Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry - Vox Machina Ep. 66 - A Traveler’s Gamble

Episode Date: January 10, 2022

Vox Machina request the help of J’mon Sa Ord in the upcoming battle against the Chroma Conclave. And the whereabouts of Mistress Asharru are finally uncovered. Also Spice.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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in the path of destruction that they swept across all of Taldore and continents beyond, it seems. They found themselves going to the continent of Marquette across the central desert, meeting the parents of Dillmore, it seems, and coming to the city, the jewel of Marquette,

known as Enkarelle. You found yourself wandering the streets, meeting curious individuals are known, apparently made as made of spice steel that is to come to fruition at some point. in the near future. God's willing. Not once. In search of what seems to be the bearer

of one of the vestiges of divergence you have been seeking in preparation of we're a battle with Thorac, as well as seeking allies in this strange, new, interesting city. You, through the continuous perpetual threat of evil that forces the world, you found a hookabar and got

fuzzy drunk on a form of sand keg-based liquor. You learned a bit about the city, a bit about the culture. You learned some, from Jared, some good possible tips on how to engage with the people around the town. Oh, be pleased. Yes, be pleased. Be pleased. Be pleased. And you guys made your way towards the Cyrillian Palace in the center of the city. After being balked by the hand of Ord upon arrival, you were then greeted by the Grand Maven

and give an entry to the Surlian Palace. Upon passing up a large, translucent blue tower above the city of Ankara, Nottie Mano was tired. We knew what you meant. I know, I figured you guys would be all in that. And eventually opened into a central chamber at the very top of this tower that overlooks the majority of the desert from this position

that you can see. There, there were large windows across the entirety of this somewhat circular-of-life groom, there was a raised platform in the center, a balcony across the opposite way, and sitting atop this throne in the center made of brass and sapphire. You met an individual, seemingly the ruler for a long time of this city, the androgynous long-living figure known as Jamon-sa-Lord.

Fuck. And that is what we're picking up the session. And the Grand Maven took us up there? Yes. We saw him and we met him, right? He was like, hello. Just greeted you when we left off. He knew who you were.

Right. He, she, you're not quite sure what the sexes of this figure specifically. The fine features, elongated limbs, and long dark hair seemed to deflect trying to pin down a lot of details about the history or source of where this individual came from. However, they have risen from the throne. bow deeply and greeted you. Welcome to Ankarel, heroes of Taldori. I am Shimon Saourth.

It is my pleasure to greet you and gave you a soft bow. So, your arrival has not escaped my whispers. And I'm curious if your presence means what I think it means. What do you think it means? Exactly. I have heard our Skyport access to Eman was bobbed by Dragon Attack. I would hope the problem would be sorted by now for the purposes of our vast trade network.

And you've arrived, I hope with good news. Oh yeah, it's like a mixed bag, a little good, little bad. I'd say it's mostly bad. Mostly. It's mostly bad. It's good news in progress. Mostly bad. My version of good news in progress.

We are making headway. We've taken down one. We have a problem that as far as I know is, two. Two. Has never been encountered for in the history of civilization that dragons are cooperating with one another. We are fighting not one dragon, but a conclave of dragons.

All cooperating. for towards the destruction and sublimation of man. It seems as if this is an extermination. Hmm. Mostly successful. Mostly. They mostly come at night. Mostly. They plan at dawn.

So you see these dragons are working together? It appears. It's attacking and destroying. I assume they are of the chromatic origin then? Yes. That is right. You're correct. Working together is quite strange.

Hmm. What else can you tell me of this threat? A great ancient red one, known as the Sindic king, is sitting on him on. He appears to be their leader. Hmm. He was released somehow from the plain of fire.

By a green dragon, Rayshan. Réchan. I don't recognize this name. What's the name of the red do you speak of, this cinder king? Thor-Dak. There is a subtle reaction from the creature before you. Draw us back and narrows its gaze a bit, the mention of the name.

Thorac, yes. I recall this name. A foolish drake from the scaldwind sands, who saw unwisely to threaten my domain. Many years ago, we cut his heart and watched him sink beneath the ocean. This creature you speak of, I do not think it is the same Thorac. No? Why wouldn't it be?

Because I watched him die. Oh, but orthodak, he has like this thing that is at the center of his chest, right? It's like a jewel. It's replaced his heart, potentially. And if you've sliced his original, Maybe he, like, you know, upgraded. Or perhaps someone brought him back to life. Not unheard of.

So this beast that herries you. You are certain. It goes by the name Thorac. Certain. Quite virtual. What proof do you have of this being the same beast? Other than his heart, obviously, having been previously maimed in some way, we have no proof that it could be the same beast. We were not here.

But even if it isn't the same beast, the fact that a dragon takes its name should trouble you. And we've heard of your success before, and we're hoping you could offer us a little guidance. It is an old dragon. A thorac that came to war here was not quite as large and powerful as you seem to say this one is. How long ago was it?

This was centuries ago. If he was but maybe 100, 150 years at the time. He could have grown by then? Yes, I'm afraid we're not talking about a Drake anymore. We're talking about an ancient full-grown dragon. God knows how time works in the fire elemental plane. He may be much older than time is allowed. With respect, you were here centuries ago?

The creature known as John Sword, they steeple their fingers and glance over to you. at head height with you, practically, even stepping down from the platform. Oh, shit. I have been here for some time, yes. I've got to get your diet sometime. That's amazing. In general, it is impolite to query of the age of any being in general. Oh, right.

I would have assumed you'd know that by now. Yeah, right. Beep-beep. Really? Really? The still narrowed black eyes with the tiny pinpoints of molten metal. peeking through, relax. The arms go from the steeple position to a cross,

and now a look of curiosity comes across their face. If this is truth, then how do you plan to fell this ever-burning worm? Well, that is the question, isn't it? We're collecting items. Messages of power. Hopefully, with them in tow, we'll be able to gather armies to combat Thorac. We know we can't take him on alone. We're also gathering allies, and we've already destroyed several of his companion dragons.

You have. We have. We have a couple. Indeed. And we did recon on a third. Preparing to kill a white dragon. So am I to understand that you? You are spearheading this endeavor?

Well, sort of unofficially. We were surprised as anyone, yes. You know, we didn't necessarily ask for this. It just sort of fell in our lap. It fell in our city, actually. Yeah, it's true. Our keep came crashing down around us, and then we were committed. Very well.

Then what do you want from Jamon, Saourte? Perhaps if it comes to it a little bit of help, possibly collecting the vestige that we are looking for in this city, that we are currently, hopefully collecting and being upon our way with causing as little noise in the city as humanly possible. We are aware that is complicated for people like us. And perhaps an ally in the coming battle to come. It may, I would imagine, please you to perhaps meet these dragons on foreign shores, as opposed to in your city walls. It's only a matter of time. If we can't defeat them in Amon, he will spread his territory. If it is the dragon that you remember, he will come here. And if it isn't the dragon you remember, the fact that he took that name means that he will come here. This city is well protected. I am not worried about this dragon or dragons you speak.

I imagine... protect her here, and we are awarded against such threats. But you'd like to awaken trade with him on again, yes? This does interest me, as there is quite a stake in the rods we've built with Tardore. Is there anything you can share with us from your encounter back then? It would help. The creature once known as Sordak had begun to grow tired of his meager. Dominion, there Miss Scaldwin Sands,

began to reach out with his many foul, cobald armies and various serpentine followers, decided that the very jewel of our city was perhaps a good throne to sit upon, and, much to its foolish intent, attacked not knowing what it was after. We struck down its armies, and for two weeks there was battle between the skies of here and the northern mountains. Before, we took a fell strike against the beast. It escaped to the north and attempted to flee beyond the ocean's waters, but we caught up to it, struck it down, and watched it fall into the fathoms.

If this is the same beast, you say, then it is... uncanny it could survive such an encounter, and would say it is even more dangerous, having learned from these past struggles. Do you think you simply wore it down, or was there some angle you used? I have my ways. We have our ways. Well, you wish my aid? You do. Yes. You go running into the furnace, and you wish me to be at your side.

We don't run into the furnace willingly. Or hastily. The furnace is the only exit. We wish to just borrow an asbestos coat. There's a brief pause as Jermon looks a past and seems to peer two through each of you, scanning back and forth of those strange, smoldering pupils. Uh-oh.

You look able-bodied, and strong of will. However, I have watched many of your kind with these same traits waltz into oblivion before. I will not risk myself or my city by backing a fool's whim. Show me what you're capable of, fellows of Ox Mochina. Uh-oh. Show the soul of the desert jewel what you are capable of. And Jimonso Orr begins to step back. Oh, jeep-proof.

Strange powers, is this the wheeled? He's using a hydraulic pump. I know. This is an imaginary. It's omnipotent. They ain't no attention. Suddenly a row of those car wash. It's like the best sound cue ever.

You hear the cracking and rumbling of something in the distance. As Jean-Monseau-Ord steps back and fades from view. Oh, come on. You hear a latching of stone behind you, as it seems the Grand Maven has stepped back into the platform you arrived in and closed it behind you. Oh, good. Another loud crack hits the air around you.

And you watch as over past the other side of the room where the balcony stands, a looming shadow plummets out from seemingly the sky itself and lands smashing onto the marble floor of the exterior. of the exterior. Its silhouette's humanoid, but swollen, across the sunlight that's pushing past from beyond. Sam is here. Somebody go get Sam. Sam is the river.

Blue dust and pebbles tumble across the archway from the balcony to your side. Coming to rest. The shape squeezes through the balcony arch into the room. What you see is a thick-limbed silhouette marching into the throne chamber, a 15-foot, armoured structure of intricate, decorated coal bolt plates and iron bulk, dragging a massive cleaver-like blade with one arm,

and a clenched boulder-like fist in the other. Two burning white flames flare as eyes within its solid helmet. I need you all to Roland. You just got back in town. You just got work. Fetched the no. Oh, no. The no one's just in time.

And a map. Why don't we have Fassbender with us? Oh, where is Fassbender? busy being a good guy. Fastbender's with Wilhelm. Yeah. Hey. Hey.

Sam, we're all gonna die. We just rolled initiative. So I have some questions for the leader, but oh, what? Some shit went down. I know. You were listening in here? I'm with her. Okay.

Brought you some stickers from burning in hand. Thank you. All good, I got you. Oh, dear. Apparently the character minis were not brought to the table with you in just a moment when those arise. What is what, what is that? What is that? What is, oh wow, that is a big ironed man.

That is everything I've ever hoped for. This is over here while we fought a thing. Oh my God, he's huge. I am definitely having a little bit of like Tony Stark porn moment like that right now. I want to wear it like a suit. So initiative orders. So 25 to 20. It's a grogbubber.

Anybody 25 to 20? Wait, wait. Roll, Sam, roll. Oh, I think he got something good. No. No. Which roll, Grog? 17.

25, 20, no one. 20 to 15. 18. 17. 19. Oh, I was wrong. 14. I added wrong. You can put me on our spot. 19.

17. What did you get, Percy? 18. 18, right. So that's Percy Grog. Uh. That thing is huge. Thank you, God.

Can we move all this? 15 to 10. 12. Real estate on this. 14. I have 40 dice. 14 as well. B.

All right. Here we. And then a fucking 20 again as soon as it's like... Sound if you slowly dying. What are those clear blocks? Are those glass? Those are the windows. Those are the windows?

Are those glass? That's like the D&D version of those awful glass bricks from the 80s. from the 80s. Those are, yeah, those are like, privacy. He's a big metal, fast vendor? He was a 12? And armored, yeah, 12. Okay.

So he's a big metal dude? Big metal, and he's a test. We're not to kill anyone else in the room. I don't think he's real. He said he's in cold walls. I'm right. I also, so, as the entity bursts its way into the room,

it's flaming ice, flare, Vax, you have the beginning of this encounter. I'm going to click the boots together and I'm going to slide over this way between those two windows I'm closest to. Between there? Yeah. And I'm going to all the way to the wall. All the way to wall? Yeah. Right there?

To the windows. And I'm going to dagger and dagger and dagger him. All right. Okay. First one is 24. Hits. Second one is I'm going to re-roll that with luck. I'm gonna re-roll that with luck.

Second one, it falls is 16. All right, is this your last luck of the day? Because you have arrested yet? Two, that's my second. I've been checking them off. And the third one is 24 as well. All right, so what was it, 24? It was 24, 15 or 16, and 24 again.

So the second one misses first, the first and last 10. First and last, okay, so, um, give me the pyramid and I go and get. I go and get. Three is, is, uh, Nine plus I have advantage so I get sneak attacks so that's nine plus 14 1920 and six 30 36 for the first and the second is 36 and the second gets ten all right

forty six points of damage first round of attacks from Vax well done the blades hit and streak off and you can see portions of the iron plates between the Cobalt armor itself seem to have been carved grooves into them, and it's actually made an impact on the outside of the creature. Is that in your turn? That ends my time. All right, Percy, you're up. Okay, I'm going to, first of all,

cast hex on this creature. Alrighty. Atta boy. Yeah. Thanks a reminder. Get it. I'm going to cast my hex. And then I'm going to start, I'm going to start gentle. I'm going to take three shots with.

with the retort pistol, including the first one is going to be an attempt at a head shot. Okay. So that's a burn of grit. Come on, I know it's been two weeks, don't be angry. Don't be a cat, be a dog, just be happy to see me. And it's happy to see me. That's 31.

31 hits. My cats were not happy. That's terrible. Hold on. Sorry. That's 12 points of piercing damage. I'm sorry, that's seven points of piercing damage, five points of necrotic damage.

And he has disadvantage on strength checks. Okay, spanish checks. And he has to make a Constitution saving throw. Okay. That is a 22. I don't like him. As a note, the first shot, it hits the head, just bounces off, seemingly no effect.

There's a little bit of a necrotic seep into the armor that seems to have affected it to a small extent, but the bullets seem to have almost no effect on the time. Really? What? What kind of bullet was this? No, yeah, Liam's not doing piercing damage. Yes, he does.

He has piercing damage. Yeah. But it seemed to get through less than. Magic. Hmm. Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Bullets are not magic?

My bullets are bullets. Okay. Maybe it's just because they're projectiles? Oh, no. Okay, good to know. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Is he made of metal or is he a big dude in a metal suit? We don't know.

You don't know. Okay. How much of the, is there, okay, so that's good to know. I'm gonna take another shot at the helmet with for a headshot. Okay. Spread out. Where I don't even see where we are. Wherever they're in front of the throne. Okay.

27. What's happening? 27 hits. Oh, pandemonium. Better. 16 points of piercing damage, three points of necrotic. Okay. and another Constitution saving throw.

That is 18. That is now has disadvantaged on attacks until the end of his next turn. Okay. This one does hit the head and it seems to knock it off to the side. One of the flames kind of sputters for a second, but leaves no impact or damage against the helmet.

You are kidding. So is it fair to say that 16 points of damage didn't happen? I'm at the moment, I'm blowing bullets not for damage bullying blones for effect at the moment. Oh, good. For science. This is all effect-based. I'm not trying to damage him right now.

She blinded me with science. She blinded me with science. I have one more shot, so I guess I'm going to take it. You have nice one. She hit me with the garbage. Okay. And just for chits and giggles, I'm going to take a sharpshooter shot. Okay.

Lover boy. Fuck me. Fuck me. Uh, 1927. Okay, so it hits. And that's 21 points of piercing damage, four points of necrotic. Okay. Once again, it ricochets off with a flash of sparks and energy.

You can see the necrotic seems to have left this kind of slight burn against the plate, but the bullet has left no groove in the armor. All right. That's cool. I'm putting the gun down, and I'm going to back up up. up to the, I'm gonna pull to my left. Okay. And I'm going to try and get against the wall, not the glass. There. Alrighty.

And you turn? And in my turn. Grog, you're up. It's time to wake it up, boys and goes. So I would like to, I would like to rage. I know, I know. Is I'm in front of the throne? That's me, right? That big proud fuck over there. Could I run as far as my little feet can carry me? me over in front of Percy and more towards along the wall.

Okay, so 2530, 30, about 40, 4550 is where you can get right there. Yeah, that's cool. I'm cool with that. I'm not in front of that window, right? More in front of the wall. No, you're like, it's just to the right of you. Okay, sweet. May I attach the chain of returning to my blood axe and throw it at said giant bastard?

You may. What is the range on? Uh, uh, uh, a hundred, a hundred, a hundred, 120 feet on the chain of return. Chain returning? Yes. No, is that right? No, that's not right. Like 60 feet, I think. Or was it 30 feet? It's a pretty short distance to throw.

Oh, shit, is it? Go double check, roll back. I don't have it. It's like a thousand feet. It's been a couple of weeks. We're a little rusty. How tall would you say this guy is? This guy? Yeah.

15 feet. He's 15 feet tall, grog. 15 feet. Uh-huh. Tall. I hear it, chain of returning. Well, I was going to say, I was a little. It doesn't say.

It must be attached. Mailer weapon. Thrown. Bonus action. Athletic strength required to pull the thing out. No distance. Okay. It's even laminated.

It's a 30-foot distance, just like most throwing weapons would be... Damn it. You know what? Since I'm raging, I take out the javelin of lightning and I'll throw that. All righty.

That'll work. And I'll make it a reckless attack. Oh. That's good because that's a two. That's a four. Oh, my God. Is this the dice that was fucking you last week? Yeah, but I got a lot to play.

No, it's not. Don't start with your ju-ju. It's 18. 18. As you throw the javelin, it hits the shoulder pulled and scrapes off, firing out of the balcony and over the edge. No! ASIO lightning javelin.

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That's what you get for playing with it in the house. That ends my turn. Six seconds later. Ah! We should. Sorry, Steve. Alright. All right.

All righty. It is now the Cobalt Golems' turn. Okay. Oh dear. Colbott's GOLOMAYL. Like how we're just clustered right. Well, here he comes right at me. It's really fun.

It's really fun how we're just clustered. It kills all. It's dragging the cleaver behind it, scraping across the grounds of this palace room as it as it comes sauntering up, its large leg movements, taking these large strides against the floor, leaving this small crack under each footfall. It turns around, the blade isn't being ready to fight. Instead, its flames kind of curl up and darken, and you watch as its neck kind of opens up to this dark space underneath.

And then this fume of purplish blue mist seems to just spill out in front of it. No. Oh no, he's really... Oh no! Yeah. Area of effect. As he attacks, can I use cutting words to reduce the attack? Yeah, Scanlan do that. You are more than welcome to try it.

I have a feeling this is like a missed attack as I could. We'll try. Okay, so you use your cutting words. Yeah, I just say to him, oy, your face is so ugly, I'm considering casting blindness on myself, so I don't have to look at it. Okay. It's cold as ice.

Okay. You go ahead and roll the dice. What is it? 10 or 8? D-10, whatever your artic inspiration. It has no effect on, unfortunately. All right, I need Vex, Heeleth, and Scalyn to all make Constitution saving throws.

Oh no! There's always a Constitution-suitous I hate Constitution saving throws. Okay, okay. That's not terrible. Okay. I got a natural 20. What?

Yeah, he did, look at that. Damn, all right. 17 total. 17? 19 total. Okay. Let me go ahead and this is a lot of dice I gotta roll here, so let me go ahead. Oh, no!

Oh my god. How many is a lot? 22. I'm glad I moved. Same. I didn't. We didn't. We have a good out.

So, Sam, as the poisonous fume fills the space, you can feel it burning the outside of your skin and filling your lungs, you guys, and start coughing as the horrible burning sensation in your interior begins to fill your entire experience. right now. Scanlan, you manage to pull aside and close your nose just in time, but it still burns the exterior. You take 26 points of poison damage, Scanlan. That is 55 points of poison damage to both Vex and Keelis. Oh! On a 19? 20 DC. How much? 55? Yes. Did you say 55? Yes.

Don't kill this thing. We got to recruit. Yeah, basically me too. More than half. More than half. Yeah. All right. That's going to end its turn. Vex, you're up. Cool story. Great, cool. At least you fell in love for you, don't. Cool story, bro. Is he within five feet?

Can I get away from him? Fuck you, Trevor. You will take an attack on the opportunity to do so. It's true. Oh, man. I'm just going to hope that he doesn't hit me, and I'm going to try to run away from him and back up. All right, so back him away. Oh, okay. Does he?

Yeah, he has disadvantage on swinging at you. He does, yes. Okay. So as you start rushing away. the way the one kind of lax arm holding the clavier goes, whoosh, and comes down overhead like a giant thick, three and a half foot wide blade of solid iron. Okay.

