Critical Role - C2E27 Converging Fury

Episode Date: July 20, 2018

Still reeling from the cost of their first fight against the Iron Shepherds, the Mighty Nein gain another ally and enter Shadycreek Run, where they begin to plot their revenge against their formidable foe...(with guests Ashly Burch and Sumalee Montano!)Watch Critical Role live Thursdays at 7pm PT on https://www.twitch.tv/criticalrole

Once upon a time, a group of curious storytellers breathed life into epic tales set in the wide fantasy world of Exandria. This is Liam O'Brien, here to welcome you to Critical Role. We'll dive into the story in just a moment, but first, a few notes. This is the audio-only version of our broadcast that streams Thursdays at 7pm Pacificm. Pacific over on twitch.tv slash criticalrole and youtube.com slash criticalrole. If you subscribe to our Twitch channel, you can watch the video on demand immediately after the broadcast.

And it's also available Mondays at 12 p.m. Pacific on YouTube. And of course, for all you wonderful podcast listeners, freshly minted episodes release right here on the Critical Role Podcast Network one week after our broadcast on Thursdays. With all that said, let's get into the story. Hello, everyone, and welcome to tonight's episode

of Critical Role, where a bunch of us nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons. Before we get into it, first off, I want to welcome back our fantastic Ashley Burch. Ashley Burch, everybody! Oh, hello. Hazza!

Thank you. Excited to have you back. For those who missed the announcement on Talks Machina, you should be joining us for the next episode as well, and for our Gen Con live show. Jesus, there's going to be so much! And maybe more? We'll see where it goes. I don't want to take up too much of her time, but we'll see where it goes. We will have some point this evening, other guests joining us, which we'll introduce

as she comes in. We have already announced her, so it doesn't matter why I'm holding it back. For whatever reason, Somalia! She's not really joining us, but she'll be coming in as the narrative requires. So in the meantime, let's go and get to some announcements. First and foremost, we have our fantastic sponsor for the campaign, our friends at D&D Beyond. D&D Beyond, everybody! As mentioned last week, the newly revamped digital character sheet for D&D Beyond has released, with improved desktop and tablet views, better at-a-glance information,

all kinds of customization, and an updated PDF export. Ooh! That's awesome. As you guys all remember, not you, a couple months back I asked Critters out there who use D&D Beyond to write in and tell me about their D&D Beyond experiences. With the studio move and stuff, things got lost. Some of the letters got lost a little bit or misplaced, but we found them. I'm going to read you some of the letters from the fans. They're from a couple weeks ago. Dear Sam, Loving D&D Beyond, Just used their easy character creator to roll a brand new character after my favorite PC was tragically killed last week. I'm still really sad about it,

but watching your show is taking my mind off the week. I'm still really sad about it, but watching your show is taking my mind off the loss. I love how Critical Role doesn't remind me about that death all the time." Again, these are from a few weeks ago, so I haven't... Such an asshole. Dear Sam, my whole campaign uses D&D Beyond and their new shareable links really help us play faster. Side note, I love your interactions with Taliesin in this campaign. Don't change that dynamic, it's perfect and I can't get enough of it. Goddamn it!

Thank you. Dear Sam, just signed up. These are from a couple weeks ago. That is the premise. Give me the premise. Dear Sam just signed up for a Master Level subscription to D&D Beyond, and all their content is so cool. I'm enclosing a photo of a tattoo I just got. It's my first, and I'm very proud, as you can see. That's Nott and Mollymauk dancing together. I know it's in cursive, so you might not be able to read that they're both saying, we're going to live forever. What do you think? There was a picture included in that. For my first action, I killed Sam. Last but not least, we got an actual letter from the D&D Beyond Corporation, which also got

lost and found. It says, Dear Sam, Hey, let's refrain from anything sad or emotional in your ads this week. We want players to associate our app with fun, not intense loss that might trigger feelings of pain or misery. Keep it light! Do one of those dumb songs you write! Oh, and give our love to Taliesin. He's our favorite, and he's the only reason we advertise on your show. I could not have planned it, because those are from weeks ago, Matt. Yes. I love that you lost the printed out email letters in our move.

Everyone used the same paper stock and font. They look really pristine. All right, all right. One of them was fake. Thank you, Sam. And thank you everyone to D&D Beyond. I'm sorry. Hey, you got to laugh.

No, all right, so moving on from that, as a reminder, we are heading to San Diego Comic-Con. Like, in a day. As well as Ashley. I am. We're going to be also in New York Comic Con in October, which we're excited about. Our Comic Con panel is this Saturday, July 21st, at 6.30 p.m. in room 6BCF.

We'll air the panel next Tuesday in place of Talks Machina, so if you aren't there at the event, you'll still have a chance to see the panel next week. So look for that. The details are at critrole.com. I will also be doing a Cartoon Voices panel that same day on Saturday at 1 o'clock p.m. in the same room, 6 BCF. And Ashley, I believe you have something going on at Comic-Con as well?

Oh yeah, I'm going to be moderating the final San Diego Comic-Con Adventure Time panel, because the series is ending. It'll be fun, but probably sad. But fun! It'll be fun. I was told to keep it light. So keep it light. And then in the evening, I'm going to be joining the good, good boys of the Adventure Zone at their live show. So I'm getting my D&D fill. A lot of adventure. A lot of adventure. A lot of D&D. Super excited for that.

It's great. Give the boys our love. I will. Awesome. All right, moving on from that, we A lot of adventure, a lot of D&D. Super excited for that. It's great. Give the boys our love. I will. Awesome. All right, moving on from that, we have, of course, Talks Machina every Tuesday, but next week you'll be able to see the panel. But the week after that, you'll be able to talk about whatever next week's episode is and this week's episode together. So once every Tuesday at 7pm Pacific here on Geek & Sundry's Twitch or Alpha, where our fantastic host Brian W. Foster destroys our sense of well-being and worth of living. So if you want

to submit or email your gifts and fan art, get them to submit at TalksMachina.com. Currently only U.S. and Canada, excluding Quebec, are available for those giveaways, eligible to enter, because weird laws, but check it out. And a reminder, we have our Wyrmwood giveaways during the break of Critical Role, but they are back under the Critical Role Twitch stream. So when we come to the break towards the middle of the evening, we'll announce it, but you go ahead and move over to the Critical Role Twitch, twitch.tv slash Critical Role, to be able to enter it then. So keep your eyes posted, and we'll notify you as that comes about. That is all I've got as far as announcements. Anyone have anything else they

want to talk about? I just want to procrastinate and prolong the ending. What'd you do today? What'd you eat for breakfast? Busy day? Was it a busy day? You assume I ate breakfast. You assume I've eaten it all this week. Oh no. I'm sure if Laura were here, she would say there's still many Not the Best Detective Agency t-shirts

in the store. Oh, that's true. Are there? I don't know. Laura? Laura? Okay, she's not here. Travis?

Travis, bring me pickles! That's exactly what she'd be saying right now. Oh my god, that was a perfect Laura. I thought she was here. Known her a long time. All right, then.ка, путика. សូវាប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានប់បានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបា Welcome back. So? This is too much emotional whiplash. No! Oh god! Can you stand for the full four hours?

I want to. Oh no! Oh my god! Can you stand for the full four hours? I want to. Can you please? Oh no! Oh god! Metal! You can see the wrinkles from where it was packaged. Okay, then.

Okay. Last we left off, the Mighty Nein were making their way northward across the northern side of the Marrow Valley towards the city of Shadycreek Run to fulfill the second of two jobs they'd accepted from the gentlemen while they were in Zadash. Along the journey, while they were leaving Hupperdook, in the middle of the night, three of their members had been taken,

and it was discovered in the morning when they were nowhere to be found that they had been captured by a group of slavers traveling north back to the city of Shadycreek Run itself. Upon investigating the details of this capture, you encountered an individual coming up the road with a similar aligning interest, Keg. In discussing the means of traveling

to find these individuals responsible and discovering that Keg had information on them, you decided to travel together, making your way around the Crisp Vale Thicket, encountering a number of indigenous insect-like creatures known as Ankh-Kegs near the long abandoned farmlands that were once built on the outskirts of the forest. Camping inside, you encountered a few members of what seemed to be a firbolg village that had long existed and hidden from the world within this thicket that had been assaulted by these same slavers, known as the Iron Shepherds. You encountered an older elder, a protector of this tribe, along with a boy who had survived this encounter, and were sent off on your way. Traveling northward on horseback, you

manage to catch up and actually make ground on the Iron Shepherds. Comparing your intel and through a few surprises as to what they were carrying, a plan was hatched to set an ambush to halt them in their tracks and assault them. Upon the plan taking off, things were going in your favor, but through a series of bad lucks, the plural, that's an actual English phrase. That's how bad they were. A series of moments of bad luck and a too late realization of the overwhelming power of the foe you faced.

One of you fell. Mollymauk lay slain in the middle of the road at the hands of Lorenzo, the leader of the Iron Shepherds, and making an example, pushing Keg onto the ground, leaving her with the knowledge of what he perceives as her fault and to live with it and to spread the name of terror of what they do and not to let anybody else get in their way.

You all watched quietly, unable to really have a moment yet to digest what has happened as you see the carts slowly, quietly make their way northward, out of sight beyond the hills, towards your eventual destination. And that's where we begin. There's a faint bit of snowfall that's still coming down from the clouds above you there in the valley. The flurry, the storm that has been encroaching is not that far off. As you look down past the somewhat muddy tracks

of the wheels of the carts that had headed away from you, your horses still stashed alongside the outer hills of which you had set this ambush. You look down to the bloodied still body of Mollymauk as the snow slowly begins to fall and rest upon its form. Okay. I'm going to give us about ten minutes to figure out what we want to do here, and then I am sending Frumpkin out after them, but we need to decide something now, because I am going to be out of it for a bit. Yeah. We do need to decide something. Beau walks over to Keg and grabs Keg by the coif and tries to slam keg into the ground. Do you resist? She think that maybe telling us that Lorenzo

was a high fucking magic user would have been, or are you still fucking working with them? I didn't know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know. By regard, she would have told us. She wouldn't have been able to hide it. Where's this fucking stupid tapestry? Where is it? They're going to Shady Creek. They're probably going to take them to the Sour Nest. That's where they go. I look. Is this tapestry still on her horse? Yeah. The tapestry of Bahamut is still rolled up and strapped over the back of one of the horses.

I storm over to it and I rip it off the horse and I say, this is ours now. He was our fucking friend. He wasn't your fucking friend. We're taking this back. Pull the keg up. This place they're going is permanent, or a temporary camp, or it has been there for years.

This is where they always are. It's where they always are. Do you know how far off we are from it now? How far is Shadycreek? About two days' travel, and it's maybe a two-hour journey into the forest north of Shady Creek? About two days travel, and it's maybe a two hour journey into the forest north of Shady Creek. I go over to Molly's body. This is pointless. What? What is pointless? They're even more powerful than I remember.

I don't even fucking know that Lorenzo could do that. You saw what he did. There's no way. It's fucked. I think she's fucking right. How long have you been separated from these fucking assholes? Maybe a month. I don't know. You learn to do that in a month? Yeah. It's not a lot of time to... They didn't show me much. I'm clearly not very fucking bright, so there's a lot I probably didn't pick up on, but I don't know. I'm realizing I don't fucking know anything about them.

How many people are in that camp? What did you call it? The Sour Nest is where the Iron Shepherds have camp. Yeah. But, I mean, Shade Creek Run is a full city. Sure. What about the Sour Nest? I thought there were just five. I mean, I don't know who those other two were. I don't fucking know. Everything that I thought I knew about them, I don't know who those other two were. I don't fucking know. Everything that I thought I knew about them, I don't know. I search Molly's body and look for the tarot cards first.

Easy enough to find. You have to go through a few pockets on the inside of the jacket, but you eventually find where he keeps them. I take those and I keep those to myself. Take the amulet. Okay, so you have the Parapet of Woundclosure. Toss it to Caleb. I'm just going to pick his body off. I'm going to take what his dead body isn't using anymore.

But he woke up before. Maybe we should leave it with him in case he needs it later. I'm going to leave him with everything else. I don't think we should take his sword. What do we want to do? Caleb, she's right. We can't fight them. Cut your losses. Not without help, anyway. But did you guys just suddenly fucking forget that they took Yasha? They took Fjord, they took Jester. That is what I'm talking about.

Mollymauk is dead. Three are not, not yet, and we have invested a lot of time into forging this alliance we are in, Nott. I'm not proposing a head-to-head confrontation. Maybe. But I want to know where they are, I want to know what conditions they're in. proposing a head-to-head confrontation. Maybe. But I want to know where they are. I want to know what conditions they're in. I'm not willing to walk away from this.

You would be the smarter bet. He's not wrong. Yeah. Fuck you both. We could live, sure, we could live. We could go hide in the woods, go back to picking pockets and pulling scams on people. You know that I want more than that. do y'all remember what molly said a few weeks ago when he told us that he left every town better than what he found it when he first told me that i remember my first initial knee-jerk reaction was, you fucking arrogant, narcissistic bastard.

No one can fucking know that. He was an arrogant bastard, but... He was right, and do you know how I know? I had a conversation last night. We were up for watch. And he asked me what my greatest lie was, and we pulled fucking cards for it. Loser would go first.

And he told me this story about drinking it down into thinking he was royalty and being a king to pull off a scam. And I was almost going to tell him about my childhood. And I didn't.

Because he told that fucking story and I realized even in his scams when he was doing something shitty he was still making people feel good or feel special like the town was being visited by, graced by his presence, by His Royal Highness. And I told him this story of ruining a couple's lives by extorting them because I fucking could. Because I fucking felt like it. So I realized if I can deliberately leave a town shittier than what I found it, of course he could fucking leave a town better than what he found it. I'm not gonna do that again. I'm not saying that,

you know, I'm gonna go off and be a fucking hero, but maybe our... we can equal out, and I can at least not fuck any more shit up. And take baby steps towards leaving the town better.

Thing. So that's the least I can do for him. I don't want to start with these fuckheads. I'll take you there. All right. What are we going to do first? The man crawled out of a grave once, if he's to be believed. Who the fuck is Lucien? He's done it once. Maybe he will do it again. Do we stay here? Do we try to find? I don't have Red of Miracles. Look, you guys don't have a lot of time for your friends. The ones that are captured.

We should bury him and leave some sort of a marker, a note. I'm assuming Shitty Creek doesn't have high-level priests in the Empire and churches and stuff like that. Doesn't sound like the type of place that has a... By the last place you would find something like that. Yeah. The only things that you would know of Shady Creek from your experience would be

whatever miracle workers that would exist there are owned by the tribes. And weird tales of strange hermits that live in the forest beyond the city. Okay, but I haven't met anyone directly. Not directly, no. Okay. How far are we from, how many days travel are we from the beginning of this journey? From the beginning? Yeah.

Right now it would be close to 17 or so days since you left Zadash. We are in the little fight we had. Yeah. When you say you can take us there, are you just talking about taking us there and dropping us off? I'll take you there. I'll help you through. I'll do what I can.

How do we know you won't freeze up again? We'll cut and run like you said. The way you talk about Molly... I had a friend like that once. Just one. They killed him. And I ran then, too. I left him behind. He's the reason I'm dead. Ah.

I didn't think I would do it again. But I did. I fucking froze up. So I... I can't promise it, but I promise that I will. I'll try. My life isn't shit. It's never been. It's kind of the shit about meeting people that are actually kind is that you realize... what a fucking nightmare your life's been before.

It's funny how the good people can make assholes like us feel so small. Yeah. You can get us there, though. I can get you there. There's not need to be a frontal assault. We don't need to throw our lives away. We can't fight them.

Here's the thing about Shady Creek Run. Here's the thing about Shady Creek Run. It is a lawless town. And if you guys have got coin, then people will fight for you. There isn't a lot of honor there, but there are people that are willing to fight if they're incentivized.

So there might be people we can gather, at least get intel. There might be ways of breaking them out. I don't know, but there are people there that hate the Iron Shepherds and there are a lot of people, a lot of fucking people there that are scared of them, but it is a long shot. I don't think it's unreasonable to say it's a suicide mission, but if you wanna do it, if you wanna go after them, they don't run the town. There are people that could be saved.

But you're gonna need money. I you're going to need money. I go back over to Molly's body and start finding this coin purse. He's going to sponsor his own campaign to resurrection. Okay. So on Molly, you find 173 gold pieces and 13 silver pieces. Amongst a cluster of other knickknacks and trinkets, if you

are so interested. Nott, want a trinket? Remember Molly by? Molly said not to steal from happy people. Is that what you think I'm doing? No. I think you should take everything you can. But I can't steal from this one. Take the money. I don't mean to rush you guys, but shit gets way worse once they get back to the Sour Nest. I pull out the clay cat's paw and cast Earthen Grasp, and the cat's claw forms out of the dirt, and I use it to start digging a hole in the earth. Near one of the hills?

Yeah, and as the cat's claw starts digging down, I'm looking if there's a... the glaive wasn't left, right? He took it with him? No, took it with him. Sticks? branches, yeah? There are branches to the tree that you had cut down. In some of the logs that are there, there are some pieces of branch that can be utilized. Are you trying to make firewood?

No. I go to Molly's body and begin to get the coat off him. Okay. And the claw has about a minute, so hopefully it can dig something deep enough. I'd say the size of the claw and its earthen attachment, you can make in that minute that it has a fairly functional hole.

