so hard.

And now spices, rivers, canals, Fusaka. This is what we, oh God, I've gotten everything together. We've only got two weeks. Fuck. It only takes, it takes a day to do Disneyland. Does anyone find it? speak marcation or do they speak common there? We'll run into a lot of common. Oh shit, I think they speak common.

Common is common for a reason. All right, let's go. We'll find out. All right, you guys head back to Gilmore's place. Oh, but, but are we gonna get some like water? Oceans? Water jugs and shit like that before we leave. Sure, we get some water jobs.

Yeah, more water skins. You can pick up a few, we'll say like for about five little pieces here, you can acquire some drugs are compact enough, although actually put the in a bag of holdings to you place them. Five gold, mark it out. Wow.

How are we doing on potions? We got potions. We need to get some potions. It's like I said to kick to kittens. There's no stores. The healing potions that were available to the city, you guys have already taken out. Yeah, we've kind of tapped them out there.

Yeah, the white stone is not functioning. We got shit. We got some in market. Let's get some in the bag of pot. Trade them for water. One reach. For a sec. A good bejoules does.

You stabbed her bare while maintaining eye contact. How many jugs did we get? Like five jugs? Five jugs. Slowly. Very slowly. Oh, yeah. And we fill up our wine skins with water before we get as well.

And we're changing out of the winters into the lighter. We'll take a gold piece. One gold piece, I love you. Geez, yeah. Yeah, I bust out some of my clothes from the fire ashari. You know, go lighter. It's the same kit's very busy or else we could get something. we could get some of clothes.

I know. I break into a cold, getting married or something. I'm getting married or something, whatever. I break into a cold sweat thinking about the desert and this armor. Oh shit. Oh shit. You're just gonna be a gross, sweaty, greasy mess.

Okay, actually, there is a solution for this. Yes, Percival. You never needed your intellect more than right now. What is the solution? I'm going to find him a white silk and cotton linen cloak. cloak very simple to throw over his armor the way the Templars used to do it so you're coking your bloody armor. Oh, that's actually better for stealthy. Does his little like sashay? Yes, it will attach to the sashet. That's the whole thing is

does his sashay need like a re-up? No, it's just fine. Of herbs? It's just well they, you stepped it was like. Percival prevents you, presents you with a nice flowing, light, whitish-gray cloak, ceremonial within older white stone, uh, galsals. gatherings. It seems nice. It seems light. Put it over everything else. Over your other cloaks. Yeah. What other cloak do you...

Cloaks, plural. What other cloak do you have currently? Like in 90 episodes later. He's got a displacer cloaks. Cloaks. It's totally place it over your displacer cloaks. Yeah, it's just a heat. A double layer now. Yeah, it's a heat sink. Yeah, it's to bounce the heat off. Yeah. There you go. Looks like a ghost. Liam knows.

Walking around with like a ghost. That's no shit. All right. So what's the plan? Thank you, personal. You're welcome. Before we go, can I just quickly, guys, I'm sorry. I just haven't done this yet. So can I try to just. A do dokey.

Can I try to see where Kaylee is? Sure. And do a little scry. You close your eyes and concentrate, and you see peeking out from the metallic rim of the sword, of which you gave her, the aberrations bay and long sort, you look up and you can see the edge of a wooden table. You hear faint music in the distance. It sounds like some sort of a piano being played. No accompaniment, just a straight piano. You hear distant whispers and conversation, the occasional burst of laugh, and you can see the edge of Kaylee's elbow.

And you get to stage at the table. There's a long pause, no movement. And all of a sudden she shifts back from the table and says, Ah, that's right. All the money on the table is mine. Nice try. Scoops down, throwing a hand of cards in the table, and you hear a couple voices go... And you see, you're gonna scoop the coins over and go in placement and do a coin.

Killin it. All right, so. Perhaps another round then. Are you a coward or something? Oh, my God. You're shouting this in the distance, as apparently her previous people-shed card shark to walk off, frustrated and growling. You see one of them kind of comes up to the edge of the table and goes, you best be giving that money back, little girl. Before that happens, you could see a large meaty hand,

grab the back of his neck, and pick him up at the scruff. And you see appear into view, just the very edge of Dr. Drenzel's chin and hat. He goes, I'm sorry, were you talking to my lady for that way? That's poor manners. And just kind drops him there at the table if the guy can adjust himself. Better not see you guys in the street. And he just kind of walks off. And she reaches her hand up, watching the guy leave, and just kind of fist bumps, Strenzl. Your vision kind of fades back, and you're consciousness comes back to you. She seems to be in... She's okay. She's okay.

Okay, good. Okay. All right, I feel good. Let's go. Let's go. What were you doing? What were you just doing? I had some bad tica masala earlier. I haven't even gone to Marquette. We don't have... Oh, they don't have... They don't have Middle Eastern food there, I hope. What? Well...

Well... Uh... I'm not going to touch that one. No. We're going? Let's go. Let's go. All right.

You guys make your way back towards Gilmore's home. At this point in time, you come in and find there are a couple of plates. Crumbs. So aside, Gilmore's just kind of sitting in the chair with his teed. Just kind of eyes closed in the meditative stance as soon as you went to the room, he kind of jolts back to momentary awareness. All right. Gathered your things. Are you ready to go?

Pretty much, yeah. All together. If you don't mind, and he grabs the edge of the kind of central table he has in the center of the room with the tea on. He looks towards you. Oh yeah, no problem. You guys kind of shift it, move it to the side, leaving an open space in the ground. He kneels down and places one hand in the center of the floor. This other hand, he reaches back into a small pouch in a side and pulls out what looks like a small amount of shimmering, kind of glassy sand-type material you recognize as a hindered residuum. processed into its dust crystallized form. He kind of scatters it around while he's muttering under his breath. And as he does with his hand in the center, you can see the dust

kind of pull together into these small symbols on their own, almost like magnets to iron filings. They're just kind of forming it into these rigid structures. As they do, they begin to flare up and glow, and he takes his step back, his eyes still closed, brings his fist together into a grip. And as he does, they light up, and you recognize this as they teleport. Portation Circle. All right, it won't last long. In you go, in you go. Run through, run into.

Fucking love magic. Thank you, Gilmol. I hate magic. My pleasure. This last evening you hear before you dive in as it begins to fade. Each of you guys step into and transition past, immediately piling up into each other as you come out the other side as you're now currently in a dark and enclosed, sort of a cupboard or closet type circumstance. I'm reaching for a door handle.

Anywhere, anywhere. It looks like there is, there are, there is a set of doors to it. It's like a giant am noir. And you guys are like pushed into it, but it is kind of latched over. Grog's peck is right my eye. Worst. God. I found a lot. Can I, I get a little dagger through and flip the latch?

Flick it up. You all come stumbling out. I think he stabbed my eye out. Jeez. You can, as you all kind of stop, next to look back around now. This is a very large kind of dress like a amoir. It's empty. Looks like there were a number of hangers inside, like it was a place for various outfits

to be kept and stored. On the floor of the wood, you can see carved into it what appears to be a small symbol or a sigil. Oh. You've got a drink. Marked as they simply put. I think no one destroyed this thing while he was gone. Glancing around, you can see a

what appears to be a small darkwood room atop a wine, red, circular carpet in the center. Empty shelves and cobwebs filled the corners. There's a bit of dust and sand coating just over where the bed rests and against the wall. A closed window hides behind a drawn curtain just a little bit of peeking sunlight making its way through. There is one single door that sees you out, though. It is currently closed. I'm going to stand on the carpet and will it to fly. Seems worth a shot. Every carpet here. Every carpet we've ever come across.

On the carpet, close your eyes. How do you will it? I do believe in fairies. I do believe in fairies. I know it. I've killed several of them. Definitely real. Moments past, no effect. Damn it. I'm going to do my due diligence and just make sure the door's okay. It probably is, but just in case.

I'm going to look out the window as well. I look under the bed. Okay. 22. This is to... Just to make sure that it's not trapped, locked. Yeah. The door is locked, and it is not trapped.

Okay. You're peeking out the window, you said? Yeah, I am. Yep. All right. You glance with a little bit of cloth, and it is... It looks like it is a glass window, but it is partially open, and it looks like there's a little, kind of a cluster of sand that is just kind of gathered over time underneath this sill from what little bit the wind is pushed through.

Glancing out, since you push that, the light is very bright, and you kind of have to take a moment for your eyes to adjust. Looking out, you see what looks to be. be a simple street. There are some small buildings built of fine wood, nothing too extravagant. You can see a number of trees that protrude from the sand, long, tall, thin, palm-fron-type tops to them, bearing some sort of large nut-like fruit. You can see what looked to be small troughs have gathered water, whether it be from rain or them placed there intentionally, but they are currently locked with a, looks like, like some sort of semi-translucent top and chain shut on the outside of two of the buildings.

And you do see a few people just walking back up and down the street. General civilians, all dressed in longer, full-body robes, some of them with scarves around their neck. I wouldn't say peasants per se, but definitely not well off in their appearance, just casual civilians. Darker skin, looks like they've been living in the desert for a long time. That is what you can see from the window's point of view.

Are we on the first floor or second floor? Currently you're on the first floor. Does it seem to be... Is there a second floor? You don't know. Can't tell. Are there in a single room? We're in a room.

One way out of this room and I'm walking in a lot. Just go in the room. What could happen? I looked down to the bed. Look into the bed. You see what appears to be a small wooden box that is just closed and hidden towards the very back and what appears to be a small series of shirts that have been folded up and have gathered a lot of dust over the top of them. Can I read you?

Yep, pull them out. Really, really nice, high quality kind of silk and cotton-based, embroidered shirts. Look more ceremonial, special event type, long, maybe like knee length. What's the decoration like in the room? Currently, it's pretty bland. You can see what looks to be a couple of just colored tapestries similar to the center of the floor rug that are hanging, but there are a lot of blank areas. What's said, decorations have been removed, or at least haven't been there for a long time. The room, for the most part, seems to be abandoned. Is the box trapped?

Is the box trapped? Make an investigation check. Almost good, and then not. 14. 14? It is not appear to be trapped. Can I open it? You do, you open it up. It's inside, it looks to be a series of folded papers. Well, I wanna look at, is it Gilmore's stuff? I'm looking.

Yeah, you're going through Shone's shit. What are you doing? I'm just seeing if this is his room. Okay. Oh, who, whispers. Oh, shit, well, laughing. Oh, boy. How are those cowboys doing, Travis?

10-10-half time. Oh, boy. Oh, snap. Is that good? Is that a good thing, 10-10 halftime? Um, not good. Yeah. That's not good?

Yeah. I'm starting quarterback, okay. I understood all those words individually. Because he's a noble name. I know those words as well. Speaking in half, folk. Don't speak that. Oh, who's not how this is .

I would pay good money to have you explain how football works to me. That's where it's going on a couple of them. Okay. I fold them back up and I put them on a bed. Okay. Can I read your diary then? Is that all right? Call it nerd ball. I was seeing if we went in gambling.

room, that's all. Yeah? Yeah. All right. Don't act like I'm a dick. I'm not stealing the letters. I'm putting the shirts back, all right? I didn't stay.

It's just maybe he wants a little privacy. I don't know. She's learned from you well. Is the door open? Can we go out of here? Did you find anything good? If 25 opens the door, then it's open. It's easy enough.

Like butter. The door opens. You know, he did say we would meet his family. As the door opens up, We got a lecture on privacy. You immediately your nose catches the smell of sage and cooked meats. As the door opens, you look into what appears to be a large room to your left with some furniture, not too extravagant, but nice, and a humble living space.

As the door opens the other way, you look to the right, and you see what appears to be two figures sitting at a table, seemingly eating. An older couple with dark sun-weathered skin, graying hair, and bright eyes. They look confused and slightly scared at their table, kind of staring back at the people that just wander into the middle of their room. It's okay. Hi. This is a bit awkward. We're friends of Gilmore.

Be pleased. We both come looking at each other. Be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased. Bees knees. Both look to each other and then immediately begin, mouths full with food, laughing. to themselves.

This is unexpected. The friends of Shones, you say. Yes. The man himself stands up and begins to walk over, kind of wiping the edge of his mouth with a small piece of cloth and finishing, chewing, and swallowing the food he has. Currently, as he walks up,

the man is thinning white hair that goes long, just straight down towards his back, simple, long, kind of robe-like, dressed with simple cloth pants to go around these kind of slipper-like shoes on his feet. He approaches towards, which one said Sean? That would be... Gilmore and Sean. Approaches you as you kind of just sitting forward as one of the more, you know, sort of members of the party, yes. Well, I... How is he? If you can please tell me. Oh, he's quite well. He's very, very powerful, actually, and has wonderful businesses all through... Don't worry. No, I know. It's just not there anymore.

Opesa, come! And the woman kind of gets her from table. Yes, I'm sorry. It has been a while since we had guests from so. It's strange. It's sudden arrivals. And she walks up and pulls these small glasses out from her pocket and kind of... puts them on, you can see her eyes kind of open up wide behind them. And she kind of comes, things up beside him, and puts her arm around him, they both kind of hold each other. He goes, I am sorry, let me introduce.

I am Soren Gedimore. This is Opesa, Gedamore. You know our son. Yes, yes, we do. For quite some time. Quite well. And you say he does well with this business. He does so well, yes.

Continental? Yes. This is good. Very respected. Yes. I'm brave. He's always been a brave one. Single-handedly protecting a whole city right now.

You don't have to embellish. No, it's true. I mean it. Would you like to eat with us? We can make more food, yes? Actually, we need to head out pretty quickly, but... You're sadly on a mission. Can you tell us the direction to...

to Enkarel. You're going to Ankarel? Yes. Ah, yes. Follow me. And it kind of takes her by the arm, and they both walk arm and arm, leading you guys to the,

let's be a front door of this abode. As he kind of pushes it open, revealing more of the street of this small oasis town. Let's see, if you follow, that is the sun. He looks up and he sees his eyes kind of adjust to the brighter sky.

The sun is there. it will be setting that direction, continue sort of... What is the word you speak? Northwest. Northeast. That is west. You want to go north.

So go that way. Yes. That is where you want to go. Thank you. Is there a road to follow, or is it just a direction? I haven't been in many years. As far as I know, there are signs.

There are not roads. There are guides you could hire to bring you there. Take note, do like a nature check or like take note of what he said so I remember because that was kind of vague. Certainly. I'm assuming these are these are the people that Gilmore said I would know. You get to sense these are probably who he was referring to. Yes, so as she's doing that, I want to pull out the locket and say, actually, Sean asked me to deliver this to you.

He looks to his wife, go home and he steps forward, kind of adjusting the glasses. I thank you so much. Yes. She kind of holds it and opens it up and looks over to him and kind of shows him. You get a little bit glance from that point, you can see it's a picture of Gilmore. He's happy, jewel and crested rings. It's very much kind of a, almost a promotional still, if there was one for Gimore's glory is good. She kind of takes it, she causes it, hangs it.

He goes, Gilmore is originally Geddemore. He changed his name when he went for better business to the Tardori place. I'm glad he's doing well. Respected across the continent. Is there anything we can let him know? Just give him our love and tell him

he's more than welcome to visit. It's been many years. We will. Thank you. No, they worry. I save travels. Are you sure you don't want to have food? No, but if you could point us towards Fusaka, the spice?

Is there only around here? There's no one, is there? I'm not familiar with the space you speak of. Oh. Oh, that was right. Fusaka. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I do not know this. He's a guy who speaker?

