Critical Role - C2E78 Between the Lines

Episode Date: September 26, 2019

The Mighty Nein return to Zadash, where lore and knowledge await those that know where to look...Watch Critical Role live Thursdays at 7pm PT on https://www.twitch.tv/criticalrole

Hello, spellcasters, sages, and spectators. I'm Ashley Johnson, and you're listening to the Critical Role Podcast Network. Tap into our magical narrative by watching Critical Role as it airs on Thursdays at 7 p.m. Pacific on twitch.tv slash criticalrole or youtube.com slash criticalrole. Twitch subscribers can watch the video on demand right away, or you can catch it the following Monday on YouTube. As always, Critical Role will be available right here in podcast form on Thursdays,

a week after the initial broadcast. And now, let's scry into the story and see what mysteries it holds for us, shall we? Welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role, where a bunch of us nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons. We're Dungeons & Dragons! What'd you say?

So before we get into tonight's episode, we have to figure out why Sam is the way he is. Via one of our two fantastic sponsors tonight, the first of which is our returning friends at D&D Beyond. Sam? Do not use my, oh, thank you. Do not use my common name. Among my coven, I am known as the Web Weaver.

Oh god. Hail Zerial! And also hail D&D Beyond for sponsoring this hellish episode of Critical Role. Our world is a pit of corruption and false idols. Right now, we take the left-hand path, walking sky-clad amid a cesspool of depravity. And also right now, D&D Beyond is promoting their collaboration with...

D&D Beyond is promoting their collaboration with Beetle and Grimm. Stop looking at me! With their exclusive platinum edition box set of Baldur's Gate Descent into Avernus. Oh my goth. I would legit love this demonic box set, but my emotional soul is a desolate landscape of pain. Only the Nine Hells could warm this cold, dead heart.

That being said, the box does include full-scale battle maps, items for in-game use, like jewelry and handouts, exclusive encounter cards, and something that even the infernal galled, fuck. Even the infernal god Baal would covet. A D&D Beyond download code. The wheel turns! The rapture may cleanse humanity at any moment.

But if it takes a week or two, then go ahead and use code GBEYONDHELL at D&D, at dndbeyond.link slash BG of earnest to get 10% off your order. The mink shall be consecrated. Praise Beelzebub! Praise Mephistopheles!

And praise D&D beyond! Oh. Holy. I've never met or talked to a goth person. I don't know how they act or anything. I got one. But he's normal. I don't know how a real goth person.

Wow. I mean. I mean, after this, I feel normal. Let me tell you, this was a dark mirror to stare into. This was a heavy mirror to stare into, and I've got to reevaluate some things now. I mean, I've never seen you in your goth persona. That's true.

So I don't know what you're like. I have definitely seen whoever this is at a couple clubs that I then immediately left. Why does that sound like your surfer dudes? I really only do two voices, Laura. I'm not like, you guys are all really talented voice actors and I just do me and slightly younger me. Thank you, Sam. Sure.

And thank you, D&D Beyond. I'm sorry? It's always perpetually and eternally sorry. Our second sponsor tonight, our friends, The Deck of Many. You've seen them, they've done the official D&D cards previous years. They're now releasing, if you haven't seen

up to this point, their new animated spell collection, which is pretty badass. If you guys haven't seen it yet, they have a bunch of cards that are references up to level four, I think, of various spells in the game, but they have all the information and their lenticulars that animate. Or let the, what is it?

Yeah, they move, they're animated. Let me see one. Got banished. Oh! I spent a good hour with these cards and my kids today. My kids flipped out over this. Oh my god. They love it.

Oh my gosh, these are so cool. So you got, this is now available, which is awesome, which are the spell cards. And for those who ever want to be really great DMs and ruin their world, there's the Deck of Many Animated Things, which actually has all the Deck of Many Things cards that are also animated.

Tempted Travis. Which includes, yeah, there's the classic Void card that gave us our one shot, or two shots. The Void is like my heart and soul. Yeah, that's pretty good. Yeah, sort of. I'm listening to Bauhaus right now. There's the Fool.

It's a little more of a Sam scenario. So anyway, this shit's really cool. These cards have all relevant spell information you need for the player on each of these. Eight frames of animation on each of the cards. They have other reference decks like this I pointed out, which you can find at their store, thedeckofmany.com slash CriticalRule.

You can use the code CriticalRuleALROLLE, one word, to get $5 off your order. So thank you guys for your support. Check out the cool shit! That's cool, have them back! Great. I'll get to that. Well, better than like. I appreciate the undershot.

Yeah. It would be. Awesome, we have some other announcements to get through. In case you guys missed it, our latest episode of Between the Sheets recently aired, hosted by our friend, Pastor Brian W. Foster, featuring our friend for a long time and one of the people responsible for this whole show

and channel, Felicia Day. Felicia Day! It's now available on our YouTube channel, if you haven't had a chance to see it yet, so you can go ahead and check it out there. Also, a huge thanks to all the critters that came out to Heroes Comic Con Sweden. I was there this past weekend in Stockholm,

and it was amazing. I got to meet so many incredible. You, Catelyn, are you having a rough time? It's okay. I'm getting all the ones out before the game. Oh, I got you. I was like, bad experience in Sweden? I couldn't. No, no, no.

Sorry, I'm testing. It has nothing to do with anybody besides herself. There you go. No. Jesus. Anyway, sorry, I'm testing. It has nothing to do with anybody besides herself. There you go. Oh, Jesus. Anyway, thank you all for coming out. I had a wonderful time at the convention. Got to meet a bunch of fantastic critters from all over Europe and beyond.

But yeah, I had a great time, and thank you guys. We have an enormous programming schedule update coming next Wednesday, including brand new shows and a whole bunch of new Everything is Content specials. So keep an eye out coming next Wednesday, including brand new shows and a whole bunch of new everything is content specials. So keep an eye out that next Wednesday to have the announcements revealed before you. You said we have!

Indeed. So yeah, keep an eye on CritRole.com and our social media outlets for that information as it comes. And also an important housekeeping update, we will not have a regular episode of CriticRole on Thursday, October 3rd, because we have enough people out of town.

It's New York Comic Con. Yeah, New York Comic Con. Blame New York Comic Con. Enough people out of town that we're just not going to be able to really do an episode properly. We'll be gone. However, that doesn't mean we're not going to do something. There's something pretty silly.

A one-of-a-kind one-shot will be in place that Thursday, given by our very own Sam Riegel. Yeah. I'm the web weaver! So fear not, there will be shenanigans here. And then I believe that should be probably the last upheaval to the Mighty Nein story. Schedule for a while,

and in the past month has been a little shaky. Sorry about that, but we're back in after that. But this one should be very interesting. So check out our programming announcement next Wednesday for the additional information on that as well. Laura, there's a quick announcement you have as well. Yes, I do have an announcement. Tonight is the final night for our Vex and Percy.

Pre-order. Beautiful rings. Yes, those rings will be gone after tonight. Oh wait, this is the last time you can order them, period. Is that? Oh man. This is it. This is it. Oh shit. Yeah, and a pre-order, yeah. I need some more rings, so that would be good.

You do. So there'll be no way of getting these rings after the fact? I'm going to find out. Okay. I'm just curious. I don't think there will be, I think this is it. I feel like to find out. Okay. I'm just curious. I don't think there will be. I think this is it. I feel like this is it.

Okay then, well then get your orders in. Yeah. Oh shit. Oh, but I'll find out, and I'll let you guys know before the night is out. There you go. But the pre-orders end tonight. There you go. Thank you, Laura. Shit, I suck at this.

Looks good on you, Taliesin, by the way. I feel good. It does look great. Yeah, it really does. I feel very good. I catch her as a handsome ring. Hell yeah. good. I catch it. It's a handsome ring. Hell yeah. Awesome, I believe that's the last of our announcements. Can we fork Sam's tongue before the game starts? Does that hurt?

Not at all. You got the length of our intro to do it, so. Get the flyers. So with that, let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Quirky Role. The adventure begins, they were always beside you Your nerdy best friends and the DM to guide you And they rise from the flames for the battles ahead

Villains beware cause you're about to be dead They got magic and flair They got falchions and cunning They don't see over there There's a monster incoming Inspiration is waiting Rise up, don't see over there, there's a monster incoming Inspiration is waiting, rise up, don't think twice Put your fate in your hands, take a chance, roll the dice Roll the dice

Can you answer the call? Digging deep in your soul as the legend unfolds. Now it's your turn to roll! Welcome back. So last we left off, get a little bit of music going there.

Last we left, oh. The pre-orders. You got information? I already know. What is it? We'll get to it in a second, yes? They will be gone after pre-order closes. Okay. No way to get them after this, so. Ah, well then you better get in.

Yeah. All right. So last we left off, the Mighty Nein, after making friends with the Bright Queen, after finding their way across the entirety of Xhorhas, seeking what looks to be some sort of strange demon entity named Obann, losing an ally to some sort of magic,

and seeking the information about this Laughing Hand figure. You made your way back to Nicodranas to head northward back into the Empire where all of this began. You met up and are currently that night spending the evening within some rooms provided by Mary and Lavorre where all of this began. You met up and are currently that night spending the evening within some rooms provided by Merry and Lavor,

within the Lavish Chateau in Nicodramas. You scryed on your friend Yasha and discover that there is some sort of attack in the midst of happening in some sort of a library. Gathering your thoughts, you rested for the night as well as you could with the new information. We begin with the familiar for some of you and welcome warm sunrise

in the city of Nicodranas on the Menagerie Coast. So, Mighty Nein, as you come to consciousness and gather yourselves, what would you like to do? How do you do this again? Yeah. Yeah. I'm going to go downstairs and just eat all of the pastries because we haven't had them in a long time

and these ones have cinnamon. Take your magic bag with you so you can load up. Obviously. All right, sorry. Okay. You spent the night there? You did, yes. Okay. You were given rooms.

Am I? You scryed the next morning. I'm with my family. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, cool. Did I scry in the morning? I'm with my family. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, cool. Did I scry in the morning? I'm trying to remember. It's been two weeks. I'll look at my...

Your character sheet would have the spell spent if it was. Yeah, in another room, you have been reintroduced to Yeza, your husband, as well as Luc. Old Edith is also still there, slowly tramping around there. Her sight's a bit rusty, but she's happy to have at least been taken out of what seemed to be a danger zone or Felderwin at the time and brought Luc here

and is happy just sitting back and eating some different type of food for breakfast than what she's used to, the usual oatmeal and biscuits that has continuously met her in the morning for most of her life. What would the rest of you like to do, if anything? Did I already use both of my fifth levels? I scribed twice this morning? I think you did.

One failed and one succeeded, so. Got it, okay. I will go down into the common room to eat as well and wait for everyone to gather, because we need to decide. Good morning. Good morning, Caleb. We need to decide what we are going to do after we spent a little bit of time.

Have you spent any time with your mother? No, she wasn't awake when I came downstairs yet. Probably should not stay too long. We should end Linkard now. I know. We can go to Zadash, though, and see my dad, which will be cool. That would be cool. Mm-hmm.

Do you want to be going to discuss that with your mother, or is that with your mother? Or is that just for you? I don't know yet. What if, you know, I talk to him and he's like, oh yeah, I totally left her, I didn't. And I don't want her to know that. So maybe I shouldn't tell her I'm going to see him. I think there's an argument for that, yeah.

Right? Yeah, absolutely. Because, I mean, honestly, if she's like, oh no, Jester, I don't want you to go see him, that sucks, because I want to see him, and I don't want you to have to follow that or something. What do you think? Well, I think that's your call to make. It's a very personal choice.

I wonder if there is some way to definitively settle it with him. Yeah, what do you mean? Like kill him? Oh, good morning, Voth. Hi, sorry. Veth, it's Veth.

Oh, right, good morning, Voth. Hi, sorry. Veth, it's Veth. Oh, right, good morning, Veth. Like, definitively. Well, your mother thinks it's him. You could draw a picture of him. Oh, what I was thinking could be really fun, don't tell anyone. I was thinking, when we get to Zadash, when we get to where he lives,

I could make myself look like my mom. Oh! That would be something, yeah. Yeah, and then I could be like, oh my gosh, Beledon, I missed you so much, you know? From maybe five to 10 feet back, yeah? Well, here's the thing. I just feel like every time that I talk to him,

he's a little bit like, I don't know, because he never met me in person or anything, so he doesn't know for sure that it's me or that I exist. So he might think, no, but if he sees my mama, he will definitely know. Yeah, there will be no mistaking his reaction. Exactly. Just you want to be careful the reaction you're going to get,

but there's no way to know unless you know. If he's like, oh, Marianne, I really missed you, and he comes in like he's going to do something, I'll just snap myself back, and then he'll know it's me and then he won't do anything and it won't be weird. We all know it's you. Good morning. Good morning, Beau.

Hi. Have some pastries and cinnamon. Oh, yeah. I think it could be weird still, but... Family. It'll be fine. We'll be fine. Ah, morning.

We're going to see my sister. Oh god, but keep it down, because I don't want my mom to find out. We're going to go see my dad. Is your mom listening right now? She could be. Oh. Yeah, it is thin walls.

Does she do that? No. There's no insulation in this place. But I did. We totally do it. You do hear the faint creaking of wood upstairs. There is movement. They're shuffling about. She's awake!

Maybe that's Fjord. Mornin'. Ah. Nope, this wasn't Fjord. Damn. Did you use to eavesdrop on people? All the time. How did you do that?

What do you mean? I mean, did you go to doorways and push your ears? There's all these little spots, you see that little crevice up there, you can sort of see it through the two slats? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where does that go? Well, that's just on the other side of it is another hotel room, but if you're in there,

you can hear everything that's happening in this room. Oh. Hold on. I get up and run up there. Okay. Is anybody in there? In the little crevice I used to hide in. Call space? There's nobody in there at the moment, no. It's all clear! I come back down.

Wait, wait, wait, Jester, stay up there. Okay. I run back up. Can you hear me now? Yep. Yeah! Can you hear me now? What about now? Can you hear us now? Can you hear this? I can hear everything that you're saying

because these are the best! Can you hear me about this? Can you hear this? Yeah. I can hear everything they're saying because these are the best! Can you hear? What about this? Can you hear this? I can tell you're whispering! Okay, okay. Why are you all yelling so much? Oh, we're just doing a little sound check. Crevice check. Where's Jester?

She's in the crevice doing the sound check. Oh. What is she? You see Marion coming down the stairs, Jester. She's in the crevice, doing the sound check. Oh. Watch this. You see Marion coming down the stairs, robe closed in the front. Good morning, everyone. I come running out of the crevice. Okay.

Ah. Hi, Mama. Is that Fyna? Hello. Good morning. Good morning. I wasn't expecting, you know, an arrival so late in the evening, but happy to have you. How long will you be staying?

Not very long, unfortunately. In and out. Understood. Yeah. Well, if there's anything I can do before you leave, let me know. Do you know how long you'll be gone? Or will you be coming back anytime soon? Don't know anything.

Okay. But we'll pass through again, because we have Traveler Con coming up, so. Right. Do you want to come to it? You're probably down to fuck. It would be really fun if you did. Tell me more about it at some point. I'll send you some messages.

Yeah, please, I'm curious to hear about it. She's very excited, it seems to be like quite a crowd will be gathering for this. Potentially. A volcano, yes? I mean, that's got to be advertised clearly on the pamphlets. A volcano? Yes, but don't worry, not in the dangerous part of it,

just the cool part. Very well. Yeah. All right, I am, you have some plans. Well, regardless, before you leave, just let me know so I can say goodbye. I'm going to go, and she walks over to the kitchen,

you can see there's already a plate set aside for her, part of the morning routine, and she takes it and heads back up the stairs with it. Is she okay? Does she seem okay? Am I getting vibes like she's upset or distressed about, or a little stressed out? You can make an inside check if you want. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Look at her first roll. 22. Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Get her first roll.

22. 22. She seems, at the very least, sad that it's such a short meeting. You know, it doesn't seem like she's upset by anything more than just the fact that it's, you know, a hello and goodbye, but that's all. Okay. I see you're all in rather good spirits this morning. Certainly the tale that Jester told last night

is quite dire. Mm-hmm. Have we discussed it all? How we plan to follow up on what she saw? I think we should not tarry here too long. I don't know if we are going to make that just part of the day, or if we feel like we can wait another night. I hate to leave your mother so fast,

although I worry about your people. Yeah, I should probably check in on this all. Mm. Do I know anybody there that we could send a message to? Zenoth, maybe, Archivist Zenoth. I met them. You met them?

In Zadash? In Zadash, early on, he was following me. What the fuck is going on? You put crushed ice in there. No, you're putting sand and gravel in your drinks now. Wig hair all stuck to your damn... It's just a damn mess. I thought crushed ice would be a good idea,

but it sounds like it's a bunch of rocks in here. I didn't know you were such a fan of grape nuts. That's a menagerie ghost delicacy. Taliesin, I just lost one of your rings. I think it fell in the flask. You knew the first time, that's okay. Oh god! First time. Well. Off to a great start.

It only takes him that which makes it stronger. Put it here. There's a pirate ring in the flask. He'll find it later. He trips his front teeth. Yarrg. Oh god. All right. Not just Beau's compatriots,

but also this is our first lock on where Yasha's been, period, since we saw her and that thing. I mean. I don't know why I thought she would be sticking more to unpopulated areas. It seems like whatever they were looking for. They found it. They found.

Well, this could be a good thing. How? It is an incredible journey from where they were to Zadash, yes? He was teleporting. We did it, yeah, with teleportation. That's right, you said that you saw them disappear at the end of your vision, right?

So they could travel anywhere. Is there any way to trace a teleportation after it's been triggered? That's an excellent question. If anyone could do it, it would be Caleb. Have I ever heard of such a thing? I mean, not beyond just scrying again on the individuals who teleported.

There's nothing to trace directly. There's no receipt that prints out. It's like, thank you. Not really, unfortunately. You can email it to me. They were looking for something. If we find out what they were looking for or what they took, then that might be a clue

into how to stop what they're doing. It's the first moment we've had for that. We won't get there too quickly, either. We have to make our way. No, it's going to take some time. Let's go get some horses. So it's a place of knowledge, yes? Record keeping, histories, things like that?

Yeah. How many of those are there in Wildemount? There's, I believe, just one here in Wildemount. Two here in Wildemount. Two here in Wildemount. You owe us a fucking dash. No, there's a library, or there's an archive in Rexxentrum, and there's one in Zadash.

Okay, right in the capital, and in Zadash. And there's one in Port Damali. These are cobalt places? Yeah, cobalt places. Oh, that's close. We're close to one. Uh-huh. It's about equ Yeah, cobalt places. Oh, that's close. We're close to one. Uh-huh. It's about equidistant. Mm-hmm. Oh.

Hey. Equidistant? Yeah. And then? Do you think they hit the other ones before they hit this one? I mean, they, yeah. Could you, should we check in with Port Damali and see if they have been hit, and maybe that's where they're going next if they haven't?

I don't know if I know anyone in Port Damali. It feels like they found what they were looking for. It does? You know? Yeah. But I mean, I don't know how many libraries they hid in between. Or they may have a teleportation circle to the other library, and if we say

that we have information on what happened, maybe. That's true. They may be able to send us. Teleportation circles. That's true. We may be able to send them. We're very susceptible to partition circles. Hey. Way to set that up. It's like a fax machine. For the most part, there are,

there is one in each facility that is used to anchor to each one and transition between, but it's not an open passageway. It's something that's utilized only for necessary travel of those that are generally pretty high rep or on specific missions for the archive. I'm an Expositor now, so that means I've got access that I didn't have before.

Hey, hey, yeah. Yeah. Are we trying to send some sort of a message to the Port Damali Cobalt Soul? I think if we just get to Zadash, they'll already know and we can get word from them if the other reserves have been hit. Is there any sense to sending a message to the one in Port Damali and saying,

if you haven't suffered an attack, to at least increase your security? That would be smart. If they don't know of the attack in Zadash? Do I know of any expositors or archivists in Port Damali, Cobalt? No, unfortunately, most of your study was specifically within the Empire.

