Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry - Vox Machina Ep. 81 - What Lies Beneath the Surface

Episode Date: January 10, 2022

The chase is on as Vox Machina search for Raishan and the stolen dragon eggs. Guest starring Patrick Rothfuss!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Welcome to the chaos of this evening. Before we get into our actual game story and the thread of what has transpired in recent events, we're going to go through our quick announcements. First and foremost, tonight's episode is sponsored by us. Sponsored by the New Year. Sponsored by, hopefully, have our sponsor contracts finalized soon, and we can have an actual sponsor soon. But until then, we are sponsored by you awesome people who come and watch the show.

I think Sam had prepared a bit. Well, yeah, I prepared a bit. That's pretty much it. No, I'm going to need it a little quiet because we've gotten a lot of feedback from the fans, and so this new feature we're going to roll out. We're going to have a telephone number that people can call and complain to. So I just wanted to, wait, I think I can use this mic if everyone can be quiet. I'm going to just record our outgoing message for the new...

the new phone line that we're setting up right now. So stand by. Thank you for calling critical role customer support. We value your feedback and want to improve your experience. If you're calling to argue against one of Matthew Mercer's many, many rule violations, press one. If you're calling to cry because Ashley Johnson isn't on this episode, mash your forehead into your number pad repeatedly.

If you're calling to lodge a complaint about Marisha Ray, or the character of Keyleth, or how nothing she ever does is cool, Press 3. You will be given five minutes to rant. And don't worry, your message will make Marisha feel like shit within 24 hours. Quiet, guys. If you would like to complain about the technical aspects of the Twitch stream, please hang up and call 1-800,

hashtag W-E-K-N-O-W. If you were offended by something Sam Riegel said on the stream, you can go fuck yourself. Thank you for your support. Okay, that's it. Good, good. Good. Yeah, another one was a

later. I'll re-record it later. I need to hear me too. Pick up. Yeah, pick up. Can I just, on behalf of all of us, Blee, brie, brie, brie. Yeah. We miss you, actually.

I miss you. Always. Always. I look forward to all the voicemails. Yeah, so many. It's already full. Yeah. It's like I've very own this American Life episode.

I'm so excited. Yeah. Thank you, Sam. for that fantastic message. Wow. We have some merch updates. Do you want to take that more? Oh, yes, we do.

So if you guys check the store right now, there should be some strong jaw ale shirts available. I was getting some tweets about it that, you know, we hadn't put those in the store for a long time. So we made some more and put them in the store along with the Gilmore shirts and the How You Want to do this and the regular logo shirt, all of those things available. Plus, there are some, how do you want to do this,

how do you want to do this? Houdies left from the pre-order stock that we had a long time ago. So there's a few of those left in the store and I have a tweet. Sorry. Sorry about that. And we also have these new, where did I put it?

On the back of your book. Where's my book? This is it. Oh, we have it out. We have vinyl stickers now, you guys. Aren't they so spiffy? Oh yeah, look at it. Yeah, I'm excited about those.

So those are here. Those are in the store for you. For sale? For sale, sale? Did we get them for free? Do we get them? You get, you get, you want one? Heavily discounted.

Here you go. Havily discounted. Do you guys want some? Yeah. I'll put it on my white carp. You want this. So yeah, there's all that stuff. Amazing.

Those are awesome. Yeah. And we have more hats too. There's hats again. All these things, you guys, just so many things. We're trying to keep up. Yeah, we're trying to do away with like the whole, you know,

pre-order and waiter really long time to get your stuff. So now we're trying to keep things in stock so you can actually Yeah. Trying to get it to you sooner. Yeah. All right, thank you, Lauren. Also want to mention for those who want to check it out, we've been running it for a few months now, but we have our Tox Machina critical after show Tuesday nights, 7 p.m. Pacific time here on Twitch. And Alpha, it's hosted by our amazing Brian Foster. He's a dick. He is a dick, and that's part of his charm. But yeah, so if you haven't checked it out, you can come and watch us answer your community questions. or ask questions to the At Talks Machina Twitter and watch us fumble our way through trying to explain our in a d-nane-actions in a dice-rolling RPG

we play every week. Anyway, check that out. Anybody else have anything else I want to talk about, or mention or say something? Say something. You guys want to say anything? You didn't say anything this time. Do you want to say how much you love everybody?

Huh? Oh, man. All right, let's go ahead and get us down to tonight's episode. Bring on the catharsis of Critic Roe. Oh, God, I got to look at my hip-christ. Josh, we all need a long run. We're not out. We're not out.

We're not out. Welcome back. So, to get you up to speed with what's recently happened in our game, Vox Machina, our band of adventurers, have been traveling across Taldore, continents, and planes of existence beyond in search of the vestiges of divergence. Magical artifacts that could help outfit them for their coming struggle against the Chroma Conclave, a group of Kremontlave, a group of Kermin dragon that had terrorized and conquered the Tal'Dorei countryside for quite some time now. At the end of this venture, you've all acquiring your relics of power, your levels of experience, and the allies you've amassed through this journey converged upon the central capital city of Amman

in hopes of finally defeating and destroying Thordak, the Cinder King. You made a tenuous relationship with a member of the conclave, Rishan, the deceased deceiver, the Green Dragon. And after killing the other three members of the conclave, you went in with armies at your back, Ashari in the sky, who laid siege to the city as you snuck beneath the streets of Imman emerging on the outskirts of the Cloud Top District. Through the help of your two allies, Zara and Kashaw, you managed to bypass two waiting fire giants,

push straight into the center of the mostly ruined Cloudtop district where you confronted Thorac the Sinder King in his large, swollen, powerful, primordial red dragon form. Sorry. I was with you, gross. It's a favorite enemy, right? Just checking? It's all about it.

Can anybody help you? You came prepared with allies at your sides, and full power, you tore into Thorac. And while many blows were sustained on both sides of the fray, Thorac fell on the battlefield. In those moments, as Thorac attempted to retreat into his layer, you. Vax gave chase and slew the dragon using Whisper in your grasp. A few of you came up behind Reishon as well, asked as part of the accord you had made to be given some time with the corpse of Thorac. It was decided that this was not to be allowed, she was not to be trusted, and attack was made on Reishon.

Though Ryshan also had made a few unique choices of her own leading up to it, it's led to a confrontation in Thorax layer beneath the city, where you all nearly got your ass is handed to you. Yeah, that's a good one. Yeah. By a well-prepared Ryshan. However, in the midst of this battle, you did summon your ally, Jermon Saord. They're the leader of Ankarael, the distant city.

the continent of Marquette and a brass dragon, who upon arriving in this fray, full health and ready to fight, was enough of a threat to drive Raishan off in her damaged form before she could finish you off in the state you were in. Yeah, it was definitely. Yeah, it was worth it. However, you were then kept at bay by a wall of force as Reishon took two of Thorax's strangely existing eggs and flew into a double. tunnel towards the corpse of Thorac and then disappeared in a flash of purple energy

before the wall dropped and you all just arrived halfway through the tunnel where the corpse of Thoradak once laid to find it missing along with Raichon and the eggs that she had gathered and that was where we had left off. So as the rest of your party begins running up winded, bloodied and still reeling from the intensity of the battle you just fought, you have the intense heat of the nearby cavern and the hints of cracked red-hot earth and rock that are protruding in small sections. The sweat just pouring down your face.

You run up and you can see the trail, the pool of blood that once was driven by the wounds left by your blade at the side of Thornax corpse, missing. The impact crater of Thornax landing is still kind of carved into the side of this curved tunnel. You see his chemo rushes up. At a breath, you see Gilmar rush up

and kind of like push his hair out of his face. And there's a moment of silence as you all kind of take in what is just transpired. What do you want to do? Using my magic, can I detect which direction the beast fled? No. Okay. I don't know anything. Should we get, I don't know, does it matter to get any of his blood?

Maybe we can track em easier? Yeah. Can that? The body? Sure I'll gather any of... Thorax blood? Yeah, Thorax blood. Okay, so you go ahead and you pull, do you have empty vials currently?

I took a lot of... lot of potions, so I'm assuming so. Yes, you would actually. So yeah, so you take some of the mostly or completely empty healing potion bios and collect. I lick the bottle for all the remaining healing. Yeah. A little straw.

Like a caprice. Yeah, exactly. Okay. Can I head back into the chamber and see if I can find any of Reichon scales or like Reishon blood or? Maybe give it a moment just to let the layer actions die down a little bit. What? You know, all the lover stuff happening in there.

I'll watch from a distance and make sure that it's not boiling over. It's safe. Yeah. I'm going to limp up to you. You burnt all over. Hold still for a second. That really sucks. I want to assume that was karma.

Yeah. I do have... I feel really bad for that to regard now. That sucks. That's a rough way to go. I cover her mouth with my hand for a second. I use the last of lay on hands, and I check with grit roll stats, I do have 10 left.

So I'm gonna use eight, eight of those to heal you up a bit. Eight whole points. Romeo. What are you doing with those last two? I just imagine like light slapping in the faces eight times. Hit point, hit point. Lay on hands, leon hands.

One, two, three, four, five. The oath of annoyance palliative. Coming soon in the Tal'Dore campaign. Lord act out like this. All right, so as Vax heals you up with some of the remnants of his divine power still in his body, you know, Kima is kind of walking up to Kieleth and Gilmore goes over and starts helping you kind of gather and separate some of the, what little blood you can. A lot of it's kind of just dug into the rock and the dust, but there are a little bit that you can kind of pull into it that's not too clustered and filled with the

equivalent of coffee grinds. What's what you guys doing? Once the layer is safe, I want to get in and start examining it. Same. Yeah. Okay. It takes, I'd say, probably a good two minutes or so before the general tremors of layer begin to subside, the presence of Fodak being long enough removed that the volcanic activity begins to come to a small, gentle end. Actually, before we go back in, can I peek up on the surface level and see if it looks like the fighting has died down on the surface.

It's just about to say the same. Oh, okay. You guys go up there? Yeah. Okay. Everyone else thing down? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, you guys are waiting. The two of you rush up to the surface.

the outside of the opening into the Thornax layer. Both of you guys make perception check. Don't die. 27. 29. Okay. As you both peek through the heated clouds of soot and ash that are billowing out from inside, your vision clarifies.

And you can see up into the sky the thunderstorm that has been encompassing the vicinity of Iman is still rolling and firing off bolts of lightning and thunder in the distance. It is beginning to see. slowly subside in the size that it began, but you'll also notice that the Wevern riders that once rapidly swung through the air are all retreating in mass, the few that still remain, into the southwest, and of now maybe about a half mile off from Eman, and a number of them are fleeing and catching up with them.

It looks like they are being fended off, and the tides at least have turned somewhat from where they began here in Eamon. You also do notice that the two doors that you guys originally entered that you push through. One of the doors is now pushed off of its hinges and it's fallen to the ground and the other is kind of partway off that giant gate doorway. And just beyond it you see what looks to be battle still ensuing. You hear the muffled screams echoing from outside that gate and streets beyond Niemann of hundreds of soldiers shouting into battle. Large heaving war cries of deep-voiced giant kin.

You see bursts of flame in the distance, and what looks to be bodies occasionally flung through the air to disappear past the horizon beyond the gate top. There is still warfare aging in this city. Can we see through that gate to where we parted with Kashar? From this distance, you cannot get that much more. You can just see the motion of combat.

You have to get closer. Speaking of, can I reach into my shirt and grab out that note? that was on the arrow, I never read it. Oh yeah. What is it? This is my gift to you, darling, use it well. I knew it. We have to find them.

Just go look. Just stealth to see if it looks like the giant is gone and if Zara and Cash are around. Let me just cover half the distance, see what we can see from that. Okay, self-check both guys. 28. 12. I know. Okay.

I'm, you know, I'm injured grievously. You are. You snatched from the jaws of death temporarily. You find yourself physically affected more than you would have expected and what seemed to you was just an instant of darkness. And as you begin to try and follow after your brother, you find yourself stumbling and falling to one knee and trying best to keep up. At this time, you notice two figures running from the opening in that gate in your direction.

You see it first, but you see it by a moment. after him, you see bloodied, bruised, but still in a full sprint, both Kashaw and Zara rushing in your direction and you hear Cash just yelling out, Vaksmokina! You're alive, right? Keep it down, you fuck. Come on, come on into this hole. Hole, so as yes, the hole, darling. Right, and they both kind of rush up. And as you guys are catching up with them, you notice by the gate, pushing through what looks to be another fire giant.

Oh, fuck. Weielding a sword, kind of drag behind, kind of pour through. And just begins going into a large bounding sprint in your direction. Oh, God. Oh, God. Giants! Giants! Yeah, now we're going up towards the hole.

Can I shoot an arrow at him? As you're saying giants in your ear, you watch as, as a giant's at the door, you watch as, you as two crossbow bolts kind of into the back of the head of the giant. Stopson looks over the shoulder, and you see a flash of light behind him, an impact in the back of the black ironed giant's armor, like a sudden impact of a fiery meteor just slams into it, and the giant stumbles to one knee before another blow hits him right across the back of the head and the fire giant just falls on face-first unconscious onto the ground. cloud of dust and dirt kind of billows up to the sides. There you see by the front of the gate,

you see Jarrett with crossbow right there and standing and now stepping up onto the back of the giant's armor and slamming a flashing bright, radiant warhammer into the back of its neck. You see in chain mail, long beard, white streaked, billowing, war-torn hair pulled into a tight ponytail towards the back. A familiar friend. You see Carrick, currently of Western, standing, wipes his brow, and looks up and takes notice of your presence immediately. Patrick, if you want to come on stage. Patrick!

Yes! Patrick was a boy! Since it's so easy, though, to make their way. Our set is so conducive to movement. Whatever! I didn't break it. The whole set falls down. I know.

Kerrick, you can fight. I get to sit next to my bestie. Yeah. My new bestie. Yeah. What in the fuck? I thought you can fight? Yeah, you just brought down a giant, no big deal.

Yeah, you just brought down a giant, no big deal. Team effort. Like, is everything cool now? Like, is this the last of them? One, I think you might want to move a little bit over to get into the camera. Just as Mitch for the audience. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There you go.

And as you've been in this fray for quite some time, and the exhaustion's starting to mount on you a bit, and the two individuals that you and your allies had come upon, being the smaller unit, you managed to penetrate further into the city than the main armies that were pushing towards the gates. You saw the golden armored human, and the T-Fling currently struggling with what looked to be five fire giants,

three that had come up behind the two that they had ensnared, and after minutes of battle and tearing through them, it looks like you finally gained the upper hand. You've lost a number of allies through this incursion. However, these are the really, really familiar welcome faces given the perpetual onslaught that you've seen since you first arrived at him on.

He probably, just says, is it done? Is it? That's his opener. I mean, eh. Thordak was killed. Kishah pipes up and says, so you killed the thing. You killed, it's dead, right?

Please tell me you killed the thing. Yes, the thing is dead. We killed things. And gone, literally gone. Great. Stolen. Fantastic, that's wonderful. Great, we can go home.

Stolen. Can I hug Zara? Yeah. She eagerly puts her arms out and as you guys kind of embrace real fast, she kind of, both of you almost from the impacts, copping, ah, ah, the bruising sets in, darling, careful. Yeah, yeah, no, no. Injured. How do these guys look?

You don't see them yet, you just see these two. Okay. And after a moment of these hugs happen, you kind of catch your breath, you notice a few more figures appear from out of this large craterous hole in the ground in the center of this room. and from there you watch as the familiar Percival, Scanlan, I stay behind. Grog and Kieleth all emerge from the whole. How does she look? A little singed, a little burnt, a little worse for wear, but alive. Can't say that much different from the rest of her allies as well. Okay. I'm... I might actually kind of lumber a little bit

in that direction as if I were going in for a hug and then stop when I remember that maybe I'm not that sort of person. It looks actually very awkward. Oh good. This is a face I would like to see. Here? He just killed a giant

with his giant hammer of blazing, Kielith just closes the distance and runs up and just hugs care. Big, big bear hug. Big bear hug. What are you doing here? Same as everyone. Doing as much as a person can do. I got your gift. I'm so glad of that.

It meant everything. Maybe even a little too literally like 20 minutes ago, a lot of passing through fire here lately. Yeah. To break the awkward briefly, dear. Yeah, much more still happening. Maybe we should go down. I sky right up in the air. Is there like a sigil of Amman? Like a... I mean, there is a crest for the city.

Yeah. You can do a simplified version out if you'd like. I do that into the sky with Skywright. Okay. So the storm, which is still raging, but it's moving itself southwest to almost follow the Wyvern riders that have survived this battle so far and are fleeing from the scene. The clouds then begin to shift in shape and the darkness separates into it looks like little plumes of white that spell out. A very basic rendition of the symbol of Imon. What else do you want to do? There's Cash there. Cash is there with you, yeah.

How does he look? Yeah. He looks pretty messed up. There are a few large sections of armor that have been just cloven through and you can see a number of flesh wounds sustained but nothing mortal, but he holds himself with a kind of a knowing confidence of his arms crossed. But as soon as any sort of physical movement, there was a little bit of a wheeze and trying to take him. cover for the physical impact of the battle he's just sustained. You look a little worse for the wear there.

I don't know what you mean. I'm sorry. I'm sure he's up. Z, did he go unconscious? Actually, no, he fought quite bravely. Are you lying? No. Shit.

She's lying. Good job, I guess, cash. He goes, I didn't you bad yourself, big man. Smacks him the shoulder and goes, ah. No, that would never hurt me. I'm gonna walk up to him as well. because he looks fucked up and say, hey, thank you for the assist, Spanky.

And I'm gonna give him two slaps to the cheek and leave a couple of black feathers, stuck there with sweat and use the last of my lay-on hands on him. Now that we've sent the word, maybe now, be here to commence with the conversations underground. Okay. Everything hurts. Oh, not to.

What's your alma class? 21. He knees you gently enough in the nuts to get you to drop one knee. Just me enough. That's two. I laugh through it. I laugh through it.

