Critical Role - C3E24 The Hellcatch Valley

Episode Date: May 26, 2022

Bells Hells’ fantastical flight takes them to the lawless town of Bassuras, where danger,  deception, and delight lurk behind every corner… Due to the improv nature of Critical Role and other RPG content on our channels, some themes and situations that occur in-game may be difficult for some to handle. If certain episodes or scenes become uncomfortable, we strongly suggest taking a break or skipping that particular episode.Your health and well-being is important to us and Psycom has a great list of international mental health resources, in case it’s useful: http://bit.ly/PsycomResources Watch Critical Role Campaign 3 live Thursdays at 7pm PT on https://twitch.tv/criticalrole and https://youtube.com/criticalrole. To join our live and moderated community chat, watch the broadcast on our Twitch channel. Original Music by Omar Fadel and Hexany Audio"Welcome to Marquet" Art Theme by Colm McGuinnessAdditional Music by Universal Production Music, Epidemic Sounds, and 5 AlarmCharacter Art by Hannah Friederichs Twitch subscribers gain instant access to VODs of our shows like Critical Role, Exandria Unlimited, and 4-Sided Dive. But don't worry: Twitch broadcasts will be uploaded to YouTube about 36 hours after airing live, with audio-only podcast versions of select shows on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Google Podcasts following a week after the initial air date. Twitch subscribers also gain access to our official custom emote set and subscriber badges and the ability to post links in Twitch chat!

Thank you. view the episode on demand immediately after it airs, or you can enjoy the VOD on YouTube the following Monday. And for you loyal podcast listeners, the show transmutes into its audio-only format Thursdays one week after the initial broadcast. Without further ado, let's see what sort of fun, scary adventures await. Hello, everyone, and welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role, where a bunch of us do a news voiceover, sit around, and play Dungeons & Dragons.

What are you doing? Excuse my laughter, they usually shout shit at me before we start, and this came as just a wave of chaos, and I was unprepared. Before we get into our episode tonight, we do have some announcements to get through, beginning with our first sponsor tonight, Cash App. Sam. Welcome back to the Finger Championship Games, brought to you by Cash App, the easiest way to send, spend, and save money, the number one finance app in the app store,

helping you invest in stocks with as little as $1 and connect your direct deposit and get paid two days early. I'm Vince McSam, and I'm here with Marisha Ray, aka The Finger Blaster, undefeated champion of the finger games for a post-match interview. Marisha, how does it feel to be the number one fingerer in the room? Okay, first, I still urge you to use a different term

that hasn't changed, and second, it feels great! Yeah! You know, crush my enemy's fingers, see them jam before me, and hear the lamentations of their cuticles! Yeah! Now tell me about your training regimen. Well, you know, I start my day with six raw eggs,

which I then cook with some butter and salt. Matt eats three, I give two to Omar, and then I usually eat one. Intense. Intense, what next? Stair climbs, hundreds of them. And by stair climbs, you mean? Oh, I just type a lot on my laptop.

Email, Slack, Overwatch fanfic. Actually, you'll never forget who I'm shipping right now. Oh, no, I won't. Finger B, anyone you want to thank for this victory? Yeah. The big guy up here. You mean? That's right, My pointer finger!

I love you, bro! So stupid! We did this together, ride or die. Well, that concludes the interview. Well, wait, wait. You have been promising me my prize for like three episodes of this shit now. Sure, sure, sure, you're right.

And I've stalled long enough. Do you have the app? I do. I downloaded it in the App Store, sure, sure, you're right. And I've stalled long enough. Do you have the app? I do. I downloaded it in the App Store or Google Play Store, whichever you have, and when I signed up as a new user, I used code CRITROLL for $15, and then $10 went to our very own Critical Role Foundation, terms apply. Wow, all right.

So there and sent with Cash App. Now let me show you how you can accept the money right there and transfer it back to me, excellent. Wait, what the hell? You just sent the money back to yourself? Very easily with Cash App. As your manager, I'm entitled to garnish your winnings as payment for cultivating you as a fingerer.

All right, that's it, Vince McSam, you're going down. I'm gonna smash your head, villain. No, no, no, someone please, someone! Will someone defend me against this ruffian? I'll pay you twice what I owe her! Wait, wait! Ahem. I'll do it.

I've been itching to go toe to toe and finger to finger with a real warrior. Woo! Who are you? You can call me Flick Flair. Oh! Why does he just pick his own name? Stay tuned for that battle

next time Cash App sponsors the show. Matt, back to you. Oh, I am in pain. Flick Flair is a great name! Yeah, it's funny that he gets to pick his own name! But we're working on this as we go. It's more a lore building than it is grabbing glory, you know? Yeah, yeah.

We're trying to create a greater picture of the Cash App. I'll stop. Look, I'm just excited if y'all got a glance at your next character, so. This episode is also sponsored by our friends at Ghostfire Gaming and their brand new 5e post-apocalyptic setting,

Aorara. I-ra-ra. Aurora? Aurora, there we go. I, my brain just shut down there. I-ra. You're have pneumonia! Coming from the dentist. Don't judge, it just came from the dentist.

Wow. We never take one, I take two. My brain, I've been staring at scripts all day. My brain just stopped working. Aurora, Age of Desolation. It's like I haven't said it before. What is wrong with me? I am so sorry.

I love it. The setting images a world ravaged by dragons and includes a detailed survival system, innovative character creation, and an evolved advantage system. It also includes 15 new subclasses, 15 background options, and a very special gargantuan red dragon mini. You can jump on this great product right now at Aurora, or some people, 5e.com. Aurora5e.com. And thanks to Ghostfire Gaming for continuing to support our show. Aurora!

Oh! Aurora! Aurora! Oh. Thank you, Aurora. No! Why do I do this? Marisha, start talking, please! Oh my god!

Okay. Next week, after this week, this is the one, Unlimited! Yes! Calamity! Yes! Next week, after this week, that's the one, Unlimited Calamity. Our four-part miniseries premieres on Thursday, May 26th at 7 p.m. Pacific on Twitch and YouTube.

Join as six distinguished heroes from the Age of Arcanum as they uncover an insidious corruption beneath a city that they've sworn to protect. This is a story where Exandria's greatest heroes could not or would not see the truth before it was too late, as the inevitable calamity nears. The cast! Game Master, a Brennan Lee Mulligan. Yeah!

We'll be joined with players Travis Willingham, a Brie Iyengar, a Shiegel, Alou Wilson, Marisha Ray, and Luis Carrazzo. EXU Calamity will continue weekly on Thursdays until Campaign 3 resumes on Thursday, June 30th. Yes, that is the last Thursday of the month, but we will have missed you guys so much by then. Check out all the details at critrole.com. Woohoo! Also! Oh god, there's more. Calamity Aurora.

That's the sequel. Aurora. Foresighted. Aurora. Uh-oh. Aurora. Aurora. Foresighted Dive. Foresighted Dive, episode three, airs Tuesday, June 7th at 7 p.m. Pacific

on Twitch and YouTube, the first Tuesday of the month. And then. There's more? Let's roll. Oh, that's me. That's you. The Four-Sided Dive theme by Sam Riegel and Peter Habib is available now on music platforms, so you can buy it! On music platforms. Yeah, you can buy it or stream it today,

whatever you prefer. Sure. But it's out there now. Thanks. It's a bop. It is. Bop! Thanks, you guys. Friends around the table. I want to record you on it right now. It's going to be great.

Fantastic. Well, I think that concludes our announcement. Let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Critical Role. Critical. Critical. It's Thursday night! One by one, we climb until we reach the top

Two by two we fall Will we meet our end or meet our destiny? Hold your breath and roll How do you want to do this? It's Thursday night All ye critters come join us. It's time to continue our flight. There is magic and mystery.

Who knows what will happen? He might. But one thing's for sure. We never give up on the fight. From the healer To the renegade We all share the same goal Adding more allies

Taking more chances Hold your breath and roll You can certainly try It's Thursday night All ye critters come join us It's time to continue our fight It's Thursday night. All ye critters come join us. It's time to continue our fight. It's Thursday night. There is magic and mystery from darkness.

Our friendship will rise. But one thing's for sure. We never give up on the fight. Oh, get ready It's Thursday night So last time We, uh We have serious time, we, uh... We're in serious time, serious time. Last time,

Life or death. Belltells had said their goodbyes for the time being to the city Drusar, where they had met and spent a large portion of their adventure before, and donning their outfits and their gathered materials and stepping aboard the skyship known as the Silver Sun, you begin to leave the O'Durran Wilds

and head towards the Hellcatch Valley to chase after the whereabouts of the escaped Armon Treshi, who seems to have gone underground in the city of Bassuras. Now, after many days traveling across the broken, cracked, dust-filled wasteland that is the Hellcatch Valley, looking below, day and night, you encountered some dangerous creatures that seemed to take to the skies

that battled you on the deck of this very skyship in which, through some daring escapes and some clutch uses of abilities and spells, prevented Orym from falling to his death immediately. And with the possible final night of travel before the next final day of travel to the city of Vassaras, there was a discussion between Imogen and Laudna in which this strange crystal

that you had scavenged from the interior of the Shademothers Lair back in Jrusar that had been seemingly giving comfort and warmth and having some odd effects on Imogen had been called into question. Laudna, following a strange internal push towards inspecting and learning of the nature of it, grasped the gem upon the promise of nothing bad happening,

and upon grasping it, watched as the arcane energy within was drawn out and into her, the crystal crumbling and cracking, left powerless and dark, and Imogen stormed off to take a night's rest, wallowing in the sense of betrayal as Laudna screamed at the bow of the ship.

Nothing but the stars above and the moons to take it. So, coming back to where we are, is there any other business that night, Imogen or Laudna or anybody else would you like to handle before the next day of travel? All right. The night goes by without issue. The next morning, eventually, the sun begins to rise over the dusty valley.

You can see there's some spotted gray clouds beginning to encroach from the south-southeast region, the general Aeshanador direction of Marquet. You can feel the wind picking up as the heat begins to rise, the temperature is beginning to shift of thequet. You can feel the wind picking up as the heat begins to rise. The temperature is beginning to shift of the day. You can see distant high clouds, dust storms.

It's hard to see, but the horizons begin to get a bit muddled, a bit fuzzy. I would like, as you travel for this final day, for somebody to roll a d20 for me, please. Laura's a d20. Me? Yeah. First roll. Say it.

Come on, anything under a five is crazy. Roll a d6 for me, Laura. Ooh. Three. Three, okay. Fairly early in the morning to where the sunrise is still blanketing this dust-covered scape, the plateaus and large mountains that punch up

from the broken ravine-cracked ground, still wearing the pinks and oranges of the rising sun. Who be first out onto the deck, keeping watch? I'll be out. Make a perception check for me. All right. Natural 20. Ooh!

Okay. Okay. Go. That's better than my two. Glant glancing out that early morning air, breathing it in deeply. You hold the edge of the skyship and glance down and below you see a trail. One of the various roads that carve through

the valley itself. You see what looks to be a small caravan, maybe 12 or so carts that are hitched to numerous beasts of burden, just slowly trudging through their path towards the city of Bassuras. What you also see, and you're uncertain if they see it, is something else shifting in the land below.

You hear this very faint, like a bassy You hear this very faint, like a bassy and you glance deep down and look underneath. The shadow, thankfully, is stretched far across the ground so the skyship doesn't block your perspective, but you see the ground shifting, rippling, like something large is burrowing just beneath the surface of the dust and dirt

in the direction of the caravan. Is anyone else on deck? Captain, First Mate, any of the crew? Right now, Captain Zandis is not there, but Kaleel, the First Mate, is at the helm. Okay, Orym will bolt for Khalil. Khalil, look, down there. I think those people are in trouble.

I think they're about to die. Get the captain, I'll be back! I bolt for our quarters, and I find my way to the witch's door, where I think I slept, but I'm out early, and I just start beating on the door and yelling for everybody to get up and specifically yell Imogen's name as loud as I can.

You all hear the. You're with him, telling Kinesis? What? Some people on the ground are, I think, about to get eaten or something. Wake up, get everybody up, and I just start slapping on doors and yelling, wake up, get everybody up. I start slapping on doors and yelling, wake up, for everybody on board.

Rapidly, as all of you begin to hear the banging sounds and the voices rising in the hallways beyond the chambers that you've chosen here, below deck, on the Silver Sun, the captain, Xandas, comes pushing through from their quarters and, there's something at, it's way too early. They go ahead and start trudging back to the surface.

What are the rest of you doing? Running up to the surface, making sure everybody else is up. Okay. This is too early. Get up! Come up! Get up!

Oh, that's just how tall you are standing. You son of a bitch. I would drag Zandis to the edge of the ship and then with sword out, point it down. There, what is that? What does that mean? They lean over the edge and glance down, pulling what looks like a very intricate, thin,

but multi-multi-tiered spyglass out of their pocket that draws out and puts it across. Well, goodness, it looks like we found ourselves a dustra. Claps it into their pocket, puts it down. Dustra? Dustra. All right, man the harpoons with the chains. We don't want to kill it. They're not usually dangerous.

I don't know why it's going after this thing in particular. They're not carnivorous, but I think I got an idea. I got an idea. Calil, give me the helm! Help these people! And they charge back and climb up quickly to get behind the wheel of the ship. Kaleo begins shouting out,

All right, everyone, get the harpoons ready, get the chained harpoons, okay? And starts directing out to the rest of you. You can see the rest of the crew starting to come out. Gordy's webbing his eyes a bit. Tarana looks over and grabs the edge of one of the ballista. Who's doing what?

I'll grab a ballista. Are we getting closer to it? Are we shifting directions and heading down? Right as you're making that thought in your head, the sails shift and the ship begins to go into a subtle dive. You watch as a lot of the barrels and crates and various elements and materials

that are stored on the deck begin to slightly slide, shifting with the seeming directional weight of the front of the ship. Glistening, that's what I was looking for. As it lifts slightly, it begins to move towards the front, but it doesn't quite get to the point where anything will slam and go overboard. The captain ensuring that the contraptions

that keep the skyship afloat are directionally moving properly. As it glides down, though, you guys watch as the horizon moves up above you and you get a full perspective beyond the edge of the deck, no matter where you stand, of the landscape below you. You can now see the early morning lights of the caravan.

There's lanterns hanging in the gap, these little pinpoints of light. As the rays of the sun begin to hit the edge, you can see some of the colored cart flags and banners that it uses to very loudly connotate its existence, also as a warning against the various crawler gangs. You also see, out of the dust, this large ripple just tearing, breaking across the surface.

For a brief second, you see something emerge from it. It looks like a squid. It has this long head that dives outward and you see these tendrils that come behind it. It's a massive, mutated cephalopod, but it's covered in spines and weird, hooked, horned toad-style ridges that go across the sides of its body.

At the very point where the head emerges, you see it split into four different jaw openings before it dives back down below. You hear Zandas shout from the back, They're not usually hunters! Something's drawing it! Get there, get there, ready! And at that point, the thing lists further.

You watch as one of the ammunition carts begins to slide towards the edge. Gordy's going to reach over and try and grab for it. Come on, Gordy! Who's manning the ballista right now? I got one. We claimed it. You got one? One claimed. I'll get up on the other one.

Okay. Two claimed. I'll go to Ashton and cast Enhance Ability on them and give them advantage on dexterity checks. You got it. Okay. So as you both go over, Gordy does manage to actually grab the barrel and hold it off to the side. Tarana is helping you load the chain harpoon

on the left-hand side of the sky. The chain? That's the one we want? Okay. You, there's nobody, actually, no, Kaleel is available, so Kaleel can help you, too. Kaleel rushes over and helps you get the masked harpoon in it, opposed to the ones that you've previously shot

in the previous battle. These are much thicker and have a hooked barb at the end and are designed to dig and hold wherever they're shot towards. Is there also one at the very back? There'sb at the end designed to dig and hold wherever they're shot towards. Is there also one? There's another one? At the very back.

There's one at the very back. Okay, I'll go hop up to that one. Okay. Will it be able to, well, yeah. Over the ship? I mean. Do you think it's a good idea, Fearne? Yeah. Yes. Absolutely. Okay.

Okay, so you rush up to the poop deck on the very back of the ship to where there's the final, the third ballista. You load in the harpoon yourself. All right. It'll take you a minute. You watch as this beast, which, you don't get to see the full mass of it. Only parts of it peek through

as it occasionally breaks the surface and then digs back into the broken ground. Does the caravan seem like it has seen it at all? It's too far away for you to see, sort of changing its behavior, and it's too quick, so you have no idea. Can you use your horn? Can you single out somebody in that caravan

and use your horn? Oh, that's right, it's a gift. It'll destroy it? No, it'll make it disintegrate in my hand. I look at the caravan and I pick one of the beasts of burden and I... Oh! No, no, no. I'll pick a humanoid entity at the back

and try and like... Ba-boom! Okay, okay. You put all of your breath into this horn and it's just. SAM and LAURA, and MATT into this horn, and it's just. And you begin to realize, maybe, maybe you got swindled for some cash.

Son of a bitch. Did it work? Hold on, I got to make a new list. Yeah! Meanwhile, the ballista are both set, and the ship is now starting to turn up as it's getting dangerously low towards the ground, Yeah! Meanwhile, the ballista are both set and the ship is now starting to turn up as it's getting dangerously low towards the ground,

but it is beginning to catch up to this duster beast. Captain Xandis hears in his head, how high up can these, their head, sorry. How high up can these dusters go? You hear back from Captain Xandis, not very high, they're mostly terrestrial diggers, and they're generally scavengers and vegetarians, which is why this is very strange.

Any ranged attacks? I don't know, I never fought one. I don't go this deep into the valleys. Skyships avoid this area for a reason, I told you that. I cast Fly. Okay. And I'm going to take off for the caravan. Okay.

Let's go. What? How far are we for the caravan. Okay. Let's go. What? How far are we from the caravan? At this point, you're roughly 400 feet from it and gaining quickly, both you and the beast, but you are gaining on it. You're getting to the point where the, while the skyship is pulling up, you're starting to lose a proper aiming position towards it.

And you hear Zand a shout out from the back, if you're going to take aim, do it now! What's the play here, captain? Can we take one of these things? Are they too much? We're not going to take it. We're going to distract it, pull it away. Okay. On the count of three?

Yeah. Three! Oh shit! Fire. Okay, both of you roll. You have advantage because of the enhanced ability. Okay, both of you roll. You have advantage because of the enhanced ability. But I do not. No.

It's a dex. Yeah, you roll and add a plus six, is what it is. 13. 20. 20, okay. 13. It fires free. The chain that's wound up on the side immediately

is going off and you can watch as it's hitting the edge of the railing. It arcs past the beast. It was just a little bit off and the chain is grinding. You can see now the railing around it has this heavy, heavy metallic reinforcement specifically for this purpose,

but you can see it grinding against it and sparks are shooting. Then eventually the chain just goes limp and you can see it beginning against it and sparks are shooting. Then eventually the chain just goes limp and you can see it begin to drag behind us. Just like we meant to, we can zipline down and just back. Yours does hit. Go ahead and roll 3d8 for me. Ooh.

All right. Sorry, sorry. 6d8. 6d8. That changes the territory. Just find some d8s. I might have to borrow one. Okay, three, okay, 68.

Three will do it. Okay. That's 12, 13. 13 plus 19. Okay. 32. 32. 32, I rolled pretty well. You got it. It sticks into the dustra as it was just diving back in,

and the chain suddenly rips taut. As it does, you can see the very edge of the railing buckles slightly. You watch the metal bend, so you hear this loud as it pulls against it, and the ship suddenly begins to list to one side and is pulling at a slight angle, at which point you see Captain Tennis go,

Ah, come on, and begins turning the wheel quickly and pushing against the weight of the chain. Go again, again, again, other side! I'm going to try to shoot from the back. Oh boy. So try to get a tail situation or something, whichever is, you know. About now you're set.

It's going to be a more difficult shot, but I'm here for it. Go ahead, D20. Let's go. Never know. Can you guide yourself? I guide myself. Okay. Good call. Okay, I'm adding six. Yes, to whatever you roll.

