Critical Role - C2E31 Commerce & Chaos

Episode Date: August 17, 2018

The Mighty Nein take two weeks of down time in Zadash, shopping and researching, before embarking on their next adventure...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. Dungeons & Dragons!

I'm sorry. I'm excited. Laura will be joining us shortly. She's finishing baby stuff in the other room. But in the meantime, we're here to get through our announcements for the evening. So first and foremost, we have our fantastic friends and glorious sponsor through campaign to, thus far, D&D Beyond.

D&D Beyond! Yesterday, guys, was D&D Beyond's first one-year anniversary. Take two. Hey guys, yesterday was D&D Beyond's one-year anniversary. Wish them a happy birthday on their Facebook and Twitter pages. Happy birthday. Or just right there. Also, as a reminder, D&D Beyond streams their weekly show called And Beyond every Wednesday on twitch.tv slash dndbeyond. It's not a... Take two? I was going to say, it's not Great Conversations. Pick up.

No, pick up. It's got Great Conversations with special guests like Matt Mercer and Mike Merles and other guests with MM names. And that's it. That's the whole announcement. But I recently went to Virginia, and so I got inspired to write a country song for D&D Beyond. Is that what that hat is? That hat has booboo shells on it. I was going to learn this on the guitar, but then I realized I don't really play guitar, so. When was that a topic?

All right, here's my country song for D&D Beyond. My baby left me on the Fourth of July. I cret. Take two. Take four. I do this a lot. Take four. Okay, I'm ready. Settle. Take four. I do this a lot. Take four. Okay, I'm ready.

Settle. Thank you. Settle. My baby left me on the fourth of July. I cried red, white, and blue. Got in my Chevy, popped open a Coors, and moseyed on over to you. Opened the trailer, played some Johnny Cash,

kicked off my cowboy boots, and sat. Got my character sheet and my daddy's dice, because Exandria's where it's at. D&D Beyond, be my girl tonight. Roll me close, crit me tight. I got a pickup, a 12-gauge and American flag, but it's you that makes me feel all right. D&D beyond. Be my girl tonight. There's another verse. I've trucked across the heartland from Dallas to Memphis and back, but Amman's the place I miss the most where I want to hang my hat. So darling, call the Piggly Wiggly and tell them you're going to be late. Turn off your phone because your cowboy's home. Get ready for an all-night date. D&D Beyond. Be my girl tonight. Roll me close. Crit me tight. I got some illegal fireworks, a smokehouse, a new tractor, a hunting dog, my mama's bible, some Frito Pie, NASCAR tickets, a deer license, some new tires, a handle of Southern Comfort, but it's you that makes me feel all right. D&D beyond. Be my girl tonight. Thank you, Sam.

I don't know. I don't know. Official southern thing. I'm not sure if we'll animate that one. We've taken anything from that. We now have the mental image of a country Sam enjoying an all-night date with his D&D Beyond. Yes. Thank you. It's you and your computer. And overalls.

Oh, okay. Thank you, D&D Beyond, for your sponsorship in allowing such magical moments like this to happen. What are you doing in there, Sam? I'm just looking at my spells! All right, so we also have, for those who haven't seen it yet or had the opportunity, Marisha's Honey Heist 2, Electric Bear Glue VOD is available on YouTube at youtube.com slash CriticalRole.

You can go check it out there for free any time you want. It's there, ready to go. Crack heads. It was nuts. It was so much fun. It was hilarious. Pretty loopy. Of that same regard, for the time being, our limited run Electric Bearglue Tea is available right now in the store for a limited time.

Fantastic, very awesome portrait art by Joanna Carvalho, who did a great job with it. You can check it out at shop.critrole.com. Who was touching my dice? Why were they out already when I got here? Don't do it, your life is as short enough as it is. I may have helped set up for you, being a caring parent.

Don't worry, though, I only touched the ones that you wouldn't have used anyway. Great, great, great. Speaking of which, Laura, how's that merch coming? Hey, we got those electric beer glue shirts! Guys, did you know we have a bunch of new items in our shop? What? There's a retro tee!

Whoa! There's a Mighty Nein tee! That one has been altered by Marisha Ray, but you can alter your own at home. Sleeves are bullshit. That's right. We don't have that one in store right now. But we have our other shirts. Detective, the not-Detective Agency, case closed. We have hats that are sold out that'll be back sometime. Fins.

Fins. Everyone loved the dad hats. The dad hats are awesome. Why are they dad hats? Well, they're just called dad hats. The dad hats are awesome! Why are they dad hats? Well, they're just called dad hats. For dads. Oh, okay. But I wore my dad hat, and it looks great on a girl, too. I was wearing it today when I was working.

It looked like metallic red. That'll be back eventually. I like how we're advertising our hat that's not in stock right now, but there's other things. Go check it out at our shop, shop.crateroll.com. I know that address by heart. Thank you, Laura. Welcome back to the team. Polished, professional. Someday I'll get to Sam Regal levels. On that note, guys, we'll have a warm one giveaway at the break. I'll have all that

information for you and a reminder at the time, but for right now, I think it's time for us to jump into tonight's episode of Critical Role. Thank you. Kjell Kjell LAURA and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and So, last we left off, our band of adventurers, the Mighty Nein, having trekked away from Zadash northward on two different jobs for the gentleman, had accomplished both of these contracted jobs for him, losing a friend, gaining a friend, made their way back south, oh my god. Motherfucker. Wow, that's been a while. Marisha, look, it's your husband.

All of everything you do, have done, or will do. So good. Oh god, Doogie Howser, eat your fucking heart out. You know that part in the game where you don't understand why you got so many points in a running gate as opposed to Paragon? Now available in the merch store. I'm not going to be able to run the game tonight.

I can't focus. Take two. Take two. Take two, steamy Dr. Mercer. I will never live that down. It's great when you're a new actor in LA and everyone says, yeah, you got to get some head shots. I know all about it.

Get those costumes and character shots. That's what it was? Yeah. When you show up right off the truck, you don't know what you're doing. Yeah, you need some archetypes. Like, yeah, come with a doctor outfit. Come with a doctor outfit.

Come with a regular business suit. Come with uniform. I got a few gigs that way. Is there a cowboy or construction worker? No, no, all that photo was done is this. That's literally the most it's ever done. You're like 17 and a half here, right? That would have been about 10 years ago.

So 18. Early 30s. Yes, we'll go with that one. Oh god, I'm so happy. Anyway, back to the story at hand. Upon completing your journey, checking in with the gentlemen, you were paid the ripe sum that you had discussed,

and after taking your newfound friend from the Shadycreek run, Ophelia, back to the Evening Nip, you exited with your new golden platinum in hand, and after a celebratory drink to the memory of Molly, you grabbed Caduceus and led him into the city of Zadash, the largest city you've ever seen by leaps and bounds to see what kind of ways you can corrupt this new fresh mind free out of the Savalirwood.

It's so exciting. So that is where we left off. In this case, guys, we have roughly two weeks of downtime. So I'm going to go out and ask you guys what you would like to accomplish, and if moments require rolls, moments require role play, anything like that, we'll jump into it. One, two, three, not it.

Not it. Not it. Jesus. Liam. I didn't say not it. Would you like to go, Liam? Not it. Man, you're a lute. Ah! like to go, Liam? Me and him are a loop. Ah! Yeah! Come on, Piggly-Wiggly!

Sure. Not much. Okay, so the things I wrote down were, I would like to go and use my money. Your money? Yes. To buy a bunch of baubles and trinkets and buttons and ribbons and string and beads

and one crescent ornament. Okay. I will say you could purchase all of those things. Roll a, and you're buying these yourself. In disguise self mode. Okay, yeah. Yeah, I'd say you could buy all of those things with a single gold, just because your charisma isn't that high.

A single gold. A single gold piece for all of that. That's still priced up a bit. That's pretty good. I will put all of that stuff into a package and mail it away with a note that I sent you earlier, Matt. Yep, I have that. Okay, step two. I'm going to take my gun. Your what?

Oh, I stole a gun. You weren't there for that? No, that was on the way out of Hupperduke. They weren't there for that. I stole a gun! You got a gat? I stole a gun from a guard. I've got one bullet. Yeah, just one round, single shot, split lock. Yeah, fuck me, man. I will blow you away, motherfucker. Unless I miss.

And then it's just nothing. No, I would like to take apart the gun. Okay. I'd like to take apart the gun and figure out how the hammer works, how the gunpowder ignites. Is it a pack of powder, like a bullet? Or is it loose powder with a ball? Well, first off, do you have or own tinker's tools? No, but do any of you guys have tinkerers tools? I'll go and buy them! All right. This next expense will be 50 gold pieces for the set of tinkerers tools.

No problem. I would need you to go ahead and make a tinkering check to see if you can sensibly disassemble the gun without ruining elements of it. So it'll be... I don't think any of us have enough experience to help you. I'd say... Caleb would help. Do you have tinkering experience? Not that I'm pretty smart.

You're not proficient in tinker's tools, so it's basically just a straight intelligence check, so just add your intelligence modifier to see if you can figure out the safest ways to do so. I rolled a 14. Okay. And I have an intelligence of plus three. Ooh! 17, okay.

It takes you a little bit of time, but you managed to very carefully disassemble the entirety of the pistol. Ooh! 17, okay. It takes you a little bit of time, but you manage to very carefully disassemble the entirety of the pistol without any issues. I'm specifically curious about how the impact of the hammer creates an explosion. Okay, well, through the words of the man responsible for inventing these things things not but 20 plus years beforehand, if you would like to explain.

Oh my goodness! There is a flash pan where there is a preload powder capsule attaches to a flash pan. The hammer contains a sparking mechanism that hits a plate, causes a spark to hit the powder in the flash pan, goes into the gunpowder that's within, that's actually packed inside of the barrel, and sends the shot out. Is it a specific kind of metal? Yes, it actually is a specific kind of metal. It's a flint. It's a flint metal. People have probably gotten creative with that at the time, but the Percy tech, it was just a flint.

He was trying to do other stuff and always failed. All right. With that knowledge, I will go take out and purchase any other materials I will need to do this. I'm going to take out the 20 arrows I grabbed from the Iron Shepherd's house, and I'm going to try to modify them using multiple arrowheads if needed to make an explosive arrowhead that's packed with some gunpowder. It would be a bag at the front with a flint that would spark on pressure, so as long as you fired it hard, it would spark when it hit and detonate. Okay. Go ahead and make a tinker check. Another tinkerers check? I'm not a good tinker!

Ooh, look at your dice! 11 plus three. Where did you get those? I just got them for free from somebody. Those are so pretty. They're from Norse Foundry. From Norse Foundry. Just a 14.

14. I say it'll cost you an additional 20 golden materials, because you fail multiple times going through and end up wasting a lot of materials until eventually you get it right and you're certain that this would be the one that would function properly. So you have one explosive arrow. You're not entirely certain what it does. One explosive arrow. Welcome to tinkering, man. I'll take the parts of the gun. It's just a part now, right? Yeah, they're just separate individual pieces.

I can't put it back together. You could certainly try. I'll try. All right. That's a 15. 15? You reassemble it. It looks to be functional.

Okay. And I will just look at it and say, whoever invented this was a very smart person. She must have been a very, very smart person indeed. She was. Okay. I have one explosive arrow, maybe. Great. I'd also like to purchase a pair of gloves or have them made. For show or comfort? For comfort and show, human skin color with little fingernails embroidered at the end.

All right, so you have this commission. Because it is a commission, it is specific. It'd probably be at the similar store to where Beau got her reversible cloak made earlier in the campaign. It'd only take maybe two days to get the materials together to match the color you wanted and then the embroidery and then finishing the gloves for your size specifically, since it would be a smaller frame. All in all, I'd say five gold pieces. Okay, great. Just pricey for a set of custom gloves, but not based on the money you had made, so.

Oh, also with that package I sent earlier, I also included 100 gold pieces in it. Okay, so mark that off. And then one last thing, I'd like to approach Jester and ask her, Jester! Yes? I need your help. What do you need help with? You are a talented artiste, but also,

Yes, I am very, very talented. You've mentioned in the past that you are an expert forger. Yes, I am, have you seen my work, remember? I've seen you draw dicks on things. Well, I've also written a lot of letters. You don't really show us those too much, but... They're really good. All right. Well, and also, while you were captured, I kind of flipped through your book.

My sketchbook? It's excellent work. If there were an art school or something, you should send it in. Well, thank you. I did have really good tutors when I was growing up. Not bad. I'd like you to help me forge a letter. I'd like it to sound like it's from some sort of legal entity or law firm or court or something like that. I'll use something like Esquire or something in there. That sounds very... Yes, yes, yes. Okay. And I'd like to,

oh, could you not tell Caleb about this? Secret? It's a secret. I'm really good at keeping secrets. All right. Okay. I'd like it to read something like, oh, I'm going to be sending it to the Solstress Academy. Solstress, I know about that. That's where Fjord wants to go.

Yes. Are we writing this for Fjord? No. Okay. It's in Wrexen from. Solstress, yes, I know where it is. Solstress. Solstress Academy. The Sol Train Academy.

Solstress Academy. That's a good way to remember it. Something like, greetings, hello, to whom it may concern. To whom it may concern. I am trying to reach a young lady named Astrid, no Okay, okay. Who was a student about 11 years ago at your academy. She has inherited a bit of money from a distant relative, her uncle Leonard Hyphen. Leonard Hyphen? Hyphen what?

I don't... Leonard Hyphen Leonard. Leonard Hyphen Leonard, got it. From the town of Nigeria. Got it. And his estate, his estate has employed me to find her, his estate has employed me to find her in order to deliver the funds.

Vast sums of money, right, right, the funds, okay. Please reach out to her, reach out to me with her. Oh shit, now I've got to write it again because you said it wrong, hold on. I didn't know you were writing it as I was saying it. Well, I'm really fast. Please reach out to me with her last known contact information or address.

You can write me in care of the Pillow Trove Hotel. That's a real fancy one, okay, okay. Attention, I don't know, attention what? Mrs. Jester. No. Mrs. Dr. Jester. No, Miss, no. Mrs. Lavor Esquire.

Mrs. Lavor Esquire. Okay. My legal practice thanks you in advance. Thank you. The legal practice of? Hmm. Not. Not. Not and brave.

Not and brave law firm. Yes. Okay, not and brave law firm. So many businesses. Okay. And then what now? Do you have a seal or something? I don't know. On official letters, do you kiss them with lipstick? Do you put a little perfume on it? What do you do? You know what? I have my mom's lavender oil. Hold on.

Okay. That'll make it even more official. Except there are some really fancy places, they always have, you know. Sure, sure. Yeah, so they're scented. Also, sometimes. I'm going to get it on my fingers just to handle the paper, so the paper smells like it's handled by someone rich. I've noticed sometimes in letters that I've stolen from the post, fancy ones anyway, I'm going to get it on my fingers just to handle the paper so the paper smells like it's handled by someone rich.

I've noticed sometimes in letters that I've stolen from the post, fancy ones anyway, sometimes you pull out the letter and then there's this other piece of tissue paper in there for no reason. Yes, yes, yes. We'll do something like that. Okay, good. Okay, I just use another piece of paper because I don't have any fancy tissue paper. Just a blank one? Yeah.

All right. And then we just mail it to Soltrys Academy. Okay, wait, we need a really fancy seal. We need wax. Do we have any wax? I bet Caleb has wax. I can't tell him about this. Okay, well, do you know where any candles are? Let's take a candle from around the room,

and then we'll stamp it with a ring, one of my rings. Oh, perfect. Okay, which one is the flattest? This one. It's got a rose on it. Okay. Two things. One, I would like you to roll for your forgery.

You're the worst wax seal ever. So. White wax. White wax. White wax. White wax. Just blame these wax ruins. Blame these waxes.

Are you proficient with your forgery kit? Well, I have a forgery kit. How do I know if I'm proficient? Hold on. No, but I think I am because of my background. Yes. No. Yes. I don't know. I think you should, depending on your... Hold on, I'm opening my... Yeah, proficiencies and languages. Forgery kit. Yep. So go ahead and roll a d20. Add your intelligence modifier and your Oh, why the intelligence? Can it be the wisdom? Actually, no, let's make it dexterity. Okay, okay, okay.