Good comment. Are there any soldiers running around, by the way, right now, any of our people? Right now, some soldiers are beginning to pour in through the gate that they emerged from. Some of your allies, some from other armies that are starting to find their way towards the center core of the city. Not everyone's been made aware that the center of this battle has already been won, essentially. one, essentially. Damn it. So people are starting to come in and come down a bit and then rush back out to see what else is there.

You watch as a few Wyvern writers try and scoot through the sky to catch you, but the rest of them as a bolt of lightning. Slams into one and see a streak and tumble and then crash somewhere on the outside of the district. I'm going to fire a couple times into the air just to get some attention and just spread the word. Thordak is falling. Spread the word! Now we can go down. You see some of the soldiers immediately come down. look at each other and you can hear the sounds like the shouting and whispering back and forth

and four voices to start shouting, Thurak has fallen, Thodak is fallen, Thodak is fallen, and it starts just caring throughout the city and echoing. Call the Lodok Smith. Everyone goes, what? Sorry, Thudak has fallen. So as you follow them and gather into the area or you want to... I say, just, and I have to go, and I talk, I'm like, Samantha, It's you. Circle that everyone up, make sure that people are taking care of. Yes.

It's just like 30. Campaign going on. It's a campaign. It's a, and some campaigns are just briefly touched. It's a couple dozen moderately well armored. But, you know, like these are not maybe crack troops. They have a lot of heart. Did they have any hit points?

More than you might expect. That's good. Yeah. And so I just, I square them away they can take care of themselves by now, at least for a bit. Yeah, they set up a small perimeter to the entranceways to the district and kind of are awaiting other forces to arrive and inform them what's going on and still stay alert for any stragglers of the battle. Okay. As you... What do?

I just, I grab care and I say, I just, I grab care and I, start ushering him down into the hole. Into the hole. I have a shot title, well done. I'm so sorry. You are, I'm my favorite 13 year old. It's a lovely hole. That's what they tell me.

It's been a long time for me, you know. I haven't done this recently. I'm in here all the time. All the time. While this is happening, Scanlan, you stayed down there with Kima and Gilmore. Yeah, I sort of moseyed my way back to the beginning, to the opening of the layer, like where I had tossed the flute.

Yeah. And I pick it up. And I carefully divide my sachet of suede into three parts, three thirds. And I'm going to snort one third of it. Okay. Are you? The large brass dragon that has currently been heading at the end of the dragon, at the end of the dragon, at the end of the tunnel, DeVosa, they've slowly brought down to their hands and knees after traveling through and kind of scoping out the interior of the layer, approaches you as you're pulling out your stash and, you know, give more chemo approaching as well. What have you there? I've had a not a great day, Devosa.

Thank you for coming, for answering our call. I just need a second to myself, if you don't mind. Isn't Pike still down there? Technically, Pike would still be down there with you. Maybe just... Be real. Greetings, adventurers. Spring has sprung here in Los Angeles,

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That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com slash critical roll for free shipping and 365-day returns. Quince.com slash critical role. Turn a wing. They give a curious glance as Gilmore kind of walks up, brushes her back, which catches your eye. There is like a glowing ruin of some kind

in the center of Gilmore's forehead. So it kind of brushes the hair out of the way. If the man wants some privacy, give him some privacy. I just want to ask you a few questions. It's not very often I get to talk to Jermon. And Gilmore kind of walks up as the dragon sits back up and puts out a claw and kind of lifts Gilmore into his claw. They both begin having a conversation back and forth,

which at this point, Pike is also curious, means to pay attention, it kind of settles up next to you As you begin to be now, and goes, Are they talking in their language, the Marquette language? Or? If you want to listen in? No, no, I'm just curious. Marquesian and yes, they are.

Exciting. I can not speak that. But as you begin to kind of taking out, you're getting ready to go ahead and snort one portion. One third. One third of your suit. Pike approaches from behind and kind of claps her gauntlet onto your shoulder and says,

Scanlan, you okay? Oh yeah, I just, this is some healing herbs that I got. Okay, well, I'm training in medicinal applications if you need my help. I put it away. She looks over towards chema, and the chema is now kind of approaching the rest of you guys. walking into the layer, and they're feeling out the vicinity to see if the layer actions

have come to a halt and made it safe. And so, um, Pipe begins shouting out orders like, all right, we have to make a perimeter. Make sure there's no other exits. Make sure there's nothing else waiting for us in this cavern. Um, we've been giving orders to a dragon. You, dragon, help us do a perimeter, please. And kind of interrupting the conversation between DeVosah and Gilmore. The brass dragon turns the head down. Whoa, if you insist small one, sets Gilmore back down onto the center of the layer floor,

and they just begin to walk perimeter as Pike joins up. You are still left alone in the tunnel, should you be so inclined. All right, I'll whip it out again. Make an intelligence check, if you don't mind. Just add your intelligence. Oh, not good. Wow. You're going to put it in your butt.

Six. Six. Six. Six total? Six total. Okay. This looks exactly like the kind of substance you should be snorting for use. So you take a little of the suit.

It's hard to say. And this particular suit, taking in close to look at it, the grains of it. It is like a vine almost like a brown sugar type texture to it. Yeah, sure. And it is a dark brown color to it. It looks like it. you're crystallized dirt almost. And you kind of like take this segment, look like,

it burns, it burns, oh man does it burn. It burns a lot, and you're like, oh, no effect. It burns, that's an effect. Okay, I take out the flute. I pack some in the front of it. This is how you treat relics that were gifted to you by the leader of a foreign nation by turning the expended energy into a makeshift pipe. I'm taking another third and I'm packing it in the front of the flute.

Wow. Okay. I will... I will... I will entrap under the flute on the end. I will dip a torch into a bit of lava to light it. And I am going to bong rip from this ancient brass fleet. All righty.

I need you to make a Constitution saving throw. Constitation saving throw. Constitution saving throw. Not good. No, no. Eight. Eight. Roll one D4.

Here we go. Here we go. Three. As you inhale deeply, as opposed to the burning sensation from when you decided to snort the granules, the smoke and mist that emerges, as it fills your lungs, actually has a very fine herbal taste to it almost. And it is warm, and there's a head rush immediately that hits you. You feel for a moment your vision kind of crystallize and clarify, all of a sudden all the colors become briefly brighter, and you feel this slight pulse of energy, whenever you cast a spell, the fingers kind of warm at the tips, and you feel like you feel the immediate need

to just practice something right before your vision gets blurry and dark. Yeah, that's it. The rest of you guys, the rest of you guys come, We're walking down the tunnel, being careful, you know, weapons out, but talking and kind of getting up to speed with what's transpired. You look in the distance, you can see within the layer, and you're seeing this. It's a down, a decline into this large, heavy tunnel that is just made of volcanic rock and blackened stone, and with occasional cracks of melting

rock that are just spilling through in these small orange glowing pockets into this large central underground cavern that has an entire pool of molten rock that is spiraling through portions of the floor. There is a large brass dragon just casually strolling around the opposite side. Huge, gargantuan in size, strolling on a few other human-order individuals. And you guys watch as a singular male gnome ally is face down on the ground, not moving. Oh, there was no one leaving in here. I run up. Can I run up to him? Yeah. Scanlan? Scanlan? Smack him a couple times. Does he waken?

No. Can I roll them over? I'll probably get over there pretty quick, too. Not that I don't think that these guys can take care of their own wounded, but... Yeah. So you rush up. I'm gonna have both of you make a medicine check right now. Oh my god. Great time for a personal crisis. Great time.

Don't do anything pursue. Only a... That's kind of his turn. Eight. It's kind of his turn. Yeah, fair. But I've got a cure wounds potion I can use, a cure wounds spell I can use. What'd you roll your medicine check?

Eight. Eight. Not great. Like, is he gushing blood? No, there is no blood from his wounds. Some, it's, oh. Do I know what that smell is? What'd you roll for your medicine check? Not worth speaking of, like six.

Okay. So you're not sure exactly about having. You do smell of a strange kind of herbal, almost like an incense scent that is centered around his area. And he is breathing. Oh. But he is not conscious. Pike.

I check for poison. Can I do a nature check to see if I recognize the scent? Sure, make a nature check. I'm going to cast me on that nature check. And I'm just shouting out Pike's name. Oh, I've rolled a natural 19. Okay. So that's 29.

No, 30 total. Okay. Best that you can make it, strangely enough, the scent is medicinal almost, but it's also synthetic in a way that's not natural. Whatever the smell is, it's not a natural incense. PCP. It was laced. You would check to see if the pipe still packed? Yeah. Are there any signs around Scanlon as...

Well, yeah. There is the... The tarnished brass flute that was gifted to him by the leader of... of the foreign city of Ankarael that is currently tarnished by the use of its magic, and it is jammed a pack with a black, ashy, crystalline substance with a trail of smoke that is kind of lazily drizzling off the tip. What did your mom do to him? Well, regardless of what's going on, you healed 13 points. Oh, that's nice.

Okay, I pick up the pipe since I recognize that's where the scent is coming from. can I like do an investigation check or something? Can I smack him across the face as hard as I can? You can't. I just feel them. See if I can put together what's going on. This obviously if he's not gushing blood, there's some sort of poison going on.

Are you having any sort of dream at? No, darkness. You, you utilize detect poison and you don't sense anything that is clarified toxin to the point to the point where it would register as a poison. So at least you're calm to know that there isn't something coursing through his system right now that is in danger of killing him.

Okay. 15? 15 on investigation? Yeah. Yeah, he smoked something out of this. Guys, I feel like this was a classic Scanlan. In terms of choices. I don't think anyone did this.

Why is this stuff in the flute? I don't understand. I'm gonna start kind of like, can I start seeing if I can find whatever he put in this pipe? Make an investigation check as you start rummaging through his stuff. 11. All right, you're pulling through pockets. He has a lot more pockets than you'd expect.

Oh, can I do an investigation check? Because I'm good at hiding things on my person. I'm at, I'm going to, hey, Vex. Vex, I, look, I think he did something. I think he tried something. Look and see if you can find what he might have put in this pipe. So they're starting to go through rumors through his pockets. Make an investigation check.

What did you get here, Vex? God damn, I'm rolling like, shit! 10. Okay, you both start pulling through the pockets before Scanlan. I have a porn book that they might find in there. And you do. You find a fantastic small pocket-sized tome that manages to contain a lot of very, very, very deep pieces of artwork about male and female anatomy.

I'll take that. I take the pipe. I'm holding on, sorry. It's a flute. You also, you watch this Scanlan begins to shift and his eyes begin to flutter open, and you come back to consciousness with a mild headache with all of your friends gathered around

and Keeleth and Vax with their hands in your pockets. Vex, hi. Vex. Get your hands out of my pockets. What the fuck did you do? Wait, first. Are you real? No.

Is this a hallucination? Yep. Yes. Scanlon, why would you be asking if this is a hallucination? Just curious. We've had a very rough day. How do I feel, Matt? I mean, you feel like there was something to the rush, but your body rejected it. Rejected it. Interesting.

Are you tired? You were tired? You were still. I was asleep when we found you. Face down. I was shaken by today's events, and there was a layer action that knocked me unconscious. Holy shit. What's a layer action? I mean, there was a trap set by Thorac, previously to his death, that knocked me unconscious.

What was it like a... Like a... Like a... What's in the flute? Erbs, give it to me. No. No. No. You're too short. You can't even reach.

I would do it. Oh, God, angry shrieve. Can I do an inside check on him? Sure. Scanlan, make a deception check. 32. Where did you get killed? 22.

Legitimately? Like, oh, I guess some misunderstanding. I'm shaking, guys. I'm sorry. I'm not myself. Was it like poison gas, like lover, or did the rock fall on your head? I appreciate your concern. But what the fuck Vak? What the fuck, Vax? Why did you just charge in after Rishon like that? See how I did that? This is the best thing ever. Next time, will you please tell us?

There wasn't a lot of time there, Stanman. She was casting. She was reaching for whatever it is. She's been angling for for months. Well, you almost got me fucking killed, all right? Actually, you did get killed. You died. So did I. That's even worse than almost being killed. What did you think? We were... I reach out and I do this thing. to his eye like that. What did you think we were coming here to do?

We're here to... The fucking world is on fire. Yeah, but we're your backup. You don't go in without your backup. You've done this so many times at this point. You've got to wait for your backup to go. Listen, I will do anything that you want me to do. I will kill Care, right...

Hi, Care, by the way. I will kill him dead right now if you tell me to. That's how much you are my brother. But you need to trust us and tell us what you're doing. Care, no offense. None taken. I hear what you're saying. She was reaching for whatever power

she has been working toward, and I wasn't going to freely let her take it. And you weren't there, fate didn't place you there. And when we ran in that cave, you were ten seconds behind me. I have little legs. Listen, we failed. I know. I know.

Hard. It doesn't mean it was wrong to try. That's true. Man, we really did fail, though. If not now, when, if not us, who? It's not now, so when. And it is us. And what?

And I'm not calling this a failure. You're not calling this a failure. Well, it is. We bought time. What? No, yeah, we shit the bed on it. No, but truly, who is the piece. Two dragons!

If she had succeeded, if she had succeeded, If we hadn't attacked her when we did, and she had succeeded in whatever she's about to do with Thor-Dak, you know, we probably would have had to fight a much more powerful Rocheon, or Thor-Dak again, or whatever the fuck she's doing. We don't know what it was. Yep. And I wasn't about to stand back and listen to her Scooby-Doo monologue. I wanted to put an end to it. What's Scooby-Doo?

It's an island far away in the next campaign. Listen, I get it. I know. I know why you acted, and I probably would have done the same thing had I've been closer, but just next time give us some sort of a heads up, all right? We have a code word and everything. Holy shit, I'm throwing a dagger! Jenga, I think it's Jenga. It doesn't apply to this situation. I'm sorry, you weren't there. She was moving. The only thing I regret is that she got away. I'm sorry, Scalon. I'm sorry, too. I reach out and I pick him up by the scruff and I walk off to a far end of the cave, away from everybody else, and shove him down in a corner.

Sit still, don't say anything. Really don't say anything. It's gonna take a minute, and I start to unbuckle armor. Oh no. Shush, I start to unbuckle armor. It takes a while as we learn with that fucking wolf. And I reach down into my back.

As you're in the middle of unbuckling, Kima has kind of approached from the side of the wall and goes like, what it? What's up, girl? You know what? Keep going. And she kind of just leans back and crosses her arms with her sword sheathed behind her back,

and there's a little part of her looking at you, Scanlan, is how this is how to her. happening that says very silently, remember that a phantom dick circumstance that happened back in the under dark? I'm going to enjoy watching this. With her eyes. Reach, reach, reach, and I pull out a piece of paper, yeah? Shub it into your chest. That was for if I died. If you're going to die, don't do it with a fucking flute up your ass, all right? I storm off. I have a piece of paper. Can I read it? Does it exist? Yeah.

What is it? It's a roll sticker. Do you pull it up? Vinyl stick. Vinyl sticker. Pardon me while I pull up the actual information that this has. What you're pulling that up? Is there anything shiny in the cave that I could walk towards?

Because I'm bored. Oh my God, if I roll Pauli on a perception check for loot, I'm going to be so sad. Alright, let me pull up. All this like lava and gold. Cold, it's got to be cold, right? Platinum. Melted together, big hunks. Yeah, like cheese if we're lucky. What?

You don't dream of cheese in your treasure? That's not what she means when she says cheddar. Oh, what? I cannot keep up. Text or an email. It says... It says... It says you were right.

To me. I just fold it up and put it in one of my pockets that seemed to have been messed with. Let's just sit there and think for a while. Okay. As Vax walks back, I kind of pull them aside and I say, I mean, you ran in after me, partially on me as well, us, all of us, I guess. Scenaries, we didn't come here looking for a fight we knew would be easy to win.

We do what we have to do. When we landed on the shores at Glint Shore, we fought, we kept going because it's what needed to be done. Kerr, I tried to be the hammer that you said I needed to be. I don't know. I don't know. I might not be great of writing letters. This is not.

I don't know, that was a pretty great letter. You don't need to be anything. And you certainly don't need to be anything other than what you are. But he has a good point. I mean, in situations like this, you do what you have to do. Everyone does what they can do and you can't do anymore. I feel like I focus so much on just my want for revenge and justice against Reishon that I made it so personal that I forgot that

This isn't about me. It's ultimately not about any of us. There's something so much bigger going on here. Maybe my onus and guilt was into some way selfish. I don't know. Congratulations, you're a person like the rest of us. You think it was wrong, then you can do it a little different next time. I admire your wisdom. No, no, no. I do. No. Don't. Don't do that.

Would you be willing to lend at least a little bit of your knowledge to help us maybe find Rishon? For what it's worth. It seems like you won, you didn't win, you failed, someone was killed, but they're lost. You know, that was a pretty good summary, actually. Yeah. Killed one dragon, picked a fight with another. Got our ass escaped. Didn't go as well as the first.

And the second made off with the first. Sounds like you maybe got sandbagged a little bit? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. That's always the worst. Yeah. And you can't expect to win that fight. She knew far more about us the whole time than we ever knew about her.

That's still the case. Almost did. I see that you're alive. Yes. And if you get caught unawares by a dragon who has been gathering intelligence on you and you walk away, that is not nothing. She done right ran.

She did. I thought she teleported. I'll miss you. Got it. More, Margoor? As this conversation's happening in the intensity of the emotions, you notice that Gilmore, Chima, and DeVosah, the breast, dragon, are all just kind of sitting watching. DeVosah has their hands kind of clasped in front with their jaw resting on the end, just kind

of watching, and the dragon's voice kind of billows up forth. Ah, the drama of such short lives. It's heartwarming for us who don't get the chance to see it often enough. It's lonely in the tower. You know you can come down and join us whenever you'd like. I appreciate the offer. However, the longer I'm away from my city, the more in danger I leave it. I have many enemies, as does Anccarell, and I can get it.