Okay. Plus Guidance. Where? D4. D4. Oh, oh, okay. That would be 20 total. You need it in 18. Whoa! So with that, it goes off the front,

and at this point, the ship is pulled up and it's listed to the side to where you didn't really know where it was anymore. You couldn't see it. You just shot and hoped. Here we go! You all watch it cruise off the top, and then suddenly it pulls tight. You hear now,

this deep, reverberant growl. As that chain tugs, the boat begins to list from the back. Yeah, that's bad. You watch as the captain goes, God, shit! And reaches down, and underneath the wheel, there's a second set of controls that handle the intensity and strength of the brumestone

upon the ship itself. You watch as they reach down and pull one heavy lever from there and just yank back. As they do, you see the central gem that sits in the middle of the ship begin to glow brightly and you all feel the wood of the ship begin to vibrate. Things begin to just clatter and shift.

As it does, the ship locks into place and continues to move forward, but now it is anchoring it at its current angled-listed state, and the ship begins to slow and slow. It's an air break, if you will, an arcane air break for this. And as it slows and slows, you can hear again,

. You also notice now flares beginning to come off of the caravan. They've either noticed the encroaching creature or they heard the alarm notification from your horn. Hey! What's the distance look like between the creature and caravan now?

They're about 250 feet from you. We're like 400 from the creature, right? Yeah. At this point, the ship begins to slow, begins to slow, and the caravan, you see as the large colored plumes go off in the air, these notification flares, you watch the back of the caravan,

a bunch of warriors and guardians begin to shift to the back to keep watch. And other individuals begin to pick up and all the beasts are being ushered further and faster now to get itself to a safe space. And you can see they're not terribly far from what looks to be a large, rocky hillside, like some sort of solid rock hill

that moves out of the ground and they're moving over towards that direction. As it does, you glance down over the edge, and indeed, you have these two chain-held harpoons that are in this beast that itself is scooting through the dirt, and it's trying to fight, but it's unable to pull away from the strength of the ship. Occasionally, the ship

lurches a bit. It's still fighting pretty hard, though. It's trying to fight, yeah. Am I closer to it at this point? Then can we see her? From what you can, you now have driven off, you can get as close to it as you want to. Because you flying, and it's about, the length of the chains here,

it's about, maybe, I'd say at this point, 150 or so feet, 200 feet from the front of the ship, and where the chains go, Todd, that's the full length of it. So you shot it when it was closer, and then as it pulled back, the chains went, Todd, and are holding it like a kite. So it takes you under a minute, I'd say,

to get to the, to get within a pretty close range of the beast. And how high is it, if we guesstimate it from where we are, is that thing? 200, you just said? Not away, I asked how far away it was from the caravan. Now I'm asking how high, like when it's revealing itself,

how high into the air. Got you. Well, you haven't seen it leap out. You've only seen it breach the surface and go back under. And what you've seen, you guesstimate at a first glance, second glance, fifth glance, it's probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 to 100 feet long, from tip to, just thinking of how you discern squids

and the way that they are proportionally placed, but you have not seen the full back of it, nor have you seen the underside. What you do see, as it's now taut in there, the two chains locked into it, you see one central bright blue, What you do see, as it's now taut in there, the two chains locked into it, you see one central bright blue, almost like a deep cerulean blue eye that occasionally opens up

with a secondary glass lid that closes and protects it. It's just writhing in the ground, getting ground slower and slower and slower. That's where you're sitting at the moment. Yeah. Imogen, what are you doing? I'm going to... Bounce it.

Oh god. Yeah, do it. Come on. You're all out there flying by. I know, but I have a couple thoughts, but concentration. I'm going to first and foremost, I'm going to float down to where I can look it in its eye.

Okay, and now it is a bit dangerous to get too close because you do see parts of it thrashing. This close up, you can see the texture of it. It has crustacean-like plates across a large part of its body, all similar coloration to a lot of the earth and dirt around here in the Hellcatch Valley. It has an ashen,

a light gray visual to it. But the closer you get, you can see there are striations through it, almost like there's colors that shift or ripple through with blood pumps. It seems to have deep-set brown veins that occasionally shoot through it visually, with parts you can see breaching the surface.

It's very fascinating, weirdly beautiful as much as it is scary. As certain tendrils lash out out of the dirt and whip around, grasping and wrapping around the chains, almost trying to pull itself free, or trying to pull something down, but they're a stalemate. The one eye that's appearing is odd, because it's not flat. The eye is almost the pinnacle of a stalemate. The one eye that's appearing is kind of, it's odd because it's not flat.

The eye is almost the pinnacle of a weird bulge. It rises up to an eye that's pushing out at the top of an apex. Okay. Like a periscope. I'm going to get, oh god, I'm going to look at it in its eye, and I'm going to say,

Stop. I'm going to command it to just stop moving. Okay. What was the? Wisdom 15. Wisdom 15. The tendrils begin to lax. It's just the thrashing stops.

Damn. Okay. As it does that, I'm going to lower myself down to the ground, and I'm going to lower myself down to the ground, and I'm going to try to use Open Mind on it and detect its thoughts. What? Okay. It's just porn.

Hardcore porn. It's anti-porn. Are you going to do a full push dive into it? Okay. Yeah. So it's challenging, because it's odd that it recognizes a command. Right. Which means? It has to understand something. Yeah, it understands an aspect of language, at the very least, or an intent in that regard.

And there is an intelligence to this creature. You push past that and you sense a lot of pain. You sense a desperation and an anger. As you push further beyond the barrier of its immediately alien mind, you get senses of being lashed, being hurt, being pushed beyond its boundaries.

You see images and memories within it, though the visual itself is very fisheye and stretched, of underground caverns, home, a sense of home and belonging and being pushed and forced from it, of having brood, children taken. Aw. And a real deep, burning sense of vengeance.

All I'm going to try to do is convey thoughts to it. To say, I'm sorry for your loss. Help. See if I can comment at all. It's pretty wound up. I'll say make a persuasion check with disadvantage. Instead of memories of getting shot in the ass with her boots.

Well, it's added those to the pile now. Oh. 15 with disadvantage. 15. It doesn't calm. It definitely has reduced its aggressive, instinctual, destructive reach out and smashing

its sense that it's brought to this space, but it's certainly still driven. It's certainly still angry and vengeful. Vam? You want to point to the caravan? It just seems to be lashing out. All right. When you ask them, it doesn't have

any certain personal connection with the caravan in front. It acknowledges that you refer to it, and what you get back from it is it just wants to destroy. Okay. I'm going to cast Fly again. Okay. And kick up. Oh god, I'm going to kick up into the air

and get onto the airship again. Okay. I'm trying to do so before it regains its motion. You all watch as this Imogen just flies down, just drifts right above its bright blue eye, and it slowly begins to reduce its aggressive stance. Not entirely, but there seems to be almost an odd pause, a space between them, a connection where there's,

knowing her and her abilities, possibly a conversation. Then eventually she takes off again and it slowly is wrapping itself around the chains. How'd it go? Are you all right? I'm fine. That was so cool. Whoa, what do we do?

You could have been very hurt. It's been hurt. It's been tortured. I think people probably destroyed its home and its family. Oh no. It's angry. Orym's tracking the caravan. Have they gotten anywhere where we can feel they're reasonably safe at this point? They're about three, four minutes of travel

beyond getting us. It is a large caravan. It's even moving at its speed. This is, you know, when you're off the road, the land itself is a little difficult to move on with just simple carts and places. So they have a few minutes before they'll be truly in a safe spot. Do we need to do more to calm it?

I mean, I don't know what else I can do. I can keep trying to calm its emotions or freeze it as much as possible until at least they get to safety, but I certainly don't want to cause it any more harm. Should we just disconnect and? It'll kill them. Well, we can wait until,

I can speak with animals. I don't know if it's an animal, though. I don't think it's an animal. I think it is. Yeah. Captain, you think these chains will hold? Yeah. That's a good question for the captain. The captain says, Mm-hmm.

You know, I have not really held back a dustress, so hopefully? At which point, the ship lurches forward once more. I don't know. We could, you know, just get ready, buy the pins. Hold on. I give you the go. Set them free. We can always buy more chains.

Do people try to capture these dustras? Not usually. Coming to the surface like this is a rare sight indeed. Something's been after them. I guess welcome to the valley. Captain, is there a world where maybe we could just lift it and just move and then put it back down very calmly? We can certainly try. So we can still go on our way

and let the caravan do its thing? You mean like lift it somewhere back the other way or something? Yeah, just like our cargo. A cargo duster. Zandis gets this intense, contemplative look in the middle of their face, and their eyes go wide with a manic grin. It's quite an entrance into Bassuras,

if we did want this. They glance over rapidly to their first mate. Galila, you want to try and pick up a beast? And Cleo's like, Uh, aye aye, Captain. Oh no. That felt like a no to me. That really felt like a no. All right, all right.

I don't know, I don't know. To the chain stations. Any of you, you seem to be magic-oriented, right? Oh yes, very. Get to the two front gems. If you can go ahead and, I don't know, give it magic or something. I don't know how this works.

You heard the captain, go give it magic. Go give it magic. What kind of magic? I give it magic. All right. I mean, they don't know how the ship works. Wait, what do you mean, give it magic? Give the things that are lifting us a magical boost. I know how to make a ship go. I know how skyships move forward. I know how to fix it.

I know how to make sure that everything is going okay with it, but I don't really know how to make the magic part stronger. It's not my strong suit. How do skyships do in lightning storms? I mean, classically and historically, pretty terribly. Okay, well then I won't try that one.

Right. Isn't there a lever or something that you have that you hold underneath there? Yes, and I'm going to put it the other way and give it all she got to try and bring this thing out of the land, because that's what you wanted to do. Can these chains even hold this thing? It's 80 feet long! I don't know,

but I'm raring to try! We do not have to do this. This is just an idea I was throwing out there. No, we're doing it now. We can try it. Can't throw it out there, they'll walk it back. Oh, yeah, if... Oh, I'm curious, don't worry.

Oh, you are? Okay. We could, alternatively, we could try to confuse it, distract it, influence its mind to say that the caravan went a different direction or something. Boring. I feel like the time for common sense is over. Yeah, we're picking this bitch up.

Now's the time for action. Feather Fall? I have Feather Fall. Maybe we can try casting Feather Fall on the creature. That's not a bad idea. And that'll make it lighter? We could try. I'm going to try some weird shit.

I still got Fly on me. I can bring you over the side, Laudna, and get it down close. I'm going to try some weird-ass shit. All right, I got to get within 60 feet of it. Okay, climb on my back. All right. Don't fall. I'm tied to try some weird-ass shit. All right, I got to get within 60 feet of it. Okay, climb on my back. All right. Don't fall.

I'm going to do a Yoda backpack situation. And I'm going to try to fly down a creature with Laudna on me. Okay, so you grab on and fly over immediately as you leave the ship and have that, which at this point, the ship is maybe 90 or so feet off the ground. It's held down by the creature, like I said,

in a very kite-like scenario. But you still feel that rush under your stomach. You coast over it. You hear the captain shout outside, Tell us when! Oh, right. Side note. Since Imogen first flew away,

Orym is on the side of the ship waiting to, doesn't want to, but is waiting to arrow Flynn down the chain, if need be, and he's in that exact same position watching them like a hawk. We have two chains attached to it. If we're going to really try this, we should probably attach all three chains, right?

I already tried one. Do you want another one? Yeah, we should try it again. That would be nice, actually try this, we should probably attach all three chains, right? I already tried one. Do you want another one? Yeah, we should try again. That would be nice, actually. Yes, please. Yeah, fair enough. Help me, baby! I will guide you. If there is another chained harpoon. No, there is one affixed per ballista.

But you have to reel it in. You'd have to reel it in. Is that a strength thing? It's more of a time-consuming thing. It's going to take a Gordian Tarana rush over and start helping you pull the chain in. And this will take you a couple minutes to do so. So you're pulling it, you're all pulling it in.

And it is a heavy workout. You're all sweating. At this point, too, the ship is like, the creature is now starting to get a little more angry and sense that it's being held in place. I'll try and wait for them because Feather Fall only lasts for a minute. It's not, it only gives us a little bit.

Should I try to command it again and see if it works? Just say, calm it down. Does it even understand your commands? It understands my commands. Would this be considered a huge creature or bigger? Or neither? This would be much larger than a huge creature. This would be considered gargantuan.

Oh! Gargantuan creature! Yeah. Wow, I can't believe I gave it the answer. Just for shits and giggles, I'm going to try and rage and beat the main crystal with my fists. I see if I can pump magic into it, literally just by punching,

because I clearly can't damage it very well. Hey, dude, punch a crystal. Fuck, I'm punching a crystal. Sure. We're going to break the crystal! We're all going down. Yeah, we are. I'm punching it with my fists, man.

If a fist is all it takes, then we were dead already. So what do I get? I'm going to try again before I- Beau did some pretty dope shit. I'm trying again. So it's two rages used. Yep. And it's the same roll three times in a row. Fuck it. I'm going to start throwing space attacks into this as gently as I can to just start trying to see if it can absorb

some of whatever the fuck's in my head. You start just hitting the crystal and the captain goes, What are you doing? I'm kind of magic, I don't know. Okay! I'm kind of magic. Space, space, space, space, space, space.

Yeah, yeah. And you do, you full-on go Ip Man on the crystal. And while you're doing that, you're pulling the chain up. What else am I going to do? The three of us are. Yeah. All right.

I'm just, as soon as we get up in 60 feet, yeah, I'm going to wait for the chain. You know, just to try and maximize. Sure, I'll try to command the creature to calm down one more time. Try to get gravity. Just freeze. I'm just looking over both sides,

trying to keep an eye on the girls. My face is awkwardly right next to Imogen's. My face is awkwardly right next to Imogen's. As we wait, I'm just like, So? No. All right. Just in case it can understand me,

I will use Speak With Animals and I'll yell down to it, it's okay, we're not going to harm you! I hope you can understand me! Can you? The same guttural vibration comes up from the ground, and you hear, or at least take in

the magical translation of, Where are they? You can talk to it! I will open my mouth and go,. That's actually pretty good. That's pretty great. I like that vibe. Which means they fled behind you.

There's a road around there somewhere. Who's they? It's like, whatever he's looking for. Why don't you ask him what he's looking for? It's just really hard to say a word in this fucking language. All right, take a few minutes. Sure, I'll ask. Find out who attacked him.

I'll ask, who do you seek? My spawn. Where are they? She or he is looking for their spawn, their kids. Where did they last see them? Oh boy. That spawn. To take this from in the toy owl.

What do I? I was always reaching out for them. We don't know where they are. He says, punching them. We are not helpful here. I'll shout back. Your chain is retrieved. Oh, I got the hard book! We can see great distances from the air. We can climb up and search for your spawn.

And you can come with us. Well, I don't want to promise that. Make a persuasion check. Oh boy. Terrible. Oh, I have pretty good persuasion. 14. 14. You all hear once again the

The words come through. Find them. I must. Oh, we're getting the harpoon back in. My arms are so slow. They really want to find their kid. I don't know if they'll let us just go and search. Captain, permission to fire!

Do it! Oh god. Oh wait, but I'm just making a breakthrough here. Just say we need to attach something to you to help. No, don't do it! Wait, what? What'd you say? Maybe let them know that we're attaching an extra ouchie to make sure that we can leave. Maybe we should do that.

Ouchie. Hold on, this is going to suck. I feel like if I say we're about to impale you again, it's going to sour the conversation. It's going to sting a little bit. But we're going to shoot the creature. Let me just give it one more try to reason with it. Okay, okay. All right.

If we let you go, will you let those innocent people go? I say in their language. Make one final persuasion check. The DC is higher from the previous loss. This better be a good roll. Natural one. Oh! Peace. Peace. And all is One. Oh! Feast.

No! No! No! No feast. No! No! No! All right, shoot the first thing!

The tentacles begin to tug at the chain. Bullet, bullet, bullet! All right, you're firing. Go ahead and roll. Now, I will say, roll with advantage because it is currently held in place by two other harpoons, so it is easier to fire on it. He's got three barrels in him.

24. 24 hits. All right, go ahead and roll 68. Oh god, okay. Oh, I tried. As soon as we see it attach. Oh wow, 34. As the... 47.

Whoa! 47? The other two have hit it in side elements. This one scores right in the core, almost triangulating its physical body. It's big enough at the point where it's doing damage, but none of these are grievous wounds, necessarily. 37.

I did not roll damage. Oh, that's right. But I don't want to hurt it. Well, too bad. You didn't see where it was going. Hit it with a heart. Come on, man. Ooh, okay. I'm not taking that back. Ooh! You rolled high and you're like,

yes! I know. Math's wrong. What's math? Is it in there? Three. It's always right. Always right. Math is always right.

Shit, what number was I on? Five. Five, yeah. 32. 32, you got it. So yeah, it's taking hits, but it's a big beast with a tough hive, but you now have it triangulated with these harpoons. The captain goes,

We good? Yeah, we're in! Bringing it up! They go ahead and disengage that one central part of the stock of the enemy. We get our hands on the pins for the release, just in case. And the captain's going to hear in their head, raise it now.

I'm running over and grabbing pins. They put forward the one ratchet that they need to hold back and put into place. The central gem goes calm for a second, and you watch now the creature's tugging, it gets pulled in. They go ahead and grab another piece and put it down. All three of them strongly begin to radiate energy,

and the ship begins to vibrate even heavier. As it does, the wheel begins to turn, and the ship begins to vibrate even heavier. As it does, the wheel begins to turn and the ship begins to pull up at an angle. I just have somebody here roll a d20 for me. I think that's true. Go ahead and add five. Add five. Oh boy. No pressure. Oh boy,

what if the ship cracks in half? 14. 14. It begins to slowly rise, and both of you watch as the feather fall, which makes this even remotely possible, you watch as it begins to be drawn out of the dust. Now you get the first true view of this massive beast as the dust and sand falls off of its form, scattering to the ground below,

burying a large portion of the nearby road. Imagine a length squid, but its central body divides into two dozen long tendrils, each that ends in a long-fingered hand that grabs and wraps around. What?! In the center between them, you can see what looks to be a central, there's an eye on each side of the top of the head,

the ones that you were looking at, and then deep underground, as you pull it free, there is one, a third eye underneath between all the tentacles. Wow. What the shit? As it pulls out, you can see it grabbing onto the chains

and it's starting to pull itself up. Oh, it's climbing up? It's now climbing up the harpoon chains, but the ship is carrying it. It is airlifting it now off the side. Watches on, just like, Are we holding out okay? Are we going okay? Please tell me we're okay!

We should do something about this. We should get high and then just drop it. Oh god! No, we shouldn't! That would kill it! Can we pull away from the caravan? I'm doing it, I'm doing it, I'm trying! The ship's now off to the right and just continues to move on

in the opposite direction of the caravan, which at this point, you can see, is now getting far closer on the cusp of getting itself up onto the rock base. Great. I'm going to fly and bring us back up onto the deck. At which point, the other deckhands go forward and they pull the sails forward. The wind hits, and even more force pulls it forward,

and the ship begins to list slightly again, but just keeps itself on that angle before pushing forward further, further and further and further, and continues for about two or three minutes at as fast a speed as it can, carrying the weight off in a southwestern direction. How does it look down there?

We lost sight of it a minute ago. How close is it getting to the ship? Is it getting closer to the actual ship? It's probably about 50 or so feet from its center point. Let go of this, let go of the propane! Let go of this! Or should we lower it so we're going to drop this thing?

Yeah, we can lower it down so we can drop it. Lower it? All right, going to lower it! We're going to kill it? The ship begins to go, and it begins to dip quickly, because now it leans into the weight. It's definitely going to kill something else, but yeah.

On the count of three, let's do this. Is there a way to detach these chains? Three! Yes, there are pins. Three, two, one. All the chains dislodge and are dragged down the ship immediately. The immediate loss of weight and the amount of force behind it,

it goes into a serious dive upward. Most people begin to slide back and tumble towards the back. The materials start dragging down. I would say both Ashton and Chetney make a dexterity saving throw because as you land and hit the wall, you look up and watch as the ammunition barrels

tip over and all of the large, heavy blister bolts sliding in your direction. Natural 20. Nice. Natural 20. Nice. Natural one. Okay. So the ship picks up and then eventually evens out. As you're glancing over the side and looking,

you watch the chains detach. The creature falls maybe about 40, 50 feet before into the dust. Then it digs itself back into the dirt and broken ground of Hellcatch Valley. You watch as the pattern of its movement is continuing in a southwestern direction, away from the encounter. That's great.