With disadvantage, that's car. All right, that is 25 to hit. Whoa! This is a powerful fighter. He hits me. Watch him get, watch me die right now. He's right, we're not ready. We're not ready.

We're stupid assholes, so God. We'll go do drugs in your lounges for the rest of our lives. If he kills me right now, I'm gonna be so pissed. You take 29 points of bludgeoning damage, or not bludgeoning, sorry, slashing damage, as the blade strikes down, slicing right across your front torso, nearly throwing you to the ground, and you can already feel like the blood,

pull it in your mouth and kind of become dripped on the side of your chin, but you do manage to pull away from him. Okay. Where do you want to move? Oh, my dear Lord. I'm gonna run around to the behind the throne. Okay. But I'm gonna shoot him as I'm doing it. I'm just gonna shoot him from there.

30. All right. And then I'm going to shoot him with, hopefully the lightning actually does something, because I'm going to shoot him with a lightning arrow. Yes, but that does. And I'm doing it at a fourth level. All right. So I just roll. For the lightning arrow?

Attack as normal. Yes. Okay. Oh, no. Um, shit. What is that? 22. 22. 22 hits. Okay. Okay. There's normally 4D8, but it's a higher level, so it's 5D8 points of lighting damage. Wait, what? Why was it higher?

Did you do it at a higher level? Yeah. Oh, okay. 19. 19 points of lighting damage. All righty. The lightning streaks into it as the arrow hits, and the lightning begins arcing through its armor. It bursts outward. Kiel, if I need you to go ahead and make a deck Oh shit. Keelith, I'm so sorry. Who? Why? Because she's within rage. She's within 10 feet of the creature. No, it's fine.

It's fine. I'm good. What, dexterity say? Yes. No, it's a fucking lightning arrow. I just never use it. 11. 11.

So you take nine points of lightning. Or no, no, 2D8. So you roll 2D.A damage. Does my spell eater, spell resistance armor help with this? I've got advantage. Just eight little points. So eight points of lightning damage. my advantage from spell resistance so my armor help with this?

Uh, it is technically a spell. So go ahead. So go ahead. Better. That's better. That's better. It's better. 21.

Yes, you actually take half damage. She take four points of letting down. Yay! That's nothing. Who? It feels good. Now you feel alive. Yeah, I'm awake.

And I'm gonna keep running and go behind that throne. That's as far as you can get at 30 feet. I'm gonna stay right there. So you wanna run past this way, which we have five, 10, 15, 20, 25, to 15, 25, 30 you can get over there okay sure you were to yeah knowing you and your movement situation you would have probably taken the more direct route because you're gonna get hit regardless exactly um so it did not hurt him at all it could have heard him

oh the lightning hurt it looked like it seemed to like react to the impact he's metal he's made a metal okay before I go just because I wasn't in the room did did Jaman saw Ord say this is a test yes yes yes okay all right he said show me what you could do okay show me what you show me what you show me what you what you got. Okay, then I'll, I'm out of range so he can't swipe me as I walk away, right? Or am I? As far as you know. Oh, great. Well, then I'll stay, I'll stay put. You saw the blade slam down towards Vex and it slammed like a few inches away from you,

so you're like right on that maybe, maybe not edge. You have to put it. Maybe let's not risk that. So I'll just hand cone up. O'Tiluque's Resilient Sphere to trap the beast. Yes! Yes, yes. Go, Scaling. Can we pull the separate faster? Please, please, please.

Let this work, please. It's a good plan. It's a good plan. It's enough to like, heal up and get ready. Creature of object size large or smaller. This is technically a huge creature. He's huge. I thought you said he's 15 feet.

15 feet tall. He himself is about 15 or 15 or 40. A medium creature is about six to seven feet average. A medium creature is about six to seven feet average, a large creature. about like 10 to 12. This guy's like... I have... Huge balls. Huge balls.

You have been balls. They're not huge. Right. They're large balls. They're larger or smaller. Okay. So as soon as you start, you start catching the spell, you look at it and sizing it up, you're like, ooh, this isn't going to fit in one of my spheres.

Okay. So I did that and because I saw lightning work, I'm going to, well, then I'm going to have to move. Can I hit them now without hitting Keyleth or do I have to move for that? to move for that. It's okay. You can, because he's wide enough. You can just go that way. I'll just lightning bolt then.

Level three lightning bolt. Alrighty, all right. I can't take it. With advantage on it, save, that is a 16thexterity saving throw. A saving throw? Yeah, against lightning bolt to see if it manages the dog to the way. Does my cutting words affect that at all? No, cutting words is to reduce the attack of the creature.

No, but because I'm armed with Mithcarver, when I use it, then my target gets a disadvantage on his next saving. Correct. I mean, it saving throw is still 16. Your DC is way higher. It failed. Okay. So we're good. Like, this is a big creature. It's not very dexterous. You can't, you can't dodge quickly. It kind of like, it's like a small moving tank. So 8d6 then. Correct. 24. 24 points light damage. The bolt of energy arcs off from your finger. Just passing, Keyleth, you kind of shake just from the nearby impact. Your body's still a little numb from the previous electrical hit. It blasts the front, just as the arc from Vexis attack begins to wear off. This time the energy coursing through its entire body, you can see as it tries to lift the blade up for another attack.

It kind of like almost drops the blade from the impact, but it stays firm and kind of shrugs it off. But you can see the kind of darkened period across its body where the electrical bolts are beginning to take an effect across its physical form. Okay, I'll use that opportunity to sort of back away and hope it doesn't get me. Back away and you're just out of range for it to try and make a strike out you. So you can keep moving if you want Yeah, I'll go all the way to the wall Over the wall? But not the glass Yeah, so his disadvantage totally And then and then I'll I will inspire

I just come up next I'll inspire Grog he hasn't happened yet right? Yeah, Grog's coming up to you With a with a hastily written Limerick Okay, ready Never. Kevdak had these terrible knuckles. They beat up on Grog while he chuckled.

But while Kevin laughed, Grog sliced him in half and said, These are mine now, fuckles. Those are all words that you kind of understand, so you take your inspiration died. I like to say it was Kevin halfway through the limit. Fuckles? Did you ten or twelve?

Today's word. B-time. B-time. Does that end your turn? That is all I can do. All right, key lift, you're up. Uh, okay, seeing that the lightning is doing some damage, I'm going to cast call lightning at fourth level. Pich-p-psych-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch--------------------tue.

So, um, I'm going to take a step back first, actually. Okay, this way but you. But he's got disadvantage, right? I've got a five, five foot. Yeah, that's true, but he's a disadvantage. He still got me at 25, but one. You're 10 feet away, though. Just five feet.

I just want to shift back five feet. Okay. I can do that without getting a swipe, right? He's already used his reaction to strike it. Oh, sweet, keep blowing. Oh, sick. Oh, back it up a little bit more. There we go, that's good.

No, that stays fine. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, yeah, I'm gonna cast call lightning. All right. Fourth level. The very top level, and this, this chamber comes to this, this large kind of dome-like precipice at about 60 feet up.

Upwards, you see what is kind of a skylight-ish series of glass. begins to fill with dark clouds swirling. As Keyless concentrating her eyes kind of fog over white. What are you gonna do? Right on his head. As she focuses, he brings her arm down one singular bolt, coalesces and strikes down right to his head. What's the DC on the spell? Uh, 19.

Alright. Bell, bow, bow, bow. Uh, no, he rolled the 19 and he rolled the 19 and he rolled the 19 and failed. He's got a minus one on his deck save. He's a slow guy. So he takes 3D10 lightning damage. Go ahead and roll that. 4D10 because I cast it up. That's right, 4010s. Yeah. 10s? I have Dens. Drop Johnny 5, will you? Come on. He's got 500. You know, he's got so many.

Um, three, sick. Not great. Uh, I want to get it. A, sorry, that what's six plus eight? 14 plus 5, 19 points of lightning damage. 19 points of lightning damage. and... It strikes into its head and you see it kind of has to fall back onto its back leg to kind of right itself. And... And with...

It's growling, sounds like creaking of metal and stone against each other and it kind of resonates through the floor. With that, I'm going to use my free action to go Earth elemental form. Yay! Action you mean? Yes. All right. My free action.

I know he said... My free action. Yeah. They sound like Mickey? Did that happen? I'd like to use my bonus action to go Earth Elemental! As the growling sound of stone and metal seems to vibrate the floor, you step back and hulk out into your elemental form, almost returning a similar earth against stone growl back at it.

There she is. Yeah. Top of the round, backs your up. Good. Would you allow me to use my bonus action to go stealth and quietly run over using my hasted speed to give out my sister behind that stone thingy in the middle of the room? You can certainly try. Yes, I'd like to try.

Four, five, six, one. Get behind there, go ahead and roll stealth check. Okay. I'll use my last luck of the day, though. Fine. It's 29. Okay. Yes.

As far as you know, it doesn't see. Okay, I'd like to curve around by my sister and use sharpshooter to throw two daggers as hard as I can at him. Oh, please need to tell. Why are you going to... That's what I want to do. No, he's gonna aim at me! The first one is 26, 25, and the second one misses, it's a natural one. What the fuck?

With shop shooter. Oh no, 26, right. 21. All right, which, and these are with which blades? This is with dagger of venom and flame time. So the flame missed, dagger hit. Right, okay. So, you throw the normal damage for the dagger of venom.

Is it a sneak attack? He does not seem to... So yes, you are rolling damage. All right, all right, all right, all right, all right. So it's plus 10 because I use sharpshooter. So one... Duk-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-dddddd is seven plus O-lpleas, plus 10 is 17.

Oh, clear. Twenty-three, twenty-seven, thirty-two, 37. Forty-seven damage. Oh, nice. Forty points of piercing damage. 40 points of piercing damage, as this one dagger hits one of its front chest plates and causes it to actually dislodge and kind of hang to the side. And it's kind of hanging by some sort of interior bolted circumstance. You can see a bunch of iron mechanisms that are holding it together.

Some almost clockwork, some appear to be arcane in nature and are just being held off by some sparking whitish blue energy. Do I have five feet of movement left? You actually right now have about 15 feet of movement. right behind the things. I'm out of range. Good job, thanks. To get him, and then he looks over, and I'm standing there. Yeah. It's the best, that's the best, best move ever.

I didn't hear any of that. I know. I'm right behind you, you did hear it. As a sibling in real life, I'm so proud of it. I know. I'm so proud of turn per syrup. Okay, I can see the damage that this thing is taken. I got you.

Would it be possible to target the wound and try and shoot in? I'd be happy to burn a grit to do it, to target the mechanisms and not the armor. Try and get a chunk of metal in there. Sure. Okay. First thing I'm going to do is I'm going to take a couple steps to the right and just try and like shove my elbow onto that glass to see what it feels like. Okay. So you step by and it's a pretty thick pain about maybe an inch or so thick.

It has very, very faint. It looks like almost glass cut carvings and designs into it. some of them mainly, like, geometric vines that curl on themselves. It's a really, really pretty display for the brief moment that you glance at the corner of your eye at it. I didn't even know. I just wanted to see how strong it felt. Pretty strong. Okay. Like high-rise glass. Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna pull the rest of my movement of the opposite direction. Yeah. Yeah. Not to, yeah. I don't want to be in front of a window.

Yeah. I'm gonna pull out Bagnews, and I'm going to take a targeted shot at these mechanisms with the big gun. Okay. And I'm again, I obviously can't do a trick shot because I'm shooting at a thing. Yes, that would not work. Obviously. I'm going to spend a dead eye shot for it. Well, when I was in boring school, Okay. And I'm burning grit. Here we go.

Didn't need that grit, but fucking... Nope. Jesus, Percy! 18 on both. So, uh, 18, uh, 18. I want to be you. 25 hits. Charlie, die.

PING. 25 hits and that's, oh boy, this is fun. That's, and it's six. That's, um... Whoa! He'sh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-preat-pinness. Pretty, pretty princess. 21, 31, 37 points of piercing damage.

What the fuck? And five points of necrotic. Okay. You, sir, have the temperament of a Yale. As you fire, bad news, you can see the, smoke and dark mist that fires at the hundred of its barrel from the hex. The large heavy bullet goes into the opening in the chest that was my god and you hear it bouncing around inside seemingly not really doing anything here. Oh, come on. Still well in.

I reload and shoot yourself in the face. Fuck it, I am Aquaman in this fight. I'm well aware. That sword out, man. I burn another grit. Oh yeah, no, I am. But like, I'm just trying. So you fire, reload, and for your... This is my third and final shot. I'm going to, once again, take one more.

I'm going to take an arm shot. I'm going to try and get us to drop its toy. All righty. Finally, a, yay, that's better. Um, uh, 90, 30, I'm sorry, uh, 13. I can't count 22. That hits. So the bullet ricochets off the hand, uh, doing no damage to it.

What's the DC on... No damage? No damage. It's... Normal damage. No damage. Oh, my bullets do no damage. You still get necrotic?

Yes, it does. Yay. One point of necrotic damage. What's the DC on the... Well met. DC is 19. That's 19? That brings it to...

It's a strength saving threat. Strength, okay. That is a 17. That is a 17. He drops it. I yell out. Somebody get that thing away from him. And as the bullet slams into its hands, fingers against its own will are pride open from the blast, a little bit of proof of smoke off the side. The giant blade, which is about, I'd say, seven and a half feet long. Clatters to the ground. That thing probably weighs quite a bit. I put my gun away and I'm done. Okay, that's the end of your turn. Grog, you're up. a mixture of horizontal and diagonal movements to run straight at Iron Giant.

Yep. Uh, and you have two more squares of movement you can do if you want. Yeah, I want to get right up on him. Alright, you're right there. Can I kind of put myself on the opposite side of him from the window? Right there. Yeah! I would like to, um, since I have two attacks, I would like to try to shove him.

Yes. This is what I was going for, yeah. There is a 20 on the die. There is a- He's only one size larger than me, so. He's two sizes larger. Is he two sizes larger? There's only two size.

Okay, okay, okay, okay, bad lesson! Don't think about it. In an effort to show off our vestiges of divergence, I'd like to wreck on this and smash my knuckles together and use the enlarge to grow to incredible size. You see me, Angel Guy. Oh, man. It's going to ridiculous size.

As you rush forward towards it, you slam your gauntlets together. Yes! As you get towards it, you begin to swelling in size. Your strides getting longer and longer. By the time you approach it, you are right there. You make a one-size category of life. Party Joe Young, bitch! Push your mouth to window, frog!

All righty. So, you are attempting to make a shove attack. Okay, push it away from you. Yes. A strength check against the... either his strength or dexterity. It's the target's choice. He also has a disadvantage on strength checks. So he's going to choose dexterity. Yeah. He gets either. Nope. His dexterity is fucking awful. All right, so you go ahead and make a athletics check. Yes. Which I get a better time. What is he? 23. 23? With disadvantage. With this advantage, it's 19.

Yes. Yeah. How far can you throw him? Finally, hexage him. Push him. Only five feet or knock him prone. Knock him prone. I don't know. Yeah, I'd like to knock him. No, I'm not there.

I'd like to knock him prone. Okay. Live your dreams. Okay. So you rush forward and kind of leaving the axe to the side, you get low as it attempts to grab out and punch towards your head, reach down and grab it from behind the ankle, and then lift up,

throwing its leg up over, and it goes tumbling backwards, crashing onto its back on the ground, its limbs like loosely flailing, trying to find some sort of purchase on the floor. Amazing. You still have another attack if you want. Oh, I do? Yeah. And because he's prone, does that give me it?

No, I don't know. Reckless, I hit him with the axe! Go for it. Eight again. Fuck you. You got inspiration. Oh. But I don't need it. Oh, great. Yeah, it's, uh, uh, uh, it's, uh, uh, uh,

What did I say? Thank you, 22. It again. 22, hits. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. My brain don't work so good. Yeah. 19 plus 1 point of necrotic damage for 20 total.

20 points of damage as you bring the axe down to both hands, whack right into the center of its chest, armored cavity. You can see the axe fits about halfway, almost to the center of the head. handle itself into the chest and you have to kind of work it back and forth to wedge it out of its metal hide. The axe is back in your grasp, and you can see a giant gash mark where it was left. So it felt that? Yeah. Yeah, you feel, Grog. It's armored. It's got, it's got heavy, it's got a, it's got a heavy arm. So, Grog, a fleshy bits. All right. You know Grog always leaves his mark player. Now the golem's turn. Oh, look at that. It rolled a six, so it recharges its poison breath.

Don't say that's a willy-nilly. Yay! So it stands up in its space using half its movement. Oh, confidently he's saying this. Can't pick up its... Oh no. It's then going to pull back. The helmet kind of opens up from underneath and you can see that giant black vacuous space in the center of its throat.

It lets another torrent of it forward. Yeah. That's going to... Oh, just out of reach. Tell me, I'm just out of reach. No, you're in reach. You're in reach. I need Keelith, Grog, and Vex to make Constitution saving for us.

It doesn't matter. Even with a save, I'm gonna die. I'm immune to poison. You're immune to poison? Because I'm a big, earth-elmelt- I have resistance to poison. All right. So what's your constitution saving through, Grog? It is an 18.

18. All right, that fails, unfortunately, but you still take half damage. Because of the belt of Dwarben kind. Indeed. So with the full roll there, that brings us at. All right, so Grog, you take 25 points of poison damage. Okay. Kieleth, you take none because of your earth elemental form.

That's right. Yes. You take 50 points of poison damage. Awesome, I'm unconscious. Son of a... Say 50? Yeah. Yeah. You have to wait five minutes between Nitrous.

Yeah, I'm straight up. on the ground. I just, I feel like, Matt, he wants me to die. He just makes me unconscious in every fight now. I told you, you gave him that $20? No, Matt. Who's Matt? You were there! Nope, Matt wants me to die, I can feel it. To be fair, we have this really great idea of what to do with Trinket. Okay, let's not, let's not, let's not, let's not, okay?

How about not so much? To be fair, you've spent 90% of the game flying way away from everything you've ever fought, so maybe it's about time and caught up to you a little. Yeah. Um, um... All right, so that ends the Gollum's turn. Vex, I need you to go ahead and make a death-saving throw. Jesus fucking fuck.

Roll one of the good ones. Which one will it be of the 90? Which child will disappoint you today? Oh no, I failed it! So mark off one failed death-saving throw. Oh shit, false. All right. Ding-ding, ding. Ends your turn. Scanlon, you're up.

I will heal Vexalia. Is my 30 feet away or closer? You are further away from her. You are currently off of that side, you are 40 feet from her. Then I will walk those little legs. 11 feet closer. Okay, one. There you go.

And I will use, what is it? Healing word to heal her. I'll sing to her. Up and away on your beautiful, your beautiful, broo. Roos. What level? I mean, it's a bonus action, so I can't go very high with the level, can I?

You can go as high as you want, the bonus action. You just, whatever spell you cast as your main action can't be higher than level two. As my main action can't be level. What? Hoot ha to hoota, hoota? One of the spells has to be level two. The other one can mean level of ones too. That's how it. Got it. Well, then I'll do this one at level two, and then I can do it anything for my main act. Correct. Okay, level two. All right, so that's 2d4 plus six. If I roll, I roll. You do is one, two, eight. That's it. Seven. So you heal seven hit points, Vex. Seven, you're good. Yay!

Did you roll seven? Eight. No, I rolled two. So it's eight. Okay, so eight. Yay! So five, whatever. Well, plus six now because your charisma went up by one, buddy. Oh, that's right. I gotta mark that down. Yes, you should. The, the soothing words of Scanlan's short heart pull you from unconsciousness as your eyes begin to focus downward you're looking out past the balcony and you can see bits of dust being scattered across the ground and you hear the heavy footfalls of your friends and the golem behind you as suddenly you're like oh oh shit I cough out blood all right uh Scanlan you still have 15 more feet a movement or 10 more feet technically i'm gonna go back to right where it was

close to it at least right there um and shit shit balls Shit, shit, shitball's fucking shit. I will use Bambi's hand to-D-4. Dog, did you add your 1d4 points of damage for your enlarged state? When you're attack? Roll 1d4, add that. When you're enlarged, you do an additional 1d4

with any weapon attacks, because the weapon got large ones. One. There you go. Thank you. All right, then, right. All right. Somebody new is gonna. Baby's hand is going to make a huge fist.