Okay, I'm going to start to pull him into the hole. Let's wrap him in this cloth. That's a good idea. We certainly can't carry it anymore. It's very impractical. It was impractical the moment he bought it. Absolutely. It's a terrible purchase.

I step back and look away to give him privacy. Okay. As you guys carefully and respectfully take the tapestry of the platinum dragon Bahamut and use it to wrap him comfortably. The spell ends and the hole is complete. Are we leaving his swords? There's one that can teleport? It's a pretty awesome sword from what I remember. Sure is. I grab some paper out of my bag and I start writing a note to Mollymauk, telling him to find us

through the gentleman. That's a good idea. Tell him his name, too. Yeah. Or, ooh, we could make one up. Mollymauk's pretty unique and different. It's a good name. I take the swords. Okay. Or at least, is there one fancy one and one basic one?

They're both pretty fancy, but one of them is a brass gold color. It's the one that you had found not too long ago. That's the one. The Summer's Dance. Yeah, we'll take that one. We'll give it back to him. It's a loam! It's a loam! Well, and also there might be grave robbers. Yeah, fuck those guys, right?

Yeah. So I take that note and I stick it into the lapel of the folds of his clothes. I just brush the hair out of his face. Then I start to push soil back over the body. I help him. Should we say some words or anything? Pour a drink?

Sure. I'll pour drinks. Long may he reign. Long may he reign. It's the best fucking shit I got. Shine bright, circus man. I think you're supposed to say things about how good they were and how many people loved them

and what a wonderful life they had, but I don't think any of those things are true. Or at least we don't know. I don't think he even knew. So Caleb sighs and takes a five-foot, six-foot sturdy branch, one that could be a walking stick, and I take that stone, that lucky rock that I found, and I start to hammer the branch into the ground so it is sticking up like a post, and then hang Marleymog's coat from it. That'll be stolen, though.

Not right away. And if he comes up out of the ground, it will be here waiting for him in a day or two. Maybe you should write another note and leave it on the coat that says, don't fucking steal this, you fucking looter assholes. Dead guys buried here. I think we will just leave the coat, Beauregard. I feel like a note could be very convincing. But that's fair.

All right, let's go. Go after them? Well, we do not have to decide what we are going to do right away. We could have an opportunity. Grab our friends. We don't need to rush into the lion's den. Let's see what we are looking at, what we are dealing with. We get our three friends back. We have not traveled with them this far to throw it away. To throw what away?

I want to hear you say it. Why do you want to go after them? Their deaths would be a waste. Wrong. Why? Caleb storms off into the woods. Okay. Caleb storms off into the woods. Okay. Oh. Thank you.

For what? I think we all would have been dead back there had you not made your offer, which you didn't have to do. It's noted. I bet too little, too late, but sure, yeah. What was your friend's name? Uto. What was your friend's name? Yuto.

No more running for Molly and Yuto. Deal. Deal. If you run, we'll kill you. That's fair. Cool. Bad time to ask for a drink? Never a bad time.

You deserve it. Caleb, as you've stormed off, a bit around the way to the little bit of scrub and a few trees off to the side where the horses are set, there's a new horse standing there, one that wasn't with the rest of your trio. It's a spy. Medium brown in color.

Kill it. I'm just in the open right now with the horses, yeah? Yeah, it's looking right at you. The horses. There's no person around? No other person that you've seen, no. I walk up to the front of the horse. It clomps up, meeting your step. Each step you take,.

Oh. What do you find? Its outer shoulders and well-traveled, muscled body begins to seemingly shift and change before you. He watches its form, in some ways, pulls in, others extend outward. So Molly, if you'd like to join us at the table, please.

Oh! Yay! You said, sue Molly, not so Molly, right? Right. Okay. That's so Molly. Welcome. Hi. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you. Wow. Come here, come here. You have to do a Mr. Ed voice. Make sure you scoot in enough with the camera there. Okay. There you go, you're good. All righty.

We're just jumping in a bouncy funhouse over here. Just having a grand old time. It's just been allowed. Just so great. So if you'd like to describe what Caleb sees as the horse is no more, and there's now a person standing before him. I'm a firbolg.

I've shifted into about a seven and a half foot tall furbolg. I weigh about 200 pounds and I'm wearing some Mongolian inspired almost like a shepherd. I have a round face, a wide nose, no pointy ears though. My ears are soft and floppy. I stand tall, strong. My shoulders droop a little forward. I'm looking with big round eyes at all of you. Hey. That's a pretty good trick. Thank you. You are out for a stroll?

I've been watching you. Oh, good. How long have we, you are very tall. Not for my clan. I am just average. Yeah, yeah, okay. Did you see everything that just happened here in the last, you know, 20 minutes or so? I am sorry.

We were lost. Hey, guys! We have a visitor. I thought you were talking to yourself again. What kind of visitor? You glance over and you see the extremely tall female form of this furball humanoid with a face that almost comes to a deer-like

shape to the front, floppy ears, just looming over, looking right at Caleb, who's taking a step back and looking up towards her. Holy shit. Hi. Hello. You all right, Caleb? Yes, I just was not expecting, you know,

we've been through, it's been a long day. Yeah, you're not like a shared hallucination, right? No, I assure you, I am not. Oh. You don't have any holy abilities, by any chance? I do not know this word holy, but I have abilities,

which I might like to share with you. Well, if you've been watching, we have just buried a friend of ours. Maybe we were premature. Should we go dig him up? Can you bring dead people back to life? No, I'm sorry. That's a stupid question from me, I apologize.

It's worth a shot, right? Let's ask every tinker on the road. You would have kicked yourself if you hadn't asked, and later she was like, oh yeah, by the way. She probably would have offered, though, you know. We ran into a tribe on the way here. You wouldn't happen to know an older woman named Jamba, would you?

Yes. No. She is my elder. They all know each other, I knew it. That's... Do you know Pumat Sol? No. You're terrible.

What did Jumba say? She said a strong woman on a mission to go find her son, part of her clan was heading north. Would you happen to be Nila? Or is it Nyla? Am I pronouncing that wrong? It was Nila. You had it right the first time. Nailed it. I am Nila. It is nice to meet you all. It's nice to meet you, too. It is nice to meet you all. It's nice to meet you, too. It's nice to meet you. We met your friends, family, tribe, clan? All of those were.

They told us that you're trying to find the same people we are, I think. You're trying to find the same people we are, I think. You're trying to find these folks who kidnapped someone who you know? I wasn't sure if I could trust you, but seeing as how I saw what you went through, I could use a little help, too. Yeah, how are you feeling about your chances now?

After watching the bloodbath? I think I might have some abilities that can help. But I knew I could have some abilities that can help, but I knew I could not do it alone, and I saw you have abilities, too. On our good days. What abilities are you talking about? She was a horse a moment ago.

What? You buried the lead there, Caleb! Did you not get that? No! I thought Caleb would. I mean, he kind of talks to himself. Right. Right. I forgot. I was a horse. So we have an extra horse. I can make other animal shapes, too. Caleb can turn his cat into a bird. Wow.

It's a little trick. Can you turn yourself into anything dangerous? I think the most dangerous I can be is a crocodile. That's pretty dangerous. That's pretty dangerous. That's not bad. One almost killed me. That's pretty good. Not the same crocodile, right? Was it you? No. I never leave. This is the first time I've left my family.

Have you ever been in a fight? Not really. Oh, great. Have you ever been in a fight? Not really. Oh, great. But I have other abilities that I might be able to use to help. There's one in particular that I want to use against these evil people. You can curse in front of us if you need to. I mean... What is this cursing?

Oh, God. in front of us if you need to. What is this cursing? Oh god. I think you'll pick it up if you hang around us for more than an afternoon. No. Anyway, I have some abilities that I'd like to use on these bad people. Killing abilities? Yes.

Are you willing to kill? Yes. Can you say the word fuck for me? I do not know what it means, but fuck. Great, all right. Well, you know, she's got a little bit of edge. I like her. I like her a lot.

Hardcore. You do not understand what they did to my family. I am ready now. Please tell us. I mean, if it's not horribly awful to tell. I just want to say that I'm ready. I'm ready to do things that I've never done before. To use my abilities

to get my son back. Look, I'm not a... Your son? I know I'm the proven coward of this group, but... Do we want an untested horse person coming with us? Why would you not? You saw the fight, right, lady? Yes. I can help.

It's up to you guys it's your show your son has been captured and my partner Jimbo the lady you ran into my elder she told me not to come, not to leave. Accept nature's fate, she said. But I cannot. I have been kind and peaceful to myself many years. No more. You need me and I cannot do this alone. Need you?

She's kind of right. Hey, over there is a tree stump on the side of the road. That's the bald one. What do you do? Show us. I will tell you, because I cannot do it all the time. But when I am ready, I will summon lightning from the sky and fry him, destroy him! And I can do it again and again and again! That sounds good. Yeah, that sounds great. Yeah, we'd appreciate that.

So we're leaving. Holy shit. What time that sounds good. Yeah, we'd appreciate that. So we'll leave him. Holy shit. What time of the day is it? It's early morning. Metal o'clock. I mean, I mean. Fairly. The fight was in the early morning?

The fight was right at dawn. Right, okay. So it's maybe an hour after sunrise at this point, and the sky is still mostly clouded, and it's coming lighter. The flurry is coming closer. There is a gentle snowfall coming down at this early hour. I can do the lightning trick any time of day.

That's good to know. Yep. Good for me. Do you drink? Boo, alcohol? Booze? Alcohol? Booze? There are some tree saps when left for a long time. They have a funny taste to them. Sometimes I taste that, but... Okay. More for us.

Yeah, that's better. Can I borrow your flask, please? Yeah, sure. Here. So we will join together. Yeah. Can I borrow your flask, please? Yeah, sure, here. So we will join together? If you're going after your son, I trust you. I trust you 100%. What was his name?

Asar. How old is your boy? He's only five. Ooh, Jesus. Wait, maybe that's fully grown for a bog? No. Okay. Good thinking. All right, we should keep heading on to Shittycreek.

Yes, we should keep heading on to Shitty Creek then. Yes, we should. Anything else you want to... I don't know, pay for your friend? Oh. No. All right. May I suggest something? When someone... When someone dies in my clan,

we know that their spirit never leaves. It just gets returned to nature, which is why we protect nature so fiercely. I have lost people before. I find ways to see them in nature. Sometimes just the leaves on the trees. I pick one leaf and I know that it is a spirit waving to me.

Your friend is here. He has not left. That's very lovely. Yeah. I'm going to go start mounting up the horses. Okay. Gather the last of your things, retrieve the horses, and head out. I'll lead the horses, I guess, so they know where I'm going.

Okay. Yeah, we have three horses. Oh, wait, you had one, too. Wait, did you? No, you were on foot. We had three left. Yeah, you had three left after the previous battle. Oh, and I have to ride on one by myself. Correct, and then you guys can double up. Yeah, it was like you two doubled up, and then I had one.

But you're probably going to have to share? Do you have a horse? Oh, you are a horse. You are a horse, of course. I can turn into a horse once more. But if I do, I think that's the last time I can do it. Until you take a rest. Until my next rest. Horse nap.

All right, so as you guys gather up onto your horses, Keg takes the lead, and you all begin your trek northward once more, both memory of Mollymauk behind you on one shoulder and the image of the face of your vengeance before you. You continue on your journey for the next hour or so before you catch a glance, Keg, at the road above. You see three shapes in the road. Perception check it? Perception check.

That's a 13? 13. You get a little closer and you look and it looks to be three figures that are left in the road. People left in the road. Like dead? Not moving. Guys, there's something in the road. Oh fuck. I can't tell if they're dead from here.

I send Frumpkin up into the air. Frumpkin swoops down and does a few loops over it. Within just a moment of scanning, can see that it's three bodies. A human man appears to be in his 40s, a young half-elven man in his 20s, and a young human woman probably in her 20s, early 30s or so. They're all slain, but there's no sign of traumatic wounds or any damage to their body, though they are damp. Damp? Damp. Is it snowing? Is there snow on the ground?

There is snow on the ground, yeah. You can see bits that have gathered on them. Why would they just be left in the round? Caleb has told us all this? Yes. I hang in the scout up ahead and see if I recognize them. Make a medicine check for one thing. Okay. It's recognizing their bodies. 12 plus zero.

Okay, well, it's not too bad. You recognize the man as the one that you saw in the cage before you. At a quick glance, you can see what looks to be elements of flash frostbite on parts of their skin. Yeah, I can feel that. You gather are probably the ones that were in the cage in front of you.

Does it look like they tried to escape the cage? I think they were dead when the frost blast hit everybody. And then they dumped the bodies. Well, given that he left them in the middle of the road, I think this is his second warning? Mm-hmm. Or maybe they just didn't want to move fast without extra weight. I think he just cares that little for human life. Well, we'll cut out their tongues for food and then bury them?

Not with the fucking tongues again, my man. What? It's protein and it's... Look, I know you're weird, but if you could tone it down just a skosh. You don't have to watch. Oh god. I'll hear it. You're so loud. Fine.

I'm pulling the first of the three off the road and get to the side. I help. Okay. I'll help. You manage to pull the bodies off the road off the road to the side. I help. Okay. I'll help. You manage to pull the bodies off the road into the grasses on the side. Not. Don't worry. Okay.

Are there tongues in the city? You do know, Keg, looking at the road, you're just about at the point where you diverge from the path. To follow the road would continue on to Nagvarot, but to head to the Quantum Breach and eventually Shadycreek Run, it's due north from where you stand.

Do I know of any ways to get, not just go through the front gates, is there any circumventing I could do? Unfortunately not without adding another week or so of travel through the mountains. Ooh, okay. It's possible, but it's a treacherous journey to move through the Dunrock Mountains to get there. Okay.

When we arrive, they may have left word to look out for us. They know what we look like. We should have some sort of disguise. I mean, I know that you and I can disguise ourselves, and you can. I can, too. Well, Beau and I are S.O.L. Yeah. And my cool, reversible cloak. I can make you disappear for a while. Would that help? That would probably be good. How long? One hour.

How long does it take to get to Shadycreek? From where you are now, it's a little under two days' travel. When we get to the gate, you could maybe just... You do know that just beyond the breach, there is a gate that is guarded by one of the families of the tribes. There's a toll that's taken as you pass through. Okay, yeah, that'd probably be a good idea. I can do that.

Thanks. Pretty helpful, actually. For you, we'll just find a fake mustache or something. What, are you able to do just one person? No, no, I think I'm able to do any. Could you do the whole group? Yes, I can, right? Right, god?

Wait, help me see. Is it pass without a trace you're looking at? Yes, for Bulg, yeah. So that can help them hide if they want to. Yes, as long as we stay within 30 feet of you, we get a plus 10 to our stealth bonus. Which would be very helpful. Each creature I choose within 30 feet. Correct.

So anybody wants to hide, it does help out. Okay, so you guys could hide under the horses or something. Okay. Correct. So anybody who wants to hide, it does help out. Okay, so you guys could hide under the horses or something. Okay. That's badass. I like that. Yeah. So, Keg leading on to the north, you diverge from the Gloryrun Road,

heading into the high grasses of the North Merrow Valley. You continue on for the better part of the day, taking breaks as necessary and for you to recover your forms, but you continue pushing on, not at a breakneck pace for fear of catching up to your quarry, but enough where you know at least you're keeping pace. Eventually, the light of the sky begins to grow dim as the evening calls to you, at which point the flurry has come. The snow begins to get heavier. The darkness is darker than normal at dusk, and the air gets bitter cold.

What do you wish to do to set camp? Do we still have the tents? Do we keep the tents? We have the tents. We've taken everything, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Can I see through the dark with my night vision, or is it that? You can see up through about a 60-foot distance,

I believe, and it's a dim light. Are there any structures around that? Make a perception check. 19? 19, pretty decent. The hills here, you don't see any structures, per se, but I'll say, if you take a moment to go ahead and walk around, you do see one hill

that has a bank that is eroded, and there is a bit of an outcropping that would maybe be about three or four feet outward. So if you were to all crowd in, it might be able to prevent piercing wind and or continuous snowfall, but it'd be pretty cozy. Do you guys feel like cuddling? Share a body heat, keeps us warmer.

Yeah. I'll keep watch. Kind of wide. Say hello. Okay. All right, so as you guys gather up here on the underside of this outcropping of the hill, who's taking first watch? You, Kay? All right, go make a perception check for your watch, please. Beau tries to get a spot next to Neelah because she's large and fuzzy.

15. 15, okay. Looking out towards the distance as everyone else is silently sleeping in a cuddled, almost spoon-like position at times, you glance out and see a few shapes moving past. You see a few stars blink out as shadows move past. You quietly lean forward and begin to inspect. As your eyes focus at the outset of your darkvision, you notice what looks to be a small set of goats. They're just roving the plain, making their way. The snow is falling, and they're starting to try to find themselves to a warmer climate. Where are goats? You don't know. Dangerous, violent were goats.

But that's the most you, you don't find any other threat or anything during your watch. Okay. Next watch. I'll take it. All right, Beau, go make a perception check. Six total. Okay. You?