He's pulling our chain. Or maybe it's something illicit. It's possible. It's possible. Or something that you snort. He's pretty cool. Oh, yeah. I understand.

He's chill. Yeah, we should leave them some water. Oh, yes, yes. Brog, water boy. Can you give them some water from a jar? Where do you keep your personal water? Just some of the water from the jug. Which would like the one of the little ones?

Would you like some water? Alan. A gallon. A gicky. At least. I am. Here, take this jug of water with our Complement.

You said give them a jug. Where do you store your water in the house? Just give them some of the water out of March. We have around this way. He leads you kind of towards the back through the small kitchen. It's very, very condensed. You can see there is a kind of a high metal fence, and there appears to be some sort of a rainwater receptacle there,

like a well that is built into the homestead. It has changed. chains over the top that he has to go ahead and pull keys out and lock to it and as he pulls off the chains one by one it pulls back the lid this kind of hard dried wooden lid and within it is a very very deep well though it looks like the water levels maybe 10 feet down from the top of the well right now do we want me to pull the alchemy jug in here or just one of the little ones I pull the we had the little ones for us today the alchemy jug this is where it's going all right I take out the oldchemy jug and I go you want to see a

trick what look inside do you see it anything. Hey, O'Pesa, do you see anything? She thinks, but... Blink, bling, bling. It's empty. And I say, now, give it a listen, and I shake it. What are you here? Nothing.

You're a strange man. Forgot they're old. Well, it sounds... Fuck it. Water. And I understand. How much water does it create? It creates eight gallons of fresh water. Oh, wow. It's opposite.

You are still a very strange man, but I am very happy in the precipice. I am a great sorcerer. I can see Gilmore has his work cut out for him. Gidimori. Drog the moist. That's what we call him. You can have patting the shoulder. Gidemore indeed.

Aye. As to finish pouring the water out, I need you guys back to the water out. you guys back to the front. What time is it here? Yay! And he pulls out what looks like a small sun dial from his pocket.

Ooh, holds it out. This would be closer to late afternoon. So we can, no, we aren't going to make it to Uncle Ellen in it by dark. We can calm though. Yes, of course. That's all. Thank you. Well, thank you so much for a cup.

Good day. Bebib. Be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased. And they both kind of, in a very, kind of rusty joints kind of way, give you both a bow as you leave. Well, they're a couple of sweethearts. They are adorable. They're both over 70, so who's going to kill them? Should you wrong or should I?

I think it's our turn, I mean. You won't love. You can kill one, I'll kill the other. Throwback Thursday. What a D-10 is four. Hold on. One second. So do we have any more reason to be here? Or should we start heading off to Ankara? I think we head off to Ankara. Unless we see any kind of potion shops here.

I can miss us. Potions will probably be cheaper in the city. Oh, we can missed. I brought it to me. Is there enough moisture in the air? I have no idea how it works. Oh, shit, if we evaporate, I'll be so based. Wait, can that happen?

No, no. You don't know. I think it'll be fine. Because we're missed. We're mostly water. I think it's our water. I think we just end up very dehydrated to the end of it. I think we've got lots of water. I just spit all over you. I'm sorry. It's okay, now I'm moisture. That's how my swim works. Now I'm moisture.

I don't think we'd evaporate. I think he's fucking with us. I don't think we'd evaporate. So let's miss it. I think that's grinned. I don't trust this. That would be the saddest TPK ever. Yeah, that was good guys. the journey of locksmock. That would be the worst thing ever. That would be the worst thing ever.

It's like, what's not a global warming metaphor? Nobody's doing it. No songs to be sung. Just steam. Just fucking steam. Another cloud in the fucking sky. Some say you can see them still overhead. I don't think we'll evaporate.

All right. Let's do it. We're going to miss it. The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders, an army scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world praying. The darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadow dark, the darkness always wins.

This is old school adventuring at its most cruel. Your torch ticks down in real time. And when that flame dies, something else rises to finish the job. This is a brutal rules-light nightmare with a story that emerges organically based on the decisions that the characters make. This is what it felt like to play RPGs in the 80s. And man, it is so good to be back. Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the Shadow Dark every Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on YouTube.com slash the Glass Cannon with the podcast version dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join us in the dark.

Oh, please, not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood. Could we get something a little bit lighter? Some lighter music here. Are you a fan of true crime TV shows? And what about Unsolved Mysteries, the show that jumped started all of our love of true crime? I'm Ellen Marsh. And I'm Joey Taranto. And we host I Think Not, a true crime comedy podcast covering some of the wildest stories from your favorite true crime campy TV shows all the way to Unsolved Mysteries.

Baby, you will laugh, you will cry, you'll think about true crime in a whole new way, and you'll also ask yourself, who gave these people mics? New episodes of I Think Not are released every Wednesday with bonus episodes out every Thursday on Patreon. And every Monday you can listen to our True Crime Run. down where we go over the top true crime headlines of the week. So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcast. We need anything else over here before I do this. Do it.

So one to Camel Town. You missed us. All right. You guys take a moment to concentrate each one of you transforms into fears and miss. As you begin to go, one by the other, you do hear a couple of, you get glensate over your shoulder to see what looks to be three kids all kind of just looking up at you all with these big, scared, somalese. And before I go, I say, stay in school kids, and then I miss. I'm gonna slimer the kids, that's what I hit them. As I turn into mist, I go, I'm melting, melting, oh, what a while.

I don't get a exception check. You're a terrible person. I'm trying to inspire them. You're a terrible person. Uh, 20. Do they speak Coleman? Did they speak Coleman? After you give your presentation, they kind of,

whoa. As you begin to transform, you do that, and they all turn to go, a-h-h-h-h-h-h-h! I'm still going to slime them on their way out. Slimbing them. We're tormenting children. Hey, that's a step up for us. That's what Box-Lawki knows all about.

amongst all the terror and heroism for life. You can't kill the old, terrify the young. You don't want to be coming. We're leaving them. We're leaving the baby. them with a promise that we'll be back to make up the job. It's all water than that kids out. All right, so you guys,

it's going to be glowing. Rise in the air as the sun begins to bring itself to the set in the west. You kind of shift up over the city and look down. Probably maybe 150, 200 buildings make up the entirety of Shondah. It is not. It is not a very large town, but you can see little dots for what appear to be moving caravans both to and from the city.

It is a very lively stop for people traveling, to and from Ankarael, excuse me. So we can follow the traffic. We probably should have a boat ocean. Follow traffic. There's a traffic line then. Every now and then, as you kind of follow the direction they're going, you're traveling much faster than they are.

The hot air does feel a little uncomfortable against your, your cloud-based misty forms, but you do not feel like it's responsible for evaporating any of your form. Sauna heat. Yeah, we're just sweating a little bit more. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're just like, that's uncomfortable. All right, you continue to press forward as the sun slowly begins to set.

The temperature begins to get colder and colder, and the sky grows darker. Do we like condense a little bit, turn into a low-lying fog? Never mind. If you like that, it's up to you and the form is your choice. Are we turn into marine layer? You guys need to travel throughout the night? Gotta burn off by noon. Ooh, how long does this thing last?

Eight hours? Right? It lasts eight hours? We'll travel eight hours. We'll take a late night. Once it wears off, then we'll camp. Yeah. Can we get the whole way there before? Should we've talked about this before we lost on miles.

You said it was a day's journey and we can travel faster by wind walking. Also at night, will we know where northeast it is? Yeah, I've got an excellent sense of direction. Also, at some point, if it's only a day's journey, travel at some point you're going to see the city. Eight hours? Yeah, we're just, we're just, so I think we should be able to get there. Right? And we can camp just outside the city. Okay, let's do it. Yeah. All right. Because we have a flying speed of 300 feet. Yes, no, you guys, crews. Awesome. You guys push forward for another four to five hours post dusk. You're now hitting the early, the early hours of the morning before you begin to see. in the distance, hundreds of sparking lights begin to appear up above a distant sand dune. You can see the lit lights, lanterns, and general glowing nightlife of a massive city over the high walls that surround its exterior. This is pretty amazing sight for those of you who have

not one been to such a large desert atmosphere, and it is pitch black below you, and at the height you're traveling to even how high are you traveling versus the ground I guess I should ask 30 feet? Um, huge road. It's inappropriate cloud height. So hundreds of feet up. That's 1,000. Whoa, that's about hundreds. Hundreds. Hundreds. Hundreds.

Hundreds. A couple hundred feet. San Francisco baby. Okay. Yeah. So yeah, from this view, you can see what appear to be, or appears to be a large queue of about eight heavy caravan carts long, a caravans that have camped for the night outside of the front main gate. You do see along the line of the outer wall there appear to be a number of small spires that kind of open up like guard tower parapets that almost come to a pointed, almost looks like a hand cradling at the outside of each section of the wall on the outside, but in the inside you see a hundred or more of these long, multi-level spires that just kind of progress all throughout the city and it goes on and on

and it's large kind of oval-like shape. It's hard to make up much color, but other than just the thousand small lights you see throughout the entire city, orange, yellows, greens, blues. It is a beautiful view. What is your plan? I say we camp outside. Are we still clouds? We're still clouds, so talk. Can't talk. Can't talk. Should we miss down? Are we getting to the end of our eight hours anyway? It's been like, he said like five or six.

It's still night? Still night, yes. Yeah, so it's good to camp. Is there like, um... It's like two in the morning at this morning. Okay. Does it look like any patch of shrubs or like a low point in the terrain? Yeah, cover.

You can't really tell from this height, unfortunately. We missed down a little bit. Yeah. Okay, so you screwed it on the outside of the city walls. walls. The landscape here near the town appears to be more packed and hardened bad land dust and sand. You can see where lots of it from a recent rain have kind of caked and hardened and then kind of broken in places and it gives this kind of soft shale-type texture to it that breaks into sand upon crumbling underfoot.

From what you can see there are a number of various heights to dunes in the distance. And this city is thrown right in the center of what appears to be hundreds of miles of desert from the view that you had as the sun was setting. And the gates to the city are closed at night? Gates to the city are closed from this perspective, yes. We did it, you guys. We made it to Burning Man. That's a long way outside. You guys timed. Can we see it guards around? Do they look aggressive? Do they look?

All right. So, I mean, the giant iron gates stand about 65. feet tall and about as wide from end to end. They have a very, very, very, very, very tight weave of iron bars between them to where it's almost like a very thick fencing that you can almost see through, you can just see the outline of things that walk back and forth behind it. However, on the front side you can see a number of guards. You can see what appear to be, let's see here. We can see a piece of paper on the screen Still see it. There you go.

Stop looking by a piece of paper on the screen. There's a vestige. Not actually, but not anymore. It's the sacred trap. The blade is gone. All right, so. Amongst the kind of carved out circle of caravan carts and people that are camping overnight before entry into the city,

you do see what appear to be a dozen guards, all dressed in a... dark blue and kind of dark reddish metallic armor, many carrying heavy cimitars to their side or long pikes and shields. They're all wearing intricate helmets that tend to crest down past the nose to the point where it looks like they just have eyes in a lower jaw. It flares out on the bottom and then curves to a point right across where the clavicle would be. The armor itself is designed in a very beautiful, ornate fashion, but also looks very functional. you're at a distance, they don't seem to have noticed you

as you've all kind of crested down still in your cloud forms. You should probably land far away from a little bit away from it. There seems to be a section. I'm gonna demist. Okay. There seems to be a section where people are camping. I assume that's just for once, let's take this by the book. We wanna make sure that they know we're here.

Yeah. No sneaking into the city. No. I don't think they'd take kindly. At worst, we've got the pretense of being emissaries from Amman looking for help. Yeah. They punish people for nicking things.

I don't think we want to try to break in. No, we're going to try and be truthful as much as possible, although nobody say the W word. Wine. Correct. Wine, definitely wine. Wine. I'm assuming that that's the hand of the Lord.

Will. The hand of ord was supposed to be super secret. Much as just guards. We don't know. The end of order is in secret. No, he said the hand of order is the name of the peacekeeping guards. That's right. up the beam.

All right. Let's camp for the evening. Should we camp in the mansion then? Oh yes. So comfortable. Oh, sure, yeah. Are we right up on the... We're still a distance though, where we are from the guards?

Yeah, we're like off a little bit. How far are you guys? How far did you decide to stop in transit? Yeah. That's up to you. Where's the other... Where were the other people camping for the night? I also walk away.

There are maybe 40 feet from the gates. Well, let's camp 40 feet. Let's camp with them. Let's be part of the crowd. Do you want to put a magical door? Forty-Feed? I'm perfectly okay. It's not like they can come in.

No one can enter who can't be invited. We want to make a mystical door floating in the middle of the tent. Do the people seem friendly? Do they seem tired? Do they seem tired? In this world. On the ground. I love it.

I love it. We haven't done it that much lately. We've been too used to being careful. It did the same thing. That's so weird. Well, thank you. In the mansion. In the mansion.

So not really camping. We're glamping. At a safe distance, you can make out some detail, and there is some lantern light on couple of some of these carts. It appears the number of the folks have set up small tents, and you don't, most of them here to be sleeping. There are a few guards that are set up on top of the carts with what it could be crossbows, kind of resting over the lap, just keeping an eye in case anyone decides to get too close

to their wares throughout the evening. So there is. Let me keep a distance. Yeah, let's not missed down in the middle of a group. No, let's keep a distance from them and just be in a another group of people coming into the city. I'd say like 200 yards. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm already, I'm already, I'm already, but we're deciding how far. So 200 yards. I can remissed. That sounds right. We can all do that.

As long as eight hours hasn't passed, we can go in and out as you please. Is that correct? Yeah. Yeah. Which takes you a minute to transform. Ah. Why are we, should we just use our misting

while we have it and missed into the city? That's what I said. Breaking into the city is a terrible idea. Yeah, if we've, if we've snuck into the city. Breaking into the city. Breaking into the city will. They have to document who goes in and out. They won't even know why.

Come on, let's start by playing nice, please. Absolutely not. And if we get caught, they're going to know we didn't sign incorrectly. They have giant spires, yeah, and they're going to say, who are you, we're not going to be on the list. And those guards... We know nothing about these people or the customs here. I don't know. We're going to learn a little bit before we kill all of them.

I don't see any trees, and those guards look heavily funded. That looks like expensive armor they're all wearing. You've got a good eye. Can we have the mansions, Candon? Sure, yes, we can do the mansion. Get close enough to the other group that they are aware that we exist, but they couldn't quite make us out.

So just another group of travelers camping for the night. The door floating in the air. It's magic. It's not like they've never seen it before. Step closer. The light radius beyond the wall itself is not very strong. It only kind of low lights, maybe a 30, 40 foot area

around the gate itself, and there are series of small torches that appear to be ever burning on the outside of the wall. There are a few fires. Camp fires that have been set up by the caravans that are waiting amongst the sand and broken ground there. They give a little more light. As you guys get to the outskirts of this, your shapes becoming visible to those that are keeping watch. You see a few individuals kind of stand up on their carts with the crossbows at the ready. Just have a seat and keep an eye bead on those of you that are visible. It doesn't appear to be an aggressive action, just that acknowledgment of your presence and a show of readiness should any aggressive action be taken.

I'm going to do that, not say anything, but do the be pleased. Did I motion? Be pleased. Well, I'm doing it as well. I'm gonna watch you do it. So we've unmisted. Are we just gonna mansion and go to sleep? We're going to mansion and it's 2 a.m.