The caravan itself has now set up camp and is taking its time there upon the stony top of the hill for its own safety. I mean, we can't help them now. I mean, I feel like we should at least fly down towards the caravan and find out if they're the ones that stole the babies. Or just ask for money for saving them.

What if they made a liar out of me? I said that they weren't responsible. It's about now that you all look over and notice that there is a large bolt that is partway through the abdomen of Ashton and pinning them to the wall on the deck. Wait, what? I'm sorry, you were all busy.

I didn't really interrupt anything. Clearly not. Can I? Do you want me to take it out? You do take 24 points of piercing damage. Oh! Oh my god. If we yank it out of your torso,

are you going to bleed out? That's what they always say. We've got to cauterize the wound. That's what we've got litters for. Okay. Yeah, I can heal. On the... Oh, this is going to hurt so bad.

We're going to do this on the count of three. Here, hold on, hold on, hold on. Does anyone have heat? I'm going to give some fabric. Just bite down. All right. I can't lie down. There's a point coming out of the other side.

Bite down. He's doing it! I'm fine. I'm just going to yell. Let's do it. Okay, ready? We pulling it out? Yeah, I'm going to grab the back end of the thing. Get ready for a Cure Wounds. One, two, three.

Okay. You pull it out. Immediately as it's withdrawn, it takes some meat with it. Yeah! You pull it out. It immediately, as it's withdrawn, it takes some meat with it. Yeah! Stony meat. But... Dark stony meat, there you go.

Yeah! Dark stony meat. I'll cast a Hero Wounds. Okay. Just a little one. All right. Oh, okay, you healed 10 points. That is good.

Ow! Ow! Well, it's been a great day. I'm going back to sleep. Goodbye. Does the caravan look okay? I don't make it to the next follow-up. The caravan looks like it's fine.

Are we buzzing the caravan, or are we just going to go about our mirror? We should buzz the caravan, see if they stole the babies. Yeah, we could let them free. Okay. I'm not going to think I'm happening again. Yeah, that's true.

Take a moment to gather yourselves. At this point, the morning has not come into a proper early day. We'll say for the sake of narrative brevity, in buzzing and possibly going down and envisaging the leader of the caravan, they're a bit guarded, but thankful for your interaction.

They do not have anything that resembles, nor do they have a space to carry anything that resembles the size of these creatures. I mean, based on the size here, you can't imagine the young'uns to be too small. Right. And they do not have any, the capacity to carry anything,

let alone keep something alive that, you know, could be that dangerous. I shoulder up to Chetney as we're talking to them and say, You know, and of course, we're just doing this out of the kindness of our hearts in order to help try and protect the valley and just bring a little bit more safety to it for weary travelers such as yourself

and really rely solely on charity and tips. Oh! Make a persuasion check. Oh yes, please. I was worried first. As your ear falls off. No. Son of a bitch!

Did I call it? This is what happens when you get all cheeky. You just take their shit next turn. What? And how much is your natural one? Okay. Tooth falls out. They all look at each other. They all look at each other.

The leader of the caravan nods. He says, thank you very much for your help. We'll put together a tip gathering service. And they go around and do collections. In about 15 minutes of waiting patiently, they come back with a bundle that includes two apples, seven copper, and some fleece that probably got wet and is a bit mildewed and musty.

A fleece. That's good fleece. But that's what you got. That's your tip. It's good fleece. It's good fleece. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

All right. Would you like an apple? I give an apple to Chetney. How's your smell? Smells good. FCG, you want some copper? Yeah, sure. You got to throw it to him.

So weird. Does FCG have a tongue? He just goes like,. Yeah, do you have a silver flap for a tongue? Let's just say yeah. Yeah. It's now canon. But it's made of flesh. Ew! Oh god, no!

All of a sudden, meat tongue. Everything that's actually alive. I'm right here! They were a cyborg the whole time. I hate this. He's slowly turning back. Flesh tongue FCG can't hurt me. All right, set sail!

Are you crying? We got to get back on the road. All right, so a relatively eventful morning, but thankfully the rest of the day goes by without much of an issue. The gray horizons and cloud cover seems to be building up towards the south region of the valley, just enough to give a coming gray evening

and day or days to come. No signs of storm, but just a little bit of cover. How many more days? This is the final day. This is the final day. This is the final day. You did not roll anything that would have slowed your journey or with any major issues, it seems,

and you successfully deterred the dustra from the caravan. But eventually, the night comes, and as the sun sets and you see the small little breaks in the cloud cover above to see the familiar stars reminding you of the night, the glow of Catha pushing through the clouds to give a general soft white hue to the ground below. That's where you see now

lights in the distance. Just beyond the grooves of deep ravines and the numerous sprawling roads that carve over and through, the handful of bridges that stretch across these lengthy distances, where the ground itself seems to fall beneath for a hundred or so feet,

these paths all convene on one plateau that sits in the center of this area. There you can see the lights of the city of Vassaris. From there, the first things that catch your eye as you get closer, as the sun finishes setting, you see a sprawling expanse of small hovels you see a sprawling expanse of small hovels and stone buildings and tents

and what looks to be an exterior city, like a sister city around the central city, with hundreds and hundreds of small little dots of light showing life and movement through the night. You see a large, heavy road of some kind that seems to be winding through and around the city, carving into the rock below and through the ravine that surrounds the nearby space.

The actual central city itself is surrounded, buttressed by this tall red rock wall. You see where it stands. this tall red rock wall. You see where it stands, it places anywhere between 30 to 60, 70 feet tall. It seems to be either built out of or built deeply into the rock that this plateau was made from. At the space beyond it,

you see the glittering mass of Bassuras. Numerous convoluted city neighborhoods and sections that wind and tear through them like a jumbled trash heap with thousands of bits of candlelight and glowing fire lights moving within it. You can see a half dozen or more tall smokestacks that rise far above the city,

somewhat crooked in the way they make their way upward, and these small trails of black soot that drift off and gather with the clouds of the night sky. You also notice one central tower itself, the most jagged and improbable of them all. Looks like it's built from some odd metallic scrap, rusted in some places, ruddy and dark, other parts shiny and polished.

At the top of it, at its apex, a dull green light that seems to be almost moving, like the oddest lighthouse you've ever seen. It's about then that the light shifts in your direction and your ship is now completely emblazoned in bright green light, like a spotlight on you. Oh fuck, we're back. Is this normal?

Yeah, this is normal. It's the Totic Glow. It's a spotlight thingy. What glow? The Totic Glow. The light veers off of it. You know from experience that you're likely to be intercepted at some point to see what you're about.

Yep. The captain sets their leather strap onto the wheel of the ship to keep it on course. Approaches you all. Okay, so good news is we're here. Bad news is we're seen. And not really much for landing too long, because if what I've heard is correct, skyships that stick around here

end up being pulled apart and taken. So I'm just going to set you down. I'm going to leave you to your own devices, and when you need me, give me about a day or so, let me know, I'll come pick you up. Let's go. They go back to the wheel, hitch the edge of their long pulley onto it,

and as they turn the ship, the gems begin to flare for a second and then begin to descend quickly towards the outer western side of the city's outskirts. I go over to Imogen's skirt and I pull on it. Can I ride down this time? Ride down? What do you mean? Well, Laudna got up and she got the first one.

Can I go numero dos? I wasn't planning on flying again just yet, but. Why not? You're more than welcome to try to climb on my back as we head on down. Are you going to fly? No. Take the piggyback ride, Chutney.

No, I don't want to spoil it. I'll wait. Next time I fly, though, you can come with me. Ooh! Deal. All right. Side note. It's when could you fly? When did that happen?

I don't know. I've never done it before. Just seeing Orym fall off the side, it just triggered something. It started when it did. Maybe just being on an airship, your body's just acclimated. Wouldn't it be funny if I could do it all along

and I had just never done it, trusted? If we gave you a fish to hold, you could then suddenly breathe underwater or something. I like where you're going with this. That's a great idea, yeah. I feel like we had just given you a little push on the skyway. We could have had this going so much earlier.

Oh god. I'm Imogen Timmelt, and this is Jackass. Dick shot. MATT and LAURA, ROBBIE, and LAURA, as you get closer to the ground, you can now see, emerging from the nearest gates of the large red walled portion of the city, a handful of dust trails beginning to come in your direction.

Welcome party. Tearing through the, what you know as the your direction. Welcome party. Tearing through the, what you know as the skids. Yeah. The Carmine skids. The ship begins to get close to the ground before it comes to gently rest on the dirt as it does kicking up a cloud around it. All right, everyone, get off now. If you don't mind,

looks like we got crawlers incoming. So best of not to give them a reason to keep us here. Go. Thank you so much. Yep, thank you. Hey, thank you so, I go in for just a simple hug. Thank you so much for getting us here. I'll take it. I'm going to try to take the...

Go for it, roll a sleight of hand. Ooh, really? Natural 20. Oh! Just in case. Ooh, really? Natural 20. Oh! Just in case. Awesome 20s at the table. Very much not a natural 20. Hey, the least I could do,

quite literally is the least I could do. I don't really want to do this, but I owe your orc master my life and my job, so. Sure, it's just, thank you so much. Okay, bye-bye. All right, stay safe, it's just, thank you so much. Okay, bye-bye. All right, stay safe, don't die, don't get murdered. You all step off the ship,

and just as fast as the last foot leaves it, it takes off and begins to head in a westward direction. It's right about then that you hear this sound. It sounds like dozens of grinding metallic devices, like axes on axes. You hear sparks and metal being pushed and ground against other parts of jagged scrap, as well as an odd,

different kind of reverberation in the ground. You all turn back over in the direction of the city and you now see, from the plumes of dust, massive machines. The front themselves, these thick, wide wheels covered in scaled spikes that just grind into the dirt as they cruise over. The first one you get a glance at,

the back of it is built like the rear side of a terrifying beast horse. A pair of back legs that just grind and push into the ground with metallic claws. As it grinds around the side, you can see on the back of it, two figures riding it. One holding a set of handles to the back and the one in the front,

having a set of handlebars turning it as it grinds down. You see about four more, all same general build, but variations that seem like they've been cobbled by whatever could be found, and on top of that, built to be unique to whatever the personality of its owners was. As they all come to a stop, the first one,

the person who was driving it, steps off and lands. You can see a heavy set of goggles on their eyes. You can see a heavy scarf wadded around their neck and thrown off the side. The scarf itself, a jet black color. As they approach, they hold a large hand ax to one side, put the other hand out in front, and you can see on their elbow,

there's a black tattoo in the shape of a sun. As they hands out, the voice goes, Okay, who the fuck are you? And what are you doing? It's okay, they're just like this a lot. I go invisible. Ashton. Ashton, are you good to talk to these people?

People don't tend to like you. We're just travelers coming in, hoping to visit some old friends, maybe do a little business, a little salvage. Name's Greymoore. Oh, you're from the house. Yep. Doing pretty well for yourself

to come on a fucking skyship, wouldn't you say? Well, doesn't belong to me. Haven't seen one of those in at least 15 years. It's the first time I've ever been on one. fucking skyship, wouldn't you say? Well, doesn't belong to me. Haven't seen one of those in at least 15 years. It's the first time I've ever been on one. Why are you here, Greymoore? Looking for somebody who pissed me off. Give me a persuasion check.

All right. Guidance. Nice. Roll the Guidance, easier to read. I, it's up there, making everybody wait. Oh no, 21. Sorry. Hand goes down. I can respect that.

You all with him? Sadly. All right. Is this Rezzi's first time? I've been here before. I'm as shocked as anyone I know. Welcome to Bassuras. You're under the protection of the Gajahkandas. By that, I mean just don't get in too much fucking trouble, all right? You're under the Baciris. You're under the protection of the Gajahkandas.

By that, I mean, just don't get in too much fucking trouble, all right? If you do, clean it up. You're all a bit bright. I'd suggest maybe not being as bright. Oh right, we get out the cloaks. Don't tell anyone you took that thing in here. That's going to be the talk of the city

for the next week and a half, at least. That's a very good call, thank you. Don't fuck it up. Do my best. Before you call, before you take off, I was just curious, it's been a while. What? They're listening, but they're walking back

and they're like, what you need? They're stepping back up onto the collar. Is Deathwish still a thing? When is it not? This gets passed, throwing dust all in your direction. You all get surrounded in the dust before the other ones begin to purr alive. You can see some have flame jets

that out of the back of it. And those are showing off at this point. They're just trying to spook you as they all ride by and then head back to the city. Smart ass. What's Death Wish? It will be the silver lining of this trip. Yeah, but what is it? The silver lining of this trip. Yeah, but what is it?

The silver lining of this trip. Oh, Ashton. Death Wish? Got to be something fun. It's competition. Don't worry. No one else is tracking us. I'm keeping an eye.

Where the fuck are you? I'm watching off-link. I'm going to take a wild swing. All right. Roll the disadvantage. Natural one. Oh yeah. It is a very wild swing. So wild that the hammer flies from your grasp.

Ow! Oh! Yep, can't do that. I saw that. Ah, yep, I'm going to go pick that up. Oh, I got to sleep. All right, well. Where do we do that? Oh yeah.

Got to go find a place to sleep. Where did we get dropped specifically? Are we outside? I'm sorry. You are outside the city. You're on the outskirts of the giant walls. You are on the outskirts of the Carmine's Skids. You are essentially outside of the outer ring. The skids is almost outside the outer ring.

The skids is just this place where it's a lot of people who, honestly, either can't or shouldn't be let in the city live. Should we head straight into the city? If we can find a place to sleep in the city, that would be the best. Should we go to the Strip? Oh, wow. Yeah, If we can find a place to sleep in the city, that would be the best. Should we go to the strip? Oh wow. Yeah, there's got to be somewhere to sleep in the strip.

The strip? You know. Every town's got a strip. Do they have all you can eat? Like a whole strip, or is that a place? The strip. It's the Salmagunda Strip. Salmagunda.

It's a big, large place. I'm trying to remember which place has, like, the raw den doesn't have sleeping quarters. Yeah, it does. Most so, and you'll notice this as you get in. Raw den. You'll probably inform them as you begin to enter the city.

Unlike places like Jrusar, which have taverns in the classic sense, as they have a lot of people that travel from around the world. You probably know this from passing through some other areas of the continent as well. They have what are called Caravanserai, where a tavern is one part bar, one part inn.

Caravanserai are one part inn, one part shopping mall. It generally has a large courtyard in the center with a number of carts and shops and hitching posts and places to hitch up your beasts for the night and have a place to stay there. Bars and places to drink tend to be a little rough and tumbling outside of the sleeping arrangements for the most part.

But as you're giving a little bit of an overview of this, and you can expand upon this if you'd like to, to give them an idea of what they're in for, you begin to approach the outside of the Carmine Skids. Immediately, you see, now close up, a ragtag jumble of small, gathered tents, large crates. They carried massive war machines

that had been built on top of each other and turned into a house and had been retrofitted to be a living space. You can see bits of stone and clay that have been built up and set to be just a simple, cheap place to live. It very much has an odd, off-the-grid survivalist sense to it.

And as you walk through, you can't help but notice people either not giving a shit that you're walking through or way too interested that you just walked in. There are folks that are out looking out and starting to speak and point towards the skyship as it begins to vanish in the distance, the green light still occasionally coming onto it

and identifying it, like a laser pointer at a distance and rouse new interest. Everybody stop and look at the ship for a minute. Point at it. Wow, what is that? How cool. Instead of curiosity, I get a group deception check, please.

Oh, cool. Wow, that'd be cool. All right. Wow. Ugh. that'd be cool. All right. Wow. Ooh. What a weird game. 12. This is turning out to be nine.

Eight. 18. 26. 17. 12. That's an interesting spread. Okay, okay. Doesn't take too long for you to work through the skids and to get the sense that you're not standing out

like sore thumbs, necessarily, but you're certainly not blending in seamlessly with the people who live here. As you continue further and further towards the heart of the city, seeing the carmine walls getting taller and taller as you approach. You also occasionally glance over your shoulder

and get the sense that maybe you are being followed. You glance over and see something just shift off to the side. You specifically, Orym, being the eagle-eyed member of this team and already feeling a bit defensive, glancing about, you see somebody jump from a rooftop to another rooftop nearby.

Just a shadow shift past. Ooh. We have a yank on Ashton's hand. I don't have to reach that way. We have a tail, I don't have to reach that way. We have a tail. I don't. Where? Right here.

That's not my tail. That's not my tail. Move the top. Not a tiefling. Chetney, fuck all. Chetney. Yes? Still invisible.

I think we've got a tail up on the rooftops. Be cool about it. We don't want to make any waves yet. Just see what this is about, maybe. No problem, I'll bleed them quiet. No bleeding, please. Oh, fuck. Is he back? He's gone.

No, I don't. I drop like 10 steps or so back and off to the side. Specifically now, keeping an eye up on the roofs while they keep going. Okay, okay. See what I can see. Pressing forward and quickening the pace a bit, you begin to approach the Western Gate. As he's going off,

I'm going to make a mental connection with him so we can talk. Do you have to see the person to make a mental connection? Ooh. we can talk. Do you have to see the person to make a mental connection? Ooh. Why, yes, I do. I can see within 30 feet of you. Fortunate.

Fortunately, he's been invisible for quite some time. Forget it, then. I don't know. It's like I was never born. The makeshift roadway here, the path that's been carved through foot traffic and the amassing of buildings on each side leads towards the western wall

on the Carmine exterior. As you can see, the large torches that burn upward with the black char marks that climb up a good 30, 40 feet above from the smoke and the heat. The gates are partially open, just enough for a person to walk through one at a time. You see two more individuals waiting there,

one of which is a massive orc figure with a face mask pulled on. They have a small helmet with a singular blade that juts out at the front. They also have the black scarf around their neck and those same dark sun tattoos on their elbows. To the right of them, you see another figure, human, looks a bit older, very thin legs,

but a built, muscular shelf of a torso, wearing heavy hide armor with spikes jettisoned from it. They also have the same black scarf and the same elbow tattoos. As you step close to it, the orc leans out and goes, You the out-of-towners?

Mostly out-of-towners. A couple locals coming back. Right, Greymoore, right? They said you were coming in? Yep. All right. Get in. Just lean around and whisper to Ashton, word certainly travels fast here.

Yes, it does. It travels very, very fast. By the way, and spread this around, don't overpay for anything. Chetney, don't overpay for anything. Blow my cover. Sorry. You're keeping watch. Make a perception check.

Oh yeah. The eyes of Chetney are apart. Fuck. Seven. No, apart. Fuck. Seven. No, 10. 10. I have not stopped looking either. You can roll perception as well. Yes, yes, yes. But however, I would say with disadvantage.

Oh, I got two twos. Oh, well, yeah, you are. Tired of that. Then with advantage, right? It's too crowded, I can't see over anybody. So you move through in single file through the slight opening of the gate. The gate itself is about 20 feet tall and it's made of a similar stone material.

As you move past, you can see now there is a massive, almost like a wooden breech piston on the back of each wall that is built into a giant chained wench. You can see there's an ogre on each side that, as you step through, they begin to crank it. As they do, the wood begins to push against the doors and snaps it closed behind you.

You now stand within the walls of the city. As you look around, you can see the odd cityscape before you. There are little strange warm yellow and red glows that seem to be from deeper into the path. As it backlights some of the tops of the nearby buildings, and it is just a ramshackle, ragged skyline.

You can see there are hanging threads and cables. There are banners. There are oil lanterns and glass lanterns that dangle over intersections. It has this odd nightmare bazaar meets a unique space where everything looks like it was found, cobbled together, and then presented proudly. You continue through what is considered

the western dregs, the west dregs of the city. I asked you. Where are you taking them? Oh. How do they know your last name so well? You know, that's a story for after I've had a nice nap, I think. Are you royalty of some sort?

No, quite possibly the opposite. Um. Don't know what that means. Let's take them to the Rahad Den, I guess. The Rod? The Rahad Den. We're going to be, don't want to stay Rahad Den, I guess. The Rod? The Rahad Den. We're going to be, you don't want to stay somewhere too nice or too bad.