The moment that I absconded with your magic to aid you, that's the opening they've been waiting for. So I have to return to my city and my people. But I believe our debt is collected. Your victory against Thorac, complete from where I once left it. I wish you luck. Would you like you let me this symbol, this necklace, A necklace symbol. Would you like it back? The large brass dragon face kind of shifts down right up to you, and the immensity to distance is already intimidating, but when the front of the snarling jaws, the immensity of the nostrils flare right at the presence of a gnome-sized individual, you've grown up fighting the sensation of feeling small in comparison to the world around you. You feel truly small, this close to the front of the dragon's ma.

the teeth curl into a grin, and the voice kind of billows out like a slow rolling landslide into your face with the warmth of its breath. Nah, keep it. John. And just steps over and starts making its way up the hall of the cavern towards the district. Before you leave, if you were fighting a green dragon named the disease, Deceiver who wanted ultimate power over her domain? Where would you start? In my opinion, entities that are this intelligent, you never want to wait for them to fight on their terms. The slow, rolling impacts of the dragon's feet grow quieter and quieter before you hear eventually the wings lifting up and you see as a

A cloud of smoke and ash kind of pulls forth into the tunnel, showing the lift-off as you can only ascertain. Germant Saourd, leader of Ancurel, the Brass Dragon, begins flight back towards their home. Oh shit, did Jemond fly here that entire way? No, I don't think so. No, they don't know. Flush. Maybe. I was joking.

I was joking. As terrible as this day has been, there is some gold at the end of the tunnel. Which is probably rigged to explode. I think it's probably, well. Want to go check it out? I kind of feel like we should, you know, heal up a bit. I've been here before, and it didn't go so well. Yeah, how knocked about are they?

I mean, obviously, singes and abrasions and weariness, but like, really not to show. Raise your hand if you have less than 30 hit points. I'm at 30. Oh, I could probably take out the whole group. I would. Wow, that would be a twist. Plotrist.

Oh, my God, are you my Sean? Ruffa. Ruffus. I was sent here by acquisitions. Assassination mission. You sons of bitches. You're a bidson. You've offended us.

and betray your protection money. Just like us to do this. We trust everybody. We're idiots! The last thing you hear is the laughter of a one-armed man in the distance echoing. Quixota, assume, Rathas never ends. But no, if people are that bad, like, oh,

you know, how are you? You're obviously, like, it's gonna be, like, are you, like, are you, like, visibly, like, knocked about you. I mean, she's, she's, like, she's basically black cinder right now. Oh, really? Yeah. Okay.

She's planted into lava. She's burned. She's burned. I'm like, do you really want to go looking for gold right now? Because you, um, would you like to come over here and sit down? I can take a look at, as they discussed, can I just walk toward the pilot? Cash, hello. You are you on.

on healing, can you heal us? Cash and Zara, who were kind of just sitting off the edge of the cavern, kind of taking a breather. Well, we've got a little bit, I guess. Zara, by the way, is like healed the fool. Of course. Yeah. Yeah, I just, I, um, Keeleith just bursts into tears. It's just, I'm so tired. I'm so tired.

I'll kind of just kind of usher her off a little bit. Whatever is a little less in the middle of everything. I've got my little pack and we can lay down the blanket and she needs to get some of these charred smoldering clothes off of her and so I can look at these burns and start. I nudge bags. I think that guys putting me. I think that guy's putting moves on your woman.

Okay. Super worried. As this happened, I do the same to care. I just laugh. Cash kind of walks up and slaps you on your shoulder vex and kind of a jolt, and you heal 14 hit points. This is cure wounds a little too, but as a bit of a jolt to your body. It's good. Thank you. You're welcome.

It turns the background and walks back to it. It's all right. And I just kind of do the slow talk, you know, what kind of like, it's like, oh, this isn't as bad as it looks at first, you know? And because this was the old thing that I did in town for years. Somebody would come to me hurt and I'd be like, oh, it's like, nobody knew who I was in town for 20 years. So I do the gentlest, least obtrusive laying on of hands, you know, where it's

like, oh, you know, this probably stung like the Dickens, but, you know, it's just, look this, look at this, it's just rubbing, this is just, this is mostly just, let me blow on. I see. I'm like, so cool. But thank you. I'm, I heal back 12 points while I'm hugging. I take a little potion in. I try and clear my guns in the hopes that they're actually going to work all right.

How bad are you? So proficiency? So down, like you could soak up another 30, I'm assuming. Yay. I have a 118 max. Just a flesh off. Then, yeah, actually soak up a full 35. Whoa.

There you go. Is this, are we calling us a short rest? Is that what's happening right now? Is that what's happening? Are we having some sort of spontaneous short rest? If you would like to take a short rest, Oh my God. I got 16 hit dice, man.

Yeah, I'm gonna burn a few hit dice as well on top of the best lap ever. Is it a full blown war happening up on it. Oh, shit dice. That's true. Yeah, you know, we just fought two dragons. They can handle this. Okay. Okay, so you're all taking a short rest before you, or are you going to the gold, not taking your short?

Gold. Okay. So as you all take a moment... There's a lot of talking happening. I just wandered off. Okay, yeah. So as you guys begin to take the rest, tend to your wounds, take a breather, and begin to mentally prepare yourself whatever the next stage of your journey is. Grog, you step out into the cavern now without the red in your eyes that normally calls to combat, where your focus is on what you can hurt

and kill as soon as possible. Now it's what you can loot and keep as soon as possible. And make an investigation check. Okay. Gonna be high. Oh, 17 plus minus two. 15. 15.

It doesn't matter too much. As you walk in and begin taking in the surrounding, as you can see, there are edges of the cavern that are just crammed with gold and platinum and art fiction. art fixtures and vases and golden brass and silver keepsakes and knickknacks and decorations. You can see chains and candelabras. You can see all sorts. It looks like, and you kind of some of you can glean this as you went in here. This is more wealth than you've ever seen in your entire life. This is probably a majority of the wealth of Amman that has been slowly

brought to Thorndak and forced into his layer as part of of the tyranny that he took over the city. So all the money here is been amassed from the guilds, from the villagers, from the townsfolk, from the temples, from the shops, from the cloud top. This is the economy of Iman crammed into, or at least a majority of it, into a singular cavern. I feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of staff. Are there any like unique looking knickknacks or really lovely or dangerous looking weapons that grab my eye because it's just a lot of shit?

Well, as based on your investigation check, which is a 15, you do find a couple of fun things. You find a... I love the one who reaches for stuff. I know. You find a somewhat familiar looking metallic rod about the that long, cylindrical, looks to have a couple of small, almost like ring divvets on it. You're like, you're pretty sure you have one of these.

A movable rod? What? A movable rod? Yeah. Who has ours? I think I have it. You've seen it? I don't use that more.

Oh, no, no. It's not the same thing. It's awesome. You'd be like climbing? This is different. This is a movable rod. Oh, it's a movable one. Not an immovable one?

Which means it's just a run. It's just a run, basically. It's just a shake weight. It's just a shake weight. It can't stop moving. Dungeons and dragon. Mind you, that fighter's forearms look amazing. So you pick that up, and you start glancing through,

and you're just kind of pushing through some of the art objects, a large painting that's jammed, and they're just kind of breaks in half. If there's a vase, I will totally smash that. You smash that. You smash a few vases, actually. It's pretty great. Honestly, there are two gold coins inside. Yeah.

You also do see to the side a, what looks to be a wooden box about that big that is latched shut, has beautiful engraving all across it, and what looks to be almost like gold leaf with little gems of blue and red, kind of put towards the corners. It's a really beautiful looking artisan wooden box about that big. that big. And then there is a large, looks like a beautiful tapestry that is rolled up and bound. Okay, that's boring. The box, like, is it looked like it's simple to open? You pick it up and look at it. It has a little latch on it. What would? Make an intelligence check.

What would that guy that's always sneaking around do? Intelligence sec, two minus, yeah, two. Okay, so zero. Joe. You shake it. There's something inside that rattles around. It's got a little heft to it. Oh boy. You look at it. You try and pry open the side. Nothing. Even with the time sewed knuckles? They don't open? You want to use strength? Go and roll strength check. Yeah? Force it open. You're gonna break a wonderful item. Damn it. Eleven. Eleven. Okay. It was a low roll. You...

And the wooden case just breaks in half. and as it does you see what looks to be a small leather sleeve, similar shape, kind of in land. I'll go get it. Pick it up, and it's a leather pouch. It has a little top that's button shut and it looks like there's something inside almost like cards. No. Cards? No. Yeah, yeah, open the sleeve, that leather sleeve. What are you going to pull out? Well, I just want to open it.

Okay, you open it and you can see inside it looks to be about 13 cards, like tarot-looking No, no. The cards, yeah. Do they smell like anything? It's okay. They smell clean and fresh. Oh my God. Can't read.

How far away is the lover? Maybe from where you are right now, and this portion I'd say 25 feet. Who the hell uses this card? No, Travis. What? What are you even doing? I'm going through the loot, you all are fucking healing and shit.

I'm trying to find something useful here. Did you find anything useful? Laura Bailey manifests. manifests. I'm just like the devil on the dry shoulders. A heart plays. No, as you guys have been resting, to be fair, as you all sitting there in the tunnel kind of talking, you hear in the distance occasionally, ting, ting, ding, ding, ding, and you look in the distance and you see grog just like rummaging through the loot and throwing shit.

What are you doing? What? I'm trying to find stuff. There's a giant rolled-up carpet over here. A carpet? Yeah, I mean, some people call it a telaphafi or whatever. I go over to grok. What do you have in your hand?

I don't know, it looks like a bunch of cards. Can I see them? No, they're mine, I found them. You have all of this stuff to choose from. Have had it. What's that tapestry is talking about? The tapestry that's been done? Go to make an investigation check.

I'm going to start wandering into this mess. This is exciting. Okay, that's good. That's good. 24. Okay. As you quickly go over, you find, and there are a number of, will look to be types of decoration, wall tapestries, and things like there's one that Grogot that

is a very, very fine material. Looks like it's probably expensive, May, like a very deep-died navy blue silk with looks to be a very light tan pattern across it. As you unravel it, it's roughly six foot by nine foot. It rolls out in front of you. Do you fly? Fly. Try to fly right now.

Go up in the air. Did you just spin on it? Well, that's my code word for my flying broom. Charconic for fly, which sounds like, naturally. What do you want to do? Do you want to spend some time with the tapestry? No, I'm gonna roll it up and save it for later and look around for other cool stuff. Okay, so you grab the tapestry and roll it up and toss to the side.

There's really no way around this. I've got to pull a card out of the leather sleeve, right? I'm gonna take this fucking tapestry, you look around the road. So you pull one card out? Yeah, I pull one card out. I wanna pull the one in the middle because I remember magicians be like, choose a card, any card.

Travis, you could destroy the world. You could just so excited. I mean, on any day, but you're lucky I'm really in control. I don't know what can come out of that thing, but like really bad things can come out. Okay. I'm gonna ask you to the crew real fast, Ryan, do we have a deck of cards anywhere?

Oh my God. Oh my God. What is it? Oh, God. Oh. I probably... Just regular playing cards. I'm going to look for something.

Is it fair to say that everyone knows what this is but me? I don't know. Sam doesn't know. Oh, of course. I've heard bad, oh god, there's cards right there. They had them right there. Thank you. Scalind doesn't know where this is.

Do you know what this is? Yes. Laura, do you know? I know it's really, it can be really bad. Patrick, do you know what this is? Didn't they pull this out during one of the charity games? It could be amazing and great. The war is over and both sides long.

Kingdoms were reduced to cinders, an army scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world, praying the darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadow dark, the darkness always wins. This is old-school adventuring at its most cruel. Your torch ticks down in real time, and when that flame dies, something else rises to finish the job. This is a brutal rules-light nightmare with a story. that emerges organically based on the decisions that the characters make. This is what it felt like to play RPGs in the 80s, and man, it is so good to be back.

Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the Shadow Dark every Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on YouTube.com slash the Glass Cannon with the podcast version dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join us in the dark. Welcome to Mick Unplugged, the number one podcast for self-improvement and modern leadership. I'm Mick Hunt, your host, and I'm here to challenge your why and fuel your because. This is where leaders, entrepreneurs, and go-getters come to level up. Each week, I bring you unfiltered conversations, game-changing strategies, and the kind of motivation that transforms lives and legacies.

I've learned from legends like Les Brown, Damon John, and Robert Irvine, and now I'm bringing their lessons, along with mine, straight to you. From modern leadership tips to creating unstoppable momentum, this is the podcast that redefines what's possible. Hit play, subscribe, and join the millions who've made Mick Unplug their go-to source for growth and greatness, because your next breakthrough is just one episode away. This is Mick Unplug, the voice and face of modern leadership entrepreneur and self-improvement. Let's get started. Or it could be totally destructive.

It's feeling amazing and great right now. Oh God, oh God. I'm so glad we got a short rest. I'm so, I wouldn't. There's nothing I'd rather be here for. Just straight up. All righty. We have these two left and take them.

I was here for the end of ridicule. I'm sweating harder than the dragon for you right now. I'm not going to open it and just be like, Be patient here for a second, folks, is I have to pull out the proper deck here, so I know that he was. As Travis is now currently pulling a card from some sort of enchanted deck.

Maybe he really wants us to die? It's called an enchanted deck. If he wins, he could win big. Is there a name for it, whatever this is? Oh yes. What's the name? Idiocy. After you, yes. We'll tell you later.

I'm not out of character. I genuinely am only doing this because I don't know what the hell it is. I'm playing. This is perfect. It's perfect. This is, this is. It could not be better.

Although, honestly, they'd like, and like into the lava would also would have been perfect. Yeah. Right, right, right. Would that have activated all of them? And then, don't know. I don't know.

It's hard to, you can't really destroy magical items, though, right? No, they would have just put them in rock. They would kind of floated. Oh, they're magic. In my rush to get everything ready, I did not. How dare you?

You didn't think any rush would be as crazy to actually. Well, there was that too. But you know, I learned, I learn lessons the hard way sometimes. If Travis gets a hold of it. Not ready for e-sports, Matt. I hate you so much.

Not ready for. I am so excited. Oh, that's horrified. I don't know what all the things are they can do. I don't think I would have the guts to do it. I think if I, because I would know, I would not have the guts even. Because you know what it is.

I couldn't medigate. Well, there's like 13 cards. I couldn't medigame around it. What's the percentage of bad cards to good cards? It's a good card. Probably like five or six. It's mostly bad. Do you know?

All right, Greg. No. But the goods are amazing. Let's shuffle these here for a minute. Oh God, oh God. Oh my God, what if we're all about to die, like right now? Because it could be world ending, right? You don't know.

You could just... I'm with care in the hall, right? Yeah. You guys are all just resting in... I'm still resting. In the hall. I'm checking to see if there's any more in the flute that didn't get burned. It was the table.

Now is the time. Smoke him if you got them. I'm, I forgot. Literally. No, as you check the flute, what you put in the flute has been expended, yes. There's no one. I think one of these cards could end our game.

I want you to just pull. One of these cards, turn them all around. Shuffle with it. How many polls are you? You say you're just pulling one card, so you pull one card. What's really amazing is the only Travis has stuck to get along. All right, what's it say?

You have this conviction to your voice. No, you show me what it is. I believe you. I'm very calming. Yeah, I believe everything he said. All right, good to know. Good to know. Good to know.

You all died. It's a giant. No, don't look at the screen. Don't look at the screen. That's not going to make anyone feel better. Please be a cool idol. No way. No, man's face.

No whamies, no whamies. No whamys. He's turning more pages. Why? Why more pages? I am actually sweating. You should only be on one page. Why would it need to be on multiple pages?

It is the most powerful thing. It's a center full. It doesn't make any sense. It's the most powerful thing in the book. Okay, hold on, I have to go back here first. Why are there more pages? You'll find out. Oh, man.

Yeah. Why would you give me that? That's going to the same question. You give me like chesty belts. Look, man. The last thing I expected was Grog to be the first to lute for magical items and roll a decent investigation check. And yet, here you are discovering this deck.

All right, so with this, you pull the card out, and it looks like this beautiful tarot-like design of what looks like a metallic key that has currently held aloft in space behind what looks like almost like the stars converging into some sort of a pattern in the night sky. That's good. Stars are nice. That's nice. At this point. Orion wouldn't fuck us.

Nope. You, uh, that's not a sword on his belt. There is a, oh yeah, it's good point. All right, so as you pull the card and look at it, the card bursts into flames. Oh, that's fine. And you feel the slight tingling in the hand that held the card.

Suddenly you watch as there is a flash of light within your grasp and it looks to be something extending from where the card once was. You immediately feel something steel in your hand, and as you clutch your fingers instinctually around it to try and crush whatever it is, you look and watch as this beautiful-looking scimitar-like blade is now in your grasp. Whoa. It's beautifully made, an ornate hilt and handguard, and it has like a chain dangling from the bottom of the pommel that has, looks like a small blue gem. It's a beautiful looking piece weaponry, and as you kind of whip it back.

and forth, it's perfectly balanced. Does it make any doors like when I swing it? How did you do that? A card turned into a sword? We should pull out of the other cards to see what swords they'll name. You could do that 12 more times! I am apparently the most powerful sorcerer that has ever lived. This is a deck of weapon cards.

I mean, seriously though. Well, I have to hit something with it. We'll go hit something with it. Is there like a tall statue around or anything? There's a half-in-air. You can see there are a few. marble busts and things that have been collected from the more... No, marble bust is good. That's perfect.

Please don't decimate the antiquities. Can I pick it up? Okay. Lobb it? Also, don't forget this is property of a mob. It just broke because you distracted me with it. Oh, God. I gotta go find another bus. Is there another?