Everything seems pretty kosher. I'm a little zoned out. During your watch is when the heavy part of the storm begins to hit. No thunder. It's just very cold, and you can see your breath, and you're having to involuntarily shiver as the cold kicks in. You can see now the and you're having to involuntarily shiver as the cold kicks in. You can

see now the snow piling up. You're thankful at this moment that you found this outcropping, in Keg's vision, because the distant hills that are open are now heavily piling with this soft powdered snow. It's starting to fall and the wind is pushing through and some of it's hitting the left side of your face and starting to go a little numb and you have to brush it off every now and then and try and do your best to dry up the biting cold water that is now melting against your cheek. But nevertheless, your watch comes to an end without an issue. You can take final watch. I will. You want to make up, Leenor?

Sure. Okay. Make a perception check for me, please. Four. You want to make up, Leenor? Sure. Okay. Make a perception check for me, please. Move, move. Four. Well, you're lucky because nothing of note happens during your watch hour. You are nervously keeping your eyes out, just in case,

waiting for another reverse ambush, but nothing seems to catch your attention. As the morning comes to, because you guys managed to cuddle, I would like you all to make a constitution saving throw with advantage, please. Ooh, cuddle vantage. Cuddle advantage. Ooh, both terrible. Both two of them take damage.

I rolled a two and a two, so four. Is this a saving throw? Constitution saving throw. I do have my winter clothes. I bought them. You do? Okay. Just laying that out. I'll say the winter clothes

and the closeness of the group, sure. I'll say you've avoided, in your hardy goblin form, is used to rough weather anyway. Bony or the golem. your hardy goblin form is used to rough weather anyway. Oh boy. It's been bonier than Gollum. Keg in full metal armor, not so much. I have my modifier, though, yes. You do have your modifier, yeah. But it's actually 15.

So yeah, you're fine. You shrug it off without issue. 21. Caleb, your warm coat keeps you warm. I'm a hardy German living. Exactly. You're used to these Zemnian nights. 12. 12, that's enough to withstand it? Not a problem? 21.

21. I was thinking it was going to happen. While the forest definitely keeps an insulation to the storm, your body is well suited for extreme weather as well. So actually, true tricks, you win a close, but you got it. No, no, that's what they're there for.

No, you got them for a reason. That's what they're there for. Because of the body heat and everything, but you got it. No, that's what they're there for. No, you got them for a reason. That's what they're there for. Because of the body heat and everything all out. You're like that little kid in A Christmas Story. So cute. As you guys continue your trek northward for the next day, you slowly push forward and watch as the rolling hills of this northern valley begin to even out, the high grasses growing dense and dusted with snow in the wake of this snowstorm

that has passed through the night. It's now this beautiful, ice-topped wonderland before you. As the storm has passed, breaks in the clouds begin to slowly emerge and show you glimmers of blue in the sky. With that sunlight comes a welcome comparative warmth. Watch as this dusted field of diamonds begins to slowly thaw over the midday's journey. The looming peaks of the Dunrock Mountain Range approach closer, engulfing your horizon like a toothy jaw of some ancient titan that surrounds your peripheral. You can make out as you get closer the craggy break in the mountains ahead, familiar to you. It's like a spiral fracture of a bone, where suddenly what was once a solid mountain range

seems to have torn and sundered into two separate ravines that seem to share a similar shape. This you recognize as the Kwana Breach. You guys begin to approach by mid to late afternoon the front of the breach, where you can see what appears to be six Crownsguard and a small outpost built at the base of the Quana Breach. These, as you know, are usually folks that essentially warn people from traveling into the breach, and if they do, let them know that any return is going to be probably highly searched

and highly inquired. They enforce it, unless you slip them some coin and it's not an issue on the way back. They're more there to make money. For appearances and yeah. Yeah. But as you approach, a familiar to you crownsguard begins to put a hand up to the approaching horses and say, Hey, you! Oh, goddammit. Where are you traveling to? Shady Creek. And you have business in these cursed lands?

Yeah, we're trying to get fucked. Can we move along? Your life is your own, as is your business, but you must understand that coming back is no easy task. A thorough search and inquiry into your person will be required. Yeah, blah blah blah. Can I give you a couple coins and you let us on our way, please? Very well. Thank you. How much do you give him? How much will he take? A little will he take.

Customary to your experience and the times that you've traveled with the Iron Shepherds, it's usually about two gold to just pass. Okay, yeah. It takes it and quietly lets you pass. Per person. Oh. Molly would want us to do this trip. Maybe Molly should pay. Yep, Molly pays the toll. Thank you, Molly.

Two, four, six, eight, ten. Love you, Taliesin. Well, eight. Because she pays her stuff. Yeah, Molly wouldn't want to pay for cake. No. Thank you. As he shouldn't. I have gold pieces I can use later, too, if you want them. You're not going to want to spend any of that in Shadycreek Run. There's nothing there for you. Why? They don't take money?

It's just not a nice place. When you're home with your people, are you one of the nicer ones? Are you a bad girl at home? What's your... How does it... No. I am... I am one of the ones that... Not too many people rely on me. They don't rely on you? No. Why?

I think I am There was always some Ferbult that was more powerful and stronger and smarter more capable and eventually I just I just grew to accept being myself, Ben. I prefer to support rather than be a leader. This is my first...

This is my first time trying to be more than who I am. Keg does one of these to her. trying to be more than who I am. Keg does one of these to her. In support. Do not know what that is, but I like it. And I heard you use the word fuck. You know, maybe people don't rely on you just because you haven't been given the chance yet. We're suddenly going to rely on you. That makes me happy. It would be a good test run, at least, for you. Then you can go back to your tribe and be like,

Yo, people relied on me! It was dope. It was great. You should rely on me more. It was super tight. Yeah. They probably won't sound like that. I kick my horse along. All right. As you travel through these winding ravines, choosing the one to the right,

which you know to be the wider of the two, the low howl of the wind that's traversing these sheared, twisted walls with a haunting whistling and moan sound accompanies the brush, growing more and more dense. The air grows colder still as white banks of snow and ice frame various ledges and outcroppings along these strangely curved and smoothly sheared cliff sides. It feels almost like a giant had grabbed them out of range and tore it in two. There's an even break on each side. It winds and curves. It's almost like a natural

labyrinth. A few miles through this strange maze, you're met with what seems to be a makeshift wall and a ten-foot wooden gate. Your eyes at first notice a few dozen wooden poles carved into spikes that emerge from the ground pointed in your direction from the base, many of which are stained dark, while others still bear the weathered skulls of warning. Three armored folks stand there, two human men and a half-orc woman, all bearing weapons and watching carefully as you approach. This isn't the gate, right? This is the gate. Oh, it is. You've reached the edge of the Quanah Breach.

Shit. And turned to the final bastion outside of the Empire. Oh, but it's not the gate into Shadycreek Run. It's the gate into the region of Shadycreek Run. So this is the gate we need to hide in. This is. But they see us. Well, they've noticed you begin to turn and approach. Quick, hide, hide, quick! But you begin to turn and approach. Quick, hide!

But you would know this is coming because you've traveled this before. Okay, so we wouldn't have turned the corner with them. I'm describing it as you're about to turn the corner. Okay, okay. Can we rewind the tape just a little bit? So that's just literally around this corner! Just right around the corner! Even just a few feet that way. That would have been terrible.

It would have been. Oh, man. We were going at a pretty good pace. You guys are lucky that I stopped just a few feet right before we would have all seen the gate. You're welcome. I'm really earning my keep here. So hide, Or something. The plan was, you guys can make yourselves look different, and then you're going to make us invisible, and then you're going to be a horse. I can do that.

I'll get used to that eventually. Okay. Cool. So you guys are going to have three horses. And two riders. Two riders. Do we have stuff to put on the third horse to make it look like a pack horse? Yeah, we could just take everything off of our horses and gather it. Okay. And we'll hide under the horse, like Indiana Jones-style, basically. Okay, it's going to take some corrupt strength when I'm into it. Wait, maybe if one of our horses is a pack horse, you could be on top of the horse,

wrapped in a blanket or something. You're part of the gear that the horse is carrying. Do they search you on the way in? Oh. Do they search us on the way in? Depends on if you pay them on the way through. We'll have to pay them. We can pay. Yeah. I think this one's a little bit more expensive, though, isn't it? Probably. The deeper

we get in. Or is it the same? You know that the previous gate, generally you don't have to pay them, the one you entered, but it just helps you with no questions asked issue. This is actually a gate run by the Udalak family of the tribes, and they enforce it both as a means of making money and to know who's coming and going. Mm-hmm. Okay. So it's an equal price to what you were paying previously. Okay. We should definitely pay it, though. Okay. So which plan do we want? You hiding under the horses, or you hiding on the horse as suitcases?

I can hide under the horse. I'll hide as suitcase. I'll be a bundle. Yeah, we lie you over the horse and we put a bunch of shit on top of you. Yeah? Okay. And then you are going to do some sort of horse magic that makes us, I'm sorry, unclear, invisible? More stealthy. You are invisible to people, to others, so you do not have to change shape.

It might be helpful so there's not a free horse's oppression. You can make us totally invisible! I think so! You give us a bonus to our stealth. You cannot. But what you can do, it's still useful here, is if the people who are hiding try to look covered in cloth and shit and try to look like you can make it more believable. You know the blanket in Lord of the Rings? Yes.

The cloak and the thing. On the bottom of the wall. I will turn the blankets into the rocky things. We throw the boat. This whole powwow is happening around the bed. Yeah. The guards are like, yeah. Wait, wait, what happens after we get through, though?

Then we can do whatever we want. No, we keep going for a while. There's still a little bit of a ride. up appearances. You're going to carry these two. They're both going to lie on top of your horseback. I can't be on a horse. Just me. I'm too heavy. Too heavy? I'll break her. Right? Because I can't. A single horse you can do.

A single horse I could be on. But it couldn't be me and Beau. Or me and one of you. Beau would have to go under. She's all sticks, though. Eh, with Beau it's possible. Beau can be under one of our horses. On a travel journey, you could probably do it. Or it could be a pack on one of your horse's horse. She could be a pack on our horse.

Yes, yes. Because you and I are skin and bones. So I'll be on top of you, if that's okay? That's fine. Okay. And I will make you pass without a trace. And you watch as, in this shady ravine, just as it comes to an end before entering this next valley,

the shadows seem to coalesce and cling to you, and where previously the light itself is shaded and dim, it's almost like you're stepping through moonlight. Almost like? Meaning like, looking at those of you in the radius, it's almost like it's nighttime where you're standing. The shadows are heavier, the blacks are crushed. Cool. We both have stuff on top of us, don't we? I'm wrapped in a bedroll. Okay. Yeah, I mutter a few words and suddenly look like an old coot with a band of hair on the sides, and my jaw is off to the side a bit, and it's missing a few teeth, and very squinty. That's me.

Robert Duvall, good. Yeah, that's it. I will mutter a few words and turn into... What was this drawing back here? Oh, which one? The Venus Man? Oh, we've got to stop it. Stop the game. What's the drawing? Hold up. Sorry, sorry, I'm out of character. Excuse me.

No, no, let's see, let's see, let's see. It's a dick man with a dick. It was a me man with a dick. It was a me and Laura collab. Somebody was talking, having a moment. You're a dick man. I'll make myself look like Rissa. Okay. Rissa. Perfect. Yeah, because I know that one.

Larissa and Robert Duvall. So those of you who are trying to be inconspicuous, which would be Beau and Keg, go ahead and just make general stealth checks. Plus ten. Oh, come on, baby. That's not great. Nine.

Add ten to your roll plus yourself. Oh, 19. That is what the spell does. I see. It's not good for me either. 21, that's the buff. Thank god for the buff. Okay,. As you guys turn the corner, you now see the gate and see the spikes and the warring skulls. It's not as good as you described it.

I don't know a lot of adjectives. I'm not a great storyteller. I said it's a gate and there are people there. What else do you need to know? You need the fucking colors and the designs. You had smells and you had shapes and everything. Shut the fuck up. As you approach, the half-orc sets forward and goes, Hey, you, where you at today? Shady Creek, run. Well, will you pass through the breach and pay the toll? All right.

Yes, we have that. Good. Pile up. How much? Two-goal reach. Oh, yeah. Okay. You know what? I'll get it. Don't even look. I got this one. Here you go, four. Four from me. Yeah, that's good. All right. Enemy!

She steps back in line with the two other. They go ahead and pull the two gates and pull open as the wood clacks against the sides of the gates. You all make your way through as the guards watch as you pass in. For a nervous moment, you see the eyes pass over the two other riders, but seem to make no issue as you continue inward. You hear the gates behind you. Now, looking ahead, you can see the curvature

of the ravine opens up into a widening valley. You see a limitless forest of climbing pine and spruce-like trees. Only the common green you expect stands instead in unexpected purple-gray in color. This wide blanket before you of this deep valley of fading purple and gray color at the tops of these trees. Along the tree line, you can see a sprawling and matted line of snow-capped buildings, hovels, and mud-covered streets that vanish into this dense forest. The city does not keep the normal cohesive shape of most, instead being a long line built along the tree edge in what looks to be a river or creek that it has been constructed against. It is a weird, crooked, long town that vanishes into the branches and leaves. You're no longer within the Dwendalian Empire.

Oh shit. Welcome to the Graying Wildlands. The Graying Wildlands. And in the lawless town of Shadycreek Run. The Graying Wildlands. So, anything you wish to do before you head to the city proper? So we're still obscured, Beau and I. Obscured in the sense that you're inconspicuous in your dress.

Right, but that's still happening. That spell is an hour? Yeah, burnout. Okay. Do you have any place where we can lay up? There are two places I would recommend. There's this place called the Plaza Emporium. Pleasant, but can be murderous Dragonborn runs that. She's not affiliated with any of the Unseemly folks directly, so she's a bit more neutral. We might be able to get information from her. Does she murder everybody?

Only people that piss her off. Okay. So be on your best behavior. And the Landlocked Lady is a brothel. You might want to cover Neil's eyes. And it's run by the Mardus. Who happen to be. That's who we're looking for.

And they are the rival family of the folks that employ the Iron Shepherds. That seems like where we should go. Because the Iron Sheps won't be there to poke around and find us. That is correct. What is the name of that place again? The Landlocked Lady. The proprietor is kind of a skeezball, as you would imagine. Not necessarily the most trustworthy guy, but it is run by the Marduans.

So of the safe places in the town, that's probably up there. Are you still laying across the back of a horse, or have you pulled yourself up? I have a little opening that I made for myself. Just a face. Yeah, just a face. It's just my face. Put a cigarette still. Our horse is smoking. Amazing. I vote landlocked lady.

Of course. I vote Landlocked Lady. Of course. Our crew! All right. All right. Lead us there with smoke signals. That way. A short ride, you eventually hit the outside of this township. Walking into the main street, you can see there's slick with mud and dirty snow. Ragged peasants clutter the alleyways, looking your way

with hands extended for some sort of alms they're hoping to find. Oh, Christ. An emaciated dog growls at you from a nearby doorstep and then darts off down the road behind where you passed. A wagon appears stuck in the mud as you pass it, rough-looking folk tugging at it and stopping to stare you down as you just slowly move past. They continue their work. You nearly step over someone with your horse, who appears to be passed out, face down in a patch of dirty snow. A bit of crimson rests at their side. They're not moving. As you circle around them, you watch as two rough-looking fellas in hideclad armor come and inspect him. As you glance over your shoulder, watch as they rummage through his

pockets, lift up his not-moving body, dump it in one of the nearby alleys, and keep on walking. You see no Crownsguard. This is the first town any of you have been in. It has no watch, no law keepers. The road doesn't go far north from where you enter. Most of the town is just this long, stretched bar. Within 15 minutes, you've hit what looks to be the central plaza of the town that you know as the Clover Plaza. You see log benches dotting the open area while a four-story tower of motley-colored stone stands vigil over the area. Two balconies and atop housing will look to be crossbow and longbow wielding roughnecks. You know these to be Taskers. Taskers. So? You're heading towards the landlocked, Leif? Easy to see, on the eastern side of this plaza, there is what looks to be a very beautiful two-story complex that comparably seems

ostentatious against the buildings immediately to the right and left of it, which look to be serious disrepair and rather run down and colorless, just bland woods, gray and brown. But here you can see the second story above the main archway, which is a curved top arch, there is a false bow of a ship that is emerging outward with what looks to be this beautifully carved mermaid in the front that is clutching the piercing front of the ship. There it rests with the sign dinging from it saying, The Landlocked Lady. I totally get the name of the place now. It's a really good, it's a consistent brand.

It's very clever. Yeah, so in Zadash, it would look like shit, but here it's the bell of the ball. It apparently is. It seems like they don't have a strong housing code. They can get away with these more unique builds. It's very fascinating. It's really interesting architecture.

It's like Shanghai, China. How far away are the Taskers? Did we just pass by them? You're skirting around the outside of the main Tasker tower. They're scattered around. As you guys are walking around, you can see most of the people that live in the city are in absolute squalor and are here out of necessity, are here because they came seeking some sort of fortune and failed, or they've come to indulge in vices that have slowly crushed them. The other half of the populace, you can see, are usually armored to some extent, whether it be patchwork, hides, chain, leathers. Almost everyone here is armed. Even on a scale of poverty, there seems to be a general sense of needing protection amongst the chaos. Some folks look like they're trying not to be seen. Many parade their thickened arms.