You'll like this place. It's a lot. At Ashton's lead, you are brought through the dreg sectors of the city, specifically the west dregs. And as opposed to the Carmine Skids that you pass through, this area has a similar sort of just stacked and made from whatever's available

neighborhood construction, but nicer materials, more materials, better kept. By comparison to, let's say, Jrusar, it still looks like an incredibly dangerous place. There are hiding spots and tunnels and pipes and all manner of collapsed bits of masonry and buildings that have been then scavenged and built upon in the same space over who knows how long.

Some buildings look extremely old, like they may have been here for hundreds of years. Others look like they were built in the past 10. They all are pushed together and stacked up. You can see there are walkways that, in fact, there are elements of this that remind you of the interior of the Core Spire where you previously lived,

and can see probably threads of artistic inspiration, or at least familiar survival instincts that led to the neighborhood where the Crook House itself is embedded within Jrusar. How crowded is it? Are there a ton of people around? the neighborhood where the Crook House itself is embedded within Jrusar. How crowded is it? Are there a ton of people around? At this hour, it's not terribly crowded,

at least not along the streets. It's not barren, either. You'd say you pass by maybe a dozen or so people every minute. Less crowded than Jrusar, though? Less crowded than Jrusar at the moment. Okay. This reminds me of when we found Shadana's place.

A bit, yeah. Yeah. Looking through, as you begin to grow closer and closer to the central region of the city on the northern side, you keep an eye on some of the people that pass by. You see some other figures that are also wearing outward intense armor that are both made for function and for intimidation.

Some have blades that are woven into the leather and the tip's broken off to show that they've probably left themselves embedded in somebody else in some fistfight or a bar brawl, or just for show, and look like they've got involved with something dangerous. You pass by one tall, lanky, red male tiefling who, his head hangs down between his long shoulders

that point out the sides, and his arms swing from side to side. He mad dogs you as he passes and as he glances over at you, Imogen, goes, , and just walks on past. You say. you hit my chin and goes, and just walks on past. You okay?

It's nothing compared to you, Laudna. It's nothing. I think it was just posture. Yeah, it was weird. Clearly has a tiny penis. A tiny peen. Yeah, tiny peen. I go and I remove one of his Achilles tendon. Jesus.

Laudna, bitch! Are you? No. Okay. You're strange. Continuing inward, you can see now the lantern clusters begin to grow more and more numerous and oddly beautiful. At many of the intersections and at regions in the city

where it seems like more small carts are set up, where individuals are out there just gathering and talking the story and in the process of eating small snacks and just watching, people watching as individuals pass by. You see an older man in particular with a long pipe who's bundled up in layers and layers of multicolored rags,

who just, every time he takes a puff, lights up his face a bit, and then he blows out this awful green smoke. It gives this musky incense smell that first is pleasant, but then it quickly grows unpleasant as it fills the space. But up in the middle of this,

a variation of that, perhaps. But you do see dozens and dozens of wires that just tangle and tie together, hanging above and from that, probably about 20 or so different lanterns. Some broken and have just been left up there. Some that are just oil-filled lanterns that are on the very end of their wick,

just giving a soft, almost firelight to it. You see a few magical baubles that are tied up into the mix that give off different colors. It just has this oddly alluring trash heap in the air kind of a vibe that also is weirdly pretty. Asshole. are a vibe that also is weirdly pretty. Hustle.

Wait, is this what I'm supposed to do with this? Yes. Oh! Boom. Okay. You, how, what the? When did you? Later. I don't know.

That's what the... I think your time is shining. How glad you could say that. As you get closer to the center of the city, another sound. Similar to what you heard when those massive constructs came through, but deeper and more distant. You pass by what looks to be an open kind of a shop yard,

where there are all manner of contraptions and metal arches with cables that hang from it. You can see over there, there are multiple tinkerers and engineers currently working on one of those machines, but this one is larger. The others can carry two. This may carry four or more individuals.

It has two wheels in the front that have these beast claws that hold onto them. And when I say beast claws, it's very much like a welder's interpretation. It's not finely made. It's multiple different types of metal and ore and ingots that have been welded and pushed and bent and hammered to resemble claws, but in a rickety,

easy-to-get tetanus kind of way. On the back, you can see multiple poles that drift up and there are banners that tatter to pull behind, one of which looks like an eye with a claw through it and it looks like multiple drops of blood that drift to where it just ends and tatters. We're stealing one of these at some point, right? I mean, it's a thing that we're doing?

Feels like it. Then what catches your eye is the much brighter interior past an inner set of small walls and a broken archway that appears to have fallen from the center, but it still gives you the entrance to what is the Salmagundas Strip. Here, you immediately see what is a massive, vibrant marketplace.

Those same clusters of lights and lanterns are everywhere. It's almost like a network that doesn't end. Like when you see those large clusters of seaweed that gathers over the ocean, elements of those stretched across, almost blanketing at every major intersection between multiple buildings, sometimes just singular threads of cable,

keeping them together, but it is just a web that continues and spreads and pulls all across. And from here, you can see all manner of warmly lit buildings with rousious laughter and what sounds like fistfights going on. You can hear hard music playing, out of discord and out of tune. You can see groups of individuals wandering out

and just vomiting on the side of the road and going right back in for another round, as well as these large, multi-tiered buildings that themselves are lit even brighter from the inside with arch entryways. You can see there are hitching posts on the outside and there's quite a bit of foot traffic going in and out, even brighter from the inside with arch entryways. You can see there are hitching posts in the outside. There's quite a bit of foot traffic going in and out,

eventually coming upon one that you see that is made of stone and glass and silk that rises three stories upwards the central portion of this. You know this to be the Rahadden. There is a vast courtyard as you step through. The interior of the structure itself is roofed and you can see there are some nice mural-like paintings,

but some of it's just with age become weathered, the colors have faded. In other areas, it looks like there's just damage, something impacted heavily and some of the stone broke off and fell in. You can see there are some boards holding elements of it up. It looks like it could probably use some repair.

People push past you. Some folks watch as you enter keenly, trying to take in the details of folks they haven't seen before. Then as you reach towards the center of the structure, it opens up into the courtyard, where there are dozens and dozens of carts and small huts and tents.

You can see there are barkers, individuals holding up food, and you can smell just a mixture of all manner of dishes and meats and herbs and fried vegetables. It is, from what your entrance to the city felt like, an unexpectedly familiar and comfortable smorgasbord of probably whatever you could want at this hour after a tiring day of travel.

So what would you like to do? Rooms and food, rooms and food. Sounds wonderful. Rooms and food, yeah. Rooms and food. Chetney, are you here? Yes! Keep an eye out for pickpockets, too. This is, it's crowded.

Has anybody been coming near the group? Have they been giving us a reasonable berth? Most everyone's giving a reasonable berth, from what you can tell. This isn't the kind of place you gather, at least at this hour, where strangers are immediately approached by the general populace.

Both of you make perception checks. Yeah, what about our tagalong? I was just about to ask. Yeah, what about our tagalong? How many rooms, also? 19 this time. 15 for me. Woo!

Tagalongs are really fun. Three rooms, two rooms? I'll use my nose, too. Say three rooms. I like it all. I'm the last. I'm the last. Did you know the password over there?

Huh? Yeah. I should know the password. Okay. So you approach the main circular desk that sits towards the southern edge of the courtyard, and there you see the massive female Pachydan, the tall, elephantine female proprietor of the inn and room section of this caravanserai. She turns big, big, toothy smile

with these long tusks that are adorned with all manner of brass and gold, and you can see dangling chains from them. The rest of the body, it's dressed in billowing silks of blue and white. They spin around and lean over the edge, looking down at you, Ashton. Why, hello.

What can I get for you? Ah, I'd like to grab a couple rooms, or a few rooms, three if you've got them, as close together as possible. Hmm. They look back behind the desk. Don't be trist. That can be accommodated, yes.

That would be, for the three rooms, one gold, two silver for the knight. Hmm. I can do that. I'm going to pay entirely in silver. All right. That's 11 silver. Take the back staircase.

It'll lead you to the second floor. From there, you will find the rooms with these key numbers. Thank you. Food's going to be open late. It never closes. Oh, thank you, thank you. Pachydon have fingers? Yes.

They're thick fingers, and when they're balled into a fist, it can almost act as the thicker trunks of the back legs. But they do have fingers, yeah. Okay. Thank you. Let's put our, I wouldn't even say let's put our stuff down, let's just put

as much of our stuff into the, I'm just going to call it the memory hole. I don't have a better term for it right now. Memory hole. Because we better remember what we put in there. Yeah, let's do it in the room, though. We'll do it in the room. What stuff do we have?

And then, yeah, just, it can get a little rowdy. So, you know, be cautious. Okay. Going to check out, be cautious. Okay. Going to check out our rooms. All right. The rooms are fine. You know, they're definitely serviceable. You can sleep here, but this is not necessarily

the upper scale of living across Marquet. Are they more like hovels, or are they more like canvas tent type of things, or like shacks? So yeah, so no, going up in the second floor, on the outer rim of the second, because there is not really an outer wall that you can tell on the upper shelf of the Caravanserai.

There is a back wall, and then there is, like, the rest of it is tightly pulled fabric. Okay. It can be closed and it can be locked off, but it's not necessarily a super secure room. Yeah. Yeah, well, we've got our stuff safely put away, so we're fine, right?

We'll be on watch, too. Yeah. Just to be careful before we go, what do I have? Does anybody have something small? Like what? I don't know, like one of those jacks or like a... I've got a bolt bearing.

Something that doesn't roll, necessarily. I've got wooden feet. I've got a caltrop. Fish hook? Yeah, a caltrop, that'll work, right? As long as it's small, like the size of a silver piece. 300 gold diamond? That'll do it.

I always have this piece of moldy felt that I just got. Oh yeah. Yeah, I mean, I've got some. Three pieces of wood. Three pieces of wood. Three? Three. Small, just extra stuff. I have a thimble.

That'll do. What's wrong with my fleece? Thimbles roll, though. It's got to be big enough to not slip under a door. Does it need to look like anything? Nope. In fact, better if it doesn't. But I need just some direction, you know.

This feels like a riddle. I know, you really got to start filling us in on some stuff, Ash. I'm going to need your help with this. So I put an object in your room. My room? Yeah, the room that you guys are going to be stuff. I'm going to need your help with this. So I put an object in your room. My room? Yeah. The room that you guys are going to be using. I'm going to slowly shut the door

and I need you to back that up against the door, if you can do that with your mind. Here, this one's shaped like a circle. This one's shaped like a square. This one's shaped like a triangle. None of those are useful. But I needed. I'm just kidding. Give me two.

Which ones? Whichever two you like best. Not the circle. Square and triangle. Triangle, ah! Worth every penny. Boy, who's hungry? I see. So with each door, after it's closed,

I'm going to use my Mage Hand to pull it right against the doors. You've got to, just to see how safe these are. And to help clarify the spaces you have, when you walk into the room, the hall that leads to it is enclosed and there is a wall that it's against and you go through the door you have. When you walk into the room, the hall that leads to it is enclosed and there is a wall that it's against

and you go through the door into it. Each of these rooms is built on a platform and it's a solitary platform that goes out and exists not next to the other rooms. There is a 10-foot gap between each one and there is a dip about a 10-foot slide that goes underneath it. They're built like spokes on the outside of a tower.

From there, the rest of the walls on each side and across the way are tightly pulled canvas that is affixed to poles, and it allows airflow in the hotter days and allows comfort and insulation during the night. So if you were going to break into these rooms, you wouldn't be doing it through the doorway? If you didn't want people to know you were in there.

Right. But the walls, they're not haphazard either. It comes with its own challenges. You could cut your way into it, yeah. If you didn't want anyone to know, you'd use the door. But yeah, let's go get some food and some drink because I feel like shit. It feels like glamping.

Yeah. Kind of a little bit. And happily answer questions. All right. So you, quickly enough, can find yourself a number of areas within the Caravan Sarai here, within the Rahadun, where food is available of all different kinds. You can essentially look for whatever you're looking for.

Something meat-oriented, something more soup or curry-oriented. If you're looking for something more vegetable-based, tofu-based, it's all pretty much available here in some way or another. Usually thicker broths, as well as some, say, at this hour. It's a little more limited.

Some of the more boutique and specific meals seem to have closed up cart for the night, but the more all-night circumstances are readily at your disposal. But food is yours and there are spaces to sit, or you could go back to your rooms if you'd like. Let's sit and grow up, man. Yeah, let's sit and grow up.

There are a lot of people watching. Maybe we can get a little bit of everything and just have a sampler. Poo-poo platter. Sure. I hate that phrase, but yes, exactly. Have you guys let any of us know that there's somebody tanning us?

Yeah. Well, yeah, I didn't. Who has the thing that detects if Armand Treshi is around? Do we wait till morning to put a? I think I have that. Can we use that once a day? I've got the scrying thing. Yeah, we should put it out.

Ooh. Yes, let me do it in one of our rooms. It's in somebody's inventory. I don't remember. It's fine. Cheers. Yeah, let's grab all of our food and we'll go do that in the room. All right.

See if he's within a couple miles, right? It has a couple mile range? Something like that. I'm going to stay outside the rooms and just keep an eye. Okay. Perception check for me. Perception check. Oh!

Talking to you, Chet. Didn't even perceive the room. 13! Got it, noted. All right, so you're pulling out the sphere. Scratch, yeah. Yeah, and it's a small, almost looks like a fiberglass sphere. When light hits it, it has this odd striation

and expansion of light that doesn't act like a normal crystal ball. It's been dull since you've achieved it. You've looked at it a few times during the journey and it just looks like what it does. No real change in perspective. As you pull it out this time, you see within it, there is almost like a bright blue firebug glow

that sits in it, and it's pushing towards one side of the sphere. Which side? What direction would it be? From where you are now, and knowing the iteration of the city, it would be in a southern direction, slightly southwest.

As you turn around, it shifts within to ensure that you can pinpoint the direction. It just continues to focus in the direction. Okay. I don't know our orientation. Is that pointing towards the center of the city? It is. So the sauna on the strip is on,

it devours the northern edge of the city. So it's pointing to more of a south-southwestern direction. Could be as far as the South Drakes. Could be. Okay. How far did Eshteross say that thing tracked? I think so, like three miles. Two, three miles. Two, three miles.

Comedy. So the question is, do we sleep, rest, and go after this guy in the morning, or what if we go to sleep and wake up and the dot's gone and we've lost him forever? Well, we could take watch and take turns and see if it moves. Does it just work always?

Can we use it a hundred times a day? It doesn't seem to be changing or diminishing. You didn't activate it. As soon as you just pulled it out and looked at it, it had the glow and proximity. As we're talking, how well can I hear them from the hallway area of this? I mean, from the hall, not too well,

because the wall that leads outward is pretty well insulated, and the door itself fits very snugly against that wall. You'd have to listen from another room to really get it. Sounds like Charlie Brown's adults when they talk. Yeah, pretty heavily muffled. Alawa. I could use some sleep.

I am kind of drained. I am drained. I can't imagine Imogen that you flew a lot today. It's been a day. Yeah. I mean, sleeping would be nice, but. It would be nice. I certainly don't want to let Treshi get away, either. Well, how about this?

We have somebody stay up and shift like we do and keep an eye on the ball. If it goes out. Isn't that what I was going to do? We know what direction. We know he's gone too far. We need to get up and move. We have a good sense of which way to start.

Correct. How big is the city all the way around? The walls themselves? You'd probably be looking at a four-mile. So it's very possible to stay in the city. Four miles across from edge of the wall to wall, and then this gets expanded from there. Sure, so it'd be very possible to still be in the city,

even if they could hit the outskirts of the city and we would lose them, but it wouldn't mean they were necessarily out of the city yet. Sure. All right. All right. Okay. He could be sleeping. All right. Okay. He could be sleeping. Yep, yes, we could.

In fact, I'm going to... You said we know which way is north, south, east, west. I've got a general. I'm going to set the sphere in the center on the ground and just draw a little compass around it, pointing in the directions, in all the cardinal directions. So we'll know if it moves a little bit.

Correct. That's so smart. Good looking out. And put it in... Too tired to fight. Set it in the center and just see for a second if it seems to be trailing one direction or another. Okay. Make a perception check.

That one has been failing me. What the fuck? It's actually not as bad as I thought it was. It's still not great, though. 14. 14. You take some time and just focus, looking for any sort of shifting in the blue glow. But you don't notice any sort of shifting, no signs of it drastically going

to a different direction in the city or any sort of movement to the moment. It seems pretty stationary. Probably sleeping. You like me as well. We should do that, then. The farther away he is, the less perceptible any kind of shift in that is going to be.

That's true. Do you know of any good inn on the south side if we wanted to relocate tomorrow? Define good. Somewhere he'd stay. I'd... If I were him, I would not stay somewhere good, and I also might add, I think that we're currently

in about as good as it gets. Just do you know of any place? There is one place in the Southdregs. Okay, yeah. Yeah, maybe, maybe. Shit. Yeah, fucking Southdregs. Fucking Southdregs. Eat you.

Does it have a name, Ashton? Yes. Is it Deathwish? Southdregs, it's the, no. God, are we really doing this? You don't have to. It's called A Taste of Teldori. Oh!

Ah, Jesus. Is that a theme restaurant? It's a shitty buffet. Please tell me it's a casino buffet. It's a shitty theme restaurant. It's a shitty theme restaurant. Is there a diver that comes out in the middle? Oh my god. It's been a while. I've always wanted to see.

But I remember being just embarrassed for even being myself every time I went in there. Did you work there? No! Were you a cliff diver? You worked there! Cliff diver! Did you juggle? Don't juggle.

Did you blow into flags after people got the order? Did you joust? Ah. You know, there are things I will answer about this place. There are things that I want to keep secret that I will let you know about what they are. This is one thing that I don't think I could describe accurately.

It is its own special, guys. I can't wait to see it. I've always wanted to visit Teldore. Ask them a question. Oh boy. The answer comes in 24 to 48 hours. Thank you. I have a lot to read here. Taste of Teldore.

I just don't like talking when we're walking around the city. Should we sleep tonight? Let's sleep in any. But somebody should keep guard. We should take walk-in. I will. I'll keep guard. Okay, so. We eat food and shit. Yeah, you finish your meals,

you go to your corresponding rooms, and you're taking first lunch? Mm-hmm. All right, go ahead and roll perception for me. As we get ready for bed, I'm just going to pull Imogen aside and say, hey, this seems like a weird time and place to do it, but if you're interested in that dream thing,

just let me know when a good night is to maybe do that, and I could try it. Yeah, I'll let you know. Thank you. And I'll get Laudna, too. Right, yeah, I'll let you know. Okay. Thank you. Sure, any time. Okay.

What's your roll for perception? 23. 23. Listening out and keeping watch, there's a couple of moments where you pick up sounds. At one moment, it sounds almost like somebody is climbing the exterior, and you get nervous and about to let people know.

Then you just hear laughter from it as somebody falls and hits the ground. You hear somebody like, I told you, you couldn't do it! Stupid, drunken sod. Footsteps wander off a bit. Another part of the night, you hear heavy flapping, like some sort of desert bird has

landed atop where you're resting. Then eventually, after about an hour, it takes off. But nothing else worries you. You can still hear, though. Though you are sleeping, because you are exhausted, no matter where you are, the odd thing you catch is the music and the liveliness of the Caravan Sarai

is ever-present. And when you're in your tent, it is interesting, because it's slightly muffled from the inside. But you notice any sound coming from the inside of it is gone. There is a mild enchantment on the rooms, the material that makes them, that prevents sound from emitting from the inside.

But you can certainly hear it from within. No issues on your watch. Who's taking next watch? I'll take it. Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Uh-oh. Oh shit. What do I want to do? What do I want to do? What do I want to do? I'm going to go over to FCG.

Okay. She's the kid who goes, Um, without having anything to say. Hey, I got a joke. I take his wheel. You're in sleep mode? Eyes are totally clouded over. Green screen. Fleshy tongue hanging loose.

No! No! That's not it, that's not it. It's not canon. It's a little cursive. I know. I am going to look around the frame of FCG and try to look for any buttons.