We know Twiggy. She was in Port Damali. We both would know people in Port Damali. Yeah, you would have probably passed through some folks that saw your mother, but they were customers. You have some people that you knew back then. But the people that were close to you, you have no idea where they are.

I mean, yeah, our best bet would be reaching out to someone like Twiggy and having her deliver the message. Do you think a message from Twiggy would be very trustworthy? No, I don't. That's a very fair point. I think the monks at the Soul would look at her like she was either crazy or they'd laugh and say they already knew. Well, then to Zadash we go.

We need to start somewhere. We can't get there quick as we want, but we will get there, and the trail will probably have gone cold, but you can talk to your folk. Maybe we will see something, if they allow us to look, that they missed, perhaps. Then we talk to your father

and see if he has heard of any rumblings of the Beacon. Right. Didn't he have some, I don't know what's going on with all these locations on that map and stuff. There's like, wasn't there somewhere up north that was creepy that people were at that were like? A little more specific. I know.

Probably. You know. That's called Wild Mind. You know when Fjord and Yasha and I were missing, you guys went somewhere that's- Oh, yes, yes, you guys went somewhere that's- Oh, yes, yes, yes. And then there's something having to do with it. Shady Creek. From the criminal time.

Shady Creek Run. Did you get it? No. No, you didn't. No. You did it. Yeah, near Shady Creek Run, there was something. I don't remember, oh, no, that was the family,

the rival family. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Jagont remember. Oh, no, that was the family, the rival family. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Jagentoths. The Jagoffs, yeah. The Jagoffs. The Jagoffs. Yes, well, they're working with the slave trade and Reani. That's all very nebulous.

That's not a lead to go on. Unless we wanted to check in on them, because if I was going to smuggle a dodecahedron thing, that I might. Smuggle isn't a really funny word. Smuggle is a funny word. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty good. To Zadash! To Zadash. How are we going to get through the border?

That's another good question. We did it before. Well, we did it the other way. No, we did it both ways. We did do it both ways. We did? Yeah. Oh, maybe you weren't. Oh, that's right.

We forged a letter. That's right. Do you still have it? Maybe? No, he took it. It'll be on your equipment list on DMD Beyond. Yeah, sure it will. I'm pretty sure they took it. You may have to forge new documentation. I'm going to forge a new document,

but now that we know, I'm going to do a good one here, so we're not going to be traveling. Being an expositor help with that, too, maybe? Oh, right. Yeah, I'll put back all my vestiges when we get closer there. Cool. Okay. So you gather your things, you're buying horses? Yeah. How many horses are you buying?

How many rounds of horses have we bought this game? You know? We're going to trade a lot. A lot! There's a lot of wild horses you've left out in the open, and three morebounders that are wandering. Fourbounders. We spent so much money on those morebounders.

Hey, what's the problem when you teleport around a bunch? Yeah. It's when you get there with animals and you teleport back, you abandon them. You rush a Western, they don't last. They don't last. We want to do five horses, six horses? Three horses and a cart. Why do we need a cart?

I don't want to ride a horse. We're not going to just get a card just for you. We can go so much faster with having that. You've ridden more bounders, you don't want to ride a horse? On the back, it's gotten comfortable. You can ride on my shoulders while I ride the horse. All right, fine, I'll let this one slide.

Five horses. Okay. Okay. Five horses at 75 gold apiece. Fuck! Each of us pay for our own horse? I'm riding on the back. These are riding horses, so they go pretty quickly, like as far as distance goes.

Shit. Shit, shit! I just did something really bad! You got rid of all your gold? I got rid of all my gold without blocking you! Okay, okay, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. My jester's gone. I'm a new character now. I'm a new character now.

Well, I guess we've left the... If we're quiet, we all die. We've left the lady, the... Lavish asset. I'm going to go give her a hug guest. You've left the lady your lab. I'm going to give her a hug goodbye. I'm not just going to ghost. Has your laundry been done and folded? So yeah, you can go up to the room,

and you can see Marion's holding a book by her little dresser, where she keeps her jewelry, vanity, that's what I was looking for in the word. It turns towards you, Obnur. Hello, love. Hello, love. I'm sorry we couldn't stay longer.

It's all right. Your friends are doing amazing, wild things, and I'm just happy that you're okay. But be careful. I know. It's really hard. I can imagine. There's bad things going on in the world.

There always have been. But it's the good people like you and your friends that make the bad things, not everything, right? We're trying. That's all you can hope for, right? Yeah. These are really good people that I'm with. It's kind of amazing that we found each other.

I've always had a good feeling about them. I got you a present. What, you got a present for me? Yeah, it's nothing major, but I bought you. What did you get your mama? Let me find it. Okay. I got you a jar of fresh honey. Really? Mm-hmm.

It was from, we went and visited bees. I talked to them. I know, but Kajuceus told me how. It's so hard for me to believe you're talking to things. All you have to do is say hello. Well, I will try that next time. It's very good. Yes. Thank you so much, Jester. You're welcome, Omo.

I love you. I love you, too. He comes in and gives you a big hug and holds you a little longer, and then eventually lets go and beg and goes, Oh, before you leave, I got you a present, too. You did? I know you've been traveling quite a bit and you've been bouncing in some dangerous places.

Yes. I'd been saving up for you for some time, just in case you wanted to go to school or wanted to open a shop or whatever you wanted to do, and you found a different life than I expected. But if it can help keep you safe. She reaches beneath the bed and pulls out a small leather satchel that's buckled over

and has a little strap on it and hands it to you. She hands it to you and you feel already the coins shake inside. It's not much, but I hope it's helpful. Thank you, Mama. Of course. This will do some really good things, I think. I think you will do some really good things, I think. I think you will do some really good things, I think. That might just, might keep it more comfortable, please.

Thank you. Of course. Keep talking, please. I will, I'll send you so many messages. I look forward to them every time. Okay. I love you. I love you. I miss you already. I miss you already. She walks you off with your friends

and she gives everyone a little wave as you're gathering the horses and says, Take care of her. Yes, of course, as always. No, but I mean it, take care of her. Oh shit. Fucking eye contact, yeah. Or else. Oh, okay. I'm shook.

She's just laughing. You're way too easy to spook, each and every one of you. Need to work on that. If I can get to you, imagine what more impressive and imposing figures can. You're the most impressive and most imposing in the entire universe. You're right, I forgot.

Thank you, Jester, you're fine. Travel safe, everyone. I'm going to give my little one a hug goodbye. Luc comes out there. Okay, Mom, are you killing more things? Yeah, I got to go back to work, but I'll be back in a little while, just another check-in.

Okay. What else did you shoot while you were? Oh, boy, have we? Yeza goes like, Uh, Luc, it's okay. Your mother? It's the last thing we shot and- You don't have to answer that.

Well, it's the last thing we shot. You shot me in the fucking ass. I did, I shot Beauregard. Oh, sorry, sorry. That's awesome, that's... Exaggeration. Do you want to say that I still have a wound? No, no, sorry. She's like, that's awesome! That's, uh... Exaggeration. Do you want to sit here? I still have a wound. What? No, no.

I'll show you. She will. Keep your butthole closed. Oh, yeah. Lucone's hiding. Sends him back into the chateau. We'll be back soon. Okay, we'll be here. Okay.

Take care of Nugget. Don't worry, we will, he's getting very big. Don't go near the water, it's a murderer. Don't let him blink away. Okay. All right. He should get swimming lessons. Could save his life one day.

Or he could die learning. I mean, I feel like I read somewhere that 80% of swimming lessons end in death. That is not true. I don't know what logs you've been reading. I feel like that's an accurate number. No, that's not the truth. All right.

And we ride. He gives you a big hug and kiss and sends you off. I'll drop my illusion and turn into Nott. Your goth disguise goes away? Yes. Yes! This is my true self. I think at this point, when we have our Halloween episode, you're just not dressed.

Yeah. Just to keep a difference to recent designs. All right. How much did my mom give me? You go ahead and look in the side. Oh yeah. Okay. I just went right away, I'm not going to do it How much did my mom give me? You go ahead and look in the side. Oh yeah. Okay. I just went right away, I'm not going to do it in front of my mom. Yeah.

It's 750 gold pieces. She's been saving it for a while. Mama. Well, that covers the horses and then some. We already paid for the horses, so. We got the money after. Is there anything else in Nicodranas you want to do before you leave? No. All right.

I'm good. No. You did your forging? Yes, I forged. Okay. I fjorged. Perfect. You guys go ahead and begin your journey northward. Wow. My brain.

You're, you're, you're. Sleep apparently helps on occasion. You're so tired, Matt. I'm fine. Oof. Just a little jet lagged. All right, so heading northward towards the Wu Yun Gorge and back into the Empire.

First off, you said you were going to try and forge some documentation? Yes, I was trying to do it before we got on the road so that it wouldn't be all like. What is the context of the documentation? Oh, yeah. It's a letter from, give me a name of the kobold. Archivist Xenoth.

It's Archivist Xenoth. It's Archivist Xenoth. Giving permission for research for the faction crew on behalf of the Kobolds Reserve, Kobold Soul. Research the impact of the lunar cycles on the waves. Yeah, we could say that we were working with, what's his face? Yeah, what's his face? Yeah, what's fucking that? What's his name? Uth-uh-uh-uh-uh. Uthodurn.

Yep. Uthodurn was a town. Umagorn Smelt. Nope. Nope. Why don't we just leave it with the first name you said, and that's enough. Yeah, but it was going to be, yeah, I guess the guards will know that. Yeah, I'll write all that shit out.

All righty, on your third draft, after having to scratch it out a few times, go ahead and make, I'll write all that shit out. All righty, on your third draft, after having to scratch it out a few times, go ahead and make, I'll say with this, make a dexterity check with your proficiency modifier. And a, whoop! Woo! Give it beforehand, all right. What is it?

A dexterity or performance check? Dexterity with your proficiency. This is for, yeah, proficiency bonus and your dexterity bonus. Wow. With a d4. Yeah. Wow. I know, I rolled all the things beforehand and that's not... Okay.

14. Okay. Okay. Okay. You feel like you've done a fair enough job. All right. Sorry, guys. We're all big shits. Let's already put this in the jail for the night. You continue northward.

This is going to get filled up. It is a lengthy journey, approximately 13 and a half days to get to Zadash on horseback. Ooh! But you've made this journey before. It's familiar territory. Making your way northward, it's going to be about, if I recall, four or so days

until you hit the Wewn Gorge. Is there anything you wish to do during the journey? I would like to be tinkering a little bit on the back of my horse. Sure. Or when we stop to rest. Okay. I bought a couple of bolas. You're on my shoulders, aren't you?

So I don't want you tinkering with me. I'm not playing with any explosives. I bought those two bolas, bola things. I'm going to see if I can fashion, because the Tinkertop Bolt Blaster can accommodate a hefty load. I'm going to see if I can rig it so that I can take two bolts

and connect them with these bola things, with at least the string or whatever, and fashion it in a way where I could shoot it and it's like a delivery device for a bola. You got it. It'll wrap around somebody and trip them. Okay, okay. Go ahead and make an intelligence check

with your proficiency. Can you imagine how much the arrow would be like, hula-pala. With his tinkering, are you proficient with tinkering tools? I have tinkering tools. But you're not proficient with them? How do I tell? It would be under your proficiencies.

Proficiencies. Where's that? Bottom left corner. Bottom left corner, proficiencies and languages. Oh, tools. Thieves, tools, and alchemists supplies. All right, so go ahead and roll and add your intelligence modifier.

Better. Oh, Guidance. Too late. Is it? 16. It's a little late on that one, but that's okay, next time. 16, okay. You spend some time with it on the first night as you're resting around the fire,

the horse has been off to the side and your couple of false shots, the bolts themselves, it's weird to try and wedge them both in there and it becomes less of a firing of two bolts simultaneously, more than a single bolt that becomes a delivery method that springs and fires them outward as it releases itself. So it's like a crossbow bolt that doesn't have a tip.

Instead, it has both of the bullets tied back, and so when it hits the exit point of the crossbow, it releases it and sends it forward. Way better than my idea. We'll see if it functions when you try it out, but you seem pretty comfortable with the design. And I have one or two of those. You bought two sets, right?

Yeah, yeah. So roll a second time. Guidance. Guidance. All right, I'll give you two there. What do I do with Guidance? Add a d4. roll a second time. Guidance. Guidance. All right, I'll give you two there. What do I do with Guidance? Add a d4. Take a d4. Give it a half fucking second, so that I can. 22 on that one. 22.

You feel real confident about that one, though. The first time was a run-through. It may or may not work, we'll find out. The second one, you're pretty sure will be functional. Okay, great, thank you. No worries. Anyone else? I would say on the journey, at least by the time I get to Zadash,

I would have put in the time needed to transcribe the two Dunamancy spells into my spell book. You'd be able to do that? Yeah. Over the journey to the Wollongong. Over the journey at night, an hour or two every night. Yeah, you'd be able to do that. Okay, anyone else? I'm going to give Sprinkle lots of love,

because he's having a hard time. Yeah, he's like. He's a little spastic. This is a nice two weeks of nothing crazy where I'm going to give him lots of love and lots of treats and calm him down a little bit if I can. Great, perfect. Fjord, you want to work out? Like do some jogging alongside the horses?

Absolutely. All right, we work out. All right. Fuck yeah. Four nights of travel eventually get you to the base of the Wu Yun Gorge. As you approach the exterior gates, you can see, once again, there are a heavy amount of Righteous Brand

than what was normally there. You'd say probably 200, 250 or so that are just at and on the actual gate looking about. What looks to be a modicum of maybe three or four carts that are in the process of waiting to get through. The gates are partially ajar. They're not opening or closing. Looks like a lot of folks are coming back through now.

You can see some traitors are making their way past as they watch you as you continue forward. I would have changed into my vestiges like that morning and all that stuff. I got my Cobalt Soul shit out. Rain mints and everything? You got it, okay. Can I use my Mask of Many-Served Faces

to make myself look like a Cobalt assistant? Then I will be an assistant to Beau. Easy enough to do. You've seen their attire well enough. Anybody else? We should just make us all look like Cobalt people. I'm going to do it, too. I'm going to make myself look like kobold people.

That's exciting, sure. I cast Seeming and make us look like the most boring, simplistic, nondescript Yessicle research monks. research, yeah, monkeys. Yessicle Swole. Yes, one big guy. Okay. But boring.

Boring looking, a little bit of a cowlick in the back. Perfect. All right. Let's push it. Come on. You guys slowly approach and you get in line. Yeah. Every 15 or so minutes or so, it shifts forward a bit,

one of the cards makes their way in. One card gets turned around and has to come back, and there's some yelling and some cursing. You see them go back, and the older woman who's at the front of it is frustrated and kind of, I don't know where that came from. I don't know who it is. Sorenre? Turn your shit on.

Tavis, sorry. It's okay. Sorenre! Nope. Nope. Kind of turning it on you. Hey, Ciri! Don't you dare. Hey, Ciri, go fuck yourself. Ipad, never mind.

I'm sorry, I came on the wrong side. Don't ever talk like that. You've seen Black Mirror. Oh god! She listened? I said she didn't know how to respond to that. I'm just saying, man! Oh, I'm sorry.

I say please and thank you to Alexa all the time, just in case. It's true. Yeah. Are you sure about that, Travis? About an hour or so of waiting until eventually you're second to next in line here and you can see one of the Righteous Brand soldiers comes up with their armored attire,

what looks to be a stack of papers and some charcoal and a quill, and as they walk up, glance over and approach. Look. All right, so what is your business? What are you coming into the Empire for? Just a few members of the Cobalt Soul from Zadash doing a research mission. Returning back to report our findings.

Starts giving a discerning look over each of you. You say you are here returning or traveling towards two? And this is for a Mr. Zenothoth. Yep, Archivist Xenoth, one of the heads of the Cobalt Soul located there in Zadash. Technically, you're not lying. So make a persuasion check. Yeah, I should have lied.

Oh, Guidance, Guidance! Thank you. Persuasion. 11. 12, 12, nope, 11. 11. I regret to inform you that at this time, we are being extremely careful with those

that make their way in and out of the southern, of western Rynandë and all the Tuscany Vale. I apologize, but we cannot let you through. If you would like to, you can return to Port Damali and perhaps require a second means of referral, but at this time, we cannot approve your transition. My apologies. He hands you the paper back and turns around.

Two dozen? Two dozen guards? About, yeah. That's fine. Someone want to do a friends? Someone want to try something here? That's a good idea. Someone want to do one more attempt at this? This is a good idea. I'm going to cast.

The two soldiers are going to start maneuvering the horses to turn off and turn around. What are you doing? I'm going to cast Charm Person. Charm Person on? On at 4th-level. So I can charm any of the guards that are within reach.

I can charm four people? Charm. Yeah, at 4th-level, you would be able to charm four people? Charm. Yeah, at the fourth level, you would be able to charm four. All right, let's go ahead and roll some wisdom saves. So your spell DC is? 17. 17. Come on, come on, come on. All right.

So the guy you were talking to, one of the two soldiers that was pushing the horses aside to turn them around, and one was by the gate, all turned towards you and go, and the main guard goes, I apologize, I've just not been eating very well. I don't mean to be as crabby. I did not recognize you. Sincerely, no worries. We'll pass them through, pass them through. I don't mean to be as crabby. I did not recognize you.

Sincerely, no worries. We'll pass them through, pass them through. Thank you. Thank you. The one other guard who's like, wait, what? This is very prominent. Sir, why would you? Any kind of approach, just to talk to me? He's like, we don't want to mess with official business.

They know what they're doing. That's a good idea. Waves, moons. Yep. They create a space. The horses maneuver back towards the pathway and you guys eventually are guided back through the gate onto the opposite side.

You come to the other side and from there, you can see there's another 80 or so Righteous Brand. Oh! That are waiting carefully, keeping eyes on the high mountain sides as well, in case anyone tries to bypass the gates. Good. It's an entire fucking battalion.

Let's ride on very quickly away from the moon. Learn smarts, learnists? Academia! Learning! Yes. Learning! As they begin to vanish in the distance from the shouting, you glance back and you can see some of them going. Dropseeming and hiding and dropseeming.

Go, go, go! Don't dropseeming, just keep going. We didn't do anything wrong. Nope, so you continue rushing onward. Diplomatic immunity. Academic immunity. All right, it's another two, two and a half days to Trostenwald, where a lot of this began.

Is there anything you wish to do along this journey or upon arrival? Yeah, I will take the next couple of days to try to get everyone in the group to know the names of the Cerberus Assembly. In fact, I take the time to write down their names and their position and a little bit about each of them and I pass those out to the group,

which I'm going to do. Oh my god. That's a lot. Four of spades. And a god. That should be fine. Four, eight. And I got... And a down. Let's look at the names that I never would've, wouldn't have spelled that.

Nope, that would've been wrong. Yep, not a chance. Oh, you sprayed a little perfume on it. That's so nice. That's cloves, actually. Should I try to scurry on Yasha one more time and see where they are right now? Yes. If I can?

Absolutely. Where are we stopping for the night, I might have missed. Yeah, on our first night. Your first night heading northward? I'll try to scurry. So you guys head off, you begin to set up your ritual in the middle of the grassy field here. After being in Zadash so long

and in the snowy regions of the Flockhead Alps, it's been nice to head northward through the Menagerie Coast along the grassy fields and the jungles that met you to the Wu Yun Gorge and now back into the familiar lush fields and plains of southern area of Wynandir. You prepare your ritual, focusing your eyes once more down upon the sigil you've drawn out across the dirt,

focusing for a moment, and you feel the presence of the Traveler there backing you up, channeling the vision through him into you. Your vision begins to shift as you hear the Traveler's voice say, Ah, I think we have her. Your vision pulls back into the clouds, dark at night. You can see the stars for a second

before there's a thrust of movement. You feel yourself get momentarily almost jostled from the movement before you are brought into what looks to be a meeting of mountain and hills. You can see Yasha, and just beyond the periphery, another figure, herself cloaked and hooded, the secondary figure cloaked and hooded,

and a large, looming, cloaked and hooded figure moving forward. They're right at the base of these rocky mountains among what looks like grassless rolling hills. The soil nearby strangely dotted with multicolored minerals and odd scrub brush. Does it sound familiar? Does it look familiar with any location

that I've been to or seen? Nothing you've been to or seen. As in watching, they stop for a second, Yasha pulls her head back and looks off in the distance. Make a perception check for me. Goddamn, I told you! Seven. Seven, okay.