You see one female, almost privateer-looking individual that comes through the streets and spits on somebody who's huddled by one of the stumps and growls at them before continuing to walk on. It's a very unique and curious, motley group of people that call this place home. If I talk to them, will I be heard? If you talk to us. If I talk to the crew. No one's close enough to you, you think, if you're quiet enough. So I point out the Tasker Tower behind us, and I say,

Those are the Taskers. Those are probably the only other people in this shithole that might be of use. Of use? They're good guys? As much as anyone's a good guy here. They try to prevent the innocent from getting killed or fucked over. Obviously, they're not particularly successful, but they're not under the thumb of any particular group. Are they altruists, though? Are they mercenaries? For money? It's altruistic, strangely. I forgot about them because we always thought they were just nerds.

But now I'm trying to be a little bit better. So yeah, they might be helpful. Oh, okay. Do they have a uniform? How do you know them? How can you identify them? Usually what you can tell about the Taskers is they wear chain shirts with one leather shoulder pauldron that is painted blue. I say painted blue because most of their uniform is whatever they could put together to create some sort of consistency. There is no built uniform. What you're used to seeing with Crown's Guard and any other royal military where things are built with fine craftsmanship, everything here is put together in slapdash. That one uniform mark is usually the chain shirt and the one blue shoulder armor. Some people paint it completely, some just put a line on it and leave it there.

It's like, fuck you, I'm not going to finish it. So they're like Hell's Angels. Kind of. For the most part, you can see they're keeping an eye out in the sense that they don't want complete anarchy. They still want money for their services, but they're slightly less assholes. They're not going to stop someone from spitting on a peasant. But if all of a sudden a giant riot breaks out, they'll break it up and beat everybody up until it stops. Okay.

It's kind of cool. Closest thing to law that exists. Okay, thank you. Thank you, horse, for riding us this far. I can't say anything, right? In my horse form. I can't say anything, right? In my horse form. I can nod. You do keep your mental stats in beast form. I've seen it argued back and forth, and I'm

pretty sure when we had you in your elemental form last campaign, people were saying that you could still technically talk in that form. Yeah, but I didn't talk as animals. I wasn't talking. That's what I thought, yeah. You're unable to actually speak in the animal form, but you can still communicate. As elementals, I was just like, run, jump! Oh shit! Keg, if we find an alley. That's what you are right now.

I just reverted. That's all. Keg, if we find an alleyway to drop you out, out of sight of you just suddenly appearing, can you walk around this town, or is that dangerous? In some places, it's dangerous. There's a place called the Trench that the Iron Shepherds in this area always hang out in. The Trench? The Trench. It's in this area. It's not a huge place, right?

It's a fairly decent-sized tavern. It's one of the more populated areas. That's where they hang out. How stupid is it for you to walk up an open road in this place? I think it'd probably be best for me not to be... Let's go in the brothel. We're here, right? Let's go in the... Yeah. And we can stay here, or we just go in here and... Do I have to fuck somebody in there? Why are you worried about this? They would be more worried about having to fuck you.

I'm a lady. My lady. I collect them with my man. But yes, you're right. That's a fair point. If any of the Mardoons are there, we might be able to... To be honest, guys, there's not a lot of options, but we might be able to get some help from them. I don't know for sure. In any case, it's a place to regroup. Okay. Let's go in. This brothel is not in the business of spelling everyone's secrets out. Let's go in. Yeah, one second. Which way from here are these iron chefs located?

They're north of this, yes, Matt? The Sournest is? The Sournest is northeast of where you are in the city, yes. It's beyond the city, into the actual Sabalirwood, about maybe two hours travel. Two hours travel. That's their headquarters, right? Beyond the city. The northern half of the city is almost entirely within the forest itself. Okay. In that direction?

Yeah. But it's in the walls of the city, or in city limits. No, the Sour Nest is beyond the city. It's its own little stronghold that exists separate from the city itself. Yeah, can you describe it to me, what it looks like? Is it noticeable? God?, what it looks like? Is it noticeable? God?

What does it look like? It's noticeable. It's half a mansion, half a small stronghold. It has gates around it, these heavy walls that have spears atop them. It has... Hey,story, and there's a subterranean basement floor to it. They do have hired guard that keep watch on it while they're away and occasionally while they're there. But I can eventually provide you with a layout. Because you would know, you've been there a number of times.

Right. I love it. It's so good. That was me expressing my happy opinion. I mean, it's up to you. We could go up there now if you want. No, I do not want to go up there now. I was thinking of maybe sending my cat, but they can wait. Let's go into this place. Is it safe for me and Keg to hop out without looking? There is an alley off to the side that if you wait for a moment for nobody to be watching,

you guys will be able to step out. We do that. All right. You have the opportunity to revert if you wish. I actually feel safer in my animal form in this crazy place. You're going to stay in the alley while we go inside? All right. I think horses have regular hearing. They're mostly deaf.

I'll switch. I will shift back to my regular self. You make a good point. This place is not making Neela happy. I apologize in advance for all the shit you're about to see. I open the door. As you guys hitch the horses to one of the hitching posts off to the side, you make your way into the brothel. That's where we're going to take a break. Oh! She never does!

Neela's like, I got it! We regroup! All right, so we're going to go ahead and take a little break here. We'll be back here in a few minutes, guys. The giveaway we have today, we have a Bolivian Rosewood Hero Vault with a intrinsic knot. It's great and awesome. It's magnet-based and it has your character vault. You can put your minis in it, you can put dice in there. It's awesome. That's a great trick. So go ahead and head on over to the Critical Role

Twitch chat, that's twitch.tv slash Critical Role during the break and enter the keyword revenge. Only enter it once, any more than that and you are disqualified from the giveaway. Forever. Forever, no. But we'll come back from the break with the winner here for you guys and we'll see you here

in a few minutes hello Critters this is Ashley Johnson president of the Critical Role Foundation our 501c3 non-profit organization with a mission

that might sound familiar to leave the world better than we found it we partner with other nonprofits to raise funds supporting causes that mean a lot to us. And we allocate 10% of all donations to an emergency relief fund that allows us to provide immediate assistance in the case of natural disasters or other unexpected emergencies that require quick action. To learn more about the Critical Role Foundation and to donate, visit criticalrolefoundation.org.

Hello, everyone, and welcome back. So, first we have our winner for the break. The winner is Wunder. W-U-N-D-U-R, Wunder. Congratulations. Chandra will whisper you and get your information and get that sent out to you. Well done. Getting us back in. As you guys step through the archway, the double doors opening as Keg pushes and leads you inside, the first thing that hits you is a fresh smell of lavender and a vanilla incense that

strikes your senses, almost stinging your eyes with its potency. On the inside, you can see what appear to be a handful of round tables, of which two patrons are currently eating a meal that has been placed before them. I really thought you were going to say something else. You're not dead, Bob. Possibly. We're a live one. You can see candles that are placed at the center there. These fine silks have been placed.

It's such a stark shift from the dreary and generally muck-covered exterior of this city to step into what seems almost oppressively luxurious. Though the closer you look, everything is frayed at the edges. Everything seems to have been here for a while, or seems to have been weathered through travel or use, and so the immediate shine begins to fade

as you begin to see how much of this is probably a fair amount of work to maintain the upkeep of the facade of luxury. To the left of you, you can see what appears to be a carved window-like bar or a desk. There behind it, you can see a human man, probably in his late 30s, his hair cut very, very short, and the male pattern baldness is starting starting to set in, and you can see a bit of the shine of the back of his head beginning to poke through. He has a very well-kept handlebar mustache that curves out very wide to each side of his face, and a pointed Van Dyke

matching beard point that comes to the bottom. He has a vest over a light green billowing shirt that has a wide collar that curves out to the sides. As you enter and take in, he immediately glances over to meet your gaze and goes, Why, hello, everyone. Glad you could make it. Welcome, welcome to the Landlocked Lady. How could I be of service? Oh, you are a big one. I am. Wonderful, are you looking for work? No, let's not do that. No worries.

Well, you're here for a reason, I presume. Do tell me, what do you seek? We have rooms for rent, companionship to join as well. What do you seek? We'll need all rent, companionship to join as well. What do you seek? We'll need all of that above and a little bit more. Well, I mean, not the companionship. I've had a hard week. What were you saying?

Champ? Yeah. Champ? Do I know you? Champ? Maybe. His name's Champ? His name's Champ. Oh, I love this guy.

Told you he was a shitter. Yeah, you might know me. Hey, are your bosses around by any chance? My bosses? The people that actually own this place. I know you like to pretend, but. Are you referring to? The Mardoons. The Mardoons are not around here today. They're up at the estate Sybaritic.

What? It's their estate. It's where they live. Sybaritic? Sybaritic. Do I know where that is? You've passed by it. You've never been there. Is it an insight to see if he's lying? Yes, you may.

Fuck. Critical one. Oh! I mean, he's a shifty motherfucker, and you're not entirely certain to tell the truth or not, but seems honest enough. So, Lord Anselm does pass through on occasion, but he's not here today. The rest of them, I'm sure, are

busy with their own business, but if I see any of them, I could ask, see if they're being summoned by what is your name? It's the Mighty Knight? I don't know. I'm trying to come up with a fake name. Oh. Rick. Yep. Nailed it. Rick is my name.

Make a deception check. You're not making that play? 19. Rig it in. Plus? Is that the total? Yeah, that's 19, yeah. Rick. Very well, I'll make a note. If this is pressing business, you are more than welcome to attempt to summon them at the estate, as I know not how often they pass through, but in the meantime, you said you wish to do rooms and company?

Yes, we'll need rooms for sure. How many? Give us just a second there, champ. I don't really feel like I want to stay around this guy that much longer. Do you guys want to go to this estate, or do you want to stay here? The estate? What would we do there? I do not like this man. Yeah, that makes two of us, Nelon. I don't know, that's where the Mardoons are. You were looking for them anyway, right?

We were looking for one of their family, but I don't know enough to just march up there and say, hey, we're looking for your daughter. We don't even know if it's a daughter or a niece or something. I don't know. All the information that you have from the gentleman is that an individual named Ophelia or a niece or something. I don't know. All the information that you have from the gentleman is that an individual named Ophelia Mardoon, who was a friend of his, he sent you up to give her aid

with a problem that she's having. We don't know if she's on the outs with her family, if they're the ones who had her killed or kidnapped. We don't know anything. We'd just be marching into a big question mark. Maybe we'll get lucky and the problem she wants help with is the iron shepherds, two birds with one stone. We win. Still going along with that plan. The plan has not changed.

Has not changed. It's the same plan. The Molly problem was a hiccup. We do. Seems kind of cold. Anyway. You're working on it. I have something I'd like to do now. In these moments, I have a little bag of treasures that I smell. They're little treasures that I collect along the way of things that are significant and meaningful to me.

And if I smell it, it tells me what the experience will be like. So if we leave this man and go to this Ophelia Mardoon, let me see what my smell check does. Okay? It's like telling a fortune. Yes. But with smelling things. All right. That's pretty crazy. Is she just getting high? High as she might be. You watch as Nila pulls up this small pouch with a leather flap on the front. Pulling it open, there is, within a moment, a pungent smell that is a

mixture of earthy, mossy scents mixed with spice, mixed with rotted vegetation, mixed with almost like a bad cheese. It's a plethora of smells, and they come in waves. You watch as she buries her nose into this for a second and takes a huge. Do I know what I sense, or will you tell me what I sense? Make a wisdom check. And this is what she does in brothels? I don't know if she knows what a brothel is. Yeah, I really don't know what she knows what a brothel is. Yeah, I really don't. So add your wisdom modifier.

17. Oh, no, wait, is that? No, plus 14. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, 14. The smell comes into you, and amongst the barrage of various smells, you catch a rosy, sweet smell that cuts through the rest. Yes. We should go. To see this Ophelia, it will be a good outcome. You have had a lot of luck predicting things with this stink pouch. Oh yes. It is not stinky, though. You may smell it if you wish. What do I smell? Make a wisdom check.

Ooh, that's pretty good. 19. You get a faint whiff of what's almost like a sawdust that quickly shifts into a very, very old, molded, after a rain, leather. Oh well, yes, I'm convinced. We should definitely just march up to the estate. Wait, I want a hit, I want a hit!

It's not going to go in. I did not know that this works for others. Oh yeah, it's a nine. As you get close, you don't even get that close to it. You have a fairly strong sense of smell, and while some smells in your experiences in the world have put you aback, you can't even describe this odorous musk that hits your nostrils, causing your entire face to wrinkle and recoil. Never mind, I was wrong. I was wrong. We shouldn't go.

At this point, he watches Champ, who is leaning forward, watching this, and says, Out of my curiosity, I'm now invested. Might I have a sniff as well? Everyone's just sniffing your body. I'm now invested. Might I have a sniff as well? Everyone's just sniffing your bag. It is filled with so many wonderful things. I promise you. Are you? Wait a minute. I do not want him to smell this.

I, um. She doesn't want you to smell her bag. I didn't want a piece of the stink pouch anyway. I'm sorry. It's something you have to earn. Yeah. Maybe tomorrow. Wait, let me smell. All right. Here. No, no, no. Lesson learned.

His eyes start watering. So would you like a room for the night? What are your preferences? Maybe we should just get a room or two. That way, if everything goes wrong, if we're indeed going to this estate, then we could at least have somewhere to crash? I must warn you, if it's more to a room and you require a companion, the group rates are a bit more expensive. He means slumber parties. If we all want to have a nice rest together, just sleeping, it's more money.

We have that in my clan, too. We all set up a huge nest of leaves and sleep together. Are you sure you're not looking for work? No. Maybe we shouldn't stay here. What time of day is it? Maybe we shouldn't stay here. What time of day is it? At this point, it's almost dusk. You guys have traveled a better part of your second day to even get here. Well, perhaps we don't want to show up on these people's doorstep as the sun is going down. Why

don't we spend a night here? You're looking for some companionship. You can work on that. We can ask around. Maybe the clientele might know some things about the Sheps. That's not a bad idea. Sure, we can talk to the clientele. Maybe you should hang back. I think I fit in in this town, but they might recognize me. How do you mean? No, I mean the iron shepherds know my face, but it seems like there's so many weirdos in this town that... I don't know. Do you think they'll... No one seemed to be looking at me funny when we

walked in. Oh wait, I was dressed as a gnome, that's why. Never mind. To be fair, this isn't the Iron Shipper's hideout we said, right? Yeah. That's outside of the city, into the woods. Seems like they wouldn't come here. Rival family. Is it safe to say that they keep to themselves? For the most part, yeah. They only come into town to occasionally drink and essentially parade dominance. Every now and then checking in to assert their reputation and if they have to do other bits of dirty work. They are slavers by normal trade, but they do other things for the dragonloths, if need be.

And they wouldn't feel it necessary to tell anyone else about us, necessarily. other things for the Dragontoths, if need be. And they wouldn't feel it necessary to tell anyone else about us, necessarily? They're not entirely certain. It depends on if they assume they're being chased or they feel like the demonstration was enough. But you don't know. Right. So spend the night here, then? Yeah, I think so. We've been traveling all day. We stay here. We get up. We don't know anything about where the shepherds are. We know nothing about their stronghold, just what you're able to

tell us, but that doesn't tell us how many people are there now, what we are going to be up against. We talk to the Mardoons tomorrow. Figure out the next step from there. Yeah, let's formulate a plan in the morning. I can't think right now. We'll level out of it. All right. Champ, she sleeps alone. No funny business, all right? Of course not. I have business to run. Thank you. I'll take a room for myself, please.

All right, so for a singular room rate for the night, that will be one gold, five silver. And I arrange for companionship and drinks. Any preference of companion? We have a spectrum to choose from. It feels weird, like going and picking someone out. That feels kind of dirty. Would you prefer to surprise? Yeah. Just make her hot, please.

Her. That is a preference. Very well. Go ahead and write something down. Can be done. For a night companionship, do you wish just for an evening stay or for the night over? No, just an hour. And then I want to be alone, please. That'll be an additional five gold pieces. All right. And then I get really drunk, and I go to my room for the night. All right.

Send up booze. Give an additional five silver. Just rack it on the tab, then. The rest of you? We'll just have a room by ourselves. The four of you. Oh, no. I mean... I mean, I don't mind staying with you. Let's do, no, we're fine. Just sleeping. Maybe two or two. Very well, suit yourself. But I'll be here for most of the night, and if you change your mind.

Unless, I mean, no judgment if you want to. No, we have been together a long time. Oh, you're together? Sure. Not like that. Oh, okay. I was going to say, I think you could do better, but anyway. I don't know what that was called for at all. Sorry, sorry. No, you're absolutely right. He is handsome, and he could do much better than a little freak show

like me. He could meet any girl in town and sweep her off her feet. Sure, sure. This one and myself will take one room. I'll go with Nila, then. There you go. All right, two per room, that's two gold for the group rate, so four gold for the two additional rooms, please. All right. I will hand over two gold for Nott and myself. I'll do the two gold for us.

All right. He gives a key to each of you for each room. Thank you. I was going to give it for us, but next time. Oh boy. What? You have any gold left? Sure, I'm good. Sorry, Nott. You're a great gal. It's the occasional tongue-eating is mostly what I was referring to. Yeah, maybe quit while you're ahead. Nott, come on. Let's go upstairs.