Buttons? Like pushable buttons. Buttons? Like pushable buttons or clothing buttons? No, no, no, like a pushable button, like a switch. I don't know. Make an investigation. Investigation or perception, really, your choice. Oh shit! Well, that's not very good.

14. 14. You give a pretty thorough view based on what's visible and how FCG is resting. You don't really see any buttons. You do see some shapes and patterns that look like they're somewhat circular in places. Look at the dirt button.

Okay. I'm going to lean in and give him, just start sniffing him. Okay. I'm going to lean in and give him the... Just start sniffing him. Okay. No, you have a fairly decent sense of smell. And there is an iron-like, wet metal smell, if you know what I mean. As well as, I'd say,

a scent of old wine and ale that's probably been settling within the internal cavity when you briefly used it as a canteen. Ooh, it's stinky in there. I'm going to take my hand with the claws and I'm going to drag it across the blades of grass on the front of his chest. Huh.

All right, I'm going to go to bed. Okay. Yeah, that'll wake you up. Is that what you're doing? Yeah, so you're going to take your watch because the first thing you see when you wake up is Fearne's claws just scraping across the front of your chest.

Why'd you do that? I was just tracing the blades of grass. Oh. On your chest. Weren't you supposed to be watching? I absolutely was. I was. Just checking it all, making it all, just checking.

I check on you guys when you're sleeping to make sure everybody is, you know. I just thought you'd come over and just rub me a little. Well, let's not make it weird, but just making sure. Well. I think we should clean you out a little bit because you're starting to smell a little rusty on the interior of your body.

Okay. I don't need to do it. Someone else, we can go to a spa or something. Sure, maybe just flush me out with some water or something. Yeah, yeah. All right, you need anything? No, I think, well... I need a little wood.

Oh? Like a little piece of wood? Yeah. Okay, how small? I don't know, it's big. It's kind of big. Okay, I'll see what I can find or take tomorrow. Yeah, when we shop tomorrow. Yeah, I'll find something for sure. Okay. I'm going to peek out the window real quick.

Do we have a window? It sounds much more like a split of curtain that you can go ahead and pull open, and there is an oval shape in the furthest most wall of pulled material. What's the moon situation? Glancing over, you can see, from your current perspective,

you can look out through the window, actually, and glance up, and you can see the dark, ruddy coloration of Ruidus in the sky. Katha is maybe an hour away from vanishing beneath the distant mountain line. Okay. Good night. Good night.

Okay. For your watch, roll Perception. Before I do that, I arc my cranium down and just check, did she smudge or scratch or anything? Did you intend to smudge or scratch anything? No, I was literally just tracing the blades of grass with my fingers.

Okay, so no damage, nothing changed. Just stare at her and make sure that she falls asleep. I feel him staring. I don't blink. Oh. All right, I'll start my watch. Okay. What is his perception?

20. 20, okay. Pretty uneventful. I'd say about another two hours into it, you also hear some sort of large bird landing outside. Having been in town before, is this a normal occurrence? I mean, occasionally,

but it still sets your nerves on edge. Sure. How close? Maybe 20 feet. 20 feet straight up? Up and somewhere that you can't really see. You're just hearing it through the curtain. Are there windows?

There is that. You can glance through that opening the material across the way. I will pull open the material and look out and see if I see anything. You see further up the rising towers, barely the shape, you don't have darkvision, do you? No, but I, no, I don't.

Given the perception you gave, you could see the general outline of something kind of rustling its wings, but just resting on the tower. I'll immediately close the curtain and back up slowly and soundlessly into the corner and shrink down and go behind a chair or something and wait and look up at the ceiling,

listening for anything. Okay. It just stays there until the end of your watch comes. It seems to have either roosted or gone to sleep for the rest of the night. Fuck. All right. Fuck. All right.

Chetney. Chetney. Sorry, sorry. Are you doing next watch? Yeah, I'm in. Can you? I am now, yeah. Can you? There's a watch. Isn't this the third one?

I thought that was the third. That was the second watch. There's something out there. There is? I need you. I need your cunning. Oh. I need you to do.

No, it's the other one. Oh. I got bad chicane all the time. Can you go out there and just look up and see if you can see a big fucking bird? Fucking bird. A bird? A bird. Sure.

Just see what it looks like. I'm not supposed to be watching the ball. Okay. Like a big bird? It's huge. All right. Use the chisels to part the drapery edge. Okay. Do you have darkvision?

Oh yeah. Okay, thank you. Yeah, that's my gosh. Make a perception check for me. This will be for your watch as well. Can I use my nose as well to get advantage? A little sniff and a look? Guts! I'll say it's since this creature's far enough away,

and I'd say no for this one. This is more of a visible one. Guts is a d4. I got you. 19. 19. Indeed, you see some large hawk-like animal that's roosted up against the tower. You can see in some of the design grooves of it, about 15 or so feet up,

there is some gathered bits of dried brush. A small nest has been settled and it's just nestled in, asleep. Its head cranes over and glances over. As it does, you can see the nearby lantern light, the eyes glint, just a hint, as it moves past the moonlight. Cool.

There's a hawk outside. Is it a beautiful bird or a mangy bird? Did it look like a normal hawkish from the- It looked like a normal hawk. I mean, it looked like your standard fair hawk. It looks like there was a nest. Didn't seem to be made of fingers or anything. Just normal shit.

So it's got a nest here. Seemed like it. Well, there seemed to be something that it was. Yeah. Yeah. Not mange. Not? I mean, I'm no judge of Hawk, but. All right. Seemed pretty basic-ass.

If it comes in here, kill it. Would it come in? I don't know, but it doesn't. Who used to live here? Do they fucking intrude like that? I'll open it up and wear it like a hat. If it's the one I'm thinking. The one you're thinking?

It doesn't sound like it, though. It doesn't sound like it, though. I need to story what happened. Well, now I can't sleep. You start with, it was a night like this one. Hold on. It was a night like this one. Oh god.

Except it was the night when everything changed. There's a bird. There's a bird that hates me. It wants me dead, or worse, humiliated. Why, FCG, why? I don't know. I don't know what I did to it, but it hates me and won't let me alone.

It's unrelenting. It chases me everywhere I go in the waking hours and the evening hours. It haunts me. Take my hand. I won't let this hawk take you. Well, it's not a hawk. I won't let this man just. That's why I don't think,

you son of a bitch. That's why I don't think this might not be it. My chisel is yours. All right. I swear. Thank you. Are we bonded now? Oh! Oh, is that what you Are we bonded now? Oh! Oh, is that what you were trying to do?

No! Genuine interest in you, W. That's very nice of you. You were trying to help me there. Did this creature chase you out of this place before? No, it chased me around. It's always overhead, waiting for me to expose myself.

Understood. I may use you as bait, but. No, please don't. We'll get it. No, it's okay. The less you know, the better. Don't tell the others. They'll think that this is foolish, but. What, being scared of a hawk? I'm not scared of the hawk.

I just don't know what it wants from me. Also, it's not a hawk. I can't imagine what it would want. Well, if you recall or recollect any more details. It's got a name. Oh! Well, if you recall or recollect any more details. It's got a name. Oh! You legally. Well, I named it.

You named it? It's named Shithead. Because it shits on my head whenever it sees me. Oh my god. Okay. You know, I've been around for a minute, and I feel like your experience could be a shared one. Don't tell the others.

No, I won't. This is you and me through. There are a group of people that have made it through this same experience that you have. But this'll just be you and me until Shed Head comes down. He's no more? Yeah. All right.

Thank you. Does he have any markings, a color? He's mangy. Is he missing an eye? He's missing some feathers. Okay. He has hate in his eyes. Has he got both of his feet? I think so. Okay. He's large. Did he give He's got both of his feet? I think so. Okay.

He's large. Does he have a particular squaw or cry? Yes. Okay, you'll let me know if you hear it. It's horrifying. Okay, you call it out. What's our code word if you hear it in the distance? Because I may not be as attuned to it as you are. Shithead. Shithead, okay.

I got your back on this. And my head? And your head. All right. Keep that dome squeaky clean. All right, thank you. Oh shit. Head. Sleep, sleep, gentle FCG.

Sleep. Something else is there. I touched the blades of grass, so I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry of grass. Sorry, I'm sorry. You're trying to be, you're trying to smudge it? All right, fine. It's got to be another. The rest of the watch has somewhat had a handful,

but sure, you're now considered a trusted companion. Ah! Through a shared secret and oath of protection, I'll allow it. But the sun does rise here in the Hellcatch, and you expect it to be warmer, especially when the light begins to hit the sleeping side of an inn. It tends to bake the interior as temperature rises.

But thankfully, the material it's made from, that's just enough air through that it's much more comfortable. Kind of wind-chilled. Also, the grayer, dappled skies that you saw the day before have definitely pushed in a bit. And so while it is still the valley,

it doesn't feel quite as sun-beaten and bright as it was upon your approach in previous days. But the morning is yours, as you all begin to awaken and find yourself here amongst the city, now loud with movement and voices and work and the distant sounds of mechanical tools and grinding and the occasional sound of

what sounds like one of these crawler engines. What would you like to do? Has the dot moved in the orb? It looks like it hasn't moved for the night, actually. It's pretty stationary. What do you think? Should we get up and head towards it? Yeah, we came here for a job. Yeah, let's do the job. I checked it most of the night that I was.

Did you have a move? Did you have a try? Was it still facing the same direction? It just stayed real still. It is. Okay. Yeah. All right, let's head towards it, and if we decide to get some brunch, there is an option. There's a grilled corn on the cob cart,

then I'm just going to be a real quick. I'm going to grab a spoon. Okay, that's fine. It's good, actually, because the food there's not. Well, you'll find out. Easy enough to gather food for the morning. You go ahead and load up for whatever your sustenance choices may be.

I'm going to take my coins and tuck them inside my shirt and everything so that they're not jingle jangling around. You got it. I got spurs that jingle jangle. Oh! Also, as I wake up, I immediately look at Pate and Sashimi

from where I placed them next to me. Do they move? Are they in a erotic position? Actually, no. They seem comfortably still basking in the afterglow. I look at them and I wink and I'm like, I was tired last night, too. I see Laudna doing this and I say,

oh, I see you're focused. It seems like it's missing something, doesn't it? I was working last night. I have something for you. So I started on your request for a girlfriend, for a pate, but then you picked up that piece of shit. So I just figured, I don't know how domesticated they want to be, but I figured if they wanted to explore

more of an official thing, this is from that tree in Eaton Square, and I just figured they could, you know. You see her lip quiver? I just wanted a more rustic approach, you know, not as refined. It's beautiful. They'll carve their own story. Oh shit. It reminds me of the shacks that Pat, Tahey, and I

stayed in when we traveled across Tal'Dorei. I love the other shack in the world. Thank you so much. Oh, you're so welcome. Oh, you're very tall. This is very awkward. They deserve happiness. They do. You know. And that way they can do things

that you seem to want them to do behind closed doors instead of out in the open. I shouldn't have taken it. They're privacy. Oh yeah. It's important to a healthy relationship. Walls, you know, also get creative. Thank you. You're welcome. Could lug it around forever.

You can just throw it in the hall or whatever. It's your call. I just go over and shove it in their faces. Look what he made you. Look what you have. I want to go. Stop looking at me! All right, gathering yourselves and your materials and tools and weapons and goods, what are you off to?

South-south-east. Yeah, follow the dot. Okay. All in a bouncing ball. Okay. You exit from the Rahadden and begin to weave through the Salagundas Strip. You get first sense that these busy days, the hustle and bustle, there's like, small levels of violence aren't that uncommon.

Even just last night as you came in, occasionally you see someone punch somebody else out to just deal with the moment of frustration. And occasionally you see some major arguments, some heated arguments, some heated arguments turn into fisticuffs, but there isn't much of a... There isn't so much a rule of law around here.

As much as you were told when you arrived you were under the protection of the Gashacandas, you're not certain how far-reaching that might be. But what does catch your ear as you move maybe a block and a half beyond the Rahadden is a shout to your right. A voice that just goes, Ha! Can't get away, can you?

You hear another voice go like, Give us your sword and drop it on you, if you know it's good for you. That sounds like someone in distress. Just an open, but we can't see this. We hear this from around a corner. You hear this off to the right-hand side as you're walking, and everyone else around

is giving a shit. They just keep doing their thing. Can we see what it is? Who it is? You glance down. You're passing by some of the ramshackle buildings and there is a couple of larger protrusions of stone and rock and there's an alleyway that leads behind where you can see tents

and some left scrap and garbage. You see somebody standing there who's in shadow. You can't really make out their details. You see other figures beginning to encircle around them. They have weapons out. You see one standing up on the stone area,

who's hands out in front, rubbing them. You see other figures, weapons drawn, encircling them. That's some shitty bullshit. At that point, you hear a voice call for help. It's a very quiet voice. It was a very quiet call for help. But if I could have. There it is. Somebody help me!

What a smoky voice. Indeed, as the voice shouts, Erica, if you wouldn't mind joining us at the table. Yay! Hi, friends! Hi, friends! Yeah. Hello!

Sorry, let me move my doll here. It's beautiful! Isn't it? They're going to be so happy. Cool. See how that turns out. Oh yeah! Cool! See how that turns out. More? More? So. You're good, you're good.

Did you move? No. As you all glance down and see this scuffle happening. God. Try it. What's happening? Seeing this scuffle happening, the figure that appears to be encircled by this troop of aggressive figures, if you would describe who they see

in the middle of them defending themselves. You see a very slight, wayfish-looking elf. Clearly, you can tell by the pointy ears. They have close-cropped black hair, tousled a bit. They have armor the color of the autumn

that's clearly in disarray. And they have a rapier by their side that they're clutching guardedly. The rapier has shards, what look to be crystals, and interwoven metal barbs on the hilt. They have a tattoo climbing up their arm of the ocean waves, but rendered out in polygonal fractals. Oh. And she looks very, very afraid.

Please, I don't, this is all I have. Good, and it's all we're going to have. Chop it, you live. Nope, we cut you and leave you. No! And I lunge forward a little bit with the rapier, and you can tell that there's a bit of knowledge No! And I lunge forward a little bit with the rapier. You can tell that there's a bit of knowledge there. Clearly, there's fencing skills, but it's musty.

You especially pick up on this, Orym. What are the rest of you doing? How close are we? You're probably about 70 or so feet, just at the edge of the road, and the alleyway leads in from there. That's a little rough. I say we're in, and I'm running straight into it.

Okay. The people they're dealing with, go ahead. The people that they are dealing with, there are no tattoos on the elbows. Make a perception check. Oh, good call. Not great. 14. 14. Not that you can see at this distance,

but it's also, they're in the shadow of the alley anyway. You probably have to get a bit closer. However, as you're looking in, you see Ashton charges in, and as you go rushing in, they look over their shoulder and notice the approaching troop that is you, which means whether or not you're ready, the rest of you are being pulled into this, and will jump into combat here right after a break.

Oh! So I'll be combat here right after a break. So I'll be back here in a few minutes. Welcome, Erica! Welcome, welcome. We'll get to jump into whatever this chaos entails here in just a few minutes. So hang tight, we'll see you in a few. Yeah. 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. And welcome back. So, let's fucking roll some initiative, y'all. Yay!

Yay! Yay! Yay! Erica, you just got here and we're already in a combat, and the combat is brought to you by D&D Beyond. Whoa! We're limited time all day. You got to go.

No! So good! Look at these houses! What are in those houses? That's what Ashley just said. I want to live there. It's so cool. I've always wanted to be at the table because Matt brings out a battle map.

He's bringing out a cake that he's just baked for his map. He's very proud. He's like, Look what I brought! It's valid. This map is almost as good a gift as the free Acquisition, Inc. content you can get on D&D Beyond right now at dndbeyond.link slash critters.

Okay, let's go. Okay, we'll go. Wow. That's over there. I love these houses. Beautiful. Indeed. All right, and so,

standing up here, actually, in the middle right here, the mini did not arrive, but we'll have it, have an actual specific mini next time we play. But for the time being, this will be Erika's character. The rest of this being the troupe, there is a figure here. Oh man. A figure here, of this being the troupe, there is a figure here. Oh man. A figure here, a figure here, a figure here, and a figure here.

Everyone else is just city folk. All right. We start with the city folk. Yeah. Easy pick. No witnesses. No one finishes it off. Is there heart-thumping music playing right now? Because I cannot hear it.

There is music playing. Oh, there it is. There it is. Just started. Just got started. All righty, 25 to 20. 23. All right, we got. 19.

20 to 15. 19, sorry, I jumped the gun on that one. That's okay. 16. Nobody has above a 16? Orym and Laudna do. Look, you sack of balls. 15 to 10.

12. 11. Wait, what? 11. 11, 12. She's grounded. What'd you get? 10. All right. So Ashen, Burn. Nameless. All right. So Ashton, Fearne. Nameless. Nameless. Okay.

Nine for me. Do you usually have a talisman set? Do you write down your initiative? No, I don't do that. Just sit next to someone who's got it. That's true. That's one of your suits. I don't know. I don't write that. Just sit next to someone who's got it. That's true. That's one of the super sweetest things. I don't know. I don't write this shit down.

Orym, Laudna, FCG, Ashton, Fearne, Nameless, Chetney, Imogen at six. Six, yeah. All righty. So top, we have Orym with Laudna on deck. Orym, what you got? I'm just going to use all my movement and my action to also move,

and I'm going to tear around that corner, run towards the bottom of this rock, and sproing. Sproing! I want to use my long jump with boots. You got it. Then blades out, pointed, saying, and I'm going to call out to the square, let's just slow this down for a second.

Talk it out. That's it. The figures look back and watch you all rush in. They're all clutching their weapons and they're figuring out what to do. Laudna, you're up. All right, after that move from Orym, I will pull the shadows from out of the alleyways

and almost start to surround us to make a spotlight on the situations that are happening, and I'm going to cast Unsettling Presence. Okay, on who? Or I'm going to do Unsettling Presence. Okay, oh, got you, okay. It's just an action. It's a 15-feet situation.

And... What is the effect of Unsettling Presence? It makes them feel uncomfortable, and then a target has disadvantage on the next save. It's a specific target. Correct. Who seemed to be the head harasser? Well, the range is pretty close.

You're over here. All the harassers are over here. You're back on this side. Okay. So maybe a little far for that. I thought. I know, I'm like, I'm going to spell as an ability.

An ability, yeah. You're blowing it! I'm blowing it! You're blowing it, Ray! Fuck this! They all get Bane cast on them. How many? There can't reach it. There's three of them.

Okay, which ones? What's the range on it? There's four of them. There's four of them? Can I cast Bane at a higher level and get more? Yep, you get one extra for every level change. Okay, yeah, great. I'll do it at a first level, or sorry.

I'll do it at a second level. Okay, so it's four targets for Bane. They all get baned. Which four? There's one, two, three, four, five. Didn't you say there were four of them? Oh, there's five of them! Yes, I didn't see the fifth.

Well, I still can't do it higher than second level. I still won't see the fifth. One, two, three, four. Oh, that's with them! You should bane the caster. Yeah, is there a caster? Yes. I'll bane all the combination Bane the Caster. Is there a caster? Yes. I'll Bane all the ones that look the most threatening.

Okay, which are? All of these? All of them except for that guy. What's that guy farthest from me? What does he look like? That looks to be an armored hobgoblin, like dark, dark reddish, tan skin with a hobgoblin facial expression.

Their hair looks spiked up and wild a little bit and they just have a crazy look in their eye. Okay, I'll skip him and get everybody else. Okay. Goblin on hobgoblin. Liam, I just got your text from an hour ago. Yeah. Okay, are you staying put? What's the range on Bane?

30 feet, so I'll move up to do it. So the range on Bane is 30 feet? Yeah, but I also have Spellcyber. 30, that's where you can move. Okay. This guy's in 30 feet? He's the only one within 30 feet of you. Dude.

You're blowing it, Ray! You're blowing it! Third! You're blowing it! Third attempt, take it back. Okay. Jesus Christ. I don't know what to do then. Then I will... Please have a wind sound. I thought that those would all be in...

It doesn't work in here. I'll cast... Yeah. Oh! I'll cast Blur on myself. Okay, so put Blaine back in the snare, and you have Blur on yourself. Good to go.