Puts the hood back up up and they continue walking forward. A few moments later, you hear a and they all move out of the way and you can see a little bit of spray coming. Changing your perspective, there looks to be a heavy plume of steam rising nearby and a geyser of hot water that suddenly sprays from a pool-like vent not far from them across the ground.

They move around slightly. This area has some geothermal activity to it. Okay. They're quietly just walking under the cover of night. Can I see Yasha's eyes? This would be, yeah, it's the same time of night you guys would be in. Yeah, or at least it's night where they are

and it's night where you are. It's not like a different side of the world? Doesn't seem to be, at least in a north-south region. Of course, night can fall quite a distance on a continent. Yeah. Same continent. So same continent you gather. Unfortunately, with the perception roll you made,

you can't see much else. You just can make out the fact that it is Yasha. About 10 minutes of them perusing this journey, your spell fades and the scry loses its anchor. They're on the move. There are geysers. Geysers? Do we know of anywhere that has that kind of?

Have I read anything about the geography of this continent? Make a history check. And hills that have no grass on them. There aren't any geysers at Rexxentrum, either. Ah, damn it. Shea, you would have advantage on this, Beauregard. I would have advantage? You would.

Guidance. And Guidance? Both of you. Both of us? No, she just has advantage. Okay, I got a 19. Okay. Oh, you had Guidance, though Guidance. Both of you. Both of us? No, she just has an edge. Okay, I got a 19. Okay. Oh, you had Guidance, though, from him. Yeah.

I got a 20. 26. Ooh. Okay. Makes sense, because one of the regions that you're very familiar with. Oh no. Is the city of Camorto. Camorto? Near the base of Camort. Camort?

Near the base of Mount Mentiri. There's something about the mountainous region around it that has, since it was founded, given rise to a bunch of strange geothermal activity that has altered the landscape to where the vegetation that grows there, the few kinds that do naturally, are very alien to the rest of the Empire.

That's also why a lot of the vineyards there are so sought after, because only certain types of wines and liquors can be made based on the topography surrounding Kamorda. Bromkiln Hills? That's one place you know of of which this type of activity is familiar, and you're very familiar with it

because it's where you grew up. Just, just... Is it the only place, Beau, that's like that? There are other places like that. No, yeah, I mean, I wouldn't imagine so. Beau just wipes away tears. I mean, why would they go to Komorda? Is there a kobold soul there?

No. Is there anything important for the Empire there? It's a wine town and it's a little upper class. It's like a suburbs of Zadash. Maybe they're on their way somewhere. To Zadash? Or is it away from Zadash? What about us?

It's neighboring Zadash. It's a few hours. It wouldn't be on their way. They can teleport anywhere. They're moving west. That's west of Zadash. Just so you know, it is roughly the same distance from here to Zadash it is to Kamordah. These geysers, they're not in town, are they?

They're outside of the town you come from? There's a lot of mineral-rich soil and geothermal activity around there, which is why there are certain grapes that grow really well and make really great wine. Maybe they just are thirsty. Lionette wine. Lionette wine. I don't know where they're moving west. Holy shit, I just realized, Lionette wine. I don't know where they're moving west.

Holy shit, I just realized, lionette wine. We have that. Yeah, we do. Wow. We do? What do you mean, we do? I mean, we have that at home. Oh, you have that at home. We don't have it with us, right?

It's my family's wine. Wow. Your family is like a wine family? Mm-hmm. Well off? Yep. Oh. Dad was a poor bastard and

he got a hint from someone to go and buy property and his farm property that was more or less derelict, from someone to go and buy property. It's farm property that was more or less derelict, couldn't get anything to grow on it, and a fortune teller told him to buy the property and grow grapes on it, and that it would make him rich. Does he tell that story all the time? Is it printed on the back of the label on the wine?

Because it's like, it's a cute story and tourists really love it. He tries to keep it, keep it on the down low. Inside family lore. Inside family lore. They're in Komorda, not in the hills that surround it, yes? Well, we're, the winery is based

on the north side of Komorda in the hills, yeah. Were they trying to be not seen? Were they trying to be quiet? They didn't, I mean, they had their hoods up. Can I think of any reason why they would be in fucking Komorda? Is there anything there that would make them? There's wine families. There's a few competing ones there that would make them? There's wine families.

There's a few competing ones there that you're aware of. There are standard small-scale businesses and guilds for any sort of town to be maintained and for people to live there with the creature comforts that can keep a populace happy. But it's not a political center. It's not, there isn't a particular thing that stands out to you as to having relevance

to their journey. At this map, Diastok is the nearest large city south of there. Is there any sort of kobold knowledge hub there? I don't think so. Diastok? Diastok. Traveling west from Sardash, the only thing further west from Komodo

is the mountains, Pride's Call. Is there anything in known history that predates the farming of the land for wine? Based on your history check, I mean, there's a lot of things that predate this entire region, as far as there being previously existing societies that were wiped out during the Calamity.

Most of that information is still being recovered via what ruins are beginning to be discovered and delved into. Much of the society that exists here, the Empire, was based on a long-crashed Age of Arcanum mobile country, essentially. Okay. But nothing seems to really stand out to you

as far as specifically that location. Is there any reason you would not want to go there? Just weighing our options, not saying I want to go there. I think if we're going to consider going there, we need a little bit more hard proof that that is exactly where they were. I mean, you said there's geysers all over the place, right? Not all over the place.

We should probably scry again tomorrow? Do I know of any other place off the top of my head that would have geysers? In the Empire? Generally, no. Like, the region of Mount Mentiri and that part of the mountain range there of the Sirius Mountains is the stranger part of that area

because of the way it changed the landscape. Even north of that, Pride's Call, while it's a different type of geothermal activity, the hills and a lot of the plants that grow there are changed or different, which is how a lot of that culture is based on, especially the Pride's Silk that is farmed from the silkworms that live there. Mm-hmm.

But yeah, nothing in the Empire that catches your mind. As far as history goes, there are offshoot places near strange ocean thermal vents, but those are, you've heard of them, but you don't know any specific locations that you've traveled to. How long of a travel is it to get?

Yeah. It looks like a little bit longer than it would be to Zadash. It'd be like an extra day, day and a half to get there. It's like a day journey from Zadash to. Only because I'm map hunting, and I'm only looking at things that are around the area. Do either of you know about the ruins of Shattengrot?

Do either of us know about the ruins of Shattengrott? Do either of us know about that? Just east of Fride's Call, but north of Komoda, just on the other side of the building. Make another history check for me, please. Do I get advantage on this one, too? No. You're pursuing your thing?

Yeah. Guidance! Guidance! Good, I need it. Because ruins are cool. Total balls for me, five. Did you add the four? 17. No, I gave the one.

17? 17 for me. Five. Five, gotcha. Yeah, the ruins of Shattengruud are... Oh, 15, I didn't add the 10. A recent discovery outside of Pride's Call. There was, the beginnings, it seemed to be of some sort of, what would have been a quarry was being built by Pride's Call,

some of the dwarves there, the hill dwarves, and they found what looked to be some sort of a sinkhole, like a deep pit that went beneath. In the base there, there were elements of what looked to be a very, very ancient ruin. This is maybe a few decades ago, and it's just been slowly being uncovered. Do you guys ever play Skyrim and then,

instead of following the storyline, you just go to the interesting places? Fuck all of them. And then you reveal all the, and you get all your fucking missions out of order? That's what I feel like we're doing. Kind of. So you know of it. you don't know much more

beyond what is in there, because it never was something that you paid much mind to when you were doing your research. You just heard about it. There are some excavations going on there. It's less of a mysterious, magical thing beneath there and more of historical interest and archeologists and those type of folks trying to figure out what exactly it was.

It seems to be, at least people are gathering that it may be tied to, what are you trying to do? Can I roll an insight check on the deer? You may not. Okay. Well, here is my concern about going off and goose chase. We are talking about our prey. They could be at a different,

they're more mobile than we are. They can be in a different place in a day, so it's going to take us many days to get there. That trail will be cold as well, and we'll just be guessing at a target. At least if we're going to Zadash, we have some goals there, things we can do. We can find out what they stole, maybe.

Potentially more about these ruins of Shattengrud. And if their movement continues to be erratic, then we know that they're at least moving with a purpose to throw off those scents. While we travel. It's only a day away. I could, um. It's only a day. You could, um. You could scry... Camorda!

Scry on my parents, maybe. Just to see if they're alive? Just check in on Camorda, I guess. I could try to send a message to them. You should. You'd have to know what they look like or something, right? I have to be sort of familiar with them? You have no familiarity with their parents at all?

Yeah, you could totally describe them, and I know their name. I don't know their name. I know that it's Lionel, but. Lionel Richie, that's correct. Lionel Richie is your dad. Wait, that means you're... Yep.

What's her name, Richie? No, not Christina Richie. No, the girl with Paris Hilton. Nicole. Nicole, Nicole Richie! That's right, I've been arping as Nicole Richie this whole time. Deep cover.

Yeah. Where'd you get them? That's hot. That's your Tracy persona. I really don't want to have to make that canon. It means the rich girl vibe. I can see the pain coming out of your face. Yeah.

So you can describe, and I can try to send them a message, or I can try to scry on them and see if they're okay. Do you have any ability to sketch? Do it right now. Draw a picture of your parents. Here, no, you describe them to me and I'll try to draw a sketch. Like a criminal thing.

You describe them and I'll try to draw what I think they look like. It's like a police sketch. All right, all right, all right. Face shape. Long, wide. My dad's a little bit shorter. He's got darker hair, a little pudgy, but you know, like a rounded face.

He's got a widow's peak. Charisma check. This is how good you are at conveying the details. Brown eyes, I got my blue eyes from my mom. Just straight charisma. Natural 20! Woo! Wow, first one. Now you go ahead and make a dexterity check.

Guide me. Yeah, you can guide me. You can do it. Which dice are failing in this game? I'm scared of all of them. Wait. Let it speak to you. Wait. A small little mote of white light floats over my head.

Into your fortune's favor. I believe it. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay. I should just use it right now, just in case? Ooh! I believe. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay. Just use that. I should just use it right now, just in case? Ooh!

Plus dexterity. Good. So that's 22, but I'm going to try the advantage. Okay, okay, okay. Okay, 22. Okay. It's not bad. I mean, it's, you know, given the circumstances that you're literally just describing it out of thin air

and she sketches it, you can look at it and go like, there's some things there that I'm not familiar with. Do you want me to have the ice father apart, close it together, or what kind of? He's got a unibrow that he's let go in his later years. He, um. The shape of his lips, is it close to your lips? Yeah, kind of almondy shape, yeah.

That perpetual frown, yeah. Yeah, he's cranky like me. Okay. All right, you have a sketch. And the name is? Thoreau. Thoreau Lionette. Thoreau, my god! Thoreau.

Yeah, that's why when you made that joke forever ago, I was like, oh fuck. Wow, you nailed it with a joke. Thoreau Lionette. Thoreau. Okay, am I scrying or am I sending a message? What am I doing here? What do you do with the names?

Well, there's a two. Send a message to Thoreau. That way, if nothing's happened yet, you can... He will know it's me, he's never met me. He won't know, Rhaegar. No, you stop it. Are we back there? I don't even have to say I have anything to do with you

if you want, I can just be a creepy voice in his head and make sure he's okay. I can make him think he's going crazy if you want, but. He would probably relish it. You could always say that you're with a Cobalt Soul checking in, given a status on Beauregard. Okay. Should they say you're doing super, super good?

Yeah. You can tell them I'm an Exposer now. Okay. Top of the class. A lot of stuff, just, okay. You got it. I'm going to send a message to Cerule Regard. Make sure you ask him if anything has happened

in Komor-Nau. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All of those things. All right. I'm ready. Hello. It is I, Archivist Xehanort, letting you know, Beauregard is an Expositor now.

Top of her class. Oh no. How are things there? Anything weird happen? Anything weird? No, no, anything is weird. Poor guy. He's doing the crossword.

On the toilet? No, the response is, uh, um, all right. Thank you for the information. Wow. Good for her. Nothing. Good for her. Nothing to report? Things are fine.

Is that how this works? Number one, he sounded really nervous. Number two, he sounded impressed. Really? Yeah, he said good for her. He's like the grandparent. Good for me. Yeah, but in a cool way. Trying to turn off FaceTime. Number three, he said nothing weird has happened. And then I heard him fart.

Ah, sounds about right. All right, cool, great, we don't have to go to Komordo. To Zadash! Yeah. To sleep! All right, so you guys rest for the evening. Who's getting watch on this one? All right.

Just roll a perception check for me, if you don't mind. I'll give him advantage. 17. 17, okay. That's more than I managed. Evening goes by without issue. I'm going to say for the purposes of expediency, since this is a long journey,

I haven't had to roll for every single section every night, I'm just going to do the general roll for it. There's a dome every night as well. Of course. Intending onward for the next bit of your journey, you make your way to Trostenwald. Do you wish to stop for any particular reason? You've been there before. Bryce?

Bryce is awesome. Bryce here? Oh, awesome. Yeah, awesome. We're just on the way, but I think we should. I think just get food for our horses and yeah, keep going fast. Okay. If you decide to stay the night for comfortable lodging out on the road, at least,

you go ahead and mark off three and a half gold, actually three gold for all of you. Okay. For modest. Thanks, Jester. You're welcome. I wonder where Gustav, is that his name? Leader of the circus?

I wonder how his life is doing. I don't know. I'll go check in. He would have already left, though. You definitely don't see him in Trostomoblary, though. God, it's been a long time in California. This is the inn that we would have met in, right? Yep. Oh, wow.

Yep. Aww. Oh, for fuck's sake. That's right. We sat at that table over there. We need to have a drink for Molly and Yasha. I think I also, didn't we make carvings, didn't we make dick carvings under the table? If we come over, we will crawl on hands and knees and look under every table. Make an investigation check,

each of you. Fuck yeah. Guidance. Mm-hmm. On me or you? I was doing it on myself. I can't, I don't know if you can do it. Oh, really? I think you can. you can do it. Oh, really? I think you can. TJ Storm did a free-talker at this table. You touch one willing creature.

You are a willing creature. I am. Just making sure. 18. 26. I'm looking for the dicks as well. 14. Just can't use it if you have a concentration spell. You all come to the table at the same time

and have the same exact epiphany as you see the carvings are still there. Dicks! Dicks! Those are our dicks. There's an old farmer guy that's like, What?! Yeah.

We call our dick. You old man, shut up! Yeah, shut up! Just a table, Inspector. We're just coming through making sure all your furniture is up to code. This man is. Congratulations, it is.

I'm going to add a tusk tooth to it. What? He's an asshole. I'm going to add a tusk tooth to it. What, he's an asshole! I'm going to add a tusk tooth to it. Just a cuss to the local. Okay. It's on Brandon. And we should have a drink. I agree.

For Molly. Let's have some Baumbach brewery ale. The fucking Baumbach. And this is some. Yeah. What did I write? I changed their name on the sign. Buttcock or something?

Bombcock, maybe? I can't remember. That's pretty funny. Yeah. Yeah, as you go to the bartender, to the bartender. Actually, for this place would be... Adolin Klaus? Wow.

There you go, you got the information still. Let's start at the very beginning. Go through my old notes here on this one. Or Yorda. Or the Nestled Nook, is that right, Maddy? The Nestled Nook, I believe. I believe. Klaus?

With my old notes here. Oh my god, it's been a while since you've been here. Yorda, Barkeep, Adelaine. Adelaine, Klaus. Also, I wrote Skinky Doody for some reason. Oh, Skinky Doody was a password! Oh, that's right! And something that I mean, I don't remember.

We went into it like, if we're in trouble or something. I was like, I think it was how I turned your shitty con. You remember? Brilliant con. Yeah. All right, well, upon asking for a... Where is it here? Yep, this is Yorda.

There we go, all right. So Yorda and Adolin are both there. Yorda's like, trying to look for my old notes for the character, and we're like, Oh right, Bombok, yeah, if you want to, they're a bit pricey at the moment, since they shut down the manufacturing for a time.

Wait, they shut down? Why? Is that all of the breweries? What about Von Brandt? No, just the bomb box. What happened to them? Apparently they were caught up in some sort of an illegal ring, something went up. Didn't you?

I stole their fucking letters and shit. They were smuggling drugs. And you exposed them? I did, to the gentleman. You shut down that whole. I shut down the pop box! Cause and effect. Oh, you helped him corner the market. Huh? Helped to corner the market.

The other one. The other one? There are two other families there. So I can definitely get it for you, so you know it's probably going to be quite pricey. Do you have any Lionette wine? Uh, yeah, I think we got two bottles in there. I'll buy on both. Let us do that.

All right, you're spending the money, certainly, by all means. Yep, I'll spend the money. All right, so for the Lionette, they have two bottles of the purple cider red wine, which you're very familiar with. Those run at 50 gold per bottle. So 100 gold, two bottles they have.

Yeah. Whoa, your family rolls in the stunky, yanky shit. Oh my god! You made some really good money when I was smuggling it out and selling it for half cost in the black market. Fuck! Now you know why. Wow. All right.

I actually gave 100 gold to my family. Oops, oops, oops. Wow. All right, I actually give 100 gold to my family. Oops, oops, oops. It's not the wholesale, so really you're It's just grapes, fermented grapes, yes? There's no, I don't know, spice in the bottle? I think a large part of the wine industry is perception. You know, you create sort of an oeuvre. Yeah.

You kind of have to. It's experiential. It's an art, it's like a storytelling device when you have it done the right way. I'm going to be honest, I don't see it myself, but it sells well. Most folks that really, you know, look deep into it tend to be kind of a, I don't know,

not right in the head. Oh, yes, pricks, I understood. I'll try some. All right.. Fair enough. I'll try some. All right. You know what? I'll try some, too. Really? Yeah, I need to know if 50 gold bottles of wine taste good. It's a very special occasion.

Caduceus. Boop. This is where the rest of us met. Really? Yeah. Yeah, a long time ago now. Explains the dick carvings. That's really nice.

It's a nice little place. It's nice that we could show it to you. Yeah, I'm happy to be here. There's a notch in history of the Mighty Nein. Pour out some wine for everybody. Does it change colors to anything? It looks like a nice, rich red-purple wine. Okay. Coup, coup. A monk red-purple wine. Okay, Coo, Coo.

Monk? Yeah, Monk. Oh, Monk. I'm just looking at her, the first time she ever wrote notes about our characters in her notebook. Caleb, Stinky Wizard. Nott, Goblin Girl. Molly, Pretty Tiefling Guy. Yasha, Pale Viking.

Beau, Monkey. Monkey. Fjasha, pale viking. Beau, monkey. Monkey. Fjord, half-orc cowboy. Well, that's right, last time we were here, you were a cowboy. I was never a what? You were a cowboy. You were a definite cowboy.

What is he, a cowboy now? This is lovely. You're a cowboy, so. It's not bad, right? Yes, thank you. I know it's all a little bullshit, but it's actually a pretty fucking good one. It's not bad, right? Yes, thank you. I know it's all a little bullshit, but it's actually pretty fucking good. It's fruit forward. You get those mineral tastes.

I hear if you swirl it in your glass, it helps to, what are you doing? It is surprisingly zesty, with a faint hint of cinnamon to it, which is where the cider comes from, the title of the cider. It's funny, I'm getting notes of tobacco and jam in it, actually, little dark cherry.