Plus what, my proficiency? Proficiency bonus and your intelligence modifier. Okay. That's 12 plus three is 15. 15, okay. So you manage to forge the letter in what you believe to be a fairly decent forgery of whatever. Really good forgery.

It looks like it. You're not matching somebody's handwriting, per se, but it's more about just getting an officious look to it with little florishes of calligraphy at the beginning of sentences. Yeah, that big first letter. Exactly. That big first letter. I would like you to roll

just a general dexterity check for me. Did you see that? Really, it was really trying. Dexterity check 10. 10, okay. There's a difference between sealing wax and candle wax. How do I know this? Because I've made that mistake before.

Sealing letters for previous D&D campaigns. So you manage to press your ring into the wax and pull back, and now there's just mush on the end of your ring, and there's a circular piece of mush soft wax where the seal's showing. This is pretty shitty. We need sealing wax. We need actual sealing wax.

I'd like to peel it up. Can you go get some from the Stiggity store? Yeah, I'll go to the store and buy some sealing wax. I'd peel it up. Can you go get some from the Stiggity store? Yeah, I'll go to the store and buy some. All right. It's not too expensive, say two silver to get you a chunk of silver. Two silver for this wax, you better be really grateful. I'll pay for postage. Okay. Now I can send letters to my mom with all really cool seals.

Oh, so you did need it. There you go. So you finish the letter, you seal it, best to your ability, you hope it seems official enough, and you send it off towards its destination in Red Central. Bloop. Thank you. You're welcome.

Please don't tell Caleb, he might get upset. I just think that this is someone from his past who might be able to, you know, make him think of happier times. Astrid? Yes. That's the name he said to me when we were dancing. Did you know?

No. Yes, we were dancing, we were waltzing, it was really lovely, he was very, very, very drunk. Yes, I remember that night. And then he said something about Astrid. He misses her. Was it his girlfriend? I think so. I don't know which way he swings, but he could really get any girl he wanted to.

He's very handsome, especially when he shaves. You can see the little butt chin he has. It's really nice. He is nice. It's nice. Well, I hope it works. Me too. And scene. And scene, all right. So is that the extent of the things you want to accomplish now? I mean, I don't want to take too much time.

I'm good. Okay. All righty, who wants to step up next? I was the second to last to say no. That's true. That's true, so Caleb. Yeah, I have some things that I want to accomplish on my own, and then I also need to have a conversation with Beauregard, but before that, I need to go shopping.

So I have a list of things I want to do, actually. Wait, let me come along. You want to go shopping? Travis, are you sure? Are you going to Pumas? Let me come along if you're going shopping. Yeah, what are you in the market for? Well, I figure if we're going to be traveling together,

we should probably have some supplies. I'm looking for some diamonds for some things I know how to do. Oh, well, we have some fellows you could meet. Guys, let's all go shopping. That's great. We just got money. I have a lot of money.

I'm coming. Let's go shopping. Okay. So the four of you, Jester, Caduceus, Caleb, and Beauregard are going shopping. Yeah. Okay, all right. Well, what are you guys looking for? Catch all the flips. Go see that beautiful baby, Travis.

Going on a trip. Thaerys? I want to go to Pumat. Pumat. Okay. So, midday, you make your way to the Pentamarket, to the very vibrant center area of the marketplace there. There's a number of intersecting pathways that help divide between all the various carts and tents that open up, and at this point,

we'd say it's maybe late morning or so. A lot of their curled up curtains in the front that help divide between all the various carts and tents that open up. At this point, I would say it's maybe late morning or so. A lot of their curled up curtains in the front are being affixed to the top, or have been for a while. The smells of fresh-baked goods and cooking stews and various other treats and snacks that are being presented as part of the shopping experience catch your nostrils as you move through. you hear music playing in the distance. And for all the chaos that life has thrown you in the past 30 days, it feels nice to step into a place that is so filled with life and seeming lack of

understanding of how dark the world is at the fringes of this empire, both the war going on and some of the things you've encountered. So it's nice to step into this space and you catch yourself instinctually smiling and finding it infectious to brighten your mood. As you turn to see the darkened green wood with gold accoutrements that marks the exterior

of the invulnerable vagrant. The front door is closed, but it appears to be not locked for any particular reason. I have such a clear picture in my head now that we've built it. Now that we've physically built it, yeah. I mean, it's a little larger in-world than the one that we did. But the aesthetic is there. But the aesthetic is there, yeah. As you step forward, the door opens up

and leads you inside, and there, the same womanly-lit interior with the glowing chandelier above greets you, and across the way, you can see, sitting behind the desk, face down in a book, one of the various Pumats who looks up and, Oh, why, hello there. Yeah. Oh, it's been a while.

Sorry, it took me a second to recognize you. Still, you know, you're very silhouetted by the bright sunshine outside you right now, and it's a bit dark and dearer, so come on up. We do always seem to come around like 4 p.m., right when the sun is coming in the window. They run in. All right, another Pumat comes on the corner and goes,

Oh, do we have folks in here? Yeah, don't worry, Pumat, I got them taken care of for them. Oh, there's even more coming in. There's, oh. Oh yeah, cool, twins. Right, that's cool. I like this place, this is nice. Pumat number three, this is Caduceus.

Caduceus. Why? Pleasure. It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Pleasure to meet three, this is Caduceus. Caduceus. Why, it's a pleasure to meet you. It's a pleasure to meet you. Don't see many of our kind wandering around these large establishments. The first one I've seen in the city so far. That's pretty crazy. This is just nice.

Is this yours? Well, it's ours. Well, it's his. Hey, Prime, you might want to step out of the workshop for a second. You hear some rustling and grumbling in the background and a curtain opens and you see a third one of them step out, goggles affixed to the head,

a little bit of smudges of dirt on the edges of the chin. What are you talking about? Oh my goodness. They're all brothers and there's three of you now. There's triplets, that's great, that's great. Don't see that very often. Where are you from? To be perfectly honest, we haven't really run into

any other fear bogs, really, since we came here. Oh, me neither. I actually am from up north. I'm just traveling with these kids, working on something. It's nice. Wow. How long have you been down here? This place is great, this is great.

Thank you, so at this point, the fourth one comes down from a ladder off on the right side chamber. Oh, is the fear already getting? Oh, it's a whole party over here. I said, another fear bog. Comes on, and I was like, yeah, no, there's one over here. The other Pumat's like, I'm just impressed. I like the color tones. It's a great arrangement, visual perspective.

Impressed by what your mother went through at this point. This is intense. There's a lot of you. The one with the goggles goes, sorry about that. I should clarify. These three are just arcane-based copies of myself. We are all collectively Pumat, but I am the original. That's the best thing I've ever seen. That's crazy. That's just great. I'd love to learn how to do that. You shouldn't just call them arcane copies.

They have their own personalities and their own self, you know? One of the other ones speaks up and goes, We absolutely take no offense, because it's true. All right, but I think each and every one of you is unique in your own way, and you should really appreciate it. You look at the three simulacrum all go, aww, at the same time. I go back to rearranging the shelf.

It's just nice to see another furball out in the world doing something, and really, you seem like you're really building something great here. This is just spectacular. Well, I greatly appreciate that. We put a lot of hard work into it, and you know, it's just hard to come across folks like us that would appreciate something on this scale.

You might know, is there anything I absolutely should see while I'm in town? This is really the farthest I've actually ever been from home, I was curious if there's anything in the city that just, a firbolg out taking a look around you. Well, lest I am mistaken, from my previous memory of times outside Azadash, when's the last time you had a good bath?

Well, I had a hot spring, which was nice. Oh, well. I mean, it had some sulfur content and there was a few, there was some minerals in there that were probably a bit iffy. The baths here are quite lovely. This boy knows what he's talking about. Listen to him. Follow that around. Bed's in the bath. What are we talking about? Oh, sorry. Did you come. Bed's in the bath. What are we talking about?

Oh, sorry. Did you come here to do business? Yeah. The problem goes. All right, then. Nice to meet you. Caduceus Clay. Pleasure. Caduceus Clay, Pumat's soul. Pleasure. Look forward to doing business with yous. Of course, you got gold.

We've got things to purchase. Anyway, other Pumats, take care of these folks. I got to get back to work. Good to see y'all purchase. Anyway, other Pumats, take care of these folks. I've got to get back to work. Good to see you all again. Bye, Prime. They go ahead and exit into the back room. The two other Pumats step back and just watch, and they're both just looking at you with this kind of,

He seems like a decent boss. That seems nice. Not too bad. See, if people say you want to be your own boss, well, that's really good. It feels weird to interrupt whatever this is. Yeah. I'm hungry, so.

Well, unfortunately, we don't really sell much in the realm of food items. So I am in the market for some things of arcane nature. Oh, I see you're reading a book. What are you reading? Oh god, no more small talk. I am in the market for some things of arcane nature. Oh, I see you're reading a book. What are you reading? Oh god, no more small talk. Do you still have those bracers? We do, actually, yeah.

You've, I mean, to be perfectly honest, you kind of mostly cleaned us out last time you were in here, but we've got a few more items in here. What's up with those bracers? We got the bracers here, if that's what you're looking for. Did they come down in price? No.

It's been on the shelf for six weeks. Yeah. So, you know. Six weeks later, you're coming in and asking about them still. He does have a point there. J. Hugh Rochester! But yeah, price is still 1,200 gold pieces.

All right, what do they do again? Can you explain it one more time? These bracers, enchanted by our fantastic boss, Pumat Sol, allow the bearer, as long as they're not wearing any sort of physical armor to impede the enchantment and or a shield on their body, helps protect them by deflecting incoming blows and giving them a better sense of avoiding physical atrocity under their person.

It's like they were specially made for you, Beau. You have to buy them. I think you should charge her more. What? Whose side are you on here? I just feel like you're a very specialized sort of buyer is all. So if anything, you should give me a bargain. Yeah, yeah.

You know, you should give her a deal. How about we meet in the middle and we just stick with the price provided? Seems fair. You threw him off, Jester. I'm sorry. I got confused. Terrible way to end.

Look, we might be purchasing a few things, so why don't we wait and see what all ends up on the counter? All right, well, we'll just put this here waiting for you right there. Can I look at it? Can I touch it? Yeah. I want to take a look at it, but you don't own it. I don't own it. I'm considering spending about a thousand gold here, and I'd be more likely to do so if maybe you

could give us a better price for these things here. That can be considered, depending on how much of a purchase you're looking to make. What are you looking for? Well, I need... I think I've forgotten that's Lestri. I need quite a bit of your finest paper and ink. I have a dearth of scroll dearth. Mighty dearth.

Mighty dearth. That's a different conversation. Thank you. I need about, I don't know, maybe roughly five or six hundred golds worth of your finest paper and ink. Thank you. All right. It says 300 gold because we need diamonds. Oh, I'm going to be buying some diamonds.

I wouldn't worry about that. Well, if that's the case, if you don't mind waiting, Pumat 3, could you go ahead and go to our storage facility and get some more of that wizard paper and ink? It looks like he's buying out our stock here at the moment. Yeah, no, don't worry. I'll just be back here in the better part of 30 or 40 minutes if you don't mind being patient.

That one Pumat takes a little cloak and throws it over her shoulders. See you guys in a little bit, and exit outside. The Pumat that's still at your face goes. Still one left? Well, there were three in the room left behind. One of them had just drifted off to the side for a bit, but it seems to be still listening in,

so you still have the one that's dealing with you. Oh, okay. Take it. I also need incense, fine incense, about 60 gold worth, if you have that much on hand. We don't have a whole lot of incense here. I can probably provide about 20 gold worth of incense, but there are incense makers within Zadash

that I'm sure could probably help you out with the rest of it. So just not here. I remember you asking for incense before from him, I think. Yeah, I used it. It's all gone, just like my cat. We can definitely look to ordering more incense if you foresee this being a consistent thing. We just normally don't get that much of a request.

Obviously, this is a bit of a regular thing, if the exchange rate is good. Sure. But I don't need more than the 20 gold's worth of incense today, if you can order more. We're going to stay put for a little while, yeah? Yeah. Maybe. Yeah.

What's the turnaround? What? I'll ask you later. Okay. Also, oh dear. I need that, and I need that. Oh yes, I was hoping to look through your selection of spells you have yourself. Nothing too majestic, but I have a short list. Majestic. Well, feel free to ask, and I'll go ahead and, and he grabs this small, what looks like a wood front, wood back with leather edging binding ledger or catalog

that he pulls out and opens up. Let me know what you're looking for. I'll tell you if we got one in stock. Well, if you could just flip to the transportation. Takes a little set of glasses and puts them on the edge of his nose. Well, if you could just flip to the transportation. Takes a little set of glasses and puts them on the edge of his nose. I'm looking for one that can help if your friends are falling and you don't want them to fall so hard. Pither-pah, we get that, sure.

Okay, I get hurt very easily. I need something to help me get out of dodge a little bit quicker. All right, there's a few options there. For lower level enchantments, we've got an Expeditious Retreat spell. That'll help get you out of the thick of things. That's a winner. All right, that's putting that down as well

as a possibility. Those prices here, because they sit at, they're both relatively simple spells, so I'll put them at about 100 gold apiece. That's 200 gold total for those two spells. Do you have something that can, say, catapult things around the room? I could do that for you. Yeah, me too. But I also want to be able to do it. Yeah, well, here. Let's see. In the realm of what you're looking to accomplish here.

I pick up something and throw it across the room. I'm not paying for that. Some Odyssey of the Mind stuff right there. I mean, Jester, I agree with Jester here. So you're going directly, not messing around, just a straight catapult. That's from 1994, review. Straight up catapult?

Yeah, straight up catapult, is that what it's called? I'll take that as well. You can sell him a catapult that he has to assemble himself. Straight up catapult. All right. Catapult, yeah, we do have that as well. That's another 100, that's 300 gold for the batch of three. Any more spells you're inquiring about?

I mean, there are so many, but I have a limited budget. I'll think about it if you can help my friend Beauregard with a good price on those. I also might want to buy weapons. If you have a weapon that is also really cool. Anything interesting in this place. Here, I'll show you what we've been able to accomplish since your absence.

Weapon-wise, this wasn't enchanted more than it was something that came into our purview from somebody that was looking hard for some cash, and we offered them a bit of an exchange, as it was promising and intriguing. He pulls out what looks to be this longsword, but beyond the hilt, the blade is just snapped and gone. So it's a broken longsword. It's got a silver hilt and a silver pommel wrapped in red leathers around the handle. There's a very fine filigree across the hilt

and around the base. It's just this silver loop on the bottom of the pommel. But it's a broken sword. I would have to get it fixed? Or can I still stab people with the broken part? You got about an inch of blade there, and it looks like it's still sharp in places, but if you get real close, you could probably make someone have a really bad day. What does it do? Well, looking it over, it looks like there was some sort of enchantment embedded in it, but since the blade has been broken, there's nothing else for it. It looks to be very old. Looks like it probably was a relic from pre... She goes and looks at his notes real fast. Yeah, this would be a

pre-divergence from the Age of Arcanum. The reason we took it is just the historical significance. We could probably fetch a pretty penny should we take it to the various lyceums. The Academy would probably be real interested. But if you want to take it off for sentimental value or look at it repaired sometime, it's 300 gold. Well, they may not look at it, I don't know. It's pretty broken looking.

I understand. Okay. We also, Brian finished up some of this dust here and he pulls out a small sack that looks to be like a red-brown dust. He says, this, he's kind of proud of this one, I'm going to be real honest with you. If it's sprinkled over any edible substance,

greatly improves the flavor. To the point where it's downright distracting. So it says the dust of deliciousness. Oh my goodness. That's so exciting. That's very exciting. It's blazing. Oh wow.

I do too. Do your exciting. It's amazing. Oh wow. I do, too. Do your spice. Do your spice. Last thing. It seems like something that you can hold. I'll take that. Last thing we've got here, and then we're pretty much out at the moment.