It's time to mansion and go to sleep. All right. All right. Okay, and the people who are camping, do they, what do they look like? Pretty common folk, I'm assuming? Best to get in this distance, the few that you can seek,

so a lot of them appear to be in small. tents encamped. The few that you do make out appear to be dressed in a little more wealthy attire than the people you encountered in chandel. You can see the gentlemen and ladies that are guarding the encampment are dressed in functional leathers with hints of hide and metal plates incorporated in the defense, but nothing that shows overt wealth or overt destitution. General mercenary guardians for a traveling caravan. Okay. Okay.

Okay. Are we going to talk to any of them? No, no, no. Unless there's a brazenly loud group around one of the campfires, which I don't think there's a brazenly loud group. At this hour, no. You get the sense just looking at the surrounding soundings of some of the campfires. It looks like some sort of party or gathering may have transpired earlier in the evening, but most everyone have passed out of this time. All right.

Okay. Guards are guarding. Anybody that approaches is a threat. All right. Yeah, well, just closely. Good night, all. I am ready for bed. Scalely?

I will make the mansion. The doorway. Glows the faint purple hue in the distance. You see some of the guards kind of step forward and kind of just keep an eye out there. Attention has been gained by the doorway, but none of them are approaching immediately. You guys begin to step into the door one by one,

as three of the guards begin to slowly walk towards the doorway. I'll go last. It'll be fine. I go in. Okay. You guys... Alan, why don't you hang with Percival? All right. Yeah, sure. I go in. Okay.

Yeah, him. All right? I stand in the doorway. We're going to talk to these people. We're just going to let them know who we are and what we're doing. Right. This is just that we have a very expensive tent. Great.

So, with that personal, Scandal and Vex wait outside of the shimmering doorway to Scanlan's magnificent mansion. You see the guards begin to approach the one at the front, a square-jawed, intense-looking man who looks to be not enjoying his current time schedule as a guard on the outside of the southern gates of Ankarel, approaches hand at the side, clutching some sort of weapon that he has currently sheathed. May I ask the business of this strange conjuration you've brought at this hour of the night?

This is our very expensive tent. Be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased. Make a persuasion check, Percy. That'll do. 23. Yeah, 24, actually.

24. I do not know the nature of this magic that you bring, but I recommend that you keep it outside of the city. Oh, yes, of course. Wait, is magic not allowed within the city? Magic is allowed, but this is unknown to us, and unknown magic is a dangerous magic. I thank you for your advice.

We will heed it well. What is your name, sir? It does not matter. We have 12 crossposts trained on this doorway and will, for the remainder of the evening. Should anything strange happen, we will not hesitate but to fire. The strangest thing you will see this evening will be us. Good.

Thank you for the warning. Turns around and walks back at the gate. Not bad, but not bad. We've gone better. We've got to kill everybody. Magic is allowed, but this is strange magic. How do we know? Bullshit.

Everything we can do is strange magic. So just be prepared that not being from around here is going to be trouble. I think we're just strange. and we can do magic. I hold the door open. We've had old magic. Would you?

Sure, yes. Strange magic. He's on the new schools of magic. We go in. You guys go in. Mansion's prepared, servants are actually already, beds are freshly fluffed. Damaged kitchens are rearranged

to have been not touched at all. Whoa. Wonderful. What, what? I love it. You are able to rest for the evening as you prepare for your next day entering the city of Ancorel itself. I make my way quietly in the night to Grog's room.

I was just kidding, sorry. No, I want to go to sleep and I'm holding on to Fenthras and just thinking about everything, thinking about everything. I'm just kind of mulling over the events that recently transpired and digesting all the questions you still have. All right, as the evening draws to a close. Give you a lot to think about, didn't I? Sorry. I just kind of, I play a card game by myself.

Okay. As you guys have a restful night, we're gonna take a break. Yeah. Welcome back, everyone. So, returning from the break, respect. Box Machina has an evening of rest in Scanlon's magnificent mansion. You come to consciousness the following morning, stationed within the beautiful confines of this magical mansion, unaware directly of what awaits you near the side of the doorway. However, the morning is yours. What do you wish to do? I'm going to step back to my room. Okay.

Mm-hmm. Oh. Whoa. No one sees anything. Make a stealth check. No worries. There it was. Thanks for doing that.

All right. I got luck. I got a one, please luck. No. You're using a lot. You're using a luck to avoid a walk-up pain. Oh, oh. Yes!

Yes! There is a god and he hates you. You are so walk-up shaming right now. As the morning, as the morning comes about, Vex. out of your room, scratch this out of your head, got messed up from sleeping wrong on the pillow. As you walk out, you hear this, look to your right and see your brother

slowly slinking away from Keelith's room. There goes. There it is. I go back in my... Oh, hey, hold on a second, though. Might as well use the second. Talk it out. Yeah, hold on a second. Talk it out. Are you wearing the same clothes?

No, I wanna go. I love the clue. No, no, no, no. Make jokes, but I wanna go to your room for a second and talk to you. Ew, make a bed. Fine. Yeah.

And I go in my room and I sit down on the opposite side. Take a full minute to get over it, you fucker. Okay, no. Hold on, it's not been a minute. Yeah. All right.

You really should have gone into acting. It really was your calling. No, I'm happy for you. As foul as it is. Don't, what are you doing? What? Um, sorry, sorry, I'm a little discombobulated. I've never rolled two ones in a row. Yeah, that happened.

Oh, that was so amazing. Take that luck feet. Here's your one right. I mean, I know this is a really stupid time to talk about it, but we never get to talk to each other. And I have a serious question. Yes. Relax.

In that tree, that guy said a lot of fucked up shit to you. And it just sounded like a lot of fucked up shit in him trying to make you feel bad. So fuck him, right? Fuck that guy. But he said something about a dagger? And I saw your face fall. Jesus Christ. And I asked you if you were all right the other day.

and I think you might have not told me the entire truth. Are you all right? Yeah. Right now. I could be dead tomorrow, Vex. Right now. He knew a lot of things. Yes.

I don't think he was completely wrong, and that's what makes me feel terrible. About what? About you being shitty? Fuck that guy. Well, he was right about the dagger. So I want you to tell me about the dagger

I want to know about the dagger But I'm serious Fuck that guy on the rotten branches He was growing out of He is not right Your strength of character runs deep Fuck that guy He breaks my heart to see you doubt yourself

You have an always been A wonderful woman I'm not saying you have to be A fucking beefcake You don't have to be a soul It's good, because I'm really, really, really weak. Whatever the case, you're a good person. All of them know that. They all know that.

None of them doubt it. I don't doubt it. I don't have the words. I just want you to believe me. Thank you. I'm eloquent like Percival, but I've known you a long time. You are a good person. It makes me happy to see you happy. I kind of forgot what it feels like. Yeah, right?

What's the dagger? Oh, that, yeah, I killed a couple people and I saved Trinket, that's all. Men. What? I think it kind of comes waking up from what was kind of a sleeping stairs. You have to be more specific than that. You remember when I brought Trinket back to camp? Originally.

Oh, those years ago? Yes. I thought it was a terrible idea. I was dead wrong. Well, turns out, I found him in a camp where I'd been taken. Yes, and there were some really dark people there, and they had harvested Trinket's mother, bless you. They're standing right outside of the room. We're all just sitting with that.

The paintings do all have holes cut in the eyes so you can have to be sure. Yeah. I did what I had to do and I killed then. The people that took you? Yes. I did. The people that took you from me? Yes. And I saved Trinket that night and that's, that's, that's what Sondon

or more than anything, I just, I don't know how he saw it. Are you just creeped out because he knew or because of what happened? Why are you upset? I'm not. Listen, I wasn't there, I don't know what happened, but you came back to me so whatever happened can't be wrong. Right?

Come here, come here. If somebody took you from me, I... I mean, I don't know how to see it any other way than I do. I mean, you would have to do something really terrible, Vexallia, for me to ever feel disappointment in you, and you have not ringed that bell. Rung it. Wrong it?

Rung it. He studied harder than I did. Goodness, please. Please, one more time. One more time. Person, and I have always seen that. Please see it, please. But my heart is breaking.

No. It's good. We all need to self-reflect every once in a while. I needed it. My heart is in the right place. I know it is. I'm just afraid sometimes actions speak louder than intentions. If things I was doing could be read the wrong way,

then maybe I need to change what I do. I'm not... You've always been bold. That's not... It's all right. It's fine, dear. Like a boy again. No, please.

Please, I'm so happy to see you happy. Don't, don't worry about me. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Well, no, but... I can talk to Drink It now. We talk all the time. We've talked through a lot.

Fex. Right? Fex. Yes. I'm just going around. I love you. I love you. And if...

You don't have to talk to me about everything, but if you want to, if you want to, should you need me? Should you need me? Sorry to that hole. Yeah, no. Maybe he goes, you know, take a shower. I'm not going to answer that. I'll see it, breakfast. I'll walk away. Uh-huh.

Yeah, you do. All right, as you all find breakfast, a fair, prepared chicken feast, as they've been given no other instruction. Can we change it up? I'm afraid not. Change up the food? Yeah, maybe something other than chicken. Why?

I mean, it's nutritious, it's delicious. Ravioli. Ravioli for breakfast? Something maybe like with veggies. Something with veggies. Let's do ravioli. Staff? Yes, Scatlin.

Oh, they speak? Would you make us? Shit, they do talk. Oh. Could you make us some chicken ravioli? You unlocked ravioli and Marquette. They're learning. We're smart.

We have to pill them all. They're going to learn. The servants vanish for about 10 minutes in return with a robust meal of bowls and bowls of chicken ravioli. Chicken ravioli. It's delicious. Yummy. This is good goal.

It is so adequate. A little bit lightly. You finish your meal, for yourself satiated as much as you can be with chicken ravioli for breakfast. You guys exit. Find yourself on the exterior walls of Ankarel. The sun blazing down in the early morning.

A hotter temperature than you've been used to in quite some time. It would be the equivalent to probably the low hundreds Fahrenheit, by our standards. All of you with layers of armor, which is all of you, except for Grog. Boom! Immediately feel this is going to be uncomfortable fairly quickly. Grog, who are used to higher colder climates, even without being heavily armored, still fairly uncomfortable. That sucks.

You're really pale, too. It's not great. You can see the caravans that you guys were camping kind of loosely to are no longer there. It looks like there have been a couple of dark spots in the dust and the sand that have been kicked over where the campsites were, where the fires were put. out and tracks of where the carts and wheels have been dragged to and through the gate. You can now see about ten guards that are all stationed at the front of that iron gate on this side of the Ankara Lw. Well, should we just go in and be traveling people and kill everyone that we see?

How about you let me take the lead on this? No, how about no. What's our angle? We are weary travelers from Taldore seeking... I thought we were going into this one with honesty. I thought we agreed to that. Taking help? We're ambassadors from Amman. Keele, do you really want to be honest or is it like just a ploy?

What? Do we want to be honest or are you up for like that? The ploy is to be honest. We just need to try something. Our normality is dishonesty, so technically we're switching it up by being. This is a ploy. This is a ploy. This is a ploy.

We're not honest. So let's try it for once. All right, let's do it. We're from him on, we need help fighting. Dragons. I feel like that's pretty compelling. Frog, make an intelligence check. Yeah, thank you.

Travis needs to make an intelligence check. Oh, Jesus. It's a 12th. Minus two. You have no idea what they're talking about. Waw, wah, wah, wah, wah, wot. But you find yourself instinctually nodding. We'll just go in, big guy.

We'll be five. There'll be something to hit eventually. First chance for violence. It's all yours. Violence. You're the first one in. I'm all in. Violence.

That's what I came away with. We have to be careful with our word choices with him. We head towards the gate. This ravioli is delicious, by the way. My compliments to the little purple men. Violence. Violence. Violence, yes, violence.

As you guys approach the outside of the gate, You can see seven of the guards stay behind, while three, seemingly the same three that have been kind of keeping a close eye upon your initial person in the evening, walk up, and the same man walks up. Now looking a little tired of his stay, he's probably finishing out the rest of his station here at the gate. Approach his hand still on the side of his sheathed weapon.

So, you wake in, you have rested. What is your business here in Ankarel? Mr. Shorthol. We are weary travelers. from Yaman and we have come to seek assistance with the security of our home. What is your contact within the city? Who do you wish to speak to? Oh, that's a really hard stretch. We would like to...

The King. I would like to speak to... We would... we are seeking a man called... Jamans Howard. No, no, no. I don't think we want to talk to the King. Hi, I'm doing, right? All right, then, fine. No, no, no.

Why not? No, no, no. No. No. No. Why not? We would like to talk to Jamansa Ord or his or her advisors to seek advice. Come for an audience with the Emperor. We come for an audience with many people, to be honest.

We are looking at many avenues of possible contact, trade, anything that can help us in our time of dire need. Make persuasion, Jack. Me or you? Me or you? Okay. It's a million. I didn't know that die went that eye. A million.

34. A million. His arm relaxes at the side of his weapon. He looks down upon your diminutive gnomish structure, though glances over at the much larger Goliath and back at you. If you indeed have business with Jemon, Saord, then the emperor will let you in. If you do not, you will be sent out.

will be sent out. We have no business between either of those answers. If you wish to enter, do so, but keep your weapon sheathed and keep an eye on that one. The big one? Yes. He's well behaved. Don't trust his face. His face is usually not the trouble. Is it the beard?

Very well. Well, welcome to Ankarel. Oh, thank you. Be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased. turns around and walks away. His bow is much smaller than you were originally taught by, Jared. You get the sense that that's more of a formality and is on a smaller scale for more informal conversations. As he walks back, he kind of lifts one hand and does a loop with it. As it does, the gates open ever so slightly enough to kind of bring through as broad shoulder individuals grog as well as the rest of you easily. You guys walk up and approach as you are. Is anybody looking at Trinketwit, or is it okay?

He's like, you know, just with us. Actually, no one seems to bat an eye at the large bear that's one. I think it was shit about the Goliath? That's fucked up. One last question for our good friend at the gate. Okay, as you walk past him. One more thing, good, sir.

If you were going to find a place to sleep comfortably, quietly, and without incident for the evening in the city, is there a place that you would recommend to a friend? Well. Best I can think there are many fine establishments of rest where rooms can be rented throughout the entirety of the city, depending on how much coin you have to give. I would say, hmm, make her things for a second as I look at my notes. Where you would put a brother-in-law that you liked. Medium to hide.

Oh, brother-in-law that you liked. I would recommend within the Suncut Bazaar you would find the debt's respite. the shade or the corner cove, all very fine establishments and very well watched by the hand. Are you a member of the hand? I am. Is this your first time in the city then? It is absolutely, yes. What was the name of the district?

The Suncutt Bazaar. Suncapsar. As you can watch as you guys enter the gates closing behind you. behind you. You now see the incredible reveal of the interior of the mystical city itself. Streets of smooth, cobblestone-like red pebbles lead your eyes to hundreds of visible, vertically inclined buildings of reaching peaks and smooth pointed rooftops, as far as your eye can see across the cityscape. It's a city of vibrant color. You see nearly every home, storefront, an outhouse, has some form of draping silks or painted mural to give it in individual character, standing out against the rest of its neighboring abodes, creating a calming

and beautiful symphony of really nothing and just the presentation of it all. The people are walking with purpose and the sounds of foreign barking and shouts occasionally break the air. Welcome to Oncaro. Let's get arrested right now. Fight! What do you guys wish to do? We need. Spice.