You guys all scatter to your separate chambers and find yourselves as restful as it can be given the events recently, night's sleep. Beau, drunkenly, you have enough consciousness to recall eventually a knock at your door. Oh, right. I open the door. Standing there, you see an amber-skinned elven woman, a little older than you, with very bright platinum hair that is pulled up into a high ponytail that drifts past the shoulders, seeming a very sheer negligee. Hi.

Looking for a spell? Something else. You're good. Go on. Get on. What's your name? Vorsa. She pushes you in the room and closes the door. Okay. Cut to black. Is he going to cover her ears? You're probably nailing a 250-year-old.

What? Oh, elven agent. Oh yeah. Cougar. Yeah, exactly. Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson. So the morning eventually comes. Some of you more hungover than others,

but as you come to and gather yourselves and wash for the coming day, you hear the sounds of almost broken roosters outside. That cause. It's like horrible, terrible. It's a harsh north, this side of Wildemount, for these poor birds. Welcome to Deadwood.

This is very much the Deadwood of the continent. You can already hear the town coming alive outside, the occasional shouts, unable to make out the words, but the morning has definitely kicked in. You gather your things and make your way down to the bottom floor, where Champ is not currently there. There's somebody else, looks to be a younger man, probably in his late teens, early 20s, appears to be half-elven with this curly mop of bright red hair on

the top and the smile, and he's currently going through a ledger of some kind. Do I recognize him? You do not. His name's Rex. Rick and Rex. Before going down with Nott and Caleb, I would say, when we get up, we need to talk for a minute, okay? Listen, you should just forgive Keg.

She doesn't know that she was being insulting. She's rough around the edges, and she's right. You could do better than me. I mean, look at this. This is a mess. I mean, the teeth. I don't care about Keg or any of that. I want to talk about what you and I are doing. All right. this close to running off from that road when things turned on us. You and I, we are going to survive together. That is the main thing. Why didn't you run?

The dwarf stepped up. Changed my mind like that. Changed your mind because we had extra help, or...? Whatever she said to him, he left. Oh, the danger was past. Yeah. But we have done a lot, and you have a, you know what I am about. Of course I do, yes. So I just want you and I, you and me especially,

to be on the same page, because we have been for months now, yeah? You are my friend, I want you to be with me, and I want us to live. But we have done a lot with these people. And if we can finesse this and do it in a way that does not throw our lives on the fire, there is more to be achieved. We will help you get to where you want to get.

And myself, together, we'll work together with these people. I... I do want... I know that... I know that... I know that you want revenge for what that man did to you. And there's things that I want too, but... Molly Mock sort of was amazing, sort of showed me something. Not just, he had this spirit of life that was pretty outstanding.

And, you know, he was the moment that we all sort of traveled together he came up and we were all talking and all cagey and all iffy with each other that when we met all these folks yeah but he said hey i want to come see a circus show and that sort of that lit the Yes. Well, before that, it was... All I'm saying is, he was a rainbow man who represented life at its fullest. And... that's what I want. Even more than... even more than what we were going for before.

Together, we're sort of living life now, aren't we? And before we were in the darkness. So I know we have things to do, and I want to do them, but the reason I want to find these people and rescue them is not to use them, and it's not because we've invested time in them, but it's because I love them, and we need to find them and rescue them

because we're a team now so if you're just using them or whatever that's fine and I'll support you but I want to find them I want to find them so that we don't go back to the way it was when we were hiding in the shadows and ducking into alleys to get away from people. We were safe, but we weren't really alive, right?

With these people, we're having fun and winning contests and killing bad guys and rescuing children. It's amazing. And I hope you're with me on that. And I hope we are on the same page. I like them. That's a good start. I think they're like you. We are not hiding anymore.

Well, not like we used to. And there is a certain amount of risk to what we are doing. And what I want is good for more people than just me. I know it is. And I want it for you. But we've used a lot of people in the past, and I just want to make sure we're not using these folks. Are we?

Well, we are about to risk our lives to pull three people we met four or five weeks ago out of the hands of a lot of dangerous people. Seems like a pretty good offer for them. Okay. I don't have any family. You're the closest thing that I have. And I have come to rely on you, and I am grateful for your company. I couldn't do this without you. Well. I couldn't do this without you. Well, let's screw our courage to the sticking place and get them out of there.

Yes. Yes. Let's get them home and let's kill Lorenzo. I have an idea. I know my last one didn't go so well, but listen, we can't fight these people. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but what we can do is exactly what they do they go out and pick off people one at a time why don't we start doing that to them follow them track them see where they go home at night and just pick them off, one at a time.

The weaker ones first, and then by the time Lorenzo knows what's happening, he'll be scared out of his mind. He would get more defensive with time. I don't know, we don't know enough. I would like to find out where he sleeps. Okay. Head on. I agree. Not a good idea. We will take a roundabout way. Let's figure out what we're talking about first. All right. To breakfast. You bite her in. I'll nestle in.

I don't even say anything. I just give her a firm hug. Let's go down. All right. As both Nila and Keg have enjoyed a decent meal, not as much as you'd expect for the money that was paid included for the evening stay, but a meal nevertheless. So tight prices. One.

Six. Six. Eventually, Caleb and Nott make their way down to join you. When Keg sees Nott, she pulls out a piece of paper and some broken spectacles, and goes, Nott? What's this? I'm sorry. What are you doing? I said that you were not good enough. What's this? I'm sorry. What are you doing?

I said that you were not good enough. Why are you wearing those things? I'm trying to apologize. Just give me a second. I'm sorry. I said you were not good enough for Caleb. You're very nice. I'm trying to be nice. Just give me five seconds. Sure, sure. I'm sorry I was mean. Can we get some hash browns or something? You may be kind of weird, but you're also nice.

I think there was a verb in that sentence. I am sorry. And when you aren't eating tongue, you're sort of cute. Love, Keg. Okay, so a few things. Do you have notes? I mean, you don't need to sign it if you're saying it. I don't know. I was writing it. I didn't know if I was going to say it to you or just give it to you, so I panicked and I'm sorry. Beau comes down the stairs, hearing the end of it, and just goes,

Thanks, Beau. Speaking of it, and just goes, Thanks, Beau. I could learn a few things from you. That was a good apology. Damn good. Apology accepted. Don't worry about it. I have a thick skin about this stuff, and I know I haven't put my best foot forward with you, and we got off on a wrong foot, and to a brighter tomorrow. That was much more eloquent than mine, though. I just made that up. I didn't even have to write it down. You didn't have to write it down? Fuck, I'm so bad at this. And she shoves bacon in her mouth. All right, so what's your plan?

We are going to go and meet the Mardoons. Okay. We are going to ask for Ophelia Mardoon. I have a feeling maybe her business has something to do with Iron Shepherds as well. Maybe. We can hope. Do you know anything about any of the families here? I do not. Nila would like to gather these good berries and on the way out, give one to each of those horrible sounding roosters. They need help. Perfect. Nila's up there healing the roosters and you're leaving the young, curly, red-haired half-elven

proprietor at the front leans forward and says, I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude, but whatever it is you're after, good luck. I hope you're on the right track. That's super weird. He seems like a nice, normal person here. Sorry, I'm Keelan. I take the early shift here. It's a man. Vibrant green eyes. But if I overheard you going to see the Marduuns, just listen carefully. Listen carefully? Listen carefully. Like while we walk there, we should listen?

As you listen and talk with them. Oh. Not right now, but when we are, yeah. Well, I imagine we should also be listening carefully right now. Yeah, yeah. As well, then. That works as well, but. What's wrong with them, or what should we know? Nothing.

They're gracious employees. I enjoy my time here, but just listen carefully. I'm trying to help, that's all. No, no, I know, but why? Yes, be off, thank you. It's very enigmatic, but we will, okay. Good luck. Takes a glass of tea and sips it. Can I do an insight check on him to see if he's sketchy? Yeah, go for it.

He's pretty sketchy. I mean, yeah, but sketchy, well, eight. He's trying to fuck with us. We're your twins, Ashley. I know, I know, I wasted them all. He's trying to fuck with us. We're your twins, Ashley. I know, I know, and I wasted them all. It's hard to read. Okay. He seems forthright enough, but also guarded.

It's hard to tell. Okay. How long have you been working for the Mardoons? Me, about six, seven months. Do you like the work? I mean, it has its benefits. You mean like... Not.

Be on your way and good luck. Sips the tea again. That's totally what he means. What are those marks all over your neck? Badge of honor. Did you get in a fight last night? Not for real, man. Context clues. You could say there's a nice little tussle. There's a nice square off. I'd say we both won. Simultaneously.

I definitely won. We won a few times. Simultaneously. I definitely will. We won a few times. Yeah, yeah. Cool, cool, cool. Neil will offer you a good berry, too. Ooh! Do you want me to make my hickeys go away? They definitely seem to recede a bit

into a stream back. Holy shit. This is miracle green. Oh my god. A use for good berries I have not yet seen. I should make a cosmetic line. All right, so as you make your way back out into the streets of the city, you begin to make your way back into the plaza, the Clover Plaza. Now, do you know where you're going?

Do I know where I'm going? You have not been to the instinct, specifically because your employers are diametrically opposed to the moderns, but you know the vague idea of where it is, but you've never traveled there. You could probably ask around if you'd like, if you were to search for somebody who would hopefully be with him. Did we ask that guy? You can go back and ask. Should we go back and ask the creepy guy?

I mean, he seems to know them. I guess so. One more thing. We're going to go back and ask the creepy guy how to know them. I guess so. One more thing. We're going to go back and ask the creepy guy how to get to the Marduun. Oh, Keelan. Hi again. Hi. We should have asked this before we left the first time. Do you know where their estate is? You're looking for them and you don't know where they are? Yeah, man. Northwest outskirts of the town limits, within the forest, look for the dark red wood exterior.

Okay. You'll find it, I trust. Why are you helping us? Because this place is a shithole and decent people are hard to find. We'll let you know if we find them. Come on. All right. You guys head out into the streets. Now, it's interesting. As you head out into the plaza, it's much busier than it was in the evening you were before. You see what looks to be almost like a small regiment of people, armored, geared up, weapons.

How does he do that? How does he get such a wonderful toy? Battle bar. In the Sirenscape. You glance and see 20 or so of these figures, all in various types of armor and weapons. They're in lines, ramshackle. It resembles something military, but by people that aren't trained by military or at least have any interest in that type of regimented standing, you see at a glance a few Empire soldiers, three of which in full armor, not Crownsguard, but from the actual military that are inspecting up and down the line. Is it a militia that they're forming?

It looks to be. You recognize most of the folks here to be Grudge Gang. Okay. Grudge Gang. You have a question? There is a difference between Crownsguard and Empire Soldiers. Is one higher than the other? Well, there is the military. The Crownsguard are essentially the general guardians of every township, and they do day-to-day law enforcement and the actual military soldiers. You saw a gathering on the outskirts of Zadash when the war first kicked in and passed one of the large armies traveling

eastward by the western side of the Silvacarrel Ridge. I don't think we've ever discussed this, but is Caleb's father Crownsguard or Empire? No, your father would have been low-level military. Which is below both of those? No, it's slightly above Crownsguard. Okay. So they're the grudge gang that we're saving. Both of those? No, it's slightly above Crownscart. Okay. So they're the grudge gang that we're seeing? Yes, and in watching as you pass by,

you get the sense that it looks like the Empire is hiring mercenaries for the war. Coasting around to the north side, you tell the group to make a wide berth outside of the trench, which is on the northern end of the plaza. Following the directive of Keelan, you head and start weaving towards

what's called North Clover. Clover Street, you've now begun to know, is the large central street that is the one through line of the entire city. It runs all around the tree line of the Savalir Wood. It's strange and not straight in places, and it was designed to follow the southern border of this forest. The northern side of it, North Clover, is built directly into this forest. You know, make a history check, actually. Caleb,

you can make a history check, too. 17? Caleb, you can make a history check, too. 17. Not bad. That works. You've known this place for a while. The Savalirwood has been cursed for many centuries. The once green forest now stands up the grayish-purple ashen color that it now holds. The superstition and mythology around it has allowed the city of Shadycreek Run to prevent Empire encroachment. They've built the city into the space, and every time the Empire has attempted to move forward,

they've pulled back and used it as a defensive position. And essentially, over a number of conflicts, the Empire just gave up and let the region exist on its own. But it is dangerous, the wood, and the deeper in, the more dangerous it gets. And the sour nest is nestled into it, right? It's nestled into the forest, even further north of where the city stops within the forest.

Continuing on, you begin to enter the canopy of the South Savalirwood. The shade completely consumes the city at this point, even though it's now mid-morning, and the clouds are broken up to where certain bits of warmth and sunlight would occasionally pass through the city. Now it seems almost like it's dusk immediately. Occasionally you see a leaf tumble past and then another. It's almost beautiful, the color, but it does have almost a decaying sense to its meeting between gray and purple. It's beautiful and light, and then when it hits the ground, it almost looks like it's the rift of life. You don't

understand the nature of this enchantment, whatever this curse may be that you've heard of. Is there something wrong with the soil here or something? Do you know anything about this? I don't like the look of it. It smells bad. Do I have something that can tell? Do you know? Well, you're not familiar with this where you are from.

No. No, no. You could do a general nature check. You could make a nature check if you wanted to try and. I wanted to use druidcraft. Roll one of your buddies. One of your buddies. Six plus eight. 14.

No, no, eight total. Oh, okay. Okay. This roll plus two. No, no. Eight total. Oh, okay. Okay. This roll plus two. Correct, yeah. This is beyond you. In all of your experience, and you're very connected with the land of the valley this far north,

you have not encountered something like this. And the forest, the best you can tell us, the forest still lives, but the nature of where it draws its life and this color is very unnatural. It's like a half-dead forest? It feels alive. You pick up the leaf that you saw tumble before you and you feel it, and it still brims with health.

But it also off-puts you. You get chills and you don't know why. I don't need to check my smell bag for this. I think stink pouch is still my favorite. Stink pouch. No, no. Smell bag is great. Odor sack? It's somehow worse than stink bags.

Like, as far as what it evokes. Snick bags. Are there any animals? Make a perception check. Go ahead and roll again. This one? Yeah. What was it in the forest? Ooh, it hit that, does that count?

Yeah, it still counts, yeah, unfortunately. Eight. You don't see anything specifically. You do hear birds, so it isn't the rift of wildlife. So at least you get the sense that there is at least a symbiotic relationship with some wildlife in the bit of the forest you've been in. I'd love to take one of my good berries

to draw one of the birds and see if I might talk with the bird and see if it could tell us anything about the forest. Make an animal handling check. Ooh, look at this. Truits. Truits. Truits stuff. Talling.

12 plus seven, 19. Whoa! 19. As you hold the Good Berry up, which with your arm length is a good nine, nine and a half feet up towards the lower hanging branches, and you give a little counter whistle to the sound of one of the birds you hear. You hear a retort. Then you return it. Then it returns. Then down onto the edge of your hand, you see this tiny little black bird with what looks like a white stripe that goes down the edge of each wing. It's like and starts eating the

good berry, messing the edge of its beak. Giant, shitty rooster. Yeah. So it's eating the good berry. What would you like to do? Yeah. And so, to eat in the Goodberry, what would you like to do? What would we like to ask him? I mean, first thing that pops into my mind is do you know Kiri, but I don't think that's relevant. You have to stop thinking that all people

who look like each other know everybody. Don't they know? No! All right. Maybe, how long has this curse been here? How long has the forest been spooky-ooky? And do they know how much further the Mardune's Keep is? And are there any monsters out there? That's too much, one at a time. Okay, okay.

How long has the forest been like this? Are you using a spell or are you using your furbolgability? Oh, I'm using my furbolgability. Okay, that allows you to speak to animals. Oh yes, no, I have to use a spell, yes, that's right. Wait, wait, which one is it? Wait, wait. Which one, do you know which one it is?

You're like, Speak with animals. Speak to the woods! Neel is just staring at the bird. Speak to the woods. Speak to the woods is your full purplug ability. I know I have it. If you look on your spell list there, the cards you have prepared,

do you have speak with animals prepared? No, I know I have it, though. It's because I chose my spirit, because I'm spirit totem. All right, because you're a shepherd. Yes, I my spirit totem. Because you're a shepherd. Yes, I have spirit totem, yes. Yes, you do, because you're a shepherd.

You're a shepherd. All righty. You got this. I set this all up, and then I'm like, I'm not going to be able to talk to the bird! She's an iron shepherd, kill her! So you get to mark off one of your first-level spells. Yes.

And as you ask the bird, the bird returns, and you guys hear her whistle to the bird, and the bird whistles back, and quite a bit, this beautiful little song that plays, and the bird conveys to you, Far before my time. Far, far before my time. Hmm? Far before my time. Far, far before my time.

It says it's been this way a long time. Wow. I mean, how long is long for a bird, though? They only live like three weeks, right? That's probably a bad question. This bird lives a long time, I can tell you. This type of bird is not a short-lived bird. Dagon can live to be 30.

Ooh. Yeah. She's going to outlive us all. Would you like to ask it what is dangerous in the wood? Yes. What do we need to most, what is most dangerous here? Be wary of spirits. Ooh. Spirits. Be wary of bone-spurred beasts. Bone-spurred beasts? Okay.

I don't like it. That doesn't sound great. Do we need any other questions? Are you still willing to answer some more? How long does the spell last? Three days. The bird's just a party member now. That's for ten minutes. Ooh, yeah.