Fly forward and smash the window. Behind? behind him. Fuck, yes. Okay. Yes. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah, we are all on the same page.

All right, let's go ahead and have Bigby's hand making mealy spell attack against the glass. Mealy spell attack. Well, that's a cocked. 12 plus what? What's your spell attack? Billion. Oh, 10, 22.

22. Without an issue, the fist appears behind the golem, fists up and is about to punch in the back of the head. The last minute whorls around and slams into the glass. Go ahead and roll four D8 points of damage. 8. And we have one D8. 13 plus 8.

21. No. 22. Nope. What is it? 21. 21. 21.

You had it. Oh, God. It's a stroke. Hey. The window shatters. Fuck yes. Clattering down and suddenly the wind begins to pick up into the room at this five point.

All the silks are now. Oh, shit. swirling around the storm at the top that Keylet this holding is starting to itself meet the turbulence and the lightning bolts being to course through it even heavier. Sick. Right now it's pretty heavy winds coming through here regardless and so a lot of you are kind of having to kind of keep. Any action to just take off my hat and just kind of let my hair flow?

Yeah, I'll give you that. I'll give you that. Like a fantastic 1939 rock video. Yeah. Yeah. All I love to be over. Oh, God. Keela, you're out. Okay.

I want to, Grog's kind of like, is sort of out of my way. I want to just full-on linebacker style go for this guy and we're going out the fucking window. Yes. I'm going to drive me. to take him tackling him out the window. Okay, so you're gonna go ahead and do a shove attack? Yes, that is what I'm going to do. All right.

Yes, the strength is. Go ahead and make an athletics check. Okay. So much strength, this is such hassle. Too much hassle. Yes, do it. Giant Earth. Just shove out window fighting through much gas.

You know what, if we can't kill it, we can I'll just kill ourselves out the window. Exactly. What am I doing? Just, well, I'm at Earth elemental, so I would decide to strength. Yes, add plus five to it. 10. Oh. Right? That definitely works. 18 and with disadvantage.

What disadvantage? Uh, that is gonna be 22. So as you rush forward and slam into it, it puts its hand out and takes the blow and it screeches a couple inches, but it's still too heavy for you to get it forward. Hi, do you have two slam attacks as part of it? Yeah, can I do it again? Can I do it again if you want?

Yeah, let's try this again. All right, go and roll D20 out five. Come on, big money. Oh! No, no. Just that. No, just no. What'd you roll? Let's total. I rolled a seven total.

Yeah, even... Natural one. Oh, yes! Seven and then a one. So, as you pull back with your other fist and you slam it, square into the center of the one plate that's still visible, you hit it, and using all your might, looking over at Grog,

kind of to get a little bit of inspiration, you kind of grin at him with this horrible, earthy smile as you... And watches it scrapes, across the floor of the throne and being pushed back. Right there, five feet. All right. That ends your turn. Yeah, yeah.

Vax, your turn. I want to, like a hasted spider monkey, scrabble along the floor really low and flank the thing opposite Kilo and stab it in any gears I see. All right. Boy, wax. I got wings. Okay, yeah, okay.

Okay. All right. First attack is 17. Second attack, misses. It's a natural one. Third attack is a natural one. Jeez, Louise. Oh, it's advantage on all the attacks,

because I'm flanking. Because you are flanking and disadvantage on the attacks. So advantage on all. So the first one was a 17. And now you have one more roll for the second. The second is a 13. And then the third attack, holy cow, is a 25.

Okay, so the first two miss, last one hits. Jeez, my man. It should be... The blades are just streaking across it. Which dagger is this? This would be the last one. It's the dagger of venom. Okay.

And it is three plus six is nine plus. Seventy-70. Missing one, so I'm gonna... Oh, we're right, there yeah. What did I say before? Nine plus six is 15, 18, 24, 25, 31, 37, 40 again. Jeez. 40 points piercing damage.

First two, blades strike and end up making no mark whatsoever on its high. However, the second one does manage to pull apart and open this slight piece where you see a number of its giant iron central torso pieces are merging, and you see a slight seam there where they've been welded together. You take that moment to pull back your dagger of venom and just slip it as hard as you can right into that groove. And as it does, it sinks right to the hilt, and the creature flexes its back in pain.

I'm gonna guess I have a little bit of movement left and I don't care if he swings him. I'm gonna back into the corner between the hole and the window that's still in one piece. There? Yeah, all the way to the wall. Yep. There you go. All right, as you back away, it swings back with its fists. It hasn't been able to pick up its weapon yet, but its fist is still a large, rock-like battering ram. That is a natural 20. Oh! Does it have a disadvantage though from person?

Not anymore. That only lasts for a round. All right, I'll use uncanny dodge. All right, so that's the 8. Not good 12, I'm sorry. 8-58 on a D3D8. So 13, 21 plus 9. 30 points of bludgeoning damage, 60 points of damage.

60 points of damage. With uncanny dodge. With uncanny dodge reduces it to 30. Oh my God. What? It just back hands you. And while you're running for the wall, your vision goes white from the impact.

You hear that high-pitched whine as your ears can even deal with the ringing of the impact. You stumble and start finding. yourself stumbling towards the broken glass where the wind's coming from and just catch yourself back into the side of the wand. Catch your breath there on the side. That ends your turn. Percy, you're up. Kind of useless. Don't say that. Okay, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna do some stupid here. I'm gonna take some stupid here. I'm gonna take a few steps to my left so that I have a good clear shot at it

towards the window. To your left here? Yeah. Even a bit more. Alrighty? Even a bit. Yeah, just like, yeah, there. That'll do. And I'm just going to just keep blowing through in the hope I get a crit, because then I can regain a grit. Okay. So I'm just going to pull out bad news and just start firing to see if I can throw it off its aim.

Are you grit farming right now? I'm grit farming. You're good farming. You're going to get. Go for it. I hope so. So with bad news, it's reload, attack. It's not bad news.

Oh, retort you're playing out. Okay. just to see if I can, it's kind of off balance, so I'm trying to just find a place where it's, just give it some momentum. Okay, so you have one more shot to reload than a shot. I have one more shot of reload in the shot. Cool, go for it.

What you're gonna do with all that, I mean, I hit, so that just might as well roll. Just just roll the necrotic damage. Six points of necrotic damage. Nice. And again. Thank you. Um, 21? 21?

20. 20? 20? 20? 20. It goes just past. Not my natural 20. Oh yeah, just a 20. It misses? It misses the bullet. It goes just past the armor,

and actually hitting the side of the wall and just cracks some of the marble there. Okay, so I'm just trying to grit farm at this point. Okay. Staying where you are? You know, it's cursed to me that this battle's gonna be over soon, so. That's a wishful thing.

No, never mind, never mind. Why would you throw that out there? I'm gonna hold up. Great way to hear God laughs, doing that. Yeah, no, point, point. Point, point. Rog your turn. You're after seeing Beck's fallen and scandal lift

up and then backs get slammed into the wall and keeleth showing up in this very attractive form. I would like to reckless attack and for a bonus action go into a frenzied rage for a third attack and use all three to try and push him out the window. Yes! All righty, so you're going into frenzied rage. Go ahead and make three athletics checks. First one. I have it, but two. Get it, son.

Get it son? That's a 23. That is an 18. So the first one you slam, pushes it back. It's now teetering on the edge. Come on. Right there. Now, as part of the shove, this is my question.

I have to see if you get to move into its space afterward or, because right now it's out of your range. That is a good question. I can move. You would have had to move into that point to hit it, because you don't have to move five feet, because if you could kill you push it a little bit away. You shove it back.

back. Mon Leonidas. Double checking this one more time. This is Alcoran. This is Kanktow. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Do we notice any rocket boosters on its heels? So yeah, so you have plenty of movements. So you push it back. You move in, give it in the range. There. Go ahead and make another. That's right. 27.

Jesus. 27. That is a 17. Yes. Yes. Come on, come on, come on. It's right up to the edge now. It's like, it's shoulder to get.

All the blades still on the ground. Do you move in and go for a final one? Yes, please. Come on, Grog, come on Grog. And make athletics check some more time. Come on, come on. It's good. 26.

Natural one. 15 and a natural one. All right, so, how do you want to do this? Yes! Because I love 300. I look at him and I say, This is Vox-Malky-A! I can't give him in the chest.

As your swollen giant Goliath foot slams into the front, you see the metal plate that's dangling and the one that's still there, cave inward, sparks fly as the inner workings of it, all of a sudden are jammed with its own armored plate, its arms reach out and scrape and break off the sides of the walls. It falls backward and tumbles out of sight. You glance over and look down as you watch it plummet, just...

We're so high up. Yes, so high. Empire State going in. Through the roof of some portion of the Surrelian Palace. No. Sorry. There goes the cooking style. I hope everyone's okay.

Sorry, Steve. Can I, do I have any movement to move away from the opening of the window just in case any trickery happens? Yes. Exactly. I'm okay. Can I stand up? Yes.

I've been watching this whole thing from like the ground going, Yeah, Grog. You stand up and look over the side, just as Grog just as Grog kicks it out the window and disappears out of sight. I find me Earth Elemental Keeleeth. Pooh! Don't leave me hanging, says Bigby's hand. Yeah!

Yeah! Actually, it's like a jive handshake. It's like, yeah, yeah. Get a little weasel. I'm gonna relatively well. Skid her over to my sister and help her up saving private Ryan's time. I'm gonna cast Keir Wins himself there.

Yeah, go for it. Can I get ahead, Grog? At third level there. Chest bump, just, woo! All right, both of you guys make athletics checks. Yes. Who, what? Both of you guys make athletics checks.

For chest bumping each other? 23. 19. You actually end up shoving her horizontal form back about five. Oh, yeah. Out of the window. You're not close to me.

Just double check. Can I feel my hex is dissipated? your hex says this a big. Cool. Just checking. How high up, are we fish? Are there any shards of glass on the ground? Or do they all go outward to them? There are a few shards, but a lot of it's been broken. Okay. Can I just have a big bee, pick one up and bring it back to them?

Just a tiny piece. Do you have a mending spell of any kind? No. You're on your own, fuck face. I don't fix it. I'm not fixing. Good God. All right, so as you guys, you heal up how many

Any hit points to you heal of X? Oh, I'm at 28 hit points now. 20 hit points. All right. Oh no. If nothing is... Oh no, what are you gonna do now? All right, so you guys take a moment to yourself

to kind of look around and see if there's no other threat. With the shattered glass, the wind still kind of whipping through the room, the silks all kind of swirling, entangling around you. The wind's sort of the wind's still. The wind slowly dies down suddenly and unnaturally so. You glance over the balcony suddenly in what was once empty, you see a dark figure standing silhouetted by the outside sunlight, a tall, thin, lithe figure.

This appears to be Jemonsea Ord reappearing, who walks inside, hands together in kind of an expression of amusement. It says, impressive indeed. Very well. You will have my alliance and allegiance for the coming storm. The door behind you, where you guys entered up inside, opens and you see the Grand Maven step out with a smile on her face as well. She looks over to the window and goes,

Perhaps I should go check on. I should go check. She backs back in, and you hear the chain ruffer as it begins to shift back to. down. Um, uh, Jemone steps forward. So, join me by the throne, please. Steps over and sits down once again. Um. The cruel red that you speak of that we once fought

was crushed by our might and my hatred for its kind. This city has many words, as I mentioned, and I'm its protector. protector. I have my ways which I utilize only when necessary. Now what you ask, what you do, is already a deed of justice

in and of itself. I require no recompense beyond that, while I cannot leave my city unguarded for long. I must remain until you are prepared to engage this Thor-Dak head-on. But when the time comes,

Call to me, and I will come to your eight." He kind of raises his finger and kind of does a small snapping motion. You watch as the throne itself kind of lifts up and shifts off of its place. A chest beneath it opens suddenly, and the wind whips up once more throughout the room, and as it does, the small, thin, kind of extended rod-like object kind of floats and is tossed in the air by the wind, over in the direction of Jemansa Orr, who then snatches it, and the wind ceases once more, presents it toward. I'll take that, please.

You take it. Looking at it, it's a small brass flute. Oh. It looks simple, like penny whistle almost. As you're about to blow on it, Jermon puts its hand up towards us. It knows the melody to core devosha, but once. Oh, Devosa. Divorza.

A name that you go by. Devosa is the guardian of this city. Germon stands back and slowly extends its arms as a sudden burst of wind once again fills the room swirling around. Sending the silks tangling about once more. It seems stronger than what was brought in from the shattered window earlier.

Your hair is being tossed and you're gawching as the lithe creature steps back. The shape bending and swelling. behind the silks kind of passing in front as it backs up towards the opposite side of the chamber on the outside of the balcony. You watch the flashing of color of green and dark gold. A shadow takes the floors, the new form before you holds most of the room lording over the throne. Wings, whee-unfirl, as you see before you the form of the city's protector. A massive brass dragon.

In the window fractured sunlight, wings and tail tip becoming a gradient into green at the end. What? Incredible, frightening, beautiful. The dragon's head curls down. Just over where the throne was moved, its head massive by comparison to you, and reminiscent of most of your recent dragon fights, though there is almost a smile and benevolence to its presence. The same black eyes with the smoldering molten pupil still stand there staring back at you. I share with you,

my secret. There is now trust between you and I do not forsake it. This is a greater gift than we could have hoped for. It sits back and sits into a more casual

position. Its claws still there before it. The head's still leveled with the rest of your party. It slowly drifts back up, now looming down over 30 feet ahead of you. The voice booms out once more. I will prepare here how I can.

Now go. Time is ever fleeting. When we call your guardian, is that how you know that we're calling you as well? I get it. I'm really smart. I lost a lot of blood. I also, yeah, just like a big giant gash right here. I'm just gonna hold it.

Excuse me. Your eminence, eminence, eminence, eminence. As we are strangers in this foreign land, we were also wondering if you would give us some sort of, or lend us some sort of, like a calling card, something that proves that we are friends of the state. It might serve us well as we are automatically suspicious as we walk around your great city. I wave my giant hand, but being that I've enlarged. Yeah.

Or no. Either way. We're good. I get the feeling that perhaps even such a thing would make us even more of a target, perhaps. The dragon leans forward, the head coming down straight to you. It's ma right across from your size. One of its front teeth is about up to your waist by comparison. Do I sligh, no. Turns around and reaches into the same box. that carried the, pulls out a chain that dangles, kind of fluttering in the wind,

and hands it to you. A four-day Comic-Con badge. Oh, professional. Oh, professional. Only one day. Sunday, motherfucker. The chain, as you can grasp it as it as it's dropped in your hand, and you look at it, there appears to be a brass emblem with a singer-circular sapphire set into it.

This is a symbol of my crest. Few should argue, should they be under my sway. Thank you so much, and I drop six inches, which is to my knee, and bow my head in supplication. Scarland, beep, beep, beep. Beep, beep. I don't know. He means be pleased. Oh, be pleased. The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders and armies scattered like bones in the dust.

Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world, praying the darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadow dark, the darkness always wins. This is old school adventuring at its most. cruel, your torch ticks down 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. You know that feeling when you hear one interesting thing, and suddenly you want to know more. Well, that's the idea behind my podcast, something you should know. Every episode starts with a question you've probably never thought to ask, like why people do or don't like you, why certain habits stick, or what everyday advice is actually wrong.

I'm Mike Carruthers, and I talk with scientists, authors, and experts, and I keep it practical, surprising, and fun to listen to. If you've got a curious brain, come try one episode of something you should know. On the podcast app you're listening to right now. Before we depart, my lord, I would ask perhaps some local knowledge. We have magical items that need, we require wisdom as to their origin and their function. Who would you trust in this city? Would you know who detrusted this city? Just for a second.

Yeah. A little roll-ed-ed-X. His trapper-keeper is dragon-rater. I like that everybody has a trapper-keeper, I just want it. Large brass trapper. You heard the bell grow. The iPad is rebooting on redact. Neon pinks and purples.

Got one of those. Updating. God damn it. I love Night Rider. Beep. How am I supposed to remember beep beep for two weeks ago? Mexico. There are many who I would call friends or trustworthy. The wrist would be long.

For ancient objects such as we have, for vestiges, for things that are old. Would seek headmaster James Cryon. Crylon. Crylon. Crileon. Head of the Crystal Chateau's program. for arcing arts and training. I will not tell him of anything other than our gentle acquaintance.

Crystal Chateau, what? What was that last pit? Crystal Chateau. You had it. Got it, sure. Cruze Chateau. Old magic. It's a two-year professional dream.

I don't know how to spell Chateau. I really just, I don't know how to spell you. Percy, what's the proper way to like the league? of a royal chamber. The way that you read the royal chamber is you thank you, thank them for your patience, for their patience and their time, and for their wisdom. You keep your head beneath theirs, and you never turn your back, and you leave facing them in reverence. Thank you for having patience put your head. Be pleased. Don't say the words, just do the things. Turn my back. I didn't tell you what to say.

Tell you what to do. Thank you for your patience, and I turn around and walk up. You hear a hearty, deep-thrody chuckle as you turn around. As you make your way to the door of the exit, it opens once more as you hear the platform coming to rest once again. As it opens, they're standing in the space. Is the Cobalt golden eyes flickering with white flame. Oops. It comes rushing forward past you, just kind of shouldering you out of the way.

It would have a beat. grabs its blade. You can see like there are dense in its armor, but it's still standing. Wow. Damn. Apparently it didn't seem to take that much damage from the impact of the fall. Takes the blade and drags it behind it as it moves around. Jermon steps back as the golem goes back under the balcony, and then begins to. Climb back up outside to whatever strange device or platform it was affixed to before it dropped.

Sick. Marvelous piece of engineering. You have many. throughout the palace. Technology is impressive. Your craftsmanship, beyond anything I've ever seen, and there is nothing more pleasing than a monarch with a sense of humor.

Bless you. My patience for your honeyed words, Grossed in. Oh, it felt good. So good, too. Now, beyond your way. I suspect when the time comes to call me, Best be ready. No.

Turns around in with a whirl. The wind picks up again and the form shrinks down, leaving once again in its spaces the shadow shrinks. The lithe thin form of Jamon Sa'ord. They walk back to the throne as the throne seems to magically lift up and cover the box that was there beneath it before. Sits back in the throne, crosses its knees onto the throne, leans onto one side of the armrest.

Should we ask how to tell if someone else is a dragon, if there's a tell? He won't tell you. I think that's lessy. Right. Thank you. Thank you. I begin walking out. Yeah, we are.

Backwards. Limp. I'm going to just keep holding my slashed. I actually give you excellent posture for a slight bow. I'm going to cast lay on hands through my arm around his shoulder and give a big five hit points. Oh, thank you. I'm in the 30s now. Yeah. It's like the life force of like two kittens. You guys step back into the platform. The door closes.

The chains shudder and mingen to unfurl as the platform lowers down once more, giving you the view over the vast expanse of Enkeral. The desert is beyond. Oh, in the C-through elevator? Yep. Just as no grand maven. No grand maven. It finally reaches the bottom floor. The door opens once again. And there you see the Grand Maven surrounded by what looks to be 12 different servants that are now picking up what looks like pieces of shattered rooftop, broken furniture, and a large crater that is now jammed in the center of what was once the waiting room where you guys were previously said. Furniture scattered and totally ruined, and there seems to be an air of haste in making sure that it doesn't stay like this for long.

So sorry about that. Did anyone die? Thankfully, no, there was no death. You are lucky this time. Just a heart attack and a metaphor for our entire existence. That's fine. Did you see a javelin? No, maybe?

Okay. Can we look around for it? You won't have to take a walk around the tower for a javelin. You threw it. How high is the top of the tower? It's hard to tell? A few hundred feet. It could have fluttered down, like, one of those ceilings.

A few hundred feet up. I chucked the shit out of it. It went far. You know the needle in the desert metaphor? No. Is there a needle in the desert? Is that a thing? There is now. There's no.

Many a wiser, learned creature. Do you wish to take some time to go ahead and try and figure out its directory and where it may have gone? I'm going to sit down and do a little math and see if I can get a vague sense. I'm going to ask the Grand Maven if flying, is that sort of weird here? Is that totally okay? In a broom, maybe? I just don't want to do anything that's, you know, wrong here.

I just feel like I might be able to see it. Golden Snitch? As far as I understand, best math ever. There is no issue with flying. New math. New math. The shit out of that.

Not old math. New math. He's finding fractals and shit over here. Yeah, no. I have, I have actually, weirdly enough, I've figured out. He just created the Mabel Brotset. Yeah, the Mammal Brotset. Yeah.