We need to find out about this merchant guy. We need. We got to get laid. We got to get laid. Oh, Lord. Every continent, right? That's our pack. That's the plan.

Oh, boy. This doesn't mean there's a pack. We're going to need to talk to some gentry. We're going to need to talk to a library. Yes. Well, we should probably start with a tavern. I should also mention Not just a tavern is available, but we do in fact have three titled people within our crowd.

So we can actually talk to people of standing in note with very little difficulty. Are we certain that that will hold only water on this continent? It holds water on every continent. Okay. Only people who are not titled think it doesn't. Should we split up into a couple parties? Someone to go find no? All right.

Let's find a place to, let's find a tavern. Let's find a tavern that we'll find some rooms. Let's go to this, to this, uh, bazaar. People do you want to know things in taverns. And start to get the word out of what we're looking for and why. To the Suncut Bazaar. Wait, what if there's like a market, like an open, like farmer's market, we can find, we will set it on fire.

Here's some space. Yeah, as we, as we look around, do we see any, um... Stalls are like... It's actually like the shopping district would be a wonderful place to look for... Is that in like the Suncut Bazaar? Oh, no. head that direction while we look. Oye, oh, you there, boy.

Yes, yes. As you glance over, you see walking down the street that appears to be two teenage boys kind of puddled together. Oh, no. Wearing a grab ankle length cloth robes. One of them has what looks to be some sort of a purple shawl over the shoulders. The other has a hood up. And they're both carrying what looks to be small satchels of fruit.

They're almost, they both kind of stop and turn. Don't, please, don't. They look curiously at the small gnome that is, the small pale gnome in foreign clothes and adorned, beautiful armor that walks up to them in the street. That looks like fine fruit. Where would you go to go shopping for things here, market-y things? You are a very small man.

I've heard that. It's a glandular condition. Oh, no. To hear that. Yes. It's my cost to bear. I've seen many, many medicine men about it, but they can't cure it.

But many have recommended that I get a diet of vegetables and fruit. Where could I buy some? Just like the kind that you have. This fruit is actually very difficult to find and come across. If you wish, you could purchase this batch of it. Oh, man. Okay. I've seen this before. I'm not interested in buying from you.

I just want to market it. or a bazaar or anything. A bazaar, you're looking for the sun cut, bizarre? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, back. It's further down that way. I look to the blue tower in the center of the city, walk in his direction to the eastern skyline. I'm not looking in the direction,

I'm keeping my eyes on them the entire time he's talking. Okay, make perception check. I'm desperately trying to commit every direction to memory. I'm so fearful that he's about to try and buy meth from these children. I'm not going to buy. Look for the strands of crimson flags that hang across the various street corners.

That would signify the entrance to the sun cut baza. Signify entrance. You're so helpful. They both seem confused but also strangely enamored with this tiny man who's talking to them. No shifting behavior beyond that. Okay. Your hands aren't moving into someone's pockets.

No. Thank you so much young men for your help. Also, spite. Spice? Yes. Oh my God. Do you spice? Do you spice?

Yo, you cool, dog? I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not, I'm not an authority. Do you spice? Spice it? I'm sorry, I'm confused. Let's go. Ignore that part.

Thank you so much. What do you think? A little spice? He kind of just puts his hand out. I flip him a coin. Take it. Good luck finding your fruit. Okay, thank you.

Oh. And they both kind of walk away, but at a slow pace looking over their shoulder at you the whole way. They seemed legit. They seemed like they were street kids. I thought that was legit. They had riffraff. They could know it's spicy.

They were carrying fruit, and they look normal, but I've got a keen eye for these things. for these things. I was a kid on the street for a long time. Sam, no joke, thanks for the ab working. Oh, God. Fuck. That was great. So do we go in the direction? We walked into the Suncut Bazaar.

And keeping an eye out. All right. As you guys continue deeper into the city, the sheer size of this town reminds you of like a mirror universe from Vermont and just the way that these streets kind of narrow and then open and just the the liveliness of culture around you and it's heyday and it kind of it saddens you because it reminds you of back when the city was at its prime when you first arrived and made it a home for yourself but at the same time it's it's also the energy is infectious and you can't help but but feel like there there's a lot of interesting people and culture and just momentum all about you, no matter where you seem to walk across these streets. Though the culture here appears to far older than that of the Ma'am that you've encountered, and even the buildings and constructs range in ways

that maybe not as old as Vasselheim per se, but at least you can see there is some variation to some of the abodes here that appear to have been worn through time more so than any you've encountered Montaldore for the most part. These decorated and intricate buildings, fill the streets. You can see pride in their construction and the smells of horses and hot desert air combined with various burning spice and sage that occasionally wafes through the air to your nostrils. The ever-changing exotic skyline occasionally grabs your attention. You see the distant shadow of what looks like a sky ship docked at a sky port. You get looks of many citizens, expressions ranging from amusement to mistrust as you pass by. Until you come upon a massive building that shines. lines with the sunlight. Above you, you see what appear to be a number of red flags that

hang and drift about five feet in length, these thin, draping pieces of silk that kind of just shiff with the breeze. And you can see numbers of these strands across different roads, and it's at this point that you look up and realize that this in itself is the entrance to the Suncut Bazaar. You also, looking off towards the left, and what you've been watching is you there are this cluster of dark blue and purple towers of various widths that tend to be kind of marking a central place in the center of the city. In the center of them there is one very large cylindrical tower that rises up past them all into what looks like a chalice or cup-like platform at the very, very top that is impossibly high amongst the rest of the structures here in the city. It seems to be almost like a beacon or watch tower over the entirety of Ankara Put your attention now here in the Suncut Bazaar. As you step around the corner, you can see tents and storefronts and buildings and voices raises. Different barkers are shouting out for their wares. You can see carts being drawn through the streets by horse and camel. You can see what appear to be dozens upon dozens of people coming through with small satchels and coming by and purchasing their necessities for the day. You can smell cooking meats and food in the distance. You can see what appear to be street performers, juggling and distant music of buskers in the side of the street, just playing

various flutes and instruments that you some, you recognize some you do not. You actually see a charm catches your attention on the side of the street. There's a new read for that. And here you are, amongst the Suncut Bazaar. Can I whip around and see if anyone's following us? Dust of trace of Smith. Make a perception chair. Hammer down. Oh, God.

Ooh. Fourteen. Fourteen. I mean, no matter where you walk, eyes are on you. You especially. Most people you've come around here, it seems a largely human population. Beyond that, you've not seen a single dwarf as you walk to the city,

but you have seen a number of dark-skinned halflings. A few half-elves, not an elf has caught you around. Not an elf has caught your eyes since you've wandered through. You've seen a couple of teethlings that walk openly in this city, which is a rare thing from Amman, even then most teethlings generally are met with mistrust and prejudice in the streets. Here, no one seems to pay mind or bother. You do see a few half-works actually in the process of these team of half-works that are shouting out in a language that none of you understand. some sort of a sales pitch they're giving, and a few people have gathered around them.

This is a very wide variety of people that live in this city, and everyone seems to kind of mesh together with that issue or prejudice. But not one Goliath has caught your eye, and you've caught the eyes of many. And wherever you walk, you can see the townspeople kind of stop in their grasp, and they don't gawk. They don't stare intently. They're just more curious. but no one appears to be following it. Are the shops here indoors, or are they outdoor, like, tent, market? There are a few that appear to go into buildings, but the majority of this, as you look at now, the Suncup Bazaar itself,

while it is a section of the city, it is mostly open sky and is just probably hundreds of various tents, carts, kind of pop-up stand-ups, and even just center-of-the-street blanket set out blanket set out with the various merchants, just there with their wares, strewn across the ground, ready for anybody to come and approach. Do we see any spice merchants? Go make an investigation check. Also, while she's rolling, do we all see people eyeballing him?

Yeah, it's pretty easy to see. Most everyone's... In love? Enammed. Jalice? Um, 11. In terms. You kind of look around and ask a few people, and most everyone just kind of shrugged their shoulders or points you in an oddest.

direction. No immediate spice merchants catch your attention. You're still on the outskirts of the Suncutt. Go ahead. Do there appear to be any fruit merchants? There are a few, actually. Yeah? Yeah. And it's interesting. In this very hot desert environment and you understanding of how most plant life exists, fruit should be pretty damn rare, and what fruit would make it here seems to be pretty dry, withered. But everything you've come across here is very, very plump, beautiful, and fresh life. It comes from that oasis. It needs things to live.

There's not many things, no. So can I just go up to one of the fruit merchants? Mm-hmm. I came up to what appears to be a woman, probably in her late 30s. Her hair is long past her shoulders and kind of these dark black, burnet waves that just kind of almost spray out like mermaid hair across her shoulders.

As you approach, she eagerly reaches out. You, you look like you are, traveling here to Ankarel in search of beautiful, delicious fruits of which to wet your palate. Yes? Would you like for these fine apples of which are the finest you can find?

Apples? Oh, wow. You know, I was looking for something a little bit more exotic, something native to this land. Oh, well, she takes apples back. What you would prefer here, then, would be the corac fruit. She pulls up this, like, what looks like a mango, but the exterior of it is very rough with these little

spines all around it. Well, it is difficult to hold crack open for a delightful flavor. It is gentle. It is like a sweet water experience. That was very descriptive. Thank you.

How much do I owe you for this? Per this, it would be two silver pieces. Two silver. And how much just for future reference are the apples? The apples will go for one silver piece a piece. One silver a piece. So that's pretty...

Don't worry about it. Here you go. I give her the... I give her a little extra. Okay. Well, thank you so much for your patronage. Anything else you would like? I think I'm good, thank you.

I peek around her shoulder. Why would the shade be? The shade? The shade? The shade would be... It's have to explain. Do you see that building over there with the sort of a...

dark green steeple. And you kind of glance off in the distance. You can see layers back, there are usually one kind of spire, this very, very harsh point that has a dark green type of. That is the roof of the shade. That would be what you're looking for. Thank you so much.

Not a problem. I would like to walk by, and as I'm passing Vex, I'm gonna do that thing where you're walking past a friend and you sort of do that sideways kick in the butt, and then just walk past, and I'm gonna stand by Grog. And anybody I see giving him the evil eye, I'm gonna kind of match it back. Okay. You watch as she walks away, she had her hands out to Vex,

and as soon as Vex keeps walking away, she goes, Um, I toss her gold. God. Another gold. She's with me. She's not like a bandit. You have free to shop here any day you like. And what was your name? I was to point out and pops your hands.

I am Shubad. Shubal? Shubat. Shubat. Cleadleth. Pleasure to meet you. Pleasure. Thank you so much. Are any of the barkers talking about magic stuff? I'm also looking for a soothsayer.

What do you want to see a show? Okay. I don't know. It just seems so exotic. Anything out of the ordinary and or a soothsayer, card reader, bones reader, whatever they have that's like that. Perfectly called. Both of you guys make investigation checks as you kind of look around and ask around. And I don't like the way people are looking at big man,

so I'm going to stay by him. So you kind of stay close. There's no going up from that. That's what it is. Negative two. I have never rolled a decent investigation. Is that true? I'm city blind, apparently. What are you looking for?

I'm looking for anything out of the order but specifically a soothsayer, a card reader, a bone thrower. Grog. Gut wrencher. In glancing about, you look to see something shine across the ground. If you rush up and find it, you find what looks

to be a magically enchanted stone about that big. Rough around the edges, but the reddish color is brighter red than the rest of the stones on the ground, and you're sure that this may be exactly what you were looking for. I'm watching him. I'm watching him. I quickly get on my hands and knees, and I start, like, moving the sand around, looking for one, just like it, just to make sure it's unique. There are many red stones around it as you press the bit of dust and sand that has gathered around the other cobblestones, but this one appears to be unique. What does it taste like? There's a hint of saltiness to the dust that has gathered in this vicinity. I gave away my salt lick, Rock. You did?

I take a moment to marvel at how a being of such ferocity and power can be such a doofus at the same time. It's amazing. I'm gonna plant myself at sort of the end of two rows or the intersection, and just wait for people to walk by and as they do, As they do, I just say, spice. Spice, spice, spice. You spice it? Spice, spice, spice.

Spice. Spice. Spice. Can I have seen Percy? Spice. Yeah. In Washington Square Park. Can I help him look?

First of what did you roll? I roll a, where did it go? What was it? The investigation? I wore it a nine. Yeah. You, you're, you're, it's funny, for all the of being a noble in public speaking, you are utterly lost.

Oh, I'm terrible in urban areas. I've learned this. I just, I get flustered. The culture is so vastly different from what you're used to, and the people don't seem to really pay much mind to your relatively important outfits and presence, and you're just kind of lost in a scene. I've never been able to find. I've never rolled a decent investigation check. It has never happened. Vex walks up to you. What's you looking for, dear? Beyond just anything interesting, which, Everything is too interesting.

It's very colorful. A soothsayer of some kind, perhaps, it might be a good way to start getting the word out of the sorts of things that we're looking for. The sorts of things. We're looking for a cloak. We're looking for a merchant. We're looking for a merchant for one eye.

I found a rock. Those are, and we're looking for rocks. Not anymore, I suppose. And space. And those are usually the most trustworthy of the, untrustworthy people you find in this city. Investigation? Yes.

19. The two of you kind of begin to meand around and look around. You see, after some wandering, it looks to be a single blanket set out with a small kind of half-dome shade structure of just various cotton cloths that have been layered and kind of pinned to create this loose, kind of escape from the sunlight. And you see what appears to be an older man with a very, very long kind of braided beer that kind of goes past his belly button. He sits there, sleeveless, kind of open shirt, kind of baggy pants, no shoes, and before him what appears to be a deck of cards that is just laying in a stack, and he just has his eyes closed with his hands resting at the end of his knees. Fun.

Yeah, that sounds like you. A lot of money. Yeah. Yeah. Do you mind blowing a little bit of money on this? No, actually. Here's, are we all there? Are we all there? It depends on if you guys want to follow. I'd like to follow. Okay. As you guys are approaching, you over in the corner. Spice it? Spisen.

Who's ha- Make a deception check. A billion. Deception? Deception? Yeah. 32. This marks your kind of ability to double talk or like, you know, subtly put out the vibes for an individual.

Why aren't you a crime kingpin? Who knows what Skalin's ultimate destiny is? I have a song for your next playlists. I'm so excited. After a few moments of you doing this and a few people kind of walking away looking kind of frustrated and taken back by, partially by your visual form and the unexpected contents or your words. One man in his early 20s walking up kind of a what looks to be a damp cloth kind of wrapped loosely around the head to keep the head cooled. under the sun's heat, walks up, kind of leans in, and goes, You're asking about spies, yes.

Yes, hard to find spice. I don't know if they have it in this particular bazaar. Takes a seller with a keen eye to identify it. I know folks who are purveyors of many spices here. Oh. Please, what do you seek? I, it's not really something that I wanted to discuss out in the open, but, you know, we could take a waka and talka about it. Good, good. Lead on, we'll have a conversation as we go.

As he kind of stands back up after leaning down for you, you get a little glance of what appears to be a slightly pointed ear. And what looks like a hint of a mustache that's grown through, very similar in visual presentation as to your comrades. Not full elf, not full human, though definitely a much darker shade due to the out in the open lifestyle of Ankarel. You begin to walk with this figure through the street. We'll get to you in just a moment. So as you guys make your way to the,

Oh, man. Watch the juggling. The gentleman sitting on the ground. Eyes closed. We sit down in front of him. Be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased.