There are a few. Thank God there's another. And you do recognize some of these used to exist in the Alabaster Life These are actually busts of old heralded teachers within the arcane halls of the Lyceum. Oh, they're robot and stuff, right? Yeah. Okay, then nobody cares what they look like. Take it, love it in there. Big swing.

Make an attack roll. Okay. Can I make this a reckless attack? You can. Is it a strength or dex weapon? It's a strength weapon. It's a strength weapon. 27. 27. Roll damage. It is considered a cimitar.

Okay. A cimitar. So it's a D8, I believe. It's considered a cimitar. But really. It looks exactly like a cimitar. It's a meal. Oh, so yeah, just pure damage with scimitar.

Skimitar. You kind of do it off in the board act, so like 16. No necrotic. No magical bonus on it. Just 16. 16? And with your gauntlets you have seed, which means you do double damage against objects and structures.

Oh, flour. So as you take the sword back, you strike the edge of this bust and watch it just turn to gravel and dust. It just shatters and explodes at the side with one singular swing, and you watch the small chunks of rock that still somewhat resemble any sort of a resched structure goes scattering across the black,

you know, lava and magma-encrusted darkened floor, the cavern. Blade is untouched. It's really well balanced, that is, and I just hold it up to my ear. A moment passes. The second moment passes. We're good. Yeah.

We're totally good. It's a cool weapon. It is, yeah. And I'm stillfully try to pocket the other cards. What are you doing? But I haven't showered in a few days in my bubble shoes. Make a sleet a hand check, Grog. You watch as Grog so discreetly takes the cards and just kind of throws them.

They go, somehow throws them closer to you and in between him and you guys trying to hide them and just go, I pick them up. Does anyone know what these are? Grog just made a sword out of one of these cards. Do we know what this is? They only are committed to my magical touch. I'm going to look at it and just see if I happen to know anything about it. Roll an Arcana check.

I don't know anything about it. I may take it. I rolled us 12. Do I know anything about it? They're apparently magical. 23. 23. You being a studious child and reading many things. You have heard rumors, you have heard myths, you have heard legends of glory and woe, based around an artifact referred to as the deck of many things.

That was what I was. I started to open it up and... No, no, no, no. No. Oh, you let's... I think these made weapons, though. They can make a lot of things. They make bad things.

They can make a lot of bad things. And do you know what activates them? Just looking at a card? If I recall it doesn't take much. Let's just... I just shut the little case and stuff for you must. Let's keep it. I was going to say, let's put it somewhere

No one will ever find it, but that will be fine for now. Max, may I, actually, I found that. Oh, thank you. That's mean, that's sweet. Someone will find it there. But I don't, I just, I want to hold on to this mind. You can keep all the other gold. Yeah, no, I don't trust you with it.

Making a request of anything. Why not? Because you do stupid things. Look what I made. You made a beautiful sword and I'm proud of you. Yeah, I'm sure it's like reactive it's user. And I haven't called it. Maybe there's another set in here.

We should find it. Oh, God. And then you can have it. Oh, gee! No, gee! You can have it. That's a bad deal too. I go to look for another deck of many things and nothing else.

For all the gold that is in this cavern, none of it has any luster or shine to you as you are singularly focused on finding another one of these deck of cards. You are throwing handfuls of platinum over your shoulder. Garbage. Garbage. Nothing. Life has no lustre to it anymore. You wretched. All right, so continuing off of your investigation check. What hard is that.

Wow. So you do have a decade many things, which has now 12 cards in it. Oh my God. I'm gonna hand that to Laura. Next time I go to that casino, I'm taking that with. You have that tapestry. You find what looks to be a pair of very, fine, crafted dark green leather boots that have almost like a silver or platinum

scrolling along the edges of the leather, almost like leaves and branches that tangle in towards the front of the foot. Do they look elvish? It looks elvish in design. And you find what looks to be a very, very well-crafted Warhammer. It has its shape and its design is, and only because you've seen this type of book before, it appears to be dwarf. and make. And it has a series of runes and glyphs along the sides of the Warhammer head itself that seem to give you the sense that this is a very expensive or at least a very, very elegantly crafted weapon. Okay. Sweet. I can't, can I see if they're magic? I can't, can I?

I mean, you can take the rest of your short rest with one of the objects to see if you can ascertain any sort of magic or information about it. I'm gonna do that on the tapestry. Okay. Fly, fly for me. All right. The rest of you guys do anything else for your short rest? Just healing up?

Healing up, fixing my guns, and then sort of trying to navigate some of this crazy in here and then eventually looking around the cavern as if there's anything. So has everyone spent their hit dice? What do we at? Hit point totals here. 68. Oh, I got one or two?

79. I think you're still full. 99. 100. I'd enrol in it because I was looking for another deck of many things. That's true. 90s? Okay.

At the end of the short rest, Vex, you've taken the time with the tapestry looking at it. Its design kind of hurts your heart a little bit, so it reminds you of the flying carpet that you once had. And you're like hoping and praying. And as you're concentrating on it and hoping that something is something is something that's something comes to you, you're like, fly, you know, go, traverse, carry, you're just throwing all these words out. And as you're just getting more exhausted and the rest of your party kind of look over with this like, oh, give it up girl type of look and shaking their head. A sudden hit of inspiration hits your mind and clarifies the word lift. You say lift and the

tap, she goes, Shut! The irony is this is the carpet she replaced. It's a flying telephathy. Lift higher. I am in love. Amazing! Another flying carpet.

Oh, you guys, this is wonderful. I legitimately thinks she tried to replace the one we stole it. She's the one she stole her carpet again. It's her other carpet. Oh shit. She collects magical garbage. Well, she only ever needs one. We just keep taking it.

How much to say how much weight it can hold? 800. 800 pounds, you can carry more than the last one. How big is grog? Is it a bigger tapestry? This is a 800 pounds big? It's six by nine. Like 300.

This is like the California King version. It's bigger than the one you had before, yeah. It's a California King version. Grog can get on that and go hit things. Yeah, fly and speed at 30. I can run faster. Can you be like a smaller surfer thing? Yeah. Yeah.

What's my carrying capacity on my bruce? on my broom? Uh, not for that much. I should probably know this. Your broom can carry, it can carry 400 pounds at a flying speed of 30. Oh, good. Oh, sorry, I'm carrying 400 pounds, but its flying speed becomes 30 while carrying over 200 pounds. Okay.

Yeah. Oh, this is amazing. That's a good find. Yes, it's already useful five. Some good stuff. Some good stuff. Bex, does it look like our old carpet? It's a little bit.

It's a little bigger. Yeah? Does it look like they were in the same family? Definitely, Keeney. Yeah? Hey, look at these boots. I throw them down to you. They look kind of druidish.

They do look druidish. Do they look Jewish? Roll in our conunditure. I'm not good ideas. Five. Total. They look pretty. These are so pretty.

These are so pretty. I think the color looks nice. It would look good with you. Dress. Okay, I'll look at these later. Okay. The nicer than the boots you have on. Oh, that's a diss on your boots, dog. I don't know something match the ensemble per se, but they're nice boots. I mean, it makes to kind of fry, you know, a loud dusty.

Yeah, the souls are a little melted now. You got burnt. I mean, basically, Keylet is been naked this whole time because all her clothes would have burnt off in lava. This is the magical world of fantasy in which characters don't suddenly lose all their clothing or facial hair or body hair because of magical spells. All right, sure, whatever. That sounds like that Japanese RPG, we didn't. Unless you don't.

Yeah. I'm sure there are RPGs out there that let you do that. I'm sure limitations. Plain Princess will let you do that. I think there's actually some exalted expansions that'll let you do that. Not this game. The fan artists take care of that for us. And with that.

Yeah, I'd love to take a look around the room, see if anything catches my eye. Also, I think Kula's here would probably be be shorter now again, thanks to the fire again. Yeah. Maybe the black to red. Sure. Ooh.

Can I fly up on the carpet and see if any it catches my eye from above? No. Just like, not 11. You jump on the carpet and get an aerial view and as you get up towards the top of the cavern. Not that I couldn't have done that on my broom, but I feel a little safer because there's stuff all around me right now.

Yeah, yeah. It's a nice big square patch is for you. I'm gonna lay down and. Is there room for your broom on your carpet? Yes. I'm gonna run on up, I'm gonna run on up there and get a vantage point from the, I still have some spider walk.

You do, yeah. Hop on up there. Hop on up there. So you watch his purse, he kind of walks up, upside down from on the cavern, and kind of gets a similar perspective as you. Make a investigation check. Come on.

Not great. That's, no. It's real bad. It's real bad. It's real bad. Where are we even bothering? Six. Yeah.

In all the time you spend here, you spent here most anything that catches your eye beyond just value, you've managed to scavenge and glean from the horde. Everything else seems to be just collections of expensive or valuable knick-knacks, collectibles, museum pieces, silverware, furniture, art pieces, gem collections, and then gold, silver, platinum. It's this, and it's you, knowing good amounts of money, you can't even fathom the scope of this. Like, this is.

Vex, you're drooling. Mill, like millions of gold pieces. Wow. It's a lot. I feel like this is too much for any more. No, no, no, it is. We need to return this to the people of Amon. I mean, that's where this money came from.

Yeah, but how do we do that? Yeah. Do you see anything from Grey Skull in there? Oh, do I see anything from our keep? Uh, nothing that stands out or you would recognize. Not that I can see. All right. Now we'll take a tithing for ourselves to help rebuild,

and then everything will have to post-guards and someone's going to have to take charge of all this, put it to use rebuilding the city, make sure that the antiquities get back to the proper owners and that the money is used to just rebuild everything. People have to just rebuild everything. put in papers with the council. Yeah, so say people are going to have to pull papers.

I think they're probably not going to get the money back, but they're at least going to get there. Something. Should we reward care? Care, do you want some of this bling? Actually, care after you're okay and kind of up and about yourself, probably very casually, like, kind of wanders around. And when he gets to the jewelry and the gems,

like very matter-of-factly fills up a sack. Very matter-of-factly. Awesome. Awesome. You know, like, oh, I feel a little awkward about this. Just like, this is really not my first rodeo. You work for that. And money does some, this is more than they can carry,

and I have some uses for this money. Yeah. I did give 20 pounds of gems when we were down in the city of Braz. Maybe I can find some more gems. Okay, yeah. No, this is, we are taking our tithing. We are taking it. we have work that needs to be done.

How much are you taking? I mean, it's your choice really at this point. How much do you want to and how much can you carry? Do you feel comfortable? Not a ton. We do have a lot of, we do have a lot of money right now. We're going to be rebuilding. We need gems and platinum.

Let's not take anything that isn't gems and platinum and let's not take a ton of it, no. What about like big diamonds or rubies for like important spells and stuff? A few of those would be good. Yeah. Jim's, yeah. Jim's for heroes, beasts are always like.

Oh yeah, smart, smart. We did burn a bunch of them for this. Smart, Grog. I'll pass out from the smartness. As Grog falls asleep, cuddling with the gold coins and like a slow rolling Scrooge McDuck. Vex, you do find, with 80-year friends too, there are two diamonds roughly worth about 1,000 gold pieces

that you can put off at the side as a component. You do find gems, but really, I mean, How much do you want to take, really? This isn't how much did you find. There's enough here to take pretty much anything you can carry. There's no way you can carry even but a fraction of this. So what do you want to take? Platinum is worth 10 gold?

Yeah, so like, we have. I'm taking 200 platinum for myself. Okay. I think I would actually honestly say at least a thousand platinum in general, just for general use for the group. Yeah. And then 10 of each gem that we can find.

A thousand platinum for the group, Ben? Sure. Okay. That seems reasonable. Yeah, totally. We're also going to need to put somebody in charge of all this. Yes. Someone trustworthy.

Oh, we know you have things to do. The guilt of a thousand. Oh, fun. I see care hesitate and I've been down and I pick up like a handful of goal and say, of goal and say, Yeah. No, it's more like it's like, am I going to be in charge of another city?

No, no, no, no. Not unless you want to be. It's, but no, I grab mostly like not big gems, nothing flashy, but light, portable, and stuff that can be converted into cash. Like I've got troops who are going to, and a city back home. Yeah.

Yeah. And you did come here, so. Vex, there are six, seven of us. Yeah. We should take a bit more. I'm taking a little bit of gold for myself just because I'm low. How much?

You guys want to grab stuff yourself. Yeah, it's just a. Kima is abstained, by the way. Kima is not taking anything. While Gilmore is currently filling up a small satch and it's like, oh, I have to rebuild somewhere. Shoveling in small amounts, but not too much. much. Same.

I'll take so hard. I'm taking 184 gold pieces. Good job, Grave. Nice, grog. I'm just going to put 500 gold pieces. He takes that some million bonds. That's what I did was 500. 500 gold pieces. Like the candy. I'm just going to take 50 platinum so it's lighter. Just great. Okay. We're going to have to seal this cave for now. Why? The city is secured. The city is secure. The city is about to become a riot once they finish getting everything out of here.

And losers will come down here and take far more than we did. No. Wait a second. Don't we owe the class path of this? We owe the class path of our loot. What does that mean? But that's our lutes, not the cities. If we don't take as much, then we don't give them as much. I don't think they would view it. it that way. That's the deal they made. This is not our loot. We just looted. It's not our money. It's a month. The clasp should be aware of that.

I think we're going to make an enemy out of them by doing this. We already have to keep an enemy out of them, it's really wrong, or likely. Plus, how do we even know who we told? It could have been two underlings. Nobody would believe what they said anyway. Sure would be a gesture in the right direction, though. Well, we can, I'm sure we can still throw them a little bit of platinum, but... I mean, Percy, you- Well, what, 5,000? Is that what you're saying? Half of what we take?

How's this work? That's nothing to them. We promised them untold riches. We took a thousand platinum for ourselves. If we took another thousand and gave it to the clasp, that's a lot of money. How about we don't give them anything, and we just let them know that it's clear

to come down here and do with it as they will. They'll take everything. I don't know if they'll take everything, actually. Well, Percy, you once said that every good city needs a good underbelly. It's true. So I imagine that the underbelly would also have invested interest in having a good city.

I imagine it works both ways, right? I'm so proud of you right now. Yeah? Thank you. Oh my God. I'm learning from you just like a little. Where it's appropriate. I'm so sorry, but I'm so proud.

Only where it's appropriate. So what is it? We hand deliver it or we just let them know it's clear to come down? Hand deliver. We don't want them coming here at all. I agree. It's more personal. You write the limerick and we give them two platinum. What was the number you said?

That two is what I said, yes. Send them in envelope with half of the deck in it. It just turns into swords. How are you the coolest human? Oh my. That's amazing. I don't know what the deck can do. Could it cause the entire city to crumble?

Potentially. Or can you separate it? Can you pull out eight cards without them all going? That I do not know. We could give them to the back. Vax just woke up. Hi Vax, welcome back. So what, 5,000 platinum?

5,000 platinum? Where are you coming up with these numbers? We're just picking up with the same numbers. We could give them like three pizza platinum. It doesn't really matter to me. I just want to go. Hey, big man. That's a nice sword. Where'd you get that in a while? I took out a cord of this little pouch and it turned into this thing.

What are you talking about? Yeah, it was like a little cord. in like a leather pouch and then Beck's took it from. We have to give them something big. If we want them to be our allies and not hate us and try to kill us, we have to give them a good amount of money. The clasp?

Yes. We're talking about payment. We give them a thousand platinum and say that's half of what we took. Oh, they're a crime syndicate. They're going to laugh at that. I agree. And they know when someone's running a game on them. But we didn't take it. No, that's our loot.

It's not how they're gonna see this. Yeah, that's a letter of the law argument. They're gonna wanna go spirit. We also just saved their city from utter destruction. I don't, I don't. Honestly, are we gonna stay around and really regulate what happens here? We're not, right? We've got shit to do.

I would honestly say, and I cannot believe that I'm agreeing to this, but I think just if we run into them, we let them know that the dragon's dead and that's where it is. I'm with Percy. They're not going to bankrupt the city. It's not in the best interests. No. They're going to take a look at it, and they're going to get what they can carry.

So we're turning over the city and the city's treasury to a bunch of thieves. We turned over the city to a bunch of thieves. They've basically been running the place for the past. Do I know, I mean, how small town am I? Do I know about these folks? You've never dealt with them directly other than scaring off a couple of younger cutthroats you caught in like an alleyway. an alleyway here or there, but you're aware of the clasp. The clasp, while largely centered in Amman,

is a syndicate that is across all of Taldore and has some hand in every village, no matter how or small. Right. Maybe we let them know that it's there, but that the guards are coming. They won't have a lot of time. Why don't we just hand this over to someone else and let them handle it?

If you hand it over to someone else and send them a letter, it will take a while to get there. The clasp? down the hallway. Oh. Which one over yonder? They're probably been busy. They're in the sewer is a thousand meters from here.

Oh. Regardless, I agree with Grog. We have more important things to worry about right now. I'm running for office. T-shirt. Regardless, I agree with Grog. Things never been said before. Is there any of the people collected,

the generals or whatever? Have you worked with them as well? The clasp? No, the former leaders of this city, any of the people that you've We don't have the military. We can put them in charge of this. There's not really any military of this. There's a visiting military.

Yeah, we could put them in charge of it, at least temporarily. They can be trusted. Can they? Kima. Do you feel like brother and sister team? Keeping an eye on a small group of soldiers

from Singon, protecting this. A few days. I could probably run it. I'd probably have to go and check in with Allie. I'm sure she'd be interested in knowing about this. She's part of the council. Right, we need to tell her. We have a soon. I mean, we still have a number of standing council members, and there's a few we still have an encounter for her. That would be better. My home is Western, to be honest, but I've kind of taken this as a second home.

Far more stories of treasures being looted by foreign military. We need to get to White Stone, speaking of. Don't we need to like give a hand and plant it under a tree? Is it like that? Oh yeah. Yes. Yes. I forgot about that.

We have a hand. We have a hand. We have ashes to bury in Vasselheim. We have to find out where the fuck Roshan is. Can we see if maybe she went to White Stone and the whole city is decimated? I can try and scry. Scry with the scrying eye, but that's it. Yes.