How far are we from the Mardune house? I don't know if the bird's going to know. I don't think the bird will know the Mardune house. You can describe it. Redwood House. Mansion. Redwood Mansion. Mansion. Redwood Mansion. All right, northwest-ish.

I'd like to send the bird mentally the picture of what that bird's eye view would be and to see if the bird has seen that. Okay, you focus and express mentally and through small verbal gestures towards it the idea of this color and this shape, and immediately the bird takes off. Follow the bird! You guys start keeping up and jogging behind it, and you watch as it goes like. It lands on a post, lands on a little roof, looks back at you, and it's waiting and showing you a path

through these streets. In doing so, you're dodging past. Originally, when you walked in, they were broken down tent cities and hovels and not a good space. Here, the road and alleys break down. It's more sparse. The buildings are further apart. It's less of a gridded city and more of just a cluster of buildings that are generally more well-made and you get the sense this is the wealthier area.

You, in your experience, know that the North Clover is where most of the tribes, the different ruling families exist and claim their territory. You move past a couple of buildings, eventually the bird bringing to you to what looks to be a beautiful two-story estate that's just in the beginning stages of showing disrepair. The dark red wood appears imported, and the tall stone fence that encircles the building is topped with six-inch spear tips, a few that look bent and off-kilter, but still dangerous enough for somebody who wished to try and leap the six, seven-foot fencing. The courtyard houses a once

beautiful garden that now turns gray with the winter. You can see rose bushes that have since browned and withered, but the rose is still slowly left there to dry and lose color. You can see in the center of this courtyard what looks to be a small fountain of some kind, but now it's filled with slushed snow. And here, the bits of the snow that have been pushed off the streets give way to this estate that's just glaring now at the outskirts of the forest. You can see beyond it is just wood. This definitely marks, at least this part of Shady Creek Run, the end of the city before you begin to crest into the Savalirwood itself. There are three individuals that are wearing simple chain mail that are just walking inside the

courtyard. One has a crossbow at their side, the other has a short bow across the shoulder. One is sitting, looking out, the other looks like they're eating some sort of dried meat from a pouch, and they glance over and watch as you approach and just keep an eye. Do they look like taskers? Do they have the same armor? They're not taskers, no. Okay. They're probably just guarding the place if someone wants to go talk to them.

Yeah, that is no problem. Hello. The one that's sitting stands up and just puts his crossbow, just ready, not pointing it at you, but just going to... Yeah, we're good, we're good here. What is your intent here? We have been traveling a great distance.

We are here to speak, if you don't mind, we have a message for Ophelia Mardoon. It can only be heard by her. We have been charged with this message. No funny business. Hope that we could impart our message and be done. I can take your message and pass it on. Would you tell her that a very refined gentleman from the south would like to pass his regards to her? Make a persuasion check. Yeah. A southern gentleman.

Not very good at all. Oof. Rough. Yes. And there's five of you? It is a long way. In an important message. Yeah. Only a fool travels alone.

I'll pass on the message. You will be summoned if necessary, but he gives a motion over to the other guard who's finished eating and has also pulled the shortbow off the shoulder and has knocked an arrow into it. Yes. Gives a whistle, and the doors to the estate open,

and you watch as three more guards emerge with crossbows, one with a heavy crossbow, at the ready, and they all kick them at the ready. Very, very close eye, one of them begins to patrol the outside of the building. You get the sense immediately that there's a general anxiety and tension at this space when strangers approach, and they're just being very careful. Can I look around? Do I see anybody who's hidden watching from windows up above? Anything that looks like they're being watched? Not by cards, necessarily. 21.

Okay. You glance up and you can see on the second floor there is two sets of double windows. They're paned. One of them looks to be partially open, and you can see on the inside there are curtains. One, the curtains are closed. The other is drawn to a side and you see a figure looking out below.

And as soon as you look up and see it, the curtain closes. Did I catch a glimpse of what the figure looked like? The figure looked to be human, though the skin was dark. That's as best as you can get before they vanished. Okay. I'm just smiling at the guards. You see all the other guards each place one of their weapons pointed directly at each of you. before they vanished. Okay. I'm just smiling at the guards. You see all the other guards each place one of their weapons pointed directly at each of you. The quiet comes over all of you as this moment, this standoff continues for a minute, two

minutes as the first guard you spoke to enters and closes the door behind them. So... do you like being guards? One of them tightens the grip on this large, heavy crossbow that already notched it backward, and the tension on the wire itself is... this guy's looking like he's ready to fire. We are all going to laugh about this later, I promise. A moment later, the guard emerges from the doors. All right, stand down. They all pull their weapons away, looking disappointed. We are good. Open the gate, and one of the guards, the guard who was eating earlier, puts the shortbow over

the shoulder, still looking wary. They're not moving from where they're standing, they're just keeping a very close eye on all five of you. Opens the gate. The metallic gate swings open, and they're all brought into the courtyard. As you begin to follow the first guard you spoke with, they all slowly coalesce behind you, still keeping their weapons to the side, but ready if need be, as you're led to the interior chamber of this estate, the estate Sybaritic. As soon as you enter the main foyer, the earthy smell of the forest gives way to what seems to be the lingering scent of a recent meal, as if the cooked meats and starches that were eaten maybe an hour or two beforehand still permeate the air of this

entryway. You see before you a staircase that continues upward, red-carpeted, before switching back to a second floor. In that center landing, you can see a very open window that looks down to possibly a backyard of some kind, but currently the view is just of the darkened leaves and bits of sunlight that break through. It seems like something that was built for a beautiful view, not understanding until it was completed that it didn't really catch much of a view amongst this forest, almost like the original builder had brought sensibilities from outside to bring him in, and it just was not compatible with this landscape. There you see to the left and right of you, art pieces that depict people. You can see individuals of different backgrounds,

and you see one that appears to be of pure elven blood with brown hair, difficult to make out the gender, but beautiful and standing, very robust with a chin out and a wily grin. Oils, very well done. To the left of you, you can see the other portrait appears to be a woman with a very, very well-made dress with these large puffs at the shoulders. It seems almost trying too hard to be aristocratic. It's garish, but here you are. A moment later, the door closes behind you, and you're still being flanked by this bevy of guards,

and you hear the heavy footsteps coming down the staircase. Turning the corner, you see a figure framed with a little bit of light coming through that window behind them. Stepping down, you see a woman, dark gray skin and ankle-length black hair that is smooth and straight that falls behind her. You see these bony crests of horns that curve up into these two large points behind the head and bright yellow eyes that are pupil-less, a grin that shows two fanged canines as she descends. You can see her attire is very formal colonial style coat with epaulettes, but it seems to be tailored to not hide figure. She already exudes an air of powerful aggression and presence. With each step that she takes down there, you can sense her immediately reading and seeing in and through each of you.

Quietly, she takes the last step to the landing here in the foyer. So you bring tidings from the gentleman, you say? That is correct, yeah. Well, you have invoked the name of my comrade. You have my attention. Do not squander it. Why are you here? We will be plain. He has sent us. He has told us you are in need of assistance, and he has deemed us worthy to provide it. Are you Ophelia? I am.

Oh, just making sure. Yeah, that's a good thing. I swear it could be someone else. Thoreau. I appreciate that. Well, so you are the help that he sent, timely. Three days earlier would have been better, but here we are, so I shall not fret on it. Thank you for coming.

Be at ease, go watch the back walls, make sure nobody else tries to sneak in while we're talking. The guards all scatter, except for two that stay posted at each side of the door behind you. So, how much have you been told? Not very much. He watches her eyes look you from head to toe, and her tongue runs across her lip a bit. I've had an open line of shipments to the dash through our mutual friend for some time,

a beneficial arrangement for many years. Can I do an insight check? Did it look like she cast a spell just then? Sure, make an insight check. Okay. That's good. 25. Oh, whispers! Whispers!

Fireball. Guys. Man, D&D Beyond is a really good app. It's so great. It's like, I can be on the shitter. You can customize that, though. I can? You can, with their new upgrades. I could be mid-duke.

You could be mid-duke? Mid-duke and check my spells. Anyway, bringing her back in. Shimon's to Zadash. However, my most trusted team of smugglers that handled that route and knew it well was slain a little over a month ago. Do you know by whom? Well, at first we thought it was maybe

the dire beasts of the wood around us, but our internal priest was able to divine the source of their demise at the words and the hands of the Jagandoths. The who? The what? It's the family that controls their own shepherds. The Jagandoths?

We've, as you seem to notice, well... She looks over at you. You look familiar. What is your name? Keg. Keg. I know that name. I used to work for them. Not anymore. At which point you hear the guards behind the crossbows go back up into position. You glance over

your shoulder to see them both pointed. And what assurances can I have that I not need strike you down where you stand? You don't have any. But I have a lot of information about them. We just killed one of them. Oh, that's true. That's better. We killed one of them. Make a persuasion check with advantage. That is a 13. Oh, I'm talking 12. 12. It's shaking.

If I run, they go down. So. We and these dragontoths have feuded for quite some time between these tribes. Many times it has come to bloodshed, but now with the grunge gang and their task of making open justice rather messy, we must take to other means. We cannot deliver our retribution

with hands that can be traced back to us. As this affects both the Marduans and the gentlemen, he is wise to send you, and this kindness shall be repaid in person. The Jagged Toths have slaughtered and stolen from us a major source of contraband and income. It's only fair we do the same in kind." We hear. Of the estate, Sybaritic require you to cut one of the limbs of their business. Kill their best handyman. Hunt the Iron Shepherds. One more time, please. Hunt the Iron Shepherds. Your accent is thick. I have not been as far south as some of you, I can tell. Your accent is thick.

I have not been as far south as some of you, I can tell. No, I appreciate hearing your tongue again. She says to you in Zemnian, well, stick around. Last I heard, they are still out on the route, but they live at the Sournest. It's more stronghold not far from here. On the edge of North Clover to the eastern side. They have a number of hired hands that guard the locale. It's a difficult infiltration, but it's your best chance of catching them off guard. If you have other ideas, we are open to suggestions. Mighty believes that you have been sent, and her eyes fall over Nela, as trained killers, able to deal with this.

Some of us are trained killers, for sure, and we have picked up help as we have seen fit. Everyone here has been carefully selected, carefully vetted. And I'm sure that with your input on their mannerisms and habits, their routines, we will do quite well. All right, I just hope that the priest was not incorrect. Either way, I would like to see them

taken down a peg either way. So? Do you accept this offer? What all do you want us getting out of that house? Nothing to get out of it. Kill everything within it. When you say this can't get traced back to you guys, does that mean you can't help us at all? Give us any assistance as far as men, firepower, nothing? We can offer maybe a bit of change to grease a few palms or bring some aid your way, but we cannot be traced to this at all. This needs to seem unrelated. A strange occurrence, a random act of murder within their home, so as not to quell this already boiling blood between us.

Do you think all the Iron Shepherds will be there? I don't know. They're there often. But if you've made it this far north, perhaps you are better at finding this information than we. We have come a long way. Is there any... You know them better than us. We're out of towners. Any tips to specifically deal with your problem? Best intel we have involves that

they hire their mercenaries from the grunge gang. They prefer to find people with keen eyes and distant shot. The grunge gang, they've hired the entire gang or just members of the gang? Just members of the gang.

And where do they hang about? All over the city. But the ones they've hired would probably stay with Cinzia's state. They would stay there while they're under the employ of the Iron Shepherds. Of course, that is what I do. And then she refers to the two guards behind you. Do you know? Sorry, sorry is what I do. She refers to the two guards behind you. Do you know?

Sorry, sorry. Yeah, you can go. You sure? You said that they're still on the road. You're led to believe that they haven't come back to shoot you back yet. I haven't seen them return yet, no. Would you know if they came back?

Do you have spies out there looking? I have. Because we saw them on the road, and they were heading back here. If they've arrived recently, perhaps. My whispers have not come to me yet. There's a chance the Sour Nest is empty or escorted. I wonder if they're hiring. Does the grunge gang identify themselves in some way? How would we find one? They usually, and she pulls back her sleeve, and you can see the dark gray, almost black skin there beneath. You'll find a burned crescent into the wrist of a member of the gang. Grand Crescent.

Let's get a fireplace and some iron and just burn the shit out of our wrists, and then we're instant Grunge Gang. Grunge Gang. Can't even do that. Grunge Gang. Now, the gentleman has us on, you know, a meager yearly salary, but if we were to do this for you,

does that include some sort of bonus? Are you saying this gentleman has not paid you for this endeavor? Not yet. I was made to understand that that was all taken care of as part of our arrangement. How about something in trade? Just as a little added bonus as a favor?

What are you asking for? If I might inquire? Little girl. She leans forward with this creepy smile that crawls across her face as she eyes you up and down. Here we go. I like her demeaning me with that little girl stuff.

I'm into it. Anyway, that priest you mentioned, is he a pretty skilled priest? Would he happen to have any skills in someone beneath the earth. I do not know if our priest specializes in such abilities, and if they did, it would be for family only. Sounds like he does specialize in those abilities, when you put it like that. Just if, you know, exceptions can be made for friends and family. Friends and family discounts is a real thing. You're mighty presumptuous. You might have better luck

than any of the wandering crazies in the city. What? Our priest is not the only one. Well. She cracks her head. If you're looking for help, you could look to the Blooming Grove. Where's that?

What's that? Is that a town? It's about six miles out of Shady Creek Road to the northwest, a little farther from here. It's a burial grove, but there is a temple there, and some

strange kind of hermit of a priest is said to live there. Most folks were spooked of them. The family that once looked over that grove has slowly dwindled as the years have gone on, and they say the curse itself seems to hold its butt. I mean, try that. Otherwise, you need to do quite a favor for us. Such magic is not inexpensive. Killing all the iron shepherds isn't a big enough favor. We've already been paid for that.

Yeah, this is a preexisting arrangement. It's outside of negotiation at the moment, I understand. We will take care of what you are asking. Good, that's what I like. Straightforward and working to the fine print. Very good. Semion. All right.

So you don't want us staying here, I suppose. We should scoot out so you can't be traced back to here. Never mind. We'll lead you out the back route. Eyes on you leaving my estate would be unwise. So, and begins speaking in Zemnian to the two other guards, and you're the only one who picks up on the language and says, please lead them through the back tunnel. At which point, she turns around and begins to ascend the stairs, stopping and looking back over her shoulder, the hair swishing with each step as she makes her way up,

looking back and the yellow eyes glancing back with the bright white teeth against the darkened skin. Do not disappoint me. I can be very frustrated when I'm disappointed. Then turns back and makes her way back up the steps. And we're left with guards. Two guards, yes.

Yeah. All right, good fellows, would you scout us out and point us in the right direction? They wordlessly walk and lead you around through what looks almost like a dining chamber back to a small storage, almost kitchen adjacent, though you don't see a kitchen yet. You can smell that musty scent of stored oats and grains, rice. Did I see any books on the way out? Make a perception check.

14. 14. None down here. None of the rooms you were brought through seem to have any sort of a shelf unit or anything that carries tomes or books of any kind, unfortunately. Man, fuck this Bodong Tome.

It doesn't seem to be very well-read people, though. There are probably some. You're led into this storage room and down a staircase through a trapdoor that's pulled open. You're led into this wine cellar, and then in the back of the wine cellar, they move aside what looks to be a case shelving for wines that are all resting on it, some missing, others moving it there. There's a small tunnel that you all have to duck down. You have to nearly crawl through to get your other large firbolg form. Can I slide a pen and try to steal some of the wine? Sure.

I was about to ask if I recognize any wine. You're moving pretty fast. Make a perception check. Okay. Maybe I shouldn't. Oh, it's two-way. Yeah. Oh, that's great. 18.

Naked. That's pretty good. Nine. Nine. Unfortunately, you can't see the labels the way it's rested, however, you do manage to grab a bottle of wine. Ooh, is that a Cabernet Franc? You guys are brought through single file

through this tunnel until eventually met with another door. The guard does some sort of pulsed knock. It opens, and from this really dark interior, the light hits your eyes and you have to adjust for a moment. It's really not that bright on the opposite side, it's still within the forest, but comparatively it hits you. As you step out, there looks to be an older, drunk, dirty, filthy-looking man who is completely sober and lets you out. That's cool.

You are now in the middle of the forest, and you can see a small bench and an overgrown well about ten or so feet ahead and to the left of you that vines have completely taken over. The vines themselves a similar purple-grayish color as to the rest of the leaves. A lot of the foliage here seems to fall into that same coloration. Not all of it, but a lot of it. It seems to cross multiple types of vegetation. As you're escorted from this room, the two guards give a nod, close it behind you. The old man goes and sits back, puts his bench up against this, looks to be the knotted base of a thick tree that's growing out of the ground

where you had emerged from, leans against it, grabs a jug, and just sits and looks at you. Can I tell where the sourness would be from here? Or am I? Make a survival check. I might as well. 18. 18.

18? With how far you traveled north, it would be straight due east from here. Okay. Sournest is east of here. You know where you are. Should we go run recon? Just take a quick scouting pass and see what we can see? Let's put a little distance between ourselves and this place and this gentleman. We'll send Prumpkin out to have a look. Okay. So you make your way through the Sablear Wood.