Be pleased. His eyes open and you can see his eyes are snow blind. They are just clouded over with what I'd rather could be terrible cataracts or something else that is constantly blinded us, but he just kind of stares past you as he opens his eyes. So, you wish to be rabid? Yes? Yes.

Yes. I've called for my services. You're not there. I'm not there. He will know. He's a fortune teller for crazy. Five plumbing washers. Should I put five?

15 for each bus. Five for the moment. Five. He knows those three of us. This is it into a small side pouch. What do you wish to be read for? Takes the cards and begins shuffling. We search for a garment.

We search for a man. And his way of shuffling cards is interesting. It's most of the usual, like, double shuffle. He picks up the deck in one hand and kind of splits it and then shuffles it together, turns it around, splits it and then shuffles it together on each side. It's this weird kind of almost like boy with the crystal and labyrinth, but with a card deck. It's wild. As you just stay still looking forward past all of you.

past all of you. And we search for answers towards the future that we inevitably run to. Shuffling stops and grabs the tech. We search for a garment. He takes two cards out and throws them across the center of the blink. You guys can step back and take a look. One of them appears to have what looks to be a fire or a camp flame with smoke pouring up out of it, and the other one appears to have what looks to be a storm, a torrent of waterings.

This garment you seek looks to be in motion, moving. If you seek this garment here, may haste take you. The second question. What were you saying in this morning? We searched for a man. With one eye. Well, I didn't say that far. Oh, shit. Warrior missing. We don't, yeah, we don't, he doesn't need that, he's fine. What did you say? We searched for a man. He pulls up two more cards and throws them

and they land almost exactly in the same place with the other two cards that he tossed before. He kind of scoot to a stop. One card appears to be mostly blank, except for it carries what looks to be some sort of a stylized symbol or letter that you don't recognize. And the other one appears to be a, it looks to be a hand of cards stuffed within a pile of coin. You seek this man, yet it is not a man you seek. To where the lock brings you? The answers lie.

He puts out his hand. Five more. And the third quest, true. Can I insight check him as he's reading the cards? Yeah. face twitches at all if it looks like he's making shit up. Go for it. 21.

Oh, the whisper. Here comes. So many whispers. How are the cowboys doing, Travis? I can tell you how they're doing. That's not good. Sounds like a sad man right there. Yeah, that does.

Wait, let's consult the cards. That's the third question. It's pretty, oh yeah, sure, sure. The cards say the cowboys are not, are a part of them. Hey, maybe you and me should go to a game sometime. I would love to. Okay, and the third question. We move towards a conflict.

What should we know? What should we be prepared for? Holds the two cards forward, throws him down landing. Once again, almost precisely on the same space as the last two tosses. They slide to stop. One of them shows what looks to be a chasm cracking in the earth.

Another appears to show it looks like a singular sunken skull. Your path is to change historic, but many will fall as the transition is to take. Take your time wisely. For the hourglass runs quickly. I have no caution. See sort of your questions. We'll do yes. Can I even bowes his head ever so slowly towards you? Then be pleased. He takes the cards and shoops them back into the deck, writes them into a perfect square with one quick move of his hand and places them back in front, puts his hands back on his knees, and closes his eyes and puts his head down. It's a pause, and he reaches over and grabs what looks to be a small, partially

an apple and... As quietly as possible, put another five gold in front of him. Miss Jewing stops and he swallows. He reaches out kind of padding around it and finds the gold coins, puts him into the pockets. You ask for one more question. What do you inquire? The world of Sonic the Hedgehog has been thrust into a not-so-dark, not-so-stormy, hard-boiled detective story

that probably nobody saw coming. Follow Sonic and the Intrepid Chaotic's detective agency as they take on their biggest case yet. This high-flying, action-packed adventure will take them across the world. Fighting for every clod they can fight. It's one heck of a tale, which is good,

because this story might be the only thing that can save their lives. Well, if that's all, I can just dispose of you. Wait, what? All will be revealed in. Sonic the Hedgehog presents the Chaotic's case files. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Mick Unplugged, the number one podcast for self-improvement and modern leadership. I'm Mick Hunt, your host, and I'm here to challenge your why and fuel your because.

This is where leaders, entrepreneurs, and go-getters come to level up. Each week, I bring you unfiltered conversations, game-changing strategies, and the kind of motivation that transforms lives and legacies. I've learned from legends like Les Brown, Damon John, and Robert Irvine. And now, I'm bringing their lessons, along with mine, straight to you. From modern leadership tips to creating unstoppable momentum, this is the podcast that redefines what's possible. Hit play, subscribe, and join the millions

who've made Mick Unplugged their go-to source for growth and greatness, because your next breakthrough is just one episode away. This is Mick Unplug, the voice and face of modern leadership entrepreneur and self-improvement. Let's get started. Two cards laying across the carpet before you. One of them shows upon it looks to be two hands joining, and the other one shows a symbol of a sun rising over a mountain range. We've made many choices. But the one you speak of brings unity.

Makes the cards up, shuffles them back in the deck, and sets it down, press back into his minute of trance. I feel that was money well spent. I guess. That was so cool. That was crazy. Well, we know we do not necessarily look for a man, which is important.

Yes. We know that time is even more of the essence than we first implied, and considering that almost every soothsayer I've ever met as crooked as the day is long, the word is now out that we're looking for them. That's the shade. Should we head that direction?

Should. Grog? Do you want to bring you a rock? My what? We should also, we should grab Scanlan and I would, where is he? Scanlan. Can we see Scanlan?

Can we see Scanlan? Gone. Well shit. You need one of those leiters for him. Short halt. It's quiet, Let's maintain a certain level of plausible deniability. I come over the earrings.

Scanlon, just, you know, making sure you're okay, wondering where you are. No biggie. Just checking in. You, as you're walking with your half-elish friend down one of the nearby alleyways, you hear Kila speaking over the earring. I say, I'm cool, I'm cool. We're going to die. Let's get to room.

All right. So you guys make your way towards the shade? Do the shade. Scanlan, we're heading towards the shade. It's the big green tent. Follow? Yeah. Yeah.

You're half-Pelma-Godadry goes, Are you all right? I'm cool. I'm cool. I'm cool. cool on these desert nights and I just need something to warm me up at night. So that's why I was inquiring about this spice. So, please. Which spice are you seeking? It might not be entirely legal, but Fusaka? The nods.

It may take a bit of time. I know someone who could I'm not bringing you to them. They have to bring it to you. Where can we meet? Well, where are you staying? I'm staying outside of the walls in a small encampment, but I can meet him sometime tonight inside the walls. Where would you need to meet? How about where we first met at that same intersection, or is that too busy? That is far too busy. He needs to be private, away.

Sort of a visitor here. If you want a place to say there is Luxoran de Casino, there are back rooms there. Oh, yeah. Is it a casino? Yes. Yes. There is the Debt Respit Inn, which has its own grasp of lowlifes. Those are probably the best bets.

Let's meet in a room at the casino. Oh, my. The casino it is. Um, which room? The red room? I'm not familiar with this casino. I'll need some guidance. Oh, wear a red shirt. He will find you in the casino. Okay. That sounds good. All right. So, our pass on down. We'll find you there. Tonight? What time?

Our pass on. Oh, oh, sorry. I was just thinking about the casino. Sorry. No, sorry. What do you want? I'm not prepared for this. He starts looking a little entrusting of your... You're such a bad. You're such a bad. Be cool, man.

Enough to get me through a week of having use. Oh. I want to go on a bender. Make a deception check. Oh my gosh. A billion. What the fuckball? Four.

Thirty-five. How were you wrong? rolling that. He gives you a look and bends down. I've had a rough few weeks and I just need to get away from it all and go to that place. He gets close to your face and interrupts you and goes, I mean this with all due respects. Being as smaller men as you are, you have to be careful. I don't tell me what to do. I can take it. All right? Let's just say that when I started using, that was your height. He goes, back, the end. He goes, he goes, very well, very well. The amount you ask. Oh my God. I have no specific amount I have to inquire,

but I would say to be safe, bring about 200 gold pieces with you, just in case. Oh, is this a lot of drugs? It won't be, it would be pure. Not cut with anything else. I want the good stuff. Oh my God. He looks at you confused and like...

Am I just finding cinnamon here? It's gonna be a living baby. They're just gonna hand you a baby. It's gonna be like a pounded term room or something. Mm, cardamom. Mm. Yes. We have a deal.

Let's shake on. He reaches out and pinks your hand and you shake. Very well. Hour after sundown, casino. brings this cloth up and kind of like brings him a bit of his face for a second and darts into one of the ear by corners and vanishes.

Where did you guys go? Hello? We're at the shade. Okay, I'm coming. Where is that? Where am I? I ask around for the shade. You eventually find it.

Canlan, stop panicking. I can hear you hyperventilating. I'm sorry. I've just never done anything that's cool before. You still haven't. The hell you haven't. Yeah. Just do the drug deal.

real guys. Oh. Oh, man. Scatlin, not over the speakers, not over the phone line. You have drugs with you? No, no, I'll tell you later. These earrings are tapped. You know.

I'm coming to you. The pike hears everything. You guys find your way to the shade. And what it is, it's a large circular, like a sandstone wall that has a pointed tent roof above it held by a singular pole in the center. center. It is segmented into various rooms that have no ceiling, so everyone shares the same roof. This is what appears to be a lounge tavern, meaning there are drinks and wine served, but each room seems to have a carpeted and pillowed floor.

Looks like there are beaded curtains and various draperies that separate each of the different rooms. And there's like, there's large, looks like hookah type tobacco pipes. It's very much just kind of a relaxing lounge area. There's hookah. There's hookah. I've never tried hookah before. Do you guys never try hookah? No. The Earth Ashari are like super into the hookah. Really? It's really nice, yeah. This is the only thing I actually know about this continent is that there's tobacco.

We should try it. Scanlan, did Scanlan get here, yeah? It's nice. Scanlan takes about five minutes or so, but eventually catches up to you guys. Are we staying here? I don't know. It's not very private. It's not very private, and privacy is definitely higher on the list.

Can I find... Can I find... find a patron that seems chill. Yeah, look around you can see what looks to be. Kind of a matronly older woman, kind of wearing some nicer, dark purple and black clothing who is sitting there with one big hookah next to her side,

just by herself with what looks to be a glass of wine to one of the side, and it's just kind of staring into space. I can literally only see my mother when you describe this image by you. And only you and you know how funny that is. That is actually really cool. It's just seared in there. I woke up. It's so true.

Please. Can I help you? Actually, just a small trifle. Are you staying here? The next few hours, yeah. Lovely. We're from out of town. You don't say.

And I've noticed the shade is rather open. Do you know if the Corner Cove or Death's Respite are quite as... ...commutable? ...private as this, or do they have actual rooms? Both of those have rooms, yes. Oh, lovely. Do you have any other specifics or requirements? Are they far from here?

Oh, Corner Cove is maybe two miles that way. The Death's Respite is about a mile that way. Thank you. Sorry to bother you. Ross, should we just put some cards? Some cards on the table. Some cards? Have we, I thought that's what we just did with that other guy.

Ross, we've been searching for a friend of ours, and it's just been very complicated. Well, yes. She's got one eye. She's been around for quite a while. She's a merchant in town we've been looking for, and unfortunately, we haven't found it. There are many merchants that live here. There are many merchants with one eye. She's quite strong, actually.

Some call her a warrior merchant. Oh boy. Warrior. You're looking for warrior merchants. You're probably looking for the scar bearers. Oh, that sounds about right. Yeah, it is actually what she is, the scar bearer. Are they around here? Well, this definitely narrows down your search.

The dead's respite is where you want to go. It's actually run by one of the heads of their ilk. Ilk. Not an animal. Scar bears, they're a bit of a rough and tumble lot. Oh are they? They hunt for coins, sell what else they find, odd jobs. Some of them maybe not the most are illegal.

But they work with a guarantee. And they head of their troop, I'm pretty sure runs, or at least partially owns the death respite. Thank you. What are you smoking at the moment, by the way? I was just about to ask her the same thing. Yeah. This?

This is her hand in one of the, looks like the various workers there approaches with another bottle of wine? Yes, may I help? What is this? What is this you put in here? It kind of blows it in her face and she kind of, Oh, that would be a dusk blossom sage. Oh. He kind of walks away.

Duskblossom sage. It's very fragrant. Sounds nice. Plural. Pungit would be the word too. I walk over to Kielden and say, I've done this, but I don't think I knew what I was doing. Your people do this. Well, the Earth Ashari do, and the Fire Ashari sometimes.

But you've done this? Yeah. Well, I mean, I stayed with the Earth Ashari for a few months, so yeah. You want to try? I kind of want to do it again. It's kind of fun. It's very nice. It relaxes you?

Just for a little bit. Oh, come on, guys. We got time. We can take time. We never take time for ourselves. Come on. We've got a. Taking time bomb, just 15 minutes.

The cards say our luck, and perhaps this is a good way to ignite it. 15 minutes, please, Vex, please, please, pretty please, please. We are still waiting for Scanlan to get here. Yeah, we gotta meet up with Scanlan. And then we'll take him to the next stop. Scanlan, by the way, is right behind you now. God, damn, no, Scanlan! Scalent!

Sorry. Didn't mean to sneak up on you there. Now we really need to do it. Well, you need to talk to him, actually. Do you mind if we join you? And I motion to the waitress. Could we have some more dusk, sage? Something stronger.

See her eyes rolling. I mean no offense, but this is my. May I have a gold piece? This is my me time. Oh, sure, of course. Let's get our own. We can get our own. We'll get our own little booth.

I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to put a gold coin on her chip. So you can keep smoking and thank you for the time spent in our company. She takes the coin and flicks it back to you I appreciate but do not require your patronage. Grateful for your time. That's a bad bitch, man.

Thanks, Mom. She was cool. It was burned. It is burned into my head. Getting out road. Yeah, we go get out of right. You guys are brought to one of the small sections of the shade. You're given your choice of various tobacco's.

And it's, well, it's not a large room per se. all comfortably kind of lounge in there. And it's a nice place to kind of get away. We can hear the distant sounds of the city, but for the most part, there appears to be some sort of a soft violin-like music that has played somewhere towards the center of the area, so at least it has a nice atmosphere to it. As we're in there, do we notice anyone with any large scars walking around? Make a perception check. This will go, great.

Ah! Ah. Well. You see people with small, large scars, people with scars all over. It looks like life out here can be a little tough at times, but, you know, no more scarred than most of the people you've encountered in your lifetime. And definitely nowhere near a scar is the people that you run with for half of your lifetime. There are no really large scarred people in here. Oh, good to know.

Thank you, Grog. Good to know. Good to know. Hey, can I see that ruby you found before? I have no ruby. You found a ruby. You can't hold out on me? Nope.

There was no ruby. Why are you lying to me, Rugg? Little teeny is my friend, all right? He spoke to me out of the deserts of fate, and he is mine and mine alone. All right. So Scanlan. Oy. Spice deal, eh?

Oh, yes, I want to hear this story. I've made contact. I'm supposed to meet up tonight in the casino. There's a casino. One hour after sunset. I'm supposed to wear red. I will not lie. I am shitting myself.