How about we go to White Stone and then scry? Well, we won't need to if we're there. Yeah. Just find out if it's all right. Let's crawl upstairs. Let's keep some people on this, Kima, and we'll crawl upstairs. I can try and scry on right. Did I find a little, like a scale of hers, by the way, Orny, in the...

Glancing about. You know, roll an investigation check specifically looking for the scale, as opposed to looking for other things, not the room. That's correct. Yeah, no. That's better. Slightly better. 10 total.

10 total? It takes about 10 minutes. And because the shifting low light in here, the rocky formations of the ground itself, you're having a hard time finding any scales of Rishon's. Just anything? You have to do. It takes you about 15 to 20 minutes

before you actually find a small cluster. where the wounds left behind by Grog. Yeah, I'll do it, yeah. I'm also, I'm gonna grab the bag of colding and take samples of the dragon eggs that we cracked, the fluid, the bodies that, like, I'm just putting the whole thing in there. All right.

We need that. They intend? They took the body. Roshan. She, no, no, she's been playing us for, for a long time when we were in a loose agreement with her to get to today, and we've never felt like she's told us the whole picture.

We have watched her gas scores of people in front of us. She's killed many of your friends, people. She's not good, but no, we don't ultimately know what her next move is. I can try and scry on her, and maybe get Lucky, or I can try and scry on Whitestone. The problem is that she's smart, so even if I try and scry on her, there's a possibility that she'll resist it.

She's exhausted still, I would assume. She did burn all of her legendary resistance, didn't she? She did. And she's probably been running. What could it hurt? I'm gonna try and scry on Rishon. Okay, casting the spell? Scrying eye.

Okay, so we're using the items DC, you're spelling DC. I guess so, but I don't know if you ever put the scrying eye. DC. DC on here. It doesn't have a DC. It doesn't? Then we'll use your spell DC.

That's fine. Okay, so as you guys begin situating, Kima walks up to the surface. Gilmore's still kind of rummaging through and trying to find some interesting things. And there's a few moments where you hear Gilmore crossroom, be like, huh, this is mine. He's starting to find things left over from his destroyed shop that have been scavenged

by looters and brought back to Thorndak as paying homage to their new ruler. Kima begins to head up and you can hear now people have begun to gather en masse into the cloud top of the sounds like other, the rest of your soldiers, along with Zarek, Shaw, walking up with her, begin to organize and find whoever has been fighting through the city and figuring out, to set up a perimeter to defend the center, which essentially the entire economy of the city lies underground, you begin to pull out the scrying eye and set up the small space for the ritual. You concentrate on it and kind of thrust your vision towards the center of the artifact. Is the spell DC?

My spell save DC is 20. So as you focus, you feel your vision kind of lift up in the into the dark clouds as the storm is drifting southeast of the city towards where the Wyvern riders have been escaping. Into the clouds in the dark, the moisture, the rain. You feel the humidity almost oppressive against you, and then you feel your essence being tugged, being pulled rapidly in a direction. In midst the cloud, you don't know which direction it is, but it's pulled you quickly and suddenly emerge from the clouds in your over-ocean. Over-ocean you see in the distance just open waves, no signs of land, just water, and then a singular

island, isolated, distant, far from everything. Your vision suddenly jumps, scats upright to the outside of this cavern opening. You see, it's I'm going to say, but you know, I figured nothing escapes Laura's mind. She is our resident 13 year old. It was me at that time. It was actually him. It was time that time. Your twins, it's fine. Whoopoo-poopy. Yes. Skips ahead.

to the exterior of some sort of a mountain-based cavern that dips deep into the ground in the center of this very, very thick jungle-like terrain. You can see portions of the cavern here have been ruined and broken down, and there appears to be some sort of geothermal activity in the vicinity. Your vision skips again, and you can see

a deep series of winding caverns that lead to what looks to be like a stone, stone, a very, very old stone laboratory. You see cages. You see wooden furniture. You see what looked to be portions of bookshelves that are toppled over. And out of the blurry peripheral of this one focal point where the spell has taken you, you can see what looks to be just out of sight, a large, deep red crimson mass that is just resting still. You'll also see what appear to be to your other peripheral to ovoid-like red shapes that are kind of resting in the edge.

And there at one of the bookshelves, you see a woman with long, dark green hair, wounded and bleeding, currently pulling books out of the shape. and opening and looking through, and slamming it closed and throwing it down and pulling another book and going through. The vision recedes, and your eyes blink and come back to you, and you're back in the cavern of the layer. She's not in Whitestone. She was looking for the third book of the trilogy of Patrick Rock. It couldn't be found any of her. And with that, we'll take our break.

Yes. Rest your break. Talk in fact. Oh, man. All right, we'll be back here in a few minutes. We'll take a quick restroom break and a snack break. We'll see you guys here shortly. Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, the critical role. You're just bottle of break.

Well done, Liam. Well done. Me too. More there. Yeah. So welcome back. Jumping back into our adventure. Adventure.

So as the armies begin to filter in, word begins to spread throughout the city that every fire giant that stood beneath Thoracch in the city has been slain. A multitude of the lizard folk that were under Thorac and the conclave's barrier have also been slain or have fled the city. The storm of the Ashari has wandered and dissipated as the immediate threat of the Wyvern Riding Horde has fled towards the Stormcrest Mountains to the southeast and are now out of sight. The armies have converged and have begun searching for survivors and putting them under their care. Members of the clasp have begun to rise up and meet with the remaining armies in discussions of of how to bring most of the survivors out, as the clasp has actually been, as they discussed

before, taking many of the survivors that aren't already bound to Thorac and keeping them underground and kind of building small underground tent cities for them to live in while they try and figure out what to do. It's very interesting with those of you who've lived in Amman for enough time to see so many different people and so many different racial backgrounds and so many different cultural degrees all coming to one point. and all working together so quickly and so strongly just for the sake of recovery for aid. And there is an air of relief.

Some people are gathering the dead and identifying them, bringing them out into portions of the streets to make sure that they are properly buried and the families are given notification. You can see a lot of the fires are being put out and people are doing the best they can to salvage as much of the city that still stands.

And a lot of the city still stands. stands untouched. I'd say a good third of it is going to need some serious restructuring and rebuilding. And being one of the largest, not the largest city on the continent, it's going to take some time. You guys have begun to speak with the war master as he approaches with his army and kind of trade stories on what has transpired on their and in yours. And as this is happening, a familiar face, steps into the district with a small group of cloaked figures. Standing before you see a tall, scaled,

female dragon-born, tailess, armored, Tofer-Brotoris, looking harried and exhausted. She steps up and you see what looks to be the cusp of a toothy grin at the edge of her mouth. she catches your attention, raises one hand. You have no idea how happy I am to see that you all live. So if I'm to be told you are the ones that took down the cinder king?

Yeah. Yes. Us and with the aid of many others, of course. And this is indeed the turning point. Do you have access to any of the members of the council? We've been cut off in the Lyceum for months. Ah. Yes.

safe in White Stone currently. We can say White Stone now, right? We can say White Stone now, yes. She's safe in White Stone. Sorry, we're not. White Stone. Yeah. You're good. It's kind of nice saying it again.

Emperor Uriel's wife and children are on White Stone as well. This is good to know I was worried about them after the initial attack. Okay, all right. Hussum should still be here as well, right? Back in White Stone as well. also back on White Stone. White Stone.

I think, wait, Rishon was supposed to take Assum somewhere. Did that ever happen? That assume came down to the Zika Brought. Yeah, she's back to us, right? Right Sean brought us. Yeah, that. Sound of confidence. It's like a month ago.

Very well, with the War Master's aid and any of you who are able to, will begin to do the best we can to restructure structure and some semblance of law and order here within the city. And Kim is in there. She's kind of guarding the treasury, if you will. Solo. Solo. By yourself. We were hoping to peel off some of the troops, maybe some of Singon's troops, to help keep an eye on things in there.

Well, Master, could you make that happen? And you see, Mikhail Daxio, who is currently in the midst of giving orders to a few of the soldiers, just kind of puts his hand on blocks over. I'm sorry, what? Mikhail, if you would be able to offer some aid or strength of your troops to guard what remains of the city's economy. And Mikhail notes,

should not be a worry. Of course, I'll, and he begins to talk with Tofur, and then begin to break down the structure as to how many people are gonna go here and there. So the longer this progresses, the more gets into more logistical conversations. What do you guys want to do? I filled them in on what I saw in Scrying.

More importantly, what this means is that she is on this plane of existence. I can't scrive. Oh, right. She's on another plane, so she's here. Do you know where that island is? I could attempt to think really hard about it. It's an attempt to think. If scrying doesn't give any direction.

The Marisha Race. No. No. I mean, even the visual. I'm giving from a narrative standpoint or like a little more than the spell should, but it's for fun. Can I do like a, can I do a roll to see if I can know? Make an intelligence check. Oh, geez.

Fun. Thanks for your vote of confidence. Roll-I, roll-I. No, that's not good. That's not good. For the dice. This is your fault. It's a five toll. Yeah, it is.

Wait, wait, wait, no. Just a straight intelligence check? Yep, intelligence modifier. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, you've, for lack of a better term, are the homeschooled one of the bunch. And you only recently left the,

before meeting the rest of these adventurers, left Zepra to go and see what the world was about. So unfortunately you don't have as much worldly experiences other people in your team would. So the visuals you have clear in your mind, you have no personal life experience or any place that you've seen that you can connect the dots to. I turn to Pike and ask,

and tell her of the island, and ask if she has encountered anything like this in her travels. She closes her eyes for a second and kind of winces a little bit, her tongue kind of peeks out the side of her mouth for a second. Uh, no. White ocean, you said, right?

Big, nothing but ocean except for that one singular island. It looked like there was geothermal activity going on, so it must be. Near volcano or something like that. Most of my ceiling was done in the Osmit Sea. Nothing like that? Nothing that I've seen. Sorry.

It's okay, Pikey. I'll throw a hill Mary. Like how wide ranging was I back in the day when I was doing this for my career? You sound familiar to me? Roll an intelligence check. Come on. Come on.

Come on. Come here. Let's go away! Yeah, yeah. 18 plus your intelligence modifier? 18. 18. No negative modifiers.

That's good. Must be nice. Well, zero today, kids. As Keyless is going over the description again, you're thinking about it. And you did a bit of sailing. Sailing in the Lucidity Ocean. is difficult. That's why a wild mount... You're right there.

Take it outside, Liam. Don't die. Try to pull the wrong guard from the deck. The glass of many drinks. You've done a bit of sailing out of necessity, and the Lucidian Ocean is known for being the more treacherous of the large bodies of water, which is why between Wild Mountain and the other continents, there isn't a whole lot of trade,

or the trade that's out there is generally considered very expensive and for rarer items and resources. What catches your mind is the idea of geothermal activity. And while you haven't specifically been to a place like that, the islands you know that usually contain that type of sub-volcanic activity to expel that type of region-based terrain, those usually are in the southern region south of Tal'Dorei, away from, more like southern, southern Osmit Sea, close but not specifically the Hesped Archipelago, but somewhere

in that similar type region. Hespet archipelago? Archipelago. Archipelago? I'm going to throw every dice at you, trouts. Southern, Southern Osmets. This layer did not seem to be the bookish sort of layer, like the sort of dragon who collects a lot of lore and would have stuff like that, no.

No, not this one. The Thorac in particular, it's been interesting too, and as people have been discussing it here, once a very intelligent and cunning Red Dragon, you don't know the full details of it, but there was something about his return to this after being sealed on the fire elemental plane, his return involved harboring an enchanted gem within his chest that kind of held and carried the essence of the fire plane with him,

and the longer it resided within Thoradak, it caused him to mutate and swell into this like, primordial beast dragon, but it also drove him insane. Okay. And so everything you've seen in the layer seems to be a natural chaotic formation of a more feral type dragon mentality than what you've heard of in your travels. Right. The only other thing I can think of from what you described is if she was there and she, and this place was obviously in ruin and abandoned and she was tossing it looking for

information. It wasn't hers, but it's abandoned. The only thing I can think of that she would want would be some sort of lore or magic, which means this is the lab of someone powerful. Which means those people show up in stories. And so that might be a way to find out where this is. In this area, if you find out who was doing terrible things, because you said cages, right? Nothing good comes from cages.

So whoever was doing terrible things in that area. Maybe a necromancer of some sort? Well, if she stole a dead dragon. Can I make a lore roll for Vicki McBookerson? Make a history check. Natural 20. Oh, good.

So with my history, that's a 29. Literally was like, if he's in Pigginsettys Tide, he better roll a natural, okay. He's just gonna hand me your notebook and I can just read. No. Oh, duh, man. Holy shit. Holy shit.

You know there was one in there somewhere. Oh my god, you just saved us a trip to the library. Don't say that yet. I was not to say, no, we're going to the library. Use these places or they've disappeared. You have always had a mild fascination with the macab. And since the age of our canon, was also a referred to as the age of wanton necromancy, because at the time there was no law against it.

While necromancy exists in modern-day Taldore, more so in wild mountains, but it's generally heavily regulated. Regulated? There are very few necromancers that weren't sanctioned or part of a government system so that it could be very closely watched, and any sort of research or development could be made sure that it didn't. turn into the usual classic, you know, my power's greater than everything, I'm going to go off into my own thing. The den that she's describing is very much that type of a necromancer. And there are only a handful that catch your attention. One is an entity that you're very familiar with. That is what was once a great mage necromancer that that began to pursue ascension to goddom,

known as the whispered one, or a very familiar name of Vecna. However, the acknowledgement of Vecna's history was heavily tied into Wildmount, and what little bit of research you've done into the back history of the Briarwoods says that wherever Vecna's old, forgotten, laboratory was, it most likely existed on the continent of Wild Mount. The only other

individual you can think of that is known historically was an individual known as Opash. Opash was a sanctioned necromancer during the age of Arcanum on the continent of Marquette. And then after being discovered to be delving into his own experimentations, largely in the of crafting and sculpting flesh, an undead flesh into whatever form it wishes, as well as the prolonging of life to pursue this endeavor, was set to be executed. Through some very, very clever conversations and favors that were owed to Opash, it was agreed instead to just banish the necromancer out to sea. Oh, well, that could be it too. Wait, what was that last part? That was some really important.

Banished out to sea. Banished out to sea. It was agreed. Who is banished to sea? Opush. O'Pash. So those are two different stories. Two different.

Yes. Those are the only two, like, famous necromancers that are a sea. You're brilliant. You guys, you're all, we have such sweet friends. Oh my goodness. We need, well, we need to, in theory, find the last resting place of Opauch. Well, you know, we have... Can't be hotter than killing a red dragon.

We have a paladin of the Raven Queen, and when I remember, the Raven Queen hates necromancy. Hates necromancy. Vecna is one of her sworn enemies. Maybe she knows. Maybe you could talk to her. We can do that back at Whitestone. You have a tendency, you know. What do I know about the Raven Queen?

Oh. Because that one's new to me. So yes, it catches your attention. The Raven Queen, the mother of Ravens, is a fairly prominent member of the pantheon of Exandria, the entire world. Once immortal, ascended to take on the mantle of death and winter as her domains of influence.

She presides not over the afterlife, but the moment in transition from life to death. She is the keeper of fate and keeps watch over the destinies of those who walk the prime and beyond planes and occasionally takes interest in those that tend to bend the threads around them. You know, resurrection, healing magic, things that maintain life naturally or a natural life per se are not infractions upon her belief as destiny is stronger and if an entity is meant to live to fulfill its destiny, then that is how it's meant to be. It's the creatures that pervert destiny, creatures that bypassed the natural predestined end and essentially, you know, bulk what in her sphere

says is supposed to be your way, your path, your timeline. Those are her fervent enemies. Largely feared because of what she represents, largely misdemeanor. understood because of what she represents. Generally, worship of the Raven Queen is pretty rare from the circles you've run into. You've generally walked in a lot of, especially in recent years, more flag better term, not urban. Suburbanes. Rural. Rural, thank you. More rural environments. Raven Queen worship is acknowledged, but generally there's no temples to her. Right. Okay.

Got all the notion of like cornfield Raven Queen, portion. That's so creepy. Oh, I'm down for that. Oh, don't worry. You get to Wildman. You get to Wildman eventually. I'm sure they're out there.

You know, Raichon did say, I mean, I know she's prone to lying, but she did say she was from Wildmount. That's where she wanted to go back to, she said. We have two very clean things. paths. Maybe she's studying necromancy, maybe she's been studying Vecna, maybe she's been studying opash. Maybe she's been studying a lot of things, but one of them would probably be how to resurrect a red dragon. And she's also very familiar with, I'm sure, whatever the Briarwoods were doing and with whatever the ziggurat is in the bottom of white stone, that we still don't know what is technically for. She knows. She knows what it is. She knows what the orb of death is.

Is Gilmore still around? Gilmore still around? Gilmore is. Gilmore is kind of listening to the conversation while finishing closing off the satchels that he's filled with coin and is currently kind of thinking to himself with his fingers crossed, his chin kind of perched upon his hands,

himself trying to see if there's anything he knows to edit the conversation. You do notice also at this point there's a very faint glowing gliff on his forehead. Yeah. What is that thing? Do you see that? Yeah.

What's going on there? What's on her face? Boy, Gilmore. You got a little. You got a little something. You always look dashing, but you have a new added dashing feature to your forehead right now. Gold, right up. Oh, and he kind of waves a hand briefly and it kind of fades back into his skin and it's like there's no glow there.

It's just a thing. Oh, that seems fine. Okay. Yeah. Magic. No, seriously, though. A good thing. Everyone has their magical specialties. I carry power in my bloodline.

What power? It kind of looks back because there's people in the vicinity. Just mouth it, I can read lips. It kind of comes to, he goes, I'm what they refer to as a room child. What is it? You don't know.