Is it a long walk or a long travel? From where you are now, it's probably about a two-hour walk. It's the far, far east side. It's technically past the... let's see, I have all the locations here. Pardon me as I pull up my notes. While you look, I will say an important point of clarification. Once we are out of the view of this gentleman guarding the secret entrance, Caleb, walking with poise up to a tree, leans against it, bends down, and has a panic attack. You were great in there! Past the gruff slum, is where it is. It's the far eastern side of it.

Past the gruff slum. The gruff slum. You were great! You handled yourself so well! Man, you were rock solid in there! Stop it, stop it, stop it. I am nauseous. Let's go kill a bunch of people. Give him a Goodberry. I have a Goodberry. Oh yes! That is sour.

It's a Purin tablet. One moment. It's a Purin tablet. One moment. It will take effect soon. Oh, oh, in that way. Keep it down. Let's go. It does warm your belly. The warmth spreads through your torso.

It's like a, whenever Jester has come and pulled you from the edge of death with a spell, it's a fragment of that warmth from the edge of death with the spell. It's a fragment of that warmth from the inside of your torso. Remember? Remember berries. Remember Jester. Remember clerics.

Remember. Oh yeah. Remember. Okay. So. Following Keg through the wood, I would like you all to make stealth checks, please. Stealth! You are no longer under the Pass Without a Trace spell. And you get all your spellbacks after sleeping as well. Yes, you have to.

14. 25. 25. 17. Smell you, Nancy Drew. Okay. Man. So Caleb's feeling a bit clumsy, but the rest of you, keeping up the slack, have managed to stop him at times and make him aware of his terrible attempts to stay out of sight and stay

quiet. Two hours of travel eastward. We should plan. We wanted to send Frumpkin. We could send Frumpkin, but also, we have another animal companion now. If you wanted to become an animal something or other and scout around, that would be acceptable, right? That's true. I would love that. What animal do you think would be the best? Maybe something small. And something native.

Frumpkin's a bird, right? Yeah. So maybe we need something on the ground, like a weasel-y thing or a ratty type of thing or a roach-y type of thing? You said yesterday that you were a horse first, and then you said you could only do it one more time, or a certain number of times, correct? Yes, I have two times now, because I rest. Correct, yeah, two times every rest, every short rest. Twice.

So if you were to become, say, a raccoon right now and go running around, that is one time that you cannot become a crocodile to eat somebody's face off. Yes, and I would like to eat somebody's face off. Okay. I think let us reserve that for now, because Frumpkin can do the job. Let's get closer to this place, and it will only take five minutes. He will go.

In owl form? Yeah. Yeah, okay. I mean, he will only be able to see from the sky. We should still do that, though, first. Well, I mean, I could turn him back into a cat, but then he's slower. He can't get over walls, maybe. Sure, sure. Go for it. Send the bird.

Send the bird. Well, how far have we traveled at this point? Well, about an hour into it. Oh no. A sound catches your ear, Kagen. Okay. And catches yours as well. You hear this faint breaking of tinder and dry branch. Do I know what this is off the top, or must I make a check? Make a straight intelligence check.

Ooh, that's not going to go well for anyone. Unless you roll high. 20. Nope. Oh! Yeah, but it's minus one. So it's zero. Did I help? You have no idea, but it sounds unique.

Ducks, you guys. It's ducks. We're fine. Keep going. Oh, great. But Neela also recognizes it? No, I think. You hear it as well. What's your perception? Your passive perception? 14. 14. Actually, you'd hear it as well. You guys all put your hands out and stop and hold still. You see a

heavy shadow moving through the dense forest just south of where you are. Nobody move. You want to send an owl towards that shadow, see if Frumpkin sees what that is? Yeah, okay, that's easy. I sit down on the ground and send Frumpkin into the air. Okay. You do a branch. Frumpkin takes some of the low branches of these trees underneath the canopy and gets a look. Through Frumpkin's eyes, you see what looks to be a black bear, but black bears that you've seen

in passing before have been maybe eight feet, ten feet end to end. This one's closer to 15. Ooh. And about ten feet to shoulder. Its fur is long and matted, almost greasy in patches. At the shoulders and the elbows and ridges on its face, you see bone protrusions like spikes. Those are the bone spikes. As it comes through, you watch its large, heavy, almost exaggerated muscular shoulders and it sits down on the ground

and seems to have chosen a spot to take a nap. Oh. Do I have a sense of what aggro's it, or like? Loys, people, anything that it could eat. There is a very large black bear ahead of us, with bolts coming out of its butt and stuff, and it is just laid down for an hour. We have to be very quiet. Can you do that thing again that you did?

That makes us all stealthy? Stealthy. Yes, of course. So we can all sneak by. I would like to cast Fast Pass. Okay. So with that addition, everyone roll another stealth check, since we're taking the bonus there. What are we going to do? Ooh, wait! Damn. Don't fuck me, Gil.

Fuck you, Gil. That's with a plus ten? Without. So I'm like 33. Fuck you, Gil. Fuck you, Gil. That's with a plus ten? Without. So I'm like 33. 33. But you do have heavy armor, so you have disadvantage on your stealth check. Remember that. Do it real good. 18. 23. I had ten.

Yeah, with ten, it's 23 again. Well, there you go. See, still pretty good. 39. Yeah! There's the numbers. 26. 21. I rolled a d20 plus 10, right?

Correct. And plus your spell. Oh, plus my, okay, that's why I was like, so it seems low, 25, 27. 27, roll. Nice. Nice. As it's sleeping, the heavy breathing,

almost audible as you curve around the space where it is, trying desperately to not step on anything that would make a large snapping or shifting sound in its presence. You watch as another comes up. Ooh! Alongside it. It wakens slightly. It sits down next to it, and while it's not sleeping,

is keeping watch, and he watches it releases out of its jaw onto the ground what looks to be a very bloodied and battered body of some person. You cannot make any details of them at this distance. Dead? Definitely not living. As you begin to walk, you hear the terrible

crunching sound as its giant jaws snap into bone and tear into flesh. You guys, Taliesin's a bear. But you do manage to just scoot alongside of the pair without any notice from their side. Continuing onward. The secondary hour goes without issue. But you do begin to come upon the outskirts

of your recollection of where the sour nest resides. You're still a good hundred or so feet away, using the trees at your disposal, and you can see now the wall that matches the perimeter. It's a thin, maybe five-foot-wide wall with a very flimsy rail across the top, but it is a walkway for watchguards to keep an eye out. As you glance at this distance, you can see one figure that's walking in the perimeter at the top of the wall with what looks to be a heavy crossbow at the ready, and they stop and look out. How dense is the forest around this place? It's pretty dense. The travel, the reason it took two hours to get there

is because you're going through the forest. Otherwise, on foot, in any sort of open scenario, it would take you half the time. So there's no manicured open place around, it's just nestled among trees and trees around it? It looks like there is manicure to be about a 10-foot distance between the wall and any of the surrounding trees, specifically to make sure that any approaching individuals would be out in the

open. You can see now a little bit of light is coming through. It looks like they've cleared out a bit of the canopy. Not entirely, but a bit of it to also prevent any low-hanging boughs or branches to curl into the interior of the walls. It's not a massive stronghold. It looks to be approximately a little larger than the estate sybaritic that you are at, but it's more for function than beautiful decor. A lot of the wood seems to be old and weathered from rain and dry seasons. It's just a beige and gray-looking establishment, pure function. And our lot is hidden in trees, ways away. Yes. You can barely see it above the wall, but the little bit you can see has that visual.

You can see it's a mixture of stone and wood. The edges of the actual structure are stone, and then wood is either been placed over stone or wood is the intermediate construction material. And the cart is not back? From this perspective, you don't see where the cart would come in. This is where we send an hour. Sure. So I'm going to send him. It's going to take a moment. I want him to go around the entire place and keep an eye on it and watch it. Maybe 20 or 30 minutes. Can we go do that? He could bring in his talons. He could bring a little mouse and drop it in there. I'm just saying. How will we... You and I could talk to the mouse.

We could, but the mouse couldn't talk back. Wait, wait, wait. What's our plan here? We're just scanning. Well, for now, this is easy. We are going to send my owl now. If anything goes wrong, will you please tap on my knee three times, my left knee, and I go blind and send Frumpkin out. Okay. So, Frumpkin makes a step from tree, waits a moment, tree. The one guard you see doing their perimeter notices. Fuck. I tell him telepathically to just chill and sit there for a while. After a minute or so, the guard keeps looking out, jumpy. From Frumpkin's view down inside, you can see the exterior of this. There is a large collection of

brown wood kegs and a couple of small crates that contain materials that you're unaware of. You can see there are two entrances, one to the front and one to the back of the building. There are not windows, but small holes put into the wood, and from the inside, you should roll a perception check for Frenken, thank you. With advantage due to the form, because it is with sight. Perception is, say, 22. 22. Looking through these curved window ports about that big, essentially large enough to look through and fire through, but small enough to not really allow a person to push through, you can

see there's about two inches of stone. It is a stone structure that has wood as a decorated exterior to it, so it's pretty solid. Down inside, you do see what looks to be about six horses that are hitched on the backside of it, and two carts, and a third one that is currently being repaired. Those are our carts. People. How many people do I see down inside? Inside, you see two. One up top, yeah? There's one up top on the wall. You now see Frumpkin, thanks to that perception roll, a

secondary guard on the opposite side of the wall. It looks like there are two doing a perimeter pass, matching each other so that at any given point in time they have a visual perspective on one or the other side of the estate. You see one more guard that is inside the courtyard. It looks like two individuals that are not in general attire of the hired hands. When I say the guards, the guards are wearing the same hooded cloak and armor as the two that were pulling the caravan up with them. Those are definitely the caravans. The carts that Frumpkin sees are the ones that we... They are very much. The one that's been broken is the one that's been carried along the way and temporarily affixed for the journey, but now has two individuals of plain clothes that are

in the process of repairing the cart. So two up top? Two up top. One on the inside that's armed, and then two that are currently repairing the cart that appear to be unarmed. But you gather from the state of repairs that the arrival was probably not that long before you arrived. So much for getting to jump on them. So three guards, two hired hands, and were there two more just regular individuals? No, there were two guards on the wall. Two guards of time.

Only one you see inside the courtyard. One in the courtyard. And then two handymen. You don't really know if they work for them full-time or if they're temporary hire, but there are two men that are not in the general attire of the rest of the guards of the estate that are currently preparing. They definitely don't know any ice magic. No, no, no. Definitely sorcerers, definitely no ice magic.

Definitely. Is it accurate to say that if we were to find Grudge Gang members that were unaffiliated, that we could pay them? If you had enough. Okay. Because from where I'm sitting, I don't know how this is going to go much different

than what happened before. We might need more people. The Grunge Gang, they can be expensive, and also they're not keen on suicide missions if they have no stake in it. But if they have a stake in it, you pay well enough, and you have assurances and enough to back you up, you know, we'll go with it. Would the Taskers have more of a stake in it, you pay well enough, and you have assurances and enough to back you up.

You know, we'll go with it. Would the Taskers have more of a stake? You're not sure, you've never really interacted with them much. You know of them, but because of your affiliation previously, you're pretty insulated from dealing with those folks. You grew up hating a lot of the bits of authority that existed around here.

And now you're finding yourself having to eat crow for a lifetime of kind of, you know. It's like my thing. Yeah. Yeah, it's my new thing, to eat crow. And did you say how big the structure within the wall is? The structure within, I'd say it's maybe 50 feet on one side, maybe 70 or 80 on the other. It's hard to gauge the full distance. It's a fairly large estate that's been fitted into a small, stronghold, almost.

Make a distraction in the woods, get one of the guards' attention, bring them in one at a time, ambush them, take their wardrobe. Or we can watch them for a while. I mean, you have a sword that can teleport you. You could just bamf up onto the walkway with them and knock one off, and we could just kill them.

Between me and Neela, we could actually get in pretty quickly. I could get in with the sword, and she could be dropped in as a mouse. The Iron Shepherds aren't there. You don't know? Frumpkin doesn't see them. Frumpkin doesn't see them. They might be inside that. We can certainly kill a guard.

That would give us a costume, but what does that get us? It gives us, they find a dead man on that perimeter and know that someone is fucking with him. We can just drag his body off and feed it to a bear. Steal his clothes, they'll be like, where'd he go? Where did Phil go? Oh, Phil. You know, that old story. Or we could drop in Mouse there, and our friends? I'm so confused, because I... So the cards that we see were the ones

that I've seen people go into before. Mm-hmm. So that... But we don't see the Iron Shepherds here. And we don't see where the prisoners are being killed? You don't see that, no. No. But do I know where they?

You know. The basement below. There are three separate chambers. One that's for holding, one that's for breaking, which is torture, and the one that is for displaying, if they have any final approvals by the Jagentoth family that has an idea of where they should be sent to. So this is our best chance, because there are no Iron Shepherds here. We don't know. We don't know if they could be inside.

This is not any better. No. And our chance is on the road. Well, then we do one of two things. We either send in Neela as a mouse to scout to see if the Iron Shepherds are in there, or we wait and we watch and we see who comes in and out, watch the guard shifts, see when the changeover is. Yeah. I want to go in.

A guard shift would be the most opportune time to attack, is when they're changing shifts. Do we have any interest in trying to get more people? Sure. Yes. I don't know how much money we have. Do I have a sense of how expensive the Grunge Gang is? You've never hired any of them, so you're not sure,

but the way to ask would be to go find them. Right. Also, looking through Frumpkin's eyes, was I able to see the entrance through this wall that the guards are up top on? What's the way in here? On the opposite end, it looks to be ladders. So no gate or doorway at all? Oh, sorry, I thought you meant how they got up onto the wall.

Yeah, my apologies. No, there is a gate in the front, and there's a gate in the back. Actually, both gates are two dark wood doors that have a brace set down that holds them in place that is held and controlled from the interior. Solid? Solid. No, none of this. On both sides, it looks like a single brace that comes down from one side. Okay.

And the back gate, does that press against the forest? Both gates have about a ten-foot open space before it reaches forest. There are stumps, and there are places where you can see trees were cleared out, specifically to give that opening so that they'd have a good idea and good visual on anybody who were to attempt to approach. Keg, do you know if these people would have a secret entrance into the basement, into the dungeon area, tunnels. You didn't work close enough with

them to know of any secret passage. I mean, it makes sense. There might be one, but nothing that you've come across. If there is one, it's a well-guarded secret. You have no idea. Has anything changed since last I was here that I can tell from what you're telling? Not really. They're not into renovations. If it works, stick with it. Do the guards sleep here on the estate, or do they go home at night? I assume they'd stay on the estate.

Yeah, they sleep on the estate. They're paid, essentially, live-in employ. Guards. I don't know how to do this. I just want to see my son. I want to go inside. You want to go in and scout around? How long does your magic last? Good question. For you, it's half your druid level rounded down, so per transformation, it's about two hours.

Yeah, pretty well intended. How do you get out if you are in a mouse? Through a gate. The gates are solid. I thought you said there was a gate. That's why I asked. Oh, it's a solid gate. Well, if she were to run out into the clear area, you could use Frumpkin as if Frumpkin was

hunting. Hell-evac her out! Possible. Possible. Owls eat mice. I'm just saying. It makes sense in nature. Could you make yourself a very distinct-looking mouse, like a shark with white hair on the mouse head or something like that? Something unique. So that your friend wouldn't mistake me for some... Correct.

I think I can. Yeah? A particular type of field mouse. You can do that? I just want to get close. Neela, do you promise that if you see your son, you're not going to try anything on your own? I just want to get close. Neela, do you promise that if you see your son, you're not going to try anything on your own?

I know I won't succeed, so I won't. I just want to go look. I'm sending the animals. We'll help you find your son. Just keep it together in there, all right? I will. Here's the thing. Goblin girl and hobo wizard have this spell where they can kind of talk into your ear.

You probably won't be able to respond back as a mouse, except for maybe squeaks. Squeaks? One squeak is yes. Yes. Two squeaks is no. That's good. Three squeaks is, my son's been compromised. Please come rescue me. I'm dying in here. Please come get me.

Okay. One squeak, yes. Yes. Two squeaks, no. No. Three squeaks, no. Three squeaks. Oh my god, oh my god, everything's gone to shit. Would Comprehend Languages work with a mouse or no? That would be a different spell, right? Speak with Animals. Comprehend Language has to be spoken language or written language. I agree, yeah.

But I'm not going to do three squeaks, because I'm going to hold it together, and I will come out. Right? Yeah, K-I-T. Yes, absolutely. You are a strong, powerful furbolg. Bolg. Are you sure you don't know Pulmatso?

I knew you were going to say it. I knew it. You were doing so well. What is that? He's one of you. He's really, there's four of him, so you really can't. He's one of you? That's so generalizing and demeaning. I mean, they're kind of all the same, right? No!

Now it's demeaning. Matt drowns the future comments. You must know Jareth, the Goblin King. All goblins are different. Question. Where are this collection of barrels? Green privilege. The collection of barrels, are they on the inside in the courtyard? They're inside the courtyard, yes.

So how about we use that collection of that barrel pile as your meeting point? We'll make sure that Frumpkin is watching the barrel pile, and you get back there when you're done scouting. I'm up for it. Okay. Hey, you got this. And we're relying on you, so don't fuck it up.