The Mammal Brotset has been made. Percy, point me in the direction on flying. Natural 20. Natural 20. You became the animated gift of the cat that gets the flower in its head and sees through space and time. Yes.

You guys watch this, Percy just zones out for about five minutes, the hand moving at a rapid pace across the point. I found a window in there. I'm like doing the beautiful mind. It is beautiful. All right. What that enables you as you get some ideas as to the trajectory,

the speed, the strength of grog, especially in the non-grown form versus the grown form. This does allow you whoever wants to lead this expedition, one investigation check to possibly even recover. Can I fly and I feel like I fly down and get it? I'll fly with her and kind of use the math to sort of. Yeah, point me in the direction. Yeah, so the two of you using the room.

Yes. It only has space on number one. I'm gonna hang. Okay, so Percy's hanging from underneath as you shh, fly up a few hundred feet. Hold tight, Percy. I've locked my gauntlet. I've got, I'm holding on to one of his wrists. And I'm watching as I'm flying.

In case I need to catch. You guys watch them just vanish and darker spot as they get high up into the sky. Percy, go ahead. Just go ahead and make a wisdom saving. All right. Yes, sir. You have not been this high before.

I love it. And the sheer perspective here and the fact that you have very little affixing you to this broom, we're gonna see if you can overcome this singular human fear of- I love a good panic attack. No, Percy, you're totally fine. No, I'm not. Oh, I get a, I get a, say,

I can re-roll a saving throw, can I? Can you do that? Yeah, you can, as a fighter, yeah. Can rerol a saving throw, because I'm gonna pretend that number didn't happen. Domitable will, this is a perfect use for it actually. And I'm gonna do again, I have one more, so I'm gonna just blow them all.

Okay, I let you do that. Better fight that vertigo, fight it. Okay, I'll tell you what, because I had to blow all of those, we can say I threw up a little. Just like, let's go there. I don't know, that's wisdom, it's 19. 19. You feel quivering on the broom as Percy's hands are beginning to shake, and you can see the fingers themselves having to constantly kind of flutter. As you look down and ask, about to ask if he's okay, you just watch as this spray of a...

I throw up too just because I... This was a very important decision. Bags, you watch up as you see just the gentle rain. Yeah, have we gone forward? Have we just gone straight up in an arc? Okay, so they're not, we're not going to hit them. This, you're not going to hit them. This, I'm sorry. Excuse me, but this is poetic justice if I have ever That is beautiful.

This has been the metaphor, yeah. This is just a metaphor for our entire existence. Yeah, some poor folks in Uncle Hell right now are just kind of a really bad after you. I was going to say I do a little gust canterp over top of us to keep from getting splattered. I'm going to keep my hand on your wrist. All right, I'm just not going to look down.

I'm going to look ahead. I'm good. Okay, so he directs you vaguely where it may have landed. I need you to go ahead and making them perception check. Yeah. She's good at that's your jam. I'm going to try this fancy little dice here. If you're all crazy high.

Nope. Shut up. No, that's a seven, right? This is a one. And I'm going to blame it on Matt Abernathy. Oh, no. Nice for that apple dice. Always good to blame.

Wait, is it the opal dice again? What the fuck? What the fuck? Give me an apple dice in it. I've been doing okay for me. That's okay. That's okay. You don't count.

You don't count. Love you, Abernathy. Don't listen to her. 13 perception. You roll the natural one. One, automatic failure. Sorry, Charlie. Damn it. As he begins telling you about the wind trajectory and the direction of its travel

and the general, the hypotenuse of, it just goes in this long series of various gargans. I zoned in and I noticed that I accidentally puked a little bit on Percy's head. And you're just looking at the one little bit of his hair. It just completely distracts me. Just focusing on the one little bit of hair,

the little clump right there. That's got a tiny bit of puke on the top of his head and I feel so bad. I just can't focus on what you tell. Because of that, it should be, have we done about 350? Have we done where are we up right now? 80, 80, 90 feet ahead. And I throw up again because it's just so gross to see.

This time, thankfully, you have the mind to kind of pull out of the way a little bit. However, after about 10 minutes of conversation and you weren't able to focus again, it's lost. You have no idea where the javelin is. I would like to think you can feel my grinning from way down below. He was so smart with your math, and I just... No, it's not... Sometimes math is not enough.

20 and 1. Let's go down. Let's fly down. Sometimes math is going to find a really, really expensive. Someone's going to find some poor popper impaled on a wall somewhere. Oh, no. No, I hope not. And the mystery, it will just be unsolved mysteries.

They'll never know. Three-month investigation. No answers. They're going to have a documentary on making a murder. It'll be one dude impaled against the wall in some poor bastard that grabbed it and then got fucking electrocuted. It was two corpses.

Right, as you guys fly back down together, the rest of your party, the javelin lost. Sorry, Percy, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, it wasn't my javelin. No, but it was your hair that I threw up on. I threw up on my hair. I mean, and I just take some. You know, if you hadn't thrown up to begin with,

this would have never happened. I wasn't aware that was going to be a thing that could happen. My hair is very absorbent. That's going to take some time. So, as you guys take a moment to gather your next stage in your endeavor for the day, we're going to take quick bathroom break. Hello, guys. Welcome back.

So, finish going to break. Vox Machina have exited the Surulian Palace. Apparently revealed to Jamansa Ord that they were capable. And in doing so, Jemansa Orde, that so is the leader of this city. So. One javelin down, unfortunately. You are now getting to the later evening of your time here in Enkarel.

What time is it? What time about? Is it sun down, yeah? It's pretty close. The sun's like about maybe 30 minutes from dusk. Is it spice a clock? I'm gonna use another spell and heal myself some more. Oh yeah, can we take a short rest somewhere

to hit dice it up or something? Yeah, totally. Perfect. Yeah. Go ahead and take a short rest out there on the steps of the Surlean Palace. Oh, take an eight. Take an A.

Oh. A little therapeutic massages, kind of all the way around. It's grit recovery, a short rest or a long rest? I can't remember. What do you mean? Grit recovery. It's a short rest. And don't forget, Scanlan, you have an ability that helps everyone who's taking, using hit dice, gets a bonus. You do? Really?

Not very much, but yes, yes, I do. It's even less if you don't do it. I always had this. I've never used it because it's so weak, but yeah, sure. He doesn't like us. Yeah, yeah, I do. I'm trying to find where... Just go keep it away. Where... Song of rest. Song of rest.

It's only a D10? What is it? Yeah. One D10 one D10? That's still... Song of rest, one D.C. That's potentially 10 extra hit points. Yeah. Between all of us. Every person, as soon as you finish a short rest to heal, you heal an additional 1D10 hit points. That's great.

All right, I will sing us a song of rest. Ten! Oh, wait, do I roll or do you roll? No, I don't... We roll? Oh yeah. Okay, I'll sing. I believe you can kill. Woo.

I believe that you really will. Think about it every night and day. Sharpen your blades because it's time to play. I believe. Okay, it's time to go get some spice. Yes, yeah. You finish your short rest. As the night takes the sky,

the streets of On Karell. do not grow any calmer. The bizarre lights begin to glow in the distance as you see the lanterns and various magical light sources out the city spark to life and... The lamp lighters. Great. Yeah, the lamps light themselves. But the city still seems bustling with all the energy and buzz at the day before it seemed to. What would you like to do? There's a casino if I recall. Yeah, that's what we're going. Do you gamble? I don't know. I mean, I do, but I've never gambled for fun. I mean, I don't mean with lives. No, I do not gamble.

I enjoy the gambling game. That's fun. That's right. We did play cards with you at that time. Guys, that went really well. If we're going to this casino, I have a deal to make. I value your friendship. I value the backup that you will provide you, but I need you to stay far away, be inconspicuous, and... By the gods, do not help me in any way, unless I say some sort of a code word. What's the code word? Help me, help me, help me.

That's a good one. Let's make it that. Help me, help me, oh God, help me. I have a question. Yes. Do you think this is a really smart move considering that a brass dragon just gave us our aid and asked us not to fuck anything up. Also, what exactly are you doing? Also, your drug deal? Keep it down.

Oh, chill. Just chill. All right, we're cool, Stanlon. We're cool. We're cool. We're not cool. We're so cool. So cool. I'm cool enough to know that perhaps you should hand off that necklace that he gave you. Not at all. They're going to think you're a knock. Oh, they are. It's gonna be on, it's gonna be... What if they find it on you? You're wearing a police badge, basically. You're basically saying you work. The best we can do is if anybody, give it to us.

If anyone comes and tries to take you away, we'll present it and say that we're higher rank. That's true. Yes. Are you supposed to do anything to like set up for this this deal? Set up? Yeah, how does he know it's you?

I have to change into my red shirt. I was going to ask. And also, are you sure you really don't want us nearby? I mean, my sister and I will be on the scene. Nearby is fine. Nearby is fine, but keep your distance and do not do anything, including if it looks like I'm in trouble. I mean, I'm ready for the show, man.

It's fine. Yeah, but you just get to be spies. We've seen you turn into triceratops and fuck things up. And work. We trust you, Scammon. Oh, we didn't see that. Well, we know what happened.

I had it commissioned as art. I've seen the tale throughout the mansion. If, how about, can I ask for one of the code word? If you don't want us to like step in, what if you want us to create like a descent? distraction. Okay, okay, what would that code word be? Whatever you want. Kill everything.

If only something distracting would that happen. That might not be a good thing to stay to a... Well, we are being honest on this trip, right? So... Tomato paste. Kill everything means make a distraction, right? But help, help, oh God, help means I need help. What about tomato paste? That means create a distraction. Tomato paste? Yeah, because I'll cover the walls and tomato paste, but from people.

I feel like we need something that's like he could use. using a sentence fairly easily. Love of the spice. Love of the spice. Love of the spice. Let's stick with tomato paste. I feel like that's easier to work into a sentence than a love of the spice.

I don't doubt you could fit it in, Scam. Let's be real, please. Really nervous, guys. I've never done a drug deal. A drug deal before. Are you sure this is even a drug? Yes, of course. I said spice, spice, spice, and people came, shady people came around.

That means it's a drug, right? Did you say what the spice was? Origana. Oh, God. I told them. They seemed illicit about it. I'm very excited. All right.

I'm gonna get a bag of trouble. You're so cool. How far away is the casino? Oh, where's the casino? I wrote it down. It's where the Ravenites are. Nope, that's a different page. Should we get in fancy casino closed? Because I feel like we should press up for it. Okay, leave your heels. It's not the debt's respite. It is just the casino, right? Is that what the... It doesn't have a name? It's called the Lux Run, and you feel like you passed it when you first entered the Suncut Bazaar here in the city.

You didn't pay much mind to it at the time. Is it shaped like a pyramid with a giant... Is it like light-beam coming at the top? No? Does I have a shitty roller coaster attached to it? We'll find out. Never in your life. All right.

I'm heading to the casino. Would you all like to join me? And you can entertain yourself with some games while I'm in there. I'm very excited by this. I really enjoy the gambling. I enjoy watching her gamble. Yes. But we are cool.

We're chill. Should we wear like costume? Should I wear my big pointy hat? Yes. Put the pointy hat over. Oh. Looks fancy. It's pointy.

We're going to get changed to the evening. We're going to go back, get changed. Do we have enough time? We want to dress up. We want to dress up. Which is maybe like a 20-minute walk from... Awesome clothes. Look at the nine hours in Vegas, man.

We didn't bring any extra clothes. We have some extra clothes. We're adventurers. We're making it hail. This is not an animated series. We have more than one pair of pants, except for you. I wear the same exact thing every day. I just say you were like Einstein have 50.

like Einstein have 50. 20 of it. Yeah. So Scanlan, you're just wearing your normal clothes? I'm putting my red shirt on. Yes, you are. Okay. So you guys go back to the death's recipe. You get prepared for the evening, dress up in some of your finest attire at your disposal, and walk your way back to where you believe this casino was when you first entered the seat. I drew it crapped a little like frost on the edge of my armor. So that I'm cool.

Oh my God. Is it just gonna melt? Or does it insist? I, you know, I'm awesome. It'll just be soggy. It'll just be soggy in five minutes. Yeah, it looks like you're sweating a lot. It's a can't.

Actually, actually, it's going to be. Guys just told me I look cool. You look so cool, Kimber. I think I do know a way to make the frost hold. You look frosty. If I can science it, I could frost hold it. What would I do? Take some, add about a 15% sawdust ratio to it

should hold it swarm even in the high temperature. Well, couldn't she just keep the cantrip going for a little bit. You can't get that shit down. I'm kind of a badass now. I don't even do you saw this. Buckminster Fuller figured out that you can make ice. Put that damn mug down. What is that?

What's wrong? I will tear that sticker. What is it? How dare you? I'm gonna ruin this transaction for you now. All right, so. The Frost maintains itself as a high-level druid. This is a simple, glamour-based Ken,

Kent, to maintain. Fuck, yes. You guys. Can you clammy? like not looking like I have a giant slashed through my chest anymore. Oh, totally, I do like a little, you know, give her a little bit of concealer, a little bit of foundation, a little powder. Easy enough.

You guys are rather fancy as a traveling group. Do you travel together or? No. I'm with Keeler. I'm babysitting Scanlon at a distance. Oh, well, I guess I'm walking by myself. I'm a very rich, wealthy. I'm alone.

You're a high roller? Are you a high roller? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, you're so rich. In fact, I walk around double-fished in both bottles of the sand-cake. Oh, yeah. That went from terrible to great. Just rolling in, rolling in deep. Wait, have you even tasted it yet?

Nope. All right, so. And then me and Kit are on Percy's arms. Yes, we're a stud. We're vagasing. We're vaguing. You just stuff. Yeah.

Oh. Natural 20. Wow. Stealth me. So that's a 35. You somehow are no longer in the narrative. You stealth out of the story. You've been reconed even.

Vax was never there. Got you, Scanman. So you guys approached the outskirts of the building that you saw on the way in. What you see before you, with a little bit of light that dapples the edge of the Suncut Fazaar, reflects, reflects, across what appears to be metallic

framing to sides of the building. The walls appear to be dark wood leaped with brass and gold, a beacon of precious metal at many points throughout the structure. It looks to be three stories in its entirety. A half dozen armed guards not adorned in the guise of the hands of Ord stand at each entrance, probably privately owned by the establishment, and you hear loud music and cheering bursting from within. You catch a chiseled sign in large letters across,

across each doorway arch that read, the Rensala Kwan, Lux Run. What does that mean? Rensala Kwan. Rensala Kwan, which is the Marquesian speak for Lux Run with the common translation beneath it. Oh, okay. Oh.

I understand. So, as you add your own paces, walk through the front doors, the sense of sweat, perfumes, and tobacco immediately hit your nostrils, as the lively melodies of two musical groups compete from across the establishment, forming a strange discordant sound towards the center of the main room. Large square tables draped in crimson cloth fill the space from one end to the other, different shapes and sizes, crowds of different numbers huddled around each. You see three dozen patrons of all walks of life tending to their various games of chance.

Card tables, dice games, even one looks to be a small contained race table in the far corner stir cheers and anguish. You see servants... What do they raise? I go over to there. All right. Wow. Already I'm looking for craps. We're too there.

All right, servants dressed in uniform, uniform long shirts of dark gray and gold to match the building's exterior, rust drinks, food, and coin between tables as you begin to push through the crowd. You come upon Keyleth first as you push past to the far room. There is a long table in what looks like a series of curved, almost like miniature maze-like and there are five paths that all run alongside each other. As you kind of glance over the crowd, you see what appears to be five desert lizards about that long that are all being held in cages at one end. And you see a bunch of individuals that are currently in the process of setting bets down

in the central table with a number of colored squares around it, and they're putting different amounts stacked up on the side, and they're all speaking in a language you don't understand. As you kind of approach and glance over, some of them kind of stop and glance over their shoulder at you, and then just go back about their business, not paying attention. Oh, they're kind of doing their own thing?

Okay. How far away am I from the lizards? About maybe seven feet. Can I go up to them, or are they, like, behind, like a gate? Well, they're all in these, like, these very, very well-crafted cages side by side at the far end of the table right next to all the vets are being placed. And there looked to be two guards flanking them, and one man at the very end of the... the table, that's currently looks to have his hand on a single doorway that is in the front

of each of these cages, and is in the process of currently counting up and keeping track of all the bets that are being placed. Okay, I'm gonna go up to the guy. Okay. Walk up to the music. We'll keep just a couple feet behind. Making little notes, threading little notes, and then checking on the millicards, making other notes as you walk up, be coming out. Yes, may I help you? Be pleased. Be pleased.

What are these magnificent creatures that you're racing? Have you not played this before? I'm a tourist, so I'm brand new. This is my surprised face. This is Kwan Adrenzal, or The Run of Luck. It is a traditional old Marquette game of chance. What the casino is partially named after. It was founded on there.

this particular sport, if you will. People bet on which lizard reaches the end first. Then, the people who choose correctly make a profit. The second makes half back what was bet. The rest lose all to the house. Is it possible for me to get a closer look at the specimens that you are racing? Why?

I'm just, I'm a purveyor of fabulous men. beasts and I just, you know, want to just see these fabulous creatures that you are raising and racing. Big preservation check. Oh, god damn it is not what I'm going to. Nope. You're a fabulous beast. Hmm. It looks like a single digit.

Ten. He goes, you wish to put down enough money to make it worth my while to inspect your investment? Then perhaps we can talk. However, tourists, I keep away from the money. making. How does 200 gold sound? Oh, shit. Well, that is higher than the 25 gold minimum buy-in, so yes. Which of the lizards would you like to better? We have rule, sonpa, Tordak, Wendis, and Vossack. What was that like... What did you just say? Sorry, what was the second, third name that you just said?

Thorac. Did you say Thor-Dak? Yes. What a fascinating... name, where did that one come from? Came from the stupid bastard of the attacked the city hundreds of years ago. Oh, wow, yeah. No, I was just wondering if there's any correlation.

Always been, I'm told down. Because it's a tiny puny piece of shit lizard. Of course it is. Right. Is it, can I get a closer look at them? Which one are you betting on? I would like to get a closer look at them before I decide on where to put my well-earned money.

He stands back in the two guards, kind of muscle a little closer as he goes, have a look. And you can kind of lean forward and glance across the front of the cages. They all have this kind of reddish yellow sand type scaled exterior, darker at the top and lighter on the underbelly. And they're all pretty much the same size. Age may differ. You can't really tell which ones are healthy or not from this distance. What are you looking for? How close are the guys to me? To you, they're like a foot from you maybe. They're both being very careful.

A foot? They're watching you very closely. I'm going to engage the man in a bit of conversation. So is it a straight bed across, or are there competing numbers based on historical averages for these creatures at this point? Where is the money going at the moment? The money right now, we have currently a total of 750 gold pieces placed in total on Rural, who has apparently been doing rather well for today. Sonpa has been failing miserably, but may it be the underdog.

Who knows? They're all in equal health, and the variations can be plenty. When this is okay, Thorac has characteristically no votes. The Vosa has a decent amount. It is up to you. What do you wish? While they're having this conversation, I'm going to kind of lean into the lizards, and cast beak with animals. All right. Go and make a slight of hand check.

Very, very under my growth. Get tossed from the cassina. Here we go again. Let's have a look at speak with animals. Let's see exactly what components it requires. Oh no. Wow. This is going to largely...

It's very, you know, discreetly. Verbal and somatic. So yeah. Oh, yeah. So, you know, slight hand. What is that? That's nuts. One? Is it a one?

Of course, it's a one. Oh no! Akelet, don't get arrested again. The biggest felon of our group. Not even two minutes in the Luxfront Casino. You lean forward and begin muttering beneath your breath the very astro-wetic incantations, and as your fingers begin to manipulate

the spectrum of divine energies at your hand, a giant and meaty arm just claps down on your hand and pulls you to the side, and the guard pulls you off your feet up his face. Excuse me, are you trying to do funny business? I'm very bad at funny. You talk to... other people in our group for funny.

I'm ignoring this. You are out of the run. And the other gentleman grabs your shoulder and they begin pushing you out towards the exit of the Lux Rocks Rock. Oh, come on, man. Everybody do anything? Nope. All right.

As you keep conversing with this gentleman, you watch this keyless gets pushed very forcefully towards the back door and the opposite side of the chamber and kicked out onto the street. Like, full-on boot to the ass, about a three-foot arc before slamming onto the cobblestone, the dark red cobblestone streets of the Suncut Pizar.