I know. What's it mean? No, no, make a history challenge. Oh, no, I don't know. You know no, shit. You know less than me. What's a child? What's a child?

What's a move? Who are you? They were all womb-child, really in the movie. I've got a new weapon down in the layer. Can you identify this? I can, yeah. Just take a look at it, yeah. I've got a few low-level.

Spells still available, certainly. Ooh, this is quite a fancy endeavor. Right. really pretty. It's, oh, it's not just pretty. It'll perform for you. This, my friend, is a dancing sword. A dancing song. What? What? How do you make it? I'll throw it on the ground. I start playing Diddy.

Do-to-do-dood-dood-d-d-dhast. Okay, what do you do, growl. I threw it on the ground. I don't need yo dancing. My weapon's not a sword. I'm not part of your feudal system. All right, so you just throw the sword on the ground. Yeah.

It's gonna kill me. Kling-l-l-l-l-ling. There we go. The sword goes clinging-clin-c-cring. The music's playing. Sword to stays there. I don't think that's how it works, Grog. Towsing sword.

Hold it in your hand. Feel the world. I feel the world of the Tessatine's tunes and I go wearing up. I pick up the sword in the eye. Maybe it has to lead, Grog. Oh, don't know that you do that. Baa-p-pah-ba-ba-bye. I know this much is true.

I can't even know. As Grog slowly rotates, caressing the back of this ornate cemeter, the music emanating from Scanlan's fantastic sham. A number of a nearby military began to slowly turn and just kind of cut their heads and watch as an unexpected display presents itself amongst the cloud top ruins. Perfect. Go-Morleans in. You might want to spend some time with it first. Oh, you have to do.

I don't think it trusts you yet. Take it to dinner. It's very sharp. Take it. Complements. Just sit down and compliment it a lot. I think you have to hang out in the shitter with it for a while. All right. Shitter, compliments.

Take it to dinner. Conjure some wine in your chuck. Oh, good call. For it or for me? Both, both. Okay. Once it likes you, it'll tell you a magic word. Use the word and that sword fights on its own.

On its own! Really? Like a Warner Brothers cartoon. So you can buy, he can buy him. He can fight and he can fight with another thing? Oh! He should give him Stalin! What?

I'm sorry. She forgets herself sometimes. It's all right, Roon Child. Thank you, Gilmoo. Of course. Anything else you need? Back to the Roon Child thing. Yes. What's that about?

What's a Roon Child, John? You did you... I mean, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to, but please. Well, I just... It's... It's... It's a natural thing that some people are born with. It's a gift.

It's... Like scoliosis? Adjacent. That means that. But no, there aren't many of us, and let's just say in times past, we were... Roon children were sought after. Not always by the best of intentions.

So I'd like to keep this information. Of course. Of course. That's all right. Was that a problem even in Amon or just where you hail from? Another thread we need to deal with from. Oh, it pervaded the entire age of Arcanum, but it's not that it's just not well understood. Just please.

Your word is safe with us because I don't know what you're talking about. That's where I like you, Grog. The details go nowhere. In your time in growing up on Marquette, did you ever hear any tale of someone named Opeche? Opeche? Opash? Opash? Opauch? A terrible necromancer. Don't tell him.

Can't say it I am. I'm sorry. It wasn't really a history buff. Sure. Sorry. Damn, I bet you mon would have man. We have to go back anyway. We have a hand to deliver. We do. We have many things. If anything else, the next order of business is to make a list. I'm not actually going to build the list.

We're just going to make it. I saw that in the eye. How much longer do you think Raichon will stay there? Until. Especially if she's not finding what she's looking for. Not long. I think it'll be a base of operations. That's what I would do.

I thought that I was going to be safe somewhere. I would stay there and simply hunt out, much as we did with Whitestone. Safe until it's not. Do you think she knew you were crying on her? She didn't seem to notice. A lot of times you can kind of tell. Yeah.

She seemed distracted. All right. She's been beaten pretty badly. Yeah. We should get to White Stone. Is here taken care of? And do we need to stop in our home, our keep, and do anything there before we leave?

I mean, can, aren't we all tapped out? Can you get us to Whitestone now? Maybe we spend the night in the keep? Yeah. For all time's sake. Yeah. I could get us to, back to Whitestone, using my last seventh level spell, and then that's it.

I'm done, done, done. You could go home. You couldn't get all of us, right? I mean, transport via plants. But like Jarrett and Keeman and Gilmore. It lasts six seconds. We all go quickly, yeah.

I think my record was like 25 people when we were moving refugees through. Yeah, it's pretty good. Still trying to break that. I would recommend not really trying to break it. I'd want to get 25 and a half. Yeah. You've seen it happen, I could tell.

Well, I'm glad I'm alive. I'm glad you're all alive. Thank you for helping. Thank you, Sean. It's the least I could do. And if anything, it's really, this experience has helped me come to terms with the fact that I should not be on the battlefield. I need to stay.

in the shop. That is not true. That finger of yours is very powerful. Yes, and I was also on fire a lot. I want to avoid that. That's true. Are you going to be rebuilding your shop here, or are we going to see you in Whitestone as well? You know, my intent a while back was to start a franchise.

We'll see how the one's carrying me. After all, I think I, and he kind of tucks open this large, heavy sack and the satchelots on his side now, and another one to the side that you see is a small, like, compact back of holding. He goes, I think I've got it taken care of. Yeah, no. Nice. Brilliant. We wish you well, Gilmold. Well, I mean, if we're going to White Stone, I'm coming with you.

No, you gotta stay. I'm just kidding. Okay. Are you gonna come to Whitestone with us? Stay the night and have a drink with us. Are we going now? We can bump you back. Yeah. We're not even going to go to our keep for a little.

for a little bit. Did we go there? We did. We came in. We stopped. We stopped by the ruins. All right. Hey, oh. Hey, oh. I could use a drink. I would love to. I would love to. Give me just a moment. And I head back to the troops. And I talked to, like, the couple of them that have kind of, like, risen up. Samantha. Yeah.

She's amazing. Sam's really, Sam. Sam's pretty legit. Yeah. And so, and I also kind of circumspectly, I sort of distribute a little bit of money. I give Samantha some, and this is like, it's like if something happens, if I don't come back,

here's how long you stay, here's what to do among the populace, like, and I don't need to give them the talk of like no looting, because they've already had daddy care, like constantly lecturing them about how to not be dicks. The kind of people that would follow you into battle for this, as small as your group was, the kind of people that you know you can trust this.

And Samantha, with her like, kind of graying hair that's pulled into this kind of hard top knot on top and her darker skin with like the scar across her cheek in her breastplate armor, she comes up and kind of grabs your hand and goes, don't worry, I've got it taken care of, it's fine. Right, yeah, it's right. You've done it before.

We've gathered the dead. We'll make sure with what you've given that we'll get, back to the families that remain. Right. This is going to be a tricky place for a couple of weeks. And not only could our people maybe use a rest, but maybe it would benefit from 30 or 40 level-handed people with swords, maybe keeping an eye and out,

maybe traveling in pairs around the city, making sure nobody's houses get broken into. You can't take care of everything, but it would not be bad to camp out maybe for a week. Wait for me, and I'll be back, and if I'm not, you know where to go. Hey, I'm always down to rough up some ruffians. It's, that, oh yeah, okay.

Care, go with your friends. Okay, you've got a director. Should we, gosh, just ignore. She has that rest plate. Are you on your ass? Yeah, I mean, she looks like she could, definitely bruise you in the face with the left hook. So for you, yeah.

Okay, care, put in a good bird. I, she, I, hmm. He's going with you, right? Yeah, great, okay, okay. Does Kima wanna come with us? Yeah, Kima's ready to go. She's like, all right, we're going back to Back to Weston?

Does everything look like it's an order with Daxio, with everyone here? Sure. Are we good to leave? I don't do the whole council thing. But they assure me it's fine. Allie's going to know what to do. I just, this is really depressing me.

Let's leave. I look at Daxio. Is everything okay? Can we cut out? He's in the middle of the conversation. Yes, yes, we've got it covered. Let her Laura know, as soon as she can, come to us. We have a lot to discuss.

We'll do. Everyone. Thank you. Thank you. And from me, from all the civilians of the city, from Tardorei proper. We all owe you a great debt of gratitude. Thank you for having our back. Thank you for having ours. Now off with you. You know where to find us. Keena, come on. Let's get you back to Allie. We've got to find a tree. Might I just quickly remind us? We have a tree at the keep if we want to make us. So we are now stiffing the clasp. No. No. By the way, Daxio.

I'm sure you're aware, but, and we'll let Alora know as well, the clasp was instrumental in keeping survivors alive here in Amon. They definitely deserve a bit of pot. Consensation. Handsome reward. We'll discuss with them. I do believe that we've already had a few conversations with a few operatives during our arrival. arrival within the city, and they've been very forthcoming with information and willing to aid us.

So, yes, I appreciate the acknowledgement. We wouldn't have made it here without them. Please let them know that we vouched for, though. Yes. They've at least earned the old status quo. What is that? Very well. I have no idea.

And just to mention, if you... Take people like that and give them in a place in your town. You can keep an eye on them. He kind of, his eyes kind of narrow a little bit in balance towards you. Indeed. Well, I don't take it from here. For a time when you can, get a little bit back to us.

You will. And stay safe. And it turns back to handle some more business. What do you guys want to do? Make for Grace, go, keep. Where our giant tree is so we can go to our other giant tree. Okay. 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 Rothers, 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.

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through Hmong and just loot everything along the way. Just like all of it. Just like a most wonderful time of year. Matt starts rolling random encounters. Six episodes, just getting out of them on. Why the hell did we walk?

You guys make your way through, and as you do, it's an emotional journey, because as you walk through the city that became your home, as you all became a family, you can see familiar sights, you can see familiar thoroughfares and street sides, you know, street sides, and taverns, many of which have sustained severe damage, many that have been reduced to nothing but rubble and ash, and some that still stand defiantly versus all the difficulty and stress and strenuous struggle that has existed for weeks and weeks and weeks here. You see

people slowly emerging from the shadows to try and reclaim what remains of their life, but you also see them helping each other. You also see a comparison between the busy bustle and kind of general selfish lifestyle that most people in a well-off capital city exist and replaced with a newly understood sense of kinship and looking out for each other. You see the guard themselves beginning to really understand in their lifetime the first true large-scale victory for the betterment of their people and what that means to them. And there's kind of a sense of pride

through the sadness that many of the armed soldiers you come across probably never had. It gives you hope, though to see it in such a statement self is harrowing in its own right. You can already begin to see through this energy and through the slow-crawling

return to life that you've helped ensure that Iman still has a future, let alone Tadouri itself. No one catches your attention as you leave, but a number of eyes train on to you as you exit, and many of them flash with recognition, their face going bright, and then with just a solemn nod. Thank you. Eventually, you find yourself to the southern gates, Laman exiting out into to the charred fields that once were green and lush with grain and grass, eventually coming upon the exterior of Grey Skull Keep, the home of Vox Machina.

Just as you left it, abandoned the front gate partially ajar, there stands the keep, mighty, defiant, and somewhere there is a jar of no longer magical poop. Making your way inside, there is the garden that you left within the Temple to Sarenre and the large central tree that you use for most of your transport to and from Kelith. How's the garden look? Looks as good as he left it. It was far enough, far enough from the battle to where it didn't seem to suffer any sort of blows or issues. You guys managed to basically focus everything

within the city's walls, so good on you for that. Okay, anybody need anything? No. Not going to go through the, you need anything from your rooms or anything? We'll be back in. Change of underwear. It's all at Whiteson. We have everyone with us. Jared, Cash, Zara. They've all kind of walked along with you.

I'm just gonna pluck another flower and tuck it behind my ear. Okay. As Gila steps forward and places her hands across the base of the tree. She focuses and it's almost like grasping two ends of a bag and then pulling it open with alternating zippers. You watch the bark splits.

and as it opens up and crawls from floor to the seven foot apex, a doorway is open temporarily. And on the other side, you immediately see the slow morning sun beginning to rise in Whitestone across the city. Jump in. Six seconds. Go, go, go. You all go charging through as best as you can, all merging into the center of Whitestone's central area. The twilight being slowly cast away by the rising sun, the sun tree at your back as the doorway closes behind you, and the cold air immediately catches your lungs. You've been amongst the heat and the clouds of smoke and soot of Imon for so long,

amongst the struggle. The cold crisp air is almost a welcome moment of respite from that experience. You look around you and Little bits of grass have broken the cobblestone and floor of the open area have, you know, bits of frozen dew across their surface, and it's this beautiful crystal moment of peace that you didn't realize you've been seeking for quite some time. You can see the gentle bit of light beginning to crest over the mountains hitting Castle Whites under ahead of you. You've returned. What do you want to do? Well, I thought it would be a nightcap, but it seems like it's a morning cap instead. That's our specialty. It's not somewhere. That is our specialty.

Head to the castle, have a drink, tell a Laura what's going on. I should find a Laura. Cassandra. Yes, let's head to the council. Bush. Hey, Ker. Want to see where we live? I will admit to a passing curiosity.

It's gonna be tall. This place was full of fucking vampires. They were everywhere. Dead giants, undead giants. It was terrible. We've renovated, yeah. We led a rebellion. I was the general.

It was amazing. We let him say that. He was a dinosaur. Any beret you see on someone's head right now is because of this man right here. That's part of shit. Oh, in that flat part of land? That's mine.

I thought they said that was the wasteland. No, it's mine. Isn't that where they burial the shit? Yep. Yep. Yep. As you guys walk your way up the path to Castle Whitestone, the Pell Guard morning shift has already begun to walk across the grounds.

They greet you. You're led into the castle, and from your perspective, this hillside, this small mountain that marks the northern side of Whitestone, the city that sits in the central valley, surrounded by the thick, parchedwood forest, you see this beautiful castle. Not too large, but enough to, of once housed a very respectable royal family,

if you will, of at least Lord and Ladyblood, made of a dull pale gray. You've never been to White Stone, you've heard about it, and you immediately assume that, well, this is what they call it, because the castle itself is a little bit of white, Entering inside, it's slowly beginning to rouse. You sense some energy with the sunrise,

that people begin to make breakfast, and guards begin to walk past. Eventually, with you guys taking a moment to rest and even grab a little bit of food, as early as it is, Cassandra enters you, watch as a woman in her, what you can only imagine be late teens or early 20s, physically, but her eyes carry the wisdom

that only years of trauma and survival can hold. Her dark burnet hair with a single shock of white that kind of curls to the back, walks in consciousness, as much as you could expect from a girl that early in the morning, has her hands kind of clasp at her chest. Well, back so soon, are we? Is it soon?

It feels like it's been, It seems like we've been at least two weeks. Oh. Oh. Oh. It's more likely, five. It's true. Like a holiday break happen.

So it feels like. It's dead. Then it is done. I'm proud of you all. It's not done. It's not done. But it's a victory. Yeah.

We've had a good day. We're not dead. I can see that. and I'm quite thankful. Your friend, I don't believe you've had the other. Yeah, this is Kerr. Am I still like, do I look like Brian Blessed who's just been through like a bloody fucking massacre?

Am I still like- All of you do. All of you right now are just wrecked. Okay. Like still shiny from like oils and sweat. There's still like smeared Ash and just blackbird. It's probably not until right then where I'm like, I am a fucking mess.

I'm like up to the elbows bloody. Yeah. Yeah, I didn't. You fit right in here. Yeah, okay. I've not had the pleasure. Care, it's a pleasure to meet you. How did you know we were here, Cassandra?

The guards wouldn't and summon me. Ah, right. I'm going to be perfectly honest, I don't usually rouse so we're Rouse so early in the morning, but this is good news. And to be perfectly honest, the last few times the guards have summoned me with your rival, they've been with a bit of a scare. So it's an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance care. You are welcome here.

Any friends of my friends are a friend of mine? Can we roll an insight check to see if it's really her? Sure. Sure, roll an inside check. I don't trust anybody now. Me too, my dear. You've burned us too many times, ma'am. Too many times, Matt.

Twenty-five. She's a beholder. What she said. Four. This is just a ruse. This is a ruse. It's not going to be right on. Secrets.

Oh. Oh. Go team. Does that seem like her? No. My minis go. Vex? Huh.

Do you think this would be my reaction if it was right now? It's like, well, you wouldn't know what I would. Rest. I have a bit of a drink. We're going to rest and then. Well, you know where we keep the wine. Bloody Mary's. Truly do. Mimoses.

Are we expecting more as it just to you? Did Texas just do that? No. It's just us for now, I think. They have that, the white side? Just us, yeah. Yes. I never gave our airship any instructions.

I guess it's just roaming the countryside. They actually, might be wondering where we are. It just does this time. I know we usually have a lot in tow, but. Oh, and we don't need to, well, do we need to keep the force field up around the city anymore? No. Everything, we can stand down at this point.

It's time for everything to rest briefly. We need to wake a Laura. We do need to wake a Laura. All right, I'll have a row. The rest of you, if you wish, I could have baths drawn. I think you could use it. What are you trying to imply? Brother.

I know, I know. You own one. You don't, the like, Dragon Age splatter. Oh. Hey, Brashegor. I mean no disrespect, but as a lady of esteemed blood, you are all a terrible mess. I am going to walk. I am going to walk right up to her, give her a big hug. No, no, no, no.

And for a second, for a second, you see a glimmer of the young sister that grew up with Percy, fighting him off, and pushes him off and, mm. Thank you. I am going to be owed for much more than that. I'm well aware.

Yes, yes you are. I'm glad you're back. It's good to be owned. All right, I'll have Allura brought to you. As well, should you require anything, I'll be in my chambers waking properly. She leaves the room. Though you had brought some little scraps of food as they were available, a full breakfast meal properly prepared for you. Warm food.