I'm so nervous. Are you gonna wear red? Well, how else will they discern who I am? I don't wanna go alone. Well, I'll go with you. Are you cool? Of course I'm cool, I'm so cool, darling. Okay.

I'm cool. Me too. Well, no. What do you mean? We're cool. I don't wanna draw too much attention, but I wanna be safe. Are you buying drugs?

Could not be happier. What an episode. What episode. I feel there's such a valuable lesson that you've learned at any moment. Do you think maybe the reason Jared was almost rested was because of this fucking spice? Yes, I don't know.

I think it's precisely what happened. What the hell is he thinking? We're going to do it smarter. We're going to do it better. Listen. We're not. I got Jared 2.0. He's legitimately smarter than us.

I can do this. I am the one who cocks. I can do this, but I just need some backup. Maybe Vax could come and he could wear red and he could be the guy who, or at least. They're going to also describe the tiny first. Okay, I'll wear the red, but maybe you could be there to... I will go with you and I will hang back

and I will be there to stab out the eyes of anyone who wants to hurt you, but you are the talker, man. You've always been the talker. Okay. We could be like plants all through the casino. I just gonna never think I'm very cool. Why does he think that? No, I think you're great.

You never want me to go with you. I could have helped you find Kaylee and you didn't ask me to. Well, I mean, let's be real. He doesn't want us to go. The big point he had, it's really dorky. You're the one who fucking makes me wear this thing. Can she take it off at the casino though? She can.

I'm not flying, I can take it off whenever I fucking want. Can we all come? It sounds like super dangerous. I just want to watch, I'll be like so slow. We are, by the way, walking to our next destination. No, no, no, I'm totally, I am enjoying my hookah. Oh, I forgot we got hookah. Oh, my God.

We're just sitting and hooking during this golf-biking thing. I did it before, but I don't think I really did it. So what, is this a split hose? We have a split hose. No, thanks. I'm straight edge tonight. I've got to think clearly. I'm not learning from this.

Is it just tobacco? We really don't actually know. Actually, that's a good point. do a few test puffs. Is it just tobacco? Is there something special about this hookah? It seems to be just delightfully flavored tobacco. It's nice. So, okay, you don't want to like inhale all at once. It's more like a flavor thing, you know? So you just kind of like, like a cigar, you know? I copy Keel. You just kind of puff it through. Ah, facts. Come on. Good job, brother. Good job.

What happened? Yeah. That feels good. I just can't stop. It's kind of cute actually. It's kind of cute actually. It's adorable. Oh, damn. I hand him some water from my pouch. Just, it's just a little dry.

It's really good. Wow, you have never looked cooler in your entire life. I agree with you. Is there a ball in this place? Like a proper ball. Not really a bar, it seems the servants take orders and bring you your various liquid embodiments. Right. Can I like flag down of... Yeah. You see a man walks up to you, can have long, stark curran, a bit of a go-toe

room. Can they help you? Yeah, I'm royalty from a far offland. I pride myself on trying the fiercest, like spirit in the area I'm visiting. What do you guys pride yourself on? Do you want the sandkegues hide? The sandkegues hide? The sand kegs hide. Oh, hide. Oh, is it like a food or it's a drink? It's a drink.

Yeah, one of those would be great. It's expensive. Well, don't tell anybody, but I'm super fucking rich. Oh, wait, wait, wait. Only because I have to check with my National Treasure How much is it? Do you wish to have a glass or a bottle? A bottle.

A bottle will run you 350 gold. I'll take two. No! What? What? No. How have we not stock this? It comes back with two.

That's a lot. That's a lot. That's not coming from the group. We be clubbing, motherfuckers. That ain't no party funds. Those are gold coin, you're not making it rain. You're making it hail, for God's sakes. Does that get to come from the group?

Clingling. Bottle service, because if this is bottle service, we're here for the night. Maybe there's a champagne, yes? He comes back a little ways, back later, with these two dark green glass wine bottles that have these like kind of heavy leather wrapped around them and bolted together at certain places.

Bolting? It looks like, it looks leather at times, but you get close to as you feel it, it's actually hard. It's almost like some sort of a tightness armor on the outside of the glass. This is meant for me. And both of these, these models are given to you with heavy corks that are kind of wax coated over the top.

Here you are. Oh, may I start a tab? No, fine. And I give shit three, this. How much do I own? Seven hundred. Seven hundred. Here's 800 gold.

Oh my god. Thank you very much. And please, do let me know if you require anything else. No problems. He exits the room. I have never hated you so much before in my entire life. Prepare to drink like king. I feel the opposite way.

I'm very proud. Grog, I think this bottle's more well-armored than we are. Yeah. It's like amazing animal skin makers mark. skin maker's mark. So how do we crack this bitch open? Guys, I need you to be clear-headed tonight. I'm not drinking. So can I try a lot?

I'm having a glass of this. We've just paid a fortune for it. We're saving a bottle. We are saving a bottle. Are there any opening utensils around because I don't want to unsheaf or May I, may I sort it? You may. I'm going to sort it. But don't take your sword out because we're not allowed to bring our weapons. Oh, there's no weapon in here? Curly private in the room. Oh, we're private in the room.

This. We've had our, we've... I thought this was an open tent commune thing. There's dividers. It's an open ceiling, but there are rooms segmented by cloth and what looks like sandstone walls. So there are like little pockets and alcoves, and you guys currently have one that you're in right now. It's not no weapons, it's just no usage of them.

Let's keep them sheath, he said, at the gate, but we are pretty hidden. Well, I'll just pop it. It comes off and the court kind of flies and bounces off one of the nearby walls. The smell that comes to you is a... extremely strong. It resembles a very, very kind of vinegar-turned wine mixed with this sort of of a very earthy scent. It's almost herbal, medicinal. Oh, good. It's not at all what you would have expected for something so expensive. Who wants to be first? Keyleth. Fill me up. Wait, you want me to go first? I want a shot. You want a shot? He's a very small. As it just took some.

As it touches your tongue, that smell transitions into a very acidic taste. It actually kind of burns your tongue and it goes numb within a matter of seconds. It is not a delightful flavor. And as the tongue goes numb, the back of the throat goes numb as you swallow. As the numbness kind of continues down the rest of the body, the flavor has not improved at all, but it brings this kind of universal numbness. and as the slight pain of the burns besides, you, with just about a few sips,

become extremely sort of intoxicated, but also just kind of numb. How is it? How is it? Don't really good. Oh shit. But I... I...

I slap him a little bit. I slap him. Well, don't ever do it. You should do that again. That felt really good. I do it. Oh, shit. Liquid MDMA.

I take a sip. Oh, key. I'm not drunk. I want to know. I take a sip. You take a sip and the same sensation takes. And the numbness sets in the weird kind of this like slight vibration at the back of the skull.

And it's like element of this reminds you being very drunk. But with but a few. Cusips. Hey, can you hear me? Uh-huh. Yeah? You all right? Oh, holy shit. It's really weird.

Oh, the tithe. Tend keg. Oh, good. Whoa. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh.

We're good. I take them by the cheeks. Can you feel this? Yeah. You can. Can you feel this? feel this. Does it taste good? No.

Do you recommend it? Man. You know? I am not going to have a zip of that. I'm not going to have any of it. Right now, right now, definitely some time. Back in the mansion maybe. Yeah.

But not when we have to do something tonight. As charming as you two are right now. Okay. And then I'm going to put the extra bottle. I'm gonna put the extra bottle in the back of hold. You didn't have any? Nope. You're such an asshole!

Money well spent. Can I sit down and find that waiter that we paid for? Yeah, I mean, you're both really cute right now, but you're kind of useless. I just kind of, I lean on backs a little bit. All right. Wonderful. The better juice you just served us.

How long does that last? Yes, yes, yes. It depends on how much you've drinking. Just a tiny bit. hour, maybe. Fabulous. They came with quite a price tag, didn't they? It's very dangerous to harvest and create the drink, yes. I could assume.

What exactly is in? Yes, what are they harvested from? I think saying this. I don't know which part of the sand cake it is, but it is taken from the usually venomous bile or spittle of the creature. That's really good vial. It's a thing. It's a living thing. I'm assuming, I mean, back in the city that we're from. It is refined and pickle by the finest of various...

Refined in Pickle! It is a delicacy across Ankara and the northern areas of Marquette. It was merely fulfilling the request of your community. I completely believe you it's... Very good. Thank you so much. Yes. Where we're from usually when purchasing such a great and expensive ice.

and expensive item, room service is included. I'm assuming we have somewhere to stay for the night. I don't think this is a kind of place. I mean, you are welcome to stay should you pay an evening price, yes, but that is not part of the price of the drink of which you are purchased, not. Oh. We have to know.

Cultural differences. Good to know. Strange, huh? Hmm, yes. We have some move. Hey. You say your full name right now? The first of you said, by music class, the rubble from

the third, and this is the word. Wow. Yeah, said, yeah. Don't say the W word. This way sir? No, okay, it's fine now. What? How long until you have to meet this guy at the casino?

Why are you talking? What time is it? Has the sun gone down? No, no. You guys woke up maybe two and a half hours ago. Day drinking, yes. You're maybe getting close to noon. The sun last you saw,

We have some time. Close to the center of the sky. Well, we got time to kill, right? Well, let's go, let's go find the, um, death's respite and maybe get a room at the... Is that where we're going to sleep tonight? Yeah. That's where the scar bearers are.

I mean, we can get a room here. No, scar bears. And your deal is this evening, yeah, we've got some time for that. So we take off for the death's respite. Okay. Uh, who's leading the charge for that? No. No, no, no, you're not.

Oh. Okay. Go ahead and make an investigation check. You don't mind. Investigation? They're terrible. That was everything I wanted. I'm so happy right now.

26. Six investigation check. Within 10 minutes, you've asked the right questions between a number of various street urchins and street salespersons to be directed straight towards the debt respite. Respite. That's all the fact.

I wrote it down correctly, Matt. So, in following the direction, you end up walking up to what looks like a rather run-down-looking establishment. The broken glass windows and missing front door lead you to think that perhaps has been abandoned for months. Looks a little rough and ramshack all in the after. But they said this was being guarded by the hand of awed. Interesting. My contact in the underworld said that this was a place that is a known hangout for CD types. What? The guard, no.

Am I remembering that correctly? No, the guard at the front of the city told us this was one of the places that you could stay and it was guarded. I think we should knock. I said it was a place you could stay. So you were asking for taverns and inns. You got accounts from two different people. Maybe they're two different opinions. It's like Yelp, but better.

I'm going to knock. As you approached the front of you. the door, it's partially a jar, and as you kind of push it open, you can see, the inside is a whole different story. As your eyes adjust to the interior, you find actually a bustling business of bar hands, selling tankerns across seven stained wood tables. Some of the folk look rather day drunk, similar to these individuals, though it has worn a bit off since the original sip. Yes. And most of it be kind of various miscreants or post-work farmers taking a break. the interior is familiar

and probably closer to the taverns you're used to in more of the kind of poor districts of Iman in surrounding cities than some of the more luxurious areas you recently found yourself. Vax and Keeleth is... Actually, Keeleth, make a perception check with disadvantage. I see why you're doing that. With this advantage?

Yes. 17. Okay. Pretty good. Vex and Vax. As you guys walk into the room, you do catch off kind of in the distance behind what looks to be a series of barrels that are stacked and the edge of a shelf that contains rows and rows of glasses, tankards, plates, and various things. You just barely make out what looks

to be an androgynous figure face masked with dark blue and black cloth with a hint of leather armor just kind of hiding in the corner. like barely visible to you and you can make out the details due to your very, very keen ability to gather your surroundings quickly. Is the armor similar to the, uh, that sort of armor we saw on the other guy? Nope. No. No, this is very muddled low leather armor. Okay. Are they wearing a cloak? You can't tell her backs kind of hid inside. It just kind of, they're quiet. So they don't have something. Uh, what? Do they have a hood over their head? It's just... They have a hood and a mask. Okay. Looks like a clock mask wrapped around it.

I'm gonna hang by the two sober. bring up twins over here and keep an eye on that person. You guys also watch throughout all the various patrons and people that are wondering about this establishment. One figure stands out amongst the others. You see what looks to be a bronzes scaled dragon-borne. Bulky and thick, muscular armored and light hides and bracers. He clutches an untouched mug that is just still brimming

with some sort of an amber-colored ale and is just lost in thought staring off into towards the window, one of the broken windows leads outside. Very, very heavy muscular arms, maybe not quite the height of Grog, but definitely a similar build. Tale or no tail? Sitting down, you can't tell. You don't know. What do you guys do?

We're fine. Wow. I guess I walk up to the tavern keep. There is no tavern keep. There is no tavern keep. There are barmaids walking around and like, passing drinks, but there is no bar keep, right? I grab one of the barmaids. Who would we speak to about a room? I said they would speak to three and points to the Dragonborn,

who is currently staring out of the window. Oh, sure. I walk over. Okay. I'll go away, though. Okay, he's kind of space scan as soon as you approach. Ah. Wants you on bother in a fella in mid fantasy.

Sorry, sir. So, what can I do for you? Um, we're interested in a room for the knife, actually. All right, well, what's your name? Lexoria. Lexolia. Dreve. Dreeve, bonebreaker. He grabs your arm as opposed to a handshake, like a full-on,

four-arm-re-arm-draft. Dreeve. Dreeve with the Dreeve. T-R-E-E-V. T-R-E-E-V. Dreeve bonebreaker. Current caretaker of this fine establishment. You're looking for rooms. We've got three available.

Wonderful. Mind if I sit down? Is right sure? I doubt I'm going to find myself back to that dream. Anyway, what are you and your rather scorny-looking friend there, I have to say? I'd look around. We're actually here on a rather important mission from Mimon.

Hmm. Never been there. It was quite a beautiful city. beautiful city. Not as much anymore. That's unfortunate. Sometimes cities fall to the lowest despots. It happens. Yes, it does. So, rooms? Yes. Three, you said. Three rooms available. And how much would those rooms be? How many are you staying? Six. Six of us? And your bear? Well, yes, but he is, he doesn't take a lot. up much space if I don't need him to.

Well, I'm going to have to put a bear tax on this, you'll realize. A bear tax. Yes. I've had a bear here before. Who knows what kind of damage you can do? Considered protection. He can sleep outside. Don't worry. Don't worry about the bear. Alright. I take no responsibility what happens to your bear outside. Thank you. Is that around you ten gold per room? 30 gold for the night.

Are these really fancy rooms then? No. God, no. I don't know where you're from any more, what the prices are there, but here. It's expensive. Every fucking thing is expensive here. Can I attempt to start looking around the room to try and find anything interesting and try and be useful? Make an investigation check with this advantage. Yeah. Can I incite him see if he's just taking fucking advantage of us as to the tourists?

I don't want to roll that one. I want to roll this one. Investigation? 12. Natural 20! Whoa! Oh shit. Yeah, he's straight up jacked the price up. price up.

You can see the foreigner on your face. So what's you gotta do about it? You know what? We probably don't need the three rooms. They offered us some over at the shade. It's fine. Certainly. Whatever your business may be.

Is it all you need? From Tal Dorei? No. No, no Roycehne. No. Boy. So you haven't heard of Drachronia. Can I see from here if he has a tail or not?

There is no tail behind them. Hmm. Have you heard? Have you heard what happened? Rikoni has fallen. Grab's his drink who he's kind of holding up, slams in the table. And it kind of spills over. You're fucking with me?