You guys have become our number one customers, which is really appreciated. Just finished this cloak last week here, and he steps around the edge and you can see, as well decorated as the place is, it's pretty bare now. You guys come through and grab the necessary bits, and what else was in there has been picked up as well. You guys aren't the only people who shop here, but you've been the most recent in tents customers. He pulls what looks to be this fine bluish, almost purple tint cloak material that as it flows, as he

lifts it up from behind the small locked box, it shimmies, ever so faintly gives off this shimmer. This is designed to obfuscate the movements of the person who wears it to where it makes them a little more difficult to pay attention. The enchantment's here, and he looks back and you can see right along the hood of it, there's these faint little runes. These are sylvan. I don't know if any of you read more of the classics. I read sylvan. Well, there you go. This is specifically a cloak with an elven enchantment designed to help make things difficult to see. So there's that one as well.

Let's take a look at that. That's all we get. That's pretty cool. How much is that running for? 450. Question. An answer. Is there anywhere else around town

I could get an enchanted weapon of some sort? Yeah. Unfortunately, enchanted weaponry is kind of a very specialized... But everybody else has really cool weapons, and I just have an axe. Well, I'm sorry about that. I give you on a commission an axe.

We could start working on enchanting one for you. How much would that cost? Well, it depends on what sort of enchantment you're looking for. Something that makes me really cool. Okay. That would make me hit really hard and probably open wounds that don't close ever

and maybe poison people and also turn them into candy. The other Pumat is now looking over at another woman, going like, She's like, We'll have to talk to Prime about that. Prime? Comes up. Yeah. She wants to see if you could enchant an axe that hits really hard and it's really cool and wounds

don't close. Yeah, like really bad wounds and also it really hurts a lot and it makes people turn pink and also it makes people start dancing and stuff. He watches as Plumette Prime is actually in his head doing math. I could probably manage something like that. I got about an eight month window for completion and probably run you about between 10 to 12,000 gold.

You haven't come this far. Seems like a really reasonable price for all those things. Oh, I can guarantee it. Won't find anything better than that for a specified number of enchantments this side of Rexxentrum. What about just one of those enchantments?

What about like, it just, you know, makes people start dancing. Axe dance. Axe dance. Axe dance. So you want a weapon that when it hits somebody, they start dancing. They let go.

Yeah, and they can't stop. It's like, you know, it'd be really hard for them to stop. All right, so the only enchantment you're requiring is the possible ability of making something dance uncontrollably. Oh my god, that'd be so cool. All right. I really liked the candy thing, by the way.

I feel like that would be harder. Maybe they can just decorate it to look like candy. Maybe I could decorate it to look like candy. Craft night. All right, looking. Disappear as from. You'reha! Oh my god. All right, looking, uh. Disappear from, yep. So much, so much. Shopping and crafts.

Crafts, yes. Oh god. Welcome back, Ed. Take both my eyes. Or it just, oh, looking. What's on TV, man? HG? No, I'm out. Michael's had a stationary sale. There we go.

It's going to be... It's doable, it's pricey. That one will put you at about 8,000 gold. Oh, jeez. I don't have that much either. Wait, do I? No. No, I don't.

How about that way? Sorry, if you want something that's pretty sharp and helps you hit a little better, I could do that for much cheaper. How much? Let's see, that one will put you back about... I'd say maybe 400 gold. Ooh, that sounds way better.

You can finish that in about four or five days, yeah. Whoa, okay, I'll do that. You can finish that in about four or five days, yeah. Whoa, okay, I'll do that. All righty, just provide the weapon and we'll get that taken care of for you. Take this one. Okay, what kind of ax is it? It's an ax.

Hand ax. It's a hand ax. Hand ax, okay, so it can be thrown as well. Ooh, guess it can. Did you just now realize that? Yep. All right, we'll go ahead and we'll get right on that for you. Nah, don't worry. Sweet!

So that'd be 400 gold for that. Okay, okay, okay. Put that in the pot right there. Since you're looking for possibly other purchases, that's 400 gold pieces. What else you looking to buy? I'm thinking I'm going to. I mean, we should get that, right?

No, I think I want that. Long swords aren't simple weapons, so I can't.'m going to. I mean, we should get that right. No, I think I want that. Longswords aren't simple weapons, so I can't. Yeah. But I don't know. I like broken things. I want the cloak. Oh, no, we're getting the cloak. Caleb, do you want to split that cloak with me, maybe? Oh, I am allocating my funds to other things, my friend.

I'm sorry. Oh, I'll get the cloak, then. I'll help you get the cloak. Here, my friend, I'm sorry. Oh, well, I'll get the cloak then. I'll help you get the cloak. Well, here's the deal, Pumat. What was that you said, like five or so minutes ago about us being your number one customers? Oh, yeah. And you would give us a deal

if we bought the whole bunch of stuff? Yeah. Is this where we go for the diamonds? I am dropping a total, if we are all amenable, 960 gold on various things, and I think that is a pretty good pile. Maybe you could knock a couple hundred off of the price of those prices.

Make a persuasion check. With advantage, since everybody's helping you. Come on, come on. Get it, get it. That's good, that's good. Yeah, there is a 21. Ooh. You see the Pumat's talking to you.

Let me go ahead and have a conversation with the boss man. Hold on just a second. Turns around the corner. You hear some hushed voices. Yeah, fine, sure. Comes back out. All right, we got ourselves an approval for a discount there. We'll be happy to knock about 100 gold off that total price for you, if that's amenable to you. It's pretty amenable.

All of us save like 20 gold. Yeah, that's about it, yeah. All right, so who's buying what? I'm getting the sword and the cloak. I'm going halfsies on the cloak with him. Well, thank you. All righty, well here. Are you going to be serious?

Well here, I'll do a total price here, and then you guys can. 872. Oh no. 872. Oh no. That's 400 for getting your handaxe enchanted. Yes, and then another two,

because I'm going in halfsies on the cloak. Well, I'm doing a total around here first. I was going to say I had to divvy it up for you. So that's 450 for the cloak, that's 1,200. For the bracers, that's 300 for the handle. Nodas? No, we'll pass on the bracers now. It's interesting.

And then you've got 300 for the spells. Yeah, and 600 gold worth of paper and ink, and then 20 for all the incense you have right now, and I'm going to leave 40 in advance for more incense coming. Hold on a second there. So it's 300 worth of spells. And you said 600 worth of paper and ink, right?

At this time, you guys have been discussing that other Vermont comes back with his cloak with a big old crate in his hand and goes like, get the rest of the paper and ink, hold on. Sets it down. Oh jeez. Then that is 20 gold for your incense. I would like to give you 60 gold now

for that much incense. I understand you only have about 20 now, but I know you're good for the rest, so I'll just pay in advance. All right, are you guys all marking off your amounts? We'll wait for the total, but yeah. I've taken just 25 gold off of my bracers. Based on how many pieces you've thrown at me,

it's probably better to just have you all deduct what you spent individually. I was going to try that, but then I... No. That got a little chaotic there. Getting down the bracers. All righty, so there's your sword, there's your bracers, there's your cloak.

300. With the dust of deliciousness. Is that one use or multiple uses? Six. Six servings of dust in this. That's why I was like, mm. That's still pretty good. It's still good, but mm. Okay, I want some of that, too.

Don't worry, well, there you go. Go ahead and mark off that amount there as well. When all is said and done, when you've marked off your amounts, here's 100 gold back. You may de-redistribute it as you see fit. Oh shit, you got a $100 rebate. We got a rebate, 100 gold, really? Well, that was when you hackled him down.

Oh. Oh, so we're, okay, okay. It just makes it easier than that. Will you take five gold off of the dust because you like me? So we'll make a persuasion check. I'll take 25, we each save 25 gold. 25 gold.

Whoa. That means he likes me! 20! Well, only because you're so nice, but don't tell our boss. I won't. All right. It feels so good.

Well, it feels like real shopping. Get a shopping high. It's cathartic. So I'll see you back here in about five days or so there, Jester, and we should have a fresh, new, enchanted handaxe there for you. Okay, okay, okay. All righty.

It's been a pleasure. Thank you for your business. What was that book that you were reading? Oh, pulls it up again. Said that Tarrian fella, whatever, about most of the way through it, kind of a slow reader. Are you the last Pumat of the Pumats to read it?

Yeah, we've been passing it around as we each finish it. You should form a book club. I'll ask him. Yeah, we've been passing it around as we each finish it. You should form a book club. I'll ask him. Really appreciate the suggestion. Well, thank you for your business. I have a lot to do, and I'm going to attempt to lift the crate of paper.

I can help with that. Oh, thank you. Yeah. Yeah, that's heavy. With the legs. Exhaant. Though most of the weight is just the materials that contain the paper, the paper isn't very heavy. But because it is specifically designed and made for the uses of inscribing and enchantment and other things,

it is contained in very, very careful, protective wooden boxes. They're all stacked repeatedly within this crate. I guess as we're leaving, walking along Beauregard, who's Googling into her new braces, do you have any plans? Do they look cool? Hey, Caduceus.

No, I don't have to answer that. Pleasure to meet you. It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I'm sure we'll see each other again real soon. Real hope so. Looking forward to it. Brighten up the room. Oh, thank you, what a room to brighten.

You're too kind. You're the best. Do they go with the outfit, though? You look angry. Yeah? Yeah. D'oh. Do you have any plans to, well, I would like to, I don't know if you want to,

may I go to the library again with you? Yeah. Oh, thank you. I'm going back probably tomorrow. Oh. Next day or something like that. For a day or two? I was thinking an extended weekend, like a Friday to Monday, four days, three nights

type of thing, if you're down. Yes, if you wouldn't mind, I would be very happy. You don't have to stay a whole time, but that's what I want to do. You can do whatever the fuck you want. If they give me, would I be allowed to peruse this? I'm not your fucking babysitter. I did not say you are my babysitter.

I just wanted to look at the books. I don't know why you had that in your mind. I just want to look. Thank you. And I walk off with my paper. We're going to also, we're going We're looking for a gem shop and maybe if there's an herb shop. I've been meaning to learn how to make healing potions. I've gotten a little bit of a basic understanding. I do have a couple things left on my to-do list, though. Add some general shopping that's just some stuff that doesn't really happen.

Yeah, there's Grace the Wild, which is in the Pentamark district, you find it. You in particular, you find it very quickly because you're attuned to the smell of some of the herbs and various mosses that they've been cultivating and drawing out there. You're like, that's familiar. And so, much like Toucan Sam, you follow your nose to Grace the Wild's, and there you see

a female woman, 50s, with wild, big, black, curly hair who's just sitting there. Nobody else is paying mind to the front little tent that she has set up that is attached to what appears to be the rest of her shop, which is mostly closed off and dark. As you approach, she glances over and goes, Hi, hi, hi, can I help you?

What do you need? What can I do? Are you Grace? No, I'm Jasnah Bree, but this is Grace the Wild. This is my shop, but welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome. I'm still playing catch up, one second. Hi, I was curious. I was looking to maybe start learning how to make some healing potions of some kind.

For training? You want to train? Well, yeah, I mean, if that's possible. Also, I'm just, some stuff for cooking, and otherwise I'm just looking for a nice general set of a few things. I've got a list of some here from Flavor as well. Of course, of course. Give me your list.

Sure. It's just, this is actually my general. I know. Okay, yeah. As she's talking, she watches her other hand take a piece of chalk and is writing on the wall behind her, like, I'd be more than happy to help, and I can help a lot of things I can help you. I'd be happy to. Then crappy handwriting underneath all the various prices of the herbs and things that are provided, you now see training. She's added it to her list of things that she does

as talking to you. You're probably the person to ask if there's a good tea shop in town. I feel like you probably know where to get a nice caffeinated beverage. Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes. I can help with the tea. How do I win?

The tea, I can help with. So training, what do you want to train? You want to please tell me. I've been hoping to learn how to make healing potions, actually, in general. Just start to break in that. Okay, okay, that can be done. It takes some time, a little bit of time.

Give me your time, make it work. She's got a heavy fucking IV. So the herbalism kit for this, you already have one. I have an herbalism kit, I just want to, do I need a special proficiency or get the ingredients to help make one? You'll be purchasing proficiencies and training what you'll be doing. This will be the bulk of your downtime, because it'll take a while for you to really get into it. I only had a couple other light things I was going to do anyway.

The full training for this will come to about, I'll say, 200 gold. I can do that. You are now proficient in the Herbalism kit. Actually, I was already proficient in the Herbalism kit. I was just specifically looking for the stuff to make. Oh, I misunderstood. Sorry, sorry. No, I got that already.

Okay. I've never, yeah, back when I did this, they didn't have all this craziness. Gotcha, okay. Well, that's the case. Yeah, to buy the materials, you're essentially buying them at half price. You can make healing potions, but you get to make them at 25 gold apiece as opposed to 50. Sure. I'll get a 150 gold worth of that and then probably some cooking spices, too. Okay, yeah. Cooking spices are, gold, for the full set.

That's 151. Anything else of interest or otherwise? Maybe some good beverages or otherwise? You can find a whole bevy of beverages all throughout the Pentamarket. Yeah, I'll find other stuff otherwise. Other than that, I've got diamonds and I'm looking for some general store kind of stuff. So at 150 gold, so 25 gold appears, that's six healing potions that you have the materials to make. But you can spend your downtime during this week to make a few, if you'd like.

Yeah, yeah. That'll put you about one potion per day of creation. So you can easily, it's time to make all six. They're baseline healing potions, like level one, but you're able to do so. And you made a friend with Jazz number two. Wow. She's a little sad that she doesn't get a chance

to teach you or train you, but it's like, that's okay, next time, next time. Whenever you feel like it, come on by, I'll teach you, no worries. Oh, that's excellent. Dush. Yeah. We need to buy some diamonds. We need diamonds, I guess. Whenever you feel like it, come on by, I'll teach you, no worries. Oh, that's excellent. Dush. Yeah. We need to buy some diamonds. We need diamonds.

I guess I need a new tea kettle, but yeah, we need diamonds. Tea kettle you can get. I want a tea kettle, I want some new cookware, I want some kitchen supplies, I want a straw hat. I would like a hat, it's hot out, there's the sun, and I can feel the sun. It's as if I've been in the sun all day. Not quite this hat, but it's the right direction.

Wider brim? Wider brim. Wider brim, wider brim. All right, I'd say you manage to acquire the cooking supplies, the kettle, some fine teas that you can acquire, and altogether, I'd say... Stuff to cook. I'd say that'll put you back about, with the hat, four gold.

Oh man, all right, 155. You weren't asking for anything too crazy. No, that's cool, I'm easy. Now we just need to find the diamonds. Now we need to find some diamonds. All right, so for that, let's see here. They took down the bracers and they showed up. Wow! That's in D&D Beyond. All right, so for that, let's see here. I don't. Wow!

That's in D&D Beyond. D&D Beyond! I already got that. Hand me down periaptive wound closure. So make an investigation check. For diamonds? Both of us or just me? Well, if you're both looking for it,

you can aid or help. So advantage of it. I'm so excited. We have to get out. This is for diamonds? Whoop. Ooh. Yeah.

Investigation. 11, sorry. 11. Asking around, most folks are like, oh, well, most of the, you know, diamonds as a rough, raw material is hard to find. Usually they're already embedded in jewelry, and most jewels are out there. Eventually, Swayne points you to a place like, if anyone will have it, it's probably over at Suvo's Secrets.

Secrets? Suvo's Secrets. They point you over to this large gray shop tent that has an ominous feel when you look at it. As bright a day as it is, it's like the Addams Family house in the Pentamarket. It looks unwelcome. On Halloween Eve, all the kids are outside. It's a very drab, very coarse material the tent is made out of.

Outside, it looks like the ropes that are fixing it down are rotted a bit, and you can see some of the ropes starting to pull and tear into edges, and it looks closed, except for the flaps come together in the middle. It doesn't look like anything that you should buy from. Let's go in there. I'm very excited, it looks great. All right, as you enter Servo Secret,

you're hitting the tent front, you're not walking in? No, we're seeing if it's open. Yeah, it's open. It's an entrance. You go inside, and the interior, it's maybe 20 feet by 20 feet. It's not a very large interior space. It looks like there are some tables set up on the far ends, perimeter to the outside of it. On the back, there is a very large, custom rocking chair that is just like. Sitting in it, you see what looks to be an older, very intense-looking female dragonborn, bronze-scaled, but in the age they're starting to turn a bit green. The edges patinaed a little. You see, as she sits there in the rocking chair, hands crossed on the chest, rocking and looking at you as you enter. Nice place you got here.