You guys, I just got kicked out of a casino. Oh, I'm so cool. I'm cool, Scanlan, I'm cool. By the way, lots of concentration, and currently the shoulders are now dampening. Guys, I'm a little soggy, but I'm so cool. That was really cool, Katie. Super, super, super, I think we'll still put 25 on, on, I think I'll put 25 on. Yeah, can I forward my, Are you still going to bed?

Do my bed? Let's put 25 on Thoradak. I'm not putting any money on . You never actually put your money down. Oh, and oh good. I didn't lose . So I'm talking about 25 on Thorac. I'm going to put 25 on the second one, the one that doesn't have any bet. Senpa.

Okay, so we have, let's see here, we have 25 on Thorac, and then we have... The one that you said hasn't, has the underdog. Sonpa. If it's any consolation, that was totally adorable. Just wait outside for us, we'll be out a bit. And how much money you put down? With the spice. 25 gold as well.

25 gold. The minimum. All right, no, I don't want to look like I'm putting down the minimum. No, we're learning the game. No, we're learning the game. No, but you don't, you... I was gonna pull like an old dog's go ahead. Don't have to be big spenders.

You gotta spend big to make, Big Percy. You've got to learn the game by and for... Two of you on two on the lizard, 25 on Sonpa. Yes. The rest of the bets come in, they're marked down, the course. coins you put on the table and corresponding colors. You guys placed them completely incorrectly and they correct them

for you and kind of glare. You watch as the gentleman who's running the event goes, bidiste! Oh man. Kura! Lips up the front of the gates and the lizard just starts scurrying out rapidly. Guys, tell me what's happening. Everyone kind of comes in real fast.

It means like cheering and cheering and cheering kind of chanting the different names of the people they put money on. All right, as we come around, we are rolling for each individual lizard for the entire Yeah, I have rules for all the different games. Underdog. All right, so.

Camo dragon. Cernel region. He's invented a goddamn casino. Pared. All right. Just rolling once to see. Natural one. 2D4 for each one to see how will they do for the-

2D4. It's your rules. You could do anything. It could be 1D8. Why does it have to be 2D4? What a good excuse to finally. to finally order a D9. And just have the D9

only for this game. Only for lizard racing. Yes, D9. Makes no sense. Most awkward guy there is. 100 side. And with that, you watch as they curve on each corner, scittering forward and past.

They turn around the far end and they become rushing back from the opposite side of the table. People are shouting to something. You would like to write you. One gentleman to the left of you have some large cigar type of thing and just blustering out smoking your vicinity. It's making you cough a bit. But you're still focused on this. as Ruhl pulls ahead, Thorndike pulls ahead and pulls back,

Saanpa pushes forward to the very end, witnesses fall behind, DeVosso gets close and barely scoops past and DeFosa is the winner. Oh, do I get anything for second place? Second place, you get back half of what you bet, so you get 13 gold pieces back, you lose your bet. A few other gentlemen seem to be happy and collect their winnings and far more seem to be disappointed

with the outcome. Some leave, a few more fill the spaces, and that round of run of luck is complete. What's it like outside? I mean, it's dark, but beautiful, the various lanterns that are now lit. There's carts being pulled by. Some folks are leaving for the evening. Some folks are bringing things into the bazaar.

They prefer to actually shop during the evening, whether what they're going to be, you don't know. But it seems lively. It's dark, and I'm in a shady alleyway, and I'm alone. It's great. Maybe, you know, maybe go out to the front, you know, where the people are. You don't need to be packed by the dumpster, you know. Yeah, no, I guess so. But it's so pretty.

All right, so. It takes everything in my power not to keep betting, but we should probably walk away. Let's try another game. I'm not feeling this one. Not like betting on life, I like betting on charm. As we walk around, we just keep an eye up for Scanlon's red shirt. I'm trying to wander away from them as best I can. Right, so you just keep your way, just wanting to the casino,

looking over different games and such. You come across a card game. This one, you've actually heard of it, though you haven't actually seen it. played before. It's called the Gambit of Ord. It's a competitive card game between a group of card players at a table that actually has an end. It has a buy-in, but can raise per round back and forth based on who drops out and who doesn't. There is a course again. There's a dice game called a Vonder's favor that involves you actually rolling 2D6. Oh, yeah, go to that one, guys. Go to that one. And if you get either a seven or 12, you win. You can double. But you can

double the bet to add an additional D6 to try and get either a seven or 12 of the numbers. Don't quite meet one or the other. Go there. We're going there. All right, so you go to the dice cage. All right, you go over to the Avondra's favor table. I'm going to use my gold desk. There are a number of real-life problems, so I couldn't think you.

All right, so you have to wait a moment as there is a small line of people queued up to go ahead and place their bets in for the dice around. Some people are betting on each individual as they go in. Whether or not, they're going to go ahead and make it. You wait for about 15 or so minutes before you watch a couple folks lose horribly and walk away, like, very sort of sorrowful about how much they lost and trying to push the luck as they step away. Then, it's your turn, the woman who's currently having this table goes, and you miss, you are here to play. This game. Yes, a vanderer's favor. Yes, that.

All right. So, what is your initial bet, my dear? I can't actually remember what you said the rules were. So, what's the minimum bet? 25 gold pieces. How much for the extended bet? Oh, how much as you want? It's your choice.

To get the third die. I think you roll first and then just like. And then you add, you can double your bet. To add an additional die. Okay, then I'm gonna put 25 down just to see how it goes. 25 gold pieces, please. Okay, here we go. Pick it mark that off.

Oh, it's marking. Slides it into your square. All right, now roll the dice and may have wanderer be with you. Okay, what am I running? 2d6. 2d6, you got it. Where's my other?

This is the most important role. Of my life. Both gold dives. She's dead. They're gold dyes. They're the gold dyes. Eight. Ah.

Oh, God, this is a hard game. You lose really easily. You lose really easily. Now, I can take the coin, or you could double your bet and add one more die. To get to 12? Or to get to 12, or any combination of seven of two, or all three must be 12.

All right. I'm going to double my bag. I bet, and I'm gonna throw one more dice in the... 50 gold, yes. All right, go ahead and add one more dice soon. Eight plus. It was almost a four. It went off of the four.

It was a five, so I'm not this. Vondra is not by your side this moment. I'm so sorry. No, it's fine. That was a really super-tube of fun. I need to take a round at this as well. I think you should. All right, I'm going in as well.

All right, 25 gold? 25 gold from my wonderful chips-stero. Now, roll the dice and may Evandra be with you. Percy luck, Percy luck. Only work with 20s? He didn't even look. Seven. Boom!

First, at the table of Andra has kissed upon your forehead, please. Take your winnings. And she gives you 50 gold back. Ooh, 50 gold back. You should try it again. You've made money now. This is a streak. This is a streak at this point.

It's not a streak at this point. I'll put 25 more in. 25 gold. You've already proven that this has been cockerbore. Are you sure 25? That's all you wish to bet. She's good. Do it. She's good.

The goddess watches over you this moment. How long she may last, we do not know. 25 is fine. I don't believe in luck. He should. Roll your dice. He should. Says he rolls more 20s.

Six? Unfortunate. I'll put in the 25 for one more die. All right, better 50. Row your one more die. No. The goddess left you, sorry. It was a wonderful thrill.

Good evening to you as well. I tip her two extra gold, because that's what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to taste. Sure. Thank you kindly. Next up, and another gentleman kind of muscles passed and throws down his coin,

My turn. He sits down, and other folks kind of come in and begin to watch his next turn go. As this is happening, you're kind of making your way through the casino. It's fine, the cheap drinks. Yeah, I... I've forgotten Matt, did they say to meet in a specific spot, or was it just they'll know you from your red shirt?

They'll know you from your red shirt. Okay, so then I am going up to, I'm walking past some of the higher rollers that I see, and as I walk past, I'm just going, I'm the guy. I'm the guy. That's me. I'm the guy. And just keep walking if they don't. About 20 minutes of this is you're kind of watching over, and some folks kind of look down,

expecting to see a child and spooked by it. In your time here, you've only really come across to be two other gnomes. They're not very prominent here in Ankara, as a people. So some folks kind of give you an odd look to the side, sideways glances you step around. At one point, you do feel one hand, kind of clasp onto your shoulder, and you glance up, and you see what appears to be a,

nice kind of billowing dark blue silk shirt across what looks to be a half-orc gentleman with his hair slicked back short over the edge of his scalp. He has what looks to be a really well-trimmed goatee and a very very big hoop gold earring in one ear and his hand is just like wrapped around in your shoulder and he goes, so what avon said we are to speak yes? Maybe? Well, follow me. Do more private quarters so we can have a conversation. Shit. Lead the way.

He releases your shoulder and begins walking up the stairs to the second floor. Yes. I'll join him. All right. Did we see him walking up the stairs? Make reception check. I'll join in that perspective. You kept your eye the whole time because that's your goal, so you see this happen.

Guys, give me a drink. Please. 15. Twenty-one. Twenty-one. Okay. So yeah, Percy Vax and Vex both, all three of you see Scanlon led upstairs trailing behind this well-dressed half-oroc individual. If they have a chardonnay...

I was going to go red. That works. All right. A charas would be phenomenal. You guys following, or are you staying where you are? Just keep in there. Are the stairs peopled or are they empty other than Scanlon? Occasional foot traffic up and down.

There does appear to be one of the various... hired ruffians to keep the peace around this vicinity at the landing up or the stairs stop and then head further up. Is the gambling only at the first level or is it up higher levels as well? You haven't been to the second floor? I think I'll, after a little bit. Let's grab a drink and then... Yeah. So you guys had to get a drink. Can I ride my 20 up the stairs? I'd say at this point because you're no longer hiding in the corner, you're actually entering a socialist place.

You have to go and roll another stealth check. That's fine. This is a 31. Okay. So as opposed to just being out of sight, you are training the idea of making, blending in, making very subtle movement, not catch anyone's attention, and to match the energy of the room about you

so as not to really kind of stand out amongst the crowd. You adjust some of your clothing to match some of the kind of the shoulder-tossed shawls that some of the folks in here wear, and you naturally kind of fall into the general atmosphere of the casino. I'm still wearing the fancy whites that Percival put over me the other day. Not a worry. You follow up the stairs. And up the top, you do see there are a couple more tables in a center room,

and it looks to be six doors on each side of this long run, before another staircase ends up to the third floor of this establishment. The Half Fork walks to the fourth door on the left, pulls out a key, pulls the door open, glances over his shoulder just for a second, and enters the room. I will gladly follow. As you turn the corner and enter the room, there is a singular table.

There are two chairs facing each other. There appears to be some small... Yeah. It's an oxen corner. It's a crazy casino. You can do anything you want in this place. I want you for ten minutes with the ox. Just be fair.

You've read the ox hour, please? As you enter the room, you see there are A few tables on the par side, there is a window that looks out that is currently closed, and the half-work is now standing on the opposite side of the table. So, what have you got for me? Do you enter and sit down? Oh, yes, I see. Enter and sit down. Okay, you sit down.

As you sit down, the door kind of closes behind you, and you see the half-elf that you had met earlier in the alleyway, as well as behind the door, walks around, and leaves the room, closing the door behind him. and you hear, the half-orke sat down and goes, So, you're asking about spice? Again, maybe. Specifically, if I'm to understand, 200 gold worth of Fusaka. Maybe more if it's of a higher quality.

Well, let it be known that I brought just in case, twice the amount. and they reaches off to the side and opens one of the small cupboards. That's part of the table arrangement on that side of the room and pulls out two satchels that are about that big around each and kind of lifts them both, one after the other under the table. They're tied at the very top. It's kind of like a high-quality burlap-type material on the outside.

Only the weave is much tighter, so there's not able to leak or stumble out. So, it is difficult to acquire this. I would say one for 250, or both for 400 gold. How do I know it's of a quality I'm accustomed to for my homeland? Because I have a reputation to uphold. If you wish not to have me, perhaps you find business with less viable options. Forgive me, I'm just not from around here. Don't know of your reputation. Could I possibly have a sample to see? Just ration checks.

Yes, you can. While he's doing that, I'm pretending to sort of drunkenly lean on the wall Did that just happen? Did that just happen? What was it? What? Two one. All right, Lord.

All right. As you glanced up and look around the side, you can see what looks to be a kind of, uh, Tann's skinned half-elfth in robes kind of waiting impatiently with his back against the door That you just barely saw a scampment disappear into after he walked out of You can give us you a look over would you wish but be careful not to inhale too deeply And he takes the rope and kind of unfurls and unties it takes the satchel and pushes it over towards you just the whole satchel The entire satchel

Oh god what is the cinnamon challenge How yeah what does it look like man how yeah what does it look like? Well, it's kind of halfway across the table. You go ahead and pull it towards you? I'll pull it towards me, yes. It's a little heavier than expected. It's not like a light-based thing. It's a very kind of heavy material.

And as you pull it forward, it looks like very, very finely mulched bark almost or shavings, and it has this kind of pungent smell like dried cheese with a hint of cedar. What is this shit? I'm so pleased. Is it of a fine, it's not a fine power, it's chunky. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, to an extent, and as you kind of looking over,

he goes, it requires additional refining for use, of course. Of course, this isn't my first rodeo, friend. Put it in your look. Being that I play stringed instruments, I have long nails, so I'll take my pink and sort of dip down and just get a little. on the end of my pinky. Oh, Lord.

I just smell it a bit. Oh, boy. Oh, no. Oh, my guns a little bit. Sweet Christmas. The cedar. The smell is strong. Oh my God.

And the taste is stronger. It is not pleasant to the tongue. The aftertaste does have a unique zest to it. There is kind of a slight numbness and while the initial flavor is awful, the lingering flavor is actually quite nice, like a spiced meat almost. It catches you off guard. Spiced meat. Am I feeling high at all?

Make Constitution check. How fast is your metabolism? Constitution check? Never check to my Constitution. Huh? Saving throat. Savings throat. Saved right out. Saving throat. Well, either way, it's 16. 16. Okay.

Best you can tell, there's no immediate effect. You don't know what it's supposed to do. It doesn't seem to be having an effect on you at the moment. I'll just do a little bit more. Up the nose? Just to see if it's doing anything. Take another cost to. 16.

There's no effect, and you can see the half-orchested, and you get a little impatient and frustrated. So, you've tried of the wares. Are you satisfied? I'm not dead. I guess that's good. You know where I'm from sometimes we burn it and inhale it that way is that is that done? What methods do you guys use here? His head kind of pulled back at that he goes you may do what you wish with it on purchasing that is up to you. I am a little worried that you may not be regulating your

really. Don't worry about me, friend, all right? Friendo. My mom and dad, that's their job, all right? All right. I guess I'll take it. Your reputation and the seeming good quality makes me believe that this is of a fine caliber quality. It stings a little in the eyes, that's all. That's wood, dear.

For two satchels like this, why don't we say 300? He's immediately like kind of eager leading forward, just back into an arm crossed. 400 was already a discount. 400 it is. And he takes the other satchel and is about to push it forward. And he's seemingly waiting. For me to pay him?

Sure, I'll drop 400 large. Okay. $400,000. As you both kind of, as you both kind of, to wait a moment and pause, you both kind of shove it across at the same time. He catches the coin pouch. I've been watching you countered across the table, both your satchels, you're out your disposal. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. If it is not too much to ask in case you require further assistance, what shall I call you? You can call me the Meat Man.

I hope you do more business with you in the future, Meat Man. And what shall I call you? I have a few titles, but in these circles, you may call me Rator. Rottor? Rottor. Just so I'm clear here, this is a drug, right? Of course this is... Oh, really? Really?

Do I just need... I'm not feeling it yet. That's why, do I just need to do more of it? Is that the thing? It doesn't affect you meekly. Oh, it doesn't? Oh, shit. All right, great. Thanks. Bye.

Fix this coin, gets out and walks around the table, knocks on the door, a couple knocks. It opens. The half-alf kind of peers through. The door opens completely. He turns to, he stops, as you say that. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I just got two big bags of drugs. Did you give me a backpack or something to put this in? I mean, I can't just walk out of the casino holding this. The half fork rolls his eyes. Looks over to the half of the floor and goes, about they been. A lot of interns.

I'll be right back. and he goes to one of the rooms. 30 seconds comes back, what looks to be some sort of a backpack-type ensemble and tosses it to you. You catch it. Now, should you need more, just ask around the bazaar.

And they both quickly head down the stairs, pass to you. As they go, I say to them, remember, we met, but you did not meet the meat man. They both stop on their step and kind of look at each other and just keep walking. They exit the casino, and you have your satchel.

Okay. Maybe. I can't hyperventilate for a second. I don't know what's going on. Where are you guys? Where are you guys? I placed my hand right on the shoulder. That's not me.

Thumb there are not mine. I throw it across the room. I catch it. I catch it. I can't. Grab him by the scrub of the shirt and start leading him back down the stairs. What the fuck is wrong with you? Just don't say anything.

I got lots of drugs. Why is your eyes, old bloodshot? What's the matter with you? I don't know. I don't know what I did. Is it this? Maybe. It hasn't affected me yet. No! No!

No! What are you doing? Make a Constitution saving throw. Oh, you really good, yeah. Uh, 19. You know, effect, and a little bit of numbness in the gumway place. That tastes terrible. I know. I don't know what it's supposed to do. Do I do more?

I think so. As time passes the after flavor. It does get better, actually, surprisingly. Maybe I'll do more. Yeah, yeah. Just one more. So ridiculous. Oh, I'm 15.

Aftertaste is quite nice. I've wanted to get high with you for so long. No. One more. You're right, you're right. We're in the casino. Life is so fucking hard these days. Why not? Both of us together, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, here we go.

Do you guys make a Constitution saving throw? Two. Thirteen. Thirteen. Oh. Chew on it. The afterdase is nice. It's a spice. Chew on it.

We're boring. Maybe we'll talk to some locals and figure out how we're really supposed to do. I'm gonna get Kiki some fucking open wine. Come on, and I yank him down the sit. We've already been waiting in line for the most colorful, ridiculous drink that we can get. Yeah. Something with whatever is the local version of an umbrella. Or paper dragon.

For the cost of two gold pieces amongst the three of you, or four of you, if you're a part of this as well, the grog. The like slushy margaritas? No, no, no, I'm hitting on ladies. Only. Yeah. With a simple shoulder tap and an introduction, they turn with a smile and stare directly into the rhino-like helmet on your forehead and just seem confused to lose interest very quickly. You clearly do not know how rich I am as the Countess of Fabriz. I own many magnificent horses.

Make a deception check. Oh? 15. This now the third woman you've come across in here, turns around. She's early 40s, kind of graying sides to her hair, pulled up tight, but impeccable makeup, beautiful jeweled earrings, and she turns and gives you a glance. Oh, well, my apologies for not recognizing greatness in my presence. So, why do you bother me? Well, I am looking for a companion for the evening. I've had a great victory, and I was hoping I might celebrate it with a fine lass,

not yourself. I do not mean to blush in the presence of such greatness. I just need to speak to my compatriot first. Honey, and this gentleman comes around. In fairly nice attire, dark blacks, jeweled necklaces, dark skin square jaw, kind of rather well built, what looks to be a human. Turns, he goes, yes, my dear. This fine fellow here is asking to spend the night with me. If that's all right with you. He goes, maybe they're cool. What to this one? Yes, yes, I'm the... Magister of Shabreeze and I have many steeds. A knight with me would truly honor your lady fair.

They both kind of share a glance and look back at you and he goes, Peace off half bored of the butts. Oh shit. Peace off. Oh no. He takes her arm by the side and pulls her close to him. I'll reach out, I grab his shoulder. I said, I'm so sorry. This amazing decorative piece on my head sometimes impedes my hearing. I take the head off. What was it you called me? Make an intimidation check. Oh shit! Wow! Casino fight! Casino fight! Oh no!

All get thrown out! Two people thrown out of the cloth! He's all get thrown out! Yeah! Natural One buddies! Groggy Kieleth on fire in. As you lean in he leans back and goes Oh, well, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that it was not part of your actual forehead. Several hands now reach your shoulders, as it appears about five of the various guards of the establishment have now encircled you, grabbed you, and now pulling you away from the group. I ask for a woman, not dudes. No, really. I just wanted one lady. They're, like, grabbing you by the arms now, and they're pulling you towards the entrance. No, I don't, I'm not going to pay for this, really. I'm not. I'm very important.