That was ridiculous. Oh, wow! Sorry, you all. That's fine, you got there, it's okay. All right. Yeah, wow. Sorry, you all. That's fine, you got there, it's okay. All right. Yeah, we're far away. This person here looks. Is their move?

Yes. Oh no. Well, not all their move. Oh, okay. Oh god. That one there who looks to be essentially sitting in the center of the pack goes, All right, boys. Looks like we're taking a bunch of things today.

Okay. I'm just going to go ahead and turn forward and it's going to go after you. This is going to be three melee attacks. Ooh. That's going to be a 23 to hit. Oh, yep. 24 to hit.

Oh god. 22 to hit. Who is making these attacks, just so I know who to run from? That one right there. Okay. Right up on her. They have a handaxe in each hand. She's like, whack, whack, whack,

and just all three hits dealing 20 points of slashing damage to you. Ooh. I come into your home. I am unceremoniously attacked. I am unceremoniously attacked. Indeed. And when you take the wounds,

it turns to you and goes, Like I said, drop your shit and run, or stay and die. That's going to finish it. How about third option? Perfect. And is going to go ahead and shift around and put you between the newcomers and themself.

Then with that, this individual behind you, Orym, is going to go ahead and cast... Yeah, he's going to cast Invisibility on himself. Oh. You're such a Chetney. What a Chetney. That is a total Chetney.

Last thing you remember, and I'm going to put the suit marker so you know where they were last, but that was where you watched them. Do I hear the ground scrabble at all, like they're making a move? You do. I'm going to slash out at the air in front of me.

I'll allow it because you have a really high passive perception, yeah. Okay. And it would be a disadvantage, but it's straight. No, it's just disadvantage. Disadvantage. Yeah. I'll call it.

That's it, too. That's fair. That misses. Yeah. I'll call it. That's it, too. That's fair. That misses. Yeah. Binds no purchase on wherever they might be. Ask me! All righty. Now it goes to FCG. Okay, I will roll my little wheel forward. As far as I can go.

Why do I take one out, or do I help our new friend? Let's use the rest of my movement to get even closer. So you're going to go double move? Double move, action to move. Let's go on the other side of the boxes. Yeah, right there. Oh my god.

Then bonus action, I'll cast Shield of, well, I call it Shield of Help. On this elf person, a Shimmering Field. So yeah, you feel a little something and you see a little shimmer around you. Now you have a plus two bonus to your AC. Thank you. That's good. Thank you so much.

That's very good. Whoever you are, we will protect you! Thank you! I probably have some money that I can send your way. Oh, I don't care about that, but thank you. I mean, other ones, I don't want to speak for everybody, but let's talk later. Okay!

Here, you have some scratch paper. Oh yes. All righty. So with that cast over there finishing your turn, it is now. Thank you. This figure's turn. I feel like we've got to have some journals here.

There it is. Actually, we do. Yeah, there's one in there, right? Do you want a Legend of Vox Machina journal? Where can I get one of these if I were to have one? Jesus Christ. In real life. So, FCG.

One of the figures runs over, charges towards you, blade out, pulling a hand crossbow to the side, and right before they get to you, they reach forward, go ahead and fire a bolt at you. At me? But, but, but. That's going to be a. But I wear glasses. Yes, you do.

That's going to be a 13 to hit. That misses. So it actually, you pull back, and it deflects off your metallic form. Did it smudge or scratch my chest? Well, everybody's been rubbing their little temple, it's just for luck. Ever so faint.

Oh, god don't! With that, this figure's going to rush up to here and is going to attempt to grapple you, Erika. Grapple? Yes. So I need you to make an athletics or acrobatics check. Oh, you got to be kidding me! All right. This piece of shit. Athletics or acrobatics check. Oh, you got to be kidding me! All right. Get left.

This piece of shit. Okay, all right, all right, all right. I'm talking about my armor, sir. Dirty 20. Dirty 20. You manage to slip out of their grasp right as they try and get a handhold on your armor. You just wiggle out of it and turn around.

With that, they're going to take another strike. So they get two. The first one is just going to grapple you angrily. You go and take a Morningstar and swing it down towards you. That is going to be 20 to hit. Oh shoot. Yeah, you got me. Oh, even with the bonus AC?

Yeah! Oh man. That is 11 points of bludgeoning damage. As it comes down and slams you in the shoulder, you almost fall to one knee. You're grasping the edge of your blade at the ready. That's going to finish their go. Ashton, you're up with Fearne on deck. Cool.

I'm going to charge full speed. Let's see, who can I reach with my 40 feet? You can probably reach either of these. Oh, gosh. Our strange friend is knee deep in them, and I cannot get to both of them at the moment. At the moment, no. I'm going to run at the person who attacked FCG.

I'm going to get on the other side of them, I think, or I'm going to get as far towards our friend as possible. 40 will get you right there. 40 will get me right there? I'm going to rage and beat the everliving fuck out of that dude. All righty. So let's go with...

Ooh, we're going with time powers, exciting. Okay. All right. So. Time after time. Let me just pull up, because I've got a bunch of new shit. I'm a merry white bear.

I'm a merry white bear. Just so I can double check. Okay, that'll be fun. I'm going to start with a reckless attack. Go for it. Let's get two reckless attacks on this, if you're taking both. Go. First one is... Oh.

Nine plus a thing I can't see. 18. 18 hits. That's 26 plus six, that's 36. 26 plus six. My brain works. That's 26 plus six plus 36. My brain works. That's pretty good. That's 17 points for the first hit. Woo! Nice. Going again, reckless.

Whoa. That hits, that's 22. All right, damage for the second hit. Not quite as good, eight points. Eight points. Oh, ten points. And the other ones should have also been two more points. Got you, so 19 and ten. Yeah. All right, so wham, wham!

Two heavy hits to this one. It's knocked down to the ground on both their knees for a second, kind of like steals themself and shoulder rolls off to the side. Run. All righty, that finishes your go. Fearne, you're up, with you on deck.

Okay, so is there a grouping of them that's somewhat close together? Because I'm in a funny little spot here. So you're over here. Would you like to go? Is there, I might just. There's two there. Okay. There's two there. Okay. There's two there. And there's one invisible somewhere

that you saw vanish. Okay. So the ones that are a little bit closer, is Erika in with that group over there? Over here, Erika's with this group over there. Okay, so the group that's a little bit closer, I'm going to cast Entangle. Okay, what's the range on that one? Wrap up their, say again?

90 feet. 90 feet? Oh yeah, you what's the range on that one? Wrap up their, say again? 90 feet. 90 feet? Oh yeah, you have plenty of range on that. All right, so is that a dexterity saving throw? That is a strength. A strength saving throw, all right. 16. Strength saving throw for you as well, Ashton. Oh shit, sorry.

Wait, what's your? Sorry, I was reading what the fuck I can do. I cast Entangle. Okay, so strength save? Correct. Yes. Okay, I have, do I have advantage on strength saves or just strength? Are you raging? Yes, you do. Oh, thank you.

SAM and LAURA, MATT, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, MATT, and LAURA, That's pretty good. 20. 20. There is a 19 on this one and a 10 on this one. Okay, we got one. So this one is, the two of you pull away from it,

and that one, this massive gnoll you can see with a bit of scale mail armor and what looks like a giant skull fashioned as one of its shoulder pieces on the side with all these ink lines dripping down it that have been sealed there, turns and is getting ready to move, and the ground suddenly breaks open,

and all of these vines begin to wrap around its legs and hold it in place. Oops. As a bonus action, I am going to summon Mister. Okay. Get him ready. Where do you want Mister to be summoned? Do you want to move closer or stay where you are? Yes, I'm going to move a little closer.

Like fold a little bit or? Yeah, we're just folding. Like in there or? Yeah, let's do that maybe a little bit, if there's any cover anywhere. You can get behind this wall here, maybe. Yeah, let's just do that. Okay. And then I'll put Mister

a little bit to my left over there somewhere. Over here? Yeah, maybe in between. Well, closer this way. Closer this way? Yeah. Okay, like right there? Yeah, let's go right there. Okay, you got it. Okay, there's my turn.

Finishing your go, you're up. Oh, that's right! Boom! And I disappear, and a thunderclap rolls out. Boom, and you can hear it all over this area. And anybody within five feet of me, make a con save. Natural one.

And 16? Meets the pizza, it's 16. Meets the pizza, yeah. So this person over here does make it, but this one fails. Okay, so the one that makes it, makes the pizza, does... Wait.

It's half damage on a failure? Oh, half damage on a failure. Or half on a success, I mean, sorry. Yeah. Half damage on a failure. Half damage, failure. I mean, sorry. Yeah. Half damage, failure, and then... Some of Erika's deaths are fucking They're awesome. Fatal, as you said. Yeah.

Well, all right. 12 on a failed one, and then six on a successful one. All righty. And you? And then I go. and then six on a successful one. All righty. And you? Then I go and I appear up above on the top of the roof. On the top of the roof, you got it.

Yo, let's go! Hell yeah! I did it! Looming down from the top, shield still shimmering around you from the strange mechanical automaton. I did it! All right, does that finish your turn?

Shit, now we're fighting these things and she ran away. No, I'm still here! Is that your turn? Yeah. All righty, got it. That brings us to Chetney. Yeah, I'm going to run up 25 feet. Go! No enemies around!

I'm going to keep going! I'm dashing! And dancing. Best I can get, yeah. I'll stay right there, yeah. You fuckers! Okay, that's my turn. Okay, now quick question, Fearne.

When you cast Entanglement, does the space around it remain entangled while you're concentrating? Yes, so it is a 20-foot radius. Oh wow, that's a big area. Okay. All right, so yeah, you would be able to see all these vines, is it every round they have to make it? Or is it once somebody succeeds, they're fine?

Or enters? A creature in your area, a creature that's as built as a seed, and the strength saving throw are being restrained by the Entanglement. The creature restrained by the chaos is built, must succeed in the strength that it may throw. I'll be restrained by the untangling wind. The creature restrained by the plants can use its action to make a strength check against your spells and do the unassisted spell.

On a success, it frees itself. So I think it's just a one-time. All this information, what's the duration of this? Oh, I see, I see. One minute. Yeah, it stays on. It creatures in the area. All right, so no, so it just happens in the moment,

and then whoever's restrained at that moment, so you're fine. Oh, cool. Oh, okay. So basically, all these vines reach up outward, only grabs one individual, and then they all vanish, except for the ones that are holding that one. All right, so that's your, it gets you up to it.

Full dash, you're good to go. You stole the bonus action, if you want. Yeah, but they're not that great, so I'm going to take out my, oh yeah, I'm going to take out my ch oh yeah, I'm going to take out my chisel and I'm going to draw it up my calf. Ooh. You see flames engulf the chisel

as I use my Crimson Rite to get this shit kicked off. Ooh! You got it. Roll a little d6 and, oh, it hurts me for six, you bitch! All right, you take six points of damage. Oh man, just cut himself? Scrapey. It's an intimidation tactic. Don't worry, it's six points of damage. That little man just cut himself? Scrapey. It's an intimidation tactic.

Don't worry, it's going to be great. All right. And finishing that is now the gnolls go, which cannot move, which is why it's very helpful that something got within range of it. Oh. So it's like,

come on, little guy. Oh shit. It's going to go ahead and reach up with a massive glaive that it has in its hand. Cool! It's going to take two strikes against you. Two glaive. Nice!

That is going to be a 20 to hit. Yeah, it hits! And a 20 to hit. Is that disadvantage? Because it's da-da-da-da? No, it's just restraint. Does it entangle restraint or does it grapple? Stand by.

It might be Restrain, in which case he is at disadvantage, I believe. Here to make everything. No, Restrained. Yeah, you're right. So it'd be 20 and 20. So the first one still hits, but disadvantage on the second one? 20.

21, wow. 15, 15, 15, 16. You're rolling really, really well. So two hits on you. Not yet. The only one that sticks out, don't worry. All righty, that brings us six points of slashing damage.

Okay. And nine points of slashing damage. Trying. And nine points of slashing damage. Trying to swing down, still hitting you, but you're quick and moving, and they're just glancing off you. One catches you on the side of the leg, the other one hits you in the stomach, but you roll out of the way,

and what would have been a deep gash instead just becomes a glancing wound. You watch as the vines are still climbing up and tangling them and getting frustrated in its own right. That's going to finish its go, bringing it to Imogen with Orym on deck. Yep.

All right, I'm going to step forward so I get closer. Okay. Yeah, that sounds good. Like about even with Laudna. Maybe a little bit further away from Laudna, closer to the building. Yeah. There you go.

And I am going to use my sorceress capabilities. Restraints. And I'm going to use my sorceress capabilities. I'm going to Twin Spell. Okay. I'm going to Twin Spell my Mind Whip, and I'm going to lash my arm out, and I'm going to try to hit both the baddie in between Ash and FCG, and yeah, the gnoll.

All righty, go ahead and, is it a save on their part? Yes, it is. It's an intelligence save of 15. Intelligence save, good to know. That is, wow, they're rolling really good. That's a natural 19 on that one there. The gnoll, that's going to be a 14. Okay, great. So the gnoll is hit with 3d6 of psychic damage.

All righty. It's hit with 3d6 of psychic damage. All righty. Nice. Okay, ooh, that's great. 14 points. Nice. Of psychic damage. Very nice.

And it's half damage to the other. Very nice. And moreover, on its next turn, it must choose whether it gets a move, an action, or a bonus action. It only gets one of the three. You got it, okay. On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage, so it would have taken seven points.

Seven points. The other guy. Seven damage to the other figure, got it. And I haven't been doing this, but I need to roll every time I use my sorceress. Oh, for like, wild shit? My sorcery points for my wild shit. Oh yeah, you haven't done that at all. Time for some wild shit.

Make her do 15 rolls in a row. Make money, make money, make money. When do I roll? It's a percentile thing. It's 100. Wait, do you roll to see if it happens first, or it just happens? Oh yeah, what do I do? Roll a d100. Just a d100. This item means that you can,

well, it's up to you if you want to invoke it. Okay, yeah, it's happening. It doesn't happen automatically, but if you want to invoke it, you can. It's happening. Yeah! Yes, let's do it. Roll a d100. Ooh!

55. Ooh, that's the worst one. Ooh! She could be here to see it live. 55. Okay. You're blue again. 54, out the door.

Oh no. Oh my god, that's... If it's a spell. Oh smile. If it's a spell, if it casts a spell, there's something that happens with it. All right, so you watch as Imogen reaches into her head and unleashes this torrent of power. You watch as the sparks leave the hand and there's a slight blur in the air, almost like an invisible force is

careening through both of the figures. One of them grabs their head and tries to pull himself out of the air, almost like an invisible force is careening through both of the figures. One of them grabs their head and tries to pull himself out of the way, taking some of the impact. The other, the gnoll, is wracked with pain, and you all glance back and smile and see Laudna grinning as all the, sorry, sorry, Imogen, I know.

You're also grinning. It's Laura, your name. No, it's fine. You all look back and watch as you're smiling and the pink hair just falls out. Oh! It's purple! It's purple!

No, it's not, it's gone. It is, you are a cue ball. Oh no, I Fjorded myself. Lovers betwixt the campaign. Oh man. Oh no! Uh oh. Zogbo! I need re-images.

You gotta save us. Oh my god. I'm a... Chetney turns and sees this and just takes his hat and throws it to her. It's kind of a cool look. I just go, sorry, that happens to me all the time, see?

And yank out a chunk of my hair. Don't spill! As I pull Chetney's cab down on my head. Okay. All right, does that finish your turn? All right, Orym, you're up. Oh man, Orym sees that and says, I don't know about that,

and I turn back to what I was doing, and I'm going to move forward and see if I bump into anything as I move forward on that rock. You do not. I do not. So and I'm going to move forward and see if I bump into anything as I move forward on that rock. You do not. I do not. So then I'm going to leap to the top of that tent and slide down it towards that fencer. It has to grow back. Zooped.

Okay. You do bump into something from the tent. Oh! This is a great time to get a head tap. And you just hear. You slide down here. Yeah, I'll slide down to the ground, land in front.

I'll land there in front. It was attached with a barrette. So like, this must go a lot off. You hear the sound impact over here somewhere. Ooh! Do you see? All righty. Then I'm going to squat low and swing at this other person's ankles.

Go for it. Flanking with Ash, right? You, uh... It has to be in front. I mean, you can really pull it off. Yeah, directly. Yes, you are. Okay.

Natural 20. Yo, let's go! Did you say natural 20? I did. Oh! Let's make it a trip attack. They have to make a strength save against my 16. Got it.

That is going to be a 14. Nope. So they're going down on this first attack. So that is... Yeah. Well, that's doubled, but that's a really small two. That's fine, that's seven plus the superiority die. Great, seven plus 16 is 23,

and they're down on the ground. Second attack while they're on the ground. That's less, that is a 16 to hit. 16. They are on the ground, so you technically have advantage because they're proud. Right, I already have advantage. That's right, because they're so, yeah, that does hit. That does hit, okay.

Just hits. And let's make it a goading attack, because that's right. That's right, because they're so, yeah, that does hit. That does hit, okay. Just hits. And let's make it a goading attack, because that's fun. That'll be three, so that's eight, plus, that, 11 total. That's a two, they fail. Okay, so they're pissed at me. Well, they would be pissed if they weren't

unconscious and bleeding out. Oh. Yay! The first hit sweeps them on the ground, and the second hit, whack, slams across and gashes across them, and as you hit the and they're just unconscious, and the wound itself, you can see a little bit of red,

crimson, staining the armor. Okay. Has he killed someone? Have I noticed any tattoos on these people yet? You are raging. I'm going to say you're probably not in a space to be paying some close attention there. Just based on the nature of a rage. No, no, no, that's fair.

Between you and me. Just killed an innocent person. All right, so finish your turn, Orym? Super innocent. Yep, that's the end of it. Laudna, you're up. All right. I am going to, actually, no. I think I'm good. I'm going to skitter, no, I think I'm good.

I'm going to skitter and peek around the corner. I'm going to be like, Chetney, are you all right? Ow! Hmm, I'll split my arms, and you just see a deathly gray necrosis start to run down Laudna's, both of her arms, you just see a deathly gray necrosis start to run down Laudna's both of her arms and it turns into ice shards. I'm going to do Ray of Frost at the gnoll

and then the guy with the big axe. Over here? Yes. You got it. All right, go ahead and. Twinning the spell, by the way. You've got it. Green for the gnoll. Go ahead and. Twinning the spell, by the way. You've got it. Make labor. Green for the gnoll. Double 19. Oh!

Oh shit! Yeah, those damage. Awesome. Now watch as I roll ones on these. Damn it. Oh, five out of six actually! Oh my god! I'm going to die. 11 points of cold damage,

and their speed is reduced by 10. Gotcha. Wow. Oh wow. Oh wow! Speed is reduced by 10, that's good enough. Oh wow. All righty.

That's good. And your hair falls. Solidarity. Okay. That's how you make it. Solidarity. Okay. That's how you make it up to her. Yes. The one back there, the one with the two hand axes, who was the aggressive leader

who was yelling at this individual in the alley, gets the blast of cold energy that leaves these crystals across their armor, takes an axe and shakes them off the front, glances up and sees you up on the rooftop and goes, Grab something and run, gents! This don't make this worth nothing! Is going to go ahead and run forward towards you.

Then it's going to attempt to wrestle the hammer off of you. Ooh! Was it only the 10 feet they move? They move 10 feet. Okay, before they move 10 feet, I'm going to use a Temporal Morass, so I need a constitution saving throw out of that.

Out of that morass. That is going to be 16. More. 16 of what they rolled? 16, yeah. They're rolling real good this round, guys. I don't know what to tell you. Yeah, yeah, they save. Silvery Barbs.

Okay, all right. So what does that do for me again? He has to reroll and take the lower dice on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. All right, rolled again, natural three. That's a failure attempt. Okay, so. Yes! So where is it? I moved around too far.

There it is. Do they take damage at all? Their speed is halved. Their speed is halved again, and they can't take a reaction until next turn. Right, so 30 goes to 15, or it was 30 to 20, halved to 10, and they move 10 to get to you,

which means they have no movement to get away from you this turn. Yep. That sucks. And no reaction. Right, so they run towards you and their body seems to slow as they reach out and grab the hammer. They still get to it. Yeah.