Thank you very much. Welcome to Zuvos Secrets. Are you Zuvos? Yes. Who are you? I am Jester. I come to Suvo's Secrets. Are you Suvo's? Yes, who are you? I am Jester. Jester, what are you looking for that I might be helping you with? Secrets. Secrets.

Oh, and what else? And diamonds. There was diamonds, diamonds and secrets. Yeah. Secret diamonds. Leans forward and her hands hit the front of her knees, and leaning back, she looks very small, but once she steps into the little bit of light that's coming through the front of her knees. Leaning back, she looks very small, but once she steps into the little bit of light that's coming through the front of the tent, Suva's a fairly large dragonborn,

and even just leaning forward, sitting, is almost as tall as you are, Jester. Whoa. Diamonds, you say? Yes. How many diamonds are you looking for? How many do you have? Maybe 12.

That's a lot of diamonds. That sounds like a lot of diamonds. Are they big diamonds or little diamonds? Reaches back and there's this large, looks just like a sack, like a general sack that she reaches and grabs the edge and scoots it over without breaking eye contact and scrapes across the ground.

You hear things clattering around inside, like she's carrying a large pouch of various pots and pans. Just reaches in, still looking at you. Uh-huh. What? Oh, Caleb should be here right now. Eventually counts out 12 varying-sized diamonds. Some are cut, one of them is a little rough and just hasn't been cut by a jeweler yet,

but sure enough, they're... We can tell they're really diamonds? Make a perception check. Laura is showing. Well, I'll join you in this perception check. Perceptionception 20. For Tal. I've seen a lot of diamonds in my making.

You have, you've seen some fine jewelry, especially from your mother's chests. Yeah, chests. There's lots of diamonds right in here. It's the tassels. So many carrots. It's sharp and dangerous. Best day ever.

You're not children, we're all children. Yeah, we are. That's why we're here. Exactly. This is serious. These are all legitimate diamonds, varying degrees of worth, but looking at the batch, there's probably about 700, we'll say rounded off, about roughly 750 gold worth of diamonds

of the group that she set. 600 will do both of us. Yeah, so we'll buy, I will buy these two little ones, because those will probably add up to about 150. That is all right, they will still be here when you come back. Okay. Drops them into the satchel, pushes it away. I'll do 300, and you do 300?

So you each have 300 gold worth of diamonds on you. Okie dokie. Is there anything else in here? Because this seems like a really cool shop. Is there anything else that they want? There are many things. Grabs and pulls the sack back over. Does she just have the sack, the one bag in the shop?

The tables are all empty. That's so cool. There is just a sack where she keeps all the goods. All of her secrets. I love you. Oh, I get it now, that's great. Reaches in and pulls out what looks to be a mummified creature's hand.

It's not quite humanoid, it has got fur on it. Sets it down. This is a treated owlbear matron hand. I don't know what that is, but that's really cool. Wow. 25 gold is a good keepsake. Okay. Reaches in, pulls out a batch of garlic.

Just a big old batch of garlic in a small netted sack. You want some garlic? Garlic, good for cooking and also for keeping away vampire. You know what we could do? Get the garlic, sprinkle the dust of deliciousness on the garlic and feed it to the vampire. Then they'd be in pain and very susceptible.

Make a religion check, Jester. Would I know this stuff? A natural one! This plan sounds perfectly sound. I want to see what else is in the sack. We should negotiate until we know everything. For the sake of brevity, it's a whole slew of strange knickknacks. We sit there while she pulls out the entire bag. Yeah. It takes the better part of 30 or 40 minutes or so. There's an iron mask. It looks like where the mouth should be, it's just these two metal tusks that stick out, almost like a cast iron

orc mask. Grasshopper. Oh, you're not too detailed. Oh my god. There's half of a chess set card from Jade. When I say half, I mean not one side or the other, like half of each side, so it's completely useless. There is a single vial that has a familiar red medicinal liquid, and it looks like there was a healing potion, should you be so inclined to purchase it. The rest of it is just absolute junk.

I'll take the garlic. Anywhere. Two gold. Which is really expensive for fucking garlic. I'm thinking that's one gold. Make persuasion check. One gold? Yeah.

Hard core negotiations. 20. It is yours. See? That's still overpriced for garlic. It's so overpriced for garlic. It's so overpriced for garlic. How much is the healing potion? It's good garlic. Never can make two of these.

Yeah, it's really nice garlic. It is actually pretty artisanal garlic. Artisanal garlic. Just say it about the grow. All right, so this would be a greater healing potion. Artisanal garlic. Artisanal garlic. Just lay them out on the ground. Yeah. All right, so this would be a greater healing potion. Oh. Oh, that's expensive. Maybe not from her.

She just charged two gold for garlic. 900. No, for this, it's like, this will run 250 gold pieces. 250. But it will keep you from dying in places where you will probably most likely be dying. Well, I would take it, but I don't have enough gold.

Pulls it back and puts it back in the satchel. Then you will not have it. Okay. I'm going to hold out the garlic one more time. Just checking. Seems legit. She seems to nod like, well done. Oh, I did that wrong?

Yes, you did. I was, because I was listening to what he was saying. I was distracted. Okay, I'm done. Okay. No mask. How much for the mask? You don't know where that's been.

I know. Five gold. Three gold. Make a persuasion check. No. Seven. Five gold. Deal.

Be careful. They say the curse lasts for whoever. I don't remember the rest of it. It's just a mask, there's no enchantment. It's just a very scary mask, but congratulations, it's yours. Thank you. It's bailed. It's all bullshit. It's all bullshit.

I don't know. It's all bullshit. Most of it's bullshit from this individual. Okay. Very well, is that the end of it? I think so. I feel very satisfied with this entire expedition. Be safe and come back again. I'm very interested to sell to you

what else might come my way. Thank you, Zuru. Let's spook you out. Sewells. You step out of the, and the bright light of the midday sun, the clouds today, the previous storm parted a bit, and there's actually bright light, and your eyes have to adjust, and you're like,

I'm identified. I am perfectly, perfectly satisfied with my shopping experience. All of my money is gone. All right. Who else? We've done a few things with you guys. We've done Nott's stuff.

Fjord, anything you want to do? Sure. Yeah. The previous events have rocked Fjord Yeah. The previous events have rocked forward a little bit. So are there any bars or taverns in Zadash that may house frequent sailors or people of trade, merchants that? Sailors, not so much.

The Empire is landlocked, aside from the very far north, and those waters are in the Frigid Depths. It's a lot of ice flows and just treacherous water up there. So there is very little passage up north. The Menagerie Coast, as you know, is where all of the port towns are, and that's the relationship between the Empire and the Menagerie Coast, and that agreement is based

on the fact that essentially the Menagerie Coast holds all the long-term imports and exports in the palm of their hand. I know that I've made that trip. How far is it from Zadash back to the northernmost part of the Menagerie Coast? That'd be Nicodranas. Nicodranas.

And Nicodranas from Zadash, it's a little over a week to get there, I'd say. I think Fjord's going to take a steed and start heading south by himself. Oh. What? Oh shit. He's going on a walkabout? He's going on a walkabout.

Okay. While he heads south, I'd like to adopt various disguises as I stop in. Inns, taverns, places of trade, and just carefully hear if anyone is mentioning the name Sabian, if people are talking about ships, and try and casually make my way further south, knowing that I have an amount of time to get back north, but I'd like to try and make my way down and see what I can hear and find out.

Okay. So make three successive investigation checks for me, please. Okay. 12. Nine. And a six. You make it as far south as Trostenwald. Mm-hmm.

The frustration wells up inside you. It's been a series of dead ends. You've asked around and listened, and anyone who would have crossed paths with some of the shipping lanes that you're familiar with and that Sabian was familiar with, none of them are passing this far north. You assume that to continue this,

you'd have to go to the Menagerie Coast, and that would involve a thorough passage through Nicodranas and the various wharf taverns and seeing what old connections you might be able to dredge up in that time, but that's going to take you a little while. Yeah. I think I'll make it to the end of that week

and start to make my way back. Okay, the end of the week, you'll get not quite to Nicodranas. Yeah. So if you want to, you can traverse the Wu Yun Gorge, pass through the Wu Yun Gates, and head into Menagerie Coast. You will be alone, and it isn't a not dangerous road, so just be aware, there are some possibilities.

No, no, no, I know now that the strength is in the numbers of the group. I'll stop and head back. You sure? Yeah. Okay, okay. Okay, so after this unfortunately not fruitful travel south and seeking out any possible word of Sabian, you shift your attention back and decide to rally with your allies, perhaps, if that's the direction

you want to go in the future. Okay, what else would you like to do? That's about it. Okay. Very well. Anybody else? Yeah. If that invitation was good, and I have about, as she said, the next day, so Caleb is going to pull an all-nighter, and I'm going to spend time in a hotel room, an inn, and take the Lucky Rock and I'm going to fill it with transmutative power and make a transmuter stone out of it. For now, we will have it let me see in the dark for now. I would also transcribe every spell that was in the book

and every scroll that I have found so that I use up all the paper that I have purchased, have every spell, and Frumpkin is back as a cat. All righty. Cat Frumpkin has returned. There was only one Frumpkin. And so I stayed up all night doing all of those things because they're very time intensive

and would have went to find Beauregard very tired and ready to go to stay at the library as long as I'm able. And she said a number of days, and when those days are up, the thing that I would do is spend as much time as left with the, I would borrow Jester's haversack, if you would let me, and spend time with the Dodecahedron. Okay, we'll get to that.

First, as you guys make your way to the Archive, and you enter there, the following morning, Caleb is very tired looking, but also hard to tell. What's up, man? You ready for this monk retreat? Monk retreat! Oh my god. I want to learn all of the martial arts. Let's go.

All right. Making your way into the Archive.'s fairly bustling, in comparison to what you know. It's either dead or there's a handful of people going through it. Today, there's a handful of people going through. It's like, oh wow, there's four people in here researching right now. And no one ever cares about books this much. It's weird.

Within a short time, what are you looking to do? What's it for you? Beauregard. I ask around and see if I can find, if Dairon is there. Okay. One of the monks goes, Let me go and inquire. I'll be right back. Wanders up the stairs, and then you see them

descend the stairs with another figure, gray robes with blue lining, hood pulled back, and there you see Zeenoth. Oh. Statspan goes, Beauregard, I wasn't where you had returned. Hi. Hi. Dairon, unfortunately, is still out on the front lines.

What? Well, she's been set for, to assess political threats beyond the eastern border. Been gone for about 30 days and is said to return in the next 45 before we send anyone after her, but I'm sure she's fine. She said she'd be back within a month, that she was just checking out the front lines

at Bladegarden. Well, things change when they're at that moment of conflict. You send her behind enemy lines? No, she progressed behind enemy lines and then wrote to us that she was staying for an extended period. She's impetuous, I think you may know something about that.

Yeah. Anyway, I'm sorry Dairon is not here. What are you inquiring about? Just hoping to check in with her and catch up on some coaching. Well, there is Tubbo. Tubbo is quite an accomplished monk of the Cobalt Soul and might be able to help you, whereas Dairon could not.

Do I know Tubbo at all? You've seen Tubbo and you've not directly interacted because Tubbo's, much like Dairon, works on a higher level and you hadn't quite garnished attention beyond just being that brat for a while. Tubbo is this very dark-skinned halfling with very short, like Widow's Peak-type hair, and this very calm smile about him.

Very well respected, but you haven't really seen him move or do anything other than just walking through the archive and be present. Is he an Expositor? You don't know. Yeah, all right. All right, I shall return. Okay. Good seeing you again. Yeah, you too.

Zeenoth's patient smile fades as he turns, and within a short time, you see, coming from down the same staircase, Tubbo. Okay. You see his arms folded in front of him as he descends and turns towards you. So you are Beauregard, correct? That's me.

And you're looking for training while your Expositor is away, correct? Yeah, I mean. Follow me. Okay. Also, I got this guy with me. Can he get a room and a library pass? Zenoth, who's a little bit behind, goes, I'll accompany him in his reading, if that's all right.

Zenoth Caleb, Caleb Zenoth? We've met in Frost and Wald, yes. Hello. Hello. Please, lead the way to where you'd wish to read. Oh, thank you. Thank you. All right. Tubbo brings you to a chamber you haven't been in a while, which is the formal training grounds beneath the Archive.

There is a set of double doors on the far end that blend in mostly with the dark wood that a lot of the bookcases are crafted out of. It leads you down a set of stairs into what is essentially a training pit with very heavily packed sand and dirt. There are a number of wooden poles that emerge from beneath that have all sorts of skewed extensions. This is where a lot of forms are practiced and a lot of defensive maneuvers are utilized. And you were brought through in this area

for training in N-Waves time and again, but it's been a while since you've been down here, since you've been abroad, and there's no other people there training currently, so Tubbo brings you down. Very well. Show me what you've got. And for the sake of brevity.

You die. Yes. Roll up a new character. Tubbo just splatters you across the wall. No, you spar for a bit, showing him the limits of your capabilities, and he's deftly, with a smile on his face, dodging, parrying. You get a few good hits in, and he backs away.

Very good, very good. And then begins to overwhelm you with his assaults, but never enough to inflict pain, just enough to throw you off your guard until the moment he turns around and then puts his hands up across once more and goes, four days. I need four days with you.

Okay. And then what happens? Then your training for now is complete. Yeah, right. Day one begins. Time to read. What? He takes you back upstairs and begins to collect books and throw them into a pile

and sits you down. I just look at Caleb across the library. You begin reading and it's getting frustrated, but as you're reading, Tubbo begins to lean in and say, as you're reading, think carefully about what you're trying to find, what you're trying to learn. Okay, what am I trying to learn?

What are you looking to research? Uh-oh. Any type of history on like, the families of Wildemount, or any type of underground trade going on? Okay. Any trees? Connections? For the portion of this day, Tubbo begins to instruct you on how to

not just read and research, but in focusing your spiritual energy on the specific things you're searching, you begin to find quick ways to Johnny Five through tomes, to find what you're looking for. With this comes with your ability to spend a key point to gain advantage on an investigation check. Day two comes around and he brings you down to the subterranean chamber for more

training. This time, he begins to show you how to use that same internal spiritual energy, your ki, at the moment of impact to give off this very localized wave of spiritual energy. He begins to tell you how this can break through defenses of things that are meant to not be touched with the mortal hand. This is intended as a way to bypass, sometimes, the mundane protections. Through this training, he teaches you how to use your Empowered Strikes, the mundane protections.

Through this training, he teaches you how to use your empowered strikes, where now your physical fists and attacks as a monk are considered magical. Ghost. Oh shit. Yes, you can now punch ghosts. Sure. Puncture of ghosts.

Day three, he brings you down to the chamber with a chair and says, sit. Okay. Tell me. Tell me a secret. Is this truth or dare? Kind of. Do you want to tell me a secret?

Is there a dare option? No. Then it's not truth or dare. You know truth or dare, right? He looks frustrated, turns around, does a little loop, comes back, and as you're about to speak up again, he does a series of quick hits that hurt a little bit

that catch you right in the clavicle, the side of the throat, and then right under the chin, and as you pull back, go ahead and make a saving throw for me, please. This would be a charisma saving throw, I believe. What? 12. Make a saving throw for me, please. This would be a charisma saving throw, I believe. 12. Okay.

He begins to ask you questions about your youth and your family history, things that you don't normally talk about with anybody, and outside of just stopping yourself from speaking at all, you're on the verge of constantly just giving up the information. He teaches you, he says, this is a technique that allows you to pull the truth from those

that would not be so forthcoming. It is situationally very useful, and I will show this to you. So he teaches you the Extoric Truth ability. Okay. On the fourth and final day, he leads you down and begins to show you how to use your key capabilities, your spiritual energy, to blend it

with moments of adrenaline bursts, to give yourself a moment of reactionary time where previously you would have expended any capability of preparing yourself for an assault. As he puts you through hours of this rigorous training, he goes, Very well. The time to show what you can do has come. Claps, and you watch as two other monks come down. But they have bows and arrows. Oh.

And they have a third one they hand to him, and they all knock the arrows and aim them right at you. Chubo versus Beau with bows. Beau, Beau, Beau, Beau, Beau, Beau, Beau. That's deeply accurate. Yeah. And Chubbow just goes, Fire. All three arrows come towards you.