Not there's a reason for celebration. It just chugs the entire drink of one guy you can see as kind of Dragon-Born Gullet, just accepting the entire drink and one, though. Well, I'd be happy to tell you more detail, for a reasonable price on the rooms. Sit down. All of you.

15 gold for the lot. Hey. You're the meaty details. So we tell him. You tell him about everything and he listens in. It starts kind of, you know, enjoying it and then eventually it kind of falls a bit, you know, sinking in kind of the stakes of things. And eventually that celebration falls to just acceptance. Does anyone mind if I fill them in on the future of draconia?

If you do it in a slurry speech, sure. It's going to be slightly slurry, but at this point at least, I'm English again. We have, in the next several weeks, we're going to attempt to free the populace from what they are currently, their new Lord and Master. But in order to do that, we are here on a mission. We are searching for something. searching for a one-eyed merchant warrior and a cloak. Well, look, if you're looking to hire, you've got to explain the task then. We do have a code. Fuck what the rumors say.

I've never found anyone who doesn't have a code, who lived very long to tell about it. Oh, long enough. It's the point in them without one. That's how you end up shooting in the stomach and left a bleed in the street. So, what you're looking to hire? for? We are looking for the one-eyed merchant warrior who wears the coat of Kabbal's ruin. I know who you're seeking, I. Mistress Asharu. Mistress Asharo. We have a name. We have a name. God damn it. She's one of our finest, and expensive because of it. But friend, she's been off for a week since her last job, and

so may aapse her schedule is open. I would have to inquire. Write me a summary of your job you have for. I'll have it delivered. Her answer may take a week or so, but uh... We do not have, sadly, a week or so. The dragon falls in two weeks. Write her letter, she'll receive it, and she'll return to you when she sees it fit. Our business is our business. If you don't like it, shove off, find someone else. Sadly, no one else would do. What sort of, not that I want to inquire of the sort of business she's in, because that's inappropriate. But was she in the town, at least? If we were to write her, could we get word to her quickly? If I can get word to her immediately.

But it's up to her when she wants to respond. Is there anything else you can tell me about her? Is there any... He's just giving you a curious thing goes, You come in here asking to hire one of my finest and don't know what work she does. I know what work she does. I just want to know what inspires her.

What work do you need her for? We need to save the world. And you need her help to save her? We need her help to save the world. Sadly but true. We at least, at the very least, need her blessing. While he's talking, can I keep an eye on the figure in the corner, the one that was very.

Yeah. We, there are things that have been released upon this earth that are, we'll burn everything and they will make their way here. Draconia is gone. Tal'Dore is gone. All swaths of civilization have been wiped off the earth.

We weathered beasts, we weathered dragons here, any mon. Not like we've seen. So be it. But nevertheless, you want to hire her. You gotta write her a proposal. And he slides across a piece of parchment with a small quill by it. I'll deliver it, and she'll get back to you when she sees fit. Does she... Does she have a normal price?

Depends on the job you're asking. I won't talk about that. She'll set her price. Okay. 30 perception. 30 perception? The figure is watching all of you intensely, but has not moved an inch.

All you've seen have the eyes move, but they can frame on your entire group since you arrived. I've been watching. Okay. Could I ask? Hmm. Other than gambling,

what sort of entertainment can you find in this city? All sorts of entertainment. There's various singers, musicians, dancers, performers. If you're looking for a company, there's all sorts of entertainment in that regard of all of the spectrums. If you're looking for games, probably a few months out before we get to any sort of the gladiatorial events. I'm sorry, could you just a bit more? Oh god, he said his favorite last months away. There's no place where our friend can get into a scrap. What, I can't talk about triceps over here. You can certainly find a scrap, but none they're sanctioned by the hand to not pull you away. Sorry, big man.

Pretty cool. I mean, unless you ask someone to duel you, that's a whole different business. What, duel? That's sanctioned by the law. A duel. A one I want duel. If you go ahead and challenge one to a duel and they accept I. It's legal. Anytime, high noon, midnight, when? You just have to sanction it by the hand. You have to make sure that you both agree to fight to the death.

And the fight has to happen in the ball of judgment. The ball of judgment. Oh! Whoa. He sits about the Sandherald district outside of the Cerulian Palace. Wait, is that that super fucking tall thing? That's the Surrealian Palace. It's quite close to it, I. Are any items allowed in the bowl or if you have to go in, you know, barehanded?

Oh, my, it depends on the sanctions of the ord and, well, the agreement you come to. But, uh, main, fisticuffs is great for the gladiatorial events, but if you're fighting to the death, sometimes it's nice to bring a blade in. So what type of people like to participate in these duels? The coin they've got nothing to lose. They kind who got a point worth proving with their life. Those kind. Doesn't happen often.

When it does happen, it's a spectacle. It says it's like a lighter fight that can be found, like a, like a, I don't know. Arm wrestling match. Arm wrestling or like a, like, I don't know, what would be worse, less than a judgment. UFC.

Less than a bowl of judgments. It would be like a, Cup of Truth. A cup of truth. A ball of judgment. Can you show us to the cup of truth? A bowl of Wheaties. A bowl of weedies.

A bowl of fries. I'm starting to sober up. This is really uncomfortable. A few months in the games begin, but till then, that's about the only way you'll find bloodshed here. At least they won't lynge you up in prison. All right. Good to know. Good to know, good to know, good to know, good to know. I'm sitting and starting to compose a letter. Yes, we need to... How is his handwriting, is it?

It's loud enough. You're starting to gain it back. What do you write? I'm going to show everybody before I hand it in. I'm going to to write the truth, top to bottom, of the world is in peril. We are facing a battle, and she holds or knows of an item that would turn the tide, and I wish to know its price or know its rental. What are you asking her? I said an ambush. I feel like that's not gonna work.

I'm holding it. I'm like, before I hand it in, I'm going to show, I'm like, show and like I don't feel that there's any deceit that is just there's nothing that I can think to say beyond the truth we are either dealing with honest people or we are not I have a feeling that um yeah what if we just I'm also putting my rank in title and letting them know that that that there are that I'm willing to give away Vex's title for that I'm willing to give away Vex's Vex is entirely up for a set.

Now, I'm, I'm... Maybe we can just offer some gold. To meet with us. You're planning to recruit this person. Nothing more, just a simple meeting. I'm not trying to recruit this person. I'm looking to rent or buy an object that she owns. I don't think.

Or perhaps, or perhaps even trade. And I'm going to put, we'll put 400 gold. Just to meet with her? Just to meet with her. Yeah. As an offer of a meeting. That's not bad. It's not bad.

and take it, packages it in like a small container, like a leather container. Did you put in there that it had to be prompt? Mm-hmm. That it had to be prompt. And that time is of the essence. Oh, don't worry. Whip whistles through his fingers and the figure in the wall that you've been watching. I know it.

Steps forward and slowly walks towards the table. Hold up the scroll, brings it in, the figure leans in, covers his mouth, and he whispers into the ear of the figure. The figure takes the figure. scroll, gives a nod to all of you and walks out of the tavern. Deliver that to it promptly. Now, be on your way. Let's go. 15 gold. Oh, yes, of course. Thank you for the rooms.

Thank you for the company. Takes a key ring out and starts fudging through the keys, pulls a few off, and tosses them to you across the table. All right, you've got it for a night. I heard grog, I'm gonna follow out the door. Go south. Okay. So you go ahead vanish out the door. Make a perception check. Boy. Keep fighting here. 22. 22. Okay. As you glance out the door, kind of pull outside, and you're going stealth as well you said. Yeah. Full stealth. It is 25. 25. Okay. You turn on the corner, just as you see a flash of dark cloth around the edge of the

debt's respite. You rush off to the edge and look around the corner way and down the alley. You can see the figure. Full-on, like arms out to the side, kind of rush behind, going into a very fast run down the shaded hallway. Shaded hallway? Or the shaded hallway. All the alleyway. All the way. I'll follow. Okay.

So you continue to follow. Okay. Boy, at a distance. All right. Following the masked figure, you continue to get a chase. It darts kind of errates. kind of zigzagging between areas. You can see this is a very trained pattern to lose anybody following them. But you're also trained in following those that wish not to be followed. Make another perception check. 24. You come around one corner and you can see there's a wall that ends there and you see just

a little slip of material past. And as you glance over, you can see the figure has jumped down into a lower walkway onto what appears to be a recessed section, a sector of this part of Encarell. has already darted beneath a nearby bridge and overpass that walks across to another series of buildings. You leap over, keeping in the shadow and give a chase down that way. You turn around underneath the bridge, and you can see underneath the bridge there is an archway that leads into a dark path down an actual hallway beneath the series of buildings that you just saw ahead of you. Make another perception check.

Oh, my goodness. 22. 22. You looked on the hallway and you see the shadow of the figure kind of framed against what looks to be another open opening on the opposite side, but the sunlight's coming through. You see the dark outline as it darts forward and then leaps off again down the right to pass that exit. You follow and you look off the side just as you see the figure slink behind one. Looks like a large crate over next to some sort of a storage section outside of a warehouse. And it ducks behind another

one. Then darts up to a building that looks to be shuttered and closed. And there's a There's a small, you'll see what it's sort of like, it's like a furniture store with a little sign at the top that says, a kingly home. It moves an empty rain barrel to the side and takes and slips the leather case through a hole that was previously hidden by the barrel, that basically dropping it inside the building, slides the barrel over it again, looks back and forth. Do you know the South Check? 25. Five.

Doesn't seem to make notice. And then darts off, leaping, leaping up onto a rooftop and vanishing off. You said a kingly home? A kingly home. I'm going to stealth back. South back. The debts respite. Keeping a very close watch on the path you took and marking it mentally back to the debt's respite.

It's probably a good mile off from where you guys were, if not a little further. You guys continue your conversation or go back your own business. Eventually Vax returns with the information. information, the path of wherever this letter was dropped off to. So, just curious, have you ever had the sand keg hide? Are you serious? Yeah, no, I'm just asking. Oh, I'm drinking that bullshit.

Really? Yeah. Too stiff for you? Too stiff for anyone. It's... What? I mean, I only like real bosses can drink that jazz. That's not a drink. That's probably squeezed from the eyes. arsehole of some sort of beast out there on the sides.

No. I prefer my stuff taken from berries and the sweet stuff. What do you mean some big, like you make a drink out of some animals, whatever? Or have you had some, he tastes at you? Sure. Well, I guess you know what animals bum tastes like. Well, hold on.

You mean they squeeze the asshole or something out there? Oh, completely. No. They hold it down and just so. squeeze its abdomen and the poor sand cake just spears out into this little glass barrel, and then you pay for it. Top dollar. Yeah, it's like 300-some gold. Oh, do you buy something?

No, no, no. I do. Uh, just make an insight check. Oh. Please. Your brain is filled with the image of whatever a creature your imagination has come up with, just being held down. It's a giant hair. like water yak. Yeah, and it is just

squeezing some sort of yellowish liquid from its abdomen into a glass, a glass wine bottle, and you're now looking over and looking at Percy and Keeleth who had just had sips of this earlier, and it's not sitting well with your stomach. You know, we were gifted a bottle, and a couple of my friends had partook. took. They say the stuff we had is

A plus. Yes. Yeah. Max now appears at the edge of the table. Yeah. Oh, hi. Hey, I took a little walk. Yeah. Yeah. Let's go to the rooms. Let's check it out. All right. How about that? Sure. Thank you for the rooms. Breakfast. Is there breakfast here? No. You find your own feet.

Awesome. Good place. Does he still have like some drink in front of him? It hasn't been filled since, no. No, no mind. Do you guys have any rooms? Yeah. Okay, you make your way up to the room.

To the rooms, they're all clean, serviceable, nothing too fancy, but functional rooms, each with two beds. Okay, now. I want to check for listen, if anything unusual, if there's anything if there's if there's... Investigation check. Oh, I would follow suit. Investigation check.

Oh, for the love of fucking. Natural one? No. Nine. It's shitty. Nine? Nothing seems to be out of place or out of the ordinary. Obviously. 13? 13. It seems to be a room.

I'm just checking and check under the beds. That's it. Okay. We can investigation check. 29. 29. Oh. You find dust, dead insects, a dried out road. Tusk and that's it. Awesome.

Grog, you want to bunk up? Yeah, sure. All right. We're going to two to a room? Yeah, there's six of us. It's also about 3pm in the afternoon. Yeah, we're not like sleeping now. I know that.

I'm not going to go lie down on the floor. I just thought I'd, you know, called dibs. Yeah, cool. Scanlan then, me and you? Sure? No, no. Yeah, I don't want to sleep. In the same room,

with you in all? At all. Oh, I need a bucket and I'm not. At all. Up? Oh, I'm too. You were too. No, no, with him.

Intuitive. I'm with Vex. Yes. What? Yes. Oh yes. No, but we're talking first. Let's just talk.

Later. Yeah, don't worry. What'd you see? Oh, yeah, so we've got a backup plan because I followed whoever that person was back to where they dropped off. It was a very fetching mouth. I think we should probably honor the offer first and if that goes sideways, then we have a factor. It's so rare that we're actually given an opportunity

to be honest about everything. We might as well try it once, see if we like it. Ugh. But you know where this person at least perceives her messages. Absolutely. Good. Where is it? The work.

Well, I don't know the names of the streets. I remember what it looked like. If you want to follow me, it's about a mile off. It looked like a furniture store, a kingly rest. And you didn't even have to say, Jenga. This time. Well, wonders never cease. Kingly rest, all right.

What are you guys doing? Uh... Shit. What do we do? What do we do? We can't get Grog in a fight. Do you have a red shirt, Scanlan? Do we own anything red? Does it go question?

Grog? What? Do we have anything red? We have... Probably not. Three fancy robes left. Are they red? You do not own a red shirt, but you could probably find one not too difficult.

All right. We'll find one. It's a very flashy town. Take 20 minutes. It doesn't take you too long. It costs you two silver pieces. You find a nice red shirt, billowing sleeves. It's totally up your alley.

Okay, great. Compliments. See what I want to do? Quite wild. Can we go back out to the bazaar? Are we far from there? We're still close. He's gone through the bazaar.

You're not too far from it. Maybe you have a 10 minute walk from it. They sell any like weapons. Oh, and potions. We need potions. Yeah. Trinkets. Can I look and see if people are selling weapons?

You walk around and there are weapons being sold, yeah. Are there any like exotic weapons? No, most weapons that you find here are ornamental. They're for decoration. They're for like putting above mantle places. There are various blades that have bolting mechanisms in the back where you can easily mount them to a wall.

And then that you can see at least that are open in this bazaar for sale are presented as an actual item of warfare. Hmm. Okay. It's a magic shop. Make an investigation check. Oh, God. Come on, Percy.

Roll something good. That's better. That's better. 19. 19. Asking about you do come to, within the bazaar, what appears to be a small wooden building. It's kind of a hut, but it's constructed of these kind of dark wood panels.

And it's just, it resembles a little, those strange Marionette performance boxes that you see occasionally. Punch and Judy box, yeah. Except for it just has this one kind of frazzled looking young woman standing there with these long strands of curly, dark brown hair, red lips, dark eye shadow, just kind of equally looking out with a sign in the front bet reads, oddities and eccentricities. Good day.

Be pleased. Good day. Be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased to you as well. I'm stocked up on eccentricities, but if you have any oddities for sale, I'd be very interested. Well, there are many oddities at my disposal. I am Nisaba.