Well, that's from that volcanic-type soil that's there from that. I see Selsdorf. Yeah, yeah, yeah, from the geysers. To Zadash! To Zadash! This has just been an episode of cutting conversations and going.

All right, you stay your night there and trust them all to continue the next day. It's about two days from there, I believe, to Alfield. Is there anything you wish to do along the journey there for these two days? Nope. Okay. Travel hard and back. Just really these two days? Nope. Okay. Travel hard. Just really petting Sprinkle a lot.

Okay. Oh, we continue to work out. Totally. Hanging from branches, doing pull-ups. We find the occasional tree and just really tossing boulders back and forth as we do sit-ups. High running. High knees, high knees, high knees. Drop down, pop back up.

Perfect. The equivalent, pop back up. Perfect. The equivalent of me tasting wine. Just as boring to me to watch you do that. Eventually making your way to the outside of Alfield. The city has, and Trostenwald had it, too, a minor Righteous Brand presence, which previously, especially when you grew up here in this area, Righteous Brand stayed mostly

to outskirt outposts, like the two garrisons to the east, the Weean Gorge, and major cities like Zadash and Rexxentrum, Bladegarden, of which most of the training there happens. So it's still strange. When you came through last time, before on your way to Felderwin, after the war began, you remembered seeing more of a presence there,

so the presence is still there. That's just martial law. Yeah, well, it doesn't say martial law, necessarily, but there's definitely a larger martial presence. But nevertheless, you have access to the city. You go ahead and find yourself the previous inn and where you had stayed. In the stash? No.

Yeah, you're in the stash. you had stayed. The stash? No. Yeah, you're not going to feel shit. The stash! The stash! You do ask around for Watchmaster Bryce Fjallraed. However, they are not there. They have been relocated for the time being to Bladegarden to aid in the current conflict until further notice.

Waste. Yeah. Yeah. Bryce did not want to go there. No. No, he did not. What about the fire damage here, is that all? Most of it's been, it's either in a state of repair. Some of the smaller buildings,

the damage has been completely taken care of, but the larger buildings, like the, was it the candle something? I can't remember off the top of my head, is still in the process of being struck because that was a major point of damage. But it looks like the city's recovering and is on the cusp of being completely recovered

from that attack by the gnolls back in the day, a few months back. But you find yourselves there comfortably. For another evening of sleep, this will be, will put for all of you, are you all going, staying in separate rooms? They're a little smaller here. Are you all sharing rooms again here?

Double up. Yeah, three rooms. Double up. Okay. That'll put you at nine silver. I got that. You got it? Yeah. All righty.

Ask around any sign of Shakasta around these parts. Make an investigation check. Guidance! Six. This is an investigation? Yeah. 17. 17, all righty. There's been no information of Shakasta currently being there, but apparently a week ago, there was mention, some say, of the mysterious figure

known as Hush passing through briefly, asking around some of the common folk, and they light up at the mention of the name. Every week. Ooh! Oh, right in my coffee! Check it out, check it out. It's dead! No, no, it's...

It's in my coffee! Shakasta. How are you feeling, friend? Only one way out now, that's actually sad. Is it dead? He's like. Oh, it's budged. He's really energetic, though. Should probably remove it from the table

so you don't accidentally drink it. Max, come dispose of this! Beautiful creature! That's scary. Tasteful funeral. Anyway. Anyway. So Hush was around at some point? At some point in the past week, it was passing.

Are there, at the end, are there any notices on the post board, anything that looks interesting? Thanks, Max. It looks like there are a few pieces of paper that are requesting more hands and volunteers for the war effort against the terrible and dangerous Kryn Incursion.

It looks like there are some postings looking for mercenary work to help bolster defenses against what looks to be more riled up goblin and ogre attacks and bands that seem to be getting more bold as some of the defenses are being pushed further and further east. Wow.

Other than that, it's a couple of posting for just general farmhands and aid in reconstruction, looking for anybody who's handy with tools for a low weekly pay. Nothing else that catches your attention. Okay. And did we already ask if Thaddeus's shop had been completely rebuilt?

Was this an inn, Thaddeus Candleglow? Yeah, the Candleglow is not done yet, but it's mostly there. Probably another two weeks or so of construction. Okay. Is he around? You can go ahead and talk to him, if you like. Yeah, I'm going to go find Thaddeus.

Okay. To Thaddeus and Ophiel, going through my notes. Hopping around, location to location. All righty. All right, so yeah, you go ahead and find Thaddeus. That's our sense, too. Yeah. Before we get to Zadash.

Oh, hi there. I remember you were one of the folks that came in and helped out with everything that went on down here. Yeah. Good to see you again. We're not quite up and running, unfortunately. We're not seeing folk in yet,

but give us a little bit of time. It's very close. We're good to go. We're getting there. I'm going to take 10 gold and give it to you, him. What am I doing? The Traveler has been looking out for you, you know. Who? The Traveler. I told you about him before.

Right. Well, you tell this Traveler that his- I'm going to paint a figure of the Traveler with my special paint. And I'm going to give him a little statue of the Traveler. Okay, okay. I would just suggest keeping this on your mantle. You know, as a thank you,

since he blessed you so much. Of course, of course, no. I'll take any sort of guidance that any being might bring to us and have better luck than we've had in the past. That's right. He blesses you daily. Thank you so much.

This is getting creepy. You watch him go over and pocket the gold and set it up on the hearth above the fireplace. Amongst it looks like a couple of pieces of probably wax fruit and a bone of some kind. Bag of nails. Awesome. They all float down here, you know.

Well, it's good to see you, appreciate it. Yes, of course, blessings upon you, and remember always also, be looking out for Traveler Con and stuff. What? Always also be looking out for Traveler Con and stuff, that's a... That's catchy, that's catchy. All right. Two to Zadge.

Two to Zadge! Two to Zadge! Maybe. Three. Three to Zadge. Three to Zadash! Two Zadash! Two Zadash! Maybe. Three. Three Zadash. Three Zadash. All right, continuing on. Roughly three, three and a half more days until you get to Zadash, traveling northward. The weather itself is still cool,

but it looks like you're moving away from the snowier winters that seem to have been taking the northern part of the continent. You can still see some slush and some dirty ice and snow that's in the process of melting away. Is there anything you wish to do during the multi-day journey to Zadash? Should I say if they're still there?

Oh, you mean scry? Sure, sure, go ahead. I know you want to do it. It's a good idea. I'm just going to scry on Yasha one more time to see if they're still there and maybe. So natural one on that saving throw. Guide yourself.

Let this person reach out. I can't, like in those situations, because they don't know it's coming. I already asked if I could. All right, so. The Traveler's presence warms the space around you, and as you hold your hands in front, you feel his hands clasp yours.

And the voice goes, Hmm, let's see what your friend's doing this way. And his head turns this direction, and your vision suddenly shifts in this rapid pace, zigzagging through, blurring topography, mountain hills dodging through. Suddenly you wince for a second, your eyes seeing a bright sun,

reddish orange in the sky, partially broken clouds above. You see Yasha walking through a rough-looking swampy waste in an open plain. This is a Jorahassian sky. Oh. This is a Jorahasian sky. You see her walking alongside a similar cloaked and hooded figure. Her cloak she had previously

is just off the shoulder, hood down, and the hulking shape of the Laughing Hand also mostly wrapped and obscured by a much heavier cloak than the one that you had first encountered him with, looming across the field. Make a perception check for me. Come on, come on, Guidance and shit.

I can't Guidance myself on this stuff. I already asked. Goddamn it! Holy shit. That's our reason twos tonight. Eight! Okay. You follow them along. This one is talking about peripherals.

We're all twos and threes. You follow them along. They're just walking. You hear, just outside of the periphery, Obann, the voice familiar to you, speaking and seems to be ranting a bit under his breath in the direction of Yasha, but you can't quite make out the details of what he's saying.

You can't quite make out the location of where they're at. You can see there's some shapes, but the sensor of your scry says focus around Yasha. Most blurs beyond that immediate radius, but at least you can make up topography. It does appear to be Xhorhasian in the familiar lighting of the sun

and the broken landscape, though you're not certain of the actual location there. Okay. After about 10 minutes or so of focusing, you lose your tether. They were in a swamp in Xhorhas. They're all over the place. I'm going to send a message without telling Beau. Okay. I'm going to send a message

to Thoreau. Oh. To my dad. Hey, it's me again, just making sure everything's still okay. There. Sarcophist, Leenoth. Doing good? There at your house, anything strange going on,

is what I'm asking about. Anything weird? No, everything's fine. Have we met? I don't know if we've met. You're starting to worry me a little. Everything okay? So fucked. Who is this?

I'm going to send a message back. I could see you right now. Oh, jeez. I'm watching everything you're doing. That's all good, thank you. Make a deception check? Of course, of course. 24.

If it's fuckery, then it comes through. Are you just real genius? Okay, okay. The only thing you hear in response is, oh no. And silence. The Roboguard? This is Jesus. Stop playing this out.

Sold their winery and moved to the coast of Menagerie Coast, one prompted move. The Role Lion Guard said he heard voices while he was pooping. He literally heard him murder his wife. Oh my god. Religious movement. Everything's okay at your house, though.

Huh? They didn't do anything at your house. Yeah, I know, you told me that yesterday. Yeah, but then they left, and I just wanted to make sure they didn't do anything after. You checked in with my dad again?, and I just wanted to make sure they didn't do anything after. You tried telling my dad again? Well, I just checked to make sure

that nothing weird happened. Oh. Okay. What did he say? He said that nothing weird happened, and then he kind of sounded creeped out by me. Oh.

Okay. Knowing my dad, he's a little superstitious. He gets a little spooked when it comes to that type of stuff. Then he's going to be nice and spooked. Yeah. Yeah. He used to ramble all the time that he thought

some witch or woman was going to come back and collect a piece of his fortune or some shit. Oh no. I don't know. Oh no. So yeah. Oh, what have you done? That's useful information. Oh my god. For future communication.

Someone's probably not sleeping well for a while. That's great. Yeah, I figured he was just crazy, so I hope he's squirming a little bit. I think he will be. That's so mean. That's so mean. Oh my god.

To the dash! All right, for this next leg of the journey as you're traveling down there, I'll have one more person keep the, all right, make a perception check, as the one person is keeping an eye. Oh, just one? Can I help? If you want to help, you can take advantage on that.

Advantage. It'll take advantage. Guidance. Can I do guidance on this? Yeah, it's a night watcher. Yeah! Where in the world is Yasha Sandian? Uh, that's... 21.

Okay. You do notice in the far distance, to the right hand side, about two days into the three and a half day journey, a very faint bit of long burned out smoke, just a faint trail, like a campfire or something. How far away? I'd say it's about a third of a mile

from where you are on the main road. It could be a palm. Behind us or in front of us? Did you say napalm? It's to the eastern side of the road. It could be a palm. I'm going to wake Fjord up when I see this. Wake.

Fjord, would you take a look? Do you see that? Do I see it? You see there's some patches of trees and you do see the very, very faint trail of smoke, yeah. That feels suspicious to me. It does. It's close enough to be worrisome.

Should we, I don't know, send Nott to take a look, maybe? Yeah, wake her up? She is so grumpy when you wake her, though. Well, that's why I woke you up first. Right, right. I am her favorite, after all. Are you? No. Oh.

Oh, maybe I should have woken Caleb up. No, I think he's even grumpier in the morning. We could just, you know, check it out. That's what I was thinking, that maybe quietly, I'm not that quiet, obviously, but we could quietly just take a look, see what's over there, who that is, if we've got a problem.

Yes, why not? Let's go. All right. Just you two, the two quietest. Oh. What reason could there not be? I was going to wake Nott up just to have a... All right. Yeah, I should probably let everybody. Hold on, let me wake Nott, just so it's gentle.

I don't want to disturb her too much. I'll come over and I'll very softly put my hand under Nott's, back of Nott's head, gently lift it up, and then just drop her. I'll disembowel you! Where are you, motherfucker? Ah! Don't climb in!

We saw smoke, perhaps from a campfire, about a third of a mile away. The rest of you are awake now. We wanted to see if maybe you wanted to check it out and see if we were being followed. Sure. Do you have a nightmare? What's happening? Yeah.

Are we killing somebody? I don't know what happened. My head hurts. We think we might be being followed. What? There's somebody's got a campfire about a third of a mile away. We're just going to check it out real quick,

make sure it's not a problem. Okay. Okay. I'll just go scout ahead and send a message back. Sure. A third of a mile. That's too far. It's just a campfire. It's fine. I'll send Frumpkin with you.

You talk to him. Great. Okay. Okay. I'll go invisible. Okay. Have'll go invisible. Okay. Got 400. Have a good time. And I will stealth over to them.

With advantage, go ahead and roll your stealth check. Ooh, terrible. Let's go. Still 19. Oh, still not bad, all right. Making your way across the field, looming over the slight raised hill that's between you and this slight little path of smoke.

You head over down into this small miniature valley. As you approach, you can see what looks to be what was probably a campfire, like a ring of stone where the smoke was emanating from. Let's see what it looks like, some scattered bags or refuse around the outside of it from a distance. Scattered bags of poop or trash. Refuse.

But no one's in the camp. But you're still approaching. So you go all the way up to the camp? Yes, please. By the way, did send Frumpkin, and 20 steps in, Nott disappeared. So Frumpkin is just going, no idea if with her or not, but is also going.

Okay. I'm just assuming Frumpkin is right next to me. Frumpkin is way behind you, because he's nowhere near as fast as you. Okay, great. You get closer and you begin to see the Piles of Refuse are or not Powell's Refuse, some of them look to be scattered bedrolls.

Some are bodies. Like dead bodies, or? They're not moving. They're all sleeping. You get a bit closer and you can see what look to be two horses that are on their side, torn open. Getting even closer still,

the three bodies that are there are also slashed, bitten, torn apart, robbed of any goods. Looking at the horses, they both look like they had barding on them or some sort of means of, they're probably attached to a cart or pulling a cart, but there is no cart present.

It's gone. Interesting. Okay, I'll turn around and look for Frumpkin. Okay, a few moments later, you see the cat rush up to catch up. Frumpkin, I mean, Caleb, if you can see slash hear me, there are many dead bodies here. Come, I need you all. Dead Frumpkin here, I have no idea

if he's right there or not. Frumpkin heard. A third of a mile is like 400 yards, 400 meters. Let me see what the distance is on your ability here. How many yards on a mile? 1500? We said, we homebrewed this way back at the beginning of the campaign.

It's like once Frumpkin's beyond. Yeah, you cannot communicate with it. I can't communicate, but I can see and hear, is how we played it. Correct. Yes, that's what we're going through with that, yeah. So I can't tell Frumpkin to do anything at this point, but I can, I'm receiving. Correct. So I start muttering this to Beauregard.

Oh, but it's warm inside the dorm. It's not cold out there, either. While I wait for them, are we going to just walk around and look for tracks or markings? Yeah, yeah. Make an investigation check. Oh, fuck you. What is going on?

No, did I pass it? 15, 15. 15? Am I letting out? No, I'm sorry, 13. Bad roll fumes. Okay. Okay, so looking around here, you do see tracks. One, you can see what looked to be dragged wheels, grooves in the ground, but whatever cart was here

was then removed from these set horses and then taken in a southeastern direction. Okay, I'll follow along a little bit. You do also look around at the bodies. Some of it is bludgeon damage, like crushed face. Some appears to be small slashes and gash marks. You recognize in particular, just because of your previous experience,

some of these are very akin to or similar to the wounds left by goblin attacks. Goblin weaponry. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Let's go, I've got my coat. I'll wait for my friends to arrive. He'll eventually trudge up and you can see,

not Nott, but you see the array of deceased before you and the massacre scene left behind. Can anyone tell how long they've been here like this? Yeah. Let's check the bodies. We could do a medicine check? Or you could raise the dead and ask. Guide me, too. Guide me. Thank you.

Damn it! Jesus. Wow. Shut up. I'll do a medicine check with all of my guidance. Oh, but I have good medicine. It's still only 16 for me. 16. Fair enough. The bodies have probably been dead for, I'd say about six hours?

Ooh. Seven hours or so. Oh. That's, I'm going to, does one have a face, or any of those? Is it one that looks like a good one? Two of them have faces that are functional. A working face. Like, you know, lax and dead cut,

bloody to shit. The third one is just a mashed mess. I had to go for that one, so we just go like, . The one that's a mashed mess, though, does that look like it was goblins rolling something else bigger? Can we make an investigation check? Yeah.

What were the creatures that got attacked? Are they humans, are they? From what you can tell, they both appeared, the ones that are still able to make out much of their features appear to be human. Okay. 11. Okay. 22.

Boka. There's a heavy impact into the face that crushed it. Stone? It appeared to be something hard. A large bludgeon, a heavy hammer, something to that degree, or a heavy, you don't see a boulder nearby that is messy or bloody, but it definitely has that impact feel to it.

What sort of identifying armor or clothing it would save? No armor. Look to be Travelers. All their decent goods, identifying characteristics that would give you those clues appear to have been stripped from them. I'm sitting up the cadaver of my choice. I'll help, I'll put my knee behind it.

Casting Speak with Dead. All righty. Boopy. You get the younger of the two, looks to be a man probably in his early 20s or so, a bit unshaved, a bit of a chin, beard starting to come through, a bit scraggly. His eyes are a little dull, ashamed that he went

so violently at this age. But as you complete the spell and focus on, you see the lungs fill in, and there's a slight horrible groaning moan as it exhales for the first time. Hello, friend. What happened to you? What happened to your group here? We were sleeping.

And something came upon us. Fast and many. Some bigger. The darkness took fast and many, some bigger, Bigger. many smaller. I couldn't see much. Where were you headed, you and your friends?

We were on our way to Zadash from our field. Zadash! You hear the hype man from the corner. What is that? Sorry, he's like. No one's making a tits-a-dash in this episode. I know. Zadash or bust. Bringing produce to trade.

Thought we'd stay off the path for safety. That's the only response you get beyond that. Do we want to know more about the big ones? Or? Things that attacked you, did they, was it just crushing blows? There was no fire, there was no magic? I saw nothing splatchy.

Just screams and terrifying chuckles and the breaking of horses and men. How many were in your party? Those were your three questions. Oh, I thought I had five. Oh yeah, five on the start, three as the commute. You do have five questions. It was the three of us.

It was the three of you. Is there anything else you would like taken care of? Hmm. Anything unresolved? No. No. You do gather, as part of the nature of the spell, it's not the personality of the soul speaking through,

it's the memory of the flesh? I was curious if there was a task at hand that had been reached. Right, right. They're gone, to be fair. Yeah. The body goes limp. Farmers, three of them. I saw a sign when we were in Alfield, a post,

that was saying the orcs and trolls and other vermin of the hills are picking up again. I'm assuming with all of the soldiers being moved to the- Goblins, specifically. Oh, it was goblins, or was assuming, with all of the soldiers being moved to the... Goblins, specifically. Oh, it was goblins, or was it, oh, no, goblins and no trolls? No. It didn't say trolls, no, just goblins.

Goblins and something big. Something big. Did the goblin tribe that you were, did they have big things they traveled around with? We usually just had goblins with them. I mean, you know, in our clan, we just had goblins, and they worked with some non-goblins, but they weren't giant creatures.

They were, there was a human. What human? A woman, the woman who did this to me. A mage of some sort, I don't know her. A hooded woman. I'm going to decompose, hit everything that's still here, and just put it in a corner.

Tell me about it. With all the, I can't remember, I don't know if Nott looked or not, but with all the wheels and the carnage, can we tell where things have been dragged, in what direction? Yes. Yeah. I said southeast. Southeast.