And it takes all five of them, but they do manage to kind of heave-ho you out onto your face across the cobblestones, where Kielas is there waiting, watching this happen. Oh! Biggie! Hey, buddy! Are we at the bar? You guys have just gotten your drinks, which are... Do they have to-go cups? Take four.

Just one of every color. Just one of every color. The guy at the front was, Well, certainly, that would be an additional gold piece per drink. Percy, get me the flashy cup. You know what, I'm just going to down mine really fast and then take another one to go, thanks. I'll put the end, I'll put down for the, yeah, for the fork for the

for the four. I want the one that's in the shape of the Tower of Ord. Six gold, please. That's a yard glass. It's a yard glass. All right, you have your drinks. I take them outside. Yeah.

Distributing them. The cups themselves probably cost about three copper each. I hope. Yeah. It's about the memory. You all are a bunch of out-of-towners just being like... ...asolus. ...taken for a ride by every one of these patrons that comes across here.

This is so much Fusaka. What is Jared or anybody going to do with this? Let's go back to the room. We need to find out if it's real. Should we go back and ask those guys who sold this to me? Oh, marks of this and then has done nothing. Let's go ask the room. Let's go ask these guys.

Let's go ask these guys. Yes? Yes. Groke. Thank you. Did you guys bring me a drink? We did. Yeah, yeah.

Oh, thank you. I give her the most colorful, most ridiculous thing I can find in the most ridiculous cup they have. We head back. Hotel. I love this city. You head back to the dead. That's respite. You go back to your respective rooms.

Finish your drinks long away. You have your Lux run. Uh, collectible to-go cup. that you bought off the bar keep because, sure. It's not like I've never bought a ridiculous plastic dragon nexus with a flashing LED before. I'd disappointedly drop the backpack in Scanlon's lap and say,

here's your fucking cinnamon, you idiot. Are you sure it's not real? What did you guys get? What's it look like? It looks like nothing. Hey, can you nature check this? You're a nature person. I can try. Yeah, make a nature check. Let's set it on fire and see what happens.

Okay. First, I'm gonna nature check it. The phrase, let's set it on fire and see what happens. Usually doesn't work out well. That's a good idea. It looks like wood. 14. 14.

I mean, it kind of resembles a few things in your past you've come across when cut down and processed, but you're not familiar with this one, unfortunately. It does seem plant-based. Yeah, it is definitely natural. I take a little finger dippy. What are you doing with it? A brief bit of numbness that comes to your gums. The flavor is awful, and then it fades into a kind of a pleasant, kind of smoky flavor.

Does it taste like it would be good on a sandwich? It'd be great on a rack of lamb. Are you high? Am I high? Make a constitution check. That's a natural one. That's your saving throw, at least. Saving through? 19. 19.

Seen to be fine. Fuck it, I take a big old ward out of the thing. I stick it. I'll stick it. I'll stick a big old chunk in my legs. Only because everybody's being an idiot. Can I recommend that we perhaps try grinding and have to get to a tea or something?

I was gonna try it. 16. He's fine. I mean, the initial taste is not bad. You've eaten far worse. Yeah. And the lingering flavor is quite delicious. This is really nice.

This is really nice. Should I swallow it? Yeah, I guess. I don't know, nook. Alright, I'll swallow it. No, in fact, a few minutes go by, your stomach gets like a little upset, but then it passes. Yeah, just a little bit, but then it passes. I take a little bit in my hands, and I light it with my flame hands. See what happens.

Oh no. Okay. The flame takes it, leaving behind this kind of burning ember. The smoke kind of emanates off of it. of it gives this little plume of kind of grayish, brown. I kind of waft a little bit. It smells really nice. It is hilarious how badly we all want this to be heroin,

that it's not. It smells really good. Can we freebase this? It smells like a very, very fancy kitchen. Can I walk downstairs and find the inn, the innkeeper? Yeah, yeah. I'm going to take a little bit. I'm going to just mortar and peasant.

a little bit and make a tea. Eventually you find Treve is down there. I'm not gonna take it, you can take it. Maybe it has to be absorbed through the liver. Hey, hey, how you doing? I'm looking for a meal. I'm a little homesick. I'm hoping you have a meal that maybe has some Fusaka in it.

Got a bit over here. It's a bit pricey, but uh... Oh, it is a pricey, spicier? A bit, at least, for what it's worth. You only want to use bits and pieces in the meats. meats. Right. It's too much and it spoils the flavor, but uh. Of course. It wouldn't do anything to your body if you had too much of it, would it? You probably get sick of it, I imagine.

I'm upstairs. I'm upstairs trying to take it anally. Come on, this will work! This will work! Trade spotting. This is trade spotting. I'm going to save the money. I think I'll hold off on the soccer for tonight, but Wait for a lot. Maybe later. Thank you. I ground and powdered a tea

and just placed it in the room and walked away. I'm sorry to say that I'm watching Scanlon fascinated. I'm not. My head is turned around. I'm sketching things. No one lies to the meat man. I want to go back to that place and get my revenge.

Are you with me, Vax? Vex, Vex? Which of us? Fax. That's Fax. Yeah, sure, buddy. Why do you need revenge? You got the product you bought, right? feeling. It feels a little tingly, but overall just fine.

We all wanted to get this. It does it. Yeah, exactly. Does he have to make another constitution check at this point? No, you pretty much figure out at this point that it is just a... Yay! It's the thing! It's an expensive spice. Maybe it was worth how much you spent on it. Tell me how much you spent on this. Like 50. Oh, 50 gold. That's a lot, but I think it should be fine. You spent 50 gold on this? Good God.

You can make 50 gold mag batting in the casino. It was 50 gold as a fine lesson, though. It was worth of. If you really want to go get revenge, I will get revenge with you, but I think we should call it a loss. The 50 gold is a piddly,

piddly thing. Is that word? If it were, I mean, if it were any more, I'd feel bad, but it's still only 50 gold. I feel like an idiot. You are upset. I think he's just had two. much spice. He's foreseeing the Washington Redskins season.

They said it could make your stomach upset if you've had too much. Oh yeah. Have you had too much? He lied to me. Let me get you a drink. You want me to go down and get you a drink. Don't spend any money on it. I've got a great idea and I'm gonna I'm gonna get a little bit of the the ridiculous wine that we got. Oh. I'm gonna pour a little bit into my new collector cup that I got. And I'm just going to sprinkle it with some of the powdered spice. So maybe it has to activate that way.

Here, there you are. Now that. Oh, we drank the water. That was quite a bit. That was a lot. Those flavors didn't mingle too well. Um, feel a little queasy. Is that the wine that was like, that was the,

like grog's wine? Oh, wait. Oh, this was the sand cake? Yeah, just a little bit of the sack. Um, make a constitution saving throw. 17. 17. Okay.

Um. Beneath your nose, you can't feel anything. And right now, from here down, you guys watch it, as tongues are turning out and you watch his drools now pouring down the side of his chin. Skettlin? Good shit. I'm going to very gently try and take the gold medal

that he got today away from him while he's numb. I was like a good idea. Try and pink pocket him. Make his sweater hand check. Okay. Kevin. Oh, ha, ha ha ha. Yeah.

Oh, my, all the natural ones. Oh, no. Of the corner of your eye, you see Percy pulling a shiny object from around your shoulder. Ah, God! No slapping! No slapping! Oh, no slap! Oh, God!

I woke over the Scanlan and I squat down and I just start Play-Dohing his face in all different shapes and pulling the cheeks out really wide. pulling the nose up. We should get him to bed. If only I had Scotch tape. Oh. Yeah. So like, should we sleep?

I know we still wanted to see Headmaster James Cryon at the Crystal Chateau. Yes, let's get an evening sleep. Yeah, I think we need to fix Scanlon before. Maybe it just needs to be slap sober. We're still waiting to hear back on, um. Oh, no. Mistress.

I'll do it. Mistress of Sharve? Yes, we are still waiting on that. Yes. So we can't leave yet. No. The one with a cloak. And we have several magical items that could use

a little bit of jiggery-pokery, so let's sleep this off, perhaps, and be excited that we're bringing a friend, a taste of home. home had the bargain of 50 gold. But I have to say, I'm glad Jared didn't send us on a mission to get drugs. No, we feel awful. Quite out of character. I mean, you know, yeah, they would...

Oh, hello. I've got my pinkies in the sides of Scanlon's mouth. Oh. Leave him alone. He's pathetic enough as it is, really. All right, I'm going to bed. Yeah. All right, you guys find yourselves through respective rooms.

I'm pleased. You all have a full night's rest. Back to full hit points. You get half your maximum hit dice back, if you've spent any more than half of them. Scaling, you wake up quite a pounding headache in your head but the rest of your body has its feeling back

as you come to consciousness. Maybe I can package it into smaller amounts and sell it on the street to recoup some of the money. coop some of the money. Do we have an afternoon to kill me? Are you talking to yourself or? Yes. God damn.

What did I do? I should have insight checked it more. I could have dominated. There's so many things I could have done to him to find out. Look, there are a lot of celebrity interview podcasts out there, but there's only one happy, sad, confused. I'm Josh Horowitz. I'm the host of the show, so I'm a little biased, but truly HappySaid Confused is the place for nerdy and intimate conversations with all your favorite actors and filmmakers.

From Andrew Garfield and Scarlett Johansson to Christopher Nolan, casting what ifs, backstage stories, and much more. Listen to Happy Say It Confused on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, please, not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood. Could we get something a little bit lighter? some lighter music here. Are you a fan of true crime TV shows? 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 can't be 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? 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 Rundown, where we go over the top true crime

headlines of the week. So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcast. I flew too close to the sun. Next time, I'll do things differently. Next time, I will find drugs. That's the lesson to be taken from this. Look harder. Look harder. The meat man never gives up. I believe in you, Walter White. I believe in you.

And another persona of Scanlon was born. All righty. So, what are your plans for the day? As you stumble down into the main tavern area, you can see Treve is barely conscious himself and a few other Patreon. Patrons are waiting eagerly for their food as a few of the various barkeep assistants

are bringing out breakfasts and meals. You're all wanting food on your way out then. Yes, please. And whatever you have for a hangover, for a friend who'll be down in, oh, never quite possibly. Here are the dog it is. I think he may have had the whole dog. We thought we might be going to the Crystal Chateau today.

Anything to know about heading that direction? Birds, birds. Like, crickets in this town. Ah, get rid of them. Well, and the fact they're a bunch of stuffy folk and generally, uh, really considered classic traditional on Karel. Oh. Um, I mean, good luck getting a right answer out of anyone.

Snob's a lot, like, like, shifty. Well, snob's the highest order, at least from what I've seen. I hate the love... Allegiance of all sight and all that. Yeah. I love snobs. I'm excited. Any word back from Mr. Scharf?

No, no word. No knows long it'll take. She may not even like it. You may never hear back from her. In which case, for weighed long enough. I can see maybe I can hire someone else for you. Yeah, thank you. We have business. We can see to it. Let's take everything that we need. We have several objects, if I recall. Yep. Shall we? Scoth down the breakfast. Get your food in your system. We're going to actually actually

need a Scanlan. How you doing, Scan? I wander down. Good morning, all. Hope you slept nicely. My jaw seems to work. Thank you for not nursing me at all last night. I would have done the same to you. How are you feeling? Oh, fuck you. Oh, I feel so bad. I walk up behind him and I start doing like a scalp massage around the temples. You'll be all right. Just eat something, eat something, okay?

All right. I give them a little bit of a... Something with meat. I need to use this spice. I make a little bit of my glyphoil kind of hangover tonic, you know, give it to them. It helps. The next 15 minutes or so of you finishing your breakfast, the headache fades for the most part, the pounding subsides. The innkeeper knew of this spice. Yes. Yes.

Can I talk to the innkeeper real quick? Sure. You welcome to Treve, who's right now just sitting now reading a book, has like a, well, looks like a rather thick pair of glass. Does that look rather hilarious against the smaller Dragon Board eyes kind of focused against the really rough and tumble exterior? Wait, Treve, that Fusaka spice. How much does it go for usually for a bag?

Big bag sack. How big a bag you're talking? Hog's head, right? Yeah, that's a hog's head. It depends on where you're buying it. 10 gold. Oh, oh. Oh, damn.

Oh, real. But you could probably board your most down from there if you're getting gold. That hurts. That hurts. I thought you people said it was expensive. For space, yeah. Hey, most of the deal in coppers and silvers for mere poison food flavor. What if it's really high quality for Saka?

Well? Oh my God. My Fusaka's Fusaka, and you don't find many folks that are asking for his flavor except for particular dishes. So, I mean, I only keep maybe a small flagging of it many times. Thought last night it's the first time someone asked for it in about three months. Oh, shit. What does it normally look like? No one even fucking wants it.

I mean, when you're using it in food. Well, yeah, it comes in. He kind of pulls, and goes through like a small spice rack on the side of the kitchen, comes back out, and pulls out looks like a small, like a glass container, you kind of uncorks the top, and inside you can see it's like a very, very fine, kind of dark brown powder. He says, yeah, it comes in bets, but you just grind it down,

and then you sprinkle it over, cook it proper, usually with slow roasts and... It's quite nice. Let me. Try it with some venison. Worries. That'll be lovely. Wow.

All right, I'm good. Enjoy that allspice. Let's go on our journey. Are we buying more drugs today? No, I think my kingpin days are over. Oh, it's sad to hear. Off to the Crystal Chateau again.

Off to the Crystal Chateau. All right, who's leading the charge to the Crystal Chateau? Oh. Who's leading? We ask Tree first. Where is the Bull Chateau? He kind of thinks for a second in this. I'm really ripen around those areas for a bit.

Those will be over in the Sejel district. That's right down in the southeastern side of Oncarell. Look for the raised landmass where it's carved off of the top. That's where most of all the bastards live and most of the training's done by the allegiance folk. Will the bastards live, you said? Yeah, they're snobby. Ah.

Mm. Mm. Thank you. Pleasure. You back in a bit. Meet me. I'll leave the charge. All right, go and make an investigation check.

Oh, for the love of God. Are you finding anything, Percy? No. Six. Six. Would you roll? Two. Okay.

It takes you about four hours of wandering the city to finally get the proper directions to lead you towards the sigil district to the Crystal Chateau. And you do, as you ascend through these streets, the red cobblestone that you've seen through most of the streets of Ankarel gives away to this kind of slightly, kind of opalescent surface where the light itself almost kind of dances across the surface of the stones. This, it shifts just in the outskirts of where the large hillside comes to an end in the buildings here, give way to an open space where you see what looks to be a large, open, almost like a square. But in the center of the square, there are ropes around what appears to be some sort of large hole in the ground. Probably a good 150 feet across. It is just a circular chasm kind of off to the eastern side of this large open square. There are maybe a half dozen individuals that are standing around the lip of it. A few of them are armed and armored, and a few of them just be dressed in long, relatively nice robes and light clothing.

You do see what appears to be a number of long houses with high-stapled roof. with a kind of yellowish tan tint to the coloration of them. These buildings are very nice. They look constructed in a type of architecture that's more reminiscent of Taldore or other civilizations than you've seen most of Ankerhels construction. So you figure these buildings are probably newer, or at least this district seems to have a little different of a cultural flavor to. to it than the rest of the city. To the southern side of it, you do see what appears to be a large, kind of multi-tiered structure that is made of a smoky quartz mixed with white marble in places. This, with an immediate glance, you'd probably gather, is the crystal chateau.

Does the stone have any, the opalescent stone? Does it have any similarity to the stones of white stone, or is it just? Go ahead and make an investigation check. Don't use the opalite, don't use the opalite dice. Opelite hates us. There we go. There's time to use an opalite dice

on the opalite dice. You take a moment and kind of glance down closely and look at it, and it looks like the stones of the cobblestones of this particular district. And it's only really towards the top of this hill where all the rest of these buildings are constructed has a very, very, very faint trace of ground in white stone particles that have been part of the construct

of these floors. This appears to be a large portion of white stone over time has been exported to this location for the construction to the top of this hill. Good to know. Interesting. Can I wander over to the big hole in the ground

and ask one of the guards, oi, what's in there? As soon as you walk to the guards, kind of give you a keen look and just kind of put their hands on the sides of their sheathed weapons. No worries, I'm from out of town. I just was very curious.

to kind of look at each other and some of the more, for lack of a better term, more academic-looking individuals kind of shy away from this seemingly growing possible confrontation from their perspective and begin to kind of pull back and walk down this slightly descending spiral-like path. It's about 10 feet off the inside of this carving into the floor and beginning to descend down into it. One of the guards says, this is where the allegiance is currently excavating. Oh, and the allegiance is the people who live here?

No. The allegiance runs all of the schools here in the... Of course, yes, the schools for magic. You are not from here. I'm not at all. Well, please be on your way. Thank you for all of your help of information. Hopeful information, helpful.

As you just walk and turn away, they just keep a close eye as you step back into the open area of the square. There's a big hole in the ground. I was noticing, that's odd. They're excavating something. Wow. You're great. Wow.

Wow. I don't know what's happening to my brain. I had a little bit of spice, have we? Oh, well. Oh, oh. We knocked a camera. We knocked a camera. Man down, man down.

We're good. Does this, does it look like a similar excavation site to like the ziggurat in white stone? The ziggurat is a subterranean chamber that was found through a long series of tunnels that were kind of carved beneath a long swath of land. underneath White Stone Castle to the actual city of White Stone. This appears to be just a large, like strip mine-like cylinder that descends deep into the earth, and you haven't been able to get close enough to look down towards the bottom of it. How wide again, approximately? About 100, 150 feet across. All right. And it looks like... You're estimating from this distance. It looks excavated and not like something opened up and then they just kept digging. Correct. You can see there is actually a pattern to the carving of the earth. It looks like it's been carved down layer after layer after layer, much like a small scale stream. Into the stones, does it look?

like they broke the ground or does it look like the stones were actually built around this? Like has this been here since the construction of this area or have they, does it seem like perhaps in the last 20 years as such they've just gone down or otherwise? Make an investigation check. Oh my god. It's a hole. Yeah, it's hard to tell. Your brain, through all your training in white stone, you haven't really been too keen on reading about the various details and specifications behind, you know,

paving roads. Oh, it's really not my, no. Not your specialty, unfortunately. Percy? Yes. Is there White Stone located outside of White Stone? Not really that I'm aware of. Yeah, you're aware of.

It's very much, it's, it, it rests beneath the tree and into the hills and the mines to the north. That's pretty much it that I'm aware of. And you would know about any dealings then that White Stone would have. Well, I mean, yeah. I would if I had paid attention for such things,

but I wasn't really something I was, I was very young the last time I was there. I don't really know where anything went, but I can assume that this came from Whitestone. I bet they got this from Whitestone. That's a bit of a stretch, frog. That's really smart. This is interesting.

How did you come to that conclusion? I don't know. I just felt like a little brain snap, and then like things danced between my ears, and then it hit my mouth. You should write that down. I drew it, craft a little gold star for him out of bark. Go, Greg! Good job, you have a gold star for the day.

What do I do with this? Just stick it on your forehead, right on your forehead. Or eat it. It's, okay. You hear crunching between his pearly white, larger than average Goliath teeth. This is good news if it is White Stone that means that that we at least have some leverage here. Yes.

Let's... Let's... Let's find a big door. The biggest door we can find. And attack it. That's always worked out well for you guys in the south. So well. To make your way south of the square to the Crystal Chateau,

there is a large kind of white iron gate that surrounds the premise. And from where the cobblestone ends, beyond that gate, it is a fairly... Beautiful, well-kept, almost fenced-off garden. We see some trees popping up, green grass. Looks to be some sort of a small stream that runs through.

There's a bridge of the main path that leads to the chateau that goes over it, and the water seems to actually butt up against the chateau itself and vanish beneath it, seemingly to continue within the actual structure. As you head to the front gate, You see the door there and there are two small handles in the outside and you go to pool and it doesn't open a knock Tung ting kind of it's that kind of iron-like vibration of a heavy gate You wait a few moments and in the distance you see the large two doors to the chateau one kind of

Peaks open slightly and a little head peeks through. Hello It's about maybe 50 feet from you from this distance It disappears back behind the door. Scanlon, hold up that necklace. Oh, yeah, sorry. Distracted. Here. We're here on official business.

Matters of trade and of research. The store remains, I mean, the door still remains ajar, but the figure, I was kind of pulled back in. Are you shouting this at a distance? Yes, I am. It will be very worth your while, and someone will definitely wish to speak with us. We've traveled from Taldori.