Oh god. That's a 19 to hit. 19 just hits. Okay. That's another 19, actually. And that is a 23. 19 just hits. Okay. That's another 19, actually. Oh! That is a 23. Jesus!

All three hit you. Fuck your brazzers. Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Oh. I got a new shield.

The first one is. I'm Wonder Woman. I'm not Wonder Woman. The first arrow is 10 points of damage. Can I do the thing? Yes, you can. Spend a ki point. You spend a ki point. It's the end of 10 points of damage. Can I do the thing? Yes, you can. Spend a ki point. You spend a ki point.

How many points of damage? 10. 10, no points of damage. You catch one arrow. Okay, wait, six, I'm level six now, right? Correct. One point of damage, I lied. Okay, so take one point of damage. You just barely catch it, it just manages to nick the side of your shoulder.

Okay. The two other arrows are coming at you as well. I can only do this thing once though, right? Or I can keep spending ki points to do that, right? Yeah. I'll do it one more time. Okay, well, you can do that now if you have another reaction. That's right, which,

mm, I do. You have multiple reactions now? I do now. What? Everybody be a monk. What? If I spend a ki point. One, two.

You don't have to spend a ki point to reduce the damage. You spend a ki point to throw it back. So I will spend an extra reaction then to catch the other one. All right, so you spend a second ki point. Go ahead and roll for damage reduction on the next one. That one is 12 points of damage. I rolled 11, so another one point of damage. You catch both arrows, the third one's coming towards you. And one more.

Spend another ki point. It's two ki points now, and you get to go ahead and roll to reduce the third one. 12. You get another two key points now, and you get to roll to reduce the third one. 12. Yeah, that one does no damage. You catch one arrow out of the air, just barely next to your shoulder. The other one you catch just as it scrapes past the side of your arm.

The third one you catch in the middle of the air with no impact, and then just a blink of an eye, you've deflected all three arrows shot at the same time. I turn to to Tubbo and I go, did you see that? I did, and with that, your training is complete. Oh, I don't get to kill those guys? No. Oh.

He hands the shortbow to the other one, and they all head back upstairs, and Tubbo. Sorry, I'm sure you're really lovely people. Impressive, Dairon was not wrong about you. Wait, what has been Dairon talking about me? Just whatever she's been saying. That you are an apt pupil. Now, our time is done. I have things to do, and four days with you

has been more than enough. Yeah. Get that one. He makes his way back up and escorts you out of the training chambers. Guys, hasn't the last four days been amazing? It's been really peaceful, actually. I go find Caleb and I go, let's go!

Four days later. So during this time, Caleb. So if I had four days to peruse at will, I would have spent the first day trying to research anything I could find about Xohas. The Xohasians mentions of beacons, of them living many lives, their religion, if possible. Okay, make an investigation check with advantage

to find all the right information. Mm. Gonna use a different investigation. That is 19. 19, okay. So in that specific thing, you learn about the Crean Dynasty, which is the Azor Ahassian society

that exists in the ruins of Gord Drannis. So you know that most of them were drow, dark elf, from what you've heard and the ones you've interacted with. Now the drow were brethren alongside all elves in past history until their minds were corrupted and swayed by the terrible silver tongue of Lolth the Spider Queen, one of the Betrayer Gods. Under her will, they became deceptive, cruel, and violent. When the Betrayer Gods were defeated and banished during the Calamity and the divergence that separated the mortal realm from the gods that once threatened to destroy it

entirely, the drow returned to their subterranean cities to rebuild their power, far from the burning light of day. Much of the recent studies into current drow society across Exandria speak of growing paranoia and madness that's seeping in with what seems to be the believed influence of Thurizun, the Chained Oblivion. Seeming, whether by proximity of remnants of his power deep beneath the surface that have grown close to these societies,

but there is whispers and research that say that some of these dark elf societies are being driven slowly mad by this influence. Strangely, what studies you've been able to find that talk about penetrating the Kryn Dynasty's intense boundaries? I fucking looked at you immediately, Laura, because I knew where it was going.

You see. You see, you know it, too. That means you looked at me because you knew. Of course. I got the, as soon as I read the word, and I was like. Without fail. We missed you, we missed you. But for those who were able to move past the boundaries

to research more of what little is known of the Kryn Dynasty, there is little in iconography under Lothar Thurisdun. And what remains of that is ancient and crumbling and largely ignored by the society. Do I find any mention of these beacons? He mentioned beacons, plural, and reincarnation or multiple lives?

There's nothing about beacons, nothing about reincarnation, but however, it does speak of the Dynasty worshiping something other, something that is new and dangerous as far as the Cobalt Soul is concerned, with the little research they have. They refer to it as the Luxon and seek to bring all under its burning banner.

They've rallied to the surface of Gordranas, casting the skies an eternal midnight that spreads with their dominion. They've begun taking the ravenous hordes of beastmen and terrors of the Xhorhasian Wastes and indoctrinate them under this new false god. You also learn that a number of people, mostly children of adolescent age, have been found abducted in the night by the Kryn on occasion, though the number has deeply grown this past

generation, years after the first open conflicts with the Kryn began. The last thing you discover is the leader of the Dynasty is known as Empress Leilaskryn. She is called an Umavi by them, though the word's meaning is unknown by current research. Accounts of the Empress speak of her as a powerful and dangerous warrior on the battlefield, and seemingly well over 600 years old or more, as records date back that far

since she arrived in local history. Okay. That's what you've discovered about the Kryn Dynasty and Jorahesn. Spend a day reading about that. I will spend every remaining day reading about, I was rushed the first time I came here, so I'm going to spend every day left reading about

the Weave of Time and any mortals' attempts to control it. Make an investigation check. The Weave of Time. That's some restricted reading bullshit. 22. Okay. The things you discover with what's available to you in the archive, time is a constant, the motion moving forward unyielding.

Some powerful arcane influences can accelerate or slow the rate at which time passes locally, even stop it. There are some stories from the Age of Arcanum that speak of the greatest of sages experimenting with reversing the forward momentum of time, and supposedly with some success, but the process apparently was so taxing and the energies required so extensive

that it nearly killed those who passed through this natural flow. So that's as much as you can pick up on the specific research involving that shift of time. There are more footnotes and like a, we don't mess with that because those who tried have mostly been disintegrated or destroyed in the process. Are they nearly killed?

Does it talk about any of the people who were nearly killed but weren't? Yes, but they existed close to 1500 years ago. And a record of their names or? Most of the, well, the names that were in there are none that correlate to anything you'd recognize. Well, I would still have spent the entire three days reading about that.

Okay, and I'll send you those notes later. You do pick up, because of your very high roll, there are apparently some newer arcane experiments regarding time and reality being fielded within the Soltryas Academy in Rexxentrum. A newer magical energy seems to have been discovered or rediscovered that can seemingly adjust such properties with ease,

and it's being referred to as Dunamis. Dunamis. But other than that, there's very little information, because all that seems to be proprietary within the Academy. Yeah, good, cool, super cool. Okay. Okay, then I'm all done.

Okay. With all my shit. I forgot, I should have looked at my list. I had one or two other little things. Okay, Fjord, what else would you like to do? You didn't want to just walk for six days and walk back for six days? I was like, I feel like I came up, oh, there's more shit.

I was like, are you sure that's all you want to do? Yeah. We can just say on the way back from those visits, at night when I make camp, I want to summon the falchion and spend more time with it, examine it, specifically the eye, if it has that sort of, in the letter it looked like there was a gash into the sphere itself.

Does it represent that, is it smooth, does it move? Does it? The eye, where it sits in the hilt, and it only sits on one side, it's not both sides that contain the eye, because there aren't two pupils. There is a singular eye that is embedded in it that is looking out,

what would essentially be towards the left. Is it near the crossguard, or is it near the pommel? No, it's near the crossguard, like in the center of the hilt. When you look at it, it doesn't seem to move or shift or pay any attention. In practicing the next few days and trying some things out, you focus some of your arcane gifts towards an object,

casting Witch Bolt towards a nearby rock or low, dried, and forgotten trunk of a tree. And at the moment the incantation begins, the eye shifts to look towards the target of a tree. At the moment the incantation begins, the eye shifts to look towards the target of the spell. Then the spell explodes and you look back at the hilt and it's already reverted back to where it was before. Super fast.

But it did seem to react to when the spell was cast. Creepy, what the hell does that mean? Okay. When I get back, could I make my way to the Gentleman for just a quick combo? Sure. All right. You make your way to the Evening Nip. By the time you've returned, it's been the better part of the two-week period of time. You guys are also generally worried the fact that Fjord just vanished during this time period. He left while we were shopping.

Big surprise. Travis is shouting. You guys are going to shop out. What was it? Yeah. Spooky exit. All right, so you make your way to the subterranean basement of the Evening Nip.

The gentleman is not currently present, but upon asking around, you wait for about 20 minutes or so. He does return from what appears to be the storage room to the side where you had previously been led down and through the Underworks. As he comes in, he sees you and sits to the other side of the table, throwing his leg over one side and sitting

in a very comfortable and casual way across from you. Fjord, I'm being told that you're looking for me. Yes, I appreciate you making some time for me this evening. Turns out we might be traveling a little bit pretty soon. We are going to be making our way towards the Wayfarer's Cove. Your knowledge of areas outside of Zadash seems so extensive, what with the errands you sent us on. I was wondering, could you share with me any knowledge you might have about criminal underbellies, any competitors you might have

in business that's not of an official nature in cities, particularly around Nicodranas, Port Damali, the Menagerie Coast, has your reach that far? I have some reaches in places, yes. That's quite a scope you're requesting. I would say it's a good bet that most criminal elements you would encounter there are not at my network, except for a handful.

It might be more useful to you know the ones to trust. That's where I was going with that. Okay. And Port Damala, you say? Yeah, it's where I'm going with that. Okay. And Port Damali, you say? Yeah, it's where I'm from. Really? Indeed. The jewel of the coast, all right. I've been a number of times, though it's been years

since I've been able to leave my work here alone. So if you're looking to expand your portfolio upon Stash, that is commendable. The one contact I can recommend in Port Damali would be Father Duondiff Pierce. Father Dwondiff Pierce? Dwarven fellow, scraggly in the face, dresses well.

He helms the Pearl Shrine, a house of worship to Evandra, the change bringer. Tell him that you bring many gifts. I bring many gifts. I bring many gifts. Should you not work with Father Pierce and his network, be careful. You could easily find yourself on an opposing side to my business, and I do not take kindly to betrayal.

Well, indeed, I wouldn't dare. After all, you do have a little way of keeping track of where we are and what we do. That I do. I appreciate your help in this matter. Hopefully we can be of some service to you down there. If something comes to mind, I'll send it your way. Please do.

If anything comes to mind that would be of interest to my ears, business or otherwise, Please keep me informed. You can be assured that I will. Thank you for your time, Mom. I'll leave you now. Of course. Then he goes off to get a drink at the bar.

As you turn around, right there at the steps is Cree. The dark-furred tabaxi. She approaches and goes, I'm sorry to bother you. I noticed you descend here. I have heard since your last arrival that there were losses in your journey. Yeah, mm-hmm. Well, I have had a number of uncomfortable dreams

in the week, and I cannot sense Lucien. Tell me about these dreams. Make a persuasion check. Oh god. That's good. 18. 18? They are... They are cold and sad. They are...

I just see him alone, and I've tried to focus. He's not nearby. alone, and I have tried to focus. He is not nearby. I have a very hollow feeling about this. Why was I gone for six weeks? Okay. Um. Yes, unfortunately, your dreams may have some merit.

I, myself, was missing for most of our journey, and it seems, unfortunately, that Lucien befell a terrible fate. That was what I was fearing. I'm sorry to be the one to let you know. If I was there, I could give you more detail, but I found out much in the same way you are. That is all right. Thank you for your honesty. It is hard for him to be gone for so long, then

come back and so swiftly go again. I put too much faith. You said he left before and then came back. If you don't mind my asking, the last time that he left, do you remember the circumstances of his departure? We of the Task Takers, we... We were undergoing a ritual that he had orchestrated with an ally of his, a woman of magical renown. He said that this was something that was meant to

lead us to this city he promised, a place where we could learn of great many powers and secrets. We believed him. He was very charismatic in his cruelty times, but he did not survive. And then you saw him here for the first time in quite a while, yes?

Two years. Two years. Two years. Are you, and forgive me if this is too personal, are you expecting to see him again? I wasn't expecting to see him this last time. I just feel like whatever grace brought him back to us, maybe it was your carelessness that took him from us again. Indeed, maybe it was.

You have my apologies and my condolences. It is all right. I have started a new life here, and it has been serving me well. Well, I hate to leave you with such sour news, but I must be going. Such are these days. Thank you for your candor.

She just turns around and walks away. Fuck. I'll head back to the leaky tab. Okay. You guys have all gathered up at the leaky tab? That's everyone's done their stuff. No, I have not done mine. All right, what do you want to do?

It's really simple. I'm going to spend a little time every day, I'm going to find the nicest park in town, I'm going to spend every day spending, and I'm going to meditate and try and get some guidance on, trying to have another epiphany about what happens next. So I'm going to sit quietly and meditate. Every day, somewhere green,

or whatever passes for it in this city. Roll a wisdom check for me. Yeah, it did. Yeah, of course. No. No. No. That was a one.

Okay. You've spent so much of your life in the tranquility of the cold and quiet Savalirwood, and even in the most nature-based portion of the city of Zadash, the general din and chaos of the city is too distracting, and you're unable to reach that meditative state where you're able to feel connected with nature and with the Wild Mother. So Melora's Guidance does not come to you. And you just have to continue to throw your lot in with these strange folk that dragged you out of your home. That's fair, that's fair.

I guess the only, no, that's right, we're done. I think we got everything. Everyone's done their thing? Everyone's done their thing. No, I am not done. All right. I wanted to, well, because I want to make the Traveler like me again, because obviously he doesn't, and that's why he didn't come save me. So I'm going to use this two weeks to scout out

all of the temples to the other gods and really see the guard schedules and the pre-schedules and try to sneak in, and I'll probably enlist the help of Nott here. I'll help you. Because you're good at sneaking. Sure, sure. And then before this is true. We got you something.

Before we do this, this will be extra helpful for you. What is it? I don't like this. Is it something, is it made of dead people? Just check it out. Made of paper. So nicely wrapped. It's so tiny.

Well, imagine it's a lot bigger than that. It's tiny, it's like, it's just a small key. Oh, look, it says, to the bravest Rouge we've ever met. From your friendly neighborhood healers. You It's a cloak! Wow! It looks so cool and fancy. Put it on. I bet it changes size when you put it on, because most magical things do. I will put it on and spend some time with it. Okay. Be able to attune to it and gain the benefits of the cloak of elvenkind. Okay, okay, okay. Then we're going to go and start to sneak in

and really fuck up. We have to decide which ones you're going to do. They're for any. How much can I do yet? How much do I owe you for this? You owe us nothing! It's a gift. You owe us nothing! Tons of money.

Way more than I'll ever spend. So there is the Raven's Den, which sits near the Ossuary Gates. I already fucked with that one. All righty. There is the Hearth of the Allhammer, which you've messed with as well a little bit during the festival.

There is, I mean, there's the Valley Archive of the Cobalt Soul. While it is both an archive, it is also a temple to the Annoying Mistress. There is the King's Hall, which is the center of law, and of course that's where the lawmaster is, you've spoken with a couple of times. That's where you've done your jobs off the task board.

Seems like there's a lot of guards there. Yeah, there's a lot of guards there. There's the Platinum House, which is a temple to the Platinum Dragon, that also exists in the Innerstead Sprawl. Not too far from Steem's Respite, which is the bathhouse. Ooh, yeah, let's do that one, because it's close to the bathhouse. Which one is that, which god? The Platinum Dragon.

The Platinum Dragon. All right, that seems right. What are we going to do to it? There's also in the Signet Wall, which is the military district, there is the Shrine of the Dawn, which is to the Dawnfather. It's up to you. Well, that's just fitting, isn't it?