This is post-basket. We're clean. Yeah, you got you guys take time just being clean properly. We're spying. We're spawning. My hair is still singed short again. Before we part ways with Jarrett, I'd like to pull him aside a little bit. Okay. As you pull Jared aside, you get but a few steps away and he goes, I'm not doing it again. I know, I know. I just wanted to thank you for your efforts and you know it really meant a lot to me and I'm going to cast a eighth level modified memory on you.

You still have an eighth level spell? Yeah. You have an eighth level spell left? Yeah. Oh my god. So what's eight level? Okay. I don't even feel bad that he died now.

Is this through the hand cone? Because that's a whole, that's not as subtle. No, it would not be subtle, so I cannot do the hand cone. In his face. That's okay, angle the five. So what do you? What are you modified? When he delivered the Suda to me,

I thanked him for it, and I went into, I am implanting this memory in his head. I told him why I needed it so badly, and it was a very sad tale of how a goblin killed my mother, and the image haunts me to this day, and I can't get through a night, I can't function without some sort of sustenance. He felt terrible for me and vowed to get me more.

much more. And at that time, I gave him 50 platinum. Oh, what? You turn it into a drug lord. Which he finds in his pocket now, because I gave it to him. We had met the enemy. Oh my God. You're going full iceberg.

He feels for him. He has his husband in the one of Knox. She is the one that knocks. I broke down and he's never seen me break down like that in his mind anyway. He hasn't. Well. Outstanding. Okay.

I can't. What? Okay. That's that. All right. And at which point you watch as his eyes kind of glaze over for a moment, as he was about to make his way towards getting his own shower. He let everybody else go first. And he kind of stops for a second, and his eyes glaze over, and he kind of blinks for a second.

Well, I understand these have been very trying days. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. You know how to help. And you see the look in his eyes that you've seen before, which is the, I don't do this. I barely know how to do this. And the connections I have, it's going to be hard. And you see this is look, but as opposed to where previously it was, I can't do this anymore. He goes, he goes, he looks up to your shoulder and goes, I'll do what I can. That's all I have. Yeah, Mr. Shorthall? Yeah.

The meat man coming. Fuck. Rest well, Jared. Thank you for your brave battle. Oh my gosh. Oh my God. Just so you know, I'm expecting a race. Because I kind of almost die like twice. It's ridiculous.

You should have seen me. I did. I'll see what I can do. And he goes and leaves for to take a bath. We were all taking baths, right? Yeah, and they're like big royal baths because this is Whitestone. Yeah, I mean, there's maybe four any given point in time, so you guys still have to kind of take turns.

Excellent. Is this where we have the kennel? I take mine very quickly and walk in the buck and I find Percival's bath and silently walk in while he's bathing and I sit in the bath on the other side and just stare for a minute. You know you're getting weirder.

You and I are very different. I would agree, although again, I'm in a bath at the moment. Cut to it, I think. I was really working on something like. I didn't think you were... You made me a little awkward. So me. Anyway, I still plan to honor your request, but...

I want you to know that you are like a brother to me. Now I have a sister and we fight constantly, so I expect to do that with you. I hope so. But I'm glad I have you around still. Me as well. I like this family. I'd like to keep it.

Don't say another word. I show up my ass and I leave. As soon as he leaves, I come up from the water and go, oh. I was so hoping you were gonna do that. How big are these fucking bathsubs? They're big bathtubs. That is so gross.

That's my minute long. I love you. It was wonderful. So, gross. Oh, my opinion of you as shit. You're legend. She was just timidling me back in my knee the entire time. I'm not talking about Vex.

Vex can pour Kim all she wants. I don't give a fuck. That is a... twisted D&D choice, man. That is an amazing D&D choice. That is crazier. That shit is crazier than the broom to me, Laura. Holy shit.

Booosh. It's been three, so proud of you. Hey, Laura. I'm working on something here and come to the chase. I'm working on something. Yeah, we gotta just speed this up. Oh, yeah. Wow.

Wow, it is in hindsight. That changes everything. Wow. Yes, and. Is that what those water breathing potions have gone to? We are actually bathing in them, ironically, in the water flow. It's like the abyss.

It's a bath bomb of water breathing. Percy, Percy, what is that really cheesy music that's playing in here? All right. So, lest you have a bit of a bit of... Lest you have any more particular bath-bates shenanigans to encounter. I'll leave that to people's matters. I need a shower with lie, man. Amazing.

I heard lie and that might work better. I can't ask while that was happening. I didn't remind you of that. It looks just like it is. Has alter memory spells. He can help me with that. No, he only does the people that don't deserve it. Oh, man.

Can barely remember those. I'm going to those dragis right now. So, after you've all come, finish bathing, come down to get your breakfast, and you've all kind of got on the table, and there's chatter, that sort of, you know, the release after so many nerves built up, even though there is still things to tackle,

there is a moment of kinship and respite. And honestly, care, it's a little strange for you at first. You, such jovial atmosphere, in the face of such, you know, recent tragedy and trauma reminds you of back when you used to do this. And it's weirdly welcome. You know, it's very humanizing. And there's a brotherhood that comes after battle

that you can only describe if you've been there. And it's been a while since you've had this type of brotherhood. And even though you're quiet amongst their chatter and they are a family that you're outside of, You can't fight this mile. Oh no, this is, and actually it's, it's very nice to watch, like, you know, it did not stay like this for me,

and it's obviously staying like this for them. And so, yeah, I'm very happy. And honestly, if there is liquor here, I probably do not stay very quiet for long. I wouldn't have liquor. Yeah. So much. Yeah.

Breakfast wine. Breakfast wine. Yeah. One of my Brit friends actually. Were you at that breakfast at Comic-Con where we went to the pub? He said, do you have him breakfast beer? Yeah. Why are you having the breakfast beer menu?

Yeah. If Kerr is with the liquor and not being quiet, I'm probably with it. All right. Well, you watch as Kerr comes back with two bottles after being, you know, given directions as to where the... Just like that. A bottle in each hand, and each of you grab a bottle and kind of toast the bottle itself. We're going to drink.

Do you think you guys want to discuss while you're having breakfast? We're not worried about the spinning dirt button of death, right? It's fine down there. It's not being left. I think it's on the list, but we have a list. We can serve down a bit. What is our list? Because, I mean, so here's what I got.

Here's what I got on my list. It's not very long. Barry a hand in Vasselheim. No, bury ashes in Vasselheim. Oh, what was the hand? The hand was return the hand. Oh, return the hand to Marquette. Return the hand to Marquette.

Return a hand. An actual hand. It's a bit of story. I don't need to know. I just wanted to see if I was here. Barry ashes in Vasselheim. Find Opash. The island of Opash.

Go to Wild Mount. Both. Yes. Is that the same thing? No. No. Well, which one do we do? Well, Vasselheim is, is Varsalheim north to what? Close to World Mount? Nothing is north. No, opposite side.

Oh, well, sure. Bustlehem is to the kind of northwest. Wildmonte is the east, northeast of Tal'Dore. We may find more about Opos in Wildpout. Zara's from Wildmont. Uh, maybe. Originally, I think. Maybe. You have to check with Zara.

I think she is. When she told me a history, I think it was. Sure. There we go. What else is on your list? Oh, and the boys. Figure out what a room child is. The little, the little. The little boys. Yeah, the little angel babies. They're from Wild Mount.

Little Colt students. Yeah, okay. Where are they? Where did we leave them? They're here. They're here. Oh, okay. Where do we leave them? On the side of the road.

Any other to-do list items? We have a demon. Huh? Oh, God. What? HOTIS. HOTIS. HOTIS.

And the other demon that we fought in the city of Brass. We've got time on that. How long has it been HOTUS-W? What's that? Fired? HOTUSW-HW? No, his time. The Rosh-Shah.

We got time. Is there another one on time? No. The ambassador to the nine hells was in the city of Brass, and we killed him. So he'll come back. Wait, he can come back? I think so.

Probably. Well, we can't do anything about that. But Pike killed him last time. So he's going to go. Making our contact check, Sam. More than 20. 23. 23. Best that you know, as far as hierarchies and devils in that plane, a devil as high ranking as the one that you guys fought,

that got its ass handed to it by a bunch of random people in the city of brass is considered such a slight in the eyes of the hierarchy of the Nine Hells. That devil probably has been punished, stripped of its power, and is not something you probably need to worry about. Oh, shit. Crossement on the list. Got shame to the family. Shame to the family. Yeah. You does not get to come back next week.

We've done something on our tutuities. I have a bit of work to do around the house, so to speak. There's a few matters that have to be tended to here that we should at least get up at started, but nothing is urgent. I feel like the giant green dragon in the room is pretty urgent. It's the top of the list, but it's not something that's going to be solved tomorrow. It's not something that's necessarily going to bite us tomorrow. I think it's going to bite us, honestly. If we left it alone, I think we would be reaping the damage of it in six months.

Preferably no biting at all. As you look, you see at the table, her hair kind of pulled up into these small circles at the bottom of her head. you see Alura with just kind of like a night robe on. Yeah, yeah. She steps in. You see a woman standing with blondeish light hair that's been braided into long braids and then curled up into these small little balls underneath with like a dark blue almost shimmering materials

or her robe. She steps in and sits down across from, You guys are under the table, it begins taking them out and begins kind of rebrating them. I'm very happy to see that you're all safe. From what I've also been told, that there is no need to maintain the illusory barrier over White Stone,

which is of great relief to me, as that's been draining. I have also heard that Thorac has fallen. So congratulations are in order. We also found you a replacement flying carpet if you'd like it. Scanlan, you're on my list. Although we could use it in our battles to come. I'll tell you what, when I have my tower rebuilt, then perhaps we'll find a right place for it

where it matches the rest of the furniture. Until then hold on to it. It's really tacky color, though. We won't let it come anywhere near acid at all. Please, I would appreciate that. In fact, any of my things that you may have stolen or taken over the past few years, keep them away from acid in general. Forrowed.

Really, the rug was the only thing. I took a couple of pictures while I was in the seats in frame. Rishon is still at large, and we have discovered that we think she is on the island of Opash. The island that Opash was banished if that is. Do what's name was Opash had an island. Do you know anything of him?

She thinks for a second. There will probably be in, well, we'll check. Do you remember the name of the island that apparently Thorac was ruling over when he was not lost at sea? Do you? Some notes, there's some notes to go through. When did you tell us that information?

This was information that Raichon gave you. Right. Yep. Okay. He met Sindeking two hundred years ago. Just thinking we had some device that would make a search of the one. The Merckwood. Would I remember this because this was remembering information based on a dragon?

I would say yes for you. Okay. You're well-lawed. Well-lawyered. Because you are so de-stressed right now. Your mind is so focused. Yeah. Yes, there was something,

after Thorac was long thought dead, Thorac seemingly re-emerged after spending a few, as far as you know, years, decades, centuries, possibly, rebuilding his years, his domain on what was called the island of Viscan. Viscan? Viscan. In the south of the Lucidian Ocean.

Lucidian Ocean. So as you say, as it comes to your mind, you're like, you say Viscan, the Lord goes, Viscan. Now I know this island is, that was part of our research when Thorac first began to attack and assail the southern regents of Tau-Dorei, back when me and Kima were adventuring.

I don't know much about this opache figure you speak of. Did you find a laboratory on the island, an abandoned one? We did not go to the actual island. We just had discovered that was the historical creep of Fodak's domain. Right. It was fiercely guarded, and at the time our focus was

more to banish the creature as opposed to trying to walk into the center of its home and none of us would be alive. That would be a place to look. Thank you. From the religion angle, do I know anything about Opash? Like necromancer, working against the natural order. Roll religion check. That's in Tolkien's Spirit Guide. Yeah.

17. 17. I mean, you've come across a modicum of necromancy in your years, your younger years at least. Usually low-level employed by various tribal sages and wandering marauding hordes of orcs or knolls that were given positions of power within their small cultures because they had begun to harness some of the powers of life and death. but nothing that really left the lasting impression. There was one tomb that you excavated, that it was beyond the southern lands of the Stormcrest Mountains. It was in the Rife and Mist Peninsula, which is the thick jungles that exist on the southern peninsula of Tal'Dorei, below the countryside, below the actual political structure. It's a free land. It is beyond the rule of Taldore or Singorn. And it is where refugees flee from society. It's where folks that want to live beyond the law go and build their own place. But south of that into the jungle, there are many lost and ancient places that were either forgotten intentionally

or buried through time as the founding to the age of archaunum and these eons passed and past. There was one tomb that you went to that was steeped in heavy necromancy, and even just a short journey in, you lost two friends, watching the life sucked from their corpses, left behind just these dust-skinned skeletal memories, and you fled. You and the remaining members of your team. Since then, you've been keenly aware of the off-the-office. effects of necromancy, and it honestly scares you. And so the more this discussion continues, the more and more just uneasy you become with the discussion. As far as the essence of what Opash may have in store, you're not particularly sure, but I mean,

the domain of necromancy is life and death. And that central theme keeps re-emerging, with Thordak, with Reishan, with whatever this dynamic is. There's something about life and death that is cyclical in this conversation that keeps you connected. Was that island that you mentioned, volcanic?

The island of us gone. Volcanic. You should slow on the breakfast wine, friend. Karen is pronouncing very deliberately at this point. I know it's the feeling like, The island of Viscan would be in a zone that does see quite a bit activity of that kind. There are a number of places in the ocean that are known to just perpetually spire forth sulfur and other terrible fumes. A dragon had been living there.

Well, long before he came. You would have certainly encouraged it. I'm, I don't doubt that. There is something to be said for that, so. More lava, Keelef. My favorite. One day we're going to meet a lava door. Don't you put that evil on us.

Don't even put it out there. Man hadn't even thought of that. Three times. You say it three times. Door made of lava. If you do decide to inquire this island of Fiscan, of his garden, carefully, slowly, methodically. Whether or not this has a tie or this is specifically where the deceiver lives at the moment, who knows how long they'll stay. You say

she's seeking something there. That's what Keila said. It seemed like. She seemed to be pouring through tomes and books looking for something. She seemed very frustrated. It's coming. Question. Oh, go ahead. Let's say what happens if she finds what she's looking for. Exactly. Oh, she brings the dragon back from the dead.

Or transfers her consciousness into the dragon's body, reanimates an undead red dragon. I don't know what necromancy is capable of. ...to create some unholy monster. No, you... There's also dragon babies. Put into the... Into the...

into the eggs. Hey Kay, you remember when I said you were really smart? He makes wagon hitches. I like this guy. He's a superman. Come on. He's a great wagon hitch maker. Why do you take a body?

I mean, well, and you're all like, well, I died Tuesday. I died Thursday. And then you killed, I mean, how bad did you kill? I mean, how bad did you kill the dragon? Because if you didn't kill it real bad. It could be brought back. Like Tuesday, right?

At least the gem was shattered. The gem was shattered. Yeah. It was. Yes. You destroyed the Solangka. Yeah. Thorak shrunk. He was huge. And then he was like normal after that.

Well, that's something. Yeah. That's something. I don't think that she's trying to reanimate Thorac. I think she's trying to probe him for knowledge of some sorts. I think she's attempting. She's trying to probe his dead body.

Probe. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Allura. If we scryed on this island, if you saw it again, would you recognize it? I haven't been there, but if I were to scry, if I were to, what would you require?

What would you need? I want to come. confirm if she actually is on the island of Viscan. Well, I mean, I can attempt to. I've only heard of it, so. What if we, would it help you describe if we gave you some blood of the thing that you're scrying on? Vodak?

But she would still see the same thing that I would, I would have seen. It wouldn't confirm the island. Oh, right. It also might mean that we would be discovered. Keeleyn, don't you have some spell, Say the name of a place and it shows you the way there or something? Well, can you look for trees on that island? I could try and scry on Viscar, versus Viscan, right?

If I know enough about Viscan, I can try and scribe on a location, correct? No, can you describe on a person. Yeah, okay. That was my fault in the past, by the way. I completely, I'd, very end of the spell. But no, don't you have like a directions spell? Find the path, yeah. What does that do?

Yeah, if you have secondhand knowledge and you've heard of the target, you can still scribe to it. It just has a modifier. If it's a target, if it's a location. But, because I will it, I mean we lucked out the first time that she didn't catch on. What if she realizes? If I scry on the island, she won't notice. Okay. It's only if I scry on her. You just might be looking at some leaves and trees. But we'll get an idea of here.

But I could look at the, like, look at trees. You're already and you would know it, you probably recognize it a second time. Would I? Would you? It's worth a fucking shot. If I, if I scryed on Viscan, could I recognize, yeah, this looks like the similar island? You could try, yeah? Yeah. You could certainly try.

You can certainly try. There it is. Thank you, Lord. All right. I need a little goose. Yes. Last fifth level spell of the day. I poor care.

Give me on 8-d-d-1. No, I'm good. I'm good. Kerr, you should try this wine that Grog got from MacKead. You should try it. Oh, it's really good. It's so tasty.

I mean, you don't want to, I haven't tried it either. You don't want to finish your life without trying this bug juice. It's the nickname we have for it. I pop the top and I hand the bottle to him. I'm going to take away for this deliciousness. What is it, sand? Bug juice. Yep, that stuff.

The name does really matter. I take the bottle and I put my thumb over it and pretend like I'm drinking, go. That's great. Sure. Sure, sure, sure. That is a 26. For the hell of it. Carrick, go ahead and roll a perception check.

No. No, not by a country mile. He took a mighty swig. Yeah, well. Don't take a swing that big. It's that good. It's smooth. It's really got some balls on it.

It goes smooth. You gotta shake the flavor in. Because the flavor goes slowly to the bottom. Oh, God. It's because of the gravity. What if he realized something we did? See, I told you he was wise. I wish it could be my first time.

So as the liquid hits you list, it's thick. It's like, it has. It doesn't... Too much flavor. Yeah. It doesn't pour like wine or liquor. It pours more like a... Like a light honey.