But let's make a contested strength check. Okay, do I get advantage on this? You do advantage because you're raging. Roger. Also, also, Silvery Barbs, I get to take disadvantage on one and throw it on another. So I take this man's essence, this person's essence,

and just, from his perspective, it looks like a little bit of his life force is being sucked out of him and into Ashton. Do you have advantage? All right, excuse me, advantage? I already have advantage. Well, fuck you. Hold on, he's all advantage? All right, which gives me advantage. I already have advantage. Well, fuck you. That was great. Hold on, he's all right.

All righty. Sizzler volumes. Wow, one of them's a two, and the other one's a natural 20, which gives me a 24. Okay. Not too shabby. Grabs the hammer, pulls. Slowly, just blue energy is getting sucked into me

as I slowly start vibrating faster and faster. Release the hammer. We gotta go! Oh, that is so much fun! It's going to turn in super slow motion. All of their companions go, What the fuck? Start looking around at the shifting tide here.

With that, the illusionist is going to drop invisibility after I throw them in the middle of the battlefield in a really intense way. They get back up. They're going to cast, all right, I need you, Ashton, to roll a wisdom saving throw. Oh no.

Oh! Uh-oh. Oh yeah, that's a seven. That's a seven. All right. You are, after the engine goes to turn, you're holding your hammer taut, you look back to your friends with a knowing glance,

and suddenly out of the sky, you hear this tearing sound as it opens up, and you watch as dropping out of it is a more broken version of yourself, dripped in shadow, holding its own hammer, holds it towards you, and then rushes at you with intense speed. It fills you with an unexpected sense of fear.

Even amongst your rage, it's like, you get the sense, you don't understand quite the powers you have, but this is not a good side effect of it. So just note, you are currently under the effect of a spell. A spell? It's going to run there.

They only have that much movement because they fell, so that's going to end their turn. That brings us to FCG. Did we see that happen to Ashton? No, you just see Ashton turn back to you and all of a... Okay. And who casted? The slowpoke?

You just saw somebody run out of here. You didn't see any spellcasting. You just saw a figure run out from behind the tent and it's now running away. Oh man, I don't know who to target. There's the regular gnoll. There's the regular gnoll. The guy right next to Ashton is the slow motion fellow?

Correct. Ha. Bless. Ha. Help. Help, little help. Help. Are you okay?

I live a lie. Big bada boom. Big bada boom. Big Bada Boom! Big Bada Boom! But I do see someone running away from us, right? You do. I don't understand at all. They're up in the hell of a lot of the fuck. I haven't seen anything.

That person's running away. Oh boy, I don't know who to attack. Big Bada Boom! Don't know who to attack. Big battle boom! Don't know what that means. Ah! What? He's saying help. Oh, help him?

He's fine. I have the size of his clave. He's fine. Okay. All right, fine. I'll interpret his wild, weird musings. Oh, look, a hawk! Where? It's not a hawk, but okay.

I'll move on to the other side of, towards Ashton a bit. Okay. I guess I'll help little boy over there. I'll turn to the regular gnoll and I'll cast Command. Okay. Nice. What do you command it? I command it to Monologue.

Eight. Yeah. All righty. Monologue. Oh my god, that's so mean. Okay, that finishes your go? I have bonus actions, but. You do my god, that's so mean. Okay, that finishes your go? I have bonus actions, but. You do. No, that was a spell. I can't really do anything else.

So yep, that's it. Okay, finishing your turn. It is now the figure on the ground is going to go ahead and, were you going for a death blow when you were striking it last time? No, I wasn't. Okay, so they're just unconscious,

although they are making death saves. That's a failure. All right, the other one over here is going to dart forward to the one that is commanding friends and creating shields, and it's going to make strikes against you, FCG. Oh no! So it's two strikes against you with the big old mace.

Can I see any of this or no? Yeah, it's right to the left of you. Okay, so I can see everything else going on. There's just a version of me that's like... Mace. Can I see any of this or no? Yeah, right to the left of you. Okay, so I can see everything else going on. There's just a version of me that's like... Correct, but it's now coming towards you with an intense darkness, and the air itself is seeming to darken around it.

It feels like whatever power you've been granted is coming back to reap what you've been sowing. So with that, that would be a 15 to hit. It's miss! Miss, the first strike goes towards you. You duck out of the way and it slams into the ground. With that, they swing backwards

to try and get you with a backhand. That is going to be a 22 to hit. That hits. All right. 11 points of bludgeoning damage on that one as you push back from there. Then, oh, hold on. I might be looking at that.

That's an additional five on that because it's 2d821. That's on me. So that'll be an additional five points of bludgeoning damage. Sure, sure. Then it's going to go ahead and rush. Do I get an attack of opportunity? You do.

Have you used your reaction? I don't remember if Temporal Morass is a reaction. It doesn't say it is, but. No, you both get reaction. Okay, I'll take that. It tries to hit you, but I do need to make a concentration check. Less hair, more ass.

Concentration check. Correct. On the spell I have on her. Yeah. That would be my next roll of a concentration check. Less hair, more ass. Concentration check. Correct. On the spell I have on her. Yeah. That would be my next roll of a d20. It would be. Damn it! Matthew! You gain advantage on the next d20 roll.

That's the one I have to make, I guess. Damn you. Come on. 18. Yeah, so you maintain the spell. I didn't want to use the advantage on that. Sorry, come on. 18. Yeah, so you maintain the spell. And use the advantage on that. Sorry, taking hits. 20. It's like 26. That hits, you can roll damage and.

And then to attack, right? Yes. Buzzsaw, 13 plus something, plus four. 17. That hits. That's exactly its armor class. Yes! Five points of damage! All righty. Oh, sorry, 14.

14, got it. As it runs back, charging away, it gets hit. It's like, leave him! And it's surrounding it! You see it's abandoning the one that's on the ground, bleeding out. Oh no. All right. That's on the ground bleeding out. Oh no. All right. Good guys.

That's going to finish their go. With that, Ashton, you're up. Fernandek. What about the big elf girl? You don't want to abandon your friends, you know? Drunk-A. You just don't. They're coming up. They ruled. See what we're doing for you? Thank you.

Let's see. Okay. I know that the person next to me can't really do anything about me right now, so I'm going to try and knock them out before I run. I just saw them. The one I, the person next to me was the one trying to take my hammer, right? Correct. I'm going to spend a point for Hyper Rage.

Okay. Which will do all sorts of interesting things. First thing is I'm going to take a attack against this guy. Which is, and I'm, I'm actually, I'm not going to use Reckless because I'm afraid. Okay.

That's 23 to hit. You have disadvantage on me. Oh, why's that? Because you were considered frightened. Oh, 23 to hit. You have disadvantage on these. Oh, why is that? Because you are considered frightened. Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, actually, this reminds me. No, no, I'm sorry, continue. So go ahead, you are considered frightened.

Okay, I don't, am I? Approximately a thing running at you has you frightened, so you technically have disadvantage on that roll. Okay, if I slightly shift, can I get into a flanking position with FCG, or? Just get, just nothing? You can, technically, because you're fleeing from this,

which means Frightening can move you over here. But you're still, so with that, you would put you on uneven balance. On uneven balance? That'll do, so 23. Yes, that hits. I'll just do that damage release quick. put you on uneven balance. Uneven balance? That'll do, so 23. Yes, that hits. I'll just do that damage really quick. 19. 19, okay.

Taking another attack. 14. 14 misses. Third attack. That's right, because you were the... Yep, 23. 23 hits. 17. 17. 17.

Oh, the blue man's good. Swah! Hit him in the back. Oh! He's got the stuff. Yep. You swing a second time, and by the time you swing, they put their arm up and deflect it. Nice throw.

You hit him with a third blow. The tooth goes out of their mouth, and they're now wide-eyed and desperate, looking to just run. They're a little in over their heads. Frightened means that I can't move. You can't actively move closer to the turret. And what's that point?

It's this area in the center. Okay. Then I am going to flip around to the other side of the guy who's currently behind, who's behind me right now. Right here? I'm going to flip over there. Okay, he doesn't get a reaction because he was affected by your Temporal Morass. Yes. All right, you got it.

I mean. I made a lot of sense. Jesus Christ. Damn. Damn. Damn. Language does not escape this table unscathed. All right, that finishes your turn. That finishes my turn.

Make a other wisdom saving throw. Uh... 10. 10. You suddenly feel this image, this dark image of you that's been walking towards you, dart towards you and reaches out and grabs your face. As it does, you feel the searing pain hit your mind. You take...

Orange 10. Oh shit. Damn. That's a lot of dice. Oh no. No. You take 31 points of psychic damage. Whoa! Do I see this? Can I take 31 points of psychic damage. Whoa!

Do I see this? Can I have it? No. No, you just see Ashton run and then suddenly like, What is happening? Whoa. That's spelled it. What is it? I don't think it is. One of us, yeah, no, no, no, we had this spell.

You've had this spell in previous games. 31 points. That hurt, that hurt a lot. It doesn't do that much, though. 4d10. 4d10. You rolled damn good, Sam. Is this. That hurt a lot. Doesn't do that much, though. Are you talking about? 4d10. 4d10. Holy shit. You rolled damn good. Is this Eyebite? No.

No, no, no, you had it. It was... 31 and a 40. It's Mind Shard. You wouldn't know, it's Phantasmal Kill. Phantasmal, that's what it is. Phantasmal what? Killer. Yeah, I didn't have that. I have Phantasmal Force,

which does one to six of damage. Oh! You're right, so this is, yeah. It's the fourth-level one. Anyway, that finishes that go. My wisdom saves suck, by the way, so I'm just going to put that out there. All righty, that brings us now,

watching you crumple there for a second, like the tides shift a little bit and some of the fear begins to even out. Finishing your up, Fearne, you're up, with you on deck. Okay, I'm going to breathe in my hands, and as I'm walking forward, I'm going to fling out three Scorching Rays Okay.

to whoever's over there, to whoever seems like it could work. There's Shaggy. What's the range I'm switching right? 120. Oh yeah, you can do this. You can stay where you are and aim for some of them. Some of them will get,

if you don't move a little closer, they might get some cover. Yes, I will, as I'm walking forward, I'm just going to shooting them out. I put my hands out so she doesn't step on my hair. On the ground. Not here, not here, not here. You're going to pick it up?

Okay. Of course I am. You start scooping your hair up. Oh. Let's do this guy. Okay. Shit. So happy I put this item in the game. 26 for the first hit. For which one? The...

Yes, yeah. All right, so they gnoll 26. Or, well, I want to hit the guy that, the first, the guy that is hurting Ashton. Okay. So, oh, that was this one here. So that definitely hits, yep. Okay.

Well, actually, you don't know who's hurting Ashton. I don't know who's doing that, right? Okay, never mind. 12 for the second hit. So hit, miss, and then this one here. 23. Who's fucking with me? We don't know who it is.

Was that, sorry? 23. Three hits. Okay, so two hit. Who are you aiming for? Okay, so. You have the gnoll. There are these four here. Yeah, the gnoll, whoever's closest in our vicinity.

Closest to you would be these three here. Yeah, let's do that. Okay, so yeah. So these two both get hit. Okay. One of them looks vaguely magical, just running away. I can't see anybody, so I don't know who's vaguely magical.

They've got a staff. Okay. Staff. Seven for the first hit. Okay, got it. And 11 for the second hit. You've got it, okay. Literally all I can see is a gnoll. Yeah. Sorry.

Plus that citizen in purple. And a purple guy in a townsfolk over there. Bang, you got hair. Oh wait. These are the finest rocks in town! Move this out of the way. Oh, yeah, that helps. Oh yeah. Sometimes the core gets in the way.

So after that, now it's Mister's turn. I'm going to send Mister within 60 feet and I'm going to have him shoot a flame seed. All righty. And? It glides up on top, which by the way, Erica, you see this tiny monkey suddenly burst into flames and fly up onto the rock and

reach back and grab a flaming turd from its ass and throw it. What are you throwing it at? Okay, so the gnoll, is he still entangled, actually? He is. Okay, so I'm going to have him do a flame seed at the one that seems to be right there under your finger.

Right here? Forward, yes. You got it, okay, roll for an attack. So. 21. 21 hits. Okay. Which one do I want, which one do I want? Seven points of damage.

Seven points of fire damage. Seven points of flaming shit. I shoot at you. Looking very unhappy, very hurt. And now the tide's shifting again. Does that finish your turn? Yes, it does. All righty, that brings us to your turn, Chetney. I have just, okay, okay. I have just seen a little old man cut himself

and then go on fire. I have seen a lovely young woman's hair fall out. And then the other one next to her start pulling her hair out. There's a monkey throwing flaming shit. And I'm holding in a gaping wound in my side. And I'm like, you guys are the coolest fucking people

I have ever seen in my life. And I push out the guy in front of me. I move around on the, yeah, that one, and then that one. I move towards me on the roof still. And then, I reach out with both hands

and two balls of force, crackling force, smash out into each of them. Oh man. So 10 and a 21. Ooh! 10 misses, 21 hits. Okay. So that is... 11 damage to the one that hits, and then...

Actually... 11 damage to the one that hits, and then... Actually, you can tell me this. Okay, I have to hit, never mind. So the one that it hits, I move him in a straight line. Away from you? Yes. 10 feet. All right, 10 feet, which would impact the other guy who managed to dodge out of the way.

I'll say, for the purposes of this, go ahead and roll a d6 on a one to three. It doesn't impact on a four or higher. Ah, one! Good looking out. So he moves forward just as the other guy is charging past and just stumbles over, and he ends up shifting one space to the side here, and hitting the rock and catching himself on it,

and looking up over the top of the roof at you with your arms out in front. We got to go! Don't touch my stuff! Awesome. Anything else on your turn? That's it. All right, Chetney, you're up.

That was a hard hit. I'm glad you think I'm little. Did you know that there are arteries in your thighs? I'll transform into a werewolf, please. Thank you very much. You watch this tiny little gnome, all of a sudden, just the flesh tear away to this massive, bestial version.

That's still holding up one chisel. Yep. Open up. It's like, yeah, it's a tracks. I'll take two swipes at the inside of his thighs. All right, two attacks. He has restraints, you have advantage on the attacks. Oh, nice.

That was just so... I'm bleeding him out, man. You know, you're going to fuck around and find out. Dirty 20 for the push. That hits. Yeah! 21. It's better, 24. Hits.

Great, one, two, three, four. This thing is 12. 12 points of damage, and? 12 points of damage and... 12 points of damage plus... Oh, it's just once, so four. So eight additional points of the Crimson Rite damage on each one of those. Gotcha, so the additional d6 on each of the strikes,

an additional eight? So 12, 12, and then additional eight? 12, 12, and eight. Got it. Ooh! Nice, 32 points of damage and two strikes. Damn! That's pretty good. Just slicing back and forth, the gno Got it. Ooh! Nice, 32 points of damage and two strikes. Damn! That's pretty nice.

Just slicing back and forth, the gnoll's trying to pull away, but it can't. The vines are holding it in place, and as you gash, you can see where you cut. You may not have hit an artery, but you've certainly left its legs quite bloody amongst the fur. Stay and hit me again.

You see this massive, growling gnoll, this look of fear hit into its eyes as it goes, and it's about to turn and run. It's a full hyena. All right, does that finish your turn? You can still move if you want. Gobbled like a turkey. I'm going to stay in his melee

and just do a 180 around him. You got it. Trying to cut him off. And that'll be my turn. All right, finishing your go is now the gnoll's go. The gnoll is going to use his action to try and break free of the restraint. He can't use his action for that.

He has to use his action to monologue. That's right. That's right! The gnoll, looking scared, frightened, goes to try and run the legs taut, bleeding and bound by the vines, looks across the field. Slow motion shot is like the sad Enyi music

plays in his head, seeing his friends falling and fleeing, and just looks out into the horizon and goes, And it was on this day I truly began to understand that I had much to learn, that I had much to learn. Oh! That I had much to lose, and perhaps I needed to seek my fortunes elsewhere.

I am getting very dizzy. Wow! What's that from? Neil Salmon. What's that from? That will Solomon. What's that from? That will end his turn, because he's restraining and can't move. Okay, yeah.

All right, Imogen, you're up. Orym, you're up. He also doesn't get a reaction on this turn. No. Okay, I'm going to try, yeah, because the other thing that I cast on him. Can I move up? I want to try to get in a line

to where I can hit these two. Can she move faster now that she's more aerodynamic? Get extra five feet. I can do a line there. Great. Damn. Yeah, I'm going to do that, and I'm going to cast Lightning Bolt. Lightning Bolt, okay, you can hit two.

Well, actually, no, if you do it in a line this way, you can hit all three. Great. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. All righty, dex saves for that guy. No, that's a two. Hot Goblin, it's a three. Ooh.

And the main guy, that is a 12. They all fail. Yes! They fail. So they all take 8d6 lightning damage. Damn! Blow it up, blow it up. 8d6? A piece?

Three hits? Is the lightning purple? Six, you know it is. Six, seven, eight. Oh my god. Ooh, a lot of one. That's all it gets. Oh, a lot of one. That's all it takes. Oh, a lot of sixes.

18, 20, 22, 24, 27 points of lightning damage. Okay. Well, we'll see if the illusionist does maintain its concentration. Sorry. I'm trying. It is burned.

You watch as the clothes are like cinders at the edges and they're like. They cough and smoke goes out of their mouth. They look back at you, just angrily staring, arms out. The energy still begins to disseminate through your arms and ground itself within your body. Your smooth head glistening off the midday sun.

Mm-hmm. You're wearing my hat, I think, right? I am wearing Chetney's hat. That's true. Glistening off the edges of it. And the beautiful midday sun texture on the knitted cap itself. Yeah.

How do you want to do this on the leader of the group and the bugbear? Oh! I to do this on the leader of the group and the bugbear? Oh! Yeah! I double do this. Yeah. I want them straight through the center. No. It starts to char black,

and then they just get engulfed in flames. Death becomes a flame. Yes. They are. So I'm like, as it goes through, I want to stare through the holes in their body at the caster before they crumble. Full-on Tombstone style?

Yeah. Wow. They go underground. Hump up! Hump up! Arms up, fleeing arms up in the air. All right, does that finish your turning machine? As a bonus action. Yeah, bonus action, what you going to do? That caster is going to hear in his head,

I'm going to find you. Oh god. Okay. Best bonus action ever. Orym, you're up with Laudna on deck. Okay, I can see which way this is going, so I'm actually going to squat down real fast and tear the sleeve away from the person

that I just stabbed to the shoulder. I'm going to, just like I saw Nel and Maeve do so many times, I'm going to cast Druidcraft and grow moss over the wound and try to stabilize them. Okay, yeah, go ahead and make a medicine check for me. Nel and Maeve. Yeah, they're fine, right? Oh, they're de-forged! That is 19.

19, they are stabilized. Okay, action surge. I'm going to spring over them into a roll and then pop up running towards the caster. Yeah, you can definitely do that. I'm going to use my shield. I rolled two d4s by mistake. Oh, okay.

So? That means I could take three off. Take three off and then instead add. Yes! Instead add 10 more. Yay! Does that change the save roll for the caster? No, they rolled a natural 18.

Oh yeah, no, never mind, that's fine. Which is still more than half, but they are deeply fucked up. Like barely holding on, just like. Back to you, Action Surge, you roll over a roll. Action Surge, using my shield to do a tripping attack. Do it. Not to. They're so pretty.

That's cocked. Oh, it was so much better before. Second slash, or shield gets me to 18. 18 hits. Okay, so tripping attack, they have to make a strength save. Natural 20. Oh, okay.

They are rolling really good. They're not doing well, but they're rolling really good. Okay, so I'll bash them in the shins and go, and then I'll send up with the shield and try to hit them in the face. They still take the extra damage. Heck yeah. But I'm trying to knock them out.

Yeah. That's a total of 16. 16, that'll do it. With that final you watch as you smack him in the chin. You all hear the heavy metal on bone impact reverberate on the shield

as they get shoryukened about three feet in the air before, onto the ground. Unconscious, about 10 feet from you. End of turn. I'll leave him here. Game's over. All right. Laudna, you're up. Who's standing?