No, I'm going to do the platinum dragon, because it's next to the bathhouse. Okay, platinum house it is. We're trying to destroy this place? No. Paint it? What does it look like? As you approach, this beautiful but small white building

is draped in deep blue tapestries, while a reflective mirrored sphere sits atop the roof during the day. I think you've passed by and seen it before when you were traversing the city. Are you going for a day or night time? We're just checking out during the day, like we're visitors. Okay. The inside is just open archways and floor spaces that are made available for worship, but also used for meditation. There are a few folks in there that are quietly, eyes closed, taking in the atmosphere at the interior.

There's areas for reading and there's areas for napping and sleeping. It's a very kind of, of the Bahamut worshiping that goes on in places that you've seen on the Menagerie Coast. This one is a little more new agey than you're used to. About noonish when you arrive, there is a little more new-agey than you're used to. About noon-ish when you arrive, there is a sermon beginning where there is,

appears to be the Herald of the House, which is a silver-scaled dragonborn. In his older years, he looks very tired and as withered as a dragonborn can through their silver scales. He's in the process of giving this very deeply empowering speech about, The majesty of Bahamut bestows upon us the knowledge and the grace in which we can be

beacons of truth and justice in a world that wishes to swallow all with chaos. Together. But yeah, so the midday stakeout appears to go well. What do you wish to do? How often does he come back? He's there most of the day, and then in the evening he appears to go nap somewhere within the Platinum House. And then he gives his sermon during the next day and the next day. We scouted out a couple days in a row

to really get the feel for the guards. Make an investigation check just to facilitate. Will you bet that he's not helping me? Sure, sure. Sure. Oh, Jesus, God. H. Macy. Nine.

All right. Nine! There's a couple entrances, some hallways. Wow. What do you want to do? I want to, well, I want to, I'm going to take some of the firecrackers we got from Hupperduke,

and I want to set them off during his sermon. Okay. And then I want to, but I'm going to invoke duplicity so it looks like I'm actually still there listening to the sermon. Then while that's happening, but I'm also a disguised self, so I also want to look like somebody else while it's happening so nobody can trace it back to me. That sounds complicated.

This is really good stuff. Then I want to run over to, is there a big statue of a platinum dragon? There is in the center, yeah. It's not built on the floor, it's actually held aloft in the central dome archway, right beneath that glowing dome at the top is, where at nighttime, as you've seen it, it emits this faint white glow. It's this beacon in the middle of the darkened city, aside from the various pitches of torchlight that hit the streets. But beneath this dome, you see the large, carved, looks almost like a pure platinum, but it's probably a polished silver statue

of the dragon wings, outstretched, looking down over the chambers, and hovers about 15 feet off the ground, where all the rest of the folks gather for the sermon and or just to sit there to meditate and pray and worship. This is a really bad time to do this, because there's lots of people around. Can I do it at night?

Is there less people at night? Would I learn at least that much? Yeah, at night there are less people. Okay, I come back a second time after setting out the fireworks. Now the next time. We're hair again? Right. This time I'm coming prepared with my paints and a mustache.

Your anarchist group. An anarchist group. A couple brochures for the Traveler, and I steal Cad's straw hat that he bought, sorry. Yeah, we're going to make the platinum dragon look like a really cool farmer. All right. Yeah. Okay, so we're just going to mess up with this statue. Yeah, that's what I do. Is that stupid or something? And what if someone

comes in, we just kill everyone in the place? No, if somebody comes in, you need to distract them, okay? So don't let anybody see me, because this might take a while. I'm exploding arrow. So I'm the distraction and the look out. You're the distraction. I also invoke duplicity to where it looks like I'm still there on the outside, and I can also be hanging out with you

so you don't look so like, you know, just a random person. All right, so what do you disguise yourself to be? The old woman that was in the other one, yeah. Okay, all right, so as you guys approach in the evening together, are you disguising yourself as one? Oh no, you know who I should disguise myself as? The sermon guy. Okay. Yes.

Okay, so Jester now taking the elderly form of a silver-scaled, very well-respected herald of the house, Kumas. You approach the temple, we'll say a few hours after sundown to where the interest in worship tends to fade as folks go back to home. At this point, it's mostly just a few caretakers that watch it through the night,

and some lost souls that have found their way there in the evening when they need guidance. Get them out. They're in there? Yeah, distract them and make them go away. All right, I'll do my best. Oh, Kuki, you know what you should say. Say that the Sormon Guide, whoever I am,

tell them I need some quiet time in the temple. All right. The Sormon Guide, whoever I am, tell them I need some quiet time in the temple. All right. I'll disguise myself using Disguise Person, or Disguise Self, as just an elderly gnomish woman, and I'll wander into the temple, I guess. Pardon me! and I'll wander into the temple, I guess.

Pardon me! All patrons, I have a request from the Holy Father himself that we vacate the premises. They have to... Refresh all the holy water. It's good. Every 30 days. And wouldn't you know it, today's that day. So just out of the pool for just a few minutes, and then when it's all refreshed, we'll come and you can come right back in, just a break. I want to take a break. Make a deception check with disadvantage, because you didn't even use his name.

You didn't. I've said twice. Holy fuck. Oh lord, you're the savior. Not just running, not just running. I've said twice. Holy fuck. Our lord and savior. Not just funny. Okay, not bad. Even better. This is what? Deception. Oh no. That's a negative three. Negative three to your deception?

You really should have taken that potion beforehand. The one that you stole from me? Yeah, that one. That's a 13. Disadvantage minus three. That's still got pretty good. Okay. Looks like of the six individuals that are here, there are two that actually are of the temple,

and there are four that are just here meditation, or just one looks like a young man, like he might be just on hard times, and has tear marks on his face, or he may have been just looking up to the statue and reveling, and the four people that were just attending see you and they get up and start gathering their things.

The two that work the temple are confused, look at each other and look at you and begin to walk towards you. Are they carrying weapons of any sort? No. Vestments or? No, they're wearing tabards, almost, that are mostly a silver-white color

with the symbol of Bahamut, that are mostly a silver-white color with the symbol of Bahamut, like the blue with the silver dragon. But they're simply dressed. They're just the caretakers of the temple, low-level priests of the platinum dragon. As they approach, one of them looks to be maybe a mid-30s human male,

male pattern baldness, taking a large portion of his shorter blonde hair. The other one appears to be a half-elven man as well. He looks younger, but looks to be deceiving with half-elves. They both approach with a somewhat concerned look, and the half-elf speaks up first and goes, I'm sorry, you said that the Holy Father needs the room cleared.

I come up from behind. Is there anything around us like donation jars or anything around us? I don't know how churches work, guys. Make a perception check. Do they have a ticket taker? The giant thermometer. 14.

14. Looking around, there are bowls throughout the room that appear to, most of them appear to be empty. A few of them have a few knickknacks thrown in there. They may have been things that people left as a gift or an offering. A few copper, a few of them have a silver. You don't see any other boxes. It looks like they're cleared out fairly frequently. If there's one close to me, I would like to cast Mage Hand and grab it. Okay. Just double checking if Mage Hand has... I'm sure I will drop my form.

Disguise Self remains to cast. However, Mage Hand, if I recall, may have... It's an action to use and a bonus, or action to make it appear. Correct, but it's verbal and somatic. So as they're approaching, you look back and forth and they begin casting a spell. So as this is happening, they both go, No, I step up from behind Nott, dressed.

Thank you, thank you, dear. My assistant, did as I asked, I really just needed some quiet time alone in the temple tonight. I wasn't aware you had an assistant. I just hired her. Make a deception check. Oh god.

16? 16. One of them goes, Oh, of course, my apologies, Your Grace. The human leaves, the half-elf still seems dubious. Your Grace, you seem to be rather weary. Perhaps I should stay and just make sure you need help. I need some quiet time.

I'll be quiet. With a no, no, no, no, no, no. No. I think what his holiness is trying to convey is that he will be going on a spiritual journey and there's only room on that train for one dude. He will be going on a spiritual journey, and there's only room on that train for one dude. Scoot on out. Scoot it.

Of course, your grace, and the half-elf leaves, but his eyes don't deviate. He appears to leave the room. That was perfect. That went really well. Yes. You stand right here. I'm going to watch the door. They all went out the front door?

There's open archways that lead down long hallways, and they all appear to have left the hallways. Okay, I'm going to Invoke Duplicity, and I'm going to make it look like he's kneeling down in the doorway, praying. Then I'm going to run up, and I'm going to start painting out the platinum dragon. Okay, so you Invoke Duplicity is there, and the platinum dragon is about 15 feet up. Yeah, I climb on up. I start painting. Make an athletics check. Okay. We're going to be busting you out of jail.

That's a 22. 22. Using very minute ledges that are carved out of the various temple pillars that hold up and maintain the weight of the beautiful archways that mark the top part of the temple. You like, tiny rock climb with that finger strength that only Jester has in this whole room set up, and make your way up carefully to leap and then grab onto the platinum dragon. It hangs back and forth a bit, and you can now see what you can't see from far down is there are two sets of

chains that hold a loft up in the temple. It is free-hanging, and now you're rocking back and forth. You know what? I could just knock this down. That could be really good, too. That would be faster. I'm going to hide just in one of the pews. I start climbing up. Make a stealth check. I want to paint it rainbow colors. I feel like that would be a really nice addition

for the platinum dragon. Okay, so you begin painting rainbow colors and pulling out all your various pigments. The platinum begins to give way to a technicolor vomit nightmare. With a mustache. Okay. And a straw hat.

Okay, as you're getting to the mustache, you hear what sounds like many, many footfalls approaching, and a voice saying, Yeah, just this way, I... I drop, I drop down and run. Okay, so you hear, as he's in the middle of talking, make an acrobatics check, because it's a 15-foot drop. 21. Wow. Wowfoot drop. Oh god.

21. Wow. Wow, okay. Super hero. So you hear a three-point landing, middle, he's, but you're still. I'm still the dragon. Yeah, but there's also the invoked with the city of him there.

So there's one there that goes, that's the, and I run. They give chase. They just go, after whoever that is! There are now five crownsguard and two members of the house giving chase down one of the hallways, giving a full chain. Was there an exit? Looking for an exit. Make a perception check, look around you. This is happening rather rapidly.

I'm going to follow from behind. Okay. Okay. 23. 23. All right. As you're rushing down, you look and you can see there's two open doorways. One of them appears to be a dark interior, the other appears to lead to some sort of candlelight. Pardon me, the hall's coming to an end ahead of you. Right or left, which way are you going? Wait, say that again.

To the left of you, there's two open doorways. One is dark on the inside, the other seems to have candlelight from the interior. Dark. All right, so you duck into the dark. It's like a choose-your-own-adventure. Yeah. The footfalls are coming faster behind you, and Nott, you're noticing that they're drawing weapons, and one of them appears to be pulling out

a bead out of their pocket. Oh, okay. One of them appears to be pulling out some sort of a bead out of their pocket. Oh. That's all you notice. Okay. I'm going to scream as loud as I can. Okay. From behind them, and just scream, oh my god, he's dead! Okay, well, they all immediately stop

and look behind at you. How many are there? There's five crownsguard and then two members of the church. Okay, I'm hiding in the room. Make a self check, please. Okay, it's like at least four stars on Grand Theft Auto. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 19. Okay, you think you may be hidden. They turn and look at you.

What? He just, he stopped breathing. He's back there, didn't you see him? Make another deception check. Oh god. Oh no. That's a nine. Oh no! As they're all looking, the one that had the bead goes

and throws it your direction. Oh no. It's just a marble. Dodge it, dodge it! I'll try. All right, so that's an 18 to hit. That hits. Okay. Let me look this up again.

I wasn't expecting it to go this way. I'm going to double check. Boom. All right. Just stuck in bubbles. Explores. Yeah. It's the prisoner. Explores.

Actually, yeah, no, you... I'm not a man. I'm a free man. Make a dexterity saving throw. Thank goodness. I'm wearing my cloak, so I get advantage. And that's a natural 20. Yeah!

Okay, so you don't take any force damage. However, this sphere of translucent force has completely encapsulated you. Jester! You're just slowly rolling back. Jester! and you're slowly rolling back. Two of the guards come over to flank it. The other three continue their travel with the two members of the church, so those five. Then go into the dark room where you are as one of them lights a torch to light up the chamber. You quickly made your way through. This is a storage chamber. On the inside, you can see there's

a bunch of candles, there's a bunch of statues and things that are used in various ceremonies, there's a number of wooden hanging rods that they place a lot of vestments on that are not used, they're more formal and for formal events and celebrations and holidays. You have put your way into a corner between one of these boxes and some of the raiment and hope that you won't be seen.

They're going to make a very thorough investigation of the room. Okay. When they come in the room? They begin to slowly look through. One of the members of the church, after the first 30 seconds of not finding anyone, darts off. There's only four in the chamber. He's going to look elsewhere. The crownscar began to peek through and lifting up pieces of equipment, lifting at the tops of storage containers.

How big is the room? The room's about 15 by 10 feet. It's not a very large room. Oh bejeebies. By the way, I only have advantage on stealth, not on saving throws. Okay, so roll again. So the first roll that I had rolled was five, which adds up to a 12, so I will take damage. You do, you take 5d, four points of force damage.

Ooh, d4. Five, seven, eight. You take 11 points of force damage. Thank you. Thank you, sir, seven. You take 11 points of force damage. Thank you. Thank you, sir, may I have another? All right. So this is equivalent, essentially, to an Odalukes Resilience Sphere.

You're in a hamster ball, but the two guards that are right there are flanking it and holding it in place, so you can't move. I cast Blink on myself. Okay. As one of them turns and just manages to pull the raiment inside, revealing your face, I found the...

Wait, no, she was right! He was right, I... Spread out! They all begin to scatter out into the hallways now. Okay. You move. Stealthily. If I, yeah, oh, because I can move, like, what,

10 feet with Blink, or can I just? You can reappear, like, 10 feet away. It's either 10 or five. Yeah, you. I never used Blink before. You have to roll for it. Correct, so with Blink, at the start of your next turn, you return within 10 feet of where you vanished.

So. But you got to roll 11 or higher. For you to even blink out in the first place. Yep, so go ahead and roll. No GVs. You got it. You got this. 11 or higher. 11 or higher. It's fine. No problem.

Eight. Oh! Okay, okay. Why'd you have to say anything? No, you have to be honest on that one. Is the Traveler happy with you yet? So, your form flickers for a moment as the spell kicks in.

However, you finish it, Spun out! You're right back in place. Wait! And they go ahead. Charm person! Cast charm person. At third level.

How many have I used? Jesus. You're using every spell you have. This is going to be an expensive problem to solve here. Okay, so you can target three creatures at third level. How many are in the room? Three. There are four in the room, total.

No, because there's two guards against him, so there's three after her. That's Crownsguard. One of the last ones. There are four in there. There's three Crownsguard and one member of the house. Who do you tempt? You can kill that guy.

Yeah, the Crownsguard. All right, so they have advantage on the save because you are technically in opposition on this one. So the first crownsguard with advantage, that's going to be a 14, what's the DC? 15. 15, he fails. The other one, and the two sixes in a row fail. The third one, two, and no, they all fail.

Even with advantage. Get the fuck out. So the three crownsguguard come in and be like, have you seen where this person went? Apparently someone's masquerading as you. Been looking everywhere for him. Can't find him anywhere. Maybe check that room with the candles

on the other side of the hallway. We'll go check. That room with the candles. The three crownsguard turn around and rush off to find it while the member of the house, the half-tell familiar is like, No, what are you? That's him! He's going to rush to try and grab you. Go ahead and roll another d20. Just use your hand axe. Oh, wait. Five? Five? Nope. It's going to go for a full grapple. It's an athletics check. Oh, wait. Whoa. Oh no, five?

Five, nope. It's going to go for a full grapple. It's an athletics check. Can I, no, that's second level, I can cast it. I cast Hold Person on them. Okay. That is going to be a 16. I believe that's the success.

Yeah, 13 plus three. However, it does come in and go to grapple you and hold you in place, so you're currently now being held in this form by the Entity. You can try and break free by doing an acrobat. I try to break free. Okay, try it. Oh god. Does everybody think back to the stink eye

Laura gave us on the hospital run? Yeah, I know. What do I add to this? What do I add? Your athletics check. I'm going to die trying to help her out. Graffiti of Pew! Pew! You vanish out of the grass. What? I didn't! How? Megan's just pushing things over and looking around

for wherever you may have gone. I'm still there. Next round, you appear 10 feet from where you were. Where do you want to appear? Out the doorway. You appear in the doorway. The three guard are in the other chamber, and they're currently, like, you can now see

into the other room where you didn't run, and it looks to be the bed chambers of the actual Kumas. No! You hear him, like, what's going on? the bed chambers of the actual Kumas. No! You hear him like, What's going on? I was trying to sleep! They're like, sir, wait.