When Nott was here before us? Mm-hmm. Oh, okay. I mean, do we follow the goblins, or is it like, well, the goblins got some veggies. Goblins got some veggies. Goblin's got some veggies. I mean, I really would love to kill some goblins, but I'm not going to hold us up. Finish the rest of the night,

and then we head on to Zadash. To Zadash? Is there the remains of a fire here that was seen from the distance? That's what alerted us that something was out here. Oh, well, this was found in the morning. This is when you guys were, before consciousness, the sun had just begun to rise,

and that's when you begin to notice the smoke trail. Smoke trail. So you've had a night's rest. The day's beginning, correct, no fire. Something to take care of, perhaps when we pass through again. We are pressed for time right now. All right.

Can I just look all over the ground just to see and make sure that nothing that was cool got left behind, any sparklies left on the ground? Make an investigation check. Guidance! Traveler, beware! I'd say if you're not rummaging through things, you're looking...

I'm looking all over the place. Investigation or perception, your choice. I'll summon a pumpkin. Ah! Whoa! Okay, that's good. The tide is turning. You gave me all your bad luck.

The eagles are coming! Yes! 22! It looks like you find three copper and a silver piece that seem to have not been taken by the attackers of this endeavor, but nothing to get killed. They're getting sloppy. Looks like the farmers unfortunately lost

their plus three vorpal sword to the goblins. Too bad. Okay. All right. You guys continue onward. Yeah. Yeah. Two more days of travel. You head towards the Amber Road northward, the familiar space passing by the offset grave site

that had once caught your attention as you made your way northward. Until eventually you can see, heading down into the valley, the familiar triangular outer wall shape at the base of the mountains, the city of Zadash. Bustling and colorful from this view above, it's been a while since you've been here.

It's been a while. I knew it. Just waiting for it. You make your way down towards the southern gates, the entrance to the main city. There you can see there is about 10 Crownsguard buffeted by an additional 10 Righteous Brand at this entryway.

As you approach, to a smaller degree, but familiar, a procession of people who are making their way into the city after being looked over. It looks to not be quite as extensive as the Wu Yun Gorge entranceway, but they are giving glances and allowing folks in one after the next. Any preparations you wish to make as you approach?

Cobalt Soul Vestiges. Yeah, you want to, wait, we don't have to be in disguise here, do we? I do, sort of. But I think. They've seen us before. They've seen us before, they should know who we are. I just want to look a little bit more official, that's all.

Do our clothes that we're wearing, do they look very Xhorhasian? I assume, yeah. Then yes, I think maybe we should not be in these clothes. Yeah, you've gotten a few looks. You know, not like, oh my god, the dross make, but just, it's a style that's not very common in the Empire.

You know, in what you're passing through Alfield and Trostamol. I'm going to put on my purple dress that I took from Nicodranas. Okay. Yep, I'll just take my coat off for now, not doing anything to it. Back to my original scrubby leathers mask of many faces.

Make myself look like just Veth. Okay. Yeah. Cobalt's a little caring. You got it. Caleb. Yeah, it's just, I could take care of myself for the day, but that takes quite a bit out of me. But I will do it.

Or you can just put on your old coat. Yeah. Oh, I got rid of that. Do you want to put on one of my dresses that I brought from Nicodranas? Oh, you know what? Wait, hold on, I'm going to look. I stole that fancy cloak. We're right outside the walls.

Shut up. I stole that fancy cloak from the cabinet. Oh, that was... Wasn't it like a kimono sort of a... I don't know. It's probably no better than what you're wearing. I cast Seeming. Oh. On all of us?

I could, but everyone seemed to have a plan. Does anybody want any changes for the next eight hours or so? I'm good. My dress is really nice, so I'm okay in it. Caleb looks the way he did the first day you met him. All righty. I'll take, you can just make my Veth last eight hours

instead of one, sure. Yeah. Okay. You all make your way to the gates of Zadash. The guards give you glances over. Do we recognize any of them? No. From our time previous? No.

I'm going to kick my cat. You do not? No. I kicked my cat. You do not recognize the ones that kicked your cat being on this side of the city. I've learned some things since the last time we were here. Yeah. I've learned a few things. They go ahead and usher you guys past, and you make it through the main gates into the familiar city.

Now arriving on the muddy cobblestone streets of Zadash, a familiar sight, though it's been a while since you visited. It's weirdly comforting, looking around and seeing the standard workers and citizens amongst the peasantry and the occasionally well-dressed noblemaking their way. Through, you begin to move towards the inner part

of the central city of the Empire. What would you guys like to do? Fucking Pumat. Pumat's here! We got to go to the Cobalt Soul! Yes, yes. First thing, actually, before we even do that, the tower is, how is it? Make a perception check.

That's pretty good. That's 21. 21. The tower is visible. It's one of the larger spires, one of the three Tri-Spires. Appears to be standing in fine from this distance. So it's no longer. It's no longer at an angle, it is straight up.

Straight up, now tell me. You know, this might actually be, it is straight up. That's good. All right. Straight up, now tell me. You know, this might actually be a good place to go and take a break. Oh! Yeah! So as you enter the City of Zadash, gathering yourselves, getting your bearings straight,

and deciding which path to take as you look upon the horizon. We're going to take a break. We'll be back here in a few minutes, but before we jump in, we do have our giveaway tonight. It's nice to be back to where things happen. Back to Zadash. We do have, from our friends at Wyrmwood,

the newly redesigned Hero Vault, featuring art by our friends Devon Rue and Crystal Sully. Yeah, look at that. Dragon Head design right there, for this is the Crystal Sully design. This is currently available through Wyrmwood's Kickstarter campaigns. Go ahead and check it out if you get a chance. The keyword for tonight is homeward. H-O-M-E-W-A-R-D. One word.

Enter only once. More than once, you'll be disqualified. And once again, for folks in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Quebec, we'll be back here in a few minutes with a winner. We'll see you in just a moment. Yay! We interrupt this Critical Role Podcast Network broadcast to bring you news of dangerous treasures that lie sealed within the Critical Role shops. Only the heartiest of adventurers should dare seek them out. In all seriousness, though, I'm Matthew Mercer, and we've made some very cool things that we really like and hope you will, too. If you'd like to support the show, please consider visiting any of our Critical Role online shops through the shop tab at critrole.com and see if anything catches your eye.

Okay, back to the show. Welcome back, everybody. Wow. That was so good. That was a good one, Vicki. That was a lot. Thank you. I was going to try to give them 10 minutes to rest and then come back swinging.

Yeah. So before we get back into the game, we do have our winner of the Fantastic Romance giveaway. The winner is Specter6. Specter underscore VI6. Congratulations, we'll get that to you ASAP, and enjoy your kickstarted awesome design. So bringing it back,

you guys are heading down the streets, surrounded by the various hustle and bustle of Zadash. The Crownsguard presence here is, as you recall, though you do see them mingled with small batches of righteous brand that seem to have been also given additional responsibilities watching from the streets. It feels a much more guarded atmosphere than last time you were here,

except for when the war first began. So actually, the last time you left, it was about the same as where you recall. It's not a little bit more bolstered. It looks like more soldiers are outside of the Marrow Keep and are amongst the rest of the folk in the town. Aside from the numbers, just the body language, do they look alert, frayed,

maybe like a bloodbath just occurred a few days ago? Make an insight check. Natural 20. Oh! Oh! Look at that CR logo. They do appear alert. It isn't a day-to-day thing, and there are some that are,

some are just going about business, but there is definitely a readiness to a lot of them. Probably because just the current war with the Dynasty has not been recently going in the Empire's favor, and there was a recent possible attack that may have caught their attention. They don't look gaunt, they look well-fed, still prepared, organized. Yeah.

Okay. Is there a town crier shouting news? Just going to ask. Okay, yeah. If you're listening out for that, make a perception check. 13. 19. 19, okay. You do hear in the distance,

just a short ways into the city, some shouts off the way. It's just far enough away where you don't pick up the information, but you know the direction to go to meet up with them. And so you push on horseback, not galloping through the streets, because that's generally frowned upon

for the people that do cross the road often, but you pick up your pace a bit ahead of direction. You do hear the crown cry going, Beware! Recent incursions. Attack on the kobold soul. Still at large, murderous. See folks of strange mind or disposition,

report to the hall. Wait, strange mind of disposition? Mind of justposing. Oh, if you see weirdos. Weirdos, go ahead and submit. Go to the TSA and report. Essentially, yeah. Well, we are just a walking red flag, aren't we?

Always. Cool. All right. I'll start shouting, Vorevids successfully mounting towards the east! Poor shit. I say to myself. fast-fully mounting towards the east. Poor shit. I say to myself.

So, what would you guys like to do? Straight for the Cobalt Soul. To the souls! All righty. So you head your way to the Valley Archive of the Cobalt Soul. Passing by the familiar territory, you eventually come upon the beautiful structure of the archive, seemingly unscathed, as busy as you would expect,

though it does appear like there are triple the number of townsguard placed around the front and side entrances. You approach. Yep. There's a hitching post easy enough to put your horses off to the side. You approach and there is what looks to be a robed Cobalt researcher outside

who glances upon you and approaches. Good day. Are you looking to enter? What's up? Beauregard, yes. Back. Things have been a bit... Chaotic? Yes. Yeah, I've heard.

You've heard of the attack, then? Yeah. Right, right. How can I help you? I would like to come in and talk to people. Of course. We have some shit to report. Yes, this way. Been gone a long time, you know.

Yes. Anton leads you inside. You head to the interior chamber. You see two monks that are along the floor, the marble floor with brushes that are scrubbing. It's pretty clean. You don't see much of a sign of the struggle previously. They've had a number of days to recover from it,

but you do definitely confirm with sight and the terminology that this was where the attack seemed to occur, or at least an attack occurred. Just a slight reminder that perhaps these people might have lost someone close to them. Yeah, so maybe tone down the brush. Yeah, I probably lost someone close to me. Maybe. Right, yes.

Find out who died. All right. Hey, DM, how many days did it take to get here? 13. Total would have been... You said it was a 13. 13 and a half days from Nicodranas. Okay.

Almost two weeks. Not bad. Two weeks. Geographical entity. Who can he talk to here? I'm going to look around and see if I can find Xenoth, or fuck, who was the other guy who taught me? All right. The one you sparred with. The one I, yeah.

Yeah. He was a halfling, right? Uh-huh. He stepped in after Dairon left. What is this man? Well, as you're having this conversation or asking around, the figure who helped you in,

which, looking upon it, you can see short blonde hair, appears to be half-elf, leaning more on the human than half-elf side, a bit young, and seems a bit shaken visibly by the recent events, and is just trying to hold it together. Here, as you mentioned Zenoth and goes, Oh, um, yeah, Zenoth is recovering. He was gravely wounded in the attack.

I could go and check and see if he's up for visitors. Would you? What's your name? I'm Galesh. I've heard of you. Really? Yes. What have you heard?

I've just heard you've been used as an example in conversations. Oh god. Okay. Yeah, do me a favor, Ganesh. Ganesh? Ganesh. Galesh. Galesh. Do me a favor, Ganesh Ganache? Ganesh. Galesh. Yeah. Do me a favor, Ganache, and go check in. Right.

Power move there, well done. Yeah, sets off, and you can see there are a number of various monks and clerics and other people that work within the archive that are just watching you all. Generally, part of the business in here is to keep an eye on anybody who is an outsider. Even in the presence of Beauregard here,

with recent events, there is a general nervousness and a close watch, just in case. What's this fucker's name? Short times goes by before Galesh returns and goes, He can speak with you if you want to follow. Yeah, come on. We follow. Oh yes, we follow. You follow Galesh down the hallway

to one of the rooms for the infirmed, which is used for injuries and generally recovery for anybody who's been hurt while people fall off ladders and stuff here occasionally. It's a very, very high, high tier librarian. Things are prone to happen, but in one of the beds you can see there is Zenoth, who is still bandaged. Thanks to magical healing,

terrible Grievous Wounds can be recovered in a short time, and based on where he's still at in the time that it's been, you gather he narrowly escaped with his life. Good boy. Zenoth sits forward and says, Beauregard. Hey, Zenoth.

I wasn't expecting to see you. Yeah, we peeked in and we saw the things were tits up, so. Yes, it's been a problematic few weeks. How many did we lose? We lost nine. Nine? Okay. Others wounded, myself included.

I'm very, very thankful to still be here. By the grace of Ioun, I still walk among us. Who was it that attacked you? I'm not certain. Somebody masquerading as an Ovarun came through. This terrifying, murderous behemoth just began to cut through, and another, seemingly just driven by anger and madness.

We were caught off guard and were forced to try and guide them to a specific chamber, and I resisted and was gutted for it. You can see he tries to sit up. There's these heavily crimson bandages across the midsection. I mostly recovered now. This is a bit macabre glance, but I'm...

You're really sure that changed if you're healed up. I mean, why are you sitting in all the blood? Why, it's been a few days of heavy sleep recently. But, uh... What chamber? What were they looking for? And what did they leave with? Well, the man said he was a representative of the Rexxentrum Archive on business of the war effort.

Something didn't sit right when I first saw him. Was he blonde? No, darker hair. Oh. I questioned him at the repository door below, and he whistled loudly, and that was when the footfalls came of the other two. Screams, so many screams. I didn't recognize him.

I can show you to where he was. Bless you. I can show you to where he was. Bless you. I can show you to where he asked me to take him. Yeah. Can we help you, or do I? I'm fine, I'm fine. Yeah, let us help you. He leans on your shoulder a bit,

takes you up to the downward spiral staircase that leads to the subterranean repository. This is where the extremely rare singular copy books are kept, things that have very dangerous information that the Cobalt Soul keeps under very careful lock and key. I'm not entirely certain directly what he was looking for, was just asking to be brought here. I've been out for most of this time.

Perhaps some of the other individuals can help you. They've been doing their own investigations about. Doing an inventory of anything that might be missing. Yes, if you wish to ask. Who should I talk to? He points to any of the other monks in the process of making notes and pointing through the various tomes.

Do I recognize the rooms at all that we're in? This is the room where you saw Yasha at the doorway of. And him sitting at a table? Him standing at the table with a book he's been thumbing through, yeah. Do I remember what the book looked like? You do. Can I describe it to?

Yeah. Okay. The two of them listen and they begin to thumb through and eventually come to a blank spot where the book is missing. What was it? Yeah, I hollered at somebody. What was it? Yeah, I hollered at somebody. What was here? This particular tome was specifically

talking about the historical significance of, and record keeping of, various terrifying entities that were involved in various deific conflicts, spoke of celestial entities and angels and twisted, corrupted creatures and beings that were put down to the service of Betrayer Gods, as well as some of the Prime Deities themselves.

It was cobbled together from various different sources. An angel in irons? I don't know if that was this particular tome. We can go and research, if you'd like, or if you'd like to research, you can. Anything about the Laughing Hand? And yes, we will be doing our research, but I figured you could give me a footnotes version of what you have thus far. I don't recall anything about the Laughing Hand, and yes, we will be doing our research, but I figured you could give me a footnotes version

of what you have thus far. I don't recall anything about the Laughing Hand, but my speciality is only this particular section of the room. We can't all know all the information, so we have assigned different regions of the archive that we look over specifically. Is there anyone in the library

who is specifically acquainted with this tome? That would be me. You, okay. Was there any spells, any hints of gateways, information, where things? Do you remember any of that from this tome? No. I mean, it was mostly folklore.

It wasn't any specific studies. It was word of mouth, bits of information, historical scraps that were passed down. Many of it was just considered myth or a story. Descriptions of, sorry. A singular book, right. There wasn't a pair or a series of these. It was just a collection. This one particular, and it was thin.

It wasn't an extensive tome. I know that many were lost here. Do you know how they exited, how they left? No, just about a trace. I assume it was some form of teleportation. Did this book cover the King of the Cross? It may have. It covered many things.

Okay, I'm sure. I don't, we archive and maintain them. We do not memorize the contents of these tomes. We just know where to find them and when the research is necessary, we go and locate them and then discover it. Do the records of anybody else going into this book of the last few years?

We've looked into it. It hasn't been specifically looked into for at least 20 to 25. It's sparse knowledge. The tall woman with the sword, I assume. Yes. Did she say anything? Did she act of her own volition or was she commanded? I mean, she'd said not a word while she was here.

She was crying. Anyway, if you wish to look about the books here, we can assign a few aides and hopefully find what you seek. Extremely helpful. Yes, if anything else was reported missing besides this particular book, we've... We've looked over it quite extensively and this is the only tone missing. What's your name?

My name is Dallon. I've been here for quite some time. Oh, I met, I think I've met him before. No? I don't think you've met him. Okay. You didn't spend much time in the repository, so you wouldn't find him too often. But yes, if there's any particular topics

you'd like to research, we can look into that. Do we want to research whatever? Yeah, you have an entire archive at your disposal, so if there's anything you want to try and look up. I just wish to have it. All of it. No, not the entire thing. I mean, pick some topics. Jesus. Swamps and Xhorhas.

Angel, well, angel lions. Yeah, the angel. Anything about summoning the Crawling King, anything about the Crawling King, or? Okay, which one? You're picking multiple topics here. Which one do you want to research first? Gosh, we're treating Matt like he's Google.

This is crazy. Crawling King. I want to find a good Thai restaurant that's at least got a four star service. Three miles. I think we should look up, if there's anything about the Angel of Irons, because we don't know anything.

Yeah. Angel of Irons. It's like a group, a cult, right? A following. Or it sounds like fallen angels. Fallen angels. Or steel beings. Angel of Iron is actually the Laughing, yeah. The Laughing Hand.

Okay, so which one are you researching first? Crawling King. Crawling King. Let's do that first. All right, and who's researching that one? He's there. Caleb! I'll research that. Okay, make an investigation check for me. Guidance.

Oh, oh, oh, wait, hold on. I'm going to cast, oh, I'm going to cast Enhance Ability. Oh, yes. I'm going to do it to Caleb. I'm going to do it as an intelligence check. I'm going to cast Fox's Cunning on you. Okay. Yes. So that's advantage on intelligence checks for you.

And the same for Caleb. All right. All right. And the rights. And Guidance. And Guidance, okay. Wait, let me double check and make sure Guidance is not a... It's Concentration. Oh, never mind, no Guidance for you.

Okay. Investigation, you said? Correct. 16. 16, okay. You do find a number of books that refer to Torag. Torag the Crawling King, the dark god of the endless tunnels

and caverns beneath Exandria. Torag is the patron of torturers, slavers, and jailers across the realms. His violent tears carve the pathways into the world, and his realm of imprisonment is a network of deadly caves and manacles from which few return. Creatures that wander the desolation of Karseri often construct prisons in his image.

Carceri? Carceri. Carceri. C-A-R-C-E-R-I. Those who rob others of their freedom offer prayers to him in cellars and other subterranean domains. Many creatures who live in the darkness below him,

below worship him and seek his guidance. He is said to have been banished within an unknown sliver of the Far Realm, where he now borders the deepest pits of the Underdark, where the boundaries between worlds grow thin and birth terrible abominations bent on subjugation. To a sliver of the Underdark, or a sliver? Sliver of the Far Realm that borders

the deepest pits of the Underdark. Borders the Far Realm. It's so Underdark to get to. We were just in a part of the Underdark where there were a big-ass gate. Somebody got squished. Fjord's... I didn't think we were in the Underdark in this campaign.

We were under one, underground, but not in the Underdark. There are many tales of battles and wars, including the one where Torog was initially banished by a union of Pelor the Dawnfather and Ray the Everlight. Right. That managed to push him beyond the boundaries of Exandria into the Far Realm, where he is supposedly remained to this day.

Where is the Far Realm? Yeah, what's the Far Realm? Is that another dimension or a place? If you would like to. For you, I'd say go ahead and make a, you can either make a religion or arcana check for you. Are you reading privately or are you sharing with the group as you go?

I would be yelling shit off. You get advantage on it, by the way. Intelligence. You spell in. I don't know. That's ability gives one. You have advantage on any intelligence-based ability check. Oh, cool. For an hour.