There's that word again. It has many meanings. It's very personal. Truth. All right, do you take your form, then? Yes, I take my form. Oh my god, this is so exciting! Nila's large, furbolg physicality just blinks down at this tiny little field mouse. What

characteristic of it do you want to stand out? So happy. The nice white stripe across the top of its head all the way down. It's like a skunk mouse. Like Striped from Gremlins. All right, so there is Nila in the mouse form. We didn't talk about the first part. Frumpkin's got to bring her in there. Buddy, don't eat. Just carry her. Stay away from the two on the top, okay? And put her by the barrels if you can. If you can. Then come back. Fulkin moseys up to the edge of your shoulder. No!

Looks over towards you. Lands on the ground next to you. Does a couple of hops up to you. Offer my neck. Oh god. Yep. For a brief moment, you all inhale. Oh god! Then you see the claws have just wrapped around

the mouse's body. Suddenly, you're just soaring through the air, a sensation you've never had before. As Frumpkin makes his way over into the trees, make a stealth check for Frumpkin, please. As he's going to, I tell him, correction, find an out-of-the-way place to sit and watch those barrels. Stealth, you say?

Yes. For my owl, so I have to go to the other page, the owl page. Yes, you do. Which I have ready. Your owl page on D&D Beyond? 13. That one little service? Okay.

Oh god, the house is full of tabaxi. We sent in a laser pointer. It's the best use of Prestidigitation. Look at the red light, look at the red light. As you're soaring through the boughs, the leaves and branches soar past the wind, past your face, you get that high view of down into the courtyard, as suddenly you go into a steep dive. Within a moment, you are lifted back up and then dropped onto the ground next to one of the barrels. You watch as Frumpkin takes off, and one, the guard glances over and goes, Oh no.

He's going to take a shot. Okay, take a shot. Come on, Frumpkin. Natural five. He's going to put it at a nine. Pretty sure that doesn't hit. Does not hit my ally. Yes.

Yeah, shit. You hear mutter from over the side, seems bored and just wanted to shoot at something that looked interesting. You hear beside you,. But there you are in the courtyard now. I want to go toward my terrible map of what I think, based on what he drew. It's not bad. Immediately glancing around, make a perception check, actually, as you were coming into the courtyard.

Were the porthole windows in the wall or in the actual building? They were in the wall of the second floor. Of the building. Of the building, yes. Of the building. Of the building, yes. Of the building, okay. Shit. Oh no. Six. Six. It's hard to see any specific areas where you can get in, other than the main doors.

There's a slight gap between the front door to the entrance and the floor of the interior, but other than that, with a quick little scooting around the exterior, it's the only entrance you see. POV, two inches tall. Yep, right at the bottom. This is some Honey, I Shrunk the Kids shit now. Oh man. I should have talked to my friends before to get a plan. Nila's a little confused again. You're looking at the building right there. You can see the two guards going along the wall. You hear the sound of work being done on the carts

around the side, and all you see is that front door, that slight gap at the bottom. What are you doing? I think I want to go underneath the gap. Okay. So you scoot, squeeze just under, flattening out your mouse body and making your way through. On the inside, the immediate warmth hits you from the cold exterior of the forest. The inside is mostly being stone. Comparatively, the temperature is much warmer in here. Coming inside, it's still a flat stone floor. It's not very well decorated at all. If any, it's... So judgy. The old mouse is not looking at the decoration.

In the sense that comparatively to some of the other places you've seen here, it's just plain stone walls. It's very basic. It's so basic. As looking inside, you can see there is one curved stone staircase that leads up to the second floor. There is a hall that goes to the left and further down to one side. There is a closed door that leads into an interior chamber, and that's all you can see at the moment. You see the spiral staircase up at the door ahead of you and the hall that curves around the side.

You know it's down. It's down where my son could be. Sorry, so I don't want to go up the spiral staircase. What are the other two options? Around to the side or a closed door? This floor, upstairs, or downstairs. Downstairs. Do the spiral stairs go up and down? They only go up.

So I have to pick one of the two doors and hope that it leads down? The door or the hallway. One of the two. I wish I had my smell pouch. I'll choose. Door number. The door. Yes, it's a game show host for you. You squeeze beneath the door and immediately see what looks to be a general mess room. There are a couple of tables and chairs that are pressed up against them. The smell of alcohol and stale, dried

meat hits your nose, and you can see immediately, sitting in two of the chairs, two members of the Iron Shepherds that are in the process of eating a midday lunch. One of them, you see, is a small male halfling. He has a weaselly-looking face. He's in the process of finishing what's comparatively to his size, a large tankard of ale, and eating some sort of heavy starch biscuit meal. Across from him on the other side of the table, you see a human female barbarian with greasy curls of blondish hair that meet with her fur shoulder and very tattered leathers just for decoration. They're both drinking and eating and talking about catching off from the side of the ear. The halfling is seemingly mid-complaint about how, you know, it really ticks me off that we lost some good catches in the way up here.

Boss shouldn't have been so careless with that, but I'm not going to tell him that. It's frustrating. The woman finishes a bite and a big swig of her buzz. Yeah, well, you got to break some eggs. Sometimes. She's making some big pontification, some big statement. Wise words. She keeps drinking, and they go into a quiet state, but there's two of them now present, so you do know that at least they've returned and there are some present inside. It does not appear that there's any other entrance downward. There is a secondary door on the opposite end. Go to the secondary door.

Make a stealth check. Come on, mouse. Come on, mousy poo. Yeah, that's good, that's good. 17. Squeakers! Okay. You dart around the side, beneath the table, beneath the bench, and around the edge. None the wiser of your presence, they give no shits. You make your way and squeeze past the door

on the opposite end, and there you come to what looks to be some sort of a suiting room. It looks like there are weapons that are hung up on racks. You can see there are a couple of small wooden poles with dowels on the sides that are meant to hold armor shields and things that are there. It looks like additional crossbows and things that the guards probably utilize at different points. This is an equipment storage room. There is another door to the left. Where you enter and squeeze underneath,

there's a door to the left that you can go under as well. As you leave and pass that room, you head to a back hallway to this interior part of this level. This hallway continues down, it seems, to meet the hall that continued around the left side and then continues on to the right. There is another door that leads into another chamber.

Got to do it. Down the hall to the right chamber. Down the hall to the right chamber. This, now I know that I didn't have to go down that other hallway, the first one, because it's already met up here, right? Yeah, so the other hallway would have continued this way, and the hallway you're just emerging now meets with it.

Then on that right side of it, there's a door that leads into whatever room is the next one over from that mess hall chamber. So you head into that room. Heading down that room, it's a small closet-like room, and there is what looks to be a trapdoor on the ground. That's it, but how do I open the trapdoor now? Maybe there's a little crack or something.

All right, so... That's what I think is my way downstairs, so I go toward the trapdoor, see if I can't... Make a strength check in your mouse form. so I go toward the trapdoor, see if I can't. Make a strength check in your mouse form. Aw. Roll. Try and squeeze under. This is when a natural 20 is, aw.

Nine. Nine. I don't have a nine. Yeah, no. That's like a, I'll put that on a minus four. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Your mouse isn't strong enough to budge the door that is currently. All right. Might be a hole in the floor or somewhere else.

I feel like that's the key, but I want to keep looking to see how many iron shepherds there may be in any other location that I haven't explored. Okay, make a perception check. Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do. Explored. Okay, make a perception check. You hear a deep, billowing laugh. Can I gnaw my way through the hair? You can, and in a few days, you'll probably make your way through.

I hear a laugh. Oh, have I heard this laugh before? You have. Shit. This is enough for me. I know they're down there. The leader of the Iron Shepherds is down there beneath that trapdoor. That's what I believe. I don't know what to do that. Can you guys talk to her? I can send a message.

After a while, yeah. I'll send a message saying, are you still alive? She's still alive. So Molly, what are you going to do? I am going to stick to my mission to scout. I'm going to pull everything I have to go away from the trapdoor, knowing where it is, and I'm going to scurry up and I want to explore that spiral staircase. Okay. So you're heading back into the cross hallway. Are you falling down the hall or are you heading back through the mess room? I'll go the hallway this time.

Okay. You screw around the hallway. There's nobody in there, so there's nobody to try to hide from you. You make it back to the main entryway, head to the staircase and it takes you a while to get up there, because the steps are about that high and it's a little jumpy. You miss a few and have to stop and skidder back up. It takes you a while. Bottom legs. Like the better part of about 20, 25 minutes. But you eventually make your way to the second floor. Up there, you can see another hallway.

It seems like both, as opposed to the bottom floor, which had almost an L-shaped hallway that went around, this one has a perimeter hall. There you can see are those porthole windows that are carved into the stone, two on each side. As you come up to the top, you can see the hall goes around and there's a central chamber on the inside, or chambers if they're divided. You can see immediately on the second floor what looks to

be a door directly available to the one that's just north of you. You don't see any other door on this particular floor. All right, let's crawl under that door. Okay. You scoop beneath that door, and inside there you can see what are a number of beds. You see four different beds that are lined up. And you also find a familiar smell.

Other mice. Specifically the urine of other mice. Eugh. Yeah, this kind of. You glance over and in the corner you can see one of the comforters that has been partially eaten and pulled down and tugged. There's a slight hole in the stone on the edge, and you can distinctly smell that there are other mice that live in this space. Is there anyone in the beds? You don't necessarily know if they're in the beds at all.

There's nobody in the beds, sorry. Yeah. Yeah, nobody in the beds. And no people to be seen anywhere here? No, not in this room. Okay. Have I covered? What else can I cover? I want to cover everything and gather as much of the layout.

Okay. We'll say as you move into one of the other rooms, the next two, you do notice that there are two other chambers. This upper floor is divided into three different chambers. There's the wide one that has the four beds, there's one that has two other beds, and there's one that has a singular large bed. This one room is almost like a master bedroom. You gather this is probably the room that Lorenzo sleeps in. It's a wider bed. It has, of all the other middling elements of comfort, this one comparatively is more extravagant, more comfortable. The layers of cushions and... Mm-hmm. Goddamn it, Sam. Make a perception check. Good. 19.

Seamonstains. Ever. You look up, and there is a makeshift table on the side of the bed. It looks to be some sort of a stone platter that sits on there, and the remains of a meal. The smell in here is old and slightly decayed, like something had died. You glance up and you can see a bit of graying flesh and a faint glisten of white. God. I want to explore. I want to get closer. There is an edge of the bed that you could eventually scurry up

and use that to climb up onto the bed itself. You can see the bed itself is bowed pretty heavy. The actual bed wall, its wide, whatever weight it's carried from Lorenzo is sunken rather deep in there. It's almost like a bit of a pit as you crawl across it, the blankets tossed and folded over. You make your way to the edge and look over into this platter. What you see appears to be bones, Bones that are covered in strips and elements of leftover meat. Do I know what kind of meat? There is a skull.

A tiny skull. Oh boy, that's not good. An animal? An animal. Not animal? An animal. Not animal? I'm almost about to squeak three times, but I'm going to hold it together. I want to get out now. Okay.

You make your way down off the side of the bed and into the hallway and begin to turn around towards the staircase down. As you begin to descend the staircase, you hear heavy footsteps making their way towards the base of the stairs. You hear the shifting of leather. Make a stealth check. Yeah. With the mouse's dexterity, which, I don't know. Oh, that's probably better with the mouse than with my...

It's no bonus. So what'd you roll? Seven. You've got luck. Oh yes, thank you! Luck, thank you! Use that luck point. I'm using my luck point. All right, come on. Oh hell yeah. That's better.

Yay! That's our luck! Thank you! Yes! Yes. It's allowed, it's allowed. Oh no, no, I am so thankful, because as you come down that staircase, you see looming up towards the muscled form

of a tired, but intent to peruse his domain, Lorenzo, making his way up the same staircase. No glaive in his hands. As you step up, you manage to wait for the right moment, hiding in the shadow of the step. As his legs cross over to dart down and make your way, he doesn't see a thing. Jesus Christ.

You make your way back down into the main entryway to this, back out under the main entrance, under the door. You're now into the courtyard. You head on over to the barrels. Yes. Frumpkin, who's kept a watch, specifically sees the mouse return, darts down, snatches you up in your form, and then swoops up,

make a stealth check for Frumpkin. That same guard is getting, he's like, Oh, please, man. That's a 17. 17, glances over and sees Frumpkin dart down and goes, Son of a fuck. I got you. Oh no.

However, still, well, I mean, good for you. Good for you, Nila, good for you. Still a natural two. Not that, oh, okay. Just with that, another bolt goes off. Frumpkin up into the trees, back down. You guys there waiting patiently watch as the owl returns and then into the trees, back down. You guys there waiting patiently. Watch as the owl returns and then, onto the ground, releases the mouse form of Nila.

Wow. Awesome! So what'd you learn? She's still a mouse. Can she become not a mouse? I thought that. She wants to. Yes, I would like to shift out of my mouse form. Tell us everything!

That was awesome. What was? She didn't die as a mouse. That's true. She turned into a mouse and then came back and was hella backed out by your bird cat. That's awesome! Did you learn anything?

I did. It's terrible. I don't know if I saw my son. I know where they're keeping people. I know where they're keeping their prisoners. There's a trap door. You can get through it through a mess hall and through another room or through the hallway. There are two... There are two iron shepherds eating in the mess hall. There are, I think, many under the trap door. Many? Well, I saw beds. I saw six beds.

Six beds plus a big bed. And the big bed belongs to the leader. What do you mean you don't know if you saw your son? Plus beds, plus a big bed. And the big bed belongs to the leader. What do you mean you don't know if you saw your son? He was eating something. I don't think it was him. But it was... It looked like he was eating. One of these in the mess hall?

No, no. Just the leader. Just the leader was eating something that didn't look like an animal. And it looked small. Jesus Christ. Like my son's size. How many people? You said two? There were six or seven beds.

And I heard voices under the trapdoor. I know they're there. My son is not dead. He's there, underneath the trapdoor. I pulled some paper out and said, Can you draw these rooms? Yes, I will do my best. I'll have an actual sketch for you next time.

That's all. That's cool. All right. They're there. We know there are members of the Iron Shepherd here. And we know they have beds here. Wait till the fall of night? Yeah. Take out the guards. Kill them in their sleep. I still would like some help.

Maybe one extra hand? How much time do we have until nightfall? Until nightfall, I'd say with the two hours travel from the morning, you have probably another six, seven hours. And how long travel is it to get back to town? If you're heading straight south to the town, it's maybe another hour. Oh. A little less than that, maybe. It's not as far as I thought. About an hour. Oh. Maybe less than that. A little less than that, maybe.

It's not as far as I thought. About an hour, actually. I wish I knew if there was another entrance or exit underneath that trapdoor. I couldn't get in, but I heard the voices, and I heard many people under there. I know anything from my time in the criminal underworld, it's these people

always had secret passageways in and out. We could do kind of a wide walk of the perimeter, see if we find anything out of place in the forest. Sure. See if there's a path, and then if we don't find anything, make our way back into town, look for a hired hand. Well, I like the idea of an extra hand or two to back us up, but I also agree with you. We go in at night. We try to take the guards out who are watching quietly, hopefully. If that is the case, we can go in and get our friends. If we do that successfully, then we can burn these ones in their sleep.

Again with the burning thing. I like it. Write what you know. So, let's search around, see if we can search the woods. Do a perimeter check. Perimeter check. Looking for secret entrances.

All right, well I will need both stealth checks from all of you. Super stealth. Stealthy searching. I'm at disadvantage? You're at disadvantage with your stealth check. Do you have any juice left in your cup? Well, I got a one, so there's not going to get much worse than that.

Good boy. Or are you tapped out? As you're having this discussion, what you can only amount to be a large pile of pots being dropped into the ground. Keg gets her foot caught right underneath a nearby tree root and just onto the ground. Glancing over, you immediately see that one guard that was shooting at Frumpkin goes like, Hi. Hey, hey, hey. Let's run back.

Run, yeah, run. We run back to town. Fuck the perimeter search. You're heading southward to town, or where are you going? Southward to town. Away directly from the building. All right, and you guys go running as fast as you can towards town.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. Charging the blue of the Sommelier Wood. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go. To find what hopeful aid or fortune you can. And that's where we'll end today's session. Good game. Great game. Well done, guys.

I didn't have a good week anymore to do anymore. I've already seen such scarring things. All right, so we'll pick up on that next Thursday. Bummer, dude. With both Smiley and Ashley. Oh! Look who's here! What is this guy?

Goddamn it, you people. Hi. Hi! I'm Taliesin Jdamn it, you people. Hi. Hi! I'm Taliesin Jack. Hey, buddy. Hey. How was it from the lobby? It was about 10 seconds behind, mostly.

Right. Hi, guys. Were you the little boy being eaten? I was, in fact, the bear. But thank you, everyone who was guessing, I was the bear. Missed an opportunity. Not yet, not yet! I know.

Okay. Maybe next week. Maybe next week. Anyway, thank you guys, amazing job. Somali, amazing. Jumping in and kicking ass. Nice, Neelah! Thank you.

Yeah, thank you guys for coming along with us. Those of you who will see at Comic-Con, we'll see you there. If not, you guys for coming along with us. Those of you who will see at Comic-Con, we'll see you there. If not, you'll see our panel on Tuesday in place of Talks Machina, so you can get caught up. In the meantime, just know that we love you, have a wonderful weekend, and is it Thursday yet? Good night.

Let's go out. Thank you so much for joining us on this adventure. To help new listeners discover the show, please give us a rating and review on whatever podcasting app you're listening on. Until next time, is it Thursday yet?