Just the gnoll who's wrapped in vines and is finishing its monologue, looking out west. With his eyes bleeding? And see. My second monologue will be from Aurelian Anus. Anus? And he's wearing metal armor? Yes. Anus. And he's wearing metal armor? Yes.

All right. I'm going to walk up to him. I'm just going to say, I'm sorry, it's been a shit day, and shocking grasp him. Okay. Which has advantage if he's wearing metal armor. Fair enough. Oh shit!

Yep, yep. Yeah, it's a natural 19. Yeah, it'll hit. Go ahead and roll damage. 38. Uh-huh. Yeah, that is 13 damage. How do you want to do this?

Ooh. Poor guy. Go sleep. Go sleep. Shh, shh, shh, shh. Falls. Too tired to fight. Then collapses onto the ground in the middle of this alleyway.

The tension of this troop that had fallen upon this wayward wanderer that you'd come to their aid are now dead or unconscious on the ground, and you take a moment to catch your breath, look up at you, and look around at the handful of other people in the space that are all looking in,

that just go about the rest of their business. The two charred corpses on the ground still smoking in the bloodlet, and no one just really gives a shit. I'm going to take that a little bit far. Are you all right, Ashton? Are you freaking out? How's Ashton doing?

The image that was coming towards you has vanished, and now you have a clarity of mind. You still feel that deep, searing pain in your brain is starting to fade, but the spell no longer has purchase on your brain. Do I know what happened? You get the sense that an illusion was attacking you and made you hurt.

Are you all right physically? I definitely do not look all right. What fucker did that? I think they got away. I look up at this stranger on top of the building. Okay, like, you, you want to get out of here? Yeah, yeah. I start clapping.

I'm so, so sorry to have inconvenienced you. I promise that I am normally quite a capable warrior. Make an athletics check. Okay. Oh god athletics check. Okay. Oh god! Third story roof. Come on, baby. Oh god!

Oh my god, yes! It's two! Yeah! Plus? That's two! Welcome to the table. Right as you finish the phrase, being quite a capable warrior, one of the edges comes off.

You only fall 10 feet for a meager five points of legendary damage, but your new friend hits the ground dust. Ah! Beau, are you okay? I am fine. It's just more embarrassing than anything else. No, no, no.

There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Laudna's laughing and clapping. I just walk away. I say that to my desk, and I say, Laudna. Thank you. Thank you. That was hilarious.

Oh boy. You're welcome. All right, I'm going to grab Ashton by the hand and start walking towards the group and go, I think this is a walk and talk. I think we're going to go now. Do I notice the little magic caster as we're walking by?

You do. One second. I'm going to head over. Okay. Oh, they're, you know. They asleep? They're unconscious and like. Okay, I'm going to just start going through their stuff.

Okay. I want them to be very aware that they're just being ransacked. You mean their brain inside of their skull? No, I'm taking all their stuff. Okay. And I want them to be very aware that they're just being ransacked. You mean their brain inside of their skull? No, I'm taking all their stuff. Oh, boy. Okay. Roll an investigation check. Investigation, which is not great with me,

but I get an 11. 11's good. So going through their stuff, they have, one, a small dagger and a decent sheath in the side that looks far better than some other stuff they're wearing. You also pull off of them 85 gold pieces. Cool! Mine. And two platinum.

Mine. I say that those are the things of interest. So that was just small baubles and. Oh, I'm taking it all. Okay, well, you take it all and you leave them as they're on the ground going. I take their staff, too. Yeah, you got their staff. You pick them up.

I pull the knife out. I stab their cloak to the wall. Oh! I'm going to do an intimidation check. Roll intimidation. What do you say to it? I mean, that is intimidating. You don't have to say anything.

Yeah, just do it. That is a 17. 17. Ah! Whoa! Jesus. They pass out again. Oh boy.

Oh, your friend's real tense. I hope this shit was personal, keeping it. Oh man. Can I peek in that tent? Sorry about the microphones. Grab the lamp. I'm good. Intense? I'm good. Yeah.

Yeah. Hello. We're the Bells Hells. Bells Hells. Wow. Hi, I'm Dusk. It's so good to meet you. Dusk, Dusk, good to see you. I'm so sorry. You're all writing a bunch of stuff down. Amazing. Okay, I'm Dusk. It's so good to meet you. I'm so sorry.

You're all writing a bunch of stuff down. Amazing. Okay, cool. Everybody's okay? Did you earn enough to compensate? I have some money that I can, I just didn't want them to take my stuff. I just, it's kind of. What were they trying to take from you?

Just my sword or just everything. Everything. The money is. It's a dangerous area. Are you from around here? No. No, where are you from? I don't. You don't remember? It's not that I don't remember.

It's just, it's like, things are a little bit. Fuzzy? Fuzzy, a little mixed up. Do you ever have a dream so real that sometimes when you wake up, you don't know whether or not you're still dreaming? Yeah. Literally the opposite.

Oh, god. Well, that's what my life is like. I exist in this twilight-y area. I was touched by the Feywild. I was there. It's real. And it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. The last thing that I remember

was this glen. It's just existing in a perfect, eternal stillness. Just like the moment where the sun is just kissing the edge of the horizon and the golden, surreal golden light was filtering through the trees and it was so profound.

So that's where I am. Where you got your name? Yeah. It's a very beautiful name. Smart one. Is anyone paying us any mind as we walk through town? Honestly, now that the violence has ended,

most folks are just going about their business. I'm going to walk over. You know anybody in the All Mindsburn? Nope. I'm going to look at their eyes, see if they're high. The all minds burn. Make an insight check. Yeah.

The all minds burn. Oh, you mean those guys that have the, you know? I can't tell anything. Sorry. No, I'm not into that kind of stuff. Things are already fucky enough as it is. I'm going to look at the sword. That thing special?

To me, yeah. It's the only thing, one of the few things that I still get. I'm definitely, definitely a capable warrior. Definitely good. I don't know. I definitely don't have family or anything around. You're on your own here?

Hmm? You're on your own here? Sorry, I'm really short. Yes! Hi. Oh, hello. Yes, you're old. Sorry, right. Hi, I'm Orym. Orym? Nice to meet you. You? Okay.

All right. Ashton. Ashton, pleasure. You? Okay. All right. Ashton. Ashton. Pleasure. Imogen, I'm bald. It's good luck. You have a very comely-shaped head. Thanks. Fearne is not present. Oh, that's right. You went on an attempt.

Where did you go? I went to go to the tent. We'll get to you in a second. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I forgot about that. I'm literally sitting on the ground surrounded by hair right now. I'm just trying to you in a second. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I forgot about that. I'm literally sitting on the ground surrounded by hair right now. I'm just trying to gather it back up. Yeah, hey. I start to help her pick up.

Yeah, I'll go over and help with that. I don't know, maybe does we... Hmm. Like a prestidigitation? Can I prestidigitate it into a wig or something? I don't know. If you would like to try, I could make you roll an arcana check.

Okay! If you end up looking like one of the misfits from Gem and the Holograms, I'll be so happy. It'll be a dupe. Oh my god. It's going to be a dupe. This is a dupe. 12. So.

So utilizing very viably diverse abilities within your Prestidigitation. This is a unique usage of it. And you understand it enough to accomplish what you set out to do. Now, this is less like upper scale, you know. It's not lace front. Yeah, not lace front,

Hollywood Boulevard drag queen ready wig. This is some like, some target Halloween aisle. This is some Target Halloween aisle. Yes. Oh, well. That's good. What a pretty wig you made. Thank you. I am so glad you like it.

I really do. Thank you so much. Awesome. Even if you put the wig on and then the hat. I'll wear a pretty wig. That's true, a lot of times. Okay. Huh. Oh, yes. That's true, a lot of times. Okay. Huh. The same effect.

That's actually, that's a look. So you look like Che from Che and Silent Bob. In the meantime. Hi. Hi. Hello. Hello. I'm Dusk. Hi, Dusk.

My name is Wolfgang. Wolfgang. What? You have a wolf name? News to me. This is a new development, Chetney. Yes, my name's Chetney. Hello. They're both good names.

Thanks. Hi, I'm Chetney. Hakuvi, nice to meet you. It's a pleasure. Thank you so much for coming to my aid. Of course, of course! Yeah, meet you. It's a pleasure. Thank you so much for coming to my aid. Of course, of course! Yeah, yeah, thank you. He is fully double bent.

Yeah. How tall is Dunn? I'm sorry. I'm Laudna. Lovely to meet you, Laudna. You notice her hands are really unnaturally cold. These are, yeah. The pleasure is all- A little clammy, too. Hey, cold hands, warm heart. The pleasure is all. A little clammy, too. Hey, cold hands, warm heart.

The pleasure is all mine. It's not that warm. It's just. Hi, I'm Fresh Cut Grass. It's a pleasure to meet you. That's one of my favorite smells. Mine, too. Well, that's not true.

I can't smell, but my creator could. Do you want me to heal you up a little bit? I would really like that. All right, I'll just touch your gaping wound and cast Cure Wounds on you. Have you dealt with those fighters before? Have they attacked you? Or is this the first time you've encountered them?

This is my first time encountering them, but this is very normal here. You just got jumped. Everybody is always attacking everybody, and as long as you don't falsely advertise, the guards aren't going to do anything about that. There's... You mean the guards as in...

Okay. Sorry, yeah, what? No, nothing, nothing. What? Were you going somewhere? Were you trying to get to something? Yeah, I was just trying to live my life. Oh, just walking around?

Yeah, just walking around. Are you seeking something specifically? Because you seem very emotionally open and honest and everything. Yeah. Is there something that we can help you with? Should I not be? Is that a thing people don't do? I don't know, you just met us, but it's fine.

No, I think it's very healthy. Like, feelings talks are good. It's fantastic. It's just most people aren't like that. They're very closed off and insecure. And you just seem very open about yourself and your past. I mean, yeah. I mean, maybe if I'm more open about it,

then people can help figure things out. That's true. We could all be a little bit more open with ourselves. I'm just looking at all of us. This is a really bad place to be like that, though, I will admit. That being said, I found you, and you seem like really lovely people.

Yeah, and we saw you. I mean, you jumped to the top of that building. That was amazing. Yeah. So maybe we can help look out for each other. We're new in town. Oh man, yeah. I mean, we have someone that's been here before, but maybe, you know, it's been a minute.

Have you been to Taste of Tal'Dorei? Holy shit. Not in a long time. Oh man, they've changed the menu up pretty regularly. New managers? I mean, this keeps coming up. It feels like a sign. I feel ahead of heading that way.

Oh, really? Yes. Can I come? Oh, so do you not. In the interim. There's Fjord! Look at the awkward! In the interim. We're cutting to Fjord. We're hunting into the tent. I'm going to walk by the guy that has his cloak.

He's passed out. Oh. He got spooked so hard that he's just hanging from the dagger now. Oh yeah. Damp pants, the whole deal. I'm going to walk into the tent. Okay, you walk into the tent.

The first thing that catches you is a very unique smell. It's almost like a burnt rubber tree sap meets an odd medicinal herbal scent. You walk in and there looks to be some baskets that have some grains on them. There is a saber of some kind set on a chair. In the middle of the room, there's a pillow set up, and there is an old, old woman

who's sitting cross-legged, holding a bowl in her lap with this hot steam rolling off of it, who's holding it underneath and looks up at you. You can see her. She has this smile with one singular tooth that pokes beyond these dark spotted gums, heavily wrinkled face,

and slightly cataract eyes, head wrapped in a baggy, thick, heavy cloth, almost like a heavy beret that leans to the back of her head and she sits there and looks up at you. Oh, excuse me? Oh, is this where you live? I'm having lunch.

Oh, what are you eating? Oh, well, I've already ate it. Now I'm just having my after lunch. What's your after lunch? Smell. She holds out the bowl. Oh, well, hold on just a minute. Is that what I smell when I walked in? It's very strong, and it does come from that.

As you look at it, it got at food at first glance, but as she leans forward, there is some sort of a crystalline substance that is burning and giving off a smoke that's filling the chamber. Oh. Nice. You can, man. You have food. You can take man. You has it. You can take a big whiff.

Yeah. Make a wisdom saving throw. Okay. Body smash. Yeah. Come to the Midsommar tent. Oh wow. Oh no. Good for her. 21.

21. Wait, I have advantage against spells and other magical effects. Correct. Would this be milk? Don't even worry about it for this. You rolled really high. So the senses, the smell catches you and your senses begin to immediately numb for a second.

The dark shadows that are coming in from the outside warp slightly and her kindly old woman face almost seems to de-age within a moment. But you've seen weird stuff in the Fae and this is just a fun thing and you shake it off. And while the visuals remain with you, it doesn't seem to radically alter your perception or sense of self in the space.

Just a little buzzed. What do you do here? You doing a little buzzed. What do you do here? You doing a little business? I just found this tent and ducked away to have my lunch. Oh, you just came in here to just hang out. I don't know who this is. Is this your saber? Because I think I left it in here. You should take it. Yeah, I will. What else did I leave in here?

I'm going to investigate the room and see if there's anything. Make an investigation check. What else did I leave in here? Oh my god. Oh, I have bad investigations. 11. 11.

You do find an unspoiled bag of rice. Rice. 11. You do find an unspoiled bag of rice. Unspoiled rice. You find a nice pair of like a DuPont silk blue pants. What size are they? They're a bit baggy. They're a bit large for you. We can make them work. It looks to be a box of candles.

Okay, I'll take those as well. What was your name? You watch her desperately search for something. It started with a D. Darlene. Probably. Dancy. D Probably. Dancy. Darlene Dancy.

Okay. You're so funny. Are you affected by the smoke that you're putting in the room? Yeah. Yeah, you're just having a good time, good lunch time? Just passing the time here in Hell. Oh.

Oh. Oh. Well, that's a little strange. It's the Hellcatch Valley. Oh, that's right. Just shortened it so it sounded like another place. I'm going to open the curtains, the tent. I'm going to leave. I'll let you finish your food.

All right. Dancing. I already finished it. You close the tent behind. Come on, we were about to look at the other side. Looking at Laudna, her face is like. Whoa. We were talking about going to a Taste of Child Dore with our new friend, Dus. Hi. Oh, Dus.

Hello, I'm Fearne. It's lovely to meet you, Fearne. The little fleeting monkey crawls upon her shoulder, looks at you and goes, Like your monkey. Thank you. This is Mister. Mister. Yeah.

Lovely to meet you, I'm Dusk. Shake her. Shake her hand. You don't have to if you don't want to. It's all right. It's very, okay. It zinges your hand, just by contact. It's like, a little bit. Oh, okay.

It's our little kid. Just pees in the ground and goes back onto her shoulder. That's okay. He's only seven. Yeah, he's just a kid, you know? I'm just a single mother, so. Just making it out here on your own like that?

Pretty much, I mean, it's just. Because then you got a whole good community to help you raise them. Absolutely, yes. You were very impressive out there. Oh, no, thanks, I appreciate that. I'm actually a lot cooler than that, but just things are a little fucky-wucky still. Sure.

I said that they found them in the Feywild. So why don't you talk about these things? It's absolutely real. That's where I'm from. Yes. Wait, what? Yes, I live there with my grandmother. Oh my god.

Where did you go? What did you see? I don't know, but I call myself Dusk because the last thing that I remember is just this incredible, gloaming. The most gorgeous. Glen, yeah. Oh, was there a river?

Yeah, definitely. I mean, there's lots of rivers. I'm sure there's lots of rivers. I'm sure there's lots of glens I'm sure there's lots of rivers. I'm sure there's lots of Glen. Yeah, there was a river. It was babbling. What if you were in my Glen? You have a Glen out there?

No, I mean, it's not mine, but it's just near mine. You have a Glen, though? Well, yeah. I once knew a Glen. You did? Yeah. He was a leather worker. Did you date? No, no, I robbed from him to survive.

He didn't know I existed. Girl's got to do what she can to get by. Yeah, sometimes you got to shake a little tail. Indeed, it's still glowing and present in the direction from where you were. I forgot about this. More on that later. Sorry to, like, I'm a little bit of a,

I really, it's the only place that still feels real to me, and I just, there's, I don't want to go back so bad. I do, too, sometimes. Maybe we'll go back soon. I really like that. Wow, a little taste of home.

Awesome conversation for the Taste of Tal'Dorei. I was just thinking, I'm half dead, and if I'm going to be half dead, I feel the Taste of Tal'Dorei. I was just thinking, I'm half dead, and if I'm going to be half dead, I feel like Taste of Tal'Dorei will only work for me when I'm literally half dead. It's the coolest place ever. I know, I understand it's probably rife with historical inaccuracy, but still,

it's the whole vibe of the place. It's what we wish that it could be like, I think, right? Very curious. Is there a dress code? Oh. Because we're fucked. No, I mean, it's fun if you dress up in the theme and stuff and wear the outlandish wear that they used to wear back in the day.

Back in Tal'Dorei? In Tal'Dorei? Yeah. In costumes. Yeah, I think there's a gift shop there. There's a gift shop. You can rent stuff and get stuff. I'm definitely hungry. I got in that tent and got a little high, so I'm hungry. Let's go.

That's what I'm waiting for. Just making, okay. We still got eyes on the brass. As we walk, are we moving in the direction that it's pointing? It begins to point a little further westward, but not terribly away from the direction you're driving. I need a minute. We might as well get food.

Okay. What the heck? You okay? It's pointing in a different direction because we're moving, not because it's moving. Exactly. It's just slowly drifting to the west as you continue heading southward. It'll come back together. I just need to sit and drink and eat.

I'm going to cast Cure Wounds on you. I mean, we can just, okay, I'll take it. This is why we're here. That's a person. Well, not a person. Inside the little global. It's more like a tracker, and we're tracking them.

Why? What are you? Oh, because they're corrupt and murderous and they were trying to torment the town. So why are you going towards them? Oh, to not to murder him, or to capture him. Oh.

Yeah, we're on a hunt. Yeah. Bringing out Lauderdust, pal. Yeah, get her alive. Really? Come with us. That's sexy. As you exit the alleyway

to begin heading your trek, stepping towards the taste of Tal'Dorei within the city, you hear the sounds of rustling back from where you were. You glance over and see other figures have darted into the alley and are currently rifling and stealing from whatever remains from those you left behind. But your group, jovial in the aftermath

of this quick scuffle and a much needed friendly face here and for what is, for many of you, aftermath of this quick scuffle and a much needed friendly face here and for what is, for many of you, a foreign and not terribly welcoming city. We'll see what conversations and mysteries await for us when we come back, as I'm going to go ahead and close the stare. Oh!

Going to the restaurant! Yeah. And we'll come to that next session because it's getting a little late and we need to get home, it's an early morning. But first off, Eric is so excited to have you join us at the table. Yay!

Thank you guys so much! I'm here. What's up with her memory? Oh my god. You remember shit? I have questions. And an hour. Indeed. Excited to continue this thread and the rest of the chaos that Vassaras has to offer.

We will be taking a break to remind you as for the next, yep, for the next. Calamity! Yep, the next month or so is going to be calamity on Thursdays. I told you we had conversations about it. I didn't know we were going to be on that much of a break, I forgot. That's okay.

That's also why I didn't jump into too much right now because it was a long episode. There were so many secrets that you were going to tell. Everybody remember exactly what we were doing and what we were going to talk about. I'll meet you back here in like a month? Three months, I think, yeah. Three weeks.

Three, four weeks? I don't know. But yes, anyway, we'll miss you guys in the interim. Super excited to pick up from here and have Erika along with us for a bit. In the interim, give all our love to the amazing GM, Brennan Lee Mulligan, who is... Yay! Incredible! Incredible.

And is crafting a tale in the space of Tal'Dorei history that I've been so excited to see brought to life with an amazing cast. Check it out every Thursday, 7 p.m. Pacific here. I hope you enjoy it, and we'll see you guys back here shortly. In the interim, love you very much, and is it Thursday yet?

Good night. And this concludes the current chapter of Critical Role. Your essays on the history and impact of the various ages and epochs of Exandria are eagerly anticipated. Just kidding. No homework for you, but if you are inspired to do some writing, please leave us a review. Your words can really help new folks find our show and encourage them to give it a try. Thank you so much for joining us on this adventure.

Until next time.