Oh, cool. Wait, wait, wait, not investigation, but religion. 18. Religion is wisdom, I believe, right? Or is it intelligence? No, it's intelligence. Intelligence? All right, never mind, sorry, you're right. 18. 18. The Far Realm has been

studied as much as it can. The Far Elm has been studied as much as it can. It is a space, a plane outside of the general spheres of known existence that is so alien, that is so strange and dangerous that to peer deep into it is to welcome madness into the mind. We'll have to go there now.

Let's go there next. It is said those who nightmare on its borders sometimes dream things into being. Ooh. Terrible, formless, ancient creatures that may have existed before Exandria itself. That's exactly what they're trying to do, right? Like dream them back, maybe?

There are such creatures as beholders and Aboleths and things are theorized to have been spawned from or originated from the Far Realm. Whoa. People's nightmares? Creepy. To the Far Realm! Sure, what could possibly go wrong?

Near Realm. Dream things into existence. So wait, it said you have to get there by a way through the Underdark? Or it's like borders? There's a sliver of a border? There's a sliver, there is a boundary of it, supposedly, that is bordering

the very, very subterranean base there. There's a crack 20,000 leagues under the sea that touches it. Does it give any indication of where that crack is? No. What else are we researching? Yeah, what else are we researching? I would like to ask,

any terms you have on individuals trying to make use of the demonic or greater things, or trying to, I guess in general history, intrepid individuals trying to harness greater power. The monk that was assigned to you goes, that's many, that's a lot, that's like most of the Age of Arcanum.

You might want to narrow it a little bit, be a little more specific, it's a lot of reading. How about a book that centers on the worst, the worst people? The worst people, that's relative. The people who have done the most terrible things, who have tried to summon terrible things from beyond, illicit acts,

summoning demons. There's many, I can point you to a, we can make an investigation check. Sure. At advantage. At advantage. The Google search bar, bad people. Who have tried to abuse them.

Bad people who have abused people. See you in the 19th century. 27. So many, so many. History is filled with bad people that have summoned creatures and demons and entities all over, there are cults all over the world that have done this. I know what you're talking about. There are warlocks and there are mages who done this. I know what you're talking about.

There are warlocks and there are mages who all through history, whether it be for good or for evil, have tried to bind creatures like this to their will, some successfully, some not. Especially when the Betrayer Gods walked the realm as well. There were many cabals that were built to the Betrayer Gods, as well as the Demon Princes of the Abyss. It's a dizzying amount of information.

How about people who have served the Crawling King? People who have served the Crawling King? Interestingly enough, most of those that have been, their names are stricken from history or haven't been recovered. And a lot of individuals, aside from a handful of definitive mages from a handful of definitive mages from the Age of Arcanum,

they haven't either recovered it. All I'm trying to tell you is it's still a very broad topic. Okay. I could sit here and make up shit for 20 minutes and tell it at you. Every time I talk books, I do not want you to No, of course. Monologue for 20 minutes. I'm hoping to find Every time I talk books, I do not want you to. No, of course. No monologue for 20 minutes.

I'm hoping to find a board panda link to the 10 worst. Right, right. You do not discover anything possibly pertinent to the things that you're seeking at the moment. I'll put it that way. What about the Abyss? What about, didn't we see an image of Bahamut? Bah-fum-et? Bah-fum-et, the language was all like an abyssal What about, didn't we see an image of Bahamut?

Baphomet? Baphomet. Is that a thing? The language was all like an abyssal that was then scratched out with a celestial over top of it. I would like to know a bit more about Baphomet, actually. Baphomet? Yeah. Sure. Go ahead and roll an investigation check.

Shadows. Okay, so an hour has passed for the two pieces of research you guys have done, so you'd have to recast if you want to. Okay. I'll cast a Zikon. Who else is researching stuff? I mean, you should have me.

I'll research Barfumet. I'll do it at level four and get all three of them. Oh, okay, great. We'll have one more round. Just applied for a library card. Shp-pum, shp-pum, shp-pum. All right. This is fun, this is new. Vaf, each of you on the head,

you've got an hour of intelligence and insurance. Yes, yes. And now I can bless you. Oh, wow. Whoa. That's crazy. So who's researching what? You're doing Baphomet, you said? Go ahead and roll an investigation check.

Guidance. It's under B! That's really good. And then add a d4. Add a d4. Natural 20. Plus d4. A natural 19 and a natural 20. Wow, add a d4 anyway. Oh, okay. I want to see Natural 19 and a natural 20. Wow, I had a d4 anyway. Oh, okay. I want to see

what this number ends up at. Okay. 26, wow, that's 30. 30. Yes! You rolled a 30. Ooh! Damn!

All righty, let me go pull up some of this information you guys are asking about here. You know more than Matt does about it, though. Probably. Start making it up. I'm still thinking about where we're going next. All righty, hold on a second. I got to go find my information here. We have an opportunity to learn about a few things

we don't know anything about, though. That's true, and you have a lot of things that you've picked up throughout your adventures or things that might pertain to what happened here that you can research as well. Yeah. Yeah. Should we research that? Yeah, we could look it up.

There wouldn't be anything in the history books about a temporary and new location of a hidden time. No, but we could maybe talk about the lex. All right, so you do know Baphomet is the Demon Prince of Beasts, is what he's referred to, and is considered the master of minotaurs and other demonic, bestial creatures.

Lives on his own planet, the Abyss. Often rivaling with Yag'nu. Yag'ni who? Yag'nu. Yag'nu. The pronunciation's fucked up. Demon names are great, which you've heard before. That was the demonic gnoll lord to where the gnoll cultist that you met as an off-field war worshiper.

I knew I recognized that name. Yeah. But it's just essentially this patron entity to many man-beast creatures that put their worship and interest towards more abyssal powers. It's a god? It's a demon prince, which is not a god. It's a crab of beasts.

Also not a devil. More abyssal shit. Yeah, abyssal shit. Abyssal, not hell. But someone that they could summon, possibly? Or that he's working for? What? I was going to say, you guys still have two more research. We have two more research tokens, basically.

Well, let's research... Luxon? The Dota guy? I want Angel of Irons, because we just don't know anything. Angel of Irons, and then I would like to do a geography check on maybe some shit. Okay. Do we need a geography check?

You have many things you can research here. Like research the origins of the Kryn Empire, their religion, and its origin. We'll do the Angel of Irons. Okay, make an intelligence check. Guidance. Bless, Guidance, Guidance, Bless, Inspired. Guidance, Guidance.

30. Whoa! Okay. What is this, investigation, you said? Okay, 22 for me. 22 for you, okay. Four. Got it, all right, so.

From what you can find that's kept here, it speaks of the beginning of the Drow, the beginning of the Drow, the beginning of the drow and the creation under Lolth, the Spider Queen, during the later stages of the founding and throughout the Age of Arcanum. It is thought that the Kryn, at some point during,

or at the tail end of the Age of Arcanum, at least the den that began this movement broke away from Lolth's influence and to some degree had managed to or began to build this religion around some unknown, unconfirmed light entity. Most of the notes speak of it with dubious interest, debating whether or not it's actually a god,

and fearful that such entities that have no historical record could be fronts for other entities, or can just be an excuse to bind the people together under a single ruler. The point of view of the author is one of skepticism towards whatever. Most things here are written from a standpoint

of what information they can grasp with a little bit of intellectual footnotes on the side, given some opinions here and there, but they're not given as fact. The opinions are very much opinions of the author and are noted as such. Five million or something. There has been, it speaks of challenge

in finding historical record. There has been very little communication or very minor collaboration with the Kryn. Before this conflict ever happened, there have been meetings. It isn't like the Empire and the Kryn. Before this conflict ever happened, there have been meetings. It isn't like the Empire and the Kryn never met before. It's just always been like a we stay here, you stay here type of thing.

They've had attempted conversations. No peace talks, there's no war before, but there has definitely been conflict at the borders. There have been discussions and agreements to basically keep to their side of things for an extended period of time, and some attempts at trading information and goods, but largely a general mistrust from one side or both

has prevented those from going too far. They appear to be very guarded about their religion to those they don't trust, but they do speak of the Luxon. They speak of some of these similar ideas of what you've been told before, of this light entity that supposedly existed before all gods and was the one prime entity of which all other deities pale by comparison.

It speaks of the conversations of Dunamancy, but only in the sense of people who've witnessed it, people who have seen the power that it has. There are newer notes based on recent battles that have happened in fresher ink, and notes placed in some of the latter pages that speak on more examples of the terrifying power that it holds, the manipulation of gravity, of space,

being able to fracture realities, and people talking about manipulation of time and momentum. As far as the religion goes, you don't learn that much more than what you already know. You probably have a pretty decent firsthand account based on the experience you had there, and the fact that a lot of it is, a lot of the information is still being carefully guarded

from within the Dynasty. Okay, good, thank you. You, Angel of Irons, there are some notes in here. Ooh. Notes? Speaking that the Angel of Irons, in one book you find, that speaks of cults, specifically cults and strange fringe worship,

speaks of the Angel of Irons as a relatively new obsession of a sparse cult, not more than 40 years old. Oh shit, okay. Very little is known, as even worshipers are kept in the dark about their patron. What is known is it is something of celestial iconography and imagery mingled with twisted chains, known to have come to its followers in visions,

speaking of being bound in shadow and seeking followers to, and the one quote that's given here is, release the fanes that hold its shackles. Release the what? Release the fanes that hold its shackles. What are fangs? What's a fang? A fang is a place of power, a location of importance

and considered natural ability and power. Like a ley line? Or like a person, like a being? It can be interpreted in different ways. Okay. Source of power. While not part of this book, things you begin to pick up in other elements there, the chain motif catches your mind.

Whether related or not, the chain motif is also commonly threaded through another entity, one of the Betrayer Gods known as the Chained Oblivion, which is the mad god, Tharizudun. We heard about that before, right? Yes, we did. He a big one. Described as darkness unending,

a malevolent entity unlike any of the other Betrayer Gods, whose terrible dreams bring the endless, Tharizudun, whose terrible dreams bring the endless depths of the abyss into being. Ayun actually led the charge against this entity's reemergence long ago, her success leaving her greatly wounded and a wound that will never heal.

Fuck. Right. You've got some secret cult members out there who are trying to bring all these. The library of their arch nemesis. cult members out there who are trying to do, trying to bring all these. The library of their arch nemesis. Of their arch nemesis, yeah. Because Ioun is the official god of Cobalt Soul. Therizodune, huh?

Therizodune. There's lots of dunes. Can we pick up some anti-therizodune potions at Pumat's? Are there any other things you want to research? People, places, anything? While they were doing all this, can I have looked up just general knowledge about magic dealing with rebirth

or reincarnation or resurrection sort of magic? Make an intelligence check or an investigation check. Natural one. Oh no. But with Guidance, it's a four. You feel a bit lost in this library. You weren't a huge reader of tomes. You know, books and things that came to you in Felderwin

were generally a little more common, but these are archaic and read in very archaic ways, and you find yourself unable to really find anything that catches your interest, unfortunately. I'm going to look up anything about the Traveler. Sure. Roll an investigation check. There's nothing about him because he's not real.

Guidance. Natural one! This whole time, I'm reading a book about the Traveler Natural one! This whole time, I'm reading a book about the Traveler and she's reading a book about reincarnation. I never. She's going, shit! Not right, well. I just can't find shit, huh?

Unfortunately, you can't find any books that seem to mention. That's fine. You know what I'm going to do? What? I'm going to draw some dicks. And I'm going to write, have you ever noticed how old books make you have to poop in the bottom of one of the books?

And then in another one, I'm going to put Captain Tusk 2's, and then in another one, I'm going to draw the fucking tree. Do old books make you poop? Make a hand check. Being in libraries? Being in libraries? Yeah, definitely.

They make you have to poop. Oh yeah, for sure. If you're in the stacks studying, you got to take a dump. Dude, there's a condition that if you are at Barnes and Noble or something. Barnes and Noble Bell. People have to poop a lot at bookstores.

Guidance, oh, I didn't guide myself. That was a whole. That's okay, it was a 20. A 20? That was a long walk. Okay. And this was looking up, sorry, remember me again, it was? This was drawing dicks. Drawing dicks, got you. Yes. Thank you. My brain is full of devices.

Though you are under watch, though there is a member of the Archive watching you carefully, you definitely cough and cause another book to fall off a table nearby and catch their attention. While they go to pick it up again, you quickly doodle on the side there, close it over, set it aside.

No one seems to notice. Sweet. I've exercised everything here, yes? Should we ask? I don't know, should we ask about, like, what I heard Obann say that he read out loud? What did he say? I can't remember. Oh, the power thing? I can't remember, but.

Let Lie the King's Instr instrument, that sort of stuff? The thing that he said out loud? From the ritual that he did? Was he reading something out loud? From the ritual or when you were scrying? From the ritual or the scry from yesterday? From the scry, when he was reading a book or something when I scryed on him.

Right, let me go ahead and pull that up real fast. None of you guys wrote it down, I can go ahead and find that. I feel like I fit in. Of course you wrote it down. Yeah, of course you wrote it down. But it was just very fast when you saw it. That's all good, I got it right here. You said, Comorda, geysers, that's what I wrote down.

No, that's not it. Here we go. Y'all fucked. You said Jor-El's remains were bisected, the heart buried within the Lotus Den, and the skull entrusted to the elves within the Velethul. Yeah, see, that seems important. That seems very important. It seems we have

some questions to ask. My dear Orphan Maker, come hand, let us find you a new friend. Let's ask those two places. I'm going to repeat that to the people there and see if that maybe makes sense to them. Would you like to research it, then? Yeah, that's like the Gilded Lily thing.

That's not what it was. You don't want me, no, no, you don't want him. Should I cast Enhance Ability? My investigation's plus six, so somebody. I'll do it. I'm going to cast. Wait, I'm just trying to find a book? Mine is also good. No, I'm good. We should look up those locations.

The locations. Yeah, I'm going to cast Enhance Ability on Caleb and we should look it up. Okay, what are you looking up? Joriel. Okay, Joriel, all right. I'm going to cast it at, what, fourth level, so you all get bonus again. Cool. So you guys can all research a bunch of shit.

Lotusden, what was the other location that was in there? Fuck. Velothil. Velothil, that's the elf shit, right? Yeah. Velothil, sorry, Velothil. 27 on the Lotusden. 27.

Are you guys giving yourself guidance? Yes, 27 on Jor-El. Whoa. Was it? 27 also on Jor-El. Okay, Lotusden is a location to the south of X-El. Whoa. Was it? 27 also on Jor-El. Okay. Lotusden is a location to the south of Xhorhas. Okay.

Is it swampy? It's a green wood. It is surrounded by somewhat swamp land. It is a darkened wood that is uncharacteristic of a lot of the more parched regions of northern Xhorhas. Some folks do apparently live in there. There is a culture of folks in what's called Charras. Charras.

A more natural city. Seems to be more druidic in nature. Often split between the Lotusden Halflings, which are called the region home, and recent dragonborn that escaped the destruction of Draconia that have also made it home as well. Lotus and green wood.

It's time. Mm-hmm. Doot, doot, doot. Right. The woods are dark, they are dense, and it has many, many myths and tales that speak of regions of it that are cursed where the woods themselves move without notice and shift, as well as other dangers and creatures that call it home.

There's some big-ass runes on the Lotus Den green woods. I know we've translated before, I'm just pointing it out. I know. That's written down somewhere. We've re-translated those runes. You were researching Jorael.

Yeah. All right. Jorael. Jorael. The name, J-O-U-R-R-A-E-L. J-O-U-R-A-E-L. Referred to as the Kaedogeist. C-A-E-D-O-G-E-I-S-T. Kaedogeist. The Kaedogeist.

Jorael was a chosen assassin of Lolth, the Spider Queen. Lolth, exalted through an arrangement with Asmodeus during a brief era of unified interests. Jesus! I should cry out loud in the library. Yeah, that's real bad. Jorael was a nightmarish specter who walked through wall and mountain-like water.

Known colloquially as the Inevitable End, Jor-El could not be completely destroyed unless the contract of the agreement between Lolth and Asmodeus was destroyed. In the bloodshed at the end of the Calamity, attempts to suss out this answer failed, so the body of Jor-El was sundered and sealed apart in secret.

They're waking up that person, too. Ooh. Oh shit, no. They're waking up the Horseman too. Ooh. Okay, so. Oh shit, no! They're waking up the Horseman of the Apocalypse. Oh fuck! Right, in Joriel, he said his body was bisected and put under two different places. Is that what we're figuring out?

That seems to be what Obann was referring to. Two places? Well, he said his body was bisected. So one of them is in the Lotus Den. And the other is in Felithun. What is, Caduceus, aren't you guarding the body? Aren't your family guarding the dead body of a fallen warrior or something?

I mean, technically, but it was trisected, not bisected. So it's definitely not the same, that's just... I would find that very unlikely. It's different. The victim between three body parts and two of them. It's an ancient warrior. Also, a Lothian assassin terror versus the holy warrior that was given rest

under the Wraith of the Dead. Died during the, yeah. Okay. Oh god. Whole mother thing. Wait, does that mean they've already got both parts of it, then? What was the quote again? God, I don't know. The quote was,

Jor-El's remains were bisected, the heart buried within the Lotusden, and the skull entrusted to the elves within the Veluthil. Elves in the Veluthil. And you're researching Veluthil, correct? Yes. Go ahead and, what was your roll on that? I was a 22. 22. Get a girl, get a girl.

Veluthil. Right, no, no, no, no. Sorry, that was an old roll, it was a 15. 15, okay. Veluthil, not difficult to find, was the historical name of what is now known as the Savalirwood. Oh, right. Shit. We already knew that, we already knew that.

Yes. It was the name of the forest before the corruption of Molaeus Myr and the entire forest itself was rendered under perpetual darkness and rolling disaster, yes. Right. So somewhere there, there was an ancient city of elves that have this artifact.

Are the elves still there? They are, right? No, it is a ruin, and the city is still considered, it's like Chernobyl, like after Ground Zero, but still not habitable at all. Currently, what you do know about it is some Uthodurnian interests do go in and out of the ruins. In fact, Reani had done some expeditions there.

Right. Also, Shadycreek Run has a lot of interest there. The Trebane family specifically. Oh god. What has interest there? Some of the families in Shadycreek Run. The Trebane family specifically is a focus in antiquities and trying to smuggle things out of there.

True. And to a smaller degree, the Jagged Totson occasion, The Trabane family specifically is a focus in Antiquities and trying to smuggle things out of there. And to a smaller degree, the Jagged Totson occasion, but the Trabane family specifically, their main business lies in trying to get in there and smuggle as many goods out as they can from the ruins and sell them generally southward. Yeah. Whatever private interests have the coin.

So it's in the Savalir Woods, so it's still dark, it's still fucked up. Oh yeah. Okay. And you know this from how long you've lived in the Blooming Grove. Even just 10 miles north of where you grew up is considered a no man's land by how you were raised. It is considered far too dangerous to venture towards.

So Jor-Yel's heart is at the Lodastan and... The skull. The skull is at Vellothil. Yeah. So he's already gotten the heart? We don't know that. Probably. Looking for the heart at Leomund. Last time we checked, he was at the Swampland. But who knows, they might have already gone to the wood.

It had been a couple days. It's a pretty big place. I'm going to scry on them right now. Yeah. On Yasha. Yasha, okay. Thank you. Are you enhancing my ability?

Well, you can't do it till, yeah, no, I'm giving you Guidance. Oh, I didn't do it for you. If you enhance my ability, Well, you can't do it till, yeah. No, I'm giving you Guidance. Oh, I didn't do anything. If you enhance my ability, I get Perception check. All right, that's fair then. I'll burn another. Second level? Yeah.