Oh, personal. Hello. Good to meet you. What kind of oddities you're looking for? You know, honestly, this is my first time in the city, and I'm trying to get a sense of what's available for sale and what sorts of things one would find in the city. So really, I'm interested in touring your stock as much. touring your stock, especially if you have anything exotic. What?

Let me show you. And over the next five minutes, she brings out all sorts of strange knickknacks. And it's essentially a display from the most awkward of vintage Salvation Armies you've ever come across. God, we found a hipster. However, you do catch a quick flash of what appears to be some small crystalline vials that appear to be strapped to some sort of leather bandolier. That's interesting. What do you call that? This is for a gentleman who passed through many years ago who claimed to be a great archivist

and sold this off when he had come into a lot of debt within the city. So I've made a good price, no one has really showed much interest in it. Interesting. May I may I take a look at it? You may, you may. Thank you. The leather's finally made, if a little worn. The chemical's inside. One of them does have a familiar color,

like a deep herbal red. This looks to be some sort of a low to medium level healing potion, most likely from your experience in the use of that. The two others are just kind of grayish and murky and don't really draw your attention, anything you're familiar with. Interesting.

Percy, what's that? I don't know. It's quite nice though, isn't it? Well, can I do a check on the other two potions to see with my potion knowledge? POTION sense? Pollyge. You can tell your intelligence check. Pollyge. Drop in pollage.

Oh. Not bad. Just straight intelligence. I'm 15. 15. 15. They do appear to have been prepared in the way that you prepare magically enchanted vials for potion for potions themselves, but you're not really able to make out just at a glance. You have to spend quite a time to make out what their Nature is. I'd have to look at it. Not familiar. Sorry.

Just buy it. That looks like a health potion though. Yeah, it does look a bit Healthy. It's like storage wars. Just buy it. Who knows what's in there? Yeah. What were you hoping to unload for it? Well, knowing that that is now a magic potion of healing and two other magical potions. That is a very valuable belt with its contents. I would sell you just a belt for five silver pieces to include the violas, and they do come as a set. Unfortunately, that would run you a 275 gold pieces. Now, see, we don't know what kind of feeling potion that is, and those other two vials could have, I mean, there is an expiration date on these things. How long have you had it? We've had it for a number of years. Number of years. Well, in that case, they're probably gone stale by now. I would say 75 gold at the very best. That is not going to work. She reaches out and takes the belt away from you and

sets it back down on the other side. 75 gold will not do you for that then. For the belt, maybe, if you want to do it. Well, for the belt, obviously we've already established that that's in silver range and certainly not touching gold. Right. But you're willing to often to offer it at 75 gold for it, please. 75 gold for the entire set. No, it's not going to work. I'm sorry.

No, and of course that makes sense that 100 gold for the for that entire set. I'm starting to take a nap against a column standing up. Just buy it. 100 gold. You've had it for so long. Make persuasion check. This is going to go.

Terribly. Terribly. Where's my persuasion? Oh, that's almost a number. Good. 16? She goes, ah. 225 gold. What is it?

200. Oh. and an acknowledgement and compliment to your stunning hair. I'm attempting to flirt very poorly. That eyebrow. Make a charisma check. Yes. Just a ball.

Just a straight fire to your roll. Charisma check? Come on, snitch. Come on. 12. You flirted with grass better. I appreciate you patron Mitch, but I'm a patient woman, and that is how I hold business.

To 22. Oh, Stonewall. Acquilis? The noble man's burned. I feel like I should have just learned some sort of lesson here. I'm just not entirely sure what it was. Oh, you know. This hardly matters, I suppose.

Maybe you'll come to it at the end of being an Encorel. Hey, guys, I'd have thought, you know, look, we were all supposed to have a meeting with the king, and I don't really... I haven't been paying attention to everyone's watching, and we've got time to kill. Should we go like, have a talk with a big man? Or at least put in for an audience.

Yeah. Yes, we probably should. I'm sobering up a bit. We should probably do that. Yeah, let's make the most of our time. Does it seem like a long walk towards the Surrealian palace? Maybe 45 minute to an hour walk. Perfect.

We've got hours and hours before we do. We do. It's like four o'clock in the afternoon. What time is the sunset here? Can I ask somebody? Is it getting low in the sky? You ask around, It looks to probably be about four hours from sunset.

Perfect. All right. Fine. Let's go. The best way to see a new city is to walk, you guys. Wait, hold on, I have to open my Pokemon. I'm going to get it. So you guys are making your way towards this Rulian Palace. All right.

So, as you approach the large, kind of, extremely imposing Palace. You come upon what looks to be an endless series of stairs that brings you to the upper platform that is the central portion of the city where the palace seems to reside, eventually peaking in the San Herald district that you were referred to earlier as the location of the palace and where the bowl of gentlemen exists. You step up to the very top of the stairs to find yourself already breathless at the sight of the immense purple-blue color. palace. A dozen towers reach for the clouds, the daylight peeking through their slightly

translucent material like glassy waters ever frozen in a fall. The central tower, the one that caught your eye that ends in a large cup-like position, rises above all of them with a slight spiral-type texture to the outside of the palace that just is incredibly tall amongst the rest of the cityscape. As you get closer, you You can see the main palace structure presents hundreds of arches pointed at their apex in its structure, smaller and smaller as it recesses further into the palace. It's very architectural build is a marvel and seems to both have consistency and kind of a chaotic feel to the placement of some of these arches, too, in size. It's a very strange but fascinating structure. You can also see turquoise detailing and trim against many of the pillars and carvings and statues that adorn the exterior of the grounds of this palace.

As you approach what appear to be the front gates that ascend in a very, very bright kind of blue turquoise exterior, close to 50 hands of ord patrol, various elements of the grounds around it. It looks like there are actual pockets of grass and gardens that have. exist around the Sarulian Palace in here, and the topography changes almost to feel like it belongs entirely anywhere but the middle of the desert. The guards do, I use suspiciously, as you approach, and you watch as one armored woman, her dark hair hidden mostly beneath an ornate helmet of brass and blue, approaches you guys. Welcome to the Sarulian Palace. I must ask you your business here. Forgive us for intrusion. We come seeking an audience of

Chamon. Samoort. Jamon Saoort. Our emperor does not take meetings. My apologies, but I must ask you to leave. We are, in fact, a group of ambassadors from the continent of Amon, from cities of Tel-Dorri, of... The continent of Tel-Dohr. It concerns the fate of the world.

Nome kick. That'll do it. Swation chick. Pick one. Which one? Which one? That one. Shut up. See? Listen to me. I'm not taking that for that.

23. No, 24. 24. Let me inquire with the Grand Maven. She turns around. for armor, and clinking, walks back to the palace, leaving you guys there kind of amongst these courtyard grounds. A few moments pass before she returns the doors opening, and as she descends next to her, you see what appears to be

an older woman with these long ceremonial robes that drag behind her, kind of spilling across the stairs as she descends. Seemingly dozens of gemmed bracelets that jingle as she walks with each step. She wears a tall headdress, what looks like brass quills, that press behind her head and down her back. As she approaches you all, the woman earlier that you spoke to the hand that approached you kind of stays behind quietly in watches, kind of weapon at the ready. The woman steps forward with a smile, and unlike the kind of abrasive appearance the most

to the hand of given, she seems to be more welcoming, gives the first time since you've been here a very formal welcoming bow with her hand before her, near their hand out. So be pleased, everyone. Be pleased as well. I must apologize. We were not aware of your arrival here. I am the Grand Maven, Gameshiga. Please, enter and follow me. To the what? No. Gmishiga?

Gmeshiga. This is good. Gmeshiga. Gmeshiga. This is good. This is very good. As she walks past you and the female hand that saw you earlier kind of just steps aside and watches you as you pass. and then ends up stepping behind you, a kind of flanking, and just keeping a watch from the back as you guys are led up the final staircase

through the front, turquoise gates of the Surrelean Palace, and they close behind you with a resounding, impact kind of echoing through these long halls. And from the interior, massive, massive pointed archways that lead down ornately decorated halls that just kind of echo with each footfall that hits across what looks like. endless, kind of white and black, bespeckled marble. She leads you through a series of hallways,

more hands walking past, as well as a number of other rope individuals, what appears to be a central chamber that has a number of steps and seats where it looks to be various philosophers are in mid-heated discussion, and once again the same language that you have not heard on your ears before, and you are eventually brought to what looks to be a very intricate and decorated waiting room with some finely upholstered silk chairs, couches, and the Grand Maven stops. If you would not mind, please have a seat.

Of course. Sure, yeah. She walks into a nearby doorway. It looks like a single door that leads into a small looking room from the brief moment you have to see it, and the door closes. And you hear a two minutes pass, five minutes pass. 10 eerie quiet minutes pass.

Windows in this room? No windows in this particular room, but you notice as you take a close look, the roofs while they are built of this deep blue, almost glass-like, thick crystal, they're ever so slightly translucent, and it kind of gives this general blue glow about the entire room.

So you can't make out any details from the outside, but there is kind of this strange translucence to the entire structure. Is that the only door to the room? There is the hallway that you left behind, but they're sitting in the doorway is the same hand that approached you guys and has been kind of keeping an eye the entire time.

He's in the room with us. Is away from you standing in the large archway hall that led you into this waiting room? I'm just up and pacing the room. This is very typical. There's nothing unacceptable so far. Trying to pace near the door that she went through so I can kind of keep an ear on the door. I walk up to the garden, I'll see.

Sorry. I really should have peed before I came in. Is there like a privy I could use? Uh, she kind of glances at you. Can I guess. You look like a strapping young man. Perhaps you can hold on to that for a time. I know it looks that way, but also have a strapping size bladder. I've been known to leave strapping size messies in corners. You see, I don't really come from all this finery, so the side of the wall's just as good with me, it's just I'm trying to be polite. Shethyn's behind the hallway and cheseman. Geymer?

Gremensk. Vorty. Just a moment. Another guard walks up behind and kind of kicks a bucket into the room. Fush! That'll do. Put up a shut up. Can I hear anything from the other side of the door?

Exception check. check. I'm laughing out loud. Oh wait, that's not a 20. Is that a 20? One. Oh, boy. You have your ear up against the wall.

I don't, I didn't want to have my ear against the wall. I wanted to be subtly doing it. Well, you're subtly doing it, and there's nothing. You get closer, and there's nothing. The rest of you hear, but you're still like, eventually the door opens again, and there, the May, and the Grand Maven stands again. She looks at the rest of you.

Come with me. You have been granted an audience. Oh, wow. She steps back into the chamber. That happened much easier than I expected. Yeah. Oh, thank you for the bucket. I'll hold it.

Good work talking at the door. Are you sure, Grog? They know who we are. We're convincing. I guess. Yeah, they must know who we are. Dice said you are. Maybe.

Yeah. Trust our luck. Luck is going. I'm walking. If anyone says Jenga, kill everyone we meet. That's the only plan we have. I'm walking into it. Yeah.

Really? Yeah. So you walk into what is a cylindrical chamber of smooth, blue-purple-court-like material with four strands of heavy chains taut between the ceiling and floor, about 15 feet above you. No other exit. Oh. I'm excited. I'm excited.

The door closes behind you and the maven still kind of relaxing our arms to her side. or headdress still kind of giving her this ominous presence, looks up. Oh, please. And there's a... Bhm! Exciting sound. Suddenly, the bland uncharacteristic walls to prepare to the rest of the palace begin to slide past the chains, now making this rattling sound as the floor itself seems to be lurching, and you'd feel a bit of pressure in the room that wasn't there before.

Oh, it's an elevator. Suddenly, you're being lifted, and the wall, The walls now no longer walled in by the rest of the palace. You can now see this occasional traveling down line as the spiral on the outside of the tower you once saw now surrounds you. The walls much thinner than the rest of the palace, as you can see through this somewhat translucent glass exterior,

the entirety of Iman surrounding you from upon high as it goes lower and lower as you're lifted higher and higher into this tower. This isn't a wrecked. I want to borrow. It's very off-putting but beautiful at the same time. Everything's seen through this like kind of shimmering, somewhat refracted blue passage. And as you go higher and higher, you can see the countless homes, walls and towers

is getting smaller and smaller below the other towers eventually ending as you grow higher in the tower. The Maven says, I request you do not touch the walls, please. Okay. Yeah. So no one I don't touch the walls. The view reveals the entirety of the city around you and beyond that the distant dunes and the desert that seems to have no end. You view a far-off mountain scape, a little bit in the northern direction that just begins to peek past your view.

Then boom! The floor ceases again. You all seem to lurch for a moment. Yourself, about an inch before you catch yourself on your feet. The maven kind of catches yourself. herself very used to this transition. You now see behind her where it has stopped, there appears to be another set of doors similar to the ones you enter the bottom portion of this tower. The door opens, and you can see the next room is a set of staircases, the same color that slowly curl off and disappear upward above you. Please follow me. She walks in a robe dragging behind you guys give enough birth for it to follow.

As you led up the stairway, choosing right or left, they both lead to upper platform in what is the top of the central tower of the Surlian Palace. As you enter this room, you see close to 100 dangling silk tapestries from 50 or 60 feet up of multitudes of different colors, rainbows, scapes of beautiful, beautiful,

translucent cloths and silks just gently flowing with breezes and nice, mingling and mixing into each other around the outside of the wall. High arched windows on each side and behind, it looks to be a large opening, reveal passing clouds surrounding this height and obfuscating certain portions as they meet with the height of this tower's apex. You see a large balcony on the opposite side of the room that has opened with its own similar-sized arch that extends outward, has a railing about four feet up that is an opening that overlooks an open air all above the city to sea.

In the center of the chamber, you see a series of steplight platforms circular that rise up upon each other. And in the center, you see where it seems to be a tall throne of bronze and sapphire. That probably sits 10 feet up from the base, thin, but extremely long and widened towards the top. You can see hundreds of sapphires kind of put into and set into shiny,

kind of ruddy metallic material that frames the entirety of the throne. And there sitting atop this throne, you see a slender, human-like entity wearing no jewelry, no ceremonial adornments, no crown, just a simple brown cotton shirt over simple, elegant pants, bare Bare feet, no shoes. Indrogenous and beautiful, you're unable to really make out the sex of this creature. It's neither man nor elf, not fay, but something somewhat alien almost. The skin, a deep set kind of reddish-brown, smooth and impeccable. The features are extremely fine and delicate.

The eyes are what catch you. like night, but the pupils burning points of molten metal. The entity smiles and stands off the throne. Now, at this height, seeing it standing almost as tall as Grog by comparison, the limbs are elongated, extends a hand towards you as you step into the chamber. To Ankara. Heroes of Taldore. I am Shimon Sauru, and it is my pleasure. And that is roll-pig-up our session in two weeks. Welcome to Mick Unplugged, the number one podcast for self-improvement and modern leadership. I'm Mick Hunt, your host, and I'm here to challenge your why and fuel your because.

This is where leaders, entrepreneurs, and go-getters come to level up. Each week, I bring you unfiltered conversations, game-changing strategies, and the kind of motivation that transforms lives and legacies. I've learned from legends like Les Brown, Damon John, and Robert Irvine. And now I'm bringing their lessons, along with mine, straight to you. From modern leadership tips to creating unstoppable momentum, this is the podcast that redefines what's possible. Hit play, subscribe, and join the millions who've made Mick Unplugged their go-to source for growth and greatness, because your next breakthrough is just one episode away.

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