Can we just walk up to the door? Pull it open. The head peaks out again, and you get a better look at a time. It's short, it's oval to the side almost. The face? The head has this very kind of just wide, short, stocky. It has a very pointed nose and a very pointed chin. No facial hair.

However, bald on top, and what you see is a bit of gray hair that's just kind of fritz from the sides. As it kind of steps outside, you now see its stature as similar to Scanlan's. This appears to be a nomish individual. Pale skin, paler than most of you, and definitely most people you've seen here in Enkarel, and as it steps out, it has these white robes with gray streaks across the front and back that kind of fall to this cape in the back, and it kind of with its arms kind of placed within its robes. This small little footfall just kind of comes across the path over the bridge,

up to the front of the gate, and is now facing you going to go. on the other side of the gate. Up close. It is a very, very old gnome. And those of you have known gnome longevity, that's many, many years. Strangely adorable, the eyes are tiny and beady, the eyebrows are kind of furrowed. There's a slight smile and this kind of like elderly sweetness to him as he approaches with his arms and his robe. Hello there, grandfather. Yes. We are looking for a bit of help. We've been told that

Your knowledge is great and we have some items that defy description. Are you headmaster James Cryon? No, I am not. I am Grimintrach. One more time, grandfather. Grimintraig. It's a pleasure to meet you. You as well met. Yes, wherever you are.

Be pleased. Be pleased. You don't have to do that here. Could we meet you? with headmaster James Cryer and we've been sent by someone very important. Jamon's our old. From across the continent. I flashed the thing again and say in Nomish he'll want to talk to us. We've come a great distance to meet him. He responds a no-mish to you. Very well I will go and see if the headmaster is available. I cannot promise anything but I will return. You guys see this

exchange in no-mish. It's like something like, I've never heard you speak no-mish before, Scanlon. It's a little disconcerting. What'd you say? They said, someone loan me 350 gold. 350 gold. Why 350 gold? That's a very specific number. That's a very interesting number.

Just need an amount. The nose spins around and kind of darts back and a little foot falls, kind of coasting at the strange, zigzag back to the original doors and disappears within the doorstone closed. He's got a hoverboard. Yeah, he's way faster than you.

Why don't you walk that fast, Scanlan? Scanlan? I'm carrying two giant sacks of spice. It weighs me down. You want to put those in the back of the phone? No, they're mine. You're crossed a bear, got it? Wait about 15 minutes before the gnome

Graham and pops has head out once more. Just a minute. Let's back in. I like that little guy. I know. He's quite pleasing. I'll pass back out about 10 minutes later. Can it darts over the edge?

My apologies for keeping you waiting. The headmaster is unable to see visitors at the moment. Oh no, why? Perhaps try next week. Oh, next. A long time. We have a very short amount of time. We're all like crunch.

Is there like a standby list we can be on? Is there something I can help you with? Ah. We are sort of trying. to save the world. That's very sweet. Yeah. So you know, as you can imagine,

time is of the essence. So, 20? 20. Oh, oh. Lute crate, ladies and gentlemen, I'm wearing one of the shirts right now that came in this week's, this month's, lute box, loot crate, I think it's called, actually.

out of loot box. I hear it comes with a gram of spice in every bar. Yeah, that alone makes it worth about $500 every box in some circles. Oh boy, oh, Travis is looking. Look, we're in a bit of a rush. This is very, very important business. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders.

I'm in it. Jemman's... Her suasion check. She's the bastard, though. I'm not terrible at it, 20. I'm sorry. His eyes kind of blink. Just a moment.

Turns around and... kind of disappears back up the walk into the building. You wait another 30 minutes out there. Fucking little gnome on a power trip. Worth it. It's worth it. This is... What are we asking when we get in, by the way?

We had another 10 minutes. We are having... And right as your... That frustration's getting to mount, and you're ready to start rattling that gate. you see a figure much taller, step out from the open door to the front of the Crystal Chateau. That eyes up. Much slower and deliberate walk.

This taller humanoid, as it approaches, you see the same kind of white robes with the same kind of silver gray band that goes over the shoulders, the mantle kind of pointing out past the shoulders, and as it passes bass into a cloak that kind of drifts behind. The train of the robes dragging just a few inches past the back. They seem longer than should be for a normal traveling person. They're almost ceremonial. As the humanoid approaches, you can see silver, almost purple-like colored hair, that it just falls back and trails past, without a stray hair in place, long past the shoulders,

almost like a secondary cloak, and flows with each step, just like the cloak does. The face is pure elven, skin pale, white. The eyes white with a very, very faint gold iris. No pupil. It seems young, though the graying hair does lead you to believe that there is some age to this of an individual. Approaches, hands kind of together in front. Eventually it comes to the edge of the gate. My apologies for the delay. Apparently, you have both the assistance of the soul of the jewel city at your disposal, and you've convinced my clerk that you have important business. Well, you have ten minutes of my time. What can I do for you?

We speak in private for that ten minutes. It is sensitive. Very well. He snaps his fingers and kind of utters this incommation under his mouth. And suddenly you have this crackling blue wall up here above you. And you all are encased inside this cube-like box. It's about 25 by 25 feet. You hear this slight kind of vibrational just crappling around you. Is the fence still between us?

The fence is still between us, but this is enclosed. It kind of closed all of you into this box, including himself. And no, all the wind that was slowly, the breeze that was blowing through has been halted. You hear none of the surrounding sounds of the city around you. This appears to be a, at least, from what you understand, a fairly private place for at least the time he's willing to give you. Do you know of the news of Tardori anymore? I don't really pay attention to matters that far from where we are.

I have important things to tend to than this. affairs, obviously. Yes. But I can see that there are aspects of this place that are foreign, that you have brought culture here. And I pull out, I pull out one of my guns, not pulling, I just pull out the pull out to show him the hilt work, which is all embedded with white stone, with actual white stone. And I say, I cannot speak the name of where we come from, but I know how this place was built, and I know that perhaps we have a connection because of it. And I'm going to, all right. Shoot them in the head.

Dragons, there's no secret to it. Dragons are ravaging the continent. A chromatic conclave of dragons, unlike we've ever seen before, have decimated the cultures of the other end of the earth. dragons that we have never seen before, but you have. And I'm going to minor illusion in my hand an image of the red dragon with the ruby in his chest sitting atop of, I'm creating a little visual of it.

It's rudimentary. It's rudimentary, but it's there. It's obviously an illusion. It's not meant to look real. It's fuzzy, but like... It's like Princess Leia froze coming out of R2D2 in Lost Hope. It takes a look at it seemingly unmoving. And?

They will come here. They will come here and they will ravage. And we've been given the opportunity and the hope of stopping them before they reach your shores. And is he at work and we have ended two of them and we want to end them all before they come anywhere near these shores. That sounds like an absolutely remarkable endeavor.

And I wish you the best of luck at this. And if we could just have a bit of help identifying a few objects of magical power and hopefully finding a few more keys to stopping them. And it would ingratiate us to you so much that I would be delighted to speak of a future of hopefully making sure that more of this beautiful white stone that you use everywhere in this beautiful palace is available and deeply indebted. As you do say white stone, his eyes for the first time do kind of lock in to yours. Yes.

I can't tell him who you are a person. I cannot tell him who I am. Well, you know have six more minutes of my time. If you're here for simple identification purposes, I can aid you in this. What would you like me to see for you? They are not simple. We are not starting with the judge.

No. Step up, grog. Step up, show us. Oh, yeah. Oh, I got these Titanstone knuckles of my uncle. They make me bigger and stronger. But I'm not sure what else they do. He leans forward and places his hands through the gate opening is on the sides of where the various bars are and touches them.

And his eyes kind of flare with a flash of sudden arc in energy. His hands just kind of tense for a moment and lets go. Indeed they are. Hmm. Hmm. Vestage. I've not seen one in person. Congratulations. That is a very, very worthy finds. There are museums and collectors that would pay quite a penny for such an item.

Oh, no, I'm not interested in selling it. But you have heard of these vestiges before. I've come across in my research, yes. Have you... Have you heard of one called Cabal's Ruin? I've heard of it. It's a cloak. A cloak, yes.

Yes, I have come across it in my papers before, but there was quite some time and that's the extent of my knowledge I fear. Sorry. Show him your bow. Our second vestige. Hmm. Leans forward to some of just one hand and kind of touches the edge of it. As he enters his finger, it curls against the two of his finger, and he kind of pulls back a little bit out by it. Centress.

Centres. Sentress. And his eyes flash again. The bow seems to to stop moving for a second, and then relax back into its slow, kind of organic movement. This is also quite a find. A powerful weapon. Thayer nature seems to extend sight and grow that which it slays. Huh. He gives you information on each of these vestiges as part of his Identify spell, and there's no additional information beyond what you already know about. out the idea. I suspect we have four scannon showing you your blade.

Mithcarver. Mithcarver. Mithcarver. Is how some would say it. He takes it as eyes flash again as he clats over the blade. Hmm. One of the non-divine-based vestiges. Here you are, much like those knuckles.

Non-divine? Some were created in the sphere of some deity's influence. Some were created by powerful, practitioners of the arcane. Remember, the calamity, the battle that sparked the divergence itself was a battle against the gods against wayward arcane magics and the division between the societal belief in both. Did anyone in the allegiance create these items? Oh no, the allegiance has only been around for about 80, 90 years. But some of us have come across information about these, as scattered as they are.

You have the T set as well? Do we have anything else? Oh, well, yes. I have a shit ton of writing. You can't tell me anything more about the blade? It resonates with sound and speech and with song. And he gives you basically the information you have about the Myth Carver. It's probably overkill, but I draw back the white that I'm wearing.

What of this armor? Can you tell me anything about it? Which is forward and touches the armor, eyes flash again. It gives you a full detailed description of the armor that you're holding. He says, this, this has been awakened. Interesting. Awaken. Yes.

It's rare that artifacts have an awakening. Interesting. Is that something that any of these would do? I do not know. This is my first time actually. actually handling any vestiges. And for the record, you carrying this many at you, puts quite a target on your back by anyone who's interested in selling them or making them their own. I would recommend not telling most anyone what you have in your possession. You were the only one that we've told. Good. Keep it that way. Yes. We have...

Trust you can keep this a secret. Just a few more things. Um, yes, I pull up the T-set that has L-M engraved on it that we got in the, uh... Unfortunately, you've expended most of my identification this day. Less of a magical invocation. I pull out a piece of the green elemental shard from Whitestone and show it to him. Might have a look at that? Yes. Takes it and reaches into his robes and pulls out a very well-crafted kind of glass

Kind of like a jewelers piece. Kind of glances over it for a second, and he clicks a small button the side of it, and each time it does, you see the lens change color on the end of it. He's like, I have not seen anything like this. Melted, condensed, purified right stem. Yes.

Take it back. As you kind of take it, he kind of gives a little resistance and kind of lets go and goes, the possibilities of such a, such a substance. Intriguing. Can I do an insight check on him? Go for it. Good girl. 15. Nice.

Yeah, 19. Oh. Who? Oh. Oh. Screw her. Super. Oh, boy. Did we ask him how he got his purple hair?

Because that wasn't purple hair. You want purple hair? Make sure to visit the geek and sundry store for all of our new merch items that the game. I wasn't here for the new merch items available. There are that espionage nail wraps. We've got these cool bracelets. These new bitch and bracelets. Oh, well, look, Sam.

But these have critical role themes to them. Look, Sam, we have a critical role mug. No way, that's really available? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's in the store now. I know, right? How much are they? $50? No, they're $20.

Just $20? Just $20. Okay, think of all the spice you could get. $400 gold. Oh, should you have any more of that you do not require? I'm sure I could convince the allegiance to pay quite a hefty sum. Money doesn't interest us at this point. We are under seat.

But cooperation and help in our endeavor certainly does. And the process is known to my people, and a closely that's secret obviously, we would be happy to restore normal relations once we are no longer in danger. Of course. And excited for normal relations and proper trade. We are a city in need. If I may have your name then, sir.

I do not give him my name. I do not give him my name, but I draw, I put together a quick piece of paper with the royal seal, but no, but no. That's the Slayer's takes, yeah. That's the Slayer's Take Searle. Okay. Takes it?

Mnale wraps, interesting. It's enough that you not, do you need not have any paper proof of who I am other than the fact that if this place was built, then that should be very useful to you. if this place was built the way we expected to. And if we survive, and especially with your cooperation and help if we survive, we will be back to the city

and we will be grateful. And we can always come back with more of this condensed white stone in tow. It's very expensive and very rare, sadly. I look forward to your return once this worm intrusion is completed and we can discuss business. Worm intrusion? The dragon. Oh, the worm.

I was talking about the hole out in front. Oh, no, no. That's... Is that anything we can help with? We're quite adept. No, we're good, but thank you. I hate to wear out our welcome, but you said you were spent. Is it possible your friend who scuttled off could have a look at my sister's T-set?

Oh, really? I mean, they are so smart and magical ideas. You're asking us to spend this last minute of time that I promised to you to retrieve my clerk to see what your T-set does. I was asking that, yes. I well. Well, I have a question. Would you ever engage in matters outside of this stupid-ass place? Well, all right.

Referring to what? You know, other countries, people in danger, dragons. You seem to be a powerful magician of some sort. Would you ever help? I do not, nor does the Allegiance get itself involved in political matters. We are simply a collection of scholars in the attempt to keep it that. In your scholarly knowledge, do you know how to kill a red dragon? no heart.

I would say that is probably a bit beyond my capability. But if indeed that little bobble that your tiny friend carries is, as you believe true, I think you've already found favors and allies far beyond anything we could provide. You need everything we can get, and we are down several libraries in our continent. They do enjoy watching the knowledge of the ages burn. Perhaps then you should get on seeing them felled fairly soon then. Hopefully take this as the fair warning that it was meant to be. The city has seen quite a few aggressors and not one.

Has made it farther than the outside walls. So I have heard. But this isn't one. This is several. Oh. And that is why they have given us our favors, because they understand that this threat is greater. Oh, and yet you've already felt a few yourselves.

I'm certain you will be successful in the rest of your endowment. One last note. We mentioned Kubal's ruin. Have you heard of the Den of Drusia? That was 60 years ago. There was a bit of an incursion, an uprising of a guild that was getting a bit big for its britches and was musseling its way through most of the Sunkat Bazaar.

Some sort of a conflict arose and streets were lined with bodies at certain moments. However, it seems that they were dealt with rather quickly, succinctly, and one of our wayward majors that had apparently been helping helm this endeavor was brought to justice by the blade to its throat. Really? What was the name of this? Sorcerer, magician, whatever. Mage? Mage.

Mage. Mage. Mage. Mage. I mean, no disrespect to you. but it is a place of particular. Sourness and shame within the allegiance, and we wish to move on from it.

Sure, but isn't knowledge like this, best known, so the history does not repeat itself. And we know it well, and it will not be repeated. I do not know you, and did you ask us questions deep within our history that we do not wish to discuss for our own reasons. Lot of answers we got here. Law answers.

Maybe we just asked the wrong questions. Maybe I should just ask him to identify this. I think you've already burned the charge on that one. As you put your finger up, he puts up three fingers. What's that mean? Counterspel. Oh. And that is your ten minutes.

Thank you so much for your time. Please do make sure the allegiance knows once you've completed your journey up and wherever these dragons are. And return, as I think there are many things we could discuss to the benefit of both you and us. Now, I have things to attend to. I wish you good day.

Good day to you, sir. You ruined your business deal. Have fun. He counted Ted like this. I thought they were learning. And with that, he exits back from the shadow. The door closes shut. Dick.

Because of dick. Yes, he was. But we learned, we did learn something. To be fair, we were asking him favors for no. This is true. He was just a snob. There was plenty of benefit to him. We don't do well with snobbery. Do you want me to burn down his house?

No. Try serratops. Try serratops. All right, he's a killer. Easy, easy, easy. All right, so we know a little bit more. We do. Nothing. No, no, no, no. A little bit more. We need to find out who this mage was. Maybe it'll lead us.

So the den of Drusier was a guilt. 60 years ago, though. It's quite a long time. We need to reach out to this woman, right? Maybe she's really old. We could go to her. We do know where she lives. Do we?

I do, I followed her. You could check, you could go and check and we could hang back. I have contacts in the underworld here. They respect you. Well. The name of the meat man goes a long way. What time is it right now?

This time, the four hours lost since waking, you're probably pushing at like 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Should you go pay a visit to what's her butt? What's our play here? We need her. We need the ball's ruin. But we don't want to cause too much of a ruckus because I don't want to put ourselves at odds with Jemann's soul. Maybe we should find out more about this den of Jeruja.

It sounds like there was quite a civil war that happened back in the day. Did we make a mistake here? Should we have said something else? I'm sure we did. Yeah, I'm sure. What could information could this person have given us? I think if we had more of that. Access to a library?

Yeah, more of that stuff from Percy's place. He'd be more willing to share. Percy can give him that piece. Don't trust him with it. I can't imagine why. He was definitely very interested in it. It's. We could sneak in.

No. How? Let's go down the hole. It's gonna be a library, right? Yeah, we can just go down the hole, see what's there. Kiki and I can be dragonflies and just buzz on down. Oh yeah, that's true. That's true, you're like little drones.

This is like an entire area of mages. You don't think they'll notice when you use polymorph? Please. Well, mine's be shaped. Mine's natural. I'm all natural. Magical effect, just so you know. It's just organic.

It's organically natural. It's technically natural. That's a... Free range magic. I don't... So we have... Our options are go down the hole, get caught. Yes.

Go find the girl with the cloak. Get caught. Or... Or all bum rush my friends at the casino and get revenge. I think that's probably... Maybe they know something more about things. It's just 50 goal. I don't see why you're getting so uptight.

why you're getting so uptight about it. It was my lucky gold piece that I got. Why would you spend your lucky gold? I was buried in with the rest. I didn't notice it. Well, maybe you just asked them to give it back and change. It was more, you're really uptight right. You're all.

You're all right. I just need a nap. That's all. I need a nap. How about we go up to the woman then? Unless they make the whole sounds like a bad idea. Yeah, let's make our way over that, that way. That's, let's, let's...

Well, I could take us there. Do we want to... Let's be... genuine and knock on the door. I can't think that it's going to be useful to go sneaking in. Maybe she's taking the cloak off and we can just take it. You know there's also there's also one other. We've heard that there's shady people at the, wait, have we been to the debt's respite? That's where we're staying. That's right. That's right. That's our hotels, Scanlon. You drank a bit last night.

Staying at the Hilton, not to Mary. Salman, do you need to go find a house of lady favors? The Hilton by the airport, not downtown. We got a full night's sleep, right? Yes, you did. Yeah, we did. Bax, do you feel like we should be door knockers instead of sneakers? I feel like door knocker. Let's go knock on Mistress Asharu's door?

Hang on, we're just gonna go knock and say what? What's our plan after you? Hey, can we have your vestige that's super valuable? We could trade her one. What's your idea? I have no idea. Maybe wait until she comes to find us. We could just do some recon on her place.

Yeah, let's do that. Let's take a look. Yeah, sure. Okay. You guys all heading there? I don't think we should do that so that Grog doesn't knock over, you know, a whole cart or something.

You're going to definitely hang about a block back. I think you and I should go. Me? All right. I'm good at it. Okay. So the two of you. Rock, you would knock over a cart, you're nimble.

I could go up to the front door and pretend to be a FedEx delivery guy or something. I pick up Scanning like a football and walk off with my sister. All right, so the three of you guys make your way, remembering the path that you very carefully marked in your memory to where you followed the messenger through the other day. You guys follow Vax back to the outside of the Debt's Respite

and tracing the path in which he followed that silent messenger that a treve had sent off when you first made your request of the mistress. Heading through alleyways, diving over from upper to lower levels, through long hallways beneath buildings to small side roads, and they'll eventually find your way into this small area that's kind of nestled in between

two large warehouses, and there appears to be some crates. There's some barrels around this small building that reads, on the sign above the door, a kingly home. It is current, the door's closed. There appears to be a window right next to the door, and there is the series of barrels, and there was the one barrel that you saw where the individual moved it and placed the actual request that you guys made through a small slot in the wall.

Are there any other people around? Yeah. You can see as you guys can actually, everyone will self-check who's coming through. We're way behind. Yeah, you guys are behind. Everyone is coming. So the three of you guys. 14. 25. 14.