Okay. Okay. Pick one of the good d2s. Shut up. There are none. There's none left. That can't be possible with her. No, no, no, I'm having faith in my... All right. You focus here in the center of the archive,

closing your eyes. Just dropped down on my knees in the middle of the library. A light breeze begins to blow through the space, though the windows are closed. You take a pick up as interesting. Familiar signs depending on who is toying with somebody's current interest and focus. You sense the presence of the Traveler come to you and say,

don't mind the books. They'll write your name in time alongside mine. But for now, let's look elsewhere. They'll write your name in time alongside mine. But for now, let's look elsewhere. Clasps his arms on your shoulder, and you feel your vision drift and push once more out through cloud and sky, suddenly hitting dense foliage. Heavy vines, thick root and tree. Soft, overgrown forest floor

where fallen elements of plant life seems to rot and gather into soft underbrush. There you see, pushing through Yasha, cutting branches as they get in the way. Obann, cloak and hood down, Laughing Hand taking out full trees at the side as they begin to tumble over. I see one of the trees begin to uproot

and begin to turn towards him. Obann just looks and snaps his fingers and points. Laughing Hand turns around and just shreds this tree in three wide swipes. The tree seems to give out a low groan as it crumbles backward. Make a perception check. Come on, Laura.

Let's go. Okay, okay, okay. 19? 19, okay. You gather from the light from the northern end, they've only just recently made it through the edge of the treeline. Okay. So they seem to have only just begun

to enter wherever they are. Okay. You also notice the base of Yasha's neck as she slashes through some of these branches, a very faint orange glow right at the base of the skull. It peeks through some of her hair as it swishes past and out of the way. She's jacked in.

Okay. A very faint orange circular ember. Okay. I ask the Traveler, does this make you nervous at all? Everything about this makes me nervous. Do I see anything else of interest? Does it look like they're still in the swamp? The Lotus Den, or? It looks like they're pushing out of the swamp

and into some sort of a wooded space. Okay, okay. I mean, it's still sloshy with some feet. It feels like they're at the low distance still. Possibly. It is still damp with each footfall. The marsh is receding into the heavier wood, which is what you notice is the tree line shifting into it. There's still like

that weird wet sucking sound with footfalls. Does it look like Obann is happy? Does it look like... Yeah, does he look frustrated? Yeah, does he look frustrated or does he look like he's accomplishing? Make an insight check. Insight check.

Wisdom still, that's good. Okay. Inside check. Wisdom still, that's good, okay. 19 again. 19 again. As you glance about, they're all pretty clustered and shoulder to shoulder prepared as they push forward through this jungle. He looks a little frustrated, if driven, like looking about, trying to just take in the surroundings.

Their movement over the next 10 minutes or so seems not wholly driven or focused. Okay. So you get the sense that he is essentially stabbing in the dark in what he thinks to be the right direction. So you get the sense that he is essentially stabbing in the dark in what he thinks to be the right direction. Okay, okay. Roll another perception check for me, please.

BGBs. God, I'm going to keep rolling the same number. 17. 17, okay. You do also notice at his side what looks to be a bag that hangs about a foot off his belt, and it looks to contain something roughly spherical.

He's got the head. Or the heart. No, the head. He's got the head already. the heart. No, the head. He's got the head already. So they just need the heart. They just need the heart. Yeah, we're going to the fucking Lotus Den, y'all. How do we get there really fast?

Thousands, there's no. We're in the Cobalt Soul, man. I have a side question, too. While Jester's doing this and everyone is focused on her, can Caleb spend all that time just reading the spines of books and seeing if there's anything that triggers his mind about his favorite hobby?

Define favorite hobby. You know what I'm talking about. Master of Fables. Okay. Everybody knows what I'm talking about. Okay, sure, go ahead and make an investigation check. Am I still in the act? Yeah, master of fables. No. Jack and Oph.

Cheers, Oph. You're in the wrong library. The Peter Tingle. I spent many nights with Caleb. He's a vigorous master debater. Okay. There are two hobbies of yours. I need to know which direction.

Astribating and time. There is the one that is the focus of your craft. Yeah. And some of your goals there, or there is the alternative one. The alternative. Okay. Looking about, there are discussions of magic altering the flow of time.

There are discussions of many different spells that have been developed that specifically, magic altering the flow of time. There are discussions of many different spells that have been developed that specifically brings mention of slow and haste, and eventually such powerful spells as Time Stop. Those are easily accessible. There are rituals that have been attempted, that have been cobbled together. Arcanists of the highest level, archmages,

when you reach a certain point, begin to question their limits and find new ways to weave the world around them. Sometimes it's a fool's errand and it doesn't meet your expectations. Sometimes they tap into something they can't control and destroy themselves. There are talks of some mages that have attempted

to push the flow of time to the reverse. Those who have attempted it were never seen again. Do any of the last question, because I want to move forward in the story, do any of those books and those instances talk about places or where those things were done? One of them speaks of tales passed down from, let me see, there would be,

I'm not sure I remember the actual name of the location. the, uh, I'm not sure I remember the actual name of the location. The name escapes me at the moment, but the the mageocracy that ran the floating land that was the seed for the Empire, one of their top mages had hoped when they were losing their war against the gods. And you do recall that there were many kind of mortal societies at the time

that embraced the power of both the scientific mind and the arcane arts and believed that the gods were a stepping stone or their creators had now been essentially become old news and were meant to be destroyed and ascended. believed that the gods were a stepping stone or their creators had now been, essentially become old news and were meant to be destroyed and ascended. And there were wars waged from arcane

against divine sources of magic. In a brief stint in history, the prime deities and the Betrayer Gods did call a truce because some of these powerful nations began to hunt the gods that supposedly created them. That led to a swift demise to most of these societies. That's where the ruined nation

that where Xem'ni and Xem'nian and that whole element comes from was destroyed in. But one of those mages in that, one of the top, top, top archmages of that society was supposedly researching this specific thing and had pulled all of his resources and had gathered this large ritual in which he was hoping to go back

and find a way to change the fortune of this conflict and inform himself of the coming strategy of the combined deities and try and basically give them the edge to win that war and was never seen again. Starring Scott Bakula. Ziggy! Oh boy. Good, done, Scott Bakula. Ziggy! Oh boy.

Okay, good, done, thanks. Wait. Caleb, can you learn other teleportation circles here? Can you, like, do they have them listed or something? Can you? Is it like calling a phone number? I don't know if it's the yellow pages

or locational. Can you ask? I'll talk to Zeno. At least the other Cobalt Soli places. Yeah, here, maybe they have one here. Is there anything or anyone else you want to research before you get up to anyone? I just need to talk to Xenoth.

Okay, no worries, up to you. You ask. All right. Xenoth? Any luck, Marlow? He comes back and finds you in the middle of the archive. Yes? You had a question. We need access to the teleportation circle.

For, where do you intend to? Ruins of Draconia, Dreammouth Ravine, Lotusdane Greenwood. Yeah, and also if you have any, do we keep record of other teleportation circles? Can you learn of the sigils of other circles here, or do you have to physically be there? We generally do not for the worry that

it can be abused. Mm-hmm. But why do you, where are you planning to go? We want to follow these people that attacked us here. We have run-ins with them in the past and information, and we think we were fairly equipped to track them down. Who are these people, if I might ask?

I don't even know the names of our attackers. The one who seems to be the leader of this particular band is named Obann. He's the dark-haired guy. Seems to be obsessed with raising these entities from the times of the Calamity. A devil. He's going to go ahead and try and research that himself.

He's a really pretty powerful devil. Natural 19, okay. We killed him. He's a devil, but he's raising, or seems to be infatuated with these demons. He ended up raising this monster called the Laughing Hand. I'll get to that, hold on. Okay, thank you.

He goes and pulls one book out, dusts it off a bit and opens it, and this one has a language on the cover that you don't recognize. Do any of you speak Abyssal? Or know Abyssal? Nope. Nope. Well. Yash does.

Oh. Yash does. I will in ten minutes. Well, you're looking over his shoulder and he begins to pour through and it looks like he can't read it. Okay, he's fine. He goes, there is mention of a name Obann here. It speaks of a servant of Grast,

the Dark Prince of the Argent Palace within the abyssal domain of Azotar. Grazd. Servant of Grazd? Grazd, G-R-A-Z apostrophe Z-T. Have we heard that before? I don't think so. Obann was once called Grazd's Master of Wills,

but it is said here that he was then shamed and destroyed Obann was once called Grasd's Master of Wills. But it is said here that he was then shamed and destroyed after a terrible failure to his lord, and that's where the end of his footnote is. It's very small. Shamed and destroyed? Shamed and destroyed. Shamed. Shamed.

Well, he's, yeah, but he's not destroyed, he's back. And then the... I'll amend it. Takes that and puts another note in to amend the note. The Laughing Hand is the... And then, yeah, anything about the Laughing Hand. Man, there's a lot of demons and shit. Would somebody like to help him research this? Oh yeah, guidance.

Sure. On him, and. Are you helming it, or is he helming it? I'll help, I'll give him advantage on him. All right. I'll give him guidance. Okay, go ahead and roll for, all right, yeah, you roll for guidance. Okay. Two.

All right. It takes the better part of another hour, hour and a half, but he does manage to pull a small book, this one also pertaining to Torag specifically. It looks like it's an annex to the one that was researched earlier when you first arrived. Oh. But he pulls out the book and finds a section that says, The Laughing Hand was once a warrior named Gannix

who sought to strike down Torag with his army. His soldiers were slaughtered and himself captured and tortured. Torag twisted and cursed his body to an endless cycle of servitude, his ever-living heart locked beyond the veil to ensure an eternal pact. He rummages through the rest of the pages.

He's about to close the book, and he goes to the very back and sees some of the fresher notes and goes, All right. He says here, the rumor has it that his heart was set adrift in extraplanar space to ensure it was never found, though numerous arcanists were said to have sought it

for their own research. Is this the one? The one that did this and he points to his stomach? Yeah, that's the one. What if you find him? Will you do me the honor of, what's the phrase the kids say? Fucking me top?

Yeah, I would be... I would be happy to. I appreciate that. Mm-hmm. It's hard, huh? Um, can I ask who all perished in the attacks? Anyone that I know?

He leads you through all the different names, and two of them were students you trained with. Then others were people that you maybe had passing knowledge of, but nobody that specifically. Medeir? That was the other one that chained me. Medeir was not on that list.

Okay. Is there a teleportation circle here? Yeah. Can we learn it? Can we learn it? Make a persuasion check with advantage. Can I guide you? You may. You're just guiding everybody.

Fuck yeah, my hands. I'm about to convince you. I'm just, Jesus. Hands everywhere. Yeah, 12. 12. Camilla's like, No one likes us. No one likes us.

Yeah, just this once, because you're going after these things. Yeah, just this once, totally. Not supposed to offer it up to people who aren't of the Archive, but follow me. I'm an Expositor now, so. I'm just going to ask, can you take a horse

through a teleportation circle? Can we take a horse through a circle? We can. Let's take our horses. Maybe we don't push the horses. We ride the horses through the. Where are we going? We're going to bring the horses into the Cobalt Soul?

No. Sure. Yes. Yes. You can see Zeenoth going like, They were 75 gold each. Okay. I'll have to be creative when writing up my paperwork. Get your horses. Hey, Wildhair, while the horses are being fetched,

could I approach Zeenoth quietly and say, do you have any writings on the Traveler, a being known as the Traveler? I believe so, yes. Goes and takes the familiar book of recent cults, the one where the Angel of Irons was annotated, and there is another subsection there. Hands it to you and says it's small enough. It's very brief.

It's more of a recent phenomenon. Yeah. Seemingly benevolent at the moment, but sparse and strange. At first we thought it was a mass hallucination, but apparently there's enough over distances where there's some thread to it, but I worry. A deity?

Something. Something? But you have heard of this individual? Well, I hadn't passed through it in my research, but I just knew where to find it, so the information is there on the page. Is there any account in the brief amount here of witnessing displays of the power of the Traveler? No, all of them are secondhand accounts

from people that appear to be proselytizing his power and joy and capability. Interesting, thank you. Where are those horses? Do you want to go? Where are we horses? Do you want to go? Where are we going? We're going to the Lotus Den. Yeah, but we can't just bamf there.

We have to bamf to somewhere else with a teleportation circle. Yeah, what's the closest circle? I wanted to know what those runes were. Which is the Xhorna. I mean, the closest one we know is Xhorna. You wrote that down, right? What the runes mean?

What the runes mean? I don't know if I wrote them down. You wrote that down, right? What the ruins mean? What the ruins mean? I don't know if I wrote them down. But we did translate them. You did. Dude, I'll find them for you. Thanks. Is that very close to where we're going? A lot of screwing wood, the ruins are right there.

It's a whole wooded area. The ruins of Draconia are over here, if there was a... Well, the teleportation circle we have here, it's a direct, we have multiple that go to different locations. We have one that goes to our archive in Rexxentrum, we have one that goes to our archive in Point Damali, we have one that leads to the Cobalt Reserve in Tal'Dorei,

we have one that leads to one of the more recently established ones in Vasselheim. Which one specifically are you looking to? Vasselheim? Yes. Oh. And in Draconia. I've never heard of that place. Anything in Draconia? No, Draconia's been gone for two decades.

Rosanna? No. Yeah. Sorry, we have no specific dealings with the Dynasty, especially in these times. If, oh yeah. Well, you can just take us back to Xhorhas whenever you want.

That is correct. But we want to see this. But we still want to see this one. So we can get back to it, right? Let's go check it out. Make sure it'll fit our horses. Yeah. Rexxentrum, perhaps.

Go check it out. All right, this way then. And he, you know, still helping them along, kind of leans on your shoulder a bit. He leads you towards another downward staircase, maybe about a two minute walk away from the one that leads to the repository, subterranean repository.

There it goes into a hall, a circular chamber that goes into multiple rooms. In each of these doors, you can see marked as the locations of these various archives of the Calls. So organized. Opens the doorossal. So organized. Opens the door to the Rexxentrum one, but in the center of the room, there is a sigil that you recognize as the base sigil.

This is where all the other teleportation circles that probably are part of this network all come back to. Yeah. So you look at it. See it. Memorize it in your head. To Rexxentrum, then. Oh, that's quick. So you look at it, memorize it in your head. Torexum Tumtum. Oh, that's quick. Hey, hey.

Which, by the way, as you guys came through the library on horseback, in this giant marble hall with open space, the echoing sound of multiple horses coming through, every single person there stopped what they were doing, and just watched as you slowly manned. Let's hope those horses didn't shit.

I explained to the horses. A couple of them did. Yeah, I explained to the horses what's about to happen. I think they're agreeable. The stomachs, however. Yeah. You got to go. I didn't say they couldn't poop.

Of course we want to do stuff here, but if we go to Rexxentrum real quick, you could learn the sigil there, and then we could always get there. That's true. And then come back to Zadash. And then we could just come right back here. That's a really good idea.

Yeah. Okay, let's do it. Do it. Yeah. Zeenoth? Yes? Might be a quick round trip. Build the fucking waypoints. Just got to, just real quick, just wait here.

We'll be right back with horses. Actually, only a couple of us need to get, well, whatever. Just Caleb is. No, I think we should all go. Okay. Okay, we all go. These horses need to see Braxentrum. We're going to get in serious trouble from all this,

so quickly. Nah! Okay. We all go. Quickly, quickly, please. These horses need to see Rexxentrum. We're going to get in serious trouble from all this, so quickly. Nah! Okay. We're fine. As you guys all, one by one, make your way into this hallway into the Rexxentrum chamber, you can see there's the sigil on the ground

with a very faint pulsating glow of arcane energy carved into its beautifully set runic ornamentation and setting. It's permanent, you guys can step in. All right. Horse apples falling behind. Yep, one by one, on horseback, you're all brought through the circle,

appearing on a familiar, a larger chamber, though of similar type of sculpt and design, as all of you and your horses emerge on the opposite end. There, you stand in another chamber. There is a door that is closed that leads outside. Is there anything on the floor? Yeah, but this isn't the... On the floor in here? No.

No, the teleportation circle will be in another room, the one that leads. Wait, no, actually, no, I'm sorry. This room here, I misremembered that, sorry. The meditation circle will be in another room, the one that leads. Wait, no, actually, no, I'm sorry. This room here, I misremembered that, sorry. This room you're in right now has multiple doors around you. It's akin to the one that you first got to, so there is a symbol on the ground,

and there are other doors that lead to the other ones. I'm sorry. Oh, so that's the one you went to. Look at that symbol! Wait a minute, if you open up all the doors, do you get to? They're all here, it's the same location. You hear a door open from above

and footsteps coming down the stairs now. It's going to be easy. Get out, get out, let's go back, let's go back. You don't know, you just hear footsteps, multiple, because suddenly a bunch of clomping horses arrived and began marching around, echoing through a subterranean chamber that is under watch and key. Takes you a minute?

To do it myself, but we just ride back. Is it still here in this room? Is this the exit back to where we came from? Yeah, can we just go back? There are other doors that are marked, too. Zadash, Port Damali, you know, Vasselheim. Wait, go through Port Damali, we can get that one, too! We're going to die! Caleb, Ryan, and Sam support Damali.

The door isn't open! Who's going to open the door? From the top of your horse? Pick the lock! Pick the lock! Go, go, go! Make a point! Come on, those waypoints! Natural one! Your lock pickick breaks. Oh fuck!

You need new thieves tools. I have some, I have some, yeah. At this point, you can see two figures rushing down, wearing familiar robes, the Colts, along with two Righteous Brand soldiers saying, I go up. Hello, who's there? You, stop, stop, who's there?

What are you doing, what are you doing? I'm going to keep making the lock, but I didn't do anything. I can't either deceive them or kill them. I'm working on this. Okay, it's fine. Paying. What's the door made of? What's the door made of?

The Port Damali door. All the doors appear to be made of some sort of a well, light stained gray wood, maybe? I'm going to pat Beau on the back and enhance her ability for charisma checks. Okay, you begin casting a spell. Oh boy. Oh no. Is it bad?

Well, as you begin to make the incantation, both of the soldiers go, She's a caster! And they immediately take out two crossbows and fire at you. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Jesus god. Wait, stop, stop, hold! She's in Cobalt Reserve! I'm in Cobalt Reserve clothes!

Come on! We just broke into their house. You just broke into the subterranean area on horseback while trying to break through another. What? We would've had to murder our way through the other location. Hold on, hold on.

But it is really on guard right now. We are obviously insane. No one's arguing that. 15 and a 22. 22? All right. One crossbow bolt catches you for six points of piercing damage. Ow!

Like right in the lower abdomen, right where the floating rib is, and sticks in. The two other monks are like, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, hold on, hold on! Not cool. The fuck? Not cool. All me pancreas. One of the individuals steps forward.

You can see a grayish-green half-orc visage, older, thin, with multiple chins of skin full from just age and sagging. Older orc steps forward, white hair that goes long down the back. Excuse me, what is going on here? Sorry, Expositor Beauregard from... The two guards reload the crossbows.

Expositor Beauregard from Zadash, Cobalt Soul. We're here tracking fucking assholes. And we were supposed to be here. There's probably a message waiting for you all somewhere. I know how communication gets lost, but just a quick turnaround in terms of notification on letting you all know that we were coming. Make a persuasion check.

Not a distraction. No, because you're telling the truth. No, we didn't send notice. Yeah. Well, no, no, no, no. But you're an Expositor. He's trying to purposefully lie, so I get a better roll.

You hit a tiny lie and a lot of information. I'll say either you can roll Persuasion or Deception with disadvantage, your choice. But I have, hang on, because you gave me. I don't know if I got my full spell out, though, before they shot me. You can make a concentration check, actually. They would have been important.

So roll a constitution. Saving throw. 11. 11, yeah, you maintain, so you would have advantage. Yeah, you would have advantage. The spell does continue. Okay. Oh. That was so close to being fucking awesome.

Nine! Nine? Nine. Look, you heard about the attacks, right? That just happened? Yes, of course. and why do you think we have such, it depends on when you hear other footsteps coming and now other soldiers are coming downstairs. We are in extremely high alert, and if you are who you say you are,

you should know not to just appear in here. I need a healer! I, oh no! I'm in so much pain. My older sister is dying! Four more righteous brand soldiers come in. Oh jeez, what, why? And now they're circled around, crossbows,

they're ready to, or four of them are crossbows, two of them blades out, and he goes like, hold on, hold on. With no word in advance, and with heightened security, we're having to maintain, because of these said events, we're going to have to ask you to wait here and go through a processing and approval from the High Archivist.