I take off running. As you go running down the hallway at this point, Oh, would I blink again? The two of their crownsguard, who are currently guarding Nott, you see now Nott is encapsulated in this bubble. One of them is pulling out chains and cuffs on them. They're preparing to arrest Nott once this bubble goes away. They both turn around in the middle of the scuffle and see you running towards

them. Charm person, second level. Jeez Louise. With advantage, one of them succeeds. Two 17s in a row. The other. I know, but I blinked, though. The other one fails, a seven and a one.

So one of them goes, just looks at you and smiles. The one holding the chains for Nott. The other one pulls a blade. I slow down and walk up like, oh, I heard somebody was impersonating me in here. Have you found them yet? Make a deception check with disadvantage. Five old.

16. This was supposed to go much quicker, I'm sorry, guys. The blade is pulled out and just goes, We're sorry, sir, we were called in here. There was apparently a disturbance, and we found this one preparing arrest. I saw your other guard friends running that direction. I think the impersonator was back there.

Well, good, hopefully they'll go ahead and catch them. We have to wait for this one. I heard them shouting for help, though. They were really shouting. Shouting for a lot of help. The one you charmed goes, well, I'll go ahead and find out. Then walks over to help him while the one

who was another charm just sits there and takes the chains from him and is now waiting for Nott to get out. By the way, roll a d20. Oh, shit. Oh, here we go. 10. No, I'm still there. Don't mind that. Last chance, all alone.

The other person from the house comes by, the half-elf, and says, You fool! That's the one that's been! Now the actual herald of the house comes out and is like, he's got his pajamas on, and is like, what is going, what is this? How do I get out of this? Can I cast Dispel Magic on Nott's bubble? Go ahead and roll a d20. God, you cast 19 spells. No, I have it.

Add your wisdom modifier. Ooh, that's good. Oh my god, that's 20, what is that, 23? 22. The bubble vanishes. Nott, you fall to your foot. The guy with the chains is going to go ahead and reach out and attempt to grapple you with them. All right, go ahead and make an acrobatics check. That was a cocked. Acrobatics?

Yes. 17. 17, 15. You slip out of it in time. Roll a d20. Oh, why am I playing again? Jesus. You guys get out. Seven. Oh shit! Okay. Seriously.

Where would it go? Oh shit! You guys start bolting. At this point, you can hear footsteps coming from the other entrance hall as more folks are coming in to join the chaos. What are you doing? Just full dash? Full dash. Full dash? Full dash, full dash? Full dash, yes. All right, Laura, roll a d20. Oh god.

12. As you're running, Jester just disappears. I don't know where she went! Just go, just go! I'm going to run until I see something. No, I'm going to run another 15 feet. Does anyone have eyes on me right now? Everyone behind you have eyes on you, and you're about to come back into the center of the temple, where there are two hallways that exit to the front and the back. To the right and left both

exit the temple, but you also hear footsteps coming from somewhere. What are you doing? Oh my god. Somewhere in another part of the city entirely, Caleb's going like, oh, that's interesting. I will full dash and just get out of there and turn left. Okay, using your bonus action, you just scoop past, you turn left, and you see two Crownsguard

that are just approaching now, hearing this commotion, and you just scoop past and they're like, hey hey! They're unable to catch up to you. You're too fast, but they're giving chase. Laura, you reappear ten feet from where you were. You're now in the center of the temple and there's the wave of people rushing towards you. There's now two Crownsguard rushing towards the direction where Nott is and you see Nott just tearing ass away. You know in Matrix 2, that overhead shot of all the agents, of all the agent smiths? That's kind of what's happening right now.

Going into the center, that's what I imagined. Just, oh my god. Waves of agent smiths. You still look like the lord of the deers. I've got one more second level spell left. I'm going to cast Mirror Image on myself. Okay, so now there are multiple copies of the Herald of the House Kumas.

It's just an army of old dudes, old dragonborn. And I take off running towards wherever the smallest amount of people coming. That would be to the right, the opposite direction that Nott went. Yeah. All right, so you were charging that direction. All right, so you move the rest of your movement that way,

30 feet, roll another d20. I'm using all my 20s right here. 12, shit! Two steps. Do I? Wait, they all blink out? Yeah, they all. They just blink out to you?

Yeah, they all. Oh no. Because you're not present. Oh god. Nott, you've at this point managed to make it out of the street now. You're now out of the temple. I'm just going to duck behind something and look to see if Jester came out.

Make a stealth check to see if you can manage to lose the folks that are chasing you into the street. Nott, you have advantage on. Oh, I can? Yeah, advantage on self. Oh, I can? Yeah. Advantage on self. So 25. 25? 25. You manage to dodge over what looks to be

a few rain barrels in the side, dart down one alleyway, and then circle around once, and then duck beneath a parked wagon, and you're pretty sure they've lost you, and they're now starting to scatter and give orders off in different directions. You've caused quite a commotion. You return into place.

Your first time using blink, and you're like, oh god, what's happening? Ah, dang, I'm running again. Mirror images going. Yeah, right? I'm going to, oh god, but if I get a double dash, I can get farther away, right? Yep.

Okay, I'm going to try to double dash. All right, so that's full 60 feet of movement as you're rushing down the other hallway. You hear the voices behind you shouting, There he is! Keep going! How are there so many of them? What's going on? Roll another d20.

Okay. Oh god, okay. Five, keep running. You keep running, you make your way out, now into the night air. I drop blink. Okay, you drop blink, spell's gone. I drop Disguise Self.

Okay. The guards are now rushing up, and they're coming to the edge of the exit, and they can see you now. Oh, they can see me, okay, can they still see me? Can I turn a corner and drop Disguise Self? You could try, but they still have eyes trained on you. Oh god, I'm a corner and drop Disguise Self? You could try, but they still have eyes trained on you. Oh god. I'm not going to drop Disguise Self then. I'm going to keep going. I want to do it as

soon as I'm out of eye shot for a split second. You've got to try and find a way to break eye contact with them, but they're pretty trained on you right now. Ooh, can I invoke Duplicity? No, I already did it. I get it twice! You do get it twice. You channel Divinity twice. Yeah! So I'm going would invoke duplicity again. Evoke duplicity again. Oh, wait, wait!

I have something where I can go, like, turn invisible! That's right, you just got the new. I just got it! Okay. I'm going to use it! Okay, so is it called Cloak of Shadows, I think? Yeah! All right, cool.

So as they're chasing you, you channel divinity, you give a silent little whispered prayer to the Traveler to give you the opportunity to escape. Please don't fuck me! You've vanished. You're invisible for the next six seconds. I run as fast as I can and turn a corner. Okay. With that, you go ahead and duck around into what looks to be a little nook on the outside of some sort of an abode or home that is placed here, just on the outside of the temple.

In that moment, go ahead and make a stealth check. With advantage, because you're invisible. Natural 20. Okay. You hear the voices of the crownsvangal and like, what, where, just, Sveta! Where did you see them go? I didn't see, they just vanished!

This is ridiculous. We're all going to get in serious trouble if we don't find them. Oh my god. They all begin to scatter about, and you begin to weave your way through some of the nearby alleyways into the shadows of the night. Yeah, that invisibility completely cut off their eye line to keep following you. Oh my god. I do. I'm going to change disguise self and make myself look like a little bigger human girl. Okay.

I'm just going to walk. With that, you manage to slowly blend back into the night chaos. That is easily the most fucked two characters have ever been to a full reversal. That is the deepest fuckage we've ever dipped a toe in. Nott's in skambo, I think, because they're all there. Oh my god. Keyleth getting arrested and shot. I don't give a shit.

That was, you guys were fucked. I probably should have stayed up on the dragon bear. That is also the most exciting night that Kumash has had in like 10 years. Oh yeah. Oh. And I'll say that within the next couple of days, word has gotten around the city of Zadash to the

point where even some of the town criers are going out and talking about, Terrible vandalism! Platinum dragon nearly ruined by upstarts and secret cabal of anti-religious hate! Secret cabals, there's so many of them. As that evening comes to a close and you go back to the leaky tap to go for a rest, and you have a moment to yourself to think and have a moment to breathe and gain a little bit of calm,

you sense a presence. And sitting on the bed next to you, you see the familiar dark green cloak. Hi. Did you see what I did? I did. Do you like me again? I was never disappointed in the first place, Jester. The hood still obscuring most of the face, just the lower jaw and mouth visible.

Why didn't you come? I did. I didn't see you. You don't need to see me to know that didn't see you. You don't need to see me to know that I'm with you. And you're free now. Yeah. You promise you won't leave.

As long as you continue to be that wonderful little seed of joy and chaos in the world. I'll be walking behind you the entire time. If things had gotten really bad, though, you would have stepped in, right? You wouldn't have let something really bad happen.

Not within my power, no. Okay. I do appreciate your artwork. I think he looks better now. You're improving. Keep meeting new people. Tell them of what we have accomplished. We want more friends, don't we?

So many. Do you think I could have a look at that strange relic. Which one? We've kind of found a lot of relics. The one that you procured from that Jorhasian warrior. Oh, the box? Yeah, of course. I dig into the haversack and I show it to him.

He just takes it and hooks to it for a moment. What do you think it is? You see the side of the mouth of the Traveler curl into an amused smirk. Curious. Curious indeed. They said something about having babies or something with it, I can't remember. Curious indeed. They said something about having babies or something with it, I can't remember. I don't think I've ever come across magic like that. What kind of magic is it?

I don't know, I have not come across it before. I'm interested, definitely. Be careful with that. Things that are unknown are notably able to draw dangerous and inquiring eyes and minds. So I should keep it hidden? I think you should. I'll keep it in this pink bag.

It's very discreet. There are more like you out there. I saw a couple medallions for you. Well, I am worth worshipipping, after all. Obviously. But you are my favorite. I was going to ask if I was. I hope that maybe you could all meet someday.

I would love that. I, of course, will be the leader of your worship, obviously. Perhaps sometime next year, for the Day of the Zenith in Undalar. Yes, I think that. I'm writing it in my sketchbook. Will you tell them, and then I'll meet them there? Yeah, well, speak to me. Okay. Wow.

Thanks, thank you. Thank you, Traveler. The hand reaches out and touches yours. You can feel the contact, but it's strangely cold. You blink and Traveler's gone. I just draw so many things in my sketchbook. All of it. All right. He's organizing Traveler Con. Okay, now I got to go feed the baby.

Now let's go and take a break. I didn't realize the time had gone by quite so far. My apologies, people. All right. It's almost like a game of D&D. I know, it's crazy. We won't have quite as long a second half, probably much at all. We'll take a break here. For those who are interested in being part of the giveaway tonight, we have this fantastic cherry dice tower system with cartography. A fantastic and talented friend, Devin Rue, who did our Wildemount campaign guide. It has this really awesome leather dragon face behind to it. You can see the cartography that's been burned into that is gorgeous. This dice tower. You can go ahead and be part of this.

Apparently this is on Kickstarter now, so you can go ahead and check that out with friends at Wyrmwood as part of the giveaway. You have to head over to the Critical Role chat room on Twitch. That's twitch.tv slash criticalrole to enter. The keyword tonight, which you only enter once, many more than that, you'll be disqualified. The keyword is chapter. Just the word chapter. We'll come back from the break with one winner here announced.

So we'll see you here in a few minutes. Hello, Critters. This is Ashley Johnson, president of the Critical Role Foundation, So we'll see you here in a few minutes. 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. Welcome back. Foundation and to donate, visit criticalrolefoundation.org.

Welcome back. So before we get back into this, we have our winner of the giveaway of the fantastic Devinru carved cherry dice tower system. The winner is Melidou. Melidou! Congratulations. We'll go ahead and get your info and get this announced to you ASAP. Thank you for being a part. Laura will be joining us shortly. She's finishing feeding the baby. Yeah, feed the baby, give it life. Feed the baby better, mama. It works out okay. Grow that baby.

Having all spent the majority of these two weeks handling your business, wandering through Zadash and beyond, returning, what do you wish to do? Oh. Oh. You guys have regathered in the Leaky Tap and... Ah. I'm going to pretend to be a small, old plot grabber. He's out, he's out, get him!

I want rice pudding! An uneventful two weeks for everyone, I assume? Yeah. He's out, he's out, get him! Hey, one race, pretty! An uneventful two weeks for everyone, I assume? Yeah. Not much happened. No, no, not to report. I got a lot of reading done. Oh, that's good. Yes, it is.

New books? Oh, library books, they're not mine, but that's the beauty of the library. Right. Beau, you look like you got a couple new little marks and stuff. Oh, yeah, just, you know, I think I can punch ghosts now. Do a lot of ghosts need punching?

Yeah, does that even happen to you? Have you ever met a ghost that doesn't need punching? Is this a realization that you had? Yeah, I've never even met a ghost. it doesn't need punching. Is this a realization that you had? Yeah, I never even met a ghost. How would you punch it? I just know if I saw a ghost, I would want to punch it. Ghosts are scary. Okay, Nott?

What? How was your? I did a lot of drinking. Yeah? Yep, just drinking and thinking. Nice. Yeah. Go on drinking.

You're off on your own. I, I, I. Are you okay? Yeah, a little bit. You know, it's easier to steal things when you can pay for them with money. That is true. Yeah.

Caduceus? Yes. How was your time? Yes. I've met a ghost that I didn't need to punch. You have met a ghost you didn't want to punch. Yeah, I thought of one. Oh, what? Have you met more than one ghost before? I mean, yeah.

Oh, you didn't get to see where we found this guy. Nope. It was definitely a cemetery. Like he was living in the middle of the cemetery. No, I'm good, you don't have to tell me anymore, it's fine, I'll just imagine where it's possible. In the middle of the cemetery, that's where the temple is, in the middle of the cemetery.

See? Actually, technically it's not a cemetery. What is it? It's a graveyard. Okay, there's a difference? Oh yeah, a graveyard has an attached temple. A cemetery is just by itself. I did not know that.

Yeah. Oh, interesting. I know a couple things. I have a request. Upon further inspection of this here letter, Quinpilar is the month that we're in, which we all know, right? Yeah, sure.

Already? Is it Quinpilar already? It is. How time flies. They're going to start putting up winter crest decorations in the stores. Two weeks earlier every year. We've got to start thinking about it. We've got to get each other. And while I have no idea who Maris LaPuille

or Avamtika or any of this is, this was supposed to be delivered by the end of this month to the Wayfarer Cove. What's the Wayfarer Cove? It's back in the, help me. Menagerie Cove. Menagerie Coast. Menagerie Coast, thank you. We're in the Wattest. Where Jester and I are from.

An actual cove. Have you been there? Yeah, that's where, Nicodranas is where Jester's from. I'm from Port Damali. Oh, wow. You don't know any of these people, though? I don't, I don't. You don't? I don't.

Are you talking about making a, having a trip, taking off? Well, I was thinking about it. I've journeyed a little further south. I'm actually looking for someone, and I've been meaning to head back that way anyway, but if this is taking us in that direction, if it'll teach us anything more about the, you know. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that definitely looks if it'll teach us anything more about the, you know.

Yeah, that definitely looks like it, too. Right. Looks a lot like what sucked into your body. Yeah, it was a weird night. Yes, I guess it was. Is that a beach bed or something? There's a... An abused cantaloupe.

Oh, that'll happen. Angry marble. I don't know why that somehow is weirder than Abuse Cantaloupe, but I feel... Ill-tempered bowling ball. You get the picture. Either way, I don't feel very comfortable with it residing in my It person.

I think some travel could do us good. How do you feel, actually? Do you feel anything? Do you feel it? Nope, I just feel like me. It was just the vision that came with it that was... Kind of fucked me up a little bit. Do you have any more visions when you were captured? No, but I just kept replaying it over and over.

It was dark for so long, and there was nothing really to distract you. I just kept seeing his face and him holding the orb and pushing it into his or my chest and the body on the ground. Jesus. Yeah. Well, I'm not having visions right now, so I'm happy to follow another one.