Not you, grog, you're not going. No. Sixteen. Okay. You guys make your way through the hallway, and as you turn the corner, there is one person turning around the corner the opposite direction who's carrying what looks to be a bundle of various large nut-like fruits and turns and bumps into you and like almost drops it and catches it. It's like, be more careful. And then just continues walking past. You guys look into the main area where the home is, and it's right there before you.

Other than that person that just passed by, it's pretty quiet here. It's part of the city doesn't see a lot of foot traffic, which is probably why it makes for a nice home for an individual that does shady work. And nobody's hiding. You can make perception, check. 27. Ooh, that's a good perception, right. Oh, nothing. Maybe that's, what is that?

32. 32. You guys, take the next few minutes, quietly off in the shadow. Looking about the upper and lower regions of this small alcove or the house is, about four or five minutes into that you, pretty certain that nobody here is hidden and you are alone other than the home, at least for the time being.

I just go knock on the front door and see if... That was my suggestion, but I thought we came here to watch for a bit. I say to Scanlon sitting on my shoulders. Should we go peek in the window maybe? Maybe you, since you're speaking. Why? All right. Oh yeah, or that.

What? Scanan, you can turn into a bug or something. Whatever you want. Ooh, I can use, wait, does this have to be? I think bug. Bug, you want bug? All right. How can I fuck that up? This doesn't have to be attuned.

I have from a long fucking time ago, the cloak of the scuttling rat. Yeah. Whoa. I don't know what that is. That's been, that's it. Is it required a to-mit? It doesn't.

What? I should pre-stream it. It doesn't say. Do you have a cloak attuned to you right? right now? No, I don't have a cloquetoon to me because... It's correct, you do not. So yeah, you could put that on if you want. This is five minutes of rat form. Scanlan can go all night long. Yeah, it's a little dangerous.

Yeah, but it's never used it ever. You know why they call her, that's the rat. I'll save it. This is the weirdest yearpiece conversation. You want me to, you want me to do a bug? Bug it up, be a bug. All right, I'll be a beautiful dragonfly. Scaliena becomes this dragon fly with gorgeous rainbow-like color and tiny, tiny little beret.

What do you want to do, Scamon? Look for any openings in the windows or vents or... Then they come tink into the glass. The window is closed. Fireplace. Is there a fireplace? The door is actually pretty flush with the ground. There is that secret thing. Chimneys. air intakes.

You glance over the top of the roof. There actually is no chimney. Right. So then I'll just hang out by a window for a little bit and look. What about the little thing where the note got slipped in? I don't know anything about that. You always watch the dragon fly kind of... Do I see anyone in any of the windows?

I'll just go window. It's dark inside. And the drapes are kind of drawn, except for a little bit of sliver with light we get through. And you can see like a little peak of, looks like a a wooden floor. There's no light from the inside. Okay. Just gonna go all the way around the house. High and low, looking for a way in. Do I find it?

Make an investigation check. A lot. 24. 24. After coming around, you begin to slink around by the barrels, and you can see in the stonework that has been, you know, kind of built a masonry that forms the exterior of the building. There appears to be a very, very small, small, a hole about cork size hidden behind one of the barrels in the front. And there's just enough space between the wall where you can kind of barely squeeze in and poke through.

It's big enough for your wings, what hits, so you kind of have to like attach to it and crawl through before coming out the other side. And as you come out the other side, you're now inside the house. Dark interior? Make perception check. One. You're inside the building, but it is very dark, and all you see is the one little beam of light coming through the window that is facing where the sun currently is in the sky, and it's creating the one beam on the ground and a little bit of wood that's there. That's sometimes what you can make out at the moment. I will fly around and see if I knock into anything.

You're knocking on a shelf unit. You knock into another shelf unit. You stop on the top of a chair that's off in a far corner kind of over it. You glance over and a little bit. bit of light is bouncing off the sunbeam you can see beneath the opening where you came in the rolled up scroll that was placed inside the small case that was that held your guys kind of message is still resting right beneath the opening untouched oh they haven't even opened it assholes she hasn't been home

maybe there's no are am I in a room that's closed off no I can I keep keep going through the house or there's a big part of the house you haven't explored yet all right I'll all right see if I can make my way making a round. Go to make another perception check. Five. Five. Yep, yep. All right, it's, it's fairly dark in here. Let me check one thing in the Monster Manual. Dragonfly vision? I'm just going to see some possibility that maybe. I doubt dragonflies are even in the monster. No, but I'm looking for fly. Some sort of bug. The thing that's about to eat you. Dragon plus five. Yeah, like kind of round the two together.

A giant frog. Look for dragon perception. A dire dragonfly. You know what, honestly, thinking about it, you're probably, like, have blindsight from a lot of different insects, maybe. One would. Right? They're not mostly blindsards. They've got the big prismatic,

yeah, prismatic hoo-ha. Yeah. Prismatic. That's not an expert on insect biology. We'll say as you kind of foot around to the opposite side of the room, you can see there is a small table, there was a very simple bed on the side.

There is what looks to be a carpet that has been pulled and half folded over. There is an opening on the floor on the opposite corner and a staircase that descends below. And like a trapdoor that is left open. Ooh! Do it. I go outside immediately. No! All right.

You find the opening pull through and then come through on the opposite side. I bamf out. Hey. What did you see? This is a trapdoor. We got to go to. down the trapdoor. Where is the trapdoor? Inside, inside. No one's in the house. We can just go in. Snickety snack. Let's go in. Go down the trapdoor. See what it is.

The three of us running in after someone who possibly has a message. No, no, no, no. We don't need them. Let's just go. They'll make noise. You, me and you, we're the stealthy ones. That is true, but we don't know what is in here. Yeah, you're right, you're right. We should totally tell the others. Hello everyone, what's going on? The thing's going on, hello. Scanlan is still gripping with some sort of depression.

Some sort of depression, what? I've got sort of a bipolar thing going on now. I can't panic-depressive episode. I don't know what any of that means. Is it the spice? Are you having a rough morning from the spice? Anyway, there's a trapdoor. We should go down it.

Trap door? It's just like, where? Wait, did you see any kind of sign of life inside? Yeah, I did. I saw the sign that someone had opened a trap door and gone down it. Hmm. They could be hurt. They could just have like a basement. We could be breaking into somebody's home. All right, well we either sit on our asses waiting for this woman or we go make shit happen. What do you go on a time crunch? Let's make shit happen.

You go pick a look. Yeah. An entire city may die if we take too long. I think we Look around? Is anybody around? Can we pick this log without anybody knowing? Give my sister and I a minute and then join us. Oh, we left them way behind you left them way behind. Do we have time to go get more slushy beverages? Probably not now. You know what you work on the lock. I'm gonna go get the rest And I'm gonna head back. Alright, so you head back together us to the party. Vex. Do I see anyone around still? You actually see a couple folks walk by and you take scaling you guys step into the shadows and you wait a minute from them just pass by as soon as they're out of ear shots You head back to the tunnel into the building. Can I check for traps? Yes, you may. Make an investigation check.

Okay, cool. So cool. We're so cool. Oh, well, you know, that investigation was a... There was a 12th there. What do we investigate? Doesn't it can be tracked? No.

Okay, I'm gonna try to pick this lock, Scand. Can we look around the street? Do we have to do that? Make sure nobody's out here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I totally checked already. Okay. I'm gonna try to pick this lock. You're gonna try to try real hard.

Do it. Get it, girl. To pick a lock. Oh, this would be a sleet of hand. Get it. No, no, no, I'm saying. No, this is a slide of hand. No, this is a, this is a, a, a, a, a, uh,

lock pick tool, a thieves tools. Oh. So you add your proficiency bonus and your dexterity bonus. Add my proficiency bonus to, I actually have to write it in. I don't understand. Thieves tools. I have thieves tools. Right, so you, what's, your proficiency bonus is five, right?

Yeah. And what's your dexterity bonus? Oh, my. My dexterity bonus is another five. So add plus 10 to your D20 roll. That's the smallest dice ever. I think that's a 14 that I know. Why would you even roll that?

Yeah. She's not the first best time. Play with you. Oh, four plus time. Oh, four plus 10. You put your lock pick up inside and it's very, as simple as looks at the outside, it's a very intricate lock.

Far more you thought it would. You spend about five minutes with it before you just, you know, You're not being able to hit you for the tumblers. Just go inside. Just go inside and open it? Unlock it from the inside. All right, fine.

But hell, don't tell my brother I couldn't unlock this. Wait, first I'm gonna try to pick the lock. Okay. Do you have these tools? Nope. Then go, fuck yourself, you can't. So Shoal D-20 and add your dexterity modifier. Four. What are you picking with?

A bobby pin? All right, I'll just go in there. He pulls out what looks to be a couple of, like, barely unfurled pieces of wire. Put some in there for a second, and they both break off inside of it, and he goes, All right, I will dimension door inside. Okay, so on the inside.

As you go back to the door, you can see there is a heavy latch and what looks to be some sort of a padlock on it. God damn, on the inside? Shitballs. Have I gotten back to the rest? You guys have, you've got it back to him pretty quick. You're going to hear full speed. You guys over the next time in the show the rest of the party gets there. You can go make another shot.

The DC is gonna increase though. You know, do really well against doors with these gaulets. Natural 20! Natural 20! Yay! Very difficult because partially this is not only intricate lock with the interior padlock, but Scanlan broke off pieces of wire inside of it.

They're in danger of actually permanently breaking the lock and make it unusable. You, however, thankfully, managed to maneuver the tools to remove the pieces of wayward wire. Nice job. Thank you. Finish the lock. And as soon as you finish unlocking the padlock

on the inside with like a curved piece, the door opens and there's a slight flash. Oh shit. Just like, nothing. Oh, no. It's an alarm. It's an alarm. We need to get the fuck out of here.

Oh, no noise. Make perception check. Did we forget to check for traps? No, I did. I checked. 16. 16. As scans on the inside and you're on the outside, you take a quick glance inside, just kind of scanning around. You can see

the bed and the far side, the trap door that's open. the stairs to lead down. What catches your eye is right around the outside of the entrance to the basement, you see these like dark spots across the ground that generally fade as they reach the door that you're at. These are familiar spots. These are tiny little spatters of viscera, blood dried. Leading from the door to the trap door? Leading from the trap door to the door, like kind of dissipating as it comes to your door. Wait, and it's it's dried. It's it looks like it's been there for a while, yeah

Oh shit So the trap could have done something to somebody before? No, no, it's more blood towards the trap door There's more blood towards the trap door and then it dissipates and fades and kind of one came out of the trap door and try to haul ass out What was the flash? It's an alarm Do I see footprints? Do I see footprints around like? As you get closed and look down, you can see in a couple of the blood-dried blood smears, there appear to be footprints in them that are heading out.

I go over to the trapdoor and just inspect it for traps. Make an investigation. It being a trap door, it should have a trap. 17. 17. The trap door is still, it's open, like it's left open in the stairs that descend. There is no trap in the vicinity. It looks like it's been untouched for a while. You guys are just now starting to approach the outside of the house. And as you get there, you see the door is partially ajar. And it is partially ajar and it is open.

And you can vaguely see movement on the inside of Vex and Scanlan kind of looking about. Nice job, Ayes. What's going on? I want to look around. There was a trap. I think there was a trap on it and I didn't know. But I looked for traps. Yeah.

There was a flash. There was a flash. Does that sound? No sound? No sound? No sound? Are you saying this? Are you saying this in the, yeah, I was going to say, can I look down the road because I'm down a bit, see if anyone looks like they're coming this way?

16. 26. 18. Okay. The three of you looking about, there are some people in the distance like pass by three alleys down, but there's nobody paying attention to or immediately in the vicinity of this little alcove. Nothing unusual. Nothing unusual now. Scalance by the open trap door inside? Yes. I'm going to nonchalantly walk in, open the door. and just, we'll just go and shut the door behind us. Is there any blood on the inside of the door?

Okay. If you look on the inside of the door, there is actually a handprint in blood against the top of it. Does it look like it was trying to open the door? Does it look like it got the door open or it was stuck inside? The trap door? No, it looks like, is it wraps around the top.

It looks like somebody had lifted it up. Oh, the trap door. What about the front door? Is there blood on the handle? Is there blood on the door itself? Looking at the inside handle, there are very, very, very, very, very faint traces of dried blood. Can I kind of see if, can I do a check

on the outside threshold of the door to see if I can see the blood go outward? Sure, make an investigation check. I go and grab our note that we sent. Okay. And take it. Put it away. Nothing, no.

I will check for that too just because I'm, this is, I'm curious. Percy, do you see any blood out here? As are out in the open right now, like slowly inspecting the ground in the middle of the town. 11. I thought, See and chill about it.

I'm in, I'm just, I'm at the door and look down. You guys come back in, you close the door, you're in the inside. Okay, what's going on now? I'm going down the trap door. Okay, we're all inside, right? Yeah, you're all inside. Okay. And Vax is vanishing down the trap door.

Ready? I'm doing a quick, gentle sweep of the room, looking for any invisible bodies in the corner, just moving my hand around. Under the bed. Just under, like, just... Okay. As you guys are scanning this Vax, you head down into the bottom. Beneath this small hovel in this trap door, the... stairs stop into the left of you, there is another door that is partially left open into

another chamber that is beneath. I want to look for traps on the door? The door's open, but yeah. Oh, okay. Well, but there could still be. Yeah, there could be. Uh, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, but investigation, right? 19. 19. Does not appear to be trapped. Okay. So I'm still stealth. I'm going to gently open the door and peer in. A little open, look inside. This is a larger chamber with a much, better set of furniture. It looks like the woman that you had hired probably lived here more than above. You see what appears to be some what would be weapons racks but have been cleaned out. You see a couple of lanterns that are placed upon a table in the corner that have since burned out.

One of them has actually fallen over and appears the glass is kind of broken on the ground. Make perception check. 25. Glancing across the room, you can see more of the thicker blood spatters with other footprints in them, multiple footprints. And you see what looks to be a body still on the other side of the room. Oh, somebody else got the vestige.

You come up to the body and it appears to be a female form. You can see black care with white streaks throughout ornate scale-male armor of black and purple. As you pull her over, the face appears to be in her 40s, mid to late 40s. Her left eye is ruined and sealed, closed with a scar. There is a very large pool of drying, coagulated blood sitting beneath her. Giving a moment to inspector, she is indeed dead and has been dead for the better part of a week. Her wounds involve several severe puncture wounds throughout her torso. Like multiple stabs of one in her throat. Just talk to her.

Pike's not here. The rest of you guys going down to see this? Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. I'm petting down if I suit everybody else's. Okay. Does it look around any kind of evidence left behind of who it was that attacked her? Does it look like the place has been ransacked? Investigation checks for the guys who are checking the room. What are you guys checking? I'm gonna check her further. Investigation check in the body, investigation check in the room. I want to see if they'd like turn to the room. I want to see if I can can find any kind of something left behind by the killers.

Okay. I'm looking for other exits. 21 on her phone. I'm looking for treasures. Okay. 21 is while looking at the house. Trying to get a sense of how, of situation of the murder,

how many people there were. Okay. You're here, you puplurowing it? Yes. What droopers? Investigation, 13. 13. Okay.

There's a lot of foot movements, since some they were heavy than others, it looks like there was some sort of a scuffle here, but it's hard to tell how many people were involved, definitely more than two. Okay. What'd you roll? 21. 21?

15. 15. You're having a hard time finding anything that really specifically represents that. Ooh, I bring Trinket out and have him sniff around. Okay. Trinket begins sniffing around the room. Kieleth, you find what appeared to be a series of

puncture marks in some of the walls themselves, and some of the dirt and stone parts of the wall. It looks like some small, like stab puncture wounds across the wall in different places. Just to be safe, I'm gonna close the trap door. Okay, you go and close the trap door. Is it dark down here? It is, like, pitch dark.

Percy, for the most part, you don't have any sort of sight down here unless you... I throw up a, to say for me, throw it on a daylight spell? Sure, whatever. I throw up a daylight light. Okay, the room now illuminates, you all have a very, very clear perspective on this.

You inspecting the body. The puncture wounds that are in the front have corresponding puncture wounds in the back as well. And you can see clasps on the shoulders where a cloak would be a fix, but the clasps have been broken off, and there is no cloak there. Any treasures in the room?

What's your role for investigation, checking? 18. 18. Most of the room has been completely ransacked. It looks like they're replacing. where some things might have been useful that they have been taken. You find a couple of discarded

like jewel boxes or lock boxes that have since been broken open and left with a couple of like scattered gold coins here and there, but this place has been completely cleaned out. I was looking for other exits and entrances to the building all around and I rolled a 29.

29. There looks to be one hidden passage that is like behind this one cabinet where all the drawers men pulled out and kind of left on the ground empty but behind that there is a small tunnel

that exits outward. To the street? You don't know. We'll find out. As you're inspecting it, you're seeing more and more of these each one of these puncture marks that hit the front also correspond to the back.

It's a clear wound through each way and it appears to be like a burn around the outside of each one of these punctures. I'm going to take a look at it. Out of burns. I haven't looked at them yet. and there's no reason to look until someone, yeah. I'll wait.

First of all, come here. Can I have trinket sniff around for anything that doesn't smell like her for other people? Okay. First? Yes. It looks like your word. Advantage on smell.

That's true, yeah. Do I recognize, take a look at the body? You are very familiar with these type of wounds. And corresponding to the punctures you've seen in the wall behind, You go back and check and begin to pry in and you begin to pull out small iron balls. I pull it out and I hand it to Percy. Well, that was quick.

I'm sorry. I guess our girl is back in our narrative. That's the best case scenario. So, hang on, which hand is Ripley missing? Right hand? Right. What hand print is on? is on the trap door. Is it a left hand?

It's a left hand. How did she even know about this? She's been doing a lot of research. She could be spying on us. She's been following our exploits. She's probably spying on me. We know she's a huge fan of Percy. Waiting to me to build something.

Single white stone female? Maybe she... Maybe she... I made it was waiting right there. Oh, wow. Maybe Mistress Ashav wasn't wearing the cloak. Maybe she hadn't hit it down the tunnel. Scandal, what are you doing over there?

She was aware. I found an exit, a secret exit that someone could have used to come in and kill or exit after or maybe not at all. Are there exit wounds on the back of the body as well? There are, yes. Corresponding exit wounds. I walk over to Scanl, I'm going in. Okay. You guys follow this tunnel. It's a very small tunnel and it continues on for a Very intense period of time. Trap check.

That is a 24. Okay. Keeping your eyes out there, as you continue along, you do not find any traps. And eventually it comes up and stops, and there above you can see there's a small series of hand platforms or like grooves in the wall that lead up to the cylinder, and above you can see it looks to be a grate.

Push off there. And you come out. and just kind of glancing up very carefully over the side, you can see what looks to be an opening into the Suncut Bazaar just outside of an alleyway that just opens up into the rest of the chaos. Get the word out and quickly, we need to find her before she figures out a way to return.

Get the word out about what? She's still in the city. We could get, well, it was, it was over a week ago, potentially. She could be long gone. The murder of one of the largest criminal masterminds is now dead in the city. We have to find that.

murder what do we say how long has the body been here does anyone can anyone it's about a week a week I'll talk to my contacts in the other world if it's a week Ripley could be anywhere anywhere did Triggins swell anything not actually Trigg had a rough time trying to even just get the bearings and find anything specific okay buddy I didn't see much either You head back and join the group. At least to ask around and see if anyone has, well, no, but she disguises her appearance, doesn't she?

She's got a missing arm, though. Yeah, but she was able to hide that before. Who got that one place? I just feel like it. It's not Ripley. As you guys sit here and contemplate the various possibilities as to who is responsible for this, where they may be, why,

and if they indeed have this vestige in their grasp. We'll end tonight's session there. 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 twilligan five. 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 Chaotics Case Files. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. When the Chaotics are on the case. It's ticklish business anywhere you look at it. Come on, we'll stick together. Love movies?

Love classic movies? So do we. Tick Bush Business is the podcast where classic film is discussed in modern times. Hosted by me, film hearing is Kristen Lopez, and my co-host, author Emily Edwards. We dive into the golden age of cinema with fun, heart, and serious expertise. As published film historians and lifelong classic movie buffs, we bring insider insights, deep research, and lively debates with a variety of special guests, ranging from celebrities like Holly Madison to TCM. Luminaries Dave Carger and Eddie Muller, and even family members of Old Hollywood Legends.

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