Yep. Here's the thing. We're kind of in a really big hurry. Then you shouldn't have just appeared here with six horses in the middle of a dangerous time period for our people. Right. Five. I get that, and I understand the sentiment.

Look, I know every Expositor on the list here, and I've not heard of an Expositor Beauregard. She was just promoted. Well, that didn't get to us, did it? Apparently a lot of things don't get to you. Exactly, maybe that's... Crasp as a little. Ow! Waiting a little don't get to you. Exactly, maybe that's... Crossbows and things. Waiting a little bit seems fair to me.

You are able to communicate with Zadash, correct? We will reach out. Yeah, we will sit tight. Sorry for the inconvenience. This is awkward, but we do have the best of intentions, as hard as that is to believe. I will need each of your names, please. Starting with you.

No, Fjord. Just Fjord? Did I offer another name? Fjord, you are? Expositor Beauregard. Just Beauregard. Yeah, man! My surname is fell out of fashion, I don't know.

Your name? Hello, my name is Caleb Budogast. Caleb Budogast. Ooh, ooh. Not the brev. You are? Jester Lavor. Jester Lavor, and you are?

Caduceus Clay. Caduceus Clay. How long is this going to take? Give me this real quick. I don't know. Don't do it, don't cast any spells. They're trigger happy, don't cast any spells. I'm just going to sit here and suffer.

Just take a breath. Appreciate what this looks like from their point of view. We will work all this out. I'll be back. He turns around and leaps up the stairs. The guard said the other monk awkwardly looks at everyone and then follows behind. So now you have the six righteous brand soldiers here

train on you, just looking over you all carefully, looking over your faces to remember them. Six on six? We could take them. We're going to ask the horses to stare back at them, too. I'm going to stare at the one that shot me. To the dash! And I'm going to start crying

just a single tear down my cheek with the saddest expression I can muster. He seems unmoved. Hmm. He hasn't really seen my charm yet. 10 minutes pass. 20 minutes pass. Oh boy.

Four more soldiers come down and join them. Oh my gosh. I know our names. Right? You, uh. Are we sitting on horseback this whole time? Yep, this whole time, in a very small room. You guys are all like.

This room is filling up with horse poop. Caduceus, you're having to like, I'm like, yeah, limp forward a bit. Eventually, the half-orc returns and word is returned from the Archive of Zadash. Just burnt Xenoth so bad. You have been given temporary rites of passage.

But you are also, until further notice, banned from the Rexxentrum Archive. All right. We didn't even mean to come here. Sounds fair, thank you. We were trying to get to Port Damali, we get to the wrong thing anyway. So banned from the Archive, understood. Does that include the teleportation? Oh my god. Let's go to the Port Damali Circle with haste, shall we?

We're just going to go back to where we meant to go in the first place. The half-orc shuffles over and pulls out a ring of keys and unlocks the door to Port Damali and opens it and steps back and just... What was her name again, by the way? Yeah. Wait, you're asking the half-orc? Which one?

Yeah, what's his name? Look through my notes here, because. You didn't think we were going to have to fucking wrap you around? Out of nowhere! Just jumping around the goddamn globe. Where in the world? Shoop, shoop, shoop.

San Diego returns to Netflix, season two, October one. Catch me there. Cathedoc. Archivist Cathedoc. Oh boy. Archivist Cathedoc. Oh boy. Wow. It just gives you the nudge of,

please get the fuck out of my place, kind of look. Absolutely. Hey, can you send message to poor Damali that we're coming? Holy shit. No, let's a look. Absolutely. Hey, can you send message to Port Damali that we're coming? Holy shit. No, let's just go. As we go through! Yeah!

Choo-choo-choo-choo! So you go. The horse is another disappearing into the Port Damali circle. As you guys appear through. Strange when one of the horses, actually, probably yours not, relieving itself as you're passing through the portal.

Loose horse road apples, through the process of teleportation, get kind of, remember when physics fucks up in Skyrim and things get weird and crazy? Just scatters a bit upon arrival. Oh. Shit spray? scatters a bit upon arrival. Oh man. Shit spray? Shit spray a bit. Just on one side.

Confetti. But you all emerge on a similar chamber. These designs are different, but the scheme is generally the same. The doors are made in different materials. You all land in a chamber that has the same kind of, this one does not have passage to Vasselheim, but it has the rest of the other doors to Zadash, Rexxentrum, and Tal'Ary.

Someone break in with the door. Let's go, let's go, let's go. The west door going to Zadash might have. These also appear to be made of wood, but the wood is of a different type. Do you want to pick the lock, or should I just kick it open with the horse? I can pick it with a broken tool.

Cool. Kick it. I'll ride over to the door, back the horse up, and I'm going to smack it on the ass, try and get it to kick. All right. Roll a d20 for me. Two. Oh god.

Crack! The door doesn't give, Say 20 for me. Two. Oh god. Crack! The door doesn't give, but the loud echo manages to reverberate throughout the chamber and you immediately hear We're making so many friends. Several footsteps now rushing down a staircase. Can we just hold the boat on this door

and get the fuck out of here, please? I will be banned from using my vault, but this was back in the vault. You do see the Port Damali sigil beneath you, so you have that now. I got that. And he's busting on the Tal'Dorei door right now? No. No. He was just trying to get back.

No, we're trying to go back to the dash. To the dash! Back on the dash door? Yeah. Okay. Is it unlocked? Can I just try to? Can anyone open the door? Can I see if it's unlocked? You rush up to try and open the door. All right, it is locked. Damn it! Can we just start unloading can I see if it's unlocked? You rush up to try and open the door. All right, it is locked.

Damn it! Can we just start loading on it now, please? Sure, do it, I'm a bomb! No, no, no, we'll just ask if we can go back to Sash. You are being crazy? Let's just walk out into Porta Mali and find a place where I can draw on the ground. Excuse me!

I point down to the bottom of the staircase. You see, in familiar kobold soul robes, a man in probably his early 60s or so, graying hair that's combed over and slicked to one side to cover a miserable spot, a heavier mustache that curls down to the bottom of the chin, liver spots in his forehead,

and what looks to be two armsarmed Zlezo behind him. Oh my god. What are you doing? We've done this before. We were just hoping to leave, this is a long story. One of the Zlezos is sitting there, holding what looks to be a heavy crossbow at the side, pulls out a small horn and goes like,

Ooh! What are you doing? This is not a to be fun! I'm going to do something really nice before I just fuck up. Oh wait, yeah, I'm going to Enhance Ability on Caleb. Greetings, this is. As you begin to cast the spell.

Oh no, I'm not going to do it again! I didn't even do it again, I remember! Both of the Salaezo. Just give me a hug! And just fire two heavy crossbows at you. Oh god, my kitty! She's casting! I immediately start shouting while they shoot. This is a misunderstanding, please, please!

A 10 and a 24. What? This is a time loop! We're caught in a time loop! You suffer. She's skinned differently. 11 points of piercing damage as the second bolt is now on the other side of your abdomen.

This is like spoons that you get at gas stations. You're just collecting crossbow bolts across his head. Please, I am so sorry. Both of them immediately drop their heavy crossbow for a second and pull out their sword and put it towards you and be like, not another one! Wow, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. There is no more casting those spells!

No! Apologies, this is Expositor Beauregard Lionett. I am her arcane assistant. I have only just learned to use these circles, and I have brought us to the wrong place, and I am so very sorry. I would like to take us to our intended destination. If you need us to sit here for a while

while you call the home office, that is a possibility, but we could also just walk out the door and leave you to your day. You see that she knows your ways, she is one of you. This is on me, I am so sorry, I am the one eating the shit sandwich here. We just want to get out of your hair. You hear about three more sets of footsteps

making their way down the stairs from above. The older fellow in the middle goes like, looks at you both over, make a persuasion check. Advantage. Wait, I got to do a con. Make a concentration check. Don't you remember from last time? So hold off.

Okay, okay, oh no, seven. No, I didn't get it. You do not have advantage on this, the spell failed. Beow. Pretty good. Pretty good, 19. 19? Thank god. Oh my god.

Is it broken? It'd be broken. The rest three, as he's sitting there looking at you over and looking over the rest of you, very discerning, the other guards come down and immediately get their heavy crossbows up. There's Lezo now, there's five of them in the chamber around the one there, he goes,

I apologize, but there has been some very terrible things happened within the Cobalt Soul. It's a dash, that's why we're here. If you would be patient, we have to go check in to confirm your story. Oh god. But of course. Sure. But of course, we will all wait here patiently and quietly.

Can I come with you? No. No. You wait about another 15 or so minutes. More poop on the ground. Sleeping poop everywhere. Before eventually he returns and goes, I have just finished talking with the Archive in Zadash.

We have been told that we have to allow you passage this one time. However, it has been requested that you are also banned from the archive in Port Damali until further notice. Also, I have a message to Beauregard from the archive in Port Damali until further notice. Also, I have a message to Beauregard

from Archivist Zeenoth, who says, please, for the love of Ioun, stop. Caleb, in his mind, is just envisioning massive libraries decay and melt into the sea. Okay. Pulls out his ring of keys, walks over and opens the door to the Zadash portal. All the others, Zalezo, are like, carefully, they picked up their crossbows,

and Zalezo has six heavy crossbows, all cocked and ready, and they're all aimed at each of you independently. The horses all. Single tear down my cheek. So do you all. One by one, make your way towards the dash. We are really so sorry. Who's the dash?

Passing through on the other side of this. Oh dear. Awaiting in the center of the chamber is Xenoth, sitting on a stool, head down, sweat on his brow, and clutching a cloth that looks to be dampened with whatever he's previously been wiping from his face. Wipes once more, looks up and goes,

Sorry. Sorry. Leave. Mm-hmm. Yep, we're going now. Goodbye. I'm going to go track down these people and then check in with you later. Please just go.

Uh-huh, yeah, yeah. I'm really sorry about that. Then he gets up, holds his side. Unlocks and opens the door to whichever we want to go, or are you just casting something here? What are you doing? I'm going to heal myself. Like, is it?

You know, we actually have decided just to hang here. Sometimes you have to go on a long journey to find out what you really loved was back home. Yeah, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Look. Oh, what's happening? Oh my god. So we leave you to your recovery.

It's mostly my fault, so please don't be too hard on Beauregard, mostly my fault. Just leave. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, I know I'm a pain in the ass, but I swear, got good intentions. He leads you back up the stairs, back through the middle of the archive,

through the front door, at which point, where previously you had turned heads, you can now see a number of the figures are all just in a line, arms crossed, just watching you pass through until eventually you exit out into the main thoroughfare of Zadash on horseback. The doors slam behind you. Well, I consider that a huge success.

You got banned from every Cobalt Soul library. Until further notice. Temporarily. In the world. Temporarily. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This isn't the first time they've kicked me out, so it's fine. They're going to be so happy with us once we take care of the people that hurt them.

Exactly. This was all for them. Mm-hmm. They just don't know it yet. Well, where to now? To the Gentleman? I mean. Are we trying to get to Lotus?

I feel like we're in a fucking hurry is the only thing. I don't know if we want to take the time. And this is hard to say that, because I want to talk to him, but. There's no way for us to even get to the Lotus Den. What is it called, the Lotus Den? There's no way to get there. We can get a thousand miles away.

I feel like I should send at least a message to the Bright Queen and let them know that they're over there. Would you think? We tried to tell her about this shit, though, and she seemed... Like they had a handle on it, but I don't know. Maybe she doesn't know that. We may be wearing our welcome out with him,

but it is a threat. If you were to contact Essek and tell him what's going on and where we need to go, maybe he would be willing to give us one more spin. Watch out, there's a car coming. That's our horses. I don't know, I've been trying not to bug the man, but I cannot think of a way to get there faster.

Well, I mean, we've been gone for like two to three weeks now, so. He probably misses us, if we're going to be honest. We can trade, you know, obviously, the information we've gathered in exchange for another helping hand. Yeah? Yeah. It's just evidence of our cooperation.

Okay. Yeah, I'm going to duck into an alleyway so I can send a message to Essek. Okay. I'm going to go find where the contact is. This is not good. We found out some really dangerous, important things that we need to talk to you about. I know you don't want to,

but we could really use your help with transportation. This is life or death for a lot of people. It's on your doorstep. Make a persuasion check. Oh god, I hate rolling tonight! What? There's the shiny black one at the start.

This one? Yeah. I'm going to blame you if this is bad. No, not that one. That's fair, I had that coming. You could have given me Guidance, but you didn't. 10, no, 11. I know. 11. Well.

If it is indeed this important, then maybe it's something we can discuss. I trust that your interests are forthright. I'll need your help soon anyway. He said he would need our help soon. He seemed like he would do it. Okay. One step at a time.

What would he need our help with? I don't know. We'll thread that needle when we get to it. Should we go back? Yes. Right now? Yes. We just got here. We just got to Zadash. God, we worked for two whole weeks to get here.

We finally get there and we're moving away. But we need you, it's important. Shout to Zarkar, come on. I have a thought. Mm-hmm? Please. Is there such thing as an unofficial teleportation symbol? Like, do people who are not, I mean, like, we know sketchy people.

Mm-hmm. Is it possible they might have a way for us to get back into town when we need to? Well, I mean, we can just bamf into Cobalt Reserve if we need to come back here. Well, that's going to be... Just a dash, we could, without horses, it would be better. We'll let them cool off a little bit, I think.

Send them a gift basket. I mean, once again, the only place that I would think to look would be the Gentleman. I mean, there were other portals and teleportation circles that we've seen ruins of that we've destroyed in the past, I'm sure. I feel like the Gentleman has one. I wouldn't be surprised.

If we're about to see Essek, he's probably going to ask, how goes the search for the thing that we're supposed to be Essek, he's probably going to ask, how goes the search for the thing that we're supposed to be searching for, you know? The Dodeca? We have not done anything towards that. We can tell we're really looking, but in the meantime, this popped up.

We also said there was no urgency for that. Okay. So we are reestablishing our connections in the Empire, which is all well and good for our arrangement with him, and they care very much about these things crossing over into their dynasty and our world here. Okay, let's find a good place. Where were we, in an alley right now? Okay.

Let's find a good place. Where were you, in an alley right now? I was just changing the contact. I mean, I could do it right here if we want. Sure, I'll keep an eye out. Okay, so cluster of six horses out of seven alleyway. You're blocking the side lane of sight to the alley,

is that what you're doing? Maybe you... Let's see. It's stupid. Is there a barn we can hide in or something? Yeah, we could find a place that doesn't have to be right here. Yeah.

Okay. It takes you the better part of, I'd say, half an hour or so, and you find one alley intersection, like a T-intersection, where there's enough space better part of, let's say, half an hour or so, and you find one alley intersection, like a T intersection, where there's enough space to do it, and there isn't a whole lot of foot traffic. You might have to keep guards posted at the edge and try and keep people from going down there

while it's being finished, but it's doable. Who's being posted at the three corners? I'll do one. I will. I'll be at the other. Okay, I would like the three of you to roll an intimidation check for me. Intimidation? Correct. Guidance, so guiding me.

Guide somebody. Oh. Natural 20. Ooh. Oh, and I'm cutting this off. Ooh. Ooh. Oh, and I'm cutting this up. Okay. 10. Eight minus three, five.

All right. As you're working on your circle, about seven, eight minutes go through, nobody gets near you, Beauregard. You're just sitting there. Anybody that makes eye contact with you, you scowl back and you're just like, and keep going without an issue.

A few people give you some tourist looks. They seem untrusting of you. They don't go for the alley, but you've definitely caught some attention. Slight, but it's just one minute. Sorry, one minute. Right for the circle. So yeah, then it would just one minute. Sorry, one minute. Right for the circle. So yeah, then it would have been right on the cusp

of finishing the spell as you're doing that. I'd say even with your low roll, you draw attention and some of the Righteous Brand and the Crown's Guard begins to take notice of this tinier, goblinoid-type creature that seems to be a bit shifty and not quite, you know, seems to be very plainly placed to try and keep anybody from entering the alley.

Illegal activity being a problem in this city. But didn't you look like Veth this whole time? You were Veth for eight hours. Yeah, we're still on the eight hours. That's true, that's true, yeah, sure. You were researching for quite a bit of time. I would say, okay, I'll allow it, I'll allow it. So not a goblin per se, but definitely

a shifty-looking figure at the edge of the alley that they begin to walk towards out of curiosity. They're about 40 or 50 feet from you and you can see three crownsguard and two righteous brand from two different corners beginning to make eye contact with each other and begin walking towards you. Duh, duh, oh boy.

Oh boy, I got nothing. I got nothing. Do we see what's happening? Nope. Nope. Do nobody else? You guys are all right by where Caleb is in the inside of the alley with the horses at the ready. Shit.

I can go invisible, but I feel like they would see that. You sound like you're going to barf or something. I'm a great actor. I will, I look like Veth. So they just see me being shifty and they start walking over? Yeah. Oh boy, oh boy.

I'm going to start crying. I'll just start crying with fake crying. Okay. Make a performance or deception check, your choice. Oh boy. Terrible. Hey! 12.

12? Okay, the Righteous Brand stop and turn back around. The Crownsguard continue approaching, just slower, inspecting you over. Two of them stop and watch you cry. Oh, that's so sad. It's so sad.

It's Empire Man. One of them steps forward and goes, Are you okay? No, I'm not okay. I lost my dog. What does the dog look like? The dog, it's like a dog, man. It's like a little brown dog. It's like a little brown dog.

Cute, has a little collar with a button on it. What was its name? Avantika. Just pick a name from the sheet. All right, well, I'll keep an eye out for it if we see or find your dog. It's all I've got! Where should we bring the dog to if we find it?

Right to the... Oh, true. Oh man, oh no. I don't remember where I'm staying! Take it to Pumat Souls! He's my friend! Vulnerable! All right.

Yes, that place! And he gives you a look of like, all right, we'll keep an eye. He turns around and joins the other two, occasionally looking over. You can tell they don't buy all of it, but they're not aggressively pursuing it at the moment. They may go check in with Pumat Sol.

Okay. At some point in the future. You may have just implicated Nott here. In the dog keep ring? You finish the spell. Yeah, I'm holding the chalk, there's one line left, and I'm looking at the alleyway, and not going, Are they gone out of eyesight, or are they still clocking?

They're like, clocking you from a distance. They're still watching you cry there, like, they don't fully believe you. I will drop the Form of Veth, go like this, and dart over to Caleb. I see it, I see it. I wait until she's like 10 feet away and I go, Fuck off, cops!

Oh my god. You jump under the pool. All right, you all jump back on your horses and they all rush over to the alleyway, just in time to see two horses go and just vanish into the ether. Last thing you hear is, what's up? That's it. Oh my god. That was so ridiculous.

Where are you taking them? Rosohna, to Essek. All right. We have like 10 stars on GTA V. We are like, they sent out the choppers. Yes. We are so hidden, those stars are going to go away. As you guys arrive within the subterranean basement

of the Lucid Bastion in the Dynasty City of Rosohna, we'll go ahead and pick the stuff next week. Oh my god. That spiraled quickly. Oh, that was such a bad spiral. You got greedy. I mean, you got what you wanted, but at what cost? Yeah. Oh, it's spiral.

Just earned dignity. As are your children and your children's children for three months. Give me back your library card! Oh my god. Jesus. The mister's going to come in, like, here I bequeath the position of Expositor to Beauregard, and he'll be like,

this one, unlike the I do not serve this person photo on the side of the 7-Eleven. Do not serve driver's license on the wall. Next time you're going to be like, oh, don't Beauregard that or anything. You just Beaud yourself. It's just Beaud. All righty.

Cool, pick up this next week. Thank you guys for watching the chaos. Oh, man. Don't forget, we love you very much, and is it Thursday yet? Good night. Good night. And this concludes the current chapter

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