But it has a very, very acrid, pungent, immediate flavor as it hits your tongue. I need to roll a Constitution saving throw. So is this like when I left that glass of surge out? for so long that it evaporated in the cup down. Just left the basis. And then because there was no mold growing on it,

and I am a scientist at heart. It's all clear. You went where mold feared to tread. I thought, when will I ever have this opportunity again? With the most basic forms of life, a shoe existing on a substance, that's when you have to drink it. Agreed. Yes!

Yes! Yes! That's gonna be my best role all year. So. So. Wait. Can I point out that this is the best game in existence? You may.

As it fills your gullet, the warm burning sensation you used to with like fine heavy liquors is surpassed by the ever burning sensation of fire within your lungs. And as the heartburn begins to kick in, you stop for you. for a second and realize that the burn goes away and everything goes numb. Everything goes numb. Your tongue is ah. How do you feel care? How you doing? I feel like. One more time?

Your gut in the way. He likes it. He likes it. I mean he likes it. I have thought that as well. Ladies and gentlemen, Burning Man, Ladies and gentlemen, walk for the ring, man. That is good shit.

The fire has passed through you. It's gonna go all the way through. Be careful when it comes out of the other end. Good, reincorporation. I remember this. But you're still conscious, and that is saying something. Really impressive. I wouldn't drink any more.

No, no, no, no, you're gonna warm up and then take it up. No, no, no, I mean, it's all fun in games, but come on, come on. As this is happening, you all look over and glanced that as Laura has cleared the table and began to set a space for the the cry ritual, just staring at you all. Right, no, no, no, thanks for sending this up for us to Laura. All right. Oh, please keep going.

I didn't mean to be right. This is the most fun I've had in days. Do you want some? After. Wait, wait, wait, wait, do that. Do it. Do it. No, no, later.

It's a fucked off. The spell. Don't listen to him. We are, we are. Trustworthy, open the bottom. It will turn that hatch. She pops it off and goes, look, it's morning, we're all alive.

What's the point if we're not celebrating? That's what I'm saying. That one, turn your glont hair green. By the tic-tick-tick-or-oh. Oh! Oh! Not my favorite flavor. Oh, that's tragic.

Constitution for days. She's so cool. Will you teach me your sorceress ways? Keep talking, keep talking. How do you feel? I feel fine. I don't know what to say. Fucking magic.

She's amazing. You're awesome. Can you say red leather, yellow leather? What about, what about, try saying three times in a row. Can you say Irish wristwatch? Three times in a row. This is to care or Patrick, Irish wristwatch. As fast as you can, three times in a row, I have faith in you.

Irish wv... Irish... Irish... Irish... Irish... You know, thank you for playing. That was a valiant effort. Hey, let's scry on a dragon.

Let's cry. Alright. All right. How did she, how? She's not cool, that's all that. Did you, were you in a motorcycle game? How did she do that? Warrior.

Are we doing this together? She's man to alcohol. She sits across the table from you and puts her hands out. Oh yeah, let's do this. Oh man, this feels like old days. Alora? Yeah, it does. Simple times. Yes, it was.

As you both close your eyes and you all watch as Alura and Kieleth close their eyes, A moment passes, a second moment, and across the smooth polished wood table surface of which you've been having breakfast. You watch as the grain begins to shift, almost these small lines of light blue and white, sparkling, tiny arcane lay lines begin to just curl a circle around the table in the center over their arms are clutched. You watch as it carves two circles, smaller one within the other, then they begin to form these various rigid star-like patterns within. And as soon as the two points eventually connecting the center, there's a flash,

and both Keeleth and Lurra open their eyes, but there is no pupil, there is no iris, it is just white. And they both just white. Fuck! That was the most Brian Bleson. It was amazing. The two of you share a vision, a vision of water, a vision of endless ocean, a familiar vision of endless ocean. You see small pillars of steam rising out at the center of this expanse,

clusters of them in places, occasionally a few rocks breaking the surface, and beyond that, you see an island isolated out in the ocean. Covered with green, you see a large mountain set across one side as your vision flashes inward to an overhead view. You see a familiar island. And the line where the sea meets the sky, it's blindy. The vision fades. You both return. The circular glyphs in the table kind of sparkle out, leaving the smooth surface untouched.

Both of their eyes clarify their irises and pupils returning, and they both take a simultaneous breath and then release each other's hands. Holy shit. So yeah? So yeah? Yeah. We know where she is. Whoa.

That's big news. Do we know how to get to the island? I can tree stride us there. I saw a tree. Do I see a tree big enough? There were a number of trees. Oh, geez. Palm trees? Oh my God.

We need to rest and get there. We need to rest and get there. We need to go to the fuck to bed. Is it good right now? Yeah. I'm feeling strong. That was a joke. That was a joke.

Shit, we need to rest. Oh my God. And go. We need to rest and go. We should go right away. What are to do to die today at a minute? Trippingly off the tongue. Tripping me.

If you need. You have two options, sir. Okay. Yes. And I defer to your judgment on this. You rest and prepare. Yes. That leaves her to rest and prepare.

Yes. You don't rest. She doesn't rest. The choice is yours into which you think leaves you in the more advantageous position. I cannot get us there. We need to rest. Can you get us there?

I've unfortunately already used my spell to get you too. But you're saying, I understand what you're saying. She's got nothing. She's not seeing it, actually, with the vision. And I did rest. I could. I could get you there. To what end?

The choice is. I have nothing. But Scanlan, pluses and minuses, she has nothing. I can't die, Vax. I've already died once today. I can't do it again. We don't have any healing. If anybody dies, we can't come back. I've got two. Okay. All right. Is there a way? Do you know where we can maybe like, restore ourselves faster. I wouldn't recommend that. Oh. Oh.

But nevertheless, you should. Amazing. We should rest. Say Irish wickrit. Hard, isn't it? She goes back to braiding her hair. What is the minimum amount of time we're minimum amount of time we can sleep.

Eight hours. Ah. Let's do it, let's sleep. So if we rest, she gets her meteors, she gets her everything. She gets her all back. And she could leave. She's gonna rest too.

To get all her shit back. If we go now, having had breather with this drunk guy, we go to get around. I'm not saying what we do. You can decide what we do, because you're the smart one, but I'm just talking it out. It would be a physical fight with none of her magic. If we had a dragon with us, I'd say yes.

You two Brainiacs can make the decision, but she's got no medias, she's got a lot less. Look, we took on Thor Dac with full health and we made it out pretty well. I mean, once again, unless we do this, unless we get to the island, try and scout out, find Rishan, camp on the island.

That away if she moves, we won't let her leave. What, Grog? What? We can't camp on the island, I don't have the mansion. Can't camp like we do. I know that we were there and we would be there. Wait a minute. You said you had it left. If we go there, we'd have.

Skahn and you said you still had the spell left so we could... No, he used it to change Jared's mind, right? Well, you don't know that. Well, no. Well, shit. Fuck. I used it in the battle. Fuck off. If we were to go right now,

I would almost recommend that Scanlan and Kielis stay behind because there would be nothing but targets. Ooh, as if you. Well, then we won't do that. Which is why we shouldn't go, because if we go, it is the four of us. Strangely, I agree with Percy. And if we wait a day, it's,

It's at least six, seven, eight of us, however many we can bring, but every magic user right now is. Tapped. Oh, Laura. Except for her. I kind of wanted to bring you in the beginning. Are you willing to come with us? There's no need for me to maintain the illusory barrier

on the city. That's rather impressive. Okay, well look, if we wanted to go now, I still have my B shaping back. That's... I have my B shaping. A bit. I have one first level spell, two third level spells, and one fourth level spell. Oh my God.

Do we have... Yeah, that's enough to kill Jack. Here's a question. Do we have some healing potions banked at Whitestone right now? No. We took them all. To be perfectly honest, we've given you everything we have. We tapped them.

Of any, I have. Are there any, are there any, I'm not, darling, I'm not. I haven't used to me with my house. Are there any healers? Are there any healers within the castle? I am relatively fresh in terms of healing. I could heal some. Would you want to go with us?

In Burbank next week though. Yes. Pike is out. Pike is empty. Pike is done with her. She's got two, one, first level, left. That's it. I have one fifth and one fourth. No, two fourths. I think I've got two first level spells left. That's it. I mean, it's...

Let's be honest. We're not quite at our best. And it's one diseased deceiver in a cave with another dead dragon. It might or might not come back to life and two baby little eggs. We rest. You know, we give a mouth. The brass dragon, I feel, made a great. point that if you let someone of that power, power, choose the rules of engagement. That's a good point and Allura makes a good point. Plus she doesn't know that we know where she is. She thinks she's got all the time in the world. You want to go now?

No. I want to wait. I gotta go tomorrow. I think we rest and we go tonight. We sleep eight hours. It's early in the morning. We go as soon as we're rested. She's going to have everything tomorrow. Can we like do like six hours? She won't be expecting us at all. And chug some coffee?

Nope, we'll be a plate hour rest of us at all. She won't have the element of surprise. She won't have a layer to defend her. She won't have any other fire giants to protect her. You might be a layer. Maybe. But we are fucking. Tets against Layers. Come on. You have a dancing fucking sword. That's right.

Percy, what do you think? I think we, honestly, I think that we, I think if we go right now, we win and at least one of us dies. I think we go tomorrow, we're probably going to win, and probably most of us are going to survive. Unless she's merely scrounging there. I think she might be scrounging, but I think if she's scrounging, that's a lot to look through.

I think that she thinks she's scrounging. safe. Did it look like there was a lot of books there, Keyleth? There were quite an amber, probably 100 at the very least. We don't even know what she is. Didn't you see a woman? That was her just... That's Raichan in her female form. So she can look at books so she doesn't fucking mangled them. Keelith, are you worried if we wait, you're going to lose the chance to kill Raichan? I don't think we're going to lose the chance to kill Raichan. It's just a matter of who's killing who first. I say that we take eight hours sleep and we go there immediately.

She thinks she's got cover. It's only, it will have only been 10 hours at best by the time we get there. Allura, since you know of the island and we know where she is, is there any way where we can keep an eye on the island magically from afar? If Rishon moves, we know. Um, I mean, I can incrementally, incrementally, scrying in the island and keeping eye on the vicinity. But if I scryan directly on Ryshan, she could sense it.

Well, it is a chance. Yeah, let's not do that. Don't you want to be at your best? Don't you want to be some fucking wicked badass from the sky? Do you want to limp in? Right? Yeah. Plus, if she's got a hundred books to go through,

that's going to take more than two hours. She needs to rest as well. She may not even rest. She might just be so... be so angry that she's... She might not be fully arrested by the time we get there. I know it feels like an advantage to press, but we were five down at one point. I can't die again. You can, but it's not advisable.

Let's not let that happen. She has none of her legendary resistances right now. No, I'm not worried about those. We may interrupt her mid slumber. How long did it take when we injured, was that, Except Borogal, who were treated and started healing? Ambrisil. In his lair.

In his layer. Doing nothing but sleeping, right? Right. Well, you came upon a number of empty potions, things that were part of Ambrisil's hoard. So Rochon might not have that. Or she might. But we're gonna get, if we wait till tomorrow.

Which if she does have it, she's already taken them. You all can decide, but if we go tomorrow, she's fully stacked. She's in her lair. If we go tonight, I'm just present. I don't want to fucking go tonight. No, by tonight, it's the morning. It's the morning we sleep through the day.

Well, then there's nothing to talk about. I think that's the way to go. Agree. We sleep, we go tonight. We sleep, we go tonight. She may spend all of today going through those books and then sleep tonight. Keith, we know what we're asking of you. We're asking you to wait again.

I think, and I think, In recent events, I can wait. Then at dusk. We plan. Yes. We got it, we got it. It's actually Don, yeah. Sorry.

How much do you, How much do you heal up or write? Generally. At night you full hit points and you get back half of your, half your head dice that were spent. Take. Make the call, Keelah. We'd better get sleeping, I guess.

Let's go to bed. Instead of fighting, we're going to sleep. What do you want, Scanlan? You can go. You have been devil's advocate this whole time. I don't want to die again, but she could kill us. What do you want, Scanlan? I don't want to die.

Then let's sleep. Then sleep. I don't want to die either. And I don't want to watch any of you die again. But if we go right now, you're going to die. going to die. We need your spells to protect us. You're clutch and a fight. And without them, you're kind of just a dude. Who's very good of becoming a target. So much more than dude.

One day you may be a bro. Someday. Someday. And on that note, you begin to put your things together, your plots, your preparations for getting to rest. Did you have something you want to do? It feels like you're gonna wind down before we do that.

If everyone's going to bed, back in your room, I plunk down a bottle of whatever, and I take out Whisper. Have a seat. Okay. And I take Whisper and I just start gently cutting away burnt edges of hair. And you're already sure of hair.

hair so that the ends are clean. Aw. Like it shorter. I like you. I see you doubting yourself. I see it, Kiki. I've no doubts in you. I've known you for a long time now.

And I have seen the strength in you growing. And I'm a fan. You're gonna make a great leader someday. I just feel like there's so many people I could easily disappoint. I don't want to. You're doing the very best you can with what you've been given.

And I have seen you. I have seen you rise again and again and not stop and not back down. And you fucking blow me away with the things you can do out there. You were beautiful and you are talented and you were strong as fuck. And I can't take the doubt away, I can't do that.

But mix in with that. Faith in you. Percy's faith in you. Grog's faith in you. Cares. Exalias, Scanlans, allureus, All of us. We are all behind you and we all believe in you. We all love you. And obviously, I love you. I love you. You know, everyone comes from these backgrounds of having all these

well ventured and traveled pasts. You were the first people that I knew and met. So not only are you the longest. I don't really have any other friends. You are my family. I'll try not to let you down. Don't you look like royalty? I'm not a princess, remember? I know what I like about you. Would you do me a favor? Down the line once all this is behind us. You go back to the theater with me. What is it with you in the theater? Why?

I don't understand it either. As long as you go back to the theater. Is that for me? Maybe. You don't have to ask. Welcome to Mick Unplugged, the number one podcast for self-improvement and modern leadership. I'm Mick Hunt, your host, and I'm here to challenge your why and fuel your because. This is where leaders, entrepreneurs, and go-getters come to level up.

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

This is Mick Unplug, the voice and face of modern leadership entrepreneur and self-improvement. Let's get started. 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 clothing they can fight. It's one heck of a tale, which is good, because this story might be the only thing that can save their lives. Well, if that's all, I can just dispose of you.

Wait, what? All will be revealed in. Sonic the Hedgehog presents The Chaotic's Case. The Chaotics case files. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. When the chaotic are on the cake. Look, we all know there are a lot of celebrity interview podcasts out there, but there's only one Happy, Sad, Confused.

I'm Josh Harrowitzin. Yeah, I'm the host of the show, so I'm a little biased, but truly Happy, Said, Confused is the place for nerdy and intimate conversations with all your favorite actors and filmmakers. From Andrew Garfield and Scarlett Johansson to Chris. Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino. For over 10 years and over 700 episodes, Happy, Say I Confused, has broken movie and TV news every single week. That's because I ask all the questions I want to know, and more importantly, you want to know. Casting what ifs, backstage stories, acting pet peeves, and much more.

So whether you're into superheroes, prestige TV, or just the coolest actors and directors alive, you're going to learn something in every episode. Listen to Happy Say I Confused on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here, look okay. Are you kidding me? The short thing that kind of works, does it work with my bone structure? The antlers aren't overpowering it, right? The length kind of balanced out this, you know?

Bangs. Banks. Don't do it, don't do it. No, banks. Don't do it. No banks. I shut up with a kiss. Okay. In my room, I am taking Vax's letter and ripping it in half and burning it.

And I'm packing my pipe for the morning. Okay. I have to deal with us. Serious. This is for real, you guys. Wow. All righty. Prepared, ready to go.

Interesting. Interesting. Your next dose of brown suede prepared. I pass out from sheer exhaustion. Okay. I am noisily sick. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. And honestly, it took every ounce of willpower I had to not do it in the middle of your scene.

I feel like I'm really grown as a human being. You all learn something tonight. The whole time just like slowly cut past the wall and there's care. Hold the tree just going, just holding it. We've all been there. Before we go to bed, Allura, Any chance you'd be able to join us? I know you didn't get to come the last time.

Oh, I'm there. Don't worry. Thank you. I'll get your rest. You know. I'm honored, really. I was proud of you all for going into that fray as you did. You had many great compatriots to your side. I was a little jealous. Kima did wonderfully. I'm sure she did. I'm sure she'll want to join us again. I'm sure she will continue to complain about things that fly.

It's never been a strong suit. But I'll be there with you. Do not worry. Rest well. I've had a full night's sleep. I don't have sleep, I'm just gonna keep vigil, no longer drink things you procure from your bags without requiring. And we all set our alarms for exactly eight hours. No, sleeping in and just go. Siri, wake me up before right Sean.

I'm sorry, I didn't understand that. Stupid dog. I love the dog alarm. All right, so as you all find evening's rest, we'll go ahead and end tonight session there. Yay! Preparing for whatever chaos the next endeavor unfurls. Oh, geez.

That was a good game. All done, guys. Interesting game. It's fun. Wait, camera. Yeah, that's right. It's such a treat, such a treat to be able to come back. Is there any chance?

You'll be here next week? Well, honestly, I was already trying to figure that out in my head. Like, it's, I mean, I've flown places for dumber reasons. You know? Hey! So I'll maybe email with you a little bit to see how you feel about it. Let me know. I mean, we'd love to have you, so.

I get you in some combat. Yeah, I know. I will admit, I've never. You had a pretty awesome hammer there. I have yet to actually take him for a test drive. that way. So, yeah. I'm just looking for one divine hammer.

That's the breeders, man. We'll try and coordinate for that. Hopefully it works out because that'd be great. Otherwise, thank you guys for kicking ass. Took a couple of them. It's a great episode. Thank you guys for watching. Thank you again for all your amazing support.

We're taking all the positivity. We can force feed into 2017. Yeah. But we love you guys. We'll see you in a week. And is it Thursday yet? Take care, guys.