This is not where I'm supposed to be. Thanks, Caduceus. Does he say stuff like that a lot? Okay. I'm happy to entertain your desire to go find out more about this ball inside of you, but there's other things that we might want to do, too.

Sure, yeah. Is it warmer down there? You have things that you wanted to accomplish to the north, right? Oh, no. No, I have no specific destination in mind. I'm happy to accompany you if the group sees fit. Have you ever been to the Menagerie Coast?

How far south have you been? No, I have never been out of the Empire. Yeah, me neither. It's warmer, there's certainly less snow. That's a plus, you guys. Going into wintertime kind of sucks. I'm already sold. Plus, further away from the front lines in this war.

What about you? Me? Yeah. I'll go where you go, Caleb. I won't be... I worry about a couple things. Yasha said she'd come back when she was ready. If we're not here, then I don't know how she'll find us. I mean, I feel like her and Molly always have the connection. She always knew how to find us because she knew how to find Molly, but.

Well, maybe we could leave word. What? I suppose. Can't Jester send messages to us? Yes, Jester could send her a message. Your past self isn't allowed to laugh at current things. I'm having a weird joke. No reactions from Molly here. No, no.

That's all. There's no way to predict when she will come back. Maybe, you don't know. I don't know that, that's invasive. It's so great. Who are you drinking? Who are you drinking? Who are you drinking? Yeah.

I guess if we could send Molly, I mean, Yasha, a message, that would be better. You know, I, yeah. I previously wanted to go north of the Sultry's Academy, but I just feel like that's another step in the direction that's not really pressing for right now. Plus, it sounds like, gauging by this letter, someone's going to catch up with us sooner or later looking for whatever's inside of you. Yeah. And there's no telling that they're going to

share any information with me anyway. I mean, I'm fucking absorbing things, and shit just appears, and I'm getting stronger by the day, and it has nothing to do with the things that I'm learning. There's no books or knowledge, it's just happening. I mean, what if they look at me like I'm, kind of like you guys look at me sometimes? What if they don't let me go?

Maybe that's not where I need to be. How we look at you sometimes? Like you're awesome? Like we're awestruck? Like weird shit is happening. That's accurate, yeah. I do look at you like that sometimes. Yeah.

And not very explained at all? Yeah, it's hard when you're the only one experiencing it. It's hard to relay. Well, what if you tried? Yeah, I'm certainly open to that. Like, how about right now? What do you want to know? Is there any of this

that you have not shared yet? I don't believe so. I did tell Molly before we were taken about a crewmate of mine named Sabian. He was the one that ambushed the ship, that caused the explosion that threw me overboard, the one that probably sent Bandren to his fate.

After I woke up on the shore afterwards, I found the sword and I wasn't quite sure where I was. I found a road and managed to hitch a ride back towards Port Damali and when I got there, I went to Vandran's storehouse and I planned to go through his things. I was more high up on the crew than Sabian was, but his place had been ransacked,

gone through, torn through, and there was a local butcher next door that I walked into, and he had said that he was glad to see at least one other of us, that no one else had returned. I said, well, who was the other one? And he had said Sabian, so I feel like he somehow survived. He knows what happened, why it happened, he had said Sabian, so I feel like he somehow survived. He knows what happened, why it happened,

and I can't bear the thought of something happening to me because I'm pursuing this and I summon the sword. You see as the blade now as this unique merger of the falchion shape and size, but now holds the golden tint of the Summer's Dance. It curves towards the edge and has the slight pointed jagged arch in the back that the scimitar had previously held, but still contains the barnacle-crusted pattern

across the hilt, and there in the center still is the central yellow gleaming eye. I don't want to be focused on this. I want to be focused on that. Plus, I feel like if those events led to this, maybe there's a remedy for the whole thing. So you want to find Sabian and hope that he has the answers? Or just kill him, that'd be fine.

But yeah, maybe some answers first. And you're sure this motherfucker was like soul sabotager? He and I have a long history, but. Okay. After he, so we were in the storm. He ran below decks and he placed a bundle next to a lot of the crates that we were shipping.

That was unusual for him, so I followed him down and I saw him with a lantern in his hand. And when he turned, he had lit what looked like a fuse. I called out, he threw a few daggers at me, they hit. I went down, he ran past me, and just as I made my way back above decks, I called his name and I saw him at the bow of the ship, and it looked like he was preparing to jump overboard,

which in a storm like that is insane. And that's when the explosion hit. It ripped into my back, it threw me over, and I remember going underwater and seeing parts of the ship fall and flames above the water, and I could see things falling, and some of it was cargo,

and some of it looked like me. I just feel like he was prepared to get the hell out of Dodge. Just so I'm clear, because I really feel like I'm playing catch up, he's the one responsible for that pearl that you got in you? No, no, my teacher, my captain, Bandran,

is the one I saw in this vision, and he had the same sphere. And I saw myself through his eyes, and he was holding the sphere and pushing it into his chest. He was also standing over a man, and I saw his reflection. He seemed younger, so I don't know when it was,

but I didn't know that side of him. He was an exacting man, firm but fair, I don't know when it was, but I didn't know that side of him. He was an exacting man, firm but fair. It just leaves more questions than I have answers to. I mean, no offense or anything, but these sound like some crazy ass fucking sailors. You speak of a remedy. How do you mean? Do you mean you would rid yourself of that blade,

these changes in you, or am I not hitting it? I honestly don't know. I've thought about what it was like before I had this, and I'll make the sword disappear. Life was simple, but I also don't feel like I had the ability to affect my surroundings. I was not a proponent of change. It's selfish, but I feel like I can do things now.

I don't know if I would get rid of it, but I want to know what happened to him. I owe him that much. Oh, good morning. Oh, it's just a long night. What you guys talking about? Next destination. Fjord's angry marble in his chest. Yeah, I was thinking that if you wouldn't be opposed,

maybe we could go back to Menagerie Coast and stop by your mom's place in Nicodranas. Well, I mean, I would have to disguise myself, but yeah, we could probably go there. Disguise yourself? Well, I can't go back home. Oh, right. If you want to go to the Menagerie Coast,

you know I'm always on board for that fort, but what about the Academy? Yeah, I was telling them, I feel like instruction isn't exactly what I need. It's not going to get me anything yet. I just feel like I need to take steps in the right direction, does that make sense? Feels like I'm kind of stalling.

Wants to deal with his little. Yeah, the letter does say the Wayfarer's Cove and it says that it's supposed to be delivered by the end of this month, so I feel like there's some urgency if we're going to capitalize on intercepting this. For what it's worth, Soltryce Academy normally starts

with younger students, not exclusively, but generally. Oh, I hadn't realized. What if you show up with inherent abilities? I don't know. I mean, you don't want to give anything. I think whatever gifts you've been given, I don't want to give any... I think whatever gifts you've been given, if they're natural and progressive, I mean, figure that out on your own first.

You don't want to give them back, right? Well, certainly not yet. I mean. If it'll help me find that fuck, then I'd prefer to hold onto them. They're called gifts for a reason, right? It'd be rude to give them back. I don't know how I'd give it back.

I like that. That's really good. Maybe you have to poop it out. Yeah, like passing a stone. Mm-hmm. Poop it out. It would really hurt, but it could happen. Could go through his pee-pee hole, too. That's true. Kidney stones.

So. I don't know. Maybe somebody else has already done what you did, and they already pooped it out. And now it's in you. And then I ate the poop stone. Yep. Yep. Didn't wash it off or nothing. Nope.

It was underwater, though, so. That's true, that is true. That's probably why it was underwater. Probably ate the not-for-deeds poop. Cannon. No, that's what would happen if it actually came out of your pee hole. I poop out my pee hole.

Anyway. Yeah. We're going to go land a destination. Menagerie Kosdunk? Yeah. Sure. I would hate to go without all of you. We stick together. Well, what we've been through in the last month,

it seemed foolish to split up now. I'm curious about the menagerie ghost. Me too. You guys could meet my mom! I'm excited. So want to meet your mom. Just to be clear, we could meet your mom, but you can't? I can meet her. I can see her. You're just not supposed to be seen coming back.

Exactly. She would be okay with you. I will let her know to expect us. Oh, speaking of, before you came down. I'm going to need you to send a message to Yasha. Do you need to know where she is to send that message? Nope, I just need to know it's her. It might be good to just let her know

where we're going in case she wants to find us. Okay. I send a message to Yasha. Hello, Yasha. I'm really sorry that the last time we left, it was really hard for all of us, but we wanted to let you know that we are probably... No destination. I send another message to Yasha.

The next day? No, I've got three. Oh, okay. Four double spots, I think. Four because of my pearl. So I'm going to send another one. Sorry I got cut off earlier. Anyway, what I was saying is that we're leaving Zadash and we're on our way out over the hills

and we're going to go to probably, anyway, I get to it eventually. Okay. Best use of ascending ever. Yep. Seven spell slots later. You have. Seven. Okay, I'm starting at the top again. Yasha's somewhere just going like.

All right, have you guys decided to start making your way to the Menagerie Coast? Wait, but I got to get my handaxe first, so I picked that up. Yeah, easy enough. What time is it? We worked real hard on this one. I hope you enjoy what we've imbued into this previously

not very interesting weapon to make it just a whole lot more interesting. It is so interesting. Did you want to put a ribbon on it or something to make it look like you? Do you want to request a ribbon? We've got multiple colors. What colors?

Green and gold. That's multiple. It is technically. By definition, respectfully, not an incorrect statement. Let's do green. Very well. That's the way it matches my cape.

Does this, oh, nice bow. It's really pretty, thank you. Yeah, we very, quite literally, the very least I could do. Bloop. What does it do? It's a plus one. Plus one damage.

Hit and damage. Ooh! So plus one handaxe. Plus one handaxe, thank you. No worries. Before we set out, I'm going to pull Caleb aside and just, you know, a moment, Caleb. Are you sure you want to go down to the coast?

I mean, there's stuff for you to do up north where you were from before. It is dangerous there. Well, of course, but we will have to do it at some point. We're all together now. Not yet. All right. You know, I won't lie, I'm sort of...

Now that we're all together again, I wouldn't mind swinging by my old stomping grounds, either. Where's the map? Is that on the... It's on the way, well, it's on a way north, if we wanted to go that way. To the north, it's not towards Menagerie Cove? No, it's more east. It's east. Where's the map? It's not towards the Menagerie. No, it's more east. But it's east. Where's the map? It's east.

It's due east, but it's definitely not west. We're here. It's due east, but the coast is what, down here? We could also, we could, I mean, if you really wanted to, but we could PCH this and basically just hit the coast and then just take that really annoyingly long drive from San Francisco, but it's so pretty. There it goes, there it is.

Thanks, Matt. If you want to propose it to the group, I'm happy to go, of course. Yeah, I can wait. I don't mind waiting. So. I don't have a specific. You're from Diasda? No.

What's the time on that? It's the end of the month, right? On the delivery. We're at the beginning of this month? Correct. We'll be back this way again soon. We'll have to come through Zadash and we can... I mean... That is the next place we go. It looks like the main road goes through Felderwyn anyway. Yeah, the main road away from the next place we go. Not, it looks like the main road goes through Felderwin anyway.

Yeah, the main road away from the Menagerie Coast. Yeah, but, yep, you're right. Maybe that's a river, that's not a road. That's a big-ass road. It's a real big. You can see that, and mountains. So much water on this road. Before we leave, can I just stop by the Pillow Trove

and let them know any mail coming for me or Miss LaVore Esquire, please forward that to the Menagerie Coast by way of Nicodranas and my mom's place. Okay. Ruby, this season placed in as your forwarding service. I tell you what, after the coast, we will propose it to the group.

If they don't want to go, I will go with you. All right. You're more powerful now, aren't you? I saw you got a bunch of paper. Got the paper? I don't know. Well, you've been doing new spells and things. It's pretty...

Go ahead. No, it's pretty incredible. Have you been able to, you know, do anything that you've wanted to be studying, like some special spectacular spells that can... I mean, I've expanded my repertoire. I have a few new tricks that I will hold onto for the right moment.

Are you okay? I think so. I think I'm okay. Okay. You seem a'm okay. Okay. You seem a little restless to me. Well, it's just ever since, you know, Molly fell, I've just been, there's just a bit of a sense of urgency, you know?

We have things that we need to do and we don't have forever to do them. So I just want to keep you on your path and I want to keep on my path as well. I'm working on mine. Mine is a little long old, perhaps. What is it that you're working on? Just learning new magic?

You know what I've done. I know, but I don't know how you're going to undo it. Well, I don't have one plan in mind. Part of me thinks that I should just stop it from happening to anyone else. Part of me is very, very selfish, and wants to carve it out of my past. That's not selfish, that's important. It's dangerous. Not just to me.

Oh. Well, I think I understand a little about that, too. There's things that I want to change as well. Things that would be risky to change. But sometimes you have to take a big risk, if it's that important. That is true. You are my greatest friend. Little old me? I like you because you are funny. Okay.

But it's more than that. We will get you what you want, even if there is some risk. Because if it's truly important, it's worth the risk, yeah? Yes. Okay. You and I, we have an agreement, a pact. Yes. Whatever you need, we're going to make it happen.

Even if it's risky. Yes, we're going to do it. You'll help me? Yeah. No matter what. If it is in my power, I will do it. Good. Well then, onward to the beach.

That's funny. I've never been to the beach. Oh. I bet you would sunburn easily. You should probably coat yourself with a layer of dirt just to make sure. Done and done. I'm just thinking about that. I think I wasn't. All right. I thought you were done with it.

Yeah, you are. So, as you've reconvened, are there any last materials you need to pick up for the journey, or are you ready to move? I'm going to black cat a hat, a straw hat, to replace the one I stole from him. Okay. Caduceus' hat replaced.

I'm also going to distribute what I stole from him. Okay. Caduceus' hat replaced. I'm also going to distribute, I made everybody a potion of healing. You made that? I made them myself. They got a bit of a weird flavor, but they're... The hat in the hat delivers. Great. Level one. Basic. Level one. But still.

Caduceus can now. You basic. Caduceus can make one healing potion for 25 gold and one day of downtime. It's just a nice little pick me up if anyone goes down next to you. You know, I had that at Keyleth at later levels. I never fucking used it.

Wow, thanks, Keyleth. Hashtag thanks, Keyleth. Hashtag thanks, Keyleth. She had better options by then. We got super busy. We could go anywhere on the planet at any time. Yeah, don't miss those days. It's a bad thing to have at later levels,

so there's better at lower levels. Yeah, boosh. It's like, oh, you can teleport anywhere? Cool, let me just prepare the world every week. Don't miss that at all. Matt, we want to go to Brazil. No, Norway. All right.

Goddamn it, Sam. Oh, sorry. All right, so as you gather your supplies, finish your business here for the time being, you gather up your new cart that you brought down from Shadycreek Run. Invisi-cart. And your horses, two that pulled the cart, and you have?

Dancing Queen and Mama Mia. Correct. So you have your two horses and the cart. Do we need more for the journey? Or is that enough? Didn't we have a couple more, too? No, we set them free. Yep. Oh, that's right.

That's enough. So your two horses and your cart, you leave the southern gates of Zadash, making your way southward, retracing your steps down through Alfield and Trostenwald to eventually make your way to the Wu Yun Gorge, the Wu Yun Gates, where you two first began this journey in session zero, and southward to the Menagerie Coast beyond.

That's where we'll finish tonight's episode. We'll pick up for that next week. Yeah. This is going to be a whole different flavor. I'm excited. I'm so excited. You are. Well shit, all right.

We'll pick up for that next week. As a reminder, the week after that, Marisha, myself, and Taliesin will be out in the thing in the desert. Unavailable. Indisposed. Indisposed. However, that doesn't mean that we're going dark. There will be a special one-shot happening that week.

That's the last week of August, last Thursday of August. More details to come as far as that's concerned. But yeah, so just preparing you guys for that. There'll be a week off of the main story. But we'll be back next week to see this next leg of the journey and see where it takes us. In the interim, thank you again, D&D Beyond. Thank you guys for coming along with us.

Derv and Dern. D&D Beyond. Don guys for coming along with us D&D Beyond no no now we're done make love to me tonight but yeah so anyway have a wonderful night guys thanks for coming along with us we love you and is it Thursday yet? goodnight 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 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?